Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

With all due respect and assumptions of good faith, please fuck off into the sun.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

Someone should tell Republicans that violence is the last refuge of the incompetent, or possibly the first.

I really should read my own blog.

Bark louder, little dog.

The desire to stay informed is directly at odds with the need to not be constantly enraged.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

Republicans: slavery is when you own me. freedom is when I own you.

Every reporter and pundit should have to declare if they ever vacationed with a billionaire.

Museums are not America’s attic for its racist shit.

You cannot love your country only when you win.

They punch you in the face and then start crying because their fist hurts.

Sadly, media malpractice has become standard practice.

If you are still in the gop, you are either an extremist yourself, or in bed with those who are.

One of our two political parties is a cult whose leader admires Vladimir Putin.

A fool as well as an oath-breaker.

Is trump is trying to break black America over his knee? signs point to ‘yes’.

Giving in to doom is how we fail to fight for ourselves & one another.

The real work of an opposition party is to hold the people in power accountable.

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

They spent the last eight months firing professionals and replacing them with ideologues.

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Because of wow. / Sunday Morning Chat Thread: Happy New Year’s Eve

Sunday Morning Chat Thread: Happy New Year’s Eve

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Another amazing photo from commentor & savior-of-a-daybreak-poster Marvel, in the Pacific Northwest.

***********

I had a bunch of longform articles I meant to share during this traditionally “slow news” year-end period, but the combination of Donny Dollhands and my own personal Spousal Unit being on vacation didn’t leave much time or space. If I were the sort of person who made calendar-flip resolutions, I’d resolve to spend less time reading Twitter and more time sharing “real” journalism in 2018.
.

What’s on the agenda, prepping for tonight’s Giant Amateur Drunken Desperation Festival?

Reader Interactions

196Comments

  3. 3.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Wow! What a gorgeous photo, Marvel!

    Anne Laurie, thank you so much for what you do here. I love reading your threads (yes, including the tweetstorms and most of the cartoons [except Ted Rall] ). You do a great job selecting longer pieces for us to read, and your garden threads and holiday celebrations are always worthwhile.

    Also, “Donny Dollhands.” LOL!

  4. 4.

    CarolDuhart2

    Simply beautiful. A Natural Christmas card for 2018.

    Not everyone gets drunk on NYE. Some of us actually attend church when the ball drops. I will, if this scratchy throat eases up enough by late afternoon.
    Watch Night

  5. 5.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @CarolDuhart2:

    That was an interesting article — thanks for sharing it. I’ve heard of “Watch Night” NYE services, but didn’t know about the historic connection with the Emancipation Proclamation.

  9. 9.

    Betty Cracker

    It’s 49 degrees here right now (high is supposed to be 71), and my hubby had to go to work for a few hours (golf course biz). He was bundled up like the little brother in “A Christmas Story.” It would be one thing if he were a native Floridian like me, but the man is from Buffalo! ?

  11. 11.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Walker:

    Nice place to vacation! I was going to try to go back to sleep, but I’ll wait up another four minutes and welcome 2018 in with you.

  16. 16.

    Amir Khalid

    Selamat Tahun Baru kepada semua warga Balloon Juice tak kira di mana berada. Bagi tahun baru ini saya berazam menjadi pemain gitar elektrik yang mahir.

  17. 17.

    CarolDuhart2

    Thank you for the good health wishes. A little more historical context: In more recent years, Watch Night is in our area not about the Emancipation Proclamation and more about sanity and serenity. Services can start as early as 10 pm and last at least 2 hours. The ones I remember last until 1 am, and have a breakfast or coffee so that people stay off the roads until the drunks go home.

  18. 18.

    Amir Khalid

    I saw Star Wars: The Last Jedi this week. I think it’s the best Star Wars movie yet, precisely because so much of it is not what you’d expect.

  19. 19.

    Elizabelle

    Happy New Year’s Eve, jackals. In southern Spain. We are prepared with cava and 12 grapes each; Spanish try to eat a grape for each tone of the bell at midnight. Hmmmm.

    Gorgeous photo by Marvel. I was guessing it was by Ozark Hillbilly.

    Thinking of those who joined us this year (Benjamin!) and those who left us (greennotgreen, Tom Petty, Sue Grafton, Chris Cornell). Not gonna spend any NYE time thinking about those we wish would leave us. They don’t need to live in our heads.

    And thinking that raven and bride are gonna have an epic time at the Rose Bowl parade and game. I love the living vicariously one can do here.

    (Also loved B Cracker’s Pastafarianisms thread a few days ago, with all the comfort foods and recommendations. Egg sherry. Laura got me looking that one. All roads lead to Dickens and the medieval folks before him….)

  21. 21.

    Elizabelle

    @ Anne Laurie:

    I’d resolve to spend less time reading Twitter and more time sharing “real” journalism in 2018.

    I’m good with that resolution. Too many brain cells wasted on ephemeral stuff Twitter coughs up. Long game, folks.

  29. 29.

