Happy New Year

So, we're going into the New Year.  Yippee Skippy.  I'm not excited since 2017 will be the start of the Trumpest.  I work with a Trumplodite who actually said he couldn't wait until January 20.  "That's when we're all going to start making money," he said.  I just looked at him.  I couldn't think of a response which didn't include the words "dumb shit," or "asshole."  He will learn.  As will DT, who is so damn stupid.  DT actually believes Putin is going to view him as an equal.  He doesn't.  DT will faun over Putin, not even coming close to understanding he is putting America in jeopardy.  Putin doesn't want to conquer us, he just wants to destabilize us, weaken us, turn us into a 3rd world nation.  Putin wants Russia to be Number One and DT doesn't care, as long as the two of them are buddies.
Tonight I will go to bed at my normal time, around 10:00 PM.  I work tomorrow.  Yes, there are those who shop on New Year's Day.  Some believe there are going to be special sales... there are not going to be special sales.  The store is only going to be open 10 hours.  New Year's Day pizza will be brought in for those associates working.  Wow.  Some of them will be hungover.  Not me.  Every now and then I'll have a couple of glasses of wine, though never when I work the next day.

Looking forward, I do suspect we will only have to wait a few weeks before DT starts pointing his finger at his billionaire friends while shrieking "you're fired!"  Remember W's inauguration?  Protests?  American's egging his limousine as he drove past?  This one will be worse.  Happy New Year DT.  He will be the source of a Twitter Tsunami:  "Horrible, Terrible, No Respect, BAD, BAD, BAD."  And you can bet no one in his entourage is going to tap him on his shoulder and say "remember your birther attacks?  You're total lack of respect for a sitting President?"  I wonder if he will even comprehend that this will only be the beginning.  Happy New Year DT.

For everybody else out there, grab the handle bars and peddle fast, the best thing we can do is to continue Riding On.  Happy New Year, friends!

Cholesterol Hell

So, yesterday I was off work and at 0720 I was at the VA clinic in Camp Hill to have blood work done... and the results are in already.  They just called.  My total cholesterol is at 240.  That's at the tip of being considered bad.  I've always been borderline, mainly because I don't eat low fat.  Or, if I do, I only eat low fat rarely.  This means I drink whole milk, which has a lot of flavor, not 2% which has 98% less flavor.  There are people out there who will say that it tastes the same.  They are wrong.
Four years ago I could eat a gallon of ice cream a week without much of a problem - I have good genes.  What changed?  Well, I did get older, no stopping that, but more importantly, my scheduled changed.  I stepped out of the HR position and moved to the sales floor.  Where as back then I rode bicycle, lifted weights, and all sorts of good exercise stuff, now I do so rarely.  Back then my schedule was fixed, almost every weekend off.  Now is fully flex - on the scheduled which was just published, Monday I'm in at 0900, Tuesday I'm there at 0500, Wednesday I'm in at 0900, Thursday I'm in at 0500, and Saturday I close the store.  And the following week it's going to be different.  Try getting an exercise routine going with a schedule like that.

I'd originally set February as the date I was going to step out of management... I think I start the talks on Monday.  Of course, till everything is said and done, March might actually be the month I step down.   I can't wait.

La La Land

So, I went to see La La Land last night.  On a Tuesday night... the theater was filled.  Everybody wants to see this movie, this original musical, this almost forgotten genre.  I liked it... a lot.  The feel is both Retro and Modern.  Colors jump out at you.  The opening number brought a tear to my eye - this is what movie musicals were in their golden era.  Gosling and Watson are both very, very good.  When they are happy, you are happy.  When things get tough the ache filters through the audience, a soft hand on your shoulder that makes you sigh.  Reality peeks through the fantasy with a sly wink.  This movie is about its two stars, but also about Hollywood, about La La Land with its successes and failures.

How good is La La Land?  When the movie was over, there was applause from the audience.  When I heard that I knew I was not the only one touched.

Donald Chia fail

It's early morning, around 0330, and I'm getting ready to go to work.  Yippy!
Anyway, one of my Head Cashiers showed me this.  His grandson got it for him for Christmas.  He said "the kid's 4 and doesn't know who Trump is," he said, as he pulled out his phone.  And, of course, I was astounded.  And then I wondered if perhaps DT had purchased Chia... makes sense, doesn't it?
If you want one of these babies, check out Walmart, or Target, or even Amazon. Holy Crap, can you imagine UPS delivering one them right to your front door!

On the plus side, if you let it grow long enough I suppose you won't have to look at the face.

And on the even funnier side, imagine finding this all wrapped up under your tree?  I mean, how low will American Capitalism stoop to make a buck?

Jason Miller is a horse's ass

While at work today I discovered the error of my ways.
Jason Miller is not leaving DT because of scruples, or morals, quite the opposite.
Evidently Jason's been banging away!

Baby Daddy?

I should have figured.

Thanks Anne Marie and Bob!

Jason Miller

Just a couple of notes before I head off to handle all of the day after Christmas Returns - and there will be tons, returning that chain saw which is either too big or too small (just like sweaters), or the compact driver because they just happened to get 2 others....
Anyway, I thought it amusing one of the individuals named as part of DT's Communication Team is stepping down already.  Jason Miller.  I mean, hey, he just got the job, didn't he?  In case you're wondering, he's the one who tried to put out the fire a week or so ago when DT said something stupid about the Arms Race being a good thing.  And of course it probably would be for certain people: nuclear weapon makers.  Then, just before Christmas, Mr. Miller said he was leaving DT's team to "spend more time with his family....."
Now, I don't know about you, but "spending more time with the family" was always code for "you're fired."  It's a prettified way of saying the same thing.

So there's a good possibility Jason got canned... Or maybe he got smart.  Maybe the nuclear bit gave him an idea just who horribly difficult working with DT is going to be, constantly turning the turds that fall out of his mouth into something more palatable... like rice cakes.

Matching Beavers

Well, it's Christmas morning here in Central PA and Santa is still in the building.  He's laid out all of the new toys for Seig and Lily and shortly will begin removing the tags.  As you can see, most of his elves work at Kong - no problem, he wants to make sure all of his doggy toys are durable with as little stuffing as possible.  This year 2 of the toys come with extra squeakers - now isn't that smart!

