The Very Good Thing

 Let the Weekend Begin!  Well, I suppose that for some people the weekend began at some point yesterday afternoon, but not me.  But then I always work on those days people like to designate as the weekend, which means that this afternoon I'll be going to work.  Yippee! (Well, maybe not so much yip as EE).  The weather's supposed to be nice, with temps reaching the mid 50s (F) with full on sunshine.  In fact every day for the rest of the week, the forecast is the same, no changes.  

Now that the birthday is over, it's time to start working out again.  I don't know, but for some reason, last week I was... well, rather lethargic.  Perhaps that was the result of some undisclosed depression about being another year older... or, and more likely, I was just feeling very lazy.  That happens, more often than not.  

I made cream of cauliflower soup yesterday since the temps were on the chilly side.  It's quite tasty.  It's one of the recipes that came with that Mediterranean Diet thing I signed up for that turned out to be a bit of a scam as their focus was to basically sell you as many supplementals as possible.  Believe me, I have no problem taking well researched supplementals, however the vast majority of them are crapola.  If you do choose to supplement you diet, keep in mind this will be a long term regime, at least 3 - 4 months before they even start to do what they're supposed to do.  They are not magic bullets!

And here's another picture of my white roses that I took yesterday.  With this warm weather, I have no idea how long they're going to be lasting.

And what about those yak head Republicans in Ohio?  Wait, I probably shouldn't say that, it's insulting to yaks, and as far as I know they're quite friendly beasts, so maybe I should just call them scumbag Republicans.  For those who don't know, this past election the citizens of Ohio overwhelmingly voted to enshrine abortion protections in their state constitution.  Republicans in the state, however, have come out and said they're are not going to abide with this decision.  That's right.  They don't give a shit about what the majority of people think.  This is what authoritarianism look like.  Thanks to this election, however, they cannot enact and restrictive legislation without it going to the Supreme Court who, thanks to Alito, said this is the state's responsibility.  This is a lose, lose situation for Ohio Republicans because if they try anything they're going to be voted out of office.  That would be a very good thing.

Shut up! You're not in Charge

 Thursday is arriving with a thump.  Rain is in the air.  Buckets will be arriving in the form of showers, drizzling on and off.  I mowed my lawn yesterday so I'm not concerned.  This does mean that most likely I'll be mowing it again next Tuesday or Wednesday.

So, the house next door is off the market.  Most of yesterday there were two women there, one driving a Mercedes and the some sort of boxy, orange car.  I'm fairly certain that they are staging the house to make it more attractive to buyers.  While I was mowing, I saw one of them carrying in 2 snake plants and while I was making dinner I heard them talking out back next to the windows on my enclosed porch.  I glanced at them as one of them pointed up.  I'm hoping they convince the guy running the show to put in a section of privacy fence between our 2 properties; that would save me the expense.

My back is still recovering from my kettlebell experience.  A lesson is learned.  I can do the exercises, but not with a 15 lb kettlebell, at least not to start.  I have some individual 5 lb weights, so I think those will be substituting until those lower back muscles build up some strength.

And, of course, the voters in Ohio spoke out and rather loudly told Conservatives to shut up!

That's right, they told the Republicans to stay out of their lives, that they were not in charge.  That vote has the GOP in disarray.  Very conservative Kansas did the same thing a while back, told the conservatives to stay out of their lives.  I've seen a number of articles questioning how the GOP could have become so out of step with America.  That's a rather stupid question if you think about it.  They're not out of step at all.  Nope.  The truth is that they just don't care what a majority of Americans want.  Not at all.  Conservatives want an authoritarian government where they get to say "Shut up, We're in Charge."  In both Ohio and Kansas, Americans have shouted back "Shut up! You're not in charge!"

And isn't Ronnie 'meatball' DeSantis a real dick?  His are cratering, he's laid off many of his campaign staff, and replaced his campaign manager with one who is more... crazy might be the word.  Is this moron learning anything?  Absolutely not.  He just replaced a legally elected state prosecutor with a loyalist.  Instead of understanding that his extremism is only good at turning off voters and that he needs to move closer to the center, he's racing even farther to the right.  He is catastrophically destroying not only his own campaign by his stupidity, but his governorship as well.  People in Florida are already looking at him and shouting "Shut up!  You're not in charge!"

