When you hit middle age you really only have two choices: you can get fat and lazy until you roll over and die, or you can can get off your ass and do something, like maybe ride a bike.
Bluntness
I've also been told I have little tact, so if this offends you simply ride on.
We've got 13 (F) outside and our high today is only expected to be about 6 degrees warmer. We are under a cold weather cold and wind advisory throughout the day tomorrow. Bitter cold is upon us again, but only for a day. A friend sent me a video of a local weatherman saying, "this time it's only going to last for one day, not 8 or 9 days." We are 17 days into an approximately 90 day season. My response was that there is warmth at the end of the tunnel.
Yesterday was supposed to be a cardio day. It wasn't. I do believe this is part of the winter doldrums, a time when I simply don't exercise. I probably shouldn't have paused my Trainwell subscription, and plan to start it back up in 2 to 3 weeks. Today's machine day. That I like. Growing muscle is always a good thing.
And I am watching Fallout on Prime. Fallout New Vegas is considered the best game in the series, and this season they are in New Vegas. Some of the set designs are straight from the game. One of the most enigmatic characters of the game is Mr. House and in the series he's played by Justin Theroux. In this series, he sports a moustache and does not run around in revealing sweat pants.
I also made moussaka for dinner. Since it's quite tasty, it's something I'll make again, though I'll cut down on the liquid ingredients.
Orange spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast yesterday and his hateful dementia came bubbling over when he said no person of Faith could vote for a Democrat. Yes sir! he's going to turn Christian against Christian. I've seen comments about him being the anti-Christ. Sorry, I'm not buying into that hokey pokey BS. He is pure evil, though.
Fascinating, is it, that so many other countries are beginning to investigate Epstein and his connections with men of power in their own countries, while the United States subpoenas the Clintons. Nobody else. This is rapidly become a global scandal and the Republicans in this country want to do what they've always done, try and deflect by kicking a dead horse. It's pathetic when you think that the best idea rattling around in the petty, little brains is to subpoena Bill and Hillary. Of course, they have to ignore so many people, because investigations into Thiel, or Musk would reveal the Republican core of corruption. While other countries are asking serious questions, our Republican Congress wants to give them a safe haven. They don't seem to understand that many Americans are watching them and assessing their evil intentions. Republicans are so blinded by their lies they don't see truth is coming towards them at Mach speed.
I'm pleased to say that our temperature has gone up one full degree since I got out of bed this morning. Right now we are sitting at a very, very chill 13 (F). My furnace is running. In three days we're supposed to be back up in the 40s (F), but only briefly. The forecast is for our temps to drop again. One of the weather headlines blurted out that we are experiencing a polar plunge, which, I suppose, is slightly different than an arctic freeze... perhaps.
I did work yesterday. And I got a measure. That should make management happy. I also got to meet our new, full-time closing flooring specialist. Isaiah. While he has carpet experience, he also seems to have worked with 2D and 3D animation and got quite excited when I told him I'd downloaded Blender thinking that I might intro the next book with a bit of animation. Of course, having worked in Human Resources, I'm well aware how often first impressions can be skewed.
And I also stepped on the scale yesterday. Wowza. I need to cut back on my caloric intake. Squats have been non-existent from my workout since I paused Trainwell' they need to return quickly.
I also signed up for a year of Duolingo just to study Norwegian. It's a lot less expensive than Babel.
This is, I suppose, partly apropos since the Orange Anus is in Davos claiming that Norway, the country, controls the Nobel Peace Prize. This man is so stupid. It's frightening to know that there is a political party in the United States that stands behind his insanity. They rationalize his dementia by saying things like "he's always been like this." That, in itself, is a lie. Orange is now cringe crazy. He is only going to get worse. Foolish voters believed his lies that he was going to help the economy, that isn't happening. American consumers paid for 96% of Orangie's tariffs. Those increased prices are not going to go down. For that to happen, billionaires would need to take a voluntary cut in pay. That's not going to happen! One thing that is really telling is that 64% of Republicans would have no problem with the United States buying Greenland. Do they not understand that their taxes would be paying for this, not the billionaires who hope to reap the rewards of the rare earths located there? Sadly, I have to believe that Republicans are all that stupid, and they have managed to get themselves into a position of power that will only destroy them in the end.
New week, new forecast! Our outside temp is in the upper teens (F), which is cold. We are expected to climb above freezing today, but that's not going to happen tomorrow. As long as my furnace is running efficiently, I don't mind the cold. I don't mind going outside. When I do, I always end up thinking briefly about what things were like 200 years ago. Their winters were just as cold before people had the luxury of insulating fabrics. A good, expensive coat, would have been made of wool, a cheap one cotton. Even though we still bundle up, todays bundling doesn't make us look 50 pounds heavier. In general, people were on the heavier side because nothing beats a good insulating layer of fat.
Yesterday was slow at the store. I did learn through a phone conversation with a customer that we have a serious issue. Corporate really likes to see our installs for us, however, they don't check the details, and because of this they sold an install that was not ready to be sold. The customer had her entire house measured and had chosen a carpet, however, she wanted vinyl in her kitchen and foyer. She told corporate this on 1/12 and no one removed the kitchen and foyer from the quote. On 1/13 corporate sold her the install with carpet still going into the kitchen and foyer. Yesterday, she called with the vinyl planks she wanted installed, however, her quote is now closed, sold and paid in full... for carpet in the kitchen and the foyer. Not only did they sell her too much carpet, it's been cut and shipped, and is now with the installer. Ouch.
I watched Plainclothes on Mubi, (you can also rent the movie on Apple +). Listed as a romantic thriller, Plainclothes tells the story of a young police officer who's job is to lure unsuspecting gay men into restrooms where the police will arrest them... until he develops a crush on one of his targets. While it does get intense towards the end, I say this is more of a psychological drama. While Russell Tovey is good, Tome Blyth as the young police officer is amazing.
