Be Flat

Can you believe it?  Our outside temp is 64 (F).  Not only is that good sleeping weather, it also means that today's high temp in the low 80s (F) is going to be simply marvelous.   After today, however, that daily high is going to start climbing and by this weekend it will once again be in the low to mid 90s (F).  Honestly, that's fine too.  We do need a break from the afternoon and evening thunderstorms.  We had a mosquito problem over the last couple of years and that issue is continuing this summer.  

Yesterday was a fairly good day.  Some cleaning was done.  Some writing was done.  I completed 6 in The Body in 4/4 Time, it's called B Flat. It's a musical pun on Be Flat.  Our daily lives are filled with ups and downs.  There are moments when we smile and moments when we frown; highs and lows are constant.  While there are some who wish these ups and downs would level out, the truth is that when things are flat there is virtually nothing.  How sad would that be?

I did buy and insect repellent yesterday but I need to use it with caution.  Howie finds the scent interesting.  He tried licking my leg and that simply can't happen.

He and I went on a search for Sven yesterday.  Sven is a gray, hard rubber toy shaped like a hedgehog.  Sven is one of Howie's most favorite toys and Sven decided to go missing.  He was eventually found hiding behind the large aquarium stand in the writing room.  This is Sven.

I saw someone jokingly said that Pammy Jo Bondi was going to open a Department of Justice investigation to find out if the Confederacy did, in fact, lose the Civil War.  This is sadly amusing because of the Orange Anus's name saturates the Epstein files, and he's and his minions are desperately trying to change the subject.  This is the reason Pammy Jo is revisiting, and Orangie, himself, are screeching about a 9 year old election.  Their hopes that this Harpy song will change the course of the conversation away form Epstein will only be justified by their hard core base.  Mikey Johnson's decision to hold off on a House vote for releasing the files until after their summer recess increases the damage Orangie is doing to himself.  They keep digging themselves deeper and deeper.  Their cries demanding things be flat are, in fact, shrieking sharply out of tune with what America wants.

Mocking Trump

 We're off to a cool Wednesday with temps down into the upper 50s (F).  This is what they call good sleeping weather.  Our high today may be 74 (F), and I do mean maybe.  Yesterday forecasters had predicted a high in the low 70s (F) and that never happened.  Could it be that autumn weather is approaching us so soon?  Don't count on it.  

Honestly, I have to admit I cannot believe there are only 10 more days left in August.  I want to ask where has the summer gone?  So far it hasn't been a bad summer.  We've only had about a week or so of hot temps, though I do think it's been drier than the past 3 summers.  My lawn was brown, but Debby did my lawn and now it's green.  I'll give the verge another trim tomorrow.

As expected, I did very little yesterday, other than 3 loads of laundry.  

In The Body in History, the Eli and Max have just met Hermann Trigga in a chapter that's titled, appropriately enough, The Trigga Effect.  He is a real estate entrepreneur and his wife is a yoga instructor with her own YouTube channel.  They are a power couple who like to talk without saying much.  We all know people like this, who are so ever happy to talk and never seem to shut up.  They appear to be nice, perhaps a little to focused on their own endeavors, but appearances can be deceiving.  Could one of them be a cold blooded killer? 

One of the things I like about character creation is the way in which they evolve.  I start with a name, and as the story progresses personality traits develop.  They start thinking about the words they say, and how they appear.  Hermann is business casual.  He likes his slacks to have freshly pressed creases, a style he feels defines how sharp he is.

Of course, last night was the 2nd night of the Democratic Convention.  One word describes it best:  Wowza!

What wasn't there to love?  The musical roll call done to the beat of a DJ was rockin!  Even John McCain's bitter daughter posted how everybody in the arena was "having a blast."  Each state had it's own song!  You had Republicans on stage telling America why they were voting for Harris!  You had Michelle Obama, who some say gave a better speech than Barack. And, of course you had Barack himself.  I actually had the joy of seeing him speak live.  He is a dynamo!  One of the things he brought up was Trump's fixation on crowd size. That moment was special for 2 reasons, one being his hand gesture.  The other was that stunning moment when the screens in the arena simulcast a Harris rally happening at the same time in Milwaukee.   