Santa is in the building

They were all excited when I put on their new collars, fluorescent yellow with reflective stitching, but it was their matching beavers which seems to have been the greatest bit of all.

Matching beavers

Anyway, I was talking to Ved, one of my cashiers / paint associates, and I asked him if they celebrated Christmas in India.  He said, "of course, we don't do it for the religious thing, but we all get presents."  I suspect this might be the true meaning of Christmas, a time of giving, of spreading joy and happiness, of lending a hand and, maybe a stronger set of shoulders, a holiday that is evolving to be all inclusive for all races and all religions.  Ain't that neat!  You all have a Merry Christmas!

Drat, one of the beavers has already lost her squeaker!

Birthday Boy

Today is Big Seig's birthday.  He's 2 years old.  Back in August he weighed in at between 108 and 112 - if you know what it's like to try and get a bouncy dog on a scale at the Vet's.  I suspect he probably weighs in now at around 115 pounds, which is very big for a Boxer.  If Big Seig wants, he can rearrange things on the kitchen counter, like pull the toaster front, or slide the coffee maker either left or right.  He's a Christmas Puppy.
As with Lillian D'Aubert, his birthday is celebrated with a little cake and vanilla ice cream - no chocolate even though I know he'd love some.

Big Seig's little cake

He does tend to bark, sometimes for no apparent reason.  That's fine.  If I were an intruder I would not want to meet up with Big Seig.

Big Seig

Tomorrow is Christmas, that's when he'll get his presents.  Does he know the difference between today and tomorrow?  Absolutely not.  He has a great life!  Spoiled a bit, but that's okay.

Jane gets titylating

Well, we had our Holiday / Christmas Party last Sunday - I did go, for a bit, didn't stay long as the dogs had been by themselves in the house for over 11 hours.  Jane was there, of course.  In case you've forgotten, she's 77.  She'd invited one of the young guys who work for Solar City, kid around 24 or 25 years old.  He cancelled, said he'd gotten sick (wonder why).  This mean she was running solo.
Jane was dressed to the nines, shimmery, silver sequined shawl over a spaghetti strap dress, at least this is how her attire was explained to me since I only saw her briefly.  Anyway, Jane did dance with Glenda, another Solar City sales associate.  Upon returning to her table she complained about how hot she was feeling, all that dancing, you know?  So she decided to take off the shiny shawl, pulling it up and over her head.  To the horror of those at her table, her spaghetti strap dress had fallen while shew as dancing (at least that's what they're telling themselves) so the top was now below her boob line.  That's right.  Visualize it.  Think about it.  The 7 other associates at her table got doubled dosed, shot right between their eyes, with a pair of 77 year old tits.

Anyway, Jane's not happy with me at all.  Yesterday I found her at her register, waiting on a customer, while at the same time addressing Christmas cards to store associates, and she had an employee listing that included ID numbers and personal phone numbers... laying right out on the counter.  So, I took it from her and pissed her off.

As I was getting ready to leave for the day, one of my head cashiers said "looks like you're not going to get a Christmas card from Jane."  And then I laughed, and then he laughed.  Can it get any better than this?

He's down by the bow

You don't have to look far to find out how most American's feel about DT, in fact, his low approval approval ratings no doubt are giving him that sinking feeling.  Now, I'm sure his transition team is saying things like "don't worry, this will get better," and "just keep slugging away, we'll hit the top."  Right.  And his bizarre doctor gave a very... odd interview.  Every time he see things like this he want to take a big step backward.  Cori, who works at the paint desk and who's brother is a Trumplodite, says the word going around is that DT is terrified of being assassinated, which may be why his appearances are so short and infrequent.  Didn't anybody tell him that goes with the job in a big time way?
I talk about Karma a lot, the fixing of mistakes, well, for DT this is Karma. A man who needs to have his ego stroked regularly steps into a position where half of the country already hates him.  No stroking going on there.  Winning the presidency was the worst thing that could happen to him.  Big chunks are about to be gouged out of his ego.  Good for him.  I do not doubt that he will go down in history as the "do nothing president," because everything he does that is unpopular with the public will be another sliver out of soul.
And the Republican Party?  They're all on the same boat.  All of their little, pet projects like rewriting the rules of Social Security, slashing Medicare, even gutting Obamacare?  They will fail the minute public approval starts to go south.  They now have a president who needs to be petted, and who wants to go down in the history books as being good, and being popular.  They would have been in a far better position had Hillary won, now they're going to be pretty much shackled by public opinion.  They have a Star who wants to sparkle, not piss people off.

And as for DT?  This is his Karma.  He now has to deal with the fact that not everybody likes him.  People really do hate him.  There are now people out there who now pray daily that something terrible happens to him, that he dies.  They chant "He's not my president!"  And he no doubt daily prays that history doesn't prove him to be the worst president in American History.  He is down by the bow and it ain't going to get any better.

Yes

A long time ago, back when I was in Navy "A" school studying to be a Radarman, I was sitting in a friend's room one day when a song came on the radio.  Much longer than your usual songs, I liked the guitar and the lyric and... well, I was impressed.  I asked what it was and he said "oh, that's Roundabout by Yes.  That Christmas, when I was home on leave, my Dad took me out shopping for a gift my brother could give me.  We walked into a Wee Three Records, and the first album I saw seemed to jump out and grab me for the simplicity of it's jacket.  My Dad bought it and my brother, not knowing who the group was, gave me one of my best Christmas gifts ever... a little thing called

I still own that album, with its green, paper inner sleeve with the song lyrics.

