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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Russiagate Open Thread: New Years Eve, the Introvert’s Nightmare

Russiagate Open Thread: New Years Eve, the Introvert’s Nightmare

by Anne Laurie|  December 31, 20176:00 pm| 226 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Republican Venality, Russiagate, All we want is life beyond the thunderdome

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I wish I could just reply, "Regrets, house arrest" to all party invitations.

— Schooley (@Rschooley) December 29, 2017

Judge Amy Berman Jackson sounds pretty much over Rick Gates. "After all of that," she writes, he "filed yet another motion, with a new plan for New Year's celebrations." She denied the request. https://t.co/6IJplFC3JP

— Chris Geidner (@chrisgeidner) December 29, 2017

Of course, it’s not really about “celebrating,” it’s professional. Gates needs to be out there networking with his fellow parasites to get the full advantage of the current GOP grift…

Trump is planning to attend the NYE party at Mar-a-Lago, where they increased ticket prices to $600 for dues-paying members & $750 for guests. Last year’s tickets went for $525 for members & $575 for guests. https://t.co/LF9pcCXepw

— Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) December 31, 2017


‘

THE ARISTOCRATS KLEPTO-KAKISTOCRACY!

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Previous Post: « Here’s To A Friendlier New Year! (Open Thread)
Next Post: New Years Eve Open Thread »

Reader Interactions

226Comments

  1. 1.

    Mary G

    December 31, 2017 at 6:12 pm

    I don’t think I’ve left the house for NYE in decades and it doesn’t bother me a bit.

  2. 2.

    Mike in DC

    December 31, 2017 at 6:13 pm

    How many decades do Gates and Manafort have to be staring at before they decide to flip and roll? Superseding indictments are coming soon.

  3. 3.

    eataTREE

    December 31, 2017 at 6:15 pm

    I have found that ethyl alcohol in sufficient quantities is a temporary cure for introversion. It must be why they serve it at these sorts of things.

  4. 4.

    Mnemosyne

    December 31, 2017 at 6:22 pm

    We stopped doing New Year’s Eve years ago when G’s job at the time required him to work on both NYE and (usually) NYD. Now we’re out of the habit, so I’m making beef stew and we’re staying home.

  5. 5.

    Frankensteinbeck

    December 31, 2017 at 6:23 pm

    @Mike in DC:
    Mueller has Papadopolous, Flynn, and I’m betting Sessions. He may not need or want anyone else.

  6. 6.

    p.a.

    December 31, 2017 at 6:26 pm

    My main New Year’s Eve plan is to write / / 18 on about ten checks so I don’t screw up early on in the new year.
    How boring is that!!??

  7. 7.

    Mr Stagger Lee

    December 31, 2017 at 6:29 pm

    What!!!??? A well to do White Guy is denied privilege to go out and celebrate with the rest of the MOTUs??? This is an outrage!!!! Oh Lordy the persecution of the White Man!!! When does it end!!!

  8. 8.

    eclare

    December 31, 2017 at 6:29 pm

    Staying in, low tonight is 9 with a brutal wind here in Memphis (I know, some of y’all would kill for 9). But tbh, even if it were 75, I have no desire to be out and about. The bar and grill down the street (easy walking distance) is serving brunch tomorrow with mimosa specials, I may be tempted to leave the house for that.

  9. 9.

    Cheryl Rofer

    December 31, 2017 at 6:30 pm

    Our President’s tweet-greeting:

    As our Country rapidly grows stronger and smarter, I want to wish all of my friends, supporters, enemies, haters, and even the very dishonest Fake News Media, a Happy and Healthy New Year. 2018 will be a great year for America!

  10. 10.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    December 31, 2017 at 6:35 pm

    I went out a bit ago to watch football (Cleveland rocks!) and have lunch with some friends, now my car is in the garage where I”m content to leave it for the next 12 or 16 hours. Think I’m gonna binge that American Gods if I can find it somewhere in my smart TV and assorted platforms

  11. 11.

    (((CassandraLeo)))

    December 31, 2017 at 6:36 pm

    @eataTREE: Unfortunately, medication I take prohibits me that avenue of escape. It would also likely make it easier to deal with the Shitgibbon Administration. Lately the medication doesn’t seem to be working too well, either.

    @Cheryl Rofer: Here’s hoping it’ll be great due to election returns and (if God is there and loves us) indictments and removals from office.

  12. 12.

    I'll be Frank

    December 31, 2017 at 6:37 pm

    @eclare: For some strange reason I find myself in the lobby bar of the Peabody. And yes to the neighborhood bar with mimosas at brunch.

  13. 13.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 31, 2017 at 6:40 pm

    We’re standing on Vauxhall Bridge waiting for the fireworks with a decent view of the Thames on account of being tall, then we’ll head back to go to sleep before the flight to Lisbon tomorrow.

  14. 14.

    Roger Moore

    December 31, 2017 at 6:40 pm

    @Mike in DC:

    How many decades do Gates and Manafort have to be staring at before they decide to flip and roll?

    They’re probably worried about getting a permanent dirt nap if they break Putin’s code of omerta. Possibly family members, too.

  15. 15.

    Teddys Person

    December 31, 2017 at 6:42 pm

    @Cheryl Rofer: 2018 will be a great year for America if it involves Dolt45 doing the perp walk. Can you help us out with that, Donnie?

  16. 16.

    Divf

    December 31, 2017 at 6:45 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: did you finish Spook Country?

    My one moment of pop cult fame is that I am the co-architect of the software package one of the characters named himself after.

  17. 17.

    eemom

    December 31, 2017 at 6:47 pm

    Thousands of years ago when I was young enough to care, it became obvious that NYE is one of those things that never lives up to the hype.

    I am ecstatic to be in a nice warm house with nice cold champagne.

  18. 18.

    Mnemosyne

    December 31, 2017 at 6:48 pm

    I’m still trying to figure out who the fuck Peter Daou is and why we’re all supposed to retroactively hate Hillary because he’s been tweeting in support of her. ?

  19. 19.

    Jack the Second

    December 31, 2017 at 6:49 pm

    The $600/$750 seems so… petty, characteristic of Trump’s wannabe demographic. Where’s the $5000/$10,000 a plate event?

  20. 20.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 31, 2017 at 6:49 pm

    @Divf: I did. And cool! I was expecting more (anything) from Bigend at the end though.

  21. 21.

    Schlemazel

    December 31, 2017 at 6:53 pm

    @Major Major Major Major:
    Let me be the first: Happy 2018 in t minus 6 . . . . 5

  22. 22.

    lgerard

    December 31, 2017 at 6:54 pm

    I wonder if Joey “no socks” will be at Mar a Loco tonight, as he is every year despite trumps claim to have no idea who he is

  23. 23.

    debbie

    December 31, 2017 at 6:56 pm

    @Jack the Second:

    Imagine: If you’d spent the bazillion dollars it takes to buy a place there and pay all of the fees and various amenities, you too could have saved $150 on the NYE party!

  24. 24.

    Ken

    December 31, 2017 at 6:57 pm

    @Jack the Second: I have often been disgusted, when it turns out some mayor, alderman, representative, or senator has been taking bribes, at how cheaply most of them can be bought.

  25. 25.

    Teddys Person

    December 31, 2017 at 6:59 pm

    Truly a sign of end times: Roger Stone rings in the New Year with Alex Jones.

    Perhaps this is the party Gates doesn’t want to miss.

  26. 26.

    Sab

    December 31, 2017 at 7:00 pm

    @p.a.: Shit! I wrote a paycheck this morning for Jan. 1 with the wrong year. I hope she can cash it.

  27. 27.

