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Technically true, but collectively nonsense

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Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

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

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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

by John Cole|  July 1, 20178:22 pm| 153 Comments

This post is in: John Cole Presents "This Fucking Old House", Open Threads

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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.

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Previous Post: « Open Thread: Sweaty Salesman Trump, Overpreparing for His Big Date
Next Post: Late Night Open Thread: GIF of the Week »

Reader Interactions

153Comments

  1. 1.

    Aimai

    July 1, 2017 at 8:03 pm

    Awwww. The cuteness!

  2. 2.

    debbie

    July 1, 2017 at 8:27 pm

    I love chairs with upholstered legs.

  3. 3.

    Gemina13

    July 1, 2017 at 8:28 pm

    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

    July 1, 2017 at 8:28 pm

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

  5. 5.

    Ruviana

    July 1, 2017 at 8:31 pm

    I love the chair!

  6. 6.

    schrodingers_cat

    July 1, 2017 at 8:31 pm

    Nice! I actually like the chair. Marmalade looks cool to as does your date.

  7. 7.

    eemom

    July 1, 2017 at 8:31 pm

    Ya done good, Cole. ❤️

  8. 8.

    eemom

    July 1, 2017 at 8:32 pm

    That being said….”Comment Instructions”?? WTF???

  9. 9.

    SiubhanDuinne

    July 1, 2017 at 8:33 pm

    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.

  10. 10.

    schrodingers_cat

    July 1, 2017 at 8:34 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: The chair has character.

  11. 11.

    SiubhanDuinne

    July 1, 2017 at 8:36 pm

    @schrodingers_cat:

    You are so tactful. You should be a diplomat.

  12. 12.

    Hal

    July 1, 2017 at 8:37 pm

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

  13. 13.

    Iowa Old Lady

    July 1, 2017 at 8:38 pm

    Sounds like a good day.

  14. 14.

    Mary G

    July 1, 2017 at 8:39 pm

    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

    July 1, 2017 at 8:40 pm

    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

    July 1, 2017 at 8:41 pm

    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

    July 1, 2017 at 8:42 pm

    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.

  18. 18.

    oldster

    July 1, 2017 at 8:43 pm

    It is great to see you happy. And ABC is adorable–what a cute kid.

  19. 19.

    JPL

    July 1, 2017 at 8:45 pm

    @Patricia Kayden: That would be so much fun! I wonder if he knows that his naked mopping days are over. hmmm

  20. 20.

    Eric S.

    July 1, 2017 at 8:48 pm

    Marmalade looks like my Ozzie .

  21. 21.

    Quinerly

    July 1, 2017 at 8:50 pm

    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?

  22. 22.

    Eric S.

    July 1, 2017 at 8:50 pm

    @Patricia Kayden: ROAD TRIP!!!!

  23. 23.

    schrodingers_cat

    July 1, 2017 at 8:53 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: Thanks! not many people say that.

  24. 24.

    efgoldman

    July 1, 2017 at 8:54 pm

    @JPL:

    I wonder if he knows that his naked mopping days are over. hmmm

    Sez who?

  25. 25.

    Quinerly

    July 1, 2017 at 8:54 pm

    @JPL:
    Two can mop nekid. More ground covered.

  26. 26.

    Baud

    July 1, 2017 at 8:55 pm

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

  27. 27.

    schrodingers_cat

    July 1, 2017 at 8:57 pm

    @Baud: Don’t lose your essential Baudness, and go all soft on us.

  28. 28.

    SiubhanDuinne

    July 1, 2017 at 8:58 pm

    @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.

  29. 29.

    Baud

    July 1, 2017 at 9:01 pm

    @schrodingers_cat: To be frank, I’ve been having a lot of mood swings lately. One moment I’ll feel like myself and the next I’ll feel like Frank.

  30. 30.

    phein55

    July 1, 2017 at 9:02 pm

    @Gemina13:
    Freakin’ exactly

  31. 31.

    Quinerly

    July 1, 2017 at 9:03 pm

    @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

    July 1, 2017 at 9:04 pm

    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

    July 1, 2017 at 9:04 pm

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

  34. 34.

    Quinerly

    July 1, 2017 at 9:06 pm

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

  35. 35.

    Josie

    July 1, 2017 at 9:06 pm

    Loved all the pictures. It’s so great seeing you happy. Thanks for sharing.

  36. 36.

