The Slice and Dice Period

Woah!  It was a chilly one this morning!  Our outside temp was 22 (F) when I got up this morning.  After today we will be warming up to more Spring like temps.  I talk to a lot of people, no one has said they were sad to see the Winter temps go away.  I will be happy for the sunny days of Spring and Summer.  In the bathroom, my heating vent is about 3 feet off the ground, one of the few good things about this winter was that I could set my drying rack in front of it.  Believe me, it works just as good as the dryer and is a lot less expensive.

I got a nice ride in yesterday on Achille's Island, Ireland.  It had the right amount of low grade hills that get my heart pumping.  Good cardio.

My two aquariums are going to be combined as one.  I'm going to keep the 30 gallon in the living room and get rid of the 50 gallon in the writing room.  This will happen as soon as the last tiger barb in the 30 gallon tank dies.  He has some serious air bladder issues, so I don't think he'll be swimming around too much longer.

While talking to my sister on the phone, she said she told my brother in law to get a job.  He abruptly retired back in November without any plan for how he was going to occupy his time.  Now he sits around the house doing nothing.  He retired abruptly back in November and now just sits around the house.  There are a lot of people like him wasting away the rest of their lives.

And evidently a Federal Judge is... skeptical of the Orange Anus's plans to add a new ballroom and Convention Center onto the White House.  

Wow!  It doesn't seem as though anything is going right for this dictator wannabe, does it?  He starts a war with Iran and then asks for help and all of our former allies tell him to eat shit.  Woah!  They say there are off ramps in place to end this war, but you can bet your bottom dollar he'll not take one of them.  That would mean he made a mistake.  As a result, he will send America's youth to die there, all the while ignoring the fact that American hatred for both he and the Republican party is growing almost exponentially.  

His SAVE Act is dying in a very public manner, with Republican Senators openly saying that there are not enough votes to pass this crappy piece of legislation.  

And every day his dementia becomes more and more apparent.  

And then yesterday Joe Kent, a staunch follower and major MAGA cultist broke away, saying that Israel strongarmed Orangie into invading Iran.  MAGA world is entering the slice and dice period, a precursor the inevitable downfall of the Republican party.  The blades are out for Orangie, himself.  Do not fret for him too much.  You know he's finding solace in a Big Mac and an order of fries.

Groveling for Trump

 According to the weather forecasters, the rain is supposed to slack off slightly today.  We only have a 40% chance that the drizzles will continue.  At present, it's just cool.  When I look at Accuweather there's a half cloudy icon, but there is also a drizzle with that percentage posted beneath it.  So it appears that whether I like not, rain is still in the forecast for today.

I did work yesterday.  It was okay.  My pesky supervisor who seems to have time management issues called off, as did our aisle associate.  In fact there were a number of call-offs.  Flooring has been crushing it and the store would have made plan if it hadn't been for a big return in Millwork, and I mean big.  Windows are expensive and one of our customers decided to cancel an install.

The big tank is going to get a bit of a cleaning today.  I've discovered that the best way to control my algae problem is to not keep the aquarium lights on all day.  Instead of getting of having it on for 15 hours, it's only on for about 5.  That is evidently enough to keep the live plants growing.

There is much to do today, even a dumbbell workout, possible.  Shortly, I'm preparing to bake a loaf of bread in the machine.  I haven't baked bread for a while.

And, speaking of baking, look what New York did in a special election.

Amy Coney Barret recused herself from a case involving the separation of Church and State, and her decision led to a deadlock causing the challenge to fail.  I was impressed that she recused herself, that shows she has character.  Neither Alito nor Thomas, the billionaires lackey, would do such a thing.  They have an agenda to fulfill.  This means that Christian Nationalists are going to be hating on Amy.

And the Orange Anus has evidently amassed an extremely large war chest, over $600 million.  This is one of the reason the Republican party is so bent on kissing ass; they want him to use some of that cash to help them win the midterms.  Hah.  My first thought that his greed will make it super difficult for him to part with that cash.  I honestly don't see that happening.  His dementia may trickle out a little but not much.  Besides, he enjoys making them grovel, it makes him feel more like a dictator.

Paying Dearly

 And another nice day is on top for Central PA.  The temps are again supposed to climb into the low 80s (F) and sunshine is predicted to glorify the land, and... since it is Thursday, I do have to work.  That's sad.  However, there is a bit of a consolation prize for working today... we have the same forecast for tomorrow and I never work Fridays.

Yesterday was sort of meh and sort of not.  I got much done, but not as much as I'd wanted to.  I didn't get a chance to clean the aquarium in the living room, but I did discover that three of my fish are missing.  One is obviously dead, as he was floating at the bottom.  The other two?  They probably suffered the same fate.  I've decided that once the fish are gone, the aquariums will go, too.

