CPAC prepares for the Impact

 Today is Sunday.   Today is also the last day of February.  Tomorrow I get to flip my Red Hot Calendar and see what March looks like.  Today is also a day off for me.  I do not have a lot planned, except for editing, going to my local Giant, and a few loads of laundry.  

I did sleep in because today is Sunday, my day off, and because I stayed up late watching a disaster film called Greenland.  I liked it.  Unlike Armageddon, where Bruce Willis saves the day, the happy ending here is just surviving.  This is not like other disaster movies.  There are no funny bits.  Gerard Butler gives a credible performance as a man trying to save his family.  It's worth the rental cost.

Yesterday was very busy at the store, until around late afternoon.  Then things began to slow down.  Saturday nights, like Sunday afternoons, are normally not that busy.  Things are slowly spinning back into what will be our normal routine.  I wouldn't be surprised if masks become part of our normal routine, especially since they almost totally eliminated the flu season.  Wearing a mask during certain times of the year appears to be the logical response in preventive medicine.

CPAC ends today.  For years the event was nothing more than a far right event where participants angrily spat out their shrill little prayers of anger.  Then 45 managed to get elected through the Electoral College began growing louder.  Rush Limbaugh, a fat racist with thin skin, cheered on their bitter craving for control.  And then Trump to center stage and the Republican party gurgled and bowed to their desperate, wannabe, tin foil dictator.  This year they celebrate his presence with a golden statue made of cheap fiberglass and spray paint.  Participants see him as a great comet ascending the heavens.  In reality, he is the party killer.  There is no hope for Republicans, no bunker in Greenland.  The louder he is, the more devastating his impact will be on the GOP.  Good.

In Loch Adair

 Saturday.  I suspect things will be busy at work since the weekend is now official.  Live goods are coming in by the truckload as we ramp up for spring.  Right now we have drizzle.  Tomorrow a more steady rain is expected.  Of course, I'm scheduled off.  That's fine.  Right now most of my time at home is spent finishing up The Body in the Loch.  I do enjoy the process, the research, developing the plot, putting the words into the computer, however there is a point when, like a very pregnant woman, you just want it to be over.  For those interested, I have about 60 pages to go until the final edit is finished.  Yippee!!

And, of course, spring is just a few weeks away.  My brother asked if I thought we were going to get anymore snow.  There's a dusting out there now, but the temps are going to hit the mid 50's (F) again so... no, I don't think we're going to get any more snow.

Deciding how I'm going to set up my garden is one of the things I need to work on.  Last year I attempted potted tomatoes... and got very little fruit.  The potted peppers, on the other hand, were abundant.  So, I'll need to think about what I'll pot and what I'll just stick in the ground.  One thing I was happy with last year was the fact that the dogs didn't eat the peppers, a problem in the past.

For those who are interested, the lyrics from this song made the cut in the final draft.  Now, all you have to do is wait to find out how they fit into the discovery of a body floating in Loch Adair.

I sent my brother a text yesterday regarding the golden statue of our loser president and... he replied saying he's done with Trump.  We have not had a serious discussion on the subject, but I'm suspecting the attempted coup attempt on January 6, may have had something to do with it.  Or perhaps it was the image of Giuliani's sin bleeding from his pores.  You know what I'm talking about.  We thought he was having a bad hair dye day, but to a devout Christian who believes in signs... they saw his corruption running down the sides of his face.

 

Eternity

 Holy Crap, it's Friday!  I can not believe how fast time is flying by... or maybe I've just had too much caffeine this morning.  Nah, that can't be it.  I'm one of those rare souls who can drink a pot of coffee and then go to bed.  Blame the Navy.  There were times cruising around the Gulf of Tonkin where our shifts were 6 and 6: 6 hours on and 6 hours off.  That's the definition of rotation hell.  Most likely it is nothing more then a side effect of the aging process.  And though it may seem to be flying past at breakneck speeds, this is not to say passing hours are always enjoyable.  Yesterday, for example, was slow and every minute seemed like a freaking eternity.  To be honest, I think those who desperately are seeking to spend an eternity in an afterlife are crazier then hell.  For them, conceiving the length of eternity is beyond their feeble little brains.  For them, the same is true about the universe.  You say universe to them and you can tell simply by looking in their eyes that their personal universe has a perimeter about 217 and a half feet (66.29 M) away from their confused consciousness.   See, I told you it wasn't the coffee.

The size of the universe is too much for some to bear

Next Saturday, some of my Navy friends are having a Zoom meeting and I plan to participate.  I have not seen any of them in 48 years.  This should be interesting.  I'm thinking about recording it and then sending them copies.  Thanks to the Pandemic, Zoom has changed our lives in so many ways.  This is a future no one quite predicted.  

The Cult of Trump began its annual meeting yesterday.  This is a group which has spent what to them feels like an eternity, or at least since Reagan's reelection, an eternity trying to wrest power away from our Democracy.  Formerly known as Republicans, their only goal is to dictate and control.  They have moved so far to the right the idea of a country that is mostly Centrist horrifies the hell out of them.  Creating a holy evangelical empire is their goal.  They have no true idea of how long eternity is, they just know they want to spend it demonizing everything they hate.

Cheap Republicans

 Okay, so I assembled my new computer desk yesterday... in only 4 hours.  I had anticipated 2 maybe, however that was before I realized you needed to use a tiny allen wrench to tighten every screw.  

The tiny wrench and one of the 2 inch screws

No fast screwing here.  The keyboard tray was not installed because, following the instructions, when it's in place there's no way to tighten the locks holding the desktop in place.  Of course, I now realize I don't need the tray, the shelf works simply fine.  This is what you get when you choose to purchase a piece of  'inexpensive' furniture.  The simple truth is not to believe you're going to get quality when you go cheap.  Those who think 'cheap' is good lie to themselves.  Time will only continue to make the inexpensive less valuable.

