I’m bored and depressed and I wanted to buy something but I am also kinda low on funds but also don’t need anything, so I was just trolling amazon and realized there IS something I could use. Rosie, as you know, has not been on the top of her game the last six months, and every now and then Steve steals “her” bed in the office. She will kick the others out if they get into it, but with Steve she just paces around whining for hours or until he will get out of it. Half the time I just make a bed out of a towel and pick the fat bastard up and put him on the chair, but it is really annoying, so I decided to get him a cat cave. Specifically, this one:
So hopefully next week I will have some Steve pics. Tomorrow he goes for a shave so you will have some tomorrow, too.
What is everyone up to?
Omnes Omnibus
Thurston will love it.
Tim C.
Seriously, are you gonna be doing Shadowlands? Warcraft has been my great distraction/help me not think about how crappy things are right now.
John Cole
@Tim C.: Yes levelling my orc warrior as we speak.
Another Scott
What are we doing? Oh, not much.
We found out today that the reason why our 4 month old fancy variable speed high efficiency heat pump hasn’t been working the last couple of days is that the compressor locked up.
:-/
It’ll probably be a 1-2 weeks until they’re back to install the replacement. Thank the FSM that the heat of summer is over. Yay!
Shouldn’t you get Rosie a new bed too, just in case she wants the cat cave?
https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/44560?page=premium-denim-dog-bed-set-rectangular
Let us know. Sometimes Santa comes at the end of September.
Cheers,
Scott.
Alison Rose
Looking forward to pics of glorious Steve inside that giant hollow brillo pad :P
My fun Friday night: Reading, playing ACNH, doing a load of laundry, and worrying about my own cat. She’s old and sick and not doing well these days. I’ve been begging her to stick around until Biden is inaugurated.
HumboldtBlue
Fucking Celtics avoided getting knocked out of the Eastern Conference Finals and I’m reading comments on Balloon-Juice because my life contains all the excitement of a funeral.
I’ve got this lined up as listening music for when I get to washing dishes and setting up leftovers.
And Cole. I got a food writer for ya.
Jennifer Fumiko-Cahill who has a backstory even better than her excellent writing.
weasel
Looking forward to rewarding myself with part 3 of lashonharangue’s Chile photos after I spend a few more after-work hours dialed into work. I’ll be damned if problems with my feature cause the release to be pushed back, ya know? Until then, scotch and soda with Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 playing in the background will have to get me through.
//drunk, fix later
Tim C.
@John Cole: :) Excellent.
Redshift
I was on four zoom calls between 10:45 and 1pm, which is definitely not my usual day. One was a campaign thing, the rest were for work.
For the Virginia campaign, I have been invited to the “VIP” texting team, because I’ve been doing it for a while, and because I’m experienced enough at campaigns that I’ve been answering questions from other volunteers and looking up resources. So that’s some nice recognition. There’s also much more flexibility for when to do my campaign work, not just during scheduled “shifts.”
Leto
@Tim C.: @John Cole: Fury or arms? I played fury for most of this expansion, but heading back to my lock for SL.
RedDirtGirl
I’m struggling more the past two weeks than over the past 6 months. Not exactly sure why. I think the change of season just highlights the relentlessness of the awfulness. Trying to get some joy from an online harmony singing workshop, but it’s not been easy. Blargh.
jackmac
After wasting endorsement space and newsprint in 2016 when it backed libertarian Gary Johnson for president, the Chicago Tribune has returned to some semblance of sanity as it endorsed Joe Biden in an editorial posted tonight.
Tim C.
@Leto: I’ve been an arcane mage for like six years. It’s what I am.
Manxome Bromide
I haven’t been able to motivate myself to play video games much lately so I’ve decided to try playing a few in Spanish to see if adding language practice will keep me diverted away from the doomscrolling.
So far, I’m mostly being thwarted by them all being Spain Spanish and feeling very strange to my North American ears as a result.
But it also means I’m learning new words! Apparently “como un palo que está siempre en llamas” means “like a stick that is always in flames“, not “like a stick that is always on llamas“.
Also, and unrelated to sticks that may or may not always be on fire or llamas, Snake Pass is very tricky and unreasonably cute.
