Gas Prices will be going up

Well, our temps are back in the 50s (F).  Today's high is expected to possibly reach 61 (F).  That's what I call cool.  And, as I said yesterday, this drizzly weather is going to ruin a lot of Memorial Day cookouts.  Looking at the weather map, you can see that this is not going to be an isolated event.  I work the weekend, so I don't have to worry about any plans getting rained out.  T

They will be cooking hot dogs and burgers for us at the store this weekend, so exercise will need to be adjusted.  I'm going to have to figure out a way to burn more calories.  Because of the weather, I doubt if the store will seem much in the way of last minute grill purchases, and with temps barely in the 60s (F) there sure as hell ain't gonna be a big rush for window A/C units.  After Memorial Day, curb appeal purchases are going to fall.  While there are always those individuals who will splurge on an expensive project, I do suspect the retail industry, as a whole, is going to get very idle.

And I'm thinking of painting the writing room.  It's been a grayish teal for a number of years now, so something lighter, perhaps.  I've always had a fondness for greens.  I picked up a few paint chips when I worked on Monday.  Now I'm at the point where I'm thinking I might want to invest in the purchase of a paint sample.  

And yesterday's latkes were delicious.  I will make them again sometime.

Being the Memorial Day weekend, both Congress and the Senate have adjourned until June, and once again we've seen Mikey Johnson bowing his head low to the Orange Anus.  The Senate passed a war powers act, putting an end to Orangie's war with Iran.  They sent it to Congress and Mikey, knowing there were enough Republican and Democratic votes in the House of Representatives to pass the legislation, never brought it up for a vote.  In fact, he sent Congress home.  I find this pathetic, his need to bow down, to so easily acquiesce to his leadership to the pedophile in the White House.  It's almost as if he feels this war with Iran is essential.  Ignoring the fact that it's unpopular is not wise.  Americans are heaping so much blame on the Orange Anus for... well, everything.  The Republicans do not want America to snap, because they will be hit with the shitty end of the stick.

Finally, our gas prices are high.  They would be much higher if it weren't for the fact that Orangie's administration is releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.  At present that reserve has dropped to below 400 million barrels of oil.  Here in the US, we use, on average, around 20 million barrels a day.  This means we have about 20 days of oil on reserve.  Higher gas prices mean an angrier America.  Without an end to this war, that reserve is going to get lower and eventually gas prices will go through the roof.  I'm very much in doubt if Congress will do anything to stop Orangie, so prepare yourselves.

Douche from Hell

Well, we have 51 (F) outside as I type.  Our afternoon high will climb into the mid 60s (F).  I'm seeing lot of men walk around the aisles of that great orange home improvement store I work for in shorts... some of them shouldn't.  Spring is in the air until Wednesday evening, then we drop back to more seasonable temps with daily highs in the mid 50s (F).  This is fine.  We want to warm up, but we don't want to warm up too fast.  We want a warm summer, not a hot, hot summer.

Something I've learned:  Howie like bones, especially those with lots of fat and gristle.  However, too many bones spoils his pallet.  Because bones make his tastes snooty, his kibble will sit in his bowl for hours, and he'll treat it like a poor man's snack.  Since his kibble, which I think is very expensive, is still far cheaper than beef bones, especially with the price of beef what it is today, the rich treat of fat, gristle, and bone has become a rare treat.  This is the way of the world we are now living in.

Yesterday I sold 2 measures, that was my goal for the week.  On the sales side, I'm getting slaughtered.  I had sold a vinyl plank install a bit ago and the customer decided that he was going to install the baseboard himself.  There was a big disagreement as to whether this would void the warranty on the floor.  In the end, the customer chose to do the install himself rather than pay for us to do it.  This meant they had to refund over $3000 to him.  My sales get charged for the credit they give him, so now, instead of having a goal of a little over $5000 for the week, I now have a goal of nearly $9000.  Well, that ain't happening.

And guess who's getting a lot of blowback for wearing a white MAGA hat yesterday?  That is not a difficult question.  He was at Andrews Air Force Base yesterday for the official transfer of the 6 innocent Americans who died as a result of his ego war with Iran.  We've all know for sometime that he's a douche from Hell.  

Of course, he might have worn the hat to cover the fact that his hair has gone bright orange.  Not blond, mind you, he's put a bright ginger rinse on that dead rat he wears on his head.

And prepare for sticker shock at the gas pump!  Refineries and oil fields are on fire in Iran.  The Strait of Hormuz is closed.  Those 2 things mean we're going to be paying higher prices at the gas station.  I don't know for sure, but I'm betting this is going to put a big burn in every MAGA ass.  Me?  I don't put a lot of mileage on my car, but there are those who drive a lot.  There are people who like to go shopping, who like to go to the mall, who go to the supermarket every other day.  These higher gas prices are going to hit them hard.  This is how it goes when you have a douche from Hell in the White House.

Giving Them What They Want

 Well, we have drizzle and flurries outside and the temps are sitting at a robust 38 (F).  The new window A/C unit I purchased arrived yesterday and is sitting down on the living room floor.  The idea has crossed my mind that I'll no longer need the ceiling fan in that room, so I might take it down and put in a normal ceiling light.  

I'm debating as to whether I should bake a loaf of bread or zip to the store and buy.  There are several other things I need, so the latter might win out.  Of course, none of those other things are essential.  I seem to be going to my local, neighborhood Giant supermarket rather frequently and that's a habit I don't want to get into.  Perhaps if it were an actual market and not a supersized grocery store.

