Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Reality always gets a vote in the end.

Republicans: The threats are dire, but my tickets are non-refundable!

Stop using mental illness to avoid talking about armed white supremacy.

Be a wild strawberry.

The media handbook says “controversial” is the most negative description that can be used for a Republican.

’Where will you hide, Roberts, the laws all being flat?’

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

So fucking stupid, and still doing a tremendous amount of damage.

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

If you thought you’d already seen people saying the stupidest things possible on the internet, prepare yourselves.

All hail the time of the bunny!

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

Oppose, oppose, oppose. do not congratulate. this is not business as usual.

An almost top 10,000 blog!

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

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

Petty moves from a petty man.

75% of people clapping liked the show!

“Facilitate” is an active verb, not a weasel word.

The way to stop violence is to stop manufacturing the hatred that fuels it.

I might just take the rest of the day off and do even more nothing than usual.

Anne Laurie is a fucking hero in so many ways. ~ Betty Cracker

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Tuesday Morning Open Thread: Happy Year of the Pig!

Tuesday Morning Open Thread: Happy Year of the Pig!

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Obvious jokes aside, Pig years are supposed to be prosperous — good for getting one’s house in order, taking care of those nagging health issues, and wrapping up old business before making a fresh start. Pretty safe goals! It’s predicted to be a good year for Sheep/Goats like me (and Rabbits/Cats like the Spousal Unit) so I’m going to greet the Spring Festival with a positive attitude… while it lasts.

Reader Interactions

174Comments

  11. 11.

    R-Jud

    I’m also a sheep/goat, specifically an Earth Goat, which sounds like something one would summon to do violence to one’s enemies.

  13. 13.

    Baud

    @Jay:

    Can’t say I blame you.

    I don’t get to vote in the US, so no Baud 2020

    You can still spread lies about my opponents on the internet.

  15. 15.

    Jay

    @JPL:

    CBC has pulled most Needy Amin coverage. The voice and video is too “triggering” for most of the audience, so instead we get soothing Canadian voices summing up the insanity.

  17. 17.

    geg6

    I am a dog, so supposedly a better year for me than last. Good to know because last year was a shitshow.

    What is Trump? Any signs of a shitshow year for him perhaps?

  19. 19.

    Sab

    My jacy prints arrived yesterday. Absolutely met my expectations and more. Now to get them framed and up on the walls.

  20. 20.

    Kay

    Maggie Haberman
    ‏Verified account
    @maggieNYT
    Follow Follow @maggieNYT
    More
    Important WaPo story on the fight that matters as much as the legal one – the fight with Senate Rs over Trump’s likely national emergency declaration. One source tells me there are btwn 4 and 6 GOP senators ready to say no to it, as well as a # of House Rs

    Unnamed source says there are “btwn 4 and 6” unnamed senators who will theoretically oppose Trump on something, as well as a number of secret dissenters in the House.

    In case any of you were under the impression that congressional Republicans were completely irrelevant, they’re not. Any day now it’s possible that they could take action. They’ve taken this first step- releasing their plan of action. Next session they may even gather the courage to put their names on it.

  25. 25.

    OzarkHillbilly

    British Library’s collection of obscene writing goes online

    The collection dates back to 1658, with the book Rare Verities: the Cabinet of Venus Unlocked and Her Secrets Laid Open – the double entendre very much intended, according to Smith. It also features 40 copies of John Cleland’s 18th-century novel Fanny Hill or Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure, which is considered to be the first pronto graphic novel written in the English language; an account of the sexual exploits of a gentleman named Walter in Victorian England, My Secret Life; and Memoirs of Dolly Morton, an 1899 novel about the erotic adventures of a Quaker woman in the American south before the civil war.

    Teleny or The Reverse of the Medal, which is part of the collection, tells of the tragic relationship between a young Frenchman and a Hungarian pianist. Authorship of the novel has been attributed to Oscar Wilde and members of his circle in the late 19th century. “Nowadays we are more used to erotica, and fiction in general, including gay characters and storylines, but in the past this was pretty shocking,” said Smith. “Teleny is one of the earliest works of male gay erotic fiction in English and it was particularly shocking at the time.”
    …………………………………..
    “All of these works are pretty much written by men, for men. It’s to be expected, but looking back, that’s what is shocking, how male-dominated it is, the lack of female agency,” said Smith.

