The Wurst of it

Well, I wore the new Baleaf shorts this AM while I was doing my cardio.  I now know what wicking is - sweat moves from the inner liner to the outer shell where it evaporates rapidly - really quickly, so your shorts don't look like you've been doused with a bucket of water.  They do, as one reviewer stated emphatically, detail your masculinity.  If you're sporting a cocktail sausage?  Well, no problem, however if you happen to be the owner of a one of the larger wursts or wieners be prepared to brag.

The netting that wicks away the perspiration from your sweaty thighs creates a lifting motion as you jog or run, and that pushes things as far forward as they can go, so wearing these at the gym might make you the 'belle of the ball,' or... they could be your wurst nightmare.  If you just wear them for strength training?  Well, the front ended motion is still there, things are, however, a bit less pronounced but people will still be able to score you if they so choose.
There was some interesting news about the Idiot and his base this past weekend.  Evidently they're becoming disillusioned with his incompetence in all but 3 states.  Ohio, West Virginia and South Dakota are those 3, in every other state they are beginning to come to their senses.  Even Texas!   That's right!  Ain't that a stunner.  States that he squeaked by in?  PA and Michigan?  They're turning on him faster than a starving man can swallow a cocktail sausage.  And for the happy majority, the Idiot has not even begun to feel the wurst of it.

All the good gingers

So, instead of doing cardio this AM, I went to Planet Fitness instead.  Rather than rely on the wrist HRM I wore my chest strap - much better readings, more accurate, meaning I'll be wearing it more often.  In case anybody is wondering, I do my Ab workout at home on a purple yoga mat.
My brother sent me a text yesterday asking me if I could get off work on 8/30, he had a favor to ask... Right.  What he wants me and my sister to do is take our Mom over to Pine Grove (she grew up there) for some sort of impromptu family gathering at a restaurant.  Sounds like the perfect Kodak moment, doesn't it?  Except she has dementia.  She knows she's forgetting things, faces, people, and she finds that depressing.  When I pointed out that there was a very good possibility she might start to cry he said "well you can take her home, then."  Wrong.  He said "this will probably be the last time she will get to go home," well, that should have happened a year ago, not in 4 weeks.  So, I put the kabash on it.  I told him that if these people really wanted to see her, they should plan on going to Graysonview.  She's comfortable there, in familiar surroundings.  They can have their Kodak moment there.  So, I don't think he's too happy with me.  This is life.
On the Idiot scene, I saw that Cokie Roberts said that with the departure of Priebus and et al, there are no longer an 'legitimate' representatives of the Republican party in the White House.  This is just what the Idiot wants.  Even though they are a scurvy bunch, the GOP totally failed to kiss his ass the way he was expecting.  Unfortunately for them, every one of his actions reflects upon them since they were the party backing him.  As I said earlier, prepare for the shit storm.
One last thing about PF - I would expect that their attendants at least look like they spend some time using the equipment.  This morning when I flashed my ID badge, there was a rolly poly ginger guy standing behind the desk.  When he loudly proclaimed that he only had 28 more minutes before he could leave and go to church... well, I didn't quite cringe, but I came close.  And while I was doing my squats I saw him walk out the door - all I could do was wonder "where have all the good gingers gone?"

Bring on the Cone of Silence!

Okay, so Reince is out of there... so's Spicer, and some other RNC dude.  Looks like the Idiot is cleaning out the GOP - of course any one with half a brain expected that, but that's fine.  I read this funny article which described the White House as Chaos.  Of course, when I read 'chaos' I thought of Get Smart (an absurdist spy comedy from the 60's).  This is pretty much what we have in DC, isn't it?  I mean, can't you see the Idiot forcing everybody to use the Cone of Silence?  Let's face it, this might be the only way the Idiot can stop leaks.

But then, isn't he already living in some form of vacuum?
And then I saw this funny bit from Erick Erickson, evidently some conservative talking head:

"The president told everyone that only he could do the job and he would drain the swamp,” wrote Erick Erickson, an influential conservative radio host and blogger. “Instead, he’s dammed up the swamp, put a party boat on it, and has turned his attention to Twitter."

That made me laugh, too, and you can be that boat has lots of grab-able pussy on board, not one whom has the last name Mulkowski (I don't think he and his administration like female Republican Senators).  
Anyway, as we all knew a long, long time ago, the shit storm with which he surrounds himself is expanding.  Soon we shall be seeing gale force winds of destruction as he continues to eliminate Conservative Republicans in order to replace them with Trump Populists, a political movement that was, for all intents and purposes, stillborn.

Little Tony has a dirty mouth

So, when I started seeing bits and pieces of Little Tony Scarmucci's conversation with the New Yorker yesterday, I had to sit myself down and have a good laugh.  Mastercard used to run commercials on TV in which someone either had a dream fulfilled or a gift beyond belief and they always defined the moment as "Priceless."  Reading how Steve Bannon was more interested in "sucking his own cock?"  That was a Mastercard moment!  Priceless!  And, of course, now we know Little Tony has a dirty mouth.  He's PMT (Potty mouth Tony).  You can bet your bottom dollar that everybody in the Idiot's administration talks like Little Tony when they're in private.  Not that other Presidents and those in their administrations didn't swear, and curse, and demean with vulgarities.  Little Tony, however, has publicly taken it to a higher level, and I have a sneaking suspicion he has not stopped his upward trend...actually, I guess I mean downward spiral.  He has not reached some high and mighty plateau as much as he fallen into a deep, deep hole in the ground.
And, of course, the GOP healthcare nightmare got flushed.... again.  Thank you John McCain.  I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't vote for the discussion just to stick his middle finger in the Idiot's face.  I'm sure he knows what kind of evil is retching around in the oval office.
Last evening I posted a comment about the Boy Scouts apologizing for the Idiot on Facebook and a Navy friend of mine, one of the shrinking numbers of Idiot Supporters, noted that the kids were having fun.  And I replied, "of course they looked like they were having fun, there was a clown on the stage."  I then went on to remind him that not all clowns are nice and that some clowns are downright evil.

