Clair Obscur

 It's Wednesday and the outside temps are in the mid 60s (F), they will warm up this afternoon, though they won't climb into the 80s (F) the way yesterday's temps did.  Overall, yesterday was splendid.  Today's shaping up to be splendid, too, just a little cooler.

So much was accomplished yesterday.   My raised bed bucket garden is almost complete, the only problem being I didn't buy enough top soil.  I thought 2 bags would be enough, well, I thought wrong.  I'm going to need to pick up at least 3 more.  Also, it seems as though I was mistaken about those seeds I planted.  I thought the pepper seeds had sprouted, not, as they've grown, I've realized it was the tomato seeds that started growing.  This means that hopefully, I will have lots of tomatoes this year.  I have no problem with that, I can always dry them.

Usually, after working the weekend, Tuesdays are used for relaxing.  That was not the case yesterday.  Today is going to be the meh day, mostly because I stayed up late,  I've been playing Avowed, and I, as gamers say, "I beat the game."  The combat was fun, the story interesting, but I will admit that I'm glad to have finished it.   At this point I have no desire to play it again.  I was not overly enthused with the companions; they all talked way too much and I didn't really care about their backstories.  

I am starting a new game this evening:  Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.  It's a turn based RPG by a French studio.  I can't wait to see if it's as interesting as it looks.  Once a year, the paintress awakens to inscribe a number on a monolith.  If your age matches that number, you will die that year.  Hhhhmm.

And the Orange Anus has been in office for 100 days, and while he is not universally despised, those days are coming.  He had a rally in Michigan in which he spewed out pure hatred, you know, the usual blame game pointing dirty fingers at everyone except himself.  More and more, however, it seems as though the Main Stream Media is calling him out, asking him about his lies.  You see they are more concerned about the clicks, so if confronting him and calling him out earns them more clicks, that's what they're going to give the general public.  Even, on occasion, Fox Entertainment is beginning to do this because Rupert is more concerned about the coin than kissing his ass.

I saw where UPS is planning on laying off 20,000 because of Orangie's tariffs.  Don't worry, there are more to come, and not just UPS.  One of the things that surprises me is that so many people don't understand how trade has become so globalized.   They don't know that the tomatoes that make ketchup come from Mexico, or that it's more lucrative to export our wheat than sell it to ourselves, so the wheat in your hamburger bun may come from Canada.  Anyone who believes we should be completely self-sufficient doesn't understand the business end of things, and at this point it's nearly impossible to change without crushing the world's economy.

Fetterman vs Perry

Today's temps are predicted to climb into the mid 80s (F) and only a few clouds will scuttle across the sky to hid the sun making the day rather summer like.  Tomorrow temps are supposed to drop back into the mid 70s (F), which is still fine by me.

Yesterday was fairly productive with some yardwork being done, but mostly in my arrangement of a bucket garden for veggies.  I have a puppy who loves his peat pots, everything will need to be raised higher than his head.  To do this, I'll be using cinder blocks to lift up what had been the base of my treadmill.  The buckets, which I picked up at the store, will be sitting on the running platform. Because the platform is made of OSB, I'll probably replace it with tile.  I will post a picture when it's complete.

Scheduling was lite yesterday in the Flooring Dept.  I was the only specialist scheduled, so when I left at 7 there was no one at the desk for the rest of the night.  A couple came in around 10 minutes before I was set to leave and I helped them, staying later than I had been scheduled.  They could alleviate this issue by hiring a part-time specialist to work evenings, but that would mean additional payroll expense and corporate would prefer inferior customer service rather than take on additional payroll cost.

And, as I said, Cori gave me the cover art for The Body in History yesterday.  And, as usual, here is a pic of the back.  

I use a credit union rather than a bank, and the House of Representatives is looking at legislation which will impose certain fees on credit unions, fees which would be passed on to customers since the Federal Government desperately needs to find revenue to pay for the Billionaire Tax Cut.  Because of this, I sent letters urging both my congressmen and senators to vote against this legislation.  I received a nice response on Senate letterhead from Fetterman, and even though he's been somewhat of a joke here lately, his official response was positive.  Scott Perry, on the other hand, replied with a generic email that was not on House letterhead, an unofficial response telling me to fuck off, in somewhat more polite language.  I filed Fetterman's response, however I replied to Perry: 

"What, no letterhead?  This is one of the many reasons I didn't vote for you.  I suspect that in an attempt to avoid getting arrested for treason, you will end up relocating to Russia, where you will buy a beet farm so you can eat your own borscht."

Since his response did not originate from an official email account, I'm certain my response will be circular filed, as we used to say in accounting.

The Discussion and the Cultist

 Crap, can you believe it?  Another Monday has arrived.  This past weekend seemed to skip by me.  But than, of course, you have to remember that weekend starts tomorrow, an the weather's supposed to be very nice.  Temps are on the cool side right now with the current temp being 52 (F).  It will be climbing up into the mid 70s (F) this afternoon.  Tomorrow afternoon is predicted to be warmer.

And, as has been the case, yesterday was a boring day at work.  I had to sit at the Lead Generating table and, shock of shocks, I actually signed up a customer for a free consultation on purchasing a shed.  Management  was happy.  I checked yesterday and this lead generation push has created over 140 leads, however, upon closer examination, only a very small number (2) have actually led to appointments being made.  This has always been the problem.  People will sign up for a free consultation but then, after they get home and spend some time thinking about their project, will change their minds.  These are the wise ones who realize that going through with whatever they've signed up for will most likely lead to "buyer's remorse."  And, to be honest, none of the people scheduled to be talking to customers at that table want to be there, so they don't really do what they're supposed to be doing.

I'm picking up the cover art for The Body in History today, so a select few of you should be getting an email.  Since it's too early to post images of the final product, I thought I post this pic of the Castalian  spring, one of the settings in the book.  Now if only I had managed to get seven little goats into the picture.

As is usually the case, yesterday was a slow news cycle in regard to the Orange Anus, but never fear, he has some sort of news conference scheduled for this morning because a day can not go by without his fascist face in front of a camera spewing out hate and discord.  I had an interesting conversation yesterday with several associates and the main topic was the supreme amount of chaos he has painfully injected into common, everyday life.  His evil is pervasive.  When you have a Republican horse's ass like Kennedy from Louisiana complaining about how easily Putin twists Orangie around his finger it's bad.  We discussed how easily Hitler had taken over Germany, though there is a striking difference, all of Germany believed Adolph while here in the states it's only the Republican Party.  We talked about how Orangie and his cult following are embracing white supremacy.  And, while this conversation was taking place, one of his cultists in a MAGA hat and driving motorized wheelchair drove by us.  None of us said a word, simply stared as he slowly moved past us and he frowned at us.  He knew all of us were hating his little red hat and what it represented.  This was good.  Let them know they are despised.  If this cultists is pissed now, wait until Organie dismantles Medicare and he loses his motorized chair.

What Not to Wear

 So, is today going to be funday Sunday?  Nah, at least not for me.  Temps outside are on the cool side, nestling down in the low 40s (F).  My heat kicked on, that's how chilly it is, and our high today might make it into the low 70s (F). I have to spend 8 hours at the store today, nothing else is planned.  The only good thing is that because I start early, I get to leave early.

