Torch This

Well, it Wednesday morning and also a free weight morning, 18 (F) is too cold for me to jump into my car wearing my sweats and drive over to Planet Fitness, so it's dumbbells, and squats, and medicine ball crunches for me.
Evidently there was a dumbbell on TV last night... wait, that's being too kind.  The Idiot Jerk spit out farts and turds his Idiot supporters scraped onto their plates.  At one point Pelosi had to shush some booing from the Center.  Melanoma was there but evidently the Porn Star and her Forbes magazine weren't... now wouldn't that have been a hoot?  Anyway, I guess he touted the economy, and how it's surged.  Interestingly enough, 50% of the country give credit to Obama for the economy... Oops.
If an article in Bloomberg yesterday on McDonald's and labor costs is an indicator, fast food prices have already begun to increase.  The Dollar Meal may be back but don't expect it to be value packed.
Oh, and am I the only one to notice how gasoline prices are increasing?  I paid $2.85 for a gallon of regular yesterday.  Rising gas prices are not a good sign for the economy.  What good is that great tax cut we're all getting if we need to spend it on rising fuel costs?  But then again, maybe that was the plan.
I also got a call from the "big" director of my Mom's senior living facility - thanks to a conversation I had with him, her monthly cost is only going up around $500.  It seems as though he is the one who actually decides what charges get applied to which residents.  Oh, and he is big, at least 350 lbs - maybe I should bribe him with a couple of Twinkies, or a McDonald's gift card that's going to be less in 3 months than it is today.

Speaking of gas, well, there are all types of gases out there, some that are actually lighter than air,  some that smell bad (like Big Seig's farts), some that are lethal, and then there are those that are flammable... and then, of course, we have those that are a combination of the two, like methane.  Never light a match around methane.  What a shame no one lighted a match last night during the State of the Union... we might have gotten to see something like this.

Clad in Plaid

Yesterday was one of those odd days.  The eye appointment was aggravating; driving twenty minutes, arriving on time at 0715, and then being told "oh, we changed your appointment" was not a good thing.  But then something good did happen later.  I went to transfer money from my savings to my checking account so I could pay my car insurance and Wow I discovered a big deposit had been made.  Holy Shit!  I got my Income Tax refund already.  Because I had the paperwork, I filed electronically 2 weeks ago, and that paid off.  I guess nobody else in the country files their taxes that early.  Anyway, since I had that chunk of change in my account, I paid the insurance and then drove down to the Enola K-Mart (which is closing) and bought towels and plaid boxers.  There, in case you were wondering, now you know, it's boxes over briefs.  They are next best thing to letting the wild beast run free.  And almost as good as letting the wild beast run free, is dressing him up in plaid.

Let me tell you, there's nothing better than a nice warm Tartan.
I did my cardio to the new Fall Out Boy album this AM - Mania.  There's only one song that I suspect will have to grow on me, the rest of the music is good.  The only problem I had was this was the first time I listened to it in its entirety which meant I was focusing on the music and not my legs - as a result I only managed to get in 2.1 miles.
Oh, and I saw that the House of Fools run by that minority hate group, the Republicans, has voted to release a sensitive document, a memo written by one of their own, which they claim will show bias in the DOJ.  For this document to have any value the writer would have needed to be an individual above reproach by both parties.  Evidently the Democrats have their own memo, but that minority hate group, the Republicans, voted to repress that document.  Basically what they're doing is releasing something one of their own wrote, using suppositions he cherry picked, to prove the other side is bad.  Think of it as a trial in which only the defendant and his crooked lawyers speak, the prosecution has been locked out of the courtroom.  The only ones who will believe this is their base... and Faux News.
Tonight the Idiot Jerk in the White House get to speak on National TV - like so many of you out there I will not be watching.  Instead I will most likely be playing a video game.  I'm sure I'll have much more fun playing Fallout New Vegas, feeling all warm, and cuddly, and plaid, than I would vomiting.

Sea of Forgotten Melodies

Well, here it is Monday!  My 2nd day off in a row!  How's that for all of you people who whine about having to go back to work on Monday?  And I'm off tomorrow as well!
Anyway, I was scheduled for an eye appointment this AM, got there too early so I decided to grab a cup of coffee at McDonalds.  When I did get to my appointment, I was told by the receptionist that my appointment wasn't for today, but rather for tomorrow instead.  She said, "we left you a voice mail back in November telling you Dr. Kilmore was no longer going to be seeing patients on Mondays and Fridays."  I smiled, and nodded.  They send out voice mails every month reminding patients of upcoming appointments.  That's right, every month I get a voice mail from this practice which means I stopped listening to their messages a long, long time ago.  I did make an appointment for February but I will cancel that.  My VA benefit has been working well for me, so I'm going to set up an appointment with one of their specialists.
Yesterday Anne Marie sent me a link from "Joe, My God," regarding Bernie Marcus... one of the original founders of Home Depot.  He is a true Tumplodyte.  Worth approximately 3.4 billion, he is a member of the 1% club.  He also has nothing to do with running the corporation, having retired a number of years ago.  During the campaign he spouted out some pro Idiot Jerk propaganda and the company was forced to put a lot of distance between his viewpoints and those of the company.  This guy's an old fool.  As a number of comments pointed out, the bonus he was bragging about is a one time only benefit while the tax cut will go on Ad Infinatum. 
So, I did 10 miles on the bike, on the trainer yesterday and I was pleased.  Today I'm planning on some free weighs this afternoon and another ride.
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that the Grammy Awards were last night.  Bruno Mars evidently won big.  About 3 years ago I listened to one of his songs - from what I remember every body liked it.  Me?  I thought it was "pop - meh."  There's a lot of that out there.  The most ephemeral of the arts, every year thousands of pop artists, and their tunes, drown in the sea of forgotten melodies.

 Very, very few have had any lasting influence on the genre.  In the scheme of things, it's not what's currently popular that is important, it's what lasts.

Fair weather Conservatives

Well, here it is Sunday and I'm at the start of 3 days off.  Whoopee.
The laptop arrived yesterday - touch screen, bluetooth, wifi.  When I stand up and look down at the screen the contrast looks off.  When I'm sitting down in front of it, or riding the bike and looking at it, the screen looks just fine.  Now I know, don't stand up and look down at it.
I gave the air filled packaging to the dogs as a toy.  They love those things, running around the house with them trailing behind like long, plastic streamers.  Of course, they only survive for a few minutes and then they're garbage.
So, I received my Mom's bill from Graysonview yesterday and her monthly charges increased by $774.  That's right, she will have to pay an additional $9288 per year to stay at that facility.  For those who are interested her yearly charge will be  over $44,000.  I had been told by the manager of her facility it would only go up $324, so I will have to call him tomorrow and remind him, and if he stutters or starts singing a different tune, I'll have to call him a lying sack of shit.  The seniors living there pay their bills using their personal savings, their Social Security, and other funding if they can get it, and these charges are not about providing top of the line health care since it is only an assisted living facility.  These additional charges are all about making money, nothing else.  For those who can't afford the bill, these expenses will become a burden to their next of kin.
The Grammy's are on tonight.... sooooo what.
I work with an this Conservative, an older man, in his late 60's, who was happy as a pig in shit when the Idiot Jerk won the election.  He has no problem spouting out the Republican rhetoric so dear to his heart.  He hates "fake news."  He hates Liberals.  He believes dead people make up most of the Democrats in California...   He is also furious about the Pennsylvania Supreme Courts gerrymandering decision, stating the justices had been appointed.  Of course, I had to correct him using the wonderful Internet, and proving to him that they had all been elected by the people of Pennsylvania.  He actually said that he probably won't vote in 2018 since the whole thing is now "rigged."  To which I replied, "yes, that's what most older conservatives are going to do."  Nope, he's going to pout, and piss and moan, and turn into a bitter old man because a majority of Americans will tell him to just shut up.  He is, for those of you who don't know, a fair weather conservative.

