2021
More Year-End Blather
30/12/21 07:42
We're waking up to a little surprise snowfall here on the seacoast the day after Christmas. It's maybe an inch or two but it's on the heavy side so I'll be wheeling out my trusty Toro. I might as well do Betsi's driveway while I'm at it. Her heavy machinery is probably not going to get the job done. You know how they struggle when the snow is heavy and wet. Everything gets clogged in short order. It's early enough where I might be able to get the job done and still have time to get my blog started for the week.
In the words of Eddie Haskell from "Leave It To Beaver" fame, our Christmas was just swell. I think everyone got what they wanted. If they didn't, there is always next Christmas. Hell, we can backfill on birthdays if necessary. What did everyone think of the eggplant lasagna we picked up from Sophia's? It's funny but I had a chance to have some cold and I almost liked it better cold. Maybe there's a name for a cold eggplant dish but, for the life of me, I can't think of it. Maybe babaganoush?
Santa brought everything from magnifying glasses to socks and sweaters. Not everything fit perfectly so some stuff is going back to where it came from. Replacements may or may not be in the works depending on what is and what is no longer in stock. There were just enough things so no one was unhappy about having one or more items having to go back to the store. The missus got what she wanted but that had more to do with her ordering what she wanted and not relying on Santa to bring it. Smaht.
It's helpful for me to keep my gifts from Santa in one place at least for a day or two. You know what they say, out of sight, out of mind. God help me if someone asks me what I got from Santa and I draw a blank. I suppose I could always say, I got everything I wanted. It wouldn't be true but isn't that always the case? What kid who gets a skateboard for Christmas doesn't also want the latest version of Tony Hawk, skateboarder extraordinaire?
I think I did my Junco's a solid this morning. After removing the snow from the back deck, the deck itself was slushy and unforgivingly so. I couldn't in good conscience put down thistle seed for the Junco's only to see it sink into maybe an eighth of an inch of slushy water, snow, and ice. I found a couple pieces of plywood in the garage and put them on the deck as a platform from which the Junco's could easily feed and feast. I'm not sure if they're all that crazy about thistle seed but they're eating it so I guess I would say, so far, so good.
The Ev man went off to Boston yesterday with Noah. Getting out of town for a night or so will work out well for him. He's been wanting to get away and down to see his old friend and they finally worked it out. The Ev man wouldn't have to drive into the devil's den as it were not knowing where he was going and ending up god only knows where. We've all heard the stories about people driving into cities and ending up on some god forsaken back street where they are then subject to unspeakable horrors or worse.
The missus and I have offered to drive him down in the past but that just never seemed to work out. We would spend some time across the river in Cambridge or maybe downtown Boston before collecting the Ev man and getting on back home. I guess it's nice to work on your own schedule but when you're not in the driver's seat then you're at the whim of the people who are in the drivers seat. Here's hoping that everything works out for the best. There's not really any reason to think otherwise.
Mrs G couldn't have been happier. She had her children on board for a Christmas celebration at her home. The Pandemic aside, Christmas was Christmas and nothing would or could keep Mrs G from enjoying the holiday with her children. As I sit here thinking about it, I'm a little surprised that there was nary a mention of Mrs G. He's been gone now for a few years but that doesn't mean that one or more of his children couldn't utter his name just for old time's sake. He was a beloved member of that tight knit family. No?
It was good to see everybody again. We seldom see the missus's brother and sister during the course of the year so touching base and catching up on this and that was a good thing. Exchanging presents is always fun so we did a bit of that. There were probably too many cookies but no one complained and anybody who wanted a cookie got a cookie. The cookies we brought were store bought and I suspect the other cookies, if I had to guess, were home baked and maybe even still warm by the time they ended up at Mrs G's place.
I don't know what happened to the cheese platter that I thought Mrs G had arranged to have delivered but I didn't see anything of the sort. I knew there some logistical issues with the original platter she wanted to order but I thought they worked out the kinks with the backlog. I think Mrs G punted and she made her own hors d'oeuvre's for better or worse. If you liked ham salad on crackers, you were in seventh heaven. Ham salad is a funny thing though. It's not for everybody.
She had a dish of Lindt chocolates which she offered up here and there for the two or so hours that we were all in attendance. As good as Lindt chocolates are, most of us declined when Mrs G came around with the offering. That had more to do with people just trying to stay away from the kinds of things that
are disruptive or downright dangerous when you're trying to avoid them altogether. Sugar is sneaky that way. One thing leads to another and the next thing you know your sugar consumption is out of control and you're wishing you'd never eaten that first one.
I have a few things to attend to before we get on the road today for our trip to the Adirondacks. We won't be there for long but that doesn't mean that we don't want to have everything in order so we're not caught flat footed if and when that time comes. Having back-up stores of things to eat is probably our biggest concern. With Covid raging here, there, and everywhere these days, we'll want to limit our exposure by entering as few retail establishments as possible. Then again, this omicron variant is less virulent and less likely to make any one of us really sick so maybe we can let our hair down a bit.
I have trash that needs to go to the recycling center before we go so I'll want to attend to that. It's less of a concern during the winter months when I can leave my trash bags in the back of my car where the cold temperatures slow down the spoilage process and give me a little wiggle room on the timing. We've run short on milk that I'd hoped would last us long enough so that we'd have some to take along on our trip. I should have known better because we've run short at a critical time. So, I'll add that to my to-do list this morning when I get up and about.
I don't know if this complicates things but the Ev man asked that I pick him up a bagel sandwich when I'm out and about running my errands this morning. I'm happy to do that so I'll not worry about waiting in long lines at Dunkin' Donuts while others in line ahead of me order their coffee and donuts before getting on with their day. I'm not sure what we might have to deal with when it comes to the weather so maybe the best advice is to take a measured approach when going from point A to point B. As Mr G famously said in the not-too-distant past, "no one is chasing us." Indeed.
The missus is up and about now and she's already reminding me of the things that could have been done yesterday but weren't. She's asking about the weather and she's saying something about the roads being covered but I'm not really paying attention. Does it look like we had snow overnight? No. Is there a coating of snow that should concern us one way or another? No. The Ev man is going on and on about his visit with Noah and I'm only half listening, Yes, I'm glad to hear his parents are helping him out since Noah's girlfriend departed. That's what parents do. Right?
We got here (Lake George, New York) in one piece. I’m sitting at this stupid table at the hotel and my blogging set-up is not cutting the mustard. This chair doesn’t stay in the up position so I’m typing in an altogether awkward position. There is no way to correct any of it. I could have arranged to do this in a local Starbucks but I wasn’t wanting any part of sitting anywhere and having to wear a mask for any period of time.
It’s too hot in this room. Where is the damn thermostat so I can turn down the damn heat? It’s not in the room where I’m sitting so that means that I would have to walk either into one room or the other where people are fast asleep. It’s bad enough that I have to be as quiet as I can while typing so not to incur the wrath of those still sleeping. How is it that things are going from bad to worse?
I walked by the breakfast area on the way out the door to get my coffee and I stuck my head in the breakfast room just long enough to see that the breakfast area just ain’t what it used to be. You were lucky to find a place to sit in the past and the offerings were sumptuous. Well, sumptuous for hotel breakfast joints anyway. As for this morning, I was just looking forward to grabbing maybe a hard boiled egg or some oatmeal.
Everything was wrapped up and ostensibly so because of the Covid freaks and their nonsensical thinking about what it takes to stop a coronavirus from spreading. It’s just fucking ridiculous. You know that a coronavirus is just another word for the common cold. Right? Instead, I found some pathetic muffins, several varieties of breakfast cereals boxed and ready for the taking, and maybe a handful of fresh fruits. All of which, and I’m only guessing here, are designed as to-go meals.
In other words, don’t you dare fucking sit in this room while you eat. I’m surprised they even had tables and chairs set up. There wasn’t a soul in the room so I think I'm not the only one put off by the meager offerings. I had my coffee from Starbucks so I was good to go although I'm thinking I should have picked up something to eat at Starbucks while I was in there. I wonder if the missus packed the cereal I asked her to pack. That will do in a pinch.
I’m realizing how married I am to some of my morning routines as I sit here struggling to get on top of this blogging business. I could have just passed on the blogging and I could have gone back to bed. You know how out it is when you don’t do what you always do. You feel like something is missing. You’re left with wanting to do what you always do because that's who you are and that is what you do. Is this an opportunity to change it all up for the new year? Me thinks not.
I’m listening to Sammy Davis Junior singing “I gotta be me” on Sirius radio. Is that fucking perfect or what? That kind of sums up what I’m trying to say here but in fewer words and certainly more to the point. Did I mention that Uncle Wally texted me last night and asked about going to breakfast? I declined for all the reasons stated above. It just wasn’t all about me though. I have others to consider so there’s that.
The missus suggested that Uncle Wally wasn’t asking the extended family and she may have been right. I couldn’t in good conscious leave the family behind while going out to breakfast and we’ve got a bit of juggling to do as a family when we all get up so that was that. I also didn’t relish the idea of sitting in a crowded cafe with potential omicron carriers breathing, snorting, coughing, and spewing out remnants if this and that coronavirus for others to catch. All of these things going through my head just screamed NOOOOOOO.
How about those hot dogs last night? You know, the ones from New Way Lunch. The Ev man and I ordered up a dozen dogs with the works and an order of fries just for kicks. This is stuff I would never eat were we home and paying attention to what we were putting in our mouths. But, we were hungry and the dogs weren’t just any dogs. These dogs are legendary. This place called the New Way Lunch has been around for the better part of 50 years and that is how you do it if your claim to fame is the best hot dog on the planet. It’s not so much the dogs, really, but rather the sauce they put on top of the dogs. And the steamed buns? Literally, to die for.
I wish I had my missus's willpower. She would no sooner eat one of those dogs than, well, you finish the sentence. She ordered a chicken sandwich instead and she ate but half of the roll that was served with the sandwich. That, my friends, is will power. After a five hour ride we we were ready all to sit down in our hotel room and just take the load off. If that meant eating dogs and fries then that was what we would do. It wasn’t a hard ride but it was just long enough to think that maybe doing it once or twice a year was enough.
I take it all back. The Ev man walked over to Starbucks and on his way back stuck his head into the “cafeteria” here. He noticed that there were some ready made meals put together for maybe the National Guard types who are staying here in the hotel. Let’s take a look, I told him. We walked down together and, sure enough, there were a couple of large insulated carry-all containers filled to the brim with ready made egg, potato, bacon, etc meals. Hmmm.
We exchanged niceties with a few of the female National Guard types and the next thing you know they were urging us to help ourselves to the meals. They made too many, they said. Not sure if they were saying that so as to encourage us to help ourselves or maybe it was the god’s honest truth. We took one meal and one meal only and thought that it might suffice if one or more of us wished to have a little something different for breakfast. Good stuff! Thank you for doing what you do, ladies!
We hope to head over to Uncle Wally’s sometime later today. Did I mention that the missus is already getting her knickers in a bunch about the weather on our return trip home on Thursday? The time I spend trying to disabuse her of these destructive weather memes she has going through her head is not time well spent. Unfortunately, it is what it is when winter comes around and we’re out and about trying to go from point A to point B. It can be maddening.
The good news is that I’m right most of the time and she’s her own worst enemy when it comes to thinking the worst about weather, driving conditions, etc.. She needlessly puts herself on the edge of her seat and for no good reason. What purpose does it serve? Does it help us get there faster? No. Does our traveling slower make matters worse? Sometimes. Does her being riled make the lot of us more riled? Yeah, occasionally it does. She’s a fretter when it comes to driving in the winter. There, I said it.
I gave Kathy a call last night to let her know we were in town and that we’d pick her up around 3 on the way to Uncle Wally’s party if that worked for her. I haven’t seen her for maybe a year and a half so getting in some face time before we got to the party seemed like a good idea. She promised to let Neesy know that she had made alternative arrangements and wouldn’t need a ride. Whether Neesy takes exception to Kathy’s new travel arrangements, I’ll never know. It’s hardly worth a mention, really.
No doubt Neesy and Cliffy will be fine as fine can be not having Kathy on board. Maybe that will shave a few miles off their trip to Uncle Wallys. When and where you can save a little on gas these days is probably a good thing. It was decent of them to offer Kathy a ride so that needs to be said straight off. Not that they wouldn’t consider it, mind you. For all I know, Kathy’s place is hardly off the beaten track between their place and Uncle Wallys place. Am I over thinking this?
Oh, and there’s no need to put out a “do not disturb” sign on our door here at the hotel. The missus tells me that there are no housekeeping services. Another loss in one of the many sacrifices that we all have to make in the days of Covid. Not that I would want them coming into our room because I clearly would not. Going from room to room cleaning up who knows what and then bringing those germs into our place is a recipe for disaster.
The party of the century at Uncle Wally’s place is now in the history books. A good time was had by all and I think, were I to take a poll, that would be the general consensus. There would likely be rave reviews all around. The company was good, the food really just perfect, the desserts delicious, the gift giving and exchanges were just about what you would expect, and if anything, I might have preferred to not be the only one who took a present from someone during our “ Yankee Swap.” That is how that game is played. No?
We got to know Carli a little better. We warmed up, albeit slowly, to their new dog. He was a skittish little fella who, and I agree with Uncle Wally on this, he reminded us of our family dog back in our yout. You remember Century, right? It was nice to see Uncle Wally with a real Christmas tree although he would tell you that it’s been a long time since they’ve had a fake tree. That’s not how I remember it but he’s probably right. When you think that someone has a fake tree you leave it at that and go on your way.
Even Cliffy was sure that Uncle Wally’s Christmas tree was fake. That’s a little surprising because fake trees are pristine and perfectly shaped. Uncle Wally’s tree was robust and, left to its own devices, looked as though it might keel over. There is something about an imperfect tree that makes you want to take it home with you as-is and make it your own before placing all the presents under it. I stood next to the tree at one point and smushed its needles between my fingers to see if I couldn’t extract a fragrance of sorts. It worked!
I thought Weesy was a little maybe tired and somewhat withdrawn. That girl has been putting in the hours without much of a break at her job so here’s hoping she gets a little rest as we wind down the year. It’s hard to know what she’s thinking half the time so it’s all me thinking what I’m thinking but that is what you do when you don’t have much to go on. I tried to rattle her cage a couple of times early in the evening but without much luck. I really thought that my comment about her business needing a bigger take-out window would get her attention but I think she may have thought my comment to be a bit snarky and she held her tongue.
She works at one of those sandwich and sub places where you can get what you want as long as you’re willing to sit patiently in your car while they fill orders of the people and cars lined up in front of you. I wondered if she might recognize my voice when I placed my order but I wasn’t entirely sure where she was and what she was doing behind the scenes so it was just all fun and games for the missus, the Ev man, and me until we got to the take-out window.
She wasn’t handing out the food so I had to see if I couldn’t peer through the take-out window to see if she wasn’t in the background somewhere. Not that she was trying to avoid me, mind you, but one never knows what someone is going to do when you drop by unexpectedly. When I finally did see her I thought that maybe I had embarrassed her or maybe she just thought I should just stop with the wise guy business, get my damn sandwich, and go along on my way.
I wasn’t all that happy with my roast beef sub truth be told. I’m not a big roast beef kind of guy but I couldn’t see anything else on the menu that appealed to me so roast beef it was. If I’m going to eat roast beef, I prefer that it be on the rare side and not overcooked. I shared this observation with Kathy. She said that if Weesy had been in charge of cooking the roast beef then it would have been done right. By "right", I mean more rare than well done. You know how roast beef can taste like cardboard if it’s not cooked properly. No amount of mayonnaise can fix it if that happens.
I was delighted to hear that Carli was a big fan of sushi. A girl after my own heart! I had wanted to pick up a poke' bowl for her just to have her enjoy a different kind of sushi-like dish for a change. She and I were the only ones eating the little sushi things and that was just fine. I changed my mind at the last minute and decided against the Poke bowl since I knew that her mom was making a special trip just to get her the sushi that she likes and I didn’t need to upstage something that was already planned and in the works.
Neesy got a new job! That’s good news. It’s another schtick with a bit of a commute but a job nonetheless. She’ll be doing something that is right up her alley and something that she knows well. She’s back in business as they say in the movies. It was a little touch and go after leaving her last job but she’s landed on her feet and all is now well in Neesy-World. You know how awkward it can be when seeing someone after they’ve lost their job and have zero prospects going forward. Well, there was none of that thank the baby Jesus. He does work in mysterious ways, doesn’t he?
Apart from a little sniping here and there about Uncle Wally’s once revered man cave, he and the missus were in great spirits and were the perfect hosts. We can’t thank them enough for putting on these holiday celebrations so I hope the lot of us expressed ourselves appropriately after all was said and done. I’m not sure we’d have a venue for such a get together were it not for Uncle Wally and his missus. Maybe it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Uncle Wally is the unspoken family historian of sorts so one could say that if anyone was going to have a party it would be he and his missus.
Did I mention that Carli has aspirations to join the FBI when she completes her studies? That’s certainly admirable. I think there’s something inherently fascinating to her about all that kind of stuff including the more granular stuff like forensics, etc.. She also seemed to have a bit of a fascination with serial killers which she was more than happy to discuss. Who doesn’t like a nice spine tingling tale about serial killers and their ilk. And, yes, Virginia, women can be serial killers too. None of it was off-putting to me since I’m a cold case guy going way back. Who isn’t these days?
In the words of Eddie Haskell from "Leave It To Beaver" fame, our Christmas was just swell. I think everyone got what they wanted. If they didn't, there is always next Christmas. Hell, we can backfill on birthdays if necessary. What did everyone think of the eggplant lasagna we picked up from Sophia's? It's funny but I had a chance to have some cold and I almost liked it better cold. Maybe there's a name for a cold eggplant dish but, for the life of me, I can't think of it. Maybe babaganoush?
Santa brought everything from magnifying glasses to socks and sweaters. Not everything fit perfectly so some stuff is going back to where it came from. Replacements may or may not be in the works depending on what is and what is no longer in stock. There were just enough things so no one was unhappy about having one or more items having to go back to the store. The missus got what she wanted but that had more to do with her ordering what she wanted and not relying on Santa to bring it. Smaht.
It's helpful for me to keep my gifts from Santa in one place at least for a day or two. You know what they say, out of sight, out of mind. God help me if someone asks me what I got from Santa and I draw a blank. I suppose I could always say, I got everything I wanted. It wouldn't be true but isn't that always the case? What kid who gets a skateboard for Christmas doesn't also want the latest version of Tony Hawk, skateboarder extraordinaire?
I think I did my Junco's a solid this morning. After removing the snow from the back deck, the deck itself was slushy and unforgivingly so. I couldn't in good conscience put down thistle seed for the Junco's only to see it sink into maybe an eighth of an inch of slushy water, snow, and ice. I found a couple pieces of plywood in the garage and put them on the deck as a platform from which the Junco's could easily feed and feast. I'm not sure if they're all that crazy about thistle seed but they're eating it so I guess I would say, so far, so good.
The Ev man went off to Boston yesterday with Noah. Getting out of town for a night or so will work out well for him. He's been wanting to get away and down to see his old friend and they finally worked it out. The Ev man wouldn't have to drive into the devil's den as it were not knowing where he was going and ending up god only knows where. We've all heard the stories about people driving into cities and ending up on some god forsaken back street where they are then subject to unspeakable horrors or worse.
The missus and I have offered to drive him down in the past but that just never seemed to work out. We would spend some time across the river in Cambridge or maybe downtown Boston before collecting the Ev man and getting on back home. I guess it's nice to work on your own schedule but when you're not in the driver's seat then you're at the whim of the people who are in the drivers seat. Here's hoping that everything works out for the best. There's not really any reason to think otherwise.
Mrs G couldn't have been happier. She had her children on board for a Christmas celebration at her home. The Pandemic aside, Christmas was Christmas and nothing would or could keep Mrs G from enjoying the holiday with her children. As I sit here thinking about it, I'm a little surprised that there was nary a mention of Mrs G. He's been gone now for a few years but that doesn't mean that one or more of his children couldn't utter his name just for old time's sake. He was a beloved member of that tight knit family. No?
It was good to see everybody again. We seldom see the missus's brother and sister during the course of the year so touching base and catching up on this and that was a good thing. Exchanging presents is always fun so we did a bit of that. There were probably too many cookies but no one complained and anybody who wanted a cookie got a cookie. The cookies we brought were store bought and I suspect the other cookies, if I had to guess, were home baked and maybe even still warm by the time they ended up at Mrs G's place.
I don't know what happened to the cheese platter that I thought Mrs G had arranged to have delivered but I didn't see anything of the sort. I knew there some logistical issues with the original platter she wanted to order but I thought they worked out the kinks with the backlog. I think Mrs G punted and she made her own hors d'oeuvre's for better or worse. If you liked ham salad on crackers, you were in seventh heaven. Ham salad is a funny thing though. It's not for everybody.
She had a dish of Lindt chocolates which she offered up here and there for the two or so hours that we were all in attendance. As good as Lindt chocolates are, most of us declined when Mrs G came around with the offering. That had more to do with people just trying to stay away from the kinds of things that
are disruptive or downright dangerous when you're trying to avoid them altogether. Sugar is sneaky that way. One thing leads to another and the next thing you know your sugar consumption is out of control and you're wishing you'd never eaten that first one.
I have a few things to attend to before we get on the road today for our trip to the Adirondacks. We won't be there for long but that doesn't mean that we don't want to have everything in order so we're not caught flat footed if and when that time comes. Having back-up stores of things to eat is probably our biggest concern. With Covid raging here, there, and everywhere these days, we'll want to limit our exposure by entering as few retail establishments as possible. Then again, this omicron variant is less virulent and less likely to make any one of us really sick so maybe we can let our hair down a bit.
I have trash that needs to go to the recycling center before we go so I'll want to attend to that. It's less of a concern during the winter months when I can leave my trash bags in the back of my car where the cold temperatures slow down the spoilage process and give me a little wiggle room on the timing. We've run short on milk that I'd hoped would last us long enough so that we'd have some to take along on our trip. I should have known better because we've run short at a critical time. So, I'll add that to my to-do list this morning when I get up and about.
I don't know if this complicates things but the Ev man asked that I pick him up a bagel sandwich when I'm out and about running my errands this morning. I'm happy to do that so I'll not worry about waiting in long lines at Dunkin' Donuts while others in line ahead of me order their coffee and donuts before getting on with their day. I'm not sure what we might have to deal with when it comes to the weather so maybe the best advice is to take a measured approach when going from point A to point B. As Mr G famously said in the not-too-distant past, "no one is chasing us." Indeed.
The missus is up and about now and she's already reminding me of the things that could have been done yesterday but weren't. She's asking about the weather and she's saying something about the roads being covered but I'm not really paying attention. Does it look like we had snow overnight? No. Is there a coating of snow that should concern us one way or another? No. The Ev man is going on and on about his visit with Noah and I'm only half listening, Yes, I'm glad to hear his parents are helping him out since Noah's girlfriend departed. That's what parents do. Right?
We got here (Lake George, New York) in one piece. I’m sitting at this stupid table at the hotel and my blogging set-up is not cutting the mustard. This chair doesn’t stay in the up position so I’m typing in an altogether awkward position. There is no way to correct any of it. I could have arranged to do this in a local Starbucks but I wasn’t wanting any part of sitting anywhere and having to wear a mask for any period of time.
It’s too hot in this room. Where is the damn thermostat so I can turn down the damn heat? It’s not in the room where I’m sitting so that means that I would have to walk either into one room or the other where people are fast asleep. It’s bad enough that I have to be as quiet as I can while typing so not to incur the wrath of those still sleeping. How is it that things are going from bad to worse?
I walked by the breakfast area on the way out the door to get my coffee and I stuck my head in the breakfast room just long enough to see that the breakfast area just ain’t what it used to be. You were lucky to find a place to sit in the past and the offerings were sumptuous. Well, sumptuous for hotel breakfast joints anyway. As for this morning, I was just looking forward to grabbing maybe a hard boiled egg or some oatmeal.
Everything was wrapped up and ostensibly so because of the Covid freaks and their nonsensical thinking about what it takes to stop a coronavirus from spreading. It’s just fucking ridiculous. You know that a coronavirus is just another word for the common cold. Right? Instead, I found some pathetic muffins, several varieties of breakfast cereals boxed and ready for the taking, and maybe a handful of fresh fruits. All of which, and I’m only guessing here, are designed as to-go meals.
In other words, don’t you dare fucking sit in this room while you eat. I’m surprised they even had tables and chairs set up. There wasn’t a soul in the room so I think I'm not the only one put off by the meager offerings. I had my coffee from Starbucks so I was good to go although I'm thinking I should have picked up something to eat at Starbucks while I was in there. I wonder if the missus packed the cereal I asked her to pack. That will do in a pinch.
I’m realizing how married I am to some of my morning routines as I sit here struggling to get on top of this blogging business. I could have just passed on the blogging and I could have gone back to bed. You know how out it is when you don’t do what you always do. You feel like something is missing. You’re left with wanting to do what you always do because that's who you are and that is what you do. Is this an opportunity to change it all up for the new year? Me thinks not.
I’m listening to Sammy Davis Junior singing “I gotta be me” on Sirius radio. Is that fucking perfect or what? That kind of sums up what I’m trying to say here but in fewer words and certainly more to the point. Did I mention that Uncle Wally texted me last night and asked about going to breakfast? I declined for all the reasons stated above. It just wasn’t all about me though. I have others to consider so there’s that.
The missus suggested that Uncle Wally wasn’t asking the extended family and she may have been right. I couldn’t in good conscious leave the family behind while going out to breakfast and we’ve got a bit of juggling to do as a family when we all get up so that was that. I also didn’t relish the idea of sitting in a crowded cafe with potential omicron carriers breathing, snorting, coughing, and spewing out remnants if this and that coronavirus for others to catch. All of these things going through my head just screamed NOOOOOOO.
How about those hot dogs last night? You know, the ones from New Way Lunch. The Ev man and I ordered up a dozen dogs with the works and an order of fries just for kicks. This is stuff I would never eat were we home and paying attention to what we were putting in our mouths. But, we were hungry and the dogs weren’t just any dogs. These dogs are legendary. This place called the New Way Lunch has been around for the better part of 50 years and that is how you do it if your claim to fame is the best hot dog on the planet. It’s not so much the dogs, really, but rather the sauce they put on top of the dogs. And the steamed buns? Literally, to die for.
I wish I had my missus's willpower. She would no sooner eat one of those dogs than, well, you finish the sentence. She ordered a chicken sandwich instead and she ate but half of the roll that was served with the sandwich. That, my friends, is will power. After a five hour ride we we were ready all to sit down in our hotel room and just take the load off. If that meant eating dogs and fries then that was what we would do. It wasn’t a hard ride but it was just long enough to think that maybe doing it once or twice a year was enough.
I take it all back. The Ev man walked over to Starbucks and on his way back stuck his head into the “cafeteria” here. He noticed that there were some ready made meals put together for maybe the National Guard types who are staying here in the hotel. Let’s take a look, I told him. We walked down together and, sure enough, there were a couple of large insulated carry-all containers filled to the brim with ready made egg, potato, bacon, etc meals. Hmmm.
We exchanged niceties with a few of the female National Guard types and the next thing you know they were urging us to help ourselves to the meals. They made too many, they said. Not sure if they were saying that so as to encourage us to help ourselves or maybe it was the god’s honest truth. We took one meal and one meal only and thought that it might suffice if one or more of us wished to have a little something different for breakfast. Good stuff! Thank you for doing what you do, ladies!
We hope to head over to Uncle Wally’s sometime later today. Did I mention that the missus is already getting her knickers in a bunch about the weather on our return trip home on Thursday? The time I spend trying to disabuse her of these destructive weather memes she has going through her head is not time well spent. Unfortunately, it is what it is when winter comes around and we’re out and about trying to go from point A to point B. It can be maddening.
The good news is that I’m right most of the time and she’s her own worst enemy when it comes to thinking the worst about weather, driving conditions, etc.. She needlessly puts herself on the edge of her seat and for no good reason. What purpose does it serve? Does it help us get there faster? No. Does our traveling slower make matters worse? Sometimes. Does her being riled make the lot of us more riled? Yeah, occasionally it does. She’s a fretter when it comes to driving in the winter. There, I said it.
I gave Kathy a call last night to let her know we were in town and that we’d pick her up around 3 on the way to Uncle Wally’s party if that worked for her. I haven’t seen her for maybe a year and a half so getting in some face time before we got to the party seemed like a good idea. She promised to let Neesy know that she had made alternative arrangements and wouldn’t need a ride. Whether Neesy takes exception to Kathy’s new travel arrangements, I’ll never know. It’s hardly worth a mention, really.
No doubt Neesy and Cliffy will be fine as fine can be not having Kathy on board. Maybe that will shave a few miles off their trip to Uncle Wallys. When and where you can save a little on gas these days is probably a good thing. It was decent of them to offer Kathy a ride so that needs to be said straight off. Not that they wouldn’t consider it, mind you. For all I know, Kathy’s place is hardly off the beaten track between their place and Uncle Wallys place. Am I over thinking this?
Oh, and there’s no need to put out a “do not disturb” sign on our door here at the hotel. The missus tells me that there are no housekeeping services. Another loss in one of the many sacrifices that we all have to make in the days of Covid. Not that I would want them coming into our room because I clearly would not. Going from room to room cleaning up who knows what and then bringing those germs into our place is a recipe for disaster.
The party of the century at Uncle Wally’s place is now in the history books. A good time was had by all and I think, were I to take a poll, that would be the general consensus. There would likely be rave reviews all around. The company was good, the food really just perfect, the desserts delicious, the gift giving and exchanges were just about what you would expect, and if anything, I might have preferred to not be the only one who took a present from someone during our “ Yankee Swap.” That is how that game is played. No?
We got to know Carli a little better. We warmed up, albeit slowly, to their new dog. He was a skittish little fella who, and I agree with Uncle Wally on this, he reminded us of our family dog back in our yout. You remember Century, right? It was nice to see Uncle Wally with a real Christmas tree although he would tell you that it’s been a long time since they’ve had a fake tree. That’s not how I remember it but he’s probably right. When you think that someone has a fake tree you leave it at that and go on your way.
Even Cliffy was sure that Uncle Wally’s Christmas tree was fake. That’s a little surprising because fake trees are pristine and perfectly shaped. Uncle Wally’s tree was robust and, left to its own devices, looked as though it might keel over. There is something about an imperfect tree that makes you want to take it home with you as-is and make it your own before placing all the presents under it. I stood next to the tree at one point and smushed its needles between my fingers to see if I couldn’t extract a fragrance of sorts. It worked!
I thought Weesy was a little maybe tired and somewhat withdrawn. That girl has been putting in the hours without much of a break at her job so here’s hoping she gets a little rest as we wind down the year. It’s hard to know what she’s thinking half the time so it’s all me thinking what I’m thinking but that is what you do when you don’t have much to go on. I tried to rattle her cage a couple of times early in the evening but without much luck. I really thought that my comment about her business needing a bigger take-out window would get her attention but I think she may have thought my comment to be a bit snarky and she held her tongue.
She works at one of those sandwich and sub places where you can get what you want as long as you’re willing to sit patiently in your car while they fill orders of the people and cars lined up in front of you. I wondered if she might recognize my voice when I placed my order but I wasn’t entirely sure where she was and what she was doing behind the scenes so it was just all fun and games for the missus, the Ev man, and me until we got to the take-out window.
She wasn’t handing out the food so I had to see if I couldn’t peer through the take-out window to see if she wasn’t in the background somewhere. Not that she was trying to avoid me, mind you, but one never knows what someone is going to do when you drop by unexpectedly. When I finally did see her I thought that maybe I had embarrassed her or maybe she just thought I should just stop with the wise guy business, get my damn sandwich, and go along on my way.
I wasn’t all that happy with my roast beef sub truth be told. I’m not a big roast beef kind of guy but I couldn’t see anything else on the menu that appealed to me so roast beef it was. If I’m going to eat roast beef, I prefer that it be on the rare side and not overcooked. I shared this observation with Kathy. She said that if Weesy had been in charge of cooking the roast beef then it would have been done right. By "right", I mean more rare than well done. You know how roast beef can taste like cardboard if it’s not cooked properly. No amount of mayonnaise can fix it if that happens.
I was delighted to hear that Carli was a big fan of sushi. A girl after my own heart! I had wanted to pick up a poke' bowl for her just to have her enjoy a different kind of sushi-like dish for a change. She and I were the only ones eating the little sushi things and that was just fine. I changed my mind at the last minute and decided against the Poke bowl since I knew that her mom was making a special trip just to get her the sushi that she likes and I didn’t need to upstage something that was already planned and in the works.
Neesy got a new job! That’s good news. It’s another schtick with a bit of a commute but a job nonetheless. She’ll be doing something that is right up her alley and something that she knows well. She’s back in business as they say in the movies. It was a little touch and go after leaving her last job but she’s landed on her feet and all is now well in Neesy-World. You know how awkward it can be when seeing someone after they’ve lost their job and have zero prospects going forward. Well, there was none of that thank the baby Jesus. He does work in mysterious ways, doesn’t he?
Apart from a little sniping here and there about Uncle Wally’s once revered man cave, he and the missus were in great spirits and were the perfect hosts. We can’t thank them enough for putting on these holiday celebrations so I hope the lot of us expressed ourselves appropriately after all was said and done. I’m not sure we’d have a venue for such a get together were it not for Uncle Wally and his missus. Maybe it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Uncle Wally is the unspoken family historian of sorts so one could say that if anyone was going to have a party it would be he and his missus.
Did I mention that Carli has aspirations to join the FBI when she completes her studies? That’s certainly admirable. I think there’s something inherently fascinating to her about all that kind of stuff including the more granular stuff like forensics, etc.. She also seemed to have a bit of a fascination with serial killers which she was more than happy to discuss. Who doesn’t like a nice spine tingling tale about serial killers and their ilk. And, yes, Virginia, women can be serial killers too. None of it was off-putting to me since I’m a cold case guy going way back. Who isn’t these days?
And All Through The House...
26/12/21 07:06
What a morning! Did y'all see Senator Joe Manchin on FOX Sunday yesterday? He came out as an unequivocal "NO" on Joey Biden's boondoggle of a Build Back Better bill. Manchin efffectively and singlehandedly put a stake in the heart of the Biden presidency with his declaration. Biden needed Manchin's vote to get the bill across the finish line and, after months of negotiations with the White House, Manchin went on FOX to announce his decision. Why did he do this on FOX? Don't know. Don't care. It's not like he couldn't have gone on CNN to say what he had to say.
