At the Border

 After one day off, I get to return to work today.  My next day of is July 4th.  I can't remember ever having off on this particular holiday.  Normally the store closed around 7 PM so people could do the 'fireworks' thing with their families, but not this year.  That's odd.  

Yesterday was really hot here, 97 (F), though not nearly as insanely hot as Portland, OR.  Around 0900, I went out and mowed my lawn.  Can we talk about being sweaty?  My lawn is not that large.  On a bad day it'll take me half an hour to mow the entire thing.  Yesterday was a pretty good day, only about 20 minutes, and I needed to take a shower afterwards.

I also got a ride in.  Nice.  

In fact, I accomplished so much yesterday, I was rather pleased with myself.  Peaches were frozen, about 4 quarts worth, laundry done, the fish tanks cleaned.

And also connected with some of my Navy friends on a Zoom call.  One of them hates Democrats.  Literally.  He attempted to bring politics into the conversation and got shot down.  Good. There are certain times when you need to keep your politics to yourself.

I understand our failed presidential candidate wannabe fascist dictator is going to be in Texas today.  He's going to the border.  Nope, we're not kicking him, though there are quite a few who would be pleased if that were to happen.  It seems the slimy governor, a loser named Abbott, has started a 'go fund me' to build The Wall.  I wonder how much money the loser's going to donate?  Probably none, unless his failed accountants can use it as a tax deduction.

And what about that MAGA governor sending 50 National Guard troops to the border?  Their all expense paid trip is being paid for by a Republican Mega donor.  That part is so filled with hate.

Momentum

Well, after 4 days, I have a day off.  Many things are planned, mostly household recreational activities.  Doesn't that sound nice?  Household Recreational Activities.  Rather then say that I've a lot of chores needing to be accomplished, I just say I'm going to be spending a few hours with that good, old-fashioned HRA.  As long as I don't provide details, no one is ever going to know, will they?

Every year around this time Strava usually hosts a Trek Challenge: ride at least 100 miles in 30 days.  Not this year.  I suspect Trek bowed out.  This year you can create your own challenge, cycling, running, climbing... you name it.  You can design a group challenge, or an individual one specifically for yourself.  The only goal I have is to ride, stacking up both hours and miles on the bike.

There's also a Zoom call scheduled for this afternoon with some of my Navy buddies.  I'm participating downstairs this time.  On the last call, I had to keep letting the dogs out and then back in multiple times.  If that happens today, I hopefully won't spend as much time at the back door.  Of course, it's supposed to be stanky hot so they might just sleep through the afternoon.

When your town makes it into Joemygod, it isn't always a good thing.  Mechanicsburg was in one of the headlines.  Some stupid MAGA named Sandy Pomeroy Weyer got her ass arrested for participating in the attempted coup on January 6.  She's kind of skaggy looking, don't you think.  Here's the link if you want to read about it.  This is the face of selfishness, and the look of hatred.  She bragged about not being afraid of the police, and then her Facebook posts began disappearing meaning in the real world she's a spineless sack of shit.

In an interview published by the Atlantic, Billy Barr said the claims of voter fraud are nothing but Bullshit.  Those with half a brain, or more, have known this from the beginning.  The only reason grasping The Big Lie is that without it, they are lost.  They see it as a life preserver.  In reality, it's a rock that will drag them down.  Thank you gravity for giving that rock momentum.

Taking the temps

 And so today I reach the end of my 4 day work week as many of you begin yours.  Ain't life odd sometimes?  My lunch / dinner is cooking in a small crockpot: chicken, with olives, tomatoes and basil.  I threw in a handful of white grapes to give it a bit of pizazz.  And yes, if you're wondering, I cook my lunch everyday, and always with fresh vegetables.  

Today the mercury is supposed to climb up to 94 (F).  I don't know if anyone says that anymore, but that used to be a rather common phrase.  There was a time when people used mercury in thermometers, even the ones in stuck beneath your tongue to take your temperature.  Once, when I wasn't feeling well at school, I bit one and broke it; the school nurse was not pleased and had me spit out the pieces.  Now, just sit back and imagine that, me, with mercury in my mouth and having to spit it out.  For those who don't know, mercury is poisonous.  And we used it in thermometers.

For those who don't know, the Tour de France in now racing it's way through France.  Interestingly, I learned about the big crash on Day 1 from people at work coming up to the Flooring Desk and asking if I had heard about it.  Two associates gathered around as I pulled up the videos on my PC.  Until I began talking about the race, and watching it, they wouldn't have given the Tour a wit of thought.  The crash everyone was talking about was caused by a fan, shoving a sign bearing the name of her town out into the peloton.  her stupidity raise the temps of  the Tour's racing officials and now they're going to sue her ass.  More power to them.

And a Republican committee in Michigan rebuked The Other Guy and his Big Lie.   That's right, they found no fraud, saying he lost fair and square, not that the truth is going to sit easy with his base, or that they'll even consider it.  Nope.  Their hatred is hot.  The truth is Republicans have always been rotten losers.  Always.  This is why 'voter fraud' has been their favorite whine for years.  It's easier for them to believe that then the fact that Americans really don't like either them, or their politcs.

Sit back and wait

 Well, here it is Sunday and Sunday's are slow days.  The temps are to begin their 90 degree (F) run, which means all ceiling fans are running upstairs as well as the Central Air.  This is what happens when you have a very old house with limited venting.

Yesterday was 'cake' day at work.  Not sheet cake or layer cake, rather cate was represented by the Little Debbie, Ding Dong, Hostess Twinkie processed cardboard-fiber cakes complete with hydrogenated, sugary oil substituting for a whipped cream filling.  This doesn't mean I didn't eat any, it's just a notice that I did wreck havoc on my digestive tract.

Yesterday was also the day I learned we no longer have to do the 'health check' before we punch in; no more annoying buzzing sound from the time clock if we skip that step.  I am so happy about that.

And an odd thing happened.  Around 0300 my watch buzzed, waking me up.  It was a notification telling me I had an alarm scheduled for 0500.  That's never happened before.  I think I'll turn of notifications, because I dismissed the notification and the alarm didn't go off.  This means I'm running a bit late, but only a bit.

