Moments of Infamy

Sunday is Fun day in the wonderful land of Covid 19.  Especially when you work in retail.  Though I must admit yesterday was a real corker.  Instead of being drizzly, the weather grew warm and sunny, and the line at our front entrance stretched.  Customers didn't mind, however, because the weather was nice.  To be honest, I don't think many of them were believing the radiant sunshine gracing their skin was killing the coronavirus.
Our blue competitor, located barely 1/2 mile away, chose to eliminate restrictions on the number of customers allowed in the store.  As a result, they ended up with a zoo of confusion.  I know this because we had customers complaining of how their aisles were so crowded you could barely walk.  Limiting your shoppers turns out to be a blessing for crowd control.  Believe me, 100 people in our store is still a lot, but you're not packed in like sardines. 
Speaking of sardines, I've been spending some time learning about smoked salmon, not Nova, mind you, that comes from Newfoundland.  I'm talking about the smoked salmon which comes from Scotland.  There's hot smoked, and cold smoked, wild caught or farmed from a loch, and all very interesting and rather mysterious in a way.

And, just in case you thought you missed the Idiot Jerk's daily coronavirus briefing yesterday, don't worry, you didn't.  There was none.  I understand there is the distinct possibility that again, today, a briefing may not be in the offing.  Can anyone truly imagine the nightmare that is roiling through the administration after the disinfectant shit show?  As I've said before, there are presidential moments which guarantee our Commander in Chief will be re-elected.  By the same token, there are similar moments which telegraph a failed bid for re-election.  These are moments of infamy which will live forever in the annals of time.  George H. Bush had his moment at a banquet table while attending a State Dinner in Japan.  Remember how he leaned forward and puked up something repulsive onto his dinner plate before almost passing out?    Everybody in the world watched him puking over and over again.  That moment sealed his fate.  The Idiot Jerk had his Moment of Infamy when he asked if doctors were working on a way to inject poisonous disinfectant into the blood stream to kill the coronavirus.  Standing there, ready for his close-up (Mr. DeMille), he proved without a doubt how unfit he was to be president.  Everybody in the world watched him, over and over and over again. And then they looked at each other and said "what a fucking asshole."
 

7 weeks

Well, it's Saturday morning and jumpin' Cracker Jacks am I up early!  Full bladders caused the dogs to get me up around 0330 and since I had the coffee maker already prepped, I decided to stay up for a bit.  I still have to go in to work, but I might sneak back into bed to take a bit of nap before then.
Yesterday I sold some blinds to a customer who... gets on my nerves.  She's loud and impetuous and is constantly asking "don't you like that?" and "don't you agree?"  In her 70's, she decided to buy a new (older)( ranch house and is basically having it rebuilt.  Her back yard is being turned into a Japanese Garden, pea gravel, no grass.  She has been going back and forth on the number of blinds she wants.  She wanted to avoid a vertical blind for her sliding patio door because she wanted to replace the door... until she discovered how much it was going to cost.  After she had paid for them and gone home, she realized she had ordered 1 to many blinds, so I had to credit her account for the full charge and rebuild her blind order with the change.  I don't have to be a licensed fortune teller to know there are going to be future problems.
So, the Idiot Jerk declared a National Emergency yesterday and the stock market rallied.  I had to laugh.  The Democrats had a Family Health package in place and the GOP baulked.  They wanted some of the Idiot Jerk's ideas included, like cutting your payroll tax, of course you'd owe taxes at the end of the year because they weren't going to change the tax rate.  They wanted something other than completely free testing for everybody because they believe their tax dollars are more important than human life.  This is to be expected.
I saw where Ted Cruz is extending his self-quarantine by another 2 weeks but says he has not tested positive.  Ted's a cowardly sack of shit, isn't he?  Supposedly deeply religious, he needs to put his faith in God and go out an mingle.  That'll never happen.  I think we need to change the definition of GOP from Grand Old Party to Gutless Old Party.
Companies shutting down for 2 weeks?  That's amusing.  The virus is active in humans for 37 days, so unless the entire nation shuts down for 7 weeks and nobody goes absolutely anywhere, or has an social contact what so ever, all you're going to get is 2 weeks paid vacation.  Three to four weeks from now there's a possibility you just might get sick.
As for the stock market rally?  That's a hoot from hell.  Because the administration downplayed and denied the seriousness of this virus, testing is still pretty much a shit show.  This means that unless you meet the specific criteria set up, you are most likely not going to be tested.  At present, under the limited testing, we are getting about 500 cases a day.  Son of a Bitch. This thing is all over the place, and it's the Idiot Jerk's fault.  His party is going to lose a lot of old MAGA heads.  As conditions worsens and more and more closure happen, Wall Street is going to go down.
Anyway, on the Brighter Side, my daffodils are preparing to bloom.

