The Grand Slam

 Today's forecast:  sunny and cool to middlin' warm, (that means we should top out temps in the mid 40s).  Tomorrow is supposed to be warmer.  I'm fine with that.  Last night was windy, other people's things blew into my yard.  I get more unmarked garbage than I will ever need that way.  Most of them don't come with their lids, so they get set out on the curb.

In the side yard of my neighbor's house, there is still a pile of stuff: books, curtains, table clothes.  I wandered over yesterday and picked up a small, rectangular baking dish I'm going to use for a starter pot for cardamon seeds.  Mostly, I was scanning to see if any of my books were in the stack.  I'd given him all 5.  Didn't see them, but then I didn't wade in, just sort of surfed around the edges.

The parts arrived to fix my treadmill yesterday.  I'm glad they were under warranty.  The treadmill was on sale when I originally paid $899 for it.  I timed my purchase right, and they deducted another $100 for a  coupon Horizon was offering.  Had I paid for these parts out of warranty, they'd have set my bank account back $1099.  Adding a little spice to this pricey mixture, were I to buy this same treadmill from Horizon today, I'd have to pay $999.  Cute, eh?  Parts $1099 vs treadmill $999.

So, did Fanni Willis recommend the Orange Anus be indicted for... well, racketeering?  I understand there are 18 names on the list, 18 individuals who quite possibly charged with violations of the law.  People are lot smarter than me seem to think she's going to hit a homerun with this one.  Lets be honest here, it's not so much who hits the homerun, whether it be Fanni or the DOJ, we just want to see Trump's ass get hit out of the park.  One of the big questions we have to ask is what would hurt the GOP more, Trump's document issue, or Trump's election fraud.

Personally, I'd rather see Fanni stepping into the batter's box.  I want to hear the crack of her bat as she nails his fat ass out of the park.  I want to hear all those Republicans in the House of Representatives, the ones who did not vote to certify the election, scream in agony.  That would be a win for the American people.  That would be a win for Democracy.  And, while Fanni's rounding 3rd, I'd like to see an indictment for the January 6 insurrection striding boldly into the batter's box.  That might be as close to a Grand Slam as we're going to get.

Do Republicans Prefer Premature Ejaculations

 Saturday for me = work.  Every Saturday.  Keep in mind, that my weekdays are for the most part free.  Tomorrow, I don't work.  I do work on Monday, but then I'm off until Saturday.  I no longer have anything called a weekend.  This is fine.  My hours might increase slightly as we approach Black Friday, but that's a temporary.

Biggie is more active off of his carprofen.  He was on that because it's an anti-inflammatory.  Like humans with arthritis, that inflammation is never going to go away, and it's the inflammation which causes the pain.  Dogs are like small children.  All they know is that it hurts.  The gabapentin's a pain blocker, which is what I'm more concerned about.  Believe me, I had no problem cancelling the refill on his carprofen.

An interesting thing about the cuckoo clock:  both dogs are fascinated by it.  They will stare at it when it cuckoos on the hour.  And when I pull down the heavy metal pine cones to wind it?  They are right there having what seems to be a holy shit moment.  I suspect it's the faint rattling sound of the chains moving over the gears.

I was sitting by Biggie on the writing room sofa yesterday, when Lily dropped the T-Rex she'd had in her mouth and plopped herself down on a cushion in front of us, (cushions never stay where they're placed).  That round, wooden box she seems to be looking at is, indeed, a hat box.  An old hat box.  The writing on the lid dates it to the first Grand Prix in Paris.  That's right, I'm using an antique as a toy box.

So, I saw where they are hand counting ballots in one Nevada voting district because the Moral Degenerate, also known as the World's Biggest Loser, Donald J. Trump, continues to shriek about voter fraud.  In Arizona, a Federal judge is permitting MAGA dimwits to monitor drop boxes because... you guessed it, many Republicans believe they lost because of voter fraud.  The reality that there are many Americans who don't like their politics, who see them as liars and phonies, is a reality they simply can't grasp.  This demonstrates how poorly they actually fit into society.  What these people want is instant gratification.  They want to win, and they want to win early.  Honestly, I don't doubt for a second that this is how they approach sex.  Hot and now.  Quick, like a bunny, you know?  Premature ejaculations give them everything they want in seconds flat.  Why wait when a wham, bam, thank you man, or mam, satisfies their needs?  I don't doubt that many believe their 2nd amendment rights entitle them to being a quick draw.  Now, I've never read Stormy Daniels' book, so if anyone out there has, does she mention if Trump's a rapid shooter?   

