That is one great picture of Steve. He is adorable!
6.
Emma from FL
You’re taking your life into your own hands. He can hear… he can read…. he can understand….
7.
MomSense
Don’t listen to him, Steve. You are magnificent!
8.
RepubAnon
Steve still has that “You’ll need to sleep sometime, Primate” look…
9.
germy
But a comfortable hairy meatloaf.
10.
PsiFighter37
Breezy sunny day here in NYC…definitely cooler than usual. Today marks 50 days inside, save for grocery trips, picking up deliveries downstairs, and going outside for a run.
I am back from my first time out of the house since March 5. The crating of the kitteh went off without a hitch; all praise to FSM. There was a lot of outraged yowling, got to the vet, called, they came out to get her, gave her a thorough exam, chopped off her talons, and gave her a shot of the same steroid I take every day, gave me a new flea med, charged me $421. I never left the car. The old vet retired and the new vet is a very young woman I really like. She came out and talked to me. The vet is next to the Stater Bros. market so I watched people come and go. Most wore masks and there was no line. Lot of men buying flowers and beer. The Stater Bros. employees had all different masks on, so I guess they had to buy their own. ?
One woman was hanging out in front with two small kids, maybe aged 3 and 5, and letting them run up and down unmasked. She had a mask, but was wearing it around her neck. I gave her a dirty look. She ignored it.
When we left, a bunch of giant SUVs were coming into the parking lot with huge American flags displayed out their windows. I saw my first ever MAGA hat in person on an angry lady. More protests are being astroturfed, I guess.
RIP Little Richard.
Little Richard dies and “Jerry Lee Lewis” trends on twitter, and white people continue to question the existence of systemic racism.
Steve looks cuddly and smooth. I love to pet them when they’re like that.
18.
PJ
@Mary G: Richard, like so many black performers of the time, was subject to systemic, organized racism and countless indignities, but the fact that these other white performers are trending now is not a sign of current racism. Richard and Jerry Lee were friends and both played piano. Jerry Lee has always acknowledged Richard’s talent, as a songwriter, stylist, and showman, and has covered many of his songs. Since Jerry Lee is the biggest survivor of that era still standing, it’s natural that people should also wonder how he is doing.
Pat Boone had bigger hits with Richard’s songs, with versions that were no comparison, which is a sign of the racism of the times, and the fact that people would be curious about that now is also not a sign of current racism. ETA: Pat Boone comes up in every obit of Richard for this reason, so it’s not surprising that people would wonder who he is or what he is up to.
19.
Gin & Tonic
Spending a Saturday afternoon indoors (as opposed to working in the yard, haters.) Have a roaring fire going in the fireplace, which is not how I’d have anticipated the second weekend in May.
It seems that we have been adopted by a stray kitteh. She’s unfazed by Gabe’s frenzied barking. She was starving so we’ve fed her, applied some flea stuff to the back of her neck, and made an appointment with the vet to have her fixed and vaccinated. Mrs J has mentioned thinking up a name that would work. Open to suggestions.
21.
Jean
Since this is an open thread, I wonder if anyone here reads Progress Pond, new blog name for Martin Longman’s site. I had a prime subscription but recently cancelled it. Just not worth it.
22.
JimV
Doesn’t look like any meatloaf I would eat. You must be very, very hungry. If I were Steve, I would be worried, and he does look a little worried to me.
Also I would reply, “I don’t resemble that remark!”
@jeffreyw: Turnip(TURN UP). As in she just turned up one day. I’ll see myself out… May be Velcro? As in sticks like?
34.
PsiFighter37
@Jean: I like Martin’s work and know him personally from my college days when I lived in Philly, but so much of his stuff sits behind a paywall. I don’t mind supporting folks, but the layout of the repurposed BT website isn’t great IMO. I also canned my TPM Prime subscription, but that was more because I think spending extra money these days on things I do not really need is going to be tough given the hard times that are ahead.
35.
EmbraceYourInnerCrone
@trollhattan: What the actual fuck…If they want to play Army they can go join the National Guard. Jeez what a bunch of assholes.
36.
raven
@Mary G: When I was a little kid in Whittier I came flying around the corner in the Staters Brothers and took out and entire display of mayo! And I mean “took out” like smashed half the bottles. In other news I realized I’m paying over $100 a month for health insurance for Bodhi so I filed for 4 months of Rymadil and I just got $240 from them!
@PJ: Pat Boone comes up in every obit of Richard for this reason, so it’s not surprising that people would wonder who he is or what he is up to.
Hopefully enough people will be curious enough to research Pat Boone, so they’ll discover he’s a right-wing lunatic who writes for the likes of Townhall and World Net Daily, and attacked Barack Obama with the most vile of racist bullshit.
From the Huff Post:
In an Oct. 31, 2009, column, Boone likened “the current occupant” of the White House — you know, Obama — as someone who “has purposely brought a whole flock of social and political voracious varmints with him into our House,” likening this to “a very real infestation of termites and rodents.” Boone discusses “tenting,” in which “Experts come in, actually envelope the whole dwelling in a giant tent – and send a very powerful fumigant, lethal to the varmints and unwelcome creatures, into every nook and cranny of the house. Done thoroughly, every last destructive insect or rodent is sent to varmint hell – and in a day or two, the grand house is habitable again.” Boone adds, “I believe – figuratively, but in a very real way – we need to tent the White House!”
“Our House.” Fuck Pat Boone. That asshole isn’t fit to shine Little Richard’s shoes.
Can’t now remember just where I saw it, but one of the obits I came across earlier today had a wonderful line about Little Richard (from memory, so possibly not word-for-word): “He always sounded like the last man on earth singing the first song ever written.”
@Mary G: Glad the vet visit and went well and that you avoided the potential cat carrier catastrophe, but that’s a lot of money. Yikes. Based on the bill, it sounds like she needed to be there, so it’s good that you brought her in, though. I hope that doesn’t mean you will have to eat ramen noodles for a month.
48.
Another Scott
@jeffreyw: I was thinking she looks like a Gretel, but maybe Gretchen would be better? (Ala Gretchen Whitmer.)
@Mai naem mobile: I don’t have the chart handy – is the Susan Collins concern level higher or lower than the Jeff Flake? So hard to keep it all straight.
