Lie to Impress

 Today... let there be sunshine!  And it was so... at least for the time being.  We might end up with overcast skies later in the day, but right now the sun is shining.  Temps are suppose to climb into the upper 60s (F), which is nice.  No rain is in the forecast, that's nice.  We've had so much lately.  To think, one of my retail associates told me that "we need rain."  I suspect she must get her weather information from Fox.

Quite a bit was accomplished yesterday in the kitchen renovation.  Shelves were taking down, the shelf / pot hanger was installed at the window.  And the dishwasher was delivered.  Originally, I had hoped that my contractor's boyfriend was going to install it, but his life is complicated and she told me he might need to bring his young son with to do the job.  So, I've started watching YouTube videos on installing dishwashers.  To my surprise, it's not that complicated at all.  

In 45 minutes, the electrician is supposed to arrive.  Once he's completed his work, the only left to do will be the cabinet / dishwasher install, the flooring, and painting.  Yes, that's right there is a lot of painting: the new wall, the cabinets (ice sculpture white), and the new baseboard.  I'm certain there will also be touch-ups on the previously painted walls.

And wasn't yesterday filled with delightfully bad Trump news?  The fraud case!  For over a decade he's been lying about his wealth because he's always wanted to be far more richer than he actually was.  For those of you have nurtured any doubts, his motto, his creed, his philosophy has always been this:  Lie to Impress.  I found it fascinating to see the ridiculously mundane excuses his legal team was using to try and delay his trial.  Thanks that yesterday, all that remains is sentencing, and hopefully Donnie and his spawn will get raked through the coils.  While his base is going to shriek and moan, this may speed up the exit of non-Republican supporters.

I found this amusing too:  over in the UK, social conservatives are upset with the government because Boris lied to them about Brexit.  The benefits he promised are not flowing in their direction.  Their middle-class lives have not changed for the better.  Keep in mind, Boris stacked his deck with one of Trump's favorite playing cards, the joker.  Boris, too, believed he could lie to impress.

The Sunny Day

 My Thursday workday has arrived.  I have a 6-hour shift beginning at 1 this afternoon.  Can you feel my excitement?

Outside, the sky is overcast.  There's only a 40% chance we will get rained.  Temps are supposed to climb to the mid 80s (F).  Checking the map on Accuweather, shows all of the substantial showers are passing us to our south, so before I leave for work, I'll have to water the little garden.

I baked sugar cookies yesterday.  First time with this recipe, which called for a heaping tablespoon of batter per cookie.  I showered them with rainbow sprinkles for a little extra sugary Pride.  They got big.  Really, really big.  They are very tasty.  I know there are some out there who will say that size is important, but... these sweet cakes are bigger than I was expecting.

Over in the UK, the Torys are looking rather shamefaced.  BoJo, the tousle-haired Trump wannabe has resigned.  Brought down by scandals, the latest happened when one of his cabinet members drunkenly groped another man.  A blustery sensationalist, BoJo seemed to be constantly demonstrating his inability to govern.  Conservatives are a selfish lot, and in his brief tenure as Prime Minister, his selfishness was apparent.

Oh, well, the sun just came out from behind the overcast skies.  Hello sunny day.

Yesterday, up here in sunny PA, a group of Republicans, including former officials, came out in support of the Democratic candidate Josh Shapiro.  Yeah, you read that right.  Republicans are telling Republicans to vote for a Democrat.  They said that Mastriano's Cracker Jack Crazy evangelical extremism makes him unfit to run the state. This group of Republicans is doing a very good thing.  They understand the MAGA movement brings only destruction.

And tomorrow, Pat Cipollone will sit down and do a recorded interview with the January 6 committee.  He knows what questions they will ask; they know what his answers will be.  Everything has been arranged.  Will the American people be shocked by his testimony?  You can bet your ass they will.

The temps are predicted to climb into the mid 80's again tomorrow with a 0% chance of rain.

 

X - the Unknown

 A busy Monday has arrived.  Not only do I get to go to work this afternoon, but this morning also I will be driving down to the Lebanon VA for a test.  Because a long, long time ago I used to be a smoker, they now do a CAT scan of my chest yearly nothing is budding in my lungs.  I have no problem with this whatsoever.  My dad died of lung cancer; it is not a good way to end the last days of your life.

The flooring department was hopping yesterday, mostly because after 1 PM I was the only one in the department.  Not a lot of issues.  But questions.  I designed blinds for several customers, changed the color of carpet for another, and signed up 2 customers for measures.  My managers should be happy.

In a fit of what you might call whimsy, I ordered a Blu-ray copy of one of the films that scared the crap out of me when I was a kid because those minutes of cowering behind my hand standout in all of my youthful memories.  In my pre--teen years, the Academy Theater in Lebanon would do Saturday matinees of movies from the 50s.  From all of those movies I saw, 2 stand out:  The Creature from the Black Lagoon, which I found really terrifying, and X-the Unknown, in which, while I knew the radiation was never going to kill, I thought the suspense truly might.  Anyway, I bought the disc.  Here's the trailer for those of you bold enough to watch it.