I'm hoping to have The Body in History published by the end of next week.  And then it's on to the next book in the adventure of Eli and Max.  I've been taking notes on something I'd was going to call The Body in 4:4 Time, a musical mystery, so to speak, and then this morning, as I was watching a breeze dance through the leaves on the bushes next to my house, I thought I caught a flash of movement.  I instantly thought of a great title:  The Body in the Shadows.  For those interested, I will tell you that the titles always come first, and then I build the story around them.  There are shadows during the day, and there are shadows at night, an sometimes things hide in the shadows.

I began playing Expedition 33 last evening.  It is so much fun!  Something called the fracture happened 67 years ago during which a piece of mainland France broke away to become an island.  Every year since then, there has been a gommage, or a pealing away of people of a certain age.  At the start of the game you find out that no one is alive over the age of 33 and that the next peeling away is about to happen.  After everyone who's 33 dies, you embark on an expedition to the mainland to attempt to put a stop to this yearly dying.  It is a fascinating concept.

And the above report card says everything you need to know about the Orange Anus' administration.  That 23%?  That's the hard core cultists, what used to be the Republican party.  They have so much hatred for everything they cannot control.  Someone said that the Chinese would eat dirt rather than submit to Orangie's tariffs.  The people making up that 23% would have no problem eating dirt for Orangie.  60% of Americans hate him.  The Greenies?  They have no problem deporting American citizens to Rwanda.  For those of you who missed it, Orangie's administration announced that they had reached and agreement to deport US citizens to prison camps in Rwanda.  How fascist is that?  The big problem for group A is that they have to deal with groups, C, D, and F.  And, in their cultist state of mind, they have no idea how clueless they are.  In the end, they are going to pay dearly for their ignorance.

Trump, the Certifiable...

Well, it's Saturday and I don't have to work, and it's truly weird.  The temps are predicted to climb up into the low 40s (F), which means Howie's backyard presents are going to thaw, and yard work will need to be done.  And the temps?  They're going to continue climbing until they hit the mid 50s (F) by Wednesday.  Then, as we should all expect, they're going to sink back down into the more seasonable 40s (F).

Yesterday was a good day.  The big aquarium was cleaned, the old filter was thrown out, and the new filter installed.  More work will be needed until it's ready, but that's okay.  Yesterday was a very good start.  I am concerned that the heater might be going, so I hung a small thermometer on the side so I can get a decent temp reading.  For some odd reason, I don't seem to have a lot of luck with heaters as they need to be replaced every year or so.  I also threw out a UV filter which was supposed to help limit algae.  It didn't.

I got a nice upper body workout done.  That's 3 days in a row and I don't doubt for an instant its the result of spring taking aim at our weather patters.  The sun doesn't set until after 6 PM, and the additional hours of daylight are simply invigorating.  Once the days are warm enough, I'll be taking Howie up to Adams-Ricci for walks.  Being the bundle of energy he is, that should be exciting.

Dinner was a stuffed pepper (homemade).  In total, 5 were made.  2 will be lunch/dinner tomorrow, and 2 will be lunch/dinner on Monday.

I posted this on Facebook because... well, for the compassionate soul out there it speaks volumes.

Who is this going to devastate?  Seniors, for one, but in truth anyone who lives in rural America who relies on Teledoc for their healthcare advice.  Think of all those people who live in a small town that doesn't have a doctor.  The ones who need to drive over 30 miles to get to the nearest clinic.  You know?  The same people who voted for the Orange Anus because they believed illegal immigrants were going to move into town and steal their jobs.  People will end up dying, and smug conservatives will throw out thoughts and prayers before claiming that it's not their fault these rural Americans, and Seniors, didn't make appropriate plans.  

While I don't know what Fox is reporting, most of the major media outlets I checked on this morning are talking about the anger that's begin to seethe within the hearts of America.  Constituents don't want their elected officials bowing down and kissing Orangie's ass and they are becoming extremely vocal.  As a result, Orangie favored Truth Service with a long meltdown because he hates this.   He hates it that, as one woman in Georgia shouted, Americans are calling him a megalomaniac.  He hates the fact that Elonia is now one of the most despised men in the world.  You see, every time someone writes about this, or talks about one of these instances, it's a sucker punch to his face.  Each one is like a neon headline screaming "you're a damn idiot," and, as everyone should know, Orangie is a certifiable... 

Lack of Cohesion in Trump's Brain

 So, is today gong to be the last cold day for this winter?  Right now it's 15 (F) outside.  That's many degrees below normal for this time of year.  Sometime tonight our warm-up is predicted to begin, with the thermometer climbing up into the 30s (F) tomorrow and the 40s (F) by Friday.  Those temps will feel downright balmy.

Yesterday I began assembling the new filter for the big aquarium.  The process was a bit frustrating because the assembly sheet that was included was not for my filter.  Nope.  The directions were for a much different filter, so assembly was achieved by looking at the picture on the front of the box.  

