So, I just had to go buy a goddamned oven. Regular readers will recall that my soon-to-be former oven shit the bed in the wee hours of Thanksgiving morning, causing me to have to shuttle a turkey, rolls, etc., to other kitchens to cook before my 14 guests arrived. After Thanksgiving, we were able to replace a control panel part and get it operational again. But this week, it took another crap.
We talked to several folks in appliance parts warehouses, but no one could ship the needed part to us quickly enough to have the oven operational by this weekend, and since we have scads of people coming over for dinner Christmas Eve and then again on Christmas Day, this was a problem. Plus, the unanimous opinion of the parts professionals we spoke to was this: Samsung appliances are garbage.
I tried to find a not-Samsung oven online at a local place to pick up ourselves, but that turns out to be impossible since no one actually keeps many ovens onsite. I had to drive into town, select an oven in person and pay for it, which I did. We’ll pick it up this evening.
I’m glad I was able to find a replacement, but I’m disgruntled about the whole process and that we’ve had to shell out nearly a thousand bucks for an oven, especially this time of year. But on the bright side, at least the old oven crapped out a few days before the holiday instead of on Christmas Eve.
We did not watch the news yesterday because we figured it would be all about Trump’s “victory” on taxes, and who needs to see that puffed-up buffoon smirking on TV? But I saw the clip below on Twitter earlier, and I’m posting it here because it’s just unbelievably horrid:
This Mike Pence "prayer" of thanks to Trump is excruciatingly, stomach-churningly uncomfortable to watch. The ritual submission and exaltation is nearly pornographic. This is not America. pic.twitter.com/FN6y2X2K73
— Steve Silberman (@stevesilberman) December 20, 2017
If Trump looks like he’s getting a tuggie under the conference table in the screen grab, that’s because he IS — from Pence. It’s just so gross and awful. I’m sharing it in the same spirit I’d point out a particularly revolting bug flailing around in a pool of a diseased hyena’s diarrhea. You’re welcome!
Open thread.
Tom Levenson
Thanks, Betty, for an image I’ll not soon be able to bleach from my brain.
Yecccchhhh.
Mike in NC
Looking forward to Mike Dense going the way of Spiro Agnew.
MattF
Even Pence has figured out that Trump has an infinite need for praise. It salves the old wound in some way. But only temporarily.
Teddys Person
I wonder if there are planning meetings for these public hummers or is it improvisational?
lollipopguild
If Biden had acted this way towards Obama the right would have had a field day with it. Pence gives trump a blow job live on camera and no big deal.
Wag
In hopes of hijacking this thread so it doesn’t become a thread where we all wail and lament our country’s demise, I must say that I’m really looking forward to cooking dinner on Christmas Eve. I just bought a large beef roast that I’m planning on roasting at 225° until it reaches the proper internal temperature (128° for medium rare), followed by a brief 500° sear in the oven to give it a nice crust on the outside. I’ve used this reverse roasting method for the past few years, and it works beautifully
Bex
I’m surprised Dense didn’t produce a jeweled crown, place it on the orange hairpiece and kneel in worship. Jesus wept.
Cheryl Rofer
Trump is literally hugging himself. So needy.
In home repair news, I’m watching workmen repair my asphalt driveway. Dripping the tar into the cracks now. Next step will be replacing the badly cracked sections. Christmas treat, particularly if it snows!
Major Major Major Major
@Wag: I left my hat in an Uber and used the “I lost a thing” button but the driver hasn’t called me back, so I’m bummed out about my hat, but I’d rather talk about that than America.
CarolDuhart2
Obama would have howled after the first couple of words.
NotMax
“Chinese take-out for Xmas dinner chez Cracker? How avant garde!”
Seriously, hope the oven is everything you want and more. Modern ones can be so chock-a-block with features that reading the instruction manual is an ironclad necessity.
Corner Stone
@Major Major Major Major: Don’t you hipster up this thread.
Corner Stone
@lollipopguild: Biden kind of did have the love fest look thing going on for Obama. Difference was it was genuine and nothing so disturbing as what Pence does.
CarolDuhart2
@Bex: Next meeting, after the throne arrives.
mad citizen
Love is blind.
Ray Charles was blind.
Ray Charles invented hugging himself, but only after he had delivered a world class R&B tune (which he also helped to invent).
Every time the Orange One hugs himself is an affront to Ray Charles and every other American.
Corner Stone
We’re having homemade tacos for Xmas Eve dinner. I’m thinking about actually trying the Luby’s Christmas Day prime rib dinner.
Karen S.
@Wag:
I’ll join this hijacking to say that my mom and I are probably going to do a ham for Xmas dinner. I’m going to make brie en croute as an appetizer. I love melty cheese in pastry. We haven’t decided on side dishes yet.
Major Major Major Major
@Corner Stone: It’s the only way to get to work from the station when my carpool suddenly calls in sick, and I want my hat!
Amir Khalid
Samsung ovens don’t explode like Samsung phones, do they?
Here’s something less revolting to contemplate than die Verwaltung des Scheißgibbons. One of my YouTube haunts is this delightful channel which is all about a lady in Michigan and her life with three lovely and delightful Siberian husky girls. The dogs are to squee.
John Cole
Betty Cracker is my sister from another mother.
Major Major Major Major
@John Cole: the preferred rhyme is “sister from another mister”
Mnemosyne
Nope. Not getting out of the boat.
I think Christmas Eve dinner is going to be a crockpot Boeuf Bourguignon, but we’ll see. I’m also buying some chicken tamales if I don’t feel like making the effort since I’m still on crutches.
