Photoshop This

Well, the weather outside is crappy.  The temps is in the low 70s (F) and we have very light rain.  Showers and thundershowers are headed our way for later this morning and into this early afternoon.  This is not good yardwork weather.  Things will be improving during the evening hours.

I did get my upper body workout in yesterday.  I also worked yesterday.  It was a good day for flooring.  One of my fellow specialists sold a hardwood installation for $20,000.  That's nice.  Management is quite happy.  I have a $25,000 tile floor installation in a restaurant that is not going to go through.  The customer signed up for the free measure just to get the square footage, he'll have someone else install it for a lot less.  The tile he chose to get the quote is too thin to support the heavy traffic of a restaurant.  When I told him this, he said, "no problem, none of my employees are heavy," and laughed.  

Even though it's drizzly outside, I am going to try and get some yard cleanup done, though nothing with the chainsaw.  It's electric.  Water and electricity are not a good combination.  I suspect the rest of the week is going to be very busy.

So, if you happened to watch the Australian feed during the World Cup ceremony, you heard the announcer say of the Orange Anus, "they'll just edit him out."  Well, that is exactly what both Spain and FIFA did.

And guess who had his feeling hurt?  Guess who blew a shitty little gasket?  Orangie.  He was so furious that both Spain and FIFA made that moment about the winners and not him, his allies started photoshopping him into all sorts of pictures.  I suspect that this means he's entering into his omnipresent stage of dementia, when even though he wants you to believe he's everywhere, in reality he is nowhere.

We're also discovering that this administration has been lying about the number of casualties in Orangie's war with Iran.  Why am I not surprised?  Orangie needs all of his decisions to be seen as good, so all the bad get's swept under the carpet, or at least so he and his admin believe.  This is why they hate leakers.

Word also comes that Kegsbreath Hegseth now wants to "cloak" military expenses.  This either means that the grift is becoming obvious, or they're about to break the backs of the American taxpayer, or, and this is most likely, both are happening.  Or, and this might be true also, Keggie's makeup artist wants a raise.

Finally, Russ Vaught is leaving one of his positions.  He'll still be with the administration, but he'll no longer be in charge of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.  For those who missed it, he got his ass yelled at badly at a Congressional hearing.  Like all conservatives, he truly hates taking responsibility for his actions.  He'll still be working with Orangie, but this is a step in the right direction.

Trump Embarrasses America... Again

Last night our temp dropped down to 61 (F).  That's good sleeping weather.  If the long range forecast sticks, which is very unlikely as there's a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico that looks to be heading north, our daily highs should be in the low 80s (F).  Our overnight temps should drop into the low 60s (F).  Again, I can live with this.

I worked yesterday.  Business was slow.  I almost made my sales goal, but not quite, but that's about it.  While not be super busy during the summer, we're usually steady. so selling installs and reaching our sales goals is not that big of a problem.  However, things are much more expensive now then they've every been.  We are offering promotions, however, 15% off a carpet installation is not a big enough incentive while other prices are constantly rising.  I'm lucky in that I can work in 2 different departments, 3 if you count appliances.  Many other part-time associates have only been trained to work in their home department.  While full-time associates might think they're safe, many retailers see lowered sales as a good reason to eliminate those positions, replacing them with one or 2 part-timers who don't need to get paid for an 8 hour shift.

And I did buy a chainsaw yesterday.  I bought the same model I used to own.  I don't know how much I'm going to use it this morning, since I'm scheduled to work this afternoon. Tomorrow?  Rain is expected.

Of course Howie is in stick heaven.

And here's a bit of a funny thing:  An Italian sculptor living in New York named Sergio Furnari took it upon himself to sculpt a statue of Charlie Kirk. He spent a lot of his own money thinking the statue would make millions.  Besides being ugly, no one wants it, in fact, Sergio is quite upset that he's being inundated with emails from people telling him that they're going to piss on it.  So tell me, would you... piss on it?

Finally, the Orange Anus made an ass out of himself again yesterday at the world cup.  Argentina learned about the Trump Curse.  When the Anus refused to leave the stage, the Australian announcer said, "we'll just edit him out."  The Spanish networks did just that.  A number of other foreign announcers noted how Orangie was "booed mercilessly," as he walked across the field to the stage.  And, of course, he refused to leave, even when they tried to escort him off and so he stood there by himself, embarrassing the hell out of the United States.

Storm Damage

Outside, our temps is a comfortable 70 (F) and the humidity is gone.  Today is supposed to be nice and sunny, and, since today is Sunday, I have to work.  This is a pisser since I do have... yardwork* that needs to be tended to.  The rest of the week is supposed to be nice and sunny, with daily highs in the low to mid 80s (F) with no humidity.  This means that I'll have plenty of time to do my tending.

I postponed my workout for yesterday morning.  My knee was feeling a bit cranky.  I'm thinking of not renewing my Trainwell subscription when it expires at the end of August.  I'm looking at what expense I have and the fact that I am, as I get older, working less and less.  This means starting to rely on my social security, something I'm loathe to do at this point.  Even though it's easy to rationalize spending over $500 for an online trainer, I do realize that sometimes the rationalization is being forced.

And at work we discovered that there was an improvement in the recording of our sales goals.  There was a time when if you set up a measure for installing blinds and someone else built those blinds, you would both get credit.  That disappeared.  Well, it seems that corporate has decided to bring that back, so yesterday when I checked out my sales I had a nice little $3000 credit.  This is a good thing.

