At the Barricades

 So our outside temp was 47 (F) when I got up at 0545 this morning.  I has only warmed up one degree since then.  I'd say we're in for a cool day, but our afternoon high is supposed to be in the upper 70s (F).  That's fine.  We're supposed to have sunshine, so I will be hanging out 2 loads of laundry to dry.  Save on the electric bill.  I've used quite a bit less this summer than I did last summer.  That should help when electric rates go up, and they will go up.

The lower electric bills will help offset the higher natural gas bills.  Last February was cold, and even though I kept the house temp at 70 (F) I used a lot of natural gas.  This year, for the first time since I set myself up on the budget plan, I had to pay more.  Usually, my final payment is less.  Natural gas rates have gone up, too, as have water rates.  American Water, UGI, and PP&L always use the same excuse: the extra cost is to update their system.  Still, they're stockholders are still getting paid decent dividends.  Corporate greed does not care how much the little people suffer.

I made coffee this morning and there is still a distinct hint of that flavored coffee I used yesterday.  Blah!  Now I will have to scrub everything down, perhaps even run it through the dishwasher.

When I got to work yesterday I saw that changes had been wrought at self-checkout overnight.  Where the area around it had been open when I left work on Sunday evening, by yesterday the entrance had been barricaded with shelving.  This is to stop people from loading up a cart and just pushing it through self-checkout and out the door.  This is also a strong message that self-checkout is not going away.  In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they expand it; one cashier costs way less than four cashiers.

For those who missed it, the Epstein estate handed over his birthday book to Congress yesterday, and in spite of all of Orangie's lies, his page is definitely one of the highest of the low points.  As expected, Orangie is denying the artwork is his and that the signature is a forgery.  His team doesn't even mention that this vulgarity is in a bound book.  From what I've been seeing, this is birthday present to Epstein is really just the tip of the iceberg.

One of the things I find interesting about this administration is their belief that they can ignore public sentiment and do whatever they want because they're in charge.  They seem to think they can ignore the fact that Orangie's approval ratings are so low, even in areas thought to be his strengths, like crime and immigration.  When even the Main Stream Media starts waving their hands in alarm, they should re4alize there is a serious problem, however, they don't.  I suspect this is because most of the people Orangie has surrounded himself with have bought into his deceits, like the fact that elections have been stolen, and that he won in 2024 by a landslide.  Take the terrible numbers put out by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.   When they look at them, his sycophants chorus "they're fake."  Because their hearts tell them all bad numbers are lies, they fail to grasp the fact that a majority of Americans truly despise this man.  And as his numbers continue to worsen, his lies will become even richer.

The Holiday is Over

 We have sunshine!  How wonderful.  Temps are predicted to be moderate this afternoon, hovering around in the mid 70s (F).  I can deal with that.  Humidity might be a little high, but I can deal with a little sticky, sweatiness.  We have a higher chance for thunderstorms tomorrow, but I can deal with that, too.  What we really need is the sunshine to dry things out.

And I did work yesterday.  We had customers in the morning and none in the afternoon, no doubt because of picnics and cookouts.  It was Monday and seemed like Sunday, and was mostly boring.  I do get holiday pay (4 hours since I'm part-time) which is nice.  I did explain to a few associates what Memorial Day was, and why it was a National Holiday, but only one person at work thanked me for my service.  Food, of sorts, was provided: burgers, chicken tenders, and hot dogs on the grill, but that's it, none of the fixin's.  No deserts or beverages were provided, I was told this was because they didn't have enough money.  The orange retailer is punishing us.  They used to provide Fun Funds for holidays, and they still do, only now those $$$ are limited.  You can increase those funds by winning credit card contests: the top store in the district to sign up new credit cards, or the top store to get leads or measures.  To do either of those you need customers.

It seems as though no one went to the movies this holiday weekend, usually one of the biggest of the year.  Perhaps that's because 2 niche films were released.  The fact that someone, somewhere thought Garfield was going to be a hit tells you a lot about the lack of rational thinking in Hollywood.  Going to the movies has become super expensive because of Corporate Greed.  People need a reason to plunk down all those buckos.  Mad Max and Garfield provide no reason what so ever.

Here's a view of the writing room from the staircase.  The updating of the floor should be finished by tomorrow.

With the Holiday over, politically things should get back to their chaotic normal.  For those who missed it, Trump was photographed walking around a parking lot at some Naas car race waving, and gesturing, and saluting no one in particular.  While he looked zany, his team was filming bits to edit into crowd reactions to make it seem like he is extremely popular, something he needs to do after so many media outlets reported on his getting booed badly.  Remember, everything he does is staged.  Everything he says is a lie.