I was planning on a ride or run yesterday, sadly neither happened because it took so long to put together my new desk.  I did make some meatballs for a soup I'm making in the new Instant Pot.  Three minutes cooking time.  Now, that's nice.  

Evidently there was some sort of on camera brush-up between McCarthy and Cheney in regard to our failed president speaking at CPAC and his future involvement with the party of failures.  I didn't watch any of the clips, but plenty of people were talking about it.  There is so much seething anger within that party.  Seriously.  You see, like their one time president, they have continuously told themselves they were winners.  This is why so many of them believe the Big Lie.  In their minds, if the Big Lie was truth, then they are not only losers, they are extreme failures.  This is why many of them will take their belief in the Big Lie to their deathbeds.  To believe otherwise is crushing.  Like inexpensive furniture, you get what you pay for and not much else.   

Where I Stand

So, I slept in because I stayed up to watch the last 4 episodes of The Stand, hence a post a little later than usual.  What did I think for this version?  If you're like me and read the original book oh, so many years ago, you can skip the last episode since that a new, more prolonged ending of an earlier revised ending.  It's totally unnecessary.  I did not like that the main characters had their stories told in flashback, many, many things were left out.  The idea of an extended miniseries is to pack in as much of the original story as possible.  Flashbacks weakened the dramatic threads binding the characters together.  The only character who ends up having any substance is Harold Lauder who appears in 7 of the 8 episodes which tell the story, his storyline is that important.  The rest are given short shrift and so there is no heartache at the end when some don't survive and that's a shame.

My new desk arrived yesterday, and will be assembled later this morning.  I'm also using my Instant Pot to make a turkey meatball soup.  Also, because the temps are supposed to get up into the mid 50's (F) a walk is planned for the dogs.  I do believe we are turning the corner and heading into spring.

Oh, and I saw where Mike Pence declined an invitation to speak at CPAC.  The Cult of Trump is continuing to tear apart the party.  Yeah!!

Now, it's time to cook some breakfast.

To Go Out There

 We had snow yesterday... between 6 and 7 inches.  And I did go to work.  The little storm that went through?   Right from the start we knew it was only going to last a few hours, not like the last 2 which went on for days.  We also knew the temps were supposed to climb into the mid to upper 30's (F), which they did.  One of the benefits of going to work on a snow day?  There are very few customers.  Smart people don't drive in snow unless they have to, the dumb shits?  Well, why do you think we know them as dumb shits?

My new desk arrives today.  I'm looking forward to the assemblage tomorrow.

For those who haven't seen the landing of Perseverance yesterday, here's the video.  I can never repeat often enough that this is the reason we are here... To Go Out There.  We are like a seed of grass.  Plant it and watch it grow and spread.  Our purpose is not to be born so we can die and go to an afterlife.  Where is the future.  Our purpose is all important and so many religions simply don't get that.

The Supreme Court handed down 2 decisions yesterday primed to piss off Republicans.  Trump needs to hand over his taxes and all related forms, and Pennsylvania Republicans trying to overturn the vote were told to stick their complaints up their... in their... hell, every single orifice they have is filled with shit, so I have no idea where they're going to stick it.

As expected, Trump geysered a stream of lava level hatred at the Supreme Court.  You see, he thought he stacked it with judges who would kiss his ass every time he bent over.  I'm betting they can't wait to shove from the frying pan into the fire.

Cleaning up the Mess

 We are under a winter weather advisory until 1 PM today.  They're predicting a little snow, from a dusting to possibly 2 inches with temps in the upper 30's.  Tomorrow temps are supposed to hit the mid 40's (F), and on Wednesday the mid 50's (F).  For some reason, I thought I had off tomorrow, well I was wrong.  I'm off Wednesday.  I can live with those temps on my day off.

The time has come to begin looking for Spring decorations for my Season Tree.  That's right, the snowflakes and bears need to be packed away.  One thing that will not be hanging from the boughs will be plastic Easter eggs.  It's a seasonal tree, not a holiday tree.  I might buy some four leaf clovers, not because of St Patty's day because I like green.  Besides, St Patty's day is really just a good reason to drink beer and eat corned beef.  As for ornaments, there are a lot like this:

My new, little desk is set to arrive tomorrow.  Since I'm off Wednesday, that timing couldn't have been better.

And what about those electric bills some people in Texas are getting?  Thousands of dollars.  I got a hardy chuckle when I saw Republican legislatures from that state were saying the Federal government should help cover the cost.  These are the same people who pushed for free market unregulated energy sales.  No restrictions.  Competition will keep prices low they claimed, an old Conservative chestnut which should have been thrown out years ago.  Rather then the Federal Government, I believe those law makers should pay those bills out of their own paychecks.  What really happened here is that they shit in their pants and now want someone else to clean up their mess.    

Phony Christians

 Good News!  The Temps are going up!  Wednesday forecasters are saying we will hit 50 (F).  Of course, they will drop back down, with highs predicted to be in the mid to upper 40's (F).  Still, this means winter is on the verge of turning the corner.  I do like the changing of the seasons.

Yesterday was busy at work.  Customers seemed to come out of the woodwork.  Cue stupid customer story, or maybe I should say Phony Christian Story.  So, yesterday I'm sitting at the Flooring Desk and this woman comes up and says "I'm with the Morning Sunshine Church and we're thinking about putting in around 1200 square feet of vinyl plank."  Before I had a chance to say anything, she continued.  "We've already gotten our Tax Exempt paperwork done and I'm interested in getting bulk pricing for 1200 feet of vinyl flooring."  Very politely I told her bulk pricing is handled through our Pro Desk and there was someone working who could help her.  "I'm not doing that," she exclaimed, "I'm just interested in bulk pricing."  Again, I politely repeated myself, to which she said, "I'll have to go someplace where they'll work with me."  And... again, I reiterated that they could help her at our Pro Desk.  "I guess I'm just going to have to go to Lowe's," she threatened as she started tow walk away.  So I said, "go ahead.  Go to Lowe's."  You see, our competitor functions the same way we do, and she'll have to go through their Pro Desk if she wants a bulk price discount.  Do I need to remind you she's purportedly a Christian who attends the Cracker Jack Crazy Morning Sunshine Church?

