Way Less Sad

 The temps this morning were a brisk 48 (F), so I did what comes naturally, turned on the heat.  There was a time when I would wait as long as  possible.  That stopped a few years back.  Living in Central PA, where we have boodles of natural gas, and using that same fossil fuel to heat and cook with, my expenses are fairly... well, inexpensive, around $600 a year for cooking, hot water, and heating.

And, speaking of gas, the UK's having problems getting petrol to their stations.  Truck (and or lorry, which ever you prefer) drivers are needed.  This is partially, or mostly, a Brexit problem, depending upon whom your listening to or reading.  Evidently many of the drivers were foreign nationals and they either went home, or don't have the correct paperwork, to continue driving.  

China's having problems, too.  Good for Xi.  The country's still mostly dependent upon coal and there are problems getting it to the factories that need it... and... well, things are beginning to shut down.  Of course, they're also experiencing this little credit issue with one of their largest companies defaulting on their $120 million loan payments.  And Xi is not having an okay day.  Maybe he should listen to a little AJR.  Maybe he should set the bar a little lower and then maybe he'd be a lot less sad.

And in case no one has heard this yet, the Orange Anus and his racist MAGA Pac have fired Corey Lewandowski for groping and sexually harassing a woman in Vegas.  Gee, he must have really believed that 'what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.'  Of course, there are also the rumors running rampant on social media that ol' Corey has been coring Kristi Noem, governor of South Dakota.  She's been denying everything, though now that Corey's freed up from his duties with the MAGA Pac he's going to have some extra time on his hands.  Maybe Kristi needs some help with her re-election campaign.  Or, maybe, if Kristi wants to feel way less sad, she should sing a little AJR.

Pensive Lily

 Well, you might say that we are officially in the sweat pants / sweat shirt season.  Outside temps this morning were in the mid 50's (F).  There was a time when these temps signaled  it was time to put away our shorts and T-shirts.  Not any more.  I work with people who wear shorts all year round.  Believe it or not, the same thing used to be true with sneakers.  Odd how things change as we adapt.  

As I'd said, I'm looking at my subscriptions since my income is going to be halved in a few weeks.  One of them is the NYT - I pay $17 a month for the digital edition.  That's $4.25 per week.  That's not much in the scheme of things, so that one is going to stay on the books.  A subscription to the Dallas Morning News costs $5.00 per week.  I am not subscribed because I think that's way too expensive for a regional paper.  While the articles provide more gist, those details are far too focused on localized happenings for someone who is not a resident of the state.

I took this pic of Lily yesterday.  She looks so pensive, doesn't she?  Actually, Seig had one of 'her' toys in the living room.  In case you didn't know, every toy is 'her' toy.

So, I just got a schedule update from work.  I'm now working in Paint from 10:30 - 3:00.  That's interesting since with my back issues I can't lift 5 gallon buckets of paint.  

One of the myths about America I wish we could change is that this is the land of opportunity.  While true 100 years ago when the country was still expanding, this is no longer the case.  Poor immigrants coming to this country end up trading one desolation for another.  They don't understand there are white politicians in many states who see them as a scourge needing to be supported, and it's not only white politicians.  Immigrants are the backbone of America.  Yet there does need to be some sort of reality check for those seeking to come into this country.  We are not always the answer they think we are.  We are not that shining city on the hill.

The Party of Selfishness and Greed

 I ended up taking a personal day yesterday, not because of my back but rather I knew they were forecasting rain today, my regularly scheduled day off.  My lawn was in desperate need of being mowed and Justin was unavailable. 

An hour was also spent with Microsoft - printer issues, 2nd time in a week.  This tech seems to believe there's something wrong with the current document I'm working on, i.e. The Body in Repose, that keeps me from printing select pages.  However, I tried printing select pages from The Body in the Well and had the same issue.  He chose not to take that into account.  I can print off the entire document, or I can print individual pages.  What I like to do is print off chapters, that, however, is not happening.  Feel free to utter an obscenity or two, like me.

And I did buy myself a new, little printer table.  Not so cute, but useful.

Perhaps the most unnewsworthy bit from a 'tell all' book on Loser #45 is the bit not even making headlines: that Trump told Putin he'd be tough on him while the camera rolled.  This is from Stephanie Grisham's new 'ode to evil' attempt to cash in on her year as a press secretary, a press secretary who didn't hold a single press conference.  Ouch.  Notice, there's no link.  She's basically prostituting that year, taking notes without making a single comment on what she now claims was going on behind the public's back.  Do you notice a trend here?  Republicans prostituting their time with the Orange Anus in order to grow their own bank account.  But than, they are the party of Selfishness and Greed, so there's no real surprise here.

Tasty!

 And so, another work week begins, the last one I will have to work 40 hours.  I took a vacation day next week so I'm only in for 32.  After that, 3 day work weeks should become my norm.

Forecasters are predicting a high in the low 80's (F) today.  Accuweather says that from now on the temps are going to drop into what is considered the average range for fall: nights in the 50's (F) and days in the low to mid 70's (F).  This is fine.  What needs to happen is the rain needs to stop.  Tomorrow again the fore forecast is for showers, on and off, and on and off.  Damn.

One of the things I've done in prepping for retirement, is create a spreadsheet (before retail I was in accounting) detailing income / expenses.  Today I'm going to set up a separate page detail my subscriptions.  This will be interesting.  One of the things we cable cutters like to tell ourselves is that this is a way to save money.  Today I'm going to find out just how much I'm spending.  The nice thing about subscriptions, is that they're easy to cancel.  

One of the Specialists I work with is from Kurdistan.  Every 2 years she goes home for a few months.  This time she brought back sweets for the department.  Delicious.  Addictive.  Pistachios and walnuts in just about everything.  Kurdish baklava is different from Greek baklava, but just as heavenly.  We rarely get traditional food that hasn't been Americanized.  Believe me, this was a real treat!

There was an interesting bit this morning in the NYT about Covid and how those who voted for the Orange Anus are those now paying the price.  In Wyoming, Montana, Kentucky, West Virginia, and a Alaska, the unvaccinated are paying with serious hospitalization and death.  For those red voters, this is freedom, a gamble of life and death.  Democratic voters, already a majority in America, can only see their ratio increase as more red voters lose their bad fight.

