This is What Greatness Looks Like

 Well, the temps climbed into the upper 80s (F) yesterday, and it was humid... (understatement).  Right now the outside temp is 73 (F) and it is humid.  In fact, that does appear to be the word of the day for Central PA. We might have spotty showers this morning, but this afternoon the temps will climb into the upper 80s (F) and it's supposed to be humid.  This is summer, after all, and for the time being, these temps are just a little higher than those we had over the 2 previous years, though it wasn't nearly as humid.

Work was slow, until I was about to leave, then customers began showing up.  Our aisle associate is on vacation, so there's only one specialist from 7 until closing, and while he's a very nice man, my loyalty to the orange home improvement retailer I work for ends at 7.  The inability to staff sufficiently is a corporate issue.  Bringing someone one in to replace the aisle associate's hours is a payroll expense.  Frequently, customers are having to make do with the fact that there are no people on the sales floor to help them.  The current HR rep was complaining, corporate only gave her 187 hours for scheduling.  That may sound like a lot of hours, but not when you're staffing a store that sells over $1 million a week.  There are going to be some serious gaps without a scheduled associate in Hardware, and Plumbing, and customers are just going to have to deal with that fact.

Of course, Joe Biden gave one the last speeches as president last night.  I watched it.  

Stepping aside is the right thing to do.  He is elderly.  There were times that I felt bad for him. but he also made me proud.  I don't think many people understand how difficult it is for an older person to come to terms with their age on public TV, and that's what Joe Biden did.  As we age, we like to keep those very personal moments private.  There are those who never accept the reality of getting old and fight it, but there comes a point when we should all sit ourselves down and admit to ourselves that we are not nearly as spry, or as fit, or smart as we used to be.  This is what greatness looks like.

And now the fun begins.  The Republicans have so many things going against them and one of them is their complete denial of reality.  Republicans live in their own jagged, little world where narrowed tunnel vision is the norm.  It's not that they refuse to see America as it really is, they simply can't, it's not within the scope of their vision.  This will be their downfall.  They will define failure for political parties for far into the future.

Be Sad. Be Happy.

 Well, so here it is Wednesday.  The outside temp is 72 (F), though forecasters are saying we're only supposed to heat up into the mid 80s (F).  We are getting rain, what you might want to call intermittent showers which may, or may not end this morning.  We're cranking around here with some serious humidity and they're projecting the possibility of thunderstorms.  We've had a number of those lately.

Yesterday turned out to be a rather good day: I got a 2.5 mile walk in at Adams-Ricci, and then later in the afternoon 13 mile ride in, in Thailand, of all places.  For some reason Garmin has a number of Thai rides on the Tacx app.  To me, it looks a lot like the Philippines.

My turntable, and speakers, and record cabinet were also moved downstairs.  Part of this is new window prep.  I'm trying to cut down on furniture in the master bedroom, and they were an easy thing to relocate.  They are now situated where the dog's toybox used to be.  That's right, the dogs had their own toybox and it was filled with toys.  I'm hoping not to spoil the new puppy as badly, but we'll have to wait and see how that goes.

I wrote yesterday how Nikki Haley's election PAC had chosen to support Kamala Harris, and was correct to a point.  It was evidently not her primary PAC and the $$$ was less.  This is the one that switched loyalty and Haley's group immediately sent out a cease and desist order.  She's also telling her supporters that they need to vote for Trump.  Someone should let Nikki know that many of those votes she got were protest votes from Republicans who despise the Orange Anus.  Please tell me she isn't that dumb.  Here's a copy of the order.

And speaking of the Orange Anus, evidently his team has chosen to stop holding in very inexpensive outdoor rallies, not that they were ever heavily attended.  As for indoor venues being costlier?  Well, it's not as though he ever paid for them.  He has that terrible reputation of defaulting on bills, that's because he believes that someone as evil as he should never have to pay... for anything.  That's why he has lackies.

Biden's going to speak on national TV tonight.  His speech is going to be quite touching, probably making a lot of people cry.  Be sad.  Be happy.  Be glad, because all of those Republicans standing on the sidelines are going to be gnashing their teeth as a decent and honorable man begins to say his goodbyes.  Biden will make points that will carry through into Kamala's campaign.

I'm a 71 year-old man living in Central PA, and I know the assignment.

Gertie

 Well, the rain is gone, so are the winds, and yes, it did get windy.  Temps are beginning to drop, and we should soon be experiencing actual winter temps here in Central PA.  They're predicted to be a bit warmer than what would be considered normal, but they'll be cold.  Today is going to be blustery. There are snow flurries whirling around outside my window, not that they're going to amount to anything.