    Betty Cracker

    Speaking of those we wish would leave us (I won’t resolve to be less bitter in 2018 — I know myself too well!), hubby and I were engaged in idle chit-chat at Bar Cracker the other night, and the topic turned to how we’d react if news suddenly reached us that Trump had been removed from office — by whatever means. We agreed that fireworks would be the best way to mark the occasion, but Roman candles aren’t something we keep in stock. So we resolved that I’d bang pots and pans together in the yard while he jubilantly honked the horn of one of the vehicles. Since we’re a blue house in a deeply red town, we might take incoming fire, but it would be SO worth it!

  30. 30.

    Baud

    @Betty Cracker:

    So we resolved that I’d bang pots and pans together in the yard while he jubilantly honked the horn of one of the vehicles. 

    Too similar to my sexytime ritual. I’ll need to think of another way to celebrate.

  31. 31.

    Elizabelle

    @Betty Cracker: Every time I go online, I check first if Trump has stroked out in recent hours. Or however he would be returned to ashes and dust.

    We deserve better. We will get it, but patience is required. Not too much patience, though. Patience has its limits, even if stupidity does not.

    And I am resolved to read Hillary’s new book in (early?) 2018. Maybe we can have a book thread for those of us who could not bear to read it in 2017. Sounds like there are a lot of us. Happily, her comments on the Russia situation sound quite timely. Got to brush up on those …

  33. 33.

    Betty Cracker

    @Baud: Hahaha!

    @Elizabelle: I’m not sure I’ll be able to read it until the orange fart cloud dissipates, but I’d be glad to put up a thread for those who are ready to tackle it.

  37. 37.

    HeleninEire

    Good New Year’s Eve morning Balloon Juicers. Soon headed out for lunch; paella.
    Then on to one of the artsy movie houses to see Sunset Boulevard. I’ve never seen it.

    Dunno what’s for dinner yet. What I do know is that I’ll be in my PJs by nine.

  39. 39.

    Betty Cracker

    @Amir Khalid: I also liked it for that reason! Trying to talk hubby into seeing it this week so he can experience it on the big screen (he usually waits for everything to come out on video). I would also like to see “The Shape of Water” and “I, Tonya.”

  40. 40.

    HeleninEire

    @Baud: LOL. Mine for sure! I mean, the new diet and exercise program starts tomorrow, right? RIGHT???? Sure it does.

  41. 41.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @HeleninEire: My wife is making her mother’s paella for NY dinner tomorrow. Coming from Mallorca, it’s mostly seafood: crab legs, shrimp, mussels, some beef and chicken too. It is the most beautiful dish I’ve ever eaten. Taste’s pretty good too.

  42. 42.

    Quinerly

    @Baud:
    I was curious about that, too. We need a few more details about how those costumes (should we call them that? I don’t want to offend any who might also be Balloon Juicers?) I was also intrigued by the guy who nips at his coworkers. No boundaries. Gotta have boundaries.

  44. 44.

    HeleninEire

    @OzarkHillbilly: Seafood Paella is my favorite dish on earth. A bit hard to find it here, but in the city center I found a restaurant called Salamanca. They have a lunch special, a dish of paella and a glass of wine; €10. Heaven.

  45. 45.

    Quinerly

    @Baud: I am now getting ads on the BJ site from on line dog obedience courses, dating sites, and computer sites. Wonder what that’s all about?

  47. 47.

    Lapassionara

    Good morning and happy New Year. When are we supposed to have our black-eyed peas and greens? This evening or tomorrow? I want to maximize good luck for 2018, as I think we will all need it.

  51. 51.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @HeleninEire: My MIL was one hell of a cook. Had the tiniest kitchen in the world and could whip up a feast for dozens in it… and then force my 2 sons and I to eat it all. Absolute torture. Pure HELL. My wife still cracks up over the time she made Cannelloni (as one small part of dinner) and asked me how many I wanted. “3 or 4” I replied. When the plate came to me there were 8 on it.

  54. 54.

    Quinerly

    @Baud: Plus, the cone of shame. Although there is a plus side though…can’t nip your coworkers at the computer store.?

  56. 56.

    Quinerly

    @Lapassionara: New Year’s Day! I made mine yesterday with a “streak of lean, streak of fat.” Added a pinch of brown sugar and red chili flakes to my collards.

  58. 58.

    Gozer

    As I am a retail drone temporarily I have to be at work at 8 am. We’ll see if my mgr is actually here on time for once…

    In other news, I might start bringing a flask to work.

  59. 59.

    tybee

    pro tip on collards: put about 25% cabbage when you cook the collards and you can skip the sugar as the cabbage removes the collard bitterness.
    we’ll be doing black eyed peas, collards with mustard greens and cabbage with grilled pork steaks.

    gonna get 5 nights of below freezing weather, starting monday night with a low of 24.
    it’s gonna kill the bananas back to the ground, remove all hope of citrus blossoms this spring, perhaps kill the avocado trees and the lemon grass.

    winter sucks.

