Revolutionary

Well let's say hello to Thursday, today being the last day of August 2023.  The weather is supposed to be spectacular with the temps barely reaching into the 80s (F).  If long term forecasts are to be believed, however, and usually they're wrong, next week our temps are supposed to climb into the upper 90s (F).  I will wait and see.

I'd like to say that yesterday was a really great day of accomplishments, but it turns the hours were spent doing little things around the house; little things that didn't really add up to much, I'm afraid to say.  I did try changing the venting system from my dryer, moving the vent to the window, and it didn't work out well, so it's back to the way it was.

The electrician sent me his final quote for the work in the kitchen.  It's pricey.  Still, I accepted it, however, when I talk to my drywaller / contractor tomorrow morning I'm going to ask if she knows of someone just as reliable but less expensive.  I don't mind paying for a good tradesman, but sometimes I feel some of them use their unique skills to take advantage of you.

A week from today my copy of Starfield arrives.  I could have bought the download copy, but I'm one of those who likes to hold the disc in my hands, it's part of the ownership thing; I feel downloaded software is too much like something you lease rather than own.  Anyway, this game is going to make Bethesda Softworks billions... literally.  It's probably the main reason Microsoft purchased them.  Everybody wants to be involved.  I wouldn't be surprised if the game proved to be revolutionary, doing for space exploration what Star Trek did back in the 60s.  Even Imagine Dragons have a song in the soundtrack. 

Of course, Idalia knocked a big tree down near the governor's mansion in Florida.  I found it amusing that Ronnie D put out a statement saying that his wife and kids were okay while he, himself, couldn't give a wit about anyone else's wife or kids.  I found his statement that looters would be shot extremely troubling.  He's just giving haters a reason to kill people, claiming afterwards they thought they were shooting a looter.  This is the kind of moral degeneracy Conservatives wallow in, the ability to take the law into their own hands knowing full well they will be able to shirk any responsibility that should come with it.  The state will soon be completely lawless.  I mean, no one's going to be able to live their because of the expense.

 

Audiobook Retailers

 Yesterday was odd.  Many chores on the "to do" list were accomplished.  Even a trek on the treadmill.  Yet this morning when I checked out my blog I saw that I failed to respond to the comments.  That's something I believe I've only done twice before in all the years I've been writing Riding On, so my apologies for being so lax.

We did have nice weather.  We're supposed to get the same thing today, with the temps hanging around in the low 80s (F) with little to no humidity.  Nice stuff for the end of August and early September.  This Summer has been good for us here in Central PA.  Perhaps it's because we're located in a valley between ranges of the Appalachian mountains.

I received an update yesterday from Findaway Books.  The Body Under Ice is now available at the following audiobook retailers.  This is probably going to stick out the side of the blog, but that happens sometimes.  I am going to prep the first book in the series for audiobook since I should have started out with number 1, rather than number 6.  That should be happening while The Body in Motion is being edited.

Idalia has landed in northern Florida with bands of heavy rain and wind.  I'm sure Ronnie DeSantis is not happy, mostly because he's already being peppered with questions about the unbelievable prices of home owner's insurance.  For those who don't know, 4 major insurers have pulled out of the state because they lose money.  Those that are still in the state have upped their premium rates to a point where many people simply can't afford them.  Ronnie D has a problem because of this, which would mean getting the state legislature to work for Floridians rather than focus only on the conservative base.

Audiobook Reality

 Tuesday, and my four day weekly weekend begins.  I did miss this schedule.  Not that I don't mind changing things up now and then, but I found working over 29 hours in one week disruptive after almost a year of 20 hour work weeks.  

There's a good chance that the weather today will be drizzly and rainy.  That's okay.  The only place I'm planning on going to is my neighborhood Giant supermarket.  I'm out of bananas.  Lily and I share one everyday and that's a routine I like to keep.  

I do believe the house next door has been sold.  While the large Iron Valley real estate sign is still in the front yard, the small red "For Sale" sign is gone, replaced by one that give the name of the listing agent.  I find this amusing since the owner bragged that he didn't need to go through an agent because he knew the right kind of people.  Besides listing it with an agent, he had it professionally stage which no doubt cost him quite a bit with rental furniture.

I posted a little video about why I waited so long to put the audiobook The Body Under Ice on Audible... actually, it's not there yet.  It also takes forever before it shows up in their store.

And, of course, Trump's first trial date has been set:  March 4, 2024.  As expected, the Spawn of Satan spewed fire and brimstone because his Judgement is coming far sooner than he had been expecting.  Can you hear me chortling loudly?  I am.   I find it truly funny that he and his attorneys are shrieking that his trial is supposed to begin the day before Super Tuesday.  For a man who brags about being so far ahead in the polls, his trial date should create no problem.  In fact, it might be a blessing in disguise because all those brain dead MAGA cultists are going to go out and vote for him.  But then again, he may realize that all of those Centrist and Left leaning Republicans are going to sit out the primaries the same way they're going to sit out the General Election.  

And now the Pope has come out speaking against Trumpist Catholics.  Of course, a lot of American Catholics don't really pay him much attention.

workstation

 The weather yesterday was nice, comfortable temperatures, a light breeze and sun that was on and off.  Today looks to be a replay of the same, though the chance of showers increases to 40%.  Either way it will be nice.

I got the estimate for the electrical work and it's around what I was expecting.  I must have become more astute to contractors and their pricing.  I emailed Radle with 2 small changes.  I also sent an email to Lindsey, the woman who drywalled the holes in my ceiling.  I have work for her, some drywalling, the installation of cabinets and prepping for the new sink  and dishwasher.  Ibn fact, Lindsey just returned my email - we'll be talking this evening.  For the sink, I'm going to go with a double sink work station.  Nice, eh?  Though mine will be a drop-in, not an undermount.

And Ronnie DeSantis went down to Jacksonville to try and make some political points regarding the hate crime, 3 black people getting shot by a white man wearing a mask, and Ronnie got booed badly.  For those who don't know, Ronnie signed legislation allowing residents of Florida to carry a concealed gun without needing a permit to do so.  Ronnie is also the moron who said "Florida is the state where Woke goes to die."  Ronnie also let the good people of Florida know that he will pause his campaign while Hurricane Idalia tears through the middle of the state.  Someone should tell Ronnie he will never be president.

Also, today's the day when a judge will set the date for one of Trump's first trial for the Atlanta charges.  Prepare yourselves!  He and the MAGA  Republicans will be shrieking from here to high heaven.

A Tear and a Prayer

Well, hello Sunday!  Central PA is supposed to have nice weather today, with a high in the mid 80s (F).  Tomorrow?  Rain is supposed to head into the picture.  We have more than an 80% chance of getting some sort of precipitation, my dahlias need it.