BUT the physical therapist looked at the MRI report and I may have just partially re-torn my ACL, not torn the whole thing. That would be why I’m still in a lot of pain — it would hurt less if it had torn completely. So there’s a chance the orthopedist may decide to wait and see if we can strengthen the knee rather than rushing to surgery.
Elmo
@Wag: I do something similar, but I do the 500 degrees first, followed by turning the oven completely off for two hours or to an internal temp of 120 (I like rare, not med rare). Works for almost every kind of meat, including boneless leg of lamb.
? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?
They’re so going down next year. Let’s see that asshole smirk when he’s facing a Dem majority congress that won’t even give him these token “wins”.
Miss Bianca
@Amir Khalid: Oh, dear God. You *had* to do this to me, didn’t you?
Major Major Major Major
@Mnemosyne:
Awesome!
Steeplejack
@Corner Stone:
I loved Luby’s. North Star Mall in San Antonio back in the ’60s. Good times.
? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?
@Major Major Major Major: That’s what happens when you use Uber.
LAO
Anyone have a good instant pot recipe for chicken and dumplings?
Jager
My grand daughter is engaged to a Google engineer, he works on self driving technology. We had a discussion about self driving cars over a couple of IPAs. He’s going on about the future, all the self driving cars rolling down the freeway, perfectly spaced, all driving at the speed limit. I drained my beer and said, “Let’s say I hop in my BMW and blast down the freeway at, hmm, let’s say 90 mph or something, what happens?” He said, “The self driving cars will move out of your way and call the cops.” I said, “All of them?” He said, “Uh huh and they’ll even take your picture”! I paused and asked him, “So the cops won’t be using self driving cars?” His answer? “Not as long as there are people like you are still driving.” Makes me glad I’m old because parts of the future are really going to suck.
? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?
@Mnemosyne: Non-invasive procedures are always preferred to invasive ones and surgery ranks up there; no surgery is without risks. So hope whatever treatment your orthopedist recommends works out!
marcopolo
Florida Woman (politician)!
She said she was just performing constituent services like she would for anyone (who donated the maximum $2700 to her campaign). Seriously. Can we all agree she should probably withdraw from the race? She’s a Dem pursuing the nomination in the seat left open by Ileana Ros-Lehtinen’s retirement.
Nice photo in the article of the accused machete wielder in full “combat” garb by the way.
Amir Khalid
@lollipopguild:
Biden has never had to make a show of praising Obama; he really does think highly of Obama, with whom he became close friends, and doesn’t hide it. I doubt Mike Pence feels the same way about Trump.
Nicole
I give you an “Amen” to Samsung appliances being garbage. My stepmom has a Samsung refrigerator/freezer and the ice maker has been repaired/replaced a combination of four times since May of 2016. The fridge was purchased, brand new, in 2014.
CarolDuhart2
Don’t get sick before Christmas. Woke up to achy body, pretty tired, scratchy throat. Feel better now, but still pissed that my last check before retirement may be a little short. Compared to a possible shutdown meaning no pay all next week, lit’s minor.
Bought some steaks for Christmas and waiting on their arrival tomorrow. Ham’s too salty, turkey too dry. I find steaks a lot easier to season to my taste, can be delicious even cold (like the next day for sandwiches) and the right size for me.
Mom Says I*m Handsome
After nearly 12 months of President Garbage Fire, I’m proud* to say I’ve only heard his voice about four times. I will only willingly listen to him if he’s going to tell me he’s resigning, thereby Making America Great Again. Until then I’ll take your word for the craven, unAmerican destruction of our democratic institutions by the 21st-century kleptocracy; plenty of evidence elsewhere for just how fucked up shit is getting.
* “proud” is the wrong word for this psyche-protecting effort on my part to keep myself from clawing my ears off; you ketch my drift.
moops
@? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?:
If Trump’s ego is the only thing in danger under a Dem controlled branch of government then I will consider them having failed. The currently GOP run committees have a lot of catching up to do under Dem leadership.
Kristine
Good to know about Samsung appliances.
I have raisins steeping in spiced rum. Will be making Ina Garten’s recipe for Oatmeal-Raisin-Pecan cookies when I feel they’re sufficiently steeped.
Jeffro
@Tom Levenson:
I agree – ten yards and loss of down for that one.
Major Major Major Major
@? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?: Yeah, nobody’s ever dropped something on the floor of a taxi or bus before!
At least Uber has an “I lost something” button.
Miss Bianca
Going to be spending Christmas Eve, possibly Christmas Day, with a friend of mine who is pretty bummed out. She sold her house in town, closed on Tuesday, and now the county is refusing to grant her an occupancy certificate on her dream house that she has built a few miles out of town. Why, do you ask, is the county doing this? Because of safety or building or other occupancy issues? No, because of a completely unrelated dispute involving changes to the land use code that they are trying to take her to court over. Land use code changes that were put in place AFTER her building permit was issued. The county is jacking her around JUST BECAUSE they can. Because they decided to side with her psycho neighbor in the land dispute. So, she is homeless for Christmas, but we are goiing to go out and do Xmas dinner at her new house anyway, because BITE ME, you assholes. They probably won’t try to haul us away in handcuffs if we’re just having dinner there, as opposed to, say, sleeping there.
Yutsano
@Mnemosyne:
That’s a big positive. I’ve learned that the physios are much more attuned to this than even the orthos are. When I had my back MRI done gave the PT the report and he immediately gave more of an analysis than I got from the surgeon. That and he went over it with me point by point.
? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?
@Major Major Major Major:
I meant how the driver hasn’t contacted you yet. I just don’t like Uber as a company
Mnemosyne
@? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?:
I just have to trust the physical therapist when she says that the stuff that hurts won’t actually damage the knee. It’s hard to believe sometimes.
Starfish
@Corner Stone: “It’s a big fucking deal” is so much more succinct than whatever it is that Pence did and also so much more earnest when they worked that long on a project.
Steeplejack
@Wag, @Elmo:
This Food Wishes method has gotten a lot of positive buzz. (Seems to be Elmo’s method.) He starts with the 500° blast for 5 minutes × exact weight of roast (e.g., 5.35 pounds), rounded up to the next minute. When that is done he turns off the oven and lets the roast sit undisturbed for two hours. Simple and allegedly foolproof.
I haven’t tried it, but I’ve been thinking about it for New Year’s.
? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?
@Mnemosyne: Whatever you do don’t see a chiropractor
debbie
@Mnemosyne:
Good news! PT and exercise therapy will make your knee even stronger, providing you stop tripping over stuff.
Aleta
I did finally watch a bit of it, in a clip promising that D. Lemon would be laughing at them (awfully politely it turned out). Seemed like they were reciting lines they’d been given to memorize.
If they actually thought up any of it, I’m pretty sure they had to submit for preapproval. Totalitarian jingles all the way.
Did this even seem like loss of liberty to them? Or are they so used to their roles reciting lines written by the Heritage Fdn and Alec that it was just another day?
Gotta fear for how quickly a younger generation could get used to at least 70% of this.
Major Major Major Major
@? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?: He’s probably driving. If you leave something in a taxi, unless you for whatever reason know the taxi number, there’s no way you’ll even be able to leave a message.
I don’t like Uber as a company either, but it’s the only way to get to work that doesn’t involve walking several miles.
Yutsano
@Mnemosyne: Ah yes the old PT trick.
“Does it hurt?”
“YES!!”
“GOOD! Do it 30 more times!”
LAO
Apropos of nothing, this made me SMH
James E. Powell
I stopped watching any news or cable shows in the summer of 2016. I’ve jumped on to check on some of the natural disaster stories, but I get my political news from reading this blog and following Norm Ornstein on twitter. It’s almost more than I can take. Anyway, yesterday out of winter break boredom I checked into see what MSNBC was doing.
I was able to take it for only five minutes, but noted one thing: we Democrats should not let Donna Edwards appear on cable shows to speak for our party or us, its voters. First, she speaks of the Democrats as if we were an odd group of people whom she barely knows. She uses the same derogatory tone that nearly everyone on cable news uses when talking about Democrats. Second, everything she said was instantly forgotten, a bunch of words with no impact. She is awful.
Of course this doesn’t excuse Tweety for shouting at her and interrupting her right after he asked her a question. He is a total asshole and it pains me that he is associated with the Democrats by almost the whole world.
I got enough to motivate me to stay away for at least six more months, unless there’s a volcano or a tsunami or something.
marcopolo
And in the spirit of what’s for Xmas dinner, my small family will be having a rolled rib roast, Cope’s Dried Corn, twice baked potatoes, maple roasted butternut squash, and dinner rolls out of a tube–I’m guessing Pillsbury.
Hope everyone here has finished all of their Xmas shopping and is ready to roll on into the holiday weekend. By the way, I found yesterday’s The Last Jedi spoiler thread quite fascinating. I am currently in some disagreement with my longtime movie buddy (alas we did not see it together) over it’s merits, which is pretty unusual, but I anticipate bringing him over to my side in the coming months :).
JMG
Her’e’s some governance jollies for you all. My son is a contract employee for the city of Boston who coordinates (or tries to) its Internet-based communications and helps design the content of its user interfaces. Today he was sending out an email reminding dog owners they need to renew their licenses by Jan. 2. Animal Control dept. sent him a list of dog owners complete with the names of their dogs. To amuse himself at lunch time, he posted some of the more, uh, distinctive dog names on his Twitter feed, without of course identifying the owners in any way. Within an hour, he received a five-day suspension without pay for violating data privacy guidelines. There will be no identity theft from dogs in our fair city, By God!
Waldo
After that video, this image is actually a welcome palate cleanser. Thanks, Betty.
Starfish
@Jager: Every car would not call 911 because if every car called 911 on the DC beltway because of that tailgating asshole, the whole 911 system would fall over due to too many calls.
If the software did it in a sane way, there would be some standardization across systems, and they would report to a system higher up to see if anyone else had made this call in the last 30 seconds or minute and then call. But even that system has its flaws. I can’t imagine they would be allowed to do this to the 911 system.
Major Major Major Major
@? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?: Physical therapists/sports medicine practitioners don’t exactly always follow actual facts either, but at least the entire premise of their profession doesn’t rest on quackery.
Spanky
And in other (good!) legal news:
I was kind of jury nullification-curious, but it seems like it was a pretty clear-cut case for acquittals.
laura
The petulance and arrogance is off the charts -and can be seen from space.
The ritual public keister-lick by the Cabinet and assorted witnesses is, in itself shocking. The media coverage and normalizing is even more troubling.
There is not enough idolatry to ever satisfy this awful, morally bankrupt idiot.
Aleta
@Mnemosyne: If it turns out that the strengthening PT is sooner rather than later, it could be good, as the massage and passive stretching could help healing without fibers sticking together. Sorry about the pain; you must be one tough cookie.