I'm planning on doing a 10 mile ride this morning as a nice way to end the week.  Yep, that's right, my weeks end on Sunday.  Some religious beliefs have the week ending on Saturday,  Working in retail, Saturday and Sunday might as well be Tuesday and Wednesday.  Most people don't know there was a time in our not too distant past when weekends didn't exist for most of the workforce.  They are a relatively recent luxury.

If that thought wasn't enough to brighten up your day, I have eggplants.  Here's a pic of one.

Finally, I saw Loser #45 had his super-spreader event in Ohio.  Hello, Delta Variant, make yourself at home.  From what I've read, this variant is so contagious you only need to be in close proximity for a few minutes.  By September, it's supposed to be the dominant strain, which is why it's not only going to be the GOP who's holding super-spreader events.  What we really need to happen, is for as many unvaccinated people as possible to attend these things, and then just sit back and wait.

Masterclass

 Can you believe it's Saturday?  So soon?  Days just seem to be flying by, don't they?  or maybe it's just me because in another 3 weeks I have another Staycation booked?  Time tends to grow painfully slow when we think about a group of multiple days off and we say things like "it can't get here fast enough."

I set the bread machine timer last evening and woke up to the smell of freshly baked Italian bread.  That is really nice.  Of course, I'm actually going to have a piece of peach cobbler for breakfast.  Yes, I know, it's loaded with fat calories and the carbs are stretching from here to hell and back but... well, somebody has to eat it.  I'll just have to put in a little more time on the bike... or the treadmill.  Easy peasy.

The central air just kicked in.  Outside the temps are sitting in the mid 70's (F).  They're supposed to climb towards the 90 degree mark today.  Beginning tomorrow, they're supposed to ride a wave of 97 (F) for several days.  That's hot enough to make Charo dance.  For those who don't remember, Charo was a popular cu chi cu chi girl who was married to a gent named Xavier Cugat for a while.  She was very popular on the late night talk show circuit.  What many didn't know then, and still don't know, is that she is considered a great classical guitarist.  Here's an example of what is considered 'masterclass' guitar.

And sometime this coming week criminal charges are going to be filed against the Trump organization, probably just the first of many such indictments.  Will the Orange Anus himself be indicted.  I someone don't think so.  He's always been smart enough to dupe others into doing all the dirty work, like that dufus Giuliani.  Of course, if Giuliani flips... well, then there's no telling how many heads are going to roll. 

Finally, I understand Loser #45 has his first super-spreader event this evening, at least I believe it's this evening, or it may be next Saturday.  I don't really follow his calendar of evil.  Anyway, if someone attends and gets infected by Covid and ends of dying, guess who's responsible?  Not that it really concerns the failed president.  The only reason he's doing this tour is to push The Big Lie to his base.  This is how you kill a party. 

Mounted

 Holy Crap!  I get to go back to work today!  In case you haven't realized it, there's faux excitement in my words.  You know? Me?  Work?  Any sort of joy whatsoever?   Ah, I'll be honest, it's not quite that bad.  I'm not going to really mind working for the next 4 days.  In fact, the only thing I find disconcerting at all is the steady rise in temps.  Tuesday, my next day off, the temps are supposed to crest at a toasty 96 (F).  That's warm... really warm.

One of the things I accomplished on my 2 days off was getting all four book covers mounted in the hallway.  Each one is an original work of art.  I tried to order the same frames for all of them, but things didn't quite turn out as planned, so from now on I suppose they will all be different.

I went to see "Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard" last evening.  I had a fun sans mask.  Almost like old times, except the kids at the concession stand were wearing masks.  Not vaccinated.  The movie was very funny at times.  Lots of action.  Ryan Reynolds has become quite the safe actor, being reliably funny or serious as the need arises.  There were 2 surprising bits of casting:  Tom Hopper, from The Umbrella Academy playing a rival bodyguard, and Morgan Freeman playing Ryan Reynolds' father... don't ask.

For those who didn't see it, Republican Governor of West Virginia, Jim Justice (okay, you can stop laughing at his name) said that if you're not vaccinated, you're entering a death drawing.  He said he doesn't want the wheel of death to stop at his name, though if you ask me, that would indeed be justice, his being a Republican.

And rumors are spreading as to which one of Trump's closest minions is going to be thrown under the bus first.  I understand odds are growing it's going to be Jared since isn't really genetically related.  There have been rumors that Jared and Ivanka Danka have been trying to put some distance between themselves and Loser #45.  Which might make sense, since the failed will always place blame on someone else.  Of course, there are also rumors that those 'distancing' rumors are just 'pr.'

Cobbler

 And is this a happy Thursday morning, or isn't it?  The temps are comfortably cool outside, (68 F) and the sky is clear.  However, to day is the last of the 'moderate high' days, starting tomorrow the thermometer is going to begin to climb.  Heat is moving in from the west.  I'm so glad for my Central Air.

I did bake a fresh peach cobbler yesterday, and believe me, it is delicious.

There are still quite a few left over, so I'm going to freeze them for later.  If I were my grandma, I'd can them, but I'm not.  She also wore an apron when she cooked.  Do people still wear aprons?

Some friends stopped by last evening, they have a new puppy, a chocolate Labrador who was supposed to be a service dog.  The individual who was supposed to get her, was too elderly, so they ended up with her.  Named her Seneca.  I told them that's her official name, they will end up calling her something else, like Siegfried became Biggie.

Americans didn't make a lot of babies last year.  In fact, the count is the lowest in over a century.  Some of the blame is on Covid, some of it has to do with women just not wanting to have babies till they're older, but mostly, at least this is what I think, is the cost of raising a child is exorbitant.  American Capitalism, you know.  It's all about the bucks. Prices keep going up because everybody 'needs' to increase revenue by 5% yearly.  That 5% is not balanced by wage increases.  Nope.  And everything goes up, even your utility expenses, you see, they need to grow by that 5%, too.  As a result, people aren't making babies.  I can remember when a single income was enough, now it doesn't come close.  Maybe corporations shouldn't be so greedy.

Harvesting

 The temps are a bit chilly, willy outside this morning, with the thermometer sitting at a collectively cool 50 (F).  The dogs love these temps.  I don't mind them, since I like wearing comfy sweatshirts.

Today is the first day of my weekend.  And, surprisingly, I didn't stay up watching some show on Netflix, or Amazon Prime, or Paramount +.  Instead, last evening I busied myself around the house.  Most of my laundry has made it's way through both the washer and the dryer and is now either folded or hung in preparation for the coming week.

