Silence is Orange

 Another sunny day is on tap for us here in Central PA.  We were under another frost warning last evening but that didn't happen.  When I got out of bed this morning, the temp was sitting at 41 (F).  Our high temp to day is predicted to be in the low 70s (F).  Sadly, I do have to go to work and sit and the flooring desk.

My new schedule starts on Monday.  The only full, 8 hour day I'm available is going to be Sunday.  They tend to be the slowest day of the week.  I have one more schedule change to make.  I've got to remove my availability for Fridays, that will keep me from having to go in and work on Black Friday.  

My car inspection went well yesterday.  Sometime before next year I'm going to need to buy new tires, but that was expected.  My car is 5 years old, and so far I haven't had any real expense.  There's also a problem with the rear break shoes, but again, the front brakes are fine, so right now it isn't something that needs to be worried about.

Howie's 10 weeks old today.  I am still a chew toy, though the number of toys he's gotten have cut back on the number of lacerations I'm getting from his sharp, little teeth.  He slept through the entire night without having to go outside for a pee break.  He likes going outside, and we've reached the point where I can open the back door and simply let him out to do his business.  I still have to keep an eye on him out of the windows to make sure he doesn't chew on any sticks.  Here's a pic I took of his yesterday.  He's getting bigger by the day.

And can we talk about bad Karma?  Last evening the Orange Anus had a rally in Detroit, remember he just said Detroit was a terrible, horrible place, and his mic cut out.  That's right, for almost twenty minutes he wove back and forth across the stage in the award winning roll as Donnie the Silent.  I watched some of it since it's always nice to see Karma in action.  From what I've read, he was seething.  How humiliating for him!  to have to stand in front of a half filled arena unable to say anything!  Someone tried giving him a mic and that, too, wasn't working.  Was the sound company retaliating because Orangie had said Detroit was a shit hole?  I mean, I suppose they could always write off the expense as a campaign donation.

Olympia

 Today we hit the archeological site of Olympia, home of the first Olympic games.  When we left Pylos it was raining, and right from the beginning people were wondering what the weather was going to be like in Olympia.  Will it be raining? they asked.  We stopped for coffee and cookies (I bought 3.  They were delicious.) and someone asked, "what time does the rain start in Olympia?" And I said, it's not going to rain.  The weather was nice and sunny.  After touring the museum, our tour guide walked us through Olympia, itself, she glanced at a cloud in the sky and said, "you may want to hurry before it starts to rain," and I said, "it's not going to rain."  Later, I reminded Christos, our tour leader that I'd told him it wasn't going to rain.  😎😎😎

I learned so much today:  gym, as in gymnasium and gymnastics comes from the Greek word meaning naked.  Doesn't that add a spin to what that pommel horse guy did in this past summer's Olympics?  Stadium comes from Greek word meaning "to stand."  The stadium in Olympia could hold 45,000 men (no women) standing.  Just imagine that many men standing there, watching sports for the entire day, I'm betting whoever had the wine bar concession made out like bandits.

Seriously, seeing the statuary in the museum was enough to make me tear up.  The only words I could say were "Oh, my Gosh!"

Let's start off with Hermes, whose sculptor used leather and fine grit to give him his sheen.

And then we have the statues lining the top and front of Zeus's temple, the largest in all of Greece with just the columns 13 meters high (and yes, I did use meters, since that's what the rest of the world uses).

And this is Apollo, we'll get to meet him in Delphi.

And this is what the entire thing looks like.

There was a debate last night and evidently Kamala Harris wiped up the floor with Don. While I didn't watch any of it, from what I've read, Donnie boy did not do well with getting fact checked, but then liars never do.  

Even better, while Donnie's singing "Don't nobody bring me no bad news," Taylor Swift endorsed Harris.  Now, I now know some of you don't like Taylor, but let's be honest 30 million Swifties going to the ballot box is something the Republican party never, ever dreamed of.  Trump's Karma is comin' at him full speed ahead.

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.

Damned

 And so, a new week begins.  The sun was shining brightly through my front windows at 0600 this morning, but not so much anymore.  The forecast for today is partially cloudy with a high in the mid 80s (F).  I can deal with that, because that means the sun will occasionally pop out.  Tomorrow?  I'm off and it's, as should be expected by now, supposed to be overcast for much of the day.

