• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Before Header

  • About Us
  • Lexicon
  • Contact Us
  • Our Store
  • ↑
  • ↓
  • ←
  • →

Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

Trump’s cabinet: like a magic 8 ball that only gives wrong answers.

Museums are not America’s attic for its racist shit.

The snowflake in chief appeared visibly frustrated when questioned by a reporter about egg prices.

Compromise? There is no middle ground between a firefighter and an arsonist.

Republicans: The threats are dire, but my tickets are non-refundable!

We will not go quietly into the night; we will not vanish without a fight.

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

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

Giving in to doom is how we fail to fight for ourselves & one another.

If you still can’t see these things even now, maybe politics isn’t your forte and you should stop writing about it.

“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.”

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

“Can i answer the question? No you can not!”

Lick the third rail, it tastes like chocolate!

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

Live so that if you miss a day of work people aren’t hoping you’re dead.

I might just take the rest of the day off and do even more nothing than usual.

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

Mobile Menu

  • Seattle Meet-up Post
  • 2025 Activism
  • Targeted Political Fundraising
  • Donate with Venmo, Zelle & PayPal
  • Site Feedback
  • War in Ukraine
  • Submit Photos to On the Road
  • Politics
  • On The Road
  • Open Threads
  • Topics
  • COVID-19
  • Authors
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Lexicon
  • Our Store
  • Politics
  • Open Threads
  • 2025 Activism
  • Garden Chats
  • On The Road
  • Targeted Fundraising!
You are here: Home / Open Threads / Thursday Afternoon Open Thread

Thursday Afternoon Open Thread

by WaterGirl|  March 9, 20234:00 pm| 148 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

FacebookTweetEmail

This makes me laugh every time I see it.

pic.twitter.com/BEwlH30UJM

— Cheri Jacobus (@CheriJacobus) March 5, 2023

That’s at least as likely as the conspiracy theories that are being bandied about.

Open thread.

FacebookTweetEmail
Previous Post: « News Odds & Ends Open Thread
Next Post: Tick Tock, Motherfuckers! »

Reader Interactions

148Comments

  1. 1.

    Alison Rose

    March 9, 2023 at 4:07 pm

    As someone with a cat who refuses to accept that tchotchkes on my bookshelves are not toys for her to knock down and play with, this makes perfect sense.

  2. 2.

    Chris

    March 9, 2023 at 4:09 pm

    Obligatory:

    “If the Earth really was flat, cats would have pushed everything off of it by now.”

  3. 3.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 4:11 pm

    @Chris: I had never heard that.  Funny.

  4. 4.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 4:16 pm

    In case you haven’t seen the posts, since Cafe Press still doesn’t have calendar stock, we are offering .pdf files of the pet calendar for $10.  Details in this post.

  5. 5.

    Rob

    March 9, 2023 at 4:16 pm

    I’ve never had a cat, and I find that cartoon to be really really funny.

  6. 6.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 4:18 pm

    My kitties love to knock my pens off the desk when I am working.  I swear they live for the audible sigh I make as I get up to pick the pens up off the floor.

    What else is going on today, besides cats being cats?

  7. 7.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 4:20 pm

    Is anybody else watching season 2 of the new Perry Mason?

    Also, for the lawyers out there, is there a law that says all detectives of a certain era must have jazz in the opening sequence and in many of the other scenes?

  8. 8.

    Math Guy

    March 9, 2023 at 4:30 pm

    Sorry, but its cats all the way down.

  9. 9.

    tam1MI

    March 9, 2023 at 4:30 pm

    I remember how last week there was much rejoicing that the Arizona Dems had rejected the incompetent running the party and voted in someone else.  Today I discover that, while the Dems may be in a rebuilding phase, the ReThugs ate in an outright shambles! Oh Happy Day!

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/wild-bribery-allegations-tearing-arizona-003738137.html

  10. 10.

    Paul in KY

    March 9, 2023 at 4:31 pm

    @Alison Rose: I think you can put cats into 2 different groups:

    1. Those who do not give a shit about what you have on your shelves and will just knock whatever it is over as they traverse and
    2. Those that do.
  11. 11.

    Old School

    March 9, 2023 at 4:31 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    Is anybody else watching season 2 of the new Perry Mason?

    We’re watching it.  Here’s hoping Los Angeles never gets a baseball team.

  12. 12.

    zhena gogolia

    March 9, 2023 at 4:31 pm

    @WaterGirl: Not watching Perry Mason, but I really enjoyed Empire of Light (HBO). Great acting and cinematography, and a stunning vintage movie theater at the heart of it.

  13. 13.

    Uncle Cosmo

    March 9, 2023 at 4:35 pm

    OK, open thread: I am having some teeth extracted early next week and the oral surgeon intends to administer nitrous oxide (in addition to localized anesthetic) as an alternative to having me strapped down for the duration. Been researching it on the Net, but I wonder if anyone here has any experience with N2O in a medical or dental setting that they’d care to share.

  14. 14.

    Paul in KY

    March 9, 2023 at 4:40 pm

    @Uncle Cosmo: Why not the localized anesthetic without the nitrous stuff? If they’ve numbed you up enough and wait for it to take effect, you should not feel any pain.

  15. 15.

    jackmac

    March 9, 2023 at 4:44 pm

    Thoughts and prayers to Mitch McConnell.

    And when some therapist checks on the Senator’s cognitive abilities by asking “Mitch, how many fingers do I have up,” he’ll hopefully have to respond to an extended middle figure.

  16. 16.

