The Joys of Christmas Eve

It's Christmas Eve!!

I get to go to work for 5 hours.,  I'm hoping they have snackery type morsels and tidbits to graze upon.  Who'll be shopping?  Customers looking for a deal on those hideous holiday ornaments no one would even consider putting on their front lawn.  The big markdowns will happen on Monday.  The same thing goes tools, except in reverse, their price will be marked up and customers will buy because they believe they're getting an after Christmas steal.  Around 3:30 PM they will begin cutting the staff loose.  Not so much because they want associates to have a happy Christmas Eve, rather it's a good time to cut back on your payroll expense.

Weather wise.  It's 5 (F) degrees outside.  I did kick the thermostat up to 72 (F).  That means it's very warm upstairs.  I will turn the heat back down to 70 (F) when the temps warm up.  

As for Christmas, itself.  I wonder if Democrats are beginning to understand that Donald Trump is the greatest grift they could ever receive.  Republican red is not going to hide all the political blood the party is going to spill.  Charlie Kirk is going after Ronna McDaniel (yeeha!).  And all of those glorious texts the January 6 committee has blessed America with?  Who cares if they weren't wrapped with a pretty bow on top.  And Trump's taxes?  Patience is a virtue.  Good things come to those who wait.

For those who don't know, one of my favorite groups right now is a German duo named Milky Chance.  Here they are playing variations of the same song.  The first was recorded in 2020 while they were on the Steven Colbert show.  I like that one, and not just because I own the same Miele vacuum cleaner. The 2nd version is a live version recorded at a concert in Berlin this past summer.  Which is better?  I like both versions.

 

Reality Checks

 Hello happy day before Christmas Eve!  I say that with good hearted jest.  You see, the first thought that went through my head when I woke up this morning was: damn, I have to go to work this afternoon.  Yep, I thought it was Christmas Eve.  It wasn't until I sat down my computer that I saw today was actually Friday, the 23.  I'm in really good spirits, now.

The Vet call last evening.  Biggie is not going on meds.  No hormone blockers.  He does have Cushing's but his symptoms are not severe enough to require medication.  Biggie, as if he had already known this, slept through the night without having to go potty outside.  While I have no problem spending the $$$ for treatment, $400 + every 3 months for bloodwork was mice.

As for the snow we had yesterday morning?  It's practically gone.  We a total accumulation of 3 inches.  I went out and shoveled because a delivery from Chewy was expected.  Then, around 1:30 PM, the rain began, and it's been raining ever since.  Had it been cold enough, this would have been one hellatious snow storm.  The cold doesn't arrive until later this morning, carried in by high winds gusting to 50 + miles per hour.  That's another reason why I'm glad I don't have to go to work this afternoon.

Yesterday there were quite a few individuals got reality checks.  Can you hear me laughing at them?

Matty Gaetz was shooting off angry retorts because many, many people were outraged that he and Bimbo Boebert sat through Zelenskyy's speech.  This is one of many images of the two sitting on their hands, or checking their phones.  Did they think they were making some sort of bizarre statement?

Even the conservative rag, Newsweek, published, with large headlines, the names of the seven congressmen who stayed sitting.

That Putin asset, Tucker Carlson, was gesticulating so wildly I felt certain he was having a conniption as he shrieked about Zelenskyy throwing a foreign flag on the dais.  Fox has a serious problem with Tucker in that he makes news because he rants, not because he makes points.  Ranting people are rarely taken seriously.

And then there's George Santos, a Republican from New York who lied extensively about... well, everything.  Let's see, he's not Jewish.  His grandparents didn't flee Hitler, they were born in Brazil.  He was married to a woman for some time.  He has not been openly gay for 10 years.  He never worked for Goldman-Sachs.  Shit, the list goes on and on.  George is having a serious reality check.  George says he will tell all next week.  Right.

Finally, the January 6 committee has released it's findings.   The Republican party is dealing with a very serious Reality Check, as well they should. 

