Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

A Senator Walker would also be an insult to reason, rationality, and decency.

This really is a full service blog.

If you are still in the GOP, you are an extremist.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

Consistently wrong since 2002

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

People are complicated. Love is not.

In my day, never was longer.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

The willow is too close to the house.

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

I really should read my own blog.

I’m pretty sure there’s only one Jack Smith.

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

I was promised a recession.

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

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

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

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85Comments

  2. 2.

    pharniel

    You did leave him, you monster.

    My tiny methusela calico would do the same thing, though being 9 # made it “adorable” rather than “impedes breathing”

  5. 5.

    Mnemosyne

    Something happened between Charlotte and Keaton, because he’s trying to avoid her and she keeps coming up and plopping herself on top of him. It’s weird.

  7. 7.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    @Major Major Major Major:

    it’s a little hard to make that argument when the major torchbearers are second-tier Seattle clones like Live, Our Lady Peace, and Creed, or adult-contemporary balladeers like Third Eye Blind, Sister Hazel, and Matchbox 20.

    Hey! I like Creed and Matchbox 20!

  9. 9.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    @Villago Delenda Est:
    That came out in the early 90s, a time where people couldn’t decide whether the 80s ended or not. Vanilla Ice totally ripped off Bowie and Queen on that song.

  12. 12.

    Major Major Major Major

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: As far as the amount of garbage that debuted in a two-week span, though… they have a point.

    To believe that Reel Big Fish, Limp Bizkit, Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, Smash Mouth, and Sugar Ray all came out within a fortnight is sort of astonishing. That’s music that we don’t just hate, but that we’ve since culturally joined together to revile. This is an era of pop that’s so bad, it’s become a shorthand for vapidity via endless memes. That Insane Clown Posse also dropped its breakout record amid all this feels like a spiritual inevitability, as if all this fell, thrashy bullshit somehow also summoned the twin horsemen of the rap-rock apocalypse.

    I have not even mentioned Slick Shoes, Del Amitri, Celine Dion, or Mötley Crüe yet. And Blues Traveler. Christ.

  15. 15.

    MisterForkbeard

    Back when I only had one cat, she would be incredibly needy for 4-5 days if I left her alone for a weekend. When we got another cat, she was needy only for an evening or day at most.

    Having another kitty around is super nice for cats. John, go get another one. :)

  17. 17.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Major Major Major Major: There’s some Reel Big Fish I like, though I don’t think I’ve listened or even thought of them in about 10 years. The rest are all pretty unimpressive.

    ETA: In my defense, I was basically raised on ska. Though for my money, I’d prefer the older stuff. The Specials are pretty fantastic, as are the ska songs that showed up in Grosse Pointe Blank. :)

  18. 18.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    @Mnemosyne:
    Somebody once told me…

    God that song turned into such a meme on YouTube last year

    It’s a surprisingly deep song
    Sugar Ray and the Offspring are also groups I would defend.

  24. 24.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    @Major Major Major Major:

    I like a goodly amount of disco. Everybody Knows(tm) the backlash was homophobic and misogynist and shit anyway. Four on the floor can get tedious if you do it wrong, but can’t everything?

    Don’t forget racist
    And what a shame a lot of that backlash came from punk rock types.

  27. 27.

    joel hanes

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    remember disco

    Toot toot beep beep
    THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP

    Yes, I did live across the alley from the Cave Inn at the height of the disco craze.

    But I take my meds, and I’m much better now. Really.
    I only twitch a little.

  29. 29.

    Mary G

    When I got home from my cruise, my dumb cat was just the same as always, but my smart cat read me a long lecture in his most Siamese-ish voice and stood in the doorway refusing to let me pass until he had finished.

    ETA: I loved some disco, too, and the backlash was definitely fueled by some nasty instincts. Like all genres, 90% was shit and 10% was great.

  34. 34.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    @Mnemosyne:
    No, but I have gotten some shit for liking them. I first discovered them on the soundtrack for Crazy Taxi on the PS2 and I think Jarett and Labonte Stock Car Racing on the PS1. Great memories.

    In Crazy Taxi, if you blocked the trains in tunnels, they would slowly derail. When they collided with the walls they’d spaz out and block the road at the end of the tunnel. Cars would then try ramming it.

  35. 35.

    efgoldman

    @Mary G:

    my smart cat read me a long lecture in his most Siamese-ish voice and stood in the doorway refusing to let me pass

    When my daughter and SIL take their luggage out of the closet to pack, the cat jumps into the open suitcase on the bed.
    To keep them from going?
    To go along with them?
    Because it ‘s a big box?
    Who knows what’s in that little cat brain.

  39. 39.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Mike J: I’ll totally admit that one thing that seriously bugs me about Reel Big Fish is the complete and utter DudeBro-ity of their videos.