I also get to sit at the silly Lead Table today attempting to get customers to sign up for a free home consultation on heating and air conditioning systems, window installations, bathroom remodels, you know the big ticket items most people are starting to avoid because of the economy.  I don't doubt that our garden center will be busy, but the rest of the store?  Probably not so much.  That's how it was yesterday, and Saturdays are our busiest day of the week.

Because I'd looked at the weather forecast before I went to work, I knew that temps were going to be falling so I wore a long sleeved shirt.  That was good because when I walked through the parking lot to get to my car the outside temps were sitting at 61 (F).  Isn't it nice that I, like most of us, know what to wear.  Sadly, there are buffoons around us who will never know what to wear, like the Orange Anus.  Here's a pic of him yesterday at Pope Francis' funeral where protocol says the appropriate attire is black.  Blue, and not a nice, dark Navy Blue.  Nope, he had to go bright so the world would pay attention to him.  Not only did he dress inappropriately, he also fiddle with his phone, popped a stick of gum into his mouth, and then took a little nap, all the while sitting in the front row for the entire world to see.

Can you hear me laughing at him?  I saw some joker saying surely his staff must have gotten the email regarding attire and had to shake my head.  Of course his people were told what was appropriate.  Wearing black, he would have blended in... somewhat, his Oompa Loompa orange face would have made him stand out, but barely.  He wanted every eye in the world to be on him, so he wore a blue suit and blue tie, and he looked like a fool.  He was called out during the homily, where the Pope was a man who wanted to build bridges, not walls, the reference being to Orangie's failed border wall.

I'm suspecting that his disdain for protocol will show up in his approval ratings this week as all of those Catholics who voted for him realize he sees them as nothing more than tools.

The Tiny Bit of Joy

 Well, a dreary Saturday is upon us.  Temps are only suppose to rise into the mid 70s (F).  Rain and thunderstorms are also expected this morning.  Yesterday's sun began hiding behind clouds in the early afternoon, and drizzles began in the early evening.  They've been continuing ever since.  Tomorrow should be a mite nicer, but I work, so there will be little time for yardwork.

While I feel as though little was accomplished yesterday, as I think back, I have to admit that is wrong.  A large section of the weeds, sticks, and branches by my neighbor's garage was cleared out. I'm going to plant something there that can spend time in the shade. I planted 6 flowering plants in front of the porch since that area is also in shade, if they grow, I'll consider planting more next to the garage.  

The big aquarium was also cleaned. 

Some work was done on The Body in History.  I'm looking at the middle of May for publishing it.  Sometime next week I should be getting the cover art.  I'm nervous/curious about that.  Usually I get to see rough sketches, this time that hasn't happened, though Cori has been asking me lots of questions.  

The Pope's funeral is today.  I saw pictures of the crowd, it's massive.  The Orange Anus was relegated to the 3rd row.  Don't worry, I'm sure he'll brag about how his crowds were larger.

I did see a few pictures of he and Zelensky sitting in chairs supposedly having one on one negotiations.  I guess some people might be impressed, the dolts and dummies that make up his base.  I don't doubt the rest of the world sees this as nothing more than a photo op, hence no picture in today's blog.  Zelensky knows exactly what kind of idiot he's dealing with, as does the rest of the world.

 Remember during Covid how the Orange Anus spent an hour or so every afternoon splashing his face across TV screens as he gave completely unnecessary updates?  Well, he's still playing those daily gigs, though now he's not talking about Covid.  Now he takes softball questions from allies in the press corps which let his diarrhea run for endless stretches of time.  Everything out of his mouth is a lie that only cultists can believe.  He loves every minutes that the cameras are on him.  His lies become more and more outrageous, recycling old bits and pieces of deceit.  You do know, his sycophants keep telling him his approval ratings are the best.  I don't know about you, but every time the truth catches up with him, as with his complaint about Fox Entertainment talking about his terrible approval rating, a tiny bit of joy surges into my heart and and I cannot stop myself from smiling.

The Goddess of War

 Well, here we are at the end of the work week.  Friday.  I will have Friday's off from here into perpetuity.  Believe me when I say it's so nice to say that.  To celebrate, Mother Nature has given me nice weather, with afternoon temps reaching into the upper 70s (F).  Surprisingly, the forecasters are calling for a cool down in a few days.  Then the afternoon temps will reach into the upper 60s (F), to low 70s (F).  Since we haven't had rain for a few days, we're under a fire watch.  In fact, there are several wildfires burning out near Shippensburg, that's about 45 miles away.

Retail yesterday was successful, measure wise, I got 3, though one shouldn't really count because I made a mistake and asked corporate to update a customers information.  They did, however in doing so they broke the link to the quote and the 2 systems stopped communicating.  We used to have an old Legacy system that did everything and worked well, but what good is software that can't be updated?  Now we have Design Builder for doors, windows, and blinds, HDMS for flooring and back splashes, and Order Up where quotes are built, changed, and paid for, and, as you might suspect, there was zero training because... well, I suppose that would be too much of an added expense.  We were actually told that tenured employees might have problems dealing with the new systems, however new learning them from scratch would do just fine.  Not surprising, even the new employees hate the system.

Did you know that Athena carried both a sword and a shield because she was the goddess of war?

Tell me, has anyone figured out what's going on with the tariffs?  I do not think this is intentional, rather this is what happens when you a bunch of blithering billionaires who are all trying to out-manage each other as they fail to run the country.  The United States cannot be run as a business.

Yesterday Reuters/IPSOs poll had only 37% of Americans thinking that the Orange Anus was doing a good job of handling the economy.  It that's true, that's base Republicans 28% and some idiot Independents who are too focused on their greed to understand how incompetent Orangie is at handing the economy.  According to Fox Entertainment, his approval rating is down to 44%, I think that's too high, but then again this did come from Fox, an, as expected, Orangie got all hissy.  To be honest, all he wants to do is play golf poorly and sign Executive Orders as though they were decrees.  And, in case you're wondering, it's only going to get worse.

The Amateur

 Today's temps are predicted to climb into the mid 80s (F).  As might be expected, I have to work, though not until this afternoon, so some yardwork should be accomplished this morning.  After today, a cooldown is expected, though for this time of the year that means day time highs in the mid 70s (F).  I can live with that.

And yesterday, even though the weather was wonderful, ended up being a rather meh day.  I did do a little yardwork, but just a little.  I did learn a valuable lesson, though.  On Tuesday I had planted the bean seedlings that I'd started in peat pots, well Howie likes to run around with those same peat pots in his mouth.  For him to do that, he had to dig them up, so out of 6, only one remains.  If I'd desperately been hoping they would come to harvest in order to eat beans, I'd be upset.  But they really are only beans, and all I need to do sis pop some in the ground sans peat pots.  None of my tomato seeds sprouted, but the green pepper seeds did, so I've got to Howie proof those seedlings when I plant them out.

I went to see The Amateur last evening.  Remi Malek stars as a nerdy computer guy who works for the government whose wife is killed in a terrorist attack.  So, yes, it is a revenge movie, though in a very nerdy way.  People do die, but not in your standardized revenge movie fashion, where the hero pumps them full of bullets.  You see, Remi's really smart and is not really a killer at heart.  Lawrence Fishburne is a killer who, sort of trains Remi.  Both are extremely good in this movie.  I liked it a lot.  It was goo to see a fresh take on a revenge film that doesn't included bloody violence.