All the Daves

 Well, here it is Sunday.  This isn't going to be a day of rest for me.  Eight hours of work have been scheduled.  My last full work week is upon me, starting tomorrow.  I am satisfied.

At work we're going through our Bonus Celebration.  My last full time bonus will be my best ever.  That's nice, too.  Today they're brining in the ice cream truck.  Home made ice cream.  We can get to choose what we want.  Yummy.  Yesterday we had personal pan pizzas made by a local Mom & Pop, they were delicious.

Here's a little known fact:  There are approximately 180 associates in my store.  Thirteen of them (13) are named Dave.  Whether we are all 'Beloved' is difficult to say.  Yesterday, while I was eating my personal pan pizza, I was talking to Dave K.  He's 87 years old and works part-time for something to do during the week.  Another associate, sitting at another table asked me about my back, and Dave K asked what's wrong.  I replied, "arthritis."  He looked at me for a surprised second and then said, "you, you're too young for arthritis."  When I told him how old I was he made a face and said, "well, you look good for your age, I thought you were around 55."  I'll take that.

And it's not only my dahlias that are blooming.  There are still roses on more than a few of bushes, too.

I did read an odd opinion regarding the Republican run states which provided a supposition as to why their governors should be so against masking and vaccines.  Personally, I'll have to qualify this as fringe writing, the thesis being that hospitals filled with sick and dying Covid patients are breaking the economy, and Republicans see a broken economy as a win, win situation when it comes to the mid-terms.  There are 2 problems with this rationale:  1, the economy is slowing down, not breaking, because this is not a national occurrence; 2, the governors of the states where this is happening, are spouting the same dribble as the Orange Anus, and this is the same dribble his base voters want to here.  Most likely, these governors believe, and possibly rightly so, that the MAGA base will ignore these hospitalizations and deaths.  Honestly, that seems to be a more likely possibility.  I say, more power to them, and if you're still alive by the time the mid-terms roll around vote blue.

The New Commandment

 And the mood of the day is???? 

Holy Moly!  I got almost 7 hours sleep last night with only a short (28 minute) heating pad session around 0330.  I have not gotten that much sleep in a long time.  And  it's wonderful!  My body battery is recharged, at least that's what my Fenix 6 Pro tells me.  I could easily slip in another few winks, but I do have to work today.

I bought a new shower head before I left work yesterday, this one includes a 'hand held' that I may use sometimes.  This is replacing a Delta that sprayed out the shower door onto the floor.  This was more of a nuisance rather than a hazard, having to mop up the floor every time I showered.

And some of my dahlias in the backyard have finally begun blooming.

Not surprisingly, the Republicans are still moving ahead with their phony audits in a number of states.  At this point, they are on only hoping to sow discord among their base, pushing the concept there's fraud in every election they lose.  This is merely a reflection of their Savior, the Orange Anus' own ego.  Oh, and speaking of Loser #45, I understand he had one of his minions remove praise  of Cyber Ninja because not only did they failed to feed his Big Lie, they reported he had lost by an even larger margin.

And not a small number of Texans woke up yesterday to discover that overnight their groveling governor had cowed his head to the Orange Anus; there is going to be an audit in several counties even though the Anus won the state.  Evidently, the OA has set forth a new commandment:  Let there be an audit to grow disatisfaction.

Gravely Disappointed

 Evidently Fall arrived during the night.  The temp this morning is a cool 52 (F).  How happy I am not to be disappointed.  I've checked several temperature readings, both online and in my house, and I'm pleased to say there is no evidence of temperature fraud.  That 52 (F) is accurate.

My schedule has been posted for my first week of part-time employment.  I work 3 eight hour days, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.  Thursday and Saturday I start at 0900, so I may be the opener.  Total hours?  24.  I don't find that disappointing in the least.  That was my goal.  Timely hours that allow me to have more 'me' time at home.

We did receive another couple of inches of rain yesterday.  Some found its way into my basement, not much.  In some places, maybe 1/4 of an inch, while other areas stayed bone dry.  I'm not disappointed by that at all.  Hopefully, I will be wrong and Climate Change will not turn us into a Tropical Rain Forest.  Personally, I think that would be a winning situation.

Oh, and remember that Arizona Audit, the one in Maricopa County?  The results are going to be published today.  A draft of the report has been circulating.  Fasten your seatbelts people, the results are going to be devastating...

for Republicans.  You see, the truth is the Orange Anus lost by even more votes than previously recorded. That squishy sound you hear in the background?  That's what 130+ congressmen in the House squirming around as they shit in their shorts.  One of the articles I ready said "Republicans are going to be Gravely Disappointed."  That's an understatement.  But don't worry, they will try to obfuscate The Big Lie.  They will start to shriek that 'inconsistencies' found mean they need to overhaul the voting laws.  Nope.  The time has come to hold this liars accountable for their actions.  Take the power of their lie away from them.  Vote them out of offices.

Bummerland

Well a happy Thursday to you all.  Here in Central PA we have rain... lotsa rain.  In fact, we're stuck in a band of rain moving north, and while I'm not going to get another 7 inches, the possibility exists for at least 4 more.  My lawn continues to grow... fast.  Since I'm off on Tuesday, I'll have to drag out my little electric mower and once again shear it off before it becomes a field.  If I had a little more land, I might consider buying a goat or two.

Normally, as the weather gets colder the leaves begin turning colors... well, here they turn yellow.  The leaves on my river birch rarely change color, they simply fall.  And so far, while we've had temps down in the 60's (F) at night, there is no sign of Fall actually arriving.  With that being said, this article in the Washington Post came as no surprise.  One of our seasons is getting longer, while the other 3 are all getting shorter.  We may have celebrated the autumnal equinox, however when autumn will actually arrive is still in question?  late October perhaps?  

That's not me

And, as climate change continues to effect the world, remember, when things get to bad for people they will move.  Of course, the idea of a group of people migrating because climate change has made their lives impossible  is something Conservatives never consider, especially the faux Cracker Jack Crazies, mostly because what's happening in Guatemala is way outside their sphere of Consciousness.  Perhaps if they weren't so focused on their 'me' principle, you know what I'm talking about.  "If it doesn't effect me, it's no concern of mine."

So many don't realize we're getting very close to Bummerland.

