I made it back home from vacation just in time to lay around and watch college football all day. (Go Gators — the unexpected Beasts of the East!)
Upon my return, I was reunited with my boxers, who pretended to be lap dogs for awhile. Here’s what that looks like, if it’s your lap:
They can look disturbingly gorilla-like when they’re right up in your grill.
It was a great vacation, but damn, I’m tired. I haven’t slept in a bed worthy of the name in a solid week.
Open thread!
PS: Does anyone know why Mizzou’s Mauk is suspended?
raven
We were only gone for 4 days and the day we get back Lil Bit tears her ACL. Surgery is Monday and then the poor little girl is in for extensive rehab, In other good news they say once one goes the other often follows.
jeffreyw
Impressive, but can they do this?
redshirt
A dog’s nose is a hell of a thing.
It’s weird. Look at it. LOOK AT IT!
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@raven: Thinking good thoughts for Lil Bit and you guys. It’s often the case that the ACLs go close together. Is the Bodhi still doing well?
Betty Cracker
@raven: Poor baby. Hope she recovers quickly and fully.
@redshirt: I know! The pebbly texture, the shape…dog noses are just deeply weird.
gf120581
Beautiful day weatherwise, my Cubbies triumph and go back to Wrigley with Arietta scheduled to pitch…oh and the Benghazi committee farce may have been blown up for good and all by that whistleblowing ex-staffer.
What a great day!
dmsilev
A commenter at the NYTimes had what I think is the best solution to The Speaker Problem:
(from the comments on Gail Collins’ piece)
Mike J
Josh Rogin @joshrogin
Benghazi committee staffers had “gun buying club” for “chrome-plated, monogrammed Tiffany-style Glock 9 millimeters” http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/10/politics/benghazi-committee-investigation-political-hillary-clinton-brad-podliska-lawsuit/ …
PaulW
look at those puppy eyes! they scream “why you leave mum but I’m glad youre back don’t leave again”
raven
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): Yea, he’s in the rack with his mommy, I’m on the couch!
Tommy
@raven: Best wishes. Played sports my entire life at pretty high level. Not had a broken bone nor a torn ACL. A torn ACL my worse fear. But the good is modern medical care rocks.
redshirt
@Betty Cracker: I would love to have a dog’s nose. It reveals a secret world we can’t know with our senses. Heck, some of them can smell cancer.
JPL
@dmsilev: I saw that comment and the Gail Collins piece.
I also enjoyed the whistle blower’s piece about the Benghazi committee. It appears that they are going to say they fired him because he was anti-Clinton. I wonder which story the media will push. Chickens do come home to roost.
SiubhanDuinne
@redshirt:
All right, that’s it. I’m definitely not going to get any sleep tonight.
JPL
@raven: Poor baby indeed.
SiubhanDuinne
@gf120581:
Cubbies!
Cubbies Cubbies Cubbies Cubbies Cubbies.
CUBBIES!!
dmsilev
@JPL: “We fired him because he was too anti-Clinton” has got to be the lamest, least-believable, excuse of all time. This is the House GOP after all. They’ve been burning Clintons in effigy for the last 25 years.
? Martin
So California has banned conceal carry on school and college campuses. Brown also signed the automatic voter registration law, so we’ll be adding about 6.5 million new registered voters. One less barrier to voting.
Our profound thanks to Oregon’s governor Brown for leading the way.
redshirt
@SiubhanDuinne:
Indeed. Or as I like to call them this year, Red Sox Midwest (Dodgers being Red Sox West Coast).
Tommy
@gf120581: I would have preferred my Cardinals just sweep your Cubs, but I wanted you and not the Pirates. So know we are going to battle.
benw
Here’s hoping the Mets can hang on. What’s with MLB players, esp. pitchers, growing out their hair this year? They look like a bunch of middle-inning relievers from the 1970s!
Morzer
Anyone else see Andrew Sullivan expressing his hatred for HRC?
http://www.rawstory.com/2015/10/were-you-molested-by-a-real-estate-lady-bill-maher-and-andrew-sullivan-clash-over-hillary/
redshirt
@Tommy: You’re gonna lose game 3 and be down 2-1 in a five game series. Tight rope to walk.
redshirt
@benw: Hipsters. Millionaire hipsters in this case.
Also, Mattingly: SHAVE THOSE SIDEBURNS!
NotMax
@redshirt
Hey now, the Dodgers have, forever and a day, been known as Da Bums.
(You can take the team out of Brooklyn, but you can’t take the Brooklyn out of the team.)