Jharp
I am headed to the upper peninsula of Michigan to look for agates and hopefully catch a view of the northern lights or some really cool views of the stars.
Lucky me.
Ivan X
We’re all in isolation for an indefinite period. Is that a question you want to be asking?
Yutsano
@Leto: My new game addiction is Among Us which is neat quick strategy game. Basically, you’re either a crew mate or the killer, with different strategies for both.
Gemina13
We just celebrated my birthday with an old friend of ours. Went out for excellent sushi, had a drink, and spent time petting and cooing over our cat Penny, who adores our friend. We call him “The Cat Whisperer” because we’ve never seen a cat he couldn’t charm.
I hope Steve likes his bed. We tried getting Penny one, but she can only sleep nestled on top of the bladder of a sleeping human.
Omnes Omnibus
@Jharp: Past peak for the Autumn leaves though.
Lord Fartdaddy (Formerly, Mumphrey, Smedley Darlington Mingobat, et al.)
Having a really bad depressive bout. Really, truly awful. Like, breakdown awful. Spent a little time this evening curled up in a ball on the floor. I don’t know how I’m going to get through this one.
Not to bring everybody down, but you did ask.
Leto
@Tim C.: So you uninstalled the game six years ago. What’cha been up to? /s
frosty
OK, that’s funny right there.
CaseyL
A friend and I are having dinner together via Zoom tomorrow night. This should be interesting!
Also, I’ve got glass in the kiln for the first time in a couple of weeks. Not a piece, though: I’m trying to free-form shapes in frit (that is, powdered glass), to be added to a piece later. I learned I could make small round beads by firing little piles of frit, so now I want to see what happens with lines and shapes. Trying to make small “scrub” tree trunks for a desertscape.
(Frit has a disconcerting habit of vanishing altogether if not heaped in sufficient quantities; it basically fires into dust or something. I expect the items I laid out to shrink to half the original size – if I’m lucky.)
HumboldtBlue
@Lord Fartdaddy (Formerly, Mumphrey, Smedley Darlington Mingobat, et al.):
I haven’t fallen to the floor and curled into a ball yet but I cried at a voice mail from an 8-year-old niece I haven’t been able to see for six months.
There is some sun and some warmth although I know it’s fucking hard to feel it.
We feel you.
Leto
@Yutsano: is that online or local only?
Another Scott
@Lord Fartdaddy (Formerly, Mumphrey, Smedley Darlington Mingobat, et al.): Hang in there, Mumphrey, et al. Things will get better.
Call someone now if you need to talk.
800-273-8255
Let us know how you’re doing.
Best wishes,
Scott.
JoyceH
@Redshift: oh, so you’re up on campaign texting? I’ve been getting texts since I donated to the Biden/Harris campaign and finding it rather amusing. Got a text starting “Joyce, it’s Joe”, like we’re besties.
But here’s my question. I made one donation and it was the max. And a lot of these texts ask if I can spare another $10 or $20, with a donation link. If I followed that link, would it have some sort of braking mechanism to say “whoa, this lady is maxed out”, and prevent me from committing a campaign finance crime?
Another Scott
@JoyceH: Biden’s got a “joint fundraising committee”. Anything extra that you donate will be divided up among the DNC, various state Democratic committees, etc.
There’s a WaPo story – Donors can now give $620,600 to Biden and DNC –
Donate away! :-)
Cheers,
Scott.
Tim C.
@Leto: HA! :D
MomSense
I’m so exhausted and depressed I’m watching really bad movies – like the Netflix equivalent of hallmark movies. Netflix is now suggesting Christmas prince type movies. I’m officially pathetic.
Also trying to finish the sleeves on a sweater so I can photograph it on Sunday.
NotMax
Tip: Save the box, it may end up getting more use than what’s packed in it.
;)
Lyrebird
@Lord Fartdaddy (Formerly, Mumphrey, Smedley Darlington Mingobat, et al.):
The youngs also tell me you can text “home” to this number:
Text HOME to 741741
for support.
You are AWESOME, and fwiw I am glad you typed out your message… Keep letting other people in.
