The addition of a dog to the household means that Tunch’s food is now on the extra desk in the office. Here is an action shot- if I got any closer I risked losing a limb.
*** Update ***
Oh fer chrissakes with the Michael Jackson coverage. They even have Lawrence O’Donnell talking about this nonsense. If they trot out Luke Russert, I may lose it.
Comrade Stuck
What would you expect from such a small feed bowl for such a big cat.
SiubhanDuinne
Oooh, am I first to say how lovely Tunch is up close like that?
SiubhanDuinne
@SiubhanDuinne: (Nope, guess not.)
dr. bloor
So where do you hide Lily’s food from Tunch?
Laura W
@Comrade Stuck:
Right, huh?
Proportionally speaking, it brings to mind the little white plastic dosing cups at the end of a Nyquil or mouthwash bottle.
The small serving bowl makes him think he’s getting a lot of chow. That’s all that matters.
AnneS
The Tunchinator! Love this kitty!
Does he eat Lilly’s food?
My sister used to have a big, lovely, happy golden retriever. When he came to visit Mom and Dad he’d run down into the basement and eat the poop out of the kitty’s litterbox.
J.
No wonder Tunch goes after Lily’s food. You are starving him. He’s a growing boy. He needs nourishment.
Btw, what is the deal with the SarahPAC advert? Though at least Pam is gone.
Laura W
Unfortunately, this means I’m going to have to break up with him. Again.
Edit: I finally tuned into the Whatever We Are Calling It when the final prayer was being said. Shortly after, Soledad O’Brien used the word “humongous”. On the air. Twice.
Have we reached Peak Dumb Down yet?
GENINE
Wow, that is a small bowl. But it is making a difference. Tunch looked smaller in the picture where he was outside.
I’ve tuned out most of the MJ coverage. So I am not at the point where I am ready to scream.
e.c.
Re Michael Jackson, you would think that the fact that no crowds actually materialized downtown today (only about 1,000 when they were predicting 250,000) might start to give the news organizations a little bit of a clue that maybe people really don’t care that much about it after all and that they could ease up on the wall-to-wall coverage.
But no.
John Cole
This was brutal. Just brutal.
demkat620
@John Cole: tbogg or that Douthat crap? Or both?
Cause Douthat is really looking to keep up the fail tradition of Bill Kristol at the NYT.
Keith G
Thanks…..when that pic popped up on my screen, I got a good laugh.
What do you feed the big guy – I am thinking of changing my girls’ food. Possibly adding a canned meal to their all dry diet.
freelancer
Snap, just found tbogg’s d-hat post in my RSS feed. Did a spit take. Wingnut Welfare floats all boats. (Not really, just the ones with holes in them)
jl
Very nice Tunch shot. Always can use a pic of Tunch this time of day.
I took the advice of several commenters from yesterday and did search google maps for Tunch. Not there. I guess Cole pulled some strings and had him pixelled out.
Tunch is not a common name, it seems. Is Tunch named for the Steelers’ sportscaster? That Tunch is on Google maps-you can see where he gave a talk in Warren PA.
If so, it seems Tunch is living up to his name-sake: big, tough and mean (like any good offensive lineman). Should be a source of pride.
Three cheers for the Tunchinator!
Edit: I am probably a total loser for being only vaguely aware of Tunch Ilkin. Haven’t had pro football in Northern California for several years so don’t follow it much anymore. Funny thing is we still have football team owners who pollute the news from time to time. Need some teams, though.
DonnaInMichigan
Did they bury Michael Jackson already?
Is it safe to turn on any of the cable news shows?
I was opting out to watch soap opera’s or game-shows today..NO such luck…..all the damn broadcast stations had tuned in also. So instead, I opened up my dvd collection and took out Gone with the Wind. (seemed appropriate)
I wonder if Fox, CNN, HLN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, CBS will cover the second coming of Christ, the same way?
It’s either Michael Jackson or Sarah Palin, 24/7.
Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn about either one.
Mnemosyne
@Laura W:
I’m going with the Miss Manners formulation and calling it a funeral. As she says, the difference between a funeral and a memorial is the presence or absence of the deceased. Since they had Michael sitting (well, laying) in the front row, it’s a funeral.
Litlebritdifrnt
@AnneS:
My dogs think that the cat little box is where I keep the dog treats. I asked the vet about this once, his reaction “cat food is full of protein, therefore so is cat poo, leave em alone”
Joshua Norton
@John Cole:
Doughhat, give us a break.
