When you hit middle age you really only have two choices: you can get fat and lazy until you roll over and die, or you can can get off your ass and do something, like maybe ride a bike.
Bluntness
I've also been told I have little tact, so if this offends you simply ride on.
Well, we got drizzles. Our high temp for this afternoon was supposed to be in the low 80s (F), now, however, it appears we'll only be in the high 70s (F). That's fine. I'd like to save on the cooling expense until it gets hot enough to be essential. I also see that the mini-heatwave we had last week has now arrived in the UK. These weather anomalies are going to become more and more frequent as the climate crisis continues to grow.
Yesterday was very productive. My lawn, front and back, was mowed. Shopping was done. Gas was bought for the car. $46.00! And that was with 30 cents off of every gallon. I got a nice 9 mile ride in on the bike in Fausto, Italy. It was so boring. I will never ride in Fausto again. In the evening I played some Crimson Desert. It's interesting. I'm not impressed with the combat. That may change.
The Bluetooth keyboard I use with my writing laptop stopped working. Actually, it might still be working, I just couldn't get the Bluetooth to connect. I tried a 2nd keyboard and had the same problem. It might be the drivers. I may spend some time putzing around with it this afternoon, but not much, the laptop keyboard works just as good.
And since my roses have started blooming, I thought I share a pic of the peach colored climber I have by the front porch.
In today's segment of "aren't numbers fun": Of the 18.7 million registered voters in Texas, only 855,00 showed up to vote Paxton or Cronyn. Think about that.
And on Orangie's 3rd physical in 13months? Seniors with serious medical issues are going to have frequent physicals because they can go downhill so very fast. They are desperately trying to keep him alive for as long as possible since there's no one as charismatically evil to run the cult.
Yesterday, RFK Jr put out a video of himself playing with snakes. This is video without relevance. He was bitten, and that grinning sack of shit stood there... grinning. I had to laugh because you do know that so many of his followers, the ones that drink the raw milk, are going to run out and try the same thing... and get themselves snake bit. And some of them might die.
Today's going to be a rain day. All Day. That means steady showers through the day. There will be breaks, of course, allowing Howie just enough time to run outside and jump around in mud puddles. Temps today are going to climb into the upper 40s (F). That'll be nice. Next week we'll be in the mid 70s (F). Isn't that nice? And Spring is still 2 weeks away. Of course, temps will drop down. There will those inevitable freeze warnings for those who start planting their gardens too early.
Yesterday was a good day. I got a really good workout in. I did squats, and thrusts, and used the machine. Using the equipment is important because it proves to me that I didn't simply throw money away. There are a lot of treadmills, and ellipticals out there being used as clothes racks. It always makes me feel good to know that I'm not one of those who waste money on something they use for 2 weeks and then forget about.
I have some lunches planned for the next few weeks, which means I really should get a haircut. My view on haircuts: get into the salon, get the hair cut, and get out as fast as possible. I'm not one of those people who needs to chit chat away 5 minutes of my life with a hair stylist. If I didn't feel the need to look somewhat presentable I'd probably never get one, or shave my head.
I did start a loaf of bread this morning. It's time to finish backing just before I leave to get my haircut.
And I follow some German man on Threads who posts pictures of sunsets looking out over the Baltic Sea. His name is Bjorn, which seems like an odd name for a German. Here's a sunset he posted yesterday.
There was an interesting article this morning on the NBC news website about Democrats flipping elections. For those who aren't counting, so far the Democrats have flipped 27 seats while the Republicans have flipped zippo. Zilch. Zero. One of the laments coming from the GOP is that without the Orange Anus on the ballot, they're afraid that turnout is going to be light. They simply do not understand that his base, the MAGA cultists are in no way a majority in this country. Hell, they only makeup 17% to 19% of the population. This is not the total number of registered Republicans, that's around 27%, just the crazy people whose fanaticism has taken away their sanity.
The Republican Texas primaries are falling apart. Orangie has yet to endorse either Paxton or Cronyn, though he has said that after he curses one with his endorsement, the other candidate needs to drop out. Paxton has said that he's not dropping out no matter what. This puts Orangie into a bit of bind. If he endorses Paxton, people will say this is just another TACO. And if he endorses Cronyn, it means that his endorsement means zippo. Zilch. Zero.
Wow! We're at 11 (F) and the day's supposed to get warmer. We should have a Town Crier ringing his bell and crying Here Yee, Here Yee the temps are rising! I do suspect, however, that good news would end up pissing people off this early in the morning. Our temps are predicted to climb into the upper 20s (F) today, and above freezing tomorrow. The long range forecast has us getting cold again, but again, that's the long range forecast and we know how inaccurate they tend to be.
