Affordability

Saturday!  We've got a bit of a breeze outside and, because a small cold front moved through the area last night, temps are going to be a bit cooler than yesterday's high of 63 (F).  This is fine.  We are, after all, heading right into the middle of Spring.  And that small cold front?  It brought with it a smattering of rain, that's good at this time of year.  Fill up the aquifers.  Summer is coming, and we don't want to have to deal with any drought warnings should the temps rise and hang above normal.

Yesterday was a meh day.  I was supposed to go for a ride and canceled.  My quad is still a bit achy.  Rather than exacerbate a slightly painful situation, I thought it better to sit back and take it easy.  Since no workouts are scheduled for today and tomorrow, this will be a lite weekend.  There's nothing wrong with that.

I did put in my bereavement request yesterday.  This afternoon, when I'm at work I'll check and see if they will actually pay me to take off for the death of my aunt.  When I worked for International Paper, immediate family was mother, father, sister and brother, though the Orange retailer is different, though I don't know if they'll still that different.  

And the Orange Anus spoke at The Villages yesterday.  Some of the Main Stream Media said that this was his return to the public spotlight after the staged incident at the Washington Hilton.  This is deceitful.  His ego requires his face be on some screen each and every day.  He did rant yesterday in what some of the Main Stream Media called a "profane speech."  It's about time.  The profanity?  He claims that the affordability crisis is Democratic bullshit.  Of course, if you're a billionaire there's no problem.

He also terminated the war with Iran yesterday.  Yes, that's the word he used:  terminated.  He must think that he's on some sort of presidential reality TV Show.  I don't doubt if a day doesn't go by without him asking at least one member of his staff if he's gotten his Emmy nomination yet.  Unfortunately, he's in no position to terminate anything, though he's trying daily.  He wants to terminate every policy that helps to provide a safety net for the American problem.  In case you have realized it yet, no one makes money with safety nets.  He needs those seniors at The villages to dig even deeper into their savings to pay for their Medicare.  His answer to high prices is credit.  You can afford to fill you car with gas as long as you put that charge on a credit card.  He and his billionaire buddies don't care if you struggle to pay the bill, it's not about your struggling, it's all about them hitting their profit margin.

Tunnel Vision

Outside the sun is shining brightly on Central PA.  The temps are a bit cool, sitting at a chilly 52 (F), but this afternoon things are going to be warming up.  Forecasters are telling us that we should be hitting the mid 60s (F).  This is Spring.  It's May day.  Summer is only a month and a half away.  I can't wait.

Retail was very slow yesterday.  We might have missed our plan by $100,000.  Wow!  That's a very serious dollar amount to be off.  Is it the economy?  I'd say yes.  One of my tile installs came in to go over her quote.  Some things were cut out to bring the price down.  She did not buy.  She told me that she's waiting on one more quote to come in.  She also asked if we were going to be lower than that quote.  If she thinks we're going to price match, she's wrong.  She did seem pleased when I told her that even though product prices might go up, the quote was good for a year.  I got the idea that she's planning on waiting about a month to make a decision.  

Otherwise, yesterday was pretty meh. 

My aunt's funeral is on Monday, so this morning I put in a bereavement request.  I can't remember if we get bereavement pay for aunts and uncles, though for some reason I think you do.  I think the Orange retailer I work for considers them part of your immediate family.

My friend Chris, from Greece, is in the Himalayas.  He sent this picture with a comment about it being more than 999 steps.  This is in reference to the staircase up the side of a cliff in Palamidi, Greece.

Evidently Scott Jennings, a cultist on CNN is taking a short break.  He announced this on Monday, and then last evening dropped the F bomb against Adam Mockler, a young, outspoken Liberal on TV.  People are calling for his break to be made permanent.  We shall see.

And in their haste to destroy the Voting Rights Act, the conservatives on the Supreme Court failed to look at how easily Democrats might turn it into an advantage.  This is because conservatives live for tunnel vision.  There is no big picture for them, just that tiny pinprick of reality at the end of the tunnel.  The fact that Blue states could do exactly what they want the Red states to do never occurred to them.  But then this has always been a problem with Conservatives.  They're only interested in how the policies they live for will effect themselves.  The fact that those same policies might be weaponized against them never reaches the state of a cohesive thought.  I don't doubt that it bumbles around in their brains like some nebulous incredulity, as they scratch their heads curiously saying, "what?"