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You are here: Home / Nature & Respite / Birdwatching / New Year’s Eve Plans (Open Thread)

New Year’s Eve Plans (Open Thread)

by Betty Cracker|  December 31, 202012:47 pm| 275 Comments

This post is in: Birdwatching, Open Threads

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We’ve stayed home on Amateur Night for many years now, but this evening, we have an adventure planned. We’ve seen Black-Crowned Night Herons hanging around a nearby marshy island in the river, and we plan to anchor our little Jon boat upstream at sunset and stake it out to see for ourselves if it’s true these birds work the night shift so as to avoid competition with daytime herons. Here’s a photo of one I took on a recent evening off said island:

New Years Eve Plans (Open Thread)

I’m also hoping to see some owls. I hear Barred Owls every night from all directions but rarely see them. Must not forget the mosquito dope, or it’ll be a short trip. Other than that, no particular plans. What are you guys up to this evening?

Open thread!

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    275Comments

    1. 1.

      SiubhanDuinne

      December 31, 2020 at 12:56 pm

      Zooming with my brothers and our cousin (who was raised with us, so to all purposes another sibling). There hasn’t been any kind of proper memorial for sister who died a month ago, so I expect we’ll be doing our own informal celebration of her life, just for the four of us at the moment.

      May also check in with the BJ zoom — or may wait until tomorrow for that.

      Hope you see all the night birds, Betty. Happy new year to you, your husband, and the dogs!

      Reply
    2. 2.

      DocH

      December 31, 2020 at 12:56 pm

      Maisie, the AdventureTeckel, and I bumped a Barred Owl Tuesday morning – a fun find!

      Reply
    3. 3.

      Sister Golden Bear

      December 31, 2020 at 12:59 pm

      I’ll be home alone. Might check in on the Zoom. In past years, I’ve skipped going out more than a few times (too far to drive to parties, too peoplely at them). But not having the choice this year is hitting me harder than I would’ve thought.

      I did order a nice dinner from one of my favorite local restaurants. A little self-care, plus trying to support local businesses, since the Bay Area is back to take-out only.

      Reply
    4. 4.

      raven

      December 31, 2020 at 1:00 pm

      The princess had a great idea for chicken and waffles and Popeyes is .2 miles away so that’ll do it

      Reply
    5. 5.

      bystander

      December 31, 2020 at 1:03 pm

      Mosquito dope, a pith helmet and a veil.  But sounds like fun.

      Quietly grilling a steak and mashing some potatoes.

      Reply
    6. 6.

      p.a.

      December 31, 2020 at 1:06 pm

      Will have a pop by 9, bed by 10:30.  It’s just another day to the flora and fauna…

      Reply
    7. 7.

      R-Jud

      December 31, 2020 at 1:07 pm

      The Child and I are having a bonfire with s’mores.

      Reply
    8. 8.

      West of the Rockies

      December 31, 2020 at 1:07 pm

      I get super reflective this time of year, so I will be pondering this festering turd of a year as it concludes and anticipating the year to come with guarded optimism.  My partner/fiancee is out of state with her ready-to-deliver daughter.  It’s just me and Sadie, our one-year-old sheepadoodle.  Might watch Death to 2020.

      Reply
    9. 9.

      Ken

      December 31, 2020 at 1:08 pm

      Family zoom scheduled for tomorrow.  Otherwise no plans – it’s been a while since I bothered staying up.  Maybe I’ll make an exception to see 2020 out.

      By the way, I’m sure you’re aware that “taking a boat into the marsh at midnight” is the start of any number of horror stories and movies.

      Reply
    10. 10.

      AnotherBruce

      December 31, 2020 at 1:09 pm

      Im going to eschew alcohol tonight, because I want to go birding. I didnt keep a FOY list for 2020, because pandemic.   I want to start fresh. Going north to the Skagit (Washington state) Apparently there is a Goshawk that’s hanging around up there. That would be a life bird for me.

      Reply
    11. 11.

      LuciaMia

      December 31, 2020 at 1:11 pm

      Using a packet of Korean fire noodles (with some added shrimp) for some loooong Good Luck noodles.  Im never sure though, when are you supposed to eat the “lucky foods”? New Years Eve or New Years Day?

       

      Later will pop some bubbly and check out a little bit of Anderson Cooper.

      Reply
    12. 12.

      TomatoQueen

      December 31, 2020 at 1:12 pm

      Turning 65 today, so I have resolved to sign up for Medicare Part A by midnight.

      Reply
    13. 13.

      SiubhanDuinne

      December 31, 2020 at 1:12 pm

      @R-Jud:

      O/T: I’m almost afraid to ask, but did Popcorn ever show up?

      Reply
    14. 14.

      LivingInExile

      December 31, 2020 at 1:14 pm

      BC   What is your favorite bug repellant.

      Reply
    15. 15.

      Yutsano

      December 31, 2020 at 1:14 pm

      Sitting on my butt and welcoming peeps in various time zones into the New Year. I might stay up just to tell this year to spack off.

      Reply
    16. 16.

      SiubhanDuinne

      December 31, 2020 at 1:14 pm

      @TomatoQueen:

      Woot! Happy birthday to you! May your next trip around the sun coincide with a better year for all of us.

      Reply
    17. 17.

      LuciaMia

      December 31, 2020 at 1:15 pm

      Happy Birthday, TomatoQueen!

      Reply
    18. 18.

      Rob

      December 31, 2020 at 1:15 pm

      I may Zoom with jackals for a few minutes tonight; after that is a Zoom by the couple that normally host a NYE party. Since it’s raining or worse tomorrow, I won’t be needing to go to sleep early to watch birds in the morning so it looks like I’ll stay up for the second one.

      eta: Betty C, enjoy your sunset heron-watching.

      Reply
    19. 19.

      narya

      December 31, 2020 at 1:15 pm

      Food, mostly: tonight will be venison tenderloin and spot prawns and potatoes and mushrooms and cookies (so! many! cookies!). Tomorrow will be pizza (so I can have some pork and make the ghost of my grandmother happy) and coconut milk black-eyed peas (recipe from Q4 Bean Club) and a poached pear tart (hazelnut sable crust and hazelnut frangipane). Probably fish on Saturday. Gonna make a pot of black beans, too, while I’m at it. And I splurged on the DVDs of the Dead’s 50th anniversary tour (even though I was at all Chicago shows), and will be watching that tonight, though friend does not know that yet. Surprise! I also signed up for a make don’t break challenge for January, to commit me to making something every day; I want to get inspired to pick up needlework again, but will be okay with just making (and documenting) food.

      Reply
    20. 20.

      Bruuuuce

      December 31, 2020 at 1:15 pm

      I was going to go to the living room for smoked salmon on challah (we didn’t get bagels), but someone forgot to send me an invitation :-)

      Reply
    21. 21.

      Ruckus

      December 31, 2020 at 1:16 pm

      Not doing a damn thing tonight.

      Get off work in 2 hrs might make the Zoom today. Otherwise one day is like the next.

      Reply
    22. 22.

      Rob

      December 31, 2020 at 1:16 pm

      @TomatoQueen:

      Happy birthday and good luck with the signing. I’ll be there before too long.

      Reply
    23. 23.

      narya

      December 31, 2020 at 1:16 pm

      @TomatoQueen: Happy birthday! It would have been my sister’s 61st.

      Reply
    24. 24.

      SiubhanDuinne

      December 31, 2020 at 1:17 pm

      @LuciaMia:

      when are you supposed to eat the “lucky foods”? New Years Eve or New Years Day?

      [All together now!]: ¿Porqué no los dos?

      Reply
    25. 25.

      CaseyL

      December 31, 2020 at 1:18 pm

      No plans other than the BJ Zooms.  My neighbors may be returning from their other home base by the sea, so I may go over there just to hang out.  In years past, I’d go over there to watch the New Year start over on the East Coast on TV, but we’d all be in bed asleep by the time midnight rolled around in Seattle.

      In years past, the Space Needle had a NYE festival with fireworks and all.   But I’ve never gone, as the only thing IMO worse than huge drunken crowds making a lot of noise, is huge drunken crowds making a lot of noise in cold foggy drizzle.  The NYE festival is going to be entirely virtual this year; I may tune in for some of it.

      Reply
    26. 26.

      Another Scott

      December 31, 2020 at 1:18 pm

      Beautiful birdy and a great shot. Albatrossity better look out!!

      Happy hunting!

      (We’ll just be home. Amateur night it right! :-/)

      Cheers,
      Scott.

      Reply
    27. 27.

      sab

      December 31, 2020 at 1:19 pm

      @LuciaMia: Not that we would know, but our family always did the lucky foods on New Years Day.

      My brother lives in the Marin County and he has a black crowned night heron that is indeed only active at night.

      Reply
    28. 28.

      Ruckus

      December 31, 2020 at 1:19 pm

      @TomatoQueen:

      Congrats on making it to Medicare, hope you don’t need to make use of it, for a long time.

      Reply
    29. 29.

      WaterGirl

      December 31, 2020 at 1:21 pm

      @R-Jud: That sounds nice!  I keep trying to catch you to ask about Popcorn and about your sister.  Hoping for positive news on both fronts.

      Reply
    30. 30.

      Pastafarian

      December 31, 2020 at 1:22 pm

      Making chicken tacos for the 3 of us & curling up with a book in front of a fire with spiked hot cocoa. I used to throw pj sleepovers with my girl friends (wine, dinner & movies), because the hubby always worked New Years Eve. New Years Day we’ll have a spiced pork pie.

      Reply
    31. 31.

      BC in Illinois

      December 31, 2020 at 1:23 pm

      The BC family New Year’s Eve celebration happened this morning at noon (ET). Our daughter on the east coast had a gender-reveal zoom for the upcoming baby (May).

      Grandchild number eight will be a boy.

      All are well, everybody’s happy, and we will all settle in for a long winter’s nap. We will await the celebratory gunfire that marks the New Year, then go back to sleep.

      ETA: It’s supposed to rain tonight, there will be rain and a possibility of some snow tomorrow, so the salt truck came down our street this morning. Never to early to be needlessly prepared.

      Reply
    32. 32.

      RepubAnon

      December 31, 2020 at 1:23 pm

      I’ve made a little 2020 doll, and bought lots of pins to stick in it…

      Reply
    33. 33.

      Bluegirlfromwyo

      December 31, 2020 at 1:25 pm

      @TomatoQueen: Happy birthday!

      Reply
    34. 34.

      hedgehog mobile

      December 31, 2020 at 1:27 pm

      Staying home.  Managed to catch a cold (snarl).  Getting goodies for charcuterie for one and bubbly delivered.  I recommend Death to 2020; watched it last night and it’s hilarious.  I am going to stay up to watch this hell year out.

      Reply
    35. 35.

      Mary G

      December 31, 2020 at 1:28 pm

      @TomatoQueen: Happy Birthday!

      Reply
    36. 36.

      WereBear

      December 31, 2020 at 1:28 pm

      I’m celebrating by disconnecting from everything except partner, treats and drinks, cats, and movies. Starting now.

      Happy New Year all!

      Reply
    37. 37.

      Betty Cracker

      December 31, 2020 at 1:29 pm

      @AnotherBruce: I’ve never kept a FOY list before but may in 2021. Hoping to do some road trip travel later in the year if it’s safe, so this would be a good year to start, I guess.

      @LivingInExile: Whatever has the highest DEET content. At our grocery store, that’s usually Deep Woods OFF (25%). Weirdly, we haven’t been able to get it in the pump spray bottle since the Great Toilet Paper Shortage, but it’s available in aerosol form.

      Reply
    38. 38.

      Origuy

      December 31, 2020 at 1:29 pm

      For your next road trip, Outside magazine has a list of days that National Parks will be free to enter.

      Reply
    39. 39.

      Brachiator

      December 31, 2020 at 1:29 pm

      Great heron photo!

      Got nothing much planned for the New Year. Will have a quiet day, with leftover Chinese food. Will probably do a Zoom call with relatives in Texas.

      Saturday is a work day for me.

      Reply
    40. 40.

      FlyingToaster

      December 31, 2020 at 1:29 pm

      Probably try to make the BJ Zooms, since our original plans were launched into orbit.

      [venting]  Our best friends are currently in hell, as one of their parents is basically killing themselves and now all three of the kids have had to meet in NYC to deal with the fallout.  Driving from Boston, not so bad; driving from Austin is hell.  But there is no choice, as the old fool in question has made it impossible to do anything remotely.  On top of this, my godson (their son, on the autism spectrum) has decided to do something, well, decidedly criminal and now the other parent is at home cleaning up that mess.  Tonight’s zoom is off, tomorrow brunch is off, and basically I expect WarriorTeen to be on her Switch whenever I’m not making her practice either violin or mandolin. [end venting]

      And why the fuck is Trump back in DC?

