The World is Royally Pissed Off at Putin

 Well, for some of you, another work week is beginning.  Mine never really ended.  In fact, today is going to be my Friday.  So, what do you think of that?  I have an 8 hours shift, leave the store at 5:30 (PM), and do not have to be back until Thursday at 1 (PM).  I can live with that.

There's been a bit of a tragedy in the Big Tank.  My algae eater has disappeared.  This morning, as I was feeding them, I realized he was no longer darting around sucking teeny bits and pieces of the green stuff from the sides of the tank.  This means a drive down to That Fish Place to get another.  The truth is I need to get a second one for the new tank, unless I want to scrap algae on a regular basis.  I will, at some point, need to buy a new LED light which will let me adjust the brightness.  While bright light is nice, it's also quite conducive to algae growth.

I did a mile on the treadmill yesterday, but something started rattling horribly bad, so I stopped.  I'm going to have to take the screw driver and makes sure everything is tightened up.

So, I started using Natural Dog Company's Skin Soother on Biggie's paws.  Firstly: he likes it.  More importantly: he doesn't try and lick it off.  It's an organic balm which helps heal.  Two of the ingredients are frankincense and myrrh, which probably make it holy shit good.

Oh, and in case you haven't heard, the world is royally pissed off at Putin.  And for so many reasons, one of which is that many, many realize his boner is never going to be satisfied until he 'rules the world,' or at least all of Europe, which ever comes first.  The Chinese are very mute on his invasion.  I suspect they see it as a trial balloon to gauge the reaction if they were to invade Taiwan.  The signs are not promising for them.  I saw this morning where talks have begun between the Ukraine and Russia.  That ain't going to go any where.  Every day that passes makes Putin looked dumber, one might go so far as to wonder if that boner of his is really nothing more than a cheap prosthetic.  Maybe he should change his name to Dildo Putin.

Finally, I'm old enough to remember the days of the USSR, when there was a Soviet Union, and back then, if one of the Premiere's screwed things up, the Oligarchs would simply replace him.  I'm not the only one to be thinking about this since Marc posted this link to the Palmer Report.  You see, most people believe Putin's running the show over there.  Wrong.  It's the Oligarchs.  As long as he keeps them happy, he's happy.  If they get pissed off, well there's a villa Gorbachev moved to that's now sitting empty.  Are the Oligarchs pissed?  Well, this morning I saw that the Belarusian army is arming up to go in and bail out the Russian army.  Oh, and the Russian Stock Market opened this morning.  Ouch!

Sacrificing Others

 Another sleepy Sunday has arrived.  Biggie is sleeping on the floor beside me.  I've ordered some cream that's supposed to help with the two furuncle between the two toes on his left foot.  They recommend giving him an Epsom salt foot bath, I'm sure that will be an experience.

I only have to work 4 hours today, 3 - 7.  That shouldn't be too bad.  Yesterday we were busy.  I ended up getting 3 measures.  Damn, the slow time of the year is ending, not that it was ever really that slow.  There were maybe 2 weeks when the store usually cleared out around 3 o'clock.  That didn't happen yesterday.  We'll see what today's like.

The mask mandate has come off at work.  I'm okay with that.  Vaxxed and boosted, if I do get Covid hopefully the symptoms will be minor.  Right now the unvaxxed make up the majority of deaths, between 2300 and 2800 a day.  I have no problem with that either.  And, if someone an unvaxed person comes up to me and whines about getting it a second time, I might laugh in his face and say "what the hell did you think was going to happen?"

And Putty's booty must be burning badly with all of the solidarity rising around the world for the Ukraine.  the NATO he hates so much is doing exactly what was planned, standing up to him.  And they don't need to be a part of NATO to stand with the Ukraine.  Turkey has the Dardanelles down to Russian warships.  These countries realize Putin will not stop with the Ukraine.  Will he be successful?  In the long run, no, but you he will have no problem sacrificing thousands and thousands of young, Russian lives to get what wants.  That's always been a problem with bad people in power, sacrificing others means nothing to them.

Looking Putin in the Eye

 Well, what do you know, it's the weekend.  As usual, I have to work for 6 hours, from 1 - 7.  I will take a break around 4 ish as part of my routine.  Whether it's going to be busy is anybody's guess.  Temps are supposed to climb into the upper 30's (not wowie wow weather), though the sun is supposed to be shining.  One of the Specialists in my department is on vacation, so it might be hectic.

I'm going to be making an appointment to take Biggie to the vet, his furuncles are not getting any better.  Maybe Tuesday or Wednesday.  I will update his arthritis medicine at that time, as well.  Aging dogs... they need special treatment.  Not a big price at all when you think of how much joy they provide.

And I did finish (almost) rearranging my computer / workout room.  I have much more space.  Now I don't have to worry about falling out of the window if I happen to fall sideways.  And, I've been thinking about selling my Cannondale X-6.  That was the first bicycle I bought about 10 years ago.  I'm probably never going ride it again, and right now, all it's doing is gathering dust.

The new arrangement 

There's a lot of concern out there that in desperation, Putin might use Nukes.  That'll never happen for several reasons.  1. That would make him look like a desperate, little man who's sees them as a last resort.  Using them would turn him into the worst failure in the world.  2.  The Russian military will take him out before he goes that far.  They want to be seen as strong.  Using Nukes is a sign of weakness and desperation, especially when the country they're invading has no Nukes. 3.  Time is beginning to run out on his invasion.  The world does not want long, drawn out wars.  The Stock Market does not like long, drawn out wars.  I do suspecting Putin thought this was going to be a slam dunk.  It isn't.  Russian soldiers are dying which is very unpopular in the motherland.  4. NATO has been activated.  For those who don't know, NATO was established to keep Russia at bay.  Yep, a Russian invasion was the threat they were concerned about.  Now it's been activated.  What does NATO do? It looks Putin directly in the eye and says "fuck you, asshole."

Finally, isn't it amazing how the far right Republicans are blaming everybody but Putin.  You do know, they thought Trump was going to be a Putin mini-me.  They were wrong.  We need to vote them all out of public office, otherwise what's happening in the Ukraine might happen here.  Vote Blue!

Crashing Through

 Well, we have freezing rain outside.  Ice melt has been strewn across the veranda, or the patio, or what ever you want to call the area of pavers outside the back door.  We don't want the dogs slipping and sliding.  Dogs over 8 years old should not have to deal with icy walkways.

