A Joyful Noise

 Looking out the window of my computer / workout room, I can see the sun reflecting off the Susquehanna River.  Yes, I am that close.  No more than 3/4 of a mile away.  Being on a high hill has its advantages.  I tell people that when I finally sell my house, it's going to happen in the winter, when I can see traffic moving down Front Street.  That's on the west shore.

All I did was work on the book yesterday.  

Oh, and I took a ride in California through the redwood forests.  I'm so glad Tacx has started including rides in the United States.  Japanese rides are also now included in the package.  I did resubscribe for another year.

And I had mentioned before that I thought Biggie's potty breaks might not be as necessary as they seemed to be, well, I was right.  Instead of getting up every time he jumps off the bed to let him out, I've been letting him wander.  I don't think he's pleased that biscuits are no longer involved.  No more midnight snacks.  Sometimes he comes back on the bed, other times he doesn't.  Last night he slept for a couple hours in the computer / workout room.  Eventually, he moved downstairs to the sofa in the writing room.  He can sleep where ever he wants.

And then there's this:

Can you hear me laughing now?

McCarthy keeps making concessions to the insurrectionists without understand that's not what they want.  The man's an idiot.  And a weasel.  And spineless.  I don't think he understands that one of the goals here is to humiliate him straight to Hell.

Yesterday, while Scott Perry was speaking, someone shouted "order for the traitor."  Had I been in a theater, I'd have been rolling in the aisles.  At one point afterwards, I believe, he was caught on camera yelling that this whole thing was bullshit.  As a reminder, Perry was the one pushing a YouTube video about Italian satellites switching votes from Trump to Biden.

Personally, I'm saying more power to these 20 asswipes.  I can't think of a better way to sabotage the 2024 elections.

John Boehner, who was forced out of the Speaker position by the American Freedom Caucus, has said they actually have no true agenda, their main goal is to 'kick as much sand as possible into the gears, hoping to break the government.'  That sounds about right.

No matter what they want, the destruction they're causing to the Republican party is tremendous, so, let's stand back and make a joyful noise!

Listen UP

Wednesday.  I work... and this isn't even my hump day.  Shit.
So, when I got home from work yesterday we had about 3/4 inch to an inch of icy slush, mostly slush with a crust of ice.  Grabbing my handy dandy shovel, I cleared off the back porch, steps, and the veranda for the dogs.  They love snow when it's soft and fluffy - hate it when it's crunchy slippery.  I then took care of the front sidewalks - didn't take me long at all.  I just put the shovel down and used it like a plow.  The prediction is for us to warm up over the next couple of days.  Good.
Okay, the the mailman drops off this letter from the E. Cumberland Road Neighbors last evening and when I opened it I found an invite to join a 'public website' specifically for my neighborhood at nextdoor.com... well, kinda... and probably not.  It was written by someone named Corinda Traina - I Googled the name... nada.  Nextdoor.com is a social network started in California about 12 years ago and neighborhoods are groups of people who live in the same region.  Sorry, this isn't for me, so it's going in the trash.
And, how's this for stupid?  Yesterday afternoon I was sitting at the flooring desk and I received a call form our Measurements Services regarding a customer.  They had just sold her a carpet installation, around $2000, and after she gave them her credit card number asked them when she was going to be able to pick out her carpet...  🙄🙄🤣😂🤣  Let me explain...  After having their rooms measured, customers normally choose the carpet and the color and the padding.  The minute they pay for it, that carpet gets ordered.  Sometimes, if a customer can't make up their mind, a generic carpet and color is keyed into the order.  All this is explained to the customer.  Most customers will have decided on a specific carpet and color before they are actually measured.  When Measurements Services sells an install, they verify all of this information since the last thing they want to do is sell you a style and color carpet you do not want.  This customer evidently wasn't listening and blindly gave them her credit card number.  End result:  I had to cancel the purchase order and process a refund. 

And finally, I saw where the Idiot Jerk in the White House is 'unhappy' with the joint legislation which will keep the government open, but gives him nothing for his WALL.  I guess the American Freedom Caucus, that crazy bunch of hate mongers, is telling him to sign it.  They're telling him to go around Congress in order to have his WALL built.  In fact, I do believe Lindsey Graham is advocating the declaration of a National Emergency.  For those who don't know, the American Freedom Caucus is an all white, Evangelical boys club.  Do you know what's going to happen if he declares a National Emergency?  Well, I'm going to quote Dirty Harry.  "Make my day."