Work was odd yesterday.  I walked into customers waiting to purchase their carpet.  I suspect their installation will not go smoothly since several times during the process, he told me that he used to lay carpet and would be there for the installation and is, just in case you had any doubts, an authority.  Business was slowish, meaning there were a number of customers in the store, so one of the managers decided to have all of the pallets of Halloween merchandise pulled down from the overhead.  End result?  Numerous aisles were blocked for customers, and then unblocked, meaning customers who wanted to shop had to stand and wait.

Here's a funny thing:  Rich Guys North of Richmond is getting a lot of conservative airplay because they think it's about Democrats.  However, Oliver Anthony, the singer / songwriter says au contraire  he's actually singing about Republicans.  Ooops.  How could conservatives get this so wrong?  Well, perhaps because they're completely out of touch with America.  Here's the song in case you want to give it a listen

And as if we didn't know that that this little dirt nugget was waiting in plain sight to be discovered: CPAC wants an investigation of Matt Schlapp.  Okay, so what's phony Matty been doing?  Let's see, more groping was evidently on his menu, for one thing.  Oh, and that he tried to kiss a 20 something young man.  Honestly, one must wonder if this is God's judgement on Matty?  To publicly humiliate and break him?  Or maybe it's Karma, and all of Matty's evil ways are coming to roost.  I have no problem seeing this phony Christian being figuratively torn asunder.  The sad truth here is that we all know Matty's praying for forgiveness and that he believes he'll get it.  I've a big problem with a religion that lets you wipe away accountability with a tear and a prayer.

Fly Away

 Well, the weekend has arrived and it's a bit muggy outside.  The last time I checked, the temp was 73 (F) which might indicate this afternoon's temps might be in the mid 90s (F), however they're forecasted to be in the low to mid 80s (F).  We shall see.

I do work today.  Halloween displays should be dropping into the store on Monday, but they've already have boxed 6 foot skeletons in the main aisle.  

So, I signed up for Hulu to watch Only Murders in the Building.  The first season was okay.  I figured out "who dunnit" the instant the character appeared.  Logic, you know.  Who is the most logical person to commit a murder, not the most suspicious, though I do like playing around with suspiciousness.  Last evening I began Season 2 and got a really pleasant surprise: one of the guest starts turned out to be 89 year-old Shirley MacLaine.  What a joy to see her still acting, and being funny! 

The clam in the big tank isn't working for me.  It doesn't open until it fills with air and then the top lifts and these large bubbles escape.  I prefer the smaller bubbles of an air stone, so I will probably replace it with something I like.  The 2nd statue is in place and the live plants are beginning to spread across the gravel, and yes, the statues are all Greek gods, and they're all naked.

And I don't know if anyone else saw this blurb in all the trashy Trump talk, but on August 4 he transferred ownership of Mar a Lago to a company owned by Donny Jr.  I soon as I saw that I went "woah, this is serious."  Anybody else out there know why?  Since not everybody nodded, I'll tell you.  Should the Orange Anus choose to run, (fly-away Donny, fly away), the government could go after his assets (I'm betting Jack Smith would love that).  Now, Mar a Lago is no longer an asset for the Orange Anus.  I know that the Trump hotel in Washington is no longer one of his assets.  In fact, he's been divesting himself of properties since 2020, though his organization still manages some of them.  He is considered a flight risk.  Flying away to Moscow, or where ever, would through all of his fellow indictees under the bus, so to speak, since only a guilty man runs.  Would he be alone?  Somehow I doubt that.  Those that can't afford to go will end up in jail.

Oppenheimer

 Yesterday was sunny, the temps were comfortable, hovering in the low to mid 80s (F).  Right now we have drizzles outside.  Yep, it rained overnight.  My dahlias needed it.  

Also, the electrician showed up a bit early and we walked through some of the updates I want to have done in the house.  One of them, moving and outlet and prepping for the installation of a new sink and dishwasher is going to be put on hold for at least 7 or 8 months.  Instead of that expense, I'll have my drywaller remove and install new vinyl plank flooring.  What have in the kitchen now is old, and it was very inexpensive. We don't install the product anymore because it's not waterproof, water can leak through the seams, and the wear layer was not intended for dogs.

I went to see Oppenheimer last evening.  This is truly one amazing film.  There are two stories here, the first being the creation and detonation of the first nuclear weapon, which is in color.  This is juxtaposed with the politics of the era with all of the hobgoblins of McCarthyism, and the cold war, which is is stunning black and white.  Cillian Murphy is outstanding as a man glorying in the authority and power his creation gives him while coming to terms with the true horror of what he has helped to create.  You sympathize with a man whose reality was fed by an ego that was fed by the popular press, someone who realizes too late that he wasn't always in charge of his life.  If you get a chance, see it on a really big screen, and prepare yourselves, I cannot even begin to explain the emotional impact this film had on me.

And, of course, while I was getting sucked in to Oppenheimer, my phone turned into a vibrator as pictures of Donald J. Trump's mugshot flooded the Internet.  I didn't look at it until I got home from the movie and the first thing that went through my head when I saw his glowering face was:  this man is pissed off from here to Hell and back.  I did think about it a little this morning and decided that was his attempt at instilling fear in all those anti-Trumpers.  He failed.  While his base may rally, there was nothing about Trump's mugshot that might move you to sympathize with him, in fact I'm rather enjoying his humiliation.  Let's all hope that October trial date stands.  So many millions of Americans want to see him live in the courtroom.

Oh, and Putin says that he had nothing to do with Prigozhin's death, that he did not give the order for someone to place an explosive device on that private plane causing it to explode killing everyone onboard. 

Tanked

 Yesterday was nice and sunny, and I did get some dumbbell work in - arms you know, I don't want to keep the strength in them as long as possible.  Age will eventually take its toll, but I've already told it that ain't going to happen tomorrow.

I'd ordered a 2nd Greek statue for the big tank and it arrived.  It looks great, but it's resin, not marble.  I thought I was ordering it from the same Greek company because it was advertised on the same page, not so, this one was made in China, but sold by a Greek owned company in New Jersey.  I'm going to be ordering one more.  I will be certain that one, too, comes from Greece.  

The electrician was here this morning taking notes to give me an estimate on a number of other jobs I need to have done, moving outlets in the kitchen, installing a light in the computer / gym.  I've used him before.  He's a bit pricey, but does good work.  Still, this is going to set me back more than a couple of pennies.  I've set up a low interest home equity loan to cover that expense and the rest of the drywalling and cabinet installation in the kitchen.  I'm also thinking of having the old vinyl flooring removed and new flooring installed.  The stuff that's in there now is crap that I bought when I was rather naïve about flooring.