  65. 65.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Quinerly: I’m not sure where exactly you’re headed on your trip, though IIRC it’s NM and maybe AZ. Have you been to the slot canyons in northern AZ(near Page)? The kid did a short trip over there a week or so ago and they’re quite stunning.

  66. 66.

    donnah

    Three degrees here in SW Ohio, and feeble snow showers. We got three inches of snow two days ago. My sister and niece are visiting from California and they love the snow, but not the frigid cold.

    On Christmas morning I opened the Joe Biden book, “Promise Me, Dad” from my son at the same moment he opened his copy from me. I also gave him The Encyclopedia of Sarcasm. He’s thirty and pretty politically aware, and we were both glad to get Biden’s book as a reminder that there is a force for good out there.

    I hope 2018 brings some hope and respite from the disasters of 2017, both from the catastrophic weather to the catastrophic Republican Party.

  67. 67.

    HeleninEire

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: I’m one of the wienies who bought it as soon as it came out and just can’t bring myself to read it. When you say if she can write it we can bring ourselves to read it, I get the sentiment, I do. What you neglect to realize is that Hillary Clinton is a better, stronger, smarter (and probably kinder) person than I can ever hope to be.

  68. 68.

    Citizen Scientist

    With the wind chill today, it’ll be 0°F here in southern PA. Just cleaning up the house and making a standing rib roast for tonight (first time, your tips appreciated). Tomorrow we have the in-laws over for the traditional pork and sauerkraut. Then, waiting to see what my MILs cancer diagnosis will be; we’re staying positive, she’s in good health despite not going to a doctor for literally at least 20 years. Mingobat, if you’re around, sending positive vibes to you and your family.

  69. 69.

    Bjacques

    Getting ready for fireworks in Amsterdam, though some have gotten an early start (outside of 6 pm – 2 am the night of. Hard time for doggos, though. I had (part interest in) one who didn’t mind at all, but not all are so fortunate.

  70. 70.

    satby

    @rikyrah: Good morning to you and everyone else! Happy New Year’s eve! It’s a sweltering 7° out, and I have to work extended hours today in expectation of the morons who wake up and realize that today is the last day to use their 2017 vision benefits.

  71. 71.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    Speaking of raven and his adventure in about 24 hours…watching the local news, they did a report on the preparations for the parade tomorrow and the backdrop for the report were the bleachers sitting on the Colorado Blvd. overpass over the 170. That’s where raven’s seats are!

  73. 73.

    japa21

    @Citizen Scientist: Wind chill here in Chicago is currently -15 and will get worse over the next couple days. My sister in Colorado was lording it over all her other siblings because it was 68 there yesterday. Its only 17 today. Serves her right.

  74. 74.

    Zinsky

    Remarkable picture – someone more poetic than me should come up with a caption – “the dying scarlet of autumn on the delicately frosted leaves of early winter” – or some such…

    Anne – you really do a nice job with the early morning posts, between the pictures and the thoughtful posts – Always a lovely way to start a weekend morning with you!

  76. 76.

    Sab

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: I read it already and really liked it. Also read Franken’s book: I’d suggest not reading that, because it was so hopeful, and then our guys ran him out of the Senate. Own goal if ever there was one.Grr.

  77. 77.

    JMG

    Shortribs tonight. Ham and white bean soup tomorrow. High today expected to be about 9. Temperatures not to rise above freezing for at least next ten days. Oh, well, it’s nice and warm inside. Happy New Year’s Eve no matter how you celebrate or don’t celebrate it.

  79. 79.

    batguano

    @Baud: that there just won my vote in 2021. I’m not even going to joke about selecting anyone other than the Democratic candidate in 2020

  82. 82.

    Quinerly

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Poco and I are back to my 5 week annual NM trip (since 2011 for me, 2015 for Poco). We are taking 9 days to drive out (usually stay in Santa Fe for the month but mixing it up this year with a month rental in Bernalillo, NM), so making our approach from a completely different area/route. First night is a stop in Lawton, OK; then a night in Hobbs, NM; then two nights at Carlsbad Caverns (with a dip down to Guadalupe Mts NP); on to Ruidoso, NM area for two nights…meeting friends. Scoot over to Las Cruces for a couple of nights, then up to Truth or Consequences for a night. Looking forward to what is touted as one of the best green chile cheeseburgers in the state at the Owl Bar in San Antonio, NM before hitting the rental on 1/26. Last year, we did the epic 6 weeks drive about of NM, AZ and Utah…7500 miles total round trip. We were in the Page area and Northern AZ and did some doggie friendly hiking but my dog sitting accommodations fell through and no slot canyons for me. Always another trip…love those Page, Marble Canyon, Kayenta areas….plus, I want to get back to the Bluff, UT area

  83. 83.

    oldgold

    Marvel, that is a marvelous photograph.

    Creativity is piercing the mundane to find the marvelous.

  84. 84.

    Tenar Arha

    @HeleninEire: I’m excited for you about seeing Sunset Boulevard for the first time. My father loved old movies so I saw it when I was quite young. Now I’m wondering what you’ll think of it….

