The Very Good Thing

Well, we're starting off the day at a chilly 23 (F).  The good news is that for the foreseeable future our daily highs will be in the upper 30s (F) to mid 40s (F).  We have 38 days days until spring arrives.  Personally, I don't think this is too early to begin a countdown calendar. 

Work was terribly slow yesterday.  When sales associates complained, I reminded them that they are still getting paid.  If they wanted to, they could claim they were sick and leave, but then they'd have to use personal time.  These people don't understand that they are being paid to be bored.  There are things they can do to occupy their time, but that would mean having to... work, possibly.  So these people do have a choice, it's just that they prefer complaining about how bored they are.

The first load of laundry is in the dryer and the second is in the washer.  The dryer gets used much more in the winter since the drying rack, while economical, takes too much time.  When the weather warms up, I'll be using the rack more.  

One of the problems with people is that they so quickly forget cultural moments that were at one time very popular.  I'm betting that not one of these haters deriding Bad Bunny remember America celebrated an entertainer who sang in Spanish.  Now, I'm sure some of you readers might remember a certain Cuban whose character's catch phrase was "Oh, Lucy, I'm home!"  Most people don't understand how much of a ground breaker Desi Arnaz was.  Have you any idea how many baby boys were named Desi?

And an amusing moment from yesterday at work.  One of our new hires, a rather quiet man, was at the flooring desk listening to our conversation, when suddenly, in a sadly silent voice asked, "when will the chaos end?"  Well, shit, I do wish I'd have an answer, but I don't.  It's constant.  A day doesn't pass without hearing about last night's rage posting.  I do hope this is tormenting the hell out of his dementated brain.  At this point the scales have tipped terribly against him and so many people in this country simply want him to suffer.

Orangie's ballroom is a no go, a Federal judge has evidently put the kibosh on it, however this is after he's already torn down the east wing.  Of the $400 million he claimed to have raised, they think $200 million was never received, and the other $200 million appears to have disappeared.  Well shit, that sort of implies that Orangie stole $200 million.

While the Europeans are doing everything they can to investigate the Epstein files, Republicans in this country are doing everything they can to cover up them up.  They were supposed to allow members of Congress access to unredacted files yesterday, and that didn't happen.  Many of the victims names were unredacted, however the pedophile perpetrator's names were still hidden away.  This makes it appear that many of these child rapists were either Republicans in office, or big $ Republican donors the GOP desperately wants to protect.  This is not going to end well for them, and that's a very good thing.

Benito Breaks Records!

The warm-up begins today, though you would know that by our outside temp which is sitting at 6 (F). In spite of our current temp, the cold wave is indeed moving away.  Our high today is predicted to be in the upper 20s (F), tomorrow we should be cruising into the mid 30s (F), and by Wednesday we will be sailing in the mid 40s (F).  Since we are still in the season of Cold, temps will fall again, but they will not crash they way they've done over the past month.  This is a good thing.

On Sundays, I always work a full shift.  While I did talk to 3 or 4 people yesterday, mostly I got paid to do laps, and sit on my butt.  Having both the Winter Olympics and the Superbowl on the same day is a retail sales killer.  This was fine.  They did bring in pizza for everyone working.  Being the grazer I am, more than 2 slices were eaten.  I have yet to step on the scale for my Monday morning weigh in.  When I do, I'm sure those of you withing 1000 miles will hear wails of horror.

Mondays mean retail.  My shift starts earlier, at 12, this means I get to leave at 6 PM.  This is fine with me.

And, of course yesterday was the Benito Bowl.  You do know who and what I'm talking about, don't you?  I don't subscribe to Peacock, so I had to watch the record breaking halftime show in snippets.  Believe me when I tell you there were thousands of them, of course nothing beats watching the entire show.  

Turning Point USA did counter program with show that was pre-recorded and lip-synced, but the, would expect anything else from phony Christians than a phony half-time show?

Orangie didn't like the show, but then he hates everything that doesn't kiss his ass.  I was surprised that the Washington Post said the show was filled with "family values."  

There was a time when the Republican party was always singing those two words, "family values."  Now with a probable pedophile in the White House, that phrase has been scrubbed from their vocabulary.  

I saw this morning that the crook Tommy Homan (he's now running ICE since Noem proved she's nothing more than an ugly face in cosplay), said that Orangie's tough immigration policies will fail if American support for them continues to waver and fall.  This is a lesson the administration should learn, but of course to do that they would have to admit they have made a mistake.  Failure will continue.

Epstein's Death

At 9 (F), our outside temp is not nearly as cold as we were told it was going to get.  Several forecasters had been predicting negative temps.  They didn't happen.  And the warm-up begins today.  Our afternoon high should be in the low 20s (F), and tomorrow we should break that freezing barrier and end up with temps in the low 30s (F).  Rising temps are something we can all appreciate.

Work yesterday was ugh.  We have an Indian customer with a recurrent cellular blind problem.  Recurrent, because the blind breaks.   He's used the warranty process once, about a year ago and the manufacturer replaced the blind.  He showed up yesterday wanting to use the warranty for the replacement blind.  If it were a blind located in a different room, then there might be a warranty issue, however, this is the same window.  He told me that the manufacturer told him there's nothing they can do.  I caught him in lie, after lie, after lie. Hopefully, this customer will learn a lesson this time.... probably not.  He'll just switch his business to our competitor.

Otherwise, yesterday was pretty meh.

I'm scheduled for a full shift today, so it's going to be another meh day.

The editing process has begun and so far I've cut out... a lot.

Lindsey Vonn crashed out of the starting gate at the winter Olympics.  She tore her ACL ten days ago, so I don't feel sorry for her in the least bit.  I do feel sorry that she took up a spot on the Olympic team from someone younger and healthier.  I hope this sits poorly with her conscience, that her desperation to win another medal completely overrode her common sense.

Apparently the last Epstein file drop by the DOJ included a rather incriminating awkward piece of information.  Evidently they released a letter announcing Epstein's death on the 9th, however, he supposedly didn't die until the 10th.  So, was this press release a dry run?  Were they actually prepared for him to die on the 9th?  This is making headlines the Republican party hates.  I've heard the Epstein scandal is going to be bigger than both Watergate and the Iran-Contra scandals.  I don't doubt for a second that this will terminate forever the GOP.

Also, there was another special election yesterday, this one down in Mississippi, and once again large numbers of Republicans voted for the Democrat.  This goes to show that there are decent Republicans.

 

Trump and Racism

Today's high is not going to make it out of the teens.  16 (F) is the predicted high.  And we have blustery winds, too.  After that, things will begin to slowly warm up.  Honestly, I'm looking forward to warmer days.  For those counting, Spring is 40 days away.  Mark March 20 on your calendars.  