I talk a lot about the big tank in the dinning room, but not so much about the smaller 30 gallon tank in the living room, so I thought I'd post a picture.  This is looking in from the side.  All the fish are types of Barbs, except for the little yellow guy looking at me from the top of the vase.  He's an algae eater.

Of course, the GOP contenders for the party's nomination for president had their debate last night.  They blustered and blamed Trump for many things.  The only one who seemed to have any sort of Centrist opinions was Nikki Haley, at least that's what I read this morning.  I do believe she said (and this is me paraphrasing) that the party is out of touch with America, and that the National Abortion ban so many of the men talk about is an impossible dream since they will never have the necessary 60 votes in the Senate to pass such legislation.  She's obvious angling for the women's vote, the largest voting bloc in the country.  Unfortunately, because she's a woman, her candidacy has pretty much tanked since so upstanding, white Republican male would ever consider voting for her.

And it looks as though Putin shot down one of his hated enemies.  No surprise there... well, maybe a bit of one in that Prigozhin was stupid enough to get on that plane.

Debate This

 So, yesterday was quiet and nappy.  The weather was nice, not hot, with a breeze and while I did get things done around the house, it was still a slow day.  My Tuesdays are usually like that; a time for me to decompress, so to speak, after spending hours at the flooring desk.  I may be part-time, but in the 3 consecutive days that I work I'm still putting in 20 + hours.  Not that I'm complaining, those hours do pay for my fun time, as well as cover the expense of everything I purchase online.

We have a little over a week left in August, which means we are halfway through summer.  All around Central PA the weather has been scorchingly hot, but not here.  We have had lots of storms that produced buckets of rain, but there was very little in the way of wind damage, and so far my lawn has stayed green and mowable.  This is the first time I can remember that happening.  

Lily's birthday cake was finished off yesterday.  I thought I might freeze the leftovers, but then decided against it.  Of course, it showed up again when I stepped on the scale this morning.  And I also baked a cauliflower and tomato quiche... or maybe you want to call it a torte, yesterday.  It is quite tasty, in fact I warmed up a slice for breakfast, and still have half of a pie (?) to go.

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Okay, so some time this morning India is hoping to land a module softly on the moon.  The Russkies tried it last week and their vehicles smashed into the surface, a reflection I don't doubt of the incompetence of the Putin administration.  The rest of the world needs to pay strict attention if India is successful, because another moon race will have begun.  

And there's a Republican debate tonight.  It will be interesting to see how it holds up in the ratings.  If it does halfway decently that's an indicator that Republicans are getting fed up with the Orange Anus, that there is interest in nominating someone other than looser and liar with 4 indictments.  I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case.  I'm suspecting that there are a number of centrist and independent leaning Republicans who realized that nominating the Spawn of Satan, Donald Trump, will put the final stake into the heart of the Republican party.

Conservative Failure

 Well, it's Tuesday and I'm glad.  I've had 2 weeks of disruptive scheduling because other associates were on vacation.  I worked 29 hours last week, and that's a lot for me.  I'm used to my 3 days on and 4 days off schedule, which has finally started again.  

The temps climbed up to 91 (F) yesterday and it was warm, or at least it felt warm.  Being used to highs in the mid 80s (F), it's amazing how much hotter a few extra degrees can make it seem.  Today we're back in the low to mid 80s (F), which is fine with me.

An offer has been made on the house next door.  I don't know for how much, but when you go into Zillow it is now listed as "sale pending."  There was a family with two teenage children looking at it last week, though I wouldn't think they'd be interested.  They were driving an old Hyundai which might indicate the price might be out of their budget.  I'm interested in how much it will actually sell for.

Yesterday morning I took this picture of some of my roses to post to Threads and because I'm still acquainting myself with how it works, I sent it everywhere except here.  So, now I've fixed that.

Because I was bored yesterday, I walked over to the kitchen designer to waste some time in conversation.  He and I talk regularly, and though he's a Republican, he's very much a Centrist.  Sometimes we talk politics, sometimes we don't.  At one point in the conversation I said, "you know, conservatism is dying," and, after a few seconds, he surprised me by agreeing.  For those who don't understand, it's not just Trump, but in part quite a lot of it has to do with the Republican party's reliance on culture wars.  All they can do is shriek about wokeness, something they can't define, and it's failing.  Ronnie DeSantis has become a joke since he can't finish a sentence with using the word woke.  The shooting this past weekend by a homophobic Christian because she had a rainbow flat hanging outside her bookstore drives home the point.  Conservatism is being violently killed by people like Greg Locke, the Evangelical pastor who destroyed a Barbie dream home with a bible duct-taped to a baseball bat.  While some of the Cracker Jack Crazies were pleased by Locke's behavior, vast numbers of people around the world have watched that video saying WTF.  Failure is no longer an option for Conservatives, it's the reality.

Kamikaze

 So, California is getting rain.  A Navy buddy of mine posted pictures on Facebook this AM and I was polite.  I didn't tell him that is what most rain storms look like here in Central PA because they don't have the amount of rain that we do.  Two years ago there was a heavy drought in the southwest, today they're getting too much.  This means I need to make a really bad joke:  Isn't this how it usually is?  When it rains, it pours?

Anyway, yesterday was oh, so boing at work.  I did have customers show up who I'd sold blinds to last week.  They got a phone call, the product they wanted was out of stock and there would be a 3 week delay until production could begin on their blinds.  That does happen on occasion.  What does irk me, however, is this belief by some customers that they can show up on Sunday and resolve the issue.  While our store may be open, Bali blinds, Levelor blinds, and Venetia blinds are closed on the weekends.  True, we can reach their customer service reps, but all they can do is look at notes on a customer's order, which is what I can do.  The customers are coming back later this morning when we will be able to get some answers for them.

It seems as though I have Kamikaze snails.  Here's one racing towards the edge of the clam shell.

And so the Orange Anus had made it official, he will not be participating in the RNC debate with the other candidates.  No surprise there.  Gutless and spineless are two very good words to describe the former president.  He doesn't care that most of America now sees him as a coward extraordinaire, not as long as 71% of the Republican party trust him more they they would a member of their own family.  When I saw that figure I was stunned, but only for a moment.  Just think of how these people act, and talk, and dress.  They are a cult, and Trump is, and this is something he truly doesn't understand, their Kamikaze leader.  All together, they are going to wrap themselves up in a great red MAGA flag and do a swan dive directly into history.  Believe, it can't happen soon enough.

