Shorty

Shorty blog today.
Well, I ordered my Avengers tickets for tonight.  I'm not big on online ticket purchases, not because it isn't convenient, it is; rather I like to keep the ticket stub.  I have hundreds.  Each has the date and time I went to see that specific movies.  With an online purchase, all you get is a piece of paper... oh, and the bar code they texted to me.  Oh, and there is also an extra charge.  I spent $13.98 for 2 senior tickets, which isn't bad.
I got the 2nd last copy of 'The Body in the Tower' back yesterday.  There were some interesting notes.  So far, everybody likes the 'good guys.'  Villains are so much more fun to write.  You get to be so very devious in writing a villain.  The truth is some villains have redeeming qualities which don't make them any less bad, just more understandable. 
And Joe Biden had his first rally yesterday.  I agree with many that he is too old to be running for president.  That being said, however, Idiot Jerk in the White House nearly blew up his phone with hateful Tweets.  The Idiot Jerk is scared shitless of Joe Biden.  And if you read between the lines, it's not only Joe that scares the Idiot Jerk.  Evidently there are several Democratic candidates that give his tighty whities and a nice deep wedgie (has that image burned itself into your brain yet?  Give it time).  If Joe win the nomination, and he might, he's going to need all of our support. 
And finally, today is my Friday.  I know this confuses a lot of you.  That's fine.  Unfortunately for me, I do believe the forecast is for rain on my weekend.  That's okay.  I have plenty of chores to do around the house.  There's a table I want to paint.  And, of course, cardio.  It seems as though the more creative I get, the more exercise I do.  Healthy body, healthy mind.

Into the Limelight

Well, it's Monday.  Yesterday was my Hump Day.  Sunday... Fun day... well, it got a bit hectic at the Flooring desk and I kinda didn't get a chance to hump.
Yesterday was rainy.  It was also the last day of the bike swap at World Cup Ski and Cycle.  I had taken my Kinetic trainer there... no one bought it.  Now I have to go back and pick it up.  Shit.  I have no idea what I'm going to do with it.  Putting it back up in the attic is not an option, so I'll probably see if either my nephew or his wife want it... for free.
I did manage to get in 30 minutes of cardio this morning, that's to make up for the Pop-Tarts I ate at work yesterday. 
Today one of the two readers should be returning 'the book,' which will leave just one copy left out there.  That's the one in the hands of the person who's editing and, most likely, going to pick it apart.  To be honest, I'm not expecting to get a lot of corrections.  I was far better organized going into this one than I was on "The Body on the Lawn."
And I did get a big laugh yesterday when I read in 'The Hill' that Mitch McConnell is claiming to be the 'fighter of Liberalism,' or some sort of horseshit like that, which is funny as hell.  Mitch is a 77 year old white guy from Kentucky.  Just let that fact sink in for a second or two.  He is an old, white guy who has no comprehension how America is changing.  77 Years Old.  He refuses to accept the fact that every day Kentucky becomes more and more racially diverse.  Instead, he's going to stand there waving the flag for white conservatism, even though they are slowly dying off.  Mitch should have retired a long time ago.  It's time for the state of Kentucky put him out to pasture.
And Beto gave me another chuckle.  He pretty much said that Faux News is the propaganda outlet for the White House...  Someone should tell Beto this isn't news.  Corrupt Rupert Murdoch is an ally of the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  He's going to do everything he possibly can to support his buddy from Hell.  We haven't heard from Beto lately.  He's going to need to come up with something fresh if he wants to step back into the limelight, and I'm not talking about bashing other Democratic hopefuls.

Vote Him Out

Sunday morning and of course, I have to work.  I'm running solo today.  The only specialist in the department.  Weekends are our busiest times and yet, for our department at least, that's when scheduling seems to be the lightest.  This doesn't mean I'm totally by myself.  The aisle supervisor comes in at 11, but he has not been trained is specialty operations.  The weather today is supposed to be drizzly wizzly so we may not be too busy.
Adam Schiff very succinctly laid the truth out for the Democratic Party in regards to the Idiot Jerk in the White House:  Whether we "impeach him or not, the best way to deal with this problem is to vote his ass out of office."  I paraphrased that a bit, but the gist still remains:  use your vote to eliminate this biological mistake.  Calling him a biological mistake is probably putting it mildly.  He is an anachronism.  He wants to be a dictator, like Stalin, like Mussolini, like Castro.  He wants to rely on his henchies, the Evangelicals, to carry out his decrees.  I scan through Facebook every morning, not to really look at what friends say, rather it's to check out the politics and what people like and dislike.  The Idiot Jerk had a rally last evening to preach his hate.  One of the comments which stuck out was supposedly from a woman.  She wrote "Thank you Jesus, Thank you Lord," and not once did she mention the Idiot Jerk.  Whether you understand it or not, these people are being radicalized under our very noses.  If you think radicalized Muslims are bad, these people are going to be just as bad, if not worse.  The Idiot Jerk is not going to care if they resort to violence, just as long as he manages to stay in power.  We need to shut them up, shut them down, and vote them out.  All of them.
Anyway, I guess I'm going to see The Avengers" on Tuesday night.  It's cheap night, which means it's going to be packed.  We're getting our tickets early in the day.  Shows are running every hour on the hour from 1100.  I can not remember the last time we had a 'blockbuster' like this... seriously.  When I was a kid, I can remember waiting in line with my parents to see "The Absent Minded Professor," a Disney classic.

Back then it was playing in only one theater so every popular movie had a line.  This movie is playing on 4 screens at the theater I am going to, 16 times (counting 3D) on Tuesday.  Trying to comprehend that is almost as bad as trying to comprehend the size of the universe... well, maybe not that bad.

Sparkling news

“All this time, while we patiently waited for you to do your jobs, someone has been raping this museum, piece by piece by piece.”

                                                                Claude Aubert… Director of Security


That's the epigraph for "The Body in the Tower."  Normally an epigraph comes from another writer, many times authors will take one from Shakespeare.  I choose not to do so mostly because I can never find anything which fits my work.  I'd rather let one of my characters provide the introduction.  What I don't provide is information about that character.  I don't tell you if Claude Aubert is one of the good guys, or one of the bad guys.
And, of course, yesterday we did get a lot of 'sparkling news!'

In the first poll of the 2020 presidential race Biden has a 6% lead over the Idiot Jerk.  He also raised $6.3 in campaign donations in the first 24 hours of his campaign.
The Idiot Jerk stood by his Charlottesville comments and once again chose not to blame White Supremacists.
Only 3 out of 10, that's 30% of registered voters, believe the Idiot Jerk was exonerated (let that sink in) and his approval rating seems to be solidly grounded at 39%.
The NRA is crashing in chaos.  Wayne LaPierre has been asked to resign by Ollie North.  Remember Ollie?  He's the one who had Fawn Hall sneak secret documents in her panties during the Iran-Contra Hearings.
Maria Butina, the Russkie who infiltrated the NRA was sentenced to 18 months in jail.
A man was arrested for throwing a phone on the stage at the NRA convention prior to the Idiot Jerk's entrance (that made me laugh).
And Bernie has signed and dated his Democratic Affirmation agreement: 

BERNIE SANDERS: The most important thing that has got to happen is that this dangerous president is defeated. I'm going to do everything I can to defeat him. I look forward to winning the Democratic nomination. And if I don't, I will support anybody else who's out there to defeat him. But this guy cannot win another term.