I did work yesterday.  I got a measure.  Oh, and I got some good news.  My supervisor received a promotion and will be moving to the night shift.  He is one of those incompetents who believes that management means sitting back on his ass, telling you to do tasks he never learned because he thinks they're beneath him.  I once had to cut a large section of rolled carpet, a 2 person job, and asked him for help and, as you might expect, he said, "I don't know how to cut carpet."  So, he stood and watched as I did it myself.  The night manager he's working for is going to chew him up and spit him out in broken little pieces.  This is Karma.

All of the audio files for The Body on the Lawn have been submitted to Audible.  One of my editors was surprised by how much work I had to put in to getting them ready, and I told her "but I learned so much!"  Sometimes when people hit a certain age, they become terrified of learning.  Not me. Bring it on!

And, since I was speaking of Karma!  Or, perhaps God was responsible, or perhaps they're one in the same, anyway, yesterday this happened.

A Trust in Jesus bus, heavily placarded with pro Trump signs, crashed into a light poll.  That, in itself, would be justice enough, however this crash was different.  You see, the bus was parked, no one was in it, no one was driving it, the damned thing (and it is quite possibly damned) started moving on its own,  cruising down a hill and into the poll.  From the damage done, it must have been moving pretty damn fast.  So, was it Karma, or a sign from God?

Updates

A big thank you to all who sent their condolences, they were so appreciated.  For the first time in the 30 years I have lived in my house there is no dog nor cat companion, and it is strange.  They are not only the friend you can talk to, they add regularity, a steady syncopation, a reliable heart that helps keep everything moving in a positive direction.  I used to tell people there would be no more animals after Lily... who the Hell was I kidding.  It's not like I'm feeble.

In other words, I have started educating myself on other dog breeds.  No more boxers.  I love them, but I don't seem to have much luck with them.  Gertie died at 5.5 years, Biggie at 8.5.  Lily lived the longest.  So, maybe an Airedale is in my future, or a Vizsla, something large enough to make it up the staircase and jump onto the bed; nothing little, nothing hairy.

 For those interested, Lily had thrombocytopenia, a disease much like leukemia where her white blood cells were killing off her other blood cells.  It is extremely difficult to diagnose with zero symptoms until it is in an advanced stage.  This is how it goes sometimes.  

And I do plan on traveling a bit before the new puppy arrives.  An appointment has been made for April 9, to get a new passport (I foolishly let the old one expire), and I've begun looking at trips to Greece, probably in September so it's not too hot.  Interestingly enough, my next book takes place at Delphi, Greece.  Here's one of the trips I'm looking at.

That will bring me back before the election, and you better believe I am, as Bob says "casting a damn vote!"

Briefly:  I find the politics right now so fascinating.  All of the bad Karma that Trump has accrued for decades is coming home to roost.  Supposedly no one wants to loan him $464 million, at least that's what he's saying, the reality might be that there are those willing to lend, he just may not want to agree to their terms, like signing over Mar-a-Lago and Trump Tower in exchange for their cash infusion.  He could also file for bankruptcy, which wouldn't eliminate the fine, just give him more time in paying it, and that would be so publicly humiliating for him... oh... what joy!

Pins and Needles

 Well, it's Thursday and I get to work 8 hours.  Yep, that's right a full shift.  And no, this is not an endurance test for me.  That'll happen in 3 weeks when I'm scheduled to work 25.5 hours.  Holy Banana Peels!  I can't remember the last time I worked that many hours.

We did have snow yesterday, about 2 inches.  White and fluffy, the dogs went out several times though I don't know if that's because they like the snow, or just really liked being toweled off when they come back in the house.  With Biggie?  I'm certain it's a biscuit thing.  For him, biscuits will always rule the day.  

Bethesda had a big showcase yesterday showing off some of their upcoming games.  No Starfield information.  That's the game the world is waiting for, and I do mean world.  It's supposed to drop in the first half of 2023, though the release date is complicated.  They don't want to compete with themselves, and a little thing called Redfall has a release date of May 2.  That means Starfield will probably drop probably in late June.  I guess the big question is not when it actually releases, but if it's going to sell over 35 million copies on day one.  At $69 a copy, that's a lot of moolah moolah.  Here's a bit about Redfall.  It's free on Gamepass, so I'm not planning on purchasing this one.

