When you hit middle age you really only have two choices: you can get fat and lazy until you roll over and die, or you can can get off your ass and do something, like maybe ride a bike.
Bluntness
I've also been told I have little tact, so if this offends you simply ride on.
I was the only specialist at the flooring desk yesterday. Business was sporadic. I set up 2 measures, but one woman never paid for hers, so that didn't count. While I did sell some laminate flooring, mostly I sat and talked to other associates.
A wall clock that I had in the kitchen died yesterday morning. Even though my dad had received it as a retirement present, it had very little sentimental value. I will need to buy a replacement. Perhaps a cuckoo clock. Something that makes noise. Nothing battery operated. I want a clock with a movement which needs to be wound.
A summer cold might be in my future. So far this morning, I've coughed 3 times and my nose has begun to dribble... but just a little. If it is a cold, it should be gone by tomorrow. We shall have to wait and see.
My new controller arrived yesterday before I went to work. Nice, eh? I can't wait to pair this baby with my Xbox Series X.
I was talking last evening with a friend who's rather alarmed that Justice Alito seems to not only believe he's in charge of the Supreme Court, but that he's been chosen by God to make America Christian again. What a dolt. His comment about helping young Americans to find religion again outlines his focus completely. I don't doubt for a second that he's a man who's thinking now is a really good time for another Inquisition. For Alito, the path to success is by oppressing everything he sees as standing in the way of his dream. He is also the type of fanatic who would have no problem sending those same young Americans to their deaths in order to garner the victory he craves. He will not succeed. He is flawed. He doesn't understand that there will always be religious beliefs, however, they may not be the beliefs he cherishes so deeply. History has proved this point over and over again, no matter where you live in the world. Unfortunately, because Alito is a man who needs to cherry-pick his history, he will never see the truth.
And the weekend has arrived. Today's weather? Sunny, little if any chance of rain, and I get to go work.
Yesterday I had been going to mow the lawn. Didn't happen. Drizzles all day. Every time the dogs came back into the house, they were raindrop fresh. They don't mind going outside if it's only showers. Steady rain, however? Nope. Ain't gonna happen.
Lady GaGa is bringing her Chromatica tour to Hershey, 13 miles away. I will admit to having a little morbid curiosity, and so asked a couple of friends if there was any interest. Nope. Ticket pricing is high, starting at $290 for seats on the side in the Hershey Stadium. Yes, Hershey has a stadium. That's where I saw Paul McCartney. U2 played there. It's big. Anyway, I watched some videos of her tour on YouTube and it's not so much of a concert tour as it is Performance Art. She sings Bad Romance packed into something which looks like a cocoon with only her arms sticking out. Definitely not for me.
As many of you know, I was in the US Navy a long time ago, stationed on the aircraft carrier USS Constellation, CVA 64 (at one point the changed the designation to CV 64). Aircraft carriers are large; think of them as small cities. Most people can't even conceive of something this big. When we were on a WestPac cruise, it was not unusual for there to be over 4000 sailors on board. Here's a picture of the flight deck. You can tell we were not involved in flight ops because the planes are parked and there some dude walking across the deck wearing a pair of skimpy, white shorts.
And, of course, the Republicans keeps rubbing themselves in shit because they believe it makes them more attractive to voters. Take their voting against PACT, the legislation meant to provide medical help to Veterans. While the vote was still ongoing, several Republican senators gathered and, knowing they'd screwed over Veterans, congratulated each other. Ted Cruz even fist-bumped another senator. which is pretty much the same thing as giving him a 'high-five.'
This video has over 1 million views on social media. Rubbing yourself in shit is not going to win you votes in November.
Yesterday the sun went behind the clouds and we had hard rain. Lotsa rain. Rain so heavy we could hear it pounding down on the roof of the store. Looking out the front windows, you might think we were sitting at the foot of a waterfall. When I got home, I found the veranda strewn with maple leaves from the tree behind the house.
We have a 41% of getting more rain today. Probably the rain Kentucky didn't want.
One of my fellow flooring associates handed in his 2-week notice. No loss.
The store is getting a renovation in September, so we have a number of people pushing carts around the store packed with laptops and equipment, taking pictures, and using lasers to measure distances. At present we have 4 twelve-foot carpet carousels, one that's 6 feet wide, and a vinyl sheet carousel. Cutting carpet and vinyl for customers is unwieldy and tedious (I'm being nice). After September we will have 2 carousels, one for carpet and one for vinyl sheeting. On some days we will set 4 or 5 cuts of carpet or vinyl, but there are many days when we don't cut any making the space a merchandising black hole. No one at the flooring desk is upset about the coming changes.
Sammy Alito gave a speech in Italy. He complained about world leaders treating him like a ((pardon my French) dickhead. He is a petty religious extremist who's not happy that he's being treated like a turd. Of course, he never put any real thought into anything but his own selfish beliefs.
Oh, and Clarence Thomas quit his teaching position because of all the complaints George Washington University received. The university said they wanted him to teach, but Clarence, terrified he was going to get dunked in a glass of sour milk, chose the coward's way out.
Finally, Republicans voted down a bill to extend medical benefits to veterans yesterday. They had been all for this piece of legislation, until the announcement that Schumer and Manchin had reached an agreement on climate legislation. So, all pissed off, the Republicans voted to punish the veterans. This is now reverberating badly among the millions of combat veterans who frequently vote Republican. This is how you piss off your base.
We had rain last night. Now I won't have to water my little garden. Right now, we have fog. thin without even the hint of a wisp. I do get to work today. That will be fine. Last evening, I had the taddiest bit of a sore throat and wondered if I should use one of the Covid tests I got from the government. I didn't. This morning the soreness is gone.
There are mosquitos in the house again this year. I think they fly in when I let the dogs out. Last year I burned citronella candles to keep them at bay. Honestly, I think any candle will work. I will have to do a little research on that.
For some time now I've been thinking that I need to set the record straight, not that it's crooked, or bent by any means. Still, there is a bit of information I feel you should know. I have 2 protagonists in my books: Eli, who tells the story in first person, and his partner and companion in life, Max Sullivan. I originally wanted to call Eli, Levi after my grandfather, but I just happen to know 2 other people with that name, so my main character became Eli. As for Max Sullivan? He's named after a ginger cat of mine who lived to be 21 years old. He was always a bit of a smartass and never failed to let me know he was in charge of every situation. So, I thought I share a picture of his best side, his butt.
