Howie's Rocks

 Good morning world.  Here in central PA our outside temp is 77 (F).  The sun is still shining, but that's going to change.  Much rain is in the forecast.  Showers are to begin sometimes this morning, followed by storms and thunderstorms this afternoon and this evening.  Rain is always appreciated, especially in what are traditionally our dry months.  Our green lawns will not be turning brown this summer.

Yesterday was a good day for getting things done.  I started off the day by baking a loaf of bread, and went on to do 4 loads of laundry, clean out the big aquarium, and vacuum up tons of doggy hair using the vacuum with the cheap bags.  I finished one chapter in the new book and began another:  Can you hum a few bars.  It's an old joke, so I'm not expecting all of you are going to get it.

Today is not going to be a chore intensive.  Though things do need to be done.  I'm thinking of buying a walking pad, which is like a treadmill but much smaller, some are foldable.  The treadmill I tore apart and turned into a raised garden was just too massive.  I do like walking, it's good for my lower back.  I might not be able to stop the arthritis, but I may be able to slow it down considerably.  I don't want to be one of those seniors who lets aches and pains infringe upon my daily life.

I believe I've mentioned before that Howie likes to bring stones and rocks into the house and trade them for puppy  cookies.  Well, a while back I decided to save them.  This is Howie's rock pile.

For those of you who missed it, Proctor & Gamble is going to be raising prices.  Some of the products sold by P&G are Tide, Downey, Mr. Clean, and Swiffer.  These are all products that the great orange retailer I work for sells in our cleaning department.  While our corporate headquarters has said they're not going to raise prices I'm betting these increases will be passed onto the customer.  And we only sell a smidgen of the products P&G's going to be raising prices on.  So remember, every time the Orange Anus shrieks about how much money his tariffs are raising, he's talking about your hard earned money.  Remember, those billionaires running this country don't give a shit about you or how difficult it is to make ends meet.

Fantastic Four

 Good Morning people!  Our high temp for today has been revised... down.  Our high for today is only predicted to be 96 (F), which means the little red thermometer indicating heat warning is no longer in our forecast.  Now, isn't that nice?  We have a 40% chance of thunderstorms.  Tomorrow that % is up where our high temp was supposed to be today.  If the weathermen are right, Thursday and Friday will be filling up our rain gauges again.

Yesterday was one of the meh days that substitute as Tuesdays.  When I bought my car the dealership recommended I make an appointment with their tech expert in order for her to go over all of the functions and apps on my car.  I cancelled.  The differences between what I had in the Crosstrek and what I now have in the Outback are not that different.  In fact, in today's world of computerized automobiles I suspect there isn't really much difference between one model and the next, so a Ford, or General Motors vehicle is going to have the same apps as a Subaru.

So far today has been much more productive than yesterday.  The first load of laundry has been washed and hung out on the rack to dry, and the second load is in the washer.  One thing I need to do when hanging clothes out to dry is use clothes pins, otherwise Howie will pull T-shirts and shorts off the rack and run around the yard with them in his mouth.  The bread machine is kneading a loaf of bread; I included some wheat flour since I still have about 3 pounds left.  

I went to see Fantastic Four, First Steps last evening.  I liked it a lot.  I have been a fan since the series came out, yes, I am that old.  One of the main reasons was Johnny Storm. What was not to like about a blonde teenager who was so hot he could set himself on fire?  Joe Quinn does not disappoint, even though his Johnny Storm is much older than a fourteen year old boy.  Pedro puts in a great performance as well playing Reed, a man who can stretch his body, but who's logic is much less flexible.

Supposedly the economy grew by 3% which was higher than most economists were predicting.  Before everyone gets out their rah rah pom poms and starts dancing around, we have to remember that this administration has no problem fudging the books in a way to make themselves look good.  We also need to ask ourselves how much of this growth was the result of pre-emptive buying?  You know?  Like me and my new car?  You do know that one of the main reasons for my purchase was the impending price increases brought by tariffs.  So, you need to ask yourselves how many other people are just like me?  Buying when the price is right.  I've already suggested that might be why high priced installations are being purchased.  I don't doubt that there are quite a number of Americans who would rather buy now and save later.

And of course, Orangie did say some truly vile things yesterday about Epstein stealing two of his spa workers.  This is the 3rd reason that he's given for their breakup.  Another was that he discovered his pal Jeffy was having rather unsavory relations with very young women.  The reason most likely to be true was that his pal gypped him on a real estate deal.  Since we all know how long Orangie holds grudges, I would say that is possibly the real reason his friend was arrested and was murdered committed suicide while Orangie was in office.  There are whispers that it was Ghislaine's team that leaked the birthday book to the Wall Street Journal.  Could she be out for a little vengeance?  If this is the case, I wouldn't doubt if she has a veritable treasure trove of dirt on Orangie.

Fox Entertainment

 So, we're in the middle of mini heat wave.  Temps are going to be in the high 90s (F) both today and tomorrow.  Right now our outside temp is 74 (F) with a "real feel" of 85 (F).  I did a search to find out how "real feel" is calculated and it's a combination of heat, humidity, wind, and.... get this... solar intensity.  Solar intensity is measured in watts per square meter.  In reality, I don't doubt that someone stands outside for a few minutes and, upon coming back into air conditioned comfort and, ignoring the reading on the thermometer, says "wow!  that feels like 85 (F)."

I did work yesterday and it was slow.  Only myself and an aisle associate were scheduled.  I did talk to a few people, but mostly chatty conversations about old houses, and which floor leveler was best for a wood floor.  Usually I take something for dinner when I'm working that shift, yesterday I didn't thinking there would something left over from the weekend and there was:  yogurt.  

Since this is my first day off, my first load of laundry is in the washer.  Rather than use the dryer, it will be hung out to dry on the rack, however because we're supposed to have high humidity, it may take a long time to dry.  This means it might be the only load for the day

The picture of Max the cat which was posted yesterday was actually scheduled for today's post.  A bit on Max.  I got him when he was 8 weeks old and he lived to be 21 years old.  He's the only pet I've had who's buried here.  He was a good cat, and is the namesake for Maxwell Sullivan, one of the main protagonists in my books.

So today, instead of Max, you're going to get a picture of Harrisburg.  This was taken from a drone looking east.  My house is located to the left and behind the camera.  The island in the middle of the picture is City Island.  A long time ago, before they built the baseball stadium, they used to have concerts there.  I saw, among other groups, The Grateful Dead there... twice.

Isn't it fascinating how even without the Orange Anus's tariffs kicking in, prices are still going up.  Many people don't know that a lot of them are on hold because TACO.  Supposedly, according  to that horse's ass Howard Lutnick (notice I didn't say Nutlick) they're officially starting on August 1st.  This is interesting because Chinese sources are saying that an extension  has already been agreed to because TACO.  

And I read that Orangie wants Rupert Murdoch to be deposed within the next 2 weeks because Orangie is worried Murdoch, who's 94, might die.  Orangie better hope that Rupert lives as long as possible because when he dies control of Fox entertainment goes to all of his children.  Except for Lachlin Murdoch, all of Rupert's children hate Fox Entertainment. so with his death great changes may happen there.  Changes not to Orangie's liking.