Lee
There is something from app.stitcher.com (or close to that) that is causing havok with Chrome.
I’ve had to switch to a different browser with everything disabled in order to get to the site.
Tommy
@redshirt: Yes. Jake Arrieta is unhittable. Would not surprise me if he threw a no hitter.
? Martin
Also California has banned use of antibiotics on livestock unless prescribed by a vet. We’ll see how that plays out.
Also signed a bill requiring crisis pregnancy centers, which are often run by anti-abortion groups to ‘compel them to notify clients of the state’s free and low-cost alternative programs for family planning, prenatal care and abortion.’ Some people are of course screaming about attacks on people’s faith. Nobody cares.
It’s interesting how different the politics here on the ground in CA differ so much from what you hear nationally. Nobody here is afraid of the NRA or anti-abortion groups.
SiubhanDuinne
@benw:
I was just thinking that. Also, the heavy-lidded, slightly slack-mouthed look, like drummers (no offense to any drummers among us, but you know what I mean).
redshirt
@NotMax: No doubt, but the current (or recent) Dodgers team is heavily populated by ex-Red Sox.
Along those lines, we have this Hanley Ramirez, who has a hell of a bat….
NotMax
Where’s RtR to squawk that the team with the most “Benjamins” is a shoo-in?
redshirt
@Tommy: No hitter is unlikely, but how about 8 innings, 5 hits, no runs?
I suppose it’s theoretically possible the Cards could win game 3, I just wouldn’t bet on it.
redshirt
@NotMax: UNLIMITED. TEXAS. RANGERS.
JoyceH
Openthreadwise, I’ve just published a new novel, another Regency romance – fans of Regency, find it here –
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016CRSLUU
redshirt
@JoyceH: What is a “Regency tradition”?
FlyingToaster
@Lee: Get the NoScript add-on and disable Stitcher.com.
Stiticher and libsyn are banned from my work laptop (this one) Firefox, because they either slow down or crash everything. If I have to run one of them, I run Chrome, like you and a bunch of others. It fails, mind you, but more gracefully.
Tommy
@redshirt: The only positive is we beat the best pitcher in baseball two times last year.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
@redshirt: Oliver Sacks’ experiment:
It’s a vivid and amazing story if you haven’t read it.
Cheers,
Scott.
benw
@redshirt: MLB players are hipsters now? I’m old.
@SiubhanDuinne: yeah, both pitchers for the Mets/Dodgers have that going on tonight. Whereas Arrieta and Kuechel both look super-intense when they’re pitching. It’s funny how different people can look when they’re so focused that they totally don’t care how they look at that moment.
NotMax
Baking experiment underway at the moment. Using the usual beer bread recipe but replaced the beer with spiced apple cider. Also added a smidgen of peanut butter. Was going to use raisins rather than peanut butter, but turned out that have less than a handful of those in the house.
We shall see…
JPL
@dmsilev: I really wish there were a way to buy popcorn futures….. I jus don’t see that going well..
Betty Cracker
Lord, this Cal vs Utah game is unbelievably sloppy.
Anoniminous
@redshirt:
This
Well.
Kinda.
ThresherK (GPad)
@? Martin: Hmm. Maybe that ad for it California Cheese will mean something now.
redshirt
@Anoniminous: So, campy horror romance set in the 1800’s?
redshirt
@efgoldman:
The Sox are gonna eat 50-75% of his contract. And maybe get a player to be named later.
BillinGlendaleCA
@efgoldman: I think Aaron Rogers went to Cal. Rosen at UCLA is doing pretty well, he’s a true freshman.
Renie
Interesting to note that the whole time Dear Betty Cracker was away, RtR hasn’t been around. Hmmm..just putting this out there. :-)
SiubhanDuinne
@Renie:
Very odd.
Very odd indeed.
SoupCatcher
@efgoldman:
ESPN has been flogging that comparison a bit.
Goff has been setting career records this year, partly because he’s been starting for three years (I think Rogers only started for two).
I haven’t been following the Utah game, because baseball, but their defense is a good test for him. Should be an interesting Big Game this year.
redshirt
@Renie:
Hmm. Given these new facts that have come to light, it would be irresponsible not to speculate.
Omnes Omnibus
@SoupCatcher: Rodgers played two years at a junior college before transferring to Cal.
SoupCatcher
@Omnes Omnibus: Ah, that would explain it. Thanks!
mclaren
If you haven’t seen Adam Curtis’ latest BBC documentary Bitter Lake, check it out:
Morzer
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/10/09/trump-s-no-1-fan-is-a-ricky-martin-hating-latina-birther.html
No-one could ever have predicted….
