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.
Friday has arrived and the forecast is for cloudy skies with the possibility of showers. Temps should climb into the low 50s (F), which isn't bad if you're trying to save money on your heating bill. I'm on the UGI budget plan and I'm heading into December with a credit on my account because the days have been so warm. No heavy heating so far this year.
Yesterday Lily and I finished off the cake and ice cream. That little old lady loves ice cream, French Vanilla. Her Chewy food order will be delivered today. Besides the canned food she loves, her Cosequin is also in the order; a supplement that helps with her joints. She's been getting 2 every day for years. I don't know if it helps or not, but she looks forward to those 2 faux chocolate treats every morning.
Supposedly my "ticket" has been escalated in regards to Starfield. At this point, I don't know what they can do to help. With only 5 save slots, and with no way off the ship, I'm pretty much screwed. Losing 28 Levels and over 70+ hours of gameplay because one of my files got corrupted sucks. Normally using Quicksave is a way to help you get through difficult situations, however for me it seems to have turned out to be a curse.
And here it is, November 10, and I still have roses here in Central PA.
Yesterday Joe Manchin notified the world that he was not going to run for re-election. For those who don't know, Manchin is a 76 year old, faux Democrat from West Virginia. Rumors are that he wants to run against Biden for the Democrat nomination. He claims to be a Centrist, though votes Conservative most of the time, and... did I mention that he's 76 years old. Crimeny! He evidently doesn't pay attention to current complaints about old, and older candidates. Some think he's going to run to ensure Trump wins the election and Republicans take control of the government again. That would suit Manchin because he's wealthy and we all know that greed is at the heart of all Conservative politics. Their agenda is always geared around enriching themselves.
Well, this should come as no surprise to anyone. It's raining. Again. Yesterday, which was supposed to be warm and humid, you'll notice I'm saying warm, not hot, since the temps were only supposed to go into the low 90s (F), we got rain. We had a lot of rain. Downpours, and they turned into on again, off again showers. If things dry out enough, I'm mowing my lawn tomorrow.
I'm having Brussel sprouts for breakfast because they're chunky with Vitamin C and because I opened the refrigerator door and thought, 'damn, I'd better eat those before they go bad.' Keep in mind, your stomach has no idea what time it is.
Business was slow at the store yesterday, though I did manage to get 2 measures. One is for a tile job. Tile is an expensive installation. Tile is considered an asset to the value of your home, though it doesn't nearly increase the value as hardwood. Most of us know the true value of hard wood.
With all the depressing horse shit going on, I figured I'd post a little video of Sir Paul McCartney, at 79 years of age, performing Band on the Run. Let me repeat his age for those of you who know nothing about aging, he's 79. I love this song. I'm so glad I was able to see him perform this live when he played in Hershey, PA.
I saw that there were protests yesterday, mostly peaceful. There were some gunshots fired at Pride events in both San Francisco and in New York, I believe, and there's not loud indication that bias was pulling the triggers. A number of Pride events became anti-abortion quietly controlled anti-abortion protests. The Cracker Jack Crazies Christians, and their enablers on Fox News had been broadcasting about the approaching violence from liberal extremists. Instead, there was quietude. Intelligent conservatives have begun to mutter this lack of an intense outburst portends to something far worse, the worst trouncing they've ever received at the ballot box.
American will never rid itself of conservatives, so they need to be marginalized, constantly on the run. This begins with local elections. Electing enough Democrat senators to codify Roe v Wade, same sex marriage, and the right to contraceptives will never be enough as long as Clarence Thomas continues to try and prove that he is the strongest, whitest, conservative on the Supreme Court. Red states need to be turned blue. Laws will need to be passed to protect our rights. This needs to be started now, this November. Since the court has said this is up to the states, we need to take back control of the states. We also need to keep a majority in both the House and Senate in order to begin fixing this radically, extremist court that Trump built. Right now, whether the GOP realizes it or not, they're standing still. The time has come for us to light a fire under their asses so we can see how fast and how far they run away.