Yesterday, I did a little more than nothing, but it wasn't a day I would label productive.  Not once did I sit down at my writing desk, and there are things that need to be done.  I need to begin prep work on The Body on the Lawn, the first in the Eli and Max series.  Come March (?) it and the second book, The Body in the Tower will be turned into audio books.  One of the requirements for that transition is the removal of the song lyrics.  Having a narrator read them is considered a performance and that would mean royalty payments, and that can be pricy.  The Word editor does an excellent job at cleaning up things up, too.  

Either today or tomorrow I'm going to be baking coconut macaroons, one of my favorite cookies, and they will be dipped in chocolate.  White chocolate.  I thought I'd change things up.

And in a few short days the sun will finally begin to set later in the afternoon.  I don't know about you, but dusk falling at 4:30 in the afternoon is not a good thing.  I like it when daylight last for more than 10 hours.

Boy, I'm so glad I wasn't planning on buying an Apple watch, and even gladder that I own a Garmin.  When I searched through my pics to see if there was one of my watch, this popped up.  It's very old.  This is Gertie, my first boxer, looking out the front door, about 11 years ago.  My, things have changed in the living room, haven't they?

And, as expected, Frankie Graham is pissing barbed wire over the Pope's little decision on the blessing of same sex couples.  Frankie needs to revisit Matthew 12, which says that God will forgive every sin, except for the sin of blasphemy.  Ouch.

There was an interesting article in the Post about Biden, and how he doesn't realize how old he looks.  For those who don't know, there are very few people who realize how old they look.  This is because in they're still in the their mid 30s, and when they look in the mirror they're seeing the same face they've looked at for... say... 81 years.  The human appearance changes slowly.  When you see a picture of yourself in your 20s, you're surprised at how young you look.  Most people will never comprehend how old others actually see them.

Labor Day

 Fresh coffee from my new Krupps coffee maker!  The old Mocca-Master has been stored away, since it still works, at least for the time being.  Eventually, unless something happens to this coffee maker, it will be given away or tossed out.

Cream, no sugar

Today is a holiday.  Rain is in the forecast, so I don't mind working it's only for 5 hours.  I do get holiday pay.  They're also providing pulled pork and pulled chicken for eats.  The only problem will be customers showing up with the expectation that the Flooring Department is going to have sales.  We don't.  I send them to appliances if they want to buy something on sale.

When I got to the store yesterday, I found out that most of our rolled carpet that we cut for customers had been marked down to .01 in preparation for our remodel.  Penny products get thrown out.  The rolls of carpet that are staying are pricier; there's no need to sell cheap carpet that barely pays for its cost.

I saw where a Newmax loser put together a video comparing the size of crowds at Biden speeches with the crowd up in Wilkes-Barre.  Biden's crowds were smaller, but then there were no confederate flags, or Nazi flags, or pictures of people holding their cans of beer.  No one goes to a Biden speech wearing a funny costume, or outlandish hat, or carrying signs perpetrating The Big Lie.  People go to a Biden speech in order to hear the truth.  Those who go to a Trump rally are there to hear him tell them how Mark Zuckerburg went to the White House last week in order to kiss Trump's ass.  I wonder what Markie thinks about that lie?

Something Big

 Yesterday was interesting.  I was the only specialist at the Flooring Desk; they still haven't replaced the specialist who resigned.  Having been in HR, I know this is saving them money, and sales in the department are not hurting.  I doubt very much if there's any sort of rush to fill the position.  They have hired a full-time evening aisle associate.  He will be trained to handle many of the duties of a specialist which solves a large part of the problem.  

Biggie goes to the Vet today.  As you might expect, his cough is completely gone.  The last time he'd been there, they'd asked that he 'fast' before his next visit.  They're going to be disappointed since the only way he takes his meds is with food.  

I've been slowly going through the process of filling out the paperwork with Barnes & Noble to begin publishing with them.  When publishing through Kindle Direct, you agree to not publish through any other outlet for a year.  This means I have 4 books in the Eli and Max series that can now be sold through Barnes & Noble.  I'm running each of them through the Word Editor for a finetuning.

Been hearing this song on the radio a lot.  We Are Who We Are.  Can anything be more truthful?

As the midterms approach, everything seems in flux.  The Pundits are in disarray.  That which was expected is becoming a faltering wish that has fallen far from the conservative star.  Scrambling to save themselves, Republicans are floundering and offering their mistakes up for America to pick apart.

Take Brian Kemp down in Georgia, hoping to be re-elected as governor.   He was subpoenaed by the Grand Jury to be questioned on his role in Trump's attempt a voter fraud.  Of course, he didn't want to do this because incriminations might ensue.  So, he appealed, and a judge has ruled that he must comply, however, since it is an election year, he will not have to testify until after November 8.  Now, I don't know about you, but I'm hearing Stacey Abrams saying, "thank you judge are going to be wondering what can be so damning in Mr. Kemp's testimony that it has to wait until after the election."

