Althouse: At the Living Roof Café....

May 22, 2010

At the Living Roof Café....

... you can come alive.

72 comments:

former law student said...: You can get the same effect just by having a house with shake shingles in a wooded area -- moss will grow on its own without your needed to tend it.; 5/22/10, 12:39 PM
ricpic said...: I'd kill for that weathervane.; 5/22/10, 12:50 PM
Fred4Pres said...: Those living roofs are great. I love them. But unless you are in a shady wooded area they are hard to maintain. You have to go flater with more water retention.; 5/22/10, 1:03 PM
Fred4Pres said...: You don't have to kill ricpic. Just sacrifice a little.; 5/22/10, 1:05 PM
Raul said...: At the tea bagger "Bail Out" Cafe:

Paul scurries back under his racist rock...canceling his appearance on Meet The Press...

Betsy Fischer, the executive producer of Meet the Press: "The only other two people to cancel have been Louis Farrakhan and Prince Bandar of Saudi Arabia."

Good company.; 5/22/10, 1:10 PM
Largo said...: That roof make me fear how my head might eventually bald.; 5/22/10, 1:14 PM
former law student said...: Fred -- don't be so hasty.

Do you know anyone who needs killing? $199.99 is a very cheap price.; 5/22/10, 1:19 PM
ricpic said...: Thanks, Fred. I'm buyin'!; 5/22/10, 1:21 PM
rhhardin said...: Jungle door.; 5/22/10, 1:31 PM
GMay said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/22/10, 1:33 PM
AllenS said...: I just returned from a breakfast meetup with 3 people I went to high school with. Ron and Ray, I hadn't seen since 1964, when we graduated. Elizabeth, back in 1974 at the ten year reunion. They are really old.; 5/22/10, 1:44 PM
lemondog said...: Congrats California - first Marxist State

Wealth Tax Intitative

- one-time tax of 55%...

- one-time tax of up to 54.3% on income exceeding $5 million when resident dies or leaves California.

additional
- 17.5% tax on total incomes exceeding $150,000 if single, $250,000 if married
- 35% if incomes exceed $350,000 if single, $500,000 if married.

- purchasing the common stock of various weapons, petroleum, automotive, media and financial companies....for purposes of influencing environmental practices.

So... where will Hollywood relocate?; 5/22/10, 1:56 PM
Unknown said...: Looks like my refrigerator when I was a bachelor.

Nice couple came to take a look at Hudson, but wanted to go see someone else's pup before making a decision. 15 minutes after they left, the woman decided she couldn't live without Hudson, so she came back.

So now we are Hudson-less and another woman wants to see Morstan this afternoon.

This could be a much more emotional day than I expected.; 5/22/10, 1:59 PM
Rialby said...: ...Rand Paul = racist...

So, the party of nuance doesn't like it when a principaled Libertarian (remember the Liberaltarian movement?) does dorm room philosophy. Ok, I get it. It's perfectly ok to be nuanced when Progressives twist themselves in knots explaining that they really like Jews, they just hate the ones in the small country in the Middle East that are oppressing Arabs the world over.

So, nuanced arguments are good for those on the Left but anyone else is a racist. Makes sense.; 5/22/10, 2:01 PM
lemondog said...: Congrats California - first Marxist State

Correction: first aspiring Marxist State; 5/22/10, 2:03 PM
Patm said...: I want to live there.; 5/22/10, 2:04 PM
GMay said...: " one-time tax of up to 54.3% on income exceeding $5 million when resident dies or leaves California."

One time tax for dying?

They want to tax you for leaving?

A broke state purchasing common stock of private companies???

I propose we just sell California to the Chinese to pay off the debt. Then we'll see what Calderone has to say to Chinafornia about their new immigration policies.; 5/22/10, 2:10 PM
former law student said...: e.d. They'll always be your granddogs. We always kept in touch with the people we got our dogs from -- we knew they like to know how they're doing. But pups should always have their own families to love and take care of, instead of just being one of the dog pack.

Plus newbies ask (or should ask) the breeder for advice.; 5/22/10, 2:10 PM
former law student said...: So, the party of nuance doesn't like it when a principaled Libertarian (remember the Liberaltarian movement?) does dorm room philosophy

That's a good way to put it. But isn't Paul a little old to still sound like a sophomore spouting off late at night? Shouldn't he have, oh I dunno, thought through some of the implications of his ideas?; 5/22/10, 2:13 PM
reader_iam said...: Man, that looks peaceful. I wish I could go there right now.

