Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The GOP is a fucking disgrace.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

I really should read my own blog.

“woke” is the new caravan.

Let there be snark.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

You cannot shame the shameless.

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

Everybody saw this coming.

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. let’s win this.

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

You are here: Home / John Cole Presents "This Fucking Old House" / Some Other Finds at the “Tag” Sales

Some Other Finds at the “Tag” Sales

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Picked up this for my office for 40 bucks:

We also picked up this amazingly comfortable chair that Ann Burr thinks is the ugliest chair on the planet (she sent a picture of it to her friend who replied “it’s a piece of resistance”) but I am just happy it is comfortable and now there is ONE piece of furniture to accommodate my Hodoresque physique:

I have been informed that it will have a slip cover in short order, but to be honest it really doesn’t bother me that much. And here are two pictures of Marmalade, who is feeling much better after being furminated this afternoon:

We went out to eat and I had the greatest lemonade ever. Here was my pretty date:

Now back to our Game of Thrones marathon.

Reader Interactions

153Comments

  3. 3.

    Gemina13

    I’m jealous that you found that beautiful barrister bookcase for just $40. I’m going to have to haunt my local used furniture shops.

  4. 4.

    wmd

    Cole you’ve had a great year so far. Keep this trend going. we all want you to be happy.

  9. 9.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Marmalade is gorgeous, and ABC is really pretty, and the chair is hideous but looks super comfortable, and you sound and look happy and content.

    This is all good.

  12. 12.

    Hal

    I like the chair. As they say on House Hunters, it has character. The book case is fantastic.

  14. 14.

    Mary G

    I must have bad taste because I don’t hate the chair. You look super happy and healthy in the photo with the bookcase. I had a feeling about Ann Burr when I saw you talking to her on twitter about buying appliances and I was right! Yay for happiness in the era of Twitler. Thanks also, too for the pictures of Marmalade, he or she is a gorgeous orange tabby that looks like one my uncle had.

  15. 15.

    PhoenixRising

    We have that chair!! Found on curb 16 years ago & had it reupholstered in basically that. We call it the Picasso chair. If you get a chance to feed a sleepy baby in that chair you’ll discover that it has a superpower. No baby or adult can stay awake cuddled in the Picasso chair.

  16. 16.

    ThresherK

    I would make that chair my throne!

    (Spousal ThresherK would have ordered a slipcover before we got it home, however.)

    That your date is agreeing to have her photo, and her cat’s photo, posted is a good sign.

  17. 17.

    Patricia Kayden

    I wonder if John knows we’re all going to crash his wedding? Things that make you go hmmmmm.

    The furniture looks great and kitty and girlfriend are lovely. Life looks good for the Cole Kingdom.

  21. 21.

    Quinerly

    Love the chair! Don’t change it! You did pretty friggin great in the chick department. How did you get so lucky? Thought you were a malcontent. What kind of operation are you running here?

  26. 26.

    Baud

    I was going to make a wisecrack, but I’m feeling generous tonight. Enjoy the rest of your day, John.

  28. 28.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @eemom:

    “Comment Instructions”?? WTF???

    An astonishing number of people, even regular commenters who have been around for a while, don’t seem to understand some of the basics, like the fact that changing your nym in any way will throw you into moderation until you’ve been vetted. I’m glad Alain took the time and trouble to compile a list of the most common quirks of this quirky place. And easy enough to ignore for those who are familiar with John’s liberal banhammer rules and the viscissitudes of FYWP.

  31. 31.

    Quinerly

    @Baud:
    Poco is counting on your Baudness. Don’t get all warm and fuzzy. He is in serious training for 2020. Baud/Poco 2020!

  32. 32.

    Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho

    I actually like the chair, and would buy it as is! If shipping to OH were affordable. Can I get the link to ABC’s blog again? I’ve mislaid it.

    Nice Tarot cards, M4. Happy holiday time to everyone.

  33. 33.

    Steeplejack

    How does Cole’s life get to be so great when the whole country is going to shit?! I am flummoxed.

