Bombing Moscow

Yesterday the temp got up to 89 (F).  I consider that warm.  Today and tomorrow the forecasters are saying that our high temps are going to hit 98 (F).  That's hot.  That's mid July weather, not middle of the month of May weather.  Thursday a cooling trend is predicted to start with high temps for the rest of the week hovering in the mid to upper 70s (F).  Start prepping for the heat waves now.

I had lunch with my friend Betsy yesterday.  We always do Chinese buffet for the meal and Dairy Queen for the dessert.  This is our routine.  Conversation is always good.  Sometimes if revolves around age, since both of us are getting older; there ain't no stopping that.   She rents and I feel bad about that for her.  But then at some point, all of us seniors will end up paying some form of rent, either to a landlord or to a senior living facility.  American capitalism dictates that unless we are wealthy, we will always owe.  At least I will have a financial cushion when I sell my house.  That's something many will not have.

The thought had occurred to me to take the day off using the warm temps as an excuse, but I probably won't. It's not as though I have any plans to occupy my time.  So, I suppose I'll be punching for my normal Monday shift.

And here's a real old pic of me from high school.  While this isn't dated, I think it's from 1969, the year I graduated.  This was long before I could grow a moustache.  Don't those lapels rock!

One of the things that came up in my conversation with Betsy yesterday was, as you might expect, the Orange Anus.  She had a very dim view of our future, believing the Republicans are going to destroy everything.  I did my best to convince her otherwise, whether I was successful or not is anybody's guess.  It did brighten her day when I showed her the pics and videos of Moscow being hit by drones and missiles.  It's my understand that internet coverage was shut down in large swaths of the country.  A spokesperson for Orangei's blow bro Vlad shrieked that Ukraine had stooped to terrorism, and the world laughed at him.  Vlad's in a bit of a stinky mood.  He had to cut short his VE parade.  The Russia economy is in the shitter.  He's relying on North Korean solders to help on the battlefield.  And now Moscow being bombed.  I'm wondering how long it will be before he slips, trips, and falls out of a wndow.

And finally, the blasphemers gathered on the Washington Mall yesterday in an attempt to spread their heresy.  Like everything associated with the Orange Anus and his regime, the fools our going to fail badly.  Everything he touches dies.

With Friends Like These

We had rain all day yesterday, that continued into the night.  The temps stayed rather warm, which is good.  Even though Spring is only 2 weeks away, we are still in winter,  That means temp swings can happen at a moment's notice.  I understand one is approaching us, but won't be here until next weekend.  This coming week our daily highs will be in the mid to upper 60s (f), and possibly, for a day or two, in the low 70s (F).  Now, isn't that fine?

And yesterday, because of the rain, turned into one of those nappy days.  I baked bread in the morning, got my haircut, and did some shopping, but then I whittled away the afternoon working on the edit and taking naps.  To me it seemed as though I took lots of naps, though a lot of The Body in 4:$ time got edited as well. 

Howie, who usually has no problem going out when it rains, wasn't too happy.  Most of my backyard was a shallow pond and while he doesn't mind getting rained on, he seems to developed a dislike to wading.  

I did get my haircut.  I was in the shop for about 7 minutes.  My stylist was not chatty, a good thing.  However, shortly after I sat down in the chair another customer entered and he was.  It took him and his stylist about 30 seconds to blow a simple hello into a full fledged BFF gossip session.  I laughed, even though I kept telling myself that he might be enjoying the only bit of socializing he gets.  What a shame that would be if it were true.

And Kristi Noem was... demoted yesterday.  

People are saying she was fired, and that brings a lot of joy to many Americans, but in all actuality this was a lateral move to another position the Orange Anus created just for her.  That's right, she's still on the payroll and you tax dollars are still paying for hair extensions.  Some are saying that she wasn't happy, yet I suppose it was either move to the new job or try experimenting with defenestration.  Her replacement, Markwayne Mullins isn't any better.  They share the same IQ and, like Noem, will have absolutely no problem following Stevie Miller's orders.

And here's a bit of breaking news:  it seems as though the Ruskies are providing Iran with the coordinates for our ships, and planes, and automobiles.  Well, maybe not the cars.  Troop locations, when Orangie and Kegbreath send in ground forces, will also be duly noted on Iranian maps.  If you weren't expecting this, then you certainly haven't been paying attention to world politics over the past decade or so.  Surprise, Russia and Iran are BFF!

Expansionism Fails

We have 38 (F) outside.  The forecast is, as I expected, for temps to continue to rise.  My Wednesday we should be in either the high 40s (F) or low 50s (F).  The long range forecast is for temps to consistently hover in the mid 40s (F).  I have no problem with that.

Yesterday I did work.  The store is not going to make plan this week.  Without giving any actual details that might be considered proprietary, right now we looking at missing play by 6 figures.  Corporate has reduced our plan, but at this point nothing will help.  This is how it goes.

I did have a far eastern customer who paid to have a measure.  He's selling his house.  His wife asked when carpeting was going to go on sale, so I told her that never happens.  There is a big difference between buying carpeting and a washer/dryer combo.  Oh, and here's a big hint to all of you interested in buying appliances that are on sale.  They are never, ever sold at the MSRP (Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price).  Like a new car, that sticker price has one intention, to make you think you're getting a great deal.  Spend a few minutes online and you'll discover that the "sale" price is, in fact, the standard price.

