Another absolutely foul rainy day today, which is to be expected, because any time there is any sort of lunar or solar event, it rains. Period. I bet I actually see one out of every 10 full moons. It was cold, too, with the temps going down to around 48 degrees at one point.
In other news, my front porch has five bird nests- four in the ferns, and one up at the top of a column, and today I noticed that the little babies had their heads out of the nest wailing for food. There are at least two, but only one posed for me:
No luck on the job front, but I only looked for an hour or so. There really is nothing unless you want to work fast food for 9 bucks an hour. No wonder people are fleeing the state. I’m tired and burnt out, so that’s it for me. Have a good one.
Jackie
Five nests! And babies!!!🥰
hells littlest angel
Well?
FastEdD
Take care, blogmaster.
I just got back from walking the dog around a local duck pond filled with turtles. One big old female was staring at me, hoping I’d feed her something. Another old male turtle was wiggling his front claws in her face (which is flirting in turtle language.) She was completely unimpressed and was more interested in begging for food. A herd of little baby turtle hatchlings went swimming by. The cycle of life. If they’re lucky all those turtle critters will out live me.
Jay
Check out part time remote work,
or something you can market yourself using your experience and skill sets.
Suzanne
It rained here today, too, but I appreciate it: my roses look A M A Z I N G.
Perhaps the shittiness of the job market is a sign? Shit, I see fast food restaurants around here with $15/hour signs.
Redshift
Hi, birdies! I think I have a nest of cardinals in a tree in my back yard. I hear them yelling for food, but I haven’t spotted them yet.
There’s supposed to be another chance for auroras tonight, and it looks like there’s a possibility of a break in the clouds west of DC, so we’re probably going to drive out and give it a try.
Michael Bersin
We were planning to wander out after dark tonight to watch more of the continuing Aurora activity. Based on the most recent predictions and activity in the last few hours things are supposed to calm down a bit for the next few hours. So, for us this far south, most probably nothing to see.
Heard from a friend in Iceland who pointed out that because of their longer period of daylight this time of year they’re missing all the fun.
Nukular Biskits
Mississippi says, “Hold my beer!”
Mississippi governor, in second inauguration, says he wants young people to stop leaving the state
Geminid
@hells littlest angel: West Virginia had six U.S. Representatives going into the 1960s. Now there are two. I hope Mr. Cole isn’t forced to join the Mountaineer Diaspora.
Nukular Biskits
Any Juicers in San Diego?
I’m thinking about driving east to Mount Laguna to see the show, if the weather holds inland.
Scout211
I must have missed part of the story. Did Cole get laid off? I thought he wasn’t on the lay-off list.
Jackie
@Nukular Biskits: Maybe he should ask why youth are leaving? Anti-women’s health care, perhaps?
Jay
@Scout211:
The Blogmeister wasn’t laid off, it’s just that it’s summer, so he has less income, and while he was away, a bunch of stuff at home needs expensive repair.
Scout211
@Jay: Thank you.
Sphex
@Nukular Biskits: I’m in San Diego! But I’m a lurker, don’t think I count as a full Juicer. For many reasons, we can’t drive out, and it’s looking pretty overcast here right now. Good luck!
West of the Rockies
@Jay:
I thought he was getting married and moving to AZ. Shows what I know.
Scout211
Hey, you linked to a commenter and responded with a comment of your own.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
YOU NOW ARE A FULL-FLEDGED JUICER!!!
🏆🏅🎖️🎉💐
geg6
@West of the Rockies:
Well, he is engaged and he is now living half the year in AZ.
Kayla Rudbek
Good luck with finding something for the summer, John. I would probably look for online/remote work, and when in doubt, go look at the Ask A Manager website.
And I’m trying to decide if it’s worth it to go outside and try to find the aurora tonight. It’s cloudy here so maybe tomorrow night will be better. It might be better to stay inside and knit instead.
citizen dave
All Juicers are Valued Commenters, but some..
We have a sparrow couple (near as I can tell–generic brownish birds) nest in a ceramic flower pot I hung on the brick wall exterior 20+ years ago. Have never had a bird’s nest there. It has poppies in it now–guess the flowers are staying 3 more weeks. The 5 eggs hatched today. We also have a wren couple using a bluebird box, even though I have two other wren boxes–with the proper smaller entry hole–for them. Those two are empty of course.
Spanky
@geg6: Hey, now that you’re here, I open the Daily Collegian and am presented with this:
How are you doing out there at your campus?
hells littlest angel
@hells littlest angel:Well?
Okay, I just saw JC’s tweet of May 8. Hang in there, mein host.
NotMax
@FastEdD
Now got My Little Grass Shack stuck in the head.