Tape this

Well, here it Saturday and I get to go to work.  I'll be off for the next 3 days so I supposed I'll be able to endure.
Yesterday I went down to the Lebanon VA for a consultation.  I have been pressured for years to have a colonoscopy performed.  Well, now one is scheduled for... (are you ready for this?) Valentine's Day.  On that most romantic of days something alien is going to be inserted....  Let me tell you, my amazing ass is more sacred than any Indian Burial Grounds - nothing goes near it without my approval.  Now I know there are people who say this is a necessary evil, however if you start looking at the ratios of people who have the procedure performed vs the number of precancerous polyps discovered those numbers are staggeringly low, like 1.6%.  I'm not saying it isn't a worthwhile procedure for certain people, if you have a family history of colo-rectal cancer, or cancer in general, or there are some other health reasons, but for the vast majority it is unnecessary.  Someone, somewhere is making a lot of money.
Another thing I did yesterday was to work on cleaning out the attic.  I brought down a box of old VHS video tapes which are now waiting to go out into the trash.

I no longer have a VHS player.  As I looked through the titles I nodded to myself, remembering how much I had enjoyed certain films, and how many times I'd watched several.  I also realized there was no way I would want to watch these things again.  I would rather throw them out instead of someone else,  In fact, at some point, after the dogs are gone, I will sell the house and for that to happen the attic will need to be clear.
There was some amusing news regarding our economy yesterday.  We imported much more than we exported, in fact, the last time the country imported this much stuff was 2008.  Because American workers make much more than foreign workers, our American products are more expensive, and those who run around shrieking "buy American" don't want to spend the dollars.  They'd rather cheap it out and buy something similar made in China, or Thailand, or Mexico.

A momentary bonus

Well, it's Friday and I'm off today.
I ordered the new laptop, a Dell Inspiron 5000, 2018 model.  I read a number of reviews, checked out a number of different websites, and debated with myself over the price point.  Some of the things I wanted were a touch screen and an SSD (solid state drive) rather than your standard Hard Drive, and wanted a screen size that was over 15 inches (since I'm getting older and don't want to squint).  Since most computers are approaching obsolescence after 6 years I decided to keep the cost to something less than $1000.  This one is quite a bit less than what I was willing to pay and fits my requirements.
They announced at work yesterday that because of this great "tax cut" everybody's getting a bonus.  Not everybody is getting the same amount, it all depends upon how long you've been an employee;

Less than 2 years: $200 bonus
2 to 4 years: $250 bonus
5 to 9 years: $300 bonus
10 to 14 years: $400 bonus
15 to 19 years: $750 bonus
20+ years: $1,000 bonus

Of course the press release only mentions the $1000 category and not the lower ones.  I've been with company 9.5 years so you can see where I sit.  Keep in mind that retail has a high turnover rate so the actual number of associates with 10 plus years is not that high.  Keep in mind that we had over $94.6 billion in sales last year so this total payout will have very little, if any, effect on their balance sheet, and while I'm glad to get a little extra money, I do wish they hadn't politicized it by linking it to the tax overhaul.  As we've all been told, this is a once and done payout; that tax cut is permanent.

In other hoo haa news:  Patrick Meehan, the socially conservative, Republican congressman who used office funds as hush money to keep an aide he had the hots for from talking, has announced "after much prayer and reflection" that he's not going to seek re-election.  In this bozos case "prayer and reflection" are synonymous with "Holy Shit... am I screwed."

Also, George Soros sees the Idiot Jerk as a threat to the world.  In fact, he had this to say:

“I consider the Trump administration a danger to the world,” the billionaire investor said in a speech from Davos, Switzerland. “But I regard it as a purely temporary phenomenon that will disappear in 2020, or even sooner.” He expects a Democratic “landslide” in the 2018 elections.

Well, now ain't that just a ducky thing to say? Don't you like the bit about 'even sooner.'  One wonders if George might know something.

And remember when I said there were 2 strikes against the Social Conservatives (Joel Osteen, failed Christian, and Roy Moore, sexual predator)?  Well the 3rd might have actually been Tony Perkins from the 'hate' group AFC giving the Idiot Jerk a pass on the porn star.  Talk about selling your soul to the devil.  But then all of this was to be expected.  Bad karma, you know?  And they thought getting the Idiot jerk elected was going to be a big bonus for them.

Cut This

Well, here it is Thursday.  I am a finger click away from ordering the new laptop.  I did my income tax and I know I'm getting a refund that will pay my car insurance for 2018 and almost all of the laptop expense.  My out of pocket costs will be about $180.  As I said, right now it's only a click away from being shipped.
I had an interesting experience at work yesterday.  We have rolls of carpet on rolls that we sell.  A customer comes in and says "hey, I want 10 feet of that one," and we cut off a 10 foot section.  Well, yesterday and contractor comes in, probably in his mid-twenties, and tells me he wants to pieces, one 10 feet long and one 3 feet long.  So John, one my fellow associates and I rolled out the 10 foot section, however our cutter is a little slow, so about halfway through the cut it slowed down and Jay gave it a push.  As we pulled off the carpet, I looked down and asked, "hey, John, is that a piece of your finger down there?"  We laughed because you can't really cut off a piece of your finger.  However, the contractor spoke up.  "I did that once," he said, "all smoked up on weed.  I cut off the tip of my finger and could flip it back and forth.  Boy did I sober up fast."  And, of course, we laughed.  And after he left we laughed.  How could anybody be that damn stupid?  You'd almost think his last name was Trump.
And, of course, the Idiot Jerk in the White House says he can't wait to talk to Mueller... under oath.  My money says his attorney's have been coaching him constantly, and will, no doubt, give him crib notes that will most like read "I'm taking the 5th Amendment."  I wonder if he's feeling the noose tighten around his neck?  I mean Rick Gates has now hired a high profile attorney who specializes in plea bargains. 

My money says that if he gets desperate, the Idiot Jerk will cut someone else's throat, most likely Mitch McTurtle's since there's buzz out there how McTurtle advised Obama not to go public with the news of Russia's meddling.  But then again the Idiot Jerk might just start swinging that blade blindly and all whole bunch of throats, and political careers might get sliced.

