Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Giving in to doom is how authoritarians win.

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

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

It’s pointless to bring up problems that can only be solved with a time machine.

People are complicated. Love is not.

“Perhaps I should have considered other options.” (head-desk)

Let me file that under fuck it.

After dobbs, women are no longer free.

They were going to turn on one another at some point. It was inevitable.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

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

Republicans firmly believe having an abortion is a very personal, very private decision between a woman and J.D. Vance.

We are aware of all internet traditions.

Prediction: the gop will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

Good lord, these people are nuts.

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

This blog will pay for itself.

Welcome to day five of every-bit-as-bad-as-you-thought-it-would-be.

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

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

Democracy cannot function without a free press.

Balloon Juice, where there is always someone who will say you’re doing it wrong.

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

You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Cat Blogging / Respite Open Thread: The Blog’s Three Favorite (Non-Controversial) Subjects

Respite Open Thread: The Blog’s Three Favorite (Non-Controversial) Subjects

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Like this guy, I am tired of watching Republicans behave badly.

Click on pic for full effect:

Reader Interactions

178Comments

  3. 3.

    WaterGirl

    re: image # 2 up top.  I had no idea Cole was wearing pink nail polish when he met his beloved Penelope.

  8. 8.

    Mathguy

    Sighthounds have some of the goofiest poses because of their ridiculously long legs and flexibility. Our saluki has ended up in similar positions to that whippet, as have our whippets. They are so much fun to watch when they relax.

  12. 12.

    dm

    William Gibson has a new novel, Agency, a direct sequel to The Peripheral.  I’m letting it soak up all my media-time, since I view watching the impeachment hearings as an act of futility in the near term (in the medium term, I’m hoping this seals the fate of a number of Republican Senators).

    Mini-spoiler for Agency: we’re living in the worst timeline.

  17. 17.

    Yutsano

    @ruemara: My dear lady, I have not yet begun to snark!

    I’m just gonna be lucky if a taxpayer doesn’t end up on the wrong end of it.

    @SiubhanDuinne: I thought we agreed to never speak of that again…

    Also: FTFNYT.

  21. 21.

    Mnemosyne

    My lower back and sciatic nerve still hurt, but two PT sessions did help a lot. I can actually walk a fair distance without being in agony, so I think I’ve turned the corner.

  27. 27.

    sab

    Husband got the senior flu shot (double dose) at the same time as the new shingles shot. He was feverish and barfing for two days afterwards.

  31. 31.

    WaterGirl

    @sab: So the senior flu shot doesn’t cover more strains of the flu, so they don’t have to hedge their bets with the magic 8-ball quite as much?

    What good would a double dose of the same strain do?

  35. 35.

    chris

    @dm:Did you see this? M. John Harrison reviews Agency and @GreatDismal hisownself is impressed. So was I and the book is next in the cue.

    Totally gets it. More than I ever expected it to be gotten. And a bit more than I’d previously gotten it myself, actually. https://t.co/l5GZ26jdiD— William Gibson (@GreatDismal) 22 January 2020

  37. 37.

    Ruckus

    @sab:

    The shingles shot(s) weren’t bad at all but every time I’ve had a flu shot in the last 20yrs I’ve been almost declare-able for 4- 5 days. I don’t think most medications agree with my constitution. But then I am weird so whatta ya gunna do?

  38. 38.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Yutsano:

    I thought we agreed to never speak of that again…

    I don’t think I was a signatory to that agreement, although I have no quarrel with it.

    How about raisins in tapioca/rice pudding/oatmeal cookies?

  45. 45.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @WaterGirl: Not sure I can agree. It’s easy enough (though rude) to eat one’s way around the raisins in a white pudding; but raisins in cookies often disguise themselves as chocolate chips and by the time one figures it out, it’s TOOOOO LAAAAATE.   #WhyIHaveTrustIssues

    (BTW, ICYMI, I did answer your “How did I NOT know this?” question at the end of the morning open thread. Somewhere around comment #144.)

  47. 47.

    Montanareddog

    @chris: given the length of time a meatloaf is in the oven, hardly surprising that the raisins were burnt. Was your nana using an English cookbook?

  48. 48.

    Ohio Mom

    The reason the senior flu shot is a stronger dose is that oldsters make 50-75% fewer antibodies in response to the flu antigens in the vaccine.

