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.
So here it is, Tuesday, and this is late because I stayed up late watching The Sound of Music, and, in case you're wondering, I also had a few glasses of wine.
Our temp outside is 82 (F) and there is much humidity. Yesterday the forecast was for a high in the upper 80s (F). We actually hit the upper 90s (F). Thunderstorms came with those high temps and humidity. We had some serious rain and every few minutes I was getting a notification from Accuweather that "lightning was striking the ground." A fun time was had by all. Incidentally, we have the same forecast for this afternoon: high temps and heavy rains.
I did work yesterday and business was slow. That's fine. I get paid whether we're busy of slow, though they have cut my hours back a bit. For the next three weeks I'm only scheduled for 17 hours. That's fine. I do know that on that I'll be working more in paint in the coming weeks. That's fine, too. I like paint. This past Saturday they had me scheduled in appliances. That wasn't fine. I can't talk about appliances, so don't schedule me there and expect me to sell them.
Here's a pic of Howie I took yesterday. He's looking like a yellow lab rather than the fox red lab he is which is really odd since he looks quite red.
So, Orangie's big terrible tax increase for the common man has not passed yet, though there have been quite a number of votes on different amendments. Reducing the cut to Medicaid was not one of them. Honestly, I find it difficult to believe that so many Republicans say they believe there millions of unqualified Americans using Medicaid. What they're really saying is that people, no matter what their condition, need to get jobs so they can pay outrageous premiums for their own insurance.
And yesterday, while walking the aisles at work, I started noticing holes on our shelves where there was a price tag and no product. The LVP (Luxury Vinyl Plank) flooring we sell is all manufactured in China. Oops.
We have sunshine for the time being. The outside temps are in the mid 50s (F), so this morning was cool, but nice. However, clouds and showers are on the way. They should be arriving sometime this afternoon, but that's okay, I'll be at work. Tomorrow, however, is another story. If the forecasters are correct we should have showers and thunderstorms throughout the day, and temps are supposed to drop. The nighttime low is predicted to fall into the 40s (F), and that's cool.
I'm pleased to say that yesterday was a good day for getting things done, including a mowing of the yard. My bucket garden is complete. Laundry was done, thought I used the dryer for the bed linen, the wind blew the drying rack over onto its side the last time they were dried outside. I got in a nice 25 minute rowing session, and cooked a nice chicken/veggie soup for dinner; leftovers will be dinner tomorrow, when we have a rainy dinnertime.
Before I go to work, I'm going to mow the backyard. It's small and shouldn't take long, but Howie will need to be in the house. He loved yesterday. I've said this before, and I'll say it again, fencing in my backyard was one of the best things I've done since moving into this house 32 years ago. He wants to be outside all of the time, and that's fine with me. And he has started lifting his leg to pee. Biggie rarely did that. I had to laugh the first time I saw Howie do it. He wasn't next to a tree, or a bush, or the fence. Nope, standing in the middle of the yard, he just lifted his leg.
And instead of posting a pic of Howie watering nature, here's one of my bucket garden. Some of the buckets I bought at the store; I get a military discount. There are 13 tomato plants, 2 green peppers, a zucchini, and a cucumber. Here's hoping I get to harvest some veggies.
And Orangie is going to announce some "super, great, stupendous" tariff deal with the UK this morning. He does love those glorifying adjectives, doesn't he? While the details have not been released, I'm betting there's not much difference between this trade deal and the one that was in place two months ago. Of course, his cultists will gleefully dance around shouting "see! see! he's such a great negotiator!" All the while ignoring the fact that we have yet to sit down at the negotiating table with China. Those products we need most do not come from the UK, but from China. So, while his cultists will be kicking up their heels in joy, a majority of the country will be waiting to see what kind of deals his administration strikes with our Asian trading partners.
Hello sunshine, my old friend... well, for today and tomorrow at least. The rains are going will return on Friday and, if the long range forecast is correct, next week will be another wet one. We have bourgeoning flora everywhere. I will need to mow my lawn today, otherwise I will have a field.
I got a nice band/dumbbell workout in yesterday. I increased the weight on my bands to 50 lbs. Nice.
My neighbor's son returned from college yesterday; he goes to Temple University in Philadelphia. When the house was rehabbed, the contractor drywalled the attic, however there was only one electrical outlet and no heat. Still, they decided it would make a great bedroom for him. There was an additional problem in that the roof has a steep pitch which decreased the amount of actual living space; he's over 6 feet tall. Last evening they moved his furniture down into an empty bedroom on the 2nd floor (1st floor for my European readers). There was a lot of angry cursing, swearing, and bangings late into the early morning hours.
