Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Trumpflation is an intolerable hardship for every American, and it’s Trump’s fault.

T R E 4 5 O N

Dear Washington Post, you are the darkness now.

Let’s bury these fuckers at the polls 2 years from now.

“Just close your eyes and kiss the girl and go where the tilt-a-whirl takes you.” ~OzarkHillbilly

New McCarthy, same old McCarthyism.

Text STOP to opt out of updates on war plans.

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

When we show up, we win.

Roe is not about choice. It is about freedom.

Mediocre white men think RFK Jr’s pathetic midlife crisis is inspirational. The bar is set so low for them, it’s subterranean.

DeSantis transforming Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

Sadly, media malpractice has become standard practice.

This is dead girl, live boy, a goat, two wetsuits and a dildo territory.  oh, and pink furry handcuffs.

How stupid are these people?

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

There are a lot more evil idiots than evil geniuses.

I have other things to bitch about but those will have to wait.

“A king is only a king if we bow down.” – Rev. William Barber

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

Fight for a just cause, love your fellow man, live a good life.

In after Baud. Damn.

Do we throw up our hands or do we roll up our sleeves? (hint, door #2)

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. keep building.

You are here: Home / Balloon Juice / An Anniversary: Twenty — Well, Almost Thirteen — Years On

An Anniversary: Twenty — Well, Almost Thirteen — Years On

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I got through all of last year… and I’m here!

Cole invited me to become a front-pager back in May 2009; it took a few weeks to get me started, because even then I was old enough not to be very tech-savvy, or to have much hope of ever becoming so. He was patient, partially because he’d already asked two other prolific commentors to become his site’s first Vagina-American front pagers, and been separately told neither had the time for such foolishness a commitment.

My first post was a book recc for Castle Freeman‘s All That I Have. I referenced Terry Pratchett and Donald Westlake, because I figured at least some of the Jackaltariat knew (and approved) those gentlemen.

Somewhere along the way, I figured out that I could produce a brilliant, witty, heavily-researched post every week… two, in a good week. Or I could (sometimes also) churn out a steady stream of aggregations and open threads, twice or three or four times a day. Since there were always other front-pagers to step up with the B,W,H-R posts (points to anyone who recognizes the light literary reference!)… well, I’m looking forward to my 15,000th post, which should fall somewhere around the end of March, pandemic reading and Murphy the Trickster God willing.

Reader Interactions

65Comments

  7. 7.

    Leto

    Thanks for everything, AL! The work you do here is amazing.

    If anyone is interested in listening/watching the live coverage of the James Webb telescope from mission control, here’s NASA’s Twitch stream: LIVE: NASA James Webb Space Telescope Mission Control: Primary Mirror Deployment

    Also here’s NASA’s James Web FAQ page. Not only is it a very informative FAQ page, but also includes quite a number of Q&A’s with a few different system engineers for the project. For example, Lee Feinberg AMA: Optical Telescope Element Manager for Webb. Or

    • Women of Webb Q&AWomen with diverse jobs on the James Webb Space Telescope answered questions about the female experience working on a NASA flagship mission in the TwoXChromosomes subreddit.
  8. 8.

    SiubhanDuinne

    I’m looking forward to my 15,000th post, which should fall somewhere around the end of March

    That is seriously amazing! I add my gratitude to that expressed by others. You are a treasure to BJ — and, personally, I will never forget how generously and efficiently you organised a meet-up in Watertown for my visit back in September 2014.

  9. 9.

    OzarkHillbilly

    I’m looking forward to my 15,000th post,

    Anne, if there is a heaven that’s where you’re going, because you’ve already been thru hell.

  11. 11.

    Yarrow

    Appreciate your posts so much, AL. Your Covid posts should be nominated for a Pulitzer. They’re the best aggregated info on the subject on the internets. Thank you for all you do here.

  12. 12.

    Scout211

    Thank you, Anne Laurie!

    Thank you for all you do to keep this blog rolling every day and for keeping us informed, entertained and amused.

    Every. Single. Day.  Thank you. ?

  16. 16.

    JanieM

    Add another voice appreciating what you do here, especially the COVID posts, which are a tour de force unlike anything else I’ve seen. There is so much plausible-sounding garbage out there about COVID — it’s priceless to have your threads as a source and touchstone for reliable information.

  18. 18.

    West of the Rockies

    I love your efforts here!  Your aggregations are always packed with good info to sift through and ponder.

  20. 20.

    Mai Naem mobile

    You do an awesome job and I have no idea how you keep doing this day in day out. We are lucky to have you.

  21. 21.