  40. 40.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    @Major Major Major Major:

    Lord you make me feel old sometimes

    I aim to please! I just hate that I can’t play Crazy Taxi anymore. I can’t remember where the PS2 is and backwards compatible PS3 don’t play it for some reason.

  43. 43.

    Mike J

    Rebecca Ballhaus‏ Verified account @rebeccaballhaus
    [email protected]: Trump’s DC hotel raised its rates 57% over its budgeted prices in the months after Trump became president

    The hotel’s financials were accidentally released by GSA, which usually redacts the $$ info from its records. GSA has since taken them down.

  46. 46.

    Laura

    Man, what a nice big Kiki to have sitting on you. That’s good work if you can get it.
    And . . . . you have a sweety to talk to on the phone. Days like these are to be savored.

  54. 54.

    Yarrow

    @Mary G: That is awesome! Thanks for linking to the On the Road thread. I miss those a lot because they’re so early in the morning and I am busy and forget to go back and check them. Your pictures are great and it sounds like you had an amazing time. That rock formation is gorgeous. What a generous housemate you have.

  56. 56.

    Mike J

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym: I always found the overplayed argument to be silly, especially 20 years on. I assure you everything on their list was easy to avoid.

    I didn’t mind Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, but I only ever heard the hits. I just couldn’t imagine anybody getting very excited about them either to love or hate.

  66. 66.

    Anne Laurie

    Well, Cole, some rescues remember the S-H-E-L-T-E-R more vividly / less fondly than others…

    Although the Maine Coon types I’ve known do tend to be very physical cats, even when they’re not reminded of the less happy events in their little cat lives.

  68. 68.

    Suzanne

    @Major Major Major Major: I really love Ween, but everything else on that list sucks, and the writer makes a solid case. I was 17 in 1997, so I listened to all that music endlessly. Fuck Sugar Ray so hard.

  69. 69.

    The Dangerman

    @Major Major Major Major:

    Was June 23-July 8, 1997 the worst two weeks in music history?

    Is that the time period when Kokomo was released by the Beach Boys? If not, I’m calling shenanigans on 1997.

  71. 71.

    Mel

    @Anne Laurie: They really do seem to love being close to others, people and pets alike. Our sweet rescue Maine Coon was a 23 pound guy, long and leggy, and wanted to be on our laps or in our arms constantly. I’m 5’2″, so it was like having 1/3 of my body smothered by a giant, furry sweater. Good in winter, not so much fun in August!

    We used to foster rescue kittens, and he was magnificent with them – a perfect nanny.

  75. 75.

    Amir Khalid

    @Mike J:
    As I remember, that hotel was already having to charge well above the going rate just so Trump could pay off the loan. It’s quite bad enough to rely on custom from people having business with the President, which surely opens the door to corruption.. But there can’t be enough such guests to keep the hotel in business, can there?

  77. 77.

    TriassicSands

    Bobcat? Bobcats aren’t needy. Steve’s a little pussycat. That’s a good thing.

  78. 78.

    J R in WV

    @Amir Khalid:

    I dunno, maybe we should ask the Squirrel Nut Zippers, who I believe play a similar blend of musical style, ala Big Band. I think I’ve seen the SNZ, but it may have been the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies… my memory for band names is like that for actors, kind of broken.

  79. 79.

    sm*t cl*de

    @Mel:

    Our sweet rescue Maine Coon was a 23 pound guy, long and leggy, and wanted to be on our laps or in our arms constantly.

    I can only imagine. Our Mrs Spat is only 2/3 of that and she is enough to be incompatible with proper leg circulation when she goes into Snuggle mode.

  81. 81.

    JPL

    @Sab: It is certainly compelling. If you need to escape from the real world horrors, it will keep your attention.

  84. 84.

    donnah

    I travel a lot, and our three cats respond to my homecomings in different ways. My fluffy Fiona, placid to the max, waits until I sit down and then stretches out behind me on the back of the couch, dropping one paw onto my shoulder as if to pin me there. Gracie jumps onto my lap and head-bumps (bomp bomp) until she’s sure I’m staying, then stretches out on my lap. Teemo, the young boy cat, refuses to speak to me for hours and won’t get chummy until I sit on the floor and let him approach me when he bloody well feels like it, at which point he curls around, meowing, and rubbing my arms with his head.

    They all are suspicious and wary when my suitcases come out to be packed. And Teemo jumps into any suitcase just to be sure I’m not taking any of his treats with me.

  85. 85.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    Really enjoying Ozark. Huge Justin Bateman fan, huge Laura Linney fan, and the two of them together is just next level. Note to self: don’t get involved in money laundering schemes.

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