And the on again, off again, on again, off again tariffs are, I think, on again... maybe.  Most of the media outlets are reporting that China played the Orange Anus, not that he'll feel humiliated, he'll do what he always does, blame someone else, probably Biden.  Some of his cultists are saying he's playing 4D chess.  Wrong.  He's not even playing checkers.  He is, as some economists are saying, creating an economic catastrophe because he's incompetent.  Is he using negotiating tactics for the 1950s?  That might be too much of a complement.  Orangie's biggest problem is that he played a successful businessman on a reality TV show for 6 years and believes his own bullshit.

You know he's failing when Fox Entertainment tells his cultists his approval rating is the lowest of any president in history, even lower than his first term.  Their only problem is that they said it's at 44%, which, like everything Fox Entertainment says about him is bloated.  Right now his approval rating is between 40 and 41%, an the only direction it can go is down.

Wine Time

 Well, here it is, Hump Day, or, as I like to call it, the middle of the week.  The weather is almost glorious.  Temps are going to be up into the mid 70s (F) again today, and tomorrow as well.  Sunshine is abounding.  We have the same forecast for tomorrow, and... damn, I have to work.  That means I'll need to get more yardwork done today.  Of course, there's always Friday.

An yesterday was a good day.  Much was done, including a mowing of the verge, that's my lawn.  Two loads of laundry were washed and hung out on my drying rack to dry.  I planted the bean sprouts and Howie immediately dug 3 of them up.  He finds running around with them in his mouth quate enjoyable for some reason.  He's back to eating his dogfood. This is a good thing.

New neighbors moved into the big apartment on the hill to my right, Cathy and  John.  They are in their mid 50s and so far seem nice.  Chatty.  She likes to sit on their deck and talk on the phone, loudly.  This means I can hear her conversations.  Yesterday she was talking to her mom about meds.  They spent at least 5 minutes talking about Dristan, though they never mentioned if they meant the pills or the nasal spray.  Evidently her father, who seems to have died, preferred Dristan to everything else.

And my box of Josh Cellars wine arrived yesterday.  Someone asked me if Eli and Max would drink this wine.  The answer is most definitely.

In case you have heard yet, the Orange Anus is going to substantially drop the tariffs against China.  That's right, obviously the Art of the Deal for him is caving.  I guess he must not have been holding the right cards.  Is it me, or does it seem as though he's been doing that a lot here lately?  Remember how he was going to broker a truce in the Ukraine on day one?  Now?  This phony is pulling out of the negotiations, probably because no one kissed his ass the way he'd been expecting.  

Isn't it interesting how the Pope died and suddenly the movie Conclave has become extremely popular?  I saw it in the theater and was hoping it would win the Oscar for best film.  

And, in case you missed it, Bimbo Bondi held a press conference regarding the Bias Against Christianity bone Trump is throwing to the Evangelicals.  Probably her least surprising statement was that the FBI was investigating several Catholic parishes because "there's so much crime there."  If you remember back when this Christianity hokey pokey was announced, I said they'd go after the Catholics.  I'm wondering how Sammy Alito's feeling now that they're pissing in his own, personal cup of wine?

Pig in Shit

 The weather today is supposed to be superb.  Our high should be in the mid 70s (F) with partially cloudy skies.  We have the same forecast for tomorrow.  I always have off Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  Sadly, we have the same forecast for Thursday and unfortunately I have to work.  I'm thinking that maybe I should take some sort of Spring sabbatical or something so I don't have to go to work.

I did work yesterday.  Someone purchased a big ticket window install, otherwise we would not have made plan.  Unless I was exceedingly comfortable financially, there is no way I would make any large purchase right now.  I had a conversation with my supervisor in which I told her that sales are going to continue to slow down as prices go up, and more and more people become concerned.  Her response:  "well, that means you're just going to have to work harder."  Did you hear me laughing?  They have me scheduled to work at the Lead Generating table on Sunday.  Yippee.  Out of curiosity, I did go in to check to see if any of the leads they'd been generating with the table were actually selling.  Nope.

Howie has decided he's not going to eat his Beneful dog food.  That's a problem since I just had another large bag delivered by Chewy.  He eats everything else, treats, snacks, bananas, blueberries, but not his dog food.  I'm going to need to start monitoring him when he's outside to insure he isn't supplementing his diet with sticks, and grass, and plants.  I have a friend whose daughter's dogs like to chow down on fireplace kindling.

And you never know when a bolt of lightening might save your life.

I saw this morning that Thailand has put tariff negotiations with Orange Anus on hold until certain issues have been resolved.  Vietnam has already told the administration they want zero for zero tariffs, that means no tariffs at all, and I believe Switzerland has made the same decision.  Let's be honest here, the Orange Anus has managed to, trade wise at least, united the world against us.  Everyone knows he has put himself in the unenviable position of aggressor, and everyone knows how easily he will cave.  They're just holding out until he accepts the offers they're going to make.

After causing the Pope to have a stroke, I see that J.D. Vance has moved onto India.  His wife is Indian, so he might get a better reception there than he's been getting from the other countries he's visited.  Of course, he has converted to Catholicism, so they might tolerate his wife, and ignore him.  I don't think anyone sees him as a serious negotiator for... well, anything, except for chaise lounges and loveseats. Wait until he finds out the Indian mascara he uses comes from China.

And Orangie's approval rating has dropped to 42%.  Frankly, my dears, I don't think he gives a damn about his approval rating.  As long as he has his toadies and sycophants surrounding him, he's happy as a pig in shit... which is pretty much the truth.

In Case You Missed It

 Another Monday has arrived bringing cooler temps to the area.  While in the mid 50s (F) now, by late afternoon forecasters are saying we should be in the mind 70s (F).  During the rest of the week our daily highs should be in the mid to upper 70s (F).  That's nice.  To celebrate, I turned my heat down to 68 (F).

Since yesterday was Sunday, I did work the full day.  To my surprise, there was no candy, just day old soft pretzel bites.  Sales were slow, for the most part.  Our Garden department did okay.  Spring is here and there are people who will spend money on improving their homes curb appeal.

One of the things our Specialty manager started a few weeks back is a Lead Generation table.  Every hour a different hourly associate mans the table to talk to customers about all of the home services we offer, like windows, and hot water heaters, and countertop installations; they are all big ticket items.  No one wants to sit at that table.  I was only scheduled once, that was enough.  Leads can be very beneficial for generating sales when times are slow, our sales are down.  Someone actually said low sales are normal for this time of year.  Wrong.  This is the time of year when people begin tackling home improvement projects because of warm temperatures.  For me, this is a key indicator that the economy is slowing down.  People are waiting, rather than putting themselves into debt for something that can be put off to a later date when the economy might be a bit rosier.

The pope died.  He was 88.  That's old.  He was considered a progressive by the conservatives members of the Catholic Church.  Now there will be a Conclave.  I'm betting the movie was more interesting.  If a conservative pope gets elected, they will revert back to the policies that drove so many Catholics away from the church, and it will succumb at a faster rate.  Conservatives simply don't understand this. I wonder if the idea of meeting with JD Vance was the final straw.

In other bits:  Foghorn, Leghorn, also known as Foghorn Leghorn, also known as John Kennedy the Senator from Louisiana, turned from the Orange Anus on the Abrego Garcia controversy.  He said that Garcia should have received due process, i.e. had his day in court, before being sent to El Salvador.  I suspect that Kennedy has concerns about getting his ass reelected.