Pursuing the truth

 Well, my weekend is over.  Back to work.  Will today be busy?  I have my doubts.  Rain is in the forecast.  Yes, it's going to rain again.  Forecasters are predicting between 2 and 4 inches.  Tomorrow as well.  Remember what I said about Central PA turning into a Rain Forest?  I would really hate to be right on this one.

Fall is here.  I'm glad.  While I don't mind the heat of summer, I'm more comfortable with the coolness of the transitional seasons, spring and fall.  Truthfully, winter doesn't bother me too much either.  I don't think I could ever be a snowbird, someone who maintains a residence in the south specifically for the winter months.  I don't think I could ever be a seasonal gypsy, like that.  I enjoy the year round personalization I have with my house because snowbirds do leave things behind.

I saw where the Orange Anus is suing his niece for $100 million.  She says he's throwing as much shit at the wall as possible hoping something sticks.  But hasn't that always been the case?  An integral part of his reputation is the constant filing of lawsuits creating overwhelming headaches and expenses for his enemies.  And it's over the NYT articles regarding his taxes.  Oh, and his spawn named Eric has had one of his lawyers drop from his defense team.  I do believe that's an 'ouch.'    And not surprisingly, Loser #45's campaign new there was no voter fraud and allowed his claims to continue, just like all of his other baseless lawsuits.  They're trying to make it too expensive to simply pursue the truth.

Trim This

 Yesterday I got my hair cut short.  Short means fewer visits to the barber, though yesterday's visit was a bit surreal.  My barber yesterday was a middle-aged, tatted man who I saw, when he smiled, was missing some teeth.  Shortly after he had begun trimming with a scissors, he told me that he had gotten to work late because his son had been suspended from school, and he had been the one to pick him up and take him home.  The reason for the suspension?  His son had made a video of himself destroying school property and posted it on TikTok, part of the 'delicious licks' trend.  My barber proceeded to tell me that he also knew a lot about bad kids, since he had been one, having gone to jail 3 times (that's right, he told me he had been in jail 3 times).  And what did I do?  Laugh.  Seriously, for all his seriousness, he was funny as hell, and he knew it.  He got a nice tip.

My laser printer is now working again.  It took a tech from Microsoft to tell me what I already knew, that one of their recent updates had turned off certain printing aspects.  That was amusing, too.  He was remotely working in my laptop trying to find the problem while I chatted with him.  He say he was going to try something and I'd say that I had already tried it and it didn't work... and he tried it anyway.  He ended up reverting to the previous version of Word installed prior to the update.  I could only wonder how many others that update had effected adversely.

And, of course, the political hacks of the Supreme Court have decided to take up the Mississippi abortion law on December 1, which means we should find out their decision next June, right before the 2022 midterms.  Will there be a yea or a nay for Roe v. Wade?  Republicans are hoping for a nay, believing such a decision will flood the polls with happy conservatives.  You see, they still believe in the 'silent majority' spoken of by that dolt Reagan.  Such a decision will only hasten the demise of the Republican Party and emblazon the moniker 'political hack' in every mention of Alito, Thomas, and Barrett for eternity because they completely denied the necessity of having a Centrist Constitution.

They will never learn. Vote Blue.

The Approaching Fall

Okay, so my weekend has just begun.  My back is only slightly cranky.  The temp is a crisp 59 (F), so I have some windows open letting in the cool morning air.  In a few days we'll hit the Autumn Equinox and fall will be official.  Interestingly enough, here in Central PA, we have one of the longest fall foliage seasons because we're smack, dab between the north and the south.  Occasionally we get bright, brilliant colors, but mostly we're rather subdued.

I did an adjustment to my work availability.  They can schedule me Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.  That way I'm guaranteed a day off between shifts.  The way it had originally been set up in the system, it was possible for them to schedule me 5 days in a row.  That's not why I'm going part-time.

Last evening, when I got home from work, I updated the drivers in my printer.  Evidently a large update happened back in March and I didn't receive notification.  I didn't try printing anything yet because, well, honestly, if it doesn't work I'll just have to get another laser printer.  

If the barbershop is open today, I'm going to get a haircut.  Believe me, I need one.

Here are some tasty tidbits of information:

For years we've been told to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.  Drink 8 glasses of water a day.  Now they've discovered hydration is different for every one.  8 glasses might be too much for some people, and not enough for others.  I read this and thought, hell, this is what happens whey you try and standardize everything.

Most of us with event the slightest bit of savviness have know this next one for a long, long time.  White, Cracker Jack Crazy Christians are really in it for the power.  Even though they might claim they're working for a higher power, the dark secret in their hearts is that all they're concerned about is the power to dictate and control.  Oh, and many believe in white supremacy because they they've convinced themselves they have chosen.  

And finally. the Hillsborough, Florida GOP have a bit of a problem.  It seems their anti-vax, anti-mask bookkeeper was a software developer who wrote the application for the finances.  Unfortunately, he was wrong about the vaxxing, and the masking, and died of Covid last week without telling anyone how to access their financial information.  Ouch!!

Updates

 So, the dogs got me up this morning at 0430.  Earlier then I usually get up.  My back was, as usual, stiff, and they didn't want to be patient.  When doggy bladders are full, doggies want to go... badly.  Like me, they can be impatient.  So they sat staring at me for 15 minutes while I let the heating pad get in its morning work and loosen up the sticky parts in my back.  Mostly, they were very patient.

Thinking about my availability for my new part-time schedule, one change is going to be made.  Saturday is going to be made unavailable.  Right now there are only 2 days in which I cannot be scheduled.  That's going to go to 3.  For me, part-time is not defined as 5 five hour days.

While working on a new book, one of the things that happens is every new chapter gets printed off and put into a binder.  That way notes can be made directly on the manuscript and there isn't a rainbow blizzard of post-it notes covering my desk.  Three days ago there was a problem with the printer.  Emails printed, nothing else.  Can we talk about frustration?  Nothing is more frustrating then having a routine crash.  The problem turned out to be the printer had gone offline.  I'm blaming one of the many Microsoft updates being done as they prep for Windows 11.

In other updates:

The little rally protesting the arrest of those involved in the January 6 attempted coup turned out to be very little.  One report noted there were more media people present than protesters. 

The Newsom landslide in California should not be seen as a bell weather moment.  He avoided recall by almost exactly the same amount of votes as he got when he won the election.  Translation?  Republicans did not cross the line.  Minority groups don't win elections... normally.