The first time I saw Yes in concert was at the San Diego Sports Arena on their Tales from Topographic Oceans Tour.  There was a warm-up act, whom I don't remember.  After they finished playing the stage crewed moved some things around.  And then something odd happened.  Music began to play.  Not any music.  Classical music.  Stravinsky's Firebird Suite.  As the music got louder and and louder, the lights began to dim and people got very, very quiet, and then the lights seemed to explode as Jon Anderson stepped to the front of the stage singing:

I've seen all good people turn their heads each day
So satisfied I'm on my way
I've seen all good people turn their heads each day
So satisfied I'm on my way

Yesterday I saw that Yes is going to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017 and it almost brought tears to my eyes.  I've seen them numerous times in concert and think they are most deserving.  They are spectacular in concert. They are great.  They are... Yes.

Christmas Movie Season Failure

Well, the Christmas movie season is upon us and once again I'm dumbfounded by studios who seem to think this is the best time of the year, other than summer, to release big budget films because they simply don't understand that a movie like "Rogue One" is going to totally dominate the box office.  This happens every year and nobody seems to learn.  Last year Disney dropped "Into the Woods," a Disneyfied version of a Broadway show in which practically anybody with lines dies by the end, thinking it would be great family entertainment.  Wrong.
This year we've got "Passengers," a Sci-fi, rom/com, thriller with bad reviews from Sony / Columbia.  Didn't anyone at that studio get the memo stating that the Sci-fi and thriller bases were already covered by "Rogue One?"  And we've got "Assassin's Creed," another movie which is getting bad reviews, also in the competition, being released by Fox.  I suspect that studio thought that kids will be home from school, and kids are gamers and that will make it a sure thing.  They evidently didn't get the memo detailing how the average age of a gamer, in the United States, is 38 years of age.  We are adults, with full time jobs.  We are not in Junior High, or High School.  "Rouge One" was out of the gate a whole week before you... who do you think's going to win the race?
And theaters don't help one bit.  At my local Carmike Cinema, "Rogue One" has 15 shows per day.  That's right, 15.  "Passengers" and "Assassin's Creed" have 5 each, as does "Manchester by the Sea," a little movie which is expected to dominate Award season.

"Assassin's Creed" had an original release date for back in November, a slot that would have been better, when it wouldn't have had needed to go head to head with "Rogue One."  And "Passengers?"  I'd have released that baby in February, when it's cold and dark, and the pretty faces of Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence would have been flickering candles and we all could have been moths.

And you'll notice I didn't even mention "La La Land."

If you go yo an evening feature, the cost of the ticket, and the snacks (popcorn and soda for me) are going to run you at least $20.  What studio moron doesn't understand that when a monster blockbuster gets released, like "Rogue One" it's going to beat you over your box office head with a shit stick.  This means plan accordingly.

The Christmas Gift

We had our store holiday party last evening. And I went, for a bit.  I'm not a big party person, not because I don't enjoy having a good time, rather I really hate when some horse's ass, who I have nothing to do with... ever, decides to connect with me and make me a best friend.  So, the party started at 7, however I had to close the store and didn't get there until 7:45 and discovered that the seat which had been saved for me was occupied... by a department manager I shall call Cate.  When told she was in my seat she evidently said, "Oh, we can make room for him," which meant a table set for a comfortable 8 was now a crowded 9.  Why didn't Cate do the nice thing and move?  That was something she wouldn't even consider.  You see, nobody likes her.  I describe her as a "fountain of bitterness and hate."  She constantly derides her associates.  She is always complaining about everybody and everything, and always starts by asking "Don't you agree?" or "Don't you think?"  Like "Don't you think Bob in paint spends way too much time in the break room?  I mean, don't you agree he is just a waste of payroll and they should get rid of him, don't you think so?"  My friend Patty says she is one miserable human being.  And Cate likes to share the misery.  While plowing her way through an over-filled plate of food last evening Cate suddenly paused, and then claimed she'd found a hair.

And nobody really reacted.  My friend Patty, who was sitting to her left, quietly said "you should say something," but that was it, nothing more.  Rosemary, who was sitting to Cate's right, did the same thing.  Those were the only 2 people at a crowded table of 9 who even acknowledged her complaint.  Me?  I thought, this was her reward for ruining the seating.  Karma, you know?  And I couldn't help but smile just the littlest bit knowing she'd received a fitting Christmas Gift.

A Country of Thieves

So, we had crappy weather here in Central PA yesterday; a little freezing rain, a little snow, and a little sleet, just enough to make the roads really slick, not treacherous, but icy enough to require caution while driving.  This being said, business was slow in the store.  The cashiers were kept busy but I didn't have to worry about juggling customers to keep lines short.
Later afternoon I went down to check on our Pro-Cashiers and found one of the standing by the exit, the other, with a hardware associate, was standing outside.  "What's going on?" I asked.  I was told that "some guy just walked out with 2 Milwaukee tools tucked under his arm."  This happens, but usually when we're busy.  Neither clerk had a customer, so I suspect they were busy bullshitting and suspect the Tool Thief took advantage of that.  They're smart, you know, these thieves.  And one of the clerks is back from college for the holidays and is... well, to put it nicely, is full of himself... he likes an audience.  I didn't tell him that Asset Protection will probably watch his performance on the security tape.

This guy's stealing something from Sears

Anyway, what this tool thief is most likely going to do is return those stolen tools to another one of our stores and get store credit.  What does he do with the store credit?  Use it to buy a more necessary tool?  No way.  He'll sell it.  A lot of times they sell them on Ebay.  Discounted, of course.  And people buy them.  Don't believe me?  Go to Ebay and search any large retailer's name.  This is what you get when you do a search Lowes.  And do people care that what they're buying is credit for stolen merchandise?  Hell no.  It almost makes you think we've turned into a country of thieves.

The Truth about the Bony Penis

You know I read a lot of stuff, some of which might rot my mind if I take it too seriously.  This morning, sitting here with my coffee, I chanced upon an article about the baculum.  This is the bone a lot of mammalian males have in their penis.  Humans don't have one, even though some men seem to think they do.  Here's the article, and it's based on research headed by someone named Brindle who doesn't have her doctorate, but seems to be aiming her thesis at penis bones.  She believes that as we became more monogamous there was no longer a need for a penis bone, and so it devolved.  Personally, I think the article reads more like a subtle article favoring one man, one woman marriage rather than about sexual behavior; men don't have a bony penis because they no longer try to bone anything and everything that walks in front of them.  Evidently she has never heard Trump's pussy tape.  Or, perhaps, she just isn't identifying strong enough from the male perspective.  And then there's this article which does tend to question the hypothesis, that monogamy might have less to do with this disappearance, that the baculum has disappeared in human males because there's no longer a need to tickle eggs into the uterus.