That's right, 2 different arenas were filled to capacity, the one in Chicago where the convention is being held, and the other in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where another 15,000 were gathered to hear Kamala Harris.  That's 34,000 people simultaneously.  And it was done on purpose because the Orange Anus has problems filling up small arenas.  They publicly mocked Trump.  And it was wonderful, because Orangie, even in his wildest dreams, could never pull off something like that.

Will Melania plagiarize again?

 So, what will today bring?  The temps are supposed to be nice, not too humid, not too hot.  I have to work so it doesn't really faze me too much.  The sun is setting earlier, which is fine with me.  I like my daylight but evening is nice as well.  

Another big  bag of dog food was delivered yesterday.  I like this so much better than having to cart them home from the grocery store.

I've decided that next year I'm not going to be putting my tomato plants in containers.  My harvest is small... literally.  My Big Boys are about 2 inches in diameter.  Not a good thing.  The only thing that really did well are my peppers, Jalapenos and Problamos.  They did quite well.  The basil I planted did very well, while the spearmint was very disappointing. 

I didn't watch any of the convention last evening, but evidently Obama lanced the boil we know as the Idiot Jerk and he seethed all over Twitter, in all CAPS, no less.  While the Idiot Jerk's base loves to sweeten their breakfast cereal with his nightly scat droppings, most of us realized a long, long time ago this is what happens when you stick a pointy object into a festering sore.  I wonder who cleans the spray off of his TV?  That must be a really disgusting job.

And, of course, the Idiot Jerk's convention is approaching.  You know, it's always bad to go... 2nd, because his little shit show extravaganza is going to be compared with what's going on right now.  The Democrats are going full steam American, the Idiot Jerk?  My money says he's going to gaudy has hell, an unsocially distanced crowd in a ballroom, and a live speech that's going to run at least an hour and a half and will touch on any and every conspiracy theory that pops into his otherwise empty head.

Just think, before you know it we'll be hearing Melania Trump coo and bill her loving sentiments of the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  ... ...  Well, that's not exactly true.  I'd say most of us are waiting to see if Melanoma plagiarizes Michelle Obama one last time.

Probably not, even money says she's aiming for Jill Biden this year.

When to cut blinds

Welcome to Sunday.  The weather is supposed to be nice, so we'll be expecting crowds at the store.  Yesterday our  parking lot was jam-packed.  And, I had one of the dumbest customers I've ever had in my life.  Everyone I tell starts to laugh.  Me?  I'm still laughing.  I get a page to help a customer in blinds, a middle-aged woman and her husband are standing in front of the cellular display.  She tells me they want to buy one that's a Parchment color, a big one.  She pointed to one that was 6 feet long and proceeded say she wanted it cut in half so they can have 2 blinds.  I told her we didn't do that.  She started growing irritated and pointed to the blind cutter, "what's that for?"  I explained how the cutter was used to take a little bit of the ends of blinds so they could fit in different sized windows.  I also told her we didn't sell extra mounting hardware.  Her response:  "I never heard of anything so damn stupid."  I also told her the blinds wouldn't work because cutting it in half would destroy the pulley mechanism running across the top of the head rail.  She flipped.  "Pulley mechanism!  Why the hell is there a pulley mechanism if these are cordless blinds!"  Surprisingly, she wasn't wearing a MAGA hat.  Now tell me, have you ever considered cutting a blind in half to get two?
Of course, a lot of people are talking about Obama's commencement address.  He is infuriating both the Idiot Jerk in the White House and his minions because Obama, unlike the Idiot Jerk, sounds intelligent when he speaks.  He doesn't say things like "super duper missile," and "it's a really, really big white boat...  a really big white boat."  But then, of course, Obama understands that most Americans, except for MAGA heads, do not need things repeated for them to know what he's talking about.
Finally, my roses have started blooming and my peonies are preparing to pop.  Here's a pic of Biggie the other day.  You can see just a bit of the purply thing next to my yellow rose bush.