      Reply
    41. 41.

      Dan B

      December 31, 2020 at 1:36 pm

      Not sure if it’s Herb d’Provence chicken or a pseudo Thai curry with fresh Galangal.  We’ll probably sit out in the big corrugated fiberglass roofed tool shed that my Mike guy rigged up with a pandemic glass and red velvet curtain divider plus wood stove, for heat, and outdoor lighting around “Tikal”, our raised rip-rap walled terrace, and Atitlan, our 12’x18’x4′ deep water storage pond.  We’ll wish our friends would join us but our well ventilated shed needs to be better branded.  Perhaps they could be fooled by ‘Garden Pavilion of Perpetual Health’ but they’re anxious, a good thing.

      Then some highly rated Costco Brut bubbly and fireworks from our SE Asian neighbors.

      Reply
    42. 42.

      kindness

      December 31, 2020 at 1:36 pm

      In a ‘normal’ year, I spend New Years Eve at a concert somewhere in the SF Bay area.  Used to be I had my choice of different artists to see.  Well, used to be I would be going to a Grateful Dead show NYE, then Jerry died so that changed.  As time has gone by, less and less artists of my choice did NYE shows because they were all getting old and wanted to be with their people that night.  It’s OK.  Still left some choices.  This year though….I’ll be home with my cats & dogs.  2020 looks better in the rear view mirror than it did in real life.

      Reply
    43. 43.

      Delk

      December 31, 2020 at 1:36 pm

      I’ll be working on my lounge act.

      Reply
    44. 44.

      dmsilev

      December 31, 2020 at 1:38 pm

      Have to work for most of today. I’ll try to join the Zoom meetup tonight (well, this afternoon local time), and then probably get dinner from one of the local restaurants.

      Reply
    45. 45.

      West of the Rockies

      December 31, 2020 at 1:38 pm

      @Ken:

      And this horror movie might start with an underwater POV shot that rises to and above the surface, focusing on a nearby boat from which conversation and innocent laughter is heard.  A tomb-deep, ominous horn is heard as the film score begins…

      Reply
    46. 46.

      Interstadial

      December 31, 2020 at 1:42 pm

      Hearing about the barred owl reminds me of the article years ago about the barred owl expanding its range into the western U.S. and increasingly displacing the spotted owl.  The reporter apparently only got information on the owl verbally, because all the way through the article it was spelled bard owl.

      Reply
    47. 47.

      Adam Lang

      December 31, 2020 at 1:43 pm

      Ooh those are ridiculous birds. I could have hung around taking pictures of this one all day:

      https://dogsofsf.com/archives/11504

      Reply
    48. 48.

      There go two miscreants

      December 31, 2020 at 1:47 pm

      Supposed to be having a zoom this evening with a friend in the Middle East; not too confident it will happen as it will be 2AM there! No other plans for tonight; I usually don’t stay up anymore.

      About to email for the BJ zooms and I may pop in to one or both. The T-day one was fun; it was very interesting to see what people looked like — in some cases my mind had already provided an image, but it was always far from the mark!

      Reply
    49. 49.

      mad citizen

      December 31, 2020 at 1:47 pm

      From upthread, my plan is:

      For tonight we decided on one of our rarely-made favorites: Cioppino, the tomato-wine-based seafood stew/soup outta San Francisco.  (And not Trader Joe’s freezer version, although it’s decent.  Our meat will be scallops, shrimp and snapper.  Maybe some mussels.  I’m not a huge clam guy so no clams–only the clam juice.)

      Was thinking back to Milton Friedman’s Free to Choose series from the 1970s and his explanation of how great markets are to come together to give us a 10 cent pencil (something like that–could be the economist in me that makes me recall).  Our scallops are “USA” (trader joes); shrimp from southern coast of Argentina (target) and snapper from Indonesia (walmart).  Thank you markets.

      Reply
    50. 50.

      raven

      December 31, 2020 at 1:47 pm

      @kindness: Widespread used to play here in Athens on NYE and then they got too big. So they moved to Phillips Arena next to the Georgia Dome. It was quite a trip seeing the spread heads and Peach Bowl peeps mixing.

      Reply
    51. 51.

      cain

      December 31, 2020 at 1:49 pm

      I plan on drinkin, enjoyin and eating a steak dinner with taters, veggies, and watching some movies and probably a zoom call with my family.

      Reply
    52. 52.

      SiubhanDuinne

      December 31, 2020 at 1:49 pm

      @kindness:

      2020 looks better in the rear view mirror than it did in real life.

      That’s so true, it deserves to be a rotating tag.

      In perpefuckingtuity.

      Reply
    53. 53.

      GregMulka

      December 31, 2020 at 1:49 pm

      Zoom with the game group to play jackbox and Among Us. Also I have to failback a client server from backup to production.

      Reply
    54. 54.

      scav

      December 31, 2020 at 1:50 pm

      @CaseyL:

      huge drunken crowds making a lot of noise in cold foggy drizzle. 

      But the payoff is the intermittent dull glows behind the mist!  In other words, exactly the same as the 4th of July.

      Reply
    55. 55.

      Cameron

      December 31, 2020 at 1:52 pm

      Went to Publix this a.m.  Have no intention of venturing out of my apartment again until sometime Saturday morning.

      Reply
    56. 56.

      SiubhanDuinne

      December 31, 2020 at 1:52 pm

      @Delk:

      I’ll be working on my lounge act.

      Try the waitress, and don’t forget to tip the veal.

      Reply
    57. 57.

      NeenerNeener

      December 31, 2020 at 1:54 pm

      I’m ordering pizza from Uno and watching movies, like every other NYE for the past 20 years. I got a cheap 1080p projector and 100″ screen from Amazon last weekend and now I’m waiting for it to get dark.

      My parents, who worked in the restaurant business for most of their adult lives, hated NYE even though the money was great. They always called it “Amateur Night” too.

      Reply
    58. 58.

      Phylllis

      December 31, 2020 at 1:57 pm

      Pizza, Left Hand Milk Stout (which I was happy to discover in these parts at the local liquor barn), BJ Zoom for a bit, then pop some bubbly. We’ll probably be in bed by 10-ish, depending on the artillery noise.

      Reply
    59. 59.

      SiubhanDuinne

      December 31, 2020 at 1:57 pm

      @Dan B:

      Kids (or someone[s]) in this neighbourhood have been setting off fireworks intermittently for the past 72 hours. By the time midnight strikes, I expect to be thoroughly sick of them.*

      *Actually, that happened some time Tuesday night.

      Reply
    60. 60.

      Jim, Foolish Literalist

      December 31, 2020 at 1:58 pm

      Mosquitos in December? Egad.

      Also, watch out for ‘gators. Do you bring gator-spears?

      I bought a steak and some potatoes as a last hurrah before I undertake the battle against my pandemic-thirty, twenty-five of which long pre-date the pandemic, and hope it’s too cold for firecrackers.

      Reply
    61. 61.

      Bill Arnold

      December 31, 2020 at 1:59 pm

      This is worth a watch (short video clip):

      Green heron using a piece of bread as bait to catch a fish. Amazing example of animal tool-use. https://t.co/kVlWEOP6s1 pic.twitter.com/SKpi0B9NI2— Steve Stewart-Williams (@SteveStuWill) December 28, 2020

      Reply
    62. 62.

      Jager

      December 31, 2020 at 2:03 pm

      New Year’s Eve is our Anniversary (easy to remember), we usually have a party with friends, not this year. Small prime rib, mashed potatoes, asparagus, and appropriate wine. We’ve been taking care of our 88-year-old next-door neighbor, so we’ll shuttle food and wine over to Carole and give her a long-distance hug. We’ll talk to the kids, my wife’s dad, and others. later we’ll enjoy listening to Anze the Dog snore by the fire.

      Reply
    63. 63.

      Kelly

      December 31, 2020 at 2:03 pm

      @TomatoQueen: Happy Birthday! I pass the Medicare milestone in June.

      For the last dozen New Years or so Mrs Kelly and I have babysat grandkids so the our kids could have a grown up night out. This year it’s just us. It’ll be just another comfortable night at home.

      Reply
    64. 64.

      Suzanne

      December 31, 2020 at 2:05 pm

      I might update my resume. Just in case.
      Might Zoom tonight. Have a Chuck roast braising in my crockpot. Will likely play video games and try to watch a TV. Like every other night.

      Reply
    65. 65.

      trollhattan

      December 31, 2020 at 2:06 pm

      What, in the actual fvck is this?

      Michael Pack’s stormy tenure over the federal agency that oversees government-funded broadcasters abroad — including Voice of America — appears to be coming to a close. Yet President Trump’s appointee has sparked an internal outcry by taking bold steps to try to cement his control over at least two of the networks and shape the course of their journalism well into the Biden administration.

      Pack, the CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, also serves as chairman of the boards of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia. Pack and the members of the boards have now added binding contractual agreements intended to ensure that they cannot be removed for the next two years. They could be removed only “for cause” subsequently. Pack stocked those boards with conservative activists and Trump administration officials, despite a tradition of bipartisanship.

      In other words, although President-elect Joe Biden has already signaled he intends to replace Pack as CEO of the parent agency soon after taking office in January, Pack would maintain a significant degree of control over the networks. Pack and USAGM declined requests for comment.

      NPR has reviewed the language of the contracts, which have yet to be signed by the new presidents of the two networks — both of whom were appointed by Pack this month. The Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty contract was slated to be approved on Wednesday but appears to have been withdrawn from consideration after internal objections and inquiries from congressional aides, NPR and other media. It is unclear what the future holds for the initiative from Pack.

      Reply
    66. 66.

      brendancalling

      December 31, 2020 at 2:06 pm

      Earlier this year I met a guy wearing a Flies tee-shirt, so we bonded over Boston rock. Later this afternoon we’re meeting up outside to have a beer and say farewell to 2020, the shittiest year of all.

      Reply
    67. 67.

      cain

      December 31, 2020 at 2:07 pm

      @Suzanne:

      See that’s us gen xers.. we’re gonna play video games till arthritis forces us to move to virtual reality games. :D

      Reply
    68. 68.

      VeniceRiley

      December 31, 2020 at 2:10 pm

      WhatsApp with the future spouse at her midnight, then my midnight. making a spag bol and salad.

      Hey where the West Virginians at?

      The West Virginia National Guard says it accidentally injected 42 people with Regeneron Antibody instead of a Moderna coronavirus vaccine. Medical experts with the Joint Interagency Task Force said they don’t believer there is a “risk of harm.” The antibody is used in treating some cases of the virus. Major General James Hoyer said the guard “immediately reviewed and strengthened our protocols.”

      Hahahaha omg

      Reply
    69. 69.

      There go two miscreants

      December 31, 2020 at 2:12 pm

      @Suzanne: Have a Chuck roast braising in my crockpot.

      Did Chuck put up much of a fight?

      Reply
    70. 70.

      Almost Retired

      December 31, 2020 at 2:13 pm

      I hate New Year’s Eve, and all other “forced fun” holidays (I’m looking at you, Cinco de Mayo). On New Year’s Eve 1983, I was working at a restaurant in Marina del Rey. Blair from “Facts of Life” threw up on my shoes. And that’s probably my favorite New Year’s Eve memory, which should tell you something.

      Reply
    71. 71.

      debbie

      December 31, 2020 at 2:13 pm

      Why don’t I see a black crown on that bird?

      Reply
    72. 72.

      Jim, Foolish Literalist

      December 31, 2020 at 2:13 pm

      @VeniceRiley: whelp, that ought to reassure folks like this…

      Some healthcare workers refuse to take COVID-19 vaccine, even with priority access 

      That story’s out of LA, there was a similar report from Ohio and I’m sure every local metro paper has one. FTR, I’d still take any of their doses right freaking now, but like I said, the WV screw up is probably gonna go viral.

      Reply
    73. 73.

      mali muso

      December 31, 2020 at 2:15 pm

      Have a pork shoulder marinated in “carnitas” seasoning from Aldis in the slow cooker. Planning for some tacos tonight and some kind of Instant Pot black eyed peas tomorrow. No big plans other than TV, food, playing with the kiddo and maybe stopping by the BJ Zoom at some point. I am not really one to stay up until midnight, but I am definitely going to be doing so tonight. I want to see the back end of 2020.

      Reply
    74. 74.

      Ken

      December 31, 2020 at 2:16 pm

      @trollhattan: I’ve heard that the military solution to people who can’t be forced out is to put them in charge of inventory at a base in northern Alaska. Does VOA have any stations in Greenland?

      Reply
    75. 75.

      Ken

      December 31, 2020 at 2:17 pm

      @VeniceRiley: Isn’t the Regeneron stuff a couple hundred thousand per dose?

      Reply
    76. 76.