Yippee

 So, it's Wednesday.  The weather is supposed to be nice, which means I'm going to have to mow my lawn.  We're heading into the middle of August, the time of summer when lawn mowers sit idly by while spiders spin webs from the handles down to the tires.  Lawns are never lush and green at this time of the year, except for this year.

I'm paying my taxes later this morning.  Yippee.

I made an appointment with the electrician to come buy and give me an estimate on some work that needs to be done. He won't be here until the 24th.  I'm betting he's going to sock me for another $1500 to move 3 wall sockets, do 2 light repairs, and install a hood range over my stove.  Once that work is done I can bring Lyndsey, the drywaller back in to finish most of the kitchen redo.  I will be repainting the cabinets.  Yippee.

The house next door got another showing last evening.  Two women.  They were there for about 40 minutes.  The owner spent most of the time outside talking on his phone.  If they're interested, I'm sure they'll make a counter-offer that's much lower than he's expecting.  This is most fascinating.  Update.  I just checked and it is off the market.  I don't know if that means they've made him an offer or whether he's going to put some more work into it.

Popped another video up into my YouTube channel yesterday.  

So, the Orange Anus got bad news yesterday.  His doofus legal team tried to get an extension until sometime next week to sit down with the prosecution in order to decide what he could and couldn't say publicly about the evidence he'd been given.  Judge Chutkan shot him down, so he's shrieking about not being able to get a fair trial.  He's really pissed that his standard tricks aren't working.  By 'fair trial' he means he can't dictate and delay as much as possible.  They're meeting this Friday morning whether he likes it or not (he hates it), and a speedy trial date will be set in accordance to law, which will put him on public display around Thanksgiving.  

And in Ohio voters stood strong against an authoritarian GOP that also wants to dictate and control.  This is another big time loss for Republicans.  They are discovering that Americans are not the sheep they want them to be.  Yippee!

The Meat and Potatoes

 Foggy and drizzly, with the temps hovering at 53 (F) is how today is starting out.  The weather will improve over the coming hours, but the temps begin to drop.  We're heading back into the tail end of winter.  Winter's been very warm so far.  You'll get no complaints about that for me.

I did have to chortle privately at work when one of my associates told me that the winter wasn't cold enough to kill off the insects.  I don't know if he was talking about insect eggs, or those hibernating.  Honestly, we've had warm winters before and I've never noticed the difference.  Being close to the river I will have to deal with gnats occasionally, but never swarms, and the Susquehanna is only 3/4 of a mile away (if that).  

And business was slow yesterday.  You can't sell an installation if there aren't any customers in the store.  I have noticed an uptick in online measures.  I would not want to buy carpet for my house without actually touching and feeling it.

It was sad to see Bruce Willis has dementia.  He is only 67 years old.  His career has filled many lives with memorable moments; over 100 films.  I will never forget sitting in a packed movie theater and hearing people crying at the end of Armageddon.  

And, of course, sections of the Grand Jury report in Atlanta were released yesterday.  Caution needs to be taken.  I did see on Twitter where are least 2 individuals were shrieking that Trump needed to be indicted.  Both received scathing rebukes because not only were no names mentioned, the recommendations for indictment were for those individuals who were believed to have committed perjury, Lyndsey Graham, for example.  What wasn't released was the middle section, think of it as the meat and potatoes of the report.  What we got were the appetizer and the desert, that main course, the part where they might recommend Trump be indicted for racketeering has yet to be served.

Finally, a few words about the mess in Ohio.  I was not surprised when the same people who voted for Trump pushed back on a Tweet for Buttigieg noting the former president deserved some of the responsibility, since it was his administration which relaxed the safety rules regarding rail shipments.  His MAGA base is dealing with a great disconnect from reality.  They truly define the Republican party.

Self Loathing Republicans

 Monday has arrived.  I get to work this afternoon.  Will we be busy?  Difficult to say.  It's only for 6.5 hours, but that means I will need to take a lunch.  I'm taking sausage.  Blame it on my PA Dutch heritage (German), but I do like my sausage.  As a toddler, I used to watch my grandmother (Mom's side of the family), make it.  Fresh.  Today's serving will be cooked in the electric fryer.