LAO
@Spanky: I read an interview with one of the jurors and he said it wasn’t even close.
ETA:
NotMax
@Steeplejack
Works like a charm. The copious salt rub initially turned me off but after trying that complete method for roasting will never cook prime rib roast any other way ever again.
No Drought No More
Cheer up. I deferred building a fence along my property line because I’m a manyana type of guy. But when PG&E saw fit to remove a humungous bay tree along the property line that was encroaching on their wires, my hand was forced to replace the cover it afforded from neighborhood eyeballs. Long story short, I had the fence built by a neighborhood artist-carpenter, who also built a pergola above my patio, both of which turned out to be works of art, worth many times the price they cost me to build. My guess is you’ll soon count the money you spent for the oven this week as being a trifle. Well designed major appliances sold these days are awesome, and deliver more bang for a consumer’s buck than ever before. And it’s not like you blew it on something ridiculous, like a super-expensive motorcycle helmet, one that may-or-may not do you any good in a crunch. You can bet that oven will be good to go every time you turn it on for the next 20 years..
Spanky
@moops: You may have missed this.
marcopolo
@James E. Powell: Not sure what happened to Edward’s. I’ve followed her since before she went to Congress. Back then she was a great voice for the working class, women, minorities, etc… And I think she did a good job from 2008-16 in DC. Since she declared and lost her bid for Mikulski’s Senate seat in 2016, she hasn’t been the same person. Maybe the effect of living inside the beltway for too long?
Miss Bianca
@LAO: Hey, LAO, o/t, but since you’re here, could you put your lawyerin’ hat on for me a second and tell me where I could look to see if there is any case law out there where a county tried to claim that it had standing to try to ban some legal activity on federal lands within the county? Asking for a friend (literally, yes!)
And in the spirit of giving back, a chicken and dumplings slow cooker recipe, care of Martha Stewart:
https://www.marthastewart.com/339398/chicken-and-dumplings
LAO
@Miss Bianca: Thanks! And, re legal question, what state?
Mnemosyne
@Yutsano:
I also liked that the therapy assistant suggested that I buy a dog leash at the 99 Cent Store to use as a strap for the hamstring stretches rather than trying to sell me an expensive yoga strap or upsell me on other stuff.
@debbie:
Well, I’ll probably never stop tripping over stuff since I’m already 48 years old, so I really need to learn how to fall more safely.
Miss Bianca
@LAO: Colorado
How is Maggie puppers’ holiday season going?
Mnemosyne
@LAO:
I think this whole Trump thing is going to make you question your life as a defense lawyer. ? But I think that public defender job in Humboldt County is still open.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
Re: Christmas dinner. I like ham, but I’m the only one who does. My wife likes salmon, and does amazing things with it. ¿Por que no los dos? We’ll look for a nice ham steak somewhere rather than bake a whole ham, and make the nice big salmon fillet I just bought us yesterday.
I also bought some mince-meat as I always love mince meat pie for the holiday. But I think I’m going to go for the traditional English version this year, which are basically tarts. I like the look of the star cutouts on top. I’ve seen that in a couple of recipes.
Spanky
@marcopolo:
Ummmm, her District is inside the Beltway. (But I get your point anyway! )
marcopolo
@Mnemosyne: You’re out in movieland, right? Know any stunt folks? They can show you how to safely drop and roll :). Seriously, though, hope everything goes well with PT and that you do not have to go the surgery route. Had distal biceps tendon surgery a few years ago–the arm is great now but it was about a half year full recovery process.
WereBear
@Amir Khalid: Have you seen the Siberian Cat link?
Scenes from a Russian farm
lollipopguild
@Amir Khalid: You are correct-Obama and Biden were/are two grown men who liked and respected each other, when i think of trump and pence i just laugh out loud.
Just One More Canuck
@Tom Levenson: Betty is a poet for our times
Mnemosyne
@Aleta:
I’m actually a wimp with a low pain threshold, but I have ibuprofen and ice packs to get me through. ?
And whining. Lots and lots of whining.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
@Mnemosyne: @marcopolo: Or take Aikido. I never retained much about how to fight, but those classes did spend a lot of time on how to fall safely under almost any circumstances (in Aikido, you may easily find yourself flying through the air upside down for instance). I think that stuff at least stuck with me.
marcopolo
@Spanky: Ha, thanks, hadn’t even thought about that! I learn so much here. But yes, the point is as an elected member of Congress.
PaulWartenberg
On a personal note, my uncle (mom’s older brother) passed away a week ago. Finally found an obit listing to link to:
http://www.oanow.com/obituaries/kinzer-jr-earl-t/article_dc7da560-77d5-54b0-a376-4ae6e451465d.html
LAO
@Miss Bianca: That’s what i figured — I went on Westlaw and ran a quick search and the issue is complicated (to a bottom feeding defense attorney). This might help http://statelaws.findlaw.com/colorado-law.html or this http://www.law.du.edu/images/uploads/library/28COCaseResources.pdf
Good luck to your friend. Sorry I couldn’t be more help
Ms. Maggie is doing well thank you, she enjoyed her 8 nights of Hanukkah.
FlyingToaster
@Mnemosyne:
According to HerrDoktor, for XMas Day SILToaster is making some kind of Beef Stew (but probably not Bourguignon, nor my favorite Daube, alas), and heating up a spiral cut ham that neither I nor WarriorGirl want any part of. So I suspect I’ll be packing food for WG (she’s basically a vegetarian+bacon + “Mom’s Forcing Me To Eat Poultry”) rather than make anyone try to deal with that hot mess. Since WG set our kitchen counter on fire Tuesday, she’s on VERY VERY thin ice with us ‘rents.