And wasn't yesterday filled with several fun surprises? The Department of Justice revealed that there is an official investigation into Donald Trump. Evidently, a number of people have already interviewed / testified. Of course, the ketchup is staining the walls of which ever suite of rooms he's staying in; he might still be in Washington, or perhaps he's returned to haunt his New Jersey golf club. Oh, and his attorneys have filed some sort of bullshit about his being 'immune.' Well, that won't fly far. Isn't it nice to know that he's feeling desperate?
Here in Pennsylvania, Dr. Oz is failing to close the gap between he and John Fetterman, no doubt because Fetterman turns out to be a genius when it comes to snarky attacks, like the one with Steve Van Zandt:
As for that far right extremist Doug Mastriano. He's having issues mostly because he's already spit out so much negativity he thought was going to set the record straight burning his ass across almost every media outlet. Pennsylvanians don't like him. This is a good thing, a very good thing.
Can you believe that it's Wednesday already? I can't. I'm scheduled to work an 8-hour shift tomorrow and am not feeling too enthusiastic.
Yesterday was Busy. Notice the capital B. I had lunch with my cousin and her husband. Her birthday's next month, so she's a bit older than me. When she and I were young our very progressive grandmother took us places, young being around 10 years old. Taking the two of us on a 2-hour train ride to the Philadelphia Zoo was an undertaking. Neither one of us remembers the trip in its entirety, but then that was a long, long time ago.
Then, last evening, I went to see Jordan Peele's latest "Nope." I really liked it. That being said, my friend thought it dragged and did not like Emerald, the character played by Keke Palmer. I liked Emerald, a woman wanting to be an authority who learns that survival has not thing to do with authority, a woman who discovers her street smarts might be the wrong smarts if she wants to stay alive. Casting is excellent. I liked Bandon Perea as Angel, who learns that staying alive has its own sharp barbs. Daniel Kaluuya, whose quiet, brooding silence hides his inner strength. He's much smarter than his sister, Emerald. "Nope" is not for everybody. Oh, and in case you're wondering, it is science fiction and there's a lot more action than horror, in fact I didn't think it was scary at all... just very intense.
For those who missed it, yesterday legislation was introduced in the House of Representative which, if passed will limit the tenure of judges on the Supreme Court. A judge would serve for 18 years and only 18 years and would begin immediately. This means Clarence Thomas would be retired, as would any other judge who has already served his / her 18 years. This will probably pass in the House if voted on quickly enough. Democrats will need to win at least 2 more seats in the Senate to get it passed there. This means you need to vote Blue this fall.
And finally, another leak, so to speak. Evidently beer boy Kavanaugh was on the fence regarding the Dobb's decision, however the early leak of Alito's draft listing him as voting with the majority killed the chances of that happening, something about his selling out to the Liberals. With this knowledge, I'm betting the leak originated with Thomas, or more likely his sow Ginni. I do think quite a few believed this was the case. Now, more than ever, the two of them do seem to be evil incarnate.
So, the five hours I spent at work yesterday were more of an inconvenience than anything else. 11 AM to 4 PM really takes the wrong chunk out of my day. I don't mind being scheduled in the mornings or afternoons but losing the middle of the day really bothered me. I had no desire to either start or continue a project before I left for work, and the same was true when I got home. The fact that the five hours I spent at the flooring desk turned out to be uneventful marriage of boring and blasé didn't help. This happens sometimes.
Temperature wise, we did get up into the mid 90s (F). Even though forecasters were calling for rain, we had none. That meant watering my little garden, which has so far produced only 1 tomato and 1 green pepper. Some of the branches on my peach tree are dying. Son of a bitch.
There was, however, one nice surprise. Two months ago, I had planted an elephant ear believing it would grow large, cutting down the amount of lawn I'd have to mow. Well, nothing happened. For two months. I thought the plant had just died. And then yesterday morning as I was taking out the garbage, I found this, and while it's only about 5 inches long, it's nice to know it didn't die.
As for politics, we are heading into the summer doldrums. Congress will be going onto vacation shortly. Will any legislation get passed? That's difficult to pass. I know many are hoping that the Marriage Equality Act gets a vote. A lot of Evangelical leaders are pushing against it, and they represent a voting bloc the Republicans have courted for years. However, that little decision the Supreme Court made regarding Roe v Wade didn't sit well with a large majority of Americans. Roughly 2/3 are pissed. That same figure wants to change the rules for the court: mandatory retirement at a certain age, and term limits. Americans want to get rid of justices having a job for life. I'm up for that.
And will Ginni Thomas ever talk to the Jan 6 committee. I doubt it. She has a fat mouth and says a lot, but only follows through if she can spread her hatred. Married to Thomas for 37 years, her womb is evidently barren, or they made a conscious decision that birth control was essential in order for her to avoid giving birth to black children. I do think that's the main reason. Clarence Thomas truly does hate his DNA.
Yesterday was fun. Lunch with a friend in York. Good Conversation. Okay food at the Imperial Chinese Buffet topped off with a chocolate chip cookie dough Blizzard at Dairy Queen. So many fat-filled calories. People like to ask which one of my lead characters I'm most like, the truth is neither, they're fictional. While I do tend to eat healthy, like Max, I have no fear of 'Fluffy Foods' as he does and will suck down a Blizzard rather than consider some thinly sliced kiwi.
Weather wise, the temps did not hit the predicted 99 (F) yesterday, 95 (F) was the highest they went. Today, we're not supposed to get out of the high 80's (F), though there is a 95% chance of rain. Outside, the skies are overcast and it's humid, though so far, the rain appears to be moving north of us.
The heart rate monitor arrived last evening. I haven't sync'd it yet with my phone, my watch, or my bike, but that will happen very, very soon... wait a second... there, it's done. Now, wasn't that easy. I snapped a shot of it, and no, in case any of you are wondering, I didn't order it because it's a Pro version of the one I used to own, or because it's chartreuse.
There was some sort of Cracker Jack Crazy event down in Florida this past weekend which took the GOP up to a new level of Crazy. If you were hungry for extremist rhetoric, the speakers served up a cornucopia of fascism and hate. An example: paraphrasing Matt Gaetz: the only women pushing for abortion rights are fat, and ugly, and will never get pregnant and so will never need one. The crowd cheered at his repugnancy. Marjorie Taylor Greene claimed we are a Christian Nationalist nation, (or maybe it was Nationalist Christian, not that it matters), and she, too was cheered. Outside the venue, there was at least one Nazi flag, and Confederate flags and Ronnie DeSantis said nothing, though there are a lot of comments on social media how, when he was speaking, he kept shifting his stance from one foot to the other. Maybe we should all begin calling him Shifty DeSantis.
