A momentary bonus

Well, it's Friday and I'm off today.
I ordered the new laptop, a Dell Inspiron 5000, 2018 model.  I read a number of reviews, checked out a number of different websites, and debated with myself over the price point.  Some of the things I wanted were a touch screen and an SSD (solid state drive) rather than your standard Hard Drive, and wanted a screen size that was over 15 inches (since I'm getting older and don't want to squint).  Since most computers are approaching obsolescence after 6 years I decided to keep the cost to something less than $1000.  This one is quite a bit less than what I was willing to pay and fits my requirements.
They announced at work yesterday that because of this great "tax cut" everybody's getting a bonus.  Not everybody is getting the same amount, it all depends upon how long you've been an employee;

Less than 2 years: $200 bonus
2 to 4 years: $250 bonus
5 to 9 years: $300 bonus
10 to 14 years: $400 bonus
15 to 19 years: $750 bonus
20+ years: $1,000 bonus

Of course the press release only mentions the $1000 category and not the lower ones.  I've been with company 9.5 years so you can see where I sit.  Keep in mind that retail has a high turnover rate so the actual number of associates with 10 plus years is not that high.  Keep in mind that we had over $94.6 billion in sales last year so this total payout will have very little, if any, effect on their balance sheet, and while I'm glad to get a little extra money, I do wish they hadn't politicized it by linking it to the tax overhaul.  As we've all been told, this is a once and done payout; that tax cut is permanent.

In other hoo haa news:  Patrick Meehan, the socially conservative, Republican congressman who used office funds as hush money to keep an aide he had the hots for from talking, has announced "after much prayer and reflection" that he's not going to seek re-election.  In this bozos case "prayer and reflection" are synonymous with "Holy Shit... am I screwed."

Also, George Soros sees the Idiot Jerk as a threat to the world.  In fact, he had this to say:

“I consider the Trump administration a danger to the world,” the billionaire investor said in a speech from Davos, Switzerland. “But I regard it as a purely temporary phenomenon that will disappear in 2020, or even sooner.” He expects a Democratic “landslide” in the 2018 elections.

Well, now ain't that just a ducky thing to say? Don't you like the bit about 'even sooner.'  One wonders if George might know something.

And remember when I said there were 2 strikes against the Social Conservatives (Joel Osteen, failed Christian, and Roy Moore, sexual predator)?  Well the 3rd might have actually been Tony Perkins from the 'hate' group AFC giving the Idiot Jerk a pass on the porn star.  Talk about selling your soul to the devil.  But then all of this was to be expected.  Bad karma, you know?  And they thought getting the Idiot jerk elected was going to be a big bonus for them.

Dispose this

Well, here it is... Thursday.  The sun is out.  The temp is supposed to get up to 33 (F) today and get up into the 40's tomorrow.  In fact, for the rest of the month temps are supposed to range in the upper 30's to mid 40's.  Could it be that winter is nearly over?  Did I just curse North America?  We shall see.
For those who don't know, there was another surprise Democratic win on Tuesday night.  Republicans are... stunned, to say the least.  I keep wondering how can anybody be as dense as the GOP.  But then, thinking back, I realize that they have always been dumb shits, every since Reagan's landslide re-election.  Anyway, from what I hear, they're on the verge of rolling their eyes in panic, still totally incapable of understanding that the vast majority of Americans don't like either them, or their policies.
And how's this for shits and giggles?  Movie theater owners are concerned about shrinking ticket sales.  That's right, fewer people went to the movies last year... in spite of an increase in ticket costs.  Am I like the only one in the world to see a correlation there?  Cost goes up, attendance goes down?  And it's not just the cost of admission - refreshment prices are through the roof.  My friend Patty no longer hits the concession stand, refusing to pay $10 for a small popcorn and beverage.  Pricing in outrageous, especially when you consider the actual cost of the popcorn was... oh, say 20 cents... maybe it's the bag that makes it sooooo expensive.
But then everything is going to get more expensive, thanks to that great Tax Overhaul.  We're all going to have a lot more disposable income... right?  Everybody and their brother has plans to tap into that new wealth, how little it may be.  If you don't believe that every retailer in this great USA wasn't busy calculating how much this tax break would allow them to raise there costs... well, then you're probably a Republican.  That's one of the reasons the stock market is going through the roof.  Every one is anticipating how much more money they can get you to spend.  Once prices go up, they are not going to go back down.  This is American Capitalism.
I, myself, am thinking of getting a new laptop.  The Samsung I have is at least 5 years old.  The key's pop off and the left CTRL key is missing.  I'm trying to convince myself it would make a nice, downstairs computer.  True, the disposable income this stinko tax bill is going to give me will not pay for a new laptop.  So, the question is:  should I buy it now or wait until everything goes up in price?