There was a collective sigh of relief on the right as passage of this bill meant higher taxes, tens of thousands of new IRS agents, and just a thousand other things that would likely be not only costly but ultimately punitive. It was a bill crafted by the progressives and pushed by the party as a bill that would be a great benefit to the American people and, god willing, a bill that would give the democrats something to run on come the midterm elections in 2022. I'm trying to understand now why the White House and their minions are pillorying Joe Manchin in the media. I understand that they aren't happy but negotiations are negotiations. They don't always go your way. Grow the fuck up!
My binary zero sum brain is very happy with this development as it represents a loss for the democrats and a win for the republicans. Not that the republicans did much to see to it that we as Americans knew everything we needed to know about the bill. They didn't. This was all Joe Manchin. If his party pushes too hard they might see Senator Manchin moving over to the Republican Party and that would put the republicans back in the majority. That would be icing on the cake in my honest opinion. It wouldn't take much. His state of West Virginia voted for Trump by maybe 60% over Biden. They would welcome Joe Manchin to the Republican Party with open arms.
I am going to so enjoy the gnashing of the teeth and the wringing of the hands today in the media as they twist themselves into a pretzel trying to make sense of Manchin's merrymaking at their expense. Everything is personal with the democrats. It doesn't help that Manchin's decision makes Biden and his people look like a cabal of stooges. It seemed like every other day the media made a big deal about how Manchin was visiting the White House to continue negotiations. He (Manchin) must want something. What does he want, was a constant refrain when they asked the progressives how they thought things were going.
Sure, Sleepy Joe will see to it that Senator Manchin gets what he wants and then we can pass this bill and get it on to the President's desk for his signature. These are simpleminded exhortations of a progressive wing of their party that is used to getting what they want even if that means having to unleash their jackboots in BLM and Antifa. I can hear them now. We can sway jurors with our Alinsky-like tactics, why not some dumb ass hick Senator from the backwater state of West Virginia. Not a day passed by when you would hear one of his fellow senators like the communist, Bernie Sanders, say, "The people of West Virginia want this bill passed overwhelmingly." That's a lie.
There is a lot of scarlet in the financial markets this morning ostensibly due to Manchin's decision. I would think that the markets would like the news since it means that higher taxes are not coming down the pike. The Fed also won't need to print as much money so that means less inflation. Alternatively, it also means that trillions of dollars will not be flowing into the economy so liquidity, the lifeblood of any economy during hard economic times, will be doing more ebbing than flowing. There are also plans on the table to rein in quantitative easing in the first quarter of 2022 and interest rate hikes are back on the table per the fed's latest comments. None of this bodes well for Joe Biden.
I saw a tweet this morning about American troops on the Russian border. Say what? This is the first I'm hearing about this? Why wouldn't that story be at the head of any newscast? Is this the liberal media hiding information from the American people again on behalf of the corrupt Biden Administration? Who authorized this dickwhistle of an illegitimate president to put American blood and treasure within earshot of tens of thousands of Russian troops just waiting for the word to come down from Vlad before taking Ukraine? Have we declared war on Russia? How much stock should we be putting in idle tweets when it comes to reports like this?
I'm not hearing anything from Uncle Wally about cancelling the holiday get together so I guess it's still on. I hope he's not thinking that since he's not hearing from anyone about concerns about the raging virus that there's no need for concern. He should be putting his family's health first and foremost when it comes to not exposing anyone to the dreaded Covid and any one or more of its variants. We would be fine not to attend if he were to decide that having a party during a virus spike is just a bridge too far. That's perfectly understandable. Maybe he needs to hear that from me.
I do get the sense that no one in government wants to be an Uncle Scrooge when it comes to putting any restrictions in place that would tarnish the holidays already underway. Locking people down and shuttering businesses would further decimate and deflate an economy that is still in recovery mode since the onset of the Covid virus back in March of 2020. Knowing what we know about the omicron virus, one of many variants of the Covid virus, none of us should be really concerned yet the media is pushing the panic porn and that isn't helping.
Yes, it's spreading like wildfire. To date, there has been maybe one death from this particular variant in the United States. Mrs G forwarded us a memo from her independent living facility yesterday that spoke of new cases here and there in her facility but none that warranted anything more than maybe keeping an extra box of Kleenex close at hand. Everyone was doing well because of the vaccinations or so the memo said and I can't quite remember if the memo was pushing booster shots or not. I suppose the handful of anti-vaxers in her facility will continue to not want the vaccine while everyone else will get the jab and life will go on.
There is a bit of a kerfuffle about who will bring what to Mrs G's place for the holiday get together. Mrs G wanted to order a cheese plate from her facility but that option became unavailable after they had reached the maximum number of orders available. Mrs G never came out and asked the missus to help with securing a like dish but the missus knew a marching order when she heard one. Or, in this case, didn't hear one. We talked briefly about picking up a platter from the local greek restaurant but we wondered aloud who might or might not be interested in delicacies like grape leaves, humus, and bite-sized deep fried eggplant bites. Maybe we'll just get some cookies from Whole Foods. Everyone likes cookies.
In days of old, before Mrs G went off to live at her independent living facility, she would always put out dishes of little things like black olives, pickles, and maybe some crackers and cheese when family came over during the holidays. It's a custom that is, quite frankly, old as the hills. I'm not even sure that it's worth bringing up here other than to say things are different these days with Mrs G getting on in years and being at the mercy, as she is, of the shortcomings of her facility when it comes to things like having enough cheese platters on hand to satisfy the demands of their clients. Then again, a lot of things have changed since the pandemic came along so this may be just one more thing.
God only knows that she has enough children who can bring things themselves so maybe it's just a matter of coordinating all those things that people want to bring so that she doesn't end up with too much of one thing and not enough of some other things. See how that works? She did ask the missus if she might bring some apple juice so there's that. And, not just any apple juice. Mott's apple juice is what she prefers for whatever reason. She still has plenty of A&W root beer on hand since I brought over a couple of 12-packs recently thinking that she preferred caffeine free root beers when, in fact, she prefers sugar-free root beers. I need to write these things down.
Just so you know, we're not talking the last supper here. That is to say, there might be 6 or 7 people in attendance and we're talking snacks here, not a full course meal. This is not some elaborate 12-course meal we need to worry about. We also don't know what, if anything, Mrs G's other children plan to bring. I think they're mindful of the fact that Mrs G may not be up to doing what she's done in the past when it comes to this sort of thing. She can only do so much. Age and infirmity has a little to do with that but there comes a time when your children have to step up to maybe lend a hand or take over some age old family tradition. It's what family's do in a pinch.
I mentioned to the missus last night that I was quite sure that we have nothing to fear from the unvaccinated. I was a little surprised to hear her push back and say something about them carrying more of a viral load. Say what? My darlin' has been drinking some of the Koolaid being served up by the national media. I wish she wouldn't do that. I set about looking around on the internet for a source or two that might either contradict or support this wild-eyed contention of hers. I was not surprised, knowing what I know about the full court press of the media elite to sell this vaccine hoax, that I found more articles supporting her position than not.
I don't know why I bother. Even if I did find an article supporting my position I'm quite certain that the missus would sooner believe what she was reading than the "nonsense" I was dishing up. She might even give my article a cursory look if only to pay me a bit of lip service but she would likely dismiss it as a contrarian view and not worthy of serious consideration. Thanks for nothing, sweetie. Why do I even bother? I do think that there are just as many experts out in the ether who would agree with me and would likely poo-poo what the missus and her experts believed to be true.
If the experts disagree on what's true and what isn't true when it comes to this Covid stuff, who are we as mere mortals to argue any of it. If we can't argue any of it, then where does that leave us when it comes to drawing conclusions on our own about what's best for us and our loved ones? I guess if you've gotten through the better part of two years now without contracting the virus then you can take stock of sorts in what you think works and what doesn't work. I was out and about in the first 12 months before the vaccine became available and I was never fearful one way or another and I think that served me well. Once you give in to the fear, it's all over.
There are enough "breakthrough" cases now that I'm beginning to wonder if getting the vaccine hasn't screwed up my body's natural abilities to fight the virus. It certainly did not work for the people who got those breakthrough cases. In fact, it's looking now like the more shots you've received, the more susceptible you are to the virus. That, in my mind, makes the vaccines public enemy numero uno. The one theory that I'm willing to give some credence to is that if you've had the vaccine, you are less likely to be hospitalized or maybe succumb to the illness. If the cases are going through the roof but the hospitalizations and deaths are plummeting, what other conclusion can you draw?
We got a delivery yesterday that included a hat that the missus thought the Ev man might like for Christmas. She had ordered it from The Vermont Country Store catalogue. She was as sure as you can be about anything when you order something on line as to whether or not it was going to fit him. It was one of those hats with flaps that you can pull down over your ears so I suppose that makes it more of a cap than a hat. Out of curiosity, I looked at the label to see where it was made. The fucking thing was made in China! Had I known where it was made, I would have told the missus not to order it.
I don't know why but I was expecting more from the Vermont Country Store. Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised. I had visions of one or more craftsmen sitting around in a semi-circle in front of a roaring fireplace exchanging stories about the North Pole and sipping hot chocolate out of glazed mugs while stitching together their wares for delivery to the Vermont Country Store. Instead, I now get these rather disturbing pictures in my head of a barely heated warehouse in the northern region of China where slave labor is put to work churning out goods for delivery to stores like The Vermont Country Store. I'm feeling a little victimized truth be told. That settles it. I'll be returning the hat now if I have to drive it back to Vermont myself.
I've been watching this show on the telly called "The Great British Baking show." As a rule, I do not watch reality shows and I'm not sure that I could even name one if pressed to do so. That isn't to say that you can't find one or more that piques your interest one way or another. Maybe it's real estate you're interested in and there are shows, now I remember, like "Million Dollar Listing" or maybe something like, "This Old House." Anyway, I'm not sure how I ended up watching this baking show since I don't do much if any baking and I have no aspirations one way or another to start baking. Am I happy to pursue the goods on display at my local bakery now and then? You betcha.
My fascination with the show may be due to the over-the-top production of the show and, secondarily, the personalities. I mean the quality all around is just superb. You can almost imagine yourself making what they make, sampling what the judges sample, and experiencing the ups and downs of the bakers as they compete against each other to bake something that will not only be pleasing to the eye but pleasing to the palate as well. I was a little surprised to see one contestant dismissed in last night's show since I think he was technically one of the better bakers.
I was telling the missus that I thought he was dismissed not because he wasn't technically quite good but rather because he was maybe too technical. I don't think the fact that he was German had anything to do with anything but Germans can be an exacting lot. They make great cars so there's that. I will say that I never saw his dismissal coming because I was blind to the non-technical aspects of the challenges presented to the bakers. It isn't even something that the judges had to explain or maybe could explain when they got around to having to select someone to go home. How do you tell someone that there isn't enough heart and soul in the creation of their delicacies?
It makes me wonder if the German fella who got sent home had any inkling that this was his Achilles heel in the scheme of things. He commented after he was announced as the baker to be sent home that he saw it coming and further stated that the other bakers were probably more shocked than he was at the announcement of his dismissal.
I think he didn't see it coming. Was he wringing his hands when awaiting the announcement by the judges? No, he was not. Was he looking concerned? No, he was not. Was he bowing his head hoping against hope that he wouldn't hear his name uttered by the judges when the announcement was made? No, he was not. He was what you would expect from a German who didn't think he would lose to his lessers on the stage.
And then there were three. Three contestants who would be going into the final. Only one would be crowned "Master Baker." The bakers we'd come to know and love over the course of 10 episodes now stood before the judges with their creations. I had my favorite, of course. He was the fellow to beat in my humble opinion. Now that the German was out of the way, the crown was his for the taking.
That isn't to say that one of the other two contestants might surprise everyone with a creation and walk away with the crown. There was always that possibility. Not that this counts for anything, but the other two contestants always seemed to surprise even themselves when they were announced as Star Baker for the week's challenge. My guy, not so much. So far, so good.
Today is Christmas Eve so it should be a fun day. There's not a lot left to do so that's a good thing. I do have a pan of eggplant lasagna to pick up at 11 from Sophia's in North Hampton. If I see a loaf of Italian bread at Sophia's to buy, all the better. I'd planned to have bagels with the meal but Italian bread might make better garlic bread. Anyway, this post is getting a little long in the tooth so it's time to wrap it up. Here's hoping everyone has a Merry Merry Christmas!
There was a collective sigh of relief on the right as passage of this bill meant higher taxes, tens of thousands of new IRS agents, and just a thousand other things that would likely be not only costly but ultimately punitive. It was a bill crafted by the progressives and pushed by the party as a bill that would be a great benefit to the American people and, god willing, a bill that would give the democrats something to run on come the midterm elections in 2022. I'm trying to understand now why the White House and their minions are pillorying Joe Manchin in the media. I understand that they aren't happy but negotiations are negotiations. They don't always go your way. Grow the fuck up!
My binary zero sum brain is very happy with this development as it represents a loss for the democrats and a win for the republicans. Not that the republicans did much to see to it that we as Americans knew everything we needed to know about the bill. They didn't. This was all Joe Manchin. If his party pushes too hard they might see Senator Manchin moving over to the Republican Party and that would put the republicans back in the majority. That would be icing on the cake in my honest opinion. It wouldn't take much. His state of West Virginia voted for Trump by maybe 60% over Biden. They would welcome Joe Manchin to the Republican Party with open arms.
I am going to so enjoy the gnashing of the teeth and the wringing of the hands today in the media as they twist themselves into a pretzel trying to make sense of Manchin's merrymaking at their expense. Everything is personal with the democrats. It doesn't help that Manchin's decision makes Biden and his people look like a cabal of stooges. It seemed like every other day the media made a big deal about how Manchin was visiting the White House to continue negotiations. He (Manchin) must want something. What does he want, was a constant refrain when they asked the progressives how they thought things were going.
Sure, Sleepy Joe will see to it that Senator Manchin gets what he wants and then we can pass this bill and get it on to the President's desk for his signature. These are simpleminded exhortations of a progressive wing of their party that is used to getting what they want even if that means having to unleash their jackboots in BLM and Antifa. I can hear them now. We can sway jurors with our Alinsky-like tactics, why not some dumb ass hick Senator from the backwater state of West Virginia. Not a day passed by when you would hear one of his fellow senators like the communist, Bernie Sanders, say, "The people of West Virginia want this bill passed overwhelmingly." That's a lie.
There is a lot of scarlet in the financial markets this morning ostensibly due to Manchin's decision. I would think that the markets would like the news since it means that higher taxes are not coming down the pike. The Fed also won't need to print as much money so that means less inflation. Alternatively, it also means that trillions of dollars will not be flowing into the economy so liquidity, the lifeblood of any economy during hard economic times, will be doing more ebbing than flowing. There are also plans on the table to rein in quantitative easing in the first quarter of 2022 and interest rate hikes are back on the table per the fed's latest comments. None of this bodes well for Joe Biden.
I saw a tweet this morning about American troops on the Russian border. Say what? This is the first I'm hearing about this? Why wouldn't that story be at the head of any newscast? Is this the liberal media hiding information from the American people again on behalf of the corrupt Biden Administration? Who authorized this dickwhistle of an illegitimate president to put American blood and treasure within earshot of tens of thousands of Russian troops just waiting for the word to come down from Vlad before taking Ukraine? Have we declared war on Russia? How much stock should we be putting in idle tweets when it comes to reports like this?
I'm not hearing anything from Uncle Wally about cancelling the holiday get together so I guess it's still on. I hope he's not thinking that since he's not hearing from anyone about concerns about the raging virus that there's no need for concern. He should be putting his family's health first and foremost when it comes to not exposing anyone to the dreaded Covid and any one or more of its variants. We would be fine not to attend if he were to decide that having a party during a virus spike is just a bridge too far. That's perfectly understandable. Maybe he needs to hear that from me.
I do get the sense that no one in government wants to be an Uncle Scrooge when it comes to putting any restrictions in place that would tarnish the holidays already underway. Locking people down and shuttering businesses would further decimate and deflate an economy that is still in recovery mode since the onset of the Covid virus back in March of 2020. Knowing what we know about the omicron virus, one of many variants of the Covid virus, none of us should be really concerned yet the media is pushing the panic porn and that isn't helping.
Yes, it's spreading like wildfire. To date, there has been maybe one death from this particular variant in the United States. Mrs G forwarded us a memo from her independent living facility yesterday that spoke of new cases here and there in her facility but none that warranted anything more than maybe keeping an extra box of Kleenex close at hand. Everyone was doing well because of the vaccinations or so the memo said and I can't quite remember if the memo was pushing booster shots or not. I suppose the handful of anti-vaxers in her facility will continue to not want the vaccine while everyone else will get the jab and life will go on.
There is a bit of a kerfuffle about who will bring what to Mrs G's place for the holiday get together. Mrs G wanted to order a cheese plate from her facility but that option became unavailable after they had reached the maximum number of orders available. Mrs G never came out and asked the missus to help with securing a like dish but the missus knew a marching order when she heard one. Or, in this case, didn't hear one. We talked briefly about picking up a platter from the local greek restaurant but we wondered aloud who might or might not be interested in delicacies like grape leaves, humus, and bite-sized deep fried eggplant bites. Maybe we'll just get some cookies from Whole Foods. Everyone likes cookies.
In days of old, before Mrs G went off to live at her independent living facility, she would always put out dishes of little things like black olives, pickles, and maybe some crackers and cheese when family came over during the holidays. It's a custom that is, quite frankly, old as the hills. I'm not even sure that it's worth bringing up here other than to say things are different these days with Mrs G getting on in years and being at the mercy, as she is, of the shortcomings of her facility when it comes to things like having enough cheese platters on hand to satisfy the demands of their clients. Then again, a lot of things have changed since the pandemic came along so this may be just one more thing.
God only knows that she has enough children who can bring things themselves so maybe it's just a matter of coordinating all those things that people want to bring so that she doesn't end up with too much of one thing and not enough of some other things. See how that works? She did ask the missus if she might bring some apple juice so there's that. And, not just any apple juice. Mott's apple juice is what she prefers for whatever reason. She still has plenty of A&W root beer on hand since I brought over a couple of 12-packs recently thinking that she preferred caffeine free root beers when, in fact, she prefers sugar-free root beers. I need to write these things down.
Just so you know, we're not talking the last supper here. That is to say, there might be 6 or 7 people in attendance and we're talking snacks here, not a full course meal. This is not some elaborate 12-course meal we need to worry about. We also don't know what, if anything, Mrs G's other children plan to bring. I think they're mindful of the fact that Mrs G may not be up to doing what she's done in the past when it comes to this sort of thing. She can only do so much. Age and infirmity has a little to do with that but there comes a time when your children have to step up to maybe lend a hand or take over some age old family tradition. It's what family's do in a pinch.
I mentioned to the missus last night that I was quite sure that we have nothing to fear from the unvaccinated. I was a little surprised to hear her push back and say something about them carrying more of a viral load. Say what? My darlin' has been drinking some of the Koolaid being served up by the national media. I wish she wouldn't do that. I set about looking around on the internet for a source or two that might either contradict or support this wild-eyed contention of hers. I was not surprised, knowing what I know about the full court press of the media elite to sell this vaccine hoax, that I found more articles supporting her position than not.
I don't know why I bother. Even if I did find an article supporting my position I'm quite certain that the missus would sooner believe what she was reading than the "nonsense" I was dishing up. She might even give my article a cursory look if only to pay me a bit of lip service but she would likely dismiss it as a contrarian view and not worthy of serious consideration. Thanks for nothing, sweetie. Why do I even bother? I do think that there are just as many experts out in the ether who would agree with me and would likely poo-poo what the missus and her experts believed to be true.
If the experts disagree on what's true and what isn't true when it comes to this Covid stuff, who are we as mere mortals to argue any of it. If we can't argue any of it, then where does that leave us when it comes to drawing conclusions on our own about what's best for us and our loved ones? I guess if you've gotten through the better part of two years now without contracting the virus then you can take stock of sorts in what you think works and what doesn't work. I was out and about in the first 12 months before the vaccine became available and I was never fearful one way or another and I think that served me well. Once you give in to the fear, it's all over.
There are enough "breakthrough" cases now that I'm beginning to wonder if getting the vaccine hasn't screwed up my body's natural abilities to fight the virus. It certainly did not work for the people who got those breakthrough cases. In fact, it's looking now like the more shots you've received, the more susceptible you are to the virus. That, in my mind, makes the vaccines public enemy numero uno. The one theory that I'm willing to give some credence to is that if you've had the vaccine, you are less likely to be hospitalized or maybe succumb to the illness. If the cases are going through the roof but the hospitalizations and deaths are plummeting, what other conclusion can you draw?
We got a delivery yesterday that included a hat that the missus thought the Ev man might like for Christmas. She had ordered it from The Vermont Country Store catalogue. She was as sure as you can be about anything when you order something on line as to whether or not it was going to fit him. It was one of those hats with flaps that you can pull down over your ears so I suppose that makes it more of a cap than a hat. Out of curiosity, I looked at the label to see where it was made. The fucking thing was made in China! Had I known where it was made, I would have told the missus not to order it.
I don't know why but I was expecting more from the Vermont Country Store. Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised. I had visions of one or more craftsmen sitting around in a semi-circle in front of a roaring fireplace exchanging stories about the North Pole and sipping hot chocolate out of glazed mugs while stitching together their wares for delivery to the Vermont Country Store. Instead, I now get these rather disturbing pictures in my head of a barely heated warehouse in the northern region of China where slave labor is put to work churning out goods for delivery to stores like The Vermont Country Store. I'm feeling a little victimized truth be told. That settles it. I'll be returning the hat now if I have to drive it back to Vermont myself.
I've been watching this show on the telly called "The Great British Baking show." As a rule, I do not watch reality shows and I'm not sure that I could even name one if pressed to do so. That isn't to say that you can't find one or more that piques your interest one way or another. Maybe it's real estate you're interested in and there are shows, now I remember, like "Million Dollar Listing" or maybe something like, "This Old House." Anyway, I'm not sure how I ended up watching this baking show since I don't do much if any baking and I have no aspirations one way or another to start baking. Am I happy to pursue the goods on display at my local bakery now and then? You betcha.
My fascination with the show may be due to the over-the-top production of the show and, secondarily, the personalities. I mean the quality all around is just superb. You can almost imagine yourself making what they make, sampling what the judges sample, and experiencing the ups and downs of the bakers as they compete against each other to bake something that will not only be pleasing to the eye but pleasing to the palate as well. I was a little surprised to see one contestant dismissed in last night's show since I think he was technically one of the better bakers.
I was telling the missus that I thought he was dismissed not because he wasn't technically quite good but rather because he was maybe too technical. I don't think the fact that he was German had anything to do with anything but Germans can be an exacting lot. They make great cars so there's that. I will say that I never saw his dismissal coming because I was blind to the non-technical aspects of the challenges presented to the bakers. It isn't even something that the judges had to explain or maybe could explain when they got around to having to select someone to go home. How do you tell someone that there isn't enough heart and soul in the creation of their delicacies?
It makes me wonder if the German fella who got sent home had any inkling that this was his Achilles heel in the scheme of things. He commented after he was announced as the baker to be sent home that he saw it coming and further stated that the other bakers were probably more shocked than he was at the announcement of his dismissal.
I think he didn't see it coming. Was he wringing his hands when awaiting the announcement by the judges? No, he was not. Was he looking concerned? No, he was not. Was he bowing his head hoping against hope that he wouldn't hear his name uttered by the judges when the announcement was made? No, he was not. He was what you would expect from a German who didn't think he would lose to his lessers on the stage.
And then there were three. Three contestants who would be going into the final. Only one would be crowned "Master Baker." The bakers we'd come to know and love over the course of 10 episodes now stood before the judges with their creations. I had my favorite, of course. He was the fellow to beat in my humble opinion. Now that the German was out of the way, the crown was his for the taking.
That isn't to say that one of the other two contestants might surprise everyone with a creation and walk away with the crown. There was always that possibility. Not that this counts for anything, but the other two contestants always seemed to surprise even themselves when they were announced as Star Baker for the week's challenge. My guy, not so much. So far, so good.
Today is Christmas Eve so it should be a fun day. There's not a lot left to do so that's a good thing. I do have a pan of eggplant lasagna to pick up at 11 from Sophia's in North Hampton. If I see a loaf of Italian bread at Sophia's to buy, all the better. I'd planned to have bagels with the meal but Italian bread might make better garlic bread. Anyway, this post is getting a little long in the tooth so it's time to wrap it up. Here's hoping everyone has a Merry Merry Christmas!
Let's Go Brandon!
19/12/21 07:18
Just when you thought the Hildabeast (Clinton) was dead and buried, she emerges yet again to terrorize the masses with her long history of corruption and sleaze. I've seen some video snippets of her demonizing Trump and others of "his ilk." Her words, not mine. The possible return of Trump to the national stage represents an existentialist threat to our democracy. Again, her words, not mine. As Bumbling Joe Biden likes to say, so here's the deal: Biden forces her VP, Harris, out of office by maybe making her an offer she can't refuse. Then, Joey brings in Hillary as his likely successor. Voila!
It's no wonder that Harris has a puss on her every time she appears in public. She's the political version of dead politician walking. Just when she thought she was on the precipice of being the first woman president, she's now facing a deadly and likely protracted process whereby she is forced from her present position and likely delegated to the veritable third rail of politics. What that is and what that looks like is yet to be seen but have no doubt. The powers that be are coming for her and the Hildabeast is calling the shots every step of the way.
Hildabeast said something to the effect that if Trump and people like him are not brought to account that they would likely rise again and that, of course, would be the end of our democracy. It's not like the leftists haven't been trying to take Trump out. The New York AG is talking about bringing Trump in to talk to him about misrepresenting the value of his companies in order to get loans. The January 6 commission is likely to subpoena Trump and do whatever it takes to try and paint him with the widest possible brush in order to disqualify him as a presidential nominee in 2024.
I think this is the CNN model of bringing down the political opposition. If you talk long enough and hard enough about the nastiness or unworthiness of one or more candidates, he or she will likely never gather the head of steam necessary to win the nomination of his or her party. Demented Joe's presidency is in its first year and things haven't gone well to say the least. Three more years of Joey and his bullshit will probably doom the democrats and they might not gain power for another generation. That being the case, CNN and their affiliates as propaganda arms of the democrat party, have not another moment to waste. Bring out Hillary and let's get this party started!
This game-set-match scenario works even better if they force Joey out of office before his term ends and they install Hillary to complete his term. She gets what she wants, which is to be the first female president, and the country gets fucked in the process. I don't know that there is anything that the republicans can do to stop this from happening. Hell, when she emerged from her political sabbatical and appeared on television yesterday, she read what her acceptance speech would have looked like had she won back in 2016. Who in their right mind doesn't think that she isn't telling her faithful followers what her acceptance speech is going to sound like when she replaces Bumbling Joey?
Maybe it's high time to release the video of Bill Clinton out on Pedo Island for all the world to see. It's not like we don't have the goods on the Clintons. How about their shenanigans in Haiti? Did I mention Vince Foster? And what about the Clinton Initiative or whatever the hell they call it. Talk about graft and corruption. Maybe the republicans can drag Monica Lewinsky out of mothballs and have her recount the oh-so-many blowjobs she gave Bill while he was president. She may still be in love with Bill so one needs to tread carefully there. Just know that the James Carvilles of the world are still out there and they are salivating at the prospects of a return of the Clinton's to power. It goes without saying that he is one creepy fuck. Don't forget Paul Begala.
The missus is getting a little bit antsy about traveling to New York for Uncle Wally's party. I think she thinks we're temping the Covid gods by going from the fire pan into the fire. That is to say, the covid positivity rates are high here where we live but they may be even higher in Uncle Wally's back yard. I don't think she's concerned about the two of us but maybe more so about the Ev man. He's still unvaccinated and I totally endorse that knowing what I know about heart issues that can develop when young people his age get vaccinated. He doesn't need one more thing to worry about when it comes to his health. He'll be just fine if he gets the virus. Statistically speaking, that is.
I'm in the "fuck the booster" camp when it comes to getting that shot. I think I read somewhere where the recommendation at some point may be that people get a booster every 5 months. How cray-cray is that, I ask you. I really am amazed that I don't see more people on social media calling out the comparisons between the "Dopesick" show on Hulu and the current insanity we're seeing with the vaccines for what amounts to a coronavirus that isn't much deadlier than the common flu. The Hulu show is all about how a pharmaceutical company developed and marketed a highly effective but also highly addictive opioid as something barely addictive. They kept coming up with devious ways to push the drug just to prop up sales. The lying, the despair, and the deaths continued unabated. Sound familiar?
I'm convinced that every damn politician around the globe is getting his or her palms greased by the Pfizer's of the world with a boatload of cash for pushing and, yes mandating, that people get these vaccines whether they want them or not. The big dogs at Pfizer must think that they've died and gone to heaven now that they've arranged these uber lucrative agreements with companies and governments around the world. The politicians couldn't be happier since these democrats who currently hold power genuinely like the idea of being able to hogtie and whip their constituents into submission. You know, just like they do in countries like China, North Korea, etc.
If you can take away the rights of people without firing a shot then that in and of itself must be incredibly empowering to the democrats. It's the old frog in the boiling water business. The democrats are turning up the heat while we frogs simmer on the back burner with what we think is resentment about our seemingly hopeless predictament. Does anyone even notice that we're giving up our rights left and right? Their end game of securing the power necessary to take full and total control of the government in perpetuity is now at hand. Their lust for power knows no bounds. If that means they continue to take away our rights however incrementally then it's game-fucking-on. Buckle up, kids!
In the meantime, the Jan 6 committee in Washington continues with their charade of a kangaroo court. If they can only get the Justice Department to go along with their recommendations that Trump and every one associated with Trump be put behind bars before the next election, they will have accomplished their goal. Trump is the nominee-certain if he decides to run and that would most assuredly ensure majorities in both the House and the Senate for the Republican Party were he to win the election in 2024. It would be Trump's party and Trump's country to run and that scares the hell out of the democrats. So much of what they've put in place will be undone overnight. That's a good thing.
No sooner did this kangaroo court of a committee get hold of texts and e-mails of key players in the republican than they started reading them aloud to anyone who would listen. So, am I to understand that these personal texts are now grist for whatever mill the democrats say they are? They can twist and turn them into what ever they think will be the most damning version of what their little minds can conjure up and they won't stop there. Look at what the democrats did to Trump after he had a perfectly run-of-the-mill conversation with the president of Ukraine. They tortured that simple call into a sham impeachment and put our country through a meaningless and meandering months long quasi-judicial process.
These are not the actions of an opposing political party. These are not the actions of a normal legislative body. These are the actions of a Stasi court. The democrats are ruthless and relentless in the tactics they employ and losing is not an option. Politics has become a zero sum game and it has only served to polarize the party's and the players on both sides of the political football. I like the term that Steve Bannon uses when describing how the democrats play the games they play. It's "smash mouth" politics. If the republicans can only find their balls long enough to figure it all out they might think twice about enabling a befuddled old fuck like Joe Biden. It's a disservice to the nation that they can't.
The missus and I disagree on who should and who should not receive treatment in hospital ER's when it comes to the unvaccinated. She thinks that hospitals have no business treating the unvaccinated when the only reason that the unvaccinated are showing up in the ER's is that they wouldn't agree to get the jab. She thinks that they need to be punished for the decisions that they make because their decisions may just impact the delivery of care to others if and when the availability of health care becomes something they need to dole out on maybe a first-come first-serve basis. Maybe she thinks that the unvaccinated will require more intensive services and that may mean that there are fewer services remaining for the people who got the jab when it first became available.
There is a certain "they need to be spanked" mentality to her thought process that concerns me. Whatever happened to "first, do no harm." Is that not the oath that a doctor takes when he or she gets into the doctoring business? What about the doctors themselves? Do they have any say in the process? Will hospitals turn the unvaccinated away even though they have unvaccinated doctors and health care workers on staff? It's all so convoluted. Meanwhile, the vaccine passports required in places like New York City have resulted in numerous arrests of people who, like Rosa Parks in days of old when blacks had to sit in the back of the bus, were determined to stand up to what they perceive to be unjust and possibly even discriminatory practices. A form of medical apartheid if you will.
Big tech titans like Twitter are punishing users who say things like "the vaccinated can transmit the virus" when the science couldn't be more clear on that particular issue. Vaccinated people can and do transit the virus. I've said it before and I'll say it again. What the Pfizer's and the Moderna's want to put in your arm is not a vaccine. Their so-called vaccines do not prevent you from getting the virus. It is a therapeutic at best and maybe not the best option for a lot of people. You hear very little about other options when it comes to treatment of this flu-like virus. That, my friends, is by design. Why would someone take this vaccine into their bodies when they know that they can pop a pill or take another course of action that will help to alleviate their symptoms?
We're planning to visit Mrs G in her independent living facility over the holidays. Family and friends will be on hand to celebrate the holiday with Mrs G. I suspect she has already put her order in for a cheese platter or some such thing so her guests will have food and drink available. Her facility has rules around who can and who cannot enter the facility based on who is and who is not vaccinated. That means, for all intents and purposes, that the Ev man and Wille Wonka and The Chocolate Factory will not be in attendance. How does that make any sense? What threat do they pose to the elderly in the facility that we who are vaccinated do not? We can all transmit the virus to Mrs G and she can transmit the virus to us. It's a regular fucking circle jerk. Let's not pretend otherwise.
I was telling uncle Wally up in the Falls last night that New York had a bill (A146) in their Assembly that would allow the constabulary to take someone off the streets and confine them to a facility of their choosing for up to 90 days if the person was deemed to be an imminent threat to the overall health of the general public. This bill has been in circulation since 2016 and has been vetoed by the governor each of the last four years. Now that they have a new governor, no one should take it for granted that it will not be passed into law. The potential for abuse is already obvious when you see how people are being arrested and jailed for something as innocuous as not having the proper papers (vaccine passport) when entering a food and drink establishment. This bill needs to be killed in the crib.
I think there's a consensus amongst the liberals that the people resisting vaccines are, by and large, Trump supporters or Republicans. There is a certain rabidness in the words and expressions they use when referring to people who are pushing back against getting the jab that should concern us all. To say that they are particularly gleeful about these apprehensions and arrests is an understatement. They would look most favorably upon this bill being proposed in New York as yet one more tool in their toolbox to demonize, collar, and lock up their political opponents. Yes, I'm talking about Trump supporters and republicans. If other non-republican constituencies get swept up in the net while on the way to the hoosegow, that would be what they affectionately refer to as "collateral damage."
We're expecting snow today so that should be interesting. We have none at the moment so maybe we'll have a white Christmas and maybe we won't. I've been out the last few days on my bike and I'll have to decide today, with snow coming maybe midday, whether I think I need to ride this morning just to get my ride in or do I take the day off. My muscle memory has been kicking in as of late when I've taken time off from biking so I'm not too worried about losing the big mo by taking a day or two off. The more days I ride in a row the better muscle memory I have so I think I'm in pretty good shape even if I do pass on getting a bike ride in today.