Yesterday I worked. One of my customers and came in a purchased an installation. They'd bought a house that had been built in the 1970s and had vinyl sheet in the family room. Unfortunately, that vinyl had asbestos in it. In the 70s, before they realized that asbestos can cause lung cancer, they put it everywhere. Remediation is expensive and can cost several thousand dollars. For a while, I didn't think they'd purchase, but they did.
My new bread maker arrived yesterday. It's a Cuisinart, the same stile I had for years, though this was has been update. Sadly, because of my work schedule, I won't be able to bake a loaf until Tuesday.
As expected, yesterday social media was rife with comments about the most recent Epstein file drop. While some of the files are stomach churning and a lot of unredacted information about the survivors was released. there was also some humor. Elonia Musk desperately wanted to get an invite to the wild orgies and was, to put it bluntly, snubbed. He's claiming most of the embarrassing emails between himself and Maxwell are fake. As proof that his children don't like him, his daughter chimed in saying yes, those emails are his. How's that for disrespecting your father?
There were 2 special elections in Texas. The one for Congress stayed Democrat. However the special election in a deeply red, Republican district flipped in a landslide victory for the Democrat. Alarm bells are going off. I do believe there is a distinct possibility that Orangie and his team of sycophants will try to cheat. They simply do not understand, or believe, that so many Americans can not stomach the Orange Anus. Any interference with the elections will cause America to rise up and stomp the shit out of them.
We have another cool morning here in Central PA. Yesterday, the temps climb fairly high on the thermometer, upper 80s (F). Even though our afternoon high is only supposed to be in the low 80s (F), I'm suspecting today will be a repeat. We are under an air quality alert. I suspect it's the wild fires in Canada. Oddly enough, I don't remember all of these wildfires taking place when I was a kid, but then things are different today, we have satellites, and air monitors, and people who get paid to keep track of such things. Back then the weather forecaster would look out the window and decide if the day was going to be cloudy or not.
I worked yesterday and so my routine is not even close to what I like to think of a normal. I like to write starting in the mid to late afternoon, however when I work writing needs to be done before I leave. Sometimes that works well for me, but frequently it doesn't. Yesterday it worked well, but then the storyline is at point where action is happening and things are moving quickly.
Even though the store is making plan, foot traffic was very slow, mid-February kind of slow. One of the hardware associates was complaining about hours being cut. Evidently at one of the morning meetings last week an announcement was made that fewer hours are going to be scheduled. Right now this only concerns part-timers. This also means that there are going to be gaps in the coverage when no one will be schedule to work in certain departments. This is all related to the tariffs. If the orange home improvement retailer I work for isn't going to raise prices, they're going to have to cut expenses and the easiest expense to cut is payroll.
And this was Howie's birthday present. He loves the stuff, unfortunately it costs $4.59 for a little 12 ounce can.
And the Democrats from Texas have temporarily relocated to several other states to avoid pushing through Republican redistricting in order to give the Orange Anus 5 more seats in the House of Representatives. The fact that Republicans are trying to increase their count to avoid the Orange Anus from being impeached tells you what's terribly wrong with the GOP. The party that wants authoritarian rule in the United States has a big, big problem: they're a minority party who simply can not deal with the fact that a majority of Americans hate them. The anger is growing and they don't know how to handle it, you see they convinced themselves a long time ago that all they had to do was get themselves in charge. They truly believe that if they say, "shut up, we're in charge," everyone will simply bow their heads and meekly say, "okay." That isn't happening. America is watching as the Republican party proves they will accept any evil if it helps them stay in power. This has always been the problem with Authoritarians, their ability to comprehend is at a minimum at best. This is why they've always ended going down in flames. They will torch themselves and burn themselves to the ground without ever understanding that were the ones who struck the match.
Well the forecasters were sort of right yesterday, we did have rain in the late afternoon, drizzles and showers throughout the evening. We have the same forecast for today, and tomorrow, and into the middle of next week. Will we get rain every day? I don't doubt it. Summers are not the same as they were. We did have a bit of a heat wave in early June, those used to occur in late July and August. Of course, we're still early into summer so things may change.