    Citizen_X

    July 1, 2017 at 9:07 pm

    Holy cats, you guys make a cute couple.

  37. 37.

    Baud

    July 1, 2017 at 9:09 pm

    @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?

  38. 38.

    Baud

    July 1, 2017 at 9:10 pm

    @Citizen_X: By “you guys,” you mean ABC, right?

  39. 39.

    schrodingers_cat

    July 1, 2017 at 9:10 pm

    @Baud: Costanza?

  40. 40.

    Patricia Kayden

    July 1, 2017 at 9:11 pm

    @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.

  41. 41.

    Kristine

    July 1, 2017 at 9:12 pm

    Happy Cole is Happy.

  42. 42.

    schrodingers_cat

    July 1, 2017 at 9:13 pm

    @Patricia Kayden: We can have a sleepover, bring our own sleeping bags. It will be fun!

  43. 43.

    Caphilldcne

    July 1, 2017 at 9:13 pm

    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.

  44. 44.

    Baud

    July 1, 2017 at 9:13 pm

    @schrodingers_cat: You couldn’t have gone with Lloyd Wright?

  45. 45.

    schrodingers_cat

    July 1, 2017 at 9:14 pm

    So is Marmalade a girl or a boy kitteh?

  46. 46.

    schrodingers_cat

    July 1, 2017 at 9:15 pm

    @Baud: Isn’t he dead?

  47. 47.

    JPL

    July 1, 2017 at 9:16 pm

    @efgoldman: We will never know, and that is the difference.

  48. 48.

    Baud

    July 1, 2017 at 9:17 pm

    @schrodingers_cat: I believe so.

  49. 49.

    Quinerly

    July 1, 2017 at 9:17 pm

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

  50. 50.

    cmorenc

    July 1, 2017 at 9:19 pm

    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.

  51. 51.

    schrodingers_cat

    July 1, 2017 at 9:20 pm

    @Quinerly: But what about his drywall eating proclivities? Didn’t you also say that he had the morals of an alley cat?

  52. 52.

    Baud

    July 1, 2017 at 9:21 pm

    @Quinerly: Frankly, Frank sucks.

  53. 53.

    schrodingers_cat

    July 1, 2017 at 9:21 pm

    @Baud: Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.

  54. 54.

    schrodingers_cat

    July 1, 2017 at 9:22 pm

    @cmorenc: Once Steve sits on it, the chair will have a fur cover, so no need for a slip cover.

  55. 55.

    efgoldman

    July 1, 2017 at 9:23 pm

    @schrodingers_cat:

    So is Marmalade a girl or a boy kitteh?

    Yes

  56. 56.

    JPL

    July 1, 2017 at 9:24 pm

    John, She really is cute, and definitely a keeper.

  57. 57.

    JPL

    July 1, 2017 at 9:28 pm

    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

    July 1, 2017 at 9:30 pm

    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

    July 1, 2017 at 9:30 pm

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

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

  60. 60.

    Sab

    July 1, 2017 at 9:30 pm

    How are you going to fit all that into your Honda?

  61. 61.

    Virginia

    July 1, 2017 at 9:32 pm

    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

    July 1, 2017 at 9:32 pm

    @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.

  63. 63.

    satby

    July 1, 2017 at 9:33 pm

    @JPL: I think the clip of Buzz Aldrin’s reactions to Drumpf yammering sums up how everyone feels. Hat tip to LGM.

  64. 64.

    jl

    July 1, 2017 at 9:35 pm

    Just the planet? I don’t think so.

  65. 65.

    JPL

    July 1, 2017 at 9:35 pm

    @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

    July 1, 2017 at 9:36 pm

    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.

  67. 67.

    MomSense

    July 1, 2017 at 9:36 pm

    ????

  68. 68.

    Iowa Old Lady

    July 1, 2017 at 9:37 pm

    @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?

  69. 69.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    July 1, 2017 at 9:38 pm

    @efgoldman: “Happy Holidays, Trump”.

    Fuckem.

  70. 70.

    satby

    July 1, 2017 at 9:38 pm

    @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

    July 1, 2017 at 9:40 pm

    @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

    July 1, 2017 at 9:41 pm

    @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

    July 1, 2017 at 9:42 pm

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

  74. 74.

    Villago Delenda Est

    July 1, 2017 at 9:43 pm

    Hold the door! Hold the door!

    (for the chair)

  75. 75.