Of course, a lot of people are on pins and needles as they wait for the first indictment to drop.  I'm not, but then I can be very patient.  Justice is Karma.  It doesn't happen at the snap of your fingers.  The longer it takes, the more brutal it can be.  Let's be honest.  We don't only want to see Trump pay the price.  There are others we want to see incarcerated.  Like Roger Stone.  I would definitely like to see that shitty smile of his legally wiped off his face... for the rest of his life.  And Jimmy Jordan.  Knowing that he's spending the rest of his days having to use a group shower with men who see him as just another piece of meat?  With his history of ignoring student predators, would that just be simply delightful.  These people do not understand that they are not special.  They have not been chosen.  Justice is going to teach them this lesson.

I don't know about you, but I'm beginning to chortle, chortle, chortle at Kev McCarthy's frustrations.  Did everybody hear he flipped out when an NPR correspondent asked about George Santos?  Kev made so little sense that for a few moments, I thought he was speaking in tongues..

And finally, there will be protests when the first Trump indictment is revealed.  Now, I know some of you will want to let your own frustrations out, well, don't.  America is watching.  I would not be surprised if we see a reenactment of January 6, but worse, in several cities as stupid MAGAs take to the streets.  The Republican party is dying.  These protests will be their death knell. 

Lip Service

 My, wasn't yesterday just an an excitable infusion of Remdesiver joy and palpable drama?  

Work was slow.  Customers did come to the flooring desk, but most of the questions were of the inquisitive, non-revenue earning type.  I did sell a 12 x 11 carpet remnant to a woman who, after purchasing it, asked if we could fold it in half so she could put it in the back of her Ford, Explorer.  Rolls of carpet don't fold well... at all.  In the end, she said she open the back window and let it stick out.

And, of course, the Idiot Jerk chose to go to Walter Reed Hospital.  The Reality Show has changed.  Statements of concern flooded the air waves with all the depth of your standard, generic, wannabe Hallmark card.  He was given the same sort of lip service he give so many others.  Only his base feels sorrow.

Skepticism is high as to whether he really is ill.  A friend of mine at work showed me a rumor stating the October Surprise was going to be his miraculous recover from Covid.  This man who trolls the sewers for conspiracy theories in now the source of many.  What I find most outstanding is that many of them revolve around his failing campaign, that he's still looking for a way to jumpstart his ratings.  The LA Times had an interesting article noting how the nation rallied when Reagan was shot... that's not happening with the Idiot Jerk.  Many more seem inclined to see this as his Karma, or what ever they want to call Judgment.  One thing is for certain, his bout with this virus he called a hoax is not going to benefit his campaign.  This is obvious when you see the faces of the cast from his favorite propaganda show, Fox and Friends, as Chris Wallace describes how not one member of his family wore a mask at the debate.  (What! They didn't wear masks?) Can you hear my smug humor.

And I must admit I'm a bit surprised.  The lip service being paid to the Idiot Jerk in the White House is so much more generous than what he and his party would have offered Biden if the shoe was on the other foot.  Biden stopped running negative ads.  The Idiot Jerk would have ramped them up, calling Biden every despicable variation of loser possible.  Well, now we know who the loser is.  United, we can vote he and his party back to Hell.

Carriers

After today I'll be halfway through my 4 day work stretch.  I will be celebrating by having a single, 1, uno, un day off.  Believe me, my excitement is percolating quietly in the background... and you though it was your tinnitus.
Yesterday was the first day I got home from work and we had extended sunlight.  I went for a ride in Amsterdam.  It was... interesting.  There were lots of cobblestones, and people, and a lot of cyclists.  I passed a lot of cyclists with dogs on their bikes, and kids, and groceries.  For a while there was a young gentleman riding in front of me whose spandex was quite... revealing, way too tight.  I wonder if he knows quite a number of people in the world have seen his buttocks bobbling back and forth.  I will have to remind myself to take a video of him for you.
Not surprisingly, 2 members of Congress have decided to 'self-quarantine' after coming in contact with an individual now hospitalized for Covid-19.  Paul Gosar, a Republican from Arizona, said he had extended contact (can someone define extended contact) with the person, and Ted Cruz, a Republican numb-nuts from Texas claims he had a brief interaction (?).  They, as well as many others, were exposed at (drum roll please) CPAC, that Crazy Christian Political Action Committee meeting held this year in Baltimore.  Can we talk about irony here?  Or just good old fashioned Karma.  Knowing these 2 gents side heavily with the Idiot Jerk in the White House, I'm sure both have tested positive.  They might not get ill, but they are probably both Carriers.  And, of course, you have to ask yourself how many others were infected at CPAC?  And CPAC was 2 weeks ago.  A lot of old Crazy, Christians attended.  I don't know about you, but I think this is rather humorous... Crazy Christians spreading the disease among themselves.  I think I've already mentioned this is going to be devastating when it hit their Mega-Churches, and we already know they're going to blame Bill Clinton.  And for those of you who don't know, this is what a Carrier looks like:

Thanks to the gentleman above, someone's granny might die.

