When you hit middle age you really only have two choices: you can get fat and lazy until you roll over and die, or you can can get off your ass and do something, like maybe ride a bike.
Bluntness
I've also been told I have little tact, so if this offends you simply ride on.
So, is today gong to be the last cold day for this winter? Right now it's 15 (F) outside. That's many degrees below normal for this time of year. Sometime tonight our warm-up is predicted to begin, with the thermometer climbing up into the 30s (F) tomorrow and the 40s (F) by Friday. Those temps will feel downright balmy.
Yesterday I began assembling the new filter for the big aquarium. The process was a bit frustrating because the assembly sheet that was included was not for my filter. Nope. The directions were for a much different filter, so assembly was achieved by looking at the picture on the front of the box.
I also had lunch with my cousin who at one time was a big Orange Anus supporter. Times have changed now that Social Security might be involved. She and her husband are in the FO stage.
Otherwise yesterday was pretty much a day of slack. Well, for the most part. I did do laundry, and hand wash the dishes. I'm going to be doing that more and using the dishwasher less. Water consumption, you know? Or maybe I should say water expense. This winter is going to be very expensive when it comes to my heating expense. To compensate I want to lower my water bill.
And then yesterday this was one of the many things that happened.
Of course, that was just one of a number shit show extravaganzas that happened. The Orange Anus called Vladimir Zelensky a dictator. Even conservative Ben Shapiro is calling that lie a lie. If I might, let me play the devil's advocate and say there's probably not a lot of cohesion in Orangie's brain right now, nothing more than random thoughts trying for put forth his blow bro Putin's talking points. Let's be honest here, he's a 78 year old man who'd rather just spend the rest of his sunset years cheating at golf. Sadly, that does appear to be what he's doing while Elonia runs the government.
Let me return to my cousin and her husband, they are aged Republicans who believe a lot of the GOP's propaganda. They are very concerned about their Social Security, and not in the inane Susan Collins way, where concern is a quick wrench of her thin fingers and a momentarily furrowed brow. They are worried, though rather than blame Orangie, their ire is directed at Elonia. They were almost joyous talking about the protests, telling me how they had watched thousands of people all over the country protesting Elonia. Being the kind spirit I am, I didn't let them know that those protests were against Orangie, too. If this continues, I wouldn't be surprised if it's the MAGA leopards who end up eating Elonia's face.
Tuesday. The day has started out bright and sunny, though cool. The temps outside are a brisk 28 (F). I find it funny that so many people regard this temperature as frigid, it isn't. Frigid is when we -5 (F). That's cold. We might get those temps once a year, or at least we used to, the last few years we've been trending towards much milder winters. Because this is happening slowly, many view these weather patterns as normal. In the grand scale of things, they indicate that in this part of the country things are warming up. Part of the problem is that people do not have very strong long term memories. These people are fine as long as they can go to a computer and look up last year's weather, but memory wise, when asked, they'll say the weather was warm without remembering any of the specifics. They don't remember if the temperature went below 0 (F). It didn't, at least not in my neck of the woods.
Retail yesterday was slow. I did manage to hit my goal of 2 measures for the week. A retired Registered Nurse is getting measure for both vinyl planks and blinds. She wasn't concerned about the cost. She didn't bat an eye when I told her the cost of one blind was going to be close to a thousand $$$. When she found out I had been in the Navy, she asked how my feet were. She specializes on veterans who suffer from foot neuropathy, mostly soldiers who served in Vietnam while the US was using Agent Orange. One of the multitude of problems that defoliant causes is nerve damage in the feet. I really feel bad for these seniors who served their country and now have problems simply walking.
I watched Leave the World Behind last evening, a new film playing on Netflix with Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali. It's a thriller about things going wrong, about people becoming allies, and a young girl's addiction to the TV show Friends. Some parts were very good, other parts were meant to make you ask questions, sometimes the latter work, and sometimes they don't. Here, I don't think they did, otherwise there wouldn't be people explaining the ending on YouTube.
