Just wanted to pop in and thank you all for donating to the fall fundraiser, and I have asked Mistermix, who knows something about coding, is going to be in contact with the designer and they are going to hammer out the details. We’re going to try to go for all the bells and whistles while keeping the integrity of the site the same. A brief moment so you can all chuckle about the idea of this site having any integrity. But you know what I mean. If you still want to donate, here’s the info:
If you want to donate via snail mail, the email addy is:
And, as promised, another picture of everyone’s favorite recovering patient:
Thurston clearly does not understand the “shame” portion of cone of shame, because he honestly looks happier than a pig in shit. I love the little soul patch on his underbite- so cute in person when he holds still long enough to let you see it.
If you look closely, you will notice one of the el cheapo upright vacuum cleaners and two handheld vacuums positioned strategically around the house to quickly clean up whatever the hell we have shredded. It’s to the point now that we don’t even put them away, we just leave the standing in the middle of the damned room because we know we are going to need it in a few hours.
They tell me they grow out of this stage, but I am not sure. Lily and Rosie came broken in.
Randy P
God bless you for attempting to civilize a puppy. I adore dogs, but most of my dogs have been adults (shelter or relatives) and I have for the most part avoided that whole housebreaking scene.
I know somebody has to do it. And I suppose I could if I had to. I consider myself pretty good at training older dogs.
But I choose not to deal with puppies.
He does look like a happy little guy though. That classic look of “what fun thing are we going to do next?” Of course, you and he may have different ideas of fun. You might not consider, for instance, finding that he’s unrolled an entire roll of TP to be the height of amusement.
Jerzy Russian
Do the other animals make fun of him? I know I would.
RK
Get thee to obedience school! Good looking dog.
John Cole
@RK: He started but I pulled him. We start again next Friday.
Randy P
Are we reporting bugs? Mobile site works pretty well except that: (a) on occasion it will spontaneously switch to Desktop view, without user input and (b) I have never been able to edit. The edit function throws me to the home page. Yet other people report that they can do edit on mobile devices.
My device is an iPhone 5.
Anne Laurie
For all the people who said they “couldn’t see any poodle” in Thurston: His “sure, not every dog could carry this off, but *I* look good in anything” is 110% pure, unadulterated French water-dog.
Poodles sincerely believe they look good in pajamas, glitter, colored nail polish, and/or custom hair dye jobs. The only time I’ve seen a (standard) poodle sulk about a costume, it was because she thought people were mocking her. (Honestly, we were only snickering because Cleome looked so outraged at being required to wear a top hat. She got over it, once everyone apologized profusely. The name ‘Marlene Dietrich’ may have been bandied…)
SiubhanDuinne
I am really a cat person (I don’t dislike dogs, not at all, I just would never have one) but I have to say, that Thurston is a little cutie pie! You’re quite right, John, he doesn’t seem to understand what a “cone of shame” is all about.
Did Steve ever come back inside? Any chance of a picture of him sometime?
I sent $25 yesterday and don’t have a lot of extra discretionary cash available, but holler if you come up short in the blegging. I can always cut back on wine for a night or two.
SiubhanDuinne
@Anne Laurie:
Pretty sure I was one of those who failed, and continue to fail, to see even a scrap of poodle in Thurston. I’ll take your word for it on the attitude, but I’m looking for physical evidence and I’m just.not.seeing.it.
Belafon
Thurston’s cone reminds me of what happened with my youngest son (10) earlier this summer. I had begun noticing that he was having trouble seeing distances, so we told him we were going to have his eyes checked. Rather than being disappointed and apprehensive, he was excited about getting glasses. When he got his exam, he was disappointed that he didn’t get his glasses that day.
SiubhanDuinne
@efgoldman:
I still haven’t wrapped my mind around wine in a box, but I expect that’s just the reactionary in me. Savings is as savings does!
22over7
Look at those bright eyes! What a happy pup. I must have missed it–why the cone?