    Happy New Year all you Juicers!

  86. 86.

    EriktheRed

    I don’t do shit for New Year’s Eve anymore. I don’t even stay up. It’s just another night with no work the next day for me.

    And that’s just fine.

  97. 97.

    Sab

    Our snowplow guy is my age and apparently doesn’t feel like getting up in the morning anymore. I understand that feeling, but we had two inches yesterday morning and another two inches last night.

    I shoveled it myself yesterday morning and came in after 45 minutes with the snow shovel to find my ninety-three year old father at the bottom of the stairs leaning on his walker screaming up the stairs for me to get out of bed to come feed him breakfast. I was pissed.

    He’s up already now and the driveway still needs shovelled.Grrr.

  99. 99.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Quinerly: The young’n took some pics with her cellphone(she has a fancy pants fruityPhone X*) and her Cannon, stunning pics(could use some post processing).

    *I just got a Note 8 and it produces some really stunning pics, but for something like the slot canyons there are pretty good reasons to shoot with a bigger camera with a larger sensor.

  100. 100.

    Zinsky

    @Betty Cracker: If you haven’t seen Lady Bird yet, don’t waste a moment. I loved this movie! Funny, touching and it feels so honest and real. Just a great, simple little movie…

  102. 102.

    Quinerly

    @debbie: I’m from the land of Eastern NC originally and grew up with them being boiled to death with ham hocks, then chopped to death. (as an aside, the big debate in my family was whether you preferred them before or after the frost had “struck them.” My mother and I prefer before, my father preferred after?…totally different taste and color when cooked) I still enjoy them that way with EASTERN WHOLE HOG NC barbecue.? A few years ago, I started doing them in a really hot wok, torn in larger pieces with bacon grease and some water. I don’t cook them nearly as long…still have texture and “bite.” That’s when I started adding the brown sugar when they are cooking down. My mother thought I was a traitor to my Southern roots when I told her what I was doing. Asked me everytime I visited if I was still doing collards “that way.” She’d make a face.??❤

  104. 104.

    Roger Moore

    @Betty Cracker:

    We agreed that fireworks would be the best way to mark the occasion, but Roman candles aren’t something we keep in stock.

    A deficiency you need to rectify.

  109. 109.

    Schlemazel

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    You’re one lucky hillbilly! I love paella but it is impossible to find anything like decent versions here on the tundra. i have made my own a few times but its a lot of putzy work for two.

  110. 110.

    Patricia Kayden

    It’s so cold here that I can’t imagine too many people going out to celebrate tonight. Happy New Year to you all, especially our wonderful Frontpagers and host, John C. It’s good to see so many of us donating $$$ for good Democratic candidates via DougJ.

    Resist!

  112. 112.

    Quinerly

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Last year’s drive about was a recon mission. Now know how to do the trip differently and what I would cut out and what to spend more time on. I was hesitant to board Poco so I missed out on a lot of stuff…plus that whole, 56 year old woman hiking alone in strange lands at a higher altitude thing. We did enough, though, and had a blast. Poco did obedience training in June and started some doggie daycare this summer….all after we were back. It has helped him a lot with his doggie socialization skills (but at age 8 and having been a street dog, still doesn’t know how to play…he stands with the daycare tender and watches the other dogs…which is ok). Commenter dexwood (Albuquerque) has turned me on to a wonderful looking doggie daycare in Albuquerque. Poco will be going there some on this trip…I need a day for Acoma and a couple of days for Chaco. There’s also a kennel at Carlsbad for that day. My friends give me a bit of grief about over planning these trips…but they all travel with a group or a partner and no dogs. It’s just different…especially since these last two dogs…(Leo before Poco) have special needs.

  113. 113.

    Schlemazel

    Happy New Year to you all and thanks for helping me clink to the remaining tatters of my sanity during 2017. I am grateful to all of you, if not for the camaraderie at least for the pie.

    We will have oyster stew, a tradition that goes back as far as my grandparents could remember (and they were born in the 19th century).

    New Years day is a snack fest. We graze all day on Polish smoked ham, German liver sausage, black forest sausage, capicola, pickled herring, and about a dozen cheeses, Gjtost, mobier, St, Agur blue, gouda, provolone and some other stuff I have forgotten. Colder than a well diggers ankle here so we probably won’t get out much

  114. 114.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Schlemazel: We are, but Amir Khalid isn’t. That said, Google Translate seems to have done a good job; I’ve seen it do a poor job with a lot of Slavic text.

  115. 115.

    Roger Moore

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    *I just got a Note 8 and it produces some really stunning pics, but for something like the slot canyons there are pretty good reasons to shoot with a bigger camera with a larger sensor.

    And a tripod if you can manage. With a modern camera, though, it’s possible to take some very impressive pictures without. That one is hand held at 1/40s and ISO 1600, and it holds up to close inspection when printed poster size. It’s amazing what modern cameras can do.

