Reading the Room

 Will Wednesday be wonderful?  Possibly, at least as far as the weather is concerned.  Right now our thermometers are sitting at a nice 45 (F) and it's only 0900.  If the weather forecasters are correct, we should just about hit 60 (F) today, of course, the temps will fall back to what is considered normal on Friday, still, I do think we should enjoy them while they last.

As with most Tuesdays, yesterday turned into a nappy, let's not get much done kind of day.  This doesn't mean nothing was accomplished, but that's statement is pretty much on target.  I honestly don't know why that is, but it is now a fact that Tuesdays have become a "no work, no chore, lay around the house" day.

Actually, that's not completely accurate, I started working on the back cover art for The Body in History.  This is an early conceptualization.  I might end up going with color.  I might go with the color version, but I do have to admit the black and white is rather nice.  It lends atmosphere.  The patina is from having the statue sit in the bottom of the big aquarium for several months.

And I had breakfast with my brother this morning.  He feels that if Biden had done what he said he was going to do and leave office after one term, Democrats would have had more than 3 months to prep a candidate to run against the Orange Anus.  He surprised me by telling me he thinks a ticket of Gretchen Whitmer and Josh Shapiro would have knocked the sock off the Orangie/Vance ticket.  He claims to be in the wait and see mode, though to be honest, I don't think he realizes how much damage Orange and Elonia are doing.  I doubt if he will ever understand, at least not until the damage punches him in the face.

As expected, the Republican House of Representatives passed Orangie's tax cut bill last night.  Oh, and apparently they've decided to not hold any more townhalls with their constituents.  Golly gee whiz, if these losers think those people who voted for them are angry now, give them another two weeks.  Since every day another load of shit is dumped on them.  This also goes to prove we've be wrong about Republicans.  We've always thought they were incapable of learning, and here they are demonstrating they do believe in educating themselves.  In fact, it's almost amazing that they have learned that if you don't go into the room, you don't have to read the room.

For a Good Time

 So, here it is January 3 and forecasters are calling for some snow this afternoon, about an inch.  I don't mind.  Unless it's a wet snow, that will blow away in the slightest of breezes.  Sunday in to Monday, however, we might get as much as 4 inches.  If we get that much I'll probably take the day off at work.  I'm smart enough to realize that as I get older, my reflexes are slowing down.  I'd rather be safe and warm at home than stuck in a ditch alongside the road.  As for the snow?  That'll be nice.  Free cardio, but barely.  You need a good 8 or 9 inches of snow to really get the old ticker going as you shovel.

Yesterday was an odd day at work.  Customers streamed by the flooring desk regularly.  Sales, however, were scant.  I did manage to get a backsplash measure, and sold some flooring to customer.  That should keep management happy.  

The neighbors had another fight last evening.  This past summer she had complained to me how when he yells he can be "so hurtful."  You can call me cold if you like, but I had a problem with that.  Since I'd already heard them arguing loudly, I knew she could be just as hurtful as he was, so her playing the victim just wasn't going to work.  At some point, I don't doubt that they will move.  I think they will find that easier than doing any of the work the house needs done.

I would rather poke my eyes out than watch one of the far right news services, but last evening Matt Gaetz, who has his own show on OAN, premiered his new face.

I suppose he's trying to make himself more desirable to prepubescent girls, or maybe he's trying to make himself look like the 14 year-old boy he never was, since older pictures of him show he was on the homely side.

This afternoon the House of Representatives will be voting for their next leader.  Will Mike Johnson, the phony Christian who bows to the Orange Anus be re-elected?  Probably, but not on the first vote, maybe not on the second either.  Orangey needs a Speaker of the House in order to be certified, though most of us already know he is certifiable.  

Isn't it interesting that a growing number of Cultist are beginning to complain about Orangey?  No matter how often they were stupid and gullible to believe the Orange Anus, they did anyway.  Their Find Out stage, while it will be bad for all of us, is going to be horrific for them.  They will be wounded terribly bad, and what they deserve more than anything else is for us to rub salt into that wound, and we should try to have a good time while doing so.

