I’m going to do up a batch of popcorn and get some decent beer for the denouement.
7.
Baud
Why do I have the feeling that John’s next post will be from a prison in Botswana?
8.
DAVID ANDERSON
Any luck with the wallet?
9.
Corner Stone
How many damn chairs do you need? It sounds to me like you are setting yourself up for a late night fall after Steve “accidentally” rearranges a chair or two from where they should be.
Posting this guarantees that you’ll end up naked in Alabama, or something.
13.
Keith P.
All I have to do is pick up chairs and a coat rack.
I can do this.
At the same time? As long as you’re not trying to balance the chairs on top of the coat rack, you’re probably OK. Otherwise, just stay focused and believe in yourself.
14.
David Anderson
@Keith P.: he thinks he can, he thinks he can, he thought he could…
15.
mouse tolliver
Muhammad Ali Jr., a US citizen who was born in Philadelphia, was detained at a Florida airport when he tried to re-enter the U.S. During his interrogation he was asked how he got the name Muhammad and whether or not he was Muslim.
He’s named Muhammad because his dad is Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Muhammad Ali. Derp!
Guarantee you he either hurts his ankle, a bird shits on him as he’s carrying the chairs to the car or a tree branch falls across the road on the way home and he gets stuck helping out the old lady in the car in front for two hours.
26.
Ripley (Whiskey Fire version)
No one goes out for two things and comes back with only two things. Not in ‘Merica.
May I vent? I’m going to vent. I’ve been working at a dream job for the past ~1.5 years. I have a coworker who is one of those people who just insists upon herself. She’s not all that bright, and her alleged technical acumen is fairly suspect most of the time, but she just won’t stop the damned Mary Beth* show. Yesterday, our team leader announced that she’s leaving after 8+ years at this organization, and I’m pretty god damned sure it’s because of the Mary Beth* show.
I’m pissed because I’m losing a colleague, I’m losing a buffer between Mary Beth* and myself, and the org is losing a highly dedicated, super motivated employee. I mean absolutely, stayed up until 4:30AM drinking and cursing to myself, pissed off. I want to beg my team leader to change her mind and stay because we need her 100 times more than we need the blissfully unaware ignorance and arrogance of my coworker. And no one appreciates the Mary Beth* show – not one person in the dept. Seriously, if I tried to describe how she co-works, you’d think I was making it up.
I’m also feeling guilty – was I part of the team leader’s decision to leave? I can be a handful to work with, but I’m hoping it wasn’t my attitude/behavior that pushed her to walk away from a great job. I’m so mentally dragged out right now, I don’t feel like I can even make a mature, comment or decision about any of this. First world problems…
27.
max
I can do this.
Remember – don’t pull your chute until 10 seconds after you’ve jumped, and try to keep quiet on the ground until you’ve hooked up with your stick! They’ll be lots of American paratroopers running around down there, and you don’t want to be shooting at each other instead of Germans.
Good luck!
max
[‘Hope you brought your nylons and candy bars!’]
28.
CarolDuhart2
Could there be a surprise trip to Niagara Falls here? IHave you met her family yet, and are they nice people? Hopefully there are no Trumpers to deal with, if so, , Mazel Tov. If it’s really chairs? You can really never have too many if you have guests. It never fails that the good one breaks…
29.
Aleta
Chairs are such kind simple things, until you start to load them in a car.
@low-tech cyclist: Thank you. Top story I knew about from yesterday, of course, but still, the LGM take on it warmed the cockles of my heart.
As for the Gorka story below, yup, that too, even though I knew about it as well. Our own Adam “Best friend of Sarah” Silverman knows about it as well.
33.
Villago Delenda Est
@Ripley (Whiskey Fire version): Ripley, sorry to hear about this. My question is why isn’t Mary Beth* getting the heave ho? She seems to be the constant in the misery equation here. Oh, no, let me guess: insulated via blood relation or sexual liaison from consequences?
34.
bystander
OT, but I want cast Leslie Jordan to play Jeff Sessions. He could bring a lot of Beverly Leslie to the role.
35.
cosima
@Ripley (Whiskey Fire version): You should beg your team lead to stay. If you don’t you will regret it. Maybe they’ll stay, maybe not, but it’s worth a shot.
36.
SiubhanDuinne
Taking bets on how many new rescue pets John will have by the end of the day.
37.
CaseyL
Be careful out there! Coat racks are treacherous beasts, all those hooks just looking for something to snare. I can just see you sailing down the highway with the rack on the roof amassing a fine collection of birds, stray plastic bags, and a coat that flew out of someone’s open car window.
The ladyfriend commented on one of the threads last night, and provided a link to her Twitter feed. She seems Balloon-Juice nice, meaning that she’s willing to post profanity-laced rants against Trump and say “bite me” to John Cole. She’ll fit right in.
39.
Feathers
@Ripley (Whiskey Fire version): There was an article in the Harvard Business Review a few years back about how much toxic low level employees can cost a company, through lowered employee satisfaction, reduced productivity and increased turnover.
At one former workplace of the nasty variety we used to have a running joke about what animal(s) certain employees had photos of our boss enjoying carnal knowledge of. It was useful, because you could just mutter “goat,” and the people in on the joke would nod knowingly.
40.
different-church-lady
@Ripley (Whiskey Fire version): a) most likely neither you nor Mary Beth were responible for team leader’s decision.
