Consequences

 Tuesday.  This morning the temps outside were a cool 43 (F).  Like yesterday, they're predicted to rise up into the mid 60s (F), and tomorrow into the upper 60s (F).  However, by Friday they're supposed to fall into autumn.  I'm curious as to which weather pattern is going to persist.  For the last 2 years we've had cold Decembers only to have the temps rebound and give us warm winters.  I could go for that again.

Some changes in the kitchen.  The flooring I was going to order is out of stock, which could be a sign I wasn't supposed to buy it, so I chose an alternative, Chelsea Pond, something completely opposite the marble look I had initially I'd chosen.  And I've gone from a marble countertop to one made from a slab of granite, mostly because the marble I had chosen is, again, no longer available.  I will take the samples I'm not using back to the store since I can only use so many paperweights.

I'm sure not all of you are aware of this, but Glynis Johns, who played Mrs. Banks in Mary Poppins, turned 100 on October 5.  Here's belated, but hearty congratulations to Glynis on her becoming a Centenarian! 

And I understand that Kev McCarthy might be throwing his hat into the Speaker's circle again, mostly because the two fascists, tiny Jimmy Jordan, and white supremacist Scalise can't get the necessary 217 votes to move into that position.  For all of their desperation to be in power, Republicans demonstrate over and over again that when they are, they simply cannot govern.  

Very shortly, I don't doubt, Israel will begin their mop up process in Gaza.  This will not go well for the Palestinians.  I feel bad for that because not everyone of the is a member of Hamas.  As for Hamas?  When ever a terrorist group tries something on this bold of a scale, I always wonder what they were thinking.  When terrorists flew planes into the World Trade Center on 9/11, did they really think that was going to make America crumble?  Did they not realize there were going to be consequences?  Maybe Islam should stop focusing on hating the Jews.  That will not happen in my lifetime, just as the Republicans in this country will never realize their dreams of authoritarianism will never come true.

The Do Nothing Republicans

 I woke up this morning to rain.  Showers.  There was a 40% chance, but what we're getting this morning may be it.  According to Accuweather, sunshine will push the showers out of the picture sometime this afternoon.  Temps are predicted to start their slow decline into autumn.

When I took my shower yesterday morning, I noticed that the hot water wasn't nearly as hot as normal, steam clouds were not rising around me.  Rather than being hit with a sense of foreboding, I just said "shit."  Like everything else in this world, hot water heaters have a life span that is always shorter than you are expecting.  Most of them have warranties which expire after six years, there's a reason for this, gas water heaters, like man, have a life expectancy of 8 - 12 years.  My lasted 11.  Now, it might just be a circuit board, but the cost of installing a new one, including labor, is pricey as Hell.  Instead of going that route, I'm having a new one installed this afternoon at a cost of $3000.  I guess I'm going to have to skip my next couple bottles of wine.

Being the daring type, I attempted to bake a peach cobbler in a spring form pan yesterday, it didn't work out well for the cobbler.

Am I the only one laughing at Kev McCarthy's faux impeachment (inquiry?)  This man is a wishy-washy incompetent.  A political failure, he needed to promise the Freedom Caucus he would do whatever they wanted in order to get their votes to become Speaker of the House.  Both Trump and the Freedom Caucus are interested in retaliation, so even though they will never get the votes to impeach they will "investigate."  Nancy Mace gave a funny interview in  which she said that they have no evidence of a crime, but they're hoping this impeachment process will provide them with the details they know do not exist.  This will keep their base happy while American watches the Do Nothing Party, do just that, Nothing.

Without the Lies they are Nothing

 Good Morning!  Hopefully your weather is as good as mine, except for the smoke which has returned.  It's like looking through low level fog.  It doesn't smell like smoke, but you can see it.  Forecasters are predicting the temps to climb into the mid 80s (F) today, which makes it prime lawn mowing weather and believe me, my little front lawn needs it.  All the rain we've been getting as kicked the grass into a high level growing rate.

There's a car parked in front of my neighbor's house, though as far as I know, no one stayed over night.  I was talking with some of my other neighbors yesterday afternoon and we're all in agreement that who ever buys it is going to have to rehab the rehab.  Because of our location, all of us believe the seller's going to get what he's asking.  Unfortunately, the new owner's going to have to put on a new roof... and then there's the bit about the unfinished basement.

I went to see Asteroid City last evening.  Some parts were very funny in a quirky sort of way, others had a lot to be desired.  Part of the problem is that it begins in black and white as a narrator introduces a play and then shifts to color to represent the play.  It switches back and forth between the two and there's no correlation between the two.  The black and white section is disjointed and becomes more of an intrusion into the colored story line.  You'll notice in the trailer, all you see is the color section. 