The peach harvest will begin in earnest today.  I do suspect there is at least one peach cobbler waiting for me in the not too distant future, that will take of some of my peaches.  Other's will be frozen, or eaten.  I'd like to attempt a jam or a jelly, but that's small challenge which will have to wait.

Oh, and in case any one is wondering, it's not just peaches I'll be harvesting, my peppers will soon be ready for eating.

I've given a rough draft of the first chapter of The Body in Repose to one lucky reader, and even before he had read a single word, I had already begun making changes.  That is how it works.  Yesterday, we had rain up here in Central PA and I checked out the weather map and was pleased to see the line of storms stretched from New York all the way down to New Orleans.  Could there be a predominant weather pattern in the book?   Well, I will tell you up front... there is no hurricane.  Oh, and in case you're interested, there's no Mardi Gras either.

From what I understand, Covid cases are on the rise in the unvaccinated, MAGA states; the Delta variant is more popular among that group then hotcakes with maple syrup.  You know, the more super spreader events Trump holds, the faster his anti-democracy base will cull themselves out of the voting booths.  This is fine.  Culling is an important piece of the evolutionary puzzle.  In fact, it's a lot like harvesting, though I can't think of anyone who's going to want to put MAGA jam on the menu.

Halleluja!

My Friday has arrived!

Yesterday work was tedious.  I spent most of the day at the Flooring desk fixing and correcting problems.  Issues do crop up from time to time, sometimes they're the result of an error on our part, other times it's a problem of the customer's creation... meaning, no matter what the facts prove, we're responsible for the mistake.  This is one of the many reasons, I do not doubt, retail employees are leaving their jobs in record numbers.  We deal with a lot of people who do nothing but fluff themselves up with self-entitlement.  This is why I'll be singing a special song once September arrives.

I'm harvesting peaches tomorrow!  Lots of peaches!  

Yesterday, Carl Nassib, a resident of West Chester, PA, and the first active player of the NFL came out as gay!  I was going to send him a note on Instagram telling him to expect his free toaster oven, but decided not ruin Bob's surprise.

Finally, according to the CDC, thanks to the new variants, we should see a spike in Covid infections this fall.  Of course, the vast majority of those getting infected are going to be the unvaccinated; evangelical Christians, social conservatives, Qanon heretics, and the anti-vaxxers, or, if you feel the need to just lump them into one category, Republicans.  This will happen because so many of them are in denial, thanks to the failed president they worship.  Truthfully, most of us who have been vaccinated, or are in the process of getting vaccinated don't really care.  The common attitude I find towards these fools is 'more power to them.'  Which is a quiet way of singing hallelujah. 

Being this was a holiday weekend

 Let the new work week begin! 

Yesterday was... slow, for the most part.  It was Father's Day.  We have a lot of Asians who don't recognize our holidays, not that Father's Day is an official holiday.  As such, customers came in a half hour before I was set to leave looking for information on blinds.  That was not a very good thing.  Consultations easily take an hour or more.  Most people don't realize how complicated the process is.  Luckily, all of their questions were answered by the time I had to leave.  They have my business card and will call and set up a proper consultation.

I suspect that today will be slow as well.  Out next big holiday is July 4th, and by now, everybody is finished prettifying the exterior of their home.  This means sales will drop off.  Even they should have known better, sales' plans do not seem to be taking into consideration last year is different then this year.  The dollars are still rolling in, just now at the rate they were last year.

This morning's ride will probably be through Amsterdam.  It's short, only 7 miles, but a good way to begin the week.

Not much caught my attention over the past couple of day because this was a holiday weekend.  Sure, the media tried to hype something, but the sleazoid Republicans were pretty much silent... except for down in Florida and Texas, two states wishing they could secede from the Union.

Each of those states has a Governor who seems bent on running for the Presidency, and each is trying to out trump loser #45 in their  attempts to hold on to the MAGA base.  By doing so, they continue to make themselves look bad.  Nothing's going to change their.  And when their asses get kicked out of office, they're going to sing that ever popular Republican hymn, 'Voter Fraud.'  In fact, the choruses will never stop until we finally shut up their voices.  Vote blue.

And finally, here's a nice picture of the dogs.  I've probably posted it before, but it's work a 2nd look.

Father's Day

 Sunday.  This is my Hump Day.  I'm excited.  Hitting the halfway point is always exciting.  After today, everything will be moving downhill and I have Wednesday and Thursday off.

I did ride the San Remo route yesterday.  14 Miles.  Slow and easy.  I used to compete with myself, racing to beat my previous times.  Not any more.  Speed doesn't necessarily contribute to a good workout.  One of the reasons I ride is for heart health.  Cardio is great for so many reasons.  My sitting heart rate is in the low to mid-50s.  That's pretty good.  On more than one occasion I've had a medical professional look at me quizzically and have had to explain.

Today's Father's Day.  I remember my dad well, just not the year he died.  I've never been good with dates.  For years, I had had his birthdate wrong, and would call him a day late.  Never once did he correct me. That was once, but I do wish he would have corrected me. Not once did he tell me he was born on March 20 rather then March 21.  I don't know if that's a good thing to say about him or not.  It's one of those questions I will ponder from time to time.

An old pic of my Day holding me when we lived in Mississippi

There is an interesting article in The Guardian and their subservience to Trump.  The truth is that these people are Zealots who are still believing the Big Like imitated by Reagan, that the country is religiously conservative.  Well, America is Centrist.  Our Founding Fathers wrote a Constitution to keep it that way.  Republicans want to rewrite the Constitution.  We need to stop them.  White Evangelicals believed God was acting through Loser #45 to give them what they'd been praying for ever since Ronnie Reagan had his landslide win.  This means they need to believe The Big Lie, other wise they would need to come to terms with the idea that God let them down.  How do we keep these Zealots at bay?  We vote them into obscurity.  We need to treat them like the minority group they are.

The people over there

 Yesterday was slow in the store.  I spent most of the day fixing problems:  an expensive Coolaroo blind needed to be remade, the measurements were wrong, build a quote for 2 bathrooms that hadn't been included when a job was sold... same old shit... crap... stuff.