I saw where Louie Gohmert is continuing to get a mountain of shit for his "you can't lie to the FBI line." The idea that people actually voted this man into public office is appalling.  I wonder if they find him embarrassing, or if they simply shake their heads and chuckle "well, that's our Louie."  If that's the case, they really should avoid polling booths at all costs.

As for other political news, the weekend was rather quiet.  The UK's BoJo has some trouble brewing up today.  A vote of no confidence might pass because... you see, this buffoon enacted a serious Covid lockdown, and then members of his party... partied, behind doors... and got caught.  Ouch.  For those who don't know, Boris Johnson is the UKs version of mini-Trump.  He's the one who pushed Brexit, telling Briton's life would be Chim, Chim, Cheree happy.  It isn't.  BoJo deserves everything he gets.

I'm wondering, will the Prime-Time January 6 hearings get higher ratings than Amber and Johnny?

The Truth (and nothing but the truth)

 So, what fun, fun, fun events to I have planned for this sunny Tuesday morning?  A trip down to That Fish Place is on the agenda.  I need to buy something finny to swim around in the tank now installed in the living room.  Possibly some plants, too.  And, speaking of the plants purchased for Aquarium Co-op which were supposed to arrive yesterday... well, they didn't.  They're running late, according to the latest tracking information.  I sent them an email this morning.  Of the 3 other purchases I've made from this group, 2 arrived in two days, and the 3rd arrived on the third day.  They have been very timely.  This time, however, well the heat pack included has a 72 hour lifespan... and we're heading into 96 hours.

Blueberries are included in my diet, usually almost every day.  Before that, it was dried cherries.  I'm switching back to the dried cherries since I'm feeling more than a little berried out.  Oh, and here's a discovery!  I like Pom pomegranate juice, however it is pricey.  Now, however, there's an alternative.  Thanks a a coupon my friendly, neighborhood Giant supermarket emailed me, I've learned about Langer's 100% juice, no concentrate, at about half the cost.  No preservatives, either, which means once you open the bottle the timer starts ticking,

I understand they found Hilary Clinton's lost emails.  They were in a box down at Mar a Lago.

And while we here in America have beacoup de problems with Trump, check out life over in the UK with the very dishonest BoJo.  Shit.  One of the funniest things I read when news surfaced on how badly he and his cronies were breaking the Covid rules he, himself, had laid down for the country, was a comment by one of the Conservatives:  "Well, we've always known he was a liar, but never thought it would be to this extent."  Excuse me, but why would you expect a known liar to suddenly begin to tell the truth?

And, speaking of liars, Loser #45 has now criticized Joe Rogan, the failed comedian who thought it hilarious to use the 'N' word as part of a comedy routine, for apologizing.  Let's be truthful here, rarely a day goes by when his evil presence doesn't present another revolting face to the world.

Right Off The Boat

Well, hello.

Friday here in Central Pa, just as it is where ever you might be... as long you're on this side of the International Date Line.  For all of you Aussies, and Indonesians, and everyone else on the other side, well... hello.

A number of my co-workers have become Delta Disciples, two of whom are now in the ICUs of 2 different hospitals, both having serious difficult breathing, both on oxygen, though I understand neither has so far been intubated.  Oh, and both are unvaxed Trump supporters, as if I needed to tell you that.  As John Gray says, "hey ho."

An older couple stopped in on Monday complaining about issues with their install.  Older and, as if I need to tell you, MAGAs.  A serious problem was discovered when they removed their old carpet, a large crack in the concrete pad of their family room.  That, however, was not the problem.  Nope.  Their problem was with the installers who just happened to be Asian.  "Right off the boat," the woman said several times.  "And all they did was scream and yell at each other."  At one point she said, "and I was worried you might send Mexicans, and what you sent were Chinese, and you could tell they were right off the boat."  I suppose you've already surmised what they were complaining about.  What this couple didn't know was that the installers were in constant communication with us, emailing a number of pictures of the crack, and documenting the treatment they were receiving. What did we do?  We refunded their installation charge and politely sent them packing.  They will have to find someone else to do their installation.

Just think, in a few days winter will be here!

I saw that in the UK BoJo and his Conservatives have lost a seat they've held for at least 200 years.  This man has always been an ass and I do believe the country has finally had enough of his bullshit.  And speaking of asses, we have a number in this company.  Over here we call them Republicans.  The truth is their enemy.  Here's a little bit of truth.  The RNC is paying some of Loser #45's legal bills, over a million dollars worth of legal bills.  He's not only going to take them back to Hell with him, he's going to bleed them dry all they way down.

