The Man with the Glasses

 Rain is in the forecast.  The drizzle has already begun.  Temps are predicted to climb into the mid 80s (F), but the humidity will be high.  After today's rains temps will again climb back up into the 90s (F).  While the past 2 summers have been on the cool side, this warmth should have been expected.  The rest of the world is having very hot days, so why should we here in Central PA have to deal with the same thing.

I did have a nice conversation yesterday with my manager regarding the attitude I had to deal with from the other manager on Sunday.  He asked if I got the $4700 sale, and when I told him I did, he said, "that's what's important, making sure the customer is happy."  Of course, getting that sale made him happy.  From what I gather, none of the other managers have much respect for the one who tried to intimidate me, so I'm getting broad smiles and nods from them, while he seems to have made himself invisible.  

And, since it's raining, I'm using the dryer today instead of hanging my loads of laundry outside to dry.  

Also, after everything I've been posting about the Orange Anus, I thought this might be a decent little palate cleanser.  This is something to be proud of.  I tried posting the video, but NBC Sports has it locked down tight in YouTube, so watch him in action.  His name is Steve Nedoroscik.

Last night there was a zoom call:  White Dudes for Harris.  Over 175,000 men were on that call.  They heard a number of speakers and raised over $4 million for the Harris campaign.  That's a big finger in the eye of the Republican party.  Not surprisingly, the NYT posted an NYT/Sienna poll this morning implying that 75% of men likely to vote were pro Trump.  I hope the irony isn't lost on any of you, since the billionaire owner of the NYT has been pushing a rather obvious pro Trump agenda.  In case you didn't know, it's all about the tax cuts.  The same thing is true about that dufuss Elon Musk, who shut down the White Dudes for Harris Twitter account during the event.  The reason:  The account was suspended for trying to avoid suspension.  Musk wants his tax break, too.  

And evidently Leonard Leo, Clarence Thomas' sugar daddy, had a bit of a meltdown over Biden wanting to create forcible ethics rules for the Supreme Court.  I mean, what's a sugar daddy supposed to do if he can't spoil his favorite Oreo boy toy?

Big News

 Well Happy Friday to everyone out there.  Here in Central PA, our temps are supposed to be moderately high, mid 80s (F) with partially cloudy skies for the Memorial Day weekend.  Wow! This holiday just sort crept up on me.  In fact, it's difficult to believe that the month of May is nearly over.  Time is just zipping by.

I did work yesterday.  Retail was slow.  At one point, our Operations Manager wandered over to the flooring desk for a nice little chat, during which he asked how long it had been since I managed the Front End (all of the cashiers).  When I told him 5 years, he said, "oh, that's not that long ago."  So I politely told him I had no interest in going backwards, and the thought struck me that perhaps I should start acting my age... Hell, that'll never happen.

And in sort of big news, evidently Target, Walmart, and Aldis have announced they're going to begin dropping prices.  This is what happens when you outprice yourself.  Of course, supposedly this is just food prices, Target and Walmart didn't say they weren't going to raise prices elsewhere.  I don't doubt that other retailers are going to follow suit.  The power of the dollar is not spending it when they want you to, but rather when you make the decision yourself.  

When I got home from work, my neighbor from across the street called me over.  She's a very nice woman who's basically a chain smoker.  I've talked about her before.  She was one of the co-signers of the will that was invalidated, and we had to drive around looking for a Notary Public in order to sign another document saying we were the original signers.  Anyway, she called me over and gave me some dahlias, that I shall have to plant out later this morning.  Right now they're sitting in a baking pan in my kitchen sink.

The Orange Anus had a rally yesterday in the Bronx and around 7 thousand showed up.  The population of the Bronx is 1.4 million.  That's a terribly big ouch when you realize just how small an area the Bronx actually covers.  We're not even talking minor mileage here.

There are a lot of funny stories about Nikki Haley's flip, one was that she's putting all of her eggs in the 2028 basket, thinking she has a better chance for the presidency then.  I know, it simply doesn't make sense.  By supporting Trump, it's not going to put her in a better position after he loses.

And the shocker that should have been expected was Clarence Thomas saying that with the Brown vs the School Board decision, that landmark decision saying black children needed to be treated the same as white children, the Supreme Court had probably made a mistake.  This is coming from a black man who would not be on the Court if that decision had not been made.  In case you haven't realized it yet, there is something seriously wrong with Thomas.

Boots on the Ground

 The weekend is almost upon us, meaning I'll get to go sit at the flooring desk for 3 days beginning tomorrow afternoon.  Can you feel my excitement in the air?

The temps outside are on the chilly side, 28 (F) the last time I checked, however that was a bit ago.  They might be warmer by now.  Our high to day is predicted to be in the lower 50s (F), in fact for the rest of the weekend temps are supposed to climb.  Am I the only who thinks that these warmer winters portend to even warmer summers?  Possibly not here in Central PA, but down in Texas, and Florida, and the rest of those southern states?  I wonder how hot they'll have to get before the understand that Global Warming is an issue.