A Serendipitous Tour

 Thursday.  I work.  For a full 8 hours shift.  Luckily, I start an hour early, which means I leave work at 1800, rather than 1900.  I'm fine with that.

And yesterday was one of those days when I got a lot done: mowed the lawn, couple loads of laundry, worked on the tank in the living room, played some Elden Ring.  Oh, and I did 2.25 miles on the treadmill.  I increased the weight in the spats by 1 pound on each foot, and my left knee was achy last night, so I'll probably drop it back down for a bit.  And, speaking of walking, I perused this article in the NYT this morning. Very Interesting.  Like the scientists involved in the study, I, too, would have thought dancing would have had more of an impact than just walking.

I went to see the latest Jurassic Park movie last night.  It started off a little clunky as the old cast members were reintroduced and the romance between Laura Dern and Sam Neil seemed forced, but the movie turned out to be far better than I was expecting.  Jeff Goldblum had the best lines.  In the last few Jurassic movies, action scenes seemed to take place because one of the writers said, "we need an action scene here."  In Jurassic World - Dominion, action scenes are integral to the plot, now, isn't that a nice surprise?

The January 6 committee is having their 3rd public hearing this morning and (crap, crap, carp) I have to work.  Was anyone surprised yesterday when they released video of Rep. Loudermilk (R) taking a group of people on a tour January 5?  I wasn't.  How about that gent taking pictures of staircases and hallways?  Rather serendipitous, wouldn't you say, since he happened to be one those marching to the capital the very next day.  At first Loudermilk said the tour was for family, and then he said it was for family and friends, and then he changed his story to say it was for family, friends, and friends of friends (or something to that effect).  You do know that the Republicans pulled this shit because they thought they were going to get away with it.  Now they're running around trying to coverup their shitty asses.  

Finally, it seems as though the GOP is going to escalate 'voter fraud' into being their most favorite dead horse to kick.  Pay close attention to what's happening in Nevada.  Losing candidate Joey Gilbert is already stomping away because he won in so many counties, though lost bigly in Clark county, which gave Lombardo the win... by 11%.  Ouch.

Trailer Trash Royalty

My mini-vacation begins today.  Well, I suppose you could call it a mini-vacation.  I don't have to go to the store.  That's always a good thing.  Even though we're heading into our busy season, I will admit that yesterday, for a Monday, was very slow.  At one point, just like on a late Sunday afternoon, there were probably on 15 customers in the store.

Before I left work, I picked up some dahlias to plant out front.  They will be replacing the tulips.

The window A/C unit I bought for the workout / computer room will be arriving today.  The temps are forecast to stay in the 40's (F), so I'll keep it boxed until later in the week when once again they'll climb into the 50's (F).

And I have to ask, of all the losers who aligned themselves with Trump, am I the only one surprised to find out that Mark Meadows is Trailer Trash Royalty?

For those who don't know, this is the mobile home Mark (I'm really more trashy than I look) Meadows listed on his voter registration as his residence.  This is the North Carolina address he was living at when he voted in the General Election.  His wife was living here, too, when she voted in a run-off election as well as the General Election.  Of course, we know this isn't true.  Of course, being both a conservative and working for the Orange Anus, I don't doubt for a minute that Mark and his wife thought they were 'special.'  This is a terribly large problem with conservatives.  They don't really know their place in the world.  The fact that Meadows, being a crony of corruption, sipped from the Kool-Aid of voter fraud should come as a surprise to no one.  Every cohort of Trump is suspect.

Vote By Mail

 So, here it is, Saturday.  For us, here in Central PA, the cyclone bomb was a bust, barely a dusting, though we do have wind the the temperatures have dropped.  Today's high is expected to be around 23 (F).  That's cold.

I am sitting in my new desk chair as I write this.  Clipping my nails.  I'm just about finished, all I need now is to soften the edges with an emery board.  You know what I'm talking about, those cardboard nail files.  Interesting note, I need to keep them up on a shelf.  If Biggie gets a hold of one, he'll eat it.  What can I say.  He will also eat paper towels and tissues, given the chance.

Here's a pic of the new chair, manufactured by Steelcase.  Tres comfy.  Interesting point:  one of the reviewers gave it 2 stars claiming it was difficult to assemble.  That person must not be very mechanically inclined.  The chair was pretty much assembled upon arrival.  Nothing had to be bolted or screwed together.  It took all of... maybe, 2 minutes.

