Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

It is not hopeless, and we are not helpless.

I might just take the rest of the day off and do even more nothing than usual.

If a good thing happens for a bad reason, it’s still a good thing.

Hi god, it’s us. Thanks a heap, you’re having a great week and it’s only Thursday!

Oh FFS you might as well trust a 6-year-old with a flamethrower.

It’s pointless to bring up problems that can only be solved with a time machine.

Good lord, these people are nuts.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

The next time the wall street journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

A norm that restrains only one side really is not a norm – it is a trap.

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

The low info voters probably won’t even notice or remember by their next lap around the goldfish bowl.

75% of people clapping liked the show!

Fight for a just cause, love your fellow man, live a good life.

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

Petty moves from a petty man.

So many bastards, so little time.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

When you’re a Republican, they let you do it.

Just because you believe it, that does not make it true.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

… gradually, and then suddenly.

You are here: Home / John Cole Presents "This Fucking Old House" / Open Thread

Open Thread

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This post is in: 

I’m in a shit mood. I had a virgin margarita, though, and that was pretty tasty.

Picked up some vases from ikea:

And my friend Danielle sent me an awesome herb wreath that smells so good:

Also STEVE HAS ZOMGLAZERSPEWPEWPEW:

Tomorrow I re-arrange the living room and put together this IKEA cabinet I got for the downstairs bathroom to store mops and brooms and swiffers.

Reader Interactions

128Comments

  10. 10.

    Gin & Tonic

    I got the pins taken out of my arm today. Somehow I expected that to mean I’d be able to move it. Fuck, no. Practically zero motion and definitely non-zero on the pain as ligaments that have not moved in seven weeks complain about being woken up.

    Not happy.

  11. 11.

    schrodingers_cat

    I am still worried for the vases on the corner cabinet. Boss kitteh would have dispatched them to the floor, a long time ago. And then would have gotten his tail pouffy and bottle-brush like pretending that the vases were trying to kill him.

  12. 12.

    Brachiator

    And my friend Danielle sent me an awesome herb wreath that smells so good:

    No one sent a herb wreath with smokable items?

    Seriously, looks like a nice, comfortable place.

  14. 14.

    Mnemosyne

    Virgin mojitos are also a delicious summer drink — basically, it’s limeade with a little mint.

    We’re getting ready for a big margarita party at work tomorrow, where we invite people from other offices. My boss’s husband makes the most amazing three-ingredient margaritas: decent tequila, Cointreau, and fresh-squeezed lime juice. But they’re so strong, you can only drink one, so we also have plenty of soda, sparkling water, and agua fresca.

    Oh, and my Mexican co-organizer of the party gets very annoyed by Cinco de Mayo parties, so we’re doing a “Star Wars” party with Latin flair. I have my Darth Vader sugar skull t-shirt washed and ready to wear.

  17. 17.

    Villago Delenda Est

    Tomorrow I re-arrange the living room and put together this IKEA cabinet I got for the downstairs bathroom to store mops and brooms and swiffers.

    Hilarity ensues

  25. 25.

    Steve in the ATL

    @Major Major Major Major:

    I would totally hang out there if my gay ass wasn’t presently boycotting places that are more than 35% republican

    sorry you had to cancel your vacation to Bakersfield

  28. 28.

    Goku

    Nice digs Cole. Have fun with IKEA furniture. Real pain to put together. Or at least that’s the stereotype

  30. 30.

    Goku

    @lamh36: That Jesus feller was white and spoke english. The bible’s written in english and my pastor would never lie to me, libtard!

    /s

  33. 33.

    Kropadope

    One of my videogame characters complained that all the winning was making him sleepy, i.e. tired of all the winning. It kind of put me off Xbox for the night.

  35. 35.

    greennotGreen

    Update from me: Definitely weaker. Family accomplished a lot of administrative stuff today, turning over my mother’s affairs to my sister and my affairs to my nephew. Really cool thing that happened is my friend from Connecticut was in town to give a talk, and he was able to come by! It was so good to see him, and I even got to Facetime with his wife although we were limited by the fact that I live in the country and the signal here is not the best.

    I’ve got to sign off now. No more energy.

  37. 37.

    greennotGreen

    P.S. John, Steve is just scoping out which vases he wants to knock down first.

  40. 40.

    ArchTeryx

    One of these days, I’m going to have to convince our bloghost to try World of Tanks, if only so he can drive around making those sound effects as he effortlessly kills Reds. (Red being the color of the “enemy” team, rather then Russians; this is a game where it’s not at all unusual to find U.S., Russian and German tanks battling side by side. There’s something rewarding about giving the finger to history and having some tiny little Panzerkampfwagen recon tank scouting for Russian and U.S. heavies).

