My Easter ritual is to buy a year's worth (at least) of half-price Cadbury Mini-Eggs the day after Easter. I still have four full bags and one barely started (dark chocolate!) left. One terrible year there were none to be had in the stores I looked in, and I had to ration the leftovers from the previous Easter to last the whole year. Oh, and I share them with my kid, who was obviously raised well.
Rather odd choice for a Cadbury Bunny this year, since it’s an animal most people—or the health department—would not touch any food that had been anywhere near:
My Easter adventure is the harrowing of a domestic hell. It does seem the day for it.
Three years ago Mrs. Callis and I moved into the apartment where we now reside. During the move, my previously impeccably arranged home library was plunged into chaos. I finally couldn't stand that any longer, so I decided today would be the day I would slay the beast.
I'm about 15% done. Time for me to slay this cup of coffee in front of me and get back to work.
Almost exactly 10 years ago, we moved house to eliminate stairs from our lives. It was a move of only six blocks, but it was also 35 years of married life and at least 50 years of books. The late Mr. Garnet was already ill. I packed books as he supervised, then loaded the boxes into the Jeep and unboxed and shelved them in the new house in exactly the order they had been in at the old house. During the open house to celebrate our new place, Mr. Garnet’s toast to me was for the quality of the book move. That memory still makes me smile…and cry a little.
Be forewarned, I am going to rant. It seems there is a swell building from "centrists" that the Ronna McDaniel firing was wrong because "balance", and "everyone needs to have their views challenged".
I have come to see this position as a manifestation of a long-term project of the right wing. One episode in this project to which I paid particular attention was "creation science", and from that episode I have been able to understand an essential weapon that the right wing uses: it deliberately and systematically undermines an epistemology by selectively accepting understandings from that epistemology and then applying an incompatible epistemology to analyze and interpret those understandings. In the case of creation science, for example, the creation "scientists" drew evidence broadly from sophisticated understandings produced *by the scientific epistemology* - e.g., the fossil record, biochemistry, microbiology, astrophysics, geophysics, and so on - yet, extremely selectively, *as it served their argument,* stopped drawing from scientific understandings - from the scientific epistemology - and applied a faith-based epistemology - understandings that cannot be subject to scientific methods - to analyze and interpret the evidence.
That conflicting epistemology ruse is what "centrists" are generally doing re the current political nightmare, and are putting on display in their positions on the McDaniel affair. The political epistemology that values balance and having one's views challenged is democracy. The political epistemology of MAGA, and much of the rest of the political right is that "we are categorically unwilling to accept as legitimate political processes in which our preferred candidates do not win, free speech for me but not for thee, Wilhoit's Law." That is not democracy. The only result possible from putting a diehard representative of that epistemology - McDaniel - in a position to analyze and interpret evidence according to the intrinsically democratic values "balance" and "everyone needs to have their views challenged" is the weaponization of an epistemology incompatible with democracy. The only result possible is further undermining democracy. McDaniel as a commentator would wear the cloak of a participant in democracy's project - like a creation "scientist" wears the cloak of science - while using an anti-democratic epistemology - like a creation "scientist's" faith - to undermine it. The "centrists" and much of the media are happily and ignorantly playing along, digging their own and our graves.
well thought out and well said. why didn't the German Jews compromise with the Nazis? seems to be the "centrist" perspective on things. why doesn't President Zelensky compromise with Putin and share Ukraine? Aren't we all taught "sharing is caring"?
many seem singularly resistant to this view, because they feel it conflicts with their primary programming, "get over on them before they get over on you".
Now I find myself recalling visiting a Goodwill with my mother when I was perhaps 5 or 6 years old where my mother was looking for Easter bonnets for my younger sister and I. This was back in the days when women and girls still had to cover their head inside of a Catholic church.
I hated those itchy, lacey bonnets, and the elastic cord under my chin holding the stupid things on drove me nuts. My mother and grandmother were forever scolding me for removing either my hat or veil when we were in church, and to this day I vividly recall my father putting my veil back over my
hair VERY firmly, quietly telling me to LEAVE it there before he wrapped it around my neck.
