Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The fight for our country is always worth it. ~Kamala Harris

Republicans: The threats are dire, but my tickets are non-refundable!

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

Republicans: “Abortion is murder but you can take a bus to get one.” Easy peasy.

“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.”

No Kings: Americans standing in the way of bad history saying “Oh, Fuck No!”

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

When you’re in more danger from the IDF than from Russian shelling, that’s really bad.

Our messy unity will be our strength.

Welcome to day five of every-bit-as-bad-as-you-thought-it-would-be.

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

Dear media: perhaps we ought to let Donald Trump speak for himself!

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

“But what about the lurkers?”

Shut up, hissy kitty!

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

How stupid are these people?

Let’s bury these fuckers at the polls 2 years from now.

You come for women, you’re gonna get your ass kicked.

The revolution will be supervised.

Do we throw up our hands or do we roll up our sleeves? (hint, door #2)

The world has changed, and neither one recognizes it.

The willow is too close to the house.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / It Really Is the Little Things

It Really Is the Little Things

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As you all know, I am a fan of getting pedicures. Or maybe you don’t know. Now you do. I love them. I like the soaking in the hot water with the jets blasting, I love that they are all nice and neat and comfortable when they are finished, and I love the foot massage afterwards followed by the hot damp cloth on the feet. It just feels so good.

I try to go once a month in the summers because I wear flip flops a lot and I get a lot of calluses, but in the winter, I go less frequently because I just lather on thick coats of eucerin in the morning and then throw on my wool socks, and my tootsies are nice and soft all day long. I honestly don’t know why more men don’t go other than “herp-derp not macho truck how bout them bears,” because in the army I was trained to take care of my feet. Whatever.

At any rate, today when I went, as usual I was the only guy in there, and about halfway through a teenage heavyset girl came in and sat down to get her feet done. I don’t know what the right word is these days, but I will just say she was not very bright and the prospects for that ever changing dramatically appeared to be rather grim. But she was super happy, bubbly, and very pleasant, and apparently going to the Bruno Mars concert tomorrow night. She was in getting the full mani/pedi for her the concert, and she was super adorable about the whole thing.

It was really funny because she wanted to make sure everyone knew she was going to the Bruno Mars concert- every sentence went something like this: “What color should I get my fingernails for the BRUNO MARS CONCERT?” or “Do you think gold toenails would be the right color for the BRUNO MARS CONCERT.“ And on and on. Her mother was sitting right next to her, and every time the girl said “Bruno Mars” I could sense mom dying a little on the inside because she has probably heard the name eleventy bazillion times in the last two days alone. At one point, the mom’s phone ran with some ringtone I didn’t recognize and the girl blurted out “Guess what my ring tone is? 24k MAGIC BY BRUNO MARS“ without giving anyone a chance to guess because really, did we need too? I audibly chuckled.

But what was great about the whole thing was that no one in the place was a dick about things, and everyone got kind of excited with her. At one point there was a gaggle of about 5-6 salon employees near her helping her choose just the right color of gold or black or whatever it was she finally settled with- I suggested she get something that glows in the dark but was ignored, and it was just a fun time because she was so happy and made everyone around her happy.

It was really nice and I am glad I went when I did. And I hope she has a blast tomorrow night.

Reader Interactions

150Comments

  4. 4.

    lamh36

    What happened to our old curdmudgeonly John Cole? Are you becoming a big ole softy in your old age..lol?

  5. 5.

    Yarrow

    You’re a big ol’ softie, Cole. I hope she has a great time. I vaguely recall being that excited about something. Fun.

  7. 7.

    Keith P.

    I have one of those foot baths, and it gets my feet super-hot with great jets, but at some point, I got terrified of it electrocuting me. Maybe it’s irrational due to fuses or something, but I’ve had too many close calls.

  9. 9.

    scott alloway

    There is great joy in simple decency. The staff is a decent group and did what decent people do. I hope she has a great time at the concert. This kind of story reaffirms my faith in humanity.

  10. 10.

    Davebo

    Show me a man who doesn’t like pedicures and I’ll show you a man who has never had a pedicure.

    And I’ve exposed a lot of guys to the delight! Not one was disappointed.

  12. 12.

    Davebo

    Come to think of it, I’m going to see Lyle Lovett and his large band this week.

    I need a mani/pedi!

  14. 14.

    guachi

    I’ve had one pedicure. Never again. I don’t like people touching my feet. The only time I’ve enjoyed at one of those places was going with a stripper friend and she looked incredibly hot without even trying while getting her hands and feet done.