The Punch and Judy Show

 Well, it's Thursday and that means I have to go in to work this morning.  Can you see the excitement in my words?  Actually, it's not that bad since for the foreseeable future I'll be back on my regular shift with Tuesday through Friday off.  

Weather wise, our afternoon temps are going to be zooming up into the upper 60s (F) today and tomorrow, and for those keeping track, this would be our 2nd Indian Summer since our first frost.  While our summer was fairly wet, the rain seems to have trickled away with us not getting occasional showers.  That's not a good thing for this time of year, when a gazillion leaves have fallen from the forests of Central PA.  

I talked to Amazon about the delivery situation for my TV, the fact that it was just left on my porch, and their customer service seems to think I clicked the wrong box when placing my order.  I've revisited that screen several times to see if they're correct, and to be honest, it might have been my fault.  I had done most of my research at work (yes, I do that when it's slow), so, when I was click, click, clicking to make my purchase, I may have clicked the button above the one ordering the free deluxe delivery.  Still, they were nide about the whole thing, giving me a $50 credit.

An interesting aspect of this new TV is that I can now control my washer and drying from my living room, should I ever have the desire to do so.

So both the House and the Senate have approved a stopgap measure to keep paying the country's bills.  I find it fascinating that Speaker Johnson did the same thing that McCarthy did, put forth legislation that moderate Republicans and Democrats approved of without getting fired.  Could the Ultra-Right have learned that firing the Speaker of the House makes them look bad?  I doubt it.  That would mean they've learned a lesson, and we all know that's an impossibility for Conservatives.

And Chip Roy, a Texas Republican in the House, and member of the Far Right Freedom Caucus, went had a hizzy fit on the House floor yesterday when he shrieked about Republican Congressmen not doing anything he can take back to his constituents.  This is funny because being a member of Freedom Caucus he is against Social Security and Medicare.  Yep, his idea of taking something back to his constituents means telling them those two things away, or that they're pushing a law to ban all abortions after 6 weeks.  Both of those things would kill his candidacy, so maybe he should be grateful their only seeing the Republican version of the Punch and Judy Show.

I am an Extroverted Empath

 Well, the weather outside is delightful with the morning temp in the mid 40s (F).  Today's high temp is supposed to be in the mid 70s (F), and by Friday we should be in the mid 80s (F).  Over the weekend, however, the bottom is predicted to drop out with overnight lows in the mid to up 20s (F).  Yes, that's right, they're predicting us to be below freezing.  The time has come to move my garden hose down into the basement.

Remember, winter is less than 2 months away.

The measure tech came and measured for my new countertop yesterday morning with some sort of apparatus on a tripod that held a large tablet.  He used lasers, and took pictures, as well as the old reliable tape measure.  He would touch the screen and it would make short, high pitched beeps.  When he was done, I dragged my finger across the screen to sign my approval.  It took him all of fifteen minutes.  If there is an adjustment in my quote, I should be getting it today.  Installation is scheduled for November 7, the day before my birthday.

I stayed up late playing Starfield, mostly because I was told I'd get a nice ship if I finished a certain number of quests.  So, I completed them and got a very nice ship that has a crew of 5.  To be honest, however, the real reason I went to bed so late was because I was having fun playing the game.  It can be very addictive!  Because part of my character build is Empath, I can sometimes persuade characters to do what I want, without having to shoot them.  That sounds bad, but it is fun!  And, of course, the fact that I'm playing as a hot ginger doesn't hurt any.

And, of course, another Speaker candidate came and went yesterday.  The Republicans inability to choose an individual is becoming tedious.  One of the things I find truly amusing is that the Spawn of Satan, Donald J. Trump, is pulling their strings.  The fact that they are giving him this power tells you all you need to know as to what their ambitions are:  a socially conservative authoritarian government in which they constantly get to say "shut up, we're in charge."  This doesn't mean that they're completely out of touch with a majority of Americans, they simply don't give a shit.  In a country in which the majority is supposed to rule, they want a minority that can dictate.  They are going to try and ignore everything that doesn't fit into the mold they're trying to fill.  Get ready, when they fail their cult is going to go nuts.

