I’m as twitchy as an angry cat’s tail today because Bill is visiting our flooded house by boat to check on things, and I dread hearing bad news upon his return, such as “oops, we didn’t jack the piano up enough and now it’s ruined.” Oh well. Not a thing in the world I can do about it, so I plan to practice self-care.
Got a jump on that yesterday evening when we visited a local tavern, where we had a fairly long and remarkably civil conversation with a Trump voter. It was the joint’s proprietor. He introduced the subject by telling us he’s waiting for the outcome of the election to decide whether to invest further in his establishment because he thinks Republicans are “better for business.”
I played dumb and asked questions, hoping he’d hear the contradictions in his answers. For example, when he complained about onerous regulations governing things like parking lot easements and RV hookups, I asked about the origin of the rules that were pissing him off. The county authorities put those regulations on the books. I asked if there were any Democrats on the commission. (The answer is no.) And so on.
I wasn’t under any illusions about converting a Trumper, and I didn’t. But following the Socratic method kept the conversation polite, and, more importantly, kept us from getting ejected and barred from the only pub in this neighborhood.
***
TV is a good distraction in these tumultuous times. I’m watching the Great British Baking Show and rooting for Slovakian immigrant Nelly because she is hilarious. I’m also binge-watching past seasons of BBQ Showdown. It’s fascinating in a trainwreck sense because the showrunners spring terrible surprises on contestants, like requiring them to incorporate raccoon meat into their dishes. Sweet tap-dancing Christ!
Netflix will roll out a new season of The Diplomat on October 31. We loved season 1, which ended with a cliffhanger. Hopefully Netflix will dump all the episodes on the platform at once rather than doling them out piecemeal.
Apple TV’s “Shrinking” is another show I’m enjoying. It’s about a grieving therapist (played by sexy beast Jason Segel) who goes rogue with his patients by getting involved in their lives. Harrison Ford plays Segel’s disapproving fellow therapist and mentor.
Sportsball on TV is another great distraction. Yesterday’s World Series opening game was amaze-balls! I don’t like either team but hate the Yankees above all others, so I loved that walk-off grand slam in the 10th.
Anyone got recs for other distractions to keep election/natural disaster jitters at bay? Open thread.
Authors In Our Midst – Richard Roberts – Skip School, Make Dragons
MobiusKlein
Fuck the Fucking Bankees. And the NYT too
Baud
You handled that tavern owner like a boss, BC.
It’s a good example of why I don’t believe people’s stated reasons for hating Dems. So much propaganda and self delusion.
New Deal democrat
OK if you are lookiing for a distraction, true crime is the best.
And if you have never watched it, “Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kendra” is the absolute best! Steel trap mind and drier than the Sahara Desert. And a real surprise about how he ended his career in the last episode: well, my my my ….
narya
Just wrote postcards to use up my last 20 stamps! Gonna take a lovely walk in the sun to mail them.
Phylllis
The final season of Somebody Somewhere starts on HBO Sunday. A lovely, heartfelt but not sappy or maudlin show. I think new episodes drop weekly, but seasons 1 & 2 are available to binge via Max.
KatKapCC
I find complex board games to be a good (and long) distraction. Partner and I along with friends have been playing things like Wingspan and Chai and Ticket To Ride.
SiubhanDuinne
I also loved Season 1 of The Diplomat, and am counting the days until Season 2 drops. Have you seen the trailer yet? Alison Janney as the VP!!
Nina
i am watching Blown Away on Netflix. Glass can be so pretty and so fickle
Ishiyama
Watching old episodes of Stop!! Hibari-kun!
BellaPea
We are currently wrapped up in Disclaimer on Apple TV, and boy is it remarkable. Cate Blanchett and Kevin Kline, and a surprisingly subtle Sacha Baron Cohen star. Produced, directed and written by Alfonso Cuaron, it is beautifully written and produced. I see many Emmys ahead next year.
LeftCoastYankee
Humoring the bartender is a wise strategy. It is amazing how for some people “The Gubmint = Democrats” when they don’t like something. And it’s all one big blob. It’s intentional I think. If you don’t actually know how things work then anything that pops into your head seems plausible.
I’ll take 6 more of those World Series games. I’m not a fan of either team (despite my nym), but they are both loaded with talent. S/b entertaining.
Peke Daddy
@BellaPea: A long walk on an ocean side trail later today, followed by cannoli and a cappuccino.
Percysowner
Seconding Blown Away. I love watching talented people doing difficult and creative things. School of Chocolate is great. It is kind and gentle. The lowest contestant is not sent home, instead they get a special session with the host, who is brilliant, teaching them how to improve their technique. There is a final 2 but everyone stays in until the end.
beckya57
World Series for me, hoping NYY gets crushed. Loved last night’s ending! Since we’re nerds we also like watching Teaching Company series on DVD.
TinRoofRusted
@Phylllis: I saw Bridget Everett Thursday night at the Beacon Theater in NYC. The show is called The Tender Moments and is so very, very funny and very, very raunchy. I laughed so hard I was crying and I was not alone. It was sold out and everyone was very loud in their appreciation of her comedy and singing. Some of the cast were there. We have been rewatching seasons 1 & 2 and looking forward to season 3.
Raoul Paste
Hope it goes well at the Homestead.
If we see something too intense on the TV, we switch to our brain balm, which is Murdoch Mysteries on Hulu. There are 18 seasons with 18 episodes each, so no shortage there.
UncleEbeneezer
I love Nelly. But I think I’m rooting for Sumara first and then Dylan/Nelly. But I’d be thrilled for any of the three of them.
Tazj
@Phylllis: That’s good, I was wondering if there was going to be another season.
Early voting started in NY today and I went because my husband doesn’t have the time to vote on Election Day. We waited in line for about an hour. Of course, no matter how I try to distract myself I kept looking around to try to see or hear something that will give me a clue as to how the election will go.
And it’s silly because it’s NY and it was mainly old farts like the two of us, but I’m hopeful.
