Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Let there be snark.

I like you, you’re my kind of trouble.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

Consistently wrong since 2002

They’re not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

Take your GOP plan out of the witness protection program.

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

And we’re all out of bubblegum.

“woke” is the new caravan.

Republicans don’t trust women.

If you’re pissed about Biden’s speech, he was talking about you.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

The GOP is a fucking disgrace.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

“I never thought they’d lock HIM up,” sobbed a distraught member of the Lock Her Up Party.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

This really is a full service blog.

You are here: Home / John Cole Presents "This Fucking Old House" / A Sequence of Photos

A Sequence of Photos

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These two photos really say it all. I walked upstairs and found Steve lying dead center in the middle of the bed in the spare (lavender) bedroom, and I sat down to give him some attention:

My ass no more than hit the bed when this happened:

He is so damned needy.

My bff Tammy is up for the night with her pooch Samantha, and we are having Holly and company over for dinner to celebrate Holly’s 3rd Aneurversary of her aneurysm. Tammy has nicknamed Thurston “Thirsty” because he is so damned starved for attention.

It fits.

*** Update ***

By request, pictures of Samantha:

And like all good models, as soon as she is off camera, she relaxes for the next shoot:

She’s a good dog and folded seamlessly into the pack in under ten minutes.

Reader Interactions

77Comments

  1. 1.

    SiubhanDuinne

    John, I know there are a lot of people here who miss the old cranky curmudgeonly you — and in all truth, I thought that guy was pretty damn funny — but I must tell you, I also love this new, mellowed-out you.

    P.S. How is Holly doing? Can’t believe it’s been three years! Are there any lingering effects from her aneurysm? (“Aneurversary” is funny.)

  7. 7.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @SiubhanDuinne: I sometimes wonder if Cole has actually mellowed or if, instead, our anger levels have ratcheted up enough that he just seems mellow to us now.

  8. 8.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    Holy crap I read the first fifteen words and actually kind of gasped, before I read the next words or they registered or whatever. Don’t do that to me.

  14. 14.

    guachi

    We have Brussel’s Griffon (think ewok as that’s what the ewok was based off of) that will worm her way in front of the cats when I or my wife try to pet the kitty. We have to hold the dog at bay to pet the cats and she just sits there licking the air because she has to lick something!

  16. 16.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    @Omnes Omnibus: Right I guess in the sense that “Wouldn’t it be great if I won all the time” = “Wouldn’t it be great if everyone was nice all the time” it works.

    One of those times when the analogy came to me before I quite understood what it was.

  18. 18.

    germy

    The Cat and the Youth

    A CAT fell in love with a handsome Young Man, and entreated Venus
    to change her into a woman.

    “I should think,” said Venus, “you might make so trifling a change
    without bothering me. However, be a woman.”

    Afterward, wishing to see if the change were complete, Venus caused
    a mouse to approach, whereupon the woman shrieked and made such a
    show of herself that the Young Man would not marry her.

    Ambrose Bierce

  20. 20.

    jl

    Thank to Cole for sequence of pet photos.
    Did Cole pet the poor damn starved-for-attention dog? I do hope so.

    Trumpster plans out DC last couple of days seem to have dialed the stupid, manic vicious and crazy up to 11. So, I am staying away from intertubes, and TV boxes as much as possible for a while. I guess I’ll need to check back in early next week, when stuff happens. Oh yeah, French election! Woohoo! If Le Pen wins, maybe Trump will fly off to France for a while to celebrate.

  23. 23.

    JCJ

    @Omnes Omnibus: Just read your comments from the Science March thread. It was indeed a beautiful day in Madison. I was there with my daughter and a co-worker.

  24. 24.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @JCJ: Signs?

    ETA: Since I got there early and was by myself, I wander through the crowd taking photos of the crowd and the good signs. “Make America Smart Again” might have been my favorite.

  25. 25.

    Lyrebird

    @amygdala: @Bill E Pilgrim: Yeah me too, though just for a fraction of a second since even in the top photo he looks thoroughly alive, but thanks for reporting that I wasn’t the only startled reader… and thank goodness!

  27. 27.

    germy

    The Dog and the Reflection

    A DOG passing over a stream on a plank saw his reflection in the
    water.