      Jim, Foolish Literalist

      December 31, 2020 at 2:18 pm

      @Almost Retired:

      New Year’s Eve 1983, I was working at a restaurant in Marina del Rey. Blair from “Facts of Life” threw up on my shoes.

      You know, there was a twitter thread yesterday about “Your most random encounter with a famous person”, and I really hope you put this in there. As a Gen-Xer (I think, I’m losing track of which generation is which, but I know there all the worst) that is freaking hilarious.

      Reply
    77. 77.

      Baud

      December 31, 2020 at 2:22 pm

      @Almost Retired:

      You take the good, you take the bad…

      Reply
    78. 78.

      trollhattan

      December 31, 2020 at 2:22 pm

      @Ken:

      Does VOA have any stations in Greenland?

      You mean our 51st state? I’m thinking that’s a yes.

      VOA should begin broadcasting to the Trumpist states, starting January.

      Reply
    79. 79.

      debbie

      December 31, 2020 at 2:25 pm

      @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

      40 percent in Ohio. Assholes.

      Reply
    80. 80.

      Embra

      December 31, 2020 at 2:26 pm

      @Betty Cracker: Those barred owls are very territorial. If you have difficulty spotting them, a decent recording of their calls on a decently loud sound system outside your house will likely bring them to you so they can check out the new guy in town. We used to do this regularly when we lived in the woods.

      Reply
    81. 81.

      A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)

      December 31, 2020 at 2:27 pm

      My father always called it “Amateur Night” also. When he died, his medical records indicated one of his last doctors thought he might have been an alcoholic because of cirrhosis damage to his liver, but no, he was just a prime time adult in the 1950s. What he did die of was emphysema from his smoking habit.  Ugh. The Mad Men era was not healthy.

      I have seen Black-Crowned Night Herons at Lake Merritt in Oakland during the day, but the lake is a wildlife refuge with lots of bird protections.  There’s several bird islands where safe nesting can take place. I just Googled it and LM was the first official wildlife refuge in the US (1870). Anyway, I remember I got with a couple of feet of a BCNH, because it was safe behind a wire fence, and it knew it!  It was very odd looking at birds so close, with dog walkers close by, but everyone protected by fences.  Very cool to have such a place in such a big city.

      Reply
    82. 82.

      Gin & Tonic

      December 31, 2020 at 2:28 pm

      @Suzanne: Yeah, I might update my resume for 2021 also, to say “Fuck you, I’m retired.”

      Reply
    83. 83.

      dmsilev

      December 31, 2020 at 2:30 pm

      @Jim, Foolish Literalist: One of the people interviewed had a reasonable concern: She’s pregnant, and while the vaccine is thought to be safe in that situation, it hasn’t actually been tested. The other people in the story don’t really have much of an excuse.

      Reply
    84. 84.

      Anotherlurker

      December 31, 2020 at 2:30 pm

      Tonight, I’ll enjoy a quiet dinner with 2 friends and their dogs and then it is home well before midnight.

      NYE doesn’t mean a lot to me, just like most holidays.  With my long life as a TV audio tech, I’ve chosen to work on holidays.  NBA or NHL games or Times Square broadcast was the usual fare.  Double time days, you know.

      Anyway, Happy New Year to all the Jackels! You guys help keep me smiling and sane

      Reply
    85. 85.

      VeniceRiley

      December 31, 2020 at 2:30 pm

      @Ken: Yes. And it could have gone in the arms of covid positive vulnerable people. 42 wasted doses.

      Reply
    86. 86.

      Gin & Tonic

      December 31, 2020 at 2:31 pm

      Anyway, quiet night planned. Dear wife is working, kids are hither and yon – son went to MX to see his wife, so we will hope for her situation to be resolved this year.

      Reply
    87. 87.

      WaterGirl

      December 31, 2020 at 2:31 pm

      Betty, that is one good-looking bird!

      Reply
    88. 88.

      Jinchi

      December 31, 2020 at 2:32 pm

      @TomatoQueen: Happy Birthday!

      I think John Cole scheduled some fireworks tonight in celebration.

      Reply
    89. 89.

      WaterGirl

      December 31, 2020 at 2:33 pm

      @Jinchi: Fireworks at the zoom?  And no one told me!  :-)

      Reply
    90. 90.

      HinTN

      December 31, 2020 at 2:35 pm

      @Betty Cracker: An owl story. I live smack dab up against the mountain with a small five acre field between said mountainside and a wetland full of trees. One very still summer evening, just at dusk, I was standing out on the edge of the field looking back at the mountain. Motion caught my eye and I followed what resolved into a very large owl in a motionless glide coming down over the treetops. The bird leveled off at about ten feet and passed directly over my head on a track across the field toward the bog. There was zero sound from that bird. No wind noise, nothing.

      Happy birding tonight.

      As for us, going to a friend’s for some early bubbly and sushi. Then to bed to put this blasted mess of a year in the rear view mirror.

      Reply
    91. 91.

      Pete Downunder

      December 31, 2020 at 2:35 pm

      Happy New Year from Downunder where it’s now about 5:30 am New Years Day here in Queensland. We have had steady light rain for the last week which is a vast improvement over the fires of last year. Mrs Downunder and I have a country place and during this week hire a giant teepee (about 30’ diameter) and hold kind of a running open house. Last night we had 30-40 people for New Year’s but the border collie and I went to our beds a bit early while Mrs partied on. We can gather like that as Oz is relatively Covid free. Stay safe everyone.

      Reply
    92. 92.

      Jinchi

      December 31, 2020 at 2:35 pm

      @trollhattan: Pack and the members of the boards have now added binding contractual agreements intended to ensure that they cannot be removed for the next two years.

      Aren’t there rules against self-dealing in positions like this?

      Reply
    93. 93.

      HinTN

      December 31, 2020 at 2:36 pm

      @WaterGirl:

      Fireworks at the zoom?

      Might be worth a look!

      Reply
    94. 94.

      VeniceRiley

      December 31, 2020 at 2:36 pm

      Maybe this Wisconsin story will knock the WV story off the viral perch.
      https://news.yahoo.com/wisconsin-health-system-worker-deliberately-023406125.html/

      Reply
    95. 95.

      Major Major Major Major

      December 31, 2020 at 2:39 pm

      Love black crowned night herons! Ever since I learned of their existence uh, last year, maybe this one? Saw one in the park and asked Twitter what it was. Fat little buggers.

      Reply
    96. 96.

      Jinchi

      December 31, 2020 at 2:39 pm

      @Ken: Isn’t the Regeneron stuff a couple hundred thousand per dose?

      Don’t worry, Jared will send the recipients a bill to make the government whole again.

      Reply
    97. 97.

      Kathleen

      December 31, 2020 at 2:40 pm

      @TomatoQueen: Happy Birthday, young ‘un!

      Reply
    98. 98.

      Litlebritdifrnt

      December 31, 2020 at 2:42 pm

      Lots of fireworks going off here. Seeing as we are in Tier 4 lockdown, celebrating anywhere is out of the question. DH and I will be staying home and will probably be in bed before midnight. We are old and boring these days.

      Reply
    99. 99.

      Kathleen

      December 31, 2020 at 2:43 pm

      I’ll be eating bean with ham soup from my neighborhood coffee shop/cafe and Zooming with BJ at 7. Weather permitting my running partner from Milwaukee is in town and we’re supposed to meet downtown at Fountain Square tomorrow morning at 6am for a New Year’s run. Would love to run up to Krohn Conservatory in Eden Park to see the live nativity scene and lights.

      Reply
    100. 100.

      JMG

      December 31, 2020 at 2:44 pm

      Grilled tenderloin, baked potato, wedge salad with bacon bits, a glass or two of bubbly, then bed. I assume the Biden’s message will be fairly early on Rockin’ New Year’s Eve with Ryan Seacrest. I’m sure his staff has briefed repeatedly on not saying, “so young fella, where’s Dick?”

      Reply
    101. 101.

      realbtl

      December 31, 2020 at 2:48 pm

      Back when I lived on the California delta (Bethel Island) wife and I would sometimes take the canoe out into the tules before dawn.  Nothing will make you jump like a beaver tail hitting the water 10′ (more like 30-50′) away in the complete dark.

      Reply
    102. 102.

      PsiFighter37

      December 31, 2020 at 2:50 pm

      New Year’s Eve plan – going to cook up a Chinese duck-centric feast we picked up yesterday from a nearby restaurant. Have a Zoom with childhood friends at 7 PM. Late dinner, but asleep by 10 PM. With a young kid, the early wakeups never end…not worth it to stay up until midnight when we have a guaranteed 6 AM wakeup. Very exciting.

      Reply
    103. 103.

      Pennsylvanian

      December 31, 2020 at 2:51 pm

      We’ll be doing a meat and veg fondue in butter and oil with a big salad and French rolls. Also whiskey and wine. A once-a-year savory indulgence. Yum.

      Reply
    104. 104.

      Dorothy A. Winsor

      December 31, 2020 at 2:52 pm

      Ham, scalloped potatoes, winter squash with cranberries and pecans.

      Early to bed because I hate staying up late. Always have.

      Reply
    105. 105.

      LivingInExile

      December 31, 2020 at 2:56 pm

      BC  Thanks

      Reply
    106. 106.

      Matt McIrvin

      December 31, 2020 at 2:56 pm

      New Year’s Eve has nearly always been a quiet night in for me, so this year won’t be a big change. I remember imagining getting into some huge celebration when 1999 ticked over to 2000, but when it actually happened, I think Sam wasn’t even feeling well so it was just me and Niobe the Skeptical Cat hanging out together.

      Reply
    107. 107.

      kindness

      December 31, 2020 at 2:58 pm

      @SiubhanDuinne:  You’re lucky.  Out here in Red California too many yahoos go out and fire off their guns at midnight.  Scares the shit outta my dogs.  In past years when I was going to be away I left them inside the house if I went out this night.

      Reply
    108. 108.

      Mai Naem mobile

      December 31, 2020 at 2:59 pm

      Cousin sent this today – pretty much my plans lol.

      Omg!! Going to an exclusive club tonight for New Years Eve!! So excited, got all dressed up and wore my best outfit. Don’t know if you’ve heard of it, it’s called “The Living Room”, it’s so exclusive that only you and your household can get entry and nobody else! Luckily there’s no entrance fee but It’s such a shame you can’t join us there, would have been such a good night!

      Anyway Happy New Year, sorry you can’t come to the living room but I’m sure we can celebrate in 2021!

      Reply
    109. 109.

      Matt McIrvin

      December 31, 2020 at 3:01 pm

      @VeniceRiley: Well, I guess if some of those people were actually infected, they probably benefited from it!

      Reply
    110. 110.

      Just Chuck

      December 31, 2020 at 3:01 pm

      I haven’t seen or heard any Barred Owls.  They’re barred from the area.

      Thankyagnite, enjoy your waitress and tip your drinks.

      Reply
    111. 111.

      zhena gogolia

      December 31, 2020 at 3:02 pm

      I’m reposting this comment from below from Enhanced Voting Techniques because I think it’s really smart:

      Interesting, one of the gossips from the Trump camp is Trump is worried that Iran will retaliate against him personally for killing that Iranian general last winter on Jan 3rd and he bailed for the White House because it’s safer. Considering what a gutless coward Trump is that would be explain all his freaking out.

      Reply
    112. 112.

      Mike in NC

      December 31, 2020 at 3:04 pm

      Wife is going to visit a friend down the street whose husband had a fatal heart attack this past year. Then I’m steaming up a huge pot of mussels to serve with angel hair pasta. After dinner the Champagne will taste extra delicious as we place phone calls to friends and family and begin to count down the exit of Donald Trump from our lives.

      On New Year’s Eve 1984 I was introduced to a nice young woman at a party in Virginia Beach. We were inseparable for six months, then my ship deployed to the Persian Gulf for six months and she forgot I was alive. Happens all the time I soon learned.

      Reply
    113. 113.

      zhena gogolia

      December 31, 2020 at 3:04 pm

      As for what we’re up to: BJ Zoom at 7, then The King’s Speech on Prime. We’re still eating the brisket I made for Christmas, can’t wait to finish it. Tomorrow I’ll have two straight hours zooming with friends. Getting kind of sick of Zoom socializing, but there’s no real alternative.

      Reply
    114. 114.

      Major Major Major Major

      December 31, 2020 at 3:04 pm

      A conductor on the Pskov-Moscow train feeds a cat named Felix sausage during a short stop in Staraya, Russa. Felix shows up every day at 22:40 & has for several years. All conductors are aware of Felix & prepare sausage in advance. 😻(Source: Reddit) pic.twitter.com/N8TO1sRRJH

      — Caelum (Not consistently here until January) (@caelumlapis) December 30, 2020

      Reply
    115. 115.

      Spanky

      December 31, 2020 at 3:11 pm

      @Major Major Major Major: That cat is not starving.