The 2020 Census is beginning to create a morass of gerrymandering changes in Republican states.  Prepare for lawsuits.  The minority Republican party will never understand their attempt to force the country down a conservative path will lead to anger, frustration, and upheaval, and they are the ones who will end up paying the price.

Vote blue.

Submarined

 And the weekend has begun.  For me, that's a working weekend.

Yesterday, I set up the hours I'm available to work.  There are only 2 days in which I cannot be scheduled.  Being a part-timer means I will never have to work on Tuesday and Friday.  For the rest of the days of the week I'm open between 8 am to 8 pm.  Remember, I can only work around 25 hours a week.  Since there are 2 other full time Flooring specialists, I will probably be covering their days off, so I'm figuring I'll be working 3 days a week to cover their days off.  

Today is the last day they are forecasting to be in the 80's (F).  The autumn equinox is upon us.  Last year we had fairly warm fall season. Not much rain.  That's fine.  We really don't need anymore rain, though they're calling for showers today.  

And what about the brouhaha between France and America.  They had a deal with Australia who it seems pretty much reneged on it.  Submarines.  68 Billion dollars worth of subs.  That's a lot.  I'd be pissed off as hell, too.  But if I read correctly, the deal is actually between the US, Australia, and the UK. And I don't hear them shrieking at Boris Johnson's government.  So, now we're selling Australia the subs (ours are nuclear), but it's not like Americans in general are going to make any money.  Really, I think they should blame China.

Oh, I almost forgot, today's the day they gather in Washington to celebrate their failed coup.  Losers all around.  The fact that so many Republicans have jumped aboard the Big Lie train tells you quite a bit about them and none of it is good.  They began selling off their souls a long time ago.  They really have no concern for human life.  They deny climate change.  They focus on greed.  They cite religion and then side step it constantly.  They have no problem walking over the downtrodden.  They idealized their own image and turned it into a deity.  They are a dead end and nothing more.  And the culmination of all of these traits is to die off because they turned the idea of being safe into a political position from which there is no escape.

Futures Evolving

Friday!  Payday, also, which is always nice.  After today I will only get 2 (count 'em) more full time pay deposits into my bank.  Some might find the idea of having their income halved rather daunting.  Not me.  While I don't want you to think I'm an old hand at this, I do have experience.  Think of it as my 'early pandemic, essential associate hours during a lockdown' trial run from last year when I voluntarily cut my hours down to 25 per week.  Back then I had a brief  'oh, shit' moment until I realized with my finances I had nothing to worry about as long as I cut back on those $40 bottles of wine (just kidding).

Yesterday was slow at work.  Really.  One of my fellow Specialists suggested it was the time of year, which might be the case.  I'm not really concerned.  In a few weeks, my sales goals are going to change, not that I have ever felt pressured or desperate.  

The dogs were down playing around with Lily's 6 foot squeaky snake and now she has a bit of a booboo paw, or to be more specific since her anatomy is somewhat different to that of a human, a booboo wrist.

The only thing I like about my free SiriusXM subscription is that I get to hear more new alternative music.  These guys are great.  Three brothers.  AJR.  Their lyrics are more than a little OK.

At least 7 conservative radio hosts and anti-vaxxers have died from something.

They like living dangerously up in Idaho. The state has approved rationing of health care because of all the Covid patients in the hospitals, and what do they do?  They put someone who spews misinformation about the disease in charge.  He thinks it's fake.  What a shame he's not a radio host.

There's supposed to be some sort of assemblage of protestors in Washington tomorrow, losers upset that people involved in the January 6 coup attempt have been arrested.  However, to assemble, they need bodies, something organizers are concerned about.  Right Wing groups are telling their members not to go... they're worried about getting arrested, and photographed, and... well, doing anything incriminating.  The Orange Anus is going to be far, far away and, in fact, has rarely mentioned this gathering of Republicans, out of fear, I don't doubt.  His future does not look bright.

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/09/16/idaho-covid-gop-ryan-cole/

Stomping the Big Lie

 Yesterday was very slow at work.  And, as usual, the day ended with rain.  That's right.  We got more rain.  Storms that turned into momentary downpours, and then drizzles well into the night.  And today as well.  And tomorrow, too.  Yesterday at work someone else mentioned that we were turning into a rainforest.  Our visions are dissimilar in that he pictures people kayaking up streets and trees on rooftops, while mine had more do with continuous rainfall and swarms of mosquitos.

I saw where Amazon is raising  the starting rate for many of its workers to $18 an hour.  I don't know what positions are covered, but if that's true, something's changing.  Our starting rate of pay falls short of that mark.  Some of our positions do hit the $15 per hour, but most do not.

And Space X launched civilians into space yesterday.  The ticket price was hefty, but they can afford to spend the money.  Space tourism.  Who would have thought?  Serious exploration is not far off.  China wants to put men on the moon.  Russia's talking about building their own space station (the Chinese already have one in orbit, though no one talks about it).  India is launching probes to Mars.  This is our future.

And what about Nicki Manij?  I know the name, that's about it, but her anti-vaxxer stance, relying on some sort of conspiracy shit about one man's swollen testicles demonstrates stupidity at it's worst.  And now she's laughingstock, which might not help her career much.

Another amusing bit is that out in California Larry Elder conceded his loss rather than rely on a variation of the Bit Lie.  This does not make him any less of a loser, however, the really big loser was the Orange Anus who was desperately hoping to damage the Democrats.  Because of the Republican's failed recall, Democrats now have a decent playbook on how to beat them in 2022, other than just stomping the shit out of the Big Lie.

Office

 Good Morning, or Afternoon, or Evening, or whenever.  I say that because time has changed for me because of my lumbar issues.  Now, every night around 2:30 AM EST, I get up to use a heating pad for a half an hour.  That's not as big of a disruption to my sleep patterns as you might think, since now and then one, or both of the dogs, needs to get in an early hour pee.  Besides, the older I get, I find that the hours I sleep are less important than the total hours I sleep.  And I don't just sit like a dolt for that half hour, I watch videos, listen to music; there's nothing wrong with making that half hour productive.

Yesterday I got a walk in on my treadmill.  Walking is good for lumbar issues, I will do so again this morning.  I'm thinking of activating 'dictate' in Word, so I can walk and write at the same time.  

