Wish John a happy 90th Birthday!
Update: I have a “Trip Down Memory Lane” thread with links to about 35 blog posts from over the years that I will post later today, with a link back to this one.
This post is in: Open Threads
Wish John a happy 90th Birthday!
Update: I have a “Trip Down Memory Lane” thread with links to about 35 blog posts from over the years that I will post later today, with a link back to this one.
Comments are closed.
WaterGirl
This seemed like a good day to go through the photo album. There’s a lot of love in your life, John. You are definitely doing something right. :-)
Happy Birthday, Cole!
Baud
According to Cole’ twitter handle, he’s only 66. He looks great either way. Happy birthday, big man.
I don’t want to know how you procured all those photos from, WG, but they’re nice.
MagdaInBlack
Happy Birthday, Cole. Long may you reign ?
Sarah
Happy birthday! Love seeing Rosie on the pillow!
Steeplejack
John Cole is 50 today. The big five-oh!
ETA: It’s also Juice Box’s birthday. And Mike in NC’s birthday is tomorrow. Kay’s birthday was Friday.
Auntie Anne
Happy birthday!
Armadillo
@WaterGirl: They’re great photos and Happy Birthday to the Blogmaster!
P.S. I think the first photo marked Thurston is Steve. I don’t think the shirtless man hugging Thurston is Christion, b/c he looks older than a college kid.
pinacacci
Happy Birthday, Mr. Cole!
rikyrah
Happy Birthday ???????????
WaterGirl
@Baud: I went through the WordPress Media library, starting in 2002. I searched for all the usual subjects – cole, dad, devon, lily, family, etc. It’s the bloglord’s birthday, after all, so it seemed right for this momentous occasion. :-)
oh, wait, you didn’t want to know. sorry!
Dorothy A. Winsor
Happy birthday, Cole. Long may you blog.
PS. Someone on twitter says it’s Elizabeth Warren’s birthday too. Like peas in a pod.
Cheryl Rofer
Happy birthday, John!
MelissaM
Happy birthday, sir! Long may your overalls cover your ass!
WereBear
Happy Birthday to the Blogmaster! I can’t sing because I now have no idea how old he really is.
WaterGirl
@Armadillo:
Oh, I knew that when I chose the photo, but it was late when I named the photos, and my eyes were bleary by then!
I know I should know the fellow with Thurston, but I don’t recall who it is.I checked the original post, and that’s one of John’s frat brothers with Thurston.laura
Happy birthday blog daddy and Many Happy returns of the day!
dww44
Happy Birthday and may you have many more even though you already had 90 of them!
geg6
That’s my Lovey curled up with Thurston in the pic captioned “Thurston &”. Before John brought her to me.
Happy birthday, Cole!
Juice Box
@Steeplejack: and Elizabeth Warren’s birthday!
Soprano2
Happy birthday John! I love all the pictures, and the “Oh My God” on that video made me laugh and laugh, because I know that feeling!!
WaterGirl
@geg6: I knew that, but all I could think of at the time was Koda, and I know that wasn’t right! Fixed.
mrmoshpotato
Happy Birthday! ???
HRA
Happy Birthday, John!
JPL
Happy Birthday.
SiubhanDuinne
WaterGirl
@Soprano2: Wait til you see the post that goes with the video! John’s back story and description of the scene is hysterical.
I have a thread with links to about 35 blog posts from over the years, and that one is a classic. I figured I would post that thread later today, with a link back to this one.
satby
Happy Birthday John! Hope it’s a good one.
WaterGirl
@SiubhanDuinne: Most excellent!
I will add that to the afternoon “Trip Down Memory Lane” thread with links to birthday posts and other posts from over the years.
Luciamia
Many Happy Returns of the day, John! Yay!
(Hey, nice to see Thurston. He doesn’t get a lot of photo time.)
Tenar Arha
Happy Birthday!
sheila in nc
@SiubhanDuinne: I’m practicing the chorus right now.
MazeDancer
15 years ago, there was a post where John was turning 35, so in Trump years, he has to be at least 90. Some semi-auspicious round number certainly worth celebrating..
50 is, basically, entering adulthood, so eat lots of cake, laugh many laughs, and know how many people care about you, John. Even if you grumble about it.
Happy Birthday!
Planetjanet
Happy Birthday, John! Enjoy this day in a distinctly Cole manner. ???????
Mathguy
Happy Birthday, JC!
zhena gogolia
@WaterGirl:
Beautiful! The “Oh, my God” video never gets old.