Yesterday was one of those, "well, I'm not going to get a lot done today," days, mostly because of my appointment at the VA clinic in Lebanon. I did have plans for when I left, however there were delays. My consultation started 20 minutes late and then we spent 15 minutes talking about my bloodwork. Then it was decided that I should have an EKG since it's been 8 years since I had the last one. Tomorrow, I'll go in and check out that report. I also had to sit through a detailed instruction on colonoscopy prep. Crap, two days before the procedure I need to stop eating everything I normally eat.
Anyway, I didn't get home until after 3:30 PM, so as far as I was concerned the day was pretty much a waste. Wait, that's not quite right, I did finish Intermezzo 2 in The Body in 4/4 Time. That's right, this book will have both chapters and intermezzos. There's even an Overture.
I did start growing another carrot. I planted the other one I'd started outside. Evidently that's what you're supposed to do when it starts growing roots.
And you have to admit that Orangie's failure to deal with Epstein is... remarkable. That moral degenerate is so desperate he's raised the tariffs on Brazilian exports to 50% in the hopes of getting people to talk about something else. Lucky for us tariffs and Tacos are synonymous. Previously such an announcement would have sent the Dow plummeting, but not anymore. Orangie is a now a broken record when it comes to tariffs.
Remember when Orangie said he was going to get rid FEMA? That money could best be served in giving himself and other billionaires a tax break. Well, it seems that Puppy Killer Kristi Noem waited 2 days to activate FEMA's Search and Rescue Team after the horrific flood in Texas. This is her way of telling those victims "you're on your own, baby!" Whether they understand it or not, this is what those Texans voted for, of course no one ever told those parents whose children were washed away that their lives had now become expendable. Surprise! in the eyes of billionaires, everyone who isn't one is expendable.
And so, a new week begins. Our outside temp is 75 (F) which is warm for so early in the morning (0719). Our forecast high for today is 90, we shall probably go a bit higher until the thunderstorms pass through late this afternoon and evening. When I left work yesterday at 6 M the temp outside was 92 (F), and that was warm. After today's and tomorrow's storms our afternoon high should be hovering in the mid 80s (F).
And I did work yesterday. A full shift. Well, almost a full shift. I was supposed to start work at 10:30 and left the house around 10:25. Honestly, I had no real desire to go sit at the flooring desk. There isn't a doubt in my mind that this is because of all the shit happening in the country. I am preparing myself for it to get worse before it gets better.
I went outside this morning wearing my shorts and gnats swarmed my legs. For some reason they're bad here, possible because I'm so close to the river. When my neighbor Eileen still lived next door, she always wore sweat pants and a thin long sleeve shirt outside to do lawn work. I may have to go to Community Aid and pick up some cheap old shirts.
The 2nd, and probably last season of Sandman started on July 2 (there's been a problem with Neil Gaiman). Instead of watching any of the episodes when I got home from work last evening, I died a number of times playing Oblivion. This one of the things about gaming, you are always forced to learn from your mistakes otherwise you will never stop dying.
One of Nebraska's state senators had said that the budget was only "sleight of hand," to make it appear balanced when in actuality it was not. Keep in mind that Nebraska is a Republican red state and even in the depths of fiscal crisis will never admit to have making a mistake.
II see that the Orange Anus' tariff deadline has been extended to August 1. This is because no country, except for Vietnam, has responded. I guess there may be frameworks, or possible the concept of frameworks for trade deals, but as of yesterday nothing had been carved in stone. Bessent, the idiot, said yesterday on State of the Union that "no countries got back to us." Someone should tell Orangie that if he's trying to work a trade deal and his demands are being ignored, than he's not the great deal maker he's been claiming to have been for years.
A final note on the flooding in Texas. It is true that the NWS was understaffed by a number of positions, though they did send out warnings. One of the problems is that when I get a ping on my phone in the middle of the night telling there is a flash flood warning I sleep through it, and these floods happened during the early morning hours. What no one seems to be talking about is that in September 2024 we had what they call a "100 year," flash flood in North Carolina that killed 107, and now, 9 months later and half way across the country, we have a 2nd "once in 100 years," flash flood. So, how long will it be before we have a 3rd "once in 100 years," flash flood.
Temps got up into the low 90s (F) here yesterday. With a 0% chance of precipitation there were no showers, no storms, and humidity was rather middlin'. We have the same forecast for today. Tomorrow, however, is a different story. Humidity is going to creep back into the area and our chance of showers and storms goes up to 40%. In fact that % is stuck in the mid 40 percentile range for the next few days, that is unless Chantal changes course slightly.
