Orangie and the Technical Difficulties

 Temps are again predicted to be in the low 80s (F) today, with nearly cloudless skies and light breezes.  That being said, my first load of laundry is outside drying as I type, and the 2nd is in the washer.  

Yesterday, work was fine.  I got my mandatory 2 measures, and had a $1500 sale go through, so I'm ducky dandy for the week.  

I've plenty on my menu for today, including getting my hair cut.  I'd had it cut a while back thinking it wouldn't get shaggy before I left for Greece.  Boy, was I wrong.  While it's getting cut, I'll have them take care of my eyebrows, too.  

The final season of The Umbrella Academy is streaming on Netflix.  Since I enjoyed the past 3 seasons, I thought I'd give it a watch.  It's... okay.  Because it can take up to 2 years between each series of episodes, the cast has aged... a lot.  Originally the characters were young adults, in their early 20s, now they're adults and two of them have children.  Elliot Page looks and sounds like he's in his 40s (he's actually 37).  Megan Mullaly joins the cast for the final season, and I kept wondering why?  She's a good actor stuck in a two dimensional character.  It's not that I didn't think some parts were interesting, but mostly I kept thinking that this was a sad way to end a series, and when the final credits rolled I asked myself "that's it?"

Remember when Ronnie DeSantis announced his candidacy on Zitter?  Well Elon interviewed the Orange Anus last evening... after a 40 minutes delay because of technical difficulties a cyber attack that only effected Orangie and Elon.  No one else on the platform had a problem.  Ronnie D experienced the same technical difficulties cyber attack.  Orangie's appearance on Zitter caused Truth Social's stock to crash (dear me).  And when the interview finally happened, it turned out to be a rambling conversation with softball questions.  Only a fool would have expected anything else.

Here's a quote from the former Lieutenant Governor of Virginia.

Just think about that.  60% of Americans despise Orangie.  Sadly, his squeaky wheel is not going to get any grease and the squeaking is only going to get louder and angrier.  Of course, when he loses on November 5, he's going to lie again, claiming the election was rigged, and that the Democrats cheated.  That is if he's still able to speak coherently.  The angrier he gets, the more those tiny blood vessels in his orange, little brain come closer to popping him over into raging insanity. 

One of the things that had me laughing was that supposedly ranking members of the GOP are telling Orangie he needs to refocus.  Dear Lord, I'd have thought they'd have realized that this is as focused as he ever going to get.

Windows

 We're in for another warm one today. Temps in the mid 90s (F).  No rain, in fact, we're supposed to have a fairly cloudless sky.  I can deal with that. Afternoon thunderstorms are expected tomorrow and Sunday, and then temps are predicted to drop.

My grass isn't growing, but the weeds are.  I should mow them.  Maybe I'll wait until next week.  Mostly, the grass is brownish, but it's not the crispy brownish of July yet.  Of course, we're only a little over a week away.

I's going to spend some time looking at electric providers.  I changed from PP&L (Pennsylvania Power and Light) a little over a year ago, the new provider has had constant price increases, to the point where I'm now paying as much as I was with PP&L.  This is all corporate greed and the only way we can hope to control it is by changing providers.

I have one last quote coming in today for the the windows.  It's from the Orange Retailer I work for.  I'm not going to go with them, even though every sales person who's been here has told me I can get the best deal with them.  Sometimes it's not about going cheap.  I had the sales rep from Aspen Home Improvements here yesterday, they sell Okna windows, which are manufactured in Bristol, PA.  The reviews are not too shabby, putting them on the same plane as Andersen windows but much less expensive.  There is also the fact tried to guilt me into setting up the measure, not because we sell a great product, but because he wanted the sale.  

Evidently the Orange Anus has had an increase in campaign donations since he was convicted, mostly, it seems, from billionaires, the 1%, because they want another tax break.  Honestly, life would be so much easier for the lower and middle classes of this country if the rich just paid their fair share of taxes.  Of course, the cultists are always going to be waiting for the just rewards, never understand there is absolutely nothing just in giving tax breaks to rich.  This is the stupidity that Republicans rely upon.

And I saw where Ronnie DeSantis, the crazy down in Florida, has been blaming high insurance rates in the state on inflation. Hogwash.  Insurance rates are high because so hurricanes cause so much damage, and if it isn't hurricanes, it torrential downpours that drop 17 inches of rain in a 24 hours.  How like a Republican to always lie.  His aversion to the truth will end up killing many, many people.

