Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I know this must be bad for Joe Biden, I just don’t know how.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

The willow is too close to the house.

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President.

Optimism opens the door to great things.

T R E 4 5 O N

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

I like you, you’re my kind of trouble.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

This blog will pay for itself.

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Open Thread

Open Thread

by | 86 Comments

This post is in: 

Since we have FOUR DIRECTIONS with us for their Ask Me Anything, here’s an open thread for conversation about anything else.

Update: My peonies are opening today, so here are a few pics to spruce up the thread.

The red peonies are one day behind the bright pink ones.

And the pink:

Open Thread.

 

Reader Interactions

86Comments

  1. 1.

    lamh36

    Evening BJ.

    Day 5 of my 2 week vaykay and I still haven’t deep cleaned the house yet.

    I’m traveling Friday so I have to pack tomorrow, so I’ll have to do it tomorrow.

    If you had one day layover for work in LA…where would you HAVE to eat? Asking for a friend…

  4. 4.

    lamh36

    @WaterGirl: work trips are rarely fun, but in the midst of this pandemic, it’s bout the only way to get a change of pace for me unless I go home to NOLA

  5. 5.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @lamh36:

    Have a good trip, lamh. And please, when your busy schedule allows, hang out at BJ more often. We’ve missed you!

    @WaterGirl, your peonies are stupefying!

  7. 7.

    WaterGirl

    @SiubhanDuinne: @sheldon vogt:

    Thank you!

    These two were from a sad, end-of-season, any perennial for $7 sale at the nursery, and they didn’t even have the nice tags that said anything about them.

    I took a chance (several years ago, of course) figuring surely any peony would be worth 7 bucks!

  8. 8.

    mrmoshpotato

    Hahaha, well done.

    please stop tweeting about cicadas, you’re just encouraging them— Charles Johnson (@Green_Footballs) May 19, 2021

  10. 10.

    mrmoshpotato

    @WaterGirl:

    and they didn’t even have the nice tags that said anything about them. 

    Mystery peony!  They look very nice.

  11. 11.

    VFX Lurker

    @lamh36: If you had one day layover for work in LA…where would you HAVE to eat? Asking for a friend…

    If “LA” is Los Angeles…you have so many good choices. ??❤ I haven’t yet braved indoor dining out here since March of 2020, but we have everything from sushi to Korean BBQ to Mexican to Nashville hot chicken. We also have a million gourmet food trucks roaming our streets. ?

    Would you prefer outdoor dining or takeout..? A good option might be the Original Farmer’s Market, which has outdoor dining and a lot of lovely shops.

  13. 13.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @WaterGirl:

    You ended up getting a very good deal!

    In the middle picture, what are the puffy purple flowers on the long, leggy stems?

  14. 14.

    Dan B

    Vigorous Peonies!   The background plants, Allium and Russian Sage(?) look great as well.

  15. 15.

    WaterGirl

    @SiubhanDuinne: Those are allium!

    Picture a styrofoam ball with a million pins stuck in all over, with tiny little flowers at the end of each pin – that make it into a happy fuzzy ball.  :-)

  17. 17.

    debbie

    @WaterGirl:

    I saw the first peony bloom today.

    Allium are very big around here. When the color starts fading, they spray paint them red, white, and blue. Oy.

  18. 18.

    WaterGirl

    @Dan B:  Thank you!

    Flowers are my vice.  But hey, at least I don’t drink (to excess) or gamble! :-)

    edit:  These two peonies don’t need to be supported, but the ones in front have long stems on the flowers.  Is that because it’s less sunny in front?  (The back yard is all sun, all the time.)

  20. 20.

    lamh36

    @VFX Lurker: out door dining.  I’ll be there for a few days for work…so I’d like to get out the hotel at least once that’s NOT work related.

    I’ll be staying at business hotel though near LAX, my job doesn’t like to pay too much…ugh

  22. 22.

    WaterGirl

    @Ken:  If I dig up allium, I think it smells like onion, not garlic.

