Althouse: At the Garden Bench Café...

June 19, 2012

At the Garden Bench Café...

... I'll just wait around until somebody says something interesting.

58 comments:

JAL said...: Good night?; 6/19/12, 10:55 PM
Ron said...: Oh, no! Bob's Big Boy died and went to heaven! Too many burgers I guess...; 6/19/12, 10:56 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: Caption: Gimmeaminit. I would get up and leave right now but I have an embarrassing little boner.; 6/19/12, 10:59 PM
God, An Original A-hole said...: You know what the most interesting thing on the internet is these days?

The answer:

What a 9-year-old Scottish girl had for lunch at school.

Really, I'm serious, it's more interesting than anything else out there...; 6/19/12, 11:00 PM
Chip S. said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 6/19/12, 11:00 PM
Chip S. said...: The Big Boy, eh?

I thought maybe it was supposed to be Andrew Romine; 6/19/12, 11:03 PM
Rose said...: Beautiful shot!; 6/19/12, 11:05 PM
JAL said...: God -- the Professor covered that little girl's lunch story the other day when the school told her she couldn't post pictures about her lunches.

Were you napping?

Not only does she describe her lunches in delightful 9 year old language, she has raised what, about ₤50,000 for kitchens in developing nations.; 6/19/12, 11:14 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: The lunches do not seem all that bad either.; 6/19/12, 11:27 PM
wyo sis said...: Chip
Remember some of us know what you cooked then ate.; 6/19/12, 11:42 PM
wyo sis said...: Oops "Wot you made then ate."; 6/19/12, 11:44 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: This guy should probably not be getting married.. anytime soon.; 6/19/12, 11:47 PM
Chip S. said...: Ann Althouse said...

... I'll just wait around until somebody says something interesting.

One hour later, what are the odds that she's still around?; 6/19/12, 11:48 PM
wyo sis said...: She left after Chip Ahoy's boner comment.; 6/19/12, 11:56 PM
Chip S. said...: I think so, too.; 6/19/12, 11:57 PM
bagoh20 said...: "She left after Chip Ahoy's boner comment."

She just had to see it for herself. It wouldn't be the first time she believed something unlikely.; 6/20/12, 12:15 AM
Chip S. said...: OTOH, she just may have left at 10:56 and missed it.

In which case she can enjoy a little morning wood tomorrow.; 6/20/12, 12:21 AM
Anonymous said...: Looks like a little gay man----i.es. a child molester---is waiting on a park bench for his next victim.

Hate speech!; 6/20/12, 12:37 AM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: The professor was referring to the little statute.. waiting around.; 6/20/12, 12:47 AM
Chip Ahoy said...: You know how a kid that can barely see the top of the counter and reaches up and over to get something, or remember when you were that short and had that same trouble. That's what the woman was doing cutting my hair so I asked her, "is this as low as this chair will go?" and she said, "yes" and pulled back her hands, stopped, and looked at eyes in the mirror, "you are the only person who noticed that. pause. other people notice that I come in too close, but you noticed that I'm having trouble. My arm hurt." I told her I'd sit on a box. Or maybe a regular chair would be better and she said, nah. But thereafter she gave me the most attentive haircut that I've had in a long time. Which I could do without, actually, because it takes longer and I'm antsy, but the way she blended I noticed was quite skillful. She took her time getting everything right, just so, with razor perfection, hot foam, scrapping razor, then cleaning that up and getting down to the cleaning up all the little itty bitty microscopic nuances that will grow out by tomorrow, and creating gooseflesh with something on the back of my neck in a spot right there, and then right next to that there, and there, the little scamp, and then there and there all the way across like she was playing with my neck creating a path of gooseflesh, and I'm liking this Munchkin and I'm sensing that she likes me. As I'm leaving she has me shake her tiny doll-like hand, again, shaking hands with doll-like women is strange innit but it was unnecessary, that hanging around at the end, and her giving me a card to the place that I already go but now this card has her name on it in GREAT BIG LETTERS.; 6/20/12, 12:51 AM
Palladian said...: Looks like a little gay man----i.es. a child molester---is waiting on a park bench for his next victim.

Oh look, "Florida" got out of prison. What were some of its other names, again?; 6/20/12, 1:01 AM
Revenant said...: What were some of its other names, again?

I always assumed that was Jeremy.; 6/20/12, 1:41 AM
Palladian said...: I always assumed that was Jeremy.

I don't think so... it had a very specific sentence construction, capitalization and punctuation.; 6/20/12, 1:43 AM
rcommal said...: Interesting, like boring, has to do with 1) what you decide about it and 2) what [then] you do with it.; 6/20/12, 1:45 AM
rcommal said...: One hour later, what are the odds that she's still around?