  29. 29.

    Kay

    @Jay:

    The emergency declaration really is a huge power grab. It makes congress completely irrelevant. They’re insane if they go along with it. But they don’t seem to care about retaining any congressional role, so they’ll all fold.

    They have so much legitimate constitutional power, yet they’re so cowardly they’re reduced to planting veiled threats to stop him. They could just stop him. Completely lawfully and properly, under their own power. Trump probably sees it as weak, and he wouldn’t be wrong about that.

    Pelosi stopped him by stopping him- by taking the perfectly legitimate power and process she has and using it. He won’t fuck with her again.

  30. 30.

    Jay

    @Baud:

    Sorry, already on the Soro’s plan.

    Passed on the Cartel plan, because all they offered was recreational drugs, but Canada.

    Putin offers tea, but I’m a coffee guy.

  31. 31.

    Immanentize

    @Kay:
    I just like the fact that Maggie has to report on what the Washington Post scoops her on almost every week

    Then she adds her own innanities to appear relevant.

  33. 33.

    Immanentize

    The NYTimes could report on whether Pence is feeling heat from the new inauguration committee subpoenas from the NY US Attorney. He was the head of that group.

  34. 34.

    Betty Cracker

    @Kay: What do you suppose Senator Graham’s angle is in all of this? He’s been encouraging Trump to make the power grab for weeks, even though it undercuts his own chamber’s authority, something he used to care about when PBO was in office. I’m usually slow to embrace conspiracy theories, but Graham’s reversals on so many issues really does make me wonder sometimes. On the other hand, maybe he’s just a chickenshit who wants to hang onto his seat forever and is afraid of being out-Trumped in a primary.

  36. 36.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    “We’ll sue” God almighty is there any limit to the cowardice? They don’t have to sue! They have the senate. They have nearly unlimited options to stop him. Judges don’t want to do their fucking job and they won’t do it. They’ll send it right back to the cowards, as they should.

    They’re afraid of him. I used to think it was because he has something on them, but he’s too disorganized and self-centered to blackmail them. They’re just flat out afraid of this person. They’re scared he’ll give them a mean nickname.

  39. 39.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Betty Cracker:

    On the other hand, maybe he’s just a chickenshit who wants to hang onto his seat forever and is afraid of being out-Trumped in a primary.

    Dingdingdingding… We have a winner.

  40. 40.

    Immanentize

    @Kay: I think they are afraid of his deplorable base who could take them out in a primary because many of them know they really haven’t done much for the folks back home.

    But Trump is running next time (I presume) and he is not going to give a hoot about anyone but himself. He won’t campaign for others, nor will he try to hurt senators or house members in primaries. He will be focused solely on him.

  45. 45.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    So my credit card is expiring, I got a new and need to update some recurring payments. I go to AAA and they want my user ID and p/w, not sure I have one, so I try to register, already registered. So I ask them to send me my user ID, it’s going to an email account that I’ve not used in 10 years. First world problems…

  48. 48.

    Kay

    @Betty Cracker:

    What do you suppose Senator Graham’s angle is in all of this?

    Cowardice. He doesn’t want to do his job, because that carries risk.

    I wonder when they’ll realize that all they talk about is Trump’s stupid fucking wall and their entire agenda has now been consumed with it. It’s a condition to them doing anything else. They can’t move on from this wall.

    We’re not even talking about an immigration law here, or even pieces of a law. They have been wholly consumed with a pissing match over 7 billion dollars for 2 months. It’s TINY. A down payment on a subset of a subset of an issue. This is their hill to die on? 7 billion for a “down payment” on a piece of wall?

    They are going to spend as much time and energy on this stretch of wall as Bush II spent on an entire immigration overhaul.

    It’s not just that it’s dumb- it’s so small. Trump has now conditioned his entire presidency on this section of fence. He gave Pelosi so much leverage. She could just oppose this small and unpopular piece of his immigration agenda and tie him up for months.

  49. 49.

    Kay

    @Immanentize:

    Any congressional majority who complain about executive power grabs are full of shit. They have more than enough power to stop any President, and they always have had it. They don’t want to. They don’t lack power or process or numbers- they lack will.