And I do get to work today.  But then I have off for the rest of this week.  The same is true for next week.  I did put in to take 5 hours vacation, both this week and next to keep my paycheck from falling too low.

Here's a random picture I've pulled from my files since I wanted something interesting to look at.  It's picture of Harrisburg from the west shore.

And someone is saying that Venezuela is going to be run by both Hegseth and Rubio.  This is going to go poorly, as these things tend to do.  Expansionism is dead.  That is one of many things that conservatives totally fail to understand.  Three hundred years ago, Orangie's invasion of Venezuela would have worked for a time.  In today's world, with easy access to guns and assorted other types of killing weapons, failure is eminent.  Venezuelans are going to fight.  However, as I've mentioned before, conservatives have this "shut up, we're in charge" mentality.  They have always been wrong.  Take those Venezuelans down in Miami who were dancing around yesterday, this morning they're scratching their heads and asking why Orangie's Hegseth and Rubio are going to run their country.  They are on their way to being very unhappy campers.  And the idiots in Orangie's government literally have no idea what they have gotten themselves into.  This will be another Vietnam.

And if you don't believe me about the expansionism, just look at that idiot Putin.  He's 4 years into a war with over a million Russian casualties and there is no end is sight. 

Charlie Kirk... International victim?

It looks as though we have another sunny day in store for us here in Central PA.  We are into a warming trend and by next week our daily highs will be in the mid 80s (F).  FYesteror those who don't know, this is standard weather for September, though it isn't Indian Summer, that happens after the first frost.

Yesterday was a pretty good day.  Many things were accomplished.  I'm always pleased when I can look down at my plate and see that it's wiped clean.  Several loads of laundry were done.  The first coat of paint was applied to the bathroom walls.  Painting the bathroom is something that I wanted to do for a long time.  Now it's going to be the same color as the laundry room.  The only unfortunate thing I'm going to have to deal with is I'm going to need to go out and buy another gallon of paint.  That's fine.  Things will look so fresh and clean when I'm finished.

I also signed up for and than canceled a fitness app named Dose.  I was still in the free trial time period, so I didn't lose anything.  Why cancel?  Claims were made about the app which weren't true.  Late last night, not being able to sleep, I decided that I'm probably going to hire an personal trainer on line.  While I do get my workouts in, they are something I have no problem sloughing off.  A trainer would force me to adhere to a regime that works, rather than allow me to make excuses I know are as puffy as cotton candy.

And, of course, Charlie Kirk was assassinated yesterday.  I did, unfortunately, see the video when the bullet hit home.  Damn, that thing was all over social media.  That was graphically violent, so here's a pic of Howie!

As for Kirk?  He was an unpleasant human being who made a lot of money spewing his racist, bigoted, and white supremacist propaganda. He was besties with Orangie.  That should tell you more than you need to know.  One of his famous statements was that if he was flying and he saw that one of the pilots was black, he'd seriously wonder if he was qualified because of DEI and reconsider taking that flight.

Just before the bullet took out his vocal cords, he was telling his audience that transgender people are responsible for most school shootings. Imagine, the last thoughts going through his brain were filled with hatred.  When I read that, I thought to myself, well, maybe God finally decided to shut him up.

Of course, the sniper has not been apprehended, which begs one to ask if this was the reason Kash Patel was put in charge of the FBI?

I did see something this morning about the possibility of this being an international sponsored killing.  I was texting my brother and told him they need to look at who benefits the most from Kirk's death.  Let's be honest, it does create a decisive wedge Orangie could use, I mean he's already having government flags lowered to half mast.  Putin wants to see the United States completely destabilized, so I'm sure he sees this a step in the right direction.  What I am sure of is that he wasn't gunned down by some crazed Democrat, we're much too smart to do something that stupid.

Dimwitted Wannabe Bomber

 Okay, so a new week has started.  This morning's temps were cool, but a warming trend is on the way.  By the end of the week we might actually hit 90 (F).  I'm ready for summer.

I did work yesterday.  I made both my measure goal and my sales goal for the past week.  Management is happy.  In fact, I was kidding around with the store manager yesterday and that very subject came up and though he and I were laughing, he didn't shy away from saying my sales were comparable to those of a full time flooring specialist.  While no specific names came up, all I have to do is look at the figures to see there is one in particular who is not approaching expectations, let alone exceeding them.

And, shock of shocks, we did have a mini-terrorist activity at the store during one of my days off; a wannabe bomber was arrested.  Now this not too brilliant individual wasn't planning on bombing the store; rather he was intent on acquiring bomb making ingredients and components in order to make a bomb.  Knowing that the purchase of such materials could be traced, this dimwit decided to steal them... and was caught... and arrested.  A short time later his wife and mother showed up to pick him up and were told he was not at the store, and was, in fact, in police custody.