50.
Another Scott
@Jean: I used to read it fairly regularly maybe a decade ago. But something, er, weird happened to the regulars in the comment section maybe 5 years ago (shortly after the new and improved version) and I haven’t been back. I do continue to read him at WaMo, but not every day.
His regular commenters were so horrific that I, too, haven’t frequented his site in years. Occasionally, I read one of his columns/posts on my daily stop to read Nancy LeTourneau (Smartypants) at Washington Monthly-Political Animal.
@WereBear: Ginger, Bea, Toby, Homer, Ollie, Bitsy – I prefer one word names, 2 syllables max. Additional words on occasion for emphasis, e.g. Homer dammit.
@WaterGirl: It’s an expensive location in an expensive town, so I’m sure their rent is astronomical, plus I got a three-month supply of the latest best flea meds, she had a blood test and a deworming just-in-case, so I actually guessed it would be more. Also, too, the government gave me $1200 so I have extra money for the moment. They have had the same clinic manager for the 19 years I’ve been going there – a handsome guy with beautiful blue eyes and a major love for all animals, so I got some eye candy/there are still decent human beings in America fix.
@Jean: I stopped reading soon after the transition to Progress Pond as well. I read the original site as much for the engagement and debate in the comments as for Martin’s articles. The comment section pretty much dried up with the switch. Martin also tends to a pretty severe form of nihilism at times and I don’t think that’s helpful at a time when people need to have at least the prospect that things will get better.
I wish him the best, but I’d be surprised if the current format is successful.
@Elizabelle: Oh, come on! They aren’t irreplaceable! When “those” people die doing our ‘essential’ work, there will be plenty more people who need the money that will step up to take their places. Plus, the Economy > people. My haircut is more important than your life! Not to mention my god-given right to ride in a golf cart! Winning! //
Today, I am putting my rage level at incandescent, in case anyone is interested.
@Jean: They lost me with the site “upgrade”. Too busy, too gaudy. Plus Martin had started making me crazy with his negative take on everything. Used to love the Frog Pond. :-(
73.
CCL
@jeffreyw: Looks just like the one who adopted us last year – Adorable! Beautiful golden eyes
Our puppies have been Bruno, Gracie and Rocco. Bruno arrived with that name and it suited his personality so we kept it. Gracie arrived as Taylor and we were, “What, does she do alterations?” Rocco was named on the drive home from the puppy place.
We had forgotten the parakeet is Paco, but it hasn’t been too confusing for the dog, coincidentally a bird dog.
Also named some of the koi but they reproduced to the point it’s hopeless to keep that going.
You know who else has a pretty severe case of nihilism besides Martin Longman? IMHO, Ed Kilgore, formerly at Washington Monthly where Martin now posts.
Kilgore now posts at NY Mag.-Intelligencer. At his prior gig, I don’t remember him as being relentlessly negative. I’m an on-line subscriber to NY Mag. and I think I’ll let my subscription lapse.
78.
hueyplong
@WaterGirl: Jeff Flake concern is much higher. He acted like he might actually do something but then saw his shadow, soiled himself, and voted the Trump line.
Susan Collins doesn’t give a shit, never has, and mails in her wooden acting performance before delivering Kavanaugh to Moscow Mitch.
She’s the Keanu Reeves of Trumpian moderate cosplayers.
She was dainty, a little prissy and a love button, in huge contrast to the big boy-who-is-all-boy we had previously so it was a fine fit. Poor thing had never learned how to play and a dog who cannot conceive of fetch was a puzzle we never solved.
Is there a special reason you need a flea medicine, instead of a collar or powder? I gave up trying to put a collar on my cat, so I went to the supermarket and bought 3 more collars and dropped them in the spots where Cat typically sleeps … never had a flea problem.
81.
jl
@Mai naem mobile: Historically, all of Cole’s pets, except Lily, are constantly thinking up horrific strategies to destroy Cole.
BTW, did I miss the BJ recipe for hairy meatloaf? I can’t find it.
Edit: come to think of it, have we had proof of life from Cole, recently? We know that the spirit of Tunch is still in the BJ computers, though has been quiet lately…. too quiet… Have plans been executed at last?
82.
Mary G
It me!
My mom lost her glasses while making banana bread, she was blaming everyone in the house lol pic.twitter.com/qKvTST6dFU— IG:@Kodi_the_queen (@kodi_the_queen) May 8, 2020
Pat Boone had bigger hits with Richard’s songs, with versions that were no comparison, which is a sign of the racism of the times, and the fact that people would be curious about that now is also not a sign of current racism. ETA: Pat Boone comes up in every obit of Richard for this reason, so it’s not surprising that people would wonder who he is or what he is up to.
Yep, and Boone’s obnoxious political beliefs are a side issue.
In the 50s and early 60s, Boone was actually quite popular as a mainstream whitebread pop performer. Wholesome and all that BS. He had his own hits, but also regularly would do homogenized cover versions of rhythm and blues songs.
And one of the best examples of this watered down mess was Little Richard’s “Tutti Fruiti.”
After Pat Boone‘s success with “Ain’t That a Shame“, his next single was “Tutti Frutti”, markedly toned down from the already reworked Blackwell version. Boone’s version made No. 12 on the national pop chart, with Little Richard’s trailing behind reaching only No. 21 in February 1956.
Little Richard admitted that though Boone “took [his] music”, Boone made it more popular due to his high status in the white music industry. Nevertheless, a Washington Post Staff Writer, Richard Harrington, quoted Richard in an article:
They didn’t want me to be in the white guys’ way. … I felt I was pushed into a rhythm and blues corner to keep out of rockers’ way, because that’s where the money is. When “Tutti Frutti” came out. … They needed a rock star to block me out of white homes because I was a hero to white kids. The white kids would have Pat Boone upon the dresser and me in the drawer ’cause they liked my version better, but the families didn’t want me because of the image that I was projecting.
Boone’s wretched version of the song is part of the history of rock and roll. Fortunately, people are rocking to the original in tribute to Little Richard.