I'll need to talk to the Ev man about what he wants to do today with the incoming snow event. He's not a fan of having to jockey his car around in the parking lot at his facility when they get accumulating snows. He'll hunker down with us from time to time but we suggested to him that we could come pick up his car if he'd prefer. The only downside with that arrangement is that he'll be without wheels should he need to go grab something to eat. We could suggest that we bring him a few things just to tide him over and we'll bring his car back to our house so he doesn't have to worry about dealing with it. It's a little after 7 in the morning here and I'm a little surprised we haven't heard from him. Maybe he's doing his own thing. That's fine too.
I'm feeling a little bad for the retailers. It's maybe the last weekend before Christmas and news reports have the viruses raging and, to make matters worse, we've got a snow event on the way. They're recommending that people stay off the roads. Some of that has to do with it being the first "storm" of the year so no one should be surprised that they'd like to keep folks off the roads while they're out there with the plows and other snow removal machines. As for the virus thing, shows are closing down on Broadway in New York City and major sports teams are delaying or postponing games because players are testing positive for the virus. Just so you know, CNN isn't helping. All panic porn, all the time.
I have to wonder if all of this so-called panic porn isn't by design. Who has what to gain? It can't hurt if you're trying to get your most vulnerable vaccinated. I think that's the end game. Bumbling Joey Biden said something yesterday about it being a deadly winter for the unvaccinated. He continues to perpetuate the myth that the vaccinated have nothing to worry about. He is such an asshole. He said nothing about natural immunity, herd immunity, or therapeutics. You know, the thing. C'mon, man! And, of course, the CNN's of the world play right along with the Demented-in-Chief. They've long gotten rid of the charts that show the number of people infected and dying because those visuals were only important during the Trump era. As you well know, the ends justify the means.
Maybe the White House should have pumped the brakes a little more back before Black Friday when they were urging everyone to make their Black Friday and Christmas purchases early due to the supply chain issues. "You'll be waiting a long time for the goods you want for your loved ones at Christmas so you'd better get your orders in now", they told you. That was followed by endless videos of cargo ships stacked up like cordwood off the coast of California waiting to unload their goods. Visuals are important when you're trying to sell a narrative. Well, it now seems that people followed their advice and they are done with their holiday shopping. Finito. That will not bode well for December sales figures and that will be yet another black eye for Bumbling Joey and his minions. Can they do anything right?
Is there anything sadder on God's green earth than to see parents standing in line with their children waiting to get into a facility so they can get their jabs? What the hell are they thinking? Their children no sooner run the risk of getting sick and dying of covid than the man on the moon. This is what happens when you lap deliriously at the punch bowl of Koolaid that Joey and his minions in the media are putting out there for the masses. I suppose there's a sliver of sheep that can't resist and they can't resist because they've gone astray and have placed their faith in the false god we call "Government." Wake the fuck up! This is not George Orwell's 1984! We're talking about your children here for chrissakes.
But, there they were all morning long at our local fire station. Lined up like Bo Peep and her little ones heading in to get their little jabs. What do they know about this experimental drug that the government is telling them that they need in order survive this latest surge? Do they know that it's experimental? Do they know that the manufacturer of the drug has requested that they not divulge the ingredients of the vaccine for 75 years? Do they know that they will probably survive without being hospitalized or incapacitated? Do they know that the mortality tables show their age group with a survival rate of 99.9999%? Just follow the crowd into the showers, my little ones. We'll be done before our soup gets cold.
Evan and I drove by on our way to Moe's where we hoped to pick up a nice meatball sub for the Ev man. I didn't saddle him with what I had going through my mind. He's got enough on his plate these days. One day at a time. The snow had yet to begin but the children were probably thinking snow and not Pfizer and for that I'm thankful. I wondered to myself what might be going through the Ev man's mind as we were driving past the fire station knowing as I do that he is not vaccinated. I never asked and he never offered a word one way or another. Has he thought any more about getting a jab? Is he more convinced than ever that jabs are for Koolaid drinkers and pussies? For now, I'm fine with the status quo. And so, apparently, is he. The missus? Not so much.
It's no wonder that Harris has a puss on her every time she appears in public. She's the political version of dead politician walking. Just when she thought she was on the precipice of being the first woman president, she's now facing a deadly and likely protracted process whereby she is forced from her present position and likely delegated to the veritable third rail of politics. What that is and what that looks like is yet to be seen but have no doubt. The powers that be are coming for her and the Hildabeast is calling the shots every step of the way.
Hildabeast said something to the effect that if Trump and people like him are not brought to account that they would likely rise again and that, of course, would be the end of our democracy. It's not like the leftists haven't been trying to take Trump out. The New York AG is talking about bringing Trump in to talk to him about misrepresenting the value of his companies in order to get loans. The January 6 commission is likely to subpoena Trump and do whatever it takes to try and paint him with the widest possible brush in order to disqualify him as a presidential nominee in 2024.
I think this is the CNN model of bringing down the political opposition. If you talk long enough and hard enough about the nastiness or unworthiness of one or more candidates, he or she will likely never gather the head of steam necessary to win the nomination of his or her party. Demented Joe's presidency is in its first year and things haven't gone well to say the least. Three more years of Joey and his bullshit will probably doom the democrats and they might not gain power for another generation. That being the case, CNN and their affiliates as propaganda arms of the democrat party, have not another moment to waste. Bring out Hillary and let's get this party started!
This game-set-match scenario works even better if they force Joey out of office before his term ends and they install Hillary to complete his term. She gets what she wants, which is to be the first female president, and the country gets fucked in the process. I don't know that there is anything that the republicans can do to stop this from happening. Hell, when she emerged from her political sabbatical and appeared on television yesterday, she read what her acceptance speech would have looked like had she won back in 2016. Who in their right mind doesn't think that she isn't telling her faithful followers what her acceptance speech is going to sound like when she replaces Bumbling Joey?
Maybe it's high time to release the video of Bill Clinton out on Pedo Island for all the world to see. It's not like we don't have the goods on the Clintons. How about their shenanigans in Haiti? Did I mention Vince Foster? And what about the Clinton Initiative or whatever the hell they call it. Talk about graft and corruption. Maybe the republicans can drag Monica Lewinsky out of mothballs and have her recount the oh-so-many blowjobs she gave Bill while he was president. She may still be in love with Bill so one needs to tread carefully there. Just know that the James Carvilles of the world are still out there and they are salivating at the prospects of a return of the Clinton's to power. It goes without saying that he is one creepy fuck. Don't forget Paul Begala.
The missus is getting a little bit antsy about traveling to New York for Uncle Wally's party. I think she thinks we're temping the Covid gods by going from the fire pan into the fire. That is to say, the covid positivity rates are high here where we live but they may be even higher in Uncle Wally's back yard. I don't think she's concerned about the two of us but maybe more so about the Ev man. He's still unvaccinated and I totally endorse that knowing what I know about heart issues that can develop when young people his age get vaccinated. He doesn't need one more thing to worry about when it comes to his health. He'll be just fine if he gets the virus. Statistically speaking, that is.
I'm in the "fuck the booster" camp when it comes to getting that shot. I think I read somewhere where the recommendation at some point may be that people get a booster every 5 months. How cray-cray is that, I ask you. I really am amazed that I don't see more people on social media calling out the comparisons between the "Dopesick" show on Hulu and the current insanity we're seeing with the vaccines for what amounts to a coronavirus that isn't much deadlier than the common flu. The Hulu show is all about how a pharmaceutical company developed and marketed a highly effective but also highly addictive opioid as something barely addictive. They kept coming up with devious ways to push the drug just to prop up sales. The lying, the despair, and the deaths continued unabated. Sound familiar?
I'm convinced that every damn politician around the globe is getting his or her palms greased by the Pfizer's of the world with a boatload of cash for pushing and, yes mandating, that people get these vaccines whether they want them or not. The big dogs at Pfizer must think that they've died and gone to heaven now that they've arranged these uber lucrative agreements with companies and governments around the world. The politicians couldn't be happier since these democrats who currently hold power genuinely like the idea of being able to hogtie and whip their constituents into submission. You know, just like they do in countries like China, North Korea, etc.
If you can take away the rights of people without firing a shot then that in and of itself must be incredibly empowering to the democrats. It's the old frog in the boiling water business. The democrats are turning up the heat while we frogs simmer on the back burner with what we think is resentment about our seemingly hopeless predictament. Does anyone even notice that we're giving up our rights left and right? Their end game of securing the power necessary to take full and total control of the government in perpetuity is now at hand. Their lust for power knows no bounds. If that means they continue to take away our rights however incrementally then it's game-fucking-on. Buckle up, kids!
In the meantime, the Jan 6 committee in Washington continues with their charade of a kangaroo court. If they can only get the Justice Department to go along with their recommendations that Trump and every one associated with Trump be put behind bars before the next election, they will have accomplished their goal. Trump is the nominee-certain if he decides to run and that would most assuredly ensure majorities in both the House and the Senate for the Republican Party were he to win the election in 2024. It would be Trump's party and Trump's country to run and that scares the hell out of the democrats. So much of what they've put in place will be undone overnight. That's a good thing.
No sooner did this kangaroo court of a committee get hold of texts and e-mails of key players in the republican than they started reading them aloud to anyone who would listen. So, am I to understand that these personal texts are now grist for whatever mill the democrats say they are? They can twist and turn them into what ever they think will be the most damning version of what their little minds can conjure up and they won't stop there. Look at what the democrats did to Trump after he had a perfectly run-of-the-mill conversation with the president of Ukraine. They tortured that simple call into a sham impeachment and put our country through a meaningless and meandering months long quasi-judicial process.
These are not the actions of an opposing political party. These are not the actions of a normal legislative body. These are the actions of a Stasi court. The democrats are ruthless and relentless in the tactics they employ and losing is not an option. Politics has become a zero sum game and it has only served to polarize the party's and the players on both sides of the political football. I like the term that Steve Bannon uses when describing how the democrats play the games they play. It's "smash mouth" politics. If the republicans can only find their balls long enough to figure it all out they might think twice about enabling a befuddled old fuck like Joe Biden. It's a disservice to the nation that they can't.
The missus and I disagree on who should and who should not receive treatment in hospital ER's when it comes to the unvaccinated. She thinks that hospitals have no business treating the unvaccinated when the only reason that the unvaccinated are showing up in the ER's is that they wouldn't agree to get the jab. She thinks that they need to be punished for the decisions that they make because their decisions may just impact the delivery of care to others if and when the availability of health care becomes something they need to dole out on maybe a first-come first-serve basis. Maybe she thinks that the unvaccinated will require more intensive services and that may mean that there are fewer services remaining for the people who got the jab when it first became available.
There is a certain "they need to be spanked" mentality to her thought process that concerns me. Whatever happened to "first, do no harm." Is that not the oath that a doctor takes when he or she gets into the doctoring business? What about the doctors themselves? Do they have any say in the process? Will hospitals turn the unvaccinated away even though they have unvaccinated doctors and health care workers on staff? It's all so convoluted. Meanwhile, the vaccine passports required in places like New York City have resulted in numerous arrests of people who, like Rosa Parks in days of old when blacks had to sit in the back of the bus, were determined to stand up to what they perceive to be unjust and possibly even discriminatory practices. A form of medical apartheid if you will.
Big tech titans like Twitter are punishing users who say things like "the vaccinated can transmit the virus" when the science couldn't be more clear on that particular issue. Vaccinated people can and do transit the virus. I've said it before and I'll say it again. What the Pfizer's and the Moderna's want to put in your arm is not a vaccine. Their so-called vaccines do not prevent you from getting the virus. It is a therapeutic at best and maybe not the best option for a lot of people. You hear very little about other options when it comes to treatment of this flu-like virus. That, my friends, is by design. Why would someone take this vaccine into their bodies when they know that they can pop a pill or take another course of action that will help to alleviate their symptoms?
We're planning to visit Mrs G in her independent living facility over the holidays. Family and friends will be on hand to celebrate the holiday with Mrs G. I suspect she has already put her order in for a cheese platter or some such thing so her guests will have food and drink available. Her facility has rules around who can and who cannot enter the facility based on who is and who is not vaccinated. That means, for all intents and purposes, that the Ev man and Wille Wonka and The Chocolate Factory will not be in attendance. How does that make any sense? What threat do they pose to the elderly in the facility that we who are vaccinated do not? We can all transmit the virus to Mrs G and she can transmit the virus to us. It's a regular fucking circle jerk. Let's not pretend otherwise.
I was telling uncle Wally up in the Falls last night that New York had a bill (A146) in their Assembly that would allow the constabulary to take someone off the streets and confine them to a facility of their choosing for up to 90 days if the person was deemed to be an imminent threat to the overall health of the general public. This bill has been in circulation since 2016 and has been vetoed by the governor each of the last four years. Now that they have a new governor, no one should take it for granted that it will not be passed into law. The potential for abuse is already obvious when you see how people are being arrested and jailed for something as innocuous as not having the proper papers (vaccine passport) when entering a food and drink establishment. This bill needs to be killed in the crib.
I think there's a consensus amongst the liberals that the people resisting vaccines are, by and large, Trump supporters or Republicans. There is a certain rabidness in the words and expressions they use when referring to people who are pushing back against getting the jab that should concern us all. To say that they are particularly gleeful about these apprehensions and arrests is an understatement. They would look most favorably upon this bill being proposed in New York as yet one more tool in their toolbox to demonize, collar, and lock up their political opponents. Yes, I'm talking about Trump supporters and republicans. If other non-republican constituencies get swept up in the net while on the way to the hoosegow, that would be what they affectionately refer to as "collateral damage."
We're expecting snow today so that should be interesting. We have none at the moment so maybe we'll have a white Christmas and maybe we won't. I've been out the last few days on my bike and I'll have to decide today, with snow coming maybe midday, whether I think I need to ride this morning just to get my ride in or do I take the day off. My muscle memory has been kicking in as of late when I've taken time off from biking so I'm not too worried about losing the big mo by taking a day or two off. The more days I ride in a row the better muscle memory I have so I think I'm in pretty good shape even if I do pass on getting a bike ride in today.
I'll need to talk to the Ev man about what he wants to do today with the incoming snow event. He's not a fan of having to jockey his car around in the parking lot at his facility when they get accumulating snows. He'll hunker down with us from time to time but we suggested to him that we could come pick up his car if he'd prefer. The only downside with that arrangement is that he'll be without wheels should he need to go grab something to eat. We could suggest that we bring him a few things just to tide him over and we'll bring his car back to our house so he doesn't have to worry about dealing with it. It's a little after 7 in the morning here and I'm a little surprised we haven't heard from him. Maybe he's doing his own thing. That's fine too.
I'm feeling a little bad for the retailers. It's maybe the last weekend before Christmas and news reports have the viruses raging and, to make matters worse, we've got a snow event on the way. They're recommending that people stay off the roads. Some of that has to do with it being the first "storm" of the year so no one should be surprised that they'd like to keep folks off the roads while they're out there with the plows and other snow removal machines. As for the virus thing, shows are closing down on Broadway in New York City and major sports teams are delaying or postponing games because players are testing positive for the virus. Just so you know, CNN isn't helping. All panic porn, all the time.
I have to wonder if all of this so-called panic porn isn't by design. Who has what to gain? It can't hurt if you're trying to get your most vulnerable vaccinated. I think that's the end game. Bumbling Joey Biden said something yesterday about it being a deadly winter for the unvaccinated. He continues to perpetuate the myth that the vaccinated have nothing to worry about. He is such an asshole. He said nothing about natural immunity, herd immunity, or therapeutics. You know, the thing. C'mon, man! And, of course, the CNN's of the world play right along with the Demented-in-Chief. They've long gotten rid of the charts that show the number of people infected and dying because those visuals were only important during the Trump era. As you well know, the ends justify the means.
Maybe the White House should have pumped the brakes a little more back before Black Friday when they were urging everyone to make their Black Friday and Christmas purchases early due to the supply chain issues. "You'll be waiting a long time for the goods you want for your loved ones at Christmas so you'd better get your orders in now", they told you. That was followed by endless videos of cargo ships stacked up like cordwood off the coast of California waiting to unload their goods. Visuals are important when you're trying to sell a narrative. Well, it now seems that people followed their advice and they are done with their holiday shopping. Finito. That will not bode well for December sales figures and that will be yet another black eye for Bumbling Joey and his minions. Can they do anything right?
Is there anything sadder on God's green earth than to see parents standing in line with their children waiting to get into a facility so they can get their jabs? What the hell are they thinking? Their children no sooner run the risk of getting sick and dying of covid than the man on the moon. This is what happens when you lap deliriously at the punch bowl of Koolaid that Joey and his minions in the media are putting out there for the masses. I suppose there's a sliver of sheep that can't resist and they can't resist because they've gone astray and have placed their faith in the false god we call "Government." Wake the fuck up! This is not George Orwell's 1984! We're talking about your children here for chrissakes.
But, there they were all morning long at our local fire station. Lined up like Bo Peep and her little ones heading in to get their little jabs. What do they know about this experimental drug that the government is telling them that they need in order survive this latest surge? Do they know that it's experimental? Do they know that the manufacturer of the drug has requested that they not divulge the ingredients of the vaccine for 75 years? Do they know that they will probably survive without being hospitalized or incapacitated? Do they know that the mortality tables show their age group with a survival rate of 99.9999%? Just follow the crowd into the showers, my little ones. We'll be done before our soup gets cold.
Evan and I drove by on our way to Moe's where we hoped to pick up a nice meatball sub for the Ev man. I didn't saddle him with what I had going through my mind. He's got enough on his plate these days. One day at a time. The snow had yet to begin but the children were probably thinking snow and not Pfizer and for that I'm thankful. I wondered to myself what might be going through the Ev man's mind as we were driving past the fire station knowing as I do that he is not vaccinated. I never asked and he never offered a word one way or another. Has he thought any more about getting a jab? Is he more convinced than ever that jabs are for Koolaid drinkers and pussies? For now, I'm fine with the status quo. And so, apparently, is he. The missus? Not so much.
Bad Boys
12/12/21 07:17
I got a little ahead of myself in last week's post by posting a picture of the SS Cuomo going down in presumably heavy seas. The final nail in the Cuomo coffin saw CNN firing Fredo for allegedly using company resources to investigate the women charging his brother, the governor of New York, with sexual crimes ranging from groping to unwanted sexual advances. Another story surfaced yesterday about sexual misconduct on the part of Fredo while working for either CNN or some other network. It was a bridge too far even for CNN which, to this day, has the masturbator, Jeffrey Toobin, on air after wanking it up on a Zoom call within the last year. Fredo had to go.
These two clownish brothers, the spawn of one Mario Cuomo, who was the governor of New York and a darling of the media back in the day, had a pretty darn good run. Were it not for their oversized egos and their overactive adolescent libidos, they might still be employed in their respective careers as governor and prime time talking head. You can't unsee some of the more ridiculous montages of the two brothers yucking it up in prime time on CNN using swabs and other props to kid each other about issues that their networks wish they had probably taken more seriously. The governor was the first to be ousted only to be followed by Fredo the fool. What took them so long?
That isn't to say that we're seeing any sort of reckoning by any one or more of the networks to get rid of the resident idiots or leftists that continue to use their positions to push ugly narratives that divide our country. It is, however, a good start. I remember hearing something about the executives of CNN wanting to restore the network to a more middle-of-the-road network which was its bread and butter in the not too distant past. I'm not sure when that all changed since I'm not a big CNN watcher but they may have crossed the rubicon during the Trump era. In other words, there was no going back. They had become the defacto propaganda arm of the democrat party. The die was cast.
I haven't been following this Ukraine story too closely so you can imagine my surprise and sheer horror at waking up this morning to learn that Bumbling Joe Biden has a conference call this afternoon with Vladimir Putin to discuss what will happen should Putin proceed with his plans to invade Ukraine. Biden can't find the men's room in the Oval Office for chrissakes due to his advanced demented state so I can't imagine him having a dialogue of any kind with Putin. In fact, having Biden in the position to protect America's interests, whatever they may be in Ukraine, should be of serious concern to every American. He is the proverbial fool on the hill and Putin knows it.
You just never know what you're going to get when you get into an argument with a demented person. We've seen demented Joe fly off the handle in something as mundane as a press conference where he takes questions from designated reporters. We simply can't trust Joey to do the right thing in his call with Putin. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that he threatened Putin directly. This is how unbalanced and unpredictable Biden is as he teeters in and out of reality. Putin knows that Biden is a toothless tiger and is likely to exploit that weakness with great deftness so I suspect that he will get what he wants. The White House will never release a transcript of the call because it would not reflect well on the mental state of the "leader" of one of the most powerful countries on the face of the planet.
I have to believe that the Europeans are very concerned about Bumbling Joe's call with Putin this afternoon. Is this a call you would trust a clown like Biden to manage appropriately? Will they join the United States in whatever it is that Joey negotiates? Have they given Joey the go-ahead to commit them to whatever it is that Joey works out with Putin? Does it mean sending forces or maybe military advisors into Ukraine to assist in the training of Ukranian troops? Does that mean we will be in a proxy war with Russia? Leave it to the fucking democrats. Given the opportunity, they will send American men and women into a war where we will once again shed American blood and treasure.
The thought process is that China is waiting until the Olympics are over before going into Taiwan. This is what happens when you have a weak and demented leader the likes of Joe Biden in the White House. Bad things happen and dictators do what dictators do because they can. You never saw a shit show like this when Trump was in the Oval. They wouldn't fucking dare. No one is afraid of Bumbling Joe and the cast of leftist that he surrounds himself with in Washington. They're more concerned with the rights of the LGBTQ community and inculcating our troops with Critical Race Theory nonsense and that isn't going to end well for anyone much less a great nation like ours. God help us.
I had a couple of errands to run this morning but I think I'll stay close to home where I can listen to Steve Bannon and his War Room show on the Real America's Voice app. He'll break it all down with military precision as only he can seeing as he is ex-military. If you think I sound like a doubting Thomas when it comes to Biden and his abilities as a Commander-in-Chief, Bannon is likely to rip Biden a new one and then some. As Steve loves to remind people, "elections have consequences and stolen elections have catastrophic consequences." He's like to say that this is the moment that we as a nation feared would come sooner rather than later. Well, it's fucking here now. We should be scared. Very scared.
So, now we wait. The call between Putin and Bumbling Joey Biden was not very productive as far as we know. Russia is likely to do whatever it is they planned to do all along with Ukraine Biden and his buffoonery be damned. Russia now has some 200k troops amassed on the border of Ukraine with all the necessary supply lines in place to support a war for however long it takes to conquer a country the size of Ukraine.
The taking of sovereign countries by other countries can't be a good thing but it's important to remember that this is what happens when you have a superpower like the United States hobbled by having an illegitimate president sitting in the Oval Office. Biden and his minions are a laughingstock on the world stage and it's game on for the Russia's and the China's of the world to do as they damn well please.
We cut and run in the backwater of Afghanistan and left our own citizens behind while airlifting tens of thousands of Afghan citizens to safety here in our country. That is not what superpowers do. What has always been a dark day for our country when it comes to our involvement in Afghanistan became even darker after Biden's mismanagement of the pullout. How about those 13 dead marines, bumbling Joe?
For whatever reason, I didn't feel like my usual espresso this morning so I made a cup of coffee using my Melior pot. It's a different vibe to be sure. Will I lay off the espresso for a bit now that I've had a taste of what a cup of coffee actually tastes like? You know, an actual cup and not one of those little espresso cups that leaves your pinky dangling when you lift the cup up to your lips. I do like getting my daily dose of caffeine in maybe two or three sips so there's that. It's extra strong so I like the jolt it gives me and there's a bit less of that when I have a 12 ounce cup of coffee. If I sound like I haven't made a decision yet it's because I haven't. One day at a time, Johnny Boy. One day at a time.
There is snow in the forecast here on the Seacoast. The local forecast doesn't always extend to the seacoast since it's just a few degrees warmer along the coastline and that means little or maybe less snow when the snow finally does arrive. Hell, it may just rain for all I know. Whatever it does, I'm hoping it does it later in the day so I can get my bike ride in. The cold has been less of a problem this season and I'm finding rides in the 30's to be tolerable. It probably has to do with what I've been wearing on my rides. It's not ideal but it seems to be doing the trick so I can't complain too much. When you have to wear too many layers, which I sometimes do, it makes for a less comfortable ride.
Before I forget, I was looking at the coffee I received from Peets for my usual monthly delivery and I noticed that the roast date was November 1st. Considering the fact that I received my coffee the first week of December, that means my coffee was some four to five weeks from the roast date. Is this what I'm paying for when I pay Peets a monthly fee for my "subscription"? Hell, I can find fresher roast dates in my local supermarket for the same damn brand of coffee. Have I never noticed the roast dates of prior deliveries? Did I notice them but they were fine so no flags went up? I'll pay close attention to the next delivery and I will compare roast dates to coffee from the same company on my supermarket shelf. If they are close or similar, I may have to jettison my relationship with Peets. Enough of this bullshit.
The Ev man sends me texts of things that pop up on his car dashboard on occasion. The most recent example was when he sent me a picture of the wording that implied that the battery in his FOB was low. I know he doesn't know how to change the battery in his FOB but he does know how to Google things or look things up on Youtube so I wish that he would take a little more initiative sometimes. I'm often equally in the dark but have to forge ahead because these are things that require somebody's attention. I guess I'm hopeful that if he sees me tackling something that he'll be more comfortable taking off the gloves the next time it happens. That is, even if he isn't looking over my shoulder which he rarely does.
I had an appointment this morning to go have my oil changed. The appointment has been on the books for the better part of a month. I received a text from the dealership last night cancelling my appointment due to the unavailability of loaner cars and some such nonsense about parts not being in stock. First of all, I didn't ask for a loaner. Second of all, the only part I need is an oil filter assuming other work doesn't need to be done. I gave them a call and they said something about maybe having to leave the car for a couple of days. We're talking about an oil change here. When I asked about rescheduling, they gave me a date some three weeks out. I'll say it again. For an oil change?
Does this have anything to do with the cargo ships parked off our western coast that haven't been able to unload their cargo? Does this have anything to do with places not being able to hire enough people to staff their business? Maybe some businesses are affected more than others. I've not seen bare shelves when out and about food shopping so that's a bit of a relief. Are they out of things that I have no need to buy? Possibly. I'm overdue for an oil change so I'm not exactly a happy camper as I sit here this morning faced with going to one of those quick oil change joints. Needless to say, that makes me a little bit uncomfortable. Just a wee bit.
Are they going to know what oil to use? Are they going to charge me an exorbitant amount just because I drive a European car? Will they replace each and every bolt they removed from the shield that sits beneath my oil pan when they're finished with the oil change? I remember a time when that specific cover fell off one of my older cars in my driveway. It only fell off because someone somewhere didn't replace the proper bolts on the shield. My guess is that it happened when I had my oil changed. It was an older car so I wasn't going to the dealership to have it done. Maybe I'm just uncomfortable with change and I need to learn how to go with the flow.
We picked up our tree yesterday afternoon. She's a beauty. She's not so tall that we had to trim her height and not so full that we had to wait a day or two just to see the branches drop. In fact, she's a tad on the trim side so we'll not have to go far and wide around her just to avoid getting tangled in her branches and maybe knocking an ornament or two off. She might be the thinnest tree we've ever had truth be told. Her shape is near perfect so I extend a tip of the hat to the trimmer whoever she or he may have been. Had we waited much longer to buy a tree, judging by how few trees were left to buy on this and other lots around town, we might have been left with some very unsavory choices.
How much is too much to pay for a tree and is tipping the guy who sells you the tree a thing? At the start, the trees practically walk off the lot by themselves given that the beauties haven't been cherry picked and there are more buyers of trees than there are sellers of trees and trees themselves. See how that works? With inflation roaring this year, it seems trees were flying off the lots sooner than usual.
We're here in the first week of December and the choices are already starting to look scrubby. It's no longer sufficient to simply say to your customers, let me know which one you want and I'll trim the base for you. You need to walk the customer from tree to tree cajoling all the way and extolling those features which may still qualify as "interesting." Remember, beauty is in the eye of the beholder! Never mind that you'll be asking them to pay maybe more than they've ever paid, and I mean ever, for a tree that will stand for a week or maybe two and will then be thrown out with the trash. The word "fleeting" comes to mind.
It may have had something to do with the fact that we were the only customers on the lot but the vendor spent what seemed like an inordinate amount of time helping us sort out what we thought we might like. Who doesn't like and maybe even appreciate personalized service when making decisions about buying this or that? He pulled several trees off from their resting spots and stood them up so we could get a good visual sense of the tree. At one point, he stood two trees side by side so we could choose between the two.
I probably knew we were going to give him a tip before we ever decided on which tree, if any, that we were going to buy. It was our version of offering a little Christmas cheer, if you will. It's what you do when you want to show your appreciation for a job well done. I also knew that we would probably walk away with a tree one way or another and not having to continue running around town looking for something better had to be worth something. Right? What do they even consider a good tip these days? Is it, or should it be, a percentage of the price of the tree? Do other people tip him? Does he make more in tips than he does in salary?
We visited Mrs G and didn't have a gift of sorts for her for the first time in a long time. It wouldn't have killed us to pick up a muffin or something along those lines but I suppose it just wasn't meant to be. It is true that the Lord works in mysterious ways. In case you're curious as to how that applies here, it's important to know what happened once we arrived on Mrs G's doorstep. We were well along into exchanging our usual pleasantries when Mrs G said something or other about holiday lights and how they were especially nice across the road and up the way at the Ridge. Or, maybe it was the Boulders.
My lips started moving before my brain engaged and I suggested that we all get in the car and go for a look-see. It was barely past five in the afternoon but it was pitch black outside and really just ideal for taking in holiday lights in the neighborhood. No sooner did I mention the ride than Mrs G was off the couch and on her feet and ready to go. Well, almost ready to go. Once in the car and underway, she said a couple of times just how nice it was to take everything in as a passenger instead of being behind the wheel. It was dark as all get out but that didn't seem to matter. She was like a kid in a candy store. Speaking of candy stores, this is where the "Lord works in mysterious ways" comes into play.
I'm not sure that any of us thought that the holiday light extravaganza that Mrs G was selling was all that extravagant once we got around to making a proper assessment. I kept thinking to myself as I was driving along that maybe it will be better over the next hill or maybe around the next corner. It just never cut the mustard but we were out and about on a cold but otherwise lovely December night so that would have to suffice. I think it was the missus who said something about driving into the town of Exeter where Mrs G might enjoy the lights and all the frills and fanfare that one sees during the Christmas holidays.
We weren't wrong about what awaited us in Exeter. It was almost too much, quite honestly. You know how it gets hard to focus on anything in particular when your visual field is flooded with glittering lights and tinsel. To say that the town of Exeter was lit up like a Christmas tree would be an understatement, but that it was. I don't know who brought it up first but no sooner were we through town than we were beating a path to the local Rite Aid so that Mrs G could pick up a few things.
Once in the store, Mrs G proceeded to fill her basket with candies of one sort or another. Maybe that shouldn't have been surprising given that we failed to arrive on her doorstep earlier in the evening without any goodies. In a roundabout way, we were now delivering on our promise to ourselves to never show up on Mrs G's doorstep without a gift however small or maybe insignificant. If that means driving into town so Mrs G can make her own selections, then so be it. In the now infamous words of one George Bush, it was the Christmas time version of "Mission Accomplished." I still can't believe that idiot became president. That's a story for another day.
These two clownish brothers, the spawn of one Mario Cuomo, who was the governor of New York and a darling of the media back in the day, had a pretty darn good run. Were it not for their oversized egos and their overactive adolescent libidos, they might still be employed in their respective careers as governor and prime time talking head. You can't unsee some of the more ridiculous montages of the two brothers yucking it up in prime time on CNN using swabs and other props to kid each other about issues that their networks wish they had probably taken more seriously. The governor was the first to be ousted only to be followed by Fredo the fool. What took them so long?
That isn't to say that we're seeing any sort of reckoning by any one or more of the networks to get rid of the resident idiots or leftists that continue to use their positions to push ugly narratives that divide our country. It is, however, a good start. I remember hearing something about the executives of CNN wanting to restore the network to a more middle-of-the-road network which was its bread and butter in the not too distant past. I'm not sure when that all changed since I'm not a big CNN watcher but they may have crossed the rubicon during the Trump era. In other words, there was no going back. They had become the defacto propaganda arm of the democrat party. The die was cast.
I haven't been following this Ukraine story too closely so you can imagine my surprise and sheer horror at waking up this morning to learn that Bumbling Joe Biden has a conference call this afternoon with Vladimir Putin to discuss what will happen should Putin proceed with his plans to invade Ukraine. Biden can't find the men's room in the Oval Office for chrissakes due to his advanced demented state so I can't imagine him having a dialogue of any kind with Putin. In fact, having Biden in the position to protect America's interests, whatever they may be in Ukraine, should be of serious concern to every American. He is the proverbial fool on the hill and Putin knows it.
You just never know what you're going to get when you get into an argument with a demented person. We've seen demented Joe fly off the handle in something as mundane as a press conference where he takes questions from designated reporters. We simply can't trust Joey to do the right thing in his call with Putin. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that he threatened Putin directly. This is how unbalanced and unpredictable Biden is as he teeters in and out of reality. Putin knows that Biden is a toothless tiger and is likely to exploit that weakness with great deftness so I suspect that he will get what he wants. The White House will never release a transcript of the call because it would not reflect well on the mental state of the "leader" of one of the most powerful countries on the face of the planet.
I have to believe that the Europeans are very concerned about Bumbling Joe's call with Putin this afternoon. Is this a call you would trust a clown like Biden to manage appropriately? Will they join the United States in whatever it is that Joey negotiates? Have they given Joey the go-ahead to commit them to whatever it is that Joey works out with Putin? Does it mean sending forces or maybe military advisors into Ukraine to assist in the training of Ukranian troops? Does that mean we will be in a proxy war with Russia? Leave it to the fucking democrats. Given the opportunity, they will send American men and women into a war where we will once again shed American blood and treasure.
The thought process is that China is waiting until the Olympics are over before going into Taiwan. This is what happens when you have a weak and demented leader the likes of Joe Biden in the White House. Bad things happen and dictators do what dictators do because they can. You never saw a shit show like this when Trump was in the Oval. They wouldn't fucking dare. No one is afraid of Bumbling Joe and the cast of leftist that he surrounds himself with in Washington. They're more concerned with the rights of the LGBTQ community and inculcating our troops with Critical Race Theory nonsense and that isn't going to end well for anyone much less a great nation like ours. God help us.