Omnes Omnibus
@efgoldman: Has anyone given any thought to the fact that, while BC was gone, her boxers might not have had access to a computer? RtR may be a spoof troll created by dogs. It would explain a lot.
ruemara
@JoyceH: Ooo Regency. Can’t wait until I have time to read.
Morzer
@efgoldman:
I think Jeb! lost a major donor recently. Maybe they just don’t have enough BRINKS TRUCKS!!! to pay el Trolloso his princely emolument.
Omnes Omnibus
@Morzer: Every ethnicity has its morons. It is a function of the human condition.
NotMax
@Renie
He/she/it popped in to bark about Ryan for Speaker.
redshirt
As if RtR is getting paid to troll BJ.
Trolling is its own reward for trolls like RtR.
SoupCatcher
@Morzer: Would be too bad for Right2Rise if Bush hired Fiorina’s former operations director: Mr. Payment is for Winners.
Morzer
@Omnes Omnibus:
Her boxers were briefing for Jeb! ?!
Omnes Omnibus
@Morzer: I did not say that. I have full faith that the bitches were going commando.
redshirt
There’s a green stain on the dog’s left side, starting at the nose and apparently trickling down. Sources so far are unable to determine the substance, but the clues at the moment point towards “snot”. Back to you Jim.
Darkrose
Well that was some bullshit. I normally don’t root for injuries, even for Dodgers, but if Utley ends up with a concussion then…karma. I was mostly in it for Anyone But the Bums, but now I want the Mets to fucking crush LA and hear the lamentations of the Dodgers fans.
max
@dmsilev: Triple Crown Winner American Pharoah for Speaker! He is handsome, patriotic, accomplished, intelligent, well mannered and unlike the denizens of DC someone who actually knows how to win.
I’ve been robbed! Robbed I tell you!
What do I get? People bitching at me because I referenced Caligula. Sheesh.
max
[‘There is no justice in this world.’]
redshirt
@Darkrose: That slide was bullshit. And the call.
Renie
So it may not actually be Ms. Cracker but the dogs trolling as RtR. That would explain a lot. Hopefully they are getting paid.
Darkrose
@redshirt: And the people saying it’s Tejada’s fault because he shouldn’t have tried to turn two and instead just gotten out of the way.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Darkrose: God wears Dodger Blue.
redshirt
@Darkrose:
Well, that is the explicit threat of the hard slide: If you “stand your ground” and try and turn the Double Play, you might get hurt.
That’s been part of baseball for a long time. But so also has throwing out jerks who abuse the idea – like not even trying for the base, but rather only trying to take out a guy.
SoupCatcher
@efgoldman: The next Colin Kaepernick?
Omnes Omnibus
@efgoldman: Lots of people aren’t Aaron Rodgers.
Darkrose
@BillinGlendaleCA: I’m pretty sure @MLBJesus is not a Dodger fan.
Darkrose
Brian Phillips ✔ @runofplay
Catching up with the baseball. This kind of senseless tragedy could be prevented if more of our second basemen carried guns.
9:35 PM – 10 Oct 2015
Tissue Thin Pseudonym
I assume that the Gophers are going to allow a goal at some point in this season, but four games in, there’s no empirical evidence to support this hypothesis. They’ve allowed 38 shots and 0 goals in those four games.
Of course, it helps to have a series against St. Cloud State, with little talent and less heart, in there. I haven’t seen a team quit so comprehensively since we played them last year. Early in the second today, we scored twice in 13 seconds. Later, we scored three goals in 32 seconds. After that, we just avoided shooting the puck on net. There were four whistles in the third period, as the refs stopped calling icing altogether and our goalie dropped the puck into traffic after catches rather than freeze it.
Good lord, SCSU is bad. Almost bad enough to play in Hockey East.
SoupCatcher
Well, I don’t think Utah is as good as their ranking, but I don’t see who challenges them in the PAC12 South. They’re not on Stanford’s regular season schedule this year, but we might meet in the championship game. They’ve had our number the past few years; Coach Shaw said, at best, we match up equally with them in terms of physicality.
Interesting times in the PAC.
Omnes Omnibus
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym: @efgoldman: Meh. I came from a D-III school. Sometimes we get a good group of athletes. Other times we don’t. So what?
Mnemosyne (tablet)
I realize that only my fellow So Cal residents are going to understand how bizarre this is, but we’re in Santa Barbara this weekend and it’s 10 degrees *hotter* here than it is in Burbank. Seriously. Thank god the B&B we stay at installed air conditioning or we would be very unhappy campers right now.