Most of the new floor is in.  My legs are, for the most part, fine.  Knee joints weren't any creakier.  I did find going down the stairs a bit stiff.  But then, I'm not 19 any more.  As for the floor itself?  Hhhmm.  I hate to tell you, but it's not as precise as I thought.  You click in the top edge, and then using a tapping block click in the side.  You can barely see a seam on the sides of the tiles.  The top edges, however, are a different matter.  On some tiles, you can barely see a seam, on others?  At least to my eyes there is a significant gap.  Of course, there are ways to fix this.  And, to be perfectly frank, I didn't splurge on the best tiles, but rather spent my money on something that is considered a lesser grade.  I couldn't see spending the extra money when there's going to be a washer and dryer sitting on top of them.

Evidently attendance at Trump's rally in Ohio was rather sparse.  And there was a moment when the audience demonstrated their subversion.

At a rally in Chambersburg, PA, Doug Mastriano had his audience do the same thing.  "Put your right hand in the air," the told the crowd, and they did as he wanted.  The only thing missing was for them to begin chanting 'heil, heil.'  Many pictures have been circulating of both rallies have been circulating.  The one above seems to have been getting the most press.  Amusingly, there are Trumpies out there who are claiming the media doesn't cover Trump's rallies.  They don't see anything wrong with this, which is why he's becoming a detriment.

Speaking of the Moral Degenerate, I understand he arrived back at Mar a Lago... during the night.  I'm betting the first thing he did was check to make sure his secret stash of documents was safe.

Finally, on the immigration issue, personally, I don't think the political stunts of sending refugees to places like Martha's Vineyard is having quite the effect  the Republicans had hoped.  True, they do make headlines, but the only gleeful outrage I'm seeing is from hard core conservatives.  Since the Republican party can no longer say, "shut up, we're in charge," they're giving America their 'screw you' attitude instead.  I am truly disappointed when I see Hispanics running for office celebrating these incidents.  So much self-loathing is amazing.

Who Cares?

 On the last day of my weekend, I have so much that needs to be done.  How much gets accomplished?  We will have to wait and see.  

I did talk to the  radiology dept. at the VA yesterday, and yes, they were calling to schedule an appointment... for next year, June of 2022.  They do plan in advance.  My next physical is already scheduled, as well as the bloodwork, for next May.

My ride yesterday took me to Barcelona, along the shore.  There were so many people, though the ride is not nearly as bad as Amsterdam, where dodging tourists becomes a sport. The video was definitely shot pre-Covid.  They have bike lanes, which is really good, since the route wends it's way down some high traffic streets.

Temps today are forecasted to hit the upper 80's (F).  That's fine with me.  According to Accuweather, there are more days where the thermometer is going to hit the high 90's (F).  There was an article on Climate Change, NYT, I believe, where the comparison was made between the west coast heat and the east coast rain.  They don't have enough rain, we're getting a bit more than normal.  Same thing happened last summer.

Here's a pic of me in my chili pepper cycling socks.

And finally, we're all seeing how Covid cases are rapidly rising among the unvaccinated.  Who Cares?  Is the predictable even noteworthy?  Governor DeWine, (Ohio), is again pleading for the Republican voters of that state to get their asses vaccinated.  He doesn't understand that his embracing The Big Lie is insidiously tied to the Anti-Vax movement.  There is a raging fire of infection in his state, and he's coming up with contests.  At this point, nothing is going to help.  Even if he began telling the truth, not of his constituents are going to be believe him.  Tough shit.

Wow moments

 Thursday morning.  Showers and rain are in the forecast.  The dogs came in after their first pee of the day a little drizzled, not enough for them wanting to be towel dried.  They love being towel dried, even if the sun is shining overhead.

I had 2 nice sales, one from a gentlemen who said, "they just deposited the money in our bank," and another from a woman who said "thank you, Joe."  Both had debit cards, and both had limits as to how much they could spend, which meant using 2 different cards, making the payment process a smidgen more difficult.  Not much.  I said to the woman, "quite a few people are doing with those checks what they're supposed to be doing," and she smiled... and smiled... and smiled.  Wow!