I’m baking on Sunday morning. I have no idea WHAT I’m baking yet; I’d suggested Challah Rolls and some kind of KA WhiteWholeWheat thing. He nixed the Challah rolls as being entirely inappropriate so we’re still negotiating.
I’ve been trying to follow your travails, and ouch!
I can sympathize because I’ve got a strained right MCL, which happened due to a bad pivot in late August. So some tasks are not currently mine to complete (standing on my toes to put certain things away in corners is Right Fucking Out). I was told it would take about 6-8 months for it to completely heal. Bleah.
Jager
@Starfish:
He said out here it wouldn’t call 911 it would call the number CHP has to report driving violations. Frankly I don’t think he knows, he just threw it out as something that COULD happen. He also said, he and his team believe that cars you have to drivel in the future, 50-75 years from now, will be like owning a horse today. I opened another beer and told him, “what fun will that be.” I like him but he is a little smug about some shit.
Steeplejack
@JMG:
This hits a nerve. A few months ago I discovered that the housecat’s previous owner, a friend’s mother-in-law who went into assisted living, thought her veterinarian might still have the housecat’s records, which my current vet had said might be useful. It took me weeks to get the records, and it was like wading through a full-scale HIPAA privacy screen. The previous vet wouldn’t release the records except to his client in person. When reminded that she was 90-something and had gone into assisted living, he grudgingly allowed her daughter to bring a signed letter and eventually get the records.
Jeez! And here I thought they would just shoot them to me as an e-mail attachment—which is what my friend eventually did.
Thanks, Obama! (I guess?)
Miss Bianca
@LAO: thank you! hope *your* Hanukkah was pleasant as well!
ETA: In this case the bottom feeder is the county attorney – a power-mad creature who is leading the county commissioners around by the nose.
Mnemosyne
@FlyingToaster:
I have a strained left MCL, so I guess I should lower my expectations about how long it will take to heal. ? The ACL was taking center stage since it got so stretched the ortho thought it was gone entirely, so I haven’t really heard much about the MCL.
And apparently current research says the healthiest diet is a pescetarian one (vegetarian + fish), so you may want to see if you can get WG to eat fish instead of poultry for optimal health. Unless she’s allergic, of course.
Corner Stone
@Steeplejack: The Luby’s by me is consistently good. My only complaint is that I like to eat late and they run out of some things by the time I get there. I always seem to find enough to stuff my piehole so I guess it works out.
LAO
@Miss Bianca: LOL — I’m the bottom feeder in my post.
My holiday was good — I hope you enjoy Christmas. And, I’m going to try that recipe tomorrow seems easy (which is a must if I’m cooking).
Mnemosyne
@Miss Bianca:
One of my friends at work got clown paintings for Hanukkah, as inspired by “The Good Place.” Don’t tell Omnes. ?
NotMax
@Flying Toaster
Historical tidbit: Over a century ago, the Kellogg brothers’ Battle Creek Sanitarium (hardly a hotbed of Jewry; the Kelloggs were Seventh Day Adventists) offered “Passover Bread” as a staple on the menu.
Corner Stone
@Miss Bianca:
I don’t know how that county does it, but when we moved offices a while back the GC told us to not connect a single phone until the city had issued the certificate. Otherwise they could get really arsed up about it and bust balls.
Steeplejack
@FlyingToaster:
Story, please.
Corner Stone
@LAO: Seems like if I were McGahn I would want to know. Since every single person around me appears to be engaged in lying to federal investigators.
SiubhanDuinne
@Amir Khalid:
I read recently — in that Atlantic profile, perhaps? — that Karen Pence absolutely despises Trump. Presumably her husband shares these views. It’s not often that I’m aligned with Mommy on anything, and admittedly the bar is too low even for Cockroach Limbo, but on this we can agree.
Miss Bianca
@LAO: oh! *blush* Hey, you’re not just *any* bottom=feeder – you’re *our* bottom-feeder!
? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?
I just got a notification for this on my podcast app and lol. Didn’t bother listening so I guess that means I’m living in a bubble and won’t try to become friends with a neo-Nazi.
Corner Stone
@James E. Powell: You chose to break your cable TV news fast by tuning in to *Tweety’s* show? Good God, man. That’s like walking out of the desert and turning on the firehose.
Miss Bianca
@Mnemosyne: OK, I am screaming on the inside now.
James E. Powell
@Jager:
Sounds like Engineer’s Syndrome.
My view is this: we’ve already seen it in every movie. The robots will turn against us. And why not? Those of us who aren’t morons and half wits, dolts, dunces, dullards and dumbbells are total assholes.
Steeplejack
@Corner Stone:
Morrison’s was a pretty good substitute for Luby’s in the Southeast. Up here around D.C., I don’t even know where to go for that cafeteria-style meal. Wouldn’t want to try Golden Corral, if there even are any around.
(“Cafeteria-style” not meant as an insult. Couldn’t think of another way to describe the genre.)
Calouste
@JMG: He should consider himself lucky. If someone did something like that at the company I work, they would be out of a job.
Brachiator
I find it very interesting that the entire Republican party, not just the cabinet, is totally plugged into Trump’s need for congratulary adjulation and eagerly participate in ritual ball washing.
Trump totally owns the GOP. He has bent them to his will. They can’t quit him.
I understand that Trump will not actually sign the tax law until he returns to his Florida vacation home. He needs to drag this thing out as long as possible.