Am not in the same space, but am not in a great space, and reading comments here I am gonna cut myself some slack for playing online farming games past my bedtime.
janesays
Looks like Serena Joy Coney Barrett will be the next Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, per numerous sources…
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/25/us/politics/amy-coney-barrett-supreme-court.html
Welcome to Gilead!
Tim Now Sir Simon Poshlord
So, a big round rock with a hole in it?
I want to go to there.
Redshift
@JoyceH: I think if you go over the limit they credit it to a party account instead of the campaign, but I’m pretty sure I learned that from some Juicer here, and I’ve never looked for a definitive source. I agree that if it doesn’t stop you from going over, there must be some mechanism like that, because I’m sure they don’t want to deal with refunding illegal contributions from well intentioned ActBlue donors.
Those “it’s Joe” texts are from some automated system. The ones we send are more like phone banking, and have our real (first) name in them. We don’t get to pretend to be famous people. ?
MomSense
@Lord Fartdaddy (Formerly, Mumphrey, Smedley Darlington Mingobat, et al.):
We’re here with you. Thank you for letting us know how you are feeling. Is there anything we can do to help? Please keep checking in with us. Do you have a support person you feel comfortable reaching out to?
WaterGirl
@Lord Fartdaddy (Formerly, Mumphrey, Smedley Darlington Mingobat, et al.): That does sound really hard. At least one other person lives with you, right? Do they know what a hard time you are having this evening?
I bet there is something they do that would be helpful? Even if it’s just being in the same room with you so you don’t feel so alone?
Ivan X
@Lord Fartdaddy (Formerly, Mumphrey, Smedley Darlington Mingobat, et al.): I feel you. I’m sorry. Please find a supportive resource. I need to do same.
NotMax
Glad to have internet again after a three hour outage. Went walkabout smack in the middle of watching a documentary about the ’63 – ’65 Auschwitz trials.
John Cole
@Leto: Not played retail for years so just doing arms at the moment. Orc warrior named Mashbuttons.
weasel
@Lord Fartdaddy (Formerly, Mumphrey, Smedley Darlington Mingobat, et al.): Sucky to hear you’ve got it so bad. Lots of people here care about you. Not that you know us or owe us anything, but please do reply if you can. Sometimes I’ve found my way through deep dark times by just wallowing in the mire and holding onto the knowledge that it will pass (which perversely allows me to relax into/enjoy the bleakness)
SFBayAreaGal
@Lord Fartdaddy (Formerly, Mumphrey, Smedley Darlington Mingobat, et al.): Thank you for reaching out and letting us know. I and a lot of the jackals care about you.
Zzyzx
It’s been bad here. I force myself to go out and walk or run every morning and I haven’t seen any sun on these since the 10th. We went straight from smoke to rain.
But I’m watching the Crack Sabbath webcast and trying to remember what it was like to leave my house to do fun things. That used to happen right?
Chacal Charles Calthrop
@Ivan X: this!
I agree that Steve may like the box the bed came in more than the bed.
And I can’t believe Trump is going to get what he wants in terms of getting his new alleged justice to invalidate the election, even though I don’t know how it’s going to play out. I refuse to give up hope.
HumboldtBlue
@Lord Fartdaddy (Formerly, Mumphrey, Smedley Darlington Mingobat, et al.):
Sometimes I just need the drive of the music.
If it gets you to a cup of coffee in the morning cool.
At least groove a bit.
thruppence
Reading my just arrived new Allie Brosh book (yay) Solutions and Other Problems
NotMax
Never cared much for playing horde in WoW, with a single exception being a Tauren death knight. And that because it was the only way to create a green-skinned Tauren.
;)
SFBayAreaGal
Right now watching the last half of a double header between the SF Giants and the San Diego Padres.
I miss going to the ballpark and watching SF Giants play. Oh hell, I miss watching the people at the games ?
Zzyzx
I think more than anything, what’s frustrating me right now is seeing all of these socially distant concerts start up on the east coast, so friends of mine are starting to have semblances of their normal life exist for a little bit, while WA still has a strict 10 person limit even at outdoor events (5 in King County where Seattle is).
I don’t know if they’re being stupid or we’re being way too strict, but while I’m trying to be happy for them, it just makes this completely locked down life even worse when everyone’s all, “So what are you doing this weekend?” What am I doing? I’m staying home. Alone. Like I’ve done every weekend since March.
prostratedragon
A recent favorite when I want something with calming energy: “Aguas da Amazonia”.