Stay safe my friends.

Saint Moritz, TP, Coronavirus & me

After one day off, I get to go back to work today and who knows what I'm going to find.  Our patio displays have been set and are ready for spring shoppers.  Usually they come in to peruse and sit down on a summer chaise or settee screeching halt...  probably not this year.  Why gamble on getting infected?  And think about installations:  someone you don't know coming into your house and touching things!  Hhhmmm.  Because this administration treated this as Fake News, and a Democratic Hoax, we are behind the 8 Ball.  This is everything we should have been expecting from an Idiot Jerk Administration.  I mean, he did spend the weekend before his speech golfing down at Mar a Lago.
And I did go to Giant yesterday and, as I had heard, the toilet paper and paper towel aisle was nothing but empty shelves.  I understand this is because people are stocking up just in case they find themselves self-quarantined.  Me?  I tend to buy in bulk.  Three weeks ago I purchased 20 rolls of Scott Toilet Tissue.

... Was that too much information?
Anyway, I also went for a ride up in Saint Moritz.  Hannah's Banana!  There were so many cyclists on that trail.  At one point there were 18 other people riding the same route.  Looking at the pic down below, all those little circles at the bottom of the screen are some of them.  Yeah, they show up.  If I click on them I can see their names and their stats.

Oh, and a little poll just popped up on my phone.  Evidently 44%, or less than half of all Republicans are not concerned about the Coronavirus.  My money says those are the Crazy Christians.  This why we need to keep them out of the Government. 

Take a Deep Breath

Finally, my day off or, as tends to be the case, the day I clean the house, do the laundry, and go to the store.  I've already been told I will find the toilet paper aisle in my local Giant stripped clear because there is a respiratory virus sweeping the land.  Maybe fear of catching it is giving everybody the shits.
Yesterday was an odd day at work... the 'odd' people are coming out.  I had an interesting conversation with a nicely dressed woman who claimed to have just come from our Blue Competitor.  One of their ladders had been parked in front of a selection of blinds she had been looking at, and when she asked an associate if she could move it he responded by saying "it's one of our toys, we'll move it."   Well, "it's one of our toys" incensed her to no end.  She told me she thought him very rude, and all I could do was think of how bat-shit crazy this lady sounded. What she really needed to do was just take a deep breath and move on.

One of their toys

And, of course, the Idiot Jerk in the White House spoke from the Oval Office last even regarding the Corona... Virus.  That's how he said it, putting a pause between Corona and Virus.  And yes, I did watch some of it... and then I took a deep breath.

I didn't hear him say really pertinent, no comments about 'flattening the curve,' the reason people are being quarantined.  As of Friday, travel to and from Europe will be restricted because this is a 'foreign threat.'  Someone should have told him the virus is already here.  He wants Congress to waive Personal Income Tax so that even if you're sick, you'll go out to the stores shopping.  (That was a pitch of his re-election in case you didn't know).  Take a deep breath, now.

Because denied the Coronavirus right from the beginning, because he eliminated positions at the CDC, because his administration funneled funding for the CDC to other areas, because the initial test kits were flawed and gave incorrect results, because even now only those who fall within a narrow criteria are getting tested, we have no idea how many people are infected in this country.  But he is going to make sure small businesses can get low interest loans to help them through this crisis.  Take a deep breath, now.

He did say something about companies giving associates with the Virus 2 full weeks of sick time, of course to qualify you will need to provide test results, and... as we know, at this point testing is still fairly limited to the criteria the Idiot Jerk's administration has in place.  Take a deep breath.

Be prepared, he will try and use this to his advantage because he is a duplicitous sack of shit.

