Massage This

For some of you today is the end of your work week, for me, however, today is my hump day.  Yesterday was slow, sales will only slow down from here on out.  They are consolidating all of the Black Friday merchandise and beginning to drop prices on it.  When I pointed out how empty the aisles were looking to one of our cashiers he said, "oh, they'll fill up.  Wait until they start putting out the Christmas stuff."  Duh... The put our Christmas merchandise out for Black Friday.  This guy has worked as a part-time cashier for 5 years... oh, and he's a really big supporter of the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  Doesn't that explain everything?
Every year they bring in product which someone, somewhere feels our customers will see as a 'real deal.'  Every year, they make mistakes.  This year, there were several non-deal makers.  The biggest non-seller is without a doubt the Portable Mini-Massager.

As you can see, we've sold very few.  They weren't impressed with my suggestion:  Shoot an email off to Ivana through her private account and tell her they were made in Russia.  She could gift them to her father, the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  He loves everything Russian.  If you want to see him bouncing around like a bowl of morally degenerate jelly, just say the words "Russian Massage."  Of course the first question out of his mouth to Ivana will be "did you get them for a steal?"  Oh, wait, maybe I should say 'deal'... nay, steal is more accurate.
After Michael Cohen's guilty plea yesterday, we know for him everything revolves around the deal, in fact the deal overrides everything.  The constitution?  Nothing more than a failed contract in his mind.  Ask him.  He'll tell you he could rewrite it and make it better.  In his constitution only certain white men are created equal.  His decision to not meet with Putin has much more to do with Cohen's plea than the Ukraine.  The midterms have put those deals he's been making with social conservatives in jeopardy.  He's hedging his bets, you know?  Like a real deal maker.  I wouldn't be surprised if he starts giving all of those Mini-Massagers gifts he gets from Ivana out to his supporters.  Can't you hear the Idiot Jerk saying "hey, those deals I made with you?  Another offer's been made which looks to be a better, safer bet.  You know?  The Conservatives didn't quite hold up their end of the deal during the midterms.  But don't get upset.  I'm going to give you these massagers instead.  I hear they're simply tremendous in the shower!"

Compost this

Thursday morning.  Yippee.  Tomorrow is my hump day.  Next week I only work 32 hours, but the following 2 weeks I'm scheduled for 40 each.  Shit.
I just finished another 45 minute cardio session... and feel good.  I always listen to music, in fact I have a playlist consisting of Sam Hall (Yeah, he's country, but only one song) as warm-up...

followed by Steve Grand, Kongos, Fall Out Boy, and Imagine Dragons.  I had bought the new Mumford and Sons album hoping there might be something good on it.  Wrong, the thing is terrible.  Every song starts off the same way (except one).  Their last album Wilder Minds was decent - it's one of the things I listen to while cycling.  But the new one?  Delta?  Sounds a lot like they're congratulating themselves on being so profound.  They're not.  I gave it a bad review.
I saw that the Veteran's Administration underpaid a lot of veteran's education benefits.  They say it was a glitch.  Under the Idiot Jerk in the White House, the VA has been sorely tested.  At one point, remember, he actually had tried to put the White House physician in charge... until people found out he was a legalized drug dealer.  Is it any wonder the military is not too fond of him.  He criticized the Navy Seal Command for killing Bin Laden.  Does he really think that plays well with the Navy.  Does he comments like this earns him their respect.  He is anybody but the Commander in Chief.
Finally, I bought a small compost box, or bin, or what you want to call it.  Deliver is on Saturday.  Some assembly required.  I looked at quite a number of models and watched a number of videos before making my final selection.  One of the videos was hysterical as hell, at least I thought so. It was made a woman who was really pleased with her composter.  At one point she took off the lid and took a video of what was inside:  dinner scraps, egg shells, shredded paper (?) and a lot of cigarette butts, in fact, it looked like that was where she dumped her ashtrays.  Someone should have told her cigarette butts do not make for great compost.

Characterize this

Wednesday... and I get to go back to work... for 5 days in a row.  Next week I only work 32 hours, which is fine with me.  Weeks like that will increase as we move closer to the end of this year and into the beginning of next year.  People don't like to do home improvements during the winter months.
I saw where that racist Hyde-Smith won down in Mississippi.  She may be the last white person elected in that state, the same goes with Florida and Georgia.  Will the Republicans understand?  Of course not.  All they see is a white win.
Oh, and I had breakfast with my brother yesterday.  He loves Trump.  One of the things he loves to say is that "the future will look back and decide."  I suspect a rough translation is that he subconsciously knows this is a shit show.  Everything that's not on Fox is fake news. 
My cardio is already done for today.  That's right.  I got up at 0400, which isn't that much earlier than usual, in order to get 45 minutes in... and I'm feeling good.  I don't have the energy when I get home from work to put in a workout, and then write, and then kill some things in a video game.
And speaking of the writing, the next project is moving along nicely.  Being honest, I have to say the first book was a bit messy.  I have an editor now who's going to clean things up.  Since things are going so well, I thought I'd give you the character list.

The Body in the Tower

Characters

Eli Zinneman-Myers

Max Sullivan

Canada Howard

Walker Beresford – Canada’s daughter

Henri D’Eauville – Walker’s fiancé

Felix Rios – Writes security software – Casper

                Vander – his assistant (female)

Bobby Tussel

At the Louvre

Gerrard Blanchet – Curator Twelfth Century Christian Antiquities

Saba Blanchet – Gerrard’s wife – Early Franco / Roman History Forensics

Florien Diamante – Mouse’s assistant

Mousierre Centee (Mouse) – Decoratic Arts Forensics

Portia Whitecastle – Public Relations for the Louvre

Welsey Smith – Security

Georgette Pampidou – Lead Guide

Rosario Avella - Gift Shop Clerk

Paris Police

Gilbert Rolland

Jules Laurent                      Giselle, wife (deceased)

Randall Abrams – American cyclist

These names are subject to change... like Welsey Smith, too English, you know?