  15. 15.

    rk

    That’s what teenage girls are. I remember as a teenager staring at a shop window full of classy handbags and giggling and laughing with a friend of mine about which one went with which outfit and which ones we’d buy if we could afford it. This went on for a full 10 minutes or so, all the time a bunch of teenage boys/men looking at us as if we were lunatics and laughing at us.

  16. 16.

    Davebo

    OK, cute story. My late wife loved to get mani/pedi’s. French nails were her thing.

    Once, while in Paris a French woman complimented her on her nails. They got to talking and eventually she asked how much that costs in the states. My wife told her and she was amazed!

    My wife replied, “You should have taken in more Vietnamese refugees”.

    Classic.

  17. 17.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Davebo: Lyle Lovett puts on a great show. I saw him way back in the 90s, and am not a superfan but I was impressed as hell.

  22. 22.

    Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (Formerly Mumphrey, et al.)

    I never had a pedicure. I don’t even really know what a pedicure is. Kind of like a bath for your feet? But somebody else washes them? I don’t know. I’m glad you had a good time, and I hope the girl has a good time tomorrow. Who the hell is Bruno Mars, anyway? Whenever I hear about anybody named Bruno, I think of the guy in Strangers on a Train, Bruno whatever his name was…

  23. 23.

    Davebo

    @Yarrow:

    Thanks. Had a chance to see him last year at Gruene Hall last year but tickets were $90.00 and that’s a lot to pay not knowing if you’d be able to sit. Plus he wasn’t touring with the big band and I love them!

  24. 24.

    Davebo

    John, if you get somewhere with a decent China Town go for a foot massage. Incredible.

    Here we have a very large Chinese community and for $25.00 you get 45 minutes of goodness!

  29. 29.

    Mnemosyne

    My cousin who’s in a similar lifelong intellectual capacity situation (how’s that for a euphemism?) was like that about Donny Osmond when we were kids. I don’t think that’s ever changed.

    Also, for people who are stuck eating gluten-free pasta like I am right now, the Trader Joe’s Organic Brown Rice Penne is actually not too bad as these things go and, trust me, I’ve tried a lot of brands at this point.

  31. 31.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @Davebo:

    Pedicures are the shit. They’re amazing.

    Of course, they break out a damn cheese grater to be rid of my callouses…

  33. 33.

    WaterGirl

    I love it when you tell stories, Cole. I also love this sentence:

    I don’t know what the right word is these days, but I will just say she was not very bright and the prospects for that ever changing dramatically appeared to be rather grim.

    And then you liked her anyway!

  36. 36.

    Omnes Omnibus

    I suggested she get something that glows in the dark but was ignored,

    Probably for the best.

  39. 39.

    Bort

    As a fellow old-ish fart, I’ve found self-care to be more important now. Although I tend to kick like a mule when my wife tries to cut my toenails for some weird reason.

  40. 40.

    Mary G

    Just read the comments in the last thread and see I was right to continue not listening to Trump firsthand. I don’t think I’ve heard him say anything since the inauguration.

    Mani/pedis are the bomb!

  44. 44.

    Omnes Omnibus

    My feet are ticklish. No pedi for me. Not to say, as Cole noted above, that proper foot care is not important.

  48. 48.

    Brachiator

    Very sweet story, John Cole.

    Yeah, I said it.

    Sweet.

    As it says in the Gospels, Blessed are they who get pedicures, as they shall surely go to Mars.

  49. 49.

    EBT

    Dear open thread I am both still alive and still plugging away at my interactive fiction project.

  50. 50.

    mai naem mobile

    Hey,at least the girl has good taste. Bruno Mars seems to be a good all around entertainer. He comes across like a Michael Jackson/James Brown kind of entertainer.

  52. 52.

    WaterGirl

    I seem to have the last comment in the 4 most recent threads, so my work is done here. I have killed 4 threads – a personal best! ‘Night all.

  53. 53.

    Emma

    I have terrible hands and feet with brittle nails that crack easily on the long axis and are prone to infection. I started getting mani-pedis in my twenties as a prescription from my doctor. I am now entering my 60s and you will pry my every other Saturday appointment from my cold dead hands only though major surgery.
    (added) nice story. nice folk not to take the air out of the youngling’s dream.

  54. 54.