    I always wonder about it because I feel like if I went thru the hell of getting elected to Congress I would zealously guard the constitutional power I had. I would use it. It seems such a bad trade- to choose “safety” over doing your job. Why even get the job?

  51. 51.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    @Betty Cracker: His primary occurs in 12 months. he’s sensitive about getting kicked out by a teatard. and not for nothing, two sitting gop congresscritters have been primaried out of office in the last 6 years

  52. 52.

    Immanentize

    @Kay:
    This is exactly what the “line item veto” was about — Congress wanted to give all sorts of goodies to their constituents, but then wanted the president to save them by vetoing the obviously stupid ones. Congress just didn’t want to do the hard thing. The Courts saved the country from that insanity. Can you imagine Trump and this Congress with a line item veto?

    Same with the tax cuts. All gift, but no responsibility.

  53. 53.

    Jay

    @Kay:

    Adam’s talked about Graham and Yurtle as insergents.

    I don’t get it.

    I’m more Forest Brothers,

    They are more “burn it all down”,

    But they will furrow their brows for the MSM while doing nothing.

  54. 54.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: I recently had to interact with my medicare part D insurer online.

    “If you don’t already have an account click here to set one up”
    I do so, fill in all the relevant fields and click “Next”.
    “You already have an account.”
    The wife must have set it up when she did that other thing. Try signing in with what I think she would have used.
    “You don’t have an account.”
    OK, I must have screwed up the 1st time. Try try again.
    “You already have an account.”
    OK, click on “Don’t remember fuck all, send me relevant info.”
    “You don’t have an account.”
    Arrrrgggghhhhh………….
    “You already have an account.”
    MOTHERFUCKERS I WILL SKULLRAPE YOU!!!!!
    “You don’t have an account.”

    MICKYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  60. 60.

    NotMax

    @Jay

    Paperless office!

    Ranks right up there with “nuclear power will make electricity too cheap to meter.”

  61. 61.

    debbie

    @JPL:

    Agreed. It’s going to be horrible. Apparently one of the guests will be a boy who has been bullied because his last name is Trump. :/

  62. 62.

    Kay

    @Immanentize:

    They’ve already given him so much:

    President Donald Trump said in an interview Sunday that he prefers to have temporary Cabinet secretaries, suggesting that the current, unsettled state of the executive branch is likely to stay in place, though it puts him at odds with the U.S. Constitution.

    Senate R’s prefer this.
    Confirmation and public hearings on his low quality hires are politically risky, so they’ll just meekly submit to this congressional side-step.
    He announces this, publicly, and still they do nothing.

  68. 68.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @JPL: WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  73. 73.

    Jay

    @JPL:

    Breath deep, relax.

    I was 8 weeks early, Mom was on tholidimides, (sp)

    It is what it is.

    If the child has 8 fingers and 10 toes, it’s good.

  74. 74.

    Kay

    @debbie:

    Apparently one of the guests will be a boy who has been bullied because his last name is Trump. :/

    I love to think of the tens of low quality hires coming up with that. “How do we get the President and the First Lady to show empathy?” Find someone with their name.

    Melania’s victim complex is really extraordinary, for someone who has been so extraordinarily privileged. She married the right person. She’s as self-centered as he is. I laughed out loud when she said she was the most bullied person in the country. It’s perfect. I think she gets much less attention than prior First Ladies, negative or positive, because she’s such a non-entity. She doesn’t really do anything at all. It’s fine! But it’s insane to consider herself some kind of lightening rod. No one pays her any attention at all. She could move back to NYC and it would take months before it was even noticed.

  76. 76.

    Kay

    @debbie:

    Melania now may actually get some attention, with the subpoenas on the party she ran. Maybe she didn’t actually run it and instead just hired her crony- that one job- so maybe she won’t be pulled into it.

    They all lie so much it’s impossible to even read tea leaves. She probably exaggerated her own role.

  83. 83.

    OzarkHillbilly

    A Belgian environment minister is facing a storm of protest after falsely claiming the country’s intelligence services held evidence that children skipping school to demonstrate over climate change are being directed by unnamed powers.

    Joke Schauvliege, a minister in Flanders, where the school strikes movement first emerged, has provoked a wave of criticism of the wider political class after suggesting the protests were a “set-up” and “more than spontaneous actions of solidarity”.