I'd say yesterday was pretty much a meh day, but that isn't true.  I finished the first draft of The Body in 4:4 Time.  This morning I will print a copy off and begin reading through the manuscript.  I suspect this will be the longest book I've ever written.  That's because there are two stories being told, one in the early 1980s and the second in the present.  Things will happen in the past that will effect things that are happening in the murder investigation, things that only the reader will know.  

Otherwise, most of yesterday was spent on rather mundane stuff.  I'm changing out the caulking around the shower, so I worked on the for a bit.  I made some chicken and potato stew, that will serve as lunch tomorrow when I work a full day.  Today I will finish of the rest of the moussaka.  

And yes, I do work today.  Joy of... well, let's just say I'll be sitting at the flooring desk for 6 hours this afternoon.  Today, being the first Saturday of the month means our lumber department will be taken over by around 300 kids; today is Kids Workshop.  Though with the brutal cold, there might only be 200.  You see kids get a small apron and a little project for kids to build and there are those parents who will take their 4 and 5 year-olds out in any weather if they know they're going to get something free.

And so much was happening on the political stage yesterday.  The Winter Olympics began.  If you watched the ceremonies live, you got to see the American team getting cheered, however, JD Vance was jeered from an International crowd of spectators.  

Orangie was hit hard by the critics for posting a racist video of the Obamas as monkeys.  Rasmussen College and it's conservative polling group, put out a daily poll.  Being conservative, they have always given Orangie higher ratings than other polls.  According to yesterday's poll, which was taken prior to the release of the video, on 27% of the country strongly approved of Orangie's job performance.  That number represents the hardcore Republican haters.  That number includes the White Supremacists, and the Christian Nationalists, and every other racist hater who wants to bow down and kiss Orangie's ass.  Like Orangie, these people are weak.  They will TACO every time he does.  They will sit in the shadows and brood about things like pronouns, and skin color, and the shrinking white American population.  They have always been in existence.  Orangie's hatred allows them to wear their prejudice as if it were a badge.  They do not understand they represent a weakness that can easily be dispatched.

Revealing the Republican Core of Corruption

We've got 13 (F) outside and our high today is only expected to be about 6 degrees warmer.  We are under a cold weather cold and wind advisory throughout the day tomorrow.  Bitter cold is upon us again, but only for a day.  A friend sent me a video of a local weatherman saying, "this time it's only going to last for one day, not 8 or 9 days."  We are 17 days into an approximately 90 day season.  My response was that there is warmth at the end of the tunnel.

Yesterday was supposed to be a cardio day.  It wasn't.  I do believe this is part of the winter doldrums, a time when I simply don't exercise.  I probably shouldn't have paused my Trainwell subscription, and plan to start it back up in 2 to 3 weeks.  Today's machine day.  That I like.  Growing muscle is always a good thing.

And I am watching Fallout on Prime.  Fallout New Vegas is considered the best game in the series, and this season they are in New Vegas.  Some of the set designs are straight from the game.  One of the most enigmatic characters of the game is Mr. House and in the series he's played by Justin Theroux.  In this series, he sports a moustache and does not run around in revealing sweat pants.

I also made moussaka for dinner.  Since it's quite tasty, it's something I'll make again, though I'll cut down on the liquid ingredients.  

Orange spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast yesterday and his hateful dementia came bubbling over when he said no person of Faith could vote for a Democrat.  Yes sir!  he's going to turn Christian against Christian.  I've seen comments about him being the anti-Christ.  Sorry, I'm not buying into that hokey pokey BS.  He is pure evil, though.  

Fascinating, is it, that so many other countries are beginning to investigate Epstein and his connections with men of power in their own countries, while the United States subpoenas the Clintons.  Nobody else.  This is rapidly become a global scandal and the Republicans in this country want to do what they've always done, try and deflect by kicking a dead horse.  It's pathetic when you think that the best idea rattling around in the petty, little brains is to subpoena Bill and Hillary.  Of course, they have to ignore so many people, because investigations into Thiel, or Musk would reveal the Republican core of corruption.  While other countries are asking serious questions, our Republican Congress wants to give them a safe haven.  They don't seem to understand that many Americans are watching them and assessing their evil intentions.  Republicans are so blinded by their lies they don't see truth is coming towards them at Mach speed.

 

Death and the Washington Post

Outside, the them is 12 (F).  We are heading into a week of cold weather with only one day matching the bone chilling cold we had all of last week.  After that, warmer air will move into the area.  Will it be a February thaw?  I somehow doubt that.  I suspect our temps will not be climbing into the upper 40s (F) and low 50s (F) until the end of February.  

Yesterday was productive.  The two aquariums were taken care of, loads of laundry done, and decent little workout.  I only left the house once, and that was to go pick up a nice bottle of wine.  In a way I was celebrating.  The first draft of The Body in 4:4 Time will be wrapped up today.   And, most importantly, my Income Tax refund was deposited into my bank account.  That alone was reason to celebrate.  Not that I'm going to buy something extravagant.  Nope, most of it's going to be big, lump some payment on the principal of my car loan.  I'm going to see if I can pay that sucker off in a year.  That will be a Woo Hoo! moment.

I also signed up for Amazon Prime TV for a month, no commercials.  I like the Fallout TV series, and unfortunately that's on a Bezos owned streamer.  After I watch the 8 episodes, I will cancel.  For those of you who don't know, this is how you do it nowadays.  Subscribe for a month and then cancel, especially something like Prime, which now wants you to rent just about everything they stream.  As for the commercial free?  I'd rather pay that $3 than sit through 10 minutes of commercials per episode.  I can think of better things to waste my time on than have to watch or listen to advertisements for products I'm never going to buy.

And the Washington Post continues to rapidly decline.  This was one of their headlines this morning.

You'll notice that this is from the editorial board.  No one is brave enough to put their name on this opinion.  It's a good thing the bottom is falling out of their subscriber service.  I saw this little graphic, which says quite a lot about which Main Stream Media corporations Americans watch to get their news.

Apparently most Americans get their information from a wide range of sources.  Most of the minority party, the Republicans, get their news from Fox Entertainment.  While the Main Stream Media will sanitize the Orange Anus, Fox entertainment glorifies him.  To balance out that glorification, they espouse hatred for everything else.  If you don't bow down to Orangie, not only are you a loser, you're evil.  One of Fox's only bright spots is that for some odd reason they like to have Pete Buttigieg on to tear the network a new butthole.  

Later this morning, Orangie will be speaking the National Prayer Breakfast where he'll whine and complain about the 2020 election, and where a lot of phony Christians will thank God for letting them sell their souls to a Spawn of Satan. 

Howie Loves It

 Today's going to be our last day of our temps climbing high enough to break past the freezing barrier.  Beginning tomorrow, we'll be starting another week of ice box weather.  However, rather than have a week that the temps can't get out of the teens, we're only going to get one day.  According to the long range forecast, starting on, or around, February 11, we will be enjoying much more moderate temps.