When the Squeaking Stops

Well, it's Wednesday and I have to go to work today.  My daily work schedule is... shall we say rather exotic right now.  I work 2 days, then I'm off a day, I then work one day and am off for 3.  This doesn't really bother me since I'm only working 32 hours per week.  That will change soon enough.
I disconnected my Steam controller from my upstairs TV this AM since I never use it.  The original idea for the purchase had been for me to be able to play PC games downstairs on the big TV, however Big Seig chewed up the wifi dongle.  The only way the controller would have worked downstairs would have been for me to run a direct line from the TV to my router... well, that wasn't going to happen.
And, speaking of Biggie, his Christmas beaver stopped squeaking so he's cast it aside in favor of a Purple Squirrel.

I guess this is his way of saying beavers are no longer fun when they stop squeaking.

And I was reading this AM on my Bloomberg Technology feed that if your PC or laptop is over 5 years old, they are recommending that you update it with something newer, not because it's outdated (even though 5 years old is pretty old), but because the patches that are going to be coming out to fix the Intel chip problems are going to slow it down... a lot.  They suggested a Lenova laptop which starts at about $1300, which is a bit squirrely if you ask me.  There's no way I'd spend that much.

There was some other squirrely news this AM - evidently there have been a number of other people form the Idiot Jerk's regime that have already talked to Mueller; something that's been kept under wraps, so to speak.  Now we know why Ultra Conservative (and bad hair of the year nominee) Trey Gowdy 

Now wouldn't he look so natural in a Nazi Uniform?

is trying to shut down Mueller and his team.  Desperation, you know?  Because this loser is so squirrely, I'm wondering if Biggie would play with him, or just take a big chunk out of his ass before he sends him running home.

Voters First

Well, here it is Tuesday and I'm off work.  Nope, no cold, no sniffles, this is, however, the last week of the fiscal year and they're cutting hours.  When they asked... I accepted.  Tomorrow I'll put in for 8 hours vacation pay since I budgeted for 40 hours this week.
Now I know there are Liberals out there who think that Schumer blinked in order to keep the government open for another 14 days... he didn't.  What he did do was get a "promise" from old Mitch McTurtle regarding immigration.  This means that in what?... 2 weeks?  the government is going to shut down again.  This also means that when it does the word 'liar' is going to start falling from Democratic lips.  You see, Mitchie also lied to Susan Collins, that Centrist Senator from Maine about immigration.  No one lies as much as a Republican.
And for those of you who don't know, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court hand the state Republicans a healthy plate of truth yesterday when the Court ruled that their gerrymandering was unconstitutional.  What makes this so sweet is that in Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justices are elected by the people, not appointed, and the Democrats have a majority: 5 - 2.  Of course the Republicans are running around like their hair is on fire, shrieking about how they're going to take this to the US Supreme Court.  They have a problem, however.  You see the ruling cites the State constitution, not the Federal Constitution and the US Supreme Court doesn't usually hear cases regarding State Constitutionality.  Oops.  To give you an idea how badly the Republicans have shit on the American Right to Fair Representation, take a look at this district.

What makes this even more pathetic is that this district is represented by Patrick Meehan.  You know who that is, the Senator who was just kicked off the Ethics Committee for hitting on a younger aide and then using office funds to pay her off. 
Now the districts have to be redrawn before the March 18 primaries.  Republicans all over the state have been rolling around in apoplexy.  They are freaking furious that someone might actually want to put the Voters First in Pennsylvania.  As John Gray says "hey ho."
Anyway, it's time for me to hit the free weights.  If you listen carefully, you can hear the 25 lb dumbbells calling out my name.

Recovery time

First of all I'd like to give a biiiiig thanks to Anne Marie for her shout out yesterday!!!
Secondly I have to tell you I slept like shit last night.  No, no, no, not because the government's shut down...  Full blame lies with the.... dogs.  For some reason Big Seig decided to slip stretched out, vertically, on one side of the bed and Big Seig is... big.  Forty Three inches from the tip of his nose to his rump (no, his little stumpy tail is not included) is a lot of bed space to lose.  And Lily, even though she's just half his size, was stretched out horizontally along the foot of the bed.  As a result I ended up with... oh, let's be generous... about 6 square feet of bed.  Anyway, around 0200 I roused them up, moved them off the bed, and situated myself comfortably.  It is my bed, after all, isn't it?
And what about the government shut down?  Hysterical, isn't it?  You should be laughing if you aren't. You see every time they take a Centrist plan to the White House and the Idiot Jerk rejects it... well, he's the one who looks bad.  His problem is that he's politically stupid, and because he's a numb nuts, he's relying on Miller and Kelly and their ultra-conservative views on immigration.  Their sole purpose is to force their narrow minded viewpoint on the rest of the country.  They evidently don't know Dave's political axioms so here they are:
The country is Centrist.
A popular president can nudge the political viewpoint to either the left... or the right, but only temporarily because... the country is Centrist.
However, an unpopular president, trying to force the country to either the left... or the right, will fail.  Not only will he fail, he will actually end up nudging it in the opposite direction.
This means our next president will probably be a liberal, female who will kick conservative ass.  Oh, and it won't be Oprah.
This morning, in spite of my lack of sleep, I did manage to get in 58 minutes of cardio - really good cardio, and according to my Suunto Spartan, my recovery time is 20 hours.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, that's not me.... I don't have a beard.

Number This

Well, here it is Sunday and the government is still shut down.  The screws are turning on the Idiot Jerk in the White House and his supporters because of his conflicting statements regarding DACA.  The funny thing is that his group of haters wants to kick this melon down the road... again, which is part of their problem - they don't know it's a melon, they think it's a ball, and if they keep kicking it down the road then they'll never have to deal with it.  Neither do they understand they are a minority group trying to appeal to a minority group of voters.
And speaking of voters, those in South Eastern PA may get their shot at another special election.  You see Roy Meehan has been removed from the House Ethics Committee after reports surfaced that he had demonstrated some rather unethical behavior.  Evidently he developed a crush on a younger, female aide, and then his ego couldn't accept rejection, which in turn led to a a 'payout' from his congressional office funds.  Why is it Conservative members of Congress can't seem to control their conservative members?
Anyway, for those who don't know, there was a walk yesterday - by women... and men, but mostly women protesting the Idiot Jerk in the White House.

Part of the protest in Washington

Hundreds and hundreds of thousands of women were involved, yet I was amused to see some Thimbelina headed Republican woman whining on Facebook how "minuscule" these numbers were.  Evidently she has no conception of the correlation between the percentage of people who protest and those who feel the same way, but chose to stay home.  And we're not talking little numbers here, not with 600,000 in LA, 300,000 in Chicago, and other large crowds in Washington, New York,  Philadelphia... and a host of other cities.  If yesterday's protesters represent just 10% of all the women who hate the Idiot Jerk... well, we're talking about millions, and millions, and millions... and that's one hell of a voting block.  These numbers are something all of those Social Conservatives who feel women are meant to be baby factories will never understand.

