Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Tick tock motherfuckers!

Jack be nimble, jack be quick, hurry up and indict this prick.

Every one of the “Roberts Six” lied to get on the court.

The GOP is a fucking disgrace.

After roe, women are no longer free.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

It’s time for the GOP to dust off that post-2012 autopsy, completely ignore it, and light the party on fire again.

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

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

Everybody saw this coming.

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

Good lord, these people are nuts.

“And when the Committee says to “report your income,” that could mean anything!

And we’re all out of bubblegum.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

I conferred with the team and they all agree – still not tired of winning!

Their freedom requires your slavery.

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

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

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

Come on, man.

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

In short, I come down firmly on all sides of the issue.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Open Thread: New Year’s Zooms for Balloon Juice

Open Thread: New Year’s Zooms for Balloon Juice

by | 92 Comments

This post is in: 

We have tentative plans for two Balloon Juice to celebrate the new year.

– New Year’s Eve on 12/31/2020 – 7-9 pm (Eastern)

– New Year’s Day on 1/1/2021 – 3:30 – 5:30 pm (Eastern)

Is there interest?  Let us know in the comments.

If you want to attend, please also send me an email that includes both your name and your BJ nym, and I will reply with the link and other info.

 

Reader Interactions

92Comments

  3. 3.

    Spanky

    The New Year doesn’t begin until 12:01 PM EST on January 20. That’s when this shit year of 2020 will finally be done.

  4. 4.

    trollhattan

    @Spanky:

    If it’s okay with everybody, I’ll be using New Zealand time for telling 2020 to feck the hell right off. Those extra hours waiting for UT+8 are far too many.

  9. 9.

    WaterGirl

    I was happy to see this article just now on the Washington Post:

    Under Biden, the Justice Department will again police the police

    In January, the department is expected to resume policing the police as President-elect Joe Biden has said he intends to make civil rights a major focus of his administration. It comes at a moment when scrutiny of American policing has never been higher.

    A 2015 Washington Post examination of police-department changes compelled by the Justice Department found that the departments modernized some aspects of policing, but had a limited impact on the use of force.

    Some experts hope the Biden administration will focus on collaboration as an alternative to legal action against departments, while reserving that option when egregious behavior is discovered, as happened in East Haven.

    “The Department of Justice must have subpoena power for pattern or practice investigations into systemic misconduct by police departments and force these departments to reform,” Biden wrote in a USA Today guest column in June.

    He also said he would revive the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, which in the Obama administration examined police practices through a program known as “collaborative reform” but stopped doing so under Trump.

  10. 10.

    WaterGirl

    @JoyceH: Pretty easy, I think.  And we’re opening up 15 minutes early for folks who are new to zoom or need help with video or audio or changing their Zoom name to their BJ nym.

  11. 11.

    WaterGirl

    Reminder, send me email if you think you are likely to attend – I won’t be posting the link publicly, so you will need to email for the link and password, etc.

  12. 12.

    narya

    Possibly New Year’s Day?

    NYE likely watching some stuff after a surf (spot prawns) and turf (venison tenderloin) feast.

  16. 16.

    Phylllis

    Ok, I’m obviously thick today. Whar find Water Girl’s email address?

    ETA: Never mind. Figured it out.

  19. 19.

    FlyingToaster

    If I can, NYE.  Plans for every damn thing are up in the air.

    We obey the fucking rules, quarantine, people who have to go out get tested, etc., but then one fucking moron does something inconsiderate and the rest of us go back into our dens.   I am back to “where’s my fucking disintegrator beam?”

  21. 21.

    mali muso

    Really would like to, but it’s hard to detach my curious 4 year old long enough during the hours in which she’s awake.  Hope everyone who can make it has a good time!

  23. 23.

    WaterGirl

    @mali muso:  Sorry to hear that; it was really great having you at the other zoom.

    Even a 5-minute hello with your little one in your lap would be nice!  it’s never too soon to get the kids started with Balloon Juice. :-)

  25. 25.

    WaterGirl

    @Rob: Send me an email, then!

    You are most welcome.  It was John who originally came up with the idea for the zooms, and Imm is going to be our host again, so I will accept your thanks on behalf of all of us.

  26. 26.

    mali muso

    @WaterGirl: That’s true…and she does love hopping on mom’s lap for Zoom meetings.  Mainly because she likes seeing herself in the camera. lol.  I may shoot you an email for the link just in case.

  32. 32.

    MomSense

    My Sunday crafternoon group is having a zoom dance party on NYE.  Not sure what time it is yet.  I’ll jump on whichever B-J zoom is not at the same time.

  33. 33.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Spanky:

    The New Year doesn’t begin until 12:01 PM EST on January 20. That’s when this shit year of 2020 will finally be done. 

