The Problems with Billionaires

 The outside temp was a cool 48 (F) when I woke up this morning.  I had the heat set at 69 (F) was not surprised to hear it turn on while I was cooking up my barley breakfast.  There are freeze warnings out for tonight, however, according to Accuweather, the lowest our temperature will get is 39 (F).  That's 7 degrees above freezing.  Maybe they're just being cautious.

And yesterday was one of those odd days.  Some things were done, like laundry, but not enough for me to say the day was a total success.  I did my Wednesday morning workout in, paid some bills.  Dinner was a beef stewy thing I threw together in the crock pot.  But looking back on it, I'm wondering where the hours went.

Today feels like it should be Saturday, but it's Thursday and I have to work this afternoon.  My new schedule was posted yesterday and it does appear as though I'm back to working 22 hours a week.  That's fine.

I did get some words written, but not as many as I'd have liked.  If it weren't for the shit show going on the country, I'd say I might have a mild case of writer's block.  Unfortunately, there is the shit show and like many Americans, I'm watching it anxiously.  

Anyway this popped up in my Facebook feed yesterday, my only ride in a helicopter.  I'm flying back to my ship.  I truly disliked it.  For those of you who have never ridden in a Navy helicopter, they are extremely loud, even with the sound proofing headphones.  To this day, hearing a helicopter simply grates me.

And one of the main reasons we have this shit show is billionaires.  Believe me, billionaires are only conservative because of the tax breaks they are addicted to, they are hooked on the heroin of lower percentage rates.  In their private lives they do whatever the hell they want, most of which is neither conservative nor Christian.  Because Democrats want to tax them, billionaires are backing Republicans. They do not understand that everything has a tipping point.  That is an idea that doesn't enter their thinking process... at all.  And the MAGA cultists?  They are soooo needy.  They also believe that billionaires are like fairy godmothers and fairy godfathers, that they'll wave the little billionaire magic wand and everything will be fine and dandy.  Cultists don't understand that billionaires view them as an expendable resource, or that billionaires will put them through Hell just so that they don't have to deal with pronouns they don't like.  Cultists will always be the ultimate victims, used and then thrown away once they no longer have any value.  Will the cultists ever reach their own tipping point?  I don't know, but the billionaires had better watch out if they ever do.

The Discussion and the Cultist

 Crap, can you believe it?  Another Monday has arrived.  This past weekend seemed to skip by me.  But than, of course, you have to remember that weekend starts tomorrow, an the weather's supposed to be very nice.  Temps are on the cool side right now with the current temp being 52 (F).  It will be climbing up into the mid 70s (F) this afternoon.  Tomorrow afternoon is predicted to be warmer.

And, as has been the case, yesterday was a boring day at work.  I had to sit at the Lead Generating table and, shock of shocks, I actually signed up a customer for a free consultation on purchasing a shed.  Management  was happy.  I checked yesterday and this lead generation push has created over 140 leads, however, upon closer examination, only a very small number (2) have actually led to appointments being made.  This has always been the problem.  People will sign up for a free consultation but then, after they get home and spend some time thinking about their project, will change their minds.  These are the wise ones who realize that going through with whatever they've signed up for will most likely lead to "buyer's remorse."  And, to be honest, none of the people scheduled to be talking to customers at that table want to be there, so they don't really do what they're supposed to be doing.

I'm picking up the cover art for The Body in History today, so a select few of you should be getting an email.  Since it's too early to post images of the final product, I thought I post this pic of the Castalian  spring, one of the settings in the book.  Now if only I had managed to get seven little goats into the picture.

As is usually the case, yesterday was a slow news cycle in regard to the Orange Anus, but never fear, he has some sort of news conference scheduled for this morning because a day can not go by without his fascist face in front of a camera spewing out hate and discord.  I had an interesting conversation yesterday with several associates and the main topic was the supreme amount of chaos he has painfully injected into common, everyday life.  His evil is pervasive.  When you have a Republican horse's ass like Kennedy from Louisiana complaining about how easily Putin twists Orangie around his finger it's bad.  We discussed how easily Hitler had taken over Germany, though there is a striking difference, all of Germany believed Adolph while here in the states it's only the Republican Party.  We talked about how Orangie and his cult following are embracing white supremacy.  And, while this conversation was taking place, one of his cultists in a MAGA hat and driving motorized wheelchair drove by us.  None of us said a word, simply stared as he slowly moved past us and he frowned at us.  He knew all of us were hating his little red hat and what it represented.  This was good.  Let them know they are despised.  If this cultists is pissed now, wait until Organie dismantles Medicare and he loses his motorized chair.