I also had lunch with my cousin who at one time was a big Orange Anus supporter.  Times have changed now that Social Security might be involved.  She and her husband are in the FO stage.  

Otherwise yesterday was pretty much a day of slack.  Well, for the most part.  I did do laundry, and hand wash the dishes.  I'm going to be doing that more and using the dishwasher less.  Water consumption, you know?  Or maybe I should say water expense.  This winter is going to be very expensive when it comes to my heating expense.  To compensate I want to lower my water bill.

And then yesterday this was one of the many things that happened.

Of course, that was just one of a number shit show extravaganzas that happened.  The Orange Anus called Vladimir Zelensky a dictator.  Even conservative Ben Shapiro is calling that lie a lie.  If I might, let me play the devil's advocate and say there's probably not a lot of cohesion in Orangie's brain right now, nothing more than random thoughts trying for put forth his blow bro Putin's talking points.  Let's be honest here, he's a 78 year old man who'd rather just spend the rest of his sunset years cheating at golf.  Sadly, that does appear to be what he's doing while Elonia runs the government. 

Let me return to my cousin and her husband, they are aged Republicans who believe a lot of the GOP's propaganda.  They are very concerned about their Social Security, and not in the inane Susan Collins way, where concern is a quick wrench of her thin fingers and a momentarily furrowed brow.  They are worried, though rather than blame Orangie, their ire is directed at Elonia.  They were almost joyous talking about the protests, telling me how they had watched thousands of people all over the country protesting Elonia.  Being the kind spirit I am, I didn't let them know that those protests were against Orangie, too.  If this continues, I wouldn't be surprised if it's the MAGA leopards who end up eating Elonia's face.

Weathering Out the Storms

 Say hello to Tuesday.  We started the day with overcast skies  and cold temps, it's only going to get worse.  Snow will be moving into the area this afternoon, and overnight we've been told to expect around 4 inches of the white stuff.  There might be a dash of wintry mix (sleet and freezing rain) thrown into the mix to make it exciting.  We could possibly think of it as the icing on the cake.  I'm not planning on leaving the house today, so I'm not particularly worried,

Yesterday, a non-work day for a change, was sort of productive.  I began working on cleaning out the big aquarium.  There's going to be a radical change in that one.  The Greek statues have all been taken out, and the little bubbler volcano bubbled its way into the trash.  Some of the plants are gone as well.  Keep in mind, all of the eye candy we put into aquariums is for our own pleasure.  The fish simply don't give a rat's ass, all they want to do is swim around, eat, and poop.

Breakfast bacon and egg... just one egg.  The last egg in my refrigerator.  Will I buy more eggs?  Probably not.  I do have a large can of powdered eggs that can be used for cooking, and for making scrambled eggs.  I am not going to spend $7 for a dozen eggs.  They are only a necessity in some people's minds.  

Something new and unique has been included in The Body in History: poetry and lyrics written by me.  It has not just been blogs, and books, and plays that I've written.  In my archives there are approximately 2000 poems and 50 some songs that I wrote in recorded; both make an appearance.  Those who emails I have will get a copy of "Mistake 37," a song I wrote way back in 2005.  Now, how's that for awesome!

And I told Six that I was originally going to publish this pic yesterday, but opted for that super delicious cake I baked.  So, here it is today.

Of course, everyone is concerned about the tariff wars the Orange Anus is starting.  He's doing this out of sheer stupidity and greed.  There is a trade deficit.  What that means is that we import more from other countries than we export to them.  He feels there should be more of a balance.  Sadly, the products he wants them to buy are more expensive than the same products they make.  It's quite possible that his tariffs on steel and aluminum will shut down the auto industry in about 2 weeks.  That will so many people out of work it will devastate our economy, not that he and Elonia, and all the other billionaires he put in charge are worried.  They think they're rich enough to wait it out.  They're wrong.  Wall Street does not like Chaos and this decision by Orangie will lead to chaos.

I'm wondering, with all these freezes Orangie has put in place, how high is the unemployment rate going to go?  Not that he cares.  Again, this is another storm he thinks he'll be able to weather out.

DEI hires

 So the forecasters were wrong yesterday, we barely cracked the 30 (F) degree mark.  The sun shone brightly most of the day and that helped get rid of the snow, but temperature wise we were still cold.  Today, if they are hopefully correct, out temps should climb up into the mid 30s (F).  Tomorrow?  If we're lucky, we will hit the 40s (F).  That will seem like a heatwave.

I got pretty much done yesterday, including a decent cleaning of the big aquarium in the writing room.  On of the Greek statues has been removed and is waiting to be scrubbed clean.  I've had that tank for a while and enjoy it, however it's not glass and scratches easily when you're scrubbing algae from the sides.  So, I'm thinking of either downsizing to a smaller tank or getting rid of it completely.  Possibly, I might get rid of the big tank and move the 30 gallon tank from the living room there.  I've been mulling over these ideas for a while, all I have to do is wait and see which one comes to fruition.

