Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Naturally gregarious and alpha

What fresh hell is this?

Lighten up, Francis.

It’s a tarp!

The revolution will be supervised.

Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack!

Also, too.

Where tasty lettuce and good mustard aren’t elitist.

Almost as fun as hiking the Appalachian Trail.

I showered with Rahm and all I got was this shitty blog.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

Shock troops for the Unitarian Jihad.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

Han shot first.

Hot Air and Ill Informed Banter

How has Obama failed you today?

This is how realignments happen…

Saul Alinsky is my co-pilot

Word salad with all caps

This blog is Obama’s Katrina.

We Survived Breitbartpocalypse!

This blog will pay for itself.

All your base are belong to Tunch.

A snarling mass of vitriolic vicious jackals

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Reader Interactions

78Comments

  3. 3.

    dance around in your bones

    Up and down, up and down all day. This makes me stabby and sad :( I miss you guys even when I’m in lurk mode.

  7. 7.

    Rekster

    I posted this on the Open Thread this morning but was way down the list so I am reposting again to try to publicize this and see if this community can assist:

    Anti-Abortion shenanigans in Oklahoma lead to heartbreak. Irin Carmon wrote a truly heartbreaking story on MSNBC.com last week that really touched my heart. Here is the link if you haven’t read it:

    msnbc.com/msnbc/abortion-restrictions-in-oklahoma

    The reason I’m highlighting this story is that the family is in really sad straits right not. An “Angel” in Oklahoma City has set up a fund to help them at this time. Here is a link to that page:

    youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/mercy-for-jessica-and-erick-davis/101949

    I’m hoping the Balloon Juice community can help this family out.

    Also, the Facebook page is here:

    facebook.com/HelpOKMama

  9. 9.

    beltane

    John Cole and his cabinet need to be impeached for this assault on liberty and Judeo-Christian values.

  12. 12.

    PsiFighter37

    About to board a flight to San Francisco. Been tracking the VA-AG vote tally…we’re currently 140(!) votes behind Obenshain.

    Very frustrating – every time it seems like he catches up, there’s another setback.

    Dems have to do a better job of getting those downballot races filled – this will be 2nd time in last 3 elections they’ve lost the AG race by a matter of hundreds of votes.

  13. 13.

    JPL

    Earlier today on 285 my son saw a caravan of SUV’s with darkened windows and lights that could have lit them up like Xmas trees. Secretary Sebelius was in town and Atlanta often has film crews so it could have been either. What was odd about them, is they didn’t have license plates. Wouldn’t government cars have license plates?

  14. 14.

    JPL

    Earlier today on 285 my son saw a caravan of SUV’s with darkened windows and lights that could have lit them up like Xmas trees. Secretary Sebelius was in town and Atlanta often has film crews so it could have been either. What was odd about them, is they didn’t have license plates. Wouldn’t government cars have license plates?

  15. 15.

    Nicole

    I have an incredible craving to watch a marathon of It’s Me or the Dog and unfortunately, unless I’m willing to pay $1.99 an episode on Amazon, I don’t think I can. Why couldn’t I have had this craving in 2009?

  16. 16.

    Mnemosyne

    I like my boss, I really do, but she gives me UNNUMBERED pages to proof against a manuscript. And gave me multiples of the same freakin’ page that SHE HAD ALREADY PROOFED!

    Good thing there’s a new Jo-Ann Superstore in town. Yarn is 40% off, y’all.

  17. 17.

    gogol's wife

    I’ve been depressed after I caught a glimpse of all the Obama-bashing headlines on the various local papers at the supermarket. And then there was no Balloon Juice. But now I have to watch The Awful Truth for the 1000th time. It’s the only antidote for everything.

  18. 18.

    gbear

    I drove 5 miles out of my way to pick up some groceries at Target after work. I got there to find out that they had had a ‘power surge’ a few hours before I got there and they had ALL of their frozen or refrigerated food tarped over and wouldn’t let anyone buy any of it. Everything I was going to buy was off limits (and yes, everything on my list is available at other grocery stores, but 30-50% more expensive)

    I called up a favorite pizza place on the way back from Target and ordered my favorite white pizza. I’m not going out tonight but I wanted to do something to commemorate my 29th anniversary of sobriety. I need to plan a big treat for next years’ anniversary.

  19. 19.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @JPL:

    @JPL: 
    Happily, she was in town to make a momentous announcement at The Carter Center — mental health parity for most (not all) insurance policies covered by ACA. 

    Rosalynn Carter has long been an advocate of better, more equitable, and more affordable mental health services for Americans. I think I previously posted at BJ, maybe two, three? years ago, hearing her speak at the Atlanta Press Club about this. Although she’s not the world’s most galvanizing or dynamic public speaker, it’s clear she is passionate about the subject.

    Good on her, and good on the Obama administration for finally closing up whatever insurance coverage loopholes have been dangling for years.

