Dogs and cat have been fed, watered, and walked, and I was about to relax, when the madhouse started up again. I documented it for you, my faithful readers:
Bark bark bark bark bark!
“Hey! What are we barking at?”
MMMMMMMtuna.
For those of you wondering, that is a hunk of tuna on the end of Tunch’s nose. That happens when you bury your entire head in a bowl of tuna for 10 minutes at a time without breathing.
Max
Kiss the back of your couch goodbye. My friends dog sits on the back of her’s and now, it’s a mis-shaped mess.
Sounds like you are having fun with the animal kingdom.
jl
Tunch wants more. I can tell from the look in his eyes.
A lot more.
Maybe Cole can stave off revenge with some heavy duty nip action until the TunchRage subsides.
Mark S.
Tunch is contemplating whether to take a nap before the killing spree.
Bnut
Tunch is so brooding. He would be played by Ray Liotta in the Balloon Juice movie,
MikeJ
washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/16/AR2010041604626.html
LuciaMia
I propose Christopher Walken.
Mike Kay
how do you get fat eating something as lean as tuna?
Bnut
Walken would be good, I just don’t see the voice working.
Yutsano
@Mike Kay: Tuna is actually a very fatty fish, not to mention the oil the tuna is packed in. It does add up, especially when we’re talking about the quantities it would take to satisfy the Tunch.
Mike Kay
If only James Dean or Brando were alive. Tunch would make a great Col. Kurtz.
Kristine
I’m on deadline. House needs to be quiet. Mine will be sleeping–I love them when they sleep. Then the UPS truck will rumble by, or the cats across the street will send a disturbance through the Force, and in a split second it’s like visitor hour at the kennel.
At the moment, Gaby is outside and King is inside. King is sleeping. Gaby could be doing anything from stalking squirrels to eating dirt. I should check, but if I move, King will get up.
mai naem
That solid dark brown chest that he’s sitting on really makes him look fat. He looks not as chunky when he’s on a busy blanket. Kindly remember that John when you take his next photo. No wonder you think he’s plotting against you. Also too, he’s flattered you are thinking of Ray Liotta playing him. I personally think Brad Pitt or George Clooney would be just fine. Not that I am trying to kiss up to Tunch or anything.
Annie
Tunch looks like has a huge headache from all the barking….Maybe an Advil with the tuna would help, or some whiskey in the water…
arguingwithsignposts
What? DeNiro isn’t available?
ETA: I think we need to establish the actors and actresses for all the regular FPers, along with T&J and anyone else who you feel needs adding. Who is Cole? Who would play DougJ? Tim F.? Dennis G.? Anne Laurie? Mistermix?
And while we’re at it, Stuck, Angus, JSF, Yutsano, Tattoosydney?
I nominate Dennis Hopper as BoB.
demo woman
Would it be impolite to ask how much weight Miss Lily has gained since she moved in?
slag
That look on Tunch’s face reminds me of something. Hmmmm…I can’t quite put my finger on it….
Oh yeah!
salacious crumb
no way, Tunch should be played by William Dafoe.
Annie
@arguingwithsignposts:
And, who will play you? Of course, Lady Smudge will play Lady Smudge
Comrade Mary
According to John, he’s got that Philip Seymour Hoffman thing happening, so that’s a start.
I still think Tunch should be played by The Brain.
LuciaMia
Loves Lily’s pose in the second photo.
“On the alert….always on the alert..”
Janet Strange
OK for lack of another recent open thread, I’m going to go with “all pet threads are open threads.” If you haven’t yet downloaded and listened to this week’s This American Life Inside Job – do it while it’s still free. (Which may end tonight or tomorrow?)
Others have already said this, I know, I just wanted to reinforce the recommendations. Finally took those others’ advice and listened today.
Anyway, *NOW* I finally get what the Goldman Saks thing is all about. Planet Money (their folks and Propublica did this one) are the only ones that can explain these things in a way I can understand.
The song at the end is . . . amazing.
And for those of you that find Ira Glass grating – he’s only on for a couple minutes doing the introduction.
arguingwithsignposts
@Annie:
People have said I look somewhat like John Malcovich or Anthony Edwards. But since we’re going on Internet comments only … Triumph the Insult Comic Dog? ;)
And I somewhat pictured Lady Smudge being played by Katharine Hepburn in an earlier age. I’m not sure who would be the current lady-like actress to fit that bill, perhaps Helena Bonham Carter?
jl
They way things are going in the Tunch household, I think casting Cole would be very easy.
Some extra would play Cole at basic union rate. Not sure what the character would be named. Maybe TunchVictim Number One, or something like that. Alll he has to do is just fall down and lie their until the Tunch CSI team gets there.
arguingwithsignposts
@Janet Strange:
Yes, I am subscribed to the podcast and listened to it while driving today. It is an incredible story. And even if you don’t download, it’s still free for streaming after this week. You just can’t put it on your iPod. GS wasn’t the only one priming the pump, as it were.