The Secret Meeting

 And so we move on into another week.  This morning's temp outside was 59 (F) which is warm for this time of year.  Yesterday afternoon high was in the upper 80s (F) and people, including associates, were walking in through our front doors complaining about the heat.  We have a replay on tap for both today and tomorrow.  That means lawn work on my day off.  Good, I'm hoping to get some sun.  I don't want to go to Greece pale as a fish's belly.

Since it was warm yesterday, people were buying portable air conditioning units for their windows.  We sold quite a few.  At least this year some people seem to be a bit more pro-active. rather than waiting until we're cooking away in the dog days of summer.  

The new narrator is already working on the The Body on the Lawn.  He's asked for a character breakdown, which is something I didn't get with the previous narrator.  He's estimating this project should be completed in between 4 and 6 weeks.  That's fine with me.  For the last book, it took about a week and half; I'm in no rush.  I'm fairly certain this book is going to be longer.  Listening time for The Body Under Ice was 5 hours, I've been checking, that's short.  Most audiobooks run about 8 hours.  Does this mean the first narrator rushed to get the job finished?  I'd say there is a likelihood of that being possible.  For those who don't remember, here's the cover art.  It's good deal right now if you want to buy the paperback.

Kristi Noem was no longer trending yesterday, well, at least she wasn't trendy to the extent she had been on Saturday.  People are questing her judgement at including that story in her book; what audience was she actually trying to reach?  

There was also a not so secret meeting between the Orange Anus and Ronnie DeSantis at Mar a Lago this weekend.  Somehow I don't think they got together to share secret documents the way some people share recipes. But then, both of them so desperately want to be America's first dictator.  That'll never happen.

Trump's election interference trial starts again today.  Everyday is a surprise.  I'm guessing that Sarah  Sanders Huckabee is not one of the witnesses.  You have to admit, that would be really funny, getting to see her pouty, angry face glaring from the witness box.

Set Design

Outside the temps are already in the mid 40s (F), and they're going to be zooming up into the mid 60s (F) today, and by Thursday they should be at a scorching 74 (F), that is if the forecasters are correct.  Sadly, a quick look at the long range forecast indicates they're going to be dropping back into more seasonal temps.  This is a good thing.  If it was already this hot in March, I have no idea how hot the summer would be and don't doubt that scorching would not be a strong enough adjective.

Work was boring yesterday.  I had a brief talk with my manager about my scheduling.  Some time back I'd mention that I wanted my Monday start time to be 0930, and that was the case for some time, until yesterday, when once again it was 10:30.  However, I went to work at 09:30 per the previous discussion I'd had with HR and discovered the error.  So, I work my shift.  If it happens again, I suppose I'll have to have another chat with HR.

I did sell some window treatments (roller shades) to a customer who was... nice, but not the brightest bulb in the box.  She was in her late 20s and wanted shades with all the frills, a glittery glint hem at the bottom and everything that goes with it.  The spent $1700 for 3 blinds.  He applied for a credit card and got one, with a credit limit of $1000.  They thought he'd have a higher limit, telling me he was a contractor and made $900,000 last year, however, they didn't mention how heavy their debt load was.  Honestly, the fact that he supposedly made that much money and was applying for credit card suggests to me that they're either up to their eyeballs in debt, or he simply didn't make as much as he claimed.

Seeing this pic from the Oscars makes me think the person in charge of set design is almost a genius.

For those who missed it, Ronnie DeSantis "Just Say No" anti-LGBQT bill just took a big one on the chin.  Teacher will now be able to talk to students about gender orientation issues with out fear of being fired.  In fact, Ronnie's anti-Woke campaign is dying on the vine, so to speak.  Mom's For Liberty meetings now draw protests, and Bridget Ziegler, also known as Mom for Three-Ways is refusing to resign from her position on the school board.  That would mean giving up the power she so desperately maneuvered to get.

And don't you find it interesting that Robert Hur, the Trump appointed official who did the hit piece on Biden's mental facilities has resigned his position with the DOJ.  Lies and deceits  have their consequences.  Transcripts of his conversations with the president have been released and people now know that his report was heavily cherry-picked and exaggerated, and had only one purpose in mind, to make Biden look weak.

Oh, and the Orange Anus has stated that he's open to cutting Social Security benefits if he's elected.  I'm betting Republicans will not be able to take that to the bank.

What if it's more than just Thin-set

 Today's is starting out all bright and sunny.  According to Accuweather, the temps will never leave the 40s (F), which is nice.  This afternoon, however, gusty winds will be arriving and with them showers and drizzles, a precursor to the Cyclone Bomb that will slowly spread across the region this weekend.  The colder temps will please the skiers, since they'll be able to make snow up on Roundtop without having to worry about it melting.  And yes, if you were wondering, we do have ski resorts in the area, though the past few warm winters have not been kind to them.