*The yardwork.  Last night we had some storms come through.  We got the warnings for lightning striking, but nothing on the high winds and torrential rain.  Well, we got all three: lightning strikes, high winds, and torrential rains.  We lost power for about 10 seconds.  Then this morning when I went to let Howie out, I saw that there was also storm damage.  Several large tree limbs were ripped from the maple trees on the hill behind my house.  The back corner of the fence was smushed; that'll be an insurance claim.  Of course, Howie was delighted.  I could almost hear his little heart singing, "look at all of those sticks, sticks, sticks!"  I got rid of my chainsaw years ago; it was broken, and though I do have my saw on a stick, it's no match for these limbs.  My brother has chainsaws, but he hasn't used them in years, and they run on gas.  I sent out a number of texts and, probably not surprising, none of my friends happen to own a chainsaw.  This means I'm going to have to buy one.  Shit.

On the political scene, it seems as though Lisa Murkowski is going to vote against all legislation that contains the Save Act.  Lisa's not running for re-election.  She has also been served up several plates of shit even though she's been a loyal Republican.  Obviously, Lisa has been reading the Tea Leaves.  If she wants to run again in 2029, she knows she's going to need to get on the side of the majority of Alaskans, who now hate the Orange Anus.  Without McConnell's vote, the Republicans need every vote to pass any legislation.  This is a good thing.

Prepare yourselves, the Iran war is about to go from bad to worse.

Republican Incredulity

We have 74 (F) outside with overcast skies.  showers and possibly thunderstorms are on the way.  If we get them, I hope they wring a little of the humidity out of the atmosphere because right now clothing is rather cloying.  Temps are supposed to be dropping.  Also, the smoke from fires in northern Canada is supposed to be leaving the area.  Things are still hazy this morning.

Yesterday was a decent day for getting things done.  Since the dill and cilantro seeds didn't survive being planted outside, I'm trying them inside, the way I did the oregano last year.  I went for a ride in Amsterdam that was flat.  Rides like this are easier on my knee, though this morning it is a bit cranky.  I think this is mostly due to the change in air pressure as we move from stinkin' hot temps, to somewhat cooler temps.  I do think my left knee is suffering from the crankiness of age some people call arthritis.

Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" has started playing in theaters.   There was some controversy in his casting choices in the small minds of MAGA cultists.  They didn't like Lupita Nyong'o playing Helen of Troy.  A lot of these pea brained imbeciles railed that the Greeks would never have cast a black person in that role.   In an odd way they're right, because 2000 years ago Helen would have been played by a man wearing a mask.  We all know, however, that there is no stopping stupidity when it has a loud, uneducated voice.  Telling these people that "back then" the voyage from Alexandria to Piraeus only took 3 days, and that because of the Middle East's close proximity to Northern Africa, skin color would not have been a problem is useless.  Their lack of minds have been decided.

Last year my tomato plants were barren.  This year?  They are abundant!

Of course the Orange Anus and his cronies are desperate to stop the midterm elections.  They know that when the Democrats take control of both the House and Senate there are going to be investigations, arrests and trials.  Because of their greed, they have no problem trying to throttle Democracy.  Having their lives brutally upended and being reduced to mere mortals rather than the demigods they believe themselves to be, is simply not on their bingo card.  However, their sense of reality is broken.  They will not even attempt to understand the growing frustration and anger in the common man.  This total breakdown in their thought process will lead to the demise of the Republican party.  They truth they want to ignore is that, should the Orange Anus attempt to hinder or stop the midterms, a major portion of America is going to rise up and stomp the shit out of them.  If you tell them this, they will look at you incredulously and ask "what?" 

Howie and the Sheep

Well, we have 70 (F) outside and instead of Jimi Hendrix Purple Haze, we have yellow haze.  We are also under an air quality alert.  I feel bad for Gigi who's up north having to deal with an air quality that's a thousand times worse.  Our temps today are going to be in the upper 80s (F) to low 90s (F).  Things are supposed to begin cooling off tomorrow.  Showers and thunderstorms (again) are on their way.  Perhaps they'll wash a bit of the smoke residue down the drain.

Yesterday was not quite a meh day.  No exercise.  Thursday is a free day.  I worked on The Body in the Words in the afternoon, editing chapter's 3 and 4.  I would have liked for there to be a direct flight from Philly to Belfast, but there isn't.  This meant I needed to decide if my guys were going to drive the 2 hours from Dublin to BallySeamus, or take a puddle jumper.  I opted for the latter since it allowed me to keep important dialog in the Greetings chapter.

And yesterday morning I took Howie out to my brother's farm.  He got to meet Bruce, my brother's dog, saw some fall-down goats that stayed standing as he approached, and met a flock of sheep.  For some reason, the sheep develop a particular interest in him.  Howie, however, did not  find them fascinating.  Still, that didn't keep them from following us.

Of course, the Orange Anus held a poorly watched nationwide press conference last evening.  Both ABC and NBC refused to air him live, which he found infuriating.  CBS which started airing it, evidently cut away; they're learning that kissing his ass is costing them ratings, and that's losing them advertisers.  And Fox Entertainment?  This post on Threads tells it all.

That's right, Fox aired a disclaimer.  The last time they treated his lies as truth it cost them dearly.  This is Orangie beginning to sabotage the midterms because he knows the Republicans are going to lose badly. Out of desperation, he and the GOP are playing with fire.