Yesterday was fairly good.  A loaf of bread was baked.  I cleaned.  Did laundry. Got in a decent workout.  All in all, for a Tuesday.  The only fly in the ointment, so to speak, was I went to my Giant supermarket and left my wallet at home.  I haven't done that in, oh... about 4 years.  During the winter I'm usually found at home wearing sweat pants.  While they do have pockets, I don't carry my wallet around with me, it's always on the sideboard.  Yesterday, I left it sitting on the sideboard.  Lucky for me, my neighborhood Giant is only 5 minutes away.  Still, it was a bother having to come for my wallet to pay for my groceries.  

Being the experimental culinary type, I sometimes take chances when I'm in the kitchen working on dinner.  Yesterday, I gambled that I could make a meat loaf using both ground turkey and ground beef.  While my brain thought that they might be compatible, in truth, they were not.  Blah!  It's not that it's inedible, or that the flavor's truly bad, it just simply Blah.  On a positive note, Howie loves it.  He had some for dinner last evening, and some for breakfast this morning, and there are two servings sitting in the refrigerator for him.  

Mitch McConnell is in the hospital.  Don't start cheering yet, wait a few days and see if God's going to send him to hell, or curse the Senate again.  History is not going to be kind to Mitch.  If being a conservative wasn't bad enough, he was a party man to the core.  Vote Republican.  Vote Republican.   Vote Republican.  No matter how truly vile the bill, not matter how unqualified the cabinet candidate, if the individual was a Republican they were guaranteed to get Mitch's vote.  He is the reason the Orange Anus was not impeached after his first term.  He voted to keep the Orange Anus safe because that would have been a vote against a Republican, and for Mitch that would have be the worst kind of treason.  It was never country first for him, always party first. He is truly an abysmal human being.

And what ever is in the Epstein files that haven't been released must be truly terrible.  Orangie wants to move on.  That ain't gonna happen.  If the Republican party wants to have even the tiniest bit of showing at the midterms,  they should shut him up and keep him out of sight until November.  That will never happen.  His cultists need to see and hear their false god.

Delusional Republicans

 Our outside temp is 22 (F) and that almost feels warm, but that's because we've been cold for a bit.  We've got another bit of frigid air coming our way over the weekend, then the warmup begins.  In 10 days we should once again be up in the low to mid 40s (F).  That will be nice.  Keep in mind, however, that ten days can sometimes seem like an eternity.

While at work yesterday, I got a measure.  Yippee!  That should make management happy.  For those interested, our fiscal year is now over.  2025 was not good.  Corporate will put out a statement saying that at present people are just not that interested in home improvements.  In a way that is true.  Also keep in mind that one of the main reason for this is that home improvements have gotten very expensive, and not everyone wants to put a $9000 charge on a credit card.  With prices going up, not everybody wants to set aside a monthly payment.  There are quite a few people out there who don't want to live from paycheck to paycheck.  This is something large corporations refuse to deal with.  It matters not one bit if you're in debt up to your eyeballs.  The home improvement retail business is beginning to learn that.

My first loaf of bread is on its 2nd rise in my new bread machine.  The yeasty smell is permeating my house.  I love that smell.  Real estate agents will sometimes back a batch of cookies before they show a house.  I think the scent of baking bread is much more homey.

And (brace yourself) the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) is delaying the release of the their month jobs report for January.  Orangie's administration is blaming this on the government partial government shutdown.  You know?  The one that's in its 3rd day.  

This is because they really, really don't want to tell the American people just how badly Orangie's labor market truly is.  All of those layoffs by large corporation like Amazon (16,000 jobs cut) hurt.  We are entering into what's called Selective Hiring, where there are an overwhelming number of qualified candidates for the shrinking number of jobs available.  Putting this simply means that the unemployed will end up taking the same sort of job they were doing, but at a lower pay grade and with lesser benefits.  The number of people hired goes down while unemployment goes up, and corporations are too concerned with their own balance sheets to understand how they are killing the economy.

And Orangie wants to nationalize elections, rather than leave them in the hands of the states.  This is a great way to win by cheating.  Don't believe me?  Just look at Russia.  Or China.  I do believe Republicans believe that most Americans will pull a Susan Collins and clutch their pearls, all the while saying they are "so concerned."  Of course, Republicans have been delusional for years.

The Looming Republican Failure

The outside temp was 16 (F) when I got up this morning.  We're not up to 17 (F).  Today is the first of three days in which our temps will climb above the freezing mark.  Snow and ice will melt.  That's a good thing.  Forecasters are saying we have another dip in the temperatures heading our way at the beginning of next week.  Rather than 5 days with daily highs only in the teens, there's only going to be one day.  We are almost halfway through winter, so things are bound to start warming up sooner rather than later.

Yesterday I worked a full shift.  Things were slow in my department, but people were buying.  The store will have made plan last week.  That's a good thing.  But, I can also tell you that corporate has adjusted our plan way, way down. Even though we are hitting our goal, it's not the goal that had originally been planned.  

The first draft of The Body in 4:4 Time will be finished this week.  This one is taking a lot longer than the others.  I honestly believe this is because we are living in the worst American shit show ever.  This is the greatest distraction of normalcy this country has ever known.  There is nothing even remotely sane about our day to day news cycle.  Slowly, but surely, even Fox Entertainment is beginning to understand.

I have friends who have been Republican all of their lives. They don't put a lot of thought into who they're voting for, they simply pull automatically pull the Republican lever when they vote.  They have believed that the Republican party was going to do the best for the American people.  They are now seriously questioning those beliefs.  They thought a Republican government would maintain the status quo.  Now, that is not even close to happening.  Many of them are realizing that the choice Republicans are giving them isn't really a choice, but an order.  Being that they are Americans, this does not sit well with them.  Having a wannabe oligarch dictating how they live their lives was not on their bingo cards, and as a result, many of them are simply not going to play that game.  Their duly elected leaders are stunned to find out that their constituents are objecting to the Republican mantra of "shut up! we're in charge."  This is what happens when you delude yourself into believing fantasies, like a silent majority of conservatives.  This map shows just how badly the Republican part has overstepped their grounds.

Even Republicans are refusing to have an authoritarian government.

Special Elections

Wow!  We're at 11 (F) and the day's supposed to get warmer.  We should have a Town Crier ringing his bell and crying Here Yee, Here Yee the temps are rising!  I do suspect, however, that good news would end up pissing people off this early in the morning.  Our temps are predicted to climb into the upper 20s (F) today, and above freezing tomorrow.  The long range forecast has us getting cold again, but again, that's the long range forecast and we know how inaccurate they tend to be.

Yesterday I worked.  One of my customers and came in a purchased an installation.   They'd bought a house that had been built in the 1970s and had vinyl sheet in the family room.  Unfortunately, that vinyl had asbestos in it.  In the 70s, before they realized that asbestos can cause lung cancer, they put it everywhere.  Remediation is expensive and can cost several thousand dollars.  For a while, I didn't think they'd purchase, but they did.

