The future of politics is artisinal. Everyone will have their own unique, handcrafted, bespoke version of kooky bullshit.
— Noah Smith (@Noahpinion) January 27, 2015
I suspect none of the BJ audience that actually cares about the Superbowl wants to read snark about the Superbowl, no matter how entertaining the rest of us might find it, so I’ll confine myself to sharing a link to NYMag‘s “Guide to the Controversies of Super Bowl XLIX“.
(Is GoDaddy an actual company, or a group of performance artists? Seems they only emerge each January to create an ever-more-obnoxious ad that may or may not actually air during the game… )
Apart from Superbowl party prep, what’s on the agenda for the day?
Baud
Is Newsmax trying to get itself back on the website?
From what I hear, GoDaddy is a big player in web services because of price, despite their awful Super Bowl commercials.
OzarkHillbilly
Heading up to STL for the day. At least I got some sleep last night.
eric nny
-20 in my neck of the woods. This is getting old.
Viva BrisVegas
News from Oz:
Australia beat South Korea 2-1 in the Asian Cup (Soccer).
Labor beat Liberal National Party in Queensland State election with 13% swing.
Mustang Bobby
@Baud: GoDaddy provided me with my domain name services and they’re pretty good in that department; never had a problem they couldn’t take care of without going all Comcast on me. I seriously didn’t know about their commercials until someone brought up the parody of the Budweiser ad.
OzarkHillbilly
@eric nny: We’ve barely had any winter at all. Outside of a couple inches back in Nov. no snow to speak of and only one bout of cold that got down to zero. Does not make me happy. I like to have 4 seasons.
Mustang Bobby
@eric nny: It’s 75 degrees warmer here than there. Not gloating; I did my time in that kind of winter (northern Michigan) and even the snowy owls were trying to build a campfire.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Mustang Bobby:
Same here, kinda chilly.
ETA: I was at Costco yesterday as a thunder storm(somewhat rare here) came though. As I left, everyone was huddled under the overhang at the entrance to the store. Wimps, like they were gona melt. I just put on my hoddie and headed to my car. Three years in Seattle cured my fear of rain.
Mustang Bobby
@BillinGlendaleCA: We get reminders every so often that South Florida is not tropical.
PurpleGirl
Very windy overnight in NYC. Supposed to be sunny today but cold and still windy.
Not preparing for the Superbowl. My house guest will be joining me watching the Kitten Bowl and the Puppy Bowl. I’m thinking of making people kibble (Chex mix) for snacking tomorrow. And maybe a taco caserole.
Raven
25 at the bakery, I have to hold Lil Bit cuz she gets cold but the Bohdi just keeps chasing the ball!
Phylllis
Cracker Barrel for breakfast, storm-door shopping at Lowe’s, grocery run, then home for Hubs to watch the Tennessee-Auburn game.
Read Linda Tirado’s Hand to Mouth over the last couple of days. Living in minimum-wage America is many things; fun is not one of them.
eric nny
@Mustang Bobby: Lots of snowy owls this winter. So at least there’s that. I always enjoy seeing them. And OzarkHillbilly I am mentally willing some of our snow in your direction. We’ve enough to share. Now send some of that (slightly) warmer air this way. Twenty degrees would be pleasant and seasonally appropriate.
bemused
Last evening prime time msnbc had the Morning Joe crew talk football. Seriously, why?
MomSense
More shoveling this morning, The pup is a total snow hound. She is diving into the snow to catch snowballs. If this doesn’t tire her out I give up.
Tenar Darell
Yoga. Next snowstorm prep. Gonna move some driveway snow up and over into the back yard if it isn’t too hard frozen.
JMG
Maybe tomorrow they’ll let Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth host Meet the Press for equal time. Just kidding. The national political press, which doesn’t even know it’s own topic, assumes it has sports expertise because of its self-proclaimed intellectual superiority. Who’d Joe like in the game? The Packers?
Botsplainer
Trigger Warning Politico link:
A pretty great article which absolutely guts Jen over Schiavo. Long, but distilled to its essence warns that he’s a rigid ideologue with tendencies toward autocracy, and petty to boot, even when he’s proven wrong.
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/01/jeb-bush-terri-schiavo-114730.html#.VMzUSkY8LCQ
Worth a read.
JPL
@bemused: Years ago, there was a group on PBS Newshour, explaining the SuperBowl. For pure entertainment value it was the best five minutes of TV evah!
@Phylllis: A parent in Highland Park, TX is trying to ban The Working Poor, in the advanced English class because it is Marxist. If they won’t remove it students should at least read Ayn Rand, also.
OzarkHillbilly
@eric nny: Coming right up!