  20. 20.

    max

    BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK BORK

    bork
    [‘BORK BORK FUNKY BORK BORK BORK BORK’]

  22. 22.

    Sphex

    I mostly lurk, but boy-oh-boy do I get a sad when BJ is down! It seriously messes with my ability to procrastinate!

  23. 23.

    Sphex

    I mostly lurk, but boy-oh-boy do I get a sad when BJ is down! It seriously messes with my ability to procrastinate!

  28. 28.

    Elizabelle

    @dance around in your bones:

    It is lovely to see you, dance. Have you been MIA?

    @gbear: Enjoy that white pizza. 29 years is a big accomplishment.

    Incidentally, Simon & Schuster pulled the plug on Dylan Davies’ book that Lara Logan was pimping and got caught. How sad. Not.

  31. 31.

    Roger Moore

    I’m wrapping up a nice, week-long vacation in the wilds of Utah. OK, maybe not serious wilds, but definitely involving hiking and driving off the beaten path paved road. I’m physically worn out, but mentally recharged. Got a ton of pictures to go through, also, too.

  37. 37.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @gogol’s wife:

    all the Obama-bashing headlines

    I caught a glimpse of CNN with the headline “Obamacare Apology Tour.” You know, I’m sorry, but just fuck that.

  38. 38.

    Mnemosyne

    @JPL:

    She is on a week-long cruise in the Caribbean while I am here in the office trying to figure out what the hell she did to this manuscript before she left.

    But I’m not bitter.

  40. 40.

    Roger Moore

    @trollhattan:

    I kan haz tree-day weekend?

    Wouldn’t a tree-day weekend be if you got time off for Arbor Day?

  43. 43.

    jl

    I got no clue what I am doing. Veteran’s day is… Monday, right? Damn. I gotta figure something out.

    I could write a play about aimless talkative folks waiting around for a god-like blog presence that never arrives. Lots of bitter banter and snark among these outcasts of the isles of civilized company.

    It would be an absurdist black comedy.

  44. 44.

    Jebediah, RBG

    Re-posting this – I had put it in Tom’s earlier open thread which still seems to be fucked.

    A co-worker of mine is a singery/songwritery kind of fellow. He is competing in some sort of competition. Have a look and listen if you like. I think he’s good but I might not be fully objective since I know him and he is a nice fellow.
    If his videos get enough views, he is more likely to advance to the next part of the competition. The link takes you to more than one song/video, the last of which involves a sock puppet (but only visually.)
    And, of course, Rand Paul wrote all of his lyrics.

  45. 45.

    SiubhanDuinne

    I am neither Jewish nor Catholic, so I have no idea where this guilt came from, but it seems every time I try to post something on Balloon Juice today, the site just blows up. And then I feel responsible. 

  47. 47.

    Redshirt

    Here’s how to fix the blog:

    Lose the banner and rotating tags.
    Ditch the blogroll and all ads.
    Get rid of any pictures or links.
    Ban all the posters.
    Ban all the Front Pagers.
    Reboot the server, and voila!

    Fresh and smooth running blog.

  48. 48.

    Jay C

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Don’t feel too bad: I haven’t tried to post anything (before this, that is), and I have been getting the same message:

    Error establishing database connection

    all day.

    But if it makes you feel better, Siubhan, we can blame you, no prob.
    Yes, it’s all your fault!
    Stop it!

    ( ;) )

  52. 52.

    Felonius Monk

    @Karmus:

    Is the motherballoon still leaking gas?

    Possibly, but I think it is more likely that the Balloon Master is still passing gas.

  54. 54.

    bemused senior

    This cat person for 45 years is celebrating the second week of Toro. My sweet cat Quantum died about 3 months ago of cancer of the mouth, and I was very lonesome for her. I decided to get a dog, which I haven’t had since I was a teenager, so that I would be forced to walk every day, and so far that is working. But this senior dog is such a love, and such an adventure! I am learning things about his tribe and him every day.

  55. 55.

    SiubhanDuinne

    My office building is one of those that every year sponsors and provides space for CANstruction — the thing where companies and civic groups and so on get teams together to build wonderful structures out of canned and packaged food. After everyone has admired the various structures, all the food is given to homeless/hungry shelters in Atlanta. I expect there is something similar that happens around the country.

    So last night, they hadn’t yet begun constructing but all the materials had been delivered. One I saw had something like sixty cartons of bagged marshmallows (720 or so bags) and I don’t even know how many cans and boxes of other food. My immediate thought last night was, “I hope they are constructing a giant Tunch out of those ‘mallows!”

    Turns out, it is a Delta plane. The cans have been assembled to make a very credible widebody airplane, and the bags of marshmallows, of course, are clouds. I laughed this afternoon when a little boy ducked under the rope barrier and grabbed a bag of ‘shmallows. He was VERY unhappy when his mother made him put them back.

