Stating Facts

 There is the possibility we might have rain today.  The sky is overcast and the temps are supposed to climb all the way up to 80 (F).  Yesterday, our thermometers hit the upper 80s (F) and you would have thought we were in a screaming heat wave the way people were reacting.  Crimany!  You'd think they were going to start melting the second they hit the parking lot.  My Central Air did kick on a bit, but only for a few minutes.  

I did have an elderly woman with serious arthritis as a customer yesterday.  She was going to live with her son and was having new carpeting put into her bedroom.   She was paying for her room and he was paying for the rest of the house.  This is going to be a bit of a complicated installation since they both want their carpet installed on the same day.  I felt bad for her.  She was fine once she was sitting in the chair, but I had to lift her up into a standing position after she'd chosen her carpet.  That was a first for me, getting up close and personal with a stranger.

And, if any of you are wondering what I do when the days are slow and boring, besides wandering the store and getting thousands of steps in, I work on the next book.  I take notes.  Sometimes they're random points that I feel are going to need to fill in gaps, and sometimes it's who sections of chapters.  This is what I did yesterday.

I guess most of you have heard that a small, submersible (read minisub) has disappeared while taking wealthy tourists down to see the Titanic.  One of the was billionaire Hadish HamishHis stepson sent out his "Thoughts and Prayers," which surprised me, since I only thought Republicans did that when there was a school shooting.

And for those keeping score.  I was banned from Twitter for making a comment that went against their rules.  And what was it that I said that was so terrible.  Well, it was in regard to Marjorie Taylor Green.  A few day ago, after she spit one of her standard lies, I typed:  "Some day someone's going to punch her in the mouth."  That comment broke Twitter's rules and, of course, I chose not to retract it because in my mind I was merely stating a fact.  She has Tweeted far worse things than that, but than she's on Elon's friend list.

The White Trash Republican Party

 Well, it's Friday and the temp outside is 51 (F).  According to the forecast, we'll get a few degrees warmer.  We are in February.  Normally this past week would have been called a 'winter thaw,' but we've been too warm for anything to really freeze.  When the temps are cold, we count down the days until Spring, this year I suspect we will simply slide into our next season.

Yesterday, I used my drying rack for the first time.  The only thing I didn't like was the sock clips, though they're not really clips, so I just laid them out on the middle rack.  It worked well.  In fact, I was surprised at how quickly everything dried.  

I had to laugh when I heard that James Carville said that the Republican party is White Trash.  I don't know about you, but I realized that a long time ago.   The trashing of the party began with the Tea Party, and Newt Gingrich scooted it into the fast track.  Prior to that the party catered to intelligence, but then they realized there was an untapped source of votes in those who barely finished high school.  Power to the people, the party yelled and those people turned out to be easily manipulated.  They preferred red meat and didn't care if it had been rotting in the sun for quite some time.  And then John McCain chose Sarah Palin to be his running mate.  It's been downhill for the party ever since.

Of course, George Santos is being investigated by the Ethics committee the Republicans gutted.  This is a waste of time.  McCarthy needs Santos' vote, so he will stay.  Even though Santos makes the party look desperate, he will stay.  Santos is trash, and he is the face of the Republican party.

The same is true of Marjorie Taylor Greene.  If you watch her face as she's calling Biden a liar during his State of the Union speech, it's obvious she's having a grand old time.  She was enjoying herself.  White trash doesn't understand there is a time and place.  White trash simply doesn't care. 

Murphy's Law

 And Thursday arrives with a chilly temp of 478 (F) outside.  In case anyone is wondering, I did turn on my heat, setting it at 70 (F).  When we are deep in the coldest throes of winter and outside temps hover in the mid 30s (F), I will set it at 71.

This November, when we have our benefits sign-up at the large, orange retailer I work for, I'm going to end my Dental plan.  Honestly, I should have ended it when I went on Medicare, because it wasn't that expensive.  It's still not that expensive, but for someone whose dental needs are few and far between it's way too much.  I can go to the VA for $15 a visit, or a Blue Cross plan I have for $10s, with no premium.  

For those interested, I've well over 52,000 words done on the next book, The Body Under Ice.  There are 2 characters who have turned out to be a joy to write:  Louise and Clark, 2 barfly's at Hennepin's.  In their last interaction with Eli and Max, they were sitting at the bar watching Bowling for Beers.