@Mary G: Speaking of eye candy, remember the young guy that was the receptionist on Private Practice? (The Grey’s Anatomy spinoff.) The surfer guy? That’s who I think of when I hear that phrase. Eye candy, indeed.
Always wondered if “actual kids” listened to Boone, or if he was more the record industry pitching directly to parents, since they controlled the wallet. He was a middle-age spectacle by the time I knew who he was, and of course gifted us the thankfully brief career of “You Light Up My Life” daughter Debby. Which we turned into “You Light Up My Wife.”
And to think that was a hit at the same time as “Talking Heads ’77.” Lest anybody give her unearned credit for being an improvement over dad, this.
91.
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
@WaterGirl: I think of Chris Hemsworth’s receptionist in the recent Ghostbusters.
92.
Yutsano
@WaterGirl: To be fair, this is one of the reasons why I keep my physiotherapist. VERY handsome man with fantastic blue eyes. And expecting a fourth kid with his wife. Ah well. You can’t have them all.
93.
jl
@WaterGirl: need video of Cole’s pets foiling him in various ways. Then we’ll know for sure.
94.
PsiFighter37
@pamelabrown53: Kilgore’s generally an interesting read, and seems to have awoken from his DLC-induced stupidity at some point in the past decade or so.
Always wondered if “actual kids” listened to Boone, or if he was more the record industry pitching directly to parents, since they controlled the wallet.
Boone himself was popular. But the revolution was coming. With post-war prosperity, more teens had pocket money. And, as is often the case, technology helped change everything. With the coming of the transistor radio, kids didn’t have to sit and listen to the furniture box radio in the living room, with the rest of the family. They could find their own music. And they could buy records, 78s and later 45s.
103.
Quiltingfool
Steve is a very handsome meatloaf. My cat, Baby, is a meatloaf, too!
Hard to tell if Pat Boone appealed to kids. My mother was only 19 when she gave birth to me and she adored Pat Boone where my father, only a year older, reviled him.
@trollhattan: Spouse biked out to Mace Blvd., and back through West Sac and on to the Capital and said that West Capital was crawling with goobers getting themselves all kinds of worked up and that when he rolled past the Capital it was wall to wall tactical CHP and so figured some freedom shite-baggery was afoot.
BREAKING @RNC says it is doubling its budget to oppose voting rights in court to $20,000,000. Republican spox: RNC is prepared to sue Democrats "into oblivion and spend whatever is necessary."https://t.co/amsBOegQgD— Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) May 7, 2020
In 2004 Little Richard wrote a profile of himself for our Immortals issue. He explained why he was so dangerous at the time — because was the first black artist whose records the white kids were starting to buy https://t.co/cX2qTkecyHpic.twitter.com/k8wG3I82rl— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) May 9, 2020
117.
jackmac
Hi all. Checking in from the Reopen Illinois / Collection of Idiots / thinly disguised Donald Trump rally today in far west suburban Chicago.
About 150 people gathered along Illinois Route 34 for the rally with some carrying signs protesting leftist plots, warning of impending Communism plus prominent Trump flags and signs while a “minister” spoke of the dangers of Satan.
No guns visible, but Illinois prohibits open carry. No libs allowed either.
Only a handful of people wore masks, there was no social distancing and one man yelled out his desire to “go shopping.” I’ll check back in a couple weeks to see if there’s an uptick of COVID-19 cases in this county as a result. The odds are pretty good.
118.
Wag
Who’s next in the trump/ covid orbit? Ivanka wants in on the action!
@Mary G: My girls had their vet visit yesterday for shots and a wellness check, Madame paid the bill so I’m unaware the exact amount. She was complaining about the expense, so I’m sure it wasn’t cheap(there were flu shots involved).
@rikyrah: I heard about this and it’s really evil. You can also compare this from Trump, who freaked the fuck out and is demanding we invalidate Democratic mail-in votes from California:
“So in California, the Democrats, who fought like crazy to get all mail in only ballots, and succeeded, have just opened a voting booth in the most Democrat area in the State,” he tweeted on Saturday. “They are trying to steal another election.”
“It’s all rigged out there,” Trump also wrote. “These votes must not count. SCAM!”
Susan Collins doesn’t give a shit, never has, and mails in her wooden acting performance before delivering Kavanaugh to Moscow Mitch.
at this point the only surprise to me about Collins and Cory Gardener is they don’t seem to be responding to some really bad polling. With Gardner, I’m assuming he knows he’s toast and he’s got an eye on which pastures he’ll be invited to graze in. I don’t know why, but my totally baseless impression is that Collins seems bizarrely confident about re-election
Bean just appeared in the Netflix miniseries The Medicis and played the rival banker. It was fucking terrible, he fit about as well as a coarse Yorkshireman (he has a tattoo of Sheffield United on his arm and remains a staunch supporter of the Blades) would in 15th century Florence.
@johnnybuck: Sorry! Maybe both at the moment? As a kind of release valve for the frustration and rage?
142.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@HumboldtBlue: how’s the series otherwise? historical fiction can make for fun TV. IMHO, Hbo’s Rome worked really well, that Tudors series, not so much.
@Villago Delenda Est: It’s true. Just like the young pups who put those crazy big tires on their vehicles, thinking that it makes the look cool? Instead, it’s embarrassing and pathetic.
A pet’s coat is designed by nature to keep it cool during the summer and warm in the winter. By shaving your pet you usually interfere with this built-in temperature regulation. Cats, in particular, are very good at regulating body temperature and “really get no benefit from being shaved
My first challah bread just came out of the oven. What do I eat with it? Honey? Jam?
It’s a challah recipe, but I didn’t want to bother with all the braiding, so I just did an artsy twist and then put both of them on the same pan so they kind of baked together. And I skipped the egg wash because I prefer my bread a lighter color and not so shiny. (Do I still get to call it challah?)
148.
Benw
@jeffreyw: Pretty cat! I like how her whiskers go from very black to white, so I’d name her something like Shade
I like how her whiskers go from very black to white, so I’d name her something like Shade
Maybe “Gradient”? :)
But don’t listen to me. My oldest cat is named “Cthulhu” and we used to call her ‘the littlest elder god’ because she has this amazing soul-threatening stare.