I am slowing turning the space around my writing desk into a home office.  This means no longer using the bottom shelf of my sideboard for storage, and my laser printer.  Prior to being useful, I used that space primarily for displaying some of my china.  Now, all I need to do is figure what to do about my leaning candles.

And, of course, one of the headlines I saw while using my heating pad this morning was in regard to the California recall.  You all know now that Newsome kicked Larry Elder's ass by a whole bunch of votes, or basically what they call a landslide, something like 64% to 36%., so it looks like he's going to be staying in office. This time the polls were correct.  Honestly, I wasn't worried.  Elder's nothing more than a craven Oreo trying to mold himself after the Orange Anus.  He was preparing to shriek 'voter fraud' however, after such a resounding defeat that lie would make him look like an even bigger ass than he already is, and he's already a fairly large buffoon.

Finally, here it is Wednesday and I'm still seeing pieces about that hack Amy Barrett something or other.  I don't know why she thought her little speech was a good idea, perhaps to rationalize the lie within her head.  What she did do, more than anything else, is prove to a majority of Americans that she's not only a hack but a toady as well.  She is one of many poster children exemplifying why Republicans need to be voted out of office.

The Cracker Jack Crazies

I get to go back to work tomorrow.  No excitement here.  I'm not all all looking forward to a 6 day stretch, even as I remind myself my 40 hour work weeks will be coming to an end very soon.  I have less than a month to go and my last fulltime schedule will be posted tomorrow.

I went to see Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings last evening.  There is a reason the film has a 98% viewer rating on Rotten Tomatoes.  The minute you walk into the moving bamboo forest you step into a whole new world.  From the streets of San Francisco, to a fight club in Macao, to Ta Lo, a small village protecting the world from evil, you are taken to places so new and different for most Americans.  There is not one small performance in this movie; even the smallest roles are crisp and fresh.

Today is recall day for Gavin Newsome.  If the polls are to be trusted this time, the GOP is going to fail at their attempt to take over the state.  From what I've seen, those pressing hardest to have him removed are the fringiest Republicans.  Larry Elder is already spewing the 'election fraud' lie.  I don't think these Cracker Jack Crazies understand a large majority of Americans are fed up with this damn lie.  But then, since they've shit away their principles, all these losers have is a lie.

And then there's Amy.  You know the Amy I'm talking about, the Cracker Jack Crazy the Orange Anus and the Conservatives put onto the bench of the Supreme Court to create a majority of Conservative and partisan judges.  This past Sunday she spoke at a conservative venue created by Mitch McConnell and said the Supreme Court is not partisan.  This happening so soon after the Supreme Court let the Texas Abortion law stand, makes me think this was their attempt to clean the shit out of their pants; a large majority of Americans are not happy with this extremely partisan decision.  And so Amy stood in front of a crowd of conservatives and lied.  No one believes her.  Now we know, Amy was put on the court not only to force a partisan, conservative, minority agenda on America, she was always put there to be deceitful.  

More Power to Them

Monday has arrived.

Yesterday, the first day of my 3 day unweekend, weekend was quite.  I drove down to York to have lunch with my friend Betsy.  It is always good to spend quality time with like minds.  

Justin came and mowed my lawn.  He will need some direction, but then I wasn't expecting him to read my mind and know exactly what I needed done.  He was pleased to tell me he's in the process of getting vaccinated.  His father had Covid - bad.  He's one of those who actually survived intubation, though his lungs are pretty much shot.  Teeny weeny little blood clots did a job and in his weakened state he developed a heart inflammation.  He has a long road to recovery.

One of the plants in my tank is flowering.  Tomorrow, if the back continues to improve, there will be a thorough cleaning.

Did anybody else see the bit about the Republican Senator from Alaska who's not allowed on Alaska Airlines because of her anti- vaccine, anti-mask stance.  Notice, I say stance rather than beliefs.  She will clean to her party's diatribes; to do otherwise might cost her votes.  Of course, unable get a flight out of Alaska might prove to be worrisome given she needs to be in Washington to vote against everything the Democrats want.

And a number of different surveys are showing that there is very little that will change an anti-vaxxer's views.  This is a group who's so stringently held beliefs will be with them from the cradle to the grave, literally. 

And evidently Biden's mandates about getting vaccinated or tested have driven the Republican party into a tizzy.  Can't you hear their shrieks and moans?  They are in a real mess.  Legally, the Supreme Court has upheld such mandates in the past.  They have a big problem.  You see, people want their lives to go back to normal, pre-Covid, and the only way for that to happen without clogging up the hospitals with Covid patients is for people to get vaccinated.  Their desperate ploy which they believed would ring loudly in the ears of a majority, is falling mostly on deaf ears, in fact they are now dealing with a backlash.  This is fine.  In fact. I say more power to them.

It's in the Words

 I have a 3 day weekend beginning today.  Now, isn't that nice.  I suppose you might say my Labor Day has arrived a week late.  Of course, you could also say that because I don't have a non-retail job, this is how my schedule gets written.  I will admit, I do tend to have more 3 day weekends then many of my readers.  I have no problem with that.

Also, as of today, I have less than a month of full time schedules ahead of me.  I did add another vacation day in order to have one less day to work.  If you're counting, that's 19 days, unless I happen to feel like taking a personal day. I am so full of anticipation.

I want to set up a lighting routine for my new AI toy, Alexa, and I'll be perfectly honest, in a way it truly is a bit like a toy.  Currently, I have to specify individual lights I want turned on or off.  A routine will let me group lights together, so I only have to say "Alexa, lights on," or, if I wanted to let the Bobby Tussel come out in me, I could set up the routine so I only have to say "turn on the fuckin' lights."

People who read my books think I'm a lot like Eli, my main character, because I write in first person.  The truth is that while I don't dance, and don't run a porno website, in a lot of other ways I'm a lot like Bobby, my use of inappropriate language  being one.  Unlike Bobby, I have learned there is a time and place for every four letter word.

Where's the profane category?