    Mnemosyne

    @Miss Bianca:

    I’m trying to get my IBS sorted out, which means I have to do a FODMAPs elimination diet for 3-4 weeks. Gluten itself isn’t actually a problem, but I do have to cut out wheat right now and “gluten free” stuff is the easiest way to do that.

  56. 56.

    Ohio Mom

    The official term these days is “Intellectual Disability,” or “ID” for short, but I like John’s wording better.

    The mom might have been cringing in fear of the reaction she thought might be coming — a lot of people are not accommodating or kind. If this was so, glad she was pleasantly surprised.

    Anyway, what a lovely story. A good note to turn the phone off to, and drift off to sleep.

  57. 57.

    Yarrow

    @mai naem mobile: I really like Bruno Mars. Not like this teenage girl seems to like him, but he’s lots of fun to watch and his music is catchy. His Super Bowl halftime performance was great.

  59. 59.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    My wife and the ladies at the nail place keep trying to convince me. “Lots of men get manicures”, they say. But I just growl (in a curmudgeonly but friendly way) and stomp off for coffee till she’s done.

  60. 60.

    Miss Bianca

    @mai naem mobile: Indeed. I only happened on Bruno Mars when he played the Super Bowl half-time a couple years back, Was pleasantly surprised. I wouldn’t mind going to a Bruno Mars concert myself! Except he’s probably playing *huge* venues, which aren’t exactly my speed anymore!

  62. 62.

    Mnemosyne

    @Yarrow:

    Nah — I have every indication that it’s FODMAPs sensitivity and, looking back, that’s probably always been the case. I’ve known for years that I’m lactose intolerant, and that’s a FODMAP. Now it’s a matter of figuring out which other ones I’m most sensitive to and not stacking too many of them into a single meal.

  63. 63.

    Omnes Omnibus

    I stopped at a Wendy’s on the way home from work because 1) it was next door to the gas station where I fed the Saab, and 2) I really did not feel like cooking. The place was a mess. A young Indian woman (teenager) was in line in front of me to return her cheese fry type thing. She explained to the cashier that she had asked for no bacon because she, her mother, and younger brother were vegetarians. She asked for chili to be subbed in. At this point, I felt I had to intervene. I said, “Excuse me, but the chili here is made with meat.” After some back and forth over chili and chili pepper (god help me, the phrase “spicy meat soup” was used), the penny dropped and she asked for jalapeno peppers instead of meat.

  64. 64.

    Olivia

    I love that you admit you love pedicures and your reaction to the Bruno Mars girl is so sweet. I have no experience with either one(nobody touches my feet or toes) but I will trust your judgement.
    You are a good man, John Cole, and I love it when you let us see that part of you!

  65. 65.

    Mnemosyne

    Oh, and in other annoying-but-not-terribly-serious health news, I have to get tested for sleep apnea. Ugh. Apparently they’re going to send me some kind of home screening kit and, if I meet the parameters, they just prescribe me a CPAP without additional dicking around. So that will be fun. ?

  66. 66.

    Mike J

    Who likes orange soda? The same guy who likes the Keenan and Kel marathon on a Monday night after a disappointing Red Sox loss.

  67. 67.

    Miss Bianca

    @Omnes Omnibus: I had a boyfriend who was a waiter at a kind of creperie place, who had to try and explain to an Indian vegetarian customer that the reason that delicious meal she had just eaten was so delicious was because it had chicken in it. (It was not his customer, btw – it was his idiot manager’s, who had fucked up the order.)

  70. 70.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Miss Bianca: The Wendy’s messed up my order, so I was there for a while. The girl came up and thanked me twice. The cashier should have caught it, but she was a part of the reason the place was a mess.

  72. 72.

    Steeplejack

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Mmm, spicy meat soup.

    There are a few dishes that I bonded to like a baby duck because they were among the first things that I ate after having my jaws wired shut for two months. Regrettably, Wendy’s chili was one of those. I don’t have it often, but about once or twice a year I can’t resist. Go figure.

  75. 75.

    Miss Bianca

    Well, jackals, thanks for helping me goof off and not write my article tonight. Now I’ll bid you all good night, as I’m off to watch “The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming!” Which is neither a documentary NOR a porn video, I’m given to understand.

  77. 77.

    Mike J

    @Omnes Omnibus: Keenan and Kel marathon on Nickelodeon. Teen Nick? Channel 215 here. Kel loves orange soda. It’s his catch phrase. You may remember Kenan Thompson from SNL. He did an after school sitcom with Kel Mitchell on Nick that is a cult classic. It’s really, really stupid, but after a drink or two and/or a bowl or two, it’s entertaining. If you’re over 12 it’s probably not that entertaining without assistance.

