A few recent famous person deaths have elicited a "X was still alive?" response from me. That's not at all my response to learning about Joan Rivers; she still seemed current as opposed to someone who was once famous decades ago.
I suppose that means that she really had the "being a celebrity" thing down.
Yeah, I joked to Jammies when I was staying in a hotel in the spring that it was super luxurious to have all those channels, because TWO of them were simultaneously showing Joan shows.
Joan Rivers was six weeks younger than Willie Nelson.
1.1 Yeah, I'll say one thing for her, she was no Abe Vigoda.
Abe Vigoda
Pretty impressive that he's still going since he was already playing old guys in the mid 70s.
Jeb Lund:
https://twitter.com/Mobute/status/507604263187398658
The F/book feed is turning up all sorts of reminiscences, all super positive, almost all from friends of friends. I liked this one:
In 1991, [my comedy troupe that you've never heard of and that did not go on to become successful] appeared on The Joan Rivers Show. At the time we did Joan's show, I made most of my income from stand-up, but still cater-waitered to pay my rent. Two months after our taping, a caterer asked if I was available to work Christmas Day. I had just purchased a Mac Classic computer and wanted to buy Microsoft Word. Since working holidays meant double pay, I agreed. "Before you say yes," the caterer warned, "the party's at Joan River's house." We discussed the possible embarrassment at being recognized, but I decided to forgo wearing my usual contact lenses in favor of my glasses, delusionally thinking my Clark Kent "disguise" would work. Before the party began at Joan's palatial Fifth Avenue condo, which was part of a converted 1903 mansion, she gave the staff a short pep talk. I was relieved when she didn't seem to recognize me. Later, as I passed a tray of champagne, a guest asked me, "Hey, weren't you on Joan's show?" I nodded yes. "Does Joan know?" I shook my head no. A half hour later, while passing hors d'oeuvres in the library, I felt a hand on my elbow. "Excuse me, everyone!" Joan shouted to the entire room. Conversation stopped. "This is a wonderful comedian. He was a guest on my show!" Joan then said in a low voice, "Isn't this horrifying?" which made me laugh. "Don't let it bother you. You're just starting out. One time, I did a show with Jack Lemmon; then two weeks later I waited on him."
Poor dear, she was probably getting senile.
For me, the take home point is that the forms at the endoscopy clinic weren't shitting around about there being a small risk of death.
10: The slideshow on celebrity positions on Israel-Palestine is very helpful.
The best:
Bar Refaeli
Leonardo DiCaprio's former girlfriend added to the debate when she posted a quote on her Instagram account, which she attributed to Abraham Lincoln. Unfortunately it was actually taken from a Lincoln figure encountered by Captain Kirk and Spock in Star Trek, season three, episode 22.
She was actually talented and unique. I'm not saying she wasn't also horrible, but she busted people's balls in a markedly un-feminine way that I admire.
Oh, I agree. It's more of a comment on American politics than Joan Rivers that it won't even rate a mention.
10 Surely that's a pic of Jocelyn Wildenstein.
And after 10 feeling far less guilty about my 7.
She was incredibly vicious in making fun of other people's physical appearance, but she was every bit as cruel in make jokes about her own appearance. 7 wouldn't have bothered her at all.
Actually, where is Stras? Did he finally decided he hated you all?
When I first came back, I thought it would be funny to have a thread where everyone was introduced to me, not by themselves, but everyone else. It's not too late!
Did he finally decided he hated you all
Pretty much. Summer '08 sometime, I think? I remember talking about it with the lurking Dr. Oops when I went out to Pittsburgh to ring doorbells for Obama.
I thought it was more that he finally gave up on making us love him.
This was really great. Sorry, Palestinians, OTOH you have other things to worry about.
I was very fond of having him around, irascible and occasionally wrong about things as he was, and regret the blowup. But I'm sentimental like that.
I don't get it. I hate you all. Why is that a reason to go away?
Stras blowup thread, found by googling "friendship bracelet", because I offered to weave Stras one if he'd stick around. Probably good he didn't take me up on the offer -- I never really got the hang of that kit of Sally's.
30: I knew somehow that I helped drive stras off (something I felt a big guilty about), but I could never find the thread because I thought he was commenting under "inaccessible island rail". Or was that later?
Also NMM to Bob McDonnell's political career, for, I mean, the next two years or so after which all will be forgotten.