Max, the Smart Ass

 

Scottie the Billionaire

 Okay, so it's hot here.  Our outside temp is 75 (F).  If the forecast is correct, will top off at 95 (F).  That is warm.  We are beginning a mini heatwave.  Tomorrow and Wednesday our temps will climb into the upper 90s (F).  Keep in mind we are much farther north than most of the country, so those down south will be suffering through a scorcher.  Thursday showers and thunderstorms will be moving into the area and temps will dive back into the high 70s (F) and low 80s (F).  The extended forecast for August looks to be on the cool side, but we all know how fickle forecasts are.

I did work yesterday.  They were providing breakfast all day again, so I didn't take a lunch.  Unfortunately, it was a grab and go breakfast, inexpensive individually wrapped pastries with a high fat content, and Nutra-grain bars.  Boo!  Hiss!  Oh, and there were day old pancakes, so make that a double hiss.  I ended up stopping off on my way home and picking up a frozen pizza.  Yesterday was not a healthy diet day.

Retail sales for the past week were good, though as a head cashier pointed out to me, footsteps in the store were low.  This means that the buckos going into our bank account are being put there by customers doing large projects.  In flooring, a hardwood installation worth $17,000 went through.  

There are several games that Howie and I play:  Trade the stone for a cookie; Chase me for the sticks in my mouth; and that ever popular Sock Race.  Sometimes he gets quite excited by these games.

Again, the Orange Anus is bragging about a trade deal, this time with the European Union.  Again, this is just the framework for a trade deal, the deal itself has not been signed into law.  If and when it is signed we can expect costs for wine, cars, and a host of other things we buy from Europe to go up by 15%.  While Orangie screams that exporters will be paying these tariffs, you need to keep in mind that he's a pathological liar.  People like Scottie Bessent, the Secretary of the Treasury, know and lie about this. Keep in mind that every company in which Scottie owns stock will be raising prices and that will increase their revenue, and that revenue will be taxed less because of Orangie's Big Beautiful Pile of Shit Bill.  So Scottie, the billionaire Secretary of the Treasury, will get even richer while you, and everyone who voted for Orangie, will get even poorer.

Zero Accountability

Today is supposed to be a carbon copy of yesterday, same temps, same humidity, but a greater chanced for showers and thunderstorms.  In fact, we have light rain as I type we have very light rain.  supposedly the sun is going to shine down on and off until the storms arrive.  I work today, so it doesn't bother me.

I worked yesterday and was schedule to sit for an hour at the dreaded Lead Table, however when I got to the store I discovered that some not too brilliant mind had decided that setting up a dunk tank in the parking lot would be better.  If you're at a festival where there are thousands of people dunk tanks can draw a small crowd.  There were not thousands of people shopping our store yesterday.  This is my way of telling that in my brief time at standing under the canopy offering customers free hotdogs only one customer attempted to dunk the associate in the tank.  And my time there was brief.  Ten minutes after I took up my position, I glanced to western horizon, pulled out my phone to check the weather radar, and then turned to the manager on duty and said, "the storms should be here in about 10 minutes."  We spent that 10 minutes packing things up and moving them inside until the storm had passed.  

Except for a decent upper body workout, everything was same old, same old.  I made teriyaki beef to take to work for lunch, so I over ate pancakes and sausages as well as the beef.  They're serving breakfast all day again today, so I won't need to take in lunch.  That's nice.

This made me laugh.

Orangie is still in Scotland, hoping that the Epstein scandal will disappear.  It won't.  People are pointing out that his Department of Justice meeting in secret with Ghislaine Maxwell reeks of corruption.

Oh, and speaking of corruption, how about Ryan Walters, the Christian Nationalist from Oklahoma getting caught watching porn on a TV during a meeting.  Ryan's the guy running the department of education in Oklahoma, the one who wanted to put one of Orangie's Chinese made bibles in every classroom of the state.  One of the witnesses said the porn he was watching involved naked women and an examining table, so maybe Ryan would rather be playing doctor.  Sadly, we all know that Ryan will probably make a tearful, public appearance, possibly with his wife, and announce that he has asked God for forgiveness, and everything will be hunky dory with Jesus.  One of the reasons for the Great Dechurching effecting Christianity is that it has become a religion with Zero Accountability.

Ghislaine

 Well, the weekend is here.   Was everyone working for it?  I wasn't.  I never do.  Our weekend temps are supposed to be in the mid to upper 80s (F).  We've got a 55% chance of showers and thunderstorms today and a 95% chance tomorrow.  In fact, there are predictions that we might get as much as an inch of rain tomorrow.  If we do, that will keep my lawn green and mowable.  On Monday the temps start heading back into the 90s (F) and the threat of storms goes down. 

Yesterday was one a fairly productive day.  The downstairs was dusted and vacuumed   Both are essential because I'm dealing with a lot of Howie hair.  There was some dog hair with Gertie, Lily, and Biggie, but nothing like what I'm dealing with now.  I have 2 vacuums, an inexpensive one upstairs and an expensive Miele downstairs.  Well, it looks like I'm going to be dragging that inexpensive one up and down the staircase because Howie hair fills the bags in no time; Miele bags are expensive, the others are cheap.

I also got an 11.9 mile ride in yesterday on the hills of Corsica.  Even though I hate them, hills are good for my legs.  Here's my ride.

And the Department of Justice interview Ghislaine Maxwell yesterday; the second interview in 2 days.  They gave her temporary immunity in order for her to give them the answers they're looking for.  There's talk that Orangie wants to pardon her, a convicted sex trafficker in exchange for her telling the world he is not in the Epstein files but other people, Bill Clinton for one, are.  While this might satisfy many in his base, a large majority of Americans will see it as pure corruption.  Personally, I think Maxwell is much safer behind bars.  Let's be honest here, Orangie is not known for honoring his agreements, in fact, just the opposite is true.  Right now she's getting 3 square meals a day, a roof over her head, and her internet capable cellphone.  Outside, she is a walking, talking, and breathing threat.  Someone needs to tap her on her shoulder and remind her that it was under Orangie's last watch that her buddy Jeffy Epstein died under mysterious circumstances.  If she does get pardoned, she needs to make a beeline to a safe country where she can ask for asylum.  Sadly for her, there are not a lot of countries that are going to give her that option.

Where's the Beef?

 We're under a heat advisory for today.  Right now our outside temp is 76 (F) and it is only going to get hotter.  Now that doesn't mean the mercury in our thermometers will be climbing into the triple digits.  Nope.  The forecast is for our temp to hit 95 (F), it's the "real feel" of 104 (F) that's the reason for the advisory.  Thunderstorms this weekend will knock our temps back down into the upper 70s (F) to mid 80s (F).

Yesterday was definitely a meh day when it came to getting things accomplished.  I was scheduled to work and that put a damper on my enthusiasm to do anything else.  I did get some words written, but just a few.  I also got a mini-upper body workout in, but even that was lame.  Certain muscles need more than 48 hours to recover, that's why the week gets broken up in to specific days, such as leg day, and back day, and arm day.  Muscle growth is slow to achieve.

Work, itself, we pretty meh, too.  My supervisors needed to help me cut vinyl.  She doesn't know what she's doing so it ended up all flippy floppy.  The roll should have been firm and it was saggy.  She's a dip.  In her middle 60s, she wants to move up into management and so she's focusing mostly on numbers.  She's taking the wrong tact.  She spends much of her time sitting at a computer and ignoring the fact that even our store manager is out in the aisles packing down product, filling holes in the shelves.  She doesn't understand that the position she wants is a labor intensive 50 hour a week job.  They're not going to promote someone who just wants to supervise.