  117. 117.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Quinerly: True, dogs can make things a bit more complicated. Madame has wanted to go to Death Valley for ages, but since it’d need to be an overnight trip, our girls present a problem. The kid wants to do a trip in the spring and bring the girls, not sure how that will work out. I’ve been to Death Valley, but it was over 50 years ago, but I’d love to go again and get some really nice pics. I understand, our friends can make travel difficult at times.

  119. 119.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Roger Moore: I can shoot at 1/15s without a tripod on the NX500 and not see any shake, I’ve shot at 1/8s on the Note 8 without seeing any shake. It’s quite impressive. Of course, the NX500 is a 28mp camera so any shake may be more noticeable at the higher resolution. But OIS on these cameras is pretty amazing.

  120. 120.

    Quinerly

    @Schlemazel: Love oyster stew. Actually, right now I would love a couple pecks of steamed ones….dipped in butter with a bit of horseradish and loaded with Texas Pete….and a basket of saltines….and several beers….and……homesick for Eastern NC, now, and Morehead City’s Southern Salt Restaurant…all you can eat oysters for $29.95. Have a great New Year’s.

  124. 124.

    MomSense

    @Quinerly:

    My doggie did fine at the screening meeting for doggie daycare but only lasted 12 minutes on her first day. She was casing the perimeter fence looking for a way out. She was kicked out of doggie daycare for being a flight risk.
    I got her a really nice hiking harness with multiple clips and a suitcase handle on the top so I can pick her up if I need to. Some of my regular hikes have some narrow paths and I can’t risk having her fall in her gentle leader. She also carries water and a collapsible bowl.

  125. 125.

    LaNonna

    Off to friends later this evening, my Veuve Clicquot donation chilling in the fridge with some smoked wild salmon. Really nippy here at 40 degrees F, we kept the termo camino running all night. But, beautiful clear sunny days for the coming holiday week, pretty much everything shuts down here til after Epifania, January 6. Wishing everyone a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year with many positive political events in store.

  126. 126.

    Citizen Scientist

    @japa21: Yeesh, good luck! But I’m sure you’re used to it.

    My mom still tells the story of how my dad spent a winter week or two in Chicago (I think he was in grad school then) with just a windbreaker to keep him warm outside. No idea how he did it. The sun’s out here today, so at least we have that going for us.

  127. 127.

    Roger Moore

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:
    Of course it also depends on what focal length you’re using. The old rule of thumb used to be that you could go to the reciprocal of the focal length, i.e. at 50mm you could shoot at 1/50s, but that was with film that had nothing like the resolution of a modern digital. I find I can often get to about half that speed (i.e. 50mm at 1/25s) even without OIS, but I have pretty steady hands.

  129. 129.

    Quinerly

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: I’m sneaking up on 57. That’s how the whole NM trek started. Turning 50 in February, 2011. I didn’t want to be anywhere near anyone I knew. Had broken up with a boyfriend…loaded up the beat up ‘Ru and headed to Taos with Leo, the traveling dog. Knew nothing about NM and the research I did for that trip was on the old New Buffalo Commune (think “Easy Rider”)and Earthships. Spent the last day of my 49th year at the commune and the first day of my 50th touring Earthships. Santa Fe was an afterthought. A trip that was to be 10 days turned into 30…so began my “driving around NM, looking at things, and talking to strangers” in the winter.?

  131. 131.

    Amir Khalid

    @Gin & Tonic:
    Until Google Translate is as alert to nuance as a typical human, it won’t be as good as one. It will happen eventually, but not any time soon.

  132. 132.

    Quinerly

    @MomSense: What a story! Poco is close to 70lbs so no purse handle for him. New groomer/pet trainer (H&W) opened in the neighborhood about a year ago. The doggie daycare is in a large room (city environment, but they do have a back lot they are working on). I’m surprised how well Poco took to it. They say he mostly watches the other dogs, puzzled. With Leo, there would have been ripped out throats and dangling ears. He looked on any terrier as an appetizer. Wonderful dog but the most dog aggressive dog I have ever seen. Mental.

  134. 134.

    magurakurin

    @Amir Khalid:

    It will happen eventually, but not any time soon.

    When it does happen it will mean that Skynet has become aware…and then it’s lights out for us.

  135. 135.

    MomSense

    @Quinerly:

    My dog is fine with other dogs anywhere but at home. She does not want to share her humans with anyone else. Sadly at the daycare she was too concerned with escaping to play with the other pups.

    I don’t carry her for long stretches but sometimes you just want to get them over a certain spot. She’s 65 lbs but somehow the weight is distributed enough that lifting her that way is doable.

  136. 136.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Quinerly: Oh, you’re a year and change younger than I(I was born in January ’60). I don’t think the slot canyons are that high in altitude, they’re not @ sea level though. The kid and I did the short and not much of climb up Mt. Pinos at the beginning of the month, that’s just under 9000′, and at the beginning we both felt the altitude a bit, but it got better as we hiked on a bit.

  137. 137.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @gene108: I think it’s supposed to get chilly down there in the Sunshine State, Betty was hinting at the possibility of snow. I won’t comment on the weather here in CA.