More and more people, like Gavin Newsome, a very loud voice right now in American politics, are calling for him to be removed using the 25th amendment.  For that to work, however, his cabinet needs to vote for his approval and he's filled it with sycophants and henchies.  I don't see him finishing out his term.  The tide is turning so fast against him, he will run like the coward he is.

Testosterone

So, it's Thursday morning, our outside temp is 76 (F), and today is going to be another stinker.  Yesterday was a cooker.  Our high got up to 99 (F).  I don't check to see what the real feel is because in my  mind 99 (F) is hot enough.  Today we're under an air quality alert.  Now, isn't that... nice.  The cool down doesn't start until Saturday and, of course, the temperature drop will arrive with showers and possibly severe thunderstorms.  So, are we going to have a replay of the July 4th storms?

Yesterday was a busy day.  I had 2 old laptops, a Dell Inspiron 5700 with Windows 7 (don't laugh), and a Samsung gaming laptop with 2 hard drives and about 1000 GB.  I fired them both up to see if they worked.  After spending about an hour on the Dell, restarting with a soft boot, I found only a few old pictures indicating I must have transferred the important stuff before I stopped using it.  The Samsung?  That has over 500 GB of memory, some associate reviews from 2014 and 2015, 2 HDMI ports, 2 USB ports, and a Blue Ray disc player.  And then I remembered the reason I stopped using it was because the keys kept popping off.  Well, there's an easy fix for that.  This means I have 3 functioning laptops, plus the large gaming computer upstairs.  Does this make me geeky?

This morning, I'm taking Howie to my brother's farm.  This is part of the socialization process.  He'll get to meet my brother, his wife, and possibly some chickens, goats, and one or two pot bellied pigs.  Then we'll come home and he'll sleep for the rest of the day.

Here's a flash from the past.  As Biggie's arthritis worsened, I bout him a bed with a heated mattress thinking it might help.  He hated it and only slept on it for a total 15 minutes.

And, as just about everyone know, the Orange Anus is planning on throwing a rally this evening on national TV.  If he were going to tell Americans that he was turning over a new leaf and planning on actually putting Americans first, he might help his ratings... a small bit.  That ain't gonna happen.  His dementiated worst is going to be on display.  From what I understand, China is going to get blamed for rigging the 2020 elections.  Here's a little tidbit about China.  That country is now more popular in the world than the United States.  Of course, the rigged election is a lie.  No one wants to hear his lies, not when plums and nectarines are $4.99 a pound.  I've read that a number of Republicans are dHegsreading this evening's speech, knowing the Orange Anus is going to be driving another nail into the Republican coffin.

And Kegsbreath Hegseth wants to start shooting our soldiers up with testosterone to make sure they reach maximum lethality.  For those who don't know, the Nazi's did that in 1935.

Lindsey's Pallbearers

We're under a heat advisory today.  That means I'll be doing as little as possible outside.  One of the forecasts I've seen has us topping off at 97 (F), however, there are others there are others that have us reaching triple digits; either high temp is a good reason for us to stay inside.  Tomorrow and Friday our outside temp is predicted to be in the low to mid 90s (F), after that we're in for a cool spell with daily highs in the upper 80s (F).

One of these days I'll check to see how badly these hot days are effect my electric usage.  The main reason I signed up for the budget plan for both my electric bill and my natural gas bill was because payments were balanced throughout the year.  This worked well.  For years my heating bill stayed at $59 a month.  Then 5 years ago the monthly cost went up to $69.  That lasted 2 years.  Three years ago the cost went up to $79 a month.  Two years ago the monthly charge was $89.  This year, on the budge plan, I'm paying $100 a month.  This is what happens when utility companies become "for profit" entities, when they sanctify 5% growth.  Now I'm going to have to shop around for lower natural gas prices the same as I do for electricity prices.

This is my 2nd week in which I have 4 days off in a row.  Now, while I'm sipping my morning coffee, I need to take a few seconds and ask myself if today is Wednesday, or Thursday.  

And I'm pleased to announce that Lindsey Graham's pallbearers have arrived!

People are wondering why Dementia Don is so fixated with the Georgia electorate.  One of the theories gaining speed is that black voters came out in large numbers and gave the win to Biden.  Hey, that sounds good to me.  Orangie has always been racist and the knowledge that black votes made him a loser would put salt on a wound he's always cherished.  Sitting presidents usually only made nationally televised speeches once a year, the State of the Union, unless there was a national emergency.  In Donnie's head, the Republicans losing the midterms is a horrifying national emergency.  Recent surveys have shown that many MAGA cultists, and by many I mean lots, and lots, and lots, believe that if the Democrats win the midterms Dementia Don will be sent to jail.  While I think that would be simply wonderful, I don't think that will happen.  If and when there is a Blue Tsunami, the first thing he'll do is try and void the midterms by declaring a national emergency.  That will fail.  At that point someone is going to load his 300 pound lard ass into Air Force One and fly him to a safe country, possibly Argentina.  He might even set up housekeeping next to Peter Thiel, who has already read the tea leaves.

Shimmering Scars

So, 69 (F) outside.  This afternoon our thermometers should be adding about another 30 degrees onto that.  I remember looking at the long range forecast last week and wishing that it would be nice if it was correct.  Sadly, the forecast was wrong and temps for this week will not be hovering in the mid 80s (F).  Since the rotation of the earth moves all weather to the east, here's a warning to all of those in Europe:  this heat's coming your way.