  34. 34.

    Quinerly

    @Baud:
    I felt Frank once….but I digress….between you and me…he wasn’t worth the trouble.

  37. 37.

    Baud

    @Quinerly:

    Now I feel pressure to maintain my sociopathy. In the past, it just came naturally.

    When did Frank go out of favor as a name anyway?

  40. 40.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Steeplejack: It’s nice to read something positive once in a while so I’m glad he’s doing great despite The Idiot in the White House. We need these kinds of posts to keep us sane.

  43. 43.

    Caphilldcne

    Nice barrister bookcase. I paid easily $200 apiece for 3 15 years ago at Eastern Market in DC. They are on the verge of antique (from old government offices in 20s/30s but now I’m wondering if I should’ve just been out there looking harder at the yard sales.

  49. 49.

    Quinerly

    @Baud:
    Poco will balance the ticket. He’s not a sociopath. In other news, frankly Frank is a bit overrated.

  50. 50.

    cmorenc

    IMHO your new chair’s current covering is wonderful-interestingly attractive, but then so is ABC, and if I was you and it’s between keeping ABC happy and the chair’s current covering…well, hopefully you can guess which is the right choice. If the old lady’s happy….if the old lady’s not happy…and so on.

  57. 57.

    JPL

    In celebration of the fourth of July Trump says
    “We’re going to start saying ‘Merry Christmas’ again,” says Pres Trump, in outreach to Christian supporters.
    I might add that why the hell not cuz nothing is normal.. in the new modern president thingy.

  58. 58.

    Anne Laurie

    Mad props to ABC, who understands that sometimes an unpromising hulk just needs a little slipcovering to be perfect.

    (It’s a good thing that chair’s staying in CT, though, cuz you know Thurston would consider those upholstered legs a… challenge.)

  59. 59.

    satby

    Cuteness overload! This post should have had a trigger warning….

    Nah, glad you all are having such a great time.

  61. 61.

    Virginia

    Love all of this and am so glad for you Cole.

    I do wish ABC had moved over to (her right?) for the photo of you and the bookcase. Then her body would have been aligned with your head in the reflection.

    That would have been an epic photo.

  62. 62.

    efgoldman

    @JPL:

    In celebration of the fourth of July Trump says
    “We’re going to start saying ‘Merry Christmas’ again,”

    Of course we are. After all, the Christmas Tree Shops are open year round.
    Still, it’s going to be a little confusing when the cashier in WalMart wishes you merry xmas in July or August.
    He is such an incredibly stupid and ignorant person. Makes late stage Sanctus Ronaldus look and sound like a genius.

  65. 65.

    JPL

    @efgoldman: I think we should see how many of us can say Merry Christmas at a 4th of July celebration. If it doesn’t rain, I will mention to at least one person, that I can now say Merry Christmas. If it rains, the dog would not appreciate the sentiment.

  66. 66.

    Gemina13

    I’d also like to add that ABC is lovely, and Marmalade is adorable.

    Been reading Tarot cards lately myself; I’ve had a beautiful Palladini deck for 2 years, and just started playing around with layouts. They’re a nice meditation instrument, and the artwork on the deck is gorgeous.

  68. 68.

    Iowa Old Lady

    @JPL: That’s so bizarrely timed (not to mention bizarre–Say Merry Christmas all you want, Donnie. Knock yourself out) that I read it several times trying to figure out what you’re telling me. You mean he said that today? In July?

  70. 70.

    satby

    @Baud: Hmm, Frank could be ok. We might need to test drive the Frank-wit first before we’re willing to risk another Baud absence though.

  71. 71.

    efgoldman

    @JPL:

    If it rains, the dog would not appreciate the sentiment.

    Does the dog bite you if you get the holidays out of season? Extraordinary!
    I have heard at least two, and maybe three different fireworks shows out my windows in the last hour. I used to be able to see them out the front windows, but the two maple trees are too big now.

  72. 72.

