Jesse's e-mail wants to hug it out.

I have to say, I don't understand how that became that show's catchphrase in the general culture. Doesn't he actually say it like once? Or is that what gets cut when I watch it on Comedy Central reruns?

Hmm. I'm not filling out your help desk feedback form unless you tell me if it's anonymous or not. FYI.

Look at this kiss. Kisses. OMG, this is why you need practice. Hell, I didn't practice much before my first public tonsil-licking. I hope I wasn't that bad.

We had a two-hour meeting, mostly on process (the only thing that made it bearable was the pastries). I feel for my poor boss: he's trying to roll a log uphill (in terms of standardizing processes, work-tracking, and so forth). But he's in uniform, which means he's only got about 2 years in this slot, and then he'll move on and the next guy will ignore all his changes. And the civilians will still be here.

I... might be. I just got told (a) I don't get a second monitor like the rest of the staff because I'm a contractor; and (b) they probably won't announce my position until after the holidays.

Not enough facepalm in the world.

He offered to hug it out a few times, but I think it was only "hug it out, you little bitch!" the one time.(The things I know...sheesh.) As to its place in the zeitgeist, funny as that moment was, especially not expecting it, beats the hell out of me. Gary Busey's guest spot was totally funnier, as was the takedown of "Joshie" Weinstein as a "lightweight, pen-stealing, fuckface."

I'm just saying -- before I started watching, I really thought that was going to be the punchline of half the scenes!

Tommy, if that's the way he's always treated the dog, the dog may not be fully housetrained because he's never known what he's supposed to do. There's no way for a dog to relate anger to "don't mess the apartment" unless he's disciplined when it happens. From the dog's point of view, his owner comes in the door and yells at him for no reason.

However, trying to tell someone else how to raise a pet is almost always futile. You could suggest, in a spirit of helpfulness, that a vet visit might be in order.

He argues against it being important, is how I read that speech.

He compares the pedantry to a vice, one that he has to resist like sloth or gluttony. So I didn't read him as saying that it wasn't important or unimportant in a binary way, but rather that it wasn't that important. That the correcting, pedantic impulse was worse than the shopkeeper sign which was clear enough in context.

Maybe it's because it's one of the few things Ari says that you wouldn't look like a dick wearing on a t-shirt(although I bought coffee mugs that say "tse tse fly" on them, but that was an "In-Laws" shout-out, of course.) It's a soundbite world. (the only thing I hate about that bit, to be honest, is, much like Barney Stimson's "Legendary!" it became and remains shorthand among douchebags who want to show me they're cool and funny.) But I have laughed at the actual scene, repeatedly. Piven apologized after Kevin Connolly said that when he walks down the street there's always some dudebro yelling it at him

However, trying to tell someone else how to raise a pet is almost always futile.

True.

Perhaps the landlord could be asked to get involved? I keep my dog in the house (or crated) for the length of my workday. But I do it because I know she has the training to handle that, and the bladder capacity--and I make sure that she does all her business before I leave in the morning.

If she makes a mistake, it's my fault: there's no point in scolding her hours afterwards. All she learns is to be afraid of being scolded when I come home.

Perhaps you could get a card for a dog-walker and slip it under your neighbor's door? Oh, wait, he works nights. Maybe one of the kids in the area could be hired to walk the dog in the evenings?