Look for a celebratory rally soon after.
James E. Powell
@Corner Stone:
You’re right, I wasn’t thinking. I had just finished my binge of Season 3 of Outlander and switched over to MSNBC without checking what show was on.
I don’t know how to do it and it probably can’t be done, but every person working on TV or cable shows needs to be retired and replaced. Or maybe not even replaced. This manner of producing and broadcasting information about a supposed democratic republic to its citizens is clearly not working in a way that benefits said citizens. And it’s aesthetically unappealing.
Leto
Who Are They?
Here’s a longer article about James Sherk from the WaPo.
As a newly employed federal worker… I honestly don’t know if I’m going to stick around. They’re determined to burn it all down and try to usher in some Bladerunner style dystopia (utopia in their eyes).
NotMax
@James E. Powell
Humans. Can’t live with ’em, can’t get a really good lube job without ’em.
:)
@Steeplejack
Gotta be at least one web site wherein long haul truckers recommend the best truck stop diners/cafeterias.
Just a thought.
eclare
@Steeplejack: We have Piccadilly here in Memphis.
Aleta
@Brachiator:
And Trump is totally owned.
Corner Stone
@eclare: We used to have a few Piccadilly’s here but it looks like they have retreated from TX. From what I remember they seemed to be subpar to Luby’s quality. Then Luby’s tried to expand too quickly, service, cleanliness and quality went into the tank and for years I would not eat in one. Then they did a big re-org, shutting down many locations. As I said, the one by me has been consistently good for several years now. So, hopefully they’ve found a good balance because I like having the option.
Brachiator
@Aleta:
It’s a dystopian circle of life.
Steeplejack
@eclare:
Ah! That’s a chain I had forgotten about. The closest one to me is in Newport News, VA. Too far.
The Google also revealed that Piccadilly bought Morrison’s sometime in the past.
Mnemosyne
@Miss Bianca:
FWIW, she thought it was hilarious. And she placed them in a public space outside of her cube where the rest of us have to look at them, not her. ?
Aleta
So ungrateful of Pence, forgetting to praise the Republican donors who promised to cut off the cash flowing into Congress’s private economy if the bill didn’t pass.
Humdog
@Mnemosyne: Oooh, a move to Humboldt for LAO? We really need additional public defenders here, but by the poor quality of the existing pd’s suits, I don’t suppose it pays well. I will be head of your welcoming committee if you make the jump!
Mnemosyne
@Humdog:
Hopefully LAO has banked her ill-gotten gains from defending the mafia and can afford to take a lower-paying public service job. I’ve heard that in Humboldt County, her clients would be paying her in marijuana anyway. ?
(I’m teasing her — I doubt she would ever pull up stakes from NYC. But California is a beautiful place and you guys are far enough north to kind of have seasons, so I don’t think she should dismiss the idea out of hand.)
Aleta
@PaulWartenberg: He lived through some incredibly exciting years in physics and its math.
Humdog
@Mnemosyne: Well, one thing is for certain, her dog Maggie would prefer running through forests or along the beach to city streets and taking taxis to the vet. Off to walk my humdogs!
Humdog
@Humdog: BTW, my new used dog is recovering from cruciate ligament tear surgery, the canin corollary to torn ACL. She seems to take the pain in stride, as long as she has bones to chew for boredom and plenty of cheese or chicken snacks with pain meds. Have you tried that yourself? ; )
tobie
@marcopolo: Donna Edwards was diagnosed with MS over the summer. She appears frequently on MSNBC when health policy is being discussed. She’s a good speaker, always pointed and polite in her responses, and she has a powerful story to tell about pre-existing conditions. Alas the MS will likely keep her from elected office.
eclare
@Humdog: Had to have that surgery for my dear departed Dante. He recovered well and was good as new. Hope your dog does too!
tobie
A propos appliances: just bought and had installed a new oven, dishwasher and microwave from Costco. The sticker price was slightly higher than Lowe’s but when I realized it included delivery, installation, haul-away, all piping and connectors, and permits (required in MD), it ended up being the most economical option. And ordering online without anyone pressing for a commission was great. I ordered one week and it came, as scheduled, the next. Couldn’t have been happier with the service.
FlyingToaster
@Steeplejack: Twas the morning before the last night of Hanukkah…
… and the package of candles had 10 left. WarriorGirl, age 10, loaded up the menorah with the Shamash and 8 candles, and saw to her delight that a single candle was left for her to experiment with. And on the counter was an artificial cork (from a red I had opened the evening before).
She grabbed a paring knife and dug out a hole for the candle, and used the artificial cork as a candleholder. She then lit said candle, thought, “Cool”, and put on her headphones and buried herself in her iPod.
Close on an hour later I smelled something burning, and ran into the kitchen to find a clear pool of some kind of gel with flames about 2 inches high. I screamed for WG, grabbed a pot lid out of the cabinet and covered the flame. And then interrogated her as to “WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?” She sacrificed one of her pretty washclothes (grandma supplied) from the downstairs bathroom to clean up the mess, which left a palm-sized black bubbly patch on the laminate counter.
I then made her pick up the landline and call her dad, and tell him what the fuck she had done. After two minutes of hysteria on the phone, she handed it to me and I told him what I’d figured out thus far, and he drove home and we went over the the counter design folks on Arsenal and looked at possibly replacing the kitchen counters altogether, with engineered stone that would probably survive another “experiment”. This would lose us a kitchen for 2 weeks, so probably isn’t going to happen. I may re-laminate the counter section next summer instead.