Nothing Spells Irrational like MAGA

 When I got up this morning, the outside temp was 54 (F), and the forecast is calling for showers and thunderstorms this afternoon,  After they pass through, temps are predicted to drop a bit, with the high tomorrow in the low to mid 50s (F), the same as we had yesterday.  These are the same storms that passed through Mississippi yesterday.  Will we get tornadoes, too?  So far they're not in the forecast, but then forecasts are not for their accuracy.

I worked yesterday.  Business was middlin,' meaning we had customers in the store until around 3 PM and then things slowed down.  The weather forecast for today hints that business is going to be slow, of course, you never know.  There are always certain individuals whose minds fall to comprehend that during severe weather there a better, and safer, things to do than go to a home improvement store.  Yet they will show up when the scent of ozone is high, with bolts of lightning slamming into the ground a hundred yards away, and expect to have 5 bags of mulch loaded into the back of their SUV.  Sometimes, they will even be wearing a little, red cap because nothing spells irrational like MAGA.

For those interested, Howie's hip measures 21.5 inches off the floor, that's over 54 centimeters.  I tried to measure him at his shoulder but he thought the measuring tape was some sort of new fangled toy.

There was a protest in Harrisburg yesterday, unfortunately, I worked.  As far as I know, there's been nothing at the Tesla dealership, though that's located on a stretch of road heading towards Carlisle, PA, and there's nothing around it except other car dealerships.  Protests do their best when they draw attention.  Standing in front of the Capitol building  will get people on the local news.  Standing along a highway isn't going to get the same amount of attention.

And Chuck Schumer has a book tour starting tomorrow.  Protests are planned.  Personally, I think Congressmen and Senators should not be allowed to have a book published while their in office.  They are in Washington to serve their constituents, not stroke their ego, or grow their bank accounts hawking some sort of political book they've written.  It takes time to write a book, I know, time they should be spending dealing with the Orange Anus, figuring out ways to control him.  There are about 16 cities on Schumer's book tour.  Protests are planned for each and every city.  Good.  He needs to do his damn job and leave the irrational behavior to the Cultists.

Brainless

 Happy Heat Dome Week to everybody on the Eastern Seaboard!  For those who are about to Cook, I salute you!  That's a paraphrase of an old A/C / DC hit, for those who don't know.  The temp this morning was an mild 71 (F) when I rolled out of bed.  We're in for a stretch of 90 (F) days.  I'm prepped for the heat wave.  For those working outside this week, remember to hydrate.  Oh, wait, let me amend that since the moronic Governor of Florida, Ronnie D., signed legislation removing legally required water breaks for those working in the summer heat.  So, except for those laborers in Florida, please remember to hydrate responsibly.  

And I did work yesterday.  Father's Day.  All those who identify as male got a Father's Day snack.  I ate mine when I worked on Saturday.  It was a nice gesture.  Business, as expected, was terrible.  From about 2 pm on the store was a ghost town.  Sadly, this is how most of the Sundays have been for the past few weeks.  The faux holiday created by Hallmark was no different from the rest.  As a result, I got in over 11,000 steps and wrote a full page for the new book.  

Here's a bit on how I write.  I'm not one of those writers who sits in front of his laptop constantly thinking of the story and what words are needed to move it forward.  Nope.  I'll write a sentence or two, and then go do something, like put a couple dishes in the dishwasher, or, if they're already washed, take a few out.  After a few minutes, I'll go back and write another few sentences, maybe a paragraph.  Some days I'll 3 or 4 pages written, somedays only 2 or 3 paragraphs, and everything is subject to revision, that's a constant.

I saw this yesterday and thought it so appropriate.