    So giving them more antigens gives them the same level of protection that younger people get from the regular vaccine.

    (this info was just a google away).

  49. 49.

    dm

    @chris: I hadn’t.  Thanks for the heads-up!

    I just re-read The Peripheral in preparation for this release, and I’m glad I did.

  50. 50.

    Dan B

    @WaterGirl:  When you are over 65 most immune systems weaken so you need stronger to develop a strong resistance.  I got the extra strength and spent the evening moving my arm around and over my head because friends said this years version hurt for days.  I only felt minor achiness, phew!

    And I see I’m not the first to respond…

  53. 53.

    chris

    @Montanareddog: Sorry I was unclear, the meatloaf was burnt as were most things she cooked except for vegetables which were boiled to mush. An awful thing, you’ll agree, to do to canned peas.

    But funnily enough she baked like an angel. Her cakes and pies were wonderful and I’ve never quite managed to duplicate her shortbread.

  54. 54.

    Mnemosyne

    @sab:

    This won’t help for this year, but next time ask them if they have a thimerosol-free version of the shot. I have a mild reaction to thimerosol in eye products and didn’t think that it would make a difference for vaccinations, but this year the nurse gave me the thimerosol-free flu shot and I did not have local pain or a fever with it.

    Of course, I also GOT the flu, though it was a fairly short run (about 4 days). But IIRC there’s a strain running around right now that wasn’t in the shot, so that was just bad luck.

  56. 56.

    Mnemosyne

    @Major Major Major Major:

    Yay! I have one out for consideration but I haven’t heard anything back yet. The call for submissions doesn’t close until the beginning of February, so I assume they’re still hoping for better submissions to come? At least I didn’t get turned down flat.

  57. 57.

    Roger Moore

    @chris:

    as were most things she cooked except for vegetables which were boiled to mush.

    So she did learn from an English cookbook.  As the old joke says, the English do know how to cook.  They just don’t know when to stop.

  60. 60.

    schrodingers_cat

    OT not impeachment related but not non-controversial either.

    I just wrote up a rather lengthy blog post on the Citizenship Amendment Act passed in December and have included some of the more interesting protest signs from the protests in December. I have also sent a link to AL and she will front page it on Balloon Juice soon but if you can’t wait

    Here is the link from my blog.

  62. 62.

    Sab

    @WaterGirl: They think we olds have wimpy immune systems, so really need to blast to get a response. I know my immune system ain’t what it used to be. Just don’t double up on powerful vaccines.

    Speaking of which.Step-daughter is having marital problems. Sortof ex came back and took all the chihuahuas. Byebye cheerful little yappers. Good for them (YAP!) Good for us (less YAP!) I kindof miss the little guys, but much less loud.

    Pittbull mix is now an only dog. Never been that before. Is she sad. I don’t know.

    I offered to walk her. LOL. My step-daughter doesn’t think I am up to handling her. I had a 120 pound german shepherd from five months to DOD at twelve years. Also a 100 pound lab. Also a 90 pound boxer/husky.

    So I took her for a brief walk up the block. Step-daughter watching, dog checking over her shoulder.

    Hilarious. Yes I coyld actuallyhandle the pup.

    Then we got to the serious questions. Is she vaxxed, since I

    want to take her out beyond our street into the Metropark.

    Well, no. Expensive.

    WTF! My step- daughter, who would move heaven and earth to protect her kid, can’t be bothered to vaccinate the family dog.

    WTF. People are awful. Even those we love.

  63. 63.

    Roger Moore

    @Mnemosyne:

    Of course, I also GOT the flu, though it was a fairly short run (about 4 days). But IIRC there’s a strain running around right now that wasn’t in the shot, so that was just bad luck.

    That might be a sign the vaccine targeted the right strain but worked imperfectly.  The vaccine doesn’t always take, and sometimes when it takes it doesn’t produce a complete response.  If you get a mild case of the flu, it may be because you got only partial protection from the vaccine.

  65. 65.

    WaterGirl

    @SiubhanDuinne: I get your point about raisins possibly appearing to be chocolate chips.

    But tapioca and rice pudding are all about the texture, and throwing raisins in just screws that up the texture completely!

    I had not seen your reply, but just found it.  I think you may have left out a word.  Did THEY know about your arm and not tell you until about 3 weeks in?  Yikes.