I do get to work today.  Can you read the excitement in my words?  Home Improvement retail is a good barometer for reading the general public.  You can tell which people pay attention to what is going on in Washington from those who are... detached.  For example, if I was an Asian working in the United States who wasn't here on an H-1B visa, I wouldn't spend $3000 on new blinds for my house.

And yesterday was big for Howie!  He got a new box of toys from Chewy!  It was part of a buy 4 get one free deal.  All of them are made by Kong, which means they're going to be very durable.

And a Christian Nationalist is now in charge of America's military, one of the greatest military forces in the world.  Old Petey Hegseth has never managed any more than 100 people at a time.  He is also a man who will do what ever the Orange Anus tells him to do.  We can only wonder how long it will be until the United States invades Greenland.  We can only wonder how long it will be until he makes a catastrophic blunder which causes the entire world to sanction us, because that's going to happen.  Also, for those who don't know, Christian Nationalists are not at all appreciative of other Christian Faiths, so how long do you think it will be before, oh, let say the Episcopalians get attacked.

It's my understanding that individuals considered DEI hires in the Federal Government are being let go, not surprisingly many of them appear to be Women of Color.  The faster they get dismissed, the fast the unemployment rate goes up.  Believe me, that sucker is going to go so high people are going to believe it has wings.

Karma and the Supreme Court

 The temps are in the mid 60s (F) and only predicted to climb into the upper 70s (F), so the A/C and the ceiling fans are turned off.  However, the cloudy, drizzle of yesterday meant using the dryer rather than hanging my 2 loads of laundry out to dry, so while it was a savings on my electrical bill, it wasn't a great savings, more of a trade-off.  And even though the temperature is not cooking, it's still humid.

I put a timer on the light for the aquarium in the the living room.  My neighbor from across the street will be feeding my fish while I'm gone, but I don't want her having to come over to turn the lights off, and then come back over to turn them off.  I'm not wild about having people in my house when I'm not home, so the fewer times she's inside, the better.  

Feeling there was a need for a break between the backsplash and the counter, I put a tile border in yesterday putting a line between the two.  It's tan, and dresses up the counter / backsplash.

And I finally went to see Deadpool and Wolverine last evening.  There is a reason why it's the number 1 movie in the country, earing over $420 million in just 13 days.  It's funny.  It's violent.  It's also touching at times.  It has the ugliest dog in the world.  And most important!  There is chemistry between Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman.  It's a buddy film in which the buddies don't really like each other, and sometimes hate each other, and frequently try and kill each other, a difficult thing to do since they both regenerate.  I enjoyed this immensely!

Here's something to think about:  many were upset when the Supreme Court decided that presidents have immunity for almost everything they do when they're in office.  Of course, the majority of conservatives reached this decision when they believe the Spawn of Satan, Donald Trump, was easily going to win this election because he was running against Joe Biden.  They were giving the Orange Anus the power to do whatever he wanted in order to force the country down an ultra conservative path.  Now, however, the game has changed.  Trump is running against Kamala Harris and flailing.  The "Sure Thing" the Supreme Court was counting on has now become a millstone around their necks.  This is why Gorsuch whined about Democrats changing the courts.  The fact that they believe themselves to be kingmakers is not lost a a large majority of Americans.  Their Karma is approaching.  When it comes, do not be overjoyed at their suffering.  Nope.  Just enjoy the feeling of satisfaction that the world is now a better place.

Fly Away

 Well, the weekend has arrived and it's a bit muggy outside.  The last time I checked, the temp was 73 (F) which might indicate this afternoon's temps might be in the mid 90s (F), however they're forecasted to be in the low to mid 80s (F).  We shall see.

I do work today.  Halloween displays should be dropping into the store on Monday, but they've already have boxed 6 foot skeletons in the main aisle.  

So, I signed up for Hulu to watch Only Murders in the Building.  The first season was okay.  I figured out "who dunnit" the instant the character appeared.  Logic, you know.  Who is the most logical person to commit a murder, not the most suspicious, though I do like playing around with suspiciousness.  Last evening I began Season 2 and got a really pleasant surprise: one of the guest starts turned out to be 89 year-old Shirley MacLaine.  What a joy to see her still acting, and being funny! 

The clam in the big tank isn't working for me.  It doesn't open until it fills with air and then the top lifts and these large bubbles escape.  I prefer the smaller bubbles of an air stone, so I will probably replace it with something I like.  The 2nd statue is in place and the live plants are beginning to spread across the gravel, and yes, the statues are all Greek gods, and they're all naked.