And it's a wonder that those second-hand Easter bonnets didn't give my sister and I head lice.
I don't know if bonnets were still a thing for anybody else in the 90s but in the early 90s when our girls were small, my mother-in-law loved getting bonnets for them and then taking them out to show off.
As for me and my people, we shall be celebrating St. Torvalds' Day, with the traditional manually reconfiguring gcc options, building our own kernel, and screaming at idiots who keep trying to add new features after we've pushed to production.
I just wish it hadn't recently given us a severe SSH vulnerability, and some sort of easy kernel vulnerability to gain root privileges as any fucking user on recent kernels. Fortunately, any fucking user on this machine is only me, unless I download some malware and decide to install it.
Orthodox Easter (it was still thus in my childhood) is the first Sunday after the first Tuesday after the first full moon in Spring. Now Easter sneaks up on me.
That is the Easter my mother observes. It took me a few years of being scolded when I called her on the "other" Easter to wish her a happy for the correct Sunday to be imprinted on my memory.
People think *I'm" the asshole when I don't want unprompted proselytizing with my food, purchases at a store, etc.
I'm so tired of it. Everyone in this country has heard about Jesus. I don't need to hear it from you, thanks.
ETA: And when my daughter was visiting her dad in NC when she was in like 5th or 6th grade, some of the neighborhood shitters told her she was going to Hell b/c she didn't go to church. I was fucking *livid*. :(
It really is. So many businesses around here (in supposedly "liberal" NoCal) do that bullshit.
I hired a junk clean out guy to take some junk from our garage, and noticed belatedly that he had "Christian" as the #1 identifier on his Nextdoor profile, which gave me pause.
But he showed up and nothing about religion was ever uttered. He was also tatted up so I assume he is one of the liberal Christians and not an evangelical fundie.
But there's also a taco stand I wanted to try, and every post the owner makes on Nextdoor is ended with "God Bless." :(
Axl Update: Well, I don’t think the Gabapentin I gave him last night worked. When I finally went to bed, both he and Pi followed me into the bedroom, with Axl still growling at Pi. Because I needed to get some actual sleep, I ended up putting Axl in the hallway and closing the door. I sometimes do this anyway, because Pi is a champion snuggler/sleeper, and Axl can be an annoying little shit sometimes.
Axl started meowing outside the door around 8 AM, so I got up to feed the kittehs breakfast. At first I thought there had been a breakthrough, because Axl seemed to ignore Pi when he greeted him at the door. But as soon as I fed them breakfast, Axl immediately started growling and hissing at him again. Now Pi seems too afraid to eat. Sigh.
Got a call back from the vet’s office, and Dr. T can see him Tuesday at 8:30 AM. I wish I could get him in earlier, but tomorrow being Easter and all…
I’m considering relocating Axl temporarily to the 1st floor guest suite, with his own separate litter box, food, and water fountain (and his many toys), and relocating Pi’s box to the entryway. It’s not ideal, but the constant growling and hissing and caterwauling isn’t good for any of us. And, it will allow me to monitor his litter box separately.
I’m a little stressed out, y’all. I’ve never seen him act this way.
I missed what’s going on, but I would not hesitate to separate them. If Axl isn’t feeling well it will be much less stress for all of you. I hope they can see him soon, please keep us posted.
Oh gosh… I am sorry. If I recall correctly, it took quite a while for them to start getting along, so it could be just old tensions resurfacing. Once any medical issues are ruled out, maybe start bingeing some Jackson Galaxy vids, he’s done a ton of stuff on territorial aggression and such, the whole reason he is famous is because of his old tv show “My Cat From Hell.” Cats can be so hard to read but there are things that help redirect aggression.
ETA: Also I know Pi is much smaller than Axl, but Axl still came in as babby and Pi was there first. So this could also be them working out their hierarchy as Axl gets older.
It did take them a while, but that was mostly because Pi was annoyed with this new, absolutely fearless addition to our household who was constantly following him around and wanting to play. And Axl has never given a fuck about hierarchy - he doesn’t even recognize MY authority. 😺
Because of the absolutely sudden change in Axl’s behavior - they were cuddling together just fine Thursday morning - I’m leaning towards it being a medical issue, and that he’s lashing out at Pi because he’s in some pain.
