Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

After roe, women are no longer free.

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

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

This blog will pay for itself.

I like you, you’re my kind of trouble.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

The most dangerous place for a black man in America is in a white man’s imagination.

I wonder if trump will be tried as an adult.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

I’m pretty sure there’s only one Jack Smith.

They’re not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

Don’t expect peaches from an apple tree.

I know this must be bad for Joe Biden, I just don’t know how.

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

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

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

In my day, never was longer.

American History and Black History Cannot Be Separated

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

Today’s GOP: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

You are here: Home / Open Threads / I Had A Day

I Had A Day

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I had a long and weird day. Objectively, it went pretty well for me. There was a barely-avoided panic attack in the middle, though. That kind of colored my opinion of this whole getting-out-of-bed scheme.

Anyway, I had a meeting in an office where this was on the desk:

Take a closer look: It seems that somebody ran a circuit board through the Google nightmare-generating AI, with ‘dog’ turned up to 11.  I couldn’t stop staring at it.

It is also an approximate representation of my mind this evening, after the day that I had. Hopefully your day went better! Open thread, because we are due for one.

UPDATE: I made one of a Samwise picture for you all:

Reader Interactions

108Comments

  1. 1.

    dmsilev

    That graphic makes one want to go back in time and kill the inventors of Photoshop before they unleashed their unholy terror upon the world.

  3. 3.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    He apparently said this to Lindsey Graham….

    Eliana Johnson @ elianayjohnson
    Trump is berating Sessions to “any Senator who will listen.” Hates his Southern accent, says he “talks like he has marbles in his mouth” —

    though I noticed way back when he was an impeachment manager, Lindsey’s accent comes and goes according to the schtick he’s working

  7. 7.

    Ohio Mom

    I can tell summer is ending: I’ve seen a couple of monarchs flying south; the annual cicadas are buzzing, buzzing, buzzing; the birds are quieter in the mornings (I guess they’re all talked out by this time of year); the crickets are chirping; the sun is setting earlier.

    I wish I could enjoy all this for what it is but I hate, hate, hate winter. I don’t like being reminded I’m going to have to endure another one.

  9. 9.

    NotMax

    @NotMax

    One more item that’s been awaiting a less weighty thread.

    13 years? Court threw the (cook)book at him.

    A Los Angeles man who consistently dined and dashed while on dates faces up to 13 years in prison.
    [snip]
    Dubbed the “dine-and-dash dater,” Gonzales is alleged to have repeatedly gone out for drinks and dinner with women, and mysteriously disappeared just before the bill arrived leaving the women to pay. Prosecutors say that he defrauded women of more than US $950. Source

  20. 20.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Steve in the ATL: It’s Sessions that the President says has marbles in his mouth. Which is funny because that isn’t the type of southern accent that Sessions has. Sessions has the effeminate, southern male who might be straight or might not be southern accent.

  22. 22.

    Major Major Major Major

    @SiubhanDuinne: It’s actually an interesting process. They train a neural network to identify something (e.g. dogs), then point it at a non-dog image and tell it to “enhance the parts that look like dogs.” You do that enough times, and you get a picture where everything is distorted to sort of look like a crazy person’s concept of a hallucinated dog.

  24. 24.

    danielx

    @dmsilev:

    …perhaps The Apprentice might have had some elements of fiction to it.

    …as with virtually every part of Trump’s hagiography. His entire schtick is based on selling himself as a – no, the dealmaker supreme. His dealmaking abilities are abysmal, unless you count his seeming impunity to the consequences of using other people’s money and not paying it back.

  26. 26.

    Jay

    @Ohio Mom:

    I love winter. The key is to stay active. There’s nothing better than snowshoeing around seeing the “stories in the snow”, sitting around a bonfire with friends, showing kids how to do really stupid stuff on a toboggan. Somedays, after a windstorm, the lake is clear of snow, and turns into a massive skating rink. When the snow is only a few inches deep, I love taking my iceboat down to the lake and showing the snowmobilers how slot effect on a couple of small sails results in 70mph.

  28. 28.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Adam L Silverman: which, some might say, makes it odd that Lindsey Graham is his new Senate BFF. He’s also ragging on Sessions for not having a better academic pedigree

    If Sessions’ recusal was his original sin, Trump has come to resent him for other reasons, griping to aides and lawmakers that the attorney general doesn’t have the Ivy League pedigree the president prefers, that he can’t stand his Southern accent and that Sessions isn’t a capable defender of the president on television — in part because he “talks like he has marbles in his mouth,” the president has told aides.

