Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Petty moves from a petty man.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

Every reporter and pundit should have to declare if they ever vacationed with a billionaire.

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

It’s a good piece. click on over. but then come back!!

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

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

In after Baud. Damn.

Everybody saw this coming.

Our messy unity will be our strength.

If you thought you’d already seen people saying the stupidest things possible on the internet, prepare yourselves.

The press swings at every pitch, we don’t have to.

“But what about the lurkers?”

Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

Speaker Mike Johnson is a vile traitor to the House and the Constitution.

Not all heroes wear capes.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

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

Disappointing to see gov. newsom with his finger to the wind.

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55Comments

  1. 1.

    VeniceRiley

    Fed dogs and took them out to the garden/bathroom. Kilo absconded through the hedge, causing me to whispershout “kilo! Biscuit!” until he returned.

    Retirement… I’ve never woke this early on the regular before.

  2. 2.

    piratedan

    trying to have faith that while it’s fun to watch Trump and his family/minions squirm; that there’s still a whole parcel of ne’erdowells sitting around still fucking things up.  I would appreciate it if the DOJ and FBI could start leveraging all of those captured texts, compel some testimony and start putting some additional pressure on these legislative asshats and financial backers.  It’s time to stop fucking about with this coup shit.

    I completely understand that there’s more going on in the country than just the J6 stuff that needs to be monitored, cases built and charges brought…. yet for fucks sake, we’re watching the world fucking burn and people die while continuing to wait on this to happen and it makes you wonder if it IS even happening.  I know that this is lapsing into “do something” territory, yet the folks that are attempting to turn us into a Christofascist state will likely have fewer concerns about optics and will just do it.

  3. 3.

    sab

    Awake at 2:30 am because my elderly dog had to pee. Then she saw a rabbit in the fenced yard. Rabbit knew where the hole in the fence was so got away ( yay!)  Dog is now on my bed sucking on a bedspread because that’s how she handles stress. Dog version of human thumbsucking.

    I should be reading an e-book now, but we are having our electrical stuff fixed 8 am tomorrow. I don’t know the technical terminology, but the whole electrical stuff connecting Ohio Edison to our house is a rusted out mess. Has been for quite a while. Needed to be fixed. So today is the day. Means we will be without power for most of the day. So of course we have a freeze. Poor us, but also poor guys outside doing the work.

    I have set things up in the kitchen for oatmeal and coffee on the gas stove. We can light that without electricity.

    Husband wants to go out for breakfast. I said no.  I don’t want the electrical guys having access to the house unsupervised by us with one pitbull and five cats (two of whom contemplate escape)  and my computer. I think they don’t want that either.

    Should I just say no, we are staying, or ask the electrical guys if we can leave for an hour with the house locked up?

  4. 4.

    Splitting Image

    Going through Emerson, Lake and Palmer’s albums in chronological order. Currently listening to Tarkus.

    For the rest of the week, I plan to binge-watch the 1980s Partners in Crime series with Francesca Annis.

  5. 5.

    RaflW

    Today was a tour of the Sydney Opera House, then BF and I did the ‘divide and conquer’: I went to the Australian Maritime Museum and he did the 200 steps up the pylon of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

    Now it’s time to figure out dinner. Last night was a smash hit, I found a quiet, out of the way Asian place called (haha) Phamish. Stirfried tumeric braised sea trout with galangal and veggies. Ahhh mazingly good!

  6. 6.

    Mel

    @VeniceRiley: I just saw that PBS has acquired US rights to Suranne Jones’s miniseries “Maryland”, and will be showing it in April 2024 on Masterpiece.

    She co-wrote and stars in it. Good reviews so far.

  7. 7.

    opiejeanne

    @piratedan: I can only deal with so much news* because I feel helpless, especially after the Hamas attack, so I retreat into domestic projects. Roasted a chicken last night that we have eaten part of, and the breasts will be turned into enchiladas tomorrow.  Tonight I baked Chef John’s French apple cake with our own Melrose apples, and I’m working on two quilts as gifts. The bigfoot quilt is for my niece’s husband, and the Star of David is for a friend who is suffering right now.