The organization of my slides is proceeding slowly.  I threw out most of the 80 + slides I took of the San Diego zoo, though I saved a few, like the giraffes.  I also saved the concert pictures, though some are very blurry.  Back in 1972 concerts at the San Diego Sports Arena were all general admission, so people who wanted to be close to the stage got there early.  I saw some good concerts there, including The Doobie Brothers and Grand Funk Railroad.  The first band I saw there was The Moody Blues on their Every Good Body Deserves Favor tour.  I suspect some of you out there know what E, G, B, D, F stands for. These blurry pics are from that show.

And, what about Putin annexing regions from the Ukraine?  I don't think he has any idea this act will define him as one of the most impotent leaders in the world.  What is it?  Over 70,000 Russian soldiers dead?  Because he's started up the draft, many men are leaving the country.  That fact that he's no where close to winning make him a laughing stock.  He has proven to be a small man brittle with incompetence.

Doug Mastriano as started 40 days of Fasting and Prayer, hoping that will help him win the election.  This man's brain is awash in pure horseshit.

Finally, a bit about Ian.  I'm seeing predictions of hundreds of deaths.  There are many, many trailer parks in the path of the storm.  I shouldn't have been surprised when I saw a number of people were refusing to evacuate.  MAGA brains, no doubt. No masks.  No vaccines.  No evacuation.  And they were living in mobile homes not built to withstand 150 mile an hour winds, or any storm surge.  How stupid can you be?  And people staying in hotels were Tweeting videos of water rushing in through the front doors, and that was before Ian made landfall.  These people are the reason Murphy's Law exists.

Oh, sorry, one more Finally.  Marjorie Taylor Green is getting divorced.  In his court filing, her husband sand their marriage was irretrievably broken, or something to that effect.  Why am I not surprised?

In a heart beat

 Yesterday was fun.  Lunch with a friend in York.  Good Conversation.  Okay food at the Imperial Chinese Buffet topped off with a chocolate chip cookie dough Blizzard at Dairy Queen.  So many fat-filled calories.  People like to ask which one of my lead characters I'm most like, the truth is neither, they're fictional.  While I do tend to eat healthy, like Max, I have no fear of 'Fluffy Foods' as he does and will suck down a Blizzard rather than consider some thinly sliced kiwi.

Weather wise, the temps did not hit the predicted 99 (F) yesterday, 95 (F) was the highest they went.  Today, we're not supposed to get out of the high 80's (F), though there is a 95% chance of rain.  Outside, the skies are overcast and it's humid, though so far, the rain appears to be moving north of us.

The heart rate monitor arrived last evening. I haven't sync'd it yet with my phone, my watch, or my bike, but that will happen very, very soon... wait a second... there, it's done.  Now, wasn't that easy.  I snapped a shot of it, and no, in case any of you are wondering, I didn't order it because it's a Pro version of the one I used to own, or because it's chartreuse.

There was some sort of Cracker Jack Crazy event down in Florida this past weekend which took the GOP up to a new level of Crazy.  If you were hungry for extremist rhetoric, the speakers served up a cornucopia of fascism and hate.  An example:  paraphrasing Matt Gaetz: the only women pushing for abortion rights are fat, and ugly, and will never get pregnant and so will never need one.  The crowd cheered at his repugnancy.  Marjorie Taylor Greene claimed we are a Christian Nationalist nation, (or maybe it was Nationalist Christian, not that it matters), and she, too was cheered.  Outside the venue, there was at least one Nazi flag, and Confederate flags and Ronnie DeSantis said nothing, though there are a lot of comments on social media how, when he was speaking, he kept shifting his stance from one foot to the other.  Maybe we should all begin calling him Shifty DeSantis.

Anyway, the fact that by way of their extremist rhetoric these speakers might in fact be encouraging violence is disturbing.  Don't for a second think they care about this, they don't.  America isn't being wowed by them, rather America is stepping back in disgust.  These Crazies do not care.  They don't understand that whatever happens will be on them, and history will not be kind to them.

Correction

 My scale is fixed.  Usually I get a little warning when the batteries are running out of charge, that was not the case this time.  Still, the cost of 4 AAA batteries is a lot less than the cost of a new scale.  Oh, and I stepped on it...  ... ...  Need I say anything more?  And, for the nest 2 days, because our store is in Success Sharing mode, there will be lots of food.  Today they'll be cooking out on a grill, the first time since Covid arrived on the scene.  Hamburgers, hot dogs, and tons of high calorie carbs.  Tomorrow:  lasagna.  Son of a bitch!

How about we switch to a chiller topic. We got some cold days ahead, if the forecasters are correct.  For the next 3 nights temps are supposed to be dropping down into the mid to low 20's (F).  How's that for chill?