JoyceH
For some reason I started binge-watching Fringe. I’d watched a couple seasons ages ago and always intended to go back and finish it but it’s been so long I started back at the beginning. My sister saw the whole series and said the last season sucked but I’ll probably watch it anyway.
Meanwhile I went out to the gate and picked up a couple Amazon packages. One was stuff I’d ordered and one wasn’t, though my name was on the package. I went to Amazon Customer Service pages and found guidance for unwanted package. They said before filling out the unwanted package form to check with friends and family to see if it was a gift. So I went over to Facebook and asked if anyone had sent me 100 AA batteries and a box of golf balls.
Phylllis
@TinRoofRusted: I read about that show. Lucky you. I would love to see her cabaret show.
cain
The Netflix show ‘Nobody Wants This’ is a master class in how to do a rom com. Where the drama isnt dragged out but handled within the 30 minutes. Where situations are handled like adults.
But also just laugh out loud funny. I have not done that in a long awhile.
Plus I learned a lot of stuff about Jewish traditions.
mrmoshpotato
LMAO! I can imagine the reactions from the contestants!
Ceci n est pas mon nym
Occasionally I check the discussion over in Britain when there’s a particularly significant event, like Noel knocking Nelly’s caramel to the floor while horsing around a couple of weeks ago. They take their GBBO seriously over there. I think Noel only avoided public lynching because the incident didn’t cause Nelly to be eliminated.
Yeah, we’re fans. And we’re bravely delaying gratification by waiting to start the Australian version that was just released (with host Cal Wilson who sadly died of cancer right after filming) until after GBBO is over.
It’s probably your fault that we got hooked on GBBO in the first place, come to think of it.
SiubhanDuinne
@JoyceH:
I guess this is just a little too niche to work as a rotating tag. Pity, that.
Geminid
That tavern owner sounds like a soft Republican. The true believers are confident he will win.
Ms. Cracker might find out more before too long, once the election is over. The owner could be sputtering about a stolen election and “RINOs stabbing Trump in the back! Again!!”
Or he might tell Betty, “Well, I think I’m gonna invest in the bar anyway. It seems like an independent thing to do, and I’m an Independent now.”
Van Buren
Taking a break from assembling a bed. Instructions clearly state you need 2 people, but its just me and a dachshund, who is not in her element. 24 year old son, who weighs 220 lbs, is still sleeping in a bed meant for an 8 year old. Well, not anymore, old one is disassembled. New one, well, we are making progress.
RaflW
I’ve got the quarterfinals queued up for GBBS collection 10 (no spoilers, please!). I’ve been trying to figure out Sandro a bit, but whatever, he’s extremely easy on the eye.
I knew Scotsman Kevin wouldn’t make the final, he was a bit too set on rustic baking to get past the precision judging. I just really like that its a competition show where there’s never anything but kindness and even occasional helping hands among the bakers.
I also find myself thinking about how to do a Prue costume for Thanksgiving, though this year I’m not in a drag mood (we’re going to a 50s themed party, BF as Fonzie and me as Al from Arnolds. Ayyyyy. I’m just gonna say “Sit on it, Ritchie” a lot.)
Mark’s Bubbie
It’s the first day of early voting here in NJ. We voted, which did wonders for my mood. Longest voting line of my life, took 50 minutes or so. We enjoyed the beautiful day.
I watched the first 2 episodes of “The Lincoln Lawyer” (Netflix) last night. Pretty good. 28 to go!
David 🐝KHive🐝 Koch
In The Art of War, Sun Tzu stated, “the enemy of the Dodgers is my friend”.
Wise words indeed.
Yeah the Yanquis are the Yanquis, but who can ever root for the team of Steve Garvey and Orel Hershiser.
lowtechcyclist
@JoyceH:
“Just the thing I need. How nice.”
Jerry
For the new season of Great British Bakeoff, I’m rooting for the young lady that looks like she’s in a shoegaze band in 1989
geg6
Somebody, Somewhere starts its third and last season Sunday night on HBO.
i cannot possibly recommend a show more highly. It’s hilarious and uplifting.
KrackenJack
Finally got to mail the 1000 OH postcards we completed a month ago. Post Cards to Swing States gave very specific dates based on where you live relative to the destination. Post office worker was cheerful. Thinking about phone banking.
scav
Any and all seasons of Taskmaster in all the countries (non US) because it’s silly problem solving (or creating) so comforting in that we still do that and create general chaos but in a non lethal way. Plus piss-taking cooperation and an over-supply of outliers.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
We watched the first few episodes of a Hulu series called Nine Perfect Strangers and intend to binge-watch the rest when we get a moment. It’s about nine people broken in various ways who have given themselves over to an insane Russian wellness guru at a health resort.
This was a book by Australian author Liane Moriarty in my Audible library that for some reason I never finished after starting a couple of years ago. Just rediscovered it and finished it, then I started wondering if it had been adapted, and found the Hulu mini-series. It’s been transplanted to the US, with Nicole Kidman as the crazy Russian and Melissa McCarthy as the main character. Kidman and McCarthy are also executive producers.
MattF
Been watching Agatha All Along on Disney/Marvel. Yeah, Marvel + witches and I like it just fine. Last two episodes will show up on the 30th. And Kathryn Hahn + Patti Lu Pone are, needless to say, excellent. If you’re thinking of watching it, watch WandaVision first.
FelonyGovt
Agree 100% about Nelly, she is hilarious but also very touching with her talk about her husband and her family. And I’m also thrilled that The Diplomat is coming back.
We get Disney+ (for stupid reasons) and they have or are going to have a show following Bruce Springsteen’s latest tour. I plan to watch that.
Much as I love baseball, I’m not watching the World Series because I hate both teams, especially the Dodgers which makes it a bit difficult, living in L.A. Hockey will have to substitute, but I don’t love it quite as much.
Scout211
I don’t watch any streaming shows or movies but I read lots of books.
My book group book for this month was a non-fiction that I dreaded to read. But it turned out that an amazing book: The Poisoner’s Handbook : Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum.