Left the house at 1 p.m. to pick up a birthday gift and drop my kid off at a party (more than enough time allowed). Got in the van and all of a sudden the brake light and ABS warning light came in. Got out of the van and had my husband take a look. Then we got into the utility truck, which I don't drive, and off we all three went. Stopped back by the house to run in for something we forgot. Came back out to see the truck with the hood up--it was badly overheating. Got the kid and gift back out of the truck. Husband and son got into ancient car that only I drive or ride in and which I haven't gassed up recently and took off (now he's going to be a few minutes late to the party, of course); I came into the house and indulged in a string of profanities which would have made my seafaring great-grandfather blush, including the use of the word "shit" in five or so different languages (I'm neither lying nor exaggerating here, I swear). And our newly adopted cat just puked on the one "good" rug in the house.

Yes, I'd love to get away to even a tiny, beautiful, peaceful shed about now.

***

Jeremy should show up about now. Indeed, I did just bitch, moan, whine and etc. in this comment, didn't I? ; )

Thanks in advance for putting up with the vent.

/kvetch; 5/22/10, 2:14 PM
Rialby said...: FLS - says the guy who votes for Democrats. There's no better example of stage one thinking than the modern Democratic party.; 5/22/10, 2:25 PM
former law student said...: And our newly adopted cat just puked on the one "good" rug in the house.

Our old wet-dry hand vac would have sucked that puke right up. Then sprinkle on Nature's Miracle and you could never tell anything had happened.; 5/22/10, 2:25 PM
AllenS said...: Ritzo Brassiere just threw up numerous times in another thread, and I don't believe you can sprinkle enough Nature's Miracle on it. It's still gonna stink.; 5/22/10, 2:34 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: Walking up to the living roof cafe.; 5/22/10, 3:22 PM
Trooper York said...: Why is there a trail of breadcrumbs leading up to that house?; 5/22/10, 3:32 PM
reader_iam said...: That's so fun, Chip. Now, if only I could have a plate of your "ceviche sashimi" to munch on as I contemplate the concept of roots overhead roots.; 5/22/10, 3:54 PM
Bob_R said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/22/10, 4:18 PM
Michael said...: Ron Paul is a moron in the tradition of his father but I doubt he is a racist. Just a stupid guy with a nutty father both of whom never have an unuttered thought.

Moss does not automatically grow on a house with shake shingles in a wooded area, at least not mine and it has been so situated since 1926.; 5/22/10, 4:39 PM
Unknown said...: former law student said...

e.d. They'll always be your granddogs. We always kept in touch with the people we got our dogs from -- we knew they like to know how they're doing. But pups should always have their own families to love and take care of, instead of just being one of the dog pack.

Plus newbies ask (or should ask) the breeder for advice.

Thanks, fls. I agree about the pups having their own place.

The people who have Hudson have had several Yorkies before, so they know the score and we gave them as much insight as possible on her.; 5/22/10, 4:58 PM
AmPowerBlog said...: American Power tracked-back with, 'Starbucks Blogging'.; 5/22/10, 5:03 PM
Trooper York said...: Jeeez reader.

It sounds like you are rewriting "Please Don't eat the Dasies?"; 5/22/10, 5:30 PM
reader_iam said...: If only.; 5/22/10, 5:40 PM
Irene said...: The dishtowel with the crocheted tab is cute. I never saw one of those until I moved to Wisconsin.; 5/22/10, 5:54 PM
BJM said...: @fls

Do you really want to go there?

But isn't Obama a little old to still sound like a sophomore spouting off late at night? Shouldn't he have, oh I dunno, thought through some of the implications of his ideas?

btw-where's the federal clean-up/response in Louisiana? Yesterday, I heard an interview with the Grand Isle, police chief on CBS radio that there was nobody working on the beaches...not a single crew, that not a "quart of oil" had been cleaned up and that equipment is sitting idle in nearby yards. Deja vu NOLA?; 5/22/10, 5:59 PM
Fr Martin Fox said...: Am I the only one who wonders about all the problems a roof like this engenders? Root damage, water leaks, too much weight, termites, etc.?

Looks nice; doesn't mean it's fun to live under it.; 5/22/10, 6:36 PM
mesquito said...: Am I the only one who wonders about all the problems a roof like this engenders?

I was musing on the same thing. For all it's quaintness, it's either bound to fail soon, or there is a hell of a "real" roof underneath all that splendor. And from this angle, it looks to be at least an 8 on 12 pitch. There is probably a steel mesh in there holding the soil on. They weight difference, dry verses saturated, must be enormous.

Notice how thick the facia boards are on the gable.; 5/22/10, 6:54 PM
Unknown said...: The people who phoned about Morstan never showed, but, with Hudson not jumping on my pant cuffs every second, Morstan's personality has.

