Falling Back

Brrrr.  Our afternoon temps may be climbing into the 60s (F), but over night our temps can still drop down into the 40s (F).  This morning our outside temp was 37 (F).  At least that's the reading I got at 0548.  The high for today is again going to top off somewhere in the low 60s (F).  Tomorrow's high is supposed to be in the upper 60s (F).

And, the first frost has already glazed our windshields and brutalized our tomato plants, I am pleased to say that we are now in Indian Summer!  Now I know people assume that Indian Summer means temps in the mid to upper 70s (F), but that ain't how high they usually get.  Believe me, if our temps had been more normal, with daily highs in the low to mid 50s (F), an afternoon high of 66 (F) would be scorching hot.  This is how climate change happens.

I worked yesterday.  It was taco day, and in case you're wondering, that doesn't mean associates wore TACO costumes for Halloween.  The Orange Retailer I work for wants people to work safely.  To celebrate long stretches of days without an accident, foody perks are provided.  For 270 days without an accident, we get tacos.  I had taken a salad in to work, but since it was taco day, I decided to save it for today, especially since there's probably not going to be too much taco meat leftover.

Today is the end of Daylight Savings Time.  Since my body operates on a circadian rhythm and not a chronometer, I woke up at my normal time.  So much for getting an extra hour sleep.  Believe me, I can fall asleep at the drop of a hat, but that doesn't mean I can lollygag around in bed for an extra hour simply because we've lost an hour.  Today will run an hour longer for me, and will continue to do so until my circadian rhythm adjusts itself.

There are those out there who believe Republicans in both the House of Representatives and the Senate bow down to the Orange Anus because they are terrified of what his base could do to them in an election.  I am not one of those people.  Ever since Reagan, Republicans have dreamt of being the party of power.  Orangie's hold over his cultish base makes that fantasy a reality.  To those Republican Congressmen and Senators, he represents the power they have always craved.  They will ignore his corruption, his moral degeneracy, because if the cast a closely looking eye in Orangie's direction they will see more than warts on this toad of a human.  Even though they are not oblivious to is wanton destruction of Democracy, they will simply ignore it, to do otherwise would cause them to lose that thing they have coveted.

Mediterranean

 Well, it's Tuesday and finally I'm back to my old schedule of 4 sequential days off.  Now I can finally get back into my normal routines.  

Outside the temps are a cool 35 (F), though they're expected to climb up into the low 70s (F).  There was frost on the car windows but none on the grass, so does anybody know if that's considered the "first frost?"  I don't think so.  If it is, then we will get an Indian Summer this week with the temps expected to climb up into the high 70s (F), possibly even reaching into the low 80s (F).  That'll be nice.

The dishwasher Jon and I carried out to my driveway?  Well, I pushed it out the the curb when I got home from work since it's garbage day and, quite magically, it disappeared overnight.

I signed up for the Mediterranean diet on line basically because I was hoping to grow my list of recipes.  While I wouldn't say it's completely bogus and therefore a waste of $$$, I will admit that it's geared more towards selling you supplements like alfalfa sprouts and beauty collogen than anything else.  I already take a collogen supplement, and I can tell you, theirs is much more expensive.   The recipes are okay.  I was hoping for more actual Mediterranean (Italian and Greek) dishes and that didn't happen.  It seems as though whomever put it together thought that the only thing needed to make it Mediterranean was to add olive oil.  As a result, I'll be cancelling it shortly.  This spicy shrimp and rice dish I threw together is more Mediterranean then what they're offering.

The Republicans came back yesterday and are, I suppose, going to vote sometime today on the 9 8 candidates vying for Speakership.  Will one of them get elected?   Hhhmmm, probably not.  There are too many factions fighting for control of the party.  One interesting thing that I did see was that whomever they finally choose will need to have the blessing of the Orange Anus.  I keep wondering, how can they be so delusional.  He lost the popular vote, and that's before he staged an insurrection, before there were 91 indictments against him, before his cracker jack team of attorneys started flipping for the prosecution.  He is Obi Wan and will never, ever be their only hope.