Signs

CPAC was a bad place to visit this year.  At least 5 Republican Congressmen have gone into self-quarantine.  You do have to remember, however, that CPAC is a gather of older, white Crazy Christians desperate to force the country down the narrow path they hold so dearly in their hearts.  It looks to me as though they've been given a Sign (capital S), not that they're going to recognize it as one.  That would mean they've made an egregious error.  Personally, I think it's a bit of a hoot, those holier than thou individuals on their way to becoming a Coronavirus hotspot.
There were some of the Idiot Jerk's supporters at the flooring desk, an older couple, he was wearing an camo cap with the Idiot Jerk's name emblazoned in red.  They spit out the same phony talking points the Idiot Jerk spits out: "more people die from the flu."  We all bite our tongues.  Correcting customers is not in our job description.  They do not understand, but every time the quote the Idiot Jerk, they are a Sign of his imminent downfall.  People want the truth.  He tells them what he thinks will make them happy.  The sad truth is he's only concerned about Wall Street.  The sadder truth is that this older white couple don't know they are the primary targets of the Coronavirus.
And, back to those 5 Congressmen in self-imposed quarantine (at least that's what they're claiming).  One of them just happens to be the 'new' Chief of Staff.  Son of a bitch!  How's that for bad luck?  My money says the Idiot Jerk is just about in a frenzy behind the scenes.  He's a fat, yellow-skinned (by that I mean cowardly) old man whose sloth-like body offers little defense against the new virus.
The sad truth is, rather than admit this is a serious health issue, he's going to wear a MAGA cap to the CDC because this is an election year.  Oh, and now he's talking about payroll tax cuts, and extending sick hours... for something he still calls a Democratic Hoax.  Really, all he's looking at is the Dow Jones.  You know how it works, a tax cut makes the stock market go up and his orange ass looks shiny.  If you give voters a tax cut they'll vote for him this November.  This is not the kind of Sign Americans are looking for, which is why he'll go down as the worst president of all time.
Finally, speaking of Signs, Tacx likes it when you post an image of yourself.  It can be a photo, or a letter, or drawing.  I had thought of using a picture of the dogs, but, well, there are 2 of them and their heads would have to be rather small.  Then I thought about where I live, not only in Pennsylvania, but in Pennsylvania Dutch country.  We do have images that represent us.  So I chose one of those to be my sign.  Here it is:

For those who don't know, it says "Welcome."

Scratching Deeply

Well, here we are on Sunday.  Did everybody remember to change their clocks?  Most of mine do it automatically, the few that don't... well, they're already changed.  The last thing I want to do is show up at work late today...  right.
I got a lot accomplished yesterday, including a ride along this road by Wastwater, in the lake district of the UK.  There were sheep, but none of them crossed the road in front of me as they did up in Scotland.

Regarding my Tacx trainer and software, (pronounced tocks, as in tick-tock): I like it better than the Rouvy.  Longer rides are broken down into stages, so you can ride a stage rather than go the full distance. A 43 mile ride may have between 4 - 6 stages, and you can pick and choose to ride either all 43 miles or just a section.

I went to bed a little early last evening - clock change, you know?  I wanted to make sure I got my full 7 hours of sleep (usually I get less, seldom more).  Because of that, and the fact that I don't have cable, I missed Saturday Night Live.  I understand they skewered the Idiot Jerk's administration on their handling of the Coronavirus, which isn't quite a pandemic even though it looks a lot like one.  Even reading about it, I had to chuckle.  Fox News is geared completely for his base and I can tell you, except for one person, everyone who's worn a MAGA hat into the store has been old, 70's and 80's - the crowd most susceptible to the virus.

I saw where Mick Mulvaney was deported to Ireland.  Was he in this country illegally?

The real fear Americans should have is that the Idiot Jerk and his administration will release some sort of flawed vaccine on the citizens of this country just in time for the election.  This is something you should really be concerned about.  He and his party care not a wit about human life.  They will do anything to stay in power.  Right now, their precious economy is prepping to do a swan dive into the cesspool of recession.  You can bet your bottom dollar they are all scratching deeply into their collective asses searching for any little turd they can offer as proof that they are successful.  And they will lie.

