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You are here: Home / Nature & Respite / Wednesday Evening Respite Open Thread

Wednesday Evening Respite Open Thread

by Anne Laurie|  May 4, 20226:20 pm| 56 Comments

This post is in: Nature & Respite, Pet Blogging, Popular Culture

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Hello everybody. Please look at this picture of an owl that has been rained on.

Thank you. pic.twitter.com/OR1dYuHmtt

— top 10 Eric Clapton hate account (@WillowPillSzn) April 12, 2022

We can all use a smile today.

This kid’s face… https://t.co/ak27IUz8V8

— The Hoarse Whisperer (@TheRealHoarse) May 4, 2022

pic.twitter.com/FafJOoeZtM

— cats being weird little guys (@weirdlilguys) March 30, 2022

A long time ago (1980) in a galaxy (not so) far, far away… John Williams conducted his first @TheBostonPops concert with the help of C-3PO and R2-D2, and @GBH has the archival footage to prove it!

Happy #StarWarsDay! pic.twitter.com/LOZK1h1TkP

— GBH (@GBH) May 4, 2022

pic.twitter.com/DUVXJy15Am

— cats being weird little guys (@weirdlilguys) March 25, 2022

ETA:

Last night, 9-year-old Derek Rodriguez was given @TheJudge44's home run ball by Mike Lanzillotta

Today, they both got to meet Aaron before the game. ❤️

We are crying too. ? pic.twitter.com/fmGwEv9Xgv

— MLB (@MLB) May 4, 2022


(Thanks Humboldt Blue, also Old Dan and Little Ann)

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Reader Interactions

56Comments

  1. 1.

    Roger Moore

    May 4, 2022 at 6:25 pm

    The owl is really interesting.  Apparently, the same adaptations that allow owls to be silent when flying also prevent their feathers from being waterproof.  I assume they have some ability to shed water- they wouldn’t survive if they couldn’t hunt in a light rain- but they are much more susceptible to getting wet than most birds.

    The only other kind of bird I know of that doesn’t have waterproof feathers are cormorants.  They avoid waterproofing because it makes it easier to dive after fish.  That’s why you’ll see the classic pose of a cormorant sitting on a rock with its wings spread; it’s drying its feathers after diving so it can fly again.

  2. 2.

    Van Buren

    May 4, 2022 at 6:28 pm

    New graffiti found at my school today. Someone, a talented artist by elementary school standards, drew (in sharpie) a penis. Above it, the word”choose”. Below it, “dick”.  And now, I have questions…

  3. 3.

    TaMara

    May 4, 2022 at 6:29 pm

    Loved the WGBH (sorry, I can’t get on board with the shortened version, LOL) clip.

  4. 4.

    germy

    May 4, 2022 at 6:33 pm

    A still from “Christopher Bean” (1933)

    The final film of Marie Dressler, it also stars Lionel Barrymore and Beulah Bondi #BOTD Due to copyright issues, it has not been seen since 1933. #lostfilm #1930s #beulahbondi #mariedressler #oldhollywood #vintage pic.twitter.com/qWLbqGAqRF

    — Noirchick@OldHollywood (@Noirchick1) May 3, 2022

  5. 5.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    May 4, 2022 at 6:34 pm

    respite? the thought of that cat’s arm in the fridge door is gonna keep me up for days….

  6. 6.

    kalakal

    May 4, 2022 at 6:40 pm

    @Roger Moore: Anhingas have non waterproof feathers as well, helps them swim faster underwater. They do exactly the same pose as Cormorants

  7. 7.

    Old Dan and Little Ann

    May 4, 2022 at 6:43 pm

    The Yankees pre-game on YES had the blue jays fan, the 9 year old kid, and Aaron Judge meet in the dugout earlier.  Very touching.  Go Yankees!

  8. 8.

    trollhattan

    May 4, 2022 at 6:44 pm

    Cat pic reminds me of video the spouse found–somebody had to close the bedroom door to keep the cat out at night and in revenge, the little bastard learned how to reach under and snap the spring-type doorstop to make a praaaaaang sound. Video shows the disembodied arm sneaking in and doing just that.

  9. 9.

    Evap

    May 4, 2022 at 6:47 pm

    I just gave a final exam and, once it’s graded, will be done with teaching until late August!  I’m celebrating with a tasty brew and thinking about all the travel I have planned for the summer.