I think that's a maybe. Some people thought so, I never had a strong opinion.
"Inaccessible Island Rail" was my all-time favorite pseud.
23: he's on twitter, as you have discovered.
36 All the Unfoggedtariat with twitter accounts should tweet at him to come back.
35: "Wry Cooter" is still available.
35 I did not know this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inaccessible_Island_rail
39: I did not either, but that page does have an embarrassing amount of purple links on it. I should probably clear my history more often.
It was weirdly nostalgic seeing the names of all those formerly regular commenters.
I felt bad when he disappeared because he was part of the community, but he could be super fucking annoying on politics. When I guessed that Namond was him on that thread, I didn't even say my guess, I just had to describe his style for everyone to know who I was thinking of.
13: So do you know who writes fafblog?
We rediscover it every few years and are newly amazed.
Fafnir, Giblets, and the Medium Lobster write fafblog. It's right there on the front page.
32. This is so strange to me. So he's a money-grubber, bfd. I mean, I'm happy to see him shamed and powerless.
But the scale of the prosecution and the level of personally vindictive scorn surprise me. George Ryan, Rod Blagojevich, Ted Stevens-- actual harm done, prosecution makes total sense(though Stevens was allowed somehow to keep his name clear, and his harm was via his official policies). McDonnell is a republican turd with a nice watch, but so are most governors.
44 It seems to me that the pace has been accelerating lately. Soon every thread here will about him writing Fafblog.
Actually, where is Stras? Did he finally decided he hated you all?
I thought he always already hated everyone.
It was weirdly nostalgic seeing the names of all those formerly regular commenters.
Totes. And I am reminded of how poorly I identify people by their writing styles, or by anything else, for that matter. A few of you are facebook friends whose identities here I have yet to figure out.
I thought that IIR did admit to being Stras.
Could be, and I just don't recall.
Also I thought Stras was commenting under the name Stras when my least favorite commenter* was blowing up.
*I literally hesitate to write her name out of some Candyman-esque invoking superstition.
49. I am the cook who set off the McDonnell trial out of spite.
49: A few of you are facebook friends whose identities here I have yet to figure out.
I have no idea how to go about friending (horrible neologism, that) people I know here via pseud only. I'm friends with a few people I've met and also ttaM, but that's it. Didn't FB used to let you put a small note of introduction or hello with your friend request? That would make so much sense. Probably that's why they dropped it. Anyway I'd like to be able to say "Hi, Togolosh here, be my friend or die in a fire" or something like that.
Man, that thread pointed me to lost his think tank in a big weird office romance and/or sexual harassment thing. I had gotten a mistaken impression of him, possibly from Twitter wonks, as one of the more serious-mind right-wing health policy people. Christ, what an asshole (re: what he said in 2008, not the scandal).
I haven't tried to friend anyone on FB in a long time, but that's how I used to do it. I just yesterday figured out that one of my friends was flippanter, though, so it's not always the best way to connect the dots.
52: Running down my mental checklist of prominent female commenters who are no longer regulars, I'm stumped. Hints?
55: Hm. I don't see anyone who looks like you on ttaM's friends list, but even if you don't know my real name, my picture (green, scaly) should be recognizable. On the other hand, friending me is pointless, because I literally never post anything, I just comment on other people's statuses.
Not helping? site:unfogged.com "genghis khan" just gives me a bunch of Emerson comments.
OTOH, maybe I've just done a really good job of repressing some memories that should stay that way...
55: My identity is pretty easy to figure out, since my pseud initials are also my real ones, and I wouldn't be surprised if we had mutual friends from school.
I was "friends" with Teo and Apo for a while, but then decided I wasn't anonymous enough. Will the need for anonymity ever lessen? Maybe.
I'll never feel as Joan Rivers looked. Frequently, I say that I feel like hammered shit, but today it's not even a little bit of hyperbole. 1 hour of sleep last night. 6 hours at the ER (two separate trips), 1 kidney stone that ain't passed yet, and a whole fuck of a lot of Percoets waiting to take the pain away, hopefully.
Plus, 1 old lady loudly apologizing to God and praying for him to take the pain away while we both waited in the CT scan waiting area.
Thanks. It could always be worse.
Oh ow ow ow. I hope you're done with it soon.
whole fuck of a lot of Percoets waiting to take the pain away, hopefully.