Geoduck
Add me to the “Steve will refuse to set paw in it” brigade.
I’ve gotten back into the “nu” version of VGA Planets, a space empire-building play-by-turn game where you and your opponents run empires based on races from various famous sci-fi franchises. You can be the Klingons teaming up with the Colonies of Man to fight the Empire from Star Wars. (All with different non-copyrighted names.) I’m bad at it, but it’s still fun.
Jackie
@Chacal Charles Calthrop: Any chance she’ll have to recuse herself, since Trump has loudly stated that’s why she needs to be confirmed to secure his “victory?”
Zzyzx
@Jackie: that assumes that there are “rules” that she will care about.
piratedan
@Jackie: remember who we’re talking about here, a Trump nominee… already fast-tracked and vetted by the GOP, I will assume that she’s cut from the same cloth, a venal hypocrite who is reprehensible in regards to what she holds dear.
Zzyzx
Speaking of rules. my progressive friends on twitter have found the real villains in the Supreme Court battle. Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer won’t be able to stop Barrett so they’re worse than Trump.
Mary G
@Lord Fartdaddy (Formerly, Mumphrey, Smedley Darlington Mingobat, et al.): I get through it a minute at a time, sometimes a second at a time. It’s not easy. We care about you, keep posting.
CaseyL
@Zzyzx: Depending on how high your risk factors are, there are things in Seattle you can do even under the limitations.
Local parks are open. I’ve been to Carkeek and Boeing Creek. There are lots of other people, but everyone is generally good about social distancing and masks.
Some Farmers Markets are open again, with vendors spread out and enforced distancing. A few weeks ago a friend and I went walking through Ballard, even ate at an outdoor bistro.
These aren’t group activities, like concerts or sports, but they are still pretty good for outdoor and quasi-social activity.
Mary G
@piratedan: She’s literally a “handmaid” in the organization that inspired Margaret Atwood. The thought of her in RBG’s chair makes me want to barf.
Yutsano
@Leto: Both actually. I go through and play in a public room. Sometimes you’re the crewman but sometimes you’re the killer. You change your strategy depending on the circumstances and such. And the games are usually pretty quick.
Ivan X
@Zzyzx: people are stupid. If I have learned nothing else about this moment, it’s that people are stupid.
Yutsano
It looks like (warning: Bloomberg so paywall warning) Dolt45 really is broke as we get closer to the election. He’s down to three states. He’s not only going to be broke, at this rate he’ll probably lose by landslide proportions.
mrmoshpotato
Pictures and a traumatic war story from the groomer!
mrmoshpotato
@Zzyzx: And where do these asshats live and who (if not left blank) did they pick who wasn’t named Hillary Clinton?
“I’m gonna vote for Jill Stein so I feel pure about my vote!”
“Uhhhhhhhhh…..I’m gonna write in Berrrrrnie, because the primary was rigged against Berrrrrnie!”
“I’m gonna vote for Trump ironically!”
mrmoshpotato
@Lord Fartdaddy (Formerly, Mumphrey, Smedley Darlington Mingobat, et al.): We’re all in the same boat to varying degrees. We’re all here for each other. Feel free to vent. Feel free to lean on us.♥️
ETA – to varying degrees because I don’t want to shit all over the way you’re feeling, but please know you’re not alone in feeling nervous and crappy about now and about the past 4 years.
smedley the uncertain
@prostratedragon: Thanks. Not normally a fan of Glass. But Aquas are soothing.
Zzyzx
@mrmoshpotato: I know one voted for Clinton but they spent the months leading up to the election posting about how awful she was.
Felanius Kootea
@Yutsano: I’m really fascinated by the Elections Project site that Kay quoted in a previous thread. Run by a professor in Florida. Their GitHub page shows that 793,677 people have already voted early in the 2020 election.
When the early voting number reported for 2020 was 780,000, the comparable early voting number from the same point in time in 2016 was 9,525!
That’s roughly an 8,000% increase in early voting over the same period in 2016. The majority of people voting early are Democrats, according to his summary statistics. This election will probably make history for turnout.
mrmoshpotato
@Zzyzx: Net loss if that person turned off 2 people.
