Conservative Inability to Understand

 The temps in Central PA just barely dropped below freezing last night and todays temps in the low 40s (F) are going to melt away the last of the mini-ice storm we had.  Next on our precipitation menu is a tad of snow and ice coming tomorrow night.  I don't work, so it doesn't really bother me.

So, I got a call from the store yesterday afternoon asking if I was okay since I didn't show up for work.  It went into my voice mail.  I called them back and told them I had done the call-off thing yesterday morning at 0630.  Well, it never went through, so they had to process my call off manually.  I also got a text from the Flooring Specialist asking if I was okay since I hadn't shown up.  I replied with a text, and that didn't go through, either and then I discovered that T-Mobile, my provider, is working in conjunction with Musk's Starlink.  This is not going to go well.

Since I had some spare time yesterday, I also baked a white cake with peanut butter frosting.  It's quite tasty.  Howie likes it, too.  I was curious to see whether he'd eat his slice like Lily, who was dainty and basically licked her cake, or Biggie, who gulped his cake down whole.  Howie started off licking, but then he gulped.  Here's a pic o the cake.

The Super Bowl was played yesterday.  I didn't watch.  My neighbors did... at first, though their TV wasn't blaring.  It got really quiet when the half-time show started, probably because both of them are in the 50s and prefer 80s rock to Kendrick Lamar.  I watched snippets of the show on YouTube.  I'm not a big fan of rap, but I truly did appreciate the fact that he had no problem giving the Orange Anus the proverbial finger.  I'm hearing a lot of Cultists were not appreciative either.  No matter how desperately they want to turn back the clock to the 1950s, it ain't gonna work.  Mostly what we're in for is a return to the 1960s, but this time it's going to be worse.  Conservatives simply don't understand America, but then they never really cared to learn.  This inability on their part will lead to their destruction.

And just why was the Orange Anus the first sitting president to go to a Super Bowl game?  I do believe in his tiny mind, this as an homage to his blow Bro Vlad Putin.  For those of you who don't know, for years old Vlad used to major sporting events as a way of building his popularity among the Russian people.  It's one of the reasons he could force his regime upon the Russian people: they thought he was one of them.  Sadly, old Vlad hasn't played those gigs over the past few years.  His popularity has wanned.  The Russian economy is in the shitter.  They just reopened their Stock Market MOEX on January 25 after shutting it down because it kept crashing.  Notice, that was 5 days after Orangie took the oath of office.  So far Bangers and Mash is doing much better.  Oh, and in this country the cost of gold is going through the roof.  There's a reason for that, too.

Snow

 We have snow!  Not the light and fluffy kind, however, thick and heavy.  Very moisture laden, might be a good way of describing it, and beneath the white is a layer of slush, weighty stuff.  This cardio will be a workout.  Temps are barely below freezing, and as the day goes on, the warmer they're going to be getting.  Some forecasters predicted 1 - 3 inches, other 4 - 8 inches.  I'm guessing we got on the low end of the 4 - 8 inches, and while flurries are still flying, I'm not expecting much more of an accumulation. 

An apology to Sixpence for not responding to his comment yesterday.  Blogger did something odd and the reply button was not working.  In fact, the same thing happened to Maddie's reply button after I responded to her comment.  

Retail was slow yesterday.  Once again, I'm going to repeat myself.  We're in the middle of February, here in the mid-state, the number of people choosing to wait on home improvements is enormous.  The installation measures I have been getting are for blinds, not flooring.  There's no need for doors to be open for extended periods of time while product and tools are carried into the house.  There's also a lot less mess.  Cleanup is virtually non-existent. 

Quick snowy weather update, the sun has just broken through the clouds!  According to Accuweather radar, the storm has passed.  So, I guess we're looking forward to partly cloudy skies with temps in the mid 40s (F).  Meaning the snow is already going bye bye.  Here's a pic from my backyard.

And, if anyone hasn't been paying attention, the social conservatives are flipping out over those pro-Christian ads that played during the Super Bowl.  Holy Crap!  Literally.  They're calling them Satanic, and pure evil.  One of the said that they promoted a Woke Jesus (I found that funny), since social conservatives hate the idea of being woke.  Remember woke?  That thing Americans rejected Ronnie DeSantis, and his campaign, because he couldn't stop shoving it down everyone's throat?