I did get an 8 mile bicycle ride in yesterday morning before heading out to work. It was fine. I listened to a Linkin Park playlist. They were one of my favorite groups until Chester Bennington drank half a bottle of whiskey and committed suicide. Thinking about someone doing something so stupid pissed me off so much I stopped listening to them. I think enough time has passed, besides, they have a new lead singer and she's rather good.
And, being that it is the weekend, I also worked. For a Saturday, business was slow. I did bring up the subject of empty spaces beginning to clutter up our shelves with several people, one of whom works in our garden department. The main thread of all of these conversations was that the number of products we are able to sell is declining. This is a direct result of tariffs. The only trade agreement that has been signed is with Vietnam and what to we import from Vietnam? The Switch, a gaming console is our biggest import. That's going to make the economy great.
Remember Harold Lutnick? He's the billionaire jerk who was made Secretary of Commerce. He's also the man who said cutting 600-800 jobs in the NWS (National Weather Service) was not going to hurt us. It's estimated that and additional 1200 to 1400 hundred positions were cut in NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration); weather forecasters who deal with hurricane predictions. The decision to eliminate all of these jobs falls directly on the shoulders of Trump. He is now a murderer, not that he wasn't before, and the body count is going to continue.
Tuesday. The day has started out bright and sunny, though cool. The temps outside are a brisk 28 (F). I find it funny that so many people regard this temperature as frigid, it isn't. Frigid is when we -5 (F). That's cold. We might get those temps once a year, or at least we used to, the last few years we've been trending towards much milder winters. Because this is happening slowly, many view these weather patterns as normal. In the grand scale of things, they indicate that in this part of the country things are warming up. Part of the problem is that people do not have very strong long term memories. These people are fine as long as they can go to a computer and look up last year's weather, but memory wise, when asked, they'll say the weather was warm without remembering any of the specifics. They don't remember if the temperature went below 0 (F). It didn't, at least not in my neck of the woods.
Retail yesterday was slow. I did manage to hit my goal of 2 measures for the week. A retired Registered Nurse is getting measure for both vinyl planks and blinds. She wasn't concerned about the cost. She didn't bat an eye when I told her the cost of one blind was going to be close to a thousand $$$. When she found out I had been in the Navy, she asked how my feet were. She specializes on veterans who suffer from foot neuropathy, mostly soldiers who served in Vietnam while the US was using Agent Orange. One of the multitude of problems that defoliant causes is nerve damage in the feet. I really feel bad for these seniors who served their country and now have problems simply walking.
I watched Leave the World Behind last evening, a new film playing on Netflix with Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali. It's a thriller about things going wrong, about people becoming allies, and a young girl's addiction to the TV show Friends. Some parts were very good, other parts were meant to make you ask questions, sometimes the latter work, and sometimes they don't. Here, I don't think they did, otherwise there wouldn't be people explaining the ending on YouTube.
Okay, so Jack Smith went straight to the Supreme Court about the Moral Degenerate's immunity claims, and they're going to rush it, meaning a decision probably by December 20. Trump's legal team is pissed, they wanted this to work its way up toe the Court slowly, taking a lot of time and creating those delays the Orange Anus loves so much. Now that's not going to happen. The true irony here is that if the Supreme Court decides in Trump's favor, it means that Joe Biden, our current president is immune as well, so he can do anything he wants. This is why many believe the Court is going to side with Jack Smith.
Down in Texas the state's Supreme Court sided with Ken Paxton, the Attorney General, in refusing to allow Kate Cox an abortion. The fetus has been diagnosed with a fatal syndrome, so it will either be born dead, or will die shortly after birth. Carrying the child to term also creates many health risks for the mother. And the state Court told this woman she can't get an abortion, she needs to carry a baby for nine months that will be born dead or die shortly after birth. Do these Conservatives even stop to consider the terrible message they are sending to American women? Or is it that they hold women so low on the ladder they just don't care?
Hello Sunday Morning. I'd like to say the skies are clear and blue, though I can't because they are overcast... somewhat, meaning that there are breaks in them with the sun shines through. Today and tomorrow are supposed to be nice, but showers are in the forecast for Tuesday.
I checked the results of my bloodwork last evening, though didn't print them off. My glucose is a bit high, but then it's always a bit high. Everything else is ducky. This means my doctor is going to tell me I'm borderline diabetic, after which I'll remind him that I'm borderline everything, so why not through diabetes into the mix.
Lunch today is going to be salmon. While I truly like the cheesy scalloped potatoes with ham, it is the sort of solid meal some people still enjoy. For me to eat it 3 days in a row would be rather extreme. I'd feel as though I had a spare tire hanging around my gut.