Because I worked yesterday, I only caught bits and pieces of the 9/11 memorial services held around the country.  We saw a lot of pictures and heard a lot of words.  What surprised many was the speech by George W. Bush, not one of our better presidents.  His comparison of 9/11 to domestic terrorism, while not mentioning January 6, caused a bit of a furor.  I'm sure the skin of many Republicans burned with the criticism.  But don't worry, I'm also sure many of them easily sloughed it off, after all, the orange anus was hosting, or commenting at a boxing match last evening.  I believe every other living president, except the very senior Jimmy Carter, gave a televised speech.  Not that the OA didn't meet with some first responders, but only to get the media involved so he could spread another lie.  Isn't it a shame that this man will prostitute a national tragedy just to feed both his ego and the Big Lie.

Reflections

 As with most Americans, this is a day of Reflection.  The terrorist attack of September 11 shocked the world in a way unlike any other in history.  Those zealots who few planes into the World Trade Center and Pentagon thought only that they were declaring war only on America.  Those working in those buildings were of no concern.  So many nations lost citizens that day, for not only did Americans die, but also Swedes, and Germans, and Spaniards, and Britons, and Canadians, among so many others.  These zealots failed to comprehend how many citizens of the world were employed at the World Trade Center.  Narrow minds see only narrow paths.  For a brief moment, the people of the world were united.

Everyone remembers 9/11.  Many take time and think of where they were when those videos started flashing across TV screens and computer monitors.  I was working for xpedx, the distribution arm of International Paper.  One of our centers was in Hoboken, so while others desperately tried to find out what was happening, I called one of my contacts there.  The phone rang and rang, before a voice answered and was told they had lost contact with several delivery trucks that were in New York that day.  Communications were down.  When I asked about my sales rep, I was told he was on the loading dock.  "Everybody's on the loading dock watching."  I will always remember that voice telling me that.  "Everybody's on the loading dock watching."  I can't even begin to imagine their horror.

Responsibilities

 Well, I did take yesterday off.  Called in bright and early and took a personal day, not because I was feeling bad, well I did for a short while since the flooring desk was going to be left short handed.  Then I reminded myself there are others working who can talk to customers.  I'm not the only one working there.  As I get older, I'm shrugging off responsibilities I used to wear as a mantle of authority.  This is how life is.  I tell people that in all the years you spend on this earth there should be two times when you should be able to shirk off responsibility:  when you're a child and your parents are shouldering them, and when you get older.  And let's be honest here, I am getting older.

One of the things I did notice yesterday, and something which has come to my attention before, is that my back feels so much better when I'm at home.  Not that I think going to work causes psychosomatic pain, but I'm not walking on concrete at home, and I sit in chairs that are a comfortable height, and are cushioned and not plastic.  Six years ago, when I had a very serious back episode, my specialist asked me what I thought caused my improvement.  I didn't really know then.  Looking back, I'm fairly certain that today my answer would be, not walking on concrete, etc.  Six years ago I went on LOA for 3 months.

I wrote over 1000 words yesterday.  I suspect this is what my going part-time will be.  A new character has joined the plot in The Body in Repose:  Captain Trawley.

And then, of course, this happened yesterday.

A certain political party is not happy.  Which one?  Here's a hint: The one that is solely responsible for most of the Covid deaths right now.  Here's another hint:  The same party is running the state of Florida, a state which has stopped releasing the numbers of Covid or Covid related deaths.  The same party in running the states of Arizona and Utah where out of state health care workers are being hired to help with the over-crowded hospitals.  And why are they pissed off?  They say this is an attack on their personal freedom.  That's a lie.  The truth is they see masks and vaccines as part of the Democrat agenda and the last thing they want to do is give the Democrats a win.  The truth is they hate the Democrats so much they have chosen to let members of their own voting block suffer in die out of spite.  They alone are responsible.  

Conservative Mantra

 Today's my Hump Day.  My schedule was updated, so I now know how I'll be working during the 2nd last week of my fulltime employment.  It is not good.  Six days in a row.  A bit of a frown slipped across my face.  I have personal time on the books, so I may have to break up that stretch.

The portable heating pad I bought didn't work as well as I was hoping because it creates this superficial feeling that everything is fine.  Bending too quickly will still trigger a spasm, I learned that yesterday reaching down for a faux wood blind.  Heat relieves the symptoms, but not the problem.  In fact heat does a really good job.  I have heating pads upstairs and downstairs.  Days off are fine.  Work days, however, even with the portable pad, are not, and I'm wondering how much of that might actually be short-timer's attitude.  Is the discomfort worse at work because I know in a few weeks I'm only going to be working about 25 hours a week?  Honestly, I think about that when there are no customers, writing out different schedules for myself.

We had another thunderstorm last evening.  There was still a drizzle this morning when I left the dogs out.  This is how we transition into a rain forest.  Climate change, you know?  I find it rather sad that there is a certain group out there who don't believe our weather patterns are changing.  Not surprisingly, these are the same people who think Covid is like the flu, they are the anti-vaxxers, and, as you might expect, the ones who treasure their little red hats, and worship the orange anus.  They are the ones, who, on their way to being intubated, will claim they don't have Covid, only bad allergies.  Cough.  Cough.

The unfortunate truth is that these people are having an allergic reaction to reality.  They will never be able to comprehend the actuality of the situation.  Denial is their daily bread.  For them, everything revolves around their conservative mantra:  Me, Myself, Mine.

Oh, and I saw where Kellyanne Conway had her ass fired.  What a sorry situation that a human being with that low an IQ should make it into any position of government or power.  She will always be, and never anything more, than the bottled blond from Hell.

Your Little Swimmers

Yesterday was ho-hum at work, slow for the most part.  I had to locate matching trim for a customer who's having a hardwood installation.  The original choice had been for primed white, so the only thing needing to be done was to have it painted.  However, there are 440 linear feet, and that's a bit of painting.  Rather than do that, the customer has opted (at an additional expense) to have trim which matches the hardwood.  Personally, I think matching quarter round makes it look like your floor is beginning to creep up your wall, but then I'm not the one who doesn't want to paint the trim.

The temp is forecast to hit 88 (F) today, the rest of the week is predicted to be cooler.  We are in September.  Fall is approaching.  Justin's going to come and mow my lawn on Sunday.  This will be a first for me.  I will have to find out what my pin is so I can take money out of the bank.

Since there are a number of bingo brains out their believing ivermectin will help if they catch Covid, like Joe Rogan, I am pleased to say that the worming med has an adverse effect of male sperm counts.  In other words, it reduces the number of your little swimmers if you take it.  This is all part of the natural selection process.