Did I tell you I bought an Instant Pot?  Sometimes for pressure cooking, but mostly for steaming.  It's also going to be replacing a very old Crock Pot that's at least 30 years old.  That's right, I use a crock pot that old.  Here's the replacement.

Here's a funny thought, as America continues to change all of the gerrymandering the White Republican Party has done to stay in power will be made moot.  Do you think we should tell them?

Oh, and I saw that our failed president is expected to speak at CPAC.  Can anybody tell me if any one person has done more to damage Christianity in this Country then Trump?

Loud Mouthed Failures

 Good Saturday Morning (Afternoon, Evening, or Night depending upon your location) World!  The sidewalks and streets are clear of snow and I'm going to work.

I'm also, maybe, growing a beard.  Shaving daily doesn't bother me.  A lot of our customers like to see a clean shaven man.  They believe this is a sign of professionalism.  I know first hand this is not the case.  Besides, I wear a mask every day... for over 8 hours.  Customers do not see my face.  Masks hide a lot.  However, if it ends up looking anything like this loser's beard I'm shaving it off.

Facial Hair... Weird?

Lunch today is going to be Shepherds Pie.  I made enough to last the week, however I'm going to freeze several portions.  I do like some variety in my meals.  

I saw where AOC raised a lot of money to help with the crushing disaster in Texas.  Being the curious sort, I began searching the Internet to see if any Republicans were doing the same thing, I mean, Texas is a big, red state.  Surely they'd be running to the rescue.  And I found... nothing.  So much for Christian Ethics. I guess they just don't care about their own.  Biden has stepped in and offered Federal Assistance to not only Texas, but the other states crushed by this arctic blast.  This is how you turn a state from red to blue: when they're down, you help them back onto their feet.  While not all voters will remember this when the go to the polls, many will.  Oh, and take plenty of pictures and videos so that when election time rolls around you can remind the citizens of Texas that Republicans are nothing more then loud mouthed failures.

Black Out the Sun

Surprise, it's Friday... and I get to go back to work tomorrow.  Yippee Ki Yi Yay! (For those not familiar with the phrase, those are Long I's).  And no, I'm not really excited, though I did set my alarm clock to get up at my normal time.... which is almost like staying at a Motel 6.

I jogged almost 3 miles yesterday.  Holy Shit, were my legs sore last evening.  I plan on climbing back on the bike this afternoon for maybe 10 miles or so.  Remember, your legs are the engines of your body, use them as often as possible.

That smaller computer desk I ordered?  Cancelled.  It was supposed to be delivered yesterday.  Well, with the snow I expected a delay.  Wrong.  I received an email stating it hadn't shipped yet because of problems relating to it's size.  No doubt the seller placed and order for the desk the minute they received my order and there were problems.  This is not the way you do business.

Here's a song that didn't make the lyric cut for The Body in the Loch.  My apologies to Darren Hayes.  I had thought about using some of the lines when xxxxxxxx happens, except that doesn't happen now.  Xxxxxxxx disappeared in the final edit.  It's still Black out the Sun is a really good song from an Out artist.

Shall I mention Lyin' Ted Cruz?  Nah, everybody else is.  That loser is all over the place.

And what about the late great state of Texas and their bumbling governor Abbott?  Evidently he's been giving ERCOT every piece of trinket legislation they're craven little hearts desire.  Fossil fuels make Texas Big, and because no one thought winterizing the power plants was a good idea, fossil fuels hit them with a sucker punch.  The truly sad thing is that they'll make the consumers pay for the winterization.  They're conservatives, remember?  They will always make someone else pay for their mistakes.

 

Snowball's chance in Hell

 Well, it's Thursday and we have snow.  The prediction is for 'heavy' snow until around noon and then tapering off.  The odds of me going into work are slim.  It's not that I couldn't make it there this morning, it is the getting home that has me concerned.  The storm is to last until tomorrow.

I talked to Verizon yesterday.  Several odd things happened.  I went into Chat to see if things could proceed with my getting put on hold for 45 minutes to speak to a living human.  Surprisingly, 2 seconds after I initiated the Chat, Gary was answering my questions.  When I told him I wanted to eliminate Verizon from my life he gave me an 866 number to call.  Three minutes after I called, I was speaking to Melinda.  When I told her I lived close to a T-Mobile tower, and they have $50 per month internet a door opened.  Melinda offered me Internet alone, at the same speed I have now for... are you ready for this?  $39.99 a month.  You can bet your ass they are not losing money.  They are, however, losing subscribers.  I Googled it.  People are cutting their cable line left and right, at about the same speed moderate Republicans are changing their party affiliation.  Don't get me wrong.  Verizon still sucks, they're just changing their tactics.

I rode 18.72 miles yesterday!!  Took me an hour.  I was very well pleased.  A little over 100 years ago there was a ferocious battle along the Ijzer Front between the Germans and the Allies.  I rode past concrete armaments that are still standing.

 Today, since the possibilities of my calling off are increasing at about the same increments as the snow, I will probably do a joggy / runny thing on the treadmill.

Thin Skinned Rush died yesterday.  No loss.  There is one less voice of hatred in the world.