Sarah Palin is beloved by millions because her rise suggested, however temporarily, that the old American aphorism about how anyone can grow up to be president might actually be true.
Puleeeze. George Bush proved beyond all doubt that absolutely anyone can be president. Whether they’re qualified or not.
shelley matheis
Out in the car today, every radio station I have on the tuner, whether news or music was Michael, Michael, Michael. I finally started randomly dialing. Even when I stumbled over the Spanish, Russian or Chinese language stations, I just knew they were talking about Michael Jackson.
JK
Place for Politics my ass. What the fuck does Michael Jackson have to do with that slogan?
Even the alleged gold or platinum standard for tv newscasts, the goddamn NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
indulged in this tabloid bullshit. I thought PBS was immune to this ratings fever race to the bottom.
I’m going to wait till tomorrow night because tonight and tomorrow morning will inevitably feature highlight reels for the benefit of those you missed the live coverage.
If you disliked Michael Jackson’s music, his death means you no longer have to fear any new releases from him.
As long as Sarah Palin is alive and well, she’ll always be available to plague our lives unless and until a Hurricane Katrina scale scandal drives a stake through her political career. She’s a malignant cancer in our body politic and will be propelled forward by useful idiots like Politico’s Roger Simon.
freelancer
via TPM:
The bastion of serious journalism, the WSJ is LIVE BLOGGING the MJ thingy.
And I haven’t read a newspaper in years for a very simple reason.
jl
@Joshua Norton: Double give us a break on Palin’s humble background. Snowe and Hutchinson were not born with silver spoons in their mouths, and either would have been a much more credible VP candidate (and I think Snow would have been a much better President than McCain -I wouldn’t have voted for her, but still, she was credible).
So this Palinography is just political mythologizing for the rubes and the gullible.
I think Snowe had some significant family and economic set-backs in her youth days, like Biden. So, how is Palin so special in this regard?
Edit: Wikipedia says Snowe born into immigrant family and orphaned, brought up by relatives.
JK
For women who may have missed it –
Dennis Miller, renowned expert on women, explains to Bill O’Reilly why some women dislike Palin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOeU24oWWV0
Thank God, this smarmy asshole is longer up in the broadcast booth to ruin Monday Night Football
Indylib
KO was on his own show last night and spent more time on Wasilla Wingnut than he did MJ (2 segments on Caribou Barbie, 1 on MJ), so that is probably a reasonably safe bet for tonight. I DVR it so I just skip the crap I don’t care about. I think Rachel is supposed to be back tonight and I doubt they will force her into doing more than one segment on the funeral, so that’s another reasonably safe bet.
OT LauraW, have you checked the thread where Punchy told his proposal story?
ellaesther
The POTUS said that smartest thing I have yet to see re: the Jackson coverage:
(from Politico): “You know, this is part of American culture,” said Obama. “Michael Jackson, like Elvis, like Sinatra, when somebody who’s captivated the imagination of the country for that long passes away, people pay attention. And I assume at some point people will start focusing again on things like nuclear weapons.”
The man is negotiating NUCLEAR WEAPONS, with the RUSSIANS, and he has to battle Michael Jackson coverage. I mean!
Laura W
@Indylib:
Yes, thanks, and I appreciate you directing me back to it in a later thread.
Wanna hear something freaky? When I just read your comment, I was eating lettuce!
That. (sorry steve s.)
JK
Thank God for C-SPAN and God Bless Brian Lamb.
They are the last bastion of sanity for people seeking an escape from the MSM which is polluted with “lowest common denominator groupthink give the people whatever the hell they want” programming.
Demo Woman
HGTV was invented just in case Michael Jackson died. Sometimes you have to watch the same person buy the same house over and over but it’s better than the alternative.
JK
@ellaesther:
Did any wiseass reporters ask Mevedhev or Putin for their reactions to Michael Jackson’s death?
@Indylib:
Fortunately, Keith Olbermann and Rachel Madow retain some measure of journalistic integrity
Indylib
@Laura W: LOL It was so cute, especially after he had pointed out earlier that his fiancee was telling everyone the story.
Litlebritdifrnt
I can’t believe that they had that poor child up there speaking, there is no way that she wanted to do that. (Paris that is). As someone over at Gawker said “I am surprised Joe Jackson took this long to get the kids on the stage, he is slipping” Ugh, what utter shamelessness, and Auntie Janet fixing her hair and urging her to “speak up sweetie”, Ugh. Just Ugh. I grew up in an era when you were either a Jackson 5 fan (my sister) or an Osmond fan (me) I just cannot imagine the Osmonds cashing in on any of the brothers deaths the way this family has done. It is truly crass.