Santa's on his way

Good Morning!  Biggie's at the Vet.  I was telling everybody his appointment was for Wednesday - well, I was wrong.  This is why I put everything in my calendar.  Sometimes things stick in our minds of which we are so very certain and turn out to be incorrect.  Why did Wednesday stick in my head?  Was I thinking of the Netflix series (which is pretty good), or was the first date the Vet suggested Wednesday, tomorrow?  I'm thinking that's probably the case.  Of course, there I go thinking again.

Work was very slow yesterday.  We're down in measures and sales.  Seriously, when I look at sales for the district, the numbers are almost spot on with our sales pre-pandemic.  That's a reality many corporations don't want to deal with.

The garbage men took my old garbage can.  I had just gotten home from dropping Biggie off, when they drove my my house.  No problem.  It was very old.  The bottom had large holes in it.  One of the wheels had fallen off so it no longer rolled.  I got my money's worth out of that purchase, since it survived over 14 years.

There's big storm a brewing!  It's supposed to begin on Thursday in the Midwest and move east.  This little map looks bad.  According to this I should hit the liquor store prior to getting screwed.  Accuweather says we're going to be getting mixed precipitation on Thursday, snow to rain on Friday, and then the temperature is predicted to crash on Christmas eve, with the high only reaching up into the mid 20s (F).  I think I'll play it safe and pick up a bottle of wine. 

For those who don't Tweet:  Elon lost his poll and decided to change the rules.  If you want to vote in one of his Twitter polls now, you need to purchase and $8 monthly subscription.  Some will pay, I will not.  I'm on Post, signing up for Mastodon, and already on Tribal.  Of the 3, I suspect Post will become the most popular, except for MAGA bots.

And, of course the celebrating has just begun.  As everyone knows by now, the January 6 committee has recommended the DOJ indict the Orange Anus on 4 different charges.  The BBC has a nice take on the matter, but then so does everyone else.  It will be interesting to see how the effect the Republican party, especially in the House of Representatives where the American Freedom Caucus worships the shit beneath his feet.  Social Conservatives who believed they were going to declare holy war on America are now embattled in war with each other.  And as for the Evangelicals, their holy grail has sprung a leak.  What will the DOJ do?  Indictments will follow more rapid than eagles, and as leaves that before the wild hurricane fly when they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky. Santa's on his way.

 

Werewolf by Night

 Friday.  Outside there is dense fog, luminescent beneath the morning sun.  I'm sure driving must be a bitch.  Fog warnings were sent out.  I'm staying put, at least until later in the day.  Then, I may go put gas in the car... or I may not.  

On Wednesday I had lunch with my cousin Robin.  She's a few months older.  The two of us are the oldest of the Snyder grandchildren from my parent's generation.  One of the topics of conversation that came up was voting.  While political party preference was not discussed, I did find out that both her and her husband vote by mail.  Of course, if you know me, I used this little tidbit of information in a text to chide my brother.  He believes standing in line to vote is a demonstration of your patriotic duty.  That is horseshit. 

I usually watch TV on Thursday, so last night I caught up on Andor (episode 6) and The Rings of Power (episode 7).  I like the both.  I also watched (don't laugh) Hocus Pocus 2.  If I were a 13 year old girl, I probably would have loved it.  I'm not and I doubt very much if any of you are either, so you might want skip this one.  A show I did really like was Werewolf by Night.  A mini-movie, I understand this is going to be serialized, too.  I'll watch it.  And yes, it's Disney.  And yes, it is TV14, with warnings of language and violence.

And, of course, yesterday the January 6 committee had what will probably be it's last televised session.  A lot of it was a rehash of previous meetings with the clips being a little longer and meatier.  There was a nice section with Pelosi on the phone with the Governor of Virginia.  I do wish there would have been more clips of Republicans, everyone you saw was a poser in the background.  The biggest joy I got was getting the notification that the Supreme Court had rejected his latest appeal as the committee was preparing to vote to subpoena him.  That was nice, though he'll never sit for them.