One funny thing happened when I got to my locker.  One of our associates was standing waiting for me.  I know this because he said, "I've been waiting for you."  I told him I had been on vacation, and he shrugged.  Swinging open his locker door he said, "I bought your books, can you sign them for me?"  Of course, what's an author to do?  Later, when I found out he was planning on selling them on Ebay, I laughed.  My signature is worth about 2 cents.  On the bright side, he did buy for books!

When I got home from work, I discovered some sort of vague imprints on the outside of that little 5 gallon tank I set up for the Goldies.  It's sitting on top of the record cabinet, so I'm figuring Biggie stuck his nose against the glass while checking out the new fish.  Later in the evening, I found him sitting in front of the tank just watching them swim back and forth, and I'm sure his little doggie brain was thinking "simply fascinating."

This morning, I'm going to do one the rides I like on Tacx.  San Remo, possibly.  San Remo is 24 k railroad line that has been converted into a bike trail, though a lot of people walk rather then ride.  It is very scenic.  I usually ride 14 miles.

So, Iran had an election and a hardline conservative won... by a landslide, not because he was popular, rather many, many people chose to boycott and not vote.  Ouch.  While we over here didn't have voters boycott the 2016 election, a large proportion of the voting public stayed home... and look what we got, and Orange Anus, a loser extraordinaire.  That over here.  Over there?  Iranians may have something worse to deal with... a hardline conservative who sees no middle ground.  I'm sure it will not be long before the people begin to realize they've made a mistake.

Individuality

 Well, I get to go back to work today... and I have to wait 3.5 weeks until I have another of my Staycations.  How miserable is that?  heavy sigh

Quite a lot was accomplished yesterday, including a mowing of the lawn and a wacking of the weeds.  I will need to wack them more and more often.  There used to be lawn there, too.  The ugly truth is I need to wack to weeds to get the grass to grow.

I harvested peaches, there are still too many on the tree.  And so far, the squirrels have not eaten all of my nectarines.  They are growing much more slowly.

Using my Rouvy app, I road the Applegate route, which is in California wine country.  Lots of nice sized hills - good for the legs.  It took over 55 minutes and that time flew by.  The last time I rode Applegate was in November of 2019 - wow!

And I signed up for Peacock (NBC / Universal's streaming service for... FREE!  I had read there was a $4.99 per month charge and I didn't stick around to see if I had only signed up for a trial week.  

Does anyone ever tell non-binary people they can never be an individual?

Crap!  I have to remember to do my 'health check' before going into work.

I ordered a picture frame from Amazon for a little project I'm working on.  The sucker was supposed to arrive 6/16.  Well, it still hasn't shipped.  Problems, I suspect.  So I went into cancel the order, I used another frame to finish the project, and got an email from Amazon that I couldn't cancel because the vendor was preparing to ship the frame.  Well, it's 6/18 and that sucker still hasn't shipped.  I will return it because it arrived to late.  The project is finished.

For those who haven't realized this yet, I'm am a very decisive individual.  I make up my mind fast, with little deliberation unlike some who are, as I say, always 'dickin' around.  Believe me, I deal with indecisive people, people who need to purchase what's 'popular.'  It's so easy for some to fall into the 'trendy trap.'  This is how life is. Make up your own mind, decide for yourself.

I understand the Republicans held some sort of news conference on Tuesday (I only heard about it this morning).  According to them, the United States is in crisis mode... unfortunately most don't see that.  The real crisis for them is that they no longer control neither the House, nor the Senate, nor the Presidency, and so they are desperately trying to create a number of monument crises.  They are a good example of herd mentality.  I don't believe there's more then 2 or 3 good individuals among them.

Pleasing all of the People

 Well, this is the last day of my Staycation.  In my opinion, much has been accomplished.  Starting tomorrow, I will work for 3 weeks and have another... Staycation.  Plan you time well. 

The little tank for the goldies is set up, they seem to like it.  I opted for a 5 gallon rather then a 10.  They're small, and will only grow to fit the tank.

I got the Rouvy app set up on my sporting laptop.  They've changed how things work.  I've downloaded 3 of my favorite rides.  Right now I'm planning on alternating, one day with the Tacx app, the next with the Rouvy app.  We shall see how this goes.

Both houses of Congress voted to approve making Juneteenth an official holiday.  How surprising is that.  While in the Senate the vote was unanimous, in the house there were 14 Republican dissenters.  Of course, they had their reasons... you know, the racism they constantly deny.  I didn't check, but does anyone know if these are the same Republicans who voted not to give the Capital Police medals?  Wouldn't surprise me.  and they had a reason for that... The Big Lie.

And what about the controversy about the lack of Afro-Latinos playing leads in "In The Heights?"  This leads to a whole bunch of questions, like:  Are casting directors going to need to go by a checklist every time they cast a film?  You know, one of these, and one of these, and one of these, and one of these? Does the reporter who asked this question understand there are million shades of people out there, and while representation is great, you can't have a million people playing leads?  We are in an evolving situation and people need to patiently let it evolve.  There's an old saying, 'you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time.'  Change is happening.  History has told us that creating controversy rarely, if ever, accelerates that process.  

Finally, something our press, possibly even the world's press doesn't seem to be covering is the Chinese Space Station.  That's right, the Chinese have a space station.  They also have a rover on Mars.  

And instead of having a government working to stay ahead of the Chinese, we are dealing with partisanship because a minority group wants to create a socially conservative dictatorship run by a failed American Oligarch.  This group doesn't give a shit about the future, they are too consumed with their craven need for power.  We need to vote these fools into Oblivion.

Unmasked

Good Morning.  And how are we all doing today?  I had a good night's sleep so I'm up and raring to go.  Now ain't that nice?

The temps are supposed to be nice today so there's some yardwork on the menu.  And peaches need to be picked.  I'm going to have to use a small ladder, since the larger ones are at the top of the tree. 

And, of course, there is always the ubiquitous laundry.  

Yesterday, I signed back up with Rouvy, only for 6 months.  I wasn't about to plunk down $144 for an entire year.  I think that's a lot of buckarinos for an app I may only be using sporadically.  While I'm not cheap or desperately frugal, I do know the value of a dollar.