Animals have another whole life separate from us. I've read too many stories of one pet harming, even killing, the other. I don't know the background here but it sounds like you are taking appropriate measures. 2 females?
Two neutered males. Pi is 13 yo, and Axl will be 2 in May, but I’ve had him since he was 3 weeks old. So, not a new living situation.
Although they regularly engage in “play-fighting,” they also regularly curl up asleep together. Something suddenly changed in Axl’s behavior Thursday afternoon, where he’s become super-aggressive and hyper-vigilant around Pi, and I don’t know why. I suspect he may be in some sort of pain for TBD causes.
So sorry. Only other thing I can think is hyperthyroid. It can really change their personality, make them nasty. On the off chance it is that, it is now treatable with a diet that really works.
Yeah, that was my thought too. When it occurred to me last night that it might be something like a UTI, I mentioned it to the vet’s office when they called this morning. She told me to monitor his output, but since they currently use both litter boxes, I can’t tell who does what unless I separate them.
Thanks, Chicken! Pi definitely hisses/growls at his feline companion whenever he or Axl (and before that, Ru) comes back from the vet. It usually lasts about 24 hours, until the “vet smell” wears off.
But no recent vet visits or other household changes, so I’m inclined to think Axl just isn’t feeling well, and is taking it out on Pi. This behavior is totally new for Axl, and it started Thursday afternoon and has been ongoing.
I can’t think of anything, and I’ve actually been home since last Friday when I had lunch with a friend. My efforts to get out more have been at the baby steps level. 😁
I strongly suspect a medical issue, but will know more after Axl’s vet visit Tuesday morning.
OMG I HAD NO IDEA THEY TRIED TO REVIVE THE BABY HUEY FRANCHISE!!!! ABOMINATION!!!!
My Easter ritual is to buy a year's worth (at least) of half-price Cadbury Mini-Eggs the day after Easter. I still have four full bags and one barely started (dark chocolate!) left. One terrible year there were none to be had in the stores I looked in, and I had to ration the leftovers from the previous Easter to last the whole year. Oh, and I share them with my kid, who was obviously raised well.
Rather odd choice for a Cadbury Bunny this year, since it’s an animal most people—or the health department—would not touch any food that had been anywhere near:
https://youtu.be/vxcaR-GhKFs?si=taGaNi05oJOalALk
Maybe next year they could give it to a rat, or a seagull, or a cockroach.
“Cadbury Chocolates – Better Than Garbage!”
You describe David Leisure as "the sleazy next-door-neighbor on Empty Nest"??
For me he will always be the iconic "Joe Isuzu". Those ads were epic!
Isuzu Trooper!
Your mention of Alamo Drafthouse reminded me of this, which I saw yesterday:
Link: https://deadline.com/2024/03/alamo-drafthouse-cinema-up-for-sale-1235871003/
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐨 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐂𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐚 𝐂𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐮𝐢𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐔𝐩 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐞
My Easter adventure is the harrowing of a domestic hell. It does seem the day for it.
Three years ago Mrs. Callis and I moved into the apartment where we now reside. During the move, my previously impeccably arranged home library was plunged into chaos. I finally couldn't stand that any longer, so I decided today would be the day I would slay the beast.
I'm about 15% done. Time for me to slay this cup of coffee in front of me and get back to work.
Almost exactly 10 years ago, we moved house to eliminate stairs from our lives. It was a move of only six blocks, but it was also 35 years of married life and at least 50 years of books. The late Mr. Garnet was already ill. I packed books as he supervised, then loaded the boxes into the Jeep and unboxed and shelved them in the new house in exactly the order they had been in at the old house. During the open house to celebrate our new place, Mr. Garnet’s toast to me was for the quality of the book move. That memory still makes me smile…and cry a little.
Two actors get done up in monster makeup, and one's terrifying reptilian visage reminds him of James Carville. (The Carville part is at 28:30)
https://youtu.be/O_wAatC8ulE?si=1FV1Obvaxw36RxBa
Be forewarned, I am going to rant. It seems there is a swell building from "centrists" that the Ronna McDaniel firing was wrong because "balance", and "everyone needs to have their views challenged".