The word domineering takes on new meaning. She pushes Sherlock away when he wants to give me five; she's in Quasy's face all the time.

When The Zero's 'green jobs' fantasy tanks, doggie psychoanalysis is going to be the next big growth field.

Trust me.; 5/22/10, 8:12 PM
former law student said...: -where's the federal clean-up/response in Louisiana?

Federal cleanup/response? Let's give private enterprise a chance to fix the problems it's caused.

Or do you advocate another bailout for billionaires? The same petroleum industry that was charging us $4.00 a gallon for gas two years ago? Surely they have a few trillion squirreled away. Them or their insurers. It would be interesting if the cleanup bankrupted BP. Plenty of other players in the market to pick up the pieces. Screw the Brits, anyway.

I say, "No mas" to privatizing profits and socializing losses.; 5/22/10, 8:28 PM
Maxine Weiss said...: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-social-20100523,0,5730415.story; 5/22/10, 8:53 PM
Penny said...: Father Fox, you are not alone.

It looks like a picture perfect place for a child to escape to though.

The rest of us would rather admire from a distance.; 5/22/10, 9:01 PM
Penny said...: "Screw the Brits, anyway."

That's a sad statement, fls.

Disasters like this need everyone pulling together to resolve the issue. EVERYONE.

Instead, we like to feel we are doing something by assigning blame.

Mother nature is grateful to us all for excepting her from this standard.; 5/22/10, 9:10 PM
former law student said...: Disasters like this need everyone pulling together to resolve the issue.

The BP disaster shows the folly of putting our vital resources under the control of foreigners. If this had happened off the coast of Cornwall, would it still be gushing a month later?; 5/22/10, 9:30 PM
Fred4Pres said...: Build your own hobbit house.; 5/22/10, 9:40 PM
Fred4Pres said...: Fr Fox Martin.

There are benefits and drawbacks. Let's just say these earth roofs look better than asphalt shingles, but you definitely pay more for it.; 5/22/10, 9:41 PM
Penny said...: "The BP disaster shows the folly of putting our vital resources under the control of foreigners."

That's ridiculous.

The best men make mistakes. They don't set out to do that.

Sometimes SHIT HAPPENS, and...usually just because we are human.; 5/22/10, 9:49 PM
Penny said...: How the heck did we become people who are content to "ascribe blame" before we care to stop the bleeding?; 5/22/10, 10:00 PM
BJM said...: @fls

What facile partisan bullshit. How about bailing out the folks on Grand Isle?

At this point it's obvious that BP can't control the spill or aftermath.

The admin must step in to avert further damage to the environment, citizens and property, it's part of their fucking job description.

Just get it done NOW and sort out who pays the bill later. In the end we taxpayers and consumers will pay anyway, so why the dilly- dallying around?

It's not like there hasn't always always been the potential for just such a disaster in the Gulf. Where's Plan A? Anyone? Bueller?; 5/22/10, 10:01 PM
reader_iam said...: The best men make mistakes. They don't set out to do that.

Yet, often enough, they take more risks when the possible costs are abstractions which, in any case, won't be born directly by their own families and which won't even result--more likely than not--in nasty consequences to their own ways of life or livelihoods.; 5/22/10, 10:14 PM
former law student said...: The admin must step in to avert further damage to the environment, citizens and property, it's part of their fucking job description.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x59wNGHe6iI; 5/22/10, 10:19 PM
former law student said...: It's not like there hasn't always always been the potential for just such a disaster in the Gulf.

BP assured their regulators that there had never been a problem before, and that there was no reason to have a problem now.

BP and the contractors they hired -- the people closest to the situation who understood it best -- thought they had no reason to plan for disaster. Why expect some bureaucrats way over in Washington to know better than them?

I'll tellya I'm not looking forward to the upcoming rollout of new nuclear power plants. I hope that the regulators at least watch The China Syndrome or something, before they rubber stamp the industry's self-assessment.; 5/22/10, 10:23 PM
reader_iam said...: FLS: You're trolling in this thread, which statement you cannot accuse me of having leveled at you before, I do not believe.; 5/22/10, 10:25 PM
reader_iam said...: And lest you think I'm just picking on you, I think a lot of the reaction from Conservatives with regard to the oil spill has been anything BUT philosophically conservative.

In fact, in a couple of key ways, I have found some of it to be an absolute betrayal of Conservative principals, most striking one in particular.; 5/22/10, 10:29 PM
former law student said...: You're trolling in this thread

It's schadenfreude. I'm mesmerized by all the leopards changing their spots all of a sudden. But they still want government to be small enough to strangle in a washbasin. Until they need it.; 5/22/10, 10:30 PM
BJM said...: @fls
If this had happened off the coast of Cornwall, would it still be gushing a month later?