In other Covid contemplatables:  

As was the case last year, there was another large surge of infections after Sturgis.  This means all of those motorcycle men are going to be gulping down their ivermectin.

Idaho activated health care rationing last week in northern parts of the state.  Why quietly, you ask?  Well, Republicans know how much panic would ensue if their MAGA base realized Covid was much, much worse than the flu.

And last evening I got a flash from The Dallas Morning News, in their Coronavirus update, noting that Pediatric Covid-19 hospitalizations were at an all time high.  I find it interesting that those Conservative legislators will pass restrictive abortion and voting legislation while not doing a damn thing about their children.  

 

The Snitch site

 Well, a week of workdays will begin today.  The thought of calling off is strong... however, policy stipulates the loss of holiday pay if you call off on your next scheduled work day after.  That's a bit of a bite.  This is one of the last holidays I will be paid for 48 hours and only work 40.  After Black Friday, full-timers will be scheduled 32 hours + 8 holiday to get them to 40 hours.  In a little over a month, all of these hours will come to an end.  I can't wait.

My new keyboard arrived yesterday.  Not only is it wireless, it has a rechargeable battery.  It'll be interesting to find out how long the charge lasts for me since I'm not constantly writing.  I did have to set it up, which was one of the many labors I accomplished on Labor Day.  That, many loads of laundry, as well as setting up an Echo +.  That's right, Alexa has entered my house.  Does this mean the silence, other than barking dogs, present in my house will disappear?  Who knows.  Change is good.

I've learned all sorts of things while researching The Body in Repose.  One of the most startling has to do with the music of New Orleans.  Everybody thinks Jazz.  However, in the French Quarter, while there are a few bars that play jazz, most play classic rock.  This has to do with the tourists, many of whom, not familiar with jazz prefer to listen to something recognizable.

On Sunday, I did get together with my sister and brother at his farm.  These little gatherings are fun since we all remember things differently.  For those interested, here we are.

I saw where that whistleblower snitch site in Texas was taken down... again.  This is what happens when a group of zealots write a piece of fascist legislation that seems to have been taken straight from the playbook used by a group of Germans in the mid 1930's.  Anonymous tips were welcome when it came to reporting not only Jews, but those who might be sheltering them.  And so the snitch site is down again.  We have rights to privacy in this country, thank you American Constitution.  This legislation is an attempt to rip those rights away.  They want you to secretly point a finger, and are encouraging spineless cowards to blame others.  This is so horrifically un-American.

Free Range

 Well, it's Monday, Labor Day, and a paid holiday, and not only that, I don't have to work.  There will, however, be unpaid work done here.  Laundry is stacking up.  I need to drive to my local Giant Supermarket for a few food necessities for the up coming week (veggies).

I was at my brother's for a small get together yesterday.  It was drizzly.  I think that's a new word.  I say this because I've just used it in The Body in Repose and Word highlighted it for spelling.  I like it, so I'll let it stand.  Anyway, during the conversation, some of his free range chickens entered the picture, literally.  

Biggie gets Carprofen, a doggy NSAID, because like me, he has a touch of osteoarthritis.  My vet would rather I purchase his med from them, rather then through Chewy, however Chewy is much cheaper.  A tip of my hat to my sister in law (Jacquie (sp)) for giving me a work around for this problem.

And since it is a holiday, the news is slow.  Usually nothing politically groundbreaking happens on a holiday.  So today, in spite of the chores I need to do, will be spent relaxing, especially since I didn't get much of that yesterday.  Tomorrow, I'll be posting a family picture.  Now, won't that be nice. 

Hosts

This is such a weird weekend.  Not until I overhead someone talking about this being a holiday while at work did I realize we're supposed to be celebrating Labor Day.  This isn't to say I wasn't aware it was approaching, for some reason I just didn't realize that for some, this is going to mean 3 days off.  I get my 3 days off next weekend.  That's the way the schedule worked out.  And, oddly enough, I am off tomorrow, which is the holiday.

Last evening, as I was working on The Body in Repose, my wireless keyboard died.  At first I thought the batteries had run out of juice.  However, after replacing them, I realized the batteries were not the problem.  I'd power it up, the green indicator would light up, and then a few seconds later, that light would go off.  So, I did what seems to come naturally to me these days, I ordered a new one.  The reviews are mixed.  As long as it does what I want it to do, I'm fine.

And that portable heating pad I ordered?  Well, it's not portable, but it does massage with heat.  Woah.  I plugged that baby in last night and almost fell asleep in my chair.  And this morning?  While I'm still stiff, I'm not dealing with serious back spasms.  It's the things we don't think of sometimes, like massage therapy.

Let's take a moment of silence for Willard Scott.  He may not have been the best weatherman on national TV, but he was entertaining.  I'm one of those who can claim to have practically grown up with Willard Scott. He was your perfect host.  This is what aging is, for those of you who don't know, leaving familiar things behind.

And what about that Cracker Jack Crazy Jose Oliva?  He's that loony Florida representative who called women 'hosts.'  I don't know about you, but when I hear host in regard to another life form, I think of parasites.  True, the word host has many definitions, but Oliva wasn't talking about hosting a Tupperware Party, or, if you want to strain for an analogy, the eucharist.  Nope.  He was talking about women who host another lifeform in their womb.  I think of movies like Alien.  And tapeworms.  Not babies.  I think that's rather degrading of women.  You do know that in his mind, women will never be anything more than hosts.

Shrek Porn

Happy Saturday!  Today is my 13th anniversary of working for the orange home improvement retailer.  This is the longest I've ever worked for one specific company, not that feel the need to change jobs every 10 or 11 years, because like so many other workers in America I've been laid off.  Twice.  From 2 major corporations that proved they were inefficient at dealing with change.  Not that I'm complaining.  I received good severance packages from both that allowed me to pay off my house, go to France, buy my first boxer, and so many other things.  I do believe dealing with their failures have made me a better person.

I don't know if I mentioned it, but I bought a portable heating pad to wear under my shirt while I'm at work.  The meds, ibuprofen and naproxen, don't really help much, but heat therapy?  Simply amazing.

And, of course, I do have to go to work today.  I had a very large sale yesterday, blinds, almost $6000.  A couple with 5 boys are buying a new house, in fact they were the reason the wife said they needed to buy blinds... almost $6000 in blinds.  She was the driving force behind the purchase.  The husband was nice though hesitant.  I'd have been more than hesitant.  I can think of a better use of $6000.

