Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

You know it’s bad when the Project 2025 people have to create training videos on “How To Be Normal”.

White supremacy is terrorism.

Nothing says ‘pro-life’ like letting children go hungry.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

This must be what justice looks like, not vengeful, just peaceful exuberance.

The republican ‘Pastor’ of the House is an odious authoritarian little creep.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

The low info voters probably won’t even notice or remember by their next lap around the goldfish bowl.

Fear or fury? The choice is ours.

These days, even the boring Republicans are nuts.

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. keep building.

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

Radicalized white males who support Trump are pitching a tent in the abyss.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

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

Let there be snark.

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

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

Republicans seem to think life begins at the candlelight dinner the night before.

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

The lights are all blinking red.

Today’s gop: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Dog Blogging / Respite Open Thread: Jasper is Eight

Respite Open Thread: Jasper is Eight

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Thought we could use a breather…Respite Open Thread: Jasper is Eight

This guy turned eight this week and you’d never know it. You’d never know he looked like this two years ago when he came to live with us. A little grayer, but still jumps around like a puppy with a touch of ADHD.

Dog Blogging: Need Your Thoughts

I’ve gotten nothing done today that was on my list, but some days are like that. I have a climate post ready to go for tomorrow, but we’ll see how the day goes. I may have to buckle down and do some serious writing instead.

The rest of the critters are all doing fine. I’m posting Furry Fridays over at my writing blog every Friday if you ever wonder how the other furry/feathered critters are doing.

This is a RESPITE thread. Tell us your good news.

Reader Interactions

99Comments

  1. 1.

    SomeRandomGuy

    What a good dog!

    (But I was a bit freaked out by the (emaciated?) dog I saw – might be worth a trigger warning)

  2. 2.

    debit

    Jasper is a handsome boy!

    I don’t know if it’s good news, but I have built a kennel in my basement for the occasional short term foster or, in the current case, a semi feral I’m hoping to win over so he can be handled and adopted.  I know TNR is always an option, but this boy is super sweet and this is a bad neighborhood for cats on the streets.

  5. 5.

    Dangerman

    Good news? Hmmm. Survived heart procedure last week (Captain Oblivious here). Only one, maybe two more to go. With one of them, I guess I am going bionic (no, not a pacemaker; much more cool and surely more expensive). This is good news as makes for killer party conversation (wanna see my scars?).

    ETA: You REALLY don’t.

  6. 6.

    debit

    @TaMara: If I didn’t already have a house full of cats I’d be tempted to just let him lurk and hide until he felt comfortable enough to hang out with people.  But the kennel has been really nice! I just need to do a better job on hanging the door.

  8. 8.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    Good news? My 29th birthday was this week, so there’s that.

    Ended up visiting the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium the other day. Was a lot of fun

  9. 9.

    Lochnessmom

    PUPPER! So handsome.

    Good news: son’s girlfriend moving in from California. She’s fantastic.  Also get to take a trip to D.C. for the first time ever on the 30th. Renting a row house a 20 minute walk from the Smithsonian. So excited! Won’t get to experience everything on my wishlist, but will try.

    Kids are back with movie snacks so now I am really going.

  11. 11.

    TaMara

    You guys should go back and read that thread on should I or shouldn’t I adopt Jasper (it’s the link in the OP). Such sweet kindness from everyone.

  15. 15.

    Shana

    @Lochnessmom: which Smithsonian museum will you be close to? Enjoy DC, it’s a fun town to visit.  Also the Kennedy Center has free performances in their big lobby almost every day at 5pm. All sorts of things, dance of various sorts, all kinds of music. Worth checking their website for a schedule. As you probably know almost all the museums are free – your tax dollars at work.

    Our good news is that both daughters are now officially engaged snd it looks like we’ll have two weddings next year.

  18. 18.

    BeautifulPlumage

    I’ve been needing to arrange rides to & from work while my car is in the shop and soooo many folks have offered help! No one person is having to do more than 1 or 2 trips. It does my cynical little heart good to remember that most of us want to help out when we can.

  19. 19.

    Another Scott

    @NotMax: It was suggested to WG to make it the topic for the next Medium Cool and she liked that idea.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  20. 20.

    MagdaInBlack

    He is so handsome ❤️

    Happy Birthday, Jasper 🎉

    Thank you for the pup-post, TaMara 🪷

  21. 21.

    Joy in FL

    I love seeing Jasper so healthy and confident.