    *But it’s true, watching TFG and family squirm is fairly entertaining, between the natural bouts of rage as we hear more tidbits about what they’ve done.

  8. 8.

    sab

    I am trying to keep my e-book charged so that without power I have something to do beyond leaf raking today. Probably not necessary. Lot of leaves.

    Threw out my whole dominant ( right) arm six weeks ago doing yard work.  Typical old person not keeping in shape stupidity. When I was younger it was just sore. Now I might have damaged some tendons. It still hurts a lot. Shoulder and elbow. Husband says I need to see my doctor.

    Luckily for me I was ambidextrous before learning to write screwed that up (age five) . So getting the left flipper back into use and that has been very helpful.

  9. 9.

    Mel

    @sab: I would stay, if it were me. Some years ago, we had a flooring  crew (despite multiple requests and a warning sign clearly posted on the door) open a guest room door, let my indoors only cats loose in the freezing cold, and then “forget” to phone me and tell me until two hours later when the crew supervisor arrived and realized what had happened. Thank goodness kitties had hidden way back under the front porch, but that was a terrifying hour of searching and could have ended very differently.

  12. 12.

    sab

    @opiejeanne: Maybe he should take a sister out for breakfast. The dog and cats and I can hold the fort.

    ETA Hee-hee. He will not like it when I say the BJ hive mind is unanimous on No!  for leaving the house unattended.

  13. 13.

    Mel

    @opiejeanne: I would love to see photos of your quilts. I’ve picked back up the quilt that I’m working on for my grand-nephew, and find that it is helping me to clear my mind of lots of worrying things, for short bits of time. Any break from the stress is a welcome relief.

  15. 15.

    sab

    @opiejeanne: One of the jackals commented about boiling apple cider down and storing it for flavoring the next year. Was that you? My mom always bought a lot of cider to drink, but it is too sweet for me even when tart.  I feel bad neglecting cider but I just can’t drink it. But I love the flavor.

  16. 16.

    Ruckus

    @VeniceRiley:

    As another retired person, my bit is not being busy every day. I worked or was in the service (and yes it was work) for 60 yrs. I’m glad I’m not busy but it is quite a bit different than having to be somewhere doing something for 8 hrs a day that took thought and some physical effort. Been retired for 2 yrs now and I’m not sure I’m used to it yet.

  17. 17.

    opiejeanne

    @sab: Not me. We are working our way through the apples, eating some with lunch, turning others into pies. The nice neighbors get pies. The Trumpers do not.

  18. 18.

    sab

    @opiejeanne: My house is filled up with stuff from my Mom that I hate to dump but my house is overwhelmed. My winter project is to get my grand-daughters to commit to wanting stuff, otherwise off to Humane Society thrift store.

    My mother didn’t have that option, and all that ancestral stuff landing in her house stressed her out a lot. Also ruined their retirement plans. Suddenly they needed storage.

    I find myself in the same toxic loop.

    Even fabric scraps. I need to quilt or find quilters.

    My little folk harp definitely needs a better cover. Also we need cushions covered around the house. But otherwise I am sitting on a lot of fabric that needs a more industrious home.

  19. 19.

    sab

    @opiejeanne: Apples we just bought are red in the flesh below the skin. Pink applesauce is my favorite seasonal food. Another tomorrow project.

    ETA With everything else, I have been neglecting Dad and his amazing nurse’s aide. They both like applesauce.

  20. 20.

    Geminid

    @sab: Have you tried using a battery powered leaf blower? I have a Cobalt-brand blower ( from Loews) that I lent to my friend Joan. She has a lot of leaves to rake each fall. Joan tried it and got one of her own. They are fairly lightweight and she finds it less stressful on her arms and back than raking. They are not very loud, but Joan uses ear protection anyway.

  21. 21.

