Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

Every one of the “Roberts Six” lied to get on the court.

Let me file that under fuck it.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

Not all heroes wear capes.

“Loving your country does not mean lying about it’s history.”

President Musk and Trump are both poorly raised, coddled 8 year old boys.

Everything is totally normal and fine!!!

I might just take the rest of the day off and do even more nothing than usual.

A lot of Dems talk about what the media tells them to talk about. Not helpful.

The most dangerous place for a black man in America is in a white man’s imagination.

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

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

They were going to turn on one another at some point. It was inevitable.

Prediction: the gop will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

Books are my comfort food!

“The defense has a certain level of trust in defendant that the government does not.”

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

He imagines himself as The Big Bad, Who Is Universally Feared… instead of The Big Jagoff, Who Is Universally Mocked.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Friday Night Open Thread

Friday Night Open Thread

by | 47 Comments

This post is in: 

Well, the only way to make sure that Cole puts up a post tonight is for me to put up an open thread.

So here you go!

I’ll try this cartoon again since another post went up 6 minutes after I posted it last time. :-)

Friday Night Open Thread 6
illustration by Anita Jeram

I am heading to bed, but I’ll just say that everyone who said Slow Horses was a great show was absolutely correct.  It was slow as hell for the first episode, and maybe for part of the 2nd, but now it’s just great.

Late addition:  We got blowing snow here this morning, but it melted during the day, leaving puddles of water everywhere.  I had to mop the porch twice because we were having a big temperature drop and I didn’t want ice slicks all over the porch where I have to walk to let Henry out.   Just took him out for the last time tonight, and it’s a good thing I did the mopping.  There was black ice on the porch in the few spots I hadn’t mopped well enough.  Go me for thinking ahead!

Reader Interactions

47Comments

  2. 2.

    frosty

    Well, the only way to make sure that Cole puts up a post tonight is for me to put up an open thread.

    LOL too true! I like the dueling Night Open Threads. Although, as one Valued Commenter mentioned awhile ago, the titles should be a little different. Calling yourself “Not JGC” seems a little demeaning. “Not the Blogfather’s Nightly Open Thread” maybe?

    That’s about as profound as I can get after two Old Fashioneds and wading through Mistermix’s posts tonight.

    ETA That may have been me recommending Slow Horses. I disliked the first book and season because of the hostage plot. Too much scary drama. Like you said, the following seasons were better. The scenes with Oldman and Scott-Thomas sitting next to each other alongside the canal were great.

  3. 3.

    geg6

    I finally watched Lessons in Chemistry, which I enjoyed very much but not quite as much as the book.  Which happens a lot.  Again, I cannot recommend Somebody, Somewhere enough.  I aspire to having a darling friend like Joel.. I don’t ever remember loving a show quite as much as this one.  It’s criminal that MAX decided against another season.  A show that has a fairly large and devoted audience, with tons of critical and audience accolades doesn’t merit a fourth season????  This is why so much of TV is dreck.

  6. 6.

    RaflW

    Well bah, humbug. Covid is on the upswing, and done whapped the BF upside the thermometer today. I’m hoping I will not also get sick, we had a guy hacking in the row behind us on our flight home about 48H before BF started having symptoms. I was offset one seat, and had my air vent aimed right at my face despite the plane being about 62deg. (and I like it cold!).

    Went and got a Merv 12 filter for the furnace and spun up our two standalone HEPAs. He’s been isolating and masking since he became symptomatic yesterday. But our Xmas trip to his famdamily is def. cancelled and we had to change our RSVP for a holiday party tomorrow.

    None of it’s a tragedy, it just sucks. So be it. I accept the setback with equanimity (that gets harder if I get sick, I am a very impatient patient).

    eta: Yeah, shoulda masked. An 8 hour red eye with a KN95 mask on is pretty dang uncomfortable in it’s own way, though. Humans and our (in)ability to assess risk, huh.

  8. 8.

    WaterGirl

    @geg6: Money money money money money.  I imagine it wasn’t making enough.  Just like the HR people are not there for us, they are not producing content for us, the content is just their means of making money.

    I take it that MAX is the new name for HBO streaming?

  9. 9.

    frosty

    @geg6: A show that has a fairly large and devoted audience, with tons of critical and audience accolades doesn’t merit a fourth second season????