I didn't get any workout in yesterday.  Instead, I attempted to make a giant chicken patty and was not too successful.  The thing tastes okay, but isn't something I will ever cook again.  Lily doesn't care.  All the skin and things I don't want to eat are going to her, so last evening's and this evening's meals are going to be feasts for her.

The tank in the living room got a good cleaning yesterday.  The black algae is back, which means I'm going to need to start up frequent water changes again.  Not a problem.  I don't think the fish like it too much.

And did you know some people will do anything for a free pair of shoes?

I did see a juicy tidbit yesterday which might possibly explain the Supreme Court's decision in delaying Trump's immunity case, and, not surprisingly, it makes sense.  This means it's probably not true, and is just another conspiracy theory, but let's be honest, it sounds logical.  That tidbit is:  they are delaying the immunity hearing because they do really want Trump to win in November because...  Clarence Thomas, age 77, and Samuel Alito, age 73, want to insure that they are replaced on the court by Federalist Conservatives, something Trump would do to keep his orange ass safe.  This being said, I think this is more conjecture than anything else simply because lose so many perks when they retire, and for Thomas that would mean no more Sugar Daddy sweetness for his bank account.  And Alito?  He can do more evil sitting on the bench than anywhere else.

Is Gini Thomas miffed?

 Yesterday was a warm, sunny day.  I loved it!  With the temp hovering at 53 (F), Lily and I took a walk.  She loves walks.  Today's supposed to be warm, but we're not expecting to climb into the 50s (F) again.  Today's high is supposed to be climb up into the mid 40s (F), but that's fine.  Every warm day is one day less that I need to pay for heating my house.

I got a lot of things done yesterday, including a good cleaning of the tank in the living room.  I bought a UV light to help manage the algae in the writing room tank; it's so bad right now the water has a greenish tint.  In all of the years I've had aquariums, I've never had as much of an algae problem as I now have, but then they all had fluorescent lights, not the brilliant LED lights we have today.  Brighter lit tanks = more work.

Early yesterday afternoon, I had a nice conversation with my neighbor.  She's nice, but either limited, or very naive.  She told me she feels as though everybody is watching them, so I was honest and told her nobody in the neighborhood really cares what they do.  She complained that her son's room was "chilly," her word, not mine.  She said she bought a heater to keep it warm.  So I told her that before the renovation, it was an attic with no heat, and there's still no heat, and only one outlet.  If we have any really cold days, that's kid's going to freeze.  This is what happens when you don't pay for a Home Inspection.  

Because there is no soundproofing between our houses, I bought myself a gaming headset, which was actually a smart move.  The sound is so much clearer than what I heard just using the soundbar, so I'm thinking this was a very good investment.  

One of the things I find truly interesting is that the Supreme Court which Donald Trump, and the Republican party, loaded to be touchy feely friendly to the GOP has been failing to give them what they want, Supreme Status in America.  Of course the Court's biggest test is going to be Trump's immunity status.  They are on very thin ice right now, and I'm certain that one Justice in particular, namely Clarence Thomas, is all for saying that the white billionaire is right, and should be able to do what he wants.  Many legal experts are weighing in on the subject, and by far a majority of them are saying Trump isn't.  With this is mind, I'm wondering if Ginni Thomas is miffed.  I'm betting she is.  Let's be honest here, she's a white woman with terrible taste in cardigan sweaters who's just like her husband: she feels she's deserving.  Saying Trump is immune from anything and everything would open up the flood gates for all those grifts and bribes to come rolling into her open arms.  Many are saying Clarence should recuse himself, but he won't.  That would be an admission of guilt.  Besides, Ginni would never let him.

Clarence Thomas and his White law clerks

 Well, happy Christmas eve everybody.  We got drizzles here in Central PA, and they're supposed to be lingering throughout the day.  Fun stuff.  Temps are going to hover around in the mid 40s (F).  Tomorrow, however, they're supposed to climb up into the 50s (F).  Keep in mind, even though 2023 has been the warmest year since humans have started keeping records, there is no such thing as global warming, at least as far as many of the truly religious are concerned.  God wouldn't let that happen to us.

As expected, yesterday there were not a lot of customers in the store yesterday.  For the most part, the 6 hours I spent there were truly boring.  I did talk to people, but scheduling was lite; management must finally be reading the room.  I did sell some flooring yesterday, and one customer signed up for a credit card.  We did have 2 customers, a husband and wife, who scammed us on getting a military discount.  We knew there was a problem, but they knew exactly which bells and whistles to tap and blow in order to get their 10% discount.  I have no problem with people who are thrifty, and frugal, and who try to save a penny, but those that lie and cheat in order to pay the lowest price they can possibly get?  They are one of the reasons retailers raise their prices.  Corporate is going to do everything within their power to make Market Share, even if it means raising the prices for everybody.

And I saw this picture in the Washington Post this morning.  Tell me, what stands out in this photo of Clarence Thomas and his law clerks?