My new bread maker arrived yesterday.  It's a Cuisinart, the same stile I had for years, though this was has been update.  Sadly, because of my work schedule, I won't be able to bake a loaf until Tuesday.

As expected, yesterday social media was rife with comments about the most recent Epstein file drop.  While some of the files are stomach churning and a lot of unredacted information about the survivors was released. there was also some humor.  Elonia Musk desperately wanted to get an invite to the wild orgies and was, to put it bluntly, snubbed.  He's claiming most of the embarrassing emails between himself and Maxwell are fake.  As proof that his children don't like him, his daughter chimed in saying yes, those emails are his. How's that for disrespecting your father?

There were 2 special elections in Texas.  The one for Congress stayed Democrat.  However the special election in a deeply red, Republican district flipped in a landslide victory for the Democrat.  Alarm bells are going off.  I do believe there is a distinct possibility that Orangie and his team of sycophants will try to cheat.  They simply do not understand, or believe, that so many Americans can not stomach the Orange Anus.  Any interference with the elections will cause America to rise up and stomp the shit out of them.

The Cadre of Pedophiles

We have 4 (F) outside.  No wind chill, but that's still a bitterly cold temp.  Our afternoon temps are expected to clime in to the mid-20s with on and off again sunshine.  We've just begun a warm-up.  By Monday our afternoon high will get us just above freezing.  Forecasts are for temps to get a little warmer, but we are, after all, in the dead of winter, and our highs will once again be in the upper teens by the end of this coming week.

Yesterday turned out to be fairly good.  I did get in a decent workout, burning off over 220 calories.  That's a good thing.  

An new bread machine was ordered from Wayfair.  I don't use Amazon anymore.  Not surprisingly, it's a Cuisinart, the same model I used for years, though updated.  Because I'm letting Wayfair send me texts, I got 10% off.  After a bit of time passes, though not much, or if the texts are too frequent I will block them.

I also signed up for a new deal on Mubi.  $1 for thee months.  This streamer is not for everyone.  They focus on Art House films, and those indelible classics that we've all heard about, but have never had a chance to watch.  I saw Plainclothes on Mubi, as well as The History of Sound.  

More Epstein files dropped yesterday.  Within 20 minutes after they had been made public, the DOJ began deleting some of them.  Over a million pages were dropped.  Luckily for the world the minute the drop happened resourceful people began downloading.  One of the things most surprising was not the sexually graphic content, people expected that from our pedophile in the White House.  Nope.  What stunned a lot of people was that the names of the victims were not redacted.  In one instance they included a victim's driver's license.  I did grab a sample for those interested.

Some are thinking this drop may have been done by a leaker who had enough of Orangie's shit show.  Last evening I saw something that might be more than a little relevant.  Whispers in the FBI are saying the drop was either done by Israel, or someone loyal to Israel, in order to compromise Orangie.  We all know he's not very popular, so perhaps this is true.  Of course, that would mean they'd rather deal with Vance, and he's in way over his head with the simple job he now has.

Another thing that surprised people is that Elonia Musk is mentioned quite frequently.  He definitely wanted to be one of the "in crowd."  There are many, many emails between Elonia and Epstein.  It seems that the Ketamine Kid has a penchant for raunchy sex with girls.

And Nutlick Lutnick gets his share of mentions, as does Alan Dershowitz, and Stevie Bannon.  In fact, Bannon seems to have been in constant communication with Epstein.  And while Clinton does get an honorable mention, this whole cadre of pedophiles is overwhelmingly Republican.

  

Don Lemmon

 Right now our outside temp is sitting at 4 (F).  We'll be warming up to around 19 (F).  Tomorrow is expected to be about the same, though the overnight low might drop below 0 (F).  That's really cold if you're using Celsius.  Next week things are going to warm up a bit, out temps might even pop above freezing.  And just to add a little sweetener to this frigid pot, I got an email for  UGI, my gas provider, that they're requesting and increase in rates.  This is because Wall Street expects them to make a decent profit off selling natural gas.  The water, gas, and electric utilities seem to be requesting yearly increases now.  Their attitude that it's not their problem everything else is going up in price is a big problem they simply do not want to consider.

Yesterday, I left the house and went to the store.  The cold doesn't bother me.  One of the things I picked up was Starbuck's ground coffee at BJs.  I'll give it a shot, see how it tastes.  I did price it out at my Giant Supermarket to see how much of a savings I was getting.  At Giant Starbuck's is on sale, $7.99 for 12 ounces.  I bought a 40 ounce bag at BJ's.  That would be 3.33 bags at 7.99 or $26.60, and keep in mind that is Giant's sale price, it's normally $12 per 12 ounce bag.  I paid $22.49 at BJ's.  I consider that a decent deal.

I did get a good mini-workout yesterday and rode for another 6 miles in Scotland.  I really do like those Scottish rides. Fresh scenery.  Lots of verge. 

Howie brought an icicle into the house this morning.  I switched it out for a much smaller ice cube.

And the Department of Justice arrested Don Lemmon last night because he did his job as a journalist and recorded a demonstration in a Church.  This is a very bad thing, arresting journalists.  We can not go a single day without another Republican atrocity stacking on top of another Republican atrocity.  I'm literally dumbfounded as to how out of touch this regime is to what Americans are thinking right now.  They constantly seem to be patting themselves on their backs congratulating themselves on how special they are.  I do think the people running this administration still believe that massive numbers of Americans will suddenly bow their heads and accept this authoritarianism.  These people don't seem to understand that they're dancing around in this large pool of gasoline and there are lit torches all around them.  At times, it almost seems as though Orangie and his gang are going to push things until they get a pushback.  Stupidly, they don't comprehend how terrible that pushback is going to be for them.

A bit of a bright note was that Congress approved a spending plan that will run until September.  What makes this bright is that the budget of the Department of Homeland Security, which runs ICE, is not included.  Perhaps Congress is beginning to understand that Kristi Noem doesn't need any more plastic surgery.

The Quagmire of Deceit

Our outside temp is 5 (F).  Tomorrow we're supposed to drop below Zero.  Friday and Saturday are stacking up to be the coldest days so far this year.  Next week temps are predicted to climb into the upper 20s (F), so break out the shorts and T-shirts.  No precipitation is predicted, at least nothing that's going to add inches to what's already on the ground.  One good thing is that we're now one third of the way through winter.  Isn't it nice that February is a short month?

I didn't bake or cook anything yesterday.  Dinner was a hamburger made in the air fryer.  That doesn't mean I didn't snack.  I did.  But then I also managed to complete a decent workout with the machine and dumbbells.  I also used a 15 pound kettlebell for upwards thrusts.  Believe me, that gets your heart pumping.  

