Open Threads

A friend surprised me with this fun gift:
I can’t wait to set it up!

Via Google image search, I’ve learned there are versions in the shape of horse, gnome, cat and (ironically) squirrel heads.

Also, I’ve spotted a hole in the market; a sasquatch edition would fly off the shelves. Maybe I’ll make a prototype and start marketing them on Etsy.

***

I had to make a grocery run the other day and listened to an episode of This American Life. It’s a rerun, but I hadn’t heard it before.

The topic is fiascos, and the first incident described involves a calamitous high school production of “Peter Pan.”

It’s a good thing I eschew mascara because I laughed so hard I cried. Seriously, I almost had to pull over. Listen to it if you need a laugh.

***

Speaking of calamities, there’s a laminate countertop on one side of my kitchen that has fake granite paint. We’ve wanted to replace it for more than six years, but it wasn’t high on the priority list of home renovation projects, even before the goddamn flood.

But lately it’s started to peel at the edges, which makes it difficult to scrub the counter without creating an even bigger mess. I figured as a stop-gap measure, I’d strip the peeling paint and live with the ugly laminate until we can replace the countertops.

Bill is busy dealing with the flood damage downstairs, replacing drywall and so forth, so I figured I’d take this counter thing on myself.

I watched a few YouTube videos of such projects, which made it look easy (and satisfying!) to strip away the paint. I assembled the necessary products and tools. I tested a small area to confirm the paint stripping abilities of the product I’d purchased.

Sure enough, after the stripping liquid was in place on the test surface for 15 minutes, I was able to effortlessly remove the paint from that area with a putty knife, so I coated the rest of the counter.

It’s not a big counter at all — half of a small galley kitchen — so I wasn’t worried about the ventilation, even though we’re having a cold snap and the windows are shut.

Turns out that was a miscalculation. The stripping compound created an overwhelming toxic cloud. We all had to evacuate to the chilly porch while I opened the windows to air the place out.

Then, while wearing a hat, coat, scarf and mittens, I commenced scraping and discovered that, unlike the test area, more than half of the counter paint was tightly bonded to the laminate and required a truly arduous effort to remove.

To sum up, I bit off more than I can chew, and a project that should have been the work of an afternoon will drag on into tomorrow. Meanwhile, much of the kitchen is a disaster zone, so instead of the planned pot of homemade chili, we’ll be having microwaved soup for dinner.

Open thread!

This Old Fucking House (Open Thread)Post + Comments (94)

Pastor Mike was elected Speaker on the first vote:

Mike Johnson has been reelected speaker of the House after a contentious and dramatic back and forth with several Republican holdouts.

After voting against Johnson, South Carolina Republican Ralph Norman and Texas Republican Keith Self changed their votes in support of Johnson.

He needed 218 votes to become speaker, which he received on the first ballot.

Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie did not change his vote, supporting Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minnesota) for speaker.

Bad OmenPost + Comments (121)

Pastor Mike Johnson is taking another run at the speakership this afternoon, and it’s going to be lit.  He’s got a one-vote margin to play with, since Thomas Massie has decided not to vote for him already.  His reasoning is pure MAGA:

“I’m a single man now. I’ve lost my wife, and she was probably the nicest part of me,” he said. “What do I have to lose?”

Massie won’t say how much if any support he has for ousting Johnson, or disclose his plans for an alternative speaker, other than to say he will vote for a person, not just vote “present.”

“I’m a selfish asshole and my long-suffering wife is no longer around to curb my asshole tendencies, so here we are” is every old white MAGAt widower or divorcee.  (That link is to Evan Hurst’s piece at Wonkette, which is good.)

The Post runs down the possibilities, [gift link] which include some members voting “present” to give Johnson a smaller majority requirement, and other possibilities like the House passing a rule requiring less than a majority to elect the Speaker.  The latter seems pretty far-fetched, because why would a Freedom Caca member who hates Johnson vote for a rule that would basically elect him?  Another option is a Speaker who isn’t a member of the House, but, again, you have to get these cats herded together to vote for that person, and some clown like Vivek or Elon who has no knowledge of the rules of the House would be a tactically terrible choice.  (Elon would do it for about two seconds since it’s a full-time job and he has other places to ruin.)

There’s also the possibility that lack of a Speaker could lead to issues with the certification of the election, but there are stopgaps for that.  (By the way, this is a good litmus test for any news source you’re following. If they mention this possibility without saying it probably won’t happen, they’re not reliable, IMO.). And there are also stopgaps for authorizing Jimmy Carter to lie in state, but that’s in danger, too, until the clown car picks a driver.

One of my interests in looking at the roll calls is the absentees.  I think there are a few members who are in poor health who might not vote (though they may be able to give their proxy to someone).  I want to do some research into that, since reps who can’t vote consistently are going to be an issue for both caucuses when the margin to pass any legislation, if they manage to elect a Speaker, is two votes.

(I was able to cancel my Guardian subscription, and my cancelled Post subscription doesn’t run out for a couple of months, so you’ll be getting some Post links, which require a sign-in.  It’s not a perfect media world and I’m still looking for the paywall-free decent source for “just the facts” news.)

Today’s Vote for Senior Drama Club PresidentPost + Comments (201)