What if it's more than just Thin-set

 Today's is starting out all bright and sunny.  According to Accuweather, the temps will never leave the 40s (F), which is nice.  This afternoon, however, gusty winds will be arriving and with them showers and drizzles, a precursor to the Cyclone Bomb that will slowly spread across the region this weekend.  The colder temps will please the skiers, since they'll be able to make snow up on Roundtop without having to worry about it melting.  And yes, if you were wondering, we do have ski resorts in the area, though the past few warm winters have not been kind to them.

Yesterday was one of those semi-productive days.  Some chores were completed, others not started.  I did go for a ride on the bicycle.  Paris.  A Garmin Triathlon.  There was a time when the videos for my Tacx trainer were only for rides in Europe, boy has that changed.  And a good thing it is.  Now I can choose from rides in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan.  There are a number of difficulty levels, from Easy to Extreme.  I can tell you right now, my legs would never survive an Extreme ride.

I should finish the painting in the kitchen today.

Yesterday, while I was making Chicken Marsala for dinner, I glanced up at my kitchen ceiling and saw a spot.  At least, I thought I was looking at a spot.  Of course, the first thing to go through my head was that the plumbers had failed and I still had a leak.  That would truly piss me off.  So, getting my small ladder, I got a closer look and discovered it wasn't a leak, but rather a small lump of thin-set from my tiling adventure. I was so relieved that all I had to do was scrap it off with my fingernail.

And then there's this:

Except except several interesting things are happening.  Firstly, you have to keep in mind that America is going through the Great de-churching.  Every year hundreds of thousands of Americans decide that Church is not the answer, and stop going, and it's not only the mainline denominations, it's everywhere.  Secondly, those who stop going cite a number of reasons for their change of mind, the politicization of Christianity is a big one.  The NYT had an interesting article on whether the Evangelicals from Iowa are on the Trump train or not.  Some are for Trump, others for DeSantis.  Trump puts out an ad saying he was sent by God, and that he ends every week by going to church (can you hear me laughing), while Ronnie D says that if he had been living in the time of Jesus, he could have been a disciple.  I find it amusing that these people don't care that they're driving people away from the church, as long as they get that hardcore Christian base to vote for them.  Could the United States end up seeing a war in which Christians fight Christians?  You bet!  And all because Conservatives believed that Culture Wars were the best way for them to win elections.

A Joyful Noise

 Looking out the window of my computer / workout room, I can see the sun reflecting off the Susquehanna River.  Yes, I am that close.  No more than 3/4 of a mile away.  Being on a high hill has its advantages.  I tell people that when I finally sell my house, it's going to happen in the winter, when I can see traffic moving down Front Street.  That's on the west shore.

All I did was work on the book yesterday.  

Oh, and I took a ride in California through the redwood forests.  I'm so glad Tacx has started including rides in the United States.  Japanese rides are also now included in the package.  I did resubscribe for another year.

And I had mentioned before that I thought Biggie's potty breaks might not be as necessary as they seemed to be, well, I was right.  Instead of getting up every time he jumps off the bed to let him out, I've been letting him wander.  I don't think he's pleased that biscuits are no longer involved.  No more midnight snacks.  Sometimes he comes back on the bed, other times he doesn't.  Last night he slept for a couple hours in the computer / workout room.  Eventually, he moved downstairs to the sofa in the writing room.  He can sleep where ever he wants.

And then there's this:

Can you hear me laughing now?

McCarthy keeps making concessions to the insurrectionists without understand that's not what they want.  The man's an idiot.  And a weasel.  And spineless.  I don't think he understands that one of the goals here is to humiliate him straight to Hell.

Yesterday, while Scott Perry was speaking, someone shouted "order for the traitor."  Had I been in a theater, I'd have been rolling in the aisles.  At one point afterwards, I believe, he was caught on camera yelling that this whole thing was bullshit.  As a reminder, Perry was the one pushing a YouTube video about Italian satellites switching votes from Trump to Biden.

Personally, I'm saying more power to these 20 asswipes.  I can't think of a better way to sabotage the 2024 elections.

John Boehner, who was forced out of the Speaker position by the American Freedom Caucus, has said they actually have no true agenda, their main goal is to 'kick as much sand as possible into the gears, hoping to break the government.'  That sounds about right.