And that aging frat-boy drunkard Pete Hegseth is in the news because there were more than one Signal chat conversations about the Yemen raids with... well, friends and neighbors.  This is being reported by the New York Times, a media outlet which seems to have learned that bad Trump news gets more clicks than Trump propaganda.

And, as most of us expected, Sammy Alito, that fascist Supreme Court justice, was enraged that the 7 other judges on the court stopped the Orange Anus deportations.  In a five page dissent he stomped his feet and shrieked at the other justices because they followed the constitution.  Sammy doesn't like the constitution.  It limits the authority his dirty, little soul craves.  

Power to the People

 So, it's Easter Sunday, an important religious day for many that is not a national holiday.  Our blue competitor is closed today.  Outside, the weather is comfortably breezy... well, actually it's windy.  The temps are in the low 60s (F) and will get a bit warmer.  Afternoon highs are predicted to be in the low 70s (F), tomorrow, the high temps will be in the mid 60s (F), but then we start to warm up again.  Spring is now definitely in the air.

My legs are a bit sore today because I did a leg workout yesterday.  The stiffness is only noticeable coming down the stairs.  My quads are isolated as they stretch during my descent.  This means the squats I did were worthwhile.

I do work today, though I'm not expecting the store to be busy.  Not only do some people got to sunrise services, many more will gather for family dinners.  Easter buffets are big around here.  I'm taking lunch today because it's quite doubtful food is going to be provided.  Remember, today's not a national holiday.  What they will probably do is set out tons of candy for us grazers to consume.  Calories do not get counted today.

And even though I did work yesterday, friends sent me pictures from peaceful protests in downtown Harrisburg.  From State Street down to Walnut Street, 5 city blocks, thousands gathered to protest Trump.  And, as I sit here typing this, I'm reminded of a phrase that was chanted in the 60s:  Power to the People.

Evidently the US Supreme Court came down with another late night decision forcing the Orange Anus to stop deporting Venezuelans, and while this is only a temporary halt, it's important.  I'm suspecting there is a lot of turmoil in the court as both the liberals and the conservatives try to reign in the 2 fascists, Alito and Thomas.  On their last decision, Alito was not allowed to publish his dissent, saying he would be publishing at some future date.  This is a sucker punch to his face.  This is good.  He needs to be smacked both back and down frequently.

Stream of Consciousness

 Well, here we are on Saturday morning and the outside temp is almost 60 (F).  Forecasters say that today we're going to be entering the preliminary slow cooker of summer with our temps climbing up into the mid 80s (F).  An abundancy of clouds, however, will keep the sun from blazing down to make things seem hotter.  I'm predicting that today my store will sell many air conditioning units as well as grow your own garden supplies.  I will be sweating away at the flooring desk because we are too far away from summer for corporate to turn on the store air conditioning.

Yesterday was kind of a good/meh day.  I got a number of things accomplished, like yardwork, as well as getting in a decent workout.  The big aquarium was cleaned.  Yet, it almost feels as if nothing was really done.  Perhaps that's because I've started working on removing the English Ivy that is constantly threatening to invade my property, and what I removed was minimal at best.  This is going to be a big job.  I actually thought I might plant some potatoes in one area, though maybe zucchini would be better.

I'm also in the process of storing my written work on a large storage unit.  I have a lot of written work, the Eli and Max mysteries are just a small sampling.  I've been playing around with words most of my life, perhaps because as a child I was such a voracious reader.  I remember checking out Joyce's Ulysses from the Lebanon Public Library when I was in 6th grade, what a disappointment that was.  Pure dreck, no cohesion.  I had to read his Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man in college.  That was somewhat better.  Eavesdropping on someone's thoughts is not nearly as interesting as some might think.  For those interested, my favorite stream of consciousness novel was Virginia Woolf's, Mrs. Dalloway.  When I saw it listed on the syllabus for Women in Lit, I groaned, but then, to my amazement, I found the book fascinating/ stream of consciousness tied to a plotline. 

Even though I no longer subscribe to The Washington Post, I still scroll down through their headlines every day as sort of a cheeky analysis of how Bezos has been mutilating it.  One amusing headline that caught my eye this morning was:  Trump Tired of Being Laughed At.  Truthfully, he's being mocked more than laughed at.  He has always been a clownish imbecile.  As president, however, his moronic idiocies are being played out on the world's stage for everyone to chide to his chagrin.  Good.

The Supreme Court put a temporary stop to Orangie's attempt to send all Spanish speaking people to El Salvador.  The only 2 dissenting votes were Alito and Thomas.  They are vile individuals and I do not doubt for a second that both wallowed in the dreck of Joyce's Ulysses confounding themselves into thinking they'd both found enlightenment.  Their stream of consciousness has dashed itself too many times upon the rocks of selfishness for them to own a wit of compassion.  

Things Are Not The Way They Used To Be

 For some, the end of the work week has arrived.  I never work Friday, and I'm part-time so "end of the work week," does not pertain to me.  The weather forecast today is Sunny and mild, temps in the mid 70s (F).  That's something I can deal with.  In fact, that is the perfect invitation to spend time outside focusing on winter clean-up.  

I did work yesterday and scheduling was bare bones to say the least.  Flooring and Decor had a total of 14 hours scheduled, and while that may seem like a lot, it isn't.  No aisle associate was scheduled, so there was no one to bring down pallets of product.  This means we have to steal someone from another department.  I was told by my department manager that on Tuesday the department was over scheduled.  Our schedules are actually pre-built by corporate and downloaded Monday morning. The HR rep doing the scheduling should be able to adjust them by moving people around, that's what I used to do.  Frequently I would simply delete their schedule completely and write my own.  Unfortunately we are part of a corporation that likes to micro-manage hours, so her hands may be tied.  Things are not the way they used to be.

Here's an update on the seeds I planted.  The beans are sprouting like... well, bean sprouts.  The green peppers are coming along fine.  However everything else, including the tomato seeds?  Nothing.

Lots of things in the political mix today:

Little Marco says that the United States will pull out of the Ukraine peace talks because no one involved is kissing Donald's ass.  Now, I have to admit, that's not exactly what he said, but everyone knows it's the truth.

Senator Van Hollen met with Abrego Garcia down in El Salvador.  That's a crack in Orangie's illegal deportation policy.  His approval rating is constantly eroding.  This is not going to stop it.  

Lisa Murkowski, for the record, has said that Republican Senators are terrified of Trump, that's why they're not doing anything to stop him.  Lisa, this is a terrible message.  You were elected to represent your constituents, not bow down to the Orange Anus out of fear.

According to Bloomberg, the country is already in a recession.  Ouch.

And it seems that in these tariff talks, no one is bending the knee.  They all know that Orangie is a spineless blowhard and will cave, and then lie.  They are circumventing us.  They are going to punish us because of one man, and one political party.  We are going to pay the price because things are not the way they used to be.

Choosing to Fail Rather than Succeed

 Thursday.  It's not as windy today.  Temps will climb up into the mid 69s (F).  This would be a good day for getting a little lawn work done, unfortunately I have to work this afternoon and other things need doing before I clock in.  Tomorrow temps will be in the low 70s (F), and though the skies will be overcast, I have already begun a to do list.

