Fry This

 We are in the middle of an October heat wave.  For the next 3 days temps are supposed to top off at 80 (F), and we're supposed to have full sunshine.  That's so nice.  I don't mind saving money on my heating bill.  Of course, beginning Thursday, our temps will only be climbing into the mid 60s (F), and I don't know if I'd actually call that climbing.

Timing is everything.  I say this because this morning I took Howie out for his morning doodle and deedle and he did a long deedle, but I was in a rush, so I swooped him up and brought in back in the house... where he promptly had another small deedle and dropped a doodly present for me to clean up.  Patience is a virtue.  On occasion I am lacking.  

Howie also got to meet the neighbors yesterday.  They have a labradoodle, a cross between and Labrador and a poodle, not a poopy Labrador.  Their dog will soon be a year old, and she said he's still chewing.  They bought their dog the same way they bought their house, without thinking.  

I do get to work today.  I'm not too excited.  You see, one of my fellow associates sold a vinyl sheet installation and told the customer that if she took pictures she could upload them to our installer in order for them to determine how much floor leveling they were going to need to do (she has some damage).  We don't do that.  The measure tech makes that assessment when he's at the house.  Now she's going to have to wait until the installers get to her house, and, if they need to do heavy leveling there will be a much larger charge.  

And the Orange Anus worked at a closed McDonald's yesterday and everybody laughed at him.  Who, in their right mind, thought this was a good idea?  A big thanks to the Times of India for the pic!

I think the real problem with Trump staging a photo op at a McDonald's is that it shows how easily this feeble minded man can be played.  Because he has derided the fact so frequently of Harris' own work there when she was in high school, I'm led to believe that he sees this as a point in her favor among middle and lower class Americans, many of whom have also worked in fast food during those very same years in their lives.  And so this 78 year old man stood by and watch a McDonald's employee cook up a batch of fries so he could fake being a McDonald's employee.  The entire stunt was just like Donald, fake.  The store was closed.  The customers were fake.  It was stagey and unrealistic.  Someone in his campaign must have thought this was a good way to get people talking about something other than his comments about Arnold Palmer's genitalia.

Speaking of the genitalia issue.  One of the most amusing things on the Sunday morning news shows was seeing Mike Johnson (a genitalia pun there) asking Jake Tapper to stop talking about Arnie's Junk.

Good Riddance

 Sunday is looking to be another nice day.  The temps are expected to be in the upper 70s (F) and wonderful sunshine is on the way.  Tomorrow, our temps might hit 80 (F).  Wowza!  I can live with this.  Of course, there's always a flip side to every coin and starting Tuesday our temps will begin sinking to more normal temps for this time of year.  I don't mind things being cool.  Heh, I don't even mind the cold.  

Yesterday was boring at work.  I did manage to get 2 measures for carpet installation, that gives me 3 for the week.  That will keep management happy.  I don't think I'm going to meet my sales goal, but since I'm so far above my goal for the year I'm not worried.  

One of my old store managers died suddenly yesterday morning.  He was in his upper 50s, so we think it was probably a heart attack.  He and I never got along, in fact, he's the only store manager I ever raised my voice to, and so I almost feel bad that I'm not more sympathetic.  Unfortunately, my opinions of him are shared by so many others who worked with him and that's a shame.  I would like to think that if I were to die suddenly, people who think of me kindly, rather than say, "do you remember when he did this?"

I got an email from SquareSpace regarding the chargeback I did to my credit card.  It turns out that Google sold my domain name to SquareSpace, and that $30 charge on my card was the renewal fee.  Google used to send out emails letting me know when it was going to renew.  SquareSpace didn't do that.  Now I have to call my credit card company and cancel the chargeback.  See what happens when you don't send an simple notification.

And, yesterday in Latrobe, PA, Trump talked about Arnold Palmer's dick.

I watched a clip, but turned it off.  I simply can't stand the sound of his whiny voice.  Still, the fact that the New York Times, which has been doing a lot of sane-washing of Trump, would publish an article about his decent into vulgarity is important.  While they reported that his supporters loved it, they were quick to point out that his "dick" talk was most likely going to turn swing voters away.  I didn't check, but I wondered how they reported his telling his supporters that Harvey Weinstein got schlonged.   I know a lot of people are saying this proves he's sinking into dementia, honestly, I think this 78 year-old man is finally showing the public his private side.  He's always been morally and ethically decrepit,  now, he's showing people his true colors.  I suspect this is the final test for all of those Christians who believe he was sent by God to realize the truth.  I don't think they understand the Gates of Hell await.  Well, good riddance.

Silence is Orange

 Another sunny day is on tap for us here in Central PA.  We were under another frost warning last evening but that didn't happen.  When I got out of bed this morning, the temp was sitting at 41 (F).  Our high temp to day is predicted to be in the low 70s (F).  Sadly, I do have to go to work and sit and the flooring desk.

My new schedule starts on Monday.  The only full, 8 hour day I'm available is going to be Sunday.  They tend to be the slowest day of the week.  I have one more schedule change to make.  I've got to remove my availability for Fridays, that will keep me from having to go in and work on Black Friday.  

My car inspection went well yesterday.  Sometime before next year I'm going to need to buy new tires, but that was expected.  My car is 5 years old, and so far I haven't had any real expense.  There's also a problem with the rear break shoes, but again, the front brakes are fine, so right now it isn't something that needs to be worried about.

Howie's 10 weeks old today.  I am still a chew toy, though the number of toys he's gotten have cut back on the number of lacerations I'm getting from his sharp, little teeth.  He slept through the entire night without having to go outside for a pee break.  He likes going outside, and we've reached the point where I can open the back door and simply let him out to do his business.  I still have to keep an eye on him out of the windows to make sure he doesn't chew on any sticks.  Here's a pic I took of his yesterday.  He's getting bigger by the day.

And can we talk about bad Karma?  Last evening the Orange Anus had a rally in Detroit, remember he just said Detroit was a terrible, horrible place, and his mic cut out.  That's right, for almost twenty minutes he wove back and forth across the stage in the award winning roll as Donnie the Silent.  I watched some of it since it's always nice to see Karma in action.  From what I've read, he was seething.  How humiliating for him!  to have to stand in front of a half filled arena unable to say anything!  Someone tried giving him a mic and that, too, wasn't working.  Was the sound company retaliating because Orangie had said Detroit was a shit hole?  I mean, I suppose they could always write off the expense as a campaign donation.

Accountable

 Hello Friday.  Hello Sunshine.  Hello temps in the 70s (F).  The good news is that this weather is supposed to hang with us for the next week.  The bad news is that all this sunshine will make my grass grow.  Without a good shot of cold air the leaves on the trees are staying green, for the most part.  They are beginning to fall, but there are no brilliant yellows or reds around my neck of the woods.

Yesterday was a somewhat busy day.  I wanted to get the front room tank cleaned.  Well, that was a bust.  I did get in a short ride on the bike.  It wasn't nearly as long as usual because Howie left the room and I got worried he might leave a deedle or drop a doodle  in the house.  That's a big priority right now in getting him house trained.  It is lucky for both of us that the temps are going to be nice, and my hours fairly short at work, to teach him that his business needs to be done outside.