Of course, the judge who's considering Trump's request for a Special Master has allowed the DOJ to increase to 40 pages, the reasons legitimizing the FBIs confiscating all those boxes of confidential documents from Mar a Lago.  Prepare for another shoe to drop.

I have never signed up for Trump's Truth Social, but others have.  He's shrieking like a rat in a trap.  I find that almost fulfilling.

Finally, Biden's giving a Prime-Time speech from Philadelphia on Thursday evening.  There are whispers that something is is coming.  Something big.

The Long Run

 Well, happy Sunday, slow day.  I don't work today, so it is almost truly going to be a day of rest... hey, who am I kidding.  Later this morning there will be a mowing of the lawn, and the loading of the washer (at least 3 times), and the emptying of the dryer.  I might even get a ride in, if I don't get bogged down.  Sundays are a good day for bogging down, in case you didn't know.

I was planning on watching the last episode of Star Trek's Strange Journeys last evening, but Paramount + needs an update and my TV was not being very receptive.  Instead, I watched the first episode of Moonhaven on AMC +, which I thoroughly enjoyed.  Since AMC + is a subscription service, as is Paramount +, after the season finale of Star Trek, I'll probably drop the Paramount and subscribe to AMC.  Then, probably in December, I'll flip back, cancelling the subscription to AMC and resubscribing to Paramount.  There is no reason I should be paying for a service I'm not using.

For those who don't know, the Tour de France is cycling, and sprinting, and climbing through the French countryside.  During previous years I watched as many stages as possible.  This year?  Well, NBC Sports, which carries the race merged with its parent company and is now part of Peacock TV, the NBC subscription service.  Without cable, I can only subscribe to Peacock TV through my Xbox (Microsoft).   Well, that isn't going to happen anytime soon.  I don't want to have 3 different pieces of electronic gear turned on to watch one network.  Life needs to be more simple, less complicated.

As I was taking some garbage out this morning, I saw a black cat staring at me from the top of the hill behind my house.  I had a black cat named Kiki a long time ago.  Could this be her ghost?

There's a lot of chatter going on about Biden's age.  Is he too old?  I think so.  But then I also think Nancy Pelosi is too old, as is Diane Feinstein (way too old), and that moral degenerate Mitch McConnell.  Your brain, like your body, changes through the years.  Older brains are not as resilient.  I say this as someone who is as someone who is aging.  This does not mean I'm less creative, I do, however, think I'm directing my creativity much better than when I was younger.  I am quicker to ponder taking action rather than simply jumping into the fray. This is not a drawback in my personal life, however there is a great difference between managing my life and managing the country.  Older people tend to be more hardened in their ways, less open to compromise.  In case you haven't noticed, I am very opinionated.  Someone needs to tell Uncle Joe there is nothing wrong with being a transitional president.  He will be better accepted and respected in the long run.

Finally, a bit about Susie

 Hello Friday!  I'm sure there are some of you out there who are on the ready, set, go for a fun filled weekend.  Or, maybe not.  So many days are weekends for me now that I'm semi-retired.  People ask when I'll stop working completely.  My answer is always the same.  I have no idea.  At a certain age, we all realize we are all just waiting around for the inevitable, how you fill up those waiting hours says a lot about you.  I know some who began morphing into sedentary slugs the second they punched out for the last time.  I can tell you, that's not for me, at least not yet.  Perhaps when I hit my 80s.  So, I'd say I'll probably be working part-time until then.

We had some nice steady rain yesterday.  Rain is good.  Last year we had a very wet summer here and I suspected climate change might be turning us into a tropical rain forest.  That still wouldn't surprise me.  As was the case last year, there do seem to be a lot of mosquitos around.  I guess it's time to get out the Citronella candles.

I'm planning on making a meatloaf and scalloped potatoes today.  Notice I said scalloped rather than escalloped?  Just call me rebel.

I snapped a picture of Biggie sleeping on the futon yesterday.  Dogs.  If I were to sleep like that, I'd wake up with such a crick in my neck.  

Biden gave a prime time speech last evening on gun control.  I didn't watch, knowing there would be plenty of time to afterwards to watch clips.  Will anything happen in congress?  Possibly, but I wouldn't be waiting in breathless anticipation, if I were you.  Some of the radicalized Republicans call for his impeachment, which I found funny.  Those yammering loudly were the usual suspects, the ones who tried to force an authoritarian government onto us back on January 6.  The fact that Congress impeached their lying sack of shit president twice shoves a burning torch so far up their butts they'll be sitting crooked for the rest of their lives is something they will never forget.  