    Lindsey went to South Carolina state schools, per wiki.

  32. 32.

    CaseyL

    @Major Major Major Major: I kinda like the AI dreamscape stuff. They hit my brain in a funny way, like a little electrical shock.

    Reminds me of a series of paintings I saw in a window – lordy, it must be at least 40 years ago – five or six paintings of a cat, taken by an artist who was schizophrenic, as a wave of madness hit him. The first cat looked just fine. The next looked spikier around the fur and the background wasn’t quite right, but it was still recognizably a cat. Each painting was a few degrees more distorted than the last – near the end, it looked like a Van Gough, if Van Gough had done some bad acid.

  35. 35.

    NotMax

    @Major Major Major Major

    Old (probably apocryphal) anecdote.

    The time: the early 1960s.
    The place: lab where the first demonstration of a revolutionary English-Russian computer translation program is being held.

    Head computer honcho asks for a volunteer to provide a test phrase. Prominent military person raises hand and suggests “out of sight, out of mind.”

    Punch tapes are punched appropriately and fed into the machine.

    “We’ll now let the computer translate it back and forth between languages over a dozen times in practically the blink of an eye! Ending in English,” exclaims the chief engineer.

    Lights flash impressively on the computer panels, typewriter attached to the computer comes to life and types out “invisible idiot.”

  38. 38.

    gene108

    @Ohio Mom:

    Same here. I dread the days after the summer solstice, because it just means the days are getting shorter and winter is coming.

  40. 40.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @Major Major Major Major: OK, the lady doth protest too much… I’m actually just on Tramadol and Tylenol, with an occasional seasoning of Celebrex and CBD pills.

    @Adam L Silverman: I’m OK. Months 2 and 3 are the hardest, since the nerves have woken up, and the scar contracture begins in earnest.

    The good news is that I heal quickly, but that’s not necessarily ideal for this particular surgery, since my body is trying to close what it thinks is a giant puncture wound. Hence the need to dilate 3x/day, and if it gets difficult, then you need to do it more frequently. Since each session takes at least an hour, it does shoot a good part of the day.

    Things are supposed get much easier starting in month 4, although I’ll still need to dilate 2x/day for another three months, and then daily through months 7 and 12. Meanwhile I just embrace the suck.

    (The way my surgeon does genital reassignment surgery is completely different than how it’s usually done in the States, and Dr. Suporn is very upfront that the recovery is twice as hard and twice as long. However, to me, the superior results are worth it — I’ve heard of GYNs who didn’t realize it was an after-market installation until they did the interior exam.)

  47. 47.

    Jay

    OSCE SMM Ukraine
    @OSCE_SMM
    As observed by
    #OSCE
    SMM, EECP in govt-ctrl Novotroitske is temporarily closed as mines in the area started detonating due to wildfires

  49. 49.

    dww44

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist @Adam L Silverman: I’ve come to have a grudging respect for Sessions because of the unrelenting abuse he’s taken from Trump. He obviously very much wanted to be Attorney General and at this point he’s serving a greater good than himself. I believe he knows that. Plus as a lifelong Southerner I know his upbringing and his culture, albeit I do not agree with his politics.

    Perhaps he took the bit of respect that I used to have for Lindsay Graham. That was all the half-hearted respect I had to share.

  51. 51.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Sister Golden Bear: A “I’m a bit sore and uncomfortable, but doing well” would have sufficed.//

    Glad to hear things are going according to your plan and that of your doctor’s. We’ve been keep good thoughts for things to go as easily as possible for you.

  53. 53.

    Jay

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    These arn’t WWII minefields, but newly installed fields on the border with Russia.

    In Germany they can’t even fight the wildfires with ground crews because it’s setting off WWII UXO.

    At least our fire crews don’t have those problems.

  55. 55.

    Tazj

    @Ohio Mom: I’ve seen more monarchs lately and silly me didn’t even consider the fact that they were migrating now. One spring I was fortunate enough to see about 100 monarchs on my flowering pear tree.
    Yes, we’re getting closer to winter, which I don’t particularly love myself. I love fall like most people,but by the middle of January I’m done with winter.

  58. 58.

    Mnemosyne

    I go in for my knee surgery at 8:30 am on Friday. It turns out that someone at one of G’s two jobs also had a revision of a previous ACL repair and said that the actual surgery will probably take about 45 minutes, but the pre-op and post-op take way longer. This same person also has a very bad reaction to opiates and has started claiming to be allergic because the side effects are so bad. I think it’s too late now for me to try and claim that, though.

  59. 59.