    I think it counts as good enough news that things are ok in my part of the galaxy- my two cats are fine and I am at least ok.

    This is a very pleasant thread. I appreciate everyone sharing and am glad for all your good things.

  24. 24.

    Ihop

    The crabby old shits in my life who believe other crabby old shits who tell them what to bitch about were wrong this particular evening

    Small fucking victories.

  26. 26.

    Kayla Rudbek

    I had my yearly mammogram this week (a little overdue, I should have done it in April) and it was clear, about 3 years post cancer now so only two more years of the tamoxifen before the doctor assesses whether I need to be on it past that. And I found out that tamoxifen is a banned substance for professional athletes (apparently pro cyclists and weightlifters have abused it to decrease estrogen and boost testosterone) when I was looking up the Tour de France teams and seeing the doping scandal entries on Wikipedia.

    I have had the Tour de France on in the background most evenings, so I have caught up on a lot of knitting and cross stitch while watching the race and the scenery. I’ve been cheering on Biniam Girmay from Eritrea as he is winning the sprinter’s green jersey. It’s still weird to hear the announcers saying that the Tour is ending in Nice (due to the Olympics being in Paris, they aren’t doing the traditional finish in Paris on the Champs-Elysees).  I need to find some good projects for watching the Olympics (and maybe the Vuelta) with.  TV knitting needs to be easy.

    My parents have an offer on their house, although the home inspection found some problems so hopefully that can be resolved soon.

  30. 30.

    NutmegAgain

    What a good boy! Handsome too. I fostered 2 different dogs for 6 months each last year. It was wonderful, but I didn’t have a resident dog. I think Orion needs more settling in. The way it almost always is with rescue, I think he had some rough sledding his first 3 years.

  31. 31.

    TaMara

    Rescues have that moment when they let you know they are secure in their life, feeling safe and loved.

    Jasper has had many small moments like that but a big one was last week after I got home from being out of town for a while. He and I were on a walk and he was being a big pain in the butt and I got a little spicy with him, probably more than I needed, but I was tired and cranky.

    That boy sat his ass on the sidewalk and refused to budge until I got my shit together and shifted my attitude. It was such a great moment. I laughed and my heart about ‘sploded.

  32. 32.

    Gin & Tonic

    Seeing that pic of Jasper made me think that it’s been a *long* time since we’ve seen a pic of Tim F.’s Max. He may have even gone over the Rainbow Bridge by now, who knows.
    [New people saying WTF is he talking about?]​

    ETA: As to respite, swimming in the ocean is always respite to me, and that’s what I did today.

  39. 39.

    mali muso

    Good news…in this evening’s saga of hosting kiddo’s little friends at our house for a sleepover, only 1 kid decided they weren’t ready to sleep away from home and had to be picked up and the other managed to nod off.  After several hours of squealing, running, giggling and noise – all is quiet.

  40. 40.

    FastEdD

    I’m still getting over the loss of my partner to cancer a year and a half ago. I went to a park to see a free concert by a lousy Neil Diamond tribute band a week ago. Why not, it was free and an excuse to get out of the house. A woman about my age asked if she could sit down next to me on the park bench. We started talking about old bands we had seen and we were doing Neil Diamond jokes. We strolled around the park, danced a bit, laughed a lot, and I walked her back to her car. It was a lovely evening.

    My partner’s name was Ginger. This woman’s name is Maryann.

  41. 41.

    laura

    The Dearest Friend of My Heart had a surgery at UCSF. I had the privilege of being of service to her and her wonderfully capable daughter for the last couple few days and the coming weeks. Service is My Respite.

  45. 45.

    Ohio Mom

    @Kayla Rudbek: See if you are eligible for the Breast Cancer Index test. Your doctor sends in a slice of your tumor (they should still have it encased in wax in storage) and the BCI lab analyzes its genes to see if you would benefit from an extra five years of hormone blocking.

    My Oncotype score was extremely low, a three, but my BCI result was that I had a high chance of recurrence if I did not go for ten years on an estrogen blocker.

    After my ten years were up, I asked to stay on the Arimidex. The onc warned that there is no data that it helps past years but I think that’s because no one has collected those numbers yet. Anyway, she said okay and as long as my bones stay strong enough, that’s my plan.

  46. 46.

    Old Dan and Little Ann

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): In college I spent time at The Pittsburgh Zoo as part of my education degree.  4 hours a week for a semester.  My favorite day was when we had a backstage look at the penguins.  That was in the mid-90’s.  My ride each week was a nice classmate yinser girl who wore a Jagr jersey most days.