For some reason, I found this a rather interesting subject and so perused quite a number of articles, most of which were written by women, and I wondered why so many would find this topic so consuming.  I know there are a number of men who would rather have something of more permanence, of course that would be the ruination of certain drug companies.  I do believe there are already implantable devices on the market.  Perhaps they should take a clue from the Eskimos who already know how to decorate a baculum.

My, doesn't this look like something a Republican would want.

Portrait of Trump

So I had breakfast with my brother this AM.  When I told him I was moving funds from my 401K to more safer investments he looked rather blank, so I explained to him that I was worried about the stock market.  Right now that baby is bubbling like a champagne bottle that's been shaken (by DT) and, I suspect, maybe after his inauguration, the cork is going to pop.  My brother doesn't understand.  He thinks climbing almost 100 points everyday is normal.  He thinks DT is having a positive influence on Wall Street.  I don't.  I'm too old to have my 401K drop like a rock.  I'm playing it safe.
And this whole Russian thing is very funny.  You see DT doesn't understand politics.  The idea that Putin might see him a a dolt, a very rich reality star who believes saying "you're fired" puts the two of them on the same playing field, and he's wrong (of course).  DT doesn't understand world domination.  To him the idea that a foreign government, which has been our enemy much longer than our friend, might want to set him up to knock us down is ridiculous.  DT doesn't realize he's had to file for bankruptcy 4 times because of his own bad decisions.  The truth that DT is a bad man, a very, very bad man who will make us suffer for his own stupidity.  Will he make it through 4 years?  I doubt it.
Anyway, I went to visit my 83 year old Mom today.  She signed herself up for a painting class.  Once a week she goes and and paints a picture.  Spiders.  She's been painting spiders about as well as any 83 year old woman with slight dementia.  This is her portrait of Putin.

He has 12 legs.  If you look closely you can see she's written "not again."  I don't ask.  I took a picture of this one because she likes the blue background.  There are others.  All spiders.  Not all of them have 12 legs, some have 8, some have 6, and one has 10.  Or maybe it's not Putin, maybe it's Trump.  I mean, every time he turns around there's going to be a finger pointing.  Makes more sense, doesn't it?  Trump saying "not again."

Collar this

So, I went to the doctor yesterday and she changed my BP meds - to Lisinopril... and I've noticed a difference already.  No more headachey feelings.  There still seems to be something cooking in the mid-regions but I'm sure that too shall pass.
And, like just about everybody else out there, I watched that video of DT and K West; phony publicity which went beyond the point of being bizarre.  Didn't it look like DT had his devilish black contacts in?  His glances were all calculated to make sure he was blocked right for as many cameras as possible.  And then West did this little puppet thing.  The whole thing looked wrong, and totally purposeless.  I suspect this will be a pattern which will become all too common.
And I have no doubt DT picked Rick Perry for Energy because he's from Texas, oil country, black gold, Texas T... oh, wait, that's part of the theme song from The Beverly Hillbillies and that can't be right.   There must be some reason he chose Perry.  Perhaps K. West told him it was a good choice.
And finally, all the Christmas toys I got for the dogs have arrived, including these:

New collars.  They get a new, different color collar every year.  This year they're reflective yellow.  Sharp, huh?  Big Seig's in on the left, his fits extra large dogs, with necks up to 27 inches.  Lily's is on the right, her's is for more petite dogs, those whose neck circumference only goes up to 22 inches.   And no, I don't wrap their presents.  

Calling Off

So, I'm going to call off sick today.  This is a rarity.  Normally I take personal days because I want to do something personal, not because I'm sick.  Sad to say, I think I am, and not the whiny, baby man kind of sick where I want to be pampered.  My Mom was nurse, of sorts, and so we were never allowed to get sick.
Right now I'm sitting here with a thermometer in my mouth.  That's right, I don't have one of the new, electronic ones.  Mine is old, you need to shake the mercury down, you know, that shiny, silver poison before you stick it into under your tongue.  Even though I know how to read it, I'm not expecting to find a fever - I'm one of those people whose temperature rarely goes above 98 degrees.

Anyway, I have a doctor's appointment for Thursday - my blood pressure is slowly going up with age, so I'll call and see if I can get that changed to sometime today.  This is such a pain in the ass, believe me.

Feather in his Cap

These Republicans do make me laugh.  For years they've been shrieking how they're going to repeal Obamacare.  Now that they managed to get some Russkie Puppet in the White House it turns that they don't have a plan.  You see all they ever really wanted to do was repeal it.  They don't give a rat's ass about the approximately 20 million people on Obamacare.  Why would they?  Most of those people are poor.  Anyway, I saw this in Forbes.  Can you see them spinning in the wind.  It's sort of like they're throwing shit at a fan, you know?   It's all coming back at them.  What else is new ab out the dunderheads.
And it should come as no surprise DT doesn't believe his pal Vlad had anything to do with the 2016 election.  In his mind, Vlad is a strong leader.  Why would a strong leader of a country which has been one of our major enemies for decades do anything to interfere with American Democracy?Perhaps because Vlad knows how easily DT can be manipulated.  He will invited DT to a Russian State Dinner and DT will be all agog, a flutter.  He will change his tuxedo 4 or 5 times because he can't decide which one to wear.  This is how DT's head works.

You see, every time a strong leader pays him a compliment his feels he's is going stronger.  Of course, he's never going to be strong enough to stop producing The Apprentice (if that's the name of his reality show).  In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if DT is secretly hoping to have Vlad as one of his guest stars.  My, now wouldn't that be a feather in his cap.

