Is Ronnie Gone, Gone, Gone?

Well, my Accuweather app isn't working.  We're under something called a Heavy Yellow Rain Advisory.  I Googled that since I didn't know what it was; ready for the definition?  In inches it means we should be getting anywhere between .25 inches to .5 inches of rain per hour (7.5 mm - 15 mm).   There is no time limit as to how long the heavy yellow is going to be falling.  We're also under a snow advisory with less than an inch in the forecast.  I do think we have a sloppy weekend ahead of us here in Central PA.  This is a bit of a foreboding sky, isn't it?

My replacement Cosori air fryer arrived yesterday.  I used it last night to make hamburgers.  Delicious.  The idea of purchasing a gas barbecue grill has occurred to me from time to time since I do enjoy a good hamburger, but the air fryer might just keep that expense at bay for the foreseeable future.

The kitchen ceiling finally got it's first primer coat yesterday afternoon.  Painting doesn't take long, I just need to get my butt motivated.  Because I had the ladder out, I also took some links out of the hanging kitchen light so it's higher.  When I initially installed it, I suspended the fixture rather low.  Even though it was not that low, people still ducked their heads when they walked beneath it.  That problem has now been fixed.

I saw this on Twitter yesterday and just had to share.  This is Ronnie DeSantis in all of his glory.

I understand Ronnie wants to put together his own army down in Florida.  The Florida State Guard is what he's calling it.  Right.  This would be a force he would control, with no ties to the Federal Government.  Supposedly they work in conjunction with the National Guard, but also be available to help out whenever Ronnie feels they are needed.  Besides sounding like he wants to put together his own private army, this militia would also create a rather large expense he would no doubt slough onto the middle - class tax payer.  Of course, those rich, conservative retirees living down in The Villages don't think about this.  If there are no ties to the Federal government, there are no supporting funds coming into the state to cover the expense of uniforms, and vehicles, and equipment... guns.  Perhaps this militia group will have to provide their own weapons and ammunition.  Wow!  Have you any idea what the price of bullets is today?  They make eggs look cheap.  The state would need to raise taxes in order for any reimbursement to take place.  Sounds like a plan that fills every rich, conservative's needs.

 

Tasty!

 And so, another work week begins, the last one I will have to work 40 hours.  I took a vacation day next week so I'm only in for 32.  After that, 3 day work weeks should become my norm.

Forecasters are predicting a high in the low 80's (F) today.  Accuweather says that from now on the temps are going to drop into what is considered the average range for fall: nights in the 50's (F) and days in the low to mid 70's (F).  This is fine.  What needs to happen is the rain needs to stop.  Tomorrow again the fore forecast is for showers, on and off, and on and off.  Damn.

One of the things I've done in prepping for retirement, is create a spreadsheet (before retail I was in accounting) detailing income / expenses.  Today I'm going to set up a separate page detail my subscriptions.  This will be interesting.  One of the things we cable cutters like to tell ourselves is that this is a way to save money.  Today I'm going to find out just how much I'm spending.  The nice thing about subscriptions, is that they're easy to cancel.  

One of the Specialists I work with is from Kurdistan.  Every 2 years she goes home for a few months.  This time she brought back sweets for the department.  Delicious.  Addictive.  Pistachios and walnuts in just about everything.  Kurdish baklava is different from Greek baklava, but just as heavenly.  We rarely get traditional food that hasn't been Americanized.  Believe me, this was a real treat!

There was an interesting bit this morning in the NYT about Covid and how those who voted for the Orange Anus are those now paying the price.  In Wyoming, Montana, Kentucky, West Virginia, and a Alaska, the unvaccinated are paying with serious hospitalization and death.  For those red voters, this is freedom, a gamble of life and death.  Democratic voters, already a majority in America, can only see their ratio increase as more red voters lose their bad fight.