Evidently Kev McCarthy said some unkind things about the Moral Degenerate and was so severely chastised by the MAGA base that he went groveling back to the Orange Anus asking for forgiveness.  Watching the Republican party devolve is... well, interesting.  It's not that they don't realize that a majority of the country is Centrist, the truth is they just don't care.  During the 2020 election, Trump got 74 million votes and for them that number is now etched in stone.  They believe those voters are guaranteed.  They rely on their own polls to reinforce this belief.  Trump does a townhall in New Hampshire, 200 MAGA cult members show up and Twitter gets flooded with pics showing the small crowd because because the Cult will post deep fakes showing thousands in the room.  It's like the pics they showed of Dodger stadium before the Pride Game.  The stadium was filled to capacity, however the cult posted pics that were taken an hour and a half before the crowd was allowed in, proving that if it weren't for their lies, Republicans would have nothing.

A Fart in Space

So, I was digging in the dirt yesterday.  I am slowly removing all the bushes from in front of my porch, not that I have any idea what's going to be planted there, but it will be something that doesn't get too tall.  Besides being predatory, the Burning Bush grew way too tall, often blocking the view.  The wisteria, which had originally been planted created a different problem: it needed constant trimming.  

The weather yesterday was nice, again climbing into the mid 80s (F) with little humidity.  The same is in the forecast for today.  Tomorrow that's going to change.  Forecasters are calling for highs in the low to mid 90s (F).  When it gets that warm outside, my 2nd floor gets much hotter, so my Central Air is primed and ready to go.

I did file a dispute against the only charge on my debit card that wasn't removed, a $16.57 purchase made from Alien Gear Holsters.  When I talked to the agent handling the chargeback, she told me that was a popular one in that she'd seen that online retailer enough to remember it.  I searched it.  They sell holsters, most of them fairly expensive and I didn't want to waste the time trying to find out what $16.57 buys.

I saw that the NYT did a comparison test to see which olive oils were the best.  It turns out Bertolli, the one use, hit right in the middle.  Now, ain't that nice?

The House of Representatives is going to vote today on the package their moronic leader, Kev McCarthy, put together with the Biden White House.  Of course, the far right crazies are shrieking mad because they believe their small minority means they get to dictate... well, they're wrong.  I suspect it will get enough votes to squeak by and head to the Senate.

And some turd bird named Comer wants to file contempt charges against the FBI because they're ignoring the subpoenas the the far right has issued.  This is rather hysterical in light of the fact that these same Republicans ignored every subpoena the January 6 committee issued.  While this will excite their base, that's about all which will come of it.  They simply don't understand they have about as much power as a fart in space.

It's about the benefits

 Yesterday was cool, today's supposed to be a bit warmer with the high climbing into the upper 60s (F).  That's just for today, however, temps are supposed to cool off and more rain is heading into the picture.  As I'd said before, last year we had May showers and it looks as though we're going to have more of the same this year.

I received an email from KDP, I can now order Author's copies.  Now, ain't that nice.

Yesterday saw me finish painting the kitchen ceiling.  Every day I come a bit closer to putting away the paint brushes and rollers for good.  That will be so nice.

And I finally went to see "Renfield" last evening.  I liked it, probably because it was odd, a horror comedy.  Nicholas Hoult was very good in the lead roll, and so was Nicholas Cage as Dracula, especially since Cage was swathed in make-up most of the time.  The gore was so over the top.  If you can't go see it in the theater, I'd recommend streaming it once it becomes available.  

Okay, and yesterday Don, the Orange Anus, Trump's rape trial began.  Mike Pence has run out of appeals to keep from testifying to the DOJ Jan 6 Grand Jury,  And, the Republicans have revealed their budget in order to raise the debt ceiling.  Wow, even for a small list that's a lot of shit.  

The Republican's budget is pissing off everyone but rich, white conservatives.  Veterans, and there are a lot of us, are angry that they've taken aim at our benefits.  Some of us spent time in a war zone, and to have those benefits used as a bargaining chip for Mealy Mouthed McCarthy as part of his campaign in failure is aggravating.  

Oh, and in Montana the Republicans banned the only duly elected Transgender woman from their House Chamber because if they didn't have social issues filled with hatred, they would have nothing.  This is why they are losing so badly.

Divide and.. what?

 Okay, so it's Thursday and hump day was rather slow.  The weather was again rather brisk.  I know, I was buffeted by 20 mile per hour gusts as stood by the gas pumps filling my car's gas tank.  Right now it's sunny outside.  That will pass.  Clouds will soon be sweeping into Central Pa as another storm moves our way.  This one might be blustery enough to give us an inch of snow... the definitive words being 'might be.'  

I do get to work this afternoon.  Whether the store will be busy or not is difficult to say.  The weather will have some say in the matter, but not as much as it will this weekend.  We're approaching spring and people should be getting itchy about working in their lawns.  Me?  I want a nice day when I can rake up the winter's detritus; leaves and sticks have been partying outside the fence for too many months now.

After playing Atomic Heart for a few weeks, I found myself bored to tears.  Same old, same old quests with just slight variations.  The good thing is that I got it through Game Pass, the XBox subscription service so I didn't spend money on it.  Being bored, I bought Hogwart's Legacy, downloading it last night.  I've never been a big Harry Potter fan, though this game takes place 100 years before Harry's saga begins.