I don't think he'll understand.  In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he, himself, doesn't like to eat little children.  I'm sure Little Tony does, in between vulgarities.

Everything shall be revealed

So, I bought myself some Baleaf running / jogging / workout shorts - green, one of my favorite colors.  They are supposed to "wick" away your sweat in a superior fashion.  Wick seems to be the word of the day when it comes to exercise clothing meaning it soaks up your sweat really fast... right.  The truth is everything I wear when doing cardio or going to PF soaks up my sweat fast, in fact, many's the time that I end up drenched.  Anyway, they fit well, the fabric is soft, not mesh, I don't like mesh, in fact there is only one issue, when I sweat, when these shorts are wicking away my sweat, everything is revealed.  Very minute details show up and are staged for the world to see.  These are not shorts for the shy and meek of heart.  These are shorts for those who like to stand tall and proud and wave and say "hi there, look at me."

This guy is either tucked or tiny

And yesterday the Idiot in the White House declared that there was no place for transgendered people in the military and people were stunned.  Well, maybe not the Crazy Christians, their hate against everything they disapprove of has been simmering over for years.  This is just one more example of his trying to turn the United States into Little Russia.  If you haven't realized it yet, every time he does this he's spent at least... oh, 5 or 6 minutes asking himself if this is what his friend Putin would do.  He's a two-bit dictator wannabe who would scrap our Constitution in a heartbeat if he could.  This is the reason for all of his Executive Orders.  And while he hasn't started saying, "if you're not for us than your against us," yet, you can be it's coming.  Fortunately for us, he has no clue that he's speaking to a minority crowd or that the curtain is slowly being pulled back and that everyday more and more true Americans are getting a glimpse of the ugly face of the man who has shroud himself with lies for most of his life.

On a side note, I saw that Twitter shares are dropping because they're not attracting more people...  it would surprise me if the Idiot was having a bad effect on that company.  We'll find out, won't we, as everything will be revealed... aren't you glad I don't take selfies at the gym?

What I want for my birthday

So, here it is Wednesday and I get to go back to work after 4 days off.  I get to work 6 days, have 2 days off and then work 6 more days before I begin my 9 day vacation.  I'm not going anywhere - I have plenty to do around the house - summer chores I never got to do, as usual.   But, it is 9 days off, in a row.
I saw that the Clueless Conservatives voted to discuss some sort of health care bill yesterday.  Now, keep in mind this was only a vote on whether to have a discussion, a debate, and Tom Pence needed to put in the tie-breaking vote.  This was about if they should even have a discussion, not over legislation, and he still needed to cast his vote.  Someone needs to read these people the definition of failure... I mean really, he needed to vote just to get a majority, just to get people to talk about the GOP kill switch on the ACA.
Oh, and I also read where some of the remoras sucking on to the Idiot's ass, like Corey Lewandowski, are saying he can do what ever he likes in regards to Sessions, and Mueller... and, he can, and in a way I think he should since it would severely cut back his future days sitting in the Oval Office... drastically.  And if Rex Tillerson resigns?  Oh, baby!  And gets subpoenaed to testify about that 2 and half hour meeting the Idiot had with Putin...  well, that will never happen.  I suspect that if Tillerson does resign he will probably go into hiding somewhere in Patagonia until the Idiot is finally removed.
Finally, I saw the trailer for "Thor - Ragnorak" and have decided that by the time the movie comes out on 11 /3 I want a body like Chris Hemsworth's.  True, I am shorter and a bit more hairy (except for that spot on the top of my head), but those are only minor details.

You know?  Now, wouldn't that be nice birthday present to myself?

Republican Kobayashi Maru

Okay, so I was at the Optometrist this AM - and I had my eyes dilated so right now everything is very, very bright.  As the assistant administered the drops, she said, "oh, you have blue eyes, which means the dilation might last longer."  Yippee.
And what about that Republican Cluster Fuck going on down in DC?  The Idiot in the White House wants a vote on Health Care!  He wants the ACA gone.  He wants Sessions out!  Tillerson wants to resign! (He was there during the Idiot's 2 + hour meeting with Putin and now realizes that the Idiot is Evil Incarnate)!  And if the vote today fails Price is FIRED!  Now I know I didn't get it all, but I think those are some of the juicier bits.  At this point, all those crazy Conservatives who have spewed nothing but hatred towards the Democratic Party and the ACA for year are in a "no win situation."  This is their Kobayashi Maru.  If they give the Idiot what he wants, their political careers, for all intents and purposes, are over, at least for a majority.  If they deny his demand the shit storm that will follow will end their political careers forever, and again at least for the vast majority.  They put themselves in this position, and they will all pay the price.  They have doomed the Republican Party - but that's fine.  Just watch out for flying body parts!
While Big Seig was running around in the yard yesterday and bug of unknown origin stung him over his left eye.  There was a bit of swelling until he scratched it open, giving himself an eye booboo.  It's has pretty much healed over today, but last night?  I was thinking that I'm probably going to have to take him to the Vets today.

Valerian Succeeds

Well, here it is: Monday, my 3rd day off in a row.  My legs are a bit wobbly going down the stairs, not because of the arthritis in my back, rather it was the added leg workout this AM and PF.  Years ago a friend named Sean would intone time and again that "your legs are the engines of the your body."  Of course he also said that the only way to tell if you'd had a good leg workout was if you puked afterwards - I've never done that, but right now going down stairs is a bit wobbly.
I went to see "Valerian and the City of the Thousand Planets" last evening... and it was very, very good.  I expected it to be.  Rotten Tomatoes is giving a low score, but then I don't really pay attention to Rotten Tomatoes since over the past couple of years the website seems to have become more jaded and pretentious.  Interestingly enough, the LA Times did an article yesterday on Rotten Tomatoes.  "Valerian" comes in just a few points below what is considered fresh.  The fact that there are a number of people out there who will let Rotten Tomatoes dictate their viewing schedule is... well, sad.  It reminds me of those days when Louella Parsons or Hedda Hopper could make or break a film simply because they could, without any relevance to the quality of the film.  Go see a movie because you want to, not because everybody else is going to see it.  Be your own individual.  Conformity is a sad state of denial.
Anyway, I liked "Valerian" a lot, both the character and the movie.  Dane DeHaan is cute.

