Silence is Orange

 Another sunny day is on tap for us here in Central PA.  We were under another frost warning last evening but that didn't happen.  When I got out of bed this morning, the temp was sitting at 41 (F).  Our high temp to day is predicted to be in the low 70s (F).  Sadly, I do have to go to work and sit and the flooring desk.

My new schedule starts on Monday.  The only full, 8 hour day I'm available is going to be Sunday.  They tend to be the slowest day of the week.  I have one more schedule change to make.  I've got to remove my availability for Fridays, that will keep me from having to go in and work on Black Friday.  

My car inspection went well yesterday.  Sometime before next year I'm going to need to buy new tires, but that was expected.  My car is 5 years old, and so far I haven't had any real expense.  There's also a problem with the rear break shoes, but again, the front brakes are fine, so right now it isn't something that needs to be worried about.

Howie's 10 weeks old today.  I am still a chew toy, though the number of toys he's gotten have cut back on the number of lacerations I'm getting from his sharp, little teeth.  He slept through the entire night without having to go outside for a pee break.  He likes going outside, and we've reached the point where I can open the back door and simply let him out to do his business.  I still have to keep an eye on him out of the windows to make sure he doesn't chew on any sticks.  Here's a pic I took of his yesterday.  He's getting bigger by the day.

And can we talk about bad Karma?  Last evening the Orange Anus had a rally in Detroit, remember he just said Detroit was a terrible, horrible place, and his mic cut out.  That's right, for almost twenty minutes he wove back and forth across the stage in the award winning roll as Donnie the Silent.  I watched some of it since it's always nice to see Karma in action.  From what I've read, he was seething.  How humiliating for him!  to have to stand in front of a half filled arena unable to say anything!  Someone tried giving him a mic and that, too, wasn't working.  Was the sound company retaliating because Orangie had said Detroit was a shit hole?  I mean, I suppose they could always write off the expense as a campaign donation.

Accountable

 Hello Friday.  Hello Sunshine.  Hello temps in the 70s (F).  The good news is that this weather is supposed to hang with us for the next week.  The bad news is that all this sunshine will make my grass grow.  Without a good shot of cold air the leaves on the trees are staying green, for the most part.  They are beginning to fall, but there are no brilliant yellows or reds around my neck of the woods.

Yesterday was a somewhat busy day.  I wanted to get the front room tank cleaned.  Well, that was a bust.  I did get in a short ride on the bike.  It wasn't nearly as long as usual because Howie left the room and I got worried he might leave a deedle or drop a doodle  in the house.  That's a big priority right now in getting him house trained.  It is lucky for both of us that the temps are going to be nice, and my hours fairly short at work, to teach him that his business needs to be done outside.

This morning my car gets inspected.  They've changed the way things are done: the work you have done is basically a la carte.  You pick and chose what needs to be done, like an oil change (necessary) or air filters changed (unnecessary).  I'm putting the purchase of new tires off until next year.  I don't drive that much, and the tread is still fairly good.  Everything is so expensive.  Hopefully, this will only take about an hour.  I'm doing what I normally do, taking along a hard copy of my latest book, The Body in History, and working on a rewrite of the first draft.

And, speaking of the weather.  If this is correct, temps will remain warm here again this winter.  This will be the 3rd winter in a row.  For those who don't know.  This is what Global Warming looks like.  If it stays this warm this winter, imagine what the summer is going to be like for those southern states.

And all the details about Trump's involvement leading up to, and including what he did, on January 6 are going to be released for public consumption.  His appeals have been denied.  This is a good thing.  Some are saying that this is the October surprise, though we have to be honest here, there have already been so many ugly surprised for the Republican party this October.  He's tried to get people dancing.  His Univision town hall was a complete failure, as was his town hall with women.  He's cancelling appearances, one of which was with the NRA.  And today details are going to be released to the press of how truly malevolent he was on January 6 when his cultists attempted a coup.  He has been angling for this moment his entire life, and don't, for a second, think he will have any regrets.  It will be his out and out rage at being finally held accountable that will pop his brain.