Anyway, yesterday I worked with an very nice Hispanic couple who were having their bathroom tiled today.  That's right, the work is being done today.   And they came to the store the day before to start making their tile selections.  I wonder why their contractor hadn't told them this needed to be done ahead of time.  You see, sometimes (quite often) we only have limited quantities in stock.  We do not have a warehouse in the back.  We do not carry unlimited supplies.  Unlike Ted and Paul, we are not Carriers.

Majority Rules

Well, here it is... Wednesday.  Is everybody ready for a Jolly Holiday?  I am... sort of...
One of the things I'm getting myself for Christmas this year is a new, larger TV for the cycling room.  I'm going from 32 inches to 50 inches.  Size is important.  And so I've been moving things around, rearranging, redecorating, call it what you will, I'm prepping things just right in order to find out if bigger is better.  When I purchased this TV on December 12, I was given a delivery date  of 12/19.  I was scheduled to work.  In order to be at home for delivery I pretty much jumped through hoops at work... and then last night I received an email telling me the delivery date had been changed... to Friday... and, of course, I'm working.  I was told that it's too late to change the date back to 12/19, so it looks like it's going to be arriving on Monday, 12/23.  I'm still taking off tomorrow.
I did buy myself a doggy snow globe and that will help me brighten up the days until the new TV arrives.

And, of course, there is the arrival of Karma this afternoon sometime.  The Idiot Jerk in the White House is enraged!  He is going to be impeached.  He's shrieking that this whole thing is illegal politics...  If he is right, what does that say about the Republican's impeachment of Bill Clinton?  Oh... wait a minute... they say that was different.  But then they've always had thin skin.  And today, when the votes get counted, that skin is going to suffer greatly.  They have always been two faced.  The party of "family values" is now the party of "just deal with it."  A minority party who can only get into the White House through the Electoral College is learning that the Majority still rules.  And they hate that.

Spin Dry

My weekend begins today!  And it is chock full of things to do... like laundry, though I've been attempting to do several loads during the week in order to open up free time on... my weekend.  I'd better enjoy this one since I've been scheduled to work 2 weeks with split days off.  After that, my weekends seem to have been moved back to Sundays and Mondays.  That's fine with me.  I just want my consecutive days off.
I some of you have been waiting with baited breath... so I'm pleased to announce that a decision has been reached in regard to my use of soaps.  Will it be Dr. Squatch... or Marlowe?  Dr. Squatch has really great commercials geared towards a niche audience.  Marlowe doesn't have commercials.  Dr. Squatch is square.  Marlowe isn't.  In spite of a bare chested man rubbing his fingers across his torso spitting accolades about the lather Dr. Squatch creates... there isn't any.  Marlowe has lather.  Dr. Squatch has a nice scent... but after a few minutes my sensitive nose picked up the underwhelming odor of lye....  Marlowe brags about "no cruelty," while Dr. Squatch only has a small mention on their website.  Can you see where this is heading?  While I like the commercials, Dr. Squatch comes across as just another trendy product.  Don't you hate being let down by something for which you had very high hopes? 

Yesterday was not a good day if you're an Idiot Jerk in the White House and hearings are underway regarding a possible impeachment.  Today might possibly be worse.  Son of a bitch!  In case you're wondering, this is why he went to Walter Reed.  His fatty, little heart is palpating horrendously at the thought of being humiliated by being fired.  He knows that without the loyalty of his base he is nothing more than a shit stain on a dirty pair of boxers, or panties, just waiting to be washed.  He dreads the approaching revelations of 'spin dry.'  This is Karma of a man who never learned.
Interestingly enough a large majority of Americans (approximately 71%) now say he did something wrong, something un-American in that phone call to the Ukraine.  Even more interesting, it seems that a majority of that 71% feel he should not be impeached, rather, they feel the American people should fire his ass, not the House of Representatives, and not Congress.  And states are already gearing up for the election of 2020.  Turn out is expected to be very high as Americans line up to vote.  We want to skip the wash and rinse cycles and jump right into the spin dry cycle.

