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Maybe you would prefer that we take Joelle’s side in ALL CAPS?

Baby steps, because the Republican Party is full of angry babies.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

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You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Dog Blogging / Monday Morning Open Thread: Labor Day

Monday Morning Open Thread: Labor Day

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I feel like America needs a version of this contest, specifically to mark the national end-of-summer holiday we call Labor Day. You know it would be popular, in every town with young people and their dogs!

Elsewhere…

In case this might be helpful…


(A little) more info here (the article is two months old, but it’s what my weak google-fu found).

More data reinforcing the thesis that this is the weirdest timeline…

Reader Interactions

220Comments

  1. 1.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    Argentina tweeted that the scoreless game would not resume.

    …Why

    I feel like America needs a version of this contest, specifically to mark the national end-of-summer holiday we call Labor Day. You know it would be popular, in every town with young people and their dogs!

    Agreed AL!

  3. 3.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    COVID quip to start the day:

    @RSchooley: “Ivermectin is made for people too! I just prefer the spirited tang of the horse paste formulation.”

  8. 8.

    The Thin Black Duke

    Y’know, I’m tired of arguing about politics. I’m yelling at the TV and getting blisters on my fingers from hitting the keyboard. I wanna argue about music instead. Here’s my latest essay about why I prefer the Rolling Stones to the Beatles. That sounds safer. I would say I won’t look at the news today, but that’s a lie. Is there a twelve-step program available? Or a six-pack?

  12. 12.

    The Thin Black Duke

    @satby: Would it be wrong to hope that Owens is reunited with her fellow house negro Herman Cain in the Happy Celestial Plantation in the Sky?

  13. 13.

    Gin & Tonic

    “Argentina walked off the field” is a hell of a misleading way to put it. Four players for the Argentine national team play professionally in England. They were required by Brazilian COVID policy to quarantine for 14 days on entering Brazil. They didn’t, and the Brazilian health authorities told them they had to quarantine or leave Brazil.

    Never mind that Brazil’s COVID policy is bullshit, or that the health ministry waited until the game had already begun. They violated quarantine policy.

  14. 14.

    Gin & Tonic

    @satby: That testing facility (a private business) should have denied Owens service because she’s Black. Then Rand Paul would have to support their decision.

  15. 15.

    JMG

    Labor Day is conveniently located on the calendar to mark the end of summer, just as Memorial Day marks its more-or-less start. It is worth noting that Labor Day parades used to be a far bigger thing than they are now. Once upon a time, not that long ago, the labor solidarity concept of the holiday was more emphasized.

  17. 17.

    Ken

    I assume the relaxation of the Lake Tahoe evacuation is because the fire danger has genuinely decreased?  Not, say, because residents protested tyrannical government orders infringing on their freedom to die in a horrible way. Or denied the existence of the fire, or of fire in general.

  18. 18.

    SiubhanDuinne

    You know it would be popular, in every town with young people and their dogs!

    Sounds like a project for Raven and his bride!

  20. 20.

    Matt McIrvin

    @satby: 

    We celebrate Labor Day because we didn’t want to be lumped in with the commies the rest of the world who celebrate workers on May Day. The stupid has been strong in this country a long time.

    Here’s the thing, though: given that the origins of May Day as Labor Day involve an incident that included a major terrorist attack in the US, I think it’s kind of understandable. It’s as if the rest of the world decided that September 11th would be International Anti-Imperialism Day. Even if you’re sympathetic, you might see why there would be a political problem with that in the United States.

  22. 22.

    satby

    @JMG: Ok, technically correct, but in context from the Wiki:

    There was disagreement among labor unions at this time about when a holiday celebrating workers should be, with some advocating for continued emphasis of the September march-and-picnic date while others sought the designation of the more politically charged date of May 1. Conservative Democratic President Grover Cleveland was one of those concerned that a labor holiday on May 1 would tend to become a commemoration of the Haymarket affair and would strengthen socialist and anarchist movements that backed the May 1 commemoration around the globe. In 1887, he publicly supported the September Labor Day holiday as a less inflammatory alternative,formally adopting the date as a United States federal holiday through a law that he signed in 1894.

  23. 23.

    satby

    Somebody release my previous comment? I removed all the footnote links. And now it’s disappeared entirely. Honestly wonder why I bother.

  25. 25.

    Ken

    @Gin & Tonic: No, race is a protected category. But I think they could deny service for religious reasons, like “The Lord doesn’t suffer fools, and neither do we.”

  27. 27.

    The Thin Black Duke

    @MomSense: Thanks. One of my biggest regrets is that I never got to see the Stones. Tickets were either too expensive, and/or vanished in the blink of an eye. In related news, the Dead played in Massachusetts with John F*cking Mayer as their lead guitarist. And yeah, seeing all those folks in the audience jammed together made me nervous.

  28. 28.

    prostratedragon

    @The Thin Black Duke:  My amazingly simple technique is to Not Turn on the TV. While it’s true that I still read news online here, not having the noise of the tv box has lowered my temperature considerably. I can always watch movies on dvd or streaming if I want. Been at it for a couple of weeks now and am pleased with the results.

  30. 30.