For non-Californians, SB is usually 10 degrees cooler than the LA basin, so it’s really about 20 degrees hotter than normal here. Not many places have air conditioning, because they’re so close to the ocean, so stores are running 4 or 5 fans at a time. It’s pretty nuts.
SoupCatcher
@Omnes Omnibus: Heh. My undergraduate school only had intramural flag football when I went there. Kind of hard to get excited about that.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym
@efgoldman: Yeah. Women’s Hockey East this year is Boston College and a giant dumpster fire. Merrimack gets a pass since it’s the first year of their program, but everyone else is falling on their face after being unimpressive last year. Other than BC, the conference is 3-16-2 in non-conference play so far.
Mnemosyne (tablet)
@redshirt:
The Regency was a short period of British history when George III was too crazy to rule, so his son the Prince of Wales was made the regent. It’s (very roughly) about 1800 to 1815 and covers most of the Napoleonic Wars. That’s when Jane Austen was publishing her novels (approximately). Another writer named Georgette Heyer wrote some novels in an Austen-like style in the 1950s, and it kicked off a whole subgenre that’s still going strong today.
In romance novel terms, a traditional Regency is one without explicit sex in it. Think Jane Austen written in more modern language.
? Martin
@Mnemosyne (tablet): Yeah, we spent the day at JPL and it was no warmer than here on the coast. I agree – very strange. Thankfully that meant that it wasn’t 110 in La Cañada. Unfortunately it meant that it was 95 here when we got home.
redshirt
@Mnemosyne (tablet): Finally! Thank you for that excellent explanation.
I assume the zombies are pastiche.
eclare
Raven
Repaired my 65 pound dog ACL about five years ago. Heard the same about once goes so does the other. He is happy and healthy. I hope the same for your dog. I am a lurker but I had to comment. I hope you see it.
redshirt
@? Martin: We were supposed to have a high of 50 but it only hit 43. I’m still not turning on my heat. #noheattillnovember
trollhattan
I believe I hear wingnut skull pressure valves approaching the red zone.
Few things sickened me more than when our True Patriot Cadres(tm) turned on this soldier and his family. In any case I trust the Army to sort things out and do the right thing. Evidently that’s not enough for some folks.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym
@efgoldman: Very true. No Hockey East team averaged an attendance of even 500 last year.
trollhattan
@Mnemosyne (tablet):
Had soccer in the Sierra foothills this afternoon and it was hot as blazes up there. Was glad to get home to the faint Delta breeze. Damned if I’m waking up the A/C in mid-October, I’ve got firewood to burn.
SoupCatcher
@trollhattan: We were overcast into the afternoon in San Jose. Then up to a little over 80. Right now it’s a very comfortable 60.
Ruckus
@SoupCatcher:
It’s 80 in Pasadena as I type. Was 100 today.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Ruckus: I guess I’m quite insane. I went hiking Griffith Park today. Old Zoo, Mt. Hollywood, heliport and Beacon Hill. I had a blast, and HAD to field test out my new camera.
ETA: One nice thing about the heat and the elevation is the trees smelled really fragrant and there were some nice breezes up there.
Ruckus
@BillinGlendaleCA:
As long as you recognize that you are insane you’re OK. Unlike the Klown Kar Krazies who think they are all quite sane when in fact they are exactly not. Joseph Heller wrote a book about this.
Morzer
@Ruckus:
So did Salinger:
The Speaker in the Rye.
Julia
Raven, I just adopted a 60-lb. female yellow lab in June. She had been left outside with a torn ACL by her previous family for close to a year. The rescue organization paid for her ACL surgery. We were also told to be careful with her, when one goes the other is more apt to. Sandy is doing great and both legs seem healthy. Crossing fingers for Lil Bit!
Spike
Mauk was suspended for the one universal, unconditional violation in all of SEC football: losing to Kentucky.
TheronWare
Hounds rule!
Ecks
@Spike: Ha.
Mizzou never ever reveals why students are suspended. They seriously have total omerta on it, under the guise of having a family style duty of care for their player’s well-being. All we’re told is it’s not got criminal tie ins (he’d have been given the boot if so).
There are rumours of typical young guy type stuff, but unless you know him closely, they’re just rumours.
Paul in KY
Mauk lost to UK. If y’all ever lost to us, your QB would probably get one too.
Paul in KY
@Tommy: Hope you never get one. I tore my ACL & MCL & meniscus. Poor knee has never been same.
Paul in KY
@Spike: I agree. A Vandy loss might also have done the trick.