Smash, Crash, Boom, Bang

Well, my first weekend day has not had a very auspicious beginning.  I went to clean the toilet bowl this morning and the bottle of Clorox Scentiva I use was clogged.  At first I thought perhaps some local MAGA head had snuck into the house and had a free disinfectant snort and left the cap open - not the case.  I could twist the red plastic cap open and close - no problem there- so the clog must have occurred farther down in the nozzle.  The bottle was full and rather then chuck the whole thing away, I went downstairs and cut the top off.  Now there's no clog and the toilet bowl is clean.
Yesterday, when I went to work, I discovered my schedule had been changed.  No 2 days off in a row.  In fact, my new schedule only had me off on Monday, oh, and my hours had changed. Instead of working my fixed shift of 0800 - 1 PM, I was now scheduled 0600 - 0830.  We have a part-time cashier who is also a Dave S and some nimble fingered person (either the scheduler or an Assistant Manager) gave me his schedule by accident.  Everything is now fixed.
As far as my store opening up completely, going back to business as usual, I'm expecting that to happen sometime towards the end of May.  Even then I don't doubt the large home improvement retail chain I work for is going to keep a serious eye on the infection rate.  Until there is a vaccine, or a med which will keep people from being hospitalized if they become infected, life is going to change.  I saw snippets of BoJo saying pretty much the same thing.  His tune has changed, somewhat.  He actually said the British people are not going to sacrifice everything they've struggled so hard to get by setting themselves up for a 2nd wave.  Oh, and if the Idiot Jerk in the White House was expecting the NHS to be on the bargaining table, I'm afraid he's going to be very disappointed.
If you listen closely, there is an unmistakable rumble of concern rattling through the GOP, they may not only lose the White House... but the Senate as well.  They allowed a Moral Degenerate to get elected and many, believing he was the 2nd Coming of Reagan, jumped on board his Loyalty Train.  Oh... shit.  Now the Idiot Jerk is barreling full steam towards the cliff and all they can do is clamber back into the caboose, terrified that he's going to take them right along with him, smash, crash, boom, bang into the rocks below.
Today I'm planning on doing some chores around the house.  The drizzly rain we've been having for the past couple of days seems to be on it's way out to sea.  There are breaks in the clouds and occasional rays of sunlight beam down to light upon my lawn; it desperately needs to be mowed.  That will happen tomorrow, after the grass has dried up a bit.  Here's an older shot of my tulips out front.  I'd have an updated one for you but... well, it's been drizzly, shitty rainy.

This Made Me Laugh

So, I've been sitting here reading snippets of news while I eat my breakfast.  It's always the same thing... my breakfast: oatmeal spiced ups with walnuts, dried cherries, slivered almonds, sunflower seeds and peanut butter... oh, and 2 teaspoons of brown sugar.  And I don't eat the Instant stuff that comes in a packet, mine is cooked in the microwave: 3 minutes 40 seconds at 70% power.
I have my car loan through Bank of America.  They are very persistent in wanting me to go paperless.  Now, when I bought my car I was told my interest was going to be 'front loaded.'  Their going to gouge me for as much interest as possible, even if I pay the loan off early. Right now it's looking to be paid off over 3.5 years early.  Going paperless saves them money, it doesn't do a damn thing to drop the amount of interest I'm paying.  If Bank of America wants me to paperless, they will need to do something about that interest rate.  We all know that's not going to happen.  They want to gouge me for as much interest as possible, and still save money on postage and paper.  Give me a break.
I saw where the Idiot Jerk's henchie, Billy Barr has been complaining about the Idiot Jerk's Tweets.  Maybe Billy realizes how bad they make our Faux Attorney General look.  Those Tweets show just far up the Idiot Jerk's ass Billy Barr has shoved his tongue.  Gee, you'd think Billy would have realized by now we all know he's a mindless puppet.
And I saw that on the other side of the Atlantic, BoJo is shaking up his cabinet, installing 'yes men' rather than individuals with solid qualifications.  Now we know BoJo is nothing more than a gas bag with some serious leakage.  To all you Brexiteers, congrats, this is what you voted for.
And finally, for those who didn't know, the Idiot Jerk in the White House loves his Twitter because it allows him to give derogatory names to those he doesn't like, and to those who scare him.  Twitter is his cowardly way of stabbing them in the back.  His fanboy base love his Tweets because they show that both he, and they, are at the same level of maturity.  That changed yesterday.  The Idiot Jerk received a full frontal smack-back... from Bloomberg.  Thinkg about what was written.  This is a wonderfully personal assault on the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  This made me laugh!!

Mike Bloomberg

✔@MikeBloomberg

.@realDonaldTrump - we know many of the same people in NY. Behind your back they laugh at you & call you a carnival barking clown. They know you inherited a fortune & squandered it with stupid deals and incompetence.

I have the record & the resources to defeat you. And I will. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1227946304057364481 …

Donald J. Trump

✔@realDonaldTrump

Mini Mike is a 5’4” mass of dead energy who does not want to be on the debate stage with these professional politicians. No boxes please. He hates Crazy Bernie and will, with enough money, possibly stop him. Bernie’s people will go nuts!

136K

8:43 AM - Feb 13, 2020

Twitter Ads info and privacy

54.4K people are talking about this

And, of course, today's Valentines Day.  Here's a nice big smooch to all my readers in the world!