On a slightly amusing note, on the 24th Bernie also filed paperwork for his re-election campaign as a senator from New Hampshire.  I suspect Bernie realizes something his supporters don't.

No Deal

Okay, so it's Friday and I get to go back to work.  This is why I have a calendar on my refrigerator, and buy my desk, and on my phone.  In the retail word, the names of days have very little value.  Now I get to work for 5 days.  My next weekend is what you call Wednesday and Thursday of next week.  I call them my next 2 days off.
Yesterday was another day filled with accomplishment.  I always like it when I get shit done, when I use my time constructively.  This doesn't mean I don't enjoy being a slug every now and then, just that I like to keep those days as few and far between each other as possible.
World Cup Cycle and Ski and a bike sale / swap every spring.  I took over my Kinetic Rock and Roll smart trainer yesterday.  When I told them I thought $300 was a good price, I got one of those looks:  "There are smart trainers out there for around that price."  So I pointed out that it was a... smart trainer.  Buying it was a mistake.  It was advertised as working with either Apple or Android products... well, it turns out it's best connectivity is with Ipads and Iphones.  I'm not an Applehead and am not about to become one now.
Remember when the Idiot Jerk took credit for getting Otto Warmbier back?  Like everything else this moral degenerate does, he was just spitting out bullshit.  It turns out that before the North Koreans would release his comatose body, the Idiot Jerk authorized a payment of $2 million to pay for his medical expenses.  That's right.  We paid the North Koreans $2 million dollars.  I guess this is what you call the "Art of the Deal."
After finishing "The Body on the Lawn," my next planned project was supposed to be something called "The Body on the Beach."  It has a nice ring to it, right?  So, I started putting some notes together.  At first the beach was up in Maine... too cold.  Northern California would be better, yes?  Well, no, that didn't work either.  I've been there.  The coastline is beautiful, but nothing clicked.  Since "The Body in the Tower" is pretty much wrapped up, I thought "now, maybe... the Body on the Beach."  However, two days ago, while I was doing my cardio, something else just sort of popped into my head.  This is how it usually works.  You don't get to pick and choose.  And because I like to give out little hints and teases, I can tell you this little guy gets involved.

Now, ain't he cute?

Power Shift

Well, it's Thursday, my 2nd day off in a row and I... slept in.  I had set the alarm for 0430, however Biggie got me up at 12:30 and 2:30 to go out... he seems to have a lower digestive tract disturbance; something he ate... no doubt.  Everything looks tasty to him.  Anyway, I turned the alarm off and laid back down and... slept in.
Yesterday I got a lot accomplished.  Groceries? check.  Haircut? check.  Around mid-morning FedEx delivered the outside storage box I had bought - it looks like a big bench.  That was assembled, tools were stored in it, the grass was mowed.... and I got a good 45 minutes of cardio.  Even the dogs were tuckered out.

And it's official now, Biden is running for president.  He's old.  If he wins he will be oldest president ever elected.  Biden scares the shit out of the Idiot Jerk in the White House because he is Centrist and the country is overwhelmingly Centrist.  The Idiot Jerk represents the radical right, those wanting a dictatorial president.  Biden needs to choose his running mate wisely.  As most people already know, as does he, his will be a one term presidency.  He is going to be the transition back to sanity.  He will stand for ethics and values, those attributes the Idiot Jerk shit away decades ago.  My money says he will choose a woman for his running mate and the Republicans will go ape shit.
This will get ugly as the GOP realizes they will need to do something to keep from losing women's votes.  You can bet the Idiot Jerk's strategists are already whispering about dumping that white sinner, Mike Pence for some nice, white Evangelical woman.  Unfortunately, the Idiot Jerk's base is shrinking...  The more they realize this, the more hateful they will become, and at some point they will just stop voting.
In 2020 1/3 of the electorate will be minorities.  That number is only going to increase.  In 2045 minorities will make up 1/2 of those casting ballots.  Power will shift into their hands much sooner then that. 

You can touch it

Well, it's Wednesday and I'm off work, so this is definitely not my Hump Day.  I'm off tomorrow as well.  Retail, you know?  Ain't no such thing as a regular work week.
I listened to an interesting podcast on Gallup about the shrinking GOP base.  The gist of it, for those who can't spare the time to listen, is that uneducated whites make up the majority of the GOP base, about 42%.  Five years ago they made up 45% of the base.  Their numbers are in the decline.  They are also becoming stridently more Republican... yep, they're getting redder even as they shrink.  Interestingly, it is the Idiot Jerk in the White House who is intensifying their... hue.  He has done this by picking targets the uneducated embrace, like immigration.  Paradoxically speaking, after Romney had his ass kicked the GOP spent lots of money to find out why, and, of course, the answer was minorities.  They just weren't reaching people of color... any color.  They decided the best way to grow their party was by converting Hispanics to Conservatism...  Their problem is no one told the Idiot Jerk in the White House, who has chosen to make the immigration of Hispanics and incendiary issue.  His uneducated, white base loves this.  Everybody else is saying... "what the fuck?"
AM had said that when she was at the Louvre there had been no glass pyramid, so I thought I'd share a picture of what you see when you take the escalator down.

And yes, if you want, you can touch it... and no, I didn't.  Back when I was in high school, there was a guy in my class who was expelled because he'd said to a girl he was sitting next to in study hall, "touch it, make it rise."  The last thing I wanted to do was rest the point of that pyramid in the palm of my hand and watch it grow....💫💫💫😃

Cafe Mollien

Well, it's Tuesday and I get to go back to work for one day.  Hot Damn! (sarcasm).
I did make egg salad yesterday - that's what I'm having for lunch today.
I saw where Kamala Harris has jumped on the impeachment train.   That was not a smart thing for her to do.  This is a real problem.  So many want to beat the Idiot Jerk's ego into a spluttering mass of snot, they're forgetting an impeachment trial will rally his base.  The idea is to constantly whittle them down, continuously carve away chunks of loyalty.  Instead of sending the the polls like so many rats scuttling after a piece of free cheese, we want them to stay home, bitter and disillusioned.  Some are only beginning to understand the present Mueller gave us in his report.  He didn't charge the Idiot Jerk with Obstruction of Justice, but he did give us a road map on how to proceed.  Remember Benghazi?  The Republicans had nothing.  We have the Mueller Report.  We have an attack plan.  Republicans have very thin skin, a simple scrape and they go crying.  We have a tool to give them a brush burn here... and a brush burn there... brush burns, brush burns... cover them with brush burns...can't you hear them gasp?... can't you hear them cry?... cover them with brush burns and all they'll do is whine.
Anyway, I ordered a bench / tool storage box for the back yard for my lawn mower.  I have an enclosed back porch and for most of the spring, summer, and fall, that's where my tools stay.  Well, at some point that enclosed back porch is going to be turned into a laundry room.  Right now they're down in the basement and that too... needs some work.  This is how evolution works on a small scale.
For those who have never been to the Louvre, there are a number of cafes and restaurants where you can dine.  Here is the Cafe Mollien.  This is where the chapter 'Gossip and Glitter' takes place.

