Happy Festivus

 Well, yesterday, for the most part, was overcast.  Hhmm.  I prefer sunny days.  Maybe I should move to Arizona for the winter.  Our forecasters are calling for cloudy skies up until Tuesday, then a few rays of sunshine might light up the region.  And then?  Rain.  We need the rain.  I prefer the rain when our days are short and I'm not planning any outside activities.  

Yesterday was good  as far as getting things done.  All the trim in the kitchen has now been primed.  This means all the painting should be done by the end of next week.  I might even get the tiling done.  There really isn't that much, just bits and pieces here, however there are portions on all 4 walls that need to be tiled.  

I got 2 miles in on the treadmill.  I've kept the speed the same, but cut back on the elevation, so I'm no longer going up hill.  I've noticed a difference in my legs; my quads are getting worked much more than my glutes.  If I was 40 years younger and was concerned with a shapely but that might be a problem, but it isn't.

And, of course, the Supreme Court gave the Spawn of Satan a minor win yesterday by not speeding up the Department of Justice's request for a speedy trial.  This should not have come as too much of a surprise.  To give Jack Smith a win would have meant having to deal with the wrath of Trump.  Do not think for an instant that this had nothing to do with their decision; a decision with out a single dissent and without a single comment.  Believe me, he would rage at them.  He would beat his petty little drum of lies and remind every one of his cult that he was responsible for sitting three of the Justices.  They would have to deal with death threats, and more protests outside their homes, this time by a group of individuals who weren't just objecting to their decision.  Nope.  These protestors would want to injure them, as well as members of their families.  And you can bet both Alito and Thomas are as spineless as they come, cowardly to their selfish core.

Witches do Exist

 Hello Thursday!!  Outside, the temps are a comfortable 70 (F), however we do have rain.  Supposedly a thunderstorm is supposed to pass overhead.  That doesn't seem to be happening.  All I can hear is the steady rain on the roof.  That temp?  70(F)?  Well, that's about as warm as it's going to get today.  Summer is ending on a rather chilling note.  That's fine.  I'm ready.  Soon the leaves will be changing.

Yesterday was a day filled with mini-accomplishments.  One thing that I plan to wrap up, possibly when I'm off tomorrow, is transferring all of the slides I took while in the Navy to jpeg images.  I have about 2000 and every one of them is at least 45 years old, however I'm not saving all of them.  quite a few are repetitive, like 24 pictures of people working with silver in a factory in Baguio, Philippines.  Of course, the rewards are finding the gems, like the pictures of a snake charmer in Singapore.  Don't worry, you'll get so see some of them when I've finished.

Now, isn't it nice to know there are certain things we can all rely upon?  I mean, nothing changes about them.  They are constant.  They stay the course.  Nothing will ever alter their heading.  Ever.  Take, for example, the investigations into Donald Trump.  No matter how greatly the evidence proves guilt, no matter how many people flip and testify against him, these investigations will always be witch hunts.  Knowing this, I did a little investigating on my own.  Did you know that not all witches wear pointy hats?  Or that their evilness is long-lived? Or that witches are gender based?  The male witch is called a warlock.  This immediately proves him wrong.  These investigators are not looking for some scaggy, old bitch who flies around on a broom.  No, if Trump is correct, this is a warlock hunt.  Well, I hate to admit it but he's correct.  As proof, I offer up this old lithograph as proof.

Anyway, I don't know about you, but I'm finding this week to be more than a little titillating in regard to the Donald.  Joy of joy, things have been going terribly for him.  Thanks to the lawsuit filed by the Attorney General of New York, people suspect he's not really a billionaire.  And all those times he took the 5th?  In a civil trial, which this is, they can be used against him.  This means that the 440 times he refused to testify on the grounds it might incriminate him, he was really telling the courts, "yeah, I'm guilty as hell."

And, of course, the 11th District told Trump's pocket judge Aileen Cannon that she has her head up her ass.  Contrary to what his cult wants to believe, you can not declassify documents simply by thinking they are declassified.  I suspect an indictment for treason from the DOJ will be forthcoming.

The fact that he keeps shrieking witch hunt proves beyond a doubt that witches really do exist.  

  

The 118-year-old floor

 This morning, because the temperature was a comfortable 58 (F), I decided to switch to my fall wear, which is also pretty much the same as my winter wear: sweatpants and sweatshirt.  I love sweats, big, and baggy, and warm, but only as casual wear at home.  There are those who think they're great casual wear in public.  Nope, not for me.  A pair of pants and a shirt are nice for the simple reason that not everybody looks good in sweats... in public.  Just like yoga pants.  You have no idea how many times I have come to being blinded by women showing up at the flooring desk wearing yoga pants that are stretched to the max.  When you can see their stretch marks through the leopard skin pattern, there's a problem.

