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.
Our outside temps are in the mid 30s (F) and at present we're in the middle of a very decent period of snowfall. According to Accuweather, it should be ending in about half an hour. Will we get an inch? That's doubtful. Still, it's a decent reminder that I need to get the snow shovels up from the basement. More is expected Tuesday, though not much. That's the day temps are supposed to really drop. This is fine. As I've said time and time again, I don't mind snow. It's free cardio.
And I did work yesterday. We had a few customers, but not that many. However, everyone that we talked to asked if we'd been busy. Our response was always the same: No. We don't really have Black Friday sales in the Flooring Department. All of the "deals" that we have are lined up down the main aisle at the front of the store, so customers who are looking for a nice, fairly inexpensive present need not walk too far from the cash registers. This doesn't mean that someone isn't going to walk through our front doors looking for a screwdriver and suddenly decide to invest in 4 or 5 thousand dollars worth of carpet. Those cases, however, are so extremely rare you might as well just accept the fact that they basically never happen. I did get a credit card and I sold an appliance to help boost my sales.
I asked the store manager yesterday if anyone had applied for the specialist position that's going to be opening. His answer: no. I've been told this is because no one wants to work with the current supervisor (I've mentioned her before). That may be why he told me he's going to re-evaluate the department.
Here's our snow.
And in case you haven't noticed, more and more Republicans are saying "no" to the Orange Anus. His desire to redistrict Indiana in order to get more Republicans into the House of Representatives has run into a serious problem because Orangie used the word "retard." He used it before, however, now his approval ratings are in the tank and he is no longer seen as an asset to their re-election campaigns. Do understand, non of them have experienced a change of heart. Nope. Not in the least. They just realize he's more of an anchor than a life preserver. Also, you can be quite sure that if they manage to get re-elected they will be back to toadying up to him in a heartbeat. They love his base, but they will need more than cultists voting for them if they want to keep their jobs in either Congress or the Senate. The time has come to fire their asses.
Well, yesterday was Black Friday and I didn't work. The temps were cool, never getting out of the 30s (F). Our outside temp was 29 (F) when I woke up, and I woke up late. Again, the forecast is calling for a high in the low 40s (F), however, like yesterday, I doubt very much if we're going to hit that. And, looking at the long range forecast, it does appear as though we're going to be doing a rerun of the early December weather we've had for the past 3 or 4 years. Next week, we're supposed to have overnight lows in the teens. This will be a recurring weather pattern if, as we approach the start of Winter, temps begin warming up.
Yesterday was fairly quiet around here. The neighbors were loud for around 10 minutes, and then the volume of their TV dropped significantly. This is fine. I don't believe they will ever learn. They don't seem that smart. He's been sorting mail for the Post Office most of his life, so he's in a non-thinking job that pays well. She can't work because she loves her marijuana too much, at least that's what she's told me. Unless something drastic happens, I suspect they will be walking that same path for the rest of their lives.
I did go to my neighborhood Giant supermarket yesterday. It was my only venture out of the house. I have no need to go looking for Black Friday deals.
And in the afternoon, I got a nice long, slow ride done in San Remo. That got the oxygen supply flowing to my brain pumping, and I came down wrote over 1000 words. I'm working on a chapter called The Haddonfield Hop right now, the musical reference being the Hop, or a dance. A long time ago, there used to be things called Sock Hops, where people would dance around in their stocking feet. I'm probably one of the few people who still remember that.
Of course, there is no holiday from the shit show in Washington. I am serious. Every single day some piece of ugly stupidity breaks. We have a drunken frat-boy in charge of the military who said "kill them all," to make sure 2 individuals who survived an attack were killed. This man has no clue as to what it means to be civilized. The only thing he knows what to do is follow Orangie's orders in between shots of whiskey.
And Orangie? He's going to turn Venezuela in Vietnam part 2 just to satisfy the greed of big oil.
Prices are not going down. In fact, the only thing in a continuous downward spiral is Orangie's approval rating. So many are starting to say that the tide is turning, and it is. Sadly, a turning tide is not going to make Orangie stop. His ego refuses to understand. His dementia lies to him constantly. This will not stop until the GOP hits rock bottom, and then America is going to rise up and stomp the shit out of them.
The outside temp is 32 (F) so things are freezing. Well, not quite. There's no ice on the windshield and the empty planter filled with water has no crust of ice. This questions the accuracy of the temp so many people are reporting. Our high today is supposed to be in the very low 40s (F). In all actuality, will it be a few degrees warmer? I guess that it's best to say that specific temps are really relative.
Anyway, I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. Mine was quiet, except for the 2 arguments the neighbors had, one in the morning and one in the evening. The volume on their TV went up and down throughout the day. I do believe they forget that I'm living only a one wall away, so last evening I turned the volume up on my TV. Not super loud, mind you, but loud enough for me to hear the dialog. That sort of reminder is enough for them to stop blaring their TV for the next 2 or 3 weeks.
Howie and I had turkey and stuffing. The critters on the hill beside my house got the bones. Howie always gets the skin plus a bit of turkey. He thinks that's delish. I've never been too keen on turkey skin, or chicken skin for that matter. He also got the innards, heart, stomach and liver. His tummy had very fulfilling Thanksgiving.
The only thing I didn't cook were the apple fritters. They will be deep fried this morning. In other words, my dessert is coming a day late.
And even though we've had some cold days, and some windy days, the leaves on my river birch are still hanging on for dear life.
There was a tragedy in Washington, DC on Wednesday. Two of West Virginia's National Guardsmen were shot. Yesterday one of the succumbed to her injuries. Political theater is the only reason the National Guard were deployed to our nations capital. They were sent there in order for Orangie to prove to himself he's the dictator he's always wanted to be. Though they'd desperately like this tragedy to boost his approval rating, and don't for a second believe they don't, they are having the opposite effect. He is the most disliked president in the history of the country. We are watching the death of the Republican party. At some point we will be able to rejoice. But not now. I do not doubt for a second that he will bring more tragedy to this country. The name Trump will only live in infamy.
Well hello Day before Thanksgiving. Here in Central PA we are under a dense fog warning. Note, this is not an advisory, but an honest to God warning. Our current temp is 48 (F). The forecast is for the high to be in the low to mid 60s (F), that is until the bottom drops out. We're supposed to be in the low 30s (F) by the time the holiday rolls into town at midnight, with tomorrow's high in the low to mid 40s (F). On top of the cooler temps, we appear to be heading into some sort of temperature holding pattern for the next week or so. Well, what can I say? We are heading into December.
Yesterday was so, so. I did get something accomplished. That includes a 45 minute bike ride, though I have to admit, there was a bit of sluggishness in my pedaling. The route was new, mostly uphill, and for some reason I couldn't get into the Fallout Boy playlist. Believe me, this is unusual. I drive over to my local Giant Supermarket to buy all the necessaries for tomorrow's lunch, or dinner, or whatever. I'm not planning anything big. As you get older, holidays tend to become like birthdays, just another day of the week. The only thing different is that I'll get holiday pay from the great Orange Retailer without having to work for it.