In dealing with the aching of my left knee, I find that I'm taking 200g of naproxen every other day, so I suspect I'm dealing with one of the aches and pains of growing older. 

Work was terribly boring yesterday.  The aisle associate who was scheduled, called and said that he'd be late and then never showed up.  He's a nice guy and this tends to be SOP for him.  This did, however, leave me by myself for my entire shift.  I was so bored!  Yesterday did start our VOA (Voice of the Associate) survey.  This is our chance to review the great orange retailer I work for.  Last year my old supervisor was lambasted so badly management knew she had to be replaced. The issues I have this year are with decisions that were made by corporate.  One of them was that a customer will set up a measure online, then come into the store to have the specialist do all of the work. We make changes and get the quote ready to sell, and then close the sale.  We used to get credit for that sale.  That no longer happens.  You do all the work and get no credit because the customer spent 2 minutes on their phone or at the home computer setting up a measure.

And just when  did we didn't know we needed one, Muse comes along and gives us a power ballad that breaks your heart.

The Orange Anus is planning on giving a nationwide speech on Thursday evening.  Actually, it's not a speech, it's a rally.  Purportedly he's going to tell America that they have proof that foreign countries intervened in the 2020 election.  He's also, supposedly, going to say that both Warnock and Ossoff lost won because of election fraud.  Because this man is terrified of the midterm elections, he will do anything to keep them from happening.  There was no election fraud.  He doesn't have the authority to remove senators.  But he will rile the hell up in his base of cultists.  Neither he, nor his cultists, can come close to comprehending that his little shit show lies only continue building the anger against both he and the Republican party.  He is long past the time when he could actually learn something.  The backlash against him will simply be horrendous.

AI Mitch

Our afternoon temps got up to 91 (F) yesterday, that's much warmer than predicted.  According to the thermometer our outside temp is 68 (F).  The forecast is the same as yesterday's with a high in the mid 80s (F).  Will that happen?  Probably not.  We have another mini heatwave coming our way.  Tomorrow's highs are supposed to be in the 90s (F), with Wednesday topping off in the low 100s (F).  I suspect this summer is going to be a real cooker.

Yesterday was, as expected, rather boring.  Sundays are usually a full shift for me at the giant, orange, home improvement retailer, but yesterday I was only scheduled for 6.5.  Business was slow.  Some customers wandered in looking for something specific, but there were very few browsers.  Those that did make their way back to the flooring department told me the same thing:  "I'm just starting the process."

I'm not going to the training session down in Maryland.  The store specialty associates are all going down on Tuesday, August 4, and my availability specifically says that I don't work on Tuesdays.

My Trainwell subscription is not  going to be renewed at the end of July.  I've found that the texts I get from my trainer are not as much of an incentive as they once were.  I have the routines down, so paying $550 for 3 months of "at a boy's" doesn't seem to be a wise expense.

So, so many people believe this picture of Mitch and his wife Elaine is AI generated.

Besides the fact that, if this is real, he's had some work down with fillers, people have zoomed in on the  newspaper he's holding and discovered the photo is from a football game in Florida and is dated in 2006.  I guess 20 years ago, Mitch wouldn't have had nearly as many wrinkles as he does today.

There was a laughable headline in the Washington Post about some Republicans are beginning to feel positive about the midterms, in spite of the war with Iran and the rising prices.  This means, I suspect, that the Washington Post is using the same AI generator as the Kentucky GOP.

The big problem with the Republican party is that they are truly living in a land of delusion.  Reality is being kept at an arm's length away... well, maybe they're keeping reality 2 arm's length away.  No matter what the difference, they are so out of touch with the world they are setting themselves up for a terrible fall.  The total collapse of their party is essential for America's survival.  They will sacrifice themselves upon the alter of stupidity simply because they cannot live in a world where they are not in charge.

 

Jubilation

 Well, it Sunday morning our outside temp is 69 (F) and by Tuesday we're going to be sweltering again.  The long range forecast originally had us sailing smoothly through the mid 80s (F) for the upcoming week, well, it looks like the weathermen got it wrong again.  Sadly, we're just heading into the hottest part of the summer.

Before I went to work yesterday, I got a nice little workout in, upper body, of course.  I got a text from my trainer asking if we wanted to start bringing back some light leg work. I'll have him add in some leg extensions, but no squats.  I think I've mentioned it here before, but I've always hated squats.

When I went in to work yesterday, I discovered someone in corporate decided a regional training class in improving sales was necessary.  I was told that everybody needs to go.  Not me.  I'm not driving down to Nottingham, Maryland, for a rah! rah! training class.  And corporate, in their ineptitude, gave me the perfect out.  You had to provide them with your birthday in order to complete the form.  They had a little calendar for the month and day, however, to give them the year you had to scroll, unfortunately, it only scrolled to 1956.  There were no years prior to that, so evidently the cutoff was 1956.  I was born in 1952. That's age discrimination.  Ouch!

And put on your party hats!  Lindsey Graham has died!  While he wasn't Cornpone, he was definitely a loser.

Truthfully, I almost did a jig when that headline flashed on my phone this early morning.  So many questions suddenly flashed through my head.  What in hell is the Republican Senate going to do now that they're 2 votes down?  How does this upset Alito's retirement plans?  What about Clarence Thomas?  He's 78 years old.  Usually NDAs die with their authors, so are all of those male escorts going to start talking?  