Panic at the CDC

It's Saturday and it's one of my off days.  I had requested it off because today is the first Saturday in March, the day we hold our Kid's Workshop.  We usually have between 280 and 310 kids and their parents showing up.  This is good for families, good for communities, and also very good for business since their parents almost always buy something.  But not today.  Our Kid's Workshop has been cancelled because of the Coronavirus.  I suspect this will be the first of several.  You see, the Coronavirus has come to Pennsylvania, one in Delaware County and one in Wayne County.  This was to be expected.
My plans for today are simple: cut my nails, get in a bicycle ride, and spend some time on my Greek.  That's right, now that the book is (for the most part) finished, I have some extra time on my hands.  One of the things I had done was buy a workbook to help with learning the Greek Alphabet.  That has proven a great help, since I now know letters and sounds.  Believe me, it's a lot different than English but much closer to Latin, which makes sense since the early Greeks had a tremendous influence on early Italy.
And, of course, so much about what this Administration has been telling us about the Covid19  is based on the Idiot Jerk's hunches.  He actually said that.  The World Health Organization feels the mortality rate is around 3.4%, however they also tell you that might not be correct because of America's botched response.  That's right, the Idiot Jerk's reliance on his hunches have botched the response by the CDC.  Not enough test kits, flawed test kits, no real sense of urgency, all because he thought we were going to be immune.  Another of his hunches?  This case is going to stay on the West Coast.  As of this morning, I believe 25 or 26 states have had patients with positive test results.  This thing is especially serious to Senior Citizens and those with underlying health conditions.  Overnight 2 patients in Florida died.  Do you have any idea how many Senior Citizens live in Florida?
Anyway, yesterday the Idiot Jerk actually went to the CDC.  His trip was on, and then off, and then finally on, no doubt because someone told him it would look terribly bad if he didn't show up.  And they took pictures, no doubt to prove he was actually inside at least one of their buildings.

Look at the panic on this man's face.  Do you see how his eyes aren't really focusing on... well, anything.  Or, maybe he's trying to focus on a teleprompter and someone keeps moving it.  Or maybe the thought rattling around inside his brain is "don't touch anything! don't touch anything!'  In case you didn't know, this is what panic looks like.

Will the Real Ivanka Raise Her Hand?

Well, it's Friday and it one of my 'on again days.'  Yepper, I get to go be a Flooring Specialist for 8 hours.
Evidently one of my measures 'blew up' yesterday while I was off.  A customer had called a week ago... a woman, and requested info our having commercial carpet installed.  She didn't like the fact that we charged for our measure services (fee is deducted once you purchase) and hung up.  She called up on Sunday and set up the measure, didn't have the name of the carpet with her, so I keyed in a generic.  I told her to tell the measure services she was dealing with the store.  She didn't.  She got an expensive quote emailed to her which included all the measurements.  Her boss called and started shrieking at one of the Assistant Managers about 'price matching' and how they got less expensive quote from other installers.  In the end, someone decided to refund her (him) the measure fee.  That's right, this person wanted a free measure and got a free measure.  I was not there.  It was my day off.  I would have said "no."
More cases of Covid-19 have sprung up across the US.  Four more states have tested positive.  And the Idiot Jerk, at a town hall in PA, evidently admitted it might slow down the economy.  He also said something to the effect of "Americans are traveling so much, they're staying home and spending their money here."  So, his focus is on people spending money, not on people getting sick and possibly dying.  That's so... Republican.
One thing that is going to be hurt terribly by the virus is Mega-Churches.  Oh... dear.  You know, like evil Joel Osteen's church.  That's going to hurt his pocket book.  Poor Joel, what's he gonna do when the money stops rolling in?

And Joel's not the only one.  There  are a lot of them out there using their Rock / Broadway show appeal to sell phoniness, their main goal being the collection plate.  I can't see Joel visiting hospitals to comfort the sick, or visiting their house to give them moral support. Or Frankie Graham, for that matter.  For the life of me, I cannot even begin to imagine Frankie saying "Hey, I'm going to stop at hospital today and visit a bunch of Coronavirus patients."  Maybe Melanoma should go visit a hospital... or Ivanka Danka.  There was a time when politicians and their wives did that sort of thing, to help calm American's fears and worries.  Wouldn't that be a hoot, seeing either of them gussied up in their protective gear?

Can you spot her?  She's the fourth one from the left.  

The 3 Faces of Mike

It's my 'Off Again Day.'  Yep, no work today.  I hope the weather is nice, there are a few things I need to get done outside.  The tips of all of those bulbs I planted in the fall are beginning to push up through the soil.  It's almost time to plant the zinnias.
I thought it was interesting how Wall Street responded to Biden's big Super Tuesday win.  The stock market climbed almost 4%.  That was not only a smack in the face to Bernie, but also the Idiot Jerk in the White House who likes to glory in how 'he' is personally responsible for the economy.  Of course, it has already begun to retreat.  The world has a bit of a health issue.
Speaking of that little problem, yesterday, while I was I work my phone buzzed with a notification.  The Stepford Man, who goes by the name of Mike Pence, and his Task Force were leaving some sort of meeting.  Of course there was a picture (there's always a picture) and I couldn't help but think how phony he looks.