Oh, and fuck fuck fuck liar Obama for rescheduling Vicodin and Tramadol but not pot.
Oh, forgot the best part: I'm being wheeled on a gurney to the CT scan area by a burly male nurse, and a woman and her kid turn a corner and ask him how to get to the McDonald's in the hospital building. He directs them, and then the kid, who sounded like he was 6 or 7, started bugging his mom "Momma! Look, that boy just died! Momma, that man just died!" And she was all "Stop saying that, he's not dead!" referring to me, of course. Heh.
Poor Natilo. I hope you feel better in short order.
Shit, natilo. Here's hoping for a quick and easy recovery.
84: He can schedule the pain pills up (from III to II) but cannot reschedule pot down (from I to II or III)? Because that is what he has been saying. Pretty dense dude.
And god knows I get bored with the begs for sympathy round here, and won't pretend for someone who has made clear they despise me.
Are you saying you want pot to be controlled more strictly?
Come to think on it, pot is Schedule I, and cannot be controlled more strictly.
Are you an idiot?
Natilo, I can't believe you didn't sit up and growl at the kid. Feel better, stoner.
Best, Natilo.
So vexed in 56 that I messed up my links.
89 or "I'm not dead yet" but the kid wouldn't get it.
I hope you fell better soon, Natilo.
92:Firedoglake
18 Members of Congress Call on Obama to Reschedule Marijuana
Obama Lies to Jake Tapper About His Ability to Reschedule Marijuana
DC Court Denies Appeal for more detailed legal arguments
Asskisser
Ouch Natilo but love 81. Hope you feel better soon.
All sympathies, Natilo. If it makes you feel any better, I first read 81 as having been written as you were actually on the gurney, and I admired your commenting commitment. Okay, that probably doesn't make you feel any better. You could try reading Finnegans Wake to while away the hours.
Hold the phone, Bob is concerned about hypocrisy now?
Sorry to hear about the stone. Hope you pee better soon.
Ouch! Natilo! Hang in there as best you can; keep finding the humor if you can.
To the OT, a friend who worked for -- and struck -- Rivers's tweet today. Not especially surprising, given people.
Did anyone answer 55 effectively?
Didn't FB used to let you put a small note of introduction or hello with your friend request? That would make so much sense. Probably that's why they dropped it. Anyway I'd like to be able to say "Hi, Togolosh here, be my friend or die in a fire" or something like that.
As far as I know, FB still allows you email (message?) someone: I always do that with a note to just that effect when I friend someone. "Hey, parsimon here, I just sent you a friend request, blah blah." I figure then there's a record in case people forget who I am via real name. Of course I never say anything on Facebook anyway, but I might, I might!
I don't know quite why, but I felt sad about her death. She was funny but not at all someone who meant a lot to me. And then a friend posted "IN CASE YOU WERE MOURNING" and a clip of her saying offensive stuff about Palestinians because I guess all her favorite entertainers have well thought out leftist politics, since entertainers are such scholars.
71: Been there, man. I don't envy you. I paid a dude a bunch of money to stick a big-ass thing down my johnson to get at my kidney stones. He was a doctor and all, but as it was happening I couldn't stop thinking that I'd have paid a random weirdo to do it if he made a credible case that it would work. The good news is that once it's done you get to pee. Peeing is an underrated source of pleasure IMHO.
I was wondering where hoboes came into 104, but 105 answers that question.
I've got a bunch of bamboo skewerso I don't know how I could use otherwise.
67: Searching your name as best I recall it from the late lamented unfogged group that teo husbanded turns up jack shit. Or perhaps more accurately a bunch of dudes I can't distinguish from randos. If you've a mind to it hit me up at: from our school, first name means "man" in greek, last name is a common english word for "crate." Friends with Heebs, Thorn, ttaM, Lubbock, teo.
I'm going to find you all on LinkedIn and endorse you for Nose Picking.
It's really sort of creepy how many people I hadn't thought about in years show up in "People You May Know" on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn seems creepier than FB in term of uncanny connections. My FB is much harder to find, so my LinkedIn has connections to high school former friends, an ex boyfriend from more than 15 years ago, and step-pseudo-in-laws.
LinkedIn is my only social medium, so that I have no basis for comparison, but I agree that the "People You May Know" is uncanny at finding people you've forgotten existed.
There are 189 people with my name (first and last only). I'm thinking of trying to connect to them all and form a group.