The Wertzville Road is now open and I don't have to take a detour to get to work.  However, during the storm last week, my neighbor's cedar tree lost a number branches, both bit and little.  Being the consummate stick connoisseur, Howie found one and brought it into the house.

For those who missed it, Ukraine carried out a successful drone operation that destroyed at least 40 irreplaceable Russian aircraft.  The drones were smuggled into and launched from inside Russia.  This says a lot about the ineptitude of Vlad's boarder security.  And, this mission had targets as far away as Siberia.  This is not a good look for Vlad or Russia.  It also proves how wrong the Orange Anus was when the told Zelensky he didn't have any cards.  I'm betting Orangie's blow bro Vlad is wondering if Zelensky what other cards Zelensky might be holding.

In spite of what some might think, and while Fox Entertainment is truly doubling down on Biden's supposed decline, Main Stream Media seems to have noticed that attacking this administration's policies is getting them more clicks than praising the Orange Anus.  Blowback is starting all over the place, except for CNN, because networks are going to go where the money is, and the money is in the clicks.

Bashar Assad

Holy Moly!  Today's temps are predicted to go up into the low 50s (F).  That's exceedingly warm for this time of year.  They will, however, be dropping down into what is considered unseasonably warm for the rest of the week.  In this case, unseasonably warm means temps in the mid to upper 40s (F).  

I got a nice, 9 mile ride in on the bike yesterday.  I felt good afterward.  Today, rather than ride, I'm going to be doing my dumbbells and bands.  Upper body.  

Work was okay yesterday.  I sold a measure to a woman who is never going to purchase an install.  After living in their home for 9 years, they're moving and she's going to be in the cheapest carpet possible.  She'd been to our blue competitor and received a quote which she said was too high.  So, after picking out the cheapest carpet we install, and the cheapest padding, I did a quick manual estimate:  $3800.  She paid for the measure, then told me our competitor had been less expensive.  She showed me their quote: $3082 and then tapped our brochure where we claimed we would match prices.  So, I tapped the sentence under that stating the price matching would be for any comparable carpet.  The carpet she chose from us was $1.89 a square foot, and it's crap, plus the cheapest pad possible, .84 for a total of $2.78 a square foot.  The quote she showed me was $2.24 a square foot, padding a carpet combined, which means it's worse than crap.

This also happened yesterday.  Our fire sprinkler system developed a leak and we had to evacuate the building for about half an hour.  It was cold standing outside, and while interesting, not exciting.  This is evidently not the first time leaks have happened.

Bashar Assad has left the building.  Or, if you're to believe Russian media, he has left Syria.  Or, if you're to believe Adam Kinzinger, there is a very good likelihood that he was killed last night.  This is a serious blow to the Orange Anus' blow bro Vlad, since he's been backing Bashar (I hope he doesn't mind that I call him Bashar) with a military presence in Syria for over 7 years.  In fact, the Russian military has also left the building.  No doubt, they're on their way to the Ukraine where they will sacrifice themselves on the alter of Vlad Putin's ego.

In case you haven't noticed it, the Blow Bro Vlad is having problems all over the world.  His puppet regimes are falling apart everywhere.  Romania has annulled an election that would have bound their ties with Vlad because of Russian influence.  He's having to use North Korean troops in the Ukraine in attempt to keep the Russian death toll from reaching 1 million.  Wow!  His authoritarian government is getting flushed down the shitter fast.

 

Ironed

 Happy sunny Sunday morning!  We're a bit cool here in Central Pa, the temp was in the mid 20s (F), when Lily got me out of bed so she could go potty.  That was around 0520.  Me?  I thought, well, since I'm up, I might as well stay up, and started the coffee maker.  However, once I'd sat myself down in front of the computer and began checking headlines, I realized I could use a bit more shut-eye and went back to bed.

2 hours later.

I am really well rested.  Lily is snoozing on the bed.  There is no heating plate on my coffee maker, so the coffee doesn't cook, the pot is well insulated, so the coffee stayed hot.  Yes, it is a well insulated pot.

Yesterday work was... slow.  The snow was light and fluffy, and shoveled fast.  Customers were not completely non-existent, but we were slow.  Those customers in the store were asking "what's your deal for President's day?"  As usual, I gave them my standard reply.  "Deals are going to be in appliances.  We don't do sales in flooring."

One of my fellow associates did manage to ring up a $16,000 flooring installation, however (and it's a big however), the only way the customer could pay for it was to put it on 3 different credit cards.  I don't know about you, but I have a problem with people buying things they apparently can't afford.  Of course, not everybody thinks paying interest is a bad thing if it's the only way you can get what you want.

And I don't know about you, but it seems to me that there is a lot of irony smashing around in the Republican party.

Many Republicans look at Putin's dictatorship authoritarian government and think "wouldn't it be nice to have that here in America, except make it socially conservative."  This same group is also shouting angrily about Russia having nukes in space. One would think that they would be able to put one and one together and make two.  This is a good definition of Irony.  Another good example is their inability to understand that in a country as diverse as America, democracy works best, and that having an authoritarian leader, especially one who has his competitors and critics assassinated, simply wouldn't work here because... we're too diverse.  It works for Trump's blo bro Vlad because most of Russia is a Third World Country.  America is not.  There is great irony here, and conservatives don't seem to understand that if they continue down this path they will simply be ironed flat.