Anyway, the fact that by way of their extremist rhetoric these speakers might in fact be encouraging violence is disturbing. Don't for a second think they care about this, they don't. America isn't being wowed by them, rather America is stepping back in disgust. These Crazies do not care. They don't understand that whatever happens will be on them, and history will not be kind to them.
Well, can we say a cheery hello to Sunday morning? I'm off today. Personal day. I'm using vacation up. In another month and a half, I'm going to get my yearly chunk of vacation added to my account. Yippee.
Weatherwise? We might hit 99 (F) this afternoon. This means we had a 2-day heat wave, which is more of a splash than anything else.
I'm driving down to York to visit friends. Lunch. Inside, of course. Often, we'll go to a Chinese buffet. A lot of people have problems with buffets; I have no problem with them.
For a brief moment yesterday, I thought I was having a Senior Moment. Usually, when I get off the treadmill, I hang my heart rate monitor on the shower head so I can rinse off the strap while I shower. Yesterday, I didn't. Shit. And I thought, 'where in hell did I put that?' And then I remembered. I'd thrown it away because an updated one was being ordered. In a way, I suppose, it was a senior moment, but not quite.
Of course, you don't need to be a senior to have a senior moment. Last week, one of our freight associates decided to make macaroni and cheese in the microwave. These days you can make anything in a microwave, so no one saw anything wrong with him dumping everything in a bowl, add the water and popping it into the microwave. His senior moment came when he set the timer: not thinking, he set the microwave to run on high for 30 minutes. From what I've been told, (sadly no one took pictures) his 'mac & cheese' had burst into flame before someone else yanked open the microwave door. When asked, he said he had no idea why he set the timer for so long.
I like the musical group Young the Giant. Here's their latest, American Bollywood. Whether people want to understand it or not, this is America.
The most disappointing thing this past week was finding out I needed to wait until October 21 for Steve Bannon to get sentenced. Of course, there were some truly bright spots: the Kansas City Star calling Josh Hawley the 'laughingstock of America.' You can't mine gold this shiny! Oh, and then there was the bit about Alan Dershowitz complaining that he's no longer getting invited to parties on Martha's Vineyard because he represented Trump in his 2nd (I believe it was his 2nd) impeachment hearing. Cute. Dershowitz defended a traitor because his own ego thought it would get him attention. Well, Al, it sure has.
The weekend has arrived. For those who might be confused, I'm talking about the 2 days sandwiched by Friday and Sunday, not the singer who flipped out because he didn't get a Grammy nomination a few years back.
My left thumb's a bit sore. I'm wondering if I'm spending too much time with Elden Ring. For a change of pace, I could always play Fallout 4 on my PC. Speaking of Fallout, filming has started for the post-apocalyptic thriller in New York. Here's a pic of the Super Duper Mart, one of the locations in Fallout 3.
Temp wise here in Central PA, we're supposed to top our thermometers off at around 96 (F) today. This is the hottest it's been so far this summer., of course, we still have approximately 2 months left in the season.
I saw where Justice Kagan basically said that the Court needs to keep their decisions more centrist to fit in with what a majority of Americans think and believe. That was nice of her, of course the extremists on the court aren't even going to give her the respect of a nod. They're too busy saying "shut up, we're in charge."
Both Tony Perkins, from the Hate Council, and Franky Graham proved the existence of brain hernias with their shrieking objection to the "Respect for Marriage Act." While we heard a lot, sadly we didn't get a chance to see their gray matter oozing from their ears. Be patient. I wouldn't be surprised if we'll get to see that after the mid-terms. You have to remember that these yokels believe God used the Electoral College to put Trump into the presidency. I've tried pointing out that when you consider how large the universe is, and they do believe God created the universe, and the power needed for that creation vs the power needed for giving them a win through the Electoral College demonstrates a total lack of interest by God. Of course, you have to remember that for these people, no matter how often they see pictures from the Webb telescope, their universe will never be any larger than their religion allows, which is approximately the one square foot of space their head occupies.
Finally, according to Newsweek, a conservative rag, seniors are running from Trump. In fact, Republicans themselves are beginning to see him as a scourge. 33% now believe he is to blame for January 6, and 40% think it would be a bad thing for him to run. While those numbers are improving, there is still a sizeable number of Republicans continue to worship his only bowel movement.
Well let's all say hello to Friday, and a rather good Friday it is, if I must say.
The Temps in central PA are supposed to climb up into the mid 90s (F) again. They will be reaching into the upper 90s (F) in a few days.
Not wanting to jinx them, but I will point out that gas prices are continuing to drop. This is a very good thing. While I don't drive that much, I still hate having to spend a small fortune at the gas pump filling up my gas tank.
I had an odd situation at work yesterday. As I was preparing to leave, customer asked about having carpet installed in his house. I gave him my spiel, and after looking a few minutes he decided to set up a measure. I typed in his phone number to see if he was in our system and... I recognized his name. I had worked with his sister over 35 years ago. She was in a totally different department, so while we chatted now and then, we weren't friends. About 14 years ago she friended me on Facebook. Nine years ago, she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and she turned her Facebook page into a support page. At one point, she had successful surgery to remove the tumor. However, if you know anyone who's had pancreatic cancer, successful surgeries are quite often short lived. The cancer came back. Three years ago, she died. Rather than tell this customer I had known his sister, I kept silent. He seems like a nice guy and didn't think he needed to revisit painful memories.
And, of course, last night there was this:
I laughed so hard I almost spilled my wine. Many, many people are talking about watching Josh run. For a sitting senator, he had a very bad night. Isn't that nice? Oh, and evidently #Fistpump McRunpants is now trending.
As for the hearing? While I haven't checked, I'm sure a majority of Americans are talking about what was presented. While Josh had a bad night, for Trump the hearing was disastrous. The fact that while rioters were crashing in through the windows, he was calling Senators trying to delay the certification. One of the most telling moments for me was when the Orange Anus was recording the Tweet to tell the seditionists to go home. Someone opened a door behind him, and he heard it and paused until he was told the person had gone away. This many was totally aware of everything around him. He is evil.
As for the Republican party? Are these hearings helping to diminish its power? I think so. Conservatives have always been in the minority. Thanks to Trump, their ugly nature is being revealed. They are not good people. They are selfish. And they so desperately want to say, "shut up, we're in charge."
Oh, and these hearings are not over. This was just part one. Part 2 will be heading to your TV screens closer to the midterms. To Be Continued.