Guess what I bought myself:

I mean, I've been writing about a murder in Scotland, and there is a bit of piping in the book.  I found out last evening I have to practice standing up.  The dogs love it.  Every time I pipe a note they have a Wow! moment.  Besides, if I'm halfway good, I might actually buy a set of pipes... maybe even a kilt, and not because I want to adjust my sporran in public.

I saw where the Republican Attorney General from Ohio has sued to block some of the stimulus package.  I glanced at his complaint briefly.  Something to do with the money going to the states and the specificity of how the monies are used.  Really, all you need to know is that he's a Republican and as such his main complaint is not constitutionality, rather he's trying to blunt the popularity of the stimulus packaged.  His job is on the line.  There are, I believe, 17 other Republican run states that are also complaining.  The want to infuse the idea among their constituents this is one horrible package for the sole purpose of tampering down the popularity.  This package is horrifying them.  The might loose control.  Believe me, if they think this is horrifying, they should hear me practicing on my chanter.  Wow!

The Rejection of Ivanka Danka

Okay, so it's Sunday.  After today I have 5 (count 'em) 5 days off in a row.  I'd like to say I'm really excited, but mostly... I'm just really pleased.

Yesterday the other specialist scheduled to work with me called off.  This associate did the same thing last Saturday.  I offered to stay past my scheduled time and the Assistant Manager say, "no, it is what it is."

A friend of mine and his wife stopped in at the store yesterday.  He and I worked together back when I worked for Marriott.  I left, he stayed, and is now a manager with a large Hospitality group.  The funds for their  Covid - 19 stimulus package ran out on Friday.  He told me not to believe the unemployment figures the Idiot Jerk was dancing about.  The group he works for sent termination letters to all of those people they had furloughed. He said, "it'll take a long time for the Hospitality Industry to come back."

And for those who haven't heard, Ivanka Danka had to deal with a little rejection.  Her 'virtual' commencement address was canceled. And she was pissed.  And she's pissed.  Not only is she the spawn of the Idiot Jerk in the White House, she's also married to that sleazy weasel Jared.  She was so insulted she decided to post her speech on line.  That's her way of proving she's special.

If you didn't find that disappointing, I'm sure the following bit might make you feel a bit jovial.  The Idiot Jerk has chosen to cancel his round of golf today because of... bad optics.  Yeah.  Bad Optics.  Translation:  In the past 2 weeks his campaign has had to pump over $650 million into Ohio, a state they considered a sure thing.  His team is concerned people in that state might want him to demonstrate at least of smidgen of interest in the racist issues plaguing this country rather than T-ing off.

Then there's the bit about LG (Lady Graham not Lindsey Graham) and his use of male escorts and male porn stars.  Ouch!  I suspect his career will be ending... shortly.  Good.

And Billy Barr is desperately trying to put more than a little distance between his walk of shame and himself.  Now he's blaming... Park Rangers?  The once who patrol the grounds around the White House on horsies?  His new favorite saying is "The Buck Stop with You."  He knows how big and bright he's going to look in orange.

Finally, here's a pic of my nectarines.

The tree is loaded with them.  Yum!

Blame it on... well, everything

So, it's Tuesday, which means it's my Saturday, or in other words my weekend begins.  The dogs got me up at 0430.  They're dogs, which means I got a great jump on my chores: one load of laundry ready to go into the dryer and another into the washer.
I guess the Idiot Jerk in the White House farted out some sort of message to his base yesterday repeating to them what they've been telling themselves for years.  Basically, he absolved their sin of Sanctifying the Holy Gun and put the blame on.... video games, among other things.  The dumb shit claimed that it was "hatred that pulled the trigger," without realizing there was a small chorus behind him chanting "send them back,"  "send them back."  He ignored the fact that the shooter's screed relied heavily on statements the Idiot Jerk has used over and over again, like "an invasion of immigrants."  He refused to mention that the main targets were Latinos, not a word on that most obvious fact.  This speech was not meant to calm, to quell the anger and fears of the nation, this was aimed directly at his base because... well, Holy Shit, they might vote Democrat in the next election.  For Republicans, stupidity equals loyalty.
With so much shit hitting the fan, Republicans are finding there are fewer and fewer places to hide but that doesn't stop them from pointing fingers at everyone except themselves.  They will never look in the mirror.  They are all like the this aging, bimbolina State Senator from Ohio, Candice Keller. 