So is Cara Delevingne, the blonde girl who co-stars, if your taste runs in that direction.  There is no evil empire, but there are Trans-Dimensional worlds (that's right, they're in a different dimension), which some might find confusing since it's a non-linear concept.  And a dying Pearl can send out her Life Force (soul) to find a perfect host...  This is a non-standard, non-traditional science fiction fantasy that is beautiful to look at.  I went with my friend Patty, and as we were walking out of the theater she said, "you know, from what I'd heard I was expecting it to be a hot mess, but that was really, really good."  And it is.  But there are going to be those who simply throw their hands up in the air exclaiming "well, there you have it, there's just too many notes."

Dog Tired

Even though they were predicting storms to smash through the area yesterday, we had... about 20 minutes of rain.  Looking on the map, the big storm that came through the Pittsburgh area split into two parts, one skirted us to the north, the other was much farther to the south.  This is how it goes.
Me?  I did some painting.  Baked another loaf of bread also, with a new recipe which is much better than the one I'd been using... using olive oil.  Tasty!  And since the weather was mostly just over cast and humid, and because I was home, the dogs could go in and out as often as they liked.  They played inside.  They played outside.  We played fetch (Lily likes to play fetch much more than Seig).  I pulled a couple of squeaky balls out from under the dresser where they'd gone to hide so the dogs could squeak and chase each other around the house.  Later, when my friend Betsy called, they were... dog tired.

And I saw this morning that the Idiot in the White House had some sort of Twitter breakdown yesterday...  doesn't this seem like it happens at least once a week.  I suspect this is because for most of his life every time someone criticized him his standard response was "sue their ass off and shut them up," except he can't do that now.  In fact, as I said to Betsy last night, "it wouldn't surprise me if every other word out of his mouth was 'fuck,'" in private, of course.  And the bit about the pardons?  Sorry, but if you pardon someone isn't that tantamount to admitting guilt?  And isn't it also sending the message that "you can do what ever you want," but only to certain people, the 1%, the wealthy?  The Idiot in the White House is a walking, talking, and Tweeting catastrophic event for the GOP and everybody who rooted for him and who voted for him.  The NRA?  Basically, they backed an individual who's turning into a traitor to the Constitution.  Just wait until he starts worrying about all of the 'armed and dangerous bad people out there.'  And the Social Conservatives?  Ooops, pardon me, but your hate is showing rather blatantly.
Anyway, this is my 2nd day off and I'm thinking of going to get my haircut.  Tough life, eh?

I see a little silhouette of a dog

Okay, so the Idiot in the White House has a new communications director (notice the lower case?) and Sean quit...  Oh me, oh my oh... and he's a little guy (with a Napoleonic Complex no doubt!).  I was reading some of his comments regarding his new position and was stunned to see that he had actually "I love the President."  According to the Washington Post, he also said that he loved Sean Spicer.  Sorry, but that's a little too much phony information.  Scaramucci is a tiny billionaire business man who loves himself.  The truth is that the Idiot in the White House wanted a billionaire attack dog... and this is what he got.

This doesn't mean that Little Tony isn't going to snarl, and growl, and nip at the free press, which is one of the main reasons I suspect the Idiot chose him.  You see, Little Tony attacked CNN and 3 of their reporters quit because they didn't do the ground work on a story about him.  You can bet that's changed, and you can also bet it's not going to be "hands off Little Tony."  In fact there will most likely be more hands on Little Tony then there were Crazy Christian paws on the Idiot last week... or was it the week before.  He does do so many faux publicity stunts it's difficult to keep track of them all.
And I bailed on the White Water Rafting trip that is going to happen this afternoon.  Storms.  I asked my brother if he'd been watching Accuweather and his response was "I'd rather be in denial."  Well, I looked and they should be hitting the Pittsburgh region in about 3 hours... and we're not talking about a 15 - 20 minute storms here, nope, the torrential rains, and thunder, and lightening, and winds, are supposed to continue for hours... and hours.  So, I wouldn't be surprised if they get there and find out they've been cancelled.  I mean, who in their right mind would take people out on rafts, on a river, with lightening exploding across the region?  Of course my brother does have an excuse... he's a Republican.

From the sweat of my brow

This is the cap I wear when I do my cardio, supposedly to keep the sweat from running down my face and into my eyes, sometimes I think, however, it's to keep thoughts from exploding out of my brain and into the world.

Like pondering about Chester Bennington from Linkin' Park's suicide.  The idea of choosing nothing over something is totally incomprehensible to me.  And, of course, there was the usual talk on the Internet about his struggling with drugs and alcohol...  just like a millions of other people.  And then the bits came out about his having a terrible childhood, and his being molested by and older friend when he was a boy... that last one, that's the one which tweaked my irritation.  Not that it didn't happen, but that a man who made millions of dollars didn't seek treatment for his "psychological scarring."  That evidently didn't happen, he did tell people about it however, stating that the experience was so "traumatic" he often thought of suicide.  So, it's a good thing I had my cap on this morning because I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who would not like where my thoughts were taking me.
And then there were my thoughts about the Scumbag Idiot in the White House and his interview with the NYT.   Isn't interesting how he derides it constantly for being filled with fake news and uses it to spit out his venom?  Firing Mueller?   Shitting on Sessions?  Holy Crap!  I was ready to jump off the elliptical and grab my pompoms!  Kick line anybody?  Holy Shit, they might investigate his finances!   Nixon proclaimed "I am not a crook," however the Scumbag Idiot in the White House most certainly is and has always been one.  Every group that supported him, from the NRA to Family First, will suffer the consequences of his collapse, as will every middle aged white person who took their hatred of everything Democratic and Centrist into the ballot box that night in November.  His Karma is so terribly bad!  Everything around him will splinter and shatter.  This is how life happens.