It was so well-written and so interesting. I couldn’t put it down and it was non-fiction, which usually puts me to sleep.
I guess in 2014, PBS released a film based on the book in its American Experience series. Anyway, it reads like fiction, science fiction, politics, history and true detective stories all rolled into one.
KrackenJack
@lowtechcyclist: “How thoughtful! I’ve been meaning to take up night golfing!”
TBone
America’s Test Kitchen had another mini marathon today, and now I’m gonna hafta make gravlax. The only problem is the substandard availability of good, fresh salmon here. I will maybe have to wait and get some on our next trip home. You must start with good ingredients if you want delicious.
Duchess potatoes in the meantime.
https://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/10219-duchess-potato-casserole
Mr. Bemused Senior
@KrackenJack: I can see it! An entire course dotted with Maglites. [ETA this could be BIG!]
Anotherlurker
@Scout211: The Poisoner’s Handbook is one of my favorite reads. Dr. Norris was an amazing person and is a prime example of a fabulously rich person who believes in and practices noblesse oblige.
sab
@JoyceH: I don’t know why but that made me laugh.
M31
@Scout211: totally agree on the Poisoner’s Handbook — a great read and very well done
and yikes the stuff that used to just routinely kill people, gas leaks, bad alcohol, etc.
and that the NY coroner’s office used to be a 100% patronage no-show position for the drunkass relatives of the mayor
Math Guy
Going for a walk in the local arboretum. It is a beautiful autumn day, not one to be wasted.
Suzanne
I haven’t been feeling great this week and I missed some of my regular yoga classes. I went today, and while it doesn’t ease the mental freakout….. the body anxiety is significantly reduced.
I drove through much of Mt. Lebanon today. Harris signs outnumber the Trumpy by approx. 15:1 there. Mt. Lebanon is full of college-educated white people.
karen marie
@Tazj: I got an email confirmation that my ballot was received in Maricopa County. I was amazed because I had handed it to my mail carrier yesterday morning at about 11 a.m. Now I just wait for confirmation that my signature has been accepted. I have no idea what they’re using as a basis but it was accepted last time, so I am hopeful there will be no problem this time.
laura
Friday night is our Dia de los Muertos party, so we’re deep in the decorating phase and I’m writing the grocery list for carnitas, chicken, tamales and sangria. Spouse is out back pounding some stakes in the ground that’ll be wrapped in burlap because our tiny casita has only one bathroom so I make a somewhat private gentleman’s piss garden out behind the garage and save the bathroom for the ladies. This year’s shindig will be the last hurrah for my garbage hip before replacement surgery, and I’m going to dance so hard on it just one last time.
glc
If you’re into Euripides, he’s got some new work out.
(not a whole lot though)
UncleEbeneezer
@David 🐝KHive🐝 Koch: And Jackie Robinson and Fernando Valenzuela?
FelonyGovt
Can I say how much I appreciate the various good news/ distraction posts from you and the other front pagers. Good break from the free-floating anxiety about you-know-what.
TBone
@laura: you go, girl!
RaflW
Oh, we voted yesterday. The nice folks at Minneapolis Voter Services came over and politely asked if they could put two post-it notes on my Harris for President bumper sticker. I offered to just re-park my car outside the 400′ zone, but they said “It’s no problem, and we appreciate your willingness” and that was it.
They really are following the rules to a “T” and I think that’s fine, though I’d be pretty surprised if a complaint woulda been filed. But why risk it?
Voting was quick and easy, once I’d done some research b4 hand about a few judges and a constitutional question about lottery proceeds (voted Yes, since the proceeds are comin’ no matter what, this locks 40% of them into environment & conservation for another stretch of time).
Glad to be done with that. We’re doing more Vote Forward letters this afternoon, and then I’ll go for a walk. It’s nice out, here! Hope Mousebumples & fam are enjoying the Twin Cities, it’s showing off with this nice spell.
kalakal
lovely day here.
letting throat have a rest from having been lecturing all week.
Phone died* so now getting used to new one.
*6 years old so it didn’t owe me anything
UncleEbeneezer
@Ceci n est pas mon nym: We thought the premise of NPS was kind of meh, for such an interesting concept and killer cast. That said, Bobby Cannavale and Samara Weaving were both pretty hilarious. Both very good comedic actors even though they often aren’t thought of as such. Weaving is particularly funny in the horror films The Babysitter and Ready Or Not.
TBone
Yesterday I made chicken corn chowder and invented TBone’s Vintage Parfaits.
In a nice tall glass or mason jar, put in a half inch layer of chunky-crushed pretzels. Then add an inch layer of cherry pie filling. Then add an inch of Greek style full fat vanilla yogurt. Repeat. Yum!
karen marie
@TBone: I hope, when you do make gravlax, that you report back on how it went. I love a toasted bagel with cream cheese, onion, capers and lox for breakfast, and I’ve periodically fantasized about making gravlax but the idea of it also freaks me out.
Villago Delenda Est
Contrary to the beliefs of glibertarian dickheads, all those terrible regulations have a solid reason behind them. The regulations are imposed to correct a flaw in how things are done, to save lives and property. But the assholes of Reason don’t grok any of this, because pure shit-fer-brains, to steal a Wonketteism.
Anonymous At Work
LOWER DECKS! LOWER DECKS! (Season 5, the last one)
“Remarkable…I have fooled you.”
Anoniminous
@KrackenJack:
Back in the 80s a molecular biologist friend was trying to develop a grass with bio-luminosity to sell to golf courses for night golfing. Never got anywhere. Cute idea tho’
Villago Delenda Est
@UncleEbeneezer: Canavale’s contributions to the Ant Man films should be highlighted. He was great in the two he appeared in.
karen marie
@M31: Add to the list of things that used to kill people: wallpaper.