Don’t know if anyone else reported this around here yet, but monarch butterfly numbers have recovered somewhat from last years lowest of lows. Still a long ways to go.
Speaking of which, so do I. Hasty banana all.
Rob
@OzarkHillbilly
That’s good news. I hadn’t heard that.
Here it’s in the teens, and nowhere near as windy as yesterday. I shall venture out for a walk at some point after I finish breakfast.
Debbie(aussie)
@Viva BrisVegas: Yay!!!!!! Not only did we vote out the rwnj, the state Premier lost his seat. Now if Labor & the Greens (federally) could just work together and govern for the real people and not the ‘corporate’ people we might have a chance. (not holding my breath)
Joel
An honest critic of the NFL needs only to point out that the game physically destroys its players.
beth
The last few days a bird of some sort has been landing on and pecking at the soffits of the roof overhang on my house. It sounds like a jackhammer. It’s not in one specific place, it seems to fly and peck all over. Anyone ever have this happen and have any ideas on how to stop it. I can’t believe how loud it is.
Won’t be watching the Super Bowl – I’m about to become an empty nester. Since my daughter’s new apartment has two flights of stairs, my contribution will be driving the minivan full of boxes downtown and babysitting the cars in the street.
Viva BrisVegas
@Debbie(aussie):
As a bonus, I believe Annastacia Palaszczuk is about to be the first woman in Australia to become Premier from Opposition.
Punchy
@BillinGlendaleCA: Put on a hoodie? Dear Lord, tell me you hadn’t just bought a pack of skittles and an Arnold Palmer….
shortstop
Trying to figure out how to fit about 72 hours of work into today.
greennotGreen
When I was president of a medium-sized nonprofit, I registered the domain of our website with GoDaddy…and then I saw one of their repugnant, sexist ads. At the end of the contract we switched to another company. Earth to GoDaddy: women are on the web, too.
Rob
@beth #24
I’m sure it’s a woodpecker. If so, it’s testing/using your soffits as a territory marker for the resonating sounds it is making. Short of chasing it away immediately when it starts drumming, I can’t think of any solution.
@Viva BrisVegas & @Debbie(aussie)
Good news all around (including the soccer match).
zzyzx
Party? And lose focus on the game and the chance that my team could actually win in two straight years!?!?
raven
@bemused: Because NBC owns MSNBC.
Buddy H
Movie theater around the corner from us plays classic films every Saturday and Sunday morning. Cheap admission I can afford. This weekend is “Dr. Strangelove.” This morning I will see it with the wife, and then when my son comes home tomorrow I’ll see it again with him.
I don’t give a crap about the superbowl. Wife & I will be watching Downtown Abbey tonight. We want to see what happens with Granny’s old Russian flame.
p.a.
Yesterday was my last day of 28 years 8 months at the dialtone factory. Farewell
New England Tel NYNEX Bell AtlanticVerizon. Thank you IBEW 2323 for fully paid medical from 1986 to 2012 (16 week strike in ’89 to keep it), a pension AND a 401k. Now what??!!raven
@Buddy H: whoope dee doo
PurpleGirl
@p.a.: Congratulations on your retirement. Wishing you a long and healthy life. Now explore those hobbies you haven’t had time for.
HRA
@p.a.:
I have the same problem of “now what” after 28 years and 6 months last year with NYS Dept. of Education by way of a state U. I was going to write a book, maybe use my dessert talent to sell my products, etc. I even unearthed my old knitting needles to try to make an afghan. Ripping out a few rows of fail twice made me bury them again. Instead I have become the full time housemaid once again. :( Plus is my very grateful medical and pension as well.
PurpleGirl
Kitten Bowl II on the Hallmark Channel. Starts at 12 noon, with rebroadcasts at 3 and 6 p.m. It doesn’t look like they are streaming it on-line but there will probably be videos of the action on the website.
http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/kitten-bowl
Hildebrand
Putting the final touches on house tidying, getting ready for the realtors on Monday. We are moving from Deep South Texas to the Metro Detroit area, I hope the house sells quickly.
Zinsky
I disagree with Noah Smith I think American politics will become much more uniform and conformist as happens in most fascist societies. People here are sheep, especially young people – they all have iPhones, like Taylor Swift and eat at McDonalds. Nonconformists are the exception in America, not the rule.
Buddy H
@raven: whoope dee doo
That’s what I said when I found out they were playing Strangelove. I’d seen it a few times before, many years ago on a portable tv, but I’m looking forward to the big screen.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Punchy: No worries, I have the complexion of Wonder Bread.
ETA: Also this is California, not Fla. We don’t let folk wander around carrying firearms.