    Baud

    @JPL:
    @Iowa Old Lady:

    Let’s start saying Merry Christmas instead of Good Morning. Let’s answer the phone with Merry Christmas. Let’s make it perfectly meaningless.

  73. 73.

    Meyerman

    This makes me happy. And in these otherwise dark times, that is saying a lot. Thanks, Cole! And jackals! You are an admirable lot.

  76. 76.

    jl

    I have to go now, but afraid to stand up. I think looking at the chair gave me vertigo.

  79. 79.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    So I started watching The Strain.

    When your ex-husband the CDC guy tells you that he’s scared and that you need to take your child to your mother’s in Vermont to be away from the city, you should listen.

  80. 80.

    JPL

    @Iowa Old Lady: Odd story, the church that is promoting the event, built a mega church without a parking lot blocks from my house in Dallas. This was in the eighties. Anyway, they wanted to use the supermarket lot for parking, and the owner stopped them. Long story short, the supermarket hired disabled to help with carry out, so was doing the right thing. Unfortunately, the mega church put them out of business cuz, they boycotted the store. When the church first was being built they came to my door, offering a signed dallas cowboy football. Yeah I wasn’t in a jovial mood. Really a football.. The mega church needed a bigger location and moved further north, now.

  82. 82.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Baud:

    When did Frank go out of favor as a name anyway?

    I think the 70’s. M*A*S*H, you know.

  83. 83.

    J R in WV

    John,

    Nice furniture!! Cat is cute. Girl is also cute according to Mrs J. And I agree. Always did like brunettes, mom, cousins, wife, other girlfriends (pre-wife) all brunettes. So you win.

    That armchair is nice, not cute, but nice. I had an uncle who did needlework. He did a hanging of Picasso’s “Woman in a Mirror” in yarn, custom dyed etc. The chair looks much like that big hanging. So hold out on the slipcover. Art isn’t always for everyone.

    We have a bookcase like that, only old, dark finish.

    Anne Burrr, Welcome to the Ravening Jackals!! We don’t bite, much. So hang in there.

  85. 85.

    satby

    I need to try to take the dogs out one more time before bed and the fireworks already have them freaking out a bit now that it’s dark. Ugh. Should be unbearable by the 4th.

  86. 86.

    Amir Khalid

    It’s Sunday over here — the second of July, the 183rd day of 2017, with 182 days before it and another 182 days to the 31st of December. A Happy Middle Day to all.

  88. 88.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    OMG I HAD THAT SAME CHAIR! My daughter put it in her classroom when I moved – at least that’s what she told me! I love that chair!

  89. 89.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    It’s been interesting to see your life evolve over the last 12 years that I’ve read you. I like the domesticated John Cole, he’s seems to be a pretty damned nice guy.

    Life is good, eh? :)

  90. 90.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    Sigh. I’m feeling down. It was my birthday earlier this week, but I decided to have the celebration today. I worked it out with my best friend that we’d go to a place in Uptown, and then sent out invitations to about 25 people. Of those, one said he’d come, three said they’d try to make it, four said they couldn’t, and I never heard back from the rest.

    Dave and I headed down. The person who replied affirmatively was there. One person who never replied showed up about a half hour later. No one else ever arrived. The four of us had a good time for about three hours until people had to leave to go home. I’m now back at my place, by myself, still a little buzzed, and feeling quite lonely.

    My insecurities aren’t that I think that people don’t like me. They are that the people who do like me don’t think that I’m important enough to really show up for. This didn’t help. I miss being married, though, in retrospect, I don’t actually miss my ex-wife that much. And I have no idea how to fix things.

  91. 91.

    JPL

    Let’s keep a count on who says Merry Christmas on the 4th, in public. If it doesn’t rain, I think I’ll just be sitting on the grounds of the celebrating and mention that I’m so proud to be able to say Merry Christmas again.

  93. 93.

    singing truth to power

    What a steal you got on the bookcase! Good job! I have a very contemporary chair in the very same fabric as yours – it does look very different on a more streamlined body –

  96. 96.