    ETA: Except they did hint on the news last night that we may get some much needed rain later this week.

  141. 141.

    MomSense

    @Gin & Tonic: @Amir Khalid:

    One of the open mics I go to had a comedy duo one time that did a skit with an audience member. It was like a jeopardy game except the answers started in English and then went through google translate in about 15 languages and then back to English. It was shockingly funny.

  144. 144.

    debbie

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

    I get those too. I use a lot of Gold Bond (healing) and Neutrogena Norwegian Formula (at bedtime). The best (though it’s annoying) is to rub some Neosporin or Polysporing into the cracked area and then cover with a bandaid. The bandaid also cushions and protects which helps in healing.

  145. 145.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Amir Khalid: I finally saw it too and I liked it a lot, though maybe not quite as much as Rogue One, which is still my favorite of the Disney-era Star Wars movies. The Last Jedi is a bit too long and has some logical flaws a Star Wars nerd could pick apart, but they’re not obviously worse than those of any other movie with the Star Wars brand on it–there’s a limit to how seriously they can be taken.

    And its high points are amazing, up there with the best moments from the original trilogy. Mark Hamill apparently had disagreements with Rian Johnson’s version of Luke Skywalker, but he doesn’t show it on screen; he knocks it out of the park. It’s a better performance than any he gave in the Seventies and Eighties.

    Given the emphasis in reviews on how radical a departure it is, I was surprised by how many plot beats from the original trilogy it still pays homage to–it’s really a more traditional Star Wars flick than most people admit. But I guess what’s different is that the meaning of those scenes has often been turned upside down or inside out.

  147. 147.

    MomSense

    For the Jackals who travel with dogs, I highly recommend the 250 Main Hotel in Rockland, Maine. It’s modern and very attractive with nice views of the harbor. They make a fuss over their dog guests who are totally welcome and featured on their IG feed.

    Rockland was always sort of a rundown working town until the artists moved there for the cheap rents. Now it has two wonderful museums and lots of great restaurants but still is home to working people.

    I’d wait until Summer however as it is wicked cold right now.

  150. 150.

    Nelle

    A year ago, we were told we were to be grandparents for the first time. Today, it is sunny and minus 9. Little Eleanor is gooing, gurgling, and saying “dadadada,” culminating in bug raspberry blows. She wakes with smiles and then smiles all day. She’s pulled us through an otherwise dismal year.

  154. 154.

    BruceFromOhio

    I’d resolve to spend less time reading Twitter and more time sharing “real” journalism in 2018.

    Excellent counsel.

    I was most fortunate to spend an evening with some lovely people, and had an intense conversation with another guest about reducing time spent on social media of all forms. It basically came down to a) what a time-sink it can be, and b) experiencing too much information from people with which one would prefer to remain friends, or at least friendly. We concluded there is indeed a real world out there, and determined to spend more time in it.

  157. 157.

    Quinerly

    @Cheryl Rofer: Hopper once owned the Mabel Dodge Luhan house. It was quite the hot spot in Taos in the 1970’s…great on line articles about his time there. Pretty sure he was living in the Taos area when he died. He’s buried there. As an aside, he became a RWNJ in his later years. Cheney also has a home in the Taos area. On that first trip, I stayed at a doggie friendly BnB. Turned out the little 20 year old hippie chick (had hitched hiked from Ohio), who cleaned my room, lived with her older boyfriend on New Buffalo lands. He was in his early 40’s and was actually born at the commune. His parents were still there living on the property too. This was in 2011 and on her day off, I went out and spent a day there…purely just one of those odd ball things. At that time, a guy from the west coast had bought the property and was trying to bring it back as a conference center/bnb. The main building was still there with a lot of photographs of the souls who passed through. I took some wonderful pictures (need to find). Little hippie girl said the “archeologists” would be back in the spring. They were digging around looking for commune artifacts. Said they had found some of her boyfriend’s baby toys. I still find that day…my last day of my 49th year…one of the funniest days of my life. I really got the giggles there, in real time, too….if you get my drift.?

  163. 163.

    geg6

    Happy New Year’s Eve to all my fellow jackals!

    Too damn cold to do anything here in the Pittsburgh area. Most of the First Night festivities the city puts on have been moved indoors with the exception of the fireworks displays, one this afternoon and one at midnight. We’ll stay home and probably be in bed well before midnight.

    Got a great deal on pork loin for the traditional pork and sauerkraut tomorrow. And an even better deal on some gorgeous scallops for dinner tonight. Today will be spent watching the Steeler scrubs playing the Cleveland first team. We will be having the aforementioned scallops, seared, with a lemon brown butter sauce, risotto and asparagus with a Pinot blanc and vanilla bean gelato and a small bottle of prosecco for dessert. Probably watch the Pens game tonight.

  165. 165.

    Quinerly

    @Cheryl Rofer: Meant to add this…great read “New Buffalo: Journals from a Taos Commune.” The forward is by Peter Coyote, the actor and a former resident.

  169. 169.