Buddy H
@Hildebrand: Putting the final touches on house tidying, getting ready for the realtors on Monday. We are moving from Deep South Texas to the Metro Detroit area, I hope the house sells quickly.
Good luck to you, that’s quite a move!
Our experience was similar; we spent 22 years in a “exurb” – heavy republican territory, no bookstore, all chain stores, library was a sad little thing with biographies of the Gabor sisters and non-fiction by fox news folks. If I wanted to buy a tube of toothpaste I had to drive to the strip mall. Not a single sidewalk. “We live in the country!” we thought, but it was just a swamp.
We live in a small city, and I can walk around the corner and see Strangelove. So whatever years remain to me (I’m old) I can walk to bookstores, a decent library, and live a better life.
Keith G
I think the current GoDaddy puppy ad is a brilliant piece of comedy. The first time I saw it, the laughter brought pain. The dark juxtaposition of expectations that comes at the end is the tremendous comic beat. And that is true even if you find the comedy obnoxious for the way it pokes a stick at a bit of commerce that is very tasteful.
raven
@Buddy H: Oh it is so good!!!!!
Eric S.
Relaxing during the day.tonight is the big annual blow out winter party for my softball team. Then tomorrow prepping to be laid up for a couple of weeks. All those years of baseball and softball have caught up to me. I’m have rotator cuff surgery Tuesday.
debit
Taking the now eldest cat to the vet. He’s been dropping weight and in the space of a week went from trim to emaciated. At first we thought he was just grieving for the formerly eldest cat (who was put to sleep the day before New Year’s eve) but now we’re pretty sure it’s a hairball that he can’t bring up. I’m guessing he’s going to need surgery and will happily kiss my savings goodbye if that’s the case. Just a little freaked out right now and anxiously watching the clock until appointment time.
bemused
@Phylllis:
I had not heard of Tirado or her book until Bill Mahr interviewed her on Real Time. She seemed very down to earth, not intimidated talking in front of a huge tv audience and I liked her straight forward manner and comments. I immediately bought her book and it was hard to put down.
Buddy H
@debit: The stress of losing his pal may have exacerbated his problem. We hope all goes well for you.
Cats rule.
PurpleGirl
@Eric S.: Hoping the surgery goes well.
@debit: Will say a prayer that it is a hairball and not something worse.
Eric S.
@OzarkHillbilly: there was a headline here in Chicago that the tollway authority was going to plant milkweed along the highways to replace the diminishing food supply for the monarchs. While the heart is in the right place I wonder if luring them to expressways is really a good idea.
MattF
There’s a BBQ joint just opened up in my neighborhood, so trying it out is on my to-do list. The good news is that it’s replacing a fancy-shmancy place. Maybe wait until after the Superbowl, though.
ETA: Also, sigh, clean the salt off my car.
Amir Khalid
@Zinsky:
Nonconformists are the exception everywhere. That’s pretty much what the word means, you know. If your ambition is to find on this planet some place where the majority of people are nonconformists, you will ever be disappointed.
Baud
@Zinsky:
I can’t believe nonconformists are not the rule.
MomSense
@HRA:
Knittinghelp.com has great videos for both English and continental style knitting. Ravelry.com is also a great resource for patterns and advice.
Currently knitting socks on size 0 needles and wondering why I decided to do this project.
MomSense
@debit:
Will keep you and your kitty in my thoughts.
PurpleGirl
@JPL:
The parent in Highland Park needs to be told that comparison of The Working Poor to anything by Ayn Rand is invalid and specious. The Working Poor is non-fiction and Rand produced fiction. (I won’t she wrote fiction, her writing is that bad.)
Rob
@PurpleGirl #56
I almost posted a comment earlier about comparing the literary worth of the two books in this English class. The quality of Rand’s fiction is execrable.
Eric S.
@PurpleGirl: thanks. It is about as routine as it gets but to paraphrase Nate Thurmond, it is never minor surgery when they are performing it on you.
MattF
@Botsplainer: I think that Jeb! has a Schiavo problem. I doubt that he has the guts to deal with it. I’m sure that Karl Rove is advising him to run from it.
Keith G
@Keith G: I could have sworn that I said ‘distasteful’ several comments up there.
MomSense
@Eric S.:
Best of luck to you with your surgery.