Dumb Money

 Well, it's Friday.  The weather's supposed to be overcast and gloomy.  Humidity is supposed to increase during the day leading to possible thunderstorms, and then... temps drop.  Originally the forecast had them falling into the mid 50s (F), but that forecast has been revised to the warmer side with them only dropping down into the mid 60s (F).  September was the warmest on record and, I suspect, October's will not be changing the surprises much.  

My contractor is here for her final day sanding down the seams of drywall mud so they'll be ready to paint.  Joy of joys.  I did make another trip to the orange retailer I work for this morning to pick up more Pex tubing.  The cold water line has a leak in the basement that needs to be fixed.  I should actually replace the entire line, and I will, but not until the kitchen is complete.  The leak will be fixed, but the rest will have to wait until next spring.

I went to the movies last night to see Dumb Money.  And I liked watching the little guy stand up to the monster that is Wall Street.  Paul Dano was very good as Roaring Kitty, aka Keith Gill.  One thing I found intriguing was that it's not only a story about Gill and his like for  Gamestop stock, but also shows how a number of very small investors helped to take down a small section of Wall Street.  It details the machinations of people who use big money to manipulate the lives of so man, and how greed has no limits.  This is really a story for the little people.  

Of course, the de-evolution of the Republican party continues.  Tiny Jimmy Jordan wants to be Speaker of the House, so does Steve Scalise.  Some duffer called them conservatives.  That is so far from the truth.  They, and their cabal of ultra-right wingers, are authoritarians who dream nightly of controlling America.  They are the bringers of Chaos.  Pundits, conservative and liberal, are laughing at them because they fired the McCarthy without putting a single thought into who was going to replace him, and now they will need to vote for an individual who's not going to get enough votes, unless they get democrats to side with them.  Ouch!  Some want the Orange Anus to run for the opinion, however these losers passed a rule that said no one with and indictment that holds a penalty of 2 or more years can be Speaker of the House... and they're going to need Democratic votes to change that rule.  Yes, you know where I'm going... these people are that damn stupid.

Newty's Doody

 Well, it's Mittwoch, formerly known as Wondenstag until the 10th century, when people decided that Woden wasn't special enough to have a day named after him.

The weather was nice yesterday, not that I was outside that much.  While I did clean the living room tank, most of the day was spent on my kitchen floor.  There was a bit of a raging date in my head for about 30 minutes on whether I should take the flooring down to the hardwood or now.  Harwood floors are an asset when it comes to resale, but the floors in my kitchen have suffered greatly during the 118 years they have been tread upon.  Originally, there would have been a large iron coal stove which would have been used for heating as well as cooking.  Yes, this house is that old.  As a result, cinders and hot coals have scared the wood.  Then, when plumbing came in, there was evidently a problem with sinks, not that they leaked, but locating them in the correction place.  Because of this, there are a number of holes about one foot in from the wall around the perimeter.  There are other holes, as well, that were made when the coal stove went out and radiators came in.  After much back and forth in my head, I've decided to leave the floors covered and go with my initial plan of putting down vinyl planks.

Here's a pic of the progress.  The window and all of the holes are going to be covered with drywall.

And, as expected, there is still blowback coming from Republicans about the informal dress code.  Susan Collins began threatening to wear a bikini.  Someone should take her aside and let her know that there's a difference between Fetterman in his hoodies and shorts and her fat ass and her floppy boobies.  Sadly, she feels her absurdity will make a point, and in her own true Susan Collins style she's failing. 

Not surprising, the hard core right wing of the Republican party in the House of Representatives is going to screw over, (are you ready for this?) their own party.  Newt Gingrich has groomed the Just Say No party extremely well.  Kev McCarthy, in an unusual moment, stated that this will hurt the party more than it will the Biden administration.  However, Newty did his doody well and taught them to be extremists; unless you get your demands, Just Say No.  This is like watching a tank of toothless piranhas gnaw each other to death. 