Did anybody else see the clip with Lindsey Belle whining about 2022?  He's worried.  Really.  He wants all Republicans to unify under the Cult of Trump.  Here's a link to CNN if you want to watch.  I had to chortle at the part where he says the GOP doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell without traitorous 45.  Someone should tell that girl the Republicans don't have a snowball's chance in hell... period.

Verizon Sucks

 Oh, gosh, it's Wednesday and I'm scheduled off.  I didn't set my alarm so I slept in, that's turning into a bad habit for me.

I have eggs cooking for egg salad, and later today I'm thinking of making potato salad, sans mustard.  For some reason unknown to me some believe a tad of mustard makes it Amish (pronounced ahh - mish, with the short 'a', not with a long A).  It doesn't.  Believe me.  I grew up in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country.  No mustard.

Later this afternoon I have an appointment at the Verizon Store.  I live 15 minutes away and I know it's much fast to drive there and piss and moan, then wait 45 minutes for a Chat session to open, or an hour and a half on the phone listening to their hold music.  Why am I going to piss and moan?  My rates went up $13.15.  There was no change to any of my services, Verizon just thought it was time to charge me more because the the billions of $$$ they rake in every year will never be enough to satisfy their stockholders.  T-Mobile has wireless internet for $50 a month.  Their tower is 1/4 mile from where I live and my service is excellent.  I've checked the reviews and for what I use the Internet for, occasional streaming of movies, T-Mobile would work well for me.

And what about Texas?  It's cold down in the Conservative Red state.  And Abbott, the governor, is blaming green energy, even though wind turbines and solar energy are responsible for only 16% of the energy on their power grid.  While other power grids are struggling with the Artic Blast, the Texas grid stands out because unlike other states which rely on power from multiple sources, including other smaller grids in other states, Texas stands alone.  They are a power grid unto themselves.  For years Texans have bragged about this, the fact that they rely on no one else.  I do not doubt for a second this is their punishment for voting Republican, for choosing to worship Trump over all other things.

Drumming out the Truth

 Can you believe it?  February is past half over?  Spring is really just around the corner.  Forecasters said I was going to wake up to a crusty coat of icy, sleety, snow.  Maybe in your part of the world.  Outside the temp is a nearly balmy 34 (F).  The remnants of the past few storms are slowly melting away.  This is fine with me.  I don't mind winter, but I do long for a return to the more comfortable temps of spring, days when neither the furnace nor the Central Air need to be turned on.

I had a customer call yesterday about returning pieces of vinyl sheet we had cut for him.  We had some serious server problems, so I told him our system was down.  He hung up before I could tell him we don't take back vinyl that has been cut to size unless there is a manufacturers defect.  When customers hear this, they lie and blame the store, saying the vinyl was cut too short.  There is a certain breed of customer who, when faced with the choice of either paying for the cost of his own mistake, or getting a refund by lying, will always lie.  For those who don't know, we call these people Republicans.

Saturday morning, while I was sitting on the sofa in the writing room editing, Biggie decided to join me.  There are times when I think I post more pictures of Lilly and Seig, so, grabbing my phone, I took one of Biggie.  Keep in mind, his head is about the size of a small watermelon.  Here he is:

He's ready for his close-up, Mr. DeMille

On yesterday's entry, Maddie commented about her feelings regarding the Republicans failure to vote guilty on the failed presidents 2nd impeachment.  Keep in mind, 7 chose to side with the Democrats.  That's amazing.  Everybody knows that had there been a secret vote, he would have been found guilty. Still there are concerns regarding his acquittal.  While at lunch, I saw this article in The Guardian illuminating an article in the Wall Street Journal, owned by the Conservative Rupert Murdoch.  The numbers are fascinating.  58% of Americans feel the failed president is guilty of fueling the January 6 insurrection.  That number is not Democrats.  Nope.  That total represents over 330 million Americans.  57% of Republicans say the Loser should run again.  The article goes at great length to emphasize that number equates to the minority party.  On a good day, Republicans make up 30% of all voters.  Basically, 57% of that 30% ( on a good day) want him to run again.  One sentence that is repeated a number of times in the article is 'Democrats will win.'  This is what happens if the lying sack of shit runs, or back a loyalist, or simply back a Republican.  'Democrats will win.'  Americans are furious.  As a result, Republican voices will get louder and louder as they struggle to drum out the truth.

Patterns

 Monday, and the weather is supposed to be icy.  I only wish the forecasters could get their times right.  Originally the icy / snowy mix was to begin this afternoon around 1300.  Now they're saying it has already started.  Well... not here.  They've also adjusted their total accumulation downward to about an inch of snow and a glazing of ice.  I do sometimes believe weather forecasting is still not a science, that predictions are made after pulling suggestions from a hat... or a box... or maybe they're using a big, spinning wheel.

My return to work was... slow.  There were some customers, but around 4PM they began to dissipate, like a spring shower that has just passed over.  Spring is on the way, in case you were wondering.  This means I'm will need to begin ordering spring ornaments for my seasonal tree.  This should prove interesting.

There was an interesting article in the NYT on how the Pennsylvania GOP is attempting to change the way judges are chosen in the state.  Right now the state supreme court leans liberal.  Now, as my friend Patty would say, "those crack-heads in Harrisburg so the less popular, very white rural areas have more power."  That's right, they want the more populated, more diverse areas of the state to have a weaker voice.  They no longer care about the people, just their narrow minded viewpoints which they desperately want shove down the throats of the majority.  I have no doubt their rule changes will end up going to first the state supreme court, and possibly the national supreme court.  I have no doubt this legislation will fail.  

Like a crappy summer thunderstorm, their power grab will fail as the state continues to become more and more diverse.  Their weather pattern cannot be sustained and they will back themselves into a corner somewhere in the Appalachians where inbreeding will leave them toothless and bald. 

Old and New

 I can't think of a better way to say this then to blurt it out.  I go back to work today!