      Reply
    116. 116.

      mrmoshpotato

      December 31, 2020 at 3:11 pm

      I’m sure I’ll look at my watch about 12:30 and go, “Oh.  Hm.”

      Bring on January 20, 2021 12:01PM EST!

      ETA – probably will hop on Zoom tonight and tomorrow with you silly gooses.

      Reply
    117. 117.

      Major Major Major Major

      December 31, 2020 at 3:12 pm

      @Spanky: I don’t think anybody could be of the impression that he is.

      Reply
    118. 118.

      zhena gogolia

      December 31, 2020 at 3:13 pm

      @Major Major Major Major:

      Hmmm, there shouldn’t be a comma between Staraya and Russa — it’s Staraya Russa, the town where Dostoevsky had his summer home.

      Reply
    119. 119.

      TeezySkeezy

      December 31, 2020 at 3:14 pm

      My first night heron encounter was on a grassy commons on Rice University campus at 2 am.  I’m heading home after a long day and see these amazing large birds standing around, looking back at me. Even in the middle of Houston you can spot the wetlands wildlife, which is not so surprising considering how often Houston is under water.

      Reply
    120. 120.

      raven

      December 31, 2020 at 3:16 pm

      Gov Dumbshit expanded the eligibility for the vaccine to 65 and that means I can (might could as they say in these parts) get a hit in mid-January

       

      Atlanta – Governor Brian Kemp and Commissioner Kathleen Toomey, M.D., M.P.H., tonight announced plans to add adults aged 65 and older, law enforcement officers, firefighters and first responders to the current group of individuals eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccination. Healthcare workers and staff and residents of long-term care facilities are already in this highest priority group. The expanded administration of vaccine is expected to begin within the next two weeks provided there is adequate vaccine supply available.

      Reply
    121. 121.

      NotMax

      December 31, 2020 at 3:18 pm

      @TomatoQueen

      Wishing you a happy day.

      (Did you parents ever refer to you as Little Miss Tax Deduction?)

      Reply
    122. 122.

      pamelabrown53

      December 31, 2020 at 3:18 pm

      @zhena gogolia:

      Hmmmm…why am I not surprised you know that! Happy New Year!!!

      Reply
    123. 123.

      zhena gogolia

      December 31, 2020 at 3:18 pm

      @pamelabrown53:

      Happy New Year!

      Reply
    124. 124.

      Baud

      December 31, 2020 at 3:20 pm

      Because some people were concerned about Trump and Iran.

      The Pentagon has decided to send home the only Navy aircraft carrier operating in the Middle East, a move that will reduce American firepower in the region amid heightened tensions with Iran.

      Reply
    125. 125.

      zhena gogolia

      December 31, 2020 at 3:20 pm

      @Major Major Major Major:
      @pamelabrown53:
      Wikipedia

      Staraya Russa is a spa, celebrated for its mineral springs used for baths, drinking, and inhalations; medicinal silt mud of Lakes Verkhneye and Sredneye and mud from artificial reservoirs. A summer residence of the Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky, who wrote his novels The Brothers Karamazov and Demons there, is open to visitors as a museum.

      Reply
    126. 126.

      The Dangerman

      December 31, 2020 at 3:22 pm

      For kind of a cool story, Google “Nellie the Night Heron”. She was a Shell Beach “resident” for quite a long time. I haven’t seen her in years and I’m not in Shell Beach now. When I did “meet” her, she was fascinating to watch.

      My NYE land are simple. I’m writing appropriate phrases (2020, Trump, etc.) on squares of toilet paper and flushing. Over and over until I get writers cramp or run out of TP, whichever comes first.

      Reply
    127. 127.

      Poe Larity

      December 31, 2020 at 3:22 pm

      Garrison Brothers Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon.

      That is all.

      Reply
    128. 128.

      Baud

      December 31, 2020 at 3:22 pm

      Good news, and long overdue.

      Pelosi appoints first woman to serve as House chaplain

      Reply
    129. 129.

      Dan B

      December 31, 2020 at 3:23 pm

      @Dan B: Sent a New Years Eve message to friends who called 30 seconds later saying, “Are you having a party?”  So my Mike guy is upset because he wanted to finish “The Aqueduct”.  He’s got ladders and bracing up.  I informed him that his Yelp reviews would be devastating since they would be here after dark and would get a poorly lit glimpse.  T was especially enthused to have something to do instead of hide under the covers.  We’ll have a toast long before midnight with our separate bottles and glasses.  My Mike will enjoy himself a lot and be thoroughly delightful and create much hilarity.

      Reply
    130. 130.

      NotMax

      December 31, 2020 at 3:23 pm

      @Major Major Major Major

      Animal mascots and trains have a long history. Every time I go to the Smithsonian, make it a point to find and visit Owney, the bespangled postal mutt.

      Reply
    131. 131.

      WaterGirl

      December 31, 2020 at 3:24 pm

      @Major Major Major Major: Nice!

      Reply
    132. 132.

      WaterGirl

      December 31, 2020 at 3:25 pm

      @mrmoshpotato: Send me an email so I can send you the info!

      Reply
    133. 133.

      Citizen Alan

      December 31, 2020 at 3:25 pm

      I’m actually kind of proud of my NYE plans in a nerdy sort of way. One of my leisure activities is writing a somewhat popular fanfiction with about 15,000 followers, including 4000 following me on a Discord server. The guy who is doing the audio book for my original novel has performed one of the more popular chapters which is timed at 58:55, so we’re going to start it on a Twitch channel at 11:00 EST, so that fans can listen to the whole chapter and then count down for a minute at the end to the New Year. I have no idea if anyone will be joining us on Twitch, but even if it’s just a few, it’s a neat experience for me. We’ll see how it goes.

      Reply
    134. 134.

      The Dangerman

      December 31, 2020 at 3:26 pm

      @The Dangerman: NYE plans. Fucking spellcheck.

      If you Google the story I referenced, gotta use Shell Beach in the search too,

      Reply
    135. 135.

      Major Major Major Major

      December 31, 2020 at 3:27 pm

      @Citizen Alan: well you can’t just say all that and not put up a link. (And cool!)

      Reply
    136. 136.

      The Moar You Know

      December 31, 2020 at 3:27 pm

      I’m sure my blood-gargling psychopath neighbors still have a large quantity of the military-grade explosives they so kindly shared with all of us on the Fourth of July, so my main goal is to keep my dog in his crate with all the windows closed and hope it doesn’t take him another three months to get over his fear that things will go boom when it gets dark.  I will also be drinking a beer.   Probably a few.

      Reply
    137. 137.

      J R in WV

      December 31, 2020 at 3:27 pm

      Here in W VA the vaccination situation is fuckin’ DIRE… I can’t learn anything about where to go, how to get my immune-system-damaged wife into the first group for vaccine shots, nothing!

      CVS says they’re immunizing long-term care residents, but don’t call us about YOUR shots…

      The National Guard dosing people with the wrong medication, antibody Way $$ doses instead of vaccine, that could happen to any military org. Remember one of the favorite sayings out of the military is FUBAR — Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition is what it stands for, which should mean something to all veterans and their families.

      We’re gonna eat crab cakes tonight, with oven-browned potatoes of some sort, big salad, bottle of fizzy wine, maybe the good champagne … may save the best bottle for midnight? I dunno. All that depends on Wife cleaning up the Kitchen. That’s our deal, I do all the procurement of foodstuffs, menu planning, cooking, she does the dishes using a relatively new dishwasher mostly.

      Not really feeling like Zoom meetups today. Trying hard to be optimistic going forward, but it is really hard for me at this point. I have burned so much optimism over the past 4 years I don’t have much left. I keep thinking we’ve seen the worst of Trump, and he keeps me looking stupid for forming that thought. Every day I think, “Well, that’s the most un-American thing the monster can do!” and every day he shows me I don’t understand his secret super power to become more un-American every day.

      I don’t know which is worse, the vaccination program being more fucked up than the plague management, self-quarantine, and wear a mask part — or the obvious contempt for democracy or Por Que no los Dos?   did I get that right? Close?

      Glad to hear some good news about Jackal’s personal health, though. Being sent home from the hospital has to be better than being rushed to ICU, after all. With a 90+ blood oxygen level, too!\

      You all take care, now. Glad not to see anyone confessing to plans to go out to a NYE party! And keep in touch, too!

      Reply
    138. 138.

      AnotherBruce

      December 31, 2020 at 3:30 pm

      @Betty Cracker: It’s really worth doing. log the time, date,  location, and species. I’m into my 8th year of this.

      It helps you to find old and new bird friends.

      Reply
    139. 139.

      Major Major Major Major

      December 31, 2020 at 3:30 pm

      @J R in WV: interesting… reading the news I got the impression that WV was best in the country at vaccination right now… although given what other states are up to these aren’t mutually exclusive.

      Reply
    140. 140.

      Dan B

      December 31, 2020 at 3:31 pm

      @SiubhanDuinne: The fireworks are much reduced this time of year from Lunar New Year.  Those and 4th of July have been like war in some years.  We used to have dozens of kids but they’ve grown and moved so we’re down to one teenager!  Quieter.

      Reply
    141. 141.

      NotMax

      December 31, 2020 at 3:32 pm

      Cooking schedule will need to be altered in order to accommodate the Zoom; small price to pay for visiting Jackalcon.

      Proposed menu for tonight:

      Fried chicken
      Noodle kugel (the slightly sweetened kind)
      (probably) some sort of spicy black bean side dish, ingredients to be a little of this, a little of that autoschediasm.

      Reply
    142. 142.

      WaterGirl

      December 31, 2020 at 3:32 pm

      @J R in WV: Virtual hugs for you J R.  We just have to hang in for a little while longer.  Knowing we will have a new president and that the vaccine is coming is a big help, because it means there can be an end to this madness.

      Reply
    143. 143.

      WaterGirl

      December 31, 2020 at 3:33 pm

      @NotMax: Should have traded you access to the zoom for some fried chicken!

      I cannot make good fried chicken.  So sad.

      Reply
    144. 144.

      opiejeanne

      December 31, 2020 at 3:35 pm

      @TomatoQueen: Happy Birthday!

      You share it with my mom, who would be 102 today. She once told me that her mother went into labor while they were at her grandmother’s house for a New Year’s Eve party, and her mother was very annoyed that she was going to miss the party.

      Reply
    145. 145.

      marklar

      December 31, 2020 at 3:36 pm

      @Just Chuck:

      Groan. Nobody should cook for you ;) ! (Barred owl joke)

      Reply
    146. 146.

      Mai Naem mobile

      December 31, 2020 at 3:36 pm

      @zhena gogolia: idiot never thinks ahead about anything.  Some moron Trumpov supporter on Twitter has put up an older pic of Trumpov supposedly playing chess with Barron. They’re not even seated in the standard chess playing position – across from each other and there is no fucking way Trumpov knows how to play chess.

      Reply
    147. 147.

      The Moar You Know

      December 31, 2020 at 3:39 pm

      Interesting, one of the gossips from the Trump camp is Trump is worried that Iran will retaliate against him personally for killing that Iranian general last winter on Jan 3rd and he bailed for the White House because it’s safer. 

      @zhena gogolia: I’d be surprised if that’s dipshit’s motivation.  There’s 350,000 American families who are a lot closer to where he lives and easily just as motivated.

      Reply
    148. 148.

      zhena gogolia

      December 31, 2020 at 3:42 pm

      @J R in WV:

      Hang in there. There was never any chance that Trump was going to behave any other way than the way he is. Biden is on the way!

      Reply
    149. 149.

      LuciaMia

      December 31, 2020 at 3:44 pm

      Here in the Baltimore area officials are asking people to lay off the fireworks, even sparklers. Not sure why, we’re hardly in a drought/fire risk situation now. And sure, I hate the ones that sound like military grade explosions too, but we could use a little shared celebration tonight, viewed from a distance.

      Reply
    150. 150.

      Dan B

      December 31, 2020 at 3:45 pm

      @Kathleen: Loved that conservatory and Eden Park.

      Reply
    151. 151.

      Suburban Mom

      December 31, 2020 at 3:45 pm

      I’m cooking. NYE is my husband’s birthday and he gets to pick the dinner menu. Tonight’s is venison with a rosemary and dried cherry sauce, potatoes Anna, and a salad with blue cheese. Dessert is an Apple crostata with a pecan crust. We’re drinking Pinot noir with it.

      Reply
    152. 152.

      Phylllis

      December 31, 2020 at 3:46 pm

      The Armed Forces bowl is ending with an ongoing brawl between Tulsa & Miss. St. Looked to me like a Tulsa coach started it by going after a Miss. St player.

      Reply
    153. 153.

      les

      December 31, 2020 at 3:47 pm

      Jason Isbell and the 400, livestream on Fans.live. God, I miss live music.

