Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Oh FFS you might as well trust a 6-year-old with a flamethrower.

The rest of the comments were smacking Boebert like she was a piñata.

Cancel the cowardly Times and Post and set up an equivalent monthly donation to ProPublica.

The words do not have to be perfect.

How any woman could possibly vote for this smug smarmy piece of misogynistic crap is beyond understanding.

I’m more christian than these people and i’m an atheist.

Giving up is unforgivable.

Stop using mental illness to avoid talking about armed white supremacy.

A democracy can’t function when people can’t distinguish facts from lies.

When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty. ~Thomas Jefferson

You cannot shame the shameless.

You’re just a puppy masquerading as an old coot.

Just because you believe it, that does not make it true.

Republicans do not trust women.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

People identifying as christian while ignoring christ and his teachings is a strange thing indeed.

I really should read my own blog.

Jack Smith: “Why did you start campaigning in the middle of my investigation?!”

These days, even the boring Republicans are nuts.

They punch you in the face and then start crying because their fist hurts.

Optimism opens the door to great things.

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

He seems like a smart guy, but JFC, what a dick!

If you are still in the gop, you are either an extremist yourself, or in bed with those who are.

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74Comments

  2. 2.

    Nancy

    I hope Steve and those who care about you can bring you some comfort. You seem like a good guy to me and still not ugly

  3. 3.

    SiubhanDuinne

    John, I’ve been thinking almost constantly about Tammy, and you, and her husband and parents, and your family, and everyone who knew and loved her. An almost uncountable number of people. Hearts-love to you, light and grace to Tammy’s spirit.

    Steve is one magnificent bastard. I hope he can bring you some comfort.

  4. 4.

    Nicole

    Thanks, John.  Like lots of the other Jackals, I’ve been thinking of you and Tammy and her husband and mom.  And about Lily, too.  I’m so sorry; what a horrible, horrible couple of months.

    Some Steve is much appreciated right now.

  9. 9.

    Lyrebird

    Yes, beautiful and perfect photo.

    I only just caught up with this awful news.

    JC, you are a good man, and there are not any words that will do to talk about how huge a loss this must be.

    I am so glad you had such a great friend, and this just galactically sucks.

  10. 10.

    karen marie

    I’ve found life gets smaller as I age. Everything but Steve and my waist.

    Tonight I made avgolemeno soup for dinner. It’s impossible to find a recipe that doesn’t make enough to feed an army. I cobbled together a good recipe for two servings, and it’s pretty tasty!

    One site suggested making the avgolemeno in a blender, taking the guesswork out of tempering the egg. You drop the egg in the blender with the lemon juice, put the lid on, start the blender, then slooooowly pour in very hot chicken broth. It works really well. It’s a bit frothy as you dump it into the rice but settles down with a couple minutes stirring.

    Mangia, or whatever the Greek equivalent.

    I only wish I’d had the energy to make some quick pita but since I have enough for two meals, maybe tomorrow with round two.

    This is a terrible time, John Cole, but I hope you can feel the love for you radiating out of the comment threads. I’m sure I am not alone in wishing I had a magic wand to lend you.

  11. 11.

    Deputinize Eurasia from the Kuriles to St Petersburg

    Making Christmas dinner decisions now. We are going to Exuma on Sunday, will be back on 12/18 so we need to plan big meat purchases now.

    I’m thinking standing rib roast. We are probably feeding 8 total, including three men in their early thirties (and me, who can be a bit of a hog on beef). I have a brisket in the freezer, but that doesn’t feel like Christmas, and I trashed my right quad back in 2020 smoking one. Given that both me and the lovely lady have some digestive issues with home smoked meat anymore, I’m not eager to smoke it and don’t see an oven or roaster made brisket as being festive.

    I’m thinking at least three ribs, maybe 4. What do you guys think? I’m also thinking simplicity on sides – a nice mash, a salad and roasted brussel sprouts.

    The little snots can bring dessert. We made fruitcake already.

  14. 14.

    jonas

    Steve looks like he’s sending you the “it’ll be alright — just pet me” vibes you need right now. Good kitty. Or floof-panther. Or whatever Steve is.

  15. 15.

    Ohio Mom

    Just saw this somewhere on Twitter:

    Pinned Tweet

    Maggie Astor

    @MaggieAstor
    ·
    9h
    Barring a breakthrough,
    @nytimes
    staff will walk out from midnight to 11:59pm Thursday, Dec. 8.