I've already taken my temp 96.6 (F).  This means that when I give you the cold shoulder, I give you the cold shoulder.  And, I've done my health check.  No, I don't have Covid.  I do know when I get there I will find lots, and lots of candy, which means once again I'll working on my inverted hour glass figure.

This morning, I also stepped on the scale for the first time since I began my little staycation.  Up 3 pounds.  No matter how many times I tell myself I cook without calories, my little scale always proves that to be false.

Last evening I ordered myself a  new computer desk.  Nothing fancy.  Not like my writing desk downstairs.  At present, I'm using my grandmother's old make-up table, which means it's very old.  There used to be a mirror attached to the back, however that disappeared long before I took ownership.  For those who don't know, Riding On gets written upstairs on my Cyberpower gaming PC, which is also where I pay my bills, and play some of my games, as well as read the news feeds I get.

Old Desk

The writing of the books, my taxes, my language courses, and odds and ends are done on my new desk downstairs.

New Desk

And, of course, the impeachment came to an end yesterday.  The dead Republican Party, or at least most of them, have chosen to bury themselves with their wannabe tinfoil dictator.  McConnell voted to acquit: he said he though the procedure was unconstitutional, but then he ripped Trump a new asshole, proving he has neither a chin nor a spine, only a bony thistle he calls a heart.  This is really all about power.  Those choosing to nail their souls to the failed president only see the 74.2 million votes he received.  The fact that moderates and independent voters are running for the hills doesn't make it into their rivaled little consciousness.  They are guilty of the same old shit they've been charged with before.  And get ready.  They're going to get crazier as they continually move towards their own extinction.

Winding Down

On the last day of my staycation, I plan to do laundry.  I am an excitable one, aren't I?  Not having to go to work, I've spent most of the past 7 days wearing sweats.  Comfy, eh?  That's the idea.  I had planned on getting more running and cycling in... well, they didn't happen as much as I had hoped.  Keep in mind, flexibility is essential for survival.  Things narrow when you strictly follow a regime excluding chance or choice.  I know people who are rigid and unbending and wonder how they can live a life so void of opportunity.

Anyway, I don't know if Maddie's entry yesterday on scrotox influenced me or not, but yesterday afternoon I made meatballs.

I've also spend quite a bit of time working on the final draft of The Body in the Loch.  I like to think my books are a cross between Hitchcock an Christie.  This one is a bit different, however, more like Hitchcock turns Downton Abbey into a thriller.

And, of course, I have been thinking about the next book.  Right off the bat there are certain things I need to exclude:  water, snakes, towers, museums, ghost towns... oh, and tango dancers.  I might go artsy, with a touch of art deco.  One of the titles flitting around in my head is The Body in Repose, sort of like a still life painting... with a little murder.

The impeachment is in the process of wrapping up.  Trumps idiot defense team took all of 3 hours to lie.  Either today or tomorrow the Senate will vote on his guilt or innocense.  Most think they already know the outcome.  During this trial we've seen Republican Senators doodle, and dawdle, and even disappear from time to time.  These Republicans believe many of America's voters have a short term memory, that by the time the 2022 election rolls around they will have forgotten January 6.  They really don't give Americans much credit, do they?  Niki Haley, however, is breaking ranks.  She understands that the far right, the MAGA heads, will never vote for a woman, so she's setting her sights on all those dissatisfied, moderate Republicans.  Breaking with Trump will give her some advantage, however, her socially conservative background is a big hindrance since American now realizes that without Social Conservatives, there would never have been a Trump in the White House. 

The Power of Love

 Well, yesterday was quiet.  Today will hopefully be the same.  We had a bit of snow, easily shoveled.  My car was cleared off and ready to go... and I went no where.  No need.  Believe me, it's nice not to have a required destination point.  

The weather today is supposed to be cold.  If the forecasters are right, we should top off at around 29 (F) which is below 0 for all you people using Celsius. Tomorrow, we're not supposed to expect warmer temps.  It's not until Sunday that our thermometer is going to once again rise to 40 (F).

By the way, Sunday, the day I return to the Specialist grind, is Valentines Day.  Translation:  there will be boodles of candy waiting for me at the store.  Candy can be good.  I don't buy it, so the only time comes my way is when someone else buys, or provides.  

As for it being Valentines Day?  I am not now, nor have I ever been a romantic person.  For adults, valentines gifts between each other tend to be a prelude to a fun night between the sheets.  The need for some to celebrate that by having a 'special' day doesn't make sense, as if that were the only day in which you're allowed to show your feelings.

Anyway, the Kaiser Chiefs have released a cover of The Power of Love to celebrate this one day, which is, I suppose, their way of intimating they'd like to have sex with each and every one of you.

And I the Democrats wrapped up their Impeachment charges yesterday.  They warned the country our failed president might try again to steal an election, might incite a riot.  Their problem is that it wasn't just him, it's most of the Republican Party.  For them, Make America Great means Make America White.  They are trying to stop the forces of nature.  The world is changing.  America is changing.  They are desperately hanging on to the vestiges of a belief system which denies science.  They hate science.  They hate the fact that time will mute their voice eternally.  Even though many Republicans would love to screw you over, they, themselves, will never know The Power of Love.

Another late One

 Because I was on the phone for hours last evening, and then I stayed up and watched The Sound of Music.  Instead of renting the movie, I bought it since there was some sort of promotion going on.  That's right, it was Free.  Free is nice.  The first time I saw The Sound of Music I was 12.  I went to see it at the Colonial Theater, and there was reserved seating, and I went by myself.  Believe me, I had no problem going alone.  In fact, I went to see quite a lot of movies by myself.  Matinees were great for me.  I could take the bus into downtown Lebanon, and after the movie walk up to the Good Samaritan Hospital where my Dad worked and get a ride home.  I wonder how many parents would let their twelve year old kids do something like that nowadays. 