I spent a long time yesterday with  customers who had wanted to put vinyl plank in their basement. Their floor is not level enough, in fact the installer advised them to bring in a contractor to level it for them.  This is a job that should not have been sold... at all.  Who ever sold it, ignored all the warnings on the quote and now we look bad.

Today the furniture in the computer room / exercise room is getting moved. There needs to be a better allocation of space.  Right now the treadmill is at the far end of the room, next to the window, and that's a little close.  While it would probably never happen, the possibility exists for me to trip, and perhaps fall to the right, and maybe do a lot of damage to both myself and the window.  The last thing I want to do at  my age is to go crashing through.  So, the bike is going to be moved a 1.5 feet to the left, and the treadmill is going to be slipped in beside it.  

And the Russian army has entered Kiev.  Putin believes the government will capitulate soon.  That may well happen.  Of course, that doesn't mean there isn't going to be an insurgency.  There will be resistance cells constantly picking away.  And it will spread.  This will piss off the Russian citizens who will bear the financial brunt of Putin's bonehead move.

Finally, let me talk about Lauren Witzke.  She gives bottled blondes a bad name.  Lauren is one of those Cracker Jack Crazies who crashed through the window of reality.  She campaigned to be a senator from Delaware in 2020... and lost because...  She has gone on record praising Putin and his Nationalist Christian Party.  That's right, she called Putin's fan base Nationalist Christians.  Evidently no one has ever told her about the Russian Orthodox Church.  Let me be honest here, the first words that flashed through my head when I saw that were Holy Fuck.

Damn Dumb

What a serious morning this is.  Yesterday was nice, the sun was shinning, the temps here got up to 66 (F) and it was almost possible to believe everything was right with the world.  Of course, that was not to be.  Accuweather began sending notifications late yesterday afternoon.  The cold was returning, and bringing with it snow and ice.  Right now they're predicting for around 3 inches (about the size of Putin's dick), to begin falling when I leave work this evening.  Isn't it a good thing I'm off tomorrow?

Yesterday was busy here.  I did a large water change in the big tank - algae, you know, it helps to keep it in check.  I was also surprised to see there was algae starting up in the new tank, which is in a location that will never get direct sunlight, and I'm beginning to believe the main culprit is the LED lighting all tanks come with nowadays.  The old fluorescent lighting was never this bright, and while the lighting on the big tank can be adjusted, that on the new tank cannot.  Shit.

Since I've begun writing The Body Under Ice, I've been looking for song lyrics.  Thanks to Sirius XM, this one is probably going to be included. 

And, of course, Russia has invaded the Ukraine.  Only a dumbass would have believed Putin's lies.  He was rather blatant about it too, wasn't he?  He and Macron sitting at the long, white table was a set piece, nothing more.  Trump is ecstatic.  In his small mind this is what a strong leader does... invade.  And the GOP continues to fracture.  They desperately want to blame Biden and are doing so publicly, but only the MAGAs want to side with Putin.  Perhaps the idea of something like that happening in this country is striking a little too close.  I do hope you realize that there is a certain group of Republicans who would have no problem attacking cities in the United States to force their will upon the people. The idea that would lead to a horrific insurgency simply doesn't occur to them, the same way it doesn't occur to Putin.  Yes, that's right, they are that damn dumb.

 

Is Tucker Carlson a Commie Pinko?

 Wednesday already.  Outside, the temps are a near balmy 61 (F), however, that will be changing soon.  Cold is on the way.  And snow (just a dusting), and ice (enough to make the roads slick).  Both of those happy things are due to arrive sometime late tomorrow afternoon, about the time I'm going to be heading home from work.

Yesterday was a quiet day here.  A couple loads of laundry were washed and dried.  A short walk / run was done on the treadmill.  I had planned for staying on longer, but I accidently pulled out the emergency shut down plug when I was reaching up to increase the speed and, well, every thing came to a sudden stop.  This is that has happened.  

I do need to go to the store today.  My Xbox controller needs batteries.  I've started a 3rd play through of Mass Effect 3, the legendary edition.  Mass Effect was ground breaking when it came out in that it incorporated romance in the action... same sex romance, if you happened to be playing as a female Shepherd.  It wasn't until the 3rd part of the trilogy came out that same sex romance for the male Shepherd made it's appearance.  Now, all RPG's offer romance regardless of gender.  

And of course, Bad Boy Vlad gave a fiery speech which left a number of historians scratching their heads.  He seems to have been  collaborating with Trump since a lot of what he said was... well, an ugly version of creative history.  One of the things he brought up was the USSR.  For those of you who are too young to know, the USSR stands for Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.  That's right, before Russia began to fake their democracy, they were Communist.  We called them Commie Pinkos.  So, what we have is Vlad lamenting the tragic collapse of the USSR.  He'd like to go back to the 'good ol' days' of the 1950's, just like Conservatives in this country.  Back then, Republicans knew who the enemy was, today, however, some of them want to side with Putin.  Take Tucker Carlson, who's been spending an exorbitant amount of time praising Vlad and what he's been doing.  Back in the 50's, Conservatives would have called Tucker Carlson a Commie Pinko.  I don't doubt for a second that Tuck's Karma is going to take him down because he has become dangerous.

Deuces Wild 2/22/22

 Well, my weekend has arrived.  The weather is overcast, with temps expected to rise into the mid 60's (F), which is the sign that spring is approaching.  Today is also a palindrome, meaning there is no difference if your read it frontwards or backwards.  2/22/22.  If I were a card player, I'd have to say that deuces are wild.  If you don't believe, check out what's happening in the world.

I got around to watching "Being the Ricardos" last evening.  I was impressed with Nicole Kidman, and can see why she got an Oscar nomination.  Javier Bardam?  Sadly, he was no Desi Arnaz.  Desi was a fine-boned pretty boy, Javier is not.  I felt the political bit of back story used to hold the film together was unnecessary.  The tale of Lucy and Ricky is more than fascinating on its own.  Interestingly enough, there's no mention of how they purchased RKO, a studio which terminated Lucy's contract when she was 39 because they saw her as too old.  Because of this, there isn't even a footnote regarding the fact that it was Lucy who greenlighted a little known, sci-fi show called Star Trek.