A bullet in the Head

Well, it's Sunday.  I will have to come up with some sort of entertaining chores to pass my time today.  Originally the plan was to drive down to York and visit my friend Betsy, however last evening to tell me she had some of sinusy throat infection.  I guess I could always spend the day working on "The Body in the Well."  The first 65 pages have been edited, of course this is just the first edit.  I have three people who will get copies and colored highlighters, one of whom is an 80 something year old great grandmother.
I did make my Coq au Vin yesterday.  I do alter the standard recipe though.  Rather than use both chicken legs and thighs, I only use the drumsticks.  While I'm not opposed to gnawing on a decent thigh every now and then, chicken thighs are out.  Nope.  They are not included in my culinary catalog of foods considered scrumptious.  The finished dish:

And my, I must say it was rather tasty.  I serve it with a side of linguine. hhhmmm so good.

Here's a fun fact for those who are interested.  Even though Brexit is now considered a 'done deal,' we're going to have to endure another year in which the Brits try and hammer out trade agreements, etc.  Holy Crap!  And it seems as if Bojangles Johnson is trying to dance around the dirty details.  he has a speech planned which will be heavy with promise and light with substance.  But then this whole Brexit thing has been based on empty promises.

Oh, and (chuckle, chuckle, chuckle) Lamar Alexander has opted to talk about his opinion, not on witnesses in the impeachment trial, but on the acquittal vote the Republicans will try and shove down America's throat.  Yep.  Lamar says it's not up to the Senate to convict, rather the American people should do that at the polls.  This is his way of admitting he voted against witnesses because Bolton's testimony would be like a bullet in the head of the Republican Party.  The last thing the GOP could afford was to have witnesses.  Hunter Biden would have made them the laughing stock and there was no way they were going to allow John Bolton to draw cross-hairs in the middle of their forehead.  And the Evangelicals are saying "thank you God for letting us cover up this evil..." well, they're probably not vocalizing the 'evil' bit.

About your Johnson

Today is anything but your normal Friday.  For one thing, I am pleased to say that today really is my Friday.  I'm off for 4 days.  After that mini-vaca, my Friday will be on Sunday for 3 weeks.  I can deal with 40 hour work weeks as long as I get my consecutive days off, the fact that my schedule is fixed for the next three weeks is the cherry on the top.
Today is also Brexit day.  (Sigh)  Many Britons believed Bobo Johnson when he said their lives were going to be better.  Jobs they saw as being unfairly held by foreigners will move back to the continent as corporations move to a more safer financial environment.  Oops. Prices and unemployment are going to go up.  Washington does not see them as equal partners and as such will offer them a trade deal which will hit them below the belt.  Scotland will probably vote for independence and will probably rejoin the EU.  Life in the UK is going to change.  Bobo Johnson is wrong.  Here's a bit of slang for my readers around the world.  In America, your johnson is another name for your dick.  This quite accurately describes Bobo... and this is what he's going to do to the UK.

Today is also the day in which the Republican controlled Senate is castrate the impeachment process.  It's the only way they can keep their tinfoil dictator in power.  I saw where Collins says she will vote for witnesses.  You can be Moscow Mitch approves of this; he desperately wants her ass re-elected.  This is not going to help her.  When November rolls around, Susie's going to hear the snip, snip, snip of the voting public as they shear her from her position.
And just one final musing, a lot of Evangelicals feel the 10 Commandments should be not only posted in classrooms, but in every place the public gathers.  If that ever happens, they're going to have to snip, snip, snip and edit, unless they decided to just borrow the Idiot Jerk's sharpie and draw and line through 'Thou shalt not bear false witness.'  hhhmm.  Actually, I think the sharpie's the way to go.

Pears

Can you believe it's Thursday already?  Wait.  Let me look at my calendar.  Nope.  I'm wrong.  It's just another work day.  There, isn't that easier?  Just calling today another workday?  I work tomorrow, too, but then I have 2 days off.  Yippee!
Oh, my.  I'm getting a lot of steps in at the store.  We've got our Christmas shoppers, who are looking for deals, and that's about it.  Contractor's work load slows during the holidays because no one wants their house torn up over the holidays.  And then there is the weather.  While they're forecasting a high of around 50 (F) tomorrow, usually you can find them hanging around the upper 30's to mid 40's.  So now is the time when people begin planning their spring events.
"The Body in the Well" is moving along nicely.  The tentative title for the chapter I'm working on right now is 'In Nancy's Notch.'  I'm sure that will change.  My cover artist says that sounds too much like porn.  She's right.  What's funny is that Nancy's notch is not really what you think.  It isn't really Nancy's notch isn't really a notch at all.  It's a saloon, in a town which was once known as Bartlett... as in the pear.  Of course, that was before Jack Nancy came to town.