Somehow Kristi Noem, the wacked out government from South Dakota popped up in my Twitter feed yesterday spouting some sort of bullshit about Biden, so I tweeted back, "caught you lying... again."  Notice, I didn't point out she got in trouble for skirting the rules and regulations in order to get her daughter a job in real estate.  She's evidently taking lessons from the Orange Anus.  Anyway, there was no response, of course.

And finally, a bit about Susie Collins since she came up in yesterday's blog.  This came from the Washington Post, and while the opinion doesn't shred her, the author does not make her look... well, smart.  The fact that she has no problem working with Joe Manchin is a bit of a red flag.  What stands out is that for all of her years in the Senate, Susie has always taken the safe, Republican side and back up that position with chatter about how she's done her 'homework.'  Her standard excuse is "well, this is what he told me," especially regarding Brett Kavanaugh.  I suspect she's hoping people will think she was duped.  She wasn't.  She thought voting for him was safe.  The idea that RBG might pass and Amy Coney Boney might get pushed into the Supreme Court never occurred to her.  Playing it safe backfired, badly.  Now, there's no way she can fix her mistake and still be seen as Republican.  Instead of taking a stand, she played it safe for so many years, and now she screwed.

Big Losers

The fudge is gone!  It's a good thing I took several slices to work, otherwise I'd be 10 pounds heavier.  Tasty, rich, and delicious, the one good habit I have in regard to the bad habit of eating candy is that I get my fill fast.  Then I'm done, and the desire to chow down fades.  Right now, I'd say I'm good on skipping fudge for the next five or six years, or at least until an inkling inspires to be to order another box.

Temps here are supposed to climb into the upper 50's (F) today.  I'm only scheduled to work for 4 hours.  Tomorrow and Wednesday, they're supposed to top off in the lower 60's (F), but then they drop.  Spring can be such a tease at times.

So, I printed off a map of Mackinac Island in order to place 'the body.'  I frequently use maps.  Knowing the geographical location helps.  I spend a lot of time on the computer, too, looking at various sights in the area where 'the body' will be found.  For The Body in Repose, I learned quite a lot about the French Quarter from photographs various people had taken over the years.  One of the things that was a pleasant surprise was discover that there are rooftop bars in the French Quarter; not all the bar crawling takes place on street level.  Any way, here's the map for Mackinac.  Any ideas as to where the body is going to be found?

So, there might be a summit between Biden and Putin... maybe.  If it happens, I doubt very much if Putey baby is going to come riding in shirtless, and on the back of a horse.  And, if it happens, will anything be accomplished?  I doubt it.  As I've said before, Putin has a boner for the Ukraine.  I find it interesting how one of his demands has to do with NATO, claiming he sees it as a threat.  The Orange Anus didn't like NATO either, his claim was that the member countries weren't paying their fair share.  Keep in mind, the Orange Anus also desperately wanted to build a hotel in Moscow.  Well, that hotel ain't gonna happen.  Because Orangey's coup failed, his blow bro Putin now has to deal with a president who sees him for what he really is, a little man with a big ego, a little man who's going to lose even if he does invade.  Till all is said and done, he's going to be as big a loser as the Orange Anus.

Tomfoolery

 Happy April First!  I don't do fool's jokes since I've always thought the jokes to be more about tricking people rather then fooling them.  Only the initiators seem to think their jokes are amusing.  And I have yet to meet a person on the receiving end who slapped their knee and roared with laughter.  Honestly, no one wants to be treated like a fool.

Yesterday was kind of boring at work.  I expect the same today since we have rain.  The forecast is for showers on and off, with temperatures hovering around 47 (F).  This is my hump day, no fooling.  After today I will have 3 consecutive days off.  I am anticipating those approaching hours.

Something has changed at work, however.  One of the managers picked a new radio station / playlist.  Mostly 80's music.  So now we're listening to ABC, The Eurythmics, Frankie Goes to Hollywood.  I have to chuckle whenever Frankie comes on.  I bought that double album, and I'll never forget my surprise at opening the jacket to find a giant penis inside.  That was rather bold and brave of Frankie, wasn't it?  Oh, wait, can I show this?  The blog's supposed to be rated PG 13?

Click to boldly embiggen

Well, I guess that was a bit of tomfoolery, now, wasn't it?  Actually, I don't know if the model's name was Tom or not, so tomfoolery might not be the correct word.

And Uncle Joe revealed his infrastructure plan yesterday followed by an almost ear shattering, collective shriek from Republicans.  They hate it when Americans are put first.  Most of them couldn't even give him a grudgingly nod of approval when he signaled out Amazon as paying no taxes.  You see, Republicans love their lie about trickle down economics and if we start taxing Amazon, we'll also start taxing other large corporations like AT &T.  Remember that big tax cut they gave AT &T?  Remember how AT&T made headlines by giving a meager portion of that back to employees?  Well, that gift only happened once.  Well, AT&T was one of those corporations still getting that nice tax break when Covid hit... and they started cutting jobs.  Believe me, there was no tomfoolery there.