And last evening, before I had to listen to my neighbors, I went to see Thunderbolts. A while back I'd heard that Marvel Studios was going to be taking a much darker approach to their films after they realized they had a hit on their hands with Wandavision. The mood is not darker, superheroes without the glitz. The move was smart, dealing with suppression and repression. These heroes are not super, they have problems which are prioritized, and at times, the movie is very dark. I can see Florence Pugh getting a nomination, her performance is that good.
Of course, Prime Minister Carney from Canada had an uncomfortable sit down with the Orange Anus yesterday, he did not try and hide his distaste. Surrounded by the press, Orange stayed true to form, at one point beginning to ramble about Obama building his library in Chicago and how badly it was going. This as an almost 5 minute demonstration on how Orangie's mind wanders. Wisely, Carney chose to give his public comments back at the Canadian embassy, rather than stand next to Orangie in some tackily gold drenched briefing room.
In other shades of this shit show, Scotty Bessent admitted that there were no negotiations going on with China on the tariffs. Intermediaries for both countries are supposed to meet in Switzerland next week. First it was 90 trade deals in 90 days, now it's 17 or 18 countries they are supposedly negotiating with, however they're keeping the names of those countries secret, which means Orangie is probably giving away the store to the Saudis and the Ruskies.
Finally, a bit of humor. Linda McMahon, the Secretary of Education, who's far more ruthless than she is smart, sent a letter to Harvard University. They edited it for her and posted their correction on social media.
Today's temps are predicted to climb into the mid 80s (F). As might be expected, I have to work, though not until this afternoon, so some yardwork should be accomplished this morning. After today, a cooldown is expected, though for this time of the year that means day time highs in the mid 70s (F). I can live with that.
And yesterday, even though the weather was wonderful, ended up being a rather meh day. I did do a little yardwork, but just a little. I did learn a valuable lesson, though. On Tuesday I had planted the bean seedlings that I'd started in peat pots, well Howie likes to run around with those same peat pots in his mouth. For him to do that, he had to dig them up, so out of 6, only one remains. If I'd desperately been hoping they would come to harvest in order to eat beans, I'd be upset. But they really are only beans, and all I need to do sis pop some in the ground sans peat pots. None of my tomato seeds sprouted, but the green pepper seeds did, so I've got to Howie proof those seedlings when I plant them out.
I went to see The Amateur last evening. Remi Malek stars as a nerdy computer guy who works for the government whose wife is killed in a terrorist attack. So, yes, it is a revenge movie, though in a very nerdy way. People do die, but not in your standardized revenge movie fashion, where the hero pumps them full of bullets. You see, Remi's really smart and is not really a killer at heart. Lawrence Fishburne is a killer who, sort of trains Remi. Both are extremely good in this movie. I liked it a lot. It was goo to see a fresh take on a revenge film that doesn't included bloody violence.
And the on again, off again, on again, off again tariffs are, I think, on again... maybe. Most of the media outlets are reporting that China played the Orange Anus, not that he'll feel humiliated, he'll do what he always does, blame someone else, probably Biden. Some of his cultists are saying he's playing 4D chess. Wrong. He's not even playing checkers. He is, as some economists are saying, creating an economic catastrophe because he's incompetent. Is he using negotiating tactics for the 1950s? That might be too much of a complement. Orangie's biggest problem is that he played a successful businessman on a reality TV show for 6 years and believes his own bullshit.
You know he's failing when Fox Entertainment tells his cultists his approval rating is the lowest of any president in history, even lower than his first term. Their only problem is that they said it's at 44%, which, like everything Fox Entertainment says about him is bloated. Right now his approval rating is between 40 and 41%, an the only direction it can go is down.
Sunday Funday is here. Well, I don't really know how much fun it going to be had. The temps are sitting in the mid 40s (F) and the wind is blowing, some might even say it's breezy as Hell, if Hell is breezy that is. We'll be warming up into the low 60s (F).
Because we have sunshine and milder temps the store might be busy this morning. Working in retail, I can tell you there is a large group of people who do not attend any sort of religious services on Sunday morning, unless, of course, buying a patio set is religious experience for them. As is the case every Sunday, usually after 11 AM, the church crowd will arrive. They stand out because they're still wearing their Sunday finest, men in suits, usually Navy blue, and women in boldly colored dresses. I always find it amusing that the vast majority of women look like they're ready for a hot night on the town rather than a church service, I suppose the believe that hot and gaudy is synonymous with rich an arrogant, neither of which should apply to a Christian, unless it's a Republican Christian.
Our retail plan has not been too successful this past week, we are deep in the red. This is how it goes. One of our associates was arrested, and while that actually has nothing to do with our not making plan, it does have something to do with money. This is always the case. In my 16 years of working with the Orange retailer, this is the third time I'm aware of the police being called to take someone away in handcuffs. Idiot.
Here's an updated pic on the oregano I'm growing on my window sill.