Yesterday was one of those semi-productive days.  Some chores were completed, others not started.  I did go for a ride on the bicycle.  Paris.  A Garmin Triathlon.  There was a time when the videos for my Tacx trainer were only for rides in Europe, boy has that changed.  And a good thing it is.  Now I can choose from rides in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan.  There are a number of difficulty levels, from Easy to Extreme.  I can tell you right now, my legs would never survive an Extreme ride.

I should finish the painting in the kitchen today.

Yesterday, while I was making Chicken Marsala for dinner, I glanced up at my kitchen ceiling and saw a spot.  At least, I thought I was looking at a spot.  Of course, the first thing to go through my head was that the plumbers had failed and I still had a leak.  That would truly piss me off.  So, getting my small ladder, I got a closer look and discovered it wasn't a leak, but rather a small lump of thin-set from my tiling adventure. I was so relieved that all I had to do was scrap it off with my fingernail.

And then there's this:

Except except several interesting things are happening.  Firstly, you have to keep in mind that America is going through the Great de-churching.  Every year hundreds of thousands of Americans decide that Church is not the answer, and stop going, and it's not only the mainline denominations, it's everywhere.  Secondly, those who stop going cite a number of reasons for their change of mind, the politicization of Christianity is a big one.  The NYT had an interesting article on whether the Evangelicals from Iowa are on the Trump train or not.  Some are for Trump, others for DeSantis.  Trump puts out an ad saying he was sent by God, and that he ends every week by going to church (can you hear me laughing), while Ronnie D says that if he had been living in the time of Jesus, he could have been a disciple.  I find it amusing that these people don't care that they're driving people away from the church, as long as they get that hardcore Christian base to vote for them.  Could the United States end up seeing a war in which Christians fight Christians?  You bet!  And all because Conservatives believed that Culture Wars were the best way for them to win elections.

The Price of Loyalty

 Well, for those of you not on the Eastern Seaboard of the US, we certainly did get our share of rain yesterday.  Buckets.  There were times when your could hear it crashing down on the store's roof, and when that wasn't happening we had a sustaining soaker, meaning steady almost to the point of being unrelenting.  My gauge at the house indicated we got a little over 3 inches.  It's a good thing it fell over an extended period of time, otherwise there would have been flooding.

As expected, retail was terribly slow.  At times there were only 5 - 10 customers in the store.  So, what does one do when things are so slow?  Well, since I sit a desk with a computer, I started researching Greek names.  I also began reviewing Greek history, choosing a book on Delphi.  While some might just order it, I waited until I got home.  Always the good associate, I understand the purchasing something for myself on store time is against policy.  Besides, it's not like I'm super desperate to get it into my hands.  And, I ordered the paperback version.  I could have ordered the Kindle version, but, again, it's not that necessary that I begin educating myself on that subject immediately. I can wait... a bit.  In case you're wondering, this is one of the things I did at work yesterday.

Here's one of those interesting thoughts I have sometimes:  If, by some horrible act of the fates, Trump should actually win the presidency, Ronnie DeSantis will probably be sent to some sort of American gulag. You see, Trump would do his damndest to model his next term after his blow bro Vlad, and unless you've been living under a rock, you know that Vlad eliminates the competition.  Some get poisoned.  Some accidentally fall out windows.  And Ronnie, as well as Nikki H. would all be seen as competition.  You'd think these morons would know by now that Trump would demand unfettered loyalty, or else it would be out the window, or don't eat the chicken salad, or touch that door knob.

And I just saw a flash:  The pope has issued a decree that priests can now bless same sex couples.  Well, that's going send a lot of Catholics over the edge. 

Zinnias in the Rain

 And it's Monday, Funday for all of you out there who hate the start of the new work week.  Here in Central PA, we're under a steady drizzle with heavy, soaking rains to come later in the morning and early afternoon.  After they pass through, the temps are going to drop.  A frost warning is in effect for tomorrow morning, so it's probably time to pull my snuggly, wool blanked out of the cedar chest.

This morning, before I decided to get out of bed and get dressed, I thought about Biggie.  He was a really nice bedwarmer during the winter.  I will miss that.  He did, however, on occasion, walk up and look in my face and burp, but then he was a dog.  He would also snore loudly if he managed to roll himself over on his back.  Believe me, rolling a sleeping 115 pound dog over on his side is not the easiest thing to do.

Walking to work yesterday morning, I snapped a shot of one of zinnias in the rain.

Yesterday, politically things were rather quiet.  With Pence out of the GOP nominating race, things have quieted down somewhat.... sorry, I had to do that.  I did see where the Orange Anus said something about Mikey needing to go the distance.  Mikey was never one to put in the work, always being a step behind thinking that was enough.