  10. 10.

    SpaceUnit

    May 4, 2022 at 6:50 pm

    I am that owl.

  11. 11.

    TaMara

    May 4, 2022 at 6:51 pm

    @Old Dan and Little Ann: That is sooo awesome

  12. 12.

    Freemark

    May 4, 2022 at 6:52 pm

    Anyone else seen the Three Mile Island documentary on Netflix. I’ve lived 5 miles from there my entire life and can see it from my living room. It certainly cements that nuclear power is a non-viable future option in the US. Not because nuclear power with better designs can’t be safe. But that business with nuclear power can’t be safe.

  13. 13.

    debbie

    May 4, 2022 at 6:52 pm

    Reposting from this morning because it’s so cute:

    I can’t stop watching this…???? pic.twitter.com/pBymcWvxts
    — Fred Schultz (@FredSchultz35) May 3, 2022

  14. 14.

    lowtechcyclist

    May 4, 2022 at 7:06 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    respite? the thought of that cat’s arm in the fridge door is gonna keep me up for days….

    One of our cats does that fairly frequently. No injuries yet, and we’ve gotten used to watching for him when we close the door.

  15. 15.

    prostratedragon

    May 4, 2022 at 7:09 pm

    With bar-graph animation, four voices and string quartet:

    “So You Want to Write a Fugue?” by Glenn Gould

  16. 16.

    dexwood

    May 4, 2022 at 7:10 pm

    @debbie:  That one had me chuckling throughout the day when I thought of it.

  17. 17.

    HumboldtBlue

    May 4, 2022 at 7:10 pm

    The young Yankees fan shed some more tears today after he got to actually meet Aaron Judge.

    Also, the Yankees can go to hell.

  18. 18.

    Jerszy

    May 4, 2022 at 7:12 pm

    Obviously that Jays fan is a “groomer”.

     

    /s

  19. 19.

    Deputinize Eurasia from the Kuriles to St Petersburg

    May 4, 2022 at 7:17 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Same. I’m panicked about my own critters.

  20. 20.

    Deputinize Eurasia from the Kuriles to St Petersburg

    May 4, 2022 at 7:21 pm

    @trollhattan:

    OK, where is this masterpiece of asshole cat behavior? It reminds me of “middle daughter’s cat” which has now lived with us the last two years….

  21. 21.

    Gin & Tonic

    May 4, 2022 at 7:21 pm

    A bit of good news from Mariupol:

    Kristina and her cat survived the war and were evacuated from Mariupol #StopRussia #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/N5ihKTpLwa
    — Mariana Betsa (@Mariana_Betsa) May 3, 2022

  22. 22.

    Deputinize Eurasia from the Kuriles to St Petersburg

    May 4, 2022 at 7:24 pm

    Oh, and on another note, seems like the assholes who sold us this house and left their awful pool table behind had placed a layer of basement carpet atop a layer of basement carpet that had been glued to the floor. Final tally on junk and carpet removal (plus pool table demo and haul out) will be $2500.

    Am I now day drinking? Yes….

  23. 23.

    debbie

    May 4, 2022 at 7:24 pm

    @trollhattan:

    I believe I’ve seen that one!  ?

  24. 24.

    Uncle Cosmo

    May 4, 2022 at 7:35 pm

    Anyone who’s been lying awake at night over the chances of nuclear use in Ukraine would do well to check out this video from an Australian historian who styles himself as “Perun”: Calling Russia’s nuclear bluff – Russian nuclear doctrine & the Ukraine war.  The author calls his video “reverse clickbait,” designed not to rile viewers up but to reduce their stress levels. First 5 minutes is the TL;DR version, but I found the whole 50 minutes informative and well thought out.

  25. 25.

    Betty

    May 4, 2022 at 7:35 pm

    @Freemark: I lived in tbe area from the 70s to the 90s and always worried that the humans involved were likely to goof up. And they did.

  26. 26.

    susanna

    May 4, 2022 at 7:36 pm

    @Evap: Enjoy the time off; peace out.

  27. 27.

    Ohio Mom

    May 4, 2022 at 7:49 pm

    @Deputinize Eurasia from the Kuriles to St Petersburg: Yeah, the people we bought this house from did some stupid things. Like adding a new layer of bathroom floor tiles on top of the first layer.