  48. 48.

    Kayla Rudbek

    @Ohio Mom: thank you very much! I can ask on MyChart or at my appointment in September about the genetics of the tumors. Personally I would prefer to get off the medication if I can (muscle cramps etc)

  49. 49.

    Ohio Mom

    @FastEdD: What a lovely sign from the powers of the universe, that new adventurers await — whether or not with Maryann, you have had a foretaste of what the future could bring.

  50. 50.

    Mr. Bemused Senior

    @FastEdD: awww.

    I had a good trip to NYC, saw family and the TPM happy hour was very pleasant. I had a long conversation with someone, reminiscing about early days in the computer biz.

    Oh, also a BJ meetup on Monday thanks to RedDirtGirl.

  51. 51.

    Kristine

    I got new glasses today! Transition lenses and everything. First new pair in 7 years—my eyes just stopped changing and I didn’t see the point in replacing my old hornrims. New pair has a very thin wire frame. So nice and light.

    Also my common milkweed are blooming and the scent is just lovely. No sign of any caterpillars, however, even though Monarch mums have visited a few times.

    Best wishes to all for calmer times ahead. Yeah, I know, but a girl can dream.

  52. 52.

    Ohio Mom

    @Kayla Rudbek: I have not had any issues with the Arimidex, which works differently than Tamoxifen, though I forget the details. But I’ve known people who didn’t react well to Arimidex. It’s all a crapshoot.

  53. 53.

    Elizabelle

    Jasper is one fine looking Dane.  Of course, I still miss Bixby and Bailey and kitteh Gabe.  You have had some memorable animal roommates.

  56. 56.

    BretH

    Our 13 week old Golden retriever puppy is doing well and our 10 yr old golden Cody is becoming more and more an older brother. It’s lovely to see.

  58. 58.

    SiubhanDuinne

    My apologies for dropping a sad item into a good news thread, which I’m enjoying very much, but just heard that Sheila Jackson Lee passed away today. RIP, Congresswoman Lee, and fuck cancer.

  60. 60.

    Jackie

    @FastEdD:

    My partner’s name was Ginger. This woman’s name is Maryann.

    I hope your real name is The Professor!😁

    Sounds like a wonderful evening… and maybe a future friendship!

  63. 63.

    HinTN

    Happy 29th, @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): I am sure I don’t remember those mists of time. Enjoy!

    @Mr. Bemused Senior: So glad ya’ll had a meetup there in NYC. Ours down the peninsula was great fun! Mrs H and I are making a really quick trip to NYC in mid-August just to hear James Carter blow his horn at Birdland. No time for much but arrive, find lunch the next day and then go out, and depart. Jet setting!🙄

  65. 65.

    Soprano2

    Took my cat to the vet today. He didn’t have any more fluid on his lungs, which is good, but he’s lost more weight. Getting him to eat is my main concern now. I’m just glad I found him, I was worrying that he was suffering and I couldn’t help him.

  67. 67.

    Origuy

    I am planning a trip to Pennsylvania in October. The US National Orienteering Championships are in Scranton, and I’m adding a few days in Philadelphia, where I’ve never been before. So I’ll be going to all the historical stuff, the art museum, the Mutter Museum, and maybe Valley Forge. Any suggestions?

  68. 68.

    NutmegAgain

    @TaMara: That’s the kind of behavior that makes me laugh too. I worked out a routine with one of my girls where she would park her butt down mid walk, and I would walk around her and start going in the opposite direction (right into the dog, in other words). Mostly, it worked. If I could get her up, I could usually influence the direction of the walk.

  69. 69.

    Bupalos

    Good news: not on shift, but picked up 3 dem registrations today on The campus of Hiram college from folks doing orientation tours. Totally random. Just in the flow of my day and MADE MY DAY.

    if anyone is thinking of doing this work, it’s shocking the number of 18 year olds who are like “whoa, wait… yeah… I AM 18!!!” And you’ll be like “maybe I just captured 150 votes over the next 50 years!!!

    nail em down early.

  71. 71.

    Bupalos

    All y’all who are like “we can’t talk about who our best candidate is because we’re too busy DOING THE WORK tell us about the work you did today for Dem candidates.

  72. 72.

    Nancy

    @NotMax: Re:Newhart 

    Bob as therapist;

    Emily is out of town, Bob, the neighbor guy/ pilot, the dentist, and Mr. Carlin get drunk and order Chinese food, Moo Goo Gai Pan,  multiple times. I laugh just remembering the scene.

