I’m having one of those damned days when every little thing goes wrong. Not big things, so that’s something. But the type of day when you try to fill your birdbaths and the hose gets away and sprays you in the face. You know?
Anyhoo, hope y’all’s Christmas Eve-Eve is progressing more smoothly. Open thread!
Mnemosyne
This is why I’m still lounging around in my pajamas even though in have errands to run. ?
raven
Charlie Strong for da win!
Schlemazel
That sounds like every day, the bad ones are worse.
All set for the big day dinner with the kids & grandkids. Ran out for 2 last minute things & to laugh at the folks waiting 10 deep to get into the Target parking lot. Had Chana Masala and veggie Biryani for lunch & a very nice nap.
EDIT: And the best news of the day – the woman foolish enough to marry me just announced she has seen every Hellmark Christmas movie. That means no more of those for a year!
Small victories make life worth living
Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady)
@Schlemazel: Oh man, I miss Indian food. And Middle eastern food. If we do as we’re planning and move to the Chicago area, I look forward to ethnic food. Even good Jewish deli is rare here.
Dnfree
My oven door fell apart in the middle of cookie baking last night. Had to wait for it to cool and my husband was able to fix it temporarily. Hope it holds up or we will be risking our health eating raw cookie dough.
Ruckus
@Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady):
I thought over cooked red meat, mashed potatoes, and creamed corn was the Iowa state meal.
jeffreyw
Anybody watch Bright on Netflix?
Ruckus
@Dnfree:
What flavor of raw cookie dough?
I could come right on over and help out……..
ixnay
I would be happy with just little things. Back a bit more than a month ago, we had a storm and the power was out for 5 days. Then the furnace died, but not before several hundred dollars in attempted repairs. Fortunately, we have wood stoves, but blew through most of a winter’s wood supply in the 3+ weeks it took to get the furnace replaced. So now the washer has S the B, the repair person cannot be here because the roads are really awful, it seems likely that the family dinner will need to be some day other than 12/25, and my nominal superior has gotten pissy about declaring days that she is taking off without due notice (says the vet surgeon without whom they have no clinics). Grr, and grr. I don’t usually whinge online; thank you for putting up with me. Hope all of youse (h/t CPP) are carrying on, and healthy, and all that.
NotMax
Poured a nice wine goblet of port last night (with a lemon slice in it, thankyewveddymuch), set it aside on the counter to quickly attend to something else and then promptly knocked the whole glass over when got back; splashed all over the washed but still drying dishes and pots..
Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady)
@Ruckus: Add “all you can eat,” and you’re in business.
Schlemazel
@Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady):
I am forever grateful for the people who have come here & offered us the opportunity to eat the foods of their origin. We have the largest Hmong population in the US & they have many good restaurants. We have the largest East African community in the US and in the last few years there has been an explosion of Ethiopian, Somali and Eritrean places. The food is sooooo good, a wild collection of great flavors. The only downside is some of them are toning it down for midwestern tastes.
MomSense
@jeffreyw:
I did last night. What did you think?
amygdala
@Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady): If you like chicken shawarma, this oven-roasted version is easy, tasty, and uses ingredients found in most reasonably-stocked biggish grocery stores.
Highly recommend doubling or even tripling up on the red onion chunks, because they’re delish.
Hummus is also easy to make with stuff you can buy at the grocery store (tahini is always orderable from Amazon if you can’t find it at the store). And Ottolenghi’s mejadra is delicious, one of those dishes where it seems impossible that such simple ingredients can turn into something so yummy.
(edited to fix a typo)
Mike in DC
In NYC visiting my brother.
Schlemazel
@Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady):
buffets have been the death of decent Chinese food around here.
Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady)
I see Andy McCabe is retiring in March when he’s eligible for his full pension. I have a friend who reports directly to him. It’ll be interesting to see if my friend cares to comment. They’ve become really cautious unless we’re on the phone (and not the bureau issued one).
germy
A few days ago there was a local news story about a guy posing as a contractor. He took thousands of dollars and then didn’t finish jobs. He also caused property damage and even threatened a customer. He was doing business (if you can call it that) in about three or four counties. So finally he was charged with multiple felonies and misdemeanors.
Out of curiosity I decided to look him up online. There is a famous website with an operatic TV commercial, that claims to be an advisor to help you seek competent home repair.
Turns out they gave him four stars. Excellent reviews.