This morning my car gets inspected.  They've changed the way things are done: the work you have done is basically a la carte.  You pick and chose what needs to be done, like an oil change (necessary) or air filters changed (unnecessary).  I'm putting the purchase of new tires off until next year.  I don't drive that much, and the tread is still fairly good.  Everything is so expensive.  Hopefully, this will only take about an hour.  I'm doing what I normally do, taking along a hard copy of my latest book, The Body in History, and working on a rewrite of the first draft.

And, speaking of the weather.  If this is correct, temps will remain warm here again this winter.  This will be the 3rd winter in a row.  For those who don't know.  This is what Global Warming looks like.  If it stays this warm this winter, imagine what the summer is going to be like for those southern states.

And all the details about Trump's involvement leading up to, and including what he did, on January 6 are going to be released for public consumption.  His appeals have been denied.  This is a good thing.  Some are saying that this is the October surprise, though we have to be honest here, there have already been so many ugly surprised for the Republican party this October.  He's tried to get people dancing.  His Univision town hall was a complete failure, as was his town hall with women.  He's cancelling appearances, one of which was with the NRA.  And today details are going to be released to the press of how truly malevolent he was on January 6 when his cultists attempted a coup.  He has been angling for this moment his entire life, and don't, for a second, think he will have any regrets.  It will be his out and out rage at being finally held accountable that will pop his brain.

The Ocotpus

 Hello Thursday.  This is my day off!  I'm excited.  The outside temps are a bit cool, the high is only going to climb into the low 60s (F).  Tomorrow, however, we'll be hitting the 70s (F) with warm, sunny days in our forecast.  I know it will eventually cool off since it's the season for cooling off.  

Yesterday work was... as expected, slow.  I did sell a carpet installation.  The Flooring department is doing exceedingly well.  By the time I'd left last evening we'd racked up over $22,000 in sales for the day.  Believe me when I tell you management is very happy.  Sadly, all of these sales will increase our sales plan for next year because American capitalism demands at least a 4% increase in sales every year and, as every one knows, that means increased pricing.  Greed's hunger is never satisfied.

Because Howie's bladder is still puppy sized, I usually get up in the wee hours of the morning to take him outside.  This morning, as his puppy legs trotted him over to what's becoming his favorite pee spot, I heard a noise from outside of the fence.  Looking up, I saw a large possum, or as some would like to say, opossum, going into an old groundhog hole on the hill behind the house.  However, instead of going down the hole completely, he sat in the entrance and watched Howie, and then turned in looked at me.  Possums are good!  They eat small rodents.

And Howie got an octopus.  He loves it.

Here's an interesting bit:  Remember Kristen Sinema?  Well, she's not running for reelection, however she does have a bit of a campaign nest egg, so she's spending it on herself with trips to Paris and other places.  After her performance in the Senate, where she seemed much more Republican than Democrat, this should not be a surprise.

And the Orange Anus had a women's meet and greet yesterday that was arranged by Fox, filled with an audience of female cultists.  They laughed when a joke was made about Amber Thurman.  Social media was not happy.  As one woman said, "I'd crawl across broken glass to vote against Trump and for Harris."  For those who don't know, Amber Thurman died of an infection after she was refused a life-saving, medically required abortion.  This meet and greet was the GOP's idea of fixing the problem Trump has with women.

And Harris did an interview on Fox yesterday.  She hit a homerun.  This was not what Fox was expecting, so they cut the interview short after 25 minutes.  Harris was verbally pummeling the hell out of Brett Bair.  And the ending was abrupt, one of those "oh, look, they're telling me our time is up," and it was over.  Ouch.

Saturday Night

 Well, it's cold out.  Not freezing cold, but cold enough for me to see my breath as I'm standing outside waiting for Howie to do his morning business.  Today is the last day for the chilliness, tomorrow starts a warm up which will again take up up into the 70s (F).  If the winter stays as warm as this autumn has been, it will be another cheap year as far as my heating bills.  I have no problem with that.

I didn't work yesterday.  Sadly, it turned out to be one of those... slow days.  I wrote.  I did some cleaning.  But mostly, I sat and scrolled through my phone looking for juicy bits that I found entertaining.

I do have to work this afternoon.  I'm not excited.  I changed my availability so I can only work Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday in the afternoon, and then 8 hours on Sunday.  I'm going to have to lose one of those afternoons. I now have a puppy that needs to be taken care of, and it's difficult to house train when I'm out of the house for 6 hours at a stretch.

Last night I went to see Saturday Night, a movie about the first night of Saturday Night Live, a TV show of skits, and musical acts that started 50 years ago.  I remember those shows.  I, along with millions of other people my age, glued ourselves to the TV every Saturday night for years laughing at the sometimes very absurd, usually adult humor.  I liked the movie a lot.  NBC did expect it to fail and was surprised when it became a big hit.  How original... live television every Saturday night.  The casting is good, most of the actors bear a resemblance to the original cast members.  The bits and pieces of the sketches they do in rehearsal are still very funny.  While it was nostalgic, most importantly, the movie gives the audience how complicated live television can be, and how talented those young people were in order to make it work so successfully.

And yesterday the Orange Anus had another really bad day.  He was in Chicago to interviewed about his economic policies and... failed in a very public manner.  There are so many snippets of his bad interview to watch.  I do believe he thought this was going to be nothing more than softball questions he could avoid and just bloviate about whatever he wanted.  That was not the case.  My favorite was when he was corrected after calling Governor Newsome,  new scum.  His reaction was to say, "you're the first person to correct me."  Now how big of an Ouch is that.  He was then scolded on air with, "Any CEO of a Fortune 500 company saying that would be terminated immediately."  I'm surprised none of you could hear me laughing.  

Later yesterday evening he had a rally in... Wisconsin, I think, and it went poorly because his brain was still seething.  This is a man who, like the a large number of Republicans, is used to saying "Shut up, I'm in charge."  That is not happening.  His concepts of unformulated plans are being mocked by so many people.  As a result, last evening is standard word salad was run through a meat grinder in front of a live audience.  Does anyone know if that meltdown was televised?

Trump's Dance-a-Thon

 Well, we've got a chilly Tuesday outside.  The temp this morning when I took Howie out to do his duty the temp was 40 (F).  He didn't seem to mind the cold.  There's a frost warning in effect for this evening.  That may start the leaves to turn colors.  As I've said, and as Maddie has also pointed out, so far their still green when they fall.

I did work yesterday.  It was boring.  I got in my laps.  Chatted with a few customers as they pass through by the flooring desk, but that's about it.  While we're slow, our Garden department is doing gang busters.  Artificial trees are practically flying out the door.  And, halfway through October, our Halloween decorations are beginning to be marked down to clearance prices.  One thing that's different for both holidays this year, is that there are not a lot of smaller decorations.  Everything is big or inflatable.  There was a time when we sold snow globes, I've bought a few over the years.  We don't do that anymore.  We're not carrying a lot of Christmas wreaths either, just trees, and lights, and animated Santas that are far more frightening than entertaining.

Later this morning, I'm going to be heading out to PetSmart to buy some more chew toys for Howie.  There's an purple octopus coming in the mail, and two bouncing balls due to arrive from Amazon, but they are not going to hold his interest for too long.  He gets bored fast.  He's still in the process of learning the word "no," but he knows what "outside" means.  All I have to do is say "outside," and he's heading towards the back door.

Last night this happened near Philadelphia.