Fjord This

Well, it looks as though the Republicans have dropped the ball again.  Me thinks that the Idiot Jerk in the White House needs to go back and reread "The Art of the Deal," since neither he, nor his party seem to understand the art of negotiation.  This is a party that would rather cut off their genitalia than think about compromise.  They've had a problem with this concept every since Reagan's landslide win.  The only solution will be to vote them out of existence.  The American Freedom Caucus, with its vision of a white, socially conservative America needs to go.  They are a minority party and need to be treated as such.  For way too long America's Centrists and Liberals have played nice with them, demonstrating true values by turning the other cheek.  They need to be held accountable for all of their deceits.  They need to be removed.
Most people don't remember that this same party shut down the government for 16 days back in 2013.  A lesson should have been learned then, that they will sacrifice anything and everything to dictate how Americans live their lives.  We need to shut them up.
Anyway, today's Saturday and I'm off - no work, though there are chores around the house which need to be done.  I have a small bookcase which will get at least 2 new coats of paint.  I'm going to use it in the bathroom to store towels.
I also want to go for a ride this afternoon.  There are those at work who find it funny that I ride a trainer during the winter, who find it amusing when I pull up Strava and show them a ride I took up a fjord in Norway.  They say "isn't that nice."  And I usually sit back, think about my sitting heart rate of 56 bpm, nod and say "yes it is, it's very nice."

Non-digestable

Well, it's Thursday morning and I e-filed my Income Taxes this AM.  I'm getting money back, but then I always get money back.  Hopefully I'll get a refund next year as well - that's a bit iffy since as a single person I fall into that category where I may earn just too much money.  Yessiree, I'm one of those 'special' tax payers who may not benefit from this wonderful tax overhaul.
I saw where the Idiot Jerk in the White House threw another bone to Social Conservatives yesterday, permitting health care workers to deny services if they go against their "religious beliefs."  This is another example of how selling your soul to the Idiot Jerk in the White House will get you what you want.  As usual, there's no way this isn't going to end up in the courts.  These people are so caught up in their own personal, self-centered, self-aligned beliefs they totally fail to grasp reality, that getting their way will not move the country down a socially conservative path.  Rather, historically the evidence is that the exact opposite is what occurs.  The direct result of their pressure is to move the country farther to the 'left.'
And a new poll shows a majority of Americans strongly disapproving of the Idiot Jerk.  People just can't stomach him.  I used to think that this would bother him, now not so much.  You see, he is such a petty, small minded individual all he needs is one group of people to kiss his ass and praise him, like the Social Conservatives.  That makes them just as phony.  Do they care?  About as much as he cares.  You only have merit and value if you kiss his ass.
Anyway, I bought myself a new helmet.

Red, of course.  It kind of looks like I have a shiny muffin on my head.  Do I care what it looks like?  Hell no.  Just as long as it does what it's supposed do in case I do a header over the handlebars.
Also, Big Seig dug the squeaker out of one of the purple squirrels this morning and was running around the house with it in his mouth.  Squeak, squeak, you know?  I had to take it from him because he has a bad habit of swallowing them, and being non-digestable he always end up vomiting them back up... along with the rest of the contents of his stomach, which is what most of the American people want to do when they think of the Idiot Jerk in the White House.

Dispose this

Well, here it is... Thursday.  The sun is out.  The temp is supposed to get up to 33 (F) today and get up into the 40's tomorrow.  In fact, for the rest of the month temps are supposed to range in the upper 30's to mid 40's.  Could it be that winter is nearly over?  Did I just curse North America?  We shall see.
For those who don't know, there was another surprise Democratic win on Tuesday night.  Republicans are... stunned, to say the least.  I keep wondering how can anybody be as dense as the GOP.  But then, thinking back, I realize that they have always been dumb shits, every since Reagan's landslide re-election.  Anyway, from what I hear, they're on the verge of rolling their eyes in panic, still totally incapable of understanding that the vast majority of Americans don't like either them, or their policies.
And how's this for shits and giggles?  Movie theater owners are concerned about shrinking ticket sales.  That's right, fewer people went to the movies last year... in spite of an increase in ticket costs.  Am I like the only one in the world to see a correlation there?  Cost goes up, attendance goes down?  And it's not just the cost of admission - refreshment prices are through the roof.  My friend Patty no longer hits the concession stand, refusing to pay $10 for a small popcorn and beverage.  Pricing in outrageous, especially when you consider the actual cost of the popcorn was... oh, say 20 cents... maybe it's the bag that makes it sooooo expensive.
But then everything is going to get more expensive, thanks to that great Tax Overhaul.  We're all going to have a lot more disposable income... right?  Everybody and their brother has plans to tap into that new wealth, how little it may be.  If you don't believe that every retailer in this great USA wasn't busy calculating how much this tax break would allow them to raise there costs... well, then you're probably a Republican.  That's one of the reasons the stock market is going through the roof.  Every one is anticipating how much more money they can get you to spend.  Once prices go up, they are not going to go back down.  This is American Capitalism.
I, myself, am thinking of getting a new laptop.  The Samsung I have is at least 5 years old.  The key's pop off and the left CTRL key is missing.  I'm trying to convince myself it would make a nice, downstairs computer.  True, the disposable income this stinko tax bill is going to give me will not pay for a new laptop.  So, the question is:  should I buy it now or wait until everything goes up in price?

Shut it down

Well, we had some snow....  in fact there are still flurries falling.  Total accumulation here is around 6 inches.  The dogs love it since... well, they're dogs and dogs love snow.  They run around using their noses as little plows.  Yesterday was snow filled playtime.  Last night their coats were so soft after all the snow had dried.  Now they're out barking at all of the neighbors shoveling their sidewalks and driveways.  I did my shoveling earlier.  Like I tell people, take advantage of the free cardio.

I saw a clip of Steve Bannon going into testify yesterday.  My, what an ugly man; the ugly inside him is beginning to push out through his skin.  I also thought he looked scared, which makes sense since he's nothing more than an arrogant, conservative asswipe.  You'll find that almost all conservatives are spinless and gutless when under pressure.  As they used to say in old, old crime movies "this canary's going to sing," when they start turning the screws.
And I saw that there are researchers out there in the big, wide world attempting to write algorithms which will translate what your pets are saying.  I'm sure my dogs have a vocabulary that's riddled with obscenities.  Nouns and verbs only, no adjectives, no adverbs, and definitely no conjunctions.  Of course I'm sure there are people out there who feel that their beloved pets speak in complete sentences which sound a lot like 'baby speak.'
Oh, and there's another plan to keep the government from shutting down.  The Idiot Jerk is, of course, blaming Democrats because they won't line up to kiss his ass the way the Republicans have.  No matter how much he whines and complains, almost everybody knows this is his problem.  My advice?  Shut it down.