Debbie(aussie)
@Viva BrisVegas: So many firsts. The first male and female indigenous MP’s. About bloody time.
raven
@Eric S.: God the old High n’ Mighty softball banquets were the best! We were the first long-haired team in Champaign Urbana and widely hated. We kept detailed stats for a decade and had a guy who wrote incredible season-end narrations that kept everyone in stitches. I spent years both playing and running leagues but it’s been 20 years since I played. This time last year I was diagnosed with a torn labrum in my shoulder and came within an inch of getting surgery. Violet, and others here, urged me to explore alternatives and I did. I am/was a daily swimmer and I laid off for 6 weeks and I’m back going strong. Best of luck on your surgery, I know there are times when there is no other way.
PurpleGirl
@Keith G: You had it in mind but the “dis” wasn’t sent to your fingers. I’ve found myself leaving out the “n’t” lots of times. I have to go back and reread before hitting Submit.
Amir Khalid
For football fans: Manchester United are commemorating this weekend the 57th anniversary of the Munich Air Disaster, the plane crash that killed 8 players of the legendary United line-up known as Busby’s Babes.
debit
@Buddy H: Yep, he may have stress shed and thus ingested more hair than normal. I just wish I had scheduled something earlier for him, even though work has been a nightmare and I couldn’t get away. And, in fact,have to go in after his appointment and stay until shit gets done (payroll end of year stuff, W2s, filings, etc). Thanks for kind words.
@PurpleGIrl and Mom Sense: Thank you. Much appreciated.
Ultraviolet Thunder
I’m actually home for a bit after spending part of the week in North Carolina. It was warmer than Detroit!
In Raleigh I finally got to visit my brother and sister in law in their new home.
Visiting family again this weekend. My seemingly healthy stepmother went in for a knee replacement and ended up with three bonuses: an incision infection, blood clot in her leg and spine compression fracture from a minor fall. Now she’s in rehab for quite a while getting over all that. So we’re convening at her rehab place to celebrate her 78th B-day today.
My mother lives a few miles from there so I’ll visit her as well.
Better get moving…
Frankensteinbeck
My agenda is entirely psychological. I need to come down off the stress of the book release, and get used to the response the sequel to a popular book gets. Sure people like it, but every single one has a nit to pick, and they’re all over the map. What one person hated, another person loved.
Heaven knows I’ve seen this played out in every other fandom, so I guess I should be flattered!
Another Holocene Human
@beth: borrow a dog for the yard for a few days
Another Holocene Human
@shortstop: aaaah! trigger warning! sounds like my life
Morzer
I suspect the future of Republican politics might well be artisinal. I would hope that the Democrats can at least spell artisanal correctly.
Another Holocene Human
@p.a.: congrats and I can still sing the New England Telephone jingle, damn you NYNEX and Verizon just sucks
NETel operators were the best, btw … they all got fired because profits uber alles
Howard Beale IV
Got my forms from the CPA to fill out for Tax Year 2014, so there’s that-and my Home Server’s sick, two of my RAID 5 arrays went down and I can’t get into the web console to see what the hell’s going on with them.
Karen in GA
Looking at flooring because it’s long past time I replaced the horrible carpet that came with the house (cough mumble 15 years ago cough mumble mumble).
Oh, and Iggy impressed me.
BruceFromOhio
@raven: I am/was a daily swimmer and I laid off for 6 weeks and I’m back going strong. Oy, can you elaborate? (Re)Started swimming and immediately felt the damage coming on, backed off the crawls and went for walking the lanes, breastrokes, back strokes, it’s seriously cramping my style. Turns out blown out r-c’s are a family tradition with the guys going back aways.
p.a., HRA – congratulations! Bro-in-law just did same, and he’s enjoying the hell out of it, I hope you do too!
Hildebrand, welcome to the frozen North, I hope your move goes off without trouble.
Eric S., ouch! Let everyone know how you are doing, and good luck to you.
debit, so sorry kitty lost his-her buddy, they grieve, too. Positive thoughts for a quick recovery.
Bright blue sky and 12, and it’s down to the salt mines for a couple hours of patch testing and documentation, then off to the market for fresh things and a bratwurst sandwich. Then it’s massive, manic housecleaning with MrsFromOhio in prep for SB party tomorrow. *sigh* it will be Monday before I know it…
Karen in GA
@Zinsky: Well, nonconformists are the exception kind of by definition, no?
Don’t mind me. Just defensive because I’m typing this on a smartphone.
Botsplainer
@MattF:
I suspect Jeb’s Schiavo problem magnifies when the extent of his interactions with Randall Terry becomes generally known.
MomSense
@Frankensteinbeck:
Sequel? Has it been released? Ooh I hope so.
Betty Cracker
I’m designing labels for my home brew, which we’re bottling tomorrow. Here’s an excerpt of one:
Karen in GA
@debit: Good luck — I hope all goes well with little kitty.
