Thanks for all the birthday wishes. It rained like hell last night, and it turns out that Rosie is afraid of thunder, so I was aggressively spooned and licked from about 3:30 on. I actually went back to bed for an hour this morning as a treat- what the hell, it is my birthday!
Going to try to get some work done, although it is pretty hard with the LAZERS boring into my soul from underneath the desk:
BTW- I’m so very proud of Lily. She has just been a perfect angel with Rosie, and I feel like I did a really good job making her a happy healthy dog. She has accepted the new addition with open arms, they share food and the couch and the bed and my lap, they ride well, they play well, and she has just been such a good doggie. Tunch has been good too, but let’s face it- for Tunch, Rosie is just another underling to ignore as he struts through his fiefdom.
ruemara
Happy Happy Birthday! Seems you got yourself an early present.
schrodinger's cat
Tunch fans demand Tunch Cam or at the very least Tunch pic.
Svensker
Isn’t it “lasers”? Picking nits.
And another big awwwwwwwwwww.
gex
Okay, so I’ll just enter this OT to apologize to Mne… I can’t find the handle, and I don’t remember the spelling. I tend towards insane anger when depressed, gay issues really trigger that shit, and I was a complete ass about it. And, I am sorry.
Fergus Wooster
I know I’m late, but Happy Birthday!
MattR
Happy Birthday. And well done with Lily. I am sure you will take great care of Rosie.
QuaintIrene
Many Happy Returns of the Day, Mr. Cole!
schrodinger's cat
Any special plans for your birthday? My suggestion, go Galt and have good time!
AhabTRuler
Great. Now have to put together another mug.
QuaintIrene
Oh, and in another thread you mentioned Rosie’s afraid of thunder. Chances are she’s gonna be scared of fireworks as well.
mr. whipple
Happy Birthday!
How will Obama fail today?
If he doesn’t fire McChrystal he’s a wimp.
If he does, it’s because Obama wants to be able to stay longer in Afghanistan because he’s a wimp.
Phoebe
Rosie is adorable and I’m really happy she jumped into your car.
RedKitten
Awww…your pride in Lily is just so sweet.
Who’s a good doggie? She is! Yes, she is!
Tonybrown74
@Fergus Wooster:
Better late than pregnant …
Happy Birthday, Mr. Cole!
Emma
Happy birthday, John. Now. A pic of our feline overlord, please?
MattR
@schrodinger’s cat:
We all know that John going Galt ends up meaning a new post every 40 minutes.
Brian J
I like the fact that you are kind of like Leanne Touhy in The Blind Side, except with dogs instead of humans. I could say a lot of things, but suffice it to say that it speaks to your character that you’d do such a thing. Perhaps some day a book will be written and you will be at the Oscars as some actor, fresh off the biggest movie of his career, wins.
And yes, happy birthday.
beltane
Happy Birthday!! Forty is when the warranty on your body expires; things begin to fall apart.
Lily will enjoy Rosie’s company. Dogs love their owners but they also love the company of other dogs. They are nice animals in that way.
debg
Have a wonderful birthday enjoying your own little animal planet. Love to all the critters–you’re a great dad.
tBoy
Give that dog a snack – she looks hungry.
(Dogs like snacks.)
PeakVT
Need a picture of goggies together. And a picture of Tunch lording over them would totally rock.
Allan
Is it just in my own corner of the interwebs, or has Sharron Angle purchased all the ad space on your computer screen too? “Fire Harry Reid.” As if.
Elizabelle
Happy Birthday John!
We always get the present, namely this (un)usually intelligent blog and pet pictures and recipes besides.
Thinking of Rosie as an early gift, self-selected.
Max
Happy Birthday! 40 you say?
I’m in the last year of my 30’s and I’m dreading next May’s milestone.
Did we ever learn if Rosie is in fact knocked up?
Kered (formerly Derek)
Happy birthday, Cole.