Stuff

 Good Morning!  Today's entry is made up of a variety of stuff mostly because this is my weekend, both Saturday and Sunday all wrapped up in one.  Today will be spent doing laundry, hanging a few bits of art upon the walls, and playing Valhalla.  Tomorrow it's back to work for another 5 days in a row.  Now, doesn't that sound simply wonderful?

We had a lot of rain yesterday, so heavy at times you could hear it pounding on the roof of the store and then, just before I left, the winds began blowing away the clouds.  Nice.  The Temps are cool now, and the breeziness is still here.

I watched the last episode this year's The Expanse last evening.  I thought the ending weak.  Most of the 10 episodes were building towards a war between the earthers and the belters... and that really didn't happen.  The proto-molecule was released (in case you're interested), which means Thomas Jane will return for next season.

Tom's the one in the hat

One of the bits of big news is that the big boat in the Suez is moving.

And isn't Debbie Birx spilling her heart out?  Every time I glanced at the media yesterday there was some headline about her, or a phone call from the Spawn of Satan, or how she felt she might actually help by staying silent, or some such nonsense.  

Of course, there were more shootings.  Virginia Beach this time, I believe.  They're happening too often.  A day doesn't pass without a shooting headline.  And the embattled NRA is silent.  This is what they wanted: daily shootouts.  

And finally, I saw that Biden's approval rating has hit 75% for his handling of the pandemic.  That will also translate into higher approval ratings in other areas.  Republicans hate this shit.  Perhaps if they hadn't chosen to embrace the fringe elements of society they might get more respect... nah, that'll never happen.  They're too desperate to dictate and control to ever consider changing.  They don't care how low their approval ratings go as long as they're in charge.

Uncut

Yesterday the temps in Central Pa hit 76 (F) and I took the dogs for a walk.  They loved it.   And everybody else was taking their dogs for a walk.  This is fine... as long as they keep their distance.  Like people, not all dogs get along.  I don't know what it is... maybe something about the way their butt smells, but some dogs have an instant dislike for other dogs.  This is something I don't worry about when we go for a walk at Adams-Ricci Park because dog owners there will warn you.  Walking around my neighborhood?  That is not the case.

I did a little yardwork yesterday, but not much.  Believe it or not, we're still in winter.  The upcoming forecast has quite a few days where our highs are only going to be in the mid - 40's (F).  

This year I'm putting my tomato plants in the ground.  The pots I used last year were only good for peppers.  Looks like I'm going to have a lot of peppers this year.

In case you have seen this vid, click on it.  Simply amazing.  Filmed in a bowling alley, bar, restaurant, and theater up in Minneapolis as a way to drive up attendance now the the Pandemic appears to be winding down, this uncut drone footage has grabbed the attention of film makers in Hollywood.  This is a Wow moment.

I only watched a portion of Biden's speech last night, but I was impressed as was, I suspect, most of those who watched him.  This is how you steer a country back from extremism.   There's something so human about having a president simply talk to you, one adult to another adult.  Americans are taking notice.  I'm going to repeat Dave's axiom here.  A popular president can move the country to either the left or to the right, an unpopular president will always move it in the opposite direction.  This is how we make America great.

 

The Lunatic Fringe

 For some of you it's normal to sleep in on a Saturday, for me normal is a 0530 wake-up call.  Being a morning person, I don't mind.  Unless I request off, I'm always working on Saturday.  This is the way of Retail.  This is what I told a Navy buddy of mine who's setting up a video meeting this afternoon.  I told him that I'd love to join, but these things need to be scheduled at least 4 weeks out so I can request the day off.  

AMC emailed me a survey, I'm a Stubbs ticket holder, which is their free entry level account.  I earn points towards free purchases at the concession stand with every $ I spend.  Filling out the survey earned me 500 points.  There were some interesting questions regarding my concerns of going to the movies in the time of Covid.  One of the odd questions concerned my interest on playing my video games on the big screen.  While that might be interesting, I do think seeing my Eivor on a giant movie screen might be a little overwhelming.

Oh, and snow is in the forecast.  In some places they're forecasting for 6 inches (plus).  Don't you just love that 'plus'?  That's also known as a guestimate.  All we have so far is an advisory, however when I check the map I saw that Harrisburg is just north of the warning zone.  This means they're tracking the storm to move south of us.  Also, this storm is moving slowly, so our accumulation will come from sporadic spurts.