Another bit of bright news is that the last chapter of Moms for Liberty in Pennsylvania has officially disbanded because of... lack of interest.  The thing they didn't understand is that parents really don't want someone telling them how to raise their children.  Nope.  Perhaps if they had provided a list of books that parents might want to consider to be either appropriate or inappropriate for their children they might have had a better success rate, but nope, they charged into schools ripping books from library shelves.  That, and the fact that they heartily approved of a White Supremacy.  

Finally, looking out of my window, I think it's about time I got my ass into gear and went out and shoveled some snow.

Run Away! Run Away!

 Snow Watch!  Looks like we might be getting some February weather... maybe.  And while some might be sitting at the window staring out in anticipation of that first snow flake, I will not.  Temps are predicted to drop into the upper 20s (F) tonight while the snow is falling, but they're going to be warming up into the 40s (F) tomorrow afternoon.  I don't doubt that what we do get will need to be shoveled, but how much shoveling is in question since one forecast says 1 - 3 inches, and another says 2 - 6 inches, and that's a big difference.  

Retail yesterday was, as expected, slow.  Even still, I managed to get 2 measures and and sell $2000 in vinyl plank flooring.  My 5 measures last week and $10,000 sales are keeping management happy; I'm receiving a 2 gift cards today.  When I punched out yesterday, there were possibly 5 customers in the store, and the parking lot was very empty.  So, I spent a lot of time scrolling through my phone, talking to fellow associates who didn't call off (there were a number of those), and getting my steps in.  Over 11,000 steps!  meaning I traversed the store a number of times.

And I did see this, which I found funny.

For those who don't get the reference, here's the video explaining the bunny.  Run away!  Run away!

And, of course, the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl.  Not surprising, the Moral Degenerate, Trump posted some sort of congratulatory BS on Truth Social.  No doubt one of his minions had told him that Taylor Swift has much more appeal to women voters than Kid Rock.  There is a rising fear among the conservatives that Taylor might endorse Biden, and I don't doubt some of them are desperately praying for a Holy Hand Grenade.  Well, it isn't going to come.  They're delusional dreams of a socially conservative America are dying faster than Monty Python's knights.  They haven't gotten to the point where they're going to start shrieking "run away,! run away!" but it's close at hand.

Alexander

 It's Sunday, and our temps are not predicted to be as warm as they were yesterday.  At one point, I check the outside temps and they were sitting at a comfy 57 (F).  We are in the heart of the winter.  Not that I'm complaining.  These warm days are saving me bunches of $$$ on my heating bill.  Today, if the forecasters are correct, we're supposed to be visited by showers.  That was supposed to happen yesterday and didn't.  Tomorrow night we have been told to expect wet snow.  

Even though retail was slow yesterday, I managed to get 2 blind measures.  Today, one of my carpet install customers is supposed to stop in and pay.  That will add around $6700 to my sales for the week.  As I did last year, I'm not doing to badly this year.  I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but my measures and sales are better than one of the full time associates'.  He comments every now and then about how he and I are in a "horserace."  Because I only work 22 hours a week and he works 40, he should be doing much, much better, though rather than point this out, that's management's job, I usually just smile.

I began watching the Netflix documentary on Alexander last evening.  I was interested for several reasons, one of them being a general interest in Greek history, another being that a number of Conservatives who began shrieking like mindless banshees because Alexander is portrayed as being bisexual, something historically noted for centuries.  Except for a 2 minute scene, there is relatively little sexuality in Alexander, so if you're interested in Greek history and are worried that might offend you, just blink during that bit.  For those not offended, I have to tell you I was impressed.  The details provided by a number of scholars from several universities, give Alexander a depth I wasn't expecting.  

Oh, and tonight's the Super Bowl. (Sigh).  And I won't be watching.  I am working, though, and the store should begin clearing out between 1 and 2 PM because they need to prepare for Super Bowl parties and Taylor Swift hate groups.   As I've said, I'm not watching, but I suspect that if the camera man focuses in on Taylor every few minutes, half of the Conservatives in the country will either turn off the game or go blind.  Either way, they lose.

