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.

Godzilla Minus One

 A nice day has been forecasted and I'm going to enjoy those mid 80s (F) temps.  If the long range forecast is accurate, our summer's going to be not too hot, and not too cold, pretty much like the porridge Goldilocks liked that was just right.

Yesterday work was bothersome.  I had partially completed their design when I was called over to mix paint so the supervisor could get a lunch break, so I turned it over to an associate who's much better with designing blinds then I am.  He was not exactly happy with this, since he's isn't going to get credit for the sale.  For that matter, neither am I.  There used to be a time when changing a design would net you some of the sales.  Not any more.  Well, this couple went home, and then returned 20 minutes before I was scheduled to leave, and since there's no way I was going to stay past my scheduled time, I turned them over to him again.  This like this are irritating.  I felt bad for him, since he was going to end up spending hours with them.

I watched Godzilla Minus One last evening, it's on Netflix, and was pleasantly surprised.  I'd heard it was good, and I've always liked Godzilla movies.  Then, to be perfectly honest, I've always like monster movies, but the directors took a different approach with this one.  It's focused on just a few individuals, rather than the destruction of Tokyo.  It was the first Godzilla film to win an Academy Award.  

I saw that Elon Musk has had the policies changed on Zitter (if that's how it's pronounced) clearing the way for porn.  While pornophiles may be cheering, keep in mind that it once used to be a legitimate platform of news, with porn on the side.  Now legitimate news has fled to other platforms, including Threads, and Elon's got to make money some way.  Unfortunately, I suspect this will end up being bad for porn, because Zitter seems to have mounting problems just like his other businesses, and like other flailing billionaires, Musk will have to put the blame somewhere, rather than admit to his own incompetence. 

And Hunter Biden's jury was selected yesterday.  My personal feeling is that he 's going to be found guilty.  He did something stupid, and while he's going to try and blame it on his problem with drugs, that can't be used for an excuse. This is how it is.  

What's a Republican to do?

 It's Friday, which means that this truly is my Friday and I get to go to work tomorrow... possibly... maybe.  They're calling for snow to start this evening and end tomorrow morning with a possible accumulation of 3 - 6 inches.  Right now the sun is blazing in through my window.  Last night we had wind.  Lots of wind.  So loud I could hear it rattling the old windows on the 2nd floor (ground floor windows have all been replaced).

Yesterday was one of semi-accomplishment.  I did go for a row around Lake Como in Italy.  The video was clear, but the camera operator hugged a shore line covered with bushes.  Not much to see, which is a shame since Lake Como is beautiful.

And I watched the first 3 episode of Halo last night.  I enjoy the show, probably because it's a lot less like the video game and more like a Sci-Fi epic.  I find it interesting that the evil alien race, the one attempting to exterminate humanity, is called the Covenant.  Here's the trailer for season 2.

And did everybody hear the hoo, hoo, ha, has racing across... well the internet, and social media platforms, and media outlet's yesterday?  Well, to be honest, there were Republicans grimacing terribly when the news broke that Jimmy Comey's star witness in the Hunter Biden uncrime saga had been arrest for lying.  Yep!  A Trump appointee by the name of Weiss arrested Alexander Smirnov for lying to the FBI.  For those who aren't familiar, it was Al's original statement to the FBI that old Republican duffer Chuck Grassley wanted released to the public because it was so explosive.  What's a Republican to do?  They so desperately want to push the fiction of the Biden Crime family and yet every one of their witnesses turns out to be a liar.  Instead of working on legislation America could appreciate, this Republican Congress has spent far to much time suckling on the Trump's retaliation teat.  They evidently have never learned that everything Trump touches dies.

Terrormorphs

 So, here we go, it's Thursday.  Outside overcast skies are giving way to partial sun, which is almost as good as a sunny day, but not quite.  Temps are again predicted to linger in the mid 40s (F).  That doesn't bother me in the least bit.  Sadly, it looks as though Canada is going to shoo some of it's cold air in the form of an artic blast down to us.  If the forecasters are correct, our temps will be struggling to climb up into the low 30s (F) next week.  That means I might have to turn the thermostat back up to 70 (F).

Yesterday was a so, so day.  I did get some tiling done, but I avoided the paint.  It's these cloudy days.  I did manage to get in a free weight workout.  My legs are a bit sore today because I've incorporated a series of weighted lunges attempt to prep them for when I'll be spending time on my knees installing the new floor.

My new neighbors were arguing this morning.  If they are shouting loudly, I can hear what they're yelling, and at one point he brought up "this house."  She's already told me they believe they were cheated and lied to, and while in all honesty I'd have to say that the real estate agent was a bit deceitful, they are the ones who made the decision to purchase because of how it was staged.  If you're investing that much money, do you homework.  It's a little late in the game for them to have buyer's remorse.