And yesterday was a day of accomplishment!  I have a big home improvement project coming up.  Currently, my washer and dryer are in the basement.  That's changing.  They are being relocated to the 2nd floor walk-in closet.  I'm speaking American floors here not European, where they think of the first floor as the ground floor.  Right now, there's carpet... or I should say was carpet there.  I removed it yesterday.  This is what that 118-year-old floor looks like.  I'm betting there's lead in that paint, so I'm not sanding it down.  Rather, I'm going to be putting in some marble plank flooring that I'll be picking up from work today.

And, of course, yesterday the DOJ filed an appeal with the 11 District Court regarding failed judge Ailleen Cannon's decision to join Trump's defense team.  That is what people are saying, in case you didn't know.  Perhaps it's because she is completely ignoring the facts.  Even though the 11 District Court is a bit lopsided, 6 Republicans 5 Democrats, the belief is there will be no problem.  Siding with Trump would shit away all precedents and prove that the district is corrupt.  I'm not saying that isn't going to happen, just that it's unlikely.

Ronnie D, the governor of Florida is coming under a lot of fire for his political stunt of flying immigrants from Texas to Martha's Vinyard.  Ronnie doesn't think about the details, though.  When he attempted to parade the smugness of his stunt at a press conference, his braggadocio stumbled badly.  His hands fluttered and flailed almost as bad as Donnie Jr.'s on a good day.  As someone pointed out, this is why Ronnie doesn't want to debate.  When things move away from his prepared statements, he flounders and gets angry.  I suspect Ronnie will be a one term governor.

Yesterday

 Yesterday was a day for the history books.  I worked, of course, and there's nothing historical about that.  I dealt with a number of customers, and for many the passing of the Queen weighed little on their consideration.  Some Americans have a fascination with royalty, others do not. I, myself, will admit to getting a bit teary eyed when I saw the news flash.

While I was sorrowful, I must admit that my mind turned away from the passing of a great Head of State to her son, Charles, the new king of England, a man, to my mind, who has never been that popular.  His first wife, Princess Diana, was loved by multitudes and Charles was the one blamed for their divorce.  Cheating with Camilla, if I remember correctly.  And now, at 73, he has become the king.  Sadly, I do not doubt that the monarchy is in for some troubling times.

I thought this might be appropriate.

Of course, yesterday was also historic in that America had the chance to watch Stevie Bannon do the perp walk, in handcuffs, no less.  Honestly, I was a bit surprised when I saw how much money he had stolen from the Fund the Wall grift.  $15 million.  I actually laughed out loud when I heard him yell as they were taking him away, "you will never shut me up."  We'll have to wait and see what his fellow inmates say about that.

And the DOJ appealed judge Cannon's fumbled attempt to try and delay Trump's judgement.  Because she is way over her head and listening to Trump's attorneys, there is a good possibility she will deny this.  I suspect most arguments will be useless on her.  In the end, all she will have done is ruin whatever career she might have thought she had.

Think About It

Good morning, World!  Today is the last day of August.  Fall is heading our way and in roughly 22 days it will arrive on our doorstep.  I suspect there are quite a few people in this country who will be ready for the cooler weather.  I know I will be, just so my electric bill gets a break.  Kilowatt charges went up in June because... well, even utilities need to keep their stockholders happy.

Biggie's visit to the Vet was less expensive than I had been anticipating:  $162.  I was expecting the charges to be much higher because besides the exam he was also getting 2 inoculations:  distemper and rabies.  His weight hasn't changed, he's still 114.  Like most humans, he was a bit cringey about getting on the scale; it took 3 of us.  She suggested increasing the frequency and dosage of his gabapentin, besides the 2 he gets in the morning and evening, a 5th capsule in the middle of the day might help him with his stiffness.  They gave him doggie cookies, though, and that made everything hunky dory. 

Here's a sticker of Dark Brandon that Meidis Touch is selling.  If you're interested, you can pick it up at their website.

I went to see 3000 Years of Longing last evening.  I liked it.  Idris was good.  Tilda was great!  For those who don't know, it's the story of a djinn trying to convince a scholar who field of study is narratology to make her 3 wishes.  It's a character study of 2 individuals and their road to happiness told with lavish sets and special effects.  I enjoyed the spectacle but found the ending a little too anticlimactic, at least at first, until I realized that for many of us, our own lives are rather anticlimactic.  