B) odds are overwheming everyone else has the same problem with Mary Beth.
C) if you can, ask team leader for advice about mary beth before she/he leaves. Perhaps team leader knows someone else in the org the team can talk to
41.
chopper
john, it helps to dial 9 and 1 ahead of time, so all you have to do is dial one more number.
Also, too, I did not go on a hike with my work friends this morning, because I only got 5 hours of sleep by the time my alarm went off, and my asthma was acting up, too. Instead, I’m going to take a really long (6 mile or so) walk on level ground, stopping off at the post office, Panera Bread, and possibly the used bookstore.
43.
Aleta
@WereBear: They remind me of certain cats who hook onto and push against the sides of the carrier door.
44.
Shell
My moneys on the coat rack.
45.
Gravenstone
Did you ever find out why the majority of your spark plugs went tits up all together? Because if you haven’t, another road trip would not be high on my to do list until the cause is identified and a repeat occurrence prevented.
Writing up my End of Life/Pallitive care directives and finalizing my power of attorney paperwork. Surgery on Monday! And so over the DNC chair race. It’s Bernie versus Hillary lite, as if we didn’t just lose the presidency, the Senate, the House and are barely hanging onto enough governorships to prevent a constitutional convention. Nuts
55.
LurkerNoLonger
OT: Senator Dick Durbin just came into the store where I work. I’m in Upstate New York, he’s a long way from Illinois. I wonder what he’s doing here? Anyway, it was cool to see a politician in the wild.
It’s good to have those things prepared, but here’s hoping you don’t need them any time soon!!
Cheers,
Scott.
(Who also can’t wait for the DNC Chair election to be over, but it has kept the Party in the news off and on, so there’s that…)
61.
Ruckus
@mouse tolliver:
It’s kind of right in the name, in the suffix at the end, Jr.
The real problem is that Ali was a man who stood up for his principals, was willing to lose everything for them, something no republican understands at all, the only thing they stand up for is a paycheck under the table.
Commenter MomSense is actually selling them at cost on her Etsy site — you should track her down in the comments some evening.
64.
? Martin
Heh. HRC is running ads on Grindr around the CPAC conference saying “You can’t be with us in the bedroom and against us in the CPAC ballroom.” They wouldn’t be running the ads if they didn’t know there was an audience for them.
65.
Schlemazel
first vote for DNC chair is currently being counted
Good luck! I hope all goes smoothly and you are happy with the results.
67.
Another Scott
@Mnemosyne: I’ve checked her Etsy store multiple times, but none are listed there (it doesn’t look like her Etsy store has been updated since she sold out of her initial batch).
She’s knitting as fast as she can! Give the poor woman a break! ?
I don’t think she wants to post more until she has a decent-sized batch, so I would keep checking back.
69.
The Lodger
@? Martin: HRC? I thought she was keeping a lower profile these days. Unless you meant Hood River County or Holy Roller Cucks.
70.
Comrade Colette Collaboratrice
@Tenar Arha: Thanks for the link! I took the survey. I made hats for myself and several friends for the San Francisco march.
Also, I never got around to saying it here, but I make fleece (sewn, not knitted) pu55yhats and would be happy to send one to anyone who asks.
ETA: I don’t have an Etsy shop and I’m reluctant to put even disguised email info online – perhaps a frontpager could serve as go-between? Anyway, I’ll check this thread for a bit and take suggestions on how people can reach me if they want hats.
…Ali was a man who stood up for his principals, was willing to lose everything for them, something no republican understands…
He also knew how to take a punch — something else no republican understands.
78.
Chet Murthy
OT comment-bleg (for the CA voters out there)?
I’m not a fool who thinks we need to primary Heitkamp & Manchin. But I do think that Dems in safe seats who aren’t 100% with the party, need to fear for their political careers. And as I look around, I see that Feinstein’s “trumpscore” is much, much worse than predicted (from her electoral margin). That is, if we predict what level of agreement with trump somebody in her job (CA-Sen) ought to have, and compare it with what she actually does, she’s much worse. Like: the worst of the Dems.
Then ISTR that she’s been a bit of a squish for years. But I was never paying attention to that sort of politics before (I was always thinking about “gotta vote those damn Rs out”). I am now, and I think that part of pulling the party to the left, is pulling Dems in safe seats to the left.
Is Feinstein a Dem we ought to be primarying? Does anybody know where I could read about her record with a critical eye to this subject? Or even a well-written overview of her recent career in the Senate? I’m saying I’m convinced that she should be primaried. But I’m open to the idea, let’s say.
79.
mai naem mobile
@humboldtblue: you forgot the flea bitten ticked on dog with a gimpy leg that smells of racoon shit that he finds shivering and hiding under the tree branches that he absolutely has to bring home.
80.
PIGL
@Kristine: Chairs are a lot like bicycles that way.
81.
mai naem mobile
@? Martin: are you for real? Shit, Hilz has bigger balls than I thought and it’s not like I didn’t think she had balls or something .
82.
Another Scott
@mai naem mobile: She’s got big brass ones, but that’s not the HRC we’re talking about here. See #73. ;-)
[from 1993]
Q: what’s the difference between Bill Clinton and GHWB?
A: GHWB didn’t marry Hillary Clinton.