The Good Thing

 Oops, I did it again... slept in, that is.  To be honest, it wasn't as though I went to bed last night at 11 PM and slept the entire night away.  For some reason, I've been waking up around 0200.  Most nights I just wait to fall back to sleep.  Last night I put that time to good use.  I made notes on The Body Under Ice.  I'm finishing off the final chapter and, as always, there are points that have to be explained.  Sometimes those changes are no more than adding a simple sentence earlier in the book.  You know, simple things say so much.

And the screw in the title refers to one of he several securing the control panel of my treadmill.  Repairs are complete!  It's be lubricated and the belt has been centered.  The only thing missing is that one little screw.  It fell into the space below the motor and the only way to get it out is by turning the treadmill onto its side.  Well, that ain't gonna happen.  There are 4 other screws holding the control panel in place, so I'm not too worried about it coming lose.

Here's a bit of a funny.  Yesterday, Madonna announced her Celebration Tour.  While she does have her loyal fans her are overjoyed, most of what I've been seeing on Social Media has not been kind.  There are comments about the standard 2 hour delay before her show starts, could this be how she proves to herself that her fans will wait an eternity to see her show, to comments about carbon dating to ensure it's the true Madonna.  One fan, desperate to prove his loyalty Tweeted out "sure, she looks weird, but it's still Madonna."   Honestly, I think she's looking pretty good for an aging Asian woman.😎😎😎

Of course, Americans concerned about Democracy are unhappy with the House committee assignments.  People are wondering how George Santos could be put on 2 committees.  Well, you have to remember that Republicans don't give a shit about America.  They are selfish and self-centered.  They also know many of their campaign contributions come from corporations who also don't give a shit about America.    Republicans don't understand that for every action, there is a reaction.  They truly believe that they can act and everyone will accept what they do.  They barely scrape by with a majority in the House during the midterms and they are treating it as though they have a mandate.  They will never learn.  They do not consider what the consequences will be, only that they need to say "shut up, we're in charge."  They are going to fail horribly.  That's a good thing.  

Republican Deja Vu

 Sometime last night a dusting of snow fell.  The morning sun is going to melt it away pretty damn fast.  That's fine.  Except for that Cyclone Bomb that froze our tidily winks off back around Christmas, this winter's been more temperate than usual, at least here in Central PA.  Everyone who pays a heating bill appreciates that.

Biggie has evidently decided he's no longer going to be sleeping on the bed.  He's also decided that the new bed I bought him makes a decent pillow.  Go figure.  My biggest challenge is sleeping on more than an eighteen-inch wide strip at the edge of the bed.  I'm making progress.

I baked a peach pie yesterday using some of the peaches I froze.  It's... okay.  I don't remember baking one before, and instead of looking at a recipe I sort of, well, winged it.  It's tasty, but it doesn't really have a peachy flavor.  I did mix in some walnuts because I like nuts.  I think I'll use my remaining peaches to make cobblers, they're easier.

I saw where Maggie Green has suddenly disavowed her Qanon roots in favor of a new hairstyle that no longer has that trailer-trash look.  Worry not, her new appearance belies the fact that she's still the hateful Margaret so many people detest.

And, in case you missed it, the fascists down in Brazil attempted their on January 6 event.  The major differences between Trump's fete du jour and theirs?  they chose coordinating colors, yellow and green, and whereas Trump sent his coup participants home with a blessing, over 400 were arrested down in Brazil.  And where was wannabe dictator Jair Bolsonaro while this was happening?  Why in Florida.  In fact, I do believe he's visiting that other wannabe dictator Donald, the Orange Anus, Trump.  How cozy.

The dysfunctional House of Representatives is set to vote on their rules and regulations today.  They need 218 votes to get them passed.  This is going to be interesting.  They can only lose 7 votes, I believe.  This is how you spell Deja Vu.