Anonymous At Work
@Villago Delenda Est: I use this line in teaching research regulations and ethics: Regulations are written in blood. There are regulations about not storing radioactive material in crew berths on ships, for example. Someone didn’t think “What’s a regulation without a purpose that’ll f$&k with ship captains?” Instead, some ship owner thought they could save a penny by storing hazardous materials in the same compartment where their crew slept, and the crew probably got hurt.
Villago Delenda Est
@Anonymous At Work: Could not possibly agree with you more. One has to think a bit beyond “right now” to understand all this properly.
Bupalos
What I love most about that first Yankees loss is it was pretty much 100% because they do the little fundamental things wrong- play bad lazy defense, laughable base running…. and expect to be able to get away with it because they’ve taken their massive revenue advantage and used it to purchase home runs from the Free Agent Home Run Store. Three absolute beauties in last night’s game – The best was Gleyber Torres somehow turning a standard throw-in on Otani’s stand up double into a ball laying in the bermuda triangle on the infield grass, and the extra base ends up tying the game.
Almost as “Yankees” was on the play where they took the lead in the 10th. Rizzo or some other dumb careless Yankee pulls up as if he wanted to somehow initate a run-down ON A FORCE PLAY! Gotta make sure that run that already scored scores, by not running all the way to second on a force, which… would… well, the underwear gnomes get it GO YANKEES!!!
What should have been a run-scoring infield hit with first and second base and one out was converted into a run-scoring fielder’s choice, first base with two outs.
Then in the Dodger’s 10th the Yankees pay again for playing “literally anyone who can get on base in front of Soto, Judge, and Stanton, nothing else matters” as Gleyber Torres gracefully over-dives a grounder that any mediocre 2nd baseman turns into an out, and any plus guy turns into a double play.
Delicious!
Lyrebird
@narya: Rock on!
I just mailed 15.
Also voted. Bigger line than I expected, over 20 minute wait, but then it shortened up after we left.
Villago Delenda Est
@RaflW: I have a confession to make. I filled out my ballot about 30 feet from a Harris/Walz sign in my front yard. Oh, and I wore a Harris/Walz camo hat to drop my ballot off at the election office.
Salty Sam
Salty Spouse ran into an old acquaintance today while she was out. “Soft Republican” is a great term for this guy- a middle aged white man who was born into wealth, has been very successful in business, has never known want nor deprivation, has basically had everything in life handed to him on a platter. He reports that he is looking for an offshore escape if Kamala Harris wins, because, you know, America will be ruined.
Salty Spouse’s response was great- “Well, if the door hits you in the ass on the way out, I hope it’s not TOO painful…”
”Soft Republican” indeed!
Anoniminous
@karen marie:
And arsenic in face cream
Soprano2
@LeftCoastYankee: Most people don’t understand how the government works at all. You’re right to many it’s just a big blob. ETA – My old boss told me we aren’t the government because we’re a utility! Uh, my check says City of Springfield, I’m sure that’s the government.
TBone
@karen marie: I will brag about it 😆 when it happens. I’ve made it a few times before, as well as cold-smoked salmon (at home in the past where good seafood is always available). Both are SO good when you DIY! It’s not hard at all and if you love salmon, I really recommend homemade over store bought. Of course, the fixin’s and trimmin’s are half the fun too:
Brown/black bread corners, lightly toasted
Chopped tomato, chopped or thin-sliced cucumber, chopped chives or thin-sliced red onion, chopped hard boiled egg, thin sliced radish, capers, and sour cream or crème fraîche.
Dorothy A. Winsor
I’m also trying not to think too much about the election. It’s beyond my control.
hitchhiker
When we moved to the island one of the first things I did was put up a little free library next to our driveway. Yesterday I looked inside, and someone had left a copy of this book called Defying Hitler.
It’s a memoir about life in Germany during the Nazi rise to power, and — for this student of WWII literature — just astonishing. The first chapters are about the author’s experience of WWI, which began when he was 7 and ended when he was 11. He talks with extreme clarity about the way that war shaped an entire generation of young boys, for whom it wasn’t traumatic, but more of a vast, ongoing football match, with daily bulletins that he would run to read at the local police station. For him, the way it ended didn’t mean ongoing rage at the victors — it meant the realization that he’d never understood what was happening, and that the writers of those bulletins had been lying, either to him or to themselves, or both.
It’s one of those books you have to stop yourself from swallowing whole.
Aside from that — the usual. Mailed 200 postcards. Voted. Cancelled my WaPo subscription. Looking into replacing audible with a different app. You know, life in the fall of 2024.
Villago Delenda Est
@Anonymous At Work: It’s a shame there won’t be a season six. Lower Decks is the ultimate Trekkie show.
TBone
@Villago Delenda Est: aww you mentioned wonkette and I’ve been dying to share this hilarious writeup:
https://www.wonkette.com/p/washington-post-finally-notices-donald
I was gonna wait for a non-distraction post but I couldn’t!
comrade scotts agenda of rage
To quote the late, great Steve Gilliard:
Fuck The Fucking Yankees!™
That being said, the other team is simply The Fucking Yankees of the West Coast.©
That being said Part II: at least nobody associated with The Cheaters is involved. Never thought I’d fine team(s) to hate more than the two currently in the World Serious but everything that happened from The Cheaters made that possible.
Soooooo, those of us who love baseball, despite what we might feel about the two Evil Empire teams, loved last night’s game. Star power, offense, defense, fuckups (on the field and between the ears of at least one manager) and drama, massive drama. The fact it’s between the two Evil Empire teams, the two #1 seeds, makes it far more compelling baseball not only to the casual fan but big fans like me.
We need 6 more games just like it.
Also too, last night’s ump sucked hind tit. Don’t take my word for it:
https://x.com/UmpScorecards/status/1850183229468184654
Anybody who watches enough baseball can tell when umps suck even with the limitations of the little superimposed strike zone on the teevee screen and this one’s inadequacies became apparent by the 2nd inning and he did little to change that as the game progressed. Robo Ump can’t get here fast enough.
TBone
@hitchhiker: maybe part of the inspiration for JoJo Rabbit.