The Knee

 And... the work week begins.  I have a 6 hour shift.  Somehow, I think I'll be able to struggle through those hours.  Business will be slow.  Day after the Super Bowl, you know.  I don't doubt many people imbibed too much last evening.  Not one to fixate on tribal sports, my evening was dry.  I watched the half-time show this morning.  Even though I don't listen to most of the artists who performed, I will admit to getting a bit teary eyed at times.  This was representation on such a grand scale.  And for those who missed it, Eminem took a knee.  Thank you, Eminem.  For those of you who thought you were hearing the roar of applause as he did so, I have correct you.  While there was the roar of applause, there was also the background rumbling of white, Conservative heads exploding.

As for the rest of yesterday, business, as expected, was slow.  There were maybe... 3 customers in the store when I left.  When I got home, I fed the dogs, and played a video game I download.  Oh, and I also ordered Assassins' Creed Valhalla for my Xbox Series X.  I like that game.  Perhaps I've always wanted to be a Viking.  Here in America, our history glosses over the Vikings, we're not taught how influential they were in Europe.  They had settlements up and down every coast line.  Most people don't understand, they reached Paris.  So, quite possibly, if you have European ancestry, you... might possibly have Viking DNA tracking through your genome.

Evidently, another GOP from Texas has had to pull out of the upcoming election.  It seems Brad Namadar was soliciting female sex workers, one twice. She reported him.  Why is it you never see this shit happening to Democrats?  

Night of the Latinas

Okay, so I missed that silly little football game last evening. When I checked my phone this morning there were lots and lots of little notifications telling me who won.  Yippee.  There was a time when I felt the need to scan through the commercials the next day; not any more.  I did, however, watch the half-time show.  Holy Crap!  Talk about high octane entertainment.  Talk about a finger in the eye of every MAGA head out there.  This is exactly what the Idiot Jerk in the White was supposed to keep from happening.  I'll bet many of their shitty, little hats are still spinning somewhere up in the stratosphere.  If you didn't see it, take a look:

Anyway, today is another day off for me.  My third!  And the temps are supposed to hit 61 (F).  We always get a winter thaw in February, however this has been a rather warm winter so far.  I have to keep reminding myself we're only 1/3 of the way through.  Nature can still give us snowy smackdown in the next 2 months.
And, as I always do when I'm finishing up a book, I tease with bits and pieces.  Here's a bit from the Chapter called "The Posse."

Choosing to sigh rather than say anything, I patiently waited while Bill arranged our horses on either side of Sunny’s.  I knew what this was.  Picture time.  They must do this for all of the tourists.  While I had no objection, I have to admit I was feeling a little embarrassed.  We were here to help solve a murder.

As he was framing us up, Bill paused.  For a second I thought I saw a frown pass across his face, a moment of shadow.  “Don’t think I ever saw that before.  In all my days,” he shook his head,” never.  You look like an honest to God posse.” He looked down at the ground for a second.  This was the first time I’d ever seen this kind of reaction.  Intense.  Honest. This is what pain looks like, I thought.  Framing us up again, he took a picture of us sitting there on our horses.  “This ain’t no Dan Bailey you’re goin’ lookin’ for, he’s long dead.  But you help Sunny, you hear?  You help her find who killed our Dottie Ruth.”

Oh, dear me

There's was a football game last night... I didn't watch it.  After sitting in the seats down in Washington for a nationally televised football game I can tell you, the Super Bowl is nothing more than a celebration for the people addicted to the hype.  The sad truth is evident when people say things like "My team's not playing, but I'll watch it for the commercials."  One of the things I hate most in life are... commercials.  If you're that addicted to cutesy advertising you can go online and binge watch all 45 minutes of Super Bowl commercials.  Remember, however, doing so is not for the faint of heart.
We know Northam from Virginia wasn't watching the Super Bowl, he was fielding phone calls and meeting with his staff.  The question of the hour is... will he do what a Republican would never do if he were in the same situation... resign?
And, of course, running up to last night's game, there were an infinite number of stories concerning American football, the teams, and even the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  He likes to get his name in the press, you know?  I don't normally read to much about him.  One can only read so much about hate before barfing.  Anyway, there were a number of articles concerning his spawn, Barron, and how the Idiot Jerk didn't really want him to play American football.  There were a number of pictures and they are what grabbed my attention.  There were none of a happy, smiling family unless they were staged for a photo op.  Instead I saw anger, and arrogance, and... well, some are going to say I'm being bad, but in quite a few Barron actually looked demonic.  Like this one:

Oh, dear me, doesn't Barron look a little like Damien... from "The Omen?"