Growing

At around 0230 this morning Biggie woke me up.  He was walking around on the bed.  When a large dog does that you feel it.  Everything moves.  He jumped off and went into the Computer / Gym where I heard him throw something up.  That sound always creates a bit of a sinking feeling... especially that early in the morning.  I really hate having to rouse my ass out of bed and go clean up dog vomit.  But I did.  And what did I find?  Not dinner.  Nope.  There, lying right next to the weight bench, I found that Biggie had regurgitated a... (are you ready for this?)... fabric antler.  Four inches long and an inch and a half wide.  That's right.  The antler had somehow been torn off their toy moose and Biggie, because he's a dog, thought it might make for good eats.  Well, it didn't.  Now it's in the trash.
Yesterday Accuweather call for rain in the morning.  They were wrong... again.  It rained all day.  They need to work on their accuracy if they want to call themselves Accuweather.
Anyway, in the rain, I drove to downtown Harrisburg, about 8 minutes away, to file my Mom's will.  Parking is always bad.  I ended up parking my car in the University of Harrisburg garage ($10) an hour, and walking 6 blocks (in the rain) to the Courthouse.  It turns out every thing I had been told was wrong.  The Funeral Director had said anything over $10,000 needs to be filed, that I might be able to do a short probate.  I went to numerous online websites - they said that a probate needs to be filed for estates over $50,000.  My friend Patty needed to hire an attorney.  Everyone I talked to told me I was going to need to file the will.  At the courthouse I was told that because I and my Mom had joint bank accounts, and that since there were no other assets, I didn't need to file the will... at all.  The clerk told me to hold on to it "just in case something crops up in the future."  Now ain't that just duckie?
Oh, and Paul Manafort lied.  Stop laughing.  Stop laughing!  This guy has lied his whole life.  There is no way in hell he could stop.
And the race between Hyde-Smith and Mike Espy has tightened.  Finding nooses hanging from a tree near the state capital doesn't help the Republicans.
Also, the official flip count right now is 40 House seats.  That number is higher than the number of seats which flipped in the election after Nixon resigned.  Holy Shit!  In fact, the number of those voting Democrat slammed through previous barriers.  This is what happens when you have an unpopular president in the White House.  Republicans are terrified because the wave... is continuing to grow.

So Many Crimes

It's Cyber Monday!  I'm off work!  And today I'm going to go to the courthouse in downtown Harrisburg to probate my Mom's will.  My checkbook is going to be in my back pocket.  I suspect taxes will have to be paid... though I'm not sure.  She and I had joint checking and savings accounts for the past... oh, 5 or 6 years, and I was the beneficiary.  I will have to wait and see.
I went to see "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" last evening.  On average, I thought it was good, slow at the beginning with a noted improvement as the story unwound.  They take a lot of time to get the characters reintroduced... or introduced.  Not surprisingly, Johnny Depp plays a deplorable villain no doubt because his career requires him to just shut up and give the director what the director wants (I understand Disney fired him - no more pirate movies for him).  Ezra Miller proves he's a pro when it comes to brooding attractively.  A bearded Jude Law brings a good diversity to the cast.  The first film was pretty much a star vehicle for Eddie Redmayne, however, if Law's presence is any indicator, the following installments will have a much more ensemble story line  which is fine with me.  I'm not a big Eddie fan.  Oh, and installments is the correct word.  Originally slated as a trilogy, it now looks as though the decision has been made to stretch this thing out into 5 films.  That's a problem since a lot of the ticket buyers for this movie bought tickets for the Harry Potter series... and they're getting older and older.

Oh, and I saw there was some pseudo-violence down at the Mexican border.  The Idiot Jerk wants to seal off the entire border.  You know, they really do need to keep those dark skinned people out of this country.
And this AM, listening to the news, I heard that that the Mueller investigation is going to be devastating to the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  Subpoenas all around, perhaps?  Early Christmas presents.  While nothing concrete has been leaked, shutting down the investigation now would devastate the Republican party.  The Idiot Jerk's approval rating would plummet.  There would be massive protests.  Anger would rage.  They know this.  Donnie Jr may actually be indicted for Treason.  I do believe that is a hanging offense.  Gee, if that happens, I wonder if Cindy Hyde-Smith is going to want a front row seat.

Everybody say "cheese"

So, this morning I slept in.  I had set the alarm for my usual early hour but about 20 minutes before it was set to go off I got up and turned.... it off.  Even the dogs slept in.
I had a really big flooring sale go through yesterday...  A husband and wife are putting in new carpet and hard wood flooring.  His credit cards have a $20,000 limit, so they used hers.  She works in the field of medicine.  I know because the emailed receipt went to Spinal (something or other).  While sitting there, she started talking about another flooring project which was going to be expensive.  That's fine.  While the cheesy guy with the 5 kids from earlier in the week felt it necessary to talk about his $100,000 travel trailer, and his house at the shore, they talked about their dog.  It was very interesting.
Oh, and a funny thing.  A friend of mine who's read my book told me I had another book listed.  Well, I don't.  There's just the one so far.  However, if you go to Amazon and search for my book you can go my author's page by clicking on my name.  I did this.  There is another book... or I guess you might call it a pamphlet, or a tract, or crazy propaganda (only 40 pages long), listed.  The title:  "The Road to Sodom, Purity in the Age of Perversion," and it's a guide for Christians.  And... I am not the author.  In fact, there is no bibliographical information listed.  This thing is more of a text than a book.  I wouldn't have known it was there if a friend hadn't told me.  An email has been sent to have it removed.  The last thing I want is to have my reputation sullied by some Crazy Christian piggy backing his hatred on my creativeness, what a cheese head.
And yesterday the White House put out some sort of statement how the Mexican government was working with them on the immigrant issue.  And today the Mexican government denied the claim.  They said it's not true.  Of course the only ones who believe the Idiot Jerk's administration, is so crazy gone they believe every lie he spits out is the truth.  I understand that next week he's planning on telling the world the moon is made of cheese, and there's no such thing as climate change.

A price for Everything

Well, Black Friday is officially over.  We were busy, but super busy, not like it used to be.  The giant home improvement retailer I work for now opens at their standard time.  White we do have seemingly miles of aisles of product (junk), our major revenue categories are:  appliances (best time of the year to buy one), hardware (everybody needs a tool), and garden (deck the halls and all that jazz).  This isn't to say customers don't buy the specialty products (junk) we stock our aisles with, they do, but basically they shop for something in one of those 3 specialty categories.
There were times when our store was busy, but never over crowded.  There were no long lines at the registers.  And, as always on holidays, the fed us.  This year we had immigrant food.  What is immigrant food?  We had tacos - both soft and hard, and nachos... lots of nachos.  We will probably have nachos for days to come.  That's fine.  And it's immigrant food because many Americans embrace these foods from south of the border.  Sadly, for America, there are some people who like the food but not the people.  They are called racists.  We have one in the White House.  He would love a world without Latinos.  Luckily for America, that will never happen.  Brown skin and black skin are here to stay.
Oh, and don't look at your 401k!!!  Last week was not good for those intending to retire in the coming months.
The weather this AM is supposed to be on the shitty side, a little freezing rain is supposed to start just as I leave for work.  This is fine.  It will turn to rain as the temps heat up.  Tomorrow is supposed to be nice, with the temps up in the 50's (F), and I'm off.  Some stuff is planned.  And no, I'm not planning on reading the new Federal Government Climate Report which damns everything the Idiot Jerk in the White House is doing.  You have to remember, the Idiot Jerk is all about Greed.   The idea that there will be a price to pay for everything doesn't even occur to him, and, if for some chance it should, he will spit out "that bill will be long due after I'm dead." What an asswipe.