    The second layer is cracking because it’s not laying on a flat surface and it’s going to cost twice as much to remove as a single layer would. Of course that’s assuming we would have cause to remove the original layer if it hadn’t been buried.

    Or how about when they removed a vertical beam in the basement, I assume because it was in the middle of the rec room. That we then had to pay to replace.

    I could go on.

  28. 28.

    Gravenstone

    May 4, 2022 at 7:56 pm

    That owl looks like a rejected Muppet.

  29. 29.

    prostratedragon

    May 4, 2022 at 8:00 pm

    @Ohio Mom: Oh dear. Peace be unto them (she said with the serene and benevolent smile of preparing weapons).

    Elsewhere, “The Dolly Sisters,” from Mr. Selfridge by Charlie Mole

  30. 30.

    Sure Lurkalot

    May 4, 2022 at 8:04 pm

    Harsh but valid PSA from Stonekettle:

    Twitter: I’ve been showing up to vote for 20 years, Man!

    Good for you. What do you want, a cookie? That’s your DUTY, Citizen. The absolute bare goddamn minimum you can do to maintain the Republic. You don’t get a fucking parade for it. The reward is NOT-fascism. That’s it.

  31. 31.

    LAO

    May 4, 2022 at 8:06 pm

    @SpaceUnit: same

  32. 32.

    Old Dan and Little Ann

    May 4, 2022 at 8:12 pm

    @Sure Lurkalot: I will never understand why anyone would waste so much time and energy responding to so many random assholes on Twitter.  All I can think of is walking down a NYC street and arguing with everyone.

  33. 33.

    LAO

    May 4, 2022 at 8:12 pm

    So, I was aggressively offline today working, what happened with Madison Cawthorn? And should I even care? I really despise that little neo-nazi.

  34. 34.

    Betsy

    May 4, 2022 at 8:13 pm

    Fresh new Cadison Mawthorn tape.  DO NOT GO LOOKING.  In which he evidently nekkid humps a cousin, with accessories. Warn everyone

  35. 35.

    kalakal

    May 4, 2022 at 8:13 pm

    I found this cheering. The Trolley Problem solved

    https://twitter.com/i/status/1514889606847639552

  36. 36.

    NotMax

    May 4, 2022 at 8:18 pm

    Currently in the middle of overcast day four: rain for half an hour, clear up for half an hour, repeat. Added attraction of thunderstorms performing a variation on the same act overnight. Also unseasonably chilly (wintry mix of snow and ice on the peaks of the Big island — in May!).

    Somebody please nudge the needle on this record.

  37. 37.

    LAO

    May 4, 2022 at 8:26 pm

    @Betsy: I found the video  and watched it because there is something deeply wrong with me.  It’s almost certainly a republican hit job.

  38. 38.

    Starfish

    May 4, 2022 at 8:32 pm

    @Betsy: I have not gone looking for this video, but there were a lot of fake Trump and Clinton videos that circulated in the parts of the internet where things that cannot be corroborated live.

    Anyway, because of the creation of past fakes, I am just going to believe everything is fake unless there is a good reason not to.

  39. 39.

    LAO

    May 4, 2022 at 8:34 pm

    @Starfish: Cawthorn released a statement admitting the video was real — just crass horseplay.

  40. 40.

    Jerszy

    May 4, 2022 at 9:14 pm

    @LAO:

    Worked for Kavanaugh.

  41. 41.

    Kattails

    May 4, 2022 at 9:15 pm

    @Old Dan and Little Ann: why do you consider that a waste? Jim Wright spent decades in the military and intelligence. He believes inthis country, has strong opinions about a number of issues, and isn’t afraid of a fight. Followers regularly ask him why he doesn’t block so many of his critical commenters (although he usually does at some point).

    The answer seems to be that either he doesn’t mind taking verbal flack, and/or it’s a lesson laid out to those of us who would not otherwise be exposed to this shit. But give him enormous credit, he has been going on endlessly about voting for years. Most pointedly to those who would say “oh, you can’t scare me about a SCOTUS vote, R v.W is settled law”.
    Can’t tell you the number of online comments I’ve seen today being just shocked about this opinion. I want to dope slap people.

  42. 42.