Do you think it was that there was only one black person standing in front of a lot of white people?  Does this mean that Clarence doesn't like black people?  He, himself, rose in the ranks with the use of affirmative action, yet he has also stridently worked against it.  Maybe he believes minorities should be hired by others, and not him.  Or, perhaps he thinks that if he hires minorities he'll be showing reverse prejudice.  Or, and this seems to be the most accurate possibility, Clarence wants to be white, and so surrounds himself with white people.  He's been called an Oreo, black on the outside and white on the inside, for a long time.  For those of you still wondering this is a good illustration of an Oreo.

Laughable

 So, here it is Tuesday, though I thought it was Wednesday until I looked at my work calendar on the refrigerator.  This week is out of sync because I didn't work Monday, so in my mind Sunday would have been my Monday.  It seems as though it's not the days of the week I remember as much as the days days that I either work or don't work.

There's a steady breeze shaking the branches of the river birch outside my window, and you'd think the leaves would be ripping themselves off since we've had some cold mornings, but nope.  Temps are predicted to climb up into the mid to upper 50s (F) again today.  While our overnight temps can drop down into the low 30s (F), our daily highs are always in the mid 50s (F).  This is a nice autumn.

The cabinet doors got their first coat of paint yesterday.  One more before they get hung, and then a 3rd around the top and on the front just to add a bit of toughness.  Remember, paint is a finish and needs to be treated like one.  The more coats, the more durable it is.  That's a problem with those "one coat" paints people use because they're too lazy to do 2 coats.  One coat is easier to scratch off.  

Nestled in among the leaves, here's another rose from my garden.

And yesterday something laughable happened; the Supreme Court decided they were going to follow a code of ethics followed by lower courts.  While many applauded this, there is one tiny little fly in the ointment:  they're going to police themselves.  We know how well that's gone so far, what with Clarence Thomas accepting every bribe tax free donation and grift gift his Sugar Daddy teases him with, only a fool would think he's going to stop or even try to change.  I'm not alone in thinking that this Band-Aid is going to be ripped off the first time Clarence gets an offer. 

It's also rather laughable that the news media is attempting to make something newsworthy about Halley and DeSantis are probably going to be the last 2 candidates standing, other than the Spawn of Satan, Donald Trump.  I really do with they'd begin putting Democracy first, rather than clicks on the internet.  I also find it laughable that they're treating the Orange Anus as a legitimate candidate.  You'd think they'd realize that by doing so enables his cult.

Supreme Failure

 Forecasters are saying we're in for another day in the 80s (F) and the skies are still supposed to be hazy with Canadian wild fire smoke.  People with breathing issues might have problems, I'm not one of them.

My lawn did get mowed yesterday.  I talked with the owner of the house next door, again.  He is a rather disreputable individual who seems to think he's shrewd.  He told me the house is going on sale in about 3 weeks and that he's not going through a real estate agent.  He said, "if you know enough people agents aren't necessary, so why should I pay one commission?"  Translation, he's going to try and sell it without having a home inspection done.  This also means someone's going to be buying a house with a lot of problems.  

As far as exercising, yesterday was pretty much of a bust.  I did get in the dumbbell workout, however my Heart Rate Monitor died.  It just stopped communicating with every device it was connected to; nothing could find it.  According to my phone, the last sync had been on 6/27 and at that time the battery was full.  I've had problems with it before, so, after muttering a few obscenities and cutting my ride really short, I ordered a new one.  Free overnight delivery.  It arrive this morning around 0700.

And I uploaded another little video to my YouTube channel on the next book, The Body in Motion.  Here it is for your enjoyment.

As expected, the conservative Supreme Court threw out Affirmative Action for universities and colleges yesterday.  And, as expected, Clarence Thomas, a man who took advantage of Affirmative Action to get where he is, voted against it.  For him, I suspect it was more about revenge than anything.  Purportedly, when he was going to Harvard, thanks to Affirmative Action, he complained to friends that he felt like a 2nd class student, that others thought he was there only because of Affirmative Action, rather then on his qualifications.  He evidently still doesn't realize that his qualifications wouldn't have gotten him a place on the door stoop.  That man is so filled with hatred.

Oh, and the Koch group is raising money to find someone they deem qualified to run against Trump, at least $70 million so far.  They know that if he gets the nomination he will set back conservatism decades.

Number 2

 Friday.  The end of the work week has arrived for some of you.  My work weekend is just around the corner.

I don't know if it's the drizzly showers we have right now or not, but the hazy smoke from Canada's fires is no where to be seen.  This is fine with me.  They're predicting we might get a thundershower this afternoon.  That would be fine with me, too.  

For about an hour yesterday, I did some more digging on the roots of that burning bush.  This my be a rather long process.

Biggie's urn arrived.  It's a bit bigger than I expected, though is much more impressive than the one is ashes were in.  It's very shiny!