    Math Guy

    March 9, 2023 at 4:44 pm

    @Paul in KY: I had two impacted wisdom teeth, taken out under nitrous oxide together with a local anesthetic. I think the nitrous is to spare you the trauma of watching the dentist hammer those teeth out.

  17. 17.

    Steeplejack

    March 9, 2023 at 4:44 pm

    @Uncle Cosmo:

    I had a tooth extracted about a year ago with nitrous oxide (and the usual numbing shots). The nitrous didn’t “put me under,” and during the procedure I thought I wasn’t even feeling it. But in retrospect later I realized that I had been remarkably unconcerned about the havoc going on in my mouth. So I think it works, and I would (slightly) recommend it, especially if you’re having more than one tooth extracted. I didn’t think it had any ill effects. I was able to drive home immediately afterwards, felt alert, etc.

  18. 18.

    laura

    March 9, 2023 at 4:46 pm

    @Uncle Cosmo: it Is AWESOME!11! You will relax and avoid the feelings of anxiety and fear. You may wish to consider earbuds and music that you enjoy. At the end of the procedure, they cut the gas and crank the oxygen and that’s the only bummer part. You may wish to purchase the nose part for use in future dental stuff.

  19. 19.

    Almost Retired

    March 9, 2023 at 4:47 pm

    @WaterGirl:  I never go to court without having a guy playing a wailing saxophone follow me around the courthouse.

  20. 20.

    FastEdD

    March 9, 2023 at 4:47 pm

    @Uncle Cosmo: I have some experience of it in a recreational setting. It was good! I could visit the stratosphere and still go to my college class 10 minutes later!

  21. 21.

    CaseyL

    March 9, 2023 at 4:49 pm

    @Uncle Cosmo: What everyone else has said:  Nitrous puts you in a wonderful place where what’s going on doesn’t bother you one little bit.  But it doesn’t prevent feeling pain, which is what the other stuff is for.

  22. 22.

    HinTN

    March 9, 2023 at 4:50 pm

    @WaterGirl: Yes to Perry Mason season 2! Mrs H caught season 1 and I need to go watch it.

  23. 23.

    Baud

    March 9, 2023 at 5:01 pm

    @tam1MI:

    What’s the story with AZ Dems?  I recall the NV Dems replaced their leadership last week.

  24. 24.

    C Stars

    March 9, 2023 at 5:01 pm

    @Uncle Cosmo: I had it used before in a dental setting and it was lovely (I also used it a couple of times recreationally as a teen). However, about four years ago I had an extraction and the nitrous made me feel dizzy and out of control. Which is weird…you don’t often hear of people having a bad reaction to it but I did. My surgeon went on with the procedure without the nitrous and I didn’t feel any pain, but it was kind of disconcerting to see her bracing herself against the chair with a comically large set of pliers to get my dang tooth to come out. So just know that if you don’t like it you can just ask them to stop and probably go on with the extraction anyway

     

    ETA presuming you are sufficiently numbed up with novocaine.

  25. 25.

    trollhattan

    March 9, 2023 at 5:02 pm

    Just wrapped Season 5 of Netflix’ “Drive to Survive” (which takes us through 2022) and in addition to it eclipsing being merely a “show about racing” it eliminates any remaining doubt that the one English word universal to athletes and sports managers from all nations, is “fuck.”

    Netflix’ is the correct possessive form? Netflix’s does not look right.

    Also, too, I’m ready and prepared to unload on “Yellowstone” and I don’t mean how much work it is to fully chase down across about seven streaming platforms.

  26. 26.

    Nelle

    March 9, 2023 at 5:02 pm

    @Uncle Cosmo: i love it.  I have great fear and, while my body reacts tensely, Iuner nitrous, I  just don’t care.  I’m aware of what is happening and can respond to directions, but I don’t care (after they’ve started the nitrous, they give me the numbing shots).  Actually, I’m convinced for the duration that I’m having great and original thoughts.

    A few years ago, an oral surgeon was extracting a difficult back molar.  I guess my body was tensing because he stopped and asked if I was in incredible pain.  I was newly back to the States after living in New Zealand and I said,”I’m quite jolly!  Carry on.”  They doubled over in laughter while I serenely went back to my entertaining thoughts.

  27. 27.

    Baud

    March 9, 2023 at 5:04 pm

    Now I want to get my teeth pulled.

  28. 28.

    C Stars

    March 9, 2023 at 5:06 pm

    @tam1MI: Whoa. That is a wild ride. I forget every so often that many of them really are as crazy as they act on TV.

  29. 29.

    dnfree

    March 9, 2023 at 5:08 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    I just donated $10.  I’m surprised ActBlue does non-political organizations.

  30. 30.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 5:09 pm

    @Almost Retired: I guess it must really be a thing, then!

  31. 31.

    dnfree

    March 9, 2023 at 5:11 pm

    @Uncle Cosmo: ​
      I had “laughing gas” probably about 57 years ago when my wisdom teeth were removed, so this may not be current, but the wisdom teeth removal went fine. Afterwards I went to run an errand with my mom, who had taken me, and as we were in the store I burst into tears. I just kept sobbing, and she asked what was wrong, and I said, “Nothing!” Apparently emotional reactions like that are possible, or were a long time ago anyway.

  32. 32.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 5:12 pm

    On a political note, commenter mvr has offered to match the first ten $10 donations to Wis*Dems.

    Wis*Dems Supreme Court + Senate Distrcit D-8

  33. 33.

    Steve in the ATL

    March 9, 2023 at 5:13 pm

    Note to Milwaukee area posters: if this winter storm delays my flight home, I’m going to be very mad at you!