I had a couple of errands to run this morning but I think I'll stay close to home where I can listen to Steve Bannon and his War Room show on the Real America's Voice app. He'll break it all down with military precision as only he can seeing as he is ex-military. If you think I sound like a doubting Thomas when it comes to Biden and his abilities as a Commander-in-Chief, Bannon is likely to rip Biden a new one and then some. As Steve loves to remind people, "elections have consequences and stolen elections have catastrophic consequences." He's like to say that this is the moment that we as a nation feared would come sooner rather than later. Well, it's fucking here now. We should be scared. Very scared.
So, now we wait. The call between Putin and Bumbling Joey Biden was not very productive as far as we know. Russia is likely to do whatever it is they planned to do all along with Ukraine Biden and his buffoonery be damned. Russia now has some 200k troops amassed on the border of Ukraine with all the necessary supply lines in place to support a war for however long it takes to conquer a country the size of Ukraine.
The taking of sovereign countries by other countries can't be a good thing but it's important to remember that this is what happens when you have a superpower like the United States hobbled by having an illegitimate president sitting in the Oval Office. Biden and his minions are a laughingstock on the world stage and it's game on for the Russia's and the China's of the world to do as they damn well please.
We cut and run in the backwater of Afghanistan and left our own citizens behind while airlifting tens of thousands of Afghan citizens to safety here in our country. That is not what superpowers do. What has always been a dark day for our country when it comes to our involvement in Afghanistan became even darker after Biden's mismanagement of the pullout. How about those 13 dead marines, bumbling Joe?
For whatever reason, I didn't feel like my usual espresso this morning so I made a cup of coffee using my Melior pot. It's a different vibe to be sure. Will I lay off the espresso for a bit now that I've had a taste of what a cup of coffee actually tastes like? You know, an actual cup and not one of those little espresso cups that leaves your pinky dangling when you lift the cup up to your lips. I do like getting my daily dose of caffeine in maybe two or three sips so there's that. It's extra strong so I like the jolt it gives me and there's a bit less of that when I have a 12 ounce cup of coffee. If I sound like I haven't made a decision yet it's because I haven't. One day at a time, Johnny Boy. One day at a time.
There is snow in the forecast here on the Seacoast. The local forecast doesn't always extend to the seacoast since it's just a few degrees warmer along the coastline and that means little or maybe less snow when the snow finally does arrive. Hell, it may just rain for all I know. Whatever it does, I'm hoping it does it later in the day so I can get my bike ride in. The cold has been less of a problem this season and I'm finding rides in the 30's to be tolerable. It probably has to do with what I've been wearing on my rides. It's not ideal but it seems to be doing the trick so I can't complain too much. When you have to wear too many layers, which I sometimes do, it makes for a less comfortable ride.
Before I forget, I was looking at the coffee I received from Peets for my usual monthly delivery and I noticed that the roast date was November 1st. Considering the fact that I received my coffee the first week of December, that means my coffee was some four to five weeks from the roast date. Is this what I'm paying for when I pay Peets a monthly fee for my "subscription"? Hell, I can find fresher roast dates in my local supermarket for the same damn brand of coffee. Have I never noticed the roast dates of prior deliveries? Did I notice them but they were fine so no flags went up? I'll pay close attention to the next delivery and I will compare roast dates to coffee from the same company on my supermarket shelf. If they are close or similar, I may have to jettison my relationship with Peets. Enough of this bullshit.
The Ev man sends me texts of things that pop up on his car dashboard on occasion. The most recent example was when he sent me a picture of the wording that implied that the battery in his FOB was low. I know he doesn't know how to change the battery in his FOB but he does know how to Google things or look things up on Youtube so I wish that he would take a little more initiative sometimes. I'm often equally in the dark but have to forge ahead because these are things that require somebody's attention. I guess I'm hopeful that if he sees me tackling something that he'll be more comfortable taking off the gloves the next time it happens. That is, even if he isn't looking over my shoulder which he rarely does.
I had an appointment this morning to go have my oil changed. The appointment has been on the books for the better part of a month. I received a text from the dealership last night cancelling my appointment due to the unavailability of loaner cars and some such nonsense about parts not being in stock. First of all, I didn't ask for a loaner. Second of all, the only part I need is an oil filter assuming other work doesn't need to be done. I gave them a call and they said something about maybe having to leave the car for a couple of days. We're talking about an oil change here. When I asked about rescheduling, they gave me a date some three weeks out. I'll say it again. For an oil change?
Does this have anything to do with the cargo ships parked off our western coast that haven't been able to unload their cargo? Does this have anything to do with places not being able to hire enough people to staff their business? Maybe some businesses are affected more than others. I've not seen bare shelves when out and about food shopping so that's a bit of a relief. Are they out of things that I have no need to buy? Possibly. I'm overdue for an oil change so I'm not exactly a happy camper as I sit here this morning faced with going to one of those quick oil change joints. Needless to say, that makes me a little bit uncomfortable. Just a wee bit.
Are they going to know what oil to use? Are they going to charge me an exorbitant amount just because I drive a European car? Will they replace each and every bolt they removed from the shield that sits beneath my oil pan when they're finished with the oil change? I remember a time when that specific cover fell off one of my older cars in my driveway. It only fell off because someone somewhere didn't replace the proper bolts on the shield. My guess is that it happened when I had my oil changed. It was an older car so I wasn't going to the dealership to have it done. Maybe I'm just uncomfortable with change and I need to learn how to go with the flow.
We picked up our tree yesterday afternoon. She's a beauty. She's not so tall that we had to trim her height and not so full that we had to wait a day or two just to see the branches drop. In fact, she's a tad on the trim side so we'll not have to go far and wide around her just to avoid getting tangled in her branches and maybe knocking an ornament or two off. She might be the thinnest tree we've ever had truth be told. Her shape is near perfect so I extend a tip of the hat to the trimmer whoever she or he may have been. Had we waited much longer to buy a tree, judging by how few trees were left to buy on this and other lots around town, we might have been left with some very unsavory choices.
How much is too much to pay for a tree and is tipping the guy who sells you the tree a thing? At the start, the trees practically walk off the lot by themselves given that the beauties haven't been cherry picked and there are more buyers of trees than there are sellers of trees and trees themselves. See how that works? With inflation roaring this year, it seems trees were flying off the lots sooner than usual.
We're here in the first week of December and the choices are already starting to look scrubby. It's no longer sufficient to simply say to your customers, let me know which one you want and I'll trim the base for you. You need to walk the customer from tree to tree cajoling all the way and extolling those features which may still qualify as "interesting." Remember, beauty is in the eye of the beholder! Never mind that you'll be asking them to pay maybe more than they've ever paid, and I mean ever, for a tree that will stand for a week or maybe two and will then be thrown out with the trash. The word "fleeting" comes to mind.
It may have had something to do with the fact that we were the only customers on the lot but the vendor spent what seemed like an inordinate amount of time helping us sort out what we thought we might like. Who doesn't like and maybe even appreciate personalized service when making decisions about buying this or that? He pulled several trees off from their resting spots and stood them up so we could get a good visual sense of the tree. At one point, he stood two trees side by side so we could choose between the two.
I probably knew we were going to give him a tip before we ever decided on which tree, if any, that we were going to buy. It was our version of offering a little Christmas cheer, if you will. It's what you do when you want to show your appreciation for a job well done. I also knew that we would probably walk away with a tree one way or another and not having to continue running around town looking for something better had to be worth something. Right? What do they even consider a good tip these days? Is it, or should it be, a percentage of the price of the tree? Do other people tip him? Does he make more in tips than he does in salary?
We visited Mrs G and didn't have a gift of sorts for her for the first time in a long time. It wouldn't have killed us to pick up a muffin or something along those lines but I suppose it just wasn't meant to be. It is true that the Lord works in mysterious ways. In case you're curious as to how that applies here, it's important to know what happened once we arrived on Mrs G's doorstep. We were well along into exchanging our usual pleasantries when Mrs G said something or other about holiday lights and how they were especially nice across the road and up the way at the Ridge. Or, maybe it was the Boulders.
My lips started moving before my brain engaged and I suggested that we all get in the car and go for a look-see. It was barely past five in the afternoon but it was pitch black outside and really just ideal for taking in holiday lights in the neighborhood. No sooner did I mention the ride than Mrs G was off the couch and on her feet and ready to go. Well, almost ready to go. Once in the car and underway, she said a couple of times just how nice it was to take everything in as a passenger instead of being behind the wheel. It was dark as all get out but that didn't seem to matter. She was like a kid in a candy store. Speaking of candy stores, this is where the "Lord works in mysterious ways" comes into play.
I'm not sure that any of us thought that the holiday light extravaganza that Mrs G was selling was all that extravagant once we got around to making a proper assessment. I kept thinking to myself as I was driving along that maybe it will be better over the next hill or maybe around the next corner. It just never cut the mustard but we were out and about on a cold but otherwise lovely December night so that would have to suffice. I think it was the missus who said something about driving into the town of Exeter where Mrs G might enjoy the lights and all the frills and fanfare that one sees during the Christmas holidays.
We weren't wrong about what awaited us in Exeter. It was almost too much, quite honestly. You know how it gets hard to focus on anything in particular when your visual field is flooded with glittering lights and tinsel. To say that the town of Exeter was lit up like a Christmas tree would be an understatement, but that it was. I don't know who brought it up first but no sooner were we through town than we were beating a path to the local Rite Aid so that Mrs G could pick up a few things.
Once in the store, Mrs G proceeded to fill her basket with candies of one sort or another. Maybe that shouldn't have been surprising given that we failed to arrive on her doorstep earlier in the evening without any goodies. In a roundabout way, we were now delivering on our promise to ourselves to never show up on Mrs G's doorstep without a gift however small or maybe insignificant. If that means driving into town so Mrs G can make her own selections, then so be it. In the now infamous words of one George Bush, it was the Christmas time version of "Mission Accomplished." I still can't believe that idiot became president. That's a story for another day.
Like It's 1999
05/12/21 07:19
Here we go again. Just when Sleepy Joe Biden was not getting the kind of cooperation he wanted with all of his fucking mandates to get jabs in everyone's arms, he and his crime partners in Big Pharma decided that what they needed was a new variant. A variant so insidious and so nasty that countries would close their doors to anyone wanting to enter. So deadly perhaps that the old standard of "two weeks to stop the spread" just wasn't going to cut the mustard anymore. So worrisome even that financial markets around the globe would tank on the news of this new variant. They would label this variant, "Omicron."
I was watching in disbelief last night as this clown came on television from the World Health Organization. His recommendation was that everyone get the vaccinated now if they haven't already been vaccinated. If they have been vaccinated, get the booster. They don't know much about this new variant, and they don't even know if the current vaccines will be effective against it, but it's important that everyone get vaccinated. You can't make this stuff up. What about people with natural immunity? What about people who have already had the virus and now carry the necessary antibodies that can potentially ward off any sickness? Not one fucking word about therapies. Blah. Blah. Blah.
Biden had a mandate out for health care workers to get vaccinated by the 4th of January or face the threat of losing their jobs. Who the fuck does he think he is? Thankfully, the courts have now stepped in on behalf of 7 states and have ruled that the federal government does not have the authority to issue such mandates. Good for them! I'm also hearing that several states are paying unemployment to those people who lose their jobs because they decided that getting the jab was a bridge too far. This is in spite of Biden's efforts to not pay them unemployment. What a mother fucking clown!
It's worth repeating that people who get the vaccination can both contract the virus and spread the virus. The viral load of carriers, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, is the same. In other words, you are just as likely to get the virus from an unvaccinated person as you are a vaccinated person. Yet, the propaganda arm of the Biden administration continues to perpetuate the myth that the unvaccinated are the villains of this pandemic and unless and until they are brought to heel we cannot rid ourselves of this pandemic. It's a virus for chrissakes. It's an equal opportunity killer. Get over yourselves.
Did I hear Mrs G say that she missed having pecan pie for Thanksgiving? The missus suggested that her facility might have been looking to cut back on expenses and it would be out with the pecan and in with the apple, pumpkin, and maybe blueberry. I thought it to be something of a reach given the relative expense of the alternates but I guess it's a theory like any other. That, of course, gives us the opportunity to bring over some pecan pie on our next visit. It will be a lovely surprise to say the least. Well, that's my take anyway. Maybe it will just go into the freezer like every other baked good we've brought over for her in the last couple of months. Here's hoping not.
Funny thing is, I can't find pecan pie anywhere. I've been to all the usual places where you might expect to find a good assortment of pies but, alas, pecan pie was nowhere to be found. I thought it was a good holiday pie and not just for Thanksgiving. No? I'm not out of places to look and we still have a couple of days before we'll be heading over to see Mrs G so I'm hopeful we'll find something. Do we have a back-up plan? A plan B so to speak? We do not. Can we get one together if necessary? Yes, I think we can.
I'm new to dongles so it's no surprise that now that I'm trying to understand what they do and what they don't do, well, let's just say I still have questions. I'm trying to connect my wireless keyboard with both a Mac and a PC and it's just not cutting the mustard. The problem weeks to be with the driver on the PC which I can't seem to locate anywhere. I should mention that I have the mouse working just fine using that dongle and the PC seems to have the right driver installed so no problem there. I ordered a $17 dongle from Amazon and I thought I'd be off and running but it turns out I'm no further ahead than when and where I started. Where there's a will, there's a way?
The Supreme Court is hearing a case on abortion rights based on a case out of Mississippi and it seems from all accounts that Roe v Wade is now in the crosshairs. I'm no fan of aborting babies so the sooner they fix the problem they created when they took up Roe v Wade, the better. The left is going absolutely nuts and the blather in the media is unrelenting as it relates to women and what women can and cannot do with their own bodies and what role government should and should not have in that process. I heard one moonbat on the radio this morning talking about how it's black children who will pay the price since they are the last to be chosen of children who are up for adoption.
The Court won't announce their decision for another several months so we'll have to wait to see how it turns out. Between now and then, we'll no doubt hear the painstaking cries on the left to "fix" the court by adding the requisite number of liberals on the court so they can pass what they want to pass when they want to pass something. This is their idea of how a Republic should be run. You perfect the art of stealing elections and then you put a court in place that will do your bidding in perpetuity. That's not what we signed up for, folks. That's not what our Founding Fathers had in mind when they created this Republic of ours.
I'm not actually sure what the right answer is when it comes to abortion. It seems that there should be a cutoff somewhere where having an abortion is not an abomination but rather a clinical severing or suctioning of some amoebic mass that has yet to take shape. As for the latter, I'm talking cellular level here. I know that the Baby Jesus would go on and on about the moment of conception and all the rest but no one should have any misgivings about what takes place in an environment the size of a dime-sized Petri dish. Isn't this what the morning after pill does? Isn't that pill an over-the-counter drug? No one, and I mean no one, is getting killed in the crib here. It's guiltless.
The Ev man is paying a visit this morning. He's up and out of his place early because the management of his building is doing their annual inspections. They will be testing for this, that, and the other thing. They've already notified all of the tenants that they are using a new device to detect smoke related crimes. The units have a no-smoking rule although I suspect that many residents light up here and there and hope for the best. The "best" being that it will not be detected and life will go on as usual. I suspect that the Ev man has had his moments of weakness just like everyone else so we're keeping our fingers crossed that he'll not end up on a list of people guilty of smoke related transgressions.
So, we're now on a Stacey Abrams watch? This dumpster fire of a liberal hack has been involved in every effort to steal elections in the State of Georgia going back to god knows when. Now, she's running for governor of that great state. Running for a second time, I might add. Is there any greater danger to our republic than to have a swine the likes of Abrams at the helm in a key southern state? There is no end to the shenanigans that she and her minions would put in place to run that state into the ground. Think "New York" and "California."
Abrams has considerable political prowess so she should not be underestimated. The republicans will have to unleash the hounds of hell to ensure that she not only doesn't win but to ensure that she loses in such a humiliating fashion that she will not soon return to the political stage. My preference would be to see her perp-walked off the stage in cuffs and jailed for her interference in political causes over the years. There has to be a RICO statute on the books somewhere that applies to her brand of politics. No? Let's take the gloves off here and let's take this dastardly creature down before she has a chance to get on her feet. Politically speaking, of course.
I hate to say this but our schedules go to hell in a hand basket when the Ev man shows up (especially early in the morning.) Then, we stop doing what we usually do and we never quite get that time back. I, for one, like to get things out of the way in the morning. When I don't, I start to resent everything and anything that caused the disruption. No, I don't resent the Ev man. I never would. I never will. I may try and pawn him off on his mom until I can finish up and that is what I usually do. No one is the wiser and I'm back in the game soon enough. The game being spending time with the Ev man and the missus. How the missus makes up for her time is her business. I do what I can to help.
We're having a new washing machine delivered today. The delivery people are coming between the hours of 12 and 4. Will they be taking any precautions with the new Covid variants floating around? Will I be offended if they are not wearing masks? Will I ask that they put their masks on if they don't show up wearing them? Will they be offended if I'm not wearing my mask? Will they insist that I put my mask on before entering our home? Between now and then, we'll need to clear a path so they can do what they need to do without interruption. Oh, and the old machine was starting to act a little funny and it was long in the tooth so it was time to replace it. Out with the old and in with the new!
This war on the unvaccinated is getting ugly. Is it Germany that is putting restrictions on unvaccinated people in terms of where they can go and what they can do? Austria is putting the unvaccinated in quarantine camps for chrissakes. Bumbling Joe Biden hasn't gone that far yet but he is clearly signaling that he is thinking of going in that direction. We're frogs in the fucking boiling water we are. Don't believe a word coming out of Biden's demented mouth when he says that he isn't planning this or that in terms of possible restrictions on the good people of our country. You know damn well that he is. He's just running the shit up the proverbial flagpole. Right now, he's announcing restrictions on international flights coming into the country. Tomorrow, who the fuck knows.
It won't be long before he's announcing restrictions on domestic interstate travel for the unvaccinated. Someone will have to explain to me the madness around the desire on the part of the Biden Administration to get the jab in everyone's arm. There's simply no justification for doing that in light of the fact that most people who get the virus survive the virus. Jab all the old and infirm fucks if that makes more sense because none of this other insanity passes the smell test. It seems far too insidious and maybe even something out of an episode of the Twilight Zone when you consider that it appears to have gone global. The masses are fighting back but maybe not nearly as hard as they could and should be.
Did I mention that we found a nice pecan pie sort of thingy for Mrs G? Whole Foods actually sells half pecan pies if you can believe that. I suppose that there are people who think that buying a whole pie for maybe one or two people in the house is a recipe for disaster. I'm talking calories here. And pecan pie is a very rich and very sweet pie so you only need a sliver to get that oh-so-delicious sugar rush. I'm not sure if you can freeze the rest but there would be no need if you had a half pie. I expect Mrs G will be tickled to get the pie seeing as she was unhappy with the absence of pecan pie at the Thanksgiving hoo-haw at her facility. It's the final piece of the puzzle so to speak.
We have no Christmas tree yet but we should be going out to get one soon. It looks like prices are at an all time high maybe starting at $50 or so. Fifty bucks was the ceiling last year and now it appears to be the floor. I suppose that some of that inflation has to do with the price of gasoline since that has doubled since last Christmas. I guess I feel bad for folks who can't afford to pay for a nice Christmas tree this year. That's especially true if children are involved. You can't have Christmas without a tree. Where would Santa leave the presents? What has to give way in order to put a tree up for those who can't afford one? Will there be fewer presents? Will there be a chicken in the oven instead of the more traditional meal of turkey or ham? Welcome to Joe Biden's America. The "best" is yet to come. I can hardly fucking wait.
Oh, and I heard one leftist loon on a progressive radio station yesterday lamenting the fact that Biden has yet to call for a ban on air travel for the unvaccinated. Biden is simply not moving fast enough to take away the liberties of the American people according to the moonbats on the left. They want the unvaccinated put in jail. They couldn't care less about the liberties that our forefathers have fought and died for. I think their reasoning is that most unvaccinated are Trump supporters although there's no truth to that whatsoever. They are going to find that out the hard way when 2022 rolls around and the unvaccinated in all parties rise up like a phoenix in the desert to throw these leftist bums out of office. It will be a "pitchforks in the town square" moment in the US of A. Count me in.
The missus is heading down to Massachusetts today and I'll be on my own. I have a list and I'm checking it twice. No, it's not a Christmas shopping list. If you really want to know, there is everything on that list from making eggplant to moving our grill from one corner of the deck to another corner on the same deck. I should rank the items in terms of value and address the higher value items first. I don't have a bike ride on the list so that will need to change. I've missed the last two days due to weather and I don't like missing more than two days in a row. I lose the big mo if you get my drift. Ain't nothin worse than losing the big mo.
I'm a little surprised at how little I've been bothered by the cold weather while biking as of late. Maybe I've finally gotten the dress code squared away and what I'm wearing is doing the trick. That's a good thing since it removes any and all obstacles to doing what I love to do. It takes more effort during the winter months but if I have the clothing thing down then I'm good to go at a moments notice. I am a little worried about one of my tires given the extreme wear so I'll want to give some thought to replacing it before too much more time passes. Getting a flat tire while on a winter ride could be a problem if I'm all of a sudden on foot and wishing I were closer to home.
I'm watching this omicron virus thing and it seems to be coming at a time when the usual variants are on the move here in the Northeast. In other words, the virus is doing what viruses do. They ebb and they flow. Well, they're ebbing pretty good at the moment and the hospital beds are filling up with patients which is also not unexpected. I wonder sometimes if there wouldn't be so many people showing up on the doorsteps of the hospitals if the media didn't push the panic porn as much as they do. You'd stay home, stay under the covers, and eat your chicken soup while letting the virus run its course. Now, you're so damn scared when you come down with as much as a case of sniffles that you're wanting to run the nearest emergency room where you're likely to compete for services with other snifflers. It's just so silly.
It also begs the question as to if and maybe when Uncle Wally reaches the conclusion that having family over for a Christmas party is maybe something he wants or needs to reconsider. He issued the invite before the dreaded omicron virus reared its ugly head here in North America and it was still unclear as to what would be ebbing and flowing where and when. Well, now we know. Upper New York is expected to be ground zero by the time Christmas rolls around. The missus and I would probably feel better about not having to drive into a viral hotspot so we're maybe half hoping that he'll come to his senses and cancel his party. We could always bow out, and the missus may yet insist we do just that, but we're not there yet.
If I see video or pictures of one more public official partying like it's 1999 without wearing a mask while telling their constituents that they have to mask up and stay home, I'm going to say the hell with it and we'll be off to New York with bells on. I'm thinking of offering uncle Wally one or more of the four rapid tests we just received in the mail so he can test people before they join his party. He might think that to be a bridge too far but if it saves one or more lives in the process then it's a good thing. One thing I worry about is the accuracy of such tests. You'd hate to see him turn anyone away because of a false positive. Is it any coincidence that the dreaded Omicron came along just as the Biden Administration announced the availability of booster shots for everyone? I think not. It's a fucking scam.
I was watching in disbelief last night as this clown came on television from the World Health Organization. His recommendation was that everyone get the vaccinated now if they haven't already been vaccinated. If they have been vaccinated, get the booster. They don't know much about this new variant, and they don't even know if the current vaccines will be effective against it, but it's important that everyone get vaccinated. You can't make this stuff up. What about people with natural immunity? What about people who have already had the virus and now carry the necessary antibodies that can potentially ward off any sickness? Not one fucking word about therapies. Blah. Blah. Blah.
Biden had a mandate out for health care workers to get vaccinated by the 4th of January or face the threat of losing their jobs. Who the fuck does he think he is? Thankfully, the courts have now stepped in on behalf of 7 states and have ruled that the federal government does not have the authority to issue such mandates. Good for them! I'm also hearing that several states are paying unemployment to those people who lose their jobs because they decided that getting the jab was a bridge too far. This is in spite of Biden's efforts to not pay them unemployment. What a mother fucking clown!
It's worth repeating that people who get the vaccination can both contract the virus and spread the virus. The viral load of carriers, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, is the same. In other words, you are just as likely to get the virus from an unvaccinated person as you are a vaccinated person. Yet, the propaganda arm of the Biden administration continues to perpetuate the myth that the unvaccinated are the villains of this pandemic and unless and until they are brought to heel we cannot rid ourselves of this pandemic. It's a virus for chrissakes. It's an equal opportunity killer. Get over yourselves.
Did I hear Mrs G say that she missed having pecan pie for Thanksgiving? The missus suggested that her facility might have been looking to cut back on expenses and it would be out with the pecan and in with the apple, pumpkin, and maybe blueberry. I thought it to be something of a reach given the relative expense of the alternates but I guess it's a theory like any other. That, of course, gives us the opportunity to bring over some pecan pie on our next visit. It will be a lovely surprise to say the least. Well, that's my take anyway. Maybe it will just go into the freezer like every other baked good we've brought over for her in the last couple of months. Here's hoping not.
Funny thing is, I can't find pecan pie anywhere. I've been to all the usual places where you might expect to find a good assortment of pies but, alas, pecan pie was nowhere to be found. I thought it was a good holiday pie and not just for Thanksgiving. No? I'm not out of places to look and we still have a couple of days before we'll be heading over to see Mrs G so I'm hopeful we'll find something. Do we have a back-up plan? A plan B so to speak? We do not. Can we get one together if necessary? Yes, I think we can.
I'm new to dongles so it's no surprise that now that I'm trying to understand what they do and what they don't do, well, let's just say I still have questions. I'm trying to connect my wireless keyboard with both a Mac and a PC and it's just not cutting the mustard. The problem weeks to be with the driver on the PC which I can't seem to locate anywhere. I should mention that I have the mouse working just fine using that dongle and the PC seems to have the right driver installed so no problem there. I ordered a $17 dongle from Amazon and I thought I'd be off and running but it turns out I'm no further ahead than when and where I started. Where there's a will, there's a way?
The Supreme Court is hearing a case on abortion rights based on a case out of Mississippi and it seems from all accounts that Roe v Wade is now in the crosshairs. I'm no fan of aborting babies so the sooner they fix the problem they created when they took up Roe v Wade, the better. The left is going absolutely nuts and the blather in the media is unrelenting as it relates to women and what women can and cannot do with their own bodies and what role government should and should not have in that process. I heard one moonbat on the radio this morning talking about how it's black children who will pay the price since they are the last to be chosen of children who are up for adoption.
The Court won't announce their decision for another several months so we'll have to wait to see how it turns out. Between now and then, we'll no doubt hear the painstaking cries on the left to "fix" the court by adding the requisite number of liberals on the court so they can pass what they want to pass when they want to pass something. This is their idea of how a Republic should be run. You perfect the art of stealing elections and then you put a court in place that will do your bidding in perpetuity. That's not what we signed up for, folks. That's not what our Founding Fathers had in mind when they created this Republic of ours.
I'm not actually sure what the right answer is when it comes to abortion. It seems that there should be a cutoff somewhere where having an abortion is not an abomination but rather a clinical severing or suctioning of some amoebic mass that has yet to take shape. As for the latter, I'm talking cellular level here. I know that the Baby Jesus would go on and on about the moment of conception and all the rest but no one should have any misgivings about what takes place in an environment the size of a dime-sized Petri dish. Isn't this what the morning after pill does? Isn't that pill an over-the-counter drug? No one, and I mean no one, is getting killed in the crib here. It's guiltless.
The Ev man is paying a visit this morning. He's up and out of his place early because the management of his building is doing their annual inspections. They will be testing for this, that, and the other thing. They've already notified all of the tenants that they are using a new device to detect smoke related crimes. The units have a no-smoking rule although I suspect that many residents light up here and there and hope for the best. The "best" being that it will not be detected and life will go on as usual. I suspect that the Ev man has had his moments of weakness just like everyone else so we're keeping our fingers crossed that he'll not end up on a list of people guilty of smoke related transgressions.
So, we're now on a Stacey Abrams watch? This dumpster fire of a liberal hack has been involved in every effort to steal elections in the State of Georgia going back to god knows when. Now, she's running for governor of that great state. Running for a second time, I might add. Is there any greater danger to our republic than to have a swine the likes of Abrams at the helm in a key southern state? There is no end to the shenanigans that she and her minions would put in place to run that state into the ground. Think "New York" and "California."
Abrams has considerable political prowess so she should not be underestimated. The republicans will have to unleash the hounds of hell to ensure that she not only doesn't win but to ensure that she loses in such a humiliating fashion that she will not soon return to the political stage. My preference would be to see her perp-walked off the stage in cuffs and jailed for her interference in political causes over the years. There has to be a RICO statute on the books somewhere that applies to her brand of politics. No? Let's take the gloves off here and let's take this dastardly creature down before she has a chance to get on her feet. Politically speaking, of course.
I hate to say this but our schedules go to hell in a hand basket when the Ev man shows up (especially early in the morning.) Then, we stop doing what we usually do and we never quite get that time back. I, for one, like to get things out of the way in the morning. When I don't, I start to resent everything and anything that caused the disruption. No, I don't resent the Ev man. I never would. I never will. I may try and pawn him off on his mom until I can finish up and that is what I usually do. No one is the wiser and I'm back in the game soon enough. The game being spending time with the Ev man and the missus. How the missus makes up for her time is her business. I do what I can to help.
We're having a new washing machine delivered today. The delivery people are coming between the hours of 12 and 4. Will they be taking any precautions with the new Covid variants floating around? Will I be offended if they are not wearing masks? Will I ask that they put their masks on if they don't show up wearing them? Will they be offended if I'm not wearing my mask? Will they insist that I put my mask on before entering our home? Between now and then, we'll need to clear a path so they can do what they need to do without interruption. Oh, and the old machine was starting to act a little funny and it was long in the tooth so it was time to replace it. Out with the old and in with the new!
This war on the unvaccinated is getting ugly. Is it Germany that is putting restrictions on unvaccinated people in terms of where they can go and what they can do? Austria is putting the unvaccinated in quarantine camps for chrissakes. Bumbling Joe Biden hasn't gone that far yet but he is clearly signaling that he is thinking of going in that direction. We're frogs in the fucking boiling water we are. Don't believe a word coming out of Biden's demented mouth when he says that he isn't planning this or that in terms of possible restrictions on the good people of our country. You know damn well that he is. He's just running the shit up the proverbial flagpole. Right now, he's announcing restrictions on international flights coming into the country. Tomorrow, who the fuck knows.
It won't be long before he's announcing restrictions on domestic interstate travel for the unvaccinated. Someone will have to explain to me the madness around the desire on the part of the Biden Administration to get the jab in everyone's arm. There's simply no justification for doing that in light of the fact that most people who get the virus survive the virus. Jab all the old and infirm fucks if that makes more sense because none of this other insanity passes the smell test. It seems far too insidious and maybe even something out of an episode of the Twilight Zone when you consider that it appears to have gone global. The masses are fighting back but maybe not nearly as hard as they could and should be.
Did I mention that we found a nice pecan pie sort of thingy for Mrs G? Whole Foods actually sells half pecan pies if you can believe that. I suppose that there are people who think that buying a whole pie for maybe one or two people in the house is a recipe for disaster. I'm talking calories here. And pecan pie is a very rich and very sweet pie so you only need a sliver to get that oh-so-delicious sugar rush. I'm not sure if you can freeze the rest but there would be no need if you had a half pie. I expect Mrs G will be tickled to get the pie seeing as she was unhappy with the absence of pecan pie at the Thanksgiving hoo-haw at her facility. It's the final piece of the puzzle so to speak.
We have no Christmas tree yet but we should be going out to get one soon. It looks like prices are at an all time high maybe starting at $50 or so. Fifty bucks was the ceiling last year and now it appears to be the floor. I suppose that some of that inflation has to do with the price of gasoline since that has doubled since last Christmas. I guess I feel bad for folks who can't afford to pay for a nice Christmas tree this year. That's especially true if children are involved. You can't have Christmas without a tree. Where would Santa leave the presents? What has to give way in order to put a tree up for those who can't afford one? Will there be fewer presents? Will there be a chicken in the oven instead of the more traditional meal of turkey or ham? Welcome to Joe Biden's America. The "best" is yet to come. I can hardly fucking wait.
Oh, and I heard one leftist loon on a progressive radio station yesterday lamenting the fact that Biden has yet to call for a ban on air travel for the unvaccinated. Biden is simply not moving fast enough to take away the liberties of the American people according to the moonbats on the left. They want the unvaccinated put in jail. They couldn't care less about the liberties that our forefathers have fought and died for. I think their reasoning is that most unvaccinated are Trump supporters although there's no truth to that whatsoever. They are going to find that out the hard way when 2022 rolls around and the unvaccinated in all parties rise up like a phoenix in the desert to throw these leftist bums out of office. It will be a "pitchforks in the town square" moment in the US of A. Count me in.
The missus is heading down to Massachusetts today and I'll be on my own. I have a list and I'm checking it twice. No, it's not a Christmas shopping list. If you really want to know, there is everything on that list from making eggplant to moving our grill from one corner of the deck to another corner on the same deck. I should rank the items in terms of value and address the higher value items first. I don't have a bike ride on the list so that will need to change. I've missed the last two days due to weather and I don't like missing more than two days in a row. I lose the big mo if you get my drift. Ain't nothin worse than losing the big mo.
I'm a little surprised at how little I've been bothered by the cold weather while biking as of late. Maybe I've finally gotten the dress code squared away and what I'm wearing is doing the trick. That's a good thing since it removes any and all obstacles to doing what I love to do. It takes more effort during the winter months but if I have the clothing thing down then I'm good to go at a moments notice. I am a little worried about one of my tires given the extreme wear so I'll want to give some thought to replacing it before too much more time passes. Getting a flat tire while on a winter ride could be a problem if I'm all of a sudden on foot and wishing I were closer to home.
I'm watching this omicron virus thing and it seems to be coming at a time when the usual variants are on the move here in the Northeast. In other words, the virus is doing what viruses do. They ebb and they flow. Well, they're ebbing pretty good at the moment and the hospital beds are filling up with patients which is also not unexpected. I wonder sometimes if there wouldn't be so many people showing up on the doorsteps of the hospitals if the media didn't push the panic porn as much as they do. You'd stay home, stay under the covers, and eat your chicken soup while letting the virus run its course. Now, you're so damn scared when you come down with as much as a case of sniffles that you're wanting to run the nearest emergency room where you're likely to compete for services with other snifflers. It's just so silly.
It also begs the question as to if and maybe when Uncle Wally reaches the conclusion that having family over for a Christmas party is maybe something he wants or needs to reconsider. He issued the invite before the dreaded omicron virus reared its ugly head here in North America and it was still unclear as to what would be ebbing and flowing where and when. Well, now we know. Upper New York is expected to be ground zero by the time Christmas rolls around. The missus and I would probably feel better about not having to drive into a viral hotspot so we're maybe half hoping that he'll come to his senses and cancel his party. We could always bow out, and the missus may yet insist we do just that, but we're not there yet.