Here's an updated pic of the far end of the kitchen.  The cookbook shelf has been put back.  I am going to need to repot the snake plant and move it.  I do like that lemony yellow color on the walls.  There are also going to be valances hung, but they're going to be the "finishing touches."

There was a Republican debate last night.  I was too busy killing Terrormorphs in Starfield to pay any attention, and I know I chose the way better option.  I mean, did anyone other than Republicans watch?  And I doubt if any of those who did were Trumpers, they've already sold their souls to the Spawn of Satan.

And, speaking of the devil, I understand he had some sort of Townhall where he fielded softball questions.

Oh, and lest I forget, Hunter Biden showed up at his contempt hearing, and Republicans flipped out.  And Democrats embarrassed a number of Republicans, those who have also ignored their subpoenas, including Jimmie Jordan, who has ignored his own subpoena for 608 days.  Even though those Republican congressmen weren't playing Starfield, they came face to face with a Terrormorph of their on creation and figuratively speaking, publicly died.

Creativity

 Well, it's Friday.  This is my 5th day off in a row, and I'm off tomorrow as well.  The 2 week are pretty much the same.  Christmas weekend I only work on that Saturday, and then again on Christmas Eve for 5 hours, after that my hours pick up.  

Weather wise, today's supposed to be partly cloudy with highs climbing into the low 50s (F).  I'm ready for the partly sunny, though honestly, sunny would be so much better.  The days are so short this time of year, a bright sunny day is an event to celebrate.

I have about 60 pages of editing left before the final draft of The Body in Motion is complete.  That in itself is exciting, but I will also be excited to get it into the hands of those readers who note, and comment, and suggest changes.  Sharing in the creative process is so much fun.  I find that the reliance on other voices and other opinions is essential.  This is how life is, people working together for a common cause, even if it is something as simple of helping me prepare a manuscript for publication.  Too many people out there don't even try to be creative, perhaps because they're afraid of failing, or possibly it's because they're so accustomed to relying on the creativity of others.  Anyway, I saw quote from Kurt Vonnegut and thought it appropriate.

On the dismal side of things:  Hunter Biden has been indicted again.  By this point, I'm certain most will agree that Hunter is the black sheep of the Biden family.  Republicans love this.  They need a dead horse to kick around and Hunter seems to have spent most of his adult years obliging them.   

I sent this article from the Washington Post to my brother.  It's about the great de-churching going on in America, or as the author says, the serious attrition occurring withing the Christian Church.  Is Evangelicalism killing the church?  Look no farther than Mike Johnson for your answer.  Another good example is Ronnie DeSantis, who claims that if he had been alive during the time of Jesus he could have been an apostle.  American Christianity has never been so overtly vocal about it's selfishness, a direct link to Conservatives whose favorite pronoun has become My.  My money.  My taxes.  My religion.  My God.

Fallout

Welcome to the new week!  It was 41 (F)) when I rousted myself from bed this morning.  The forecast is for us to climb another 9 degrees.  That might happen, might not.    

Since I have a humidifier, I thought I'd order some fragrance oil to make the air smell like lavender.  First off, I have to say it is a humidifier and not a diffuser, though when you check on line there really isn't that much of a difference between the two.  Secondly, I have the humidifier running at a rather low setting, since the air is not desert dry.  Thirdly, the only way you can smell the fragrance is if you're about 2 feet away.  Maybe if I ran the thing at full force the room might smell like lavender, but all that humidity wouldn't be good for fabrics, and wall coverings, and anything else on which moisture might accumulate.  

Yesterday was boring at work. There was not a lot of business, at least not in flooring and decor.  This was probably because we had rain on and off throughout the day, and some of those on times were substantial downpours.  I did hear a customer up at the service desk sounding surprised as he said that he'd thought there would be more people in the store since it was raining.  He evidently didn't realize that a lot of people don't like to get wet, and so when it rains they stay home watching sports, or a movie on TV.

And those of you with Amazon Prime, put April 12 on your calendar.  This is going to be great.

And I don't know about you, but it seems to me that with the expulsion of George Santos from the House of Representatives things are turning... well, bleaker, shall I say.  All of last week was not a winning week for them, to be honest.  The faux debate between Newsome and Ronnie D totally failed to pop Ronnie D's numbers.  Not good.  Hunter Biden volunteered to testify before Congress as long as it was an open session, not behind closed doors, and the Republicans shit a brick.  That's the last thing they want.  Bridget and Christian Ziegler began to answer the question of what happens to a socially conservative couple when their menage a trois goes awry.  I'm betting Christian does time in the big house.  And in a speech he was giving, Trump told the crowd he had 3 children... until and aid reminded him about Baroon.  