The only thing Howie likes about the winter is the ice.  It's hard and crunchy, so instead of bringing a stick or a stone into the house, he brings in chunks of ice, like mini-icebergs.  Since they have all sorts of detritus in them, I switch them out with an ice cube from the freezer.  Like me, he has no problem chewing on ice.

While I was putting dishes in the dishwasher two days ago, I banged my thumb up, one of those freaky little things where the left corner of the nail snagged the rack.  What made this so freaky was that I keep my nails short, it's how I was raised.  This doesn't mean that if I see a man with long nails my opinion of him drops... much.  Suffice to say it hurt, and it bled, and I kept a bandage on it until last evening.  Howie has found this whole thing interesting.  This morning he's inclined to sniff my thumb, and on occasion has tried to lick it, and I'm hoping he's not developing some sort of carnivorous fascination for it.

Is this the face of a thumb eater?

A headline that made me chuckle was a report that Tesla is going to stop manufacturing their X and S vehicles, the cars that moved them into the mainstream.  Supposedly Elonia will be focusing on robotic vehicles.  My take is that sales have tanked so badly on these models its cheaper to stop production than take the hit.  Perhaps if Elonia didn't have a billionaire's baby brain things might have worked out better.

And big change of ICE.  Evidently, there's been an "all caps" directive telling them not to interact with agitators.  According to NBC, it took several people over an hour to come up with the exact wording, that's a good indicator of this administration's lack of intelligence.

According to a poll by Fox Entertainment, 17% of the American people do not believe ICE is being aggressive enough. Since this is a pro Orangie propaganda network, that number has most likely been inflated, still that's a terrible amount of racists in this country.

And for someone who demands extreme loyalty, Orangie's discovery of how easy it is to lose those 2nd amendment people must really sting.  What's sad about this is that those people never realized that Republicans were saying they were pro guns just to get votes.  This party has a been a quagmire of deceit for quite some time.

   

Everything Trump Touches Dies

We have a lot of sunshine and 8 (F) outside.  Yesterday our high was supposed to climb into the upper teens and we got to the lower 20s (F).  I guess you could call that a warm spell.  The long range forecast has Central Pa warming up slightly after the weekend, with temps climbing into the upper 20s (F).  Not one day is predicted to be above freezing.  This is some really cold air that's coming down from the North Country.  My heating expense is going to go through the roof.

One thing that is apparent is how easily many people adapt to the cold.  We simply bundle up and go outside, at least I do. 

I did go for a bicycle ride yesterday.  In Scotland.  Tacx dropped a new series of rides.  Though I've never been there, I'd love to visit for the plaids and accents.  Today I get to work with the machine.  Mostly I want to work on my legs, the largest muscle group in the body.  And my core muscles because I must have twinged my back the wrong way while shoveling snow.  Yesterday, my right leg was sore, nothing that 2 naproxen didn't cure.  Believe me, stronger core muscles help, walking, too.

Dinner last evening was a beef and barley stew with tomatoes.  It was quite tasty and just the right meal for a cold winter's evening.

And Orangie's administration tried to pivot on Alex Pretti's murder yesterday, not because it was the right thing to do, but rather because Americans are infuriated by videos of an innocent man being shot 9 times in the back.  Don't think this is a change of heart of him.  Nope.  This is a sad political move that is too little, and way, way too late.  Even though it was underwater, his immigration policy had given him his highest rating.  Not any more.  Reuters/IPSOS reports only 39% of the country approves of his immigration policy, and many of those are racists.

The munchkin general Bovino, now in the process of leaving the picture, has dealt with discrimination charges in the past where he settled financially, rather than go to court.

One comment I saw that was amusing said "it's a shame Noem paid for all of that bad plastic surgery for nothing."

With Orangie in charge, the Republican Party is dying. Not that the party of selfishness and greed should have died a long time ago, but with him leading the way its demise is now supercharged.  The saying "everything Trump touches dies," is true, and he has two hands around the throat of the Republican Party.  He tried to touch America and is being rejected.  Susan (I'm so concerned) Collins has issued a statement that ICE needs to get out of both Minneapolis and Maine.  I do think this might be the first time that she has ever taken a stand on anything that goes even slightly against the grain of a sitting US president.  Any while I still tend to doubt her sincerity because she's up for re-election, at least she's spoken out... meekly.

National Strike

Outside, the temp is a cold 7 (F).  Our high today is predicted to reach 18 (F).  For the next 6 days our high is predicted to be the same, so we're in a bit of frigid holding pattern.  After that our daily highs should be up in the mid to upper 20s (F).  heating wise, this is going to be a very cold winter.  Honestly, if it weren't for the expense, I wouldn't mind winter.

I worked yesterday.  It was very slow.  Interestingly enough, last week was one of the best weeks the store has had in a long time... until Sunday.  Our sales on Sunday were a little over $4000.    I think 5 people showed up to work.  More showed up yesterday.  No one for the paint department, so I mixed a gallon or two of paint.   I also talked to a couple about putting carpet in the house they just bought.  Otherwise, the day was very quiet.

The old coffee maker I was using to replace the with the broken grinder appears to have lost the capacity of keeping the coffee warm.  I'll check to see if BJ's has an cheap one for sale.  My days of laying down a decent sum of money for a coffee maker have passed.  I only drink 2-3 cups a day, and those are in the morning, and that doesn't warrant the expense.

I've been getting comments from someone who seems bent on inciting violence in the United States.  I let the first one slide.  The comments yesterday were deleted.  Anonymous voices need to understand that words without a name are impotent.  Constructive criticism is fine, criticism just to criticize is not.

For those of you who aren't paying attention, this is coming up.  I believe the date is January 30.

Orangie's administration is concerned about this, but then so is Susie Collins, from Maine.  But then again we all know that Susie is always concerned, just before she voted straight down the party line.  She's going to vote for the Department of Homeland Security funding even though increased funding for ICE is included.  She's citing the fact the funding for FEMA is included, though she fails to mention that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has only been aiding states loyal to Orangie.  And those loyal states have found out that the aid has been chintzed down to nothing.

Greg Bovino, the munchkin major, is leaving Minneapolis today, as are several members of the Border Patrol.  Some are calling this a demotion, though its my understanding he's going to be retiring with full pay.  I suspect that life for the munchkin in the civilian world will not be easy.  Bribery suspect Tommy Homan is replacing him.  This is, as someone else said, shitting in your pants and then changing your shirt.

And evidently Orangie spent most of yesterday lamenting about his failure in Minnesota.  At least, that's what I've heard.  In truth, I don't doubt that the chief whiner is little Stevie Miller.

Snow Dog... Not

We did get snow.  Out totals are close to the final prediction of between 9 and 12 inches.  I'd say we got about 10 inches.  Snowplows have cleared a single lane down the middle of the street.  Our temps will be staying in the middle teens (F) for the next week, with our average daily high around 19 (F).  While being cold, we will have full sunshine on most of those days and that will have a melting effect.  Next week our temps will climb into the mid to upper 20s (F).  My hopes for this being a moderate winter are fading. 