Also, if anyone wants some more musical economics from the Planet Money team, check out this earlier podcast about a rap about Keynes and Hayek.
Annie
@arguingwithsignposts:
Or, Jon Voight
jl
Too bad Klaus Kinski is gone. Fatten him up a little and he could really play a memorable Tunch.
Phoebe
I think Bjork could play Tunch. They have the same eyes. This picture really looks a lot like the Tunch “OBEY” t-shirt, by the way. I got that one and it’s so well rendered. It’s mesmerizing in fact…
Annie
@arguingwithsignposts:
I wish I could be played by Meryl Streep. Every Jewish girl’s dream…
But, alas, I am true to my heritage — 5′ tall with long wavy dark brown hair….
Church Lady
Does anyone have a dog that has been diagnosed with malignant lymphoma? Our Golden, who is somewhere between 10 and 12 (she was a stray we found on the side of the road 8 years ago) was diagnosed this week with this. We kept finding smears of blood on the floor for a few days and it turned out that they are from a tumor in the roof of her mouth. At first he thought it might be melanoma, but the tests indicated lymphoma.
The vet talked to us about chemo, saying that the remission rate is pretty good (although only for a year or so), but she also has Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia, so he’s not so sure that she would do well with the chemo or that the amount of time it might buy would be worth the expense involved (2 to 3k). We’re agonizing over what to do – losing her will be heartbreaking to our family, but we’re afraid the chemo will trip another episode with the AIHA, which will certainly kill her. She’s managed to survive two previous episodes, the last one barely. The specialist said a third episode would most likely be fatal.
Does anyone have any experience with an older dog, not in the best health, going through chemo? Was it a good thing, or do you wish you had skipped it? We can’t decide what will be best for her.
Janet Strange
@Church Lady: So sorry to hear, CL. No experience with an older dog with health problems, but our best-dog-in-the-world Aussie, Sadie, got lymphoma when she was only 5 and she had been in excellent health until then. We did do the chemo and she got another 8-9 months before we had to let her go.
She felt good most of the time, but the day or two after the chemo was pretty rough on her. She reacted badly to it, and it didn’t help as much as the vet thought it would. The vet, who is a wonderful person, was very distressed that it didn’t go as well as she had led us to believe, but Sadie just had a particularly bad form of the disease.
In all honesty, I think if I had to do it over, I wouldn’t do the chemo. Again, so sorry to hear about your dog.
JohnG
Long time lurker, first time poster. Just wanted to say, holy christ on a cross Tunch is gigantic.
Annie
@Church Lady:
I have no advice, other than to say, I am with you on how horrible the decision is…I dread the day when I have to make any kind of decision about my kitties — one going on 12 and one going on 7 years…I can’t imagine our family without them….even as annoying they can be at times — particularly at 5:00am, which seems to be the kittie preferred breakfast time…My thoughts are with you.
demo woman
@Church Lady: I had a golden that lived until he was sixteen. He had a stroke at twelve and was able to recover after several months. Friends that I know have tried chemo with either a lab or a golden and it has lengthened their life for months not a year. I’m not sure what type of cancer the dogs had so potentially lymphoma has a longer rate of recovery.
I do have to ask why the chemo? Is it for you or the dog. I hate to sound cruel but I had a Shar pei with kidney problems that loved car rides but as soon as we were within a mile of the vet he cried. Damn, I still miss that dog although I do think that the mutt Miss Moxie is the prettiest dog ever.
WereBear
@Church Lady: 10-12 is getting up there for a Golden, and with another serious underlying disease… it would make me lean against such treatment.
Not that I wouldn’t pay for it in an instant if it gave me more years with a beloved pet. (Which I’ve done. I once paid half of all the money I had in the world for a 2 year old Elkhound mix… for an ACL repair… so he could get another home.)
But it doesn’t sound like that would be the bargain you are striking. In all honesty, I would make her as comfortable as possible, and let her go with love.
Since this is not the first ill pet to pop up today, perhaps the articles I wrote upon losing our 13 year old cat last summer will be helpful. They are also applicable to dogs.
Mourning a pet
SIA
John Malkovich plays Tunch.
Annie
@WereBear:
Love the website……thanks!
cathaireverywhere
Joaquin Phoenix as Tunch. Very brooding eyes.
I think you need to give him another case of tuna. I can tell by his ears that he is plotting some mayhem. He is probably deciding whether to start with you or the dogs and which weapon would be the most satisfying.
Bad Horse's Filly
@Church Lady: I’m so sorry for this diagnosis. I’ve had three pets with cancer and I have to say, the one that we treated the least it also the one I regret the least. His last days were peaceful and I can’t say that about the other two, I feel like I put them through hell unnecessarily.
I’m not in your shoes, but if I had it to do over again, I’d enjoy the time I have left and when they showed signs of no longer being able to cope with the disease, then I’d let them go.
Again, I’m so sorry. There is no easy answer and in the end you have to do what’s right for you and your family. But, remember, you’ve got a bunch of us here who care, ’cause that’s how we roll here at BJ.