    We’re asking readers to stand with us on the digital picket line and not visit any NYT platforms tomorrow. Read local news. Make something from a cookbook. Break your Wordle streak.
    Quote Tweet

    NYTimesGuild

    No Wordle? No Spelling Bee? No crossword? Tomorrow will be a challenge.

  16. 16.

    opiejeanne

    @Deputinize Eurasia from the Kuriles to St Petersburg:

    Standing rib is our traditional Christmas Eve dinner and has been for years.  It just seems right, since we rarely have it the rest of the year and it’s fairly easy to pull off.  Yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts.

    I have a wonderful recipe for baked stuffed salmon, but if I’m going to take out a lien on my house for a sullen chunk of protein* I’d rather it be the Roast Beast.

     

    *as Peg Bracken named it

  18. 18.

    Steeplejack

    A serving of Steve is always good!

    I’m jazzed because I got the doughty Kia back from her annual maintenance spa day, and she’s running like a top. Had to stay overnight so they could replace the bearings in the left front wheel, but I was anticipating that from recent noise/​vibration. Now I want to take a road trip more than ever.

    I have driven only 2,783 miles since November 29, 2021—about 230 miles a month. That may be a career low, although I can’t find the mileage number that would tell me about 2020-21, the plague year. I probably drove more that year, though, because for six months I was driving my Trader Joe’s friend to and from work every day when the Metro buses and trains were on greatly reduced schedules.

  20. 20.

    eclare

    Like others here, I have been thinking of you and everyone who loves and misses Tammy.  Let your critters comfort you.

    For Christmas, I’ll be getting together Christmas Eve with relatives for a church service (I can fake it for an hour) and then deli food.  On Christmas Day, we’ll go to my cousin’s for lunch, probably turkey or ham with traditional sides.  The one strange food tradition is that we will also have heaps of cold boiled shrimp with cocktail sauce.  A huge bowl, lots of ice, shrimp chillin’ on top.  Luckily I happen to like shrimp!

  21. 21.

    Madeleine

    Thanks for coming by with Steve, John. I hope he and Thurston are providing comfort. Also that Brian  and Tammy’s dogs find comfort with each other.

  25. 25.

    Steeplejack

    @Ohio Mom:

    Tomorrow’s crossword is already up. And I might misread the time and do the Wordle at 12:01 tonight. But then I swear I’m off!

  30. 30.

    Quiltingfool

    @eclare: If Christmas dinner were up to me (and it is NOT, damn it), I’d forego ham, turkey, etc. for the boiled shrimp and cocktail sauce.
    Throw in a couple of peach margaritas made with top shelf tequila and my Christmas would be most jolly!

  33. 33.

    Hilfy

    Steve seems to be chameleon-like, his fur blending into that cat bed.  We’ve gotten our first ever round long furred cat bed like Steve’s, for the premier cat in the household, Lucky. There are so many soft chairs and sofa cushions here, I never thought they’d need anything else.  Then Lucky started to nest in a very private corner of a closet, with nothing to snuggle in. So I got a nice official cat bed for her.

    Amazon packed the bed in an oxygen-free pouch.  It took a long time to free it so I just dropped it by my chair.  Lucky immediately jumped into the bed, sitting carefully upright while she thought about this new thing in her living room.  Then she snuggled into a circle and went to sleep…she’s scarcely been out of the bed since!

    The closet corner sits unoccupied.  Maybe I should  get another cat?

    What has happened to that small panther, Maxwell, whom you were going to get?

  34. 34.

    John Cole

    @Quiltingfool:  I am doing fine and I will recover. I have lost a lot of friends- some to OD, some to suicide, etc. I have never lost someone like Tammy, but I know how to keep myself sane and centered and that I need to keep on living and doing and eating and showering and sleeping and just being me. The hardest parts come in waves, triggered by a “Ohh Tammy would like that” and then realizing she is dead. Or trying to instinctively call her. Or the dozen times today I thought “wonder what Tammy is doing haven’t heard from her yet today.” And then I get sad and realize that she is just gone forever and I will never see her again. And I cry. And that is ok and good.

    But there is a lot more important stuff to deal with than that. Her husband is gutted and in a dark place, her mother is distraught. They should be the focus and they will be.

    I will always have her and she will always be with me, and i have that, but I can’t worry about the dead, I have to deal with the living. I can’t sit around and what if or maybes. I have to deal with the people who are in pieces and need to somehow be put back together again.