Ronnie DeSantis is running into serious shit issues.  People are asking him the not too difficult questions and he's fumbling for the answers because he's always assumed everyone is a moron.  There was an interesting exchange on one of the Sunday morning news shows where he was asked about increasing gun mortality rate in Florida.  Of course, Ronnie D lied, saying it was decreasing.  Pushback ensued, something Ronnie D abhors because that brings his lack of accountability into focus.  Statistically, the number of people dying from gunshot wounds is increasing... a lot, like a percentage point a year, and last year it was up to 14 + %.  And Ronnie D's blubbery lips blubbered.  One of the consequences of loosening gun laws is that more people are going to die, but then when have Republicans ever thought of consequences.

Revolutionary

Well let's say hello to Thursday, today being the last day of August 2023.  The weather is supposed to be spectacular with the temps barely reaching into the 80s (F).  If long term forecasts are to be believed, however, and usually they're wrong, next week our temps are supposed to climb into the upper 90s (F).  I will wait and see.

I'd like to say that yesterday was a really great day of accomplishments, but it turns the hours were spent doing little things around the house; little things that didn't really add up to much, I'm afraid to say.  I did try changing the venting system from my dryer, moving the vent to the window, and it didn't work out well, so it's back to the way it was.

The electrician sent me his final quote for the work in the kitchen.  It's pricey.  Still, I accepted it, however, when I talk to my drywaller / contractor tomorrow morning I'm going to ask if she knows of someone just as reliable but less expensive.  I don't mind paying for a good tradesman, but sometimes I feel some of them use their unique skills to take advantage of you.

A week from today my copy of Starfield arrives.  I could have bought the download copy, but I'm one of those who likes to hold the disc in my hands, it's part of the ownership thing; I feel downloaded software is too much like something you lease rather than own.  Anyway, this game is going to make Bethesda Softworks billions... literally.  It's probably the main reason Microsoft purchased them.  Everybody wants to be involved.  I wouldn't be surprised if the game proved to be revolutionary, doing for space exploration what Star Trek did back in the 60s.  Even Imagine Dragons have a song in the soundtrack. 

Of course, Idalia knocked a big tree down near the governor's mansion in Florida.  I found it amusing that Ronnie D put out a statement saying that his wife and kids were okay while he, himself, couldn't give a wit about anyone else's wife or kids.  I found his statement that looters would be shot extremely troubling.  He's just giving haters a reason to kill people, claiming afterwards they thought they were shooting a looter.  This is the kind of moral degeneracy Conservatives wallow in, the ability to take the law into their own hands knowing full well they will be able to shirk any responsibility that should come with it.  The state will soon be completely lawless.  I mean, no one's going to be able to live their because of the expense.

 

workstation

 The weather yesterday was nice, comfortable temperatures, a light breeze and sun that was on and off.  Today looks to be a replay of the same, though the chance of showers increases to 40%.  Either way it will be nice.

I got the estimate for the electrical work and it's around what I was expecting.  I must have become more astute to contractors and their pricing.  I emailed Radle with 2 small changes.  I also sent an email to Lindsey, the woman who drywalled the holes in my ceiling.  I have work for her, some drywalling, the installation of cabinets and prepping for the new sink  and dishwasher.  Ibn fact, Lindsey just returned my email - we'll be talking this evening.  For the sink, I'm going to go with a double sink work station.  Nice, eh?  Though mine will be a drop-in, not an undermount.

And Ronnie DeSantis went down to Jacksonville to try and make some political points regarding the hate crime, 3 black people getting shot by a white man wearing a mask, and Ronnie got booed badly.  For those who don't know, Ronnie signed legislation allowing residents of Florida to carry a concealed gun without needing a permit to do so.  Ronnie is also the moron who said "Florida is the state where Woke goes to die."  Ronnie also let the good people of Florida know that he will pause his campaign while Hurricane Idalia tears through the middle of the state.  Someone should tell Ronnie he will never be president.

Also, today's the day when a judge will set the date for one of Trump's first trial for the Atlanta charges.  Prepare yourselves!  He and the MAGA  Republicans will be shrieking from here to high heaven.

Celebrate This

 We did have rain last night.  The grass is wet, so I don't know if I'll get a chance to mow it this afternoon.  According to the forecast there's little chance for additional rain today, tomorrow, and Sunday.  Actually, it's looking pretty dry for us... hopefully, unlike southern California and Nevada where Hillary is supposed to be dropping substantial rain.  Of course, you do know a vast majority of those living in the desert have no idea how much damage that much rain is going to cause.  Serious flooding is something they've never had to contend with.