Let Them Eat Cake

 Yesterday was a slow day at work.  Really slow.  Schools open their doors this coming week and those parents who weren't on vacation with their families, were out shopping for school clothes and supplies.  The same thing is going to happen today, possibly even more so since it's Sunday and the weather is supposed to be nice.  

Speaking of the weather, it is nice.  The temp this morning was a nice cool 58 (F), which makes for outstanding sleeping.  This afternoon the temps might climb into the high 80s (F), and that to is fine.  For those living in Central PA climate change has not been that bad, not so for the rest of the world.  That doesn't mean we're not going to be getting those long hot summers that everyone around us seems to be getting.  

Lily had a great birthday.  Way too many snacks.  Too much vanilla ice cream, as well as chocolate cake.  Everyone says chocolate is bad for dogs, well it is in large amounts.  I researched this a long time ago and it turns out dogs can have 1.5 oz of dark chocolate for every 10 lbs. of body weight, for milk chocolate it's 3.5 oz for ever 10 lbs.  That little half cup of Hershey's cocoa I mixed in Lily's birthday cake was nothing more than tasty for her.  Even the cream cheese lavender icing, while high in fat content, wasn't bad for her.  This is her cake.  Notice the tasty pearl sparkles.

And I saw this story about the problem Evangelicals are having with Donald (the Spawn of Satan) Trump.  The problem is that so many of them were so terribly desperate to make this a socially conservative country they made themselves easy pickings for evil.  What makes this even worse is that these losers can tell you exactly how evil works: it offers you that thing you most desperately want, all you have to do is help it to grow.  So, here comes Donald J, a man known to be a scumbag, offering them what they want and instead of say, "oh, crap, this is how evil works," they searched and searched for some obscure evil person referenced in the Bible who God supposedly worked through and convinced themselves Trump was to be sent by God.  In reality, they were looking at a way to force social conservatism on America and they took it.  Now, Judgement is coming for their cult leader and the church is going to have to deal with a terrible rift, tearing the very fabric of their beliefs apart.  Personally, I think we should all sit back and let them eat the cake they baked.

The Birthday Girl

 We didn't have any rain yesterday... or last night.  We've had enough for a while.  Lawns have stayed green all summer, and mowing has been constant.  Supposedly, according to the forecast at least, we're supposed to be rain free for the next couple of days.  However, there's a little rain event happening out in southern California that will eventually move east and when it gets here, there is a distinct possibility it will travel up the east coast (prevailing winds coming in off the Atlantic make that happen). so we might get more rain next Friday, or Saturday.

I got a little present this morning from my electric company.  My budget plan charge has dropped by $20 per month thanks to this mild summer we've been having.

And, of course, today is Lily's Big Day.  She's 10 years old.  She started this morning off with her normal morning snacks... and then a big pig ear.  She also had some banana, she loves bananas, and right now she's taking a nap on the bed.  Later, she'll be getting cake and ice cream.  For her entire life, it's always been white cake and vanilla ice cream.  This year, because she's 10 years old, she's getting chocolate fudge cake and vanilla ice cream.  She had a sample last evening and thought it was the cat's meow... I'd give her one of those but all my neighbor's cats have seemed to disappear.

Of course there are other presents abounding:  Trump refusing to sign the RNC's loyalty pledge, for one.  That's right, if he doesn't get the Republican nomination, he's going to refuse to support the candidate that does.  Stupid Ronna McDaniel is screwed.  She backed the fake electors scheme because she thought he'd be triumphant in overturning the election... well, I don't know what she thought Trump was going to do, but obviously not the 4 times indicted criminal he has turned out to be.

And, he's skipping the debate.  I think I told you he would.  Gutless, he is.  A coward to the nth degree.  Being called a scumbag to his face by Chris Christie on live TV is more than he can bear.

On a brighter note, let's just all sit back and wish Lily a Happy 10th.  She's going for a walk now.  She loves going for walks!

Celebrate This

 We did have rain last night.  The grass is wet, so I don't know if I'll get a chance to mow it this afternoon.  According to the forecast there's little chance for additional rain today, tomorrow, and Sunday.  Actually, it's looking pretty dry for us... hopefully, unlike southern California and Nevada where Hillary is supposed to be dropping substantial rain.  Of course, you do know a vast majority of those living in the desert have no idea how much damage that much rain is going to cause.  Serious flooding is something they've never had to contend with.

I got four measures at work yesterday, that took up maybe around 30 minutes.  Towards the end of my shift I cut 15 feet of carpet.  Otherwise it was so slow and boring.  The full time associate who was supposed to be there never showed up, supposedly he was helping his daughter with something.  Whenever an associate pulls something like this, I automatically think of job interview.  This gent is unhappy about so many things and is not the sort of person who should really be working in retail.

This morning and this afternoon I'm going to be prepping for tomorrow.  What's tomorrow, you ask?  Lily turns 10 and that little old lady is going to be treated to homemade ice cream and cake.  Talk about being spoiled.  I work tomorrow afternoon but there will be plenty of time to celebrate before I head over to the store.

So, the Spawn of Satan, Donald J. Trump, wants to have his January 6 trial moved in to the future... way into the future, two years after the 2024 election.  I do believe this to be a tactic on his part to get his trial date extended, but because 2026 is so unrealistic I'm thinking he just wants it to be after the 2024 election.  Ain't gonna happen.  His attorneys are claiming there are so many trilobites of testimony and documentation they need to go over it will take them that long just to be ready.  Can you hear me laughing?  A judge will decide the actual trial date later this month and I can tell you, the Orange Anus is not going to be happy, and he'll whine, and he'll try and delay because he thinks that will help him.  It won't.

And I find it very amusing that Ronnie DeSantis used to say Florida was where woke went to die... well, I don't know about that, but it does seem to be the place where his campaign is going to die.

Are you Kenough?

The rain stayed away yesterday.  We had sunshine and low humidity, the temps never broke above 90 (F) and in case anyone is wondering, these temps are saving me a bunch of $$$ on my electric bill.  Today is supposed to be more of the same - that's fine by me.  Tomorrow, on the the other hand is iffy, there's a 40% chance of rain.  Hopefully it will hold off until I get my lawn mowed.

I did almost 2 miles on the treadmill yesterday, that's the first time I've done anything physical since I did that little twitchy thing to my back with the kettlebell.  By Monday I should be back on my regular regime.  It's all part of my goal to live to be 100.  I told a friend that and he said if I live that long I'll be decrepit, so now I have 2 goals.  He's younger than me, so not only am I going to live to be that old, but I'm going to prove him wrong by still being fit.  Oh, and I'm still going to be doing the kettlebell exercises, however I've learned to do with with a little less oomph.