Happy Birthday, John. You have literally helped me survive the Trump era (so far).
zhena gogolia
@Baud:
I believe that every one of those photos has been posted on BJ at one time or another.
cjane
Happy Birthday to the Master of one of my four daily blogs!
joel hanes
Best wishes to you, O blogfather, on this your natal anniversary.
Your blog is a monument
Your animals a testimonial to your innate decency
Your house and yard a tribute to your industry
But I suspect that the most important thing you do is the thing about which we hear the least: you teach. The hundreds or thousands of students whom you have influenced and whose minds you have helped shape will in turn shape the world long after your other achievements have faded.
Raven
I wonder where in Athens they lived?
EmbraceYourInnerCrone
@SiubhanDuinne: that was awesome. Thank you for making me smile.
lee
Happy birthday!!!
Hope your day is an easy day.
Just curious, how is Shawn doing? For whatever reason I occasionally think of him and hope he is doing well.
Raven
@Baud: who is 66?
Central Planning
Happy Birthday, John.
Now that you’re 50, get that colonoscopy scheduled. The prep isn’t as bad (still bad) as you think.
ETA: 33% of men have polyps that are discovered during their colonoscopy. My GI doctor did not give me stats for women, but when I find out, I will share them.
cmorenc
Love this Cole family thread w/pics! Makes many of us BJ’ers feel like honorary cousins of the Cole family (dogs and cats included) to be included in the sharing of these photos!
Kristine
@SiubhanDuinne: that is amazing!
Happy birthday ? Cole! Many more, complete with pets.
eclare
Happy Birthday!
rp
Happy birthday!
Anya
Happy Birthday, John Cole!
? Tunch
grandmaBear
Happy Birthday, John!
kindness
I’m glad you threw those pics of Tunch in. Miss that guy.
Emma from FL
Happy birthday, you (relatively) teenager, you! You have helped us all survive the crazy, the infuriating, the disappointing, and the sheer annoying. Thank you, John.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
Happy Birthday, Cole!
@SiubhanDuinne:
?
spudgun
Bon anniversaire, Monsieur Cole!
Cheryl from Maryland
Happy Birthday fellow Zodiac Sign Cancer — crabby, vindictive, loyal, introvert.
Betty
@SiubhanDuinne: Excellent!
Benw
Happy 300th birthday! The big three oh oh!
Heidi Mom
Happy Birthday, John!
Betty
Happy birthday and wishing you many returns of the day, Mr. Cole!
ET
NOT? But we like you anyway John Cole. Happy Birthday.
Betty Cracker
Happy birthday from the staff at Balloon Juice Florida HQ, including this guy:
mad citizen
To quote Obama “They get happy, they cling to dogs or cats or antipathy to jackals who aren’t like them and have a great birthday”
Jay C
Happy Birthday, John!
i feel honored: it’s my birthday today as well, and to be reminded that I share with both John Cole AND Sen. Warren is an unexpected present!
Many happy…..
SFAW
Happy Birthday, John, and many more!
BC in Illinois
Fifty?
That’s only ten, celsius.
Something like that.
zhena gogolia
@Central Planning:
I can’t wait to read his minute-by-minute description of colonoscopy prep.
tokyokie
Happy birthday, Cole!
schrodingers_cat
@Betty Cracker: He is concerned at the lack of treats.
Happy Birthday JC!
debbie
This confuses me, but happy birthday!
R-Jud
Happy birthday! I’ll eat some mango salsa in your honor, just to piss you off. It’s what you really want. X
NobodySpecial
Happy Birthday, Cole. Thank you for helping me keep my sanity.
John Cole
Thanks everyone, but my mom did all the work. Also I forgot it was my birthday until someone texted me.
TomatoQueen
Happy Birthday Mr Cole. Have a lovely day and save the colonoscopy prep (it’s just anti-freeze) for next weekend.
WaterGirl
@debbie: My birthday was a week or so ago, and John put up a post asking people to wish me a happy 87th birthday.
Since John is so much wiser than I am, I figured he must be 90!
The alternative explanation is that turnabout is fair play. :-)
Miki
♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪Happy Birthday to you …♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪
♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨*Happy Birthday to you …*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨*♪♫•
♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪Happy Birthday to you!!!♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪
WaterGirl
@John Cole: Mom and Dad Cole gave you life, but you built your own. :-)
(Waves at Mom & Dad Cole!)
Miss Bianca
Happy, happy birthday, JC!
WaterGirl, that’s a great photo stash – what a nice way to wake up on Monday morning!
KBS
De-lurking to say happy birthday! Hope you enjoy the day as much as we enjoy the blog.
karensky
@WaterGirl: Thanks for celebrating Cole!