This afternoon, I'm going to try my hand at apple fritters. Even thought tomorrow is going to be just another day, you can still have tasty morsels to set it apart from all the other days.
I watched a German comedy, Blame it on the Game last night. I did laugh. We too often tend to think of Germans as stalwart and stern, they are not. It is rather slap stick at times, and yes, this is a naked ping pong game in it, and balls do get smacked.
Apparently the Wack Job in the White House has been posting unabated bat shit since the NY Times posted an article about him sundowning. You know what I'm talking about. Things like Orangie only making public appearances between noon and 5 PM, and then he spends most of the time sitting down, and, on occasion napping. They also talked about him posting incoherencies, like this morning's comments about there are no long Republicans, but Trumplicans, or Treblicans, or some sort of nonsense. All the while, prices continue to rise, and Witkhoff teaches the Russians how to be nice to the sundowner. It's also being reported that there is a big tiff going on between Orangie and his ballroom architect, who apparently wants to make it smaller. And, as I sit here this Thanksgiving reading and hearing this horseshit, I think about Chief Justice Roberts. and Sammy Alito, and the other Supreme Court Justices who voted to give Orangie almost limited immunity. All of this, the Noem grift, fratboy Hegseth, MTV alumni Duffy, who wants us all to dress nice when we fly, nutlick Lutnick... every single one of these horrific cabinet choices is resting on their shoulders. There terrible judgement will chide their names throughout history, and they will deserve every second of disrespect that weighs heavily on their brows.
Well, it's 45 (F) outside and we're going to have a drizzly, wizzly day. On and off showers are in the forecast for both today and tomorrow. By Thursday, our temps are going to be taking a turn for the colder, but then it is nearly the end of November. But only for a bit. Heading into December they're going to warm up a tad, with daily highs in the upper 40s (F). Over the past few years we've had a cold snap in early December. If the long range forecasts are even mildly correct, that's not going to happen.
Yesterday's workout included the new split-squat. I definitely did use an area of my gluteus maximus that I've never used before because I am experiencing some soreness this morning. I do hope my future cute butt is worth it. Of course, I did have some muscle soreness in my upper back and shoulders as well. No pain, no gain, and the gains are important as we get up in years. When I get to be a senior, I want to be healthy and fit, not one of those old men who look like babies because they've lost so much muscle.
The changes to my new schedule were approved. Beginning December 22 I will only be working on weekends... well Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. That's fine with me. Strength training will be Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, with Tuesday and Thursday being cardio. I told my trainer that Monday should be light since I work and didn't want to have to worry about my muscles ripping through my shirt in case I accidently flexed. He thought I was being funny.
I watched Good Grief the other night. I like Dan Levy. He's very talented. But, this film should have been called Baggage. The trailer hints that it's a film about three people unpacking their baggage in public. Everybody has baggage. Even the attorney unpacks her baggage. One of the really super big problems with Good Grief is that 3/4s of the way through it you find out (SPOILER ALERT) he and his husband were in an open marriage. Had you known this closer to the beginning, all of this baggage would have become irrelevant. The standout performance is that of Arnaud Valois, a French actor who rises above everyone else. He has no baggage.
And, of course, the Orangie Shit Show of Chaos continued yesterday. I've always known that conservatives were out of touch with reality, but this never ending cycle of incompetence needs to come to an end soon. You know, if they'd have just accepted the fact that everything Orangie touches dies, we'd have none of these problems. They keep painting themselves into corners, and honestly, I had no idea there were so many corners in America. They want to attack Venezuela, not because of Fentanyl, or drugs, but as a Republican Congresswoman said, "it'll be great for the oil companies." That slim bit of honesty was a rarity. They're going after Senator Mark Kelly, a highly respected Senator because he quoted the Military Code of Conduct. He is so highly respected by so many people in the military, and instead of recognizing this, these nitwits are dancing around trying to attack him. The more they do this, the more American sentiment turns against them.
Yesterday the Mark Kelly shit show was in competition with the James Comey shit show. They were running neck and neck for so long, it was difficult to tell which one was pissing off the cultists the most. These people are so into their own fantasy world, they simply do not understand that those millions of Americans who usually don't vote are watching them and wondering "what the fuck?" Good Grief is a movie in which fictional baggage gets unpacked. We, unfortunately, have to watch the Republican party unpack their baggage in real time, and it's more than a little embarrassing.
It was cool this morning, but not cold. Yesterday the high was again in the mid 50s (F), and there's a good possibility that's going to happen again today. We are going to cool off. By Thanksgiving our daily highs should only be in the low to mid 40s (F). There is a blast of cold air coming from up north that will take our overnight lows down into the upper 20s (F) next week, but then that will pass.
Yesterday was a day of rest from my workouts because I worked. It was a slow day. I did get another measure and I sold some flooring. I'm fair certain that when I go into work I will be the sales leader from last week, and I probably tied the full timers with measures. This is fine. I'm scheduled to work today and would really rather stay home. However, and this is a big however, calling off on a scheduled day, either before or after a holiday, will cause you to lose your holiday pay. Since I'm not scheduled Thursday because of the holiday, I do want that pay to cover the hours I'm losing. And today is my scheduled day before the holiday.
I've been pondering this, and my schedule in general. For about a month and a half I was only scheduled 3 days a week. I liked that. Working 17 hours a week was fine. So, today I'm going to change my availability. On the next schedule that gets written I'll be working Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. I'm also not going to be working past 6 PM. The flooring department is transitioning. We will be losing one full time associate and getting another, which will mean disruptions for the next few months. As the senior member of the department, I will be the one whom people turn to, and I really no longer want to be the answer man. I have so many other things that I'd rather use my mind for.
Interesting point: There is this entertainer named D4VD who under suspicion for murder. The body of a teenage girl was found in the trunk of his car, and now (drum roll), there is suspicion that the body may have been either refrigerated or frozen. As soon as I saw this, my mind when back to the first Eli and Max mystery, The Body on the Lawn in which the body of a tango dancers may have been... well, you probably should read it in case you haven't.
And, or course, Elonia Musk decided to show the world where most of Orangie's influencers are located. This revelation happened for just enough time for so many people to take screen shots. Here's an example of 2:
Suddenly, proof was readily available that so many, many of his online supporters are located in Nigeria, and Saudi Arabia, and... well all over the middle east. It seems that Orangie is quite successful are bot farming. Their produce is geared at praising Orangie and denouncing Democracy. Is Orangie's blow bro Vlad funding most of them? I'd say there's a good possibility. Soon after these revelations became public information, Elonia fixed the problem. Now these influencers are using VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) to hide their locations. While you can no longer see in which specific country they're located, if you click on the (i) for information, you will get a message telling you that country of origin is not necessarily true. You see, a VPN lets you hide your location from the world.