No matter what they want, the destruction they're causing to the Republican party is tremendous, so, let's stand back and make a joyful noise!

Fallout

Can we have a hearty hello for Sunday?  The got down to a chilly 34 (F) last night.  Today's high is predicted to be in the low 60s (F), however, rain comes into the picture and the rest of the week the temps are suppose to be in the low to mid 70s (F).  It is that time of year when I begin to mow my leaves.

Well, I stepped on the scale this morning and had to almost physically stop myself from shrieking like a howler monkey.  I've evidently forgotten that I need to burn more calories than I ingest.  I'm blaming all the candy that's showing up at work.  Or, possibly, it's the chicken marsala; I've been cooking and eating a lot of that.

That being said, I'm going to be making pumpkin cheesecakes today.  This means I'll have to climb back into  the saddle and ride miles, and miles, and miles.  Tacx has started adding rides filmed in the US.  They have a really nice ride filmed up in Oregon.

3 more chapters to go until the first draft of The Body Under Ice is finished.  For those curious, I've already begun making notes on the next book, The Body in Motion (sounds intriguing, eh?).

As many of you know, I play video games.  While I really enjoy the Assassin's Creed series, most of you know my favorite game studio is Bethesda, based in, not surprisingly, Bethesda, Maryland.  Fallout, their most popular series is being made into a series for Amazon Prime.  I've already shared some pictures.  Well, Bethesda has dropped some more info.  Pictures and a video, to be precise.  The pic below is from Vault 33, located in California.  It was the clip, however, that got people excited.  

And finally, I saw that Liz Cheney's pac has started airing an ad attacking Kari Lake.  I like it.  Honestly, when I see Kari Lake, I see a woman so hungry for power she would have no problem sacrificing anything and everything to get it.  She is a rabid attack dog and nothing more.

 

Eggs in a Basket

 Let me begin by wishing those of you who are starting your 2-day weekends, a happy weekend.  I work tomorrow.  A full 8-hour shift.  And I work Monday as well, but only for 6 hours.  Then I begin another weekend.  Heading into the July 4th weekend, I have a week where I'm only schedule 2 days, 14 hours.  I like around 20 - 24 hours a week, that gives me enough for spending freely without having to tap my savings or use my social security.   Just because I'm semi-retired doesn't mean I'm going to stop saving.  I think that might happen when I hit 80... or so.

I got the results from my CAT scan.  Nothing new.  Nothing to be worried about, which is what I want to hear.  

The printer I order arrived yesterday and it's being returned on Monday.  Wrong thing.  I'm replacing a printer / scanner, which is what I searched for; the one I purchased was at the top of that list, and it's only a printer.  I ordered another.  That one is arriving today.

Also, the yellow laptop I used for my Tacx training, and running videos has been retired.  The flat screen monitor it was attached to is a smart TV, so that has a mouse and keyboard attached, and I now watch videos directly on YouTube.  I mirror the Tacx app from the tablet I bought a while back.  Everything works out rather well.

Since I'm dropping pics from my past, here's a shot I took while in Paris.  

I hear and read where a large number of people are waiting for Merrick Garland, and the Justice Department, to do indict Trump.  I doubt very much if he will do anything, not because the proof isn't in the pudding, rather, I think there is a lot of concern what that would do to the country.  The MAGAs would not take such an action lying down; many do see him as some sort of icon.  The civil unrest in this country would be unprecedented.  The Republicans know this.  The main purpose of the January 6 committee is to teach America all about Republican evil ways, and then vote Republicans out of power.  This is the legitimate way to remove them without violence.  However, this doesn't mean Trump is not going to be indicted.  That will happen, don't worry.  However, it will not come from the Federal Government.  Nope.  That indictment will come from either the New York Attorney General, or the state of Georgia.  If I were to put my eggs in one of those 2 baskets, I'd say Georgia.  I'm also suspecting they will charge him for something like racketeering instead of voter intimidation.  Of course, this is just me putting my eggs in one basket.  Who knows how that omelet is going to be made. 

And then there was Liz

 And so, my 2nd weekend of the week begins.  The weather is sunny.  No rain is expected today.  The forecast for tomorrow is not so good.  Rain is expected.  And on Sunday as well, though I'll be working so it's not going to bother me.