Okay, so Jack Smith went straight to the Supreme Court about the Moral Degenerate's immunity claims, and they're going to rush it, meaning a decision probably by December 20. Trump's legal team is pissed, they wanted this to work its way up toe the Court slowly, taking a lot of time and creating those delays the Orange Anus loves so much. Now that's not going to happen. The true irony here is that if the Supreme Court decides in Trump's favor, it means that Joe Biden, our current president is immune as well, so he can do anything he wants. This is why many believe the Court is going to side with Jack Smith.
Down in Texas the state's Supreme Court sided with Ken Paxton, the Attorney General, in refusing to allow Kate Cox an abortion. The fetus has been diagnosed with a fatal syndrome, so it will either be born dead, or will die shortly after birth. Carrying the child to term also creates many health risks for the mother. And the state Court told this woman she can't get an abortion, she needs to carry a baby for nine months that will be born dead or die shortly after birth. Do these Conservatives even stop to consider the terrible message they are sending to American women? Or is it that they hold women so low on the ladder they just don't care?
Sometime last night a dusting of snow fell. The morning sun is going to melt it away pretty damn fast. That's fine. Except for that Cyclone Bomb that froze our tidily winks off back around Christmas, this winter's been more temperate than usual, at least here in Central PA. Everyone who pays a heating bill appreciates that.
Biggie has evidently decided he's no longer going to be sleeping on the bed. He's also decided that the new bed I bought him makes a decent pillow. Go figure. My biggest challenge is sleeping on more than an eighteen-inch wide strip at the edge of the bed. I'm making progress.
I baked a peach pie yesterday using some of the peaches I froze. It's... okay. I don't remember baking one before, and instead of looking at a recipe I sort of, well, winged it. It's tasty, but it doesn't really have a peachy flavor. I did mix in some walnuts because I like nuts. I think I'll use my remaining peaches to make cobblers, they're easier.
I saw where Maggie Green has suddenly disavowed her Qanon roots in favor of a new hairstyle that no longer has that trailer-trash look. Worry not, her new appearance belies the fact that she's still the hateful Margaret so many people detest.
And, in case you missed it, the fascists down in Brazil attempted their on January 6 event. The major differences between Trump's fete du jour and theirs? they chose coordinating colors, yellow and green, and whereas Trump sent his coup participants home with a blessing, over 400 were arrested down in Brazil. And where was wannabe dictator Jair Bolsonaro while this was happening? Why in Florida. In fact, I do believe he's visiting that other wannabe dictator Donald, the Orange Anus, Trump. How cozy.
The dysfunctional House of Representatives is set to vote on their rules and regulations today. They need 218 votes to get them passed. This is going to be interesting. They can only lose 7 votes, I believe. This is how you spell Deja Vu.
Finally, the State of Union is schedule for March 1. I'm of the opinion the first (notice I say first, here) indictment will fall well before that date. And the Moral Degenerate, Donald Trump, is not the only one who's going to be charged. This is why Jimmy Jordan, and the rest of that group who wanted pardons, is desperate to set up a subcommittee to find out where all of the investigations stand, especially those regarding their own traitorous asses.
Well hello, Friday, my day off. It's sunny here in Central PA, though cool, almost cold. The temp when I first checked was a very chilly 25 (F). There was frost on the car windows. Winter is only 3 weeks away. How cold will this year be? It's anybody's guess. Of course, the Climate Change nay sayers will call it hokum if the temps go really low. They will never understand, mostly, I suspect because it's too complicated.
My little laundry room cart arrives today. Truthfully, it's actually a bar cart. Tall, almost 34 inches high, with a shelf made for bottles of booze detergents, dryer sheets, and sundry cleaning supplies. It will have to be assembled; I don't mind. My first load of the day (bed sheets) has just been moved from the washer to the dryer. The washer uses between 12 and 14 gallons (roughly 48 litres), which is a big drop from the 25 + gallons my old washer used for each cycle.
Judge Aileen Cannon, the Trump appointee, got her comeuppance yesterday by the 11th Circuit when they said her ruling for a special master was shit. Well, they didn't quite say it was shit, but their wording implied their total dismay with her for even making such a decision. Could her impeachment be in the works? There's a possibility.