The temp was 76 (F) when I got up this morning. This does not mean today is going to be super-hot. Our afternoon temps are predicted to be in the low 90s (F), with a possible high of around 94 (F). This is, for us, a normal summer. The week rains we were getting stopped about a week ago. This is the standard precipitation pattern we go through: July and August will be fairly dry, except for the occasional thunderstorm. All of the high heat and humidity are to our south.
I made lasagna yesterday. A good thing that's not so good if you're trying to eat healthy. I work today, so I wanted to take something for lunch. This does not mean I've chosen to stop eating healthily. I'm adding more nuts back into my diet. A note for those who eat nuts: when you see the calorie count, say 190 calories per serving on the package, understand that is not correct. Nuts are harder to digest than fruit, or... say lasagna, so they burn more calories. Also, the fat content in nuts is much better for you than the fat count in, oh, say.... lasagna, which is extremely bad for you.
For those of you who don't know, the two candidates vying to replace Pat Toomey (R) in the Senate are Dr. Oz, from New Jersey, and John Fetterman from PA. Fetterman is up in the polls because... well, he's running against Dr. Oz. While big John's ads are snarky, here's a look at one which will shortly playing across the airwaves in PA from Meidas Touch. Sit back, grab your popcorn, and enjoy.
And Steve Bannon's defense team gets to admit they have no defense in court today. This short, fat man is going to lose. He will spend some time in jail. He is a relatively unimportant fool who is desperately trying to prove his relevance and failing terribly. We need to feel very sorry for his fellow inmates because there is no way in hell he's going to shut up.
Finally, we have another Jan 6 hearing this evening. Prime Time. At 8PM eastern. I understand that there are going to be a number of high points, one of which will be a comparison of GOP Congressman cowering and trying to hide on January 6 and the statements they made shortly thereafter, with later comments in which they called the insurrectionists tourists, etc. These men are going to look like total fools. They are going to be laughed at, the way so many are laughing at the stupidity of Steve Bannon.
Crap! I slept later than I wanted this morning. And I was in bed by 11 PM. It must be the heat. Or maybe the long treadmill session yesterday. It was a run up along the shore of Lake Superior. There was supposed to be a 200-foot waterfall which never put in appearance.
Even though I can list quite a number of chores I completed yesterday, there is an overwhelming consensus between me, myself, and I that not much was accomplished.
I'm almost at 32,000 words in the next book, The Body Under Ice. I'm pleased. I guess the big question right now is will Eli and Max find anything when they put a camera down through a hole in the ice? Will there be something at the bottom of Lake Huron? You should know by now, I'll never tell.
Steve Bannon's trial continues today. He's going to go to jail because he's an asshole. He's in a lose, lose situation because he thought his loudmouth gave him the authority to do whatever he wanted. I think he should look on the positive side: 2 years in jail might be the perfect diet he needs to lose some of his blubber.
Oh, and can we talk about the wonderful surprise yesterday? The one about marriage? The bill that passed in the House of Representative with some serious Republican support? 47 of them voted Yeah. You know what I'm talking about. The bill about marriage equality. Now you have to remember that this bill protects not only same sex marriage, but interracial marriages as well. This was because of Oreo Thomas, and his published opinion regarding Roe v Wade. Will this bill make it to the Senate? No one knows. But remember, this is one more reason why it is imperative that Blue wins in the midterms. We save the country by outvoting those who want an authoritative theocracy running America.
Late start today, not because I slept in, I had breakfast with my brother. The conversation was interesting.
Weather wise, today our temp is supposed to max out in mid 90s (F). The A/C is ready to go. We might have hit the mid-90s once or twice before this summer, but a no time were forecasters predicting more than one or two days in a row. This forecast is calling for daily highs in the mid 90's for the next week. All of the heavy heat seems to be staying south of us.
I saw where a celebrity couple made headlines by getting married. Nothing says ROMANCE like a drive-through, midnight wedding in Vegas. I wonder how much alcohol was involved in the planning of that extravaganza.
Lily has developed a new habit of sitting halfway up the staircase. I don't if it's because it gives her a better viewpoint of the downstairs or not.
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They began picking Steve Bannon's jury yesterday. The last I heard was that 8 jurors had been selected. Four more to go. I understand the rumor is going around that he actually showered, shaved, and got his hair cut for his little dance with justice. Maybe he thinks prettyfying himself up will lower his jailtime.
After breakfast, my brother, a Trump supporter, told me he didn't think Trump should run for 2024, that such an attempt would only be about his ego. It sounds as though the Orange Anus is losing a dedicated supporter. My comment was, "Trump's killing the Republican party," got no response. As for me? I'm hoping that lunatic announces his candidacy much sooner rather than later.
And finally, Joe Walsh the Republican, rather than Joe Walsh the musician, in an interview with Salon has said that if and when Trump gets indicted, there will be a violent reaction from the far right. Okay. I hate to ask this, but is there anybody out there who doesn't understand how much the idea of Trump going to jail will piss them off? American will get to see the MAGA version of the Black Lives Matter protests, only they will be much more violent. Whereas the Black Lives Matter protests were about inequality injustice, the MAGA's protests will be nothing more than retaliation. The MAGA's do not understand their anger will work against them.
Hello Monday! I know not all of you find Mondays jolly. The end of the weekend and the beginning of a work week. Usually, I'm scheduled for work, too, however I took a vacation day. September 4 is my anniversary date, and all vacation needs to be used by then. Believe me, I mean to oblige.
While yesterday was not fully productive, I did get a lot accomplished. Most of the laundry I do during the week has already been run through the washer, and the dryer, and been folded and placed in drawers, or hung up my in closet.
I was supposed to go down to York, but that trip has been postponed until next Sunday.
We had a lot of rain last evening and over the night. Thunderstorms. They were not explosive, no rip-roaring bolts of lightning raking across the sky, no blasts of thunder trembling the earth beneath my house. Nope. There was thunder and lightning, but it kept its distance.
As some of you know, in my last book, The Body in Repose, one of the victims was a male belly dancer in the King Tut Review. Even though I'm no longer doing research, I still get feeds regarding male belly dancers. This is Giulio Dilemmi. He does classes and workshops across Europe, if any of you over there are interested. Can we talk muscle control?
I saw where Betsy DeVos went on record as saying she thought the Department of Education should be shut down, that the states alone should be in charge of education. I do believe she's wearing her helmet hair a lot tighter than usual. Conservatives love this idea, of being able to set a conservative, indoctrinating curriculum. Helmet Head Betsy, however, failed to mention how much the Federal government helps finance school districts across the nation through many grants and reimbursements. Without that aid, local school taxes would go through the roof.
