Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Anne Laurie is a fucking hero in so many ways. ~ Betty Cracker

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

We’re watching the self-immolation of the leading world power on a level unprecedented in human history.

Dear legacy media: you are not here to influence outcomes and policies you find desirable.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

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

DeSantis transforming Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

“In this country American means white. everybody else has to hyphenate.”

Their freedom requires your slavery.

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

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

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

There are a lot more evil idiots than evil geniuses.

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

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

In my day, never was longer.

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

One way or another, he’s a liar.

After dobbs, women are no longer free.

I swear, each month of 2025 will have its own history degree.

Sadly, media malpractice has become standard practice.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

You are here: Home / Balloon Juice / Readership Capture / I Can Do Non Political

I Can Do Non Political

by | 86 Comments

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I’m up in Connecticut for the weekend, and I am spending the weekend with ABC and the ADORABLE polydactyl kittens her sons adopted. Meet Stripers (male) and Blacky (female):

They are EVERYWHERE. I have no idea how two things so small manage to be everywhere. It’s been forever since I have been around kittens, because I always get my cats used. If I were to have named them it would have been Clyde and Madame Pounce, but I have been told my animal naming skills suck.

Also, on the ride up yesterday, I had to get gas at the Penn State Hazleton exit on I-80, and across from the gas station was a Mexican food truck rocking this sign:

I had stopped at My Sister’s Bistro a couple hours earlier for another fish sandwich and wasn’t hungry, but I checked out his reviews on Yelp and I will be hitting it on the way home for sure.

We have no cable tv here so I have to go out of my way to hear about Trump. That is ok.

Reader Interactions

86Comments

  4. 4.

    Bill

    John, if you’re coming west on 84, stop and visit us in PA. We have a pretty cool food place that’s open weekends and a nice lake. About an hour east of Hazleton.

  5. 5.

    Mnemosyne

    If I lived on the East Coast, I would be driving to that restaurant right now solely on the strength of that sign.

  7. 7.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Taco sign is AWESOME.

    Kittens are EVEN MORE AWESOME IF THAT IS POSSIBLE.

    Thank you, John G. Cole, for reminding us all that there is life beyond the horror of Trump.

  8. 8.

    Central Planning

    Our polydactyl cat is really smart. She users her paws to scoop water out of her dish to drink it and to pull food out from the auto food dispenser (not sure those are signs of intelligence, but I’ve never seen another cat do things like that).

    Her front paws are like gigantic mittens. She’s awesome.

  11. 11.

    singing truth to power

    I’m sort of watching Ghostbusters, and shopping online. Just ordered a railroad track anvil for my jewelry work. On one end will be stamped “She persisted.” Can’t handle one more iota of “reality.”

  12. 12.

    Mnemosyne

    Now I remember why I don’t get the Ginger Brew soda at Tender Greens very often — this shit is SPICY (in that ginger-y way). At least my sinuses will be nice and clear once I finish it.

  13. 13.

    frosty

    I haven’t read the post or comments yet, but just wanted to say that you, Cole, do non-political better than anyone else on this blog. Thanks, it makes it much more engaging than GOS or TPM or most of anything.

  19. 19.

    Amir Khalid

    @Omnes Omnibus:
    Everyone saw the pardon coming as soon as Arpaio was convicted, didn’t they? I suppose that, having successfully up-ended the executive and alienated Congress, Trump is coming after the judiciary to get his hat-trick.

  20. 20.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Somewhere between TaMara @ #15 and la caterina (Mrs. Johannes) @ #16, several comments — including one of mine — up and disappeared.

  22. 22.

    NotMax

    What a day to be absent from B-J and the ‘net in general. Sheesh.

    Anyhoo, reservations made for NYC meet-up. E-mail zapped off to AL for front paging, but here’s the skinny.

    When: Sept 1, reservations at 6:30

    Where: The Shakespeare, 24 E. 39 St. in Manhattan
    Outside entrance from street downstairs, under the Hotel William

    Their site: theshakespearenyc.com/

    Reasonable prices, great bar selection, old school Brit pub atmosphere. Told them to expect about 6 attendees but that there may be more as people filter in.