For those who are counting pennies, the cost for a pound of ground beef is $6.19 here in Central PA.  That beats the national high of $6.12

For those who didn't see, Volkswagen missed their plan by $1.6 billion.  They are the 2nd car company in less than 2 weeks that missed by over a billion.  This is because they're eating the tariffs.  Wall Street is not going to let this continue.  Those car tariffs are going to be coming our way and the cost of a new car is going to go through the roof.

There is chatter that a trade deal with Japan might actually get signed, which is terrible.  The new tariff is supposedly 15%, the old tariff was 2%.  Those added costs are going to be passed on to the consumer, and the added revenue will be paid to billionaires.

Jerome Powell publicly disagreed with the Orange Anus yesterday on live TV.  Orangie's butt was already burning from South Park mockery.  His ego can not deal with this public ridicule.  And he's leaving for Scotland where everybody hates him.  There are going to be protests.  Good.

New approval ratings were released and Orangie's overall approval rating is 37%.  What's truly devastating about that number is that is approval rating among Independent voters is down to 27%.  That number is simply horrific since neither party can do anything without the Independent voters, and right now less than one third of them approve of Orangie and his administration.

Anora

 Well, Thursday has started out all bright and sunny and warm.  Temps are in the mid 70s (F).  Our projected high is in the low to mid 90s (F) and we are under a heat advisory.  Thunderstorms are not in the forecast, at least not until Saturday and Sunday.  This is what summer is:  hot sunny days.

Yesterday was interesting.  I did a short, low impact upper body workout.  Muscles need time to recover. My main goal is to maintain the muscle mass that I have and, possibly, maybe grow a few more muscle cells.  I've seen men in the 90s who look like big babies because they decided to just sit around and let their bodies atrophy with the years.  That's not going to be me.

I also spent some time chatting with an Hewlett Packard tech who finally got my color printer to work.  Something happened when I switched internet providers and I couldn't get the wifi to work.  He had me connect it with a USB cable to my laptop and then remotely went in and reset it.  The printer is still under warranty, a good thing since it took him about 15 minutes.  I watched as he typed different numbers on different screens and truthfully, there is no way I could have gotten it working again.  Now it prints fine.

I watched Anora last evening.  It won the Palme d'or at Cannes, and the Oscar for Best Picture.  It's about a sex worker who meets and marries the goofy, spoiled son of a Russian oligarch.  It's explicit at times, not X rated, but there is plenty of T& A for those of you who appreciate that sort of stuff; believe me, Black Swan was far more explicit, or Beautiful Things.  Anyway, once they get married the movie turns into a sort of slapstick/screwball comedy.  Oh, and there is a love story, but not between Ani and the rich kid.  I liked it a lot.

Also last night, South Park premiered it's 27th season... and it went after the Orange Anus in a big way.  I tried to find the clip on YouTube where Orangie strips down naked and climbs in bed with Satan who rebuffs him.  Orangie's small genitalia are mentioned several times.  I cackled.  I laughed.  I guffawed.  Video clips were all over Threads, so I suppose they're all over both Zitter and Bluesky.  And what makes this episode so great is that there's no mention of the Epstein files.  Nope.  But Orangie in bed with Satan who rejects him is golden.

And, as everyone should have expected, the Wall Street Journal did drop another tasty piece of dirt about the Epstein files.  Tell me, is any body really shocked to find out that Pammy Jo told Orangie his name was in the files back in May.  Of course, most of us already knew he was quite aware of how his name simply permeates those files, so her dropping that bit of info was no surprise to him.  And because Mikey Johnson shut down Congress for the next month the administration is left with trotting out old chestnuts like Hillary's emails.  August is going to be juicy. 

Intros & Narrators

 Our morning mid-week temps here in Central PA are still in the mid-60s (F).  Daily highs tomorrow will start climbing back up into the 90s (F).  That's find.  We are in summer, as season where nights are hot and days are hotter.  Friday's high temp should be in the mid-90s (F),but then the cool off begins as we head back down into the 80s (F).  The risk of afternoon and evening thunderstorms seems to be waning a bit.  These are the dog days of summer.

Yesterday was a day of massive accomplishments!

I talked to my friend Justin about the holly bush out front; he had just gotten off working the night shift and was in no condition to do any trimming.  So I pulled on my big boy britches and went out and trimmed the bush myself.  An hour later the bush was trimmed back to a normal sized and cleanup was complete.  That was in the  morning. 

In the afternoon I went for a 10.87 mile ride in Corsica, a ride with some decent hills.  During that 50+ minute ride I maintained an average heartrate of 128 beats per minute.  I was very pleased.

As some of you know I will, on occasion, listen to music when I write.  When I do so it's usually just one specific artist that manages to hit one specific note in the theme of the book.  This process is serendipitous.  While writing The Body Under Ice I listened to quite a bit of Spanish guitar music.  For The Body in the Tower it was Fallout Boy.  For The Body in 4/4 Time, what I'm calling a musical mystery, it seems as though I've settled on Bastille.  Here's a song called Intros & Narrators that might help you understand what I'm talking about.

No one should be surprised that Mikey Johnson shut down the House of Representatives a day early, his only other choice would have been to let Congress vote on releasing the Epstein files and that was a vote Republicans would have lost terribly.  A lot of people believe that Republicans are protecting a Pedophile, and they are, but most importantly they are protecting their slim hold on power.  Except for his personal polls, most polling shows his approval rating sitting in the very low 40s.  That number is going to keep on eroding.  Tariffs are kicking in and Americans are going to be paying more, much more for certain products.  And don't doubt that Americans will be paying the difference.  General Motors missed plan by $1 billion and Wall Street will put a stop to that loss very fast.

I saw some clips on Threads last evening where the Orange Anus was speaking at some meeting.  He was talking about cavities in the earth that had oil, and that we had drained, and that we had filled up again.  Total nonsense.  And I'm frightened that it is the likes of Pammy Jo Bondi, and Stevie Miller, and Noem the puppy killer who are actually running the country.  Having Orangie in charge is bad enough, but having losers like this acting as co-dictators is a recipe for total disaster.

Be Flat

Can you believe it?  Our outside temp is 64 (F).  Not only is that good sleeping weather, it also means that today's high temp in the low 80s (F) is going to be simply marvelous.   After today, however, that daily high is going to start climbing and by this weekend it will once again be in the low to mid 90s (F).  Honestly, that's fine too.  We do need a break from the afternoon and evening thunderstorms.  We had a mosquito problem over the last couple of years and that issue is continuing this summer.  

Yesterday was a fairly good day.  Some cleaning was done.  Some writing was done.  I completed 6 in The Body in 4/4 Time, it's called B Flat. It's a musical pun on Be Flat.  Our daily lives are filled with ups and downs.  There are moments when we smile and moments when we frown; highs and lows are constant.  While there are some who wish these ups and downs would level out, the truth is that when things are flat there is virtually nothing.  How sad would that be?

I did buy and insect repellent yesterday but I need to use it with caution.  Howie finds the scent interesting.  He tried licking my leg and that simply can't happen.

He and I went on a search for Sven yesterday.  Sven is a gray, hard rubber toy shaped like a hedgehog.  Sven is one of Howie's most favorite toys and Sven decided to go missing.  He was eventually found hiding behind the large aquarium stand in the writing room.  This is Sven.