The bloomin' Truth

So I went to visit my Mom yesterday.  Because of her dementia you never know what she's going to say.  For Christmas I gave her several boxes, stacked in the shape of a tower, filled with candies and snacks - she believes my cousins gave them to her.  They're empty now, so she's has them in stored in a green shopping bag because she thinks my cousins are going to take them and fill them up again for her.... not going to happen.  At one point she pointed to a silk orchid sitting in her window that that my brother and sister-in-law gave her about 12 years ago and said "look, it has buds, I can't wait to see them bloomin'."  Never going to happen.

And I had breakfast with my brother this AM.  And, of course, he wanted to bring up the Oprah connection, the idea that she might run for President in 2020, which I shut down rather rapidly.  I did this by pointing out that while it had been a minor subject in conversation, it tended to be a favorite topic of Republicans attempting to get people to talk about anything other than the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  His "shithole" comments are still reverberating around the planet.  Isn't it funny watching Republicans denying the veracity of Dick Durbin's statement; might have helped if they hadn't waited 36 hours to speak up (not really).  Unfortunately for them, those 36 hours speak volumes about their apparent acceptance of the Idiot Jerk's racist remarks.

Interestingly enough, there's been a lot of research on "fake new," and papers are now being published.  This one is from Dartmouth.  Read the paper, it's deliciously detailed.  One of the things you'll find out is that Idiot Jerk supporters were far, far more likely to follow links to 'fake new' websites than Clinton supporters, most likely to stoke their hatred.  This is rather ironic when you realize how often the Idiot Jerk brings up 'fake news,' in fact rarely does a day go by in which he doesn't utter that phrase.  Some one should tell him the bloom is off that rose.

Balance this

So, here it is Monday, the 2nd day of my 3 days off in a row... and it just happens to be Martin Luther King day.  I didn't know today was a holiday when I requested it off, I just wanted to make sure I got 2 days off in a row.  And evidently MLK day has become more popular than President's Day, which doesn't surprise me.  A while back corporations decided celebrating Washington's Birthday and Lincoln's Birthday gave workers 1 too many holidays in the month of February, so they lumped them together into Presidents Day, a holiday which represents neither of these 2 great men.  While January has Martin Luther King Day, a holiday dedicated to one great man, February has Presidents Day, a holiday dedicated to 2 great men whose names aren't even mentioned.
Oh, and in case anybody out there is wondering, the Idiot Jerk in the White House has declared that "I am not a racist," which is so very, very funny.  Republicans are tripping over themselves trying to do some sort of damage control... what a shame they didn't start until nearly 48 hours after the Idiot Jerk's comments were first made public.  Did it really take them that long to realize he was looking like an even bigger shit bag than he already was?  I doubt it.  More likely it too them that long to understand that the smoke in their eyes was actually coming from the Gateway to Hell.
At last count there were 30 Republicans from the House of Representatives that were "retiring."  That's right, they're not going to be seeking re-election.  Many a whispering that they will lose control of the House...   This is totally beyond belief to the Idiot Jerk's loyal supporters.  That there are multitudes out there who don't sing hymns to personal greed, or who don't bow down daily to Mammon, is a truth they will never fathom.  In particular this a problem for Social Conservatives who presume every pay raise, every bonus, and every tax break is blessing from God.
Anyway, when I jumped on the scale this AM I was a little surprised to see that I gained 2 lbs yesterday... of course that's not true.  This is a primary example of why they tell you not to weigh yourself every day.  There is no way my fat cells grew 2 lbs heavier in 24 hours, not did my muscle mass increase by that amount.  My water weight went up as well, which meant that I drank more than I voided, or sweated away.  Every thing will balance out in the end.

By the way, that photo above is not me... I still have hair on my head.  Besides, it's 14 (F) outside, the sky is getting overcast, and we're supposed to have some snow tomorrow.  Wow!  More free Cardio!

Sunday Morning Notes

Well, here it is Sunday morning, a day when many sleep in.  Not me.  Big Seig and Lily were ready to go 'potty outside' at 0516 so I got up, let them out, and made a pot of coffee.
We found a drowned mouse floating in their water bowl.  He's now frozen solid on the back hill, and the bowl has been scrubbed clean and filled with fresh water.  Oh, yes, I do get mice.  Every year.  They're one of the things that come with a 112 year old house with 112 year old stone foundations.
I see the Philadelphia Eagles won the NFC East Championship - this means they might actually go to the Superbowl.  This also means that, since they're on Anne Marie's turf, and that happens, she might have to dust off her pompoms and do a little cheer for the hometown team.  Maybe a little box step, you know?  Something like: one, two, shake, shake, three, four, shake, shake.
And about that little, What the Fuck, Holy Shit moment they had in Hawaii yesterday?  My money says someone's ass is already a cinder on the grill.
Finally, I work with a rabidly loyal Republican who, for the most part, is a nice older man, and the recent events involving the Idiot Jerk in the White House have provided me with so many moments to... torture his soul.  I'm being serious... this is like... soooooo much fun.  Yesterday, in a moment of barely controlled anger he said, "they're just doing this to get him out of office!"

Fear of Missing Out

Well, here it is... Saturday, and, of course, I do get to go to work.  I will be off for the next 3 days, however, so that's okay.   And, left early yesterday... it's the time of year, you know?  Well, maybe you don't.  People rarely do 'home improvement' projects at this time of the year in this part of the country - temperature - no one wants to have their doors or windows open when it's cold outside.  In case you didn't know, the weather was rainy but balmy yesterday, now the thermometer is on the way down with 'highs' over the next couple of days in the upper 20's (F).
Yesterday I did cardio, today will be strength training with a focus on my legs.  I don't know anyone who enjoys working their legs - the largest muscle group in your body, the greatest reaction to lifting, squatting, and lunging.  Training doesn't always create soreness, but mostly it does to some extent, and soreness in the arms, or abs, or shoulders, or back, is easier to take then leg soreness.  You don't want your legs to hurt when you walk.  Still, leg workouts are a necessary evil if I want to climb hills easily when I'm out on the bike.
Oh, and I see that there is a Porn Princess Payoff in the Idiot Jerk's recent past.  How's that for a humdinger... of course, that might be what he $130,000 for... a humdinger.
One of my Navy buddies is a serious Idiot Jerk supporter.  He and I have some very interesting discussions.  We don't argue with each other, just snipe, little nips, you know?  Anyway, he said that no matter what I personally thought about the Idiot Jerk, wasn't I pleased with the economy?  So, I talked to him about FOMO.

Financially, FOMO happens when you watch the stock market rise, and that rise creates a terror in you which screams into your brain "I need to be a part of this!"  As a result you buy stocks, either online or through a broker (in today's computer world, most people do it online).  FOMO deceives you into believing the Stock Market will continue to climb and if you don't buy into it, you're going to miss out on making lots and lots of money.  As a result, you buy overvalued stocks and help to drive their price even higher, where someone in the throes if FOMO will buy them, sending them even higher.  There is a price for this greed.  A correction to the market is coming.  The steeper the overvaluation, the steeper the correction.  A drop is inevitable.  This correction is unavoidable.  Will there be people who are financially hurt?  You bet.

