Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

T R E 4 5 O N

I was promised a recession.

The next time the wall street journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

Infrastructure week. at last.

Let us savor the impending downfall of lawless scoundrels who richly deserve the trouble barreling their way.

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph how is that election even close?

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

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

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

American History and Black History Cannot Be Separated

This blog will pay for itself.

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

Not all heroes wear capes.

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

The willow is too close to the house.

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Is It Festivus Yet

Is It Festivus Yet

by | 149 Comments

This post is in: 

I’m exhausted. I feel line the days I do long drives, but the next day is just a kick in the pants.

BTW- signed the contract for the site rebuild and it should be starting soon.

*** Update ***

I was sitting in my chair and Rosie walked in the back door through the kitchen, made eye contact with me, I said “Hi Rosie” and she slowly walked towards the chair and I put my hand down to pet her, and she just walked right on by and went upstairs.

Reader Interactions

149Comments

  5. 5.

    dmsilev

    BTW- signed the contract for the site rebuild and it should be starting soon.

    I already hate it.

  8. 8.

    Jeffro

    Cole, if it cheers you up any, Catherine Rampell of the Post just tweeted a “hoocoodanode” in response to the Congressional GOP not liking trumpov’s dumb slap at the ACA (“bad policy, bad politics…hoocoodenode?”)

    Affecting the discourse since 2003!
    Usually for the better!!

    For realz!

  12. 12.

    Steeplejack

    @germy:

    No, the rebuild won’t affect the site until it is installed. All the work will be done off site at the Black Mesa Research Facility.

  13. 13.

    Ohio Mom

    I’ve seen people do Christmas in July parties, I don’t see why someone can’t do Festivus any time they want to.

    As for the site rebuild, I’m going to miss typing in my nym and my email multiple times a day. I guess I’ll get used to it eventually.

  14. 14.

    CaseyL

    De facto open thread? Great!

    Had a lovely out-of-context encounter today. Seattle BJ meetup regular thalarctos was on campus at the college where I work, with Mr. thalarctos, looking into professional development classes. I was on my way to the Print & Mail Center when we crossed paths. She recognized me; I did not recognize her, probably because she was wearing sunglasses that covered most of her face :). We had a nice little chat.

    First time I’ve ever run into a fellow BJer at random.

  16. 16.

    TaMara (HFG)

    RE: Rosie. You left. You might never have come back. She’s been there and done that, so she’s going to “not need” you for a while. Self-protection.

    I hate the site redesign. I can’t believe you changed A, B and C and brought back that awful D. We’ll just get that out of the way now. I sure hope we are paying them well.

  17. 17.

    WaterGirl

    @germy: The rebuild will be a complete rebuild from scratch – a parallel universe to the current website. Once it’s complete and tested, etc there will be a switch over to the newly rebuilt site.

    edit: I see that Steep beat me to it!

  18. 18.

    HeleninEire

    Wow. So this plus the Thurston sale (see FB y’all, he’s selling Thurston CHEAP) means you’re dog tired. (See what I did there?)

  19. 19.

    trnc

    I said “Hi Rosie” and she slowly walked towards the chair and I put my hand down to pet her, and she just walked right on by and went upstairs.

    A cat will turn the dogs in the house every time.

  20. 20.

    Adam L Silverman

    @WaterGirl:

    Once it’s complete and tested, etc there will be a switch over to the newly rebuilt site.

    At which point it will immediately, as if by magic, function just like the site does now.

  22. 22.

    NotMax

    (checks calendar) So, guesstimating an ETA for roll out around Memorial Day weekend.

    @Steeplejack

    Are plans included for a period of pre-release beta testing via various platforms by real users?

  24. 24.

    Anne Laurie

    @Ohio Mom:

    I’ve seen people do Christmas in July parties, I don’t see why someone can’t do Festivus any time they want to.

    IIRC, the original Festivus, pre-Seinfeld, was invented by one of the writers’ fathers as a way to change the mood when the whole (Irish) family was in I have a lotta grievances with you people! mode — not just for the winter solstice, but whenever they were getting fed up with each other. So a spontaneous BJ Festivus would be perfectly in the original spirit!