    So glad you can do everything again and that you healed so well.  Sorry about the weird angle though; it would have been nice if they had gotten that right.

  66. 66.

    WaterGirl

    @Major Major Major Major: Congratulations!!!

    edit: how does one “sell” a story?  Is that different than being published?  Because you get paid for it?  Or do they then “own” the story?

    Inquiring minds want to know.

  67. 67.

    mrmoshpotato

    @sab: Alert Dr. Jennifer McCarthy MD and her sidekick Dr. Paltrow!

    ETA – And Dr. Wakefield!

    ETA ETA – And Dr. Oz, Dr. House, Dr. McDreamy, Dr. McSteamy, Dr. Loomis, and Dr. Phil!

    (Sorry, not yelling at you.  Made me think of antivax loons, and that hit a nerve.)

  68. 68.

    Bill Arnold

    @dm:

    William Gibson has a new novel, Agency,

    Dang, I mentioned elsewhere a week ago that that novel was to be released, then forgot to buy a copy. Done, and glad you’re enjoying it.

  70. 70.

    chris

    @Roger Moore: Haha! Good one.

    She grew up with a cook/housekeeper so her mother didn’t cook. Nana probably did learn from an English cookbook when she got married and was faced with the necessity. Fortunately my grandfather liked burnt meatloaf and mushy canned peas. He said it reminded him of his boarding school and university days.

    And there was always dessert to look forward to after soldiering through the burnt offering.

  71. 71.

    TomatoQueen

    Oooo. Raisins in oatmeal with a little cream yes, granola yes, rice pudding yes, tapioca not really besides tapioca is only good for pie fillings, and whodahell puts raisins WITH choccy chips in oatmeal cookies? That is just vile. Raisins or choccy chips if you must (not really) but not together.

    Vodka is for pie crust.

    Pineapple pizza is for children.

  72. 72.

    WaterGirl

    @Sab: There are people in the world who see dogs very differently from the way I do.  Possibly the same people who believe animals can’t feel pain.

    Or, more charitably, possibly people who grew up on a farm and view animals far differently than this city girl does.

  73. 73.

    Major Major Major Major

    @Mnemosyne: totally depends on the magazine. Some places send out all their acceptances at once; some do a rolling basis. I think most places send out rejections on a rolling basis though. If you’re using Submission Grinder or similar, you can get some stats on your fellow submitters.

    @chris: I’ll be sure to let you know when it’s out!

    @WaterGirl: technically you usually sell first worldwide publication rights, but it’s the idiom.

  77. 77.

    Sab

    @WaterGirl: Dunno. I get flu shots every year. Even if they miss this year, might help next year.

    I only had flu once, No it is not a bad cold. It is much worse, I was an American in Europe on my junior year abroad. I was really sick, with a high fever. Being young  I didn’t think I was actually at risk. I rode it out, shuddering with fever in my room.

    Kids in the US have actually died with similar symptons. Died iin their parents home. Flu is real. It is more than a cold, Yes it can kill you, even if you are young and healthy.

  78. 78.

    trollhattan

    @Ruckus:

    Shingles shot (the first version) was the most painful motherfucker I’ve ever had. Not at first, but by the time I propelled myself to the car it felt like an armload of battery acid and hornet venom. Just had to sit there until I could gather myself to drive.

    But my granny used to suffer from shingles and I was happy to trade the one-time agony for avoiding that malady altogether [fingers crossed].

  79. 79.

    trollhattan

    @Sab:

    IIUC there’s some evidence the flu shot can ramp up your immune system enough to fend off other things. I’m willing to spin the wheel because the flu is no joke, and maybe a cold or something else is avoided as part of the bargain.

  81. 81.

    Betty Cracker

    @chris: Never heard of putting raisins in meatloaf! There’s a Cuban ground beef dish called picadillo that contains both raisins and olives, which sounds weird, but it’s really good!

  82. 82.

    Montanareddog

     

    @trollhattan: I was just going to post about that, while assuming I was being unscientific. Since I started getting the flu shot every year, I have not had a cold either. No doubt, I will go down with one next week.

  84. 84.

    MomSense

    Every other person was coughing or sneezing at the symphony concert last night.  By about 3pm today I was feeling like crap.  Also, too the dog just puked.  She literally walked through a whole house of wood floors to get to the area rug.

    I’m going to bed.

  87. 87.