      Reply
    154. 154.

      JoyceH

      December 31, 2020 at 3:48 pm

      I just got myself a Zoom account and tested it out with a friend, so I’ll be zooming with you guys tonight. Other than that, probably going to make a tuna noodle casserole, and turn on the TV to see what Time Square New Years Eve looks like without a horde of drunken strangers crowded into it. I presume Andy will be getting Anderson drunk again tonight…

      Reply
    155. 155.

      FelonyGovt

      December 31, 2020 at 3:49 pm

      Trying to decide whether to bother staying up, but I’m leaning toward doing so just to make sure 2020 is really gone. No special dinner or other plans.

      Reply
    156. 156.

      JoyceH

      December 31, 2020 at 3:52 pm

      Of course, the real celebration will be January 20th. Don’t know about you guys, but I plan to be parked in front of the TV all day.

      Reply
    157. 157.

      SiubhanDuinne

      December 31, 2020 at 3:52 pm

      @Mai Naem mobile:

      Never heard that story before, so I looked it up.

      https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/barron-trump-chess/

      Reply
    158. 158.

      WaterGirl

      December 31, 2020 at 3:53 pm

      @LuciaMia: Hospitals are overrun with COVID. I can imagine idiots with burned and blown off fingers, or eye damage or whatever, from fireworks.  Not helpful.

      Reply
    159. 159.

      zhena gogolia

      December 31, 2020 at 3:54 pm

      @SiubhanDuinne: What a horrible picture. Trump is looking at him as if he’s never seen him before in his life.

      Reply
    160. 160.

      Miki

      December 31, 2020 at 3:55 pm

      @A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan): My 93 yr old Grampa died from liver failure – cirrhosis – but he drank very little, maybe 2 beers in the summer. (His Dr. asked us if he had a problem with alcohol – ffs, he was 93.) He also developed emphysema in his old age – and never smoked. Turns out my sister and my brother are both Alpha 1 – she now has pretty bad asthma, he has liver issues (and doesn’t drink). IOW, the emphysema and the cirrhosis could be part of a genetic issue. But yeah – cigs and booze will each kill you, regardless, and apparently earlier for some if they’re also Alpha 1.

      Happy New Year.

      Reply
    161. 161.

      debbie

      December 31, 2020 at 3:56 pm

      @zhena gogolia:

      Such a great film.

      Reply
    162. 162.

      Enhanced Voting Techniques

      December 31, 2020 at 3:56 pm

      @The Moar You Know: Yes, I was thinking, Trump being the gutless coward he is likely is running back the White House bunker  even though logically the Iranians will simply wait until next year when he is out of office to do any attack on him

      I do quite seriously hope the Iranians aren’t as stupid to try something like this and make Trump a martyr. That would really be disgusting to listen to conservatives talk about Trump in the same tones as Lincoln.

      Reply
    163. 163.

      FelonyGovt

      December 31, 2020 at 3:56 pm

      @JoyceH: You bet! I’ve blocked out January 20 and plan to watch the entire inauguration.

      Reply
    164. 164.

      SiubhanDuinne

      December 31, 2020 at 3:58 pm

      @JoyceH:

      Oh, yes, as will I. And I have little doubt that our wonderful frontpagers will keep us well supplied with live-streams and fresh threads for running commentary.

      Eight hours and two minutes to midnight.

      Nineteen days twenty hours and two minutes to the inauguration.

      Reply
    165. 165.

      mrmoshpotato

      December 31, 2020 at 3:59 pm

      @Phylllis: Had to check ESPN.

      Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl

      Yup.  Good god.  (shakes head)

      Reply
    166. 166.

      NotMax

      December 31, 2020 at 3:59 pm

      @WaterGirl

      I cannot make good fried chicken. So sad.

      Even the Rock of Gibraltar has its faults.

      Mine is gravy. Can churn out sauces by the barrelful; a good, rich, savory gravy eludes my paltry pantry skills entirely.

      ;)

      Reply
    167. 167.

      SiubhanDuinne

      December 31, 2020 at 4:01 pm

      @zhena gogolia:

      I wonder if Barron even spent the holidays with his parents. He wasn’t in the video I saw earlier today of Trump and Melania boarding AF1, and I don’t recall seeing him or even hearing mention of him flying to WPB with them last week.

      Reply
    168. 168.

      debbie

      December 31, 2020 at 4:02 pm

      I’ll be trying to stay up to time the celebratory gunfire at midnight. Based on the constant shootings in this city over the past year, I’d bet this year’s show will be staggering.

      Reply
    169. 169.

      LuciaMia

      December 31, 2020 at 4:02 pm

      @WaterGirl: Yeah, you’re probably right.

      Reply
    170. 170.

      UncleEbeneezer

      December 31, 2020 at 4:04 pm

      After 9 days of wearing masks at home, sleeping in separate beds etc., my wife just got the negative result of her Covid test.  So we are celebrating with some lobster for dinner and some of LA’s best burritos for tomorrow.

      Reply
    171. 171.

      raven

      December 31, 2020 at 4:04 pm

      @NotMax: It’s all in the roux.

      Reply
    172. 172.

      zhena gogolia

      December 31, 2020 at 4:05 pm

      @UncleEbeneezer: 
      Oh, good. There’s nothing like that “negative.”

      Reply
    173. 173.

      Jeffro

      December 31, 2020 at 4:06 pm

      @les:God, I miss live music.

      It has been a long, long year without it.  The last folks I saw live in 2020 were the DBTs and KISS (not on the same bill, obvs ;)

      I think if I had my way about it, I’d probably hop from YouTube concert to YouTube concert tonight, but I think my better half is going to want to watch movies instead.  Sigh.

      Reply
    174. 174.

      pamelabrown53

      December 31, 2020 at 4:06 pm

      @zhena gogolia:

      Thanks! Have you ever visited the museum? If not, is it in your top 5 of “museums to visit before I die”? The only Russian museum I visited was the Hermitage. Quite the daunting place.

      Reply
    175. 175.

      Bill Arnold

      December 31, 2020 at 4:06 pm

      @The Moar You Know:

      There’s 350,000 American families who are a lot closer to where he lives and easily just as motivated.

      Pretty sure he (and much of the rest of the Republican party) hasn’t yet internalized that mass homicide has consequences that might personally affect them.
      Also, more mundanely the Secret Service probably knows of buzz about Iran (probably chatter generated by Iranians just to mess with DJT’s head :-), and I’m sure they have mentioned their concerns to him.
      If he makes further moves to initiate war with Iran, rules about chain of command and other forms of … pushback will be practically temporarily loosened. Sample (of the plays, not pushback):
      Israel, Saudi Arabia reportedly pressuring Trump to strike Iran in final days – According to Arab media’s report, which is based on anonymous US sources, Riyadh and Jerusalem want to sabotage Biden’s plan to re-enter negotiations with the ayatollah regime. (Daniel Siryoti, 12-31-2020)

      According to the report, which is based on anonymous US sources, Riyadh and Jerusalem have “exerted heavy pressure on the president to take out Iran’s nuclear installations in a surgical strike” in order to sabotage Biden’s plan to re-enter negotiations with the ayatollah regime on a long-term deal regarding its atomic project and other matters.

      (Israel and the Israeli right in particular have long engaged in political assassination mainly foreign but also domestic (Rabin), so (deniable) retaliation in the fullness of time is another possibility.)

      Reply
    176. 176.

      Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

      December 31, 2020 at 4:07 pm

      I plan to overimbibe and probably stream “The Crown” in a desperate attempt to avoid being forced to watch and stay awake for the idiotic awfulness that is “Bridgerton”.

      My objections to this kind-of-regency-set fiction are multifold – there are zero externalities in the universe of the story that affect (or create a genuine break from) the moronic dialogue as to who should be matched to whom or who gets what income or dowry. There’s allegedly some war in Spain, but it affects nothing, and the men are either cads, gamblers or hopelessly noble, with no pursuits other than counting money or the lack thereof. I find myself caring about none of the characters or their petty relational foibles, and want a meteor to come down and slay them all.

      Plus, I got shouted at for falling asleep 10 minutes in to Episode 1.

      Reply
    177. 177.

      LuciaMia

      December 31, 2020 at 4:08 pm

       Barron ……and I don’t recall seeing him or even hearing mention of him flying to WPB with them last week.

      It is strange. Its one thing to keep your child out of the spotlight/scrutiny of the news cycle. But its like he doesnt even exist.

      Reply
    178. 178.

      HinTN

      December 31, 2020 at 4:08 pm

      @J R in WV: Don’t forget SNAFU.

      Reply
    179. 179.

      germy

      December 31, 2020 at 4:09 pm

      @Jeffro:

      The great thing about youtube concerts is that you have control of the volume, not some half-deaf maniac at a mixing board.

      Reply
    180. 180.

      Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

      December 31, 2020 at 4:10 pm

      @UncleEbeneezer:

      We could find no fresh lobster here in Louisville, which is incredibly unusual.

      Reply
    181. 181.

      cope

      December 31, 2020 at 4:11 pm

      Staying in, going to bed before midnight (probably).  In other words, same as it ever was.  We did whip up a quadruple batch (for sharing) of our traditional Texas Caviar black-eyed pea dip for good luck.  I’ll add a little more hot sauce and Worcestershire to mine when the time comes.

      Owlwise, I hear screech owls pretty often and larger owls (barred? barn? great horned?) on occasion.  I even stopped for a burrowing owl in the middle of the street in our neighborhood one night.  However, just  a couple of weeks ago, I went outside around 4 or 5 AM to take our new puppy on a potty break.  Just before I stepped out on the pool deck, headed for the grass, a very large shape glided from left to right down the full length of “lawn” that borders our pool.  It was no more than three feet above the ground, but 15 feet in front of me and absolutely silent.  I was in awe, the puppy clueless.

      Reply
    182. 182.

      Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

      December 31, 2020 at 4:13 pm

      @LuciaMia:

      When was the last time President Shit for Brains Clickbait did something with the kid?

      Reply
    183. 183.

      germy

      December 31, 2020 at 4:15 pm

      @LuciaMia:

      Someone here (I don’t remember who) said they heard a tape and he has a thick Slovenian accent.

      Reply
    184. 184.

      germy

      December 31, 2020 at 4:17 pm

      @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:

      Like all of Trump’s offspring, he’ll be considered a “kid” when he’s well into his thirties.

      As in “Leave the kids alone!”  or  “The kids have suffered enough. Grant them immunity!”

      Reply
    185. 185.

      NotMax

      December 31, 2020 at 4:17 pm

      Ooh, turns out there’s a single bottle of Prosecco in the house. Bubbly tonight!

      Reply
    186. 186.

      zhena gogolia

      December 31, 2020 at 4:17 pm

      @pamelabrown53: 
      No, I’ve never been there. Russian “house-museums” are kind of boring. (I’m not a big museum person in general.) My experience outside of Moscow is pretty limited. I’m a terrible traveler. I’ve been to Turgenev’s Oryol house and Tolstoy’s Moscow house and Lermontov’s Moscow house and Tsvetaeva’s Moscow house and Tchaikovsky’s Moscow house, and that’s about it.

      Reply
    187. 187.

      Jeffro

      December 31, 2020 at 4:17 pm

      @germy: yeah, but on the other hand the merch table is sooo lame… ;)

      Reply
    188. 188.

      NotMax

      December 31, 2020 at 4:21 pm

      @zhena gogolia

      “Where do I find info about Russian museums?”

      “Gogol it.”

      Reply
    189. 189.

      WaterGirl

      December 31, 2020 at 4:21 pm

      @UncleEbeneezer: What a relief!  So happy for you.  Does she get one more test, or is she totally in the clear?

      Reply
    190. 190.

      germy

      December 31, 2020 at 4:21 pm

      @Jeffro:

      You must have adblocker.

      Reply
    191. 191.

      mrmoshpotato

      December 31, 2020 at 4:23 pm

      @UncleEbeneezer: After 9 days of wearing masks at home, sleeping in separate beds etc., my wife just got the negative result of her Covid test.

      Good to hear. :)

      Reply
    192. 192.

      Kelly

      December 31, 2020 at 4:24 pm

      @J R in WV:I have burned so much optimism over the past 4 years I don’t have much left.

      For me it isn’t even Trump’s increasingly bad actions. The widespread enthusiasm for or acquiescence to all this meanness is daunting.

      Reply
    193. 193.

      germy

      December 31, 2020 at 4:25 pm

      Lin Wood’s Ex-Law Partners Claim He Was Taped Admitting to Assaults, Asserting He May Be ‘Christ Coming Back for Second Time’

      Reply
    194. 194.

      UncleEbeneezer

      December 31, 2020 at 4:28 pm

      @WaterGirl: By the time we could even get a second test, she’ll be past the incubation period.  So not much point.  Her potential exposure was very slim (not exposed to someone WITH Covid, just to someone outside of our bubble).

