After reading about Doug’s Twitter travails, I flipped on the teevee to explore options for checking out this evening. I saw the above and marveled at the perfection of the image. Sure, it doesn’t capture the essence of Ayn Rand with the same precision as these 56 words, but I thought it was close.
How are you wasting your evening?
Cheers
Spaghetti Lee
If liberals weren’t holding back the forces of the free market, we could have had four-headed sharks by now.
Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason
Wasting the evening with bourbon sours and obsessively reading blogs. I meant to play some guitar when I got home. Oh well. (Excellent Fleetwood Mac tune, BTW. I should relearn it.)
Walker
For the full effect, it really needs another made-for-Syfy (in Polish, the plural for “crap”) movie. Deep Impact is too respectable a movie to be next to it.
Spaghetti Lee
Oh, and I got my Intuos 5 tablet delivered and I’m messing around with it. Always awkward at first, but I’m sure it will be a big step up over a mouse.
Roger Moore
@Spaghetti Lee:
Sure but would they have frickin’ lasers beams attached to all four heads?
Yutsano
@Spaghetti Lee: Only if they got frickin’ lasers man…
@Roger Moore: Damn You Bond!!
SatanicPanic
Roger Ebert’s review of the movie is classic.
Mnemosyne
Started reading the first book in the Maisie Dobbs mystery series (cleverly titled Maisie Dobbs). Enjoying it so far. It’s very tied in to the events of WWI and the social changes that followed, so “Downton Abbey” fans may enjoy it, too.
Suffern ACE
Making a list of countries I plan to invade after I take over the country. Signing up for adult education classes. Should I take drawing or stained glass making?
Corner Stone
I’ve been casually wondering what the Disgusting Racist Matt Stoller ™ has been up to.
And I’m pretty sure you’re just the right guy to ask.
magurakurin
@Yutsano:
an evil veterinarian?
oh, and funny how the courts only found the 200 year-old practice of recess appointments to be a no-no when the black guy does it.
I’m not really of the gang that wants to throw Reid under the bus. I think they are some decent reasons for doing things the way he did, even though I personally believe that Merkely’s idea to switch it to 41 votes to sustain is the correct way to run the filibuster. But I imagine that right about now Jeff Merkley is all like, “I told you, Harry, I told you.”
Corner Stone
@Suffern ACE:
If you start doing stained glass then let me know. Because I find it really, strangely awesome.
Steeplejack
@Mnemosyne:
Pretty good series, although I bogged down in either the last one or the penultimate. A few anachronistic whiffs of Dobbs being too far ahead of her time. But not to diss the books; I enjoyed them and will go back. Just needed a breather.
The Snarxist Formerly Known as Kryptik
Nursing a headache, and the fact that the last week has utterly underscored the lopsided natures of our political discourse, where the GOP always wins even when they lose, because everything Dems to by definition is illegitimate, isn’t fucking helping.
Christ, when 75% of the response to a court basically saying ‘recess appointments are super-mega unconstitutional (as long as Dems are the ones doing it)’ is “FUCK YEAH, FUCK KING OBAMA THAT ILLEGITIMATE ANTI-AMERICAN PRICK!!!”….
Corner Stone
@Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason:
On a good night, how many of these can you really stomach?
I like bourbon but the bourbon sour is about a max 2 count for me.
Little Boots
yay, dennis. dennis is awesome.
Dennis G.
@Walker: …only when you compare it to Armageddon. Then Deep Impact stands out as the Citizen Kane of space rocks threatening the Earth movies made in the late 1990s.
Roger Moore
@Yutsano:
You’ve got to move pretty fast around here if you want to be the first with a quip. FSM knows I’ve been slow on the draw enough times.
freelancer
Deadwood.
and chatting with you good folks.
Steeplejack
I watched The Following on Fox and am about to start Part 2 of Firewall (Swedish Wallander, not the Kenneth Branagh version) from the DVR.
The premiere of The Following was not auspicious. A good cast, but the script was pretty hokey. Will continue to monitor and observe for a few more episodes.
Does anyone here watch Modern Family? This week’s episode was particularly good, with a nod to The Godfather in which Phil Dunphy “settled all family business.”