I saw that old Mitch McConnell fell.  At 81, he's considered elderly.  His bitter, brittle bones bounce badly at that age.  And he is bitter.  His legacy has been terribly tainted by Trump.  Of course, he's always been a staunch defender of greed, so I don't think his legacy was too good to begin with.

Kev McCarthy left Marjorie Tayler Greene in charge of the House yesterday.  This must have been part of the agreement he made with her to get her to vote for him.  If my memory servers me correctly, this was the 2nd time since he's been Speaker of the House.  While this may endear him to her base, every time he does so her stupidity embarrasses him.  Under her guidance, the House passed a resolution to visit the jailed January 6 insurrectionists... in jail.  She wants to be divisive.  It's part of the Republican plan to divide and conquer America.  (Can you hear me laughing?)  In order for that to work, they need to convince a large portion of the Majority to believe Republican talking points.  They have no idea that at this point, all they're doing is talking to the base.  Everybody else is growing more and more angry that these dumb bricks managed to have themselves voted into a slim majority.  I believe it was Biden who said that Greene's stupidity is the best thing to happen to Democracy.

 

McCarthy = mini-Putin

 I am looking out my window at dense fog.  In time, it will burn off or blow away.  We have a high wind warning for this afternoon.  I have battened down the hatches, so to speak ( the lids are tight upon my garbage cans so they do not blow away).  Since today is garbage day, however, I do not doubt that since most of my neighbors work, their cans and lids will be rolling up and down the street.

I saw that I have an eye appointment on Monday.  I also have an eye appointment.  I will have to call and change my start time and hope they don't dilate my eyes.  Either that, or I'll just have to take a personal day.  I have more than enough hours on the books.

My friend Betsy called me last night.  She has an appointment today to get an passport and she wanted to know if she could use as point of contact in case of an emergency.  Of course, I said yes.  She's going on a cruise to Nassau and the Virgin Islands with some friends.  This will be her a first for her.  She told me she was thinking of taking some of her art supplies along.  I told her just to take pictures with her phone.  I don't think she understands how busy she will be.  The friends she's going with don't like the beach, or the shore; they love the little stores and boutiques.  The tourist traps they're going to go will be like little Meccas to them.

And Biden went to the Ukraine.

This pissed off a lot of Republicans, as well as Trump's blow bro Vlad.  They hate it when he does things presidential.

Vlad is enraged because his 3 day war has taken over a year and Russia is still losing.  That makes both he and his ego look bad.  What he thought were best laid plans have proven to be shit because he was wrong about so many things.  Putin has always been a bumbling idiot who always managed to dress himself with the appearance of power.  Now, metaphorically speaking, he's running around naked.

Kevin McCarthy handed over 40,000 + hours of security footage from January 6 to Tucker Carlson's producers.  This man is pure evil.  He knows that footage will cut, and sliced, and edited to fit the Republican lie that there was no insurrection.  This is his attempt to discredit the January 6 committee.  He doesn't care if his actions incite the MAGA base to violence.  In case you haven't realized it yet, he desperately wants to be a mini-Putin.  If something were to happen to Biden and Harris, he would be next in line for the presidency.  That thought crosses his mind constantly.  This is the truth.

Water This

So is everybody planning on having a wonderful Wednesday?  or, perhaps I should say, something that's a lot more than simply tolerable.  That's actually a sad thing to say, isn't it?  That you might just have a tolerable day.  I work with an individual who's like that, he always manages to find a problem to complain about.  If I had a nickel every time I told him that if he doesn't like his job he should find another, I could buy a decent bottle of wine.  His problem is that no job will ever suit him, he will always have issues.  I have never had that problem, and I can tell you, I'm planning on having a very good time today.

So, Milky Chance, one of my favorite groups is touring and they're coming to Harrisburg, of all places.  Unfortunately, the venue where they're playing, XL Live, is not geared for aging fans.  It's general admission, meaning there are no seats because the space is still used as a parking lot during the days.  While I don't doubt that I could stand for 3 hours, it's not something I would find particularly enjoyable.  

My water bill arrived in the mail yesterday and boy has my water usage dropped.  I don't doubt the new washer has quite a lot to do with it.  I bought in November, during our great Black Friday sale and my bills have been in decline ever since, and believe me, I still take as many showers as I used to (sometimes 2 a day when I work out).

For those who didn't hear, Mike, mother may I, Pence is trying to get out of his subpoena to testify before the DOJ.  Why, you might ask?  Because his pea brain still believes he has a shot at getting the nomination for president in 2024.  I don't know who's advising this knucklehead, but that opportunity has never, ever existed for him.  And I don't doubt for a second that Nikki Haley's advisers are telling her the same thing.  

In an odd way, I find this rather pleasing.  The larger the number of candidates, the uglier their quest for the nomination will be; in no time they'll be trying to rip each other apart with verbal chainsaws.  This is going to hit the GOP hard in the House since it will be their job, using investigations, to attempt to keep America's eyes on them, rather than their backstabbing leaders.  Under McCarthy's failed leadership, the House of Representatives will get louder and crazier in order to create a distraction.  This could all be rather enjoyable.