There was a bit on NBC News about the Biden administration beginning to repair the Court system.  During the four years of the Idiot Jerk's term, McConnell shoved through a lot Cracker Jack Crazies bent on thrusting a Conservative agenda down America's throat.  This is an excellent example of their "shut up, we're in charge" approach to dealing with a majority of Americans.  For a change it seems as if the Democrats are moving with extreme haste, mostly because the party in power tends to lose seats in the House and Senate during the first election cycle of a new president.  That statement is true under normal circumstances.  These are not normal times.  The losing party is splintering.  Their failed president wants to start an egocentric party of Cracker Jack Crazy Conspiracy Theorists.  Moderate Republicans who stayed onboard simply because it was the Republican Party are abandoning ship.  They are a party desperately trying to hold onto a minority Lunatic Fringe.  The next voting cycle will be anything but normal, and that terrifies the opposition.

Interesting Things

 Well, it's Thursday and I'm going back to work.  I was supposed to return yesterday, however I ended up taking a personal day because something cropped up.  Something other than the inauguration.

My new color printer was set to arrive 3 days after I placed the order so bright and early, before I even had a chance to start writing my bog entry, I went to went to my 'orders' tab at Amazon and clicked on my recent order.  To my surprised, the cost had dropped $88 dollars, from $423 to $335.  Wow!  I requested an adjustment from Amazon, who sent my request to the 3rd party seller, Provantage LLC.  An hour later I received my response.  Provantage LLC does not price match after an order has shipped or is considered complete.  I was astounded, but then I work for the largest home improvement retailer in the world and I can say we have no problem price matching an online order as long as the time period is within reason.  So, I processed a return and the minute FedEx dropped that printer off on my porch I threw it in my car and drove it over to the UPS Store.  I also filed a complaint with Amazon about Provantage, and in doing so discovered a number of complaints have been filed against them through the Better Business Bureau.  Ouch.  Now that I've got that bitch moment out of my system... on to more interesting things.

And, as you all might suspect, I did watch the inauguration.  Now, wasn't that simply fantastic!  I must say I enjoyed the lack of pomp.  Simplicity can be very powerful.  We now have a Centrist President who understands the diversity of America.  One party one the election fairly and legally, the other has lost in so many, many ways.  While America anticipates a Biden presidency, do not doubt that their eyes are still on the losers, watching as that party dissolves.

Some things I find interesting:

  Both The Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers have issued statements breaking with Biden's predecessor, citing the fact that he is a failure and a loser.  The Proud Boys have actually issued a statement congratulating Biden saying they are glad to have a president who stands for what he believes in...  I have to admit, that was one of the weirdest things I saw yesterday.  Truly odd.

Those Q people?  Their brains are shredding, half of them understand they've been duped from here to Hell and back while the other half have jellified their thought processes in total disbelief.

Joe Exotic can not understand why he didn't get a pardon.  Right.

Welcome to a Brand New Day

 Yesterday history was made.  Yesterday Joe Biden nominated Rachel Levine as the Assistant Health Secretary.  Social Conservatives are... upset because she is transgender.  They have a problem which only time will resolve.  You see, they like to view themselves as a rock, rigid and unmoving.  They believe that makes them strong.  They don't understand that Rachel Levine is like a blade of grass, and while that blade of grass grows and becomes a field of grass over time that rock is slowly being worn down, eventually becoming nothing more than sand.  This is how time works.

Rachel Levine

And, of course, today Joe Biden will be sworn in as President of United States of America.  His predecessor wants a military send off with a twenty one gun salute which, unfortunately, will not be pointed at him.  Fifteen Executive Orders are set to be signed within hours after Uncle Joe is sworn in.  I understand Kamala Harris, the first female person of color Vice President, has more than enough pens ready and waiting.  Things are not going to be easy in this divided nation, but at least we can now see a path forward.  We are now and have always been a country of Immigrant Centrists.  This is what has made us strong.  The ability to include left leaners and right leaners is our heritage.  There is no strength in division.  The weaker side will always fail.  We are also the country of change.  Evolution is upon us.  The secret to success is not fighting it, rather understanding and accepting it is on our path through this continually changing unknown wilderness. The past is unchangeable, so we learn from it.  The future is ours to build.  Welcome to this Brand New Day.

Numbered Days

 Good Morning!  Any day that I don't have to work is a good day, and today is one of those days.  Yesterday I had to work, and there were customers.  Yes, at the time of year when sales are normally very slow we are making money hand over fist.  At one point we had 3 people working in the paint department, one who was scheduled and myself and another associate.  This is usually a break time for us, two months where we get a breather before business begins picking up in the spring.

The artwork is done for The Body in the Loch.  I will be picking it up on Thursday, and I ight give a tease.  If not that, then maybe I'll show one of the diagrams I've put together for the drawing room at Dun Adair, I'm using graph paper to track the movements of the characters.  There are 18 people, not counting Max and Eli, and of those 18 people one is a cold blood killer.  Nice, huh?  And since not everybody knows exactly what a loch is, I thought I post a picture.  If you look closely, you might be able to see McCreary's Creagh.