There is also seating on the inside, and unless you get there either early or late, there is always a waiting line.

It's so Big!

The title could also be "it's so long," but more on that later.
As you can tell, today's blog is late... very late, but don't think I haven't been busy with this and that.
I watched "The Greatest Showman," last night, it was okay.  By that I mean entertaining.  Zac Efron didn't take off any clothing, though he did sing...  He wasn't bad, though I think with a little less clothing he'd have been terrific.
The Supreme Court is going to take up LGBT discrimination.  This should be interesting.  We already know what corner Clarence Thomas will be in, the same corner every other black man who's desperately trying to be a white conservative goes to.
For Easter I dyed some eggs.  I have done that in decades... in case anybody is wondering.  They came out okay.  Later this afternoon I'll turn some of them into egg salad. 

Dell is sending me a wireless keyboard and mouse.  I had a credit and rather than lose it, they made a suggestion and I said "sure."  They even gave me expedited shipping.  I like Dell.  I write all of my fiction on a Dell.  There, wasn't that nice of me?  Giving them a nice little poke.
Which brings me to the subject of size, choose you 'big' or 'long' as you most favorite adjective, "The Body in the Tower" is pretty much complete.  The friend who's doing most of the editing will be getting his copy on Friday, as will my 2nd reader.  They will be given manuscripts and felt tip pens and I will just sit back and wait.  The hard part is over.  I do have some stats for those who are interested in size.  The total word count is 86,785.  I first began typing it into my "Dell" (see what I did?) laptop on 10/14/18.  So far I have spent 24,564 minutes typing the initial manuscript and all of the subsequent edits, that's about 409.5 hours, or 10 forty hour work weeks.  On 8 x 10, three hole paper, there are 181 pages.  The paperback edition will be much longer, which is why those who buy that version will most likely exclaim "it's so big!" 

Size Matters

Happy Easter!  Happy Wester!  Happy Holiday!  I'm off work, now ain't that just Ducky Dandy!
I saw where hundreds of people were killed in injured in Sri Lanka by a joyous, monotheistic religious group as part of their celebration.  Things aren't so happy there.  Perhaps if leaders stopped inciting the masses, stopped promoting anger and hatred as a means of achieving power we wouldn't have these moments of explosive horror.  I'm dumbfounded that these devout extremists fail to see the irony of a supreme being, one who created the entire universe, needing to rely on puny human beings to achieve power here on earth.  Am I the only one who sees a problem with this?
And for those who haven't noticed, there's a lot of lashing going on in the Republican Party.  I suspect that's a bit of an understatement.  Romney is lashing out at the Idiot Jerk in the White House, using the word 'pervasive' in describing the deceit of the administration.  Romney doesn't understand that's a word most MAGA heads don't understand... too many syllables.  Of course, the Idiot Jerk returned the lashing.  And then Mike Huckabee (the sire of one of the most public liars in this administration), also lashed out at Romney.  He said something like "you could have been president...."  Mike lies as much as his spawn.  Mike's another one of those dingleberry brained individuals who totally don't understand the supreme being.  I think this is mostly because he has virtually no concept of size.  I do not doubt for a second that he believes an AA cup is bigger than an A cup.  If he has problems with this, how can he understand the size of the universe?  Is it any wonder he believes the supreme being is relying on him, puny, little Mikey, for control here on Earth.  Or, maybe it's just his ego...  Or maybe just his greed for power and control.  Here's a little chart Huck should peruse, not that this is going to really help him get a good grasp of the situation.

Those bongo brains in Sri Lanka who believe their shitty bombs achieved something have no clue as to the size of the universe.  To even try understanding that might make their brains, themselves, explode.  So, now you know.  Education is a weapon.  It breaks apart their myths.  Size matters!

Full speed ahead

Well, it's Saturday and for those of you who don't know... today's my Friday.
In the political world, so much has been happening.  The Idiot Jerk in the White has seen is approval rating drop by 3 points in just a day in a half.  Oops...  Melanoma, in her coyly Russian accent advised him to "shtop taulking to press," (no articles in Russian... too defining perhaps?).  Yesterday there was some sort of bitter angry Tweet Storm because people now know that instead of just being a lying sack of shit, he's incompetent as hell when it comes to managing his people.  North Korea is not only calling Pompeo an ass, their describing Bolton as a fool.  Oops.  Remember all of those denuclearization lies?  Guess what?  They were lies.
Elizabeth Warren has begun calling for his impeachment.  Personally, I think we should apply the breaks just a tad bit.  We can do more damage to the Republican Party if he stays in office.  The Idiot Jerk is walking around with little targets all over his body, so let's start shooting our little arrows.  The focus needs to be on whittling down his base.  That's not going to happen if you got for the Big Kahuna.  They will unify around him.  No, we need to make Idiot Jerk look useless.  We need to feed his anger.  When he's angry he does does and says stupid shit.  The longer we needle and pick, the sooner he's going to take that shit and start rubbing it all over his body.  This is what needs to happen.  Not impeachment.  The Republicans tried that with Clinton and it ended up making him more popular.  Our goal must be to truly decimate his ego.  His base needs to feel so disgruntled they will stay home from the polls.  Going after the Idiot Jerk with a sledgehammer will not achieve that goal.
As for the Mueller Report?  We need to wait for Congress to get the unredacted copy.  You can bet the Idiot Jerk has already seen it, thanks to his buddy boy Billy Barr.  He knows who has betrayed him.  He will start lashing out.  Heads will roll.  He and his lemmings see the cliff... and it's full speed ahead.