Finally, there was a debate last evening between Ron Johnson and Mandela Barnes.  Johnson got laughed at and booed, two things that did not happen to Barnes.  I was going to post a clip, but it's long, but if you get the chance look it up.  It's worth the chuckle.

The Torment of Trump

 This morning I awoke to a drizzle.  This means that forecast with a 98% chance of rain is wrong.  Now, isn't it a good thing I wasn't planning yardwork?

Two days ago, I cut down most of my peach tree in an attempt to get it to grow vertically rather than at an angle.  I used one or two muscles which haven't been used for a while and now my pecs are a little sore.  Damn.  I might need to start going to Planet Fitness again. Here's a picture of what's left.  Looks promising, doesn't it?

The estimate for the electrical hook-up for the dryer should be arriving by email today.  One thing that will play a part in whether I go with Raddle Electric is that fact that I know the gentleman's aunt.  I work with her, in fact, I may have actually mentioned her before.  She and Biggie are on the same medication.  She and I had an interesting conversation regarding dosages.  Connections like this are important.  While they don't guarantee reliability, they do provide a bit of a testament.

The January 6 committee meets this afternoon, probably for the last time.  Since I'm home, I anticipate on watching it for several reasons:  it will effect Independent voters when the cast their midterm votes, it will make Republican congressmen squirm, and it will once again send Trump over the edge of reality.  Honestly, I always enjoy that, knowing he's hurling bottles of ketchup, and shrieking loudly.  One of the joys of my life is not that man is being tormented.  His Karma demands it.  His lies are wounds on his soul and every truth rubs salt into them.  I cannot think of anything more joyous then to know he is in an almost constant state of rage.  And the fact that his party has tied their fate to his?  Now don't that bring a smile to your face?  

As a final footnote for today, it turns out that more Republicans died from Covid than Democrats, and many of the lived in Red States.  

That's not how this works

 So, today is my 6th consecutive day of working.  Since I have a lot to say about my scheduling, this will the last time I work so many days in a row.  This week has been so out of sync.  My laundry schedule is off.  So is my cleaning schedule.  After today, I will have 3 days off.  I'll work Monday and then have another 4 days off.  That's a schedule I can live with.

While I've gotten well over 10,000 steps in each day, I haven't been on either the treadmill or the bike in over a week.  Another casualty of my schedule.  Damn.  

If the forecasters are correct, our temps are supposed to drop, with highs in the mid to upper 70s (F).  I can live with that, too.  Even though this has not been a hot summer, I will admit to looking forward to the crisp cool days of autumn.  The only bad thing is that days get shorter.  I do like long, sunny days.

My elephant ear plant is getting bigger.  What a disappointment that it took so long to start growing.  They bulbs do not winter, so I will have to check and see what'll happen if I dig it up in the fall.

Word is going around that there's a mole in Mar a Lago, that someone told the FBI exactly what they needed to look for, and where they needed to look.  Personally, if I was going to steal classified documents from the Federal Government, I wouldn't hide them in a storage unit in my basement.  Of course, this might not occur to a man who's so used to having his ego do the thinking.

After yesterday's deposition, by his own definition Trump can now officially be called a Mob Boss.  Yep, that video clip of him saying that only Mob Bosses use the 5th amendment has been playing in sooooo many places.  And that duffer didn't just use it once.  Nope.  Over 400 times he said, "same as before."  For 4 hours, those are the only three words he said, "same as before."  This will never change.

Oh, and not surprisingly, Doug Mastriano, the Republican candidate for governor in Pennsylvania had his deposition with the January 6 committee, and a rather short deposition it was, indeed.  Fifteen minutes.  You see, the first thing out of Doug's legal team's mouths was, "we have some questions."  They were told, "that's not how this works."  To which Doug's lawyers replied, "but we have some questions."  The January 6 committee responded by saying, "that's not how this works, we ask the questions, you provide the answers."  At this point, Doug and his lawyers walked out of the deposition rather rapidly.  Do you think Doug has learned how things work?  No way.  He's a spineless MAGA.