    “I know who is behind this movement, both of the Sunday demonstrations and the truants,” Schauvliege told an audience of farmers. “I have also been told that from state security. I can guarantee that I do not see ghosts alone and that climate demonstrations are more than spontaneous actions of solidarity with our climate.”

    The comments prompted a rare denial by the Belgian state security services. “We have not reported anything about this to Schauvliege,” they said. “Neither verbally nor in writing.”
    ………………………………………..
    “In recent weeks, I have slept little and I was overwhelmed by frustration, I am a human being and I could be wrong,” the minister told the Flemish channel Radio 1. “I did not lie, I went too far.”

    The new alternative facts.

    ETA: “The chairman of the Flemish nationalist party the New Flemish Alliance, which was until recently in government, last month urged the young protesters “not to believe in the apocalypse” but to go back to their books and have “confidence in the future and in the power of innovation”.”

  87. 87.

    Baud

    @Kay:

    “We’ll sue” 

    I would depose them, ask them why they didn’t vote against Trump, and then tell them there’s no standing for chickenshits.

  90. 90.

    Bobby Thomson

    And right on cue, Ronnie “Donald Trump is 6’3″ and 239 pounds. I am not a crackpot.” Jackson is back for the physical examination.

    Maybe this time people won’t slavishly assume that military rank or title is a guarantee of honesty or character.

  94. 94.

    Steeplejack

    Random day to watch a bit of Morning Joe. After 20 minutes I wanted to punch everybody but Mika in the face (especially Michael Steele and Bob Woodward), had to turn it off so I didn’t blow a valve. So, business as usual.

    They were talking about Harold Schultz saying he couldn’t run as a Democrat because the party has gone so far left, and Joe said, “Wait a minute! That’s wrong! That’s wrong! Polls show—” I thought he was going to point out that the Democratic Party is a centrist, barely left party whose policies are supported by most Americans. But no, of course not. Joe said polls show that when people are asked if they want the Democratic Party to go more left or be “more moderate,” they want “more moderate.” Wonder where that poll came from. Joe’s not even a both-siderist. He’s basically, “Oh, when will Trump be gone and I can call myself a Republican again?!”

    Okay, I’m good for another few weeks or so.

  95. 95.

    Karen S.

    @Kay:
    Exactly right about Melania, which is why I never got on board with the “Free Melania” crap that was floating on social media early on after the inauguration. It seemed to be mostly pushed by white feminists, from what I could tell. It was strange. How could they not see that she’s as bad as him?

  100. 100.

    germy

    @Kay:

    She married the right person.

    She might not agree.

    Plenty of rich guys she could have latched onto, without all these extra headaches. And it’s possible he’s physically (as well as emotionally) abusive.

    I have no sympathy for the birther queen, but she might not be completely satisfied with her life choice.

  103. 103.

    ArchTeryx

    I’m a metal pig. Stubborn, materialistic, and I’ll go to the mat to help the people in my orbit. It fits me to a T.

    Thank heavens my fiancee’s a fire rabbit!

  105. 105.

    Steeplejack

    @NotMax:

    I’m about due for one. Although the last time or two I felt like I was getting shorted a bit on the amount of pastrami. Started looking at recipes for making it at home.

  106. 106.

    Baud

    @Steeplejack:

    Joe said polls show that when people are asked if they want the Democratic Party to go more left or be “more moderate,” they want “more moderate.” 

    That poll doesn’t surprise me, especially if it is not of Democrats but all Americans. Only half of Dems identify as liberal. “Moderate” will always win out over any sort of ideological designation across the whole population, especially since the media does such a poor job informing people what “left” Dems actually want to do.

  110. 110.

    Steeplejack

    @JPL:

    I probably will. Still hoping against hope that my dream will come true: right before Trump begins, Nancy Smash leans forward and whispers to him, “Hillary says hi.”

  111. 111.

    JPL

    @Steeplejack: A family originally from Brooklyn owned a local deli that had the best sandwiches. I haven’t found anything comparable. They finally closed and moved to FL to retire.

  115. 115.

    Betty Cracker

    @NotMax: Mr. Hedgehog joined the Choir Invisible a while back, poor thing. But he had a good long life, was coddled all of his days, and went out in his sleep, apparently. We should all be so lucky!

  118. 118.