And for those who aren't yet quite aware, Russia has begun the invasion of the Ukraine.  Putin gave some sort of fiery speech yesterday in which he mentioned the USSR.  For those who don't remember the USSR, at one point in time there was Russia, then a little thing called World War II happened and when the dust settled there was the USSR, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.  Commies, as they were known.  The USSR consisted of Russia, as well as a number of 'satellite' countries, including Poland and Czechoslovakia, of and East Germany.  Remember the Berlin Wall?  That's the USSR.  And yesterday, Putin said that was the real Russia, that there were no independent republics.  Hold onto your hats, he's going to really screw up the world. 

Big Losers

The fudge is gone!  It's a good thing I took several slices to work, otherwise I'd be 10 pounds heavier.  Tasty, rich, and delicious, the one good habit I have in regard to the bad habit of eating candy is that I get my fill fast.  Then I'm done, and the desire to chow down fades.  Right now, I'd say I'm good on skipping fudge for the next five or six years, or at least until an inkling inspires to be to order another box.

Temps here are supposed to climb into the upper 50's (F) today.  I'm only scheduled to work for 4 hours.  Tomorrow and Wednesday, they're supposed to top off in the lower 60's (F), but then they drop.  Spring can be such a tease at times.

So, I printed off a map of Mackinac Island in order to place 'the body.'  I frequently use maps.  Knowing the geographical location helps.  I spend a lot of time on the computer, too, looking at various sights in the area where 'the body' will be found.  For The Body in Repose, I learned quite a lot about the French Quarter from photographs various people had taken over the years.  One of the things that was a pleasant surprise was discover that there are rooftop bars in the French Quarter; not all the bar crawling takes place on street level.  Any way, here's the map for Mackinac.  Any ideas as to where the body is going to be found?

So, there might be a summit between Biden and Putin... maybe.  If it happens, I doubt very much if Putey baby is going to come riding in shirtless, and on the back of a horse.  And, if it happens, will anything be accomplished?  I doubt it.  As I've said before, Putin has a boner for the Ukraine.  I find it interesting how one of his demands has to do with NATO, claiming he sees it as a threat.  The Orange Anus didn't like NATO either, his claim was that the member countries weren't paying their fair share.  Keep in mind, the Orange Anus also desperately wanted to build a hotel in Moscow.  Well, that hotel ain't gonna happen.  Because Orangey's coup failed, his blow bro Putin now has to deal with a president who sees him for what he really is, a little man with a big ego, a little man who's going to lose even if he does invade.  Till all is said and done, he's going to be as big a loser as the Orange Anus.

I got mine

 Well, today's going to be a slow Sunday.  I work for almost 8 hours.  I get to work for another 7 hours tomorrow, and then I have off for my mid-week weekend.

Oh, and it's cold here in Central PA - 18 (F).  Winter is not over yet... though the temps will be in the low to mid 60's for the next 3 days.  That's right, on Tuesday and Wednesday the weather will have spring like temps, however there will be... rain.  The dogs mind the rain, I don't.  Hopefully it will just be showers.

My test kits were waiting for me in my mailbox when I got home last evening.  Unlike some who desperately worry that every sniffle is the onset of Covid and will use these tests at the drop of a hat, I'll wait until I run a steady fever... or find myself breathless.  For all I know, I've already had it and exhibited very minor symptoms, something I could very easily overlook.  I take my temp every day I work and it's always sitting at 97.6 (F), never higher, never lower.  So, they may end up sitting in a drawer until way past their expiration date, but at least I have them, which is a nice thing.

For those who missed it, Frankie Graham got dinged by Facebook last week by posting a lie about Hillary Clinton.  When a faux Christian of his stature stoops to dropping falsehoods, he must truly be desperate.  Anyway, that got me to thinking:  what other mistakes has Frankie purposely made.  Lo, and behold, according to the Baptist News Franklin Graham not only dropped a whopper, he was downright blasphemous.  You see, Frankie compared those ten Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump to Judas Iscariot, implying something akin to 30 pieces of silver passed hands.  One suspects that Frankie, like the Orange Anus, is clinging to the power he so desperately feels he deserves, and as such is just as big a loser.

 

Oh... Fudge

Once again the weekend is upon us.  These are the days that I work.  Six hours are scheduled today.  I'm taking a salmon steak in for lunch.  Maybe douse it with a little lemon to give it a little twang. 

We might be busy at the store, and than again, maybe not.  We're still in the winter doldrums as far as carpet installations go.  That doesn't mean we might not get any window treatment customers.  Honestly, I have so little patience when I deal with them, mostly because so many of them come across as indecisive when it comes to just about every decision.  Color:  Snowstorm white, or pearl white?  There's not a lot of variation between the two.  There are literally twenty different shades of white and some customers will spend up to an hour trying to decide which shade they like best. Corded or cordless?  Corded are less expensive but cordless are easier to operate and safer, especially if you have cats or kids.  As a result, I usually try and hand these customers off to one of my fellow associates. 

As some of you know, when I include and actual location in my stories, i.e. the French Quarter in The Body in Repose, I learn as much as I can about the place without actually going there.  I've been doing the same thing with Mackinac Island, which is renowned for it's fudge.  And, since one of may characters is a candy maker, I decide to order some fudge.  To put it mildly, This Stuff Is Freaking Great!  Believe me when I tell you I could live on this fudge, of course, I'd end up being the size of 5 or 6 houses, but I wouldn't care.  This stuff hits all the right neurotransmitters.  I bought it from Murdicks.

Evidently Rudy the Geee, didn't like Eminem taking a knee during the half-time show, so Stephen Colbert put together a little response.  This is more than a little amusing, and I'm betting Rudy said more than 'oh, fudge.'

And I something amusing about Melanoma Trump squeezing out some pissy moan about how the media was handing her a never ending river of fudge no matter what she did.  Take the issue with her setting up a a scholarship fund for Foster Children.  She when to great lengths to point out this was not a tax exempt group.  And, as usual, Loser #45 weighed in with a sentence or two before he started complaining about the fudge, and how the media kept claiming his samplers were rancid.  This loser will never stop.

 

Lie, Lie, Lie

 Well, we're off to a really windy Friday.  High gusts have tugged the top off of my garbage can and sent it sailing.  One of the resin chairs I never sit on was upended and sent dancing.  Later this afternoon, after things die down, I will put everything back where it belongs.