  24. 24.

    ruemara

    @Mnemosyne: Thanks for the recommend. I’m Jamaican. It’s not enough ginger until I feel I’m breathing fire and my mother’s sinuses clear back in NYC.

    Also, KITTEHS! OMG KITTEHS!

    I’m about to start fostering because the new roommate has demanded a cat or three.

  28. 28.

    PeakVT

    Worked 47 hrs this week. Will probably work 25 hrs this weekend.

    At least I have some B&J ice cream to savor and a kitteh pic to look at.

    Stay safe, Texans, even if you are bigoted, American-hating morons who voted for Trump.

  30. 30.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Steve in the ATL:

    have you considered writing more memorable comments?

    Zing!

    Is “up yours, Mofo” memorable enough?

    Zing!

    ETA: In case anyone is worried, that was good-natured snark. I hate having to lay on a proviso — explaining jokes is always a dreary business –but sometimes the friendly intent doesn’t come through the hostile language.

  32. 32.

    Steve in the ATL

    @PeakVT:

    Stay safe, Texans, even if you are bigoted, American-hating morons who voted for Trump.

    This may be my favorite comment of the day. This one, or SD’s deleted one that, rumor has it, was her greatest ever!

  34. 34.

    ??‍? Martin

    Man, Houston looks completely fucked. I hope our folks have evacuated and that things take a turn for the better.

  37. 37.

    Lyrebird

    @cynthia ackerman: across from which gas station?

    relative of mine will be coming through but approaching 80 by coming up 81 from Harrisburg, she loves good tacos, and she would enjoy the sentiment. (all of my olds are RESISTING the maladministration)

  38. 38.

    The Moar You Know

    John, your pet naming skills are great. Those are both excellent names. And those kittens are going to be nonstop fun. I love them at that age.

  39. 39.

    Lyrebird

    @Mnemosyne: from two days ago or so – have you tried Tinkyada rice pasta? I consider Trader Joe’s to be a pretty good knockoff of their stuff.

  44. 44.

    Lyrebird

    @Bill: Care to name the food place? The Frackville PA Cracker Barrel serves a purpose, but alternatives would be awesome.

  46. 46.

    Tara the Antisocial Social Worker

    I have no idea how two things so small manage to be everywhere.

    It’s a simple formula. The number of possible mischiefs at one time equals the square of the number of pets who are awake.

    ABC’s home (2 kittens) = maximum 4 mischiefs
    Your house (3 dogs 1 cat, unless you’ve gotten more since I started typing) = 16 mischiefs
    My house (2 dogs, 3 cats) = 25 mischiefs if they’re all awake. The only thing that saves us is that cats mostly exist to nap.

  51. 51.

    satby

    @SiubhanDuinne: hey SD, saw your comment about your mom earlier, and condolences. My dad has been gone 30 years and every once in a while the sorrow hits me just out of the blue.
    They’re with us always no matter how long they’ve been gone.

  52. 52.

    Lyrebird

    @gene108: Are you thinking of Breezewood? That’s where 70 meets the PA turnpike. Hazleton is where 80 and 81 cross, just SW of the Poconos, S of Wilkes Barre etc.

    ETA: and you were faster! Understandable confusion…

  53. 53.

    CZanne

    I’m putting up cabinets and a length of countertop in the weird breakfast nook/extra kitchen space. I like Ikea cabinets, so I’ve got a bunch of boxes. And I realized I’ve got all these now empty boxes and no cats anywhere doing some “I sits, I fits.”

    Bast, if you’re listening, please send Spouse a pair of kitties. They need to be persistent, utterly charming (on first acquaintance), homeless if he won’t take them, and bonded. We promise years to decades of adoration, the good food, clean litter boxes, many flights of stairs to play on, bookcases for heights, copious string, much tissue paper, boxes, laps and they may take their half of the bed out of the middle. On the hypotenuse if they prefer. But they have to approach him, and not triggering his allergy would help significantly.

  55. 55.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @satby:

    Thank you, satby. Yes, it’s true. And after so many years, always a bit surprising. My condolences to you as well. They live as long as there’s someone to remember them, and that knowledge (belief) satisfies my vestigial wish to believe in some kind of afterlife.