Barbara
Happy Birthday — I hope you have a great day!
Miss Bianca
@SiubhanDuinne: I have to say I think this is one of your best efforts yet. Slack-jawed, in awe.
(and now I’m picturing Mark McKinney of “Kids in the Hall” and “Slings and Arrows” singing it, because he actually sang the original in “Slings and Arrows” and rocked it!)
Laura Too
Happiest of Birthdays John Cole! Thanks for building a beautiful community!
Omnes Omnibus
HBD. I did a 50 mile bike ride on my 50th. What do you have planned?
zhena gogolia
From John Cole’s twitter feed:
From Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment:
(trans. Oliver Ready)
Has anyone seen John Cole and Fyodor Dostoevsky in the same room?
BGinCHI
Happy Birthday, John.
50 is the new 32, except when you get up in the morning. OK, and in the middle of the night.
But right after a nap, yes.
Ohio Mom
It’s true that Mom Cole did all the work, and what a landmark day for her, arriving at half a century of motherhood (put that way, it sounds exhausting). She deserves at least some flowers.
But one thing I am sure of, we should all take every opportunity we get to tell the people in our lives how important they are to us, how much we appreciate the gifts of their friendship, how we wouldn’t be who we are without them, we would be some diminished version of ourselves.
All that is definitely true of this blog, and all that wouldn’t be except for you Cole, and that fateful day you typed out the first entry (whatever day that is should be a Balloon Juice holiday).
Your birthday is a good excuse to note all of this and for us to remember to be grateful for your presence on this planet and in our lives. Happy Birthday and May the coming year bring you health and happiness!
Mary G
You are still a young whippersnapper to me. Thanks to Mom and Dad Cole for not killing you so you could preside over my found family on this beloved blog.
Chat Noir
Happy 50th birthday, John Cole!
???
sherparick
Happy Birthday John. I guess you are 300 in dog years! Thanks for hosting all us jackals and roustabouts on this blog.
Also, Trump sucks & Republican Party debet destrui or Ceterum autem censeo Republican Party esse delendam.
JohnMCinNc
Happy Birthday, sir. Thank you for having this place
TS (the original)
Happy birthday John – your Mom probably remembers the day much more than you do. I always remember the daughter’s birthday & try to forget my own.
Blessings – and thank you for the blog from some thousands of miles away.
debbie
@WaterGirl:
Ah, got it now!
Josie
Happy Birthday, John. Thanks for this island of sanity.
errg
Happy Birthday John!
Omnes Omnibus
@WaterGirl: John is wiser than you? Since when?
FelonyGovt
Happy birthday! Thanks for this place!
la caterina
You’re good people, Cole. Many thanks for the blog and Happy Birthday!!!
WaterGirl
@Omnes Omnibus: That was just my cover story. :-)
HeleninEire
Happy Birthday, John!!!! ?
Wolvesvalley
Happy birthday, dear blogmeister!
wenchacha
Happy birthday, John Cole! May you have many happy years ahead, all with Democratic administrations.
Thank you for this home for jackals, also.
Eric NNY
Happy Birthday John!
RobertDSC-Work
Happy Birthday, John. Wishing you many more!
Always going to be Team Tunch. I miss the big guy.
Suzanne
Dawwwwww. Happy birthday, Cole!
You’re younger than my ex-husband, who still acts like he’s in high school, so you have that going for you, at least!
feebog
Happy birthday John Cole. Thanks for putting this whole shebang together and letting us share it.
Tim F
Happy big day, John! Thanks again for inviting me to the blog way back in, jesus christ, 2004. Or 2005. Or something. I also forgot my blog password. Anyway you’re the best.
TF
Elizabelle
Happy Birthday, John. And Lily around to share it.
May your (medical) quarantine birthday be a happy one.
Nicole
Happy birthday, Blog Vader! Your tweet re:today made me laugh. Wishing you a year of joy ahead.
(And happy a week or so belated to WaterGirl; I think I missed posting. Wishing you a year of joy, too!)
dexwood
Happy birthday, John. It should be a national holiday so I’ve decided to take the day off. Oops, forgot, I’m retired.
Elizabelle
@SiubhanDuinne: Brilliant.
You’re going to make us look up “majuscules”, aren’t you? Bad Subaru Dianne.
MomSense
Happy birthday!
Haroldo
JFC, JC! HBD.
frosty
Happy Birthday JGC! What wonderful family pictures (furry and not furry).