Yatsuno
@SiubhanDuinne: Box wine has gotten so much better than it used to be. A lot of vintners now will make boxed options available and some are fantastic. It’s great when you want a glass to cook with and not bother with opening a whole bottle. But as with all things YMMV.
And stomp. Also. Too.
Plantsmantx
@Randy P:
In a 2/15 blogpost, the author of this theme writes “It has been about a year and a half since I last updated Suffusion or responded to forum questions.”, then goes on to explain why. When you look it up on wordpress.org, you see this warning:
http://aquoid.com/news/2015/02/photonic-version-1-46-and-suffusion-musings/
SiubhanDuinne
@Yatsuno:
Yeah, I know it’s greatly improved. But I am elderly, and my mind tends to be atrophied about things like Win in Boxes.
Edit: Heh, that was supposed to be WINE in Boxes. Curse you, Autocorrect, but on the other hand, that was quite nicely done.
redshirt
Thanks John, and thanks to all the front pagers and the folks working on redesigning the site. Good luck!
madmommy
Maisy is a 3 month old boxer mix. Currently my kitchen floor contains a rather mangled gallon milk jug, a squeaky bone with the ends chewed off and the squeak removed, a not unsubstantial piece of wood that she has tried to shred into mulch, and a small rubber tire. It does not contain area rugs, because she ate them all. I am hopeful that the chewing everything that doesn’t chew back phase is short-lived.
mai naem mobile
Anybody.catch the MSNBC story about an HRC staffer pleading the 5th rather than testifying in front of Congress? I hope this doesn’t mean that this story isn’t still a nothing burger.
Aleta
Quite the little rogue, isn’t he. In every picture his eyes are simply magnetic.
maeve
I have a 4 year old lab – he is currently shredding a paper bag – he’s worn me down and I don’t even bother to react if it’s not something I care about – its on me to not leave it out and about.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
@madmommy: Our previous dog, Colleen – something like a border collie/GSD mix, the smartest and most beautiful dog in NoVA – was ~ 7 months old when we got her. She chewed up her bed every day, chewed the corner of the particle board microwave oven cart, chewed the wooden bottom of the kitchen cabinets, chewed a turtle sculpture made of some sort of rock, chewed up her toys, etc., etc. :-/ She grew out of it by around 6 months later, but would still kill her new squeaky toys about 5 minutes after she got them.
She was a great dog though. :-)
(snif)
You might try a “kong” with some peanut butter or similar inside to keep her occupied and as something to chew on. It wasn’t Colleen’s favorite, but we didn’t try it when she was teething.
Good luck!
Cheers,
Scott.
TrishB
Pepper, cone, tank top, smirk. https://goo.gl/photos/aSESEzB2tpPDQsap6
Punchy
How does one send something via “snail mail” with an email addy? Do we just affix “Johnny The Griff Cole at BJ” on the ‘lope with a stamp and expect the mail dude to sort it to West Vag?
Omnes Omnibus
@I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet: FWIW I did not say that I would leave the blog if threaded comments were offered as an option. I do see how it is is possible that you could read my comment that way, but it was not what I was saying. Nevertheless, I think threaded comments are a horrible idea.
Omnes Omnibus
@Punchy: One presumes that Cole will share a snail mail addy with those who email. Hopefully, it is a P. O. Box.
CaseyL
@22over7: Thurston had a little lump that he chewed on until it got infected. Thus the cone.
Mike J
@Omnes Omnibus: Curmudgeon behind the bar, Bethany, WV should reach him.
RK
@John Cole: Good luck.
Why? I tend to like it where I’ve seen it. It allows a particular back-and-forth to go on and doesn’t disrupt the general thread.
Mike J
@RK: But to read responses to a particular comment, yoiu have to read the entire thread every time you reload the page. With unthreaded comments, you skim everything at the end.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
@Omnes Omnibus: Okie dokie.
I’m a relative newbie here, so the thought of something I would like to see driving others to frustration – to the point that they would leave – was a bit discombobulating. I’m glad it won’t come to that in any event.
:-)
Cheers,
Scott.