Indylib
@JK: Thank the FSM someone still does.
AhabTRuler
The simple solution: don’t watch fucking teevee, chumps. I have heard less MJ music in the past two weeks than in any summer of the 80’s.
Although I did watch the Michael Jackson: The Memorial on CNN (we are allowed to stream that channel and the CSPANS at work), and I thought it quite nice.
ETA: Has anyone complained about the ads yet, ’cause I think people should do that, muchly! ;-)
henqiguai
Hmmm. I tend to be a news and information junkie. I want cable service for C-Span, (used to also want) CNN, the various and sundry Discovery and History channels. But since last week, the only things I watch are my ~favorite~ “idiot” shows; things like Burn Notice or NCIS (I did specify idiot). Even tonight, NCIS re-runs until
SciFi“SyFy” Channel’s new stupidity Warehouse 13.Sad, really. And somewhat pathetic…
Elie
Celebrity is an opiate for Americans. We dig it and deride it at the same time.
It counts as a certain visibility, identity hunger that we seem to be missing in massive quantities, given our ongoing attraction to people who are not giving us that much. (I do not mean this necessarily about an artist such as Michael Jackson – who I got a lot of pleasure from his music, but we do have non contributors such as that Kate plus 8 gal and her hubby who have 8 kids and that makes them special I guess, the YOU-KNOW-WHO gal who just resigned to do nothing and octomom and that other couple with 16 kids — kind a like some sort of mole rat having litters and the like). We celebrate emptiness and nothingness I guess. Being special in the way of making some sort of contribution to society, to the arts, etc…or making some REAL sacrifice to help others — is just not valued….. BEING some sort of identity seems to work for us — hence fame for doing nothing and bringing nothing is what is important…empty symbols…we have detached from a reality that celebrates consequence…
Is it therefore a mystery that we end up rewarding those who rob us blind and demean our existence with their crappy, empty excess? We keep getting hurt but just don’t see it or acknowledge it…
Amazingly, the SC REpublicans gave Sanford a pass — more or less making his staying in that position a rebuke to their hypocrisy and cowardice. But s-h-i-t he was entertaining, no? We had to listen to his maudlin, stupid, boring tale of adolescent romance instead of the tough follow up about why the hell he just thought he could walk away from his JOB for which he gets PAID for 5 days and no one would hold him accountable….
Contempt is an emotion that is not something that I want to feel because of its embodied elitist notion of somehow holding others in a lesser light. But how do I make sense of this and of us right now?
JenJen
This is a most outrageous waste of Lawrence O’Donnell’s time. Truly.
Sometimes, you know, if you are still blessed with being able to, you should just call your dad for his thoughts. Mine asked if I was watching “the spectacle”, and we started talking about musicians who have passed.
“Sammy Davis Jr. never got any love!” argued dad, rather passionately. “He was a Jewish black man with one eye in an interracial marriage. He broke dozens of barriers at the same time. He gets no love.”
I thought he kind of had a point. Then I asked him, “So, why do you think Sinatra’s family decided against a public service?”
He thought about it for a moment, and said, “Because they had class.”
That really was a bizarre mish-mash of a thing today, and I still have no idea what I watched, and am still being told about on the teevee. Seriously… what in the hell was that??
And now, I’m wondering if tomorrow we’ll get a whole day of memorials which memorialize the Memorial Service coverage.
jl
My informed pundit sixth sense tells me that Tunch is oblivious to tragic deaths of pop stars, erstwhile governors and randy current governors, and I am taking my cue from Tunch, as I always try to do.
Now… where was that dog food I saw someplace?
Demo Woman
@AhabTRuler: I turned on tv to see Brook Shields tribute and that was touching. Actually when I turned on tv, it was shocking because it was on ABC. I guess the soap people will be upset to have their daily show disrupted.
chopper
love the goth dating banner ad, btw.
“faves: fishing, knitting, shitting bats”
SGEW
@ellaesther: Minor correction: the man is successfully negotiating with the Russians about nuclear weapons and usage of their air space for Afghanistan operations and reopening military contacts after the Georgian conflict, almost completely undoing eight years of back-assward Bush foreign “policy” in his first visit.
And everyone asks him about a dead entertainer who hadn’t even been popular in at least a decade. I’m amazed he doesn’t just start punching people.
jnfr
I think Michael Jackson has broken the Internet. Half the pages in my browser won’t load.