And I don't know if anyone else saw this blurb in all the trashy Trump talk, but on August 4 he transferred ownership of Mar a Lago to a company owned by Donny Jr.  I soon as I saw that I went "woah, this is serious."  Anybody else out there know why?  Since not everybody nodded, I'll tell you.  Should the Orange Anus choose to run, (fly-away Donny, fly away), the government could go after his assets (I'm betting Jack Smith would love that).  Now, Mar a Lago is no longer an asset for the Orange Anus.  I know that the Trump hotel in Washington is no longer one of his assets.  In fact, he's been divesting himself of properties since 2020, though his organization still manages some of them.  He is considered a flight risk.  Flying away to Moscow, or where ever, would through all of his fellow indictees under the bus, so to speak, since only a guilty man runs.  Would he be alone?  Somehow I doubt that.  Those that can't afford to go will end up in jail.

Chintzy

 Yesterday was almost a day without rain... almost.  We did get sprinkles around 7 last evening, though they didn't last long.  The sidewalks were dry this morning when I left Lily out.  I do see another mowing of the lawn ahead though, possibly on Friday.  Today, supposedly, there is a 0% chance for precipitation... we shall see.

Both tanks were cleaned yesterday.  Each one now has an algae eater, but only one tank has snails, too.  The smaller tank in the living room is the home for several species of Barb (Golden, Cherry, and Tiger) and they, unfortunately eat snails, in fact they will eat just about anything they see as being weaker.  They were very nosey about the algae eater at first, until he tried sucking algae from their bodies; they didn't like that so now they leave him alone.

I do get to work tomorrow for a full eight hours, so dinner tonight is going to be Swedish Meatballs, enough so I can use the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

The process has been initiated for The Body Under Ice  audiobook to be distributed on Audible.  It will take about 45 days, and, being that they're cheap scuds, will only pay a royalty of 25% of every sale.  Findaway, the publisher will get a 10% cut of that so in the end, I should get about $1.35.  Other distributors pay 70% to 80%, to give you an idea of how chintzy they are.

If anyone is interested, I am on Instagram: drsnyderwriter.  You get to see pictures of what I cook, the dogs, and the current work in progress.

There's a new video on my YouTube channel.  Actually, it's posted in a number of places.  Here's the blog version.

And after all of the excitement of the indictments, I can only wonder what will bring joy into my heart today.  Trump is evidently in panic mode, that doesn't mean he's scared.  I don't think that man knows what it's like to be scared.  He is terribly angry, in case any of you were wondering.  For the first time in quite some time he not in control.  He surrounded himself with spineless sycophants who agreed with him and told him he could do no wrong.  Now we're watching and waiting for those same individuals to try and throw him under the bus in order to save their own thin skins.  

There will be televised coverage in the courtroom on August 25 when Trump pleads innocent again for the umpteenth time.  Everyone will be watching. It's a Friday, so I will probably be watching on either the PC or the laptop.

Bits

 We did not get any rain yesterday.   The temperature peaked at 90 (F), and to hear people coming up to the paint desk, you'd think it was well over 100 (F).  I so much wanted to tell them that 90 (F) is warm, not hot, but I did the professional thing and simply nodded my head and said, "is it?"

Yesterday, he real estate agent handling the house next door had an open house.  I have no idea how busy many people stopped by to actually view the property.  So far 626 people have looked at the property on Zillow and 48 of them have saved it, which is probably a good sign.  However, seeing it up close and personal is a lot different than looking at rooms professionally staged.  The temps were in the high 80s (F) during the open house so they would have needed to have the ceiling fans going.  There is no ceiling fan in the attic, so temps up there would have been scorching.

I'll be going down to that Fish Place in Lancaster in about an hour.  I've got a 30% off coupon.  That's good.  I need to get more plants.  The one I put into the big tank is thriving, so it's time to add more, as well as the naked marble statues.

And even though the weekend is usually quiet on the political front, yesterday was not without it's bits of excitement.  CNN releasing a information that Fani in Atlanta had texts and emails showing that orders for breaching election machines had come straight down from the top (that means the Orange Anus probably gave the order).  However, we all need to keep in mind that Trump rarely DMs or texts, it's almost always done by an aide in order to put blame where he wants it to go.  This means he will surely say the directive did not come from him, and that everyone else was acting outside his wishes.  You know?  It was everyone else's fault and he's just an innocent lamb.

And Zuck texted that it was time to move on, that there was not going to be any kind of match between he and Musk.  This should have been expected.  What it does is paint Musk to be an even bigger buffoon people thought, and a lot of people seen him as nothing more than a bloated windbag.  I'd liked the bit where Zuck claimed Musk wanted to have a trial match in Zuck's backyard.  That was hooting hilarious.

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.

Very... interresting.

 Well, yesterday the weather was rather warm, we hit the low 90s (F), and I did not mow my lawn.  That will need to be done later this morning, or possibly in the early afternoon.  Forecasters are predicting a repeat today.  The heat doesn't really bother me.  Lily does, however, so her morning walk is shortened; we only go around the block if the temps are too warm.