Heads Will Roll

So, this AM I was all set to order the Suunto Spartan when I decided to try and pair the Fenix one last time... and it paired.  I checked and Garmin updated their app, now all I have to do is see if this is a good fix, or one that is only temporary.
And on the funny irony side of things, last evening I left a comment on 'I should be Laughng' about the Idiot, and that we should be perhaps a little wary of his Idiocy and then this AM saw on Towleroad that Matt Drudge had Tweeted out something about the Idiot and his continually declining approval ratings, stating "Heads will Roll."  Of course they will, and each one that goes careening into the gutter will be another stake in the Idiot's dismal ratings.  You see, the Idiot's more than a bit confused.  You see in his illogical world, President is a synonym for Dictator; if you're a president you tell people what you want them to do and they do it... or else.  And he's even more pissed because the country isn't even letting him act like he's America's CEO.  Who's going to pay the price?  Everybody.  Sessions is on his shit list, so is Mueller,  and Rod Rosenstein  because "he's from Baltimore," not a lot of Republicans live in Baltimore.
The Idiot in the White House is a Scumbag, and has always been one.  He's a pathological liar.  His compassion for the American people might fill a teaspoon, if America is lucky.  The fact that 32 million people would be affected by a repeal of the ACA doesn't phase him the least.  In fact, the meatloaf he shared with Xi Jinping has more value to him than than the American people.  We are worth less than meatloaf.  He likes his chocolate cake, too, especially when it's been baked and served by legal aliens from Central America.
I truly believe that Matt Drudge, a gay conservative, is right, heads will roll, but that will only make the situation worse for the GOP.  And, in the end, the Idiot and his spawn will move the Moscow suburbs, where they belong.

Suunto vs Garmin as Idiocy increases.

So, I called Suunto to find out if their is compatible with the Galaxy S8 - their response was "no problem," in fact, after doing a just a little research it seems that only Garmin is having problems with connectivity, and those companies that had issues have corrected them already.  hhhm, is did I make a mistake and buy an expensive bauble for my wrist?  I guess the more important question is will I make an investment in a Sport Watch which actually does what it says it does?  I went with the Fenix 3 HR because of years of good experience with Garmin, however prior to my last Forerunner, I'd owned a Suunto Volcano, which did everything it promised.  The apps used by the Fenix need to be purchased, those by the Spartan don't.  The Spartan is hand made in Finland and I liked pickled herring.  Garmin's are American owned but manufactured in... China.  I can afford switching to Suunto, I'm just not wild about the color blue.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, the Idiot in the White House says he's going to let the ACA implode, or explode, or what verb happens to be sitting on the tip of his tongue.  This is funny, because neither of those 2 things is happening.  And evidently he had a more private tête-à-tête with his Crush Boy Vlad.  Scrumptious, right?  And without a translator - must have been talking the language of love... oh, wait, Melanoma was with them, wasn't she?  And she speaks Slovakian or Russian, or... well, what ever.

What makes the past  couple of days even lovelier is that rather than blame the Idiot in the White House for the healthcare failure, Conservatives are blaming their Republican Senators.  Delicious, right?  Grab your bibs and napkins, we're all about to witness a GOP Piranha Feeding Frenzy!

"Yo, Mitch!  They're looking at you bud with chompers on the ready!"

Answers for Anne Marie

So, the Three Caballaros were at PF again this AM... and the older gent actually notated something in his stenographer's pad... but only once after he did some bicep curls on a machine and I thought, "poor thing, he's not going to remember that."  Mr. Mustache was there too, though the handlebars were a bit droopy today.
And the GOP Healthcare is DEAD.  And the Idiot is blaming Democrats and a few Republicans... maybe someone should enlighten him because he evidently hasn't realized his part controls both the House and the Senate: they shouldn't need the Democrats, in fact they've been bragging about that fact for some time now, all the while accomplishing nothing.
And Anne Marie asked some questions yesterday, here are my responses.

1.  What deceased person would you like to meet and why?
Heath Ledger, and I'd like to ask him why he couldn't have been more careful.  His was the one celebrity death that broke my heart.

2.  Truth or Dare?
 Truth, always the truth.
3.  What is your creative talent?
Words, I love words.
4.  Clothing - necessary or useless?
That all depends upon whom I looking at... oh, you mean me... well, necessary, who needs growth hormones?
5.  What is the first name of your BFF?
That would be Betsy, and even though she's older than me, I'm her legal guardian since she had her stroke.
Weird/funny question - what is your fave tune that ALWAYS makes you smile?  
"So Long Dearie" from Funny Girl... "it's a little lumpy, but it rings!"


Finally, this morning while I was doing medicine ball crunches on my purple yoga mat Big Seig decided to give my face a bath and licked off my glasses, good thing I didn't have the contacts in, he'd have sucked them off my eyeballs.

Sweat Storm

So, here it is... Monday, not the first day of my work week since I started back yesterday.
My cardio this AM was anything but optimal...most likely due to a couple of things, the most important being that I chose music that didn't have the right beat.  Music is very important, for the first note of the first song is what sets the tone, and, unfortunately it was an old Fall Out Boy album that I tuned in and the first song eased into an oozing repetition, not what I needed.   Another thing was my phone - the S8 has a Health App that actually has an elliptical tracker, so this AM I chose to use it... bad choice, every 5 minutes this female elevator voice whispered my total time and calories burned into my ear.  Last time that App gets used.  Even still, I managed to get the ticker going fast enough to turn myself into a sweat storm.

Aftermath of sweat

And I'm also having a little war with Garmin right now.  Back in February I bought myself their Fenix 3 HR and all was right with the world, until I bought my S8.  Connectivity disappeared instantly which means all of the bells and whistles I paid for no longer work.  So I've been complaining.  Other sport watches have updated their software, Garmin still has yet to do so.  On last Friday's email they told me that it takes "extensive testing with a new phone" before they release an update, to which I listed some of their competitors who had already completed their testing and released an update.  