But I can only see 100 of them unless I get a business account.
FB is really good at connecting me to people I barely knew in High School but shit at making new connections. OTOH all I've got to do is wait and Zuckerberg will roll out some new shit and maybe that'll be the connection to the people I actually like. OTOOH, could be the next random change connects me to all my enemies. Who knows?
115: My best same-name compadres are a mediocre artist and a guy who murdered his family. Top that! Though you'll be glad to hear, I'm sure, that one of the bartenders at the nearest bar to me has the same last name and so gives me free drinks.
Somebody who shares my first and last name got an undergrad degree in physics and writes libertarian columns for some local newspaper that come up if you search for my name + physics. It's very frustrating.
111: LinkedIn mines your email contacts and the account I used is one I have for years used for stuff I want to mostly ignore or throwaway contacts and yeah anyway people from OkCupid pop up there a lot and one guy I had an extremely brief but enthusiastic acquaintance with. They certainly don't have enough radio buttons on the "How do you know [x]?" bit, I'll say that.
I'm LinkedIn friends with the other guy with my first and last name. I feel like maybe I've mentioned this. He lived in Texas when I did, then New York when I did, and now lives in the West Bay. I would actually find it very entertaining to meet him but I can't really assume this is as amusing to him as it is to me.
108: Anthropos Box, I'm waiting for you to accept my friend request.
120: I've never let LinkedIn do that and it's found people from before I had my current email account.
An ex-girlfriend of mine has the same name as a guy who murdered his wife and claimed sleepwalking as a defense.
My only exact same-name is the administrator of a bizarre public school district that was carved out to make sure the otherwise religiously schooled population had access to state-guaranteed special ed services.
And then a friend posted "IN CASE YOU WERE MOURNING" and a clip of her saying offensive stuff about Palestinians because I guess all her favorite entertainers have well thought out leftist politics, since entertainers are such scholars.
From the clip in 10: "Good, good... [Palestinian civilians] deserve to be dead...." It's not like she failed to grasp the fine points of the Affordable Care Act. It's a lapse in compassion and basic decency, not in like, puzzling out complicated scholarly theories.
Bad people are sometimes funny, and sure, you might as well be entertained. Good people sometimes say bad things, or have blind spots. And maybe there's something to be said for smearing some vaseline on the lens when you're examining the lives of the recently deceased. But it seems pretty hard to swallow that this was an excusable thing to say out of ignorance.
hammered shit
Wow. I guess the moment has passed, but I hope you get through this as fast as possible, and with percocet.
Eh, that's probably too harsh, I'm sorry. It's not like you make a habit of excusing horrible actions or anything, as far as I know, and probably "excusing" is too strong a word for what you said anyway. Mostly I just got set off as it seems like in general this is one of those topics where you can say whatever awful thing and respectable people will stick up for you.
123: if someone else lets LinkedIn scour their contacts and you appear in them, it'll suggest them to you as a potential contact.
She was funny but not at all someone who meant a lot to me.
I couldn't follow her down the red carpet (not that I blame her for being vicious and awful about other celebrities), but when I was a whole lot younger and was first introduced to her (mid-career, I guess) material, she did sort of mean something to me. To see this woman, this comedienne, playing ball with the big boys, and just hitting it out of the park...I guess she was popularizing a certain Jewish-American brand of humour? That comic tradition was new to me, in any case, and was just such a delight, and a revelation. And then to see it done by a woman: her take-no-prisoners approach could only fill me with admiration.
Her anti-Palestinian rants were vile and ignorant (and for this viciousness I do blame her).
But I am sorry to hear of her death. I think she really blazed a trail for female comics.
127: I suppose that would account for it.
Early in her career, I just sort of thought of Rivers as a Phyllis Diller knock-off. Stupidly, over-simplistic and sexist on my part. Here is Rivers remembering Diller after Diller died. Only 2 years ago .
And a commentary Rivers did in the WaPo on Diller.
104: You may be a bit late on that one. If you're really interested, I could probably put you in touch with a few people who you could network with about it.
Thanks for the support, anonymous 43 year old in a basement! 3rd Percocet was the charm, and I got to sleep for 9 hours. And to pee. So, feeling pretty good right now, even though it seems like the stone is still hangin' out in my bladder. Will make the most of the calm before the storm. So glad not to have that kidney pain -- it was about 95% as bad as the gall bladder/pancreatitis pain from a couple years ago.
