A Light Touch
26/04/20 08:09
Hola, little babies. I think I'm in the mood for a little Jose' Feliciano this morning. A little "Light my Fire" will do nicely. It's a cool gray morning out there and I'm trying to bring a little sunshine around in the only way I know how. Wishful thinking may or may not get the job done but there you have it. What else you got, Johnny boy?
I've had a look at the schedule for talking heads this morning on television seeing as it's Sunday and all and there may be a show or two worth watching. Whether or not I'm willing to sacrifice getting my bike ride in before the roads get too congested is another story. I suppose I could record the two or three shows I'm interested in but I never seem to go back and watch them once I've recorded them. Sometimes you just know.
And, of course, everyone has an agenda that they want to spin given the opportunity so there's that. The left leaning hosts of the shows will try as they might to get the guests to spill the beans, say something that will cast doubt or maybe even support causes on the left. If they can get something on tape to go viral after the fact then all the better. We've seen this movie before and we know all too well how it ends. Maybe this time will be different. Right.
Doctor Deborah Birx seems to be on all the shows this morning so it will be more pandemic related stuff. She's pretty good on her feet so it might be interesting. They will try as they always do to get her to say things that support the narrative that we're all going to die and had Donald Trump acted sooner we might have a fighting chance. She's likely to stick to the facts and not give them what they want so they may look to attack her personally. Good luck with that.
All of this comes on the tail end of what may have been the last coronavirus update that the President and his people plan to provide to the American people. There was a kerfuffle of sorts this past Friday where Trump and his entourage came out and did their normal briefing but seemed to cut it short and took no questions before leaving the stage. There was something about Trump's people asking one or more of the reporters to change their seating. The reporters were less than obliging for whatever reason. That may have been the trigger.
Trump may be thinking that there is less and less value to these sessions and given the nonsense coming out of the mouths of the Press in attendance it might just be time to be done with it all. I would contend that they are trying to drive him from the briefings because he is getting far too much face time with the American people and that seems to be driving up his popularity by most accounts. If the press hacks can drive him off the stage that will surely enhance Sleepy Joe's prospects come November.
My suggestion is that he keep the briefings but change course with the content and concentrate on talking up the economy and what we need to get our country back on track. There is no better spokesperson for the economy than Trump. I heard one suggestion that he change his election slogan to "Make America Great Again, Again." I love it! He can keep up his ruffian ways in his interactions with the press because we also love a president who fights back when going face to face with a hostile media. Yes we do!
We haven't seen or heard from Evan for a few days so we're wondering what he's been up to. Mrs G mentioned last evening in a call that she had decided not to be tested for this covid-19 thing. This was after consulting with her children but making her own decision as she always does. "Why should I when I could turn around the next day and contract the disease somewhere," she replied. I think that makes perfect sense. Maybe we will give Evan a call tonight just to hear that he's doing okay. We can always leave a message.
Just when you thought your stimulus check wasn't going show up there it is. It feels weird having your government just drop money into your account. Kaboom! Well, it was more of a splash really. I guess it's good to have a few extra shekels around in times like this. There are a couple of things I've been thinking about which I won't go into here. I could have some fun with the money and go out and buy something totally unnecessary so I'll have to think about that a little more. Oh, and Evan hasn't received his money yet so mum is the word. Hide the party hats until then and we'll trip the lights fantastic when his money arrives.
I don't think he has any plans for his check either but that could change in an instant. You know how kids are these days. For all I know he'll go out and blow it on phone sex and medicinal marijuana. Only kidding. He won't need to provide an accounting to we as his parents. Those days are long gone. I know how it goes though. One day you wake up and the money is gone and you wonder where it all went. We should all be happy that he qualifies for a check even though you really never know until it shows up in your account. Tic Toc.
I've been dragging my feet in getting this post out so the subject matter spans a few days from start to finish. My birthday has come and gone. My twin sisters birthdays have come and gone. A lot of things have come and gone. Some, more memorable than others. My birthday, for example, was just an okay day.
Not because of anything anyone else did but rather because I was not my usual happy self from start to finish. It didn't help that Nancy made a strawberry shortcake to top it all off. I had to take a nap a little after 7 at night to blunt the sugar high that I get when I have that dessert. It was really good but not worth the agony that comes with every spoonful.