    Mnemosyne

    @Sister Golden Bear:

    I came up with a new metaphor for our respective surgeries! I feel like you remodeled your house back to the studs (heh, studs) and I’m complaining that my refrigerator broke and I have to get a new one.

    But one of my friends at work reminded me that there’s an emotional difference between an involuntary post-accident surgery and elective surgery, so that made me feel a little less whiny.

  63. 63.

    piratedan

    not wanting to engage in topper or the like, my day was filled with stress and vet visits and worry today as our little monster dog Mochi (Shiba Inu-American Eskimo mix) got tagged by a rattlesnake that had/has somehow taken up residence in my front courtyard…. many hours and a dose of anti-venom later, our young canine is home, swollen and subdued, but thankfully home and recovering… and here I am rambling, too tired to sleep, going through my second adrenaline crash of the day it seems….

  65. 65.

    Mary G

    @Mnemosyne: All my surgeries went spectacularly well and improved my quality of life immeasurably, but I still dread the ones I need now. There’s something primal in me that fears letting someone cut into me on purpose, so I know how you feel.

    @Sister Golden Bear: I find the details of your procedure and recovery fascinating, so don’t let Adam’s squeamishness shut you up!

  66. 66.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @Mnemosyne:

    But one of my friends at work reminded me that there’s an emotional difference between an involuntary post-accident surgery and elective surgery, so that made me feel a little less whiny.

    Absolutely! I ruptured my quad tendon years ago and had to have surgery to repaired, so I totally get that difference.

    The recovery from this and my prior surgeries aren’t/weren’t fun, but I had signed up for them.

    BTW, you should at least talk to the doctors about your previous bad reactions. They might be able to come up with some alternatives — after my facial surgery, the surgeon in Buenos Aires gave me a high-powered prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, that was effective as a painkiller (it provides analgesia at the opioid level). It’s not as commonly used in the States because it’s hard on the body, so it can only be used for five days. And/or they might prescribe some anti-nausea drugs that might provide some relief. Won’t know unless you ask.

  68. 68.

    Jay

    @Sister Golden Bear:

    In the mid 90’s, a well liked Senior Manager took a year long medical leave from the Company.

    2 months before “he” came back, HR started a whole bunch of manditory sessions for all employee’s, explaining the whole Canadian process, and how to react when she returned.

    It went very well.

  69. 69.

    piratedan

    @Amir Khalid: the vets seems to think so, he’s young, in good health and we got him in for treatment quickly, but all the same, just like with your human kids, your worry, fret and cry…

  75. 75.

    Mnemosyne

    @Mary G:

    Anesthesia freaks me out, and I always worry I won’t wake up afterwards. Of course, as both G and I have said, if that’s what happens, it will be his worst day, not mine, since I’ll sleep through the whole thing.

    @Sister Golden Bear:

    I have told the doctor and nurses pretty vehemently about my previous bad reactions, so hopefully they’re taking me seriously and aren’t just blowing me off because I’m a boring middle-aged woman who’s being hysterical.? Apparently the issue is that my body processes opiates very quickly, so I go into withdrawal almost immediately and end up constantly playing catch-up. I’m probably going to try the alarm trick to keep up with it.

  77. 77.

    frosty

    @Ohio Mom:

    I wish I could enjoy all this for what it is but I hate, hate, hate winter. I don’t like being reminded I’m going to have to endure another one.

    It’s definitely late summer light, critter noises, and this week, heat and humidity. My company has let me take leave without pay to bail south in February. I sign a paper saying I understand my job might not be there when I get back. Boss sez “Don’t sweat it.” Wife (retired) sez “That would be great!!”

  78. 78.

    John Revolta

    @Major Major Major Major: I just did some reading and it turns out the schizophrenia angle was concocted after the fact………………..after Wain’s death a doctor took some of his paintings and arranged them in a fake “sequence” to show his “mental deterioration”.
    Wain had some issues, possibly Asperger’s, but it wasn’t as bad as it was made to look.

  81. 81.

    Jay

    @Sister Golden Bear:

    We “suffered” through the “tech crunch” of the late ’80’s. Basically YVR went from 10 “tech” companies to 400 in about 3 years.

    There simply wasn’t the qualified workforce, so sucessful “tech companies” went overboard to hire, train and keep staff and it was very diverse. I went, along with half the Company, to my first Pride Parade, because a bunch of our guys and girls were on the floats. There was a core of employee’s that became “family”. Weddings, funerals, parties, housewarmings. Best working experience of my life. When Mo’s mother made him roti for lunch, she sent him to work with roti for me, and would phone me in the morning at work, so he couldn’t get away with eating them all. ( I helped them get a house). First handfasting, first Hindi wedding, first Newfie Houseparty, first raves, first Gay Weddings,

  82. 82.