Doc Sardonic
Happy Birthday to you, and a Very Merry Unbirthday to the rest of us.
frosty
@SiubhanDuinne: You have outdone yourself once again! Marvelous!!
Di
Happy birthday!
WaterGirl
@Nicole:
This is to notify you that John and I will be filing a formal protest – I believe we each deserve 5 years of joy, at a minimum. I thought that was in our respective contracts, but I will have to check. :-)
CliosFanBoy
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!
WaterGirl
@Tim F: So glad you dropped in! I still ?Max!
CaseyL
@SiubhanDuinne:
[bows in awe]
We are not worthy! – But the BlogDaddy is.
Happy Birthday John. Long, long may you reign in cranky benevolence with your critters, human family, legendary backyard, and This Fucking Old House.
We love you.
Kattails
@WereBear: Can’t sing because you don’t know how old? Bah. No excuse, you just sort of argue-bargle it and hope everyone else is loud enough to cover for you. Most adults who are being sung to are hiding their heads in their hands anyway.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR BLOGLORD happy birthday to you! Health, wealth and happiness, and the time to enjoy them. Thank you for continuing to host this site, for your commentary, and for the wonderful front-pagers you have somehow collected for us.
Leto
Happy birthday, John! Hope you have some amazing food and good cuddle time with all the animals.
Mingobat (f/k/a Karen in GA)
Happy birthday!
dfh
Happy Birthday, John. I’m here every day with all the other hooligans.
Mandarama
Happiest of birthdays to one of the people I most relate to in this weird world! —signed, a misanthropic foul-mouthed Southern teacher, of German ancestry. (But maintaining a fairly tiresome front of being a nice suburban mom.)
ads60nyc
Happy birthday! I’m exactly 10 years older — I’m 60 today.
Sloane Ranger
Happy Birthday, John. Give the animals lots of love, as well!
Rob
Happy Birthday Mr. Cole!
Subcommandante Yakbreath
Happy Birthday!
And thanks for letting us all hang out in your spiffy clubhouse.
randy khan
Happy birthday! Try not to break anything.
Other Suzanne
I mostly lurk…Happy Birthday, John! Welcome to the 50 Club!
And, thank you for Balloon Juice. Love the jackals!
lurker dean
wow, great compilation. happy birthday, JC!
just saw you just joined the 50 club. seriously consider getting a shingles vaccine shot. i am on week 5 of recovery and it was extremely unpleasant! i will be getting the vaccine after i have recovered, i do not want to go through this again.
cain
Happy 50th! You’re like a year younger than me. I had mine last year in May. :) older than you by 1 year and some change :)
funlady75
Happy Bday JC….luv this blog & all the posters!
a thousand flouncing lurkers was fidelio
?????
Madeleine
Happy birthday, John Cole!!!
Thank you, WaterGirl, for the photos!!
And thank you, Siubhan Duinne, for the great G&S lyrics!!
Joy in FL
Happy Birthday, John. Many, many more : )
stinger
What a treasure house of great photos and great memories! I watched the Drying Off/Oh My God clip 3 times, and laughed out loud 3 times. The only image missing, IMO, is Dad Cole nose-to-nose with Rosie. Love that pic.
Great job, WaterGirl!
Oh, and Happy Birthday, John Cole!
arrieve
Happy birthday, John. I’m so glad you created this blog.
WaterGirl
@stinger:
If you can give me a year and a season (spring, winter, fall, summer) i can probably find it.
stinger
@SiubhanDuinne: That is MAGNIFICENT! And worthy of all capitals and majuscules!
Ruckus
Happy B Day you old fart.
You don’t look a day over 90.
Life has been good to someone, is it you?
We measure the years, as a measure of how hard you work to remain with us. As we get older we measure the years as how much crap we’ve put up with. May your crap be less than most, may your humanity be more.
leeleeFL
???? HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOHN COLE ????
You, your awakening, this blog and all who reside here have saved my sanity and my ability to cope and hope for a better time to come more times than I can say. To say nothing of the sharing of the better times that we helped create, starting at in 2008!!!
You are a man deserving of these joy-filled photos , and all the other accolades that might ensue!
Sister Golden Bear
Joyeux anniversaire! Laissez les bons temps rouler!
BruceFromOhio
Lol, payback, mister! Happy Birthday, O fearsome Blog Host!
billcinsd
@BC in Illinois: It’s way easier to use (F+40)*5/9 – 40=C or (C+40)*9/5-40=F way easier to remember as the only thing that changes is the 5/9 9/5
Msilaneous
Happy birthday! xo
WaterGirl
@stinger: Is it this one?