  43. 43.

    Alain the site fixer

    @greennotGreen: please do submit any pictures you might like to share of favorite places. I’m sure many would love to share that. I know I would!

  51. 51.

    ArchTeryx

    @Alain the site fixer: I know and that’s why I recommended it. World of Tanks is all the *fun* of driving tanks without getting locked in a tiny metal footlocker full of explosives on one side and diesel fuel on the other.

    (That’s how I’ve heard another Abrams tanker describe it, and based on what I’ve seen, the WW II era tanks must have been an order of magnitude *worse*).

    John’s welcome to ‘toon up with me any time. I’d LOVE tooling around with a RL tanker. ^.^

    (‘Sabot round! Fire!’)

  53. 53.

    Kropadope

    @Goku: Halo Wars. It was one of the little Grunts in my army. They actually have some pretty funny banter in that game, but that line put me off.

  54. 54.

    efgoldman

    @Mnemosyne:

    Avoid Montreal or anywhere in Quebec if you hate snow.

    I suspect that within my daughter’s lifetime N’Awlinnns will be mostly underwater and uninhabitable, and Montreal’s weather will be more like, say, Charlotte, but with more rain.
    She’s 36.

  55. 55.

    Steve in the ATL

    @ArchTeryx: is it as good as Battle Zone? That’s the gold standard for tank warfare games.*

    *statement may be unreliable post 1981

  60. 60.

    jl

    Thanks to Cole for the nice house and flower arrangement pics.
    But, one of the desks seems to have been installed upside down. Thought I ought to mention it to Cole, in case he hasn’t noticed.

  61. 61.

    Kropadope

    @Steve in the ATL:

    is it as good as Battle Zone? That’s the gold standard for tank warfare games.*
    *statement may be unreliable post 1981

    I can vouchsafe your statement up until at least 1987.

  62. 62.

    Goku

    @Kropadope: I can understand that.
    I’ve been a PlayStation guy. Never played a Halo game. Mostly either a racing game player or GTA. GTA 4 was the first GTA game I ever played. Easily the best video game in history in my opinion. Especially story and character-wise.

  66. 66.

    Mnemosyne

    So I got a chance to see a preview of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 last night. If you liked the first one, you’ll really like it. It’s a hell of a lot of fun and has some good emotion in it, too.

    And Baby Groot is murderously adorable, like a baby otter.

  67. 67.

    ArchTeryx

    @Steve in the ATL: It’s a classic Multiplayer Online game. Free-to-play, so of course there’s lots of incentive to sink real money into it, but it’s generally worth it.

    The trolls and griefers, of course, are there as well, but the game’s pretty good about dealing with outright teamkillers, and “fail platoons” are now banned as well, so the griefers have a harder time ruining the fun.

  69. 69.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Villago Delenda Est: We will be setting up a Pay Per View streaming service to cover the event. We’ve branded it as Cole Vs Ikea Cabinet 1! 2 Enter, 1 Goes to the Emergency Room. We’ll be charging $29.95 and you can stream and restream the event all month long for no additional charge.

  70. 70.

    Steve in the ATL

    @ArchTeryx:

    The trolls and griefers, of course, are there as well, but the game’s pretty good about dealing with outright teamkillers, and “fail platoons” are now banned as well, so the griefers have a harder time ruining the fun.

    BRB–gonna run this through Google translate

  71. 71.

    Goku

    @Goku: Also played PC games more often for about a year before not having any time to do. Kerbal Space Program was my favorite one to play

  73. 73.

    Kropadope

    @Goku:

    I can understand that.
    I’ve been a PlayStation guy.

    Ew. How do you deal with that shitty controller?

    GTA 4 was the first GTA game I ever played. Easily the best video game in history in my opinion. Especially story and character-wise.

    Oh, games with inherently floaty controls. Makes sense, I guess. I want to like GTA, I really do. Can’t get there. There’s no open world game of that type better than the Batman: Arkham Asylum series (Asylum, City, Origins, Knight)

  77. 77.

    ArchTeryx

    @Steve in the ATL: Well, trolls and griefers are pretty self-exclamatory. “Fail platoons” were someone of a very low tier pairing up with higher tiers, specifically to wreck the team’s chances. Now only same tiers can pair up, assuring at least a modicum of fairness. (Artillery platoons were banned as well, but that’s REALLY getting into inside baseball).

  81. 81.