Cowardly Trump will run like Hell

 Wednesday.  Laundry day.  I will need to go to my local Giant supermarket to purchase some Hershey's chocolate syrup.  Chocolate milk, you know?  Love it.  When I was young teen living in Fairview Heights, (suburb of Lebanon, PA), my friends and I would sleep out a lot.  At least 2 or 3 times a week we would climb on our bicycles around 2 in the morning and ride to Wengert's Dairy where we each purchased a quart of freshly made chocolate milk.  That's right, from cow, to dairy, to belly.  I wonder what those night workers thought when 5 or 6 kids rang the doorbell that early in the morning to purchase chocolate milk.

I went to see Thor: Love and Thunder last evening.  I thought the film was good... with some reservations.  It was $5 cheap night, so the theater was full.  You do get to briefly see Chris Hemsworth's butt.  Part of the problem was that there were 2 storylines, one geared for adults, the other aimed at a much younger audience.  I was surprised that they said the word 'shitty' a lot, since Marvel Studios is owned by Disney.

It's not pixilated in the movie

And, of course, yesterday we had the January 6 committee reveal.  So many good things.  Ivanka danka perjuring herself was a tiny slice of delight.  Texts from Brad Pascale saying, "we lost a woman," and "it's the rhetoric," were nice shiny bobbles.  Trump sitting with the doors of the Oval Office open on the evening of January 5th so he could hear what he must have thought was his personal army?  That was a gem.  I had to laugh at Sidney Powell sucking down a Dr. Pepper, I wonder if she thought she'd get product placement revenue.  

The 'unhinged' meeting of December 18.  That that three people knew how to get into the White House to meet with Trump without going through official checkpoints in my mind indicates this was an inside job.  The Orange Anus was evidently expecting them.

I liked the tale of the rewriting of the speech, how words kept being taken out by his speech writers and how Trump kept adding them back in.  We even got to see Steve Miller, doing his best Igor impression, confirming they had been taken out of the speech.  I laughed at that.  Trump the loser has never stayed on point.  He has always ad-libbed.  His ego requires him to throw red meat to the angry mob.

And of course, the piece de resistance of the broadcast was that tiny bit of info that Trump tried to call a heretofore unnamed witness.  Woah.  Bad shit.  Witness tampering.  The DOJ is involved.  I'm more interested in the identity of this unnamed witness.  Hhhmmm.

Finally, I hate to disappoint many of you, but Trump will never see the inside of a jail cell.  For him, that would be the ultimate loss.  The instant an indictment is issue, he will run like Hell.  Sitting through a trial is something his ego will never permit to happen.  I'm betting he already has a plane fueled and ready to go waiting for him on the tarmac.  

A Good Day for Science, a bad one for....

 My mid-week weekend has begun.  I certain objectives I hope to complete during the next 2 days, whether they will be accomplished is another matter.  I'd make a list, but we all know priorities change.  I had thought of driving down to That Fish Place but knowing that the holly shrub in my front yard desperately needs trimming is more important than driving to Lancaster to pick up fish and snails.

As expected, yesterday was a slow day at work.  I did manage to get 2 measures, (a sign the economy isn't as terrible as Republicans say), but in between those moments of interacting with customers there was nothing.  Who ever thought being bored could be so tiring?

Of course, they released a photo taken by the Webb Telescope yesterday afternoon; our first really good look at something so immense many will have difficult processing the truth.  This is especially true for certain religious groups, specifically those who claim their deity created the universe.  They will subvert the truth into something their beliefs can limit and control.  Many of these people, if they even take the time to look at this picture, will simply say "that's nice."  You see, their universe needs to be small enough for them to be the focal point.  A truth they will never understand is that everything does not now and will never revolve around them.  They are the ones who will say, "it's not about the size, it's about the faith."

Steve Bannon's trial begins Monday.  woohoo.  I read that his lawyer asked for a delay because he has no defense.  woohoo.  Now, this tub of horse shit is going to be dropped into an ungreased, cast-iron frying pan where he will publicly sizzing in his own juicy lies.