Cycle this...

So, it's Monday morning and a lot of your are going back to work... not me.  I've taken your frown and turned it upside down.  Of course I do go back to work tomorrow, but only for a day.
Last night was our holiday / Christmas party.  In spite of not being a 'party' person, I went - free food, you know?  While I like a number of the people I work with, and enjoy their company when on the clock, I don't see any real need to socialize with them, if you know what I mean.  Parties do not meld associates together, rather they tend to emphasize their cliquish nature.  Those whom I wouldn't mind associating with tend to stay home, but, as I said there is free food.  It's a benefit, so take advantage.  I stayed for about 2 hours and then came home.
I saw where Eric Holder had told people to protest if the Idiot Jerk in the White House fires Mueller.  I think that will happen spontaneously.  A vast majority of America will rise up and kick the Idiot Jerk in the face.  Now, wouldn't that be enjoyable?  Doesn't it make you wonder if there isn't a secret wish among the majority for the Idiot Jerk to actually do this?  Think of the satisfaction we'd get.
There was this little article in Bloomberg which illustrates how the great Republican Tax Overhaul is going to benefit the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  Republicans don't understand how bad this is... because, how could they possibly do something so wrong?
Any way, I'm going to pick my new bike up today.  American Express is to smile on me for the next 3 months.  That's okay.  When they called to tell me I could pick it up, and I told them I'd most likely bring it home and put it on a trainer, they seemed surprised.  I'm a late spring, summer, and early fall cyclist.  I am not one of those guys who puts on thick, insulated spandex just so I can ride in the cold.

Not me!!!

The Mouse in the House

Well, here it is 3 days after my hernia repair and the surgical site looks... disgusting... there's nothing wrong, I was just expecting things to look... neater, not as bruised. My bits and pieces? My crank and nuts... what ever you want to call them?  All are hued with tints and tones of black and blue and look like I had a bad date with an octopus.  Anyway, these shades shall pass... eventually.  Just be thankful I'm not taking pictures.
I slept without meds last night, but did take a naproxin this AM because there is some ouchiness.
The dogs got a mouse this morning.  Yep, it's that winter mouse time of year, when I put out the traps and get a couple.  I always get them.  This one met his fate at the paws of either Big Seig or Lily.  I found him lying on the living room rug all mouthed up.  I don't know why, but dogs do seem to like running around with dead mice in their mouths.  He's out on the hill now, where he'll fertilize next year's weeds.
Yesterday the House of Representatives passed some sort of Tax overhaul thingy which isn't going to go anywhere, and of course they jumped around like teenage boys who'd just had their first orgasm.  And, of course, it's going to fail, and they are oblivious to the fact that this is going to happen.  At this point they are so out of touch with the American People, and they don't care.  They are desperately trying to prove that they can do at least one thing, even if it means proving they are failures.  Remember how they were going to write the ACA out of the books?  This is the same thing, and once again they're going to be doing it in a very public forum.  We're will need to endure about  3 weeks of blood and gore while the Republican carcasses slowly pile up.  The difference between them and the dead mouse I found this morning?  He will lead to growth, they will just stink to high heaven.
Oh, and bit of a blossom to their ever ripening bouquet.  The approval rating for the Idiot Jerk in the White House has reached a new low.  There are some funny comments here.  I like the one about it being Ground Hog Day again.

Is Roy Moore a Pederast?