The insurance adjuster called yesterday. My damage is covered by my comprehensive insurance, so I'll have a $250 tab to pay.  The estimate is scheduled for March 22... yeah, they are that far behind.  One of my fellow associates sold cars at one point in his career, so I showed him the picture I had taken.  He pointed out that my bumper cover was cracked.  "That'll be a expensive fix," he told me, "there are a lot of sensors in your bumper."  As long everything is covered, I don't care.  Part of my coverage includes a free car rental from Enterprise while my car is in the shop.  They called yesterday and wanted to know when I needed the car, so I told them it won't be until probably sometime in March.

I watched the last episodes of The Book of Boba Fett last evening.  I suspect Disney was hoping the series would be as popular as The Mandalorian it wasn't.  Boba didn't have the cute, little Grogu.  Boba has a rancor... and he rides that sucker... and it did eat people.

And thanks to a judge, the Orange Anus, Ivanka Danka, and the Dumb One need to give depositions in a Civil Lawsuit.  Perhaps if they hadn't lied so much been so blatantly brash, this case would never have had legs.  However, it seems al that that family knows how to do is lie, lie, lie, make brash statements.   As a result, their financial empire is in serious jeopardy, perhaps if the foundation hadn't been laid upon the sands of deceit.  And because this is a Civil Case, rather than the Federal Case the New York Attorney General is working on (at present, I believe, 19 separate lawsuits have been filed against this crime family) taking the 5th is pretty much treated as an admission of guilt and actually can be used against them in the Federal Trial.  Holy Mother of Ouch Shit!  

A little contrived

 Yesterday was very productive.  I got in  40 minute fast walk (3.6 mph) on the treadmill; one of these days I'll actually begin jogging.  Probably sooner rather than later.  Laundry was done.  Work was done on the big tank.  The plants I ordered seem to have survived and are growing.  Pics coming soon.  Temps in the area are supposed to hit the mid-fifties, with rain and wind this afternoon.

I still haven't heard from the insurance adjuster.  When I called the repair shop, I was told they were booked up until March just to give estimates.  Son of a bitch.

There's a special package arriving tomorrow.  Good thing it's my day off from work.  Pics or video coming soon.

And, I went to see Death on the Nile last evening.  I liked it... kind of.  After all the shit about Armie Hammer's personal life came out, you know the bloody biting, the cannibalism, the violence... well, every time he was on screen I cringed a little.  As for the movie.  I'd read the novel a long, long time ago and while all the details didn't float to the top of my head, I remembered who the killer was so it really wasn't so much of a 'who done it' for me.  Instead, I thought about Christie.  Mysteries have changed since the book was written, back in 1937.  When I read it, about 40 or so years ago, I was wowed.  Watching it last night I thought, wow, that's a bit contrived.  So much of the plot relied on happenstance: this person just happened to see this, and this person just happened to see that, and this person just happened to put things together before Perot.  Also, there was a black and white prologue and a finale that I'm sure has Christie spinning in grave.  No spoilers.

I saw there was bad news this morning from the Ukraine.  There were claims, and pics, about a supposed attack on one the separatist states which wants to join Russia.  This is one of those false flags Biden talked about, Putin contriving to try and legitimize his invasion.  Oh, and than there's that bit about how Putin lied about the troops, they weren't withdrawing, in fact more troops were being added.  I don't think Putin understands how terribly blood his invasion is going to be.  Neither he, nor Xi understand the days of emperors are gone.  Oh, and a bit of a warning, if you have stocks, hold on to your hats, because the moment Russia invades, the stock market is going to go into a big dive.  

I was stoned

 The temps are supposed to rise into the mid-50's today (F).  Rain is in the forecast for tomorrow.  With the temps warming up, I need to start thinking of my flower planting this year.  Two years ago I did bulbs and bunches of zinnias across the front.  Last year, some of the bulbs came up (no tulips) and very few of the zinnias, so this year I'm thinking of putting in a row of dahlias.  Now, won't that be nice?

My dental visit turned out to be mundane.  I had a filling I felt was beginning to crumble, and it was just my curious tongue imagining the worst.  The filling's fine.   My next appointment is scheduled in September.

However, while driving from my dentist to my neighborhood Giant, a dump truck turned on to East Penn Drive and a stone (rock) fell off.  The truck was approaching me at probably 20 mph, and I was heading towards the truck at 45 mph.  This is the stone (rock).  It's about 4 inches wide, 1.5 inches high, and 1.5 inches deep.

And that little sucker took out my left front parking light... completely.  I actually found the stone (rock0 sitting inside the car.

And, I'm waiting for the Insurance Adjustor to call.  I was told by my agent this type of damage is usually covered by comprehensive, but some adjustors will occasionally say this was a collision because I didn't brake.

On the lighter side of thing... I saw a Tweet last evening which said, "Fox News can't seem to stop talking about Hillary, so Trump must really be in trouble."  Maybe someone should tell Fox News they're beating a dead horse... of course, they're always looking for a dead horse to beat.  Hillary had the decency to accept her defeat in 2016.  Now, Fox News, in their desperate attempt to keep the Orange Anus from either going to jail or relocating to Russia is bringing up Hillary Clinton... again.  In fact, she is the 'go to' victim every time Republicans see that roiling tsunami of shit heading their way.

Unreliable

 Well, it's chilly willy cold outside this morning with the temps sitting at a cool 15 (F).  Things freeze fast when it's this cold.  If you don't believe me, you can ask my dogs.

I have  dental appointment this morning.  I don't mind going to the dentist, usually only a cleaning is involved.  Today we'll have to make another appointment to have a filling fixed, part of it fell out.  My employer provides dental insurance for part-timers, $12 a month, which will cover everything, including the cleaning and the free toothbrush they will hand me before I leave the office this morning.

They had candy for us yesterday at work for... you know, Valentines day.  Euhhh.  Most of the good stuff was gone by the time I got there at 1 PM, meaning all I had were Skittles to hit my sugar fix.  Sadly, I did see quite a few Reese's peanut butter cup wrappers in the trash.  For those of you who don't know, I live about 13 miles from the Reese's factory, or what used to be Reese's.  Hershey Foods bought them a long time ago, and in case you're wondering, I live about 14 miles from Hershey.

For those who have interested in what the new tank looks like, here's a pic.

And what about the accounting firm Mazars, USA not only dumping Trump as a client, but sending the New York AG a letter none of the information they've provided her is reliable?  Son of a Bitch!  He's unreliable.  I do not doubt for a second this is going to come as a surprise to many of his MAGA followers.  This makes Loser #45 look like a conniving, lying, sack of shit crook at best.  Oh, and it wasn't specifically about him, but his organization.  Translation, he and all of his spawn are guilty.  If this was you or me, this would drop our credit score from 840 down to 10, or possibly 11.  Probably all of his loans will now fall due, not that he or his spawn will be phased, they'll simply default.  They've done it before.