I'm not making any connections to evil here, just asking.  don't know.  I do know Melanoma seems to be shooting someone the evil eye.

Super Bowl = Retail Failure

Well, I get to work today and right now I'm going to make a prediction that sales are going to be pretty dismal.  Why?  Well, we have another snow system moving into the area.  Forecasts are for another 4 to 7 inches of snow.  Oh, and that snow is supposed to transition into freezing rain for a bit and then back to snow.  Weather wise, today is going to be a mess.  While there are some people who venture out in bad weather to shop, most stay home.  Oh, and there's one other thing.  Today is also Super Bowl Sunday.

True, you do have those none football fans who don't watch the game or go to a party, and normally they might decided to go shopping, however we have this bad weather coming into town.  For a couple of years they tried doing a Super Bowl Sunday shop-a-thon in an attempt to get people into the stores, but it was never too successful.  As a result, most of the associates scheduled today will stand around twiddling their thumbs.  Total sales will most likely be equal those we get on New Year's Day.  Unless you're in the food business, or booze business, Super Bowl Sunday is traditionally a bad day for cash registers.

Man Caves, the ugly truth

The Super Bowl is upon us.  For quite a few, it is the the greatest football game in the world.  Me, I prefer cycling so I don't share in all the excitement.  One thing I do find interesting is suddenly and quite frequently, one starts hearing about man caves.  What is a man cave?  Supposedly it is the only room where the man of the house can find refuge.  A real man should retreat to his man cave so he doesn't have to deal with the hum drum of daily life.  If you've ever watched House Hunters you've heard men talking about which room is going to be their man cave.  I always have to laugh at them since usually what they end up with is some thing like this.

Sure, there are trophies on the walls and there are a lot of what I call 'faux' male trappings, but this is not a man cave.  Don't believe the little sign over the fire place.  There are just too many feminine touches.  The rusticity is by design.  In spite of its intent, this is nothing more then a family room (note the videos under the television).

A real man cave has wood.  You know what I'm talking about, the real stuff, like this room here.

There is so much wood in this room, you can feel it.  Believe me, there is nothing like real wood.  And look at the leather, no doubt made from real cow hide.  And the bear on the lampshade?  That just screams man cave.  Who needs a sign on the fireplace when you have true, honest to goodness,  real wood and leather?  You can bet no family gathers here to watch television.  This room is only for men. Growl!

How stupid is the "Forever Lazy?"

Every now and then I will see a product advertised on television and all I want to do is hit myself up side my head.  You know what I'm talking about, those things which can't even be categorized as guilty pleasures.  Right now the commercials I find jaw dropping are those for "Forever Lazy."  Supposedly it's a garment, a full length, fleece jumpsuit and hoody combination with booties attached.  First of all, I find the name alone revolting.  Lazy is not a characteristic anyone should aspire to, let alone be called.  People who are lazy are frowned upon by society because they don't carry their weight, they don't want to work, they just want to lay around and get fat.  Lazy people neither can't, nor want, to hold a job and so collect welfare and, or, unemployment.  Knowing this, why would any person in their right mind want to purchase a "Forever Lazy?"  One of the problems is this recurring thought that the definition of an easy life is to spend most of your hours reclining away with some sort of white, trash reality show playing across your flat screen TV.  Actually, this is what I picture most people doing once they don their "Forever Lazy."  I can't see them doing any kind of physical movement what so ever, except perhaps to shove some sort of high calorie food in their mouth.  I wouldn't be surprised if there are those out there who will purchase one thinking they might look like this:

Remember, these are models who work out daily

In the commercial they say something about tailgating and supposedly picture men wearing their "Forever Lazies" in a parking lot outside a stadium.  I would really like to see that.  I don't think anything could be funnier.  Can't you just picture some jock getting to the Super Bowl early so he can strut around outside in his baby blue "Forever Lazy?"  Of course, if he was in his team colors they might not have him arrested.

If you really are interested in buying one of these, you can do so at Amazon, which surprised me, but then you can buy all sorts of things at Amazon.  I found the reviews interesting.  One reviewer gave it 5 stars because it made a great 'prop' for a play.  There were more negatives then there were positives, but then that is to be expected.  I suspect most people who buy this are doing so in the middle of a brain fart.  It's a good thing they're dirt cheap other wise you might really hate  yourself in the morning.