Evidently 2 people fainted and needed medical assistance... maybe.  Everything needs to be suspect when it happens around Trump.  When he told "Justin" to play the songs they'd talked about, seems even more suspect.  He swayed to the music for around 39 minutes.  Kristi Noem, who was supposed to sort of be his Master of Ceremonies, or possibly the question lady, did, at times, seem to try and get things back on track.  Her fake smile says a lot.  At one point, she puts her hand on his back as if to guide him.  If that was supposed to help, it failed.  The New York Times is trying to sane wash the whole episode, but that doesn't keep people from talking.  It's all over social media.  Remember, this comes one day after his campaign abandoned a large number of his cultists at a farm near Coachella.  Personally, I'm hoping he keeps up these personal appearances, they make him look so terribly bad.

It wasn't Coachella

 Well, it's Monday and the new week has begun.  It was 50 (F) when I had Howie out this morning, but the temps are not expected to get much higher.  We're in the beginning of a cool down that's supposed to continue for a few days before we warm up again.  While some of the leaves from the trees around my house have started to fall, they've not yet begun to turn colors.  Even my gingko out front has few leaves that are yellow, of course, being a gingko, it will turn golden one day and the next day all the leaves will fall off.

Work was boring yesterday.  I talked to some people.  That's about it.  Oh, and they paid me to sit at the flooring desk for 8 hours.  Our Christmas decorations are flying out the front door, and believe it or not, several of the trees have been returned because the lights don't work.  Okay, can someone please tell me why you'd be putting up your Christmas tree in October.  I cannot understand why someone would want to clutter up their house for two and a half months before the holiday.  Someone asked me if I decorate and was surprised when I told her "no, I don't decorate for any holidays."  Decorating has never given me a warm fuzzy feeling, besides, I can think of quite a few other things to waste my money on besides decorations.

I made an appointment to have my car inspected on Friday.  Estimated cost: $200.  One of the reasons it so high is because the country I live in requires an emissions test.

And for those who missed it, Trump had a rally a Coachella.  For those who don't know, Coachella has a large music festival that last for several days during the summer.  However, even though his rally stated it was at Coachella, it wasn't on the festival grounds, it was on a nearby farm.  A farm where there was no parking.

All of those people, several thousand, needed to be bused in from the actual parking lot.  20 buses were hired to shuttle them for the 5 mile ride.  It took them quite some time to get those several thousand people to this farm.  Rumor has it that by busing them in, they could begin to leave like so many other people do at his rallies.  And when he was finished bloviating, Donald Trump left, and all of those people who had been bussed in discovered his campaign had only paid for one bus to transport them back to the parking lot.  And there was chaos.  Those cultists failed to believe one of the only truths to come out of Trump's mouth:  he only wants their vote.  He doesn't care about them. They are the people he would fire if they worked for him and got overtime.  I understand quite a few were angry, and as a result, they may not vote for him.  That would be good.  It's about time he learned there is a price for everything.

Side Show Don

 Okay, the weather today is supposed to be spectacular, temps in the low 80s (F), no humidity, and plentiful sunshine.  Sadly, Sunday's are my 8 hour day, so 1030 this morning, I will ensconced behind the flooring desk.  Sometime tonight the floor is going to drop out, taking the temps with it.  The next few days will be chilly willy.

The 8 hours I spent at the store yesterday were uneventful.  I did learn that the registers up front now take tap payments.  I do believe they even take Apple pay.  I found this out by selling flooring to a customer who had her phone rather than a card.  This is very innovative for us.  While everyone else in the world lets you tap your credit card, the great orange retailer I work for still made you shove your card into the card reader.  You have no idea how oddly people would look at me when I told them "sorry, we don't have tap."  I was truly impressed with Greece, where establishment, be it store or restaurant, let you tap your card.  

Howie has learned how to play fetch with a green wiffle ball.  I'm impressed, he's only 9 weeks old.  He also loves the yard.  He has no problem going down the 3 steps from the back door, but can also climb up them.  Here he surveying his new realm.

And I don't know about you, but it seems to me as though the Main Stream Media is finally realizing that a Trump presidency, while rewarding them with millions of clicks daily, would not be in their best interest.  Tax breaks are useless if your business has been shut down.  In an authoritarian government there is only one state TV, and while Trump would love to have every network constantly praising him, he would choose one, and only one, to telecast his greatness.  Take for example the election interference happening between Zitter and the Trump campaign reported by the New York Times.  More and more we're seeing pushback from reporters on quite a number of networks, fact-checking Trump people who are unaccustomed to be called liars on air.  

Finally, I have my on little theory as to why Trump's crowds start leaving so early during his rally.  I'm thinking these aren't really Trumpers.  Nope.  These people are a variation on the rubbernecks to slow down when driving by and accident, or those people who gather around a house fire to watch someone's life burn to the ground.  I suspect so many of them are going for the Side Show because it's free. Once there, they realize that the Freak is only entertaining for a short period of time, say 10 minutes.  After that his clown show gets boring and they start to leave.  This is why his circus tent is only going to be half full at best.  Maybe we ought to start calling him Side Show Don.

Honey

 Today is supposed to be nice and sunny with temps climbing up into the mid 70s (F).  I work this afternoon, so I'll miss out.  Tomorrow our temps are predicted to top out in the mid 80s (F).  Yes, that's right, but sometime during the day payment will be charged and the rain will come in as a cold front passes through.  On Monday, our temps will be stuck in the 50s (F).  I may have to buy more sweat pants.

While working yesterday, I had a woman call to see if we still had a certain type of vinyl plank flooring for sale.  However, there was a slight problem.  She didn't know the name.  She said it was pale in color, but didn't know if it was wood plank or not. In fact, she wasn't certain it was our store.  She did take a picture that didn't give the name, but did include appliances standing in the background.  Yes, we do get calls like this.  She said it was on clearance, and we do have an area for clearance flooring, however nothing in the size (12" x 24") she wanted.  Dealing with uninformed customers can be so difficult at times.

So, the first word Howie is learning is "no."  For him, everything is a chew toy, including my arms, fingers, nose, and chin.  He's especial fond of my toes.  Certain things, especially my body parts, are off limits, other things include my sneakers and the new chair, which is covered with the same drop cloth I used on Biggie and Lily's sofa.  He is allowed to play around with my slippers; I ordered them a size to big so they're now a chew toy.

When our tour was over in Greece, we were all given a can of Grecian honey.  I eat a lot of honey.  It's quite healthy.  Since I had a large jar open already, I chose to finish that first.  I emptied the bottle yesterday.  I can't wait to taste deliciousness.

This presidential election is not the horserace so many media outlets want it to be, but than they're in it for the money, not Democracy.  I'm of the thought that many of them believe Trump is going to lose, so they might as well make their money while he's still campaigning.  Their choosing to not report his insanity has more to do with the idea that they might has well make their hay while the sun shines.  They are using him to line their bank accounts.  He is still going to remain profitable for them after he loses, but the amount of gold dropping into their tight little fists will go down.  Don't think this is unusual for them, profitability has always come before truth, though it's never been this obvious before.