At first glance, I thought I was looking a pure arrogance, the upward tilt of his head as he tries to keep his nose higher than those around him.  Then, looking at his thin, unsmiling lips, I wondered if perhaps he might just be very angry.  He's failed with health issues before in Indiana, and now he's been saddled with something global... a growing pandemic.  Shit!  However, then I glanced at his eyes, glazed and unfocused, and realized I was looking at stupidity.  This is a man whose beliefs define everything, a man who is totally lost when things fall outside their narrow boundaries.  Looking at those 3 faces of Mike, I couldn't help but wonder if the only thought rattling around in his noggin was "but this never happened on 'Leave it to Beaver.'"

I didn't see that coming...

I get to go to work today.  In case you don't know, you're not seeing my excitable side.  There is no shiny, glittery aura surrounding me at my anticipation of spending 8 hours at the flooring desk.
Yesterday saw me having an enjoyable ride in Catalonia.  That as fun.
Yesterday also so the first case of the Coronavirus in North Carolina.
Oh, and the Fed did what the Idiot Jerk in the White House has been shrieking at them to do for months:  drop half a percentage point off the prime... and the stock market dropped 800 points.  Oh... shit.  That wasn't supposed to happen.  I can say with much certainty that many Republicans scratched their heads and said..."I didn't see that coming."  And, of course, the Idiot Jerk was looking for stability... and that didn't happen.
I saw a funny little clip of him in a meeting saying he thought the government would have a vaccine for the virus in 2 months...  Surprise.  He frowned when he was told that was not likely to happen.
Holy Crap.  And his administration is thinking of using our taxes to pay for the medical the expenses for those uninsured people who need to be hospitalized because of the Coronavirus.  Isn't that what Obamacare was supposed to do, make sure everyone was insured.  Wow!  and this from a Republican.  I didn't see that coming.  Must be because it's an election year.
And, speaking of the election year, Joe Biden did well yesterday... very well, indeed.

Joe was looking happy.  Bernie was looking a bit... burned.  He thought he had Texas in the bag... oops.  He also thought that after yesterday he was going to have a lock on the nomination.  That didn't happen.  In fact, to his terrible chagrin, Uncle Joe is now seen as the Front Runner.  You can be Bernie didn't see that coming.  He spent a lot of time and money in both California and Texas... oh dear.  And the reason many turned out to vote for Joe?  They believe he's the only one who can beat the Idiot Jerk.  This morning I saw one of Joe's campaign slogans:  "Let's bring values back into the White House."  Betcha the Idiot Jerk didn't see that coming.

Good People

So, it's Monday.  My schedule looks like it was written by a monkey on crack. Yeah, this is the week I get to work every other day... for the entire week.  I do have 4 days in a row coming up, but that's not for another 2 weeks.
By now everybody has heard the news that Mayor Pete is out of the running.  I was impressed by how much press coverage his departure received.  This gay man has achieved so much more, gone so much farther in American Politics then any other gay man in history.  I do not doubt his life in public service is just beginning.  I know the Republicans are frightened he might decided to run for governor.  One loud thought shoots through my head when I think of that:  Run, Pete, Run!  Take them down and take them out.
Overnight there was another death from the Coronavirus.  More cases were diagnosed in more states as the virus spreads.  And you know Sister Mary Pence is on her knees praying this thing acts like the flu and disappears in April...  In fact, from what I've heard, that is the foundation of this administrations policies.   Yep, the Idiot Jerk has surrounded himself with henchies who are telling him exactly what he wants to hear, that spring will end the coronavirus.  Except this isn't like the flu.  Warmer weather is not going to bring about the demise of this new disease.  This is obvious since new cases are cropping up in countries with moderate to warm climates.
If you read any of the financials, you've seen a number of opinions on the corporate prospects of 2020.  They're not going to be good.  CEO's are hoping their corporations will be able to report slim profits... though it's becoming more apparent daily that is not going to happen.  This is the terrible Karma the Republicans have wrought upon the world... and believe me, it is the world.  Such is the ruination brought by greed.  In Brazil, deforestation  is happening so farmers can grow soybeans to export to China because... of the Idiot Jerk's Trade Wars.  In America, billions are borrowed to aid farmers hurt by the Idiot Jerk's trade policies.  What goes around, comes around.  The End of the Republican Party is nigh.
And who's going to help bring them down?  People like Mayor Pete. Good people.  Honest people.  Diverse people.

Do not doubt, he will play a major part in the reshaping of America.