Okay, so yesterday I added water and cleaned the fish tank. The cleaning bit wasn't supposed to be difficult, just scoop out floating plant debris, and wouldn't you know it, the second I stuck the net in the water 3 fish swam directly into it. In fact, they kept swimming into it. So, it took a little longer than I had been expecting. Dumb fish.
And, of course, there Kamala. She's a big problem for the White Republican Party. They were prepared to issue mini-attacks, but then there were prepared for just about any person Biden might choose. Pence uttered some sort of nonsense about seeing her at the debate. Duh. She was chosen for a number of reasons, one being her aggressive, prosecutorial style she had already demonstrated in debates. There will be a low, rumbling roar as white Evangelicals drop to their knees in prayer as she fillets his words and actions. Mike, the android man, will lie, and she will call him on it. As far as the White Republicans are concerned, this was the worst choice Biden could make. Kamala's aggressive. She will bullet point every one of their shit stained lies.
And that's not the only problem White Republicans face; there's a serious decline in Conservatives, or a least those who identify as Conservatives. Remember Dave's axiom: A popular president can move the country to either the left or the right, an unpopular president will always move it in the opposite direction. The Idiot Jerk in the White House proves daily that Conservatives are selfish, self-centered, and ugly as hell. No matter how desperate they are, they will not be able to force their will upon the American People. They do not understand they are are feeding their own defeat.
Anyway, it's Wednesday. I'm about halfway through my vacation and I've already finished most of the chores I wanted to get done. One of the things I did was order a new waffle iron, actually it's a combo type thing, waffles, sandwiches, you name it. That should be arriving tomorrow. I can't wait. Just as I can't wait to see if Biden's VP pick gives him a bit of a boost in the polls. I wouldn't be surprised if he goes up another point or two.
Well, I got out of bed at my standard 0445 this morning. This is how life is for me. I'm a morning person. I like to get things done as early as possible so I have the rest of the day to do what I want. Managing your time is important, it is yours after all. True, you have to give some to your employer in order to get a paycheck, but after those 8 hours are done it all 'your time' to spend as you wish.
I'm going to spend some of my time this morning by driving into Staples - I need some small tablets for making my grocery lists. A walk with the dogs is also planned; early though, because of the heat. Yes, it's still hot here, at least for today. There is a 60% chance of thunderstorms. Tomorrow the temps are supposed to only get into the low 80's (F). Hopefully the hottest part of summer is over. Just think, thanks to global warming, every summer will be getting warmer.
Yesterday, as I was walking down the stairs, I caught a glimpse of both dogs sitting on the futon in the living room. Since I had my phone with me, I snapped a picture.
And, of course, for those of you who haven't realized it yet, those Executive Orders by the Idiot Jerk in the White to help benefit the (cough, cough) common man, were really designed to give him a boost in the polls. It isn't going to work. Believe it or not, most Americans have already made their minds up on how they're going to vote this November. That, too, should not come as a surprise to you. That decision began to solidify almost 4 years ago, when an electoral win put him into the White House. The Second Republicans started saying "shut up, we're in charge," votes were already being set in concrete. Rather than move to the center, they hardlined to the Right, all the while saying "we have the majority in the House and Senate." Their inability to understand America, their need to force their Conservative will onto a Centrist country, is the reason the lost the House in 2018. That lost was a real eyeopener for them. America was not going to sit back and swallow their hatred. They knew back then that the odds of the Idiot Jerk surviving into a 2nd term were shrinking daily. And so they buckled down on tearing apart Centrist America believing all their changes were going to be permanent. They don't understand. Everything they've put in place is going to be swept away.
So, what's on your agenda for today, Thursday, August 6? I'm going to go to work.
I found out yesterday that the Specialist who's transferring to North Carolina will be moving down on August 22. Wow. I might have the joy of working with him for 8 of those 15 remaining days... doubt it. He's going to be taking some time off between now and then... The great orange home improvement retailer I work for gave those of us over 65 six weeks of personal time, just in case we came down with Covid. I'm betting he takes some of that. He doesn't like coming to the store. He doesn't get the respect he thinks he deserves. The sad truth is people are counting down the days. He also has a bad case of short-timer's attitude. That's not a good thing to have when you're unpopular.