So, Barbie's grossed over $1.2 billion at the box office and I suppose that overly patriarchal conservatives are on the verge of going in conniptions. Remember, their 1950s based egos are rather fragile.  Anyway, I got a bit laugh this morning when I read in the Washington Post that Ryan Gosling's song "I'm Just Ken" is a surprise hit.   In spite of all the A List musicians who contributed songs to the film, I wouldn't be surprised if this is the one that gets the Oscar nod.  I can easily picture it being performed, live on Oscar night.

And what about those dipshit MAGA cultists publishing the names and addresses of the members of the Atlanta Grand Jury which indicted Trump.  In case you're wondering, this is what hatred looks like.  These nimrods are provoking thoughtless violence.  They simply do not understand that if anything happens to a single one of those jurors they will alienate themselves even more from the rest of America.  But then the cult has never really understood anything, and it is virtually impossible for them to learn.

A recent AP/IPSOS poll shows that Independent voters are moving away from Trump.  Actually, that movement is fairly rapid, increasing by 3%, from 54% to 57% in a little over three months.  This trend is fatal for the GOP since they are the minority party and rely heavily on Independent voters to win elections. 

The big question is will that 36% -37% of voters who believe Trump did nothing wrong show up to vote for him if he gets the nomination?  I don't know, they might... or they might jump ship like the rats they are.

Chintzy

 Yesterday was almost a day without rain... almost.  We did get sprinkles around 7 last evening, though they didn't last long.  The sidewalks were dry this morning when I left Lily out.  I do see another mowing of the lawn ahead though, possibly on Friday.  Today, supposedly, there is a 0% chance for precipitation... we shall see.

Both tanks were cleaned yesterday.  Each one now has an algae eater, but only one tank has snails, too.  The smaller tank in the living room is the home for several species of Barb (Golden, Cherry, and Tiger) and they, unfortunately eat snails, in fact they will eat just about anything they see as being weaker.  They were very nosey about the algae eater at first, until he tried sucking algae from their bodies; they didn't like that so now they leave him alone.

I do get to work tomorrow for a full eight hours, so dinner tonight is going to be Swedish Meatballs, enough so I can use the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

The process has been initiated for The Body Under Ice  audiobook to be distributed on Audible.  It will take about 45 days, and, being that they're cheap scuds, will only pay a royalty of 25% of every sale.  Findaway, the publisher will get a 10% cut of that so in the end, I should get about $1.35.  Other distributors pay 70% to 80%, to give you an idea of how chintzy they are.

If anyone is interested, I am on Instagram: drsnyderwriter.  You get to see pictures of what I cook, the dogs, and the current work in progress.

There's a new video on my YouTube channel.  Actually, it's posted in a number of places.  Here's the blog version.

And after all of the excitement of the indictments, I can only wonder what will bring joy into my heart today.  Trump is evidently in panic mode, that doesn't mean he's scared.  I don't think that man knows what it's like to be scared.  He is terribly angry, in case any of you were wondering.  For the first time in quite some time he not in control.  He surrounded himself with spineless sycophants who agreed with him and told him he could do no wrong.  Now we're watching and waiting for those same individuals to try and throw him under the bus in order to save their own thin skins.  

There will be televised coverage in the courtroom on August 25 when Trump pleads innocent again for the umpteenth time.  Everyone will be watching. It's a Friday, so I will probably be watching on either the PC or the laptop.

Great News!!

Yesterday was nice, sunny, not so humid and an enjoyable day.  That didn't mean we didn't get our daily dose of rain, that happened overnight... and it's going to happen again today.  Weather patterns are so difficult to predict, especially since we're in the beginning stages of Global Warming.  We have no idea how fast or how extreme things will change.  One thing that does seem to be certain is that here in the United States our southern states are going to get very hot.

My visit to That Fish / Pet Place yielded some blue mollies and plants, the main reason for my trek to Landisville.  Later today I'm going to be ordering the last of the naked Greek statues for the big tank.  They're made of marble and safe for the tank.  Some of the plants I put in the living room tank and the fish rooted them up over night, so they'll go in the bigger tank where the fish are not so aggressive.

Yesterday, as I was driving back from Lancaster, I had an odd feeling right after I turned on to 283 West.  It wasn't good, or bad, just that something had changed.  Anyway, when I got home I put the bag of fish in the big tank to adapt to the new water temperature and went upstairs to check my email and found I'd gotten a response from Findaway Book distributors.  The Body Under Ice is now available for purchase at any one of these distributors.  Now, isn't this nice?  I set up promotions on Spotify and Barnes & Noble, though I don't know when they will kick in.  It's also available on Google Books, as well, but not on Audible.  Audible requires you only sell through Audible and royalties are only 30% of the selling price.

And, of course, there were a lot more indictments revealed last night... 13 more for the Orange Anus, though I may be wrong on that count.  In fact, 18 people were indicted, included Giuliani.  The big question right now is how many of them are going to try and strike a plea deal to avoid any jail time.  I can see Mark Meadows doing that.  Jenna Ellis?  Nah, she's too stupid.  She has continued to push the election lie.  Because cameras are allowed in the courtroom, on August 25, if he shows up, the world will get to see Donald Trump scowl, and perhaps bark out an obscenity or two.  And while his cult will slurp his anger up with a spoon, the rest of America will say they've had enough.

Funny note:  The GOP is terrified that if he doesn't get their nomination for president, the Republican party will be dead.  They still don't understand that if the Orange Anus does get the nomination, the Republican party will be dead.  Now how's that for good news!

Bits

 We did not get any rain yesterday.   The temperature peaked at 90 (F), and to hear people coming up to the paint desk, you'd think it was well over 100 (F).  I so much wanted to tell them that 90 (F) is warm, not hot, but I did the professional thing and simply nodded my head and said, "is it?"

Yesterday, he real estate agent handling the house next door had an open house.  I have no idea how busy many people stopped by to actually view the property.  So far 626 people have looked at the property on Zillow and 48 of them have saved it, which is probably a good sign.  However, seeing it up close and personal is a lot different than looking at rooms professionally staged.  The temps were in the high 80s (F) during the open house so they would have needed to have the ceiling fans going.  There is no ceiling fan in the attic, so temps up there would have been scorching.

I'll be going down to that Fish Place in Lancaster in about an hour.  I've got a 30% off coupon.  That's good.  I need to get more plants.  The one I put into the big tank is thriving, so it's time to add more, as well as the naked marble statues.

And even though the weekend is usually quiet on the political front, yesterday was not without it's bits of excitement.  CNN releasing a information that Fani in Atlanta had texts and emails showing that orders for breaching election machines had come straight down from the top (that means the Orange Anus probably gave the order).  However, we all need to keep in mind that Trump rarely DMs or texts, it's almost always done by an aide in order to put blame where he wants it to go.  This means he will surely say the directive did not come from him, and that everyone else was acting outside his wishes.  You know?  It was everyone else's fault and he's just an innocent lamb.