Speaking of work, the new schedule is out and they cut me back to 16 hours a week.  I did a quick calculation and I can easily live on that.  While my paycheck from the large, orange retailer is not my only source of income, I prefer using those dollars to pay my day to day living expenses.  Sixteen and a half years ago, when I began my career with this retailer, part-time associates' would only be scheduled for 5 hours a week when things got slow, usually in the winter months.  I don't doubt that's what corporate is doing right now.  Back then I would ask full time associates if they wanted to leave early, using their personal or vacation time since that payroll expense had already been expensed and accrued.  Those days have already returned.

I did go to PetSmart yesterday to pick up Howie's Frontline flea and tick treatment since we are now heading into flea an tick season.  There was a time when I used Frontline year round.  That was before common sense set in and I realized that in Central PA fleas and ticks are, for the most part, inactive for 6 months of the year.  And, as some of you might expect, while I was at PetSmart I picked up a new toy for you know who, and it just happens to be another octopus.  I had barely gotten it out of the packaging before he snagged it off the kitchen counter.

Another thing that happened yesterday was Senator Chris Van Hollen, from Maryland, flew down to El Salvador to hopefully at least see, if not talk, to Kilmar Abrego Garcia and was not permitted to do so.  In fact, he was told by the El Salvadoran Vice President that Garcia would not be returned because Trump was paying them to keep him.  This should not surprise anyone.  Garcia's return would give both Democrats and the media a win, or, as the Orange Anus's administration calls it, a scalp and the last thing Orangie wants is to be scalped.  His small, and quite possibly drug damaged brain, fails to recognized that taking this hit would actually improve his approval ratings.  However, at this point in this tragedy, he has no one else to blame.  Yes, he would rather fail than succeed.  This is why he has 6 bankruptcies.  This is also why his tariffs will fail miserably.  He went in swinging with a baseball trying to prove his superiority and is only hitting air balls over the fence.

A bit of fluff:  It seems as though those women in designer blue coveralls who touched the edge of space are upset that the vast majority of people see this as nothing more than a rich man's stunt ride.  Can you hear me laughing at them?  It's rather sad that at this supposedly momentous moment Katy Perry chose to release a list of upcoming tour dates and expected people to celebrate.

View from the Theater

 Good Morning World!  The temperature is 44 (F) here in Central PA, and the forecast is for partly cloudy skies.  We also have wind, briskly blowing breezes is a nice way of describing the wind as the branches on the river birch outside my window dance about.  Yesterday the were whipping wildly as the cold front went through.  We also had a smattering of rain.

Tuesdays, being the first day off after working three, tend to be sort of meh.  Yesterday was not.  Much was accomplished.  My local taxes were the first chore scratched off my list.  Then there was a trip to the bank for a Cashier's Check to pay for my real estate taxes, followed by a trip to Dick's Sporting Goods for white socks.  I hadn't been to Dick's for a while, so it took me a few moments to their generic DSG socks" $17.99 for 6 pair as opposed to $28.99 for 6 pair of Nike.  They also sell Optimum Gold whey there for the same price as GNC.  Believe me when I tell you I would rather wonder around in Dick's than GNC.

The big aquarium was also cleaned.  I got a nice ride in on the bicycle.  All in all, yesterday was a good day.

I also spent as little time as possible looking at the news.

Howie got sick in the middle of the night.  I always try to see what he ate that made him sick, and, no surprise here, I saw about a pound of string from one of his toys, plus chewed up pieces from several others.  This morning I'll be heading over to PetSmart to get him a new toy, as well as his Frontline Flea and Tick med for this summer.

And, since The Body in History is heading into the final stretch before publication, I thought I'd share a pic I took in Delphi.  I took this from the front of the theater looking down on the temple of Apollo.  A fall from here might be fatal... especially if it happened at night.

As I said, I tried to avoid paying attention to the latest shit show revolving around the Orange Anus.  It never ends.  In case you haven't realized it, this is what he lives for, not only the chaos, but the never ending attention.  His ego has a voracious appetite that is never satisfied.  He is an addict and the Main Stream Media is his junkie.  One of the ways you can hurt him is to not click on any link regarding his shit show that comes from the Main Stream Media.  If those clicks and hits dry up, his junkie will have nothing to sell.

One thing I did find amusing was that Anonymous, the hacking group, hacked into 4Chan, a far right racist website and started posting online.  Evidently their main page was shuttered, and the doxing info of all those hatemongers subscribing to it is now available for the world to see.  Someone said that "with 4Chan down, where are Republicans going to go for hate memes?"

Oh, and Marjorie Taylor Greene had a townhall.  Alone, that would have made the news, but what the media is pumping out is the fact that she had the police evict several people, and had them taser a senior citizen as they were taking him out.  That video is truly revolting.  I don't believe her pea brain has any idea how badly that makes not only her, but Republicans, look.

The Bonding

 To my surprise, yesterday's temps climbed up into the mid 70s (F), and the day turned out to be wonderful.  What a shame I had to work.  Today, unfortunately, will not be a carbon copy repeat.  When I got up the outside temperature was 61 (f), and the only direction it's going to go is down.  According to the forecast, our thermometers should bottom out at 52 (F) for the day's high.

Yesterday much was accomplished, and by that I mean I rowed and I got in an upper body dumbbell workout completed.  Over 400 calories were burned.  I was very pleased. 

Then, because I'm always scheduled for Mondays, I went to work.  Boring.  Even though our garden department and flooring were going strong, when I left I knew we weren't going to be hitting our plan for the day.  We missed our budgeted goal last week by a substantial amount.  I suspect this might be the case from now on.

When I got home, a pair of glasses that I had ordered were in my mailbox.  Green.  Green is one of my favorite colors.  However, the minute I put them on a problem was obvious: the right eye was terribly blurry.  Merde.  So I pulled out my order and saw that I'd keyed in the prescription for the right lens incorrectly, instead of +125, I keyed in -125.  Big difference, and it was my fault.  Those glasses are now in the trash.  I didn't really need to order a new pair of glasses since my eyes haven't changed, so I'll wait a few months before ordering another pair.

Yesterday the Orange Anus had a Meet and Greet with some dictator named Buckle, the spelling might be a bit off, but I'm certain the pronunciation is correct.  We all know how much Orangie loves him his dictators, so no one should have been surprised at the way he fawned over a man who runs the worst prison system in the world.  Why, they even held hands.

Of course, we are now in a Constitutional Crisis because had no problem giving the wannabe dictator immunity for things he did while in office.  The Rolling Stone has a nice piece about how Orangie is laughing at and mocking the Supreme Court.  Paraphrasing their article, Orange and Buckle had a bonding experience.  Believe me when I tell you Orangie wants to be as ruthless as Kim Dumb Jung.  In his twisted mind that represents true power.  As someone said, the ball is now in the Supreme Court's hands.  Will they have him arrested?  Doubts are strong.  

And then this morning I read some frivolity on the NBC news website saying that one of their polls indicated that registered voters were gravitating to the MAGA movement.  Of course, they gave no information about the poll, just that it was one of theirs.  The humor was in their saying that 36% of registered voters now like the MAGA way.  That number hasn't actually changed... in years.  That 36% is the Republican party plus the same 6% of Independent voters who have always leaned Republican.  Nothing has changed even though they want Americans to believe it has.