Paul in KY
Happy Big 40 John! This is your last decade of being ‘young’. Once you reach 50, you can’t say that anymore (no matter how you look/feel).
Glad your new addition is meshing so well with the Tunchian Hegemony (motto: The Iron Paw inside the Iron Glove). The dog’s shared plebian status probably brings them closer.
QuaintIrene
And a re-post of that photo of the little doggie kicking back in that blue plastic pail.
Chat Noir
Happy birthday, John! All three of your fur babies are adorable.
We had storms move through about 3:30 a.m.; natch, the terrified Wheaten Terrier was panting and shaking. He is also petrified of fireworks (and horrible people that we are, we set ours off in the driveway every July 4th evening).
@Max: Meh, 40s are nothing. For me, they’re significantly better than my early 30s.
Max
@Chat Noir: Max gets a healthy dose of doggie valium on the 4th.
Sometimes, I split one with him. :)
Cacti
Saw Toy Story 3 with the kiddo yesterday.
I found it surprisingly dark and grim.
Ben
Happy birthday John! Your gift seems like it’s waiting for you to stop working and play.
Violet
Rosie looks like she’s lost some weight. Is it just a flattering angle?
Congrats on all your good work with Lily. I bet Rosie will come around too.
Stephen1947
“and a pinch to grow an inch” – I bet in a year’s time you’re going to be writing about how excellent Rosalita is with other animals, including the new puppy you found shivering under a lilac bush a month ago – and with a year of Lily’s excellent company Rosie will be much less needy of constant Cole attention. And Tunch will still embody absolute feline dominion over everything.
AnnaN
If Rosie is having an issue with anxiety and thunderstorms, it’s likely that she will be scared of fireworks on the Fourth (ours are).
The best thing we’ve found to combat it is melatonin. You can find it at any vitamin store/counter/Safeway/Walgreen’s. A 1mg tablet should do the trick; our dogs don’t act drugged, simply unstressed.
Good luck!
Joshua Norton
As I recall, this extra pet in the house issue started because Cole wanted a companion to keep Tunch company. Wasn’t it originally supposed to be a new kitty? The kitty morphed into Lily and now there’s another pooch on the scene. And Tunch is relegated to gated rooms and cellars still all by his oneself.
Talk about mission creep.
Persia
Happy birthday! And you should be proud of yourself for all the work you’ve done to make Lily so happy and healthy.
Jennifer
Happy B-day, JC.
I have a kitty who’s terrified of thunder. Only cat I’ve ever known that was afraid of it. It’s a clue to animal personality, I think – your Rosie probably has some fear issues which were no doubt heightened by abandonment. With time, you may be able to work her through it. After 6 years, kitty is still afraid of thunder – she hides under things or sits on my feet until it passes and her paws sweat – but I’ve gotten her beyond the howling, so that’s improvement.
El Cid
Per TPM, a Public Policy Poll suggests that Governor Rick Perry (R) and his challenger Bill White (D) are roughly tied, though other polling averages still put Perry ahead. If somehow Perry did lose, maybe he and his followers could secede to form Western Perrystan.
Fergus Wooster
@TonyBrown74:
Truer words were rarely, if ever, spoken.
TomG
Okay, today is the Utah Democratic run-off and am I missing something? I hardly saw any discussion of Matheson vs. Wright in the blogosphere. Please show me I’m wrong, I must be. I’m still hoping Wright can squeak ahead but it doesn’t look good.
You Don't Say
Happy birthday! But Tunch deserves more credit for maintaining his calm air of superiority.
Violet
@El Cid:
This is exciting! Bill White would be a great change as Governor of Texas.
Mnemosyne
@gex:
Apology accepted. We all have our trigger points, and I didn’t realize until too late that I’d pushed a sensitive one of yours, so I’m sorry, too.
jeffreyw
Jack has the same fear of thunder.