Just a little Nord

Well, I guess anybody who has access to the Internet now knows that the Idiot Jerk in the White House listed a number of 'shithole' countries yesterday.  I doubt very much if I'm the only one who realized the residents of all of those countries are either black or Latino.  Of course, his comments left a lot of conservatives scrambling.  Let's face it, aging, white Republicans desperately don't want to be seen as racist, and his comments definitely drop his supporters into that... shithole.  This is also a really big problem for Social Conservatives, when the scumbag they praise describes third world nations as 'shitholes.'  Evidently he also asked why we couldn't get more immigrants from Norway. 

Someone should tell the Idiot Jerk that we already do get immigrants from Norway.
Today the Idiot Jerk is denying his language - something he should have done yesterday didn't.  Does anybody believe him?  Well, I suspect his every shrinking base will shudder to his defense mostly because his comments make them look like racist pigs as well.
By the way, in 7 days the government will shut down. 
Oh, and another funny thing I saw.  Remember when the Idiot Jerk bragged about saving all of the Carrier jobs?  Well, it seems that was another lie.  Looks like Carrier is still moving it work force to Mexico.  Wait a minute... wasn't, didn't Carrier get some sort of weird tax credit to keep those jobs in the state?  And aren't they going to benefit from the Republican Tax overhaul?  Someone needs to tell the Idiot Jerk that those bad hombres he keeps shrieking about might just be living in Indiana.  Maybe we should build a wall around the Carrier plant just to keep the jobs there.

Not the Last Jedi

Well, I finally went to see "The Last Jedi" last evening... it was good, not great, but good.  I thought that the scenes with Mark Hamill were some of the best; as far as I'm concerned, he is the embodiment of Star Wars and The Force.  I also thought that the sequence leading up to the introduction of Benicio del Toro one of the weakest; they took out a bar scene and added a casino scene.  There was also some dumbass shit, like a scene involving Leia after an explosion on the bridge of her ship, which left me shaking my head in disbelief.  I didn't like the little birds (included for marketing purposes, no doubt) but I liked the ice dogs.  Oscar Isaac is no Harrison Ford, he lacks the charisma.  Daisy Ridley's good, but I kept wondering why John Boyega was even in this film.  And then there's Kylo Ren (Solo), played by Adam Driver, who really develops as the malignant villain, except for the shirtless scene where it looks as though they used CGI to give him a body builder's chest.  Some of the set pieces were simply stunning to look at (the fight in Snoke's chambers, and the fight on the planet with with white ices and ruby reds), the rest were pretty standard.  As I said, it was good, but not great, and was a decent setup for the final film in this trilogy... it is going to be a trilogy isn't it?

The Original

Oh, and I see that Darrell Issa has chosen not to run for re-election.  Remember when this asshole was one of the Republican Pitt Bulls?  Now, he's just another rat jumping ship.  In fact, I find it funny that nary a week goes by  without another Republican turncoat announcing he's going to retire.  These guys are scummy enough, but even they're smart enough to run from the Idiot Jerk in the White House.

The Family Blonde

Well, I hope everybody is having a good Wednesday morning - so far mine hasn't been that bad, and I've been up since 5.  Lots of little thing happened yesterday.  I moved my computer - now all my electronics are along one wall and in the process eliminated the use of 2 extension cords.  112 years ago, when my house was built, they didn't have electricity, and when Edison's magic came to town they didn't exactly plan the outlets wisely.  When I remodeled the bathroom, I had an extra line put in which is why the computer room has three outlets.
Also, a representative from Giant called, the result of my complaint.  She apologized and said that if I buy Beneful they might be able to make arrangements to keep a bag in stock just for me.  That was nice.  The real problem is that they only have one facing and can only keep 2 bags in stock at a time and, as she, herself said, if those 2 bags sell it's going to take them 3 days to replenish...  this is not a good thing.  Especially when you consider that their competitor Weis Markets, just across the road, has 2 facings of Beneful, and they now give bonus points for every dollar spent... and they accumulate.  In fact, I checked out the Weis yesterday, too, and their pricing is sometimes a couple of cents more, sometimes a couple of cents less on the products that I normally buy.  It's take them a year but I supposed they've finally realized they need to be more competitive.
And of course yesterday Dianne Feinstein released the transcript Chuck Grassley's been trying to keep secret and, I suspect, a number of Republicans did 'the nasty' in their pants.  Oh, and evidently the Idiot Jerk's attorneys are ramping up their lawsuit agenda.  This has always been his favorite method of attack, his crooked attorneys suing the hell out of people just to shut them up.  Except it's not working this time.  He has too much bad publicity.
A funny thing from this morning was that I say the Idiot Jerk's approval rating shot up to a whopping 39% - of course that was for the week ending December 31, before "The Book" came out.  I'm sure it will drop. 
And finally, my nephew's wife is blonde (probably dyed) and she's a nice woman.  Being smart, however is not on her resume.  Here's an example:  at Thanksgiving she brought custard pies and whipped cream... however, she was going to whip the cream herself, so she poured the heavy cream into a bowl and started stirring it around.  I smiled and told her she was going to need to beat if faster than that if she wanted whipped cream.  She didn't understand.  Yesterday she started complaining on Facebook that she and my nephew owe on their Income Tax.  A lot of people gave her advice, some very good.  This morning she posted the comment "I don't see why people get a deduction for having kids, that's their fault or choice."   Do I need to tell you she supports the Idiot Jerk in the White House?

Crank this

Well, here it is Tuesday.  I called off today.  Said I had the stomach virus that seems to be going around.  I did have a bit of a cranky belly when I woke up... kind of... if you know what I mean.  As I lay in bed I thought to myself, gee... I wonder if I'm getting that bug?  Then I got up and ate breakfast and most of the crankiness went away.
I was cranky yesterday, however.  I went to my neighborhood Giant specifically to pick up a big (29 pound +) bag of Beneful... and they were out.  The girl at their Service Desk informed me that if there was none on the shelf then... they were out of stock.  So I told her that this was the 2nd time in 6 weeks that I'd made a specific trip for dog food only to discover that they were... out of stock.  For the same customer to have the same problem twice is terrible customer service.  When I got home I used the receipt info to give them a bad review.  I also went to their corporate website and filed a complaint.  This is what you do when you have a legitimate complaint.  No entitlement here.  I just expect outstanding customer service - that means the products I want 'in stock' and on the shelf.  I work for a major home retailer and that is one of our most important customer service goals.
Evidently the Idiot Jerk in the White House wants to send home lots and lots of Salvadoreans.  My money says he wants to use their lives as a bargaining chip in effort to get his wall built.  While most people with an IQ understand how this shits on humanity, he and his supporters view these people only as numbers.  Do these self-centered haters care that a majority of Americans don't want a wall?  Absolutely not.  Do they care that lives are in the balance?  Absolutely not.  Will these losers even notice they are making more and more Americans cranky?  Hell no.

Finally, I did a short ride on the trainer yesterday... up a hill.  You see, this trainer I have increases pressure on the tire to simulate going up hills and when I hit 6.6% incline it was like Holy Shit!  I need to work on strengthening my legs, which means like weighted squats and lunges, and that means they're going to get real Cranky!!  I'll just have to keep reminding myself that having great looking glutes is not necessarily a bad thing.