One person describe Graham as a pilot fish, one of those fishies who suck on to the belly of a shark so they can live off detritus.  His only loyalty was to that one person who could make him feel most powerful.  He was a gay man who sold out regularly to the Orange Anus.  To say Graham was a pathetic, spineless human being would be kind.  To be honest, I'm waiting for all of the "tell all" books to come out with titles like "I Diddled Lyndsey in the Shadow Docket."  This man deserves all the ridicule you can think up, and then some.

Processing Mitch

The thunderstorms predicted for yesterday turned out to be a smattering of showers, nothing else.  We have the same forecast for today, however, the odds of us getting rained on are much lower.  Right now, we have sunshine outside and a temp of 72 (F).  I do work this afternoon, so it doesn't make a difference to me if we get rain or not.

I do get to work for the next 3 days, though the hours are shorter than the normal.  I'm down to about 18 hours a week.  Next week it's only 16.5.  The only real problem with this is that I was hoping to pay off my car by November, now it looks as though I'm going to have car payments until January.  Once my school taxes are paid off in August, I shouldn't have anymore large payments until spring of next year when my real estate tax is due, so I'll have to see how much extra I can plop onto  the principle after that.

Yesterday afternoon I went for a nice ride along a canal in France.  The ride was very flat.  My trainer pointed out that I'm picking up my speed to get my heart rate up rather than climb hills.  I'm fine with this.

For those interested, the fictional events in The Body in the Words will be taking place in Ballyseamus, which is near Ballymena, which is a short 35 minute ride from Belfast International Airport.

Will wonders never cease!  It looks like I found Mitch!

So, a housing bill became law last night after the Orange Anus failed to veto the legislation.  He came out against it, said that it was stupid and claimed that his Save Act was much more important, yet he failed to stop it.  I'm thinking he didn't veto because someone told him that the bill was bipartisan and that Republicans needed so notch up some sort of win before the midterms.  It isn't going to work.  Gas prices are still going up for Americans, and with those higher prices, well, everything else is going to be getting more expensive.  At least here in the United States.  I understand that the EU has entered into negotiations with Iran since they shouldn't be processed by what our nut doodle is doing.

. 

At the Speed of Sound

 Once again we have a lot of humidity.   The temps are in the mid 70s (F).  Thunderstorms are on the menu for this afternoon.  They were on the  menu yesterday, and they served themselves up downpours, thunder, and the constant warning of "lightning has been detected in your area."  With all of the humidity, I suspect the same thing will happen this afternoon and evening.  Beginning Tuesday, we're supposed to start warming up again.

I had lunch with one of my editors yesterday.  We talked about the "new" grammatical changes that are now considered standard.  Besides the possessive 's being acceptable in names ending in s, Word now says you no longer need to double space after a period.  Since none of these changes are mandatory, I will ignore most of them.  We also talked about the next book.  He asked if Bobby Tussel was going to be going along with  Eli and Max to Northern Ireland.  People like Bobby, probably because he has zero filters and blurts out what everyone else is thinking.  

Howie's birthday will be on Sunday.  He'll be 23 months old.  Of course, there will be cake and ice cream.  It's funny watching him move from the puppy stage, where he thought I was the best chew toy around, to the pet me, pet me, pet me stage, where I'm better suited for petting him than being chewed on.

I have a long ride scheduled for this afternoon.  All I have to do is find a route that doesn't have a lot of hills.  My left knee can take the bendiness of pedaling, however, the serious bending of squats is a bit too much.

And evidently the Qatari gift jet, which was built in Seattle, did not have the security features installed for it to replace Air Force One.

I understand the price tag for the refitting has already topped $800 million.  Will the necessary security measures be installed?  I suspect the Orange Anus has always intended this to be nothing more than a flying castle used only for domestic flights.  I don't doubt that he has every intention of home porting it at Mar a Lago.  He and his lackies have no idea that Karma is coming at them at the speed of sound.

And evidently the US reserves of fuel are now on fumes.  The administration has been using them to keep the prices at the pumps artificially low.  With his war against Iran kicking back into high gear, expect your gass prices to be going up... fast.

Hypocrisy

 The temperature didn't really drop much over night.  If the air was so thick with humidity, we'd be sitting at a comfortable 75 (F).  Ah, but there is that humidity.  Rain is in the forecast.  Showers with the possibility of a heavy thunderstorm of two are quite possible.  Thanks to that little storm we had on July 4th, we're under a flood watch.  According to Accuweather, the rain should be starting in about a 30 minutes.

My upper body workout went well yesterday morning.  Riding the bike takes care of my legs.  I do, however, want my upper body training to be more than picking up boxes of tile at work.  I jokingly told my trainer that this routine makes me feel swol.  He thought it was funny.  I don't think he has very many semi-senior clients, which means this will be a learning experience for him.

I've decided to can my Norwegian lessons and focus more on refreshing my French.  I get Le Monde, so I have no problem reading French, it's hearing and speaking it where I've lapsed.

I was going to cut up the branch that the storm ripped from one of the maple trees on the hill behind my house, however, the weather is not working in my favor.

An amusing thing about my writing is that I tend to like characters whose names end with s.  This, as one of my editors has told me, creates a conundrum with possessives.   For example, is it Jules' or Jules's.  I sent him a copy of the first chapter of The Body in the Words and he replied how nice it was not to have a character whose name ended in s... so, I introduced him to Carlos Cassadas, the tall, handsome Spaniard who, along with his wife, runs the Hygia Wellness Clinic. 😂🤣😂

The dementia of our 47th president was on full display yesterday when the Orange Anus claimed that the Islamic Republic of Japan launched 111 missiles at the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln.  He also fell asleep again... on the world stage.