For those who didn't hear, a court struck down Pennsylvania's mail-in voting yesterday.  It's a Republican judge, in case you hadn't guessed, and the suit against the law was pursued by Republicans For the Big Lie.  As you might expect, the Orange Anus cheered.  The ruling says the state constitution needs to be amended to provide for mail-in voting which will never happen because Republicans have a majority in the state legislature.  Honestly, I've never seen such a level of stupidity.  You see, if you're in the military and stationed anywhere else in the world, you can no longer vote by mail.  That's right.  You need to use leave time and fly home to Pennsylvania just to vote on election day.  Of course, by the same token, if you're a Republican living in The Villages who also maintains a house up here in Pennsylvania, you can no longer vote twice... because that is the only voter fraud they've discovered.  Oh, and in case you are wondering, appeals are underway.

Fitting myself up with a new bike

So, I get to go back to work today.  Can you tell how excited I am?
My brother, who vacationing with all of his kids down in North Carolina texted me, asking when my surgery is going to be.  I told him that I didn't know.  They will call and give me a couple of dates, until them it's just a waiting game.  If anything happens before then, I'll go to the new Pinnacle Health West Shore Hospital, which is about 2 miles away.  That might actually suit me better since it's close to home.
Yesterday I went to the World Cup Ski and Cycling store in Camp Hill and made an appointment to get fitted for a new bike.  My old bike would be fine if my legs were about 2 inches longer, unfortunately, even though my legs are rather shapely, they're on the short side.  How short?  I have a 28.5 inch inseam.  Buying pants has always been a bitch.  This means both my torso and my arms are longer.
Anyway, I'm looking at getting another Cannondale, moderately priced, of course, which means I'm not going to spend $5000 on a bike.  However, this dealer also handles Pinarello bikes and let me tell you, they are nothing to slouch at.  Imported from Italy, they are a bit pricier, but I put them on the same level as Cervellos.  So, what I'm really hoping for is that my surgery doesn't happen, and nothing pops out, before next Tuesday.

This one

Or maybe?

This one

The Pinarello is about $300 more... but it is red.

However, that decision isn't going to be made for about 3 or 4 weeks, not until after the surgery and things are healing.  I mean, why would I buy a bicycle which I'm not going to be able to ride?

And I see where the Idiot Jerk is sending some sort of voter fraud commission to New Hampshire.  For years the GOP has been shrieking about voter fraud, and do you know why?  They are so full of themselves they just can't believe they are, in fact, the minority party.  This means that when they lose an election the only viable reason is voter fraud, fake votes.  These claims will continue until the party gets voted out of existence.  End of story.

Nature has a way

Good thing I looked at my schedule, for some reason  thought I was in a 7 day stretch... that doesn't happen until next week.  This week my weekend is Thursday and Friday, and while I don't have those 2 days chock full of chores, I suspect I will end up being very busy.  Next weekend I'm supposed to go 'white water rafting' (notice the lack of enthusiasm in my tone) with my brother and some of his children.  His youngest is 22 so it's not like they're little kids.  The problem is that he thought it would be great if we all stayed over night camping out... and I don't camp... at all.  So, I'm not staying overnight.  Neither is my nephew Gordie, who's wife isn't going at all, which means he and I will drive out to Pittsburgh in the AM, do the rafting bit, and then drive back to Harrisburg.  I'm sure he and I will spend many hours deriding his father's politics since Gordie and his wife are maximum progressives.
I can remember, a long time ago mind you, hearing Chris Matthews saying that the Republican Party was on it's way to being a regionalized party which is something I've also been saying for a very, very long time.  And, as always, the Republican Party is harping about Voter Fraud, and they're trying to change the rules, to eliminate certain voters.  Now when pressed, those Republicans pursuing this may, if you're lucky, give one example of one or two voters and that's all.  There really isn't a lot of voter fraud... well, there was that time that peroxide blonde Ann Coulter didn't change her voting address and voted in the wrong precinct.  However, if you look at those states trying to pass voter ID laws it is a regionalized effort.

See, they all live in Idiot Land, or at least the vast majority of them are, and these are also states in which the pure white population is on the slow decline.  This is how life evolves.  The dominant gene pool is winning out.  And that's a reality that totally blows their concept of America out of the water, that it's not going to end up white and... Evangelical.  They are trying to build their own wall, but, as Jeff Goldblum said in Jurassic Park "Nature has a way of going around it...." or, it was something like that, and we know Republicans don't understand Nature at all.