Gin & Tonic
@Spaghetti Lee: What size?
Little Boots
dennis is awesome.
really.
Steeplejack
It is now my birthday. Yay me!
Omnes Omnibus
@Corner Stone: Ever think of checking it out for yourself?
Dazedandconfused
Apropos to absolutely nothing, a video of a dolphin that asked a diver to help him (or her) with a bit of fishing line. The video at the top should be viewed first, as it has the comments of the diver.
http://www.cbs8.com/story/20642994/dolphin-in-trouble-asks-divers-for-help
Awesome glazed with Wonderful.
Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason
@Corner Stone: Bourbon sours? Pretty much 3, max.
Little Boots
and omnes has appeared.
awesome thread.
The Snarxist Formerly Known as Kryptik
@The Snarxist Formerly Known as Kryptik:
Oh, yeah, I forgot to add on the chorus of “DESTROY THE FUCKING UNION THUGS FOREVER!!!!!!” shit considering it’s the NLRB that gets essentially imploded under this ruling.
Omnes Omnibus
@Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason: How do you connect any form of whiskey sour with wasting an evening? You, sir, are a cad.
burnspbesq
@Steeplejack:
Hippo birdie two ewes.
Little Boots
is it wrong that I miss you, omnes? is it wrong that this place is kinda dead.
Corner Stone
@Omnes Omnibus: No, not really. On matters of race, racism and disgustingly racist individuals I’ve learned to trust Dennis G.
He’s never steered me wrong to this point. His sense of Disgusting Racism ™ has been unerring and really rang true time and time again.
I mean, that time he named Matt Stoller as a Racist ™ for all the world, then when called on it said he really didn’t know if what Matt said actually had anything to do with his Disgusting Racist Tendencies ™ pretty much solidified his place in the pantheon of people who could authoritatively state who was, and was not a Disgusting Racist ™ .
So, yeah, I just go with Dennis G. on these matters.
Thanks for asking bro!
Little Boots
@Corner Stone:
he is pretty good.
burnspbesq
Hoping to finish readingThe Devil’s Derivatives tonight.
Roger Moore
@Dennis G.:
Or most summer popcorn movies. It’s a science fiction movie that actually makes some effort to get the science correct, which automatically moves it well above the bottom of the barrel in my book. Besides, I’ve always had a small soft spot for it since I saw the crew filming a scene when I took my parents to see the Mount Wilson Observatory.
Violet
@Suffern ACE: Stained glass is an expensive hobby. If money is an issue, go for the drawing. Drawing is also more portable, which is an advantage.
Stained glass is fun. I volunteered for a friend who was starting a stained glass hobby business and it’s definitely cool.
danielx
2 Headed Shark Attack? How is it that I missed this masterpiece of moviemaking? Here I thought Snakes On A Plane was a work of genius, but I can see I need to expand my horizons*.
*And Black Bush will definitely help with that. Christ, I’m getting as bad as Cole on a whiskey rampage.
Scamp Dog
@Suffern ACE: I’m taking drawing classes and having a blast doing it. I’ll occasionally go to a jazz performance and sketch the band, and the musicians always enjoy the results.
So I recommend the art classes. Have fun with whatever you choose!
Scamp Dog
@Suffern ACE: I’m taking drawing classes and having a blast doing it. I’ll occasionally go to a jazz performance and sketch the band, and the musicians always enjoy the results.
So I recommend the art classes. Have fun with whatever you choose!
Little Boots
and cornerstone is pretty good, but dennis is better.
Mnemosyne
@Steeplejack:
I’m enjoying the Sherlock Holmes-like character of Maurice Blanche. Much less creepy as a mentor than Laurie King’s actual Sherlock Holmes.
MattR
@Dennis G.:
Much like Shakes the Clown is the Citizen Kane of alcoholic clown movies, at least according to Martin Scorsese.
Was definitely worth the trek through the snow to go see Louis CK tonight in Newark. Awesome seats, awesome venue and awesome show. And we got to be part of the promo for his upcoming HBO special.
Little Boots
seriously, this is a great site, with great contributors, but dennis is the best. he really is the best.
