Zeus's Law

 The current temp is 71 (F).  If you're in Central PA, you can plan for an afternoon high in the mid to upper 80s (F).  There are storms in the forecast, too, but I'm thinking they'll not be nearly as severe as those that most recently swept through the area.  The day time highs have not been scorching us with 3 digits of Fahrenheit, and so we're not sitting on a hotplate waiting for a cold front to smash to pieces.  Once the cooler air passes through, we will still have daily highs in the low to mid 80s (F).  Most of the summer might not turn out to be so bad after all, at least not  in Central PA.

I spent a full shift in the flooring department yesterday and business was exceedingly slow.  Other departments were busy, but mine was not.  Traditionally, installations slow down during this time of year.  For me the most exciting thing was sending a rather heated email to our measurement services.  I set up a measure for a hardwood installation back in late May and the customer was measured in early June.  The quote came in at a cost much higher than the customer was expecting, so the quote was canceled.  On June 27, someone named Michelle noted that the sale was "lost because of price."  On July 25, someone named Judith from our measurement services reopened the quote. In addition to leaving a voice mail for the customer, she sent 2 texts and an email to this customer.  So, I emailed measurement services and asked at what point does customer service end and customer harassment begin?

My wood chipper arrived yesterday and will be assembled after this morning's workout.

I have an eggplant!  And there's more than one!!  I can see a pan of moussaka in my future.  

So, ticket sales for The Odyssey have grossed over $639.  This is unprecedented.  This is in 2 weeks.  In the US the film has an R rating and films rated R never, ever generate ticket sales of this magnitude.  Why?  I suspect Elonia Musk's Nazi tirade about a black Helen of Troy may have started things off.  Another factor is probably a fascination with ancient Greece.  So many of the words we use, no matter what language you speak, have Greek origins.  Democracy originated in Greece and all citizens, as Bob likes to say, "went out and cast a damn vote!"  The Odyssey is an anti-war movie and I do believe now, more than ever, many, many people around the world are simply fed up with war.  And I can't forget to mention that the film is, as many conservatives shriek, Woke.  Anne Hathaway claiming, "I've been sitting on an empty throne for 20 years!" hits the audience like a sucker punch.  And, of course, the movie is about Zeus's Law, where all strangers are welcome.  What happens when you break Zeus's Law?  Maybe you should ask Polyphemus. Is this why Zeus stayed Poseidon's hand?

Ticket This

 Today is going to be a repeat of yesterday with our high temp in the mid 80s (F).  We may get an isolated thunderstorm, however nothing like what we've dealt with over the past 2 weeks.  On the long range forecast our daytime highs are staying in the mid 80s (F).  Take warning, though, there is another heat dome moving across the country.  Right now that sucker looks to be skimming past us to the south, so though of you in the southern states prepare yourselves.  This summer is only halfway over.

And I worked yesterday.  I didn't get a measure, a lead or a credit card.  My sales for this week are dismal.  That's okay.  I'm part-time.  My value comes in that I can work in at least one other department:  paint.  For the next 2 Saturdays that's where I'll be spending my time.  Honestly, there are times when I prefer working in paint.  For one thing, the paint department is almost always steady.  When it comes to redecorating you home, paint a room a new color is a lot less expensive than installing new flooring.  As the economy continues to slide in the wrong direction, the paint department is going to become very important.

Someone commented on another blog that I was reading that they'd heard Universal Studios was buying tickets to The Odyssey to make sales look good.  Being the straightforward, no nonsense person I am, I called this falsehood a... well, a lie.  Unfortunately, a lot of MAGA cultists are repeating this same deceit.  These people simply refuse to believe that film with a black Helen of Troy and transgender man can make money.  They don't understand that a movie that is "woke," can be a box office hit.  They said the same thing for "The Hail Mary Project." This is a minority group of people terrified that they are losing the culture wars.  So, this is me sticking them in the eye.  Here's The Odyssey's ticket sales from Box Office Mojo.  That 47% increase for  Friday's sales means that not only are people going to see this movie, they're chatting it up among their friends.