Arson and Attempted Murder

 Well, we had a red sky this morning.  The temps are in the mid 40s (F).  We will have added another 10 degrees onto that by the time we reach our highs in the mid 50s (F) this afternoon.  Our extended forecast calls for partially sunny days, with showers and thunder storms popping up during the afternoons.  For the past few years most of our Spring rains have fallen in May, this year is seems as though we're having the April shower they used to talk about, the ones that bring May flowers.  One fact is certain, my lawn is going to need mowing sooner rather than later.

Yesterday, being Sunday, I worked a full day.  Flooring ended up having a banner day, though not bannerly enough to make the week successful.  I did sign up a customer for a credit card.  That means I'll get an additional $5 on a paycheck.  Whoo Hoo!  Corporate does think that credit is the answer for everything.  For some people, it is.  I have a friend who is very deeply in debt, and she has mentally conditioned herself to the fact that a certain percentage of every pay check will go to paying that debt off.  Rather than cut back on using credit, she keeps adding to it, and I learned a long time ago that bringing up the subject is useless.  As I said, she has mentally conditioned herself.  This is a big problem with all too many people,

For those who didn't hear, a wacko named Cody Balmer broke into the PA Governor's Mansion and tried to set the place on fire.  He had a hammer with him and, according to things he'd written down, planned to beat the Governor to death.  To put this into even greater context, Governor Shapiro is Jewish, and this arson and planned murder happened on the first day of Passover.  Our governor is also a Democrat.  Cody Balmer hates Jews and Democrats.  Guess who Cody Balmer really likes?  I've been in this room.  It used to be beautiful.

And I guess that Wall Street is going to be rockin' and rollin' in the real world today, especially after Secretary of Greed Lutnick said that the exceptions on laptops and cell phones were only intended to last for 30 days.  To make things worse, the Orange Anus posted on his social media account that there were no breaks.  Everybody is going to pay.  

Eating dirt

 Sunday Funday is here.  Well, I don't really know how much fun it going to be had.  The temps are sitting in the mid 40s (F) and the wind is blowing, some might even say it's breezy as Hell, if Hell is breezy that is.  We'll be warming up into the low 60s (F).  

Because we have sunshine and milder temps the store might be busy this morning.  Working in retail, I can tell you there is a large group of people who do not attend any sort of religious services on Sunday morning, unless, of course, buying a patio set is religious experience for them.  As is the case every Sunday, usually after 11 AM, the church crowd will arrive.  They stand out because they're still wearing their Sunday finest, men in suits, usually Navy blue, and women in boldly colored dresses.  I always find it amusing that the vast majority of women look like they're ready for a hot night on the town rather than a church service, I suppose the believe that hot and gaudy is synonymous with rich an arrogant, neither of which should apply to a Christian, unless it's a Republican Christian.

Our retail plan has not been too successful this past week, we are deep in the red.  This is how it goes.  One of our associates was arrested, and while that actually has nothing to do with our not making plan, it does have something to do with money.  This is always the case.  In my 16 years of working with the Orange retailer, this is the third time I'm aware of the police being called to take someone away in handcuffs.  Idiot.  

Here's an updated pic on the oregano I'm growing on my window sill.

And the Orange Anus caved again yesterday: laptops, phones, and computer chips.  The Chinese gave him nothing in return.  Xi is going to make Orangie eat dirt.  There are those who are saying that this wasn't really a cave-in, but rather the tariff relief that Apple, and Microsoft, and IBM, and a slew of others paid for when they bestowed their $1 million dollar gifts on Orangie after he was elected.  Me, I don't think that's the case simply because of the ratio of money gifted to money saved.  These companies are going to save hundreds of millions without having to deal with tariffs and I can't believe Orangie would give them that sort of gift while only getting a measly million in return.  This doesn't meant that there isn't some sort of behind the scenes shenanigans in which he gets paid under the table.  Making this more interesting, is the fact that we haven't hear neither hide, nor hair of a crow coming from him.  He's not bragging about being successful.  Mostly because Xi made him eat dirt.

Trump tells the Supreme Court to go to Hell

 Well, we still have a bit of a drizzle outside, and according to Accuweather, this will continue into the afternoon.   We didn't have the torrential rains that were being forecast, they stayed to the east of us.  What we ended up with were steady, soaking rains that are more beneficial than the gushers that lead to flash flooding.  Temp wise we're suppose to stay in the mid 40s (F) throughout the day.

Yesterday was a good day to get things done, even though it was cloudy and rained from cloudy sun up to cloudy sun down.  Lotsa laundry was washed, and dried, and folded.  I rowed.  I lifted weights.  I cleaned.  The aquarium in the living room was cleaned thoroughly.  And, even though this might be too late in the year, I planted seeds in a starter kit.  Honestly, the we're still too cold up here to plant gardeny things outside.  Tomatoes and green peppers were planted, as well as some squash seeds in this little Jiffy greenhouse starter kit.  I'm pleased.  This is a big first for me.  I'll be pleased if they grow.  If they don't, I won't be too upset since the kit was rather inexpensive.  I wasn't about to through out a lot of money for something that I consider to be iffy.

Yesterday the Supreme Court, the same one that gave the Orange Anus almost unlimited immunity for everything that he does while in office, in a 9-0 decision told Orangie that he needed to bring Kilmar Abrego Garcia back to the United States.  The Department of Justice, in a piss-assed use of semantics told the Court to go to Hell.  In a statement released by Orangie, he said that he "would consider" listening to them.  Have you any idea how extremely rare it is for all 9 judges to agree?  They were sending a clear message to the Orange Anus, he needed to comply.  However, with their decision on his immunity, the John Roberts' Court set the stage for his disobedience.  If you thought the American people saw them as losers and failures before, yesterday elevated that anger exponentially.  He is trying to illegitimize every decision they make.  Way to go Supreme Court.  You are responsible for this shit.

 

The Storm

 Well, we had rain and it seems as if more rain is on the way... much more.  There is a storm transitioning up the eastern seaboard (nice of use of the word transition, eh?) that is apparently going to dump at least an inch more rain upon Central PA.  Temps will hover in the 40s (F).  Accuweather, however, seems to be on the fence with this one, since they're predicting only .20 of an inch of rain, yet they also saying that we should expect ponding in the roadways.  Every other weather report says the ponding is definitely going to happen.

I did work yesterday.  It was another meh day.  When I got to the flooring desk a rather pretentious couple was doing changes to their quote.  Big $$$.  Luckily for me they are not my customers, so all I had to do was sit there for a few moments and listen to them dictate exactly what they wanted to happen.  Let me append that sentence, she was dictating, he was on his phone.  I chuckled when I overheard him say that "he was setting the record straight."  I also chuckled when she said they would return to the store today so her father could pay for the install in order for them to take advantage of his military discount.  For that to happen, their quote needs to be in his name, which means it will have to be rebuilt, a rather time consuming process.  I'm so glad I don't work today.

And Howie is not big enough to get things off the kitchen counters, and I don't mean pulling things off with his paws.  I know this because he pulled a squeaker from his squirrel and, rather than walk it out and put it into the trash, I set it on the counter.  Not 2 minutes later I heard him crunch, crunch, crunching on plastic.  Now it's out in the trash.  This also means nothing can be on the counters that he might catch his interest.  Biggie once ate an entire loaf of bread once, and while Howie is not as high as Biggie, he is longer.  Here he is in the kitchen.