    Firefly has just entered the chat.

  10. 10.

    NotMax

    Tried Slow Horses last year while I had several free months of Apple TV+. Could not get into it, so bailed out.

    Diff’rent strokes and all that.

  14. 14.

    RaflW

    Well the last line of this is good for a chuckle.

    @steventdennis.bsky.social‬
    Rand Paul’s attempt to raise the [Social Security] retirement age crushed 93-3, with Ted Cruz casting the final vote against it, prompting Paul to shake his head no in disgust. Schumer quips “so close.”

  19. 19.

    frosty

    @Chetan Murthy: ​ I read all the books but thought nah, I don’t need to watch the series. It was good, true to the books, and the actors they used were pretty much exactly what I had in my mind from the books. Watch it!
    Apple TV for one month for $9.99 then cancel. Worth it.​ There’s a commitment for Book 5, then a season with combined 6 and 7.

  22. 22.

    dmsilev

    Definitely one of my favorite shows from the last few years. Also one of Gary Oldman’s best roles, which is a pretty high bar to clear.

  23. 23.

    Chetan Murthy

    @RaflW: An 8 hour red eye with a KN95 mask on is pretty dang uncomfortable

    It’s too late for this time, but for next time, can I suggest a P100 respirator with an exhale valve?  Like this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013SIIBME/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    Two reasons it’s more comfortable:

    (1) just ergonomically — it’s got a big rubber gasket and  wide around-the-head bands, so it doesn’t hang on your ears

    (2) it’s got an exhale valve (doesn’t filter exhalations), so easier to breathe out.

    I routinely wear it for 2hr workouts in the weight room, no problem.  And …. well, if masks were mandatory, sure I wouldn’t use it (I’d use one that filtered exhalations).  But as long as masks are optional and most people don’t use ’em, I don’t see how this is any worse than going unmasked, for everybody around me.  It lasts a long, long time, and eventually you can replace the filters too.

  24. 24.

    cmorenc

    My guess is that John is preoccupied with seeing Joelle through the very very miserable first week post-knee replacement surgery, when there is no such thing as a comfortable pain-free position for your leg that lasts more than briefly.

  26. 26.

    frosty

    @Chetan Murthy: Good point on the exhale valves. Masks aren’t for protecting the population any more, are they?

    I still have a box or two of 3M Aura N95s (from Home Depot). I wore one on our 12-hour with layover flight from Hawaii. It sucked but a) we didn’t get COVID and b) it gave me cover for the cough I acquired on vacation. I’ll continue to wear one on any flights.

  27. 27.

    AJ of the Mustard Search and Rescue Team

    Go you for thinking ahead WG!

    Hope all are doing as well as possible under the circumstances. I’ve been battling some depression but also having some nice moments and exchanges of kindness and warmth. And also playing Elder Scrolls Online (PC NA).

  28. 28.

    Chetan Murthy

    @frosty: Indeed, it’s every man/woman/child for themselves (and their family).  It is what it is.  I have several GATA N95 masks that I got during the pandemic (first for myself, then for others (who ended up not using ’em and gave ’em back)).  I used to use ’em, but …. they’re a PITA on the ears, and in order to get good skin-seal you really gotta winch ’em down tight, and … then the ears -really- hurt.

    What I like about this P100 respirator is that you don’t have to winch it down tight, b/c the head bands are wide, and the rubber gasket is wide too.

    And when somebody jokes about me working for Bane, I just respond with “no, I just haven’t had a cold or flu since 2020.”

  31. 31.

    tam1MI

    So after a Michigan Democratic Representative covered herself in shame and disgrace and killed any hope of the House passing anything in the lame duck session (with an assist from the ENTIRE REPUBLICAN CAUCUS), the Democratic-controlled Senate steps up and becomes the heroes of the day:

    As noon passed today, the Senate had been session 26 hours and with the passage of a few more minutes broke the modern-day session length record of 26 hours and a few minutes from the December 23-24, 1993, session that produced Proposal A of 1994 that rewrote K-12 school financing.

    The Senate had passed dozens of bills. How many as of noon was not exactly clear as exhausted Senate staff were trying to get the Legislature’s website caught up on activity.