We usually wait a while to name a new critter. Our two new puppies I named Boo-Boo ( the little girl) and Coo-Coo, the slightly larger boy. Wife was WTF, but I stuck to it, and they learned those names in a matter of hours.
Boo-Boo has a nickname of Buttercup, which she will look over at whoever says that nickname, but if you want her to pay attention and come over, Boo-Boo is what you need to go with.
The older pup is names Alice, as in Alice in Wonderland, who went down a rabbit hole into Wonderland, as our dog came home from the Shelter to a wonderful place for dawgs to run wild in the wooded hillsides.
Thanks for posting this great giant set of obits in the WaPo. It reminds me of the rule-breaking and huge set of obits of every person they could ID who died in the Twin Towers that the (FTF)NYT ran in the months after that tragedy. Yes, the NYT does publish worthy things, just not all their work is worthy.
Listening to Little Richard singing Lucille and such as I type this. Jimmi Hendrix played in Little Richard’s band, who knew that~?!?!?!
@MisterForkbeard: I was dating a guy a few years back who was a dead ringer for Sean Bean as Richard Sharpe, just maybe 20 years older. Still, so ridiculously handsome in that blond, blue-eyed, square-jawed, Aryan-ideal way that it was a bit disconcerting at times.
This was while I was living in Crested Butte, CO, and a lot of the jet-setting cougars around town obviously found him quite dishy! ; )
176.
Miss Bianca
@zhena gogolia: Are you still reading it? (Duke’s Children). I finished that one in a gulp, but I’ve been stuck on Can You Forgive Her? for weeks now.
Chacal Charles Calthrop
Just in time for the last bout of cold weather…
Amir Khalid
Did you get to do any needed touch-up work, or was Steve not going for it?
HumboldtBlue
You Staring At Me Juarez Yes Steve Your Gigantic
NanCo
Catloaf.
ema
That is one great picture of Steve. He is adorable!
Emma from FL
You’re taking your life into your own hands. He can hear… he can read…. he can understand….
MomSense
Don’t listen to him, Steve. You are magnificent!
RepubAnon
Steve still has that “You’ll need to sleep sometime, Primate” look…
germy
But a comfortable hairy meatloaf.
PsiFighter37
Breezy sunny day here in NYC…definitely cooler than usual. Today marks 50 days inside, save for grocery trips, picking up deliveries downstairs, and going outside for a run.
J.
It’s like you Photoshopped Steve’s head onto some other cat. LOL
WaterGirl
@Amir Khalid:
I’m gonna have to go with a hard ‘no’ on that one.
Benw
@PsiFighter37: 55 days doing exactly the same out here in the Long Island ‘burbs! Heading out for a breezy cold but sunny jog
germy
Tesla’s Elon Musk threatens to sue county, relocate over coronavirus restrictions
Mary G
I am back from my first time out of the house since March 5. The crating of the kitteh went off without a hitch; all praise to FSM. There was a lot of outraged yowling, got to the vet, called, they came out to get her, gave her a thorough exam, chopped off her talons, and gave her a shot of the same steroid I take every day, gave me a new flea med, charged me $421. I never left the car. The old vet retired and the new vet is a very young woman I really like. She came out and talked to me. The vet is next to the Stater Bros. market so I watched people come and go. Most wore masks and there was no line. Lot of men buying flowers and beer. The Stater Bros. employees had all different masks on, so I guess they had to buy their own. ?
One woman was hanging out in front with two small kids, maybe aged 3 and 5, and letting them run up and down unmasked. She had a mask, but was wearing it around her neck. I gave her a dirty look. She ignored it.
When we left, a bunch of giant SUVs were coming into the parking lot with huge American flags displayed out their windows. I saw my first ever MAGA hat in person on an angry lady. More protests are being astroturfed, I guess.
RIP Little Richard.
Pat Boone is also trending on my TL. White people, WTF number three zillion and two.
Amir Khalid
@germy:
Elon can be such a petulant little boy sometimes.
zhena gogolia
Steve looks cuddly and smooth. I love to pet them when they’re like that.
PJ
@Mary G: Richard, like so many black performers of the time, was subject to systemic, organized racism and countless indignities, but the fact that these other white performers are trending now is not a sign of current racism. Richard and Jerry Lee were friends and both played piano. Jerry Lee has always acknowledged Richard’s talent, as a songwriter, stylist, and showman, and has covered many of his songs. Since Jerry Lee is the biggest survivor of that era still standing, it’s natural that people should also wonder how he is doing.
Pat Boone had bigger hits with Richard’s songs, with versions that were no comparison, which is a sign of the racism of the times, and the fact that people would be curious about that now is also not a sign of current racism. ETA: Pat Boone comes up in every obit of Richard for this reason, so it’s not surprising that people would wonder who he is or what he is up to.
Gin & Tonic
Spending a Saturday afternoon indoors (as opposed to working in the yard, haters.) Have a roaring fire going in the fireplace, which is not how I’d have anticipated the second weekend in May.
jeffreyw
It seems that we have been adopted by a stray kitteh. She’s unfazed by Gabe’s frenzied barking. She was starving so we’ve fed her, applied some flea stuff to the back of her neck, and made an appointment with the vet to have her fixed and vaccinated. Mrs J has mentioned thinking up a name that would work. Open to suggestions.
Jean
Since this is an open thread, I wonder if anyone here reads Progress Pond, new blog name for Martin Longman’s site. I had a prime subscription but recently cancelled it. Just not worth it.
JimV
Doesn’t look like any meatloaf I would eat. You must be very, very hungry. If I were Steve, I would be worried, and he does look a little worried to me.
Also I would reply, “I don’t resemble that remark!”
WereBear
@jeffreyw: Madame Steele
geg6
Maybe a very pissed off meatloaf contemplating murder under cover of the dark. Don’t call him a meatloaf to his face, is all I’m saying.
Jinchi
He’s clearly just a man desperate to feed his new baby.
Bex
@jeffreyw: Jill for Jill Biden.
Mary G
@jeffreyw: That face! She looks like a Harriet to me.
Jinchi
I never realized people shaved cats.
Do you use the same tranquilizer darts that vets do when working with tigers at the zoo?
Mai naem mobile
That cat looks like he’s planning some strategery. I would be concerned Cole and I ain’t talking Susan Collins concerned either.