And, in case you missed it, China increased tariffs for the United States to 125%.  They're going to stir fry the American economy.  At the same time they're doing this, they are negotiating with the EU, cutting back on tariffs.  There is some serous deal making going on with electric cars.  I understand China has also stopped taking orders for certain Tesla models (S and X) in China, which will help with EU electric car deal.  China is the largest market for Tesla.  That sound you hear in the background is Elonia sobbing.

And will the market rise or fall today?  Well, that Chinese tariff increase is probably going to put a damper on things, even if this storm moving up the eastern seaboard doesn't isn't as rainy as predicted.  More and more people are pointing out that the Orange Anus's Art of the Deal pause in tariffs was in reality the Art of the Steal.  They're trying to find out how many Republican congressmen and senators bought stock at the low price before the pause was announced.  Unfortunately for them it dropped fast yesterday, so their greed probably wasn't as satiated as they were hoping.  Oh, and don't worry, I suspect that the markets are going to keep dropping.  Remember, he has 6 bankruptcies on his resume.

Insane or Demented

 Rain, rain, rain.  That's our forecast for the next 3 days.  Drizzles and showers will abound, and when all the water that's going to fall from the sky has fallen, I'm going to need to get out my lawn mower.  Daily temps will be in the upper 40s (F) nightly lows will be in the upper 30s (F), so there's not going to be much of a temperature variation.  This is Spring, after all.

I'm using the new keyboard.  It so every word is percussive.  I should get out a metronome and see if I can start typing in 4/4 time.  Oh, dear, was that an allusion to the new book I've started writing.  Maybe I should ask if there is a body in these words?

Anyway, I got much done yesterday, including an hour of exercise.  Now my biceps, and triceps, and deltoids are a bit on the sore side.  This is a good thing.  Soreness only develops when a muscle has been worked to its fullest

I'm also getting used to Spotify.  While I can still access the music I bought from Amazon, all of my playlists are gone.  One of the things I disliked most about that service was the constant pressure to upgrade to a family plan.  So far, I haven't gotten any pressure from Spotify to upgrade, but that may be down the road.

And, I find this interesting.

Is the Orange Anus insane?  That is a valid question.  Or, are we just having to sit through various stages of dementia?  There is a difference.  Just like there is a difference between having dementia and being demented. My mom had early stages of dementia before she died and she would, from time to time, say things that weren't true.  Her mind worked illogically.  Someone who is insane, lives in a world of crazy logic, where the rules they make up are valid.  This means we might be dealing with someone suffering from both, that the Orange Anus might actually be nuts, while at the same time being afflicted with dementia.  Things we do know for certain:  he is filled with hatred.  He wants revenge for every slight, every offense, every insult that angered him.  And he is spineless.  Actually, I'm not even scratching the surface of all of the issues probleming his brain.  Everybody, except his cult, knows he caved on the tariffs.  His buffoonery hides deep seated cowardice.  Not only did we in America see that yesterday, but every country, every Head of State in the world was witness to his failure.  His insanity will always come up with what he thinks is a logical response to his fear of making a mistake.  The world knows he will always cave and will play him the way he should have been played a long time ago, and we will have to listen to his dementia driven word salads every time he gets in front of a camera.  

Brace For Impact!

 Holy macaroni, the temps did drop overnight.  They fell all the way down to 30 (F).  My heat is on and I'm burning up $$$ in natural gas.  According to our weather forecasters the next few days are going to be chilly willy cool, however our nightly lows are predicted to stay above freezing.  Come on, Spring.  We're all waiting you!

Since I'm tired of losing my ds when I type, I'm charging up an old Razer keyboard to use.  It doesn't have batteries, so it will need to be recharged from time to time.  I changed it out because I hated having to deal with that extra charging wire.  However, I'd rather deal with that than invest in another keyboard.  I have another spare just in case the wire really begins to bother me again.

And yesterday was sort a meh, not so much meh day.  Things were accomplished.  Several loads of laundry were done, and the floor in the compu/gym/music room is now complete.  I like it.  It's spongey, cushiony and is easily cleaned.  Cleaning is essential because Howie, unlike my other really short haired boxers, sheds a lot.  All you have to do is rub you hand across his back and a cloud of Fox Red Labrador hair flies up into the air.  I mean, you can actually see it, so dusting and vacuuming it are now necessary.  Where before I could skip a week or two, that is no longer possible

I went to see Death of a Unicorn last night.  Big Pharma is satirized in gloriously gory fashion.  After a young unicorn is accidently hit by a car, it's discovered that its horn, and its blood, cure acne, allergies, and stage 5 cancer.  Untold wealth awaits the Leopold family, except for one small detail, momma and poppa unicorn are not happy.  This movie is very funny at times, and always very smart, it's also a bit on the gory side, some of which was also very funny.  

Brace for impact!  The tariffs kicked in at midnight.  Wall Street is going to drop... again.  To make things worse, China has not only retaliated with higher tariffs for the US, they've dropped the prices on a lot of their products for the rest of the world.  For those who don't know, that's a big Ouch for the United States since that will help offset the tariffs set by the Orange Anus.  In fact, you are going to see more and more countries circumventing the United States, broking deals that are far better than that offered by Orangie.  

On the bright side, and yes there is a bright side, all those billionaires who gave the Orange Anus million dollar gifts when he was inaugurated are suffering.  While your 401Ks are losing thousands, they are losing millions and billions.  Elonia and Peter Navarro, ie Ron Varra, are at each others throats. I don't doubt that soon Zuck and Bezos will be in the mix.  They live to be super wealthy, to be the uber rich, and the second their wealth starts to fall they start to rage.  And, while you and I can brace for the impact of higher prices, the devaluation of their portfolios is far far worse for them because selfishness and greed are not close to being sturdy enough to survive the coming impact. 

Better Under Biden

 Ha!  The forecasters were wrong.  We did not drop below freezing last night.  Nope.  Howie woke up around 4:15 AM heeding the call of bladder nature and I checked the temps while he was outside.  At that time our low was 35 (F), which is still cold, but nothing was freezing.  Now, ain't that nice?  Today we start warming up. I'm fine with that.

Not a lot was done yesterday besides going to work.  I did a little putzing around the house before leaving to put in my 5 hours at the flooring desk, but nothing to mention.  Before heading home, I did pick up another pack of flooring for the workout / computer / music room.  The first pack I put down looked so good, I thought I cover some more of the old hardwood flooring.  

Today is garbage day an a large part of my treadmill is sitting out front in my garbage can.  Once it gets dumped into the garbage truck later this morning, I roll it to the back of the house and put the rest of it in for next Tuesday's pickup.  I did the same thing when I got rid of my elliptical.  I get asked why I didn't try and sell it.  No one wants the buy used treadmills, in fact, for most people, a purchased treadmill ends up being a storage unit.  The number of people who buy these things and then only use them for a week or two is vastly greater than those who use them regularly.  I am in the smaller group, but even I know when it's time to say goodbye.  This is what the updated room looks like so far.