Wilbur Plumbing

 Okay, Wednesday, here we go!  Our temps are supposed to climb into the lower 70s (F) today, how nice is that?  Predictably, however, as in every autumn, the bottom is supposed to fall out and by the end of the week our highs are going to be in the mid to upper 50s (F).  I have turned the heat on, but am keeping it at 70 (F) and so far it hasn't been running... much.

The tech from Wilbur Plumbing was here yesterday.  Honestly, I was expecting him to quote me a price slightly lower than the $1200 Bowman Plumbing wanted to charge.  I almost fell over when he saw what needed to be fixed and quoted me $300.  Wowza!  The repairs took him about 50 minutes and now there are no leaks!  He even connected the water supply line and the drainage for my dishwasher (Bowman was going to charge me $652).  Why such a disparity in prices?  Wilbur is a smaller, family run business, they have a smaller overhead, and they are more interested in fixing your problem, unlike Bowman Plumbing which wants to sell you a "project."  So, if you're in the Central PA region and you need plumbing assistance, I highly recommend Wilbur Plumbing.  (How's that for a plug?)

And yes, my dahlias are still blooming.  Here are the orange ones.

I saw where Trump's blow bro Vlad blamed the United States mid-east policy for Hamas invasion of Israel.  Only Republicans in this country will believe that.  Meanwhile, Washington is investigating Iran's involvement, did they train Hamas' terrorists?  Add to that, the fact that Russia and Iran are good chums (Russia's buying drones from Tehran), and that back in 2016 the Orange Anus provided Israel's security / defense information to the Russians and bragged about it, and it's not difficult to see how Russia's part of this terrorist souffle. 

Here in America, the Republican congressmen are huddling this morning to try and pick a new leader.  They've already been warned to not go to the Right, that a Centrist will have a better chance of working with the Democrats.  Unfortunately, a number of Republicans don't want to reach across the aisle.  Nope.  All they want to do is tell America to "shut up!  We're in charge!"

The Illustrated Band

 Well, another day of rest has arrived that isn't going to be too restful.  The weather forecast is hot and humid, though for us here in Central PA, hot means in the mid 80s (F).  We had thunderstorms yesterday, and they're predicted again for today... and tomorrow... and Tuesday.    This is fine.  At some point in the day on Tuesday I'm going to need to mow my lawn.  That's fine.

The angelfish is still alive.  

Business was slow yesterday.  I did almost have a measure, but then they decided that rather than pay the $35 deposit (which gets deducted when they purchase) they decided to check out Lowe's.  They said they'd most likely be back, but they never returned.  Honestly, I don't think they had any intention of going through with it.  Believe me, our competition has a variation of the same deal.

The band workout I've started doing is different.  I've never really worked with them before and they are so different than free weights, or any of the equipment I use at Planet Fitness, where the weight you are working with is constant.  With bands, tension builds.  It does feel different.  Some swear by them, I'm still in wait and see mode.  Here's a brief video from Fit Gent to illustrate what I'm talking about.  Fit Gent, by the way, is not the guy on the bands, it's a gym, in case any of you were wondering.

And, of course, the Russian coup is over... maybe... we don't really know.  People are scratching their heads wondering just what in hell happened.  There are a lot of theories out there.  The one I like is that Priczgoin (sp) thought other members of the military would join him, and they didn't.  He evidently didn't realize there is a big difference between the military and a mercenary group.  Now people are waiting to see if he does fall out of a window, or eat a plutonium sandwich (thanks Treaders).  Either way, there are now 25 thousand mercenaries without a leader, who are probably not too keen on working with Moscow.  Ouch.

And the Orange Anus gave a speech in front of Evangelicals last night and pretty much told them he was sent by God.  So, he's not only going to take out the Republican Party, Evangelical Christianity is also on the memu.

Wagner Strikes Back

 And once again rain is in the forecast.  We had a lot yesterday and, sad to say, my lawn is now a verdant green.  That means next week, in between the raindrops, I'm going to have to mow it.  

I did get more accomplished yesterday than the day before, which is nice.  There are always things to do, I just need to stop ignoring them.  

One of my angelfish is very sick.  I know it's only a matter of time.  Then there will be two.  Right now they're the only things swimming around in the big tank, which is going to see a big change.  Since I have a 5 gallon tank, I'll probably transfer to the 2 survivors to that in order to clean out the big tank completely.  I have black algae, and while it doesn't harm the fish, it will cover everything in the tank.  There are solutions, like using hydrogen peroxide, but that will kill everything, which is why I'm going to need to use the 5 gallon tank.

I was at my local Petsmart last week. They've done a major upgrade to the fish department, so there will be no need to drive down to that Fish Place.  The big tank's going to be pure community.  Probably a lot of live bearers, fish that will tolerate snails, which will eat the algae, since I don't doubt it's going to be a constant in that tank as long as it exists.

And, of course, yesterday this began happening... a bit of a Civil War in Russia.