You got to hand it to Republicans, while their incompetence at governing is in full view, it has no problem sharing the stage with their boldly glaring hypocrisy.  You can show them a comparison of Biden's slight slippage next to Orangie's full collapse and they will still say "but Biden."  Now the Cultists will accept this, but do they really believe a majority of Americans are that stupid?  The answer's yes.  They have never come to grips with how intelligent Americans are, and so they double down on their hypocrisies. For a long time Americans did believe their deceit, that they were the party of Family Values.  If there is one thing that the Orange Anus excels at, besides lying, it's ripping the mask off the Republican Party.  He has made it so clear that the GOP is the party of selfishness and greed, that no lie is too false, that they celebrate their racism.  Their downfall is that they simply refuse to understand that today's Americans see right through their bullshit.

Pissing on McConnel's grave

If the long range forecast is correct, our daily highs should be in the mid 80s (F) for the next 2 weeks.  Keep in mind, this is a long range forecast and they're reliability is always questionable.  We have 69 (F) outside now, with overcast skies.  The clouds are supposed to remain.

Sometime today I want to get out my saw-on-a-stick and begin cutting up the branch that was torn from the tree behind my house.  I will also need to check on my container garden to see how dry the soil is.  Last year my plants were spindly.  This year, they're so "get out of the way," overgrown.  Next year, I will need to locate them in other areas of the yard so they all have room to grow.  

Yesterday afternoon I got a nice bike ride in along a canal in France.  I rode over 10 miles, and the ride was long and flat.  There was a hill with a steep 10% grade, but it was up over a highway and then down again.  My trainer wants me to bring back the hills.  He also wants me to start doing squats again.  That's probably not going to happen.  I have always hated squats.

Yesterday Big Boy came to my home town.  Who or what is Big Boy?  The last functioning steam locomotive in the United States.  Big Boy stayed overnight in the Enola railyard.  At one point, the Enola railyard was also the largest in the United States, stretching over 5 miles.  The Enola railyard is the reason Mechanicsburg is called Mechanicsburg, because that's where all of the train mechanics lived.  Just to put things into perspective, the Enola railyard is a little over a quarter mile away from my house.  Today, thousands and thousands of people are expected to flock to the Enola railyard to see and take pictures of Big Boy.  A friend of mine whose son works for the Enola police department told me to avoid US 11/15 because the traffic is going to be a freaking nightmare.  I will stay away.  Here's a pic of Big Boy arriving yesterday.

So, Scott Jennings told the world he talked to Mitch McConnell for 20 minutes yesterday.  John Thune said the same thing.  Other Republicans as well claimed to have had conversations with Mitch.  No one believes them because Republicans lie more often then they blink.  It didn't take long before thousands upon thousands of people on social media were making the same claim.  I think that's rather fitting, Mitch McConnell becoming the brunt of black humor joke.  Isn't it nice to know that in death... or possibly near death, Mitch's name elicits a joyful mockery, something almost as much fun as pissing on his grave.

The Orange Anus was supposed to release the unredacted Epstein files yesterday.  He didn't, and, as everyone should have expected, the war with Iran is back on.

Translations

Outside it's 67 (F) and misty, drizzly.  Inside, there is high humidity.  This is going to last through much of the day with an occasional shower popping up to make things damper than they already are.  Tomorrow we might get to see the sun.  I'm hoping so.  Then I can get out my "saw on a stick" and cut up the branch that was torn from a tree behind my house.

And yesterday was pretty meh here in Central PA.  I called the store to see if they had electricity; they didn't.  That meant the computers were still down, so I took a personal day.  I was told that they were very busy.  Translation:  we're not going to pay you to sit at your desk doing nothing, so we'll put you to work in another department, like garden, or electrical, or.... I'm sure you get the picture.  

Since my left knee is going through a wrinkly stage, my workout is now focused on my upper body.  I'll still be doing my rides, but they're going to be long and flat.  Translation:  I'll soon be looking at pecs and biceps in the mirror.

My brother and his wife got there electricity back last evening.  He sent me a long text this morning about a number of things.  One thing he mentioned was that he'd seen George Washington and that it was put out by Angel Studios.  He evidently thought Angel Studios was Christian.  So, I corrected him.  Angel Studios is owned by 2 Mormons, and while they do put out faith-based films, they also release a lot of films that are not faith-based.  In fact, Angel Studios has a reputation for being very diverse, two words conservatives simply despise.  My brother's response:  I'll have to research this.  Can you hear me laughing.

So, the Orange Anus tried to cheat a win for the American Men's Soccer Team and in doing so, did what he does best.  Easy translation:  He lost.  The American team lost.  And now the entire world is talking about the Trump Curse.  And the Belgium team that shellacked our ass?  They did the Trump jerkoff dance.

Graham Platner needs to drop out of Maine's senatorial race now.  Accepting the taint of an allegation makes us too much like Republicans.  

So, will Mitch McConnell admit that he's brain dead?  There's a good possibility, though don't rule out the Republican party trying to keep this a secret until early August when the need to have a Special Election will have past.  The GOP has no integrity.  No morals.  They cheat with the best. Translation:  They mirror their president to a T.