I have to take my second-oldest, cuddliest cat to the UGA vet school on Tuesday to see about her hyperthyroidism. Said illness could be masking bad kidneys, so curing it could just make her sick in a different way. And just in time for that appointment, she’s developed a limp.
She’ll be 15 in March, and lately she looks very old indeed. Makes me sad.
PurpleGirl
@Karen in GA: Are those paintings on the walls behind Iggy? I like the green one on the left.
ETA: Hoping for the best for your kitty. Give her a skritch for me.
Tenar Darell
@p.a.: Hey Congrats! Classes, volunteer, start a business….? Seriously, my uncle retired and started going to classes and then teaching them.
Ultraviolet Thunder
I’m a little worried. A former girlfriend has asked me to buy a copy of her newly published mystery novel. I haven’t seen her in 15+ years. The book’s description sounds like it draws from certain actual events with which I have intimate familiarity. If there’s a skinny white haired character in this who talks like a dictionary I’m going to be flattered/annoyed.
Elizabelle
@Eric S.: Richmond VA learned the hard way about plants and wildlife mortality.
They planted some shrub in the median strip of expressways, to reduce glare, but what it did was attract cedar waxwings, an appealing little bird, especially during migration season.
And attract the birds it did — right into cars. Traumatizing all around.
debit
@Karen in GA: Thank you and good luck with yours as well. Off to the vet now. Way too early, but I can’t stand sitting here and would rather feel helpless in the waiting room.
Josie
@Hildebrand: I just moved from deep South Texas to San Antonio. It was quite a pleasant change, but you are really switching locals. Did you get new position with a university there? I know you were looking at one time. Best of luck with the move.
sparrow
@Baud: I had to google to check that yup, the “liberal” party is actually conservative. Gar. What is it with party names always being so useless at description? Anyway, congrats! I hope Australia can kick all the righties out — they aren’t good for ya.
Karen in GA
@PurpleGirl: They’re just some colorful fabrics stapled to wooden frames. I’m clueless about decorating, so I’ve gone with lot of colorful fabrics thrown everywhere, for the “I’m not clueless, I’m purposefully eccentric” look. Leave the banjo on a stand in the living room and a tin whistle on the coffee table and hope people think I’m an artist rather than an idiot.
Obviously, with my decorating insecurities, I’m very happy that you like the wall hanging!
Ruckus
Used godaddy for a while. Left for better pastures. Their ads may be more awful than their service but….
Today? MOVING. We finally found a place and it is nice. Not everything we wanted but where is? Does get me a lot closer to work. And that is very nice. Hoping that superbowl sunday makes the traffic a lot less.
NotMax
@p.a.
So after nearly 29 years holding on at the phone company you’re hanging it up?
Congrats.
PurpleGirl
@Karen in GA:
Stapling fabric to canvas stretchers
That’s a very good idea. It works for me as a way to create nice things. I remember when Marimeko was using it in ads for their fabrics.
ETA: And there are some beautiful fabrics out there to use.
p.a.
@Another Holocene Human: “We’ll suck the blood from you New England; New England Telephone”.
No Job is So Important and No Service is So Urgent that We Can Not Take Our Time
to Perform Our Work Safelyfor Another Cup of Coffee.General Rule 1 (of 31): Every employee is expected to be familiar with and obey all public laws, company or department rules, instructions, specifications etc. covering or relating to
his conduct on the job or on the work with which he is engaged. Lack of such knowledge shall not excuse any failure to observe them.
Craft workers had to memorize all 31 verbatim as well as technical aspects of the job and take an oral exam to reach top pay.
NotMax
@Betty Cracker
Should a monetary windfall come along, you may want to have this gadget site bookmarked.
raven
@BruceFromOhio: Well, my right shoulder really hurt, couldn’t sleep and couldn’t lift my arm above my shoulder. I went to an orthopod and he said the MRI indicated the torn labrum. I singed up for the surgery and posted it here. People rightfully cautious and urged me to consider it carefully. I then looked more closely at the surgery, the recovery time and potential outcomes. I got scared shitless of having to sit in a chair for a month or so and all the horror stories here on Slap.com. I am still not sure how RC surgery compares with the labrum work but they seem similar. Anyway I decided not to do it and was nervous when I called to cancel and the nurse said “don’t worry about it, people cancel all the time. You need to be ready. So, like I said, I hit the bike for 6 weeks or so and let it be. Then I went back slowly ( I had been swimming 6-7 days a week and I cut back to every-other-day). It seems fine and I have even done some 5 day stints. The one other thing, and I think this is what really exacerbates my shoulder is my annual gulf coast surf fishing. I tried to back off throwing as far as I can and really was ok this year. That is casting 2 or 3 rods with 4 oz weights for 6 or 7 hours a day. (Wading up to my chest in 60 degree water I would add). That turned out ok too so I’m feeling good about what I chose.