    StringOnAStick

    Tomorrow is our last day on Maui, headed home on the 8 pm plane.  We’re going back tomorrow to where my husband picked up surfing in about an hour (it helps being an excellent powder skier so he has a precise sense of balance on sliding surfaces).  I didn’t manage to even get up on my knees so I’ll take a lesson and hope it happens.  We’ll shower at the beach, change into shorts, drop off the car, and carry our cold weather clothes to change into on our layover.  Oh, and today is our 23rd anniversary.  It’s been a fun trip, paddled an outrigger this morning and saw plenty of resting sea turtles hauled out on the beach thanks to the King tides from the full moon.

    We came here because the governor and the Senators have asked the tourists to please return and help keep people from being laid off.  The huge plane we arrived on was maybe 20% full.  Locals say business is picking up though.

  23. 23.

    sab

    @Geminid: I hate leaf blowers, but that is the young arrogant me. Obnoxiously loud, and the lawn crews always blow stuff under the shrubbery they were supposed to be raking out.

    Shelving my prejudice against leaf blowers (see above) that is a very good idea. Thanks.

    ETA We have a battery pack lawn mower and that company uses the same battery for everything. I will investigate.

    My right arm hurts so much and is not getting better. Spouse is right. Plugging through the pain is stupid and making things worse. But the dog won’t wash dishes.

  24. 24.

    frosty

    What am I up to? Not sleeping at 3AM thanks to an experiment. I’ve been getting 6 1/2 hours for years and manage OK on that but now it’s drifting back to 5 1/2. After reading various things the advice was don’t power through the 9:00 to 10:00 nod-out, just go to bed. So I did, lights out at 10:30. First wakeup at 1:30, a little earlier than usual. Second wakeup at 3:00, after 4 1/2 hours. So I’m taking a break to get tired again.

    I reckon I’ll go back to my usual midnight bedtime. I have a physical in December; I’ll check in with my doc and see what she thinks. In the meantime, these 6:00 and 7:00 AM wakeups are convenient for my new birding hobby!

  25. 25.

    opiejeanne

    @Mel: There is a photo of five trees for the bigfoot quilt, here: https://flic.kr/p/2pd2yna

    I have 11 tree blocks finished, just need 3 more, and the bigfoot block will make 15. It’s a pattern that I bought; the dark blue is an ombre print that gets light down the middle of the fabric, so I’m trying to manipulate it a bit.

    The Star of David pattern is one I downloaded for free, and it’s a paper-pieced quilt. For me, paper- piecing is a nightmare but this design is fairly simple and I’m 3/4 done with the first block. I usually knock out 2 tree blocks a day for the other quilt, but I just started   today on the Star of David, and am just getting the hang of what not to  do, which is why there are only 3 lines of 4 finished.

    https://flic.kr/p/2pd8iTE

  26. 26.

    SectionH

    @sab: I agree with Mel. I’ve been there. NEVER trust random utility employees: electricity, water, gas, and furnace… they’re men: they’re Obliviates. And yeah, I know from those guys.They’re not deliberately bad or mean – they’re just kinda stupid and don’t give a shit about your critters.

    oh and btw, “critters” is word I like to use which encompasses dogs, cats, horses, parakeets. Critters.

  27. 27.

    frosty

    @StringOnAStick: We did my bucket list Hawaii vacation* in July. The planes were full – every seat taken, and I swear they were even smaller than the ones on Southwest which I usually fly. Ugh.

    I tried surfing the summer I was 20 and still have my roomie’s longboard I bought from him (haven’t used it in decades). I’m in awe of your hubby. After that summer I got good enough to either steer it or stand up but I couldn’t do both.

    * I went to Alaska and picked up my 49th state in 1978. I’ve been waiting 45 years to get #50!

    ETA Thanks WaterGirl for the wee hours thread. And thanks as well to Anne Laurie who does these regularly.

  28. 28.

    opiejeanne

    @sab: Call a fabric store in your area and find out if there are a couple of quilt guilds nearby, then get in touch with someone at a guild. Some of them will take donations of fabric, all kinds of fabric, and mine sells the scraps by weight. They call it the ugly pile, but most of the fabric is anything but.