Split days off suck

This is my day off.  Notice I'm being singular not plural.  Last Tuesday was also my day off.  I have split days off this week because I needed to attend a meeting.  I'm not wild about meetings.  I really hate split days off.  I like to have 2 sequential days off.  They don't need to be Saturday and Sunday.  Tuesday and Wednesday would be nice.  Having off a Wednesday and Thursday would be just as nice.  I never get off on Monday unless I put in a request.  Monday's are meeting days.  We go over numbers, figures, profitability.  We do reports, provide answers and solve problems on Mondays.
When I have consecutive days off I always spend the first doing all of the housework, that leaves me one full day to do what ever I want.  Sometimes I sleep, sometimes I visit with friends, sometimes I take the dogs for a walk (they love the park).  Split days screw that up totally.  I end up doing housework on both days, which means there is less time for anything else.

And while some may thing they're getting two Fridays, I know better than that.

On the brighter side I'm enjoying the Republican Karma.  Obama might have had to deal with the Birthers, but DT will be facing all of those angry people who think he's a Russkie Proxy.  What an idiot.  And, of course, all of those Trumplodites will hating the fact that they just might have put a Commie in the White House.  Stupid is as Stupid does.

The Cluster

Cluster bombs are terrible things.  They destroy over a wide, wide area.  Sitting here watching the DT cabinet form is a lot like watching the assembly of a cluster bomb.  You've got Sessions from Alabama who's a white racist hate bomb.  There's Betsy DeVos who's an Idiot hate bomb (I've read her agenda will be dead on arrival).  And what about Tom Price who's planning on blowing up healthcare?  Don't forget Ben Carson (who's no doubt planning on Pyramids in Kansas for grain storage).  We have Scott Pruitt (who really seems to like scorched earth policies).  We've got Mnuchin and Ross....  I believe they made most of their money on the great recession, bleeding the debt of others for all it was worth.  All of these people, a lot of whom are billionaires, don't have an inkling of what makes the average man tick.  Yet millions of average men and women voted for the DT because he told them what they wanted to hear.  They have yet to comprehend we are watching a cluster bomb being assembled.  And when the explosions start a lot of people are going to be hurt.

But that's okay with conservatives because DT is a Republican...  Those voters don't seem to understand that their party wants to blowup Social Security, that they want to dynamite Medicare.  There are a lot of people who voted for DT because they believe the Republican House and Senate can control him... Wait a minute... I'm laughing too hard at that joke.

Of course I might be wrong, you see.  There may be no cataclysmic explosion destroying millions of lives.  Nope.  What we may actually be watching is one of your good, old fashioned, cluster fucks.  In fact, I wouldn't be too surprised if behind the scenes they already got out their little knives and are beginning to stick and jab.  You see, there are many types of clusters, and you can bet that DT will be Tweeting every gory detail.

Oh, and by the way, I understand they're having problems getting entertainment for the Inauguration.  I don't know why they just don't get Scott Baio to do impressions.

Beautiful

Yesterday, as I was walking through the greenhouse after opening up for the garden cashiers, I saw some pink flowers over where they don't belong.  The area is listed for tropicals but is mostly cacti.  Being the inquisitive sort, I had to investigate.  These were normal flowering plants, I could tell that, and there were a multitude of small, pink buds and flowers.  To my surprise, they were Jade Plants.  You know?  Little fat leaves.  I had no idea they ever flowered.  But these two were in full bloom.

So I went to our plant guy and told him how amazing this is, to have jade plants blooming.  And he said, with a broad smile, "Yes, aren't they just beautiful."

Yes they are.

A tale of 2 Johns... and this

I have 2 Johns working for me, one older and retired and a bit of a curmudgeon, the other younger, a school teacher who needs to always be petted.  This past weekend we chose our Cashier of the Month and the award went to the older John.  He pissed and moaned, but was obviously tickled pink.  One of the things we do for the Cashier of the Month is have everybody sign and apron, at the end of the month it goes to the Cashier.  So I take the apron to John the Younger and he says "I don't sign aprons," and, of course, my response was "well, you're not a very good team player, are you?"  And I got the glare of death.  Like I said, young John likes to be petted, he likes to be the center of attention, he drops names to impress people.  He ended up signing the apron, but I suspect he's now shifting into death spiral mode in regard to his job as a cashier.  He's just not special enough.
Anyway, on our Prez elect, I saw this thing called Trumplethinskin which couldn't be more apropos.

I mean, there are so many holy crap moments, from Pizzagate (Flynn Junior is another asshole at large) to reading that DeVos education agenda is dead on arrival, to the Secretary of State selection fiasco, and all of it show off our new Prez-elect's incompetence.  Accountability is not something he is very good at.

Young and sleekly stylish

Don't think I've ever posted any pictures of me from my Navy days and, well, since we're heading into the holidays thought this might be a nice time to do so.  This is me and my Grandmother.  I was fresh home from boot camp at Great Lakes and was preparing to head off to 'A' School.

Don't we all wish we could stay young, sleek and stylish?  By the way, this is the original Lily Daubert.  The one I named Lillian D'Aubert after.

The Returns Theif

Yesterday there was an incident at the Returns Desk.  First of all, you have to know that the clerks there were very busy.  In this day and age, everybody returns things.  Every day.  Constantly.  Little things and big things.  Nobody wants to pay for something they're not going to use.
Yesterday a customer brought back a large tool box.  He had loaded it on a flatbed cart to make it easier to move.  And he said to the Returns Clerk, "I bought this, and then my wife saw the same thing at Costco for a lower price, so she bought that one and I'm returning this one since I don't need two."  He handed her his receipt, she scanned it, and the box sitting on the flat bed, and he went on his merry way.
However, there was a problem.  The tool box he was returning was large, very large, so large, in fact, it was in 2 boxes, not one.  And it was expensive, over $700.  And he only returned the top, much smaller half.  Of course the Returns Clerk didn't know there were 2 boxes.  Nothing on the packaging says there are 2 boxes.  He kept the much larger, lower half, the one with all of the drawers, and the casters to roll it around.  The Clerk should have questions the $ amount to begin with, that's a lot of money to spend for a tool box that's only 18" high and 4 feet long.  When I asked her about it she said, "but he had a little boy with him."  My response?  "So, crooks are crooks, kids are great decoys."