What we have so far

 Monday.  According to calendars, this is the first day of the week.  An accurate description of yesterday was slow.  After an initial rush in the morning, most people listened to the forecasters and stayed home... not all though.  Not all though, and in a way I was one, you see I stopped off a Giant on my way home from work and picked up an Italian sub and a bottle of red wine.  The girl at the counter complained, "they sent everybody home but me."  When I told her she was essential, she glared at me.  Nice.

So, here we are on Monday morning.  I looked at Accuweather and it looks to me as if most of this storm is slowly spinning off the Jersey coast.  They're still predicting around 8 to 10 more inches.  Just to be on the safe side, I'm going to take a personal day.  Wouldn't it be a real shitter if this was another bust of a snow storm after the way this thing has been hyped?  We will just have to wait and see.

This is what it looks like from my bedroom window.

I was talking to my friend Betsy last evening, and both got a kick out of the Idiot Jerk's defense team quitting.  Evidently he wanted them to lie about election fraud.  I find it sad that over 72 million Republicans believe his lies.  Personally, I don't think reality will ever enter their world.  They are too lost in the rapture and wonderment of themselves they will never escape that fog.  Let's be honest, they've been lying about elections for decades.  They will never understand their Conservative beliefs only play well to a minority crowd, and since minority political parties rarely win, they have have to cheat and lie.  The only time there will ever be an election without fraud is when they win.  They are never going to change.

Loser

 Well, I'm half way through my 3 day work week.  I can't say business is slow, the store is seeing a lot of foot traffic, though flooring sales appear to be on the ebb, more so than usual.  I think the main reason for this is that we no longer have an Idiot Jerk constantly saying Covid is going way, and that it will be gone soon.  Losing the election seems to have temporarily put a cork in that blowhole through which he constantly regurgitates lies.  Now, more people seem to be wearing masks in the store, though the number of those emblazoned with his name has dropped to zero.  I guess most don't want to be associated with a loser.

According to Accuweather, temps are supposed to continue their downward slide over the next 2 weeks.  In spite of what some may think this portends, we had similar temperature patterns last year and ended up with one of the warmest winters on record.  Here in Central PA we had no snow to speak of, which was disappointing for the dogs, not that they remember.  For them, every snow is a brand new day.

The Body in the Loch is coming along nicely.  I have over 56,000 words, which is nice.  I suspect that sometime in the the spring readers will get to visit Dun Adair, and Glenn Adair, and Adairton.  If you say them aloud, make sure you roll your Scottish 'r's.  And since there is a Loch, I thought I post this little ditty from the Foo Fighters called Dirty Water.

And finally, there is one thing this election has taught.  Republicans are really bad losers.  They will lie, and cheat, and try and steal their way into a win.  I understand the Idiot Jerk is planning on announcing that he's going to run again in 2024.  Someone should tell him felons are not permitted to run for the presidency.  And I'd like to shout out a great big thanks to Cindy McCain for giving us this.

Approaching Frenzy

Today's my Friday! (For those of you who can't hear the excitement in my voice).  

According to Accuweather, rain showers are in the forecast, tomorrow, too.  I can deal with that.  This past summer was dry... and hot.  Growing up I can remember the temps being warm, anything in the upper 90's (F) was called a heat wave.  Temps in the mid 90's were common this year and low 80's were almost considered cool.  Climate change, you know?

Of course, everybody is talking about the Idiot Jerk's taxes.  What about that $70,000 deduction for haircuts.  Yep, that's right, supposedly he paid $70,000 during one season of his reality show for someone to wrangle that rat on his head.  That's right.  $70,000 for this:

I wonder if that figure includes the tip?  Probably not.  I don't see him being a big tipper unless he's trying to impress someone.  More likely, he's one of those people who says, "I'll get the check, you get the tip," and then adds the check to his expense report.  Now we know why he's approaching his lost bid for re-election with such frenzy.  His bill is coming due and the United States is not going to be there to pick up the tip.