The Petulant Whiner

It's Thursday, or, since I'm retail, today's my Sunday.  Starting tomorrow I get to work 5 days in a row before I get another 2 consecutive days off.  After that?  Son of a bitch.  Consecutive days are off the schedule for at least 2 weeks.  I hate that.  I have the joy of working 6 days straight, and then my day off is Thanksgiving.  I mean, I shouldn't piss and moan, with holiday pay I'll get paid for 48 hours that week.   Still....
My apologies for posting responses to comments in such a scatter-shot fashion.  You'd think I was taking shooting lessons from Jim Jordan trying desperately to hit at least a part of the target.  That's not quite right.  My comments are posted regularly.  His comments yesterday at the first public impeachment hearing were... well.  You can tell the Idiot Jerk in the White House has left them very little to work with as far as a defense.  Since he had nothing of importance to defend, Jordan used a phony Mr. Rogers voice and ended up coming across as a condescending, petulant whiner about not hearing from the whistle-blower.  This is funny because it was the Republicans themselves who put those rules protecting whistle-blowers into effect.  This is their Karma, to constantly shit in their pants.
As I said yesterday, I was going to set up a little spread sheet for my Rouvy rides.  Here it is:

This is page one.  The distance is in miles not kilometers.  As you can see, the type signifies if it's a flat ride or a hill, I didn't include the difficulty rating, most being 2's or 3's with the Cote de Holm Moss ride having a difficulty rating of 4.  There's also a date column since I try not to repeat rides too often.
Finally, I guess the impeachment hearings continue tomorrow.  Yippee! 

Mexico caved

After today I have 2 more days off.  I'm excited even though weather forecasters are predicting Monday will be a washout.  Rain, you know?  More rain,  That means I will need to get the lawn mowed tomorrow.
So, the wife of one of my Navy buddies posted a list of the "10 best reads for the summer" on Facebook yesterday.  Good humoredly I asked her where my book (s) were.  Her response was to ask if I was going to read 'her book,' a 118 page volume of essays she'd published in 2016. which was only available in paperback format.  I had no problem buying her book, I can give to my friend Betsy as a Christmas present.  This morning I find a comment from her; she purchased the less expensive Kindle version rather than the paperback, which has the same cost as her book.  Cheap.  I replied by saying I was anticipating her "sparkling review."  Let me tell you, I was a bit irritated.  The fair thing for her to do would have been to pay the same $$ as I was paying.
And, in case you didn't see the headlines, Mexico caved to the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  They should have paid attention to China, learned from them, but they didn't.  What they have done is put themselves in the same position as the contractors who do work on the Idiot Jerk's properties.  Any time he wants he can claim they're not holding up their end of the bargain, and once again threaten them with taxes.  The probability factor of this happening is extremely high.  If they're not holding their breaths, they should be since it's just a matter of time.
Oh, and there's a new couple on the block:  Xi and Vlad.  They're getting quite cozy, going boating together and doing 'what not' in private.  This must be infuriating for the Idiot Jerk.  Chinese exports need to go somewhere, and Russia's just as good as the United States.  Oops!  Whether you want to understand this or not, the Idiot Jerk has in fact initiated World War III.  He's going to bloody the world's economy because he's stupid.  He is the end of the Republican Party.  The GOP has been setting up their downfall for years and their MAGA head base will follow them into oblivion.  Mitch McConnell's 'do nothing' legislature tactic is going to smash him into a bloody pulp.  You see, they never understood Karma, that 'what goes around comes around' because they never understood "I" and "me" and "my" are not the three most important words in the human language.  No one ever said Republicans were smart.

From Jack Fruit to Omens

Starting tomorrow I'm scheduled to have some time off and the weather forecast is shitty.  Cool, mid-50's (F), cloudy, in fact Sunday and Monday they're calling for... rain.  Grass grows even in shitty weather.  This is the third year in a row in which April showers arrived a month late, that's called a trend.
Yesterday was Fruit Friday at work.  On the 2nd Friday of every month they bring in fresh fruit for the associates, the standard strawberries, plums, apples, bananas, pears, and blueberries.  They always include one exotic to give us a fresh taste from the world outside the United States.  Yesterday we had Jack Fruit.  It was delicious. 