Grazin' Time

For those of you who don't know, today, in America at least, it's Black Friday.  This is the day we celebrate rabid commercialism.  At some Walmart today someone is going to get punched in the face, or trampled.  In fact, that may have already happened.  There are so many Black Friday deals out there which aren't really deals, unfortunately Consumers have been trained like seals doing tricks for fish.  We have a laminate floor on sale for .49 a square foot.  People will buy it believing it' has at least somewhat good  quality.  It doesn't.  It's cheap.  It will sell because it's Black Friday.
My schedule is fixed so by the time I get to work most of the crowd will be gone.  There will be food, however.  Today will be a grazing day.  So much so, I doubt if I'll feel like riding when I get home.  I'll catch a ride tomorrow evening.  Today it's Mexican.  Yummy stuff.

Tomorrow it's going to be meatball subs.  Sunday is some sort of hot dog day.  I'm not working Sunday so I don't really care.
Evidently the Idiot Jerk in the White House showed up in Afghanistan yesterday.  Smart people will understand he needed to go, there's an election next year and his unpopularity is staggering.  Right now his party is struggling to hold on to their base, to keep them from sliding through the cracks.  What will hurt them in the election is a Conservative electorate which stays home.
Oh, and I saw where Obama is quietly dropping subtle warnings to the Democrats about moving too far to the left.  While there are a lot of Lefties out there, the country is overwhelmingly Centrist.  Stay in the Center.  Keep the majority happy.  Don't do what Republicans do.  The first they do whenever they get in power is tell you to "shut up."  This is always followed by "we're in charge," which is their way of saying "screw you" to the masses. 
And for a final bit of political humor, I saw where Boris Johnson has asked the Idiot Jerk to stay out of their elections.  Now, ain't that a hoot!

Blinded

Friday has arrived.  This is Wednesday for me which means while some of you will be celebrating the end of your work week, I'll be enjoying my Hump Day.
From now on they're forecasting chilly days and nights.  An appearance by Jack Frost is even said to be expected.  This is good.  Once he tickles us with his fingers I'll be able to dig up my Dahlias.  They're being dug up Monday, whether or not he makes his first appearance of the fall.  That's also the day my bulbs go into the new dug bed, all 65 of them.  Next spring my yard is going to be bulbalicious with color.
I sold blinds to 2 customers yesterday.  I really have a dislike for selling blinds.  They chose their color from a small swatch without actually understanding how the blind is going to look.  And their expensive.  One aluminum mini-blind was $123.... for a mini-blind!  Son of a bitch!  That's one of the many reasons I don't have blinds on my windows.  I don't like them.  Big dogs don't like them either.  The first time a UPS or FedEx truck pulled up out front those blinds would be shredded.  A bunny rabbit or squirrel in the yard?  It's the same thing as chanting "blind be down now!"
Oh, and I saw where the 2020 G7 conference is going to be held at a property owned by the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  Of course a lot of people cried foul.  Emollients, you know?  Everyday the Republicans reveal themselves to be more hypocritical then one could possibly believe.  Had Obama made that announcement, there would be dead bodies lying all over Capital Hill.  But you now how they' love their tinfoil dictator, the one who's going to ignore the majority to give that tiny majority of tiny minded individuals the dictatorship they so dearly covet... like the tinfoil dictatorship of his Blow Bro Vlad.
And I saw where retired General Mattis was at a white tie event.  He had a few choice words for the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  The truth is, he turned the Moral Degenerate into a joke.  Of course, we know that's always been the case.  I laughed out loud at some of his comments.