I have come to see this position as a manifestation of a long-term project of the right wing. One episode in this project to which I paid particular attention was "creation science", and from that episode I have been able to understand an essential weapon that the right wing uses: it deliberately and systematically undermines an epistemology by selectively accepting understandings from that epistemology and then applying an incompatible epistemology to analyze and interpret those understandings. In the case of creation science, for example, the creation "scientists" drew evidence broadly from sophisticated understandings produced *by the scientific epistemology* - e.g., the fossil record, biochemistry, microbiology, astrophysics, geophysics, and so on - yet, extremely selectively, *as it served their argument,* stopped drawing from scientific understandings - from the scientific epistemology - and applied a faith-based epistemology - understandings that cannot be subject to scientific methods - to analyze and interpret the evidence.
That conflicting epistemology ruse is what "centrists" are generally doing re the current political nightmare, and are putting on display in their positions on the McDaniel affair. The political epistemology that values balance and having one's views challenged is democracy. The political epistemology of MAGA, and much of the rest of the political right is that "we are categorically unwilling to accept as legitimate political processes in which our preferred candidates do not win, free speech for me but not for thee, Wilhoit's Law." That is not democracy. The only result possible from putting a diehard representative of that epistemology - McDaniel - in a position to analyze and interpret evidence according to the intrinsically democratic values "balance" and "everyone needs to have their views challenged" is the weaponization of an epistemology incompatible with democracy. The only result possible is further undermining democracy. McDaniel as a commentator would wear the cloak of a participant in democracy's project - like a creation "scientist" wears the cloak of science - while using an anti-democratic epistemology - like a creation "scientist's" faith - to undermine it. The "centrists" and much of the media are happily and ignorantly playing along, digging their own and our graves.
I don't consider lying as 'fair and balanced.'
I'd also guess they could find a different liar for way less $.
Gonna say that I haven't heard that take from anyone who wasn't already regarded as a RWNJ.
well thought out and well said. why didn't the German Jews compromise with the Nazis? seems to be the "centrist" perspective on things. why doesn't President Zelensky compromise with Putin and share Ukraine? Aren't we all taught "sharing is caring"?
"Aren't we all taught "sharing is caring"?"
If we're going by manifested behaviors, White people are not taught that.
many seem singularly resistant to this view, because they feel it conflicts with their primary programming, "get over on them before they get over on you".
You know exactly what look I'm giving you right now, lolsigh
What?
"And introducing our new commentator, bringing balance to our coverage of mass murderers, Kyle Rittenhouse ."
(I started this as snark, then realized it was too close to a real Fox press release.)
IINM that actually happened
You cannot engage in rational discourse with fascists; they are bad faith actors and will always drag the discourse ever and further down.
This part ^^^
Not sure why it took so many words upthread when these few will do just fine and probably even better
“And, they will enjoy it…”
I always enjoy a good rant on the morning. Thanks!
Now I find myself recalling visiting a Goodwill with my mother when I was perhaps 5 or 6 years old where my mother was looking for Easter bonnets for my younger sister and I. This was back in the days when women and girls still had to cover their head inside of a Catholic church.
I hated those itchy, lacey bonnets, and the elastic cord under my chin holding the stupid things on drove me nuts. My mother and grandmother were forever scolding me for removing either my hat or veil when we were in church, and to this day I vividly recall my father putting my veil back over my
hair VERY firmly, quietly telling me to LEAVE it there before he wrapped it around my neck.
And it's a wonder that those second-hand Easter bonnets didn't give my sister and I head lice.
They were unwittingly nurturing the flower of a budding atheist. I hope it worked on your sister as well!
I don't know if bonnets were still a thing for anybody else in the 90s but in the early 90s when our girls were small, my mother-in-law loved getting bonnets for them and then taking them out to show off.
Tom Carvel says celebrate Easter with Cookie Chick!
https://youtu.be/tMP15vBIa6Q
House of Guitars, Sugar. Ah yes, I remember it well.