Blizzards

 Outside, the weather is a brisk 44 (F) and those individuals who get paid lots of money to forecast heat waves and deep freezes are saying that today's the last cool day for a while.  Tomorrow the temps are supposed to climb up into the 70s (F), and by Friday we're supposed to top off at around 79 (F).  And no, for those of you who are desperately waiting for Indian Summer, this is not it.  As I've said before, Indian Summer only happens after the first frost, of course, now that we're beginning to deal with Global Warming, that might not happen until well into December.

I do get to go in and work today.  Hopefully it will be quiet.

I also get to call the granite people and select my slab.  I have the purchase order number to verify that I'm actually going to have it installed.  The installers will be here tomorrow to measure and build the template.  Then, if things go well, my new countertop will be installed in two weeks.  While a number of things need to be done by then, I don't foresee anything cataclysmic happening.  It's just painting and laying the vinyl plank flooring, which means crawling around.  Believe me, it's not the crawling around that bothers me, it's the standing up afterwards.

And I was down in York yesterday to lunch with my friend Betsy.  It's always Chinese buffet and Dairy Queen, and desert is always a Blizzard.  Yesterday I had a Royal New York Cheesecake blizzard.  It was okay.  I was thinking it would only be chunky pieces of cheesecake and I was wrong.  There was some strawberry sundae topping inside which wasn't to my liking.  I suppose that's because while growing up, my mom only bought two types of jelly, grape and strawberry.  Now I really don't like either.

Since it's now Monday, the clown show in Congress is going to start up again.  We've had enough of an intermission between acts.  Nine names are in the ring and, as far as I know, only one of them is what you might consider a moderate.  Whispers have it that Trump is still pulling the strings behind the scenes.  That wouldn't surprise me.  He represents the authoritarian dictatorship so many of them want.  The fact that he's a lying sack of shit means nothing to them, it's the power they believe he promises.

And, speak of the OA, I believe he's once again back in court today.  Tomorrow, his former attorney Cohn is supposed to testify against him.  I'm wondering if the two of them are going to come face to face in the courtroom.  Trump doesn't need to be there, but if he believes he can use it to bolster his campaign he'll put in an appearance.

  

Twitter and the Hate Mongers

 Let the mini-summer begin!  Or, as some call it, Indian Summer since, for the next few days, temps here in Central Pa are going to be in the mid to upper 70s (F).  Unfortunately, starting Wednesday we're going to be back to seasonal weather.  I have no problem with this unseasonably warmth.  A little respite from the heating bills is always nice.  Honestly, I find paying utility expenses such an unfair expenditure of my money, especially since utility companies have decided they want to be major players in American Capitalism.  

Take electricity.  I received an email from P. P. & L. my provider, that beginning in December rates for the average family using 1100 kwh per month will increase by about $22.  That's a big jump.  I immediately checked my bill to see how many kwh I use in a month.  As a single person, I use about 550 kwh, so my bill will only increase by around $11.  I like using my air fryer, but that little oven burns up electricity like it's going out of style.  From now on, I'll probably only use it for hamburgers and French fries, foods that only take about 10 minutes to cook.  Everything else will be cooked in my gas oven which is a lot less expensive way to cook.

Here is one of my autumn roses. 

I saw Bibi Netanyahu won the election in Israel by the skin of his teeth.  What a shame.  The country was making some very nice advances in it's approach to the Arab states which surround it.  I don't see that lasting since he's a hardline conservative.  There will be no compromise, a word conservative despise.

Isn't the Elon Musk's Twitter fiasco entertaining?  Instant layoffs, corporate advertising pulling back, people complaining about having to pay to be certified?  That $8 monthly charge is pissing people off.  Verification used to be related to certification, ensuring you were not a bot.  Now, if you've read what the Chief Fool has said, it's totally dependent on your paying the fee, meaning everyone who pays will be verified.  I suspect that's really what's pissing off the advertisers; Subway doesn't want it's ads sandwiched between Tweets of raging racism and hatred.  The Chief Fool doesn't understand this.  Only the foolish will pay that fee.  Everyone else will move to another platform.  There is a good possibility Twitter will become a lot like the fiscally underperforming Truth Social, catering mostly to hate mongers.  Note to the Chief Fool, hate mongers rarely click on ads, they're too busy foaming at the mouth.