    I do love this time of year :-)

  56. 56.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    @Redshirt: Sort of like people who put plastic covers on couches to keep them clean for when company comes over, but unusable all the rest of the time.

    I wonder what it would cost to fit the blog with plastic covers. Also I wonder who would be considered “company” here. I wonder a lot of things.

  57. 57.

    LauraPDX

    Weird – I seemed to be able to access the site & comments all day on my phone, but got nothing but the database connection problems with the laptop.

    A bad day all around. No lurking on BJ. The passport office didn’t want to take our daughter’s Chinese adoption certificate even though it has a photo of my husband and me with our daughter; a raised seal; my husband and my names, dates of birth, and address are on it in English; her American name is on it in English; her birth date and adoption date are clearly printed and easy to read; and everything matches up with her birth certificate, certificate of citizenship, and our identification. The certificate was good enough to get our daughter her visa to enter the US and her naturalization, but the guy still acted like we were trying to scam the State Department out of a passport. After going round and round we finally got him to submit it.

    And, we found out that in order to close on our house we must completely re-side and paint – the current cement fiber siding was incorrectly installed and has completely failed. $$$$$ lost on the sale, and no recourse against the builder as the statute of limitations has expired.

    One more question: Does anyone own and/or use a Chromebook? Opinions?

  58. 58.

    Frivolous

    JPL and Beeb and Redshirt: The sun is shining here. Almost wish it weren’t, since I like cloudy days. Oh well.

  60. 60.

    max

    @max: p.s. BORK BORK BORK

    Considering the mustard, pants, pit bull and domestic pet accident situation, I am thinking Comrade Cole should change his name to BORK BORK Cole.

    max
    [‘Germany is next to Sweden!’]

  62. 62.

    fuzz

    Congressional Republicans and likely some Dems are saying that even in the event of a deal with Iran on nukes, they’ll try and undermine and sabotage it. Question: has that ever happened before? A deal was made to avoid confrontation and it was scrapped in favor of more confrontation?

  63. 63.

    YellowJournalism

    Ugh. Crazy day with having to deal with two separate work emergencies (only one truly was an emwrgency) when I should have been home snuggling with and caring for my sick kid.

    These are the times when I want to beat the “lean in” ladies with their crappy books and expensive shoes. Those of us without money tend to “lean over.”

  65. 65.

    cathyx

    I have never experienced so many problems to access or comment on a site as much as this one. What gives?

  67. 67.

    Villago Delenda Est

    OK, I expect Congress to launch an investigation of why Balloon Juice is as messed up as the Obamacare site.

  69. 69.

    Karmus

    @Felonius Monk:

    I think it is more likely that the Balloon Master is still passing gas.

    I anxiously await more updates.

    At least Steve is trying to help by stealing the meat from his sandwiches.

  70. 70.

    dance around in your bones

    @Elizabelle: Howdy (waves hands frenetically) – just been in lurk mode and haven’t been able to post a comment today to save my life.

    That’ll teach me to lurk.

    We’ll see if this posts. Somehow I doubt it. FYWP.

  71. 71.

    SectionH

    Got my California drivers license today. It took 3 bloody hours. I’d meant to load all the BJ posts from yesterday evening through the early am in tabs to read while waiting the “45 minutes” (Ha!) the website had posted. Yeah, right. Couldn’t load BJ at all.

    But it’s done, and I’m relieved. I was pretty nervous when it came to it. But I only missed 2 questions, and one was about cigarette smoking. (Srsly?) The DMV lady gave me a gold star. (Well, no but she was very nice.)

  72. 72.

    Ash Can

    @Villago Delenda Est: Ain’t gonna happen. That would require Darrell Issa to do something that was actually useful, and that would be a problem for him. He has a reputation to uphold, after all.

  73. 73.

    Karmus

    This website’s performance issues have just been more ironclad proof that the PPACA is a complete disaster.

  75. 75.

    handsmile

    Well, lookee here! Cole’s Bar-n-Grille seems to be back open for business!

    Returned home a short while ago, fired up the intertubes machine, and was immediately able to access the site. Since late this morning, it had been nothing but long delays, Error messages or a sudden blank screen.

    Let’s see how long till the FYWP po-lice show up again to bust it.

    @gogol’s wife: Once you’ve finished watching My Favorite Wife, what would be your recommendation for an English translation of Oblomov?

    @dance around in your bones:

    Glad to find your nym here tonight! I haven’t seen it for a while. In fact, had been thinking of you this week on several late night threads, the kind where you would often make an appearance. Hope your noted absence from the commentariat has been no more than a welcome respite. Yours is among the singular voices here.

  76. 76.

    dance around in your bones

    @handsmile: Why, thank you – funny that on a day when I felt like commenting the site went sideways. Figures.

    Just been dealing with a lot of complicated personal stuff, so mainly in lurk mode while always appreciative of this community.

Comments are closed.