As for me and my people, we shall be celebrating St. Torvalds' Day, with the traditional manually reconfiguring gcc options, building our own kernel, and screaming at idiots who keep trying to add new features after we've pushed to production.
Blessed be St. Torvalds. His gift keeps on giving.
I just wish it hadn't recently given us a severe SSH vulnerability, and some sort of easy kernel vulnerability to gain root privileges as any fucking user on recent kernels. Fortunately, any fucking user on this machine is only me, unless I download some malware and decide to install it.
... the "giving" is continued employment as an IT consultant. ;-)
FreeBSD is the way, my son.
compiler self-flagellation is an interesting approach.
We are a militantly self-punishing sect. The Flagellants of the Source.
one extra whipping for every kernel patch you forgot to apply before building, I suppose?
Easter is the Sunday after the first full moon in Spring.
one of the few things that stuck from Lutheran Bible class.
Orthodox Easter (it was still thus in my childhood) is the first Sunday after the first Tuesday after the first full moon in Spring. Now Easter sneaks up on me.
the whole thing seems terribly Rube Goldberg to me
Now I'm curious. Does Orthodox Spring start on March 21 in the Julian or the Gregorian calendar?
ah! fig Tuesday. I didn't know that Orthodox Easter is calculated by that. the more you know! :D
That is the Easter my mother observes. It took me a few years of being scolded when I called her on the "other" Easter to wish her a happy for the correct Sunday to be imprinted on my memory.
People think *I'm" the asshole when I don't want unprompted proselytizing with my food, purchases at a store, etc.
I'm so tired of it. Everyone in this country has heard about Jesus. I don't need to hear it from you, thanks.
ETA: And when my daughter was visiting her dad in NC when she was in like 5th or 6th grade, some of the neighborhood shitters told her she was going to Hell b/c she didn't go to church. I was fucking *livid*. :(
"I'm going to Hell?"
a) Oh great! I won't even get away from you in the afterlife!
2) See you there!
I live my life according to the Gospel of Cheeses.
Let us brie!
Halleloumi!
Obey or face Edamnation!
Have you accepted cheeses in your hvarti?
Vaya con Quesos!
It's a great whey to live life
That's a Gouda policy.
it's very tiresome.
It really is. So many businesses around here (in supposedly "liberal" NoCal) do that bullshit.
I hired a junk clean out guy to take some junk from our garage, and noticed belatedly that he had "Christian" as the #1 identifier on his Nextdoor profile, which gave me pause.
But he showed up and nothing about religion was ever uttered. He was also tatted up so I assume he is one of the liberal Christians and not an evangelical fundie.
But there's also a taco stand I wanted to try, and every post the owner makes on Nextdoor is ended with "God Bless." :(
Hopefully nobody sneezed first...
meanwhile, we had the eternally miserable Jehovah's Witnesses trying to pay us a visit and I told them that they can go to hell.
LOL!!!!! I don't answer my door to them.
But they've been sending me hand written letters for *years* which I find kind of creepy.
I get those every so often. I know them before opening b/c of the return address.
at least they are not spelled out in individual letters cut from a variety of newspapers and magazines.
Performative evangelism
that is creepy. good lord!
It really is.
Well if you are *I* am too!
come sit next to me.
*sits next to you*
Axl Update: Well, I don’t think the Gabapentin I gave him last night worked. When I finally went to bed, both he and Pi followed me into the bedroom, with Axl still growling at Pi. Because I needed to get some actual sleep, I ended up putting Axl in the hallway and closing the door. I sometimes do this anyway, because Pi is a champion snuggler/sleeper, and Axl can be an annoying little shit sometimes.
Axl started meowing outside the door around 8 AM, so I got up to feed the kittehs breakfast. At first I thought there had been a breakthrough, because Axl seemed to ignore Pi when he greeted him at the door. But as soon as I fed them breakfast, Axl immediately started growling and hissing at him again. Now Pi seems too afraid to eat. Sigh.
Got a call back from the vet’s office, and Dr. T can see him Tuesday at 8:30 AM. I wish I could get him in earlier, but tomorrow being Easter and all…
I’m considering relocating Axl temporarily to the 1st floor guest suite, with his own separate litter box, food, and water fountain (and his many toys), and relocating Pi’s box to the entryway. It’s not ideal, but the constant growling and hissing and caterwauling isn’t good for any of us. And, it will allow me to monitor his litter box separately.