The Knee

 And... the work week begins.  I have a 6 hour shift.  Somehow, I think I'll be able to struggle through those hours.  Business will be slow.  Day after the Super Bowl, you know.  I don't doubt many people imbibed too much last evening.  Not one to fixate on tribal sports, my evening was dry.  I watched the half-time show this morning.  Even though I don't listen to most of the artists who performed, I will admit to getting a bit teary eyed at times.  This was representation on such a grand scale.  And for those who missed it, Eminem took a knee.  Thank you, Eminem.  For those of you who thought you were hearing the roar of applause as he did so, I have correct you.  While there was the roar of applause, there was also the background rumbling of white, Conservative heads exploding.

As for the rest of yesterday, business, as expected, was slow.  There were maybe... 3 customers in the store when I left.  When I got home, I fed the dogs, and played a video game I download.  Oh, and I also ordered Assassins' Creed Valhalla for my Xbox Series X.  I like that game.  Perhaps I've always wanted to be a Viking.  Here in America, our history glosses over the Vikings, we're not taught how influential they were in Europe.  They had settlements up and down every coast line.  Most people don't understand, they reached Paris.  So, quite possibly, if you have European ancestry, you... might possibly have Viking DNA tracking through your genome.

Evidently, another GOP from Texas has had to pull out of the upcoming election.  It seems Brad Namadar was soliciting female sex workers, one twice. She reported him.  Why is it you never see this shit happening to Democrats?  

Super Bowl Sunday

 Well, it's Sunday... or perhaps I should say Super Bowl Sunday, and we're getting snow here in Central PA.  Not much, an inch is possible.  We've already woken up to find a dusting layered thinly on the cars and lawn.

My shift is short today, from 3 -7 PM, and since today is Super Bowl Sunday, the store will be fairly empty, except for those who despise football.  Let's be honest, if you like the game, even if your team isn't playing, you'll probably be watching since this is a great excuse to parteeeeee!  Me?  I'll be working, then feeding the dogs, and then... maybe working on the next book.  The Piper Mirage carrying Eli and Max has just landed at Mackinac Island Airport and they're about to meet Tag Porterman*.  This is what the cabin of a Piper Mirage looks like.  Comfy, eh?

And, speaking of Super Bowl Sunday, I saw where Rand Paul suggested that anti-vax truckers should blockade that esteemed game.  Okay, can we talk about being dumber than a box of rocks?  While getting some really great publicity, the anti-vax movement is not nearly as large as some might think.  This morning, when the police finally began arresting protestors they found 2 pick-up trucks and maybe a dozen protestors.  So, I think they should try and blockade the Super Bowl.  Yeah, more power to them!  Because a majority of Americans would not jump on board their bandwagon for ruining the Super Bowl.  Nope. They'd say "get the hell out of my face!"  Personally, I think they should lift all restrictions.  We're heading into 1 million Covid deaths in this country, and a majority of the last 400,000, or so, have been anti-vax Conservatives.  The antibodies you get from having it once only last for so long, which means they'll be getting it again, and again, and again.  Eventually, they'll all die off.  

* name is subject to change

Location, Location, Location

Saturday, and the dogs are still in bed.  Yesterday the temps hit 62 (F), and we went for a long walk, too long, because last night Biggie was achy.  Sitting down was slow for him.  So, he got 2 of his puppy pain pills.  Even Lily had to pause for a few seconds before coming up stairs to go to bed.  Aging dogs.  Patience is necessary since their puppy brains don't know what's going on.

I used my Stryd yesterday.  Started off at 3.4 mph and went up to 3.5.  Will I get faster?  Right now, I'd say that's only a matter of time.  The picture I posted here?  Well, I posted the same one on Facebook.  Only one person had the initiative to Google it, the others asked what it was?  That tells you a lot about people.

And I do have to work today.  A full shift.  7.5 hours.  Wonderful.  I'm scheduled tomorrow as well.  Not being the sporty type, I have to ask, is tomorrow Super Bowl Sunday?  If it is, then business will be super slow.  If it isn't, then it will just be normal Sunday slowness.

This little vid was for The Body Under Ice was posted to my Instagram account.  I find it... rather humorous, but then my sense of humor is skewed more than a little.  This was done with my phone.  Maybe later this morning, before I go to work, I'll try the GoPro.

 And it looks like Putin's little boner is about ready to spew.  And, of course, he's not going to listen to anyone telling he might not only be premature, nor will he even begin to understand how this little ejaculation he's been planning since Trump was elected, is going to seed so much dissention.  Prepare for something that's going to be urban, long, and protracted.  And it will spread, and so will the Russian army until it is thinned to the point of collapsing.  Kazakhstan will erupt again.  The Russian economy, which is not too great, will be crushed.  Some losers will never learn.

Great News!

Hold onto your seats, this is stunning great news!  The temps here in Central PA are going to top themselves off today at 59 (F) give or take a degree.  Full sunshine!  The hints of spring are definitely in the air.  And on my roses, tiny leaves are beginning to curl their way into the chilly sunlight!

On the practical side, all the dog poop has finally thawed and I can finish cleaning up the yard.

The Body in Repose has gone to the 2nd reader / editor.  I'm thinking of chronicling The Body Under Ice with little vids as the work proceeds, documenting how things work.  Blogger's odd about posting videos - many are too long, unless they're on YouTube.  Let's see what happens with the GoPro.

Speaking of temps,  the heater for the big tank is failing so I've got to run out this morning and buy another one.  This is the 2nd heater to go in that tank.

My Stryd is full charged so sometime, probably early afternoon, I'll take it for a slow jog on the treadmill to see how it works.  Whereas my Fenix Pro calculates cadence through the movement of your arm, this actually tracks your foot hitting the ground, or the treadmill.

And here's a funny for you:  the deputy Attorney General from Virginia, Monique Miglia, has resigned because... not only did she post lies to her Facebook account in regard to January 6, she claimed it was a coup by Joe Biden.   What makes this funny is that she's a black woman who is whining that the only reason there was any uproar about her posts is because... she's a conservative black woman.  Someone needs to sit her down and explain to her that it was her lies which pissed people off.  She needs to understand that by now most people in this country view Conservatives as lying sacks of shit.  People don't want a lying sack of shit as a deputy attorney general.