    Villago Delenda Est

    July 1, 2017 at 9:45 pm

    @JPL: His supporters are not “Christians”. They are Mammonists.

  76. 76.

    jl

    July 1, 2017 at 9:45 pm

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

  77. 77.

    Baud

    July 1, 2017 at 9:47 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    His supporters are not “Christians”. They are Mammonists

    Merry Mammories!

  78. 78.

    Jamey

    July 1, 2017 at 9:49 pm

    @JPL: Do people use feminine pronouns for furniture (like we do for ships and guns)?

  79. 79.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    July 1, 2017 at 9:49 pm

    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

    July 1, 2017 at 9:49 pm

    @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.

  81. 81.

    jl

    July 1, 2017 at 9:49 pm

    @Baud: You got the greetings celebrating greed and lust mixed up, or what?

  82. 82.

    Villago Delenda Est

    July 1, 2017 at 9:51 pm

    @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

    July 1, 2017 at 9:53 pm

    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.

  84. 84.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    July 1, 2017 at 9:55 pm

    @jl: Why not both?

  85. 85.

    satby

    July 1, 2017 at 9:57 pm

    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

    July 1, 2017 at 9:58 pm

    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.

  87. 87.

    Baud

    July 1, 2017 at 9:59 pm

    @Amir Khalid: Merry Christmas to you too, Amir.

  88. 88.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    July 1, 2017 at 10:03 pm

    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

    July 1, 2017 at 10:04 pm

    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

    July 1, 2017 at 10:05 pm

    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

    July 1, 2017 at 10:05 pm

    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.

  92. 92.

    Sab

    July 1, 2017 at 10:12 pm

    @J R in WV: Slipcovers protect the underlying furniture.

  93. 93.

    singing truth to power

    July 1, 2017 at 10:14 pm

    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 –

  94. 94.

    JPL

    July 1, 2017 at 10:14 pm

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym: Sometimes birthdays suck, and I’m sorry.

  95. 95.

    d58826

    July 1, 2017 at 10:20 pm

    @schrodingers_cat: not a cat on the planet safe from Cole and his furminator

  96. 96.

    Another Scott

    July 1, 2017 at 10:21 pm

    @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.

  97. 97.

    Quinerly

    July 1, 2017 at 10:22 pm

    @Baud:
    Yep, same Frank. Thought so.

  98. 98.

    d58826

    July 1, 2017 at 10:23 pm

    @satby: Thinking maybe rather be back on Eagle Base.

  99. 99.

    cain

    July 1, 2017 at 10:25 pm

    @Baud:

    It’s nice that you feel Frank at times.. tell us how you really feel.

  100. 100.

    Sab

    July 1, 2017 at 10:26 pm

    @Sab: Protect from damage and protect it from people who want to re-upholster it.

  101. 101.

    cain

    July 1, 2017 at 10:26 pm

    @Anne Laurie:
    We’re talking about the chair, right? Not Cole.

  102. 102.

    d58826

    July 1, 2017 at 10:28 pm

    @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.

  103. 103.

    cain

    July 1, 2017 at 10:28 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    @JPL: His supporters are not “Christians”. They are Mammonists.

    I’m living with a Meowist at the moment.

  104. 104.

    Sab

    July 1, 2017 at 10:29 pm

    @Amir Khalid: I love the idea of Middleday.

  105. 105.

    gammyjill

    July 1, 2017 at 10:32 pm

    Nice girlfriend, nice orange tabby, and gorgeous chair. Really, it is.

  106. 106.

    cain

    July 1, 2017 at 10:32 pm

    @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

    July 1, 2017 at 10:36 pm

    @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.

  108. 108.

    cain

    July 1, 2017 at 10:36 pm

    @gammyjill:

    I’m reminded of this this

  109. 109.

    randy khan

    July 1, 2017 at 10:37 pm

    Nice bookcase; that’s a steal.

    And Marmalade looks quite content to have been Furminated.

  110. 110.

    Sab

    July 1, 2017 at 10:42 pm

    @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

    July 1, 2017 at 10:44 pm

    @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

    July 1, 2017 at 10:47 pm

    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

    July 1, 2017 at 10:49 pm

    @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.

  114. 114.

    Villago Delenda Est

    July 1, 2017 at 10:49 pm

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym: Health care of all types in this country sucks, unless you’re the beneficiary of a trust fund.

  115. 115.

    Ruckus

    July 1, 2017 at 10:51 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est:
    Or have a really good grift going on.