Business was slow yesterday, except for the garden department. We talking about our fiscal plan in flooring, wondering if there was a human being behind the process or if they simply left everything up to computers. I suspect there's some peon who's told to press the button to initiate the process in order for blame to flow down hill.
Here's a pic of my Itoh peony bushes. This is the first year for the one to bloom. It the one in the foreground of the picture. I can't wait to take pictures of the yellow blooms.
And, of course, the coronation was yesterday. I paid no attention, though this morning both the New York Times and The Washington Post, published several videos showing King Charles III looking very poufy in his white ermine cap and purply, jewel studded crown. I, for one, would have no problem if the monarchy faded away entirely.
There was another mass shooting in Texas again. Ten people dead, including the gunman. The Guardian made a point on saying there have 198 mass shootings since the beginning of the year. I don't know where they've all occurred, but I'm betting that a majority of them have been in Red States because the NRA pays Red State Republicans beaucoup buckos to vote pro-gun. The shootings are only going to get worse. For Republicans to change course on gun-control would mean they'd have to admit they'd sold their souls to the NRA. That will never happen.
Accuweather has forecast rain for today. The temps are only supposed to climb into the mid 40s (F) and that sounds cold. We are, however, only in the early days of March. If the temp hits 34 (F), that's spring weather. People get confused. They want to define spring as temps in the 60s and 70s. Of course, since this winter has been so warm, those temps might be what we're going to be getting.
I've been having problems with my Fenix 6 Pro. For the past 2 days, the only time I could get it to sync to the app was by rebooting. Pain in the Ass. So this morning I reinstalled it into the app. So far it seems to be working fine.
Since "The Last of Us," a series based on a video game, has become such a hit, anticipation is beginning to build for the next series with roots in the gaming industry. If things continue to go as plan, that will be Fallout which will air on Amazon Prime. The shooting for the first season has wrapped, meaning it's in post-production now. No one knows how much CGI is going to be added to this post-apocalyptic action / thriller. We do know it's going to be taking place on the west coast because that's where Vaults 32 and 33 were located. A number of images have been leaked, including the Red Rocket gas station and interior of one of the vaults. I'm excited.
And Republicans keep racing to the far right. In Tennessee they passed a bill making it illegal to have Drag shows. Of course, it will be challenged and quite probably make it to the Supreme Court. I think it will die there since Drag, whether the Cracker Jack Crazies like it or not, is Freedom of Speech.
In Florida, one dingle headed loon introduced a bill to eliminate the Democratic Party. Evidently this moron doesn't realized that Independents are already the largest voting bloc in the country. So, why not just make that bloc larger.
Down in Texas, another dip-shit introduced a bill which would eliminate property taxes for those parents who had 10 children. Now tell me, isn't that a great incentive to turn your wife into a breeder? I doubt very much if that savings is going to be enough to cover the cost of raising 10 kids.
And then there's Marjorie Taylor Greene. Joe Biden has thanked her for simply being herself knowing how many Centrist Republicans she's driving away from the party. It's not that she doesn't have a brain, she just doesn't use it.
Thursday. Fixed workday. The temps are barely supposed to hit 70 (F). The skies are overcast and there is a 25% chance of rain.
I was supposed to go see Downton Abbey last evening but cancelled. I was not in the mood to sit through 2 hours of costume drama silliness. Instead, I ate ice cream (lots of ice cream) and played Elden Ring. For those interested, the little white Speedo is gone; I'm now wearing brightly colored clothing.
Mike (the plumber) came back yesterday morning are replaced the old, cracked cast iron piping with brand, new PVC. It took him about 3 hours. He was not talkative. I spent most of the time outside with the dogs, who were very excited someone was working in the basement. Now and then, I'd take them in. They were very good: laid on the floor waiting to hear his feet climbing the stairs. He seemed fine with them.
I'm not a big one for having strangers in the house and even though he'd been here on Tuesday to do an assessment, I was pleased when his work was complete, and he finally packed up his gear and headed out to his truck. For those interested, here's a picture of what $1700 of new PVC piping looks like:
And of course, the country is still reeling from the Tragedy in Texas. For those who missed it, Beto O'Rourke challenged Governor Abbott of Texas in a press conference. Beto challenged him, saying he was doing nothing. Republicans were not happy.
Abbott is scheduled to speak at an NRA convention in Dallas on Friday. When asked about his scheduled appearance last evening, Abbott refused to answer.