For those who don't know, exotics fruits are a very good way to identify closet conservatives, those people who quietly wear their MAGA hats in the privacy of their own homes.  You see conservatives will never try anything new.  They will always opt for the apple or the strawberry.  Now and then a slice of banana may cross their lips, but only after being camouflaged in a bowl of cereal.
Okay, and for your haha moment of the day, though I'm sure most of you have already seen this, the Idiot Jerk's blow bro pal Vlad did a nose dive.

And he did it in front of the world!  I'm positive this elicited a high volume shriek from the Idiot Jerk.  "Oh, Vlad! Noooo!"  As for me, I'm wondering if Vlad truly understands what happened.  He didn't just trip over a red carpet.  Nope, he was sent an Omen.  He is going to go down, and the whole world is going to be watching.  For those who don't know, this is called Karma.  The Idiot Jerk's Karma hell will continue for the rest of his life.  He doesn't understand, but his spawn will pay for generations to come.

Weathering the Storm

Today is the first of my 2 consecutive days off.  It will be filled with chores - cleaning & laundry, and hopefully some cardio later this afternoon.  Right now Biggie is laying beside me as I type.  His loyalty is amazing, especially if there are  biscuits nearby.
My brother in law got my sister a Facebook Portal (what ever that is) for Christmas... this means she's now on Facebook.  My nephew and his girlfriend live 2 hours away, and that's the only way she can get her fill of baby pictures.  And they have another on the way.  It seems as though grandchildren are the only way she can be forced into the 21st century.
For those who look forward to such things, we have 4 more days until the Winter Solstice.  I like long, sunny days.  They don't need to necessarily be warm, just sunny.  Hitting the shortest day of the year is always a turning point.  The days will begin to get longer.  Hopefully 2019 will be sunnier.  2018 was, for us, the rainiest year on record.  My lawn is still green.  Shit.
The weather patterns this past year have been shit for this country.  We've had rain, rain, and more rain.  There were record breaking rains in and around the DC this weekend.  California is warning people to stay away form beaches because they're going to be getting 50 foot waves....  That's a big wave.  In fact, it's relatively easy to see a correlation between the Idiot Jerk in the White House and the chaotic weather patterns that have dominated the US this past year.  Chaos equals chaos.
In literature, in film, and in art, storms have always been an indicator of inner turmoil.  "The Tempest" begins with a storm.  "King Lear" ends with a storm.  Those are just 2 literary examples, there are many others.  In film, from the complexity of "The Ice Storm," to a tornado that takes Dorothy Gale from the chaos of Kansas to land of Oz (that's film and literature).  This is what art says.  This is what Karma does.  So, is it any wonder I see a correlation between the weather the the Idiot Jerk's administration.  And the weather seems to be getting worse.  The Idiot Jerk doesn't believe in Global Warming.  He only believes in himself.  He lives in a whirlwind of purchased friendships, where bought allies orbit in and out of his sphere of stupidity purely on the depth of their transient loyalty.  And we've got some really bad weather raging across the country.  This isn't "hold on to your hats" weather, this isn't even "fasten your seat belts" weather.  All we can do is hold on tight and wait for the damn thing to blow over.  Remember, storms are Nature's way of cleaning up the shit.  Just make sure you're not near a sewer when this shit starts going down the drains.

The Worm has Turned.

Well, it's Saturday and I get to go back to work.  I'm actually glad.  There is a difference between being off work, and having to take time off to deal with the technicalities of death.  Those technicalities are still not complete.  I still have to probate my Mom's will, which entails driving into downtown Harrisburg, finding a parking space, and going to the courthouse.  And the next day I have off is?  Thanksgiving.  And then it's back to work until Sunday.
As for work, I will be in the hole as far as sales go.   That's fine.  There wasn't the surge in customers wanting carpeting installed before Thanksgiving as is normal.  Whether that has picked up since I've been gone is something I don't know.  I keep my job separated from my personal life.  They are 2 distinct entities.  This means my co-workers are not my 'best friends,' which is quite fine with me.
Speaking of Thanksgiving, I'll be going to my Sisters.  My brother isn't hosting this year.  I suspect this is because he and my sister-in-law realize cleaning up their house is an insurmountable task. 
And, on this cloudy Saturday morning I thought I'd remind people of 'Dave's Axiom,' that a popular president can move the country either way, to the left, or to the right.  An unpopular president will always move the country in the opposite direction.  On November 6 the Idiot Jerk in the White House learned about 'Dave's Axiom.'  He is not happy.  Actually, Republicans in general are not happy.  They lost big time.  The worm has turned.