I think Nancy was happy knowing that she and I are the same age once again. Is this how birthdays in the future are going to be? At some point in your life you have to think that getting older is not worth remembering much less celebrating. I don't think that was my problem yesterday although something was clearly nagging at me.
I had the energy to get out for a ride so that was good. I read a chapter or two in my book so that was good. I enjoyed a great Tuna bowl from Ohana for dinner so that didn't hurt. It didn't matter at all that they ran out of avocados. I bought a couple of perfectly ripe avocados in the store next door and sliced them up to have in my salad. Evan joined us for the celebration and we picked him up one of his favorite subs at Jitto's on the way home so no complaints there.
I even kept an even temperament while we drove around for miles and miles looking for a Starbucks so I could redeem my free birthday beverage. I was so happy to finally find an open one that I could have kissed the barrister as they leaned out the take-out window to pass me my venti Flat White.
As much as I am loathe to do, I asked them for an extra cup for Nancy and they happily obliged. We both agreed that we would each take a few sips of foam off the top before giving her half of what was left. Once you start pouring your drink into another cup the foam starts to get lost in the mix and that doesn't work whatsoever.
Making cold brew at home is nice too but having someone else both brew and serve you a drink is better. It was the second Flat White that we've had at Starbucks since this coronavirus thing started some six weeks ago. It was nice for a change. And, let's face it, free is always better.
Did I mention that my car passed inspection? It's a twenty year old car and I typically have a moments hesitation when taking it for its annual inspection because I never know which of the dashboard lights glowing irreverently as they sometimes do will cause it to fail. My guy usually probes here and there under the hood before giving me the "all clear" and charges me a bit extra for the additional sleuthing required. Truth be told, it's nothing more than an elaborate kabuki dance. We all know how it ends.
If he needed to fix what really needed to be fixed, the repair would cost more than the car is worth. One thing I noticed this time around though is that I don't think he did the usual sleuthing. I don't think he took it for a ride and the only mention of anything he made was that I probably needed to replace the tires sometime soon.
I even had one more warning light on than usual when I took it in and he made no mention of that at all. I'm not complaining, mind you, but I think he took the path of least resistance because of the coronavirus thing. I can't prove that but it was definitely a light touch. Maybe next year will be different. Since he's asked me to invest in tires he may be even more reluctant to fail my car next year when I bring it in. See how this works?
In the meantime, I'm driving it back and forth to the local recycling center and on occasional jaunts to the supermarket. How much trouble can I get into?
I've had a look at the schedule for talking heads this morning on television seeing as it's Sunday and all and there may be a show or two worth watching. Whether or not I'm willing to sacrifice getting my bike ride in before the roads get too congested is another story. I suppose I could record the two or three shows I'm interested in but I never seem to go back and watch them once I've recorded them. Sometimes you just know.
And, of course, everyone has an agenda that they want to spin given the opportunity so there's that. The left leaning hosts of the shows will try as they might to get the guests to spill the beans, say something that will cast doubt or maybe even support causes on the left. If they can get something on tape to go viral after the fact then all the better. We've seen this movie before and we know all too well how it ends. Maybe this time will be different. Right.
Doctor Deborah Birx seems to be on all the shows this morning so it will be more pandemic related stuff. She's pretty good on her feet so it might be interesting. They will try as they always do to get her to say things that support the narrative that we're all going to die and had Donald Trump acted sooner we might have a fighting chance. She's likely to stick to the facts and not give them what they want so they may look to attack her personally. Good luck with that.
All of this comes on the tail end of what may have been the last coronavirus update that the President and his people plan to provide to the American people. There was a kerfuffle of sorts this past Friday where Trump and his entourage came out and did their normal briefing but seemed to cut it short and took no questions before leaving the stage. There was something about Trump's people asking one or more of the reporters to change their seating. The reporters were less than obliging for whatever reason. That may have been the trigger.
Trump may be thinking that there is less and less value to these sessions and given the nonsense coming out of the mouths of the Press in attendance it might just be time to be done with it all. I would contend that they are trying to drive him from the briefings because he is getting far too much face time with the American people and that seems to be driving up his popularity by most accounts. If the press hacks can drive him off the stage that will surely enhance Sleepy Joe's prospects come November.
My suggestion is that he keep the briefings but change course with the content and concentrate on talking up the economy and what we need to get our country back on track. There is no better spokesperson for the economy than Trump. I heard one suggestion that he change his election slogan to "Make America Great Again, Again." I love it! He can keep up his ruffian ways in his interactions with the press because we also love a president who fights back when going face to face with a hostile media. Yes we do!