Well, we were down near freezing again this morning. The temps will warm up. They did yesterday. We reached a high of 55 (F). Of course, I was working, but believe me, so many people came in and talked about the weather and the warm temps. Their most common comment was "this is so... unnatural." A week short of December and we're experience early to mid autumn temps. Next week we're supposed to cool off. I'll believe it when it happens.
During my workout yesterday morning, I kneed my weight bench and a 20 pound dumbbell fell on the floor. Wowza! It did make a loud noise. I usually set my dumbbells on the floor when I'm not using them, yesterday, I didn't. A lesson has been learned.
And I did work yesterday. Right now I'm leading the department in sales. I work a shift today, however, the weather's not supposed to be too nice, so management will just have to be satisfied with what I have.
Every now and then, out of curiosity. I will check to see where my readers are located in the world. I'm always impressed that there are people in Indonesia, and the Philippines who read what I write. Thank you very much! A number of people in England sit down and look at my blog. France, too, and it's nice to see you number in the hundreds. Germany? Many, many thanks to my German readers! You rock! There is one country, however, that doesn't have a single reader, and that's Spain. People of Spain I adore you! I love your movies! I love your TV series! Right now I'm watching The Crystal Cuckoo! Catalonia is the greatest! I wake up dreaming I'm in Barcelona! (do you think I'm getting my point across?)
And now for a poetry break.
And something with worsted gold sat among the natty leaves
And everyone was flipping out about the so-called peace plan Orangie's administration was trying to shove down Ukraine's throat because it gave his blow bro Vlad everything he wanted, that was until word broke that it was nothing more than Vlad's wish list. As expected, Orangie's not happy. Vlad's not happy. It's my understanding that there's been some rearranging and now the Ukraine, the Europeans, and the US are sitting down in Geneva to start working on another peace plan. It appears that Vlad's not sending anyone because he's an asshole.
And Orangie flipped out again because his wannabe dictator authority is still being questioned. What the GOP fails to understand is that every time he pulls carp like this it hurts him. They still cling to that belief that a majority of quiet Americans love and adore Orangie, and that they will bow down to his every whim. They are totally out of touch with America, and it's killing them off.
Holy Moly! Our outside temp is 47 (F) and we have... intermittent showers. That's right, our skies are overcast and with only 8 days left in November, our temps are warm. Don't get me wrong, I'm fine with not having to pay for heating my house, and to be honest, I don't give a rat's ass if the revenue for my natural gas company shrinks. They should never have let greed get the better of them. Next week, our highs are only predicted to be in the mid 40s (F) during the day, but again, that's fine with me. It's a lot better than highs in the low 30s (F).
As Wednesdays go, yesterday wasn't bad. I did drive over to my local BJ's wholesaler to make a purchase. Razor blades. And what a deal they were!. However, as always when I'm wandering up and down the aisles, I'm price comparing. Yoghurt is cheaper at my local Giant Supermarket. And the sliced cheese I buy? Kraft slices are just a tad bit more expensive than the name brand my Giant sells. So, will it be Kraft or the generic brand? I'll go with the cheaper generic brand. Too many people believe that a name brand means better quality. Nahhh. Remember, sliced cheese is a processed food that is mass produced. In the time it's taking me to write this sentence probably thirty or forty thousand slices have been wrapped and packed. And let's be realistic, Kraft is not making their slices more nutritious. All they're doing is selling a name.
And some of you might want to ask yourselves what does the picture of Isabella Rossellini on the cover of the September, 1983 copy of Vogue have to do with The Body in 4:$ Time.
So, I'm thinking of writing a poem and everyday posting a picture of on Instagram with a line from that poem. This might be the first.
Beneath half a tree of leaves
Of course, just about everybody is talking about the love fest Orangie had with Mamdani. People were expecting him to treat the new mayor of New York City the same way he treated Zelensky, and instead he treated him the same way he treated Putin. Did the visit by the Saudi shah have something to do with Orangie's generosity? Another couple of million just to be super nice? Remember, the Orange Anus is transactional. If he's being nice, he's getting something in return.
And if you're not talking about the Mamdani visit, you're probably talking about Margorie Taylor Greene announcing her quittage from Congress. So many people want to know why. She was super popular among the cultists up until about a month ago. Then she jumped on the Epstein Train and began demanding Orangie release the files. Believe me, she has not changed her stripes. She is the embodiment of ulterior motives. Like Orangie, she is a transactional preson.
Well, temps here are in the low 40s (F). I appreciate any temp that's warm enough to keep my furnace from constantly running. Expectations are that we're going to hit the mid 50s (F). That, too, is nice. But don't worry, temps will drop. By the time Thanksgiving gets here our daily highs are only expected to be in the low 40s (F) with overnight lows down in the very low 30s (F). Don't worry, it will be fine. We always have a cold spell heading into the first weeks of December. Then, as of late, temps tend to warm up.
Yesterday was my free day. No workouts. While I appreciate that, on these days I feel that I'm missing out on something. I do enjoy the 40 minutes or so when when I'm pulling bands, or lifting weights, or just hanging around doing a plank.
Yesterday I had a nice flooring sale to an Asian man. It was large enough easily hit my goal for the week. He was a little overly friendly, if you ask me, too many pats on the back if you know what I mean. I politely ignored him. This happens from time to time. We get it from both genders. I think it's worse when it happens with women, especially when they start asking questions like, "are you married?" Then can get very personal very fast. Men are different. They simply pat you on the back.
I watched The History of Sound last night on Mubi. If it played in Harrisburg, it was in and out of the theater in the blink of an I. If you haven't seen it, watch it. This gentle story of enduring love is one of the best films I've seen in years. Paul Mescal is terrific. Have tissues handy.
I follow Aaron Parnas and the day Orangie signed the legislation for releasing the Epstein files, he posted something to the effect that "tomorrow would be boring," after that. Yesterday he apologized. Let's be honest here, Orangie's shit never ends. And he's getting worse. He's saying things like members of the military who don't follow orders, even if they are illegal, are guilty of sedition. He threatened Senators and Congressman for pointing out that members of the military are not supposed to follow these orders. His administration later did a retraction, however, they simply don't realize that it was too late to pull that knife out of their eye.
And then the Coast Guard said the swastika was no longer a "hate symbol" but is simply divisive. Today they did a flip-flop, and it is once again a hate symbol. Republicans have a long history of not cleaning their own house, to do so might lose them the votes of a minority group. So you will hear crickets from them in order to keep the White Nationalists and Neo Nazis loyal.
So, this morning's cool, cool temp was 28 (F). Yes, there is fog. Yes, it has frozen to the windshield of my car. And yes, this is the coldest day we've had so far heading into winter. Temps are predicted to climb in the the mid 50s (F), but more rain is on the way. With these temps and rain, you can bet your bottom dollar every leaf will have fallen. But then, we are a month away from Winter. And only 4 months away from Spring. My, aren't times moving fast.
Yesterday, being Wednesday, was a bit meh and a bit good. My workout went well. I was pleased. Several loads of laundry were washed. I patched a pair of work jeans with an iron on patch. And I baked a loaf of bread. Those are nice accomplishments, but then there were the stretchy moments when I didn't want to do anything, not even scan down social media on my phone. That was the meh part.