As for the election:  Trump knows he's going to lose.  That's part of the plan... Putin's plan.  The fact that he's had at least 7 unofficial talks with Russia's dictator indicates there is a coordinated plan.  Trump's denial of giving Vlad those Covid testing machines and Moscow's admitting he did is part of the plan.  Trump's goal right now is to create as much chaos as possible.  He is going to create as much inner turmoil in the United States so that Americans focus totally on our own problems, leaving Putin to do as he wants.  Trump doesn't understand that when his usefulness is done, Putin will flush him away like an old turd that's been floating around in the toilet bowl for way too long.  Our job is to make Trump lose so badly his attempted chaos will fail.

Puppy in a Box

 Friday morning and it's 39 (F) outside, that's getting close to 0 in Celsius.  Don't worry, we're going to be warming up over the next few days.  Then another cool down will hit us, though are low temps are not supposed to go below 40 (F), which is still close to 0 in Celsius.  I think that there are times when the temperature looks better in Fahrenheit than in Celsius. 

Yesterday turned out to be a blah day, not much accomplished.  I think it's because there's a puppy in the house.  Howie goes outside quite frequently.  We're in the house training stage of puppydom.  This morning we were up at 0500 in order for him to do his business outside.  Mission accomplished.  He's actually younger than I thought.  I looked through his papers and he'll be 2 months on on October 12.  He was evidently crate trained, too.  The big box I brought him home in is set up to the new chair with a blanket inside.  When he gets tired, he goes and lays in the box.  When I'm upstairs and he's downstairs, he goes and lays in the box.  As long as he's happy. 

I had a problem with one of the LED lights in my range hood and clicked on the "Contact Seller" button on Amazon.  I filled out the form, and clicked the submit button.  However, instead of going to Vesta, the form went to Squarespace, which forwarded that form to Vesta and charged me $30 plus tax.  I complained to both my credit card company, and to Amazon, and now there are 2 fraud active fraud investigations as to how this happened.  Vesta claims ignorance, but I'm fairly positive that their page was set up to go through Squarespace right from the beginning.

And as the election gets closer, Trump is becoming more extreme.  I liked the bit about how he's going to let people deduct the interest on their car payments from their income tax.  His cultists believe he's capable of doing this.  He's not.  But then a number of them think he was sent by God.  They don't understand that he's taking a blunt ax to Christianity in order to save his ass.  Believe me, if Christians thought the Great Dechurching was a problem before Trump, wait until they see what happens to their religion after he's gone.

Howie

 Can I get a big hello for Thursday morning?  The outside temp is 50 (F), but we're in a bit of a cool-off so it's only going to climb around 12 degrees.  According to the forecast, we're going to warm up as we head into next week.  No rain.  Just sunny days.  That's fine.

I did get my lawn mowed yesterday.  It looks good.  I wish my neighbors would do the same to theirs.  I'm talking about the new neighbors.  He works long days, and she doesn't like to be outside.  She told me once that she felt as though everyone in the neighborhood was watching her.  Bit of a paranoia issue.  She is the one who likes to smoke her marijuana, so it shouldn't really surprise me.

And yesterday afternoon I drove to Bethel, PA to pick up a puppy.  That's right.  Howie has now moved into the house.  He's 9 weeks old, has very sharp little teeth, and is beginning to be housetrained.  That means he still has accidents.  I expected this.  He is what they call a Red Fox Labrador (Vizslas were way too expensive), so he's sort of ginger colored.  I met his grandmother and she's more yellow than she is red.  Here he is with one of Lily's old toys.  What a good thing it was I saved some.

And I don't think I mentioned it, but those Covid tests that Trump gave Putin were not the little cardboard ones the vast majority of us got.  Nope.  He gave Putin little computers that diagnosed on a molecular level and were the size of a big toaster.  Very expensive.  So, instead of making sure they were available to hospitals, he gave them to his Blo Bro.

So. why is Trump going to hold a rally in Madison Square Garden?  Some think it's because the GOP wants chaos to ensue, others think that it's a desperate attempt to influence the down ballot voters.  There are 3 House seats from that region which need to be filled and the Republican party wants to be competitive.  The Republicans need those 3 seats if they hope to maintain a majority, and a majority is needed if they want to the House of Representatives to object to the election results.  They way to stop this is for Democrats to decimate the Republicans at the polls and take back the majority.  It shouldn't be that difficult, all we need to do is make sure Democrats vote en masse.

My Aunt is going to be 90

 Wednesday has arrived.  Sunshine is again in store.  Highs are also predicted to be in the upper 60s (F).  I will have no problem handling today.  They're predicting full-on sunshine for tomorrow.  Temps will be lower, but that's okay.  This is Autumn, after all.  In the coming week temps are supposed to climb back up into the 70s (F).  Days are supposed to be sunny, and all the rain will be staying to the south of us.

I had lunch with my cousin and her husband yesterday.  I was surprised to see they had 2 Trump signs in their yard when I arrived at their house.  I shouldn't  have been.  They're both religious; they had planned to go to Israel but the Hamas attack of October 7 put an end to those plans.  Politics stayed out of the conversation.  She and her husband are both older than me, so any earthly attempt at discussion would have been doomed to failure.

We went to see my aunt Lois, who will be turning 90 on October 19.  She has an apartment in a senior living facility and it's very nice: 4 rooms, including a bathroom with a walk-in shower.  She has a full kitchen with a large serving counter opening into the living room.  We paid $2700 a month for a studio apartment for my mom, so she must be paying at least $6000.  She has some mobility issues, but her mind is still strong.  It's so much fun talking to her, hearing about the past.  We called my great grandmother on my grandmother's side of the family Grandma Lee.  Lois told us that when she and my dad were young, they called her Grandma New York, not only because she lived in New York City, but because her last name kept changing; she seemed to have a habit of marrying and divorcing men.  Whatever wild streak we have running in our family must have come from her.

And yes, my dahlias are still blooming.

And as must be expected, more dirt came out yesterday regarding the Orange Anus.  No one should be surprised if he took top secret British Naval intelligence with him to Mar a Lago, he has never had a problem screwing people, or countries over.  The fact that America was desperate for Covid testing and he secretly sent them to his blow bro Vlad?  No surprise there.  He will try and tear the country apart to please Putin.  He will fail.  Our job is to make sure he doesn't get the chance to run away, he is spinless, after all, and will run.  I don't doubt plans have already been set in place.  I suspect he already knows he's going to lose.  His job is not to win, but to create chaos.  Putin will reward him for the disruption he's going to cause.  This is why he can't run away.  He needs to pay the consequences.

Milton

 And it looks as though we are going to have another sunny day in store for us here in Central PA.  It's cool, with the temps in the high 40s (F), though today and tomorrow forecasters are predicting that we're going to top off in the 70s (F).  I can live with that.

Two things from work yesterday:  

1)  I had an older woman who set up a blind measure for one window.  She used her brother's email address because she doesn't have email and the system defaulted to his phone number.  he lives in New Jersey.  I've dealt with her before.  She need to uncomplicate her life.

2)  I had a Distance Learning class on Selling, where they tried to turn me into a Used Car Salesperson.  I wasted the hour and a half by scanning through the social media apps on my phone.  One of the low points was when I was told that to overcome objections I should tell the customer, "You may never have the opportunity to get these prices ever again."  I could never saying anything like this to a customer and still have a clear conscience. 

And what about Milton?  Wowza!  He went from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane in a few hours.  Now, I understand he's been downgraded to a Cat 4.  Personally, that's 4 and probably 5 good reasons not to move to Florida.  Honestly, you have to admit that it does seem as if God is punishing that anti-woke state.  Ronnie DeSantis is getting shorter and shorter by the minute.  He deserves everything he gets.