Black Friday

It's Black Friday!!
I got up early, or actually I should say I woke up early.  Mostly I snoozed on and off till around 0430, which is when I normally get up.  Morning person here.  Oh, and I get to go work.  Joy of joys.
Just before I left work on Wednesday I sold around $2500 of flooring... well, I didn't actually sell it, the customer decided he was going to come in today and buy it... and take it home since he was going to have his father's truck.  I told him "it's going to be Black Friday.  The store will be busy."  He said, "I'll probably be there around noon."  That should be fine.  By then the crazy Black Friday shoppers will have cleared out; that starts happening around 1100.  To be honest, he, himself, isn't buying the flooring - his father is.  In the 15 minutes it took me to sell the flooring his father told me a lot of things:  that he has a big Ford truck, he showed me pictures.  He uses his big truck to haul around his $100,000 camper / trailer (he made certain I knew how much it cost).  His father told me he was letting his son borrow the truck this weekend because he had to go down to the beach house and clean out the refrigerator.  He told me he had 5 children.  He thought he was impressing me.  He wasn't.  I do not doubt for one second that he voted for the Idiot Jerk in the White House.
Speaking of the Idiot Jerk, I guess everybody knows now he's signed another Executive Order giving the troops down at the border the authority to 'shoot to kill.'  Those damn Mexicans.  He will do anything to keep them out of this country.  What a loser he is.
Yesterday I had Thanksgiving lunch (it's not really dinner since we ate at 1230) with my sister and her family.  I was there for... oh... maybe an hour and 45 minutes.  It was nice.  My sister and I get along.  I even got her to have her picture taken with me.

Doesn't the little bit of hair I have left look dark?

I told her we both look fat.  She told me to speak for myself.  We talked about the snow last Thursday and how bad it was.  We didn't talk about our Mom.  Nobody did.

8.6 millions reasons to give Thanks

It's Thanksgiving, a floating holiday, floating because it's not a specific date, it's a day.
The dogs are playing downstairs.  In case you're wondering, yes, Big Seig has taken off a few pounds and is much more active.
Thankfully, I am going to my sister's today.  My nephew and his girlfriend are going to be there.  I will have to act surprised because they're going to tell me they're expecting their second child.  I will do this.  I will eat, smile, and chat for about an hour and a half and then leave.  No, we do not gather for hours and talk football.  I had a couple of glasses of wine last night so I'll stay dry.
I started watching "The Haunting of Hill House" last evening.  It's good, though I'm still waiting for either Michael Huisman or Oliver Jackson-Cohen, or both, to start taking off their clothes.  I have a funny feeling that isn't going to happen.
And finally, on this great Thanksgiving day, I have a little statistic which causes Crazy Christian Conservative Republicans to burst into tears.  This past midterm election?  Even though the counting is still continuing, and Democrats keep racking of both state and national seats, the vote was overwhelmingly Anti-Idiot Jerk in the White House, Yeah... (this should put a shine on your Thanksgiving) by about 8.6 million votes.  The last time the popular vote swung so wildly to the left was in 1974... in the the mid-term right after Nixon resigned.  Back then the total was around 8.7 million voters.  There's a good possibility we will meet and surpass that 1974 number.

Stick with what you're good at

So, tomorrow is Thanksgiving and a lot of people are off work... except for those whose services are necessary for human survival, like nurses, and doctors, and police officers, and fire fighters, and retailers... Wait!  Retailers?  Well, not all.  The large, orange home improvement retailer I work for will be closed.  That's right, I will not be working.  And on Black Friday?  I have my regular 8-4:30 shift.  In fact, we open at our regular hour, 0600.  Yep, that's our standard start time.  Contractors, you know?  Not that there are going to be a lot of contractors out on Friday morning.  Nope, we're not going to run a special sale on lumber.  That 2 x 4 you so desperately want?  It's going to cost the same on Friday as it does on Saturday, and on Monday.  And, no deep discount on nails either.  This is, as I told Jennifer, the best time of the year to buy a new appliance, but that sale has been on for a few weeks, and will run until the end of November.
And there was a debate last evening between Mike Espy and some white, racist cow named Hyde-Smith down in Mississippi.  He charged her with being a white, racist cow (or something like that), and she apologized.  Holy Shit!  The fact that she even considered that comment, about sitting in the front row of a hanging, even remotely acceptable speaks volumes about her hatred for people of color.  The fact that when the comment was made public she said she had been making a joke is repugnant as hell. That's right, she was joking about hanging.  Would she think it were funny if one of her children was hung up to die?  Her comments reveal a lot about the inner workings of the minds of white racists.  But don't worry white, racists of Mississippi, she apologized.  And the Idiot Jerk in the White House is so desperate to have another white racists in the Senate he's going to go down and campaign for her, but then he's always thought he was the cherry on the top of the white, racist sundae.
Finally, a bit of news about my most favorite game studio, Bethesda Game Works, located about 60 miles southeast of where I live.  They are considered one of the best studios when it comes to Role Playing Games (RPG), and they make hundreds and hundreds of millions of $$$ off of games like Elder Scrolls, Skyrim, and the Fallout series.   While that may seem like a lot of money, you can make a big boodle more off of a Massive Multi-player Online game.  You see, there are people out there, gamers call them 'whales,' who have no problem dropping $40, $50, or much more per month to buy "cosmetic' changes for these MMO's.  Well Bethesda decided to release an MMORPG (yeah, I know, it's a lot of letters) so people will continue spending lots of money after the initial game purchase.  A week and a half ago they released Fallout 76 because it's always good to continue racking in hundreds of millions of $$$.  The reviews, however, are bad, it only gets a 56 on Metacritic (believe me, that's bad).  In the UK sales of the hard copies are down over 82% over their last 'AAA' title, the overwhelmingly popular Fallout 4 (I love that game).  This is fine with me.  For Bethesda, it's a learning lesson.  Stick to what you're good at.  Don't let your greed get the better of you.  This is how life works.

Nancy... Let it go

Tuesday... I think.  Yesterday the store was so slow.  Black Friday cometh.  Customers are waiting for special deals... surprise, they're already here.  Appliances aren't going to get any cheaper.  We're not Walmart, or Target.  What you see is what you get.  Oh, sure, they're filling the aisles up with all sorts of... junk.  This is the time of year we sell Keurigs, and toasters, and irons.  Friday morning there are going to be big fluffy teddy bears, and rocking horses...  yeah, pink and blue rocking horses for all those conservatives who only want to use two colors to define gender.  And people will buy this stuff for presents.  For those who don't know, the new definition of 'present' is:  something you will use a few times before it either breaks or you realize you will never use it again... ever.
Biggie is not too happy with the diet thing.  Ah, well, this is how it goes.
And what about that Goshn guy from Nissan?  Arrested for failing to report 44.(some number) in income.  What the hell is it with these rich people?  We're not talking about a couple of bucks here.  My money says he read "The Art of the Deal," at some point and thought corruption was a good idea.
Then there's Nancy Pelosi, a 78 year old woman in a bit of a power struggle to be Speaker of the House.  Remember when she said "This is just going to be a transitional position for me."  Well, that was horse shit.  Power, you know?  The most corrupting force in the Universe.  Nancy needs to let go.  Older is not so much wiser as it is unyielding.  She has lost the flexibility to unite a younger more diverse base.  Nancy needs to just "Let it Go."  There's a new princess waiting in the wings.