  34. 34.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    March 9, 2023 at 5:13 pm

    @trollhattan: We’re watching Drive to Survive too. The new F1 season has started so we have to be a little careful we don’t confuse them.

  35. 35.

    raven

    March 9, 2023 at 5:14 pm

    @WaterGirl:
    Chinatown | Soundtrack Suite (Jerry Goldsmith)

  36. 36.

    Old School

    March 9, 2023 at 5:14 pm

    @Steve in the ATL: What time is the flight?

  37. 37.

    Steve in the ATL

    March 9, 2023 at 5:16 pm

    @Old School: 6:30 pm. I’m watching the snow swirling outside!

  38. 38.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 5:17 pm

    @HinTN: You’ll definitely want to see the origin story of the new Perry Mason in season 1.

  39. 39.

    raven

    March 9, 2023 at 5:17 pm

    @WaterGirl: \\
    Film Noir and Music

  40. 40.

    HeleninEire

    March 9, 2023 at 5:18 pm

    @Baud: Me too! I had no idea.

  41. 41.

    C Stars

    March 9, 2023 at 5:18 pm

    @zhena gogolia: Empire of Light looks interesting. I just put it on my list. Thanks!

  42. 42.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 5:18 pm

    @tam1MI: Seems like every AZ article I have seen recently has that weird red tint to the photos.  I wonder what’s up with that?  It makes the articles less appealing for sure – maybe they don’t want anyone to read their articles?

  43. 43.

    trollhattan

    March 9, 2023 at 5:19 pm

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    Heh, right? I stumbled across Bahrain last weekend while looking for soccer and began watching, expecting cutaways to the managers moaning back at the pits.

    “Box, box, box”
    “Fvvvvvvck!”

  44. 44.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 5:19 pm

    @dnfree: They have an ActBlue Charities!

  45. 45.

    raven

    March 9, 2023 at 5:20 pm

    @WaterGirl: and if you have not seem “Elevator to the Gallows” you must. Miles composed and played the music while watching it on the screen.

     

    And this

    When people gave Louis Malle credit for making a star of Jeanne Moreau in Elevator to the Gallows (1958) immediately followed by The Lovers (1958), he would point out that Moreau by that time had already been “recognized as the prime stage actress of her generation.” She had made it to the Comédie Française in her 20s. She had appeared in B-movie thrillers with Jean Gabin and Ascenseur was in that genre. The technicians at the film lab went to the producer after seeing the first week of dailies for Ascenseur and said: “You must not let Malle destroy Jeanne Moreau”. Malle explained: “She was lit only by the windows of the Champs Elysées. That had never been done. Cameramen would have forced her to wear a lot of make-up and they would put a lot of light on her, because, supposedly, her face was not photogenic”. This lack of artifice revealed Moreau’s “essential qualities: she could be almost ugly and then ten seconds later she would turn her face and would be incredibly attractive. But she would be herself”.

  46. 46.

    oldgold

    March 9, 2023 at 5:20 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    Here is an informative article concerning detectives, crime and jazz.

    https://pursuitmag.com/crime-jazz/

  47. 47.

    Old School

    March 9, 2023 at 5:21 pm

    @Steve in the ATL:

    6:30 pm.

    Looks like peak snow is supposed to start at 6:00.  (I assume you know this.)

    I hope you make it out!

  48. 48.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 5:21 pm

    @HeleninEire: I am keeping quiet, as I had a very bad reaction to nitrous oxide.

  49. 49.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 5:23 pm

    @raven: Wow, that’s talent.

  50. 50.

    Steve in the ATL

    March 9, 2023 at 5:23 pm

    @Old School: me too—can’t handle any more cheese curds!

  51. 51.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 5:24 pm

    @oldgold: “Crime jazz”, who knew?

  52. 52.

    raven

    March 9, 2023 at 5:25 pm

    @oldgold: Great read.

  53. 53.

    Kay

    March 9, 2023 at 5:25 pm

    My youngest is going hiking on the Buffalo River Trail in Arkansas for spring break and I had never heard of it so googled  and I’m laughing at how the site makes it sound sort of…horrible:

    Springtime can be wonderful, too, before the undergrowth and bugs become overwhelming; however, the downside is that this is the season for rain—sometimes heavy rain—and counting on being able to stay down in the riverbed is unpredictable at best. Due to rising water, you may be forced out at a place or on a day that didn’t fit into your original plan.

    before the undergrowth and bugs become overwhelming but sadly during the period of torrential rains

  54. 54.

    J R in WV

    March 9, 2023 at 5:28 pm

    The film “Ford Vrs. Ferrari” was great, about the  time in the mid ’60s when Ford developed their Le Mans winning car after Enzo refused to sell his race car business to Henry Ford II. Terrific competition between business executives and also between drivers. Wife is not a gear head, loved the film anyway.

  55. 55.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 5:29 pm

    @dnfree:

    I was driving back from my bi-weekly pickup of fruits and veggies from the local farmer when I realized I had momentarily lost my mind when I posted about the match from mvr.

    He is matching Wis*Dems donations, not Athenspets, so I just matched your $10.  Happy to do it!  I have to say that I was hoping there wouldn’t be 10 donations for matches. :-)

  56. 56.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 5:30 pm

    @Kay: Wow, that’s so bad it’s funny!

    I wonder if they have an unhappy employee getting revenge with that writeup?

  57. 57.

    TEL

    March 9, 2023 at 5:30 pm

    @Uncle Cosmo: I’ve had this done a couple of times now. While the NO definitely helped keep me calm (especially with my impacted wisdom teeth), it turns out I am REALLY sensitive to it. When they started administering it in a normal dosage, I thought I was dying. I was told afterwards to let any future dentist know to administer a much smaller dose than normal.