Eulogies

Well, today is the first of 3 days off in a row for me.  Lily and I were outside for a bit - there's a slight drizzle..  They're calling for a heatwave - starting tomorrow, with temps in the mid 90's (F).  I don't know if I'd call it a heatwave - more like a heat spell.  Soon fall will be here and people will be lamenting about the oncoming cold and snow of winter.  Get over it, people.  In this region seasons change.  If you don't like it, move somewhere else.  Down south the seasons change, too.  They have hot... and they have hotter than hell.  Take your pick.  I'd rather spend 3 or 4 months dealing with snow than roast through that time being hotter than hell.
Yesterday was John McCain's funeral.  I watched some of the eulogies when I got home from work and went through some serous tissue time.  One of the bloggers that I read ranted about George W's presence, venting about the man's failed presidency.  He totally missed the point, but then some people are so obtuse they will never be able to angle in on reason, and purpose.  Democrats and Republicans were unified.  And... who... was... missing?  Who was specifically told not to show up?  There were three eulogies, by a Democrat, by a Republican, and by a daughter.  They all spoke of respect, and honor, and sacrifice, and all of them, while doing so, drove a nail into the political coffin of that one person who was told to "stay away."
I understand that as many in the nation watched, and wiped away quiet tears, this man who never gets an invitation, surrounded by snotty nosed leaches, cheated his way through a game of golf.  His behavior is appropriate for one with no moral compass.  Should we have expected anything else?  His disapproval rating has hit an all time high, and his supporters are getting really angry.  They are beginning to see his future is already lost.  They are starting to understand he is going to be uninvited out of the White House.  Their minority numbers are showing themselves to be rather small.  The temperature is going up.  They are beginning to sweat, not only the small stuff, but the big stuff as well.  Almost daily we get to see another one of his compatriots pleading guilty, and flipping.
This whole thing is, well, rather funny because this is what they voted for: a scumbag who has been lying and cheating all of his life.  A self-centered lout, he has colluded with anyone, and everyone, who could give him what he wanted. He is a living obstruction that will soon be flushed from the system.
Will he be eulogized when he's gone?

How do you solve a problem like Scalia?

His sudden death does create a dilemma for the GOP because they have stalwartly stomped their foot down on any and all nominations put forth by Obama even though there are 339 days left until the next president takes office.  You see, they loved Scalia's narrow, tunnel vision conservatism and without his negative voice on anything remotely moderate they are lost.  And so they are praying that by shutting the door on a new Supreme Court Judge until the next president takes office, and praying even harder that the next president is a Republican, then maybe, perhaps, they might not lose that negativity.  Of course this makes them look bad, but when as that bothered them.  They are not concerned about what's best for the country, what's right according to the constitution, nope, they're more concerned about themselves and their inability to change.

So, how do you solve a problem like Scalia?  How do you get your cake and eat it too?  You do what he would have done.  You say "no!"  Unfortunately for the GOP all Obama needs to do is nominate moderate judges, moderate judges of color, moderate females, moderate males of any and all religious affiliations.  Moderation is the word.  You see every time they say "no," the corner they're painting themselves into gets smaller.  And the nomination of a moderately conservative judge?  Well, would you really want a president who's only interested in satisfying 28% of the American voters?  I mean, they can't even come halfway.  So, by dying suddenly, Scalia has handed them a plate of shit and, of course, they're not going to eat it, and they're not going to wipe the plate clean, they're just going to stare at it praying that as time goes by it disappears.

On Reagan's head

While Trump continues to revel in his negativity for all who aren't his supporters, most of whom are older, less educated, and financially less secure (if you don't believe me Google it), the rest of us have done a big jump-back as we try to fathom how the GOP could be manhandled in such a way by this neo-fascist.  It all goes back to Ronald Reagan's landslide re-election.  Having survived an assassination attempt, Reagan saw his approval rating sky rocket to the high 90's, peaking out at 97% and confused Republicans thought this meant the country, far and wide, had suddenly gone conservative.  It didn't.  People just liked the old fart.  He was very grandfatherly.  His second term in office was a mess.  This is why he's considered an average president.

George H. Bush's presidency was marred terribly by a vomiting session at a Japanese state dinner and by the fact that, following the map set out by Reaganomics, the economy started drying up.  And the GOP began to hate everybody who didn't agree with them.  When Clinton won with the campaign slogan "It's the economy, stupid," the hate went into over drive.  It was impossible for them to believe everything they held sacred was false.  They've been hating ever since.  

Instead of understanding they needed to comprise after getting George W. into the White House by the skin of their teeth, they said "screw you America, your popular vote means nothing, we are in charge so shut up."  And they continued to regionalize themselves, and marginalize themselves as a party.  They used terror tactics to get W a second term and we ended up with the 2nd worst economic disaster in American history.