Out

Finally... it is Friday.  Sometime last evening I hit my hump minute.  It's all downhill from now until tomorrow when I leave work.
And for those who don't know... it's OUT.  The Mueller Report.  I'm talking about the Mueller Report, not Mikey Pence sashaying into the Oval Office in his Carmen Miranda drag.
In spite of being heavily redacted, so many sentences jump out and grab you by the hair on your chiny-chin-chin.  It's like Christmas at Easter.  Presents and candy eggs for everybody... well, not for the Idiot Jerk.  Billy Barr spent what? An hour defending his boss, and then Mitchy McTurtle spent some time defending Billy Barr because...  well, it seems Billy had been doing his damnedest to misrepresent the truth.
But the truth has come out.  Sarah Sanders is the Idiot Jerk's most prominent liar.  When one of her lies was specifically pointed out, she claimed it was a 'slip of the tongue.'  This is a woman who's father blames the LGBT community for the evils of society.  Maybe he should start looking at his daughter's mouth... and maybe grab a bar of soap.
My favorite sentence:  The Idiot Jerk saying "There goes my presidency!  I'm fucked!"  Now, is anybody really surprised something like that popped out of his mouth?  I started laughing out loud.  This fool has been fucked most of his life... and he is only finding out the truth now?  Shit, he's been listening to Sarah Sanders too much.
There are evidently 10 times when he actually, purposefully tried to obstruct justice... and failed, because his henchies either just dropped the ball... or ignored his orders.  The Idiot Jerk has surrounded himself with out and out incompetent sycophants.  Isn't this always the case?  Believe me, this is only going to get juicier and juicier because you know those redacted parts are going to start getting leaked.  The end of the Idiot Jerk's presidency is going to be outstandingly bad.
And finally, as I promised yesterday, here's a bit of the cover art for my next book.

Now, I know some are going to say "but it's only the title..." ah, but you should see the rest.  Those who have seen it have called it 'spectacular,' and 'stunning.'  The artist, herself, as said "this one is so much better than the first one."  I, of course, paid her.  When I asked if it was enough she said..." all I want is copy of the book!"   With the first one, the music I listened to most while in the creative process was Fallout Boy.  With this one it was definitely Imagine Dragons.  Little ditties like this pretty much sum up "The Body in the Tower."

Full Frontal

I got up this morning thinking it was Friday.  Today and tomorrow, I thought, and then I'm off for 2 days.  "Friday, Friday," I sang,... and then I looked at Accuweather.  Shit.  It's only Thursday.  I have to work 3 more days...
Today I get the cover art for "The Body in the Tower."  Excitement is building.  Of course, I'll give a tease.  There's nothing wrong with being a tease... you know?  A little peek-a-boo here, a little peek-a-boo there.  Nothing too revealing.  Full frontal is out until much closer to publication.
This is my kinder, gentler version then the reveal Billy Barr is going to give the Mueller Report.  Heavily redacted, with a twist to the lying side of the truth.  This is why Billy Barr has his job, not to do the right thing, rather his goal is to cover up corruption.  He will distort the truth in order to make the Moral Degenerate in the White House look... more palatable to hungry conservatives.  His idea of teasing is hiding honesty as far away from the public as possible.  He doesn't understand that everything will be revealed.  It's only a matter of time before the Idiot Jerk is forced to go Full Frontal....  Stop screaming!  Just cover you eyes until he crawls back under his rock.
Anyway, I think I need a vacation, a couple of days to work polishing the manuscript.  I got so much accomplished yesterday.  Just two chapters to go before I.... read through it again.  Yes, writing is very repetitious.  No one simply writes a book.  There are always changes.  This is why when I'm finished it goes to readers.  The guy who's going to be doing what I call editing will leave me notes like:  "Boring, " "What the hell is this?"  "Illogical!"  He actually went back and fact checked the ending of "The Body on the Lawn" to make sure I hadn't fudged the denouement.  That's actually a French word which originally meant to 'unknot,'  In other words, that's the point where all the time and effort I've put in to writing the book goes Full Frontal... you see everything.  This is why my Full Frontal is so much better than the Full Frontal of the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  Mine make you smile and say"ah ha!"  His sends you screaming.

Missing Link

Well, it's Wednesday.  I get to go back to work.  Yippee....
UGI was here yesterday to change out a section of my gas meter, a metal disc about eight inches in diameter and two inches thick.  Mercury, they said.  It took 3 of them:  one to sit on my basement steps and text, one to stand by the water heater and talk on his phone, and a third to do the work.  After they had finished, a 4th probed the ground outside my house for gas leaks.  Believe me, it wasn't that complicated of a job.
I was supposed to go see "Hellboy" last night, but yesterday forenoon, as my grandmother used to say, I started shifting towards another film:  "Missing Link."  It got good reviews while "Hellboy?"  Well, a 15% rating on Rotten Tomatoes is not something to brag about.  Even the fanboys didn't seem to like it.  So, instead of blood and violence, I went to see light drama with the occasional belly laugh and some really amazing stop motion animation.  There is a scene in a ship tossed about by giant waves during a terrible storm that is simply jaw dropping.

Anyway, I saw something yesterday where the Idiot Jerk and his satanic henchies want to change the rules so illegal immigrants can be incarcerated eternally.  There was also an interesting article in the NYT how he's racing full speed to the ultra-right, believing there are enough votes in his base to get him re-elected.  Neither he, nor they, understand.  No one has yet to successfully challenge the idea that Conservatives are stupid.  They have always failed... and always will.
Finally, I got a text yesterday.  The cover art for The Body in the Tower is complete.  I will be picking it up on Thursday.  I'm excited.  I've been told it's really, really good.... and I won't be able to get it until tomorrow.  Shit!

Ghosts of Notre Dame

It's Tuesday, they're coming to do some work on my gas meter this morning.  Supposedly it's only going to take them about 2 hours... I hope it takes them much less.  There are things to do today.
Bernie released his taxes... he's part of the 1% group.  Most of his money comes from a book he wrote... don't ask me the title, not a Bernie fan.  Evidently he sold around 273,000 copies.  That means he was making over $4 a book - a lot more than I get.  This means I will probably never be part of the 1%.  Of course, for me writing is a lot of fun.  While I do deal in mystery and suspense, my writing also has a lot of humor.  Sometimes I will write something and have to pause because I'm laughing.
And Notre Dame burned yesterday.  My sister called me at work to let me know, of course I had already been watching the clips on my phone.  I've been there.  I have pictures.  While I can take pictures like this:

I also take pictures like this:

The above shot is the better of the two, I think.  Sometimes, I will get artsy and take pictures like this:

I call this Ghosts of Notre Dame.  At first, it looks like a blurry picture of people walking... until your eye focuses in on the couple in the center.  Suddenly they become the focal point:

And your mind starts to wonder... just what was going on?
If you're wondering what my most favorite picture of Paris is, it's the one below.  I flew to Paris for my birthday.  On that cool morning in November, I walked to the Eiffel Tower.  This was my first view of it up close.... and I was amazed.

How was I to know that years later it would be one of the settings for The Body in the Tower?