WereBear
Too hot or too tangled. Maine Coon Cats survived North Atlantic ships and New England winters.
Luciamia
Regardless of the dirty looks that is one cooperative cat.
trollhattan
I played army too, then turned eight. Here are the self-described “California State Militia, 2nd Regimen [sic]” playing army by the State Capitol. One wonders what the extent of their grievances are. Pretty sure I don’t have the time.
EmbraceYourInnerCrone
@jeffreyw: Turnip(TURN UP). As in she just turned up one day. I’ll see myself out… May be Velcro? As in sticks like?
PsiFighter37
@Jean: I like Martin’s work and know him personally from my college days when I lived in Philly, but so much of his stuff sits behind a paywall. I don’t mind supporting folks, but the layout of the repurposed BT website isn’t great IMO. I also canned my TPM Prime subscription, but that was more because I think spending extra money these days on things I do not really need is going to be tough given the hard times that are ahead.
EmbraceYourInnerCrone
@trollhattan: What the actual fuck…If they want to play Army they can go join the National Guard. Jeez what a bunch of assholes.
raven
@Mary G: When I was a little kid in Whittier I came flying around the corner in the Staters Brothers and took out and entire display of mayo! And I mean “took out” like smashed half the bottles. In other news I realized I’m paying over $100 a month for health insurance for Bodhi so I filed for 4 months of Rymadil and I just got $240 from them!
Immanentize
@jeffreyw:
I looked at her, sweet thing (maybe?), And thought of Victorian times.
I suggest
Emma (a good Victorian name and a good one for a Red) or
Prosperity (a good Quaker/Puritan name). Also, appearing in your life at this moment has greatly increased yours.
It is nearing time for cat number two at the Imm/p house. The big rescue period in these parts starts in mid-summer….
Luciamia
@jeffreyw: Blue Steel.?
Death Panel Truck
Hopefully enough people will be curious enough to research Pat Boone, so they’ll discover he’s a right-wing lunatic who writes for the likes of Townhall and World Net Daily, and attacked Barack Obama with the most vile of racist bullshit.
From the Huff Post:
“Our House.” Fuck Pat Boone. That asshole isn’t fit to shine Little Richard’s shoes.
trollhattan
@EmbraceYourInnerCrone:
My thoughts exactly, presuming the Guard would even want them. There’s been an outbreak of bone spurs, or so I’ve heard.
SiubhanDuinne
@Mary G:
Can’t now remember just where I saw it, but one of the obits I came across earlier today had a wonderful line about Little Richard (from memory, so possibly not word-for-word): “He always sounded like the last man on earth singing the first song ever written.”
NotMax
@Jeffreyw
Hilda.
Or Cha-cha.
Baud
@Jean: I used to read Booman pretty religiously through 2016. The 2016 primary killed it for me.
Immanentize
@NotMax: Cha-cha is strong.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@jeffreyw:
Miss Molly in memory of Little Richard.
Croaker
Feel bad for Steve grave injustice there. Lower rug shave is bad enough.
WaterGirl
@Mary G: Glad the vet visit and went well and that you avoided the potential cat carrier catastrophe, but that’s a lot of money. Yikes. Based on the bill, it sounds like she needed to be there, so it’s good that you brought her in, though. I hope that doesn’t mean you will have to eat ramen noodles for a month.
Another Scott
@jeffreyw: I was thinking she looks like a Gretel, but maybe Gretchen would be better? (Ala Gretchen Whitmer.)
Beautiful kitty. You’re a good man.
Best of luck to her!
Cheers,
Scott.
WaterGirl
@Mai naem mobile: I don’t have the chart handy – is the Susan Collins concern level higher or lower than the Jeff Flake? So hard to keep it all straight.
Another Scott
@Jean: I used to read it fairly regularly maybe a decade ago. But something, er, weird happened to the regulars in the comment section maybe 5 years ago (shortly after the new and improved version) and I haven’t been back. I do continue to read him at WaMo, but not every day.
My $0.02.
Cheers,
Scott.
pamelabrown53
@Baud:
His regular commenters were so horrific that I, too, haven’t frequented his site in years. Occasionally, I read one of his columns/posts on my daily stop to read Nancy LeTourneau (Smartypants) at Washington Monthly-Political Animal.
Beautifulplumage
Riffing off of a couple of previous suggestions:
Emma Peel
ETA this was meant for Jefferyw
Baud
@pamelabrown53:
I like her. She’s not “provocative” but she’s solid.
Beautifulplumage
Miss Pearl got a spa day at the vet last week with her regular checkup and she is so loving our current 80 deg weather!
germy
Faces of the dead
Some of the people we’ve lost to the virus.
Elizabelle
Another cheer for Nancy LeTourneau. She’s great.
Lumpy
Maine Coons are such nice cats. Steve is handsome!
jeffreyw
@WereBear: Ginger, Bea, Toby, Homer, Ollie, Bitsy – I prefer one word names, 2 syllables max. Additional words on occasion for emphasis, e.g. Homer dammit.
Tdjr
@jeffreyw: She looks like a Pearl to me.
jeffreyw
@Bex:
A contender!
Elizabelle
@germy: Irreplaceable people.
WaterGirl
@Elizabelle: Make that three.
WaterGirl
@jeffreyw: Is the “god” in front of dammit for Homer “silent”?
jeffreyw
@Immanentize: Emma is good.
HumboldtBlue
@Jean:
I haven’t read Booman since it became Progressive Pond
@jeffreyw:
Cilantro. Sparkles.
Mary G
@WaterGirl: It’s an expensive location in an expensive town, so I’m sure their rent is astronomical, plus I got a three-month supply of the latest best flea meds, she had a blood test and a deworming just-in-case, so I actually guessed it would be more. Also, too, the government gave me $1200 so I have extra money for the moment. They have had the same clinic manager for the 19 years I’ve been going there – a handsome guy with beautiful blue eyes and a major love for all animals, so I got some eye candy/there are still decent human beings in America fix.
jeffreyw
@NotMax: Hills, Hillie, – hmm
jeffreyw
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Miss Molly just jumped into the top bracket!