The Pussy Assed Bitch comment

 Well, it's Thursday and the temps here in Central PA are predicted to climb up into the low 60s (F).  Yeah, you read that correctly.  Of course, showers are going to be hanging around.  Honestly, I wasn't planning on doing any yardwork anyway.  The forecast is for them to drop back into the mid to upper 40s (F), which is still nice.

I over-carbed it yesterday... again with home made French fries cooked in my deep fryer.  Oh, and I had a balance left on my Dairy Queen gift card which I used on a large Turtle Blizzard.  Yum.  In about an hour, I'm going to step on the scale.  If you live close enough, you'll probably hear me scream.

My first reader has finished going through her copy of The Body Under Ice.  I'll be picking up her copy later this morning.  She has already texted her 'this doesn't make sense' list.  There was nothing on it that was not... terrible.  Not like when she read through The Body in the Tower.  Holy Crap!  Her first comment with that one was "all that bicycle shit in the beginning is boring as hell."  Gladly, she didn't find anything 'boring as hell' in The Body Under Ice.

I've a friend who's going to design school up in New York.  His main focus is sneakers, though occasionally he'll do a handbag.  He and some friends went to the Guggenheim.  He was not impressed.

The miniscule minority of Republicans controlling the House is desperately trying to kick that dead horse known as the Hunter Biden laptop for as much publicity as they can get.  To do this, they went after Twitter yesterday because in their tiny minds, Twitter permitted all types of liberal messaging while censoring conservative comment.  It turns out that both parties requested the removal of content.  The White House, itself, was making frequent requests.  I enjoyed the exchange where the committee learned how Trump had wanted a comment by Chrissy Teagan removed.  He didn't like the fact that she had called him a ''pussy assed bitch," I least I think it was "pussy assed bitch."  This has long been a problem for Republicans, jumping to conclusions that will never be concluded.

Another funny bit was these Twitter execs released the names of the 2 individuals who had requested the most censoring and, as you might expect, they were Republicans.  In case you're interested, they were Elise Stefanik and Kevin McCarthy.  In case you're forgotten, it was Elise who endorsed George Santos.

America is Watching

 Wow! Tuesday!  The beginning of a four day stretch for me.  Don't worry, as far as hours go, I'll be paying for this time off over the next 2 weeks.  Next week I'm scheduled for almost 26 hours and the following week 22 hours.  Of course, the hours don't really bother me since they pay me well.

I had breakfast with my brother this morning.  He's been offered a position as a part-time minister at a Lutheran Church.  He's seriously thinking about it.  His one issue is that he believes Lutherans to be liberal (can you hear me laughing?). 

There is silence from the house next door.  The drywaller loaded up his equipment in his Mercedes this morning.  That's right, he drives an old Mercedes which he uses as a truck.  There's a large trash truck out front and they're hauling old door frames, doors, windows.  New doors and windows have been installed; perhaps not the best, probably the ones they could get on sale at Home Depot.  I took this picture of the front window they installed, which is too small for the opening.  American Craftsman windows are considered a low quality window that are good for low budget projects.  Oh, and it appears as though the front porch roof leaks;.

My apologies for posting a video of Harry Styles that CBS ended up blocking because of copyright infringement.  

An amusing thing I'd read about the current miniscule Republican party majority running the House of Representatives was advice to the Democrats.  Under McCarthy's leadership, they are already hard a work like an army of gnats attempting to orchestrate a number of outrageous investigations.  Their stunted political philosophy adheres to their belief that they do much better when they are in attack mode, even if they are just gnats.  With this in mind, now is the time for the Democrats to make Hay because the sun is going to shine on them.  America is watching.  Americans do no care about Hunter Biden's laptop, and his dick pics.

Those Little Blessings

So, tell me, don't you think the week is simply zoomin' past?  I find it difficult to believe that's Thursday already.  As you get older, time passes faster than you'd like, especially if you're busy.  Then it's gone before you even know it.

My application to sign up for mail-in voting arrived yesterday.  I will go online and take care of it later this morning.  

I get to work this afternoon.  Only for 6 hours.  I like short shifts, especially when they start later in the day.  Morning means getting chores done at home.  Nothing really gets done if I get home from work after 7 PM.  If the dishes weren't put into the dishwasher earlier, that might happen.

The last few evenings I've been re-playing Fallout 4 on the PC.  This is my 3rd play through.  Part my decision to play this game again is that it's a great RPG, but another part is the series which is (as of right now) to premier on Amazon Prime later this year.  For years producers thought films were the only way to bring a game to the big screen, especially since we all have big screens in our homes now.  And the The Witcher happened, a very popular video game series premiered on Netflix.  Recently, The Last of Us premiered on HBOMax, and from what I've seen is also very popular.  This gives me hope for the Fallout series.  Next on my gaming list, after Fallout, is Atomic Heart.  This looks very interesting and arrives in3 weeks.

So, Kev McCarthy had a sit down with Biden yesterday about the debt ceiling.  He has been asked many times what the Republican plan is, especially since their tax break for the rich put the debt ceiling through the roof.  He always mumbles out some word salad that includes a number of adverbs, but no verbs, and adjectives that only modify the fact that he doesn't have a true subject.  For him, it's the process that's important.  He's hoping the end result of this process makes the administration look bad.  In a nutshell, that's what he wants, nothing else.