 

Good movies, Bad politics

 Lucky me, I have a 6 hours work shift today.  We all know how that puts me into a place of overjoyment.  I haven't done it yet, but I'm going to change my availability: no shifts starting before 1100.  In two weeks I have one at 0930...  Since I like to do most of the personal stuff in the morning rather than the evening that simply doesn't fly.

The plants arrived yesterday in questionable state.  They're all in the tanks.  All I can do is wait and see if they're going to survive.  The bananas on one of the banana plants are dark, almost black, so I suspect that one may end up in the compost bin.

My Stryd arrived as well, but late, about fifteen minutes before I left for the movie so it will be set up this morning.  One thing I like already is that the battery gets recharged.  One of the things I didn't like about the Garmin foot pod was having to replace the battery.  I had to order batteries because it takes a size not too common, at least not here in Central PA.

And as for the movie... I went to see Moonfall... and it was good.  Roland Emerich has pumped out a lot 'disaster' films, not all have been to my liking mostly because they're simply disaster flicks:  the earth gets destroyed with only a hand full of survivors.  The science is questionable at best.  Moonfall is actual science fiction with the emphasis on fiction.  One critic said that every fifteen minutes or so Emerich reminds the audience this is a disaster film with a few minutes of destruction.  That's because the emphasis is on the story, rather than constant CGI clips of mass destruction.  There were two guys sitting a few seats to my right and when the movie was over they turned to us and asked "what did you think of it?"  Both of us responded that we liked it, that it was good, and the one guy laughed and said, "Yeah, that was fuckin' good."

And everyone on the internet cackled at Marjorie Taylor Greene's verbal faux pas, you know, gazpacho police?  Social media was ringing with laughter.  This is just another indicator of just how stupid this woman truly is.  

As for that challenge to Madison Cawthorn's eligibility to run for re-election has legs.  North Carolina election officials have said it's legitimate.  Ouch for poor Maddy.  This pretty boy's going to lose all they sympathy voters who felt sorry for his being a paraplegic. 

Finally, Kevin McCarthy kind of flip-flopped on his January 6 statement regarding legitimate political discourse.  I'm thinking old Kevin, in desperation, as did the RNC, jumped the shark on this one.  Millions upon millions of suburbanite voters took a big step back on this one.  This is because the party of "shut up, we're in charge," doesn't understand they are no longer in charge.

Run, baby run

Well, here it is, Wednesday morning.  The temps are supposed to rise into the low 50's (F).  This is good.  Spring is only a little more than a month away.  While we've had very little snow so far this winter, we have had the cold' days when the temps failed to climb out of the 20's (F).

The plants I ordered from the Aquarium Co-op are arriving today.  The US Postal service has told me so.  I'm going to the movies this evening, so let's hope they get here before 6:15 PM, otherwise they're going to be sitting on the porch for a few hours, which would not be a good thing.  Since they were shipped priority mail, I'd expect them to arrive way before then, however this is the US Mail and, while at one time they were reliable, now their reliability is spotty at best.

Also arriving today will be my Stryd.  That's coming UPS, a service which is far more reliable.

As was the case with The Body in Repose, I've been watching YouTube videos to learn about life on Mackinac Island during the winter.  The one on ice fishing was particularly educational: the size of the hole you make depends upon the size of the fish you're trying to catch, fishing for pike require a larger diameter hole.  You use an ice auger, now a days most of them are battery operated.  Ten inches seems to be the widest.  So, if you needed a bigger hole, say if you decided to fish with a buddy, you'd make two holes side by side.  If you required something even larger, say big enough to push a body through... well, I can say anymore.  

Anyway, as I was saying, I've been watching videos.  This is a good one, in fact, after watching it, I felt a little guilty about setting a murder mystery there... but only for a short time.

And, what about Mitch McConnell trying to keep the RNC from going to hell in a handbasket?  I'm betting he had a WTF moment the instant he heard they were calling the January 6 riot a 'legitimate political discourse.'  Someone should tell Mitch he's way, way to late to stop that from happening.  All of a sudden we're beginning to hear tiny voices, like Mitch, suddenly speaking up...  someone called them Washington Insiders.  Whispers are saying the January 6 committee has explosive testimony and these insiders are running for cover.  Speaking of running, here's a brief clip of Kevin McCarthy running away from Rachel Scott after she asks him about the alleged political discourse.  These dumb shits are jumping from the frying pan into the deep fryer.

 

The Truth (and nothing but the truth)

 So, what fun, fun, fun events to I have planned for this sunny Tuesday morning?  A trip down to That Fish Place is on the agenda.  I need to buy something finny to swim around in the tank now installed in the living room.  Possibly some plants, too.  And, speaking of the plants purchased for Aquarium Co-op which were supposed to arrive yesterday... well, they didn't.  They're running late, according to the latest tracking information.  I sent them an email this morning.  Of the 3 other purchases I've made from this group, 2 arrived in two days, and the 3rd arrived on the third day.  They have been very timely.  This time, however, well the heat pack included has a 72 hour lifespan... and we're heading into 96 hours.

Blueberries are included in my diet, usually almost every day.  Before that, it was dried cherries.  I'm switching back to the dried cherries since I'm feeling more than a little berried out.  Oh, and here's a discovery!  I like Pom pomegranate juice, however it is pricey.  Now, however, there's an alternative.  Thanks a a coupon my friendly, neighborhood Giant supermarket emailed me, I've learned about Langer's 100% juice, no concentrate, at about half the cost.  No preservatives, either, which means once you open the bottle the timer starts ticking,

I understand they found Hilary Clinton's lost emails.  They were in a box down at Mar a Lago.

And while we here in America have beacoup de problems with Trump, check out life over in the UK with the very dishonest BoJo.  Shit.  One of the funniest things I read when news surfaced on how badly he and his cronies were breaking the Covid rules he, himself, had laid down for the country, was a comment by one of the Conservatives:  "Well, we've always known he was a liar, but never thought it would be to this extent."  Excuse me, but why would you expect a known liar to suddenly begin to tell the truth?

And, speaking of liars, Loser #45 has now criticized Joe Rogan, the failed comedian who thought it hilarious to use the 'N' word as part of a comedy routine, for apologizing.  Let's be truthful here, rarely a day goes by when his evil presence doesn't present another revolting face to the world.