Steve Bannon's trial starts today. He had said he was going to go medieval... I wonder if that means he's going to show up wearing a chainmail shirt, perhaps in preparation for going to the clink. Sorry, I just had to do that.
Shall we give a hearty hello to a Slow Sunday? Traffic here is always at a minimum on the Day of Rest. Yep, that's what today is supposed to be, a day of rest; no work schedule to adhere to or chores to be done. Growing up, Sundays were for quietude. Twisted religiosity ruled in odd ways, like we could watch TV, but weren't allowed to go the movies. It was okay to pay for cable, but not okay to sit in a movie theater. I could never understand the logic that certain types of entertainment were bad for your soul. I wonder if this is what people mean when they talk about traditional family values? no movies on Sundays.
Once again here in Central Pa, the skies are overcast and there is a chance of rain. I'm not scheduled to work until Thursday. There was a time when I would call that a vacation, especially since it covers most of the week ahead. Vacations are another part of our lives where traditions have changed. Growing up, a summer vacation meant a visit to my grandparents who had moved to Allentown, PA for a week. That week also included day trips to New York City. It wasn't until I was in my mid-teens that my parents actually began planning and taking family vacations. Time wise, this was in the mid-60s. However, when I turned 16 those trips stopped because I could get a job without needing to get working papers. Working papers, you may ask, what are they? Well, they permitted an underage individual to get a job and earn money. I got my first job when I was 14. No allowance for me. Nope. I had to work and earn my spending money. These were the traditional family values I grew up with.
Standard Application to work
Why am I writing about my past? Because I truly get fed up with Conservatives shrieking about Traditional Family Values. For those who haven't realized this yet, traditional family values are an ideal that conservatives subscribe to, an ideal they alone define as one which reinforces the family with certain values. Most of us grew up with variations on what traditionalists fantasize about. For example, we did gather around the kitchen table for dinner. That gathering usually lasted 10 minutes. There was no conversation about good or bad, just bits and pieces of neighborhood gossip. This doesn't mean that my parents didn't try and model our family behavior after a scripted TV show, but none of us were actors, so none of us knew how to play the parts. Families make their own traditions. They do not follow a precise pattern or fit into a specific mold, and everybody creates their own values. Children whose parents divorce have different values than those whose parents stay together; that's just one example. The traditional family values ideal was broken long ago. Conservatives will never understand that.
Saturday: the skies are overcast, and we've got a 65% chance of rain. woohoo. The Accuweather map doesn't show a single drizzle in the area, though rain is coming east from Pittsburgh. Showers will probably arrive locally about the time I'm ready to head off to work.
And, how busy will work be? The busy side of the season is past. Not that people won't be stopping by the flooring department, though for the most part all we probably see will be a Lookie Lou every now and then.
I didn't get as much done yesterday as I had planned, and still, my accomplishments were not few. The only thing that wasn't completed was a fast walk on the treadmill. I did start, but the quads in my right leg got very achy. Perhaps I should have started at a slower speed. Or maybe it was my route. For some reason I thought Saint Tropez was going to be different.
Am I like the only who's suspecting the Donald, or one of his spawn, had something to do with Ivanka's fall down the stairs? There are a number of other investigations going on.
I saw where a federal judge has rule against Mark Meadows. He'd been fighting the January 6 subpoena and had countersued Pelosi. Of course, many are whispering that he's just going to be another sacrifice, or, to put it more colloquially, Meadow's is going to get thrown under the bus.
And someone pointed out that with the discovery of the Secret Service's missing texts from January 5 and 6, perhaps Mike Pence was being very smart when he refused to get in their car and take him for a ride.
As expected, yesterday was soooo sloooow at work. Not a lot of people are out looking for flooring. But, just in case some of you are thinking, "ah, that's the economy," I have to remind you that July and August are always slow months for us. Vacation time. Customers ask themselves, "why spend $4000 on carpet or vinyl planking, when you can take the family to Disneyworld for a week and have much more fun?" Believe me, fun always wins out.
I'm only being scheduled for 3 days a week for the next couple of weeks. That's fine with me. This partial retirement thing is rather nice.
Since it's Friday, I'm off. I have certain chores that get done on Friday. They are part of my routine. No laundry, though. Wednesday is my laundry day. Most of today's chores involve cleaning. Oh, and going to the supermarket.
The flowers in one of the little, front gardens are coming along nicely. Interestingly enough, the marigolds I planted from scratch are burgeoning, the ones which were already 5 inches tall when I bought them are struggling.
Dahlias are in the background
So, here we are, halfway through July, one hundred and some odd days before the midterms, and a certain political party is starting to scratch their head, seeming caught off guard by what's happening in America. The common belief was that the party that loses the presidency wins heavily in the mid-terms. The truth is that was never a sure thing. As a result, the Republicans thought they were going to drive their conservative tank back and forth across the country, crushing every centrist in sight. They were going to win which meant they could do whatever they wanted. And so, the Supreme Court that they packed overturned Roe. With one fell swoop they told the largest voting bloc in the country that not only were they 2nd class citizens, in truth, they were really nothing more than breeders.
Suddenly it seems as though they've driven that tank straight into a river that is very wide, and very deep. Not only that, but they have also tied their destiny to a moral degenerate. A man who attempted to overthrow American Democracy in an attempt to stay in power. A big thank you to the January 6 committee for constant reminding America of his evil.
There is a horrific school shooting and America clamors for gun control, and they say, "shut up, we have enough votes to override everything you want."
At first there were just rumors that their tank might be tanking. Those rumors are not only getting louder, but they are also beginning to sound like a constant drumbeat. They nominated individuals who they felt would further their agenda without asking the American people what they wanted. They're tank is filling up with water faster than they can bail it out. The lie that started with Reagan is ending with Trump.
Well, shall we all say hello to Thursday? For some of you, the day is half over, for us living on the eastern seaboard of the US, the day is just beginning, and for those of you still sleeping farther to our west, don't worry, morning is coming your way.
Today is a workday for me. 6.5 hours. That means I have a lunchbreak. I'm taking rice and meatloaf, with lots of tomatoey sauce. Yum. Also, 2 bananas for my fresh fruit supplement.
I have plans to go down to York, PA on Sunday, so I'll probably bake a peach cobbler tomorrow. And, in case any of you are wondering about my nectarine tree, well, this will be the 3rd year without any fruit. Not that there weren't any nectarines, it's just that the squirrels have been eating them. They must find the green, unripened fruit tasty.