I have to work this afternoon. If they didn't pay me so well, I'd cut back my hours, but every time I see my paycheck I think: Wow, now I can buy something nice and new. Statements like that make people think my house is cluttered with useless, shiny bright things. It isn't. The truth is I end up throwing more stuff out, or giving it away if anyone wants it, than I buy. Sometimes people hold on to stuff simply because giving it away, or throwing it out is like cutting off a piece of their lives. Believe me, these things are not part of your life.
One of the truly terrible things about social media is the advertising. I Threads. I also know that given the chance Meta will inundate me with ads, so I've started training their algorithm. How do I do this? Every time I get to an ad, I tap the 3 little dots in the upper right hand corner. This opens a small menu. I then click on the "not interested" and the ad disappears. The more you do this, the fewer ads you'll see. The same is true for Instagram. If we could get everybody to do this for just one day, Meta would lose a fortune in ad sales.
My bare leaved Gingko.
So, Orangie signed the legislation to release the Epstein files. He has 30 days. A lot of people think that these files consist of thousands and thousands of manilla folders filled with written documentation, this is not entirely true. There are also thousands of hours of audio recordings, and thousands of hours of video recordings. These are extremely difficult to alter. Also, there is more than one copy of the files. The UK has a large number of the files, which is why Randy Andy is no longer a prince. France has a large number, too. Also, don't forget there are thousands of victims, and while many will keep their mouths closed, there are many, many more who would like to taste revenge. Orangie and his team will release files that hurt Democrats, however there are so many with Orangie's name in them, they will use a different method to keep from releasing them. National Security, or an ongoing Federal Investigation will keep the worst ones hidden from the public. Keeping files secret will hurt Orangie almost as badly as releasing them.
The jobs report is out for September. Don't believe it. Every other source has said that September was a catastrophic month for jobs. Orangie's administration is saying there was a surprising uptick in jobs. Remember, they lie.
We had rain overnight. This is good. We are in the hole when it comes to precipitation. According to Accuweather we are entering a rainy period and, again, this good. Temps are not expected to vary much from lows in the mid 30s (F) to highs in the mid 40s (F). Could we be in a holding pattern until winter zooms in, or is this winter going to be like fit in the pattern we've been in for the the past 5 years? Were the colder temps of last year an exception. I'm betting so. I've always felt that climate change was going to change the eastern seaboard of the United States into a rain forest.
Yesterday was fine. Several loads of laundry were washed and I got in a decent bike ride back in Corsica. That ride has become one of my favorites. There are hills I use to get my cardio up, and valleys that help take the stress off of my legs.
Today's has already been busy. I've got a loaf of bread in the works, and I'm about to run upstairs and throw a load of laundry into the washer. My reminder that I've got a workout schedule has just flashed across my watch.
Since The Body in 4:4 Time takes place in Laurel Lakes, Eli and Max's stomping grounds, I have the ability of reprising several characters from my first book. Margaret Stanley, the matriarch of Laurel Lakes puts in an appearance, as well as Henderson, the red-headed police detective. And, not surprising, he is still just as much of a prick who is quite unhappy that murder happened outside of his jurisdiction.
Howie's living his dream of Play Hard, Sleep Hard.
Of course, bot the House of Representatives and the Senate voted on the Epstein files directive yesterday and it passed overwhelmingly. Now it's waiting for the Orange Anus to sign it into law. Do not hold your breaths waiting. He's already put a delay on it, saying that he wouldn't sign it while the murderous Saudi prince was in Washington. And after this excuse, there will be another. Orangie is not happy. While the GOP will publicly stand behind him, the fact that they had their asses handed to them during November's elections has not gone unnoticed. They understand that the Orange Anus was the main reason they lost so badly. Orangie is no longer Teflon Don. As someone who was alive when Teflon first made its appearance on pots and pans, I can tell you it wasn't that great. After a certain amount of use, it began to scratch and peel away. Within one to two years you needed to throw out that pot or pan because everything began sticking. And Orangie? Because his popularity is failing like a stone in a pond, he has become a terrible liability. The truth Republicans don't want to face is that the longer he delays signing the legislation, the more they will have to deal with his failing approval rating. Orangie is in the process of destroying the Republican party because they actually believed their own propaganda.
The overnight temp fell to 32 (F), at least that's what the thermometer said. When I left Howie out, I did a quick glance to see if anything was frozen. Nope. There was no ice to be found. This doesn't mean our temps weren't as low as the thermometer indicated, just that the actual temp around my house might have been closer to 34 (F) rather than 32 (F).
I did work yesterday and the 5 hours I spent at the store were rather boring. Monday is meeting day, so my supervisor on paid the flooring desk a very brief visit. She is by the book. A company woman. One thing we're supposed to do is greet every customer with "Welcome to Home Depot." She does this without fail. It does not make a wit of difference how long I or one of my associates has been working with a customer, she will greet the customer as if they've just walked in through the front door. By the way, none of us say it. My department is in the heart of the store, so by the time customers get to the flooring desk they've already passed by a number of associates. The fact that someone in corporate believes this is the correct response every time an associate meets a customer tells me that person has never worked in the plumbing aisle, or stood taking orders at the paint desk from the 8 or 9 customers waiting to buy paint.
I did my workout yesterday. As usual, it went well. I work through 2 groups of strength training exercises each consisting of 3 exercises repeated 3 times. One of those exercises is always squats and another is always deadlifts. I don't mind the deadlifts, but dislike the squats. My trainer included new exercises, and changed the routine so that one of the groups on the C routine only has 2 exercises. So I asked him to add a third, and. as I should have expected, it's squats. So I sent him a text: Hahaha more squats. And he replied: Hahaha no just squats, Bulgarian Split Squats. For those of you who don't know, this is a Bulgarian Split Squat. Also keep in mind I just celebrated a birthday 10 days ago.
Not me in the picture
Another reminder, as if you needed one, the House of Representatives will be voting on releasing the Epstein files this afternoon. It is expected to pass. The discharge is then set to move onto the Senate, which also must pass it. This is expected to happen. Keep in mind, both Kash and Karry Patel as well as Pami Jo Bondi have had agents working to redact Orangie's name. Evidently the victims names are not being protected, but Orangie's name is. I'm betting these redacted files will in no way keep people from talking about them. In fact, they may worsen the situation because just everybody with more than 5 brain cells will realize that something is being hidden. Republicans still have not figured out that, except for the cultists, Americans are not stupid. They simply do not understand. They never will. This is why the party of Selfishness and Greed needs to be completely voted out of politics.
This morning out outside temp was 39 (F). That's chilly, however we no longer have winds, and yes, we did have wind yesterday. Gustiness prevailed through most of the day and evening. Supposedly several banks of snow flurries moved overhead. If that happened, I missed them. No loss. There will always be more. If the weather forecasters are correct, out temps should remain in the upper 40s (F) to low 50s (F) for the coming week, in fact, if this weather pattern holds we'll have the same temps well into December.