    Ken

    @JMG: Once upon a time, not that long ago, the labor solidarity concept of the holiday was more emphasized.

    All non-religious US holidays turn into an excuse to sell mattresses.

    All US holidays, without exception, turn into an excuse to overeat.

  31. 31.

    JMG

    I categorize holidays into two categories, passive and aggressive. The former are much better, because they don’t spread out into a month of madness, they’re just a day to relax and enjoy the pursuit of happiness. Labor Day is a good passive holiday, as is Thanksgiving. Halloween, on the other hand, is the ultimate aggressor holiday. Supermarkets are putting up the candy displays and black and orange decorations today, I’ll bet.

  32. 32.

    Ken

    @satby:  technically correct

    The best kind of correct.  I will just add a note that many of our modern captains of industry view Labor Day as being a blatant excuse for picking a man’s pocket, like Christmas.

  33. 33.

    satby

    @Matt McIrvin: Haymarket was only one of a number of violent labor battles resulting in casualties. It was in fact the follow-up to a previous rally where the police had killed one protestor and injured more. The workers were peacefully rallying for an 8 hour workday. Memorializing the massacre that also killed and wounded civilians in the (continuing) struggle for workers rights isn’t exalting terrorism, it’s recognizing history.

  34. 34.

    Ken

    @JMG: Walgreens has had the Halloween candy out since the third week of August.  I blame the lack of a proper product tie-in for Labor Day.

  38. 38.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @JMG:

    Supermarkets are putting up the candy displays and black and orange decorations today, I’ll bet.

    Today? In a lot of places, they started pimping Hallowe’en before the 4th of July fireworks smoke had dissipated!

  39. 39.

    sab

    @JMG: Since when is Thanksgiving a day to relax?  For me it’s two full days of cooking and cleaning while everyone else has fun.

  41. 41.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    I grew up in Detroit, where the UAW was strong. On Labor Day, the radio stations played “Solidarity Forever.” One of my uncles was a union steward, and I learned you have to stamp your feet along to “the union makes us strong.”

  42. 42.

    debbie

    @The Thin Black Duke:

    At the time, I definitely liked the Rolling Stones more, but over the years and years and years since then, I’ve come to really appreciate the Beatles, too. (Well, not Paul, he’s a hack. Wings sucked. ) My interest in the Stones waned after Sticky Fingers, though, so I like approximately the same period for both groups, even if much of it is in hindsight.

  45. 45.

    prostratedragon

    @Matt McIrvin:  Not to disagree with your point, which I certainly can see, but Sept. 11 is also the date on which Allende was overthrown in Chile, another problematic event in the history of neo-colonialism. Maybe a day of colonialist penitence instead of parades?

    As for the Haymarket affair, it took place on a May 3, after May 1 had been the day called for a general strike among workers around the world on the work hours issue, so the holiday is not exactly meant to commemorate the “riot,” though the retaliation victims are recalled on that day. There are still May Day parades in Chicago. A short history by a member of the Chicago IBEW local.

  48. 48.

    Nicole

    @The Thin Black Duke:

    Thanks. One of my biggest regrets is that I never got to see the Stones. Tickets were either too expensive, and/or vanished in the blink of an eye.

    I never saw them, either.  My husband was kind of dragged to see them by the lead guitarist in the band he was in (this is over 20 years ago, in Texas), and he said they were absolutely sleepwalking through their set… until the skies opened up and a rainstorm started.  He said he learned later it was maybe the 4th time in their career they’d had to play in a rainstorm and it woke. them. up.  He’s not a particular Stones fan, but he says it is still one of the best concerts he’s ever attended.

  50. 50.

    Chief Oshkosh

    @Ken:

    I blame the lack of proper marketing for Labor Day.

    Because the marketing boys and girls take the day off, too, right?

    :)

  51. 51.

    The Thin Black Duke

    @debbie: Sir Paul can be irritating, I’ll admit. But I’m surprised at how much I like his latest release McCartney III Imagined. His greatest virtue was is willingness to occasionally step outside of his lane.

  52. 52.

    Betty Cracker

    Valued colleague DougJ has outdone himself with this entry!

  54. 54.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Ken:

    Walgreens has had the Halloween candy out since the third week of August. I blame the lack of a proper product tie-in for Labor Day. 

    Or they just need to be dunked in chocolate until they learn.

  55. 55.

    The Thin Black Duke

    @Danielx: The Stones deserve a lot of credit for the musicians they chose as their opening acts. Prince opened up for them as well, even though their idiotic audience booed him off the stage.

  56. 56.

    Baud

    I still say unions would be stronger in the south if they had rebranded themselves as confederacies.

  57. 57.

    MomSense

    @The Thin Black Duke:

    I saw The Dead once and I’m pretty sure I was the only person there who wasn’t tripping.  It was all I could do to keep my two friends safe until I dropped them off at home.
    Mayer is a mixed experience for me.  I only like a few of his songs, mostly because I don’t care for his voice and he should never ever do Mannish Boy again.  Holy hell that was embarrassing.  He’s a great guitar player and the two songs he does on the JJ Cale tribute album are wonderful. His song still feel like your man is good.  His new album sounds like Toto to me. I actually think he is a good fit for The Dead.