I also have another flooring sale going through today that's close to $8000.  They're going to miss me when I go part-time.

Why the picture of Shrek?  Well, in case you haven't heard Tik-Tok is the advance guard of the cavalry in Texas.  A number of content providers on Tik-Tok are so furious over that Texas anti-abortion they've been flooding the 'whistleblower site' with Shrek Porn, among other things.  Or I guess I should say they were flooding it.  You see, the site was hosted by GoDaddy and GoDaddy has dropped it because it was breaking fundamental rules.  What rules?  How about gathering personal information about people without their authorization?  You see the idea was to turn average citizens into vigilantes, providing anonymous tips, making accusations about women without needing to provide information about themselves.  In other words, anybody can be an accuser with no accountability for their accusations.  Just think about the legal ramifications.  Guess who looks bad here, besides the Texas legislators?  And that dumb shit Abbott who signed a piece of legislation that is so obviously flawed?  Those 5 conservative members of the Supreme Court who let this law stand.  Evidently not one of them is a true constitutional scholar. 

 

She didn't think

 Well, let's give a cheery hello to Friday, aka Thursday if you're working my schedule.  This means I get to go to work today and tomorrow, followed by what seems to be my regular weekend, at least for the next 2 weeks.  After that my weekend moves to Monday and Tuesday for 2 weekends.  Two weeks after that I go part-time.

My eye exam went well.  In fact, yesterday was just a quick in and out to check my eye pressure and vision.  Wearing my glasses, I am better then 20 / 20, which is odd since personally, I don't think I see that well.  All the testing and the dilation will happen on March 3, 2022.

With my back issues, I find mornings are the only time things can be painfully bad.  A full 45 minutes with a heating pad is needed to sooth away the night's stiffness.  After that, everything is pretty much ducky dandy.  Heating pads have become my 'go to' friends.  I have 2, one upstairs and the other downstairs.  I've also ordered a portable one to take to work for those long afternoons.  It should be arriving Saturday.  Not a lot of meds here.  In fact, if there were a way to strap a heating pad on while I sleep, I'm sure mornings would be no problem.

The water in the basement is gone.  My house rests on a 116 year old stone foundation.  During heavy rains, the water rushes in from the back while slowly draining out of the front.  I do have a pump should I need one, but that's rarely been the case.  What I really need, in fact, what everybody in this area needs is no more rain.  Damn.  The rain never seems to end.  Nothing has a chance to dry out.  As a result, we are living in mosquito hell.  They are everywhere.  So much so, I've bought a Citronella candle to keep them away.

And what about that whining Susan Collins from Maine?  I saw she spit out a bit of shit yesterday regarding her vote for Kavanaugh.  She actually said the 3 most damning words a politician can say "I didn't think," of course she attempted to define those words in regard to his vote on the Texas abortion law.  The truth is that she didn't think then, she doesn't think now.  She's a Republican Party girl, a Conservative wolf dressed in Centrist Sheep clothing.  She didn't think.  She voted  for confirmation, the way her party wanted.  Now, Susan knows that she's in trouble if the voters do what she failed to do... think.  She knows quite well that the people of Maine are going to remember her inability to think the next time they go to the polls.

Between 6 and 7 inches

 Holy Crap!  I can't believe I forgot we started a new month yesterday.  That fact slipped my mind completely.  I even forgot to flip my Red Hot calendar over to meet the new ginger.  Just where was my mind?  Well, probably thinking up the rain.  Remember when I said Ida was forecasted to pass us to our south?  Wrong.  That bitch changed her mind and went right over top of us.  While doing so, she dropped a lot of torrential rain.  A lot.  Now I know some of you are wondering just how much a lot of rain is, so I'll tell you.  Here in Central PA we received between 6 and 7 inches (152 - 178 mm).   I also suspect there are those of you out there thinking to yourselves "between 6 and 7 is about average."  Perhaps if your measuring bananas, but when it comes to rain, those figures are humongous.  Believe me, I know.  I came home from work to find 3 inches of water in my basement.

For those of you who might have difficult imagining between 6 and 7 inches (152 - 178) here are some shots from Central PA.

And, then there's Texas... and the Supreme Court that was loaded by Liar #45 and the Republicans, a minority group desperate to dictate how Americans live their lives.  While these Cracker Jack Crazies are now dancing, they fail to realize they have put themselves directing into the crosshairs of a majority of Americans.  You have to remember, they are the party of the Selfish, whose favorite pronoun is 'my;' my money, my taxes, my religion.  And they are a minority group, and they are shrinking.  Their actions will not bring about the results they so cravenly want.

 

Ida need no more rain

 How can I put this mildly?  The weather forecasters were rather precise in putting Ida's track to the south of us by a bit.  That green funnel they use to represent a tropical storm's path barely grazed southern Pennsylvania.  We would only be getting showers from a glancing blow.... Well, they were wrong... by a bit.  In fact, as I write this, Ida is moving directly over head.  Centered we are, as bands of showers and heavy rains drench Central PA.  Which is not what we needed, if you know what I mean.  More rain.  We do not need any more rain.  That little orange spot?  That's us.  Now ain't that nice.

I bought some new pillows and pillowcases.  They arrived yesterday, the pillows are great, the case?  They are so tiny, they will never fit a standard sized pillow.  They're getting returned tomorrow.

In fact, tomorrow is looking like a busy day in the morning.  First thing up is an eye exam, with possible dilation.  Borderline glaucoma.  Then a stop off at Giant to pick up ingredients for Kimchi, followed by a short visit to my UPS Store to drop the teeny, weeny pillow cases.  And then?  Well, probably a nap or two.

Oh, and Texas now has the most restrictive voter laws and the most stringent abortion laws in the nation because...  Republicans.  This is the same state where many froze to death last winter because the power grid was shot to hell.  This is what happens when elected officials receiving large campaign donations from energy providers turn a blind eye.  And don't forget, Ted Cruz is from Texas?  Remember him, the loser who chose to take a vacation in Cancun during that freeze and then threw a hissy fit when the media found out.  Between you and me, I don't think it will be long before the state collapses.  You see, Conservatives desperately want to be in charge, though when they are they prove they are really terrible managers.  Always have been, and always will.