  58. 58.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 5:32 pm

    I thought for sure we were going to have big Trump news from Georgia this week, but it looks like the Rs in GA are once again attempting to keep “the wrong people” from having any power.  This is the second day in a row that I have planned to write a post about the latest fuckery.  Surely tomorrow will be the day I get that done!

  59. 59.

    raven

    March 9, 2023 at 5:34 pm

    @WaterGirl: I only saw him once. He played with his back to the crowd the entire gig. If you have not heard “Kind of Blue” it is an awesome album. A bonus is that my go-to pet quote is by Irving Townsend and he produced the album!

     

    We who choose to surround ourselves
    with lives even more temporary than our
    own, live within a fragile circle;
    easily and often breached.
    Unable to accept its awful gaps,
    we would still live no other way.
    We cherish memory as the only
    certain immortality, never fully
    understanding the necessary plan.
    — Irving Townsend

  60. 60.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 5:35 pm

    I am on Season 5 of Line of Duty – maybe 20 minutes into episode 1 in season 5 – and I am beginning to wonder whether that police force has any coppers at all that aren’t bent.

    Loving the show A LOT, but damn, so many of them are crooked.  AC-12 needs to hire a lot more detectives if they are going to try to keep up.

  61. 61.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 5:37 pm

    @raven:

    I like that quote, too.

    He played with his back to the crowd the entire gig.

    What was that about?

  62. 62.

    Old Dan and Little Ann

    March 9, 2023 at 5:37 pm

    I had 4 wisdom teeth extracted when I was 18.  Appointment was in the morning.  My mom drove me home afterwards and told me later that I was pretty funny.  I don’t remember much.  I went back to bed, slept til 5, and then went to my Legion Baseball game.  Ah, youth.

  63. 63.

    raven

    March 9, 2023 at 5:38 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    C.B. Strike 

    is on HBO and, aside from the fact that it is written by JK Rawlings it’s very good.

  64. 64.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    March 9, 2023 at 5:39 pm

    This surprises me, in large part because I assumed Schiff was already in the Prog Caucus

    Jennifer Haberkorn @jenhab

    News: @AdamSchiff has withdrawn his application to be in the Congressional Progressive Caucus as he tries to bolster his progressive bona fides. The application would be “divisive,” per @RepJayapal

  65. 65.

    raven

    March 9, 2023 at 5:39 pm

    @WaterGirl:    In later years, Miles played his trumpet with his back to the audience. This confused and angered some people who thought he did it because he was arrogant. But the real reason Miles played this way was because it made it easier for him to give cues and signals – when to play and what to play – to his band. He once told a newspaper reporter who asked him why he played this way: “nobody ever asks classical orchestra conductors why they have their backs to the audience. The reason is that they’re telling the orchestra what to play and when. You don’t criticize them for doing it, so why do you criticize me for doing the very same thing.” In the end, Miles was a man of few words, never speaking to the audience or announcing what he was playing. He thought that music was his language, and musical notes his words, that his trumpet and compositions should do all the talking for him, and they did.

  66. 66.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 5:40 pm

    @raven:

    Looks like that might be a good show for the treadmill once I get through Line of Duty.

    Is it all cold cases?

  67. 67.

    Baud

    March 9, 2023 at 5:41 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Interesting.  Seems like an odd move, unless he filed it before deciding to run for Senate.

  68. 68.

    JPL

    March 9, 2023 at 5:42 pm

    @WaterGirl: Although I have no inside information, RICO was mentioned during one of the hearings.   That won’t happen quickly, more likely in a few months.

    Time to ask Popehat.

    I did read if the law passes, which seems likely, it won’t take effect until the end of the year.

    Maybe Steve in ATL knows more.

  69. 69.

    Steve in the ATL

    March 9, 2023 at 5:43 pm

    @WaterGirl: current cases, not cold ones.

    @raven: the show is better than the books. They were good stories but the writing desperately needed an editor.  I gave up after two of them.

  70. 70.

    raven

    March 9, 2023 at 5:44 pm

    @WaterGirl: He is a private eye, Afghan War vet missing a leg, and the son of a British rock star. His assistant comes to him as a temp but turns out to be a great detective in her own right.  The cases are complex and interesting.

  71. 71.

    SiubhanDuinne

    March 9, 2023 at 5:45 pm

    @Uncle Cosmo:

    I had full-mouth extraction, in two separate sessions, about 23 years ago. Once healed from that, I had five separate surgeries to implant the screws in the bone. Eventually had the actual teeth installed. The whole thing took 13 months. I had nitrous oxide for every single procedure. Couldn’t have managed to get through otherwise. I heart ❤️ nitrous oxide! No side effects or after effects or cumulative effects. Highly recommended.

    Good luck!

  72. 72.

    raven

    March 9, 2023 at 5:45 pm

    @Steve in the ATL: I guess I don’t quite know what a cold case is?

  73. 73.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 5:46 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I heard Schiff talk about this before he put in his application.

    Apparently it’s not just a name-only thing, and Schiff was busy with the impeachment hearings etc and didn’t feel he had the time to do it right.

    What I read previously matches up with this quote from the linked article.

    Schiff was encouraged to join the group in the last Congress “but deferred until the completion of his Jan. 6 committee responsibilities,” said his spokeswoman Lauren French.

    “Adam is proud to be a progressive,” French said. “After hearing from his colleagues that some were attempting to make his joining this session political, Adam decided to withdraw from consideration until he joins the U.S. Senate.”