Since this is the weekend and the blogging universe tends to slow down, I thought I might post one of my short YouTube videos.  My sincerest apologies to the French for Americanizing the name of their country. 

A group of Georgia voters are suing to have Marjorie Taylor dumb ass taken off the ballot because of her insurrectionist activities.   They're using the Insurrectionist Act voted into law after the Civil War.  Legal experts do not expect them to succeed.  While I wish they would, I tend to agree.  What they're really doing is giving her more bad press she doesn't need if she wants to get her bottled blonde ass re-elected.  She is desperately trying to keep Georgia from becoming a Blue state.  While the MAGA brains of her state my thrive on her antics, speaking at neo-Nazi gatherings for example, their numbers, like their potential senators, are limited.  This lawsuit is doing her more damage than good.

And finally, I do have to correct myself on one thing.  I had state that Clarence Thomas had no children.  That's wrong.  He does.  He fathered a son with his first wife, Kathy Ambush.  You may recognize Jamal Adeen Thomas from television.  He is quite the charmer, no?

For an actor, his private life is very... private.  What is known, besides his regularly appearing on TV is that he's 52 years of age.  He is single.  There are no reports of any relationship what so ever.  Oh, and he's 6' 2".  Oh, and he's not saying anything about his famous father.

  

The Raising of the Hands

Okay, so this is the second time publishing this today.  Blogger evidently chose to publish an unwritten previous draft.

So, it's Wednesday.  Yesterday was rather uneventful.  I did go to PetSmart to pick up an algae scrapping kit.  While there, I checked out the glass aquarium tops and the dimmable LED lighting.

I also call the Vet about Biggie's prescription.  I'd like the to either increase the dosage, or prescribe a stronger med.  The Carprofen isn't doing what it died three months ago.  They did bloodwork on him back in August to see if he could tolerate a stronger med... he weighs in at 114, no problem.  I'm just curious as to what the cost is going to be.  They charge $48.70 for a month supply of the Carprofen, Chew charges 12.60 (less my 5% discount).

I did get something nifty in the mail yesterday.  Lost and Found in Space 2.  I was a big fan of the series when I was a kid, not so much so of the Netflix series, which seemed to ignore everything about the original, except for that fact that the Robinson family were the stars.  And yes, it is signed by the two authors.

Joe Biden gave his first State of the Union Speech last evening.  I didn't watch.  I rarely watch speeches.  However, just about every media outlet noted that Boebert put her white trash roots on display.  She and Marjorie Taylor Dumbass chanted something or other.  I remember this kind of shit happening in high school, which pretty spot on when it comes to noting the mental maturity.  Biden spoke of the Ukraine, and... surprisingly, both Republicans and Democrats stood in a rare moment of solidarity.  Now, if only we could get them to stop siding with Putin.  Dana Milbank provides a very good analysis on this Republican need to see Biden fail.  This hatred for Democrats is so deeply ingrained they would support a ruthless dictator.  They are truly treasonous.

And, finally, Wendy Rogers, representative from Arizona, was censured by the Republicans of Arizona yesterday.  This stupid neo-Nazi supporter went to the same rally in Florida as Marjorie Taylor White Trash and Paul Gosar, (another brain dead Republican from Arizona) and then Tweeted glowing statements.  She bristled with rage when the vote to censure was almost unanimous.  Personally, while opposed to striking women, I do believe she deserves at least one good knuckle sandwich.  Can I see a count of hands from those who agree with me?

Blooming

Today's another day off for me.  Nice.  Kind of.  The weather's supposed to be overcast with storms predicted to hit us sporadically.  It's a good thing I didn't plan on mowing the lawn.  Truthfully, it doesn't really need it.  What we've been getting in rain have been quick downpours that last for 10 or 15 minutes and then they're gone, the hot air pumping the moisture back into the atmosphere.

Elsa's coming our way.  She seems to be moving up the eastern seaboard rather fast, so she should be raining on us either tonight or tomorrow.

And, of course, last evening, just as I was preparing to leave one of our regular customers showed up at the flooring desk.  Vinyl.  That's right, he wanted vinyl - the really cheap stuff, the vinyl that's  so close to paper thin you need to be careful you don't tear it.  And he wanted 16.5 feet of the stuff.  As I went back to the vinyl cutter, I silently prayed to the god of 'out of stocks' for us to be... well, out of stock.  My prayer was answered!  We did have a roll in the back, so I left a note for our Aisle Supervisor to bring it front.

My red roses are blooming.

Evidently, Loser #45 is going to charge the the US Government for the hotel rooms his Secret Service agents will need to stay in for eternity.  This is because the loser doesn't really have a residence, per se, but rather always stays in one of his financially failing properties.  Let's face it, he's got scrap up the bucks somehow.