Mitt Romney is under fire for his standardized 'those families are in our prayers,' comment. People began noting that over the years he has received approximately $13 million in donations from the NRA.
The security at Robb Elementary was top notch, and the shooter still managed to gain entrance. There was at least one-armed officer he managed to get past. The shooter shot and injured 17 other people, including police officers because he was using an AR-15, something they were not prepared for, and it took a special force team to actually stop him. Think about that. A special force team. This was an 18 year old who just recently purchased 2 AR-15s. Needing a special force, armed border patrol team to take him out says a lot about the problems of letting 18 year old kids buy automatic rifles.
For some reason, I thought today was Thursday, and went into see if my schedule had been updated. I was wrong. We're only into Wednesday. The updating will come sometime this afternoon.
Yesterday was a no-go as far as everything that had been expected. Mike (the Plumber) showed up but had to take his truck in to get inspected. He took pictures, and a video of the bad pipe, and gave me a quote. Very high $$$, but I'm going with it. This is the same reputable company I've been dealing with for some time, and I can afford it, however the truck inspection took longer than expected, so he'll be back this morning.
I did drive over to World Class Ski and Cycle to pick up the check for selling my X6 Cannondale. The first check they'd sent me got lost in De Loy's screwed up postal service. And then, of course, 19 days after the first check was mailed, the carrier dropped off the first check last evening. A black sharpie had been used to scratch off the first delivery bar codes on the envelope, indicating the check had been delivered to the wrong address and that person had returned it to the Enola post office, which sent it back to the Camp Hill post office so it could be processed a 2nd time. The bicycle shop put a stop payment on the first check and issued a 2nd. This is almost the height of postal incompetence.
My roses are beginning to come in.
There was a terrible tragedy down in Texas yesterday. Many children were shot to death. Chris Murphy, the Democratic senator from Connecticut has said enough of the bullshit! He is right on the money. President Biden said, "we need to stand up to the gun lobby." He is off. It is not the gun lobby, rather it is the Republican party that needs to change. They won't. Any form of gun control would cause them to lose the votes of 2nd amendment assholes. Lose votes? Conservatives are so craven for power they will accept any form of gun violence. They do claim to pray a lot, but I suspect those prayers are mostly hoping that the majority doesn't finally turn against them. As expected, Ken Paxton, the corrupt Attorney General from Texas, and Ted (I would rather be in Cancun) Cruz suggested putting armed officers in schools. I will tell you that from the deepest part of my heart, I do not believe our founding fathers envisioned the need to have armed officers in schools when they added the 2nd amendment to the Constitution. Anyone who believes that is full of bullshit.
2nd day with the new computer. Remember when you could switch your browser with just a click of a button? Not anymore. Microsoft doesn't want you using anything other than Microsoft, something I don't want to do. Google is easier to organize, whereas Windows 11 seems cumbersome, oh, and I hate that their favorites are now on the right side of the screen. One of the really good things about this upgrade is that I've decided up update my passwords. That was challenging at time, but... well, most of them were 10 to 15 years old (son of a bitch).
Yesterday, the weather was fine. The dogs and I spent some time outside, they laid around soaking in the sun while I pottered, without Harry (stop groaning). The lawn was mowed.
I do have to work today, which is good. There are a few things I want to pick up at the store, like a bag of dirt. One of those elephant ear plants might make it into my shopping basket as well.
Sunday is a scheduled day off. If I don't finish the most recent edits on The Body in Repose this evening, they'll be done on Sunday. And then the manuscript is off to the final editor, yippee!
As I said yesterday, I made egg salad. Here's a picture of the prep.
I saw where that dimwitted governor Abbott has rescinded his truck search. In a stunt which was supposed to embarrass the administration, he ended up looking like a losing fool. In reality, he created a useless blockade that had fruit and vegetables starting to rot in trucks. His AG, Kenny Paxton, said it was a success. You know who Kenny is, don't you? The Texas AG who has soooooo many legal issues? Who's being seriously investigated? I wouldn't be surprised if one of these days we hear that Kenny is going to retire to Puerto Vallarta.
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.
Well, it's Monday morning, it's 17 (F) outside, and I have to work in the paint department on what had originally been scheduled as a day off. Being part-time is nice, however, if I hadn't been a paint manager for 4 years they would never have asked me to work.
I had thought I'd drive down to That Fish Place to pick up some plants for the aquarium this afternoon, now that's not going to happen. Maybe tomorrow morning.
