Cutting 34 pages

Tuesday.  Again the weather is moderately warm.  The temp was 40 (F), when I left Lily out for her morning pee.  She's back on the bed now.  For those who don't know, 10 year-old dogs sleep quite a bit.  Not that I don't, bit some times it's in spurts.  Some nights I'll get over 7 hours of sleep, other nights just over 5 hours, and I don't take a lot of naps when my sleep is short.  Interesting.

Yesterday was soooo boring at the store.  I did manage to get 2 carpet measures, which should keep management happy.  There is some sort of contest going on where you get a ticket every time you get a measure, however, I don't have as many tickets as I do measures because not every manager gives them out.  Not that I'm concerned.  If I were full time, perhaps, but it isn't, and this week my hours are really short, only 16.  I work again until Sunday, which is fine with me.  

Just think, Christmas is less than 3 weeks away.  A few bones will make Lily a nice present.  Dogs are so easy when it comes to buying presents.  I stopped off at my local Giant supermarket last evening on the way home for a bottle of wine, and the woman behind the counter was using her phone to order presents for her daughter.  We had a nice discussion about how popular online shopping had become.  That's about the only way I shop now-a-days, but then I was never one who enjoyed shopping.  When I did shop, it was always for one specific item.  I hate browsing.  It has absolutely no appeal to me.  

I uploaded another video to YouTube since The Body In Motion is approaching completion.  It's about the editing process, and about the cuts all authors have to make when writing.  No matter how much those words may mean to you, sometimes they just have to go.

I understand Maddie's buying Liz Cheney's book.  I hope she enjoys it.  I disagree with a lot of her opinions, but Liz, but Liz is far more aware of the the evil the Orange Anus and the destruction his re-election would bring to the United States.  A day doesn't go by that he doesn't spew out exactly how he'd use his hatred of Democracy in an attempt to make himself a dictator.  The warning signs are there.  Let's hope that enough Americans see and understand them.

Fallout

Can we have a hearty hello for Sunday?  The got down to a chilly 34 (F) last night.  Today's high is predicted to be in the low 60s (F), however, rain comes into the picture and the rest of the week the temps are suppose to be in the low to mid 70s (F).  It is that time of year when I begin to mow my leaves.

Well, I stepped on the scale this morning and had to almost physically stop myself from shrieking like a howler monkey.  I've evidently forgotten that I need to burn more calories than I ingest.  I'm blaming all the candy that's showing up at work.  Or, possibly, it's the chicken marsala; I've been cooking and eating a lot of that.

That being said, I'm going to be making pumpkin cheesecakes today.  This means I'll have to climb back into  the saddle and ride miles, and miles, and miles.  Tacx has started adding rides filmed in the US.  They have a really nice ride filmed up in Oregon.

3 more chapters to go until the first draft of The Body Under Ice is finished.  For those curious, I've already begun making notes on the next book, The Body in Motion (sounds intriguing, eh?).

As many of you know, I play video games.  While I really enjoy the Assassin's Creed series, most of you know my favorite game studio is Bethesda, based in, not surprisingly, Bethesda, Maryland.  Fallout, their most popular series is being made into a series for Amazon Prime.  I've already shared some pictures.  Well, Bethesda has dropped some more info.  Pictures and a video, to be precise.  The pic below is from Vault 33, located in California.  It was the clip, however, that got people excited.  

And finally, I saw that Liz Cheney's pac has started airing an ad attacking Kari Lake.  I like it.  Honestly, when I see Kari Lake, I see a woman so hungry for power she would have no problem sacrificing anything and everything to get it.  She is a rabid attack dog and nothing more.

 

We Call this a Veggie Tray

 Hello Wednesday, August 17.   We now have little over a month left of summer.  As Maddie noted on an earlier entry, the season has not been bad for us.  No scorching temps in the low 100s, (F) just a few days where they climbed into the upper 90s (F).  There were also a few days when the humidity was so sponge thick my T-shirts felt like clammy saran wrap draped over my shoulders every time I went outside.  But, other than that, the weather's been quite reasonable.  And lucky us, daily temps climbing into the low 100s (F) our not foreseen in our future, at least not for the 30 years.  However, a number of Republican held states do not appear to be so lucky.  

From the Washington Post

Yesterday was a day of accomplishments.  Grouting on the new tile surface in the kitchen was done, though not completed.  I need more grout.  Laundry was done.  Some yardwork was done.  I started a 5 hour walk through Pompeii; I had no idea the town was that large.  

And I resolved my issue with Rosetta Stone... somewhat.  Even though I have the discs I purchased some years ago, and even though Windows 11 has no problem running them, Rosetta Stone shut down the server my software.  Since my course is no longer functional, they gave me 3 free months.