Another Scott
@Mary G: No, not really.
https://www.vox.com/culture/21453103/amy-coney-barrett-handmaids-tale-supreme-court
Let’s be careful.
Cheers,
Scott.
mrmoshpotato
Time for my late walk. Gotta check out local street resurfacing progress!
Oh construction, you are excellent!
Luciamia
@Mary G: Scuse me, doesn’t there have to be things, like hearings?
HumboldtBlue
@Luciamia:
Nah,
We have guillotines.
opiejeanne
@Lord Fartdaddy (Formerly, Mumphrey, Smedley Darlington Mingobat, et al.): Please take care of yourself. Like everyone else said, we care about you.
I was at a really low point a couple of days ago, I mean really low. I went to see my doctor today and got some support to help me blow off steam and work through this: a therapist. Also, a prescription for a mild anti-depressant that I might be able to pick up tomorrow.
satby
@Lord Fartdaddy (Formerly, Mumphrey, Smedley Darlington Mingobat, et al.): Call your doctor!! And hang in there.
rikyrah
Can’t wait for the pictures, Cole.?
MattF
Having weird dreams. I dreamt I was back at my old job, but without the badge you need to get in. Someone saw that and asked how I got in. “This is a dream”, I said. And then I woke up.
Jay Noble
@Luciamia: The working GOP theory is that she was vetted and all that hearing stuff took place when she got here current job so they don’t need to. Floor vote it is.
Besides, the Rules are whatever Mitch decides they are at the moment.
laura
Wishing Cole better luck with the cat cave than I had. Bought two last year for the then indoor feral kittens who immediately peed in them. So i washed them. Then I had two medium sized felt pad like things that they wanted nothing to do with. Then spouse got around to disposing of them. The end.
Desertflower
I’m a forever lurker:) I keep up with all the goings on here, but rarely comment.. I proudly would like to share a gaming option fir those if you that need an escape and/or diversion from our current hellscape.
Allow me a proud mama shameless plug for Mythion Adventures… It’s a make your own adventure game… check out the particulars online… my son is the writer and his best friend since first grade is the brains behind this … They really have put a lot of thought and care into this game… I hope that all of you that love gaming give it a shot. Share with those you think might like:)
Desertflower
@Desertflower:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CduNJv4j0Gg#action=share
Desertflower
@Desertflower:
Actually, this one is MUCH better:)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWv-ZIH7T_Y
Gvg
@Another Scott: you are splitting useless hairs. She wants to overturn Roe and has ruled against abortion rights before, multiple times. She has legal views that threaten my rights and I fear her. Her social set is full of men with a very repressive view of women. They react to every victory by demanding more of my rights go away, as well as the rights of other non white males, so I assume they are actually worse than they have said so far.
All Christian patriarchal groups contribute to a handmaiden like future possibility.
Citizen_X
So, is Steve’s bed going to be made out of Steve’s fur?
(Because it kind of looks like it.)
kindness
I hope Steve likes the new crash space. You know he’ll like it come winter when it’ll be warm and snuggly.
Lord Fartdaddy (Formerly, Mumphrey, Smedley Darlington Mingobat, et al.)
Just wanted to let everybody know that I’m still here. Didn’t sleep too well, but I did sleep some. Feel a little better, and we’ll see how long it lasts.
Thank you all for your thoughts.
miroker
@John Cole: Why you would buy anything from amazon is beyond my comprehension.
Another Scott
@miroker: Amazon’s the fulfilment site. They help huge numbers of tiny companies get their stuff to customers in a cost-effective way.
https://drjudymorgan.com/collections/for-cats/products/pet-caves-by-dr-judy-morgan
Amazon has its issues, as does any large entity. But driving efficiency is part of progress and is necessary to reduce things like carbon emissions driving climate change.
FWIW.
Cheers,
Scott.
Another Scott
@Gvg: Of course she wants to do all those things. And yes, she’s dangerous.
But her group did not specifically inspire Atwood’s book.
In the greater scheme of things, the meme’s not that important. But being accurate is important if one wants to change memes. Too many things that “everyone knows” are true are not, and the truth matters.