    Joyce Brothers is on the ep on now.

  81. 81.

    Ithink

    @Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (Formerly Mumphrey, et al.):

    Its a full-scale spa treatment for your feet. They soak them in a hot jet bath, clip, buff and file your nails (plus polish if you’d like)! Depending on where you go and how much you pay, they also have deluxe or upgraded options where they’ll hot wax, hot stone and scent lotion massage as well, while clipping away any hangnails or calluses/ded skin present.

    Personally as a guy, I love getting them. I never get them as often as I’d like lately due to inconsistent employment and its been a long while since I have. But they’re absolutely a indispensable life luxury if you can afford doing it! I can’t recommend them enough. Its of course derided as being only for LGBT peeps or metro sexual guys, but what straight guy can’t also resist getting thoroughly pampered like that by all those beautiful asian women????

    …on the side note: Bruno Mars is the latest Grammy-Winning younh Soul/R’nB prodigy blazing all the charts. He’s a pretty versatile performer in terms of his stage performance, instrument mastery and singing/songwriting skills, too. You should definitely give him a spin through a streaming service or Youtube if you haven’t heard of him yet!

  83. 83.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Eugene Robinson in the WaPo:

    It is uncomfortable to talk about the president’s mental health. But at this point it is irresponsible not to.

    For obvious reasons, I was struck by the wording :-)

  84. 84.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @MomSense: I have an uncle who swears by a reuben sandwich with mayo instead of butter on the exterior before grilling. He is a bit on the outs with much of the family. Not for that, but I do add it to the count.

  86. 86.

    Yarrow

    @MomSense: I read somewhere that the “traditional” (has to be a modern tradition) way to grill mahi in Hawaii is to coat it in mayonnaise before putting it on the grill. I don’t know if that’s true. Supposedly the mayo burns off for the most part and you can’t taste it.

  87. 87.

    cain

    My cousin and I when we were in India decided to get a pedicure and manicure. Part of it was to troll the people who worked there becaues I know for a fact that indian men in India don’t go for that kind of stuff in general. Also I kind of like the pedicure stuff, but find manicures a little uncomfortable. In any case, I think the people coming there was giving us the side eye, which I totally loved.

    I love challenging whatever is feminine or mascaline.. and we did it in high school and college too. There is great freedom to not worry about that kind of shit and just enjoy it because well it’s comfortable and it is nice to be pampered. Cole needs to get a bidet next cuz that is the shit (pardon the pun) Fuck me, I have a hard time going on vacation because I would miss my bidet.. hell I don’t even want to move because of that bidet. The best 700 bucks I’ve ever spent.

  88. 88.

    Amir Khalid

    I get a lot of callous

    Ahem. I’m aware you get kind of cranky about pedantry, and I completely understand that; but I think you meant to say “calluses”.

  95. 95.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @cain: I am down with silk pjs and dressing gowns. I have pink shirts. I just can’t abide people messing with my feet.

  96. 96.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Brian Williams just noted trump’s sagging poll numbers in MI, WI and PA, “thoroughly trump states….”. I believe in each of those three states his margin of victory was smaller than Jill Stein’s vote

  97. 97.

    mai naem mobile

    @Miss Bianca: I wouldn’t have said anything at that point. I know it’s unethical but if they already ate it and it’s not a food allergy thing you’re just going to make the feel like absolute shit and it’s not like they’re going to throw it up. I am just glad restaurants are a lot more aware about vegetarian,vegan and other special diets. Being a veg, I remember when people would think you were picking the veg option to save money.

  100. 100.

    FlipYrWhig

    @Fair Economist: What does “take care of their feet” mean? Is there a state of foot-based sensory experience between “actively in pain” and “still attached, presumably”? Because for me there is not.

  102. 102.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @FlipYrWhig: From WWI on, junior officers have been responsible for looking after the foot health of their soldiers. Multiple sock changes, alternating boots every other day, seeing who has blisters and making sure they are treated. Soldiers are taught that taking care of their feet matters. Christ, I didn’t like looking at everyone’s nasty feet, but it was part of my job.

  103. 103.

    NobodySpecial

    After 30 years of jobs on my feet, I’m not sure I’d want to subject anyone to my feet.