Otherwise, things are slowing down in the store. That's normal for this time of year.
A Reuters poll shows two thirds of Americans oppose delaying the election in November, and well over half of them believe the Idiot Jerk made the suggestion, hoping to provide himself with some political protection. Interestingly enough, only 23% of those responding said the elections should be delayed and they were...(are you ready for this?) Republicans. For those who don't know, that is the core of his base. Ouch.
The Body in the Loch is proceeding nicely. Whereas in The Body in the Well the entire team arrived at Rattler's Den as a group, here Jules and Bobby get to the 'scene of the crime' at different times. For a while I had thought of excluding them in this mystery, but then I realized I really needed Bobby to shout out "Let loose the hounds!"... oh, gee... I think that might be a spoiler. Sorry.
And of course I have started picking out lines from songs. They are always important. They always reveal something that is happening, or about to happen. Here's an example: Towards the end of The Body on the Lawn there's an important lyric. At that point, Eli turns into a knight in shining armor and goes to slay a dragon. A lyric or two from this song are going to be in The Body in the Loch.
Okay, so how do you think this is going to play into the story line? I can be so evil at times 😈😈😈
Tuesday. I received a text from my brother this morning, my cousin's funeral is tomorrow, do I want to ride with him. I replied that I have to work and to give them my condolences. I've seen my cousin 3 times in the past 8 years. Her children are in there early 50's and I have never met them, well, I think I may have met her son once. They are Republicans who like the Idiot Jerk in the White House and, from her sister's posts on Facebook, believe Covid is a hoax. Sadly, I cannot think of one good reason to attend. I'm tired of hearing people say 'we only see you at funerals.' There's a reason for that.
John Lewis' funeral was yesterday. Biden was there. The Idiot Jerk said nothing and chose to go to North Carolina. Spineless racist.
By now, most realize Biden is going to win in November. Believe me when I tell you, his win has to be big... large... massive. Because the Idiot Jerk in the White House is going to object. He will do what he's always done, file lawsuits to drag things out. He will cite massive voter fraud, the likes of which have never been seen. The idea of being fired by American crushes his ego. The fact that so many hate him is a sucker punch to his face. What we really need to do is pummel him into the ground. As someone in the Washington Post said, he will create as much chaos between November 3 and January 20 as possible. I don't think the military will need to go in and evict him, as Biden has suggested. Rather, I suspect he will loudly shriek his way into exile. And then we need to start looking at the Conservatives who put him into power, for they are as corrupt as he is.
And I did take a little video of my tank yesterday. Right now there are 11 fish in a 50 gallon tank. They have lots of room. They are not crowded. Life for them is good. I may get a few tetras yet, but just a few. I don't need a school of fish swimming back and forth.
This is my Friday, for those of you who keep track of my changing calendar. Tomorrow begins a 3 day weekend. I have a sneaking suspicion more fish will be joining the angels in the tank. What will they be? I have no idea. Something safe. Community tank oriented. It's all about Compatibility, you know?
Like people, not all fish get along. In fish, however, compatibility depends upon species. Angelfish get along with Mollies and Barbs, but will nibble at the fins of guppies. An Oscar will kill and eat your Angelfish faster than you can say 'oh.' The babies of live bearers are always on the menu.
Tropical fish are a lot like political parties, and while you might want to believe Republicans eat babies they don't. They will, however, disown if certain liberal behavior patterns begin to manifest. If fact, there is a host of therapies, conversion tactics, and brainwashing techniques they have no problem applying to their progeny in order to force them into the tiny minded Conservative mold. God forbid they should have a child who is a free thinker.
They are also the ultimate segregationists, and I'm not just talking about race. You need to be a member of the right religion for them to even acknowledge you. That's a throwback to their Crusader days. They quietly look for heretics and phony Christians so they can be labeled. They have no problem shunning their next door neighbor if he or she doesn't fit the mold.