Jinchi
@Jean: I stopped reading soon after the transition to Progress Pond as well. I read the original site as much for the engagement and debate in the comments as for Martin’s articles. The comment section pretty much dried up with the switch. Martin also tends to a pretty severe form of nihilism at times and I don’t think that’s helpful at a time when people need to have at least the prospect that things will get better.
I wish him the best, but I’d be surprised if the current format is successful.
WaterGirl
@Elizabelle: Oh, come on! They aren’t irreplaceable! When “those” people die doing our ‘essential’ work, there will be plenty more people who need the money that will step up to take their places. Plus, the Economy > people. My haircut is more important than your life! Not to mention my god-given right to ride in a golf cart! Winning! //
Today, I am putting my rage level at incandescent, in case anyone is interested.
jeffreyw
@Another Scott: Actually, I’m an asshole, but I hide it well. Mostly. If I don’t talk too much.
WaterGirl
@Jean: They lost me with the site “upgrade”. Too busy, too gaudy. Plus Martin had started making me crazy with his negative take on everything. Used to love the Frog Pond. :-(
CCL
@jeffreyw: Looks just like the one who adopted us last year – Adorable! Beautiful golden eyes
Miss Molly is good. Like Emma good too. Gato??
jeffreyw
@WaterGirl: It can go either way.
trollhattan
@jeffreyw:
Our puppies have been Bruno, Gracie and Rocco. Bruno arrived with that name and it suited his personality so we kept it. Gracie arrived as Taylor and we were, “What, does she do alterations?” Rocco was named on the drive home from the puppy place.
We had forgotten the parakeet is Paco, but it hasn’t been too confusing for the dog, coincidentally a bird dog.
Also named some of the koi but they reproduced to the point it’s hopeless to keep that going.
jeffreyw
@trollhattan: Gracie has a nice ring to it.
pamelabrown53
@Jinchi:
You know who else has a pretty severe case of nihilism besides Martin Longman? IMHO, Ed Kilgore, formerly at Washington Monthly where Martin now posts.
Kilgore now posts at NY Mag.-Intelligencer. At his prior gig, I don’t remember him as being relentlessly negative. I’m an on-line subscriber to NY Mag. and I think I’ll let my subscription lapse.
hueyplong
@WaterGirl: Jeff Flake concern is much higher. He acted like he might actually do something but then saw his shadow, soiled himself, and voted the Trump line.
Susan Collins doesn’t give a shit, never has, and mails in her wooden acting performance before delivering Kavanaugh to Moscow Mitch.
She’s the Keanu Reeves of Trumpian moderate cosplayers.
trollhattan
@jeffreyw:
She was dainty, a little prissy and a love button, in huge contrast to the big boy-who-is-all-boy we had previously so it was a fine fit. Poor thing had never learned how to play and a dog who cannot conceive of fetch was a puzzle we never solved.
Mallard Filmore
@Mary G:
Is there a special reason you need a flea medicine, instead of a collar or powder? I gave up trying to put a collar on my cat, so I went to the supermarket and bought 3 more collars and dropped them in the spots where Cat typically sleeps … never had a flea problem.
jl
@Mai naem mobile: Historically, all of Cole’s pets, except Lily, are constantly thinking up horrific strategies to destroy Cole.
BTW, did I miss the BJ recipe for hairy meatloaf? I can’t find it.
Edit: come to think of it, have we had proof of life from Cole, recently? We know that the spirit of Tunch is still in the BJ computers, though has been quiet lately…. too quiet… Have plans been executed at last?
Mary G
It me!
Brachiator
@Mary G:
It’s just the algorithm, not racism.
@PJ:
Yep, and Boone’s obnoxious political beliefs are a side issue.
In the 50s and early 60s, Boone was actually quite popular as a mainstream whitebread pop performer. Wholesome and all that BS. He had his own hits, but also regularly would do homogenized cover versions of rhythm and blues songs.
And one of the best examples of this watered down mess was Little Richard’s “Tutti Fruiti.”
Boone’s wretched version of the song is part of the history of rock and roll. Fortunately, people are rocking to the original in tribute to Little Richard.
WaterGirl
@Mary G: Speaking of eye candy, remember the young guy that was the receptionist on Private Practice? (The Grey’s Anatomy spinoff.) The surfer guy? That’s who I think of when I hear that phrase. Eye candy, indeed.
trollhattan
@Mary G:
Oh lord, the perfect combo of setup and punchline. :-) I see the lenses melted a little where they touched the pan. Bet mom tries to reuse them.
WaterGirl
@hueyplong:
Hey, give the guy a break, he was powerless. Nothing he could do! It’s not like he was a fucking Senator or anything!
Cheryl from Maryland
@Bex: Shouldn’t that be “Dr. Jill”?
WaterGirl
@jl:
Where have you been? :-) Cole has put up 4 posts in the past day!
Another Scott
Hey, you! Sit over here!!
(via nycsouthpaw)
Cheers,
Scott.
trollhattan
@Brachiator:
Always wondered if “actual kids” listened to Boone, or if he was more the record industry pitching directly to parents, since they controlled the wallet. He was a middle-age spectacle by the time I knew who he was, and of course gifted us the thankfully brief career of “You Light Up My Life” daughter Debby. Which we turned into “You Light Up My Wife.”
And to think that was a hit at the same time as “Talking Heads ’77.” Lest anybody give her unearned credit for being an improvement over dad, this.
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
@WaterGirl: I think of Chris Hemsworth’s receptionist in the recent Ghostbusters.
Yutsano
@WaterGirl: To be fair, this is one of the reasons why I keep my physiotherapist. VERY handsome man with fantastic blue eyes. And expecting a fourth kid with his wife. Ah well. You can’t have them all.
jl
@WaterGirl: need video of Cole’s pets foiling him in various ways. Then we’ll know for sure.
PsiFighter37
@pamelabrown53: Kilgore’s generally an interesting read, and seems to have awoken from his DLC-induced stupidity at some point in the past decade or so.
trollhattan
@Another Scott:
Hah, ‘trieves gotta ‘trieve. Dapper outfits, and how do you not love that big paw keeping kitteh in place?