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@Villago Delenda Est:
is redundant. But you knew that. /s
Sure Lurkalot
A very good friend lives in rural Texas, about an hour or so west of Austin. Her mom and her aunt were raised Republican in Republican towns. Not particularly political, but reliable voters for anyone and any issue with an R. Voted for Trump in 2016 because R.
My friend moved to Texas to take care of her mom who has a bundle of heath issues. So over the years, spent more and more time talking about politics, issues, women, health care…and has turned her R voting mom from the dark side for a couple of cycles now. They were off to vote this morning, straight blue all the way through.
trollhattan
Nelly has to be one of the funniest competitors ever, on Baking. Also very fond of Sumayah, who’s an artiste extraordinaire. She could make one hell of a butter lamb.
HumboldtBlue
Premier League at 7 am, followed by college football all day interspersed with walks for Noodles and then more college football and the World Series for the evening.
TBone
@Anoniminous: cocaine in the cola!
Anoniminous
With everything we know about this election: North Carolina in play, Texas Senate seat in play, Republican pollster Frank Luntz’s inability to find undecided young women, hundreds of thousands of young women registering to vote, undecideds breaking hard for Harris by 60%, the unknowable affect of Dobbs, the Dem ground game, & etc.
We’re heading into election day with the wind at our backs.
TBone
@Sure Lurkalot: I love happy endings!
Steve in the ATL
@Dorothy A. Winsor: dragon fire! That’s a useless as being angry at a kitten!
mrmoshpotato
@HumboldtBlue: Go Dodgers!
trollhattan
@Anoniminous: If NC falls to Kamala by one vote, it’s because we shipped the kid there.
You’re prematurely welcome.
Will add I think Robinson hurts Trump, possibly a lot. Explaining Trump’s “Never heard of the guy” attitude.
comrade scotts agenda of rage
Cole just posted this on twitter and it’s too good not to share:
Villago Delenda Est
@comrade scotts agenda of rage: Cole hits the target. Fire for effect!
wjca
They’re great! Canada produces some really good, and really underappreciated, stuff.
Zelma
@Suzanne:
You should check the WaPo’s interactive map of Harris v. Trump giving. Went from dark blue to dark red. All of Alleghney County was blue with the bluest being Squirrel Hill the darkest of the dark. Mt. Lebanon (where I used to live) was medium blue.
Surprisingly, Cape May County, NJ – where I currently live – was more blue than red, even my heavily Republican town. Which may have more to say about the Democrats depending on small donations than the likelihood the CMC will go Democrat.
BTW, I checked the map before the great betrayal.
Anoniminous
@TBone:
LOL
(Of course I also LOL’ed the Proust joke in a live performance of “Cabaret” which says something ’bout me, I doth suppose.)
TBone
Bezos’s WaPoo just published this and I say let’s him and fElon fight:
That’d be a great distraction and we could eliminate the deficit selling tix. (Not linking to WaPoo, it’s a gift link at Atrios).
trollhattan
@wjca: Always surprises me how much US television is shot there, especially Vancouver and Toronto. They manage to stand in for New York and several other US cities. Bet the locals get a kick out of that.
TBone
@Anoniminous: 💙😍
UncleEbeneezer
@trollhattan: Dylan gets major bonus points for being the first contestant ever, iirc, to use Gochujang as a base for flavor. Gochujang + Garlic is one of the greatest flavor combos on the planet.
karen marie
@TBone: Sounds so lovely – except for the tomato! I love tomato but not with salmon. To me, tomato overwhelms both the flavor and the texture of the salmon.
brendancalling
My gal is visiting this weekend— Not as long distance as Jon and Joelle but far enough— So that is distraction enough. our birthday is come pretty close together so a couple weeks ago I took her out to a fancy restaurant. Tonight we’re going to see a band that she’s wanted to see for sometime called the Osees (who are amazing), and she is taking me out for the fancy dinner. Earlier today, we canvassed near my neighborhood for Harris. It went pretty good! That’s not a distraction of course, but it sure does make you feel better.
Chief Oshkosh
“Slovakian immigrant Nelly” – we’re big fans of hers, too! :)
wjca
If the Dodgers had stayed in Brooklyn, there wouldn’t be a problem.
Quiltingfool
I make quilts. I don’t think about anything but what I’m working on, so that intense focus works wonders on the mind.
I just got done quilting a commissioned quilt and only need to bind it. It was a “tricky” quilt, lots of seams to match and precise seams. It’s worth it, and I hope my very patient client will be happy with the results. I would have had it done sooner if I hadn’t had to make fabric project totes and lip balm holders for my guild to sell!
Something Betty said about the pub owner waiting to see who won the election before investing money in growing his business reminded me of a comment made by one of the guild girls. She thought the reason we didn’t sell a lot of stuff was that “people aren’t spending money until after the election.” I thought, “WTF? People won’t spend $10 on an adorable cat print zippered project tote because Harris might win the Presidency?” Christ on a cracker, the ladies milling around the venue weren’t poor. I know poor people and they don’t go to a craft show to spend money. They have extra, they go to Dollar General.
I think most of the ladies in my guild are Republicans/Trump voters. I’m not sure, because political talk is verboten at Sit and Sew. One member told me she didn’t get the Covid vaccine because it “hadn’t been tested.” I said I got vaccinated because I don’t like getting sick. Oh, she’s a retired Army nurse. Go figure.
TBone
@karen marie: That’s why I put all the trimmings in fancy little ramekins and everyone serves themselves. A charcuterie board would also work. An old employer of mine brought out a beautiful platter of his poached salmon (chilled and served the same way as gravlax) at a party he gave, and I highly recommend that style if the non-heated salmon gives you the willies!
Bagels and cream cheese and onion are also YUM and much easier.
mrmoshpotato
The Ducks are pooping all over the Illini.
Anoniminous
@trollhattan:
Exiling your offspring to North Carolina seems more than a bit cruel to me but I’m sure Harris is thankful for the vote.