Mayor Pete

Back to my normal time schedule for today and tomorrow.  I'm off Tuesday.  UGI is sending a repairman to replace a part of my gas meter.  Evidently there is mercury in it and they say that has got to go.  Two hours they said it is going to take.  That's 2 hours in which the dogs will be sitting at the top of the basement stairs looking down, watching every move he makes.
We had torrential rain last night, probably part of the storm the mid-west got and for a while we were under a tornado watch.  Today we under a 'high wind' watch.  Boy, talk about exciting weather!
Mayor Pete went all official yesterday to the consternation of the Crazy Christian contingent in this country.  (Holy Shit!  How that for alliteration?)  He is a Christian, but he is also... openly gay.  They desperately want an old, white, anti-gay, racist in the White House.  They will vote themselves from here to Hell and back in order to give their hatred life.  They will lose.
I only look at Facebook once in the morning, usually to see if I can sow a little havoc, and that's usually in the morning.  Take this morning, for instance.  One of the many friends I have, posted a meme yesterday about Jesus leaving the flock of 99 to go in search of the 1 lost lamb.  My comment:  "of course, when He got back there were only 87... poachers, you know?"  I'm sure that will go over well.  That's what makes these people so crazy... they park their logic in a car... and then can't remember where they parked their car.  This is so obvious when you listen to what they talk about 'love' and how they 'love' everybody... all the while doing everything in their power to make lives miserable.
So, I'm thinking of putting a list of characters at the front of the book.  While 3 of the main characters were in the first book, not everybody read "The Body on the Lawn."  There are a lot of new characters in "The Body in the Tower," and while some of them have English names, some of them have French names like Moussierre Centee (also known as Mouse), and Jules Laurent, and Saba Fourchette.  There's also Felix Rios, who writes facial recognition applications like Casper and Fatso.  The problem with a list is... how much information do I provide without including any spoilers.  Hhhmmm.
And one additional note about the pasta I made.  When everything was said and done, and dried, I ended up with 2 large bags.  On Saturday afternoon, Big Seig took one of the bags from the counter.  I found him laying on the futon happily chomping away.  He got a smack on the butt which didn't phase him one bit.  He looked really guilty.  I managed to snub him for about 15 minutes...

Not much of a blog today

I slept in... until 0600.  The dogs let me.   That was nice.  Of course I have to go to work because I have to feed the dogs.  They would never let me forget it if they missed a meal.
Much yard work was accomplished yesterday... more seeds planted.  Everything is in the ground except for the spearmint, the cilantro and the poppies.  Yes... poppies.

Now, I must get ready for work.

Gay Fettuccine

We had a lot of rain last evening.  My phone was flashing me info about storms in the area, but there was no thunder so they must have been fairly far away.  All the bulbs and seeds and tubers I planted got a really good soaking.
I also made my pasta.  I made a lot of pasta.  I ran into 2 issues.  The first is that the pasta maker needs to be clamped down and the clamp doesn't work with my counter.  As a result I had to use the kitchen table, which meant sitting down.  I'm a stander.  I like to stand at the counter to do my prep and processing.  I ended up doing the preliminary rolling at the counter, then going to the table, sitting down, and running the dough through the maker.  After that I had to get up and take the cut pasta back to the counter where I had the drying rack set up.  Very inefficient.
There are a number of pasta recipes out there, all of them using basically the same ingredients, flour and eggs, though with different quantities.  None of them tell you how much pasta you're going to end up with, and that was the 2nd issue.  I have a lot of pasta and I used what seemed like an average recipe.  The drying rack I planned on using was filled in no time, so I started laying it out on sheets of wax paper - which only let it dry on one side.  My pasta got moved a lot.  The more I turned it over and moved it around, the more out of shape it got.  As a result, my fettuccine is anything but straight, which I guess means I made gay fettuccine.

This is just a small portion of my pasta

One of those pasta drying trees is essential.
And I saw yesterday the Idiot Jerk was thinking about sending those immigrants he hates so much to Sanctuary Cities.  This man does not understand America, the land of the free, the home of the brave.  He thinks America is all white and selfish like his MAGA heads.  We are not.  Oh, and evidently he told the Acting Director of Homeland Security that if he got in legal trouble by shutting down the borders, what the Idiot Jerk wants him to do, he will be pardoned.  I almost laughed when I heard that... really, I did.  The Idiot Jerk defines the Republican mindset. 

Standing tall

So many things to do... so little time.  Let's see, there's laundry, and dusting, and vacuuming... and those are just some of the wonderful chores calling my name on this, my first day off after working 6 days in a row.  Oh... joy.  Outside, I want to get more more seeds and tubers and bulbs into the ground.  They're forecasting showers for this afternoon, so I'll need to finish that chore this morning sometime... probably after I go to the store.  I'll be planting some Liatris spicata, also known as Blazing Star.  I chose it because it will grow long, and puffy, and will stand tall among the other flowers.  Standing tall is a good thing.

I don't know if butterflies will suck the nectar or not, but I do have hummingbirds.  We shall see if they start hovering around the backyard.  Perhaps Biggie will snap at them, believing they're a snack.  He does that with the big, black, buzzing bumblebees...  they always get away.  I wonder what would happen if he ever actually snagged one.  I'm sure he'd get a funny look on his face just before he'd try and spit it out.  Dog's don't like buzzy things in their mouths.
Brexit got a big delay... which, I suspect, will not go over well with the Bexiteers.  They want their divorce from the EU, and they want it now.  They know that the longer it takes to finalize, the more likely it will never happen.  Those who so desperately wanted it are not getting any younger.  Change happens, if you don't accept it, if you fight it, you will be left behind, forgotten voices buried by time.
Whether they like it or not, the same thing is happening in this country to the MAGA heads.  They are aging.  With every election cycle there will be less and less of them.  And the Idiot Jerk in the White House...?  Everyday he proves how unfit he is growing.  Yesterday he claimed never to have heard of Wikileaks....  Either he's lying, or he's showing severe mental incompetence.  I suspect it's a lot of both.  What we may actually be seeing is his transition from failed president to failed puppet-head.  If that's true, we know who's pulling the strings:  the 2 Stevies, Pompeo, Bolton, Mulvaney, and those crazy Christian Evangelicals.  Of course, this is all hypothetical.  In reality he may just be the Big Giant Head behind their evil. 

Let there be blood

This! Is! My! Friday!  Well... actually it's a Thursday, but I am off for the next 2 days and that counts for something.  And the weather is not supposed to be that bad... a bit cool, but no steady rain... at least that's what they're forecasting for now.  We'll have to wait and see.
If the weather cooperates, I see more lawn work in the offing.  I bought dahlias to put in next to the Itoh peonies.  My squash and melon seeds are already in the ground... hopefully germinating as I type.  There's also blood red poppies and spearmint and cilantro... the mint's for tea.
Julian Assange as been arrested. in London.  How's that for happy news.  I suspected he's really concerned... poor thing (cheeky sarcasm).  Aren't there rape charges against him in Denmark?  He's a loudmouth who thrives off of spilling other people's secrets, now all the dirt he's been trying to sweep under his own rug is going to be revealed.  He is going to learn all about Karma...
And what about Billie Barr claiming the Federal Government was spying on the Idiot Jerk during the 2016 election.  This love song is directed at one specific block of voters, the blood red, MAGA hatted buffoons and brain dead Republicans who hate everything they can't control.  His goal?  To enrage them, to keep them charged up, to insure they show up at the polls in 2020.  Why?  Because the Idiot Jerk in the White House has an approval rating of 43% - that's a death knell if you're trying to get your ass re-elected.  They understand this.  The only way he can keep his tax returns secret, the only way he can keep from being indicted, is to get himself re-elected.  The only way Stevie M., and Betsy D., and Mikey M. and Billy B. from being indicted, is to keep the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  Oh, that's right, there are 2 Stevie M's, Mnuchin and Miller, well hell, they're both crooks, so let's get both of them behind bars.
So, I got a text yesterday from Cori, the woman working on my book cover, that included several pictures of background color.  She asked one question:  do you prefer pastels or blood.  I looked at all the pics she had sent me, different pastels, and they were all nice.  Then I looked at the one in which she'd let her creativity run wild and couldn't stop myself from smiling.  My reply was a no-brainer:  Let there be blood.

