Jonathan and David

 Sunday.  Our weather pattern is a repeat of yesterday's, thunderstorms, humidity, and then more thunderstorms.  Late yesterday afternoon the heavens let loose with downpours, while thunder and lightning played together over head.  It happened again just as I was getting ready for bed.  The temps are not that high, but it is super sticky.

And I did work yesterday.  Slow is the word.  I did talk to a couple about having carpeting installed.  I suspect they'll set us a measure online.  I still get some credit, but I won't get the sale.  And, as for sales, mine are good for the week, though I don't have a single measure.  This means my sales will drop off.  That's fine with me.  I am a part-time associate.

Our store manager is leaving.  She's going to be taking over the Lancaster store, a very busy place.  I've worked with her replacement and know him fairly well.  We actually started around the same time, me as a part-time cashier and he as a lumber associate.  I find it interesting that I've worked with so many associates, who keep coming back to the stores I'm working in.

I have 2 extra promo codes for The Body on the Lawn on Audible, if anyone is interested, email me:  drsnyderwriter@gmail.com.

Here's a pic I took during my yesterday morning walk at Adams-Ricci mostly because that dying tree looks like it came straight from Druidic lore.

Of course, reverberations for the political debate are still rattling the pseudo-foundations of the political world.  It's difficult to tell which is truth and which rumor.  Cheri Jacobus is telling us that CNN agreed to Trump's demand that there be no fact checking during the debate, which is why CNN ran a "fact check" segment 2 hours later.  I think Biden's advisors completely underestimated the spewage Trump could spit out without getting fact checked.  For him, it was just like a rally: lie, after lie, after lie, and there was no stopping him.  Personally, I don't believe the debate is going to change much, if anything, it's possible that more Independent voters are going to sit this one out.

And the whole bit about teachers reading from the Bible is still rockin' and rollin', with soooo many people citing what Evangelicals would have to consider inappropriate passages, like the one from Samuel:

Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad and said to him, “Go, bring them to the city.” When the lad was gone, David rose from the south side and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed three times. And they kissed each other and wept together, but David wept the more.  1 Samuel 20:40-41 (NASB)

You know, you just can make this up.

The Handsome Gentleman

 Well, where has the week gone?  It's Saturday, and we have storms in the forecast; spotty thunderstorms this morning and heavy thunderstorms this afternoon.  Temps are predicted to be warm, but not hot, mid to upper 80s (F).  But the humidity?  According to forecasters, that's expected to soar.  It looks like we're going to have a sticky day ahead of us.

And I do work today.  It's the weekend.  I always work on the weekends.  Those are the guaranteed days that I will have to sit at the flooring desk, unless I ask for one of them off.  Oddly enough, I have next Saturday off.  I may use 8 hours of vacation pay to cover the weekend day off I didn't ask for, or maybe not.  I have 8 hours vacation I need to use before Sept. 4, that's my anniversary date.  That's when the orange retailer I work for gives me the 80 hours of vacation I worked for and earned.

I got a nice 2 mile walk at Adams-Ricci yesterday, and while going up a hill on the nature trail ran into this handsome gentleman.  His glaring eyes told me he viewed me as a threat, so I simply nodded to him as I took his picture and then left him to continue his journey.

There was a lot of fallout from the presidential debate yesterday.  Conservatives were cheering their liar and liberals were wondering about Joe.  CNN is still receiving a lot of flack because there was no fact-checking.  I don't doubt for a second that was one of the conditions for Trump to appear.  He wants to lie at will without having to deal with the consequences, and CNN gave him every opportunity he wanted.  The New York Times editorial board said Biden should get out of the race.  They so desperately want to be a voice of authority, it's one of the main reasons I ended my subscription.  There was a time when American turned to them, and even, on occasion listened.  Those times are past.

Does the debate really matter?  Nope.  Is it going to change the hearts of voters?  Absolutely not.  People understand that the alternative to Biden is a convicted felon, a pathological liar, a traitor and a treasoner.  Those Nikki Haley protest voters?  They're sit this one out.  That's about 1/3 of the Republican party.  In a little less than 2 weeks Trump is going to be sentenced, and if he gets jail time, that's going to solidify the votes against him.  This man is not now, nor has he ever been a sympathetic character.  Joe Biden is reliable.  Reliability is something you can count on. 

The Rug

 Another nice, comfortable summer day is on store for us today, and I don't work.  Both of those things are important.  Temps are supposed to begin edging upwards tomorrow and by Sunday they should hit the mid 90s (F).  Those warmer temps are also going to be bringing the threat of thunderstorms.  That doesn't bother me either since I'm not scheduled to work.

Yesterday was filled with naps and achievements, mostly because I hadn't slept well the night before.  Sometimes I will wake up and find my thoughts preoccupied with one thing or another, and instead of falling back to sleep, I find myself pondering excessively on something I would normally think too inferior to spend more than a passing moment on, except this time it was an old Yes song.  I could not get Long Distance Runaround out of my head.  So, yesterday was nappy.

My friend Justin came over and helped me move the desk and arrange the yellow area rug.  Before he arrived I took all of the drawers out to help lighten the load.  Being solid wood, it was still heavy.  I am pleased with how it looks.

And, of course, there was the debate last evening.  As usual, I didn't watch since it really isn't a debate.  There is no discussion, merely a back and forth of statements that have absolutely zero value in the scheme of things.  I was not surprised by the headlines this morning, and they all pretty much said the same thing:  Biden stumbles and Trump lies.  What were people expecting?  This is the nature of things:  one man is old and lies, the other is older and is is more honest; one is a convicted felon and the other isn't; one represents Republican dreams of an authoritarian government, and the other represents Democracy.  Biden's problem is that no one sat down with him after he was elected and told him he was going to be a caretaker president, and if they did, he stubbornly refused to listen.  He is the reason Democrats are starting to run around like their hair was on fire.  

Yesterday also saw Ryan Walters, the Christian Nationalist in charge of the Oklahoma School District inform the state that every teacher was going to need to teach the Bible.  Nutjobs like him will try and destroy the country, thinking they will rebuild it as an authoritarian theocracy.  This means he will have no problem starting a religious war if they believe this is what god wants them to do.  They have done this throughout history, and after the loss of many, many lives, have always lost. 

The Debate

 We had storms last night.  Lotsa rain.  Even some thunder.  I was watching the last 2 episodes of Shogun, so I pretty much ignored it completely.  Today temps are expected to climb into the mid 80s (F), which is fine with me.  I do have the A/C units running because of the humidity.  Hopefully, that will pass later on in the day.

And today is the day that my yellow area rug gets put down.  I have a friend coming over around 11:30 to help move the desk.  Once the rug is in place, the only thing left will be the chair.  I haven't ordered that yet since I don't want it arriving while I'm in Greece.  I'm getting impatient emails from the manufacturer asking me to place my order. Well, they're just going to have to wait.