We haven't seen or heard from Evan for a few days so we're wondering what he's been up to. Mrs G mentioned last evening in a call that she had decided not to be tested for this covid-19 thing. This was after consulting with her children but making her own decision as she always does. "Why should I when I could turn around the next day and contract the disease somewhere," she replied. I think that makes perfect sense. Maybe we will give Evan a call tonight just to hear that he's doing okay. We can always leave a message.
Just when you thought your stimulus check wasn't going show up there it is. It feels weird having your government just drop money into your account. Kaboom! Well, it was more of a splash really. I guess it's good to have a few extra shekels around in times like this. There are a couple of things I've been thinking about which I won't go into here. I could have some fun with the money and go out and buy something totally unnecessary so I'll have to think about that a little more. Oh, and Evan hasn't received his money yet so mum is the word. Hide the party hats until then and we'll trip the lights fantastic when his money arrives.
I don't think he has any plans for his check either but that could change in an instant. You know how kids are these days. For all I know he'll go out and blow it on phone sex and medicinal marijuana. Only kidding. He won't need to provide an accounting to we as his parents. Those days are long gone. I know how it goes though. One day you wake up and the money is gone and you wonder where it all went. We should all be happy that he qualifies for a check even though you really never know until it shows up in your account. Tic Toc.
I've been dragging my feet in getting this post out so the subject matter spans a few days from start to finish. My birthday has come and gone. My twin sisters birthdays have come and gone. A lot of things have come and gone. Some, more memorable than others. My birthday, for example, was just an okay day.
Not because of anything anyone else did but rather because I was not my usual happy self from start to finish. It didn't help that Nancy made a strawberry shortcake to top it all off. I had to take a nap a little after 7 at night to blunt the sugar high that I get when I have that dessert. It was really good but not worth the agony that comes with every spoonful.
I think Nancy was happy knowing that she and I are the same age once again. Is this how birthdays in the future are going to be? At some point in your life you have to think that getting older is not worth remembering much less celebrating. I don't think that was my problem yesterday although something was clearly nagging at me.
I had the energy to get out for a ride so that was good. I read a chapter or two in my book so that was good. I enjoyed a great Tuna bowl from Ohana for dinner so that didn't hurt. It didn't matter at all that they ran out of avocados. I bought a couple of perfectly ripe avocados in the store next door and sliced them up to have in my salad. Evan joined us for the celebration and we picked him up one of his favorite subs at Jitto's on the way home so no complaints there.
I even kept an even temperament while we drove around for miles and miles looking for a Starbucks so I could redeem my free birthday beverage. I was so happy to finally find an open one that I could have kissed the barrister as they leaned out the take-out window to pass me my venti Flat White.
As much as I am loathe to do, I asked them for an extra cup for Nancy and they happily obliged. We both agreed that we would each take a few sips of foam off the top before giving her half of what was left. Once you start pouring your drink into another cup the foam starts to get lost in the mix and that doesn't work whatsoever.
Making cold brew at home is nice too but having someone else both brew and serve you a drink is better. It was the second Flat White that we've had at Starbucks since this coronavirus thing started some six weeks ago. It was nice for a change. And, let's face it, free is always better.
Did I mention that my car passed inspection? It's a twenty year old car and I typically have a moments hesitation when taking it for its annual inspection because I never know which of the dashboard lights glowing irreverently as they sometimes do will cause it to fail. My guy usually probes here and there under the hood before giving me the "all clear" and charges me a bit extra for the additional sleuthing required. Truth be told, it's nothing more than an elaborate kabuki dance. We all know how it ends.
If he needed to fix what really needed to be fixed, the repair would cost more than the car is worth. One thing I noticed this time around though is that I don't think he did the usual sleuthing. I don't think he took it for a ride and the only mention of anything he made was that I probably needed to replace the tires sometime soon.
I even had one more warning light on than usual when I took it in and he made no mention of that at all. I'm not complaining, mind you, but I think he took the path of least resistance because of the coronavirus thing. I can't prove that but it was definitely a light touch. Maybe next year will be different. Since he's asked me to invest in tires he may be even more reluctant to fail my car next year when I bring it in. See how this works?
In the meantime, I'm driving it back and forth to the local recycling center and on occasional jaunts to the supermarket. How much trouble can I get into?