If I see video or pictures of one more public official partying like it's 1999 without wearing a mask while telling their constituents that they have to mask up and stay home, I'm going to say the hell with it and we'll be off to New York with bells on. I'm thinking of offering uncle Wally one or more of the four rapid tests we just received in the mail so he can test people before they join his party. He might think that to be a bridge too far but if it saves one or more lives in the process then it's a good thing. One thing I worry about is the accuracy of such tests. You'd hate to see him turn anyone away because of a false positive. Is it any coincidence that the dreaded Omicron came along just as the Biden Administration announced the availability of booster shots for everyone? I think not. It's a fucking scam.
All About The Children
28/11/21 06:36
I'm off to a slow start on this week's blog post. I need to get my arse in gear if I want to have something out come Sunday. It's been a pretty good year for posts thus far. It hasn't been a struggle in the least and I've had none of what they refer to as "writer's block." You know what that is. You sit in front of your computer screen and you can't think of anything you might want to say. Your page remains blank despite your best efforts. I've come to realize, I guess, that saying nothing in so many words, which I do well, is an art form. Call it "blather" if you will.
I had my annual physical yesterday. Well, a wellness visit really. What a complete waste of fucking time. I knew going into it that I had no issues outstanding and my bloodwork, which I obtained in advance, seemed good to go so no worries there. I saw a resident instead of my usual physician so that seemed weird. He knew squat about my history so I wasted no time beating my chest about what I thought were some interesting improvements since my last physical. I was telling the missus last night that I don't really know what I've done in the last 12 months that would help me account for the changes but changes there were. Changes for the better I might add.
It probably has something to do with diet and or exercise so I'll be looking to not only hang on to what I've accomplished but I'll be wanting to add to those improvements in the coming year if I can. It's hard to know what to work on precisely, so I'll just have to double down on what I think I've done to get to where I am today. Does that make any sense? Maybe it's just matter of having more salads and less meat. Maybe it's just getting more exercise than what I'm used to. You know, push myself on those days when I'm feeling lazy or unmotivated. I can't let the wind and the rain slow me down or keep me from biking my favorite route when my mojo is working. Go. Go. Go.
When I first took a look at the results of my bloodwork, I thought I had gotten someone else's results. Could it have been the woman behind me in line at the place I had my blood taken. Not likely since I had PSA results and women aren't, as a rule, tested for PSA. These days, who knows. Men have babies and some places put tampon machines in men's rooms. It's crazy, right? The results I got when I got them back seemed better by a margin that seemed unlikely knowing what I know about my efforts or lack thereof over the course of the last year. My regular physician, had he been available, would have had more to say about the changes. A pat on the back may have been in order.
Maybe he'll give me a call. I can hear him now. "Johnnyboy, you done good." "Keep doing what you're doing." Who doesn't like hearing words of encouragement from their health care professionals? So, I don't know about next year. My physician might well be retired by then. Maybe I'll just schedule a little bloodwork and, assuming everything is up to snuff, I'll call it a day and I won't bother with seeing someone who knows diddly squat about my history. I don't know if I'll be able to get away with that but it's something that sure sounds tempting as I sit here this morning some 365 days out from my next doctor's visit.
I know it's hard to believe but Mrs G and I have the same physician. She called me last night to inquire about which physician showed up when I was in for my physical. We had discussed the fact that our usual guy was in the office but not seeing any patients for whatever reason. So, neither of us saw our usual guy and we both saw a different resident for our respective visits. I'm still not sure why Mrs G was so curious about my visit. If I had seen our physician, maybe Mrs G was thinking that it was just a fluke that he didn't see her when she went to the office. Maybe she was wondering if he was seeing some patients and not other patients. I'll try not to read too much into her query.
What the hell is going on in Waukesha, Wisconsin? You know, the place where that BLM sexual predator mowed down and killed several people who were joyously participating in a Christmas parade the night before last. Why does every headline in every newspaper coast to coast read, "SUV hit parade after dispute?" Isn't this the more appropriate headline: "BLM sexual predator exacts karma after Rittenhouse verdict?" The case has been taken over by the FBI and they are trying to bury this story. Why is the FBI even involved in the case unless it's really a case of domestic terrorism? Since when is mowing down and killing women and children at a Christmas parade not an act of domestic terrorism?
It gets better. The FBI has actually not called this an act of domestic terrorism but the FBI has dispatched forces across the nation to find and charge mothers and fathers raising their voices at school board meetings with domestic terrorism. See how that works? The headlines are misleading and they are deliberately misleading and everyone and anyone with half a brain knows it. Why are they misleading? Might it shed an unfavorable light on the Black Lives Matter movement? Does the Black Lives Matter organization hold the kind of sway with the government that they can control and even dictate what stories do and do not get covered in the media? That is one mother fucking scary proposition.
I wasn't kidding when I made my "karma" comment. BLM had hoped that the jury might convict Rittenhouse and that would put an end to the dreams of any and all white boys who might think once or twice about showing up at a BLM looting and ravaging rally. We know in 2020 that the cops stood down in cities across our nation while BLM types burned our cities to the ground. The law doesn't apply to them, don't you know. I don't know that even one BLM type was arrested much less put in jail for the mayhem they caused in the tumultuous year of 2020. All I can say when it comes to the Waukesha killings is, here we go again.
If we can't give them (people of color) reparations then we might as well let them do as they will to exact whatever it is that they think they are entitled to. Anyway, the Rittenhouse jury did not convict him so the BLM movement decided to do what criminal organizations always do when their backs are against the wall. They took matters into their own hands and people lost their lives. This is what they do and rather than fighting back or looking to put these criminals in jail for the rest of their natural lives, our government seems not only not to care but they actively cover-up, defend, and enable the crimes committed by these animals. It seems crazy but it's true. This is not your grandfather's FBI, my friends.
It was good to have the Ev man come along with me when I went to pick up our turkey at Whole Foods. He stopped by as he sometimes does and off we went. We stopped to fill up his gas tank and we shared a chuckle when he went to fill his tank on my dime and he came up short. Of course, we didn't know that until he was back sitting in the car and I turned on the engine only to see that he didn't fill it up much beyond three quarter of a tank. I said to him, "Ev, when someone is paying for your gas make sure that you fill it up completely." "Keep filling it up after you hear the first click and stop after hearing the click for a second time." "That's how you do it, my friend."
We put a little air in his tires and then we were off to the market to pick up our Thanksgiving order. I never know if the Ev man is going to be in the mood to go into a store or not and yesterday was no exception. Nonetheless, he joined me and we went about our business inside the store of picking up our pre-ordered turkey, stuffing, and some little cranberry croissant type thingies that appealed to the missus. Our experience wasn't seamless and that surprised me a little bit. There seemed to be too many moving pieces. I should have known there was a problem when they handed me a buzzer that they promised would go off when my turkey was ready for pick-up. Spoiler alert : It didn't.
We had to make a stop here, there, and everywhere while in the store before our order was complete and ready to go. Maybe that was by design. Maybe they wanted us to do a little shopping in the store while we were there. If you have the customer in the store, you keep them there in the hopes that they will add even more things to their carts before they leave the store. Right? We did end up buying just one other thing so maybe there is some truth to what I'm postulating here.
As distracting as everything is in Whole Foods, due to the expansive variety of goods they sell, I was happy to help the Ev man focus just long enough on some ready-to-go honey glazed chicken nuggets that I thought he might want to have for lunch or dinner. Feedback after the fact tells me that he enjoyed the nuggets just as I thought he would so that's good. Not all of my recommendations pan out like that so adding one or more in a row to the plus column helps me stay in good stead with the Ev man. I don't see him returning to Whole Foods himself anytime soon but I'm more than happy to have him come along with me if he is so disposed. Hope springs eternal!
Mrs G gave a call last evening. She was tickled that her facility had put out tablecloths and flowers for the Thanksgiving feast and she couldn't have been happier about it. There hasn't been much of an opportunity to do any community dining in her facility due to the dreaded Covid over the last 12 months so bringing out the white tablecloths just in time for Thanksgiving was the bees knees. I'm not saying that community dining is back in spades but I am saying that management, for whatever reason, has decided to throw caution to the wind in order to restore some semblance of normality if only for the Thanksgiving holiday. Good for them. The residents, I mean.
The missus was busy as a beaver yesterday putting everything together for today's feast. She made her grandmother's pumpkin pie, a nice cranberry something with a recipe out of Cook's magazine, and she boiled a dozen eggs or so in order to make some deviled eggs. Who doesn't like whore derves? I think she surprised herself at just how busy she was and maybe how everything fell into place so nicely. I had to ask her later in the day if she had time to get in a little exercise since I know how important that is to her on any given day. She's up and out of bed early this morning asking about gravy boats and just how many potatoes she should be cooking in order to make the mashed potatoes.
We're expecting a little snow next week if the forecast that I'm looking at is on target. That means that I will be out and about in the yard today and tomorrow cleaning up the last vestiges of leaves that have taken refuge along the perimeter of our home. My new electric hedge trimmer is working like a charm so there's that. I just have to work a little harder to keep the cord away from the cutting blades since I've not been very successful at that thus far. We have some tall grasses that need clipping before the snow falls and this trimmer is just what the doctor ordered. You know me, everything has to be neat as a pin before the snow comes along. I won't tolerate stragglers. Grasses, I mean.
Did I mention that our turkey is a nice organic 11.5 pounder? It's just the right size. I usually get a bigger bird thinking that I'll make a soup or maybe have some left over for sandwiches but that has just never worked out so I'm going smaller this year. There's enough for the three of us and maybe some to set aside for seconds if someone is so inclined. Isn't a second seating a thing? I guess we'll see. We'll have other leftovers as well so I think we're more than good to go. I can't wait to see if this Whole Foods turkey purchase, along with the other things from the store, was the right choice for us. I guess I would say, so far, so good.
Fast forward 24 hours and Thanksgiving 2021 has come and gone. It was smashing success! Everything turned out just the way we'd hoped and, short of a couple of timing issues, we all sat down to a very nice Thanksgiving meal. We hardly had time to talk about the things that we should have been thankful for before we started eating the dinner. That's not the way it's supposed to work but sometimes the natural order of things goes haywire and you do what you can to restore order even if that means just moving on and hoping for the best. I think we all agreed that the purchases we made from Whole Foods were just perfect and, coming in a very close second, was Nancy's delicious homemade cranberry sauce.
The turkey was unbelievably good and it was cooked to perfection. I prefer a pop-up so I know when to yank the bird out of the oven but this particular 11-pounder had no such thing so I watched the clock according to instructions I read on the internet and it worked out just fine. I usually lather the bird with butter or margarine before putting it in the oven but read somewhere that vegetable oil was the better alternative. I also cooked the bird in the oven with the breast facing downward and that, according to yet one other article I read, allowed the juices to flow into the breast meat as it cooked. I'm not sure if I'd done things differently that it would have turned out any less tasty. It was destined to be good.
The financial markets are under pressure this morning either because the Fed heads announced their plans to double down on tapering and tapering sooner than expected, or, because there is now a new Covid-19 variant coming out of South Africa that is more contagious than the delta variant currently in circulation. It's funny how that works. As for the governments who are using the various variants to suppress and imprison their citizenry, the ends justify the means. It's the perfect tool for the tyrannical powers and the dictator wannabes who make it up as they go along all in the name of keeping people safe. "Two weeks to slow the spread" is so yesterday. Now, it's all about the children.
This couldn't have come at a worse time. The holiday shopping season is just now getting under way with Black Friday and whatever it is that comes along next Monday that involves technology. I can never remember what they call the Monday shopping extravaganza but it's the one holiday when I usually go online to pick up things like charging cords, flash memory, and other computer related accessories.
Sleepy Joe Biden's approval numbers are already in the thirties and if things really go south in a big way in the financial markets we might well see his approval ratings drop into the twenties. It's probably only a matter of time, maybe hours, before a Fed head steps up to the plate to announce QE infinity. And then, if the creek don't rise and the good lord's willin', we'll be off to the races once again. Let's hope that what they say about the "trend being your friend" is correct.
We're keeping an eye on the now seemingly seasonal Covid virus and it seems to be hitting the blue states fairly hard. This is not going to play well in the Adirondacks if Uncle Wally's Holiday bash gets postponed or otherwise delayed yet again due to the uptick in rates of either Covid related deaths orCovid related infections. We were all locked down last Christmas so his plans for his annual get together never got off the drawing board. We took it in stride, of course, being the dutiful brothers and sisters that we are since no one wanted to inadvertently give anyone else the dreaded virus.
I'm hearing that in some places in the UK the death rates are higher amongst the vaccinated under the age of 60 than that of the unvaccinated. So, not only can the vaccinated catch and transmit the virus, but they are also dying in greater numbers compared to their unvaccinated brethren. Tell me again why we have mandates in countries around the world to get vaccinated? Anyway, the new governor in New York state has implemented a ban on elective surgery in the state in order to keep hospital beds free for an anticipated uptick of cases due to the new virus coming out of South Africa. It's likely just more fear mongering and, coming from a blue state, no one should be surprised.
As of now, we're planning to attend Uncle Wally's bash. That said, trips to the Adirondacks in the middle of the winter are, as you may well imagine, already dicey and subject to last minute changes due to weather patterns. I don't know that the missus has some metric in mind when it comes to Covid death or infection rates where, if exceeded, she would want to cancel our trip but I'll need to discuss that with her some time soon. She's throwing a lot of numbers around these days that seem to suggest that she's becoming increasingly frightful but the absence of headlines for a few days might help to restore her sense of equilibrium when it comes to the mass hysteria around this demon of a virus.
I had my annual physical yesterday. Well, a wellness visit really. What a complete waste of fucking time. I knew going into it that I had no issues outstanding and my bloodwork, which I obtained in advance, seemed good to go so no worries there. I saw a resident instead of my usual physician so that seemed weird. He knew squat about my history so I wasted no time beating my chest about what I thought were some interesting improvements since my last physical. I was telling the missus last night that I don't really know what I've done in the last 12 months that would help me account for the changes but changes there were. Changes for the better I might add.
It probably has something to do with diet and or exercise so I'll be looking to not only hang on to what I've accomplished but I'll be wanting to add to those improvements in the coming year if I can. It's hard to know what to work on precisely, so I'll just have to double down on what I think I've done to get to where I am today. Does that make any sense? Maybe it's just matter of having more salads and less meat. Maybe it's just getting more exercise than what I'm used to. You know, push myself on those days when I'm feeling lazy or unmotivated. I can't let the wind and the rain slow me down or keep me from biking my favorite route when my mojo is working. Go. Go. Go.
When I first took a look at the results of my bloodwork, I thought I had gotten someone else's results. Could it have been the woman behind me in line at the place I had my blood taken. Not likely since I had PSA results and women aren't, as a rule, tested for PSA. These days, who knows. Men have babies and some places put tampon machines in men's rooms. It's crazy, right? The results I got when I got them back seemed better by a margin that seemed unlikely knowing what I know about my efforts or lack thereof over the course of the last year. My regular physician, had he been available, would have had more to say about the changes. A pat on the back may have been in order.
Maybe he'll give me a call. I can hear him now. "Johnnyboy, you done good." "Keep doing what you're doing." Who doesn't like hearing words of encouragement from their health care professionals? So, I don't know about next year. My physician might well be retired by then. Maybe I'll just schedule a little bloodwork and, assuming everything is up to snuff, I'll call it a day and I won't bother with seeing someone who knows diddly squat about my history. I don't know if I'll be able to get away with that but it's something that sure sounds tempting as I sit here this morning some 365 days out from my next doctor's visit.
I know it's hard to believe but Mrs G and I have the same physician. She called me last night to inquire about which physician showed up when I was in for my physical. We had discussed the fact that our usual guy was in the office but not seeing any patients for whatever reason. So, neither of us saw our usual guy and we both saw a different resident for our respective visits. I'm still not sure why Mrs G was so curious about my visit. If I had seen our physician, maybe Mrs G was thinking that it was just a fluke that he didn't see her when she went to the office. Maybe she was wondering if he was seeing some patients and not other patients. I'll try not to read too much into her query.
What the hell is going on in Waukesha, Wisconsin? You know, the place where that BLM sexual predator mowed down and killed several people who were joyously participating in a Christmas parade the night before last. Why does every headline in every newspaper coast to coast read, "SUV hit parade after dispute?" Isn't this the more appropriate headline: "BLM sexual predator exacts karma after Rittenhouse verdict?" The case has been taken over by the FBI and they are trying to bury this story. Why is the FBI even involved in the case unless it's really a case of domestic terrorism? Since when is mowing down and killing women and children at a Christmas parade not an act of domestic terrorism?
It gets better. The FBI has actually not called this an act of domestic terrorism but the FBI has dispatched forces across the nation to find and charge mothers and fathers raising their voices at school board meetings with domestic terrorism. See how that works? The headlines are misleading and they are deliberately misleading and everyone and anyone with half a brain knows it. Why are they misleading? Might it shed an unfavorable light on the Black Lives Matter movement? Does the Black Lives Matter organization hold the kind of sway with the government that they can control and even dictate what stories do and do not get covered in the media? That is one mother fucking scary proposition.
I wasn't kidding when I made my "karma" comment. BLM had hoped that the jury might convict Rittenhouse and that would put an end to the dreams of any and all white boys who might think once or twice about showing up at a BLM looting and ravaging rally. We know in 2020 that the cops stood down in cities across our nation while BLM types burned our cities to the ground. The law doesn't apply to them, don't you know. I don't know that even one BLM type was arrested much less put in jail for the mayhem they caused in the tumultuous year of 2020. All I can say when it comes to the Waukesha killings is, here we go again.
If we can't give them (people of color) reparations then we might as well let them do as they will to exact whatever it is that they think they are entitled to. Anyway, the Rittenhouse jury did not convict him so the BLM movement decided to do what criminal organizations always do when their backs are against the wall. They took matters into their own hands and people lost their lives. This is what they do and rather than fighting back or looking to put these criminals in jail for the rest of their natural lives, our government seems not only not to care but they actively cover-up, defend, and enable the crimes committed by these animals. It seems crazy but it's true. This is not your grandfather's FBI, my friends.
It was good to have the Ev man come along with me when I went to pick up our turkey at Whole Foods. He stopped by as he sometimes does and off we went. We stopped to fill up his gas tank and we shared a chuckle when he went to fill his tank on my dime and he came up short. Of course, we didn't know that until he was back sitting in the car and I turned on the engine only to see that he didn't fill it up much beyond three quarter of a tank. I said to him, "Ev, when someone is paying for your gas make sure that you fill it up completely." "Keep filling it up after you hear the first click and stop after hearing the click for a second time." "That's how you do it, my friend."
We put a little air in his tires and then we were off to the market to pick up our Thanksgiving order. I never know if the Ev man is going to be in the mood to go into a store or not and yesterday was no exception. Nonetheless, he joined me and we went about our business inside the store of picking up our pre-ordered turkey, stuffing, and some little cranberry croissant type thingies that appealed to the missus. Our experience wasn't seamless and that surprised me a little bit. There seemed to be too many moving pieces. I should have known there was a problem when they handed me a buzzer that they promised would go off when my turkey was ready for pick-up. Spoiler alert : It didn't.
We had to make a stop here, there, and everywhere while in the store before our order was complete and ready to go. Maybe that was by design. Maybe they wanted us to do a little shopping in the store while we were there. If you have the customer in the store, you keep them there in the hopes that they will add even more things to their carts before they leave the store. Right? We did end up buying just one other thing so maybe there is some truth to what I'm postulating here.
As distracting as everything is in Whole Foods, due to the expansive variety of goods they sell, I was happy to help the Ev man focus just long enough on some ready-to-go honey glazed chicken nuggets that I thought he might want to have for lunch or dinner. Feedback after the fact tells me that he enjoyed the nuggets just as I thought he would so that's good. Not all of my recommendations pan out like that so adding one or more in a row to the plus column helps me stay in good stead with the Ev man. I don't see him returning to Whole Foods himself anytime soon but I'm more than happy to have him come along with me if he is so disposed. Hope springs eternal!
Mrs G gave a call last evening. She was tickled that her facility had put out tablecloths and flowers for the Thanksgiving feast and she couldn't have been happier about it. There hasn't been much of an opportunity to do any community dining in her facility due to the dreaded Covid over the last 12 months so bringing out the white tablecloths just in time for Thanksgiving was the bees knees. I'm not saying that community dining is back in spades but I am saying that management, for whatever reason, has decided to throw caution to the wind in order to restore some semblance of normality if only for the Thanksgiving holiday. Good for them. The residents, I mean.
The missus was busy as a beaver yesterday putting everything together for today's feast. She made her grandmother's pumpkin pie, a nice cranberry something with a recipe out of Cook's magazine, and she boiled a dozen eggs or so in order to make some deviled eggs. Who doesn't like whore derves? I think she surprised herself at just how busy she was and maybe how everything fell into place so nicely. I had to ask her later in the day if she had time to get in a little exercise since I know how important that is to her on any given day. She's up and out of bed early this morning asking about gravy boats and just how many potatoes she should be cooking in order to make the mashed potatoes.
We're expecting a little snow next week if the forecast that I'm looking at is on target. That means that I will be out and about in the yard today and tomorrow cleaning up the last vestiges of leaves that have taken refuge along the perimeter of our home. My new electric hedge trimmer is working like a charm so there's that. I just have to work a little harder to keep the cord away from the cutting blades since I've not been very successful at that thus far. We have some tall grasses that need clipping before the snow falls and this trimmer is just what the doctor ordered. You know me, everything has to be neat as a pin before the snow comes along. I won't tolerate stragglers. Grasses, I mean.
Did I mention that our turkey is a nice organic 11.5 pounder? It's just the right size. I usually get a bigger bird thinking that I'll make a soup or maybe have some left over for sandwiches but that has just never worked out so I'm going smaller this year. There's enough for the three of us and maybe some to set aside for seconds if someone is so inclined. Isn't a second seating a thing? I guess we'll see. We'll have other leftovers as well so I think we're more than good to go. I can't wait to see if this Whole Foods turkey purchase, along with the other things from the store, was the right choice for us. I guess I would say, so far, so good.
Fast forward 24 hours and Thanksgiving 2021 has come and gone. It was smashing success! Everything turned out just the way we'd hoped and, short of a couple of timing issues, we all sat down to a very nice Thanksgiving meal. We hardly had time to talk about the things that we should have been thankful for before we started eating the dinner. That's not the way it's supposed to work but sometimes the natural order of things goes haywire and you do what you can to restore order even if that means just moving on and hoping for the best. I think we all agreed that the purchases we made from Whole Foods were just perfect and, coming in a very close second, was Nancy's delicious homemade cranberry sauce.
The turkey was unbelievably good and it was cooked to perfection. I prefer a pop-up so I know when to yank the bird out of the oven but this particular 11-pounder had no such thing so I watched the clock according to instructions I read on the internet and it worked out just fine. I usually lather the bird with butter or margarine before putting it in the oven but read somewhere that vegetable oil was the better alternative. I also cooked the bird in the oven with the breast facing downward and that, according to yet one other article I read, allowed the juices to flow into the breast meat as it cooked. I'm not sure if I'd done things differently that it would have turned out any less tasty. It was destined to be good.
The financial markets are under pressure this morning either because the Fed heads announced their plans to double down on tapering and tapering sooner than expected, or, because there is now a new Covid-19 variant coming out of South Africa that is more contagious than the delta variant currently in circulation. It's funny how that works. As for the governments who are using the various variants to suppress and imprison their citizenry, the ends justify the means. It's the perfect tool for the tyrannical powers and the dictator wannabes who make it up as they go along all in the name of keeping people safe. "Two weeks to slow the spread" is so yesterday. Now, it's all about the children.
This couldn't have come at a worse time. The holiday shopping season is just now getting under way with Black Friday and whatever it is that comes along next Monday that involves technology. I can never remember what they call the Monday shopping extravaganza but it's the one holiday when I usually go online to pick up things like charging cords, flash memory, and other computer related accessories.
Sleepy Joe Biden's approval numbers are already in the thirties and if things really go south in a big way in the financial markets we might well see his approval ratings drop into the twenties. It's probably only a matter of time, maybe hours, before a Fed head steps up to the plate to announce QE infinity. And then, if the creek don't rise and the good lord's willin', we'll be off to the races once again. Let's hope that what they say about the "trend being your friend" is correct.
We're keeping an eye on the now seemingly seasonal Covid virus and it seems to be hitting the blue states fairly hard. This is not going to play well in the Adirondacks if Uncle Wally's Holiday bash gets postponed or otherwise delayed yet again due to the uptick in rates of either Covid related deaths orCovid related infections. We were all locked down last Christmas so his plans for his annual get together never got off the drawing board. We took it in stride, of course, being the dutiful brothers and sisters that we are since no one wanted to inadvertently give anyone else the dreaded virus.
I'm hearing that in some places in the UK the death rates are higher amongst the vaccinated under the age of 60 than that of the unvaccinated. So, not only can the vaccinated catch and transmit the virus, but they are also dying in greater numbers compared to their unvaccinated brethren. Tell me again why we have mandates in countries around the world to get vaccinated? Anyway, the new governor in New York state has implemented a ban on elective surgery in the state in order to keep hospital beds free for an anticipated uptick of cases due to the new virus coming out of South Africa. It's likely just more fear mongering and, coming from a blue state, no one should be surprised.
As of now, we're planning to attend Uncle Wally's bash. That said, trips to the Adirondacks in the middle of the winter are, as you may well imagine, already dicey and subject to last minute changes due to weather patterns. I don't know that the missus has some metric in mind when it comes to Covid death or infection rates where, if exceeded, she would want to cancel our trip but I'll need to discuss that with her some time soon. She's throwing a lot of numbers around these days that seem to suggest that she's becoming increasingly frightful but the absence of headlines for a few days might help to restore her sense of equilibrium when it comes to the mass hysteria around this demon of a virus.
God and Country
21/11/21 06:59
This will be the first time we're ordering our Thanksgiving turkey from Whole Foods Markets. We're usually barking up a few different trees in the weeks before the holiday trying to figure out where we're going to get our turkey. Do we want it order it from a local farm? Should it be an organic turkey or are we okay with a run of the mill garden variety bird straight off the shelves? I'm always concerned that the damn thing might be plumped up with brine or otherwise sullied and maybe not fit for human consumption. We definitely don't want a frozen bird.
These last two or three Thanksgivings we've picked up our bird from Trader Joe's. I think last year they had nothing but 15 pounders and none were an ounce less. How do they do that? We wanted a maybe 10 to 12 pounder but we had to suck it up and get the big bird or maybe have no bird at all. I froze as much of it as I could after all was said and done and eventually threw away the left-over frozen turkey after it sat in your freezer for some 6-8 months. I suppose I could have made a soup or a fricassee of some kind. Turkey and rice soup? Maybe.
I always have a bit of anxiety when the day comes to go pick up the turkey that we ordered. Will pickings be slim because I waited too long in the day to go pick up the bird? Will I end up with the runt of the litter because there was a run on the available birds thanks to news reports about either the scarcity of maybe the high price of turkeys this season? We've already been told to expect to pay more for our turkeys this Thanksgiving thanks to Joe Biden's runaway inflation so there's that. I long for the days when frozen Butterballs went for 29 cents a pound (not really.)
Like everything else that Amazon does, and by extension Whole Foods since Amazon owns Whole Foods, the process of ordering a holiday turkey and all of the accessories has been easy peasy. They put out a wonderful catalogue with all of their offerings and we had options up the wazoo. We could order a complete meal for party's of any size or we could order our items ala carte. I started out thinking that we'd order a complete meal for a change. Then, the thought of having to re-heat the turkey made me wonder if the bird might be a little less succulent or somehow less appealing to the eye if we went that route.
Finally, I decided that one of the things that I love about Thanksgiving is the smell you get in the house after roasting a turkey in the oven for the better part of four hours. That clinched the deal for me. We ordered a nice organic turkey, some butttery rolls, a pan of stuffing, and some other little cranberry crispy things that the missus thought we might enjoy. We plan to make everything else, including pies, deviled eggs and mashed potatoes, here at home. After placing our order online, we received an e-mail reply with instructions on how and when to pick up our items at the store. Like I said, easy peasy.
I'm listening to this progressive radio station on Sirius this morning and they are absolutely salivating at the thought of January 6th rioters, you may know them as the "insurrectionists", being put in jail. What is it about the leftists that they find so captivating, no pun intended, about putting people in jail. Not just any people, mind you, but god fearing conservatives or just republicans for that matter. They are cheering from the sidelines as these so-called rioters are stripped of their rights on everything from being able to own a gun to losing their right to vote. Don't kid yourself. That's one less vote or more for Donald Trump in 2024. This is how they win.
The Department of Justice can't arrest people fast enough for the leftists currently in charge in our nations capitol. Whether it's the rioters from January 6th, or maybe iconic warriors like Steve Bannon who ignore subpoenas from the January 6th Committee, the lefty's want them all in jail. This is their idea of exercising political power. One can easily imagine just how Stalin got away with it as you listen to these loons carrying on like this form of justice is normal. It's hilarious when you think about out how Trump was accused time and time again by the leftist mob of perverting our constitutional norms by following the letter of the law. "Hilarious" might be the wrong word.
Do you think we'll get a verdict today in the Rittenhouse trial? Will the leftist radicals riot in the streets if the jury returns a verdict of "not guilty" on all 5 counts? You just can't figure out where these types of things are going especially when a jury is involved. If I had to guess, I would think that they could come back with a hung jury. That is to say, there will be no consensus. The only reason I think that is that the instructions to the jury were very confusing. I listened very carefully to the judge as he gave them the instructions and I had a difficult time following his logic.
Today is the first full day that the jury is out for deliberation so I guess we'll see. If they come back quickly I would think that would be a good sign for the defense. The national guard has been put on full alert in Kenosha in the event that the leftists decide that they don't like the verdict for whatever reason. Make no mistake about it. These leftists planning to riot are effectively brownshirts doing the democrats bidding. How dare a vigilante like Kyle Rittenhouse rise up like a patriot and challenge their right to ravage whatever they damn well please whenever they damn well please. It's simply unacceptable.
If Rittenhouse is found innocent of the charges I hope he and every god fearing American patriot take to the streets of every city coast to coast and celebrate the return of the American patriot. Kyle will be the toast of the town and as well he should be. He stood up to the tyranny and turmoil of the left while his fellow patriots said nothing and offered little to no support while their cities were brought to their knees by these leftists thugs from Antifa and Black Lives Matters.
Our rights to self defense and our rights as citizens to take back our streets will be restored with a "not guilty" verdict. We will, hopefully, have Kyle Rittenhouse to thank for that. He bore the brunt and the slings and arrows of left so that all Americans might see what becomes of our justice system when it works as designed by our Founding Fathers. The message will be clear: It's okay to stand up for what you believe in America. It's okay to fight back against anything and everything we see as antithetical to our way of life here in America. Here's the bottom line: America is worth fighting for. America is worth dying for.
We need more, not fewer Kyle Rittenhouses. I'm not sure we need them accessorized with AR-15's but the ends do justify the means when all else fails. If it helps to save lives then that's what you do. It's all about God and country. Speaking of God and country, what the heck is going on with the Rittenhouse trial? This will be day number three of their deliberations. It should have taken them hours, not days to reach an "innocent of all charges" finding. And, what is this we're hearing about a video shared with the defense team by the prosecution that was somehow of lesser quality? We now have grounds for maybe three mistrials which the judge has yet to rule on. What's he waiting for?
I'm making progress with my chores around the house in preparation for the upcoming winter season. It's slow, but it's moving along. If I can look out at least one window in my home and see where I've raked something up or put something away for the winter then I think I'll have accomplished something. I do wish I had a cord of wood as a back-up in the event we have a cataclysmic event of sorts that sends the price of oil through the roof but I don't. I'm not sure why I didn't think of this sooner. I'm reading this morning about bumbling Joe Biden selling off our country's petroleum reserve to Asia. What the fuck? Closing down our country's oil pipelines wasn't enough?
Biden had the audacity to go to some trucking company in our country where he is on video smoking the tires and doing doughnuts in an electric truck. It's a fucking clown show! In case you wondered why Biden is shutting down our oil pipelines and driving up the price of gasoline and heating oil, it's all by design. I guess we're all supposed to be going out and buying electric cars and trucks now since only the wealthiest in our society can afford gasoline at the pump. Thanks to Biden, we are well on our way to a zero emissions environment. What's next? Cows? Burger joints? Methane is a killer. No? We can't get rid of these assholes fast enough.
It seemed like we were well on our way to facing vaccine mandates in the private sector at least as of a week go or so. It's one thing to mandate it for federal workers since it seems Biden has the authority to do that. It's quite another to try and mandate what we do with vaccines in the private sector. The courts agreed with the states that took Biden to court so the issue of vaccine mandates is currently not being pursued by OSHA. If it gets to the Supremes, I would hope that it would be a 9-0 win for life and liberty. It's judicial overreach any way you slice it.
I'm especially pleased with what our state is doing here in the Northeast as it relates to vaccine mandates. They seem to be on track to banning vaccine mandates by private companies. We're in good company with a number of other states who are putting similar legislation on the books. It takes a certain amount of courage to fight back against the rising tide of mandating this and that as it relates to Covid so I'm glad to see our governor and our attorney general rising to the occasion on behalf of their constituents. We're surrounded on all sides by liberal states who are doing just the opposite.
Speaking of rising tides, I went shopping for some sort of seafood the other night for dinner. I knew that the price of lobster has been going through the roof and that's been ongoing for the better part of the summer. Lobster wasn't on the menu anyway so it didn't much matter how much they were charging for it since I wasn't in the mood for lobster.
I thought a nice piece of whitefish or maybe scallops would do so that's what I had in mind when I set foot in my local seafood store. I was more than a little surprised to see that the price of local Maine bay scallops was $42 a pound. The sea scallops, which are larger and meatier, were $29 a pound. A few months back, you could buy them for $20 a pound. The price of fuel alone probably has a lot to do with the increase in price. Just wow.
I did a little comparison shopping at Whole Foods and found their prices to being line with my local store. I was feeling a little desperate at that point since I needed something to go with our roasted vegetables and meatloaf wasn't going to cut the mustard. Truth be told, the missus doesn't do meatloaf. I rationalized that we don't have seafood all that often, not because it's too expensive, but because it's not recommended that you have seafood more than twice a week.
You know, mercury, and all the other things that go bump in the night. Well, in this case, glow in the dark might be a more appropriate description. It didn't make me feel any better that the description on the tag read "previously frozen" but I figured that these scallops had come a long way and they might not have made the trip had they not been flash frozen. That's me rationalizing again. Hell, I can buy frozen seafood at Walmart for one quarter the price. It's all about trust.