Anyway, I guess everybody now knows BoJo's Conservatives won.  Brexit is going to be a done deal on January 31st.  There goes the NHS.  A lot of people are going to be upset when they start gettting bills for their healthcare.  The foreigners are going to move back to the continent and take their jobs with them, but that's okay.  Lower paying jobs are going to save the day... right? As long as some believe they have their sovereign rights back things are going to be just jack dandy.

I saw that in this country consumer prices just edged up a little... well, that's not totally accurate. Food and gasoline prices climb more than a little bit.  Their increase was offset by lower priced cars and trucks.  Prices in my neighborhood Giant have gone up a lot.  But that's okay, right?  This is how you make America great.  Oh, and when January rolls around, prepare for a less than glowing jobs report.  All those temp jobs are going to go away until next Christmas.  Part-timers in my store will find their schedules cut, many will only get 5 hours a week.  Part-timers are supplementing their income, they're not working for the fun of it.  Five hours a week just doesn't cut it.  Do you really think the Idiot Jerk in the White House cares?  or Republicans?  or Conservatives?  Hell no.

The BoJo Dance

For those counting, today is my hump day.  Yippee.
I did get a measure yesterday.  That's what we're supposed to do. Get measures for flooring installations.  For a moment I was a bright spot.  The dark spot was that the large, home improvement retailer lowered not only 4th quarter expectations, but also their forecast for next year.  Why the drop in sales?  They're claiming it is most likely due to theft caused by the opioid crisis.  That's right, addicts are coming in and stealing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of products...  Now, that's what I call slinging horseshit.  Addicts aren't that smart.  Nope.  Theft is a business.  It's called Organized Crime.  And it ain't going away any time soon.
On the lighter side, I bought some new clips for my cycling shoes... to be more exact, the left shoe.

This pair included little, rubber covers so they don't click - clack like tap shoes when I'm walking around on my hardwood floors.  They also keep me from scratching the floor as well.  Believe me, I've never had any desire to be a tap dancer.
Unlike Boris from the UK, who has no problem shuffling from one routine to another.  He's a younger version of our Idiot Jerk.  And dance?  That man should be on Dancing with the Duds, or what ever the British dance show is called where phonies line up to trot out their lines.  Lie Dancing?  They're experts.  And no, that's not a typo.  I didn't mean to say Line Dancing.  You know he is a agreeing to some crazy deals with our Idiot Jerk that will end up with the citizens of the UK paying through the nose.  But that's okay.  He will pirouette in to a pas de deux with our Idiot Jerk, all the while smiling back over his shoulder to avoid seeing the higher costs his Conservative government will establish.  And those addled fools who vote for him will see their NHS being whittled down to the bone.
Anyway, my route last night was in Canyonville.  A little over 16 miles long.  Not very memorable, so I'm deleting it from my downloaded routes.  No ride tonight.  It's every other night from now on.  That works better for me.  Longer, with a 24 hour recovery period in between.

Grazin' Time

For those of you who don't know, today, in America at least, it's Black Friday.  This is the day we celebrate rabid commercialism.  At some Walmart today someone is going to get punched in the face, or trampled.  In fact, that may have already happened.  There are so many Black Friday deals out there which aren't really deals, unfortunately Consumers have been trained like seals doing tricks for fish.  We have a laminate floor on sale for .49 a square foot.  People will buy it believing it' has at least somewhat good  quality.  It doesn't.  It's cheap.  It will sell because it's Black Friday.
My schedule is fixed so by the time I get to work most of the crowd will be gone.  There will be food, however.  Today will be a grazing day.  So much so, I doubt if I'll feel like riding when I get home.  I'll catch a ride tomorrow evening.  Today it's Mexican.  Yummy stuff.

Tomorrow it's going to be meatball subs.  Sunday is some sort of hot dog day.  I'm not working Sunday so I don't really care.
Evidently the Idiot Jerk in the White House showed up in Afghanistan yesterday.  Smart people will understand he needed to go, there's an election next year and his unpopularity is staggering.  Right now his party is struggling to hold on to their base, to keep them from sliding through the cracks.  What will hurt them in the election is a Conservative electorate which stays home.
Oh, and I saw where Obama is quietly dropping subtle warnings to the Democrats about moving too far to the left.  While there are a lot of Lefties out there, the country is overwhelmingly Centrist.  Stay in the Center.  Keep the majority happy.  Don't do what Republicans do.  The first they do whenever they get in power is tell you to "shut up."  This is always followed by "we're in charge," which is their way of saying "screw you" to the masses. 
And for a final bit of political humor, I saw where Boris Johnson has asked the Idiot Jerk to stay out of their elections.  Now, ain't that a hoot!