I got four measures at work yesterday, that took up maybe around 30 minutes.  Towards the end of my shift I cut 15 feet of carpet.  Otherwise it was so slow and boring.  The full time associate who was supposed to be there never showed up, supposedly he was helping his daughter with something.  Whenever an associate pulls something like this, I automatically think of job interview.  This gent is unhappy about so many things and is not the sort of person who should really be working in retail.

This morning and this afternoon I'm going to be prepping for tomorrow.  What's tomorrow, you ask?  Lily turns 10 and that little old lady is going to be treated to homemade ice cream and cake.  Talk about being spoiled.  I work tomorrow afternoon but there will be plenty of time to celebrate before I head over to the store.

So, the Spawn of Satan, Donald J. Trump, wants to have his January 6 trial moved in to the future... way into the future, two years after the 2024 election.  I do believe this to be a tactic on his part to get his trial date extended, but because 2026 is so unrealistic I'm thinking he just wants it to be after the 2024 election.  Ain't gonna happen.  His attorneys are claiming there are so many trilobites of testimony and documentation they need to go over it will take them that long just to be ready.  Can you hear me laughing?  A judge will decide the actual trial date later this month and I can tell you, the Orange Anus is not going to be happy, and he'll whine, and he'll try and delay because he thinks that will help him.  It won't.

And I find it very amusing that Ronnie DeSantis used to say Florida was where woke went to die... well, I don't know about that, but it does seem to be the place where his campaign is going to die.

Yesterday

 Well, the weekend has arrived.  There's a slight drizzle, but that's supposed to pass.  Temps today are predicted to climb up into the low 90s (F).  Humidity is thick, though not clingy, like a wetsuit, and as the day gets warmer that may change.

Since it is Saturday, I will be working an almost full 7 hours and it'll be just me.  The 2 full time associates don't get back from vacation until Monday, and after tomorrow I'll be off until Thursday.  I'm quite interested in talking to one of them since this past Wednesday he was up in New York.  He went to see Josh Groban in Sweeney Todd.  I saw the original production oh, so many years ago with Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury.  

My big accomplishment yesterday was cleaning, dusting and vacuuming.  Meh.  If I lived in a much larger house, I probably hire someone to come in and do that for me, but for what the number of rooms I have, it wouldn't be a good waste of money.  

Since I've added the snails and algae eater to the big tank and moved the fish that east snails to the tank in the living room, my algae problems have disappeared, for the most part.  Slowly, tank decorations are being added.  Yesterday it was a clam shell, that works with a bubbler.  Of course, one of the snails had to investigate.  I snapped a picture just before he fell off the edge.

And yesterday was not a good day for Republicans.  Donny's attorneys met with Tanya Chutkan and then went away disappointed.  I liked the bit where she told them that if their client insisted on making inflammatory remarks it created a very good reason to move the trial up, rather than delay it.  The Orange Anus hates that sort of shit.  Other bits that I liked: that Trump is a criminal defendant and will be treated as such, and that is First Amendment rights are not absolute.  Donny is not a happy camper.  His S'mores are burning.

Republicans were also granted their wish by Merrick Garland, a Special Counsel has been assigned to the Hunter Biden case.  This doesn't make the GOP happy.  Now they're shrieking Cover UP.  In fact, Republicans are furious because it was politically expedient for them to keep Hunter's name in the headlines.  That has now been taken away from them.

Finally, Conservatives up in Iowa did not welcome Ronnie DeSantis with open arms.  Instead, they yelled at him.  They insulted him by calling him Pudding Fingers.  I delight in seeing this little asshole get his comeuppance in such a public manner.

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!"

What's in a Name

 Another Monday, another work week.  The weather's supposed to be nice, that's defined as temps in the low to mid 80s (F) during the day, with night time temps falling into the low to mid 60s (F).  These temps are not normal August temps for us here in Central PA.  These are the days that are called the Dog Days.  I have to keep reminding myself that last summer our temps were much warmer.

Yesterday was oh... so slow at work.  I did manage to make my sales goal for the week, not that my measly numbers are going to make anybody happy.  I was talking to my ASM and he was venting his frustration because things beyond our control were effecting our sales figures and corporate wasn't taking them into account.  I commiserated with him for a while and then reminded him that when it comes to sales, it doesn't make a difference why a store isn't making plan, corporate needs a scapegoat which is why the store always gets blamed.  Always.

I made a little video about my team of characters, Eli, Max, Bobby, and Jules.  This gives you a little bit more information about them and their names.