Watch Your Back

Well, it's Monday morning.  This is going to be my hump day at work.  Wouldn't it be nice if I could say it's all fun and games?  It isn't.  I had to deal with some stupid people yesterday, but then isn't that normal.  Like the customer and his wife who returned blinds because they didn't fit.  He claimed that he'd measured the window and the blinds didn't fit.  Rather than remeasure the window to verify he had the right size, he measure the blind: 34 7/16 inches.  I explained to him that the way we cut blinds does not provide us with that kind of precision cut, and that usually there is a 1/4 inch variation.  That's when I found out I was talking to an over wrought wall.  His frustration abounded.  His old blind was different.  The end caps on the blind he and his wife had returned were thicker than those on the old blind.  Why did they have to change the thickness of the end caps?  If they hadn't changed them, the blinds would have fit.    Now they needed blinds cut to 34 7/16 inches.  This man was totally out of touch with reality.
Then there was the woman who wanted to put 'peel and stick' floor tiles on her wall... and couldn't understand why we didn't have matching trim so she could frame out her door.  "What do you mean they don't make a matching trim?!" 
Believe me, the bus load of crazies pulled into our parking lot yesterday.
Oh, and the Idiot Jerk made a 'potty tweet' about Adam Schiff.  He is such a ass.  He is a true representative for the Republican Party.  For those who don't know, he will try and consolidate the hatred.  He's already trying to get his wagons into a protective circle.  Those who might represent some semblance of order will be out.  He'll fire them.  He likes to fire people.  Firing people gives him a sense of the power he so desperately wants.  He wants to replace them with people who will cut throats, and stab in the back.  But then, few should be surprised.  He is, after all, one of the greatest backstabbers in America.  He will, given the chance, stab his on spawn in the back.  Donnie Jr?  Watch you back, bud. 

Oops... too late.

Hugs instead of biscuits

Sunday.  I get to work today.  Yesterday was busy in a weird way.  We had a lot of crazy customer calls and questions.  At this time of year people don't rush to have carpet installed.  As one customer told me "I'm not going to put in new carpet to have all of my friends and family tramping all over it."  Of course, there are those superficial few out there who feel they need to show off.  If you need to impress people by putting in new carpet, then maybe they're not worth impressing.
I saw that Jim Jordan lost his bid to become Minority Speaker in a really big time way.  So will the crazy to the right Freedom Foundation see this as a sign?  Of course not.  That entail their taking the effort to try and understand.  It would mean they needed to actually question their values, their ethics, and...(hahaha) their tactics.  No way.  They will fail because they chose a particular harsh mind set and then failed to evolve.  This makes perfect sense when you remember they don't believe in evolution.  That's a bad word.  It implies change.  They will fight change until the very end of their existence.  Things evolve to eliminate the failures.  Their need for strict compliance in their narrow minded beliefs will never be successful.  This is something they will never understand.  Every time they open up their mouths to complain, just wave and say 'goodbye.'
Oh, and I've put Biggie on a diet.  He's a big dog and hip dysplasia is fairly common in big dogs.  It's better to be safe then sorry.  Besides, I don't want a really big expense down the line.  So, the tagline right now when he comes back inside is "hugs instead of biscuits."  I do know he loves the big hugs.  But, I also know he would most likely prefer the tasty Gravy Bone biscuit.  Even Lily is beginning to get a bit of a sag in her belly, though I chalk some of that up to the fact that she's 5 years old.
On my way home from work this evening, I'm going to have to stop off at my local Giant.  I've been asked to bring Green Bean Casserole for Thanksgiving.  "Not a big pan," my sister said.  There are only going to be about 7 or 8 of us.

Last year's big pan

Shit, I don't think I have a little pan.

If I get a chance, this evening I'll take an updated picture of myself as Alexios.  He apparently works out more than I do.

The Worm has Turned.

Well, it's Saturday and I get to go back to work.  I'm actually glad.  There is a difference between being off work, and having to take time off to deal with the technicalities of death.  Those technicalities are still not complete.  I still have to probate my Mom's will, which entails driving into downtown Harrisburg, finding a parking space, and going to the courthouse.  And the next day I have off is?  Thanksgiving.  And then it's back to work until Sunday.
As for work, I will be in the hole as far as sales go.   That's fine.  There wasn't the surge in customers wanting carpeting installed before Thanksgiving as is normal.  Whether that has picked up since I've been gone is something I don't know.  I keep my job separated from my personal life.  They are 2 distinct entities.  This means my co-workers are not my 'best friends,' which is quite fine with me.
Speaking of Thanksgiving, I'll be going to my Sisters.  My brother isn't hosting this year.  I suspect this is because he and my sister-in-law realize cleaning up their house is an insurmountable task. 
And, on this cloudy Saturday morning I thought I'd remind people of 'Dave's Axiom,' that a popular president can move the country either way, to the left, or to the right.  An unpopular president will always move the country in the opposite direction.  On November 6 the Idiot Jerk in the White House learned about 'Dave's Axiom.'  He is not happy.  Actually, Republicans in general are not happy.  They lost big time.  The worm has turned.

Democrats are joyous.  And the Idiot Jerk is lamenting "I should have gone to Arlington, but... it was raining, I'd just gotten back from France, I didn't want to miss Fox and Friends, and Sean Hannity was stopping by for a koffe klatch."  Oops, there goes his unpopularity again.
I read an 'opinion' in Bloomberg yesterday about the chaos surrounding the Idiot Jerk the point of which was... you ain't seen nothing yet.  If Donnie Jr. gets indicted there will be a full eruption.  he will be running around shrieking "off with their heads! off with their heads!"  And a lot of heads will most certainly roll.  He was sent by Karma to destroy the Republican Party, and he will succeed.

The Snow, the Cat... and a little idol worship

Well, here it is Friday, the end of the work week for some.  Me?  I get to go back to work tomorrow.  I haven't had the courage to step on the scale yet, but... it will be ugly.
And for those of you who don't know... yesterday, when weather forecasters predicted 1-3" of snow, and Accuweather teased of even less, turned into a shit-show snow storm with snow falling at over an inch an hour in some places... like the Hanoverdale Church of the Brethren.  That's where my Mom's memorial service was held.  Complicating matters was the fact that the main access to the church was closed for construction.  Yep, the road leading from Route 39 to the church was totally inaccessible.  There was a driveway through their cemetery which they could have opened... but they chose not to for reasons only they know.  Some people parked on the other side of the cemetery and walked down the hill.  Most people, however, did what the church asked and drove over narrow, hilly, back roads.  By the time the services and short reception were over, 4 inches of snow made most of those roads nearly impassable, unless you had a vehicle with 4-wheel drive.  People got stuck going up hills, got stuck trying to turn around.  My nephew Adam walked up to me as I was sitting in my car and said, "Uncle Dave, that car will get you through this shit so just go."  And, I did.  Traffic was horrendous because snow was falling at well over 1 inch and hour.  I had a 17 mile drive on Interstate 81... at 3 - 5 miles per hour, so it took me over 3 hours to get home.  It took my sister and brother-in-law, whose drive was mostly on back roads over 5 hours.  My nephew Noah ended up leaving his car at the church.  My brother took he and his wife home making my brother's drive over 7 hours.  Like I said, the storm made everything pretty much of a shit show.
The inurnment at Indiantown Gap was cancelled.  That will happen at some later date and the family will not be present.
I did get a picture of myself with my Mom in the Cat.