Paul in KY
One of my cats, ‘Katie’, 13 years old, is scared of thunder. When she hears it, she heads under the bed or into a closet & burrows. Other two don’t care.
Devon
Happy Birthday to my favorite older brother. ;)
Despite the fact you were a total plague growing up, teased me incessantly (dare I mention the family dinner table conversation when you compared my ass on a bike seat to that of a watermelon on a toothpick…or the time you dedicated the song “fat bottomed girls” to me on the college radio station?) Note- I am still scarred. Regardless, I love you and wouldn’t trade you in for anyone else. Have a great Birthday.
P.S. Personally, I think you are getting
softerbetter with age.asiangrrlMN
Man, she’s looking good, Cole. And, you have done such a great job with Lily. Moar Tunchie, plz?
P.S. I actually agree with you on what you said about birthdays–which is why I don’t celebrate mine.
P.P.S. I still think you should find yourself some human female companionship as part of your birthday celebration.
pika
Happy Birthday, John–the judge got you a ban on the ban of offshore drilling. You’re welcome!
licensed to kill time
I don’t know if you are furtively checking all your birthday messages on the other thread or not, so I’ll repost this:
¡Feliz cumpleaños a ti!
also, Today is your birthday! You’re gonna have a good time!
That’s an order, soldier.
PurpleGirl
Happy Birthday, John.
asiangrrlMN
FYWP. Repost.
@Devon: Seriously? Man, that is
funnymean! I love it when Cole’s family members comment here.JCT
Happy Birthday John!
Whenever you mention Tunch tolerating the doggie interlopers I think of the old Dog vs Cat essay where the cat opines : “I am convinced the other captives are flunkies and maybe snitches. The dog is routinely released and seems more than happy to return. He is obviously an idiot. The bird, on the other hand, has got to be an informant and speaks with them regularly. ”
Sounds about right.
Devon
@asiangrrlMN:
Seriously. He tortured me and I idolized him. I should be fair and also mention the time he punched a kid in the stomach for soaking my newly coiffed hair with a squirt gun at the bus stop on school picture day. In hindsight I guess he was the only one allowed to tease me. :)
Jane2
Happy Birthday! A shot of them all looking adoringly up as you imbibe birthday drinks and sup on cake would not be amiss. OK, two out of three, with Tunch disdainfully ignoring the celebration would do.
Mnemosyne
@Devon:
I have four (4) older brothers and, yep, that’s how it works. They could torment me any way they pleased, but God help the outsider who thought he could do the same.
Janet Strange
@El Cid: No, no, not western. El Paso and environs aren’t too bad, Texas ballshit insane people wise.
As a life long Texan, I’d be happy to give them everything north of DFW (I’d keep Dallas since they elected a Latina lesbian for sheriff, even tho I can’t stand that city), everything to the East of Dallas down to about Houston and then about 100 miles west of Dallas, south to Waco and on up into the panhandle.
Then the rest of us in the cities, including Austin of course, south and west Texas could probably make a decent state.
[Most Texans – including Gov. Goodhair – believe the urban legend that we “have the right to secede.” Uh, folks, we did try that, remember? Against the excellent advice of Sam Houston – who was, as in so many things, right. I notice that we’re not still seceded. Thank FSM. Well, from my point of view since I quite like being American. Sucks for the rest of you that you have to put up with our crazies. And without even Molly Ivins to make it entertaining. Sigh. Miss her.]
asiangrrlMN
@Devon: Yeah, I hear you. My older brother was like that, too. He could pick on me, but no one else could.
HRA
Happy Birthday, John Cole.
Tiki is not afraid of thunder or fireworks. He likes to be outside in it.
I had a granddog named Rosie (an Irish wolfhound) who would jump in the bathtub during thunder storms.
Our late dog Tasha (black retriever) would try to open the door if she was outside. She would turn the handle. Once in she would hide under the dining room table.
Tiki is a small dog. The others above were large dogs. ?????