    Not seeing The Stones is a sadness for me.  They’ve been my favorite forever.  Are they the best musicians? Not at all.  They have the best rock n roll songs.  I can’t think of another band with as many iconic songs.

  58. 58.

    mrmoshpotato

    before the canines headed to the speed-eating and drinking contests

    So the doggos lay around for the rest of the day – but absolutely sloshed?

  59. 59.

    JMG

    Saw the Stones in 1969 and B.B. King was the opening act. Also, I believe with all my heart that if the people of New England were forced to choose having either Christmas or Halloween but not both, it’d be a damn close vote.

  60. 60.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    One of my nephews was a Deadhead. He followed them around, selling homemade candle from an old van. His father was career military. He took it surprisingly well. And the kid turned out fine.

  61. 61.

    Betty Cracker

    @MomSense: Well said. Jagger doesn’t have the best voice in the world, but it’s the perfect voice to cut through the guitars on a rock n roll track.

  62. 62.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Ken:

    No, race is a protected category. But I think they could deny service for religious reasons, like “The Lord doesn’t suffer fools, and neither do we.” 

    How about denying her a COVID-19 test because she’s a Trump-humping, lying grifter who spreads bullshit information?

    Or, just tell her that her orange god says it’s a hoax so no way could she get sick and die from a hoax.

  63. 63.

    satby

    @prostratedragon: Possibly because I’m forever a Chicagoan who’s also the descendant of a long line of police officers, but the historical context matters and we learned it in school. And ironically one of the strongest unions today is the FOP, so they came out of Haymarket ok.

  64. 64.

    Ohio Mom

    @JMG:

    The Kroger store in my neighborhood has been decked out for Halloween for at least a week. The only thing good about this is that it pushes the Christmas displays forward.

    In the before times, I remember taking the shortcut through the Macy’s in our mall on Labor Day weekend and the Christmas trees were already up. They may be up today for all I know, I’m not strolling around the mall during Covid.

  65. 65.

    Suzanne

    @Ken:

    All US holidays, without exception, turn into an excuse to overeat.

    I’m trying to convince my family that we should not make a big Thanksgiving meal. I really find turkey completely underwhelming, and I would much rather spend the calories and carbs from all the side dishes on something else, like lasagna. And it makes too much of a mess and there’s too many leftovers.

    ETA: This is when lots of people now that to convince me that their turkey cooking method is the one that will change my mind on this, and I smile politely thinking, “No, turkey is just fucking boring.”

  67. 67.

    MomSense

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    Have you seen the movie The Music Never Died?  JK Simmons plays the dad.  It’s the only movie that has ever made my youngest cry.  Of course I do, but I have cried at dog food commercials.

  73. 73.

    Ohio Mom

    @Suzanne:

    Turkey is boring, that’s its strength, everything else shines next to it.

    I started to just make turkey breasts, no one ever ate the wings or drumbsticks and there was too much waste. Takes less time to cook, much easier to handle and slice up.

  75. 75.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Ohio Mom: 

    The Kroger store in my neighborhood has been decked out for Halloween for at least a week. 

    Skeletons galore in all their boney goodness?

  76. 76.

    Suzanne

    @Ohio Mom: I’d rather roast a chicken. Or do a prime rib (but that’s what we do for Christmas). Or lasagna. Or coq au vin. I just am over white-people food that doesn’t have flavor. Turkey is so deeply meh.

  79. 79.

    Suzanne

    Cornish game hens are also awesome.

    I just always feel like I eat Thanksgiving food out of obligation but I’m never excited about it. And I feel like I should at least enjoy sinning.

  82. 82.

    sab

    @Ohio Mom: I love soup made from all the parts of the turkey people don’t eat, plus the leftover wild rice, beans and mushrooms.

    My mother had a post-Thanksgiving ritual where she started to make turkey bone soup. She would boil the carcass for a while, turn the heat off to let it cool, forget about it, later act upset that she had forgotten it, and then through it out. This went on for decades.

  83. 83.

    Ohio Mom

    @Suzanne:

    Are other people in your household stuck on turkey, is that the issue? I’ve known a number of vegetarian/vegan families who manage Thanksgiving quite well without a turkey.

    For everyone else, I should clarify: I like dark meat but no one else I cook for does, I’d rather put my effort toward a dish/dishes that will be widely appreciated.

  84. 84.

    Betty Cracker

    I’m a traditionalist as far as holiday foods go, so I’ll be doing a version of turkey for our 2nd pandemic Thanksgiving. Last year’s experiment with turkey roulade wasn’t great, so I’ll have to decide between altering the formula or going in a different direction entirely.

    My brother still isn’t over last year’s canceled celebrations, so I wonder if this year’s will make the rift permanent. I feel terrible about it, but my sister and I agree we won’t be party to any event that endangers our elderly relatives.

  85. 85.

    Immanentize

    @The Thin Black Duke: Good article! Just last night, driving home, on some public radio show, a guy was giving a great talk about Charlie Watts and his jazz kit. He went through the Stones songs of the decades to point out ones he loved the drumming in. He had this good insight — many drummers think their job is to get out front (Keith Moon?) but Charlie always knew his job was to push Mick out front. The last song he discussed was “Hang Fire” which does have some really great non-rock syncopation, oddly accented beats, and some great machine gun drumming.