My new printer should be arriving today.  This is a good thing.  The one still works, somewhat, so I'm probably going to keep using it for odd things until the toner cartridges are empty.  While we all wish our 'electronics' would last forever, they don't.  The yellow Samsung gaming laptop I bought, again, quite a number of years ago (9 to be precise), is having problems with its HDMI port.  This is the laptop I have attached to the big screen TV and is used for my Tacx rides.  There are workarounds, however.  

And, of course, last night was the first Prime-Time hearing of the January 6 committee.  I spent some time looking for any kind of ratings information, none was available.  I did find a lot of commentary regarding Fox's continued attempt to foist The Big Lie on its viewers.  Someone pointed out that Tucker Carlson did the first 60 minutes of his show without a commercial break, indicating Fox is so desperate they were willing to lose money.

As for the hearings, I watched them.  I was impressed by so very much.  America got to watch and hear Billy Barr say the election lies were "bullshit."   I thought the juxtaposition of Trump's speech with the clips of the mob breaking into the capital buildings quite compelling.  I was impressed with Liz Cheney; she no doubt made her dad proud last evening.  Her comment to Republicans on how someday Trump will be gone, but their dishonor will always remain was stupendous.  I got a real chortle when she mentioned that Scott Perry, a Republican from Pennsylvania, had, after January 6, requested a pardon from Trump.  His spokesperson quickly called that comment ludicrous, however, she wouldn't have made it without proof.  The testimony by the documentarian was fascinating, pointing out for the first time how The Proud Boys and The Oath Keepers were working in conjunction with each other.  The police officer's testimony was riveting as she compared the insurrection to a warzone.  

Last night's hearing is not going to change the minds of those who turned to Fox, it was never intended to.  It was for the vast majority of Americans, Democrat, Centrist, Independent, and level-headed Republicans, many of whom are just beginning to realize that the party of Trump has morphed into something that is craven for power.  Conservatives don't want to make America great; they just want to dictate how the rest of America lives its lives.

Bomb This

 Guten Morgen.  That's right, I'm working on my German again.  Every day.  This is my 2nd attempt, so I'm interested in seeing how I'm going to fare.  

I did order a new desk chair.  I couldn't get the pipe clamps to fit tightly to keep the seat from deflating, and deflating is the correct word.  Looking back at the reviews of this chair, this issue appears to become quite common as it gets older.  For what I initially paid, I did think it would last longer than 3 years.

So, what's in store for today?  Possibly and load or two of laundry.  Maybe some blueberry muffins.  Now, doesn't that sound tasty?  Freshly baked, and with more than a smidgen of butter, on a cold wintery day?

And, of course, later a ride on the bike.  Tacx has popped in a number of new rides.  Nothing with too many hills, though, Max Sullivan is the only one I know who has legs of steel for climbing and he's fictional.  Will there be a demonstration of his prowess in The Body in Repose?  Hhhhmmm, that's possible, even in the French Quarter.

And I saw that a cyclonic bomb is suppose to roar up the eastern seaboard later this week or this weekend.  Here in Central PA we're going to miss out on the snow.

Here's an interesting little stat:  currently in the US around 2300 people are dying of Covid everyday, the vast majority being unvaccinated.  This means that by the time the election arrives in November, the Republican party will have lost about 490,000 votes, give or take a few thousand.  Hey!  More power to them!

And what about DeSantis in Florida?  All these new laws he pushing for?  He desperately wants to make himself a dictator governor.  There are quite a number of aging Republicans living in The Villages, enough voters to swing the vote.  He's appealing to them, to their need to look at those around them and say "shut up!  we're in charge!"  He's gambling that, come election time, there are still enough of them left alive to still swing the vote.  He is going to go down in history as the worst governor the state has ever had.  

The Creator of the Universe

 It's difficult to believe today's Saturday already, the weekend is upon us... or, to be more precise, the weekend is upon some of you.  Not me.  I'm working, coming off of a 4 day break is which much was accomplished.  I don't have to be at the store until 1330, so I have the entire morning to do what I want which means either a walk or a ride.

That's right.  I powered up my Tacx yesterday, first time in a while.  As expected, there was an update to the software.  This morning I'll check and see if there's an update to the trainer, probably.  Garmin is fine tuning.  