Yesterday was a leg day for me, not in that I did a bunch of squats and lunges, nope, I walked.  Almost 2 miles at Adams-Ricci, and then strolling around a nearly empty store, I racked up over 15,000 steps.  I have to do more of that.  This afternoon, after the furniture moving has been completed, I'm going to climb on the rower, another way to get in some outstanding cardio.

Here's a pic of CNN's debate stage.

According to the Orange Anus, CNN is fake news, yet he's going to be standing at one of those podiums this evening spewing his infernal lies and hatred.  You'll notice, there's no audience, there will be camera operators, and possible a sound technician or two.  There will not be a bought audience of MAGA cultists to coo and caw at his every word.  Trump's team is expecting Biden to do better, this is obvious by the constant commentary about his being juiced.  Will I be watching?  Absolutely not.  I have no desire.  I can honestly say that I haven't watch a debate since... oh, probably since Clinton was running for president.  Afterall, it isn't really a debate.  Nope.  It's nothing more than a public display in an attempt to get the best soundbites for the election, nothing more.  Simple fact:  nothing said in a debate has ever mattered since George H. Bush muttered "read my lips, no new taxes."

Thelma

 Good Morning!  The outside temps are very comfortable 68 (F), though the forecast has them climbing into the mid 90s (F).  there's also the threat of thunderstorms this afternoon, however, since I work, I don't really care.  The rest of the week is supposed to be cooler, low to mid 80s (F).  I can live with that.

The temp for the Central Air is set at 74 (F) and it turns on every now and then, but it doesn't run constantly.  Last week, when it was so warm, it didn't happen, either.  I should probably have a 2nd thermostat installed on the second floor for the summer weather.  

And I got so much accomplished yesterday.  I'm signing up for a zero interest loan to pay for the windows, rather than pull that money out of my savings account.  I did that for the trip to Greece, and then had to fill it back up.  I like having that financial cushion.  I can use my social security checks to pay off this loan in a few months, while still depositing coin of the realm in my account.  Remember, I'm saving up for a puppy!

I went to see Thelma last night.  For those who don't know, Thelma is a movie (based on a person) about a 94 year-old woman who gets scammed out of $10,000.  While that sounds terribly dramatic, it's very funny.  That doesn't mean it isn't touching at times.  Richard Roundtree has a line where he says, "we're older, we're diminished."  Thelma is a comparison between those who accept that, and those who fight against it.

For those who didn't see it, Lauren won her primary from a crowded field.  The most important thing in that statement is that she was part of a Crowded Field. Definition:  all of those other candidates sucked away votes, that kept anyone else from winning.  She switched districts to one that his hardline Republican, so the Democrat whom she is running against is not expected to win in November.  You know, it would be nice if the country didn't have to live with publicly displaying her white trash ways daily.

And Nikki Haley, as expected, got over 30 % of the votes in every state.  This will be a big problem for the Orange Anus in November.  Those Haley voters will just sit this one out.  Believe me, they have no problem doing that.

And, of course, the debate is tomorrow night.  I'll probably get a bottle of wine and watch the last 2 episodes of Shogun.

Tuesday

 When I checked the temp this morning it was a cool, 60 (F).  Not bad after sweating through the mid 90s (F) the heat dome dropped on us.  We had 7 days of super warm temps.  Notice, I said super warm.  They were 7 consecutive days warmer than it's been during the past 3 years.  I checked out the long range forecast earlier and the future's looking cooler.

There's no workie for me today... well, at least not the workie that adds $$$ to my paycheck.  My hours have actually been cut down to 25 this week.  Next week, with the 4th of July holiday pay I'll be getting, I'll have 30, and the following week a mere 22.  I am looking forward to the decrease in hours.  I want to lose some weight before Greece, and working so many hours over the past weeks cut down on my workout time.

And yesterday work was slow.  Because there were call-offs, I ended up selling 2 refrigerators.  That helped my sales. 

I should mow my lawn.  Not because the grass is high, but there are tall weed buds everywhere.

Look, a tan suit.

So the debate is 2 days away.  As usual, I won't be watching.  It is amusing how within the past 3 days conservatives have all started to loudly complain that Biden is going to be on drugs.  This was to be expected, especially when your candidate is a felon who has difficulty keeping a cohesive thought in his head for 2 minutes.  Wait, that's probably wrong.  I'm sure Trump has cohesive thoughts, his problem is that they continually stick to his lies about election loss. If the debate actually takes place, you can bet they're going to blame Biden's good showing on enhancers, rather than admit Trump's ramblings about sharks, and batteries, and who knows what make him look senile. What to expect if he does show up: he will be asked a question and then say what he wants, instead of responding.  And while I won't be watching, I'm hoping Biden calls him a convicted felon four or five times.

Lessons

 Monday.  The heat dome is gone... supposedly.  Daily highs are predicted to hover in the mid to upper 80s (F).  I can deal with that.  During last weeks high temps, the window unit in the bedroom seemed to struggle at times.  It is over 4 years old, and honestly, I have no idea how long a window unit is supposed to last.  I also realized I should have a thermostat on the 2nd floor to regulate the Central Air.  my downstairs was comfortable, while the 2nd floor would have gotten stinky winky without the window units.

I worked yesterday.  8 hours.  It was boring.  It was the 4th day without our sales figures being updated, so no one knew how well, or how poorly they were doing.  The store figures updated, but our sales figures didn't.

Because the necessary people weren't working yesterday, I didn't get to tell them that I went with Aspen Home Improvement for my windows.  In some odd way, I'm really looking forward to giving them that news.  It's nice to strike out against corporate greed in the names of all those  Mom & Pop hardware stores that were shuttered into non-existence.

I've hit 2 glitches in my replay of Fallout 4, and so, at least temporarily, I've changed to games to Lords of the Fallen, another RPG.  As a result, I spent an hour last evening learning new controller mechanics.  This is a good thing.  Learning creates new neural pathways.  Never stop learning.  

And I suppose everybody knows Justin Timberlake was arrested for DUI.  The young officer who pulled him over had no idea who he was, so Justin is learning a difficult lesson.  Because Justin refused a breathalyzer test, we'll never have any idea just how drunk he was, that, in itself is a pretty good clue as to how intoxicated he was.  Anyway, I don't know his name, but this is the young officer who became a teacher to Timberlake.

And, supposedly, Kristi Noem hasn't received vetting paperwork for the VP position.  Can you hear me laughing?  This bimbo, who went full Trumper in her attempt to get selected, never had a chance, and it wasn't because she shot her dog.  Look at her.  She never realized that the dyed, long hair that supposed to make her look like she's 21, was all wrong.  She should have gone for the porn star look.

Who will be Trump's VP pick?  Well, he no longer has to appeal to the Evangelicals since so many of them have already sold him their souls.  Rubio might help him rack in the Hispanic vote.  Vance might help him rack in the white, hillbilly trash vote.  And Burgum?  He's quite and unassuming.  Supposedly it's between one of these three, so what you really need to do is ask yourself which one is most like Pence?  Which one will disappear into the woodwork?  has anybody learned their lessons?