Aftermath

Outside we  have a humid 72 (F).  Today's forecast:  showers, occasionally steady rain, with the required thunderstorm thrown into the mix to spice things up.  We'll not be seeing the sun until sometime Wednesday or Thursday.  All this rain is going to make my grass grow.

I saw this morning that the storm did rip a medium sized branch from one of the maple trees outback.  I will my saw on a stick trimmer to cut it up on Wednesday or Thursday.  

According to Pennsylvania  Power and Light Company, some people are not expected to get power back until Wednesday, originally they were saying Tuesday around 11 PM.  I sent a text to my brother this  morning to see if they had power yet, the answer was "nope."  He sent me a text yesterday saying that 2 people had been killed by the store near where he lives.

When I got into work yesterday, I discovered that the store was running on our backup generator.  The registers and the phones were working, but all of the computers were down.  This meant that paint, appliances, and flooring, the specialty departments were down as well.  So, I was paid to walk around and answer simple questions.  We had a run on Ryobi battery powered fans and I kept asking myself if these people didn't realize that those batteries were going to need to be charged.  There was a line of people waiting to buy generators.  Most people went home empty handed because we only carry so many in stock.

Because none of the outlets in the store were working, backup generators are only for light and registers, the employee refrigerators and freezers started warming up.  The frozen food for the employees was thawing out, so they started grilling it and employees were allowed to take it home, so I came home with hot dogs, hamburgers, and chicken wings.  

I'm scheduled to work, however, I'll give the store a call.  If the power's still down, I'll take a personal day.  Here's a map of the area.  I'm in an orange area, meaning some people have no power, the store is near Shiremanstown, a very red area.

Of course, the soccer world is not pissed at the Orange Anus because he had the status of an American player who'd been red carded (eliminated from future play) changed.  This player can now play.  Basically the asshole did what he always does, cheated.  I'm betting this man has never had an honest thought  in his life.  He is morally bereft.  He shits on everything.  He always has.  He always will.  He has no idea that in the aftermath of his presidency, he and his spawn will be totally destroyed.

Celebrate This

Well, we're under a flood watch.  A very serious storm moved through the area late yesterday afternoon.  As I type, over 100,000 people in Central PA are without power.  White outs usually happen during blizzards.  We had one late yesterday afternoon, while I was working.  My phone was vibrating constantly with the warning:  "Lightning strikes in your area.  Lightning strikes in your area."  And there were booms just before the power went out.  Our registers kept working, but all over computers in the store were offline.  And this was before the white out.  I did walk front to take a picture.  This was before the porta-potties blew across the parking lot.

Retail was slow yesterday.  We might be busy today.  Storm damage will need to be cleaned up.  And more storms are on the way for this evening.  

Otherwise, the holiday was boring.  I was working in the paint department. It was busier than the flooring department.

And they had storms down in Washington, too.  Bad storms.  They evacuated the crowd that had gathered to watch the fireworks and listen to Orange rant and rave. Then they had to go through security again to get back in, so many just went home.  Because most of his cultists are... lacking in scientific knowledge, many blamed the Democrats for the storm.

As for his great fireworks display.  It's best describe as an image of the Ukraine bombing Moscow.  My, that is a lot of smoke, the only thing missing are the mirrors.

And, as expected, he fell asleep again.

Independence Day

Our outside temp is a balmy 79 (F)!  That's nice.  Even nicer is the fact that our high this afternoon is only going to be in the mid-90s (F).  Thunderstorms are also on tap for this evening.  I'm fine with that.

I do work this afternoon.  They're bringing in food.  Chicken.  This sort of means I'll be spending the afternoon grazing... but only sort of.  I'm scheduled to work in the paint department this afternoon.  I like working in paint.  Because it's a holiday, most of the customers coming in looking for deals will hit the store early; cookouts are planned for this afternoon.  

Yesterday afternoon I took a ride in the Netherlands.  Very flat.  For 10 miles.  My trainer was happy, so was I because my left knee was working fine.

Today we celebrate our independence, the day we officially separated ourselves from England.

Today we are also living with an old authoritarian president who believes the best way to win is to divide and conquer.  While that tactic is not outdated, it is totally incongruent with what is happening in the United States.  He would need to be seen as being successful by a majority of Americans for that tactic to work.  This man is an abject failure.  On a day when a majority of Americans are going to be celebrating their independence, he's going to be holding a political rally to support his tactic of divisiveness.  It's my understanding that the military is requiring personnel to attend dressed as civilians to make it look like there's a crowd.  I feel sorry for them.  This is not the way you create loyalty.  The only thing he is doing is notching up another failure, but then his entire life has been failure, after failure, after failure.  There is truth in saying that everything Donald Trump touches dies. 

Super Girl

Well, yesterday was a scorcher here in Central PA.  My upstairs would have been unbearable without the  air conditioning.  When I left the house to go to work at 1 PM, the outside temp was 100 (F).  When I took the on-ramp to 81 West, the temp had climbed a degree to 101 (F).  By the time I took the exit ramp to get to the store the temp outside my car was 102 (F).  And it got hotter.  The air conditioning was on in the store, however they dimmed the lights to offset the electrical expense.  As a result, there was no power to the machine we use to cut blinds.  C'est la vie.  When I drove my car out of the parking lot to go home, our outside temp was 104 (F).  That's hot.

Right now our outside temp is 81 (F).  The high this afternoon is expected to be cooler than yesterday.  We're only supposed to go up to 100 (F).