The problem with Leaping

Well, it has finally arrived.  Today's our Leap Day, in our Leap Year, a rare occurrence and a bad day on which to be born.  I understand most babies being delivered today celebrate either the day before or the day after... but what do they with their driver's license?  If your birthday is the 29th of February, can you magically change it?  Otherwise you'd be learning to drive when you're only 4.5 years old.  How old will you be before you are actually legal to vote?
I saw this morning there's more evidence of the coronavirus heading into its Community Spread phase; new cases is Washington, Oregon, and California.  Of course, the Idiot Jerk has taken that leap off of stupidity's cliff.  Remember the Sharpie incident?  When he used his Sharpie to track a hurricane into Georgia?  He's using the same stupid, little gray cells now.  Yes-sir-rity.  He believes the virus is going to miraculously disappear in April...   I do not doubt that one of his henchies has told him this is going to be just like the Flu, because that's what he wants to believe.  And his base is following his lead in leaping off stupidity's cliff as well.
While most of us see Leap Year as being a bit of an oddity, the Idiot Jerk is so bouncy in his land of delusion he is leaping here, and there.  The truth is out there, though.  He's telling Republican voters in South Carolina to vote for Bernie.  This is because he's terrified of Biden, and believes he'll stand a much better chance of getting elected if Bernie gets the nomination.  Dumb shit.
I understand he's also leaping towards the idea of giving Americans another tax cut if the economy fails to recover.  He has no problem putting the country even deeper into debt, just so he can swing an election.  There is one thing you can count on, his base is going to loyally leap to his side.  Every time they hear refund their dirty little hearts sing 'ca-ching! ca-ching!'  Even if you told them there's not enough money in the bank to fight the coronavirus they wouldn't care.  His base is just like him.
Anyway, this is a great year to look forward to:

Oh, and don't forget, in November we get to fire the son of a bitch in the White House.

Something's Coming

My next schedule was published late yesterday afternoon and  I have 4 days off in a row,  one is going to be a vacation day and the other 2 were requests off.  At least I'm getting consecutive days off.
I understand there was a bit of a raucous.  There, that's a nice word for it.  I didn't watch.  I prefer gleaning the important bits from various media sources the next morning.  I guess Fox News was shrieking "out of control!"  "out of control!"  Evidently some of the candidates chose to ignore the moderator.  Some of them were out for blood.  The problem all along has been too many freaking candidates, and now that the voters are going to have their say, those candidates are freaking out.  They are complicating what should be a very simple issue.  We need the Idiot Jerk removed from the White House.  Unfortunately, a number of these candidates do not understand this is not their time, and it is not their place.
And, speaking of raucous, there was another fun-filled ride on Wall Street yesterday.  Yowza!  Don't look at your 401k's.  There's a good possibility the same thing is going to happen today.  There's a fly in the economic ointment... or maybe I should say 'bug.'  You know what I'm talking about.  That little thing called Covid-19... is that still what they're calling it?  People are getting sick, and not just in China.  A long time ago, back when I was taking Biology 101, we did a little experiment.  The professor passed around a tray of sugar cubes, 2 of which had been dosed with a  harmless bacteria.  Every student took one, rubbed it into our palms, and then walked around the classroom shaking hands.  We each grew the results in a petri dish.  It's rather interesting to see how disease spreads from one person to another, skips the person who shakes the most hands while targeting the one who only shakes 2 or 3.  Obviously the Idiot Jerk in the White House has never taken Biology 101, otherwise he would never have said the Coronavirus has been contained.  The CDC is right.  It's coming.  And, of course, the Republican response has been... tepid.  I mean, we're talking about them spending tax dollars in order to help the Common Man.  They don't understand.  Now, I'm not religious, but if I were I'd say their Judgement is coming.
Anyway, I thought I'd leave you with Tony's warning.

Let's slice the pie

No, no, no, I didn't bake a pie yesterday.  The weather was way too nice.  The forecast was for temps in the mid 60's (F) and we hit the mark.  I spent much time outside picking up branches and cleaning up the yard.  So did the woofy dogs.  All that running around in the yard tuckered them out.  Believe me, they slept like rocks.
Oh, and today is the last day in my 4 day mini-vaca.  I should actually go in and schedule myself something a little longer.  I have eight months to use the rest of my 'earned vacation time,' and I have nothing scheduled for the rest of February.  Don't laugh, but I'm actually waiting to see how the Coronavirus spreads.  If it kicks in here in this country the way it has in China sales are going to drop because... customers will just stay home.  Our economy will take a bit of a hit.  How big?  We'll have to wait and see.
I guess the State of Union is tonight... I think.  I don't really know.  The Idiot Slug in the White House only needs his base to watch.  No one else.  The MAGA heads will be glued to their TV screens.  The rest of the nation will be doing something much more interesting... like, oh, maybe playing Tiddlywinks. 