Perhaps not great, in the continuous sense of time...but on the other hand, there is that whole break between "first sleep" and "second sleep." ; )

Who knows? If she's not otherwise occupied, who knows? : ); 6/20/12, 1:48 AM
rcommal said...: I'll just wait around until somebody says something interesting.

The other way to view this is through the prism of "living freely through writing"--in which case, OF COURSE Althouse isn't going to just wait around. The philosophy isn't "living freely through waiting around [until someone else says something I can react to]," after all, and never has it been.

Maybe there's a message there. Or not. Whichever.

< : \; 6/20/12, 1:58 AM
Chip Ahoy said...: This is absurd. I just now made a run to the grocery store to get one of those little suet-seed block thing with the little hanging cages for them. Lord, look at me. Am I turning into my mum?

* drums fingers *

Fine then. A run now because now I've been able to see the little birdies are a family of two noisy kids. They hung around for a long time coming back and forth today, the same family.

I'm turning into an ornithologist. The baby birds chirp in the immediate presence of a parent but they are silent when the parent is out of sight. Their whole body squeezes for a chirp but they cannot vocalize a proper chirp, and they chirp continuously when a parent is within one inch, it comes out a protochirp. A wrong sounding chirp. They both chirp wrongly in different ways and that is how they can be told apart. I noticed this in one minute.

The absurd part is I did that so the suet block will be there when the birds wake up this morning and I must admit that is a bit insane.; 6/20/12, 2:49 AM
Chip Ahoy said...: Here's a thing about the birds that kills me and it's ordinary but it still kills me anyway.

They spill their seeds near the edge of the balcony. We're way up here. It's scary looking down over the rail. My neighbor will not go out on her balcony because of the fear. So the seeds are spilled around the edge and the little bird is pecking at them like a chicken peck peck peck and it slips underneath the railing peck peck peck and its little toes go right over the edge peck peck peck hop skippity peck peck peck and I'm standing five feet away so my angle of sight takes in the 70 or so foot drop with the little birdie bouncing along the edge like it doesn't even care one whit if it fell off the edge or not, courting disaster like that. It made me want to go BOO!; 6/20/12, 2:57 AM
Laura said...: Snow White and the Huntsman wasn't all that bad. However, I LOL'd during Act of Valor, 'cuz you guys made me do it.

Signing off, Squeamish.; 6/20/12, 3:18 AM
Rusty said...: That's so cute I want to puke.; 6/20/12, 5:33 AM
edutcher said...: Rose is right, sweet shot - everyone should have an angel waiting for them when they come home.

(which is also a nice memory of the first time The Blonde came to see me in Bryn Mawr)

Revenant said...

What were some of its other names, again?

I always assumed that was Jeremy.

No, that was somebody else.

Florida changed her name to something to do with all those Mohammed cartoons a few years ago.; 6/20/12, 6:19 AM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: I hadn't seen that little girl's blog yet, although I was aware of it. I am delighted by the fact that the Korean lunch she also shared was accompanied by a pair of sleek, menacing stainless steel chopsticks. At my kids' school, they aren't even allowed to use plastic forks. They might attack someone, you know. A spork is every so much safer. I'm fairly sure that bringing a butter knife in a lunch sack would merit an immediate 'zero-tolerance for weapons on campus' expulsion.; 6/20/12, 6:49 AM
Saint Croix said...: This case is insane.

In North Carolina, assault by pointing a weapon is a misdemeanor. You always get probation. There's no jail time. Firing two shots into the ground is, in my opinion, not as bad as pointing a weapon. And yet this guy got 20 years! Insane.

And check out who the prosecutor is. Nothing says evil like a prosecutor who has no sense of justice.; 6/20/12, 6:50 AM
Saint Croix said...: Contempt vote for Eric Holder is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. this morning.; 6/20/12, 6:57 AM
Hagar said...: And the Supremes will have to say something this week or next.

And does anyone think that Congress can possibly get done any of all that they have scheduled themselves to get done after the election and before New Years?

We certainly live in the "interesting times" of the old Chinese curse!; 6/20/12, 7:50 AM
Paddy O said...: Don't blink.; 6/20/12, 8:02 AM
wyo sis said...: Saint Croix
Insane is the kindest word you could use. This prosecutor should be out of a job.; 6/20/12, 8:26 AM
MadisonMan said...: Don't blink.

Excellent episode of the Doctor.; 6/20/12, 8:28 AM
LoafingOaf said...: Oops. Three white supremacist writers exposed at the same prominent right wing magazine - The National Review - since April.

Alex Pareene reports:

Oh, look at that: National Review publishes racist nut

"Again, this is a guy who wants to criminalize the practice of a religion and openly “declare war” on a billion of its adherents, and he also thinks liberal Jews are “parasites” and blacks are genetically inferior to whites, and he is Andrew McCarthy’s “friend” and a National Review contributor. Yes."; 6/20/12, 8:32 AM
Fen said...: Firing two shots into the ground is, in my opinion, not as bad as pointing a weapon

Actually, its pretty bad.