    Aleta

    @Betty Cracker: My mom’s custom for the first minutes of the New Year was to have us stand outside the door and ring bells. (Yelling Happy New Year to the world.)

    Bells would be nice for the removal of t. Strings of them are even on sale now for preppers.

  170. 170.

    Scamp Dog

    新年筷樂，氣球汁人！

    The 氣球汁 is Google Translate’s version of Balloon Juice, a literal version of the English phrase. Do we have any native speakers or more advanced students with a more idiomatic version?

  171. 171.

    Cheryl Rofer

    @Quinerly: Don Rumsfeld also has – or maybe had; I haven’t heard about him in a while – a house in the Taos area, I think in the ski valley. People would be unkind to him when they saw him in the restaurants.

  172. 172.

    Brachiator

    @Zinsky:

    If you haven’t seen Lady Bird yet, don’t waste a moment. I loved this movie! Funny, touching and it feels so honest and real. Just a great, simple little movie…

    Thanks for the reminder. I want to see it, but it is no longer playing at the big comfy multiplex, so I will have to hunt it down.

  173. 173.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    Hanging out with Quakers this afternoon/evening. They aren’t drinkers, and while making jokes about how early “Quaker midnight” is, many of them really do bail on New Years Eve before 11 pm.

    So lots of excitement planned for us this evening.

    In other news, I marinated and cooked the venison from my share of my BIL’s Thanksgiving hunt (I have no interest in hunting, but I have no objection to being a carnivore) and man, was that good. Ate some of it at a couple meals, some of it is currently cooking in a stew and the rest is waiting in the freezer for future inspiration.

  174. 174.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Major Major Major Major: My biggest complaint is that we could only get tickets for a 3D showing, and for me, the 3D glasses made the image so dark that in some scenes I could barely see what was going on without taking them off. It’s a literally very dark movie in some sections, and I think they didn’t have the projector brightness turned up quite high enough in the theater where I saw it.

  175. 175.

    Miss Bianca

    I am heading up to the town where I used to live (and still own a house) to party with old friends, and talk to a prospective buyer for said house. I feel a little conflicted about it, actually: I’ve always loved that house and I have great tenants, but it’s been almost ten years since I lived there, and i’m getting a strong feeling that if it’s not time to move back, it’s time to move on. Plus I am tired of being in debt and my big New Year’s Resolution is to get out of it, as much as possible, and put some money in the bank in case of…something. Whatever happens, it’s always good to have a little money in the bank.

  176. 176.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @Brachiator: I need to see that. I’ll tag onto yours with a recommendation to see Coco, which is still playing around our area. Beautiful movie about the real Mexico as opposed to the stereotype Mexico, with an all-Latino cast and a lot of genuine Mexican music. I saw a quote from one Mexican Tweet that there’s not a cactus to be seen, nor a Mexican sleeping under one.

    I may have missed Lady Bird, will have to catch it on Netflix I guess.

    From the trailers for new stuff: I think I’m looking forward to Wrinkle in Time and Early Man (from the Chicken Run / Wallace & Gromit folks) the most.

  179. 179.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: One disadvantage of having a Star Wars movie bigfooting everything is that it’s reduced the showings of everything else. Coco is only playing in a few places here and we haven’t been able to reserve seats to see it–it’s still packing them in.

  181. 181.

    geg6

    @Matt McIrvin:

    When my BIL and I went to see TFA, the theater was selling by nice 3-D glasses for like $20 and he got us each a pair (a special SW promotion) and they have been wonderful for viewing 3-D films since. Waaaaaaaay better than those cheap things they hand out and well worth what he paid.

  182. 182.

    Quinerly

    @Cheryl Rofer: You know you are right. It’s Rummy not Cheney. I guess Julia Roberts is there,too? I do love that Millicent Rogers Museum. Great book about her life came out a few years back. Think her last son who was still around in the area…or at least kept Taos connections just died in the the last couple of years.

  183. 183.

    Miss Bianca

    @Baud: Dammit, Baud, you made me do a spit-take with that one. Almost ended up with hot coffee all over my keyboard.

    Ah, but it’s good to see you back in rare commenting form, Jackal-President-Elect!

  184. 184.

    Brachiator

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    . I need to see that. I’ll tag onto yours with a recommendation to see Coco, which is still playing around our area. Beautiful movie about the real Mexico

    I still have to see Coco. Friends and co-workers loved it.

    I have been skipping it because I hear that it is preceded by a long 20 minute Frozen “short.” I heard that some kids were squirming in their seats, asking when the real film would start.

    Saw the new movie “Jumanji, Welcome to the Jungle.” The Rock is great as an insecure easily frightened nerd, and Jack Black is funny as hell as a self absorbed high school girl. Kevin Hart and Karen Gillan are also fun. Good action and a bit of heart.

  187. 187.

    Matt McIrvin

    @geg6: Even the best 3D glasses necessarily take the brightness down by at least one f-stop, because that’s how they work, by filtering out half the light. But I think the ones I was wearing were doing more than that.