Tracy Ratcliff
@mai naem mobile:
Rep Gowdy (R-Scandalville) called this person to testify about a subject that’s under active FBI investigation. Any lawyer who didn’t get their license from a Cracker-Jack box would have their client take the fifth.
Goblue72
@Yatsuno: Union Wine Co. in Oregon under their Underwood label is selling Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris & Rose in a 375 ml can.
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/sep/02/wine-of-week-Underwood-cans/
Omnes Omnibus
@RK: This is a place where weird cross-pollinations take place during comment threads. Threaded comments would kill that. And, IMO, kill the blog.
Omnes Omnibus
@mai naem mobile: @Tracy Ratcliff: What Tracy Ratcliff said.
redshirt
@RK: Threaded comments suck. Read The AV Club for example and prepare to head to the right side of your browser.
But clear quoting is a must in a single thread structure, which BJ lacks. So there’s another request: Make quoting other posters easier. Perhaps we could copy their whole post by hitting the “quote” button?
RK
@Mike J: There are formats where you can see responses without refreshing, but even so, threads just seem to allow for better discussions.
@redshirt: Well I’d be okay with a limit of threading within a thread in some fashion so you don’t have that craziness.
Mike J
@redshirt: One time I rewrote the reply button to copy any text you had highlighted to a blockquote in the textarea. I may either dig up the old cold or rewrite it.
I do like the “show the original on hover” idea too. In my copious free time I might take a crack at that.
Omnes Omnibus
@RK:
We simply disagree. Threads limit conversation. The blog as it is encourages wide ranging discussion, eccentricity, and creativity. I do not see any reason to change that.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
@redshirt: Not to jump on you, but everyone who hits the “Reply” button is creating a threaded post. A truly unthreaded discussion would have everyone forced to use the “Add comments” button at the top without the ability to post a Reply.
The display of the comments should be the user’s choice if the software is flexible enough. Make it flat/chronological as the default to keep people happy. ;-) There’s no fundamental reason why free-form discussion can’t take place on a threaded discussion board – it happens here every day. It’s just not displayed in a threaded form.
:-)
(/soapbox)
Cheers,
Scott.
(Who will quit harping on this now as he can’t make his views clearer.)
Suzanne
@Yatsuno: Box wine?! I think you mean CARDBOARDEAUX.
As for nested comments, PLEASE GOD NO. However, on the mobile site on both my old and my new iPads, I am unable to copy test to quote. Please fix that.
seaboogie
Thurston is adorable – I am absolutely able to adore him, his soul patch, bright intelligent eyes, and the half up/half floppy ears.
My own golden Seamus – who was as smart as he was just plain gorgeous – was also quite a shredder of toys, and – being a retriever – an inveterate thief and collector of found toys.
When I had a dog walker for him during the days, he would often collect toys that other dogs had dropped on their walks. Once a wonderful toy or ball was found, he declared the walk over, and turned around and zoomed back home. When I would arrive home after work, he would jump up to greet me, and then go get his new prize which he showed off with great pride, and then proceeded to destroy immedately. I have to imagine that the hours between the “find” and my return home were agonizing for him, but he always waited for my return.
When we were visiting my ex, we would often find a little assortment of toys at the end of the bed after a morning lie-in (ahem!). We finally discovered that the next door neighbor had a dog door for their dog (with whom my pup was friendly), and Seamus would stroll in boldly and then run back to A’s place with his purloined goodies for me to discover before the inevitable destruction. The neighbor’s dog would also steal Seamus’ toys left outside, so we would have a weekly swap back of surviving toys over the fence. I eventually just started buying toys for their dog, for Seamus to steal. And I miss that pup every single day! Total gonif, but as sweet as he was smart.
PurpleGirl
Thurston’s eyes are so alert… he’s clearly planning great mischief. He’s so cute.
redshirt
@I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet: Not so if the quote function only works for the quoted post. Thus, it’s always flat – just a quote and a comment, though I guess that’s a bit 2D.
seaboogie
@Omnes Omnibus: Agreed re: threads. This format is more like a wonderful big dinner party, discussion-wise, including the sometimes inevitable moment (often after plenty of wine) when everyone wonders “who invited THIS asshole?”.