WereBear
@Annie: Thanks!
4jkb4ia
18th inning!!
“Anything with cats and dogs is an open thread”. And I quote.)
(Effort to serve pompano in papillote with mushrooms warmed over the next day was dismal failure. Husband threatened to throw up.)
(This blog is having a very good day today.)
gbear
@MikeJ: That clip has me on irony overload.
CynDee
Philip Seymour Hoffman should play Tunch.
George Clooney should play John Cole.
Renee Zellweger should play Lily.
4jkb4ia
Bottom of the 19th:
Mets lead 1-0.
K-Rod comes out.
Ludwick walks.
Ludwick tries to steal second, thrown out on questionable play.
Pujols doubles.
Lohse 5-3, advances runner.
Molina singles.
Third out as I type.
4jkb4ia
Nate is too smart to acknowledge the existence of this game.
gil mann
Tunch should be played by Wilson from Cast Away.
4jkb4ia
Ludwick then proceeds to make the final out with two runners on.
Ruckus
@Church Lady:
I haven’t had to do this with a pet but I’ve been through this with 3 people and the pain of ongoing treatment that just extends the pain for all doesn’t seem to be all that humane.
Both my grandfather and sister died of cancer. Grandfather 36 yrs ago and once diagnosed he only lasted for 2 weeks. My sister fought for 6 years, 2 remissions, but in the end she decided against fighting any longer. It hurt losing my best friend and sister but it was the best thing for her. My dad had Alzheimers and suffered for 10 yrs. In the end I had to decide to put him in hospice or extend his life for what would have been a relatively short time. I felt then and have not changed my mind in the least that hospice was the most humane thing I could do for him. Of course this is not the best decision in every case but I think the quality of life is as an important determination as the length of life. Please remember that in all of these situations life would have only been lengthened a couple of weeks to maybe 2 months. And they would have been the most pain filled times of their lives.
Please take this only as my experiences, in these specific instances, not as a cautionary tale. And that I would be devastated if it was my dog we are discussing.
Best of luck to you.
Poicephalus
Granted that I have buried my face in tuna for more than 10 minutes.
monkeyboy
@Max:
Every home owner with pets or small children eventually has to accommodate their home to the little stupid ones rather than hope that the opposite direction happens.
John, since you are in WV I assume you have a circular saw (or better) or know someone with one who wants to demonstrate their prowess with power tools. You need to knock out a cheap dog perch to fit between the couch and the window – out of things like plywood, 2x4s, and bought carpet remnants.
You need to design it to be tasteful but obviously temporary (even if it sits there for the next 5 years). Most importantly you want to make it “look like it wasn’t made by somebody that got liquored up and decided to build something with their power tools” (a complement paid to me by a neighbor who helped me build and erect a semi-pergola on our property line, one was often liquored up and had a lot of power tools).
I would go with a long shelf because you never know how many animal asses it will need to accommodate.
Church Lady
Thank you to all for sharing your thoughts and experiences. It has given me more to think about and talk about with my family. We go back to the Vet on Monday because the bleeding in her mouth is getting worse and the Prednisone and Cipro don’t seem to be helping at all. This morning, my kitchen floor looked like a crime scene photo. I’m hoping that there is something else they can do to staunch the seepage from the tumor. She doesn’t seem to be in any pain, although I don’t see how, and her appetite remains very good (she is rather on the voluptuous side). I’m going to look to the Vet for advice on when we should let go and how we will know that it is time.
Anne Laurie
Anybody know where I can find one of those mug shots after Nick Nolte was arrested for breaking & entering whilst very altered?
Mnemosyne
We got one dose of chemo for our cat Natasha, but unfortunately the tumors had already started spreading to her lungs and we weren’t going to be able to eke any additional time out for her, so we stopped and just tried to make her comfortable.
The thing that our vet told us is that they do NOT do the same level of chemo for a pet that they do for a human. With a human, they try to get rid of the tumor entirely, but for a pet, they generally just try to slow the growth of it, because aggressive treatment causes a lot of suffering for a very small return. It’s one thing for a human to decide for themselves to go through all of that — it’s another to decide on behalf of an animal that can’t make that decision.
litbrit
Tunch must be played by Gary Oldman, who’ll have to gain several pounds and bleach his hair punky white.
CynDee’s pick–Phillip Seymour Hoffman–would also be excellent.
litbrit
@Anne Laurie:
Like this photograph?
Anne Laurie
@litbrit: Yup. Give Mr. Nolte another 30 pounds, and that’s how I picture the Balloon Juice Honor Troll.
2th&nayle
Tunch’s facial expression seems to say, “If you think this paltry offering of canned fish makes us even for allowing those canine harpys to invade my realm….well you better think again, bucko!”
raptusregaliter
@gil mann:
If Tunch is going to be played by a white spheroid, it should be the Rover from the original “Prisoner” show.
mclaren
This is the cat’s diet? A giant bowl full of tuna…?
asiangrrlMN
Tuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuunch! God, I love that cat so much. Lily looks great, too.