And, for those of you who haven't heard the news, Trump is going top be officially indicted for a 2nd time on Tuesday.  Miami is probably not going to be very pleasant on Tuesday.  Purportedly part of his indictment has to do with the Espionage Act which might entail him actually being arrested, put in handcuffs, and sent to a jail cell.  While 62% of America would love this, I doubt if it will happen.  One of his attorneys said that he was going to fight this thing through and not run off to Scotland.  Personally, I think that's a very good possibility.  Especially if he gets indicted a 3rd time in Atlanta.

Republicans are in an uproar, at least publicly.  Privately I'm betting many of them are scared.  A majority of Americans can't stand their politics.  We are a Centrist country unfortunately Republicans don't really care.  All they want to do is say "shut up, do as we say, we're in charge."  They hate Democracy.  

Oh, and speaking of Democracy, the Supreme Court released a decision yesterday ripping Alabama's racist redistricting maps.  Ouch for the white Republicans in that state.  Not surprisingly, the angriest dissent came for Clarence Thomas who loves him his white sugar daddy.

Any Day Now

 Yesterday was quiet.  The weather was cool, only climbing into the the low 70s (F), and we had a steady breeze coming down from the north.   They're calling for the same weather pattern today.  Tomorrow rain is again in the forecast.  We have an 80% chance of getting wet.  I'm looking forward to it.  Hopefully it will wash some of the smokey haze away.

Speaking of the smokey haze, I understand today is supposed to be our worst.  It is, at times, like fog.  Unlike New York, where it's orange, ours is mostly gray.

I was talking to one of the men working on the house next door.  He's told me it's almost time for it to be painted, inside and out.  Gray.  I hate gray.  

The audiobook of The Body Under Ice is being uploaded by chapter.  That's nice because most of the chapters are short, so time wise each is about 6 minutes long.  That's probably also great for people who listen to audiobooks.  Having to stop listening at the end of a chapter is great.

And of course, there's this:

Any day now.  Possibly even sometime this afternoon.  He's broken the Espionage Act, as if we didn't know.  Remember, he's always believed he was above the law and could do whatever he liked.  

I found it interesting that the House of Representatives has adjourned for the week because of internal Republican chaos.  I wouldn't be surprised if some of that had to do with the impending indictment (s).  One of Jack Smith's investigations has to do with the Jan 6 insurrection, and mealy mouthed Mark Meadows has flipped for that Grand Jury as well.  I'm sure he's already turned in texts to and from an array of people, like Jimmy Jordan, Scott Perry, and that ever popular Ginni Thomas.

And, speaking of the Thomases, I see where Clarence has has for an extension on filling his financial statement for the past year.  He must be finding it difficult to make bribery sound legit.

Oops!

 Yesterday was one of those unproductive days when all I really wanted to do was sit around and do nothing.  That isn't what happened though.  Even on my sluggard days I end up doing something.  

Today temps are supposed to climb into the upper 60s (F).  I need to mow my lawn.  The past week of either heavy rain, or on and off showers has made it grow... and grow.  This happens in the spring.  My rose bushes have many buds, and so do my peonies.  For the first time in 10 years both of my Itoh peonies will be blooming.  Their blooms are yellow.  I will take pictures.

Since I didn't have any, I ordered some red socks for cycling.

I made Chicken Saltimbocca last evening for dinner.  It was a first.  It looked great!  However, the combination of the sage and the prosciutto was not at all to my liking.  Actually, I thought it was terrible.  Just because something looks tasty doesn't mean it's going to be satisfying to the palate. 

While I was doing nothing yesterday, I also roasted a ham that will be used for various dishes over the next week.  This afternoon I'll be using it to make cheesy scalloped potatoes and ham that I will use for lunches on this weekend.  

And what about all of the continuous stream of shit about Clarence Thomas and his sow Ginni?  Barely a day seems to go by when another rock isn't turned over and more shit spills out.  Tuition for a foster son, or what ever he wants to call the young man?  Leo Leonard sending money her way and asking that she not be identified in the payments.  And I really don't mind throwing more water on that wet blanket they chose to cower under, but these two individuals are supposed to be devout Christians.  I'm wondering if they view all these bribes as Blessings?  There are Cracker Jack Crazies out there who are like that?  Believing God reward them for being what many consider selfish.  Who cares about ethics when there's an open checkbook waiting to pay your way through the Pearly Gates.

And evidently Trump had another one of his confidential golf course meetings in Scotland.  This one was very hush hush, not like the one in the rain in North Carolina... or was it Georgia, last year.  There was no wild ride on golf carts like at that meeting.  Nope.  There were not a lot of people.  Many are thinking this was because of his rape trial.  You know?  The one where, while in Ireland, he bragged about how he could go and testify?  The one where the judge in charge of the trial, hearing those comments told Trump he now has until Sunday to show up and testify?  Oops.

Oh, and not surprisingly, an important insider in the document case who was at Mar a Lago has flipped.  Oops!