I wanna go back to my little grass shack in Kealakekua, Hawaii
Where the humuhumunukunukuapua’a go swimming by
Where the humuhumunukunukuapua’a go swimming by
Where the humuhumunukunukuapua’a go swimming by
;)
HumboldtBlue
Time-lapse video of the win of the week (the guy who painted his gate to look like his boat).
NotMax
Looked into teaching summer school?
Brachiator
@geg6:
I understand that you may be retiring soon, with a buyout.
Does this give you time to prepare to apply for an upcoming Survivor competition?
NotMax
@NotMax
Perhaps in PA, not WV.
John Revolta
Hey Cole, maybe you could get some work fixing up people’s houses or general handyman kinda stuff.
There’s money in that and you wouldn’t have to go to some stupid job doing pointless shit. You probably have connections around town to find people who need some stuff done.
Central Planning
If you want to get the baby birbs in a nest to pop their heads up, get a flashlight and shine the light around the next.
I think the shimmering light makes the babies think their parents are back with food so they scream and stick their heads up to be the first to get it. It also makes it easier to get pictures of them.
debit
John, I know you don’t want to and it might not be popular, but have you considered ads for the site? Just for the summer to bring in some extra income? I would also be in for dropping some coin in the paypal tin cup, but am wary about doing it without prior approval now that new 1099 reporting is in effect.
Mousebumples
Presuming you continue to have benefits from your regular job, could you swing a short term (seasonal?) contract position? Possibly remote?
I know I’m in a different industry (Healthcare) but remote employees we hire are at will (including their ability to not need 2 weeks notice) and get better salary vs other new hires since they don’t get benefits as a contract employee.
Good luck!
CaseyL
Wow: Chateau Cole’s Birb Condos have expanded! I hope everyone survives, flies, and comes back next year.
@John Revolta:
I thought of that, too! I was trying to find a way to tie in the tie-dye overalls, but couldn’t think of anything that wouldn’t make people flee in terror :)
But all the work John’s done on renovation and design, interior and exterior, might be something to parlay into paid work. A lack of formal training or license might not be an issue in WV, if you can show examples of what you’ve done and how well it’s held up.
John Cole
@debit: No way in hell I am never putting ads back on this site ever.
debit
@John Cole: Ok. What about donations?
Spanky
@debit: Look down below (at least on my Android) for “Keep balloon juice ad free) and there’s a link for Patreon.
HumboldtBlue
Mousebumples
@John Cole: appreciate that. And reminds me that the Cole Bird Baby Nursery may need additional funding…
debit
@Spanky: Right, I see the links. My concern is adding to John’s tax liability. Paypal donations used to be the wild west, now you get a 1099 if you receive anything over $600. I assume this is the same with Patreon.
Sister Golden Bear
Meanwhile, GOP West Virginia Candidates For Governor Battle Each Over Which One Hates Transgender People The Most
Sister Golden Bear
@Scout211: One of us! One of us!
mrmoshpotato
@Sister Golden Bear: 😏
Ksmiami
You’ve built an amazing site, community, political machine. There’s no way in hell you can’t get a job in the DC area and beyond. Since you’re probably pretty private irl, Maybe ask Watergirl to look over your resume and recast it? Seriously.
lowtechcyclist
John, you can put me in the group that suggests hiring yourself out as a handyman and jack-of-all-trades. We’ve seen the work you’ve done on “this fucking old house” so you’ve got a non-academic skill set that’s worth a good deal more than any stinkin’ $9/hour.
StringOnAStick
@NotMax: I had to sing that very song last night when our group played a benefit luau.
wjca
I’m new enough around here that I don’t know what your skill set is. But these days, there’s an amazing amount of “work remotely” stuff out there. And not just clerical or IT stuff.**
For example, I’ve got a friend who lives up in the Sierras, a lot of miles from anywhere. She routinely is teaching a course or two at a 2-year college somewhere in the state (routinely a few hundred miles from where her ranch is). Might be somebody, somewhere in the country, with a summer session class that needs an instructor. Even if it doesn’t work out this summer, it might be worth considering down the road.
** A bunch of (probably red) states which are losing population should give some serious thought to putting in high speed Internet capability. Fiber cable even; treat it the same way they do public roads. Probably won’t, but they should. They could find there are a lot of people who aren’t fans of high density living, if only they can get the bandwidth they need to work from out in the country.
Of course, there is the risk that the new population would vote like suburban voters elsewhere…
ETD what Jay said.