On the other hand, I am NOT saying RC or Slap surgery should not be done when someone really needs it. I stopped what I thought was causing me problems and it worked. I’m sure that is not the case for everyone.
opiejeanne
@Rob: They used to drum on the crown of our roof before we had it replaced. Pileated woodpeckers, very shy; if we walked outside and looked at them they’d fly off even though the house is two stories. I discovered that I could prank call them with my iPhone by playing a recording of them and holding the phone above my head, and they would answer the call.
raven
@PurpleGirl: My wife went to a week long Shibori school at Arrowmont this summer and is making some really cool fabricy stuff.
Ruckus
@Eric S.:
The surgery was a snap. The rehab on the other hand was a bit tough. I don’t think most people realize how much we work using shoulder muscles. And how much it takes to get them back into useable form.
Good luck on the surgery and the recovery.
I will say the surgery was much more helpful than the PT that I went through to try to avoid the surgery, which of course I ended up with anyway. And less painful.
ruemara
Celebrating the successful launch of a new product. Nearly a quarter of stock have been sold, which is great. Hoping the new marketing strategy I’m trying will also see a sustained overall sale number going forward.
WereBear
In my experience, GoDaddy is okay for a basic website that won’t see much traffic, but I pulled my registrations over to Namecheap because I got sick of the constant emails and the labyrinthine pricing structures.
Then, I signed up with Outlook.com for what I think is the best online accounting software for my business purposes, and GoDaddy went and bought it. But so far, they seem to have enough sense not to screw it up.
WereBear
It’s fun, but I feel like I’m tricking them. Where’d the ball GO?
Kropadope
@sparrow:
Classical liberalism is defined by capitalism. Free market liberalism (check your word stems). Conservatism and liberalism are not antithetical to each other. Here in the U.S. we have the Democrats, a conservative liberal party, and the Republicants, a radical liberal party.
p.a.
@Another Holocene Human: actually it was a very tough job. Split shifts, a real hammer not carrot attitude in that dept. They had to raise their hand for permission to relieve themselves, and if the limit were already met they couldn’t leave their position to go or they would face discipline, including suspension. I heard of 2 instances where operators soiled themselves.
As a young pup in the 80’s I knew 2 senior employees who started as operators when they had to wear white gloves, blouses, and skirts.
Many many bid out; men to outside plant titles and CO, women to CO and a few brave souls to outside plant. The guys were not exactly welcoming.
WereBear
Sounds like: whatever you want.
danielx
@Botsplainer:
Very much worth a read. It does pose a twofold problem for Jeb!’s handlers – they can’t pretend it never happened, so:
1) how do they use the Schiavo case to prove to the True Believers that Jeb is indeed One Of Them?
2) while at the same time defending him from the (clearly true) charge that he’s an ideological executive power freak who doesn’t give a rusty goddamn about the separation of powers or anything else that hinders him from doing what he wants to do, not to mention a truly vindictive sonofabitch?
Nice sunshine outside, with a relatively warm 28 degree day which will be split between acquiring components for weapons-grade Super Bowl chili and making sure everything is set for the storm we’re supposedly going to get tonight and tomorrow with six to nine inches expected. That or freezing rain and sleet…more firewood to haul up to the back porch.
The spousal unit’s 93 year old auntie died this past week, so it’s the first Saturday in a couple of months that she and the daughter unit haven’t gone to the nursing home (a fair one as these things go) to bring auntie out of stir to come over for lunch, get her hair done, hang out with the cats, etc. Feels strange…auntie’s out-of-town son told me at the service that my spouse is a saint, to which I returned that she’s certainly more of a candidate for that office than I’ll ever be. No one who knows me is ever going to suggest me as a candidate for sainthood.
p.a.
Retirees’ calendar: Sunday Saturday Saturday Saturday Saturday Saturday Saturday
Hunter
@Baud: GoDaddy hosts the two sites I write for/edit, and we’re moving — their servers are overextended, which leads to all sorts of problems — yesterday I was essentially locked out because another site was hogging the database.
danielx
@WereBear:
Feline Zen Master….of snowballs.
opiejeanne
@p.a.: Yes. If we didn’t have smartphones we wouldn’t know what day of the week it is,nor the date.
WereBear
@PurpleGirl: Thanks! Putting it on social media for my fans.
I’ve gotten two straight nights of great sleep after two grueling weeks of being flu/pneumonia sick and then catching up. Today I will be trying to rest as much as possible.