    TaMara (HFG)

    I think we are all grateful for your presence here – the late-night posts to keep us company, the Covid updates…posting my recipes posts for years. I could go on, but you get the idea!

  23. 23.

    Cephalus Max

    I’m on record as a big AL fan.

    Your editorial judgement and efforts combing through the hellscape of Twitter so the rest of us don’t have to are invaluable.

  24. 24.

    Betty Cracker

    You are the hamster who keeps this rickety old wheel turning, and I and countless others appreciate that more than we can express. In addition to keeping this place from being engulfed by tumbleweeds, you’ve done amazing and important work to keep us informed on COVID. It’s entirely possible you’ve saved lives. Seriously, thank you!

  25. 25.

    geg6

    You are the engine that keeps BJ fun and informative, AL.  Your daily COVID posts are such a public good and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate them and all you do.

  27. 27.

    lifeinthebonusround

    My friends are always amazed by the Covid info I share with them:  “How do you *know* all this?” they ask.  “Um, have you ever heard of Anne Laurie at Balloon-Juice?”  Thanks for all that you contribute!

  28. 28.

    Alison Rose

    I add my thanks and kudos to you, AL. I’m also impressed with how it seems like you never sleep and I hope you’re able to squeeze in some naptime during the day when the other FPers are up and about :)

  29. 29.

    wvng

    Ditto what everyone else said. You have been an essential part of this top 10,000 blog since you started, and since you started your covid posts you have become an essential part of my daily life. Thanks for all you do, and thanks to the blogmaster for having the wisdom to bring you aboard. .

  30. 30.

    Spanky

    This blog would not be anything like it is without AL. And I do mean it would be much worse.

    It’s an environment that lives or dies on fresh content, and you instinctively made the perfect choice. I just don’t know how you find the hours and the energy, but thank. you. so. much!

  33. 33.

    frosty

    I’ll chime in. Thanks for all your posts at all hours of the day and night. Thanks for the morning COVID roundup for two years running. And thanks for reading Twitter so I don’t have to!

  34. 34.

    James E Powell

    AL, your posts are my morning paper. Every day starts with you. Thanks for all your work and the dedication & joy you bring to it.

  35. 35.

    Tony Jay

    You’re a Titan, AL, singlehandedly aggregating one of the best Covid data sources on the Intertubes while also keeping this place chugging along with threads both Open and Guest. You even find time to give my unhinged rantathons an airing, which I’ll always be endlessly grateful for, even as I appreciate that the delicate sensibilities of Jackals and Juicers shouldn’t really be exposed to that level of incoherent invective.

    We salute you.

  36. 36.

    Betty

    Terrific contribution to all our lives. Let’s not forget the Sunday gardening posts on top of all the other good stuff! Thanks!

  37. 37.

    oldster

    Anne Laurie, your title should be Aggregator the Greater. You do an incredible job of pulling together information from all over the web and making it easy for the rest of us to stay informed.

    Thank you for all of the things you do for this blog.

  39. 39.

    J R in WV

    I will join the crowd — thanks so much, Anne Laurie, for all you do for this strange and wonderful place.

    Learned about covid, a lot. Also too.

  41. 41.

    Fair Economist

    I’ve long enjoyed your posts, but like many here I find your COVID posts a special treasure. Part of my morning routine now.

  42. 42.

    LNNVA

    As a long-time lurker, I cannot thank you enough for all you post, especially the daily Covid updates. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

  43. 43.

    MazeDancer

    Without you, Anne Laurie, there is no blog. Thank you seems hardly enough for all you have done for 13 years, but it’s what we got.

    Thank you, thank you, thank you.

  44. 44.

    WaterGirl

    Anne Laurie, I try every chance I get I tell you how much I appreciate you, so I think you already know how I feel, but I’ll say it again.  We are so lucky to have you!  There are workhorses and show horses, and you get to be in the Hillary Clinton category.  That’s pretty good company! :-)

    I suppose Cole warned you that it might be best for you to put up your own anniversary post, to prevent WaterGirl from putting together a 3-day retrospective of all your best stuff?

    Speaking of which, I will put up one last anniversary post sometime later today.

    P.S. Your 2-year covid anniversary is coming up soon, here’s the drawing Kattails did in honor of your first one.  Not sure what we can do to top that for artwork, but I’m sure we’ll come up with something. :-)

    An Anniversary: Twenty -- Well, Almost Thirteen -- Years On

  45. 45.

