Sheer Stupidity

 Say hello to Saturday and the day is going to be sunny, but chilly, with our high only climbing up into the upper 30s (F).  That's fine with me.  I work this afternoon.  The weathers to cold for spring planners, but wait until Thursday.  Temps are supposed to be in the low 50s (F), and that will bring out the early bird curb appealists. 

Yesterday was a laundry day.  I also worked on the book.  But that's about it.  I made my version of celery potato soup using some scraps of beef that had been in the freezer.  It was fine.  I spent some time on social media, but not much. I like to stay quietly informed.  If I spend too much time looking at comments I tend to get aggravated.  

Howie did Howie things.  That means I have a new pile of sticks and twigs on my kitchen counter that he's bartered for snacks.  

I'm scheduled to work this afternoon.  The only day I start working before 2 is Sunday, those days tend to be slow.  Being the first Saturday of the month, we do our Kid's Workshop.  It's a nice concept, teaching kids how to work with kid tools.  They get their little orange aprons and put together a very simple project.  We usually get over 300 kids.  Projects that need to be painted are the worst; we end up with paint smears all over the store, on appliances, carpet samples, you name it, little painty fingers leave their mark.  The store is very busy, and since they're in the store most parents will buy something.  That's the real reason for Kid's Workshop.  It's all about the sales.  This is a promotional picture, no real children were involved.

And, of course, the tariffs begin today.  Will they do anything to make the rich richer?  Nope.  Many think they run for a few weeks, prices will go up, and then the Orange Anus will claim victory and either reduce them greatly, or put an end to most.  Oh, and prices might come down slightly, but they will never again be what they are today.  This is really all about impressing the cultists and making money for the billionaire boys club.

I understand Zuckerberg is getting a divorce.  Now we know why he got that shitty perm; he wants to look young and nerdy again.

Elonia got into government computers yesterday, places he shouldn't have been.  Social Security numbers?  You can bet he'll be selling them to the highest bidders because he doesn't give a shit about people.  Someone said he's going to do to the US Government what he did to Twitter, wreck it out of sheer stupidity.

Rainy Day Friday

Our flood warning expires today, though skies will remain overcast until sometime tomorrow.  We might have showers, and then we might not.  Tomorrow morning we've been told to expect snow flurries.  Highs will not get out of the upper 40s (F) until sometime on Sunday, then they'll be climbing up into the mid 60s (F) for a while.

Tomorrow, being that it's the first Saturday of April, will be our Kid's Workshop at the store.  Kid's Workshop is the reason my start time on Saturdays is 1300, or 1 PM, whichever you prefer.  While people think this workshop is good community outreach, we do it mostly because parents normally buy at least one thing while they're in the store.  They also have to deal with associates trying looking for leads and measures.  If Kid's Workshop wasn't a great resource for growing our sales, we wouldn't be doing it.  

The sun did come out yesterday afternoon and I got things done.  Grass seed was planted.  Twigs, sticks and branches were picked up.  I took the small Samsung TV off the wall in the training / computer room.  It still works, even though it's over 15 years old, so I'll see if I can find someone to take it off my hands.

I have a list of chores to do today.  I'm hoping the sun comes out again.  That would be nice.  Sadly, according to Accuweather, the day's supposed to be dreary.

I'm thinking this show looks very good. 

I will have to go to the post office today to buy stamps, a pack of 12 probably.  I rarely send things through the mail, but occasionally stamps come in handy, like in mailing my ballot for this years Primary.  There are a lot of Democrats running for all of the positions and they've all been sending me fliers.  The one thing that stands out among all of them is that they all claim to have stood up to Trump, or the MAGA cult.  One of them, Jenelle Stellson, is going after the insurrectionist Scott Perry in a very public way.  Whether it will help her or not, is something the voters will have to decide.  

We don't have open primaries in Pennsylvania.  You can only vote for your own party.  Democrats have money.  Republicans have Trump, so I'm wondering if they're candidates are mailing as many fliers.  

And, speaking of the Orange Anus, only 10 days to go until his first criminal trial begins.  Prepare yourselves, he's going to fly completely off the rails because he's going to have to sit in the courtroom through the proceedings.  This is Karma on a grand scale.

 

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.