This Old House

 Well, it's 75 (F) outside, however our only supposed to climb into the mid 90s (F).  Yesterday it got up to 99 (F) and we had spotty thunderstorms with gusty winds.  They were drenching, and when they'd passed we were left with thick humidity which made everything tacky and sticky.  Our forecast is for temps to drop back into the mid to upper 80s (F).

I did work yesterday.  For the most part, business was slow in the flooring and decor departments.  The appliance sales person called off, it was his last scheduled day, so I was called over to sell a refrigerator to a nice couple.  That popped my sales much higher than they needed to be.  

The agent who gave me the quote on my windows was supposed to be working, but evidently called off, so I didn't get the chance to give her the bad news about my windows, that I'm going with another company.  Maybe today.  I'm wondering if I'm going to need to give one or two people my spiel on Corporate Greed, and how I'd rather work with a smaller, more localized company.

And, speaking of my windows and how I'm going to be replacing them, I snapped to few pics of those that are getting replaced and shot them off to the salesman this morning.  Here's a rarity, this is one of the windows from my attic.  It's old, but probably not as old as the house.  You can see how the light leaks in at the top left and on the right hand side.

One of the headlines in the Washington Post this morning shouted out how the Orange Anus has increased the volume of his inflammatory accusations.  Even the New York Times has published a headline piece on how conservative media outlets are posting deceiving videos of Biden in an attempt to make him appear slow, and out of touch.  I find this interesting because up on until now, especially for the NYT, while they haven't been obviously Pro Trump, he's gotten the lion's share of the headlines, and they haven't always been as negative as they should be, like they'll call him the "presumptive candidate," rather than felon.  Does Trump want to start a war?  I think he'll do what ever he thinks necessary to keep from going to prison, remember he's trying to model himself after his idol and blow bro Vlad Putin.

Comparatively Speaking

 Wow! The morning temp is 74 (F), which is rather toasty.  If the forecasters are correct, we're going to crack the triple digits today, with the mercury rising to 100 (F).  Does anyone still know what that means?  Mercury rising?  For those who don't, there was a time when mercury was used in thermometers; all types of thermometers, even the ones you slid under your tongue to take your temperature.  Those days are long gone.  Now they stick something in your ear, or drag it across your forehead.  Science!  Isn't it grand!

The window unit in "the gym" is on low cool, high cool is way too loud.

I had my last window quote yesterday.  It was from the great orange home improvement retailer that I work for, and it was, as all of the other sales agents had said, the lowest that I received.  If I had decided to go cheap, I'd have taken their offer, however, the quote was for Simonton 6500 windows.  Being the curious person I am, I did a lot of comparison shopping, if you want to call it that, and comparatively speaking, Okna windows rate better than Simonton.  I understand that for some, cheap is the only way to go, and sometimes that all you can afford, but I would rather pay a bit more and get a better quality product.  On top of the quality, there is also the fact that Okna windows are made in Bristol, PA, making locally owned.

And this is what the writing room floor looks like, all I need is a couple strong people to move the desk so I can put the area rug beneath it.

Time is running out for the Supreme Court to rule on Trump's immunity.  Will they decide in his favor and give that same immunity to Biden?  Don't bet on it.  Not that they wouldn't love to, however, because he's got Eileen Cannon in his back pocket constantly delaying his treason trial, they'll deny his immunity claims.  Ouch.

And whiny Stevie Bannon appealed to the Supreme Court in order to keep his slimy ass out of prison.  He's another loser who feels he doesn't need to be held accountable for his words and actions.  Unfortunately for Stevie, it's too late for him to crawl back under his rock, and the Supreme Court has been rocked with so many ugly charges, and allegations, and so many of their decisions have been so anti-American and anti-Democracy, they will toss his appeal in the trash.

Windows

 We're in for another warm one today. Temps in the mid 90s (F).  No rain, in fact, we're supposed to have a fairly cloudless sky.  I can deal with that. Afternoon thunderstorms are expected tomorrow and Sunday, and then temps are predicted to drop.

My grass isn't growing, but the weeds are.  I should mow them.  Maybe I'll wait until next week.  Mostly, the grass is brownish, but it's not the crispy brownish of July yet.  Of course, we're only a little over a week away.

I's going to spend some time looking at electric providers.  I changed from PP&L (Pennsylvania Power and Light) a little over a year ago, the new provider has had constant price increases, to the point where I'm now paying as much as I was with PP&L.  This is all corporate greed and the only way we can hope to control it is by changing providers.

I have one last quote coming in today for the the windows.  It's from the Orange Retailer I work for.  I'm not going to go with them, even though every sales person who's been here has told me I can get the best deal with them.  Sometimes it's not about going cheap.  I had the sales rep from Aspen Home Improvements here yesterday, they sell Okna windows, which are manufactured in Bristol, PA.  The reviews are not too shabby, putting them on the same plane as Andersen windows but much less expensive.  There is also the fact tried to guilt me into setting up the measure, not because we sell a great product, but because he wanted the sale.  

Evidently the Orange Anus has had an increase in campaign donations since he was convicted, mostly, it seems, from billionaires, the 1%, because they want another tax break.  Honestly, life would be so much easier for the lower and middle classes of this country if the rich just paid their fair share of taxes.  Of course, the cultists are always going to be waiting for the just rewards, never understand there is absolutely nothing just in giving tax breaks to rich.  This is the stupidity that Republicans rely upon.

And I saw where Ronnie DeSantis, the crazy down in Florida, has been blaming high insurance rates in the state on inflation. Hogwash.  Insurance rates are high because so hurricanes cause so much damage, and if it isn't hurricanes, it torrential downpours that drop 17 inches of rain in a 24 hours.  How like a Republican to always lie.  His aversion to the truth will end up killing many, many people.

Louisiana

 Outside the temp is a comfy 71 (F).  Even though we're still under a heat advisory, it is just that, an advisory.  Most of the high temps will be passing to the north of us, or, as is most often the case, to the south.  While there's no rain in our forecast, a new tropical storm has it's eye on Texas.  

As expected, I received a voice mail / text from Andersen yesterday telling me that if I called they could get me a substantial discount on my windows.  This shit pisses me off.  It tells me that Andersen can offer windows to customers at a more affordable cost, but chooses not to because for them high sales are far more important than fair sales.  Companies like this you want to avoid at all costs.

I've been looking into marketing the audio version of the The Body on the Lawn.  Audible presents certain opportunities as well as several recommendations, one of which is to get a reputable review.  This doesn't discount the other reviews individuals leave, however, having Audiofile give it a thumbs up seems to carry a lot of weight.  So, probably Tuesday of next week I will submit it to them.  It would be nice of if they choose to review it, if not, well, that's okay.  There are professional reviewers out there, but being professional they charge, sometimes quite a lot of money.  They don't guarantee a good review.  I can't imagine the disappointment of paying someone bunches of buckos, only to have them say your book sucks.

And then this happened yesterday.