    Goku

    @Kropadope: Hey, you can’t argue with GTA 4’s commericial success. It’s sold more than 25 million copies. I was complimenting it’s story and characters more than it’s controls or even graphics.

  83. 83.

    Steve in the ATL

    @ArchTeryx:

    Well, trolls and griefers are pretty self-exclamatory. “Fail platoons” were someone of a very low tier pairing up with higher tiers, specifically to wreck the team’s chances. Now only same tiers can pair up, assuring at least a modicum of fairness. (Artillery platoons were banned as well, but that’s REALLY getting into inside baseball).

    BRB–gonna run this through Google translate

  85. 85.

    Corner Stone

    @Adam L Silverman: Please tell me there will be in-streaming options to purchase “mops and brooms and swiffers” to restock the cabinet during the match.

  86. 86.

    Alain the site fixer

    @ArchTeryx: I’d crew. Good at games but such team-based coordination means I’d try to be a good cog. Let someone else lead, drive, and shoot lol

  89. 89.

    efgoldman

    @Kropadope:

    There’s no open world game of that type better than the Batman: Arkham Asylum series (Asylum, City, Origins, Knight)

    Kid, who used to review video games for a living, loves Mass Effect and is now in Andromeda. Me? I could barely handle Tetris in the old days. Reaction time is too slow

  90. 90.

    Elizabelle

    @greennotGreen: Great to see you here. Rest up.

    I’m sure your friend (and his wife) were thrilled to see you, too.

    Hoping tomorrow will be a good day for you.

  91. 91.

    Corner Stone

    @Adam L Silverman: Will there also be a pre-match auction where the highest bidder gets to hand draw build instructions? TBH, even the most Lex Luthor mofo could not provide more diabolical design drawings than what comes with the furniture.

  92. 92.

    efgoldman

    @Adam L Silverman:

    does this mean the dogs and Steve are all Republicans?

    All cats are RWNJ Republiklown assholes by definition.
    Dogs are Machine voters, swaying with the wind of whoever feeds them.

  93. 93.

    Alain the site fixer

    @Alain the site fixer: we really should setup a BJ guild and gaming group. For all games, not just one. So many of us play. I know I get functional every morning by logging in and playing a few multiplayer games of Call Of Duty on my Xbox.

    It helps get certain parts of my brain to body interface going much better than more passive efforts. It would be a hoot to play with some other BJ folks and the same goes for pc based games in the pm/evening, depending on life schedules, of course.

  94. 94.

    Corner Stone

    I have to be honest. I am a little uncomfortable with an intelligent and determined young black male being my “dividend”.

  99. 99.

    Alain the site fixer

    @efgoldman: my cats are way too poetic and suave to be RWNJ. Clearly lefties, perhaps, maybe, possibly libertarian. But I do keep them supplied with as much weapons-trade catnip as they want. Like a small bowl on the floor they can dig into whenever they want. So perhaps I’m just seeing their better side, being their grower and pusher! Lol

  101. 101.

    Alain the site fixer

    @Adam L Silverman: that wouldn’t help with the coordination. I find I’m very clumsy when I first am awake and playing shortens the period and the degree of clumsiness.

  104. 104.

    Anya

    @Mnemosyne: I am glad I didn’t encounter any “there’s not a dime’s worth of difference between Democrats and Republicans,” or anyone who didn’t vote for Hillary. I was that angry but I channelled it into signing up for volunteering and donating. But I think today was the day for kickboxing.

  107. 107.

    Thor Heyerdahl

    From San Diego up to Maine,
    In every mine and mill,
    Where workers fight and organize,
    It’s there you find Joe Hill

    Like so many of trump’s “victories” since he started, today’s will be pyrrhic coated in a cheeto-like dust only to blow up in his face later.

  109. 109.

    Timurid

    @Mnemosyne:

    Move to Vancouver — their winters are like Seattle’s, not too bad.

    But the rents will have you longing for Mother Russia…

  110. 110.

    Millard Filmore

    @schrodingers_cat:

    Metric, MKS system, SI is much easier than the archaic system used more commonly. Much easier to divide and multiply by 10 than other numbers.

    Not so! Where I went to college they had no problem measuring the speed of light in a vacuum (C) as leagues per week, plus or minus the furlongs per fortnight.

  115. 115.

    Elizabelle

    @Thor Heyerdahl:

    Like so many of trump’s “victories” since he started, today’s will be pyrrhic coated in a cheeto-like dust only to blow up in his face later.

    I think so too. We have to help make that happen. And remove as many Republicans from Congress and the statehouses as is possible.