    Fair Economist

    @Mnemosyne: If you are expecting bad reactions to opiates, you can say so and the doctors will probably accommodate you. They don’t want people barfing in the recovery room.

  83. 83.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @Mnemosyne: The other thing you might do, is ask for lower dosage pills in higher amounts, if that’s possible.

    I talked this over with my nurse practitioner to allow myself more flexible in dosing. Right now I’m at the max, which per the prescription is two tablets every six hours. But in reality, I’m actually taking one tablet every three hours, so that the doses are staggered.

    In my case, I was previously taking one tablet every four hours, but the problem was that the pain relief not-so-gradually stopped after hour 3. So this way, with the staggered doses, it never fully wears off. (And later on I can experiment with going back to one every four hours, and then scaling back to one every six hours.) So that might help prevent withdrawal. Worse case, if you get a pill cutter, you could do this unofficially. The one catch is that the first time you take a “half dose” can be a bit painful until you are able to take the remaining half.

  86. 86.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @Major Major Major Major: Oh definitely!

    Has to be tablets, not capsules, and won’t work for anything that’s marked as “long acting” since it’s the coating that causes it to dissolve over time.

    Or why it’s worth discussing with your doctor and see if they’ll write the prescription for half the strength, but twice the amount (if that’s doable). I.e. two pills at 50mg every timePeriod rather than one pill at 100mg every timePeriod.

  91. 91.

    sukabi

    @Mnemosyne: good luck with your surgery. Opioids are horrible for stopping / slowing your bowels. You’ll definitely want to follow orders for stool softeners, plenty of water and lots of fruits and veggies to keep you moving.

    That was the worst of it for me…couldn’t wait to stop taking them.?

  92. 92.

    Mel

    @Major Major Major Major: Oh, no! Handsome Samwise looks slightly aardvarkian in his altered state. Photos of his usual dapper self needed, for a kitty sanity break stat!

    It was indeed a strange, unsettled day yesterday.

  94. 94.

    Jay

    @Sister Golden Bear:

    I’m glad that despite the pain and the social “costs”, you have taken the choice to “be you”,

    And that the Jackal’s have offered you support.

    Love you.

  95. 95.

    MomSense

    @Jay:

    The last couple of winters I haven’t been able to do much snowshoeing because we had so much ice. We kept getting storms with huge snowfall only to have it switch to freezing rain at the end. I miss snow.

    M4 sorry you had a weird, sort of bad day. Please don’t turn Samwise into a turtle with an aardvark nose again. He’s too handsome for that.

  97. 97.

    satby

    @Mnemosyne: I am allergic to opiates and they ignored me the last time I had surgery, so I woke up hooked up to the IV morphine drip. And the doctors had also written an order for some sort of injectable Benadryl for when I reacted. Which was nuts, so as soon as I realized the IV was in I pulled it out and refused to let them put it back in. That was almost 15 years ago, they’re more cognizant about opiate allergy now.

  100. 100.

    evodevo

    @Ohio Mom: I agree wholeheartedly. I am looking at the woodshed, trying to psych myself up to start cleaning it up for ….woodcutting season ….NOOOOOOO!!!

  101. 101.

    evodevo

    @piratedan: Dogs are naturally resistant to rattlesnake venom, and often recover without ill effects. That said, it depends on the brand of snake, the part of the body bitten, the size of the dog (larger dogs are very resistant), etc. Deer and pack rats are also resistant. Has to do with having the proper liver enzymes to deactivate the venom, which humans DON’T have.

  104. 104.

    Miss Bianca

    @piratedan: oh, no! Glad that the anti-venom helped! I had one of those scares with Luna a few weeks ago – no bites, fortunately, but not for lack of trying on her part – standing there yipping at the creature when she is supposed to be giving it a wide berth because expensive *avoidance training*, hello!

  108. 108.

    Julia Grey

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Lindsey went to South Carolina state schools, per wiki.

    What you have to understand about South Carolina is that for the purpose of political attractiveness, a degree from Clemson or USC is a BETTER degree than one from those suspect Northern schools like Harvard or Yale.

    (And actually Clemson and USC are pretty damn good educational institutions. One of those paradoxical things about South Carolina, where you’d expect everything to always be a a tad-bit behind the curve. When it comes to things that serve the ELITE here, the cream is skimmed and handed to them in a gold-rimmed dish.)

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