  74. 74.

    DivF

    We have a house guest for the weekend – a 15 year old border collie / terrier mix. Mimi is a sweet elderly girl who has stayed with us before, including a 4 month stay last winter with her humans while their house was getting worked on. Her humans are away for the weekend this time, so it’s just the three of us. We have all reached the point in our lives where napping figures prominently, which is just fine with her.

  76. 76.

    Anne Laurie

    @NotMax: Guess any chance for a Newhart memorial thread is fading into the mists of time.

    Sunday.  WaterGirl’s holding her obit for the weekly Medium Cool post.

  78. 78.

    Mel

    @Origuy: If you don’t mind a little bit of a drive (40-45 mins from Philly), The Winterthur Museum and its beautiful grounds are a treat. It’s near Wilmington, Delaware, and has the most incredible collection of colonial and early American furniture, etc.

  79. 79.

    Bupalos

    I believe many people in online communities are lying about most things.

    they go online to vent their opinion, and seek community and comfort through shared opinion. They then construct a flexibly fictional world that is tied to their real existence, but which is massaged and shaped to serve the goal of community.

    the reason online opinion in spaces like this quickly evolves to conform to a gradually agreed narrative and lacks the granular complexity you recognize in your “real life” is because the purpose of this space is to deliver a comfort of homogenous certainty. Or to stand in for the instantiation of the ideal community that flows from coherent ideology, minus the messiness of real people.

    That’s also the reason why heterodox opinions, even in a space that is supposed to be defined by diversity, are quickly and efficiently subject to rote filters.

    that’s how it seems to me. Even worse on the right than it is here.

  81. 81.

    Lochnessmom

    @Shana: no weddings among my kids so far , but the oldest has been with his girlfriend for 15 years. But they all paired off already, which I don’t know if i find fabulous or concerning, lol

  82. 82.

    Origuy

    @Ohio Mom: Reminds me of Parc Guell in Barcelona. I’ll add it to the list.

    @Nancy: The timing doesn’t work since they’re closed Tue-Thu, which is when I’ll be in Philly. I love Rodin, though, and there is a lot of his work in the Legion of Honor in SF and the Stanford art museum.

    @Mel: A little out of my way, I’m afraid. I’ve never heard of it; it goes on my list for the next time I’m out there.

  83. 83.

    divF

    @Lochnessmom: Even though it is not close to where you’re staying, if you’re an aerospace enthusiast (or your kids are) try to make it out to the Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum, out next to Dulles airport. It’s a giant hangar full of historic air- and spacecraft.

    I grew up in DC, and in the 1960s, I used to go to the Smithsonian for fun. The West Building of the National Gallery of Art is were they keep all the classical paintings, and is a cool, serene space. One summer during college, when I was working as a clerk in the Government Printing Office downtown, I would go there after work, and sit in the garden spaces at the end of the two wings of the building and write letters to my friends in Berkeley.

    At the National Museum of American History, there is an exhibit built around a section of a Woolworth’s Lunch Counter in Greensboro, NC, where one of the first lunch counter sit-in’s occurred in 1960. When I first saw that exhibit about 10 years ago, I hadn’t known about it. By chance, there was an African-American father standing in front of the exhibit, carefully explaining it to his young (eight- or nine-year-old) son. The entire moment hit me like a punch in the gut.

  85. 85.

    SomeRandomGuy

    @TaMara: I freak easily – no need to worry on my account! As much as anything, I was also checking myself (“did I see what I thought I saw?”)

    @Lochnessmom: I smiled at your response, remembering that I grew up in Philadelphia,  so I wasn’t as excited as some to see some of the history of the area, as some folks who I got to surprise by playing tour guide, as a Philly native.

  86. 86.

    Yutsano

    Some positive personal news?

    I got word on Wednesday that my restoration of leave application was approved! I didn’t get quite as much as I was hoping but it’s more than enough to replace the 47 hours I was missing! This means I can move once that hits my pay.

    Obligatory for Jasper:

    🎶I like big mutts and I cannot lie!🎶

  87. 87.

    CaseyL

    Two bits of good news:

    A glowing annual review at work.

    Finally figuring out how to get Oscar to let me clip his nails (I hold him in my lap, more or less on his back). He gets stuck on furniture so often, and it’s always hurts his poor little toes getting him loose, no matter how careful I am. So now I can keep the murder mittens trimmed.