Amir Khalid
@opiejeanne:
I’m a retiree too (medical reasons) and I sometimes forget whether it’s a weekday or the weekend. Then I have to check the date on my laptop screen.
WereBear
Bless you for bringing it up… after reading the forum post that started it all, I bought the Kindle book and I know what I’ll be doing this afternoon.
I went to college and worked minimum wage in the late 70’s. But I had a tuition scholarship, could only afford a motorcycle, I was single, and small town Florida rents were dirt cheap.
And I still struggled.
WereBear
@danielx: Thanks, I saw that yesterday. Cats are amazing athletes!
WereBear
@debit: I know it sounds weird, but I hope you are right!
WereBear
@Frankensteinbeck: Yes, the kind of problems that aren’t really :)
WereBear
@Betty Cracker: Adorable!
Amir Khalid
Well, this has been a good weekend for me, football-wise. Daniel Sturridge, who hadn’t played since he went off injured on Merdeka Day, has scored on his return. And Liverpool win at Anfield.
p.a.
@NotMax: ;- )
Peale
I thought this was the least controversial godaddy ad, but I guessed wrong. Part of owning a puppy means taking it away from it’s family. I get why that makes people sad, but outraged?
muddy
@p.a.: In the 70’s when Eric Sevareid was retiring, he was asked what he planned to do next. He said he’d sit in a rocker. And then after a year, maybe he’d start to rock. My dad was close to retirement at the time and was very taken with this.
Frankensteinbeck
@MomSense:
It is, indeed, out! Have a link! The only consistent fan conclusion is that they wish it wasn’t set in space. Since the rest of the series is back in LA, that should be fine.
@WereBear:
It can be hard on the self-esteem when the first book received undiluted praise, and the reviews on the sequel are all ‘I loved it, but…’ Still, you’re right. I’ve made more money in January than most writers make in a year, and picked up a lot of lifelong readers. One person specifically asked me to make sure I kept writing the more serious stuff, which was sweet.
different-church-lady
For someone who doesn’t like football, you certainly write about it a lot.
mainmati
artisinal is not a word. Seems he meant artisanal. Spellcheck – it’s so hard.
WereBear
@Frankensteinbeck: Sequels are very difficult, as every movie studio knows :) Because the fans want the exact same thing again, and the creators, don’t.
However, if you plan to develop it into a series, you will find the fans will swing up happy once again. Series have different expectations, and I highly recommend them for recognition and fan enjoyment.
Of course, writers can sometimes feel constrained. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle killed off Sherlock, and his mother made him bring his hero back.
Congratulations!
Cckids
@Ultraviolet Thunder: I get that, to a degree. My daughter just sent me a short story she wrote for class; it’s about my reaction to my father’s death. The character isn’t identified as me, but of course I recognize myself.
Its both beautifully written & unsettling that she was so minutely observant. And its getting published in her school’s magazine.
raven
Rotator and Labrum comparison.
Rob
@opiejeanne #95
That’s too too funny!
opiejeanne
@Frankensteinbeck: what’s the title?
opiejeanne
@Rob: It’s hilarious. They figure it out after a while and stop answering, but to be able to call them, and they have a very distinctive call, is wonderful:
Cornell bird lab has the calls here: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/pileated_woodpecker/sounds The one I use is the third one down.
opiejeanne
@Frankensteinbeck: Oh duh, I just saw the link. I enjoyed the first book and recommended it to my Facebook friends who have a reading club page, and some of them bought it and enjoyed it.
BruceFromOhio
@raven: Thanks for this, much appreciated and glad you are back on track. Have discovered the hard way that sudden, sharp motions such as throwing, or grabbing something heavy and using body mass to haul it into the air (rather than simple lifting with arms) are really damaging. Casting, driving (golf), batting, are all under scrutiny now – can’t blast it out like the old days. Simply backing off the power and then giving things a chance to heal has relieved the discomfort. Knowing that the FromOhio’s have a history of this provides an incentive to pay closer attention to what I do, how I do it.
Oddly, chose swimming because it was the least destructive. Turns out it has been the most instructive. And addicting.
Off to the market, cheers.
Eric S.
@Ruckus: i know the thread is getting stale but thanks everyone for the well wishes. We explored various potions but the damage was too extensive. Fortunately the mri implied no labrum damage. The doc will know for sure when he gets in there. I know I have many months of rehab before I’m well again. It makes me sad but I know I won’t play ball again until next year.