For those of you living under a rock, this should have been expected.  There is this great fear among Christians, one of the reasons for Christian Nationalism, that their religion is failing.  It is.  Mostly because of what I think of bad translations based on bad translations, based on bad translations.  The "all you have to do is believe and ask forgiveness," is a great recruiting tool, but a religion without accountability will always fail.  By accountability, I don't mean cherry picking verses to be judgmental, heavens knows, many Christians do just that.  Rather, I'm saying that if your a Pastor and you molest a 12 year-old girl, there's going to be a price to pay.  The idea that prayer will wipe the slate clean is just wrong.  This is one of the reasons by the number of Christians in the world is decreasing.  And, in case you're wondering, it will happen to Islam, too.  This is the way things are.

Robert Morris, Pederast

 Well, it's 75 (F) outside, which means the temps will again soar into the mid to upper 90s (F).  There are a few spotty clouds in the sky, but, as expected, the green grass of my lawn is turning brown.  Three years ago we had a dry summer, I think I mowed my yard 5 times during the 3 months of summer.  Almost all of the leaves fell off of my river birch trees.  Looking out the writing room window yesterday, I saw that they were already beginning to fall.

Of course, yesterday I got 2 quotes on putting 6 new windows in my house.  My attic windows are in bad shape.  They're wooden ones, with no vinyl coating and they've been exposed to the elements for at least 30 years.  Both salesmen were nice, the first a little pushy, but friendly.  They both wanted me to sign on the bottom line.  I didn't.  They want us to be the same way at work, but not me.  I'm getting one more quote tomorrow morning, and then I'll decide.

Andersen Renewal windows were the high end, with the quote coming in at $19,000.  That's a bit too rich for me.  Their salesman did give me some good advice, however.  When I told him that after the window replacement, I was going to replace the siding, he told me not to, telling me I should have it painted instead.  He said, "that's aluminum, it'll last forever."  The vinyl they're putting on houses today is not made to last for decades, while my current siding will.  He told me I could save myself thousands of dollars by just having it painted.  If they weren't so pricy, I'd by the Andersen just because of his advice.

And I did a polite cancel for tonight's Marriott get together even though the organizer, after being told 3 weeks ago that I was unavailable on the 19th, schedule it for the 19th anyway.  

I thought this was amusing.

And Gateway megachurch pastor Robert Morris has stepped down after admitting that years ago he molested as girl for 4 years.  She was 12 when this started.  It ended when she was 16.  And years later he has resigned his post because of the public outcry.  Both Gateway and Morris have admitted his guilt, saying that "his sin was dealt with correctly by confession and repentance."  This so--called man of God was molesting a little girl who is now 54.  This is pretty much horseshit.  Confession and repentance doesn't do the trick.  Where's the accountability in that?  This is one of the many reasons why the number of Nones is increasing almost exponentially.  Thanks to a verse in Matthew, God will forgive every sin except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.  So, it doesn't really make a difference if you bang a little girl, all you need to do is ask for forgiveness and everything is made right for your selfish soul.

Weeds

Well, the heat dome has arrived.  The toasty temp outside is 74 (F), with the high expected to climb into the mid 90s (F).  The heat index will pop that baby up into the low 100s (F).  I'm not planning any yardwork outside today.  Tomorrow morning, I may mow the lawn.  I shall have to wait and see if the grass starts turning brown.  And, even though there are those who think these temps are going to portend our summer, remember, spring was not spring-like until 4 weeks ago.

And management was happy dappy at work yesterday because I got both a lead and and measure.  They see that as potential revenue.

Decades ago, I worked in the accounting department of a Marriott Hotel (that's where my accounting career began).  One of the people I worked with has decided it would be nice to have reunion dinners.  I made it to one.  The last 2 I bailed on because something more important came up (Lily was really sick for the last one).  Several dates were given for another get together, and I let them know the dates I was available.  Well, out of the blue, there was a group email letting us know it's tomorrow night... and I work.  There are 2 people who I'd like to see, but the rest?  Hhhmm, not really.

I have 2 window quotes coming today, one this morning and one this afternoon.  This should be fun.

Okay, so it's finally here. The Body on the Lawn is now available on Audible. Click the link if you want to hear the teaser.  I'm learning about marketing and promotions, so I'll probably run something in a week or so, I'll keep you updated.

And I snapped a picture of this in our parking lot yesterday.

Aren't American politics funny?  The Republicans are going full steam ahead as if they're going to be running the country forever, and the Democrats keep getting things accomplished.  This has been a problem for quite some time, especially for the Republicans, who only seem to pass legislation that restricts a woman's health, or provides a tax break for the wealthy.  They definitely want a female serving class, one that never turns down their sexual advances, and is happy to raise a brood of children, all the while working a part-time job to help pay for those children.  I once posted about this on Zitter, and someone responded saying women shouldn't complain if their spouse didn't get a well enough paying job.  Think about that for a while.  Especially if you're a blue collar worker.  Trump's cultists may think he speaks for them, the truth is quite the opposite.  He's more like the pederast saying "you want a piece of candy, little girl," and they fail to understand what type of lollipop he's talking about.

Brainless

 Happy Heat Dome Week to everybody on the Eastern Seaboard!  For those who are about to Cook, I salute you!  That's a paraphrase of an old A/C / DC hit, for those who don't know.  The temp this morning was an mild 71 (F) when I rolled out of bed.  We're in for a stretch of 90 (F) days.  I'm prepped for the heat wave.  For those working outside this week, remember to hydrate.  Oh, wait, let me amend that since the moronic Governor of Florida, Ronnie D., signed legislation removing legally required water breaks for those working in the summer heat.  So, except for those laborers in Florida, please remember to hydrate responsibly.  

And I did work yesterday.  Father's Day.  All those who identify as male got a Father's Day snack.  I ate mine when I worked on Saturday.  It was a nice gesture.  Business, as expected, was terrible.  From about 2 pm on the store was a ghost town.  Sadly, this is how most of the Sundays have been for the past few weeks.  The faux holiday created by Hallmark was no different from the rest.  As a result, I got in over 11,000 steps and wrote a full page for the new book.  

Here's a bit on how I write.  I'm not one of those writers who sits in front of his laptop constantly thinking of the story and what words are needed to move it forward.  Nope.  I'll write a sentence or two, and then go do something, like put a couple dishes in the dishwasher, or, if they're already washed, take a few out.  After a few minutes, I'll go back and write another few sentences, maybe a paragraph.  Some days I'll 3 or 4 pages written, somedays only 2 or 3 paragraphs, and everything is subject to revision, that's a constant.

I saw this yesterday and thought it so appropriate.

And we're getting closer and closer to the first debate between the Orange Anus and Democracy... wait, that's supposed to say Biden.  Honestly, that is what's at stake.  Do we want cultists running the country, or do we want to participate in that decision making process.  Republicans do not want our opinions, so putting them in charge will make our voices mute.  They are the party that desperately wants to say "shut up, we're in charge," and they want to dictate every little aspect of our lives.  They want everybody to be indoctrinated into the cult.  If we're Republican zombies, we're not going to argue, we will see everything that hasn't been zombified as prey waiting to be killed and eaten.  All you need to do is look at the cultists to see how brainless they have become, just like their leader.