    Another Scott

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym: Belated Happy Birthday.

    Sorry you were disappointed in your get-together.

    I obviously don’t know the details of your situation with the people you invited, but it would have been much worse if 25 people said they would do their best to make it, but only 2 showed, wouldn’t it?

    Around here, get-togethers are horrible under the best of circumstances. People live far apart from each other, traffic is horrible and horribly unpredictable, and everyone has the usual (and sometimes unusual) constraints. Be happy that you had a good get together with friends who took the trouble to be with you for your birthday celebration. :-)

    Hang in there.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  102. 102.

    d58826

    @JPL: Hmmmm. that’s what you get for reading from the bottom up. Could not figure out why we where celebrating Christmas. That is long past even for the Eastern rites. Then again maybe he is practicing up for his visit with Saint Vlad, ghost of every XMAS nightmare.

  106. 106.

    cain

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym:

    My insecurities aren’t that I think that people don’t like me. They are that the people who do like me don’t think that I’m important enough to really show up for. This didn’t help. I miss being married, though, in retrospect, I don’t actually miss my ex-wife that much. And I have no idea how to fix things.

    I suggest you talk to a therapist if possible. As recently separated and STILL out of work, I can understand the mood changes. I don’t really crave the company as much as an introvert-extrovert. I enjoy being by myself quite a bit and I can probably get people to show up if I wanted to. But I suspect this has less to do with that and more with feeling that people give a damn.

  107. 107.

    Another Scott

    @Sab: Big colorful blankets/quilts/throws are handy for chairs like that, especially in old houses in cool climates. Cheaper than re-upholstery, also too, and easier to clean when the animals decide to leave half a pound of fur on it.

    But, if AB says it needs to go to get reskinned, then JC would be smart to follow her “advice”. :-)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  110. 110.

    Sab

    @Another Scott: Slipcovers save the chair as is. I like the chair as is a lot, but apparently ABC doesn’t. Slipcover would leave the old chair intact while disguising it. Also probably cheaper than reupholstering.

  111. 111.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    @cain: I have a therapist I really like. Unfortunately, she doesn’t take any insurance anymore and I can’t afford $150 an hour cash. The idea of going through the whole process of trying to find a new therapist that does take insurance and that I connect with in a useful way just isn’t appealing at all.

  112. 112.

    JPL

    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Can we still say Happy New Year cuz that sounds pagan, although christmas is also but let’s not tell him.

    night.

  113. 113.

    efgoldman

    @Another Scott:

    Around here, get-togethers are horrible under the best of circumstances. People live far apart from each other, traffic is horrible and horribly unpredictable, and everyone has the usual (and sometimes unusual) constraints.

    Sometime around the late 1970s, the old social conventions of (1) replying to invitations (RSVP) in the first place and (2) actually showing up after an affirmative reply, went out the window along with hoop skirts, frock coats and calling cards.
    More than once, mrs efg and I have been left with a table full of leftovers we have to either put away or throw out.
    Not so much lately, though, since we mostly just throw bbqs in the summer. We don’t take meat out of the freezer unless we’re going to use it; soda, beer, etc keeps; and so do unopened bags of chips, etc.
    Sometimes we have to toss the remnants of fruit or veggie platters.

  119. 119.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    @eemom: Who the hell knows. My insurance has changed three times in the last six months as I go from being eligible for the Medicaid expansion to not be eligible, to the carrier I’m with getting out of the market to whatever has happened lately. It took me four weeks of phone calls just to figure out how to get my prescriptions covered.

  121. 121.

    eclare

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym: I’m sorry you had a disappointing night, and Happy Birthday. I think times have changed, years ago I went to a friend’s birthday night out, real estate agent, incredibly popular, three of us showed up.

  122. 122.

    Another Scott

    @eemom: That’s what J has to do with her physical therapy. And she gets to play “fill out the paperwork with the right Codes” guessing game. It’s frustrating, and actually getting reimbursed often takes 6 months, but it eventually happens.