This is Spinal Tap

 Well, this morning it was cold: 21 (F).  I'm betting that's going to kill off the rest of my roses.  As long as my furnace is working, I've no problem with the cold.  The temp in the house is set at 70 (F), and I find that comfortable.  However, if we end up with an extended period of cold weather I usually crank that up a few degrees because there is absolutely no insulation in the walls.

I stayed up late watching TV.  The final 2 episodes of Only Murders in the Building took up over an hour.  I signed up for the cheap Hulu / Disney package.  That means there are commercials.  Added together, there are about 5 minutes worth in each 36 minute episode.  In shows like that I find it acceptable, however, when I watch a movie I don't want to deal with interruptions.  We shall have to see how that goes.  Most of the movies I watch are on Netflix and Prime Video, with an occasional foray into Paramount / Showtime.

And, speaking of movies, probably the one sequel that I was pleased to see being made is for This is Spinal Tap.  Since it was first released, I've probably watched it 5 or 6 times, possibly more.  I mean, what's not to like about a mockumentary about an inept heavy metal band.  Here's the trailer for the first film.  The second has some musical luminaries lined up... like Paul McCartney, and Elton John.

So, did everyone get a chuckle out of Hunter Biden offering to take the witness stand, but only if the hearing is public?  I did.  Of course the GOP, which sees him only as a political tool, another one of those dead horses they like to kick in public since they feel the best way to help their cause is to make up lies about the other guy, has objections.  They want his testimony to be done in private, that makes it easier to manipulate.

And all the living First Ladies gathered yesterday to celebrate Rosalynn Carter's life.  All were in stylish black, except for Melanoma who showed up in a gray tweed.  Some said she was never a team player when the Orange Anus was president, and isn't going to be one now.  For the most part, that's true.  But let's be honest here, that was also her way of saying screw you America, making her truly despicable.

Yesterday

 Well, the weekend has arrived.  There's a slight drizzle, but that's supposed to pass.  Temps today are predicted to climb up into the low 90s (F).  Humidity is thick, though not clingy, like a wetsuit, and as the day gets warmer that may change.

Since it is Saturday, I will be working an almost full 7 hours and it'll be just me.  The 2 full time associates don't get back from vacation until Monday, and after tomorrow I'll be off until Thursday.  I'm quite interested in talking to one of them since this past Wednesday he was up in New York.  He went to see Josh Groban in Sweeney Todd.  I saw the original production oh, so many years ago with Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury.  

My big accomplishment yesterday was cleaning, dusting and vacuuming.  Meh.  If I lived in a much larger house, I probably hire someone to come in and do that for me, but for what the number of rooms I have, it wouldn't be a good waste of money.  

Since I've added the snails and algae eater to the big tank and moved the fish that east snails to the tank in the living room, my algae problems have disappeared, for the most part.  Slowly, tank decorations are being added.  Yesterday it was a clam shell, that works with a bubbler.  Of course, one of the snails had to investigate.  I snapped a picture just before he fell off the edge.

And yesterday was not a good day for Republicans.  Donny's attorneys met with Tanya Chutkan and then went away disappointed.  I liked the bit where she told them that if their client insisted on making inflammatory remarks it created a very good reason to move the trial up, rather than delay it.  The Orange Anus hates that sort of shit.  Other bits that I liked: that Trump is a criminal defendant and will be treated as such, and that is First Amendment rights are not absolute.  Donny is not a happy camper.  His S'mores are burning.

Republicans were also granted their wish by Merrick Garland, a Special Counsel has been assigned to the Hunter Biden case.  This doesn't make the GOP happy.  Now they're shrieking Cover UP.  In fact, Republicans are furious because it was politically expedient for them to keep Hunter's name in the headlines.  That has now been taken away from them.

Finally, Conservatives up in Iowa did not welcome Ronnie DeSantis with open arms.  Instead, they yelled at him.  They insulted him by calling him Pudding Fingers.  I delight in seeing this little asshole get his comeuppance in such a public manner.

Compassion

 Thursday.  Temps are predicted to be about 2 degrees (F) higher than yesterday which was 92 (F).  For those who are prepared to whine, I hate to tell you but that's a normal summer temperature for Central PA.  We haven't hit 100 (F) yet.  It's also normal for our temps to climb that high.  Tomorrow we're suppose to reach the upper 90s (F), but then the Fahrenheit is forecast to drop back for daily highs in the mid 80s (F)

Yesterday was one of those days of accomplishments I'm happy with.  Weight training, a bike ride, cleaned the living room aquarium, and words written on the new book.  I also managed to move to another level on Star Wars: Jedi Survivor.  I'm always pleased to advance.

Hopefully, sometime this morning I'll get my front lawn mowed.  It's pretty tall, and if we get more rain it's just going to get taller.  The last thing I want to do is get out my weed wacker to cut it low enough so I can mow.

