Finn has to go to the groomer

[conuly]

I was able to get an appointment Friday, which really astonished me - usually the groomer books up weeks in advance! But I guess nobody wanted to go right after Christmas. (They told me on the phone that people were still trying to book grooming and/or boarding right before Christmas. It was already, like, the 22nd. I can't even....)

End of December isn't the optimal time for this dog to be shaved down, but we couldn't do it when it was the optimal time so he'll just have to shiver a little next month. He's rapidly moving from "scruffy" to "disreputable", and that can't be allowed. Sorry, baby.

********************

The legacy of the seat belt, the world’s most prevalent safety device, and the act of corporate goodwill that ensured everyone‘s car got the best design.

A Brief History of the Snow Globe

Female penises evolved twice in bark lice

Old Christmas songs get all the play time

The delightful, inventive, fraught era when kids made their own toys.

For the First Time in More Than 20 Years, Copyrighted Works Will Enter the Public Domain

Chaucer or Shakespeare? (Quiz. You have to turn off adblock to make it work, but there don't seem to be many ads in the first place.)

The Way American Parents Think About Chores Is Bizarre

So How Do You Teach Kids To Be Honest?

Yes, This Meal Is Supposed to Make You Feel Uncomfortable

Looking to the future has always defined humanity. Will A.I. become the best crystal ball of all?

Human Trials To Be Conducted For Ultrasound Treatment of Dementia

What makes chickens happy? Nobody is quite sure

Dirty dealing in the Amazon marketplace

Extra inventory. More sales. Lower prices. How counterfeits benefit Amazon

Living while black

‘I had no idea how beautiful the border is’: Beto O’Rourke solicits photos of habitats at risk from Trump’s wall

Evangelical Christians Helped Elect Donald Trump, but Their Time as a Major Political Force Is Coming to an End

The Year of the Old Boys

What Populists Do to Democracies

‘Like a cancer:’ Rio militias grow, control swaths of city

What kind of person makes false rape accusations?

Is Genocide Predictable? Researchers Say Absolutely

Comments

[thewayne]

All of our dogs are disreputable.

OH, you mean APPEARANCE.

Never mind.

[conuly]

Yeah, it's one thing for Finn to be obsessed with going through the garbage, it's quite another for him to look like it!

[thewayne]

Our black poodle, Charlie, has been eating things out of the bathroom trash and it has resulted in some nasty gastro-intestinal issues. (Firefox dictionary wanted to correct that to Castro-intestinal!)  My wife has become attuned to hearing him start to gag and being able to rush into the living room with a paper towel or bowl.

[mommy]

The Christmas carol article reminds me of XKCD's take on the topic.

[conuly]

I thought of that too! :)

[greghousesgf]

I'm beginning to wonder if I'm the only person who likes "Wonderful Christmastime".
also, I heard "Holly Jolly Christmas" about two million times this year after not hearing it at all for several years.

[conuly]

I think you very well might be the only one, sorry.

[amaebi]

I'm perturbed about what people mean when they say "populist."

I mean, I'm bothered by the way people use "capitalism" and "socialism," but (Particularly with "capitalism" I have some feel for the existence of a firm and useful definition.

[elenbarathi.livejournal.com]

Aww, poor Finn, but doesn't he have a coat (and boots!) to wear outdoors anyway?

My housemate Sonja's cat, Miss Fancypants, has gotten so matted that she's going to have to be at least partially shaved, and that'll be a fight for sure, because she barely tolerates even being brushed.

I made a lot of my own toys as a kid, and my daughter made quite a few of hers too. 'The era' isn't over; just too mant parents and grandparents apparently don't find the time to teach their kids the skills, because they're too busy staring at a flickering screen.

Most American parents don't teach their children to help with chores from the time they're toddlers because most American parents have to work full-time or more. Doing chores with toddlers takes at least twice as long as doing them alone.

Everyone who's ever kept chickens knows what makes them happy. They like to scratch around the yard for bugs all day, sleep at night in a clean, secure chicken fortress, have fresh water and sufficient feed: really, it ain't rocket surgery; they are simple creatures. But what these agri-scientists are really asking is "What makes chickens not-miserable in miserably-unnatural conditions?" I dunno; maybe read them Hens' Search For Meaning?

*hugs* Happy New Year! Oh, and BTW, the circumference of my head is 22 inches. ;~D

[conuly]

Told my mother, thanks :)

Poor kitty!