Most of them support the Idiot Jerk in the White House. In their minds he is 'the Chosen one,' in fact they gone so far as to tell him so. Unwittingly, they've contributed to his insanity. Not that they care, of course. Both their minds and his are compatible. Like the voracious Oscar, they will attack and eat anything, even their own kind and then gloat. They love what is happening up in tiny, little Portland. They think is shows their superiority when in truth it demonstrates their need to overwhelm and control anything they view as being incompatible.
They are a minority group who needs to be segregated from the rest of the community. Maybe, after they lose the election this November, they will all voluntarily decide to move up to North Dakota. Now, wouldn't that be nice?
Well, it has finally arrived. Today's our Leap Day, in our Leap Year, a rare occurrence and a bad day on which to be born. I understand most babies being delivered today celebrate either the day before or the day after... but what do they with their driver's license? If your birthday is the 29th of February, can you magically change it? Otherwise you'd be learning to drive when you're only 4.5 years old. How old will you be before you are actually legal to vote?
I saw this morning there's more evidence of the coronavirus heading into its Community Spread phase; new cases is Washington, Oregon, and California. Of course, the Idiot Jerk has taken that leap off of stupidity's cliff. Remember the Sharpie incident? When he used his Sharpie to track a hurricane into Georgia? He's using the same stupid, little gray cells now. Yes-sir-rity. He believes the virus is going to miraculously disappear in April... I do not doubt that one of his henchies has told him this is going to be just like the Flu, because that's what he wants to believe. And his base is following his lead in leaping off stupidity's cliff as well.
While most of us see Leap Year as being a bit of an oddity, the Idiot Jerk is so bouncy in his land of delusion he is leaping here, and there. The truth is out there, though. He's telling Republican voters in South Carolina to vote for Bernie. This is because he's terrified of Biden, and believes he'll stand a much better chance of getting elected if Bernie gets the nomination. Dumb shit.
I understand he's also leaping towards the idea of giving Americans another tax cut if the economy fails to recover. He has no problem putting the country even deeper into debt, just so he can swing an election. There is one thing you can count on, his base is going to loyally leap to his side. Every time they hear refund their dirty little hearts sing 'ca-ching! ca-ching!' Even if you told them there's not enough money in the bank to fight the coronavirus they wouldn't care. His base is just like him.
Anyway, this is a great year to look forward to:
Oh, and don't forget, in November we get to fire the son of a bitch in the White House.
So, I've begun my 3 weeks of shitty schedules. That should change during the middle of March when I've scheduled myself to take some vaca time. I cannot wait.
Last evening, I finished The Body in the Well. I am so glad. I've been working on it for 11 months and it's break time. This morning, I started printing off the first copy for my readers and... I ran out of toner. Son of a bitch. That means around 0900 I'm going to have to run in to Staples and pick up a cartridge or two. For those interested, the book is 94,472 words long. The copy I print out is 248 pages long, it will be longer when the paperback version comes out, their pages usually only hold about 250 - 300 words. I suspect it will be available sometime in mid-April.
This means I will also have between 1.5 - 2 hours of free time every evening... for a while at least. I will enjoy the time, for a while, at least. Notes are already being taken: Scotland...castles... secret passageways... and men in kilts.
I do get a chuckle out of all the 'nay' and 'maybe sayers' in politics right now. A lot of this is media hype. There's a difference between that and 'fake news.' The Idiot Jerk's administration call anything unfavorable 'fake news,' all the while pumping its own lies. Pundits who are desperate for crumbs of attention are pounding their shoes on the table shrieking "who can beat the Idiot Jerk?" Well, do you want to know who can beat that scumbag? Here he is!
Now I know some of you are saying "hey, that's an animated character." That's the point. There is so much pent up anger and animosity towards the Idiot Jerk and his party, even Daffy Duck, if he could run, would beat the pants off him in November. Should Bernie get the nomination, no one is going to sit on the fence saying "I'm not a fan, so I'm going to give the Idiot Jerk in the White House another 4 years." This is why, when people say the Idiot Jerk's going to win in November, I say "hell, even Daffy Duck could kick his ass." American anger will not be mollified, so do not discount it.