No title entry because I forgot one

 Well, we have rain here in Central PA.  According to the weather forecasters, it's only to supposed to be here this morning.  This afternoon it's supposed to go away and temps are predicted to climb into the mid 60s (F).  Tomorrow it's to be a bit more sunny and warmer, but on Friday the rain returns.  Remember that saying "April showers bring May flowers?"  Well, this year it appears as though we're going to have a replay of last year and the all those showers are going to be arriving in May.

I did get some painting done yesterday.  Because the weather's not supposed to be cool today, with showers possible, I'll get paint some more.  Hopefully, I'll get the kitchen ceiling knocked out and then I'll be able to call my drywaller to finish it off.

So, I still can't order author's copies of The Body Under Ice from Amazon.  I talked to a woman yesterday who told me their IT people were working around the clock to fix the problem.  If I were living in France, or Australia, or even Canada there would be no problem, it's only authors living in the United States who can't order copies.  She took the title of my book and put it on a list for their IT people to research and fix.  Even though she said this was a top priority, I'm thinking this is not the case.  I may have to struggle through the archaic process Barnes & Noble uses for their paperback books so I can order copies through them.

Chief Justice Roberts is not going to testify before the Senate on the tumultuous ethics complaints circling like hungry vultures around Clarence Thomas.  That would be tantamount to admitting there is a serious problem in the Supreme Court.  They will never admit that, no matter how terribly things spin out of control.  I'm betting that Clarence is spitting out bitter Oreo bricks because his belief that he was above the law is being questioned.  He's looking so much like a scumbag as the revelations continue to drop.  It turns out he is a greedy, selfish, and self-centered sack of shit, and I'm betting the Court doesn't quite know how to deal with him.

And as more dirt surfaces about Carlson, it turns out he is so much worse than a scumbag.  Evidently there are emails Dominion did not release to the public which show just how vile a human being he truly is.  Tucker's ego told him that he was the voice of authority, and his ratings reinforced his ego.  Now, he's unemployed and hoping to sue Fox.  Let's hope their attorney's are smart enough to force him back under the rock he crawled out from under.

Relevance relies on Change

 Temps are  beginning to rise again.  We'll hit the upper 60s (F) today, lower 70s (F) tomorrow, and by Friday we'll be toasting in the upper 80s (F).   Nice, eh?

They've been pulling down all of the window air conditioning units at work, prepping for the demand those warmer temps is going to bring.  April is still too soon to turn on the Central Air, so I'll be relying on the ceiling fan in the bedroom if it gets too warm.  This is also the time of the year that I take the woolie blankets from the bed, wash them, and pack them away until the fall.  I always look forward to this time of year!

Yesterday I spent the day in the paint department.  Time went fast.  I mixed paint and down-stocked product.  The last hour I spent back in the flooring department checking the numbers I should have checked yesterday morning.  I did the get a measure, which was nice.  

For those interested, it's looking like I will begin the publishing process of The Body Under Ice next Thursday.  As such, I will begin to drop hints of the book cover.  What can I say but that I think it's one of the most striking covers so far, possibly almost visceral.  I like it.  Here's a backwards shot of it.  😎😎😎

And didn't it seem as though this past weekend was politically very quiet?  Perhaps because last week was filled with the Clarence Thomas bombs bursting in air all over the place, and the Tennessee Republicans kicking out 2 black Democrats, and the Trump judge in Texas trying to ban mifepristone.  Is it me, or does it seem that every time a Republican turns around he's getting smacked up the side of his head by a  2 X 4 of reality?  And the Cracker Jack Crazies are having the same problem.  Frankie Graham telling his base that he believes all buildings should be adorned with a Cross is... well, shall we say his comment smacks of religious authoritarianism.  He believes his beliefs are being attacked and that's simply wrong; their inability to evolve is simply making them less and less important to daily life.  Relevance relies on change, something he is incapable of doing.

Derision

 Well, here we are heading into a new week.  The temps outside are a cool 38 (F).  We were sitting under a freeze warning.  That didn't happen.  What is going to happen is a mini-heat wave.  Our temps might climb as high as 88 (F) on Wednesday.  That's way too warm for April.  It's too early to break out the air conditioner.  I am scheduled off though, which means I'll get to enjoy it.

Yesterday was slow at the store.  I did get a lead for blinds and hit both my sales and measure goals.  Management will be proud.  

I work 8 hours today... in the paint department.  I like mixing paint.  Thanks to a computerized measuring system, it easy.  After the early morning rush of contractors, business is what I call a slow steady.  

My next book, The Body in Motion is coming along fine.  No characters have been dropped yet because they've become unnecessary and two have been added, include Doorman Phil who will be giving the team advice.

FedEx sent me an update on that little statue I bought for the big aquarium, it's shipped last night from Crete.  Now, isn't that exciting?

My tulips are beginning to bloom.