When Obama was elected for his first term their hate and negativity rose to a fever pitch, and at his second win of the White House they became frenzied.

Now they're facing the very real possibility of having a Democrat in the White House for a 3rd consecutive term and they're reeling back and forth.  Their front runner has alienated so many groups of voters, voters they need to get into the White House, and he doesn't care since all he's really doing is masturbating his own ego.  And they're wondering how they could have ended up in such a shit hole.  What the GOP really needs to do is put the blame where it belongs, on Ronald Reagan's head because his re-election was a lie.

Tea Party - Still lying through their teeth

So, I know there are a lot of people out there who believe the Tea Party is the best thing for this country since sliced bread.  They see it's leaders as honest, true patriotic Americans who are working only for the betterment of the country.  If you listen to them the Affordable Healthcare Act is worse then the bubonic plague; insurance rates will rise and jobs will be lost.  Personally, I think they are full of shit.  Yesterday I received my Benefits Annual Enrollment Guide.  Anxiously I ripped open the plastic sealers.  I needed to see how much my payroll deductions were going to be.  Would it be too much for my paycheck to bear?  Would I have to buy bargain basement dog food?  I prayed that they stay somewhere in the range of what I was already paying, just shy of $180 dollars a month.  But, of course, that was not to be.  To my gleeful surprise my monthly deductions was... falling... not like a rock, mind you, but enough to make a significant difference in my paycheck.  How much less will I be paying per month?  $39.00  As I did the calculations over and over again I could almost hear the rising tide of Tea Party voices wailing "This Can Not BE!"

Now I will be the first to admit that everybody else in the country is going to mirror me.  There are unscrupulous companies out there who don't give a damn about their associates.  I would not be surprised if there were several companies owned by Conservative Republicans which actually raise their employee rates.  You see, they don't care if they hurt their associates just as long as they get their point across.  They are going to make their political point no matter how much they have to gouge their employees.  Nothing is going to change them.

Boil in water for two minutes, then add milk and sugar to make palatable

So why all the clamor from the Tea Party about the Affordable Healthcare Act?  Well, for one thing, I've always suspected they really are nothing moer then bags with loud voices.  Secondly, this is legislation which was passed under President Obama and they hate him.  Thirdly, they are terrified that when all of the working class 'joes' who make up their core start seeing the benefits they might start saying "hey, this ain't too bad."  That would be terrible news for the Tea Party.  They might start losing elections.  I mean why would any sane person want to vote for a lying sack of shit.

Bob Woodward's temper tantrum.

There seems to be quite a bit of finger pointing going on right now between Bob Woodward and the White House.  Just what it's about, I don't really know.  Personally, I suspect it's just Woodward throwing a petulant, little fit.  Why do I say this?  The more I read about him the more I understand how there is something in his ego which shrieks "I need to be an icon... no, I need to be something more!"  Just like pop musicians who know the need of having a good hook to sell a song, he knows he needs to have a good line to hook an audience.  Unfortunately for him, however, ever since the Bush administration his writing seems to be more "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours."  I became aware of this way back when in one of his books about Bush he quoted the president as saying "I go to my higher father for advice," or something like that.  I remember the first time I read that all I could say was Holy Shit.  I was so surprised Bob Woodward was pandering to the Republican base.  For quite some time after that, it seemed as if you couldn't turn on the television without seeing Woodward's smiling face.  I'm sure he sold quite a few books to social conservatives who, up until that point, never gave him a second thought.  It was at that moment I realized he was less concerned about journalism then he was with ego.

Not really invited to the party

While he has published "Obama's Wars," it wouldn't surprise me if this administration is not as Woodward friendly as he wants it to be.  Of course, Bush was only popular among his base where as Obama has an obvious consensus among a majority of the voters.  Bush needed Woodward, Obama doesn't.  There's a party going on in the White House and Bob wasn't invited as the guest of honor, more like the busboy.  Now there is this little, pissy shit war going on between Woodward and and the White House. Dig deep enough and I suspect you'll find the root cause is the small bones the administration has been throwing to him.  One hundred years from now Bob Woodward does not want to be one more forgotten journalist, just a foot note in time.