Father's Day

 Well, here it is, Sunday, the day before the dome comes down on top of us.  One of the things that's interesting is that last week they were predicting temps as high as 100 (F), and now forecasters are saying they should be in the mid to upper 90s (F).  From the maps I've been seeing, most of the high heat is going to stay to the south and the deep south.  Yepper, Florida and Texas are going to be cooking again.

I did work yesterday.  They're hungry for leads and measures and  as an incentive, they're giving out $5 gift cards to Subway and Dunkin' Donuts for every one you get.  I got a measure, so I'm the proud own of a Dunkin' gift card.  Maybe I'll get another today.  That means I'll be able to get 3 free donuts.

The measure was for carpet.  The customers have dogs and cats, and so our conversation headed in that direction.  I told them that I'd had dogs, but was dogless now, at least until I returned from my trip.  Many people have been suggesting rescue dogs, they didn't.  While there are all sorts of good stories about Rescue dogs, you never know what you're getting and many have had years of possibly bad training, or no training, and it's difficult to fix that.  Puppies are best, so you can start from scratch.  

And they put put out Father's Day gifts for all the men in the building yesterday: a soft drink, a Slim Jim, and a small bag of nuts.  I got cashews.  I'd have rather had walnuts or peanuts.

And it is Sunday.  That means many phony Christians will go to Church and be told that it's okay to pass judgment on others for oh so many varied reasons.  Well, that's not quite right, they're going to be schooled in what is acceptable, the decision to pass judgement encouraged by their church leaders, perhaps because they believe it gets the closer to godliness.  I find it amusing that many of these Cracker Jack Crazies believe they're doing God's will when there's nothing in the Bible that tells them to do this.  It doesn't say much for God's strength if piddly human beings have to force his will upon others, does it.  Perhaps this is one of the reasons for the great De Churching.

  

Toasty

 It's sunny, for the moment.  Later in the morning they're predicting winds, though no storms.  And, of course, beginning Monday, we  will be under the Heat Dome, as will much of the eastern United States.  Texas will be dangerously hot.  I feel sorry for those who understand there is such a thing as Climate Change, but have to suffer because their leadership runs away form science.

Yesterday, I did summerfy my house.  That means the window A/C unit is in the bedroom and the standpipe is in the hallway for my Central Air, in fact I turned it on.  It's always set at 74 (F).  I find that comfortable.  The temp upstairs was 79 (F), which is warm.  And yes, my Central Air relies on a standpipe.  This is because when I had it installed all those years ago, I was naive and thought Zimmerman Plumbing and Heating was doing the right thing.  They didn't.  The put the return vent for the second floor in the floor.  Well, since hot air rises, that doesn't work.  The standpipe basically raises the return vent to 6 feet off the floor.  Small businesses don't always have their customer's best interests at heart.

Anyway, when I went up into the attic to get the standpipe, I was stunned to see sunlight shining in around the front window.  That's right, around the window, as well as through it.  Well, damn.  I'd been putting off having the windows replace, now it looks like that's not going to happen.  So, I went down to the computer and filled in the necessary forms and within seconds I began getting phone calls.  I didn't answer any of them, but now I have their phone numbers and will start calling installers later this morning.   

The Dome.

One thing that I'm glad to see happening is more and more people, even media outlets, are calling out other news outlets, like the New York Times, and the New York Post, and the Wall Street Journal (the last 2 just happen to be owned by Rupert Murdoch) for their deceitful coverage of Biden.  Sinclair Group is another group of faux news stations that have been lying about the president's mental health.  Sinclair grew very upset when it was pointed out that its new stations were repeating almost verbatim from a article in the Wall Street Journal.  These outlets don't like this.  They want to be seen as the voice of conservative authority and, well, the truth hurts.  Isn't ironic that the fake media Trump's been shrieking about for so many years are those conservative networks and news shows?  I think so.

"Take a Felon to Work" day

Holy Moly, the temp was 70 (F) when I got up this morning.  According to the forecasters, we've got one of them heat domes heading our way.  For the past 2 years they've been missing us, moving either to the north or south, but not this week.  I'm not doubting Mother Nature had this entire thing planned, since it's arriving right when summer begins.  

This means window air conditioning units will be a hot commodity.  Sorry, I just had to do that.

 Actually, our temps are only suppose to clime into the mind 90s (F), with the real feel being around 100 (F).  Still, it means I'm going to have to turn on the A/C if I want the upstairs to be comfortable.

And, speaking of the weather, how about Florida?  All that rain?  All that heat?  If those people down there thought insurance rates were high before this summer, I'm betting they're going to be flipping out by the time hurricane season ends.

And I did work yesterday, and, as expected business was slow.  However, when I checked my sales somehow I managed to rack up over $11,000.  Wow!  I also got to work in paint for a bit, which is fun.  

I also changed my availability, knocking off one of the mid-week days.  As of 7/12, I'll no longer be working on Thursdays.  When I get back from Greece, I'm going to change it again so I'll only be working weekends and Monday.  Three days on and four days off.  Sounds good to me.

The writing room is beginning to come together.  I've decided to hide the file cabinet and printer behind the victrola.

And for those who didn't know it, yesterday was take your felon to work day.  How do I know?  Because the Orange Anus was back in Washington speaking to the Republicans of Congress.  One of those present in that closed session said it was like listening to your drunken uncle.  Afterwards, he spit out a short word salad speech and then left, which was rather unusual for him.  

As expected, the Senate voted against in vitro fertilization.  Someone asked why, if these people claim to be pro-life, they can be against IVF.  Well, a lot of it has to do with their Cracker Jack Crazy religious beliefs.  They believe babies should be made the natural way, and not rely on science.  Yep, that's right.  Science is the big bugaboo here.  In order for there to be science, people would need to ask questions, and questions are verboten. For them, it's all about belief.  Sort of like the dark ages, you know?  

Sorely disappointed.

 It's a beautiful day here in Central PA.  The sun is shining.  Temps are predicted to reach the low to mid 80s (F), and no rain is in the forecast.

And no, I didn't decide to adopt that poor, old Boxer.  I do feel sorry that as a senior dog she has to deal with issues her puppy brain is not going to understand.  They tell you in her profile that's she's very confused, and at her age that confusion may never go away.  If you're a senior who adopts a dog make plans the same way you would if you were adopting a child, because that dog is going to be dependent upon you.

Yesterday, I got a lot done.  About 1/3 of the writing room floor has a new coat of polyurethane, words were written, and I got a nice bike ride in.  

A few nights back I watched the first 2 episodes of The Acolyte on Disney.  Originally, Star Wars was geared for young adults and adults.  Then George Lucas decided to kiddiefiy it to grow its box office receipts.  The Mandalorian targeted a more mature audience.  Andor does the same thing.  The Acolyte?  It's for the tween and teenage crowd.  The cast is kids.  Two episodes was enough.

And then there's this?

I thought it was amusing.  Hopefully it will be true.