And, since The Body in Repose is with my first reader / editor, I've begun to doodle around. Here are the characters for The Body Under Ice. The victim is pretty obvious, but which one of them is the killer is anybody's guess. Well, that's not quite right. I know who kills Charlie Beechum.
As for The Body in Repose, I asked how the reading was going... in fact, I had to ask twice, and received this 2 word response. Really good.
Oh, and the Orange Anus gave a speech down in Texas during which he talked about his pending lawsuits. Well, he didn't really talk about them, just asked his followers for there to be protests if he was 'illegally' charged. Big Protests, like the one from January 6. Basically, he just threatened the prosecutors. This is the sort of thing you'd expect from a criminal, wannabe dictator who feels the wheels of justice are coming to roll over his ugly orange ass. This man doesn't care how many might die to save his ego. Remember, in his mind, nothing demonstrates loyalty more than sacrifice.
Well, it's Monday morning. I work this afternoon. Six full hours, though I get a break. I made a chorizo and pepper dish yesterday, that will be my lunch.
My department has not been busy. We've had several customers, I ended the week with 3 measures, but this time of year flooring sales are always slow. I don't mind. Covid is moving through the store. Three of our cashiers are out, as is one of our flooring specialists. Interesting. Because I'm part-time I wasn't around him that much. He had been vaccinated back in early March. Antibodies don't hang around forever, for those who don't know; this is the second go round for one of the cashiers.
Terrible storms out in the mid-west. I feel bad for those people. Many lost loved ones and even more lost everything they owned. You can still be living and have your life wiped completely away. What really irked me was Rand Paul, who has voted against hurricane relief multiple times, was so quick on the phone to Biden asking for help. He is one selfish sack of shit.
On brighter side, I still have roses blooming... in December. Took a pick of this cutie, a yellow climber, outside my front door.
We owe Gavin Newsome a big tip of the hat. With his decision to use the same legislative tactics Texas legislators used to go after abortion providers for gun control in California, he has stuck his fingers into the eyes of those political hacks sitting on the Supreme Court. Yep, that's right, Amy Coney Boney, and Sammy Alito, and Clarence ( I want to be white) Thomas, as well as Beer Belly Kavanaugh, set a precedent when they allowed the Texas law to stand. In California the target might well be gun manufacturers, in Ohio? Perhaps Big Pharma... or maybe pharmacists, that would be sweet, wouldn't it? Go after the guy who sold the pills your kid used to overdose? Yep, those selfishly conservative dolts on the Court have shown us the way. And, since most of them are overly zealous in their Christian beliefs, believing they are doing God's will, I'm sure they will understand this is exactly what God wants. Hey, some smart legislators may even decide to go after Evangelical Preachers.
Yesterday was different, somehow oddly out of sync. I took a friend for an out patient procedure in the morning which was supposed to take about 3 hours... well, I was called after and hour and told the procedure was complete. I budgeted for 3 and used 1.5. I expected to have to sign for my Xbox Series X when it arrived... not the case. I received a text telling me my new, expensive console was sitting on my front porch. Oh, and speaking of the Xbox Series X: Lily found the console fascinating, even though she can't play... no fingers.
And nutritionally speaking, yesterday was also a bust. I ended up eating taquitos and hot dogs. So much for my street cred on being a healthy eater. Well, it happens to the best of us now and then.
My Xbox Series S has been reset and is ready to go to it's new owner. That will happen Sunday.
I didn't use the treadmill at all. I told myself I was taking a rest day. I then felt slightly guilty because I know how much it helps. I can feel a bike ride coming up soon.
And then there was this about the use of burner phones on January 6. No wonder Loser #45's team is desperately trying to keep the communications logs for that infamous day cloaked in Executive Privilege. Some how I doubt very much if Eric was calling out to a rioter asking him to pick up a pizza (no mushrooms) for the coup party that evening.
Finally, I have to mention Sean Parnell, the Trump backed candidate who wanted to take over Pat Toomey's seat. My, his campaign ended with a terrible thud after custody of his two children was handed over to his wife. You see, Sean has a problem with verbal and physical abuse, two of the many things Republicans will overlook in a marriage. Remember, they're the patriarchal party. Except, this sort of shit doesn't play well with voters. So, Sean is gone. Tough shit.
My day off is chock full of plans. Lucky me. Of course, my shift to part-time was not done in a timely manner, my manager needed to email the HR person in order to get this accomplished. As a result, this week's schedule was written before I had a chance to effectively change my availability. Our HR has some problems with so many things. As someone who was once in that position, I tend to keep my mouth shut. Things are stirred up enough, my opinion would only make things worse. However, this doesn't mean I'm not going to take a personal day this week in order to get 2 consecutive days off.