As most know, I enjoy Alternative Music. Some call it Rock, as in rock & roll. I rarely listen to old music; I've already lived through it once. Unlike a lot of people, I feel very little need to regularly dance down memory lane. Give me fresh and new. The 1975 was founded in 2002, so that means it is not a new band for some, but to me it is. Any band that can work the word ejaculate into a lyric is pressing the boundaries. This song is great!
And Lyndsey Graham is trying to quash his subpoena. Whatever he's hiding must be scaring the shit out of him. Good. He's gone to Federal Court to keep from having to lie under oath.
Remember when, after Biden won, all of the pundits, and many, many in the media said the midterms were going to go Republican? Easy, peasy fact, they said, the winning party always loses in the midterms. Well, it turns out that they were wrong. the midterms races are closer than Hell. Oops. Ain't that a pisser if you happen to be a Republican? And it also turns out many voters want to upend the system. They are not happy that a minority party managed to steal the Supreme Court. They are not happy with having their votes nullified by gerrymandering. They are fed up with the Electoral College deciding the presidency. They are sick and tired of their congressmen and congresswomen over riding what they want in order to push party politics. Basically, a large majority of Americans what to satisfy the majority and put Americans first. And mostly, it seems, they blame conservatives. This is not good for a minority party who so desperately feel the need to say, "shut up, we're in charge."
Wednesday. Laundry day. I will need to go to my local Giant supermarket to purchase some Hershey's chocolate syrup. Chocolate milk, you know? Love it. When I was young teen living in Fairview Heights, (suburb of Lebanon, PA), my friends and I would sleep out a lot. At least 2 or 3 times a week we would climb on our bicycles around 2 in the morning and ride to Wengert's Dairy where we each purchased a quart of freshly made chocolate milk. That's right, from cow, to dairy, to belly. I wonder what those night workers thought when 5 or 6 kids rang the doorbell that early in the morning to purchase chocolate milk.
I went to see Thor: Love and Thunder last evening. I thought the film was good... with some reservations. It was $5 cheap night, so the theater was full. You do get to briefly see Chris Hemsworth's butt. Part of the problem was that there were 2 storylines, one geared for adults, the other aimed at a much younger audience. I was surprised that they said the word 'shitty' a lot, since Marvel Studios is owned by Disney.
It's not pixilated in the movie
And, of course, yesterday we had the January 6 committee reveal. So many good things. Ivanka danka perjuring herself was a tiny slice of delight. Texts from Brad Pascale saying, "we lost a woman," and "it's the rhetoric," were nice shiny bobbles. Trump sitting with the doors of the Oval Office open on the evening of January 5th so he could hear what he must have thought was his personal army? That was a gem. I had to laugh at Sidney Powell sucking down a Dr. Pepper, I wonder if she thought she'd get product placement revenue.
The 'unhinged' meeting of December 18. That that three people knew how to get into the White House to meet with Trump without going through official checkpoints in my mind indicates this was an inside job. The Orange Anus was evidently expecting them.
I liked the tale of the rewriting of the speech, how words kept being taken out by his speech writers and how Trump kept adding them back in. We even got to see Steve Miller, doing his best Igor impression, confirming they had been taken out of the speech. I laughed at that. Trump the loser has never stayed on point. He has always ad-libbed. His ego requires him to throw red meat to the angry mob.
And of course, the piece de resistance of the broadcast was that tiny bit of info that Trump tried to call a heretofore unnamed witness. Woah. Bad shit. Witness tampering. The DOJ is involved. I'm more interested in the identity of this unnamed witness. Hhhmmm.
Finally, I hate to disappoint many of you, but Trump will never see the inside of a jail cell. For him, that would be the ultimate loss. The instant an indictment is issue, he will run like Hell. Sitting through a trial is something his ego will never permit to happen. I'm betting he already has a plane fueled and ready to go waiting for him on the tarmac.
My mid-week weekend has begun. I certain objectives I hope to complete during the next 2 days, whether they will be accomplished is another matter. I'd make a list, but we all know priorities change. I had thought of driving down to That Fish Place but knowing that the holly shrub in my front yard desperately needs trimming is more important than driving to Lancaster to pick up fish and snails.
As expected, yesterday was a slow day at work. I did manage to get 2 measures, (a sign the economy isn't as terrible as Republicans say), but in between those moments of interacting with customers there was nothing. Who ever thought being bored could be so tiring?
Of course, they released a photo taken by the Webb Telescope yesterday afternoon; our first really good look at something so immense many will have difficult processing the truth. This is especially true for certain religious groups, specifically those who claim their deity created the universe. They will subvert the truth into something their beliefs can limit and control. Many of these people, if they even take the time to look at this picture, will simply say "that's nice." You see, their universe needs to be small enough for them to be the focal point. A truth they will never understand is that everything does not now and will never revolve around them. They are the ones who will say, "it's not about the size, it's about the faith."
Steve Bannon's trial begins Monday. woohoo. I read that his lawyer asked for a delay because he has no defense. woohoo. Now, this tub of horse shit is going to be dropped into an ungreased, cast-iron frying pan where he will publicly sizzing in his own juicy lies.
And every second that passes moves Lyndsey Graham to another cast-iron frying pan. Lyndsey's got a lot of grease, so when he fries there will a lot splutters, and pops, so don't get too close because I'm suspecting he's going to try and burn as many as possible.
And, of course, the January 6 committee is going to go public again this afternoon. Kinzinger has said that in 10 years not one of those 74 million people who voted for Trump will admit to casting a vote for him. I don't doubt for a second today's hearing is going to be another nail in the Republican coffin. Reagan' started the con, Trump is going to end it.
Hello Work Week! Don't it just fill you excitement to know you're going to spend 8 hours today in a cube, or an office, or at a desk, dealing with issues, or people? I know I get to go to work... for 8 hours and sit the flooring desk, and deal with customers. I can honestly tell you that my excitability bucket is nowhere near to overflowing. It's not even close to being full. However, I just paid my quarterly garbage / sewage bill so today's hours will allow me to keep banking my social security checks while only working part-time hours.
Yesterday, a day I didn't work, was a day of mostly accomplishment. I didn't take a single nap! The lawn was mowed, laundry was done, grocery shopping completed, and the dishes? hand washed, not popped into the dishwasher. And I still had time for a long phone conversation with a friend to set up plans for next Sunday and get some Super Special armor in Elden Ring.
