We’re finally moving in to the new apartment in Midtown East. Today I went upstate to get Samwise from my friend who’d been taking care of him lo these many months. He’s acclimating very well for a dislocated cat.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled vituperations. I’m going to play Octopath Traveler, probably. Open thread!
zhena gogolia
Haha, he looks relaxed. He’ll love it.
Another Scott
He’s relaxing, but has his eyes open. Smart kitty! ;-)
Glad you’re back together. Thanks for the picture.
Cheers,
Scott.
O. Felix Culpa
Welcome to your new home, Samwise! Glad to see you’re not over-exerting yourself.
waratah
He is home. He knows this. Beautiful cat.
chopper
where y’at in midtown east? please don’t say by trump tower.
laura
Smokey, foggy, velvety pelted Kiki seems content with the reunion. Hope the settling in goes smoothly.
debbie
He actually remembered you? ?
Major Major Major Major
@chopper: closer to the UN.
Mary G
He looks blissful. So glad you are finally reunited.
Sister Golden Bear
Bright lights! Big city! But first we nap.
Congratulations on being reunited with your lord and master.
HinTN
That’s a happy cat.
Eljai
Samwise looks happy to be back in his own bed.
scav
That is one easy-going plot for revenge. I may have a new role model.
chopper
@Major Major Major Major:
that’s better. oy with the lex. ave. line tho.
MomSense
Awww, happy kitty.
Mnemosyne
I’m going to be that paranoid asshole for a minute: for the love of God, if you live above the second or third floor, make sure that you either have extremely sturdy screens on your windows or never leave them more than a few inches open at all. Cats are very poor judges of height and we do not want anything terrible to happen to poor Samwise because he saw a bird perched on the ledge outside.
And if you have any kind of balcony, screen it in for the same reason.
Mnemosyne
@laura:
Ruemara and I were privileged enough to meet (and pet!) Samwise in person while in San Francisco. His fur is just as velvety as it looks. ?
Major Major Major Major
@Mnemosyne: already made sure they have decent screens, and I’ve always closed the windows before I leave… but I’ll make sure to be extra careful!
J R in WV
Awww, so cute, so happy to be with you and all the things you took with you to NYC — So glad you’re together.
Amir Khalid
I’ve got Bianca doing exactly the same thing on my bed right now. I just gave her a kiss, and she licked my face.
Yutsano
KITTEH!!!
I decided to try a new delivery service for dinner tonight and definitely not happy. First they told me two items on my order weren’t available. Then the driver had a bear of a time getting through to me because my caller ID was blocking her calls. THEN they made her wait until my order was done (ignoring any other potential orders she could have had) so i could get my food. It seems like if they had communicated with us earlier in the process it would have worked out better. But such is life I guess.
Fair Economist
Always great to be back with family.
Yarrow
He looks so glad to finally be home. Settling in already.
Emerald
@Yutsano: I did Door Dash today because the Cheesecake Factory is having a free delivery week. It was fast and pretty much perfect, as well as really tasty!
Wheee!
Scritches to Samwise!
NotMax
Just ran through Life is Strange 2, episode 2 which was released on Friday night. All too quickly. Awesome story thus far.
different-church-lady
[drums fingers]
Hm.
What is one supposed to do with the knowledge that one has been internally blaming another for one’s own frustrations?
NotMax
@different-church-lady
Same as with 99.7342% of life: suck it up and trundle forward.
;)
different-church-lady
@Mnemosyne: It’s not really paranoid.
I still remember living inside the mansard roof of a three-story in the city, and minding a friend’s cat. I went into the bathroom and discovered a cat staring at me through the window screen, and thought, “Wow, that cat looks just like the one I’m mind… uh…”
I had left one of the front window screens open a few inches, and the little darling had squeezed out, found his way down to the gutters and walked all the way around to the back of the house — a good 30 feet above the street the whole time.
different-church-lady
@NotMax: Well, uh… the details kind of count when undertaking that sort of locomotion, no?
Mnemosyne
@Major Major Major Major:
I was pretty sure that you would already know to be careful, but you’d be surprised how many people don’t know that cats are poor judges of height and don’t take the precautions they should in a high-rise apartment.
I went on a big craft shopping spree today and had to ice my knee afterwards, but I couldn’t help myself — the shopping center I was at turned out to have every one of my favorite stores within easy walking distance of each other. I swear to god I think heavenly music played when I turned the corner and discovered that there was a Daiso right next to the Trader Joe’s. ?