Kayla Rudbek
And I have just figured out tonight that my statin medication may have lactose filler. Time to write to my congressman and senators to continue my anti lactose campaign with the FDA. If a chemical compound can’t be digested by 80-something percent of the world population, it SHOULD NOT be considered “Generally Recognized As Safe”. If the EU can ban titanium dioxide from food, we can certainly ban lactose from medication.
wjca
Good luck to him. If he ran a couple surveys of kids who have left, he might find out why they left. He probably wouldn’t like the answers, but if he’s actually willing to listen, there are things he could do to make staying more attractive.
Fair warning: it would probably involve no longer being classified with Alabama and Tennessee. In all kinds of ways, not just politically.
Mai Naem mobile
John, have you looked at Pittsburgh with all the educational institutions they have there? You’ve mentioned going shopping there so I assume you’re not that far from there. Maybe there’s a hybrid position where you would only have to go in once a week or maybe a position with 3 12 hr shifts or 4 10 hr shifts.
Nukular Biskits
@Jackie:
His apparent belief is that doubling down on the culture war legislation is a winning hand.
Jay
@lowtechcyclist:
Generally, in areas with high unemployment and low wages, there is no shortage of “handmen”, earning at best, minimum wage.
The usual way it works, is the quote is free.
If the customer pays for materials, that’s more free time while you walk them through,
If materials are included, that’s 20% you can add to the job costs, but that’s also unpaid time.
And then, you might not get paid or paid quickly.
It’s generally not lucrative.
Nukular Biskits
@Sphex:
I was thinking about it but I sabotaged myself by ordering a deep-dish pizza and now I’m struggling to stay awake.
mrmoshpotato
@Nukular Biskits: YUMM-O!
lowtechcyclist
@Jay:
If he could drive into Pittsburgh for the day, I bet they don’t pay WV wages.
Nukular Biskits
@wjca:
Tate Reeves isn’t interested in keeping everyone … only those who agree with him.
He’s repeatedly demonstrated he holds pretty much everyone who isn’t white/conservative/Christian/Republican in contempt.
Nukular Biskits
@mrmoshpotato:
I’ve yet to be disappointed: Pizza Bella Italian Bistro
mrmoshpotato
@Nukular Biskits: Which pizza did you order?
lowtechcyclist
@Nukular Biskits:
Wonder if they’ll ever realize that going all in on LGBTQ intolerance is driving the kids away.
Not that it’s the only thing that’s driving them away – I expect the career choices are limited in most of the state. But it sure doesn’t help.
Nukular Biskits
@mrmoshpotato:
The deep skillet pizza with pretty much the works.
Pricey but I think it was worth it.
lowtechcyclist
Anyone out there trying to see the aurora tonight? I’m up late, waiting for the kiddo to come home after a bit of post-prom fun, so I’m wondering if it’s worth driving a mile or three to get a better view of the northern horizon. It’s pretty cloudy here in southern MD, but there are some breaks in the clouds.
mrmoshpotato
@Nukular Biskits: Pricey, but looks good.
Nukular Biskits
@lowtechcyclist:
LGBTQ+ folks leaving is feature, not a bug, as far as these asshats are concerned.
Hostility to LGBTQ+, women’s bodily autonomy, and other culture war favorites have been imposed to the max here in MS. And let’s not forget MS STILL celebrates Confederate Memorial Day, not MLK Jr. Day.
As a lifelong Mississippian, I really ain’t sure if these dumbasses (conservatives, that is) just plain don’t understand why people are leaving or if they simply WANT “those people” to leave so MS can be more “pure”.
Nukular Biskits
@mrmoshpotato:
Well, it is CA and I’m staying in Old Town San Diego, which is a tourist area.
wjca
Kinda figured. But the fact remains that, if he were actually interested, what he claims he wants to accomplish is doable.
mrmoshpotato
@lowtechcyclist: 11PM here, but I might go out later.
Nukular Biskits
@wjca:
I’m obviously invoking a stereotype here but Reeves strikes me as having benefited all his life from white privilege, coddled, probably picked on and taunted … and now that he has power, intends on using it against anyone and everyone who ever hurt him.
CaseyL
The more people leave, the more homogenized the state becomes, and the GOP likes that.
The more people leave, the fewer votes required to win elections, and the GOP really likes that.
Their end goal is apparently to have fewer than 50,000 residents in their states, all of whom are Christofascists.
gene108
I’ve heard Flex Jobs can be good to look for remote work.
https://www.flexjobs.com
lowtechcyclist
Thunder and lightning to the west of us, moving this way. Even if the aurora is active tonight, it’ll be a couple hours before there’s any chance of seeing it.
Nukular Biskits
@lowtechcyclist:
Stick a fork in me, I’m done.