The Southern Baptists voted against IVF yesterday.  Basically, what they're saying that if you're a couple who wants a child, and have problems making a baby by just having sex, you're most likely going to remain childless.  I don't really pay that much attention to the process of baby making, but from what I understand there are a significant number of couples who rely on IVF to become parents.  To give this a little more perspective, this is the anti-abortion crowd limiting the number of ways a woman can become pregnant.  I find that rather archaic.

As someone commented on Threads yesterday, this is the reason the number of Nones is increasing so dramatically.  People want religion to stay out of their personal lives.  Another big reason are the Alitos and people like them who are trying to force their beliefs upon an unreceptive nation.  Conservatives will never be happy until they can control every aspect of our lives.  It's a good thing they're going to be sorely disappointed.

  

Republicans: Economic Failures

 Well, today's already started out better than yesterday.  The sun is out.  Yesterday we had clouds throughout most of the day.  The sun didn't make an appearance until late in the afternoon.  On cloudy days I'm rather a meh person, not really wanting to do anything.  Of course, I had to zip off down to Lebanon shortly after the crack of dawn and that screwed up my scheduling as well.

I did get some writing done yesterday, but mostly I just wanted to nap, and read.  

There were 3 areas of my floor that I patched with plastic wood and tried staining with one of those stain pens.  Well, it didn't work at all.  The patched areas looked dirty, and the polyurethane finish didn't help, so I sanded them down and bought some real stain.  Pricey, but it looks much better.  

When I was down at the VA yesterday, one of the nurses told me about Phoenix Animal Rescue, telling me a number of breeders who have puppies that don't sell send them there.  So, when I got home, I checked out their website.  There were a number of puppies there, but there was also an 8 year-old female Boxer, and I suddenly felt so sad.  That's a terrible age to be rescued.  For Boxers, that's the age the medical problems start showing up.  I feel terrible that has to happen to that little lady.

And for those who have long term memory failure, Republican presidents always leave the economy in a mess.  Which of the 3 Republican presidents on this list passed Trickle Down Economic packages that failed?

I'll give you a hint.  George H. Bush was not one of them, though he inherited an economy that was a shambles because Trickle Down was failing so badly.  Giving tax breaks to wealthy individuals and corporations will never be successful at stabilizing the economy because those people and groups are only interested in their own bottom line.  At the first sign of a problem they beginning cutting their expenses (mostly payroll expense) to save their bottom line.  Of course, they're still getting those tax breaks.  The only president on this list who actually took away those breaks away from corporations was George H. Bush and it cost him his bid for re-election.  At a campaign rally while running for his first term, he infamously made the comment, "read my lips, no new taxes."  Of course, the economy left to him by Ronald Reagan was in such a shambles, Bush desperately tried everything.  The bottom line?  Never trust a Republican with the economy.

The Late Entry

 And yes, it is late because I had to be down at the Lebanon VA clinic at the crack of dawn... well, a little past the crack, for my final CRT scan.  A long time ago, I used to be a smoker, however I can't remember just when I quite... was it 18 years ago, or 20?  Anyway, my primary car physician, the one who retired under apparently mysterious circumstances, decided that I should have a series of year scans to ensure my lungs didn't start growing something.  Well, they didn't.  

As for the mysterious circumstances, I received a letter last February informing me he had retired as of December 31.  I now have a Physician's Assistant until my next doctor joins the team in late November, early December.  Her comment to me was that she was busy cleaning things up with my former physician's patients.  Another odd thing was that last June, after my last scan, I got a call from a support group for people who had just quit smoking.  When they found out how long it had been since I was a smoker, they were surprised; way too many years had passed since I'd been a smoker for me to be part of the group.  Still, my doctor had sent my name to them...  as I said, mysterious.

Yesterday was boring at work.  I had decent sales, but oh, how the hours stretched on.

Two more of the buds have bloomed.

As expected, Hunter Biden was found guilty of lying when he bought his gun.  Dumb ass.

And Martha-Ann Alito evidently has been going full MAGA vocally, screeching about how she'd like to see all Pride flags burned because she can see one from her house.  This woman is filled with sinful hatred.  It wouldn't surprise me if she was praying for another inquisition, one in which she could personally, torture and killed those her unchristian heart despises.  I'm also betting she doesn't ask for forgiveness too often; how could someone who loved God as much as she commit sin.

Why Trickle Down Fails

 Yesterday was nice!  Rather than the predicted clouds, we had sunshine and temps were quite comfortable.  Things have cooled off a bit, and the prediction for next few days is partly cloudy, partly sunny, and temps in the mid to upper 70s (F).  Of course, I have to work today, but tomorrow and Wednesday should be nice.

I went down to York yesterday and had an enjoyable lunch with my friend Betsy.  She's a bit older than me, and we often joke about our ages.  I understand that most of you probably don't understand the age thing yet, but you will.  When I was growing up, most people retired at 65 and then waited to die.  Nowadays, many still retain a part-time job.  For some, that's because they need the income to offset their Social Security, but for others it's a way to socialize, to get themselves out of the house.  We have a number of 80 year-olds working at the store, not one of whom is a cashier.  Nope, these people work in the aisles, pulling product from the overhead to restock the shelves, and provide customer service to shoppers.  That's part of the funny thing.

I got an email from Audible, they're having a site-wide sale starting June 17 and have paused the Q & A process for The Body on the Lawn until after that date.  If I want, I can have them push it through to take advantage of the sale, but I'm going to be running a promotion anyway after it comes out, so I'm just going to sit and wait.  The world is not going to end if it doesn't get released next week.

And rather than getting a loveseat for the writing room, I'm thinking a large chair might be better, something like this.  There's still enough room for myself and dog, isn't that nice?

I saw that Republicans are again going to push tax breaks to corporations and wealthy individuals as part of their election package for 2024.  For those who don't know, this is called Trickle Down Economics.  They've pushed through Trickle Down 3 times, and every single time it has started failing after a short period time.  It lasted the longest under Reagan.  By the time he was leaving office, however, it was well into its death throes.  While it does initially pop up the economy, neither the corporations, nor the wealthy, invest enough of their tax breaks to keep it healthy.  Payroll expense is a terrible thing for corporations, and when it comes to creating and keeping jobs, or hitting their financial goal, money's always going to win out. The problem is that all those people they hire don't spend enough money to keep the buckos rolling in, which means companies begin to slowly cut their workforce and cancel those orders for durable goods.  They're still getting their tax breaks, which is all they cared about in the first place.

More Roses

Let's say hello to an overcast Sunday morning.  There's much doubt if the sun will even break through.  That alone should tell you that I'm not working today.  Our forecast:  probably showers in a few hours. Temps will be falling within the upper 70s (F) to the low 80s (F) range.  Humidity will be fine.  So, if it weren't for the clouds, it would be a really nice day.

I worked yesterday.  It was slow, up until 6:45 PM.  Fifteen minutes before I was scheduled to leave customers showed up.  They'd bought blinds back in 2012 and wanted to replace them.  As you might expect, the type of blind they'd bought is no longer available.  I did manage to pull up their sales receipt which gave us the sizes of their windows.  And a few minutes later 2 different customers showed up, so I had 3 different sets of customers at 7, when I was supposed to leave.    There was no way I was going to stay an additional 2 hours to design blinds, so I politely explain to all of them I was the only one scheduled, and helped them all as best as I could, staying an additional 15 minutes.  They were all very pleasant.  