The debates are this evening.  The Idiot Jerk's team is already beginning to tamper down expectations because... well, he's not really a fast thinker.  Occasionally words pop out of his mouth that are ridiculous as hell.  Supposedly he hasn't prepared, which makes perfect sense.  How can you prepare yourself when you do nothing but lie?  No matter what the question, he will do nothing but bear false witness, over, and over, and over again.  His taxes prove he is nothing but a fraud. an embarrassment to the rich and famous, whose ranks he desperately wants to join.  

The Truth about Ratings

Okay, so it's Monday, the 2nd of my three days off in a row.  Yesterday it was supposed to be rainy... didn't happen, at least not over my house.  I got so much yard work done.  Today the weather is not going to be as accommodating.   I was surprised this morning to see Accuweather has us under a Flash Flood Watch... until tomorrow afternoon.  That sucks.
Yesterday, besides the lawn work, I also got a haircut and trimmed my mustache, just in case anybody was wondering.
Even Fox News is releasing polls which show the Idiot Jerk in the White House in trouble.   How accurate are these polls?  While not being spot on, they're closer than those used in the 2016 election.  Algorithms have been adjusted; now they incorporate fundamental questions skipped back then, like 'are you a middle-aged, white person who loves to run around wearing a MAGA hat?'  Of course, the GOP is using these polls to scare the shit out of his base.  They're terrified power is going to wrenched from his dirty, little fingers and he'll go into self-exile in Moscow.  They have reason to fear.  They have a moral degenerate in the White House who has no problem telling George Stephanopoulos he'd have no problem colluding with a foreign government if they offered him dirt on his political opponent.  This is a really, really bad replay of the Trump Tower meeting.  How much do you think that little turd did to his approval ratings?  It doesn't make a difference who the Democratic nominee is, that sound bite will air constantly up until the second the last polling station closes, and they know it.  Pardon my language, but this guy is a dumb as a fucking brick.
Speaking of ratings, if you buy The Body in the Tower, or have bought The Body on the Lawn, please go to Amazon and give it a rating.  They mean everything on Amazon.  No matter what people go to that Internet Retail Giant looking for, be it mystery suspense novel, or coffee maker, or headphones, the first thing they click on is the rating.  Customers like to buy something which has been rated 'good,' they don't like to gamble.
And finally, yesterday I received this comment:

AnonymousJune 16, 2019 at 12:20 PM

Your book, "The Body In The Tower" is now part of the collection at The Stonewall National Museum And Archive.

I don't know who Anonymous is, but if this is true I do believe it's a bit of an honor.  Unfortunately, it was posted by an 'unknown person,' so I can't really thank him or her personally.  I don't even know how you put a book into this collection.  Anyway, whom ever you are... Thanks!!

Full Frontal

I got up this morning thinking it was Friday.  Today and tomorrow, I thought, and then I'm off for 2 days.  "Friday, Friday," I sang,... and then I looked at Accuweather.  Shit.  It's only Thursday.  I have to work 3 more days...
Today I get the cover art for "The Body in the Tower."  Excitement is building.  Of course, I'll give a tease.  There's nothing wrong with being a tease... you know?  A little peek-a-boo here, a little peek-a-boo there.  Nothing too revealing.  Full frontal is out until much closer to publication.
This is my kinder, gentler version then the reveal Billy Barr is going to give the Mueller Report.  Heavily redacted, with a twist to the lying side of the truth.  This is why Billy Barr has his job, not to do the right thing, rather his goal is to cover up corruption.  He will distort the truth in order to make the Moral Degenerate in the White House look... more palatable to hungry conservatives.  His idea of teasing is hiding honesty as far away from the public as possible.  He doesn't understand that everything will be revealed.  It's only a matter of time before the Idiot Jerk is forced to go Full Frontal....  Stop screaming!  Just cover you eyes until he crawls back under his rock.
Anyway, I think I need a vacation, a couple of days to work polishing the manuscript.  I got so much accomplished yesterday.  Just two chapters to go before I.... read through it again.  Yes, writing is very repetitious.  No one simply writes a book.  There are always changes.  This is why when I'm finished it goes to readers.  The guy who's going to be doing what I call editing will leave me notes like:  "Boring, " "What the hell is this?"  "Illogical!"  He actually went back and fact checked the ending of "The Body on the Lawn" to make sure I hadn't fudged the denouement.  That's actually a French word which originally meant to 'unknot,'  In other words, that's the point where all the time and effort I've put in to writing the book goes Full Frontal... you see everything.  This is why my Full Frontal is so much better than the Full Frontal of the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  Mine make you smile and say"ah ha!"  His sends you screaming.