Anyway, this thief, with a kid, kept the bottom half which he will probably sell for about $200.  Did he know what he was doing?  Of course.  If she had called him on it he probably would have claimed to not know there were 2 boxes, and that he'd have to go home and get the bottom half, and leave with the top half.... and go to another store and try the same trick.  Just think, that kid's going to grow up to be just like him.

Fluffing Donald

An old Navy buddy of mine was all ecstatic about Trump's Carrier deal...  "all of those jobs he save!"  When I pointed out that all of the details hadn't been made public he replied, "But you take that $7 million tax break and divide it by all those people keeping their jobs."  He ignored the fact that even that horse's ass Sarah Palin said Trump was starting to waltz down the path of Capital Cronyism.  All he could see were the jobs... nothing else.  I evidently went to far when I said that this was a clear cut case of fluffing and nothing more. There was no response.  But, this is the truth.  This whole episode was designed to make Donald look good for the camera, nothing more.  This is nothing more than political porn.
Get read, there's going to be a lot of it.  He is ready for his close-up, Mr. DeMille.  Prepare for the propaganda.  His ego will need to be stroked and teased daily; gently cupped and caressed for public consumption.  And the more things fall apart, and believe me, that will start shortly, the more theatrical these events will become.

To be quite honest, I would not be surprised if he and his team don't come up with a Reality Show called Mr. President in order for his loyal Trumplodites to hear him say things like "you are bad," and "I am good," and "I am making American great."  Things you will never hear him say are "your Carrier air conditioner is going up in price," or "we will now be heating all of our Federal buildings with Carrier furnaces."  But that's okay, isn't it?  At least he'll be looking good.

New drugs

So, yesterday was busy for me but then it was a day off work and I'm not one to slack around, though sometimes I would really love to.  First thing, at 0720 was my Ophthalmologist appointment.  The Travatan Z drops work, my eye pressure is down, now ain't that great?  Well, maybe not.  You see my insurance says they're too expensive, oh, and if you're wondering, I have Anthem Blue Cross.  They also want to know why a less expensive drop wasn't tried first, and I can understand that.  If they ask, I'll tell them why.  Originally I was going to get a different test / sample drop, however, when the assistant opened the storage drawer none were to be found.  All gone.  So instead I was given the more expensive Travatan Z.  My friend Patty, who works in insurance says this is an "old trick," running out of older, less expensive drugs in order to prescribe newer drugs which, while being more effective, are also more expensive.  How expensive are these drops?  $165 for a 2.5 ml bottle.  That's smaller than my thumb, and I have teeny, weenie hands.

Anyway, while the Ophthalmologist and the insurance company battle it out, I called the Veteran's Administration.  Veteran's Insurance.  They're a little slow sometimes, but they're the way to go if you want a new drug.  $8 a month copay, that's it.  I'm so lucky to have this 2nd option.  Most people would end up getting screwed over.

Where's Eddie?

So, I went to see Fantastic Beasts last evening.  As someone who is, for the most part, totally ignorant of the Harry Potter Universe, I sat down in my seat with a little trepidation, only a little, though.  Since it was Tuesday night my ticket only cost $5, and my popcorn and soft drink only came to $4.24, not a bit investment.  Colin Farrell plays the villain... quite well, this former pretty boy is aging rather well.  Eddie Redmayne is the hero and I suspect his genes are not as good as Collin's, but then I'm not an Eddie Redmayne fan.  He is not a ginger for the ages.
Anyway, there's this evil thing killing people in New York and Collin tries to put the blame on Eddie's beasts, and, well the plot is rather standard.  Katherine Waterston and Fine Frenzy (bad stage name?) are very good.  The CGI effects are... spectacular.  This movie looks simply amazing.  But then there's Eddie.  No doubt he's trying.  I mean the guy can act, but he's no Daniel Radcliffe, who, even in his flops is more than just a screen presence.

And then, right at the end, that horse's ass Johnny Depp shows up.  Evidently his brief cameo is supposed to be built upon in the next 3 or 4 sequels.  Holy Shit.  And, evidently, his casting is also quite controversial because everybody who is anybody knows Depp is box office poison.  What a terrible shame.  This franchise looked a bit promising.

The DT's

Haven't written anything political lately, so I thought I'd drop in a line or two before I went to work.

There are a number of people out there who are still dumbfounded by the election results.  I've come to terms with them.  Plan ahead.  The Republicans have never been good with the economy, every one, except the rich, always loses money.  So, safeguard your 401k.

Prepare yourself for the spectacle of infighting.  Republicans are no longer united, even though that's not what they want you to think.  I've read that in a closed door session a minion of the incoming president has actually said that "there is no long a Reagan Conservative Party, now it's the Trump Populist Party."  This is going to get messy.

And then there is the 'incoming' president.  My friend Betsy can't even mention his name, she calls him "that man."  Some just leave a blank line.  Me?  I think we should call him DT because over the next couple of years we will be suffering from the DT's  Follow the link if you don't know what they are.

Holy Crap, even their elephant has gone pink... or... they'll probably just call it Salmon.  You can bet your bottom dollar the DT's are going to force their hallucinations into reality.  By doing so they will swerve erratically, and fumble their phony election promises.  All we need to do is grab onto something substantial and hold on tight because we're going to be going watching "It's a Small, Small World" built with drunken auto-animatronics. 

Left Behind

Interesting title, isn't it?  Am I talking about one side of your butt, as in "I have a pain in my left behind cheek?"  Or am I veering into Krazy Kristian territory. Of course, then, I might be talking about something connected to neither butts nor faith.  Remember, I work for a home improvement chain.  There are times when people come into the store and they don't exactly know what they want, but they do have the old item; the thing that broke on them and sent them to us in the first place.  We see a lot of light bulbs from refrigerators and microwaves and oddly shaped desk lamps.  We get a lot of attachments, meaning things that look like screws or bolts but aren't really, yet they do something similar.  Last evening I walked back to our Self Checkout, after closing down some of the service desk registers, and the clerk pointed to a shopping cart and said "That was left behind," and I didn't have to walk over to see exactly what he was talking about.