    Steeplejack

    That CNN article on the Chinese zodiac is a little inaccurate. If you were born near the start of the calendar year, you can’t just go by the year, because the start of the lunar year varies. I would be a Dragon strictly by year, but I was born in January, before the lunar new year, so I’m actually a Rabbit.

    Handy calendar here, showing when the lunar year actually started.

    It’s important to be precise in our half-baked astrological superstitions!

  125. 125.

    Betty Cracker

    @OzarkHillbilly & @germy: In almost 100% of the photos of the two of them, you can nearly make out the thought bubble over her head that reads, “Why aren’t you dead yet?”

    To her credit, she chose a corpulent specimen known for consuming fried chicken and hamberders — who does not believe in exercise! And yet he’s still snuffling up air daily. I bet it strikes her as totally unfair.

  127. 127.

    germy

    Stacey Abrams is a great choice to deliver the Democratic response. I'm very much looking forward to her speech.

    For the third year in a row, following the Democratic rebuttal I'll be on Facebook Live, Twitter and YouTube to respond to Trump. t.co/4xOCjkNwtF

    — Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) February 4, 2019

    It would be dope if Bernie was like I don’t need to do a SOTU response bc a capable Black women has got that covered but he couldn’t and didn’t and Black women see that and we won’t forget. #takingnote pic.twitter.com/9YldwWk37E— Zerlina Maxwell (@ZerlinaMaxwell) February 4, 2019

  128. 128.

    Steeplejack

    @JPL:

    As an old-school newspaper reporter I sat through many a terrible speech, so I think I can take it. I will have my hand on the remote at all times in case I need to bail out.

    Mostly I want to get a sense of whether Trump is going to try for what (he thinks) is reasonable or go full-on nutso. Probably won’t need more than five minutes for that.

  129. 129.

    Betty Cracker

    @NotMax: I did not see that — thank you. My father hunts alligators (only when he has a permit, naturally!) and has reported finding rocks in their bellies. I figured it was because they are all brain stem and jaws and scooped up rocks accidentally while going for other prey, but now I see there’s a strategy behind it. Fascinating!

  132. 132.

    Kay

    @Karen S.:

    It was strange. How could they not see that she’s as bad as him?

    Because noting the reality of the First Lady means you’re not substantive and serious :)

    Which didn’t stop any of the Top Pundits from attacking Hillary Clinton for insincere hairstyling or Michelle Obama for toned upper arms.

    That was literally the rap on Clinton- her shifting hairstyle showed she was a cynical and poll-driven harpy. She had insincere hair.

    I change my hair a lot- sometimes I literally cut it all off in a fit of crankiness, so I sympathized. It doesn’t mean anything.

  134. 134.

    Immanentize

    @Steeplejack: I’ve made pastrami (and it’s northern cousin, smoked meat) at home. It is not hard — but it is a several day process that really shouldn’t be rushed. But it turns out pastrami as good as I have had anywhere. Do it!

  136. 136.

    Steeplejack

    @JPL:

    The circle of foodie life. I live near Eden Center, a Vietnamese enclave in NoVA that has literally dozens of restaurants. There was one place that was my particular go-to for banh mi, and then one day it was just gone. Turned out the couple who ran it for years retired and moved to Florida. WTF? What am I supposed to do? Still haven’t gotten around to checking out the other banh mi places.

    When I lived in Atlanta I really liked the Havana Sandwich Shop at Buford Highway and North Druid Hills Road. Have no idea if it’s still there. Also Henri’s in Buckhead.

  137. 137.

    Kay

    @rikyrah:

    Come on. If Michelle Obama had announced she was the most bullied person in the world, it would have been a 3 day story.

    Imagine the Obama’s inviting an Obama who is bullied for that name. We would never fucking hear the end of it. It’s ludicrous. Two of the most powerful people IN THE WORLD are whining that their NAME isn’t respected enough.

    They have lower standards for the Trumps. It will be hard to RAISE the standard after them, because that’s how standards work. Easy to lower, hard to raise.

  138. 138.

    Steeplejack

    @Baud:

    I agree about the poll. I was just surprised that that was what Joe pulled out of his ass to be his point. I should have known.

  139. 139.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Immanentize: I just pulled up a couple recipes and a brisket is now on the shopping list.

    After my 2 hams I’m ready for another project. I was gonna make some bacon but pastrami…. Dawg I love pastrami and you just can’t get it out here.