And now a bit about babies because it's important.  I suspect that one of the real reasons social conservatives are so anti-abortion is that they desperately want women to have babies, lots of babies.  They tell you babies are a blessing from God.  If that's true, they might want to ask themselves why both Hindus and Moslems are popping out babies like it's going out of style, while that isn't the case for Christians, especially American Christians.  Are Hindus more blessed than Evangelicals?  And you'll notice that I didn't even touch upon the subject that most of those babies aren't white.

 

When the Iron is Hot

 It's Tuesday morning and I have stacks of laundry waiting to go.  It's a Tuesday thing, and sometimes a Wednesday thing as well.  It's all about routines and regularity.  This does not mean there is a time and place for everything; spontaneity is nice.  I just don't live on the spur of the moment.

Yesterday the temps got up to 53 (F).  That's warm for January.  The forecast is for things to cool off, drop to more what are considered normal temps for this time of year.  There is frigid shit out there, but it seems to be always to the east or to the west of us.  

I received an invite back to Sirius XM.  The offer is $6 a month for a year before the cost goes back to the normal $22 a month.  Sorry.  I only listen to the radio when I'm in my car.  At home, if I'm listening to music, it's on Amazon.  And my tastes tend to be rather impromptu.  For example, there are times when I want to listen to German Folk Music and at other times the score from Fallout 4.  And I don't need to listen to some DJ trying to be relevant to all ages of listeners.

My income tax refund hit my bank account this morning.  That was a nice surprise.  I file early.  I file electronically.  And, except for that year when I hit 65 and Social Security sent those 3 big checks, I always get a nice refund.  

Kev McCarthy was on CBS and got drilled by the correspondent.  That seems to be happening more and more, doesn't it.  His little forays into Sunday morning television are intended to fluff his ego and demonstrate his power... and they always seem to fail.  He's one of those morons who never realized that respect is earned.  Giving into the the far right, making concessions, and signing secret rules and regulations earns you nothing.  Someone should tell that buffoon he wields zero power, not that he'd listen.  Honestly, I don't even think he understands how weak he truly is.

Trump's payment of hush money to Stormy Daniels is again back in the headlines.  (yawn)

People are beginning to wonder how imminent the impending indictments of Orange Anus truly are.  For many of us, imminent is in a few hours, possibly tomorrow... maybe.  Yet since Fanni dropped that word all we've heard is silence. People are getting edgy.  We've all been waiting a very long time.  I'd always heard it was best to strike when the iron was hot.

Pins and Needles

 Well, it's Thursday and I get to work 8 hours.  Yep, that's right a full shift.  And no, this is not an endurance test for me.  That'll happen in 3 weeks when I'm scheduled to work 25.5 hours.  Holy Banana Peels!  I can't remember the last time I worked that many hours.

We did have snow yesterday, about 2 inches.  White and fluffy, the dogs went out several times though I don't know if that's because they like the snow, or just really liked being toweled off when they come back in the house.  With Biggie?  I'm certain it's a biscuit thing.  For him, biscuits will always rule the day.  

Bethesda had a big showcase yesterday showing off some of their upcoming games.  No Starfield information.  That's the game the world is waiting for, and I do mean world.  It's supposed to drop in the first half of 2023, though the release date is complicated.  They don't want to compete with themselves, and a little thing called Redfall has a release date of May 2.  That means Starfield will probably drop probably in late June.  I guess the big question is not when it actually releases, but if it's going to sell over 35 million copies on day one.  At $69 a copy, that's a lot of moolah moolah.  Here's a bit about Redfall.  It's free on Gamepass, so I'm not planning on purchasing this one.

Of course, a lot of people are on pins and needles as they wait for the first indictment to drop.  I'm not, but then I can be very patient.  Justice is Karma.  It doesn't happen at the snap of your fingers.  The longer it takes, the more brutal it can be.  Let's be honest.  We don't only want to see Trump pay the price.  There are others we want to see incarcerated.  Like Roger Stone.  I would definitely like to see that shitty smile of his legally wiped off his face... for the rest of his life.  And Jimmy Jordan.  Knowing that he's spending the rest of his days having to use a group shower with men who see him as just another piece of meat?  With his history of ignoring student predators, would that just be simply delightful.  These people do not understand that they are not special.  They have not been chosen.  Justice is going to teach them this lesson.

I don't know about you, but I'm beginning to chortle, chortle, chortle at Kev McCarthy's frustrations.  Did everybody hear he flipped out when an NPR correspondent asked about George Santos?  Kev made so little sense that for a few moments, I thought he was speaking in tongues..

And finally, there will be protests when the first Trump indictment is revealed.  Now, I know some of you will want to let your own frustrations out, well, don't.  America is watching.  I would not be surprised if we see a reenactment of January 6, but worse, in several cities as stupid MAGAs take to the streets.  The Republican party is dying.  These protests will be their death knell. 