And now that Easter is past, I'm sure the political scene will return to normal.  I will tell you, I got a little sick of Republicans posting their phony religious comments on Twitter.  We know exactly what's in their dirty little hearts and Christianity has nothing to do with it.  They do point out the gullibility of Christians in that all some of them need to see or hear is a statement of Praise for them to believe Republicans are divinely inspired.  Again, we know that's not true, but they are very good at manipulation.  Their Faithless slight of hand snockers true Believers every time.

Finally, shall we celebrate the shit show that is swirling around Clarence Thomas.  Every time he opens his mouth he proves how selfish and self-centered he is, and the more dirt that comes out about his white, neo-Nazi billionaire owner the worse Clarence looks.  Isn't it nice to know that he's fuming because people are calling him every name he derides in not only People of Color but people in general.   He is trash boiled over.

Apollo

 And the weekend, Holy for some, begins with cold temps.  There is a freeze warning in Central PA for tonight, though the temps are only supposed to drop into the mid 30s (F), nothing that's going to doom any of the blooms in my garden.  

I saw where Instagram now wants to charge a $15 monthly verification charge.  Supposedly this is so that your followers know it's the real you and not some bozo masquerading as you.  In reality, this is nothing more than dippy doo Mark Zuckerberg trying to suck the money out of your bank account.  Pure greed manifests itself in so many different ways, for more and more social media accounts it shows its ugly head in the form of verification services.  Musk's doing the same thing, or at least trying to do the same thing at Twitter.  Will Zuckerberg be successful?  Well, not with me, though I know there are those out there who will pay the charge in order to boast that they have been verified by Instagram as... well, I guess that will prove your not a deep fake.

A number of hours were spent yesterday afternoon on the big tank, cleaning it out, vacuuming the gravel, scrubbing down the sides.  Right now it's empty of decorations and plants.  I can't tell if having all of that swim space pleases the fish or not.  New decorations have been order.  I'm going smaller this time, though still sticking with the Greek / Roman imagery.  There will be statuary.  And a clam shell that will open up.  I ordered the first statue yesterday.  It's Apollo, naked of course.  I don't know for certain, but I'm thinking there is some unwritten law which states Greek and Roman statuary needs to be naked.  It's shipped this morning and to my super duper surprise it's not coming from China.  Nope.  My statue is coming from Greece.  Now, ain't that nice.

And down in Tennessee the Republicans kicked two black Democrats out of the legislature because they attended an anti-gun rally.  Three Democrats actually attended the gun-control event, but they Republicans let the white Democrat stay.  Those two men have now stepped onto the National stage.  Those stupid Republicans?  Well, they since they don't make mistakes they're going to be eating shit sandwiches until they get voted out of office.

And the Clarence Thomas shit?  He's now saying those 20 years for free vacations to expensive places were a personal gift, that they had nothing to do with the fact they were given to him by a white, ultra-conservative billionaire.  I'm thinking Thomas is going to end up eating more shit sandwiches than those Tennessee lawmakers.

Biggie's Movie Break

 Can say hello to the Easter weekend.  They're predicting the weather to be cool.  I think that tends to be the case.  I work so it doesn't really matter to me, not that I'm overly religious.  I don't mind getting the hours in if someone feels they need to have off to celebrate their beliefs what ever their religion.

Yesterday was boring at work.  I did have a sale go through but didn't get a measure.  I also had a discussion with the Specialty Assistant Manager about calling customers who have been measured for installations.  These customers are color coded: green because they've been called, yellow indicates they need to be called, and red meaning they're overdue.  There was a time when you had a day after the customer was measured when they'd be yellow.  Now, the instant they've been measured, they go red.  I told him I thought we should give the customer the courtesy of thinking about their quote for a day or so rather than shove that sale down their throat as soon as possible.  He disagreed.

A friend recommended I watch the old Ari Aster film Hereditary.  So I did, with Biggie.  In case you didn't know, Aster's films tend to be arthouse horror... sort of.  I think he wants to be seen as being profound.  He isn't.  His films never come close to being box office hits because of this.  Anyway, I took a picture of Biggie before he decided Hereditary was boring and lay down to go to sleep.

Of course, the buzz in the media is all about Clarence Thomas taking very expensive vacations paid for a white conservative businessman.  Yeah, I don't think anyone should be surprised by this, Clarence has always wanted to be a rich white guy, and we all know that he shit away his ethics a long time ago.  For him, this is as natural as placing one of his pubic hairs on a Coca Cola can.  He doesn't even understand that this makes him look bad, probably because in his mind he is owed, or possibly because he's a faux Christian he may believe this is just one of many blessings flowing his way.  In reality, this makes both him and the Supreme Court look even worse then they already did, if you even thought that was possible.

Clarence Thomas? Evil Incarnate?

 Can you believe that it's Wednesday already?  I can't.  I'm scheduled to work an 8-hour shift tomorrow and am not feeling too enthusiastic.

