Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

A democracy can’t function when people can’t distinguish facts from lies.

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

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

There’s always a light at the end of the frog.

If you still can’t see these things even now, maybe politics isn’t your forte and you should stop writing about it.

This isn’t Democrats spending madly. This is government catching up.

In my day, never was longer.

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

“woke” is the new caravan.

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

I have other things to bitch about but those will have to wait.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

Never forget that he train is barreling down on Trump, even as he dances on the tracks.

You know it’s bad when the Project 2025 people have to create training videos on “How To Be Normal”.

If marriage is the equivalent of selling yourself into slavery, women with self respect should reject the offer.

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

This fight is for everything.

The rest of the comments were smacking Boebert like she was a piñata.

“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.”

Motown is Joe-Town!

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

Fight for a just cause, love your fellow man, live a good life.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Cruel Rejection

Cruel Rejection

by | 69 Comments

This post is in: 

I feel like everyone has the politics stuff covered, so here is a story of cruel rejection. My internet went out and I was bored and my yard is a thick quagmire of mud, so I drove to the big city (population 2600) to pick up some cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes for a nice salad, and on the way home I took the long way home up Rt. 27. As I was driving there, I remembered my dad talking about a family farm on the way that neither of us had been to, so I decided to swing by and check it out.

The name of the place is Family Roots Farm, and they make their own syrup, have pick your own strawberries, and other produce. Got there, and the place was closed. Sigh.

At any rate, there was a beautiful old bloodhound just howling away, and I spent a solid ten minutes trying to pet him. Every time I got close enough, he would jump back and out of reach. I finally decided to give up, because I try to retain some dignity. No pictures because my feels were too hurt. I JUST WANTED TO PET HIM AND RUB HIS EARS A BIT I WAS NOT GOING TO HURT ANYONE.

This was worse than an entire year of match.com rejection.

THE END.

Reader Interactions

69Comments

  2. 2.

    JPL

    I loved this story. In a dogs world we only count if we feed them.. Next time bring treats. Today Finch’s walker came over to help me weed. After 30 minutes he became bored and said can I take Finch for a walk, and of course I said yes. Anyway he returned and said I asked him to sit and he wouldn’t, because I didn’t have treats with me. Moral of the story, bring treats.

  4. 4.

    Frank Wilhoit

    “…worse than an entire year of match.com rejection”, said the voice of direct experience. We defer, we accept. But bloodhounds are really weird; cf. Thurber, J., passim.

    At least you don’t have to deal with semi-feral cats who are perfectly well-behaved in all respects, except they won’t allow any touching. Or, for that matter, the one who doesn’t even have the excuse of semi-ferality, but who has not yet forgiven me for giving her flea drops in the summer of 2015.

  7. 7.

    Schlemazel

    Dogs are really stupid. Many are stupider that average. Assuming they know anything about humans is imposing a rational on them that many never display. I am sorry this stupid dog was afraid of you but you have no idea what hell it has lived through or how bright it is.

    EDIT: You have been trained by dogs you love to assume all dogs are good, kind & have been treated in a way that makes the, crave human contact. That may not be true for all dogs.

    TL;DR, the fault dear Brutus may lay in your stars not in yourself

  8. 8.

    Luthe

    The difference is you were expecting to be rejected on match.com. You thought the bloodhound would yield to the Cole magic and so the rejection stung more.

  9. 9.

    Mnemosyne

    @Frank Wilhoit:

    A friend of mine recommended a course of action with our semi-feral that actually worked: he said we should lay down on the floor on our backs as much as possible until the semi-feral decided that we must be safe if we were willing to expose our bellies that way.

    It worked, and now she lets us pet her and even give her belly rubs. When her majesty is in the mood for it, of course.

  12. 12.

    Raven

    @JPL: It doesn’t matter sometimes. I carry milk bone minis wherever I go and most dogs in the neighborhood know me and get wound up when they see me. Every once in a while I run across a pup who just doesn’t like me, cookie or not.