I saw someone jokingly said that Pammy Jo Bondi was going to open a Department of Justice investigation to find out if the Confederacy did, in fact, lose the Civil War.  This is sadly amusing because of the Orange Anus's name saturates the Epstein files, and he's and his minions are desperately trying to change the subject.  This is the reason Pammy Jo is revisiting, and Orangie, himself, are screeching about a 9 year old election.  Their hopes that this Harpy song will change the course of the conversation away form Epstein will only be justified by their hard core base.  Mikey Johnson's decision to hold off on a House vote for releasing the files until after their summer recess increases the damage Orangie is doing to himself.  They keep digging themselves deeper and deeper.  Their cries demanding things be flat are, in fact, shrieking sharply out of tune with what America wants.

Trump and the AI

 My, didn't that weekend zip by so fast?  Outside, our temps are a comfortable 71(F).  That's fine with me.  Even better, there is not a drop of rain predicted in today's forecast and our high temp is only supposed to be in the mid 80s (F).  We have the same forecast for tomorrow.  This is quite doable.

My first load of laundry for the week is done and is hanging out on the drying rack.  I've not been able to do this for some time because of the frequent rains we've been getting  The less I use my dryer in the summer, the happier I am.  My only issue is with the mosquitoes.  The instant I stepped out the door I was swarmed.  The way I see it I have 2 choices:  wear sweatpants outside during the summer, or invest in some insect repellent.  Were I one of those people who spends hours and hours outside then a bug zapper would also be put into that mix, however I'm only outside a few hours a week so buying one would be a waste of money.

Work yesterday was slow.  Our plan has been lowered for the summer so we might have hit it.  I wasn't really paying that much attention.  On days when it's slow, I go into wordpad and write.  Somedays I can get quite a lot of words written.  Yesterday was one of them.

There was a charge for an additional line on my T-Mobile account this morning.  If they're going to charge me for an additional line and the $55 a month for the internet, this no long becomes a good deal.  I will have to talk to them in order to get this issue resolved.

Overnight Orangie has been posting different AI videos of Obama getting arrested, or in jail epitomizing how much he truly hates our first black president.  I find it interesting that he has always put a token black person in his cabinet and that token usually ends up being a corrupt Christian, an individual who believes he was put into that position to get as much free shit as possible.  Orangie does this in an attempt to influence people of color, hoping they run out and vote for him.  Sadly, there are people dumb enough to believe this, but then there are a large number of dumb people in Ameica and a majority of them are white.

One of the things that went through my head when I saw that JD Vance met with Murdoch in a hush hush meeting was succession.  Now I'm seeing more and more people are looking at that and thinking the same thing.  Could that be why Vance is out of the country so much on vacation, so that he's clean when it comes to not only the Epstein shit, but everything else that's piling up on Orangie?  The big, beautiful bill has already been signed into law, so at this point Orangie is useless.  Vance is far less popular among the cultists than Orangie, and this Epstein shit show has really begun to divide them.  Hhhmm.  Interesting. 

The White Snake

Our outside temps are a bit warmer than yesterday and humidity has crept heavily back into the picture.  Once again the threat of thunderstorms is again on our weather bingo card.  They will probably sweep through the area this afternoon bringing little relief from the humidity.  The temps?  They're not really that hot, upper 80s (F) and sometimes low 90s (F).  That's fine.  We are in summer after all.

I flipped the cushion on the futon in the living room over yesterday.  Way back when Big Seig and Lily were around one of them had discovered a loose thread on one of the seams.  Well, a red fox Labrador who shall remain nameless discovered that weak spot and puzzled at it with his paws until the seam ruptured, spilling foam and stuffing out into the world.  This unnamed lab thought this was a great toy!  He would dig out a piece of foam and then come sit in front of me with an inch or so hanging out of the corner of his mouth.  Such a tease.  So now that cushion has been flipped, and there's no seam, no foam, and no tease.

While the store wasn't going to  make plan yesterday, the flooring department had a steady stream of customers.  I sold some flooring but didn't go out of my way to sell any installs.  I talked to 2 different customers, answered a lot of questions, but didn't push for them to pay for a measure tech to go out to their houses.  I did let both of them know that they could set up measure appointments on line.  Online sales are split between the three of us who are sales associates, and that's fine with me.

Yesterday, in the long stretch between those 2 customers, I decided to get in some steps by walking up the the Service Desk to pick up returned merchandise for the department.  Halfway there, I saw one of our cashiers approaching me.  As I got closer I realized that he had a white snake around his neck.  Some people have an aversion to snakes, I have no problem with them.  So we chatted a bit about snakes, and frozen rats.  He was excited because he'd bought a baby boa earlier in the day.  I asked him if I could take his picture and he said yes, so here's Connor (sp) and his white snake.

And of course yesterday was just one more day in the continuous stream of days that make of this administration's shit show.  Many people believe that Orangie is terrified of the Epstein files being released.  I don't think so.  I do think Orangie is incapable of knowing fear.  Anger? Yes.  Rage? Truly so.  I understand he was rage posting last night on Truth Social about Obama and the 2016 election.  Hate and blame are his meat and potatoes.  Oh, and pleasuring in pedophilia.  Orangie is not scared of what might happen to him.  He is seething, and I don't doubt for a second that if you get to close to him he will physically strike you.  And this is a good thing.  

Murdoch vs Trump

 Our outside temp here is a cool 68 (F), the skies are cloudy, and we have a persistent drip, drip, drip of rain.  A warmup is expected... somewhat, this afternoon, though the humidity is predicted to soar into the uncomfortable zone.  I work this afternoon, so it really doesn't bother me too much.  Tomorrow we're back to our standard highs in the upper 80s (F) with the usual 45% chance of showers and thundershowers.

We are halfway through July and so far our weather patterns are different then what we've had in the past.  Temp wise they're about the same as in past years.  These are the dog days of summer and it's supposed to hot... and dry, and that's where the difference is.  We have, so far, and if the forecasters are to be believed, are in the middle of a rather wet summer.  There is the possibility that the dry spells will begin in August, so we can't rule them out.  Still, unless something changes, there will be no long, hot, sunny days with the cicadas plaintively singing for a mate.

I got a really good upper body workout done yesterday.  Some words were written.  

The firefly left the bottle and found a safe spot on one of the kitchen cabinets.  Last evening I scooped him up and set him free in the outside world.

And I don't know about you, but I'm safe.

I was not surprised yesterday when I saw that the Orange Anus was suing the Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones, and Rupert Murdoch for $10 billion.  If you weren't expecting this, you must be living on Jupiter.  This is standard operating procedure for Orangie; when he doesn't like something, he sues.  That dollar figure alone is certain to get more people talking about Orangie and Epstein.  There had been communication between Orangie and the Wall Street Journal prior to the bombshell article being published, so you can bet he threatened them with a lawsuit.  After Murdoch's $787 million out of court settlement with Dominion over Fox's lies about the 2016 election, you can bet that's he's learned from his mistake.  The odds are probably quite high that the WSJ has more damaging information regarding the Orangie/Epstein relationship.  While I don't doubt that the Oligarchy is tremendously pleased for the tax cut, I would not be surprised if most of them despise Orangie.  They all know he's a puss bag.  They also know it would suit their purposes better to have someone less reprehensible in the White House.  With all of their billions, I'm surprised that the know so little.