AhabTRuler
@Demo Woman: Nah, the one thing that the Soaps watchers can be assured of is that no matter what the cultural event, their stories will be back after everything is normal(ish) again.
Wile E. Quixote
@SGEW
Wouldn’t that be awesome if he did though.
“Mr. President, ignoring your recent work in improving our relations with Russia and in improving our operations in Afghanistan do you have anything to say about Michael Jackson?”
POW!
Litlebritdifrnt
@JenJen:
I couldn’t give a shit about the death of Elvis, Princess Di, Michael Jackson, John Lennon, Anna Nicole or any of the other “celebs” that have kicked the bucket. I was outraged that the coverage of Di’s death overshadowed that of Mother Theresa who was truly a living saint, and am saddened by the fact that MJs death has taken politics off my tv. If I wanted 24/7 MJ coverage I would watch MTV. I am thoroughly disgusted at the cable news channels “MSNBC The Place for Politics” yeah right. As we speak the POTUS has been negotiating a nuclear arms treaty and they have wall to wall MJ is still dead shit? Really?
Laura W
@Elie: Are you accepting private patients?
AhabTRuler
SRSLY? After Iran, I thought everyone realized that international politics is much easier when Americans aren’t paying attention.
Elie
John Cole:
You do have to try some wheat grass on Tunch…
My kitties now love it and it has micronutrients that cats just don’t get without killing small mammals and other prey and eating their gastrointestinal contents… (knew you would like that mental image)
I won’t lie…the first time that I introduced it into their wet food, Buddy wouldnt even approach his bowl, much less eat it. But Bill dug it right away, and watching him eat it just made him try it.
Bill who is going on 18 had a dark coat that was becoming reddenned until I introduced the wheat grass. Now it is glossy and dark. He is still old, but I think it has helped him nutritionally.
parksideq
@Elie:
That was epic. I almost hope that John Cole or someone could frontpage that whole post.
gwangung
But-but-but—he’s Just Like Bush, isn’t he?!
JK
I nominate Manhattan District Attorney Jack McCoy to be the next Chairman of the US Department of Law.
@henqiguai:
Years ago, before I became a subscriber to basic cable, I used to scan the tv listings on cable, out of curiosity, just to see what I was missing. It’s amazing how dumbed down channels like A&E, Bravo, and TLC have become. Their programming lineups used to be a par with PBS. Plus Discovery Times devolved Investigation Discovery and TechTV became extinct.
robertdsc
Love the Tunchinator. Thank you.
I was paying for some take-out the other day and noticed my $10 bill was signed by Larry Summers. I laughed to myself at he’s returned to the halls of power, for good or ill.
Thanks for the responses about the military art. I haven’t decided whether to shop with that site or not. I’ll think about it some more.
SarahPAC FTW.
shelley matheis
Our family has always been ‘dog people.’ The first real exposure to cats was when a good friend got custody of two kitties after a breakup. Had always believed that cats were naturally ‘finicky’ and ‘picky.’ But the first time I cat-sit those two I learned that fellines can scarf it down with the best of any hound.
Indylib
@SGEW:
I’ve been very impressed by Obama on this. It appears he got agreement from the Soviets, without publicly telling them what they want to hear on that stupid missile shield. I personally think he’s probably telling them that it’s a piece of crap that won’t ever see completion, but he’s doing it behind the scenes.
me
Thankfully, Olbermann appears to be MJ free today.
The next-to-last samurai
Local radio, in Spanish & English, was all Jackson, all the time. The sight of the Tunchinator made my little corner of the world peaceful again. I give you–zen & the art of Tunchinating!
Nellcote
@JK:
I sure wouldn’t bet on that. At the very least, AEG(?) still has all that rehearsal footage.
jl
@The next-to-last samurai: The world would be a better place if there were more Tunchinating. IMHO.
gwangung
Also: unreleased material, alternate takes.
We’ll see ’em for the next half century.
AhabTRuler
Errrr, what?
Elie
Parksideq and LauraW —
I think that its me that needs something to understand…
Hang on though, I think things will get a lot nuttier …
Maybe we (the country) needs exorcism?
Origuy
@Indylib: “Soviets”? Obama’s a lot of things, but I don’t think he’s a time traveler.
SGEW
Motherfucker can travel through time too. Hells yeah!
Also:
This is a very, very good point.
[eta: Origuy and I like the easy jokes.]