    But since 5 a.m. this morning, several significant bills passed as Democrats decided to do everything they could to not let the implosion in the House completely wreck the end of the term.

    After the Senate reconvened at 12:30 a.m., Democrats discharged more than 70 bills from committees to bring them to the floor for action and – slowly – began passing them.

    Republicans began utilizing an array of filibustering tactics to draw out proceedings Thursday afternoon, first being GOP members taking all 60 seconds of the 60-minute shot clock for final votes on bills.

    About an hour later, in a moment of levity, someone on the floor turned on the Jeopardy theme song played during Final Jeopardy prior to a vote. The presiding officer gaveled the individual down, saying there is to be no playing of music on the floor, drawing some laughter.

    Democrats seemed to take a “Go ahead, make my day” approach to the Republican tactics. At one point, Singh himself asked a bill be read.

    As it turned out, the session lasted a whopping 29 hours:

    After gaveling in at 10 a.m. Thursday and wrapping up at 3:01 p.m. Friday, with a 45-minute adjournment from 11:45 p.m. Thursday to 12:30 a.m. Friday, the session surpassed the legendary 26-hour session on December 23-24, 1993, that led to Proposal A of 1994… Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) and her 19 Democratic colleagues combed all available House-passed bills sitting on the Senate floor and in Senate committees for meaningful legislation that was eligible to pass. They discharged more than 70 bills from committees. In total, it appeared the Senate passed 90 bills, all but two in identical form to how they passed the House, meaning the House will be able to order those 88 bills enrolled for printing and presentation to Governor Gretchen Whitmer for a signing decision.

    (Once again, links are paywalled, sorry about that…)

  32. 32.

    Chetan Murthy

    @frosty: I’ve heard the series are great, and certainly I love Gary Oldman’s work, so there’s that too.  Just haven’t gotten around to watching it.  I did rewatch the old BBC miniseries of Tinker, Tailor and Smiley’s People.  That was a treat.  A real treat.  There are remastered versions on YT now, not the old 480p blurry videos.  So much nicer.

  33. 33.

    NotMax

    Decided to whip up a salmon mousse for the holiday. Plan on one loaf pan for me, another for a gift. Instead of the usual diced onion will be trying out chopped scallions instead, the green flecks giving it (I hope) a festive holiday appearance. Probably ten years since last prepared it.

  35. 35.

    Gretchen

    I’ve had trouble getting into Slow Horses. Maybe I should start in a later season?
    In good news, Bad Sisters just released a second season. The first was so, so good!

  37. 37.

    Kayla Rudbek

    Mr. Rudbek has been watching Slow Horses and I have been paying a little bit of attention when he puts it on the TV as opposed to his tablet. I didn’t realize that it was based off books, so I may have to check those out of the library so I can gripe about what got changed in the adaptation.

  38. 38.

    MinuteMan

    I am heading to bed, but I’ll just say that everyone who said Slow Horses was a great show was absolutely correct.

    So is it reasonably faithful to the books?

  39. 39.

    karen marie

    @frosty: I haven’t seen the TV series but I’ve listened to the first four books. The reader does the writing justice. Definitely recommended.

  43. 43.

    sab

    My rescue cat is meeping at 2:30 am and I have no idea what her issue is. I wish she would accept the pitbull, who is our cat whisperer.

  44. 44.

    RaflW

    @Chetan Murthy: Interesting idea. There’s actually a 3M mask i’ve been meaning to try, a 3M™ Aura™ Particulate Respirator 9205+. The shape and elastic placement look like it might be better for longer wears, but not an expensive item. (Not that $35 is much to spend to stay healthy, but I mean not expensive if it’s not more comfy than the current masks we have.)

    I’m planning to fly Denver-London in mid January, which is likely to be near the post-holiday peak, and I do not want to be sick a) overseas, and b) when I should be snowboarding.

    So I think I probably will just put up with the discomfort. Not sure how I eat, though, since 10 hours is too long to go without. I do remember the days when Delta used to say “replace your mask between bites or sips” so it can sort of be done.

  47. 47.

    Mike in Oly

    Skookum Oly and I totally loved Slow Horses. We don’t watch much series TV, but this one came so highly recommended by several friends so we dove in. The cast is so good.

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