  188. 188.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Brachiator: I think Disney removed the Frozen short and told theaters to stuff in more showings.

    But my daughter seems kind of unenthusiastic about seeing it now; I might have to catch it when it rolls around on video (I guess it’ll be held hostage on Disney’s streaming service).

  191. 191.

    Brachiator

    @Matt McIrvin:

    I might have to catch it when it rolls around on video (I guess it’ll be held hostage on Disney’s streaming service).

    Good point. I think I want to catch Coco on the big screen before Disney locks it up. I will check to see if they have ditched the Frozen short.

    I didn’t enjoy The Last Jedi nearly as much as you did, but agree that Mark Hamill is very good. I liked Rian Johnson’s Looper and really looked forward to his take on Star Wars. I very much liked the idea that a generation of filmmakers who were influenced by the films would now offer fresh takes.

    Be careful what you wish for, I guess. He may have turned things inside out, but for me the result was a muddle. One big thing for me is that Finn was totally wasted. He seemed to be back where he started in the first film, and everything he did on the casino planet was pointless, went nowhere, accomplished nothing. I liked Kylo Ren and some of the visuals. I honestly think the script deserved another revision, but they were probably locked into their release date and had to go with what they had.

  192. 192.

    J R in WV

    @Amir Khalid:

    I agree about The Last Jedi – a fine Star Wars movie. We went with friends next door, both trained scientists, we all enjoy Star Wars, and this was the best by far. I’m glad stayed away from spoilers, although it is such a complex piece of work that it would take far too much time to set up a spoiler.

    Carrie Princess does a good job. All the usual suspects were there. The new folks, the young members of the Resistance are great. The evil overlord is even despicable way! beyond any current evil overlord, as hard as that is to believe.

    Our trip was fraught with winter trouble, amusing perhaps to others. We left our rural hollow at 2:30 to see a 3:15 showing. When we got to the state road ( a two lane road with stripes down the middle and enough traffic to clear a small amount of snow) it was already 3:30!! We climbed the long hill out of the neighborhood gaining a foot and sliding back 9 inches.

    There was only about an inch of snow, but on the pavement it had iced below the snow. At home on gravel there was no problem at all, so we took their Prius FWD auto instead of our VW AWD car. Having missed the planned show, we Googled auto parts shows to find one that could supply neighbors with foul weather gear for their tires – cables to bind on the tires to provide traction on ice.

    That took quite a bit of driving, but on the major highways there was enough traffic to remove the snow before it could freeze. Mission accomplished, we made the 5:30 show, got popcorn, and enjoyed the movie, then went to dinner and home, without the need for the tire fixtures, which was good, as it’s a chilly 20 minutes lying on the icy ground to put them on.

    New Year’s Eve party at neighbors canceled as hostess was under the weather, not a bad thing, it’s quite cold compared to the past several winters – nothing like our maximum coldness of 20+ degrees below zero F. Or 52+ degrees below freezing point of water.

    My personally observed low was -37 here at home with an outdoor-indoor electrical thermometer. Back in the mid 1990s. That’s very Very cold!!! It was clear sky all night long, allowing all the heat to bleed out into space that helped it get that low. Plus we are in a cooler spot topographically, which is good on a hot summer evening, not so good on the coldest night of the year.

    Happy New Year everyone – I hope it becomes less tense soon!!!

  193. 193.

    Mnemosyne

    @Brachiator:

    One big thing for me is that Finn was totally wasted. He seemed to be back where he started in the first film …

    Without getting into spoilers, I disagree. He starts this film where he left off in TFA — wanting to protect Rey from the First Order. He ends up in a very different place emotionally. I think people misremember his motives and actions from the previous film and that’s why they think he doesn’t have the huge emotional arc that he does.

  194. 194.

    Brachiator

    @Mnemosyne:

    He starts this film where he left off in TFA — wanting to protect Rey from the First Order.

    This in itself is dumb. Finn sees in TFA that Rey can take care of herself. So there is no reason for Finn to be back to worrying about Rey in TLJ.

    He ends up in a very different place emotionally.

    I agree that this resonates with a lot of people. I don’t entirely agree. Finn does absolutely nothing of consequence in this film. I don’t think that Johnson cared about the character or knew what to do with him. I was bored by his pseudo adventures with Rose. And while I liked Rose’s sister, Rose did not work for me as a new main character.

    Finn does get a significant action scene with another horribly underused character who practically shows up out of nowhere, a consistent problem with this film.

    I think people misremember his motives and actions from the previous film and that’s why they think he doesn’t have the huge emotional arc that he does.

    I’m not big on arcs, especially emotional arcs that do not propel the story. Finn wants to find Rey, but this motive ultimately has nothing to do with the pointless crap that Finn does in the film, and ultimately this entire idea is abandoned and has nothing to do with whatever Finn or Rey do in the film.

  196. 196.

    J R in WV

    @Matt McIrvin:

    I liked the many unusual heroes that show up. And Carrie Fisher was great in her last role. Used the force in unusual ways. And the Last Jedi was cool too.

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