The weather outside is rainy.  The tornadoes that ripped through Kentucky are headed our way, though our forecast is only calling for high winds, with gusts over 50 mph.

I baked dinner rolls yesterday rather than bread.  I'm using this as an excuse for why I didn't walk 3 miles, though I was surprised to see that kneading dough also counts as steps taken; I hit 3000 steps halfway through the first knead.

Wow, isn't it amazing how fast truth flies?  I first saw that bit about the 38 page Coup Plan in a Tweet on Tuesday.  Then Rolling Stone published a bit, and last night The Guardian had published a more in depth article, and today it's... everywhere.  I'll bet the Spawn of Satan, Donald Trump, is really lava angry.  Everybody is wondering who the 'select' group of Republican congressmen are who got to sit in on the presentation.  Son of a bitch, those names are pretty damn important.  I mean, can we talk about corruption?  And as for all of those damned Cracker Jack Crazy Christians who think God sent Trump?  You would think they'd question why the Being who created the entire Universe found it necessary to have a Power Point Presentation created so his followers would know how to steal an election.  Of course, maybe the Being who created the Universe had nothing to do with this...  Maybe their downfall is the result of their own deceitful selfishness.

Slow Day, Sunday

 That's right, Sunday's are always slow with web traffic.  People sleep in.  There are other more important things to do than spend time in front of a monitor.  For me, well, it's just another day.  It's a work day, today.  And with the forecast, I'm not expecting the store to be super busy, moderately so is more likely going to be the case.  That forecast includes the skies being overcast, and passing shower and thundershowers.  Our high is supposed to hit 86 (F), though this coming week we should be hitting the mid to upper 90's.  

I spent a lot of time in the paint department yesterday because of a call off.  I like working there.

Once my subscription is up to Rouvy, I will most likely not renew.  It was nice to revisit the app, but there are too many flaws for my personal riding style to continue investing my money.  I have downloaded a number of videos and I'm wondering if I might be able to import them in the Tacx software.  Probably not.

And, since today is Sunday, and it's a slow day, I thought I'd post a picture of my cycling shoes.  Now, isn't this exciting!

I'm almost finished with chapter 4 in The Body in Repose and have over 9000 words.  Chapters are longer then before.  I'll have to do something about that.  If you've read any of my books, I like short chapters, little vignettes, or slices of what's happening in the moment.

Covid cases among the unvaccinated continue to rise.  This was to be expected.  Both the Moderna and the Pfizer seem to hold up well against the Delta variant.  Hospitalizations in Missouri continue to rise.  They're rising in every red state where the unvaccinated Republicans have chosen stupidity.  I understand there are 5 red states where Covid is running rampant.  I have no problem with that, either.  You pay your money, you make your choice.

 

How it's Sliced

 I can hardly believe my staycation begins tomorrow!  Wowee!  And just think!  We're practically halfway through June!  Next week summer will be official.  It's time to start rolling out the dog days of summer.  For me, staycations are already in the books, another 5 day one in July and a 6 day one in August.

For a Friday, yesterday was rather busy.  I set 3 people up for measures, one, unfortunately was for a kitchen backsplash.  We dislike those.  There is a set charge for 25 square feet, however the charge is not calculated on the actual coverage.  Nope. It's on the number of square feet of tile used for the installation.  A customer may only have 23 square feet in their backsplash, but because of cutting and waste 32 square foot mosaics may be needed.  So, the customer will be charged for an additional 7 square feet of tile at a much higher rate per square foot.  The only way to cut costs on this one is to do install it yourself.  Backsplashes are easy.  Watch a few YouTube videos and do it yourself.

I've been thinking of renewing my subscription to Rouvy.  While I like Tacx, all of their rides are in Western Europe.  Rouvy has rides in America.  There are also rides in Eastern Europe.  The only drawback with the Rouvy app was the HRM.  I needed to use both my Fenix 6 as well as the trainer for that info to be imported.  I will have to check and see if they have corrected the problem.  If they haven't, well I just stick with Western Europe.

And I have to say, that bread slicer I bought is simply amazing!  Love it!  The slices are clean cut all the way so there's no problem squeezing them into the toaster.

I saw where YouTube temporarily shut down that Republican lying sack of shit Ronnie Johnson for... well... lying.  Go figure.