Weather wise, we're supposed to be hit by a weather bomb of sorts, rain and wind, however we're far enough inland we will mostly get showers and the occasional gust. Things will be worse in Philly. The states to the north are going to get slammed.
We have a new associate in my department, a woman from Texas... southern Texas, actually on the border between Texas and Mexico. I made a terrible mistake. I made an assumption. She speaks with an accent, so I told someone she could speak Spanish. Well, I was wrong. She can speak Spanglish. She told me she tried taking Spanish in school and failed the course. I'm guilty of making a judgment call that was wrong, so I apologized. The truth is I jumped to a conclusion based on a perceived stereotype. Lesson learned.
And what about that Rolling Stone article in which several loud mouthed Republicans were said to have been helping the insurrectionists plan January 6? Marjorie Tayler (the loser's wench), Mo Brooks, Louie Gohmert, to name a few? I believe there were 6 names spit out, so they will hence forward be known as the Gang of 6 who planned for the 6th. Truthfully, this would not surprise me in the least. These 6 are virulently hateful of everyone who doesn't kiss the ass of Loser #45. In case you didn't know, these people are the faces of evil.
Well, a happy Saturday morning to you all, unless, of course, you're in Australia, then it's a happy Sunday morning.
I get to go to work today. As usual, I always brown bag it (take my own lunch). Just call me frugal. A number of those I work with order out using one of the delivery services, one my fellow associates loves Door Dash (someone has much more disposable income then I do). Or, because there are a number of fast food restaurants within a 5 minute ride, they eat fat rich, sodium extravagant fast food. My lunches are always home made and healthy, and always include fresh fruit. Today desert is going to be blueberries and bananas.
For quite a long time, I would sit down and write in total silence. That's been changing. Music is now almost always in the background. Sometimes classical, sometimes folk music. Last night French folk music was playing, though most of the songs were about New France i.e. Canada and Quebec. Lily could care less what's playing. Biggie, on the other hand, seems to enjoy music. The night before last Spanish guitar music was playing and this is what he did. I almost didn't post this because the light reflections seem a bit garish.
Interestingly enough, that one specific school board in Texas which made headlines about needing apposing view of the holocaust has suddenly done a back flip. These racists, and bigots, and white supremacists don't like to be scrutinized.
Another group of Cracker jack Crazy Conservatives that's soon to be list as a hate group is the Moms for Liberty. This group of hate mongering women is trying to infiltrate school boards to upend curriculum they don't feel is Conservative enough. That's right, it's another damn minority group trying to force their socially conservative beliefs onto the majority. These women are ugly and hateful. Keep them out of politics before they have a chance to spread their cancer.
So another none Friday has arrived. I'm off today and, as usual, working the weekend. My next day off isn't until Tuesday, after that it's Thursday. I mentioned to the scheduler that I want Consecutive days off. Working every other day is too much like working full time. She has yet to actually make me part-time in the system. Once she does that I can set up my own availability. I don't what is taking her so long. That should have been one of the first things she did last Monday morning, prior to writing schedules for the week.
Sheetz Roofing is going to get a call this morning with the go-ahead to shingle my roofs. Working at the largest home improvement retailer in the world does give me access to 'professional' opinions, and across the board, every body I talked to said I was getting a deal. I pretty much knew that, but it never hurts to check.
I ordered new running / walking shoes and they arrived yesterday. Asics. Very decent quality. I've been wearing the last pair I bought to work, and to mow the lawn, and... well all over the place and they now look very well worn. The new ones are definitely not meant to be worn anywhere other than on a treadmill.
And what about that Cracker Jack Crazy state of Texas, home of the Texas Taliban? Well, they're not really Muslim so we can't say they are completely Taliban, they're Crazy Christians with a 2 term Governor who believes the only way to stay in power is to out crazy the craziest. Only 40% of the population is white, yet white Cracker Jack Crazy Republicans have redrawn the maps to attempt to gerrymander themselves into power for another 10 years. The state removed an LGBTQ page meant to help and provide answers to youth because an anti-LGBTQ loon started shrieking his loon tunes about its evil. The Southlake School District, a site for home grown Texan white supremacy, has stated that there needs to be a balance to books talking about the holocaust... that's right school library's need to offer opposing views regarding that Nazi horror. I do not doubt for a second that the state will become a magnet for hate groups, since that appears to be the only way they can grow their MAGA base.