And for those of you who were expecting me to tell you that Howie finds the snow a rousing delight, I'm going to disappoint you.  My character Eli, in my books, has a favorite word.  He says it frequently.  "Shit."  Well, that seems to be Howie's view of the snow.  Every time I open the door, he sits there staring out and by his look I can tell you he's thinking the doggy version of "shit."  You see, the snow has done that dastardly thing of covering up his sticks and stones.  I suspect he will despise it even more once the surface gets a crust.

Some of my neighbors shoveled themselves out yesterday.  I waited for this morning.  The temps have actually stayed the same, hovering at 16 (F), so it's not like it got colder overnight.

Most of yesterday I played a video game.  I also made salmon patties, similar to hamburgers but with salmon.  Big mistake.  Now the house smells of fried fish.  

And I do work today.  Right now I'm planning on going into the store.  This will be 6 hours of me getting paid to sit at the flooring desk.

Here's a pic of a snow covered Howie with a little stick he found.

I understand that the Orange Anus is revisiting the murder of Alex Pretti because...  half the nation believes Puppy Killer Noem and munchkin General Bovino are simply lying.  We've already seen the TACO effect in regards to his vile comments about Europeans fighting in Afghanistan.  That took a day before someone using his name put out a statement that NATO troops were honorable fighters in the war that wasn't a war.  Rumors are flying that Noem is going to be thrown under the bus, but not the munchkin general.  The rising anger in America is quite palpable.  While Orangie may shriek that he has the highest approval ratings ever, there are those in his administration who know the truth.  Republican Senators and Congressmen are beginning to know the truth.  So, there's a good chance they will sacrifice Noem in the hopes of stanching the flow of Republican voters.  These are amateur fascists at best and they simply do not know what in hell they're doing.

And for those who didn't hear, evidently Orangie is suing the NYT because they posted about his approval ratings being in the gutter.  

 

Republican Terrorists

We have snowfall!!  Our temp is 9 (F) and it's been snowing since around 1 AM.  They have updated our forecast and are now calling for between 8 and 12 inches.  Right now, a heavy snow band is passing over head so the white stuff is really coming down.  We have around 4 inches outside, so if this storm does continue into tomorrow, we will probably have more than 12 inches.

The neighbor with the pickup truck has parked it somewhere else.  The neighbors across the street who own 3 vehicles, have moved them up onto their yards.  It's only my neighbors, who have a lot of space on their lawn, and a driveway to boot who have left their cars front to be plowed in.  You really can't fix stupid.

And I did take a personal day today.  I knew this was pretty much a done deal yesterday.  Many associates were planning on calling off.  This will not be an historic snowfall, but it will be decent, so many are taking advantage of having a day off.  

What am I going to do today?  Well, I've got a load laundry in the washer and two more ready to go.  This afternoon, I think I might bake bread.  Oh, and probably work on the book.

The Guardian has an article this morning about the groundswell of anger rising in America.  I think groundswell might be an understatement.  The murder of Renee Good was horrific.  Yesterday's murder of Alex Pretti has compounded the rising tide of anger in the United States.  Instead of trying to alleviate this anger by throwing one of their own to the wolves, this administration is brazenly lying.  But then this is how Orangie has always lived his life.  Never doubt, simply lie.  The growing backlash is going to be horrific, and even his billionaire buddies are going to be effected.  As an example, here's the lead headline of the Washington Post, owned by Orangie loyalist Jeff Bezos.

While I didn't check all of the Main Stream Media outlets, those I checked have the same lead story, that the videos contradict the lies this administration is pushing.  Because Orangie has surrounded himself with idiot loyalists who have never been the brightest colors in the box, they will continue this tact.  The videos prove that Alex Pretti was not domestic terrorist,  that he was holding a camera, not a gun, and that he didn't charge with the intent of creating maximum damage.  Millions upon millions are watching that video over and over again.  It's on the front page of the Washington Post, slowed down so you can see every graphic second of this murder.  This is going to end badly for Orangie, for the Republican Party, and for the conservatives who so desperately want to dictate how Americans live.  It is they who are the domestic terrorists.  Soon, they will start to cut their losses and run because they have never had a spine.  They have always been stinking cowards.  

The Odd Neighbor

Here in Central PA we have a very chilly 7 (F)  outside.  This afternoon, we may hit a high of 18 (F)  Woo Hoo!  These temps are the reason why we are getting snow, while a number of states to our south will be getting Ice.  There!  I said it!  The Department of Justice wants weather forecasters to say "freezing rain" because ICE is getting such a terrible rap.  Awww.  As for how much snow we're going to be getting?  We are still in the MAJOR category with total accumulations between 10 and 18 inches.  I don't know about you, but when I see a spread that great I tend to think they're pulling these numbers out of their ass.

And, as you can seen, Blogger has fixed the Replies.  What was really screwy about that whole thing was that if I signed into Riding On through my phone, I could reply to comments, but not when I signed in with either my laptop or PC.  

There are four apartments in the blue house across the street, one of which is rented by a throuple.  One of the young men parks his pick-up truck in front of my house, so yesterday I told him that if we do get as much snow as they're predicting they will plow his truck in.  Plowed snow is difficult to shovel; with these cold temps it will turn to ice quickly.  I also tried to tell the wife of the loud neighbors next to me, and her response was... oddly rude.  As I started explaining about the snowplows, she cut me off, saying "You need to talk to Mike (her husband) about that.  You can't talk to me."  And with that she quickly went inside.  So, was she telling me I simply couldn't talk to her, or that I couldn't talk to her about the snowplows.  They park their 2 cars in front of their house.  If we get 18 inches of snow, they will be buried by the plows.  So it goes.

I work this afternoon.  The store will no doubt be busy with people buying snow shovels, salt, and snow blowers... oh, that's right, they want us to call them snow throwers because blowers might be construed as having sexual connotations.  This is what I use to take advantage of all of the free cardio.

There was a big walk out/shut down in Minneapolis yesterday.  Surprisingly, main stream media covered it... except for Fox Entertainment, and possibly what used to be CBS.  I suppose this is because while they believe that kowtowing to the administration will give them better access to the insanity, it's the reality of the terrible things going on which will get them the clicks.  You see, it will always boil down to revenue.  There is a growing contingent of Independent News Media out there and it's growing fast.  The only way for MSM to get those clicks is to compete and puff and fluff stories about Orangie just ain't makin' it.  For example, no one is buying tickets to the new Melanoma biography.  Perhaps if they had included some of bit about her sex work, tickets might have sold better.  Let's be honest, no one wants to sit through 2 hours watching an old Russian sex worker talking about everything except the one thing she was good at.  My understanding is that it cost Bezos $40 million to make, and it's going to cost him another $35 million in advertising.  Experts are saying that this piece of fluff propaganda might gross, let me repeat that, might gross $5 million worldwide.  Bezos should have known that everything Orangie, and Melanoma as well, touches dies.  Good for Jeff.