And saw that the Orange Anus is evidently threatening Norway because they didn't give him the Nobel Peace Prize. Holy Crap! He sent them a letter. Maybe I should have said Holy Shit instead. The more his dementia grows, the worse things get for the Republican party. And they simply can not do anything to stop him. The instant they do that, their house of cards will fall apart. They have been so desperate for power for so long, they stopped caring about who was leading their party years ago. If I were a devout Christian, I say he is without a doubt a Spawn of Satan. I'm not, so I'll just say that Orangie epitomizes pure evil. He's going to the Economic Summit in Davos this week, or at least that's on his schedule. Those leaders are not going to welcome him. This will be unpleasant for Orangie. He is unable to deal with rejection. I do not doubt he will leave soon after he arrives. With a little luck, maybe he'll stroke out on the flight back to Mar a Lago.
We had another 39 (F) morning. We seem to be locked into temps in which are daily highs are in the upper 50s (F) and nightly lows are down in the upper 30s (F). This pattern seems to be holding tight, even when rain is predicted. Finally, the leaves on the trees are beginning to turn colors.
And yesterday wasn't a bad day. I drove down to Lebanon to get my flu shot. The covid vaccine is scheduled for the day before my birthday. I could have sat and waited, but chose not to. I don't mind the drive. I think. Believe me when I tell you I like to think, probably because I know so many who simply don't.
My stiff back started disappearing around noon and was totally gone by the time I took my ride in Sotra, Norway. So far I've ridden 21.54 miles this week with a ride in Canada and one in Norway. Both have hills higher than I've been tackling before. This is a good thing for my legs. I'm moving out of my comfort zone of long, flat, easy rides. This is a good thing.
And the Toronto Blue Jays womped the hell out of the Los Angeles Dodgers last night. Not only did they beat the American team, they had the audacity to mock the Orange Anus by playing that commercial with Ronnie Reagan shitting on tariffs.
And you know how much the Orange Asshole hates losers. I'm surprised he hasn't sent ICE out to take any of the Latino players into custody until they prove they're really Americans. Isn't it amazing how sometimes losing can seem so right? So, can anybody tell me if we're going to be having Tacos for lunch?
He's also decided to send an air craft carrier into the Caribbean. Usually America uses a show of force against countries that might be considered serious threats, like China. We do all sorts of things to piss them off. But Venezuela. Give me a break. Or better yet, give Petey Hegseth a break, arm or leg, it doesn't really matter. Rumors are that Petey will be out by the end of the year. If that happens, do no expect him to be replaced with someone who is better qualified. Qualifications are not a requirement.
Work 1 day, and then off for 6. That's my schedule beginning today. I'm happy with that. The weather is supposed to be rather unimpressive: tomorrow and Monday temps will be in the mid to upper 70s (F), but then there will be storms again and the temps will drop.
Yesterday, I rode over 11 miles in Norway, along a fjord. Very Nice! Today, prior to work, there will be a fast walk on the treadmill. That's all I will ever do, fast walks, 3.3 - 3.6 miles per hour. I will never break into a jog, or sprint. That's running. I ran when I was in college. I really hate running. I have a friend who runs over 100 miles per week. He goes into the zone. I was never able to hit the zone, mostly because the one thought racing around my mind was "I hate this shit."
I made it toasted cheese sandwich for lunch yesterday, not tomato soup, though. Still, it was tasty as hell.
One of the writers for Newsweek, Jeffrey Toobin, said yesterday that DeSantis was going to win his war with Disney. Y'all remember Jeff? He also writes for the Murdoch owned New York Post? He's also the guy who was put on leave by CNN for playing with himself during a Zoom call. People on that call got to see a little jerkin'. Anyway, Jeff's preachin' that America is fed up Liberal values being shoved down their throats. He evidently has no problem with those on the right shoving their conservative values down America's throat. Like so many people in this country, Jeff doesn't understand that America is Centrist. The culture wars being brought by the Ultraright are an attack on that Centrist position. They are attempting to shift America into a Socially Conservative Zone they can dominate. I really think that what Jeff needs to do is to give up his day job, and go back to simply playing with himself.
Well, I guess anybody who has access to the Internet now knows that the Idiot Jerk in the White House listed a number of 'shithole' countries yesterday. I doubt very much if I'm the only one who realized the residents of all of those countries are either black or Latino. Of course, his comments left a lot of conservatives scrambling. Let's face it, aging, white Republicans desperately don't want to be seen as racist, and his comments definitely drop his supporters into that... shithole. This is also a really big problem for Social Conservatives, when the scumbag they praise describes third world nations as 'shitholes.' Evidently he also asked why we couldn't get more immigrants from Norway.
Someone should tell the Idiot Jerk that we already do get immigrants from Norway.
Today the Idiot Jerk is denying his language - something he should have done yesterday didn't. Does anybody believe him? Well, I suspect his every shrinking base will shudder to his defense mostly because his comments make them look like racist pigs as well.
By the way, in 7 days the government will shut down.
Oh, and another funny thing I saw. Remember when the Idiot Jerk bragged about saving all of the Carrier jobs? Well, it seems that was another lie. Looks like Carrier is still moving it work force to Mexico. Wait a minute... wasn't, didn't Carrier get some sort of weird tax credit to keep those jobs in the state? And aren't they going to benefit from the Republican Tax overhaul? Someone needs to tell the Idiot Jerk that those bad hombres he keeps shrieking about might just be living in Indiana. Maybe we should build a wall around the Carrier plant just to keep the jobs there.