Bex
@Cheryl from Maryland: Too many syllables for jw.
pamelabrown53
@Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism:
Big, hot flashes for Chris Hemsworth! As a gay, oldish woman, I can honestly say he’s my Melissa Etheridge crush on Brad Pitt!
Elizabelle
@Another Scott: Heh heh. Sent that to a friend who loves Goldens.
WaterGirl
@Another Scott: That is awesome! I actually laughed out loud, in spite of my current state of rage.
WaterGirl
@Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism: Never saw that, but it sounds like I need to.
Elizabelle
@trollhattan: I thought pupper was trying to remove kitteh from the picture. Entirely. But kitteh not having any of that.
Brachiator
@trollhattan:
Boone himself was popular. But the revolution was coming. With post-war prosperity, more teens had pocket money. And, as is often the case, technology helped change everything. With the coming of the transistor radio, kids didn’t have to sit and listen to the furniture box radio in the living room, with the rest of the family. They could find their own music. And they could buy records, 78s and later 45s.
Quiltingfool
Steve is a very handsome meatloaf. My cat, Baby, is a meatloaf, too!
pamelabrown53
@trollhattan:
Hard to tell if Pat Boone appealed to kids. My mother was only 19 when she gave birth to me and she adored Pat Boone where my father, only a year older, reviled him.
I grew up with the “crooners”.
“Father Knows Best”!
WaterGirl
@Yutsano: More handsome than this? Such a pretty face!
Nora
@Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism: That was the first time I realized what a great comic actor he is. Not to mention that great body.
Quiltingfool
@jeffreyw: Oh, my, look at that face! Lucky you to be chosen by that sweetness!
WaterGirl
@Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism: @pamelabrown53: @Nora:
I’m not sure what you guys see in him:
WaterGirl
@WaterGirl: Oh, I guess he usually looks more like this:
danielx
@jeffreyw:
Ophelia!
laura
@trollhattan: Spouse biked out to Mace Blvd., and back through West Sac and on to the Capital and said that West Capital was crawling with goobers getting themselves all kinds of worked up and that when he rolled past the Capital it was wall to wall tactical CHP and so figured some freedom shite-baggery was afoot.
Re JefferyW – that tabby looks like a Mabel.
Steeplejack (phone)
@jeffreyw:
She’s a beauty!
MisterForkbeard
As a straight white dude, you’re all crazy.
Clearly the hottest dude ever is 2000s-era Sean Bean. I mean, look at this: https://i.pinimg.com/564x/d4/71/27/d471276927e0cce1fe5122efcdd6d747.jpg
I have shared this opinion with my wife. She tells me I’m allowed to have a man-crush, and I’m owning up to it. :)
rikyrah
???
Lapassionara
@rikyrah: Pure evil.
rikyrah
jackmac
Hi all. Checking in from the Reopen Illinois / Collection of Idiots / thinly disguised Donald Trump rally today in far west suburban Chicago.
About 150 people gathered along Illinois Route 34 for the rally with some carrying signs protesting leftist plots, warning of impending Communism plus prominent Trump flags and signs while a “minister” spoke of the dangers of Satan.
No guns visible, but Illinois prohibits open carry. No libs allowed either.
Only a handful of people wore masks, there was no social distancing and one man yelled out his desire to “go shopping.” I’ll check back in a couple weeks to see if there’s an uptick of COVID-19 cases in this county as a result. The odds are pretty good.
Wag
Who’s next in the trump/ covid orbit? Ivanka wants in on the action!
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/ivanka-trump-personal-assistant-test-positive-coronavirus#EmbedCommentsWrapper
knittingbull
@jeffreyw: Delurking-Tilly-lurking
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Mary G: My girls had their vet visit yesterday for shots and a wellness check, Madame paid the bill so I’m unaware the exact amount. She was complaining about the expense, so I’m sure it wasn’t cheap(there were flu shots involved).
pamelabrown53
@WaterGirl:
Hah! They say the camera adds 20 LBS.
Since you can post pics., WaterGirl, maybe you can find me a Hemsworth pic. with longer hair. Long hair on men makes me swoon.
HumboldtBlue
@MisterForkbeard:
Nothing like Richard Sharpe stripping off his shirt to train the bumbling and beaten South Essex into an efficient fighting machine. And in front of the lady as well!
raven
@jackmac: How far west, Naperville?
?BillinGlendaleCA
@trollhattan: Our YorkiePom arrived with the name blanco…she has black fur. Someone was confused.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@jeffreyw: “Say goodnight, Gracie.”
MisterForkbeard
@rikyrah: I heard about this and it’s really evil. You can also compare this from Trump, who freaked the fuck out and is demanding we invalidate Democratic mail-in votes from California:
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-livid-after-california-allows-statewide-mail-in-voting-these-votes-must-not-count
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@hueyplong:
at this point the only surprise to me about Collins and Cory Gardener is they don’t seem to be responding to some really bad polling. With Gardner, I’m assuming he knows he’s toast and he’s got an eye on which pastures he’ll be invited to graze in. I don’t know why, but my totally baseless impression is that Collins seems bizarrely confident about re-election
WaterGirl
@laura: @jeffreyw:
I love Miss Molly, but I have to say that “Mabel” seems like a very JeffreyW name!
zhena gogolia
@WaterGirl:
I’m reading a Trollope novel that has a character named Lady Mabel Grex (her friends call her Lady Mab). I think it’s a cool name.
WaterGirl
@knittingbull: Tilly is a good one! Also a very jeffreyw kind of name!
MisterForkbeard
@Mary G: I had a similar visit to my local vet two weeks ago. I think most vets have figured out how to deal with this whole situation pretty well.
That was before the crazy people started really getting into “reopen/kill grandma/maga” protests, but I hear my town has a few of these idiots now.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@WaterGirl:
How do we know it was Cole and not Steve?
MisterForkbeard
@HumboldtBlue: I like your taste. :)
Calouste
@Amir Khalid:
I don’t think the way you use “sometimes” there is in the Oxford English Dictionary.
WereBear
@MisterForkbeard: I do like me some Sean Bean.
Villago Delenda Est
@trollhattan: /facepalm
These cosplay “militiamen” have no fucking idea how pathetic they come across.
WaterGirl
@pamelabrown53: You rang?