And Zuck texted that it was time to move on, that there was not going to be any kind of match between he and Musk.  This should have been expected.  What it does is paint Musk to be an even bigger buffoon people thought, and a lot of people seen him as nothing more than a bloated windbag.  I'd liked the bit where Zuck claimed Musk wanted to have a trial match in Zuck's backyard.  That was hooting hilarious.

Shades of Neutrality

 Well, yesterday was another day passing and last evening another thunderstorm; the weather's like clockwork.  We're going to have a replay today... and tomorrow, though tomorrow the temps aren't going to hit 90 (F).  The highest temp yesterday was 91 (F) and I asked several customers "what's it like outside?"  The response was always the same.  HOT.  I'm sorry, 91 (F) is not hot.  100 (F) is hot.

Business was on and off.  I'm well over my sales plan and I've hit my measure goal.  Today will only be adding more to that if any sales go through, or I get another measure or two.  This has been a long week, over 29 hours.  The one good spot is that I'll be getting a really nice paycheck because we all know how I love to spend money.

There's an open house next door between 12 PM and 2 PM.  I'm so glad I will be at work.  According to Zillow, 330 people have looked at the house and 23  have saved it for future reference.  There  are 26 pictures and I have to admit that whoever staged it knows their stuff.  If you're a vanilla person who is desperately trying to live a life of pure neutrality, this is the house for you.  Here are a couple of pics..  We first start off with the bland living / dining room.  Ceiling fans are essential because there is no Central A/C.

The living room and dining room

Then we have the kitchen.  I do like the tile work.  That, and the marble counter top are selling points.  However, the brown you see under the cabinets is unfinished plywood because the were a cabinet kit and those pieces remain unfinished.  And, of course, the gray continues.

At one time this was an eat-in kitchen, not any more

And finally, here's a pic of the attic which has no electrical wall outlets and no heat.  It might make a nice TV room, but there's no place to plug in the TV, or a table lamp, or an A/C unit in the summer when the temps climb into the 100s (F).  And the gray continues.  That flooring, by the way, is the cheapest we sell and if the temp drops below 56 (F) in the winter is prone to cracking along the edges.

Because of the slope of the roof, headroom is limited

And finally, the Iowa State Fair is this weekend.  Trump showed up with his cult.  Matt Gaetz was recorded telling him that violence might be needed in Washington to take control of it.  And Pudding fingers DeSantis struck out badly.

Yesterday

 Well, the weekend has arrived.  There's a slight drizzle, but that's supposed to pass.  Temps today are predicted to climb up into the low 90s (F).  Humidity is thick, though not clingy, like a wetsuit, and as the day gets warmer that may change.

Since it is Saturday, I will be working an almost full 7 hours and it'll be just me.  The 2 full time associates don't get back from vacation until Monday, and after tomorrow I'll be off until Thursday.  I'm quite interested in talking to one of them since this past Wednesday he was up in New York.  He went to see Josh Groban in Sweeney Todd.  I saw the original production oh, so many years ago with Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury.  

My big accomplishment yesterday was cleaning, dusting and vacuuming.  Meh.  If I lived in a much larger house, I probably hire someone to come in and do that for me, but for what the number of rooms I have, it wouldn't be a good waste of money.  

Since I've added the snails and algae eater to the big tank and moved the fish that east snails to the tank in the living room, my algae problems have disappeared, for the most part.  Slowly, tank decorations are being added.  Yesterday it was a clam shell, that works with a bubbler.  Of course, one of the snails had to investigate.  I snapped a picture just before he fell off the edge.

And yesterday was not a good day for Republicans.  Donny's attorneys met with Tanya Chutkan and then went away disappointed.  I liked the bit where she told them that if their client insisted on making inflammatory remarks it created a very good reason to move the trial up, rather than delay it.  The Orange Anus hates that sort of shit.  Other bits that I liked: that Trump is a criminal defendant and will be treated as such, and that is First Amendment rights are not absolute.  Donny is not a happy camper.  His S'mores are burning.

Republicans were also granted their wish by Merrick Garland, a Special Counsel has been assigned to the Hunter Biden case.  This doesn't make the GOP happy.  Now they're shrieking Cover UP.  In fact, Republicans are furious because it was politically expedient for them to keep Hunter's name in the headlines.  That has now been taken away from them.

Finally, Conservatives up in Iowa did not welcome Ronnie DeSantis with open arms.  Instead, they yelled at him.  They insulted him by calling him Pudding Fingers.  I delight in seeing this little asshole get his comeuppance in such a public manner.

The Truth is Coming

 Well, we come to the end of the work week and I am off, but then that's normal, I never work on Fridays.  I will work the weekend.  There's nothing new about that, but I'll be by myself most of the time.  As I've mentioned, the 2 full time associates are on vacation this week.  So's Jon, the PT whom I bounce ideas off about the next book.  

I bought a new desk light.  It's a blue glass Tiffany style.  There's a nightlight in the base and it doesn't work, so I had to email the company for directions on how to replace the bulb.  It's an irritation.

When I pulled into my driveway yesterday, I saw something that surprised me:  a For Sale sign in front of the house next door.  The guy who'd bought it said he wasn't going to go through a realtor to sell it.  "Commission is lost $$$" he told me, "and if you know the right people a real estate agent is unnecessary.  Evidently he doesn't know the right people, or that first showing he had was a big wake-up call.  I've checked, and so far it hasn't been listed on the realtor's website.

I understand that the Spawn of Satan, Donald J. Trump is livid over Jack Smith's setting a trial date of his January 6 indictments.  He was already spitting out turds regarding the hearing this morning at 10 AM, the fact that Judge Chutkan told his corrupt attorneys to pound sand is weighing hard on his black soul.  This is so entertaining.  Accountability has reared its honest head to watch as Karma slaps the Orange Anus silly.  Not only did the Moral Degenerate lose the election, he's lost over 60 legal attempts to overthrow the election, and my use of the word legal is vague to say the least.  Everything he touches dies.

Even that conservative bimbo Ann Coulter is warning the GOP.  She should have learned long ago they're never going to listen to her.  Women have their place in the Republican party.  They should not be telling the men how to run their politics.  

Shut up! You're not in Charge

 Thursday is arriving with a thump.  Rain is in the air.  Buckets will be arriving in the form of showers, drizzling on and off.  I mowed my lawn yesterday so I'm not concerned.  This does mean that most likely I'll be mowing it again next Tuesday or Wednesday.