Friday has finally arrived and the Rittenhouse jury is still out. The leftist network, MSNBC, was banned from the court room by the presiding judge after they tasked one of their employees with following the van that carries the jurists to and from the courthouse. What the hell were they thinking? I think the tipoff came after the car ran a red light while in pursuit of the van. What were their intentions, exactly?
There is no doubt that it was an obvious attempt to intimidate the jurists. Beyond that, was the MSNBC employee looking to follow one or more jurists to their home? Were they planning to tip off the Black Lives Matter and Antifa sorts as to where they might find one or more jurists if they were to return the wrong verdict? I tuned in the network briefly to see if there might be a mea culpa offered up by the network and I wasn't surprised that no one, and I mean no one, was even broaching they subject. This is who they are. This is what they do.
I need to start thinking about what I might like to buy come Black Friday. I need a couple of computer related things like chargers, etc, so maybe I'll get a list going. Hell, I think I still need things at the store for Thanksgiving. I was happy to see that the missus picked up a pie crust at Walmart yesterday and that's one less thing for me to have to buy. I don't do food shopping at Walmart for the most part but I can''t get too excited about the missus picking something up in the refrigerated section. It's just not that big of a deal.
I've had it in the back of my mind to get an oil change for Evan's "new" car. I keep looking at the dipstick to see if there is an obvious color change that comes with time behind the wheel. It's not yet turned dark but he's put some 3,000 miles or so on the car so I figured that I might as well do it since he was over for a visit and I had the time. I've been trying to figure out since he got his car as to what kind of oil the car uses. Is it synthetic? Is it non-synthetic? Is it a synthetic blend? I thought I had figured out that it was a blend so I that information on the tip of my tongue as I drove the car into the stall at the local Valvoline. It turns out that the car uses synthetic. Synthetic it is.
I've had other vehicles in for an oil change using synthetic oil and it came to roughly $80. So, when they told me that it was going to cost $124, I was a little surprised. Not so surprised that I wasn't willing to get my oil changed but surprised nonetheless. Besides, would it have been less expensive if I went some place else to get it changed? Where else would I go? Is this part and parcel of the inflation picture that we've been hearing so much about? I brought a coupon worth $14 so after factoring that into the equation, I was good to go with the oil change. I would imagine that sticker shock is here, there, and everywhere these days. Why should it be any different at Valvoline?
I knew this leaf clean-up job this year was going to be a big one and I wasn't wrong. The foliage seemed heavier than usual no matter where you looked over the course of the summer. I knew I'd be doing my raking in installments if I did any raking at all. When the leaves got knee-deep on our lawn, I raked up what I could while waiting for the remaining leaves to come down off the trees. The weather has been cooperating so that has been helpful. It's so much easier when the leaves aren't wet and matted to the ground so you wait, you wait some more, and then get to the job at hand when the leaves are dry and blowing about in a helter skelter pattern with every breeze that blows in.
I'm not anal about having a pristine lawn free of every last leaf come hell or high water but I do want, and do insist on, some semblance of orderliness when it comes to lawns and leaves especially in the days and weeks leading up to the first snowfall. I'm probably not all that different from Mr G, may god rest his soul, who liked and maybe even demanded a certain orderliness when it came to this, that, and the other thing. It was most obvious when you looked inside his garage where everything had its place and nothing was out of place. You could literally eat off of his garage floor. It was that clean.
But, I digress. Did I mention that they acquitted Kyle Rittenhouse on all five charges? YES! The left isn't happy with the verdict but fuck the left. This was the right call. Not sure what took them so long but deliberations can, I suspect, be a dirty business. Kyle stood while they read the findings and broke down only after the final verdict was read. The fella was facing life in prison for chrissakes so you can imagine his relief. Man, was that the right call putting him on the stand. He helped his own case in ways that are hard to quantify. He came across as a righteous young man who only wanted the best for his community and he was rewarded by a jury of his peers. They saw what we saw and it was all good.
The leftists raged and whined in the evening talking head shows and it was a delicious thing to watch. Many of them had to admit that the jury did its job even though they didn't approve of the verdict. That's fine. You're entitled to your opinion but you're not entitled to your facts. They felt that letting him off means that every Tom, Dick, and Harry can now carry an AR-15 into a situation where they put themselves and their lives at risk just so they can rattle off a few rounds and take a handful of lives and not face any consequences.
More irritating were the real psychos who said that had Kyle Rittenhouse been black the outcome would have been more dire. I hate it when people make those kinds of assertions. You can neither approve nor disprove them.
The Proud Boys may be standing watch at the Rittenhouse homestead this evening just to make sure that Kyle doesn't find himself fighting off one or more people who were unhappy or maybe apoplectic with the final verdict. There are a lot of nut jobs out there who would be just as happy to deliver their own justice in lieu of a verdict they weren't happy hearing.
I also hope the constabulary doesn't waste a Wisconsin minute before returning Kyle's AR-15. He may need it. I'm hearing that Tucker Carlson is planing to have him on for an interview on Monday night so I'm looking forward to that. Not because I think he has a lot of wisdom to impart but rather to simply take my own measure of Kyle Rittenhouse the man. I'm already a fanboy so there's that.
These last two or three Thanksgivings we've picked up our bird from Trader Joe's. I think last year they had nothing but 15 pounders and none were an ounce less. How do they do that? We wanted a maybe 10 to 12 pounder but we had to suck it up and get the big bird or maybe have no bird at all. I froze as much of it as I could after all was said and done and eventually threw away the left-over frozen turkey after it sat in your freezer for some 6-8 months. I suppose I could have made a soup or a fricassee of some kind. Turkey and rice soup? Maybe.
I always have a bit of anxiety when the day comes to go pick up the turkey that we ordered. Will pickings be slim because I waited too long in the day to go pick up the bird? Will I end up with the runt of the litter because there was a run on the available birds thanks to news reports about either the scarcity of maybe the high price of turkeys this season? We've already been told to expect to pay more for our turkeys this Thanksgiving thanks to Joe Biden's runaway inflation so there's that. I long for the days when frozen Butterballs went for 29 cents a pound (not really.)
Like everything else that Amazon does, and by extension Whole Foods since Amazon owns Whole Foods, the process of ordering a holiday turkey and all of the accessories has been easy peasy. They put out a wonderful catalogue with all of their offerings and we had options up the wazoo. We could order a complete meal for party's of any size or we could order our items ala carte. I started out thinking that we'd order a complete meal for a change. Then, the thought of having to re-heat the turkey made me wonder if the bird might be a little less succulent or somehow less appealing to the eye if we went that route.
Finally, I decided that one of the things that I love about Thanksgiving is the smell you get in the house after roasting a turkey in the oven for the better part of four hours. That clinched the deal for me. We ordered a nice organic turkey, some butttery rolls, a pan of stuffing, and some other little cranberry crispy things that the missus thought we might enjoy. We plan to make everything else, including pies, deviled eggs and mashed potatoes, here at home. After placing our order online, we received an e-mail reply with instructions on how and when to pick up our items at the store. Like I said, easy peasy.
I'm listening to this progressive radio station on Sirius this morning and they are absolutely salivating at the thought of January 6th rioters, you may know them as the "insurrectionists", being put in jail. What is it about the leftists that they find so captivating, no pun intended, about putting people in jail. Not just any people, mind you, but god fearing conservatives or just republicans for that matter. They are cheering from the sidelines as these so-called rioters are stripped of their rights on everything from being able to own a gun to losing their right to vote. Don't kid yourself. That's one less vote or more for Donald Trump in 2024. This is how they win.
The Department of Justice can't arrest people fast enough for the leftists currently in charge in our nations capitol. Whether it's the rioters from January 6th, or maybe iconic warriors like Steve Bannon who ignore subpoenas from the January 6th Committee, the lefty's want them all in jail. This is their idea of exercising political power. One can easily imagine just how Stalin got away with it as you listen to these loons carrying on like this form of justice is normal. It's hilarious when you think about out how Trump was accused time and time again by the leftist mob of perverting our constitutional norms by following the letter of the law. "Hilarious" might be the wrong word.
Do you think we'll get a verdict today in the Rittenhouse trial? Will the leftist radicals riot in the streets if the jury returns a verdict of "not guilty" on all 5 counts? You just can't figure out where these types of things are going especially when a jury is involved. If I had to guess, I would think that they could come back with a hung jury. That is to say, there will be no consensus. The only reason I think that is that the instructions to the jury were very confusing. I listened very carefully to the judge as he gave them the instructions and I had a difficult time following his logic.
Today is the first full day that the jury is out for deliberation so I guess we'll see. If they come back quickly I would think that would be a good sign for the defense. The national guard has been put on full alert in Kenosha in the event that the leftists decide that they don't like the verdict for whatever reason. Make no mistake about it. These leftists planning to riot are effectively brownshirts doing the democrats bidding. How dare a vigilante like Kyle Rittenhouse rise up like a patriot and challenge their right to ravage whatever they damn well please whenever they damn well please. It's simply unacceptable.
If Rittenhouse is found innocent of the charges I hope he and every god fearing American patriot take to the streets of every city coast to coast and celebrate the return of the American patriot. Kyle will be the toast of the town and as well he should be. He stood up to the tyranny and turmoil of the left while his fellow patriots said nothing and offered little to no support while their cities were brought to their knees by these leftists thugs from Antifa and Black Lives Matters.
Our rights to self defense and our rights as citizens to take back our streets will be restored with a "not guilty" verdict. We will, hopefully, have Kyle Rittenhouse to thank for that. He bore the brunt and the slings and arrows of left so that all Americans might see what becomes of our justice system when it works as designed by our Founding Fathers. The message will be clear: It's okay to stand up for what you believe in America. It's okay to fight back against anything and everything we see as antithetical to our way of life here in America. Here's the bottom line: America is worth fighting for. America is worth dying for.
We need more, not fewer Kyle Rittenhouses. I'm not sure we need them accessorized with AR-15's but the ends do justify the means when all else fails. If it helps to save lives then that's what you do. It's all about God and country. Speaking of God and country, what the heck is going on with the Rittenhouse trial? This will be day number three of their deliberations. It should have taken them hours, not days to reach an "innocent of all charges" finding. And, what is this we're hearing about a video shared with the defense team by the prosecution that was somehow of lesser quality? We now have grounds for maybe three mistrials which the judge has yet to rule on. What's he waiting for?
I'm making progress with my chores around the house in preparation for the upcoming winter season. It's slow, but it's moving along. If I can look out at least one window in my home and see where I've raked something up or put something away for the winter then I think I'll have accomplished something. I do wish I had a cord of wood as a back-up in the event we have a cataclysmic event of sorts that sends the price of oil through the roof but I don't. I'm not sure why I didn't think of this sooner. I'm reading this morning about bumbling Joe Biden selling off our country's petroleum reserve to Asia. What the fuck? Closing down our country's oil pipelines wasn't enough?
Biden had the audacity to go to some trucking company in our country where he is on video smoking the tires and doing doughnuts in an electric truck. It's a fucking clown show! In case you wondered why Biden is shutting down our oil pipelines and driving up the price of gasoline and heating oil, it's all by design. I guess we're all supposed to be going out and buying electric cars and trucks now since only the wealthiest in our society can afford gasoline at the pump. Thanks to Biden, we are well on our way to a zero emissions environment. What's next? Cows? Burger joints? Methane is a killer. No? We can't get rid of these assholes fast enough.
It seemed like we were well on our way to facing vaccine mandates in the private sector at least as of a week go or so. It's one thing to mandate it for federal workers since it seems Biden has the authority to do that. It's quite another to try and mandate what we do with vaccines in the private sector. The courts agreed with the states that took Biden to court so the issue of vaccine mandates is currently not being pursued by OSHA. If it gets to the Supremes, I would hope that it would be a 9-0 win for life and liberty. It's judicial overreach any way you slice it.
I'm especially pleased with what our state is doing here in the Northeast as it relates to vaccine mandates. They seem to be on track to banning vaccine mandates by private companies. We're in good company with a number of other states who are putting similar legislation on the books. It takes a certain amount of courage to fight back against the rising tide of mandating this and that as it relates to Covid so I'm glad to see our governor and our attorney general rising to the occasion on behalf of their constituents. We're surrounded on all sides by liberal states who are doing just the opposite.
Speaking of rising tides, I went shopping for some sort of seafood the other night for dinner. I knew that the price of lobster has been going through the roof and that's been ongoing for the better part of the summer. Lobster wasn't on the menu anyway so it didn't much matter how much they were charging for it since I wasn't in the mood for lobster.
I thought a nice piece of whitefish or maybe scallops would do so that's what I had in mind when I set foot in my local seafood store. I was more than a little surprised to see that the price of local Maine bay scallops was $42 a pound. The sea scallops, which are larger and meatier, were $29 a pound. A few months back, you could buy them for $20 a pound. The price of fuel alone probably has a lot to do with the increase in price. Just wow.
I did a little comparison shopping at Whole Foods and found their prices to being line with my local store. I was feeling a little desperate at that point since I needed something to go with our roasted vegetables and meatloaf wasn't going to cut the mustard. Truth be told, the missus doesn't do meatloaf. I rationalized that we don't have seafood all that often, not because it's too expensive, but because it's not recommended that you have seafood more than twice a week.
You know, mercury, and all the other things that go bump in the night. Well, in this case, glow in the dark might be a more appropriate description. It didn't make me feel any better that the description on the tag read "previously frozen" but I figured that these scallops had come a long way and they might not have made the trip had they not been flash frozen. That's me rationalizing again. Hell, I can buy frozen seafood at Walmart for one quarter the price. It's all about trust.
Friday has finally arrived and the Rittenhouse jury is still out. The leftist network, MSNBC, was banned from the court room by the presiding judge after they tasked one of their employees with following the van that carries the jurists to and from the courthouse. What the hell were they thinking? I think the tipoff came after the car ran a red light while in pursuit of the van. What were their intentions, exactly?
There is no doubt that it was an obvious attempt to intimidate the jurists. Beyond that, was the MSNBC employee looking to follow one or more jurists to their home? Were they planning to tip off the Black Lives Matter and Antifa sorts as to where they might find one or more jurists if they were to return the wrong verdict? I tuned in the network briefly to see if there might be a mea culpa offered up by the network and I wasn't surprised that no one, and I mean no one, was even broaching they subject. This is who they are. This is what they do.
I need to start thinking about what I might like to buy come Black Friday. I need a couple of computer related things like chargers, etc, so maybe I'll get a list going. Hell, I think I still need things at the store for Thanksgiving. I was happy to see that the missus picked up a pie crust at Walmart yesterday and that's one less thing for me to have to buy. I don't do food shopping at Walmart for the most part but I can''t get too excited about the missus picking something up in the refrigerated section. It's just not that big of a deal.
I've had it in the back of my mind to get an oil change for Evan's "new" car. I keep looking at the dipstick to see if there is an obvious color change that comes with time behind the wheel. It's not yet turned dark but he's put some 3,000 miles or so on the car so I figured that I might as well do it since he was over for a visit and I had the time. I've been trying to figure out since he got his car as to what kind of oil the car uses. Is it synthetic? Is it non-synthetic? Is it a synthetic blend? I thought I had figured out that it was a blend so I that information on the tip of my tongue as I drove the car into the stall at the local Valvoline. It turns out that the car uses synthetic. Synthetic it is.
I've had other vehicles in for an oil change using synthetic oil and it came to roughly $80. So, when they told me that it was going to cost $124, I was a little surprised. Not so surprised that I wasn't willing to get my oil changed but surprised nonetheless. Besides, would it have been less expensive if I went some place else to get it changed? Where else would I go? Is this part and parcel of the inflation picture that we've been hearing so much about? I brought a coupon worth $14 so after factoring that into the equation, I was good to go with the oil change. I would imagine that sticker shock is here, there, and everywhere these days. Why should it be any different at Valvoline?
I knew this leaf clean-up job this year was going to be a big one and I wasn't wrong. The foliage seemed heavier than usual no matter where you looked over the course of the summer. I knew I'd be doing my raking in installments if I did any raking at all. When the leaves got knee-deep on our lawn, I raked up what I could while waiting for the remaining leaves to come down off the trees. The weather has been cooperating so that has been helpful. It's so much easier when the leaves aren't wet and matted to the ground so you wait, you wait some more, and then get to the job at hand when the leaves are dry and blowing about in a helter skelter pattern with every breeze that blows in.
I'm not anal about having a pristine lawn free of every last leaf come hell or high water but I do want, and do insist on, some semblance of orderliness when it comes to lawns and leaves especially in the days and weeks leading up to the first snowfall. I'm probably not all that different from Mr G, may god rest his soul, who liked and maybe even demanded a certain orderliness when it came to this, that, and the other thing. It was most obvious when you looked inside his garage where everything had its place and nothing was out of place. You could literally eat off of his garage floor. It was that clean.
But, I digress. Did I mention that they acquitted Kyle Rittenhouse on all five charges? YES! The left isn't happy with the verdict but fuck the left. This was the right call. Not sure what took them so long but deliberations can, I suspect, be a dirty business. Kyle stood while they read the findings and broke down only after the final verdict was read. The fella was facing life in prison for chrissakes so you can imagine his relief. Man, was that the right call putting him on the stand. He helped his own case in ways that are hard to quantify. He came across as a righteous young man who only wanted the best for his community and he was rewarded by a jury of his peers. They saw what we saw and it was all good.
The leftists raged and whined in the evening talking head shows and it was a delicious thing to watch. Many of them had to admit that the jury did its job even though they didn't approve of the verdict. That's fine. You're entitled to your opinion but you're not entitled to your facts. They felt that letting him off means that every Tom, Dick, and Harry can now carry an AR-15 into a situation where they put themselves and their lives at risk just so they can rattle off a few rounds and take a handful of lives and not face any consequences.
More irritating were the real psychos who said that had Kyle Rittenhouse been black the outcome would have been more dire. I hate it when people make those kinds of assertions. You can neither approve nor disprove them.
The Proud Boys may be standing watch at the Rittenhouse homestead this evening just to make sure that Kyle doesn't find himself fighting off one or more people who were unhappy or maybe apoplectic with the final verdict. There are a lot of nut jobs out there who would be just as happy to deliver their own justice in lieu of a verdict they weren't happy hearing.
I also hope the constabulary doesn't waste a Wisconsin minute before returning Kyle's AR-15. He may need it. I'm hearing that Tucker Carlson is planing to have him on for an interview on Monday night so I'm looking forward to that. Not because I think he has a lot of wisdom to impart but rather to simply take my own measure of Kyle Rittenhouse the man. I'm already a fanboy so there's that.
Don't Get Brazen With Me
14/11/21 06:55
So, the dems passed their "infrastructure" bill with the help of a handful of republicans in the House. It's just a real "what the fuck" moment for our republic. It's a trillion dollar boondoggle of a bill that has, at best, 10% for real infrastructure. The rest is a hodgepodge of woke bullshit and a down payment on the Green New Deal. Bumbling Biden has a 38% approval rating and was seriously on the ropes in the days and weeks leading up to the passage of this bill. Failure to get it over the finish line would have been the final straw. A death knell by any other account.
I'm not sure what this means for the Build Back Better bill that Biden and his cronies will try to push through in the next two weeks. It's more of the same, but worse. Is our country not already in enough debt? How does one climb out of a 30 trillion dollar black hole of debt? They are never going to be able to stop printing money in order to pay for all of this. That means more inflation, interest rates at or below zero which will hurt the moms and dads living on Main Street with their nest eggs earning nothing, and we'll be a third world country before all is said and done. I think that's the plan.
There is a lot of talk in and around Washington about just how many seats the democrats will lose in the House come next November. It could be a complete rout (60 seats?) and that would not be unusual for a new president's first term. They come into office promising the moon and when they deliver less than what they've promised, it's Katy bar the door for his party in both the House and the Senate. I'm up for anything that puts a crimp in the democrats agenda. We just need the majority and then some. Those Senate seats will be critical as well so I'm counting on candidates like Herschel Walker in Georgia and others to win.
It all seems so far away at the moment but we all know how time flies. Did I mention that my Covid test came back negative? All of that ballyhoo for nothing. Here's the problem. I had a bit of a cold and maybe a bit of congestion in the chest which I haven't been able to shake. Do you think I'm the only person on the face of the planet with these types of symptoms? And what, we all need to march down to our local pharmacy so we can get tested for Covid-19? Oh, and we're not supposed to leave our homes or hug our spouses until we get the test results back? It's sheer lunacy for sure.
This is what we've been reduced to in the age of Covid. We are scared of our own shadows for chrissakes. If we're not scared of our own shadows, then we should be or that is what the medical professionals are telling us. This is really a tale of two pandemics when you consider the fact that half of us think it's nothing more that a seasonal bug that puts the most frail in our society at risk but is not otherwise fatal. The other half are fear mongering mothers who want to put a jab in every arm they see and they want a society that treats the unvaccinated like pariahs.
I don't think I have my head around this Marxist revolution that is currently underway in our country. I think I need to read up on what it all means. I used to think that Marxism was simply the redistribution of wealth within our society. Didn't Karl Marx call for the common man to control the means of production? You know, take it out of the hands of the elite and put it into the hands of the proletariat. Maybe it is a rising up of the working man against the wealth makers who, according to Marxist philosophy, have historically exploited the lower classes of the working man under the system of capitalism. I am just so in the dark.
How can you fight back against something when you aren't even clear-eyed about what's happening in real time? The voters in Virginia sure found a way to do that when they took exception to Critical Race Theory being taught to their children in school. I was up in the middle of the night last night listening to a man on the radio who left the Armed Services in our country because the leadership of the Armed Services has introduced a certain "woke-ism" into the culture. They are now more concerned about racial equity, diversity, and inclusion than they are in preparing the men and women in their ranks to do what they signed up to do: Protect America's interests both domestically and abroad.
Mark Levin has written a book entitled "American Marxism" which may help me understand all of this a little better. I wonder if my local library carries a copy of Levin's book. If I had to guess, I would say that it's a long shot. The schools, and I suppose libraries by extension, are vectors for this nefarious ideology and it's in their best interests to silence any and all opposition. Levin was actually talking last night about some nominee for a post of sorts in the Biden Administration who, if she passed muster in the Senate, would set about closing down conservative voices like FOX, etc.
The lawlessness of the Biden Administration continues. A federal appeals court put a hold on Biden's latest attempt to force vaccines on the general public. I think they said something about Biden's bullshit mandate as a threat to the rule of law or maybe a grave threat to the constitution. Nonetheless, Biden and his minions are pushing forward with their mandate in the face of the court's ruling.
Can you imagine if Trump had thumbed his nose at the court's ruling like this? He's a dictator! He's a fascist! But it's Biden, so it's fucking crickets in the Main Street media. He's betting on this getting tied up in the courts and, with time on his side, he can get buy-in from the woke corporations before the Supreme Court steps in to set the record straight. The lower courts need to step in now and exert their constitutional authority over the tyranny of the Biden Administration.
We are a nation of laws and Biden and his lackies needs to be taken to task for their brazen disregard for the law. Maybe the FBI can take time away from frisking the purveyor of Ashley Biden's diary long enough to do the jobs that they have been tasked with doing. Someone in Biden's inner circle needs to go to jail. As for the diary, do you think there is any truth to the story about her taking showers with her father? How sick is that?
Her father, of course, is Joe Biden. Yes, I'm referring to the president, albeit an illegitimate president, of the United States. Knowing what we know about his alleged rape of Tara Reid, not to mention the many cringe worthy photos of Biden and children that we've all seen over the years on the internet, nothing would surprise me. The fact that Biden is beyond the reach of the law for these and other alleged crimes just because he is president makes his presidency more of a dictatorship than a garden variety one or two term president. It doesn't help that he can't be impeached since his political party, at least for the time being, is in the majority in our nation's capitol.
I've taken a passing interest in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial currently underway in Wisconsin. He's the baby-faced 17-year old who decided that he was going to cross state lines with his AR-15 and, come hell or high water, would help to protect the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin, from the hordes of marauding Antifa and Black Lives Matters rioters who were in the process of laying waste to the city.
He ended up killing two men and injuring one other allegedly in self-defense. The Main Street Media crowd made him out to be the poster boy for white supremacy and vigilanteism. Biden referred to him, and this is really disgusting, as a White Nationalist. It didn't matter that his victims were white. This would be the hill they chose the die on. Juries be damned, he's guilty as charged. None of the criminals laying waste to the city that night got so much as a traffic ticket but the one young man looking to protect his community has to go to jail for his actions. Got it.
There is only one problem. The evidence given thus far would seem to point to the fact that he acted not in a ruthless and irresponsible way but in self defense the night he shot and killed his attackers. The George Floyd contingent is having none of it and is, as I understand it, they are threatening to once again lay waste to the city of Kenosha if Mr Rittenhouse is found innocent. This time, we can only hope that the local constabulary doesn't stand idly by while their city is once again ravaged, it's stores looted and burned to the ground, all while the criminals run in and out of the burning stores carrying big screen televisions and other goods.
This is what they do. This is who they are. They don't refer to them as Biden's brownshirts for nothing. So, this is where it gets interesting. Does the jury in this case do the right thing and render a verdict that is supported by the evidence? Or, do they bow to the pressure and intimidation of the mob and find him guilty?
So compelling has the evidence been that a directed verdict should have been rendered once it was well established by the testimony in court that Mr Rittenhouse acted in self defense. Since that didn't happen, Mr Rittenhouse's fate will now rest in the hands of the jury. I'm not sure where they are in terms of final arguments, etc., but I believe both sides have presented their cases so the end may be near.
Oh, and Kyle Rittenhouse has not been able to raise any funds for his defense on platforms like GoFundMe and Venmo since they have bowed to the mob and declared him ineligible given his so-called white nationalist bona fides. Big Tech strikes again. There are actually stories out there about people who have lost their jobs or have otherwise been penalized for making a pittance of a donation to support the defense of one Kyle Rittenhouse. Again, this is the mob doing what the mob does. Where do I send my check? This has got to stop!
Some have suggested that the best result or outcome of this trial would be if the judge declared a mistrial (with prejudice.) The prosecution has actually done more to facilitate an outcome of this sort and maybe they too are thinking that Rittenhouse getting off on a technicality would put an end to a case that should have never ended up in court. I will admit to enjoying the histrionics of the judge as he lambasted the prosecution time and time again for alleged judicial improprieties. Something tells me that this particular judge has more in common with the local deer hunters than he does with the leftist loons pushing for a guilty verdict for the young man standing trial. We''ll see.
I'm reading this morning about the presidential election in Nicaragua and how it was a veritable blowout for the winner, one Daniel Ortega. If you read the fine print, you'll notice that all of his opponents in the race were put in jail by Ortega. That's how these mother fuckers roll in the countries south of the border. You might also notice that this is what they are trying to do with Donald J Trump since he poses what they would deem to be an existentialist threat to the stranglehold that the democrats now have on power in our government. The pretext, as you might imagine, is the January 6th "insurrection." I'm guessing their two sham impeachments didn't get the job done. He's still standing.
Whether or not Trump is the hands-on favorite to get the nomination is a good question. He's still the lead dog and you know what they say about lead dogs: If you're not the lead dog, the view is always the same. All kidding aside, Trump's MAGA movement is alive and well much to the consternation of the leftists. If he wants this, and I'm talking about the nomination, it's his for the taking. Who wouldn't love to see him on the stage making mincemeat of his opponents in ways that only Trump can? Just knowing what we know about how Biden has torn and continues to tear our country apart, who in their right mind wouldn't be looking for someone to make things sane again?
The missus and I skedaddled up Maine way yesterday on a lark. We got out of the house around 11 and we were walking the streets of Portland, Maine by 1 or so. It was a pristine fall day with colors that you only see in New England laid out by Mother Nature herself, the penultimate impressionist. Hats and gloves were good but not necessary in order to stay warm but we brought what we needed just in case. We stopped into a restaurant in downtown Portland which we've passed a thousand times but never went into for whatever reason. It certainly didn't hurt that as we were passing by street side we watched as diners were being served and the food looked, well, exquisite.
It never fails. We go into a restaurant and the host or hostess tries to seat us in an out-of-the-way spot while more cheerful spots are clearly available. Something, anything, near the windows where we can watch the world go by out-of-doors would be nice. You know, where most of the other patrons are already seated and whom, to a person, look very pleased with their good fortune in having secured such a seat. I assured the missus that there was some waitress or waiter who drew the short straw in being assigned a section of less than desirable seating and they too deserved customers like us who maybe wouldn't object to being treated like second class citizens.
We haven't quite figured out what it is about us that has hostesses and the like thinking along these lines but we were reminded once again of our less than good fortune when they attempted to tuck us away in a dark corner of the restaurant. We were having none of it. We haven't stepped into a restaurant since before this pandemic thing began. Now that we're open to it we're going to insist that our first experience be a positive one. That means getting what we want and not settling for anything less. They either want our business or they don't. We are likely part and parcel of a larger swath of the population who, now that the pandemic seems to be doing less ebbing than flowing, want to get back to doing things like going out to restaurants.
We got the seats we wanted and all was well with the world. The missus got to face the windows looking out onto the streets of downtown Portland with cushioned seating that is almost always a prerequisite these days. My view was toward the rear of the restaurant with the kitchen clearly in view although some distance away. The seats that we were initially offered, and which we graciously declined, were filled soon enough with patrons who looked none the wiser for having accepted their assigned seats. Maybe they came for the food and not the ambience. We wanted both and we wanted both in spades.
I didn't much care for the fact that employees in the restaurant were wearing masks. I cared less about those not waiting on us but having our waitress wear a mask while communicating with us was something of a surreal experience. Missing were the usual smiles, the quirky grimaces, the give and take of expressions that don't involve vocalizations, and eyes that don't feel the need to compensate for that which the mouth should be communicating. It made me less interested than usual in engaging in the typical banter that I'm accustomed to when people take my order table side.
Maybe that meant forgoing discussion of substitutions or other niceties that go along with any normal dining experience. With the mask covering half her face, I found myself pointing to my menu when it was my turn to order. I'm not sure I would have gone there had she not been wearing a mask. Maybe, had she her druthers, she wouldn't be wearing a mask either so there's that.
She also seemed more of an indentured servant than a free wheeling waitress while wearing a mask and that maybe had me feeling more sympathetic towards her so-called "plight." The 20% tip I left at the end of the meal, as I sit here this morning thinking about it, was probably not nearly enough to compensate her for the humiliation she suffered at having to mask up while her customers ate, drank, and did so merrily without having to wear masks.
Just to go on the record, I would have been just fine had she not worn a mask while waiting on our table. Her dignity, assuming that that's what we're talking about here, would have been more important to me than some half cocked notion that we're all going to die if and when we contract the virus. Fuck that! Bring me another stein, wench!
I mentioned to the missus there seemed to be a difference in the look and feel of the pandemic in Maine compared to New Hampshire, or at least on the streets that we were walking in downtown Portland, that was palpable. I think that I was thinking that Maine was maybe where New Hampshire was a few months ago. In other words, here in New Hampshire you see far fewer people wearing masks than we did yesterday in Portland. There were far more stores in downtown Portland that required patrons to mask up and you see almost no stores here in New Hampshire asking the same of their patrons even today. It was like taking a step back in time. It was just weird.
Some national chains, like Starbucks, whose doors were open in downtown Portland to customers while a local coffee shop just across the street from Starbucks, seemed stuck in mire of the pandemic and left their doors closed while serving customers from a take-out window on the side of the building. I wasn't necessarily wanting to sit down in a crowded coffee shop while the missus did a little shopping but it's good to have choices. Anyway, most stores seemed to be open in Portland and I couldn't really tell if any stores were not open due to staffing shortages. Some businesses were boarded up in the downtown area, likely unfortunate victims of the pandemic.
Next week, all eyes are on Kenosha. Oh, and we'll see if this Build Back Better bullshit advances in Congress. Did I mention they put out an arrest warrant for Steve Bannon? You know, Mr War room himself? He'll be going before a Trump elected judge on Monday when he is expected to turn himself in. There is a hue and a cry out in the liberal media to lock up Bannon and every other son of a bitch in the Trump orbit who defies the subpoena's issued by the January 6th Committee in Congress. I'm calling for him to be released on his own recognizance. Suck on that, libs.
I'm not sure what this means for the Build Back Better bill that Biden and his cronies will try to push through in the next two weeks. It's more of the same, but worse. Is our country not already in enough debt? How does one climb out of a 30 trillion dollar black hole of debt? They are never going to be able to stop printing money in order to pay for all of this. That means more inflation, interest rates at or below zero which will hurt the moms and dads living on Main Street with their nest eggs earning nothing, and we'll be a third world country before all is said and done. I think that's the plan.
There is a lot of talk in and around Washington about just how many seats the democrats will lose in the House come next November. It could be a complete rout (60 seats?) and that would not be unusual for a new president's first term. They come into office promising the moon and when they deliver less than what they've promised, it's Katy bar the door for his party in both the House and the Senate. I'm up for anything that puts a crimp in the democrats agenda. We just need the majority and then some. Those Senate seats will be critical as well so I'm counting on candidates like Herschel Walker in Georgia and others to win.
It all seems so far away at the moment but we all know how time flies. Did I mention that my Covid test came back negative? All of that ballyhoo for nothing. Here's the problem. I had a bit of a cold and maybe a bit of congestion in the chest which I haven't been able to shake. Do you think I'm the only person on the face of the planet with these types of symptoms? And what, we all need to march down to our local pharmacy so we can get tested for Covid-19? Oh, and we're not supposed to leave our homes or hug our spouses until we get the test results back? It's sheer lunacy for sure.
This is what we've been reduced to in the age of Covid. We are scared of our own shadows for chrissakes. If we're not scared of our own shadows, then we should be or that is what the medical professionals are telling us. This is really a tale of two pandemics when you consider the fact that half of us think it's nothing more that a seasonal bug that puts the most frail in our society at risk but is not otherwise fatal. The other half are fear mongering mothers who want to put a jab in every arm they see and they want a society that treats the unvaccinated like pariahs.
I don't think I have my head around this Marxist revolution that is currently underway in our country. I think I need to read up on what it all means. I used to think that Marxism was simply the redistribution of wealth within our society. Didn't Karl Marx call for the common man to control the means of production? You know, take it out of the hands of the elite and put it into the hands of the proletariat. Maybe it is a rising up of the working man against the wealth makers who, according to Marxist philosophy, have historically exploited the lower classes of the working man under the system of capitalism. I am just so in the dark.