Almost Retired
@Scout211: Oooh, thanks for the reco. Just put it on hold at the library. Since I cancelled all of my newspaper subscriptions in a snit, I need other reading material.
JiveTurkin
I’m kind of wishing that Harris had done the Rogan podcast. I think anytime she can do the same media as Trump she ends up looking good because she is smart and quick, and Trump is…Trump. I understand much of Rogan’s base is not going to care about Trump’s gibberish and would not vote for a black woman for POTUS if she were running against a kitchen table, but there are some people who are holding their nose and voting for Trump, and maybe a few can be persuaded. I think it was pretty much win-win. Rogan would not sandbag her.
karen marie
@hitchhiker: I’ve been using Libby – the app for listening to audio books through your local library. It’s a fine substitute for Audible although the selection is not as good. I’ve been listening to some Ian Rankin through Libby. It’s been a while since I’d read any of his novels, and I’d forgotten how very good he is. Librivox is also very good – and free! – but, obvs, being only public domain is a bit of a limitation. They have some terrific readers though, and there’s lots of excellent content, including old radio shows.
Oh, and I almost forgot! There’s Libro.fm. I’d read a bit of an interview with Tom Holt who said he’s not going to allow his books to be published on Audible because of compensation issues. Some of his books are still there but he prefers Libro.fm. I absolutely love Donut and When It’s A Jar.
trollhattan
@Anoniminous:
She knows what she did. :-)
Maxim
Rivals on Hulu is fun.
Anne Laurie
Spousal Unit & I are re-watching, and greatly enjoying, New Zealand’s THE BROKENWOOD MYSTERIES. The series — ten seasons so far, four to six 90-minute episodes per season — walk a fine line between ‘noir’ and ‘cozy’. Grumpy (yet brilliant) middle-aged Detective Inspector Mike Shepherd comes to a backwater town to investigate a fresh murder with possible ties to police mishandling of a ten-year-old cold case. He decides, at the end of the pilot episode, to take a career downgrade and settle in Brokenwood, not least for the chance to own his own (non-commercial) vineyard. His new second, young Kristen Sims, is initially dubious, as are the ever-growing cast of local characters…
The series is partially supported by the New Zealand Tourist Board, which gets full value for money while never pushing too obtrusively; the vistas are gorgeous, and the opportunities for farming, fishing, hunting, and every variety of outdoor activity are all explored. And each episode is essentially a mini-movie, so they can be enjoyed individually, although there are excellent character arcs. And ‘we’ (I suspect many of us) aren’t so familiar with Kiwi customs that we can’t be charmed by the differences!
Miki
@RaflW: “I just really like that its a competition show where there’s never anything but kindness and even occasional helping hands among the bakers.”
The Great American Recipe on PBS is like that. It’s good – 3 seasons.
KrackenJack
@Anoniminous: That’s weirdly fascinating. I wonder if you could read the lie when the grass itself is glowing. Do the flags in day glo colors and you’d have a full-blown psychedelic experience!
What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?
I never watched any of the Blue Skies era USA network shows except occasionally catching Monk. We used Monk and Psych as a distraction during the pandemic and are now watching White Collar and Royal Pains which are both light and fun and hence good distractions.
stinger
@Steve in the ATL: Sounds like someone has read Dorothy’s latest book!
mrmoshpotato
Line? And leaving everyone as impotent as a Nevada boxing commissioner?
Phylllis
@Anne Laurie: That’s a fave. I’ll even rewatch episodes on local PBS that I’ve already seen streaming because they’re so enjoyable.
zhena gogolia
@Quiltingfool: The rumors among the fever swamps in my town are that “everything will be shut down for three months after the election, so stock up on three months worth of gas and non-perishable food.” In addition, the income tax will soon be rescinded because it was an emergency measure for WWII.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@hitchhiker: Someone in my writing group has diaries and other docs from her grandmother, who lived in Germany during WWII. She worked for the Nazis, and was shocked when Germany lost. She lived near Dresden and saw the firebombing. She eventually wound up living under the Russians and had to flee before she was arrested.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Steve in the ATL: I think I love you!
It’s not everyone who quotes my own books to me
Sister Golden Bear
Trying to distract myself by indulging my my ADHD fixation with a new hobby. Bought one of the new DJI Neo drones. Only $199 and almost indestructible.
While it’s positioned as a beginner self-drone, you fly it manually, like a regular drone, via a phone app. Albeit that uses a WiFi connection range is quite limited. There is a remote controller for another $99.
Sadly it turns out there’s not many places in the Bay Area where you can legally fly drones. <sad face>
mrmoshpotato
@zhena gogolia: Oooook…
Why’d the nutjobs pick 3 months?
Bupalos
@comrade scotts agenda of rage: I might start chanting ROBO UMP at games. The arguments for keeping egregious mistakes by non players as an integral part of the outcome are ridiculous.
Folks who didn’t play a lot don’t understand how much even calls that seem non-decisive at the time change the game, especially when players go into “I have to swing and keep it out of the ump’s hands” mode. As someone who played through college, I can’t imagine how freeing it would be to just have the outcome be the outcome.
Also that game was enjoyable especially because the Yankees were the team that had to pay for their bad defense and atrocious fundamental baseball, but frankly neither team put on an exhibition there. The dodgers not even bothering to defend against a steal of 3rd there in the 10th was especially mystifying.
KrackenJack
@hitchhiker:
Love these BJ threads with recommendations!