I remember a few years back we hired a contractor (not the same guy thank god) to work on our roof. I found him through that same website; lots of great reviews. But I didn’t know his name, just his company name, until he’d come and gone and left his business card. My wife googled his name and saw he’d been involved in a hit and run. Actually rammed another guy’s truck with his truck twice and then fled the scene, with his victim in hot pursuit.
And the website claims to do background checks.
tobie
I gather from the WaPo that Andrew McCabe will resign as soon as he’s eligible for retirement in Mar 2018. Chuck Grassley intends to grill him after the recess. Fortunately for him Grassley’s not the brightest bulb in the mix. Unfortunately for him Grassley is obviously tied up with brownshirts who will feed him dirt.
ETA: I see Dorothy A. Winsor / Iowa Old Lady already mentioned this.
satby
@Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady): moving to Chicago?!? Nice. I miss my city, though I get back to it once a month at least.
satby
I missed Baud on the morning thread? ???
cope
I had one of those days a couple of weeks ago. My go-to mantra in those times is “100 years from now, what the heck difference will it make?”. That won’t put the port back into NotMax’s glass but it throws out an anchor. As Einstein showed us, it’s all relative.
Here’s hoping the rest of the day goes better for you. Maybe a quick run on your bike will blow away the bad vibes.
germy
Bright is from the same guy who directed Suicide Squad
NotMax
@Mike in DC
Either or both you happen to be tea people?
Place looks worth a pit stop to warm up; three locations.
amygdala
@tobie: I’m more than vaguely concerned Trump will fire McCabe before his full retirement date, purely out of spite.
germy
Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady)
@amygdala: OMG, that looks fabulous. I’m printing the recipe.
Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady)
@satby: We’re looking at a large condo in an over-55 community. Our son lives in that area. We’ll visit again next week and if things go as planned, we’ll put a down payment.
Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady)
@amygdala: Trump can’t fire McCabe. McCabe is career civil service rather than a political appointment.
jeffreyw
@MomSense: Amusing diversion, I liked it better than Stranger Things. Interesting world building, I will see where it goes.
tobie
@amygdala: Me, too. I also have some concern that Rosenstein will be fired.
Brooklyn Dodger
All quiet on the NW front. Our old dog was having one of her periodic squirty-poop episodes but now is sweetly sleeping warming my right elbow. Did the family holiday fest down south, now back home looking forward to maybe a 12/25 snow day.
NotMax
@Mike in DC
Oh, also read about a recently opened food court inside the Columbus Circle subway station which is getting gushing reviews.
JMG
It was not pleasant driving in slush, mist, rain and freezing rain, but we have purchased all our Christmas groceries and everyone is here indoors warm and dry. We’re having raclette tonight, crab cakes and papaya salad tomorrow night, and beef Wellington (I know, cliche) Christmas night. Oh, yeah, my daughter is making a buche de Noel from scratch.
HeleninEire
@satby: He made just one comment and then disappeared again.
amygdala
@Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady): That’s a relief. Thanks for this.
germy
TheMightyTrowel
Happy non denominational holidays from down under! Ours is hot and sunny and quiet. So far no dramas except that smaller louder cat demanded his xmas eve breakfast at 5am.
NotMax
@HeleninEire
Anything similar in Ireland to the first footing tradition for the new year practiced* in Scotland?
*although lubricated might be a more apt description
SiubhanDuinne
@Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady):
@satby:
I love and miss Chicago. Doubt I’ll be back before 2020 for my 60th (!) high school reunion, but we must all get together then and have the mother of all Balloon Juice meetups!
Aleta
My type of day goes like this
SiubhanDuinne
@satby:
He popped in briefly. I couldn’t tell from his comment whether he was back from his voyages or still traveling — and didn’t see it until hours later, when the thread had pretty much died the death.
Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady)
@SiubhanDuinne: That would be excellent!
Cheryl Rofer
NotMax
@SiubhanDuinne
He’s in an undisclosed location.
;)
HeleninEire
@NotMax: No, but thanks for the question. I had to google “first footing.” Had no idea. The things I learn at Balloon Juice!
SiubhanDuinne
@NotMax:
Who does he think he is, Dick Cheney?
NotMax
@SiubhanDuinne
Dunno if you saw it then. Linked to a little classically grounded sprightly music for holiday time earlier today.
Mnemosyne
For the cat lovers, an adorable video from TinyKittens HQ of their ancient feral rescue Grandpa Mason finally getting a chance to snuggle with another of their adult cats. Other videos show Mason playing with and grooming the rescue kittens. The old guy landed in heaven as far as he’s concerned. ?