Kevin's Living Hell

 Well, it's Friday, I don't work, and my first load of laundry is in the washer: towels.  Outside, the sky is overcast and a breeze is rustling the branches of the river birch just outside my window.  The clouds are supposed to clear.  The temp is predicted to rise into the upper 40s (F).  Overall, this should be a good day.

Update on the treadmill.  The service tech I talked to on the phone asked if the speed gauge increased to 12 mph, and when I told her it did, she actually said "there's probably some sort of communication error."  She's sending me a new part.  What part, I don't really know. Parts are still under warranty, so it's free.  That's nice, though I have to admit I was not in the least bit impressed.  What if it's the wrong part?

Lisa Marie Presley died suddenly.  That's a shame.  In spite of her name, and her money, I don't think she had a very good life.  People expected her to be a singer, and she wasn't.  Her private life was  public fodder.  In most of the pictures of her being posted, she's not smiling, in many of them she looks like she's ready to punch you in the face.  I hope life is easier for her kids.

And, when I got home from work yesterday evening there was this big green dumpster sitting in front of my neighbor's house.  With her flashlight in hand, my neighbor from across the street was over picking through the trash.  She was surprised when I told her I wasn't over talking to the workmen, and seemed somewhat shocked when I told her I had absolutely no interest in anything that was in that house.  I've been in her house, it's a cluttered mess, and last night she was accumulating more garbage because it was free. 

And what about those documents they found in Biden's garage?  Conspiracy theories are already shooting like lightening across social media.  One of the funniest claims these classified papers were planted in order to keep him running for re-election in 2024.  Others are shrieking about the speed in which Garland named a special counsel.  Kids, I hate to tell you, but this was probably done to placate the Republican whiners.  The special counsel takes away a very large chunk of red meat they desperately want to feed to their base.

And now for something funny.  One of the rules Kev McCarthy accepted, stipulates that any single member of the House can file to have him removed.  This includes both parties.  There are vicious little rumors spreading that the Democrats are going to do this... probably more than once.  Honestly, I don't think the small minded Republican majority even considered this.  I do believe they saw this as a tool they alone could use to manipulate Kevin.  If it wasn't before, I do suspect that very shortly Kev's life is going to turn into a living hell. 

The Dirty Silver Lining

 Okay, so it's Tuesday and slept in again, and not because I stayed up late.  I wake up several times during the night.  I also have a headache, so maybe I have a little bug.  I don't get headaches that often.  

Every few days I go in and check the usage on my utilities.  My natural gas usage has gone up. The average temp for this time last year was 41 (F) and this year it's 37 (F), so that makes sense.  Electricity's lower, as is water.  Unfortunately, it seems as if every utility has had a rate increase, so while I'm saving $$$ I'm also spending more.

I've also ordered a Himalayan salt lamp for downstairs to serve as a night light since Biggie's sleeping down on the sofa now.  I know dogs eyes are better adapted to seeing in the dark than humans, still, it's pretty damn dark down there at night. 

Corporate is changing the software relating to our quote system.  Our measurement service has already been updated, we're not totally effected until Jan. 16.  The means our glitches have already begun.  One of my customer's quotes has disappeared completely in the new system.  In order for him to pay for his install, the IT desk had to build a new quote in the updated system.  The process ended up being rather time consuming, not a good thing when your customer is sitting next to waiting to pay.

When it comes to admitting I've been wrong, I have always been one of the first to accept the blame, and certain things I have been wrong.

It was wrong of me to believe that when it came to voting for the House rules and regulations package that at least 6 or possibly 7 Republicans would vote it down.  How naïve of me to think that large number of Republicans would have at lest a smidgen of values.  Wrong.  Only one Republican voted with the Democrats.  One of the dirty, silver lining for this is that McCarthy has shit himself into a corner.  The entire Republican party is now completely aligned with Trump, attached at the hip so to speak.

Another dirty silver lining is that any legislation they pass needs to be passed by the Senate, which is in the hands of the Democrats.  Because of this, so many things are untouchable for them.  Like the 87,000 IRS agents they despise; that change requires passage in both the House and the Senate.  

The fact that they ignored subpoena for the past 2 years is another dirty, silver lining.  Those dumb asses set a precedent.  And, when their legislations and their subpoenas fail, they will turn on McCarthy, vote him out, and their shit show will repeat itself.

Finally, I watched portions of McCarthy's acceptance speech and was seriously unimpressed.  Am I the only one who thought he sounded like a demented Mr. Rogers talking to a crowd of severely autistic children?

It's all in the Numbers

 Hello Saturday.  The temps outside are a cool 36 (F), and there is snow in the forecast for tomorrow.  The prediction is for about 2.5 inches.  That will be fine.  An easy shovel.  The long range forecast for for temps to stay around the same.  That's fine with me.  

My TV is fixed.  Not in a mechanical way, there was nothing wrong with the hardware.  Thinking there might have been an update that I didn't get, I spent some time on the internet yesterday morning researching why it was only connecting for Netflix.  On the Sony website, I clicked on Chat and shortly there after was talking to Steve.  He asked if he could remotely access my 7 year old TV and I told him he could.  About 10 minutes later the problem was corrected.  I watched what he did, so now, should this ever happen again, I know how to fix it.