    Mike G

    December 31, 2017 at 7:00 pm

    As our Country rapidly grows stronger and smarter, I want to wish all of my friends, supporters, enemies, haters, and even the very dishonest Fake News Media, a Happy and Healthy New Year. 2018 will be a great year for America!

    “Impressive. Every word in that sentence was wrong.”

  28. 28.

    japa21

    December 31, 2017 at 7:01 pm

    Mrs Japa and I were talking earliere today trying to figure out the last time we went anywhere on NYE. We have no idea. Then we tried to remember the last time we stayed up to Midnight. Still no idea. The offspring used to call us at Midnight but we have told them the next time they do that they are out of the will. Neither want to lose that $50.

  29. 29.

    Divf

    December 31, 2017 at 7:02 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: happy new year!

  30. 30.

    HeleninEire

    December 31, 2017 at 7:02 pm

    Well, it’s gone midnight here in the land of the leprechauns. Happy New Year to all of you. And once again thank you to John Cole, all of the front pagers, and of course all of you jackals. [LOOK an Oxford comma!!!] I am nothing without you.

    America had a tough year. I promise you, although I am 3,200 miles away, I was with you and felt your pain. But 2017 was a good year for me. In fact, it was a great year. I’m settled in my beloved adopted country, I’ve made lots of good friends, and to end on a high note, I got a job.

    Although there were a few bumps along the road (and I thank everyone here for talking me through Mary’s problems), my friends and family are happy and healthy and for that I am eternally grateful. I wish each and everyone of you a blessed 2018. May the Goddess grant you everything you wish for.

    Also? COME VISIT!!! If you don’t mind sleeping on a blow-up bed in the living room I don’t mind.

    Also, too? RESIST!!!!!

    LOVE.

  31. 31.

    Roger Moore

    December 31, 2017 at 7:02 pm

    @Cheryl Rofer:
    It would be hard for him to be less presidential if he were making a deliberate effort. I would think he’s doing it deliberately, but I don’t think he’s competent enough to be so good at it.

  32. 32.

    eclare

    December 31, 2017 at 7:07 pm

    @I’ll be Frank: The Peabody does have a great lobby bar for grown up drinks/watching the duck march. Oh, and Christmas decorations must still be up!

  33. 33.

    Sab

    December 31, 2017 at 7:07 pm

    My last New Year out was about fifteen years ago. My city has a thing called First Night which is a non-drinking alternative. They have all sorts of local musicians playing all over downtown.It sounds fun, but the last time we went it was a winter like this, with temperatures well below zero. We froze outside and sweltered inside. The music was really fun, but we haven’t done it since.

  34. 34.

    Roger Moore

    December 31, 2017 at 7:08 pm

    @eemom:

    Thousands of years ago when I was young enough to care, it became obvious that NYE is one of those things that never lives up to the hype.

    You need to visit Pasadena for NYE.

  35. 35.

    mai naem mobile

    December 31, 2017 at 7:09 pm

    I saw the hotel grifting while he was running. Total no brainer from Dolt45 and the Grifting Old Pedophile Party. Why didn’t the media, the Dems and his GOP opponents bring it up?

  36. 36.

    NotMax

    December 31, 2017 at 7:09 pm

    Crappy (limited supply) cold cut buffet for all!

    Midnight toast with a petite gobletine of Cold Duck included.

    :)

  37. 37.

    NotMax

    December 31, 2017 at 7:12 pm

    @Sab

    They’ve had a First Night do here for years. Have said since its inception it properly ought to be named Last Night.

  38. 38.

    eemom

    December 31, 2017 at 7:16 pm

    @Mnemosyne:

    I think Daou was a columnist at Salon way back in the long bygone days when it was a brave new lefty thing on the nouveau internet, rather than the cesspool it is today.

  39. 39.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    December 31, 2017 at 7:17 pm

    @Roger Moore:

    You need to visit Pasadena for NYE.

    I did that once, when I was in college.

  40. 40.

    eemom

    December 31, 2017 at 7:17 pm

    @Roger Moore:

    Why? What happens there?

  41. 41.

    NotMax

    December 31, 2017 at 7:18 pm

    @Roger Moore

    Bet Pasadena doesn’t get to [airquote] boast [/airquote] about a Possum Drop.

    Repeated from below: A double dozen plus one helping of New Year’s bits ‘n’ bobs.

  42. 42.

    Sab

    December 31, 2017 at 7:18 pm

    @NotMax: You are right about that. Ours ends at midnight.

  43. 43.

    eclare

    December 31, 2017 at 7:19 pm

    @NotMax: A friend of mine and I went to the NCAA National Championship Fiesta Bowl in Tempe years ago, and of course hotels required a number of nights’ stay, so we did NYE there. Gah! Alcohol free family zone!

  44. 44.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    December 31, 2017 at 7:19 pm

    @eemom: I hear there’s a small parade there New Year’s morning.

  45. 45.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 31, 2017 at 7:20 pm

    Happy new year!

  46. 46.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    December 31, 2017 at 7:20 pm

    @NotMax:

    Bet Pasadena doesn’t get to [airquote] boast [/airquote] about a Possum Drop.

    Nope, Pasadena isn’t the White House Press Room.

  47. 47.

    Mike in NC

    December 31, 2017 at 7:20 pm

    @Mike G: Tonight Pence and Miller are struggling to compose a New Year’s message worthy of Trump. It will last 30 minutes: the first 15 will be him gloating about his Olympian greatness, while the next 15 will be a relentless attack on our Constitutional democracy, the FBI and CIA, Puerto Rico, and our closest allies. No mention of the loathsome dictators that are on his Rolodex.

  48. 48.

    Schlemazel

    December 31, 2017 at 7:21 pm

    @NotMax:
    We have a great cold cut buffet, its been a tradition for years. We get different meats and cheeses from a half dozen shops, each has their things they do better than anyone else. Not inexpensive now that we can afford it, in the past there were years where we settled either for fewer or cheaper bits. I think besides the hedonistic joy it is a case of hoping for good fortune in the coming year.

  49. 49.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    December 31, 2017 at 7:23 pm

    We have shrimp and champagne, the kid is bringing sparkling grape juice for me.

  50. 50.

    Anne Laurie

    December 31, 2017 at 7:24 pm

    @Sab:

    My last New Year out was about fifteen years ago. My city has a thing called First Night which is a non-drinking alternative.

    Yeah, we used to go to Boston’s First Night celebrations, when we moved here at the end of 1988. (That 1989 celebration was our introduction to Libana, still a favorite!) But, as you say, we’re all older and crankier today, also more susceptible to the bitter cold!

  51. 51.

    dmsilev

    December 31, 2017 at 7:24 pm

    My parents and I decided to go out to the theater, seeing a stage adaptation of Sense and Sensibility. Just as well; Boston is cold cold cold right now and doing outdoors NYE stuff would be a Bad Idea.

  52. 52.

    NotMax

    December 31, 2017 at 7:25 pm

    @Schlemazel

    There are quality cold cuts, there are snazzy cold cuts, and then there is the stuff we’ve all seen photos of that Dolt 45 lays out.

    Maybe Arpaio has shipped in some moldy bologna as a special centerpiece treat.

  53. 53.

    Mary G

    December 31, 2017 at 7:27 pm

    FDR and Eleanor watched new film “Casablanca” at the White House 75 years ago tonight—in part because he was secretly planning to go there to meet Churchill: pic.twitter.com/vungy6xEwe— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) December 31, 2017

    I’d make an exception and go to that if I had a time turner and invisibility cloak.

  54. 54.