This year there is going to be something different during the Tour de France.  This will be the first year I don't have a subscription to NBC Sports Gold.  This is not of my own choosing.  Nope.  NBC Sports Gold is now part of the Peacock Network, NBC's streaming service.  In their uninfinite wisdom, NBC has chosen not to partner with Amazon.  They've chose to go with Apple, and as most of you know, I am not an Applehead.  There is a work-around, should I choose to take it.  I can subscribe through my X-box which I believe is rather odd... almost a conundrum.  You see, Microsoft and Apple are competitors in so many markets except for phones.  Strange bedfellows for NBC.

And, as most of you know, I use song lyrics in my books, call it an idiosyncrasy if you like.  Here's the first song to have lines in the next book, The Body in Repose.  It's originally by Little Mix.

And the Southern Baptists voted in a moderate as president!  Now isn't that a surprise?  I'm not going to say there's hope for them, because in the end they're still a conservative hate group bent on taking control of America.

Finally, four months into Biden's administration, the Republicans have chosen not to put their masks back on... you know, the masks they ripped off when Trump got elected.  Selfish, and self-centered, and greedy.  They are the party of no incarnate.  The only way to prove God is not on their side is to vote them out of existence.  2022 is approaching.  This is not the time to sit back and relax.  We need to knock them back so hard, and when they're down, we need to start kicking.  That's the only way they learn.

 

Things to Come

 Well, yesterday was warm and then last evening storms moved through the area cooling things off.  We have had a lot of rain this year, more so then usual.  We will have to see what happens as we approach July, then the weather usually gets hot and dry.  I saw that California's suffering through high temps again; that will move east.

I drove down to That Fish Place, which has had a name change to That Pet Place, yesterday.  Nice drive.  The weather was nice, and there wasn't a lot of traffic on the road.  Five little Tiger Barbs have moved into the big tank, and in the little tank in the living room, where I put the 'bad' algae eater, two Goldies have taken up residence.

The little tank is bowed and everything looks odd, so I'm thinking of replacing it with a regular, rectangular glass tank.

And I woke up this morning to the smell of baking bread.  I love the timer on my bread machine, just toss in the ingredients and set it to start the baking process around 0200.  Every thing is ducky dandy.  This afternoon I'm going to bake a loaf of raisin bread.  Yum.  I haven't had raisin bread in years!

I saw where the Heretic, Marjorie Taylor Greene went to the Holocaust Museum and apologized for comparing masks to yellow stars.  She is, however, not going to stop comparing Democrats to Nazis.  Someone needs to tell her that's an automatic fail, not that she'll listen.  Her ears are too stoppered up with selfishness and self-entitlement for her to hear anything.

And in case there were any doubts, there shouldn't have been, Mitch the bitch McConnell has now confirmed that Republican Senators will once again be known as The Party of No.  You see, old Mitch believes his party are going to retake both the House and the Senate because... well, traditionally this has always happened after a national election.  The losing party almost always benefits.  However, this time the losing party supported an insurrection.  The losing party publicly accepted the Big Lie.  2022 is not going to be a traditional election.  By the time it's over, I do not doubt there will be drool dribbling of Mitch McConnell's not existent chin.

Harvesting

 So, Day 1 of my Staycation was fine.  I had lunch with my friend Betsy, teased her with the first chapter of The Body in the Loch, and ended the visit with a trip to Dairy Queen where I had a large Drumstick Blizzard.  As I commented to Bathwater on 6/8 I love Blizzards. 

The rest of the evening was spent in relaxation, not doing anything... well, that's not quite true, I did run the dishwasher, but that isn't really work.

I packed away the medical thermometer given to my by my employer, the large Orange Home Improvement retailer.  Hopefully, I will never have to use the damn thing on a daily basis ever again.  Unfortunately, I still need to complete the Associate Health Check before the time clock will let me punch in; I can't wait for that to disappear as well.

Here are some of the character names from The Body in Repose:  Cookie Lindquist, Raj Beneh, Sheila Caine, and Antoine DeGuerre.  Character names are very important.  It's not unusual for me to spend several weeks choosing them.  I guess, in a way, it's a lot like naming your children, which is odd, since why would you want to give a good name to a character you know is going to be bad?

The harvest has begun on my peaches.  Some of them are fairly sizeable, some not so, being the size of walnuts.  

Oh, and it case any of you didn't know, Bibi Netanyahu got his ass fired.  I saw where he's spitting his own version of The Big Lie.  Not only is he a corrupt politician, he's a bad loser, almost as bad as the Orange Anus.  And I saw where Putin defended Russia's action against his political rivals by calling them dissenters and claiming we did the same thing...  you have to remember, he's talking specifically about the Republican party, and even more specifically the Orange Anus.  He's going to create a Civil War in Russia... and he's going to lose.  I will harvest peaches and he will harvest failure.

Let the Staycation Begin

 Yes, it has begun, the Staycation.  Well, that's not exactly true since it implies I won't be going anywhere.  I'm actually heading down to York, PA in a few hours to have lunch with my friend Betsy.  Tomorrow, I'm going the That Fish Place in Lancaster.  There's also yard work which needs to be done.  A good wacking of the weeds out side the fence, and there is a lot of pesky English ivy which needs to be taken care of before it covers the fence.  

I started watching something called Manifest last evening... it didn't really impress me.  Series developed for television usually fail to impress me, I suspect because they're written specifically to allow for commercial breaks.  Every 10 minutes or so there's a mini-hook to hold your interest while the commercials play.  Watching the show on Netflix where there are no commercials, the storyline really comes across as bumpy.  And I'm not even going to get into the show's predictability.  Ouch.  Losing interest, I began watching 'Army of the Dead,' Zack Snyder's latest attempt at exploitation and... fell asleep.

BORING

And the Southern Baptists are having a Civil War convention.  Evidently, not all the members want to play nice, some of them are MAGAs, some of them are pseudo Christians, there's a lot of racist comments being thrown at the white Baptists because they don't want to teach Race Theory.  People are quitting.  Golly, gee whiz!  Is anybody surprised?  For years, their philosophy has been 'you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.'  As might be expected, some want a lot more scratching then they deserve.  And some are just walking away because this shit show is seething just below the surface.  Let the fireworks begin!

How it's Sliced

 I can hardly believe my staycation begins tomorrow!  Wowee!  And just think!  We're practically halfway through June!  Next week summer will be official.  It's time to start rolling out the dog days of summer.  For me, staycations are already in the books, another 5 day one in July and a 6 day one in August.