  25. 25.

    Mary G

    I like the cut of this guy’s jib (he is responding to Mike Pence):

    You are so full of shit it is leaking out of your ears. https://t.co/MWALWrEYzz— Rep. Richard Dangler (@RDangler) March 28, 2019

    I see no need for civility anymore. These idiots are trying to destroy America.— Rep. Richard Dangler (@RDangler) March 28, 2019

    Twitter bio: Democratic Rep from Washington’s 11th District and part time kids sports ball carpool ninja. ⚾?? Democracy is worth fighting for. ?? So fight. Seriously.

  27. 27.

    NotMax

    but the next day is just a kick in the pants

    Pull the other one. You’re not wearing pants.

    :)

  28. 28.

    Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho

    I love Rosie. She’s got attitude.

    @Gin & Tonic: You always were ahead of the curve.

    @HeleninEire: I told Cole on his twitter feed that Thurston Howl III is NOT for sale.

  29. 29.

    Gvg

    I was having a lot of tiredness. Docs recommended B complex vitamins. It helped. I need to buy some more. Also as dogs get older, several have gotten really deaf and start missing voice response, one got really senile. Also eyesight. If it happens a few times, have your vet check her.

  32. 32.

    WaterGirl

    @Adam L Silverman:

    At which point it will immediately, as if by magic, function just like the site does now.

    Oh, god, I hope not!

    edit: Oh, you meant the good parts of the site now?

  33. 33.

    Mary G

    I am still pissed off from tthe discussion of Kirsten Gillibrand’s stupid opioid bill, and here is a great thread about the bullshit that happens:

    My mother is experiencing rapid onset acute pain in her leg which makes it impossible to walk. She's been through two different types of opioid scripts in a week — the first one caused an allergic reaction, the second just didn't do anything for her pain. (1/)— Ana Mardoll (@AnaMardoll) March 28, 2019

  34. 34.

    WaterGirl

    @NotMax:

    Are plans included for a period of pre-release beta testing via various platforms by real users?

    When we wrote the specs, we insisted on absolutely no testing before rollout.

    (what’s the snark tag, again?)

  35. 35.

    Adam L Silverman

    @WaterGirl:

    edit: Oh, you meant the good parts of the site now?

    Yes, Cheryl’s, BettyC’s, TaMara’s, AL’s, and Dave’s posts will still be excellent. Everything else will be just like it is now.

  37. 37.

    NotMax

    @Steeplejack

    Which leads me to surmise that a user testing and feedback period is not included in the contract as a step in the job. Not propitious.

  38. 38.

    lamh36

    Evening BJ!

    Get to have a late night tonight. For some crazy reason I agreed to work evening split shift tomorrow…11am to 7:30pm.

    At least I don’t have to get up early…and I do get shift diff…and at least I’m off this weekend.

    Guess I’ll bring my laptop and get some school work done during the down time

  41. 41.

    Spanky

    @Mary G: About what you should expect ftom a guy who grew up with the name “Dick Dangler”.

    Junior high must have been fantastic for him. Not.

  45. 45.

    eemom

    Anybody remember the time after a rebuild when the comment boxes got all skinny and other weird shit like that? Fun times.

  46. 46.

    Kirk Spencer

    I’m exhausted. I feel line the days I do long drives, but the next day is just a kick in the pants.

    This is why I plan an extra day between end of vacation and day of work. That one day is, to quote one of our esteemed BJ philosophers, “Blecch”.

  48. 48.

    NotMax

    @eemom

    Funny, I deleted over a dozen screen shots of a variety of fusterclucks from then only two weeks ago while cleaning up an assortment of file folders.

  53. 53.

    NotMax

    @zhena gogolia

    Saw your query re: Cold War but thread was on life support by then. It’s in the queue but as yet unviewed. BTW, two versions available – the normal one and also a 4K UHD version.

  54. 54.

    eemom

    @Mary G:

    Same here. And btw, while I am not an expert, I recall reading in a reliable source that the commonly held belief — evidenced on the earlier thread — that the use of prescription drugs to treat actual pain leads to addiction is a bunch of research-debunked bullshit.

