(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Top Comments: Notebook #85: Day 4 at home (the day before the main event...two main events, even) [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-08-18 2:55 PM EDT Warren, Michigan The main event that brought me home to Detroit (suburban Detroit, nowadays), a family reunion/picnic, doesn’t take place until tomorrow. I’ll have already been here in suburban Detroit since Tuesday and I will be here until next Friday...that’s a looooooooong eff’ing time. But I did and do figure to get lots and lots of work done. That is, until I ask Mom for her wifi password Tuesday night and...she has forgotten it. She remembered it the last time that I was here in October 2021, for my first cousin’s funeral. It’s a sensitive subject. I’m angry because I don’t know of any alternatives for wifi service at the times that I will be in most need of it. On the other hand, I don’t want Mom to feel bad about forgetting something that she really does not need to remember now. Fortunately, a meeting place near Mom’s house that I go to regularly when I’m in town is open early and late and has better working wifi than my building in Chicago or even Mom’s house. So I have a place where I can work and where I’m writing this Top Comments diary now. And there’s other benefits, of the very best kind. With the wifi problem solved, I’ve also been spending a good portion of evenings watching TV with Mom. I recall the description of an MSNBC commentator about a demographic of older retired Black folks that keep it on MSNBC (even as background noise) all day and remember that Mom is a true member of that particular demographic. For someone who didn’t pay all that much attention to politics until 2015 or so (by her own admission...I would push that date back to 2008, myself) she’s become...quite the pundit, even if that punditry is for my ears only. Mom and I do some fussing at each other, as usual, and she always reminds me that it’s my house. Still, even the fussing that we do is tempered with a lot of laughter. It’s a real pleasure to grow older with my Mom, even if it is not always comfortable. Besides, I like being around smart people and Mom is one of the smartest people that I know. More about my trip home after I tell you who we are and what we do here at Top Comments. Here at Top Comments we welcome longtime as well as brand new Daily Kos readers to join us at 10pm Eastern. We strive to nourish community by rounding up some of the site's best, funniest, most mojo'd & most informative commentary, and we depend on your help!! If you see a comment by another Kossack that deserves wider recognition, please send it either to topcomments at gmail or to the Top Comments group mailbox by 9:30pm Eastern. Please please please include a few words about why you sent it in as well as your user name (even if you think we know it already :-)), so we can credit you with the find! It’s roughly a mile and a half walk to The Meeting Place (it takes these suburban buses forever to arrive, I’m better off walking...healthier too!). Occasionally, I walk down side streets and there’s construction and road repair taking place on a lot of them. Yes, Governor Big Gretch is fixing the roads. Even the couple of main streets that I take there’s road construction taking place. Anyway, the main event is tomorrow. And then, thankfully, The Meeting Place is having a picnic the next day. I’m a little nervous about the family reunion picnic, actually. I have no beef or conflict with the overwhelming number of my relatives and I welcome seeing some relatives that I haven’t. A couple of relatives...well...we’ll have to see what happens. 6:01 PM ET Comments below the fold. TOP COMMENTS Brillig's ObDisclaimer: The decision to publish each nomination lies with the evening's Diarist and/or Comment Formatter. My evenings at the helm, I try reeeeallllyy hard to publish everything without regard to content. I really do, even when I disagree personally with any given nomination. "TopCommentness" lies in the eyes of the nominator and of you, the reader - I leave the decision to you. I do not publish self-nominations (ie your own comments) and if I ruled the world, we'd all build community, supporting and uplifting instead of tearing our fellow Kossacks down. Please remember that comment inclusion in Top Comments does not constitute support or endorsement by diarist, formatter, Top Comments writers or DailyKos. Questions, complaints or comments? Contact brillig. From thesphynx: Clio2's thoughtful analysis of why the normally helpful tendency of liberal/progressive white people to be empathetic can be a handicap when dealing with the cruel. From novapsyche’s recommended post on the woman who left a death threat for Judge Chutkan, the judge presiding over Trump’s Jan.6 case. From Angela Marx: Because in just a few words, Major Kong correctly identifies what it is that makes Fox so unlike a News organization and so LIKE an unacknowledged media Arm of the Republican Party. From ChrisRodda’s recommended post on reducing the relentless stream of Fox News spewed on U. S. military bases. TOP MOJO Top Mojo for yesterday, Thursday, August 17, 2023, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you mik for the mojo magic! For those of you interested in How Top Mojo Works, please see his diary on FAQing Top Mojo. TOP PICTURES Top Pictures for yesterday, Thursday, August 17, 2023. Click any picture to be taken to the full comment or picture. Thank you to the wonderful dKos staff who made it possible to continue this feature in memory of jotter! 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