Finally, the State of Union is schedule for March 1.  I'm of the opinion the first (notice I say first, here) indictment will fall well before that date.  And the Moral Degenerate, Donald Trump, is not the only one who's going to be charged.  This is why Jimmy Jordan, and the rest of that group who wanted pardons, is desperate to set up a subcommittee to find out where all of the investigations stand, especially those regarding their own traitorous asses.

Republican Recession

 Holy Crap!  It's Tuesday, and I slept in, and not because I stayed up late killing vampires in Evil West, or because I was watching TV.  I hit the sack around 11.  I only got up once to let Biggie out.  He did decide to sleep upstairs last night, just couldn't make up his mind if he wanted to sleep on the bed, or on the floor.  The floor won.

Outside, it's foggy as hell and rainy heavily.  This afternoon the forecast is for breezy conditions.  Hopefully, things will dry up.  Temps are supposed to peak in the mid 60s (F) sometime tonight, and the start to fall into a more winter like patter.

And yesterday at the store?  I was busy, busy, busy: over $7000 in sales; I cut blinds for several customers, and cut carpet as well.  My shift was pretty much non-stop customers.  That's fine.  Busy makes time fly.  I have no problem with that.  Of course, yesterday was a holiday for most people.

Before work, yesterday, I took a ride around Lake Annecy, which I do believe is in Treader's neck of the woods.  Actually, I had to ride 4 miles on a bike route next to a highway before I finally reached the Lake.  

And, of course, today the Republicans take control of the House of Representatives by a very slim majority.  I laughed yesterday when I saw pictures of McCarthy's minions moving his desk into the Speaker's office.  And again, I chuckled this morning after I saw that it make take several days of voting before the Republicans manage to elect a Speaker.  During this time, the Democrats will wait, filing their nails, playing Wordle, and watching YouTube videos, as well as Unifying.  That's the important fact.  The Republican majority is so slim they will need Democrats to pass any sort of agenda.  The Republican party is in such disarray, they have no idea who deep a political recession they are in.

And, of course, there is the George Santos humiliation.  Brasil has reactivated the criminal complaint against him.  He is alleged to have written checks from a checkbook he stole, which is a crime in both Brazil and the United States, which means, should the Brazilian government ask him to be extradited, our government would comply.  Of course, this whole thing makes Republicans look terrible because they stayed silent; without his vote, their slim majority is even slimmer.  

Oh, and indictments are coming.

From the Teat of Republican Hatred

Thursday.  Outside the temp is 31 (F) and we have freezing rain.  Supposedly, this is not going to amount to much.  A glaze, perhaps.  Looking out onto the veranda, there's a lot of shine, but it seems more wet than slick.  I'm not about to go out to see how slippery things are.  I am scheduled to work today.  If around10 ish the roads seem slick, I'll take a personal day.

I went to the dentist yesterday morning to have a filling replace; it was old and had started to leak around the edge making the tooth sensitive to hot and cold.  Well, that's fixed now, however, he wants to put a crown on the tooth.  Well, that's not going to happen.  He didn't like the fact that I'm switching to Blue Cross dental insurance, "they don't pay so we dropped them," he said, "and I'd hate to see you go to another dentist."  Maybe if he didn't charge so much that people need to rely on insurance, there might be no problem.  A really bad fiscal policy is to charge as much as insurance companies will pay.

I found this nifty! The sound of a wind devil on Mars.  This is what it looked like.  Someday we will be walking on this planet.

The Orange Anus is going to make some sort of big announcement today.  There notified the world of this big announcement with an animated video:  him ripping open his shirt to reveal large T (like Superman) while lasers shot out of his eyes.  I'm not posting it.  Very amateurish, possibly hoping to suck Marvel fans into the MAGA cult, some think he's going to announce that Kari Lake is his running mate.  Others believe he might be announcing his intention to run for Speaker of the House.  Still, others think he's going to re-announce his candidacy, since the first announcement floated like a turd in a public swimming pool.  Or, perhaps, he just needs a boost to his ego since recent polls shown DeSantis leading him among the Cracker Jack Crazies.