There was also an interesting article on the NBC news website about Marjorie Taylor Stupid's constantly comparing the Democrats to Nazis.  To sum up everything they say, she appeals to small, stupid minds who have absolutely no idea who the Nazis were and by making the comparison she's trying to make her own fascist beliefs seem acceptable.  The voters of Georgia need to fire that bitch.

Things to Come

 Well, yesterday was warm and then last evening storms moved through the area cooling things off.  We have had a lot of rain this year, more so then usual.  We will have to see what happens as we approach July, then the weather usually gets hot and dry.  I saw that California's suffering through high temps again; that will move east.

I drove down to That Fish Place, which has had a name change to That Pet Place, yesterday.  Nice drive.  The weather was nice, and there wasn't a lot of traffic on the road.  Five little Tiger Barbs have moved into the big tank, and in the little tank in the living room, where I put the 'bad' algae eater, two Goldies have taken up residence.

The little tank is bowed and everything looks odd, so I'm thinking of replacing it with a regular, rectangular glass tank.

And I woke up this morning to the smell of baking bread.  I love the timer on my bread machine, just toss in the ingredients and set it to start the baking process around 0200.  Every thing is ducky dandy.  This afternoon I'm going to bake a loaf of raisin bread.  Yum.  I haven't had raisin bread in years!

I saw where the Heretic, Marjorie Taylor Greene went to the Holocaust Museum and apologized for comparing masks to yellow stars.  She is, however, not going to stop comparing Democrats to Nazis.  Someone needs to tell her that's an automatic fail, not that she'll listen.  Her ears are too stoppered up with selfishness and self-entitlement for her to hear anything.

And in case there were any doubts, there shouldn't have been, Mitch the bitch McConnell has now confirmed that Republican Senators will once again be known as The Party of No.  You see, old Mitch believes his party are going to retake both the House and the Senate because... well, traditionally this has always happened after a national election.  The losing party almost always benefits.  However, this time the losing party supported an insurrection.  The losing party publicly accepted the Big Lie.  2022 is not going to be a traditional election.  By the time it's over, I do not doubt there will be drool dribbling of Mitch McConnell's not existent chin.

Weeds and Tools

 Well, it's Wednesday and I get to go back to work today.  I am not at all excited.  Two days off was not enough.  Now I'm scheduled for 6 days in a row.  Ouch.  I have 5 days off scheduled to begin on June 13.  Can I wait that long?

And it seems as if I'm not as blessed as I thought I was, or maybe I should say I was confused into thinking I might be blessed.  No loss, really.  My package arrived yesterday afternoon from Walmart.com and it was... a record cabinet I had ordered from Amazon.  What? ( I know you're thinking it, so just go ahead and say it)  What?  Walmart and Amazon are rivals, enemy retailers.  So why would Walmart be selling on Amazon?  Well, they aren't.  However, a 3rd party retailer is selling their products on Amazon.  It works like this:  I put in the order at Amazon.  He / She / It receives the order and places it with Walmart.com.  Walmart.com thinks I purchased the product and ships it to me.  I didn't go to their website to check on what they were charging.  Less, for sure, since the 3rd party needs to make a profit.  Am I upset FedEx didn't deliver an Xbox Series X?  Not really. A bit disappointed, but I'll buy one eventually.

Today the temps are supposed to hit the low 90's (F) with scattered thunderstorms.  I guess there's another storm system heading our way bringing with it lower temps and more rain.  

And, lest you think my garden is only filled with flowering plants and bushes, think again.  I also have these.  Some people call them weeds. I have no problem with them.  When I was growing up, we ate the greens with a hot sweet and sour bacon dressing.  Delicious.

My brother texted me yesterday: he tested positive for antibodies.  I replied that he had between 8 - 10 months immunity.  His reply was to send me 2 videos he found compelling enough to wait to get vaccinated.  My response:  "Believe what you want, Covid is still out there spreading through the unvaccinated, slowly killing them off."  He did not reply.

And what about that dumbass from Georgia?  You know whom I'm talking about, the one who compared wearing masks to wearing yellow stars.  I really do think we should put her in a concentration camp for a while, perhaps if Biden has his summit with Putin, they might arrange an extended vacation for her in a Gulag.  The Republicans aren't going to do anything about her, they don't want to offend their base.  They don't understand she is the perfect tool for turning Georgia completely blue.  In fact, I don't doubt she enjoys being a Tool.  She has no idea she's nothing more than a shovel helping to did the grave of the GOP.