And every second that passes moves Lyndsey Graham to another cast-iron frying pan.  Lyndsey's got a lot of grease, so when he fries there will a lot splutters, and pops, so don't get too close because I'm suspecting he's going to try and burn as many as possible.

And, of course, the January 6 committee is going to go public again this afternoon.  Kinzinger has said that in 10 years not one of those 74 million people who voted for Trump will admit to casting a vote for him.  I don't doubt for a second today's hearing is going to be another nail in the Republican coffin.  Reagan' started the con, Trump is going to end it.

Earthshattering

 Shall we say hello to Tuesday, and the beginning of my first weekend?  The temps are supposed to climb into the mid 80s (F), which means today is going to be a good day to mow the lawn.  I will probably be picking more peaches as well.  Is there a peach cobbler in the near future?  I'm suspecting the likelihood is strong.

When I got home from work yesterday, I waited by my car for a neighbor walking her Irish Wolfhound.  As she passed, I said 'hi.'  She nodded.  Heading slowly towards my house, I told her I'd wait until she was past to go inside because my dogs were going to be loud.  She nodded, and smiled, and said, "ah, yes, the Boxers."  That made me chuckle and wonder how many people in my neighborhood know Biggie and Lily as simply The Boxers.

I've been sorting through one of the boxes I have of old photograph.  Some I will give to my sister, others to my brother, quite a few I'm simply throwing out because they have no relevance.  You might be surprised to learn that I've taken quite a few irrelevant pictures in my day.  At least now they seem irrelevant.  Their only worth right now might be in deciphering how my brain works, or perhaps I should say worked since I'm fairly certain those little gray cells have changed their functionality several times of the years.  Anyway, when I got out of the Navy, we held a big party, lots of people, lot of beer, and balloons.  It was a celebration of my returning to civilian life.  Here's a shot of me from that night that I only vaguely remember taken when I was rightly toasted.  I loved that flannel shirt.  Oh, and I'm 22 years old, on the verge of turning 23 not 14 heading into my 15th birthday.

Yesterday, as I was preparing to end my shift, my sister called and asked if I had seen there was going to be a surprise witness and today's abruptly called hearing.  My sister has never been political, until now, and I do not doubt that her interest is so peaked because my brother-in-law is a raging MAGA.

I was hoping one of the key players had flipped.  John Dean Tweeted that calling an abrupt hearing witha surprised witness needed to be something earthshattering.  It turns out the witness is Cassidy Hutchinson, a top aide who worked closely with Mark Meadows and Trump.  We shall have to wait and see how much ground she moves.

"It looks bad for Trump"

 This afternoon, we here in Central PA are going to be celebrating summer with severe thunderstorms.  Supposedly, these storms will be bringing heavy downpours, so they've put us into an areal flood watch.  Right now the temp outside is 71 (F), with a high sometime this afternoon of around 87 (F).   That's quite a bit cooler than many southern parts of the country.  If our long range forecast hews even close to predictions, cracking 90 (F) is not in the cards.  However, we all know the accuracy of long range forecasts.

I've got a boatload of peaches again this year.  My tree has grown so tall I'm going to need to get out the big ladder to reach those near the top, unless I want to lean out of my 2nd story window to harvest.  This pic was taken at ground level.

I saw where a video has surfaced of Herschel Walker saying God has multiple personalities: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  I'm suspecting he read this in the Book of Herschel.

And, I was planning to do 2 miles on the treadmill, but I only managed to finish one; the January 6 committee hearing was more important.  The testimony was quite riveting at times.  Rusty Bowers from Arizona?  He may be a Republican, but I have to admit that man has cojones!  I, personally, might have taken a shotgun to those individuals driving around his neighborhood using speakers to broadcast that he was a pedophile.  His quote from Giuliani stating that Team Trump had "lots of theories but no proof," was damning as Hell.

The phone call between Trump and Raffensberger?  Ho Ly Shit!  That conversation is a great illustration of why Georgia is going to send the Orange Anus to jail.  Listening to it, I couldn't help but think that this loser is making shit up on the fly.  And whine.  Hell.  There was nothing thinly veiled about his threats.