And the Orange Anus caved again yesterday: laptops, phones, and computer chips. The Chinese gave him nothing in return. Xi is going to make Orangie eat dirt. There are those who are saying that this wasn't really a cave-in, but rather the tariff relief that Apple, and Microsoft, and IBM, and a slew of others paid for when they bestowed their $1 million dollar gifts on Orangie after he was elected. Me, I don't think that's the case simply because of the ratio of money gifted to money saved. These companies are going to save hundreds of millions without having to deal with tariffs and I can't believe Orangie would give them that sort of gift while only getting a measly million in return. This doesn't meant that there isn't some sort of behind the scenes shenanigans in which he gets paid under the table. Making this more interesting, is the fact that we haven't hear neither hide, nor hair of a crow coming from him. He's not bragging about being successful. Mostly because Xi made him eat dirt.
Well, we had rain and it seems as if more rain is on the way... much more. There is a storm transitioning up the eastern seaboard (nice of use of the word transition, eh?) that is apparently going to dump at least an inch more rain upon Central PA. Temps will hover in the 40s (F). Accuweather, however, seems to be on the fence with this one, since they're predicting only .20 of an inch of rain, yet they also saying that we should expect ponding in the roadways. Every other weather report says the ponding is definitely going to happen.
I did work yesterday. It was another meh day. When I got to the flooring desk a rather pretentious couple was doing changes to their quote. Big $$$. Luckily for me they are not my customers, so all I had to do was sit there for a few moments and listen to them dictate exactly what they wanted to happen. Let me append that sentence, she was dictating, he was on his phone. I chuckled when I overheard him say that "he was setting the record straight." I also chuckled when she said they would return to the store today so her father could pay for the install in order for them to take advantage of his military discount. For that to happen, their quote needs to be in his name, which means it will have to be rebuilt, a rather time consuming process. I'm so glad I don't work today.
And Howie is not big enough to get things off the kitchen counters, and I don't mean pulling things off with his paws. I know this because he pulled a squeaker from his squirrel and, rather than walk it out and put it into the trash, I set it on the counter. Not 2 minutes later I heard him crunch, crunch, crunching on plastic. Now it's out in the trash. This also means nothing can be on the counters that he might catch his interest. Biggie once ate an entire loaf of bread once, and while Howie is not as high as Biggie, he is longer. Here he is in the kitchen.
And, in case you missed it, China increased tariffs for the United States to 125%. They're going to stir fry the American economy. At the same time they're doing this, they are negotiating with the EU, cutting back on tariffs. There is some serous deal making going on with electric cars. I understand China has also stopped taking orders for certain Tesla models (S and X) in China, which will help with EU electric car deal. China is the largest market for Tesla. That sound you hear in the background is Elonia sobbing.
And will the market rise or fall today? Well, that Chinese tariff increase is probably going to put a damper on things, even if this storm moving up the eastern seaboard doesn't isn't as rainy as predicted. More and more people are pointing out that the Orange Anus's Art of the Deal pause in tariffs was in reality the Art of the Steal. They're trying to find out how many Republican congressmen and senators bought stock at the low price before the pause was announced. Unfortunately for them it dropped fast yesterday, so their greed probably wasn't as satiated as they were hoping. Oh, and don't worry, I suspect that the markets are going to keep dropping. Remember, he has 6 bankruptcies on his resume.
Amazing as it sounds, the temps in Central PA did climb up into the mid 40s (F) yesterday, and if the forecasters are correct today is going to be a repeat of yesterday. If the long range forecast holds, there are only 2 days in the next week and a half when our daily high will be down around freezing. I'm fine with that.
Yesterday was another interesting day in the world of home improvement retail. Because of football sales were low; this is Philadelphia Eagle territory. In spite of the fact that many stayed home to watch the playoff game, I sold 2 more measures and signed up a customer for an indoor shutter consultation. I also had another $1200 in sales, so basically last week I hit the trifecta + for a specialist. Management should be very happy.
Within an hour or so I should be hearing from Faulkner Subaru regarding my battery situation. I am prepping my mind for a worse case scenario, you know, where the script says that battery that is only 1 year and 2 months old died because of a bad alternator or some other car part that's going to be expensive to fix. I hate additional expenses since my income is allocated to specific needs. Right the main focus is paying off those windows I had installed. Once that bill is buried I'll be a much happier camper and right now I'm looking at an internment day in May. The interest free period doesn't run out until September, so I'm not concerned about that. I just don't like owing money.
Battery update: bad battery, I'm getting a new one for free. Sometimes you can actually take advantage of a warranty.
And here's a pic of Howie in the snow.