Growing

At around 0230 this morning Biggie woke me up.  He was walking around on the bed.  When a large dog does that you feel it.  Everything moves.  He jumped off and went into the Computer / Gym where I heard him throw something up.  That sound always creates a bit of a sinking feeling... especially that early in the morning.  I really hate having to rouse my ass out of bed and go clean up dog vomit.  But I did.  And what did I find?  Not dinner.  Nope.  There, lying right next to the weight bench, I found that Biggie had regurgitated a... (are you ready for this?)... fabric antler.  Four inches long and an inch and a half wide.  That's right.  The antler had somehow been torn off their toy moose and Biggie, because he's a dog, thought it might make for good eats.  Well, it didn't.  Now it's in the trash.
Yesterday Accuweather call for rain in the morning.  They were wrong... again.  It rained all day.  They need to work on their accuracy if they want to call themselves Accuweather.
Anyway, in the rain, I drove to downtown Harrisburg, about 8 minutes away, to file my Mom's will.  Parking is always bad.  I ended up parking my car in the University of Harrisburg garage ($10) an hour, and walking 6 blocks (in the rain) to the Courthouse.  It turns out every thing I had been told was wrong.  The Funeral Director had said anything over $10,000 needs to be filed, that I might be able to do a short probate.  I went to numerous online websites - they said that a probate needs to be filed for estates over $50,000.  My friend Patty needed to hire an attorney.  Everyone I talked to told me I was going to need to file the will.  At the courthouse I was told that because I and my Mom had joint bank accounts, and that since there were no other assets, I didn't need to file the will... at all.  The clerk told me to hold on to it "just in case something crops up in the future."  Now ain't that just duckie?
Oh, and Paul Manafort lied.  Stop laughing.  Stop laughing!  This guy has lied his whole life.  There is no way in hell he could stop.
And the race between Hyde-Smith and Mike Espy has tightened.  Finding nooses hanging from a tree near the state capital doesn't help the Republicans.
Also, the official flip count right now is 40 House seats.  That number is higher than the number of seats which flipped in the election after Nixon resigned.  Holy Shit!  In fact, the number of those voting Democrat slammed through previous barriers.  This is what happens when you have an unpopular president in the White House.  Republicans are terrified because the wave... is continuing to grow.

Don't be surprised

One of the first things I do when I get up in the morning is check Accuweather.  As I looked down at my phone this morning I saw Snow in 61 minutes.   Golly Gee Wiz!  Of course, the outside Temp is 40 (F) meaning we don't have to worry about it laying.  This morning, depth will not be a problem.  This year, however, I will have to invest in a new snow shovel.  The one I currently have was a gift from my parents about... oh... maybe 15 years ago, and the scoop is blue plastic, and it's falling apart.
And the Idiot Jerk in the White House has been caught up in another of his vicious cycle lies, you know what I mean:  he lies, and gets caught, he lies, and gets caught.  Because he is used to his sycophants and loyalists believing everything he says, he has no idea that the vast majority of Americans know he is a lying sack of shit.  The latest lie?  That he doesn't know Matthew Whitaker.  Evidently that's a really, really, tremendous lie.  This story is all over the place.  Four times the Idiot Jerk made this denial.  He does't understand there are a number of documented meeting between himself and Whitaker before the appointment was announced.  The truth is Whitaker is the kind of goon a mob boss would hire, a 'silencer' of sorts, whose sole purpose is to shut people up.  Should we expect anything else from the Idiot Jerk.
Just a note about the Blue Wave... well, it is real.  At this point Democrats have 31 more seats in the House than Republicans.  An interesting note about that number:  during the pundit predictions 31 was at the high end.  The Republicans lost 7 Governorships.  That deeply red state of Kansas now has a Democrat for a governor.  The Idiot Jerk is touting an increase of 2 seats in the Senate... ah, but it looks like that might be down to one.  And, of course, there is that shit show in Florida... too close to call, and headed for a recount.  As for Georgia, even if Kemp manages to pull it out of his ass (which is likely since he is a Republican) the writing is on the wall... in Very Big Letters!
Here is my little prediction.  In about 2 years you are going to see Republicans begin to relocate into specific geographical locations.  They did this years ago when Black people started moving into the suburbs.  Those who can't adapt will, in no uncertain terms, become white migrants continually moving in their attempt to stay ahead of the growing evolution of America.  They will pick some place like Montana, or North Dakota.  I'm not talking about all white people, most will assimilate.  But there is that group, very much like the Idiot Jerk in the White House, who will never understand.  It will start sooner than they think.  In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it