Even back then, it was clear that Hillary was the smart one, the one with fire and ambition and drive.
84.
MomSense
Holy shit the knitters are fired up, sharpening their needles against 45. Just splurged and bought some handspun cashmere from a woman owned cooperative in Afghanistan. Need to take a nap before we all start drinking while stitching and bitching.
Oh and a bunch of us are sharing info on how to protect people from ICE. Never piss of middle aged women who play with sharp sticks.
85.
Ruckus
@Chet Murthy:
Feinstein is a Dem. But she is also 8000 yrs old and her huby has made a small pile, in with government contracts. If it hadn’t been for the twits running against her the last two times, she should have been primaried. She needs to be gone but we haven’t had anyone to run against her and able to sort of insure a win in the jungle primary. BTW, she isn’t the worst dem senator that we’ve ever seen, not by a long shot. She’s far from the best though.
Yes, but it will prove fruitless. I was hoping she would do the right thing and not run but she’s got huge seniority in the Senate and I don’t think Dems want to give that up yet.
@Chet Murthy: I don’t think Feinstein should be primaried. The Trumpscore was mainly generated around cabinet votes, which she’s had more of due to her committee assignments (which are plum as shit, btw – and CA losing those would be a big loss). Keep in mind that the early Dem strategy was to not filibuster every single thing – to try and establish that Dems were reasonable and bipartisan where it made sense, and so on. They thought that by showing support for qualified candidates like Kelly and Chao that it would help them peel off Trump independents. Feinstein being a committee minority chair was expected to lead that strategy which she did. However, that strategy didn’t survive McConnell’s procedural tactics, and Schumer signaled that they were going to change approach so they switched to a much more solid no vote across the board. Her Trumpscore reflects a lot of those early votes.
Give it some time and see where things go. Feinstein will likely turn out to be incredibly important in the next year. We have her as ranking member of Judiciary and she and Harris are on Intelligence. She’s also on Immigration subcommittee and on appropriations. Harris is also on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, Environment and Public Works, and Budget.
We are really, really well situated right now.
89.
Villago Delenda Est
@MomSense: And have been known to wield them at the Place de la Concorde.
On the morning of May 27, 1964, a little more than two months before the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution sailed through the House and Senate, allowing the White House the military authority to do what was needed in Southeast Asia, President Lyndon B. Johnson made two phone calls.
The first, which phone logs show he made at 10:55, was with Senator Richard B. Russell, the Georgia Democrat who headed the Armed Services Committee. “What do you think about this Vietnam thing?” Johnson asked the senator, a longtime friend and mentor. “I’d like to hear you talk a little.”
“Frankly, Mr. President,” Russell replied, “if you were to tell me that I was authorized to settle it as I saw fit, I would respectfully decline to undertake it. It’s the damned worst mess I ever saw.”
[…]
What’s that old saying? Oh yeah…
“Explanations exist; they have existed for all time; there is always a well-known solution to every human problem — neat, plausible, and wrong.” – H.L. Mencken.
You know who else thinks there’s no such thing as a complex problem that can’t be solved simply?
Cheers,
Scott.
92.
sharl
OT, but a tornado spotted in La Plata, MD at 3:03 ET, headed northeast at 50mph. Be careful my fellow Terps.
In the general DC area we’re under a severe weather warning until 8pm. Make the usual preparations, etc.
@humboldtblue: What matters is that California have influence where it matters to us. VA is an important committee, but it’s not like California has unique needs in that area. We can trust any Democrat from any state to do well by us.
Judiciary and Homeland Security both cover immigration, and having two senators there is really good for us. Ranking on judiciary means that we’ll have some influence on supreme court fights, which is good for a strongly pro-choice state. Having one on climate change and infrastructure is really good for us. Budget and appropriations are good for the largest state recipient of federal dollars. Intelligence isn’t particularly critical to California, but it’s going to be in the spotlight because of Trump dicking around with Russians. That puts our two senators in the spotlight, which is awesome if you want one of them to be president in 2020.
95.
NotMax
Well, did he ever return? No, he never returned and his fate is still unlearned.
He may ride forever on the streets of Pittsburgh. He’s the man who never returned.
96.
trollhattan
@Chet Murthy:
Not, you don’t primary Feinstein, at least not unless you are assured of locking up the second slot in the top-two for the general, under the current system. Otherwise it’s a dangerous gambit with zero payoff.
DiFi is playing it close WRT running, my hope is she’s retiring.
I need to sit down and start my summer-weight protest hat knitting, but my neck/shoulder issue that makes knitting painful has been acting up again. ? I have a big box of cotton-blend yarn from KnitPicks just waiting to be turned into hats.
Sorry about the shoulder. My wrist was acting up so I had to slow down for a couple days. Did you see the lace/ribbing pattern I linked to the other day? I think you could knit it in the round for the whole hat and then do a three needle bind off at the end. The lace looks a bit like cats, too which is kind of fun.
@trollhattan: The challenge here is the timing with both the Senate and Governor races up for grabs. I’d feel better if we weren’t splitting our bench between them. Putting up 4 really solid Dems concerns me.
104.
Yutsano
@hovercraft: There’s gonna be massive rending of garments from the purity trolls but fuck em.
105.
Villago Delenda Est
@Yutsano: I’m not upset at all. I wouldn’t be upset with Ellison, or that dark horse guy from Indiana who sounds like a guy to watch in the future.