2 Ladies, 2 Lies

Okay, so the temperature is supposed to hit 29 (F) as we head into a heat wave - 54 (F) by Friday - it will be dropping back down to normal temps for this area of the country next week, normal being mid to low 40's.  I was going to go see my Mom this afternoon but now they're calling for a snow / freezing rain / sleet combo, so I'll probably move that visit to Wednesday when I'm off again.
Yesterday we were busier than I had been expecting which meant I had to deal with more customers than is usual for this time of year, most them were unremarkable, except for 2 ladies (and with at least one that term is questionable).
The first incident occurred while I was setting up a carpet measure with a couple who had moved to this area from Wisconsin.  A lady (?) stopped by the flooring desk and I acknowledged her and told her I'd be with her shortly.  A few minutes later she walked by carrying a rug from our area rug table.  No more than 2 minutes later I received a call from the Service Desk where this lady (?) was claiming she'd bought the same rug the day before and had only paid $28 not the $97 list price.  I called the lie a 'lie,' and evidently she got huffy.  She didn't have her receipt, she didn't have the credit card she'd used, and she didn't have her driver's license (yes, our technology lets us use that to pull up your credit card receipt).  And so she left the store... without her area rug, though she did cry out as she walked out the door "I'll be back!!!"
She ain't coming back.

Then, twenty-five minutes before we closed (7 PM), a 2nd lady shows up wanting price quotes on tile - she's planning on doing a bathroom sometime in March.  She wanted white subway tiles.  We carry ceramic subway tiles in the store, suitable for back splashes, walls, and counter tops... but not for bathrooms where porcelain should be the tile of choice... for a number of reasons.  We sell porcelain subway tiles, but don't carry them in the store.  So what did this 2nd lady do?  She decided to browse our tile aisle again, looking at all of the porcelain tile we carry in the store.  When they made the announcement that the store would be closing in 15 minutes, she ignored it.  When the 10 minute announcement was made, I politely informed her that the store would closing shortly.  And then she lied.  She told me she'd asked at the Service Desk how late the store was open and they'd told her we were open until 8 PM, and went back to her browsing.  So I corrected her, adding that they would be start locking the doors shortly.  Heaving a big sigh, she complained "then I guess I'll have to do my research at home."  And I just nodded and wisely said nothing.
Why is some people think everybody else is stupid?

  Do they think everybody's a Republican?

The passing of days

So, here it is Sunday and for us here in Central PA the warm-up starts here and now!  Temp is going up to 19 (F) here!  Tomorrow up to 30 (F), which is still below freezing, but is much, much better than 5 (F) or 3 (F).
I'm going to refrain from commenting about the Idiot Jerk and his self- praising Tweets regarding his own Intelligence since almost everybody on this entire planet is still laughing.  Remember the Clown Parade?  As if every Executive Order, every Cabinet Member, every public speech, even his historically horrendous Tax legislation, didn't revel in his lacking intellect.  We already knew he was like.... really smart.  Oh, sorry, I wasn't going to do that.
Let me be honest here... I'm like.... not really sorry.
Anyway, I did an hour of cardio yesterday morning so this morning I'm going to do some strength training - here at the house, not at the gym.  Too cold yet, you know?  I'm looking at 1/15 for a return to Planet Fitness.  By then, according to the forecasters, temps will have moderated upwards, and also all of those New Years Resolution people will have broken their resolutions.  This doesn't mean I'm looking forward to seeing Fat and Skinny again, but who's to say they're still putting in an appearance.  Cardio is great for your heart, but it's the strength training which gets your metabolism fired up.
I am off tomorrow, and I have a number of things planned, including a visit to my Mom.  My brother went to see her yesterday and texted me about her deteriorating memory.  Nothing is going to stop her circulatory dementia, so every time you see her it's a little bit worse.  I used to stay for an hour, now I'm might stay for half that time.  Her conversation is fine as long as she's doing the talking and even then she might just forget you're there, pick up the remote, and turn on the TV.  This is how it goes.  At least she's no longer talking about her imaginary boyfriend, John.
Anyway, I do get to work today.  I've got a shitty schedule.  Off tomorrow, work Tuesday, off Wednesday, then I work 3 days and have 3 days off.

Bits and Pieces

Since it's Saturday, I thought I just throw out some random bits and pieces.
This is the first Saturday in January which means we're going to have our Kids Workshop.  According to Accuweather the temp this morning, during the workshop hours, is going to hover in the very, very low teens (think 13 F), and you can bet there are going to be parents to bring their 3, 4, and 5 year-old children, not because they have a lot of fun, but because they get something for free.
Interestingly enough, even thought the Idiot Jerk and other high ranking Republicans are calling "Fire and Fury" nothing more than a pack of lies, lies, lies, the basso profundo undertones in their song are singing truth, truth, truth.  Remember their idea of Damage Control is to attack anything and everything that laughs at them.... so start laughing!
Here's a sad little puff piece in Bloomberg written by Anousha Sakoui which uses a photo of Jack Black to head the article, but then completely fails to mention him, or give him any credit for Jumanji's success, instead those kudos are given to Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart, two comedians who evidently need to have their egos petted by Sony Pictures.
The Golden Globes are this Sunday - a lot of people will be watching them, I most likely will not be one of them.  Not a big award show person here.  Oh, and the Producer's Guild announced their nominees yesterday - 11 films are nominated... including "Wonder Woman."  "Get Out" got a nomination, too.  Many of those titles will get Oscar nods as well.  Last years Oscar winner "Moonlight," was a finger in the eye to Social Conservatives every where, and wouldn't be surprised if the Academy didn't do it again by giving the Best Picture award to the  inter-species love story, adult fairy tale "The Shape of Water."

I stretched my scar tissue doing crunches with a 12 lb medicine ball yesterday and now I'm a bit sore.  Shit.  Time to take an anti-inflammatory.

The Fire, The Fury, The Apples

Well, it's a cold, cold day here in Central PA - wind chills expected to go as low as -30 (F), of course that doesn't mean the wind is going to be blowing all the time, it's not.  In fact, it's so cold I'm beginning to believe that down in Washington hell just might be on the verge freezing over, well, at least for the Republican Party and the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  "Fire and Fury" goes on sale today and the Cyclone Bomb it's bringing are freezing the very blood in the Idiot Jerk's veins - you see, evidently there's enough evidence within those chilling pages to define him as a buffoon... at best.  'Childish' I believe is one of the adjectives used to describe him, and that sounds about right.  I'm torn between whether I should buy this book, or pass on it because I might find it the funniest read I have in a while, but it also might be scarier than the scariest Stephen King.
Oh, and I see Appleheads are putting on their 'woe is me' masks.  Bad chips, you know?  Seems like Intel must have left them in the deep fryer too long and now every Apple product out there can be hacked...  Ooops.  But then my relationship with Apple could best be described as "meh."  I'm too diverse an individual to tattoo myself with one brand name.  There's a Sony smart TV downstairs and Samsung smart TV upstairs, I play games on an Xbox one... and a PC, I do a lot of my writing on a Surface tablet, and the PC I do use is an amalgamation of parts, assembled for me by Cyber Power.  My first smart phone was actually a Garmin Asus, which weighed about 8 ounces.  I've never been one of those people who jump on board the 'trendy train,' who buy something simply because everybody else is buying that product.  There are a lot of people out there who just don't understand that Apple is successful simply because they've managed to turn a large number of people into sheep.