And I'm wondering just how tumultuous this week is going to be for the Republican party.  Last week they had some bad moments, and they had some worse moments. I saw an interesting comparison between Nixon and Trump in that Nixon had Ehrlichman, Haldeman, and Dean, while Trump has the valet, the pool boy, and the geek; can we talk lack of sophistication here?

A low point was probably Sammy Alito admitting to the Wall Street Journal that he believed himself, and the other members of the Supreme Court to be demi-gods, unfettered by any rules and regulations Congress might attempt to apply to their ethics.

Though honestly, I have to admit that Ronnie DeSantis and his team doubling down on his new education agenda stating that some slaves benefitted from being slaves.  I sit wondering what black Republicans must be thinking about this white guy, and his team, telling them that their great, great grandparents, and the seven generations of grandparents before them, actually benefited from being slaves, that they learned something that helped them in their personal lives... as slaves.  

Sign This

 Well, it's Wednesday and temps in Central PA are supposed to climb into the low 90s (F) and already people are complaining.  The forecast is for 3 days with temps in the 90s (F) with the high Friday around 98 (F).  This is nothing compared to the weeks the temps have climbed into the low 100s (F) down south, yet people are still going to be going "OMG, can you believe hot stinkin' hot it is?"  In case you're wondering, Saturday the temps are supposed to drop back into the mid 80s (F).  

I didn't get a lot accomplished yesterday.  Only 1 load of laundry.  Wednesday is usually laundry day.  I have the window open in the laundry room because the dryer does put out some heat, but I'll close it since temps are going to be warm outside.  

Some people had a small book signing for me last evening.  This are nice little get-togethers which usually end up with increased sales.  They're usually held at restaurants where tables can be pulled together.  I sign, and then everybody eats.  For some odd reason, rather than do tables, people were in booths in a restaurant that was packed.  It was loud, and the arrangements made it difficult to see and talk to people, still, I did manage to sign some books.  

And, of course, everybody is anxiously waiting for more indictments to drop.  I'm sure the bookies must be making a fortune as people bet which day the next bunch are going to be announced.  It's almost as though we're watching a slow motion horserace as people wager who's going to be first, the DOJ, or Fanni in Atlanta.  This is so much fun.

Of course, people were laughing that the DeSantis campaign jettisoned 38 staffers yesterday.  Some people are calling it a shake-up, other a downsizing.  I'm surprised Ronnie D's not dancing around and singing "do nobody give me no more bad news."  And it is like a constant smack, smack, smack, like four vehicles in his entourage being involved in an traffic accident yesterday.   If I were religious, I might have to point out that it looks a lot like God has set his sites on Ronnie D, perhaps it was his claim that he could have been a disciple.  It's almost like he's trying to set up his own version of the MAGA cult.

Judgement

 My long weekly mini-vaca starts today.  I will not be sitting at the flooring desk until Saturday, when I will once again begin my 3 day stretch.  Next week, however, I be doing the odd 3 day schedule again, working Thursday and off Sunday for a visit to York.  

A thunderstorm passed overhead last night with a lot of rain.  This one actually woke me up... somewhat, I could hear the thunder and for a few moments I was vaguely aware of rain pounding down against the bedroom windows.  The storm didn't really disturb me.  About 2:30 am, however, I did wake up and make did a little research on book number 8.  This is why I have a tablet by the bed.  Needless to say, notes were taken.

Even though retail was slow yesterday, I did manage to get my 2 requisite measures for the week.  I'm set.  I have 9 installs waiting to go, all I need to do is hope those customers decide to "pull the trigger," as they say.  There's a big meeting happing on Friday where, from what I've heard, management is going to start twisting the thumbscrews.  This will effect the full-timers more than it will me.  This is what happens when corporate executives make bad business decisions.

Here's a pic of Lily impatiently waiting to go for her morning walk.  She is getting so gray around her muzzle.

Ronnie DeSantis is doubling down on his racist opinion that slaves benefitted from the enslavement because... well, Meatball Ron believes that backing down would make him look weak.  While this might play well with the MAGA cult, for many in America it's a really bad failure.  I don't know who told him alienating whole voting blocs was a good idea, but, well as far as Democrats are concerned, it's a good way to keep Republicans from voting for him.  Fox News, in their attempt to aid and abet him, some ass named Greg Gutfield actually said that some Jews benefitted from the Holocaust.  

And, as the trucks continue to gather outside the DC Courthouse, the glow of satisfaction is beginning to well up from my heart like a many colored aura filling the air with delight.  We would have missed all of Trump's suffering if he'd been indicted earlier just to satisfy those impatient few who needed to see him in cuffs sooner.  His inane rantings on Truth Social are almost as good as manna in the wilderness as each day we learn one more person has flipped.  Yes, the floodgates have opened.  All of those rats he surrounded himself with are desperately trying to avoid being skinned alive.  If I were very religious, I say Judgement is coming for the Republican Party.