  13. 13.

    different-church-lady

    @Schlemazel:

    Dogs People are really stupid. Many are stupider that average. Assuming they know anything about humans is imposing a rational on them that many never display.

  14. 14.

    Damned at Random

    You need to signal dogs with their own body language. You can always try play posture – on all fours with your butt in the air. Not especially dignified for a large middle-aged man, but less humiliating than computer dating.

  17. 17.

    MoxieM

    @zhena gogolia: one of the best movies ever. ever!

    I feel the dog-rejection pain, but from the other side: I find myself with a large-ish 9 year old Heinz-57 (Pyr-Lab mix??) from rescue (Newf rescue at that … no Newfie in this girl!) who is decidedly uncertain about other people, and mainly regards other dogs as snacks. After 25+ years behind the leash of giant slobber/affection machines, it’s a new and slightly awkward experience. She’s only about 90 lbs so, small to me, but big to other people–she’s a fuzzy wuzzy, but would look right at home in the mob cap and grandma nightie from Little Red Riding Hood, “What large teeth you have Grandma!”

  19. 19.

    JPL

    @Raven: tongue and cheek. You might not like it , but sometimes it’s just best to ignore what you don’t like.

  21. 21.

    JPL

    @Shell: That would be hilarious. The Cole household with Steve, Rosie, Thurston, bloodhound and the beloved Lily.
    Can you imagine the drool? yuck

  25. 25.

    JPL

    @jeffreyw: I was trying to decide if I wanted to watch Safe on Netflix, or Fences on Prime.
    Instead I think I’ll turn off everything and read.

  26. 26.

    M4

    @JPL:

    sometimes it’s just best to ignore what you don’t like.

    Have you met the internet?

    ETA turning off everything and reading is a good idea

  29. 29.

    Mnemosyne

    @jeffreyw:

    COLORIZED?!?!

    That’s like colorizing Night of the Living Dead. They made it in black and white on purpose, assholes.

  30. 30.

    JPL

    @M4: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness,

  32. 32.

    Shell

    Watched Cargo on Netflix. Good

    Am a fan of Martin Freeman, but dont know if I can handle more zombies.

  33. 33.

    Mary G

    Of course it says right on their website that they’re not open on Mondays. Guess you probably didn’t see that before you went.

  34. 34.

    Schlemazel

    @different-church-lady:
    But we accept that. Somehow people think dogs have some special ability to judge people. They have proven over time that they’re only slightly better than fortune tellers.

  35. 35.

    different-church-lady

    @JPL:

    It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, We live in the dumbest timeline.

  37. 37.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??

    @JPL:
    If we’re doing quotes: here’s one I like:

    The city on the verge of greatness. A new type of city, based not on the man, but on the automobile. The car, symbol of freedom and vitality. Where every man can own his own home and have room to breathe and not be overlooked by his neighbors. A city where a man’s home is his castle. A quarter acre of the dream made possible by the victory. A city of opportunists. A city of dreams where Hollywood will shape the thoughts and desires of the entire planet. A city of pioneers. A city of dreamers. A city of undercurrents, where not everything is as it seems. A twentieth century city that will become a model for the world. A city that has no boundaries, that will stretch as far as the eye can see.

  38. 38.

    MoxieM

    @Raven: Oh, Yah! Proud as can be…never met one of the those dogs, but aren’t they something!

    I did have one guy, Duncan, who would try to “rescue” canoe-ers who jumped out for a swim. He was sure they were in distress… I think the distress was more when they saw 135# of huffing black fur chugging towards them in the water!

  39. 39.

    MomSense

    The office dog didn’t come to work today. He was the only reason I wanted to go to work.

    It may be that my boss is jealous because the puppy just wants to be with me.

  42. 42.

    MomSense

    @MoxieM:

    My first lab used to try to save us when we were practicing wet exits and rolling as new kayakers. He was sooo sweet but it was frustrating.