Democrats are joyous.  And the Idiot Jerk is lamenting "I should have gone to Arlington, but... it was raining, I'd just gotten back from France, I didn't want to miss Fox and Friends, and Sean Hannity was stopping by for a koffe klatch."  Oops, there goes his unpopularity again.
I read an 'opinion' in Bloomberg yesterday about the chaos surrounding the Idiot Jerk the point of which was... you ain't seen nothing yet.  If Donnie Jr. gets indicted there will be a full eruption.  he will be running around shrieking "off with their heads! off with their heads!"  And a lot of heads will most certainly roll.  He was sent by Karma to destroy the Republican Party, and he will succeed.

Rubberize this!

For those who don't know, Roy Moore has filed a lawsuit in an attempt to disqualify the Alabama election... it's not going anywhere.  Doug Jones is going to be named the winner.  He doesn't understand that Divine Judgment was against him.  Not being a devout person, I would rather believe that Roy Moore's Karma stinks.  He has spent years telling himself that his beliefs make him special, and that being special makes him an authority who's allowed to pass Judgment.  He's actually the poster child for Social Conservative failure.  The longer he lives in his denial, the more damage he does - which is fine with me.
According to Bloomberg, the $ is on the decline.  This does not portend well for our future economy since stocks are valued on the $ not gold, as they used to be.  If the $ drops than those expensive stocks such as Home Depot are not actually worth the cost per share, but in reality much less.  This is not going to keep people from investing, their problem being they just can't make the correlation between cost and value.  I wouldn't be surprised if... oh, say by February, the unemployment rate goes up.  You see investors want to a good value for their investment and the best way for companies to add worth is to cut spending... as in payroll.  And that cost runs hand in hand with productivity.  For example, if a company sells condoms, and three people run the machine that makes the condoms and they turn out 30,000 condoms a day.  If that company starts selling 32,000 condoms a day, they're not going to hire another person just to make 2000 more condoms, those 3 people are going to have to increase their productivity to meet the demand.  This creates more value for those who own shares in this condom maker by not increasing payroll expense.  Of course Republicans don't understand this at all which is why they pretty much rubber stamped their legislation.
This is true.  The large corporation I work for is beginning a similar process where certain lower managers will need to manage 2 sometimes 3 departments rather than just one.  Ooops, don't tell the Republicans their Tax Overhaul and Job Creation Act is not actually going to create new jobs.

Of course, this will make their stock more valuable since their revenue will go up as their payroll expense declines.

How is this for Stupid?

So, it's Friday.  A lot of people post all kinds of stuff on Facebook to celebrate the end of their work week...  but not for me, mine does end until next Wednesday.  This... is the hell of working in retail.  At least I'm no longer in management and now have a fixed shift.  One of these days I might even get a fixed schedule... now, wouldn't that be nice.
I see Harvey is supposed to hit Texas sometime today.  I have no idea why a 6' 3" pooka rabbit would want to attack Texas, perhaps because he's a Liberal Bunny?  Or maybe it's just a little Karma heading towards those 'crazy in the head' Long Horns.  I did see that it's been 15 years since the last hurricane hit Texas.  That would have been when 'W' was in the White House.  Maybe there's some connection between Republican Presidents and hurricanes hitting that crazy state.
After my cardio this AM I whipped up some egg bites; egg white, garlic, hot pepper with a tad of cheddar for a tasty, protein snack.

I figure they have about 40 calories each, which is equivalent to going up and down the stairs 2 or 3 times, not that I worry that much about calories (holy shit, I can't believe I just wrote that!).
And I did read something funny about the Idiot Jerk this AM:  Why does he have to threaten a government shut-down if Mexico is going to pay for the wall?  Just think about that?  In the beginning it was those "very, very bad hombres" who were going to pay for the wall, and then, after the Idiot Jerk managed to get himself elected it was "well, we might have to pay for it, but those very, very bad hombres," were going to reimburse us, and then we got to read the transcript of his call the with Mexican President, in which the Idiot Jerk whined.  Now, you don't hear about those "very, very bad hombres."  He wants your tax dollars to pay for a crappy wall that only he and his fan bases believe we need.  How's that for stupid?