Roger Moore
@The Snarxist Formerly Known as Kryptik:
Would the NLRB be the organization that would rule if a company were protesting against unfair union tactics? If they would be, might I suggest that the neutering of the NLRB would be a great reason to reintroduce the sit-down strike?
Omnes Omnibus
@Corner Stone: Well, that’s what you get for accepting everything you read as true. Some, and of course I call them fools, try to apply a filter based on their own knowledge and experience to what they read.
PsiFighter37
One of my friends is undergoing something unimaginable…her fiancé (who she has been with for 6 years) is enduring a bout of mania. He’s never exhibited any signs previously, but he basically wants to quit law school and become a philosophy writer (despite having zero background). He’s apparently sleeping 3 hours every 4 nights, which is just absolutely nuts. His personality is much different now, and he told her to not contact him for at least a couple months.
I can’t fathom how someone deals with that…it’s almost worse than the person dying – they’re still there physically, but mentally, they are completely different.
Deep thoughts.
Little Boots
omnes, you know i’m right.
Steeplejack
@Mnemosyne:
I had forgotten the Laurie King books. They are pretty good, but you’re right, there is a slightly creepy note in there.
I’m thinking about diving into the Travis McGee novels, which have just come out as e-books. Haven’t read those in years.
Corner Stone
@Omnes Omnibus: Why would I expend the energy to do that?
Cole wouldn’t let them post it here if it weren’t true.
“Bonjour”
Corner Stone
@PsiFighter37: Honestly? Not wanting to finish law school is a sign of mental health.
Spaghetti Lee
@Gin & Tonic:
Medium.
burnspbesq
@PsiFighter37:
I get the wanting to quit law school part. The job market for law school grads has never been as bad as it is now, so why increase the amount of student loan debt that is probably going to hang around your neck like an albatross for your entire adult life?
Little Boots
I admire John, always have. I have said that a million times.
but I really like Dennis. Dennis is smarter than even me. And I admire him. that is what I want to post.
Omnes Omnibus
@Corner Stone: Some people choose to build their own houses with their own hands. I thought you might consider doing the same with your brane. Obvs, I was rong.
Spaghetti Lee
@PsiFighter37:
That sleeping thing is probably one of those things that sounds great (“I’d get so much more done!”) until it happens to you.
Violet
@PsiFighter37: That’s the cruelty of mental illness–the illness itself is the change in the person’s personality or mood. They are still there, but they are completely different in how they act, interact, communicate, think, etc. And that is the illness, so communicating with them about their illness is difficult.
I’m sorry your friend is having to deal with this. If her fiance has any family she can get in touch with, that might be a good idea. She’s not his next of kin legally and maybe someone who is can help him.
Little Boots
@Omnes Omnibus:
oh, don’t be such a dick.
Gin & Tonic
@Spaghetti Lee: Have you had a tablet before? I’m thinking of getting one, but that seems like a pretty big nut to take on spec.
Suffern ACE
@burnspbesq: how’s the market for philosophy writers?
ruemara
@PsiFighter37: As I am now watching someone go through something similar but with depression, the best you can do is be supportive. I’m sorry your friend is going through and I truly hope her/his fiance gets some help. It’s hard to have a front row seat to self destruction,
Corner Stone
@Omnes Omnibus: Normally I would agree with you. And I commend you for sticking to your gunz.
But in the battle for racist naming supremacy I bow to the true pioneers in this field. And Kenny G is clearly more qualified than I am to determine who is a Disgusting Racist ™ than I am.
Otherwise, why would he have said it and then refused to take it down after a furious and sustained assault on his otherwise measured determination?
Omnes Omnibus
@burnspbesq: If you are a couple of years in and already have the debt, you might as well get the credential.
PsiFighter37
@Corner Stone: @burnspbesq: He’s a 3L (so only a few months left) and already has a job lined up. It makes zero sense.
It just sounds heartbreaking. He was prescribed meds but is purposefully not taking them, and his psychiatrist is not doing a great job. I want to go up and tell him not to throw away his professional career and his future wife, but I honestly do think it’s a mental issue and not something that can be fixed by having a tough-love conversation.
It’s worse for her because she had already started thinking long-term about settling down with this guy, and now…who fucking knows.