    Teddys Person

    December 31, 2017 at 7:30 pm

    Devin Nunes is giving Trey Gowdy a sad. Nunes is a dude that needs to be prevented from just slithering away.

  55. 55.

    Ruckus

    December 31, 2017 at 7:33 pm

    @Roger Moore:
    Roger, it doesn’t either. I live 2 blocks from Colorado and 3 blocks from the start of the parade and I couldn’t care less about whatever hype there might be. I’ve come to the conclusion that life just repeats itself day after day. The only change is our perspective gets more jaded as we age. That and a lot of stuff hurts more.
    Last year I walked a good portion of the parade route till about 11. I was bored after the first 10 min. Now it’s possible that’s just on me, but it didn’t look like it. Unless you are under about 8 yrs old. See the first graph.

  56. 56.

    eclare

    December 31, 2017 at 7:36 pm

    @Mary G: Somehow that adds to the movie, which I already loved.

  57. 57.

    NotMax

    December 31, 2017 at 7:38 pm

    Best NotMax New Year’s ever? Hogmanay in Stonehaven, Scotland circa 1974 (and the seven days of celebrating following).

    Runner-up was having some recently married friends come in to NY for a visit and all of us attending an orchestral concert with laser light show of Holst’s “The Planets” at the theatre inside a hotel in Manhattan (must have been in ’80 or ’81). Concert ended a bit before 11:45 p.m. and we were brusquely shooed out the doors, directly into Times Square. Watching the play of emotions on the out-of-towner friends’ faces was an entertaining show in itself.

  58. 58.

    Schlemazel

    December 31, 2017 at 7:38 pm

    @NotMax:
    Pimento loaf carved to look like hair furor

  59. 59.

    Mnemosyne

    December 31, 2017 at 7:39 pm

    @eemom:

    That still doesn’t explain why I’m supposed to retroactively hate Hillary because he tweets in support of her. I don’t get it.

  60. 60.

    Steeplejack

    December 31, 2017 at 7:40 pm

    I used to host a regular New Year’s Eve party when I lived in Atlanta. Don’t remember how it got started. It was nice to get together with friends and then not have to drive home afterwards. Also Oscar-watching parties.

    But I haven’t been out on New Year’s Eve in ages. The housecat and I are spending a quiet evening at home. Currently 19° outside and going down to 12° overnight. I washed the sheets today, so we’ll be starting the new year in sheer luxury. Actually, I will, she won’t. I didn’t wash her faux sheepskin throw, which sits on top of the covers on her side of the bed.

  61. 61.

    NotMax

    December 31, 2017 at 7:41 pm

    @Schlemazel

    What, not head cheese?

    ;)

  62. 62.

    Yutsano

    December 31, 2017 at 7:44 pm

    @Schlemazel: @NotMax: Y’all really hate your friends…
    I love it.

  63. 63.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    December 31, 2017 at 7:44 pm

    @Steeplejack:

    Currently 19° outside and going down to 12° overnight.

    That’s Celsius, right?

  64. 64.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    December 31, 2017 at 7:45 pm

    @NotMax: Trump is the “Head Cheese”.

  65. 65.

    NotMax

    December 31, 2017 at 7:46 pm

    The big question: Will the Mar-a-lago spread showcase a selection of little wieners?

  66. 66.

    Mnemosyne

    December 31, 2017 at 7:47 pm

    Not so fun New Year’s Eve discovery — the fucking ants are back in our bathtub drain. We probably need to have a plumber come out and snake it anyway because it’s also draining very slowly, which makes it even harder to drown the little fuckers.

    I hate ants.

  67. 67.

    hedgehog the occasional commenter

    December 31, 2017 at 7:47 pm

    The mr. and I are staying home with the kittehs. Pot roast and colcannon for dinner; we’ll look for a movie or whatever on Netflix. Currently binging Mythbusters. We’ll likely stay awake long enough to watch the ball drop with a Prosecco toast then crash. Freezing cold here so no wish to go out.

    And before I forget–Happy New Year, wonderful jackals! This is a true community and has helped me keep my sanity through this awful year. And I got to meet Miss Bianca IRL!

  68. 68.

    Steeplejack

    December 31, 2017 at 7:49 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    Har-de-har-har. It’s all relative, sport. This is extremely harsh for bucolic NoVA. I’m getting tired of listening to the HVAC system blow constantly.

    ETA: Check my work on the camera question downstairs.

  69. 69.

    Schlemazel

    December 31, 2017 at 7:49 pm

    @NotMax:
    No, head cheese is tasty and a good thing.

    Having some sylta tonight myself

  70. 70.

    AliceBlue

    December 31, 2017 at 7:51 pm

    Mr. AliceBlue and I enjoyed a simple dinner (prepared by him) of pescado a la vasca (fish Basque style with snapper filets), sautéed brussells sprouts and yeast rolls. Homemade chocolate pound cake later on!

  71. 71.

    chris

    December 31, 2017 at 7:54 pm

    @Mnemosyne: Before you call the plumber put some dish detergent in the drain. Leave it while you boil a kettle full of water. Pour that in the drain. Let it sit while you boil another kettle. Pour that in and flush with hot water. HTH

  72. 72.

    Travels with Charley

    December 31, 2017 at 7:55 pm

    Happy new year balloon juice! Thank you all for being a sane voice in the chaos, and for a community that helps us all stay strong. ????

  73. 73.

    eclare

    December 31, 2017 at 7:57 pm

    @Steeplejack: I’m getting tired of listening to dripping faucets. Luckily I have radiator heat from a boiler, so I don’t have the constant whoosh.

  74. 74.

    Schlemazel

    December 31, 2017 at 7:58 pm

    Apparently the Ravens need another murderer in the defensive core

  75. 75.

    Schlemazel

    December 31, 2017 at 7:59 pm

    Happy new Year to those in the Azores.

  76. 76.

    chris

    December 31, 2017 at 8:01 pm

    @eclare: Trying to keep the pipes from freezing? Me too. Hang a wet cloth over the tap. Blessed silence.

  77. 77.

    zhena gogolia

    December 31, 2017 at 8:03 pm

    Happy New Year! An hour of The Thin Man, an hour of Victoria, and then to bed.

  78. 78.

    Beautifulplummage

    December 31, 2017 at 8:04 pm

    I stopped into a local brewpub where they’re celebrating new years in each time zone! Happy New Year to the Cape Verdi Islands! “clink” *sip*

  79. 79.

    mike in dc

    December 31, 2017 at 8:05 pm

    @Roger Moore: Well, I guess they can raise their concerns right after conviction, or perhaps after sentencing. The prospect of life behind bars can inspire people to take calculated risks. Paulie Walnuts can restart life somewhere in the Ozarks.

  80. 80.

    Steve in the ATL

    December 31, 2017 at 8:06 pm

    @eclare: what part of town do you live in?

  81. 81.

    eclare

    December 31, 2017 at 8:07 pm

    @chris: Yes…9 tonight, 8 tomorrow night, not over freezing til Wednesday. Thanks for the tip! Off to the linen closet…

  82. 82.

    eclare

    December 31, 2017 at 8:09 pm

    @Steve in the ATL: Evergreen. One mile west of Overton Park.

  83. 83.

    Steve in the ATL

    December 31, 2017 at 8:09 pm

    @Mnemosyne: ants in the drain has to be better than squirrels in the attic, my current bête noire.

  84. 84.

    Steve in the ATL

    December 31, 2017 at 8:10 pm

    @eclare: great area! I grew up on Belleair, across from the Overton Park golf course, and played baseball for Evergreen as a small child.

  85. 85.

    Roger Moore

    December 31, 2017 at 8:11 pm

    @eemom:

    Why? What happens there?