Attack her accurately so that people who haven’t made up their minds don’t dismiss easily-checked mistakes as signs that your arguments cannot be trusted.
That’s all I was trying to say.
Thanks.
Cheers,
Scott.
miroker
@Another Scott: No more used book stores in my area are 1 consequence of amazon. Any company that gets so big they are constantly putting mom and pops out of business do not deserve my dollars since they really do nothing to help the communities affected. And they get a cut of every transaction that takes place through their site, so the sellers are subsidizing the company. IMO of course.
Another Scott
@Gvg: BTW, I really, really like this Popehat tweet:
We can’t let cynical political operatives convince us that criminalizing stuff we don’t like is the obvious action. It’s been the playbook on the right for far, far too long. Few things that are socially outrageous (liking Foreigner or The Doors; being a Washington NFL team fanatic; driving a Hummer; wearing pajama pants to the grocery store; voting for the GOP; etc.) actually need to be illegal.
Barrett apparently thinks otherwise, and that instantly shows that she’s unfit.
(Bring back personal Shunning.)
Cheers,
Scott.
pluky
@Mary G:
as did I when Clarence Thomas sat in Thurgood Marshall’s place.
Another Scott
@miroker: I’m so old that I remember when Barnes & Noble and Crown and Books-A-Million and Borders and Waldenbooks and … were putting all the mom and pop bookstores out of business.
And they were.
Business and industry changes. It’s a fact of life.
Stasis = Death.
FWIW.
Cheers,
Scott.
J R in WV
@Lord Fartdaddy (Formerly, Mumphrey, Smedley Darlington Mingobat, et al.):
Sorry to hear you’re having a bad bout of it. I get that too, I crawl into bed and if I’m lucky either a puppy or a kitty will join me. They help a lot, just being with.
I only go to town for food and drink, or medical appointments. I do see neighbors some days, coming or going. Friday I spoke to a truck driver who tailgated 10 tons of #4 crushed limestone onto the farm road. First stranger I’ve talked to in weeks! We will need several more truckloads…
J R in WV
@Jackie:
No chance she will “have” to do anything. Supremes are not regulated in any way to be honest. Sandra Day O’Conner needed a Republican president so she could retire, and so she voted for G W Bush to stop the count in FLA. Pretty sure Justice Kennedy voted on cases that involved the bank where his son worked as well. And Thomas voted on cases when his wife was involved.
Notice one thing… all were Republicans, a morality free group of justices.
J R in WV
@Zzyzx:
So… Neither progressive nor friends, really…
J R in WV
@miroker:
Powell’s Books is a great source for both new and used books. Other than ebooks for the tablet, they are our go to place for most physical reading material. Wide variety of great stuff. Have been into the HQ store the one trip we made to the west coast. Was back in ’87, IIRC…
I wish I could use the ISBN on the expensive hardbacks I have accumulated over the decades to acquire the ebook file, so as to reread those great, thick, heavy but glorious books without harming my carpal tunnel structures, etc.
ETA: We are also lucky enough to have several local bookshops, both new and used, both here and in SE AZ. L
Another Scott
@J R in WV: Powell’s almost went under in March, at least that’s how many took their physical store closings.
They’re a great bookstore, no doubt about it.
It’s a tough way to make a living – competing with Amazon to sell books, but when I search for weird old books for references for work or just to have something different to read, I would have almost no chance of finding them without the used booksellers that use Amazon as their storefront.
Amazon still makes most of its profits from AWS, not by crushing competitors in its retail operations. ;-) https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/article/amazon-sales/
Lots of challenges in business these days. I don’t envy people trying to make it work. :-(
Cheers,
Scott.
HumboldtBlue
@Lord Fartdaddy (Formerly, Mumphrey, Smedley Darlington Mingobat, et al.):
Good news and here’;s hoping today is a better day.
eachother
Sometimes I feel bad and I have good reasons. I see others getting hurt. It hurts me. It runs its course. It does harm. Gas and heat rays.
I see a packed crowd doing harm in service to an enemy virus, serving a mutated version of freedom. It gets to me every time. And it is pumping widespread with impunity in places it is being told not to come. Sickness and disease. And it will kill for four more.
Take care.
Lymie
New puppy!
how do I post a picture?