    “You ugly brute!” he cried; “how dare you look at me in that
    insolent way.”

    He made a grab in the water, and, getting hold of what he supposed
    was the other dog’s lip, lifted out a fine piece of meat which a
    butcher’s boy had dropped into the stream.

    Ambrose Bierce

    The Lion and the Thorn

    A LION roaming through the forest, got a thorn in his foot, and,
    meeting a Shepherd, asked him to remove it. The Shepherd did so,
    and the Lion, having just surfeited himself on another shepherd,
    went away without harming him. Some time afterward the Shepherd
    was condemned on a false accusation to be cast to the lions in the
    amphitheatre. When they were about to devour him, one of them
    said:

    “This is the man who removed the thorn from my foot.”

    Hearing this, the others honourably abstained, and the claimant ate
    the Shepherd all himself.

  28. 28.

    germy

    @Sab: Our cat is in love with us. Loves to sit on our laps and purr. Insists on sleeping at the foot of the bed. Once my wife worked very late, and the cat sat staring at the front door until she returned.

  29. 29.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    Actually the epitaph narration by Roddy at the end of that episode I just went and found seemed kind of timely as well

    “A scared little man who never got a break. Now he has everything he’s ever wanted. And he’s going to have to live with it…”

    Might change “never” to “always” but otherwise kind of fits current events. I don’t mean John.

    A close friend’s mother went to high school with Serling, and always referred to him as “Roddy” when she reminisced about it. “Roddy always wanted to be a writer…”

  36. 36.

    schrodingers_cat

    @germy: My bosscat is a total loverboy, he sleeps on my shoulder every night. If I ever had to pull an all nighter working on an assignment, he would stay awake till I did. Of course he does not hesitate to bite or hiss if I annoy him, which can be quite often.

  39. 39.

    germy

    @schrodingers_cat: If I annoy our cat, I get the “warning claw” She’ll clutch at me and then slowly unsheath. I always take the hint.

    Most of the time I’ll get the paw rather than the claw.

  40. 40.

    zhena gogolia

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    The thing about the internet is you find out other people have the very same catchphrases in their heads that you thought were yours alone.

  42. 42.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    @MomSense:

    Fry: Oh, man, this is great! Hey, as long as you don’t make me smell Uranus.

    Leela: (Puzzled) I don’t get it.

    Farnsworth: I’m sorry, Fry, but astronomers renamed Uranus in 2620 to end that stupid joke once and for all.

    Fry: Oh. What’s it called now?

    Farnsworth: Urectum.

  44. 44.

    germy

    I see Kedi will be playing in a theater near us:

    Hundreds of thousands of Turkish cats roam the metropolis of Istanbul freely. For thousands of years they’ve wandered in and out of people’s lives, becoming an essential part of the communities that make the city so rich. Claiming no owners, the cats of Istanbul live between two worlds, neither wild nor tame — and they bring joy and purpose to those people they choose to adopt. In Istanbul, cats are the mirrors to the people, allowing them to reflect on their lives in ways nothing else could.

    Critics and internet cats agree — this cat documentary will charm its way into your heart and home as you fall in love with the cats in Istanbul.

    Official Link to the Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKq7UqplcL8

  46. 46.

    Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho

    Who could imagine a needy dog at your place? And in a pink room too, with a great nickname. How’s Holly? It is hard to believe it’s been 3 years – she’s an inspiration with her tenacious approach to recovery from such a serious event. It sounds like you guys will all have a terrific visit.
    On the topic of brains, its NAMI Walks time, and there’s a team in search of support:Team Bella Q. While the NAMI I directed was absorbed to create SW OH, in order to better allocate scarce funding, I still field a team. Any support would be greatly appreciated, can be anon/pseudonymous, and it’s tax deductible. Named communication will be from the affiliate and I’ll not know who you are (unless I do already). On the team this is a new member of the Q household.
    Thanks to all those who can contribute.

  47. 47.

    JCJ

    @Omnes Omnibus: My daughter had a sign with a quote from Carl Sagan on one side and on the other she had written “Laws of Resistance “. We arrived there about 12:40.

  48. 48.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @JCJ: I missed you guys then. Sorry we didn’t have an accidental encounter.