And, as we all expected, Chaos got a little rough yesterday with Colombia. Fox says they caved, everybody else is reporting negotiation happened. Orangie doesn't handle pushback well and Colombia pushed back. In reality, his little temper tantrum will cause Colombia to search for another large trading partner, one that's friendlier, and that country will probably be China. Sales agreements with the United States will disappear. That's something Orangie will never understand. He's pushing hard for the EU to buy more from America, that will fail. He will try tariffs and sanctions to force them, and they will turn elsewhere. Right now we have the largest economy in the world, soon that honor will go to China. This is going to be anything but a golden age.
Well, here it is, New Year's Eve and so far the neighbors are quiet, of course, they bought themselves a new TV for Christmas so who knows, it is New Year's Eve. If they get too loud, I'll just reconnect my soundbar.
Outside, the temps are cool. According to many weather sources, and Arctic Blast is heading our way. Will there be snow? It all depends upon where you live. Here in Central PA the forecast is for a little over an inch, that's barely even enough to shovel. I guess the big question is: should I get the snow shovel's out of the basement or not?
It is garbage day. Both of my cans, the garbage and the recycle, are sitting out front. Neither is full, but East Pennsboro and Waste Management decided everyone needed ginormous garbage cans. Because both are so large, taking my garbage to the curb only happens every 2 to 3 weeks, and then they are usually half empty.
Some might be questioning if I'm planning on staying up tonight to see in the New Year. Absolutely not. Anyone who thinks 2025 is going to be a good year is sadly mistaken. We have a Moral Degenerate who's going to be inaugurated on January 20, and a vast number of his supporters are going to be in the "Find Out," stage of their stupidity. Most of his base was already virtually cracked, now the real cracks are beginning to show as they realized the Orange Anus they voted for not only abhors them, but now sees them as completely useless. He no longer needs them. They are finding out he's not going to give them a single thing he promised. They will continue to find out that the only people Orangey likes are his billionaire buddies and dictators; he will give them their deepest heart's desires.
Finally, people are beginning to understand how deeply involved Elonia is with China, and I'm wondering if he might be partly responsible for the recent hacking of the Treasury by the Chinese government. You see, Elonia, who's evidently a ketamine crackhead, thinks only of himself and his multiple alter egos.
With these tidings heading our way, let's all try and think positive thoughts for the coming new year. With this is mind, you might be wondering if this is a tease or not.
Hello Monday. I'm scheduled for 6 hours today. My morning is free. That's fine with me.
My drywall contractor will be finishing up the kitchen ceiling this morning. That also is fine with me. I can not wait to put things back where they belong and begin to clean. Dust is everywhere. It will get a little worse before it gets better.
We did have rain yesterday, not buckets worth, but on and off showers, and misty drizzles. The temps stayed in the low 50s (F). I don't know about other people, but I'm glad the cold temps have decided to postpone their arrival. Anything helping to keep my heating bills down is a plus.
Not surprising, now that Black Friday has come and gone, Christmas music has arrived in the store. Shit. I'm so glad I'm part time and will only have to listen to these songs for a limited time only. The only thing making them interesting is how some of these songs are not about Christmas at all. 'We Need a Little Christmas,' from Mame is a good example. Broke and down on her luck, Mame uses this song to cheer up her nephew and friends. But, I have to admit the song I laugh at the most is 'Hard Candy Christmas.' I saw this song performed live when I went to see 'The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.' It's sung by the prostitutes lamenting that the house has been shutdown and they'll need to go somewhere else to find work. Here's a decent version of it, and no, Dolly Parton did not write this.
And, hey! What about those protests in China? They are not what their authoritarian government wants at all. Boebert, at least I think it was her since she is stupid enough, Tweeted out some sort of nonsense about the Chinese people and 2 amendment rights. I'm not even going to try and make a connection. Let's just say the Xi, and his regime, have a problem and if he sends in the military, it's going to get worse.
Isn't it funny how everybody, except the Republican congress, is calling out Trump for his fascist dinner with an Kanye West and Fuentes? Trump has been pirouetting in his liar toe shoes from one absurd excuse to another. And he's being called out by everybody but Republican congressmen. This is actually pretty damn funny. Conservatives have never really given much credence to what Americans want, their wants have always been foremost. They latch onto anything they believe will get them votes: anti-vaxxers, 2nd amendment, pro-life, but most importantly, Donald Trump. As long as he could get people to vote for him, they didn't give a shit about how evil he was, and now, to the glee of many, it looks like they might be heading into a Hard Candy Christmas.
For those who don't know, Fridays are cleaning days and laundry days. Because today is also a pay day, this is the day I spend the most money at my neighborhood Giant supermarket.
Right now the temps are in the mid 40's (F) and we're under a dense fog advisory. Believe me when I tell you the houses across the street are nothing more than looming shadows.
The temps are supposed to top off around 76 (F) today when the sun finally decides to pop out. Then I hope to get some planting down. Dahlias. I haven't bout them yet, but I'm thinking of buy a few elephant ear plants. They are nice and big, and take up a lot of lawn.