I saw that Ann Coulter had started some sort of Tweet War with Delta.  Ann Coulter... what can I say, every time I see her I think of Elton John's song "Dirty Little Girl."  

Oh, and the Idiot in the White House was golfing again this weekend, or maybe he was just at golf tournament.  Now, I've never been a golf enthusiast.  In fact, I've always thought of it as one of those pretentious sports because it's expensive, and because people who play it, like the Idiot, seem to think that they're special.  Let's be honest here.  How many of you watch the Golf Channel.  Yep, there is one.  And if you've ever watched a tournament you know the commentator always talks in a low, quiet voice since a normal voice might ruin the golfer's concentration.  Give me a break!

  

Pier One / Big Seig

So, after the Viewing yesterday, I went home and changed into something more comfortable and ran a few errands.  One of those was going to Pier One to buy some candles. I buy most of my candles there since they're less expensive than Yankee Candle and have a decent variety, otherwise I avoid Pier One.  Pretentiousness, you know?  The last candles I bought (2 months ago) were called 'Linen' and I was told that scent was part of "our winter collection."  Yesterday a clerk was walking around with a customer in the candle section and I heard her say "this is Orange Whisper, and it's part of our Fall collection."  Give Me A Break!  I but candles because of color and scent, not because they're part of a seasonal collection of scents.  Yesterday I bought 2 red candles and a blue one because... I liked the color red and the color blue and they smelled good.

The Red Candles

I don't buy anything else at Pier One because, let's be honest here, most of the crap they sell looks like it was designed by a failed HGTV Home Decorator.  And most of it looks phony.  

After Pier One, I stopped by the Gay Giant in Camp Hill, because it was nearby.  It's called the Gay Giant because it's a straight shot across the Harvey Taylor Bridge from the gayborhoods of downtown Harrisburg.  Being the only supermarket within 3 miles, the clientele is, at times, very gay, very lesbian, and very... well everything.

And, of course, yesterday being a nice day, the back door was open quite a bit, which meant that the dogs were running in and out all day and having a blast.  Last evening I found Big Seig sleeping on the futon with his moose.

Ain't that the life?

The Viewing

So, I took off work today because I'm going to a viewing.  My friend Patty's mom died and the viewing is today, she's been a friend for almost 9 years.  I'm not big on viewings - the dead never look real, always plastic, no matter how much makeup and how special the lighting.  I'm not having one.  It's in my will.  No viewing.  I'm going to be cremated and have my ashes shot out into space.  Well, not all of them, they only shoot out about 2 oz which means the rest of me will have to be mixed with the dog's ashes and scattered somewhere peaceful.
Speaking of the dogs, I went to my local Giant supermarket yesterday morning and when I got home one of them, (the only one big enough) had pulled to loaf of bread I'd baked off the counter.  All that was left were some crumbs scattered across the living room rug.  And I had to laugh because I know, all too well, that Seig is big enough to pull anything he wants from off the counter.  It was my foolishness for not putting it out of his reach.  Lilly's can do it too, but it's usually Big Seig's paws that do the dirty work.
Anyway, since I'm not working today, I'll probably come home and mow my lawn, all that rain has made the green stuff covering it grow.

Cardio Junkie / Bastille

So, I saw a headline about Beyonce posting a picture of herself and her kids and supposedly the Earth went wild... if that's the kind of thing that gives your life importance, I can only wonder if your life is truly that shallow.
I didn't mow the lawn yesterday because we were supposed to have thunderstorms... which we didn't have... which we actually got this morning while I was at PF - torrential rains, you know?  The Three Caballeros weren't there, which is par for the course.  They seem to belong to that group more interested in putting in an appearance than in developing and maintaining and in failing to understand that simply going to the gym does not improve the quality of your life.  Me?  Well, I wasn't gong to do any cardio yesterday, it was supposed to be my day off... and I ended up burning away 50 minutes on the elliptical - about 560 calories.  Increasing the ramp level increases your heart rate and as I raised it for the 4th time I wondered if I was turning in a Cardio Junkie.  Wouldn't that be a hoot, now?
And I did bake a loaf of bread.

Used a cast iron dutch oven.  It looks grand but tastes a bit bland, so I may have to look for a different recipe.
Also interesting to note:  Today is Bastille Day, a turning point in the French Revolution.  And the Idiot in the White House was invited to attend the festivities by President Macron.  I do not doubt that the relevancy of the moment will be lost on the Idiot, that he will even come close to understanding that during the French Revolution very, very many of the French 1% lost their heads.  He will totally fail to see any correlation between himself, his family, and his billionaire cabinet and the noblese of that time.  But then, what else would expect from the Idiot in the White House.

Heaven on Earth

Don't ask me how Social Security works, I have absolutely no idea how they calculate things, however I do know that they very rarely make mistakes.  I say this because for the 2nd year in a row they've dropped a chunk of change into my checking account.  You see, I am retired even though I'm not old enough to retire.  Three years ago I noticed a weakness in my right leg which continued to worsen until I started falling down... a lot, like 6 times in one day.  Diagnosis?  Severe arthritis in my lower 5 vertebrae - no pain, just no strength.  Thinking I might end up being disabled for the rest of my life I retired.  They were going to perform laminectomies on those 5 vertebrae... until I started to walk again... on my own... without surgery.  I healed myself... at least that's what I think, rerouted the nerves and taught myself how to walk again.  I've been told I walk with a slight limp, and that I don't lift my feet as high as everybody else, but I'm doing up to 50 minutes or more of cardio every other day (except today which is a rest day).  Anyway, Social Security looks at my monthly wages and using their very obtuse calculations decides that I deserve a one time pay out, once a year.
On the Idiot scene, or at least in regard to haters given a position by the Idiot in the White House, there's the Jeff Sessions hate-athon he had with the Alliance Defending Freedom group recently.  Was anybody out there surprised he'd jolly up to such hatred?  I wasn't.  This guy is a part of that all white, Crazy Christian club that aims to have an all white, Crazy Christian America - if you're not one of them then you're against them.  You see, for them, that would be Heaven on Earth:  America the White and Crazy Christian.  And you had better believe that they are nuts!  Was it yesterday that a number of them gathered in the White House and laid their hands on the Idiot in prayer?  They have no idea he's a Christianist.  They believe he's going to help them legislate their hatred into reality, and he will do what they want because they praise him and douse him with accolades.  It's his ego, you see, every time they lay their hands on him, he believes he becomes even more supreme.  What did Forrest say?  "Stupid is as stupid does?"
Well, I'm going to run off and pay my taxes (not fun) and hit the supermarket.  I'm thinking I make bake bread this afternoon.  You know what they say, "it's all in the loaf."