I was sorry to see Liz Cheney lost her bid for reelection.  This was to be expected, however, since she's from a Cracker Jack Crazy Conservative state infatuated with authoritarianism. 

In PA, Oz is the brunt of oh so many jokes because he released a commercial in which he's shopping for veggies for a crudité tray.  The supermarket he is in is actually named Redners, yet he mispronounced it Regners, and his campaign aired the commercial.  Of course, Fetterman knows how to troll.

crudité?  We call this a veggie tray

So, you shouldn't be surprised to find out that the NRSC (National Republican Senate Committe) has pulled its funding for ads in PA.  Yepper, they're not going to buy ads for Oz.

And then there was Liz

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

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

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

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

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

The Train Wreck is a'commin'

 Let the new week begin!

Yesterday was so, so busy at the store.  Because of call-offs, though, I spent the last 3 hours of my shift as a cashier.  Thanks to my previous stints in management and HR, they paid dearly for that 180 minutes.  Not that I minded.  Thirteen years ago, as International Paper was on the verge of shutting down xpedx, its distributary branch, I began my career with the orange, home improvement retailer as a part-time cashier.

When I checked my email this morning, there was a notice from Dell that my Alienware computer, due to arrive on May 12, was shipping early.  The new arrival date is this Friday, April 15.  Now, isn't it a good thing I'm scheduled off?  Usually I end up going into work late, or calling off when ever a big ticket item is getting delivered.

And even though the editing is going full steam on The Body in Repose, I'm also working on The Body Under Ice.  There are a number of lyrics used in The Body in Repose because there were numerous situations where they fit in.  Such frequent occasions don't arise in the new book, though I'm fairly certain there's going to be a karaoke night at Hennepin's.  Now, if you've read some of my work, you probably know Max Sullivan can not dance.  He doesn't even come close to having a sense of rhythm.  But can he sing?  You'll have to wait until karaoke night at Hennepin's to find out.  And what might he happen to sing?  How about this little ditty?

And, of course, Liz Cheney dropped a little bomb yesterday.  I'm sure the January 6 committee has so much shit on Trump.  At least 2 charges might be sent to the DOJ.  Will they actually arrest him?  Probably not.  He will leave before that happens.  Next month the shit the committee has gathered will start to float to the surface.  Where as the Benghazi hearings were nothing more than red meat for the Republican base, Americans across the board will find these hearings fascinating.  People like to slow down when they pass an automobile accident; they want to catch a glimpse of the morbid, grizzly details.  These hearings are going to be a demoralizing train wreck for the GOP.  People are going to look at the corruption leading up to the insurrection, and scratching their heads, and saying 'you've got to be fucking kidding me.'

Not the time for lobbing hand grenades

 About those French Fries I cooked in the air fryer?  They were... okay.  The recipe called for 2 russet potatoes, well potatoes come in all sizes, so I there may have been too many fries in the fryer, and you're supposed to give them a shake halfway through cooking, and, well, I was feeding the dogs when the fryer beeped, so they may not have gotten the shaking they deserved.  I have a deep fryer, so maybe I'll just stick with that for the fries.

  Winter weather's moving eastward again, not for us here in Central PA.  We're going to get sleety ice instead of snow.  After that, if the two week forecast is even remotely correct, temperatures are going to be rising.  That'll be nice.  Right now, we have rain, which is doing a very good job of melting the ice still covering much of the yard.  Ice is bad for dogs, they don't know how to walk on it.

Even though yesterday was really a busy day, a load or two of laundry, Biggie was still tired last evening.  This is because all around me people were getting deliveries from UPS, and Fed Ex, and both Biggie and Lily love delivery drivers.  Every time a truck pulls up out front, they need to go outside and say hello.  Anyway, he was exhausted and decided to hit the futon early.

I saw this interesting article in CNN regard the January 6 Committee regarding the really big mistake the Republicans made.  Initially, the Cracker Jack Crazies thought they could create a big enough disruption by adding Jordan and Johnson to delegitimize the process.  Nope.  The committee wanted nothing to do with those liars.  The 2 Republicans on the committee chose not to bow down to Trump and lick is ass and so a majority of the party told them to screw off.  Now they have no one on the committee and Cheney and Kitzinger aren't telling them shit.  Ouch!  And a day doesn't go by when someone who knows what happened on January 6 isn't sitting there talking to them.   And by talking, I mean providing information; they realize the Republican party is the worst type of fair weather friend.