  90. 90.

    VFX Lurker

    Happy personal news: I solved a difficult technical problem today and learned a lot along the way. It involved Unreal Engine, Blueprints, and deciphering C++ code.

    I also got to share some of what I learned with a co-worker who had a similar problem, so I spared him a few days of digging.

  91. 91.

    Darkrose

    I had an absolutely lovely couple of days in Toronto. After the conference, I checked out of the big conference hotel and into a small guesthouse. I chose it partly because the picture of the front on their website had a big rainbow flag; I didn’t realize it was in the middle of the Village, Toronto’s queer neighborhood.

    Last night I went to dinner at the CN Tower with the colleagues I’d done the conference presentation with. The food was excellent and Twelve Gods, the view! Sunset over Lake Ontario in the rotating restaurant. Today I went to the Royal Ontario Museum where I saw the Wild Cats exhibit, which was fascinating; it’s amazing how much of their wild cousins you can see in our fur kids.

    Dinner tonight was at a restaurant called Stormcrow Manor, which is all nerd themed. I did the Random Shots, where you roll a d20 to see what you’ll drink. I got a Dark Knight–fitting, since it’s my main job in FFXIV–and a Xenomorph Brain Fluid, plus a Nuka Cola. It was wonderful sitting outsite and watching all the chill queers go by.

    Fun as it’s been, I miss my wife and micropanther boy, and I really hope I’ll be able to make it home tomorrow as planned.

  92. 92.

    normal liberal

    @Origuy: I’ve seen several suggestions from others, all good, but I can’t resist pushing for the best tribute to American eccentricity going. Doylestown, PA, roughly an hour north from Center City Philadelphia, is home to the collected obsessions of one Henry Mercer, architect, builder and founder of Fonthill Castle, the Moravian Tileworks and especially the Mercer Museum. Look them up, and see if they intrigue. Fonthill is his showpiece for a collection of ceramic tiles going back to antiquity. One note, the buildings are great fun, but the absolute opposite of accessible, if that’s an issue.

    There’s so much to do and see right in Philadelphia, much too long a list. But if you’re up for an excursion and have a car….

  93. 93.

    KrackenJack

    Thank you everyone for the good news and even the sad news. Glad to hear of the accomplishments and new adventures.

    I made some coconut cream-based ice cream. It has toasted coconut flakes and dark chocolate chunks. Kind of like a Mounds candy bar.

  94. 94.

    NotMax

    @KrackenJack

    Once drove by a long, impressive stone wall with a big sign at the gate identifying what was inside as The Cemetery of Saints Peter and Paul.

    Could not resist musing aloud to my passenger whether the graves are referred to as Peter Paul mounds.

  97. 97.

    sab

    @CaseyL: Oscar cat or dog?

    We laughed at Cole having Steve shaved for years, but our Mouf has an appointment this week. Smaller version of Steve, and his fur and fur clumps are out of control. Prior years he ripped out his fur with flea itch. This year he is healthy and happy.  First year ever for dingleberries.

  98. 98.

    Ruckus

    @Lochnessmom:

    If you are a medium or even an old, it’s a good idea to remember that life, as people see it, does actually change quite a bit over time. Sure, we are still human but the way things work/happen does change over time. I’m 75 and have seen a dramatic level of change, in how young kids are raised, schooling, history, so many bits and pieces of life are significantly different than when I was young. My sister came out as gay a lot of decades ago and that part of humanity is a lot better off than they were then. Cars were so drastically worse, medicine was so drastically less and worse – think of the medications of the last 30-40 yrs and what that has meant for so many – myself included. Humanity has changed as well, mostly for the better, communications – like what we are doing now, cell phones – when I was rather young not everyone had a landline phone in their house – now a phone in most every pocket or purse, and on and on, life is different, a lot different now. And yet it is still life, it still has humans and human issues. Not everything actually changes as much as it seems.

  99. 99.

    Ruckus

    @TaMara:

    Remember 29? Hell I can barely remember 59.

    I can remember quite young when the family made a trip to Canada, I was somewhere in single digits. I can remember 12, when my sister came home from her collage freshman year (18 yrs old) and told me to get my elbow off the table and I told her, very plainly and potty mouth what she could do to herself – and got stabbed in the arm with a fork. After I had pulled the fork out of my arm and chased her to her room and almost put my fist through her door. A few months later she actually acted like she respected me and we actually grew close later on as we both grew up.

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