    Until January 1 rolls around and the Codes mysteriously change, and the guessing game starts up again.

    :-/

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  123. 123.

    seaboogie

    I had such a wonderful good day at work today, and this post is the ? on my sundae. Yay for you John G and Ann Burr! And yes, John – the chair’s upholstery is “a bit much”, and therefore distracting. What you don’t want is for your sweetie to see you sitting in the chair and think “I have to fix this!”, and have you included in the mix. Let her gaze upon your comfortably-seated awesomeness without distraction.

    So happy for you both!

  125. 125.

    efgoldman

    @cain:

    We’re talking about the chair, right? Not Cole.

    I’ve met Cole. He could use re-upholstering.
    (So could I)

  126. 126.

    seaboogie

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym: What a wonderfully honest post.

    I am so much an introvert that if 25 people showed up to celebrate me, I’d be all “Thank you so much, but this is freaking me out and I don’t know how to behave and have to leave shortly…”

    My colleague is having a 4th of July party, and told me today that she would have invited me, but knew that I wouldn’t want to come. She is wise. On my way out the door tonight I wished her a wonderful party and said “thank you for not inviting me! ” ?

  127. 127.

    efgoldman

    @Another Scott:

    Until January 1 rolls around and the Codes mysteriously change, and the guessing game starts up again.

    I never thought depending on a huge gummint beauracracy was the way to go – until I got on Medicare. It is so much less hassle than even the excellent HMO I had thru work. And what’s their overhead – something like 8%?
    All those “government IS the problem” Reaganaut Assholes should just shut the fuck up. Forever.

  128. 128.

    kindness

    I think it’s so sweet John is buying Steve another comfy chair. He’ll look great in it with the current fabric.

  129. 129.

    No Drought No More

    What’s bizarre is that the chair’s weirdly striking fabric actually compliments the design on the very cool and conventional weaved-fiber rug it sits upon. It’s hard to imagine that chair complimenting anything at all, but it somehow does with that particular rug..

  131. 131.

    SWMBO

    How is he getting both those pieces of furniture back to Bethany? Or is he moving to Connecticut? There was also a mention of bringing ABC and her kids to Bethany. Someone driving a moving van while the other drives kids?

  134. 134.

    Another Scott

    @efgoldman: Less than 2% in 2009 if you believe Krugman who cites Jacob Hacker and the CBO:

    These administrative spending numbers have been challenged on the grounds that they exclude some aspects of Medicare’s administrative costs, such as the expenses of collecting Medicare premiums and payroll taxes, and because Medicare’s larger average claims because of its older enrollees make its administrative costs look smaller relative to private plan costs than they really are.

    However, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has found that administrative costs under the public Medicare plan are less than 2 percent of expenditures, compared with approximately 11 percent of spending by private plans under Medicare Advantage. This is a near perfect “apples to apples” comparison of administrative costs, because the public Medicare plan and Medicare Advantage plans are operating under similar rules and treating the same population.

    (And even these numbers may unduly favor private plans: A recent General Accounting Office report found that in 2006 Medicare Advantage plans spent 83.3 percent of their revenue on medical expenses, with 10.1 percent going to non-medical expenses and 6.6 percent to profits—a 16.7 percent administrative share.)

    The CBO study suggests that even in the context of basic insurance reforms, such as guaranteed issue and renewability, private plans’ administrative costs are higher than the administrative costs of public insurance. The experience of private plans within FEHBP carries the same conclusion. Under FEHBP, the administrative costs of Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs) average 7 percent, not counting the costs of federal agencies to administer enrollment of employees. Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) participating in FEHBP have administrative costs of 10 to 12 percent.