Shoot that Poison Arrow

The French Bread I baked in my new bread maker is... delicious.  The load shape is odd.  Oh, and because I used the timer and the mixing, kneading process began while I was still sleeping, I didn't have the chance to removed the little kneading paddle.  This meant cutting off the bottom of the loaf to remove the little sucker.  Pain in the ass.  I may try an artisan loaf tomorrow, since I'm off work.

Yesterday at work we were hectic busy for a while in flooring.  Our Garden department went through the roof as far as sales were concerned.  People are spending money.  So am I, but not to the same degree.  Tonight, after I punch out, I'm going to pick up some furnace filters (my central air uses the same venting), and veggie plants.  I'm also going to stop off at my local Giant and do my shopping, rather then go tomorrow.

One of the managers at work flipped the radio station to the 80's again yesterday and this little gem played.  I bought this album.  Loved it.  As I listened, I realized the lyrics were very usable to a writer who crafts mysteries.  Take a listen and tell me if you don't agree.  Hhhhmm.  Who knows where they might show up.

And since I can't leave the dogs and fly down to New Orleans, I've been watching YouTube videos.  The walking tours are chock full of good information, and a great way to sit in your armchair and flesh out possible settings.

Oh, and I saw where Marjorie Taylor Greene has decided to claim she's abandoning her white supremacist group.  Personally, I think this is just her putting on her liar's mask to please the complainers of both parties.  There's no changing the evil in her heart.  Remember, she's one of those Q heretics.  There's no way she's going to privately eliminate the ugly from her system.

 

Tools

 Yesterday was very physical.  I lifted.  I carried.  I pushed and pulled.  Oh, and yeah, sometimes I was a little high... up in the air.  Yesterday I unpacked a pallet of freight... by myself.  Well, I will admit to using a tool.  We call it a Ballymore.  Think of it as a small freight elevator on wheels.  This piece of equipment is used to put heavy product in the overhead, since using a ladder can be dangerous.  This is a good tool.

Right now I have a loaf of French bread preparing to bake in my new bread machine.  I was a little off in gauging the time.  i was an hour off, so instead of my popping it out of the pan at around 0730, I'll be doing that around 0830.  Since I don't leave for work until 1000, there's still time for a slice... or two.  Looking in through the little window in the top, I can tell you the loaf looks great.

And then, of course, there are the Tools who do everything they can to try and bury they nation.  The Covidiots, who believe their fallen leader with his big lie.  He is leading his supporters to their death.  This is how it was supposed to be.  Honestly, how many tools are in this group.   Of course, anytime you see the name of Marjorie Taylor Greene involved, you know it's about white supremacy.  Here the call in Anglo-Saxon political tradition.  Evidently that stupid woman is attempting to redefine just who the Anglo-Saxons were.  They were white, but their political traditions were anything but Democratic, and I can't help but wonder if this is her way of telling the world she wants the United States to feudal, with thousands of city / states?  She is an extraordinarily broken tool.

Mediate This

 Well, today's my hump day, my Wednesday, your Friday.  My Friday happens on Sunday.  I cannot wait.

Yesterday was... interesting at work.  I'd like to say that the Droogs came out, but that would be me talking like every other gear in the Clockwork.  We did have an asswipe couple let their dog pee on a display in the Flooring Department.  Oh, and they walked away without cleaning it up.  Another customer told me after the fact, "looks like someone's dog leaked on your pipe," he said, the pipe being part of the display for a bench you can make.  I was the one who grabbed the paper towels and put on the rubber gloves.

Oh, and the price changed on some of our carpets and they changes were not posted in a timely manner.  Translation, The mark-up was a big one.  Everything's going up in price.   The stimulus checks are nice, thank you Joe, but corporate America is waiting with their greedy fingers.  Their not going to give this guy the lower price.  Besides, he can afford it.  His quote is delayed because the carpet is going into a Media Room and he's having a custom built platform built (16 inches high) for the seating in front of the screen.  Maybe he thinks this will let him see over the heads of everyone down front.  Something like this:

Evidently Margie Taylor Greene is in trouble for comments she made about people with Downs Syndrome, say they were stupid, and retards.  When confronted she explained that she was just using slang words.  She also provided 15 pieces of legislation she claims to have sponsored, included a bill to impeach Joe Biden, as proof she's really working for the people of Georgia.  Can we be honest here?  Every time this woman opens her mouth she hurts her party.  Every turd that falls from her lips makes her, and those who voted for her,  look more and more like irredeemable  assholes.  She truly does represent the Republican mindset.