Squeak, squeak

My first of 4 days off in a row and.... someone forgot to tell the dogs what 'Daylight Savings Time' is because changing the clock on the wall has done nothing to change their biological clocks.  Their normal time to go outside is between 4 and 4:30 (yes, I get up early).  Now it's between 3 and 3:30.  Isn't Nature wonderful?
And rain is in the forecast for today, and also for tomorrow morning as well.  Originally the forecast had been for Nature's urination to start this morning and run through tomorrow, election day.   The heaviest rains will occur today.  Tomorrow is supposed to be warmer with occasional showers and storms.  Shitty, rainy weather doesn't bode well for polling when it comes to older, white Republicans.  Standing in a line with an umbrella is not what they want at all.  I suspect that, like the Wicked Witch of the West, they have nightmares about melting.  Democrats, on the other hand, will crawl over broken glass to vote in this election.  I mean, what's a little water, a little pain, for the chance to wipe that shit stained smile off the face of the Idiot Jerk in the White House.
So, does anyone know of Melania has started packing yet?  Oh, wait, did she even unpack?  I suppose her natural inclination would be to just leave everything behind and just buy everything new.
On a lighter note, Lily pulled the squeaky thing from Biggie's brown beaver.  I had to take it from her.  Given the chance dogs will eat those plastic things.

The squeaky thing

Someone should tell Republicans these things aren't natural.  They're going to start gulping them down as the polls start closing and the votes get counted.  By Wednesday the only thing coming out of their mouths will be a squeaking noise.  Of course, that's about all that comes out of their racist mouths now.

Vote Blue.

Let's make these suckers squeak!

Just Shut UP

We have had rain here in Central PA for 25 hours straight.  I have some water in the basement: 1/4 - 1/2 inch in some places.  There are some dry areas.  Some places have had up to 4 inches of rain.  That's a lot.  Flood warnings are up.  Predictions are being made as to when creeks, streams, and rivers will hit flood stage.  That happens when rain has swollen them to the extent they leave their banks and invade fields, and streets, and neighborhoods, and, on occasion, wash away bridges.  On Friday, Flo is supposed to make landfall in North Carolina.  My money says that bitch is going to turn north and bring us more rain.
I just checked on Accuweather and the perimeter is just to our southwest.  Hopefully it will arrive soon, this is my day off work and I have a lot of laundry to do.  The washer and dryer are... in the basement.
As I was lying in bed last night, I started thinking about that anonymous op-ed in the NYT.  I didn't read it, mostly because I don't want to die this young.  Death you ask?  Well, yes, it might either scare me to death, or I might die laughing, neither outcome would be appreciated.  One thing did cross my mind, though.  If there is a dedicated group working to keep the Idiot Jerk in check... what would things be like if they weren't there?  Let's be honest.  This is pretty much of a cluster fuck administration, and they're using no lube what-so-ever.  I can't even imagine how bad things would be without this team dedicated to keeping him in check.  Stop!  Don't even think about it!  Don't let that thought seep in and activate your fear nodes!
On a lighter note, my Nike running shoes came yesterday.