  140. 140.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Kay:

    It will be hard to RAISE the standard after them, because that’s how standards work. Easy to lower, hard to raise.

    Elect a DEM, that’ll bring ’em back up.

  142. 142.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    I don’t think conservatives are sincere on the private property issue. I watched them gleefully cheer as fracking companies rolled all over property owners in Ohio. It’s more bullshit.

    When it came down to oil and gas donors or rural landowners they threw the landowners under the bus so fast it was amazing.

  143. 143.

    Baud

    @germy:

    For the third year in a row, following the Democratic rebuttal I’ll be on Facebook Live, Twitter and YouTube to respond to Trump, because I am absolutely, positively not a Democrat and primary voters need to understand this.

    Fixed.

  145. 145.

    Betty Cracker

    @Kay: So true. Melania Trump has to do something undeniably outrageous or unprecedented to get the Villagers clucking, like wear a jacket emblazoned with “I DON’T REALLY CARE” on a trip to visit children her husband effectively orphaned at the border or refuse to leave the golden penthouse in Manhattan to go live with Pig Man in the White House.

  146. 146.

    Immanentize

    @OzarkHillbilly: The critical steps to the process:
    Brine for a couple of days —
    Air dry in the fridge at least a day, usually two —
    Smoke —
    Rest over night in fridge —
    Steam for about two hours —
    Rest for at least a half hour —
    Slice and eat!

    Homade pastrami is so very fine!

  157. 157.

    Karen S.

    @Kay: I’d forgotten about the “insincere hairstyling” nonsense. The Top Pundits and other media VIPs just don’t care about being craven. It’s not that they can’t see how craven they are and, let’s be honest, how craven the U.S. media has been for much of its history. They just don’t care. There’s also the unexamined racism and sexism, too. A noxious brew all round.

  158. 158.

    rikyrah

    @Kay:

    I don’t think conservatives are sincere on the private property issue. I watched them gleefully cheer as fracking companies rolled all over property owners in Ohio. It’s more bullshit.

    They’re never sincere, Kay.

    Never.

  160. 160.

    Tazj

    @Kay: I’m sure you remember that the press criticized Hillary for keeping her hair long as SOS. She did it so she could style it herself while traveling around the world for her job. Many wondered if an older woman should be allowed to keep her hair long because longer hair should only be for young women.

    I know it was scandalous that Michelle Obama bared her arms or dared to wear shorts on vacation.

  163. 163.

    Sab

    @WaterGirl: Shadow cat, who looks exactly like our meankitty, whose actual name is Shadow. Costa Rican tree frog. Gray tabby cat face. Little red fox in lavendar woods.. Bee thoughtful (tuxedo cat with bees and poppies.) Black cat on the green background.

  167. 167.

    Elizabelle

    SOTU tonight. Looks like a really good day to stay off the internets. And tomorrow too.

    Gorgeous weather in central VA. Might try to get out on a bike for a bit.

  168. 168.

    Cheryl from Maryland

    Instead of the SOTU, I’ll be at a performance of Shakespeare’s Richard III. I’m certain it will be more truthful and realistic.

  170. 170.

    dopey-o

    @OzarkHillbilly: some of the best pastrami i have found is in st. louis. Carl’s Deli across from st mary’s hospital.
    Carl recently retired and passed the shop AND THE SECRET RECIPE to one of his employees.

  173. 173.

    Gemina13

    This is supposed to be a pretty good year for Dogs and Roosters. I’m a Dog (born in a Metal year, so I joke it makes me a Cast-Iron Bitch); SO is a Rooster (born in the same year as me, just a week or two short of the lunar new year). However, it’s not so good a year for Pigs, which describes my nephew. Born in 1995, diagnosed last year with osteosarcoma. I really hope he can get through chemo and into remission.

  174. 174.

    Gemina13

    @dopey-o: This is going to sound blasphemous, but the best pastrami I’ve ever had was at Miracle Mile Deli in Phoenix, AZ. Miracle Mile was started by a Brooklyn native, and handed over to a guy who started working there as a busboy (and met his wife there as well). Just the thought of one of those sandwiches is making me salivate. Seattle has a pretty good pastrami sandwich at Tat’s, but . . . yeah, not the same. I would travel for that pastrami, and I. Hate. Phoenix.

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