Yesterday turned out to be one of those days in which I was really productive in one way, I worked on the big fish tank, and unproductive in others, no workout, no ride, and no time spent on the treadmill.  I had wanted to do one of my little videos for the channel and didn't, but at the same time added over 1000 words to the new book.  Hopefully, I'll get to throw something together this morning, maybe with a little Prokofiev for background music.

I did sign up for Threads since I already have an Instagram account.  I'm going to have to change my password since evidently someone signed into my account from New Jersey yesterday.  In case you're wondering, I was not in New Jersey yesterday.

Oh, and I baked a quiche with leeks, ham, and Swiss cheese.  It's very tasty, but way too rich.  Most of it ended up being frozen for later.  

Lin Wood, one of Trump's most loyal legal supporters suddenly up and retired yesterday in Georgia.  Permanently.  He can never practice law again, if that's what you can call his stop the steal antics.  Many are wondering if this might be the result of some sort of plea deal.  Looking at how so many are crumbling around Trump, I'd say that's rather likely.

And I saw where Mark Robinson, the seriously overweight Lt. Governor from North Carolina, defended the Mom's for Liberty in using a quote from Adolf Hitler.  This very large man who loves to push around his faith in an attempt to be a very large authority evidently doesn't know that Hitler was not a Christian.  In fact, he evidently called Christianity a Jewish plot, and saw God as an impersonal force who really didn't care about humanity.  He also believe in the superiority of the Aryan race, which God had evidently chosen.  Someone should tell Mr. Robinson that he doesn't fit the Aryan picture being both very large and black.  Oops.

The Decent Thing

 It's Saturday.  The temps are supposed to climb into the low 50s (F).  And I have a short shift.  4 hours.  

Yesterday was good.  Accomplishments were... well, achieved.

The angelfish tank was cleaned.  They seem happy.  One of these days I'll have to make a fish run down to That Fish Place in Lancaster to pick up more Mollies.  Two years ago there were 4, now there's 1, a solitary female.  I don't know if fish get lonely, but I feel bad that she's by herself.

I got a 2 mile fast walk in while watching a mini-marathon run up a snowy Swiss Alp.  If you, too, want to run in Switzerland, here's the link.  The only problem I have with it, is that the videos are mostly focused on one woman running, so the guy with the GoPro is always behind her.  Now and then he will leave her behind, but usually her long hair is bouncing around ahead of you.  

And the polishing goes on with The Body Under Ice.  I've switched ink colors, from purple to red.  This is the time when I add little things, like Lexi Bowerman's housedress now has a pattern of small, pink petaled flowers.  Nothing really changes.

Since Biggie no longer comes upstairs to sleep on the bed, I bought him one of his own.  He spends hours on it during the day.  At night, however, he sleeps on the sofa in the writing room.

So, the Republicans elected Ronna McDaniel as Chair of the RNC.  She's been an abject failure for the past 3 elections.  When you consider her competition, you can understand the vote.  Mike Lindell apparently got 4 votes.  You also need to keep in mind the Republican mindset.  Voting her out would be admitting they were wrong right from the very start.  Republicans are never wrong.  Were they to even consider admitting something like that their little universe would start to collapse.

No, I didn't watch the Tyre videos.  I understand that Tucker Carlson spewed virulent, racist bullshit.  If you were expecting anything else from him, you are more than a little naïve.  I don't doubt that Tucker's a terribly bitter man who will never be able to deal with change.  Luckily for us, Tucker will pass, just as Fox News will pass.  Both will go the way of Newsmax, and history will not be kind.  History will do the decent thing. 

 

The Party's Over

 And another Sunday has arrived.  A slow Sunday, hopefully.  The temps are going to be warm, but rain is on the way.  Lots of rain since the chance of rain today is 90% and the likelihood for rain tomorrow is 99%.  Oh, the temps are going to be super warm - in the mid to upper 70's.  

I scheduled a vacation day for this week, so I only work 3 days.  I do have to use vacation.  Use it or lose it.  The big orange retailer I work for doesn't let us carry it over, not that I've ever done that, at least not with vacation.  I used to do that with personal time.  Never got sick.  However, accumulating personal time is no longer an option.  They do a deposit to your bank account for the days not used.  Me?  I'd rather have the time off.

The new aquarium pump arrived yesterday and will be installed this morning.  I don't have to be to work until 1:15 PM so there's plenty of time to get things done.  I might even get in a jog on the treadmill.

I have daffodils that are ready to bloom.

There are about 1000 truckers waiting in somewhere in Maryland who have come to protest mask mandates... Woah! they came a little too late for that party.  So, I guess they're planning a peaceable protest for all mandates which, I suppose, means most of them are anti-vax.  Covid deaths are still over 2000 per day among the anti-vax group.  It also turns out that they are 3 times more likely to believe The Big Lie.  Hhhmmm.  One can only wonder if they'll even realize the party's over.  Probably not.