Kanye, the dotard, has been kicked off of Twitter. I haven't checked this morning to see how the Cracker Jack Crazies are taking it, but I suspect not too well. You see, when their definition of freedom of speech means they can go hardline hate and incite violence without any repercussions. I'm certain they're quite disappointed Elon has limits.
And Newt Gingrich has, as certain people say, the sadz. He's lamenting... wait, that word's a bit weak, Newtie is whining that Joe Bide is far more successful than Republicans thought he'd be. In an out turn of phrase, he compares Biden to both Eisenhower and Reagan. HOLY SHIT! Newtie is upset because the tactics he developed to attack both Clinton and Obama are not working. Biden is getting things accomplished, and he's doing so because Republicans are crossing the line. Uncle Joe's agenda is popular with Americans, and when Republicans vote against it they look terrible. Take yesterday, with the vote to avoid a rail strike Republicans did something good, but then they shit in their pants by voting to not give railroad workers sick pay. They gave all of those MAGA railroad workers what they Republicans think they deserve: nothing. And so Newt's lamenting. He says they need to change their tactics, of course, that would mean they'd need to come up with an agenda to help the average American, not big business. That ain't gonna happen any time soon.
Slept in again this morning , and not because I stayed up late. When the alarm clock went off this morning, I simply turned it off and rolled over. This is getting to be a bad habit, I think. Perhaps I'm going through the winter doldrums.
The temps might warm up into the mid-30's next week. This winter is colder than the last two. The snow and ice are non-relenting. The roads and sidewalks are clear, but crunchy, crusty, icy snow covers everything else.
My upstairs desk chair broke. The seat no longer stays at the height I want, sinking as low as it can go within in few minutes after I sit down. It's a gaming chair and a lot of gamers like sitting low to the ground, I don't. That's one of the reasons I drive an SUV, so my ass isn't riding a foot above the road. This means the search will soon begin for a new desk chair.
The Body in Repose is over half complete. The rewrite is going in fast. This is what it looks like, in case any of you are wondering. So, how important do you think the sentence, 'Bobby sat back in his chair and popped the top of another Anchor Beer,' is to the story? Hhhmmm
I saw where Ivanka Danka has been asked to testify before the January 6 committee. I'm wondering how much dirt they have on her that they can afford to 'ask.' Will she comply and turn the screws on her father? Well, let's be honest, she's a Trump so the only ass she's worried about is her own.
Finally, there's a lot of buzzy buzz going around that Clarence (my skin's only dark because of the bad lighting) Thomas was the only judge to vote against releasing Trump's communications from January 6 because his wife Ginni's name is going to figure prominently. For those who don't know, Ginni (my lighting is so much better than Clarence's) is an Evangelical Conservative Activist. One of the things I find interesting about the couple is that even though they've been married since 1987, they have no naturally born children, nor have they adopted any children, unlike Amy Coney Boney Barrett.
We are under a winter weather advisory until 1 PM today. They're predicting a little snow, from a dusting to possibly 2 inches with temps in the upper 30's. Tomorrow temps are supposed to hit the mid 40's (F), and on Wednesday the mid 50's (F). For some reason, I thought I had off tomorrow, well I was wrong. I'm off Wednesday. I can live with those temps on my day off.
The time has come to begin looking for Spring decorations for my Season Tree. That's right, the snowflakes and bears need to be packed away. One thing that will not be hanging from the boughs will be plastic Easter eggs. It's a seasonal tree, not a holiday tree. I might buy some four leaf clovers, not because of St Patty's day because I like green. Besides, St Patty's day is really just a good reason to drink beer and eat corned beef. As for ornaments, there are a lot like this:
My new, little desk is set to arrive tomorrow. Since I'm off Wednesday, that timing couldn't have been better.
And what about those electric bills some people in Texas are getting? Thousands of dollars. I got a hardy chuckle when I saw Republican legislatures from that state were saying the Federal government should help cover the cost. These are the same people who pushed for free market unregulated energy sales. No restrictions. Competition will keep prices low they claimed, an old Conservative chestnut which should have been thrown out years ago. Rather then the Federal Government, I believe those law makers should pay those bills out of their own paychecks. What really happened here is that they shit in their pants and now want someone else to clean up their mess.