They did take the cat up and put it on the alter during the service, between 2 tall candles.  It looked quite a bit like idol worship, if you ask me.

I hadn't ordered any flowers because my Mom always hated them. "They die so fast," she would say.  People feel the need to send arrangements, so I knew there would be plenty of flowers.  There were.  The nicest arrangement was actually sent by the big orange retailer I work for.  They did well.

Now it is over except for some final paperwork wrapping up her estate.
There is a meaning in life.  There is a meaning in death.  The time has come to move on.

Notice, I did not include a video of Billy Idol's "White Wedding."  That would have been too 'over the top.'

Hang this

Today is Thursday, my Mom gets inurned today.  We will all be glad when it will be over.  And we're under a snow warning....  One nice thing about Accuweather is they provide you with %'s of depth which gives you a more realistic idea as to how much snow / rain you're going to get.  The way things stand right now we have a 59% probability of getting 1"-3" of snow, however, we also have a 37% probability of getting .02" - 2" of snow.  This means, mathematically speaking, we'll get about 1.5 inches of snow sometime between this morning and this afternoon.  Oh, and because of that we are under a snow warning.  Maybe we should talk about this need by weather forecasters to over dramatize their predictions.  At least Accuweather isn't as bad as the Weather Channel.  They feel the need to name every little shitty storm that comes along.
The stock market didn't do so well yesterday.  Today is not going to be a good day either.  Theresa May's Brexit plan is in slow motion crash stage.  People are quitting her cabinet.  Her power base is dwindling.  As a result, the stock market is going to experience something a little more than a ripple.  This means the Idiot Jerk in the White House will blame Democrats, spineless sack of shit that he is.  Most of his base have yet to realize he is the punishment they so well deserve.
As I was sipping my morning coffee, I thought once again about France, and his decision not attend ceremonies.  He has claimed his Secret Service is to blame, that going to the cemetery in his helicopter was too dangerous.  So, in between sips of French Roast, I started thinking of how funny it would be if they did it on purpose in order to humiliate him?  To his face they were saying "don't go, don't go," but behind his back they were going "hehehehehehe."  I can see that happening.
And the Florida recount is a cluster fuck.  For those who are too young to remember, we ended up with George W. as president (another electoral college technicality) because of 'hanging chads."  Now, I know a lot of you are asking how Chad hangs, to the left, or to the right.  To be honest, I don't think it really matters.

Right hanger

Forecasting a Long Train Running

Wednesday.  This afternoon I will make a stop at the caterers to pay for the refreshments, and make a final visit to Graysonview, my Mom's senior living facility.  A company called Dirty Dog Hauling will be cleaning the rest of my Mom's furniture out of her apartment.  My sister has already taken what she wants, and has taken the clothing to the Salvation Army.  My brother and niece were there yesterday to get what they want.  I don't really want anything.  As soon as everything is gone Graysonview the apartment will be considered 'unoccupied' and Graysonview will stop charging us.  I have not been contacted by any one in management to discuss the situation.  It was the receptionist who quietly told me they don't care how long it takes to move things out... because you're paying the bill.  This is how greed works in America.
Later this morning I'm getting my hair cut.  Great fun there.  Oh, and I'm going to cut my fingernails.
The weather for tomorrow is supposed to be shitty.  Oh, well.  Looks like we may have about an inch or so of snow.  Initially, when the Funeral Director had suggested Thursday, I had pointed out to my brother the weather was not forecast to be good.  He wanted Thursday.  So, Thursday it is.  Oh, and another slight hitch in the plans deals with a road closure.  The main road to the church is closed for construction. This means we need to go in through an alternative route.  So, everybody needs to be notified that the easy way is not available.  Snow, plus the difficult getting there, means, I suspect, we're going to end up with a lot of leftovers.  This is life.  And, I can not wait until this whole thing is over.
On the lighter side of things... the Idiot Jerk's trophy wife, Melanoma, wants someone fired... John Bolton's assistant.  I'll bet that's going over well with John the Hardliner Conservative.
And Maryland is suing to keep Trump Scump Matthew Whitaker from taking his appointment position as the Idiot Jerk's court executioner.
And French President Macron told the Idiot Jerk Patriotism is far stronger than Nationalism... pretty much called him a dickhead for not attending those rainy ceremonies.  Of course the Idiot Jerk blamed his Secret Service (bet their happy about that) and then Tweeted something nasty.  Let's be honest here, without Twitter the Idiot Jerk is nothing more than a spineless sack of shit.
If he put his head down on the tracks he could that long, blue train running, hauling in car after car of  change.  Nah, he'll have to pay someone.

Yo, Donald, I think I hear the train

Or, maybe he should listen to the Doobies.

Indiantown Gap

Okay, so it's Tuesday.  In case anyone is wondering, it's raining... again.
I spent yesterday on the phone, for the most part.  Catering has been arranged for my Mom's service.  We're going with Exclusively Yours.  I have no idea whether they are any good.  They had some decent Google reviews.  We'll find out on Thursday.
We're going with the Hanoverdale Church of the Brethren rather than the Rutherford Lutheran Church because... well, the Lutherans never got back to us.  While we were awaiting responses from the churches, I had suggested we just do the service at the Funeral Parlor and then take everybody who wants, out for lunch.  No go.
And, of course, the weather is supposed to be shitty on Thursday.  My brother called and suggested we change the day to Friday.  Well, my Mom is being inurned at Indiantown Gap Military Cemetery, next to my Dad.  For those who don't know, Indiantown Gap is the 2nd largest military cemetery, next to Arlington, in the region.  How big is it?  There are over 44,000 veterans and their spouses, interned or inurned there.  They are very busy.  You actually need to book a times slot.  Changing your time slot is difficult because they fill up so fast.

Then, of course, there was the death certificate issue.  You know there's a bit of a problem when you get a call from the County Coroner.  You see, my Mom went to the same doctor for years.  My sister-in-law did not like the doctor.  She thought my Mom should go to one who was more... professional.  In Pennsylvania, if you have a Personal Care physician, he or she needs to also sign the death certificate.  So the coroner goes to the old doctor who refused to sign the certificate.  Shit!  At some point the certificates passed into the hands of the Funeral Director, who ended up running around getting the required signatures.
And, of course, the Idiot Jerk in the White House is going all bohanga hanga with the Florida midterms.  He actually said it was 'infected.'  Well, of course it's infected, Rick Scott is there!  The truth is the Idiot Jerk is desperately trying to give his base at least one win... since they lost so much.  More so since they lost Arizona... to a white woman, who used to be a fighter pilot.
Finally, a bit about Stan Lee.  All of those years ago, when he created Spiderman, I don't think he had any idea how greatly he would be effecting the world's culture.  His Super Heroes had problems.  They didn't fit in.  They had color.  Superman was a hero for an age now passing, while Captain America is a hero for the ages, both past and future.  Thanks to him a flawed Iron Man saves the world and a Black Panther spreads equality.  They are more than cartoons.  They are more than Super Heroes.  They are us.