    The entire Rose Parade route gets turned into a gigantic NYE party. The best part about it, IMO, is that it isn’t a huge event planned as a NYE bash. It’s just tens of thousands of people camping out waiting for the big event the next day and having fun while they wait.

  86. 86.

    eclare

    December 31, 2017 at 8:11 pm

    @Steve in the ATL: Think I have a raccoon in mine…but I hate squirrels too.

  87. 87.

    Steve in the ATL

    December 31, 2017 at 8:14 pm

    @eclare: Midtown is lousy with raccoons. We even had a family of albino possums living under our guest house. Regular possums are ugly, but albinos? Wow.

  88. 88.

    eclare

    December 31, 2017 at 8:15 pm

    @Steve in the ATL: The old Sears tower is now open for business as Crosstown Concourse, and there are a lot of restaurants/businesses within walking distance. Evergreen is a great area…the name says it all. Of course when storms come through….make sure your phone is charged.

  89. 89.

    Ken

    December 31, 2017 at 8:15 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Kelvin.

  90. 90.

    Tehanu

    December 31, 2017 at 8:16 pm

    @Sab: Back when I was a bank teller, about a thousand years ago, the answer would have been, “Oh, sure she can.” That’s because banks knew that everybody couldn’t break the habit of a whole year instantaneously and just expected last year’s date on at least half of all checks during the first couple of weeks of January. Don’t know if that’s true any more.

    Our NYE will probably consist of watching whatever we can find on TV that isn’t a conglomeration of B- and C-list celebrities giggling and freezing in Times Square and then going to bed at 12:05 am. And remembering glorious NYE’s of the ancient past, like the time we drove down to Long Beach to see the Clash, or the Western to see Los Lobos, or parties with Flash Cadillac in Colorado. The kids & grandkids are coming over tomorrow morning to watch the Rose Parade and have brunch, and then we may go to a friend’s annual New Year’s Day party. I’ve been on vacation and/or sick for most of December, so going back to work on Tuesday will be both difficult and a welcome return to routine, especially as we went to Amoeba yesterday and bought 8 CD’s (for $30!! a great shopping triumph!) for me to listen to on my commute – 2 Emerson String Quartet, Thompson Twins Greatest Hits, Clannad, John McLaughlin, 2 Mozart piano concertos I don’t already have, Aldo Ciccolini playing Satie, and Alfred Brendel playing the Appassionata & Emperor. Can’t wait!

  91. 91.

    N. M. Norton

    December 31, 2017 at 8:16 pm

    Raw oysters, a little caviar, a nice white, preceding spinach salad and Welsh Rarebit (pronounced rabbit), and awaiting 3 degrees here in the Ozarks. Happy New Year to all of you.

  92. 92.

    Roger Moore

    December 31, 2017 at 8:16 pm

    @Mnemosyne:

    That still doesn’t explain why I’m supposed to retroactively hate Hillary because he tweets in support of her.

    It doesn’t really make you hate her; it just gives people who already hate her one more excuse.

  93. 93.

    eclare

    December 31, 2017 at 8:16 pm

    @Steve in the ATL: Blech! A while back my dogs teamed up to kill a raccoon, I had hoped that would be a signal to all other raccoons, nope.

  94. 94.

    Raven

    December 31, 2017 at 8:17 pm

    @Roger Moore: Web had a great time down there both yesterday and today. I bought some ticket lanyards at $11 each and, somehow, the kid bagging our stuff up, forgot to put them in with our other stuff. He also put the wrong receipt in so I was so pleased when the guy running the show just said “he, we’re all in thid together” and gave me two more. I cooked up some collards and blackeye peas to eat between the parade and the game. We’ve decided to leave at 3:30 after one of the official guides urged us to do so. I can’t quite picture how they route you to the correct lot when you get off th freeway but I assume it will be tedious.

  95. 95.

    Ken

    December 31, 2017 at 8:19 pm

    @NotMax: Little weiners heated in cocktail sauce, plus pastrami rolled around pickle spears. Nothing but the best for your $600. Also you get one complementary glass of Cold Duck at midnight, rest of the evening is a cash bar.

  96. 96.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    December 31, 2017 at 8:19 pm

    @chris: I’ll second this.

  97. 97.

    JMG

    December 31, 2017 at 8:20 pm

    TCM is doing a Thin Man marathon for New Year’s. A perfect choice. The original is happening now.

  98. 98.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    December 31, 2017 at 8:21 pm

    @Steeplejack: The only thing I might disagree with is the necessity of moving to a DLSR, quite a few pros are moving to mirrorless(my cameras are mirrorless), they’re lighter* and there’s not a great drop-off in quality. I checked the specs on the SX60, not a bad starter camera, the advantage to the newer ones is that they shoot in 4k.

    *Being that I use my camera while hiking, this is a BIG deal.

  99. 99.

    Raven

    December 31, 2017 at 8:23 pm

    @Ruckus: You know I’m as cynical as it comes but this is combining something I love with something my bride loves and throwing in getting to see my family is making it great.

  100. 100.

    Mnemosyne

    December 31, 2017 at 8:24 pm

    @Roger Moore:

    It doesn’t really make you hate her; it just gives people who already hate her one more excuse.

    An excuse to berate me for being stupid because I don’t hate her the way they do, apparently.

    Ugh. Gin & Tacos loses his goddamned mind every time her name comes up, and refuses to see that he may be a wee bit deranged on the subject.

  101. 101.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    December 31, 2017 at 8:24 pm

    @Ken: Heh.

  102. 102.

    Steve in the ATL

    December 31, 2017 at 8:24 pm

    @Raven: Falcons managed to win somehow today, now it’s time for the main event—go Dawgs!

  103. 103.

    Raven

    December 31, 2017 at 8:24 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: We went up to Malibu Canyon State Park, where they filmed all those movies, and had a nice hike yesterday.

  104. 104.

    A Ghost to Most

    December 31, 2017 at 8:24 pm

    As if this year needed more weird; both Jacksonville and Buffalo made the playoffs.

  105. 105.

    eclare

    December 31, 2017 at 8:25 pm

    Uh oh, Don Lemon is back in NOLA.

  106. 106.

    Mnemosyne

    December 31, 2017 at 8:25 pm

    @Raven:

    There are lots of oddball one-way streets in that part of Pasadena, so it’s best to go with the flow and follow directions on the ground. Have fun! We’ll be sitting on the couch in our jammies.

  107. 107.

    Ken

    December 31, 2017 at 8:26 pm

    @Steve in the ATL: Sounds like something out of Lovecraft.

  108. 108.

    Raven

    December 31, 2017 at 8:27 pm

    @Steve in the ATL: Anfd we had a shot at the Cats but fell short. I’m hearing 50,000 Dawg Fans here for the tilt, we far outnumbered Sonner’s on Colorado today. One thing Roger hasn’t mentioned is the incredible number of great low riders and hot rods, fucking awesome!

  109. 109.

    Steve in the ATL

    December 31, 2017 at 8:28 pm

    @Ken: little known fact: Cthulhu was an albino possum.

  110. 110.

    Patricia Kayden

    December 31, 2017 at 8:29 pm

    @Mary G: I’m always at home as well. Can’t imagine being out there in such frigid weather for any reason. I had visiting friends come stay with me to attend President Obama’s inaugurations but preferred to watch on tv to avoid the cold and I freaking love President Obama.

  111. 111.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    December 31, 2017 at 8:30 pm

    @Raven: See where they filmed M*A*S*H? I went up there when they were still filming the TV series.

  112. 112.