And, of course, at 1159 PM last evening, the DOJ provided their response to Judge Cannon regarding the Special Master which Trump had requested.  By now, I'm sure many of you have seen the picture they provided.  You do not need a Special Master to decide if something Top Secret.  I found some the added details they provided quite telling, such as 3 of the classified documents were found not in the storage compartment, but rather were discovered in desks.  As someone who has worked in both HR and Accounting, I can tell you that the only things usually kept in desks are reference materials, and projects you are currently working on, everything else gets filed away.  So, were these documents being used as reference materials, or were they part of a large project?  Think about it.  One thing I did see is that the DOJ has a policy of not charging a political candidate within 60 days of an election, though it was pointed out that Trump is not a candidate.  The word is that an indictment should be coming in possibly late November or early December.

 

Something Big

 Yesterday was interesting.  I was the only specialist at the Flooring Desk; they still haven't replaced the specialist who resigned.  Having been in HR, I know this is saving them money, and sales in the department are not hurting.  I doubt very much if there's any sort of rush to fill the position.  They have hired a full-time evening aisle associate.  He will be trained to handle many of the duties of a specialist which solves a large part of the problem.  

Biggie goes to the Vet today.  As you might expect, his cough is completely gone.  The last time he'd been there, they'd asked that he 'fast' before his next visit.  They're going to be disappointed since the only way he takes his meds is with food.  

I've been slowly going through the process of filling out the paperwork with Barnes & Noble to begin publishing with them.  When publishing through Kindle Direct, you agree to not publish through any other outlet for a year.  This means I have 4 books in the Eli and Max series that can now be sold through Barnes & Noble.  I'm running each of them through the Word Editor for a finetuning.

Been hearing this song on the radio a lot.  We Are Who We Are.  Can anything be more truthful?

As the midterms approach, everything seems in flux.  The Pundits are in disarray.  That which was expected is becoming a faltering wish that has fallen far from the conservative star.  Scrambling to save themselves, Republicans are floundering and offering their mistakes up for America to pick apart.

Take Brian Kemp down in Georgia, hoping to be re-elected as governor.   He was subpoenaed by the Grand Jury to be questioned on his role in Trump's attempt a voter fraud.  Of course, he didn't want to do this because incriminations might ensue.  So, he appealed, and a judge has ruled that he must comply, however, since it is an election year, he will not have to testify until after November 8.  Now, I don't know about you, but I'm hearing Stacey Abrams saying, "thank you judge are going to be wondering what can be so damning in Mr. Kemp's testimony that it has to wait until after the election."

Of course, the judge who's considering Trump's request for a Special Master has allowed the DOJ to increase to 40 pages, the reasons legitimizing the FBIs confiscating all those boxes of confidential documents from Mar a Lago.  Prepare for another shoe to drop.

I have never signed up for Trump's Truth Social, but others have.  He's shrieking like a rat in a trap.  I find that almost fulfilling.

Finally, Biden's giving a Prime-Time speech from Philadelphia on Thursday evening.  There are whispers that something is is coming.  Something big.

Damage Control

 Today is Lily's Birthday!  Nine years old!  Like Biggie, who has arthritis in his hips, she too has started taking her time sitting down, so one of her presents this morning was 1/4 dose of his doggie nsaid.  Later this afternoon, the real celebrating will begin with cake and ice cream.  Vanilla all around.

And yesterday was another day of accomplishments!  Productivity.  Chores that need to be completed are getting done.  One that desperately needed to be started and finished was the trimming of my holly shrub out front.  I've been putting it off for so long mostly because I didn't want to stand on a ladder using the trimmer.  But... now it's fully trimmed, and there are 5 bags of trimmings sitting on my front porch.  Once a month the township does lawn waste pick-up, they will disappear then.

The shrub

Bet you'll never guess where I bought these bags!

I'm almost half-way through my five-hour walk of Pompeii. One of the many things I've learned: the town wasn't completely covered by the eruption, so after it was over survivors and looters went back and broke through the roofs.  They were evidently very polite, because after they'd gotten what they could, they'd paint "house dug" on the building so no one would waste their time looking for things that had already been taken.

And things have been quiet on the political scene.  Sort of.  That ass wipe Mitch McConnell did fart out something on how it looked as though the Republicans were not going to retake the Senate.  He's blaming it on unqualified candidates, you know, the ones Trump endorsed.  As for retiring, it seems as though that comment he'd made about not wanting to be Minority Leader was (no surprise here) a lie.  