For those who watch Star Trek Discovery, wasn't Stacey Abrams cameo on the the season finale simply stunning? For those who didn't see it, she plays the President of Earth. Can this be cosmic foreshadowing?
Mark Meadows is under investigation for voter fraud. This is what happens when you lie about where you live in order to vote. I suspect his wife might be in the same predicament since, while he only voted once, she voted twice, one of those being a runoff election.
Biden is talking with Xi this morning. I suspect that Xi is not a very happy camper. You see back in early February he and Trump's blow bro pal Vlad put out a mutual statement saying they were eternally going to be having each other's backs. And, rumor has it, that while Xi knew Vlad was going to make an incursion into the Ukraine, an invasion of this extent was not communicated. In fact, it was until 2 days after Russian forces began shelling that the Chinese needed to get their Chinese Nationals out... fast. Relations between the US and China soured during the Trump presidency, so there is little doubt they will publicly oblige any requests Biden makes, however, this war, and the sanctions, have weakened Russia and the Chinese will probably see this as an advantage. This means that while they might give Vlad some aid, they're also going to put the screws to him. In fact, they might just punish old Vlad. Because of his stupidity, both the United States and NATO are now much stronger.
No matter how you want to look at it, all of this shit flows back to Trump. He's the one who worked to sour relations with China, and he's the one who bowed down to Vlad.
And, on a bright note, the sun has started to pierce its way through the fog.
Okay, so is everybody ready to begin a brand new week? I am. Up and raring to go at a little before 0500. Now, I know some of you will think of that as way too early. Remember, I would rather be doing something than wasting time in a semi-somnambulist state. That's my way of saying last night's sleep was more wakeful than most.
This is a work day for me. A full work day, not one of my partial, show-up and put in 3 or 4 hours day. Today might be somewhat busy. Yesterday was a really sloooow Sunday after that bit of a shit show snow storm.
I saw where Tom Brady is coming out of a retirement. Pardon my English, but what a greedy dick. At 45, he will end up injuring himself, probably badly, and regret his actions for the rest of his life.
The lyrics for this song might be used for karaoke night in the Body Under Ice. Karaoke night, you ask? I thought you knew, every murder mystery deservers a good song and dance act.
And now, can we talk about this bit of humiliating news? It seems as though big bad Vlad's preparations for his invasion of the Ukraine weren't as thorough as he thought. Or, maybe his people just lied to him because... well, he has been known to go horseback riding shirtless. Anyway, it seems as Vlad has gone begging the Chinese for help, groveling for both military and financial aid. Now, isn't that humiliating as hell. Looks like this little invasion of his has cost Russia to lose it's shirt. Vlad has become a putz in the eyes of the world. As for China, they're staying mum on the situation. You see, they were hoping Vlad's little invasion would go well, that this would be and easy peasy war. Well, that didn't happen. The EU, which Vald wrongly believed would roll over, has turned into a Super Power, and they are very tired of Vlad's shit. The EU has the second largest, possibly even the largest, trading block in the world. And Russia is really nothing more than a 3rd world country... thanks to Vlad. That truth is humiliating as hell.
Holy Crap! It's Friday, and another one of my days off. This is good. What isn't good is being scheduled to work mornings. Anything after 12 noon is fine. Workouts, jogs, and rides get done in the mornings. Saying this, my availability will be changed to that mornings can no longer be scheduled. I say this because on Monday, 2/21, they have me scheduled for 0930. Changes are in the offing.
They were predicting ice, sleet, and freezing rain for today, however all we have is a slight drizzle. Right now temps are still in the mid-30's and on the weather map we're going through a large gap in the precipitation; there are large swaths of rain to our east and to our west there is snow with some ice. This doesn't bother me in the least.
I bought myself a new end table. Circular, which I think is a better description than round. It was advertised as round, but balls are round.
So, the winter Olympics have started. They gave Xi and his bro Putey Baby a chance to commiserate on the loss of their lackey Trump. You see, if the Orange Anus had been successful in his coup, then the Ukraine invasion wouldn't be turning into such shit show. Not only that, Xi could satisfy the raging stiffy tenting his pants every time someone mentions Taiwan. They're a pair of boohoo babies whining about how their plans for world domination seem to be constantly getting thwarted.
What these despots are actually proving is that authoritarian governments can only grow so much before they begin chewing off their own feet. They will never understand this. Like authoritarian conservatives in America who so desperately want to chant "shut up, we're in charge," failure is not an option, it is their only reality.
