Come for the politics, stay for the snark.
TaMara has been a Balloon Juice writer since 2015.
The person who creates their ads needs a raise. Makes me smile every time it pops up on my newsfeed.
Fencing Academy of DenverWe have masks…we have gloves…we stab anyone coming within 6 feet of us! Fencing is still proving to be one of the safest sports. We are offering small group beginner classes (kids and adult) starting in June.
Yesterday, participating in the Medium Cool post featuring Underway (Thanks again Watergirl and BGinCHI) I was sitting on the exercise ball that I use for my office chair, typing away, answering fun questions. Emma Kate came in and began meowing at me. I ignored her. At my peril.
She reached up and stuck a claw into my exercise ball, and that’s all they wrote. LOL
Can’t be mad at her, she’s 17 years old and wants what she wants and usually gets what she wants.
New ball will be here on Thursday.
Meanwhile, she retreated to the bedroom to sulk because I yelled at her.
In my defense, one does tend to squeal when one is falling on one’s ass.
BTW, Bixby turns 6 this week. Yes, I’m in denial, too.
Here’s a respite open thread. What’s going on for your Monday.
Respite Open Thread: Not So Much A Whodunit, More Like A ShedunitPost + Comments (69)
Voting by mail for dummies
I thought I’d spell it out and you can tell your skeptical Trump-supporting, voter-suppression-loving friends and family how simple it is.
Colorado has had all mail-in ballots since 2013. Boulder county for longer. You can still go to the polls on election day to vote or just turn in your ballot. And get your “I Voted” sticker.
Otherwise, you can mail your ballot or drop it off at any of the ballot boxes around the county. I drop mine off because there is one a block from my house.
In Colorado, you can register up to and on election day. If you are homeless, you can use the shelter you stay at or anywhere you return to regularly as your address.
You can sign up for Ballot Tracker and track your ballot from the time it was mailed to you to the time it was received and accepted by the county. They also send email notifications. Paper ballots, completely trackable and verifiable. Shocking, I know.
Ballot envelopes MUST be signed and the signature must match the one on your voter registration. If there is an issue, you will be notified and have 8 days after the election to rectify the issue.
Also – all the ballot boxes are tracked and monitored.
Handy video guides:
I love voting by mail. I recommend it for every democracy-loving citizen. ;-)
Open thread
Anyone have any experience with Chromebooks? I’m trying to find a decent laptop (with keyboard) for an elderly relative.
I’ve been looking at 15 inch Chromebooks because their PC was making them crazy as every microsoft update would mess up their settings. Chromebook looks like it runs like a PC without all the MS bullshit. So no learning curve.
They are frail and would rather not deal with those hassles, just wants to surf the internet and keep in touch with family and friends.
Would love to know your thoughts if you’ve used one and maybe answer some questions for me.
Otherwise, if you could just skip over this thread, I’d appreciate it.
I miss Alain, who I would have sheepishly bugged with this question…
Thanks!!
The Lincoln Project Biden ad was what started me looking for other ads. And Biden campaign dropped the “Doesn’t Care” this morning.
Posting these videos isn’t a comment on their policies or chances. I just went looking for campaign videos to see how things were looking.
They are not all barn burners, but I think they fit their constituency. Dr. Bolier, a former Republican, knows what she’s up against and healthcare seems like a winning strategy.
Compared to her original campaign announcement, Amy McGrath seems almost tame in this video. I know nothing about KY politics except they produced McConnell and Paul, so fuck them.
Mark Kelly has a couple of good ads up – one on healthcare, another on middle class/education, but I liked this one with Gabby.
MJ Hegar is still winning the game in my estimation. Family, military, health care, humor…
For the remainder of the Senate candidates, they need to up their ad game IMHO, but it’s early yet and campaigns are expensive. Bullock of Montana website is sad and I found no videos. Some are still in primary campaigns – Colorado’s Hickenlooper, Maine’s Gideon (and what’s going on in Maine – I thought their primary was March 3 – or is it like CO – separate primaries Pres and then the rest?).
Again, if you see an ad you like or a particular position taken by someone that’s looking to flip a state or district, send it my way.