Raven, those sound like some great parties and a fun team. Our core has been together for almost 10 years. Old players who’ve left show up for this party too. We have one coming in from Denver.
raven
@Eric S.: That was one thing that bothered me. They wouldn’t really know how bad it was until they got in. 15 years ago I was diagnosed with a torn meniscus and had the surgery based on an MRI. When it was over the dude said, “oh, it wasn’t as badd as we thought”. The pod that looked at my shoulder struck me the same way as if it was no big deal. It is a big deal and, if you really need it, by all means have it. I was lucky and am not trying to get back to shooting the rock or playing softball, my shit is for the long and slow now.
different-church-lady
@opiejeanne:
Good god, I hope poor Beth doesn’t have Pileateds drumming on her house! The damage those big birds can do has to be seen to be believed.
Eric S.
I’m not a doctor but the white spot on the mri that is the tear is pretty good sized. What i do know is the pain and weakness I’m experiencing. It’s not just the inability to play sports- although that’s huge- normal activities are bad.
The unknowns are bothersome. If the RC is more than 50% torn they’ll snip it off completely then re-attach it. They’ll inspect the Labrum and repair add needed.if the labrum is to badly damaged they will detach the bicep and anchor it to the shoulder.
The latter really brought me up short. If they have to do it the only long term issue will be the bicep sitting lower in my arm. It would mean my chances of winning the Mr. Universe title in my mid 40s will go from nil to less than that.
raven
@Eric S.: Hang in there. I shattered my left leg into 18 pieces in 8th grade (didn’t keep me out of the Army) and broke my back and have had rods on my spine since 74. Take a lickin and keep on tickin.
Rob
@opiejeanne #128,
The third call is the one I hear from the occasional wandering bird in my neighborhood. PIleateds in my neighborhood aren’t all that shy. I once drove past one on the ground a few feet from my car on a small paved road in a stream-side park.
I am assuming that Beth’s woodpeckers are not Pileateds. I sure hope they aren’t.
Central Planning
Working with my kids and their FIRST Robotics team this weekend. It’s a way I can share my inner mechanical/electrical/programming/marketing geekiness.
Tree With Water
“I suspect none of the BJ audience that actually cares about the Superbowl wants to read snark about the Superbowl..:.
Au contraire. You really don’t realize how enjoyable an exercise that can be for the informed fan.
Denali
The downey woodpecker is a smaller version of pileated, but unfortunately can also do a lot of damage to your house. Don’t invest in the birds of prey recording device sold by Cornell; it is useless.
tybee
@different-church-lady:
wow. that’s some serious hole drilling. we have pileateds all around, all year, but i’ve not seen that sort of damage done to anything to anything other than downed timber. they nest somewhere near by as we always have the young following the adults in spring.
we have lots of woodpeckers: pileated, redheaded, red bellied, downy, flicker.
a downy, probably the same one every winter, near sundown, hangs out in a tree near a bird house and as the last light leaves the tops of the trees, it dives into the bird house, chirps a few times and stays the night.
Geoduck
I’m another one who used to use GoDaddy, and had no complaints with their actual service, but finally got driven off by the ads and their founder’s general slimeball-ness; he went to Africa and shot an elephant, mostly because he could.
WaterGirl
@Frankensteinbeck: I’ve been out of the loop. Is this the sequel to Please Don’t Tell My Parents I’m a Supervillain?
Tree With Water
@tybee: Fifteen years ago or so in Half Moon Bay, Ca., a gardner played a tape a loud gunfire after planting his first seeds of the spring. Naturally enough his neighbors freaked, which will happen if you neglect to warn people that you intend to play a tape of loud gunshots. Not only did the cops who responded not shoot his stupid ass off, they let it slide. The gardner claimed it had never occurred to him to give anyone a heads-up (which was likely true), and, probably because they were so relieved after wondering what kind of gunfight they were walking into, the cops left it at that, with no charges being filed.
Another Holocene Human
@p.a.: Yeah, but when you’re 13 and need to call home and the friggin’ payphone ate your last dime … I loved those operators.
And I lived for a while in Verizon’s original territory (it was called BellAtlantic before the name change). They would connect you to the wrong number and drop calls constantly, then run billboards about how they connected 99% of calls (more like 97% or something equally horribly in an era of digital switching. I am totally not shitting you about connecting you to the wrong number. I never had that happen with NET/NYNEX.
Imagine that, employees having to memorize the rules of the road to move up the ladder. They do that in the UK, too. Do you think they do that in the South? *shakes head*
The damn managers don’t even know the internal policy, never mind the front line employees, and don’t get me started on regulatory compliance. (Seriously, don’t, I’d probably say too much and get doxxed and fired.)
Another Holocene Human
@Geoduck: I try not to think badly of people who registered their domains with GoDaddy, since they provide perfectly good service, but it’s hard not to.