    Agreed.  I’m buying champagne for January 20th.

  34. 34.

    mac8

    I might end up lurking on the zoom call as much as I lurk here but I’d like to attend the NYE zoom.  Email sent.

  35. 35.

    WaterGirl

    @Gin & Tonic: Not that there’s anything wrong with that!

    I’m sure I shared the story here about my niece who could successfully conjugate the word FUCK, in at least 3 forms, at the age of 4.

    We knew this because she used 3 different versions of the word during our visit to the shoe store when she was 4.  Oh fuck.  Fucked.  And fucking (might have been Fuckin’, but since it was spoken word we couldn’t be certain)

  37. 37.

    SiubhanDuinne

    I can be there for sure on NYDay, and might make the second hour on NYEve. (My brothers and cousin and I have set up a Zoom for 7:00pm NYEve — it will be the first time we’ve been “together” since our sister died a month ago, and I suspect it may turn into an informal memorial for her. So I don’t know what shape I’ll be in at the end of that call — ? or ? or some unpredictable combination.)

    Thanks, WG, and John, and Imm, for setting this up. Emailing you now.

  39. 39.

    WaterGirl

    @dmsilev:  Thanks for that.  I have been looking forward to it.  I looked at the time awhile ago, and it was too early.

    If TaMara doesn’t put up a link, we can use this thread to talk about his speech.

  42. 42.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @WaterGirl:

    I voted today — about an hour’s wait all told, though it was a lovely day so I didn’t mind the long line — and got home just in time to have missed all but the last minute or two of Biden’s speech. And at that point, all I could do was marvel at how perfectly his blue and gold tie matched the blue and gold of his “Office of the President-elect” insignia on the drape behind him. Will look for the whole thing on YouTube shortly.

  43. 43.

    JoyceH

    Hey, does anyone else think the news media should knock it off with the close-ups of vaccinations? I’m not particularly shot-averse, but those videos of the needle being inserted all the way in kind of creep me out. There are a lot of people who are a lot more frightened of needles than I am, not anti-vaxxers, just terrified of needles. We want as many people as possible to get the vaccination, and I think those videos don’t help. Yeah, show people getting vaccinated, but the needle closeups are unnecessary and probably counter-productive.

  44. 44.

    Patricia Kayden

    Lost in everything else awful:GOP is still suing to invalidate Obamacare and strip health coverage from millions of Americans during a pandemic.GOP and Trump still suing to eliminate protections for Americans w/preexisting conditions (which now includes survivors of covid19)— lawhawk #maskingforafriend (@lawhawk) December 29, 2020

  46. 46.

    WaterGirl

    @Haroldo:

    Needless to say there was a CONVERSATION between my sister and my brother-in-law got home that evening.  I was staying at the house at the time, but she is a LOT more conservative than I am, and she read him the riot act.

    Jen is a wonderful grown-up person who does daycare in her home, but I’m pretty sure the little ones never hear those words from her.   Now the rest of the time, well, she would fit in here.

  52. 52.

    JanieM

    @WaterGirl: I was in line at the grocery store once with my 3-year-old son in the kid seat in the cart. All of a sudden he said, “Oh shit, I forgot Big Bird.” Everyone in line gave me a look….

  53. 53.

    CaseyL

    Am definitely up for New Year’s Day!  Should be able to make the NYE one as well, esp. since it’ll be mid-evening here on the West Coast.

    What fun, and thank you for organizing it!

  55. 55.

    WaterGirl

    @JanieM: Oh, shit, I forgot BigBird!

    That should be a rotating tag.

    I was part of a rape crisis services group years ago, and one of the women had a 7-year-old daughter.

    One day they were out somewhere and she asked some total stranger “do you rape women”?

    And another time on the train she stood up in her seat and said to the fellow sitting behind him:  “Do you smoke marijuana?  My mommy smokes it but she says I’m not suppose to tell anyone.”

    Those stories about Julie were always good for a laugh.

  56. 56.

    trollhattan

    @JoyceH:

    They’ll get bored soon enough and move on.

    Don’t have any problem watching injections, but blood-drawing or putting in IV shunts are another thing entirely. Yuk.

  58. 58.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @JoyceH:

    I posted a few days ago on my extreme, crippling needle phobia. I get sick to my stomach and feel faint every time I happen to glimpse one of those live shots (sorry!) or videos or even still photos. I don’t even like to see drawings of syringes. I will get the vaccine when it’s my turn — I’m not an anti-vaxxer — but the media‘s nonstop needle porn isn’t helping one bit.

  60. 60.

    raven

    @SiubhanDuinne: I’m having a nerve induction test tomorrow and last time I had one I apologized for being such a baby for flinching. The tech said “hell, I’ve seen UGA football players pass out when we pull out the needle!