And Kamala Harris was on 60 Minutes.  I didn't see it.  In fact, they may have recorded it for this Sunday since, if my memory serves me correctly, the show aired every Sunday evening.  Evidently they also included a segment on the Orange Anus, and how he refused to participate, and, when that information was released, demanded an apology from them for releasing the information.  He is such an ass.

And while the floodgates haven't collapsed, it is far more than a trickle, every day more and more Republicans are endorsing Harris.  As I've said, a solid majority will vote against him.  Those Republicans who do not vote for Harris will sit on their hands believing that they will have a better chance in 2028 to win the presidency.  That is not going to be enough time for the party to recover from all of the damage he is doing to it.  They will be so diminished.  This is a very good thing.  And those that do not learn, will either die off, or move to Russia.

In the Kraken's Grotto

 A new begins.  The front page of Accuweather had a notice that the rain will be ending in a few hours, the sun is rising on a cloudless sky.  Also, the forecast there is 0% precipitation for the next 3 days.  It has now been changed to "no rain for the next 60 minutes."  They need to get their act together for us early birds. 

Either way, temps are predicted to be cooler today, even if it is sunny, not that it makes much of a difference since I'm scheduled to work for 8 hours.  This is the last Monday that I work an 8 hour shift.  I fixed my availability problem.  There may be more fixing ahead.  I can remember when I worried if 20 hours a week would give me enough spending money.  That was so long ago, before Biggie and his expensive meds.  No problem. 

And yesterday was a boring 8 hours.  I began doing laps again.  One of my friends asked where I'd be traveling to next, so I reminded him that I was getting a puppy.  I didn't tell him I'd already talked to my movie buddy Patty about that, nor did I tell him she said (very sarcastically, since she has 4 dogs) that it would kill her to take care of another pup while I traveled.  So, I guess he asked a valid question.

And, as most of you know, I like to listen to music when I write, so, if I heard an interesting song while I was in Greece, I'd pull out my phone and do a "song search."  This is why in a number of pics taken at dinner, I'm looking down at the table rather than smiling for the camera.  One of the songs that caught my ear was called Shik, Shak, Shok, which was a remix of an Egyptian song from 1974, a remix that had a strong Grecian twist.  I listened to this song a lot while working on a chapter called In the Kraken's Grotto (catchy, eh?)

I suppose quite a few people know that the Orange Anus is going to lose the election.  I also suppose that quite a few understand that he's going to attempt to start something.  There will be some rocky times between November 5 and certification of the next president.  His cult will result to mob mentality, however, this minority crowd simply cannot comprehend they will be dealing with a vast majority of Americans, and the patience of that vast majority has run out.  Over 2/3 of the nation is going to put the hammer down on what used to be the Republican Party.  And then Evangelical Christianity is going to be put under the microscope.  I would not be surprised if, because of their push into the political arena, churches lose their tax exempt status.  It's about time.  

Christmas in October

 Well, it's Sunday.  I got up around 0515 because I was awake.  It was cool enough in the bedroom that I realized the time had come for me to pull out the rest of the blankets.  Outside, the temp was 49 (F) or almost 9.5 (C).  That's chilly.  Temps are predicted to get warmer, however, things have changed in the forecast.  Originally, it was supposed to stay warm for a few days.  Now, we appear to to be moving back into more seasonable, fall-like weather.  It is autumn, after all, and some people need a reason to drink their pumpkin spice lattes.

I worked yesterday, it was boring.  I did manage to get 2 measures for flooring installations.  That will keep management happy.  My goal was 2 for the week, I've sold 4.  I will probably sell less in the future because I've changed my availability.  There was time when you could be available for 28 hours a week and you'd only be scheduled for 20.  Not any more.  Now they schedule for every hour possible, and the only way to change that is to reduce the number of hours a week that you can work.  A further reduction is in my future.

And Christmas has arrived at the store... the first week of October.  Truthfully, they began the display all the way back in September.  Every year people ask me why, we have 3 months until Christmas?  Well, the ugly answer is the consumer, those people who desperately need Christmas.  Here's an example from last week.  We had a woman and her husband come into the store looking for a specific artificial Christmas tree.  That model was sold out online, however, we had several in the store.  They were, unfortunately, still stored on pallets in the overhead.  Even more unfortunate for us was her demand we get one down so she could buy one, so that's what we did.  We blocked off aisles, got a fork-lift and pulled down the pallet so she could satisfy her selfishness.  As for this display, it was difficult for me to take this picture because of customers buying trees, and wreathes, and... well you name it.  And yes, I take it on October 4, 2024.

The Orange Anus had a rally yesterday in Butler, PA, where supposedly and assassination attempt was made on his life.  Many people are beginning to wonder if it was an elaborate campaign event that cost the deaths of 2 Republicans.  Honestly, I don't think Republicans have a problem sacrificing one of  their own if they feel their new religion calls for it.  Elon Mus was there, too.  At one time I thought he might be intelligent, now I realize he's like Trump, a self-centered rich man who inherited most of his fortune.  His Karma is almost as bad as Trump's.  This is something his ego refuses to let him understand.  He and the woman who needed a specific tree have a lot of things in common.

The Icing on the Cake

 Let's see... it's Saturday, the sun is shining brightly through the window and there isn't a cloud in the sky... and, as is the case on all Saturdays, I have to work.  Yesterday the sun didn't come out to play until after 6 PM and the temperatures hung around in the mid 60s (F), meaning the weather forecast was way off.

The ground here was wet, the grass had dew drops hanging on the blades most of the day, and so it didn't get mowed.  And, even though I felt I should be napping constantly, I did manage to get things done.  The tank in the living room was cleaned, the bathroom cleaned, and I cut down the rest of my peach tree.  I didn't plant the tree to feed the squirrels, and that's precisely what happened.  My neighbor across the street had the same problem, no peaches because of the squirrels.  With the tree gone, my yard suddenly got much larger and I realized how much I like it that way.  

When I remodeled my kitchen, I had a range hood put in over the stove, LED lights, really nice.  Well, yesterday one of the lights died and needs to be replaced.  So, what did I discover?  They sent me the wrong hood.  When it arrived, I never really looked at it, I just gave it to the contractor.  Big mistake.  Checking, it looks as though they sent me a more expensive model, which isn't a bad thing.  However, changing the lightbulbs is going to present problems, as it seems as though I actually have to replace the entire fixture.  Not a good thing.

And I received an email from Cumberland County notifying me that my mail-in ballot was on the way.  Yippee!  It will be filled out and mailed the day it arrives.  The only probably with mail in ballots in Pennsylvania is that the Republican party and decreed that they can not be counted until November 5.  You see, it's all about delaying the process, making it take as much time as possible to find out the results.  It's my understanding that there were around 199,000 ballots requested for Bucks County (Philadelphia).  I tried to get an accurate figure for my country, Cumberland, and found it extremely difficult.  Needless to say, not of them will be counted until November 5.  The alternative would be to stand in line and vote, and believe me, lines might be long.  Long lines are a discouragement for seniors and people who might have disabilities, and even though senior citizens tend to vote Republican, the GOP doesn't care.  I suspect that in the end, Harris will have enough of a lead in Pennsylvania, the mail-in ballots will just be the icing on the cake.