The Republican Achilles Tendon

Blogger is not allowing me to reply to comments, so something is apparently wrong: a glitch seems to have occurred.

And supposedly, we are getting snow.  There's a good chance we will be getting between 10 and 15 inches.  The white stuff is predicted to begin falling tomorrow night and continue until Monday morning.  Our temps are supposed to be brutally cold.  This means I will have to manage Howie carefully.  As an 18 month old Labrador, he is smart as a whip when it comes to fetching toys and knowing where his snacks are, but when it comes to cold he's as dumb as a 2 year-old child.  He doesn't understand that cold is bad.

Anyway, I'm all prepped for the storm.  I bought another gallon of milk yesterday, though I am running low on chunky peanut butter.  Since today's Friday and every media outlet is shrieking snowstorm, snowstorm, snowstorm, I'm betting my local supermarkets are going to be quite busy.  Tomorrow they will be worse as people stock up.

I'm scheduled to work this weekend, but... while I'm betting Saturday's going to be a sure thing, I'm also betting Sunday will be a snow day.  If the forecasts are wrong, and we only get around 6 inches, I'll go in late, and we all know forecasts are wrong all of the time.  I did check out the European weather models since they tend to be a little more accurate than the NOAA models, and their charts indicate snow should be falling at a rate of 1.5 inches an hour for about 8 hours with the heaviest starting around noon.

Here's what the WaPo is predicting.

And while I no longer subscribe to the Washington Post, I do check their headlines daily, they still tend to be more conservative than cultists, but not by much.  So, I was surprised to see several negative headlines regarding Orangie.  The one I found most intriguing has to do with his cratering popularity.  This was not a "how to fix it" headline, but rather a "why is he pissing so many people off," blurb.  Since I don't subscribe, I couldn't read the article, but let's be frank here, the reasons for his cratering are fairly obvious.  He's a pathological liar, a used car dealer who has sold American voters the worst lemon on the lot, and now blames them for not being happy with that lemon.  Except for the cultists that worship him, a vast majority of Americans now see him as a conman, a grifter, and thief.  Americans now understand that he's accumulating great wealth at our own expense.  His approval rating sits at 35% and there is nothing he and his party can do to change that fact.  Nor can they change the fact his unpopularity is continuing to grow as his approval rating sinks.  His presidency will flatline, probably before the midterms.  The Republican party gambled that Americans en masse would accept the dark side of authoritarianism, and they're losing badly.  They simply don't understand that most people are good.  That is one of their Achilles tendons.

Buried Alive

 Surprisingly, our morning temp is above freezing.  That's right, so I'll take 34 (F) for the win.  This afternoon we will see temps in the 40s (F).  Of course, beginning Saturday afternoon they're going to crater.  I've looking at a number of forecasts for the upcoming storm and while Central PA is going to be getting snow, apparently the heaviest is going to be falling to the south of us.  We might get a total of 8 inches till the whole thing ends late Sunday night.  The kid inside me wishes that we'd get 18.

Yesterday was productive.  I got a nice workout in.  Cleaned the aquariums.  Worked on my foreign language skills.  Fun stuff.  

I finished the Tick, Tock, Pop intermezzo chapter in the book.  That's the last one that deals with the events happening in 1983.  I've got three more chapters to go.  Right now I'm working on a chapter called Lullaby, and for those who've read any of my books, this is the chapter when the dots come together.  That sounds mysterious, but if you know, you know.

My nephew's wife was whining on Facebook yesterday about how much their insurance premiums have suddenly gone up.  She has a Crohn's disease, a pre-existing condition.  When the Republicans let the ACA expire (Obama Care), they eliminated the restriction keeping insurance companies from raising the premiums on individuals with pre-existing conditions.  She's a Republican.  She voted for Trump.  When I read her complaints, I laughed.  

Here's a pic of this morning's sunrise.

Yesterday the Supreme Court heard oral argument regarding Orangie's ability to fire Linda Cook from the Fed. They did not seem to impressed with Orangie's attorneys.  This is a good thing.  However, they have still not released their opinion on his ability to set tariffs.  I'm reminded of how much they delayed when it came to releasing their opinion on presidential immunity.  They ended up giving him basically unlimited power.  I have this sinking feeling that they're going to do the same thing with tariffs, not so much because he was in the wrong, but because the country would go through horrendous financial chaos should the government have to pay those tariffs back.  This entire shit show belongs to the Republicans.  They have dug themselves into a terribly deep hole, and they just keep digging.  They know that if they stop digging the walls are going to cave in on them.  Unfortunately, they can only dig so deep before the walls cave in.  Either way, they are going to be buried alive.

Davos Dipshit

With an outside temp of 10 (F), I can say that things are frigid.  We will, supposedly, warm up into the mid 30s (F) and tomorrow's high should be cracking open that low 40s (F) box.  However, our weather is predicted to take a turn for the worse starting Friday and lasting over the weekend as another Arctic Blast, or Polar Plunge, or whatever it is they want to call the incoming weather pattern, rides roughshod over much of the country.  If enough moisture moves up from the south we could end u with significant snowfall.  

Because Howie has the smarts of a 2 year-old, which is very smart for a dog, he has no conception of what the cold is and so wants to go outside all of the time.  Even though he has a nice, thick warm coat, his nose is bare, so I limit is outside fun time.  Yesterday he had one of his stubborn, I'm not coming back into the warm house moments.  Picture this:  me outside, wearing my coat, of course, chasing him around the yard to get him back inside, and him thinking this is a wonderful wintertime game.  Every time this happens I do pray that the neighbors are not recording me.

I did my Federal Taxes yesterday.  I use a service called OLT, which, as long as your Adjusted Gross Income is less that $51,000, is free.  I always do my taxes early because for some reason I always get a refund.  Last year that nice little sum of money was deposited into my bank account on January 31.  Much of this year's refund will go to paying off the principle of my car loan. 

And even though I know you would all like to see a video of me chasing Howie around the yard yesterday, you'll have to make do with him attempting to pass himself off as a sleeping angel on the chair.

Yesterday the Orange Anus gave a speech that ran almost 2 hours long.  His team no doubt thought this was a good thing.  Wisely, networks began cutting away after his first hour of "incoherent ramblings."  Those are their words, not mine.  Why does his administration let this happen?  Because his cultists will excuse everything he says.  They also know that using the 25th amendment to remove his insane ass from the presidency would put J.D. Vance in charge, and Orange's cult hates JD.  

Bovino, the loser supposedly, kind of, running ICE followed him for a Q&A and quickly cut that short when he was asked a question he didn't like.  He's a little guy suffering from a Napoleon Crisis.  When the cameras are on him, he walks with a weird strut, thinking, perhaps, that this makes him look taller than his 5' 6" stature.  He's another one of Orangie's failures.