Being Sunday, no workout was scheduled, however I was scheduled to work a full shift at the Orange Home Improvement retailer I that pays be to be a flooring specialist. I made clam chowder for my lunch break. It was New England, rather than Manhattan, a big difference. While it was tasty and delicious, potatoes and clams really aren't very filling, and because I was bored, I ended up snacking. While that is not the bane of my existence, I'd say it's fairly close. Because business is so slow, staffing was at a minimum, so there really weren't a lot of associates to converse with. I did my laps and got in my required number of steps, but that's about it. I hit my measure and sales goals for the week. That's all that matters as far as management is concerned. One thing of note; they still set up that lead generation table everyone hates, but it gets shut down after 2 to 3 hours. Scheduled associates simply do not show up.
I do have a workout this morning.
One thing of note: Since I eliminated Disney, Hulu, and Amazon Prime from my streaming services, I went looking for something else and found Mubi. This service has not bent the knee to the Orange Anus, and their selection of films and show is simply amazing. If this works out well, I may consider BBC-1 especially since it will be airing the Russel Tovey series. It's better to watch it on BBC-1 rather than Disney.
Of course the big political news is that the Orange Anus has pulled a TACO on the Epstein files. Of course (#2), there is so much speculation whirling around his decision you'd think that the gale force winds we had yesterday are now swirling around Washington, or should I say Mar a Lago? Some say he's had this change of heart opinion because Pami Joe Bondi had over a 1000 agents scrub his name from all of the documents, or at least black it out with a redaction marker. But the files consist of more than just written words, there are thousands of video and sound recordings. Then there are others who feel he understands that the votes were against him, remember they call him TACO for a reason. If this is the case, then he probably has something else up his sleeve to take the nation's attention away from his pedophilia... say a war with Venezuela. Then there's always the possibility his administration believe the MAGA cultists will no longer be triggered by the thought of him raping girls; Meg Kelly did say there's a big difference between having sex with a 15 year-old and a 4 year-old. By the way, that idea of Megs went over like a rock balloon. And then there's the idea that because he told Pami Jo to open a new investigation they will use that as the excuse to not release the files. I'm leaning towards the latter, since he can use that delaying tactic out for years if he wants.
Holy Crap! This morning the outside temp in Central PA was 55 (F). Need I remind you that we are halfway through November and just a little over a month away from the onslaught of Winter. Wait, maybe onslaught isn't the right word. At this point it's difficult to tell if we will be dealing with aa barrage of wind, snow and ice. Last year's winter was colder than the previous 3 years, but that may have been an outlier season.
Climate change is happening, albeit slowly. Generally speaking, our planet does not change over night, even though Hollywood would like to entertain the world with this idea. Change has always taken time.
I did work yesterday. I also did my morning workout. Two different sets of squats were included: the goblet squat and some other exercise that doesn't use the word squat, though it does require you to squat. So, I sent my trainer a message noting that a squat by any other name is still a squat. He though that... amusing.
As for my job, I got 2 measures, so I hit my goal. One is going to be a definite purchase, the second is a blind order, and the customers were pleased that our estimate came in at less than another estimate they already had. I suspect they will purchase, too. This make management happy. I also get to work today. Sundays are always my long days. We might be somewhat busy in the morning, but televised sporting events will thin the crowd this afternoon. When it's really slow I work on the book. To keep you all updated, Eli and Max have just had a conversation on symmetry. Now, isn't that fascinating.
I'd said I'd made jerky. It's delicious. I ended up with quite a bit, so I'm giving a friend at work some today.
Apparently Orangie left Washington for Mar a Lago again. I'm surprised he doesn't play Workin' for the Weekend all the time. Of course, he is a show tune kind of guy. It's my understanding that yesterday the Broadway score of Phantom of the Opera was blaring though out the White House. Ugh.
ICE is in the red state of North Carolina and it seems as if the residents are not very happy. They're protesting. And this is in a MAGA state. Honestly, I, for one, would never have expected North Carolina to be a hotbed of illegal immigration. However, I may be wrong. There's also the possibility that thimble brained Krist Noem thought the MAGA voters in the state would welcome a para-military organization with open arms. No one ever accused her of being intelligent. Anyway, they're there and they are not welcome. In fact, I don't doubt that cultists in that state believed that the big problems with immigrants were in Blue states and Blue cities. This is what happens when you listen to a dementiated old man in a red hat. I guess winter came early down south.
Our outside temp is 39 (F). It went up 1 degree since I got up this morning. The forecasters are saying that it will climb into the mid 50s (F), that is until the showers arrive. We also had some fleeting sunshine, that has since fled before the approaching cloud cover. Temps tomorrow will be a bit on the cooler side, and this upcoming week our daily highs are predicted to be in the 40s (F), but than we've had forecasts like this before and they've all ended up warmer than expected.
Yesterday turned out to be pretty boring. No excitement here. I did drive over to Community Aid to buy a new pair of work pants. Fridays are apparently Mennonite day, so I was caught up in the bustle of a lot of women wearing their coverings and calf length dresses, and lots of babies in strollers. They're very nice people, but Holy Crap there were so many of them. Just like Tuesdays, I now know Fridays are to be avoided. Tuesdays are senior citizen days, and believe me wading through a crowd of browsing seniors pausing, and picking up a hanger to carefully peruse a shirt, or a pair of pants can be nerve shattering.
I did get a ride in though I have to admit it turned out to be one of the most boring rides I've ever had. After 8 miles I decided I'd had enough and stopped.
Howie's running around with an ice cube that dropped on the floor. It will be his most favorite toy until it melts, and then he'll go back to his previous most favorite toy, the lime green throwy thing that squeaks.
And, in case you missed it, Orangie did the Taco Twist last night and dropped the tariffs on a lot of food stuffs because his tariffs were failing. His reversal made for big headlines this morning.
As many wise men haven noted this morning, this was curtail the inflation that so many people are pissed about. How much will prices drop? A bit. Anyone who thinks that they're going to go back to what they were before the Orange Effect, must be a member of a Cult. Supermarkets might drop their prices a bit, most consumers will not notice that they're still paying more than they had been.
And while this is temporarily making the news, it is in now way going to take the American publics attention away from the Epstein Files. That dam is breaking. Some think that Republican congressmen have finally found their backbone, not me. All those Republicans who suddenly sign on to the discharge have been scared shitless by the Blue Tsunami. These idiots desperately wanted to believe Orangie's lies, that vast numbers of Americans loved him. That wave shattered that belief into brittle, little splinters that carved a bit of the truth into their thin skin. For the GOP to survive at all, Republican Congressmen and Senators will have to go through a cleansing acid bath several times. By the time Epstein shit has passed anyone even remotely associated with Orangie will either be in jail, or will have exiled themselves to mother Russia.