Good Tidings

 Monday has arrived.  Work is scheduled... maybe.  Plants I ordered for the tanks are supposed to arrive today... that's if the tracking is correct.  They're coming from Aquarium Co-op, a company I've used several times before, however this is the first time I've ordered plants during February.  There is a heat pack included, but I have no idea how long that will keep the temps in the shipping package warm enough to keep the cold from killing everything.  The last thing I want is for them to sit on the porch for 3 - 4 hours when the outside temp is 40 (F).  Believe me, I don't mind take a personal day to save the verge.

And even though The Body in Repose has just begun to be proofread, the first sentences for The Body Under Ice have been put to paper.  Blame it on the part-time hours.  I mean, it's not like I can shut down my brain.  Even while I'm sleeping - sometimes, I will roll over and wake-up, or at least it seems like I wake up, and realize I need to either add something or change something.  Lucky for me, I don't forget things when I fall back to sleep.  Of course, maybe the whole thing is a dream and I'm just remembering it.

And, since there are no cars permitted on Mackinac Island, my protagonists, Eli and Max, will have to get around using either skis or snowmobiles.  Oh, and there is the horse drawn taxi that will take them from the airport to the B&B where they are staying.

I received a text yesterday from a friend, Jack, telling me that a mutual acquaintance had died.  I think he was expecting me to be upset.  Unfortunately, all I could muster was a 'that's a shame' reply, since I've not talked to this person in over 3 decades  What makes this even more odd is that I have not spoken to Jack in almost 8 years.  I've called and left him messages, he never responds.  Time is not always friendly to friendships.  Perhaps he just needed to be the bearing of bad tidings.

And here's a bit of humorous bad tidings.  After a closed door meeting, the RNC of Pennsylvania has chosen to not endorse a Republican candidate for Senator.  Indications are they're concerned about endorsing someone Loser Trump doesn't like.  Of course, the one person the Orange Anus had endorsed, Sean Parnell, had to pull out of the race because he was an abusive husband and parent.  Anyway, this is really bad tidings for the large field of candidates who will soon be going for each other's throats.  It is, however, good tidings for the state.

The House Gods

 Another slow Sunday.  Outside, the temps are 18 (F) but they're predicted to warm up to 36 (F).  Looking at the long range forecast, a warming trend is on the horizon.  We are, after all, halfway through winter, give or take a day.  In fact, if we do give or take a day, we've got about six weeks left.  Damn!  That rodent was right!  Maybe.

I do get to work this afternoon.  7.5 hours, so they've given me a lunch break, which I may or may not take.  Two fifteen minute breaks spread throughout the day may do the trick.  This is because around 2 PM things are going to begin slowing down and I don't really see the point in taking a lunch when you're sitting around doing nothing.

The house gods must be happy.  Some time ago I replaced a ceiling light in my kitchen and... well, I must not have connected the wires correctly since it refused to turn on.  My friend Justin said I'd attached them backwards, and fixed them.  No light.  Two nights ago, a little after midnight, Biggie had to go out and... voila, the light was on.

Last evening I ordered a Stryd, a pod that attaches to your sneaker used for tracking your stride, and your pace.  Right now I'm relying on the Fenix 6 Pro which has proven to be rather unreliable because it depends upon an accelometer (their word) which uses arm movement to calculate stride.  Sometimes there is accuracy, mostly there is not.  Before I bought my treadmill, before I used the treadmill so extensively to help with my back, this information was not that important.  Perhaps the old accountant in me is raising his head, since I now want to record my almost daily jogs.

One of the problems I have with certain organized religions is that their theology was determined a long time ago, by men, who not only believed that the earth was flat, but that it was also the center of the universe.   The fact that these theologies fail to note these mistakes lead one to question their claim that they are divinely inspired.  Some night, when the stars are bright, go out and look up and understand you are not only looking at individual stars, but galaxies, too, and ask yourself how a deity who could create something so immense, could forget to impart that essential information to those theologians of long ago.

Duh

Hello, Saturday.  Another work day, but only for 6 hours.  I can handle that.  Of course, there's not telling what kind of customers we'll be getting.  Temps are supposed to be cold, but the skies clear.  Income Tax refunds are already dropping into bank accounts even though the IRS has warned Americans that this year they might be late.  I know they're dropping, mine went in last week.  But then, I'm not like so many who chose to procrastinate.

Pork chops were made in the air-fryer last evening.  They were delicious.  The dogs, of course, had the fat drizzled over their dinner.  I was surprised by how much fat cooked off.  Biggie and Lily were extra-specially happy.

Yesterday was busy.  I bought and set up a new tank in the living room.  37 gallons.  The plan is to move all of the fish from the big tank into the smaller one, dose the big one to get rid of all of the algae once and for all, and them move some of the fish, like the angelfish, back.  The new tank is high, so I may end up turning it into a schooling fish tank.

Spotify has begun removing Rogan podcasts.  I thought it interesting they were (in their words) taking down some of the comedians more racist podcasts.  That's right, he's a comedian.  Now, isn't that a surprise.  Personally, I think he's more of a joke than a comedian.  There is absolutely no wit in that man.

And Mikey Pence told the world Trump was wrong, that he couldn't have overturned the election.  "No one man should have that much power," he said.  duh.  This man still has presidential ambitions.  duh.  Can we talk about his lack of brain density here?  He really needs to go to the January 6 committee and 'fess up.  The presidency is not in his future.  If he wants to be remembered into the foreseeable future he needs to show his mantle and bring down his former boss.  Will he?  duh.

 

The Boohoo Babies

 Holy Crap!  It's Friday, and another one of my days off.  This is good.  What isn't good is being scheduled to work mornings.  Anything after 12 noon is fine.  Workouts, jogs, and rides get done in the mornings.  Saying this, my availability will be changed to that mornings can no longer be scheduled.  I say this because on Monday, 2/21, they have me scheduled for 0930.  Changes are in the offing.

They were predicting ice, sleet, and freezing rain for today, however all we have is a slight drizzle.  Right now temps are still in the mid-30's and on the weather map we're going through a large gap in the precipitation; there are large swaths of rain to our east and to our west there is snow with some ice.  This doesn't bother me in the least.

I bought myself a new end table.  Circular, which I think is a better description than round.  It was advertised as round, but balls are round.