HumboldtBlue
@WereBear:
Bean just appeared in the Netflix miniseries The Medicis and played the rival banker. It was fucking terrible, he fit about as well as a coarse Yorkshireman (he has a tattoo of Sheffield United on his arm and remains a staunch supporter of the Blades) would in 15th century Florence.
He also dies.
A lot.
johnnybuck
Is this Balloon juice or Tiger Beat?
WaterGirl
@?BillinGlendaleCA: You raise a good point.
WaterGirl
@johnnybuck: Sorry! Maybe both at the moment? As a kind of release valve for the frustration and rage?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@HumboldtBlue: how’s the series otherwise? historical fiction can make for fun TV. IMHO, Hbo’s Rome worked really well, that Tudors series, not so much.
WaterGirl
@Villago Delenda Est: It’s true. Just like the young pups who put those crazy big tires on their vehicles, thinking that it makes the look cool? Instead, it’s embarrassing and pathetic.
johnnybuck
@WaterGirl: No worries
TriassicSands
pamelabrown53
@WaterGirl:
Ooooohh, can you ring my bell!
WaterGirl
My first challah bread just came out of the oven. What do I eat with it? Honey? Jam?
It’s a challah recipe, but I didn’t want to bother with all the braiding, so I just did an artsy twist and then put both of them on the same pan so they kind of baked together. And I skipped the egg wash because I prefer my bread a lighter color and not so shiny. (Do I still get to call it challah?)
Benw
@jeffreyw: Pretty cat! I like how her whiskers go from very black to white, so I’d name her something like Shade
WaterGirl
@Benw: You guys are good at naming.
MisterForkbeard
@Benw:
I like how her whiskers go from very black to white, so I’d name her something like Shade
Maybe “Gradient”? :)
But don’t listen to me. My oldest cat is named “Cthulhu” and we used to call her ‘the littlest elder god’ because she has this amazing soul-threatening stare.
WaterGirl
@WaterGirl: What about melting some button on top of the bread to dress it up?
pamelabrown53
@johnnybuck:
It’s the best of both worlds: Balloon Juice does Tiger Beat.
jeffreyw
@?BillinGlendaleCA:
Goodnight Gracie
WaterGirl
@pamelabrown53: If this were really Tiger Beat, I would have said the first photo of the 3 was my fave.
The Lodger
@trollhattan: Second Regimen? Didn’t the first diet work?
J R in WV
@jeffreyw:
Awww! What a cutie~!!~
We usually wait a while to name a new critter. Our two new puppies I named Boo-Boo ( the little girl) and Coo-Coo, the slightly larger boy. Wife was WTF, but I stuck to it, and they learned those names in a matter of hours.
Boo-Boo has a nickname of Buttercup, which she will look over at whoever says that nickname, but if you want her to pay attention and come over, Boo-Boo is what you need to go with.
The older pup is names Alice, as in Alice in Wonderland, who went down a rabbit hole into Wonderland, as our dog came home from the Shelter to a wonderful place for dawgs to run wild in the wooded hillsides.
rikyrah
@jeffreyw:
Absolutely adorable ??
How about Leia
Or Hope
J R in WV
@germy:
Thanks for posting this great giant set of obits in the WaPo. It reminds me of the rule-breaking and huge set of obits of every person they could ID who died in the Twin Towers that the (FTF)NYT ran in the months after that tragedy. Yes, the NYT does publish worthy things, just not all their work is worthy.
Listening to Little Richard singing Lucille and such as I type this. Jimmi Hendrix played in Little Richard’s band, who knew that~?!?!?!
rikyrah
@jeffreyw:
Gorgeous ??
How about Leia or Hope
Jean
@Jinchi: Yes, it’s become quite pessimistic, and though I’d prefer reality to wishful thinking, I don’t think it’s helpful right now.
zhena gogolia
@TriassicSands:
I would agree with that. But he looks so cute.
zhena gogolia
@WaterGirl:
It looks delicious, but no, not a challah.
trollhattan
@J R in WV:
IIRC Jimi also played with the Isley Brothers. He went by Jimmy James before he crafted Jimi.
rikyrah
@pamelabrown53:
The more he gets away from the ‘pretty boy’ look of his early career, the better he looks.
Jean
@pamelabrown53: yes, you are right! Kilgore is relentless.
rikyrah
@WaterGirl:
Looks delicious ??
rikyrah
@Jean:
He let the crazies run amock in the comment section. I stopped reading
low-tech cyclist
“One Hell of a nice animal…” – B. Kliban
J R in WV
@rikyrah:
But… How was it different from LGM or B-J~?!?!?
Benw
@MisterForkbeard: they say remember you may have to call for your lost pet. Imagine wandering your neighborhood hollering Gradient!! XD
Benw
@WaterGirl: thanks!
J R in WV
@Benw:
Friend named his farm dog Stella, just so he could do Marlon Brando out in the yard yelling “STELLA! STELLA!” from “Streetcar Named Desire” IIRC.
Tennessee Williams… dude was a strange agent, but he could write dialog.
WaterGirl
@zhena gogolia:
It tastes like challah! :-)
WaterGirl
@rikyrah: It was SO GOOD with a bit of blenheim apricot jam.
Miss Bianca
@HumboldtBlue:
@MisterForkbeard: I was dating a guy a few years back who was a dead ringer for Sean Bean as Richard Sharpe, just maybe 20 years older. Still, so ridiculously handsome in that blond, blue-eyed, square-jawed, Aryan-ideal way that it was a bit disconcerting at times.
This was while I was living in Crested Butte, CO, and a lot of the jet-setting cougars around town obviously found him quite dishy! ; )
Miss Bianca
@zhena gogolia: Are you still reading it? (Duke’s Children). I finished that one in a gulp, but I’ve been stuck on Can You Forgive Her? for weeks now.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@TriassicSands: that’s what I’ve always heard, too
jackmac
@raven:
Oswego
HumboldtBlue
@Miss Bianca:
If there’s one thing Sharpe always found and the lost in a tragic manner it’s a Cougar, or an ingenue or even a lethal guerilla leader.
SWMBO
@jeffreyw: Stormy. With eyes like the sea before a storm