I woke to temps down in the 30s (F) this morning making a chilly start to my day off. Temps are predicted to climb up into the 50s (F) again. Rain is in the forecast for tomorrow. We can always use it, especially at this time of the year when the colorful but dry leaves are falling from the trees. Colorful, that is, except for my river birch whose leaves simply brown and fall.
There are 2 days a week in which I don't workout, yesterday was one. I had thought I might do something in the morning, but the realized how much I enjoy not pumping, pulling, stretching, or riding. Truthfully, they're not actually rest days as they are recovery days. Your muscles may get pumped, pulled, and stretched, but they cells themselves don't actually multiply and grow until you have a recovery day. This is why breaks in your workout routine are essential.
As I was walking into work yesterday, our Customer Order Specialist stopped me and asked if I remembered a specific customer from the past. The name sounded familiar, so I told her "vaguely." She began telling me she was looking for their original complaint that seems to have gotten lost when corporate upgraded our software. She mentioned this customer's first carpet replacement and everything snapped together in my head. I looked at her and said "hallway," and she smiled at me and said "yes." This was my customer who had carpeting installed back in 2017. That date is correct. 2017! They had a problem with the installation back then, and every few years they've filed another complaint. The carpeting has been replaced twice already, and they have just filed another complaint. I hope that this time corporate tells them where to stick their complaint.
And so much information is coming out in the Epstein emails, like Bill Clinton never went to the pedophiles island, but Orangie did on multiple occasions. So many of Epstein's comments are being made public. Here's one I find rather succinct.
This pretty much defines a man without a soul, of course, in Orangie's mind, he doesn't need one. He's far too special to require something so mundane as a soul. I mean, if he had a soul, people might think he is just like everyone else and that is simply not acceptable to the little gray cells in his brain. Noparedo! He craves comments that are praiseworthy and these emails? Not only do they frame his lies, they finish them with a crackled lacquer that is roughly hewn from deceit.
As far as I know, Orangie has posted on his Truth Social platform in well over 24 hours. I don't doubt he is enraged. He has 2 emotions: over zealous pride, and anger, or to put it in simpler terms, if you're not kissing his ass, you are the enemy. Every minute, of every hour, he has more enemies. This is a good thing. Enjoy his outrage because his world is beginning to shatter.
And again we have temps that are rather moderate here in Central PA. Right now the mercury (does anyone still know what that means?) is sitting at 44 (F). Our afternoon high will again be in the mid 50s (F), and that's nice. Next week our highs are predicted to be in the 40s (F), but we'll have to wait and see. Long range forecasts are always hazier than a hot summer afternoon in LA.
Yesterday things got done. Laundry: 3 loads. Workout: affirmative, even with the new exercises. Yeah, I got some new things to pick up and put down. Something called a hip thrust, and for those of you whose minds just stepped off the curb into the gutter, clean up your minds. You make a bridge: the top of your shoulders is on the edge of the weight bench and your knees are creating a right angle with your feet on the floor four feet away, and then you lift one of your feet as high as possible. I also began doing lateral lunges with weights. Wowza! Believe me when I tell you I was a bit sore.
Since this is the season of mice my mouse traps have been put out. Four of the little buggers are now out on the hill where they will become fertilizer. So far, four has been the record, of course I have no idea how many of them have decided to take up refuge in my house. Better they should move to my neighbor's house where I do suspect they would be so much safer.
Howie has a new toy. He loves it. This is the first one with handles at both ends and we can play tug-of-war. This toy has now become his most favortitist in the world, and he walks around the house with it dangling from his mouth. He is always raring to go for a good tug.
And I would have gotten more accomplished yesterday if it weren't for the Epstein Files. Ahead of Adelita Grijalva's being sworn in, the Democrats released a tranche (I do like that word tranche) of new Epstein emails. We now know that in 2017 Jeff celebrated Thanksgiving with the Orange Anus, that's a year after Orangie was elected president. We also know that Bill Clinton never went to the Jeff's pedophile island. Also, Orangie evidently knew about the little girls. The Washington Post attempted to clean this up by adding there were no references to Orangie being involved with said little girls. I'm thinking Bezos may be worried about his tax cut so his hired lacky writers are going to do as much damage control as possible. I don't know if any of you saw Orangie signing the legislation to reopen the government, but if you did you know what I mean when I say his face was lava angry red. He took no questions. Remember, he doesn't get scared, he gets angry. He gets furious. He is so pissed about Epstein and his files! You would have thought that after all of these years Orangie would have realized that in the real world he is an incompetent idiot.
We're a bit warmer this morning, so I suppose the Arctic Blast and moved on to some other place. This doesn't mean that the day is going to get much warmer than the 39 (F) the outside temp was when I woke up. Clouds are supposed to hang around for the entire day. Tomorrow our daily high is supposed to be back up in the 50s (F). Next week, however, we'll be setting back into more seasonal temps with daily highs in the upper 40s (F).
Yesterday was a pretty busy day. Besides laundry, much was accomplished. I went to PetSmart and bought Howie a new harness (he grew out of the old one) and a new toy, which has a handle on each end so we can play tug of war. Laundry was done. I cut up 6 pork loins and made jerky, it's delish. And got in a 50+ minute bike ride.
Capping off a busy day, last night I watched Frankenstein. If you can, I highly recommend you watch this quite good adaptation of Mary Shelly's book. This film succeeds on every level. I honestly had no idea what to expect when I turned it on, though social media has been going bonkers for it. Rather than use CGI, del Toro had the sets built. The costumes are lavishly beautiful. And the acting? Superb. Jacob Elordi is simply magnificent. If you think you're going to be watching some update, glorified horror film you're wrong. This is a complicated film where you will actually have to think about what you're seeing. This is what movies are supposed to do.
So, the House of Representatives may or may not be coming back into session today. Will the government shut down end? Possibly. Those Democrats who are seen as caving to the Republicans are getting a boatload of shit from America's Democrats. As I said before, caving should lead to the release of the Epstein files, but then we don't know what the administration has been doing behind closed doors. Kash Patel has said that the DOJ had people working on scrubbing Orangie's name from the files, though it's not just written text they have to contend with, but lots of video testimony. Will they use AI to alter testimony? You can bet your bottom dollar they will. Remember, there was a time when the Republican party had some shred of values, but not any more. They shit those away when they shit away their ethics, and their morals, and their compassion, though they've always lacked on that to certain degree. Anyway, today will be interesting.
Well, it does seem as if the Arctic Blast has hit us... sort of. When I woke up this morning our outside temp was 30 (F) and that's cold. Oddly enough, areas to our geographic south were much colder, so maybe the Susquehanna Valley is in a bit of a bubble of warmness. Tonight is not supposed to be as cold, with the low sitting around 31 (F). Yeah, I know, like 1 degree makes that much of a difference.
The cold temps also mean the beginning of oatmeal season. I usually cook up barley for breakfast, but once the chilly willy mornings begin I switch to oatmeal with peanut butter and honey. I almost always use honey as a sweetener. It's not that I don't like using refined and processed sugar, which I do think about, but because I like the flavor. The best honey I've had came from Greece. Seriously, that was so yummy.