44: Fafblog was written by two people, one of whom was funny. The other guy runs the twitter feed.
It is kind of weird to see stras and dsquared so utterly convinced that Joe Biden will be the warmongering eminence gris of the Obama puppet presidency. Open your eyes, fools!
46.
This is one of the greatest salt-in-the-wound things I've ever seen, too:
Spencer also told jurors -- who heard from three character witnesses, two for Bob McDonnell and one for his wife -- that 'evidence of good character alone may create a reasonable doubt as to a defendant's guilt.'
He also passed a law stripping the pensions of any public employees who committed job related felonies. (That's not obviously bad, but it is kind of awesome that he was committing job related felonies at the time, and ended up convicted of them.)
It is kind of weird to see stras and dsquared so utterly convinced that Joe Biden will be the warmongering eminence gris of the Obama puppet presidency.
Yeah, I was struck by that too. The past is a different country.
136: I noticed the same thing! I was struggling to figure out what was going on, since it was incomprehensible, knowing what we do.
Also NMM to Domino. End of a cat-blogging era.
Drum is completely catless? That's not good. Can we crowdsource the man a kitten somehow?
If John Cole could replace Tunch, surely we can get Drum a new cat.
Well I guess "replace" isn't really the right word. But you know what I mean.
Yes. I don't give much of a shit about animals either. But I don't say it aloud.
137: At the time, the vice presidential office had long been populated by warmongering old white men. They can be forgiven for assuming the trend would continue.
Moby, you kill anything that moves in your yard. We know how you feel about animals.
Oh, Natilo, feel better soon.
144: Not mammals. I haven't killed any of them. Plus, thinking of getting a dog.
It does SEEM like the vice president should be the power behind the throne, as in every other country that has a president elected who then appoints another guy to run the government while the president goes off to have photo ops with the Emir of the Maldives. But historically, the VP either does nothing, or is a longstanding enemy of the President who was named VP to "balance the ticket" and is certainly not going to be trusted with any Signature Objectives.
Have you spent any time with it? I generally advise against getting high energy dogs.
Apparently, there's an excess in the west or midwest or something. So they bring them to shelters further east. And, unlike the beagles, they don't cut them with pugs to increase profit.
Jesus Christ, the tiny dogs are everywhere out here. It seems like there's been an explosion of them in the past 5 years. I find the appeal baffling.
I miss the days of when the Vice President was the first loser. Clear evidence that the founding fathers could be, in addition to being clearly biased towards their class, really frigging stupid.
139 Didn't he pick up another one soon after Inkblot was killed? Or maybe I'm mixing him up with John Cole.
Not a specific used chihuahua, then.
I don't love small dogs and I am thoroughly opposed to anything with the word "Terrier" in the name. And I don't like the smooshface dogs. But I have come around on dachshunds. Whenever I see them at the river, they are totally willing to mix it up. Huskies, labs and big hounds all wrestling? A dachshund will charge them with no hesitation.
I like dachshunds also. Apparently, nobody abuses or abandons them much, so they don't show up for free at the shelters as often.
You aren't going to mail me one, like the Far Side strip?
Nope. My dog is 80lbs, so the postage would be too much. Besides, he's a great dog for us. But it would still be useful to know your zip code.
Dude. The first dog that turns up is sweet little Larry, a dachshund.
Skip over the terriers. Sandy looks terrifying. That is not Clara's most flattering angle. Leo might be interesting, but I bet he's chatty.
Go get Larry right away. The demonic glow in his eyes is just from the flash.
https://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/30103732/
This should be more like Tinder, but thanks for the link.
They make you take a test before getting a dog. For example, "What is your opinion of unwanted pets being euthanized, sold, or taken to the pound?" I don't care what you think about animal rights, but that question just covers too many things to be reasonable.
The corgi & chihuahua mix is just so cute I don't know why nobody ever thought of calling them chihorigs. Plus that agency seems much less into making me write an essay.
Yes. The name might be a problem. If I run around the neighborhood shouting, "Here, Emma," people are going to think I'm trying to call their daughters.
Emma would love you wholeheartedly even if you changed her name.
I didn't know you could do that after they got used to their original name.
She's young. Enough treats and she'll figure it out. The only thing our dog regularly recalls for is a whistle anyway.