    Saw them four times. Urban Jungle, Voodoo Lounge (big blow up things on the stage top), Licks tour and whatever tour in 2006? At the last they had really turned into their own cover band. But that was fun too!

  86. 86.

    JMG

    I realize there are many people who find turkey too bland, but I have always found it awesome. Oyster stuffing, mashed turnip, pan gravy, yum. Also turkey is awesome as leftovers, from sandwiches to turkey soup.

  87. 87.

    Steeplejack

    Hot take: you have 1 trillion tabs open because no one has ever implemented a competent way of accessing your browser history.

    — (wannabe) Ƀreaker of (the Bad) Loops (@generativist) September 3, 2021

    I feel seen. Usually I do a little computer housekeeping at the start of the week, and I am often appalled at how many open tabs I have accumulated. Daunting.

  88. 88.

    prostratedragon

    @satby:  Just saying that it’s remembering that whole sequence of events, and not just May 3. So when workers in other countries observe May Day, they’re in solidarity with workers here in the underlying cause.

  90. 90.

    Suzanne

    @Ohio Mom: Yeah, everyone else is into the traditional stuff. Mr. Suzanne does the turkey, and I will say that he does an awesome job. It’s definitely the best turkey I’ve ever had. It’s just that the best turkey I’ve ever had is still not something I’m excited about.

  91. 91.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Steeplejack:

    That’s me on my phone. I usually keep a few hundred tabs open on Chrome because I normally just open a new tab. Plus, I never turn my phone off either. It just stays on all the time unlike my laptop

  97. 97.

    prostratedragon

    In my family we had our last Thanksgiving turkey in about 1965. No one liked it enough to continue. Capons, roasting chickens, duck a couple of times, cornish hens, pot roast, a good steak, all make lovely meals. We do often have cranberries and cornbread dressing or macaroni and cheese on the side. And Thanksgiving time is the best time to buy turkey necks or gizzards for soup –the only parts I do like.

  98. 98.

    Baud

    Via Reddit

    House Republicans wrote a letter to Yahoo ‘Chief Executive Officer’ Marissa Mayer, but she hasn’t been CEO since 2017

  100. 100.

    Steeplejack

    @Betty Cracker:

    One of the silver linings with my RWNJ brother—almost the only one—is that he is pro-vaccine and got the shots as soon as they were available to him. Of course, because he is a RWNJ, I learned about this in his Facebook post where getting the shot was almost hidden in his rant about having to stand in line for three hours, government can’t do anything right, etc., etc.

  101. 101.

    Ken

    @Suzanne: This is when lots of people now that to convince me that their turkey cooking method is the one that will change my mind on this, and I smile politely thinking, “No, turkey is just fucking boring.”

    Ah, that’s because you haven’t tried my turkey sous vide recipe.  Now, you have to have a big washtub for this. Eight days before Thanksgiving, get a large Hefty garbage bag and….

  102. 102.

    Sure Lurkalot

     

    @Suzanne: Just do it! My family has not had Thanksgiving turkey for decades. We make things like short ribs, beef bourguignon, cioppino, rolled pork, leg of lamb…

    My SIL and BIL moved here a few years ago and we were all surprised planning our first TG together that no one really cared for the traditional dinner. So our tradition is finding something else special to make and so far, no one has been disappointed.

  103. 103.

    prostratedragon

    @Steeplejack: Week?! I reboot my machine every couple of months, maybe. From time to time I’ll dump some tabs when I notice them, but, for instance, right now I’ve probably got a couple hundred open across several windows. And don’t let me start an actual project of some kind. Glad, I guess, to hear that there are a few of us.

  105. 105.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Baud:

    I guess I’m an outliers. I always close tabs. Hate having a lot open. 

    Baud! 2022!  No pants!  Minimal tabs!

  108. 108.

    Steeplejack

    @Goku:

    I’m fairly strict on my phone—usually no more than 10 tabs, and that temporarily until I get caught up. Most of the time just two or three, almost always current Balloon Juice threads. On the computer I leave tabs open because it’s stuff I want to come back to or “save”—but, as that tweet said, I can never figure out a satisfactory way to save stuff.

  109. 109.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Baud:

    House Republicans wrote a letter to Yahoo ‘Chief Executive Officer’ Marissa Mayer, but she hasn’t been CEO since 2017 

    Luxurious, classy, good-brained, dumbass trash

  114. 114.

    ThresherK

    @Ken: ​
      Halloween candy in the third week of August?

    Laggards!

    My sister’s b’day is mid-August. Halloween is her favorite holiday, so “Halloween creep” means she loves seeing the candy and decorations in stores in very early August.

  115. 115.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Baud:

    Just think, this is the best the House GOP had to offer. No wonder they have to have ALEC write their legislation for them. What incompetence

  117. 117.

    Professor Bigfoot

    “Alexa- play some Rolling Stones.”

    <“Miss You” starts playing>

    ”ALEXA! VOLUME 9!”

  123. 123.

    raven

    @MomSense:  Do you know about the Wharf Rats!