Here comes the Karma

For those of you living in a cave deep, deep underground, the Idiot Jerk in the White House turned his ass towards reporters yesterday and farted out great chunks of fecal matter (that's my way of saying that the shit has started to hit the fan).  And did you hear the wail of Republican politicians as they saw their political futures flash in front of their eyes?  Or was it drowned out by the scrambling of their shitty, little feet as they ran to the nearest camera to denounce the Idiot Jerk?  I've been telling people for a long time now that this moron's Karma is so bad, it's going to sweep over him and all those who supported him washing them all back into the sewer.
He's an old, white guy who sincerely believes that white people are superior.  There is no way in hell he will ever understand anything even remotely close to reality, that we are all one species, that we are human and that we are all equal.  These racist views of his will effect everything he attempts to do; Asians, Latinos, Africans, Australians, Germans, Italians... all will be treated as inferiors.  I mean, would expect anything else from an asshole?

And remember 3 weeks ago when those Crazy Christians gathered in the Oval Office to lay their hands on him?  What does this say about them?  Not much?  Well, it does say that they will spread their legs for anybody who promises to give them what they want.

And what about Luther Strange, that white racist from Alabama?  He says the Idiot Jerk is a miracle from God...  This guy was evidently born stupid.  He deserves to be swept away by Karma.

And they are all tainted flesh, you know, every single Repugnant Republican who voted for him, racist to the core of the party.  They deserve everything that's coming their way.

Bad, Bad Republican Karma

Karma has always been working against the Republicans, the Conservatives, the Tea Party, what ever name they want to give themselves.  This is an historical fact.  Mostly this is because they totally refuse to see themselves as the Grand Old Party.  Even when someone tells them they're not so grand their arrogance sidelines any chance of comprehension.  They truly believed that Reagan's landslide win made their shit a perfumey and that they could do what they want... and we ended up with the Iran Contra Affair.  And then George H. Bush swept that shit under the carpet, of course he only managed one term because their trickle down, Reaganomics were falling apart.  That was all bad karma.
And then we had George W who got into the White House on a technicality.  Right off the bat their bad karma started smacking, not only them, but America as well. We started a war in the Middle East over phony weapons of mass destruction, and then weekly color coded terror threats to terrify Americans into voting W in for a 2nd term... and then we got the worst recession in American History.  All of this happened while they were in the White House.
What happened when Clinton was in the White House?  The 'Dot Coms' hit and everybody made oodles and oodles of money... except Republican states... bad Karma.
And now we have the Idiot in the White House... holy smackarinis!  Let's talk about bad Karma! Ever since the Idiot got in through a technicality, the GOP has had so many stinky racing stripes in their tighty whities they're starting to call it a pattern... and, well, it is, a pattern called Bad Karma.  And, just as they always do, they're trying to point the finger at anyone but themselves.  In fact, pointing fingers is the only thing they've ever excelled at, so much so that it has become the defining characteristic of credibility in any and all opposing voices.

Anyway, this is my Saturday so I'm going to try and do weekend stuff.  Yeah, you know, like mow the grass.  And I want to try and hang a new ceiling light in my kitchen.  We shall see.

Trump is much worse than Nixon

So, Comey is gone.  I heard that yesterday afternoon and had to laugh.  That's right.  I think there are some Republicans out there who are finally beginning to speculate that the Idiot is going to use their Brand to wipe his ass.  And they deserve it.  For years they have hate mongered against Centrists and Progressives and Independents.  They have shrieked about a war on Christianity, using that claim to constantly attack.  As I've said all along, this whole thing is Karma.  It was Hillary's Karma to lose, not so much because she was bad and ran a bad campaign, she lost so the Idiot could win.  If you thought her Karma was bad, don't even attempt to contemplate how bad the Idiot's is, for this is going to be a Universal Payback.  And for the GOP?  This is going to be a smack down, smack back like nothing they have ever seen.  You see, the Idiot is going to end up making Richard Nixon look like a choir boy.  Repercussions are going to rattle through the bones of the wealthy for years to come.  And those who support the Idiot?  They will lose faith in a political system that doesn't fuel their hatred or seed their bias among others.  This might be their last stand.

There is a light at the end of this tunnel, and every time the Idiot does something stupid, which seems to be daily, it gets a little brighter.  In the end, I do not doubt that the Idiot will chose to exile himself to Russia from where he can Tweet daily about his hatred for all that is good and American.