The intense desire for a fucking horse race anywhere at anytime for something that has the potential to profoundly affect the lives of hundreds of millions, unlike an actual horse race, is what disturbs me.
I don’t think I saw that — do you still have the link? My other pink hats were knitted in the round with a 3-needle BO and they formed quite nice ears when on.
I was leaning towards knitting flat, using a simple mesh lace pattern, and seaming up the sides for a little more structure. I have bulky, worsted/heavy worsted, and sport weights, so lots of options!
I would have typed faster, but Charlotte decided to tackle Keaton while G is on a conference call for school and I had to put her in the other room.
115.
hovercraft
@Yutsano:
Perez immediately nominated him as deputy chair, and he was voted in, so maybe that’s enough a bone for the sane ones. As too the rest, so long as we don’t jump when they tell us to, they will wail.
I’ve had it, and it’s delicious. The two flavors together work better than you’d think.
121.
japa21
@humboldtblue: Chicago mix is really good s long as the popcorn is done right. Some people put too much caramel on and the cheese ones are overly dusted. But when done right, and Trader Joe’s is one of the few done right, it is fantastic.
Huh, I can see the sharp and the sweet being good, does sound odd, though.
Now why am I so enamored with the packaging? (I am easily entertained)
124.
glaukopis
@MomSense: I like the lace rib. I too have shoulder and neck issues of late but do have an available pussyhat. Anne Laurie has forwarded requests to me before, so if anyone wants it you can try through her.
I think Mike J and Schrodingers Cat want them. I’ll try to post some more tomorrow night.
126.
Francis
@Chet Murthy: DiFi is immensely powerful, wealthy, popular and connected. Launching a successful primary challenge from her left would require a truly extraordinary candidate, whose efforts are probably better spent elsewhere.
In all seriousness, who do you think could beat her, or even launch a serious challenge, in a primary?
A recent study published in JAMA Pediatrics suggests that the legalization of same-sex marriage is associated with a reduction in the proportion of high school students who reported making a suicide attempt. This study indicates that governmental policies regarding non-normative sexuality may have an influence on mental health outcomes for adolescents.
As a recipient of one of your delightful pink pussyhats, I can attest to your workmanship. Mine fits beautifully and is so cute with the little ears. Can’t wait to wear it at an upcoming march, protest, or rally!
@Sarah, Proud and Tall: Henry V, by way of the Bard, would disagree. He didn’t just go up to the breach, amirite? Once more into the breach, dear friends, and every man wearing a leek is a good friend o’ mine.
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WereBear
Oh, John. So many of your stories start out this way…
Baud
I just want to tell you good luck. We’re all counting on you.
Major Major Major Major
I left the house one time. Bad move, Cole.
Villago Delenda Est
Alert the Paramedics! Disaster looms!
Villago Delenda Est
@Baud: Good luck. We’re all counting on you.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
I’m going to do up a batch of popcorn and get some decent beer for the denouement.
Baud
Why do I have the feeling that John’s next post will be from a prison in Botswana?
DAVID ANDERSON
Any luck with the wallet?
Corner Stone
How many damn chairs do you need? It sounds to me like you are setting yourself up for a late night fall after Steve “accidentally” rearranges a chair or two from where they should be.
Corner Stone
@DAVID ANDERSON: WHY DO YOU ASK?
Oh, sorry.
greennotGreen
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: I like my popcorn fresh from the microwave. Should I wait till the next Cole post to put in the bag?
Thoroughly Pizzled
Posting this guarantees that you’ll end up naked in Alabama, or something.
Keith P.
At the same time? As long as you’re not trying to balance the chairs on top of the coat rack, you’re probably OK. Otherwise, just stay focused and believe in yourself.
David Anderson
@Keith P.: he thinks he can, he thinks he can, he thought he could…
mouse tolliver
Muhammad Ali Jr., a US citizen who was born in Philadelphia, was detained at a Florida airport when he tried to re-enter the U.S. During his interrogation he was asked how he got the name Muhammad and whether or not he was Muslim.
He’s named Muhammad because his dad is Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Muhammad Ali. Derp!
https://www.yahoo.com/news/son-boxer-muhammad-ali-detained-florida-airport-072918305.html
Villago Delenda Est
@Baud: Stranded in Honduras. I’m a desperate man. Send lawyers, guns and money. The shit has hit the fan.
greennotGreen
OTOH, we could try to prevent disaster and alert Highway Patrol to be on the lookout for a Subaru with chairs strapped to the roof – maybe in a field?
Comrade Mary
http://iwastesomuchtime.com/91927
Villago Delenda Est
@mouse tolliver: “Ve haff vays in Mar-A-Lago to make you talk that are most unpleasant, I assure you!”
RoonieRoo
Oh my. Well, at least I can count on an entertaining post to read tonight.
low-tech cyclist
Good Lord willing and the car don’t die.
WereBear
He might find an abandoned wildebeest for Steve to chase around the house.
low-tech cyclist
@Villago Delenda Est:
Here ya go. ;^)
WereBear
@WereBear: Here’s an explanation:
Why cats sound like a herd of wildebeest
humboldtblue
Guarantee you he either hurts his ankle, a bird shits on him as he’s carrying the chairs to the car or a tree branch falls across the road on the way home and he gets stuck helping out the old lady in the car in front for two hours.