A toilet seat.  And it was old... and it was dirty.  That's right, some moron evidently needed to bring in his old toilet seat to make sure he got the same thing, as if there's a big variety.  It's either round or it's oval.  And even though they may be made of wood, or plastic, or padded, or purple, or green, they're all the same size.  This is because shitters are all standardized.  Still, someone felt the need to bring their old, dirty, toilet seat and leave it behind... like some lost soul.  Associates are now laughing at this pseudo ignoramus because they brought in an old toilet seat, with crap on it, and...Left It Behind.

Burning down the house

Yesterday they had coffee and cookies out in the Garden Department for customers.  Nice, huh?  Anyway, after I closed down the garden registers (and yes they'll be open until Christmas... trees... we also sell live trees), I loaded up the crumbs and cups into a cart and pushed them back to the lunch room for the associates and ran into Steve.  He's a runner.  He runs at least 100 miles a week.  That's right, 100 miles a week.  He claims to be a dopamine junkie.  Anyway, as I was unloading the cart he asked me what day of the week it was.  "Saturday," I said.  His response?  "Really?  I didn't know what day it was."  So I reminded him that the day before had been Black Friday.  I watched as he nodded his head, slowly saying "I forget the days, you know."  To which I said, "yep, I know, I use a calendar."  Which is a bit on the sad side, having to look at a calendar daily to see just where exactly in the week I was. Sure, having a work schedule does give me some point of reference, but more of a start time reference rather than a daily reminder.  I had a nice conversation with the Store Manager who told me I needed to just start brushing things off, not let them nag at me like little pin pricks.  But then he also said that maybe in January they could move me away from the Front End.

Right now there's too much going on.  Christmas, remember?  And we're beginning a new freight system.  And there really weren't any manager openings at present.  But in January our Electrical Department manager is stepping down, retiring, and that position will come open.  I smiled.  I nodded.  And I thought to myself, oh, shit, now they're going to give me the chance to burn down somebody's house.

Christmas Junk

Well, Black Friday is history.  I worked as a cashier.  It was fine.  I don't mind cashiering.  No muss, no fuss... and most of the customers were fine.  I ended up selling 3 of those horrendous dog beds.  We also sold artist kits, and artist paints, and tents, and drones, and Amazon Echo's, and... well you name it.  Most of it was Christmas Junk.  Sure, people call them deals, but the presents they buy are not made to last.  Just because it's cheap doesn't meant there's quality, in fact most often the opposite is the reality.
Anyway, we have Cyber Monday coming up.  I've already done my on line shopping.  You see the same thing holds true about Cyber Monday - there are some real deals out there, but mostly, you're going to end up settling of shit.  Of course you're not going to know that you non-name brand merchandise is going to crap out early and until it does, well, it's still a deal.  And once it craps out?  It's Christmas Junk.

There was a time before American Capitalism turned the holidays into a season of "must have" toys and electronics and sneakers.  A time before it mattered if you got the hot seller or not.  Those times are gone.  Be wary on Cyber Monday, not all deals are made of gold.

Thanksgiving

Another day off, that's 2 in a row, almost normal.
So, what am I doing for Thanksgiving?  Going to my brothers.  I'm making Green Bean Casserole.  Some of his 6 kids will be their, most of them won't.  My sister is going to bring my Mom... it's a bi-level and I have no idea how they're going to get her up the stairs.  She hasn't gone up stairs in over a year.  I suspect the time there will be short.  This is fine with me.  I have to get up at 0330 to go to work.  That's right.  Black Friday.
Since this idea of truly retiring has been percolating around in my head, the idea of going to work is aggravating.  I'm thinking of telling them to just make me part-time.  I could set my own hours.
Anyway, I saw this featurette yesterday from La La Land and can't wait.

And, of course, this spring we'll all get a chance to see Alien: Covenant.  Neat poster, huh?

"Run"... don't you just love it?

So, I think I might go back to sleep for an hour or so, the dogs are already snoring away in there.  Have a good Thanksgiving!

Job Search

Well, it's my first day off in a row.  Yippee, that's right, I have 2 days off back to back, and have I ever been busy cleaning, and doing laundry, and applying for jobs... well, I applied for at least one, and it wasn't with the large retail organization I now work for...  My gut is telling me that 8 year relationship is slowly coming to a close.
Originally I had expected to step down from my management position shortly into the new year, but, as things go on, that may not happen.  I find myself growing more and more irritated on a daily basis.  Retiring this early would not give me full benefits, however I have more than enough to live comfortably.  Unlike a lot of people, I don't have to worry about health care... really.  You see, back when I was 18, I and my friend Frank Marco decided to join the Navy.  Buddy system, you know?  Except they split us up right away.  Anyway, 12 months later, after A School, I was over in Vietnam.  I am, as far as the Federal Government is concerned, a Grade 6 Veteran "who served in the Republic of Vietnam between January 9, 1962 and May 7, 1975.  And this gives me health benefits, as long as I get them through the VA.  The closest VA outpatient clinic is about.... 2 miles away.  There's a copay of $15 for a visit, $50 if I need to see a specialist, say for my Glaucoma.  Drugs are dirt cheap.

So I actually spent some time on the computer this morning looking for a new job.  It doesn't have to be full time, which would be very, very nice.  That would mean I could spend more time with my dogs.  More time doing what I want.  No more 0300 mornings, or getting home at midnight... I think I'm talking myself into this.  You know what I mean?

Tis the Season for....

All sorts of shit.  I know.  I work in retail.
And, starting tomorrow morning I, along with the other managers in my store, will start to prep for Black Friday.  How do we prep for Black Friday?  We start cluttering our aisles with all the non-essential, non-home improvement merchandise they can hold.  I'm lucky this year.  I don't have to work on Thanksgiving Eve, when those managers working will be ripping off all of the black, plastic shrouding covering up the special deals... or, as we call it, shit.
And it is.  I mean, who in their right mind would go to a home improvement store in order to buy a non-brand name toaster?  Or an electric wine bottle opener?  There will be giant Teddy Bears, and pink and blue rocking horses and... shit.  All of it made in China.  Now that would make sense if you were buying a bamboo cutting board... you know?
Anyway, tomorrow I work my regular Monday schedule (we all have the same schedule on Mondays) so it won't be until Tuesday, when I open, that you'll find me hauling around quarter pallets of... shit.
One of my favorites are the AKC Dog Beds.