This took the Putinistas like Tucker Carlson, and Tulsi Gabbard by surprise.  While using the excuse that the Russian military hit their troops with missile fire killing many, the Wagner group left the Ukraine and drove into Russia to take control of the military.  Ouch!  People are humorously wondering if this is what the Orange Anus meant by saying he could stop the war in 24 hours.  I'm certain he's quite upset that his blow bro Vlad is now in some serious shit.  Ouchy!  Whispers are saying this little revolution has been in the planning stages for some time.  Now Russia, who was depending upon the Wagner group mercenaries to help take the Ukraine now has to defend Putin's actions from many angles.  I don't doubt that many of the Oligarchs who are fed up with Putin's War are actively cheering from the sidelines.  And all of those American congressmen who were pro Putin, pro authoritarian government are looking extremely stupid right now.

Remember Riunite on Ice?

 We had spotty showers yesterday.  The same thing is predicted for today as well.  We're still not supposed to hit that 60 (F) degree mark.  I'd like to say I can't wait for summer, but that means the heat and we never know about that.  Luckily, those 100 (F) degree days have missed us here in Central Pa.  At some point our luck is going to give out and then people are going to complain.

I had my blood draw yesterday for the physical I have scheduled for next week.  They only took 3 vials, and of course the standard cup of coffee scented pee.  Usually I have milk in my coffee, but on blood draw mornings I forgo the milk because of... fasting.

And yesterday was also fitness day.  Around 10 am I drove over to Planet Fitness for the first time since the pandemic.  I have dumbbells but I can be very lax when it comes to using them regularly.  It turns out that 10 am is the perfect time, the gym was fairly empty except for older people, so there were no waiting times to use any of the equipment.  

Adding to the fitness fun, later in the afternoon I rode 14 miles in Italy.  That was good, too.  I averaged around 16 miles per hour.

There's a section in the new book were the team orders Chinese food and, of course, they need to pair their dinner with the perfect wine.  Well, it turns out that you should drink Lambrusco with Sweet and Sour Chicken, and since I can't ever remember drinking Lambrusco I thought I should at least give it a try.  Well, my local store only carried Riunite and besides having a twisty cap, it's very cheap.  I do think quality is reflected in cost, so rather than buy something inexpensive, I ordered a more expensive bottle, not so expensive that if I find it not to my liking I'll have problems pouring it away. 

And yesterday the Russians said they thwarted an assassination attempt on Putin by taking down two drones that had been sent to kill him.  Nobody believes them.  Nobody believes the Russians anymore except those who want to ally themselves with an authoritarian government.  The Russkies also told the world the drones had been sent by the Ukraine.  Nobody believes that either.  If there were drones, they were most likely sent by anti-Putin forces in Russia.  His 3 day war with the Ukraine has been going for quite some time now and many of Russians are becoming dissatisfied with what they are seeing as his failure.  There is the possibility that they're going to use this as an excuse for more intensive rocket attacks against Kiev.   Who knows with the Russians.

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And evidently Jack Smith sat in on Mikey Pence's testimony before the Grand Jury.  Interesting.  They even talked afterwards.  While this does not make them bosom buddies I'd say it probably doesn't bode well for the Orange Despot wannabe.

 

It is Balloon!

While temps north of us are sub-zero cold, we here in Central PA are relatively warm at, what they must think to be balmy, 13 (F).  Last night was the coldest we're going to get in this vortex, I least I think this is a polar vortex, if not, it's something similar.  Our high today is expected to be in the low 30s (F).  Tomorrow, the forecast is for us to reach back into the mid 40s (F).

New windows are being installed in the house next door.  When I had Andersen replace some of mine, they came to the house and measured.  This is not happening in my neighbor's house.  They shopped at Home Depot and bought windows 'off the rack,' so to speak.  This means they need to cut and reframe every window, which leaves gaps in the siding.  Since the existing siding is yellow aluminum, I suspect that will be the next thing they're going to replace.

I watched Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom last night.  The last time I saw it was in the theater in 1984.  I was only mildly impressed back then, and was even less impressed last evening.  The Indiana Jones character holds up fairly well, but the rest of the movie does a deep dive into some cheesy special effects, bad dialogue, and a third act finale that's uninspiring.  Set as a prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark, had this been the first in the series I have no doubt it would have failed.

And, of course, there is the Chinese weather balloon.  I find the entire situation amusing.  It's almost as if the Chinese put on their thinking caps to decide what it was they could do to screw things up.  Oh, and evidently there's another one cruising above Central America.  And the Republicans in the House are so damn stupid.  The first thing on their agenda is to shoot it down.  Number two on their list is to hold investigative hearings.  They don't see a balloon.  Nope, as far as they're concerned, this is another dead horse they can kick to the gutter.  I thought Adam Kinzinger made a good point when he said that shooting it down would let the Chinese know about our high altitude weapons systems.  We all know that level of intelligence is far above that of your average Republican congressman.

Jimmy Jordan's committee issued it's first subpoenas yesterday.  They actually believe someone in the administration is going to pay attention to them.