Bex
Happy Birthday! Best gift I can think of is Joe-Kamala blowout win this fall.
beabea
Happy birthday, John!
I don’t comment much but come here every day. Thank you for having this place. Stay well.
KM in NS
Happy birthday ?
Elizabelle
@stinger: I know. I love the first video. Recognized it and knew to put down the coffee first.
artem1s
the OMG at the end of the video is what makes it art.
congrats on making it thru this annus horribilus. Hopefully the next one won’t feature all the Egyptian plagues.
RedDirtGirl
Happy birthday, Mr. Cole.
JustRuss
Happy birthday, Cole. Wishing you and the menagerie a year of joy and prosperity.
bjacques
Happy birthday, man! May you enjoy the next 50 and then some!
Eljai
Happy Birthday! ???
(couldn’t find a green balloon emoji)
stinger
@WaterGirl: July 20, 2018, post titled Birthday Party. I’m just glad to have seen it again, so thanks for the nudge, WG!
ETA: And then I posted in my excitement without seeing that you’d already found it! Thank you! — But it was great skimming through a couple of years’ worth of JGC posts!
Msilaneous
@SiubhanDuinne: Brava! I cannot stop laughing.
Mai naem mobile
Happy Birthday John. Try and make it through the day(I know it’s too hard for you to maintain this for the whole year) without any interesting to read in the blog injuries.
Denali
Happy Birthday, John Cole. You have done a lot to make us happy!
Immanentize
Happy Birthday, and thanks for the good times!
Old John Cole was a very good soul,
and a very good soul was he!
He called for his cat and
He called for his pups and
He called for the nest-birds three.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Omnes Omnibus: I managed to get out of bed on my 50th, I’m good with that.
Melusine
Happy Centenary, O Mighty Blog Lord!!
Thank you for years of insightful posts, thoughtful commentary, and a home for wayward rabid jackals.
SiubhanDuinne
@Immanentize:
:-)
zhena gogolia
@SiubhanDuinne:
Excellent!
?BillinGlendaleCA
Congratulations on making 1/2 a century Cole.
Emma
Happy birthday!!! Thanks for putting together the pics, WaterGirl, nice to see Tunch again :’) also nice to see Tim F come by! (And glad that Freddie didn’t)
opiejeanne
@John Cole: Happy birthday John! You and your blog do keep us sane.
As for forgetting that it was your birthday, it’s been that kind of year.
opiejeanne
@WaterGirl: Thank you for doing this. It’s a wonderful gesture in this awful time when, to stay safe, we can’t get together with our friends and family for birthday parties or celebrations.
opiejeanne
@SiubhanDuinne: That was Perfect!
Ben Cisco
Happy Birthday Cole.
May the Prophets guide your path.
Zelma
Happy Birthday, John. And thank you for Balloon Juice. It’s my special place.
I remember when you turned 40. Seems like yesterday. Happier times.
May we all be happier when you turn 51.
Valdivia
Happy Birthday John!!!
Odie Hugh Manatee
Happy birthday, ya ol’ fart.
From,
An Older Fart.
:)
KrakenJack
Cole: I must say the your mother looks an awful like mine at the same age. She was from Mt. Nebo, West-by-Gawd-Virginia.
I’m not implying anything, or anything, you know, just observing.
Slwalczak
So nice to see Pics of Tunch!
MoxieM
So much adorableness all on one page. Many Happy Returns of the day!!
SWMBO
Happy Birthday, Old Man! I wish for you all the wonderful things you wish for yourself.
And for Trump and the GOP to lose in November.
WaterGirl
@stinger: It is a really great photo.
WaterGirl
@opiejeanne: Thank you!
There’s probably never a bad time to be reminded of all the love in our lives, right?
notoriousJRT
Happy birthday, Cole!
Seanly
Happy birthday, John! Welcome to the 50’s. I think my primary care physician waited about 2 days before she hounded me to get my colonoscopy, but otherwise the 50’s are kinda like the 40’s. Maybe a little slower…
VFX Lurker
Happy Birthday, John!!!
The Very Reverend Crimson Fire of Compassion
Happy Birthday, you magnificent bastard!
brantl
… and you know something is happening here, but you don’t know what it is, do you, Mr. Cole?
Happy freaking birthday, JC!!!
Gregory
Happy birthday, sir, and many more!
MMM
Wow
JKC
Happy Birthday, John. Blog on, you crazy diamond!
Debbie(Aussie)
Happy birthday, John. ?????
Gemina13
Happy Birthday! May the furballs give you some peace and quiet, and plenty of affection.