Open thread
Holy cow. The city of DC is out here on 16th steeet behind the White House painting BLACK LIVES MATTER onto the streets — that it owns — stretching all the way to k Street. pic.twitter.com/PU7DW7XZHu
— Emily Badger (@emilymbadger) June 5, 2020
This is also going to be a real middle finger to any federal forces flying overhead.
— Emily Badger (@emilymbadger) June 5, 2020
The city also brought the sound system that’s blasting music out here, making the area in front of the White House feel more like a party today.
— Emily Badger (@emilymbadger) June 5, 2020
City bringing out all the pageantry across the street from the White House. A city worker in a cherry picker bearing the DC flag just put up a sign symbolically renaming 16th Street “Black Lives Matter Plaza NW” pic.twitter.com/ogrzkDmVe6
— Emily Badger (@emilymbadger) June 5, 2020
I hope that makes you as happy as it made me.
Not to make this about gender – but damn there are some strong, powerful women out there handing the criminal GOP and Trump their balls in a paper bag.
Open thread
Here is the youtube link.
I cannot wait to hear this man bring honesty, compassion and solutions to this wounded nation.
President Obama Addresses The Nation: Live TownhallPost + Comments (236)
The town hall will be livestreamed on https://t.co/4x2XN7l80t at 5 pm ET. President Obama will be joined by police reform activists and public figures, including former Attorney General Eric Holder. https://t.co/u4u48svHsX
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) June 3, 2020
I, for one, welcome the calm voice of reason to help soothe a hurting nation.
The fact that it’s gonna make someone’s head explode, well that’s just extra butter on my popcorn. (Okay, LOTS of someones)
Tune in. 5 pm eastern, Obama.org
And yes, I know I just stomped on everyone, but it seems to be a theme this week. My apologies to everyone I squished with my bigfoot, but this seemed like a day brightener and we need every one we can get these days.
Open thread
ETA: Okay everyone, I have the livestream set up for 4:50 pm EDT. It is a youtube link.
Order ALL The Popcorn: A Real President SpeaksPost + Comments (61)
So imagine walking into your garage and finding this under your car?! And how many of you actually check under your car before you back out. This happened in my little town yesterday.
He was just a young’un – probably under two – and he was safely tranquilized and relocated.
You can see how small (relatively!) he is in this photo. Probably less than a hundred pounds.
We have our share of wildlife here – I believe I’ve told the story before of how I was sitting on my favorite bench near the ponds where I would cycle and a couple was walking toward me and I heard “See that bench where that lady is sitting, that’s where I saw the mountain lion” – yikes!
Since I’ve lived here we’ve had a juvenile moose wander through town, a deer try to go shopping a the local grocery store, along with the occasional bear and mountain lion. You just never know what you’re going to get living downstream from a mountain river (they follow it down, then get lost in the suburbs, poor things).
FYI, if you want to see wildlife, stay far, far away from me. I swear I’m a wildlife repellant (except maybe birds of prey). Hikes, despite my companions’ desire, are big animal free.
Although we did find a moose, once, on the side of road…
Much needed respite open thread
Just got this alert. It’s live, but you can rewind to the beginning. In case you want to hear some common sense, no malarky talk.
Open thread
Real Leadership: Joe Biden Addresses The NationPost + Comments (218)
I am literally going offline after this. Gardening, writing and playing with the critters. My brain needs a break. I’m still too fatigued to wander far from home (when I need to sleep, sleep I must). I am hoping that eases up this week if other’s Covid experience is a guide.
As promised, some distraction.
I needed a new Facebook profile picture and Scout obliged.
And here is Gabe doing his balancing act. He has been lying on the rail, which is adorable with all his, shall we say, floofiness (we do not body shame here 
) but whenever I get the camera out, he bolts. I’ll keep trying.
The day after Memorial Day, I braved going out into the world. I scored 10 lbs of chicken leg quarters for $4. (That’s $4, not $4 a lb). So I froze most and kept a few out to grill. I use a spicy dry rub and grill them until they are about 160 degrees F, then I coat them in a sweeter sauce (I love me some Sweet Baby Ray’s) and let them finish cooking, about 10 more minutes. That way the sauce doesn’t burn.