    CarolPW

    @WaterGirl:  Stereotype warning! I grew up on a farm, and animals were of great economic importance for income and food, and all livestock therefor received regular veterinary attention. Pets were a different classification (things we don’t eat and so can get attached to) and they received equal veterinary attention. You know, when you get those cute Easter chicks as a farm kid you get to watch them grow up and can ruin your mother’s carnations by feeding the inside leaves of the buds to them, instead of having your folks dump them in the nearest park after a couple of months.

    The people most intent on maintaining the health and fitness of their dogs that I have met are those that use them for herding livestock, because their livelihood depends on them. They don’t dump them in the woods or at the pound because they don’t match the couch or got too big.

  90. 90.

    mrmoshpotato

    @MomSense:

    Also, too the dog just puked.  She literally walked through a whole house of wood floors to get to the area rug. 

    I’m not not laughing.  Feel better.

  91. 91.

    chris

    @Betty Cracker: I think the raisins came from WW2 rationing. She said once that raisins were always available but bananas were a rare treat. Probably a good thing as she might have out bananas in the meatloaf.

    I looked up picadillo and I thank you. I’m going to try the Cuban version first but there are many more.

  96. 96.

    WaterGirl

    @MomSense: I’m thinking of not going out again until March. :-)

    I’m sorry you are coming down with something.  May you can head it off at the pass.

    God knows why dogs and cats do that, but my house is all hardwood floors and throw rugs, except one room with carpeting, and we all know where everybody pukes.  At least you didn’t step in it.  Small favors.

  97. 97.

    Mo MacArbie

    Oatmeal raisin cookies are the best cookies. They’re health food too, so you can eat five.

  98. 98.

    WaterGirl

    @CarolPW: Fair enough.  I was thinking more of the view of dogs and cats as “outside” animals rather than family members.

    But point taken.

  102. 102.

    chris

    Happy Bert yesterday. We were both a little shackwhacked from crappy weather so it was perfect for a big walk. Cold though so an hour was enough.
    Also the closest I’ll ever get to a selfie on the net.

  108. 108.

    Quiltingfool

    @WaterGirl: Gee, I thought my cat was unique!  If she barfs on the hardwood floor, it is only because she couldn’t get to the area rug in time.

  112. 112.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Mo MacArbie: There is no more heartbreaking moment in human existence than thinking you’ve taken a chocolate chip cookie, taking a bite and finding that it’s oatmeal-raisin.

  113. 113.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @WaterGirl: Win 10’s fine, Vista suffered from requiring more resources that many existing PC’s had at the time.  Many of the bells and whistles in Vista ended up in Win7.  My the time Win7 came out PC’s had more memory and processor power and drivers were available for more devices.

  115. 115.

    J R in WV

    @ruemara:

     

    Are there not two cats in that lower photo? Or am my eyes cornfuzed?

    I have listened to way too many Republicans lying the past couple of days!!

  117. 117.

    oatler.

    My Greek aunt used to put ground beef, grapes and pine nuts in her turkey stuffing. There was a reason we drank retsina.

  120. 120.

    CarolPW

    @WaterGirl: Even farm families who would never let an animal in their house make sure those outside animals get their shots. I too have issues with people whose pets are never allowed inside, but that happens more than just on farms. Dogs outside on chains 24/7 happens in way too many places.

  121. 121.

    J R in WV

    @Major Major Major Major:

    In respite news, I just sold a short story I’ve been having a real hard time with!

    Woot, huzzah, congratulations!!!  Don’t harm your carpal tunnel coding, you may need it for more artistic activities!! Huzzah!!

  122. 122.

    chris

    @mrmoshpotato: Shackwacky is when you can only go out for brief periods because of snow, freezing rain, high wind, etc. Cabin fever sets in when you can’t go out at all. Fortunately I don’t live there.

  128. 128.

    Bill Arnold

    Science! (A couple of stories)
    The wisdom of crowds of fisher[men|women].
    A model ecosystem fish story (January 21, 2020)
    Scientists unexpectedly witness wolf puppies play fetch (January 16, 2020)

    The discovery comes as a surprise because it had been hypothesized that the cognitive abilities necessary to understand cues given by a human, such as those required for a game of fetch, arose in dogs only after humans domesticated them at least 15,000 years ago.

  131. 131.

    J R in WV

    @Betty Cracker:

    There’s a Cuban ground beef dish called picadillo that contains both raisins and olives, which sounds weird, but it’s really good!