For a Friday, yesterday was rather busy.  I set 3 people up for measures, one, unfortunately was for a kitchen backsplash.  We dislike those.  There is a set charge for 25 square feet, however the charge is not calculated on the actual coverage.  Nope. It's on the number of square feet of tile used for the installation.  A customer may only have 23 square feet in their backsplash, but because of cutting and waste 32 square foot mosaics may be needed.  So, the customer will be charged for an additional 7 square feet of tile at a much higher rate per square foot.  The only way to cut costs on this one is to do install it yourself.  Backsplashes are easy.  Watch a few YouTube videos and do it yourself.

I've been thinking of renewing my subscription to Rouvy.  While I like Tacx, all of their rides are in Western Europe.  Rouvy has rides in America.  There are also rides in Eastern Europe.  The only drawback with the Rouvy app was the HRM.  I needed to use both my Fenix 6 as well as the trainer for that info to be imported.  I will have to check and see if they have corrected the problem.  If they haven't, well I just stick with Western Europe.

And I have to say, that bread slicer I bought is simply amazing!  Love it!  The slices are clean cut all the way so there's no problem squeezing them into the toaster.

I saw where YouTube temporarily shut down that Republican lying sack of shit Ronnie Johnson for... well... lying.  Go figure.

And what about Florida?  Everyday it seems as though Ronnie DeSantis (yes, another damn Ronnie) sign some sort of hate legislation in his attempt to turn the state into  MAGA heaven on earth.  Me?  I say it's a shame is blotting out the sun in the sunshine state.  Still, if that's how they want to cut it, I say go ahead, slice yourself off from the rest of the country.  Ronnie wants to be president, and evidently he believes the only way to do that is to be an insurrectionist.

Elaboration

 So, it's Friday.  For a second I almost wrote 'so, it's Saturday.'  Wishful thinking on my part.  Waiting will be torturous.  Anticipation is a continual itch.  Covering myself in calamine lotion will not help.  Besides, I'd look kind of odd.  All I can do is wait.

And my dahlias, which I didn't dig up last fall, which are not supposed to survive the freezing cold of our winters, are blooming.  I guess this means I have good tubers.

The first 4 chapters of The Body in Repose have been synopsized.  This is pretty much how I write.  I'm not big on outlines.  They synopsis is a wonderful thing, providing a foundation on which to build the story.  For me, an outline is just... well, lines; many, many lines that some writers use as an armature on which to build.  Not me.  I need to see the story flow from word to word.  Give me two or three paragraphs any day.  I can can grow and elaborate on a paragraph. An outline?  Hell, those damn lines would run forever and nothing would get written.

The bread cutter I bought is turning out to be a real gem!  I shall have to give it a good review on Amazon.

And for those of you who didn't hear this, Brian Sims, one of our PA Legislators, had his microphone shut off when he pointed out every GOP representative is white.  Not a single minority voice among them.  Now how bad is that?  The GOP in this state do not represent 'the people' of Pennsylvania. Nope.  And they got mad and turned off his voice.  Can we talk about cancel culture?  They must believe they're living in Russia.

Power vs Democracy

So, today I'm halfway towards my vacation, which is going to be a staycation.  Everyone who hears I'm taking some time off asks "where are you going?"  While they don't frown when I tell them I'm staying home, I can still see their surprise in their eyes, in the way some of them feel the need to force a small smile.  These people all know I have 180 pounds of dogs.  I can't just pack them up and take them with me.  And Kennels?  They're out.  Lil and Seig just wouldn't understand.  When the dogs have moved on, then I will travel.

I baked another loaf of bread, this time without the olive oil, and it's perfect, stays together.  This one will not crumble to pieces when I try and cut it.  I also bought a bamboo bread cutter, now isn't that nice?  it even has a crumb tray!

Here's a new video from The Brothers Osborne which I thought fitting since it's Pride month.  His voice is quite reminiscent of Springsteen.

And I saw where Russia took a giant step towards being a police state yesterday, outlawing opposition parties.  Those in charge over there, Putin and his allies, have no regard for human life what so ever.  For them, power is everything.  They do not understand the world is changing.  They, like the Republican party in America, will only ever see things through old lenses.  Their desperate attempt to turn back time, to return to the infamous days of Stalin and Lenin, will lead to Civil War.  They will never learn until they get the snot beaten out of them.  Power is the most corrupting force in the Universe.  Democracy is the only answer.

 

Puppies, Users, and Losers

 Yesterday we had spotty thunderstorms, if you blinked you missed them.  We topped off around 90 (F)and the same forecast is scheduled for today and tomorrow as well.  We're not quite at summer, but who's going to gripe about a week or so when the temps are so warmly holding steady?  Without the A/C, I'm sure I'd be pissing and moaning, until I adapted.  You wonder how people survived before A/C?  Well, they relied on fans and sweated a lot.  We, here in America, are spoiled.  Window A/C units are flying out of the store.  Some will be returned at the end of the summer.  Some of us here in America are Users, actually, it's only here in America, it's all over the world.  Nothing will ever change them. 

And, what about the billionaires club not paying taxes?  Thank you Republicans for creating so many tax loopholes.  If you're upset that Bezos pays no taxes, or Musk, or any of the 1%, blame the political party that is more interested in their campaign donations.  Blame the senior members of that party for foisting the lie of Trickle Down Economics on America.  It should be no surprise to anyone that the 1% are really nothing more than Users.  Oh, and a lot of them are Conservative, too.

On a lighter note, I checked to see when Windows was first activated in my PD.  The answer surprised me.  2013.  Wow. I had no idea the thing was that old.  That means the laptop I use for cycling is even older.  Ouch.  I figure, as long as they work it's fine.  Both are getting updated constantly.  In fact, I understand there's a new Windows update around the corner.  Yippee. I'm not wild about them.  They want me to sign in with a password and pin... I guess they don't want the dogs looking at porn when I'm at work.  I was going to post a video of doggy porn thinking it might be funny... it wasn't what I was expecting and might actually be considered offensive by some.  So, instead, here's a cute video with puppies playing.