So, the winter Olympics have started.  They gave Xi and his bro Putey Baby a chance to commiserate on the loss of their lackey Trump.  You see, if the Orange Anus had been successful in his coup, then the Ukraine invasion wouldn't be turning into such shit show.  Not only that, Xi could satisfy the raging stiffy tenting his pants every time someone mentions Taiwan.  They're a pair of boohoo babies whining about how their plans for world domination seem to be constantly getting thwarted.

What these despots are actually proving is that authoritarian governments can only grow so much before they begin chewing off their own feet.  They will never understand this.  Like authoritarian conservatives in America who so desperately want to chant "shut up, we're in charge," failure is not an option, it is their only reality.

Not the time for lobbing hand grenades

 About those French Fries I cooked in the air fryer?  They were... okay.  The recipe called for 2 russet potatoes, well potatoes come in all sizes, so I there may have been too many fries in the fryer, and you're supposed to give them a shake halfway through cooking, and, well, I was feeding the dogs when the fryer beeped, so they may not have gotten the shaking they deserved.  I have a deep fryer, so maybe I'll just stick with that for the fries.

  Winter weather's moving eastward again, not for us here in Central PA.  We're going to get sleety ice instead of snow.  After that, if the two week forecast is even remotely correct, temperatures are going to be rising.  That'll be nice.  Right now, we have rain, which is doing a very good job of melting the ice still covering much of the yard.  Ice is bad for dogs, they don't know how to walk on it.

Even though yesterday was really a busy day, a load or two of laundry, Biggie was still tired last evening.  This is because all around me people were getting deliveries from UPS, and Fed Ex, and both Biggie and Lily love delivery drivers.  Every time a truck pulls up out front, they need to go outside and say hello.  Anyway, he was exhausted and decided to hit the futon early.

I saw this interesting article in CNN regard the January 6 Committee regarding the really big mistake the Republicans made.  Initially, the Cracker Jack Crazies thought they could create a big enough disruption by adding Jordan and Johnson to delegitimize the process.  Nope.  The committee wanted nothing to do with those liars.  The 2 Republicans on the committee chose not to bow down to Trump and lick is ass and so a majority of the party told them to screw off.  Now they have no one on the committee and Cheney and Kitzinger aren't telling them shit.  Ouch!  And a day doesn't go by when someone who knows what happened on January 6 isn't sitting there talking to them.   And by talking, I mean providing information; they realize the Republican party is the worst type of fair weather friend.

Releasing the dirt now would be damaging, but Americans have a short term memory problem.  Mid-terms aren't until November, and who knows what will happen between now and then.  Be patient.  Bannon's trial is set for late July, perfect timing for the mid-term elections.  People want Trump indicted now... too early to effect the mid-terms.  Indictments for his spawn might start dropping in July or August, or September.  Those are the months in which the hand grenades will have their most damaging effect. Now is not the time for lobbing hand grenades.

Youngkin's White Sensitivity

Well, today is very special for some people.  For those who are easily excited about creatures surrounded by mythology, today is Groundhog Day.  Will winter continue, or will spring arrive early?  His accuracy is.... has... a lot to be desired.  Still, that does not keep a lot of people from showing up at Gobbler's Knob every February 2.  Perhaps they think Gobbler's Knob offers more than a groundhog.  Anyway, look at all of these people.

Today is also special at the store.  Why?  Today is inventory day.  Yep.  This is the day when hoards of Regis counters in their purple vests swarm the store.  Since I am never available to work on Wednesdays, I'm going to miss the fun.  Right.  Nothing was ever fun about inventory.  Managers prepping the store in order to find out if there's been 'shrink' or 'swell.'  Yes, and even the HR managers need to help with the pre-counts.  I don't miss it in the least.

I roasted chicken thighs in the air fryer yesterday. They were tasty.  I was surprised at how much fat cooked out.  Wow.  I drizzled that over the dog's dinners last evening, they got the skin as well, and let me tell you, they loved it!  I bought 2 potatoes so this afternoon I'm going to make French Fries!

Today is also treadmill day.  Currently, I cruise along at 3.4 mph and 2% grade.  I'm slowly picking up speed and increasing the grade.  Both are driving my heartrate higher, which provides great cardio and burns calories as well.

Dana Milbank posted an opinion about Youngkin and the desire of Republicans to protect overly sensitive white people from history.  His excerpts are from an actual textbook.  That was the last decade before Americans began chopping up the same lies conservatives so desperately want to embrace... again.  That decade was anything but innocent.  Minorities had no rights, but then neither did women, for that matter.  Father knew best.  Every housewife wore and apron and pearls.  You could beat up a fag and not have tow worry about it.  In almost every respect, white conservatives believe this was as close as America got to heaven.  Their fondest dream is to go back to those days.  That can never happen.

Potential

It's February!  Time to flip the page on my calendar.  The days are getting longer.  I'm good with that.  Love the sunshine.  Not wild about the night.  Older eyes aren't great when it comes to driving after the sun sets, especially on roads where there are no street lights.

My taxes are done.  The refund will pay for my new chair and the air-fryer, which I did use last evening.  Just a burger, I could have done chicken or pork, but I thought I'd see how well it does with beef.  The burger was quite tasty.

Today's garbage day so I put my old gaming chair out on the curb.  Sometime, as I and the dogs slept, someone stopped and took it.  That's fine.  Maybe it'll go to some short person who doesn't mind sitting low down and very close to the floor.

Of course, with starting a new book, I start my search for lyrics. It seems like Sirius XM has been playing this song almost constantly.  It's old... well, not that old.  And contrary to what some might think, it's about writing songs for a new album and how people hear what they want in the song's lyric.  Hhhmm, I've got potential, eh?

Can we talk about how screwed up Conservatives are?  Oh, my.  They have not only inserted their heads deeply into their rectums, their heads are spinning wildly.  Take Maus:  one of the reasons it was banned from a school library was 'female nudity,' yet there are no human females in the graphic novel, only animals.  That's right, the female nudity complaint is over a naked mouse.  If this isn't bad enough, you have Candace Owens, one of the Cracker Jack Crazies over on The Daily Wire complaining about Minnie Mouse wearing a pantsuit.  That's right, Candy's having a problem with a mouse that isn't naked.  Candy evidently likes her mice au naturel, as long as they're not in a graphic novel depicting Nazi atrocities, then she wants them clothed.  And these nut jobs want to run the country?  Yeah, straight to Hell.