    Grief is necessary and natural but it is not productive and when I think about Tammy I don’t want to be sad. She made every minute I knew her better and in a while the memories of my time with her will do the same. That will take time, and I will work through it, but there are more urgent and pressing matters- my friend and her husband, Brian. Her mother. That is what is most important now.

  36. 36.

    TaMara

    @Deputinize Eurasia from the Kuriles to St Petersburg: I’m thinking four ribs. Nothing wrong with leftovers. And I have a great recipe (well, not me, Michael Symon) if you need it.

    I always do lasagna for Christmas Eve (I’d love to play with more recipes, but my guests always say lasagna when I ask) and standing rib for Christmas Day. An embarrassment of food, but then I don’t cook again until, I don’t know, sometime in January, LOL.

    This year, having discovered I love making Toffee, that’s going to be my gift bag this holiday. Maybe some fun-looking extra large chocolate chip cookies with M&Ms on top. See how festive I feel.

  38. 38.

    CaseyL

    Thanks for dropping by, John.  Like everyone else, I’ve been thinking and worrying about you.  Having Steve and Thurston around is an excellent thing: our companion critters won’t let us disappear into ourselves for very long.

    No plans for Christmas at present.  I may keep with the tradition of my people and go out for Chinese food.

  41. 41.

    SFAW

    @John Cole: ​
     
    John –
    I know exactly what you mean in your first paragraph, re: Tammy’s absence. Unfortunately, I still haven’t been able to progress to the next phase you describe, except in very small amounts.
    My heart goes out to you and Brian.

  48. 48.

    RaflW

    Oh, and my partner and I signed our wills today, and set up a revocable trust since we’re the renegade, not-marrying kind. But at 54 & 57 we should not be intestate rebels, that just spells misery if something shocking happens. I thought about Tammy during the meeting, even though I’ve never met her (or you, John).

  55. 55.

    Hilfy

    @Steeplejack: Good suggestion, she might.  But she looks so cute snuggled down beside my living room chair. Getting another cat bed would be easier than getting another cat.

    I wrote those paragraphs hoping to be amusing for John Cole.

  60. 60.

    NotoriousJRT

    Dear John Cole, I have been off the grid and missed the post about Tammy.  I know these words won’t ease your loss and pain-no matter how much I sincerely wish they could.  You are a true  human being and Tammy knew you were her forever friend. You gave each other that precious gift.  I am so sorry she is gone.  I am wishing you and the many people who cared for and loved her deeply some solace in these hard days.

  61. 61.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    So, since open thread. Just got a new job in the strangest job search in my life.  The entire search was me bumming for five months off my severance, applying at one place,  the interview was more like me interviewing them and the new job is a 25% raise from the last job.  So..erm.

    Talking with my former coworkers it sounds like they have had similar experience, just sort of stumble from the old job into a new one with a huge raise. Were all electronic technicians, so hardly something that’s the hot thing.   The News keeps on talking like tech is down but I have,  ever seen a job market this hot since, Even the 90s wasn’t like this.

  66. 66.

    Emma from Miami

    @John Cole: Thank you for this. Through caring for my 88 year old father with (so far) a mild form of dementia, I am facing questions of death and grief. Funny, my mom died so suddenly and she was so ill that it was almost a relief to know she was at rest. Dad is technically in better health but watching him disappear as his mind goes is more than I can handle.  Your words have given me both insight and hope. Bless you, John Cole. You are one of the righteous ones.

  67. 67.

    Elizabelle

    John, good to hear from you.  Keep on keeping on.  Best to you and all of Tammy’s loved ones.

  68. 68.

    thalarctosMaritimus

    @John Cole: I’m so sorry to belatedly hear the news about Tammy. I’m holding you and Brian and Tammy’s mom in my thoughts. I’m glad you have each other to turn to, and I’m relieved that you sound like you’re coping as well as possible with her loss.

    You’ve built a true community here, and we care about you. That you trust us enough to open up about what you’re going through means a great deal.

  71. 71.

    Antonius

    Thanks for dropping in, man, and for the Steve pic. Thinking of you and all of Tammy’s friends and family.

  73. 73.

    Nancy

    @John Cole: I am encouraged by reading your thoughts about grieving, caring for others and moving on.

    I think the recipe talk might be the online equivalent of dropping off a casserole to a family facing loss.

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