Of course, the testimony of Shaye Moss and her mother Lady Ruby.  That was devastating.  I cannot even begin to imagine what it must have been like to have Trump call Shaye a 'vote scammer and hustler.'  May he rot in whatever country he runs to when the indictment comes.

Finally, I did have to laugh when I saw Neil Cavuto of Fox News saying it "looks bad for Trump."  That is an understatment. 

Pardon Me

 Well, hell, it looks like Friday has finally arrived and temps up here in Central PA are going to be very warm, low 90s (F), though the humidity will probably be as thick as a wet sponge.  We had a loud crashing and booming thunderstorm last night.  Heavy rain, so heavy I could hear it pounding on the attic roof.  There were lots of lightning flashes, but no nearby strikes, at least as far as I could see from my 2nd story windows.  I had cleaned out a cooler and left it to air dry out back and the wind blew it off the chair.  It now has almost 5 inches of water in it.

And weren't the hearings a joy yesterday?   Being at work, I couldn't watch them, however I did look at the comments lighting up Twitter.  Evidently there were quite a few flashy Holy Shit moments.  While the day is now registered in infamy, Dan Rather noted, however, that the Trump White House grew very, very polite after January 6 with so many people saying "pardon me."

As might be expected, polls are being taken on what America thinks of the hearings.  After looking at several of them, a slim majority (54) of Americans want the DOJ to prosecute the Orange Anus.  There are a smaller group, one that 'can't decide,' made of independents and a small number of Republicans, and then there are the Republicans, half of whom think January 6 was justified.  From what I'm gathering, that number is about 14%, which is still a significant voting block.   These people will never change their minds.  That's large enough to swing an election should the GOP run a popular president.  We cannot let this happen.  Vote once, and make sure you vote Blue.

I'll drink to that

 My weekend is begging with a thunderstorm, not too much thunder, but rain... again.  Lucky for me I got the dogs out before it started, neither likes to get showered upon.  On the bright side, even though outside the skies are overcast, I already have the first load of laundry in the washer.

Yesterday was slow at the store.  My measure goal for this week is 1.  Last week I managed to get 2 measures, my goal was 3.  For me, I think 1 is doable. 

I was talking to our HR rep yesterday and she let me know that the old woman whom I'd told to shut up is being transferred to the front end.  She's going to be a cashier, a position she had originally been hired to do.  When the realized she had problems with understanding that job, they made her a Greeter, and then they had her taking returns to departments for a while, and finally they made her an aisle associate in my department.  I'm suspecting they know she's going to fail, providing them with a valid reason to let her go.  I should feel bad because she's a senior citizen, she might need the income, however, we have a number of seniors citizens working for us now.  Many of our day cashiers are now older men and women.  The difference between them and this woman?  They know how to filter their opinions when dealing with customers, and other associates.  Perhaps if she weren't a Holy MAGA this woman might understand.

My new printer has now become part of the decor in my writing room.  Originally, it was sitting on a rolling laptop desk, which I hated.  So, I took a very old, two drawer beige filing cabinet and painted it to coordinate with the area rug.  Voila.

I painted the handles Sea Foam Blue

The January 6 committee was in fine form yesterday.  The only issue I had was with Billy Barr.  When he said that Trump did not have a grasp on reality, I wondered whether he was setting up some sort of insanity plea should the DOJ indict.  Later, I saw I was not the only to take a long 'hmmm' moment to question what Billy was actually doing.  The $250 million raised for an election fund raised the ominous specter of wire fraud.  Jail time there, if he's still in this country by then.  

A bit I saw in the NYT that I found interesting, helmet-haired Betsy DeVos, upon finding out how arduous the process would be to remove Trump using the 25th amendment resigned.  That fit her selfish profile.

And finally, one of the funny things I saw on social media was this:  every time the name Rudy Giuliani comes up in the hearings you need to take a drink, alcohol of course, since witness after witness has somehow managed to say, "you could tell he'd been drinking."