For the past two mornings, HerrDoktor has extracted a promise from WarriorGirl to not set the house on fire today.
lurkypants
I wonder what Trump has on Pence that he’s getting that much ball-licking from the one guy in the White House he can’t fire.
LAO
@Mnemosyne: lol. Gains not ill gotten. I worked for the money …(I can’t remember the rest of the song).
trollhattan
@Betty,
Sorry about the stove outcrapping–stuff always happens at inconvenient times, like when the fridge door hinge broke and the door fell on my (flip-flop wearing) foot. Happened in the middle of summer, was terminal on account of ripping out all the control wiring and we had to buy a new one sight-unseen. That was delivered as far as our front porch on account of they don’t deliver and haul off old fridges any more–you hire somebody else for that shit. So I plugged it in, moved the food in and we played Clampetts for two days while arranging for the haul-off.
Current range is a nice Dacor going on twenty years and approaching replacement time. It’s had just one repair in that time (heating element–easy) so we would happily get another but for one thing: Samsung bought Dacor.
Sab
I am reading this on a Samsung Galaxy E nook.
My dryer is a Samsung and sings when it is done. I think it sings from Shubert’s trout quintet, but I am not sure. Very annoying.
Mnemosyne
@Humdog:
I have to be careful with the extra treats so I don’t end up with even worse knee problems from the extra weight they bring with them. ?
I did buy myself a blanket that I’m half-jokingly referring to as “the unicorn blanket” because people on Amazon are weirdly enthusiastic about it. It really is a good combination of soft, cozy, and lightweight, so I’m happy with it. Just not quite as happy as the fans.
Spanky
@FlyingToaster: Excavate that patch of counter, coat excavation with epoxy to waterproof, and make a cutting board to fit.
Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady)
@Mnemosyne: Excellent news about the ACL. At least I hope it turns our to be what the PT said.
How can anyone watch that scene with Trump and not realize how weird it is?
Mnemosyne
@trollhattan:
Here in the urban jungle, they still take fridges away when you get a new one, possibly because the apartment owners would be pissed if they didn’t.
WaterGirl
@Mnemosyne: Uh oh. I ordered one of those, based on what you had said about it. Had it shipped to my niece’s house – she has a lot of guests at christmas and never enough blankies. Oh, and they think 55 degrees is a good daytime temp in the house.
So you like the blankie, but it’s not so awesome that you would mug someone to get it?
Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady)
@FlyingToaster: I read your first two paragraphs and thought “This will not end well.” It ended better than I feared, but not well.
J R in WV
@Leto:
Well, my next door neighbor works for the feds, and I worked for the state most of my career. Trump does not have the authority to reduce federal pay or benefits by fiat decree. He is not king, and cannot do it unilaterally. There are rules.
There is a civil service system specifically designed to protect federal workers (and state workers) from persecution and harassment. It was implemented specifically to keep newly elected assholes from awarding every crooked politician who helped their election campaign with a nice new no show federal job. The whole GSA is in Trump’s way as a nearly immovable object.
I do not think anything insurmountably bad will happen to federal workers in the short term, so don’t go all “Run away, run away!” on it yet.
Mnemosyne
@WaterGirl:
I’ve only had it for two days, and I really do like it — it’s warmer than something that lightweight has any right to be. But I wouldn’t sell my grandma to buy a second one.
Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady)
We’re supposed to drive to the Twin Cities for a funeral tomorrow. I’m looking at the snow predictions and thinking we better get on the road by 6:30 at the latest.
trollhattan
@Mnemosyne:
Next time we’ll know to ask, this time it was strictly “Do you actually have it in stock or is it in a warehouse in Reno or Fresno?!?”
Spanky
Some good(ish) space news. One more small step back to heavy lifting:
But 27 rocket engines …. Notoriously flaky. I hope they’ve built in some tolerance for engine failure. Easier done on light payload/low orbit missions, obviously.
Yutsano
@Leto: I wouldn’t worry about it too much. All those proposals have to get 60 votes in the Senate. That won’t happen with a 51-49 split. Not to mention you won’t hear many of the agency heads argue for them as the unions will come back to rebargain everything, and that can take years.
Jeffro
Man…Newsweek is SHRILL: Putin’s Man In The White House?
Well shoot…SOME of us were on to this ‘nightmare scenario’ about 20 months ago…but welcome to the club, Newsweek!
Spanky
In news you could predict a year ago:
TenguPhule
@LAO: So much for his pleas for innocence.
TenguPhule
@lurkypants:
Trump can have Pence killed and replaced and nobody in a position to do anything about it would actually care.
And Pence knows this.
TenguPhule
@J R in WV:
Unfortunately this only applies once you pass probation.
There are rules currently in the works to make probation both longer and harder.
There’s a reason why they’re trying to muscle out the old timers, new timers are much more vulnerable in civil service.
Sab
@Sab: Why is this in Italics?
WaterGirl
@Mnemosyne: I had my niece open it when it came yesterday, so it could air out before I get there on Sunday. She said it’s so awful that she is sure I won’t want it, which I’m pretty sure means that she wants it. :-) Will see what I think once I see it in person.
But lightweight is good – I hate heavy blankets. When I was a kid my dad paid me a nickel a night so I would sleep under my top sheet.
Yutsano
Which again have to get past the Senate. Yertle ain’t getting 60 votes for that. Hell it ain’t even out of committee in the House yet.
J R in WV
OK, talking about food, one of my favorite topics.