As I mentioned earlier, I thought about driving east into the mountains, away from coastal overcast and light pollution, but the deep-dish pizza won the battle.
My pillow is calling me.
Anotherlurker
@Nukular Biskits: The Pizza looks good! However, as a NYer and therefore an insufferable Pizza snob I have to say that Pizza in California is expensive. I live in the East Bay and have enjoyed the local offerings but they are not the inexpensive meal option that I am used to. When I would work at MSG, my preferred meal option was to walk downstairs into Penn Station and sit down in any of several pizza places . I’d order a slice and a beverage and chow down. Heaven! and it didn’t break the bank.
wjca
At that point, the House becomes out of reach, essentially forever. And probably the White House, too.
frosty
@lowtechcyclist: I’d like to but up here on the Mason-Dixon Line we’re socked in. Best of luck to you. I saw the Northern Lights once in Alaska 45 years ago* and don’t know if I’ll get another chance.
* Hey, come outside, the light show is on!
lowtechcyclist
@frosty: It’s raining pretty hard here, no aurora in my immediate future.
I’ve seen the aurora once, about 20 years ago, from the driveway of the house next door. (We’re on the south side of the street, and opposite me there was a house with a lot of tall trees in the yard; there was a cul-de-sac off the north side of the street opposite my next-door neighbor, so a much better line of sight to the north.)
But even though I’ve scratched that off my bucket list, I sure wouldn’t have minded another opportunity. It may clear up just before dawn, but having been up this late, I’m sure I’ll be sound asleep by then. At this point, I’m just waiting for the kiddo to come home after his prom night. I told him he could stay out until 2am, but I bet he stays out a bit later, given that it’s already 1:52am.
prostratedragon
This is pretty darn good. For comparison, one of Bacon’s Screamin Popes.
lowtechcyclist
G’night 💤
NotMax
Broiling thick NY strip steaks from Costco for birthday din-din.
Package of three, doing all of them at the same time as, since no automatic dishwasher, i don’t want to have to scrub and clean the broiler pan multiple times.
Simple side pf yellow saffron rice. Also cracked open a bottle of bubbly.
;)
eclare
@NotMax:
Sounds nice!
Jay
@NotMax:
No vedge?
NotMax
@Jay
Nope. Light sprinkle of garlic powder on the meat will suffice in that department (along with Worcestershire and coarse ground black pepper). Plopped a fat fresh strawberry into the glass with the wine, though.
Jay
@NotMax:
Okay, the strawberry counts,….
although it is, technically fruit.
sab
Mother’s day today. Weird day for me, because my stepdaughter wants me to be her mother but I am not. Her actual mother died when she was a child. Her horrible adoptive mother rejected her because horrible adoptive mother is a toxic bitch. I love stepdaughter a lot but I don’t feel like her mother. Maybe more like a favorite aunt.
Also too, stepmothers deserve more respect. We don’t all want to kill the stepkids. I love mine.
prostratedragon
@sab: When my father referred to “Mother,” it wasn’t always clear whether he meant his natural mother, who died when he was around 8, or his stepmother, who was held in high regard by the whole family.
Jay
@sab:
Mother, like Aunt or Uncle, is often an honorific title, not biological.
None of my treasured Aunts or Uncles were even closely related by blood.
Other than 1, (Aunt), my Aunts and Uncles on my Mothers side, were good people and blood, but we almost never saw them. A little 2500 mile distance issue.
On my Dad’s side, other than the ones still in Scotland (only met once) and one aged Aunt here, the rest were assholes.
NotMax
@prostratedragon
Did someone say Mother?
;)
sab
@NotMax: One thing I have learned over the years is not to go down NotMax rabbitholes.
prostratedragon
@NotMax:
” I knew it would be ‘Snodgrass.'” 😄
sab
@sab: Also too, Mother’s day is supposed to be about the mother. How do I navigate it it when it is actually about the kid who needs a mother that she does not have. And the needy kid is herself an excellant mother, but her kid is still young.
Life is complicated but I am not complicated. Just not up to the job of step-parenting.
sab
@Jay: Yikes. Your family is more complicated than mine. Quite an accomplishment.
sab
@sab: There is no one on the planet who does better puns than yours. And I think puns are an underappreciated art form.
sab
Three posts in a row. Obviously just talking to myself online. Embarrassing.
MagdaInBlack
@sab: Good morning. Shift change at BJ.
sab
@MagdaInBlack: Good morning. I might just rollover into bed and sleep.
ETA Mother’s Day. I am flummoxed about how to treat today, and I don’t even have kids.
My mom died twelve years ago
ETA I was relieved when she died because she so much wanted to die. But I have missed her every day since.