Ripley (Whiskey Fire version)
No one goes out for two things and comes back with only two things. Not in ‘Merica.
May I vent? I’m going to vent. I’ve been working at a dream job for the past ~1.5 years. I have a coworker who is one of those people who just insists upon herself. She’s not all that bright, and her alleged technical acumen is fairly suspect most of the time, but she just won’t stop the damned Mary Beth* show. Yesterday, our team leader announced that she’s leaving after 8+ years at this organization, and I’m pretty god damned sure it’s because of the Mary Beth* show.
I’m pissed because I’m losing a colleague, I’m losing a buffer between Mary Beth* and myself, and the org is losing a highly dedicated, super motivated employee. I mean absolutely, stayed up until 4:30AM drinking and cursing to myself, pissed off. I want to beg my team leader to change her mind and stay because we need her 100 times more than we need the blissfully unaware ignorance and arrogance of my coworker. And no one appreciates the Mary Beth* show – not one person in the dept. Seriously, if I tried to describe how she co-works, you’d think I was making it up.
I’m also feeling guilty – was I part of the team leader’s decision to leave? I can be a handful to work with, but I’m hoping it wasn’t my attitude/behavior that pushed her to walk away from a great job. I’m so mentally dragged out right now, I don’t feel like I can even make a mature, comment or decision about any of this. First world problems…
max
I can do this.
Remember – don’t pull your chute until 10 seconds after you’ve jumped, and try to keep quiet on the ground until you’ve hooked up with your stick! They’ll be lots of American paratroopers running around down there, and you don’t want to be shooting at each other instead of Germans.
Good luck!
max
[‘Hope you brought your nylons and candy bars!’]
CarolDuhart2
Could there be a surprise trip to Niagara Falls here? IHave you met her family yet, and are they nice people? Hopefully there are no Trumpers to deal with, if so, , Mazel Tov. If it’s really chairs? You can really never have too many if you have guests. It never fails that the good one breaks…
Aleta
Chairs are such kind simple things, until you start to load them in a car.
lollipopguild
@Thoroughly Pizzled: Oh yee of little faith.
WereBear
@Aleta: They hate traveling.
Villago Delenda Est
@low-tech cyclist: Thank you. Top story I knew about from yesterday, of course, but still, the LGM take on it warmed the cockles of my heart.
As for the Gorka story below, yup, that too, even though I knew about it as well. Our own Adam “Best friend of Sarah” Silverman knows about it as well.
Villago Delenda Est
@Ripley (Whiskey Fire version): Ripley, sorry to hear about this. My question is why isn’t Mary Beth* getting the heave ho? She seems to be the constant in the misery equation here. Oh, no, let me guess: insulated via blood relation or sexual liaison from consequences?
bystander
OT, but I want cast Leslie Jordan to play Jeff Sessions. He could bring a lot of Beverly Leslie to the role.
cosima
@Ripley (Whiskey Fire version): You should beg your team lead to stay. If you don’t you will regret it. Maybe they’ll stay, maybe not, but it’s worth a shot.
SiubhanDuinne
Taking bets on how many new rescue pets John will have by the end of the day.
CaseyL
Be careful out there! Coat racks are treacherous beasts, all those hooks just looking for something to snare. I can just see you sailing down the highway with the rack on the roof amassing a fine collection of birds, stray plastic bags, and a coat that flew out of someone’s open car window.
Is anyone going with you??
Mnemosyne
@CarolDuhart2:
The ladyfriend commented on one of the threads last night, and provided a link to her Twitter feed. She seems Balloon-Juice nice, meaning that she’s willing to post profanity-laced rants against Trump and say “bite me” to John Cole. She’ll fit right in.
Feathers
@Ripley (Whiskey Fire version): There was an article in the Harvard Business Review a few years back about how much toxic low level employees can cost a company, through lowered employee satisfaction, reduced productivity and increased turnover.
At one former workplace of the nasty variety we used to have a running joke about what animal(s) certain employees had photos of our boss enjoying carnal knowledge of. It was useful, because you could just mutter “goat,” and the people in on the joke would nod knowingly.
different-church-lady
@Ripley (Whiskey Fire version): a) most likely neither you nor Mary Beth were responible for team leader’s decision.
B) odds are overwheming everyone else has the same problem with Mary Beth.
C) if you can, ask team leader for advice about mary beth before she/he leaves. Perhaps team leader knows someone else in the org the team can talk to
chopper
john, it helps to dial 9 and 1 ahead of time, so all you have to do is dial one more number.
Mnemosyne
Also, too, I did not go on a hike with my work friends this morning, because I only got 5 hours of sleep by the time my alarm went off, and my asthma was acting up, too. Instead, I’m going to take a really long (6 mile or so) walk on level ground, stopping off at the post office, Panera Bread, and possibly the used bookstore.
Aleta
@WereBear: They remind me of certain cats who hook onto and push against the sides of the carrier door.
Shell
My moneys on the coat rack.
Gravenstone
Did you ever find out why the majority of your spark plugs went tits up all together? Because if you haven’t, another road trip would not be high on my to do list until the cause is identified and a repeat occurrence prevented.
WereBear
Taking odds on him winding up pantsless at some point.
debit
@Gravenstone: I wonder if this will end with yet another Subaru in a field.
lollipopguild
@WereBear: With or without a mop?