On being the butt of jokes

My zinnia seeds arrive today, as does a refresher for my strawberry flavored whey.  I have a subscription for the strawberry flavored whey.   That's going to change.  I'm not that impressed with the taste; not quite as strawberryish as I had hoped.   For now I'm going to stick with the chocolate / peanut butter.
Another one of my subscription deliveries is also going to be stopped.  I'm supposed to be having my Every Man Jack delivered on a regular basis.  The last to shipments were cancelled - not in stock. If I want I can pick it up at my neighborhood Giant supermarket.  Perhaps the company has grown large enough they don't need to rely on Amazon for their sales.  Don't know.  I might begin a new search for another small company to help out.
They're forecasting rain for this afternoon and evening.  Yippee.  I'm off Monday and Tuesday, the weather is supposed to be fine.  I hope so.  It's time to sow my bulbs.
In case you haven't heard, there's the possibility Brexit is going to be delayed... again, or at least there's an agreement in the works for a delay to some unknown day in the future, possibly after a snap election.  Big mouthed Boris is failing miserably at getting this divorce hammered out.  In fact, most of the Brexiteers appear to be nothing more than hot air balloons without the pretty colors.
Here, in the US, more people are going to be able to see the unredacted Mueller report.  For those interested, this is what most of us get to read.

You can bet the Idiot Jerk in the White House burped up burning mouthful of rancid Big Mac when he heard this.  In fact, a Federal judge legitimized the impeachment inquiry.   I wonder if Lindsey Graham's thin, little lips began quivering when he heard that.  Not only is his future life as an ass-kisser at stake, he's up for re-election and the Democrat planning on unseating him is raising big bucks.  He might get fired by the voters!  Oh... dear me... poor Lindsey.

Oh, and Rudy the G has been butt dialing reporters and leaving long, incriminating messages.  He can't even get a break from his ass.

Cranky Bellies Abound

Okay, so it's Sunday.  Depending upon which one of the apps I use for my cycling and fitness it's either the end of the work week, or the beginning of a new week.  My schedule for work says today is  the last day of the week.  Celebrating now religious fervor, Sunday, for me is the conclusion of the past week.  Tomorrow, everything begins anew.  Monday is a brand new day to start tracking my mileage.  Over the past 7 days I rode 43 miles.  That's only 4 days of riding.  I had a bit of a cranky belly one day.
My money's saying Boris Johnson has a bit of a cranky belly today.  I sold a carpet measure to an Irish woman yesterday.  I asked her what she thought of this Brexit fiasco.  She told me she thought it was terrible, but her sister who lives in Ireland was ready to grab Boris by his ears and rip off his head.  Evidently he sent an unsigned letter to the EU yesterday asking for an extension...  He's not feeling the love this morning. After years of mocking those he deemed failures, they're serving him up a shit pie breakfast.  As the days roll on, Boris' belly is only going to get crankier.
Do you know who else has a cranky belly?  The Idiot Jerk in the White House.

There's no way he's going to be able to take his frown and turn it upside down.  Nope.  He's no longer going to be hosting the 2020 G7 at his golf resort... club... or whatever the hell he calls it.  He changed his mind because of the "media and crazy, hostile Democrats..."  This morning he's no doubt chugging the Pepto-Bismol.  The idea of foreign governments paying him money to sleep in one of his hotels, and eat in his restaurants, and using his room service is ducky dandy for him.  Do you really think he cares about laws, about rules and regulations?  He's a Conservative.  His favorite pronoun is 'my,' as in 'my money,' and 'my bank account.'  I wouldn't be surprised if everyone in his spawn clan were chugging the Pepto this morning.  Son of a bitch!

Lies and Extortion

So, Boris Johnson lied to the Queen of England.  My phone's been buzzing with notifications for the past 5 minutes.  You do know she's going to shake her finger at him.  Naughty Boris.  So much desperation trying to create the old empire, so much hatred for change.  He lied to the Queen.  Every media outlet in the world is pointing at him and laughing.  History will remember him not as some noble man who led the UK out of tyrannical EU, but rather as the buffoon who lied to the Queen.  For Boris?  This is a bad day in Bedrock.  This is a very rude awakening to Boris and his Brexiteers:  their shit stinks.
And then there is the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  According to the Wall Street Journal, 10 days before the Idiot Jerk made his now infamous call to the Ukraine our own Moral Degenerate froze $319 million in aid to that country.  These funds had been approved by Congress to help the Ukraine fight Russian aggression.  You know?  Russia?  When the Idiot Jerk's Blow Bro Vlad lives?  Because the Idiot Jerk is terrified he's going to lose the election and go to jail, he wanted dirt on Uncle Joe.  So much so, he resorted to...(are you ready for this?) Extortion.  For those who don't know what the definition of extortion is, this is it:

Extortion is a form of theft that occurs when an offender obtains money, property, or services from another person through coercion. To constitute coercion, the necessary act can be the threat of violence, destruction of property, or improper government action.

The emphasis being on 'improper government action.'  For those who paid any attention to the Idiot Jerk in the White, this type of behavior pattern is pretty much the norm.  That's right, he's an asshole.  They're asking he release the transcripts of that phone call.  My money says he's going to turn into Tricky Dick Nixon and have his personal Rosemary Woods make it disappear.
Did Boris extort the Queen?  Nah, he just lied.
And, finally... my GoPro came yesterday.  It came directly from GoPro.  The price was only $20 more than what I had paid for a model that was 3 years old.