    You know why Kirstin G. and her ilk push half-assed soundbite legislation on high profile but intensely complex subjects that they know jack shit about? So they can say they did something about a big ass problem. It is utterly contemptible.

    #yesIllfuckingvoteforherifshesthecandidate #shewontbe

  57. 57.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Jay: Actually this is Rahm Emmanuel’s and the police union’s way of forcing discovery to give Rahm and excuse to take out the district attorney and further consolidate power and further empower the Chicago Police Department’s lawlessness. This isn’t really aimed at Smollett, it’s aimed at the DA and her office.

  60. 60.

    trollhattan

    @SiubhanDuinne:
    Step 1. Climb into strange car on dark, stormy night.
    Step 2. Hold disdain for car owner from that point forward.

    Think I have that right.

  62. 62.

    WaterGirl

    @Adam L Silverman: I know! Reading that comment at #60 reminds me of the time I accidentally signed up for a course in college that had 2 pre-requisites that I had never taken because I wasn’t aware of them. I spent 50 minutes wondering why the hell nothing the instructor said made any sense.

  65. 65.

    Jay

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Smolett’s not gonna pay,

    And when they take it to the actual lawyers to try to get them to file, they are going to get an education on the discovery process.

    It’s a political stunt that’s going to burn them badly, and will probably last as many Scaramucci’s as the Barr Letter.

  66. 66.

    Yutsano

    @CaseyL: *cough* remember you running into me at the QFC in Northgate? It’s when we found out we were practically neighbours. Granted it was a long time ago but still.

    I do miss my old condo rental. Not my landlady who was pretty psycho at the end but the place itself was nice.

    Also: Mariners leading 12-4 in the 7th!

  75. 75.

    Mary G

    @eemom:

    Gillibrand is on Twitter asking people to send her a dollar so that she can get into the debates, so her campaign is already on life support. It was $5 two days ago. I gave her a buck, because I want to see the maximum number of women in the race, and also there was a “tell me what you care about” box where I chewed her out about this.

  77. 77.

    NotMax

    @Gin & Tonic

    One of the differences between Amazon Prime and Netflix. The former offers discrete versions of a lot of things to choose from, the latter automatically tailors the version to what your download speed and hardware can handle.

  78. 78.

    Mary G

    @Wapiti: Fooled again! I am very gullible. I still like “you are so full of shit it is coming out of your ears,” though.

  79. 79.

    piratedan

    @Jay: might mean that the DA has to find an honest cop in the IA division (if there is one) and start ending some careers if the “bad guys” think they can bully their way thru

  80. 80.

    Steeplejack

    @NotMax:

    Thanks for assuming the worst! Of course testing and feedback are included in the plan. There just aren’t any details to release on that right now.

  85. 85.

    Steeplejack

    @Wapiti:

    I believe this is what the aficionados call a “spoof account.” No Internet presence anywhere except Twitter.

  88. 88.

    B.B.A.

    @Mary G: Last year I was prescribed opioids after a very minor oral surgery. I got back from CVS after picking up my meds with a real WTF feeling that it was so easy for me to get these, and neither the surgeon nor the pharmacist blinked.

    On the other hand, I’ve had gallstones and I don’t think I’d have made it through that awful couple of weeks without the meds, so I understand that we can’t just ban them altogether. But I know where Gillibrand is coming from on this.

  93. 93.

    HeleninEire

    So my friend Isabel died yesterday morning. Very soon after I told you all about her. She went quietly in her sleep.

  94. 94.

    eemom

    @B.B.A.:

    But I know where Gillibrand is coming from on this.

    Jesus Christ, non-sequitur much?

    She’s coming from ignorance and irresponsibility. That’s where she’s coming from.

  95. 95.

    NotMax

    @satby

    Haven’t seen the remake but will say that British (also Irish) humor doesn’t take well to transplanting.

    Kris Marshall in the movie was intriguing enough as an actor to make me seek out his seasons of Death in Paradise.

