Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Saul Alinsky is my co-pilot

Consistently wrong since 2002

Lighten up, Francis.

Yes we did.

We can agree to disagree, but I’m right.

This is a big f—–g deal.

And we’re all out of bubblegum.

Han shot first.

Hot Air and Ill Informed Banter

We have all the best words.

Shocking, but not surprising.

‘Forty-two’ said Deep Thought, with infinite majesty and calm.

An almost top 10,000 blog!

Screw the Judean People’s Front. Splitters.

Our job is not to persuade Republicans but to defeat them.

A snarling mass of vitriolic vicious jackals

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

No one could have predicted…

We are aware of all internet traditions.

Women: They Get Shit Done

The revolution will be supervised.

All your base are belong to Tunch.

Reality always wins in the end.

I thought we were promised Infrastructure Week

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Cat Blogging

Respite Thread, Ordained by H.R.H. Tikka

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I got some grief a while back for failing to post enough Tikka pictures…and it’s time for  new thread. I’ve got a couple of things I’m trying to find mental space to post, but just to give us a bit of a change-up for the afternoon, feast on a few Tikka moments.

First, here he is channeling his inner Isadora Duncan:

Respite Thread, Ordained by H.R.H. Tikka

This is him, giving Donald Trump the appropriate wordless response:

Respite Thread, Ordained by H.R.H. Tikka 1

And here’s Pandemic Cat, telling y’all stay home or mask the fuck up:

Respite Thread, Ordained by H.R.H. Tikka 2

The other two books in that pile, btw, are Charles Rosenberg’s The Cholera Years, and Margaret Humphrey’s Marrow of Tragedy. He’s dressed in black for a reason…

Finally,  Tikka wants every jackal to know that he loves them and wishes them well…

Respite Thread, Ordained by H.R.H. Tikka 3

…as long as one approaches at one’s own risk.

ETA: Bonus respite pics.

1: a young buck on the beach at Loblolly Cove in Rockport, MA:

Respite Thread, Ordained by H.R.H. Tikka 4

 

And last: the heron I met a couple of days ago on Leverett Pond (the first of a chain of ponds in Boston’s Emerald Necklace heading south from the Fens.)

Respite Thread, Ordained by H.R.H. Tikka 5

The thread…Tikka graciously opens.

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Thursday Wednesday Evening Open Thread: Companion Animals

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Respite Open Thread: Not So Much A Whodunit, More Like A Shedunit

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Respite Open Thread: 3

THE VICTIM

 

Respite Open Thread: 6

THE CULPRIT

 

Respite Open Thread: Not So Much A Whodunit, More Like A Shedunit

Her attorney says she was framed.

 

Respite Open Thread: 5

Making sure her job is done.

The full story:

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.

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The Most Interesting Cat in the World

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It’s chilly, but my heat is off because I am cheap, so I have the space heater on in the office, and all four animals are in here with me. Every now and then I look away from the computer and see something like this:

The Most Interesting Cat in the World

He doesn’t drink beer, but if he did I am sure it would be Dos Equis.

BTW- I know this is allegedly a political blog but everything I have had to say in the past few days has been so fucking dark and depressing I just kept it to myself.

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The Youtube Videos Made It Seem So Easy

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Because I love my pets so much, it was driving me crazy that I could not get Steve a lion cut in April like I normally do, so I tried on my own a couple weeks ago and it was a complete failure. Undeterred, I ordered special clippers and a cheap grooming table from the great online Satan, and today was spa day:

The Youtube Videos Made It Seem So Easy

Because this is a full service blog, I even paused for videos:

He is not totally perfect like the groomers do, but it will do until it is safe to get him in for an appointment. He has (well, had) a lot of hair:

The Youtube Videos Made It Seem So Easy 1

He was actually pretty well behaved, although he did not like the clippers near his nether regions, but really, who does (NOT THAT I WOULD KNOW MIND YOU). Bathtime was a different story:

The Youtube Videos Made It Seem So Easy 2

I think that picture speaks for itself. I am going to go shower and then soak my arms in bacitracin.

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Midmorningish Open Thread

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I understand my absence has gone noticed. I am okay! Just laser-focused on my sanity, which doesn’t involve commenting about the news for more than 280 characters. I have a couple of posts about AI and contact tracing technology I want to write, but all my typing seems to be going towards a novel rewrite.

So, apropos of nothing, here are some mental health tips that work for many!

  • Move a little! Here’s a great little 8-minute workout you can do with about twenty square feet and a chair.
  • Getting some fresh air is probably extremely safe, as well, even here in the plaguelands NYC!
  • Set hard stops for beginning and ending the workday
  • Wear real pants for at least a few hours every day
  • Nothing bad will happen if you ignore Trump a little. My husband and I have sort of both faded away from the news, much to our benefit
  • Nothing bad will happen if these tips aren’t for you!
  • It’s okay to just be like Samwise sometimes

Midmorningish Open Thread

I was hoping to find, as a companion piece, a good picture of him looking grumpy, or being mid-complaint; alas I don’t seem to have any. But you get the idea.