And I saw Mikey Pence gave a speech to the RNC on Friday.  He said Putin apologists have no place in the Republican party.  That group includes the, Donald, the Orange Anus, Trump (aka DOA Trump).  That fool has claimed several times "Putin is my friend," or that Putin's "a good friend."  At least that's what desperate Don wants to believe, and feels the world needs to accept it as a truth.  DOA Trump doesn't understand he is no longer useful to his blow bro Vlad.  That's right, his party's over, too.  In fact, the only ones who are going to believe him are the unvaxed group who still believe there's a mask mandate.

Desperation

 Can you believe the weekend is here already?  Some will be off work, others will still be doing their daily grind.  I get to work.  This coming week I have 4 days off, and still manage to get over 20 hours in at the store on Monday, Saturday, and Sunday. Weekends, I suspect, will be busy.  Ho Hum.

I ordered a A/C window unit for the the workout / computer room, a smaller version of the one I bought for the bedroom.  Sunday and Monday the temps are supposed to rip up into the mid 70's (F) before falling back into the high 40's (F) and mid 50's (F), so I guess the groundhog was wrong.  

An out of tank filter was ordered for the aquarium in the living room, the same one I have for the big tank.  One was included, since the tank was part of a 'kit,' however it's really a filter board which needs to be changed often in order for Netfin to make as much money as possible.  I'm also looking at replacing the top and buying a different LED light.  I expected to do this, since all I really wanted was the tank.

Biggie's on his new carprofen regime.  One in the evening and one in the morning.  We shall see how this works.

Another minor character has been added to The Body Under Ice :  Delores.  Now, isn't that a nice name.  She owns, manages, and during the off season is the bartender of Hennepin's, the bar / restaurant where Lois and Clark spend a lot of their time.  For those interested, Hennepin's gets its name from Hennepin Point, which is south of Voyageur's Bay.  I understand ice fishing is very, very good in Voyageur's Bay, at least that's what Charlie Beecham tells me.

The Ukraine is disappointed that NATO has not designated a no-fly zone for its airspace.  I think most agree that doing so would give Putin just reason he's looking for to expand the ground war.  Remember, he has absolutely no qualms about sacrificing the youth of Russia to get what he wants. Lives matter not to him.  He will only stop when the Oligarchs jerk his leash hard enough.  The fact that the Russian Parliament (or what ever they call their legislature) passed a law to jail those who speak the truth about the war, in conjunction with the decision to begin shutting down Social Media, is a sign of desperation.

 

Splish Splash

 Well, it's Monday Morning and my oatmeal has just finished cooking in the microwave, not instant oatmeal, mind you, the real stuff.  Today's flavors are anise and honey, olden tastes.  Yummy.

This morning I get to go chat with the pain management person at UPMC, not that I'm in a lot of pain anymore.  Walking has helped realign my spine, at least that's what I'm thinking.  We won't know unless they do another MRI and I don't if that will be in the works or not.  Since I track my mileage with my Fenix 6 Pro, I can tell you that in the last 30 days I've walked over 41 miles.  Only recently have I begun walking daily, and two days ago I got on my bike for the first time in months.

This afternoon I'll be working on the aquarium again.  Big changes happening there.  I'm so glad the fish haven't been complaining about things being moved around.  I've reduced the lighting, adding in more reds and blues.  Some of the plants didn't survive, others seem to be thriving.  Algae is still a problem, even with frequent water changes so I'm thinking of purchasing a cellular shade for the window that hits the tank with direct sunlight.  There hasn't been a blind or shade in my house for decades, so this is still in the 'thinking' stage.

One of our garden associates is in the hospital because he 'can't breath.'  Big MAGA supporter whom I heard claiming several times that Covid is no worse than the flu because...  well, you don't need to be an Einstein to figure out why.

And what about that ice shelf in Antarctica possibly breaking off within 3 - 5 years?  Splish Splash.  This would raise water levels by 3 - 5 feet.  I work with a Conservative doodle brain who has no problem telling you that because we haven't been keeping climate records long enough, there's no way to tell if we're in climate change or not....  Oh, and in case you didn't know, he's a Republican.

And don't you just love that January 6 Committee?  I do.  They released texts that Hannity, and Ingraham, and even Donny Jr, sent to the Spawn of Satan during the riot.  The wording was only slightly different in their messaging: that the rioters were going to "destroy everything we've built."  And why didn't Loser #45 do anything?  Because he was having too much fun.  He thought his coup was going to be a success and his Orange Anus was going to be made president for life.

The indictment

 And a happy Saturday morning to all.  Here in Central PA it's raining.  So, what else is new?