  61. 61.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @WaterGirl:

    The two Senate runoffs, plus a two-person runoff for Public Service Commissioner. I voted (of course) for the Democrat in that race, but wonder if many people even bothered to vote in that one. I’ll be amazed if the Dem wins. There’s been virtually no campaigning that I’m aware of, no fundraising that I’m aware of (and I’m on every Dem/lib/prog mailing list in the country), and the GOP incumbent has some name recognition statewide just from having held the job for a million years.

  62. 62.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @WaterGirl:

    That should be a rotating tag.

    I believe there’s supposed to be some way you can nominate things for rotating tags … a link or something ….

  64. 64.

    WaterGirl

    @SiubhanDuinne: That may tell us something about voting patterns in the runoff.  I would guess that if you voted for the Ds for senate and the R for dogcatcher Public Service Commissioner, that might help us see how many Rs crossed over for the senate race.

    Hopefully there will be a lot of them!

  67. 67.

    Roger Moore

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    I will say that being a regular blood (and now platelet) donor has gotten me over whatever minor fear of needles I might once have had.  I have a coworker who started donating regularly at least in part to help her get over her fear of needles.

  68. 68.

    Kathleen

    @JanieM:  I would like to adopt your child as my virtual grandchild.
    When my daughter was about 4 or 5 we lived in Northern Kentucky. My ex husband took her to the grocery store and they fell behind a pokey shopper in one of the aisles. My daughter said, “Get out of the way, Redneck.”

    Flash forward about 30 years and she and I are shopping at JC Penney’s shoe department located in a Northern Kentucky mall accompanied by her 2 sons. The youngest, who was 6 or 7, suddenly blurts, “Look Mom! Stripper shoes!”
    One of the rewards of grandparenthood is the karma!

  69. 69.

    Kathleen

    WG, I am interested in NYE and possibly NY Day. Thanks to you and John for coordinating and IMMS for hosting. I will send you an email.

  71. 71.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @WaterGirl:

    I actually doubt that all that many voters are even going to bother with the PSC race. I’m guessing many will simply skip it.

    Hope I’m wrong.

  72. 72.

    WaterGirl

    @SiubhanDuinne: Really?  I mean, you’re right there with the ballot and everything.  Surely anyone who has a political party preference would check the box or fill in the circle, or whatever.  It would take so little effort.

    You’re probably right, but that is a really sad state of affairs.

    edit:  Did you get my email with my grocery store story?

  73. 73.

    JanieM

    @Kathleen: Great story. I laughed out loud at the Redneck comment.

    As for adoption, my son is 35 now….though my mother, his last surviving grandparent, died last spring, so he could use a replacement if you’re still interested. He has no kids (yet?), but I’m sure karma is waiting for him, just like with your daughter.

    Ironically, both my kids went through a puritanical phase later on, when they would chide me for my bad language. I always thought it was weird that I got taken to task by my parents and my kids for the same offenses.

  74. 74.

    JanieM

    Echoing story: when my daughter was about six, I took her to spend an evening with (i.e., to be babysat by) best friend’s mother-in-law, who was a retired minister and Salvation Army preacher, so my friend and I could have an evening outing. The preacher was a fun and funny person, but still, she was a minister. She and my daughter immediately established that they both loved movies, so they agreed to pick one to watch. The minister asked my daughter, “What’s your favorite movie?” My daughter said, “I have two. True Lies and Cinderella.”

    My friend and I hustled out the door and let them figure it out.

  79. 79.

    Kathleen

    @JanieM:  Thank you! My daughter and grandson did not turn into ruffians, thank goodness! My daughter is 47 and I’ve adopted her best friend from high school so there’s always room for another adoption!

    My daughter is pretty laid back but she chastised me for a particular expletive once and looked askance at one of the “outfits” I planned to wear on an outing. Sad to say she was right and I was embarrassed that the fashion faux pas required an intervention.

  81. 81.

    Ruckus

    Sounds like a great idea.

    New Years eve might be a slight problem, if I work normal hrs. We only did 1/2 day xmas eve, don’t know if that’s on the agenda Thursday or not.

    New Years day sounds great.

    Email on it’s way.

  82. 82.

    WaterGirl

    You guys all indicated an interest but I haven’t received an email yet.  Can you please send me an email message so I’ll have that to reply to when I send out the zoom links?  thanks.

    FlyingToaster
    Nancy
    ScampDog
    narya

  85. 85.

    Debbie(Aussie)

    If I have calculated this correctly the second will be 6:30 to 8:30am Saturday 2/01, here in QLD Aus. Would love to join in.

  91. 91.

    Intensive Porpoises

    Is it too late to sign up for the New Year’s Day session? John grumpily guilted me into it.

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