A funny thing about Nike and their "Just do it" campaign.  There are crazy, mini idiot jerks out there who are burning Nikes.  What's so funny?  In a world in which a majority of the people have darker skin, who have absolutely no problem with Nike, or Colin Kaepernick, this minority group of white Republicans actually believe they will have some kind of effect.  Hahahaha.  This teeny weeny turd of humanity doesn't realize how small and insignificant they are.  Perhaps we true Americans should start our own campaign.  We could take black and white pictures of ourselves.  Every time one of these phony Americans comments on Facebook, or Twitter, or Instagram, we can post those pictures, and our catch phrase, our slogan, our anthem can be "Just Shut Up."

There's fun in stripping

Well, we have another crappy weather day here is Central Pennsylvania.  Flood warnings are out for most of the region.  And, of course, this is one of my days off.  I use Accuweather and always check approaching weather patterns on my days off.  So far, for the next 3 weeks, things don't look too good.
I spent a good portion of yesterday stripping - no pole, no music, just a steamer and a ladder.  The grape border around the dining room is now gone.

Yes, that is a blue lava light on the table

About halfway through the job, Big Seig came to stand... and watch, but only briefly before going back to lay on the sofa.

Anyway, I see the Idiot Jerk was busy trying to keep all of the dirt his attorney has out of the public eye.  He knows that once that shit hits the fan.... well, the shit will hit the fan.  Wouldn't surprise me if the truth is far worse then we even imagine.  And, of course, people don't really like him.  You can feel the anticipation growing.  His bad Karma is going to take a hammer his world.  For what is probably the first time in his selfish, self-absorbed, self-centered life he might have the slightest inkling of fear.  He is losing control, the one thing he has lorded about having.  He thought being president would give him the power to do what ever he wants, dumb shit.  Didn't anybody ever tell this fool that every president is under a microscope?  Well, somebody probably did, however he doesn't really listen.  Perhaps if he'd seen it on Faux News... maybe.  

Just like the grape border that used to top my dining room walls, the Idiot Jerk is going to come down, stripped away and thrown into the trash.  When that day arrives, think of all of the fun we're going to have.  Which goes to prove how much fun there is in stripping.

Bits and Pieces

Since it's Saturday, I thought I just throw out some random bits and pieces.
This is the first Saturday in January which means we're going to have our Kids Workshop.  According to Accuweather the temp this morning, during the workshop hours, is going to hover in the very, very low teens (think 13 F), and you can bet there are going to be parents to bring their 3, 4, and 5 year-old children, not because they have a lot of fun, but because they get something for free.
Interestingly enough, even thought the Idiot Jerk and other high ranking Republicans are calling "Fire and Fury" nothing more than a pack of lies, lies, lies, the basso profundo undertones in their song are singing truth, truth, truth.  Remember their idea of Damage Control is to attack anything and everything that laughs at them.... so start laughing!
Here's a sad little puff piece in Bloomberg written by Anousha Sakoui which uses a photo of Jack Black to head the article, but then completely fails to mention him, or give him any credit for Jumanji's success, instead those kudos are given to Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart, two comedians who evidently need to have their egos petted by Sony Pictures.
The Golden Globes are this Sunday - a lot of people will be watching them, I most likely will not be one of them.  Not a big award show person here.  Oh, and the Producer's Guild announced their nominees yesterday - 11 films are nominated... including "Wonder Woman."  "Get Out" got a nomination, too.  Many of those titles will get Oscar nods as well.  Last years Oscar winner "Moonlight," was a finger in the eye to Social Conservatives every where, and wouldn't be surprised if the Academy didn't do it again by giving the Best Picture award to the  inter-species love story, adult fairy tale "The Shape of Water."

I stretched my scar tissue doing crunches with a 12 lb medicine ball yesterday and now I'm a bit sore.  Shit.  Time to take an anti-inflammatory.