Releasing the dirt now would be damaging, but Americans have a short term memory problem.  Mid-terms aren't until November, and who knows what will happen between now and then.  Be patient.  Bannon's trial is set for late July, perfect timing for the mid-term elections.  People want Trump indicted now... too early to effect the mid-terms.  Indictments for his spawn might start dropping in July or August, or September.  Those are the months in which the hand grenades will have their most damaging effect. Now is not the time for lobbing hand grenades.

West Side Story

 Well, I have to say my appointment with the UPMC pain management doctor was pretty much of a bust.  I had to wait 40 minutes for him to show up, (I really hate to wait) and when he did there was no 'how are you? where does it hurt? what makes it hurt?'  Nope.  The first thing out of his mouth was "epidurals work for most people."  He almost allowed me to explain what I have been doing to help with the pain before repeating the bit about the epidurals.  Other forms of pain management never entered the conversation.  The appointment taught me quite a lot about how he practices medicine, as well as most of the patients he sees.  I'm supposed to have a follow up 'video' appointment which I will cancel, no use wasting the governments money on this yoyo's horseshit.

On the much brighter side, I went to see  West Side Story last evening.  The movie was very good.  Back when I was in college I had the pleasure of directing the Phi Mu Alpha production, so I'm quite familiar with the show.  This adaption works quite well.  I'm not a big fan of Ansel Elgort, but he hits all the high notes and the part of Tony can be an average tenor's nightmare.  In the original movie version, the song "Cool" was moved to after the rumble.  Singing a song about staying "Cool" after 2 murders just didn't work for me.  In the Spielberg version, as in the show, the song now proceeds the fight and works much better.

My opinion on why it didn't tear up the box office its opening weekend:  Not everybody wants to go see a movie with a sad ending after living through 2 years of a pandemic.  There was also the Kentucky tornado tragedy filling the airwaves.  I do think those had a big effect on the box office.  That being said, sitting in the audience last night, attendance was high, between 40 and 50 for a Tuesday night showing.  My friend turned to me and said, "Dave, there's a whole shit load of people here."  Honestly, I suspect this movie is going to have very long legs.

And, of course, the House of Representatives has found Mark Meadows in Contempt.  I don't know which is getting more press, that little tidbit, or Liz Cheney's reading of desperate texts from January 6.  There are some who are upset that this information isn't being released fast enough, let me remind them that timing is everything.  Some... well, let me rephrase that, quite a few Americans have long term memory issues: they can't remember in November what they heard and read a year earlier.  A big info drop might end up being useless.  Besides, isn't it fun to slowly add salt to the Republican wound?

Diving Deeper

 Holy Crap!  It's Tuesday!  Don't time fly.  Seems like only yesterday my weekend began, and now it' over. Still, I will admit to getting much more done then I had been expecting.  I even managed to get the lawn mowed.  This is the 2nd time I've mowed it during a drizzle.  And, let's be honest, it's not as though I need to worry about shrinking.  I was sanforized a long time ago.

Another loaf of wheat bread was baked yesterday, and once again it's delicious.

A few more aquarium plants are arriving today.  The rest of Baby's Breath is going to be tossed into the compost bin.  There was nothing in the description about the plant overwhelming a tank.  Nor was mention made of how that mass of teeny, tiny leaves gathered large amounts of uneaten fish food.  The last one I pulled out weighed in at 12 oz and was about the size of a basketball.  This one is almost as large.  Soon the fish will have more space to swim.

And I have lots of baby peaches!

And isn't that Liz Cheney a pistol!  One of my news feeds called her a pain in the GOP's side, they were being kind.  The far, ugly right hate her.  She's refusing to bow down and worship the sphincter of Loser #45.  Don't be confused, however, she's not speaking on behalf of Centrists, and Independents , and least of all Democrats.  Nope.  She is the voice of that 9% of Republicans who broke away the Insurrectionists.  Without those votes, while they might win local elections, they'll never get into the Big House...again, and that sets their butts on fire.  Ouchy.

Oh, and one of the things trending on Reddit this morning was "Josh Hawley is Pro-Hate Crime."  This is a party that's in a pond of deep shit, and instead of trying to get out, their simply diving deeper.  

Cheap Republicans

 Okay, so I assembled my new computer desk yesterday... in only 4 hours.  I had anticipated 2 maybe, however that was before I realized you needed to use a tiny allen wrench to tighten every screw.  

The tiny wrench and one of the 2 inch screws

No fast screwing here.  The keyboard tray was not installed because, following the instructions, when it's in place there's no way to tighten the locks holding the desktop in place.  Of course, I now realize I don't need the tray, the shelf works simply fine.  This is what you get when you choose to purchase a piece of  'inexpensive' furniture.  The simple truth is not to believe you're going to get quality when you go cheap.  Those who think 'cheap' is good lie to themselves.  Time will only continue to make the inexpensive less valuable.