I am scheduled to work tomorrow, but since my new printer is arriving I will probably take a personal day.  No signature is required, which means FedEx will just leave it sitting on my porch if I'm not home to move it inside.

And, of course, tomorrow is Inauguration Day. After four years of dealing with a tinfoil dictator, America is finally going to be getting a president, and from what I've heard he's going to hit the ground running, signing as many as 10 Executive Orders.  I do not doubt that a long list of Centrist and Liberal Judges has been made to eliminate those 4 years in which evil ruled the country.  Biden will have the most diverse Cabinet in history, a far cry from the 'whites only' billionaire club his predecessor created.  There will be people who hate him because they want a strictly controlled white America.  Shit, someone should tell them their days are numbered.

Yesterday

 Yesterday was... well...  I believe the last time America and the World sat glued to their TV sets and fervently watching their computer screens, and their smart phones, was on 9/11.  The events which unfolded seemed to have come straight from the warped mind of some 'B' movie scriptwriter: a failed president inciting acts of treason in a desperate attempt to start a revolution.  And he called these traitors to the constitution patriots. He Tweeted praise until his account was shut down.  I suspect this will be permanent since reactivation is contingent with his deleting photos of the insurrection, photos he Tweeted, photos he praised.  For him to do so would be admitting publicly how terribly wrong yesterday was, something he cannot do.  And when he finally asked them to leave the Capital, he continued his lies about the election.

I watched some of the speeches last evening as the Senate and the House gathered again.  I noticed a tremor in McConnell's voice as he spoke.  He knows that yesterday was a bullet in the heart of the GOP.  The party has splintered into disparate factions and not one will survive.  I listened as the hypocritical Lindsey Graham suddenly decided to switch sides.  His political career is over.  Romney stated the obvious, the seditionists will never believe the truth, they have been too deeply indoctrinated by the constant lies.  Schumer and other Democrats placed the blame directly on Trump.  Republicans, except of Graham, danced around his name.  They feared call him out and placing the guilt on his shoulders would associate them with his attempt at tyranny.  They are just as guilty. 

Over 100 members of the House and 7 members of the Senate still voice their objections to Biden's win.  There will be no unbinding them from their deceit.  The newspaper in Hawley's, a newly elected instigator from Missouri, has openly blamed him, saying he has blood on his hands.  Media outlets across the country and around the world are publishing the names of those traitors to the Constitution, those Trump insurrectionists by name.  They are now worse then shit on your shoe.

And yesterday was not all horror.  There were winners!  The Democratic Party now controls the Senate!

Taste This

I began the new year by working.  There were a number of customers until around 2 (PM), and then the thinning began.  An hour later our aisles were fairly empty.  In the morning, however, we had a number of customers.  Honestly, I wasn't surprised that much.  We just ended a year in which many might have considered a bad case of the runs just another day in a really shitty year, so for them, yesterday was just another day.

On Monday, in Pennsylvania, they're supposed to be lifting restrictions.  If that happens, I've plans to go to the movies on January 8th to see the new Wonder Woman movie.  I understand it's entertaining.

Being the new year, I decided to adjust my workout mileage.  Last year I set my goat at 2500 and ended up doing 2130.  I adjusted my cycling to 2250 and added 200 for running.  The idea is to challenge myself, but not set an unreachable goal.  The difficult part will be over the next eight or nine weeks since they are what I consider the 'quiet' months, when I will have to work hard to keep from entering the hibernation zone.  

One change I did do recently was to start using honey as a sweetener in my morning oatmeal rather than brown sugar.  Taking things a step further, I decided to use honeycomb, rather than the processed honey you buy in bottles.  I was surprised by how much sweeter it was.

It does take a little longer to cook my oatmeal, but boy is my breakfast tastier.

I saw Biden's message was uplifting, talking about the challenges facing our country, including vaccine distribution which is another thing our outgoing sack of shit screwed up.  And, speaking of that loser, he released a video on Twitter in which he bragged about his failed accomplishments.  Quite a number of people on social media pointed out that this asswipe talked only about the past... not one syllable about the future.  This might be the closest thing we get to a concession speech.

My manager pants

 So, it's Sunday.  I don't work.  Still, I will be working around the house.  There are leaves that need tending to, and a single load of laundry.