The tale of the cookie jar

Well, it's Monday.  Today is Veteran's Day.  Normally I would be working.  I work every holiday except Thanksgiving and Christmas.  But not today because my Mom died.  I get 3 days bereavement and I'm taking 2 vacation days.  I'm not going to go back to work until Saturday.
I'd like to thank everybody for their condolences and warm feelings, they are all greatly appreciated.
And now for an interesting fact and a bit of levity.
My Dad died on 12/10... my Mom died on 11/10.  Now isn't that odd.
Almost 15 years ago, when my Dad died, my Mom called me out into the kitchen where she'd been discussing arrangements with the Funeral Director.  Both my parents had decided to be cremated.  "Can we put Daddy in this?" she asked, holding up the yellow kitty-cat cookie jar I'd given her as a Christmas present.  My Mom, however, wanted an urn a little more refined.  She chose a pretty blue vase with a lid which could be sealed.  When my Mom moved into Graysonview the vase went to my sister.  Saturday morning I asked my sister if she knew where that vase was.  "Hell, I don't know," she said, "I probably threw it out."  That was a good thing.  I had always planned on using something else for her urn... another cookie jar given by my brother and sister-in-law.  My Mom never liked it and so eventually gave it to me.  And it's another kitty-cat.  Both of my parents are going to be in kitty-cat cookie jars.

Now how cute is that?

I saw where the Idiot Jerk in the White House was in France to help celebrate the 100th anniversary of Armistice.  Everybody ignored him (I'll bet that left a scathing mark on his ego).  He stayed in his hotel room while other Heads of State bowed their heads in the rain and gave thanks to the fallen, at an American Cemetery.  He is an embarrassment.

My Mom

At 0641 yesterday morning, just after I posted my blog, Greenfield Senior Facility called me.  They have called me before this early to tell me my Mom had fallen.  Not yesterday morning.  "Dave, I'm sorry to tell you that your Mom has died.  We found her lying on the floor of her room."
When I was 9 years old my Mom had electroshock therapy.  Her temper was most often taken out on me.  My childhood was not good.
She became very self centered and demanding as she grew older.  My Dad and I would go to movies and she would call and criticize the film.  She had no problem criticizing you, or trying to make you feel guilty.  She was very good at that.
I went by myself to the Funeral Directors this afternoon.  My sister doesn't deal with well with these things.  My brother was on his way back from vacation in North Carolina.  For the reading inside the program I chose a poem I love.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

BY ROBERT FROST

Whose woods these are I think I know.   

His house is in the village though;   

He will not see me stopping here   

To watch his woods fill up with snow.   

My little horse must think it queer   

To stop without a farmhouse near   

Between the woods and frozen lake   

The darkest evening of the year.   

He gives his harness bells a shake   

To ask if there is some mistake.   

The only other sound’s the sweep   

Of easy wind and downy flake.   

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,   

But I have promises to keep,   

And miles to go before I sleep,   

And miles to go before I sleep.

My brother did not think it was religious enough.  "She was a very devout Christian," he said.  My reply "I've had a really shitty day and I was there by myself and I picked what I liked."

My Mom died yesterday and I had to cry.  My sister cried, too.  My brother also cried... and complained because I chose a verse that wasn't Christian.  You know it would have been nice if she had at least once looked me in the eye and said "I'm sorry for being so abusive."  Never happened.  Instead she found Jesus who forgave her sins without her ever needing to ask forgiveness from those she'd hurt the most. 

Don't be surprised

One of the first things I do when I get up in the morning is check Accuweather.  As I looked down at my phone this morning I saw Snow in 61 minutes.   Golly Gee Wiz!  Of course, the outside Temp is 40 (F) meaning we don't have to worry about it laying.  This morning, depth will not be a problem.  This year, however, I will have to invest in a new snow shovel.  The one I currently have was a gift from my parents about... oh... maybe 15 years ago, and the scoop is blue plastic, and it's falling apart.
And the Idiot Jerk in the White House has been caught up in another of his vicious cycle lies, you know what I mean:  he lies, and gets caught, he lies, and gets caught.  Because he is used to his sycophants and loyalists believing everything he says, he has no idea that the vast majority of Americans know he is a lying sack of shit.  The latest lie?  That he doesn't know Matthew Whitaker.  Evidently that's a really, really, tremendous lie.  This story is all over the place.  Four times the Idiot Jerk made this denial.  He does't understand there are a number of documented meeting between himself and Whitaker before the appointment was announced.  The truth is Whitaker is the kind of goon a mob boss would hire, a 'silencer' of sorts, whose sole purpose is to shut people up.  Should we expect anything else from the Idiot Jerk.
Just a note about the Blue Wave... well, it is real.  At this point Democrats have 31 more seats in the House than Republicans.  An interesting note about that number:  during the pundit predictions 31 was at the high end.  The Republicans lost 7 Governorships.  That deeply red state of Kansas now has a Democrat for a governor.  The Idiot Jerk is touting an increase of 2 seats in the Senate... ah, but it looks like that might be down to one.  And, of course, there is that shit show in Florida... too close to call, and headed for a recount.  As for Georgia, even if Kemp manages to pull it out of his ass (which is likely since he is a Republican) the writing is on the wall... in Very Big Letters!
Here is my little prediction.  In about 2 years you are going to see Republicans begin to relocate into specific geographical locations.  They did this years ago when Black people started moving into the suburbs.  Those who can't adapt will, in no uncertain terms, become white migrants continually moving in their attempt to stay ahead of the growing evolution of America.  They will pick some place like Montana, or North Dakota.  I'm not talking about all white people, most will assimilate.  But there is that group, very much like the Idiot Jerk in the White House, who will never understand.  It will start sooner than they think.  In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it

My Ginkgo's golden

So, am I another day older and another day wiser? 😈😈  Can you hear my evil laughter now?
Anyway, the weather was great yesterday.  I mowed more leaves, those in the yard to the side of my house.  And, surprise, surprise!  I still have roses!

Out in the front yard, my Ginkgo is turning golden.

When I ask people if they want to see a picture of my Ginkgo, they look at me oddly, and very few believe me when I tell them "I have a golden Ginkgo."
Years and years ago I used to be a smoker.  I stopped.  One of the things that helped me quit was a website designed for quitters.  The first thing I did every morning was go to that website and click the button "no cigarettes."  And I'm not talking about one or two years here, I'm talking about a really, really long time.  Well, yesterday morning, they updated the website.  I can no longer sign in.  My account is gone.  So, what did I do?  I took a deep breath and decided this was a sign, a gift on my birthday, that the time had come to put this part of my morning routine to bed... forever.  It was odd this morning, but I'll get used to it.
Oh, and I see the Idiot Jerk in the White House has named some 'kiss ass' as the new acting Attorney General.  He is desperately trying to keep his spawn, Donnie Jr. from being indicted.  That ain't going to happen.  In fact, anything and everything this Whitaker guy does is going to be questioned, and challenged.  Even Kellyann Conway's husband says the appointment is unconstitutional, as if the Idiot Jerk in the White House actually cares about the Constitution.