This is Candice desperately trying to look like a very young Madonna

She pulled out that old, crazy Christian laundry list, the same one they've been relying on for decades, to give direction to their fingers.  Basically, she blamed everything she doesn't like.  Oh, and in case you are wondering, Candice is not answering her phone, mailbox full, nor is she responding to emails, most likely because she also hates it when people call her a stupid bitch.  By the way, she's 67 years old.

And, speaking of Crazy Christians, they have a really big problem.  It seems like somebody photobombed their very first pic and they have no idea how to solve this.

The Truth about Blinds

Well, here it is Wednesday - the first of my 2 days off.  And while a lot of you have been sleeping, I've been busy.  The 3rd load of laundry is in the wash, the 2nd in the dryer, and the 1st, a load of towels, has just been folded and put away.
Yesterday was one of those interesting days.  While I was designing and selling blinds, an older woman (easily in her mid-seventies) came up to the design desk.  She wanted  help with blinds.  "Venetian blinds. They're not mini-blinds, they are Venetian blinds."  I told her I was (as she could well see) with customers and would be with her shortly.  There were 2 other associates working as well, but they too were with customers.  After waiting a short bit, a few minutes at best, she went up and complained to the Service Desk.  "I need to speak to someone about Venetian blinds.)  Well, there were other associates working who could sell her a drill, or a garbage disposal, or even a riding lawn mower.  However, all the design people were with customers and she would have to wait.  About 10 minutes after she had stopped by desk, I finished my sale and went to greet her.  I was told she was interested in Venetian blinds, not mini-blinds.  There was no mollifying her disposition.  She didn't want white - that's all we carry in the store.  There's no way to carry all the sizes we do in a wide range of colors.  I did have a size I could cut down, however it was white, and it was vinyl, and the price (a little over $10) was not what she wanted to pay.  "This is pathetic," she said, and walked away.  Gee... and I even called them Venetian blinds.

And what about that Ohio election?  In a precinct the Idiot Jerk carried by a large margin, in a precinct that has gone Republican for 35 years... they have a razor thin lead.  Oops.  The Idiot Jerk is running around Tweeting "we won, we won."  The Republican candidate is telling everyone who will listen "we won, we won."  However, that old reliability is gone.  Thirty five years of consistency has just been flushed.  Lots of desperate dollars were pumped into that one race... and at this point it is too close to call.  No longer being able to count on a certainty is a failure.  The blinds are being opened.  The real world is beginning to light their darkness and, I suspect, they are very much afraid.  This is how the foreboding grows.

The Wurst of it

Well, I wore the new Baleaf shorts this AM while I was doing my cardio.  I now know what wicking is - sweat moves from the inner liner to the outer shell where it evaporates rapidly - really quickly, so your shorts don't look like you've been doused with a bucket of water.  They do, as one reviewer stated emphatically, detail your masculinity.  If you're sporting a cocktail sausage?  Well, no problem, however if you happen to be the owner of a one of the larger wursts or wieners be prepared to brag.

The netting that wicks away the perspiration from your sweaty thighs creates a lifting motion as you jog or run, and that pushes things as far forward as they can go, so wearing these at the gym might make you the 'belle of the ball,' or... they could be your wurst nightmare.  If you just wear them for strength training?  Well, the front ended motion is still there, things are, however, a bit less pronounced but people will still be able to score you if they so choose.
There was some interesting news about the Idiot and his base this past weekend.  Evidently they're becoming disillusioned with his incompetence in all but 3 states.  Ohio, West Virginia and South Dakota are those 3, in every other state they are beginning to come to their senses.  Even Texas!   That's right!  Ain't that a stunner.  States that he squeaked by in?  PA and Michigan?  They're turning on him faster than a starving man can swallow a cocktail sausage.  And for the happy majority, the Idiot has not even begun to feel the wurst of it.