Well, I'm supposed to work today... maybe. I ordered a new Samsung tablet that's supposed to arrive? You guessed it, today. The last thing I want is to have it waiting for me on my front porch while I sit quietly behind the flooring desk. Oh, and today will be quiet sit, mostly because rain is in the forecast. We're supposed to hit a high in the lower 70's (F), but then the temps are supposed to drop. This is part of that big thing which moved in from the Northwest a few days ago. So, I'll call and tell them I'll be in after the tablet gets delivered. If the delivery time is late, I'll just take the day off.
I went to see Eternals last evening. I liked it... a lot. I'm serious. This movie has been getting some terrible reviews, complaints about the action scenes not skewing right with the personal storylines, one reviewer going so far as to say it's like watching 2 different movies spliced together poorly. What you do get is a very diverse cast of characters with intimate storylines that make you think. Thinking is a problem for some fans of superhero movies. So is diversity. Up until now, the Marvel Comics Universe has been populated by white Americans. This movie not only changes that, it turns it upside down. The truth is most of those giving bad reviews are simply not ready for the changes. Me? I say bring 'em on.
I understand Loser #45 released some sort of hate filled, rambling statement yesterday regarding Biden's infrastructure win, damning it to Hell and back. He claims it's a communist agenda. He's such a dumb shit. Communism died a long time ago. Neither China nor Russia have a communist government, they're authoritarian. MAGA's do not know that. They never will. What they dream about, however, is having a similar authoritarian government in America. One in which they can say "shut up, we're in charge." They also have no idea what kind of repercussions an authoritarian government would unleash in this country. Americans have never been know to acquiesce quietly. They do not understand the unified force they would be up against.
The temps this morning were a brisk 48 (F), so I did what comes naturally, turned on the heat. There was a time when I would wait as long as possible. That stopped a few years back. Living in Central PA, where we have boodles of natural gas, and using that same fossil fuel to heat and cook with, my expenses are fairly... well, inexpensive, around $600 a year for cooking, hot water, and heating.
And, speaking of gas, the UK's having problems getting petrol to their stations. Truck (and or lorry, which ever you prefer) drivers are needed. This is partially, or mostly, a Brexit problem, depending upon whom your listening to or reading. Evidently many of the drivers were foreign nationals and they either went home, or don't have the correct paperwork, to continue driving.
China's having problems, too. Good for Xi. The country's still mostly dependent upon coal and there are problems getting it to the factories that need it... and... well, things are beginning to shut down. Of course, they're also experiencing this little credit issue with one of their largest companies defaulting on their $120 million loan payments. And Xi is not having an okay day. Maybe he should listen to a little AJR. Maybe he should set the bar a little lower and then maybe he'd be a lot less sad.
And in case no one has heard this yet, the Orange Anus and his racist MAGA Pac have fired Corey Lewandowski for groping and sexually harassing a woman in Vegas. Gee, he must have really believed that 'what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.' Of course, there are also the rumors running rampant on social media that ol' Corey has been coring Kristi Noem, governor of South Dakota. She's been denying everything, though now that Corey's freed up from his duties with the MAGA Pac he's going to have some extra time on his hands. Maybe Kristi needs some help with her re-election campaign. Or, maybe, if Kristi wants to feel way less sad, she should sing a little AJR.
I accomplished much yesterday. Hey, I even got my lawn mowed! During a drizzle! Took an 11.83 mile ride in Bavaria - that was ok, the first half was downhill which does nothing for strengthening legs or burning calories.
Worked on the aquarium. I cut back the plants. They're growing like pizazz! If I'm not careful, they will fill up the tank. Here's what it looks like now. The angelfish are over 4 inches from top to bottom.
I sent an email to the VA yesterday morning in which I politely detailed my disappointment with their performance. Around 1100 I received a phone call from a scheduler to make an appointment. At this point, my shoulder doesn't feel that bad, so I declined. However, she did give me her extension so if ever "this sort of breakdown in communications" happens again, I can reach out to her. I'm wondering if this breakdown is rather common.
Damn, I have a mosquito bite on my left elbow and it itches like hell.
Oh, and I don't know if any of you saw, but China says they are now our equals. If this is true, you can blame the Republicans. In case you haven't noticed, the only thing they've been concerned about for years has been to push their social conservativism into every American home. Science is important. Covid comes along and they turned away from science. They have been more concerned with putting the 10 Commandments back into classrooms, then they have of scientific advancement. Now we are in a struggle to keep from falling behind.
Also, sanctions against Russia were announced this morning. I suspect they're not happy. Uncle Joe's not going to kiss Putin's ass like Loser #45. He knows a dictator when he sees one.
And finally... legislation has been introduced in both the House and Senate to increase the number of judges on the Supreme Court to 13. It'll may never happen. But what it does do is send a clear and concise message to the court. If you try and change a largely, centrist country conservative to satisfy your on personal beliefs, we will change you. There must be balance.