And evidently Nutlick... I mean Lutnick, spoke, or perhaps I should say yelled at a dinner last evening in Davos accusing them of being weak because they didn't all bow down and kiss Orangie's ass... and they heckled, and jeered him, and walked out.  Ooof.

It's my understand that Orangie's speaking right now at Davos and that within 4 minutes of taking the stage he brought up Joe Biden and the radical left.  He is truly the Davos Dipshit.

 

Norway

I'm pleased to say that our temperature has gone up one full degree since I got out of bed this morning.  Right now we are sitting at a very, very chill 13 (F).  My furnace is running.  In three days we're supposed to be back up in the 40s (F), but only briefly.  The forecast is for our temps to drop again.  One of the weather headlines blurted out that we are experiencing a polar plunge, which, I suppose, is slightly different than an arctic freeze... perhaps.

I did work yesterday.  And I got a measure.  That should make management happy.  I also got to meet our new, full-time closing flooring specialist.  Isaiah.  While he has carpet experience, he also seems to have worked with 2D and 3D animation and got quite excited when I told him I'd downloaded Blender thinking that I might intro the next book with a bit of animation.  Of course, having worked in Human Resources, I'm well aware how often first impressions can be skewed.

And I also stepped on the scale yesterday.  Wowza.  I need to cut back on my caloric intake.  Squats have been non-existent from my workout since I paused Trainwell' they need to return quickly.

I also signed up for a year of Duolingo just to study Norwegian.  It's a lot less expensive than Babel.  

This is, I suppose, partly apropos since the Orange Anus is in Davos claiming that Norway, the country, controls the Nobel Peace Prize.  This man is so stupid.  It's frightening to know that there is a political party in the United States that stands behind his insanity.  They rationalize his dementia by saying things like "he's always been like this."  That, in itself, is a lie.  Orange is now cringe crazy.  He is only going to get worse.  Foolish voters believed his lies that he was going to help the economy, that isn't happening.  American consumers paid for 96% of Orangie's tariffs.  Those increased prices are not going to go down.  For that to happen, billionaires would need to take a voluntary cut in pay.  That's not going to happen!  One thing that is really telling is that 64% of Republicans would have no problem with the United States buying Greenland.   Do they not understand that their taxes would be paying for this, not the billionaires who hope to reap the rewards of the rare earths located there?  Sadly, I have to believe that Republicans are all that stupid, and they have managed to get themselves into a position of power that will only destroy them in the end.

Plainclothes

New week, new forecast!  Our outside temp is in the upper teens (F), which is cold.  We are expected to climb above freezing today, but that's not going to happen tomorrow.  As long as my furnace is running efficiently, I don't mind the cold.  I don't mind going outside.  When I do, I always end up thinking briefly about what things were like 200 years ago.  Their winters were just as cold before people had the luxury of insulating fabrics.  A good, expensive coat, would have been made of wool, a cheap one cotton.  Even though we still bundle up, todays bundling doesn't make us look 50 pounds heavier.  In general, people were on the heavier side because nothing beats a good insulating layer of fat.

Yesterday was slow at the store.  I did learn through a phone conversation with a customer that we have a serious issue.  Corporate really likes to see our installs for us, however, they don't check the details, and because of this they sold an install that was not ready to be sold.  The customer had her entire house measured and had chosen a carpet, however, she wanted vinyl in her kitchen and foyer.  She told corporate this on 1/12 and no one removed the kitchen and foyer from the quote.  On 1/13 corporate sold her the install with carpet still going into the kitchen and foyer.  Yesterday, she called with the vinyl planks she wanted installed, however, her quote is now closed, sold and paid in full... for carpet in the kitchen and the foyer.  Not only did they sell her too much carpet, it's been cut and shipped, and is now with the installer.  Ouch.

I watched Plainclothes on Mubi, (you can also rent the movie on Apple +).  Listed as a romantic thriller, Plainclothes tells the story of a young police officer who's job is to lure unsuspecting gay men into restrooms where the police will arrest them... until he develops a crush on one of his targets. While it does get intense towards the end, I say this is more of a psychological drama.  While Russell Tovey is good, Tome Blyth as the young police officer is amazing.

And saw that the Orange Anus is evidently threatening Norway because they didn't give him the Nobel Peace Prize.  Holy Crap!  He sent them a letter.  Maybe I should have said Holy Shit instead.  The more his dementia grows, the worse things get for the Republican party.  And they simply can not do anything to stop him.  The instant they do that, their house of cards will fall apart.  They have been so desperate for power for so long, they stopped caring about who was leading their party years ago.  If I were a devout Christian, I say he is without a doubt a Spawn of Satan.  I'm not, so I'll just say that Orangie epitomizes pure evil.  He's going to the Economic Summit in Davos this week, or at least that's on his schedule.  Those leaders are not going to welcome him.  This will be unpleasant for Orangie.  He is unable to deal with rejection.  I do not doubt he will leave soon after he arrives.  With a little luck, maybe he'll stroke out on the flight back to Mar a Lago.

Winter Wonderland

We have a bit of a winter wonderland outside.  About 2 inches of snow fell overnight.  Our temps are sitting just around freezing, so I don't think the stuff will be hanging around too long.  Our afternoon temps are supposed to climb into the mid 30s (F) and that's in the melting zone. The streets have already melted clear. 

People ask how Howie is in the snow expecting me to tell them he becomes Mr. Excitement.  He does not.  After answering the call of nature in 2 or 3 spots, he spends most of his time looking for sticks buried under the snow.  He doesn't dash around exuberantly.  

Knowing how foreign languages exercise the brain, I've also started a thing on Duolingo for Norwegian.  Supposedly this is one of the easiest languages to learn, mostly because there are so many ties to English.  It doesn't hurt to give it a shot.

Work was relatively slow yesterday.  I did get a measure.   That will make management happy.  And I do work this afternoon.  This is a short Sunday for me.  Noon until 6 PM.  And I'm back on the schedule for tomorrow.

Here's a pic of our winter wonderland.

And for those not paying attention, the tariffs continue.  Well, not only are they continuing, they're growing.  The Orange Asshole just increased them to the 8 European countries who are sending troops to Greenland.  There are times when I need to just clasp my head in my hands just to make sure the old gourd doesn't explode.  We have a 79 year-old man with dementia running this country who has surrounded himself with kiss ass enablers who are never, ever going to stop him.  Doing so would put an end to their own personal grift.  And these enablers are so stupid, I don't doubt many of them think they will be able to hold onto their ill gotten gains after he is gone.

Also, for those who haven't heard, the Supreme Court has yet to weigh in on Orangie's ability to set tariffs.  If they rule against him, these tariffs will turn into a maelstrom of shit.  And, if they rule for him?  Well, either way there is a good possibility our economy is doomed.  That, in itself, is going to doom the Republican party.