    The administration of health care spending is something that is almost blindingly obviously better done by governments than the private sector, for all the well-known reasons:

    1) People needing care can’t walk away and can’t comparison shop so there’s no “free market” on the demand-side.
    2) Too much of the cost is driven by government granted monopolies (patents and trademarks) and government mandated restraint on what can be sold (health and safety rules) and who can provide the services (limits on immigration by foreign doctors; limits on spots in medical schools, and rules about residency training and limited available spots). Government decides the playing field on the supply-side.
    3) There are overwhelming societal interests in having a healthy population (prevention of epidemics, not having workers lose their lives in the prime working years, having people with healthy brains and bodies to not be cheated and swindled by conmen and demagogic leaders) create new knowledge, products, and industries, etc. The “free market” too often chases the quickest short-term gain and ignores societal costs (pollution, sustainability, health and safety of workers and adjacent populations).

    Of course Medicare has the lowest overhead rates of the compared types of medical insurance. How could it not in a fair comparison? US government employees don’t get stock options, hookers and blow, and golden parachutes. :-)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  135. 135.

    efgoldman

    @Sab:

    How’s that fit in a Honda?

    A CR-V with the rear seats folded down has a surprising amount of cargo room.

    @SWMBO:

    Or is he moving to Connecticut?

    After all the work, effort and money he put into the house? No way. Plus his long time job is there.

  138. 138.

    Anne Laurie

    @Sab: I kinda assumed the chair stays in Connecticut, so Cole has something scaled to his proportion during his visits?

  139. 139.

    eemom

    @efgoldman:

    My 85 year old Mom was duped into signing up for one of those “managed Medicare” scams by a private insurer 15 years ago, and had a horrible experience when she broke her hip. But since then she’s been on standard Medicare, and we’ve had no problems at all.

  145. 145.

    Mnemosyne

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym:

    I never expected 25 people to show up, but more than 3 would have been nice. And having something other than an empty house to return to after they all had to leave would have been nice.

    FWIW, these are two different issues (in my non-expert opinion). It may be worthwhile to think about it for a while (journaling can be a good way to do it) and decide which one is really bothering you more: not enough of a social life, or not having a partner to come home to.

  147. 147.

    Ruckus

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym:
    We seem in some ways to be in the same boat. For over 30 yrs my birthday fell on a weekend when I worked on my hobby at professional sporting events or when I took a job with the organization and had to attend the same event. It was always scheduled close enough to my birthday so that’s where I was. I didn’t mind all that much because it took place in a very nice resort town. But the number of years that I’d go out to dinner by myself on my birthday was about 2 decades worth. And then back to my hotel room. Now the issue is that most of the people I’ve been close to have passed away. I know more people on BJ than friends in meat space that are still alive.

  148. 148.

    Elizabelle

    The biggest find was ABC, without whom you would not be cruising tag sales in New England.

    Another vote for slipcovering that armchair.

    Glad your summer is off to such a wonderful start.

  149. 149.

    maurinsky

    I’m glad Cole is having so much fun in Connecticut! I live here and I’m always happy when people come and enjoy it. Although the part of the state he’s in is swankier than mine!

  151. 151.

    MoxieM

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym: (Late to the party as usual, but hey I just moved, and Comcast, yuck, no service yet.) I went through lots of similar, I am 3 years out from the divorce, 4 from finding out I was married to a lizard person with a human skin (lying, cheating, all that fun soul-destroying jazz).

    My most excellent shrink also was cash only ($200/visit) and I finally told her I just couldn’t afford her rates. I was in a pretty desperate shape, and she whacked $50 off her fee for me. We already had a relationship, which helped, I think. But it’s worth trying. Alternately, going to the good person every other week instead of giving up altogether.

    I wish you a good new life. And better friends. (Nothing like a divorce to learn who the real ones are…)

  152. 152.

    Aaron

    I actually like the chair, but fear my cats would be trying to shred it in no time. Right now the younger one is systematically ripping off pieces of an amazon box. I routinely give them cat sized ones to destroy. but then I have pieces of cardboard all over the floor.

  153. 153.

    Nan

    @debbie: Have you seen the Vicente Fox videos? I’m pretty certain that he has the same stuff as the chair upholstery up on his wall.

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