Finally, for those who haven't been paying attention, the Orange Anus has been shrieking about how he could end the war in the Ukraine in 24 hours.  While a lot of this is his blustery buffoonery, I wouldn't be surprised this is also a desperate attempt to help his Blow Bro Vlad since things aren't going to well for him and his 3 day war.  Superior weapons systems are arriving in the Ukraine which have the capability of taking out Russian soldiers far behind the front line.  This is not good, especially when conservative casually counts put the Russian dead at around 200,000.  Trump's Blow Bro Vlad is sending his army into a meat grinder.  

Through the fog

 For those who don't know, Fridays are cleaning days and laundry days.  Because today is also a pay day, this is the day I spend the most money at my neighborhood Giant supermarket.  

Right now the temps are in the mid 40's (F) and we're under a dense fog advisory.  Believe me when I tell you the houses across the street are nothing more than looming shadows.

The temps are supposed to top off around 76 (F) today when the sun finally decides to pop out.  Then I hope to get some planting down.  Dahlias.  I haven't bout them yet, but I'm thinking of buy a few elephant ear plants.  They are nice and big, and take up a lot of lawn.

For those who watch Star Trek Discovery, wasn't Stacey Abrams cameo on the the season finale simply stunning?  For those who didn't see it, she plays the President of Earth.  Can this be cosmic foreshadowing?

Mark Meadows is under investigation for voter fraud.  This is what happens when you lie about where you live in order to vote.  I suspect his wife might be in the same predicament since, while he only voted once, she voted twice, one of those being a runoff election.

Biden is talking with Xi this morning.  I suspect that Xi is not a very happy camper.  You see back in early February he and Trump's blow bro pal Vlad put out a mutual statement saying they were eternally going to be having each other's backs.  And, rumor has it, that while Xi knew Vlad was going to make an incursion into the Ukraine, an invasion of this extent was not communicated.  In fact, it was until 2 days after Russian forces began shelling that the Chinese needed to get their Chinese Nationals out... fast.  Relations between the US and China soured during the Trump presidency, so there is little doubt they will publicly oblige any requests Biden makes, however, this war, and the sanctions, have weakened Russia and the Chinese will probably see this as an advantage.  This means that while they might give Vlad some aid, they're also going to put the screws to him.  In fact, they might just punish old Vlad.  Because of his stupidity, both the United States and NATO are now much stronger.

No matter how you want to look at it, all of this shit flows back to Trump.  He's the one who worked to sour relations with China, and he's the one who bowed down to Vlad.

And, on a bright note, the sun has started to pierce its way through the fog.

Falling into Chaos

And so my weekend begins.  Not having to work is nice.  Temps are supposed to climb into the mid 50's (F) today.  I'm fine with that.  We have the same forecast for tomorrow.  The skies are supposed to be cloudy, but moderate temperatures will abound.  Starting Thursday, things are supposed to cool off.  We are still officially in winter for the next 3 weeks or so.  When the season will finally leave I anybody's guess.

I had an old George Foreman rotisserie which hadn't been used in years, so I put it out on the curb for garbage.  This morning it was gone, picked up by a hoarder, or someone planning on selling it at a Flea Market.  At least someone will be getting some use out of it, hopefully.

Biggie is lying beside me as I write this.  The balm is soothing his paws, but I suspect I will end up taking him to the Vet.  I hate that, not because his Vet group is cruel, or heartless, but because they no problem using your emotion to price gouge.  I tell people this constantly using this example:  The carprofen he takes daily for arthritis?  They charge $48.70 for a 30 day supply, Chewy charges me $11.53 for the same 30 day supply.

I watching music videos on YouTube yesterday and clicked on this one out of curiosity.  As I sat listening to the music, I realized how pretty this song was.  Surprisingly, this is Bjork.  You know?  The musician who wore the goose dress to the Oscars.

And, of course, the Ukraine is still standing.  Yesterday Switzerland set aside their historically neutral status and joined with the rest of the EU.  They shut down their banks to Russian transactions.  From the BBC: the Russian economy is collapsing.  Good.  One thing you need to remember, though, is that Putin doesn't care about the Russian people, in fact, he doesn't even care about Russia.  You see, Putin's a billionaire and while people have tried to locate his assets, no one has.  The hardships effecting the Russian people are not going to bother him.  He doesn't care how many lives are lost.  He doesn't care if the Ukraine is destroyed.  He is, in other words, your true Republican.  We do not want someone even remotely like a Vladimir Putin running this country.  Vote blue, other wise this country will fall into chaos.

 

The World is Royally Pissed Off at Putin

 Well, for some of you, another work week is beginning.  Mine never really ended.  In fact, today is going to be my Friday.  So, what do you think of that?  I have an 8 hours shift, leave the store at 5:30 (PM), and do not have to be back until Thursday at 1 (PM).  I can live with that.

There's been a bit of a tragedy in the Big Tank.  My algae eater has disappeared.  This morning, as I was feeding them, I realized he was no longer darting around sucking teeny bits and pieces of the green stuff from the sides of the tank.  This means a drive down to That Fish Place to get another.  The truth is I need to get a second one for the new tank, unless I want to scrap algae on a regular basis.  I will, at some point, need to buy a new LED light which will let me adjust the brightness.  While bright light is nice, it's also quite conducive to algae growth.