One of the people I talked to last evening was my friend Betsy, who's watching every second of the impeachment trial.  She provided me with the lurid details since I'm not watching it.  I do believe the Democrats are hoping for a conviction, but there main interest is in damaging 'the party of no' to such a degree recovery will be impossible.  More and more you're hearing moderate Republicans talk of starting a 3rd political party.  I wouldn't be surprised if that happens. 

In a bit, I'm going to go out and shovel snow.  We got about 2 - 3 inches, which is a big drop from the 6 - 10 inches that were originally forecast.  This is fine with me.  I'm actually waiting for the temps to rise high enough to melt what is in my backyard.  Right now, it's still too cold and the doggie's doodles are freezing to the ground.

And finally, I did make pancakes yesterday:  banana, walnut.  I snapped a picture to whet your taste buds.

The Jewel

 Golly Gee!  I did really sleep in the morning!  An hour and a half, and I'm rather proud to say I did not wallow in the blankets.  I'm blaming the dogs.  They didn't get up.  Nope.  Just laid there snoring after the alarm went off.  I mean... what else was I to do?

My shoulder's feeling better, still hurts, but so far no popping.  I'd be willing to bet I strained it while put several cases of 12" x 24" tile up on the shelf.  They weigh about 50 lbs each, and lifting them 3 feet off the floor to slide onto the shelving is no easy task, especially when you're not 22 years old anymore.

For those interested, Lily is walking around the house with an orange and fluffy squeaky duck in her mouth.  Quite often, that seems to be a highlight of the moment for her.

And I did see this bit of the NHS (National Health Services) with Elton auditioning for a Covid vaccine spot.  This man is a jewel... so is Michael Caine.

The editing is continuing for The Body in the Loch.  The first 2 chapters were combined into 1; I threw out about 2000 words.  That's fine.  They were unnecessary.  The writer who can't cut words is more concerned about his words then he is his story.

Yesterday was the first day of Trump's 2nd impeachment.  Congress sat through a horrifying 13 minute video which was carried by the major networks as well as most cable news networks.  While I don't believe that asswipe is going to be convicted, that video continues to build on America's anger.  The number of Republicans abandoning the party is unprecedented.  His party will stay with him because without his base, they are nothing.  The ugly truth for them will be that even with his base... they are nothing.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go make banana walnut pancakes and douse them with gallons of maple syrup.

Shame

 So, this is how Tuesday starts:  I really felt like sleeping in this morning.  The temptation was great.  My bed was warm, the covers thick, and the dogs were snoring away - even after the alarm went off.  And I lay there for a full 8 minutes before rousing myself.  Just because I don' t have to go to work, doesn't mean I can squander away the day.  So, here I am, typing away.  The mug I bought in Breckinridge, filled with steaming coffee (and just a large dollop of whole milk) is sitting on my desk.  Oh, and downstairs Biggie is barking.  He wants to go out, not to relieve himself, but because he knows when I let he and Lily back in they are going to get biscuits.  Smart, eh?

 My left shoulder has started aching, not constantly, but occasionally.  At some point I will need to make an appointment to get it checked out.  This is the problem with aging, things do begin to break down.

Being the curious sort, I checked out Moderna to check on the efficacy: 2 years is what they're thinking.  This means my yearly flu shot is going to be joined with a bi-annual Covid inoculation, of course mutations and variants might change that.  In other words, if you want to survive in this changing world we will need to rely more and more on science, and if you're a Cracker Jack Crazy this is not good news.

And just in time for spring, the Foo Fighters have a brand new album.  The visuals in the first video are stark.  The song is great.  Rock and Roll will never die.  Now, sit back, turn up the volume on your speakers, and watch, and listen to Shame.

And Donald Trumps 2nd impeachment trial begins today.  There are going to be some witness, but mostly there will be visuals for both Congress and the World to see.  One of the rioters used shit to write on the walls of Congress.  I hope they show those words.  Even if they don't get enough Republican votes to convict, the Republicans lose.  The smart ones know they should vote yeah, cut their loses and start from scratch.  The dumb ones don't know this shame will be used against each and every one of them when they campaign for re-election.  If you can't drum them out of existence, shame them out.

Beyond the Blue Dwarf

My shoulder's a little sore from my shot and I was tired, but otherwise there have been no side effects.  I did take a picture of my vaccination card to post, but then I read that doing so is a bad idea, you're giving the world too much information and identity thieves just love that.

The last of my fire guramis died.  The rest of the fist in the tank are fine, it's just the guramis I've had problems with.  Out of the 6 I initially purchased, only 1 is still living, the blue dwarf.  Oh, wait, that almost sounds like a code name, doesn't it or something from a sci-fi fantasy.  "Seek out the Blue Dwarf, he has the answers..."  Being the curious sort, I Googled it and discovered there are quite a few images for blue dwarf, including this... a penny dreadful.  The curious mind is a great thing!

I saw where Amy Coma Burnett authored the decision last week saying California churches could open in spite of the the Covid Pandemic.  I thought it was a terrible mistake, but evidently some of the Cracker Jack Crazies are upset because they feel she didn't go far enough.  I suspect they will find out Amy's more concerned about her reputation as an individual conservative voice then about being their puppet.

Of course, Conservatives in general do not understand that January 6 has changed everything.  Some do.  Lis Cheney does. She is all too well aware that the events of that day are going to haunt them for years.  So many of them are closing their eyes and stoppering their ears to the fact that major investigations are going on, investigations which are going to have serious repercussions.  But then they deserve it, don't they?