So, the house next door is off the market.  Most of yesterday there were two women there, one driving a Mercedes and the some sort of boxy, orange car.  I'm fairly certain that they are staging the house to make it more attractive to buyers.  While I was mowing, I saw one of them carrying in 2 snake plants and while I was making dinner I heard them talking out back next to the windows on my enclosed porch.  I glanced at them as one of them pointed up.  I'm hoping they convince the guy running the show to put in a section of privacy fence between our 2 properties; that would save me the expense.

My back is still recovering from my kettlebell experience.  A lesson is learned.  I can do the exercises, but not with a 15 lb kettlebell, at least not to start.  I have some individual 5 lb weights, so I think those will be substituting until those lower back muscles build up some strength.

And, of course, the voters in Ohio spoke out and rather loudly told Conservatives to shut up!

That's right, they told the Republicans to stay out of their lives, that they were not in charge.  That vote has the GOP in disarray.  Very conservative Kansas did the same thing a while back, told the conservatives to stay out of their lives.  I've seen a number of articles questioning how the GOP could have become so out of step with America.  That's a rather stupid question if you think about it.  They're not out of step at all.  Nope.  The truth is that they just don't care what a majority of Americans want.  Not at all.  Conservatives want an authoritarian government where they get to say "Shut up, We're in Charge."  In both Ohio and Kansas, Americans have shouted back "Shut up! You're not in charge!"

And isn't Ronnie 'meatball' DeSantis a real dick?  His are cratering, he's laid off many of his campaign staff, and replaced his campaign manager with one who is more... crazy might be the word.  Is this moron learning anything?  Absolutely not.  He just replaced a legally elected state prosecutor with a loyalist.  Instead of understanding that his extremism is only good at turning off voters and that he needs to move closer to the center, he's racing even farther to the right.  He is catastrophically destroying not only his own campaign by his stupidity, but his governorship as well.  People in Florida are already looking at him and shouting "Shut up!  You're not in charge!"

Yippee

 So, it's Wednesday.  The weather is supposed to be nice, which means I'm going to have to mow my lawn.  We're heading into the middle of August, the time of summer when lawn mowers sit idly by while spiders spin webs from the handles down to the tires.  Lawns are never lush and green at this time of the year, except for this year.

I'm paying my taxes later this morning.  Yippee.

I made an appointment with the electrician to come buy and give me an estimate on some work that needs to be done. He won't be here until the 24th.  I'm betting he's going to sock me for another $1500 to move 3 wall sockets, do 2 light repairs, and install a hood range over my stove.  Once that work is done I can bring Lyndsey, the drywaller back in to finish most of the kitchen redo.  I will be repainting the cabinets.  Yippee.

The house next door got another showing last evening.  Two women.  They were there for about 40 minutes.  The owner spent most of the time outside talking on his phone.  If they're interested, I'm sure they'll make a counter-offer that's much lower than he's expecting.  This is most fascinating.  Update.  I just checked and it is off the market.  I don't know if that means they've made him an offer or whether he's going to put some more work into it.

Popped another video up into my YouTube channel yesterday.  

So, the Orange Anus got bad news yesterday.  His doofus legal team tried to get an extension until sometime next week to sit down with the prosecution in order to decide what he could and couldn't say publicly about the evidence he'd been given.  Judge Chutkan shot him down, so he's shrieking about not being able to get a fair trial.  He's really pissed that his standard tricks aren't working.  By 'fair trial' he means he can't dictate and delay as much as possible.  They're meeting this Friday morning whether he likes it or not (he hates it), and a speedy trial date will be set in accordance to law, which will put him on public display around Thanksgiving.  

And in Ohio voters stood strong against an authoritarian GOP that also wants to dictate and control.  This is another big time loss for Republicans.  They are discovering that Americans are not the sheep they want them to be.  Yippee!

Price Drop

 For those who missed the news, we had bad thunderstorms and torrential downpours yesterday afternoon.  In DC, the Federal Government said it was fine for people to leave work early.  That didn't happen for us.  Then again we weren't in DC.  We had a few minutes of gusty wind, a bit of thunder, and then steady rain for about an hour and a half.  Everything was done by the time I got home from work.

I did 14 sets of Kettlebell exercises yesterday and my L1 - L5 rather impolitely reminded me that they're slowly fusing together.  Naproxen does wonders.  So does a heating pad.  This means I will have to work the exercises in slowly, possibly into other workouts.  Maybe a set or two when I do arms, and a set or two when I do chest.

Twenty-four hours after the house next door was listed, there was a price drop from $185,000 to $179,900.  This was after one showing, so obviously it didn't go as well as the owner thought it was going to go.  I've talked to him several times, he thinks he's a shrewd businessman and that all potential buyers are stupid.  They aren't.  Not with the prices of homes today.  They do their research.

Remember my cutting back my peach tree?  Well, this is what it looks like today, not at all like the nectarine tree which is pretty much dead to the world.

Because today's Tuesday, and down in Atlanta the Grand Jury usually meets on Tuesdays, there's a good possibility more indictments are going to be handed out.  Trump's indictment dance card must just about be filled by now, so I guess he will need to flip it over and start listing them on the back.  

For those not paying attention to the details, yesterday his attorneys whined that they had needed more time to come up with a delaying tactic that would sound good to Republicans as a response to his stupid comment, "you come for me, I'm coming for you."  They claimed first amendment rights, that he was allowed his freedom of speech.  Jack Smith shot that down, saying his comments had nothing to do with freedom of speech.  Ouch.  The DOJ is having none of his bullshit, which means he must be going through cases of ketchup.  People are not only saying "no" to him, they're spicing it up with a silent "screw you, loser."

Grey Tones

Yesterday was nice and sunny.  The temps were just right.  Then last evening the clouds rolled in and we had rain.  More is in the forecast for today.  Then, things are going to dry out. 

I also work today, but only for 6 hours and I don't need to be there until 12.  This is fine.  I've put together some Kettlebell exercises which I'll do after Lily's walk.  

The house next door is finally on the market.  He's asking $185,000.  He had his first showing yesterday.  My neighbor from across the street asked if it was a couple or a single person, since I went down to York to visit my friend Betsy, I don't know.  She'd sent me the link to Zillow, but I'd already looked.  So many bad things here, like finishing the attic, but there's no heat and probably no insulation in the walls, for one.  Here are some pictures, and yes, as you can see, it's all grey.