Other times, I’ll flip the process and use a sweet rub and coat with Sweet Baby Ray’s Spicy sauce. Either way, I get a nice sweet and spicy mix when it’s done. And yes, those potatoes are sliced in half, coated in oil and salt and then grilled. Gives them a nice crust and they cook in half the time.
(Also, I posted all the recipes I used in both Run Aground and Underway today. There is also a link in there to all my food in fiction recipes, one of my favorite recipe topics, from some of my favorite books.)
And since it’s Sunday Garden time, here is one of my favorite irises. We had a hard freeze early last fall and another one late this spring and most of my irises are looking a little worse for wear because of it. But still pretty.
Okay, this is a RESPITE open thread. We all need a break. Check-in if you need some reassurance. And go offline if you’re really feeling beat up like I am. My brain and my heart just need to check out for a while.
Tell us something good.
Be kind today, especially to yourself….
Much Needed Respite: Puppy, Kitteh and FoodPost + Comments (92)
I grab my first cup of coffee and sit down to catch up on the overnight news and immediately regret it. It’s all bad (except twitter has added a “Violated Twitter” banner over the shitstain’s latest call for violence against black people and he has melted down completely).
But this was fucking chilling. Absolutely dystopian. Minnesota has a police problem, they really do.
Minnesota police arrest CNN reporter and camera crew as they report from protests in Minneapolis https://t.co/oZdqBti776 pic.twitter.com/3QbeTjD5ed
— CNN (@CNN) May 29, 2020
And again, let me add to what others have said. If you’re angrier about the protests than you are about a man being killed in cold blood, on camera, well, you’re probably a Trump supporter.
I’m not even sure how to face today. I’ve felt completely helpless since George Floyd’s death murder. We are so broken and I have no idea what it will take to fix us.
Sorry, I know I’m usually here with some positive perspective. I just don’t have it right now. Maybe later today, I’ll get you some puppies and flowers.
Be kind today…
There are moments in our history so grim, so heart-rending, that they're forever fixed in each of our hearts as shared grief. Today is one of those moments. 100,000 lives have now been lost to this virus.
To those hurting, I'm so sorry for your loss. The nation grieves with you. pic.twitter.com/SBBRKV4mPZ
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) May 27, 2020
I’m going to make it my mission over the next few months to remind us what real leadership looks like.
Also: If anyone sees a good campaign ad, especially from the Senate candidates in possible flip states, send them to me and I’ll highlight them.
Open thread
Open Thread: A Real, Compassionate LeaderPost + Comments (97)
Joe Biden isn't afraid to be seen in public wearing a mask, a leader leads by example! pic.twitter.com/2FD1K9uLB3
— Alex Cole (@acnewsitics) May 25, 2020
To all the members of our military and our military families, especially those who have lost their service member, thank you. We owe you. We can never lessen the magnitude of your loss, but this I can promise you: we will never forget. #MemorialDay pic.twitter.com/b5vDrYiPL5
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) May 25, 2020
I love this. https://t.co/YG9FzmkpUU
— Miss T (@TaMarasKitchen) May 21, 2020
And just ’cause the cats are demanding equal time:
This is one type of writer’s block.
What’s everyone doing today? Open thread
Let’s just jump in with recipes. I know everyone is all about the sourdough starter these days. I’m not a fan, although I understand the appeal and this video didn’t hurt and it’s a great step-by-step instruction on starter and bread making if you need it.
I have been playing with different bread recipes: homemade tortillas, crusty French bread and hamburger buns.
But the potato bread was a revelation.
Someone suggested to me to use potato bread dough next time I made cinnamon rolls. It sounded like an idea, but it also made me really, really want potato bread. I don’t believe I’ve ever made it before. And since I had no plans to make cinnamon rolls anytime soon, potato bread it had to be.
I have to tell you, it was fairly simple, and made the most amazing bread. Silky, moist, flavorful, and firm enough to cut into very thin slices.