    Also, there may be sewing groups at a local church, a 4H group, and various service organizations making things for hospice patients, women’s shelters, refugee groups, and more.

  36. 36.

    Rachel Bakes

    Sick. Have my 3rd cold in 4 weeks and this one had me so congested I barely slept 3 hours last night. None of my tricks worked! Sleeping with my nose in a jar of Vicks came closest. The Play That Goes Wrong opens at our daughter HIgh School tomorrow and we’re all in the thick of it. No time to be sick. Again.

  37. 37.

    Gvg

    @sab: The battery or electric corded ones are quieter. I cannot rake enough when the seasonal leaf loads come down. I have a blower that converts to a mulcher vacuum to suck up leaves and chop them into smaller bits that make much better garden soil. Something like 14 bags down to 1. The bag slings on my shoulder, but when I am tired or the leaves are really big piles I just set it on the ground. When it’s nearly full, I dump it on plants that need mulch and keep going. That one is corded. I use it around shrubs, ferns, getting into places.

    For big open places like lawns or the street, I run the mower over it with the bag on. Mulcher blades. You have to go slow in the street to give it a chance to suck them up. I usually back over heavy piles a couple of times to get most of the leaves, slowly in the street. Then I blow the little leftover leaf crumbs out into my lawn. Otherwise my big oak would clog the storm drain. I am uphill of the road and it puts a huge load of leaves on a 4 way stop.

    There are mulcher vacuums that can attach to garbage cans too. One tip, don’t wait to fill a bag, dump often. They get heavy. It’s easier to dump often than struggle with a bag that weighs the equivalent of 14 bags of leaves. This includes your mower if you are using it to chop leaves.

  38. 38.

    Narya

    @sab: it was me! I like using it in marinades that need some sweet. Miso, garlic, ginger, soy, maybe lemon, plus some of the cider. Also gets added to baked goods, where I can adjust the sugar.

  39. 39.

    Princess

    @sab: My guess from having similar work done is that they won’t need to be in the house much if at all and you can probably ask them and leave the house locked for an hour to get breakfast.

  40. 40.

    evodevo

    @sab: ​
      Depends on how your electrical service is set up…overhead lines to a mast on the house? Buried lines going into the basement/utility room? If it’s the mast/outside service entrance area that needs replacing, most of the work will be outside. Otherwise they will be going in and out of the house to access your main panel, and will be trekking all over, and I never trust workmen not to open the wrong door or watch out for pets. Better to stay in those circumstances. And our dog would be out the door and down the block before you could say miniature border collie lol

  41. 41.

    Kayla Rudbek

    @frosty: think of yourself as doing the ancestral split sleep schedule and keep going to bed early. When I was in Ireland, I got the advice that one hour of sleep before midnight was as good as two hours of sleep after midnight

  43. 43.

    Manyakitty

    @opiejeanne: really lovely work. I recently decided to jump into making a quilt and am currently overwhelmed with options 🤣🤣. I know you, Quilting Fool, and a few others are experienced quilters. Maybe we can start a crafters group.

  44. 44.

    WaterGirl

    @Mel: I also had a terrifying lost cat with house painters experience.

    Always be at home when someone is doing work on the house.  Either they will do something bone-headed with the pets, or they will make some stupid decision about something they would have asked you about if you were there.

    I learned this VERY EARLY when I was turning my garage into a family room.

  50. 50.

    Rachel Bakes

    @Kayla Rudbek:  1 hour before midnight is better than 2 after? No wonder I’m always so tired. Frequently toss and turn until midnight and get my best sleep between 1 and 4.

  51. 51.

    StringOnAStick

    @frosty: We’re flying United and it’s the biggest plane they fly.  Looking at the seating chart, our flight home will be pretty sparse too but not as empty as the one to get here.  My husband is an amazing powder skier so I’m not surprised he “got” surfing so quickly.  One of my favourite memories from this trip is seeing the smile on his face as he stood up and had a good ride, then stepped off it casually when he was done!

     

    @Mel: Thanks!  The outrigger paddle was the perfect at to celebrate!

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