They do say that don't they?  Or is that just Heaven on Earth?

It's a stretch

This morning at Planet Fitness was interesting.  I have a routine that I follow however, since I'm a versatile kind of guy, I have to shake it up, do it out of sequence, and that happened this AM because the Three Caballeros were using the chest equipment and they were chit-chatting behind me while I was doing my presses.   Holy Crap, talk about shallow pretentiousness.  Each has their own water bottle, their own towel, and a pad to jot notes in:  one has a fancy clipboard in a case and the other two have steno pads (that's right, steno pads, I didn't know they made those anymore).  And they surround themselves with their "equipment" and then stand there a chit-chat.  Note, they don't really talk.  Talking is using words that have meaning in a way that creates an idea which makes sense.  Chit-chat is air passing over vocal cords to make sounds which most often have no logic.  So, instead of doing my hammer curls, I went over and did my sets of Lat Pulldowns until they gathered their "gear" and moved on.   As a result, I ended up stretching my gym time out another 10 minutes, which is actually a good thing so maybe their chit-chat about using "using coupons to buy meat," had some value after all.
And speaking of stretching, what about the Idiot Jr?  Emails?  "Love it!"  Evidently the media isn't stretching for their truth, and the Idiot's claim that they're involved in a 'Witch Hunt' is just a stretch of the truth.  I mean, you have to admit that this is funny as hell.  All of those Conservative morons voted for a Traitor who had no problem asking a foreign government for help in winning the election.  A foreign government, by the way, that wants to make America Ungreat.   I also have no doubts that this is one of the main reasons McTurtle has demanded Congress delay their August recess.  In fact, it would surprise me if Conservatives all over DC have seen the Cyrillic Eviction notice written on the White House Wall.

Of course, there really are a lot of different types of stretches, just like there are all sorts of words, and sounds, and the Idiot and his entire family seem to have no problem in taking the truth and pulling it tightly onto the frame of their preferred reality.  Me?  Give me real, muscles any day.

Nature has a way

Good thing I looked at my schedule, for some reason  thought I was in a 7 day stretch... that doesn't happen until next week.  This week my weekend is Thursday and Friday, and while I don't have those 2 days chock full of chores, I suspect I will end up being very busy.  Next weekend I'm supposed to go 'white water rafting' (notice the lack of enthusiasm in my tone) with my brother and some of his children.  His youngest is 22 so it's not like they're little kids.  The problem is that he thought it would be great if we all stayed over night camping out... and I don't camp... at all.  So, I'm not staying overnight.  Neither is my nephew Gordie, who's wife isn't going at all, which means he and I will drive out to Pittsburgh in the AM, do the rafting bit, and then drive back to Harrisburg.  I'm sure he and I will spend many hours deriding his father's politics since Gordie and his wife are maximum progressives.
I can remember, a long time ago mind you, hearing Chris Matthews saying that the Republican Party was on it's way to being a regionalized party which is something I've also been saying for a very, very long time.  And, as always, the Republican Party is harping about Voter Fraud, and they're trying to change the rules, to eliminate certain voters.  Now when pressed, those Republicans pursuing this may, if you're lucky, give one example of one or two voters and that's all.  There really isn't a lot of voter fraud... well, there was that time that peroxide blonde Ann Coulter didn't change her voting address and voted in the wrong precinct.  However, if you look at those states trying to pass voter ID laws it is a regionalized effort.

See, they all live in Idiot Land, or at least the vast majority of them are, and these are also states in which the pure white population is on the slow decline.  This is how life evolves.  The dominant gene pool is winning out.  And that's a reality that totally blows their concept of America out of the water, that it's not going to end up white and... Evangelical.  They are trying to build their own wall, but, as Jeff Goldblum said in Jurassic Park "Nature has a way of going around it...." or, it was something like that, and we know Republicans don't understand Nature at all.

Planking at PF... and... the Master

The gent with the handlebar mustache, known now as Mr. Mustache, wasn't at Planet Fitness this morning, however Mr. Beard was... in the stretch room... doing planks.  Now, I hate planks, but I may have to start doing them... you know?

Anyone for a little medicine ball?
Fat and Skinny were there, too, not in the stretch room but rather hogging up one piece of equipment like they always do.  Let's call them F & S.  F is an older, fat, white guy and S is a skinny, much younger black guy, and they tend to gravitate to one piece of equipment where they do a lot of sets with out much weight, like maybe 20 sets, at 20 lbs, and I don't think that really does anything besides take up space.
And how about that Idiot in the White House?  Joint cyber-security with the Russkies?  Why not just let them run our elections for us?  I mean, isn't that pretty much the same sort of bullshit?  I mean, the Idiot is pretty much a delusional Fanboy when it comes to his hero, his master, Vlad.  He's not kept it a secret that he's idolized that man because Putin is the ultimate CEO - a dictator, who, for the most part, runs Russia with an Iron Fist wearing a lambskin glove.  In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if during their "extended meeting" the Idiot didn't ask for an autographed photo, in 3D no less.
If only Conservatives watched Dr. Who, then they'd know!  Putin is The Master, though not as cute,

And the Idiot is... well, let's just say K-9 had more intelligence in his left wheel nut then the Idiot has in his entirely empty head.