Politicalized Cancellation

 Well, the end of the work week has finally arrived.  Our current outside temp is 75 (F).  If the forecasters are correct, it's only going to be climbing another 7 degrees until it reaches today's predicted high.  We shall see this afternoon how accurate they are because since summer began, their highs have been low.

I worked yesterday.  It was slow.  I did sell vinyl planking for a staircase.  I'm about halfway to my sales goal for the week.  

Something nice did happen.  A fan of my books let me know she was finding The Body in History compelling.  That's such a nice word to hear when you write something, that it's being appreciated.  However, I asked her if she was picking up on any of the mythological elements and she wasn't.  Ouch.  Sybil is another way of saying oracle and there are a number of famous Sybils in Greek mythology, three of which stand out.  And, of course... are you waiting for it?  There are 3 Sybils in The Body in History.

Remember back when you were a child and most summer evenings meant chasing and trying to catch fireflies?  Well, nowadays I don't have to do that.  One of them has made it into the house and taken up residence in the bottle I use to water my plants.  I will set him free this evening, that is if I can get him out of the bottle.

In case you haven't heard, CBS/Paramount has decided to cancel the Stephen Colbert show because of... financial reasons.  Of course, that's not the true reason.  In the real world Shari Redstone, the controlling shareholder or Paramount wants to sell her shares to Skydance Media.  The sale is/was huge and required government approval.  In order to make this sale a done deal, Shari paid off Orangie's administration with a $16 million dollar bribe... calling it an out of court settlement for Orangie's claim that CBS had edited a Kamala Harris interview.  On July 7 the government approved the the sale.  Because Colbert is on occasion critical of Orangie, who's ego gets bruised very easily, many believe the termination of his show, the most popular on late night TV, was politically motivated.  I'm with that crowd.  Maybe greedy Shari will suffer through scabies for the rest of her life.

And finally, Orangie's administration revealed that he has some sort of venous issue going on. This revelation is odd because he's always in perfect shape.  Again, many believe something more serious is effecting him and I agree with them, however, I also believe this is just another piece of shit Orangie's throwing at the wall in order to get people to stop talking about Epstein.

The Distinct Possibility

We had rain yesterday, thunder during the late afternoon and drizzling showers.  We did get rain overnight, I know because Howie's mud puddles are full of water.  We're under a heat warning for today.  Even though the temps are only supposed to climb into the low 90s (F) Accuweather is saying that the heat index will be around 104 (F).  I have questions.  Wouldn't the actual temperature be worse for you than what the temperature feels like?  And does the heat index effect everybody, or just certain people?  I mean, people who are hot and bothered when the temp is 75 (F), are they all melty on the ground when the heat index hits 104 (F)?  Inquiring minds want to know.

Things did get done yesterday.  A nice upper body and ab workout in the late morning followed by words getting written in the afternoon.  I spent some time getting to know the new car.  I'm discovering all sorts of little, specialties.  For example, when you open the driver's door a night a light goes on that illuminates the ground so you can see where you're putting your feet.  It had never occurred to me that this might be a beneficial feature.

I do get to work today.  I'm not excited.  I suspect business will be slow, not as slow as in February when no one is leaving their houses, but slow enough to get in a lot of steps.

And by now most people know that Trump is not into little girls because he tends to be mendacious, as in this bit he posted on Truth Social.

Yes, he actually posted this.  Can you here me laughing?  Loyalists like Mikey Johnson are supposedly breaking with Orangie and calling for the release of the Epstein files.  Even JD sofa man Vance has publicly called for their release.  This implies several things: there could be some serious AI work going on to alter and/or remove Orangie's name from the documentation; or there is a behind the scenes movement on to dump him using the 25th amendment.  Conservatives do need him, or at least his physical presence, to satisfy his base, however, once they achieve their agenda he's no longer necessary.  Take for example the $9 billion in finance cuts the Senate passed in the early morning hours.  Main Stream Media is calling this a win for Orangie, yet these are the very same cuts Conservatives have been salivating about for years.  Does this mean Orangie is just a figurehead president?  That's a distinct possibility.  

Superman

 So, this is the 2nd time I've written this today.  What happened?  Google so desperately wants me to use AI to write this a window popped up over halfway through today's post asking me if I wanted to use AI, when I clicked on no, everything I'd written disappeared.  That's the 2nd time this has happened.

Anyway, yesterday's weather did not follow the forecast.  Instead of having thunderstorms in the afternoon, we had sunshine.  True, the humidity was high, but the storms stayed away.  Supposedly we're going to get the rains today.  One thing that is for certain is that it's very humid right now.

Yesterday was another one of those days that things got done but not a lot of things were accomplished, if you know what I mean.  The problem was that I didn't make a list in the morning,  If I don't create a "to do" list my mind will dawdle on the unimportant.  Running around yesterday morning was one of the things I did.  Picking up a new aquarium light for the tank in the living room was one of the few concrete chores completed.

Last night I did go see Superman.  I liked it a lot.  David Corenswet is good as the Man of Steel.  I think, perhaps, the strongest performance was by Nicholas Hoult.  You know Lex Luthor is bad, but his malignance is hidden behind layers of smooth talking affability.  Just as you think you know where the story is headed, a reveal takes you in another direction.  Whereas most superhero movies use the first half to set up the big fight during the last half, in Superman you are hit with new surprises even during the fight. Even the true insidiousness of Lex Luthor is a surprise.

Of course, the Epstein scandal is still dogging the Orange Anus.  His entire political is based on forming one coalition consisting of many conspiracy groups and now reality has come to bite him in the ass.  Believe me when I say we should really fell sorry for reality.  Now, the GOP, which has wallowed deeply into this swamp in order to gain power, is stuck in quicksand.  Do not doubt that sucking sound you hear as they get sucked under is a great joy to many ears.  Every day there is a new desperate twist or turn, so many flips and flops they're struggling to keep up with the changes.  Things are flying at them so fast, I don't think many of them realize that every sound bite, every tweet, every interview is going to come back to haunt them.

And then there are Orangie's bruises, the ones that are being covered up with make-up because too many people were beginning to pay attention to them.  They imply he is not in the best of health.  If something were to happen to him, we'd be stuck with Vance, a man whom every one derides. 

The Good Thing

 Well, we did have rain yesterday afternoon.  We had a lot of rain.  Inches. I'm going to guess at least 4 inches fell in about an hour's time.  This storm was the reason certain parts of New Jersey are under a state of emergency because of this storm.  Certain areas of New York City were flooded as well.  The temps did drop afterward, but today's forecast is for the humidity to climb, so that this afternoon there will be, once again, the potential for heavy rains.

On result of the heavy rains was that my backyard did flood.  Outside the back door the water was about 2 inches deep.  Howie has no problem with rain or puddles of water, however he did decide to dig a hole and in doing so created made his self rather muddy.  Fun and joy commenced when  he came back into the house.

For me, yesterday was both eventful and noneventful, mostly because I ended up sitting at Faulkner Subaru for 3 hours.  No, my Crosstrek wasn't in need of repairs.  The original plan back in 2018 was to buy a car that was going to last for 15 years.  Well, I realized 7 years into the plan and had to put 4 new tires on my car that maintenance was going to get very expensive. It was also going to need new brakes.  And we do have these stupid tariffs; prices will go up and the probability of them coming back down is slim to none.  So, on days when I was working, I began searching.  I ended up choosing a Subaru Outback, much bigger than my Crosstrek.  As always, the color was very important.  I went with a color called Mahogany Pearl, or, as I've been telling people:  Purple.