How can you fight back against something when you aren't even clear-eyed about what's happening in real time? The voters in Virginia sure found a way to do that when they took exception to Critical Race Theory being taught to their children in school. I was up in the middle of the night last night listening to a man on the radio who left the Armed Services in our country because the leadership of the Armed Services has introduced a certain "woke-ism" into the culture. They are now more concerned about racial equity, diversity, and inclusion than they are in preparing the men and women in their ranks to do what they signed up to do: Protect America's interests both domestically and abroad.
Mark Levin has written a book entitled "American Marxism" which may help me understand all of this a little better. I wonder if my local library carries a copy of Levin's book. If I had to guess, I would say that it's a long shot. The schools, and I suppose libraries by extension, are vectors for this nefarious ideology and it's in their best interests to silence any and all opposition. Levin was actually talking last night about some nominee for a post of sorts in the Biden Administration who, if she passed muster in the Senate, would set about closing down conservative voices like FOX, etc.
The lawlessness of the Biden Administration continues. A federal appeals court put a hold on Biden's latest attempt to force vaccines on the general public. I think they said something about Biden's bullshit mandate as a threat to the rule of law or maybe a grave threat to the constitution. Nonetheless, Biden and his minions are pushing forward with their mandate in the face of the court's ruling.
Can you imagine if Trump had thumbed his nose at the court's ruling like this? He's a dictator! He's a fascist! But it's Biden, so it's fucking crickets in the Main Street media. He's betting on this getting tied up in the courts and, with time on his side, he can get buy-in from the woke corporations before the Supreme Court steps in to set the record straight. The lower courts need to step in now and exert their constitutional authority over the tyranny of the Biden Administration.
We are a nation of laws and Biden and his lackies needs to be taken to task for their brazen disregard for the law. Maybe the FBI can take time away from frisking the purveyor of Ashley Biden's diary long enough to do the jobs that they have been tasked with doing. Someone in Biden's inner circle needs to go to jail. As for the diary, do you think there is any truth to the story about her taking showers with her father? How sick is that?
Her father, of course, is Joe Biden. Yes, I'm referring to the president, albeit an illegitimate president, of the United States. Knowing what we know about his alleged rape of Tara Reid, not to mention the many cringe worthy photos of Biden and children that we've all seen over the years on the internet, nothing would surprise me. The fact that Biden is beyond the reach of the law for these and other alleged crimes just because he is president makes his presidency more of a dictatorship than a garden variety one or two term president. It doesn't help that he can't be impeached since his political party, at least for the time being, is in the majority in our nation's capitol.
I've taken a passing interest in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial currently underway in Wisconsin. He's the baby-faced 17-year old who decided that he was going to cross state lines with his AR-15 and, come hell or high water, would help to protect the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin, from the hordes of marauding Antifa and Black Lives Matters rioters who were in the process of laying waste to the city.
He ended up killing two men and injuring one other allegedly in self-defense. The Main Street Media crowd made him out to be the poster boy for white supremacy and vigilanteism. Biden referred to him, and this is really disgusting, as a White Nationalist. It didn't matter that his victims were white. This would be the hill they chose the die on. Juries be damned, he's guilty as charged. None of the criminals laying waste to the city that night got so much as a traffic ticket but the one young man looking to protect his community has to go to jail for his actions. Got it.
There is only one problem. The evidence given thus far would seem to point to the fact that he acted not in a ruthless and irresponsible way but in self defense the night he shot and killed his attackers. The George Floyd contingent is having none of it and is, as I understand it, they are threatening to once again lay waste to the city of Kenosha if Mr Rittenhouse is found innocent. This time, we can only hope that the local constabulary doesn't stand idly by while their city is once again ravaged, it's stores looted and burned to the ground, all while the criminals run in and out of the burning stores carrying big screen televisions and other goods.
This is what they do. This is who they are. They don't refer to them as Biden's brownshirts for nothing. So, this is where it gets interesting. Does the jury in this case do the right thing and render a verdict that is supported by the evidence? Or, do they bow to the pressure and intimidation of the mob and find him guilty?
So compelling has the evidence been that a directed verdict should have been rendered once it was well established by the testimony in court that Mr Rittenhouse acted in self defense. Since that didn't happen, Mr Rittenhouse's fate will now rest in the hands of the jury. I'm not sure where they are in terms of final arguments, etc., but I believe both sides have presented their cases so the end may be near.
Oh, and Kyle Rittenhouse has not been able to raise any funds for his defense on platforms like GoFundMe and Venmo since they have bowed to the mob and declared him ineligible given his so-called white nationalist bona fides. Big Tech strikes again. There are actually stories out there about people who have lost their jobs or have otherwise been penalized for making a pittance of a donation to support the defense of one Kyle Rittenhouse. Again, this is the mob doing what the mob does. Where do I send my check? This has got to stop!
Some have suggested that the best result or outcome of this trial would be if the judge declared a mistrial (with prejudice.) The prosecution has actually done more to facilitate an outcome of this sort and maybe they too are thinking that Rittenhouse getting off on a technicality would put an end to a case that should have never ended up in court. I will admit to enjoying the histrionics of the judge as he lambasted the prosecution time and time again for alleged judicial improprieties. Something tells me that this particular judge has more in common with the local deer hunters than he does with the leftist loons pushing for a guilty verdict for the young man standing trial. We''ll see.
I'm reading this morning about the presidential election in Nicaragua and how it was a veritable blowout for the winner, one Daniel Ortega. If you read the fine print, you'll notice that all of his opponents in the race were put in jail by Ortega. That's how these mother fuckers roll in the countries south of the border. You might also notice that this is what they are trying to do with Donald J Trump since he poses what they would deem to be an existentialist threat to the stranglehold that the democrats now have on power in our government. The pretext, as you might imagine, is the January 6th "insurrection." I'm guessing their two sham impeachments didn't get the job done. He's still standing.
Whether or not Trump is the hands-on favorite to get the nomination is a good question. He's still the lead dog and you know what they say about lead dogs: If you're not the lead dog, the view is always the same. All kidding aside, Trump's MAGA movement is alive and well much to the consternation of the leftists. If he wants this, and I'm talking about the nomination, it's his for the taking. Who wouldn't love to see him on the stage making mincemeat of his opponents in ways that only Trump can? Just knowing what we know about how Biden has torn and continues to tear our country apart, who in their right mind wouldn't be looking for someone to make things sane again?
The missus and I skedaddled up Maine way yesterday on a lark. We got out of the house around 11 and we were walking the streets of Portland, Maine by 1 or so. It was a pristine fall day with colors that you only see in New England laid out by Mother Nature herself, the penultimate impressionist. Hats and gloves were good but not necessary in order to stay warm but we brought what we needed just in case. We stopped into a restaurant in downtown Portland which we've passed a thousand times but never went into for whatever reason. It certainly didn't hurt that as we were passing by street side we watched as diners were being served and the food looked, well, exquisite.
It never fails. We go into a restaurant and the host or hostess tries to seat us in an out-of-the-way spot while more cheerful spots are clearly available. Something, anything, near the windows where we can watch the world go by out-of-doors would be nice. You know, where most of the other patrons are already seated and whom, to a person, look very pleased with their good fortune in having secured such a seat. I assured the missus that there was some waitress or waiter who drew the short straw in being assigned a section of less than desirable seating and they too deserved customers like us who maybe wouldn't object to being treated like second class citizens.
We haven't quite figured out what it is about us that has hostesses and the like thinking along these lines but we were reminded once again of our less than good fortune when they attempted to tuck us away in a dark corner of the restaurant. We were having none of it. We haven't stepped into a restaurant since before this pandemic thing began. Now that we're open to it we're going to insist that our first experience be a positive one. That means getting what we want and not settling for anything less. They either want our business or they don't. We are likely part and parcel of a larger swath of the population who, now that the pandemic seems to be doing less ebbing than flowing, want to get back to doing things like going out to restaurants.
We got the seats we wanted and all was well with the world. The missus got to face the windows looking out onto the streets of downtown Portland with cushioned seating that is almost always a prerequisite these days. My view was toward the rear of the restaurant with the kitchen clearly in view although some distance away. The seats that we were initially offered, and which we graciously declined, were filled soon enough with patrons who looked none the wiser for having accepted their assigned seats. Maybe they came for the food and not the ambience. We wanted both and we wanted both in spades.
I didn't much care for the fact that employees in the restaurant were wearing masks. I cared less about those not waiting on us but having our waitress wear a mask while communicating with us was something of a surreal experience. Missing were the usual smiles, the quirky grimaces, the give and take of expressions that don't involve vocalizations, and eyes that don't feel the need to compensate for that which the mouth should be communicating. It made me less interested than usual in engaging in the typical banter that I'm accustomed to when people take my order table side.
Maybe that meant forgoing discussion of substitutions or other niceties that go along with any normal dining experience. With the mask covering half her face, I found myself pointing to my menu when it was my turn to order. I'm not sure I would have gone there had she not been wearing a mask. Maybe, had she her druthers, she wouldn't be wearing a mask either so there's that.
She also seemed more of an indentured servant than a free wheeling waitress while wearing a mask and that maybe had me feeling more sympathetic towards her so-called "plight." The 20% tip I left at the end of the meal, as I sit here this morning thinking about it, was probably not nearly enough to compensate her for the humiliation she suffered at having to mask up while her customers ate, drank, and did so merrily without having to wear masks.
Just to go on the record, I would have been just fine had she not worn a mask while waiting on our table. Her dignity, assuming that that's what we're talking about here, would have been more important to me than some half cocked notion that we're all going to die if and when we contract the virus. Fuck that! Bring me another stein, wench!
I mentioned to the missus there seemed to be a difference in the look and feel of the pandemic in Maine compared to New Hampshire, or at least on the streets that we were walking in downtown Portland, that was palpable. I think that I was thinking that Maine was maybe where New Hampshire was a few months ago. In other words, here in New Hampshire you see far fewer people wearing masks than we did yesterday in Portland. There were far more stores in downtown Portland that required patrons to mask up and you see almost no stores here in New Hampshire asking the same of their patrons even today. It was like taking a step back in time. It was just weird.
Some national chains, like Starbucks, whose doors were open in downtown Portland to customers while a local coffee shop just across the street from Starbucks, seemed stuck in mire of the pandemic and left their doors closed while serving customers from a take-out window on the side of the building. I wasn't necessarily wanting to sit down in a crowded coffee shop while the missus did a little shopping but it's good to have choices. Anyway, most stores seemed to be open in Portland and I couldn't really tell if any stores were not open due to staffing shortages. Some businesses were boarded up in the downtown area, likely unfortunate victims of the pandemic.
Next week, all eyes are on Kenosha. Oh, and we'll see if this Build Back Better bullshit advances in Congress. Did I mention they put out an arrest warrant for Steve Bannon? You know, Mr War room himself? He'll be going before a Trump elected judge on Monday when he is expected to turn himself in. There is a hue and a cry out in the liberal media to lock up Bannon and every other son of a bitch in the Trump orbit who defies the subpoena's issued by the January 6th Committee in Congress. I'm calling for him to be released on his own recognizance. Suck on that, libs.
There Is A God
07/11/21 07:27
I don't think my "contact me" thing is working on this blog. Oh, well. It's just one more thing to look into. I have this fear that I'll break something and I won't be able to fix it. Maybe I'll just get rid of it. It's a little like walking a tightrope without a net. Don't look down! Keep your eyes on the prize. It's Monday and there's this election in Virginia tomorrow that I'm keeping an eye on. That's not to say that I don't want to get started on my weekly blog because I certainly do. All I'm saying, in a roundabout way, is that I'm feeling a little distracted.
But, I think those bastards in Virginia, and I'm referring to the democrats, are going to steal the election from Glenn Youngkin. I hope he has what it takes to stay the course and do whatever is necessary to hang on to his hard fought win. I think the democrats think of Virginia as their state and they are not going to go quietly into the night especially when it comes to handing a political position of power over to a republican. They are just so invested in gaining political power and holding on to political power that they are willing to do anything, and I mean anything, to make sure that the other side (republicans) don't take what they consider something that belongs to them.
The democrats have no respect for the institutions and norms that we as a people have put in place over these last two hundred year to ensure the principal of one-person one-vote. That sacred trust between voters and the ballot box is critical to the sanctity of our republic and woe is the political party that tears that asunder. Listen to me going all Henry Wadsworth Longfellow this morning. Or, is it Ben Franklin? This is their idea of playing hardball, make no mistake about it. How many ballots will they need to beat Youngkin tonight? Tell me how many Youngkin has and I'll tell you how many they need. Shazaaam!
I don't know how you get your republic back if one political party is going to steal every election under the sun. We're talking about the democrats here. Once they win, they change the laws to make sure that none of the things that enabled them to steal the election in the first place are removed from the process in perpetuity. The same old trucks that trucked in the fake ballots the first time are there the second, third, and fourth times around and nobody is the wiser. The people processing the fake ballots do what they do because this is what they've always done. Nobody drops a dime because they all feel pretty good about never losing an election and winning means they get to decide who does and who doesn't go to jail. We all know how that works.
I wonder if the election tonight in Virginia is one of those elections where the democrats think that stealing it might well force change that could expose them for the frauds that they are. In other words, even the democrats know that Youngkin has this in the bag and to deny him the win would be to put even the bluest of democrats in the state at risk of admitting, I think we may have gone too far this time. Why bother voting when you know your vote doesn't count? Why bother voting when you know that the trucks with the stolen ballots are always around the corner just waiting for the nod from the corrupt officials?
It's a little like Joe Biden getting 81 million votes in 2020. Everyone knows Joe Biden did not get 81 million votes. Biden's theft of the 2020 election is well known and well understood by anyone paying attention during the 2020 election. He and his party are in power but they have accomplished little and Biden himself is largely seen across the planet as an illegitimate president. Everyone is satisfied that Trump is no longer in power so, regardless of how Biden got into office, everyone is willing to look the other way and sing the praises of Sleepy Joe and his minions in the democrat party. As Steve Bannon puts it, elections have consequences and stolen elections have catastrophic consequences.
The preceding three paragraphs or so were put down on paper before last night's elections in Virginia and New Jersey. Now that the republicans have absolutely laid waste to the democrats and the democratic establishment in both states, I may have to admit that all of my worries about election stealing may have been a bit over the top. That's the good news. The better news is that Virginia, a deep blue state for some time now, turned a lovely shade of red last night with all statewide races going for the republicans. If you don't think that isn't some kind of harbinger of things to come for Biden and his leftists in Congress come next November, think again.
The republican candidate for governor in New Jersey, another deep blue state, is ahead by a whisker this morning as I'm getting out of bed. It is an utter repudiation of everything the democrats have tried so desperately to force upon our great nation including everything from teaching Critical Race Theory to our children to forcing mask and vaccine mandates on our citizens. I'm not sure I know what the proverbial last straw was but I think the rape of a 14-year old girl by a male wearing a dress in the ladies room in the state of Virginia might be one of perhaps many thanks to the woke policies on the left. The American people are waking up and it is fucking refreshing!
People are no doubt disgusted by Biden and his policies on mandates which call for the firing of employees across the board if they don't take the jab and, if that isn't bad enough, making them ineligible for unemployment insurance once they are out work. Can you think of anything more heartless? It's tyrannical and authoritarian and it tells you all you need to know about what lies at the heart of the regime in power. It was interesting to listen to the liberal pundits during coverage of the races last night on the telly. Not a one laid any of the devastation being wrought in races in Virginia and New Jersey at the feet of Biden and his minions. This is who they are.
I came close last a night a couple of times to just turning it all off and going to sleep. The races were ongoing and it looked to be a long night of results coming in ever so slowly. The county-by-county maps on my television screen were almost exclusively blood red so that gave me pause. I could see and hear that the democrats running were underperforming and the republicans were over performing in county after county. It got to the point maybe after midnight sometime when there simply weren't enough votes remaining in the counties left to come in to give the democrats a win. Yet, the networks were reluctant to call the races. It's par for the course I tell you.
The democrats tried desperately to tie everything in the race to Trump but that just wasn't cutting the mustard. When that failed, they attempted to call everything coming out of the mouths of the republican candidates "dog whistles" and that fell flat as well. The democrats totally misread the citizenry and probably conveniently so. To do otherwise, they would have to fess up to the train wreck that is the Biden Administration and one thing democrats never do is eat their own. No matter, the republicans did what the democrats couldn't do at the end of the day and they reaped the rewards by sweeping into offices that no one thought they could ever win. We're talking "handily" here.
The one thing I want to do today is to tune into all of the progressive radio stations just so I can drink me some liberal tears. Pour me another one, bartender. The nice thing about Sirius radio is that you can rewind to the beginning of the shows so I can catch up on a lot of shows without missing anything. God only knows I want to hear my fellow conservatives taking their victory laps despite the fact that they too felt that the races might be stolen. I suspect these wins in Virginia and New Jersey are going to put wind back into the sails of republicans and conservatives across the country so that's a good thing. For now, all I want to hear, for the most part, is weeping and the gnashing of teeth on the left.
What is it with this pesky cough? It's a bit of congestion in the chest that won't go away. Maybe it's been a week or so now? Is it, god forbid, the dreaded Covid? I have no other symptoms and I'm feeling pretty good generally speaking. That is not to say that I'm a bundle of energy. My tank is maybe half full at best? Is it enough to do some yard work? No. Is it enough to tidy up here and there? I'm thinking the answers to that is a resounding "yes." I think we'll make an appointment to get a Covid test anyway just to be safe. It's probably premature to be doing any funeral planning.
What the heck was with the Ev man yesterday? He sounded like he was maybe having a bit of Christmas cheer early on in the day. We wish he wouldn't do that but he's his own man so there's that. He actually gave us a call in the early afternoon. What he wanted was entirely unclear. Hearing his voice, stumbling and mumbling as it was, was frightful in and of itself. He was at home and not behind the wheel of a car so we were thankful for that. I think he knows that that is never a good idea so steers clear of any such plans when hunkering down with his favorite beverage.
"No", I told the missus, "we do not need to go over to check in on him." "He'll bounce back and will be as good as gold tomorrow." "Trust me." He's not in any danger that I know of and I suspect that this isn't his first rodeo if you get my drift. My guess is that he probably wouldn't answer his door were we to go over and check in. He is an adult after all and if he wants to have an adult beverage or two, or maybe more, then he is entitled to do as he pleases. And, sure as the sun comes up every day in the East, we spoke to him on the phone today and he didn't sound any worse for wear. That's just how that boy rolls.
Maybe I'm one of those cases where people who have been vaccinated get Covid but a far less serious case of the sickness thanks to the vaccine. That's a breakthrough case, right? Where are the fucking Kleenex when I need them? Only kidding. I have no runny nose and my throat maybe a bit scratchy but I wouldn't call it "sore." My appetite is strong as it always is when I get a cold and it aligns quite well with that old wives tale about "feed a cold, starve a fever." Oh, and there is nothing wrong with my sense of smell. I just don't have the classic symptoms of Covid so I'm not going to get my panties in a bunch. I'm not going to get my panties in a bunch. I'm not going to get my panties in a bunch.
We'll be skipping our weekly visit with Mrs G just to be safe. No need to infect anyone if this malaise I'm feeling is the real McCoy. Covid, that is. For that matter, I'll be limiting my travel and I will not be going to my usual haunts until I know for sure that my being out and about isn't going to kill anybody. Well, indirectly, that is. This is what you're supposed to do. Right? But it's only a damn cold! We've been conditioned to think that every time we sneeze we need to get a test of some kind just to rule out Covid.
We've taken no precautions here at home when maybe we should have. Nobody is asking me to go stay at a local hotel until I'm over whatever it is that I have so that's comforting. I am mindful, even if the missus isn't, that we shouldn't be sharing certain things and I'm careful not to infect anything that mighty, in turn, infect her. That's the least I can do. Right? Did I mention that I'm feeling a little better today? I think I'll keep my appointment at the local clinic just to make sure that I don't have Covid and that I can get whatever it is that I need to see my way through this little thing that seems to be plaguing me.
Biden has finally passed his vaccine mandate thing along to OSHA and they have been charged with enforcing it for certain groups. This is what the anti-vaccine forces have been waiting for. The President, and by extension, OSHA, does not have the authority under our system to make this kind of sweeping rule that impacts millions of Americans. I don't know how many times I have to say it. It's an experimental vaccine. So many states, red states for the most part, have passed legislation to protect their citizens from the mandates of the Federal government and, more specifically, legislation to push back against these mandates. In theory, only congress can pass such a sweeping mandate as is now being pushed by Biden and his cronies at OSHA.
I'd like to think that my red state governor will protect me and mine from whatever it is that Sleepy Joe is trying to foist upon us. We do not fall into any of the categories currently being covered by OSHA so we have no imminent fears of having to get any kind of jab although our next jab, were there to be one, would be a booster. I thank the Baby Jesus every day that I do not live in a "blue" state where their citizens bend over and grabs their collective ankles every time the government comes knocking at their door. These are the same asshats who march around city hall with placards that read, "My Body, My Choice", when it comes to issues like abortion but they bend over like a bunch of sheep when it involves other government mandates involving their bodies.
We need to get on the stick if we're going to have a turkey on our table this coming Thanksgiving. The missus is adamant that we have a turkey so a turkey we will have come hook or crook. I've had good luck with ordering a natural or organic turkey in the past so now I'll just have to find who is accepting orders for same. That's the plan as of today, anyway. The dinner itself can be as minimalist or as extravagant as we want it to be. We'll likely do something middle-of-the-road just to not make this any more of a chore than it sometimes already is or can be. I wouldn't mind, truth be told, if we could order the whole darn meal instead of having to cook everything but that's just me. That's me thinking outside the box again. Stop. Just stop.
Just when I was beginning to enjoy a nice stein of liberal tears in the wake of their losses endured by the democrats in Virginia and New Jersey, I wake up this morning to find that the democrats passed the infrastructure bill in the middle of the night. Now, I have to endure the crowing and gloating of the leftists as they have completely forgotten the spanking they got in the two aforementioned states, and they are moving on. This is what they do and this is who they are. To add insult to injury, we're likely to hear a lot more than would otherwise be warranted about the handful of republicans who helped them put this albatross of a bill across the finish line. These traitors need to be taken out in the primaries.
What the liberals don't understand is that they lost in both Virginia and New Jersey not because of what they haven't done in terms of reforms promised to their base, but rather because of what they have done. I'm talking about open borders, inflation rates through the roof, crime rates escalating coast to coast, the teaching of critical race theory in our schools, the forcing of masks and vaccine mandates on the populace, the firing of employees on a mass scale who have chosen not to get vaccinated, etc.
I'm hearing that Pfizer is now coming out with a pill that reduces hospitalization and death due to Covid. If taken within 3 days of the onset of symptoms, the efficacy of the pill was so effective that they put a stop to the clinical trials and are now requesting emergency use from the FDA. This could be a game changer. So, where does this leave all things vaccine mandate related? Why would you continue pushing mandates when there is a pill that you can take that prevents sickness and death due to the virus? Why would you continue to force companies to fire their employees for not getting the mandated vaccine if there is a pill that is available to all? Well, these mother fuckers are doubling down. I'm talking Bumbling Joe Biden here.
You know these politicians like Biden are getting paid off by big Pharma to mandate these drugs. Right? How else do you explain the bull headed and obscene nature of the push for the vaccines by government officials? It's no wonder that people across the planet are marching in the streets in the hundreds of thousands and taking risks that they would not otherwise take. Personal liberties are on the line and that is a principle worth fighting and even dying for when push comes to shove. Maybe the people in power have too much power. I think we're maybe one or two marches away from another storming of the Bastille in some countries. Maybe we should ask the Cuban people how that worked out for them. Or, maybe we ask the citizens now residing in the former democratically controlled Hong Kong the same question.
I got a call from Uncle Wally the other night. He's thinking about rebooting his holiday party for year end. You know, the one that was cancelled last year because of the pandemic. It's not as though we wanted to go last year and couldn't. We were happy not to be sitting around elbow to elbow with relatives and friends who might unknowingly be carrying and transmitting the dreaded virus. Well, the virus is still around so I'm not sure what has changed that would have Uncle Wally thinking that having a party is a good idea.
It is true that more of us have been vaccinated so that may be a factor. But, Johnny boy, people vaccinated can still contract and transmit the virus. So, that make us safer how? I told Uncle Wally that the missus and I have no short term plans to get a booster shot. Wally, you still there? Maybe I need to remind him that the definition of "fully vaccinated" per the CDC does not include the booster shot. Not that I'm looking to make things any easier for him. He seems to want to do this so he may be looking for reasons to proceed even if that means proceeding with caution. What's one more risk factor in a world that oozes and reeks of risk? One more risk indeed.
But, I think those bastards in Virginia, and I'm referring to the democrats, are going to steal the election from Glenn Youngkin. I hope he has what it takes to stay the course and do whatever is necessary to hang on to his hard fought win. I think the democrats think of Virginia as their state and they are not going to go quietly into the night especially when it comes to handing a political position of power over to a republican. They are just so invested in gaining political power and holding on to political power that they are willing to do anything, and I mean anything, to make sure that the other side (republicans) don't take what they consider something that belongs to them.
The democrats have no respect for the institutions and norms that we as a people have put in place over these last two hundred year to ensure the principal of one-person one-vote. That sacred trust between voters and the ballot box is critical to the sanctity of our republic and woe is the political party that tears that asunder. Listen to me going all Henry Wadsworth Longfellow this morning. Or, is it Ben Franklin? This is their idea of playing hardball, make no mistake about it. How many ballots will they need to beat Youngkin tonight? Tell me how many Youngkin has and I'll tell you how many they need. Shazaaam!
I don't know how you get your republic back if one political party is going to steal every election under the sun. We're talking about the democrats here. Once they win, they change the laws to make sure that none of the things that enabled them to steal the election in the first place are removed from the process in perpetuity. The same old trucks that trucked in the fake ballots the first time are there the second, third, and fourth times around and nobody is the wiser. The people processing the fake ballots do what they do because this is what they've always done. Nobody drops a dime because they all feel pretty good about never losing an election and winning means they get to decide who does and who doesn't go to jail. We all know how that works.
I wonder if the election tonight in Virginia is one of those elections where the democrats think that stealing it might well force change that could expose them for the frauds that they are. In other words, even the democrats know that Youngkin has this in the bag and to deny him the win would be to put even the bluest of democrats in the state at risk of admitting, I think we may have gone too far this time. Why bother voting when you know your vote doesn't count? Why bother voting when you know that the trucks with the stolen ballots are always around the corner just waiting for the nod from the corrupt officials?
It's a little like Joe Biden getting 81 million votes in 2020. Everyone knows Joe Biden did not get 81 million votes. Biden's theft of the 2020 election is well known and well understood by anyone paying attention during the 2020 election. He and his party are in power but they have accomplished little and Biden himself is largely seen across the planet as an illegitimate president. Everyone is satisfied that Trump is no longer in power so, regardless of how Biden got into office, everyone is willing to look the other way and sing the praises of Sleepy Joe and his minions in the democrat party. As Steve Bannon puts it, elections have consequences and stolen elections have catastrophic consequences.
The preceding three paragraphs or so were put down on paper before last night's elections in Virginia and New Jersey. Now that the republicans have absolutely laid waste to the democrats and the democratic establishment in both states, I may have to admit that all of my worries about election stealing may have been a bit over the top. That's the good news. The better news is that Virginia, a deep blue state for some time now, turned a lovely shade of red last night with all statewide races going for the republicans. If you don't think that isn't some kind of harbinger of things to come for Biden and his leftists in Congress come next November, think again.
The republican candidate for governor in New Jersey, another deep blue state, is ahead by a whisker this morning as I'm getting out of bed. It is an utter repudiation of everything the democrats have tried so desperately to force upon our great nation including everything from teaching Critical Race Theory to our children to forcing mask and vaccine mandates on our citizens. I'm not sure I know what the proverbial last straw was but I think the rape of a 14-year old girl by a male wearing a dress in the ladies room in the state of Virginia might be one of perhaps many thanks to the woke policies on the left. The American people are waking up and it is fucking refreshing!
People are no doubt disgusted by Biden and his policies on mandates which call for the firing of employees across the board if they don't take the jab and, if that isn't bad enough, making them ineligible for unemployment insurance once they are out work. Can you think of anything more heartless? It's tyrannical and authoritarian and it tells you all you need to know about what lies at the heart of the regime in power. It was interesting to listen to the liberal pundits during coverage of the races last night on the telly. Not a one laid any of the devastation being wrought in races in Virginia and New Jersey at the feet of Biden and his minions. This is who they are.
I came close last a night a couple of times to just turning it all off and going to sleep. The races were ongoing and it looked to be a long night of results coming in ever so slowly. The county-by-county maps on my television screen were almost exclusively blood red so that gave me pause. I could see and hear that the democrats running were underperforming and the republicans were over performing in county after county. It got to the point maybe after midnight sometime when there simply weren't enough votes remaining in the counties left to come in to give the democrats a win. Yet, the networks were reluctant to call the races. It's par for the course I tell you.
The democrats tried desperately to tie everything in the race to Trump but that just wasn't cutting the mustard. When that failed, they attempted to call everything coming out of the mouths of the republican candidates "dog whistles" and that fell flat as well. The democrats totally misread the citizenry and probably conveniently so. To do otherwise, they would have to fess up to the train wreck that is the Biden Administration and one thing democrats never do is eat their own. No matter, the republicans did what the democrats couldn't do at the end of the day and they reaped the rewards by sweeping into offices that no one thought they could ever win. We're talking "handily" here.
The one thing I want to do today is to tune into all of the progressive radio stations just so I can drink me some liberal tears. Pour me another one, bartender. The nice thing about Sirius radio is that you can rewind to the beginning of the shows so I can catch up on a lot of shows without missing anything. God only knows I want to hear my fellow conservatives taking their victory laps despite the fact that they too felt that the races might be stolen. I suspect these wins in Virginia and New Jersey are going to put wind back into the sails of republicans and conservatives across the country so that's a good thing. For now, all I want to hear, for the most part, is weeping and the gnashing of teeth on the left.
What is it with this pesky cough? It's a bit of congestion in the chest that won't go away. Maybe it's been a week or so now? Is it, god forbid, the dreaded Covid? I have no other symptoms and I'm feeling pretty good generally speaking. That is not to say that I'm a bundle of energy. My tank is maybe half full at best? Is it enough to do some yard work? No. Is it enough to tidy up here and there? I'm thinking the answers to that is a resounding "yes." I think we'll make an appointment to get a Covid test anyway just to be safe. It's probably premature to be doing any funeral planning.
What the heck was with the Ev man yesterday? He sounded like he was maybe having a bit of Christmas cheer early on in the day. We wish he wouldn't do that but he's his own man so there's that. He actually gave us a call in the early afternoon. What he wanted was entirely unclear. Hearing his voice, stumbling and mumbling as it was, was frightful in and of itself. He was at home and not behind the wheel of a car so we were thankful for that. I think he knows that that is never a good idea so steers clear of any such plans when hunkering down with his favorite beverage.
"No", I told the missus, "we do not need to go over to check in on him." "He'll bounce back and will be as good as gold tomorrow." "Trust me." He's not in any danger that I know of and I suspect that this isn't his first rodeo if you get my drift. My guess is that he probably wouldn't answer his door were we to go over and check in. He is an adult after all and if he wants to have an adult beverage or two, or maybe more, then he is entitled to do as he pleases. And, sure as the sun comes up every day in the East, we spoke to him on the phone today and he didn't sound any worse for wear. That's just how that boy rolls.
Maybe I'm one of those cases where people who have been vaccinated get Covid but a far less serious case of the sickness thanks to the vaccine. That's a breakthrough case, right? Where are the fucking Kleenex when I need them? Only kidding. I have no runny nose and my throat maybe a bit scratchy but I wouldn't call it "sore." My appetite is strong as it always is when I get a cold and it aligns quite well with that old wives tale about "feed a cold, starve a fever." Oh, and there is nothing wrong with my sense of smell. I just don't have the classic symptoms of Covid so I'm not going to get my panties in a bunch. I'm not going to get my panties in a bunch. I'm not going to get my panties in a bunch.
We'll be skipping our weekly visit with Mrs G just to be safe. No need to infect anyone if this malaise I'm feeling is the real McCoy. Covid, that is. For that matter, I'll be limiting my travel and I will not be going to my usual haunts until I know for sure that my being out and about isn't going to kill anybody. Well, indirectly, that is. This is what you're supposed to do. Right? But it's only a damn cold! We've been conditioned to think that every time we sneeze we need to get a test of some kind just to rule out Covid.
We've taken no precautions here at home when maybe we should have. Nobody is asking me to go stay at a local hotel until I'm over whatever it is that I have so that's comforting. I am mindful, even if the missus isn't, that we shouldn't be sharing certain things and I'm careful not to infect anything that mighty, in turn, infect her. That's the least I can do. Right? Did I mention that I'm feeling a little better today? I think I'll keep my appointment at the local clinic just to make sure that I don't have Covid and that I can get whatever it is that I need to see my way through this little thing that seems to be plaguing me.
Biden has finally passed his vaccine mandate thing along to OSHA and they have been charged with enforcing it for certain groups. This is what the anti-vaccine forces have been waiting for. The President, and by extension, OSHA, does not have the authority under our system to make this kind of sweeping rule that impacts millions of Americans. I don't know how many times I have to say it. It's an experimental vaccine. So many states, red states for the most part, have passed legislation to protect their citizens from the mandates of the Federal government and, more specifically, legislation to push back against these mandates. In theory, only congress can pass such a sweeping mandate as is now being pushed by Biden and his cronies at OSHA.
I'd like to think that my red state governor will protect me and mine from whatever it is that Sleepy Joe is trying to foist upon us. We do not fall into any of the categories currently being covered by OSHA so we have no imminent fears of having to get any kind of jab although our next jab, were there to be one, would be a booster. I thank the Baby Jesus every day that I do not live in a "blue" state where their citizens bend over and grabs their collective ankles every time the government comes knocking at their door. These are the same asshats who march around city hall with placards that read, "My Body, My Choice", when it comes to issues like abortion but they bend over like a bunch of sheep when it involves other government mandates involving their bodies.
We need to get on the stick if we're going to have a turkey on our table this coming Thanksgiving. The missus is adamant that we have a turkey so a turkey we will have come hook or crook. I've had good luck with ordering a natural or organic turkey in the past so now I'll just have to find who is accepting orders for same. That's the plan as of today, anyway. The dinner itself can be as minimalist or as extravagant as we want it to be. We'll likely do something middle-of-the-road just to not make this any more of a chore than it sometimes already is or can be. I wouldn't mind, truth be told, if we could order the whole darn meal instead of having to cook everything but that's just me. That's me thinking outside the box again. Stop. Just stop.