And we're getting closer and closer to the first debate between the Orange Anus and Democracy... wait, that's supposed to say Biden.  Honestly, that is what's at stake.  Do we want cultists running the country, or do we want to participate in that decision making process.  Republicans do not want our opinions, so putting them in charge will make our voices mute.  They are the party that desperately wants to say "shut up, we're in charge," and they want to dictate every little aspect of our lives.  They want everybody to be indoctrinated into the cult.  If we're Republican zombies, we're not going to argue, we will see everything that hasn't been zombified as prey waiting to be killed and eaten.  All you need to do is look at the cultists to see how brainless they have become, just like their leader.

The EKG... and other things

 A 2 part entry today, the first half prepping to head down to the Lebanon VA for my physical, and the 2nd half when I get back.  

Today's weather's supposed to be nice and sunny, for the most part, with temps in the low 80s (F).  The humidity is supposed to drop as well, though the only place I've felt sticky was sitting at the flooring desk.

I do work tomorrow, but then I'm off Sunday, going down to York, and then back at work on Monday.  I'm back to being scheduled off 3 days a week, and once we're through July I'm going to stop working during the week.  The thing about being retired and working part-time is that I want to only work part-time hours.  However, because I get paid a decent rate, the trip to Greece is paid for, and now I'm only saving for the sofa in the writing room.  The big questions for me right now is should I go with a small sleeper, or just a loveseat.  Actually, I've pretty much decided on the sofa, but... there is still the idea that a sleeper on the first floor might come in handy when I head into my senior years.

End of Part I

Part II, the EKG, and other things.

Well, I'm back.  The physical is complete.  I even had an EKG.  My leg muscles were a bit twitchy, probably because I've been riding over 40 miles a week.  My heart, itself, is in great shape.  My resting heart rate is 54.  That's ducky.  I was told it's obvious that I work out.  Nice complement.  Everything else went smashingly.  I am going to stay on the Lisinopril (BP meds) because high blood pressure runs in my family.  My feelings:  if God gave scientists the ability to create meds that keep up healthy, well, I'm sure as hell going to take them.

I got a flash saying the prosecution rested in Hunter Biden's case.  A guilty verdict will piss the hell out of the Republicans.  

And is it me, or are they sounding crazier and crazier?  I also find it odd that so many of the cultists want to become part of a peasant class.  I honestly don't think they understand that's what they're aiming for, but they've obviously got that on their bingo card.

Juror #7

 Well, here it is, Sunday, and I have to work.  Not a problem.  Temps are predicted to be on the cool side, only making it up into the mid 50s (F).  Tomorrow things are going to be warmer, but even than highs will only be in the mid 60s (F).

For the most part, work was boring yesterday.  I did manage to hit my measure goal for the week and had an $8800 sale go through.  That should keep management happy.

I have this sofa in the the writing room that the dogs used to spend so much time on, however, it looks like the dogs spent a lot of time on it, so I'm thinking of getting rid of it.  The problem?  It's very heavy.  Waste management will take it on garbage day if I call them, the trouble is getting it hauled out to the curb.  I'm going to have to start talking to people.

It seems as though I will need to turn into Max Sullivan for a bit and eliminate the Fluffy Foods from my diet.  Climbing on the scale every morning is becoming a very gainful experience.  I guess that every time I look at food I'm going to have to ask myself, what would Max think?

And I know they're trying to keep this information out of the press, but I thought you'd like to see a picture of the 7th juror.

My sister called yesterday while I was at work and left a message.  It seems as though my brother in law went out to buy a generator.  One of the many purchases he's been making which indicate he believes we're going to have a war... he's a Cultist.  Among his other purchases are light bulbs with their own battery packs, freeze-dried food, and dime-sized pieces of gold.  He loves Trump, or rather I should say the authoritarianism Trump represents.  In fact, that's one of the ties that binds most cultists together, the craving for an authoritarian government in which they are in charge.  Yep, they are the Republicans.  The same group whose mantra is "shut up! we're in charge!"  Of course, when you look at the GOP it's easy to see that when they do manage to get themselves into positions of authority, they give tax breaks to the wealthy and to corporations.  They simply don't understand that the vast majority of Americans, given the choice of an authoritarian government and one that is Democratically Centrist would chose the latter.  Nor do they understand that trying to force that form of government onto the nation would be terribly disastrous for them.  Face it, you can't fix stupid.