Oh, and there is the possibility of a redacted section of the affidavit used for the search of Mar a Lago might be released.  Republicans want this.  They believe it will strengthen their hand.  Of course, they never thought the DOJ would release a list of the contents recovered.  I'm betting something will dribble out possibly by the end of next week, or the beginning of the following week and once again they will be running around doing damage control.

Setting the Record Straight

 We had rain last night.  Now I won't have to water my little garden.  Right now, we have fog. thin without even the hint of a wisp.  I do get to work today.  That will be fine.  Last evening, I had the taddiest bit of a sore throat and wondered if I should use one of the Covid tests I got from the government.  I didn't.  This morning the soreness is gone.

There are mosquitos in the house again this year.  I think they fly in when I let the dogs out.  Last year I burned citronella candles to keep them at bay.  Honestly, I think any candle will work.  I will have to do a little research on that.  

For some time now I've been thinking that I need to set the record straight, not that it's crooked, or bent by any means.  Still, there is a bit of information I feel you should know.  I have 2 protagonists in my books:  Eli, who tells the story in first person, and his partner and companion in life, Max Sullivan.  I originally wanted to call Eli, Levi after my grandfather, but I just happen to know 2 other people with that name, so my main character became Eli.  As for Max Sullivan?  He's named after a ginger cat of mine who lived to be 21 years old.  He was always a bit of a smartass and never failed to let me know he was in charge of every situation.  So, I thought I share a picture of his best side, his butt.

And wasn't yesterday filled with several fun surprises?  The Department of Justice revealed that there is an official investigation into Donald Trump.  Evidently, a number of people have already interviewed / testified.  Of course, the ketchup is staining the walls of which ever suite of rooms he's staying in; he might still be in Washington, or perhaps he's returned to haunt his New Jersey golf club.  Oh, and his attorneys have filed some sort of bullshit about his being 'immune.'  Well, that won't fly far.  Isn't it nice to know that he's feeling desperate?  

Here in Pennsylvania, Dr. Oz is failing to close the gap between he and John Fetterman, no doubt because Fetterman turns out to be a genius when it comes to snarky attacks, like the one with Steve Van Zandt:

As for that far right extremist Doug Mastriano.  He's having issues mostly because he's already spit out so much negativity he thought was going to set the record straight burning his ass across almost every media outlet.  Pennsylvanians don't like him.  This is a good thing, a very good thing.

Texas Warzone

Monday, Monday, can't stop that day....

That was the Momas and the Popas, a vocal group from the pre-dawn of Pop music.  For some of you, Monday is the start of a new work week.  For me?  Well, sometime last night I hit my 'hump' minute.  I'll be on a downhill slide for the next three days.  And the weather is supposed to be fine.  On Thursday I'm planning on taking the bike off the trainer and out on the road for a bit.  As always, that will entail some hazards since I live in a suburb.  Twenty-one years ago when I moved to Enola it was a small town to the northwest of Harrisburg.  Not anymore.  The streets are just as narrow, however now they have much more traffic.  

I see where the Idiot Jerk in the White House wants the Justice Department to investigate what he's calling a 'spy' in his campaign.  He believes the 'spy' story because Hannity told him there was a 'spy.'  Also, there's the fact that all this shit his team, including dopey Donny Jr. is being made public.  In his mind there had to be a 'spy.'  How else would all of his scumduggery be leaking to the press...   He will never understand this is what happens when you surround yourself with asswipes and sycophants on a National Level.  This is just another bit of unraveling.  Be prepared, it will get worse.

Oh, and see that the Vice Governor, or maybe it's the Assistant Governor, or maybe we should call him the dumbshit wanna be Governor, of Texas is calling for the arming of school teachers.  He also farted out something about the 2nd Amendment guaranteeing a 'well armed militia.'  Texans love their guns.  That state will pass legislation arming teachers, because... God wants them to do that.  Nothing must interfere with the sanctity of their guns.  And the state will move one step closer to becoming a war zone.  Won't that make the gun makers, and the bullet makers, and the laser scope makers happy!!

On a lighter note, I was taking the garbage out last night and my neighbor told me that they too had a chipmunk in their house.  She found the little critter in their dog food bag, too the bag outside and released him.  Having one in a house is odd, having 2 in 2 different houses is...  Oh, my, we might be under attack by Chip and Dale!