    But not to worry, SD, there’s no odor coming from the plants themselves.

  23. 23.

    WaterGirl

    @debbie: I don’t spray paint my allium, but I don’t cut down the stems when they eventually dry and lose color – they look pretty when it snows.

    The red, white and blue does sound kind of tacky.  Okay, really tacky.

  24. 24.

    Gin & Tonic

    @VFX Lurker: One time I was in LA for business and went to eat at some place in Thai Town that I can’t remember anymore. It was packed, I may have been the only non-Aisan. I really really like spicy food, but I could swear I felt that food burning a hole in my esophagus on the way down.

  31. 31.

    Dan B

    @WaterGirl: It could be.  If they get hot afternoon sun they’re less likely to stretch than if it’s morning or high shade from trees.  There are selections like Coral Charm that lie on the ground even in full sun with zero shade.  Peonies do not do well with any shade or at least no more than three hours of shade.

  32. 32.

    Dan B

    @SiubhanDuinne: There are Allium in many sizes and colors from reddish to purple to white.  The ones in WG’s picture are Gladiator or Globemaster, or something similar.  The foliage often dries up before blooming so low plants around their base is a good idea as an alternative to tidying up.

  33. 33.

    VFX Lurker

    @lamh36:

    out door dining.  I’ll be there for a few days for work…so I’d like to get out the hotel at least once that’s NOT work related.

    I’ll be staying at business hotel though near LAX, my job doesn’t like to pay too much…ugh

    The Los Angeles Times recently ran an article called Where to eat outside in L.A. right now that included a map. The restaurants closest to LAX on that map include:

    • Hatchet Hall (American) $$$ 12517 W. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90066
    • Ospi (Italian) $$ 2025 Pacific Ave., Venice, California 90291
    • The Lobster (Seafood) $$$ 1602 Ocean Drive, Santa Monica, California 90401
    • Barsha (North African) $$ 1141 Aviation Blvd., Hermosa Beach, California 90254
    • Gish Bac (Mexican) $$ 4163 W. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90018

    You’ll also be close to Venice Beach and Santa Monica’s famous 3rd Street Promenade. I remember outdoor dining in Venice Beach before the pandemic, and 3rd Street Promenade recently expanded its outdoor dining options.

    Venice also has an Eggslut location offering Uber Eats – Pickup and Delivery. If they can deliver to your hotel, I strongly recommend that micro-chain’s miraculous Fairfax sandwich (slow-scrambled eggs in a brioche bun) and “The Slut” (coddled egg). Soooo good. ?

    The hotel staff may have recommendations for local outdoor dining spots, too. Wishing you a great meal!?

  34. 34.

    WaterGirl

    @Dan B: I get dappled sun in my two beds that have peonies in the front.  The peonies there seem really happy – I’m sure I will post photos when those open next week – but the stems are very L-O-N-G and they definitely need support in the rain.

    I have new/better supports on them this year, hoping the first rain doesn’t leave them all horizontal.  But, as you know, you try stuff and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.

  36. 36.

    Splitting Image

    @lamh36:

    What celebrity relation were you most surprised about?

    Lauren Bacall and Shimon Peres.

    I was also surprised to find out that Anthony Head and Murray Head are brothers, although I somehow feel I shouldn’t have been.

  40. 40.

    Mary G

    @lamh36: My after-pandemic restaurant list #1 is Musso & Frank, oldest restaurant in Hollywood (established 1919) and not changed a heck of a lot since. Great steaks served by ancient waiters, lots of signed photos of stars on the walls. They were closed all last year and just reopened May 6.

    I am not sure they have outdoor dining, though there is a parking lot in the back.

  42. 42.

    divF

    Whenever I see peonies, I think of this:

    Do you remember the night I held you so tight
    As we danced to the Wiener Schnitzel Waltz?
    The music was gay, and the setting was Viennese
    Your hair wore some roses (or perhaps they were peonies)
    I was blind to your obvious faults
    As we danced ‘cross the scene
    To the strains of the Wiener Schnitzel Waltz

    What else can you get to rhyme with “Viennese”.