Yesterday was Busy.  Notice the capital B.  I had lunch with my cousin and her husband.  Her birthday's next month, so she's a bit older than me.  When she and I were young our very progressive grandmother took us places, young being around 10 years old.  Taking the two of us on a 2-hour train ride to the Philadelphia Zoo was an undertaking.  Neither one of us remembers the trip in its entirety, but then that was a long, long time ago.

Then, last evening, I went to see Jordan Peele's latest "Nope."  I really liked it.  That being said, my friend thought it dragged and did not like Emerald, the character played by Keke Palmer.  I liked Emerald, a woman wanting to be an authority who learns that survival has not thing to do with authority, a woman who discovers her street smarts might be the wrong smarts if she wants to stay alive.  Casting is excellent.  I liked Bandon Perea as Angel, who learns that staying alive has its own sharp barbs.  Daniel Kaluuya, whose quiet, brooding silence hides his inner strength.  He's much smarter than his sister, Emerald.  "Nope" is not for everybody.  Oh, and in case you're wondering, it is science fiction and there's a lot more action than horror, in fact I didn't think it was scary at all... just very intense.

For those who missed it, yesterday legislation was introduced in the House of Representative which, if passed will limit the tenure of judges on the Supreme Court.  A judge would serve for 18 years and only 18 years and would begin immediately.  This means Clarence Thomas would be retired, as would any other judge who has already served his / her 18 years.  This will probably pass in the House if voted on quickly enough.  Democrats will need to win at least 2 more seats in the Senate to get it passed there.  This means you need to vote Blue this fall.

And finally, another leak, so to speak.  Evidently beer boy Kavanaugh was on the fence regarding the Dobb's decision, however the early leak of Alito's draft listing him as voting with the majority killed the chances of that happening, something about his selling out to the Liberals.  With this knowledge, I'm betting the leak originated with Thomas, or more likely his sow Ginni.  I do think quite a few believed this was the case.  Now, more than ever, the two of them do seem to be evil incarnate.

The Surprise

 So, the five hours I spent at work yesterday were more of an inconvenience than anything else.  11 AM to 4 PM really takes the wrong chunk out of my day.  I don't mind being scheduled in the mornings or afternoons but losing the middle of the day really bothered me.  I had no desire to either start or continue a project before I left for work, and the same was true when I got home.  The fact that the five hours I spent at the flooring desk turned out to be uneventful marriage of boring and blasé didn't help.  This happens sometimes.

Temperature wise, we did get up into the mid 90s (F).  Even though forecasters were calling for rain, we had none.  That meant watering my little garden, which has so far produced only 1 tomato and 1 green pepper.  Some of the branches on my peach tree are dying.  Son of a bitch.  

There was, however, one nice surprise.  Two months ago, I had planted an elephant ear believing it would grow large, cutting down the amount of lawn I'd have to mow.  Well, nothing happened.  For two months.  I thought the plant had just died.  And then yesterday morning as I was taking out the garbage, I found this, and while it's only about 5 inches long, it's nice to know it didn't die.

As for politics, we are heading into the summer doldrums.  Congress will be going onto vacation shortly.  Will any legislation get passed?  That's difficult to pass.  I know many are hoping that the Marriage Equality Act gets a vote.  A lot of Evangelical leaders are pushing against it, and they represent a voting bloc the Republicans have courted for years.  However, that little decision the Supreme Court made regarding Roe v Wade didn't sit well with a large majority of Americans.  Roughly 2/3 are pissed.  That same figure wants to change the rules for the court:  mandatory retirement at a certain age, and term limits.  Americans want to get rid of justices having a job for life.  I'm up for that.  

And will Ginni Thomas ever talk to the Jan 6 committee.  I doubt it.  She has a fat mouth and says a lot, but only follows through if she can spread her hatred.  Married to Thomas for 37 years, her womb is evidently barren, or they made a conscious decision that birth control was essential in order for her to avoid giving birth to black children.  I do think that's the main reason.  Clarence Thomas truly does hate his DNA.  

A Wining Vote in the House

Crap!  I slept later than I wanted this morning.  And I was in bed by 11 PM.  It must be the heat.  Or maybe the long treadmill session yesterday.  It was a run up along the shore of Lake Superior.  There was supposed to be a 200-foot waterfall which never put in appearance.  

Even though I can list quite a number of chores I completed yesterday, there is an overwhelming consensus between me, myself, and I that not much was accomplished.  

I'm almost at 32,000 words in the next book, The Body Under Ice.  I'm pleased.  I guess the big question right now is will Eli and Max find anything when they put a camera down through a hole in the ice?  Will there be something at the bottom of Lake Huron?  You should know by now, I'll never tell.

I designed a new controller for my Xbox Series X and ordered it.  You can click the link to see it or wait until I take a picture after it arrives in about a month.

Steve Bannon's trial continues today.  He's going to go to jail because he's an asshole.  He's in a lose, lose situation because he thought his loudmouth gave him the authority to do whatever he wanted.  I think he should look on the positive side:  2 years in jail might be the perfect diet he needs to lose some of his blubber.