As evidence, look at what the Hachette Book Group has done: fired their Editorial Director.  If you had a wacko cracko conservative book you wanted published, like Donnie Jr, and everybody was rejecting you, Hachette was the place to go.  Not any more.  They are no longer publishing books with hate speech.  Now tell me, how many conservatives can even survive without hate speech.  Their writing has become less insightful and more inciteful.  Where's a hater going to go to get their anger published?  Well, definitely not Hachette.

Let the Staycation Begin

 I like to start my vacations with a glass or two of wine, and even though I stopped off on my way home and picked up a couple bottles of Louis Jadot, I ended enjoying a glass of chocolate milk while playing Valhalla.  I'm heading into East Anglia.  Many dismiss games without considering the time and effort which goes into their creation from coders to rendering artists, or the fact that writers create choices which lead to multiple endings, happy endings and sad endings.  And then there's the music.  The score for a film needs to cover only two hours.  Those composers putting notes to paper for a game that plays for 100 hours or more need to do so much more.  There are not just one or two themes, but dozens for a multitude of characters.  Take a few minutes and listen to the opening theme from Valhalla.  The composers were Sarah Schachner, Jesper Kyd, and Einar Selvik.  Can you hear the pipers?

My vaccination went well.  Today there's some soreness, but that was to be expected.  You read and hear about long lines.  The VA had everything organized extremely well.  The only wait I had was after my inoculation - you need to sit and wait 15 minutes to ensure there are no serious side effects.  My next shot is on March 6.  I've already asked for that day off.

What are my plans for today?  Well, two or three loads of laundry.  I'm going to make some chicken salad.

And, have you ever seen anyone more single minded then a Republican?  Lawsuits are beginning to slap them silly.  Dominion and Smartmatic are proving the only way to shut up their lies is to go after their money.  What do we get from them?  Hedging around the truth.  Honesty charts a course for them they can not take, to do so is to uncover a field of falsehoods they are incapable of harvesting.  Their garden is consumed by weeds.  Instead of trying to root them out, they sow variations of the same untruths.  This is their lot in America, to be the phonies in the field.

The Quickie

 Just some fast words this morning... well, the words themselves aren't fast, I'm just putting them here in what might be record time.

I received a test yesterday from the VA asking if I wanted to sign up for a Covid vaccine.  I texted my response 'yes' a few seconds later.  That initiated a game of Text Tag, me against the machine.  I receive a texted time and date, I'd reply, and instead of a Congrats, I get another date and time texted to me.  The Congrats came about 40 minutes into this game.  I will be getting my first Covid vaccine shot this morning at 0930.  I work, of course, but was told Go Get The Shot!  I don't know which one I'm getting, but at this point I don't really care.

And what about Lou Dobbs getting his ass fired from Fox News?  What I saw was a statement that he will not be back on the air...  Son of a bitch.  And only one day after Fox got sued.  I wonder if Maria B's going to sing some little ditty on air about how Trump is a lying sack of shit from Hell, or if she's getting the ax too.  And Jeanne P's in the same sinking boat.  And you can't help but wonder how many other Dominion has on the target.  Perhaps a couple of Trump's kids.  Ouch.

Watch out for that hole

Yesterday was quiet.  I went for run / walk which I messed up: 15 minute fast walk, followed by the 31 minute 5k training.  However, because I just paused my Garmin rather then stop it completely, the two times were added together.  The end result was that it looks like I took almost 24 minutes to cover one mile.  Ouch.

My left shoulder's sore.  I think I strained it while lifting a case of 12" x 24" tile too high to put on the shelf.  Yes, I also work with tile and sometimes you need to lift the cases almost 5 feet off the floor.  Or, possibly, this just might be a sign of old age.  There's no getting around the fact that we do get aches and pains as we get older.  It's how we deal with them that's important.

I'm scheduled to work for the next 2 days.  Yippee.  They've done a change on how our personal sales numbers are reported.  New fiscal year, you know?  Changes always happen then.  Where as before our sales were compared to other specialists in the district, now it appears they've given us all a goal to strive for.  So far we've received no communication as to whether this goal is just weekly, or cumulative.  I will admit to being a bit surprised at how high the goal was for this time of year, and if it is cumulative, are we all going to end up going deeper and deeper into the hole?

And what about those spineless Republicans?  They're running head first towards their own hole.  How are they doing this?  Secret vote on whether to keep Cheney in her leadership position, voice vote on Marjorie Taylor Green.  Secret votes are honest, voice votes are meant to please their base.  The problem here is that they're desperately trying to hold onto their base.  And, like most stupid people, they see the hole in front of them, however they can't keep themselves from falling in.  You see they look at the total votes Trump got in 2020 and never ask themselves why, they just see that total figure.  Over the past 40 years, the winning party has lost seats in Congress.  They see his total number of votes and believe this is going to happen again in 2022.  They totally ignore the fact that he created an insurrection and that people died.  That fact has already fallen into the hole.  Moderate Republicans are angry, American's are furious, and those facts have also fallen deeply into the hole.  All they understand is that 74 million people voted for Trump.  This is why they're going to fall into the hole.  Sheer stupidity.

 Reuters gave us a list of every Republican who voted to investigate the 2020 election.  However, when asked if the election was stolen from Trump, only 10 said no, the rest declined to answer either 'yes' or 'no.'  Many of these names will be voted out of office.

Both Sides of their Mouth

 Well, the snow is beginning to melt.  While cold weather is in the forecast, there are no new storms heading my way.  Overall, this winter has been snowier and colder than last, but not by much.  One decent snow storm, which lasted over 2 days, dropped more snow then we had all of last winter.  Precipitation for the next 2 weeks though looks spotty at best.  

UGI is stopping by this morning to change up something on my meter.  Supposedly, this will make it easier to read.  I can remember when they sent someone by every month to read it, but that was a long time ago.  I haven't seen the actual face of a meter reader in years.