    I think Jayapal is being kind of a dick here, I think.  That’s two strikes for her (on my scorecard), the first being that bullshit letter that came out a few months ago.  I had really hoped we would get to hear more about that after the election, but that’s not happening.

  74. 74.

    raven

    March 9, 2023 at 5:46 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: My wife had a tooth pulled with nitrous a couple of weeks ago and she was done in 15 minutes and pain free.

  75. 75.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 5:47 pm

    @Steve in the ATL: That’s odd.  The case in the trailer for the show is about a woman who disappeared decades before. ??

  76. 76.

    Baud

    March 9, 2023 at 5:48 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    That makes more sense. Thanks.

    ETA: I agree with you about the Ukraine letter. However, with Lee and Porter also running for Senate, I can sympathize with the politics of not allowing Schiff to come in at this point.

  77. 77.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 5:50 pm

    @raven:

    In my understanding from watching cop shows, it’s an unsolved criminal case that is no longer being pursued after not being able to solve the case.

    It’s never “closed”, it just goes into status as a “cold case”.

    I loved the TV show Cold Case.

  78. 78.

    raven

    March 9, 2023 at 5:52 pm

    @WaterGirl: Yea and that’s the 4th season but they are brought the case now.  It’s a bit reminiscent of the The Unforgotten. Great show BTW.

    eta.  well that’s what the 4th season is!

  79. 79.

    raven

    March 9, 2023 at 5:53 pm

    @Steve in the ATL: Still zip from the Senator.

  80. 80.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    March 9, 2023 at 5:54 pm

    @Baud: I saw yesterday that Ro Khanna is “thinking about” running. That would be three members of the caucus, I think.

    I believe Schiff has by far the most money, Nancy Peloi’s endorsement and a history with both impeachment and the J6 Committee. I don’t think he’s sweating this. Were I a Californian, I think I’d give Barbara Lee my first vote, though the seniority question would be a consideration

  81. 81.

    Dan B

    March 9, 2023 at 5:54 pm

    @Kay: We visited the Buffalo River a couple times in 1960. It was wonderful. I believe we went in Fall – no bugs, no rain.

  82. 82.

    Manyakitty

    March 9, 2023 at 5:55 pm

    @trollhattan: I’ve tried to find Yellowstone. It can’t possibly be worth all the hassle. Still never even saw a clip.

  83. 83.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    March 9, 2023 at 5:58 pm

    @Kay: John Hiatt made a Buffalo River Home sound good

  84. 84.

    Baud

    March 9, 2023 at 5:59 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    I wish Lee were younger.

  85. 85.

    Steve in the ATL

    March 9, 2023 at 6:01 pm

    @JPL: what law are we talking about? I’m busy watching a long line of snowplows heading toward the runways.

  86. 86.

    Craig

    March 9, 2023 at 6:02 pm

    @WaterGirl: I’m waiting for the 2nd episode so I can watch two episodes in a row.

    Moderation? Ugh, clicked on the wrong email, whoops.

  87. 87.

    Steve in the ATL

    March 9, 2023 at 6:02 pm

    @raven: not cool. I gave up on the thread because of (1) threaded comments and (2) nazi lovers.

  88. 88.

    Steeplejack

    March 9, 2023 at 6:03 pm

    @Manyakitty:

    Where to find Yellowstone.

  89. 89.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 6:04 pm

    @Baud: Yeah, I had started to write that she was playing politics, trying to put her thumb on the scale for the Senate election.  But she’s in a political role in a position of power, and by definition of course she is going to play politics.

    I still think it’s a dick move, however.

  90. 90.

    tam1MI

    March 9, 2023 at 6:05 pm

    @Baud: What’s the story with AZ Dems?  I recall the NV Dems replaced their leadership last week.

    The story is I had a brain fart and mixed the two up. Sorry!

  91. 91.

    Montanareddog

    March 9, 2023 at 6:06 pm

    @WaterGirl: that was probably a trailer for the latest season which  was a cold case. But the series is not cold case-oriented like, say, the (IMO, much better) Unforgotten

  92. 92.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 6:06 pm

    @Baud: Lee would be a great senator, I’m sure.  But the senate is all about seniority, so I don’t think Lee would be a smart choice.  We have to play the long game.  If Feinstein hadn’t run last time, the situation would be more ambiguous.

  93. 93.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 6:08 pm

    @tam1MI: Then I mixed them up, too!

  94. 94.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    March 9, 2023 at 6:10 pm

    Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1 20m

    BREAKING NYT: The Manhattan DA’s office recently signaled to Trump’s lawyers that he could face criminal charges for his role in the hush money payment to Stormy Daniels — the strongest indication yet that prosecutors are nearing an indictment of Trump.

  95. 95.

    Geminid

    March 9, 2023 at 6:12 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: A week or so ago the LA Times reported on an early poll of the Senate race. It showed Schiff with 22%, Porter with 20%, and Lee with 6%, and 40% undecided. The Hill also reported on this poll, and they are not paywalled.

    Porter has a big, enthusiastic national fan base and I bet she’ll raise a ton of money, as will Schiff. Right now it looks like those two will advance from the jungle primary to the November election, so they’ll be raising a lot more then.

    Schiff actually may be better of without the Progressive Caucus affiliation once they get to the general election..

  96. 96.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    March 9, 2023 at 6:12 pm

    Current headline at NYT dot com

    Prosecutors Signal Criminal Charges for Trump Are Likely
    The former president was told that he could appear before a Manhattan grand jury next week if he wishes to testify, a strong indication that an indictment could soon follow.

    He must be raging on trump twitter knockoff dot com. Now to skim the article!

  97. 97.