    Living in Key West 1970-72 we instantly loved picadillo, the raisins and olives make it sweet and sour, along with the tomatoes and onions. On yellow rice with ice cold beer, hurray! Authentic Cubano food is the nuts!! Fried plaintain, also too!

  135. 135.

    J R in WV

    @Gin & Tonic:

    There is no more heartbreaking moment in human existence than thinking you’ve taken a chocolate chip cookie, taking a bite and finding that it’s oatmeal-raisin.

    Our local bakery makes a cookie they call their “Trail Mix” cookie, just enough batter to hold the nuts and fruit together. We keep some on hand for every morning with hot coffee or tea. Recently I bought my standard two dozen, we put some in the freezer to make them last longer.

    It was a disaster, because someone put several pounds of dark chocolate chips in that batch… fortunately no one was allergic to chocolate, but they were way too sweet compared to the standard Trail Mix cookie blend. Not that we didn’t eat them…

  136. 136.

    Roger Moore

    @WaterGirl:

    That and XP were the only good ones, in my opinion.

    Windows 2000 was the first version I liked.  Win 3.1 was a pointless addon to DOS; it was ugly and nowhere near as useful as all the other WIMP interfaces I had used (MacOS, NeXT Step, various flavors of X11).  Win NT gave it more solid underpinnings but kept the awful GUI.  Win 95 and 98 kept the rickety DOS underpinnings but had a nice GUI.  Win 2000 finally combined the solid underpinnings of NT and the nice GUI of 95/98 to make a really solid PC operating system.  Given how badly MacOS 9 was performing at that point, it finally gave Microsoft a better OS than Apple.

  137. 137.

    WaterGirl

    @mrmoshpotato:

    Yes!  The good calories from the oatmeal and raisins cancel the bad calories from the butter and sugar.  That’s just science!

    I have now wiped the slate clean from you being a bad person on the morning thread. :-)

  140. 140.

    WaterGirl

    @Luciamia: I would have thought it was more of a clunk sounds than chunk sound, but it was many, many moons ago, so I may be remembering wrong.

  141. 141.

    mrmoshpotato

    @WaterGirl: Wha?  (searches) BwHAhHahahahhaha!!!  I’d missed your reply.  I’m still terrible! ?

    ETA – suggesting a few sets of jumping jacks would’ve been worse.

    Seriously, I wasn’t going for mean, just absurd.

  142. 142.

    Patricia Kayden

    On the same day that CBS announces Reince Priebus as a news analyst, they have to correct his on-air falsehood.As journalists bemoan the increasing blurriness between fact and fiction, these same newsrooms must do some soul searching. pic.twitter.com/s41vcJVzDc— Eric Schultz (@EricSchultz) January 22, 2020

  145. 145.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Patricia Kayden:

    the increasing blurriness between fact and fiction 

    Are different media outlets in a battle for the most ridiculous, wrong-headed way to say “lies?”

  146. 146.

    WaterGirl

    @mrmoshpotato: Cartwheels after a broken wrist and arm???  Definitely worse than jumping jacks, where your weight is, you know, on your feet and not the, checks notes, wrist and arm!  :-)

    I knew you were being silly, as was I.

  149. 149.

    mrmoshpotato

    @WaterGirl: Oh.  I’d forgotten which bones broke.  I was just thinking jumping jacks shake the body more.  I chose the more absurd thing on accident.  Ya me!

  150. 150.

    dww44

    @Patricia Kayden: Didn’t know about the addition of Reince Priebus, but it has been obvious to me for some time that the Edward R. Murrow CBS News is no longer and the network is busy doing its best to rebrand itself as a conservative friendly broadcast news network.  Sad!

  155. 155.

    CarolPW

    @WaterGirl: Were good, no problems. Not talking about corporate farms where your assumptions would be largely correct, and for them animals are just tools or replaceable parts. But for small farms/ranches I think a lot of people assume that because we actually eat animals we personally know (and I knew everyone of them I ate when I was at home) it must indicate a general disrespect for animals when it is quite the opposite. When I was a kid I couldn’t imaging eating an animal I didn’t know, because all kind of bad things might have happened to it and who would have wanted to eat that. These days I don’t eat animals I know, but for all the meat I eat I know the person who raised it.

  160. 160.