As I searched my local library I got two hits:
1) Defying Hitler: The Germans Who Resisted Nazi Rule by Thomas, Gordon
2) Defying Hitler: A Memoir by Haffner, Sebastian
Second one looks like what you were describing, but I’ve added both to my For Later shelf.
divF
Baseball is no longer doing it for me. I was an Oakland A’s fan, and have had to endure thirty years of absolute shit from team ownership. They had one of the best minds in baseball (Billy Beane) recruit cohort after cohort of star players (from Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito, the big three pitchers of the early 2000’s to current MLB stars Matt Chapman, Marcus Semien, and Matt Olson who are three of this year’s gold glove finalists) only to have them go to other teams when they became too expensive, rather than building championship teams around them. The reason for this is that the post-Hass family ownership viewed the team solely as an adjunct to putting together a really big real estate deal. When they couldn’t do that, they just kept the payroll amongst the lowest in baseball to maximize the profit they could make. Then there was the sweetheart deal that allowed Lew Wolff to buy the team, a deal greased by his college fraternity brother, and then commissioner of baseball Bud Selig. Finally, the move to Las Vegas, which was approved by the MLB owners without a peep of dissent. The owners get the foothold in Vegas to link up with the gambling interests that have dug their claws deep into professional sports. I suspect that in the next few years, the A’s will become the Washington Generals of Major League Baseball. Las Vegas doesn’t have a population to support 81 home games / year. But you might be able fill a stadium with out-of-town fans who time their trips to Vegas to watch their home-town teams beat up on the A’s. We had to put up with such obnoxious fans when the Red Sox and the Yankees came to town, and having that essentially be the scene for all home games in Vegas will not do much for building a fan base. Finally, there is the purely racist aspect of the deal. I grew up in Washington DC in the 60s, when it was much more a black-majority town, and saw the city lose MLB teams twice (first to Minnesota, second to Texas). DC only got the Nationals when it became much wealthier and whiter. The duskier hue of the fan base in Oakland certainly contributed to the owners signing off on this, in spite of the fact that the East Bay has plenty of money, and and possible ownership groups waiting in the wings with deep local roots that would keep the team in Oakland.
The present post-season is pretty much the future for MLB. Billionaire owners, a few of which are so wealthy and ego-driven that they don’t care how much money they spend to win every time, the rest of whom will run their teams to maximize $$ extracted from the fan base.
This sad for me. I started following baseball again in the late 1980’s, due to the deep roots that the Hass family and some of the A’s star players – Dave Stewart, Ricky Henderson – had in Oakland, combined with Tony LaRussa and his coaching staff, who were a cut above in terms of smarts in a way that showed up pretty clearly on the field.
zhena gogolia
@mrmoshpotato: Don’t ask me.
JPL
@zhena gogolia: The history is wrong, but trump wants to rid us of the income tax. I have retired friends who pay very little income tax, but support trump. Won’t they be surprised when they now pay 24 percent more for every product.
Spanky
Well, I’m watching the sun start to drop over the river, where the fall colors are reaching their peak, and the marsh grasses are browning into their subtle winter colors.
It’s my favorite time of day in my favorite time of year, and I’m not wasting it.
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@KrackenJack:
Add to you list:
Goodbye to the Mermaids.
Memoir of a girl born in 1933 to a mother who was anti-Nazi but also lived in Berlin during the 1943-45 bombings and the Soviet occupation.
I worked with her about 10 years ago and solved an enduring mystery of her and her mother’s: where her mother’s boyfriend ended up at the end of the war.
She passed away last year:
https://www.independent.com/2023/08/01/in-memoriam-karin-finell-1930-2023/
Betsy
Since this is the most recent open thread, I want to take the opportunity to say that I am proud of myself for going door knocking two consecutive Saturdays for about three hours each time. Lots of new voters and old voters. Lots of people who’ve already voted and lots of people who needed information about early voting hours and locations.
We were canvassing of course just Dems and unaffiliated Kamala supporters.
More people should do this. It’s the ground game that’s gonna make it happen in this and other swing states.
Find an event near you by googling your county Dem party or by texting 30330!
Door knocking friendly supporters to turn them out to vote isn’t nearly the frightening thing you are imagining and much better than staying home worrying!!
Memory Pallas
Voted early in NY State. The “I voted” sticker is the best one so far AFAIAC.
zhena gogolia
@Betsy: Thank you!
kalakal
@karen marie: The selection on Libby is up to the individual library ( or library system) , Libby uses a per title licencing model. You can always put in a request to the library for a purchase if there’s a title you want that they haven’t got
Betsy
@Memory Pallas: That IS the best “I voted” sticker!!
mrmoshpotato
@Memory Pallas: How about a voting werewolf?
I like the lighthouse too.
Miki
@Anonymous At Work: I’m going to use this on response to the muthafuckers who rage about safety regulations. Thank you.
ArchTeryx
Quietly working away on 3D art. Preparing an animated 3D logo for a Brazilian artist friend of mine (as left wing as you can get and an utter sweetheart) as a gift. And watching The Boys, which as gory and gross as it is, is a fantastic satire of corporate politics, propaganda, and superhero comics. Karl Urban and Anthony Starr are standouts, who slay as the Normie vigilante Billy Butcher and the Superman-on-meth villain Homelander.
Memory Pallas
@mrmoshpotato: The voting werewolf gets the blood pumping no doubt, and I would wear it with pride, but it kinda reminds me of Hulk Hogan ripping his shirt off for DJT. (Which is totally unfair since I’m sure the contest was long before the convention.)
kalakal
A test, having some posting glitches
WaterGirl
@kalakal: Yay!
mrmoshpotato
@Memory Pallas: I see.
karen marie
@kalakal: AOTK!
Yeah, I’ve considered asking a friend in Boston to let me use her library card to see if she has access to things I don’t.
Trivia Man
As a childhood Giants fan, it pains me to enjoy a Dodgers win. But be F the FNYY. And Ohtani is a worthy hero.
Trivia Man
@KatKapCC: We have a Great Lakes edition of Ticket To Ride – with boats! Fun, but my fave is Europe.
trollhattan
@divF: You can still wander over the hill and watch them for the next three, four, some value of N seasons.
It’s a dry heat.
Rather proud of Oakland not allowing themselves be extorted by either the A’s or Raiders {patooey} organizations. Nobody needs that mess.
trollhattan
@Trivia Man:
Yankees are everybody’s absolute basement when it comes to picking The One team to hate on.
See also: Cowboys and Lakers.