And what about Florida?  Everyday it seems as though Ronnie DeSantis (yes, another damn Ronnie) sign some sort of hate legislation in his attempt to turn the state into  MAGA heaven on earth.  Me?  I say it's a shame is blotting out the sun in the sunshine state.  Still, if that's how they want to cut it, I say go ahead, slice yourself off from the rest of the country.  Ronnie wants to be president, and evidently he believes the only way to do that is to be an insurrectionist.

Przewalski on my ass

Well, it's supposed to be drizzly and rainy on and off today so we'll have to see how business pops in our Garden Center.  While we are still very busy, sales have dropped off a bit there mostly because we don't have the 'mulch pit' open.  The 'mulch pit' routes customers who have bought boupcoup bags of mulch down a drive where associates load the mulch into their vehicles.  If you're thinking those associates are brawny and shirtless young men you're wrong, most of them are middle-aged huffers and puffers.
Did you feel the earth shake yesterday?  It did.  Well, maybe rational people like you and I fail to feel it, but the Idiot Jerk's loyal base did.  The puppets at Fox News took the unprecedented step of warning the MAGA heads not to inject not to inject disinfectant into their veins.  I didn't hear if they also warned that ingesting Lysol could also bring about catastrophic, life threatening results; probably not since most of his base already make their favorite hootch with isopropyl alcohol.
I did watch the clip of Birx reaction to his suggestion of developing a way to project ultra-violet light through the skin and into the lungs.  Fascinating.  We rarely get to see an honest reaction in another human being forced to sit and listen to his egoistic stupidity.   You do know Americans tuned in to last night's briefing just to see him squirm and instead had their prayers answered.  The briefing was short and there was no question and answer session.  What a Blessing.
Not surprisingly, Georgia began opening up their economy yesterday with a dull thud.  No matter how much those white, conservative Americans protest, no matter how often they dance around on state capital steps waving their confederate flags and guns, a vast majority of Americans are concerned about the killer virus known as Covid - 19.  These protesters don't understand most Americans don't want to get sick, they don't want to see Granny die because they needed to have their nails done, or their hair cut, but then Conservatives have always been stupid.
Finally, I bought myself some new cycling shorts.  Nice ones.  A bit pricier that the Baleaf brand I usually buy.  Przewalskis. Very, very nice.  Comfortable.  I wore them yesterday for a ride in Corsica (courtesy of Tacx).  Baleaf has their logo around the waste band.  Not Przewalski.  Their logo is a bit lower, over the left buttock.  See it there, just above the padding.

I found it rather amusing to think that whenever I wear them I'm going to have Przewalski on my ass.

Taking it home to Granny

It's Monday morning and I get to go to work and wear a mask... face mask, that is.  Mine is a tubular piece of synthetic fabric, a lot like a baggy nylon stocking.  We are supposed to wear them up over our mouth and nose constantly.  That's not going to happen, not until I get used to wearing it.  An amusing side note: I can pull it up over my entire head.  I have no idea what I look like, but people laugh when I do it, so maybe I'll bring it along home this afternoon and take a picture.
There were no protesters yesterday, and the day turned out to be nice and sunny.  The line to get into the store was fairly long.  I am impressed by the patience of people in this time of crisis.  I need to amend that to say most people.  There is that minority group out there who hate being told what they can and cannot do.  Isn't it interesting they, themselves, want dictate to us what we can and cannot do.   Hhhmm.  Many of them don't understand what's going on.  They don't care about anything but their own selfish wants.  In America, this is the new definition of Conservatism.
On a lighter side, I rode 64.9 miles last week.  Five days in a row I was on the bicycle, three of them in San Remo (through the magic of Tacx).  Yesterday, however, I was in France riding stage 2 of Liege-Bastogene-Liege.  One of the hills has a 17% grade.  Interestingly enough, it was filmed on race day so I was riding with actual cycling teams.  Let me tell you, the feeling was rather surreal seeing the Lotto cyclists riding towards me.
There's supposed to be a big protest in Harrisburg today, which is in Dauphin County... which has a fairly high infection rate.  15% of those tested have been positive.  Ouch.  Governor Wolf said "if they want to come and protest, let them come and protest."  Of course, they might end up taking something back home to Granny, but that's okay.
And now even that idiot Pence is saying the "cure might be worse then the disease," which is his way of justifying the loss of life.  He's always been a failed human.
Finally, I took another picture of my tulips, this through one of my rose bushes.  For those interested, I've marked Glen.  He.... she.... It seems to be doing find.  I suspect that might change as he becomes conflicted over his... her... It's inability to bloom.