    NotMax

    @Amir Khalid

    Had a strange technology interlude a couple of days ago.

    Remote for the TV went on the fritz, which also caused a “Not Available” message to flash on and off in the corner of the TV screen. Removed the batteries, mashed all the buttons on the remote several times in case any of them were partially stuck, left the remote (sans batteries) overnight to make sure it fully discharged. Inserted batteries the next day and all returned back to what passes for normal.

    Taking it as a warning though, so plan to include a replacement same-branded remote with the next order of baubles from Amazon. At under eight bucks, can splurge on that to have around just in case.

  161. 161.

    Immanentize

    My first programming effort was read cards. My second was punch tape.  My third was punch cards.  Omni 8. I am so old

  162. 162.

    Ruckus

    @trollhattan: 
    Have had shingles. Up my neck and the side of my face. Fun times. The shingles shots that I got were spaced 2 months apart and were no big deal. Other than someone poking me with a very small but sharp stick I had no side effects. That’s what medicines are like for me. Either they don’t adversely affect me at all or I’m in the 2 or 3 % at the bottom of the label, where it says the possible side effects – and you start reading from the bottom, worst to least worse direction.

  165. 165.

    NotMax

    @BilinGlendaleCA

    Going back many years, wangled borrowing one of the few extant at the time stand alone units designed to handle 36 inch floppies* to play with as part of a project/demonstration in grad school. No case on the floppies, one treated them the same a one would a record.

    *Memory says 36 but there’s a possibility they were 24. For sure remember it was one of three such machines then built.

  166. 166.

    Feathers

    I’m going to the William Gibson signing/reading in Cambridge next week. Did it through online, only to discover that, unlike previous times I’ve done this, if you bought the ticket that includes a copy of the book you can only pick it up at the signing. Ugh. I like having read the book before getting it signed. Am rereading The Peripheral instead.

    Note: Harvard Bookstore does still have tickets available for next week’s signing. It’s at the Unitarian church, you have to buy the tickets online.

    Raisins: Oatmeal, rice pudding: yes. Oatmeal cookies: yes to my Aunt Kay’s, no to everybody else’s. Also, I do like them in trail mix/kitchen sink cookies. Tapioca: don’t recall. I do like raisins in savory dishes. I have a great recipe for turkey breast with dried fruit and orange juice done in a roasting bag.

  167. 167.

    Duane

    Reince Preibus has to be the worst idea in the history of CBS. His name is a bad idea. CBS must want people to ridicule them. Maybe he’ll do a dance.

  169. 169.

    Feathers

    @Immanentize: My mother tells the story of her first job(s). She was an Army brat, so she got an on base data entry job. The first summer she entered data, which was recorded onto a punch tape. The second summer she entered the same data (she recognized her annotations), recorded onto punch cards this time.

    So much fun going to an MIT screening of Our Man Flint. The flashy movie punch card machine got huge whoops and cheers with a pockets of standing ovation. Highly recommended if you haven’t seen the film.

  170. 170.

    Ruckus

    @Immanentize:

    When we started using numerical control machines in the early 70s it was punch tape using a teletype tape punch. That progressed to an Apple II that had an editor that we could create the programs with and a tape punch. Much better than the teletype because you could see/fix your errors on the screen so you didn’t have to splice in fixes. There was no way to send the program to the machine from the computer electronically. Things have improved just slightly these days…….

  171. 171.

    Anne Laurie

    @sab: Husband got the senior flu shot (double dose) at the same time as the new shingles shot.

    Huh, my GP said I could get *either* the flu shot or the first-of-two new improved shingles shot.  (I chose the shingles vaccine.)   She said I’d have to wait a minimum of two weeks before getting a flu shot, in that case.

  173. 173.

    Ruckus

    @NotMax:

    I believe they were 24 inch.

    I’ve build molds for the front door of a 1inch mag tape storage unit, the reels were probably 12-14 in dia. This particular unit auto threaded the tape, using a low pressure air blast over an airfoil shape which guided the tape through the heads, so no one had to touch the tape and get oils from their hands on the tape. Mainframes used rooms full of these tape drives.

  177. 177.

    Miss Bianca

    @Bill Arnold: Cool, thanks for the links! I need a few good non-political journal articles to read.

    Been working all day on cuts in the script for “Much Ado about Nothing”, and first binging on, and then avoiding, political news.

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