    There are plenty of clean and sober folks a Dead shows. One of my first concerts after I quit was in Charlotte and I went to their “meeting” at the intermission. It’s the only formal “recovery” gig I ever went to and it’s worked for 27 years.

    Also, Stones, November 1965 in Chicago.

  125. 125.

    Mike in NC

    Blurb in the local paper noted that porn star Ron Jeremy (age 68) is sitting in jail and has been accused of 34 counts of sexual assault and 12 rapes. A record to rival Trump!

  126. 126.

    Steeplejack

    @prostratedragon:

    I used to reboot my old computer very infrequently, like you, but since getting my current ThinkPad T480 a year ago with an SSD I found that it boots so quickly (about 25 seconds) that it’s not a hassle to turn it off at night every day or two.

    Browser maintenance is another thing entirely. I’ve got 376 “open” tabs in Firefox right now, including Balloon Juice threads going back to August 1. But with Firefox the tabs don’t really get “opened” until you click on them, so since I booted up this morning I’ve got only five or six that are active.

  129. 129.

    oldgold

    I like Labor Day. Here’s why.
    It is the one major holiday where there is no religious folderol to endure, no pretend patriotic paeans to participate in, nothing in particular to buy and no semi-mandatory traditions to weather – just a 3 day weekend to do as you damn well please in the last pleasant days of summer.

  130. 130.

    Betty Cracker

    @WaterGirl: Yep! You can make stuffing without turkey, but it’s just not the same. My favorite part of Thanksgiving is the next-day leftovers picnic. We take a loaf of Cuban bread, spread mayo and gravy on one side, mayo and cranberry sauce on the other and layer on the turkey and stuffing.

    SO good!

  134. 134.

    raven

    We’re going to out niece’s wedding this weekend and the boss lady has been on my butt to get a “hair and beard trim”.  She took Artie for a walk and I buzzed it all off so I get to surprise her when she gets home!

  135. 135.

    Betty Cracker

    @raven: That’s what my family calls it, but in mixed company, I say “stuffing” because otherwise people are puzzled. :)

  136. 136.

    Wag

    @raven:   It depends.   If baked inside the bird, stuffing.  Baked outside the bird, dressing.

    I prefer stuffing because of the permeated turkey juice.

  140. 140.

    satby

    @Steeplejack: people who keep a lot of tabs open past their current session are a mystery to me. If I think I’ll want a page later I add it to read view or bookmark it, but honestly I seldom do either.

    Reminds me of the people on one account who insisted they used every email on their almost gigabit network drive every day when we started new email retention policies. Of course they didn’t and that was easy to prove.

  142. 142.

    Suzanne

    @Ken:

    Ah, that’s because you haven’t tried my turkey sous vide recipe.  Now, you have to have a big washtub for this. Eight days before Thanksgiving, get a large Hefty garbage bag and…. 

    Oh, so I see that you’ve attended every conversation I’ve ever had about Thanksgiving turkey.

    If it was up to me, there would be much less food and much less work and many fewer dirty dishes.

  144. 144.

    Suzanne

    @oldgold: The one bummer about Labor Day is that Costco is closed. I totally support them being closed so the workers can enjoy the holiday. But I love Costco and would totally go this afternoon.

  147. 147.

    mali muso

    I like having turkey for Thanksgiving for the next day leftover sandwiches.  One year, we visited my mom’s family in Louisiana, and my aunt made a turkey that was injected with some incredible Cajun spice liquid gold that made it juicy and flavorful.  Pretty sure that butter was a high proportion of the ingredients.

  150. 150.

    prostratedragon

    Steeplejack @ 126:

    And, just like that, I just blundered into a software update that included firefox; the browser restarted with all the hundreds of tabs, but now I suddenly can’t extend NoScript permissions to pages underneath the starter page. So Reply button and other such things here are not working for me at the moment. One reason I have the yips about shutting down, though that’s not what happened in this case.

    [ETA for some weird reason submitting this comment seems to have solved the problem, where just reloading with the changed permissions did not.]

  151. 151.

    oldgold

    @germy:

    Baker’s latest wretched scribbling did not surprise me. Long ago I surmised he was an over-educated bloodless ignoramus that the NYTs is full of.

  153. 153.

    Mary G

    @The Thin Black Duke: Lovely essay. You have the way of saying a lot in a few words that I envy.

    I also agree completely. The Beatles hit my heart and mind, but the Stones hit my gut too, in the way the best rock does.I only won the lottery once in 1978 for the Some Girls tour at Anaheim stadium. Peak experience.

    I was shocked when Charlie died. I guess I thought they would all drop dead together onstage right after a last encore. In a couple of decades.

  155. 155.

    Suzanne

    @germy: I like Cornish game hens, too. I have a recipe for stuffed game hens that I think is far superior to turkey. I have done it for Christmas dinner before and it’s awesome. I am not going to give up!

    I made dressing in the crockpot last year and my daughter loved it.

    I also love going to a restaurant, but obvs that is difficult with the kids this year. Again.

  159. 159.

    Betty Cracker

    @WaterGirl: It’s hard to explain what makes it different. I think it’s one of those breads that is beloved and irreplaceable to people who grew up with it but “meh” to those who didn’t? It has a shatteringly thin crust and is soft inside — the crust is not nearly as chewy as Italian or French bread, IMO.