Jordan Rules
Gahhh! Thurston and his soul patch just melt my heart.
Threaded comments would make this wonderful mixtape more like Clear Channel radio. Ick!!
Suzanne
@seaboogie: That is a fabulous analogy.
The mixed-up-ness makes it fun. It gives it atmosphere.
pseudonymous in nc
@I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet:
No. “Flexibility” is a misguided goal here, and I’ll wave around my three-digit Slashdot UID as evidence that I’ve been around web discussions for a while. The basic commenting look and feel needs to be the same for everyone or you end up with a fragmented experience.
There is a distinct difference between having tools for anchored and quoted replies and threading. Threading sucks.
seaboogie
@Suzanne: Why thank ye kindly, and might I say that your comment to a person of maternal tendencies and an affection for the poet cummings, perhaps – was so spot on – I especially enjoyed the “flounces off” bit – so apt, and it made me laugh.
Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA
@SiubhanDuinne: His eyes remind me a little of Muppet, who’s half mini poodle.
I have to say, though, Thurston appears to be considerably sillier.
scav
Moments of unexpected comment juxtaposition provide some of my most cherished highlights.
Omnes Omnibus
@scav: No, no, people who need complete order and organized filing demand otherwise.
Mnemosyne (tablet)
On the iPad Theme, for a while I was able to click and hold on a link to have it open in a new window, but that functionality disappeared again. And you can’t edit from the theme, but you can switch the theme off, edit in the “regular” theme, and switch back.
From the start, I’ve wanted scalable fonts in the iPad Theme so those of us on the verge of needing reading glasses can see it without eye strain. I use it anyway, because the column width on the regular theme CANNOT be adjusted, so I end up with a one-inch wide column of text, or large-sized text squished into a narrow column.
Tommy
@pseudonymous in nc: Interesting. Not even sure how to respond to that comment.
Tommy
@Mnemosyne (tablet): Any chance you can give me a screen cap of what you see on an iPad.
seaboogie
@Omnes Omnibus: I don’t think it’s that – you are being far too charitable. They just want to ride their hobby-horse hard and are focused on that one thing, which makes them a not very interesting voice here. Also, threads would make it too easy on the trolls. Now they have to scroll through everything to get their juice. I think it slows down the momentum of their obsession/outrage.
Omnes Omnibus
@Tommy: You could start by agreeing or disagreeing about threaded comments. YMMV.
scav
@Omnes Omnibus: Maybe we could reorganize every individual comment into alphabetical order for them.
aaaaaabbcccddddeeeeeeeeee
fghhiiiillllMmmmnnnnooooo
oprrrrrrttttuuvvwyyz.
Tommy
@Omnes Omnibus: I like threaded comments.
Omnes Omnibus
@Tommy: Why?
seaboogie
@Tommy: I appreciate that you have a preference. However, given comments after the blog-master’s free ranging post the other day and how your name was often referenced in the comments, and also that said blog master said “over my dead body” on threads, you might not be helping yourself out too much right now.
redshirt
@Tommy:
Damn. That’s a bad look for Team Tommy.
Tommy
@Omnes Omnibus: @redshirt: Because if you want to tell me how bad I suck I can see it under something I’ve written. That comment.
I could be totally wrong, but tell me why I am wrong please.
seaboogie
@Tommy: I appreciate that you have a preference. However, given comments after the blog-master’s free ranging post the other day and how your name was often referenced in the comments, and also that said blog master said “over my dead body” on threads, you might not be helping yourself out too much right now.
SWMBO
Thurston and the other dog stories make me think of this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWl7pRugjbo
Omnes Omnibus
@Tommy: All I did was ask a question. If you want to self-victimize, go ahead. I did nothing to lead to it.
Tommy
@seaboogie: I’ve shot myself in the foot a lot. Your point taken. It just took me a little because I had to go back and read this or that, well because threads were not threaded!