    Manyakitty

    March 9, 2023 at 6:13 pm

    @Steeplejack: thanks! I didn’t mean to come off harsh above. It’s been weirdly frustrating to try to watch.

  98. 98.

    cain

    March 9, 2023 at 6:13 pm

    @WaterGirl: Yes, it is called the “Barnaby Jones Rule”

  99. 99.

    JPL

    March 9, 2023 at 6:13 pm

    @Steve in the ATL:  Racketeering.   Have you heard any gossip about the Fani’s case?

  100. 100.

    Manyakitty

    March 9, 2023 at 6:14 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: time to invest in ketchup futures.

  101. 101.

    narya

    March 9, 2023 at 6:15 pm

    I am so far behind on my viewing . . . we never got around to watching the 2022 Drive to Survive (in part because MaxMaxMax gets on my last nerve), and now the new season is starting. And we are already behind on THAT: Friend has covid, so stayed away last weekend, meaning there are three practices, qually, pre-race, race, post-race (I only watch qually and race), PLUS the first race of the IndyCar season, as we are waiting for him to have two negative tests. At least there’s no race this weekend.

  102. 102.

    Brachiator

    March 9, 2023 at 6:18 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    Is anybody else watching season 2 of the new Perry Mason?

    I am enjoying the new series, but I wish that Mason wasn’t always depicted as suck a sad sack loser.

    Also, the idea of 1930s Los Angeles as hopelessly corrupt is getting kind of stale.

    But I like the characters and the acting.

     

    ETA: My mother was a big fan of the original series and novels. I have watched some TV episodes. OK stuff, but never a great fan. I watched a lot of Burr in Ironside.

  103. 103.

    Josie

    March 9, 2023 at 6:22 pm

    @WaterGirl: I agree about it being a dick move. She should have just said “No comment” if asked about him. I get the feeling that she may have gotten a little too far out on her skis lately.

  104. 104.

    SiubhanDuinne

    March 9, 2023 at 6:26 pm

    @raven:

    I’ve even had it for cleanings. Great stuff.

  105. 105.

    Geminid

    March 9, 2023 at 6:28 pm

    @WaterGirl: Barbara Lee’s vote will be worth as much as Patty Murray’s. And Raphael Warnock,  Jon Ossoff, and Mark Kelly get plenty done as freshman.

    I think this whole “the Senate is all about seniority” idea is being pushed by Katie Porter fans because she is the youngest of the three. That’s fine, and I could even see it being a factor if I voted in California- maybe even as high as 4th or 5th in importance. But I find it funny seeing the Porter-stans putting on their Larry Sabato hats, stroking their chins and coming up with another argument for the candidate they are already backing for more important reasons.

  106. 106.

    Kay

    March 9, 2023 at 6:29 pm

    @Dan B:

    Oh, I’m glad. I hope he has fun. He’s a good traveler – easy going. They have an 11 hour car trip just to get to the trail – no idea why they chose Arkansas.

  107. 107.

    TriassicSands

    March 9, 2023 at 6:29 pm

    It’s a well known fact that most of humanity’s problems stem from actions by our beloved house cats. It’s what they do. But…

    During a visit to me, my mother once thought she was really cute in giving me a beer stein with a mustache guard. It was hideous. I put the stein on the living room fireplace mantel. Within five minutes, my cat, Nuba, had jumped up onto the mantel, walked its length, and when passing behind the stein, gave a little swing of his hips and sent the stein crashing to the floor where it broke into countless pieces. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put that ugly stein together again. Never did I feel more love and admiration for Nuba. Occasionally, they do good.

    I convinced my mother that any replacement would suffer a similar fate. I’ll always remember Nuba fondly for his kind and humane act.

  108. 108.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 6:30 pm

    @cain: Did even that show have jazz?

  109. 109.

    zhena gogolia

    March 9, 2023 at 6:30 pm

    @TriassicSands: Cats have great taste.

  110. 110.

    Steve in the ATL

    March 9, 2023 at 6:31 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: goes well with a medium bodied cab as well!

  111. 111.

    Uncle Cosmo

    March 9, 2023 at 6:32 pm

    @Paul in KY: IIUC one of the teeth has one particularly nasty twisted root that bids fair to require serious excavation​; the N2O is intended less for anesthesia as to keep me relaxed to the point of euphoria and not inclined to freak out & jump out of my skin. (ETA: Better expressed by Math Guy in #16 above.)​

  112. 112.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 6:32 pm

    @Josie:

    I get the feeling that she may have gotten a little too far out on her skis lately.

    Yes!  Perfect description.  As Barack Obama says, power doesn’t change who you are; it reveals who you are.

  113. 113.

    Steve in the ATL

    March 9, 2023 at 6:33 pm

    @Kay: because they can now hire an underage guide.  Who doesn’t love child labor?

  114. 114.

    Geminid

    March 9, 2023 at 6:33 pm

    @Steve in the ATL: If that storm delays your flight, you may be finding out what goes well with bratwurst.

  115. 115.

    Steeplejack

    March 9, 2023 at 6:34 pm

    @Manyakitty:

    No problem. JustWatch is indispensable for finding stuff.

  116. 116.

    JPL

    March 9, 2023 at 6:35 pm

    @Geminid: Abrams had a big national fan base also.

  117. 117.

    Steve in the ATL

    March 9, 2023 at 6:36 pm

    @Geminid: trick question, right?  The answer is always cheese curds!

    And maybe PBR.

  118. 118.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 6:36 pm

    @Geminid:

    Barbara Lee’s vote will be worth as much as Patty Murray’s.

    Agree.