Celebrate This

Well, here it is, Thursday, November 8, and it's my birthday.  A little over an hour ago (0513) I celebrated circling Sol (our glorious sun) 66 times.  Ain't it great!

The backside has my feet on it.

As well as some of my vitals - length, and weight.  How neat is that!  How special is this, and my birth certificate, which looks like a reverse photo copy?  Well, the hospital at Eglin Air Force Base was decommissioned.  And then first Hurricane Andrew and years later Hurricane Michael went through destroying Eglin, Tyndall, and Homestead.  So, what I have is pretty much all of the documentation I will ever have.  Let me tell you, it made getting a passport a bitch!
I saw "Bohemian Rhapsody" last evening.  Rami Malek is very, very good.  The movie?  A lot of screen time is given to the early years and to the 'blonde girl' in his life.  The later years?  Short shrift.  There's a scene with the band, some other quick scenes and then voila! 7 years have passed.  In reality you are watching the story of Freddie Mercury and Queen, not the Freddie Mercury story, which is, I think, what most people are expecting to see.
I was asked how I'm going to celebrate my birthday... well, the celebration is going to start with Red Velvet Cake and French Vanilla ice cream.  Then I'm going to pay a short visit to my Mom, who will not remember what today is.  Then the celebration will continue with an hour of cardio!  and a visit with friends.  My phone will stay sitting on the sideboard.  It started buzzing with birthday wishes about 20 minutes ago.  I will respond later.  Otherwise this will be pretty much the same routine except for the cake and ice cream.

Get over it

Well, it looks as though we had a Blue Surge rather than a Blue Wave... but that's good.  Democrats now control the House of Representatives!  That's a very good thing!  And there are now 7 more Democratic Governors and 7 less Republican Governors, which is another Very Good Thing!  Beto lost... sadly.  On the other hand, Jared Pollis, a Gay Democrat, is now the Governor of Colorado!  Ain't that something to celebrate!  Here in Pennsylvania, our boy Brian Sims was re-elected!!  In very white Republican run Georgia, the race is too close to call.  One of the predictions I liked about that very Republican race was that this would happen, and Abrams would win in a run-off election in December.  Georgia is something the GOP never, ever thought would happen.  So, will they finally understand how America is evolving and change?  Hell no.  To do so would be to admit they have made a mistake.  They are still in the denial stage of their own demise.
And then what about the Crazy Christians?  You know, the ones who have been selling their souls to the Morally Degenerate Idiot Jerk in the White House faster than Joel Osteen can snatch a penny from the hands of the poor.  Either the deity they worship is not as powerful and they think, or else this was supposed to happen.  What if the Idiot Jerk's election to the presidency through a technicality called the Electoral College was really nothing more than a test for them?  He offers them power in exchange for acceptance of his degeneracy.  If so, they have failed.  Their corruption mirrors his.  Now they will have to pay the price.
Anyway, enough of my political ramblings for today.  The midterms are over.  Remember what the Republicans said after the Idiot Jerk's technical win? "Get over it."  Well, that needs to be our response to them when they start whining.  Believe me, they've already started pointing fingers at somebody else, and blaming somebody else, and shrieking 'voter fraud.'  Just tell them to "get over it!"  Or a simple "shut up" will work wonders, too.

OH, and I forgot to mention... Kim Davis was fired.

There Will Be Lines

Today the Democratic Party, the Majority Party, in the United States begins to take control back from the hatemongers.  Today is the day America passes Judgment on Donald Trump.  He hates this day.  He hates the truth, preferring to pander in lies.  Today honest Americans will call him a liar to his face.  He wants to rule by Executive Order.  He wants to be the ultimate CEO Dictator.  Today he will understand he is going to be fired.  His apprenticed himself to to racists , and bigots, and white supremacists, and failed Evangelical Christians, a group who had no problem selling him their souls for the bitter taste of power.  His apprenticeship has failed.
Reckoning begins today.
There will be lines at the polls.  Remember, patience is a virtue.  This is the price we will all have to pay for the failure of many in 2016.  Nothing is free.  There is always a cost.  Waiting in line is a small cost for buying back our freedoms, all of them.  Buy the ticket.  Stand in queue.  There will be lines.

Squeak, squeak

My first of 4 days off in a row and.... someone forgot to tell the dogs what 'Daylight Savings Time' is because changing the clock on the wall has done nothing to change their biological clocks.  Their normal time to go outside is between 4 and 4:30 (yes, I get up early).  Now it's between 3 and 3:30.  Isn't Nature wonderful?
And rain is in the forecast for today, and also for tomorrow morning as well.  Originally the forecast had been for Nature's urination to start this morning and run through tomorrow, election day.   The heaviest rains will occur today.  Tomorrow is supposed to be warmer with occasional showers and storms.  Shitty, rainy weather doesn't bode well for polling when it comes to older, white Republicans.  Standing in a line with an umbrella is not what they want at all.  I suspect that, like the Wicked Witch of the West, they have nightmares about melting.  Democrats, on the other hand, will crawl over broken glass to vote in this election.  I mean, what's a little water, a little pain, for the chance to wipe that shit stained smile off the face of the Idiot Jerk in the White House.
So, does anyone know of Melania has started packing yet?  Oh, wait, did she even unpack?  I suppose her natural inclination would be to just leave everything behind and just buy everything new.
On a lighter note, Lily pulled the squeaky thing from Biggie's brown beaver.  I had to take it from her.  Given the chance dogs will eat those plastic things.

The squeaky thing

Someone should tell Republicans these things aren't natural.  They're going to start gulping them down as the polls start closing and the votes get counted.  By Wednesday the only thing coming out of their mouths will be a squeaking noise.  Of course, that's about all that comes out of their racist mouths now.

Vote Blue.

Let's make these suckers squeak!