Ringo and other things

While for most of you today is Sunday, for me it's Monday since this is the start of my work week.  Originally it was supposed to be a 7 day stretch but my friend Patty's Mom died last night so I'll be taking off one day to go to the funeral.
Yesterday was my day of rest, well, I did take the weed wacker across the front yard to knock down the weeds that are growing much, much faster than the grass, but that was like... well, maybe 15 minutes of work.  I also made popcorn, one of my favs, in a pan, on the stove.  I haven't done microwave popcorn in years.
There was an interesting article in the LA Times this AM about Ringo Starr. he's 77 years old.  Holy Shit!  I am always astounded to see things like that since age rarely seems to enter into my conscious thought.  No one stops aging.  The days continually add up as the years creep by, and then one morning you wake up and realize you're not as young as you think you are.  And then there are those days when I almost believe my consciousness has been around forever.  Screwy, ain't it?
I've also pissed off some people on Facebook, not with anything I've posted but with a certain restriction I am initiating.  I've been telling people that if they want me to read their comments they need to be 25 words or less.  I don't know why it is, but some people feel that being verbose defines them as being an expert, of course they think they're getting their point across.  They don't like it when I tell them that they need to be more concise, more succinct, that they need to measure what they are saying.

Notice how I didn't say anything about the Idiot in the White House...  mostly because big budget battles are forecast because the "do nothing party" only wants to cut taxes for the rich.  The shit is about to hit the fan.

So far the day is... Squirrely

So, here it is Friday and it's actually the beginning of my weekend; of my consecutive 2 consecutive days off in a row.  And it's been raining most of the morning.
Went to Planet Fitness this AM and noticed one of the regulars sporting a 'handlebar mustache,' which I thought odd - at 0630, you know?  While I've had one for years, I've never had the slightest inclination to wax it, especially before I went to the gym.
I saw where the Washington Post published some sort of "fake news" story about the Russkies hacking into the power grid.  They need to check their sources!  You'd think they'd understand that this sort of bogus reporting delegitimizes factual investigations, as well as giving the Idiot in the White House ammunition to fire back in their faces.  Don't be stupid just for the headline.
And G20 is in progress as I type.  The Idiot gets to finally meet his idol, the man he considers to be a strong leader.  Dumb shit.  Even a half-wit would know Putin's going to play him for a fool, nodding to him, agreeing with him, laughing at his stupid inanities, all the while manipulating him into doing exactly what Putin wants him to do.  And the Idiot is going to have such a good time.
I may have to take a nap later on, not because I over exerted myself at the gym, rather the dogs woke me up in the middle of the night, 1:30 AM, to be precise.  Why?  Their purple squirrel was under the bed.

That's right.  When I turned on the light I saw that they were both laying on the floor looking under the bed.  So I got up, got down on my hands and knees to see what they wanted... and there he was, their purple squirrel.  And since it was after midnight, I'd have to say that my day, so far, has been a bit squirrely. 

Hobby Lobby Failed ethics

Well, today is Thursday, which is actually my Friday... that's right, I have 2 days off in a row.  Next week I have 4 off in a row thanks to an appointment with my Optometrist.
As I glanced through the headlines this AM I saw that Hobby Lobby is being fined $3 million because they were caught smuggling artifacts, purchased illegally, into this country.  This is the same Crazy Christian group that wants all of their employees to be breeders.  They're also building some sort of Bible Museum near Washington in their attempt to correlate historical fact with mythology.  They want to justify their beliefs with concrete evidence without understand that concrete is man-made, not natural, in fact it was invented by the Romans.  They have the same mentality as those who go "In Search of Noah's Ark."  Evidently their faith is not strong enough, they need proof.  What failures.
And what about North Korea?  Common consensus seems to be that China's going to toss that hot potato back into the Idiots tiny, little hands.    What will he do?  You can be it will be something stupid.  We are already hearing how high the death toll could be if he decides on a "surgical strike."  What ever happens... well the blame is going to go the the Conservatives.  They took us into Iraq under W so expect the worst.
Oh, and my School Real Estate taxes came in the mail yesterday - $971 if I pay them off by 8/31/17.  Not bad.  Enola is a good place to live.

This is home.

The Suspensory of it all

So, I got back from Planet Fitness this AM and saw that Bill, one of my Navy buddies, had left a comment for me on Facebook.  After reading his note, I scrolled down to see if there was anything else I might find interesting until I saw and ad for Walmart.  I never shop at Walmart.  In fact I can honestly say there have only been 4 times in my life that I've been in one, and those 4 times were because someone thought I'd like a Walmart gift card for Christmas...   Anyway, not only was there an ad for Walmart my Facebook page, it was for something called a Suspensory, which looked a lot like something a male stripper might use to keep everything tucked safely away.  Since I never click on Facebook ads, I googled it and discovered I was sort of right.  A Suspensory is a testicular support... and evidently only for the testicles since there's a hole in the top / front that's meant for something other than ventilation.

And then I started wondering why I was targeted with this ad - they do that you know?  Look at your browsing history to see if there's something an online retailer can sell you?  Or maybe some sort of universal consciousness had decided I be better suited wearing a Suspensory under my shorts when I went to Planet Fitness.  But then I got to thinking about that little hole....

Anyway, it didn't take long for me to decide that this piece of sportly under apparel was not going to make it into my wardrobe.  Being the curious type, I went Amazon to see if they actually sold Suspensories... they do, with a lot of negative comments, so evidently somebody out there is buying them.  I'll leave you with one person's disillusionment.

I found this item unusable. I don't understand how it's supposed to stay put on one's "junk" without straps that go around the upper thighs like a regular jock strap.