My brother sent me a video on Facebook of Fred Rogers playing a screamin' guitar. I pointed out the name Soros at the top and let him know that it was AI generated. I really do dislike AI. In my mind, AI is for lazy people who are creatively barren. Self publishers are supposed to notify their readers if they use AI, but you know there's a lot of wannabe pseudo authors that don't. They have no idea with being a fraudulent human being.
I popped 6 pork loins into the freezer a bit ago. I'm going to be dehydrating them and nearly frozen pork makes for easier slicing.
And here are 2 more pics of my history. They are from Bill Clinton's first inauguration. Yes was there. I, along with a million other people got to hear Maya Angelou recite On the Pulse of a Morning. My words of advice to people: If you ever get the chance to participate in history, do so, those moments will stay with you forever.
And I saw that Orangie is in the process of striking up some sort of deal with Syria. He began by lifting sanctions, and I seem to remember one of his minions mumbling about some sort of framework being discuss for another Orangie Tower, or Resort. The funds being funneled into his pockets are no doubt coming from Saudi Arabia as the work to spread Islam. You can do this when you're one of the wealthiest countries in the world.
Also, this morning I saw that Orangie is shrieking about the possibility of the Supreme Court overturning his tariffs, ie his personal grift machine. It seems that all of these trillions of $$$s he's been bragging about seem to... have... well, possibly disappeared? Or... it does appear that he saying there's no way they can pay them back to the companies individuals who paid higher prices. Well, Damn! Isn't this a big blow to our economic pulse and this cold, autumn morning?
Our outside temp is a cool 41 (F) and I'm going to disappoint those of you who don't like the chill, it's not going to get much warmer. Yepper. Maybe 3 or 4 degrees. Tonight's low might possibly drop more than a degree or two below freezing. This means the leaves will be dropping from the trees like rain. I always like to see that, even though it means I'll either be raking them up or mowing them. And yes, for those of you who are new here, I usually mow and mulch my leaves rather than rake them to the curb.
Yesterday I worked. Even though it was slow, I did get my 3rd measure for the week. I have one customer who has to come in and pick out their carpet. I give them the occasional call. Pressuring people to spend their hard earned cash is not something that comes easy for me. My belief has always been that when they're ready to buy, that's if they're ever ready to buy, they'll do it on their own time. People tend to spend more money if you let them, besides, all I have to do is look at the notes in their file and see that they are getting called, and texted, and emailed by our Measurement Services Department in an attempt to get them to buy. Of course, this is all about greed.
I signed up for Hulu to watch the last to episodes of Only Murders in the Building. I enjoy the show because many of the actors I grew up with get cast and it good to see that not only are they still alive, but still practicing their craft. Unfortunately, this was cheapo subscription and I ended up with commercials. I truly despise commercials. Most of the ones that aired were for weight loss drugs and I couldn't help but wonder when did the human species get so damn lazy.
As I'd said, I've been scanning a lot of my old pictures into the computer. Here's one of me and my dad. I'm the little one. This was taken in winter of 1953. And yes, my parents did own a gray Mercury.
Of course, the Senate approved legislation that if passed by the House and signed by the Orange Anus will open the government. Many, many Democrats are upset thinking that they caved. Me? I think they're playing Chicken with Politics. For the House to approve it, Mikey Johnson would have to bring them back into session. With the House in session, he would have to swear in the 2 Democratic votes that will put that other pieces of legislation, the one requiring the release of the Epstein files. This caving by the Democrats is going to put the Republican House in a very serious position because of those files, and the 2 votes needed to make them public. Had those 2 votes not been waiting to be sworn in, this would have been a cave of monumental proportions. Now, the House and the Senate are playing Chicken with each other.
And finally, I don't know if you all saw, but Orangie went to a football game last night and was booed mercilessly. And those fans were loud. And Orangie was not happy. You could see it on his face as he frequently paused while reading some sort of loyalty oath. This was cutting as hell to a man who glories in praise. So, after midnight, he punished America by pardoning a whole bunch of criminals. He will never learn, neither will the Republican Party.
So, I thought Mother Nature was going to be nice to me on the day after my birthday. The temps were warm, in the mid 40s (F) here in Central PA. And then I looked at the forecast. The temps will stay warm, climbing into the mid 60s (F), until the rain arrives. Yepper. We are going to get doused. And then the temps are going to drop all the way down into the low 30s (F). After that our highs will only be hitting the mid 50s (F) until... the next heat wave?
Yesterday was a very good day. I did... things. No workout, but cake and ice cream. Howie and I had several balls. A few phone calls with friends, one talked for over an hour. I climbed on my bike and chose a Paris ride on my Tacx Neo trainer and rode down streets I'd walked down back when I was celebrating my birthday in Paris. I posted a video on Instagram if anyone wants to see me riding towards the Eiffel Tower with Bon Jovi singing "It's My Life." Believe me when I tell you that happiness is in the small and easy things, not the loud celebrations. Dinner was barbecue chicken, and then more cake and ice cream. Howie loves ice cream. I even wrote some words.
I'm not going to weigh myself today.
And I do have to work today. Where's Eli when I need to have someone say "shit." It wouldn't be bad, the rain and football will keep many customers out of the store. However, I'm scheduled to be at the stupid Lead Table from 3 PM - 4 PM, and I, like so many others, simply despise that waste of my time.
This morning I posted one of my favorite pictures of Paris on Facebook when I sent out my thank you to all the well wishers. Here it is for you to see. The skies were cloudy when I arrived at the Eiffel Tower but had cleared by the time I climbed all of those steps to the top.
And, of course, thanks to the Orange Anus and his need to shut down the government, this is not the time to be flying. When they say the shutdown is effecting thousands, they're not talking about 4 or 5 thousand, they're talking about numbers in the 40s and 50 thousands all across the country. The sad truth about this is that while some of the American stuck in those airports may blame the Democrats, many more blame the party in charge, and the party in charge refuses to understand the longer this goes on the more they are stabbing themselves in their back, in their head, in their heart. They are not just losing ground, it is caving away beneath their feet and at this point nothing they can do will save them.
Finally, one bit of humor, even though there are literally millions of pictures flooding the internet of Orangie sleeping in a chair the White House is denying that this actually happened. This administration is becoming more and more absurd.
First of all, a big apology to everyone for confusing Norma Desmond with Nora Desmond. Even though I love movies, to my recollection, I've only seen that famous movie one time.
Also, today's going to be a short entry because it's my birthday. I took the day off of work. I made sure that my Saturday workout has been rescheduled to Monday. And, officially, I'm not going to do very much today. My Trainwell trainer asked if I was going to do anything celebratory. The answer is "No." It has been my belief for decades that your birthday belongs to you, and while it is just another day to the rest of the world, you should be able to do with those 24 hours as you see fit.
In one way, I'm surprised to be as old as I am, since, like most people, I have done some stupid shit when I was younger. And still, I'm not surprised, either. At one point in my 50s, I looked at myself in the mirror and realized I was only halfway there, which is why I tell people I'm going to live to be 100, maybe older. I must be doing something right (except for that Norma Desmond screw up), because when I tell people how old I am, they are always surprised.