  116. 116.

    Kropadope

    @Goku: Yeah, I may have been slightly lashing out cuz my own favorite game is rubbing Trump in my face.

    @efgoldman: The original Mass Effect trilogy was my favorite RPG ever. Compelling decisions and consequences. Tight shooting controls from the second game on. I’ve been dragging my feet on Andromeda tho.

  119. 119.

    laura

    @Adam L Silverman: As soon as read: ” and put together this IKEA cabinet I got for the downstairs bathroom to store mops and brooms and swiffers,” I reckoned there was going to be a tale well worth anticipating. There could be mustard, naked mopping, catbutt scrubbing, cursing the joys of the allen wrench, and not enough dibbits or snerz to hold the thing together, a vast array of potential injuries and Thurston will insist on helping or running off with the last dibbit or snerz.

    I can’t wait for the report, even if I can’t get the pay per view.

  120. 120.

    Adam L Silverman

    @laura:

    Oh, wonder!
    How many goodly creatures are there here!
    How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,
    That has such people in ’t!

  121. 121.

    J R in WV

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Jesus, dude, didn’t you know that getting the pins out means you get to start 8 weeks of agonizing physical therapy>??? My brother had a bone infection in his finger after an accident while cleaning a deer with a V sharp kniife. Many antibiotics, followed by surgery (plastic surgeons mostly do hand surgery, so many tiny fiddly bits)to scrape the scar tissue off the tendons.

    Once the scars from the surgery healed, I drove him to PT for his first appointment.

    I could see him down the hall, pretty therapist took his finger and bent it as far as she could, and bro turned white. First bend of the finger in a couple of months.

    So you will bend and move your hand and arm, and it will hurt. Ignore the pain, take the meds, do the exercises. PT will work if you do it hard.

    Keep up the exercises forever, too. Best of luck.

  122. 122.

    Mnemosyne

    @laura:

    G endeared himself to the neighbors in our new apartment by voluminously cursing when he discovered he had assembled an IKEA bookcase backwards.

    I found this out when I introduced myself to said neighbor and got the side-eye and a comment about how my husband should close the windows while he’s working because there are kids living in the building.

  123. 123.

    workworkwork

    @Alain the site fixer: I figured cats were anarcho-libertarians myself.

    I was feeling pretty crappy this afternoon but while watching some Justice League Unlimited to calm myself down, I caught this exchange (paraphrased) when the group found themselves in a seemingly un-winnable situation:

    Character 1: “What do you do when you have the weight of the whole world on your shoulders?”
    Character 2: “Plant your feet.”

    For some reason, I felt better. Of course, this was the show I watched while I was recovering from surgery last year.

  125. 125.

    J R in WV

    My dom was a – is a really funny irishman just chatting we laugh more than as Steve Colbert. but then he hauled my arm back as far as he could, until I squeeked pretty hard, he let up a smidge, and then held it there for 35 seconds, and eased it back out of the pain field.

    And I was on pain meds anti spasmodics, and NSAIDS all to handle the PT, following the post op pain meds. I still use some pain meds, the arthritis doesn’t stop because two joints got fixed, the other 202 joints are still getting more sore as I go along.

    But Dave and I still laughed hard, and lost count of reps, so I did as many as I could, and he stretched my shoulders out as far as he could with harming me.

    Oooouch. but that’s what helps cure the problems. Shame he wasn’t my kind of cute. The cute ones don’t tend to be hard core: know all the tendons by name, and which ones are important for a given injury. That’s the kind of PT you really need coming back from a big injury.

    My worst was when I had bought a hay field, paid for it in the field. The cutting and baling was all scheduled, when my back went out, seriously. My Dr sent me to a good PT shop, where I told them I had aggravated a chronic injury and needed to be over it by Saturday (This was on Tuesday IIRC). They put a TENS unit on my pulled muscles in my lower back, put wet heat on top of that, and then hooked belts around under my shoulders and around my hips, for pulsing tension on what hurt.
    \
    When the 45 minute session of traction, heat and stimulation was over, the young girl unhooked me from the equipment and two of them helped me stand up and to walk out into the lobby. I tool two hydrocodones in order to be able to walk to my truck. The next day the same thing, not quite as debilitating. The third day I thought for the first time that I was going to be able to pick up 300 bales of hay onto the truck, and unload them into my barn loft. I also eased off to one pain pill.

    I haven’t had that bad a back injury in 25 years. One less severe, with better, calmer treatment. Now I can feel it tighten up, and I know to stretch and relax and take it easy.

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