From what I did see yesterday, the big news was that Charlie Kirk, the Cultist with no upper lip, flip-flopped on the Epstein problem.  After calling for every bit of the Epstein files to be released, this lipless wonder now says that we should move on...  Of course, this flip came after he received a personal phone call from the Orange Anus.  I'm betting that call was filled with coercive threats rather than casual requests.  Right now the question is whether Kirk's followers will drink the Kool-Aid.  Some may, but many, I suspect, believe so deeply the Epstein files will prove George Soros and high ranking Democrats are child traffickers, that it has now become one of their core values.  Crushing that belief will crack them apart mentally.  This is a good thing.

South of Midnight

 If Accuweather is correct, today's going to be filled with heavy humidity, the occasional shower, and what seems to be the ever present thunderstorm with torrential downpours.  We are in a flood watch.  My house is on the top of one of the highest hills around, if I have to deal with any floodwaters, they'll be in my basement.

I spent a full shift at the store yesterday and I only talked to two customers.  The first was an older woman from Trenton who was here helping her daughter put carpet in two of her rooms.  The second was a middle-aged woman and her mother.  Her main concern was the carpet padding.  The padding she was looking at was top of the line with a moisture barrier on the top.  She was concerned about spilling something on the carpet directly over a padding seam and having the spill soak through to her subfloor.  I told her not to worry, they tape the padding together to create a complete moisture barrier.  This was a non-issue that she chose to amplify, at least in her mind, into something major.

I started started a new game, South of Midnight, where I play a teenage black girl living in the bayous of Louisiana.  I've never played as a this type of character, so this is different.  The game is interesting.  The only drawback is that it uses the same game mechanics as Star Wars: The Last Jedi and I'm used to Skywalker running along walls, and double jumping.

And the Idiocracy from this administration's cup of incompetence continues to overflow.  Puppy Killer Noem was fact checked on Fox Entertainment about FEMA's terrible response to the floods in Texas.  I don't doubt Kristi was expecting some softly padded questions.  She evidently didn't get the memo that Fox Entertainment is now and has always been tabloid entertainment.  People dying because she was too busy playing dress-up is just the fodder they need to feed their regular audience.

The Epstein story has longer legs than Orangie want ever wanted.  He thought people would obey him when he said it's time to move on.  Frankie Graham's in the mix, too.  The fact that Orangie was most likely in the sex-trafficking business with Epstein makes both Frankie and his version of Christianity look bad.  Pammy Jo Bondi is also getting put under a microscope since she was the Attorney General of Florida over the years that Epstein had his business located in that state.  Was Pammy Jo on the take to turn her head?  Is that why she never prosecuted Epstein?  Stay tuned, this story is going to run Orangie straight to Hell.

 

Epstein

 Happy Sunday morning!  According to Accuweather, the outside temp is 77 (F).  How accurate is Accuweather?  Yesterday our temps were predicted to climb into the mid to upper 80s (F) - 87 (F) was the predicted high.  When I drove out of the parking lot of the great orange home improvement retailer I work for at 7:00 PM the temp was 93 (F).  While a 6 degree spread is not tremendous, for the past week Accuweather has been underestimating our daily highs.  I wonder if this has anything to do with staffing.

I did manage to set up a carpet measure yesterday, but otherwise work was truly boring.  I suspect today will be a repeat.  The skies are overcast and there is a threat of showers and thunderstorms, and it's humid, not the kind of weather that appeals to home improvement shoppers.  Even the dreaded words "flash floods" are in the forecast.  We've had floods in the area, but never any flash floods.  The Susquehanna River is 3/4 of a mile wide here in Harrisburg, when the river hits floods stage the distance from shore to shore is over a mile and the current is fast.  A number of years ago when ice damns up river broke and the river flooded I watched as a shed floated past me as I drove down Front Street in Lemoyne.

The new Superman movie started this past weekend and it's raking in the buckos.  One of the men who played Superman on TV, Dean Cain, says that it's Woke.  Old Deano was so typecast by that part he couldn't get a job afterwards, or perhaps his acting chops weren't that good.  Anyway, I saw this yesterday and it made me laugh.

And most main stream media is skirting the issue of Orangie and his pal Epstein, but social media is on fire with that subject.  It was the main topic at Turning Point USA, the faux Christian group that so heavily pushed for Orangie to get elected.  They want the truth, even though they're not at all prepared to deal with the fact that they've put a pedophile in the White House.  And Orangie, true to form, believed that all he had total control over his cult, that he could say "change the subject," and they would automatically change the subject.  But that ain't happening here, they're ignoring him.  His base believes the Epstein files will incriminate high ranking Democrats, they will prove that Hillary was running a child sex trafficking ring and they want that information made public.  Except... they're beginning to grasp the reality of that narrative being false, that it's Orangie who figures predominantly in  the Epstein files.  And, like moths being drawn to the proverbial flame, they can not stop from incinerating themselves.  Till this thing is done, there will be nothing left of the Republican Party.

Bongino, Bondi, and the B Movie

 When I woke up this morning, the outside temps was 75 (F) and the skies were overcast.  Once again we have a 40% chance of precipitation in the form of possible thunderstorms.  That's right, it's the same forecast as yesterday. We have the same forecast for tomorrow.  On Monday it's supposed to change.  The probability of precipitation goes up. 

Monday is also the day my new schedule starts.  The total number of hours stays the same, but now I have Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday off.  Personally, I preferred the 4 sequential days off, but having 3 and then 1off isn't bad either.  September 4 is my anniversary date and I'll be getting 80 hours of paid vacation.  Even though I'm not planning on using it for any specific purpose, it comes in handy.  I used 24 hours when bought my washer and dryer so I didn't have to take too much out of my savings.

I got a nice upper body workout in yesterday using the new band.  All the band exercises were bumped up 10 pounds.  Rather than increase the weight when the reps get too easy, I increase the number of reps.  My main goal is to increase strength not muscle size; bulging biceps are for younger men.

Last evening's dinner was a nice shrimp salad.  The leftovers will be today's lunch before I head off to work.

I see where Metallica has filed a cease and desist order against Pete Hegseth because he used one of their songs in some idiotic commercial about drones.  He is a clueless TV personality whom Orangie things looks good on TV; that's the only reason he got the job as Secretary of Defense.

And the saga of the Epstein tapes has taken another twist.  Danny Bongino is threatening to quit his job as Director of the FBI if Orangie doesn't sack Bondi because she lied about the Epstein list and files.    You see releasing that file and list was a big campaign promised made by Orangie.  Many of his cultists believe that George Soros and high ranking Democrats figure heavily on that list.  Bondi, however, now knows that it isn't Soros but Orangie who is saturating the pages of those documents.  The cultists almost understand this now, which is why they want everything revealed: it's the only way to prove Orangie's innocence.  Can you hear me laughing.  If that list is made public it will be the end of Orangie.  And Bongino wants Bondi gone so the truth may be told.  However, Bondi knows too much now.  This is almost like watching some really bad B movie because you know the ending is going to because we already know the ending.

 

The Truth about Woke

 Weather wise in Central PA, today is going to be a repeat of yesterday: high in the upper 80s (F) with middlin' humidity. We're under the same 40% chance of thundershowers, though none moved through the area yesterday, or if they did, they were far enough away no one knew they were happening.