I've already been playing around with it.  I had also bought a number of mounts so I can stick it just about anywhere.  One of those that was included was a strap to attach it to my helmet.  Hhhmm.  I wasn't too wild about that, so I ordered a mount for my handlebars.  This might sound odd, but I want to be able to see where my camera is.  No lie.

Crazier than Hell

It's Thursday.  Yippee Skipee!  We had a little rain last night with our thunder and lighting... but just a little.  They're forecasting possible thunderstorms until this evening with a real heavy emphasis on the word 'possible.'  These 'possible' storms will keep the temps from hitting the 80's (F) today, but not tomorrow.  I am quite ready for 'cool.'  Yesterday, on the ride home from work, the temp was sitting at a muggy 96 (F).  In my opinion, we should have left those temps behind by now.
Microsoft did an update last evening.  Well, shit.  Normally I have several Windows open, flicking back and forth between them to make comparisons, copy URL's, download pic.  This morning, when I right clicked on the Chrome icon and clicked on 'New Window' I got an error message:  That item is no longer available.  It might have been moved, renamed, or removed.  Microsoft doesn't want you to used Google, or Chrome, they want you to use Bing. I don't like Bing, which is why I've never used it.  So, I just pinned another Google window to my Task Bar.
I was where Tom Steyer is going to be on the Debate Stage.  Idiot.  We really need Congress to outlaw billionaires in the White House.  For some reason, there is a group of voters out there who see that word... billionaire... and honestly believe the best person we can have in the Oval office is a successful businessman.  Nope.  Look what we have now... an asshole from Hell.  Literally.  I saw some sort of nonsense where some Evangelical Crazy Lady has said the White House has been blessed by the Superior Blood of Jesus....   That's the sort of shit his Crazy Christian base love.  It gets them rolling in the aisles and speaking in tongues.  If these people ever truly get in charge we will have a Civil War.  I have no doubts about that.  You see, they would have no problem in creating a Crazy Christian Police State.
Oh, and I saw where some very intelligent Scottish judges has said that Johnson's proroguing of Parliament was illegal.  Smart guys.  They, as well as many others, realize the only reason Boris decided to pull this shit was to Parliament's hands.  They need to lock his Nationalist ass up, or deport him, or do something to shut him up.  Interestingly enough, documents have been released which show a no-deal Brexit would be catastrophic for the UK.  Does Boris care if people get hurt.  Nope.  He will never understand the days of the British Empire are over.  The time has come to transition to a United Europe.  A unified bloc of countries has more power than a single nation. 
As for the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  He's going to get his ass whipped in 2020.  A fitting end is coming to the Moral Degenerate.

A prickly affair

I was all set to run around the house this morning shouting "It's Saturday!  It's Saturday!  No work!" but then I realized I was a day early.  That will happen tomorrow.
Ubisoft emailed me my 'key' for Ghost Recon - Breakpoint last evening so I downloaded the game while I slept.  Nice. This is the Open Beta version, which is more of a sales promotional thing rather the closed Beta version in which a select group of players actually try and break the game. I understand that can be a lot of fun.  But, as an open Beta, it shuts down on 9/9 and may not be available to play again until it's official release.  One of the other games I ordered Greedfall, is due to be delivered on Wednesday.
I'm looking for a new cactus.  I've had a Barrel Cactus for 9 years and last Monday, while I was watering my plants... I over watered it.  This was one those... what in hell was I thinking about moments.  The next morning I emptied all the water sitting filling the base... but it was too late.  It's a cactus, after all.  The entire barrel, which was almost 7 inches high, has turned brown and collapsed.

I stuck it outside for a couple of days hoping the heat of the sun might revive the little guy... nothing.  He just keeps collapsing in upon himself.
And I thought it interesting that even Boris Johnson's brother has added his own little knife to those already in Boris' back...  The sad truth is that Boris deserves to be pricked even more.
Oh, and I saw... hold onto your hats... that the Idiot Jerk's spawn is planning on running for the White House in 2024.  This group of breeders is totally out of touch with the real world.  Someone should tell them that Wisconsin, a state with a lot of family owned farms, is leading the country in farm bankruptcies.  And yes, these are some of the people who voted to Make America Great Again.  45 family owned farms filed for bankruptcy last year.  That's not a good thing.  You see, they didn't realized that the cheese the Idiot Jerk prefers most on his Big Macs is processed.  Now, how is that for a burr in their sides?

Climb... Climb

So, it's Thursday.  I get to work today and tomorrow, and then I'm off a day, back on a day, and then off a day.
I'm probably going to go see "It,2" or whatever it's called on Monday.  The film is going to make a lot of money.  The first part was done well, let's hope part 2 is just as good.
I got my stats yesterday from the month of August.  I was so pleased I started showing people.  Now, I get to show you what my cycling was like last month.