  109. 109.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Yarrow: Heh, good point.

    the rabbit hole of links led me to Ron Paul’s twitter feed. I don’t know if he’s still a thing, how much sway he really has, but if he has any, the trump coalition will likely shrink by that much. Crazy Uncle Liberty, as Pierce calls him, did not care for this “archneocon” speech

  111. 111.

    FlipYrWhig

    @Omnes Omnibus: Hmm. Neither having served nor having been an athlete, I can’t say that the foot is a body part that has ever commanded very much of my active attention or passive experience.

  112. 112.

    Another Scott

    PSA for everyone in North Carolina – Tomorrow – Tuesday 8/22 – is the only day for public comments on redistricting. Make sure you comment!!

    News and Observer:

    How to comment

    Nine of the state’s 50 Senate districts were deemed unconstitutional, along with 19 House districts.

    Three federal judges who ruled the 2011 districts weakened the overall influence of black voters have ordered new maps drawn, approved and delivered to the court by Sept. 1.

    The public will be allowed to formally comment on the proposed lines Tuesday afternoon. There are several meetings set up across the state where people can attend and weigh in.

    They’ll be held on six different community college campuses – Beaufort (Washington), Caldwell (Hudson), Central Piedmont (Charlotte), Fayetteville Tech (Fayetteville), Guilford Tech (Jamestown) and Halifax (Weldon). There will also be a hearing in Raleigh, in room 643 of the Legislative Office Building.

    All of those hearings Tuesday start at 4 p.m. People who can’t make it to one of those meetings can also submit online comments on the General Assembly website.

    Do it!

    Thank you.

    [eta:] clarification – comment period, not hearings.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  114. 114.

    Brachiator

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    I finally took a picture that madame was impressed with. No, not one of my Milky Way pics, this one a composite of shots from today’s eclipse.

    Very nice work!

  115. 115.

    satby

    True story, best mani-pedi I ever got was while we were working at a refugee camp in Haiti after the earthquake. It was several months later and a woman had set up shop and we all tried to buy everything local, so we went. And our feet were a mess from the dirt and mud we walked through every day. She used a rolled up disc sandpaper to smooth our feet off after soaking and scrubbing them until they nearly glowed. And whatever polish she used lasted without chipping for two weeks, even though we were back to traipsing through dirt and mud afterwards. I gave her a tip equal to the charge and it still only cost me about $12.00. I’ve never had one as good since.

  116. 116.

    Brachiator

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    .From WWI on, junior officers have been responsible for looking after the foot health of their soldiers.

    When I was a kid, I remember reading an article that referred to soldiers and “trench foot.” The article didn’t go into great detail, but it still sounded nasty.

  119. 119.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Laura Ingraham‏Verified account @ IngrahamAngle 2h2 hours ago
    Who’s going to pay for it? What is our measure of success? We didn’t win with 100K troops. How will we win with 4,000 more?

  121. 121.

    Yarrow

    I swear, everyone associated with this horror show of an administration is so tacky. This article is about Louise Linton, who two months ago married Steven Mnuchin.

    U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s wife, Louise Linton, boasted of flying on a government plane with her husband to Kentucky on Monday and then named the numerous fashion brands she wore on the trip in an unusual social media post that only became more bizarre minutes later.

    When someone posted a comment on Linton’s Instagram picture that criticized the way Linton touted the trip, the treasury secretary’s wife swung back hard, mentioning the extreme wealth she and her husband control.

    “Did you think this was a personal trip?!” Linton wrote on her Instagram page, responding to the person who had written “glad we could pay for your little getaway.”

    Linton continued in her response to the critic: “Adorable! Do you think the US govt paid for our honeymoon or personal travel?! Lololol. Have you given more to the economy than me and my husband? Either as an individual earner in taxes OR in self sacrifice to your country? I’m pretty sure we paid more taxes toward our day ‘trip’ than you did. Pretty sure the amount we sacrifice per year is a lot more than you’d be willing to sacrifice if the choice was yours.”

    Let them eat cake.

  122. 122.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Yarrow:

    Pretty sure the amount we sacrifice per year is a lot more than you’d be willing to sacrifice if the choice was yours.”

    Look at my DD-214. So you have one? Fuck you.

  124. 124.

    Yarrow

    @Omnes Omnibus: Trump or his kids (can’t remember, could be both) talked about how much he’s sacrificing to be president. They all seem to think they’re making big sacrifices somehow.

  126. 126.

