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.
While temps north of us are sub-zero cold, we here in Central PA are relatively warm at, what they must think to be balmy, 13 (F). Last night was the coldest we're going to get in this vortex, I least I think this is a polar vortex, if not, it's something similar. Our high today is expected to be in the low 30s (F). Tomorrow, the forecast is for us to reach back into the mid 40s (F).
New windows are being installed in the house next door. When I had Andersen replace some of mine, they came to the house and measured. This is not happening in my neighbor's house. They shopped at Home Depot and bought windows 'off the rack,' so to speak. This means they need to cut and reframe every window, which leaves gaps in the siding. Since the existing siding is yellow aluminum, I suspect that will be the next thing they're going to replace.
I watched Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom last night. The last time I saw it was in the theater in 1984. I was only mildly impressed back then, and was even less impressed last evening. The Indiana Jones character holds up fairly well, but the rest of the movie does a deep dive into some cheesy special effects, bad dialogue, and a third act finale that's uninspiring. Set as a prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark, had this been the first in the series I have no doubt it would have failed.
And, of course, there is the Chinese weather balloon. I find the entire situation amusing. It's almost as if the Chinese put on their thinking caps to decide what it was they could do to screw things up. Oh, and evidently there's another one cruising above Central America. And the Republicans in the House are so damn stupid. The first thing on their agenda is to shoot it down. Number two on their list is to hold investigative hearings. They don't see a balloon. Nope, as far as they're concerned, this is another dead horse they can kick to the gutter. I thought Adam Kinzinger made a good point when he said that shooting it down would let the Chinese know about our high altitude weapons systems. We all know that level of intelligence is far above that of your average Republican congressman.
Jimmy Jordan's committee issued it's first subpoenas yesterday. They actually believe someone in the administration is going to pay attention to them.
Finally, for those who haven't been paying attention, the Orange Anus has been shrieking about how he could end the war in the Ukraine in 24 hours. While a lot of this is his blustery buffoonery, I wouldn't be surprised this is also a desperate attempt to help his Blow Bro Vlad since things aren't going to well for him and his 3 day war. Superior weapons systems are arriving in the Ukraine which have the capability of taking out Russian soldiers far behind the front line. This is not good, especially when conservative casually counts put the Russian dead at around 200,000. Trump's Blow Bro Vlad is sending his army into a meat grinder.
Morning! It's cool here in Central Pa. The temps are not, I repeat not predicted to hit 70 (F) today. The high is forecast to be around 68 (F). I love this weather!
Biggie loves this weather, too. Three gabapentin every 12 hours are working magic. I understand the med is a pain blocker, keeping the nerve impulses from reaching the brain, and not an anti-inflammatory. His carprofen take care of the inflammation cause by his arthritis.
For those who haven't heard, Sixpence is having some issues with Blogger, evidently there is a threat to shut down his blog because of what he calls the 'little collages' he's taken from Instagram. The first thing that went through my head was that one the artists he likes has decided to claim copyright infringement. Just because something is published on Instagram does not mean it's in the public domain. Many artists are very big on licensing agreements. They don't care if you publish their work as long as they're getting paid.
And, in case any of you are wondering, I do know a little about artists. For a number of years I hung out with several. They're odd people. Since they make their living by selling their art, many are focused on the money aspects of their business. Here's a piece by Lawrence Von Barann. I was hoping Larry would leave me a piece in his will. He didn't. If you're interested, you can buy this from the Yale Gallery of Art. For those who are wondering, the answer is yes, that is Yale University.
It's also fascinating that Republican Adam Kinzinger is beginning to advocate for people to not vote Republican. As he says, "they will try and impeach Biden every other week." That is not some mindless assumption on his part. Just like the Orange Anus, the Republican party focuses on revenge. Conservatives have always been terrible losers. The idea that the beliefs they hold as intrinsically true are rejected by a majority cuts them to the core. They simply cannot comprehend how they can be so wrong.
My mid-week weekend has begun. I certain objectives I hope to complete during the next 2 days, whether they will be accomplished is another matter. I'd make a list, but we all know priorities change. I had thought of driving down to That Fish Place but knowing that the holly shrub in my front yard desperately needs trimming is more important than driving to Lancaster to pick up fish and snails.
As expected, yesterday was a slow day at work. I did manage to get 2 measures, (a sign the economy isn't as terrible as Republicans say), but in between those moments of interacting with customers there was nothing. Who ever thought being bored could be so tiring?
Of course, they released a photo taken by the Webb Telescope yesterday afternoon; our first really good look at something so immense many will have difficult processing the truth. This is especially true for certain religious groups, specifically those who claim their deity created the universe. They will subvert the truth into something their beliefs can limit and control. Many of these people, if they even take the time to look at this picture, will simply say "that's nice." You see, their universe needs to be small enough for them to be the focal point. A truth they will never understand is that everything does not now and will never revolve around them. They are the ones who will say, "it's not about the size, it's about the faith."
Steve Bannon's trial begins Monday. woohoo. I read that his lawyer asked for a delay because he has no defense. woohoo. Now, this tub of horse shit is going to be dropped into an ungreased, cast-iron frying pan where he will publicly sizzing in his own juicy lies.
And every second that passes moves Lyndsey Graham to another cast-iron frying pan. Lyndsey's got a lot of grease, so when he fries there will a lot splutters, and pops, so don't get too close because I'm suspecting he's going to try and burn as many as possible.
And, of course, the January 6 committee is going to go public again this afternoon. Kinzinger has said that in 10 years not one of those 74 million people who voted for Trump will admit to casting a vote for him. I don't doubt for a second today's hearing is going to be another nail in the Republican coffin. Reagan' started the con, Trump is going to end it.
Ah, my weekend begins. I'm going to enjoy it thoroughly. Going back to the store on Wednesday, I will be heading into a 6 day work week. We all know how much I enjoy 6 consecutive days at work.
As is becoming a usual habit for me, I stayed up late watching a series on TV. Originally, I had planned on watching Army of the Dead. Zombies can be really exciting. However, when I signed into Neflix, the trailer for Jupiter's Legacy caught my eye. Or, perhaps I should say Josh Duhamel with long hair and a beard caught my eye. Aging super heroes with kid problems. The storyline unfolds on 2 timelines, with the stock market crash of 1929, and in the present. The first episode introduced the kid problems, as well as a dated code of super hero ethics. Yeah, ethics do come into play here. Anyway, I do not doubt it is much better then Army of the Dead, which was directed by Zack Snyder, whose movies have a reputation for letting the audience down in the end.
Yesterday was a slow day for flooring sales. I didn't mind. Sometimes, on slow days, the next story evolves in my head. I like that.
Politically, Adam Kinzinger had a very good day. Republicans really should start listening to him. Trump Republicans will not. He knows January 6 is going to have a humongous effect of the 2022 elections, and not in a good way for Republicans. They, on the other hand, believe 2 things: that the losing party in a presidential election always gains seats in the House and Senate in an off year election, and that those 74 million who voted the Loser #45 are going to cast their ballots Republicans. These are falsehoods. The party has a reputation for falsehoods. A large majority of Americans want a commission to investigate that insurrection. Were that to happen, the death knell for MAGAs would start tolling. However, preventing a commission from forming is going to start the death knell for MAGAs. This is what happens when you sell your soul to an Orange Anus.