There are 2 Governor's races in November, Virginia and New Jersey.  In New Jersey, the Trump loyalists got their butts whipped.   I'm sure this bites the ass of the Orange Anus.  Maybe, if we're lucky, he and his sexual predator cohort Bill O'Reilly will hold a superspreader event in the state.

 

The Horseshit Extravaganza

 Well, I begin a 5 day work week today and crap, wouldn't you know it, I forgot to set my alarm clock and slept in until 0600.

I baked a loaf of Italian bread yesterday and decided to mix in some olive oil.  Big mistake.  The bread tastes great, however the loaf turned out very moist and extremely crumbly with a fairly thick, crunchy crust.  It tastes great, but you can't slice it.  Chalk this up as a lesson learned.  I'm thinking I might mix it in with a beaten egg and some whole milk and then fry the mixture into some sort of French Toasty thingy.  I have maple syrup, which makes just about anything tasty.

And yesterday, in 93(F) heat, I mowed my lawn.  Very humid, but it needed to be done.  My tomato plants seem to be doing a bit poorly.  I have tomatoes but haven't seen a flower in what seems to be weeks.  The plot where they're planted might be too wet.

I've put a link to The Body in the Loch on the top of the page.  They do let you sample read the first chapter for those out there who are curious.  And while I haven't officially begun the next one, I'm accumulating tons of notes.

I also have tons of peaches, in fact, way too many.  Some are only the size of walnuts, others the size of tennis balls.  How do you eat a peach the size of a walnut?

In case you haven't heard, Loser #45 is going to be doing an arena tour with Bill O'Reilly.  Can we talk about a horseshit extravaganza?  I wouldn't be surprised if the warm-up act isn't a MAGA hat choir singing the Hallelujah chorus.  While this seems humorous, even outright funny to some, it needs to be taken seriously.  In case you haven't realized it yet, Loser #45 doesn't care if people die, because people don't count to him.  And his party?  With him, they believe they are something, without him, they are nothing.  This is why we need to make their beliefs obsolete.  They do not understand, our patience is wearing thin.

Bitter Brained

 Another late sleep-in day because I'm off.   Not that I'm planning on lazing away the day, there's too many chores to get done.  Thunderstorms are forecast, which might alter the outside chores, but that's okay.  I don't have to go to work, which is great.

Yesterday, sales were slow.  My supervisor gave me my monthly report as well as my bi-annual review, which pretty much ended up being a half an hour chat with him telling me several times to "keep doing what you're doing."  He did ask about my future plans.  I had no problem telling him I was planning on going part-time, I just didn't give him a date.  They don't need to know that quite yet.

Here in Central PA, movies will be open fully on June 11.  I am so glad.  For the longest time, they have only been open on weekends and an extra day or two over holidays.  You know?  The days I always work.  We usually never go on weekends because of the crowds.  I suspect  AMC is going to make a killing at the Box Office.  People were wondering if the pandemic was going to completely alter attendance.  Nah.  In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it's up.  People are ready to get out.  Those who like movies are desperate to be sitting in front of a movie screen.  

And I've been riding the bike more.  Practically every day for 10 - 12 miles before going to work.  It is good.  

One of the funny things Liar #45 said during his speech to the North Carolina Republicans on Saturday referred to his previous speech at the West Point Graduation, the one where he walked feebly down the ramp.  On Saturday he said the ramp was 'like an ice skating rink,' and that he was worried it might be 'booby trapped.'  This shows how insipidly simply minded he really is, how badly the comments on social media really burned his ass.  He is bitter brained from here to Hell and back.  As if this is something we didn't already know.

Heatwave

 As was expected, the booboo paw is gone, made all better by a little bit of time... and an extra biscuit or two.

The five foot black snake has returned this year to my brother's barn.  He posted a video on Facebook and, of course, there were a number of negative comments from stupid people, dumb shits who don't know snakes eat rats.  And you know that some will say it's better to have rats then snakes.  The bubonic plague was spread by rats carrying infested fleas.  Snakes work better at killing rats then traps.  Just think about that, and the plague, and why people hate snakes.

I had set up biometrics on my new phone:  both facial and fingerprint recognition.  One I find easier then the other to use.  I'm usually in too much of a hurry to get my finger in the right spot, whereas the camera recognizes my face, even when I'm talking.

And I am off tomorrow.  That will be nice, even though there is a 50% chance of thundershowers.  Oh, and the temps are supposed to climb to the mid 90's (F).  That's fine.  I have Central Air.  It's been kicking on through out the night.  Yesterday at work, they were wondering how people survived before there was A/C, and I pointed out we've only had this luxury for what?  75 years?   That's not a long period of time.  And while they're calling this a heat wave, it's isn't.  They will come later this summer.

Liar #45 was spewing his falsehoods yesterday down in North Carolina.  This is to be expected from scum suckers like him.  Let's be honest here, he gives rats a good name.  Anyway, he's spouting off about how he's going to be reinstated by August.  I'm suspecting he's going to try and use the phony audit of Arizona for justification in spite of the fact that the votes of that state have already be certified.  I'm thinking he's picked August because he believes he's going to be indicted shortly after that, and if he doesn't have presidential immunity he's going to go to jail.  I can't think of any better justice then to have him suffer through an orange, jumpsuit heatwave.

The booboo paw

 Lily has a booboo paw.  She was fine when I left her out this morning, however when I opened the storm door to let her back in she was sitting there with her left paw raised.  She probably stepped on a pebble.  From time to time, all of my dogs have had booboo paws.  The paw will be favored for a few hours, until something exciting happens, like a FedEx truck or a UPS truck stops out front and they need to run, then the booboo disappears.

I read the reports on the tests I had earlier in the week: I'm ducky dandy.  Well, that's not entirely correct, the CAT scan of my lungs pointed out the arthritis in my spine, though noted there was 'no abnormal deformity.'  Wow, now ain't that a relief.

And the temps today are supposed to crack a high in the mid-90's (F).  Central Air is on, so are the ceiling fans.  Also the drapes in the front bedroom are pulled tight.  I get south eastern exposure, full sun, which turns the windows into very large heat pumps.

And for those of you who think my Pixel phone is now a useless piece of technology, think again.  The only thing I can't do with it is make phone calls.  Thanks to Wi-Fi, it's still connected to the Internet.  Instead of becoming junk, it has become a mini-tablet, so to speak.  Here's a pic I took a few minutes ago of one of my budding dahlias, the ones that survived the freezing winter.