  43. 43.

    lamh36

    Random sequels I’d watch…

     

    Hitch 2. But only if Will Smith AND Kevin James both return.

  50. 50.

    Mike E

    @Gin & Tonic: 30 years ago when I lived in Charlotte the first Thai restaurant opened and it was fantastic… they had a 4 star scale of spiciness where one was spicy, two was hot, three was ridiculous and four was “native”. I took my friend the gourmand there and he had to have his dish 4 stars; the owner came to the table and said, “We don’t know you, sorry, so it will have to be two stars to start off.” He said it was plenty hot but in a subsequent visit they let him have a dish at three stars which nearly brought him to his knees.

  51. 51.

    WaterGirl

    @Mike E: My favorite Thai restaurant here has the “peppers” scale.  No peppers, one pepper, two peppers – what’s the point?

    I am a 3-pepper girl at that restaurant, but I know I wouldn’t be a 3-star person at the restaurant you described.

  52. 52.

    mrmoshpotato

    @divF: “Achoo as you sneeze”

    “Look!  A python!  Burmese.”

    “A pound of Swiss cheese.”

    “Belcher.  Her name is Louise.”

  56. 56.

    persistentillusion

    @Jay: As a Coloradan, although not a resident of Aurora, GOOD.  Through the book at them, sadistic mofos.​​
      GAH, throw, not Throuch…. My High School English teacher just expired.

  59. 59.

    Cameron

    @Mike E: Many years ago I became friends with the family that started the first Thai restaurant in Philadelphia.  One of the cousins who had just come back from Thailand asked if I wanted to try some genuine peppers he had brought with him.  Sure!  I used to like spicy food (pre-GERD).  In a couple minutes I was gasping and gagging and slogging the ice water.  “How is it?” he asked.  “Great, but it’s really, really hot.”  “Yeah, it’s too hot for us to eat.”

  61. 61.

    VFX Lurker

    @lamh36:

    hmmm how far is San Diego from LAX area?

    Might not feel like driving too much

    Pre-pandemic, I would hop on Amtrak for a 2.5hr train trip from LAX->SAN for the San Diego Comic-Con. I’d treat it as a day trip to lovely downtown San Diego and a Comic-Con trip. I concur that San Diego offers beautiful fish tacos. ?

    It’s also a bit of a drive depending on traffic. Two hours from LAX to downtown San Diego on a good day; one time I got stuck in traffic for over 4 hours because of a Padres game. ?

  62. 62.

    NotMax

    @divF

    Siamese
    (put the) key in please
    twee chemise
    Grecian frieze
    ski in threes
    sneeze ‘n’ wheeze
    grease ‘n’ cheese
    (ouch, my) freakin’ knees
    bees in trees
    demon tease
    etc., etc.
    .

  63. 63.

    gene108

    @lamh36:

    What celebrity relation were you most surprised about?

    Elizabeth Montgomery is Robert Montgomery’s daughter.

  65. 65.

    VFX Lurker

    @Mary G:

    My after-pandemic restaurant list #1 is Musso & Frank, oldest restaurant in Hollywood (established 1919) and not changed a heck of a lot since. Great steaks served by ancient waiters, lots of signed photos of stars on the walls. They were closed all last year and just reopened May 6.

    I am not sure they have outdoor dining, though there is a parking lot in the back.

    I’ve heard of that place, but I have not yet tried it! I’ll have to check that place out once I’m confident enough to enjoy indoor dining again. ❤❤❤

    Now that I’m fully vaccinated, I’m seeking out more outdoor/takeout dining options. Right now I’m trying to figure out logistics for Hotville Chicken (Nashville hot chicken) and Daybird (Schezuan hot chicken). Pretty sure I’ll have to eat in the parking lot for both trips. Pretty sure they’ll both be worth it. ?

  67. 67.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @lamh36: ​
      I think it was finding out that Michael Dukakis was Olympia Dukakis’ cousin.