Yutsano
@Emerald: I actually did use Door Dash for the first time and it was a mess of incommunication from the start. I’m not blaming the drivers at all, but between the restaurant having bad food prep strategies and the lack of communication from HQ to both myself and the drivers, it was a nightmare.
The worst part is the restaurant was out of spanakopita. Would be livid but the hangry is starting to settle.
JAFD
Welcome to New York, Samwise – and you too, Major x4. Hope too be seeing you soon.
Emma
@different-church-lady: Depends on how vocal you were. Was the dialogue internal or external?
Mnemosyne
@different-church-lady:
It depends — have you behaved towards that person in a way that you now think you need to apologize for, or did you keep it all internal?
If you kept it all internal, or if the person is no longer in your life and won’t be coming back, it’s a matter of re-writing your internal story without blaming yourself too harshly (i.e. therapy).
If you feel like you need to make amends to the person, discuss it with a professional therapist first to come up with a strategy.
True story: I once managed to convince myself that my best friend hated me and lost at least two nights of sleep freaking out about it. When I finally got my apology speech together and called her, she had no idea what I was talking about. She was just busy with her job and two kids, and reassured me that she wasn’t mad at all.
Yeah, I went back to therapy after that. I think I was still working for the most toxic manager of my entire career at the time, which of course triggered the entire episode.
different-church-lady
@Emma: Oh, entirely internal. But these things have a way of leaking out into the kinds of vibes one puts into the world, no?
So, I guess my inquiry is about two things: what am I supposed to do with knowing I’ve been mis-channeling my frustrations, and… well, the second part isn’t really a question: I need to look at things with the newfound awareness and see if I’ve been wounding the other person tacitly and unknowingly.
khead
Samwise is one handsome kitteh.
Steve Martin cameo as Roger Stone in the SNL cold open.
Luciamia
Did Steve Martin say “fuck” on live tv or am I just tired?
JAFD
BTW, Major, the NY Military Affairs Symposium – nymas.org – is meeting Friday evening in your neighborhood (?). Not sure if I’ll be there – depends on weather and my energy level – but thot you might want to know
debbie
@Luciamia:
That he did!
Steeplejack
@Luciamia, @debbie:
When you’re in the Five-Timers Club they let you do that!
Yarrow
@different-church-lady: Do the work to figure out why you were doing that. Perhaps an issue you’re struggling with yourself?
debbie
@different-church-lady:
Apologize internally.
Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho
@NotMax: As for that 99.7342%, what about when you just get to g*ddamned tired for the trundling forward, no matter how much you suck it up?
Mnemosyne
Since it’s quiet here tonight, I’m going to bring up two subjects that only a small number of people here are interested in: knitting and The Show That Must Not Be Named.
There’s a local company here in So Cal called Slipped Stitch Studios that makes knitting bags and knitting accessories from limited-edition fabrics, and the Bag of the Month is, yes, a Hamilton fan pattern. I pre-ordered mine as soon as they sent out the notice, but they make extra bags in addition to the pre-orders and sell them on their site:
https://www.slippedstitchstudios.com/collections/limited-edition-project-bags
I’ve been buying bags from this company for over 10 years back when the owner was still sewing them to order in her garage. They’re great quality bags hand-sewn in California and I highly recommend both the product and the company. And, yes, all of the bags and accessories are suitable for crochet, too!
NotMax
BTW M⁴, meant to recommend a couple of interesting restaurants.
First, El Parador. Not horrendously pricey; haven’t been for quite a while but it couldn’t have changed that much. Tip: give your eyes time to adjust, it’s so dark inside you are urged to follow the red LED on the maître d’s lapel. Mildly out of the way – on 34th about halfway between 1st Avenue and the river, north side of street, downstairs from street level.
Second, both bathed in history and upscale, Keen’s Steakhouse. Reduced prices and more limited menu, but still substantial, for dining at the bar bistro area rather than the linen and silver main room.
Third, for a selection of traditional British inspired food plus a huge selection of beers, The Shakespeare. Sidewalk entrance downstairs under the entrance to the Hotel William.
Fourth, If in the mood for good Italian with HUGE portions at reasonable prices, found Carmine’s just off Times Square to be tasty and the service is lightning fast. Already have the cap of 3 links, so will try using text:
www.carminesnyc.com/locations/times-square
. Food every bit as good and comparable to old school favorite Tony’s, also off Times Square, but FAR less noisy. The crowd noise at Tony’s was nearly overwhelming last time dined there.Another Scott
Cathy Anne Vanderbilt (Cecily Strong) was genius on Weekend Update on SNL.