Open thread!

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Saturday Evening Open Thread: Stay Fit Indoors

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Or you could just… do laps!

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Monday Evening Open Thread: Neighborhood Watch

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(I’m meh about the Big Lebowski, but Walter Sobchat is a great name for a big burly bicolor cat!)

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Sunday Afternoon Silliness/Tikka Ain’t Got Time For Trump’s Nonsense

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So, this picture (taken yesterday) expresses both Tikka’s and my contempt for our current leadership:

Sunday Afternoon Silliness

And here he is, the Right Hon. Tikka, about to testify to Trump’s manifold failures, swearing his oath on the text of his choosing:

Sunday Afternoon Silliness 1

And last, a challenge for y’all.

Context, and shared pain: my sibs and I are addicted to various forms of wordplay. We’ve been trading limericks in our weekly video calls. Here’s one from my older brother:

We are learning to live with the virus.
In fact I think you’ll admire us.
     No more feeling strapped,
     Pesach helped us adapt.
Now we’re switching to toilet papyrus!

Not too shabby!

Sunday Afternoon Silliness/Tikka Ain't Got Time For Trump's Nonsense

And here are my three entries from yesterday. They don’t all scan, but they mean well:

My cat, Tikka, begs us remember
Lest our emotions we dismember
The virus, he hissed,
Will not be missed,

Nor will Donald, come the rout in November.

A ribosome did an RNA replicate,
Crown’ed molecules to precipitate
Trump in his seat…
Is denied a repeat

After the disaster he failed to anticipate.

Tikka shelters in place,
Sporting his I-Hate-You face.
“You’re too slow to feed me,
And that kibble is lousy..

I should be in charge of this space!”

Now the challenge, or the opportunity. Jackals, have at it: share your bad jokes, memes limericks, clerihews, Balliol rhymes, Tom Swifties–hell, a sonnet, if you’re on it.  The more it hurts the better it is for all of us.

Image: William Mulready, The Sonnet, 1839. (Yeah, I know. It’s pretty dreadful. But it fits!)

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Saturday Morning Open Thread: Chill-Out Assistance from A Past Master

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Shakespeare, Nap Master

Update from Deb S:

Shakespeare invites the community to curl up with him for a nap. He does not necessarily recommend that you emulate his posture.

He wants you to know he is doing well in his new home, and that he enjoyed getting up from his nap on the rug this morning to watch the snow. When it stopped snowing he headed for his favorite bed on the heating vent for another nap.

Watching the Snow

His new mom says he is healthy and putting on weight. Obviously napping is good for you.

Shakespeare's Favorite Bed

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Monday Evening Respite Thread: Who Doesn’t Love A Good Cat Video?

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From our own WereBear:

If you don’t have a cat handy, you could build your own at home (but it’ll cost ya!)…

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Respite Thread: Ducks and Kitties

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Respite Thread: Ducks and Kitties

It is a trick of the phone camera lens that Gabe looks like a smushed Jabba the Hutt.

I am in total despair over humanity right now, so let’s take a break and focus on some good stuff. As I’ve mentioned, I’m house hunting, so I’ve been cleaning, packing and paring down.

So one day, I thought to myself, the cats haven’t used the cat tree in a year, I should give it away. One less thing to move. A few days later, Cats in the Tree began happening  Suddenly they were using it every day, several times a day.

They are just mocking me now. Freakin’ psychic, mystic fur babies.

And here’s a short video of duck baths. I give them fresh pool water every 4-5 days (which they immediately muddy up) and they love a fresh pool and I love watching them splash around.

Share some good stuff with me…

Respite open thread

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Cat Blogging: A Happy Ending for Shakespeare

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Cat Blogging: "A Happy Ending for Shakespeare" 1

Happy news, for a respite. Update from Deb S:

Just wanted the jackalariat to know what finally happened. It was an all-day drive back home after the vet kindly squeezed us in first thing Thursday morning. They treated him more aggressively and gave me more medications, and him a tranquilizer, and off we went.

He tolerated the drive pretty well and I locked him in the bathroom away from my three cats as soon as I got home. Friday was a day for tears and decompressing. My male cat REALLY was not happy to have Shakespeare in the house and sat outside the bathroom door hissing and growling, while poor Shakespeare cried and cried for attention.

At 7:30 Saturday morning I posted to a local swap-and-sell group on FB, and three hours later he was in his new home right down the road from me and close enough to visit. Turns out a couple in my town that rescues senior pets had lost their 17 year old cat a few days earlier, and they had room in their home and their hearts for a new cat. I am so relieved to have him happy in a new home! Thanks to everyone who tried to re-home him from NYC, I never would have believed I’d find a new place for him so quickly here. Here’s a picture of him happily ruling his new roost.

So, sometimes FaceBook is a force for good. Thanks for the update, Deb, and best wishes to you both!

Cat Blogging: "A Happy Ending for Shakespeare"

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