Grow

Wednesday.  Yes, it is, in case you didn't know.  Today is my 5th day at work.  I'll get to work tomorrow and then have 2 days off.  From the forecast, I suspect my days off will be... drizzly... at least on Friday.  We shall see.
Pew released an interesting survey on race relations.  56% of Americans believe the Idiot Jerk in the White House has made things worse.  What I find interesting is that when you break it down, only 49% of white people see things as going downhill under his administration.  Statistically speaking, that would mean that about half of all white people see him as creating a more racist atmosphere.  Of the 51% who seem him as not responsible, you have to remember he has a 43% approval rating.  Deduct that and you find that about 8% of Americans don't see him as being accountable.  Who are these people?  Hell if I know.  I think the survey highlights a very sad note about a majority white Americans:  since it doesn't effect them personally, they don't see it as a problem.  I suspect this is the same group of people who didn't pay attention at school, didn't learn anything in science class.  Telling them they are on their way to becoming a minority is about as realistic as telling them they've been signed up for a vacation on the moon.  For them, 'real' is only what is right in front of their nose, anything else fails to elicit a response in their neurotransmitters.  Oh... well, this is how survival of the fittest happens.
I set up the pasta maker to see how it works.  You need to clamp it down because the blades are quite heavy.  This will be interesting.
And, since I've been playing around making little video clips, I thought I show you all a tiny shot of part of my kitchen.  I do have plants... and shutters.  The snake plant in the owl (on the right hand side) is old.... very old.  I got that from my Grandma, that's right, you saw her a few days back.  Originally it was in a yellow plastic 'Art Deco' planter which survived neither its growth, nor the tests of time.

Besides the snake plant, there are aloe plants, an orchid (which isn't blooming right now), and my squash plants., and a jar of peanut butter I use for baiting mouse traps.  In case you didn't know, I do have some luck at making things grow.

How it works

Sometime last evening I went over the hump.  It's all down hill from here until Friday, which is the first day of my weekend.
Since nobody hated my little confetti shooting picture yesterday, I may have to look for something else to shoot out confetti.
So, is everybody else simply amazed that the Idiot Jerk in the White House is driving the white Republican party straight for the white supremacist cliff?  Of course, we always knew he was stupid, vicious man, but what he's doing now is pretty much the same thing as a pre-autopsy.  Not that there was much life left in his base, but he does seem hell bent on cutting them open and showing all the dirty bits that are inside.  I know there are a small few out there who think Kirstjen Nielsen was the worst thing to happen to immigrant children... just wait until the Idiot Jerk puts in one of his White Supremacist lackies.  He's also going to put one of them in charge of the Secret Service.  This is what the Republican Party has wanted since that schmutz Reagan won by a landslide: a dictator.  They have no problem if he's a white supremacist since their party is almost entirely white.  Unfortunately for the party, and the wannabe dictator, they are a minority group that's part of what will soon be a minority group (white people) because of evolution.  This is how the world turns, how change happens.
Anyway, we're supposed to have another warm one today, up around 75 (F).  That's fine with me.  Oh, sure, it's going to cool off with a possible thunderstorm this evening.  This is life, too.  I wanted to purchase some seed packets yesterday, but ended up leaving them at the flooring desk.  I actually ended up getting overtime.  I hate overtime.  Normally I will head back to the time clock a bit early but yesterday I had to cut some blinds.  He wanted 5 - we only had 4.  He asked if we "had more back in the warehouse."  I very politely told him we do not have a "warehouse."  In modern retail, you do not store up additional stock in your warehouse.  There is an algorithm which calculates how many blinds we need to keep on hand based on the frequency with which they sell.  Once the count gets too low, they are automatically reordered.  This is how retail works.
And, since I'm off on Friday I'm going to whip out the new pasta maker and crank out some fettuccine.  If everything works well, I might take a picture and shoot confetti all over my noodles.  Now, doesn't that sound exciting?

Confetti gun is ready!!

The bud

Well, here it is... Monday, and it's not quite hump day for me... even though this is my 3rd day in a row.  Sometime, when I get home this afternoon the humpy thing will happen.  I don't think I'm really going to notice, if you know what I mean.  It's not like the world's going to suddenly shift on its axis.  That only happens in bad Scifi movies.
The pasta maker arrived, 2 free blades were included, one for spaghetti and the other for fettuccine.  I'm off Friday, so I'll probably make my first batch then.  This will be interesting.
So, the first reaction to "The Body in the Tower" is... very good.  My reader did tell me there was 'too much information'  in the first 3 pages about cycling and the Tour de France.  I like what I've written, however I'm not the one who's going to buy the book.  If I were my own target audience, it would be great, but I"m not so those pages will need some reworking.  Otherwise, she said it was great.  Some sections are "laugh out loud funny," others are "suspenseful," and she thought the big "ah ha!" reveal was a "holy shit!" moment.  I'm happy with the response.  I'm thinking it will be published sometime in mid-July.
Of course everyone know that Kirstjen Nielsen is out...  She left rather abruptly, didn't she?  No two week notice.  Nope.  I suspect it was more like a 'fuck you' moment.  The word is that the Idiot Jerk in the White House wants someone who's going to be more a racist, more of a white supremacist.  We can only wonder what Nazi name Stevie Miller is pushing.  Be prepared, the Idiot Jerk's trajectory is taking him farther into 'crazy right' territory.  He is aiming for that whitest of white bases.  White people are still the majority in this country and he believes that if he can unite every single one of them... he will be re-elected.  He will lose, of course.  He, like many Republicans, are trying to control Mother Nature.  Evolution will happen.  There's no stopping.
I'm trying something new here.  I have buds on both my Peach and my Nectarine trees.   This is a peach bud.  If it doesn't work... well, I'l move on.