  97. 97.

    Adam L Silverman

    President Very Stable Genius Who Has the Best Words!

    It’s even more stupifying actually hearing and seeing it:

  103. 103.

    Adam L Silverman

    @dmsilev: Great, he was talking to Vlad Vladimorovich on the unsecure iPhone on Air Force 1 on the way to the rally again.//

    I’m putting sarc tags on there, but honestly, I’m not sure.

  108. 108.

    Barbara

    @B.B.A.: Maybe they should limit the number of days per script that dentists can prescribe. Many are far more responsible now, but dental related scripts are a huge source of illicit prescription narcotics. There is almost no way to balance the interests here without causing harm.

  112. 112.

    Another Scott

    @eemom: Gillibrand has been working on ways to fight the opioid/opiate epidemic for a while:

    Washington, DC – As the opioid epidemic continues to hurt communities across New York State, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today [August 21, 2018] announced that following her push, the Fiscal Year 2019 (FY19) Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bill includes critical funding that would help communities combat the opioid crisis. This legislation, which could pass the Senate as soon as this week, includes $3.7 billion in federal funding for treatment and prevention programs that would help communities throughout New York fight against the opioid epidemic.

    “Communities across New York State are desperate for resources and funding to stop the opioid epidemic, and Congress urgently needs to step up and help,” said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. “I was proud to fight for a substantial increase in federal funding in the Health and Human Services spending bill, and I was very pleased that my request for these funds was approved and included in this must-pass legislation. Now we are one step closer to giving New York’s towns and cities access to millions of dollars in federal aid to battle the opioid crisis, and I will continue doing everything in my power to make sure our state has all the resources it needs.”

    Last year, the opioid epidemic is estimated to have killed nearly 50,000 Americans, including 3,466 New Yorkers. This represents a record number of deaths due to opioid overdose. Gillibrand fought for critical funding and resources to be included in the upcoming Senate appropriations bill to help provide support for local public health officials to fight the opioid crisis.

    […]

    (Emphasis added.)

    She’s not an empty suit on this.

    When my mother died in a hospital in Ohio in 2016 and the coroner decided she needed an autopsy, it took over a month because the morgue was so backed up with the bodies of dead kids and relatively young people who ODed on opiods/opiates. (Young people who die almost automatically get an autopsy.)

    It’s a huge problem and needs to have the federal government take it seriously.

    She’s not saying my way or the highway on her latest bill. She’s trying to address a huge problem in a meaningful way.

    FWIW.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  113. 113.

    Adam L Silverman

    @??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??: Unless he or she is going to decertify the police union, terminate everyone with the provision that a full scrub will be done of each police officer terminated to determine if they’re eligible for rehire and restatement, rebuild the police academy and the training protocols from the bottom up, and turn policing over to the state while all this is undertaken, then the answer is no.

  114. 114.

    Another Scott

    @HeleninEire: I’m very sorry. Condolences to you. Think of the good times and know that she’ll always be with you.

    Best wishes,
    Scott.

  116. 116.

    Barbara

    @Jay: I am trying to understand how a mayor that practically participated in the cover up of a murder in order to increase his chance of reelection could possibly assert the moral high ground on anything at this point. Is this his unique and uniquely coldblooded way of showing concern for victims of violence in Chicago?

  117. 117.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @HeleninEire:

    Oh, I am sorry! Must have missed your earlier post. Losing friends is tough, but I’m glad Isabel had an easy transition. May she rest peacefully.

  120. 120.

    Mainmata

    @HeleninEire: Just curious where you live in Eire. All four of my grandparents came from Eire in the early 20th century (Cork, Kerry, Tipperary and Roscommon) and I have a niece attending medical school in Cork. I have visited there several times to visit now distant relatives. The country is so, so different from when I first visited in 1974.

  122. 122.

    WaterGirl

    @Mary G: I am getting the same emails from Julian Castro, but they don’t bother me from him because I think his is an important voice to have on the debate stage.

  123. 123.

    HeleninEire

    Thank you all. It is weird. I’ve has lots of deaths to deal with; many untimely. My mother, my brother, my nephew. People who died way too young.