    Ohio Mom

    May 4, 2022 at 9:20 pm

    @prostratedragon: Oh, peace *is* unto them. They sold the house because they were moving to Florida.

    Sometime after, they came back to visit the family and friends they left behind. On an icy February weekend, in a brand new pickup truck. They slipped and skidded and crashed into I don’t know what, and eternal peace is now theirs.

    It’s all of a piece. The husband was a hotdog of a home owner, going past his skills on various house updates, and apparently he overestimated his driving in an ice storm capabilities too.

    Once when Ohio Dad was doing some yard work, he noticed a car parked across the street on our quiet cul-de-sac. The driver was sitting and staring at our house. He walked up and asked if he could be of help.

    It turned out the woman was the wife’s sister and she often came to stare at the house (like someone might visit a grave). She said she hoped we hadn’t changed too much inside, her sister had been very proud of how she decorated the place.

  43. 43.

    Liminal Owl

    May 4, 2022 at 9:49 pm

    @TaMara:   I thought of you (though I hope everyone will enjoy this): Marathon duck!

  44. 44.

    Suzanne

    May 4, 2022 at 9:57 pm

    I just gave Spawn the Younger the abortion talk, assured her that I would totally help her get one if she ever needs one, told her all about birth control and how it’s awesome, and assured her that her life is her own and that it is not her job to make babies for the state.

  45. 45.

    Mike in Pasadena

    May 4, 2022 at 10:08 pm

    He didnt even hestate to give the youth the ball. Wonderful to see. Generosity even in the age of TFG.

  46. 46.

    Mike in Pasadena

    May 4, 2022 at 10:19 pm

    @germy: where can it be seen? Dressler’s startled look when the blond says “I read a book” and dressler almost trips in Dinner at 8. A real professional.

  47. 47.

    Mike in Pasadena

    May 4, 2022 at 10:29 pm

    @Ohio Mom: you may need to have a plumber rreseat the toilet if you put down new tile to prevent leaking fro under neath. Donut may be needed under toilet. Good plumber can do it is thirty minutes. Should be well undeer 200 dollars. Youtube videos tell you the right order. I think its tile first and toilet seated on top of tile but i could be wrong.

  48. 48.

    Steeplejack

    May 4, 2022 at 10:31 pm

    @Liminal Owl:

    Fixed your bad link. Marathon duck.

  49. 49.

    Liminal Owl

    May 4, 2022 at 10:39 pm

    @prostratedragon: Ooh, thank you!  I heard that years ago and have been meaning to search for it again.

  50. 50.

    Liminal Owl

    May 4, 2022 at 10:39 pm

    @Steeplejack: Thank you.  I thought I’d gotten it right.

  51. 51.

    Mike in Pasadena

    May 4, 2022 at 10:40 pm

    Godess bless you all. The abortion draft decision must be pinned on the rethuglicans, esp. Mcconnel who engineered stacking the court. Democratic states can help women get abortions when needed. Poor women will need help with travel. Who is good for that, Planned Parenthood?

  52. 52.

    Ohio Mom

    May 4, 2022 at 11:14 pm

    @Mike in Pasadena: Don’t worry, we know fixing the bathroom is beyond us. We’ll use the other bathroom, have the plumber disconnect the toilet, have someone else pull up the floor tiles, we’ll almost certainly need a new subfloor …

    The Juicer from Louisville with the long nym who is running for judge thinks $2,500 for his cleaned up basement hurts? Hold my crowbar…

  53. 53.

    Ohio Mom

    May 4, 2022 at 11:18 pm

    @Mike in Pasadena: I’m pretty sure Planned Prenthood doesn’t get into providing travel expenses, but other groups do though.

  54. 54.

    Mo Salad

    May 4, 2022 at 11:23 pm

    https://twitter.com/LFC19673841/status/1522053798067421184?s=20&t=U8a2vL38rhAzVF7GaGgHAw

    Click on link if you want to see me IRL.

  55. 55.

    Benno

    May 5, 2022 at 2:52 am

    @Deputinize Eurasia from the Kuriles to St Petersburg: the people we bought our house from had to sell suddenly (great job in another city) so to get the house sale “ready” they carpeted instead of refinishing the floors on the stairs and third floor. With outdoor carpet. With roofing nails.

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