It's November! My favorite month of the year. This is my birthday month. I'm a Scorpio... can you tell? I do have a bit of a temper that every now and then rears up and bites off nearby heads. When that happens, my rule is to shrug and say "So what... this is me!"
Here in Central PA we had a steady rain most of yesterday afternoon and the temps climbed into the mid 70's (F). Then, last evening, around quarter to 7, the skies exploded with thunder and lightening. Wind screamed through the maple trees on my hill behind the house, rending leaves, and twigs, and sticks free to send them shrieking into the maelstrom. Rain crashed into my house like waves upon the shore, sounding like dying hands pounding on the windows. My freaking phone was crying out high wind warnings, and tornado warnings, and then flood warnings every few minutes. This went on for almost an hour.... and then silence. Hell, I have a half an inch of water in my basement. I would have to say that in all of my years, it was a Halloween night to remember.
In a bit of lighter news, the impeachment proceedings took a baby step towards public hearings. As might be expected, voting was partisan as hell. This is what we expect from Republicans. Their grubby, little mitts are clenched tightly to the Idiot Jerk's shroud. For them to let go, they need to admit he is a scourge from Hell and we know that will never happen. He will drag them into purgatory, where their souls will be lightly crisped before he snacks upon them. Yum yum. That moment can't happen soon enough.
Here's another bit of fluff. The Moral Degenerate is moving his legal residence to Florida. He loves him his winter golf. Personally, I think this transition is more political than anything else. He won Florida in 2016, however... Things are a bit different. His henchies have no doubt told him New York is going to go royally blue and Florida is edging in that direction. Florida has a lot of Electoral Votes. While not a sure shot, the best way to keep those votes from changing color is to move to his castle on the beach. He's going to give up his snowbird status. Of course, I might be wrong. The Idiot Jerk might just be planning on building the largest retirement community for old and dying Republicans the country has ever seen.
As for that little thing called the impeachment inquiry. The GOP is rapidly pulling their wagons into a circle in an attempt to hold out until the cavalry comes to save their sorry asses. Oops. I guess no one told them how much they've alienated the cavalry by calling their heroes cowards and traitors. Their mask is off and he is the face of Republican Party. They've given us their trick for long enough, soon... so very soon, they're going to be getting their long deserved Treat... and it ain't a Snickers bar.
Well, something bad is going to happen today. The US Senate, controlled by Republicans, is going to vote Brett Kavanaugh onto the bench of the Supreme Court. A minority group is going to be affecting changes. Laws many have taken for granted will be eroded and swept away. The lives of a majority group will never be the same. And I'm not just speaking about Roe V Wade. That same sex marriage so many now enjoy? Those phony Christians who run around shrieking "My Religion" will make sure that disappears. They will reap great benefits at LGBT expense. We are going to be stuck with another 2 years of the Idiot Jerk in the White House because a Conservative court will rule that he, as a sitting president, cannot be investigated. Regulations will be sliced and diced. Affirmative Action? Gone! Phony Christians will begin to give themselves more power... and take away your rights.
This is the price America will pay for all those non-voters who sat home on their thumbs instead of going to the polls in November of 2016. Now all those people who thought their votes didn't count know their own stupidity.
The only way to fix this catastrophe is to vote Blue. The Human Beings of America need to put women and men into positions of power. I put women first because... well, in case you didn't know, Conservatives really don't like women. Well, that's not right. They do like them as long as they're barefoot and pregnant. They love their stay at home Moms, a concept quite popular in the late '50's.
The truth is, Conservative men have a very difficult time with women who tell them to "just shut up." Women who challenge their authority also challenge their gender, they point out their flaws and embarrass them. There is nothing a white conservative man hates more than to have a black woman give him orders. For dinosaurs like the Idiot Jerk in the White House, that is pure hell.