Of course, there was no super crash on Wall Street yesterday, just the constant erosion billions of dollars.  One of my associates told me his wife looked at their retirement account and was surprised by how much it had dropped.  He said they're hoping it comes back up in 4 years, that's when he wants to retire.  I reminded him that there was a good possibility the stock market had not stopped crashing.  He groaned and said something derogatory about the Orange Anus.

Bloomberg has this really great video detailing how his tariff formula is poo poo.  It's my understand that those people in his administration behind the tariffs relied on AI to generate the formula.

It has come to my attention that a number Orangie's billionaire bros are more than a little dissatisfied with his handling of the economy.  They are losing money... lots, and lots, and lots of money.  That's fine with me.  One of the few things I find pleasing these days is the knowledge that many of that 1% who celebrated Orangie's victory by giving him a million $$$ are now finding themselves on the losing end of the stick.  Isn't it nice to know that hidden in amongst all of their frowns and complaints they're muttering, "hell, I was doing much better under Biden?"  This is what we call Karma.

Here We Go

 Well, here we go!  There is a definite chill in the air.  Currently it's 39 (F) an today's high will not climb out of the 40s (F) and the overnight low will be hovering down around freezing.  Tomorrow is supposed to be worse, with the overnight low dropping down into the high 20s (F).  This is why you shouldn't plant you garden in April.

With my new work schedule, I'll be working most of the day on Sunday, so there's not much time for anything but meh.  The other days I'm schedule to only work 5 hours.  That's doable.  I have no problem working 22 hours a week, mostly because it isn't really like working.  For me, it's kind of a meet and greet social hour since I always manage to get into a conversation with customers.  

Because I was spending time at the flooring desk, I had zippo time for any sort of exercise, and when I got home I played Avowed.  While I do spend sometime on social media when I'm home, I don't spend a lot.  Mostly because it's a lot of the same stuff over and over again.  To be honest, I tend to spend more time on it when I'm working and there are no customers to talk to.

I bought some foamy tiles for the gym floor yesterday.  I'll spread them out when I finish this entry.  I'm debating if I want to buy another pack and surround the bike with them.  They're cushy under foot.

Here's a interesting bit:  You know how car manufacturers brand their cars with a very specific logo/symbol?  Honda has an H on the front, Ford says Ford, an Subaru has their oval starfield?  Walking to my car yesterday, I saw vehicle with a very odd brand, so I went to see what it was.  Lo and behold, it was a Tesla, however the owner had take black electrical tape and made an X across the T.  So, was he worried his car my be vandalize, or just upset that he owned a car from a company owned by a neo-Nazi?  They're expensive, so not everybody can run out and trade their in.

In case anyone was wondering about Republican presidents and recessions:

I understand that Wall Street is crashing again.  The Orange Anus is doubling down on his tariffs because to do otherwise would be to admit he was wrong.  That will never happen.  He will go to his grave always blaming someone else.  It will always be the other guy's fault.  It's not his fault that the EU has chosen to set retaliatory tariffs, it's their fault because they didn't cave to his demands.  Every time they retaliate, it's a sucker punch to his ego.  It infuriates him.  They are laughing at his phony authoritarianism.  Orangie will initiate a "nuclear trade war," as billionaire Bill Ackman has said, rather than concede.

There will be 2 fronts in this war: international trade, and the Domestic Home Front.  Over 5 million people standing up to him in the Hands Off protests is not a one-off.  The next one will be so much larger.  Republicans are not used to dealing with their constituents pushing back, and because they love their jobs so much, it is they who will begin to cave.  So, we all need to hold on to our hats because Here We Go.

How Can This Be

 Well, its 8 in the morning and the outside temps is 49 (F), and we have drizzles.  Showers, if wish to call them that.  Steady and persistent is the weather pattern in store for us today as temperatures continue to fall.  By Wednesday, our overnight low is predicted to be in the upper 20s (F).

I worked yesterday, so not much was accomplished around the house.  No workouts were finished.  No chores accomplished.  I don't know if it was because I realized I had to work, or if it was the weather, which was damp and drizzly all day.  This is, unfortunately what Spring is like, a transitional period filled with occasional partial sunshine, and mostly overcast rainy days.  These are the days, however, that do make the garden grow.

There is something wrong with the keyboard I'm using, which is not the one on the laptop.  The keyboard I use is in the top desk draw and pulls out when I'm writing.  It keeps dropping ds, so I might have to switch it out.  I have several alternative wireless keyboards; I'll have to pick through them and change the bad one out.

I worked yesterday.  It was slow.  Not that I didn't talk to customers, it's just that no one was buying.  I suspect that this is a bad trend that's going to continue.

Of course, this happened yesterday.  This is Hands Off in Harrisburg, PA.

The rough estimate, prior to the rallies held in the western states, was that over 5 million people were protesting.  That's a big bunch of angry people.  This is the type of movement that Conservatives have always avoided thinking about, it's a condition that happens when you're born with out a spine.  You see, for Project 2025 to work the masses need to be complacent.  Disagreement leads to a disruption of their agenda.  They are going to get very angry when things don't go their way.  They will run around shrieking "How Can this Be?!"  In their delusional minds the masses should bow their heads ready for subjugation, except that ain't happenin'.  Prepare yourselves, for they will become distraught and will ramble and rant, gagging out the bitter pieces of the incomprehensible word salad they spit up and all because their simple brains never took anything other than their own desire for power into consideration.  

Or course, the Orange Anus is helping them any.  Word leaking out from his administration is that he's a bitter, angry man who no longer gives a fuck what happens.  The world is not kissing his ass, and for that he's going to make the world pay.

Repeating 1929

 Today started off as cloudy with the temps in the mid 50s (F) with the possibility of rain on an off throughout the day.  Temps are not supposed to vary much.  This is downer weather in my opinion. Sadly, we will be dealing with this soup for the next 2 days.

My lower back is a bit achy this morning, the result, no doubt, of my dragging the treadmill down the staircase in bits and pieces, some of which were on the heavy side.  This is how it always works for me, the aches and pains show up about 2 days later.  The same thing happens with muscle soreness after I workout out too much.

As for computer/workout/music room, one of the old area rugs was rolled up yesterday.  There was quite a bit of sand underneath from the backing breaking down, an the rug itself had become foldable.  It's now rolled and folded and sitting on the back porch.  After garbage day on Tuesday, I'll dump in in the bin with the rest of the treadmill.  Now all I need to do is figure out what to do with the floor, which was never sanded down or refinished.  Here's what it looks like now.  For those interested, the wall is cover with Romeo and Juliet to give the room a little Shakespearean class.

Everybody seems to be talking about the stock market as if its crash over the past 2 days was unexpected. I mean, I don't know about you, but I was expecting it, just not this soon.  I'd figured that steady downhill slide that began when he mentioned tariffs would continue for a few weeks, but then China retaliated.  Something I'd read about the crash of 1929 was that it took about 3 years until it finally stopped, but by then we were heading into the great depression, and the only thing that stopped that was the start of World War II.  Are we going to be repeating ourselves because Republicans never paid attention in history class?  Or is that the believe that if they don't think about the problem they're creating it will just go away?  I'm suspecting the latter.

And, since Trump seems to be spending most of his time golfing, people are beginning to wonder just who is running the country.  Many are beginning to suspect that it's Stevie Miller, another idiot of the first degree.  Oh, and with some input from wingnut Laura Loomer.  This means that the shit is only going to get a lot deeper.