SFAW
@efgoldman:
This is completely unrelated to any of your posts tonight, but this is the closest thing to an Open Thread, so …
The Boston Phoenix restaurant critic’s name that I was trying to remember the other night is/was “Robert Nadeau.” (In quotation marks, because I believe his real name is Mark Zanger, which is the name I mentioned the other night.)
This incredibly valuable and important piece of information has nothing to do with anything useful, and would not have helped your wonderful daughter win on Jeopardy! (or, as some might call it, Jeb!ardy), but I thought I should mention it to you, because … well, just because, OK?
Of course, considering what time it is, you may never see this. [Sound of quiet sobbing at Chez SFAW]
Tommy
@Omnes Omnibus: My bad on my words. I just know you might not always agree with me and take issue with me. I was kind of poking fun at each of us. That with a threaded comment it would be easier to see how I pissed you off :).
redshirt
@SFAW: I professionally partied with the Phoenix music writer of the time. I forget his name….
seaboogie
@Tommy: So it takes a little bit of extra effort, and you might learn something along the way, something that does not always involve you. Like how I’m doing right now. I was confused at first when you were getting slagged by some (and also defended by at least one universally beloved commmenter), and so I had to read through the comments to gain a deeper understanding. I think that this is the point. Not always about you, but always about the discussion that is being had. And you may also gain deeper understanding.
SFAW
@redshirt:
Lester Bangs.
No, not really (which you already knew without me writing it). I don’t remember it either.
22over7
@CaseyL: Ah. Dopey dog. Thanks!
seaboogie
@seaboogie: Further to my previous commment, we are talking about the nature of chronological open threads v discussion/reply threads, and how it affects the overall character of this site. It wasn’t something that I had considered before, but – upon reflection – I remember just the other day reading a thread that started out as one thing, and then turned into another completely wonderful discussion – and that was my AHA! moment.
Following your own threaded discussion makes it an I/Me/My thing that is not what makes this blog so great. Threaded discussions discourage the free-ranging exchange of ideas, insults, and personal stories that are often meaningful and create this community that we enjoy. It’s a question of tone, and not your personal “I want to see what whoever replied to the thing I just wrote” mentality. Think of this as improvisational jazz, v “I want to play this piece that I just learned/wrote”. Big difference in the experience for everyone, both commenters and readers/lurkers.
Ruckus
@Belafon:
Glad you are opposite what my mom was. I had to convince her that I wasn’t going to school until she took me to get glasses. So she found the youngest doc she could, thinking that she could intimidate him into telling me I didn’t need glasses. I did. The fact that he stood up to her got him a patient for over 35 yrs. That and his competence.
Jordan Rules
@Tommy:
Okay that was funny and well played.
But it’s still team ‘no threaded comments’ on my side.
@seaboogie: Yup! Let’s riff. Improv jazz man.
Suzanne
@Mnemosyne (tablet): I hate how this site looks on iPad. It was so much better before the last redesign, ironically.
Ruckus
@Omnes Omnibus:
My sentiments exactly!
This blog works in a way that gets a lot of good, well thought out comments (most of the time) and can fly off in several directions at a time. It’s just more interesting, while threaded comments don’t do that nearly as well, if at all. And I think it allows people to get some idea of the personality of the commenters. It may be their blogger personality but still you get a better sense of the real people behind the keyboard.
SWMBO
Steve on top! We have a Steve sighting!
Duane
@SiubhanDuinne:
RK
Can’t say I really care and this blog probably doesn’t get enough comments to really matter but I just don’t see the hate for threading. From my experience it’s a valuable feature for side discussions. And as someone already mentioned I think, you can have those discussions collapsed by default.
Paul in KY
@SiubhanDuinne: I’m like you with the cats, but he is a very, very cute doggie.
Paul in KY
@seaboogie: I am fine with the current comment format.
Paul in KY
@Tommy: I see your point. I don’t care for threaded comments, but to each his/her own.
gogol's wife
I mailed a contribution yesterday via USPS.
Cervantes
@Tommy:
That’s true — and funny as well!