Oh, and can we talk about the wonderful surprise yesterday?  The one about marriage?  The bill that passed in the House of Representative with some serious Republican support?  47 of them voted Yeah.  You know what I'm talking about.  The bill about marriage equality.  Now you have to remember that this bill protects not only same sex marriage, but interracial marriages as well.  This was because of Oreo Thomas, and his published opinion regarding Roe v Wade.  Will this bill make it to the Senate?  No one knows.  But remember, this is one more reason why it is imperative that Blue wins in the midterms.   We save the country by outvoting those who want an authoritative theocracy running America.

Cinders

 So, the Fourth of July weekend has arrived.  246 years ago, when we declared our independence from England, there were those who wanted to crown George Washington king.  That mindset is still around today, however today we call them Trumpists, or MAGAs.  I'm suspecting this group has always been a thorn in the side of democracy.

Anyway, we had some excitement at the store yesterday.  Some accidentally, at least that is what the manager told me, pulled the fire alarm behind the Service Desk.  I have no idea how that happens 'accidentally.' but it happened, and we needed to evacuate the building.... five minutes before I was set to punch out.  As a result, I was paid to stand at the far end of the parking lot while a crew of firemen ensured that there was no actual fire.

The incident reinforced something I've known for quite some time:  there are a lot of stupid people in the world.  As soon as the alarm sounded, I slipped into my old manager mold and started moving people out of the building... well, most people.   Some didn't want to leave.  That's right, they wanted to continue shopping.  The alarm is going off loudly, lights are flashing overhead and people were talking about which unfinished base cabinets they wanted to put in their kitchens.  There was a complete lack of conscious effort to comprehend.  For one woman, the question was trying to decide which shade of green spray paint she wanted, and possibly getting her ass burned to cinders, or leaving the building.  One disgruntled customer yelled, "well, I guess I'm going to have to go to Lowe's."  My comment?  "Go to Lowe's."

I redecorated the training room.  

I saw where Clarence Thomas spit out some sort of word salad referencing the debunked lie about the Covid vaccine being made with aborted fetuses.  Remember, he married to Qanon Ginni.

The Guardian noted that it was an associate of Mark Meadows who warned (threatened) Cassidy Hutchinson about her testimony.  Sounds like an arrest warrant needs to be issued.

And, of course, the Supreme Court continues to shriek 'fuck you' to a very Centrist America.  Something needs to be done before these conservative monstrosities destroy America in their attempt to make a bastion for socially conservative religious crackpots.  

Is Mark Meadows a human slug

And here it is, Thursday.  Unless requested off, Thursdays will always be on my schedule.  With semi-retirement comes the need for regularity.  I am serious.  The temptation of idly sitting around wasting hours on the Internet is great.  As a result, I have set up my own schedules.  Certain chores get performed on certain days of the week.  Laundry is Tuesday.  Friday, I mow the lawn.  If I bake, it's always on Wednesdays.  I write during the afternoons I don't work, usually about an hour to an hour and a half, that's enough time for me to pound out 500 - 700 words.  This all works well for me.

Last night I went to the movies.  It was, for me, a really late show: 8 PM.  I was surprised by the number of people in the theater at that hour since this is a work week.  The film was R rated, so no kids.  Quite often I think studios dumb down movies to get a PG 13 rating.  Dialogue is less sharp because 13-year-olds don't have the same vocabulary as adults.  The dialogue was edgy last night.  Oh, and what movie did I go see?  The Black Phone.  A drama / thriller with a couple of jump scares.  The acting was top notch.  This is the best thing Ethan Hawke has done in years.  Originally supposed to be released in February, they wisely waited and made this a summer movie.

And, speaking of phones, I was pleased to see that quite a number of people noted how out of the picture Mark Meadows seemed on the days leading up to January 6.  Usually, a president's Chief of Staff is also an advisor, an individual the president turns to for an opinion, someone who not only manages the staff but also has the ability to say "hey, prez, that might not be a good idea."  I wonder how long it to Mark to realize that Trump didn't really want a Chief of Staff, that he was instead expected to be a combination lapdog, fanboy who submissively did everything he was told to do.  I don't doubt that shortly into his tenure he decided to just resign himself and accept that position, after all the job paid well.  For those who don't know, Meadows was Trump's 3rd Chief of Staff in less than 4 years, so I'm fairly certain he must have been well aware of his future boss's demands.  This, as well as Cassidy Hutchinson's testimony on his indifferent approach to January 6 pretty much prove he's nothing but a human slug... wait, I have to take that back, that's not being very kind to slugs.

Finally, and not surprising in the least, Ginni Thomas has changed her mind.  Remember when she said she couldn't wait to sit before the January 6 committee and set the record straight?  Now, her attorney is saying that such a sit-down would be irrelevant... oh, and he added that the Thomases are undergoing a lot of stress, death threats, you know?  What did Clarence think was going to happen when he chose to help upset the lives of a large majority of Americans?  I suspect God never told Clarence or Ginni that their future involved such a shit storm.