Saint Moritz, TP, Coronavirus & me

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

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

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

The E Ticket

Oh, my, I get to go back to work today.. for 2 days, and then I have another solitary day off.  Can we talk about things that suck?
My first reader as a copy of The Body in the Well.  Her first comment:  "It's big."  She then asked if there were a lot of 'twists and turns.'  To be honest, I never thought of it that way.  A number of characters could be guilty of murder.  I guess I'll have to wait and see if she thinks that 's the case.  Another reader gets a copy today.  The final reader will be getting his copy tomorrow.  I'm not sitting on pins and needles.  My readers will either like it or not.  One asked if it was riveting.  My response:  It's an 'E' ticket ride at Disneyland.

So, how many of you really want to go on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride?

I guess there's another debate tonight in South Carolina.  Of course, I'm not going to watch.  Tomorrow morning all of the pundits will be clamoring about what they liked and what they didn't, who came in strong and who looked week.  At the last debate they all jumped on Bloomberg, tonight they'll go after Sanders.  Speaking of Sanders, he spit out a couple of turds on how Fidel Castro, a Communist Dictator, got some of it right...  ....  I'll bet that squishes when he sits down.

On my cycling.  I've cancelled my Rouvy subscription.  It will expire is 6 months.  I'm enjoying the Tacx software.  Yesterday I went for a 9 mile ride in Catalonia.  I rode across cobblestones... and I could feel them.  The road was not always smooth, and I could feel the rough patches.  The videos seem much clearer on my big TV.

I also got a big laugh yesterday when I saw some Bobo Brain from Fox Business News said the Stock Market dropped because of Bernie Sanders win in Nevada.  His was the only voice not mentioning the Coronavirus, or Pandemic.  His head is so far up the Idiot Jerk's ass, this 'analyst' will never see daylight again.  He's the kind of fool who will sit out in the parking lot looking in at Disneyland.  He will never experience the joy of an E Ticket ride.

  

Tasty

I get to go back to work today.  I'm going to have to talk to someone about my schedules.  I'm in the system for consecutive days off and I'm not getting them... for the next 3 weeks.  In fact, 2 weeks from now she has me working every other day... that's right, work a day, off a day, work a day, off a day... for the entire week.  As someone who has done scheduling for over 4 years, I can say this woman has no clue as to what she's doing.
Anyway, I was riding around in Amsterdam yesterday.  It was a very easy ride.  The only hills are bridges going over canals.  There are lots of cobblestones.  Holy Hannah!  The Tacx software I have creates the feel of riding over them.  They create a real challenge in real life.  Oh, and I got to see my first windmill.  It was a spiffy moment.

And, of course, I did bake myself a pear torte.  Delicious.

I saw where the racist Idiot Jerk in the White House spewed some hatred about the Best Picture of the Year.  His white, racist fan base loved it.  Any day now his camp should start selling his MAWA hats:  Make America White Again.

Evidently he also flew into a bit of a rage when the House received a confidential briefing on Russian interference in the upcoming election.  The Russkies want to sow discord.  The Idiot Jerk needs Russkie help.  He wants them to have his back.  Believe me, the Republican party will stoop as low as humanly possible to retain power.  They don't really care what a majority of Americans say.  For them it's not about Democracy, it's about the power to dictate and control.