  44. 44.

    khead

    I spent a solid ten minutes trying to pet him. Every time I got close enough, he would jump back and out of reach. I finally decided to give up, because I try to retain some dignity.

    Uh, Mittens does this to me on a daily basis and he lives in my house.

  46. 46.

    M4

    @??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??: I recently read The Stars My Destination. That had some great quotes. I liked this character introduction:

    Her name was Jisbella McQueen. She was hot-tempered, independent, intelligent, and serving five years of cure in Gouffre Martel for larceny. Jisbella gave Foyle a cheerfully furious account of her revolt against society.

  47. 47.

    Humdog

    Dear John, I cannot believe you are still single. Even with the overalls, you are a CATCH. Why haven’t any of your many lady friends vouched for you and fixed you up? I think internet dating sites self select for a type of person who may not readily cherish you. A smaller pond in which to “fish” is a peril of rural living, I suppose.

  48. 48.

    Sab

    @Mnemosyne: I have been doing Werebear’s slow blinks, plus treats. My semi-feral is friendly to me for the first time in more than a year. Yelling at a cat being an asshole isn’t the same as yelling at a dog being an asshole. The dog figures out she’s being an asshole, and tones down her conduct. The cat gets distressed that she is being yelled at, and ramps up her bad behavior to a new, more unacceptable level.

    Why does she hate my Dad’s totally cool, kind, laid back cat? All the other cats and the dogs love him. She keeps trying to tear his eyes out while he is sleeping.

  49. 49.

    Joyce H

    @Schlemazel:

    Dogs are really stupid.

    Oh, no! If my dog is stupid, then heaven help me, WHAT AM I? Because my dog always remembers an agility course better than I do. We’ve just done obstacle six, and I forget what comes next and am looking around for the seven, and I think Jazzy is running off on me – but no, she’s just going ahead and taking the jump that comes next that she remembers and I don’t.

  50. 50.

    Schlemazel

    @Joyce H:
    There is a lot of empty space up there for them to store stuff like that. You filled it with Algebra, sociology and People Magazines 10 Sexisst men in the world

  52. 52.

    Ohio Mom

    @Humdog: Yes! That is exactly what I was going to say, why hasn’t anyone fixed Cole up yet?

    Don’t any of us commentators know anyone? (I beg off, as a late middle-age suburban stay-at-home mom, there are no 40-ish women in my orbit).

    Maybe we should chip in and offer a prize to whoever successfully matches John up.

  55. 55.

    satby

    @Ohio Mom: I agree, John is a catch. But it’s a tough niche to match: if they aren’t already in West Virginia would someone be willing to move there?

  59. 59.

    Schlemazel

    @Joyce H:
    Oh, YOUR dog may be a genius. But as a group that would make him ot her the exception. It is like when people here whine that we abuse Texas as a state of backwards assholes. It may be unfair to the individual Texan who on rare occasion is a decent human but true for the average. :)

  61. 61.

    MoxieM

    @MomSense: the endless fun of dog scratch marks on your thighs…

    Ima chime in: Dogs are so smart. Smarter, for example, than the dickswab who locked a couple of doggos in his/her dark Honda sedan today in the grocery parking lot, windows not even cracked. (Yup, I called the cops on them. In MA it’s legal to break the windows, but I lacked the means.)

  66. 66.

    Ohio Mom

    @satby: He’s not far from Pittsburgh, which has refashioned itself into a hip happening place (Pittsburgh is where the chemo vet is). But yes, I imagine that WVa is an acquired taste.

  68. 68.

    J R in WV

    Well, I just got a brand new error message from the Balloon Juice system:

    You are submitting comments too quickly. Slow down.

    Say what? I typed a comment in one thread, then typed another in a second thread. Then I submitted the first one, then the second one, which went away after the error message !!!

    How strange.

    Plus, the edit function is so slow the 5 min. edit allowance expires before I can add a period or comma in the right place. YOU HEAR ME!!!!! Listen UP!!

Comments are closed.