Jersey Mike’s is what is for dinner because A.) I did not feel like cooking, B.) I have nothing but ingredients in the house that require cooking so see A and C.) I bought a several lb bone in lamb leg roast for 7 dollars from Fry’s the other day and it is currently on hour 24 of being marinated and will be cooked tomorrow, so I know we are having a very rich in flavor and composition meal then so a simple sub is what we did for tonight. That was a long paragraph.
Met a fellow Balloon Juicer in Mesa today- WE WERE DOING A DEAL- I picked up a couple of pieces of vintage Revere Ware from them, and mentioned while chatting we should do a meet-up. I generally don’t think of them because well, to be honest, I don’t really want to meet you or anyone else, especially not in public. But I do remember that I always have a pleasant time and that everyone seems to like them, so we should probably do one. I shall consult with the wife on a time that is good for her and get back to you all.
I was blathering on twitter today about how politics is so fucking easy right now- you can sort of tune out for days or weeks on end because unless the issues really interest you, they don’t really matter. Politics is right now, for me, the most clear cut it has ever been in my lifetime. You’re either with the flawed but generally good hearted party of fuckups, or you’re with the Nazis.
It’s just that cut and dried. I mean sure, keep up on the nuances of the topics if they interest you, but really, you don’t need to. You don’t really need to keep up on every LGBTQ issue. The Republicans are against them. All. Even the mention of them. You don’t need to know the ins and outs regarding abortion. The Republicans are against them and birth control and more. You don’t need to know the grim details of climate science. The Republicans are going to block anything to make it better.
I mean, it’s just that fucking simple. You either want a future that is the current fucked up status quo or better, or you are with the party that wishes it was still 1857 and they were still riding the ether high of Dred Scott.
It’s that fucking simple. How did we get here? It’s complicated. It was a lot of things, but we’re fucking here now. We’ve got the normal human beings on one side, and we’ve got the beared maniacs sitting in their pick up trucks screaming into the video camera that they are just furious they can’t use the n word and fuming they can’t say indian style and have to say criss cross applesauce. They’ve either never heard of the phrase “the lotus position” or if by chance they have it’s too pussy for them to say. I didn’t realize it then, but having a black president broke the ever loving brains of several generations of white fuckers.
So yeah. Biden’s old and imperfect and so are a lot of the Democrats and yes I wish they were younger and took more action and yes fuck Merrick Garland.
But they’re not fucking Nazis.
Baud
Hear hear, Cole.
NotMax
Out of curiosity went into jersey Mike’s once. Totally surprised there are not a line of money lender booths just outside.
Ridiculously overpriced? Jeepers!
Also, although it’d a fairly new addition to the fast food offerings here, place looked as if it hadn’t been cleaned since the Eisenhower administration. Like they trucked in dinginess and gunk prior to opening.
Lyrebird
@Baud: Thanks for your thanks on an earlier thread!
Seriously, if I were to count the number of times your jokes have helped me get through the current political craziness John has described above, I would need both hands and a bunch of toes. Very glad if something I said could be a useful tidbit to you.
Baud
@Lyrebird:
Thanks.
Harrison Wesley
@NotMax: There’s one of them not too far from where I live, but with a review like that I think I’ll give it a pass.
schrodingers_cat
It has been this simple since Bill Clinton’s time if not earlier.
NotMax
Open thread? Election in Pakistan makes Lombard Street look like the autobahn.
Pakistan’s jailed ex-PM declares election victory in AI video after unclear results.
NotMax
@Harrison Wesley
As always, YMMV.
;)
Trivia Man
Good news: my sister texted me that mom has finally (!) declared “I don’t see how anyone could possibly support donald trump”
Voted for him twice and was defending any perceived shade I would throw up until at least a month ago. She is getting frail in her old age and likely doesn’t ever remember when she was ALL IN ON TEAM TRUMP!!! But I’ll take it.
Baud
@Trivia Man:
👍
eclare
Righteous rant, and yeah, Bill Clinton exposed the Nazis with Whitewater. The Starr report was the beginning of all of this special investigator/counsel bullshit.
The lamb sounds like it will be a lovely meal.
Never heard the phrase criss cross applesauce.