Comrade Stuck
@AhabTRuler:
Scanning some wingnut blogs, some are reverting to the Soviet term. Maybe to get more traction with their redbaiting Obama. Maybe Indylib was reading those same blogs and went Freudian for a sec. And with Putin, I’m not so sure it’s that outdated anyway. At least as a state of mind.
JK
@Nellcote: @gwangung:
You may well be correct about numerous posthumous Michael Jackson releases. I think there will be a fanfare for the 1st posthumous release, but it will tend to die down significantly with each succeeding new release.
My larger point was to convey the considerable difference between 24/7 coverage of Jackson vs. Palin as reflected by this statement.
Demo Woman
@Comrade Stuck: I had my radio set to 10 minutes of Boortz today and he was talking about the Soviets. That must be the new memo for those that have been sleeping for the last couple of decades.
Indylib
@Origuy: Oops, cold war flashback.
Lesley
You need a telephoto lens.
Tunch is one of my favourite Internet cats.
Comrade Stuck
@Demo Woman:
They’re scrounging around in the wingnut basket of dirty tricks, and seem to be scraping the bottom.
The Grand Panjandrum
The only Michael Jackson I give a rat’s ass about died almost two years ago. It was a real loss to the beer drinking public. His books on beer should be read by anyone who loves beer. We should all be thankful for his “discovery” of Belgian beers.
HRA
I was home today. I watched the memorial. It was a very well done testimonial. I saw nothing wrong in it being on TV. There was a bit of nostalgia for me since I grew up in an integrated neighborhood and the memories are golden.
Calming Influence
Are those two brown patches on Tunch’s head from the removal of his devil horns?
Johnny B. Guud
In other (read: non-Jacko related) news, the CRE market is showing some weeds, not green shoots:
And yes, Michael Jackson is still dead.
inkadu
@Litlebritdifrnt: You think Mother Theresa was a saint? Have you read anything by Hitchens about her?
Apparently she was a egotistical sadomasochist who believed in the power of suffering and did not do very much to help the people she housed in her so-called hospitals.
SiubhanDuinne
@ Indylib/54: Um, I don’t think there are “Soviets” any more, but I take your point.
Jorge
OJ gave us the reality murder trial.
Iraq gave us the reality war.
Anna Nicole gave us the reality death and the reality custody trial.
Now Michael Jackson has given us the reality funeral.
Demo Woman
@Comrade Stuck: The other thing that he was talking about is small business and how Obama is killing jobs. Someone called in and I think he said he owned two clothing stores with under 25 employees. Anyway he earns over 1/2 million and with the proposed tax increase he would have to pay more than $40,000 in additional taxes. That alone would cause him not to open two more stores. Who the hell would want to open two clothing stores in this economy? It was nuts. Plus I actually think 1/2 million a year is pretty good income and paying 40,000 more in taxes would not hurt. What do I know though.
I did not cry many tears about the poor guys situation.
AhabTRuler
@The Grand Panjandrum: Yes, well he sounds insufferable too.
GReynoldsCT00
@John Cole:
That first comment is priceless!
Laura W
You need to learn how to engage your macro function so you can shoot close-ups that don’t blur.
Should be easy. I found mine.
SGEW
@Indylib:
Well, with 1980s pop singers and Vietnam War architects and coups in Central America all coming back into the news recently, I can hardly blame you.
Anne Laurie
Nuclear weapons are sooo pre-9/11. There seems to be a strong minority
of idiotsthat assumes the nuclear-weapons crisis ended when the Soviet Union did, or at least before Dubya was elected. Apparently there is only room for one “enemy” in the American Media/Public Mind, probably so there will be enough space left for all the truly important reality-show schedules.Laura W
I honestly did not realize how attached I’ve become to KO and Rachel. They are both back tonight, and I feel like weeping with relief and feelings of “All is right — Mommy and Daddy are home.”
Of course, Tweety can stay in his undisclosed location, for all I care, as long as they give his slot to Larry O’D. Who I forgive.
Again.
Edit: I know that I know that I know!
That is the new “Also”. You heard it on Rachel first. I plan to use it for months.
I can’t believe Rachel is in waders. All day I’ve wanted to say waders are the new flight suit.
Sigh…no wonder I’ve been so depressed. Where’s Elie?
AhabTRuler
@Laura W: we need you in the next thread, Timmy fell down a well! KTHXBAI!
Rommie
Does Tunch growl if you get near the bowl while he is feasting? I remember at least one cat who would do that.