    I have no clue how they do Cuban bread in Cuba, but at traditional Cuban bakeries in FL, It’s baked in a baguette-shaped loaf that is much longer than a standard French loaf. The bakers lay a palmetto leaf on the top of the raw dough before baking, which gives it distinct markings.

    I’ve never found really good Cuban bread outside of Florida nor been able to replicate it myself at home. The grocery chain in the town where I live carries Cuban bread they make in their bakery, and it’s okay, but it’s not as good as the bakeries in Tampa. So every time I go to Tampa, I bring home a shitload of bread and freeze it. My husband rolls his eyes.

  160. 160.

    WaterGirl

    @Suzanne:

    I made dressing in the crockpot last year

    How does one do that?  Make the dressing the same way as always, but put it in a crockpot instead of a casserole dish that goes in the oven?

    What are the crockpot settings, and how long does it take to cook?

    Dressing is my favorite comfort food, so I am very intrigued by this.

  161. 161.

    Steeplejack

    @raven:

    I got a haircut yesterday—first one in four months. Overdue and much-needed. But that wasn’t my longest gap during the pandemic.

  164. 164.

    Old School

    @The Thin Black Duke: Enjoyable article.  I’m not going to argue Beatles vs. Stones as I enjoy both, but I wanted to mention that Mick Jones was in The Clash.  I assume your essay meant to say Bill Wyman.

  166. 166.

    narya

    Okay, I’ll weigh in:
    I get a heritage turkey, and I splay it; I also make stock from everything except the skin and gizzards (downstairs neighbor gets all the organs). I do this even when I’m the only one who will eat it. (ETA: in that I will have dinner by myself, no guests.)
    Paul is annoying. But I’d say Beatles vs. Stones is a hard call; they were each shaking things up in a different way. Do I really have to pick?
    Saw the Stones in 1994 (Lenny Kravitz (ptui) opened); it was okay, glad I did it, but it was more of a theatrical performance than a rock show.
    Saw the Dead with Jerry once, and many times w/o him, including the Fare Thee Well shows at Soldier Field, and enjoy(ed) the hell out of them. Also saw them at Wrigley, with John Mayer, and he was a fine addition, musically speaking. I limit myself to beer at rock shows, and not a lot of that (I’m there for the music and I find that substances tend to make me lose focus on the music).
    Did I miss anything? Oh, right, tabs; I close everything, all the time. I bookmark a handful of things.

  167. 167.

    Suzanne

    @WaterGirl: I used this recipe from Delish as a base for proportions and then improvised (don’t remember 100% what I did but I’m sure a lot of garlic was involved because I am me). I sometimes do cornbread stuffing and usually make the cornbread myself. I did this because our new kitchen is small and I didn’t want us to be crowded in there, and someone has to be hanging out with the baby, so this was a good way to get in and out. I think I finished it under the broiler.

    ETA: I also like sourdough bread for stuffing sometimes. Or baguette if it’s really crusty. It’s all about texture.

  170. 170.

    Another Scott

    @The Thin Black Duke: Nice.

    I never saw The Stones live (neither the Beatles), so I can only go by their songs.  There are more of the latter’s work that click with me than the former, but variety is the spice.

    Thanks.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  172. 172.

    PAM Dirac

    @Danielx:

     

    Dating myself by having seen them in the early 70s with Stevie Wonder (!!!!) as the opening act for what was then the outrageous price of fifteen dollars.

    Me too. At RFK Stadium on July 4th. When they started playing Jumpin’ Jack Flash the whole upper deck was moving up and down.

  178. 178.

    WaterGirl

    @Suzanne:

    Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours, stirring after 2 hours have passed.

    The stirring is interesting.  The only recipe I would ever use for dressing is my mom’s dressing, but stirring it is the last thing you would ever want to do if cooking in the oven – because it puffs up as it cooks, and stirring would make it more dense.

    I will have to ponder this.

  180. 180.

    rikyrah

    Just dust ??

     

    Thats Dr. Not Mrs. Black Mommy Activist (@kayewhitehead) tweeted at 8:23 AM on Mon, Sep 06, 2021:
    I opened the envelope & cried: this is the ONLY pic of me & mom when I was a baby. She’s kept it for me all these years, said when it’s time she’d send it. Im now an #EmptyNester & she said it’s time becuz I need the reminder that we raise our kids to send them out to the world https://t.co/RRIxyLqzrv
    (https://twitter.com/kayewhitehead/status/1434869830251913216?s=03)

  181. 181.

    Steeplejack

    @zhena gogolia:

    You’re having classes on Labor Day?! Bummer.

    When I reread my previous comment it sort of sounded like I was downplaying Ina Garten’s turkey breast. I actually meant to convey that I like it a lot because the preparation is fairly simple (especially for the results), you don’t have to wrangle with a whole turkey, and it sidesteps the whole “nobody wants dark meat” problem. And the leftovers are good.

    I’m not dogmatic about turkey for Thanksgiving. I am adamant about mashed potatoes, gravy and dressing (in that order).