  116. 116.

    eemom

    July 1, 2017 at 10:51 pm

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym:

    But can you pay cash up front and submit the bills to your insurance for reimbursement? That’s how it works with a lot of therapists who don’t take insurance.

  117. 117.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    July 1, 2017 at 10:52 pm

    @efgoldman: As the wife used to say when folk would say they’d show up for one our parties, “Yeah right”.

  118. 118.

    Major Major Major Major

    July 1, 2017 at 10:54 pm

    Just saw Baby Driver, pretty good, had a solid 30-minute chunk of action that left me slackjawed.

  119. 119.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    July 1, 2017 at 10:55 pm

    @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.

  120. 120.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    July 1, 2017 at 10:55 pm

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym:

    This is an excellent book.

    You might know it, if not don’t let the title throw you (it always made me think of “mood rings” or something), it’s serious stuff.

    Hope things feel better soon.

  121. 121.

    eclare

    July 1, 2017 at 10:58 pm

    @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

    July 1, 2017 at 10:58 pm

    @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

    July 1, 2017 at 11:00 pm

    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!

  124. 124.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    July 1, 2017 at 11:00 pm

    @Bill E Pilgrim: That doesn’t sound even the slightest bit useful. I know what causes my mood swings. I’ve read 43 different plans for how I should be able to overcome them. They were all worthless.

  125. 125.

    efgoldman

    July 1, 2017 at 11:07 pm

    @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

    July 1, 2017 at 11:13 pm

    @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

    July 1, 2017 at 11:13 pm

    @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

    July 1, 2017 at 11:23 pm

    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

    July 1, 2017 at 11:25 pm

    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..

  130. 130.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    July 1, 2017 at 11:26 pm

    @seaboogie: 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.

  131. 131.

    SWMBO

    July 1, 2017 at 11:26 pm

    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?

  132. 132.

    Sab

    July 1, 2017 at 11:33 pm

    @SWMBO: @Sab:

  133. 133.

    Sab

    July 1, 2017 at 11:34 pm

    @Sab: How’s that fit in a Honda?

  134. 134.

    Another Scott

    July 1, 2017 at 11:42 pm

    @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

    July 1, 2017 at 11:45 pm

    @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.

  136. 136.

    efgoldman

    July 1, 2017 at 11:49 pm

    @Another Scott:

    US government employees don’t get stock options, hookers and blow, and golden parachutes. :-)

    Well, most don’t.

  137. 137.

    rikyrah

    July 2, 2017 at 12:11 am

    I like the chair, as is. It looks so comfy ?

    Glad to see another good post from you today, Cole.

  138. 138.

    Anne Laurie

    July 2, 2017 at 12:24 am

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

  139. 139.

    eemom

    July 2, 2017 at 12:25 am

    @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.

  140. 140.

    seaboogie

    July 2, 2017 at 12:27 am

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym: Okay, dear one – on this auspicious anniversay of your arrival on this earth – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MYCPB7a8ks
    I prolly screwed it up in the links, but hoping for the best. If I borked it, maybe Steeplejack will fix it.

  141. 141.

    Mike in NC

    July 2, 2017 at 12:32 am

    Those bookcases usually sell for 10 times what you paid. Deal!

  142. 142.

    SWMBO

    July 2, 2017 at 12:46 am

    @efgoldman: People have done stranger things for love.

  143. 143.

    seaboogie

    July 2, 2017 at 12:46 am

    @Sab: It do. It’s a CRV. Prolly have to put the kids on the roof in a Thule tho….

  144. 144.

    SWMBO

    July 2, 2017 at 12:52 am

    @seaboogie: Maybe put the kids in the trunk?

  145. 145.

    Mnemosyne

    July 2, 2017 at 12:59 am

    @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.

  146. 146.

    Face

    July 2, 2017 at 1:49 am

    Im so confused…I thought ABC was…different.

  147. 147.

    Ruckus

    July 2, 2017 at 1:55 am

    @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

    July 2, 2017 at 4:41 am

    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

    July 2, 2017 at 8:12 am

    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!

  150. 150.

    rikyrah

    July 2, 2017 at 9:27 am

    How are you going to get the cabinet back to WV in one piece?

  151. 151.

    MoxieM

    July 2, 2017 at 10:08 am

    @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

    July 2, 2017 at 1:48 pm

    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

    July 2, 2017 at 8:44 pm

    @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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