Zoom into This

 Sunday, and here in Central Pa the outside temp is 64 (F).  Nice sleeping weather.  My A/C rarely runs during the day and it's set at 73 (F).  I'm sure the River Birch tree and the Gingko trees help with keeping the inside temps down.  So far the summer has been fine here in Central PA, however we still have all of August and half of September to get through.

I had my Zoom call yesterday, and for the most part it was boring.  Only eight of us participated.  One of the problems is that the the guy who organizes them believes they need to be held on Saturday afternoons as that is the time when most people are available.  That is simply not the case.  We are all retired, or semi-retired and for those with families, weekends are the times when they get together with their kids and grandkids. And so there were excuses from those who didn't attend: one was kayaking with his wife and grandkids, another had chartered a boat to go deep sea fishing, another was visiting a flower show with his wife and daughter, one was on the golf course.  Anyway, here's a pic from it.

And for those who didn't know it, Barbie is smashing box office records, with Oppenheimer distantly on her heels.  Conservatives are flipping out as their carefully curated shrieks of Wokeness are falling on deaf ears all across the country.  While the director, Greta Gerwig, did not openly eviscerate the Cracker Jack Crazy Conservatives, she did jib and jab at them enough for Benny Shapiro to buy Barbie and Ken dolls and set them ablaze.  While I'm sure his followers nearly wet themselves with glee, the rest of America looked at his prank and realized he's as big of a dick as Ronnie DeSantis.

Speaking of Ronnie, he's doubling down on his "slaves benefitted from being slaves" rhetoric.  He is not moving to the far right, he's just becoming more and more extreme about his racism.  You look at his campaign, and at what he's doing to Florida, and you think he can't get any worse and then his administration pulls something like this.  I can't even imagine what world he's living in.

Constructive Criticism

 The rain we were supposed to be getting yesterday passed us by, moving up the coast farther to our east.  We has spotting showers for a while.  The temps cooled down a bit, but keep in mind that this is summer and they will most certainly rebound later in the afternoon.  I'm fine with that.  So far it seems as though we had a warm winter and a summer filled with medium grade temps.  I don't mind that; my central A/C doesn't need to run which saves me money on my electric bill.

I had a goal of 2 measures last week, I got 4.  Whoo! Hoo!

My schedule's odd this week.  Rather than work Monday, I'm working Thursday... don't ask me why.  It's an odd thing.  Instead of having 4 sequential days off, I'm 3 off, 1 on, and then 2 off.  After that my schedule goes back to what it was for a week, and then there is a shift again because I requested a Sunday off to go down to York.

Since the fish / aquarium center has been updated at PetSmart, I'll probably use that rather than drive down to Lancaster.  They even have plants now.

And I've added another video to my YouTube channel.  It got a couple hardy-har-hars when I posted it to Facebook.

And Ronnie D's is shaking up his campaign staffing, possibly because of the video in which one of his staffers admitted to being stoned.  Or, it could also be that his vision of Woke Hell is simply not catching fire.  Ronnie suffers from the same problem almost every other Republican politician suffers from, the inability to understand that his decisions run against the grain of most Americans.  The Orange Anus used the word Woke and Ronnie, believing it to be the true yellow brick road to the presidency instantly became the anti-woke overachiever.  Because of this he damns constructive criticism; that would me he's wrong.  He doesn't know that surrounding yourself only with people who think like you will spoil you into believing your are always correct.  Believe me, Ronnie has spoiled himself into believing he is the answer to every Cracker Jack Republicans Conservative wet dream.

Document This

 So, is Tuesday going to be drier than Monday?  I ask this because we had a whopper of a storm, almost 1.5 inches of rain at my house.  Not a lot of thunder and booming, but basically a torrential downpour that lasted for at least an hour.  My lawn will soon be a jungle.  

I have a survey scheduled for 1100 related to the CT scan I just had done on my lungs.  From what I was told when they called to set up the appointment, this might actually be the last thing I have to do since my lungs are clear.  Supposedly it's only going to take 15 minutes.  I will see if I can wrap it up in 5.

The owner of the house next door stopped by the flooring desk yesterday.  He was bragging that he paid $75K for the house next door and was going to sell it for $170.  I'm betting he gets a bit less than that.  Since he bought just about everything from the great Orange Retailer I work at, I pretty much know how much $$$ he put into the rehab.  How much?  He went cheap, cut corners.  They put down very inexpensive vinyl planks over flooring that's old enough to have been made with asbestos.  If hew gets that much, I'm going to feel bad for the new owners.