When we got a golden retriever growing up, we changed its name from Leah to Callie Leah, calling her "Callie Leah" for a while before it transitioned to just "Callie."
For the Mobes clan, my vote goes to Reggie.
The want $175 to get him out of hock.
They are all going to charge about that. Ours was $240 to cover their own expenses for food and vet (because they come neutered and with their first shots paid for). I don't think even the city pounds are free any more. That's not excessive. Only time I've seen them cheaper is when they're trying to clear out chihuahuas and pit bulls.
Reggie is all the way over in a different state.
Or, those are the cheap dogs. The dogs from a breeder are thousands, not hundreds.
Gotta go. You should go get little Emma. Or sweet Larry. If you need Unfogged to help you write the essay, post the prompts here. We love to collaborate on that stuff. Cryptic Ned writes an excellent speech.
I notice they all seem to come with chips in addition to shot and de-gonaded. I don't want to pay for a chip. If somebody wants to go through all the trouble to steal my dog, they probably need the dog more than I do.
Larry's rescuers clearly want you to promise that no matter how sick this dog gets, you'll pay for the vet bills. I don't want to promise that because I know me.
The chip is bundled. If you want a dog through any formal placement (as opposed to box of puppies outside the supermarket), you'll be paying for it. I didn't want a camera on my phone, but eventually had to relent because there were none without.
Well, there are other dachshunds close by, if Ohio is close. It doesn't have to be Larry.
Besides, you are neutral at the dog you have now, while it is still hypothetical. But if you put work into it, like a new name, you might one day want to retrieve that specific dog if it strays into the world. The chip would be handy then.
179: The chip is pretty much standard these days and good in case a dog gets loose. That happens often enough even without criminal mastermind's doings. Also, small dogs are harder to block at a doorway than big dogs. Trust me on this.
180: Let me put in a vote for maybe not getting a dog. They're annoying, and a big responsibility, and you really don't want to take that on unless you're completely thrilled with the idea of falling in love with the animal (or if there were another responsible adult who was). I loved DogBreath, and I miss having a dog, but I wouldn't have gotten her and wouldn't get another without Buck desperately needing a dog around.
You do not sound like a man who wants a dog, you sound like a man who has been persuaded into a dog by a child who will not himself care for the dog. At that point, I would not get a dog.
That's why I don't steal the dog from somebody else. That and because I might get bitten.
My cat is really fluffy, and she seems to like me. Anecdotes would probably be inappropriate, right?
184: The dog is less work than the other stuff he asks for.
Dog flowchart: Do I need a dog? ---> no.
Cats are easier, until they start peeing and vomiting everywhere.
I've only read the last seven or eight comments, and let me say that Jesus gets it exactly right.
You're just saying that because of your Mexican religion.
Cats you can change their name every day because they never learn it.
Sometimes they are cutely enthralled with a twist tie for many hours of the day and run around tackling it and sliding across the wood floor after it on their side also.
I'm highly pro-dachshund, but be warned they are often very territorial/protective, and bond with one person to the exclusion of everyone else.
We are, sadly, down to one cat now, but she is adapting by transferring her demands for attention from her now-departed friend/queen-empress to us, her lowly serfs.
I agree with everyone who says that almost all family dogs are a giant mistake. Companion dogs belonging to 20-somethings who adore them, take them camping and hiking and photograph them constantly, seem to be a great idea. Family dogs seem to be more hassle than they're worth.
(I only said 20-somethings because of the former students in my FB feed. Child-free people of all ages: sure, get a dog if you want one.)
Now I'm wondering just how far into the woods you'll get hiking with a chihuahua.
Are you going to carry it in a baby wrap or what, Mobes?
You mean, to ensure it doesn't follow you home?
I am pro-dog, for singletons, marital partners, married-with-children units.
One of the things I hated about living in an apartment in NYC was that we couldn't have a dog. As soon as we moved out to the suburbs (within two months, I mean), I got a puppy.
I wonder how much of this cat-or-dog-or-no-animal-companion-at-all business has to do with the experiences of childhood? Growing up, we had a family dog (a black lab named Maggie) who loved to swim, camp, chase squirrels, and jump out of a rowboat into the lake. But mostly she was just there, and life without a dog or two seems like an attenuated existence to me.
Yes. They were always on the floor hoping somebody would drop some popcorn or give them a sip of beer.