      Reply
    195. 195.

      sab

      December 31, 2020 at 4:30 pm

      @les: My husband has always been a stick in the mud about going to concerts. Now he is hyper anxious to get out of the house. If we live so long, a couple of years from now could be wildly fun… That assumes there will still be working musicians.

      Reply
    196. 196.

      mrmoshpotato

      December 31, 2020 at 4:30 pm

      @germy: WTF?  These assholes give bags of nuts a bad name!

      Reply
    197. 197.

      raven

      December 31, 2020 at 4:31 pm

      CNN)Republican Sen. David Perdue of Georgia will quarantine after coming into close contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19, his campaign announced Thursday, with just days to go before the state’s runoff race for his seat.

      “This morning, Senator Perdue was notified that he came into close contact with someone on the campaign who tested positive for COVID-19,” the campaign said in a statement. “Both Senator Perdue and his wife tested negative today, but following his doctor’s recommendations and in accordance with CDC guidelines, they will quarantine. The Senator and his wife have been tested regularly throughout the campaign, and the team will continue to follow CDC guidelines. Further information will be provided when available.”

      Reply
    198. 198.

      mrmoshpotato

      December 31, 2020 at 4:32 pm

      @sab: My husband has always been a stick in the mud about going to concerts. Now he is hyper anxious to get out of the house. If we live so long, a couple of years from now could be wildly fun… That assumes there will still be working musicians.

      I see mosh pits in your futures.  Maybe some crowdsurfing.

      Reply
    199. 199.

      MomSense

      December 31, 2020 at 4:32 pm

      @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:

      It’s an eye candy shoppe.  Suffer through until you get to the honeymoon sexy times.

      Reply
    200. 200.

      mrmoshpotato

      December 31, 2020 at 4:37 pm

      @raven: Republican Sen. David Perdue of Georgia will quarantine after coming into close contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19

      Of course he did!  What Rethuglican doesn’t potentially have COVID-19?  I guess he has a valid excuse to not debate Ossoff now!

      Reply
    201. 201.

      pamelabrown53

      December 31, 2020 at 4:38 pm

      @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:

      Lighten up, Francis. Just think of it as Regency romance with a ShondaLand twist.

      It’s quite alright that you don’t relate to Regency romances.

      Reply
    202. 202.

      Mike in NC

      December 31, 2020 at 4:39 pm

      @pamelabrown53:  We visited the Hermitage during a 2014 Baltic Sea cruise. My wife attended art schools and never in her wildest dreams did she ever expect to go there and see so many treasures.

      Reply
    203. 203.

      germy

      December 31, 2020 at 4:39 pm

      @mrmoshpotato: 

      They need excuses now? My favorite was Tuberville, who just said “Nope, I ain’t gonna do it.”

      Reply
    204. 204.

      Baud

      December 31, 2020 at 4:40 pm

      @germy:

      Jesus Christ Super Thug.

      Reply
    205. 205.

      JoyceH

      December 31, 2020 at 4:41 pm

      Hah! I was just coming here to post about the Perdue quarantine. But I see I’m late, so will just add – LOL.

      Reply
    206. 206.

      Baud

      December 31, 2020 at 4:42 pm

      @germy:

      “Why debate? I’m a Republican running in Alabama who hasn’t molested children.”

      Reply
    207. 207.

      mrmoshpotato

      December 31, 2020 at 4:44 pm

      @germy: Wonderful Senator-elect Alaboneheads have there now.

      Reply
    208. 208.

      NotMax

      December 31, 2020 at 4:45 pm

      @sab

      ‘Twill ere be a wandering minstrel or two.

      ;)

      Reply
    209. 209.

      germy

      December 31, 2020 at 4:45 pm

      “He had carefully avoided her out of the natural cowardice that characterizes the stronger sex.”
      ― Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary

      Reply
    210. 210.

      WaterGirl

      December 31, 2020 at 4:47 pm

      @UncleEbeneezer: Having had two friends whose husbands had covid, with each of them living with their spouses…  where the wives had to not only isolate during the husbands 10-14 days, but the wives also had to start their own isolation once the husbands go the all clear, because they could have gotten exposed to their husbands on the last possible that that he was potentially contagious.

      I suspect that she should have the second test, just to be safe.  Because in the unlikely event that she did have it and was asymptomatic, she could be contagious to you.

      Reply
    211. 211.

      TomatoQueen

      December 31, 2020 at 4:48 pm

      Thank you everyone for very kind birthday wishes. In return, my best hope for a better year and a better time coming.

       

      @NotMax:  I’ll check that link when I sign off the w*o*r*k computer. And of course every year I have endured the tax deduction nick-name. Especially because (and I’ve never been allowed to forget this either) I was born two weeks late.  Been a professional slow-arse from birth.

      No success so far with medicare.gov. Gonna be fun this evening, interrupted with bouts of That’s Entertainment on TCM.

      Reply
    212. 212.

      JoyceH

      December 31, 2020 at 4:48 pm

      Also? The Congresswoman-Elect who beat Donna Shalala will miss her own swearing in because she’s caught COVID. I think the ratio of COVID positive Republican legislators to Democrats is something like three to one.

      Reply
    213. 213.

      Mary G

      December 31, 2020 at 4:48 pm

      I’m actually bemoaning the loss of the Rose Parade, even if I haven’t watched it in decades. Probably bed early. Housemate who got back from Guatemala a few weeks ago just got the news that his younger brother was in a motorcycle accident and gravely ill.

      Reply
    214. 214.

      germy

      December 31, 2020 at 4:48 pm

      “From time to time, I open a newspaper. Things seem to be proceeding at a dizzying rate. We are dancing not on the edge of a volcano, but on the wooden seat of a latrine, and it seems to me more than a touch rotten. Soon society will go plummeting down and drown in nineteen centuries of shit. There’ll be quite a lot of shouting. (1850)”
      ― Gustave Flaubert

      Reply
    215. 215.

      germy

      December 31, 2020 at 4:51 pm

      Advice for writers:

      “Better to work for yourself alone. You do as you like and follow your own ideas, you admire yourself and please yourself: isn’t that the main thing? And then the public is so stupid. Besides, who reads? And what do they read? And what do they admire?”
      ― Gustave Flaubert

      Reply
    216. 216.

      sdhays

      December 31, 2020 at 4:52 pm

      @Baud: “Why debate? I’m a Republican running in Alabama who hasn’t molested doesn’t have a public record molesting children.”

      Reply
    217. 217.

      trollhattan

      December 31, 2020 at 4:54 pm

      @sab:

      My bride gets antsy at concerts and always wants to leave early, no matter who it is or the quality of the performance. She was able to leverage “We need to get home to the babysitter” for quite a long while but with said baby in college, I hardly ever fall for that one now.

      Thing about sitting with somebody who’s antsy, the stress is contagious.

      Reply
    218. 218.

      trollhattan

      December 31, 2020 at 4:55 pm

      @sdhays:

      “They never proved nuffin’!”

      ETA Still flabbergasted “Judge” Roy Moore was so blatant about his teen stalking he was banned from a mall. In Alabama.

      Reply
    219. 219.

      Martin

      December 31, 2020 at 4:55 pm

      Orange County just approved 1000 care facilities for vaccine distribution, so hopefully they’ll catch up to supply. Until now it’s mostly been hospitals and they’re just slammed.

      In other news, a nice retrospective of ‘Trump’s 8th wonder of the world‘.

      IN MANY WAYS, the Foxconn debacle in Wisconsin is the physical manifestation of the alternate reality that has defined the Trump administration. Trump promised to bring back manufacturing, found a billionaire eager to play along, and now for three years the people of Wisconsin have been told to expect an LCD factory that plainly is not there. Into the gap between appearance and reality fell people’s jobs, homes, and livelihoods.

      People were forced out of their homes. I don’t inherently dislike Foxconn, but you have to understand how Foxconn operates. They play hardball capitalism like Trump. And if you offer them $4B, they’re going to take it and do nothing with it if you let them.

      Not only is that not how you rebuild the manufacturing sector, naive and corrupt schemes like this from Walker and Trump are how you continue to do harm to it.

      Reply
    220. 220.

      J R in WV

      December 31, 2020 at 4:55 pm

      @HinTN:

      Motion caught my eye and I followed what resolved into a very large owl in a motionless glide coming down over the treetops. The bird leveled off at about ten feet and passed directly over my head on a track across the field toward the bog. There was zero sound from that bird. No wind noise, nothing.

      I seem to recall there’s a special detail to owl feathers so that they fly with no sound. Helps them predate on the tiny rodents who can’t hear them until way too late.

      Some years ago I was driving home after work in early winter or late fall, well after harvest was all in. It was nearing winter evening dusk. Passing a harvested corn field of little stumps, I got to watch a tiny hawk stoop from a telephone pole onto a little rodent foraging for dinner.

      When it hit the ground, it formed a wall with its wing and tail feathers, to force tiny rodent to flee straight ahead, if not nailed at first. Was amazing to see, hawk had such an interesting pattern of dark and light feathers, all extended in use as part of the act of capturing hawk’s dinner that night.

      Reply
    221. 221.

      raven

      December 31, 2020 at 4:58 pm

      @Mary G: Three years ago was one of the best days of my life. We were at the Rose Bowl at 4:30am. Walked up the hill to Colorado Blvd, watched the parade, walked back to the stadium, ate collards and black eyed peas on the golf course and then went to the best game I’ve ever been to! We were so close to the floats I had to use my phone because I’d put too big of a lens on my Canon.

      The only problem was that people had told us how great the smell of the flowers would be and that didn’t happen.

      Reply
    222. 222.

      frosty

      December 31, 2020 at 5:00 pm

      @Suzanne: The nice thing about being a consultant instead of a County employee was that my resume was always up to date, done for every new proposal.

      Reply
    223. 223.

      Another Scott

      December 31, 2020 at 5:03 pm

      Law&Crime – Lin Wood said he may be Christ

      Who is genuinely surprised? Who??!

      (via Popehat)

      Cheers,
      Scott.

      Reply
    224. 224.

      NotMax

      December 31, 2020 at 5:03 pm

      @J R in WV

      Stealth soaring. Which is why Hitchcock should instead have made The Owls.

      ;)

      Reply
    225. 225.

      pamelabrown53

      December 31, 2020 at 5:05 pm

      @zhena gogolia:

      Well, that sounds like a lot! (House museums). I have a love/hate relationship with Russia and Russian literature. Too dark and nihilistic for my tastes.

      However, I do appreciate your comments on the subject and try to keep an open mind.

      Reply
    226. 226.

      Another Scott

      December 31, 2020 at 5:08 pm

      @Another Scott: (And, late again.)

      Cheers,
      Scott.

      Reply
    227. 227.

      frosty

      December 31, 2020 at 5:09 pm

      Staying in as usual. My millenial son isn’t going out so I’m going to light a fire to cheer up this drizzly sleety gray chilly day, and then the three of us will watch Death to 2020. Ms F will be preparing champagne cocktails as she continues experimenting with her new COVID hobby of mixology.

      Reply
    228. 228.

      Princess Leia

      December 31, 2020 at 5:09 pm

      @The Moar You Know: You must live in my neighborhood. they actually have a launcher. In a residential area. My girl won’t go out after dark either.

      Reply
    229. 229.

      NotMax

      December 31, 2020 at 5:14 pm

      @frosty

      Death to 2020

      Haven’t yet gotten around to it. Shall also note (haven’t watched it either, so consider it nothing more than an FYI) Yearly Departed showed up on Prime.

      Reply
    230. 230.

      Spanky

      December 31, 2020 at 5:15 pm

      I always assume Barron spends a lot of time with his biological father.

      Reply
    231. 231.

      Ruckus

      December 31, 2020 at 5:17 pm

      @J R in WV:

      Albertsons, the grocery chain, which owns a lot of companies, like Vons here in socal is setting up inoculation places, based upon the pharmacies in their stores. I’ve received info from Vons because I shop there and have a store card. If you go to the website, for Albertsons, they have a place on there that gives the info.

      Reply
    232. 232.

      Enhanced Voting Techniques

      December 31, 2020 at 5:19 pm

      @Martin: No one is going stick the kind of consumer goods product line in the US like some dimbulb like Trump fantasies about.  The labor costs are too high and not enough people willing to work on assembly lines like that.

      Reply
    233. 233.

      sdhays

      December 31, 2020 at 5:20 pm

      @trollhattan: Considering everything else we know about the man, I can’t say that surprised me. I’m still scratching my head at how, after all of his antics and campaigns and years in the public spotlight as a very controversial individual, being banned from a mall for being a suspected sexual predator didn’t come out until he ran against Doug Jones.