Well, it's Veteran's Day and I, as a Vietnam Veteran, have to work to get paid.  Shall we talk about a paradox when it comes to celebrating who I am and what I did?
Anyway, as Roy Moore enters the Center Ring, we all know the show is just getting started.  He represents that narrow minded band of Crazy Christian Conservatives who hate everything that doesn't worship the ground they walk on.  As I said in a comment to Rozzie, he has no clue that this is the Karma (or Divine Retribution) he, himself has earned.  For years he has played God, using his far right, Crazy Christian beliefs to dole out justice.  I think everybody know by now that Roy is an Old Testament kind of guy; he loves the Ten Commandments, especially since there is none that says "Thou Shalt Not Lie Down With Children."  Back then people had no problem with Child Brides, but back then people were lucky if they lived into their 30's, especially women who were expected to make lots of babies.  An Op-Ed in the LA Times this morning hints that this may be the tip of the iceberg for Evangelicals.  Lying down with a 14 year old (whether male or female) and put that child's hand on your penis is no doubt part of the clinical definition of pederast.  The fact that he claims it never happened means... well, nothing.  With 4 other women claiming he 'hit' on them, one can only surmise this was standard operating procedure for him - if it was part of his SOP he wouldn't remember it since nothing memorable happened.  And, of course, the GOP has no idea how to handle this cluster fuck.  This is their End of Days.
Oh, and I saw that both Paul Ryan and Mitch McTurtle have both retracted statements regarding the GOP tax overhaul.  Evidently not everybody is going to get a tax cut.  Holy Crap! (like that's a surprise).  There are those in the Middle Class who might actually see their taxes go up.  Hhhmmm, this is not a good thing.
And did anybody see the pics of the 'informal' meeting between the Idiot Jerk in the White House and his BroMo buddy Vlad?  Since it wasn't 'official' they could pleasure each other without restraints... well, I don't know if that's true.  Vlad just be a 'handcuff' kind of guy.
To end on a bit of lighthearted note - my Mom's Hospice social worker called to tell me my Mom's getting married in 2 weeks... John, who lives in the other building.  Not that we would have a problem if she met someone... real, however there is no other building.

Republican Tax Charade

Well, today is day 3 of a 6 day stretch, then I have 2 days off in a row, and it's less than 2 weeks until my surgery.  I can't wait.  This morning I planned to put a half an hour on the bike (doesn't effect my core muscles... much) and discovered there was a firmware update.  They always take a while, so there was no ride today.
The Republicans released their fake tax overhaul yesterday and surprise, surprise, people are already saying it's pro-rich.  Oh, and in case you're wondering, approval for this sorry mess is relegated to core Republicans.  They will never learn.  They love Trickle Down economics because they get to give tax breaks to their wealthiest donors who don't use it to create more jobs.  Nope, they bank it, or plop it into safe investments.  As a co-worker of mine said, the rich are not going to suddenly increase their spending because they get a tax break.  They're not going to look for a start-up and say, "hey, the odds of you succeeding are poor, but let me give you money to hire people anyway."
They are saying that the average family should pay about $1860 less a year, which breaks down to around $36 per week.  Now I'm sure that Idiot Jerk supports are ecstatic about that figure since for them it's about... oh, 6 or 7 cases of beer (they only buy the good stuff, you know?).  The single personal deduction goes from $6000 to $12,000, and that sounds good... except you lose a $4700 personal exemption, which means you only get about a $1300 deduction increase.  This is the line item that's going to effect most single people.  However, if you look at least year's tax charts that $1300 deduction will net you about... a $360 tax break, or about $7 per week. Wow!
If you happen to be a single homeowner who itemizes, you can still deduct you mortgage interest, but not you state and local taxes (which includes school and property taxes).  That's a big chunk of change you can no longer deduct.  For me, here in Central Pa, that's a $4500 deduction I'm going to lose.  Oops, there it goes.
Anyway, I'm not really concerned about this tax charade.  Remember, we're dealing with the 'do-nothing party' here.  They always make a big 'to do' about their legislation and then it falls flat.  Expect nothing.
Oh, and the Idiot Jerk is leaving for Asia.  My guess would be they're terrified that the North Koreans are going to shoot off one of their long range missiles while he's there.  Oops, there he goes.