WereBear
@lollipopguild: That would be a side bet. I’m open to a trifecta situation, also.
JPL
@debit: I wouldn’t bet against that possibility.
lgerard
Hannity’s voice here made me laugh like an idiot
White House tour
West of the Rockies (been a while)
@lgerard:
I hate him too much to laugh. Just want the smug chunk o’ poo to expire in a fitting fashion.
Tenar Arha
@Mnemosyne: Thinking of you & others here this afternoon: Did you knit hats for the Women’s March? Someone is studying you!
Woohoo, my research on #pussyhat makers is approved! If you made hats for #PussyhatProject, take the 20-min survey!
Survey link: https://goo.gl/forms/Q2nxh2RIX9ofBpUw2
(This is all so know about the project though).
ruemara
Writing up my End of Life/Pallitive care directives and finalizing my power of attorney paperwork. Surgery on Monday! And so over the DNC chair race. It’s Bernie versus Hillary lite, as if we didn’t just lose the presidency, the Senate, the House and are barely hanging onto enough governorships to prevent a constitutional convention. Nuts
LurkerNoLonger
OT: Senator Dick Durbin just came into the store where I work. I’m in Upstate New York, he’s a long way from Illinois. I wonder what he’s doing here? Anyway, it was cool to see a politician in the wild.
rikyrah
You can do it, Cole…but, I’m with others…it’s you…it will NEVER be that simple..LOL
Sarah
You’ve got this!!!
Kristine
@Aleta:
I know, right? The legs double in number and length.
SFBayAreaGal
I love your optimisn. Yes you got this
Another Scott
@ruemara: Best of luck!
It’s good to have those things prepared, but here’s hoping you don’t need them any time soon!!
Cheers,
Scott.
(Who also can’t wait for the DNC Chair election to be over, but it has kept the Party in the news off and on, so there’s that…)
Ruckus
@mouse tolliver:
It’s kind of right in the name, in the suffix at the end, Jr.
The real problem is that Ali was a man who stood up for his principals, was willing to lose everything for them, something no republican understands at all, the only thing they stand up for is a paycheck under the table.
Achrachno
It’s been 3 hours since Cole set off on his mission. Has anyone heard from him? I’m getting concerned.
Mnemosyne
@Tenar Arha:
Commenter MomSense is actually selling them at cost on her Etsy site — you should track her down in the comments some evening.
? Martin
Heh. HRC is running ads on Grindr around the CPAC conference saying “You can’t be with us in the bedroom and against us in the CPAC ballroom.” They wouldn’t be running the ads if they didn’t know there was an audience for them.
Schlemazel
first vote for DNC chair is currently being counted
Mnemosyne
@ruemara:
Good luck! I hope all goes smoothly and you are happy with the results.
Another Scott
@Mnemosyne: I’ve checked her Etsy store multiple times, but none are listed there (it doesn’t look like her Etsy store has been updated since she sold out of her initial batch).
:-(
Cheers,
Scott.
Mnemosyne
@Another Scott:
She’s knitting as fast as she can! Give the poor woman a break! ?
I don’t think she wants to post more until she has a decent-sized batch, so I would keep checking back.
The Lodger
@? Martin: HRC? I thought she was keeping a lower profile these days. Unless you meant Hood River County or Holy Roller Cucks.
Comrade Colette Collaboratrice
@Tenar Arha: Thanks for the link! I took the survey. I made hats for myself and several friends for the San Francisco march.
Also, I never got around to saying it here, but I make fleece (sewn, not knitted) pu55yhats and would be happy to send one to anyone who asks.
ETA: I don’t have an Etsy shop and I’m reluctant to put even disguised email info online – perhaps a frontpager could serve as go-between? Anyway, I’ll check this thread for a bit and take suggestions on how people can reach me if they want hats.
debbie
@ruemara:
No idea what’s going on (and that’s fine), but I hope all goes well and your recovery is short and uneventful.
chopper
@CaseyL:
we’re talking about a guy who can’t eat corn without breaking his jaw. he doesn’t need a person, he needs a whole medivac team.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym
@The Lodger: Human Rights Campaign. It’s a gay rights group.
Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant)
@CarolDuhart2: Slowly he turned…
Woodrowfan
@Villago Delenda Est: wrong blog. ;)
different-church-lady
Bend at the knees, not the back.
different-church-lady
@Ruckus:
He also knew how to take a punch — something else no republican understands.
Chet Murthy
OT comment-bleg (for the CA voters out there)?
I’m not a fool who thinks we need to primary Heitkamp & Manchin. But I do think that Dems in safe seats who aren’t 100% with the party, need to fear for their political careers. And as I look around, I see that Feinstein’s “trumpscore” is much, much worse than predicted (from her electoral margin). That is, if we predict what level of agreement with trump somebody in her job (CA-Sen) ought to have, and compare it with what she actually does, she’s much worse. Like: the worst of the Dems.
Then ISTR that she’s been a bit of a squish for years. But I was never paying attention to that sort of politics before (I was always thinking about “gotta vote those damn Rs out”). I am now, and I think that part of pulling the party to the left, is pulling Dems in safe seats to the left.