Little Boots
oh, what pompous twats.
piratedan
sitting here hoping that the new Pete Frame Even More Rock Family Trees gets delivered tomorrow. Otherwise, I may go and find something ompletely retarded to go and watch online somewhere, something that has the IQ equivalent of F Troop, or as it’s otherwise known as “Advanced Republican Political Principals”
burnspbesq
@Suffern ACE:
Probably not good, but it probably isn’t a giant sucking crater compared to what it was five years ago.
PsiFighter37
@Violet: He basically cut off communication with his parents when they told him he was nuts. Go figure. I should note his family is halfway around the world and does not necessarily have ready financial means to come visit and take care of him.
Corner Stone
@PsiFighter37: Sounds like he should go play poke her on the Euro tour and leave her behind.
And just finishing law school is by no means the end of that freakin’ road.
Little Boots
omnes, you disappoint me.
corner stone, you do not.
Omnes Omnibus
@Corner Stone: On this one, I will cede the field for now. Not in the mood to continue the battle. Cheers.
Roger Moore
@Gin & Tonic:
If you have a smart phone already, it’s not a big step. A tablet is a lot like a smart phone but with better battery life and a screen that’s actually big enough to read. If you get one from the same ecosystem as your phone, you can easily share apps and data.
Little Boots
oh, give it a rest, both of you.
Suffern ACE
@PsiFighter37: why is he seeing a psychiatrist? I can think of a lot of reasons for his behavior that don’t involve a psychiatrist. And lots that involve not sleeping and not wanting to finish school.
Gin & Tonic
@Roger Moore: Sorry, we were discussing digitizing tablets, like the Wacom Intuos.
Violet
So apparently Facebook and Instagram are now randomly suspending accounts and asking people to provide official government ID’s like a drivers license or passport to get their account reinstated. Link.
Corner Stone
@Suffern ACE: What kind of stained glass themes are you thinking of exploring?
Like telling a story, or maybe a landscape, or just some pretty combo?
Omnes Omnibus
@Little Boots: Dude,
is that aimed at Corner Stone and me? We’ve been around and we’ll be okay. And it you can’t see a tongue in cheek you need to learn to look for one. Christ.
Mnemosyne
@Suffern ACE:
I can’t think of too many other reasons someone would only be sleeping three hours every four days and still appear to have a lot of energy. Serious meth addiction is one of them, but I can’t think of any others.
Little Boots
@Omnes Omnibus:
I’m in a mood.
PsiFighter37
@Suffern ACE: This guy woke up in the middle of the night, knocked on apartment doors naked while singing the South Park theme song, tried to kiss all the neighbors, started getting violent, and had to be sedated and taken out of the building. This actually happened, even though it sounds comically absurd.
So no, this is not about simple stress, something clearly snapped. And he’s not a drug user, trust me. I had met him a couple times, and he was one of the nicest people I’ve ever met.
Corner Stone
@Omnes Omnibus: Not a problem. Dennis aka “Kenny G” is a fucking piece of shit race baiting scumbag motherfucker who should be banned from the FP’dom of teh intertrons until he makes amends for his scurrilous and spurious disgusting use of the Racist ™ tag.
Little Boots
and by the way, I like both of you, omnes, but you are being dicks. you are.
Spaghetti Lee
@Gin & Tonic:
Never have. And this is a pretty fancy first-time purchase. I’m kind of betting on myself to improve quickly enough to justify it.
Corner Stone
@PsiFighter37: Man, I call this “Tuesday”.
Violet
@PsiFighter37:
Cutting off contact with his family and telling his fiance not to contact him for three months, coupled with wanting to drop out of law school months before finishing and wanting to do something like be a philosophy writer are all signs that he’s dealing with something. Maybe it’s just a quad-life crisis or maybe it’s something more but it doesn’t sound like he’s acting like a rational adult.
PsiFighter37
@Corner Stone: Matt Stoller sucks outright, who gives a damn whether he’s a racist or not. He should be ignored outright and left to firebag himself into obscurity.
Omnes Omnibus
@Corner Stone: Stained glass can be overwhelming. A couple of years ago, I got go to Sainte-Chapelle in Paris. The effect of the windows was absolutely stunning.