Deflated

 Yes, this entry is late, not because I slept over, rather it was that time of year to have my car to have it's state inspection.  And, of course, it passed, but it does take some time,  That means it's also time of my dealer to try and fill my shopping cart, so to speak, because they make their money from all of the goodies they try to get you to buy.  Mine as more expensive than usual, the added expense being the cost to change out the old battery for a new one.  That added $210.00 onto my bill.  Having the tires rotated added another charge, and oh, let's not forget about the rear window wiper.  But, look on the good side, now the battery is good for at least another 5 years, and the tire rotation will ensure the wear on my tires is balanced.

Anyway, it's the day before Thanksgiving.  I'm not working, but then I never work on Wednesdays. I'm also off on Black Friday.  I am now, and will possibly be until my last day with the orange retailer, available to work on any Friday, be it Good, or Black, or what ever.

I did roast a turkey breast yesterday, in fact I just had a turkey sandwich for lunch.  Tasty.

For the 2.5 hours I sat waiting at the dealership for them to do inspect my car and do the required emissions test, I worked on The Body in Motion, writing little notes, and crossing out phrases, and sometimes whole paragraphs got the big question mark as to whether they are essential, or, and even more important, whether they could be improved.  Believe me, there's always room for improvement.  That's a problem with some writers, they sit back and in a very self-presumptuous tone, congratulate themselves on writing a book.  This is why editors and readers are important.  Good ones will be standing at the ready, pin in hand, waiting to deflate.

And, speaking of books, I saw where Marjorie Taylor Green just published one, some sort of lie filled expose' on her life.  I know this because so many people had clipped the page from Amazon showing that her $27 book was garnering quite a number of One Star reviews.  Let's be honest, the idea that someone might be stupid enough to by a copy of her book is frightening.  This might be one of the defining moments for MAGA cultism.

My bit for Halloween

Well, I'm hoping that more gets accomplished today than yesterday.  While things did get done, time became freewheeling with no restraints.  Yes, I did get my car inspected.  That took 3 hours, rather than the allotted 90 minutes.  There were 2 cars ahead of me when I got to the dealership.  Normally, they run people through fast.  Not yesterday.  There were evidently issues with the first car, so I sat waiting for 15 minutes are line of cars, also there for either inspections or service, grew behind me. I finally sat down in the waiting room 20 minutes later and waited.  Almost 2 hours later, I was told they were finishing up the emissions testing and my car would be ready shortly.  An hour later (that's right, an hour) my car was fully inspected.  That's a 3 hour wait, and my schedule for the day was blown up.  To compensate, the dealership charge me nothing.  The told me that since this was the 2nd time I'd had to deal with complications getting serviced, they were making the oil change, the tire rotation, and the inspection complimentary.   Still, as I said, my day was now terribly out of sync.

I did drive down to That Fish Place and pick up 4 plecos, two for each tank.  They're yellow, and so cute.

And, while I was waiting for my car to be inspected, the electrician called.  The electric work is being done on 11/22.  They could have done it on the 11/8 (my birthday), but I have a physical down at the Lebanon VA that morning.

Muse has out a Halloween video.  I like Muse.  They may be too rock and roll for some people.  This is me doing my bit and letting you watch it.  Enjoy.

And Fetterman debated Oz last evening.  I didn't watch.  Evidently, Fetterman had some issues with word choice since he's still recovering.  Oz, on the other hand was slick and smarmy.  While conservatives are trying to make hay out of Fetterman's verbal mis-steps, Oz shit in his pants with one terrible statement which most of you have probably already seen.  Oz said, regarding abortion, that any decision needs to include, the mother, her physicians, and local politicians.  That's right, he wants local politicians to be involved in the decision making process.  That comment is not reverberating well.