And then there's this:  Deep controversies in the Republican party are causing serious rifts.  Usually, after a stunning defeat in the midterms, a political party re-evaluates their positions, they pinpoint mistakes which need to be corrected, they understand the need for softening their rhetoric in order to appeal to more centrist voters.  This is not so for a majority of Republicans in the House.  Instead, they are gathering as many dead horses around them as possible:  Hunter Biden's laptop, Fauci's wisdom, disagreeable election results, and they are going to continue kicking them as hard as they can.  For them, this is survival mode; hold onto the base by giving them what they want.  Expect nothing less from the party which has suckled supporters on the teat of Republican hatred for years.  After Trump is indicted, these same people will be desperately searching among the ruins for survivors.

Respect for Marriage

 Well, according to some people, we have passed the Hump day, Wednesday is now in the past.  I got up extra early this morning, not because I have big plans, rather both dogs decided they needed to go 'potty outside' at 10 minutes of 5.  So, this is getting written a lot earlier, as well.  Keep in mind that even though I am scheduled to work, at this hour I have absolutely no problem in going back to bed for a nice little early morning nap.

I finished painting the trim in the new laundry room yesterday.  The walls are next.  Knowing my penchant for bold colors, I'm, going to shock everyone by going with a pastel.  The room is small.  Painting the walls something shockingly deep would make the space smaller.  Eventually, I will bring that color out into the bathroom.  That won't happen until after I remove a sunflower boarder.  

I went to see Wakanda Forever, last evening.  It was good... though I thought a little too long.  Too much emoting over the death of Chadwick Boseman.  The film was very entertaining, though I had pretty ascertained before sitting down how the plot line needed to go.  I would not be remiss in saying Wakanda Forever is about life, and death, and the transitions we all go through after death, how the finality of won life leads to both anger and grief.  For those hating subtitles, be forewarned there are quite a few, however they are in different colors, depending upon the language being spoken.

Two things of importance yesterday:  the Republicans took control of the House by a slim margin.  Will they reflect upon the midterms and the red tsunami they were expecting and act accordingly, or will they squander their tiny advantage by being petty is up in the air right now.  I wouldn't be surprised if they end up being petty.  By now, that might be part of their DNA.

The second thing was the Respect for Marriage Act, which, with help of 12 Republican Senators, passed the filibuster hurdle in the Senate.  There will be a second, and final vote, that's almost certain to pass.  A majority of Americans have no problem with this, however, a number of Cracker Jack Crazies are flipping shit burgers over the idea that couples, black, white, and brown, whether male and male, female and female, or male and female will be able to legally decide how they want to share their lives.  This is probably the essence of Freedom of Religion, that your beliefs allow marriage between two individuals no matter what their genders.  Many Evangelicals hate this.  They want America to follow a Christian path that they dictate.  This is a freedom they despise.  It takes away their control.  Thinking minds make choices and they don't want anybody to think, just live a life of rote.  I believe the final vote might be as soon as tomorrow.  At that time, their choke hold on America will be weaker.  That is a very good thing.

The Big Sucking Truck

 Well, it's Thursday.  I have my physical this morning, and I get my 2nd booster.  Oh, and there is some other stuff planned.

We had a freeze warning. We came close.  It's 37 (F) outside, though dawn's warming temperatures are creeping around us as I type.

The ghost has been at it again in my house.  I woke up this AM to find all of the lights hooked up to Alexa were on.  They were off when I went to bed.   There is the possibility I got up sometime during the night, went downstairs and gave Alexa the command, "let there be light."  Who knows?

Yesterday was odd.  Biggie had a Vet appointment.  They took blood to see how his system was handling the Carprofen.  $164.  Holy Crap!

Oh, and my neighbors had their house sucked, or I guess if you don't like that word, they had it vacuumed, or at least they had their duct work cleaned.  Believe me, it was very loud.