I don't know if any of you remember the old man who had the complaints about his carpet installation, the one who wore his MAGA hat, and shirt, and his faced mask with the Idiot Jerk's portrait, but he showed up at the flooring desk yesterday.  He started going on about his installation, and how we didn't tell him there were going to be seams, and how we screwed everything up.  That's right, I, another associate, and a couple of customers got to see him as a bitter old man.  So, I quietly pulled on my manager pants, the ones I took off almost 3 years ago and stood up.  I told him he had already discussed his issues with upper management and a resolution had been reached.  He began yelling again, so I cut him off, repeating myself.  When he started up again, I stated a fact,  "This conversation is over," and sat back down.  He stared at me for a few seconds and then walked away cursing.  After my fellow associate had finished up with his customers, he turned to me and said "Wow, that was amazing.  You never sound like that."  I just smiled and said.  "I don't take shit from losers."

My brother sent me a text telling me he was dealing with his election despair by watching Hallmark movies.  From one fantasy world to another, eh?

And what about that loser in the White House.  I understand that failed despot has admitted Biden won the election... by cheating.  That man is stuck in some sort of conspiracy world theme park.  The only reality he has is the one he is constantly creating.  Had he won another 4 years we'd have found ourselves in Hell's Fantasyland.  

As I was letting the dogs out one last time yesterday before going to work, I saw I still had some freshly blooming roses.  Now, isn't this pretty?

The Great State of Pennsylvania (especially Philly)!

 Sunday.  My long, long weekend begins.  Today is also my birthday.  That means cake and ice cream this afternoon.  The dogs and I will take a walk this morning.  They love their walks.

Oh, and in case you didn't notice, I got a very nice birthday present yesterday.  I was cutting roller shades for a customer when my watched buzzed with a headline.  Glancing at it, I saw that Joe Biden had won the presidency.  Of course, since I had six more rollers shades to cut, I couldn't go dancing down the aisles.  I had to maintain normal chitchat with the customer, so it wasn't until I was walking back to the flooring desk that I realized there was a tiny tear hanging from the corner of my eye.  I always knew he was going to win, still the truth didn't sink in until I began to see the celebrations springing up all across the country.  After all those days of counting ballots, the great state of Pennsylvania  put Joe over the top. A funny thing about those 5 days in which ballots were being counted:  the state board of elections wanted to begin counting mail in ballots a week early since they knew there were going to be close to 2 million, however, the Republican legislature in the state said "no," that's why it took so long.  Perhaps in their dirty, little hearts they realized the truth.

And while the joy is overflowing, keep in mind, there are still 73 days in which the Idiot Jerk and his party of toadies can wreck havoc, and you can bet his crumby soul he's going to do his damndest... before he heads to Russia.

And on a more somber vote, a letter was posted by our timeclock informing us that one of our associates has Covid.  I suspect it is my Supervisor since he is still on the schedule, yet hasn't shown up for 3 days.  I was told he has a family issue and needs to be off for 2 weeks.  Lucky for me he spent very little time in my department.  Unlucky for the appliance specialists because he spent most of his work hours with them.

The leaves on my gingko tree are turning yellow.  I took a picture.  In a day or two they will all fall off at once... and then I turn them into mulch.

Straight for the Gutter

 Can you believe it?  Today's Friday.  For me, it's Thursday.  Tomorrow is my Friday!

I got the new external hard drive yesterday and am in the process of slowly transferring things from the old drive.  Excruciatingly slow.  As I'd said, the old drive is dying.  It's starts transferring, and then stops, and pauses.  Sometimes it continues, but more often then not it locks up.  Son of a bitch.  There's no problem with smaller files, but movies and games?  I'm either going to have to find some other way to do the transfer, or write them off.

We were slow at work yesterday.  Translation:  I'm doing things in the aisles to keep busy.  You know?  Physical labor.  I'm making things look nice.  We're not doing a Black Friday this year.  That doesn't mean they're not cluttering up our aisles with... stuff.  Dog beds went out yesterday.  I know a lot of people who own dogs.  One of our associates was talking about buying one for his cat... that's right, his cat.  Before I got my dogs, I had cats.  He's wasting his money.

I understand the Idiot Jerk in the White House hit the airwaves last evening... briefly, before the networks started shutting him down.  MSNBC was the first... after something like 21 seconds.  I'll bet that pissed the Hell out of him.  He doesn't take losing well, which is why he cheats.  This man has been cheating his way through life for far too long.  Like many cowards who cheat, he will run away rather than crash and burn.

The fact that Biden has now flipped Georgia is pissing off a lot of Republicans.  Pennsylvania is going to flip sometime this morning. And the Idiot Jerk?  He's like a freaking pinball heading straight for the gutter.

Anyway, the whole thing should be over today.  The MAGAs will be furious that they've lost their liar and thief.  The Republicans are only beginning to understand how the Idiot Jerk has tainted their party.

Believe me, things are looking up.

The dogs were all excited when the learned they were going for a walk this morning.  They don't remember they go for a walk everyday.  Keep in mind, they're much smarter than your average Republican.