Cheers,
Scott.
smintheus
Frank Bruni is trying to convince us that only a “corporate friendly” Dem can defeat Trump. Quite a lot of myth making here about Gina Raimondo – he even portrays Raimondo’s re-election with 52% of the vote (in RI!!!!!) as a demonstration of her huge support among voters – but this nonsense really took the cake:
In RI Gina “fixed” it by stealing the pensions of working people. Oddly, the fact that Raimondo gambled big on Wall St. hedge funds against all sound advice, lost half a billion of public pension money, and then balanced the books by just taking those pensions away, didn’t merit mention in Bruni’s piece.
NotMax
@Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho
Best two options:
1) Naps. Lots of naps. Repeat as necessary.
2) Intensely focus on the other .2658%.
:)
Major Major Major Major
@NotMax: Thanks! I actually ate at Carmine’s a couple months ago, very good.
Emma
@different-church-lady: That’s the hardest part, isn’t it? You have to face yourself before you can figure out what to do about the other person. Strip all illusions away. Hurts like hell, as I know all too well, having screwed up more than once.
Part of it, though, is to figure out if the person is aware. If (s)he isn’t, well, letting sleeping dogs lie is sometimes the best thing. But too often they know. Then it’s time to come completely clean and take your lumps. Who knows? Sometimes the relationship can actually grow stronger after the storm has passed.
Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho
@NotMax: Good advice; thanks. Naps should be frequent and of long duration. When I described the nap I wanted for Xmas after a grueling week at work, a youngster in the office said “that’s not a nap – you want a coma.” Some day he may come to understand the appael of a coma. ;-)
Major Major Major Major
I also took this great picture of Samwise earlier today upstate
The Dangerman
@debbie:
Nope.
Mnemosyne
@smintheus:
It’s going to be a weird runup to 2020 as the Twitter leftists try to convince us that Kamala Harris and Kirsten Gillibrand are “Corporate Democrats” while the MSM insists that they’re wild-eyed socialists who aren’t corporate enough.
Yarrow
@Major Major Major Major: Oh! He’s adorable! Love his bow.
Yarrow
@smintheus: About the only positive I can see with Raimondo is that she’s a Governor. We seem to be short of them for this election and they do bring a different view on things since they’ve run a state. We’ve got Senators galore, a House member, and a former Mayor/cabinet member, but I don’t think any Governors are in the race.
Mnemosyne
@different-church-lady:
Mischanneling your frustrations makes you human. The important question is, where should those frustrations be channeled instead? Pro-tip: the answer to that question should never be to channel them at yourself. Either channel them to the right person/institution, or channel them into productive work that will relieve the frustrating situation.
Full disclosure: I am neither a psychiatrist nor a psychologist, but I do believe in the power of discussing these kinds of issues with a trained professional who can help you figure out how to channel your frustration in a way that improves your life.
CapnMubbers
@Major Major Major Major: Is great picture. I never tire of that bow tie—it’s holding up well!
Fair Economist
@Mnemosyne:
Sounds just like with Hillary in 2016.
NotMax
Mindless channel surfing while waiting for some split pea soup to reheat. Noticed Young Man with a Horn is on TCM.
Years ago, when that stuff came in doorstop sized printed book form, looked through the teeny tine type in one of Leonard Maltin’s movies and older eyes misread the title as Young Man with a Ham, a movie I still would like to see.
The Dangerman
@Mnemosyne:
2020? Gotta get through 2019 first. See the political porn going around the RWNJosphere that Trump will do an “Andrew Jackson“? Readers digest version, Trump will declare a national emergency, he will lose in the Congress and/or in the Courts, and he will simply ignore them.
Yeah. THAT’S gonna happen.
Major Major Major Major
@The Dangerman:
First debate is in June, as I recall.
prostratedragon
“Cash and Carry,” The Thomas Crown Affair
Bells so smooth you don’t realize they’re tolling for you.
Thanks for the music, Mr. Legrand
JaySinWA
@The Dangerman:
I could see that actually happening. OTOH I can’t see the congress or the courts ignoring him back.