The jockish side of me

Holy Crap!  It's Saturday, the first Saturday in December and today is Kid's Workshop... and I forgot to ask off.  Son of a bitch!  Now I'm going to have to go listen to hundreds of little hammers pounding for 3.5 hours.  Sometimes they do painting projects instead of building projects, that's quieter but clean-up for the store can be very time consuming.
My new clock comes today.  I ordered it specifically for the shelf in front of my Cannondale.  When I'm pedaling away, I just want to be able to look up and see what time it is.  And speaking of rides, Rouvy introduced 2 new ones yesterday, in Italy.  Unfortunately, they're group rides, meaning they're only at certain times of the day and you have to connect with a group of riders.  Well, the times these rides are offered are a bit on the inconvenient side, and I like to just climb on the bike and ride.  Rats!  Since I wanted to ride in Italy, I did a ride search.  There are over 100 routes to choose from.  I selected a ride from Zevio to Verona, about 15 miles, fairly flat.  Monday I'm planning on riding up a long hill in Italy.  That should be fun.
Today is my parent's 68th wedding anniversary.  That's right, they got married on Pearl Harbor Day.
I don't know if it's part of the aging process or not, but a while back my toes began moving back and forth inside my shoes.  I suspect my cycling may have something to do with it.  Or, perhaps it's the arthritis in my lower back.  Anyway, when I'm walking around at work, my socks rub them and on more than one occasion I thought I might be on my way to getting a blister.  So, I bought some Kineseology Tape.  You know, the sort of things jocks wear?  And I've started taping my toes.  All of a sudden, no problem.

Mine is red, one of my favorite colors.  The water polo player was not included in the box.
I read where the Idiot Jerk in the White House and his administration are refusing to get involved with the Impeachment process.  This was to be expected.  The Democrats need to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate as fast as possible.  Throw the ball in the the Republican Court.  Believe me, the Republicans are going to vote it into the history books as fast as possible.  There will be no, long, drawn out trial.  While they would love to attack, attack, attack, they're know such a thing would do more to hurt the Idiot Jerk and help Biden.  Having a trial would cut their open for the public to see and hear.  A lot of them are already scared shitless.
Oh, and I see Duncan Hunter's is going to resign which means there is going to be one less Republican in the House.  Oh, now isn't that a shame.

In Summation

Well, it's Tuesday and I get to go back to work.  This little stint is going to be 4 days long.  I'm off on Saturday.  It's Kid's Workshop.  I've been requesting off the first Saturday of every month so I don't have to deal with the 300 + kiddies and their pounding little hammers.
I'm interested to see how prices have gone up.  They started increasing about 3 weeks ago.  One thing to keep in mind about a lot of products, they may say "made in the USA," but means assembled.  The parts come from all over the world.  Cars are a good example.  Toyota, and Nissan, and Honda, and Ford, and General Motors all have assembly lines in the US but the parts are almost entirely imported.
And for those who think the Idiot Jerk in the White House is driving the "Israel is the greatest country in the world" train, surprise!  He isn't.  It's the Evangelicals.  It's the prophecy, you know?  That all Jews will go home... to Israel.  Unfortunately, that's not happening.  In fact, the only ones going back are the Evangelicals.  Tourism is up.  And the Idiot Jerk in the White House is going to give that voting block everything their black little hearts desire.
Speaking of Evangelicals, my brother and his kids are heading down to Topsail, North Carolina in a week and a half.  Two years ago they went down and their cat died.  Last year Hurricane Florence went through and their vacation was delayed for a month... and when they did go, our Mom died.  And now, of course, there's Dorian... slowly inching his way towards Florida.  There's a good possibility he may pick up strength in warm waters between the Bahamas and the US mainland.  This may be interesting.
Finally, in a little over 2 months The Outer Worlds gets released.  The anticipation for this game is very high.  I'm really stoked for the action!  the adventure!  and the sick humor!  This last trailer sums it up quite nicely.  Enjoy.

Sit on this

Oh, well... it's Friday.  I have off tomorrow.  By request.  It's the first Saturday in August which means... Kid's Workshop.  As we age we decide whether or not we want to deal with certain... disturbances.  Kid's Workshop is creates a way to bond parents, and children, and the necessary skills needed if you own a home.  It's also a great tool to drive sales.  Parents always buy at least one thing.  The Kid's Workshop in our store is about 65 feet from where  the flooring desk.  The tumultuous sound of pounding hammers eliminates conversation.  You never want to sit down with customers during Kid's Workshop.  Henceforth I am requesting off every first Saturday of every month.  If I want to ruin my ear drums and give myself tinnitus, I'll listen to rock music.
Yesterday Sixpence commented on what I wear when cycling and I'm afraid I might have given some bad information.  The only spandex I wear is in the shorts and that's because of the gel padding.  This is the reason for the padding.