Josie
@Janet Strange: Basically you’re giving them the parts of Texas that border Louisiana and Oklahoma. Makes sense to me. I’m from south Texas and there is a big difference in our politics and those of east and north Texas. I’m so excited by the possibility of Bill White as governor. What a difference in so many ways! I also miss Molly.
mai naem
Happy happy Birdday John. Does Tunch give you the day off or is he a slave driver and expect you to work even on your b-day?
Dog is My Copilot
Happy Birthday and best wishes to you on your birthday! One of our dogs is absolutely terrified of thunderstorms. She doesn’t just want to “spoon or lick”… she wants to scratch you to death and almost like she tries to crawl inside you or something. She’s besides herself and is out-of-her-mind terrified. The only thing we can do for her is to give her prescription meds that we’ve obtained from the vet. We don’t like giving her those, but we sometimes don’t have a choice.
trollhattan
Hippo, Birdy, two Ewe, JC!
O/T: Isn’t it a travesty they Mirandized this guy? Think of the information lost, the erosion of our toughguy image internationally. Those many seasons of “24”, all for naught.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2012178085_apustimessquarecarbomb.html
SIA
Happy Birthday John, from a fellow CRAB! You’re a good papa too, I loved hearing about what a sweet sister Lily is being to the newcomer.
Stephen1947
I have 2 cats – a tiny little black female called Snoopy and a big white mail I call Big Baby. When a mild thunderstorm passed through the other night I got to watch them react. Snoopy was right up in the window wanting to see what was up; Baby first crawled under an armchair, and then disappeared into the most cave-like space she could find in the house. (I hadn’t left any closet door open, which he would have appreciated most abjectly.)
These two get into wrestling matches all the time, and Snoopy can clean Baby’s clock whenever she wants – it’s amazing to watch, since Baby is easily more than twice as big and weighty. When not wrestling, they get along just fine.
planetjanet
Happy Birthday, Mr. Cole. May Tunch allow you to rest today.
Original Lee
Happy Birthday!
OTOH, “Because feedom isn’t free.” Is this the slogan of our new corporatist overlords?
SIA
We use something called Rescue Remedy (for pets) when there’s a storm – Woofie, our male terrier mix gets very anxious and it seems to help, with no drug reactions. I can always tell when bad weather is coming; he comes and finds one of us and then tries to meld into our legs.
Litlebritdifrnt
Hippo Birdy Mr. Cole. I hope you have a great day. Lucky is terrified of thunderstorms also, he will crawl up on my lap and attempt to bury his head into my armpit while panting and shaking like a leaf. The boxers are cool with mild ones but if we get a serious one with lots of lightening and loud booms of thunder I end up with Lucky under the armpit and both boxers under my legs in the well of the computer armoire.
Damned at Random
Birthday wishes from the Damned family. Sorry for the late post, but your Rosy problem reminded me of my friend’s Pharoah hound who trembled and panted during the world cup matches. We finally figured out the problem was the vuvuzuelas. Can’t really blame him
Anne Laurie
Our rescue dog Zevon, who is usually the insouciant guy in the triad, decided he was afraid of thunderstorms approximately 18 months after coming to live with us. I woke up at 4am wearing what felt like a hat made entirely of elbows as Zevon decided to claw his way into my scalp for safety. After much experimentation, we discovered that when the angels go bowling Zeev wants to be locked in his crate, with a towel draped over it — apparently he figures if he can’t run, he can at least hide. (We have crates available for our guys at all times, but Zevon only wants the door locked behind him during thunderstorms & when we’re staying in motels. Guess he just can’t take the responsibility of having to defend himself and/or us against the Unknown Unknowns of his universe.)
gex
@Mnemosyne: Apologizing is strangely difficult to do, considering it feels good to do it when you’ve been wrong.
Zuzu's Petals
Happy belated b’day, solstice child!
Yesterday was also my niece’s 30th. I’m pretty sure she celebrated in a less sedate manner.