    Raven

    December 31, 2017 at 8:30 pm

    @Mnemosyne: Yea, I mean I assume we walk up Rosemont and then across one of the streets over the freeway. The seats are right and Colorado and Pasadena Way, about 25 feet in and on the third row. They are right on the street and no one if front of the bleachers so I’m thinking I need my 50mm fixed lens more than my telescopic.

  113. 113.

    Raven

    December 31, 2017 at 8:31 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: We didn’t have time to go all the way up. we went to the visitor center, watched the vid and then walked to the pond.

  114. 114.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    December 31, 2017 at 8:31 pm

    @Raven: I saw your seats on the news last night.

  115. 115.

    Patricia Kayden

    December 31, 2017 at 8:31 pm

    @Cheryl Rofer: I wonder if he acknowledges that the majority of Americans are “haters”? Most of us didn’t vote for him and can’t stand him. Go Mueller!!

  116. 116.

    Roger Moore

    December 31, 2017 at 8:32 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:
    The dropoff between mirrorless and DSLR is more or less gone. You have to get to the very high end before there’s much difference at all, and by the time somebody starting out today is thinking about that kind of gear the gap will have finished closing.

  117. 117.

    realbtl

    December 31, 2017 at 8:33 pm

    @Raven: Happy New Year Raven from another old fart, enjoy LA. Someday we should compare record collections and see which ones don’t match.

  118. 118.

    Raven

    December 31, 2017 at 8:34 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Here they are. https://flic.kr/p/21HBGoF

  119. 119.

    B.B.A.

    December 31, 2017 at 8:34 pm

    @Tehanu: Nowadays most checks are processed by computers that only pay attention to the dollar amount in the box and the account number on the bottom. Depositing it at an ATM should work. Giving it to a human to cash or deposit, now that might be problematic.

  120. 120.

    Steeplejack

    December 31, 2017 at 8:35 pm

    @eclare:

    For some reason the dripping isn’t bothering me. I can only hear (faintly) the faucet in the bathtub. Maybe it’s not an issue because the housecat has one of those drinking fountains that makes a little background water noise when it’s close to full, and I’m used to that.

    I wouldn’t be so obsessed about the possibility of the pipes freezing except that a couple of weeks ago, when we had another (lesser) cold snap here, I went to take a shower one day and there was no hot water—like no water at all came out when I turned the hot-water tap. Cold water worked fine. I couldn’t figure out what the problem was, and just as I was about to call the plumber the next morning I discovered the hot water was back on. I don’t know if a pipe froze and then thawed out or if there was some other cause, but it put “freezing pipes” into my consciousness. Never had that issue before in this building.

  121. 121.

    eclare

    December 31, 2017 at 8:36 pm

    @Raven: Wow, those look very close, are all of the seats that close? Looks great!

  122. 122.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    December 31, 2017 at 8:37 pm

    @Raven: I think the seats they showed were on the other side of the street.

  123. 123.

    Roger Moore

    December 31, 2017 at 8:37 pm

    @Raven:
    Unless you like photographing pieces of float, you’re going to need something wide angle. The floats are big, and you’re going to be very close. I would probably bring my 24-70mm, and I might want something even wider for the largest floats.

  124. 124.

    Raven

    December 31, 2017 at 8:38 pm

    @realbtl: I actually got rid if all my vinyl a few years back. I can’t hear well enough for it to make any difference to it’s digi for me. Now the collection, that’s still happening.

  125. 125.

    Raven

    December 31, 2017 at 8:40 pm

    @eclare: They oughta be, they cost more than the game tickets. Anything for my baby, she’s really fired up. We went to the float construction area yesterday and would have done that but they don’t sell tix until 11 and we had other stuff to do.

  126. 126.

    Mnemosyne

    December 31, 2017 at 8:41 pm

    @eclare:

    All of the seats are set up on the sidewalk with the floats going down the middle of the street so, yeah, they’re pretty darn close. I think even the highest seats are still pretty close-up.

  127. 127.

    Raven

    December 31, 2017 at 8:41 pm

    @Roger Moore: It may be that my 7 plus is the best bet,

  128. 128.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    December 31, 2017 at 8:42 pm

    @Roger Moore: I was thinking a 12mm. The floats are really big.

  129. 129.

    eclare

    December 31, 2017 at 8:42 pm

    @Steeplejack: I’ve been in this house since 2005, and I’ve never let the faucets drip before. But I don’t remember it ever getting this cold for more than maybe one night.

  130. 130.

    Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady)

    December 31, 2017 at 8:42 pm

    I remember trying to explain to my students that there would come a time when not only would they not go out on NYE. They wouldn’t even want to.

  131. 131.

    Raven

    December 31, 2017 at 8:43 pm

    @Mnemosyne: yea but there are only 11 rows on the bridge. We drive the whole route and some of them are 50 rows high.

  132. 132.

    Raven

    December 31, 2017 at 8:43 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: I may have to just enjoy the parade.

  133. 133.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    December 31, 2017 at 8:44 pm

    @Raven: I’ve done float construction once, but it was early on in the process(cleaning the vials they put the flowers in, yuck!).

    ETA: Satan used to have a float in the Parade every year.

  134. 134.

    Raven

    December 31, 2017 at 8:44 pm

    We gotta go to early din. Thanks to all you locals, you’ve made it way better for us.

  135. 135.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    December 31, 2017 at 8:45 pm

    @Raven: That’s no fun!

    @Raven: Anytime!

  136. 136.

    Roger Moore

    December 31, 2017 at 8:47 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:
    It depends on what system you’re using. I’m using a full frame camera, so 24mm is pretty wide. I also have a 14-24, which I certainly would bring, too. If I had one, I would probably use a 16-35 as my primary lens.

  137. 137.

    Ruckus

    December 31, 2017 at 8:47 pm

    @Raven:
    I should have been clearer. I don’t have a problem with the parade itself and the Rose Bowl is a hoot to watch a game in, especially if you actually like the at least one of the teams.
    What I’m so cynical of is the night before the parade, and all the hype. And part of that is that I’ve done it so many times all the gee wiz is burned off. Also remember that I live here year round. The bars, the assholes on their loud bikes or in their loud cars at 1:30 am who have to impress everyone with their “greatness”, that have to park in the driveway to my apt…….
    IOW, I’ve lived here long enough now that the new has completely worn off and I’d like to move to someplace a bit more suited to my lack of lifestyle. But I’m sort of stuck because if I move out, my room mate has to as well. She’s loud enough that she likes it here.

  138. 138.

    eclare

    December 31, 2017 at 8:47 pm

    @Raven: Sounds like a perfect (but long) day, have fun! I’ve only been to one bowl game in my life for my school, but it was great fun. Adrenaline works wonders. And go Dawgs!

  139. 139.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    December 31, 2017 at 8:49 pm

    @Roger Moore: Mines an APS-C so my 12mm is full-frame equivalent to a 18mm.

  140. 140.

    Ruckus

    December 31, 2017 at 8:51 pm

    @Raven:
    Drove right by there on Friday. You could have hit my car with a french fry.

  141. 141.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    December 31, 2017 at 8:54 pm

    @eclare: I’ve been to the Rose Bowl twice(the game, the stadium is UCLA’s home field) in 1986 and 1999. It’s really a fun event. I’ve seen the Parade once in 1980 and we stayed out on the street all night, I was in college and college kids don’t get cold(as long as enough booze is involved). I’ve gone up to see the floats after the Parade and that’s better than the Parade as far as seeing the floats.

  142. 142.

    Booger

    December 31, 2017 at 8:54 pm

    @eclare: Is that inside or outside the Overton window?

  143. 143.