Entitlement

Well, my weekend has begun.  I had planned on sleeping in this morning, or, to be more exact, I didn't set the alarm thinking I'd wallow in the warm sheets for as long as I wanted.  But, I have dogs.  While they have no problem lazing around, they are creatures of habit. At about the same time every morning they need to be let outside to drain their little bladders.  And, because there are chores needing to be done today, I ended up getting up at my standard time.  Now, as I type this, they are back on the bed snoring away.
I signed up for a subscription to Tacx last evening, Garmin's cycling software which is similar to the Rouvy cycling software.  I wear a Fenix 3 watch / HRM, I ride on a Garmin trainer, so I figured I might as well subscribe to their software.  This morning I will be downloading a number of rides.  Right now I'm downloading the ride labeled Tuscanny / Florence so this afternoon, hopefully, I will be able to put some time on the bike.
Yesterday, as I was standing in our rolled carpet aisle, I saw an older gentleman walking towards me wearing one of those ubiquitous little red hats worn by the brain dead supporters of the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  I know some of you haven't had the joy of meeting these individuals yet, but I have on several occasions.  They are always older, white males desperately yearning for a return of those days before "Julia" graced their TV screens.  Oh, and they are always looking for an argument; the Idiot Jerk in the White House has emboldened them.  Their entitlement show through their thin skins and they are bitter.  Anyway, as this gentleman approached I steeled myself since they like to get close, knowing their little red hats are a taunt... except his hat looked different.  True, it was red, but something else had been stitched across the front.  When he was close enough for me to read the words clearly, I couldn't help but smile.

And then I laughed, realizing how much this must piss off those little MAGA heads.  I think everyone of us should buy one of these little red hats.  Talk about riling up those Crazy Conservatives.  The time has come to throw their selfish entitlement back into their faces.

NOW

My work week begins today.  Can you tell how excited I am?
Anyway, I have a number of small videos I'm working on - thanks to my GoPro.  There's just one little thing.  For some reason or other their editing software keeps attaching a soundtrack, canned music which has nothing to do with the clip.  I want people to hear what I'm saying - the soundtrack overrides that.  And their help?  It's online, and I keep getting an error message saying "Oops, connection failed."  This is not good.
There's also a bit of an issue with my Tacx software.  During yesterday's ride I got an error message which said "connection lost."  Everything works with Bluetooth.  And I have a Dongle...  a very nice dongle I might add.  I use a Rouvy cycling app rather than the Tacx app, though I do have the Tacx app on my phone, laptop, and PC (I'm a little anal about electronics).  I don't have a dongle for my PC (all I really need is one nice dongle), so that never connects, however I run the app on my phone when I ride.  That's where the disconnect happened.  Instead of registering a 42 minute ride, the app on my phone listed it as 21.09 minutes.  At some point I will send them an email.
Oh, and I ordered the 2020 Warwick Rower's calendar yesterday.  They sell a number of things on their website including an online subscription magazine for only 169 Euros.  Can you hear me laughing?

And, of course, the Idiot Jerk in the White House has chosen to... well, get his attorney's involved in this little impeachment party.  This was to be expected.  He's going to refuse to cooperate.  Couldn't his team think of an alternative action rather than one which makes him look inherently guilty?  Gallup did give him some good news yesterday.  Evidently American give him a higher job approval rating than they do a personal approval rating.  Oh, my... his job approval rating is a crazy 40%.  Only 34% of Americans, however, approve of his personal behavior.  Who gives him good ratings?  Republicans and.... Evangelical Christians.  They don't care how bad he makes them look as long as he gives them the power they so desperately crave.  All the while the numbers for those wanting an impeachment inquiry continue to rise.  A majority of Americans want answers... NOW.

Bongo Brains

So it's Monday morning and today's my Saturday. 
I'm having breakfast with my brother.  For those who don't know, he's a white (what can I say?  It runs in the family), Evangelical Republican who loves the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  This will be interesting.
I rode 13.7 miles yesterday on the new trainer.  The only thing you hear is the chain catching onto the teeth of the cassette.  This is so different from the humming buzz of the old trainer.  And where the old trainer was securely locked into place, the Tacx has a little left / right wobble as you pedal, very much like riding on the open road.  The only thing I'm not wild about is the Tacx cycling app.  You need to schedule your ride as an 'activity' before you ride.  I like to just get on the back, pick a route and start pedaling.  My main subscription is for Rouvy and I'm not planning on letting it lapse.
And isn't it funny watching the Republicans twist... and scream... and shout?  The impeachment, you know?  Their flabbergasted little asses are working non-stop in an attempt to pile bullshit.  Many of them feel this will backfire to the Idiot Jerk's advantage.  They like to point to the Clinton impeachment, where he was elected to a 2nd term.  The main difference between the two is they kept kicking Clinton when he was down.  They didn't know when to stop.  They still don't.  Look at the Benghazi hearings?  There's no intent on growing their base, just keeping them incensed.  The fact that Republicans and Conservatives, as well as Evangelical Christians, are minority groups doesn't even come into the picture.  Nor does the fact that those 3 groups are composed of the same individuals.  If you're an Evangelical Christian your also going to be a Conservative and a Republican.  These bongo brains will never learn.