Online Only

 I cannot believe it's Friday, nor can I believe that they're calling for possible showers this afternoon.  I don't work today, and I want it to be sunny.  I need to mow my lawn.  At least we've had a few dry days for the grass to dry out, though after all of this rain I'll be wearing sweat pants rather than shorts to keep the gnats from turning my legs into a smorgasbord.  Temperature wise it will be fine, in the mid 70s (F).  

As expected, work was truly boring yesterday.  No measures.  I made a few phone calls.  Talked to some customers and answered the same stupid questions.  What stupid questions?  Well, we sell quite a lot of vinyl plank flooring, much of which we carry in the store.  We also have a selection that is "Online Only."  This selection is clearly marked in bold letters, "Online Only."  Yet a day never passes when a some customer who can't read asks, "does this mean you don't have any in stock?"  There are times when the smartass in me wants to raise his smug, little head and say, "if we had it in stock, it wouldn't say online only," but I don't.  Nor do I point out that the in stock product is clearly marked "in stock."  Why is it that some people never think and have to be told everything.  "Online Only," is fairly self-explanatory.

I went to see Megalopolis, Francis Ford Coppola's new film.  It's about creativity; how an artist, whether he be a musician, a painter, or a writer, can stop time.  It's a fable set in New Rome, so there are a lot of old Rome names, like Caesar, and Claudio.  Too many people, like the ones who ask about "online only," are not impressed because it doesn't fill in the lines they need it to fill:  the CGI is a bit off, the dialogue is a bit too creative.  It's a fable.  It is flexible, not rigid.  Statues move.  I thought it was great.  There were moments when time stopped.  

Of course, things did happen in the political circus yesterday, one of most amusing being that the Dockworkers are no longer on strike.  The Republicans had thought they could turn this into an October surprise which would hurt the Democrats.  Ooops, not going to happen.  Even funnier are all of those people who ran out and ordered, or bought thousands of rolls of toilet paper because the of this non-strike.  Will they learn from this panic buying?  Absolutely not.

And the Orange Anus had a rally in Saginaw, Michigan yesterday and only filled 1/3 of a high school gymnasium.  For those who don't understand this, let me explain.  This small group represents the number of people who will actually vote for him.  He will refuse to accept this.  He will either try and start something, or he will run away when the results become clear.  Reagan started the lie, Donald Trump will end it.

Make Them Riot. Do It.

The clouds are clearing!  We do have a decent amount of fog rolling around the hills, but that's expected to burn off by around 10 AM and then we'll have some sunshine.  Daily temps are predicted to hang around in the mid 70s (F) until Tuesday, then they are supposed to drop back into the 60s (F).  I can deal with that.

Yesterday was one of those days when I felt the need to nap... on and off all day.  I honestly believe it was because we had what?  7 days of rain?  I did get a nice rowing session in.  I'm rowing more and more meters.  Today I want to go for a bike ride before I head off to work.  

I called about getting a puppy yesterday morning and got no return call.  That's not a good thing.  Customer Service is everything.  If someone can't do the courteous thing and call back, even if it's to tell me that there are no longer puppies available, well, that's simply unprofessional as hell.  

And, of course, the chair I ordered was delivered yesterday.  It had been drizzling, then it stopped when the truck arrived, and right after the chair was ensconced (that's your word of the day... ensconced) in my writing room, it began to rain again.  So, I sat in the chair for a bit, and decided I wanted to take a little nap.  Anyway, here's the new chair.

Yesterday the beginning of the October Surprise began falling into place.  In filings released by Judge Chutkin, we now know that on January 6, as an angry mob stormed the Capital, Trump said, "Make them riot.  Do it."  A quick reminder, this is only the beginning of the October Surprise.  Another reminder, we're only hearing about this in October because the Orange Anus and his legal team threw up so many roadblocks in their attempts to shut this down, it wasn't released earlier.  This also means that his meltdowns will accelerate.  Also remember, that he is not so much scared as he is enraged.  I honestly don't think he knows what fear is, just anger, and hatred.

Another also, all of the negativity surrounding Trump is having a positive effect.  Two supporters that I know personally, who have voted straight Republican every day of their lives, have told me they don't think they're going to vote this year.  Both said, in these exact words, "neither one is fit."  Rather than be bold and vote for Harris, they're going to sit home.  And they are not alone.  Many, many Republicans, as the evil of Trump becomes more readily know, will choose to just sit home this election cycle.  They will wait until 2028 before casting another vote.  This is how it was meant to be.  It's why Trump was elected in the first place.

Knock, Knock, Knocking

 It's Wednesday and most of the rains have passed.  We may get a shower this afternoon, but the steady, soaking rains have moved on.  Temps are still predicted to be cool, in the mid 60s (F).  Tomorrow they're supposed to warm up into the 70s (F), now won't that be nice?  I did turn on my heat and set it at 70 (F).  This is what I did last year at this time and let it sit at the temp until spring arrived.  

As I said, the rain as stopped for the most part, now all we need is for these cloudy skies to move away.

I put out a mousetrap last night and got nary a bite.  Maybe he moved on.   I doubt it.  Mice don't suddenly move on.  They make nests and raise mousy families. 

My new chair arrives today.  According to the tracking app they sent me it should be here between 10:30 and 11:30.  That will be one less thing to think about.  I'm interested in seeing how well it fits into the design of the writing room.  Don't worry, there will be pictures tomorrow.

There was a debate last evening and, as usual, I didn't watch it.  I was too busy playing the DLC (Down Loaded Content) for Bethesda's game Starfield.  The recommended level is 35, I'm only at 23, but this is my 3rd playthrough, so even though I'm at a lower level, I'm pretty much immortal.  The intro was pretty intense.  I liked it.  For most of it you're in Zero-G  in a Va'Ruun space station.  Playing a FP (First Person) shooter while weightless is pretty freaking awesome!  I will get to find out if everyone in the settled systems does, in fact, worship The Great Serpent.

And, of course, there was a debate last evening.  Every review I've seen has said it was civilized, with only tempers flaring on one or two occasions.  A number of Main Stream Media outlets note that they turned off Vance's mic at one point when the subject of Springfield, Ohio, came up.  I understand that got his dander up and he voiced his disapproval noting that he'd been told there wasn't going to be any fact checking.  Rolling Stone was the only outlet I saw where they said that both Vance's and Walz's mics were turned off on at least one occasion.  Was Vance close enough to the center to save Trump's flailing campaign?   At this point, I don't think there's too much anyone can do to save it.

There are some saying that the Longshoreman's strike is the October Surprise.  Nope.  That's Republican wishful thinking.  Revelations from Jack Smith's indictment will be the real spoilers for Donald Trump, and his very public meltdown will horrify the American people.  Karma is knock, knock, knocking on his front door.

Jimmy Carter

 October 1's and it's raining... still.  It hasn't stopped for 3 days.  I think everyone in PA is relieved that we're not getting the drenching rains North Carolina had to deal with.  I feel bad for those people down there.  Once again, temps are going to hover in the lower to mid 60s (F).  Tomorrow, our temps will attempt to climb up into the low 70s (F).  That's fine with me.  Turning on the heat is not one of my priorities, so the longer I can wait to do so, the better.  