Demo Woman
@Laura W: I just realized that it is safe to turn back to MSNBC from HGTV. I missed te beginning but I like her outfit.
RedKitten (formerly Krista - the Canadian one)
Open thread, so I’m going to ask for advice, as you folks know me pretty well by now:
I find that ever since I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, I have absolutely no patience, and am very blunt and cranky. And that’s not like me at all.
Part of me feels really bad for being like this. However, by the same token, I’m undergoing major work stress from multiple sources right now (our organization is in a constant slow circle around the drain, so we never know from one day to the next if we’re going to be around 6 months from now, we have a major conference coming up this weekend, for which I am the main organizer, and I go on maternity leave in 3 weeks and they’ve still not found anybody to replace me.)
So combine that severe work stress with the normal stresses of being 8 months pregnant, and then combine that with the anxiety of GD. It’s like the strictest diet ever, and you can’t cheat because you’re harming your baby if you do. Not to mention that I get mood swings that come with fluctuating glucose levels. So the other part of me thinks, “Well, of COURSE I’m grumpy! Anybody would be, under these circumstances!”
Am I asking too much of myself to NOT be a cranky b*tch right now? (And are people asking too much of me, by expecting that I’m going to be my normal pleasant self?)
Or should I just try to suck it up, stop whining, and be more pleasant, even though inside, I want mostly everybody to fuck off and die?
inkadu
I love the cat growl. I heard it a lot when I was removing free-range lunches. The growl was a protest, but it wasn’t followed by violence.
Comrade Stuck
@RedKitten (formerly Krista – the Canadian one):
Absolutely not. You take care of yourself, first last and foremost. Whatever that little sane voice inside tells you to do YOU DO, to be ok. Dr. Stuck’s advice is free, unless you can spare a nickel, just kidding:)
AhabTRuler
Yes & yes. Fight for your right to be cranky!
Indylib
@Anne Laurie: In some cases it might be a good thing that the media is not paying that much attention. This way we won’t have to hear non-stop bullshit from the wingnuts about how Obama is making us less safe from nuclear annihilation by getting rid of nuclear weapons.
Comrade Kevin
@JK:
I dunno, they’re still finding ways of releasing “new” 2Pac material.
Laura W
@RedKitten (formerly Krista – the Canadian one): You want I should ask The Cards?
;-)
Edit: Fuck The Cards. What Stuck said.
Editing the Edit: I suspect The Cards would agree with Stuck, however.
AhabTRuler
@Laura W: Actually, the Cards are up 4-0 in the top of the 5th.
jp
Tunch rules.
SGEW
@RedKitten (formerly Krista – the Canadian one): Jebus. That’s awful. Hell, you have a hell of a lot more cause to be cranky as hell than our beloved curmudgeon of a host has. And we love him for his crankiness.
So, in answer in two parts: 1) Of course you have the right to be as grouchy and cranky as you wanna be, my dear. And, 2) You are asking the wrong people.
Svensker
@RedKitten (formerly Krista – the Canadian one):
You’re still working, 8 months preggers and have GD? Of course, you’re cranky. If your firm hasn’t found anyone to replace you yet, then they deserve cranky.
Don’t sweat it. Just do what you have to do for your baby and your bod, whatever is leftover is all you’ve got, so the world will have to deal.
Take care of yourself!
Demo Woman
@RedKitten (formerly Krista – the Canadian one): Just be honest with your co-workers and tell them that you are a cranky bitch and if they don’t like it tough. Your health and the baby’s health are more important than what they think. Truth be known, they already noticed. Take care.
Comrade Kevin
I’d just like to point out how much I hate the Red Sox.
SiubhanDuinne
Rachel rules tonight, and the waders are great. I didn’t even mind the obligatory Ana Marie Cox segment. She just did a thing on how SENATOR FRANKEN had a 2 minute 50 second ovation after he was sworn in today. Marvellous!
And so far, she hasn’t mentioned or even alluded to MJ. (Of course, there’s still 20 minutes left in the program . . . . )
Nutella
One small point, RedKitten, is that the company’s failure to assign a replacement during your maternity leave is their problem, not yours. Be ready to train a replacement if they come up with one, do the 40 hours a week they are paying you for, and walk out calmly on the scheduled date. Do not stress yourself trying to compensate for the organization’s mistakes. As you say, you’ve already got more than enough of your own stress to deal with.
My 2 cents.