  56. 56.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @The Moar You Know:

    Those are both excellent names.

    Yeah, it would be funnier, though, if the black kitten was “Stripers” and the striped kitten was “Blacky.” Just to fuck with people.

  61. 61.

    Mike J

    @Doug R: Woot woot! My number two team helped my number one team by beating Satan.

    Went sailing today, discovered when I got back to the dock the main halyard was shot. Spent an hour and a hlaf replacing it, only to discover the replacement wasn’t quite right, so I’m off to West Marine tomorrow then back to the dock to do it again, when my sailing to maint ratio will hit hit 1/1. Grr.

  65. 65.

    Mike in NC

    @smintheus: It was a rather brutal winter when I drove from Germantown, MD to Nashua, NH to see family at Christmas in 1990. Passed through Wilkes-Barre where there were several closed gas stations, but luckily I made it all the way. Ugh.

  66. 66.

    frosty

    @gene108: Breezewood. ‘zactly. Where I70 and the DC/Balto traffic meets the turnpike and everybody has to hit the bathroom before hitting the toll booth.

  68. 68.

    frosty

    @Mike J: 1/1 is a damn fine sailing to maintenance ratio. I’ve improved somewhat from 1/10 after I found a boatbuilder to finish replacing the plywood hull and deck on my Blue Jay.

  69. 69.

    smintheus

    @Mike in NC: Curious coincidence. I think it was just before Christmas of 1990 when I drove from Annapolis MD through Harrisburg and up past WB/Scranton to visit my folks in north-west NH. One of those Christmas drives to NH was through a bad snowstorm, it may have been 1990.

  70. 70.

    efgoldman

    @Doug R:

    Mariners beat Yankees in 11.

    Meanwhile the Red Six brought in some high school pitchers and fielders last night and tonite and dressed them in the major leaguers’ uniforms.
    Ugly. Very very ugg-LEE!

  71. 71.

    singing truth to power

    @Omnes Omnibus: I stumbled onto a Netflix series just now about a teenager on the autism spectrum – Atypical. Liking it. HGTV would be good too. Reality is way too real right now.

  73. 73.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @singing truth to power: Any port in a storm. On the positive side, I have a reclusive aunt who knits/crochets/whatever who made me a brain hat as a part of my birthday present earlier this month. It was her way of contributing.

  78. 78.

    ruemara

    Too beat to finish the notes I had on someone’s script, too beat to edit my own and too beat to play games. I’m drained

  79. 79.

    efgoldman

    @smintheus:

    NYT wedding page does cringe comedy.

    Holy crap! I’m nine years older than mrs efg, and sometimes that seems an unbrigeable gulf (less so every year as we get older)

  80. 80.

    Mnemosyne

    @Lyrebird:

    Sorry, just got home from shopping. Yes, I have several versions of the Tinkiyada brown rice pasta. Their lasagna noodles are really good. I haven’t found anything penne-sized, which is one reason I picked those up at TJ’s.

    There’s a good chance that they actually make the TJ’s pasta — that’s usually how TJ’s gets such good (and so much) stuff under their private label.

  81. 81.

    seaboogie

    @Major Major Major Major: Vancouver airport is one of the best – used to be my home airport. Those Haida “welcome” figures are awesome.

    Once had the “nearly perfect” coming home experience there.

    Arrived, skipped through customs in a short line, and my unique hard-shell suitcase came off the baggage carousel as I emerged from customs. Grabbed it, and caught Park’nFly shuttle just pulling up. Got on the shuttle, and found my car running and waiting for me. Totally seamless experience. Arrived home after an hour and a half drive to discover that the “unique” suitcase in my possession was not mine. At 11:30 at night.

    So I called the airline to report same, drove back to the airport, and exchanged luggage, because I didn’t want the other person to be inconvenienced. Heh. The whole time I was all “this is so perfect!” I’ve learned to inspect tags since then.

  82. 82.

    Mnemosyne

    @seaboogie:

    My brother’s friend/business partner once came home from a business trip with the wrong computer. The really funny part was that he didn’t realize the wrong computer was a Mac until my brother told him.

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