The Jolly Holiday (pt 2)

Golly gee whiz... yesterday was quite the Jolly Holiday, wasn't it?
My doctor told me I had a 'viral infection' (cold) which I already knew.  His explanation for my swollen glands?  This 'viral infection' was severe, creating buckets more mucous than normal, and all this extra mucous was creating a tidal wave of post nasal drip.  This tidal wave is so large a secondary infection was created around my Adam's apple, the reason for those large, swollen glands.  Since this is a viral rather than bacterial infection, he recommended 'over the counter' meds.  Well, the Chloroceptic failed against the gush and swash of the tidal wave.  Totally.  So at around 0200 I went on line and discovered I am not alone.  One of the most popular products to reduce the level of mucous is... Mucinex.  Guess what I'm buying on the way home from work.
And, of course the Jolly Holiday continued with the Freedom Caucus, that white, racist body losing their power in 11 days, demanded the Idiot Jerk renege on his agreement to sign a funding measure without monies for their racist wall.  They did what they've always done, shouted "shut up! screw you!  we're in charge, so just shut up!' and passed a bill that is dead before it reaches the Senate floor.  You see, they don't really care about America, or Americans.  All they truly care about are their only narrow minded beliefs.  As might be expected, their narrow mindedness sent a tidal wave around the world's stock markets.  Believe me, their tidal wave was far more destructive than mine made out of mucous.
If you thought the Jolly Holiday was going to end there, boy were you wrong.  Mad Dog Mattis got... mad.  He is burning mad!  Angry as a hornet.  And he's making sure every body knows.  His resignation letter has been published everywhere.  He is furious that the moron Idiot Jerk in the White House is leaving Syria to the Russians.  That's right, Mad Dog is running for the hills, making sure he doesn't get swept up in the Tidal Wave of stupidity spewing out of the Idiot Jerk's administration.
For those who don't know, the Idiot Jerk was not sent to make America great again, we've always been great.  He's here to destroy the Republican Party.  He is here to prove why religion needs to be completely excised from politics.  He is here to screech the death knoll for his base.
On a lighter note, as I was sitting at my writing table last evening, I noticed Lily watching me from the futon.  I thought, oh, my gosh, she is so cute.  So, I took a picture.  I call it Lily on the Futon.

Anti-Hero of the Hour - American Freedom Caucus

So, Trumpcare failed.  I was expecting there to be a Twitter overload around 3 AM, and there wasn't...  Cynical me says they new the ultimate outcome on Thursday and delayed the actual announcement until Friday to keep the stock market from going into a death spiral.  And the reason there was no Twitter Storm?  The Idiot in the White House did what he's always done in the face of losing battle:  he walked away.  That's right, in his mind he filed it under legislative bankruptcy and it has joined the other bankruptcies of his past, in a dirty closet.  And the Anti-Heroes of the hour were not some fine, upstanding congressmen who realized what a disaster this legislation was, rather a group of self-centered, ultra conservatives were the ones who gave the Idiot a one finger salute.  You see the legislation, as it stood, didn't go far enough.  People... human beings with pre-existing conditions were still going to be covered, and prenatal care, among other things.  These conservatives hate that their tax money is going to be spent for these things.  You see, the American Freedom Caucus is really, really greedy.  If you think Golum had a thing for the Ring, you should try and get between members of the American Freedom Caucus and their money.
In fact, this group has become the Achilles tendon of the the GOP, they will hobble every piece of legislation that doesn't kiss their greedy, social conservative asses.  That's right, these are the people who totally hate Planned Parenthood among a litany of other things.  They are uncontrollable.

And if the Idiot in the White House wants to push any legislation through Congress, he's going to need to bend to their will... or else get remove them from power.  In fact, if the GOP had any intelligence (which doesn't seem likely) they should have already started working with possible candidates who are less... strident in their political beliefs.  Of course we know that ain't going to ever happen.  The Republicans are too desperate for their votes in order to stay in power.

So, for right now, the American Freedom Caucus members are Anti-heroes.  Isn't it nice to know that they might actually be good for something?