I got a notice on Facebook that one of my cousins is 75 today.  Son of a bitch!!  I had no idea she was that old.  I guess that means I'm no spring chicken either.

Cori handed off the cover art for The Body in the Loch.  Here's a tease.  You do know, I really do like to tease, don't you?  I've started working through the final draft.  

I saw that the failed Republican Party had some sort of late night coffee klatch where the fascist blonde Marjorie, speaking from both sides of her mouth, apologized for her past incendiary remarks.  She's a Q Quack Pot, so you know she's lying.  They also did not reprimand the other bottle blonde Liz for voting to impeach the Trump, of course they had to vote by secret ballot to save her authority.  Reuters details how the GOP is paralyzed by indecision.  They don't see how they can win any elections by pissing off the crazy base, but neither can they see winning any election by not appeasing the moderates.  In other words, they've screwed themselves.  Rather than take a solid stand, they regurgitate spineless word salads about election integrity without providing anything even remotely substantial regarding voter fraud.  Evidently neither side of their splitting party is happy with their inability to make a stand. As they article says, they want to have their cake and eat it too.  But then this is so normal for a party that celebrates liars and conspiracy theorists, and because of this, it maybe a long, long time before they begin to win elections again.

Explaining Everything

When I took out the garbage this morning, I saw we had received another dusting of snow.  The temps are supposed to climb into the mid 30's (F), so I'm not expecting it to last past noon.  If the forecasters are correct, next week, when I'm on vacation, however, the temps will not rise above freezing.  This is winter.  The dogs go out and come back in when it's that cold.

I do go into work today.  It's inventory day, of course I'm not involved.  This is so much nicer than when I was in management and practically lived at the store in the weeks prior to Regis' purple vested associates swarming over the aisles.  Who knows what changes Covid has wrought on the inventory process.  One thing that's nice this year, with the snow we've had, the store should be fairly customer free.

Yesterday, Electronic Arts announced the release of Mass Effect, The Legendary Edition.  Mass Effect was one of the main reasons I got into gaming.  This was the first game which allowed the player to select their gender, you could play as either male or female.  Social Conservatives went crazy.  Choices you made during the story effected the ending; there were multiple endings, some were good and some were bad.  Oh, and did I mention you could have same sex relationships?  Choices.  Think about that.  A set of games where the decisions you make effect the outcome of so many things.  Here's the trailer.

And if you haven't been paying attention, the Republican party is continuing to self-destruct.  Dimwits, like Ronna Romney McDaniel, are screeching that they need to put the party first.  Which Party?  She's telling the moderates that if they continue changing their affiliations they will never win back the House, or the Senate, or the Presidency.  In other words, she's telling them to just shut up and vote straight Republican, no matter how much you hate the direction the party is taking.  She doesn't even want compromise in her own party.  Oh, and in case you didn't know, it was under her watch that Republicans lost the House, and the Senate, and the Presidency.  Ronna's a big supporter of the failed president. Oh, you say, that explains everything.

 

Lily Looking out the Window

Well, we finally got the snow we've been waiting for, I'm going to guestimate the white stuff's about a foot deep; guestimate because late in the afternoon the winds began blowing.  Yes, we have drifts.  Nothing monstrous, mind you, the deepest being about 2 feet high.  Nice.  There was a break in what my grandmother would call the 'forenoon.' which lasted about 3 hours.  At that point, we had received a few inches, not really that much.  My neighbors went out and shoveled.  They evidently realized this was a 2 part storm.  They went out again last evening, and will be shoveling again this morning to take care of the drifting.  Later this morning, when the wind dies down, I will go out once.

Yesterday I printed off the first picture from my new printer.  I took it earlier in the day.  I call it Lily looking out the window.  And, in case anyone is wondering, both she and Seig went out multiple times to play in the snow.  Oh, and the printer is amazing.

And what about those rollicking Republicans?  If they keep chewing off their feet, they're not going to have a leg to stand-on.  McConnell has called the Q Quackers a cancer.  The chinless fool needs to start naming names, of course that would mean suddenly growing a spine.  Moderate Republicans, disenfranchised from the party of Lincoln, are dropping their affiliations by the thousands.  Ronna McDaniel, the RNC president, says the moderates need to stick with the party lies.  That's not happening.  In the end, the only ones left will be Trump worshipers.  The party is devolving.  Good.  Their baseless lies are gnawing them to pieces.  I suspect it will take them years to put together anything that even remotely resembles a political organization.  

 

What we have so far

 Monday.  According to calendars, this is the first day of the week.  An accurate description of yesterday was slow.  After an initial rush in the morning, most people listened to the forecasters and stayed home... not all though.  Not all though, and in a way I was one, you see I stopped off a Giant on my way home from work and picked up an Italian sub and a bottle of red wine.  The girl at the counter complained, "they sent everybody home but me."  When I told her she was essential, she glared at me.  Nice.

So, here we are on Monday morning.  I looked at Accuweather and it looks to me as if most of this storm is slowly spinning off the Jersey coast.  They're still predicting around 8 to 10 more inches.  Just to be on the safe side, I'm going to take a personal day.  Wouldn't it be a real shitter if this was another bust of a snow storm after the way this thing has been hyped?  We will just have to wait and see.

This is what it looks like from my bedroom window.

I was talking to my friend Betsy last evening, and both got a kick out of the Idiot Jerk's defense team quitting.  Evidently he wanted them to lie about election fraud.  I find it sad that over 72 million Republicans believe his lies.  Personally, I don't think reality will ever enter their world.  They are too lost in the rapture and wonderment of themselves they will never escape that fog.  Let's be honest, they've been lying about elections for decades.  They will never understand their Conservative beliefs only play well to a minority crowd, and since minority political parties rarely win, they have have to cheat and lie.  The only time there will ever be an election without fraud is when they win.  They are never going to change.