I also spent some time dickin' putzin' around with my TV. I can't sign into Google Play Store, which is why the Paramount + app didn't update. Shit. I rebooted the TV, the router, cleaned up the Paramount cache. Nothing was working, so I deleted the app and signed up for Paramount + through Amazon Prime; .99 a month for 2 months before the 9.99 charge kicks in. I can probably live with that.
Here's another picture during my glory days in the Navy. The date is Sept 73, which means it was taken almost 49 years ago. I was 22 at the time. The blue thing in my hand was a piece of cloth that unraveled. A few of us gave it a name as though it were a pet, Cleetus, if I'm remembering correctly. Soon after it was thrown into the trash.
Politically, yesterday was fairly quiet. There was a bunch of banter about Bannon's bullshit. While most of us are smart enough to know he never had Executive Privilege, I'm sure MAGA world must be spinning on its head: a loyal member of the Order of the Moral Degenerate has lost his protected status. Son of a bitch! Will Bannon squeal? Well, the January 6 committee may have to delicately parse his words to find slivers of truth as he belches out his testimony.
And finally, has anybody heard from Mark Meadows lately? Cassidy Hutchinson mentioned him multiple times and we've heard nothing from his camp. Could it be he's crawled so far back under his rock that we'll never hear from him again? Or is there something else going on?
Well, happy Sunday, slow day. I don't work today, so it is almost truly going to be a day of rest... hey, who am I kidding. Later this morning there will be a mowing of the lawn, and the loading of the washer (at least 3 times), and the emptying of the dryer. I might even get a ride in, if I don't get bogged down. Sundays are a good day for bogging down, in case you didn't know.
I was planning on watching the last episode of Star Trek's Strange Journeys last evening, but Paramount + needs an update and my TV was not being very receptive. Instead, I watched the first episode of Moonhaven on AMC +, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Since AMC + is a subscription service, as is Paramount +, after the season finale of Star Trek, I'll probably drop the Paramount and subscribe to AMC. Then, probably in December, I'll flip back, cancelling the subscription to AMC and resubscribing to Paramount. There is no reason I should be paying for a service I'm not using.
For those who don't know, the Tour de France is cycling, and sprinting, and climbing through the French countryside. During previous years I watched as many stages as possible. This year? Well, NBC Sports, which carries the race merged with its parent company and is now part of Peacock TV, the NBC subscription service. Without cable, I can only subscribe to Peacock TV through my Xbox (Microsoft). Well, that isn't going to happen anytime soon. I don't want to have 3 different pieces of electronic gear turned on to watch one network. Life needs to be more simple, less complicated.
As I was taking some garbage out this morning, I saw a black cat staring at me from the top of the hill behind my house. I had a black cat named Kiki a long time ago. Could this be her ghost?
There's a lot of chatter going on about Biden's age. Is he too old? I think so. But then I also think Nancy Pelosi is too old, as is Diane Feinstein (way too old), and that moral degenerate Mitch McConnell. Your brain, like your body, changes through the years. Older brains are not as resilient. I say this as someone who is as someone who is aging. This does not mean I'm less creative, I do, however, think I'm directing my creativity much better than when I was younger. I am quicker to ponder taking action rather than simply jumping into the fray. This is not a drawback in my personal life, however there is a great difference between managing my life and managing the country. Older people tend to be more hardened in their ways, less open to compromise. In case you haven't noticed, I am very opinionated. Someone needs to tell Uncle Joe there is nothing wrong with being a transitional president. He will be better accepted and respected in the long run.
I work 12-7. No problem. We're supposed to showers on and off most of the day. Right now, the skies are overcast. I wish we would get more than a little drizzle every now and then even that means having to mow my lawn tomorrow, on the traditional day of rest.
While at work this afternoon, I will need to call a fellow associate's customer to tell them the tile they wanted is no longer available. This is a problem when customers try and cheap it out by buying clearance items. I always make it a point to say that clearance means the product is going away. A yellow tag means an extremely limited supply. They can still buy the tile from our website for $22.74 a case, but they will also have to pay a $79 shipping charge. The customer will probably yell at me over the phone and then cancel the job. This is how life is. Make your plans accordingly.
I got a lot accomplished yesterday because I didn't give into 'slug mode.' Here lately it seems as though the urge to just puddle through the day has been quite attractive. Baking those sugar cookies was a bad idea. Sugar, carbs, and me, are the perfect combination for spending a nappy afternoon.
The yellow dahlias are beginning to open.
Elon Musk dropped his offer to purchase Twitter. His attorney's provided several weak excuses, though I believe he still needs to pay a $1 billion fee for changing his mind. I've no problem with that. Honestly, I never believed he had any interest in the acquisition. Personally, I think his life is pretty much the definition of a clusterfuck. He has 11 children (possibly more) with a set of twins just being born to a woman who worked for a company he owns. Tesla seems to be running into all types of headwinds. Several auto manufacturers, including Hyundai, are set to leave Tesla spinning its tires trying to catch up.
The word is out that Trump is preparing to revoke Steve Bannon's Executive privilege. Other than the joy I'd see of seeing Bannon's shitty smirk wiped from his face, I don't this as anything other than a desperate attempt by the Spawn of Satan, Donald Trump, to avoid the inevitable.
Pat Cipollone chatted with the January 6 committee yesterday... for 8 hours. That's a long time. Word is that he didn't deny any of the previous allegations. People were touting that he did not claim the 5th amendment. This is a good thing.
And, finally, the committee is now planning to continue holding hearings into August. For those who don't understand, this is not only about putting the full evil of Donald Trump on display for all Americans to see, but also about breaking apart his MAGA base. I don't doubt for a second one of their goals is to keep as many Trumpists from getting elected as possible.
Can we have a happy hello for Friday? I know some of you five-day-weekers will be heading into your office, or shop, or cube for the final day of the week. I did that too, for oh so many, many years, which is why I can say there is a part-time light at the end of that tunnel.
I did work yesterday, and it was very slow. I did manage to get a measure, which will please the higher up, but it's only for a staircase. Not a lot of revenue there. The store, itself, has been popping off daily fireworks when it comes to business. Ironic, isn't it, how a certain group of individuals can't stop their taught little whisperings about inflation and then go out and a $3000 gas powered lawn tractor. Perhaps it's because the price of gas has begun to finally go down. Has anybody else noticed how that group of people who have been complaining about the prices at the gas pump are suddenly quiet?
There are 5 of the super-sized cookies I baked still left to be eaten.
Lyrics from Alice Merton's 'Same Team' have made it into The Body Under Ice. Even though there is snow, and wilderness, and possibly a hint of a bloody murder in the video, there's none of that in the story.... well, there is a bit of bloody murder, otherwise there'd never be a body under the ice.