Living Room / Dining Room

Not a singe wall outlet to be found in the attic

And will there be another indictment tomorrow?  Hhhmm, could be.  Even though the Orange Anus seems to think these charges will help him in his desperate attempt to gain the nomination, and the presidency, in order to avoid jail time, he's wrong.  Conservatives have always been wrong.  They've always assumed the country to be conservative at its heart, it isn't.  America is Centrist.  And while polls at this time of year are misleading as far as who's going to vote for who, this one just looks at what America thinks.  Yes, a majority of Americans think these indictments are probably politically motivated, and yes, a majority of Americans have no problem with that.  In spite of what Republicans have been telling themselves for years, that they know America, and America would love to have a socially conservative, authoritarian government, Americans would rather have a Democracy.  That's more than a kick in the shin to the GOP.  They didn't just stub their toe when they decided to become MAGA cultists, they shot of both of their feet and now it's almost impossible for them to run.  You see, they've convinced themselves that everything was black and white, well, it isn't  America is filled with grey tones.

Spock Sings

Hello, Sunday!  Today's probably going to be quiet.  Temps are supposed to climb into the upper 80s (F) with a 70% chance of rain... that means thunderstorms.  We had no rain at all yesterday, that's a bit unusual since this seems to be the summer of storms.

As one of my friends said yesterday regarding his department in the store, "it's very barren."  I don't know why, but when I think of barren I think of a wasteland.  Flooring was slow, except for an hour when I needed to design blinds for some customers.  At first, they chose a pale gray and white color called Misty for their faux wood blinds, then they saw the cost.  In the end they went with simple, inexpensive white.  The husband told me they'd have gone with the more expensive blinds, but they're closing on their new house on Thursday and the interest rate is 7%.  That's a lot if you're signing up for a $200,000 mortgage.

I was talking to Jon, the PT who's advising me on the The Body in Motion, about Kettlebell exercises.  He suggested I do lunges, and followed that up by saying if I started doing them I was going to end up being ripped.  I'm sure you can still hear me laughing at that one.

Star Trek Strange New World did a musical version this past week.  They ruptured some sort of anomaly that caused the crew to break into song.  At first I thought the episode was going to be terrible.  It wasn't.  In fact it was surprisingly good, tying up several loose ends that happened this past season.  The Klingons even show up briefly as a boy band.  This is the lyric sing-a-long version of the opening number.  I don't doubt that this will become a fan favorite right up there with The Trouble with Tribbles from the original Star Trek

As you might expect, the Republicans I work with are freaking out terribly... it's such fun.  I had a discussion with one yesterday afternoon and I truly had to struggle to keep from laughing at him.  Believe me, I am serious about this.  At one point I turned to another associate and smiled, saying "can you see how much fun I'm having."  

And on Tuesday there's going to be another plate of indictments served, at which point I expect Republicans to start setting their hair on fire and running around shrieking like banshees.  They should have cut their ties with Trump immediately after January 6, but instead they held on since he appeared to be only one who could glue the base together.  Well, they have their base, but it's just a base.  Independents are pealing off left and right because they know, should Trump ever get close to the White House again, America would be torn asunder.

\

 

Growing Evil

 The weekend has arrived, a time for rest and relaxation for those of you still enslaved to the working world.  Today's temps are predicted to be the same as yesterdays, as well as tomorrow's.  The chance of thunderstorms is declining, though we did have a whopper yesterday afternoon; buckets of rain fell with a dusting of thunder and lightening.

Yesterday was, for the most part slow and boring.  I did ride for 16 miles in Corsica.  I do like that ride; there are a number of medium sized hills that are somewhat challenging.  The entire ride is 58 miles long.  To complete that would be an accomplishment.

I'm working more hours this coming week then I've worked in quite some time. Two of the Specialists are going on vacation, as a result I've been scheduled to work for 29 hours.  Wowza!  I'm not really excited about it, in case you're wondering.

I bought a smoked herring to use as a prop in an upcoming video for my channel.  It's bigger than I thought it was going to be.  Also, for some reason I thought it was going to be dried.  It's really more like a big sardine in mustard sauce... a very big sardine.  I can't wait to find out how tasty it is.

I also signed up for French TV.  If you don't use it, you lose it, and that means listening to it being spoken as well.  The "learn French" will probably be an instant fail for most people since it provides subtitles.  Believe, subtitles in do way reflect what is actually being spoken, so I've turned them off as they would only be a distraction.

And the Orange Anus made a threat on Truth Social Friday night, something like, "if you come for me, I'm coming for you."  He's evidently pissed people off whit that comment.  I understand Jack Smith has filed a legal complaint because the angry, old man who's been crapping on people for most of his adult life can't deal with the fact that he's a loser.  In fact the number of ways he's a loser is growing almost exponentially.  While these indictments may endear him to his cult, a larger majority of Americans have had their fill of his horseshit, and it's only going to get worse for him.  Social Conservatives are in as terrible bind, and I find that delightful.  They desperately want to believe he was sent by God to give them what they have prayed for and now not a day goes by that Trump's evil becomes more profound.  You'd think that they would have realized that Evil works the same way God does, and will do and say anything in order to grow.

The New Toy

 There was no rain yesterday, at least not around here, but then the temp never got above 81 (F) and most of the storms we've been getting are heat and humidity based.  Today is supposed to be different, much more humidity and the temps are suppose to climb into the upper 80s (F).

Retail was slow, at least as far a measures were concerned.  I did have to cut carpet as well as blinds, which helps to take up time.  I did have this one tile customer who was looking to tile her shower.  
After some time, she picked a brown porcelain tile for the walls most likely because it was cheap.  For the floor, however, she wanted a mosaic and we didn't have a color or pattern that suited her, so she decided to look for that elsewhere.  When I recommended that she buy one of the wall tiles in order to coordinate the color she told me, "Oh, I don't need to do that.  When it comes to color I have a photostatic memory."  There are times when I do really need to bite my tongue.

Look!  I've got a new toy!  Now all I need to do is make sure it doesn't go flying and break something.

Of course, the Orange Anus was indicted yesterday.  Sadly, he was only digitally fingerprinted.  I would have really liked to have seen them slowly roll his fingers back and forth across an inkpad. Since I was working, I couldn't really watch the proceedings, but from the pictures and from what I've read, he didn't really draw that big of a crowd and those that did show up were in great MAGA form.  

He did give some form of statement at the airport before he left and evidently it was raining, because he was holding an umbrella.  That led to a number of pictures being posted on social media of both Nixon and Juan Peron leaving during a rain storm.  Yep, all 3 of them required umbrellas.  Now, isn't that interesting.  

Also, supposedly, in a new poll 45% of Republicans have said they wouldn't vote for Trump if he was convicted.  I'm suspecting that number is actually higher, and even though he has a sizable lead in the polls among Republicans, that number, too, is probably inflated.  They're going to give him all of the faux support they believe he should get.