TBone
Trump claims he saw someone shoplifting a refrigerator just the other day. He must be pining for Curtis Sliwa.
TBone
@eclare: Did you know that owls sit criss cross applesauce? Fact check: wrong. Oops
Ohio Mom
@eclare: That phrase is big in preschools and kindergartens, where kids sit in circles on the floor at least once a day. I’m assuming teachers especially like it because awareness of rhyming is a precursor skill to learning to read.
NotMax
@TBone
Never heard the applesauce part. Always heard it described as cross-legged.
Is it cross rudder apple butter in Pennsy Dutch?
;)
eclare
@Ohio Mom:
Ah, that makes sense, thank you.
zhena gogolia
@Baud: You subscribe to “fuck Merrick Garland”? Really?
Barbara
@Ohio Mom: Apparently it derives from an old nursery rhyme.
Joelle
I feel I’ve had the luck of the draw when it comes to Jersey Mikes locations. Or at least the ones in AZ and WV really got their shit together. They consistently make the best damn sub sandwiches . At least via chain. Yes pricy. I use the app and it seems to shave of some cost. Taxes. Something like that. I never give my dining dollars to chains. Jersey Mikes is the exception.
Ohio Mom
Cole’s observation that you can coast on assuming the Democrats are for everything good and the Republicans are for everything bad is pretty much how I operated in my younger years as a low-information normie.
I inherited being a Democrat, just as I inherited so many other values, viewpoints, attitudes and habits. Can’t take any credit for it but in the time since the internet allowed me to become politically knowledgeable, my inheritance has been validated again and again.
Trivia Man
@Joelle: Any Culvers down there? Best burgers right now after the proft taking at all the other big ones. And now – Walleye for Lent!
Brachiator
Nailed it. And yet the political media are trying hard to homogenize the election into a nothing burger with a side of mayonnaise. Recently, Ezra Klein declared that the Democrats had become defenders of the status quo, not that they were fighting to preserve democracy. And currently pundits are insisting that voters are yearning for a contest between Generic Unnamed Democrat vs Generic Unnamed Republican because Biden is old; and Kamala Harris and even Nikki Haley won’t do because they have wimmins cooties.
But the choice is clear, despite the odd, feeble efforts of political reporters to dissemble. Hell, Republicans are not even trying to disguise their malice anymore.
Trivia Man
@Ohio Mom: I’m still devastated that my dad fell into that crowd. He taught me compassion and kindness and the power of government to help people. He was a Humphrey supporter and never forgave Nixon. (He also blamed dirty hippies for Chicago and giving the election to His Eminence, The Slime but I digress).
Then he was seduced by Pat fucking Buchannan and the next thing I know… he’s working with the Michigan Republicans to launch donald fucking trump on his path to our destruction. He’s ded now but watching that trajectory breaks my heart.
Gvg
Clinton voted and signed the way I wanted, mostly. I guess when you are young or just not practiced in thinking, you don’t accept that is all that’s important, not your feelings or someone’s charisma.
mrmoshpotato
@NotMax:
Yup! Here’s an idea – don’t pay Danny Devito a bazillion dollars, and instead put an decent amount of meat on your sandwiches!
mrmoshpotato
@Trivia Man: Good to hear. Hopefully she doesn’t think Biden is TOOOO OOOOLLLLDDDD.
Kelly
You want to keep Social Security? Vote Democrat. You want to protect any part of our environment? Improve and protect wildlife habitat? Reduce and clean up toxic waste? Vote Democrat. You want a sensible balance of taxes and borrowing to finance government? Vote Democrat. You want an educated population? Vote Democrat.
mrmoshpotato
Don’t either of you go hitting anyone with that leg of lamb. :)
H.E.Wolf
There’s always the option to sit tailor-fashion.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/165544421@N05/51027719268
Trivia Man
@mrmoshpotato: Unfortunately, I think when she gets in the voting booth she will vote republican by reflex. At least she is expressing remorse. But I can hope.
Trivia Man
@Kelly: My simplification says – if you think corporations have too much power, then strong government with regulations is the only possible counter.
Plus OSHA, the FDA, and the EPA. (At least until those agencies get gutted)
NotMax
@mrmoshpotato
I suppose it could be worse. They might have chosen to name it Bayonne Bob’s.
