Shelve this

Oh, my... I smashed through my single day off as though it were nothing... maybe it was.  Now I'm on my second stint of 4 days in a row.  I really hate having single days off, I like them to be back to back.  When I have just one day off I tend to eat more and do less physical activity. I also, for some odd reason, tend to take two or three short catnaps.  I don't do this when I have a weekend, even if my weekends are Wednesday and Thursday.
I saw that in the 10 years of tax returns that have been made public for the Idiot Jerk all he did was lose money.  Speculation is that this is why he's so hostile about releasing more recent returns, and why he's no doubt constantly getting audited.  Even though he claims to be as wealthy as Croesus, he is always losing money... at least on his tax returns.  Back at the beginning of his campaign, I remember reading that just one of his 'bankruptcies,' if claimed the right way would have kept him from paying any income tax of 20 years.  The Idiot Jerk has had what?  Four bankruptcies?   At least that what he claims.  Shit, if he stacked those babies together and claimed them as loses, the Federal Government might actually be giving him a refund.  Holy Shit!  This moron is either the most incompetent business man in history... or one of the most corrupt.
For those who are interested, not only do I have peaches... I have nectarines, too.  If I had space I'd put in an apricot tree as well.
And yesterday I did put in a shelf below the TV for the gaming consoles.

I did this to remove some of the clutter in my living.  There was a small, overloaded table to the left of the chest.  That's now gone... well, it's actually outside on the veranda between two chairs. 

Ready Player One, & other stuff

Okay, so I got up this morning to snowfall.  Not much.  Two inches, maybe, and while 2 inches of snow doesn't phase me, I suspect the Idiot Jerk in the White House would be pleased to brag about have 2".
I had planned on riding about 10 miles this AM but my legs are a bit sore.  Squats were on the agenda yesterday - 40 pounds of dumbbells.  Now I'm contending with a wee bit of ache in the quads.  The glutes are fine, firm and supple as ever.  A bit of pain is, however, an after effect of squats.  The stiffness is a good indicator the leg workout was effective.  Micro-tears in the muscle fibers are not bad.  As the cells repair themselves, they will be stronger which is what we want to happen.  They will grow more cells to act as a reinforcement, this is also good.  No one said that building muscle was easy.
And I went to see "Ready Player One," last evening.  I liked it.  Not only a film about gaming, this is a celebration about Pop Culture, about trends that come and go, about popularity that last long enough to create an icon.  Welcome to Trivia mecca.  This is also a movie about people who learn that the "real world is... real."  Depicting the bad side of big business, detailing how if not held in check, corporations will continue to grow and dominate and control "Ready Player One" is about greed and power.  Gaming personas fall apart as people grow beyond their avatars.  And finally, if you like your nostalgia over the top, this is the movie for you - make sure you see it on a big screen!

Oh, and I saw this AM that China has started announcing tariffs on American products... Hello, Trade War.
Here's a pic of the snow this AM, taken from my front porch looking back the side of the house.

Not surprisingly for this time of year, it's melting faster than the Idiot Jerk's ass on a Trade War Hotplate.

Big Sexy Hair

Friday! After today I'll only have 4 more days of work.  The store was relatively dead yesterday, which is surprising since this is the time of year when things begin to pick up.  Things were busier 3 weeks ago when there was all the chat about the temporary tax break the middle class was going to be getting.  I guess people started realizing that most are not going to be getting lottsa extra cash in their pay checks.
And I read an interesting article this before my morning bike ride.  The truth is America has a serious problem with slackers, not in regard to work, rather in fitness.  We are constantly being reminded... and warned, about getting fatter.  Doing less physically directly relates to aging, and the issues you, as an individual will have to deal with as you get older, and older.  Your muscles are yours to lose.  Does anybody really want to be old and frail?
Anyway, the tariffs are now a done deal.  However, if you start drilling into their wordage it doesn't take long to realize they're fairly superficial.  There are all sots of little loopholes, similar to the ones the rich are getting with their Tax Cut, which let American companies import aluminum and steel with little or now tariff.  Evidently exclusions are abundant.  Stop worrying about not being able to buy your Big Sexy Hairspray, you see, there's a work around, or an exclusion, or an exemption, what ever you want to call it.

And that exclusion is... are you ready for this?... National Defense.  The attorneys for American Aluminum Can (yes there is such a group) are hard at work.  And it's not just hair spray, these guys worry about soft drink, and beer... and, well anything that comes in an aluminum can.  And all of these products are essential for National Defense.  So, I'm wondering, how toothless are these tariffs going to be.  I'm betting the pompous turd in the White House used yesterday's signing ceremony just to fart a little pleasure towards his base.

Oh, and yesterday the Idiot Jerk had something else on his agenda.  He gathered a number of people together to discuss how violent video games create mass shooters.   Except this turned out to be closed door session.  And no one seems to be talking about what was said.  That rag for brain dead conservatives, The Drudge Report, failed to even hint such a meeting was happening.  I suspect this is because most of those involved with Drudge play video games and understand this is a generational issue, popular only with aging, non-gamers, you know?  Like the Idiot Jerk.
And why use Big Sexy Hair?  I wouldn't be surprised if that were the spray of choice for the failed president in the White House.

Evil Staples will suck the money from your wallet

One of the things which needed to be taken care of, in regard to my new gaming PC, was connecting the computer to the monitor with an HDMI cable.  Like most people, I don't have them laying around the house.  This necessitated my using the one connecting my blue ray player to my TV.  Having off today, and needing to go to the supermarket, I decided to hit Staples while I was out and pick up a replacement.  Before leaving the house I checked on Amazon.com in order to get an average cost (about $12 for a decent  6 foot cable).  When I got to Staples I was shocked to see that their least expensive HDMI cable was priced at $34.55, and that was for their average rated 6 foot cable.  Their 'good' cable was over $55.  Now I realize Staples is going to charge more, you pay for the convenience.  But, if you if add in the freight charges to the Amazon cable, their cost is $17.  Something is wrong here.

Too many people don't think outside of the box.  For them, Staples is the 'go to' place for all of their home office, computer supplies.  About a year ago my friend Deb bought a new PC from them.  Till all was said and done, she paid more for hers then I did for my super charged, blow your socks of graphics, gaming computer.  She doesn't even have 1000 GB memory.  But, they did transfer her files from her old computer to her new computer at no charge.  When I asked her why she didn't do a little research first, maybe see what deals Amazon was offering, she said "but Staples is right down the road."

Too many people don't understand that "Easy" has a cost.  They don't understand that given the chance, Evil Staples will suck the money from your wallet.

As for the HDMI cable I needed to replace?  I picked up a 12 footer at K-Mart for $19.99.  Believe me, it will work just as well as any of the cables being sold by Staples.