And then there was Liz

 And so, my 2nd weekend of the week begins.  The weather is sunny.  No rain is expected today.  The forecast for tomorrow is not so good.  Rain is expected.  And on Sunday as well, though I'll be working so it's not going to bother me.

My new printer should be arriving today.  This is a good thing.  The one still works, somewhat, so I'm probably going to keep using it for odd things until the toner cartridges are empty.  While we all wish our 'electronics' would last forever, they don't.  The yellow Samsung gaming laptop I bought, again, quite a number of years ago (9 to be precise), is having problems with its HDMI port.  This is the laptop I have attached to the big screen TV and is used for my Tacx rides.  There are workarounds, however.  

And, of course, last night was the first Prime-Time hearing of the January 6 committee.  I spent some time looking for any kind of ratings information, none was available.  I did find a lot of commentary regarding Fox's continued attempt to foist The Big Lie on its viewers.  Someone pointed out that Tucker Carlson did the first 60 minutes of his show without a commercial break, indicating Fox is so desperate they were willing to lose money.

As for the hearings, I watched them.  I was impressed by so very much.  America got to watch and hear Billy Barr say the election lies were "bullshit."   I thought the juxtaposition of Trump's speech with the clips of the mob breaking into the capital buildings quite compelling.  I was impressed with Liz Cheney; she no doubt made her dad proud last evening.  Her comment to Republicans on how someday Trump will be gone, but their dishonor will always remain was stupendous.  I got a real chortle when she mentioned that Scott Perry, a Republican from Pennsylvania, had, after January 6, requested a pardon from Trump.  His spokesperson quickly called that comment ludicrous, however, she wouldn't have made it without proof.  The testimony by the documentarian was fascinating, pointing out for the first time how The Proud Boys and The Oath Keepers were working in conjunction with each other.  The police officer's testimony was riveting as she compared the insurrection to a warzone.  

Last night's hearing is not going to change the minds of those who turned to Fox, it was never intended to.  It was for the vast majority of Americans, Democrat, Centrist, Independent, and level-headed Republicans, many of whom are just beginning to realize that the party of Trump has morphed into something that is craven for power.  Conservatives don't want to make America great; they just want to dictate how the rest of America lives its lives.

Tonight

 Well, yesterday turned out to be a do nothing sort of day.  I did do laundry and some yardwork, but not much.  This is what usually happens when I stay up late watching movies.  These old bones aren't used to my burning the midnight oil.  On the plus side, the dogs and I took a nice, long nap yesterday afternoon.  

So, what other films did I watch on Tuesday night.  Well, of course one of the was X - the Unknown, and the other was a remastered Blu-ray of Help, a very old Beatles movie.  Help was an extremely popular movie, one of very few films I saw twice in a movie theater, but from my understanding was not a lot of fun for the Beatles.  Life was becoming very complicated for the most popular band in the world and neither the world, nor the Beatles were ready for it.  Here's the only full length trailer I could find.

I ordered a new printer.  The 13-year-old HP laser printer downstairs doesn't handle Windows 11, even though I updated the drivers.  My laptop, still Windows 10, had serious issues printing to it last fall that were so bad I worked with Microsoft to try and fix them, it would only print 'current page.'  Back when I purchased it, I remember the salesclerk telling me that printers had gotten so inexpensive, when they went bad, people simply upgraded.

And, of course, tonight is the night the January 6 committee goes prime time, sans Fox, and Fox is scared.  Laura Ingraham spit out some sort of nonsense saying the network 'caters to their audience.'  Doesn't she admit that's an admission of guilt?  Republicans are scared.  Rubio spit out the broken record comment "no one is going to watch," thought I don't doubt for a second what he's saying is true those who supported the insurrection.  They are terrified because this hearing is going to be everywhere... except Fox, which is not good for that entertainment network.