MagdaInBlack
@sab: I don’t have kids and its been so long since I’ve had a mother that the day is just a blip to me. Sounds like you “mothered’ that girl and she loves you for it. That’s something to be honored , don’t you think? ❤️
Jay
@sab:
It’s Mothers Day, so, all you have to do is acknowledge your Mother, your MIL.
It’s a pay it upwards kinda thing.
All my Mom had to do was not mention during breakfast in bed, that the eggs were overcooked, the toast was slightly burnt, that the bacon was too crisp, the sausages were overcooked, the coffee was crap, the OJ had pulp, the flowers sucked and the hand made cards were crap.
Every year she managed it well, until the year I learned to properly poach an egg and how to make Eggs Benedict.
sab
@MagdaInBlack: I put my grief about Mom on backburner for years because worrying about Dad. Since Dad died I am finally dealing with Mom passing.
Whole thing is unexpected. Complicated. And I don’t process complications well. I have the emotional maturity of your average amoeba.
sab
@Jay: Those sound like perfect breakfasts. I hate undercooked food.
mrmoshpotato
@MagdaInBlack:
Excellent. Night night after seeing no northern lights.
MagdaInBlack
@sab: I suspect your emotional maturity is fine. You’re having a double whammy, so perhaps emotional overload?
sab
@MagdaInBlack: I just don’t think I am up for the job. She deserves more than I can give. Her past so much sucked and she is such a good mother
ETA But her dad my husband is amazing.
sab
We are looking for less of a house. One floor, not much yard. Multiple bathrooms.Our dog will be disappointed but that is life as a dog. And she is old.
Looking at sticker shock, but nursing homes are 7 to 12 thousand a month. You can buy a lot of one floor house for that.
Jay
@sab:
anything you can give here, in support, will help.
sab
@Jay: We will see. Husband (her adoptive dad) is organizing the whole thing. I hate going out on mothers day. A Hallmark zoo.
Jay
@sab:
I used to take my Mom out, every Mothers Day, or soon after if I was in town. I would take her out to lunch, then to the UBC Botanical Gardens, the Queen Zizzy Arboretum or the Knapp’s Quarry Garden.
I would help her steal seeds and cuttings from their collections.
Chris T.
@Anotherlurker:
All true, but Zachary’s pizza (which I used to get from the Solano and College Ave locations) is worth it.
I remember they added a Pleasant Hill location, and more recently, Grand Ave in Oakland (which I’ve been to as well, just not nearly as often).
Gloria DryGarden
@sab: I’m touched by this. I’ve been borrowing kids as an assistant teacher in early childhood. Its not the same, but I love most of my 4 year olds. And a few of their moms post on Facebook, so I get to track their path to high school and graduation.
It’s wonderful you get this stepchild and her child, to love. I’m reminded of how sometimes one person needs something the other can’t give, and of the 5 love languages. I just recently started a difficult conversation w a close friend by asking about her love languages and mine, which helped me say what I want, what would help in the past troubling situation.
it’s so ongoing, the work of self forgiveness, for what I haven’t made happen, and forgiving others for what they can never offer, or be. There’s lots of grief.
We never had much ritual around Mother’s Day, and my mom wasn’t so great at saying what she expected or wanted. Until after the fact. As a girl, I thought it was about respect and kindness for all moms. So I picked violets and lilacs for several moms in our neighborhood.
it sounds like you have a lot of love and care toward your stepdaughter. Of course she longs for a mom, with her past. And it’s ok that you give what’s right for you to give.
it took me forever, to understand and accept that the kind of mothering I longed for, was not ever going to happen, and to forgive the past.
my mom passed almost two years ago, but I’ve not had much chance to grieve, or process it.
Bill Hicks
@John Cole: Good job old man, not enshitifying the blog will win in the end.
sab
@Gloria DryGarden:Forgive yourself. Two years is not enough time to process grief.
AnnaN
USAJobs.gov – As a Vet you get hiring preference for VA positions. I have worked in the Govt for 22 years and the VA for 11 years and it really is an amazing agency. Even if you can’t find a position within the VA there are many 100% remote positions at other agencies and with your education you can easily substitute that for experience in many fields. The IRS is one which hires a lot of remote positions.
It’s also much easier to apply for positions in the Govt because they revamped the whole process. If you need any pointers let me know. And good luck.
BruceJ
I have a couple of charcoal starters hanging from nails under my porch, one of them is currently hosting the second house finch nest this year. The first one had three chicks that fledhged and left the nest, a check today sows that all four are sprouting their flight feathers and are crammed into the nest.
Kayla Rudbek
@AnnaN: the USPTO is a good place to work if you are NOT in the examination corps, or so they say…