    Yutsano

    December 31, 2017 at 8:54 pm

    @Mnemosyne: From my perspective as a two time Rose Bowl Parade participant*, yes even the high bleachers are pretty close. They really only get tall close to where the main TV cameras are and even then they were 20 rows up. Which isn’t that tall.

    MASSIVE DISCLAIMER: this was over 20 years ago. It could be totally different now.

  144. 144.

    Roger Moore

    December 31, 2017 at 8:57 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:
    I lived within shouting distance of the parade route for about 15 years, so I would go practically every year. It’s a lot more fun when you can sleep in your own bed, have a leisurely breakfast, and wander down to see the parade.

  145. 145.

    Ohio Mom

    December 31, 2017 at 8:57 pm

    We’re having a quiet evening at home, indistinguishable from any other quiet evening at home. Which is how I like it best. I outgrew NYE a long time ago.

    It will still be too cold tomorrow but the sun will finally be out for an extended time. I’m looking forward to that.

  146. 146.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    December 31, 2017 at 8:58 pm

    @Roger Moore: The curb on Colorado doesn’t make for a good pillow.

  147. 147.

    eclare

    December 31, 2017 at 8:58 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but as an SEC alum, this is the first Rose Bowl that I am definitely going to watch. It does sound like a wonderful time, and the location is perfect…I may even watch the parade!

  148. 148.

    Roger Moore

    December 31, 2017 at 8:59 pm

    @Yutsano:

    Rose Bowl Parade

    Stop with the trolling.

  149. 149.

    eclare

    December 31, 2017 at 8:59 pm

    @Booger: Hahaha….

  150. 150.

    Ruckus

    December 31, 2017 at 8:59 pm

    @Mnemosyne:
    Raven’s seats go right down to the street and the bottom rows are where cars normally park. The first row is as close to being in the parade as possible. There is a walkway behind the stands for pedestrians but this is on a bridge and they can only go back as far as the sidewalk goes. All the other stands along the route don’t extend into the street, unless they’ve changed something but that’s not what I see on the start end of the parade.

  151. 151.

    Emerald (not Eme--somehow I deleted part of my nym)

    December 31, 2017 at 9:02 pm

    @Mnemosyne:
    I found ants in my salt the other day.
    No kidding. Ants in salt. They were dead (and probably well preserved). Can’t imagine how they could have become entrapped in my salt container. Maybe happened in the salt container factory?
    But there they were. Ants in salt.

  152. 152.

    Steeplejack

    December 31, 2017 at 9:02 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    Oops, my bad. I was using SLR as (sloppy) shorthand for “interchangeable lenses.” Didn’t think about the mirror thing. Agree with you completely there.

  153. 153.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    December 31, 2017 at 9:03 pm

    @eclare: Heh, I’ll probably go for a hike.

  154. 154.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    December 31, 2017 at 9:04 pm

    @Steeplejack: No problem.

  155. 155.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    December 31, 2017 at 9:05 pm

    From what I’m reading the flyover this year(2018) will be slightly different, there will be the usual B-2 bomber AND it will be accompanied by everybody’s favorite plane here on Balloon Juice, a F-35.

    ETA: I hope to get pics from here in Beautiful Downtown Glendale.

  156. 156.

    Another Scott

    December 31, 2017 at 9:06 pm

    @Emerald (not Eme–somehow I deleted part of my nym): Iodized salt has a tiny amount of sugar in it – maybe they were after the sugar?

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  157. 157.

    satby

    December 31, 2017 at 9:08 pm

    Thin Man marathon on TCM? My idea of a perfect New Year’s eve. Think I’ll even have a glass of wine. I like to live on the edge.

  158. 158.

    Schlemazel

    December 31, 2017 at 9:08 pm

    @Raven:
    I envy you. The Rose parade is on my bucket list

  159. 159.

    debbie

    December 31, 2017 at 9:08 pm

    @Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady):

    Unpossible!

  160. 160.

    dance around in your bones

    December 31, 2017 at 9:10 pm

    I got a new cat named Tim last night. Very affectionate and personable. The dogs rousted him today and he bolted from the house – gone all day and I was bereft.
    He came strolling in the door tonite at dusk and headed straight for his food bowl! Then cleaned himself most thoroughly and curled up and zonked out.

    It’s gonna be a Happy New Year after all !

  161. 161.

    Mnemosyne

    December 31, 2017 at 9:10 pm

    @Ruckus:

    The first row is as close to being in the parade as possible.

    Which is great right up until one of the many horses in the parade needs to take a dump … ??

    As previously mentioned, we will be watching the Parade on DVR from the comfort of our couch. We may even try to watch the Will Ferrell/Molly Shannon version, though I can’t remember which way it will be streaming.

  162. 162.

    eclare

    December 31, 2017 at 9:12 pm

    @satby: DVRing to watch later…Asta!

  163. 163.

    Steeplejack

    December 31, 2017 at 9:13 pm

    @eclare:

    Ditto here. Been in this apartment five years, never even thought of dripping the faucets before, but this is definitely the coldest it has ever been for an extended stretch. Highs in the low 20s and lows around 10° this coming week. . . . Yikes! Just checked the forecast, and it says high of 19° and low of 6° on Friday. ¡Caramba!

  164. 164.

    eclare

    December 31, 2017 at 9:13 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: That would be awesome, the B-2 is creepy and looks like a bat!

  165. 165.

    Emerald (not Eme--somehow I deleted part of my nym)

    December 31, 2017 at 9:14 pm

    @Another Scott: Maybe, but if so, that deepens the mystery. The ants in this area are grease ants, not sugar ants. You can fling sugar around with abandon here and get no ants. Leave something greasy lying around however. . .

    Anyway the ants weren’t in the first part of my salt container. I had used a good third of the thing. Then I prepared a teaspoon of salt for a recipe and there were these little black things in it, and they were dead ants.

    I think it happened in the salt container factory. Very weird.

  166. 166.

    Mnemosyne

    December 31, 2017 at 9:15 pm

    @dance around in your bones:

    Hooray! Any day the cat comes back unharmed is the best day ever.

    I’ll repeat my cat story of the day from the thread below:

    Speaking of cats, I discovered that I somehow managed to lose a small piece of beef for tonight’s stew when I found it on the dining room carpet being gnawed on by one of our little obligate carnivores.

    I took it away from her and gave her crunchy treats instead, which she seemed to find an acceptable substitute.

  167. 167.

    eclare

    December 31, 2017 at 9:16 pm

    @dance around in your bones: So glad for a happy ending! Happy New Year and New Home to Tim!

  168. 168.

    Gin & Tonic

    December 31, 2017 at 9:17 pm

    @Roger Moore: A guy I took a workshop from went from Nikon to Sony. Instead of going from the D810 to the D850, he sold the glass and went to an A7RIII. Weight was one of the key factors; apparently he felt image quality was indistinguishable.

  169. 169.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    December 31, 2017 at 9:17 pm

    @eclare: Here it is January 1, 2016, 2017’s pic didn’t turn out well.

  170. 170.

    Shell

    December 31, 2017 at 9:18 pm

    Thin Man marathon on TCM? My idea of a perfect New Year’s eve. Think I’ll even have a glass of wine. I like to live on the edge

    LOVE the candy-striped dress Myrna Loy wears in the Christmas party scene.

    NYE definitely more enjoyable at home..at the very least not having to worry about drunks on the road.
    10 degrees here. Didn’t bother putting my little bottle of champagne in the fridge, just set i t on the front steps for a few hours.

  171. 171.

    Sab

    December 31, 2017 at 9:18 pm

    @Steve in the ATL: I don’t believe you.

  172. 172.