Quinerly
My favorite Christmas song….and a lot of versions of it: https://crooksandliars.com/2017/12/how-irish-punk-band-created-greatest
MelissaM
It is Festivus, so rant away, air your grievances. Laundry is on the top of my list.
Gelfling 545
Today seems to be crappy for many. First was a text from my granddaughter looking for suggestions to calm her mother down. Hmm. So I went to the source and asked daughter what was up. Got treated to a righteous rant about the deplorable state of healthcare in the US as her asthma inhaler which used to be a $5 copay is now a $50 copay and there are essentially no generic inhalers now because the drug conpanies were allowed to re-patent their (very cheap) inhalers by a change in propellants.
It has been snowing steadily all day and it is borne in on me that I will need to get a to get a service to plow next year. Three times out to shovel in one day is too much for one who is pushing 70. The third time I decided to clean off the car and move it, discovering that a tire was flat. The emergency service put the spare on just a bit too late for me to get to anyplace that sells tires, 5pm closing seeming to be the Saturday norm except for the one that closed at 4. Tried a different cut out cookie recipe this year. Not good. Bah and many humbugs.
planetpundit
Betty: “When the going gets weird, the weird turn Pro”….so hire an agent and get a contract. Might as well be paid to spray yourself with the birdbath hose.
Virginia
@raven: Why couldn’t he do this at Texas?
Betty Cracker
@cope: That’s exactly what I did, and my annoyance evaporated! ??
J R in WV
Well, we did our social event last Saturday evening, big pot-luck dinner next door with a dozen or more friends from all over the county. Yesterday I went to town, gave the engineering maintenance firm back an expensive brass fitting that fell out in the gravel driveway Monday. I drove a few miles at 10 mph through a choke point to get into town. The shower valve was clogged with sediment, the shower head delivered a dribble, no fun getting clean. So the work Monday was to replace that valve and flush the sediment out of the riser pipe from the valve to the shower head. Tuesday after the caulk set up we had a great, high-volume shower again.
Then I stopped at the seafood shop, got a piece of grouper and a swordfish, fried the grouper along with my oysters last night, wife doesn’t like oysters, so I fry two different things when I do my oysters. Then I went around part of the chokepoint to stop at a drugstore, got some allergy pills I needed more of, and some aged rum for wife and some additional bourbon for me.
Stopped at the hardware section of Home Depot, which was busy, but more like a Saturday afternoon busy than Xmas, got screws to button up the wall behind the new shower valve-age and nuts and bolts to repair the brush-hog’s tail wheel. Home before dark!
Today I buttoned up the wall and shelves I took out for access to the shower plumbing. Made some instant miso soup for lunch and we’ll have garlic, olive oil, scallops and pasta fried together for dinner tonight with salad and rolls.
No travel planned. We did get a nice soaking rain all night last night, the tiny creek was running for the first time in months, about 2 feet wide. I’ll repair the brush-hog if it dries up a little bit. Make a start on it, anyway. Surfing the web, reading books, just opened a beer after closing up the wall behind the shower plumbing. Quiet night, silent night, we hope.
Merry Xmas All~!!
raven
@Virginia: Horses
Bonnie
It seems that Murphy is working way over time.
cope
@Betty Cracker: I was never a bike guy but I was a sports car guy (Porsches). There’s nothing like an “Italian tune up” on a mostly empty road with a lot of twisty bits for clearing the head..
Alain the site fixer
@J R in WV: wow sounds like a great time and plan! All the best of the season, JR. I will be exploring around you next year sometime, I hope to see some of your hollers. Best to you and your wife!
Miss Bianca
@J R in WV: @Alain the site fixer: It does! (waves at Alain and JR)
dnfree
@Ruckus: This is actually the world’s best sugar cookie dough. I’ve been making it for over 50 years–originally from Betty Crocker. Flavorful and delicate, with a little almond flavoring.
https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/classic-sugar-cookies/90993177-b5fe-4cc7-a6b6-8f58913d36e8
TerryC
We were going to travel to the Ohio River Valley to visit my Hoopie relatives, but Sheila and I each got colds this week. So we are home with unexpected relaxation time, no driving to do, and no expectations to live up to. She and our two blue heelers are out on a five mile walk and I am catching up on the news. Later today we will go downtown and walk the boyz through the deserted University of Michigan campus.