Emerald
@Yutsano: Yeah, it really depends on the restaurant. I’ve had them mess up my order nearly a third of the time, although not recently. They’ll forget a major ingredient, they’ll leave out the salad dressing (I’ve got my own so that’s not fatal). Cheesecake factory is pretty good. Islands has messed up a lot. Chinese place is good; Romano’s Macaroni Grill has been good.
But it’s a gamble. Usually the drivers are fine, although I did get a bad one once–told me the app sent him to the wrong Italian restaurant–ridiculous. He was just dawdling–and my food was barely lukewarm.
The convenience is great though, and I think the service will improve over time or they’ll go out of business.
smintheus
@Yarrow: I see that you’re not familiar with RI. It’s not a state in the normal sense of the word; more of a failed traffic calming experiment. (In Providence they routinely do triple parking.)
The Dangerman
@JaySinWA:
Since Presidents can’t be indicted, can they be thrown in the slammer for Contempt of Court?
rikyrah
@Mnemosyne:
Please show us a picture of the finished product??
rikyrah
Samwise looks so cute???
JaySinWA
@The Dangerman: The concept that a president can not be indicted is a legal theory that is untested. We do have an example of a president who was arrested for speeding. https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2018/12/16/police-officer-who-arrested-president/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.2f24cf35efcb
Then again ignoring a president who is totally off the rails might be best practice for the country if the congress fails to act in the countries interest.
JaySinWA
@The Dangerman: In answer to the “in the slammer for contempt” IDK, but Clinton was fined and gave up his law licence temporarily to settle his contempt finding. https://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/contempt+of+court
CaseyL
@Major Major Major Major: Is that a photo of Samwise seeing you for the first time in weeks? He looks…astonished.
randy khan
It’s good to see that Samwise has come up with an effective strategy for coping with the trauma.
RedDirtGirl
Ima jump in here and say
NYC Gathering.
February.
Is helen(still)ineire?
opiejeanne
Aw, the sweet kitty. I’m sure he’s glad to be back with His People.
ruemara
@RedDirtGirl: She is either already returned or will be returning soon. She posted recently that she’d had her farewell gathering before leaving, so I’m at 95% sure she’s back in NYC.
opiejeanne
@Yutsano: Didn’t you have a BJ meeting this evening? Or is that second supper, like hobbits’ second breakfast?
Spanky
Weird thing. I just woke up way early with Samwise on my mind, imagining him being real leery of yet another move. Decided to see if bj had anything.
Why be thinking of him and not one of our 5 I’ll never know. Sam has strong powers!
opiejeanne
@smintheus: OMG! That sounds like what happened in Orange County, California. They lost $1.5 billion in 1994 and the county declared bankruptcy.
RedDirtGirl
@ruemara: Thanks for the update. Will mention the idea NYC gathering in a morning thread above.
rikyrah
@Major Major Major Major:
Oh, absolutely adorable ???
Ken
@The Dangerman:
Does anyone know if one of the things we inherited from English common law was the concept of “outlaw”? It used to be that the government could declare someone was no longer under the protection of the law, leaving everyone free to do, well, anything to that person or their possessions. I’m willing to extend the concept to people who say “the law doesn’t apply to me”.
satby
@Major Major Major Major: hooray for handsome Samwise returning to you!
DianeB
@Major Major Major Major:
Delurking to say welcome to the neighborhood! I work a block over from the 4/5/6 at 42nd St and live a few blocks south, so I’m a bus person these days but I feel your pain.
WaterGirl
@satby: Are you getting settle back in? Or still discombobulated?
Sab
@Mnemosyne: What are you doing to your handbags that you have had so many?I have had three in the last 15 years. (Thanks for your post because I am due for a fourth/another.)
Sab
M4 it brought tears to my eyes that Samwise is finally home. Does he want a matching sister?
Manyakitty
Yay! Happy reunion!
No One You Know
@different-church-lady:
I’ve been there. I acknowledged the leaks, and was ashamed to find out the other person had “felt” them. Confession was good for the relationship, as the other person didn’t want to hold me accountable, so I had to do it myself. The other thing…I was shocked to be forgiven. We rely on each other’s generosity, and it’s often more available than we think.
Mnemosyne
@Sab:
That’s a knitting project bag, not a handbag. It has slots for your needles, loops to feed your yarn through as you knit so it doesn’t get tangled, etc.
But I also have a lot of handbags because I like variety. I change which bag I carry at least once a week, and sometimes more often. And that doesn’t include special occasion bags, bicycling bags, computer bags, etc.