No, it wouldn't because after the Wilson govt totally bungled the Torrey Canyon spill, the Brit govt no longer stands around with their fingers up their collective asses.

The Brits and Europeans have have quite a few spills since 1967 and are prepared to handle them. Why aren't we?

We never seem to learn the lesson, do we? After the Exxon Valdez we should have a plan in place. There is no excuse, the feds should have been prepared to handle this. That Obama caught this on his watch is his bad luck. Shit happens.; 5/22/10, 10:31 PM
former law student said...: The Brits and Europeans have have quite a few spills since 1967 and are prepared to handle them. Why aren't we?

Three cheers for Socialism!!! Because that's what the Brits and other Europeans have in common. A mindset geared to thinking of others lends itself to planning for the common good.; 5/22/10, 10:39 PM
BJM said...: @reader

How is federal preparedness for an oil spill in the Gulf betrayal of conservative values?

One of the few expenditures that most conservatives agree on is protecting the country...that includes disaster planning, readiness and relief.

The feds and states rake off hundreds of billons annually in petroleum taxes & surcharges. Why shouldn't we expect them to participate in containing and/or cleaning up a spill?

I'm sorry I just don't get the partisan wrangling over what has become an ecological disaster.

We are all Louisianans now.; 5/22/10, 10:55 PM
reader_iam said...: How is federal preparedness for an oil spill in the Gulf betrayal of conservative values?

It's not. I'd call that part of protecting the national infrastructure and the security of the nation.; 5/22/10, 11:02 PM
reader_iam said...: Shorter: I'd call it part of protecting the national interest.; 5/22/10, 11:10 PM
reader_iam said...: Hell, I'd call it part of protecting both the reality and the concept of national sovereignty, even.; 5/22/10, 11:14 PM
Penny said...: And I would call that part of the BLAME game, we've all become comfortable with.

What is the payoff for "blaming"?

Much higher than it should be.

Time to knock down the "blamers" at their knees.

Time for America to relieve "blamers" of their payoff.; 5/22/10, 11:15 PM
Penny said...: OH! But it's a democracy!

Haha.

Nevermind then.

More "blamers" than "problem solvers".; 5/22/10, 11:18 PM
reader_iam said...: Have at it, Penny, and enjoy yourself. I suspect you're going to be on the winning side of this one, with plenty of all kinds of company and and all sorts of help all along the way.; 5/22/10, 11:20 PM
Penny said...: Look, you gotta follow the money.

And EASY money? That's just hard to say "no" to.

Which is exactly why so few do.; 5/22/10, 11:21 PM
Penny said...: We create the system that suits.

The problem is...

We are all dapper dressers, and the bill is coming due.

So...new haberdasher or new system?; 5/22/10, 11:24 PM
Penny said...: No doubt in my mind that China has the best haberdashers these days.

Very cool...We're "stylin'"; 5/22/10, 11:27 PM
reader_iam said...: Joke on, sweetie. There are all different ways to help.

wv: until

Seriously, that was the wv Google offered up.

***

After that, what more can I say (though I will note that no one asked what conservative principle I thought was most being violated)?; 5/22/10, 11:32 PM
Penny said...: "I suspect you're going to be on the winning side of this one, with plenty of all kinds of company and and all sorts of help all along the way."

Maybe so, reader.

Is there a problem with being on the "winning" side?; 5/22/10, 11:32 PM
reader_iam said...: Well, I guess I can say this: Sleep tight and well, all!; 5/22/10, 11:34 PM
BJM said...: @fls

Ah yes...the ole "needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few".

How's that working out for the Brits & Europeans?

Almost as well as the green jobs/economy in Spain and Italy.; 5/22/10, 11:34 PM
former law student said...: I'm surprised the other oil companies are not rallying around BP in its time of need. Where are ChevroTexaco, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, etc.?

I mean, wouldn't Dagny Taggart turn to John Galt for help long before she looked to the government to bail her out?

One more government bailout to cover the mismanagement of giant multinational enterprises. Speaking of which, why does BP not look to UK for help?; 5/22/10, 11:53 PM
Penny said...: It's hard not to notice that there is no lack of passion among commenters,

It's equally hard not to notice that so many excellent comments go ignored.

Is that supposed to piss us off or get us used to talking to ourselves?; 5/23/10, 12:16 AM
Penny said...: Night night, reader. Sleep well.; 5/23/10, 12:17 AM