    The last Thanksgiving before the pandemic was just Bro’ Man and me. (I think his husband took the kids to Brazil for a visit with the in-laws.) I made prime rib using that technique where you blaze it at 500° for a certain number of minutes based on its weight, then turn off the oven and let it cook for a couple of hours or so. Turned out great, although if I did it again I would deploy my ThermoWorks probe to keep track of the internal temperature. (Didn’t have it then.)

  184. 184.

    Another Scott

    @Steeplejack: Yup.

    I have 2 Chrome windows open here on Winders – one with mostly work-related things, one with non-work related things.  Each have around 50 tabs, I think.  I like that Google recently added the round white button on the right with the down-arrow caret (“Search Tabs”) recently.  I still hate that I can’t have multiple rows of tabs in Chrome (there was a Firefox add-on “Tab Mix Plus” that enabled that functionality years ago – sigh) – but this helps.

    I occasionally Bookmark all my tabs/windows, just so that it’s a little easier to start over if they don’t get saved for some reason.

    I have also made my own HTML “home page” on occasion, but I haven’t kept up with it and modifying it is a bit of a pain.

    There’s still improvements to be done with web browsers, even after all these years!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  185. 185.

    James E Powell

    @WaterGirl:

    The primary redeeming quality of turkey is that it provides the excuse to have stuffing. :-)

    You mean dressing, right

    ETA – Never mind, raven covered it.

  186. 186.

    montanareddog

    @The Thin Black Duke:

     

    From your essay:

    In spite of personal infighting, drug addiction, the death of Brian Jones, ever-evolving musical trends, Mick Jones leaving the group…

    I guess you mean Mick Taylor (unless there was a Clash/Stones supergroup that slid under the radar :-) )

     

    ETA: I see others (sort of) got there first

  187. 187.

    The Thin Black Duke

    Taylor, not Jones, idiot. Duh. Thanks, guys. (I just got back. All this talk about food got me hungry.)

  188. 188.

    raven

    @rikyrah: We had one this weekend right up the street. This one is very important to her as it is her favorite (only) niece. My wife was married in her mom’s dress and they are using it for this one. It’s outside in a mountain camp/resort. We were both tested yesterday so we await the results.

  189. 189.

    pat

    @Gin & Tonic: ​
     
    So I read the story and nowhere does it say that they were or were not vaccinated.
    Well, were they, and if not why not, and if so why do they have to quarantine?

  191. 191.

    Steeplejack

    @Another Scott:

    Yes, I’m constantly adapting to work with different browsers. Currently still getting used to Brave on my phone (which I think you recommended), because of the Twitter blockade thing.

    I also regularly bookmark all my tabs (on the computer) into a “Backup – [date]” list, which saves them but doesn’t really make them any easier to manage. That was the point of the original tweet I posted. People are just moving the problem around, not really solving it.

    I remember some browser I used that did the “multiple rows of tabs” things. It was pretty convenient. I guess the analog that I use now in Firefox is the “List all tabs” button on the control bar, which opens a drop-down list that is fairly easy to navigate. (As always, “fairly easy” means “I have gotten used to it.”)

  193. 193.

    Another Scott

    @oldgold: +1

    I’m probably the only one in the country like this, but it’s only been the last year or two when I’ve been able to keep track of which is the start of summer holiday and which is the end of summer holiday.  They’ve just been days off.  And that’s fine, even though I appreciate the purpose behind them.

    Arbor Day is another good holiday (last Friday in April – no wonder nobody knows when it is).

    Flag Day (June 14) is just an excuse for another car / mattress sale.

    Mr. Rogers Birthday (March 20) probably should be a national holiday – to remind everyone to be kind to each other…  “It’s Mr. Rogers’ Birthday!  Time to buy a new mattress!!11”

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  194. 194.

    Quiltingfool

    @JMG: Today?  Try immediately after all the school supplies were put away.  I saw them when I was shopping Thursday and wondered who on earth can buy Halloween candy now and have the willpower to NOT eat the candy NOW.

  195. 195.

    James E Powell

    I loved The Rolling Stones more than The Beatles since 1964. Their music is just more to my taste. But The Beatles are the most important band of all time and the most influential. Their total impact on the world cannot be overstated.

    And with all the stuff of their respective legends, what’s often overlooked is that the Stones were much better businessmen, more professional.

  196. 196.

    Quiltingfool

    @sab: Preach, sister.  Thanksgiving and Christmas means cooking – and though I’m a pretty fair cook (let’s say my husband and I aren’t wasting away), I don’t get a thrill out of food prep.  I would say I’m an “efficient” cook – get it done and get me outta here!

  199. 199.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @Suzanne:  I really find turkey completely underwhelming…

    So did my father, who said it was too dry (which it is). He spent years lobbying for fried chicken.**

    This is when lots of people now that to convince me that their turkey cooking method is the one that will change my mind on this, and I smile politely thinking, “No, turkey is just fucking boring.”