I'm sure there are a lot of Repugnicants who are concerned he may go off topic, you know, being impeached and everything.  The minority group which makes up his base would love that.  Nobody else, and that will equal lost votes in November.
Oh, and I see the Iowa Caucuses ran into a little problem last night with their reporting.  Inconsistencies.  Not that they were hacked.  They just made the mistake of using a reporting system designed by Clinton supporters.  Now they look bad.  I wouldn't be surprised if their inability to provide speedy results doesn't make it into the State of the Union.  You see he, too, is desperate to find out how the pie is being sliced in Iowa.  He needs one specific name to attack.  Believe me, he will attack.  The one pure fact glaring him right is the face is that the Democrats in Iowa are unified in one singular aspect.  They want a candidate who can beat his ass back into Hell.  So, let's slice this pie.

This will not save your life

And on the first day of my mini-vaca I slept in... until 0800.  Well, that's not quite right, I did get up at my usual time to let the dogs out, but then I went back to bed.  But now I'm up, and as always there are chores to do.  I think for dinner I'll do Coq au Vin, or at least my version of it which pretty much consists of wine, chicken legs, onions, and mushrooms.  Hopefully it will be yum.
For those of you who haven't been paying attention, Brexit is now official.  I don't believe many of those who voted for the separation understand that now they are still going to be dealing with the EU, or that as a small, independent nation they are not going to have the power they might think they have.  The EU will leave them behind.  This is how it goes.
Here in the states, the Senate will be voting on acquitting the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  Nobody should be surprised.  The Republican held Senate will let him get away with whatever he wants.  As Alexander Hamilton said, to convict him would be to convict themselves.  Moscow Mitch knows this, hence no witnesses.  While some of those with faulty brain pans believe Biden and his son are the key, Moscow Mitch knows the truth.  Witnesses would have been a bullet to the head.  Rather than do that, they chose to inflict some serious political damage upon themselves.  In order for them to survive in November the economy needs to be simply stellar... oh, did any of you see what happened to the stock market yesterday?  The fallout from the Coronavirus is just starting.
Oh, my, fear is stalking the planet.  The flu is worse in terms of mortality, but the Coronavirus is easier to catch.  And I read this morning, they believe it survives the big drop into the toilet.  Yep, it's in your feces.  Shit!  I also think they believe the baby viruses use an airborne delivery system as well.  With that being said, this will not save your life.

Yepper, those virus babies are much smaller than the dust particulate this was made to keep out of your lungs.  Wearing one may ease your fears, but it will not keep you from getting sick.  Nor will this flimsy, little mask keep the Coronavirus from effecting Wall Street.  I saw where Apple is closing it's stores in mainland China.  It's already too late.  This virus has a 14 day incubation period, a time when you are contagious but have yet to exhibit symptoms.  Son of a bitch!  What we may actually be seeing is an Act of God... which is terrible for the Idiot Jerk in the White House.

Stand

The dogs got me up at 0400, early morning potty calls, and instead of going back to bed for 45 minutes I turned on the coffeemaker.  I couldn't see the point in trying to get what would amount to another 35 minutes of sleep.  This is how things go sometimes.
I haven't ridden my bicycle since 1/26.  Looking back over my history, I can tell you it is that time of year.  Right now my focus is getting The Body in the Well in good enough shape so I can get copies out to the three readers who scribble and mark on the manuscripts before handing them back to me.  I'm also approaching the point where I just want to get it finished.  Since the first word was typed on 4/28/19, I spent 21,664 minutes, or 361 hours, working on the manuscript.  Last evening I finished Chapter 7 in the editing process, only 25 more chapters to go.  I'm hoping to shut the door on this stage in about two weeks.
Anyway, panic is really beginning to spread about the Coronavirus.  This morning, for the first time, I saw a comparison to the Spanish Flue of 1918.  I don't think my annual flu shot is going to help with this one.  One of the things our store has had to do is put a limit on how many dust masks customers can buy.  Asians really believe this is the way to go, though they are not the only ones buy masks.  We've also had a number of senior citizens interested as well, and not just in masks, in ventilators, too.  And there are what?  4 known cases in the US?  And evidently (this should strike fear into the bones of every hypochondriac) you can be a carrier without showing symptoms.  Keep in mind, the vast majority of those who do get sick survive.  This is not "The Stand."