:)
NotMax
@H.E.Wolf
Swift sit!
:)
Old School
eclare
@Gvg:
The FMLA was a big deal. Still is. We owe Bill for that.
Harrison Wesley
@Old School: WTF? Wonder if this will make page 1 of any of the members of Our Liberal Media. ‘Cause that sounds pretty deranged to me.
eclare
@Old School:
That is so weird.
mrmoshpotato
@Old School: 🙄
HumboldtBlue
I’m on episode 10, season one of The Sopranos, and sweet mother of assholes, there isn’t one likeable character among the lot of them. Well, maybe Carmela and Meadow, but otherwise it’s just one fucking asshole bully after another, but in a twist, early in the season we see the actor who later portrayed Bodie on The Wire take part in the truck hijacking where the trucker gets shot.
But there isn’t a redeemable person in the show, just scheming, double-dealing pig-ignorant — but not dumb — heartless soulless assholes. But man, there is some brilliant acting and so many compelling characters.
mrmoshpotato
@HumboldtBlue: I couldn’t even start the series because of an orange shitstain mobster in real life.
Hell, the orange POS has made me rethink my love of The Godfather!
Geoduck
Along with Obama being president, the swarthy brown people who call God a funny name managed to give us a bloody nose. (It was an evil act, and it’s terrible that 3000 people died, but geopolitically, that’s what it was.)
Wapiti
@H.E.Wolf: Apparently, there’s a sartorius muscle, named because it allows the rotation of the lower leg to get into the tailor’s seat.
satby
You said it JG.
And now I want delicious marinated lamb. (Checks flights out of Midway for tomorrow)
Jackie
@Ohio Mom: I concur. My dad was a staunch Democrat since FDR created the CCC’s in the ‘30s. It made a huge positive difference in his life and he passed it down to his children and grandchildren. I’m a Democrat thru osmosis and reinforced thru self-education.
Thanks Dad!🥰
Jackie
@Old School: He’s bonkers! Hur, please explain and defend.
geg6
@NotMax:
Hmmm, the ones here are quite clean. I really like Jersey Mike’s. At work, we often order from them. As for price, it’s comparable to to other quick serve places like Chipotle, Panera or Firehouse Subs and the quality is higher. Sounds like a bad franchisee to me.
eclare
@HumboldtBlue:
Wait til the “Pine Barrens” episode in season three.
Directed by Steve Buscemi.
Ksmiami
@Baud: that’s it in a nut shell
Albatrossity
Nominated for a rotating tag, if it isn’t already.
geg6
@Harrison Wesley:
We have three of them within driving distance from my home. All of them are clean and well maintained. I’ve been ones in Jersey also and did not see anything like NotMax described. Prices are typical very reasonable if you get their minis, which are about 5 inches. I often get the mini turkey and provolone and it’s about $6 or $7 if you get the meal.
TBone
Our Jersey Mike’s was better a few years ago, but new management forgot how to bake the rolls. They are now undercooked, mushy white bread without a real crust (PA Dutch style). I drive to another town to a deli that gets their rolls from South Philly.
Another Scott
Meanwhile, … Phys.org:
That’s Biden’s superpower – he genuinely wants to know people.
Cheers,
Scott.
Gretchen
@Trivia Man: my husband looks forward to Lent for the Culver’s walleye sandwiches. He grew up in Wisconsin so walleye is nostalgic for him.
Gretchen
@Ohio Mom: I have a good friend who just retired after decades of teaching preschool. At 75 she still gets up from sitting on the floor easily after doing it several times a day all those years. I wish I’d gotten that memo when I still could.
Another Scott
One for Geminid – Phys.org:
(Emphasis added.)
Interesting. And learning more about natural processes is important.
(Google tells me that the US produces around 10M metric tons of hydrogen a year.)
Cheers,
Scott.
Jackie
@Gretchen: My ex was from Minnesota. I was introduced to Walleye fishing and eating there.
Hoppie
For all of our amusement via Great Orange Satan:
SectionH
@Hoppie: Personally I’d bet that Rand is actually much more worried about Andy taking his senate seat. Andy can’t run again in ’27, but that leaves ~a year for him to organize a really good campaign for the Senate, because Rand’s up in 2028.