      Either his Republican opponents didn’t do their homework, or they didn’t think it was something that would be considered scandalous in a Republican primary. “Who amongst us hasn’t been banned from a mall for trying to pick up teenagers, am I right?” Failing to protect students from sexual assault didn’t harm Gym Jordan, so there’s precedent for that line of thinking, as stomach-churning as it is.

      Reply
    234. 234.

      pamelabrown53

      December 31, 2020 at 5:20 pm

      @Mike in NC:

      The Hermitage is just so vast. Neither the Louvre, British Museum nor the Vatican felt so overwhelming. All are imposing with centuries of sometimes pillaged treasures.

      Reply
    235. 235.

      NotMax

      December 31, 2020 at 5:21 pm

      @frosty

      champagne cocktails

      Kir Imperial. ’nuff said.

      ;)

      Reply
    236. 236.

      Xavier

      December 31, 2020 at 5:24 pm

      @Gin & Tonic: My bumper sticker says “I’m Retired Go Around Me.”

      Reply
    237. 237.

      JoyceH

      December 31, 2020 at 5:27 pm

      @Spanky:

      I always assume Barron spends a lot of time with his biological father.

      Ooh, is that snark or a genuine rumor? If genuine rumor, details please?

      Reply
    238. 238.

      sdhays

      December 31, 2020 at 5:28 pm

      @Spanky: While I have no opinion or care as to the Third Lady’s faithfulness, or lack thereof, to his Dumpiness, I strongly suspect Donnie John is Barron’s father. Just like in the old royal families, producing a child is her insurance policy and an important status token.

      Any subsequent children – all bets are off. Besides, I seem to recall that their prenup “allowed” her one child, so any other fetuses, if they were somehow to be conceived, would likely be aborted. Or else be subject to a renegotiation of the prenup.

      Reply
    239. 239.

      PsiFighter37

      December 31, 2020 at 5:30 pm

      @NotMax: It’s pretty good. Hugh Grant’s character is the best in it, and I didn’t even realize it was him until the credits rolled.

      Reply
    240. 240.

      Citizen Alan

      December 31, 2020 at 5:30 pm

      @Major Major Major Major:

      It is actually on my Discord server. Which often baffles and confuses me. But I’ll see what I can do. It’s probably not to everyone’s cup of tea, since it’s (a) Harry Potter, (b) fanfic, and (c) a chapter from the middle of Book 3. But that was what the Discord members picked for a holiday treat, so we’ll see how it goes.

      Reply
    241. 241.

      pamelabrown53

      December 31, 2020 at 5:30 pm

      @raven:

      What an amazing experience. Always wanted to be there. I remember when HGTV had actual gardeners who enthusiastically imparted all the float details (and with no commercials)!  Damn I miss the sense of wonder that the garden people imparted to that wondrous parade. The only parade I care about.

      Reply
    242. 242.

      Martin

      December 31, 2020 at 5:30 pm

      @raven: Yeah, no. They’ve been decorating those things for weeks. The smell goes pretty fast and there’s a real art to choosing how to decorate them such that they can be assembled with things that can last weeks and things that can last days, and organized as such. Ms Martin used to help decorate them.

      Reply
    243. 243.

      PsiFighter37

      December 31, 2020 at 5:31 pm

      @raven: Sounds like a great excuse for a chicken to avoid talking to anyone before the election. Cluck cluck, motherfucker.

      Reply
    244. 244.

      Billcoop4

      December 31, 2020 at 5:37 pm

      Soloing dinner here, since my long-time soulmate with whom I’ve done NYE with since 1989 — save twice — passed this year of a rapid, relatively painless cancer.

      Per tradition, I’ll have sirloin, Yorkshire pudding veggies, a good Zinfandel.  Bubbly, then a Zoom call with staff alums from the summer place I’ve gone to and worked at my whole life, Silver Bay YMCA.

      Should be a good evening.  May peek in on the BJ Zoom, even though I’m mostly a lurker here.

      BC

      Reply
    245. 245.

      Kathleen

      December 31, 2020 at 5:38 pm

      @Dan B: I don’t know if you were a Boardwalk fan but George Remus (the notorious bootlegger aka “The Bourbon King”) killed his wife in that very spot. I’m reading a book about him entitled – “The Bourbon King”. Fascinating. His mansion was also about 1 to 2 miles from where I live. And yes. Eden Park is magical.

      Reply
    246. 246.

      raven

      December 31, 2020 at 5:40 pm

      @pamelabrown53: It was pretty funny. When I got tickets I gave my bride the choice to go. After a bit of thinking she said she did so I booked the incredibly expensive plane tix. Right after that she said “we’re going to the parade”! This was a statement of fact even though I said “what do you know what that will be like to go to the game and the parade”?? It turns out I was glad we went even though the seats at the parade cost me more than the game (but not parking on the golf course)!

      Reply
    247. 247.

      frosty

      December 31, 2020 at 5:40 pm

      @NotMax:  Coincidentally, the mixologist sent that recipe to herself today. We have the Chambord so I think it will be on the list. Thanks for the recco!!

      Reply
    248. 248.

      raven

      December 31, 2020 at 5:41 pm

      @Martin: Well, up until now, no-one has ever been able to explain that to me! Thanks

      Reply
    249. 249.

      way2blue

      December 31, 2020 at 5:43 pm

      A Zoom this evening with friends.  Traditionally we’d share a late dinner, then ring in the New Year with champagne.  Tonight, fish chowder for two; tomorrow the winter, Latvia Stew from the novel, ‘Gentleman in Moscow’…

      Reply
    250. 250.

      zhena gogolia

      December 31, 2020 at 5:46 pm

      @pamelabrown53: 
      Russian literature is not nihilistic!!!!

      Reply
    251. 251.

      J R in WV

      December 31, 2020 at 5:48 pm

      Nearest real Albertson’s is just over 1000 miles away according to Google maps. Nearest Albertson’s owned stores appear to be around Dayton OH, so 250 miles away. I would actually consider going to Dayton for the shots. Kroger’s talks about having vaccination, hiring new staff, etc, but no actual dates.

      But really, I expect we’ll get them just as quickly staying put. CVS says they’re inoculating folks in care homes now… no details on when next set of folks can make appointments.

      Reply
    252. 252.

      zhena gogolia

      December 31, 2020 at 5:50 pm

      @PsiFighter37:

      I just watched the trailer and didn’t see Hugh Grant. It was all women. Did I miss something?

      Reply
    253. 253.

      raven

      December 31, 2020 at 5:53 pm

      Since I’m babbling on about the 2018 Rose Bowl here’s a video of the band as Sony Michel scores the winning touchdown on 2bbl OT. It’s great how excited they are and how quickly they recover and begin to play!

      This is not my video but we were sitting right next to them.

      Reply
    254. 254.

      NotMax

      December 31, 2020 at 5:54 pm

      @zhena gogolia

      He was referring to Death to 2020 on Netflix. Yes, the Prime thing is all female.

      Reply
    255. 255.

      zhena gogolia

      December 31, 2020 at 5:57 pm

      @NotMax:

      Wish I could see Death to 2020, but I am just at my limit and refuse to sign up for Netflix on top of everything else.

      Reply
    256. 256.

      Martin

      December 31, 2020 at 5:58 pm

      @Enhanced Voting Techniques: The labor costs aren’t really  the problem, though. The number of workers is a huge problem.

      I worked with the CA Gov office a number of years ago when I was heading up statewide advisory group that had received an inquiry from a large manufacturer to move to CA. The inquiry didn’t even inquire about labor costs – which would have been high in CA, with higher than national minimum wage and standard of living, and many more state regulations on benefits and the like. It was entirely about infrastructure and access to workers. Simply put, not only could CA not generate the number of workers they needed with the specific background they were looking for (degrees, etc), the entire US barely could.

      My understanding is this turned to some inquiry into guaranteeing H1Bs, but they then chose to set up in Germany. Wages and benefits and taxes were higher, but they had the labor force the US didn’t have. Particularly they had the type of labor they wanted.

      Apple weighed in on this as well when Steve Jobs met with Obama.

      “The president is very smart,” Jobs told Isaacson, “but he kept explaining to us reasons why things can’t get done. It infuriates me.”

      Jobs continued to press the engineering angle at the dinner, saying that at the time Apple employed 700,000 factory workers in China, plus 30,000 engineers to support those workers.

      It perplexed Jobs. Why couldn’t those engineers be American?

      There wasn’t a giant education barrier. They didn’t need to be Ph.D.s. They could be educated in trade schools.

      If those engineers were Stateside, Jobs argued, then the factories could be, too.

      “If you could educate these engineers,” he said, “then we could move more manufacturing plants here.”

      Isaacson reported that Jobs’ reasoning stuck with Obama.

      Over the next month, he repeatedly told his aides that “we’ve got to find ways to train those 30,000 manufacturing engineers that Jobs told us about.”

      So, Apple wasn’t the company – they sure as shit don’t need my input. But Jobs is right. The US has gotten too invested in both treating the BS as a lowest viable degree, and in constraining the number of those degree around the cost to educate them rather then the benefit of them to the economy.

      See, it costs 4x as much to educate an engineer – higher paid salary to compete with industry, lots of technical facilities, more courses – than someone in the humanities or social sciences. So given a flat tuition structure, universities grow their BA programs and don’t grow their engineering programs – particularly the 2 year technology programs that manufacturers hire in volume. The research universities want nothing to do with those programs, but they can grow on the back of their research funding. The teaching universities are more open to them, but can’t grow because they don’t have that additional revenue stream. As a result, the nation has the wrong mix of training.

      Making matters worse, those students going for degrees in the US don’t want to work in an environment like that. Assembly line jobs are only a step above ag jobs, and we need to import that labor as well. They’re absolutely better than nothing, but nobody wants to stand there and assemble iPhones or TVs for 30 years.

      In China they’re mostly transitional jobs for young people. The manufacturer above went to Germany because of the strength of Germanys apprenticeship program and a better national focus on educational expansion.

      We were a part of Obama’s effort to produce those workers, but the federal incentives weren’t enough to overcome the state and local disincentives, and it was really challenging to build the kind of partnerships with industry that we needed because there were a number of other obstacles they were facing that also needed to be dealt with – supply chains, access to markets, etc. They layered on that program incentives to recruit and train vets, which we loved – we have a lot of vets – but that too was slow to get going.

      So if anyone wonders why the proliferation of administrators – this is part of the reason. We tried really hard to make this work, and when the government doesn’t just hand you a solution, you need to hire people who have the right experience to make this work – how do we find these students, what exactly does industry need, what specific services do vets need. I mean, if we had everything, we’d have the students, so clearly we don’t have everything. And that all has to get built out before any students arrive, and if the GOP slashes that funding because of the deficit, well, it all falls apart before you really had a shot at making it work.

      Reply
    257. 257.

      Matt McIrvin

      December 31, 2020 at 6:04 pm

      @sab: We didn’t go to pop/rock concerts much until just the past couple of years, when my spouse decided it’d be fun to see much more live music, and it’s been great… but 2020 killed all our plans. We had so many awesome concerts lined up. Don’t know when it’ll be reasonable to do that again, if ever.

      Reply
    258. 258.

      pamelabrown53

      December 31, 2020 at 6:09 pm

      @zhena gogolia:

      Down trodden, things always sucked and always will? Is that better? Like I said, I’m keeping an open mind and not being facetious.

      Reply
    259. 259.

      opiejeanne

      December 31, 2020 at 6:12 pm

      @Baud: Thank you for posting that. My husband has been worried about that ship being there, thinking it was the run-up to Trump trying to start shit with Iran in the next 19 days.

      Reply
    260. 260.

      Ruckus

      December 31, 2020 at 6:13 pm

      @J R in WV:

      OK, they have a lot of brands didn’t know that not one of them would be located in WV.

      Does your wife’s doctor have any info? I’d imagine that they might be the first to know about it.

      I’m on a list with the VA to be kept updated on vaccine news, like when they will be vaccinating. They have started with actual healthcare providers, the hospitals are getting first supplies, clinics will very likely be down the list. They tell us that if we get health care at the VA they will contact us individually when it’s our turn, to set appointments, if we want the vaccine, unless like me, as I’ve stated that I will be vaccinated.

      Reply
    261. 261.

      Martin

      December 31, 2020 at 6:13 pm

      @raven: Its funny, I’ve never actually attended the parade, even though it’d be trivial for me to. Ms Martin grew up a few miles from the parade route and volunteering to decorate a float was a regular winter break activity for her.

      I get up and watch it on KTLA or HGTV like everyone else.

      The floats take months to take apart. The smell is reportedly apocalyptically bad as all of the flower and fruit and such rots in 100 degree warehouses. They shovel up the rotting stuff, disassemble the floats with propane torches and saws, and dispose/recycle/store it all. And then they start designing and building the next years.