Oddly enough, I got a nice compliment from the Specialty Manager earlier in the day.  Our supervisor was just promoted and the manager asked me who I thought might be a good replacement.  We had a nice conversation.  It's nice to be recognized, of course, a few hours later I only stayed an additional 15 minutes instead of 2 hours which show just how deep my dedication runs.

I just ran out and snapped this picture of pale orange roses growing by my front porch.  Nifty, huh?

There wasn't a lot of political news yesterday, except for Israel and Gaza, and I've chosen to avoid that topic.

Otherwise, it seems as if Biden's beginning to climb in the polls.  That felony conviction is going to hurt Trump more than his cultists want to believe, but then they believe so little.  His lies are better than the truth to them.

And there are elections being held in Europe today.  For the most part, they've been quiet.  While regionally there may have been some serious contention, it's not managed to cross the Atlantic and fill up space in our media machine.  For me, I think that's a good thing.  I would rather have a stabilized European Union, then the red and blue conflagration we have in the states.

Martyrdom

 Well, it's a beautiful Saturday morning and, as usual, I'm going to go to work this afternoon.  I'm not expecting it to be busy.  Memorial Day is done.  Because temps are going to be staying in the low 80s (F), those who want to, will be doing outdoorsy things.  Those who don't will most likely be watching baseball.  

I am hoping that the customer who was measured for 21 blinds has stopped in at the store to get them designed.  There are all sorts of complicated things with that measure.  They want a blind, or shade, for an arched window, several sliding doors, and at least 2 faux shelves for two of the windows.  These are things I rarely design at this point in my career, don't want to become overly familiar with.  The associate we have who's an expert with blinds and shades is on vacation until Thursday.  I'm hoping they decide to wait for him.  They were measured in April, so I'm hoping that another week or two wont be too much of a problem for them.

Rather than ride the bike today, I'm going to go for a row, just to change things up.

I've also been sending out the teaser for The Body on the Lawn to selective people, and the response has been very good.

And I snapped a pic of one of my red roses yesterday.  There are 2 buds next to it waiting to bloom.  I love this color.

And I don't know if I've mentioned it, but I find it truly delightful to know that Steve Bannon is finally going to jail.  There are complaints about how long he has until he has to report to the "Big House."  I'm wondering if he'll even show up.  His nature is to be combative and noncompliant. He's a loud mouth who seems to believe his fat gives him authority.  It doesn't.  If he does show up, he'll be in jail up to the election, though I'm of the opinion he would rather become a fugitive from the law.  Martyrdom has too little honor for Stevie.

The EKG... and other things

 A 2 part entry today, the first half prepping to head down to the Lebanon VA for my physical, and the 2nd half when I get back.  

Today's weather's supposed to be nice and sunny, for the most part, with temps in the low 80s (F).  The humidity is supposed to drop as well, though the only place I've felt sticky was sitting at the flooring desk.

I do work tomorrow, but then I'm off Sunday, going down to York, and then back at work on Monday.  I'm back to being scheduled off 3 days a week, and once we're through July I'm going to stop working during the week.  The thing about being retired and working part-time is that I want to only work part-time hours.  However, because I get paid a decent rate, the trip to Greece is paid for, and now I'm only saving for the sofa in the writing room.  The big questions for me right now is should I go with a small sleeper, or just a loveseat.  Actually, I've pretty much decided on the sofa, but... there is still the idea that a sleeper on the first floor might come in handy when I head into my senior years.

End of Part I

Part II, the EKG, and other things.

Well, I'm back.  The physical is complete.  I even had an EKG.  My leg muscles were a bit twitchy, probably because I've been riding over 40 miles a week.  My heart, itself, is in great shape.  My resting heart rate is 54.  That's ducky.  I was told it's obvious that I work out.  Nice complement.  Everything else went smashingly.  I am going to stay on the Lisinopril (BP meds) because high blood pressure runs in my family.  My feelings:  if God gave scientists the ability to create meds that keep up healthy, well, I'm sure as hell going to take them.

I got a flash saying the prosecution rested in Hunter Biden's case.  A guilty verdict will piss the hell out of the Republicans.  

And is it me, or are they sounding crazier and crazier?  I also find it odd that so many of the cultists want to become part of a peasant class.  I honestly don't think they understand that's what they're aiming for, but they've obviously got that on their bingo card.

Greed is Stupid

 The forecast was for possible... occasional thundershowers yesterday and what we got was steady rain for much of the late afternoon into the evening.  We had heavy rain over night, and rain again this morning.  Our forecast today is for... again, occasional thunderstorms with the temps zooming up into the upper 80s (F).  Translation:  humidity hell.  Tomorrow, they're expecting cooler temps, in the low to mid 70s (F).

Work was boring yesterday.  I did manage to get a measure from a gent who asked if he could get a refund if they didn't like the quote they built for him after he'd been measured.  I told him "no."  He then asked if he'd get the square footage, and I told him "yes."  He is one of those people who will pay to get measured and then go to an outside contractor who will charge him must less than we do for the installation.  This is one of the reasons why our sales are not what Wall Street wants.  Vinyl plank installations cost almost as much as the flooring itself.  Why pay us to do the install when you can find a private contractor who will do it at half the price?

I'm still working on my writing room floor.  After I finish this, I'll do a little sanding, and a little staining on the few last spots I patched with wood filler.  Then, before going to work this afternoon, I roll on a little polyurethane.  I'm thinking that by next week I might be able to roll out the area rug.  I have a couple of people who've volunteered to move the desk.  I can slide it across the floor, but it's too heavy for me to lift on my own.  For those who don't know, this is the desk.  Soon, it will once again be sitting on an area rug.

And what about the Republicans voting against a law intended to keep contraception legal in all states?  Of course, one of the reasons Democrats brought this bill to the floor was political, it's an election year, and millions of Americans rely on birth control to keep the size of their families small.  Republicans, on the other hand, especially in those Cracker Jack Crazy states down south, want humans to be breeders.  That may sound a bit harsh, but that's exactly what they want.  It doesn't make a difference if parents can afford the children or not.  However, you can also bet your bottom dollar that those people wanting to curtail the use of contraception will never have large families.  As for the babies themselves?  Corporations see them as a way to keep their profits growing, however they don't understand that the more babies there are, the less purchasing power the family dollars are going to have, so profits will continue to shrink.  Greed is so stupid.

My Evil Laugh

 Holy Crap!  I slept over 8 hours, and when I woke up the skies were overcast and I could hear the tip, tip, tip of a steady drizzle.  Temp wise, we might hit the 80 (F) degree mark... maybe.  Tomorrow, it will be warmer with the chance of thundershowers.  