    There are probably many others I’ve forgotten about.

  69. 69.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    I am having the weirdest dream life. I’ve always periodically had what I call “adventure dreams” where I seem to be a character in a thriller of some kind. Lately, in what I guess is some bizarre relative of lucid dreaming, I’ve been editing those dreams on the fly. As in, a part of me is thinking that a plot point or character action doesn’t make sense, and modifies the scene.

    And in another weird development last night, at the end of the dream I was thinking, “Hey, it’s Wednesday morning, the primary election results should be available.” While still participating in the dream. And then I woke up and thought, hey, it really is Wednesday and the primary election results really should be out. And I grabbed my phone and checked them.

    I blame that last part on reading too much Balloon Juice late at night.

  70. 70.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Mary G: We had a commenter on the Noirish LA thread who’s was from the family that founded Musso & Frank.  They originally started off as a restaurant in downtown LA near where City Hall is now back in the 1800’s, IIRC.

  71. 71.

    zhena gogolia

    @lamh36:

    I was surprised by that Toby Stephens one when I found out.

    Back in the day I was fascinated that Warren Beatty was Shirley MacLaine’s brother.

  72. 72.

    lamh36

    Alright… I’m done with my trip prep for the day. Bout to get into my bed and read a book until I feel sleepy. I’ve got to pack for the trip tomorrow and clean the apartment. Have a great night BJ.

  80. 80.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @Geoduck: My wife went to film school with Max Brooks. One day he brought his parents in to talk to the class…

  82. 82.

    Comrade Colette

    @lamh36:

    Where in LA? 100% agree with the Farmer’s Market recommendation. Banana Leaf, Monsieur Marcel, and Roxy & Jo’s are all terrific.

    Mid-Wilshire/La Brea: République.

    Venice: Uovo (there’s also one in the Mid-Wilshire area).

    Koreatown: Sung Nong Dan. Or really anyplace.

    Yum!

  83. 83.

    Leenie

    @WaterGirl:  Hello, I’m new to this site, but I love gardening and enjoy reading your conversations. Would you be willing to share the name of the supports you use for your peonies? Mine go horizontal every year!

  84. 84.

    WaterGirl

    @Leenie: Good morning, and welcome!

    Gardener’s Supply

    These cost more than what I can get locally, but they are also more sturdy, so they do the job.  Storage is great because the legs are separate.

    I got the Medium size for my new peony that only has 3 blooms.  My mature peonies need the large size.

  85. 85.

    J R in WV

    @Cameron: ​

    “How is it?” he asked. “Great, but it’s really, really hot.” “Yeah, it’s too hot for us to eat.”

    This is pretty funny, thanks for sharing.

    Back when the first Indian restaurant was just opening in town, on my 5th or 6th meal there I ordered a Lamb Vindaloo, Indian Hot. The waiter, who was the owner/manager raised an eyebrow and asked “Are you sure?”

    “Yes,” I said, “I like hot foods!”

    It was really hot~!!~ there was sweat dripping off my ears~!!~ The kitchen guys were peeking around the kitchen door to see how the WV local guy was doing with their Indian Hot dinner! Which was hilarious to see while I was eating it…

    I ate almost all of it, it was huge, and it may have been even hotter than their usually hot dishs, as Vindaloo is by nature a very hot dish, doesn’t even come in 1 or 2 or 3 pepper style heat. I did also have Riata yogurt which helped cut the heat a little bit. Other Indian diners may have enjoyed watching me dripping sweat, also too.

    I won’t order it “Indian Hot” again, but it was an enjoyable experience with no actual digestive stress afterwards. I have a local friend who keeps dried Habanero pepper flakes from his garden in a grinder on his dining table, so we Hillbilles aren’t all afraid of bringing the heat on a dish.

    ETA:  I did ask the waiter to bring a couple of dry napkins, as the big linen napkin I started with was pretty wet after just a few minutes. My friends were also amused, although one neighbor tried a little of the Vindaloo on his plate. He also enjoyed it.

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