Here's a picture of one of my roses.  They're starting to bloom again, but for some reason all of them are smaller than before.  It's a little blurry, but that doesn't effect the bright color at all.

In case you hadn't heard, Hunter Biden's plea deal fell apart yesterday.  For a while the Republicans were whooping with glee, that was until Mitch McConnel had TIA in public.  All of a sudden, Hunter Biden was old news.  I've watched the clip a few times of him freezing up mid-sentence and it's really weird.  I'd truly feel sorry for the man, but I suspect this is all part of his Karma.  I was pleased to see that Biden called him to see if he was alright; that's todays Republicans would never do.  In fact, it's being pointed out how when Biden tripped over a sandbag he took the brunt of substantial mockery from Republicans, while with McConnell Democrats are offering concern and consideration and compassion.

Will today be indictment day?  

Cool Down

 Guten Morgen!

Yes, I am still working on my German, and I can say more than those two words.  I've tried several different courses.  Right now I'm using Babel and I do seem to be learning, perhaps because this is the first course to actually explain where there are so many ways to say the definitive article 'the' in German.

Yesterday I was by myself at the flooring desk for most of the day.  No problems.  Business is slow right now, much slower than it was in February, which is normally the slowest time of the year.  And it's not just our store, it is all across the district.  Prices have gone up, but I believe that might only be a small, partial reason.  Another part of the problem is, I suspect, credit card debt; if you sign up for one of our cards the interest rate is a (holy mother of god) 26%.  Most importantly, I think, is the fact that during the Covid Years people spent umpteen $$$ on home improvements and have decided that now is a good time to apply the brakes.  Most only have so much disposable cash, and as I said, that credit rate is a real killer.

I had an email from FedEx this AM telling my my new computer will now be arriving on Thursday.  Excitement is building.  I went with a liquid cooling system, rather than air, which means it will look like this on the inside.

Aren't you happy I show pictures like this rather than pictures of naked people?

I saw where the once liberal Lachlan Murdoch, the heir apparent to the sinister Rupert, has changed his tune.  He gave a speech back on March 29 in which he claimed Australia's traditional values were under attack.  While he mentioned that Australia is one of the most openminded countries (?), went on to stress how censorship was ruining those values.  He continued this thread by bringing up  Facebook's attempt at limiting Wuhan conspiracy theories before moving onto Hunter Biden's laptop.  He cited a poll (?) which claimed over 50% of Americans would not stand up and fight if Russia were to invade the US.  But then, what else should we expect from the man who pays Tucker Carlson to be Putin's Puppet?  Truthfully, his complaints were not about censorship, as much as they are about his belief that mass media is needed to create and sustain authoritarian governments, authoritarian governments run by the wealthy.  I think we need to cool Lachlan down by shading him with some serious taxes, otherwise he will be just another rich guy looking for another puppet state to control.  

Now Serving

 Sunday has arrived.  I've just finished eating my breakfast: oatmeal with peanut butter, almonds, and honey.  Yum.  I do have to work today.  Not so yum, yum.

Yesterday business was very steady, almost constant, which is good.  Many of the stores in the district have not been as busy as they were.   The Covid pandemic has moved to being endemic.  Here in the US there are between 700 and 800 Covid deaths every day, most of them being unvaccinated Republicans.  They will never learn.

I don't know if I mentioned it, but Biggie was running around with the stuffed T-Rex yesterday.  That's a big improvement.  Both sitting down and stairs are still difficult.  He has a Vet appointment for the end of this month, so I'll ask if increasing his dosage of gabapentin will help.

And I'm am slowly getting a YouTube channel up and running.  Right now it's called The Writer's Block.  I'm still working on things like camera location, and microphone placement.  And I can't decide if I want to film myself, or stay off camera and just narrate.  Being the quietly shy, unopinionated, and rather reclusive person that I am, this is a big decision.

Elton John's 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' show in Hershey is less than 2 weeks away.  I'm thinking that for this show I might buy myself a pair of twinkling eyeglasses... just to fit in, you know?  Or... neon would be pretty freaking neat!

And, of course, it seems that rarely a day goes by when some tasty tidbit of bad news falls regarding the GOP and the Republican Party.  Not that bad news isn't percolating for the Democrats.  The Washington Post published an article on Hunter Biden which was factually incriminating, not nearly as terrible as the insurrection, but red meat, none the less, on which the Republicans will pounce, and then wag at their base.  To combat this, the January 6 Committee needs to start dropping slabs of red meat the Centrists and Progressives can chow down on.  The only way to bury a bad headline is to dish out a serving of something juicy as hell; serve the MAGAs a piece of their own pie, but serve it a la shit.