Yesterday work was... odd, seeming more like a Sunday morning rather than a Monday. Financially we did really well last week, one of only 2 stores to hit their forecast. Some missed largely because of... well, probably online sales. The main focus for us now until Christmas is to condense. That's a word which will ring constantly. Condense. All the crap that didn't sell gets moved into smaller and smaller areas. Oh... and prices start to drop on it because it's... crap. If you thought you were getting a deal on it on Black Friday, wait 2 weeks.
Here in Central Pennsylvania we were all waiting for snow yesterday and... some received a dusting. I got nothing. Most of the white stuff fell on the mountain tops surrounding the Susquehanna Valley.
Now, I know there are some who will say "that's isn't a mountain." You're wrong. It's part of the Appalachian Mountain range, a very old and distinguished mountain range. Back when Europe was still anchored to our Eastern Seaboard, the Appalachians were higher than either the Rockies or the Alps. Now in their senior years, they deserve our respect. Besides, you ought to try riding a bicycle up one... then you'll know it's a mountain.
I saw where the Idiot Jerk in the White House is slapping new tariffs on Brazil and Argentina because... they're selling boatloads of soybeans to China. All of those boatloads our American framers used to sell? Well, the Chinese have found another source. This is what's called a Free Market Economy. Our American farmers are having an 'oh Shit!' moment. They believed they were the only ones in the world selling soybeans. And the fact that these tariffs might tighten the bonds between Brazil, Argentina and China totally eludes the Idiot Jerk in the White House. This is how you break America.
And new tariffs are threatened against France and the European Union. That's right. They passed new laws which will financially hurt American Tech Companies - the result, tariffs against them. The problem is that France and the EU are saying "bring it on, Asswipe." Ooops. This is the wrong reaction. They're supposed to cower and bow down at American Greed. Wrong. They're going to give us the finger. This is just one more example of how the Idiot Jerk in the White House is going to break America.
Oh, and this just in: The Idiot Jerk says it might be better to wait until after the 2020 to try and get a deal from China. Oh, Shit! And how many Americans went deeply into debt over Black Friday? This is how you break America.
It's Friday! I'm off tomorrow! Kid's Workshop! I work Sunday and then... I begin my weekend. I have the same schedule for the next three weeks. Now, ain't that nice? I sold fairly expensive blinds yesterday to 2 customers. I really don't like selling blinds. They have a lot of problems. I dealt with one yesterday. A customer bought 2 blinds for her 90 year old mother. She wanted wands to open and close them... long wands - 48 inches and 60 inches. When they arrived, the shorter one was made of wood and the longer one plastic. They don't make 60 inch wooden wands. I told her this when she ordered. This is also printed on her order. A shit storm ensued. She wanted a 60 inch wooden wand and felt that for the money she was paying she should get... a 60 inch wand. Management ended up giving her a nice discount. For them it is more important to keep her as a future customer.
So, my new Shimano cassette arrives today, as does the tool I need to complete setting up my new trainer. Will I ride this evening? Probably not... well, I don't really know. We'll have to wait and see.
Oh, and the Idiot Jerk in the White House openly asked China to investigate the Bidens. Ho Ho Ho. Republicans said "look, this is how he does business, this is normal for him." Except, they forgot one little thing. He didn't threaten to withhold aid to China, didn't threaten them. He made an open request, didn't underhandedly try and extort. Of course, dumb Republicans aren't going to know the difference.
And, horror of horrors, new tariffs have been enacted. Irish whiskey and French wines are some of those where pricing is going to go up. Son of a bitch.
Oh, and the jobs report comes out today. It's expected to be soft. Some are claiming the possibility we may see 'ugly' numbers. How do we know the administration isn't somehow managing to inflate these numbers to make everything look rosie dosie? I mean, Republicans have not been know for their honesty. Like the Idiot Jerk, they've been lying for years.
Well, it's Monday and the nation is still reeling in shock from this past weekends mass shootings. This is not a happy time, especially for Republicans. I guess Mick Mulvaney said these killings should not be laid at the feet of the Idiot Jerk, of course, that's the type of response you expect from a spineless sack of shit, isn't it? For them there is going to be terrible fallout going into an election year.
Schumer said the Senate should come back early from their August recess to vote on gun legislation that has already been passed by the House and Mitch McConnell fell down yesterday morning and broke his shoulder. Convenient, huh?
Texas, which just celebrated 6 weeks of looser gun laws, has turned into the poster child for Gun Control. Oh, and how many Republican Congressmen have decided this is just not a good time to run for re-election.
Rumors are also flying that the Idiot Jerk didn't slap the additional 10% on China because negotiations are going slow. Nope. People are whispering that he did it because he wants the Fed to drop the interest rates even more. I guess he seems to think the best way to grow the American economy is to put the American people deeper into debt. Wait, hasn't that always been the Republican economic credo?