    We weren’t poor, but with parents having reached adulthood in the teeth of the Depression, were damn well frugal.
    After Mom had stripped all the significant meat from the bird for sammiches & turkey salad, she’d break up the carcass & toss it with water into the pressure cooker, steam it into surrender, shake all the rest of the meat off the bones back into the pot***, add flour and a bag of frozen mixed vegetables, mix well, reheat til bubbly, and serve over toast. We kids liked that better than the original bird – and we ate our veggies!
    ** When you grow up in a big poor fambly where the customary meal was pasta made from relief-donated flour, fried chicken tastes like food of the demigods.
    *** After letting it cool, of course – and discarding the bones!​
    ​
    ​

  200. 200.

    Steeplejack

    @pat:

    To your second question, Britain is on Brazil’s “red list,” which means all incoming visitors from those countries have to quarantine for 14 days.

  201. 201.

    Quiltingfool

     

     

    @Suzanne:

    I’m trying to convince my family that we should not make a big Thanksgiving meal. I really find turkey completely underwhelming, and I would much rather spend the calories and carbs from all the side dishes on something else, like lasagna. And it makes too much of a mess and there’s too many leftovers.

    Come sit next to me.  I would like one damned Thanksgiving where the food is not white, beige and brown.  My husband’s family likes the traditional food – turkey, 3 kinds of potatoes, gag-me green bean casserole, stuffing, gravy, etc.

    You know what I want?  Fried chicken( cooked by good Southern ladies), mashed potatoes, roasted carrots and beets, steamed broccoli, maybe some good, home-canned green beans with a little bacon, picked peaches…

    Am I ever gonna get that?  Maybe when Hell freezes over.

  204. 204.

    Quiltingfool

    @rikyrah: I’m an old white woman, and yes, we are exhausting.  I get so furious with my fellow stupid white women, how they constantly vote against their best interests.  And they KNOW that men aren’t going to “save” them, but they still demonstrate the definition of insanity (“uh, I’m gonna keep voting for the same people who screw me over, ‘cause maybe this time they won’t!”).

    It’s simple – listen to black women, follow their lead.  Well, not Candace Owens and her ilk, but you get my drift.

  206. 206.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Amir Khalid:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haymarket_affair

    May 1st, 1886 was the date of a massive general strike in support of the eight-hour day. In Chicago, violent police retaliation led to a rally on May 4th that ended in a bombing that killed several police. The perpetrators were never really found, some probably-innocent labor organizers hung for it, and the whole thing led more or less September 11th-style to a predictable crackdown that soured the whole union movement in the US.

  207. 207.

    rivers

    @Danielx: So I’m really dating myself. I saw them in 1965 at the Academy of Music on 14th Street in NYC. One of the greatest memories of my misspent youth.

  209. 209.

    MontyTheClipArtMongoose

    @Baud: clearly, the gqp was demonstrating its commitment to women in leadership

    it’s a new feminist tone from the party, in opposition to democrats who spurned elizabeth warren in the 2020 nomination fight

  213. 213.

    J R in WV

    @sab: ​
     

    Since when is Thanksgiving a day to relax? For me it’s two full days of cooking and cleaning while everyone else has fun.

    Maybe you’re doing Thanksgiving wrong! Serve a buffet of carry-out favorites and watch football all day? Order in Subs from your favorite place? Make pasta? Burgers and beer? Make everyone else cook? Just don’t cook yourself, see what happens?

    All these things make it more of a relaxed holiday for you!

  215. 215.

    catclub

    @JMG: ​
    &nbsp

    ;I realize there are many people who find turkey too bland, but I have always found it awesome.

    Turkey thighs, yes. Both chicken and turkey, breast meat, taste like chalk to me. maybe there are some free range meats that have flavorful breast meat.

  216. 216.

    L&DfromSLT

    @Ken: You assume correctly. Cal Fire and their various associates, El Dorado County Sheriffs, SLT Police,Fire and Rescue, and hundreds of agencies from across the state and country patrolling evacuated neighborhoods – all are heroes to the people of South Lake Tahoe. We didn’t even lose our electricity but the squirrely Tahoe wind – at the best of times! – could have taken the fire anywhere. Last week it took the fire south toward open granite mountains. We have been in Carson City and still have some medical appointments here so will be going home Thursday. Will be so relieved!

  217. 217.

    CaseyL

    @WaterGirl:

    @Betty Cracker:

    I remember Cuban bread from the media noches sammies I loved in Miami.  I think one of its special characteristics is a slightly sweet flavor that went very well with the guava jelly and ham.  It’s also flat and dense, compared to other crusty breads.

    Local breads are local legends.  In the Northeast, specifically Atlantic City, hoagie places are legends because they use a kind of Italian bread that is unique to New Jersey.  No one knows what that special something is – possibly the water? – but Italian bread anywhere else just isn’t the same.

    I’ve had the hoagies from Atlantic City, and I’ve had them lots of other places, and there is just.something.unique (and uniquely wonderful) about Atlantic City hoagies.

  219. 219.

    glc

    Labor Day is a candid commemoration of our view of labor. The stores have sales, and the workers don’t have the option of taking the day off.

    May 1 would be hypocritical.

  220. 220.

    Ruckus

    @The Thin Black Duke:

    It would be wrong for me to hope for that, but I don’t believe it would be wrong for you.

    On second thought, maybe it might not be so completely wrong for me either, as it seems it might be a win for all humanity to lose another absolute hypocrite. Or two.

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