    But this time is strange. When I see her face I get confused. Like how is this a thing that she’s not here? She’s been here forever.

    Anyway. Thank you all again. I’ll be fine soon. I just need to absorb this. Life goes on.

  124. 124.

    Mainmata

    @Another Scott: So sorry to hear about your Mom. I agree that Appalachia and nearby has an ongoing disaster on its hands that its pols simply ignore. I’m talking western VA, West VA and southern OH and IN. The whole thing is shameful and, of course, Trump has done nothing to help.

  125. 125.

    eemom

    @Another Scott:

    It’s a huge problem and needs to have the federal government take it seriously.

    Yes to all that. But depriving suffering people of pain meds to make it look like you’re doing something, instead of taking informed action to address the problem, IS in fact an “empty suit” gesture — to put it charitably — and the OPPOSITE of taking it seriously.

    Also, though I certainly don’t fault her for the appropriations thing you cite above, bragging about funneling federal money to one’s own state is — likewise charitably — about as far as you can get from taking an educated, principled stand on a complex issue.

  126. 126.

    WaterGirl

    @satby: Don’t feel left out! Not a special club, it’s just the “we’re working on the site rebuild” email account.

  129. 129.

    WaterGirl

    @Barbara: It can go too far in either direction. When I had my root canal last year they sent me home with fucking NOTHING and told me to take advil. 4 advil every 4 hours was doing nothing! I finally called the guy after 24 hours and said it wasn’t cutting it. And I hate taking drugs.

  130. 130.

    WaterGirl

    @HeleninEire: It was surreal when my mom died. I was looking at her purse on the chair, sitting where she always kept it, and it seemed like the most bizarre thing in the world. A purse without its human. It was very bizarre and surreal. How can people just be gone????

    big hugs.

  132. 132.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??

    @WaterGirl:

    Oh yeah, well that’s exactly what someone in a special club would say. THE PEOPLE HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW!!!11!

  133. 133.

    Barbara

    @eemom: Anything that can be done is going to reduce acess to prescription narcotics for someone. Fine instruments, like limiting which doctors can prescribe how much of what kind of drugs, will reduce access to a lot of people who only visit generalists. Limiting the number of days per script reduces access for people with chronic or terminal conditions. This is a Pandors’s Box of a problem, but what many people know is that phenomenal quantities of prescribed narcotics have fueled both addiction and a black market. You have to reduce that quantity.

  138. 138.

    Jay

    @Barbara:

    Pretty sure he’s nowhere near the moral high ground.

    Pretty sure he’s staking a faux position in the hopes that when he’s just a civillian in about 3 weeks, the Chicago Cops remember him and don’t treat him like they treat other POC’s.

  143. 143.

    eemom

    @Barbara:

    As with anything else involving medical science, there needs to be properly vetted scientific research that supports any proposed fix before lay people, especially politicians, go fucking around with it. And as mentioned above, my understanding is that such research does NOT support the CW that properly prescribed pain meds lead to addiction.

    I also find it remarkable that nobody here is holding any politician accountable for failing to even mention, never mind propose action against, the 8,000 pound elephants in the room of the opiate crisis…..the free flow of heroin into the country, hello?? Or the ever-increasing obscenity of income inequality that drives poor people to drugs, both as users and as dealers? That’s some hard shit to come up with solutions to, you see. Much easier to score your political points beating up on sick people.

  146. 146.

    Barbara

    Unfortunately even properly prescribed medications can lead to addiction, and more to the point, addictive behavior, not simply dependence. Just know that whenever it comes to research involving drugs, most of it was financed or influenced by manufacturers. Heroin is a problem but most people graduate to it after using something different.

  147. 147.

    Barbara

    @eemom: I tried to respond further but my comments keep getting eaten. There is a huge amount of research on the misuse of the findings of the kinds of studies you are likely referring to.

  149. 149.

    Barbara

    @eemom: Here is a link to help you understand the corruption and mendacity that has accompanied the expanded use of opioids in the U.S., which far outstrips the use in any other developed country.

    Source

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