FelonyGovt
@UncleEbeneezer: It cracked me up how astonished Paul and Prue were at the very existence of gochujang. It’s so common here in LA.
Mrscoachb
@Ceci n est pas mon nym: Love Liane Moriarty books…I listen to them using the Libby app which is the local library…I loved that book and need to watch the series…hubby doesn’t watch stuff like that so I have to find time to sneak them in!
Mrscoachb
@Anne Laurie: Absolutely adore Brokenwood….perfect mix of challenging whodunit, key characters you love and a bunch of zany local supporting characters!
divF
@trollhattan: Actually, I rather like the drive out 80 – there was a period of time when I would go to up to Davis on Sunday mornings just for coffee.
But going to see the A’s – no, I really can’t bring myself to do so. I don’t root for laundry – there has to be some history and ties to the community. Trading away Semien, Olson and Chapman was the last straw. Semien especially stung – he grew up in El Cerrito, and declined being drafted by the White Sox to go to Cal (and play college ball there). And I won’t spend a nickel on MLB – I think it has become completely decoupled from any responsibility to its fan base. Also, sports gambling is a time bomb waiting to blow up in their faces.
ETA: The A’s business model was hardly a secret. When Beane was asked one time about why the A’s didn’t acquire some free agents for a deep post-season run, he said that the team’s business model didn’t allow that.
FelonyGovt
@Anne Laurie: We love Brokenwood, and there are at least 2 other New Zealand shows that are equally charming: 800 Words (bereft widower/ writer from Sydney moves with his kids to small town NZ), and Nothing Trivial, about a pub quiz team.
hitchhiker
@karen marie: Thank you, yes … I’m going to break my Audible addiction if it takes the rest of my life. It’s shameful how cheaply I traded off basic integrity for convenience.
Steve from Mendocino
I was deep into meal prep when this post went up so I hope I catch you. The one series that I think there’s a chance you haven’t seen and is maybe my favorite of the many I’ve seen is The Bridge: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1733785/
If you haven’t seen it yet, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did (twice).
Steve
Glidwrith
@comrade scotts agenda of rage: Hey! I talked my parents out of retiring there. Kept their racist asses in safely blue Oregon.
hitchhiker
@KrackenJack: Yes, it’s the second one that I’m reading. I kind of can’t believe this book exists. He wrote it when he was in his early twenties, thought it was too passionate or something, and went on to have a very long and wildly successful career as a political observer in England and later in Germany. It went into a drawer, where his son found it after he died.
Marc
I suggest checking out an Oakland Ballers (Pioneer League) game next season. Lots of fun watching both the game and the fans.
KrackenJack
@comrade scotts agenda of rage:
Thank you for the recommendation!
Kayla Rudbek
Have not read the comments yet. I was exercising both my legs and my middle fingers a lot on the ride. The official route was 59 miles, between riding back and forth to the ride start from the parking lot and getting lost once on the course, I wound up with about 61 miles, so not quite a metric century but enough to get a Garmin badge for riding over 40 km. Too goddamn many Trumpists with signs out in Fauquier County so I was giving a lot of houses and some businesses the bird as we went by. Including the farm/brewery that hosted the last rest stop. And the food selection wasn’t as good as the Sea Gull Century (less peanut butter and no peanut butter with the bagels at one rest stop, the last rest stop was doing quesadillas so I had to go buy a hamburger from the food truck at the brewery and I suspect that the bun had eggs).
So I am cranky Kayla tonight and I’m going to need to do yoga, crafting, and listening to some audiobooks to wind down (maybe listen to Jennifer Estep particularly the chapters where Lord Kyrion Caldaren is killing a lot of people who are hurting or threatening to hurt Vesper Quill). I’m not sure if knitting or stabbing fabric with a needle will work better at this point.
Betty, you are a much better person than I am as I don’t think I could handle living in a Republican state.
Bill Arnold
Anyone got recs for other distractions to keep election/natural disaster jitters at bay?
I am using relaxation meditations.
Basic western breathing exercises, and also the body-scan exercises leading to a Yoga Nidra state. (five methods at the link). Meditation traditions have all worked out relaxation exercises, as a prerequisite to desired states of mind.
Another Scott
@JoyceH: [ rofl! ]
Cheers,
Scott.
Another Scott
@karen marie: The things I learn here…!
Thanks.
Cheers,
Scott.
NotMax
Move over, Miss Marple, and make way for Miss Merkel, now available on MHz Choice.
;)
CaseyL
I am at the annual Ocean Shores (Washington) Celtic Music Festival.
It’s a delight. I cannot be arsed to see live music in the city because traffic and parking, plus I just don’t love music that much.
But “the Feis” in Ocean Shores is wonderful. Multiple venues, multiple stages at each venue, and a shuttle that runs between the two main venues in town.
I’ve seen a band I have liked very much since I first saw them here about 6-7 years ago; and some other bands that were fine but didn’t make an indelible impression. The festival goes through tomorrow and I’m deciding whether the lone act I’m most interested in seeing is worth sticking around until mid-afternoon before I head back to Seattle.
mrmoshpotato
OT – I WOKE UP FEELING THE CHEESIEST, COACH!
Ruckus
@Anne Laurie:
I did a motorcycle tour of New Zealand a few years ago. I have traveled to a fair number of countries, most in Europe (USN) and a number of Caribbean Islands including Guantanamo Bay Naval Base 3 times but New Zealand is one of my all time favorite places. Saw both islands, from the tippy top to the tippy bottom and a lot in between. Been on the glacier almost to the top of Mt Cook – by helicopter. One of the most interesting and beautiful places I’ve ever traveled to. And yes it was fun driving on the wrong side of the road….
walkingstone
@JoyceH: Careful. There’s an unwanted package scam, used for identity theft and/or money transfers.
Kayla Rudbek
@JoyceH: sometimes if your family forgot to switch addresses from sending you a gift, you can wind up with their next Amazon order going to your house instead of theirs
BellaPea
@Peke Daddy: We just watched the 5th episode. We can’t wait for the next two episodes.