And work was slow yesterday.  I did get a measure, just before I left.  This doesn't mean we weren't going to be hitting our plan.  We were making buckos galore thanks to everybody coming in to buy a window A/C unit.

Even though today's going to be another scorcher, there are things that need to be done.  I have to go to the post office, buy groceries, and put gas in the car.  Hopefully, I'll get all of these chores done before the temps get too hot.  

I went to see Supergirl.  I thought it was decent.  It's doing okay at the box office, but not great, I suspect because audiences were expecting a variation of Superman.  You know? Fighting for truth, justice and the American way?  Kara, Clark Kent's cousin, was well into her teens when her parents sent her to Earth, unlike Clark who was sent as a baby.  Supergirl is not the "all American girl," though she does fight evil.

And the Fourth is upon us.  I work.  I'll be honest, I'm not happy.  Most people I see and talk to are not happy, unless they're a MAGA cultist, and they don't care how bad things are as long as they are in charge.  The Orange Anus justified insider trading on an interview and they shrugged away the corruption, they don't care, as long as they are in charge.  J.D. Vance laughed at the idea of Nixon resigning because of Watergate, saying it would never happen today.  The corruption runs so deep with this administration.  Anything and everything goes, as long as they can steel a buck.  What they don't understand is that voters are growing more and more angry.  They don't care because they're in charge.  They don't govern, but that's okay as long as they're in charge.  They are the worst possible human beings in the world, and they don't care, as long as they're in charge.

The Body in 4/4 Time

 So our real feel temp yesterday was 113 (F).  Today will be a repeat.  How hot was it?  A cheap hose I bought from the orange retailer I work for ruptured because the water inside got too hot.  I'm guessing I lost about 100 gallons, almost 400 liters, before I went to leave Howie out and discovered I had a small pond in my backyard.

Needing milk, I  ventured outside around 1 in the afternoon and, if the thermometer in my car is correct, the drive to my local Giant supermarket was done 98 (F) heat.  If the forecasters are correct, today is going to be even warmer.  I am scheduled to work this afternoon, so, once again I'll be driving around in the danger zone.  I'm not expecting the store to be busy, so basically, I'll be getting paid to sit my butt down at the flooring desk, and, get my steps in.

My left knee's been a bit rusty over the past few days, so my trainer and I've decided to cut back on the squats and the leg extensions.  I don't think there's anything actually wrong with it, just a little old age and a little arthritic inflammation.  Just one of the normal aches and pains we feel as we get older.  So, for the next week or so I'm going to be focusing on strength training for my upper body.  

And since The Body in 4/4 Time is now available for purchase, it's time to reveal the book cover.  My cover artist, Cori, has once again done a brilliant job.  Originally, I thought that perhaps the musical notes should be swirling up and off the sheet of music.  She smiled, nodded several times, and then said "no."  As always, she was right.

Of course, Orangie's politicized state fair is still failing to draw crowds.  As a reminder, everything he touches dies.  This includes the Republican party, The Heritage Foundation, and all of those businesses he and his spawn have ventured into.  They think they're immune.  They are not.  He and his cultists have punch drunk on his ephemeral grasp on power they fail to understand they are living in a land of delusion.  They are too busy dancing around with their hands in the air singing, "look at how rich we are, look at how rich we are," to even begin to understand that, just like our outside temps, the anger against them is constantly rising.  These people have never had a good grasp on reality.  Self-awareness has never, ever been one of their strong points.

At the 2 Paths in the Yellow Wood

Our 3 day heat wave starts today.  Daily highs are predicted to breach the 100 (F) degree mark.  That's toasty.  For those living in the scorch zone, make sure you stay hydrated.  This is not the day to start digging that swimming pool in your backyard.  This means you should limit what you do outside, no matter what your age.  Dehydration can be  a killer.

Yesterday was definitely the meh day of the week.  I could have done much more but I went to my local Giant supermarket in the morning.  One of the unnecessities that I purchased was a frozen Tombstone pizza (supreme) which Howie and I shared.  It was all downhill from then on.  Unfortunately, Howie is always up for a quick snoozer.  All you have to do is say the word nap.  So, that's what I did yesterday.  Ten minutes here.  Ten minutes there.  One would have thought that all of that napping might have ruined getting a good night's sleep, but no.  I got a full 7+ hours of deep sleep with plenty of REM, at least according to my Garmin watch.  Mostly, I'm blaming the chaotic times we're living in.  We are constantly being bombarded that fritters away at our brains, ruining our normal sleep habits until there's nothing left for us to do but nap away the day and sleep away the night.

As I'd said earlier, I've been playing around making little videos to announce The Body in 4/4 Time.  I'm somewhat pleased with this one.  Those who know their Robert Frost will find this familiar.  It's a very good way to talk about a broken heart.

Of course, our failing Supreme Court released the rest of their decisions for this year.  They saved birthright citizenship,   With his 91 paged dissent, Clarence Thomas, black man, proved he has the heart and soul of Ku Klux Klansman.  No matter how much he hates minorities, he, himself, will never be white.  He is a traitor to the constitution.  So is Sammy Alito, a man who is himself a birthright citizen.  The attempt to destroy the 14th amendment is based purely on racism.  Social Media was filled with vile Republicans denouncing this decision, some calling for the sterilization of immigrants.  One said women should not be allowed in this country because they might have a brown baby.  One woman shrieked about Haitians giving birth to over 60,000 babies.  And these people call themselves Christians.  They are a scourge upon this country.