Speaking of heat, climate change kept the temps here in Central PA fairly warm last winter, and as a result I used less Natural Gas to heat my house.  Because of this, rather than have to make a payment gas bill in September, I had a $63.55 credit.  No payment necessary.  Since I'm on the payment plan, I'm hoping this will drop my monthly charge down to around $70 a month.

I set the trap for the mouse last night and no bites.  

Pete Rose died yesterday.  No loss.  Never liked him.  Charlie Hustle was all about ego.  This is why he had no problem betting either for, or against, the team he was managing.

And Jimmy Carter is 100 today.  He is the oldest living president.  I'm pleased to say that I voted for him.  He has always been resolute in his faith, and in his compassion for his fellow man.  He has become a legend.

America is going to hear quite a lot about Carter today.  There will accolades galore.  He has become synonymous with Habitat for Humanity.  He is a man who came from the obscurity of being a peanut farmer to become president.  His unbridled decency after leaving the presidency is unmatched.  He has set his mark in history that is indelible.  Believe him when he says he's going to live to not only vote for Harris, but see her win the presidency.  

Who will not praise him?  Republicans.  Carter stands for ethics, and values, and morals, all of which Republicans have sold off in their search for greed and power.  One great thing about today?  It will be a flaming dagger into the heart of Donald Trump, because in his dirty heart, he knows America will never, ever talk about him the same as they do Jimmy Carter.

Kristallnacht, part II

 It rained all day yesterday, the steady, soaking rain.  It was constant.  Temps hovered in the low 60s (F).  Today are temps are predicted to climb into the upper 60s (F) and instead of rain we're only supposed to get showers, meaning that the steady rain had become irregular rain.  Either way, it's still going to rain.  Tomorrow the temps are supposed to rise a little, but we have basically the same forecast. 

And, as expected, yesterday was slow in retail.  There was the rare, chatty customer who was looking for something in another department.  For example, one tall gent was looking for gate hinges, so I left the flooring desk and walked him over to lumber to where the gate hinges were located.  It was more fun than just putting in laps; I got over 11,000 steps in.

When I got home from work I discovered that Mr. Mousy had been digging in a planter that I have on my kitchen counter, so, before I go to work today, I'll put a little peanut butter in a trap.  Peanut butter is very good bait.

I've gotten a few questions about just which supporting characters are going to be in The Body in History since I do have a nice sized group of players that show up in the books from time to time.  So, yes, the Von Trapp Family Boxers do put in an appearance or two.  No, Tag is not in this book, though there's a distinct possibility he will show up in Los Angeles for The Body in 4/4 Time, Rock On!

I had a nice chat with Cori, my cover artist, giving her a sketch of what I thought the cover for this book should look like.  She nodded, pointed to an inky smudge and asked, "what's this?"  "A torch," I answered.  She nodded, saying "torches are good."  Here's a clue.

At a speech in Erie, Pennsylvania, Trump evidently called for one day of legal police violence where they were going to round up immigrants and those they thought were illegal aliens, or in other words, anyone with brown skin, or who speaks with an accent, or both.  The cultists loved this and in his small, meeting hall applause roared.  Some said he was calling for an actual Purge, as in the horror movie, other were likening it to Kristallnacht, that terrible night in German when the Nazis began rounding up Jews.  Social Media erupted.  The Main Stream Media stayed silent.  They want this to be a horse race since that will get them many, many clicks on their websites.  They do not understand that should he actually get into power, with the immunity the Supreme Court has given the president, he would shut them all down except for the one that praises him the most.  If they want proof, they need to look at Russia, and China, and North Korea where there is one State Radio.  Other media outlets no longer exist.  They don't understand that the tax breaks he promises them no longer matter if their voices are silenced. 

The Mouse

 Supposedly the rain is going to be hanging around until Wednesday.  I don't know if that going to happen, Wednesday is when my chair is getting delivered, though I'm sure it will be covered in plastic when it arrives.  Until then, our skies will be filled with clouds and drizzling rains.  Today's temps are predicted to be the coldest, hovering in the mid 60s (F).  Tomorrow, they will warm up into the 70s (F) again, and then they'll stay there for the next few days.  

All of this rain means a good mowing for my lawn sometime next week.

Work was so terribly boring yesterday.  I have a window decor customer who I was hoping would stop in so I could design their blinds.  They didn't.  I ended up walking laps to get in my steps: 8062 isn't bad.  I'm in for a full 8 hours today, and since it's Sunday, I'm betting they'll show up today.  We have a 40% sale going on in shades, that's a magnet.

I have a mouse in the house.  To be perfectly frank, I've probably got more, an entire family, no doubt, and they've been eating at the fruit in my fruit bowl.  Not all of the fruit, only the pears and the plums.  They evidently don't like bananas and oranges.  This means I will have to set out traps, and then recycle their tiny bodies back into nature on the hill behind my house.  This is what they did to a pear.

One thing we can look forward to on November 5 is the Republicans denying their loss.  Prepare yourselves, they will be very loud.  Even when the Orange Anus loses by a landslide, they will shriek election fraud.  This is because the only way they can win is through the Electoral College, and when they swings into the Democrats territory there has to be cheating because those red states would never change color, never go from red to blue.  Of course, Orangie is already shrieking this, in between the gobbledygook incomprehensible word salads he spits out daily.  He is worse than he was in 2016, mostly because 8 years ago he still managed to speak in semi-complete sentences.  Back then, people didn't have to be paid to show up at his rallies. and they didn't leave in droves once the payoff hit their accounts.  No matter how much the Main Street Media tries to sane wash him, his decline is obvious.  Even Fox Entertainment is now cutting away from his speeches because.... he's beginning to hurt their ratings.

Instincts

 Well, we have a rainy Saturday ahead of us.  Showers and drizzles with a high in the mid 70s (F).  I am watching the thermometer.  This is the time of year when you try and wait as long as possible before turning on the heat.  Will I make it into October?  With only 2 days to go, that's an affirmative.  The house is a little cool, outside temp in the upper 60s (F), but I'm still in a T-shirt and shorts, though donning a sweatshirt would make things a bit cozier.

And I do get to work today.  Normally, Saturday's are one of the busiest days of the week.  With this weather, however, that's probably not going to be the case.  I work yesterday, and while customers were beginning to come into the store when I was leaving at 7, shoppers were few and far between.  As for today, there are only 2 specialists scheduled, a man who loves 3 day weekends (he's already scheduled off Sunday and Monday), and myself, so I'm fairly confident it will be me, myself, and I at the Decor desk.

At bit about Maggie Smith:  I do hope she realized how much of an impact she had on people's lives.  It's good when greatness is achieved through quality and talent rather than mere popularity.  Honestly, she was the only reason I watched Downton Abbey.

I do believe I will need to be buying a fitness watch, my Fenix 6 Pro is slowly dying.  It connects and disconnects with my phone constantly.  Charging that little Lithium battery can take hours and the charge just isn't holding.  The next watch is going to be less expensive.  I don't need all the goodies that came packed in this one:  Golf maps?  Give me a break.  I'm thinking maybe this one will do, it's an Instinct 2X.  Snazzy, huh?  I'll have to do a little research before I make my decision.