Personally

So, did everybody enjoy that extra hour of sleep this morning?  I know I did.  Even the dogs enjoyed it.  The only bad thing about it will be that we're going to lose it come spring.
The racist customer called me at work yesterday.  Her flooring was scheduled to be delivered and she hadn't paid attention... at all.  You can pay an extra $20 and get a one hour window, or just pay standard fee and get a phone call 1/2 hour before the truck arrives.  Standard delivery is between 0600 and 2000 (8 PM).  Well, she thought they be hauling her less expensive flooring into her house between 0600 and 0800.  So... I had to correct her error.  She took it well.
A lot of people have been writing about the midterms and not just bloggers.  I don't have cable, but I'm sure if I did every other commercial would be political.  Turn out is supposed to be exceptional.  Write-in ballots are on par with a presidential election.  Nobody wants to have another repeat of the shit show which started in 2016.  Someone in Politco wrote that "this cycle Democrats will crawl across broken glass" to vote.  Were that only the case.  There are voters registered Democrat who will not cast a vote because... they just don't care.  They will come up with some excuse.  In Pennsylvania, storms are forecast for Tuesday afternoon.  For some people, that's a really good excuse.  "I might get rained on."  Their minds don't even think about the alternative.  They see the racism and hatred in our Capital and say things like..."well, it doesn't effect me personally."  They don't understand that is how fascism starts, when people start saying "it doesn't effect me personally."  And then it's too late.  Power is the most corrupting force in the Universe.  Democracy fights that corruption.  Democracy takes the power from a few and gives it to the many.  Not voting permits those corrupt few the power to control your destiny.  And for those who say "it doesn't effect me personally," believe me, they will roll you over with a steamroller if you give them the power to do so.  They do not care about you 'personally.'  All they care about is their power and their control.
Go out and vote on Tuesday.  Your future is at stake.
Vote Blue.

Tax This

Okay, so I didn't get a chance yesterday to sell that racist customer her flooring.  She came in on Wednesday, my day off, and made her purchase.  They took off certain charges because she kept complaining how she was an "older woman with a fixed income."  Once the black and Latino installers get to her house, they will have those charges put right back on.  She will most like shriek and moan "they're charging me because they're black and Latino."  Sorry, the very large, home improvement retailer I work for has very diverse policies.  Of course, the install will take place after Tuesday's midterms and she might be too shell-shocked to do anything except shove another bon-bon in her mouth.
So, a friend of mine posted a meme on Facebook about Pennsylvania having the 6th highest taxes in the Nation, and that was a good reason to vote 'red.'  Of course, I spent a minute and a half researching this claim, already knowing it was false.  In fact, when it comes to State and Local Taxes, Pennsylvania ranks 34th.  Here's what we pay in State Income Tax.

And when it comes to Sales Tax... we're at number 32.

Taxes are a lot higher in some states, like California and New York.  Using high taxes in Pennsylvania as an incentive to vote Republican is a lost cause.  Unfortunately, shrieking about taxes has always been a GOP strong point, until you start drilling for the truth.  Higher standards of living and higher pay rates equate with higher taxes.  If you happen to live in a state with a lower standard of living and a lower average pay rate, like down in Conservative Mississippi, and your taxes are high then there's a problem.  Look at North and South Carolina.... Wow.  Those people do pay a lot of money in taxes compared to... oh, say, Pennsylvania.  When it comes to taxes, Republicans have always promised a lot and, in reality, given very little.  Greed, you know?  Their economic plans are always dependent on greed.

Special Surprise

Well, it's Friday.  For some the weekend begins.  Not for me.  Of course, I only have to work 3 day before I get off 4.  Of course, after that my schedule sucks.  Black Friday is only 3 weeks away.  Give me a break.  That week I work 40 hours.  I will get paid for 48, which is nice, but let's be honest, I think I'd rather have the day off.
Today I also get to sell the flooring to that "special" racist customer who talks about those "terrible migrants."  I will have to bite my tongue... literally.  I've decided I'm not going to tell her the installers are going to be black and Latino.  Doing so would open up the 'ugly box.'  I'm just going to let this be her 'Special Surprise.'
The new sound bar arrived yesterday.  What a difference.  I had no idea the old one was producing such inferior sound.  Because the new one is a Sony, I can connect it to the TV with an HDMI cable.  Now one remote can turn both the TV and the sound bar on at the same time.  Believe me, that a really nice surprise.
Another 'Special Surprise' is going to be happening Tuesday.  Since I don't read crazy conservative lies, I can only go by what Bloomberg, and the WSJ, and the NYT, and Reuters, and The Hill, and the Huffpost are saying.  It seems as though the White House is in Chaos mode.  You see the Idiot Jerk and his spawn don't like investigations in which they are the subject.  In fact, a lot of the people he has surrounded himself with are now entering that "oh, shit" stage of their phony political careers.  Many of the appear to be looking for the nearest exit ramp, including Steve Mnuchin.  He, of course, is quietly saying it's his bimbo wife who wants him out.  That's it, blame the the wife.  She is evidently getting a lot less respect than your normal trophy wife, and hates it.  She thought she would float into Washington with her bottled blonde hair and people would fawn.  My, didn't she get a 'Special Surprise.'
Then there's Ryan Zinke, you know stinky Zinke?  His scumbaggery is so bad, even the Republicans are giving the Justice Department control.  He never figured on possible jail time.  Now won't that be a 'Special Surprise' for him?
Every single cabinet position has the possibility of being vacated... rapidly.  Conservatives like to run things... as long as they don't have to worry about transparency, and ethics, and morals, and just simple decency.  For every one of them, those attributes are an ugly 'special surprise.'
And all those special interest groups, like the White Evangelicals and the NRA?  They had better be preparing themselves for the wrath of the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  The blame for losing the House will be on their heads.  He will damn them from here to hell and back for getting out their voters.  Just thinking about that makes me smile.  How's that for a 'Special Surprise?'

Here... it... comes

So, here it is... my Sunday... or, as most of you out there know it... Thursday.  Halloween is over.
Biggie was in his glory last night, keeping all those nasty, little Trick or Treaters on the other side of the street.
And, it turns out, the sound on the TV is fine.  My Klipsch sound bar is what stopped functioning, which is irritating since it, too, is only about 3.5 years old.  Not that there hadn't been problems, glitches in the software.  I had to turn it off when using my phone.  If I didn't, the volume would increase super fast and it would be blaring.  If it's not raining, next Monday evening I will put it out on the curb.  By Tuesday morning it will be gone.
Wasn't the weather nice yesterday?  So warm. When the temps are so nice I don't quickly run and shut the door when Biggie knocks it open.  That's right, if he is outside and hits it hard enough with his big paw he can spring the latch. That's what happened early yesterday afternoon.  And since it was nice, I left the door open so the dogs could go in and out as they please... and 2 birds flew into the house.  That's right.  I had had 2 birds in the house.  The dogs thought I was great entertainment.  They sat and watched as I herded the birds back through the kitchen and out the back door.
In these last few days until the midterms we all need to be vigilant... and prepared, because the Idiot Jerk is going to throw as many monstrous piles of shit at the wall as he can.  Just think, 15,000 troops to the border to stop a caravan 1/3 that size.  In case you didn't know, his supporters really love their brute force.  Oh, and he can rewrite the Constitution with an Executive Order...  Isn't that causing a bit of a tumult?  Paul Ryan pretty much called him a liar on that one.  Wop!  Wop!  He held a rally in Florida and you could feel the hatred in the air.... and fear.  His impending doom approaches.  There is no way he can stave off the approaching investigations.  All those loyal people he has bought and surrounded himself with have already written their resignation notices.  The ass kissers and sycophants are preparing to do what they've always done under scrutiny.
This is our moment.  We have one chance to actually be Captain James T. Kirk in "The Wrath of Khan!"

Savor the moment.  Vote Blue!