Have been working on becoming friends with the guy who buys champagne at the wine and cheese shop in town. Outgoing guy, gets really excited about this new deal or that old wine. Have acquired 1999 vintage bubbly, other great tasting stuff, at very reasonable prices.
Also have acquired oysters scallops and sashimi grade tuna for 2 or 3 evening meals. Sear the tuna with a little soy and lemon, roll the shellfish in panko crumbs and fry them. All with bubbly, ’tis the season, after all. Also got some frozen lobster tails, will do a bisque with one and broil the others. Salad, tiny oddly colored potatoes, couscous, etc for sides. Just the two of us. So lots of seafood this year.
Friends usually do a low key New Years eve party, we’ll probably go over there. Every Friday evening they do tiny tequila shots in the evening. Have been a couple of times. It’s a long drive through town, up the river, then up a creek.
The short cut is up a very long hollow and over a very steep high ridge, 4×4 is needed if it’s even wet as the road over the ridge is unpaved. Typical for our friends in the county, we know 6 people on that ridge-top. He is a retired construction foreman, has done some electrical work for us, she is a retired x-ray tech at the local clinic. Very outgoing and cheerful people.
Death Panel Truck
Yes, they are. But they make a damn fine region-free DVD player. Paid $60 in 2012 for probably the cheapest one they make, and it hasn’t taken a crap – yet. Works great, despite what the dickhead Amazon reviewers say.
Mnemosyne
@WaterGirl:
Apparently the colors can be a little weird on the lighter ones — people thought they would get a sky blue but it was more of a sea green, that kind of thing. I got dark purple, so no issues for me!
VeniceRiley
I have a roommate that loves to cook. I’ll eat whatever she makes for me Xmas eve and have the leftovers for Christmas day. I don’t even have to put out. Man, my life is almost perfect.
Mnemosyne
@WaterGirl:
If you get there and your niece claims it mysteriously disappeared, then you’ll know for sure that she kept it for herself. ?
catclub
@TenguPhule: Obama instituted a salary freeze. I imagine Trump can, too. He already tried a hiring freeze, but that kicked him in the butt and he withdrew it. There are reportedly plans in the works for a salary freeze, not sure if they will succeed.
Obama did the salary freeze when ‘we need to tighten the government belt’, too. Of course, depths of recession is when you keep government spending up.
WaterGirl
@Mnemosyne: I got the Peacock Blue, which looked like teal in the photo. It’s a darker color, so hopefully it will be close to the photo.
@Mnemosyne: hahaha
J R in WV
@PaulWartenberg:
Sorry for your family’s loss! I took a look, and was surprised to learn your uncle was born in my home town, which I moved away from around 1977. But 20 years ahead of me, didn’t recognize the name, but I am bad with names. So he was in his upper 80s, that’s a pretty good score in the game of life. Must have been a smart guy, was a physics prof at Auburn.
Small world, isn’t it! Have a good holiday the next couple of weeks.
catclub
@Death Panel Truck: I wonder if DVD playing on linux boxes via software is region free? It does not really matter to me since I only buy (bought?) US DVD’s. And it does work on all of those – with better bypassing of previews and menus – than my DVD player.
Kathleen
@Jager: I wrote a skit sbout two self driving cars texting each other about their owners, other cars and how they hated their jobs.
ETA I have no idea why I posted this on a dead thread. Or aat all.
Leto
@Yutsano: I know I’m responding to a dead thread, but Trump can carry out pay freezes without Senate approval. The other parts might not go, but being stuck at already low level wages isn’t ideal. I’m in one of the 29 areas in the states that receive COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) because the cost here vs what we’re paid is pretty out of whack. People always ask why do I live an hour away… it’s the only thing affordable we could find.
The adjustments of going from active duty to GS employment are taking a lot of getting used to. There’s a ton of things I’m learning about with regard to how the GS side is dicked over, and I just see continual dickings happening. If we can retake one, or both, chambers things might be different.
Miss Bianca
@J R in WV: OK, Christmas at your house! : )
NorthLeft12
I will not watch the tongue bathing spectacle, but just the screen shot that you have there Betty is enough to make me lose my appetite. King Donald the Deadbeat lording over his coterie of sycophantic enablers.
Now remind me, didn’t youse guys rebel against a monarchy? Who knew it was to slow march to an oligarchy.
Steeplejack
@Mnemosyne:
I’m thinking of getting the smaller version of this to work into the housecat’s rotation. Deep red, to go with her existing collection. Sets off her gray tabbie markings and bronze highlights to great effect.
Yutsano
@Leto: Heh. I know. I’m the agency everyone loves to hate and whom ironically the Republicans just ended up needing more than ever. Very few agencies get full funding these days, but there are other reasons to stay in the federal work force that make things worth it at the end of the day.
Mnemosyne
@Steeplejack:
I haven’t tried washing it yet, but other people say it’s fine with gentle cycle and tumble dry low.
One thing I did for our cats was get some heat-radiating lining (they have it at fabric stores) and put it inside their cat bed between the cushion and the zip-off cover. It made it into a self-warming bed that they seem to really like.
Darrin Ziliak (formerly glocksman)
Re: appliances.
I have no preference as to brand, but I strongly hope that you got a gas range.
Gas offers precise temperature control.
psychobroad
@lurkypants: I think the Atlantic article said that Dump is Dense’s superior, therefore Jesus requires the ass-kissing and blow jobs.
MomSense
@Miss Bianca:
Just say the word and we can have the Jackals occupy the disputed land a la Bundy except with less mess and no latrines or guns.