A big sucking truck

I guess the Republican members of the House had a private meeting yesterday at the end of which Kevin McCarthy got a standing ovation of support.  At least that's what was released to the media.  Is the report accurate?  Possibly.  However, none of us will ever know what was communicated beforehand.  One thing you need to be certain of, they are going to do their damndest to show a united front.  Do not doubt there is growing concern among Republicans that the big sucking truck called the January 6 Committee is going to clean their ducts.  Oh, and they know the sucking will be well underway by the time the mid-terms roll around.

 

Dirt

I chipped a nail at work.  I keep them cut short because... well, I'm not a long nail kind of guy.  Also, I work in a retail environment which is quite similar to a warehouse environment: lots of dirt.  Since I deal with customers on a one to one basis, I try and keep from looking like I've been rolling around int the dirt.  While I'm not always 'the professional,' there's nothing wrong with looking like one.  Dirty fingernails can send the wrong signal, clipped and clean is better.
There was a picture of Lori Loughlin and her 2 stupid daughters in the LA Times.  They have vacuformed smiles... all of them, phony smiles and vacant stares.  I can understand now why she and her husband had to pay $500,000 in bribes to get them into USC.  For them a deep, philosophical conversation is about 'rose blush' or 'peach blush.'

Rose Blush, for those who didn't know

I saw Lori was released on $1M bail.  My money says the first thing she did was wash the prison dirt from beneath her nails.

I saw where the Republicans in the Senate sent a tiny rebuke to the Idiot Jerk in the White House yesterday.  They gave him a teeny weeny smack back.  There are at least 2 more coming his way.  The first is on his ability to call his racist wall necessary because of his phony National Security lie.  The 2nd will be to limit his ability to issue and revoke National Security Clearances.  The legislation is getting bipartisan support.  This not only has to do with his forcing them to give a TS clearance to Jared, but limit the Idiot Jerks ability to take away clearances from those who are smarter than he is... which is just about everybody.  If the Republicans keep this up, their nails might actually get a little dirty... nah.

Finally, I saw Beto is running for president.  I like Beto.  This is not his election to win.  2020 belongs to Biden.

This is reality

Today is Tuesday.  We are now over 1/3 of the way through winter.  The government shutdown continues.  It's day 31.  And, of course, the problem is the Republicans.  You see once again they made a very stupid assumption, in fact it's the same one they made back when Reagan had his landslide re-election.  After the Idiot Jerk managed to get elected (by a technicality), and with control of both the Senate and the House, they actually believed they would rule this country forever. Not only were they convinced this was the Holy Truth, they saw themselves as the lawgivers of the land.  If you didn't like the results of the election they smugly smiled and said "get over it."  However, a majority of Americans looked at their small minded beliefs and said, "shut up," and voted against them in the midterms.  They went from having a 23 seat majority in the House to being a 41 seat minority and this fact shatters what they so desperately want to believe, that they have been chosen.  They are totally clueless when it comes to compromising and the Idiot Jerk president they praise turns out to be the worst deal maker in history.  This is why they fail. Their failures will continue to grow.
I saw this in Towleroad regarding the school of hate run by a diocese in Kentucky.   You know, the one where students are taught to harass people of color, including our indigenous peoples, the ones who were here first.  It seems they also refused to let a gay valedictorian make his commencement speech... perhaps because he wanted to speak out in favor of gun control... or maybe it was because he was gay.  That alone should have educated people as to what type of diocese this is:  a right-wing hate group of the Republican Party.
And, of course, since it's Tuesday, my desk arrives today.  I was told between 11 - 2.  Well, I'm prepped.  The walks are shoveled and free of ice.  The kitchen table has been cleared.  Around 0800 it will be taken apart and placed on the porch for next week's garbage.  I tried giving it away but no one wanted it because it's old and sagging in the middle.  Or, maybe, instead of throwing it away, I might just break it apart and put the wood up on the hill behind my house where mother nature can do with it what she wants.
And finally, yesterday I was making notes about my current project and realized the house was rather silent, so I went looking.  What did I find?  Two dogs and a duck on the bed.