I’m a little stressed out, y’all. I’ve never seen him act this way.
Shit--wish I could do more than help you wish things were different.
Thanks! Hopefully I’ll get a better handle on the situation after the vet visit Tuesday morning.
I missed what’s going on, but I would not hesitate to separate them. If Axl isn’t feeling well it will be much less stress for all of you. I hope they can see him soon, please keep us posted.
Thank you, and I definitely will. Here’s the backstory:
https://substack.com/@2cats2furious/note/c-52784775?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=2knok4
Oh gosh… I am sorry. If I recall correctly, it took quite a while for them to start getting along, so it could be just old tensions resurfacing. Once any medical issues are ruled out, maybe start bingeing some Jackson Galaxy vids, he’s done a ton of stuff on territorial aggression and such, the whole reason he is famous is because of his old tv show “My Cat From Hell.” Cats can be so hard to read but there are things that help redirect aggression.
ETA: Also I know Pi is much smaller than Axl, but Axl still came in as babby and Pi was there first. So this could also be them working out their hierarchy as Axl gets older.
It did take them a while, but that was mostly because Pi was annoyed with this new, absolutely fearless addition to our household who was constantly following him around and wanting to play. And Axl has never given a fuck about hierarchy - he doesn’t even recognize MY authority. 😺
Because of the absolutely sudden change in Axl’s behavior - they were cuddling together just fine Thursday morning - I’m leaning towards it being a medical issue, and that he’s lashing out at Pi because he’s in some pain.
Animals have another whole life separate from us. I've read too many stories of one pet harming, even killing, the other. I don't know the background here but it sounds like you are taking appropriate measures. 2 females?
Two neutered males. Pi is 13 yo, and Axl will be 2 in May, but I’ve had him since he was 3 weeks old. So, not a new living situation.
Although they regularly engage in “play-fighting,” they also regularly curl up asleep together. Something suddenly changed in Axl’s behavior Thursday afternoon, where he’s become super-aggressive and hyper-vigilant around Pi, and I don’t know why. I suspect he may be in some sort of pain for TBD causes.
So sorry. Only other thing I can think is hyperthyroid. It can really change their personality, make them nasty. On the off chance it is that, it is now treatable with a diet that really works.
I'm glad you are getting the little terrorist to the vet.
I think you are on the right idea about separating them...
that way you can see if Axl is having troubles peeing.
Yeah, that was my thought too. When it occurred to me last night that it might be something like a UTI, I mentioned it to the vet’s office when they called this morning. She told me to monitor his output, but since they currently use both litter boxes, I can’t tell who does what unless I separate them.
Good point.
That sounds so stressful for you and the kitties!
I've had this happen when one of my kitties is a bit ill....
or when bringing one of them back from the vet....
[there is a lot of hissing and paw throwing]
I hope your vet can figure it out and all of you get some peace and sleep!
Thanks, Chicken! Pi definitely hisses/growls at his feline companion whenever he or Axl (and before that, Ru) comes back from the vet. It usually lasts about 24 hours, until the “vet smell” wears off.
But no recent vet visits or other household changes, so I’m inclined to think Axl just isn’t feeling well, and is taking it out on Pi. This behavior is totally new for Axl, and it started Thursday afternoon and has been ongoing.
Did anything else happen Thursday?
I know you have been getting out more...
and just an odd thought...sometimes kitties can react
to changes in your day to day activities....and Axl may be blaming
Pi for you being gone more? Other than Axl or Pi [Axl may be saying PI smells different] needing a check up I got nothing.
I can’t think of anything, and I’ve actually been home since last Friday when I had lunch with a friend. My efforts to get out more have been at the baby steps level. 😁
I strongly suspect a medical issue, but will know more after Axl’s vet visit Tuesday morning.
Keep us posted! My thoughts are with you and Axl and Pi.
Will do! Thanks, Chicken. 🥰
From "Girl with the Dogs", Nigel gets de-fluffed:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2Tzib8kOVo