Not bad, eh?  As you can see, I'm working on my climbs.  Your legs are the engines of your body.  The best way to strengthen them is to use them.  11% grades are ruthlessly bad.
It looks like that narrow minded conservative Boris Johnson had his boris slapped repeatedly.  He was ignorant as hell to Theresa May, but at least she managed to hang in there for what?  almost 2 years?  I wonder if he's going to cry in public.  I mean, he was down and they kept kicking him.  That's a brutal ego treatment.  He deserves it, of course.  Over the past couple of days we've gotten the sort of high drama Masterpiece Theater used to dole out weekly.
And the numbers of people furious at the Idiot Jerk in the White House are rising.  He and his hateful base simply do not understand that taking $3.6 billion from the military, from projects already approved, in order to build his racist wall does not go over well with... the military, for one.  At least one school is not going to be built in order for him to give his hateful Evangelical Base the wall.  Puerto Rico?  Well, he's always hate Puerto Rico, an island where people have brown skin and speak Spanish. 
Oh, and just wait and see how much aid we send to the Bahamas...  Conservatives see no value in spending their hard earned tax dollars on helping a country so devastated.  It's their greed factor.  This is a mountain they will never climb.

The Oddities of Life

Yesterday was... odd, both at work and at home.
At work:  A mature woman returned 6 blinds saying we offered a premium brand and she was going to purchase those instead - she lied.  She also had 15% off coupon which stated "in store use only," and not surprisingly she couldn't use it on the Internet.  She yelled at the clerk because of that and when he pointed out the "in store use only," she snapped "are you trying to make me look stupid?"  So I politely stepped in and her attitude changed.
I worked for an hour at the Paint Desk because of staffing issues.  They updated their software and that was the first time I got to work with it... and then sent me a new associate to train.
A little bird told me they were going to transfer me into that position I applied for, the one that's part-time?  Half my hours would go there, the other half would be split between paint, flooring, and appliances.  Of course there's nothing official.  Supposedly they're just waiting for approval from Corporate HR.
At home:  I was going to go for another ride but... the ride I chose had a video update.  That too 2 minutes, however it blew out the Bluetooth sync between my trainer and my laptop which meant I needed to sign out of the app and reboot.  However, when I started the reboot I got one of those wonderful "waiting for Windows to update" screens.  After putzing around for half an hour, I canned the ride.  And then my sister called to tell me she'd gotten an iphone....  My sister has spent her entire life refusing to interact with technology.  I think I laughed hysterically for at least 5 minutes.  She's never going to use that thing.  Oh, and I did get the access code for Beta access to the next Ghost Recon game: Breakpoint.  Beta access allows game player to try and 'break' the game in order to find bugs and glitches.  At this point, however, because it's an 'open Beta' the game is considered 'consumer ready.  I should be able to download it sometime between 9/2 and 9/9.

Oh, and I just got a news flash that Boris Johnson has asked the Queen to suspend parliament.  He can't wait to leave the EU.  Even when the truth gets shoved into his face, he will not understand that the days of the British Empire are over.  He is quite a bit like those bumble headed Republicans in this country who still think their wet dreams over the 1960's are romantic.

Interesting Times

I didn't go for a ride last evening - rest day, and it's always odd when I do that, the extra time I suddenly have on my hands.  Don't worry, I can always find something to do.  Like set up my new coffeemaker, which took all of about 15 minutes.  Yes, there was some assembly required.  This isn't one of your 'plug and pour' coffeemakers.  The old blue one is in the trash.  Normally, I'd set it out on the curb on garbage day for scavengers, however because of the 'programming' issues, that fact that it turns itself on at random times, I was concerned about the fire hazard it presented.  So, out in the trash it went.  Here's what the new one looks like on my counter.

I think the copper finish goes well with my tile.  I will have to figure out what to do with the electric cord, which is definitely more substantial then the power cord on the last coffeemaker.
So, I guess the Idiot Jerk and some of his minion, like Stevie Mnuchin, had planned on ending quite a bit of Foreign Aid - "too much fat," were the words they were bandying about.  For those who don't know it, this is what half-assed Corporate Greed looks like.  The deficit is rising at an astounding rate and, and like all true Conservatives, this administration tries to cut programs which help.  They are anything but smart.
And I saw Macron gave Boris some crow meat for that pie he and his fellow Brexiteers are going to be eating in a couple of months.  Boris' problem is that he longs for the 'old days,' when the UK was an empire.  Those days are gone.  The same thing is true for the Nationalists in this country who desperately want us to be the only 'super power.'  They don't understand their definition of 'power' is no longer valid.  Allies are very important.  The world learned that lesson from the two World Wars, however Conservatives don't like that definition.  They turn away from the idea that more allies you have, the stronger you are.  Evolution happens to everything;  species, politics, religious beliefs.  Unless you adapt, you will die off.  The old beliefs are entering their death throes.  Isolation is not the key to survival.  'I' and 'my' are not the correct pronouns.  There is no way to stop globalization.  Because of this we are living in interesting times.
Oh crap, I just dumped out my recycling can because there was a little opossum in it.  I have to make sure he gets away before I let the dogs out.