So, what will I do today? Maybe write a bit. I like writing. I may practice my Spanish - yes, I had it in school when I was 14. And though I shouldn't be surprised, I am surprised at how much I remember. There will be cake and ice cream. Maybe a bike ride? Maybe not. It's my day, and I'm going to do what I want.
It was cold this morning. Yepper! When I check the temp this morning it was 31 (F). For those of us stuck using Fahrenheit temps, that is below freezing. Let there be frost everywhere. According to our weather forecasters, temps should climb up into the high 50s (F) today, maybe even reach into the low 60s (F). With these colder temps, the leaves will begin falling off the trees like rain.
Yesterday was a rest day as far as workouts go. I found it weird, feeling that I should be doing something. I'm going to have to change that. After 51 days of regular workouts and cardio, I have developed a regime. This is one of the main reasons I went with train well, so that I might develop some sort of consistency. From chatting with my trainer, I gather that there are a number of individuals who have no problems canceling workouts, or pushing them off to another day. This all has to do with their inability to prioritize. Sadly, there are those people whose priorities are too often effected by their own laziness.
Work was slow yesterday. I did, however, manage to get a measure. This means I hit my measure goal for the week. I also have a carpet install that's probably going to go through, which means I'll meet my sales goal. And I had to have my schedule fixed. There was a typo (it's nice to know I'm not the only one who makes them). They had me working from 10:30 PM to 6:30 AM on Monday. That's been fixed.
And for those of you who missed it, there was a medical emergency in the Oval Office yesterday. No, Satan did not show up to take his wayward Spawn home, a representative from one of the medical companies passed out. Orangie turned and watched for a few minutes, and, upon not seeing an Angel of Death approaching, turned front to wait for his picture to be took. That's right, he had a Nora Desmond moment and the whole world got to see it.
Holy Shit! That's picture has gone around the world four or five million times by the time I'm typing these words. It totally epitomizes Orangie's disdain for everything in the world that does not revolve around him. His is the face of the Republican Party.
And to add a little spice to the batter, Steve Bannon said that if the Republicans lose the mid-terms, "a lot of us will be going to jail, including me." How that for a confession of guilt? They know how bad they are. They have no problem stealing America blind. They are the face of Evil.
Weatherwise, today is going to be pretty much a transitional day into a mini cooling off period. There will be clouds, but not much temperature variation. When I got up at 0530 the temp was 46 (F) and, if the forecasters are correct, we'll gain just a few more degrees, climbing into the low to mid 50s (F). However, a few days from now we should be back up into the 60s (F).
And yesterday was a fairly good day. Not so much because chores were done, but because I put air in my tires. Since the compressor at my neighborhood Giant's gas station was working, I went across the street to the Weis Market's gas station. Wonder of wonders, they don't charge for air. At Giant you need to pay $1.50. At Weis, it's free. And so I filled all 4 tires in about 5 minutes... for free. In case you haven't figured it out yet, Free is mostly always good. Can you guess where I'll be going from now on when I need air in my tires?
Some writing was done. That's always a good thing. My mind is starting to wander towards the next book already. This can be both a good and a bad thing. At this point in the process things can slow down because I'm starting to clear up the red herrings, at the same time pre-planning means I'm creatively thing about a totally different plot line.
One of the things I did get done yesterday was some preliminary artwork for The Body in 4:4 Time. This may change, and just what Cori will do with it is... well, up to her. The covers are always painted, so there are always changes. Anyway, here's a look at the beginning. As with all of my covers, there is a clue hidden here, so you may want to embiggen. The pic on Instagram has music.
And repercussions are still detonating through the GOP. And the reasons Republicans are coming up with why they lost so badly are.. well, as demented as the Orange Anus. My favorite so far was the Congresswoman who tried to push the deceit that Republican voters stayed home from the polls because they were happy. The absurdity in this comment is... well as unfathomable as her intention in making it. In fact, it makes me wonder if Orangie my be that catalyst for change America needs. If not, his corruptness is shaking things up more than they've ever been shaken up before. Till this entire thing is done, there will be no Republican Party.
And his attorney argued for his power to set tariffs yesterday at the Supreme Court. The only one truly vocal about his keeping this power was Alito. The other judges had questions and made statements that sounded a lot like they didn't want Orangie to be able to override the Senate. Not Alito. You see, Alito wants a king who will give Conservatives what they want. He is blind to the fact that Orangie will only ever give himself what he wants. Alito is an old man, with an old man's brain.
Well, we have another cool start to the day. Right now, our outside temp is 43 (F), though if the forecasters are correct, we'll be hitting the upper 60s (F) sometime this afternoon. There will be some wind and a front moves through, but not rain. That's a bummer as we are under a Fire Watch. Later in the week we may get a drizzle or two, but right now the forecast is for dry, dry, dry. That's not a good thing for this time of year.
As has been trending lately, yesterday, Tuesday, much was accomplished here. I put the final dab of paint on the trim in the bathroom. I still need to pain a folding door, but that will happen soon enough. Laundry was done. Some preliminary work was done on my cover art. Words were written. Dinner was a mushroom and beef burger. It was delicious. And then I played Outer Worlds 2 for a bit. Overall, I was pleased. Today seems to be turning out the same way.
The only disappointing thing was the air compressor at my Giant Supermarket. That seasonal thing has happened where I need to puff up the pressure in my tires just the tiniest bit. Whenever this happens, I usually go to the puffer at my local Giant. Well, yesterday it wasn't working. The attendant came out and looked at it. He told me that some of the employees say that it works fine, but that there are a number of complaints for other that it doesn't. Every time I swiped my card, and yes, they do charge you for air, I got a transaction voided comment. So, I decided to go across the street to my local Weiss (pronounced Wise) Market. Damn, wasn't there a line of cars with drivers wanting to do the same thing.
And, of course, yesterday was a good day for Democracy!
And it wasn't just a few wins here and there. Nope! Democrats won all across the country. Mississippi's Republicans lost their Super Majority to 3 Democrats. Three Democratic governors were elected, 2 of which flipped from Republican. In fact Virginia Republicans lost 13 of their House seats. Mamdani in New York! Wowza! I understand that Cuomo has yet to concede even though the spread is quite wide. In Pennsylvania, we retained our 3 Democratic Supreme Court judges for another 10 years. Across the country Republican seats flipped Democrat. This is all a great thing. Yesterday was a stunning rebuke to the Orange Asshole! The biggest problem for Republicans is the Orange Asshole. Even though his killer approval rating is only 37%, that number is inflated. So many people in this country simply despise not only him, but his cabinet choices, in fact they despise the Republican party. The No Kings peaceful demonstrations were the tip of the ice berg.
Onto a bit of other amusing news: Reports are that ACECO, the company that demolished the East Wing is complaining because they haven't been paid. Have they never paid attention to how the Orange Asshole works?