On my day off, I managed to get much done.  The lawn has been mowed, the tank in the living room cleaned, and I got an hour in on the bike, over 15 miles.  I'm pleased with that.  There was also time for gaming, and reading.  I'm reading 2 books right now, one on the history of Delphi (I figured I should brush up), and Three Body Problem, the book Netflix turned into a series.  When I tell people I'm reading 2 books at the same time, they they give me one of those odd looks, not understanding it's easy for me to keep both separate in my head.  I'm also working on my 8th book; Eli and Max are about to discover the body in history.  Are the gods working with them, or against them?  Is Apollo watching over them?  Or am I just bullshitting?  Hahahaha (for those who don't know, that's my evil laugh).

Since I've been watching Shogun, the idea has been tippling through my head that I might want to learn a little Japanese.  I've already been to Japan and at this point don't picture myself making a return visit, but I've always had a fondness for the culture.

I made ribs and rice for dinner.  It was tasty.  

Being that I was so busy yesterday, I didn't pay much attention to what was going on in the world of politics, and being perfectly honest, I'm am not at all curious in Hunter Biden's trial since I suspect many of his problems spring from his inability to deal with the fact that his dad loved Beau more.

I did see some sort of bunga bunga about Mikey Johnson calling on the Supreme Court to overturn Trump's conviction.  Hahahaha (evil laugh again).  While the Cracker Jack Crazy branch would love to do such a thing, they don't really have that kind of power, still, Mikey does know what the Cultists want to hear.  What's even more funny is that Christian Nationalists have convinced themselves they're doing this for the God they've designed.  You know who I'm talking about, the deity who created the Universe.  Unfortunately, their universe is defined not in size, but by what they can grasp and control.  Religious zealots have always had this problem, the ability to actually comprehend, which is why they're working so hard to keep people stupid.

Godzilla Minus One

 A nice day has been forecasted and I'm going to enjoy those mid 80s (F) temps.  If the long range forecast is accurate, our summer's going to be not too hot, and not too cold, pretty much like the porridge Goldilocks liked that was just right.

Yesterday work was bothersome.  I had partially completed their design when I was called over to mix paint so the supervisor could get a lunch break, so I turned it over to an associate who's much better with designing blinds then I am.  He was not exactly happy with this, since he's isn't going to get credit for the sale.  For that matter, neither am I.  There used to be a time when changing a design would net you some of the sales.  Not any more.  Well, this couple went home, and then returned 20 minutes before I was scheduled to leave, and since there's no way I was going to stay past my scheduled time, I turned them over to him again.  This like this are irritating.  I felt bad for him, since he was going to end up spending hours with them.

I watched Godzilla Minus One last evening, it's on Netflix, and was pleasantly surprised.  I'd heard it was good, and I've always liked Godzilla movies.  Then, to be perfectly honest, I've always like monster movies, but the directors took a different approach with this one.  It's focused on just a few individuals, rather than the destruction of Tokyo.  It was the first Godzilla film to win an Academy Award.  

I saw that Elon Musk has had the policies changed on Zitter (if that's how it's pronounced) clearing the way for porn.  While pornophiles may be cheering, keep in mind that it once used to be a legitimate platform of news, with porn on the side.  Now legitimate news has fled to other platforms, including Threads, and Elon's got to make money some way.  Unfortunately, I suspect this will end up being bad for porn, because Zitter seems to have mounting problems just like his other businesses, and like other flailing billionaires, Musk will have to put the blame somewhere, rather than admit to his own incompetence. 

And Hunter Biden's jury was selected yesterday.  My personal feeling is that he 's going to be found guilty.  He did something stupid, and while he's going to try and blame it on his problem with drugs, that can't be used for an excuse. This is how it is.  

Damned

 And so, a new week begins.  The sun was shining brightly through my front windows at 0600 this morning, but not so much anymore.  The forecast for today is partially cloudy with a high in the mid 80s (F).  I can deal with that, because that means the sun will occasionally pop out.  Tomorrow?  I'm off and it's, as should be expected by now, supposed to be overcast for much of the day.

I did work yesterday.  I got a measure.  Oh, and I got some good news.  My supervisor received a promotion and will be moving to the night shift.  He is one of those incompetents who believes that management means sitting back on his ass, telling you to do tasks he never learned because he thinks they're beneath him.  I once had to cut a large section of rolled carpet, a 2 person job, and asked him for help and, as you might expect, he said, "I don't know how to cut carpet."  So, he stood and watched as I did it myself.  The night manager he's working for is going to chew him up and spit him out in broken little pieces.  This is Karma.

All of the audio files for The Body on the Lawn have been submitted to Audible.  One of my editors was surprised by how much work I had to put in to getting them ready, and I told her "but I learned so much!"  Sometimes when people hit a certain age, they become terrified of learning.  Not me. Bring it on!

And, since I was speaking of Karma!  Or, perhaps God was responsible, or perhaps they're one in the same, anyway, yesterday this happened.

A Trust in Jesus bus, heavily placarded with pro Trump signs, crashed into a light poll.  That, in itself, would be justice enough, however this crash was different.  You see, the bus was parked, no one was in it, no one was driving it, the damned thing (and it is quite possibly damned) started moving on its own,  cruising down a hill and into the poll.  From the damage done, it must have been moving pretty damn fast.  So, was it Karma, or a sign from God?

Spite

Well, a happy Sunday morning to everybody out there.  The weather is kind of not gorgeous, but nice.  We're supposed to have clouds on and off throughout the day.  Temps are to climb into the low 80s (F).  It would be a nice day to get a little yardwork in... if only I didn't have to work.

One really nice thing about these not so hot temps is that I've yet to turn on my Central Air.  Clean Sky Energy (my electric provider) is probably not too happy, but then my belief is that utility providers should not be in the business to rake in the big buck.  Wall Street, however, thinks differently.  Well, to hell with Wall Street.

Retail was slow yesterday.  We have hundreds of bags of mulch, probably 200 pallets, that have not sold.  This was another big mistake by the orange home improvement retailers I work for, and because it doesn't spoil, much of that mulch will be sitting in our parking lot next spring, waiting to be sold. Not that corporate cares.  The cost for all of that mulch comes off of my stores bottom line, and it was our responsibility to make sure every bag sold.

I did have some customers show up yesterday and say, "hey, remember us?" to which I replied, "no."  I think with an inner monologue most of the time, so picturing faces and remembering faces is not something I do well.  This doesn't mean I don't remember people, just that I need to spend a lot more than half an hour with them for their features to imprint.

And then there's this:

The Orange Anus was convicted on 34 counts of shit-doery and the Republican party has decided to splash spite all over America.  In case you hadn't heard, there are 8 Senators who are now refusing to advance any bill, any nomination, in fact anything going through the Senate.  While this may be titillating the hell out of their grudgeful base, America is watching, and remembering, and this November America is going to go to the polls.  When they lose their elections, they're going to whine and complain that the elections were fraught with fraud.  They will stick to that lie because it's the only thing that keeps their dark, little hearts beating. Trump will continue to kill the Republican party long after he's out of the picture.  This is their own doing.  Perhaps they shouldn't have been so desperate to say "Shut up!  We're in charge!"