      The float designs get approved in Feb, they get sponsors sorted by May when they start construction. Flowers start getting added around Dec 15 or so – the dried stuff that gets glued on, etc. the fancy stuff gets put in a little flower vial with water and is done just a day or two ahead.

      They do have some volunteers to remove the flowers, but not enough of them. I understand they sometimes hide money in the float for the folks who dismantle them to find.

      Reply
    262. 262.

      raven

      December 31, 2020 at 6:15 pm

      @Martin: We moved to LA in 57 and no one in my family had ever been. My mom and my father-in-law always regretted it and that was the reason my bride insisted.  I’m glad she did

       

      We actually went to Pasadena three days in a row. The day before to scout it out, the game and then met with friends and family for lunch the day after. I scored some great prices on UGA gear that day.

      Reply
    263. 263.

      zhena gogolia

      December 31, 2020 at 6:16 pm

      @pamelabrown53: That’s not the message I get from Russian literature!

      Reply
    264. 264.

      Steve in the ATL

      December 31, 2020 at 6:18 pm

      @Miki:

       

      But yeah – cigs and booze will each kill you, regardless

      Keith Richards says hello!

      Reply
    265. 265.

      NotMax

      December 31, 2020 at 6:18 pm

      @Enhanced Voting Techniques

      Quasi-obligatory.

      :)

      Reply
    266. 266.

      Ruckus

      December 31, 2020 at 6:38 pm

      @Martin:

      Back a few decades we always kept 2 apprentices (in actual apprenticeship programs) in our small shop because that was the only way to get people into machine shop work. All the schools were focusing (and not real well, but still) on other than physical jobs. And that’s over 50 yrs ago. This is not a new thing at all. The younger guys I work with (OK that’s everyone else….) have the bare minimum of knowledge in math and especially in trig, stuff I learned as a kid and which we use every day. They get spooked by my  $10 Casio calculator, which has trig functions. They are not in any way stupid, they can learn and do very well when shown a way to do something, but they don’t have the basic approach concepts. Even when I was in HS, the shops had stopped actually teaching any of the physical trades, other than auto shop. And even there it was at least a decade out of date. And I graduated in the mid 60s. This has hurt this country a lot, in that we don’t have the basic skills to do the work, these have to be taught. I’m a decent machinist, I can work to millionths tolerances but I learned none of that in school and even our apprentices never saw all that they should have in the school setting. BTW we taught a man with a 4th grade education – he had to leave school to work to help support his mom – we taught him trig in 2 months of when we could spare the time. He wasn’t dumb, just not educated. I’ve met far more people that could have had great jobs but didn’t because they never got a proper education that showed them their strengths, only that they should be paper pushers.

      Reply
    267. 267.

      cope

      December 31, 2020 at 6:41 pm

      “Twilight Zone” marathon on SYFY for anybody who’s interested.

      Reply
    268. 268.

      Another Scott

      December 31, 2020 at 6:44 pm

      @Martin: Thanks for that and for your perspective on training and education.  It’s very valuable and appreciated.  You obviously bring a lot to the table.

      I’ve gotta give a counterpoint, though.

      Back in the ’50s-’60s, giant industries in the US ran their own in-house education programs.  GMI is but one example.  It’s long gone.  Why is that?

      Why don’t masses people want to go to trade school and work on Apple’s assembly lines in the USA?  Because Apple doesn’t really want American workers at its (non-existent) US factories.  Their actions say as much.  Where’s Apple Institute, churning out the tens of thousands of trained workers they say they need?  They’ve got no interest in training people themselves, for whatever reason (don’t want to pay enough, don’t want to risk that they’ll leave (since their anti-poaching agreements were thrown out), etc.).

      “Money talks.”

      Apple is a giant global corporation and follows the <a href=”https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Rules_of_Acquisition”>Rules of Acquisition</a>, like they all do if they’re able.

      If giant American companies really need more American engineers, they’ll pay for them.  They’ll poach from other companies; they’ll pay HS graduates to come work for them and pay them to get trained as engineers; they’ll relocate/expand to places that have property taxes high enough to support public education (rather than run abroad, and demand to have H1Bs for a few spots at headquarters in the US) to help the rest of the community.  Etc.

      I have a distinct memory that a while ago you were telling us that Apple couldn’t build iPhones in the US because all of the other feeder suppliers were long gone overseas (if they were ever in the USA).  And that’s why China was a powerhouse now – all their (relatively) small suppliers were down the street.  Now it’s because there aren’t enough US engineers?  (Of course, there’s some truth to both, but it’s not the whole truth – not by a long shot, IMHO.)

      Kids going to school and thinking about where they hope/want to work when they graduate aren’t stupid.  They look at how much school costs (even in just opportunity costs, if their tuition is free) and want to have a decent chance at a secure future.  Apple could have people beating down the doors if they looked more than 6 months ahead, if they really want to have more Americans, especially over the long term…

      To be clear: I’m a STEM person and have been for decades.  I, too, have seen how STEM graduate programs are dominated by non-Americans.  But I also have seen STEM graduates who have been on perpetual post-docs, or adjuncts, or left STEM positions for patent law or other types of law.  There is no evidence for a “shortage” of young STEM people in the US.  I remember in the mid-80s when there was a genuine shortage of electrical engineers.  Masters graduates were hopping jobs every 2-3 years for big raises and bonuses.  The market is nothing like that now…  Again, money talks.  Big companies, and the government, both need to invest more in the USA.  And the Rules of Acquisition need to be reined in…

      tl;dr – China will always have more engineers – they have a much larger population and are rich enough now to support a rapidly growing, modern economy to keep them employed.  Apple (and others) are wanting others to do their work for them (and keep their taxes and regulations low, also too).

      My $0.02.

      Cheers,
      Scott.
      (“What?  Me cynical??”)

      Reply
    269. 269.

      Another Scott

      December 31, 2020 at 6:50 pm

      @NotMax: Zooks!

      Cheers,
      Scott.

      Reply
    270. 270.

      Martin

      December 31, 2020 at 6:50 pm

      @Ruckus: Yeah, our engineering school has been trying to expand their machine shop. They have a few million in in-kind gifts, but can’t get either the space to house it or the budget to staff it because as you know if you don’t know what you’re doing, you’ll get featured in one of those equipment safety videos where someone saws all their fingers off.

      Students fill every seat in the machining classes, so it’s not a lack of demand. They could probably train up 200 or more starting machinists a year.

      Reply
    271. 271.

      Ruckus

      December 31, 2020 at 7:18 pm

      @Martin:

      Yep. A lot of the guys like me are/have aged out of the business and there will be a shortage of people who can actually make stuff in this country. We don’t make a lot of furniture, clothes, household appliances, electronic doodads, etc any more because without workers and without a major guarantied ROI, people won’t invest in them. I really don’t get how we survive selling each other insurance, and by considering that wall street is the only way to make money. An  economy is made by making and selling things people want to purchase, money is made by trading money and monetary positions among those who have money. And those bastards are ruining it for the rest of us. Did we learn nothing from 1929? You don’t have to answer that, obviously.

      Reply
    272. 272.

      Martin

      December 31, 2020 at 7:35 pm

      @Another Scott:

      If giant American companies really need more American engineers, they’ll pay for them.  They’ll poach from other companies; they’ll pay HS graduates to come work for them and pay them to get trained as engineers; they’ll relocate/expand to places that have property taxes high enough to support public education (rather than run abroad, and demand to have H1Bs for a few spots at headquarters in the US) to help the rest of the community.  Etc.

      I have a distinct memory that a while ago you were telling us that Apple couldn’t build iPhones in the US because all of the other feeder suppliers were long gone overseas (if they were ever in the USA).  And that’s why China was a powerhouse now – all their (relatively) small suppliers were down the street.  Now it’s because there aren’t enough US engineers?  (Of course, there’s some truth to both, but it’s not the whole truth – not by a long shot, IMHO.)

      No, it is both, and more. Other factors are infrastructure and speed of development. So, how quickly can you export your goods. The US isn’t great at this. China invests pretty heavily in ports and cargo airports, shipments to the US clear customs in China, so they aren’t delayed as they hit the distribution efforts.

      And speed of development related to how long it takes to get things built in the US. That maybe a little bit of paperwork, but more the US obsession with efficiency of capital which means you never build anything sooner than you need it which makes everything take ages, like road work.

      Yes, Apple can pay for training, and they do. But nobody was providing the equivalent of 2 year degrees worth of training. And that’s what we’re talking about here. It’s not the million assemblers they’re talking about, it’s the 10s of thousands of engineers, which is more than the entire state of California turns out from nearly 200 colleges and universities.

      We were approached by Boeing to provide additive manufacturing training for 30,000 of their employees, and the scale of the program would have been overwhelming. And that was vastly less than a 2 year degree, and it was just supplemental training for people who already had engineering degrees, so no issues with attrition, etc.

      The problem with  your description of ‘young STEM’ people is overly broad. Engineering is very narrow. You typically can’t hire an electrical engineer to do mechanical engineering work. Engineers aren’t very fungible. And if you need industrial engineers, which are critical to manufacturing, most engineering schools don’t even offer industrial engineering programs, and the ones they do have tend to be pretty small.

      There’s about 300K industrial engineers in the US. Apple needs ⅓ of them. You can’t hire ⅓ of the national workforce. You can’t relocate ⅓ of the national workforce. We could increase our output of degrees, but there’s some institutional problems there. You see, I can create seats for non-Americans, but I can’t create seats for California residents because every resident must have a state subsidy, and the state doesn’t want to pay for more. So our ability to grow (even if Apple were paying) is constrained by the states willingness for us to grow. So Saudi Arabia pays us a lot to train their workers, but Apple can’t pay us to train workers for them, unless the workers are on a visa. So it’s not even a cash problem in the end. It’s a much bigger structural problem.

      I mean, these students pay for themselves in tax revenue, yet we demand to austerity our way to prosperity.

      But I focused on labor because the original comment was focused on labor.

      Reply
    273. 273.

      lowtechcyclist

      December 31, 2020 at 7:40 pm

      My wife and I are staying home.  But I dropped the 13 year old off at his first NYE party ever.  And in the age of Covid, too.

      It helps that we know the couple hosting it very well; we’ve known each other since our son and their twins were 2.  And it’s going to be just their kids and maybe 3-4 others besides our son.  Other than the bf of one of the twins, we know the other kids pretty well too, and they’re all pretty much part of our friends’ bubble.  So I think it’s unlikely that the kiddo will bring home any nasty spiked virus home with him.  But we’re still a bit apprehensive.

      But this is the first time in two months that the kiddo will see any of his friends face to face, and before that time it had been even longer.  He’s been a really good sport about it, so it was hard to say no.  And it’s a lot lonelier of a feeling when your friends are getting together and you’re not, than when nobody’s getting together at all.  It may be nearly five decades since I was a teenager, but I remember.

      So if it weren’t for the damned coronavirus, I’d be quite happy to see him go out and spend the evening with friends.  But there it is, and it’s hard not to be nervous.  All we can do, I guess, is quarantine for the next couple of weeks just in case, and keep an eagle eye out for any symptoms.

      Reply
    274. 274.

      The Pale Scot

      December 31, 2020 at 7:49 pm

      I should have shared this earlier. I have inadvertently created a very austere version of the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, at least in its effectiveness.

      Ketal One Vodka

      Organic unsweetened cranberry juice.

      A dry lime seltzer, I’m using Publix Greenwise brand

      Doesn’t have the panoply of ingredients of the original, but it can be made in Earth’s atmosphere, which is impossible with the original because some ingredients are explode in the presence of Oxygen.

       

      Christmas Eve I started off watching Luciano Pavarotti at Notre-Dame, Montréal, a few hours later I was watching Gogol Bordello, I had more than two, less than eight, it’s all a bit foggy.

       

      Best I can figure the extremely tart cranberry juice hides the taste of the vodka, and is complemented by the lime flavor. This is why one should shot glasses or measuring spoons instead of taste testing. There’s enough seltzer bubbles to tickle the pyloric sphincter and let it all gush into the small intestine. Lots of room for mods. Be careful! Use measures.

       

      HNY!

      Reply
    275. 275.

      Skepticat

      December 31, 2020 at 9:39 pm

      There’s a yellow-crowned night heron who likes to come right up by the deck and let out its incredible loud, raucous, and almost frightening squawk. It’s extremely startling, and the cats freak.

      I’m told an optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves. A friend reminded me of the Irish tradition of opening all the doors at midnight on New Year’s Eve to let the old year out and to welcome the new year in. I’ll be sound asleep but sleep with all the doors wide open; I hope the years figure it out without my help. And that it’s too windy for heron.

      Here’s my great fear—that 2021 is about to say to 2020, “Here, hold my beer.”

      Reply

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