Hoppie
@SectionH: There’s something about an aqua-Buddha man! (Very inside Kentucky politics joke).
Odie Hugh Manatee
I’m with you, John. Someone from the Republican party for any elected position is not even a choice, not if you value democracy and real freedom. Republicans go on an on about freedoms and how they are under attack by the left because the fact of the matter is that they themselves do not want democracy, nor do they believe in real freedom. Their version of freedom is you doing what they tell you while they are under no such restrictions. Likewise, their version of democracy is what we call fascism. They have no interest in governing but rather ruling over all, so they lie to the public and attack the Democrats as the threat to the American way of life.
The people who comprise the Republican voters have been lied to for so long that they have no idea what the truth is and their leadership is just fine with that. They want to keep their sheep scared and herded together for easy fleecing. Trump saw how easy it was to lie to and inflame the Republican voters so he horned in on the party leaders and moved on them like the bitches they are. Now he owns them.
The Republican party and their leader are a threat to freedom, democracy and domestic tranquility.
VFX Lurker
I’m guessing you meant “bearded maniacs,” but for a moment I thought you were somehow trying to involve bears in the description of these maniacs.
Outside of this minor typo, great post.
Cathie from Canada
On a side note, I am really enjoying all of these posts — John, dare I say it –and I don’t want to jinx it — but really, you just sound so happy these days!
m.j.
I just want to register a complaint into the ether that I really hate when I think I can rely on there being a particular item in the grocery store that I have come to love and then suddenly it’s gone.
It always seems like a downgrading of quality or taste in favor of profit-margin.
Geminid
@Hoppie: I wonder how Governor Beshear polls against Rand Paul. Beshear will likely serve out his term regardless of what happens to McConnell. It ends January of 2028, which will give Beshear plenty of time to run for Rand Paul’s Senate seat that year.
Chris T.
@Kelly: But what if you’re Redjac from ST:TOS “Wolf in the Fold”? If you want everyone to die, die, suffer horribly!
Oh, right, then it’s straight Republican ticket…
Chris T.
@Wapiti:
Also the longest muscle in the human body (not the biggest, that’s generally the gluetus maximus … ah, gluteus culpa, gluteus maxima culpa! … oops, looks like I’m in one of my weird moods again).
The smallest muscle is in the ear (stapedius, holds the stapes in place).
jlowe
The AMOC is on the verge of collapse, as if we weren’t informed about that more than a decade ago, and all our elite media can do is play with the “Joe Biden is old” chew toy. Don’t call me an elderly climate doomerist – I work in environmental sciences and the next decade is a gold mine for our industry – all of us are going to be making good livings in climate adaptation, pandemic control, and management of climate migrants before too long.
bluefoot
@jlowe: I have to admit the news of the AMOC terrifies me. I continue to hope and to work toward a better world but sometimes I just want to give up.
JaneE
Amen.
I just wish I could understand what happened to so many white people. But a Black president did break them.
Ruckus
@Harrison Wesley:
It is asshole senior decline.
Normal senior decline is far less angry, far less asshole, and realistically reminiscent of personally lived history.
SFB is anything but normal, he’s the exact opposite of normal. He’s abbynormal, an asshole deluxe, he’s what shit looks like on 2 feet, he’s angry because most actual humans see him for what he really is, not what he still sees in the mirror. He’s angry because he’s always been who he is, he’s always been this thing he is, he just screwed the pooch and got elected to be president, even though he’s not qualified to be, really that or even considered actual human other than fuck up. That $400 million he started with, part of that was supposed to go to his siblings from THEIR father’s “estate.”
He is the shit side of humanity. And not the intelligent shit side of humanity.
Ruckus
@JaneE:
They were broken long before Obama was president. Their kind has always been broken. And some of them are so broken that repair is impossible. And how they are broken is a history lesson for all of humanity. Living is not hard, living reasonably is not easy, because to be easy one has to have some concern for other humans and animals. Not a lot but some. More than some is better but some is required. If a human considers themselves to be the center of whatever, and many do, that makes it a lot harder. They often think that doing that makes their life easier, possibly better. It doesn’t, making your life easier and better means accepting you and others for who and what they are. Money can’t buy that but does often make it worse.