    FlipYrWhig

    @Yarrow: Thanks to pundits and lefties, we now know that Trump got into office because people were fed up with “elites.” :/

  127. 127.

    FlipYrWhig

    @Yarrow: I thought that was the Romney spawn, but the shoe fits the Trump spawn as well, and it’s a shoe made in an East Asian sweatshop.

  129. 129.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Yarrow: They aren’t.

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: My father opposed the VN war and protested against it. Because of me, he was in no danger of the draft, but that does not mean that I do not admire my parents’ protests.

  130. 130.

    TS

    @lamh36:

    What happened to our old curdmudgeonly John Cole? Are you becoming a big ole softy in your old age..lol?

    Lurve happened – amazing what that can do :) A joy to see – should be more of it.

  131. 131.

    Lahke

    Way late back from the Madras eclipse site, and yes it took this long to go 110 miles. Eclipse was wonderful and we made history on the biggest traffic jam ever too. Going to bed now……

  132. 132.

    JohnMCinNc

    Long time, lurker. Once in a blue commenter. Such incredible growth gives me hope in humanity again.

  133. 133.

    Ruckus

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Look at my DD-214. So you have one? Fuck you.

    I like your style.
    Thing about my DD214 is the time and rank difference. Which accounts for the pay difference. Not that you made a bunch, but E1 pay was pretty low, considering how many of them showed up in Vietnam, and were carried home in a box.

  136. 136.

    Mart

    @Amir Khalid: With da Don in charge, this thing is over in 2.357 Friedman units max. My one big disappointment with Obama is not declaring victory and pulling out. Yea the Taliban would run the State, so what. Maybe we could pay them $5 billion/year for our15 years of war crimes if they agree to leave us alone. Save money and calm them the fuck down. We are already doing all we can to prop up their opioid business. We have leverage. We should make a deal. A bigly huge deal like the world has never seen.

  137. 137.

    SWMBO

    @Mnemosyne: My husband, both kids and I have apnea. We started off with the lab sleep study and the follow up in the lab to titrate the pressure. This time my son and I did the home sleep study. One night to verify that we still have apnea and a script for a new autopap.

    @JohnCole when we took in my sister’s dachshunds Zoe was the older girl and Gromit was the younger boy. The vet examined them and said Zoe “had maximized her intellectual potential”. She was sweet natured but not ever going to win an IW challenge.

  139. 139.

    cain

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:
    I was in Incheon, or rather the area of Seoul called Gandam. (eg like the popular song) The hotel was fairly nice, and it had a bidet. Also the bathrooms in the buildings I’ve been to were so goddam sparkling clean, I swear you could lick any part of it and you would be fine.

  140. 140.

    Miss Bianca

    @Yarrow: way late to the thread, but if you’re still around…

    a friend of mine actually went to college with this chick, and told me a surreal story about meeting up with her for drinks at the Trumpopolis in DC. This was before her wedding to the Mnooch, and she was on the phone the whole time with the people who were arranging for “Swan Lake” to be danced at the reception. Ooh-wee, how the other 1/2% live…

    Apparently Reince Priebus came in for air kisses while they were there. Ah, those were the days…back before the shit hitting the fan was set to spray *him*. How long ago was that now?

  142. 142.

    opiejeanne

    @Yarrow: What a total bitch. Her book about her time in Zambia is drawing a lot of attention from Zambians who call it a work of fiction; it’s a biography. Apparently the Congolese rebellion took place in Zambia without any Zambians noticing it.

  143. 143.

    Yarrow

    @Miss Bianca: Wow! That is some story. She comes across as just an awful person.

    @opiejeanne: I saw that! She really is a piece of work. The people associated with the Trump administration seem to be uniformly awful.

  145. 145.

    opiejeanne

    @Miss Bianca: Great story. Thanks for sharing. That was only a couple of months ago but seems like ages. Time is doing strange things since the inauguration.

  148. 148.

    Don Roszel

    This seems a pretty condescending comment to me: “about halfway through a teenage heavyset girl came in and sat down to get her feet done. I don’t know what the right word is these days, but I will just say she was not very bright and the prospects for that ever changing dramatically appeared to be rather grim.”

    To your credit, at least you went on to say that, for all her limitations, she was a happy kid.

    That’s not enough credit, though, to compensate for such condenscension

  150. 150.

    bartkid

    Hmm. Something rarer than a solar eclipse, John in a good mood. Not complaining, just noting. ;)

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