And, speaking of standing, it looks as though the GOP is still desperately trying to push through an acquittal vote on the Idiot Jerk's impeachment without calling any witnesses.  That's their desperate attempt to keep him from being obliterated in the 2020 election.  They know they're going to fail, they're just trying to find the most cushy spot to crash.  And those senators voting for acquittal?  I'm sure some of them understand those votes are going to be career killers.  This is fine.  I'm waiting to see how many of them throw themselves on their swords trying to save a dead political party.  What a dishonorable way to go.

Principles

What can I say?  Friday's Thursday, for me at least. 
So, I took a credit for those collars last evening since Amazon said they were most likely lost in shipping hell.  This morning I checked... and they suddenly arrived in Camp Hill at 0355.  This means they'll be delivered at some point today.  Monday I'll send them back.  Principles, you know?  Every year I pay Amazon a certain $$ amount to be a Prime Member.  I do this for the benefits... like expedited shipping.  If I buy merchandise with 'Next Day Delivery' and it arrives 7 days later... well, that's failure.  Should Amazon say I can keep them for a highly discounted charge, then I might keep them.  Reliability is a building block of Principles.
And, speaking of Amazon... what about Jeff Bezos' phone being hacked by Saudi Arabia.  The first thing I thought of when I heard that was that this was another example of the Idiot Jerk in the White House abusing power.  He loves the Saudi's, they are very wealthy, and he hates Bezos, who owns The Washington Post.  That paper is critical of the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  Now, after finding out how the Idiot Jerk was handling aid for the Ukraine, wouldn't it make sense for him to apply his lack of principles to Bezos and ask the Saudi's to help?  This sort of shit is right up the Idiot Jerk's alley.

Last evening I began the corrections on the 2nd draft of "The Body in the Well."  This is the draft I give to my three readers, though this time I may have 4 people read it.  I'm thinking of sending a copy to my friend Patty, the Patty who lives in Beverly, Massachusetts.  I already have a Patty who is a reader, she's local.  I think that's kind of amusing, the fact that I'm going to have two Patties reading the book.

Finally, when I made a joke about the Coronavirus yesterday I was being seriously funny.  I actually read an article in which the author called it a 'pandemic.'  Could the Coronavirus turn into a pandemic?  Possibly.  Right now, in spite of all the press this disease is getting, it is less serious than the flu.  The worse influenza pandemic as the Spanish Flu of 1918 in which the mortality rate was 2.5%.  Those who have died have underlying conditions.  MERS actually has a higher mortality rate.  I do believe this is an instance where the media needs to be more principled in the information they are promulgating.  Some of them seem to have turned into The Weather Channel for viral infections.

Peel This

Well, I'm still waiting for the dog's collars.  Because I've waited so, so very long, I am now eligible for a refund.  I'll wait a few more days.  The dogs aren't whining "where are our new collars," so there's really no rush.  I will, however, give the vendor a bad 'shipping' review.
This evening I'm going to the changes for "The Body in the Well."  Some of them are extensive.  This always happens when you're working off of a first draft.  Sometimes whole pages disappear.  I did get some sort of email from Kindle informing me that people have begun reading the earlier books through the Kindle Library.  That's not something I would do, I like a solid copy in my hands.
At work, our new displays are going up.  The Peel & Stick floor tile, which had been at the end of the aisle, is now beside the flooring desk.  There are Sales Specialists who are not going to like that one bit.  It's all about merchandising: you put a lesser value product next to the sales people in order for them to upsell to more expensive product.  It doesn't usually work, but that doesn't mean they're not going to expect us to try.  Besides, Peel & Stick are very durable.  They last.  You can even put spacers in between the tiles and grout them.

Anyway, quite a few Americans are paying attention to the Impeachment, and a large number of them want to see witnesses, Bolton and Pompeo in particular.  I doubt very much if that will happen.  The minute either of them step into the witness box the Idiot Jerk's defense shatters.  The Republicans will not allow that.  They'd like to get Biden in the witness box, not so much for his testimony, as to try and force a bad example.  Like every charlatan since the dawn of time, they rely heavily on smoke screens. 
And just what is the Idiot Jerk doing?  Well, he's going to the March For Life.  He will give the Crazy Christians everything they want in order to keep their votes.  Believe me, if he thought sacrificing goats in the Mall would keep them loyal, there would be goat carcasses from Pennsylvania Avenue to the Washington Monument.
Oh, and if the Impeachment isn't enough, we've got... what is it?  Eight days until Brexit.
Crap... and I forgot to mention the Corona Virus.

...   ... What?  It isn't named after the beer?