Is Feinstein a Dem we ought to be primarying? Does anybody know where I could read about her record with a critical eye to this subject? Or even a well-written overview of her recent career in the Senate? I’m saying I’m convinced that she should be primaried. But I’m open to the idea, let’s say.
mai naem mobile
@humboldtblue: you forgot the flea bitten ticked on dog with a gimpy leg that smells of racoon shit that he finds shivering and hiding under the tree branches that he absolutely has to bring home.
PIGL
@Kristine: Chairs are a lot like bicycles that way.
mai naem mobile
@? Martin: are you for real? Shit, Hilz has bigger balls than I thought and it’s not like I didn’t think she had balls or something .
Another Scott
@mai naem mobile: She’s got big brass ones, but that’s not the HRC we’re talking about here. See #73. ;-)
Cheers,
Scott.
Chet Murthy
@mai naem mobile: [I might have told this joke before]
[from 1993]
Q: what’s the difference between Bill Clinton and GHWB?
A: GHWB didn’t marry Hillary Clinton.
Even back then, it was clear that Hillary was the smart one, the one with fire and ambition and drive.
MomSense
Holy shit the knitters are fired up, sharpening their needles against 45. Just splurged and bought some handspun cashmere from a woman owned cooperative in Afghanistan. Need to take a nap before we all start drinking while stitching and bitching.
Oh and a bunch of us are sharing info on how to protect people from ICE. Never piss of middle aged women who play with sharp sticks.
Ruckus
@Chet Murthy:
Feinstein is a Dem. But she is also 8000 yrs old and her huby has made a small pile, in with government contracts. If it hadn’t been for the twits running against her the last two times, she should have been primaried. She needs to be gone but we haven’t had anyone to run against her and able to sort of insure a win in the jungle primary. BTW, she isn’t the worst dem senator that we’ve ever seen, not by a long shot. She’s far from the best though.
Ruckus
@MomSense:
Seems like such wise advice.
humboldtblue
@Chet Murthy:
Yes, but it will prove fruitless. I was hoping she would do the right thing and not run but she’s got huge seniority in the Senate and I don’t think Dems want to give that up yet.
@mai naem mobile:
Yup
? Martin
@Chet Murthy: I don’t think Feinstein should be primaried. The Trumpscore was mainly generated around cabinet votes, which she’s had more of due to her committee assignments (which are plum as shit, btw – and CA losing those would be a big loss). Keep in mind that the early Dem strategy was to not filibuster every single thing – to try and establish that Dems were reasonable and bipartisan where it made sense, and so on. They thought that by showing support for qualified candidates like Kelly and Chao that it would help them peel off Trump independents. Feinstein being a committee minority chair was expected to lead that strategy which she did. However, that strategy didn’t survive McConnell’s procedural tactics, and Schumer signaled that they were going to change approach so they switched to a much more solid no vote across the board. Her Trumpscore reflects a lot of those early votes.
Give it some time and see where things go. Feinstein will likely turn out to be incredibly important in the next year. We have her as ranking member of Judiciary and she and Harris are on Intelligence. She’s also on Immigration subcommittee and on appropriations. Harris is also on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, Environment and Public Works, and Budget.
We are really, really well situated right now.
Villago Delenda Est
@MomSense: And have been known to wield them at the Place de la Concorde.
Major Major Major Major
Reading #DNCchair on twitter is exhausting. I’m gonna go get pho.
Another Scott
ObOpenThread?
One for raven: Mark K. Updegrove at the NY Times – Lyndon Johnson’s Vietnam:
What’s that old saying? Oh yeah…
“Explanations exist; they have existed for all time; there is always a well-known solution to every human problem — neat, plausible, and wrong.” – H.L. Mencken.
You know who else thinks there’s no such thing as a complex problem that can’t be solved simply?
Cheers,
Scott.
sharl
OT, but a tornado spotted in La Plata, MD at 3:03 ET, headed northeast at 50mph. Be careful my fellow Terps.
In the general DC area we’re under a severe weather warning until 8pm. Make the usual preparations, etc.
MomSense
@Villago Delenda Est:
When you roll out the guillotines we’ll be ready.
? Martin
@humboldtblue: What matters is that California have influence where it matters to us. VA is an important committee, but it’s not like California has unique needs in that area. We can trust any Democrat from any state to do well by us.
Judiciary and Homeland Security both cover immigration, and having two senators there is really good for us. Ranking on judiciary means that we’ll have some influence on supreme court fights, which is good for a strongly pro-choice state. Having one on climate change and infrastructure is really good for us. Budget and appropriations are good for the largest state recipient of federal dollars. Intelligence isn’t particularly critical to California, but it’s going to be in the spotlight because of Trump dicking around with Russians. That puts our two senators in the spotlight, which is awesome if you want one of them to be president in 2020.
NotMax
Well, did he ever return? No, he never returned and his fate is still unlearned.
He may ride forever on the streets of Pittsburgh. He’s the man who never returned.
trollhattan
@Chet Murthy:
Not, you don’t primary Feinstein, at least not unless you are assured of locking up the second slot in the top-two for the general, under the current system. Otherwise it’s a dangerous gambit with zero payoff.
DiFi is playing it close WRT running, my hope is she’s retiring.
Mnemosyne
@MomSense:
I need to sit down and start my summer-weight protest hat knitting, but my neck/shoulder issue that makes knitting painful has been acting up again. ? I have a big box of cotton-blend yarn from KnitPicks just waiting to be turned into hats.