The temp is actually around 70 (F) outside and they're forecasting rain on and off all day.  Looking at Accuweather, I see massive amounts of green heading my way.  We need it.  This has actually been a very dry summer.  Tomorrow is supposed to be overcast, cool, and a little dryer.  That means I can get some yardwork done.

The Heat is On!

I took yesterday off.  I went into full relax mode.  Only one load of laundry.  I didn't write a single word.  However, I did put the Red Synapse on the new Tacx trainer.  Interestingly enough, I don't need  to plug this trainer in, simply pedaling generates all the power needed.  Now, isn't that Green of Tacx?

I'm sending out wishes for a speedy recovery to AM's spouse - hip replacement.  May all of his physical therapists be attractive and wise.  That way he'll appreciate those hot therapy sessions.
And, of course, yesterday I did spend some time playing Ghost Recon: Breakpoint.  Character creation is one of the most important things you do.  You want to make yourself look good... right?  Well, what I can I say besides "oh... my God... I'm a Blonde!"  With a little blonde mustache.

Just call me "one hot blonde"

And Mitt Romney slammed the Idiot Jerk in the White House, his asking foreign governments... like the Chinese, for dirt in order to get himself re-elected.  And the Idiot Jerk flipped out.  He and his henchies know it's just a matter of time until there are enough Republican Senators lined up to vote for impeachment.  The idea that America is going to point it's steely finger at him and say "you're fired" is driving him over the edge.  This president is really nothing more than one hot mess.

Oh, and I just saw where talks between North Korea and the United States have just collapsed.  Yeah, I think that's the word they used.  Well, what were you expecting?  We have a blowhard, lying sack of shit in the White House.  My money says he and his spawn are already setting up safe house outside the country.

Finally, I did switch my thermostat from Central Air to Heat.  No, I don't use one of those fancy Nest thermostats, or something similar.  I set the temperature at 71 (F) and leave it alone.  I'm on the UGI budget plan.  I pay $57 a month.  For this past year, UGI owed my $5.27.  In the summer I'm cool and in the winter I'm warm. 

Slowing them down... in his words

Well, it looks as though I won't be going in to work today.  My new Tracx Trainer arrives, courtesy of FedEx.  A signature is required so I will be home.  I already told them yesterday at work, but will call again in about an hour to remind them.  In case anybody is wondering, I won't be lollygagging around the house today.  There are things to do.  My red Synapse needs to be taken off the old Cycleops Magnus trainer.  I have to order a tool to put the Shimano cassette on the new Tacx.  And I'm thinking of getting a mat to put underneath the bike.
There's also the new software to download.  For those who don't know, Tacx is a Dutch company (yep, this trainer was manufactured in the Netherlands), that is owned by Garmin.  I have a Rouvy app right now.  Tacx has it's own application.  I will need to check both out and see which one best fits my needs.
As for the Cycleops Trainer?  An associate at work said she'd take it....  I don't see her using it.  Believe me, that's important to me.  This year alone, I've put over a thousand miles on the Cycleops.  Figuratively speaking, this trainer has been all over the world.  I want to make sure whoever gets it puts a bike on it and rides.  Riding On... you know?
There was some bad news yesterday in regard to the economy.  Manufacturing is slowing down.  Oops.  Almost everybody knows this is because of the Idiot Jerk's tariffs.  Get ready, he's going to blame it on the impeachment inquiry.  Like a true Conservative, every inch of bad news is the result of Democrats' investigation into his corruption.  If Lorenzo happens to hit the US mainland, it will be because of those damn Democrats.  I don't know about you, but I'm beginning to enjoy this.  I'm also betting there haven't been this many 'F' bombs exploding in the White House since Tricky Dick Nixon realized he was in the same leaky boat.  I do have one suggestion.  If he, and Ivanka Danka, and Donnie Jr, and the rest of his spawn try to run when the realize their end is near, we should probably shoot them in the legs to slow them down.   🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️
In other chirpy news:
The temps are forecast to reach 90 (F) today - and it's October and my Central Air is still running.
The North Koreans fired off another missile... from a submarine.
And I still have roses.