    ETA: Which Sagan quote?

  49. 49.

    Mnemosyne

    @Sab:

    Yep. When we first got Keaton to keep our older male cat Boris company, Keaton immediately loved Boris. Boris was … not so sure, but Keaton persisted until they were best buddies.

  51. 51.

    JCJ

    @JCJ:
    Her Laws of Resistance started with an abridged quote from Marie Curie, then the other three she wrote herself

    1) Understanding more leads to a future of fearing less.

    2) Atrocities in motion will remain in motion unless we act.

    3) For every right denied there will be an equal and opposite push back.

    4) This energy of protest cannot be destroyed.

  53. 53.

    mainmata

    I have a dog whose eyes have a distinct large white area (for a dog), iris (hazel) and pupil (dark) and a very expressive face (a bit like Thurston’s). So, because her eyes are rather human-like and, because she has dog eyebrows, she is very facially expressive to a human. A lot of small dogs, especially have just black button eyes that aren’t quite as relatable in the same way.

  54. 54.

    Gin & Tonic

    Circle of life shit here. We are visiting my daughter, who is days away from making my grand-daughter the big sister. In the meantime my father in law is in the ICU and my son in law’s only aunt is heading to hospice for what appear to be the final weeks of her life. The presence of a small child brightens things a great deal.

  55. 55.

    JCJ

    @Omnes Omnibus: It is long.

    “Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves…
    Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.”

  61. 61.

    JCJ

    @Omnes Omnibus:
    No doubt. I enjoyed the day and it is encouraging to be among so many sane people. As you know I live in Waukesha County so sanity seems to be quite uncommon

  62. 62.

    Greenergood

    My gorgeous 15-yr-old felid companion had to be put to sleep two weeks ago – I was here on Planet Mom (NY) while spouse and felid companion were 3000 miles away in Scotland. Spouse tried to keep Gus going, but he was fading and miserable, and we have the great luxury of making that decision for feline overlords. It still feels awful – I escape from Planet Mom on Monday, and I know my house will feel bereft of its benevolent feline presence. Steve just looks so lovely, having had his spring shearing. Makes me look forward to welcoming a new rescue cat into our home eventually.

  63. 63.

    Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho

    @Omnes Omnibus: Thank you!
    I appreciate your support; it’s a vital service.

    I had lunch yesterday with a friend who taught for my NAMI and teaches at the new big affiliate one – donating his time – and among the things donations help with are token gifts for hard working volunteers like him. He also facilitates a family support group twice a month and he’s always told me he gets more out of those activities than the time he puts in.

  64. 64.

    Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho

    @Gin & Tonic: Geez your family’s been hit hard. I hope you’re staying on topic of injury discomfort. Know my thoughts are with all of you.

  65. 65.

    chopper

    oh Jesus. the way the text wrapped on my browser the first line said “These two photos really say it all. I walked upstairs and found Steve lying dead” and I started to lose it.

  67. 67.

    Jackie

    @HinTN: I was shocked Steve didn’t throw a catfit reaction to “strange dog just jumped on my bed!!!” WOW! John’s new mellowness must be rubbing off on Steve :)

  69. 69.

    geg6

    He and Lovey are like twins, personality wise. Poor Koda never gets petted, poor thing, without Lovey shoving her way in and taking all pets for herself.

    They are funny little things.

  71. 71.

    CaseyL

    Thurston is still a pup, and will always be a pup :)

    Do our cats love us?

    Yes.

    For a long time humans thought only humans had “real emotions,” animals just had instincts, dependence tropisms, and the rule was “don’t anthropomorphize!” The rule wasn’t just silly, it was cruel. (Some researchers still cling to it, though.)

    I actually wonder about the obverse sometimes. Are human emotions essentially tropisms, dressed up to look like something transcendent only because we can memorialize them in art and conversation? I particularly wonder about that nowadays, with our societies and our politics reverting back to tribalism and knee-jerk reactions.

  76. 76.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @J R in WV: It’s the National Alliance on Mental Illness. It has local affiliates that provide education and support to people with the diseases and their families, free of charge. More is explained at the link for Team Bella Q, above. I can’t link from to his tablet. At the roster, you can read team members’ pages. Harry’s is good. ?

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