At least they kept the bedclothes kind of neat....

Today in History

Well, it's Thursday, January 3, 2019.  Today in history a large majority of Democrats are going to be sworn into the House of Representatives.  The Republicans, because they totally ignore what America wants, have gone from having a 23 seat majority to being in the hole by 41 seats.  Or is it 42?  Or 43?  I'm a bit uncertain.  I do know that those white, racists Republicans down in North Carolina are probably going to get their asses handed to them by the courts for throwing away, or changing, black absentee ballots.  Oh, and Pelosi has already said "no wall to that racist, moral degenerate in the White House.  Ooops.  Google "wall, polls, or wall priority" and you can see for yourself that about 49% of Americans feel there is a need for more increased border security, only 31% are demanding a wall.  Guess who makes up that 31%... white, conservative Republicans, the Idiot Jerk's base.
On another note, I went to see "Mary Poppins Returns" last evening.  It was good, but not great, not like "Mary Poppins."  My biggest complaint?  The song sequence is exactly the same as in the original, no changes.  In the original Mary arrived and they sang "Spoon full of Sugar" as they cleaned up their room.  In this new version, Mary arrives and they sing some sort of sea song as the kids clean up in a bath.  If you saw the first movie, you will know exactly what type of song is coming up next.  The original had Ed Wynn with a funny song, this version has Meryl Streep with a funny song.  Now, I know a lot of people aren't going to remember this sort of thing... but I do.  I thought Lin-Manuel Miranda was much better than Dick Van Dyke,(no boos or hisses here, but I never thought he was that good.)  I thought there was only one song, "Trip a Little Light Fantastic" in which the magic from the original film burst forth and actually brought a bit of tear to my eye.  For about 4 minutes I was 12 years old again and awestruck.

And finally, I did order a desk.  Kidney shaped.  I believe that will fit better into the room.  There's a little bookcase on the visitor side.  The front drawer is called a 'keyboard drawer' but my laptop will fit easily inside.  100% wood, no MDF which is a big problem nowadays, especially if you're buying cabinets.  They will call them wood, but actually what you're buying is a veneer on top of MDF.  I don't have to worry about that.  Delivery is going to be between 1/16 and 1/31... I can't wait.

US Chamber of Commerce - breeding stupidity

A number of news organizations are reporting a number of business organizations are now feeling very unhappy about the House of Representatives, especially those Tea Party members who staunchly refuse to budge.  This is funny, I mean really hilarious.  One article was on how the Koch brothers are truly displeased the way things are going.  I suppose that's because if the country does default they may end up losing a lot of money, much more then the 230 million plus which they invested in various ultra-conservative groups to get this very House of Representatives elected.  Ha ha.  From what I've been able to glean, the US Chamber of Commerce is truly pissed, to put it bluntly.  I am curious.  What did they believe was going to happen when they courted hard-line conservatives, when they gave money to groups fostering these extreme beliefs?  Didn't they understand what they were doing?  Of course not.  All they were interested in doing was putting individuals into public office who would pass legislation reducing business taxes.  They wanted to give business as close to a free ticket as possible, so the damned The Affordable Health Care Act to hell.  It's an expense, you see, and business should have as little expense as possible - they cut into profit.

Now you hear reports how both parties are trying to move to a common area where both sides can save face.  I don't think that's true.  No matter what decision is reached, it's going to look bad for Republicans.  It's going to look bad for the US Chamber of Commerce because they meddled in politics out of self-interest.  Something like 71% of voting Americans are already blaming the GOP.  and the GOP?  They can thank the Koch brothers and other like minded individuals for putting them in this position.  Of course you have to remember, the GOP did run to these individuals and these organizations for help.  They said "give us money and get us elected and we'll give you what you want."  Now they're trying to deliver and no one wants to be home to receive the package.  No one ever told them greed always breeds stupidity.