Finally, there is a lot of chatter about polls either in the process of dying, or already being dead.  My opinion, they're mortally wounded.  There is a certain group who will try and use them, but polls require honesty to work, and that is not happening, and probably will never happen again.  This is how things change.

 

Mail-in ballot counter

 So what is Tuesday going to bring?  Well, first of all, the weather outside is in the mid 50s, but it's also drizzly.  In about 2 hours I'm going top be sitting at Faulkner Subaru waiting for my car to be inspected.  My total cost will be $136, plus applicable taxes, because I live in one of a handful of counties in PA that requires an emission inspection as well.   I'm estimating that should run about an hour and 15 minutes.

After that, I'm heading down to that Fish Place / Pet Place, as it's now known.  I'm thinking of getting two pelecsos, one for each tank to help with the algae growth.  I also like to buy my fish food in bulk.

Early yesterday evening, I emailed the deposits for the electrical work.  I'm hoping they'll get to it next week.  Unlike the plumbing, it should only take a few hours.  Our big appliance sale starts on November 3.  I'll wait a bit.  It runs up until the after Black Friday.  If you need to buy an appliance, that will be the time since the sales are national.  I was told I could get both the washer and dryer in apple red, or forest green, as well as the charcoal, black, and in white.  I'll go with the white, especially since they are now going to be stacked.  The new laundry room was a walk in closet.  Dark walls make a room look smaller, so will dark appliances.  

I bought a cuckoo clock, imported from Germany.

So, Rishi Sunak is going to be the next Prime Minister for Britain.  He's extremely wealthy.  This is not a good thing.  Wealthy people in power always push to help other wealthy people, the common man is irrelevant, in fact they often see a mere nod in the direction of the poor as an example of being beneficent.

For those who have an interest in tracking mail-in ballots, NBC has this nice little graphic show the info they have so far.  This is a nice little graphic. one you may want to save and look at as we approach election day.  An interesting note, over 39 million mail in ballots have been requested by voters, Democrat, Republican, and Independent.  And, if you're like me and do vote by mail, make sure you check to make sure your ballot has been received.  Do not under estimate how much of a nail-biter this election is going to be, so fasten your seat belts.

The truth about election deniers

Well, here we go, it's Monday, and it's raining, and I have to spend 6 hours at the store (from 10 - 4).  While working is no longer the fun it used to be, I haven't reached the point where I abhor sitting at the flooring desk.  Actually, the only issue I'm having at present is the app we use to punch in.  That's right, punch cards are gone.  Typing in your id number is done only as a last resort, mostly because the touch screen is slow.  And the app, which we've been using for over a year, has recently been updated.  Sometimes it connects through Wi-Fi, and other times you need to turn the Wi-Fi on your phone off.  What a pain in the ass.

I'm getting my car inspected tomorrow.  This is important, since it always happens around this time every year.  Why?  Because I wait at the dealership, and while I'm waiting, I begin the editing process of the next book.  So, while the mechanics are making sure my lights flash, and my horn honks, I'll be making notes and writing in changes in The Body Under Ice.  No spoilers here, but it's quite different.  I mean, what does the population of a town which is basically a seasonal tourist attraction do in the off season?

And for those who don't know.

This is because a lot of Americans believe that the opposing party is trying desperately to destroy a way of life.  All you have to do is look at pictures, or watch videos of a Trump rally to realize that most election deniers are white people.  And not only are they trying to be your governors and senators, they want to be your local council members.  Only you can point your town council in the direction you want them to go.  Conservatives and Christian nationalists desperately want to tell you how to live your life, and they will do this by passing local ordinances which effect you in ways you may not like.  Say Strip Clubs.  Conservative members of your town council may vote to change to zoning laws to either limit their hours, or shut them down.  Or, how about that nice tree lined view from your bedroom balcony?  Your council members may choose to change the zoning for that view from pastoral to residential, where now you get to look across the road at someone else's balcony, or even worse, they might vote to make it commercial, where all those trees which enhance your view are turned into a strip mall.  Democracy is about having a voice in how you live your life.  Change is inevitable, but voting lets you at least try to manage how those changes happen.