Should a start watching Valhalla on Netflix?  It's Vikings!  We were never taught in school that this group of people had such a profound effect upon Europe.  They were not some ragtag group of raiders raping and pillaging.  

So, we've banned Russian oil and gas.  From what I've been reading 78% of Americans think this is a good thing.  I have no problem with it.  Interestingly enough, one of the groups chirping for this the loudest were Republicans.  Not all of them, mind you, since there are the Putinists, like Steve Bannon, and Donald (the Orange Anus) Trump.  The Putinists desperately want an authoritarian government in the country, one that puts them in charge.  Well, that'll never happen.

Billy Barr keeps dropping redundant tidbits from his book like "Trump had a weak grasp on reality."  Is that an unsavory morsel, or what?  Hell, he needs to tell the non-MAGA crowd something they don't already know if they want him to buy his book.  I find it very telling that this nincompoop went to far as to say that even thought DOA Trump was unhinged, he would still vote for him.  Well, that reassuring to the MAGA crowd, isn't it?  They don't care how big of a nutcase DOA Trump is, he's the only one who's going to give them what they want.

Now, ain't that the icing on the cake?

Well, it's Monday.  This is my 2nd day off in a row.  I'm living the dream!!!
Yesterday I had to go to the store to buy some wood filler.  I'm painting trim and there were two small holes that needed filling.  While there, I told HR to take my name out of consideration for the COS position.  You see, if I were to get that position I would never, ever again have a three day weekend.  When I'm at work I walk quite a bit, 11 to 12 thousand steps a day going up and down aisles talking to customers.  The position I had applied for is a sitting position.  I have some serious arthritis in my lower back so sitting 8 hours a day is probably not the best for me.  Oh, and it would also be a lateral move for me... no pay increase. 
Gas prices are going to go up!  Saudi Arabia suffered a drone attack.  A couple of interesting points about that.  Even though the Houthis are jumping up and down, claiming responsibility, the Idiot Jerk's administration wants to blame Iran.  Even though we export millions of barrels a year, we import most of our oil from Saudi Arabia.  This is how the GOP wants to make America Great.  Their creed is 'Tis better to make money then to take care of your own.'
You'd think they'd understand higher prices at the pump are going to hurt the Idiot Jerk's approval rating.  Higher gas prices are going to have a detrimental effect on the economy.  That is not a good thing when when you consider the Idiot Jerk's handling of the economy is the only thing that gives his approval rating any kind of boost.  But that's changing as more and more people realize the only thing the Idiot Jerk is good at is blowing smoke up your ass.  Of course, Republicans have been doing that for years... and years... and years.  Think of them as vaping with their rectums.
And speaking of supporters, we had one on Saturday in the flooring department.  A middle-aged white man who loudly said he 'loved the Idiot Jerk.'  He went on to say that ICE had raided the place where "I get my cakes.  I couldn't buy cakes for a while, but now everything back the way it was."...  ... Believe me, I had no idea what this moron was talking about.  I even took the time to Google it.  Cakes... Immigration... illegal aliens.  The only thing I could find was a 2010 raid on a San Diego bakery.  As far as Central Pennsylvania, there was a raid in 2018, but that was at pizza shops in Lebanon and Palmyra, and those individuals were arrested for expired visas.  I know ICE had a big raid down in Mississippi.  Does anyone know if that included a Twinkie factory?  Or maybe Little Debbies?  Personally, I do believe someone's been blowing some rather decorated smoke up this guy's ass... and he likes.

Torch This

Well, it Wednesday morning and also a free weight morning, 18 (F) is too cold for me to jump into my car wearing my sweats and drive over to Planet Fitness, so it's dumbbells, and squats, and medicine ball crunches for me.
Evidently there was a dumbbell on TV last night... wait, that's being too kind.  The Idiot Jerk spit out farts and turds his Idiot supporters scraped onto their plates.  At one point Pelosi had to shush some booing from the Center.  Melanoma was there but evidently the Porn Star and her Forbes magazine weren't... now wouldn't that have been a hoot?  Anyway, I guess he touted the economy, and how it's surged.  Interestingly enough, 50% of the country give credit to Obama for the economy... Oops.
If an article in Bloomberg yesterday on McDonald's and labor costs is an indicator, fast food prices have already begun to increase.  The Dollar Meal may be back but don't expect it to be value packed.
Oh, and am I the only one to notice how gasoline prices are increasing?  I paid $2.85 for a gallon of regular yesterday.  Rising gas prices are not a good sign for the economy.  What good is that great tax cut we're all getting if we need to spend it on rising fuel costs?  But then again, maybe that was the plan.
I also got a call from the "big" director of my Mom's senior living facility - thanks to a conversation I had with him, her monthly cost is only going up around $500.  It seems as though he is the one who actually decides what charges get applied to which residents.  Oh, and he is big, at least 350 lbs - maybe I should bribe him with a couple of Twinkies, or a McDonald's gift card that's going to be less in 3 months than it is today.

Speaking of gas, well, there are all types of gases out there, some that are actually lighter than air,  some that smell bad (like Big Seig's farts), some that are lethal, and then there are those that are flammable... and then, of course, we have those that are a combination of the two, like methane.  Never light a match around methane.  What a shame no one lighted a match last night during the State of the Union... we might have gotten to see something like this.