And finally, as some of you are aware, I'm working on a 3rd book: The Body in the Well. This mystery takes place in and around ghost towns in the Colorado Rockies. This meant creating fictitious towns, the most important of which is located by the old Rattler's Den silver mine. Since sometimes it's difficult to envision non-existent towns, I drew up a little map. Without further ado, I give you Rattler's Den.
The only bad thing is I didn't have the margins set up correctly so some of the edgy stuff is missing.
The challenge starts today. My goal is to ride at least 100 miles, albeit inside on my Cyclops trainer, i the next 30 days. For a while I was getting up early in order to get my rides in before I went to work. Well, that didn't work. While I'm a morning person and get a lot accomplished before I head to the store, riding a bike or cardio are 2 things I find myself putting off. They fit in better later in the afternoon, after the work day is finished.
I find it amazing how China and the US agree to begin trade talks again and the Stock Market goes up. Your average MAGA head dances around singing Yippee Skippy... while quietly, in the background, prices continue to rise because in America corporations can never make enough money. Saturday I had customers come up to me, they wanted to buy 3 cases of vinyl planks but wanted to pay the store price, not the online prices. No problem. That happens now and then, the Internet price is a bit more. That wasn't the case. Our store price was wrong... by 20 cents a square foot. And these prices increases are National... and the product is manufactured in... China. Not every price went up, but a number of them did so we had to pull price stickers off our displays. Even if a deal is struck, those prices are never going to go back down.
And it's not just flooring, and it's not just the retail corporation I work for, it's everywhere. My dogs are fed both dry and moist dog foods purchased at my local Giant Food Store. For a dry food, they like Beneful and I buy big bags of it. The price has always been $29.77. Four weeks ago I noticed the price had dropped a dollar a bag and I thought, my, isn't that nice... Until I checked into it. The price had dropped, but so did the poundage per bag. $29.77 used to get me 31.1 pounds. Now, $28.77 gets me 28 pounds. It used to cost 96 cents a pound, now it costs $1.02 a pound. Oh, and it appears as though the 31.1 lb bag is out of stock... even at chewy.com , so I'd say this is probably a Purina decision. And it's not just dog food, it's everything. For those who are naive enough to believe in Trickle Down Economics, this is how it really works. And don't forget, these are the same corporations that got a really nice tax break, thanks to the Republican Party. So on this Fourth of July, while the Idiot Jerk is giving his shitty little rally speech, and all those little MAGA heads are dancing around his feet, remember, this is what he truly given us: higher prices so corporations can make more money. It's why we have these tariff wars, not so our prices can go down, rather it's so corporations can make more money which is never, ever going to Trickle Down.
Okay, so it's Sunday. I don't work, which is nice since yesterday's storm brought down a small branch and it needs to be cut up. Cooler temps are forecast - today's only up to 87 (F), it is summer after all. I have Central Air so I'm not too concerned.
I get to work tomorrow... and then off again for one day. Tuesday I go for blood work, annual physical, you know? Needles... hate them. And it's 5 vials... I don't know why they need so much of my blood.
I've been putzing around with Google Maps... not locations, but evidently you can make your own maps. I've been thinking about creating one for the next book. Something I can put in front of the chapters. That way people will know exactly where the Rattler's Den Reptile and Snake Emporium is located. Yes, I know, snakes are reptiles... but I like the alliteration of the name. Don't you like the way it rolls of your tongue? Say softly. Rattler's Den Reptile and Snake Emporium.
I guess the Idiot Jerk in the White House walked into North Korea. His minions are shrieking "Yes! Yes!" Let's give a violent dictator exactly what he wants... an American president saying "yes... yes." You see, little Kim Jong Dumb Shit has learned the Art of the Deal. He now knows how to manipulate the Idiot Jerk in the White House, a man so desperate to be accepted into the Dictator's Club, he will bow his head to any dictator in order to win praise.
Word is that the Idiot Jerk also caved to the Chinese. Remember, the Idiot Jerk initiated these Trade Wars... and now he's making concessions to Xi Jingping in order to start "trade talks." It looks like Xi has learned the Art of the Deal, too.
And the Idiot Jerk is also doing some shitty on the Fourth of July... he's making a speech during the celebration at Washington. There's a lot of concern he's going to try and turn it into a political rally. Excuse me, but how dumb do you have to be to not see this coming? In his small, putrid mind he believes this is going to be great. He does not comprehend an approval rating in the very low 40's is not good. As long as his adoring base shows up, he'll be happy as a pig in shit. The fact that a number of protests are being planned doesn't enter into his dictatorial fantasy sequence. He doesn't understand a large majority of American want to wipe that shitty smile from his face. He is stupid. He is totally clueless that America is going to react badly when they see a lot of MAGA heads jumping around at his feet. Democracy is going to fix this problem, and he's not going to like it. Good.