    No Drought No More

    December 31, 2017 at 9:19 pm

    Gates is lucky I’m not that judge, or last year would have been the very last News Years Eve he’d have ever celebrated as a free man. Especially in light of the continuing criminal assault by the republican party upon the rule of law in the United States*, I’d make an example of his contemptuous behavior by incarcerating his arrogant ass immediately, if not sooner.

    *Lest We Forget: Bush, Cheney, and Alberto Gonzalez, and need I say more?

  173. 173.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    December 31, 2017 at 9:20 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: The A7R3 is an awesome camera.

  174. 174.

    Emerald (not Eme--somehow I deleted part of my nym)

    December 31, 2017 at 9:21 pm

    @dance around in your bones:

    Yay to you and Tim! My Emerald cat was a beautiful gray cat, medium hair, very loving. I have thought that my next cat will be a male and I will name him Timothy Cat.

    You beat me to it!

  175. 175.

    Mnemosyne

    December 31, 2017 at 9:21 pm

    @Shell:
    @satby:

    G’s favorite exchange is when Nick catches Nora in a bar where she shouldn’t be investigating on her own and she says, “I won’t go back to quarantine, I won’t!” and everyone shrinks from her.

  176. 176.

    eclare

    December 31, 2017 at 9:23 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Yeah, creepy….

  177. 177.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    December 31, 2017 at 9:23 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: Here’s an amusing take on the subject.

  178. 178.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    December 31, 2017 at 9:24 pm

    @eclare: I think it’s a cool aircraft.

  179. 179.

    Gin & Tonic

    December 31, 2017 at 9:25 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Not sure I’m ready for that. Cut my teeth on Nikon F, pushing Tri-X to 3200. Still can recall that darkroom smell.

  180. 180.

    Ruckus

    December 31, 2017 at 9:25 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:
    It’s a lot smaller than I remember from seeing it on the ground.
    But then so is the SR71 and I’ve been up close enough to touch one on the ground and close enough on a flyby to be able to see the pilot’s face. Life is good some days.

  181. 181.

    Sab

    December 31, 2017 at 9:26 pm

    @Steve in the ATL: All opossums are white. How can you tell the albinos? They don’t actually have pink eyes, do they?

    I went to college with an albino guy. His eyes were an amazing color, sort of hazel but deep. Like looking into a river.

  182. 182.

    WaterGirl

    December 31, 2017 at 9:27 pm

    @dance around in your bones: Great to see you here tonight! Glad your scary kitty story had a built-in happy ending.

    It’s -2 here right now, and they are predicting -10 before morning. All this talk of dripping faucets is making me wonder if I should be doing that too???

    I am having a quiet NYE, as always. I am trying to get sick, so far holding my own at achy and stuffy and feeling puny, but not outright sick yet.

    Happy New Year, jackals!!

  183. 183.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    December 31, 2017 at 9:28 pm

    @Ruckus: It was probably 3/4 to 1 mile away from in that pic, in 2017 it flew right over me; I f’ed up the focus(wrong setting).

  184. 184.

    Mary G

    December 31, 2017 at 9:28 pm

    @Raven: Glad you guys are having fun out here. Those are the expensive seats so you will get the full effect.

    I decorated my company’s float a few times when they first got into the parade, but it’s not all that glamorous because at least when I was there it smelled strongly of industrial strength glue, completely overpowering the flowers and people were getting hysterical from lack of sleep.

  185. 185.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    December 31, 2017 at 9:30 pm

    I thought these people were just clueless, tacky and lacked even a glimmer of a hint of a shadow of self-awareness. Now I think they’re deliberately trolling

    George Bennett‏Verified account @ gbennettpost
    Treasury Sec. Steven Mnuchin and wife Louise Linton arrive at realDonaldTrump’s Mar-a-Lago for #NewYearsEve shindig.

  186. 186.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    December 31, 2017 at 9:33 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Sounds like the dude needs some more horse shit.

  187. 187.

    WaterGirl

    December 31, 2017 at 9:33 pm

    lamh, if you’re here, I just want to say that you inspired me with talk of your family tradition of going into the New Year with the house clean and finances in order, etc. My house is clean and my finances are in as much order as they can be. Thanks for sharing your tradition with us.

    I am not drinking alcohol tonight because I am fighting off this bug, but the un-opened box of mint meltaways that I got for Christmas are calling my name. Probably eating a bunch of chocolate isn’t helpful if you’re trying to get a bug, either, huh? I just consoled myself with a bowl of homemade spicy vegetable soup, but it didn’t manage to drown out the call of the mint meltaways.

  188. 188.

    eclare

    December 31, 2017 at 9:34 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: What it can do is cool, the way it looks is creepy, to me.

  189. 189.

    WaterGirl

    December 31, 2017 at 9:34 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Maybe Mueller can just arrest the lot of them as they leave the NYE party.

  190. 190.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 31, 2017 at 9:35 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Tacky. That’s so tacky.

  191. 191.

    Gin & Tonic

    December 31, 2017 at 9:36 pm

    @WaterGirl: Eat them. Tomorrow is another day.

  192. 192.

    Emerald (not Eme--somehow I deleted part of my nym)

    December 31, 2017 at 9:36 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    Mint meltaways are always good for you. There cannot be a difficult situation that mint meltaways would not alleviate, especially chocolate ones. It’s something about the chemistry of mint meltaways.

    They are among the greatest, most beneficial things on earth.

  193. 193.

    Gin & Tonic

    December 31, 2017 at 9:36 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: I have a white dinner jacket.

  194. 194.

    Steve in the ATL

    December 31, 2017 at 9:37 pm

    @Sab:

    I don’t believe you.

    You sound like the union’s bargaining team when I tell them why we are offering a 1.5% increase!

  195. 195.

    BD of MN

    December 31, 2017 at 9:37 pm

    I was xmas gifted a Tokina 11-15 f2.8 lens for my Nikon D3400, primarily for aurora and space photography, and just looking at the geomagnetic numbers, tonight might have a chance at seeing some auroras. Too bad it’s going to be 20 fucking degrees below zero, and the full moon doesn’t help either… So instead, we’re in watching Disney movies with the grandkids..

  196. 196.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 31, 2017 at 9:39 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: So did Bogie in Casablanca. That’s not the problem.

  197. 197.

    Emerald (not Eme--somehow I deleted part of my nym)

    December 31, 2017 at 9:39 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    Mint meltaways are always good for you. There cannot be a difficult situation that mint meltaways would not alleviate.

    They are among the most beneficial things on earth.

  198. 198.

    Steve in the ATL

    December 31, 2017 at 9:40 pm

    @BD of MN: 20 above zero here—suck on that!

  199. 199.

    laura

    December 31, 2017 at 9:40 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: seize the moment M/4!
    Oh, how I envy you you’re scappering off to see the queen.
    Spouse and I went to your City and WTF!11! With the road work?
    Happy New Year dear bj’rs in whichever location you reside.
    Special shout out to Raven-rock your dream, and keep us all in your pocket.
    Roll Tide, roll!

  200. 200.

    Jager

    December 31, 2017 at 9:40 pm

    New Years Eve is our Anniversary. I looked at my wife about 2 this afternoon, we agreed to cancel our dinner reservation. I drove to the store got a couple of bacon wrapped filets from the butcher. A nice bottle of cab. A slab of marble cake and a hot loaf of french bread. Bought her some roses too. She napped, I cut wood, started a fire in the wood burner and watched some football. I’m finally going to take a shower and start dinner. Quiet night up in the canyon. Hopefully 2018 is going to be a hell of a lot better than 17!

    BTW, Mrs. J and I went to a charity event at Mar-a-Lago years ago…it’s a tacky shit hole.