I've been hearing a lot of chit chat regarding Dr. Oz's candidacy for Pat Toomey's soon to be vacant Senate seat. Mostly, people are wondering where in Hell the charlatan has been for the past... oh, two months or so. Except for dropping the occasional commercial filmed in New Jersey, he hasn't been spending much time out stomping for votes. Fetterman, however, running as an outsider Democrat is constantly releasing snarky commentary about the bad doctor. For those who don't know Big John, here he is breaking the mold.
Finally, many are wondering if the IRS audits of McCabe and Comey were in actuality attacks by Trump. I don't know about you, but that's the first thought that popped into my mind. The former 'I wannabe the first Orange Anus dictator in American history' has so far in his life demonstrated little if any respect for the law. Perhaps this is why so many conservatives are enamored with him. he does have that... je ne sais quoi... appeal to those who so desperately want to say "shut up! I'm in charge!"
My Thursday workday has arrived. I have a 6-hour shift beginning at 1 this afternoon. Can you feel my excitement?
Outside, the sky is overcast. There's only a 40% chance we will get rained. Temps are supposed to climb to the mid 80s (F). Checking the map on Accuweather, shows all of the substantial showers are passing us to our south, so before I leave for work, I'll have to water the little garden.
I baked sugar cookies yesterday. First time with this recipe, which called for a heaping tablespoon of batter per cookie. I showered them with rainbow sprinkles for a little extra sugary Pride. They got big. Really, really big. They are very tasty. I know there are some out there who will say that size is important, but... these sweet cakes are bigger than I was expecting.
Over in the UK, the Torys are looking rather shamefaced. BoJo, the tousle-haired Trump wannabe has resigned. Brought down by scandals, the latest happened when one of his cabinet members drunkenly groped another man. A blustery sensationalist, BoJo seemed to be constantly demonstrating his inability to govern. Conservatives are a selfish lot, and in his brief tenure as Prime Minister, his selfishness was apparent.
Oh, well, the sun just came out from behind the overcast skies. Hello sunny day.
Yesterday, up here in sunny PA, a group of Republicans, including former officials, came out in support of the Democratic candidate Josh Shapiro. Yeah, you read that right. Republicans are telling Republicans to vote for a Democrat. They said that Mastriano's Cracker Jack Crazy evangelical extremism makes him unfit to run the state. This group of Republicans is doing a very good thing. They understand the MAGA movement brings only destruction.
And tomorrow, Pat Cipollone will sit down and do a recorded interview with the January 6 committee. He knows what questions they will ask; they know what his answers will be. Everything has been arranged. Will the American people be shocked by his testimony? You can bet your ass they will.
The temps are predicted to climb into the mid 80's again tomorrow with a 0% chance of rain.
Well let's all say 'hello' to Mittwoch, or Wednesday as the English say. We are in the middle of the week. Outside, the skies are cloudy. We have 40% chance of rain today. Rather than gamble of a stray shower or two, or a thunderstorm which will drop much less rain than needed, I'm going to water my little garden.
Yesterday was one of those ho-hum, why not spend a few hours being a slug, kind of days. I did get my haircut in the morning. This was the second time I'd had this barber and she is a rambler, whatever subject managing to flit into her head becomes the topic of conversation. Really, all I want my barbers to do is cut my hair as quickly and as decently as possible. I'm not there for the idle chit-chat.
I was going to go for a bike ride... and didn't. I packed in a lot of garbage food on the Fourth, so I'm thinking my lack of energy had more to do with the slow burn of the carbs working through my system.
I was surprised to find that one of my rose buses is blooming! They are like a little bouquet.
There was an interesting read in the Five ThirtyEight newsletter this morning. The premise seems to be that the working class swung to the Republican party and Trump 5 years ago for a number of reasons, but mostly because Republicans are the party of white voters. This idea was put forth by Rep. Jim Banks, from Indian. Race and Culture, he says, are what now define the Republicans and that Economics now have nothing to do with it. Banks also says he believes this shift is permanent. If Mr. Banks, a Republican, is correct, then he needs to start telling the rest of his party that it's not about the Economy.
And for those who missed it, Lindsey (aka Pittypat) Graham was subpoenaed by the Fulton County Grand Jury. I'm betting it too Miss Pittypat all of 2 seconds to reach for her poppers smelling salts. Supposedly this is in reference to his asking Raffensberger to throw out thousands of mail-in ballots. Giuliani was also invited. My, isn't that man popular? He seems to be getting one of these invitations every time he turns around. Also on the guest list was Cleta Mitchell. There is so much hatred in that old, white woman for minorities. I've been saying for some time, the January 6 hearings will have a big effect on the November midterms. We all need to turn to Georgia if we want to see Trump's ass fried.
Now tell me, wasn't that the shitiest Fourth of July this country has had ever?
I worked. Gained 1.6 pounds. Sold a flooring installation and a blind measurement, all the time checking for news updates on the shooting in Highland Park, Illinois. I've been to Highland Park. Affluent is a nice way of describing the suburb. Six dead. Oh, and there was another mass shooting in Philadelphia, where two died. I believe there were others, but those are the 2 that come to mind. Thanks to the 2nd amendment cultists, this is the new normal.
Locally, a domestic disturbance near the Walnut Street bridge in Harrisburg led to a panic. People took to social media shrieking, "no shooting! no shooting!"
My nephew and his wife were at a parade in Mechanicsburg where someone set off fireworks, which led to a panic with people knocking people over as they ran to safety. This is the new normal. How do I know it's the new normal? She posted some asinine comment on Facebook that they went for ice cream afterwards to calm their nerves. Yep, the new normal. Ice cream fixes everything... well, maybe not in Highland Park.
Everyone will be touched by this violence.
Here's a current pic of my dahlias, more are preparing to open, and the marigolds are finally beginning to fill in.
Another example of the New Normal is Darren Bailey, a Trump backed candidate for Governor in Illinois. In the first video message he released after the shoot, Bailey said that we need to pray for the victims, and the police, and then basically 'move on.' He's another one Conservative asshole who has yet to realize all of their prayers have remained unanswered. Nope, not a one. God has evidently turned a deaf ear towards those prayers. Anyway, someone must have told Bailey he sounded like a stupid sack of shit, so he released another video in which he said he didn't mean to sound like a crass, failed human being. You're too late, Darren. People already know you accept these shootings as the New Normal, and people just need to move on when they happen.