Link
normal liberal
@Steeplejack: I used to love the Laurie King Mary Russell books, despite the creepiness, but the last two feel as though she’s lost interest.
A friend tried to sell me on Maisie Dobbs, and when I demurred, he loaned me Colin Cotterill’s series set in 1970’s Laos; in other words, now for something completely different. He also put me onto Louise Penny. I may rethink Maisie, although it’s not my favorite time period.
PsiFighter37
@Corner Stone: You’re a fucking asshole, you know that? And a sociopath. This is a really serious issue, and you’re making stupid cracks about it.
Do you really have nothing better to do than be a turd on a Friday night?
Little Boots
can I do the weight. cause …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjCw3-YTffo
Corner Stone
@PsiFighter37: Well, I kinda do.
People sucking is one level of suckdom. And they all have the ability to suck til the sun comes up. And that’s cool.
But when you have some 6th rate hack motherfucker name you for a racist, and then say you’ve got absolutely nothing to back that assessment up when you’re called on it, but still leave that post up on a fairly prominent blog, then I’ve gotta say that’s some bullshit.
Gin & Tonic
@Little Boots: Band references were this morning. Do try to keep up.
Suffern ACE
@Omnes Omnibus: I’m thinking of starting small…like maybe something with cardinals and gold finches for my mom…
Little Boots
g&T tell me, aren’t they being obnoxious.
now be honest.l
Violet
@PsiFighter37: That is comically absurd. In a movie it would be funny. In reality, it’s tragic. Since he got violent, did they call the cops? Is there any way that violence could be used in the “threat to himself or others” way to get him better help? I’m not sure being locked up in a psych ward is the answer, but maybe there is some way to get him the help he needs.
How awful for all involved.
Closeted epistemic (formerly Lojasmo)
@Steeplejack:
Happy birthday!
Watched “Red” now watching “The Office”
Little Boots
omnes, you know I love you.
stop dicking.
SatanicPanic
Is Cornerstone actually Matt Stoller? That would explain a lot.
Corner Stone
@SatanicPanic: What would it explain?
Omnes Omnibus
@Suffern ACE: Cardinals and gold finches are just gateway windows. You’ll be on to giant biblical stories before you know it. Just don’t start.
Little Boots
@Corner Stone:
everything.
SatanicPanic
@Corner Stone: Why you’re so racist
ETA, sorry – Racist ™
Little Boots
omnes, I am right.
Suffern ACE
@Omnes Omnibus: I was actually thinking about that this morning. What if it turns out I really like it a lot and my condo turns into Yorkshire Cathedral?
Corner Stone
@SatanicPanic: Ouch. Burn.
Or maybe that’s Booo-urns ?
Little Boots
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjCw3-YTffo
Little Boots
cornertone, stop it.
Omnes Omnibus
@Suffern ACE: I am not a fan of Yorkshire Cathedral. I am assuming you have taste, so that won’t be a problem. Chartres, however….
Corner Stone
@PsiFighter37: Why are you here instead of puking on yourself and passing out in a NYC subway car?
handsmile
@PsiFighter37:
You are describing an alarming situation with your friend’s fiance. You are almost certainly correct that this has become “not something that can be fixed by having a tough-love conversation.”
That he is currently being treated by a psychiatrist and has been prescribed medication is at the very least a starting point for further action.
Your friend is in a difficult position, loving but helpless, particularly if she’s encountering anger, obstinacy or indignation from this fellow. I would strongly recommend that she look into the outstanding and wide-ranging services provided by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) both for herself and her fiance. The following link will provide available chapters and affiliates in each state:
http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=Your_Local_NAMI&Template=/CustomSource/AffiliateFinder.cfm&State=NY
I should note here that I am not a mental health professional. My wife is a clinical psychologist of long standing and is the director of one of the largest adult outpatient clinics in NYC. We have both worked with NAMI, she professionally, me as a volunteer, for a number of years. Good luck to you and your friend.
Little Boots
omnes. you are a dick.
Omnes Omnibus
@Little Boots: Since you don’t link, I don’t know which comment of mine caused you to come to this conclusion. I will say that you might want to chill.