I ordered a dog bed for Biggie since he no longer seems to like sleeping on the big bed.  It arrives today.  We shall see if it was worth it.

I saw this and had to laugh.  If you're praying to your deity for assistance in getting Kevin McCarthy elected as Speaker of the House, and it still takes 6 more votes, you're getting an obvious message from your deity, and it's not one that you probably want to hear.

And what about Kev McCarthy finally nabbing victory on the 15th vote?  I watched a short video, sound off.  I'm giving him 7, possibly 8 months.  All it takes is 1 member of the House to object to his performance.  At one point is was 5 members, then he made a concession and dropped it to 4, but in the end, his desperation forced him to accept 1.  Nothing will be accomplished, except for a number investigations into Hunter Biden's laptop.

George Santos was sworn in.  I'm giving him 2 to 3 months before he's arrested, or extradited.  Republicans are already discussing who they want to fill his seat once it's vacated.  I'm betting that since there's a Democratic governor, and the district Santos represents has for quite some time been Democratic, he will be replaced his Democratic challenger, the one who barely lost the election.

Finally, I have to touch on Matty Schlapp and his wandering hands, no doubt he just wanted to reach out for a lost member... of his flock.  I actually listened to the sound bite of the complaint.  Matty had been drinking.  So, is this devout Christian going to say he was drunk?  His victim is trying to sound traumatized, even though he chose to not say "no."  If he was truly unhappy about the unwanted advances, he should have just slapped Schlapp, instead he chose to make a public complaint.  I suspect this story might have legs.

A Joyful Noise

 Looking out the window of my computer / workout room, I can see the sun reflecting off the Susquehanna River.  Yes, I am that close.  No more than 3/4 of a mile away.  Being on a high hill has its advantages.  I tell people that when I finally sell my house, it's going to happen in the winter, when I can see traffic moving down Front Street.  That's on the west shore.

All I did was work on the book yesterday.  

Oh, and I took a ride in California through the redwood forests.  I'm so glad Tacx has started including rides in the United States.  Japanese rides are also now included in the package.  I did resubscribe for another year.

And I had mentioned before that I thought Biggie's potty breaks might not be as necessary as they seemed to be, well, I was right.  Instead of getting up every time he jumps off the bed to let him out, I've been letting him wander.  I don't think he's pleased that biscuits are no longer involved.  No more midnight snacks.  Sometimes he comes back on the bed, other times he doesn't.  Last night he slept for a couple hours in the computer / workout room.  Eventually, he moved downstairs to the sofa in the writing room.  He can sleep where ever he wants.

And then there's this:

Can you hear me laughing now?

McCarthy keeps making concessions to the insurrectionists without understand that's not what they want.  The man's an idiot.  And a weasel.  And spineless.  I don't think he understands that one of the goals here is to humiliate him straight to Hell.

Yesterday, while Scott Perry was speaking, someone shouted "order for the traitor."  Had I been in a theater, I'd have been rolling in the aisles.  At one point afterwards, I believe, he was caught on camera yelling that this whole thing was bullshit.  As a reminder, Perry was the one pushing a YouTube video about Italian satellites switching votes from Trump to Biden.

Personally, I'm saying more power to these 20 asswipes.  I can't think of a better way to sabotage the 2024 elections.

John Boehner, who was forced out of the Speaker position by the American Freedom Caucus, has said they actually have no true agenda, their main goal is to 'kick as much sand as possible into the gears, hoping to break the government.'  That sounds about right.

No matter what they want, the destruction they're causing to the Republican party is tremendous, so, let's stand back and make a joyful noise!

Biggie farts

 So, wouldn't you know it?  I'm off for 2 days and the weather is crap, misty, drizzly, and the occasional heavy downpour.  We had fog warnings letting us know the fog was dense with poor visibility.  Today, I have to work, and the sun is out.  The temps are supposed to climb into the low 50s (F).  Not that I was planning a lot of yard work, other than the regular poop patrol, but I do tend to get more done on sunny days.

I did manage to bake 2 loaves of rye bread yesterday.  Tasty.  And I baked them the old fashioned way, kneading by hand, letting them rise, and baking them in the oven.  The bread machine is nice, but I'm sure the electric heating element suck down the KW.  Natural gas is cheaper for me than electricity and using the oven rather than the machine saved me almost 3/4 KW.  Now, that doesn't sound like much, but that adds up when you look at how much bread I bake.

Funny story about Biggie at the Vet:  I'm sitting alone in the examination room waiting for them to bring him back from his blood draw, when hear the assistant say, "oh, he just farted," followed by her making a disagreeable sound.  When she brought him back into the room, she told me he farted.  My response: "that's why I burn candles."  As my sister says, whether he wants to or not, Biggie has no problems clearing a room.

I'm wearing one of my paint shirts today.  Can anybody guess what I leaned against?