And it's always sometime in the next 2 weeks that that the presidential race get's it's October Surprise.  As far as I can see, the Republicans don't really have anything... I mean, they've already surprised America with their eating of dogs, and cats, and pets in Springfield, what could be more surprising than that?  The Democrats, on the other hand, have Jack Smith's 180 page brief detailing Trump's crimes on leading up to and on January 6, and I understand that some of those details can be released as soon as next week.  These are crimes the immunity given to him by the Supreme Court doesn't cover.  His legal team has been given a copy of it, which many are thinking is the reason his rally speeches have become so demented.  What joy!

The Anniversary

 Outside, the temp is a very humid 71 (F).  Our skies are supposed to remain overcast until Tuesday and every day we have the same forecast:  cloudy with rain and, or showers.  Sometime on Monday, the remnants of Helene are going to wash over us and, after that, temps will drop down into the upper 60s (F) and our Autumn weather will resume.  

The only odd thing about my Greek adventure happened with the great, orange retailer I work for, they changed the way they payout vacation pay.  As a result, they paid me for 56 hours of vacation for a 40 hour work week.  So, I got a very nice paycheck today... and I transferred most of it into my savings.  Were I fulltime, this would have pissed me off, however, I'm part-time, and after this week, I'm only going to be work 3-4 days a week, between 20 - 24 hours.  

And, while I was in Greece, I celebrated my anniversary date with said home improvement retailer.  16 years!  How did I get here?  Well, after college, I started in the accounting department of the Harrisburg Marriott and was there for 11 years.  Then, I caught the HR Director doing something incredibly unethical, filed a complaint, and discovered corporate will always side with upper management.  I resigned and spent the next year living off my bank account.  My next job was with Woolworth, where I managed the payroll for all the Woolworth stores, as well as the employees in the Woolworth building in NYC.  Woolworth, sadly, went bankrupt and I was laid off with quite a number of other people.  I applied for an accounting job with International Paper and was hired, so literally one day I was working for Woolworth and the next I was was behind my desk at International Paper.  I managed Accounts Payable for the Eastern Seaboard until my job was exported to Krakow, Poland, and I was once again laid off.  Never one to worry, I told myself, "I'm going to give it 5 months to see if I can get another job," and 4 months and 27 days later I applied for the Human Resources position with the orange retailer.  Five months and 3 days later I was hired, and that was 16 years ago.  How did they celebrate this anniversary?  With a badge and a brown paper bag of candy..

One of the things that is pissing me off in this election cycle is the way the Main Stream Media is sanewashing Trump.  His ranting, ramblings are not covered.  Fox Entertainment likes to broadcast his so-called rallies, but they all too often cut away when he ventures into dementia territory.  Another thing that is truly pissing me off is the way the MSM is constantly attempting to make it seem as if the Harris campaign is on it's last legs.  This morning one of the headlines read, "The Dems and Their Hail Mary."  For those who don't know, the Hail Mary Pass originated in American football, when in the last seconds of the game the losing team attempts an almost impossible pass in their attempt to win the game.  This is either a broad attempt to demoralize Democratic voters, or, possibly, given them an incentive to go to the polls.  I'm thinking it's the former, rather than the latter, though unfortunately for most Democrats it's turning out to be an incentive.  Get your ass to the polls this November and help send a spawn of Satan back to Hell.

Rent (not the musical)

 So, it's Thursday morning and we have rain.  The temperature is predicted to climb up into the mid 70s (F) today, humidity is supposed to increase, and late this afternoon or early this evening we may or may not be having additional thunderstorms.  This is the weather pattern we're under for the next several days.  Most of the rain from Hurricane Helene will have dissipated by the time her remnants roll into Central PA, at best they're saying we might get another inch of rain.

I went rowing yesterday rather than cycling.  Different muscle groups.  I should have remembered what happens when new muscle groups, those that haven't been stretched or worked in a while, get used.  I didn't, and last evening I got a cramp in my right quad when I stood up.  Honestly, it was a very good thing I wasn't holding a glass of wine.  

One of the conversations I had while in Greece was about how expensive it was to live in Athens, that a decent apartment went for around 900 Euros a month.  (I checked, for a one bedroom apartment, the average rent is between $700 and $900 per month.)  And I said something to the effect of that being similar to what people pay in Central PA.  Being a home owner, I was clueless when it came to knowing what people pay for rent.  Also, being the curious type, yesterday I spent a few minutes checking to see what the average rent payment withing a 5 mile radius of my house.  Wow!  was I wrong.  While you can get a studio apartment for around $1000, it's tiny.  The average cost for a one bedroom apartment with appliances is between $1400 and $1600 a month.  I also know that the average take home pay from one of our full time plumbing specialists is around $1900 a month.  So, over here we get paid better, but our rents are about $500 a month higher, and that's in Central PA.  An apartment in a city comparable in size to Athens would be much more expensive.

Here's an old picture of me holding my first Cannondale.  This was taken around 25 years ago.

And it seems as though Eric Adams, the Mayor of NYC, was caught taking... handouts from foreign governments like Turkey, and Israel (there are several more listed).  When ever I hear things like this, I just want to smack these people up side their heads.  I get angry because they turn out to be that stupid, thinking they're going to get away with it.  Why are so many, so easy to corrupt.  Why do they fail when it comes to making a moral judgement?  I don't feel sorry for this man in the least.  He rationalized his way into make a terrible decision, and now his historical footnote will be that he was corrupt.  

The Review

 Well it Wednesday and that means rain, or maybe I should say that rain is in the forecast.  Wonderful rain, just like we had yesterday, and like we're expected to get tomorrow.  And, for those of you not paying to the national weather, Hurricane Helene is going to hit the Florida panhandle tomorrow and move almost directly north for a few days before it's remnants bring more rain to Central PA.  Temperatures are predicted to stay in the 70s (F) for the foreseeable future.  I'm fine with that.  Why turn on the heat when it isn't necessary.

There's something wrong with my Garmin Fenix 6 watch.  It frequently disconnects and then reconnects with my phone.  I'm going to do a factory restart, see if that helps.  It's 5 years old, and the normal life expectancy is between 5 and 7 years, so a new watch may be in the offing.

For many years, one of my duties with the large, orange home improvement retailer was to review customer opinion surveys.  I still do, from time to time, when my curiosity gets the better of me.  This means I also don't mind filling them out when they get emailed to me.  When I got the survey from Explore, I responded rather quickly.  Yesterday, my curiosity again got the better of me and I went to the Explore website to see if any of the others in my group had responded.  Three had filled out the survey, which, being nearly 50%,was not bad, myself and Bill provided our names and there was an anonymous response.  I've always felt that anonymous responses demonstrate a lack of character (Tim).  All 3 reviews were glowing, though 2 of them had gripes saying that the hikes were a bit to rigorous (I found them challenging).  Their complaints prove that they never read the first page detailing the tour where it states:  Pace - Full On.  Full On does not mean a casual stroll through the ruins.  To give you an idea, here's a pic of me after a more than strenuous hike to the lighthouse on the tip of Cape Tenaro, the path we took is behind me, up a bit from the shoreline. (I really have to thank my photographer for this great shot.)

And from what I've heard, yesterday, Georgia, Trump turned into a mini-Evangelist by praying on stage.  This man is desperate.  I'd say he's worried about losing the Evangelical vote since there are now Evangelicals for Harris groups forming in a number of places.  The Hard-liners will stick with him, to do otherwise would mean their hearts lied to them and that's something they'll never be able to accept.  That's why their Republicans, they can never, ever be wrong.