And things were accomplished yesterday morning, however I made the mistake of picking up Lo Mein for lunch at my neighborhood Giant supermarket and things went downhill from there.  All those carbs sitting in my belly amplified the feeling that I would really serve myself better by taking a nap rather than going for a ride on the bike.  Unfortunately, the nap won out.  

During the morning, however, much was accomplished.  I'd gotten a $50 gift card from Firestone for buying my tires from them.  I spent most of it yesterday morning at Dicks buying a 50 lb band and a pair of house shorts.  For those who don't know, house shorts have a draw string, as opposed to requiring a belt.  They are casual wear designed for the privacy of your home.  They are the summer version of sweatpants.  I find it amusing that the same men who wear house shorts in public, like when they feel the need to pick up a claw hammer at the big orange retailer I work for, are the same men who will wear sweatpants out for the same reason.  Perhaps if they looked like they'd just come from the gym, but believe me, that never happens.  And it's just as true with the ladies, though theirs tend to have designs, like pink pussy cats or brown puppy dogs.

Here's a picture of the band.

And Orangie's tariffs on again, off again tariffs are on again.  There is a difference this time.  As Justin Wolfer says back in April, Orangie's tariff announcement rocked the world, yesterday a moose in Canada sighed.  Last evening, after the announcement of a 50% tariff on Brazil, that country announced and enormous trade deal with China.  Nobody gives a shit about Orangie's tariffs anymore, they've all gone elsewhere and all we are going to get is higher prices.

I don't know if many of you have realized it yet, but when cultists shriek and moan about something being woke, what they're really doing is complaining about compassion.  They are an inconsiderate crowd who prefer selfishness to selflessness.  Their mantra has become "what's in it for me." Kindness is something they may dole out to their family, and possibly a few friends, they prefer being kind to themselves. Evangelicals are only kind when they can proselytize.  Many are anti-woke simply because woke people have no restrictions on their compassion.  Woke people give compassion to those in need without any thoughts of compensation.  I'm wondering if American Capitalism has taught some of us to be so selfish.

 

The Expendables

 Well the  forecasters were sort of right yesterday, we did have rain in the late afternoon, drizzles and showers throughout the evening.  We have the same forecast for today, and tomorrow, and into the middle of next week.  Will we get rain every day?  I don't doubt it.  Summers are not the same as they were.  We did have a bit of a heat wave in early June, those used to occur in late July and August.  Of course, we're still early into summer so things may change.

Yesterday was one of those, "well, I'm not going to get a lot done today," days, mostly because of my appointment at the VA clinic in Lebanon.  I did have plans for when I left, however there were delays.  My consultation started 20 minutes late and then we spent 15 minutes talking about my bloodwork.  Then it was decided that I should have an EKG since it's been 8 years since I had the last one.  Tomorrow, I'll go in and check out that report.  I also had to sit through a detailed instruction on colonoscopy prep.  Crap, two days before the procedure I need to stop eating everything I normally eat. 

Anyway, I didn't get home until after 3:30 PM, so as far as I was concerned the day was pretty much a waste.  Wait, that's not quite right, I did finish Intermezzo 2 in The Body in 4/4 Time.  That's right, this book will have both chapters and intermezzos.  There's even an Overture.

I did start growing another carrot.  I planted the other one I'd started outside.  Evidently that's what you're supposed to do when it starts growing roots.

And you have to admit that Orangie's failure to deal with Epstein is... remarkable.  That moral degenerate is so desperate he's raised the tariffs on Brazilian exports to 50% in the hopes of getting people to talk about something else.  Lucky for us tariffs and Tacos are synonymous. Previously such an announcement would have sent the Dow plummeting, but not anymore.  Orangie is a now a broken record when it comes to tariffs.  

Remember when Orangie said he was going to get rid FEMA?  That money could best be served in giving himself and other billionaires a tax break.  Well, it seems that Puppy Killer Kristi Noem waited 2 days to activate FEMA's Search and Rescue Team after the horrific flood in Texas.  This is her way of telling those victims "you're on your own, baby!"  Whether they understand it or not, this is what those Texans voted for, of course no one ever told those parents whose children were washed away that their lives had now become expendable.  Surprise! in the eyes of billionaires, everyone who isn't one is expendable.

Rebirth

 Well, we did have thunderstorms yesterday.  We even got rain, though there was no downpour at my house.  There was thunder and lightning, and a bit of wind, but otherwise the worst parts of the storm moved around me.  The temps dropped briefly afterwards, but then climbed back up into the upper 80s (F).  We have the same forecast for today.  

I did get a nice ride in yesterday in Corsica.  At present it's one of my favorite rides.  I rode 10.71 miles.  Today it's free weights and bands this morning, and then a ride down to the Lebanon VA for an appointment.  I have to schedule one of those dreadful colonoscopies, not because anything is wrong.  Nope, my doctor just recommended that I do it, and there's nothing wrong with being precautious.

I went to the movies last evening and it was... interesting.  The young man who sold me my ticket was, I think, more concerned with the fact that he was the only one at the concession stand selling tickets and a line was quickly growing behind me.  He'd called for help twice and no one seemed to be coming for help.

Then, during the movie, my friend Patty became irate because the little boy behind her kept kicking her seat.  She turned around and asked his mother to have him stop. His mother said he was moving to another seat, but 10 minutes later he was back.  And he talked because he's a little boy.  He commented in his little boy voice about what was happening on the screen.  He and his mother really should have moved to different seats.  Instead they stayed until my friend stood up and, with no filters, told them she was tired of him kicking her fucking seat.  They moved.

And what movie did I go see?  Jurassic World, Rebirth.  It was fine.  Entertaining.  There was also a lot of reworking of scenes from the original Jurassic World.  It wasn't all a rehash.  Raptors made an appearance, but only briefly, which was nice. They had become a too reliable predator.  T-Rex returned in a rather nice scene.  Probably the biggest surprise was Jonathan Bailey, who was last seen singing and dancing in Wicked.  He did a fine job at playing a nerdy dinosaur guy who is neither meek not mild.

And MAGA world is still flipping out about the Jeffrey Epstein lists disappearing.  I'm enjoying this.  The really big problem for Republicans is that for a very long time they promised the cultists blood, and now they want them to forget those promises.  Does Orangie's name permeate the list?  I don't doubt.  Another fly in the ointment is that it now appears that during a certain period of time Epstein was collaborating with the FBI in their investigation of insider trading on Wall Street, providing them with a lot of juicy information.  This means it's probably not only himself and other perverts that Orangie is protecting, or maybe I should say blackmailing... or maybe I should say extorting.  If this is the case, I wonder how much those billionaires are willing to pay for protection.  And you know, Orangie would love this kind of racket.

Assumptions Gone Wrong

 My Tuesday is the first of 4 sequential days off.  Usually I rather enjoy having this many days off in a row, but the weather forecast for the next 4 days is not that good: high humidity with thunderstorms predicted for the afternoon.  High temps are forecast to be in the mid to upper 80s (F), but the chance of thunderboomers is going to limit the time I can use my drying rack outside.  

I had a nice long chat with Verizon yesterday because they processed my monthly autopay.  I'd canceled the service and returned the router over 2 weeks ago.  Well... it seems as though I only canceled my router, and not my FIOS internet.  They assumed I was going to be using my own router.  Don't you just love when it's okay for corporate America to make an assumption, but you the consumer simply cannot?  For them it is always a gray area, but for you and I it always black or white.