So, Britney Griner has been released from a Russian prison.  An exchange has been arranged.  Griner for a Russian bad guy who deals in arms dealer.  Call me cynical, but I'm betting he was the reason she was arrested in the first place.  Note to Americans, when working, or even just visiting a foreign country that has hostile ambitions towards the United States, don't do anything stupid.  Leave the hash, and the hash oil at home, unless being used by a dictator is on your Bingo card.

A few more documents have turned up at a storage unit rented by the Orange Anus.  I'm betting he has them tucked away in many, many hidey holes.

And finally, the fight to be Speaker of the House is going to get very messy.  McCarthy is promising heaven and earth to everybody and anybody in hopes of getting their votes.  Rep. Andy Biggs, he leads the American Freedom Caucus (which is bent upon an authoritarian government) also wants the position.  And then there are the Centrist Republicans who realize that either Biggs or McCarthy would lead the party into ruination.  For those who don't know, this is the Trump effect.  Destructive news to be updated regularly.

Venting

 So outside we have an overcast Sunday morning.  Rain is on the way.  Possibly a lot.  The swath of moisture moving up from the south appears to be massive.  Though, we know from experience all of that green on the map may end up being nothing more shits and dribbles, a misty, drizzly blanket which makes this damp and uncomfortable.

My 6 hours at work yesterday was tolerable.  I got a sale, which one of my associates processed, and a hardwood flooring measure that I sold just before then end of my shift.  The store did serve hot dogs to the associates all day.  They're doing the same thing today.  There are those who snub their noses at hot dogs, not me, and there are also hot dog snobs, those people who believe the only topping should be mustard.  I worked with a woman like that, back during my Marriott days.  For her, any other topping, whether it be cheese, or onions, or relish, or sauerkraut, or ketchup, was a sacrilege.   At work, they have a cornucopia of toppings; even chili dogs can be the dog of the day.

Tomorrow the drywall patching of my ceiling should be complete.  I'm nearly ecstatic.  I can finally put things back where they belong.

I ordered an indoor vent kit for my dryer.  This is way less expensive then paying someone to lean a ladder up against the back of my house in order to cut a hole in the wall. 

Early voting has started in the Georgia run-off.  Republicans hate this.  Their idea of a fair elections restrict the times and places Americans can vote.  They believe such limitations decrease Democratic turn out.  This has been proven wrong time and time again.  In their tiny minds long lines lead to Democrats choosing not to wait, deciding not to vote, and simply shrugging off the election.  Every election has proven that these beliefs are fallacies.  Democrats have no problem waiting in line to voice their opinion.  Republicans will never understand this, to do so would me that they are wrong, and how in hell could that be true.

And, of course, there's another vote that's being tracked besides the one in Georgia.  Who is going to be the Speaker of the House?  Kev McCarthy is so desperate to be in charge, he kissed Donald Trump's... well, let's just say his ring, keeping in mind there are many kinds of rings on the human body.  I'm betting that Kev is shitting in his pants right now.  But then he does represent the Republican party, so I'd say quite a number of them are privately saying "oh, shit."  And what happens if Kev doesn't become Speaker of the House?  Will Trump start swinging his sledge hammer?  Or, will he quietly vent on Truth Social?  I'm doubting that will never happen.

The National Humanitarian Award

 The new week has arrived!  For those impressed by such things, this will be our first full week of Autumn.  The temps are cool at night, but during the day they're forecasted to climb up into the upper 60s (F).  That's fine.  Soon the leaves will be changing colors as they prep to fall from the trees.  This means, at some point, I'll be posting a picture of my golden ginkgo.  

Lunch was fun with my friend Betsy.  We talked quite a bit about politics, and then more politics, and then a bit about The Body Under Ice, about how gossip, in itself, is almost a character in the new book.

My neighbor's lawn is looking more and more like a field.  They have a problem, I suspect, that being they've decided to sell the house 'as is.'  They have a contract a potential buyer would need to sign excluding them from anything and everything.  I haven't seen it, but my neighbor across the street has, (his mother's a real estate agent), and he pulled out of the deal.  I gather the contract implies there are major problems, meaning even a house flipper is going to wait until their asking price hits rock bottom.

President Biden honored Sir Elton John with an award this weekend.  The National Humanitarian Medal.  Good for Elton.  I will admit that watching this clip did bring a tear to my eye.

Not a lot happened this past weekend in the political arena.  On Friday, the House GOP revealed a veiled commitment to... well, nothing.  E. J. Dionne, as well as many others have called it horseshit (my word).  They listed a Republican laundry list of what they claimed were problems without providing a single clue as to how they were going to solve them.  This really was nothing more than empty bluster.  How do I know?  They did it on a Friday.  Politicians, in particular, prefer to have bad news released on Friday because they know the weekend tends to dilute the issues.  You don't release good news on Fridays, that happens on a Monday when the news cycle has 5 full days to glorify it.  These Republican dumb shits knew this was going to go over as well as a soggy pancake with everyone except their MAGA base.

Finally, because on 64% of all the Italians eligible to vote actually did vote, the country now has a female version of Donald Trump.  From what I know of Italian politics, that's not going to last too long.