Yesterday was a good day off.  I had my booster vaccine.  Getting there early didn't move me through the line any faster because of that 15 minute wait after being vaccinated.  No reaction.  No soreness.  After she stuck that sharp pointy needle in my shoulder and pulled the trigger she said, "your the second most relaxed person I've had today," and that was at nearly one in the afternoon.  I told her, "it's just a shot."

This is a work day for me.  Most weekend days are.  My real weekends will be Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  For those of you who don't know, you can get so much more done on days off during the week than you can on a Saturday and Sunday.  There are rarely any crowds.

I did some more work on the aquarium yesterday and I'm regretting I bought an acrylic tank rather than a glass one.  None of the reviews mentioned how easilyit scratches.  It does.  Son of a bitch.  I'm actually considering replacing it with a glass tank, and moving it to another location, one behind my desk. This will mean rearranging the furniture in the dining room.  I guess it's time for me to get out my tape measure.

And, for those of you living under a rock, Steve Bannon was indicted yesterday.

Will he show up to be cuffed?  I don't think so.  Being a martyr is not in this loud mouthed coward's DNA.  He will claim he's under Executive Privilege and break the law because he's a Conservative.  Of course, Conservatives have been doing this for quite some time.  The only rules that matter for them are those they, themselves, create.  They get this from Loser #45.  I would not be surprised if Bannon runs to seek asylum in... well, maybe Russia.  

Frankie the Chameleon

 I slept really well last night, making up for the night before.  According to my watch, I got almost 7 hours of sleep.  

My new plants for the tank arrived yesterday.  One of the Baby's Breath plants got tossed.  Before dumping it in the compost bin, I weighed it.  Over 12 ounces.  That sucker was big.  That one plant grew to be bigger then a basketball.  Amazon Swords now replace it, and the fish have more room to swim, and I clean the algae on the tank wall it was hiding.  The other Baby's Breath plant is going to go to.  What they do better then anything else is trap lots of uneaten food.

Those angel fish were the size of a quarter when I bought them a year ago

We're supposed to have snow flurries in a few minutes.  As a reminder to those who don't know, we have had some serious snow falls in Central PA during the month of April.  The one good thing about those is that they melt away very, very fast.  Today, we're not even going to have a dusting.

Scanning through the headlines this morning, I see Republican desperation growing.  That makes me smile.  Some of things that are popping out of their mouths can only make you question their sanity, especially when compared to their previous comments.  That stale, aging cracker Frankie Graham said, after the Chauvin verdict, "justice has been served."  I must say Frankie has really flip-flopped from what he was saying at the time of the protests.  Back then, however, he was a loyal ass-kisser of Loser #45.  Maybe we should call him Chameleon Frankie, since he finds it so easy to change the color of his comments.  Don't forget, underneath his 'justice' comments he's still a White Evangelical.

My Big Boy, and other things.

 Well, the veggies have been planted, all 5 plants.  This year, the tomatoes are in the ground, not in pots, let's hope I get a better yield.

My Big Boy

I baked another loaf... white bread this time, however, I accidentally used the setting for a 1.5 pound loaf rather the the 2 pound loaf, and, of course, I had the ingredients for the larger loaf in the pan.  Son of a bitch!  The bread tastes great, however there was a large air bubble just inside the top crust, and when I say large I mean 2 inches high and 4 inches across.  Oh, and perhaps the butter wasn't quite at room temperature...  I'm calling it a very tasty learning experience.

A ride had been planned for yesterday and ended up being scrapped.  There was too much other stuff needing my attention.

Some new plants were ordered for the aquarium, plants that don't take up too much space.  Right now there are 2 Baby Tear plants that have grown way out of control.  They take up well over a cubic foot of space, which is a lot.  One of them is going to go, being replaced with more grass like plants.

Oh, and I get to go back to work today.  My next day off is on Friday.  After that I'll have a regulars, 5 day work week before I get another mid-week weekend.

Greece has begun opening up for tourists.  Go Greece!  I suspect that for some time to come, their future relies completely on their past.  There's nothing wrong with that.  Being the home of one of the greatest civilizations is nothing to sniff about.

For those who didn't see it, Xi gave a speech yesterday complaining about the world's hegemony.  Basically, what he was doing was complaining about our democratic influence on other countries.  China is, of course, not a democracy.  Xi has managed to get himself installed as president for life.  Basically, he's managed to get himself set up as an emperor.  Unlike Putin, the faux emperor of Russia, he has yet to run into problems.  They will come.  People are people.  They don't want a strong arm government telling them what to do for too very long.  Life is not like in the olden days.  Like his counterpart, Vlad the Dumb, he longs for a return to those grandiose times when nations bowed down to their leaders.  This is what Loser #45 and the Republican party tried to do in this country, dress a dictatorship up in the costumery of democracy.  There are too many variables for Xi to ever get his plan to endure for longer than a generation.  Look at Vlad the Dumb, he has fires cropping up all over the place.  People are people.