Think about it

Okay, so I ordered a pasta maker.  That's right, I do make my own pasta... and I'm tired of using a knife to cut it into noodles.  The one I'm getting comes supplied with  fettuccine and spaghetti blades, if I want linguine I'll need to purchase it separately.  It should be here this afternoon.  Sunday delivery.  Thank you Amazon.  No, I'm not buying one of those cute little drying trees.  I have a cooling rack I use for bread, that will do just fine.
Patty, who's been reading the rough draft of The Body in the Tower called Friday evening, most likely to tell me she had finished.  I didn't answer because... I had my phone on mute.  I tend to do that a lot.  On an average, I'll get 4 -5 telemarketing phone calls a day.  While they don't call early, they do call late.  Last night one of them called at 8:37 PM.  This is why I keep my phone on mute.  I work with her this today, so I'll probably find out then if she's finished her read through.
There was an interesting article in the Washington Post about about Biden, the Democratic Party, and the race for 2020.  For those who don't know, the party is not considered Liberal, rather, because of the large number of Democrats, we are considered Centrist Left.  Biden is pretty much seen as a bridge between old and new.  Even though old Bernie can rake in the money from the Far Left, if he were to somehow get the nomination vast sums of voters would stay home.  His Socialist Squawkings are just too frightening to them.  This one of the reasons we have the Idiot Jerk in the White House, those supporting Bernie refused to vote for Hillary.  He will do this again if he gets the chance.  For him, it's not about America, it's about Bernie.  While Biden might not get the nomination, his message is something Americans respond to, so the other wannabe candidates need to take notice.
And I've been digging into my picture archives again.  I've got lots of them, you know?  Old pictures.  Here's one of me with my Grandma Snyder.  She was the smart one, college educated, Kutztown University, 1927.  How many women can you name who graduated from college in 1927?

She taught school in Pine Grove, a small town of around 5500.  During World War II the citizens of Pine Grove were so worried about the Germans they set up a surveillance team, a squad of citizens who would stand watch in the stone water tower behind the high school.  At night, they would climb the ladder to the top of the water tower with binoculars and scan the skies for German aircraft.  I'm proud to say that my Grandma was a member of that squad.  Amazing!  When I was in high school, she started doing Yoga... think about it.  Her name was Gertrude.

Way to Go Joe!

As someone who buys a lot of from Amazon, I get a lot of questions from potential buyers.  People as stupid questions.  I've taken to responding honestly, rather than skip their inanity.  I use ear buds when I do my cardio.  Yesterday someone asked if the FAA allowed you to take the charger into the cabin of an airplane...   My response:  "I don't work for the FAA, so how would I know?"
Anyway, I've probably pissed some people off because of my stand on the Lucy Flores and her complaint against Joe Biden.  I've complained about people calling them 'allegations' because that word implies that a crime has been committed.  Excuse me, but making someone feel uncomfortable is not a crime.  Believe me, I work in retail and I can tell you first hand about inappropriate behavior.  When I managed the paint desk I was constantly dealing with male customers hitting on one of my female associates.  We're not talking subtle glances here, or even a paternal kiss on the back of the head.  There are a lot of grabby men out there, like the Idiot Jerk in the White House, or they say things like "nice tits," or "I like the way you pick of that gallon of paint."  Personally, I think Lucy Flores should get a job at the Paint Desk so she can experience inappropriate behavior in its truest form.
It irritated me that people heard her complaints and jumped on board the 'hate Joe train,' or jumped to the conclusion she was 'poor victim.'  I wonder how many of them knew Lucy is a Bernie Sanders supporter.  The first question that went through my head when I heard that was 'did she help with his 2016 campaign?'  The answer is yes.  'Did she donate money to his campaign?'  These questions make a difference.  There's is the possibility that Lucy Flores may be less of a victim and more a political tool than people realize.   She wants her guy to win and so she's going to do what ever she can to hurt Biden.  Don't believe me?  This is what a co-worker of Lucy's said about her during Sanders 2016 campaign.   There's actually an Equal Opportunity Lawsuit pending against her.  Maybe Lucy's pissed she lost her bid for Lieutenant Governor.
Yesterday Joe Biden gave a speech in which he joked about these complaints.  Afterward he explained and he was very frank and up front.  This was not surprising.  The Republicans see him as a substantial threat because he demonstrates ethics and values, two things the current administration shit away decades ago.  As he spoke he came across, not as a candidate for president, rather him embodied the attributes of a president.  He is what America so desperately needs.  Way to Go Joe!
Oh, and as for the other 6 women who claiming he embarrassed them with what they claim to be inappropriate behavior, I'm going to paraphrase Treaders here:  It's time to put on your big girl knickers.  I mean, do these women think Joe Biden made the uncomfortable, what do they think they'd get from the Idiot Jerk in the White House.

Barr Failed

It's Friday.  There are those who will be posting little dancing gifs because they have the next 2 days off... me?  I get to work for 6 days.   This means I have one of my almost, but not quite weekends next weekend.  Translation:  I'm off Friday and Saturday.
No!  I'm not going to see "Sha-zam!"  I work with a gent (early 60's) who's all excited.  He goes to see every 'super hero' movie.  When he asked if I was going to see it, I told him 'no.'  He over enthusiastically said "but it's Sha-zam!" To which I responded: "I wouldn't see that shit if you paid my way."  In case you didn't know, this gent is a Republican and supports the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  This is the mindset we're dealing with on a daily basis.  When ever I hear Sha-zam, this is what I think of:

Now that I've managed to stick that in your brain for life, shall we move on?
As AM pointed out yesterday, the Idiot Jerk was flipping crazy burgers... with lots of cheese.  Both the NYT and the Washington Post are posting stories about how those on the Mueller investigation are 'unhappy" with the way the report was released.  Fanning the flames is the fact that we all know the Idiot Jerk was expecting a bounce in the polls.  He did try and do some sort of 'victory dance' shouting out he had been exonerated - everybody except his base knew that was a lie.  You see, he thought that putting his henchie (Billy Barr) in the AG position was a sure fire way of growing his approval ratings.  He desperately wants to be popular.  Sha-zam!  The truth is Billy Barr failed.  The Idiot Jerk's approval ratings are... fucked stuck.  Nothing seems to effect them, even Billy Barr's attempted obstruction of justice.  They haven't gotten any higher, and when they drop it's only by about 4 or 5 percentage points.  This lack of improvement is beginning to cause... concern for the Republicans.  They can only rely on one group to go to the polls and vote for the Idiot Jerk and that group doesn't have the numbers to get him re-elected.
One final note:  the Idiot Jerk won on a technicality because of 1 thing, voters stayed home.  Why?  Two reasons:  many Democrats thought Hillary had it in the bag and there weren't enough morons in the US to elect the Idiot Jerk, but something even more telling is that Hillary had a disapproval rating of 54% among Independents.  They just didn't vote for her.  They either stayed home because they wanted Bernie as the candidate, or voted for someone else... not the Idiot Jerk, if they'd done that he'd have won by a landslide.  Approval is everything, which is why we should really be glad that Barr failed.  Sha-zam!!