Yutsano
Perez in as DNC chair.
MomSense
@Mnemosyne:
Sorry about the shoulder. My wrist was acting up so I had to slow down for a couple days. Did you see the lace/ribbing pattern I linked to the other day? I think you could knit it in the round for the whole hat and then do a three needle bind off at the end. The lace looks a bit like cats, too which is kind of fun.
humboldtblue
@? Martin: Well said, Thank you.
@trollhattan: What Troll said too
hovercraft
@Yutsano:
In the end he won comfortably. 235 to 200
MomSense
@MomSense:
Here it is again. lace rib 4
? Martin
@trollhattan: The challenge here is the timing with both the Senate and Governor races up for grabs. I’d feel better if we weren’t splitting our bench between them. Putting up 4 really solid Dems concerns me.
Yutsano
@hovercraft: There’s gonna be massive rending of garments from the purity trolls but fuck em.
Villago Delenda Est
@Yutsano: I’m not upset at all. I wouldn’t be upset with Ellison, or that dark horse guy from Indiana who sounds like a guy to watch in the future.
The intense desire for a fucking horse race anywhere at anytime for something that has the potential to profoundly affect the lives of hundreds of millions, unlike an actual horse race, is what disturbs me.
Mnemosyne
@MomSense:
I don’t think I saw that — do you still have the link? My other pink hats were knitted in the round with a 3-needle BO and they formed quite nice ears when on.
I was leaning towards knitting flat, using a simple mesh lace pattern, and seaming up the sides for a little more structure. I have bulky, worsted/heavy worsted, and sport weights, so lots of options!
MomSense
Woohoo Perez wins!
Mnemosyne
@MomSense:
Nice! That would probably work well with the lighter weights.
Gelfling 545
Saw this today regarding NY-3. Looks like a primer for how town halls should be run.
Link.
MomSense
@Mnemosyne:
See comment 102. Meant to reply to you.
Major Major Major Major
Go Perez! The Ellison supporters get four days of tantrums then they can leave the party or get with the program.
efgoldman
@WereBear:
Well, THAT would be something gnu!
Mnemosyne
@? Martin:
I would LOVE for my former rep Adam Schiff to run for Senator. He would be a solidly liberal choice, with a lot of foreign policy experience.
But the purity ponies would hate him because he’s tied in with Big Entertainment and is on the wrong side of the copyright argument.
Mnemosyne
@MomSense:
I would have typed faster, but Charlotte decided to tackle Keaton while G is on a conference call for school and I had to put her in the other room.
hovercraft
@Yutsano:
Perez immediately nominated him as deputy chair, and he was voted in, so maybe that’s enough a bone for the sane ones. As too the rest, so long as we don’t jump when they tell us to, they will wail.
Major Major Major Major
@hovercraft Ellison accepted? What a sellout. SHAME!!!1
trollhattan
@? Martin:
Agree, plus I don’t discount the potential of strong runs from Swearengin and Olsen.
Sarah, Proud and Tall
“Unto” the breach, god dammit.
humboldtblue
The packaging on this Trader Joe’s snack is subtly amazing.
The product is known as “Chicago Mix” (although caramel and cheddar sounds disgusting) and the graphic designer has a brilliant way to highlight the connection to Chicago (and it’s not what you will immediately think)
Mnemosyne
@humboldtblue:
I’ve had it, and it’s delicious. The two flavors together work better than you’d think.
japa21
@humboldtblue: Chicago mix is really good s long as the popcorn is done right. Some people put too much caramel on and the cheese ones are overly dusted. But when done right, and Trader Joe’s is one of the few done right, it is fantastic.
efgoldman
@Yutsano:
Cue Wilmerbots whining and threatening to leave the party in 3… 2…
[As a practical matter, I didn’t and don’t think it makes any damned difference]
humboldtblue
@Mnemosyne:
@japa21:
Huh, I can see the sharp and the sweet being good, does sound odd, though.
Now why am I so enamored with the packaging? (I am easily entertained)
glaukopis
@MomSense: I like the lace rib. I too have shoulder and neck issues of late but do have an available pussyhat. Anne Laurie has forwarded requests to me before, so if anyone wants it you can try through her.
MomSense
@glaukopis:
I think Mike J and Schrodingers Cat want them. I’ll try to post some more tomorrow night.
Francis
@Chet Murthy: DiFi is immensely powerful, wealthy, popular and connected. Launching a successful primary challenge from her left would require a truly extraordinary candidate, whose efforts are probably better spent elsewhere.
In all seriousness, who do you think could beat her, or even launch a serious challenge, in a primary?
? Martin
From the ‘no shit, sherlock’ files:
ET
You say that John but………
SiubhanDuinne
@glaukopis:
As a recipient of one of your delightful pink pussyhats, I can attest to your workmanship. Mine fits beautifully and is so cute with the little ears. Can’t wait to wear it at an upcoming march, protest, or rally!
Villago Delenda Est
@Major Major Major Major: Clearly Ellison needs a shame walk.
No One You Know
@Sarah, Proud and Tall: Henry V, by way of the Bard, would disagree. He didn’t just go up to the breach, amirite? Once more into the breach, dear friends, and every man wearing a leek is a good friend o’ mine.