I did a mile on the treadmill yesterday, but something started rattling horribly bad, so I stopped.  I'm going to have to take the screw driver and makes sure everything is tightened up.

So, I started using Natural Dog Company's Skin Soother on Biggie's paws.  Firstly: he likes it.  More importantly: he doesn't try and lick it off.  It's an organic balm which helps heal.  Two of the ingredients are frankincense and myrrh, which probably make it holy shit good.

Oh, and in case you haven't heard, the world is royally pissed off at Putin.  And for so many reasons, one of which is that many, many realize his boner is never going to be satisfied until he 'rules the world,' or at least all of Europe, which ever comes first.  The Chinese are very mute on his invasion.  I suspect they see it as a trial balloon to gauge the reaction if they were to invade Taiwan.  The signs are not promising for them.  I saw this morning where talks have begun between the Ukraine and Russia.  That ain't going to go any where.  Every day that passes makes Putin looked dumber, one might go so far as to wonder if that boner of his is really nothing more than a cheap prosthetic.  Maybe he should change his name to Dildo Putin.

Finally, I'm old enough to remember the days of the USSR, when there was a Soviet Union, and back then, if one of the Premiere's screwed things up, the Oligarchs would simply replace him.  I'm not the only one to be thinking about this since Marc posted this link to the Palmer Report.  You see, most people believe Putin's running the show over there.  Wrong.  It's the Oligarchs.  As long as he keeps them happy, he's happy.  If they get pissed off, well there's a villa Gorbachev moved to that's now sitting empty.  Are the Oligarchs pissed?  Well, this morning I saw that the Belarusian army is arming up to go in and bail out the Russian army.  Oh, and the Russian Stock Market opened this morning.  Ouch!

Crashing Through

 Well, we have freezing rain outside.  Ice melt has been strewn across the veranda, or the patio, or what ever you want to call the area of pavers outside the back door.  We don't want the dogs slipping and sliding.  Dogs over 8 years old should not have to deal with icy walkways.

I spent a long time yesterday with  customers who had wanted to put vinyl plank in their basement. Their floor is not level enough, in fact the installer advised them to bring in a contractor to level it for them.  This is a job that should not have been sold... at all.  Who ever sold it, ignored all the warnings on the quote and now we look bad.

Today the furniture in the computer room / exercise room is getting moved. There needs to be a better allocation of space.  Right now the treadmill is at the far end of the room, next to the window, and that's a little close.  While it would probably never happen, the possibility exists for me to trip, and perhaps fall to the right, and maybe do a lot of damage to both myself and the window.  The last thing I want to do at  my age is to go crashing through.  So, the bike is going to be moved a 1.5 feet to the left, and the treadmill is going to be slipped in beside it.  

And the Russian army has entered Kiev.  Putin believes the government will capitulate soon.  That may well happen.  Of course, that doesn't mean there isn't going to be an insurgency.  There will be resistance cells constantly picking away.  And it will spread.  This will piss off the Russian citizens who will bear the financial brunt of Putin's bonehead move.

Finally, let me talk about Lauren Witzke.  She gives bottled blondes a bad name.  Lauren is one of those Cracker Jack Crazies who crashed through the window of reality.  She campaigned to be a senator from Delaware in 2020... and lost because...  She has gone on record praising Putin and his Nationalist Christian Party.  That's right, she called Putin's fan base Nationalist Christians.  Evidently no one has ever told her about the Russian Orthodox Church.  Let me be honest here, the first words that flashed through my head when I saw that were Holy Fuck.

Deuces Wild 2/22/22

 Well, my weekend has arrived.  The weather is overcast, with temps expected to rise into the mid 60's (F), which is the sign that spring is approaching.  Today is also a palindrome, meaning there is no difference if your read it frontwards or backwards.  2/22/22.  If I were a card player, I'd have to say that deuces are wild.  If you don't believe, check out what's happening in the world.

I got around to watching "Being the Ricardos" last evening.  I was impressed with Nicole Kidman, and can see why she got an Oscar nomination.  Javier Bardam?  Sadly, he was no Desi Arnaz.  Desi was a fine-boned pretty boy, Javier is not.  I felt the political bit of back story used to hold the film together was unnecessary.  The tale of Lucy and Ricky is more than fascinating on its own.  Interestingly enough, there's no mention of how they purchased RKO, a studio which terminated Lucy's contract when she was 39 because they saw her as too old.  Because of this, there isn't even a footnote regarding the fact that it was Lucy who greenlighted a little known, sci-fi show called Star Trek.

And for those who aren't yet quite aware, Russia has begun the invasion of the Ukraine.  Putin gave some sort of fiery speech yesterday in which he mentioned the USSR.  For those who don't remember the USSR, at one point in time there was Russia, then a little thing called World War II happened and when the dust settled there was the USSR, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.  Commies, as they were known.  The USSR consisted of Russia, as well as a number of 'satellite' countries, including Poland and Czechoslovakia, of and East Germany.  Remember the Berlin Wall?  That's the USSR.  And yesterday, Putin said that was the real Russia, that there were no independent republics.  Hold onto your hats, he's going to really screw up the world. 