Svensker
Changing the subject completely, my sister sent me this YouTube about this guy who is trying to get United Airlines to fess up to having broken his guitars. (He and his band were traveling to a gig in North Dakota….) He figures if it goes viral, they might actually do something, like pay him for the damage. Cute video and the music is not bad:
United Breaks Guitars
Andre
@freelancer:
Actually, they’re liveblogging the liveblogging of the event. Seriously. It’s bizarre and more than a little difficult to understand without viewing the source blogs (which I refuse to do on principle.)
Mike in NC
The end of the Cold War was a setback that the wingnuts have never fully come to terms with, even to this day. The idiot Bob Dole continued to invoke the “Soviet threat” when he ran against Clinton in ’96. I went to some boring seminar at FTC Dam Neck in ’98 and an asshat staffer kept referring to “Soviets” until people laughed him off the podium. Recall how shortly after they inflicted Dubya on us, the wingers wanted a Cold War v2.0 with “Red China”, but then 9/11 and Al Qaeda made all their wishes comes true: a permanent war mentality. Flag lapel pins all around and “Support Our Troops” bumper stickers from now until hell freezes over.
HRA
Krista – In my last pregnancy, the need to watch my diet was very difficult along with fighting the need to be normal [i.e. not “cranky”] for the rest of the family. I don’t know if it will help to know our body goes through chemical changes during pregnancies even if there is no need for special care in a diet.
Comrade Stuck
@Laura W:
The Cards can suck bilge water.
ellaesther
@JK: Sorry it took me a while to check back! I should have posted the link and I failed to: http://www.politico.com/blogs/michaelcalderone/0709/Obama_cant_avoid_Jacko_questions_in_Russia.html
I can’t really tell if it was entirely preemptive on Obama’s part, or if certain reporters actually asked. It looks like the one guy who didn’t was (wait for it) Major Garrett. And yes, SGEW, it is a marvel and a wonder that the man hasn’t punched anyone by now — and, frankly, for a whole host of reasons.
And, in an abrupt subject change, may I add to RedKitten: As a former pregnant person myself, once diagnosed with GD myself, the only person to whom I felt myself duty-bound to be pleasant was the existing 3 year old. Everyone else got a warning, and then got out of my way. I did find that not saying a damn thing was occasionally the only way to remain civil (and sometimes, one must), but you have every right to be losing your mind. You poor thing! Good luck — and congratulations!
Comrade Stuck
Reds beat Philly 4 to 3. teehee.
mcd
Interesting. The moneycons are outraising the socialcons in the race for Mel’s Florida senate seat.
RedKitten (formerly Krista - the Canadian one)
I love you guys. Thanks. :)
Unfortunately, I’m normally so easy-going and patient that I’ve set the bar rather high for myself. So I think people are really having a hard time adjusting to Krista, version 2.0, Raging Bitch Expansion Pack (now with realistic feet-swelling action and 100% less tolerance for anybody’s bullshit!)
ellaesther
@RedKitten (formerly Krista – the Canadian one): Yes, but on the upside, that right there was very, very funny, so hopefully, you’re taking some comfort from that. As you soak your feet.
inkadu
@Svensker: Musical instruments and baggage handlers will never get along. But if airlines can’t guarantee/insure their safe passage, they shouldn’t accept them.
parksideq
@Johnny B. Guud:
Wait a minute: so If home vacancies are up, but rent demand has softened, where the eff are people living? Has the homelessness rate rocketed up too?
@Comrade Kevin:
As a lifelong Yankees fan, I salute you.
Elie
Red ktten (formerly Krista)
My goodness! You MUST take care of yourself above all else.
Crankiness for a full time employee at 8 months even without Gestational Diabetes would be expected…
Be sure to have your small, frequent relatively high protein meals. The baby is a continuous feeder while you are pregnant. That means that your pancreas has to work major overtime to keep your blood sugar and other nutrients available all the time to the baby. When you are not pregnant, it only has to jump up in insulin after meals. However, your ability to process those nutrients for yourself is impaired in diabetes, causing some weird highs and lows. Follow your notion of what makes you feel better or not but you should not fast. Make someone massage your feet…
Try to avoid negative stress and emotions as much as you can. Rest. Try not to dwell on what you cannot change or really influence. Depending on how you feel, get a small walk outside somewhere nice and get some fresh air regularly…
My best to you…
SGEW
That would mean ignoring politics. Which might be sound advice, actually . . .
Kris
I don’t understand why he is so fat if he eats from such a tiny bowl.
What is in the bowl, lard?