We usually get 2 large boxes, about 40 altogether, and we'll end up selling about 35, which means we'll have to mark down the rest.  And then, the day after Christmas we will see them again as customers begin to return them.  That's right.  That's right, a lot of them are returned, not all, but quite a few.  This happens because they are... shit.

I bought a dog bed for Lily once, it survived for about... oh, maybe 3 days before she realized how to pull the stuffing out... and then it was all over the house.  Tis the Season, you know?

Jane again, and little bit about Ginger Beer

Remember Jane?  The elderly cashier who had surgery on her vagina?  Well, there are issues with her... approach to cashiering.  Evidently on one of the days I had off she had brochure from a prominent Credit Union by her register and was using it to tell people about their credit / debit card.  Instead of talking to her about it at the time, the Head Cashier waited till she was on break and then took the brochure and gave it to another manager... who failed to talk to Jane.  And that meant I had to talk to her.  And she got very angry.  While she understands the importance of selling customers one of our credit cards, she believes that good customer service requires her to tell them about this Credit Union debit / credit card.  Wrong.  And, of course, in her mind she doesn't do anything wrong.  She is 77 years old and there is no way she can change.  She has to work because she manages her finances the same way she approaches her job, she does what she wants because in her mind she's right and you're wrong.
On a different note.... I made Ginger Beer.  Tasty, it is.  Gingery.  Really it's home made ginger ale, but it doesn't look like ginger ale.

The only thing I did wrong was not straining the grated ginger well enough, so there's some sediment in the bottom of the bottle.  The taste is great.  Oh, and it's non-alcoholic.  This is a great way to get your ginger.,, 

Apps olutely irritating

So I have a Smart TV.  It access the Internet.  It's a Sony and Sony gives you so many Apps.  I have access to Play Store, which lets me add other Apps.  I also have got myself an Amazon Fire which gives me access to more "TV" Apps.  I was pleased to see that the Amazon Fire gives me access to NBC Sports.  You see I have a yearly subscription to the NBC Sports App on my laptop since they show many the the cycling races.  Sounds good right?  Wrong.  You see the 2 are not connected.  The App for the TV only gives you highlights.  I can't sign in with my password and "watch a race."  If I want to watch cycling, I have to connect the laptop to the TV.  Ain't that a bitch?

A lot of Apps need you to buy a subscription, which doesn't bother me since I know what I'm getting.  There are a number, however, that will not work unless you have a cable provider.  Excuse me, but if I got rid of cable because I didn't want to pay for all those hundreds of useless channels, why would I want to pay for cable in order to get one or two Apps for which I will need to then pay for a subscription.  So, guess which Apps I can live without?

RINO in the White House

Was at the eye docs this AM - turns out the Glaucoma was worse than they thought - looks like I'll be on some form of prescription eye drops for the rest of my life.  They're starting me out with something called Travatan, only in the right eye in order to validate its effectiveness.
Saw that Anne Marie was going to suspend her dancing shoes temporarily because of the election.  I told her I didn't think it would be for long.  We got a RINO in the White House, you know?  He's been walking back all sorts of promises he made to the crazy right electorate.  He's got an anti-Semite as his strategist but his Jewish daughter and son-in-law seem to be the ones who have his ear.  My brother wants to believe that the Republican controlled Senate and House are going to control him... personally?  I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't hit those crazy, right wingnuts back hard for stabbing him in the back.  Remember Dump Trump?  All those Republicans who told people not to vote for him?  I'll bet he's already calling Mitch O'Connell 'four eyes' to his face.

Anyway, I did throw a little ditty together last night.  Here's part of it.

We've got a RINO in the White House

And we know just who's to blame

They hated Hillary

And voted GOP

Because she's got that Clinton name

We've got a RINO in the White House

They set the stage for Donald's loss

They stabbed him in the back

With nondescript attacks

Thinking his election was lost

Because their Dump Trump failed

They found their ship had sailed

No hating Hillary

No one to pillory

He knows all their names

He's holding all the cards

So every one he blames

Will get punched back hard

We've got a RINO in the White House

An Independent sort of guy

He don't hate the gays

That faux Christian way

Can't you hear those Republicans cry?

There's more, but that's it for now.

I think I might have been channeling Cole Porter 

Ginger

With the diagnosis of arthritis in my neck, several people have come forward with both remedies and comments, some kind, some not so kind.  At work I was challenged by a man 20 years younger who said "well, I've been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, what do you think of that?"  And though I wanted to say "oh, it sucks to be you," I didn't.  I kept my mouth shut.  Now, isn't that amazing.
What I've been getting is "eat this," and "drink that," and "do this," and "do that."  One of my Navy friends told me his 86 year old father was diagnosed with arthritis at about my age.  His treatment was to take 6 alfalfa tablets 3 times a day.  I bought a bottle and discovered that alfalfa has a lot going for it.  It has a lot of 'anti' qualities, however it's also a really good diuretic.  The last thing I really want to do is to spend most of my work day standing at the urinal.
I have a prescription for naproxen, however at the dosage I would need to take I would end up with high blood pressure, and that's just one of the minor issues.
Surprisingly, one of the best anti-inflammatories out there is ginger.  I like ginger.  There was a movie out a while back named "Ginger Snaps" which had more to do with werewolves than it did the baking of cookies.

And then, of course, there is the other popular ginger, the one a lot of you think of when I say "Ginger," and while this ginger might be good for me, it's definitely not an anti-inflammatory. 

No, I'm talking about the root plant.  You know, the spicy thing?  Ginger.  I can take it by eating it or drinking it.  I actually looked up a recipe for Ginger Beer, which is non-alcoholic and is a lot like ginger ale, but with real ginger.  So, I think I'll give ginger a shot and see if it snaps back or not.