A little contrived

 Yesterday was very productive.  I got in  40 minute fast walk (3.6 mph) on the treadmill; one of these days I'll actually begin jogging.  Probably sooner rather than later.  Laundry was done.  Work was done on the big tank.  The plants I ordered seem to have survived and are growing.  Pics coming soon.  Temps in the area are supposed to hit the mid-fifties, with rain and wind this afternoon.

I still haven't heard from the insurance adjuster.  When I called the repair shop, I was told they were booked up until March just to give estimates.  Son of a bitch.

There's a special package arriving tomorrow.  Good thing it's my day off from work.  Pics or video coming soon.

And, I went to see Death on the Nile last evening.  I liked it... kind of.  After all the shit about Armie Hammer's personal life came out, you know the bloody biting, the cannibalism, the violence... well, every time he was on screen I cringed a little.  As for the movie.  I'd read the novel a long, long time ago and while all the details didn't float to the top of my head, I remembered who the killer was so it really wasn't so much of a 'who done it' for me.  Instead, I thought about Christie.  Mysteries have changed since the book was written, back in 1937.  When I read it, about 40 or so years ago, I was wowed.  Watching it last night I thought, wow, that's a bit contrived.  So much of the plot relied on happenstance: this person just happened to see this, and this person just happened to see that, and this person just happened to put things together before Perot.  Also, there was a black and white prologue and a finale that I'm sure has Christie spinning in grave.  No spoilers.

I saw there was bad news this morning from the Ukraine.  There were claims, and pics, about a supposed attack on one the separatist states which wants to join Russia.  This is one of those false flags Biden talked about, Putin contriving to try and legitimize his invasion.  Oh, and than there's that bit about how Putin lied about the troops, they weren't withdrawing, in fact more troops were being added.  I don't think Putin understands how terribly blood his invasion is going to be.  Neither he, nor Xi understand the days of emperors are gone.  Oh, and a bit of a warning, if you have stocks, hold on to your hats, because the moment Russia invades, the stock market is going to go into a big dive.  

Location, Location, Location

Saturday, and the dogs are still in bed.  Yesterday the temps hit 62 (F), and we went for a long walk, too long, because last night Biggie was achy.  Sitting down was slow for him.  So, he got 2 of his puppy pain pills.  Even Lily had to pause for a few seconds before coming up stairs to go to bed.  Aging dogs.  Patience is necessary since their puppy brains don't know what's going on.

I used my Stryd yesterday.  Started off at 3.4 mph and went up to 3.5.  Will I get faster?  Right now, I'd say that's only a matter of time.  The picture I posted here?  Well, I posted the same one on Facebook.  Only one person had the initiative to Google it, the others asked what it was?  That tells you a lot about people.

And I do have to work today.  A full shift.  7.5 hours.  Wonderful.  I'm scheduled tomorrow as well.  Not being the sporty type, I have to ask, is tomorrow Super Bowl Sunday?  If it is, then business will be super slow.  If it isn't, then it will just be normal Sunday slowness.

This little vid was for The Body Under Ice was posted to my Instagram account.  I find it... rather humorous, but then my sense of humor is skewed more than a little.  This was done with my phone.  Maybe later this morning, before I go to work, I'll try the GoPro.

 And it looks like Putin's little boner is about ready to spew.  And, of course, he's not going to listen to anyone telling he might not only be premature, nor will he even begin to understand how this little ejaculation he's been planning since Trump was elected, is going to seed so much dissention.  Prepare for something that's going to be urban, long, and protracted.  And it will spread, and so will the Russian army until it is thinned to the point of collapsing.  Kazakhstan will erupt again.  The Russian economy, which is not too great, will be crushed.  Some losers will never learn.

The Boohoo Babies

 Holy Crap!  It's Friday, and another one of my days off.  This is good.  What isn't good is being scheduled to work mornings.  Anything after 12 noon is fine.  Workouts, jogs, and rides get done in the mornings.  Saying this, my availability will be changed to that mornings can no longer be scheduled.  I say this because on Monday, 2/21, they have me scheduled for 0930.  Changes are in the offing.

They were predicting ice, sleet, and freezing rain for today, however all we have is a slight drizzle.  Right now temps are still in the mid-30's and on the weather map we're going through a large gap in the precipitation; there are large swaths of rain to our east and to our west there is snow with some ice.  This doesn't bother me in the least.

I bought myself a new end table.  Circular, which I think is a better description than round.  It was advertised as round, but balls are round.

So, the winter Olympics have started.  They gave Xi and his bro Putey Baby a chance to commiserate on the loss of their lackey Trump.  You see, if the Orange Anus had been successful in his coup, then the Ukraine invasion wouldn't be turning into such shit show.  Not only that, Xi could satisfy the raging stiffy tenting his pants every time someone mentions Taiwan.  They're a pair of boohoo babies whining about how their plans for world domination seem to be constantly getting thwarted.

What these despots are actually proving is that authoritarian governments can only grow so much before they begin chewing off their own feet.  They will never understand this.  Like authoritarian conservatives in America who so desperately want to chant "shut up, we're in charge," failure is not an option, it is their only reality.