When we were in Somolia, some of the tribal thugs tried to intimidate Red Cross workers by firing into the ground near their feet. Round richoceted off the ground and killed one of the Red Cross guys.; 6/20/12, 8:33 AM
Fen said...: Don't waste your time with Loafing Oaf's link. Its the typical libtard slander filled with assumptions not in evidence.; 6/20/12, 8:36 AM
LoafingOaf said...: Oh, I thought Alex Pareene was a popular writer around here. Well, then, here's another link.

It seems that after being forced to fire two of their most hardcore racist writers, The National Review decided the best thing to do was hire another hardcore racist writer.

BTW, Fen, it's unfortunate what happened to George Zimmerman's wife after you sent money to the Zimmerman web site. Probably wasn't a good idea to send money to people who hunt teenagers.; 6/20/12, 8:49 AM
Shanna said...: Don't blink.

Ah! That episode scarred me for life.; 6/20/12, 8:52 AM
Shanna said...: Oh, I thought Alex Pareene was a popular writer around here.

I have no clue who that is.; 6/20/12, 8:53 AM
rhhardin said...: Baby birds open wide for anything that seems like a nest shake.

After about two weeks they start to recognize you personally and respond to you instead. Then they have a personality.

At that point you can give them the run of the yard. They'll run out of the bushes when you call to offer food.

After they're flying, they hang around for a couple months in the back woods, fly up and land on you when you come home, hoping for a blueberry.; 6/20/12, 9:02 AM
LoafingOaf said...: "I have no clue who that is."

Then I should clarify that he's the Salon writer, not the racist at National Review.

The latest racist at National Review is David Yerushalmi.

I guess the magazine will have to distance themselves from him soon, so there's a job opening for any racist writers out there who can do a better job of scrubbing up their histories and switching to a less overt style of hate at The Corner.; 6/20/12, 9:03 AM
KCFleming said...: @Fen: It's a Salon article, so bullshit must be assumed. Plus, Loafing Oaf linked it so it must be BS squared.

Along the same lines is MSNBC's propaganda recent editing of Romney's Wawa remarks.

It's BS all the time for the Democrats from now until November. Likely won't be a true story published by them until then.; 6/20/12, 9:08 AM
Fen said...: Loafing Oaf: BTW, Fen, it's unfortunate what happened to George Zimmerman's wife after you sent money to the Zimmerman web site. Probably wasn't a good idea to send money to people who hunt teenagers.

BTW Loafing Oaf, it unfortunate that you continue to violate the conditions of your parole. Probably wasn't a good idea to post pics of yourself fondling little boys.; 6/20/12, 9:11 AM
LoafingOaf said...: How many overt white nationalist racists have to be uncovered at one prominent conservative magazine before the right-wing blogosphere realizes it might be the editors of the National Review who have a problem and not the people exposing them?

Not sure what that has to do with MSNBC unfairly editing a Romney video. I agree it's a shame MSNBC decided to be a left-wing version of right-wing news media.; 6/20/12, 9:15 AM
edutcher said...: LoafingOaf said...

Oops. Three white supremacist writers exposed at the same prominent right wing magazine - The National Review - since April.

Alex Pareene reports:

Oh, look at that: National Review publishes racist nut

If you actually READ the Wonkette piece, you'll find it does nothing of the kind.

Oaf (who, as usual, lives up to his handle) is beclowning himself like freder.; 6/20/12, 9:29 AM
Christy said...: MadMan, I agree, Don't Blink is one of the scariest shows I've ever seen. The angels were much scarier than Daleks could ever be, don't you think.

Nightline last night led off with a Fast and Furious piece about cars. Do you think they are saturating the public mind with that old drivel so no one will pay attention when they have to talk about Holder?; 6/20/12, 10:06 AM
Christy said...: Have you noticed that we can type in the wrong number from the pic and the software still approves the word verification?; 6/20/12, 10:09 AM
Christy said...: I swear, this is Google using us all to read addresses from street views. Are you getting paid for this labor, Althouse?; 6/20/12, 10:12 AM
edutcher said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 6/20/12, 10:12 AM
edutcher said...: Christy said...

Have you noticed that we can type in the wrong number from the pic and the software still approves the word verification?

That's because it's part of an image. WV reads characters.; 6/20/12, 10:14 AM
Christy said...: So why do they bother with the image?; 6/20/12, 10:36 AM
ken in tx said...: Metal chop sticks are used in Korea because of an ancient belief that they will turn dark if the food is poisoned. They were originally made of silver.
verepo; 6/20/12, 12:23 PM
Rosalyn C. said...: "Oh Ann, how about buying me a new chair like the one my friend Diane Keaton has?

BTW can you name that chair?; 6/20/12, 10:52 PM