They were forecasting snow for tonight and tomorrow, that's changed to a dash of snow and sleet with a decent splash of rain. I was rather hoping for the snow. We're a third of the way through winter and while we do get snows in March, the deep ones usually come in January and February. Here's an old picture of Lilly in the snow. This is what we want.
Rather than go for a run or a ride yesterday since I'd ridden 15 miles the day before, I went for a nice walk. Unfortunately, I forgot to take of the GPS which is what measures your distance and you don't go very far walking on a treadmill.
I saw where Rand Paul (yes, the one with the bad hair) was on Stephanopoulos yesterday singing that failed Republican ditty about voter fraud in the 2020 election. Can you smell the sour craving of a wannabe president oozing from his black heart? Someone should tell Rand the party is shrinking, not growing, as this bit from Penn Live shows. Tampa is reporting thousands have changed their Republican affiliation. This switch all over the country and was initiated by the January 6 riots, loyal Republicans disgusted with the direction of their party. This is the dying base Rand wants to tap into. Dumb Shit.
Yesterday was a good day for accomplishment. Many little chores were completed. I always feel good when that happens. I even took the dogs out for a walk since the temps were relatively warm. I have a sneaking suspicion this winter is going to turn out like last. For those who don't remember, December of 2019 was brittle and cold, and then we warmed up to comfortable fall temps for January and February. The arctic air stayed north. Even though I don't mind snow, I wouldn't mind another warm winter.
On our walks, the dogs and I pass what used to be a small Day Care Center which closed down over a year ago. Yesterday there were 2 vans in front, a plumber and a contractor... oh, and there was a sign that it is going to be the home of Hope Church. That made me pause because directly across the street is a very large Methodist Church. Then I realized that Methodists and Cracker Jack Crazy Evangelicals are basically 2 different groups trying to exist under the large umbrella of Christianity. I couldn't help but think about the best word of advice you can give to a fledgling business: Location, location, location. I'd say this was the equivalent of setting up a Mom & Pop convenience store next to a Target... or a Walmart. Ouch.
And I have myself set up to receive breaking news notifications. Truly, I was baffled yesterday to receive a notification yesterday that Lori Loughlin had been released from prison. I found it sad that a manipulating user like her deserved a headline, and even worse that some might even consider it important.
I heard whispers that the only reason the Idiot Jerk signed the relief package was because he received a call from a 'desperate Republican senatorial candidate from Georgia,' begging him to do so. I can not wait for this shithead to be flushed.
Yesterday I went for a run / jog somewhere in New Zealand. The scenery was nice... except for the steps. For some reason the decision was made to take a route that included many steps. Steps slow the runner with the camera down. That doesn't happen when you're on a treadmill. Anyway, since I didn't take a picture of the scenery, I decided to include one of how I ran / jogged. The colors are nice. You'll notice that the Blue is on top. I always new we blues were Tops.
Sunday, and winter is now half over. That sounds like I don't like the season, the cold and the snow. I do, the only problem is this year, here in Central PA, winter's been rather lackluster. No decent snow falls. We'll have a day when the temps drop, but the next day their back up in the mid 40's (F). The long range forecast is predicting we're going to have pretty much the same weather until we hit spring, at that point winter will probably kick in.
I saw where Frankie Graham was shrieking his gay hate because of Pete Buttegieg. This is to be expected since Frankie is an extremist. That's right, he's a religious fanatic, slovenly drunk on his own religious interpretation of Christianity. We all know what fanatical extremists do with their hatred, they fly planes into skyscrapers. You may not believe me, but it's true. Frankie doesn't deal with rejection well. He got hit with a whole bunch of rejection a week or so back when Evangelicals in the UK called him out for being what he is... a fanatical extremist. What really happened is that Frankie was given a Sign. He was warned. That pissed him off. How dare people tell him he is crazy? And nothing fires up his hate more than gay people, though I suspect brown, immigrant Catholics are probably not too far behind. Frankie needs to be taken off his soapbox. This is beginning to happen. That rejection from the UK is a good start.