Hawes
I want to thank the news channels for keeping me updated on Michael Jackson still being dead.
Comrade Kevin
@parksideq: The Yankees? Uh, okay. I’m an A’s fan, so…
Bad Horse's Filly
@RedKitten (formerly Krista – the Canadian one): You take care of you.
When a friend was pregnant her husband called me and asked, ‘when do I get my wife back?’ He totally got it, and I always loved that phone call.
I wish I could remember the comedian who does the routine about pregnant women getting anything they want. It went something like, ‘what did you do today, because I grew a liver’ Meaning, no matter what anyone around you is doing, your job is more important. They just need to deal.
Calming Influence
@Elie:
Elie rocks.
ninerdave
Thought I’d bring this up here.
In the VanityFair thread srv thus spake:
Nuclear has to be a part of any long term clean energy plan. The fact that the “environmentalists” are stuck in the ’70s on this issue is a crime.
David Frum (of all people) sums up nicely, the realities of modern nuclear power and how reprocessing reduces waste to practically none.
I find it interesting that my fellow progressives will site France as a beacon of how we should model health care, but completely ignore their approach to clean energy.
MazeDancer
@Keith G
Cats are carnivores. Unlike dogs, who do well on dry food, cats should be on an all meat diet. Ideal would be raw organic chicken. But not so convenient. Or affordable. Canned cat food like Wellness is fine. PetGuard’s not bad. But dry food should be only treats. (And get grain free. With high meat content.) Go to a nice pet food store, that sells premium brands at discount by the case. Not a chain store. (Tip: If they don’t sell Wellness, it’s not the right store.) Fortunately your kitties are girls. Too much dry food can cause painful cystitis in male cats.
PetFoodDirect does sell Wellness – wet and dry – though Amazon, though the shipping is brutal. But if you try it from there, don’t forget to click through from the Balloon Juice honorarium link.
Calming Influence
@MazeDancer:
Absolutely.
Cats = Biologically, obligate carnivores.
Vegetarianism just isn’t a choice for them, as much as people push it. They survive veg. diets or partial veg. diets just as we would survive a diet with a certain percentage of sawdust mixed in with our food. Humans and dogs can be healthy vegetarians. Fight feedlot beef production, factory chicken farms, all the truly wasteful unnecessary meat-focused dietary practices in the world. But please don’t starve your cat.
Mnemosyne
@MazeDancer:
My cats wouldn’t touch Wellness (picky little bastards) but the boy can’t eat anything with wheat gluten or he spends his day puking, so we get them Blue Buffalo for dry and Purina Pro Plan Selects (comes in a white can, not a silver one) for wet. He has occasional bouts of cystitis, but they’re pretty clearly stress-related. His last one happened because he managed to lock himself in the bathroom with no food or litterbox for 8 hours while we were at work.
Phoebe
I like that picture. I have nothing else to say.
asiangrrlMN
Woot! Tunchinator! Oh, how I’ve missed you. I love that kitteh.
@RedKitten (formerly Krista – the Canadian one): I’m late as always, but I gotta say, if you don’t have the right to be cranky, then NOBODY does!
@Bad Horse’s Filly: Gah! I’ve heard that joke. I just Googled it and couldn’t find it! Argh!
Wile E. Quixote
ZOMG! The Pet Shop Boys are going to be in Seattle on September 20th. I have to go buy tickets tomorrow!
Zuzu's Petals
I couldn’t believe it. I called my tres-sophisticated West Village friend and caught him enthusiastically watching the proceedings.
Okay, he is a Radical Faerie.
And he is visiting his mother in Arizona.
Still…
tess
@Keith G: My cats have always been picky about wet food, never really considering anything mushy to be “food.” But we needed something moist to mix medicine into, and after going through just about everything, found Merrick.
We mostly can find only the smaller-sized cans; our local organic and healthy grocery carries the larger cans but only 3 varieties. My old girls never could eat too much at once anyway, but the variety at our pet store is great, and it’s gluten-free, so the one with wheat allergies can have some, too. One liked different foods at different times, but my remaining elderly kitty enjoys her rut of “Grammy’s Pot Pie.” They also have nice, gluten-free gravies, and the cats just scarf it all down.
I’ve never tried wheat grass, but perhaps my old girl would enjoy it if offered. She’s fighting a cancer that will eventually kill her, so she gets only what she wants, but I’m always relieved if she wants what is good for her. Her fur has started to go gray, but is still pretty soft as she eats about a teaspoon of olive oil every day.