History

Today is July 4, 2017.  This is the day we Americans celebrate our birthday.  We are not an empire, we are a country, and we are still young, and still suffering through our growing pains.  We are still evolving.  Things change.  Even though we have an aging Nero wannabe in the White House, rest assured that this to will pass.
This is the day we look back on our history and realize that everything was worth it, and also the day we look ahead and realize there is much, much more to do.
We all have our history.
Yesterday morning, while I was weeding around my tomato plants, I pulled up a tuft of grass that was growing too close and out from the earth popped a small red thing.  I realized what it was immediately.  A tiny, red shoe.  My house is 112 years old.  At some time in those years a doll lost it's shoe in my back yard.  The child who owned that doll is now old, maybe even dead, the doll long gone... but that little red shoe, buried for so many years, remains.  This is history.

Life goes on.

Trump: wrestling for Lunkheads

So, here it is Monday, July 3, the day before the 4th, and as usual I am working; tomorrow as well.  This is how it goes in retail.  I figure I have 3 - 4 years before I can go from full-time to part-time and while I haven't set the date yet, I am anticipating.
I was surprised by the number of people at Planet Fitness this AM - but then it is a day before a holiday, and people do want to look all toned and pumped and toned for their parties.  Me?  I just did my regular routine, upped the weight on my squats, so I might be sore later.  That's fine.  I remember my Mom telling me that if you get sore after working out you did something wrong - not so.  Life is filled with pain, physical and emotional, and sometimes there are long stretches when we are pain free, but in the end there is pain.  It's how we deal with it that's important.
There's also humor as evidenced by some video the Idiot in the White House posted - something from his Wrestlemania days... now isn't that embarrassing as hell?  A minority group of aging, white people voted his lunkhead into office without understanding he was going to be the laughing stock of the world.  I haven't watched it because... well, to be perfectly honest, my IQ is over 70.  However, I must say that understand fully why the Idiot posted it.  You see, if he were Putin, and this was Russia, and the American people were Russkies, well, we would be like "wham, bam, thank you man!  Ain't that Idiot something special."  You see, Vlad posts shit like that, not on Wrestlemania, but score fake goals in hockey, and doing Karate, and wrestling bears... wait, maybe Vlad was on Wrestlemania.  I mean he did wrestle a bear didn't he?  Bare chested?  Anyway, the Russian people like to see their leader proving his manhood, and, well, in a perverted sort of way, that's just what the Idiot did.  He proved his manhood, how powerful he truly was, by beating up a faux CNN because... well, because he's the Idiot in the White House.

And, as well all know, he's just as phony as Wrestlemania.  Dear Lord, how low it is that America has stooped.

Voter suppression... and other things.

So, I switched things up doing my Cardio today rather than strength training.  Here the link if you want to see today's cardio.  I think this will work better for me.
I spent about 2 hours yesterday with a very nice couple who are a bit... out of touch with the real world.  They want to get new carpet installed in 4 bedrooms, there's nothing wrong with that, however they want each room to have a different color which translates into mucho buckos.  Most carpet comes in rolls that are 12 feet wide and rooms longer or wider than that require seems.  Normally, installers will use the remnants from one room to fill in the space in another room; different colors in each room means there's no usable remnants so you need to buy more carpet.  They went home to think about it, which is good.  What's odd is that the colors were chosen for specific children, all of whom moved out a long time ago... maybe they're expecting them to move back.
Oh, and I see that the Idiot in the White House desperately wants to prove that there were millions and millions of fraudulent voters during the last election... supposedly because he can't believe he lost the popular vote.  That last bit I can totally understand - the ego, you know.  The fact that he can't correlate his low approval ratings with that vote is... more than a little pathetic, but then, of course, those crazy conservatives don't believe those either.  In fact they are so mired down by their need to point their fingers and label everything as "fake news" they wouldn't know the truth if it hit them on the head.   Which is... going to happen.  Codifying the last 4 digits of the voting public's Social Security numbers, as well as their voting records... well... the Idiot must have gotten that idea from the Russians.  The best way to eliminate your enemies is to find exactly who they are and where they live, and for Republicans the enemy is anybody and everybody who didn't vote straight party ticket.  I wouldn't be surprised if this was Steve Bannon's idea.  I mean it sounds like his mealy brained bullshit.

Well, it's off to work.

Of slugs and Greed. American Style

Okay, so here it is Saturday and, of course, I get to work.  In fact, I get to work for the next 6 days - then I get 2 consecutive days off, and after that I get to work for 7 days straight.  This is the hell of working in retail.  At least I now have a fixed shift, and no more overnight shifts.
Yesterday was a day off for me and I was surprised at how much I actually accomplished.  Big Seig and I planted a white rose bush in the back yard (it was too warm for Lily, who spent that time sleeping on the sofa).  Went to see my Mom.  Did the 2nd coat of paint on the inside of my kitchen cabinets.  Had breakfast with my brother and... still managed to get in another 47 minutes of heavy duty cardio.  Oh, and I used the new Garmin scale yesterday - there's a .5 pound difference between it and the Worthings scale, no big deal.
I got my bill from Microsoft for next year's subscription of Office... remember when you could buy the software?  They don't do that anymore, they like to charge you a yearly subscription fee, they make more money that way.  Hello, American Capitalism.  Don't it suck?  There was a time when the American Dream stood for something, before greed perverted it into something dark and sinister.  A large part of the blame goes to TV Evangelism where financially successful Christians were paraded around like golden idols.  They interbred financial success with religion, the bastard child of which we call Social Conservatism.  Everything is about "my money," and "my taxes,' and not about compassion.  They care about humanity as long as humanity does what they say, which is why the sorry finger is pointing at them.
The driving force behind that little tirade is the ACA.  There are 2 reasons the Republicans hate the ACA:  the legislation was done under a black president, and it involves their taxes... well, not the taxes of the majority, the taxes of a minority, the wealthy, the rich, the Idiots of the United States.  However the message the wealthy are sending out is not "my taxes," rather they are incorporating the greed of all Republicans.  The ACA is using "our taxes," this is a waste of "our money."  What horseshit.
Anyway, today is supposed to be a 'rest day' for me, no cardio, no free weights, no strength equipment, but I am thinking I might sneak in a little ab work, you know, to keep me from feeling too much like a slug.

Besides, I have absolutely no idea where I'd get a lettuce leaf that big.