On the lighter side of things, my Christmas Cactus is still blooming.
I thought this was like a season thing. Evidently it's not. Does anybody know how long it will continue to bloom? I mean, it started before Christmas.
Crap, here it is Thursday and I haven't even hit my Hump Day yet (insert my favorite 3 words).
I guess they are forecasting cold for the next 2 days and then another warm up. Very shortly, in just a day or two, we shall be halfway through our very mild winter. In this part of the country our temps usually hang around in the low to mid 30's, but not this year. We're averaging about 10 degrees (F) warmer than normal. This must be pissing the hell out of fuel companies. They can charge us as much as they want and so are not going to make their fiscal forecast. Oh... woe is me. If I was religious I'd say this was God's work, but I'm not. Fuel companies are blaming the Devil because he's keeping them from hitting plan. Think about that.
A funny thing about Bernie's win in New Hampshire. Evidently he scratched out his little victory because there were still too many candidates in the field. Looking at the voting stats, this just happens to be the case. What he really needs to do is thank Tulsi, and Uncle Joe, and Andrew, and Tom Steyer, you know who I'm talking about... the Centrist Candidates. Prepare yourselves, as more candidates drop out, the bitter Bernie face is going to return. The fact that he's running as a Democrat because the Independents don't want him, that independent candidates lose horrendously, shows a delusional old man desperately trying to feed his ego.
A note to the wise, don't believe the Idiot Jerk's propaganda machine. They're spewing out tons of garbage about how Democrats are ready to throw in the towel, how they fear the Idiot Jerk is going to win a second term. Well, that's bullshit. Of course, there are those out there saying "I don't know how we can beat him." If you're one of those who say that, you're doing exactly what they want you to do. Stop it. We need to all turn into scumbag busters. We do this by growing a backbone. Do not let a minority group dictate the way you live your life. Remember, this is not about voting for the candidate that rings your bell, it's about putting a stake in the heart of pure evil.
I mean, if I had to vote for my favorite candidate it would be for this guy right here:
Handsome, isn't he? Of course he'd make a terrible president. He'd give you whatever you want for a biscuit.
Saturday. It's difficult to tell if the store is going to be busy today or not... mostly because of the temps. We're supposed to hit 65 (F) and there is that group of non-thinking customers who fail to realize we still have a little over 2 months of winter ahead of us. Believe me when I tell you some moron is going to show up with a trailer and want to buy 15 bags of mulch... And then they'll complain (and there will be more than one) why isn't it on sale? And you can bet we'll have one or two asking when we're getting our tomato plants? Cause you know, tomorrow the temps will soar in the high 60's (F) again.
Starting tomorrow I'm off for 3 days. That will be nice. My first complete read through of "The Body in the Well" is going... well. The polishing starts, lines get tightened, and I start going through all of those little post-it notes, the ones reminding me certain points need to be made. If you go see "Knives Out," part of the set decoration was having quite a number post-it notes stuck to the wall above Christopher Plummer's writing desk. Might aren't on the wall. Mine aren't on a wall, they're on a pad on my desk. Believe me, they are very important. Here are some of them... now, the question you need to ask yourselves are these clues... or red herrings?
I saw where Mary Anne Dippy Do has dropped out of the campaign. The fact that she believed her message was going to win her the presidency is an indicator of just how far away she is from reality.
Oh, and the Idiot Jerk's campaign began heating up their attacks on Bernie. The truth is Bernie is a lot like Mary Anne Dippy Do, his supporters just don't realize it. Still, the more jibs and jabs the Idiot Jerk gets from different points is going to wear on his campaign. The Republican's Moral Degenerate in the White House doesn't deal well with attacks. He loses his cool. His obvious lies start announcing themselves with fireworks. Blatant stupidity is his Achilles Heel.