    John Revolta

    Thanks Anne for all your work here. You’re a wonder. (I originally wanted to say “You’re a brick” but I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to call a woman a brick but whatever the gender neutral version of a brick is, you’re certainly that. Wonderbrick? Wunderbar! You’re a wunderbar wonderbrick!)

    Where was I? Keep up the great work!!

  46. 46.

    Miss Bianca

    @WaterGirl: Along with all the Anne Laurie love, I’m also going to be That Guy (or Gal, I guess), who cites as a pet peeve the distinction people make between “work horses” and “show horses”, because show horses – if they’re successful – work DAMN HARD at not only looking pretty but *also* being incredible athletes.

    (Except for halter show horses, and fuck those guys because all they do is look pretty, period. And the standard of beauty for some of them is quite grotesque, to my eye.)

  47. 47.

    satby

    Anne Laurie, as everyone already said, you’re the MVP of the blog and GOAT at finding interesting snippets of news to share. Best FP choice John ever made, and we’re all so glad you’re here. Thank you!

  48. 48.

    Gin & Tonic

    Yet another note of appreciation for your yeoman’s (yeowoman’s?) work here. ‘Tis a shame that the only opportunity we’ve had to meet (so far) was at efgoldman’s memorial service.

  49. 49.

    Laura Too

    I also wish to thank you for your amazing work here. I can’t imagine how much more frightening the pandemic would have been for me without the knowledge gained from reading your posts. The beauty from the gardening posts, the humor you bring in pointing out stupidity in politics…all of it. Thank you!

  52. 52.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    Thanks AL, your COVID posts are a really useful resource for those of us who must go out among the plague rats(I upgraded my masks to KN95 based on your COVID posts) and the late night posts are really welcomed by us on the left coast.

  53. 53.

    Hoppie

    Very much appreciate the informative and thought-provoking posts, and thanks for all the fish!

  54. 54.

    N M

    You’re a national treasure @AL!  And we’re happy to have you on this almost-top-10,000 blog!

  55. 55.

    The Quiet One

    It’s been years since I’ve sat down with a morning paper. Curses to the KC Star. I enjoy starting my morning reading AL as much as I did those days with inky fingers. Thanks for all you do!

  56. 56.

    Madeleine

    I’ll add my gratitude for your posting prowess. You really know how to pick’em—the late-night politics and such, the garden chats (great say to start my Sundays), and now most especially your covid updates (with the comments that have grown up each day in their wake). You’re the backbone of this blog!

  57. 57.

    Embra

    For the last year I’ve been wanting to thank Anne for assembling the COVID updates, and bringing so many Interesting Things to my attention. When Betty Cracker raises the possibility that you have saved lives, I have to consider that mine may be among them. It seems an incredible labor, and I join the voices letting you know how much you are appreciated. Thank you.

  58. 58.

    StringOnAStick

    My day starts with your Covid review and I deeply appreciate your work!  I was the only one in the dental practice that knew much about Covid, and I had the first heads up that something bad was happening in China from this blog.  Having a reliable information source helped my husband and I decide to retire early and move to our retirement location, and I know your daily missives were a huge part of that decision.  I’m so glad I didn’t have to practice a full year without a vaccine and risk bringing it home to my immunocompromised husband.  I am still shocked at how little too many know about Covid because the media is doing a job for clicks now instead of truth.  Thanks for bringing the truth on a daily basis.

  59. 59.

    bluegirlfromwyo

    Your COVID posts made it possible for me to explain to my pushing 70 husband and his two brothers (one a kidney cancer survivor!) exactly why they absolutely could not play a gig in an Irish bar on March 17, 2020. For that alone, I am forever grateful. Slainte, AL!

  60. 60.

    Ruckus

    Just got back from my daily walk and wanted to add to what everyone else is saying:

    Thank You Anne, for all that you do.

    Every last post adds significant value to the blog.

    And the Carol Burnett video is perfect.

  62. 62.

    cbear

    Ms. Chairwoman, I’d like to wholeheartedley associate myself with the glowing remarks of all my colleagues in the B-J chamber today.

    You truly are a treasure, AL!

  64. 64.

    Elizabelle

    Anne Laurie:  good to see you getting the love and appreciation you deserve!  Adding my thanks especially for your excellently curated Covid posts; essential daily reading.

    I also enjoy the cartoons you put up from time to time.  You are very generous with your time and talents.

    Happy 2022.  I hope this year is good to you, and to all of us.

  65. 65.

    Asparagus Aspers

    I would like to second everyone’s comments (well, 65th everyone’s comments). Thank you so much AL for all that you do!

    ETA I mistyped my nym, it’s Asparagus Aspersions

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