  201. 201.

    Roger Moore

    December 31, 2017 at 9:40 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    Maybe Mueller can just arrest the lot of them as they leave the NYE party.

    Maybe Kim Jong Un can do us a favor and nuke Mar-a-Lago.

  202. 202.

    dance around in your bones

    December 31, 2017 at 9:40 pm

    Thanks Mnem and eclare and Watergirl and Emerald – all’s well that ends well and Tim is looking mighty relaxed ATM. I’m glad I didn’t have to get stuck in gloomy mode …. he purrs like a dynamo.

    Doubt I’ll make it to midnight with that soundtrack ;)

  203. 203.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 31, 2017 at 9:41 pm

    @Steve in the ATL: You bastard.

  204. 204.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    December 31, 2017 at 9:42 pm

    @Steve in the ATL:

    union’s bargaining team

    What? Not union thugs? Who are you and what did you do with Steve in the ATL?

  205. 205.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    December 31, 2017 at 9:44 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: I won’t share comments about the weather here.

  206. 206.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 31, 2017 at 9:46 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: It stayed around zero here.

  207. 207.

    Steeplejack

    December 31, 2017 at 9:50 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    All this talk of dripping faucets is making me wonder if I should be doing that too?

    I would think that in central Illinois you wouldn’t have to worry about it. When my family lived in North Dakota when I was in college they never worried about it. Construction standards are set to the expected.

    Eclare is in Memphis, and I’m in NoVA. Neither place is it “expected” to have these low temps for an extended period of days.

  208. 208.

    BD of MN

    December 31, 2017 at 9:50 pm

    I’m actually hoping this sort of weather will repeat itself come Super Bowl time, I wish to revel is the frozen salty tears of the out of towners that overpay for everything only to not be able to breathe outside…

  209. 209.

    Ruckus

    December 31, 2017 at 9:51 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:
    My SR-71 stories.
    Fly by happened in Valencia, early 90s. Talking with a customer in my shop and we hear this loud noise. He says it’s the SR-71, I call bullshit. I was wrong. We go outside and about 5 miles to the south east is an SR-71 in a big turn to the north west. We watch it fly along for not very long and then it lines up straight down the high tension power line alley that is about 50 ft from where we are standing. He’s flying at what looks like stall speed, turns hard right to due north with us looking down the exhaust at about 200 feet off the ground, hits full throttle and afterburner and flies over the skunk works, cutting the throttle just in time to not go supersonic. It was the day they officially retired the SR-71. (The skunk works was about 4-5 miles north of me) The fly by was a tribute to Kelly Johnson.
    Close up at Wright-Paterson AFB museum. No rope barriers, walk right up and touch it. That was about 6 yrs later.

  210. 210.

    Mary G

    December 31, 2017 at 9:52 pm

    @dance around in your bones: It’s always nice to see you commenting again and congratulations on Tim.

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: I will be the meanie, it’s 58 here.

  211. 211.

    Steeplejack

    December 31, 2017 at 9:54 pm

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Do you have a pink carnation?

  212. 212.

    WaterGirl

    December 31, 2017 at 9:54 pm

    @Steeplejack: Thanks, Steep. I have been keeping the heat warmer than I like at night – I like 63 in the winter – because I thought that might help with the pipes issue. But damn, having the heat at 67 at night sucks and the heat coming on wakes me up. I had frozen pipes in a rental house here once decades ago, and it was a truly awful experience.

    @Roger Moore: That totally works for me.

  213. 213.

    Steeplejack

    December 31, 2017 at 9:55 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Ha! Good point.

  214. 214.

    Ruckus

    December 31, 2017 at 9:55 pm

    @Jager:

    it’s a tacky shit hole.

    No difficult to believe at all. The owner is a tacky shit asshole and likes to put his mark on everything.

  215. 215.

    Jackie

    December 31, 2017 at 10:05 pm

    @WaterGirl: Only if your kitchen sink or anything hooked up to water lines is on an outside wall. If so, it also helps to open under-sink cabinets to let indoor heat warm plumbing.

  216. 216.

    Gelfling 545

    December 31, 2017 at 10:17 pm

    Finished an early dinner with my sister’s family at 9 and am now settling down to watch the Doctor regenerate. Happy New Year to all. Let’s spend 2018 making Trump regret he ever ran for president.

  217. 217.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 31, 2017 at 10:18 pm

    I’ve got a bottle of Taittinger Brut and the Thin Man marathon.

  218. 218.

    WaterGirl

    December 31, 2017 at 10:20 pm

    @Jackie: Very helpful advice, thanks! The only thing that’s on an outside wall is the hookup for the washer/dryer. Washer and dryer are both front-loading so I have the washer and dryer doors open. Hopefully that will be enough? I did a couple of loads of laundry earlier today – not sure if that helps or hurts.

  219. 219.

    Steeplejack

    December 31, 2017 at 10:27 pm

    @Ruckus:

    I lived on Okinawa 1967–69. The flight line at Kadena Air Base was just over the ridge from our housing area. B-52s, tankers, AWACS and contract commercial jets taking off at all hours of the day and night. You could look west and see the planes heading out over the ocean after takeoff. The B-52s kind of lumbered and looked like they would never gain altitude.

    The SR-71 had a distinctive (loud!) engine roar, so sometimes you could hear when one was about to take off. You could look west and see it shoot out from behind the ridge on full afterburner and head out to sea on the same line as the B-52s, and then it would just go nose up and shoot straight up into the sky and out of sight.

    SR-71 Blackbird takeoff and other shots (not at Kadena).

    Blackbird landing at Kadena, 1989. Finally puts down at 3:15 in the video.

    Highway 1, the main road on the island, went right between the seashore and the end of the runway complex, and when planes took off or landed they would pass about 150 feet above the cars on the road. Impressive to see a B-52 coming in that close, but when a Blackbird was coming in all four lanes of traffic would stop and people would just marvel at it.

  220. 220.

    zhena gogolia

    December 31, 2017 at 10:30 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    I love the Lytchi Club. I wish we had one here in town.

  221. 221.

    Jackie

    December 31, 2017 at 10:38 pm

    @WaterGirl: If your washer waterline is on outside wall, wrap a thick towel around it. And, yes, keeping washing machine door open will help. Good luck! And, Happy Warmer New Year!

  222. 222.

    Ruckus

    December 31, 2017 at 11:10 pm

    @Steeplejack:
    I can sure believe that. My customer was a plane nut, more so than me obviously, and I can’t remember but I don’t recall getting any work done the rest of the day. It was a very impressive sight and sound, the pilot looked over at us just as he turned to the right to hit afterburner. I think he planned that way once he saw us. I’ve watched catapult launches and while very impressed, I don’t think anything beats that day.

  223. 223.

    Steeplejack

    December 31, 2017 at 11:17 pm

    @Ruckus:

    [. . .] the pilot looked over at us just as he turned to the right to hit afterburner. I think he planned that way once he saw us.

    Oh, hell, yes! Those guys were the biggest hot dogs. All the jet jockeys were, but can you imagine being an F-4 Phantom driver and then this guy comes in and says, “How d’you like my ride?”

  224. 224.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 31, 2017 at 11:20 pm

    @Steeplejack: If it ain’t an A-10, it can fuck right off. Okay, the ones one can jump out of are okay too.

    /Army perspective.

  225. 225.

    Steeplejack

    December 31, 2017 at 11:53 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Understood. What’s your perspective on helicopters?

  226. 226.

    Omnes Omnibus

    January 1, 2018 at 12:13 am

    @Steeplejack: They are flown by army guys. They will stay and try to do their job. Apaches are good things for people who need close support.

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