    And Raphael Warnock,  Jon Ossoff, and Mark Kelly get plenty done as freshman.

    RIght, but all three of them hopefully have a long future ahead, and like it or not, seniority counts in the senate.

  119. 119.

    raven

    March 9, 2023 at 6:38 pm

    @Steve in the ATL: I shouldn’t engage but I do.

  120. 120.

    Steeplejack

    March 9, 2023 at 6:39 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    The Barnaby Jones theme song is actually pretty good. Don’t remember much music, jazz or otherwise, in the episodes.

  121. 121.

    FelonyGovt

    March 9, 2023 at 6:39 pm

    Anyone watching The Consultant on Amazon Prime? It’s very, very odd, and I’ve watched several episodes and I’m still not sure what I think about it. Christoph Walz plays a mysterious guy who takes over running a computer games company.

  122. 122.

    Geminid

    March 9, 2023 at 6:39 pm

    @WaterGirl: I still hope someone reports on the circumstances of that Ukraine letter’s release. It raised a lot of questions at the time. I think that the signers and other House Democrats decided it was better just to turn the page on the incident, though.

  123. 123.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 6:44 pm

    @Steeplejack: That is good!

  124. 124.

    Geminid

    March 9, 2023 at 6:45 pm

    @WaterGirl: Seniority counts for something in the Senate for sure. If I were choosing though, I’d rank it 4th or 5th in importance.  I would rank dedication to California’s interests over a national fan base, and to the Democratic party over a personal brand much higher. If I found  Ms. Porter doubtful on these questions prospective seniority would not matter to me.

  125. 125.

    UncleEbeneezer

    March 9, 2023 at 6:50 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Where does Alvin Bragg go to get his apologies?

  126. 126.

    Geminid

    March 9, 2023 at 6:51 pm

    @Steve in the ATL: Well, I’m hoping you don’t get to find out, and arrive in Atlanta safely and on time.

  127. 127.

    Steeplejack

    March 9, 2023 at 6:54 pm

    @Uncle Cosmo:

    Yes, this—relaxation, although I wouldn’t say to the point of euphoria. My tooth—#20, one of my favorites—was seemingly healthy but had the beginnings of an abscess way down at the root.

    My dentist said it would be better to have it taken out and a replacement put in sooner rather than later. The oral surgeon did a good job. I didn’t feel any pain, but you definitely hear the noise and feel the physical pressure involved in removing a big, intact tooth. The nitrous oxide deëscalated the situation, so to speak.

  128. 128.

    Geminid

    March 9, 2023 at 6:59 pm

    @JPL: Yes, and Abrams raised a lot of money from that national fan base. But she had a much tougher race than any of the three California Reps will have. Governor Kemp had a very strong position, and the Republican party in Georgia seems a lot more cohesive and better organized than in most states. I thought Abrams did well under the circumstances.

  129. 129.

    Uncle Cosmo

    March 9, 2023 at 7:00 pm

    @Uncle Cosmo: ​Thanky kindly to all who chimed in. (Although I am a tad concerned over WG’s bad experience that she won’t talk about. Dish, girlfriend!)

    @Steeplejack: … you definitely hear the noise and feel the physical pressure involved in removing a big, intact tooth.​

    In fact the tooth that’s going to cause the most trouble broke off about a month ago; what remains is three roots, two roots below, and one still attached to a ruined wall that barely rises above, the gum line. Unfortunately the roots are still live; my fambly dentist sealed them up temporarily pending the extraction. Fun and games!!

    I do recall, vaguely, Doc Horwitz giving me nitrous for a tooth extraction as a kid, in his office literally next door to our house. (Row houses; we shared a wall and could hear the drill motor through it, though not, thankfully, the screams of the patients.) Don’t recall the removal itself, which I guess is kindasorta the point.

    Fun fact: My Czech friends inform me that they call N2O “the gas of paradise” (rajský plyn). As it turns out, rajský is a Czech adjectival form of “tomato”, so it can also be translated as “tomato gas.” In Hungarian (almost next door) the word for “tomato” is paradicsom, continuing the association between tomatoes and paradise (which apparently arose when central Europe realized, rather late in the game, that while the tomato plant is poisonous, being a member of the nightshade family, its fruit is quite, um, paradisical to eat). Sadly, Hungarian for laughing gas is nevetőgáz, which means, quite literally, “laughing gas.” Go figger. :^D​​

  130. 130.

    UncleEbeneezer

    March 9, 2023 at 7:06 pm

    @oldgold: Not to be confused with Jazz Crimes, a really sick, funky tune by Joshua Redman’s trio, Elastic Band, that ends with one of my favorite Brian Blade drum solos.  I used to this song with a trio I played in and it was super-fun (though REALLY challenging to play, especially for our keyboardist who had to transcribe the crazy melody line).

  131. 131.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 7:07 pm

    @Brachiator:

    I wish that Mason wasn’t always depicted as such a sad sack loser.

    Well, in one season we saw him go from a sad sack loser to an attorney to an attorney who won a case.  I am hoping that during the course of this season he grows out of the sad sack loser mode and begins the transition to a powerful attorney

    edit:  I mean look at Baud – one minute he was a sad sack attorney, and now he’s running for president!  (I don’t mean that, of course, but sometimes a thing must be said!)

  132. 132.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 7:10 pm

    @JPL: True enough!  But CA doesn’t kick half the black people off the voter rolls, and gerrymander to keep Rs in power.

  133. 133.

    Craig

    March 9, 2023 at 7:13 pm

    @raven: I love Miles on 60 Minutes in the 80s. Harry Reasoner asks Miles about growing up Black. Miles shoots him , ‘my Daddy was rich and my Momma’s good looking, I never suffered.’, straight quote from Summertime and it goes right over Harry Reasoner’s head

  134. 134.