The Hole

 Thursday has arrived.  Today and tomorrow, even though the temps have not been cold enough for a frost, are supposed to hit the mid to upper 70s (F).  Translation, Faux Indian Summer.  This is what's been happening over the past few years.  Next week, if the predictions are correct, the temps are supposed to drop into the upper 30s (F).  That's still not quite cold enough.  The sad truth is that after the first frost, our temps might climb into the upper 60s (F) and that would be our Indian Summer.

The plumbers were here yesterday.  $$$  I now have a water hookup for a washer on the 2nd floor.  There were 2 of them and they did not seem to be pressed for time, since they took over 2 hours for what is a rather simple job.  I made a mistake by telling them I could patch whatever holes they deemed necessary, and as a result, they cut a big hole with multiple pieces.

And, for those of you interested, the electrician was just here, the one whose last name sounds like he should be an action hero.  Well, I was slightly off in my prediction.  He was in his late 20s with no kids or grandkids.  There was, as Maddie pointed out, the inevitable butt crack.

As expected, this close to the midterms the Republicans are pumping all sorts of moola moola into negative campaign ads.  This is as certain as birth, death, and taxes, and it is all negative.  In fact, the 2 things Republicans are truly good at are (1) lying, and (2) negative advertising.  This time they are again leaning on their family values, i.e. banning books, attacking Trans people, and immigration, they want you to believe every immigrant coming to this country crosses the boarder carrying 14 pounds of fentanyl. 

Finally, the word on the street about Doug Mastriano is that he's a fucking fruit cake, pardon my language.  He already wants his followers to spend the last 40 days until the election by fasting and praying.  He's evidently one of those extremists who has no problem lying because... well, you know... he's doing it for God.  His zealotry has no problem with war as long as it's for God.  Be forewarned, he will not take his approaching loss lightly.  He will create a shit show the likes of which Pennsylvania voters have never seen before.

Rejection.

Wednesday... and schedules are due to be updated in the system.  I can't wait to see what mine looks like because it's been kind of crappy here lately.
Temps here are supposed to 92 (F), which is stinky winky hot.  And, of course, some moron at work claimed this was Indian Summer....  Sorry.  Indian Summer does not occur until after the first frost of the year.  Oh, and we don't always get one.  And some years we'll get two.  People just don't understand weather lore.  I don't expect them to.
And, of course, the Idiot Jerk in the White House termed his henchie Bolton, who's lucky, if this were North Korea he'd have had his ass fed to the dogs.  The firing was... messy.  You know it's bad when things like this turn into Twitter Affairs.  But then the Idiot Jerk lives for Twitter.  Twitter keeps the spotlight on him.  He needs that.  I found it interesting that, at least from what I heard, two voices kept him from bringing the Taliban to Camp David:  Bolton and Pence.  Now, one of them is gone.  Rejected and ejected by the Idiot Jerk because he just didn't say 'yes' enough.  He'll keep Pence around because he can't afford to alienate his Crazy Christian Base.
I also saw where the North Koreans want to sit down and chat again.  Is another breakfast buffet in the works?  How is this for speculation:  with Bolton out of the picture, the Idiot Jerk can, courtesy Air Force One, fly Kim Dumb Shit to Washington for an "very important morning meeting on the Mall."  Hey, with maybe a stopover in Disneyland so Kim can ride Magic Mountain!  Even though Bolton hated everything that wasn't pure, white, and American, he did wield some control over the Idiot Jerk... now he's gone. Soon to be replace by a 'yes man' extraordinaire.
I began playing Greedfall last night.  This game is from an independent group of game developers named Spiders located in Paris... yeah, that's right, the City of Light.  Right now, if I'm correct, about 22 people are employed by Spiders.  This is amazing when you consider how complicated video games are these days.  Developers like Bethesda employ hundreds of people and have studios all over the United States and Canada.  Because Greedfall is a Role Playing Game, you can have relationships with most of your companions.  So I tried to pick up the first Companion I signed up:  Kurt.  Of course, I got rejected.  He's still suspicious of me.  But, it's a role playing game so that can change.