MAGA Breeders

 And the weekend has started for some of you.  Weekends are when I work.  We are approaching the slow times of the year, so by the middle of December I'll just be putting in time to get a paycheck.  My hours will go down, but that's okay.  I'm sure some of you know what I mean.

Yesterday I had my car inspected.  $158.  That's terrible for a brand new car which has no problems.  $80  of that was for the oil change.  Me thinks I'm going to need to start going to one of those places that changes your oil for $35 in order to save me some bucks.

I did chat with the NYT yesterday about cancelling my subscription.  Previous experience has taught me to always chat, never talk on the phone since you're always connected to a high powered sales shark.  As some of you might suspect, I didn't cancel, however my subscription rates have changed... dramatically.  I will pay 50 cents a week for the next 52 weeks, and then my rate will go up to $2 per week... for eternity, or as long as I decide to subscribe.  That's a big drop from $18 per week.  It's digital, believe me, they can afford it.

In my book The Body in the Tower, something happens in what I call the Greek statue garden of the Louvre.  The museum calls the space something else, however for my purposes I redubbed it the Greek Statue Garden.  Since not everyone has been to the Louvre, this is what I was talking about.  It probably doesn't look the same today, since I took this about 12 years ago.

I saw where they arrested the parents of Ethan Crumbley.  Good.  For those who haven't realized it yet, they are MAGA breeders, a none thinking couple who have never quite made it into reality.  The only thing missing from the photo of their front porch was the Trump sign.  They were not too shy about posting their opinions on social media, because of that we have a long MAGA history to look draw from.  One of my favorites was from a letter the mother sent to Trump in which she said, "I'm tired of being fucked in the ass, I would rather be grabbed by the pussy."  Because of their stupidity, their lives are now over, since, they somehow avoid being incarcerated, they will face years, and years, and years of civil lawsuits.  Sadly, we all know they will never pay enough.  

Some little Changes

 It Friday, a little after 0600, and I've been up for about an hour:  load of laundry in the washer, a quick scan, through the news, and breakfast eaten.  I had been sleeping in until around 0630, but I have to get my car inspected this morning at 0800, which means I have to leave at 0730 because of traffic.  This is fun stuff, right?

I cancelled my Panda anti-virus yesterday, my current subscription runs until the end of the year.  A long time ago, when I originally signed up, Panda was considered great and inexpensive.  Well, in the years since then the price went up because they were offering services I was already getting, like a VPN, which comes with my Verizon, and password protection, which comes with Google.  And, it did grow expensive.  I will look around and see if there's another anti-virus service that strikes my fancy.

Cancelling my subscription to the NYT is also preeminent.  When I look at how often I click on one of their articles, or opinions, and compare that to the $18 a month I pay... well, it just isn't worth it.  Quite often when you threaten to cancel, they'll drop their subscription price.  If the deal is good enough, I might reconsider.

For those of you wondering how I'm going to spend the hour while my car gets inspected, well, I'm taking this baby along, all 188 pages (and I'm just getting to the denouement).  One thing I am really pleased with are the character's names.  I struggle sometimes with the names, changing them over and over again.  In this book there weren't a lot of changes, and for those who read it... well, you'll get to meet Cookie Lindquist, and Ally Lawrence.  There's Remy Devore and Raj Benet, and of course that inimitable torch singer Sheila Caine.

And evidently that loon Tom Cotton has written an op-ed piece for the WSJ, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch, that the real person responsible for the current inflation is Jerome Powell.  Of course, this means that Trump, who put Powell in the position, is also responsible.  Interesting, eh?

Oh, and a number of Republicans voted to increase the debt ceiling.  I'm sure that will go over well with Loser #45.