And I saw this on Twitter yesterday and had to laugh.

How appropriate.

I saw where the bimbo judge in charge of the Mar a Lago document case is doing her best to create havoc in her attempt to save Trump's orange ass.  She doesn't see why they need 84 witnesses, and she thinks their names should be released to the press, and... well, she is doing what Trump wants her to do.  The DOJ went over her head before and you can be sure they'll do it again.  One thing that stands out about Jack Smith, he is not naïve.   The DOJ knew full well she was probably going to be getting this case when they chose to indict the Orange Anus in Florida.  You can be they took into consideration how both dumb and loyal Aileen Cannon is to her benefactor.  Anyone who doesn't understand how prepared Smith is has got to be either stupid, or a Republican, or, more than likely, both.

Saint Ronnie

 Greetings and salutations from Central Pennsylvania.   The weather is nice here.  Outside the temps are a comfortable 61 (F), just right for sleeping.  This afternoon, if the forecasters are correct, they'll climb into the middle 80s (F).  It would be a truly great day if I didn't have to work.  Sadly, this is Saturday, one of the days I'm always scheduled to work.

If anyone asks "How's business?" I'll probably reply "so, so," since we're no longer in lawn and garden season.  The curb appeal drawn starts slacking off after Memorial Day.  This doesn't mean that people aren't still going to be buying plants and garden veggies, they're just going to be fewer and fewer of them.  If you haven't got your veggies in the ground by now, it's a little late, unless you're one of those who want to plant a fully grown tomato plant that already has tomatoes on it.  Believe me, there are those who do that.

I ordered a small weight bench, it arrived yesterday.  I used to have a nice Weider bench but I gave it away since I'd thought I'd never use it again.  Well, I was wrong, and since I was wrong had to spend a small amount of my money.  This is how it goes.  I'd rather give things away and occasionally need to rebuy what was given then fill my house with clutter.  Believe me, I know individuals who never give anything or throw anything away.

And I know that this pic will have some of you scratching your heads.  To give you some sort of explanation, let's just that say that knots may play a part in my next book, The Body in Motion.

I just got a news flash that Arnie Schwarzenegger has said that Trump will never will the presidency.  No surprise there.  He goes on to say that while the Orange Anus is polling well among conservatives and that, apparently, is what the GOP looks at rather than the national picture, getting 33% of the vote will never win him the presidency.  Isn't this what I've been saying all along?  

Oh, and Ronnie DeSantis has gone on record as saying that were these Biblical times, he could have been one of the disciples.  Since he's a devout Catholic, at least that's what he says, and since every one of the disciples is a Saint in the Catholic Church, he's alluding to his belief that he should be recognized as Saint Ronnie.  Right, that must be why he was wearing those white boots. 

Air Quality Alert

 So, yesterday was nice.  We actually got some rain; enough so that I didn't feel the need to go out and water the flowers.  I'm going to spend some time outside today weeding, but probably not much since we are under an Air Quality Alert.  The Canadian wildfire smoke is upon us.  If the NYT is correct it should be what they term medium thickness.  I have no idea how they judge or grade the thickness.  Are they referring to it's density, or to the particulates that make up the cloud?

A number of audio files for The Body Under Ice were uploaded last evening.  The narrator sent me and email telling me to take notes and that corrections would be done after I've listened to the entire book.  So, thanks to the Air Quality Alert, my inside hours should be well occupied.  I can't wait to hear them cutting through the ice to retrieve the body.

Looking out the window, things do look a bit hazy.  When I take Lily for her morning walk, I will sniff around to see if I can smell.

:"We Don't Talk About Bruno" from the movie Encanto was a big hit for Disney.  One thing that has always bother me was my inability to hear all the lyrics at the end; there are so many different voices singing.  Last night I solved that problem.  I watched the lyric video.  Had Disney made the right choice and nominated this song it would have walked away with the Oscar for Best Song of the Year. 

And, of course, the Internet was abuzz yesterday because Mark Meadows has testified before two (2) Grand Juries in regard to the Trump investigations.  There were a lot of cute little videos of pancakes being turned over.  So far, I haven't seen and all caps commentary by the Orange Anus.  Don't worry, it will happen.

Ronnie D may be in some legal trouble for flying a 2nd flight of immigrants to California.  His campaign is hurting, hence the flights.  He wants voters to think he's doing the right thing.  His 2 hot button issues are evidently the illegal transport of legal aliens and wokeness, something he cannot describe.  And just think, the real Republican shit show hasn't even truly begun yet.