And Tonight is just going to be the beginning.  True, there will be MAGAs that will call these hearings lies.  There are Evangelicals who will deny everything, since the truth will mean that... well, they will never admit that God didn't choose Donald Trump to give them what they want, that would be a denial of their faith.  Tonight will not go well for either of these groups.  In fact, for some it might be the beginning of the end. 

 

Perry will Plead

 Well, a happy middle of the week to everybody out there.  The weather here in central PA is clear and cool.  Temp is sitting around 47 (F).  Looking out the window in the computer / workout room, I can see a breeze is rustling through the branches of one of the river birches I have planted in my yard.  There is a freeze warning in effect for tonight. For me?  It will, as usual, be a 2-dog night.

Taken a few minutes ago

For a while yesterday, I thought accomplishments might be few and far between, but that wasn't to be the case.  Laundry was done, some yard work, a 12-mile ride on the bicycle, and I froze much of the cake I baked.  Had I not done that, I'd have been picking at it constantly, and by sometime this afternoon a majority would have been eaten.

Have you noticed that as the time approaches for the January 6 committee to begin public hearings, Republican governors and legislatures are ratcheting up their attack laws?  This is not by coincidence.  You see there is this little group down in Washington called the January 6 Committee and they've begun to publicly dot their cross their t's and dot their i's. Barely a day goes by without some news organization publishing texts or taped conversations.  In the darkest part of their hearts, the Republican party is beginning to realize they're on the road to failure.  There is so much anger and hatred being directed at McCarthy right now, it's only a matter of time until he flips.  

And Scott Perry of Pennsylvania?  His texts to Mark Meadows sing the sour notes of mental derangement's score.  The bit about the 'Brits controlling the election,' now, that is a real winner.  Don't tell BoJo that, he'll wonder how they could have screwed up such a wonderful opportunity.  And, how about the bit where he asks Meadows in a text 'why we just don't work with the Italian Government?'  For those of you who don't know, this is what an insurrectionist sounds like.  At present, Perry has refused to talk to the January 6 committee.  He will change his mind.  And when he does, he will plead the 5th over, and over, and over again.

The Mistake

 As expected, yesterday was slow at the store.  We had storms again.  Not steady, but sudden downpours.  There was wind and the temperature chilled.  We have a 'frost' warning for tomorrow morning.  We are, after all, still in early spring.  This coming Thursday, the temps are predicted to hit 80 F; that might be the day the Central Air gets turned on.

After Monday's 8 hours, I'll be off for the rest of the week, so I'll hit that warm Thursday.  I do believe the time has come to pull out my lawnmower.  Yes, it's that time of year.  My rose bushes have lots of leafage, but no buds as of yet.  My nectarine tree has lots of blossoms, but that happened last year I ended up without a single nectarine.  If that happens again this year, I'll have to introduce it to my friend the chainsaw.

France is voting today.  While there is the possibility Macron might lose, keeping him in office would be far better than having LePen, a far right extremist.  She's not as corrupt as Trump, but her ultra conservative policies are certainly not what the French need, unless, of course, you want a government that leans towards authoritarianism.

Even though it's release date isn't until 3 days after my birthday, the hype train for Starfield is beginning to crank into high gear.  The full onslaught will begin at E3, in June, though Bethesda is already beginning to drop bits pieces on a weekly basis.

And the hot mess from Hell, also known as the GOP is beginning grit its teeth.  You see Kevin McCarthy, like Trump's blow brow Vlad, made a terrible, terrible miscalculaiton.   You see, Putey baby thought he'd sweep through the Ukraine in 3... maybe 5 days.  Wrong.  And McCarthy decided that if he couldn't put attack dogs, like Ron Johnson, on the committee there was no need participating.  In May, the hearings are going public and there are no venomous vipers on board to try and squelch what the public sees and hears.  Now McCarthy understands this is not going to be a little jaunt in the park.  The only Republicans on the committee are Cheney and Kitzinger, and they are going to impale Trump, and his cohorts, on a terrible spike of sedition.  McCarthy knows these hearings will electrify the voting public.  He also knows a majority of Americans are not going to look kindly on the party which tried to turn Trump into an authoritarian dictator.