And here's a bit of a funny, ha-ha moment from Vlad the Puty Boy regarding the insurrection of January 6.  He's saying we have a double standard, that the arrest and punishment of those rioters is no different then his... well, military build up on the border of the Ukraine, and, I suppose, the poisoning of those who oppose him, and the arrest of opposition leaders.  Of course, you know he's got a soft spot in his heart for his old blow bro,  Loser #45.  He's really whiny, isn't he?  Perhaps he's got a booboo paw of his own.

The Very Big Stick

 Well, it's Friday.  That means absolutely nothing to me.  While my weekly schedule covers days, those days have no names.  One is the same as the other.  For someone who likes to have his life fairly well organized, this is a pisser.  Routines organize, and routines require specificity.  The only things specific in my life are the hours I work: 10:30 - 7:00.  Time off is not guaranteed.  I work with an associate who is almost daily requesting days off - he's trying to write his own schedule.  As you might guess, he is also a Republican and a supporter of The Big Lie.

Anyway, my new phone arrived yesterday.  It took me about an hour to set it up since this was the first time I've ever gone through the whole process by myself.  I picked the Pixel up at the store and the clerk took care of the activation.  Last night it was just me.  The only thing that didn't copy over were my apps, everything else, notes, pictures, videos, transferred smoothly.  While the sim card in the old phone no longer works, there's nothing wrong with the phone itself, so it has now become my permanent alarm clock.

And, of course, It's honeysuckle time.

So, Liar #45's blog died... How painful that must be to know his MAGA base didn't sign up.  I suspect the just don't like to read... or can't.  

And he's still beating the drum for The Big Lie.  Republicans all across the country and spewing that falsehood.  They need to.  I was reading this morning that we should expect phony audits to reach a fever pitch this summer.  So many lies.  They are so desperate to dictate and control.  These dumb shits don't understand they are playing with fire... and they are going to get burned.  I read in the Washington Post that if a Republican candidate doesn't shriek wildly about the audits, he / she will die in the primaries.  America is watching.  These dumb shits don't understand, we, the Centrists, the Independents, the Progressives out number them greatly.  And we have a very big stick.  We also have no problem with using it to beat the crap out of them.

The Body in the Loch

 A couple of you have already read it, Bathwater and Krayolakris. Now it's available for all on Amazon in 3 different versions, Kindle, paperback, and hardback.

Weddings are joyous occasions, two people vowing to love, honor and cherish.  Eli and Max were having a wonderful time at their best friend's wedding, except for the golf, until... a body is discovered.  Sudden death is often accidental, but was this more heinous?  Cold-blooded murder, perhaps?  Could the nobility we respect be not as noble as they want us to believe?  People say the view from McCreary's Creagh is a real killer.  Eli and Max are about to find out if that is true, as they work to solve the mystery of The Body in the Loch.

In other news, I had an ultrasound done on my aorta yesterday to check if everything's alright.  It is.  They also did a CAT scan of my lungs to check of anything out of the ordinary.  Things are fine.

Evidently things are not so good with both The Proud Boys and the The Oak Keepers.  The word schism is being bandied about, no doubt because both are in various stages of plea bargains.  Don't forget, there is nothing more sacred to a white extremist then his own ass.  One can only wonder whose name is going to get dropped to avoid jail time.

And Loser #45 is prepping to start his road show to promote The Big Lie because he's such a rotten loser...  He craves the attention, even if it means destroying the groups that put him into power.  I don't believe Republicans have an inkling as to how badly he is going to make them look.

S'more

 Okay, so I was going to publish the cover art and the link to The Body in the Loch this morning... except it's still under review.  Son of a bitch.  I did drop all the prices of my previous 3 books to as low as they can go without making them gratis. 

Work on The Body in Repose is now officially underway.  And the first word is? (Drum roll, please) "S'more?"  It's a good word to begin a work of fiction.  For those who don't know, a s'more is a tasty treat of toasted marshmallow sandwiched between graham crackers and chocolate.  

Sorry this entry is so brief, but I have to head off down to Lebanon.  I'm having some 'senior' tests done.  Nothing serious, but I am getting older, and that requires occasional maintenance.  Thankfully, nothing is going to be inserted into any one of my orifices.  

The View from McCreary's Creagh

 And so my weekend begins:  a bit of a sleep in, though not much.  Too many things to do.

I started watching Picard last evening on Netflix.  Unless it's a stand-alone movie, everything on Netflix has a story arc, so what we really get are episodes with continuity.  This means that it's not until the 3rd episode the real storyline is revealed.  This is done to create the need to binge, which is something I do not do.  After 3 episodes, about an hour and a half, I turned off the TV.

Yesterday was very slow at work.  They brought in an ice cream truck so associates could get a free sundae.  That was nice.  About 10 minutes before I was scheduled to leave for the day, some of my customers came in.  I had already told them I only work until 7 and after working for 6 days in a row, I was not about to stay late, so I handed them off to a fellow associate.  He did not seem to pleased, as one of the first things they told him was that they were going to change their selection of hard wood. These changes usually take around 30 minutes.  I was not sorry. 

I also ordered a new phone last evening.  Normally I buy a phone and hold onto it for around 5 years.  The Google Pixel I have is just a little over a year old and has been plagued by problems.  Already replaced because it started turning itself off, it had recently developed the annoying habit of running apps at random.  So, I'm going back to Samsung.  I've never had a problem with one of their phones.

This morning I was reading that the Senator Manchin from West Virginia was quite dismayed that Republicans did not seem interested in compromise.  Hello, Joe, where have you been?  They is the party of 'no.' There is not one decent bone in their political body.  Now, I know you're thinking about your career, about how you can work across the aisles, but keep in mind, all the while you are proving how flexible you can be, they are plotting your demise.  They see their strength as not working with you, because you are a Democrat, and as such will always paint you as the villain.  

And finally, I understand the Scottish countryside is beautiful this time of year.  June weddings are always fun, aren't they?  Sunny days.  The temps are fine.  In fact, I understand the wedding between Lord Doyle Adair and Canada Howard will be happening over in Adairton very shortly.  Beautiful country there.  People say the view from McCreary's Creagh is a... well, I'll let these gents sing about the view.