So, I'm off today, though I'm still planning on going to my neighborhood Giant to pick up some yogurt and dog food.  Otherwise it will be a day of naps, laundry, and bike riding (inside of course).

Bomb This

For those who missed it, the Idiot Jerk in the White House shat a big one yesterday, all steamy and runny, right in the faces of all those Alt-Right, Make America Great supporters who put him into the Oval Office.  He claims their messiah, Steve Bannon, has "lost his mind."  A majority of Americans already knew that, so give me a break, but not those decrepit members who used to call themselves "The Tea Party."  They Love Steve.  They hate old school Republicans like Mitch McTurtle; they are the swamp the Idiot Jerk was going to drain.  And those old school Republicans?  They totally fail to understand the number of voters the Alt-Right messiah brought to the polls, but then they've never really had a strong grasp on reality.  They are too busy running around, patting themselves on the back and laughing "we're in charge, we're in charge."  You would think they would understand that they're going to need to fund the government and their Idiot Jerk leader has just alienated a large percentage of their voting block.  Dumb Shits.
There was also that funny bit about Paul Manafort's attorneys filing some sort of bogus lawsuit claiming Mueller and the DOJ investigations were too broad... which made me laugh.  These bobos don't seem to realize that the investigation is narrowly focused on Manafort's being a traitorous scumbag.  This stinks of desperation.
And the Cyclone Bomb is upon us!!
Being far enough from the Eastern Seaboard to only get steady flurries, and light snow (thought we'll be getting the bitterly cold temps) I consider myself lucky.  Those farther east?  Can you say bombogenesis?  Sounds like something from "The Wrath of Khan," doesn't it?

Oh, wait, that was the Genesis Effect, though they did use a device, which might be construed as a bomb if you want to argue otherwise.  Either way. the bomb is here, both in the shit storm consuming the Idiot Jerk's administration, and the weather.

Sit on this

Well, it's Wednesday and it's 3 (F) outside.  For those who don't know, that's cold.  Everything freezes.  For those of you down south there's something called a bombogenesis heading your way, in fact it's going to stretch up and down the eastern seaboard.  This will make for some rather cold golfing at Mar-a-lago.  Are these changing weather patterns the result of Global Warming?  Most likely.  Of course the Idiot Jerk in the White House doesn't understand Global Warming, or that the result will not only be higher seas, but climate change all over the place.  The Arctic is shrinking and the Bering Strait is on it's way to becoming a major trade route between the Atlantic and the Pacific.  And who's going to take advantage of this?  My bet says the Russians and the Chinese, since the Idiot Jerk's main focus is on deregulation... oh, and building his damn wall because his racist supporters.
According to the forecasters, we have 5 more days left of these bone chilling temperatures, after that our daily highs would get up into the mid to upper 30's.  Yippee.
Yesterday I had my 6 month appointment to have my teeth cleaned.  Now, my dentist has TV's in all of the rooms, and when I got there my Dental Assistant asked if I had a channel preference, and I said "no."  Big mistake!  She had on the Today Show.  Hoda Kotb officially replaced that perv Matt Lauer.  Listening to her and Savannah Gutherie chitter chatter was worse than having molten lava poured into my ears.  Evidently she adopted a baby girl a bit ago and was busy babbling about her when she spit out some inanity on how this baby was a "blessing from God."  No, that baby was a blessing from another woman's womb.  Then the two women giggled and laughed and said how some people would not be happy because they were both Republicans....   Need I say anything more?
Anyway, I've been riding the new bike everyday - on the trainer, of course.  New saddle means I sit on it differently, which means I have to adapt.  I signed up for Rouvy, which a training software package and yesterday I took a ride up and around the Red Rocks Amphitheater... and thought my legs were going to fall off.  You see the trainer actually increases pressure to simulate hills, which causes you to shift gears, and I have more gears with this bike than I did with the X6.  Believe me, that was one of the easy rides.  One thing I did learn, I need to listen to my own music, not rely on the music that comes with the videos... which definitely is not inspiring enough to get my legs pumping.

How's that for a comfy ride?

Splatter mark

Well, here it is January 2, 2018, and any second now people are going to start breaking their New Year's resolutions.  Not me.  I don't make resolutions.  The changes I've done in my life have never happened over the New Year.  When I began going to the gym?  It was in February, and I didn't plan a specific day, didn't aim for a certain time, I just heaved a bit of a sigh and muttered to myself, "I should hit Planet Fitness tomorrow."  And I did.  And then 2 days later I hit it again, which is when I started setting up a schedule.
Yesterday I worked, so there was no pork and sauerkraut for me.  They brought in Domino's instead.  I ate 7 slices altogether.  This morning I jumped on the scales and they said I'd gained 3.7 pounds in one day.  Well, we know that's wrong.  Just in case, I have a 45 minute ride planned for later this morning, and after I post this I'll be playing around with the dumbbells a bit.  I can't wait for these short days and long nights to be over.... and the temperatures to warm up.  Yesterday it got up to 16 (F), today we're supposed to hit a balmy 24 (F).  In fact, the forecasters are predicting that we won't get above freezing until sometime around January 8th or 9th. 
Politically speaking, we need to brace ourselves for a slug fest.  The Idiot Jerk, stupider than before, seems to think that since the minority party managed crap on America by giving the upper crust a tax break they continue to drop turds.  This is why he's the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  His party is headed toward a smack down of Biblical proportions and he doesn't understand, no doubt because he, and those sycophants he's surrounded himself with, do nothing except shower false praise upon his ego.  The bigger they are (at least in their minds) the harder they fall.  As you see below, this is actually true.

Keeping this in mind, stay clear because his selfish, bloatedness, is sure to make one hell of a splatter mark.

Happy Blue Year!!!

So, I went last night I went to bed around 10:00 PM, slept through all the celebrations, and finally drug my butt out of bed around 0730 this AM.  My opinion for a number of years is that if the Earth is 4.5 billion years old (give or take 50 million) what's one more year.
If there was anything, it was that we've managed to so far survive the age of the Idiot Jerk in the White House. 
A more unpopular president has never been seen so early in his presidency, and for so long.
While some say it's too early to forecast 2018 in terms of politics, a number are already attempting to call the shots, and the handicappers are already beginning to place their bets.  Isn't it interesting that they're predicting an at least an additional 24 Blue Seats in the House, maybe more?  They're also predicting a shift in the Senate.  Now that's something to really celebrate!
With that in mind, I'm wishing everybody out there a Happy Blue Year!!

Let the Blue Flags Wave!!