The time has come to give them hell.
That's right, it's time to light the grills.
Vote Blue.
If they get burned bad enough, and often enough, they will run away with their tails between their legs. This is their history.
Today is the 2nd day of my new schedule: 0800 - 1630. When I got home from work yesterday I was a bit tired and lounged on the recliner for about a half an hour. Adaptation is the key. For years, and years, and years I worked this shift so I don't think the change back will be too difficult. A friend of mine said it should take about 2 - 3 weeks. I don't think I'll need nearly that much time.
The new torque wrench arrives today. I'm stoked. Since this is the first time I've every removed a crank, I've watched a number of videos. Most of them fail, not in their basic instruction, but rather in their omission of how much torque has been used to tighten that crank. Except for one guy, every video started out with the instructor saying "this crank has already been loosened." Getting the crank loose is the most difficult part of the procedure. None of them want to show how much they had to struggle... except for one guy who said "getting that loose is a real bitch." They don't talk about leverage. Nope. Leverage is very important. A friend of mine at work told me he puts a pipe over the wrench to get even more leverage. Using leverage is a good piece of advice.
Levers are every where. We use them daily, mostly without thinking about it. They can be simple, or complex. Levers are how we get things done.
Not using a lever is how we fail to accomplish out goals. That's what happened in November of 2016. A majority stayed home while a minority went to the polls and used their levers. Woah! Now we have an Idiot Jerk in the White House. He is not about change, he is about disruption. He creates chaos so a few might gain financially. Who wants to be a dictator? He wants to be a dictator. He understands nothing.
This coming November we need to use the lever our Constitution has given us to move this pile of shit out of the White House. And those who support him? They also need to go.
There was no surprise yesterday when the Idiot Jerk in the White House pulled out of the Iran Nuclear Treaty. This was the expected step from the egocentric douche a minority of Americans managed to get elected. White Republicans have removed another of Obama's, our first black president, achievements. They will tell you racism has nothing to do with it, but it does. They will also tell you that the Idiot Jerk, in spite of 4 bankruptcies and who knows how many failed deals, is a deal maker. That is really a major part of the Idiot Jerk's problem. He loves to sell himself as being shrewd. Just like he loves to sell himself as being very, very rich. And the GOP does love their phonies. This is their mindset. They are so terribly wrong.
Every Republican president since Eisenhower has left the economy either shattered or in tatters. And every Republican failure has been blamed on someone or something else. That's how their disinformation works. Someone else is always at fault. The truth is Reagan's Trickle Down Economics was a bandage program at best and why it began failing halfway through his 2nd term. No matter how bad things get they refuse to admit their policies are subpar.
Get ready, gas prices are going to go up. The $$$ you spend are the pump are going to increase... dramatically. That's another fact. Every time there's a Republican in the White House gas becomes expensive. That's because the oil we pump out of Texas and Oklahoma and Kansas and Alaska gets sold overseas. Oil companies make more money exporting than they do selling to Americans. That's a rather sad statement, but clearly defines American Capitalism. It's all about the buckos. Oops, there goes that great tax cut.
On a lighter note - I rode 13.7 miles yesterday. Sorry, no sweaty photos. This morning was going to be free weights but that didn't happen. I also get to go to work today. And then I'm off tomorrow. Of course, then I will have to work for 5 days in a row. That' sucks. Then it will be 2 days off and then... are you ready for this?.. I'll get to work 6 days without a day off.
We are approaching our Memorial Day weekend which is... our busiest weekend in the year. And you though that was the Black Friday weekend. Nope. Gas grills and mulch fly out of the store. People by $1000 patio sets. Everybody wants a freaking bamboo blind... we don't sell them in the store, sorry. This means I'm going to be putting in pretty many hours, but then we head into June and things begin to slow down. That's when I'll move back to 32 hour work weeks.
After yesterday's sour announcement by the Idiot Jerk in the White House... remember, November is approaching much faster than the GOP wants. They already know they're going to lose the House. The time has come to take back the damn Senate and cook their asses.