    Brachiator

    March 9, 2023 at 7:14 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    edit:  I mean look at Baud – one minute he was a sad sack attorney, and now he’s running for president!  (I don’t mean that, of course, but sometimes a thing must be said!)

    And there are scenes were Perry Mason, like Baud, is not wearing pants!

  135. 135.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 7:25 pm

    @Brachiator: If Baud wore pants, do you think they would be boxers like Perry is wearing in episode 1 of season 2?

    Also, it’s very clear that “Perry” has been working out since the filming of Season 1 ended.

  136. 136.

    Geminid

    March 9, 2023 at 7:26 pm

    @Uncle Cosmo: I trust the tooth extractions will go well. Maybe the dentist will give you a small balloon of nitrous oxide to take home. You might need it if some NFL team performs an extraction of Lamar Jackson.

  137. 137.

    Brachiator

    March 9, 2023 at 7:36 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    If Baud wore pants, do you think they would be boxers like Perry is wearing in episode 1 of season 2?

    I try not to think of Pantless Baud. My eyes! My eyes!

    Also, it’s very clear that “Perry” has been working out since the filming of Season 1 ended.

    Ha! I think you may be right.

  138. 138.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 7:45 pm

    @Brachiator: I’m pretty sure he’s in the best shape of his life.

    edit: way better than when he was in The Americans.

  139. 139.

    dnfree

    March 9, 2023 at 7:50 pm

    @WaterGirl: you don’t have to match my donation to WisDems, I’m fine with them.  I’ve been meaning to do the pet thing too, but I don’t need the photos.  I just think it’s too bad after all the hard work that the calendars that they couldn’t be produced.

  140. 140.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 7:52 pm

    @dnfree: Already matched before I wrote the comment!  Happy to do it.

    But glad there weren’t 10 to match!  :-)

  141. 141.

    WaterGirl

    March 9, 2023 at 7:53 pm

    @dnfree:

     I just think it’s too bad after all the hard work that the calendars that they couldn’t be produced.

    Yeah, it’s totally a letdown.  Very disappointing.

  142. 142.

    NotMax

    March 9, 2023 at 8:30 pm

    @FelonyGovt

    Starts out a cool mess and bit by bit glides up the scale, ending up a white hot mess. IMHO.

  143. 143.

    Paul in KY

    March 10, 2023 at 8:48 am

    @Math Guy: Yeah. I have only had fillings. Getting actual teeth removed must be so much worse.

  144. 144.

    Paul in KY

    March 10, 2023 at 8:49 am

    @CaseyL: Excellent answers all. If I ever have to have a tooth removed, I will use the nitrous.

  145. 145.

    Uncle Cosmo

    March 10, 2023 at 9:07 am

    @Geminid: If instead I could obtain an extraction of the incompetent head coach and all his nepotistic coreligionist hires, I wouldn’t need “the gas of paradise” to spend the rest of the season on Nube Nueve.

    Alas, I believe the checked-out-&-moved-to-FL owner no longer gives a rat’s arse (if he does not in fact attend the same cockamamie church)… :^(

  146. 146.

    Paul in KY

    March 10, 2023 at 9:09 am

    @Geminid: I am a Portite, but any of them would make fine senators, IMO.

  147. 147.

    Paul in KY

    March 10, 2023 at 9:21 am

    @TriassicSands: Good ole Nuba! Cats are so cool.

  148. 148.

    Paul in KY

    March 10, 2023 at 9:21 am

    @Uncle Cosmo: Understand now. That’s the way to go.

Comments are closed.

Primary Sidebar

Image by HinTN (5/22/25)

Recent Comments

  • JWR on Thursday Evening Open Thread (May 23, 2025 @ 3:00am)
  • Geminid on Thursday Evening Open Thread (May 23, 2025 @ 2:42am)
  • prostratedragon on Thursday Evening Open Thread (May 23, 2025 @ 2:16am)
  • AlaskaReader on War for Ukraine Day 1,183: A Quick Thursday Night Update (May 23, 2025 @ 1:46am)
  • glc on War for Ukraine Day 1,183: A Quick Thursday Night Update (May 23, 2025 @ 1:23am)

PA Supreme Court At Risk

Donate

Balloon Juice Posts

View by Topic
View by Author
View by Month & Year
View by Past Author

Featuring

Medium Cool
Artists in Our Midst
Authors in Our Midst
War in Ukraine
Donate to Razom for Ukraine

🎈Keep Balloon Juice Ad Free

Become a Balloon Juice Patreon
Donate with Venmo, Zelle or PayPal

Meetups

Upcoming Ohio Meetup May 17
5/11 Post about the May 17 Ohio Meetup

Calling All Jackals

Site Feedback
Nominate a Rotating Tag
Submit Photos to On the Road
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Links)
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Posts)
Fix Nyms with Apostrophes

Hands Off! – Denver, San Diego & Austin

Social Media

Balloon Juice
WaterGirl
TaMara
John Cole
DougJ (aka NYT Pitchbot)
Betty Cracker
Tom Levenson
David Anderson
Major Major Major Major
DougJ NYT Pitchbot
mistermix

Keeping Track

Legal Challenges (Lawfare)
Republicans Fleeing Town Halls (TPM)
21 Letters (to Borrow or Steal)
Search Donations from a Brand

PA Supreme Court At Risk

Donate

Site Footer

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Comment Policy
  • Our Authors
  • Blogroll
  • Our Artists
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 Dev Balloon Juice · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!