The seat... or as cyclists call it, the saddle.  The saddle is 11 inches long and 5.5 inches wide and very, very firm.  After about 5 miles, sitting on the saddle becomes... tedious (yeah, that's a nice word for it).  Painful is another one.  While I'm sure there are some out there who might enjoy this, I don't, nor do any other cyclists that I know.  To alleviate the stress on our 'saddle bones' we wear spandex shorts with gel padding.   I wear regular work out shorts on top because, let's be honest, there are only certain men who can wear spandex and get away with it.  When I take the X-6 out on the road I used platform pedals and sneakers, inside I use clipless pedals and special shoes.  Oh, and I don't wear a helmet inside, either... that would be just too damn weird.
On political news, this past week six Republicans have announced they will not seek re-election, including the only black Republican Congressman in the House.  If you're one of those brain dead Republicans, this is not good.  And another funny thing... the Idiot Jerk in the White House held a rally last evening.  He didn't get a lot of press.  The only thing I saw was a minor bit in the NYT where they said he didn't bring up 'race.'  This goes to prove that unless he says something incendiary, or inflammatory, no one gives a shit.  I tell people, he was not sent to give Conservatives everything they want, rather, he was sent to obliterate them.  He is their ending without a 'post script.'

Not your Average Saloon Girl

It's Saturday, June 1.  Being the first Saturday of the month, we have our Kid's Workshop.  Because the weather is supposed to be nice, we are going to be swamped with kids, well over 300, who's parents fail to comprehend we are a warehouse home improvement store.  We block aisles and use lift equipment.  Many of our customers have long since passed through the 'parenting stage' and now see so many children as a nuisance.  Because the mothers and fathers of the 'over 300' don't understand this, chaos will reign.  I'm seriously thinking of requesting off the first Saturday of every month.
For those interested in purchasing a paperback copy of "The Body in the Tower," use this link:  it's in 'books' at Amazon.  It's 278 pages long, which is 41 pages longer than the first book.  And remember, reviews... reviews... reviews.  They are important.  I buy a lot from Amazon and I usually try and leave reviews.  Mostly their good.  Every now and then I buy something that's not quite up to snuff and I let them know.  Hopefully, your reviews will be good.
And regarding the new project:  my original notes called for a restaurant / diner, similar to Denny's.  Last evening, however, I realized that wasn't going to work.  The current day Rattler's Den (town name) needed something more, something with a little more pizzazz.  So while I was doing my cardio, I started thinking about saloons, something a little crusty, a little touristy, and, of course, something from my childhood popped into my head.

Anybody out there remember Miss Kitty?  She was not your average saloon girl.
Oh, and by the way, the Idiot Jerk has threatened Mexico with a tariff... because of the immigrants.  Humans have been migrating for thousands of years, but the white Republican party doesn't like migration, the flow of human beings from one location to the next.  They want to build walls.  Maybe, instead of doing that they should read a little chapter from the Old Testament called... Exodus.  I mean, they were brown people, too, in fact they looked a lot like Syrians, and Iraqis, and Saudis, and Iranians... but don't tell that to the Evangelicals.
Oh, and the administration also downgraded India out of 'favored nation' status in order to raise export prices to them.
In case you didn't realize it, the Idiot Jerk in the White House is a terrible businessman who's only good at selling lies about his business acumen. 

The Bells will be Ringing

The numbers just keep going up.  Yesterday, at our Kid's Workshop, we had over 350 children show up to hammer and nail and paint their little projects.  Lots of noise as those tiny hammers missed tiny nail after tiny nail.  And red paint?  Foreshadowing of what the Oval Office is going to look like in the coming days as the Idiot Jerk tries to emulate the 'red queen' shouting "off with his head!  Off with her head!"
And then there was the dinner date the Idiot Jerk had with President Xi of China.  All you have to do is look at the pictures to see somebody isn't happy.

While Xi looks happy as hell, perhaps he was told he's getting a really big, tremendously large penthouse in Washington, the Idiot Jerk looks like he is ready to cry.  One can only wonder if this is the result of Michael Cohen's guilty plea, and his confession, or maybe the Idiot Jerk is trying to think of some way in which he can deny those written answers he handed in to Mueller.  Can't you just wait for him to begin blaming others for changing his words?  Or maybe he looks so unhappy because they told him meatloaf was off the menu.  John Bolton seems to be having a good time though, doesn't he?  Steve Mnuchin seems deep in thought.  Is he wondering if his Trophy Wife is banging her chauffeur, or possibly wondering how this meeting will look on his resume.
Oh, and no more tariffs after January 20, 2019.  The White House is calling this a win... now, hold your laughter.  Maybe that's why Xi looks so happy.  It could be that the Idiot Jerk realizes the fallout from Cohen's plea is going to be so tremendously bad... and I mean just really tremendously bad for him, that more tariffs might signal the death knell for his presidency.  I would have thought he'd have known that someone started ringing that bell a long time ago, and it wasn't Anita Ward.