Before going to work yesterday, I got a very decent upper body workout complete.  Work, itself, was oh so boring... except for my first 15 minutes on the floor.  When I got to the store yesterday the parking lot was nearly empty and I assumed it was going to be slow.  Nope.  We had one aisle associate scheduled and I walked into the department and found 6 customers waiting.  Of course, when those customers were taken care of there was no one else for the next 4 and a half hours.  No one, except myself and the aisle associate.  Slow days are upon us.

And the cultists went into overdrive yesterday when Orangie's pet Attorney General made the statement that there was no Epstein client list.  "How can this be?!" they shrieked on Truth Social and Zitter.  After everything they'd been spoon-fed for years, Bondi had to be lying.  As several people said on Threads and Bluesky, "they are so close to getting it."  Sadly, I do believe that truth is always going to be just out of reach for them.  They are correct, however, in believe she and Kash Patel are lying.  Their dark little hearts are terrified that these lies have one singular purpose, covering up the fact that Orangie's name is practically synonymous with Epstein.  They both had a penchant for little girls.  Someone else brought up the fact that Orangie had bragged about walking through the dressing rooms of the Miss Teen USA Pageant when those young ladies where half dressed.  The truth is right in front of their eyes, but they would rather assume he's telling the truth rather than deal with the black and white of reality.

Another "Once in 100 years" flash flood

 And so, a new week begins.  Our outside temp is 75 (F) which is warm for so early in the morning (0719).  Our forecast high for today is 90, we shall probably go a bit higher until the thunderstorms pass through late this afternoon and evening.  When I left work yesterday at 6 M the temp outside was 92 (F), and that was warm.  After today's and tomorrow's storms our afternoon high should be hovering in the mid 80s (F).

And I did work yesterday.  A full shift.  Well, almost a full shift.  I was supposed to start work at 10:30 and left the house around 10:25.  Honestly, I had no real desire to go sit at the flooring desk.  There isn't a doubt in my mind that this is because of all the shit happening in the country. I am preparing myself for it to get worse before it gets better.

I went outside this morning wearing my shorts and gnats swarmed my legs.  For some reason they're bad here, possible because I'm so close to the river.  When my neighbor Eileen still lived next door, she always wore sweat pants and a thin long sleeve shirt outside to do lawn work.  I may have to go to Community Aid and pick up some cheap old shirts.   

The 2nd, and probably last season of Sandman started on July 2 (there's been a problem with Neil Gaiman).  Instead of watching any of the episodes when I got home from work last evening, I died a number of times playing Oblivion.  This one of the things about gaming, you are always forced to learn from your mistakes otherwise you will never stop dying.

And this bit about Nebraska is fairly true, though back in June Pellen said he saw the budget as a challenge, it may be more challenging than he thought.

One of Nebraska's state senators had said that the budget was only "sleight of hand," to make it appear balanced when in actuality it was not.  Keep in mind that Nebraska is a Republican red state and even in the depths of fiscal crisis will never admit to have making a mistake.

II see that the Orange Anus' tariff deadline has been extended to August 1.  This is because no country, except for Vietnam, has responded.  I guess there may be frameworks, or possible the concept of frameworks for trade deals, but as of yesterday nothing had been carved in stone.  Bessent, the idiot, said yesterday on State of the Union that "no countries got back to us."  Someone should tell Orangie that if he's trying to work a trade deal and his demands are being ignored, than he's not the great deal maker he's been claiming to have been for years.

A final note on the flooding in Texas.  It is true that the NWS was understaffed by a number of positions, though they did send out warnings.  One of the problems is that when I get a ping on my phone in the middle of the night telling there is a flash flood warning I sleep through it, and these floods happened during the early morning hours.  What no one seems to be talking about is that in September 2024 we had what they call a "100 year," flash flood in North Carolina that killed 107, and now, 9 months later and half way across the country, we have a 2nd "once in 100 years," flash flood.  So, how long will it be before we have a 3rd "once in 100 years," flash flood.

Trump Murders

 Temps got up into the low 90s (F) here yesterday.  With a 0% chance of precipitation there were no showers, no storms, and humidity was rather middlin'.  We have the same forecast for today.  Tomorrow, however, is a different story.  Humidity is going to creep back into the area and our chance of showers and storms goes up to 40%.  In fact that % is stuck in the mid 40 percentile range for the next few days, that is unless Chantal changes course slightly. 

I did get an 8 mile bicycle ride in yesterday morning before heading out to work.  It was fine.  I listened to a Linkin Park playlist.  They were one of my favorite groups until Chester Bennington drank half a bottle of whiskey and committed suicide.  Thinking about someone doing something so stupid pissed me off so much I stopped listening to them.  I think enough time has passed, besides, they have a new lead singer and she's rather good.

And, being that it is the weekend, I also worked.  For a Saturday, business was slow.  I did bring up the subject of empty spaces beginning to clutter up our shelves with several people, one of whom works in our garden department.  The main thread of all of these conversations was that the number of products we are able to sell is declining.  This is a direct result of tariffs.  The only trade agreement that has been signed is with Vietnam and what to we import from Vietnam? The Switch, a gaming console is our biggest import.  That's going to make the economy great.

Remember Harold Lutnick?  He's the billionaire jerk who was made Secretary of Commerce.  He's also the man who said cutting 600-800 jobs in the NWS (National Weather Service) was not going to hurt us.  It's estimated that and additional 1200 to 1400 hundred positions were cut in NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration); weather forecasters who deal with hurricane predictions.  The decision to eliminate all of these jobs falls directly on the shoulders of Trump.  He is now a murderer, not that he wasn't before, and the body count is going to continue.

The Social Security Lie

 For those of you not living in Central PA, the weather for this holiday weekend is great.  Temps in the high 80s (F).  Full sunshine.  Low humidity.  Of course I have to work.  I'm scheduled off Tuesday through Saturday.  The threat of thunderstorms will be returning on, as you might expect, Tuesday, and will increase throughout the week.   

I did get my lawn mowed on Thursday morning.  My friend Justin did not show up to help trim the large holly bush out front.  I think I mentioned that he had a serious brain bleed (stroke) so this is how his brain works now.  I will probably start trimming back the branches on Tuesday, when the humidity returns.

So, what did I do yesterday to celebrate our nation's birthday?  Nothing very patriotic.  I did get a good upper body workout in, Garmin called it intense.  My arms and shoulders are still a bit... not sore, but I can still feel the individual muscles when I move them.  This is actually a good thing.

My new controller will be arriving today while I'm at work.  I switched to an old spare controller, but it, too, has its problems.  Instead of constantly moving forward like the really bad one, Occasionally the line of sight on this one will move upwards until you're looking straight up.  

Last evening I talked to my friend Betsy and, as usual, politics came up.  Not having checked her email for the day, she hadn't yet seen that politicized email sent out by the Social Security Administration.

For those of you who are not retired, every retiree in the country with an email address got an email extolling the virtues of Orangie's shit stain legislation.  It actually claimed that we would not get tax free Social Security.  That's a blatant lie.  Even main stream media was pointing it out.  Instead of actually making Social Security tax free for those of us who work, Republicans are giving us an additional deduction which will reduce the amount of tax we pay in to the IRS. Oh, and this wonderful tax relief is going to expire in 2 years.  They see it as a way to get you to vote Republican just when Orangie is about to leave office.  They are a conniving bunch, aren't they.