Yesterday got warmer than I was expecting. When I drove home from work the thermometer in my car had the temp at 55 (F). Bye bye snow. Officially we only have 26 more days of Winter. Now I don't mind winter, normally, but this year we seem to have had more ice than usual. Almost every snowfall we've had is followed by sleet and freezing rain. This past storm, we actually made the list on the Weather Channel (I saw it at work) with 1/4 inch of ice. The dogs hate ice. They don't know what it is. Their paws do not have biometric traction strips and so they will slide. Believe me, they are not graceful. And, just like humans, a fall can strain a joint or pull a muscle.
Yesterday Sixpence noted that the Idiot Jerk was jumping on board the 'Smollet hate wagon' while failing to mention the Coast Guard Lieutenant who had amassed a cache of guns and ammunition with the intent of killing Democrats and others. We all know from past Republican responses to shit like this, silence equals acceptance. I don't think a lot of Republicans realize just how much this man hates, and I'm talking about the Idiot Jerk. But then Republicans, themselves, are filled with hatred towards everything they cannot control. This is why they will lose. We do not live in a hive... or a nest. We are human beings.
And... of course, Mueller's report is almost ready to be turned into the Department of Justice. Many are talking about it. One of the words being bandied about in regard to the White House response is "bracing." That's not a good word when it comes to an investigation. When used as a verb, brace is indicative of something bad about to happen: you brace for a collusion... oh, wait, I mean collision. There's a lot of commentary out there on how much of the report is going to be made public. The Idiot Jerk in the White House wants it locked in its own little Pandora's Box. We know that will never happen. There will be leakers. When it comes to leaks, this administration is like the Titanic, after the iceberg. If you think the rats are jumping now, just wait. One thing you can bet on, the Idiot Jerk is not going to go down with his ship. Nah, he's going to be the old guy dressed as the fat chick in the lifeboat. You do know what they say about lifeboats, don't you? What happens in lifeboats stays in lifeboats... usually because almost everybody gets eaten.
I thought that for Earth Day I'd write a little something about the weather. Working for a retailer whose business depends largely upon the weather I do tend to hear a lot of comments about... the weather. If I had a nickle for every time I had to listen to a customer complain about how bad this past winter was I could buy a really nice bottle of wine. I'd really like to tell them they need to sit down at their computer and research the weather history for Central Pennsylvania. If they did, they'd discover that between 20 and 25 years ago things started getting a bit warmer. Back then, this was your standard winter. Instead, they seem to think that the winter before, the one of 2012, was normal. They don't seem to understand that past winter was the warmest we have every had since they've been keeping records. Days when the temperature rarely rose above the teens were, at one point, consider normal. Winter always included snow and ice, that's why it's called winter not late autumn or early spring. Because this was a BADwinter a lot of retailers, including the one I work for, ran out of silly little things... like salt and ice melt. In fact, people were buying 'water softener' salt to clear away their ice, even though that type of salt is not good for concrete. As a result, in a few years, when their sidewalks begin to crack, we'll be able to sell them Quikcrete.
Now, a day doesn't go by when I don't hear someone complaining how spring is late this year. They don't seem to understand the season is a transitional period. It is at this time of the year when the Earth begins tilting on it's axis. That's right, the Earth tilts back and forth. In the winter the norther latitudes are actually closer to the Sun then they are in the summer.... This is Earth Day, remember? If you are celebrating the planet you should understand the rotational process, how are orbit is actually elliptical. Too many believe the definition of Spring is "warm and sunny days." This is why we say 'April showers bring May flowers.' We are transitioning between the cold, crisp days of Winter and the steaming hot days of Summer.
Of course a number of retailers don't like this. They want Spring to turn on instantly, like turning on a light. They want to be able sell vast quantities of mulch, and soil, and grass seed, and they want to do it now. How well they do on Wall Street is a direct reflection of consumer's spending habits. How foolish to have your profitability depend upon a transitional period which may actually keep people inside. Today is Earth day and in Central Pennsylvania it is cool and rainy. Since it's my day off I would have preferred the weather to be nice and sunny. I do have yard work which needs to be done. However we are passing from a cold season to a warm season which means we're not always going to get what we want from the weather. Hey, it's Earth Day! Ain't it great to be on a green planet in the Goldilocks zone?