I was planning on a ride or run yesterday, sadly neither happened because it took so long to put together my new desk.  I did make some meatballs for a soup I'm making in the new Instant Pot.  Three minutes cooking time.  Now, that's nice.  

Evidently there was some sort of on camera brush-up between McCarthy and Cheney in regard to our failed president speaking at CPAC and his future involvement with the party of failures.  I didn't watch any of the clips, but plenty of people were talking about it.  There is so much seething anger within that party.  Seriously.  You see, like their one time president, they have continuously told themselves they were winners.  This is why so many of them believe the Big Lie.  In their minds, if the Big Lie was truth, then they are not only losers, they are extreme failures.  This is why many of them will take their belief in the Big Lie to their deathbeds.  To believe otherwise is crushing.  Like inexpensive furniture, you get what you pay for and not much else.   

Beyond the Blue Dwarf

My shoulder's a little sore from my shot and I was tired, but otherwise there have been no side effects.  I did take a picture of my vaccination card to post, but then I read that doing so is a bad idea, you're giving the world too much information and identity thieves just love that.

The last of my fire guramis died.  The rest of the fist in the tank are fine, it's just the guramis I've had problems with.  Out of the 6 I initially purchased, only 1 is still living, the blue dwarf.  Oh, wait, that almost sounds like a code name, doesn't it or something from a sci-fi fantasy.  "Seek out the Blue Dwarf, he has the answers..."  Being the curious sort, I Googled it and discovered there are quite a few images for blue dwarf, including this... a penny dreadful.  The curious mind is a great thing!

I saw where Amy Coma Burnett authored the decision last week saying California churches could open in spite of the the Covid Pandemic.  I thought it was a terrible mistake, but evidently some of the Cracker Jack Crazies are upset because they feel she didn't go far enough.  I suspect they will find out Amy's more concerned about her reputation as an individual conservative voice then about being their puppet.

Of course, Conservatives in general do not understand that January 6 has changed everything.  Some do.  Lis Cheney does. She is all too well aware that the events of that day are going to haunt them for years.  So many of them are closing their eyes and stoppering their ears to the fact that major investigations are going on, investigations which are going to have serious repercussions.  But then they deserve it, don't they?

As evidence, look at what the Hachette Book Group has done: fired their Editorial Director.  If you had a wacko cracko conservative book you wanted published, like Donnie Jr, and everybody was rejecting you, Hachette was the place to go.  Not any more.  They are no longer publishing books with hate speech.  Now tell me, how many conservatives can even survive without hate speech.  Their writing has become less insightful and more inciteful.  Where's a hater going to go to get their anger published?  Well, definitely not Hachette.

Both Sides of their Mouth

 Well, the snow is beginning to melt.  While cold weather is in the forecast, there are no new storms heading my way.  Overall, this winter has been snowier and colder than last, but not by much.  One decent snow storm, which lasted over 2 days, dropped more snow then we had all of last winter.  Precipitation for the next 2 weeks though looks spotty at best.  

UGI is stopping by this morning to change up something on my meter.  Supposedly, this will make it easier to read.  I can remember when they sent someone by every month to read it, but that was a long time ago.  I haven't seen the actual face of a meter reader in years.

I got a notice on Facebook that one of my cousins is 75 today.  Son of a bitch!!  I had no idea she was that old.  I guess that means I'm no spring chicken either.

Cori handed off the cover art for The Body in the Loch.  Here's a tease.  You do know, I really do like to tease, don't you?  I've started working through the final draft.  

I saw that the failed Republican Party had some sort of late night coffee klatch where the fascist blonde Marjorie, speaking from both sides of her mouth, apologized for her past incendiary remarks.  She's a Q Quack Pot, so you know she's lying.  They also did not reprimand the other bottle blonde Liz for voting to impeach the Trump, of course they had to vote by secret ballot to save her authority.  Reuters details how the GOP is paralyzed by indecision.  They don't see how they can win any elections by pissing off the crazy base, but neither can they see winning any election by not appeasing the moderates.  In other words, they've screwed themselves.  Rather than take a solid stand, they regurgitate spineless word salads about election integrity without providing anything even remotely substantial regarding voter fraud.  Evidently neither side of their splitting party is happy with their inability to make a stand. As they article says, they want to have their cake and eat it too.  But then this is so normal for a party that celebrates liars and conspiracy theorists, and because of this, it maybe a long, long time before they begin to win elections again.