Blowing in the wind

Well, here it is, Thursday.  This is my first of 2 days off in a row.  I'm happy with that.
And for those of you who haven't heard... the Idiot Jerk in the White House has decided that windmills cause cancer....   ....   (stunned silence) ...  Now why you know he's the Idiot Jerk, though I'm sure most of you knew already.  What he really meant to say was "windmills take jobs from coal miners."  I have yet to see anyone from the Administration even attempting to qualify this inanity.  Maybe they think people won't notice since so much of what comes out of his mouth simply defies common sense.  If it's not because of the coal industry, then it has to be because of his hair.  Yeah, now that makes sense, too.

Oh, and Mitch and Co. went nuclear yesterday.  They want to get as many conservative judgeships as possible.  This is how they plan on forcing the country down a narrow minded path which only a minority of people want.  These Republicans are so damn stupid.  I mean, they are really dumb.  They do these changes without even thinking about what's going to happen when the Democrats take over.  Look at the House of Representatives.  When they had the majority they were constantly tweeking the rules and regulations to give themselves more power to investigate, to subpoena, and to challenge the White House.  Now the Democrats have the majority and those powers to investigate, to subpoena, and to challenge are now in their hands.  One can only wonder if Trey Gowdy is looking over his shoulder saying "oh... shit."
Anyway, I managed to get a couple of pictures of the dogs playing in the writing room (formerly the dining room). 

They do make me laugh.

Prepare

Wednesday... and it's my retail version of Friday - off for 2 days starting tomorrow, of course then I need to work for 6 days after that, so...
Yesterday Gallup put out something in regard to the Idiot Jerk's approval ratings which states the obvious:  among Republicans, the subgroup giving him his most support is 'middle-aged and older white non-grads.'  Okay... so is anyone surprised?  Not me.  Now we know why his Twitter rants sound like those of a high-school dropout: the members of that subgroup are his 'number one fans!' The only time the opinions of subgroups come in to play is with Independent voters.  Among Independents his approval ratings sits at a solid 34%.  Shit!
I bring this up because yesterday the people of Chicago voted Lori Lightfoot into the Mayor's office.  For those who don't know, Ms Lightfoot is black... and she's lesbian.  If you listen closely, you can hear Pat Robertson spinning in his grave... wait... what do you mean he isn't dead yet?  Shit.  Well, if that's true, we need to prepare ourselves for the damnation of God.  Mark my words, the next time something bad happens, a storm, a mass shooting, or California falls into the Pacific Ocean, old Pat will spit out something like "America's being punished for Lori Lightfoot!"  Oh, and he's not going to be alone, there are quite a few white Evangelicals who are going to be farting out the same shit.  And that white uneducated subgroup who loves the Idiot Jerk in the White House?  They'll believe Pat and his fellow haters.
The truth is they are the ones who should be preparing... but they're not.
Can we get a round of applause for Lori?

As I was writing this, I wondered if the Idiot Jerk in the White House called to congratulate her, I mean she is going to be mayor of the 3rd largest city in America.  He may have, to do otherwise would make him look like a stinking racist.  Does he realize this will bring a change to 2020?  Chicago has a lot of voters.  I would not be surprised if he and his White Evangelical cronies are already preparing the hate they will need to spread.  They don't understand that this is a sign... and not the one for which they are so desperate. 

Squash This

Tuesday!  and I get to go back to work... and I'm not really that excited about it.  Can you tell? 😒  Even though I only have to work for 2 days, I'm still feeling 😒... this is life.
I saw where a 2nd woman has come forward to complicate Joe Biden's bid for the Democratic nomination.  He made her feel very uncomfortable by... rubbing his nose against hers.  The first thought zinging through my mind when I heard that was:  "What the fuck!"  The 2nd was? "Is she under psychiatric care?"  Can we talk about being overly sensitive?  Does she complain about everything that makes her feel uncomfortable?  What she really needs to do is get a job in retail.  Back when I was managing the paint department, I color matched an exterior stain for a woman.  She was furious because the match was not exact.  She yelled across the counter, "I hope yesterday was your first day on the job because you're fucking incompetent!  If not, you should be fired!"  So, tell me, what do you think Miss Nose Rub would do in this situation?  Burst into tears?  Or, maybe look for Joe Biden to give her a comforting nose rub?
Over in the UK, I saw where Nick Boles has resigned, adding to the Brexit mess.  His reason?  Conservatives are refusing to compromise.  What world has Nick been living on?  Conservatives never compromise.  Look how they're screwing up America.  Their most favorite word is... "no."
And, speaking of America, evidently many Republicans felt that when Billy Barr refused to admit the Idiot Jerk in the White House was guilty of obstructing justice his approval rating would... go up.  That's what the Idiot Jerk thought, that once the 'witch hunt' was over the American people would fall in love with him.   That man is dumb as a brick.  A large majority of voters still believe there was some sort of collusion, and they're certain obstruction of justice was a daily practice.  As a result his approval rating is stuck in a stagnant pool, supported only by the brain dead conservatives whose favorite word is "no."  An approval rating of 43% is horrendous if you're trying to get your ass re-elected.
Finally.  More of the seeds I planted are getting blossoms.  These are definitely squash. 

If the weather warms up enough, I'll take it outside so some buzzy insect can make it pregnant with baby squash.

Grower?

Well, here it is Monday morning... and not only is it the beginning of a new week, today is April Fools Day.  Wisely, I took a vacation day.  No jokes on me... unless the dogs decide to pull one.
Of course we know, Kellyanne Conway has her calendar all screwed up.  She thought yesterday was April Fools Day.  You know what I'm talking about... that little joke of hers regarding Biden and his 'hair kiss.'  She needs to get serious.  She's working for a scumbag who bragged about grabbing women's pussies, and when accusers came forward he called them liars.  He called them worse then liars.  Here's a little truth Kellyanne needs to learn:  unless your own ass is free of shit, don't point to someone else and say 'something smells funny.'  But then this has always been a conservative tactic: distraction by pointing.  The Idiot Jerk in the White House does it all the time in his attempt to create a host of phony targets.  Unfortunately the only ones who are buying his blame game are his base, which is why his approval rating will never get above 43%.
The polishing has started on "The Body in the Tower."  I working my way through a 'slow read' highlighting, crossing out sentences, adding in sentences, and rephrasing paragraphs.  In "The Body on the Lawn," I moved chapters.  That's not happening here.  I was better organized.  I have a friend who has a copy, and she's doing the same thing.  Just because something makes sense to me, doesn't mean it's going to make sense to the reader.  Once this phase is complete and the corrections done, a copy will go to the gent who's handling the editing process, and another to Gloria for another 'opinion.'  In the creative process, my opinion amounts to zilch, it is those of others that count.
Finally, an old Navy friend posted a group picture in Facebook.

It was taken at Subic Bay Naval Station.  I don't know where we were going, not into to town though, since the guy on the right never went into Olongapo.  I find it funny that the way the light is hitting me I look like I'm missing a shoulder.  That's right.  I'm the one in the green shirt.  I also find it amusing that I seem to be one of the taller guys in the picture.  I was 5'8" when I joined the Navy and almost 6' when I was discharged.  Does this mean I'm a grower?