Suffern ACE
@PsiFighter37: that is quite a personality change. It’s your friend I’d worry about. She can try to get him help and work with his family, but she also shouldn’t be chasing after him until he agrees to follow through on his medication and take care of himself. Six years is six years, but since she’s your friend and he’s just someone you’ve met a few times, its probably best for you to help her look out for herself or talk through things. I’m guessing he’s not going to be a lawyer. How does she feel about that?
SatanicPanic
@Corner Stone: But in all seriousness, stop being a dick to PsiFighter.
Omnes Omnibus
Bowing out, but I will leave you with this.
handsmile
@Suffern ACE:
From another fan of stained glass, you might enjoy this link, “10 Most Amazing Stained Glass from Around the Globe”:
http://www.oddee.com/item_97755.aspx
I’ve had the great good fortune of visiting five of the locations.
(N.B. The site itself is kind of annoying, but the images are wonderful.)
BillinGlendaleCa
@Steeplejack: Happy B-Day, mine was Monday.
Anne Laurie
@Steeplejack: Happy birthday, Steep!
If you lived on the other side of the world, you could pretend all the Australia Day parades were really in your honor….
Jamey
Two-Headed Shark Attack totally got snubbed by the Academy.
Steeplejack
@normal liberal:
I have been wanting to get around to Cotterill’s Dr. Siri series. Thanks for reminding me. Ditto for the Louise Penny series. I have a gigantic Word document filled with books I want to read, but it gets longer faster than I can read them.
Steeplejack
@Anne Laurie:
A nation of outcasts and transported felons. I always thought I would fit right in!
Steeplejack
@BillinGlendaleCa:
And happy birthday to you!
Odie Hugh Manatee
@Corner Stone:
Hmmm… a white dude from Texas on a rant about blacks, race and racism?
Nothing new here.
Anne Laurie
@PsiFighter37:
Dude, it’s a biochemical issue — bipolar disorder, d/b/a “manic depression”, got respect as a brain-chemistry issue even when the medical treatment of choice for all other “mental” diseases amounted to “Snap out of it, before we start torturing you, weirdo.”
And a big part of the problem is that during their manic phase, bipolars don’t want to take their medication because hey, they figure they’re doing GREAT! And when (if, but usually when) they go to the other pole, why should they bother with medication when nothing can possibly make any difference in the UNREDEEMABLE SUCK that is their existence?
I’m gonna sound like a hater & a horrible person saying this, but I’ve got bipolar victims in my family, and the “lucky” part for your friend is that (presumably) they don’t have kids. If she chooses to stay with her fiance, barring some kind of miracle medical breakthrough, it’s always going to be a three-party relationship: her, him, and his illness. And the illness will always take the lion’s share. There will be damned little time or energy left for her, and less than none for their hypothetical offspring (who stand a measurable chance of inheriting their father’s abberant brain chemistry).
PurpleGirl
@PsiFighter37: Number 1 question to be asked: How old is he? When considering the type of mental illness possibilities, you need to know the age. Late teens to mid 20s is when some serious conditions can kick in — a psychotic break, psychosis or schizophrenia.
I’m not a doctor, but I’ve dated a psych RN and talked to friends who had these problems show up in relatives.
Steeplejack
@burnspbesq:
Thank you!
Todd
@PsiFighter37:
One of my kids tends to do the sleepless thing, and is overly wrapped up in the fetid meanderings of philosophers, who she idolizes as “deep thinkers”. Me, I tend to mock philosophers as lazy fucks who can’t figure out how to function or be happy in normal society, so they while away the hours churning out drivel by the toilet load. I see it as a troublesome phase, but not insurmountable.
JoyfulA
@Suffern ACE: If he has that mania arrest on his record, he might not be admitted to the bar regardless of whether he finishes law school and passes the bar exam. It depends on the state.
And he does sound like someone in a manic state, this coming from someone who was once a master’s-level practicing psychotherapist.
slippy
Deep Impact is still a pretty silly movie. The last-minute breaking of a comet into pieces that don’t cause a Shoemaker-Levy-style catastrophe on the planet irked me.
I loved Ebert’s review of Atlas. Typical libertarian wonky delusional crap.