Just when I was beginning to enjoy a nice stein of liberal tears in the wake of their losses endured by the democrats in Virginia and New Jersey, I wake up this morning to find that the democrats passed the infrastructure bill in the middle of the night. Now, I have to endure the crowing and gloating of the leftists as they have completely forgotten the spanking they got in the two aforementioned states, and they are moving on. This is what they do and this is who they are. To add insult to injury, we're likely to hear a lot more than would otherwise be warranted about the handful of republicans who helped them put this albatross of a bill across the finish line. These traitors need to be taken out in the primaries.
What the liberals don't understand is that they lost in both Virginia and New Jersey not because of what they haven't done in terms of reforms promised to their base, but rather because of what they have done. I'm talking about open borders, inflation rates through the roof, crime rates escalating coast to coast, the teaching of critical race theory in our schools, the forcing of masks and vaccine mandates on the populace, the firing of employees on a mass scale who have chosen not to get vaccinated, etc.
I'm hearing that Pfizer is now coming out with a pill that reduces hospitalization and death due to Covid. If taken within 3 days of the onset of symptoms, the efficacy of the pill was so effective that they put a stop to the clinical trials and are now requesting emergency use from the FDA. This could be a game changer. So, where does this leave all things vaccine mandate related? Why would you continue pushing mandates when there is a pill that you can take that prevents sickness and death due to the virus? Why would you continue to force companies to fire their employees for not getting the mandated vaccine if there is a pill that is available to all? Well, these mother fuckers are doubling down. I'm talking Bumbling Joe Biden here.
You know these politicians like Biden are getting paid off by big Pharma to mandate these drugs. Right? How else do you explain the bull headed and obscene nature of the push for the vaccines by government officials? It's no wonder that people across the planet are marching in the streets in the hundreds of thousands and taking risks that they would not otherwise take. Personal liberties are on the line and that is a principle worth fighting and even dying for when push comes to shove. Maybe the people in power have too much power. I think we're maybe one or two marches away from another storming of the Bastille in some countries. Maybe we should ask the Cuban people how that worked out for them. Or, maybe we ask the citizens now residing in the former democratically controlled Hong Kong the same question.
I got a call from Uncle Wally the other night. He's thinking about rebooting his holiday party for year end. You know, the one that was cancelled last year because of the pandemic. It's not as though we wanted to go last year and couldn't. We were happy not to be sitting around elbow to elbow with relatives and friends who might unknowingly be carrying and transmitting the dreaded virus. Well, the virus is still around so I'm not sure what has changed that would have Uncle Wally thinking that having a party is a good idea.
It is true that more of us have been vaccinated so that may be a factor. But, Johnny boy, people vaccinated can still contract and transmit the virus. So, that make us safer how? I told Uncle Wally that the missus and I have no short term plans to get a booster shot. Wally, you still there? Maybe I need to remind him that the definition of "fully vaccinated" per the CDC does not include the booster shot. Not that I'm looking to make things any easier for him. He seems to want to do this so he may be looking for reasons to proceed even if that means proceeding with caution. What's one more risk factor in a world that oozes and reeks of risk? One more risk indeed.
All Through The House
31/10/21 07:38
The Mother of all caravans of illegals just crossed the southern border of Mexico and is heading for our country. It's come one, come all as far as the Biden Administration is concerned. The democrats love open borders and, as Trump has often said, if you have no borders you have no country. I don't know how many millions Biden and his minions are letting in but it's a 24-7 operation and there doesn't seems to be any end in sight.
Our only hope, I suppose, is for the republicans to take back the congress in 2022 and impeach the entire Biden Administration. They have failed to protect our country and, even worse, they have brought death and destruction to our shores by opening our borders and allowing criminals and Covid carriers to infect the cities, towns, and communities across our nation. Every state is a border state when you allow illegals to invade our country in the numbers we're seeing under the Biden presidency.
It's business as usual for the democrats. Ted Cruz, a republican senator from Texas is proposing a bill that will send these illegals to blue states and cities when they are apprehended at the border. Rather than flood the red states thereby turning the red states from red to blue, politically speaking, Cruz's bill will redirect the illegal masses to states like Massachusetts, Delaware, and New York. Maybe his bill should be called, "give them a taste of their own fucking medicine."
I can't believe how dark it is outside here at 7:11 in the morning. It looks like another rainy day here on the seacoast. Another day where I don't get to get out on my bike for a ride. I contemplated trying to get a ride in yesterday but it was an on again off again rain so no dice. I really need to get out and put some stain on the shingles around the new window we had installed in the Ev man's old room. That, and shutters, should do the trick. Now, I just have to wait for the right weather to come along.
The missus will be getting her new iPhone soon and I think I'm ready as I can be to move forward with the set-up. I've backed up her old phone and I'll use that to restore settings on her new phone. She is really looking froward to the Face ID feature since she's had a iPhone six all these years which requires that you punch in your security code every time you want to do anything. She will also have a lot more memory on this phone so I'll not have to move applications and data on and off the phone just to do simple things like maybe installing updates or storing pictures and movies.
What is going on with the acorns this year? Last year, we had so any acorns coming down on there road outside our house that you couldn't take a measly walk with having them crunch underfoot. Hell, we had so many acorns that our neighbor was out on the road with her leaf blower swishing them off to the side of the road so she had a clear path to walk her dog. I'm sure that Joey could have cared less. Nonetheless, it gave her piece of mind so that is what she did. And this year, you couldn't find an acorn if your life depended on it. Anywhere. Where is my Farmer's Almanac when I need it?
If I had to guess, I would guess that we might see a much reduced chipmunk and squirrel population next year due to the leanness of the acorn production this Fall. That wouldn't be a bad thing. Now that I think of it, there were a lot of chipmunks around this summer. That was probably due to the overproduction of acorns last summer. They had a lot of nuts to squirrel away over last winter and we saw the result of that this summer when you couldn't go outside without seeing chipmunks practically underfoot. Our neighbor was even trapping them from time to time and depositing them elsewhere.
This acorn thing might help explain why the local bird population has been emptying my bird feeder in record time every time I've fill it up. I stopped doing that around about August since I figured that they could find their food elsewhere without my spoon feeding them. It was an expense that I didn't need to incur. I'm happy to provide them with food when the going gets tough but summer months do not qualify as "lean" times. I don't know that I've noticed this in years past but I think I've had Snowy Woodpeckers at my feeder this summer transporting nuts back and forth to a spot unseen where they store nuts away for the winter months.
We turned the heat on in the house yesterday for the first time this Fall. There was just a chill inside the house that we couldn't shake brought on by temperatures out of doors that started off in the early morning in the high thirties. I'm thinking to myself, my god, it's only October and we're turning the heat on? Truth be told, it felt good. The heat, I mean. I made no mental calculations about the cost of heating our home nor did I factor in the escalating prices at the pump which all come into play once winter arrives in earnest. You do what you have to do to stay warm and that is what we did.
I should probably mention that heating oil is currently going for $3.04 a gallon. Gas at the pump for the cars starts at $3.27 for regular and is close to $4.00 for premium. I'll want to look back in a few months to see how much more were paying all around once things get really bad thanks to Biden and his policies. We'll be paying through the teeth for all of their Green New Deal and climate change bullshit. The only question remaining is, how much longer are we going to put up with it? This is Jimmy Carter on steroids. Who the hell put Bernie Sanders in charge of our energy policies anyway?
I hope all of this talk about taxing unearned gains is just Washington locker talk. They're proposing to levy this tax on billionaires. We all know how that goes. The billionaires will move their assets to Monaco or some other tax shelter and Congress will need to make up the shortfall some other way. That's where you and I come in, folks. Keep in mind that "unearned" gains are theoretical. Today, you have a gain and, tomorrow, you have losses. The net net is who the hell knows what. I suppose, at the end of the day, the government will decide the value of your "gains" and you will pay accordingly. Now you know why Biden wants to hire 80,000 IRS agents.
Speaking of Fauci, I'm not sure that all of this talk in the right wing media about experimenting on beagles is a winning argument. I mean, scientists use lab animals to conduct experiments. No? Is this some kind of revelation? I don't think so. You can say a lot of things about Fauci when it comes to Covid and his covering up the gain of function research that he funded. Lying about that to Congress should be enough to get him dragged by the lab coat out of his role in our government. It's not exactly the hill that I would choose to die on if I were working to remove him.
One radio show that I'm listening to this morning is talking about Fauci's research on AIDS involving orphaned children. More experiments, more deaths, more of the same. Does anyone care about orphaned children? Does its matter that over 200 of the children died during or after the experiments conducted? It makes for a killer headline but I doubt you'll hear or see anything in the Main Street Media about it. They protect their own. That's just the way it works. Dr Fauci will step down when Dr Fauci decides he wants to step down. Not a moment sooner.
We're watching season 10 of this show called American Horror Story. It's kind of fun if I do say so myself. The minute I read about it being filmed in Provincetown, Ma, I was intrigued. Provincetown is a gay mecca during the summer months and a desolate outpost during the winter months. Really, just a perfect setting for a show like American Horror Story. Is it any surprise that the show is about vampires, aspiring artists, and drug induced feeding frenzies and fantasies? It just wouldn't have been the same had it been filmed in Boise, Idaho. No, not nearly the same.
I found myself wondering how the homies (not slang for homosexuals) in Provincetown might view the show. I'm guessing they got quite a chuckle out of it. Most of the scenes were shot on back streets and down off what the show refers to as "Dick Dock" near the main pier in downtown Provincetown. Take from that what you will (and you probably wouldn't be wrong.) As for appealing to folks who know nothing of the folklore coming-out of Provincetown, maybe someone living in Oshkosh, WI, I think it loses a little something.
In other words, there weren't all that many scenes that the locals could relate to but the sexual tenor of the show and the backdrop of the town's reputation went hand-in-hand to create just the right juxtaposition of weirdness and wackiness. And who doesn't love a good vampire story? The last three episodes of the 10-show series veered off into something about UFO's and pacts that Eisenhower and his generals made with extraterrestrials back in the 50's. I know, I know. You can't make this stuff up.
Here we go again with the vaccines. The FDA has approved the vaccine for children so the push is on by government to get them all vaccinated. Wait a fucking minute, Jack. We're talking about giving children a jab with an experimental vaccine for something that they will in all likelihood survive 99.99% of the time. Have their been any long term studies on the effects of the vaccine on children? Uh, no. Is there an expectation that more children will die of the vaccine than would otherwise die of the virus? I'm guessing the answer to that question is a resounding "Yes."
Maybe the government should have paid more attention to the goings-on in Louden County, Virginia before they decided to start down this slippery slope with the vaccinations of our children. Parents in that county caught on to the swill that their children were being exposed to when everyone was kept home during 2020 and education was being doled out online via apps like Zoom, etc.. Parents observed first hand that the curricula being fed to their children was a twisted and leftist version of what we have otherwise come to think of as the basics. I'm talking reading, writing, and arithmetic here.
Parents rose up as parents are inclined to do when their children are exposed to things that can hurt them. They attended school board meetings and expressed their outrage to the local school board officials. They called for officials to change the curricula or get the hell out of the way so that others might take their place and right-size the curricula. The crowds and the rage at the meetings grew in proportion to the intransigence of the school officials who sat smugly behind their microphones and recited town bylaws chapter and verse in an attempt to squelch the furor. It only emboldened the parents that much more. Geez, didn't see that coming.
It's one thing to threaten the parents with the loss of a job or a career if they do not bow to the mandates of the state and federal governments. It's quite another to come after the children when the science doesn't support going after the children. So, I guess we'll see. No one has credibility any more when it comes to selling this nonsense so the backlash with this harebrained policy should be fast and furious. I don't think we're talking Custer's last stand here but it's probably close. The leftist media has already started with the hard sell by having pro-vaccine physicians on the telly 24-7. It was entirely predictable. I'm talking there about the "narrative."
You heard a lot about soccer moms during the run-up to the 2020 election where they were expected to move wholesale from Trump to Biden when the time came to cast their ballots. Losing suburban moms is not part and parcel of a winning strategy when you're running for national office. Maybe it was the mean tweets. Maybe it was the constant propaganda from the media and the two less-than-successful impeachment attempts that helped to turn the moms away from Trump. Trump was a Russian stooge after all, at least that is what the media wanted you to believe. It didn't matter that none of it was true.
Divide and conquer. That is what the leftist do better than anything else. That is their bread and butter when it comes to keeping the leftists in government in good stead with their constituents. Push the hate until it's coming out of your ears. I guess it works until it doesn't. I think these soccer moms, especially the ones in Louden County, are now wondering how much better their lives, and the lives of their children, would be had they voted for Trump rather than Biden. Oh, let me count the fucking ways.
There is an election coming up in Virginia next week which may tell us a lot about just how toxic the democrats and their brand of leftism has become in the eyes of the soccer moms and dads in that state. I suspect that the election will be largely indictative or reflective of the national mood regarding the Biden presidency, the democrat party, and the policies espoused by the democrats since gaining power in 2020. The governors race between Youngkin and McCauliffe will decide which narrative (Republican vs Democrat) has the more compelling message.
The polls have the race neck and neck. My only question is, what will the democrats do to steal the election and how many weeks will they need in order to "find" all the votes they need to put the democrat over the top? People have had a belly full of what the democrats have had to offer so Youngkin may surprise people in the final analysis. McCauliffe's campaign reminds me a little of Biden's campaign. It's almost as though he doesn't care how badly things are going since they plan to steal the election at the end of the day anyway. Remember, it's not the people who vote. It's the people who count the votes that matter.
The Ev man gave me a call the other day to tell me that he was getting some concerning prompts on the dashboard of his car. One of the prompts said something about charging, which I was thinking had something to do with the alternator. I told him to go ahead and drive it but don't turn it off until he returned home just in case his battery was dying due to a faulty alternator. He called maybe an hour later and told me that he had broken down and was now parked safely at a local Mobil station in his town.
I made arrangements to have his car towed to a local repair shop but had no plans to call AAA to arrange for the tow until I could assess the problem myself. Once I arrived at the station, the Ev man was parked at the rear of the station in what appeared to be a pretty good spot assuming a tow truck driver might have to pull up there and tow away the car. I had visions of lemons rolling around in my brain and was not wanting to accept the fact that maybe this dream car of Evan's was not a "dream" car at all. That would simply not do.
I got behind the wheel, put the key in the ignition, and started the car up without any trouble. I think I was thinking that it might not start so I was pleasantly surprised when it did start. I looked at the Ev man and the Ev man looked at me. So far, so good. Hey, Ev! I don't see those warning signs you were talking about when we talked earlier. Indeed, the only prompts left had to do with low tire pressure. The good news was that the car was running, we didn't need to call AAA, and we decided that driving it to the shop was still a good idea since the issue of reliability was still outstanding.
I really appreciate the fact that the guys at the shop were able to look at the car as quickly as they did. I think the fact that we didn't have to have it towed there might have had them thinking that it was something quick and easy. Did I mention that the Ev man lost his power steering just before his car "broke down"? Oh, and there were about 4 or 5 warning lights on his dashboard that preceded the power steering going out. Just a cornucopia, really, of flashing lights and warning signs. It's a miracle that he was able to navigate to a safe spot in the midst of it all. Good for him!
I was figuring that maybe his alternator might need replacing. I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I was sitting at home waiting for the call but getting the car fixed, regardless of cost, was my primary motivation. I had some small regrets about telling them to just go ahead and fix whatever it was that needed to be fixed without calling me first but it was what it was (it is what it is?.) They could have taken me to the cleaners, but they didn't. The good news was that the alternator and battery were just fine. They reset the codes, put a little more air in the tires, and told me to drive the car around a bit to see if any of the warning lights came back on. File this under "The Lord works in mysterious ways."
I'm guessing that the Ev man will be skittish for a while until the car stands up under the scrutiny of time. That's just how he rolls. He has me on speed dial so no worries there. He also has AAA so can relay on them in a pinch. He's had the car for a few months now and this is the first real issue of any kind so I'm feeling somewhat relieved that we may not have a lemon on our hands. If issues persist, I'll trade that car in for something else in the bat of an eye. I just won't have the Ev man driving around in a car that is not reliable. Life is too short.
Mrs G was in good spirits when we showed up at her place yesterday for our weekly visit. She and I spent a couple of minutes on her computer where I reminded her that her monitor wasn't her computer and vice versa. She has a computer with a separate monitor unlike her old Apple iMac which was essentially a computer and a monitor all in one. She lost power last week and she needed to restart her computer but didn't know how. Going over that over the phone was a bit trying to say the least.
"Reach around the back of the computer and you'll feel a little indentation which you'll need to press", I told her over the phone. Of course, the "back" of the computer is a relative and maybe confusing term when you don't even know where the computer is much less finding the back or the front of the darn thing. I went on, "so, you see the wires coming out of the little box sitting on your desk behind the screen, right?" Granted, the Mac Mini is barely larger than the size of a bible so I would imagine that sorting it all out wasn't exactly the bees knees but we got it done.
Mrs G asked if I recalled where we bought the little Buddha ornament that we gave her some two months ago. I wasn't sure if she was testing my cognitive function or maybe my short term recall, but I surely did remember when and where we picked it up because it was my idea at the time. I hesitated for just a moment and looked at missus thinking that maybe it was on the tip of her tongue and I didn't wish to steal her thunder. When no utterances were forthcoming, I filled the silence in the room with what I knew about the little Buddha. "Yes, of course I remember."
Apparently, Debbie Rah-Rah had been up to visit recently and had taken a shine to the little Buddha. She asked if Mrs G might consider parting with it. Mrs G made it clear that Johnny (that would be me) had given it to her and she had no intention whatsoever of parting with it. Mrs G asked the missus and me if we might consider getting another little Buddha to give to Debbie Rah-Rah come Christmas time. We promised to add it to our list although such a list has yet begun to take shape given that we are some two months removed from Christmas.
Speaking of Christmas, I'm listening to my first Christmas music album this morning. It certainly brightens up what is otherwise a dark and mournful late Fall morning out of doors. It's an album by Pentatonix just off the shelves. How many versions of Frosty the Snowman are there, anyway? It's pretty cool so I'm not complaining. I mean, who doesn't like Christmas music? It's funny too, when you think about it, that Christmas is the one holiday on the calendar that has its own music. The artists come out of the woodwork with their own renditions of the holiday classics every year and it just never seems to get old. That's the Christmas spirit for you. And all through the house..
Our only hope, I suppose, is for the republicans to take back the congress in 2022 and impeach the entire Biden Administration. They have failed to protect our country and, even worse, they have brought death and destruction to our shores by opening our borders and allowing criminals and Covid carriers to infect the cities, towns, and communities across our nation. Every state is a border state when you allow illegals to invade our country in the numbers we're seeing under the Biden presidency.
It's business as usual for the democrats. Ted Cruz, a republican senator from Texas is proposing a bill that will send these illegals to blue states and cities when they are apprehended at the border. Rather than flood the red states thereby turning the red states from red to blue, politically speaking, Cruz's bill will redirect the illegal masses to states like Massachusetts, Delaware, and New York. Maybe his bill should be called, "give them a taste of their own fucking medicine."
I can't believe how dark it is outside here at 7:11 in the morning. It looks like another rainy day here on the seacoast. Another day where I don't get to get out on my bike for a ride. I contemplated trying to get a ride in yesterday but it was an on again off again rain so no dice. I really need to get out and put some stain on the shingles around the new window we had installed in the Ev man's old room. That, and shutters, should do the trick. Now, I just have to wait for the right weather to come along.
The missus will be getting her new iPhone soon and I think I'm ready as I can be to move forward with the set-up. I've backed up her old phone and I'll use that to restore settings on her new phone. She is really looking froward to the Face ID feature since she's had a iPhone six all these years which requires that you punch in your security code every time you want to do anything. She will also have a lot more memory on this phone so I'll not have to move applications and data on and off the phone just to do simple things like maybe installing updates or storing pictures and movies.
What is going on with the acorns this year? Last year, we had so any acorns coming down on there road outside our house that you couldn't take a measly walk with having them crunch underfoot. Hell, we had so many acorns that our neighbor was out on the road with her leaf blower swishing them off to the side of the road so she had a clear path to walk her dog. I'm sure that Joey could have cared less. Nonetheless, it gave her piece of mind so that is what she did. And this year, you couldn't find an acorn if your life depended on it. Anywhere. Where is my Farmer's Almanac when I need it?
If I had to guess, I would guess that we might see a much reduced chipmunk and squirrel population next year due to the leanness of the acorn production this Fall. That wouldn't be a bad thing. Now that I think of it, there were a lot of chipmunks around this summer. That was probably due to the overproduction of acorns last summer. They had a lot of nuts to squirrel away over last winter and we saw the result of that this summer when you couldn't go outside without seeing chipmunks practically underfoot. Our neighbor was even trapping them from time to time and depositing them elsewhere.
This acorn thing might help explain why the local bird population has been emptying my bird feeder in record time every time I've fill it up. I stopped doing that around about August since I figured that they could find their food elsewhere without my spoon feeding them. It was an expense that I didn't need to incur. I'm happy to provide them with food when the going gets tough but summer months do not qualify as "lean" times. I don't know that I've noticed this in years past but I think I've had Snowy Woodpeckers at my feeder this summer transporting nuts back and forth to a spot unseen where they store nuts away for the winter months.
We turned the heat on in the house yesterday for the first time this Fall. There was just a chill inside the house that we couldn't shake brought on by temperatures out of doors that started off in the early morning in the high thirties. I'm thinking to myself, my god, it's only October and we're turning the heat on? Truth be told, it felt good. The heat, I mean. I made no mental calculations about the cost of heating our home nor did I factor in the escalating prices at the pump which all come into play once winter arrives in earnest. You do what you have to do to stay warm and that is what we did.
I should probably mention that heating oil is currently going for $3.04 a gallon. Gas at the pump for the cars starts at $3.27 for regular and is close to $4.00 for premium. I'll want to look back in a few months to see how much more were paying all around once things get really bad thanks to Biden and his policies. We'll be paying through the teeth for all of their Green New Deal and climate change bullshit. The only question remaining is, how much longer are we going to put up with it? This is Jimmy Carter on steroids. Who the hell put Bernie Sanders in charge of our energy policies anyway?
I hope all of this talk about taxing unearned gains is just Washington locker talk. They're proposing to levy this tax on billionaires. We all know how that goes. The billionaires will move their assets to Monaco or some other tax shelter and Congress will need to make up the shortfall some other way. That's where you and I come in, folks. Keep in mind that "unearned" gains are theoretical. Today, you have a gain and, tomorrow, you have losses. The net net is who the hell knows what. I suppose, at the end of the day, the government will decide the value of your "gains" and you will pay accordingly. Now you know why Biden wants to hire 80,000 IRS agents.
Speaking of Fauci, I'm not sure that all of this talk in the right wing media about experimenting on beagles is a winning argument. I mean, scientists use lab animals to conduct experiments. No? Is this some kind of revelation? I don't think so. You can say a lot of things about Fauci when it comes to Covid and his covering up the gain of function research that he funded. Lying about that to Congress should be enough to get him dragged by the lab coat out of his role in our government. It's not exactly the hill that I would choose to die on if I were working to remove him.
One radio show that I'm listening to this morning is talking about Fauci's research on AIDS involving orphaned children. More experiments, more deaths, more of the same. Does anyone care about orphaned children? Does its matter that over 200 of the children died during or after the experiments conducted? It makes for a killer headline but I doubt you'll hear or see anything in the Main Street Media about it. They protect their own. That's just the way it works. Dr Fauci will step down when Dr Fauci decides he wants to step down. Not a moment sooner.
We're watching season 10 of this show called American Horror Story. It's kind of fun if I do say so myself. The minute I read about it being filmed in Provincetown, Ma, I was intrigued. Provincetown is a gay mecca during the summer months and a desolate outpost during the winter months. Really, just a perfect setting for a show like American Horror Story. Is it any surprise that the show is about vampires, aspiring artists, and drug induced feeding frenzies and fantasies? It just wouldn't have been the same had it been filmed in Boise, Idaho. No, not nearly the same.
I found myself wondering how the homies (not slang for homosexuals) in Provincetown might view the show. I'm guessing they got quite a chuckle out of it. Most of the scenes were shot on back streets and down off what the show refers to as "Dick Dock" near the main pier in downtown Provincetown. Take from that what you will (and you probably wouldn't be wrong.) As for appealing to folks who know nothing of the folklore coming-out of Provincetown, maybe someone living in Oshkosh, WI, I think it loses a little something.
In other words, there weren't all that many scenes that the locals could relate to but the sexual tenor of the show and the backdrop of the town's reputation went hand-in-hand to create just the right juxtaposition of weirdness and wackiness. And who doesn't love a good vampire story? The last three episodes of the 10-show series veered off into something about UFO's and pacts that Eisenhower and his generals made with extraterrestrials back in the 50's. I know, I know. You can't make this stuff up.
Here we go again with the vaccines. The FDA has approved the vaccine for children so the push is on by government to get them all vaccinated. Wait a fucking minute, Jack. We're talking about giving children a jab with an experimental vaccine for something that they will in all likelihood survive 99.99% of the time. Have their been any long term studies on the effects of the vaccine on children? Uh, no. Is there an expectation that more children will die of the vaccine than would otherwise die of the virus? I'm guessing the answer to that question is a resounding "Yes."
Maybe the government should have paid more attention to the goings-on in Louden County, Virginia before they decided to start down this slippery slope with the vaccinations of our children. Parents in that county caught on to the swill that their children were being exposed to when everyone was kept home during 2020 and education was being doled out online via apps like Zoom, etc.. Parents observed first hand that the curricula being fed to their children was a twisted and leftist version of what we have otherwise come to think of as the basics. I'm talking reading, writing, and arithmetic here.
Parents rose up as parents are inclined to do when their children are exposed to things that can hurt them. They attended school board meetings and expressed their outrage to the local school board officials. They called for officials to change the curricula or get the hell out of the way so that others might take their place and right-size the curricula. The crowds and the rage at the meetings grew in proportion to the intransigence of the school officials who sat smugly behind their microphones and recited town bylaws chapter and verse in an attempt to squelch the furor. It only emboldened the parents that much more. Geez, didn't see that coming.
It's one thing to threaten the parents with the loss of a job or a career if they do not bow to the mandates of the state and federal governments. It's quite another to come after the children when the science doesn't support going after the children. So, I guess we'll see. No one has credibility any more when it comes to selling this nonsense so the backlash with this harebrained policy should be fast and furious. I don't think we're talking Custer's last stand here but it's probably close. The leftist media has already started with the hard sell by having pro-vaccine physicians on the telly 24-7. It was entirely predictable. I'm talking there about the "narrative."
You heard a lot about soccer moms during the run-up to the 2020 election where they were expected to move wholesale from Trump to Biden when the time came to cast their ballots. Losing suburban moms is not part and parcel of a winning strategy when you're running for national office. Maybe it was the mean tweets. Maybe it was the constant propaganda from the media and the two less-than-successful impeachment attempts that helped to turn the moms away from Trump. Trump was a Russian stooge after all, at least that is what the media wanted you to believe. It didn't matter that none of it was true.
Divide and conquer. That is what the leftist do better than anything else. That is their bread and butter when it comes to keeping the leftists in government in good stead with their constituents. Push the hate until it's coming out of your ears. I guess it works until it doesn't. I think these soccer moms, especially the ones in Louden County, are now wondering how much better their lives, and the lives of their children, would be had they voted for Trump rather than Biden. Oh, let me count the fucking ways.
There is an election coming up in Virginia next week which may tell us a lot about just how toxic the democrats and their brand of leftism has become in the eyes of the soccer moms and dads in that state. I suspect that the election will be largely indictative or reflective of the national mood regarding the Biden presidency, the democrat party, and the policies espoused by the democrats since gaining power in 2020. The governors race between Youngkin and McCauliffe will decide which narrative (Republican vs Democrat) has the more compelling message.
The polls have the race neck and neck. My only question is, what will the democrats do to steal the election and how many weeks will they need in order to "find" all the votes they need to put the democrat over the top? People have had a belly full of what the democrats have had to offer so Youngkin may surprise people in the final analysis. McCauliffe's campaign reminds me a little of Biden's campaign. It's almost as though he doesn't care how badly things are going since they plan to steal the election at the end of the day anyway. Remember, it's not the people who vote. It's the people who count the votes that matter.
The Ev man gave me a call the other day to tell me that he was getting some concerning prompts on the dashboard of his car. One of the prompts said something about charging, which I was thinking had something to do with the alternator. I told him to go ahead and drive it but don't turn it off until he returned home just in case his battery was dying due to a faulty alternator. He called maybe an hour later and told me that he had broken down and was now parked safely at a local Mobil station in his town.
I made arrangements to have his car towed to a local repair shop but had no plans to call AAA to arrange for the tow until I could assess the problem myself. Once I arrived at the station, the Ev man was parked at the rear of the station in what appeared to be a pretty good spot assuming a tow truck driver might have to pull up there and tow away the car. I had visions of lemons rolling around in my brain and was not wanting to accept the fact that maybe this dream car of Evan's was not a "dream" car at all. That would simply not do.
I got behind the wheel, put the key in the ignition, and started the car up without any trouble. I think I was thinking that it might not start so I was pleasantly surprised when it did start. I looked at the Ev man and the Ev man looked at me. So far, so good. Hey, Ev! I don't see those warning signs you were talking about when we talked earlier. Indeed, the only prompts left had to do with low tire pressure. The good news was that the car was running, we didn't need to call AAA, and we decided that driving it to the shop was still a good idea since the issue of reliability was still outstanding.
I really appreciate the fact that the guys at the shop were able to look at the car as quickly as they did. I think the fact that we didn't have to have it towed there might have had them thinking that it was something quick and easy. Did I mention that the Ev man lost his power steering just before his car "broke down"? Oh, and there were about 4 or 5 warning lights on his dashboard that preceded the power steering going out. Just a cornucopia, really, of flashing lights and warning signs. It's a miracle that he was able to navigate to a safe spot in the midst of it all. Good for him!
I was figuring that maybe his alternator might need replacing. I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I was sitting at home waiting for the call but getting the car fixed, regardless of cost, was my primary motivation. I had some small regrets about telling them to just go ahead and fix whatever it was that needed to be fixed without calling me first but it was what it was (it is what it is?.) They could have taken me to the cleaners, but they didn't. The good news was that the alternator and battery were just fine. They reset the codes, put a little more air in the tires, and told me to drive the car around a bit to see if any of the warning lights came back on. File this under "The Lord works in mysterious ways."
I'm guessing that the Ev man will be skittish for a while until the car stands up under the scrutiny of time. That's just how he rolls. He has me on speed dial so no worries there. He also has AAA so can relay on them in a pinch. He's had the car for a few months now and this is the first real issue of any kind so I'm feeling somewhat relieved that we may not have a lemon on our hands. If issues persist, I'll trade that car in for something else in the bat of an eye. I just won't have the Ev man driving around in a car that is not reliable. Life is too short.
Mrs G was in good spirits when we showed up at her place yesterday for our weekly visit. She and I spent a couple of minutes on her computer where I reminded her that her monitor wasn't her computer and vice versa. She has a computer with a separate monitor unlike her old Apple iMac which was essentially a computer and a monitor all in one. She lost power last week and she needed to restart her computer but didn't know how. Going over that over the phone was a bit trying to say the least.
"Reach around the back of the computer and you'll feel a little indentation which you'll need to press", I told her over the phone. Of course, the "back" of the computer is a relative and maybe confusing term when you don't even know where the computer is much less finding the back or the front of the darn thing. I went on, "so, you see the wires coming out of the little box sitting on your desk behind the screen, right?" Granted, the Mac Mini is barely larger than the size of a bible so I would imagine that sorting it all out wasn't exactly the bees knees but we got it done.
Mrs G asked if I recalled where we bought the little Buddha ornament that we gave her some two months ago. I wasn't sure if she was testing my cognitive function or maybe my short term recall, but I surely did remember when and where we picked it up because it was my idea at the time. I hesitated for just a moment and looked at missus thinking that maybe it was on the tip of her tongue and I didn't wish to steal her thunder. When no utterances were forthcoming, I filled the silence in the room with what I knew about the little Buddha. "Yes, of course I remember."
Apparently, Debbie Rah-Rah had been up to visit recently and had taken a shine to the little Buddha. She asked if Mrs G might consider parting with it. Mrs G made it clear that Johnny (that would be me) had given it to her and she had no intention whatsoever of parting with it. Mrs G asked the missus and me if we might consider getting another little Buddha to give to Debbie Rah-Rah come Christmas time. We promised to add it to our list although such a list has yet begun to take shape given that we are some two months removed from Christmas.
Speaking of Christmas, I'm listening to my first Christmas music album this morning. It certainly brightens up what is otherwise a dark and mournful late Fall morning out of doors. It's an album by Pentatonix just off the shelves. How many versions of Frosty the Snowman are there, anyway? It's pretty cool so I'm not complaining. I mean, who doesn't like Christmas music? It's funny too, when you think about it, that Christmas is the one holiday on the calendar that has its own music. The artists come out of the woodwork with their own renditions of the holiday classics every year and it just never seems to get old. That's the Christmas spirit for you. And all through the house..
Best Of Times
24/10/21 07:19
I'm listening to this Neil Young album and it's skipping like crazy. I don't know how much longer I can listen to it. It's just too distracting. Yeah, that's the right word. I'm not a big Neil Young fan but it's different enough that I thought I might give it a listen this morning, Speaking of distracting, I've started watching Breaking Bad on Netflix. I've had enough people tell me to give a watch that I told myself when I'm between shows I'll tune in and I'll see what all the excitement is about.
I'm three episodes in and I think if it doesn't start getting better or more interesting I may have to turn it off. It has this 1970's kind of feel to it that has me feeling like I'm watching some cop show sitcom from that era. It's almost cheesy if that makes any sense. The main character, Walter White, is a chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and is literally coughing up blood before the end of the second episode. What kind of show starts off by killing off the main character before the plot even starts to unfold?
Characters come and go in different scenes almost as though the director of the show is trying this and that character to see if he or she makes the show any more or less interesting. Knowing as I do that this series ran for some five seasons, I found myself wondering which characters would be around and which ones were destined to drop out after an episode, or maybe a just scene, or two.
And I don't know if this is appropriate or not, but I found myself laughing out loud at a lot of the scenes that maybe weren't supposed to be humorous. I mean, who locks up a drug dealer in their basement and secures them by the neck to a pole using a bicycle lock? To think that Walter was about to let him go before he discovers that the drug dealer had taken a piece of a broken plate and planned to stab and kill Walt once he freed him.
Walter finally finds the testosterone he needs to strangle the bastard as he flails about while sticking Walter here and there with the jagged shard. The writers of this show are wasting no time in turning this sheep of a chemistry teacher into a meth maker, and now with the basement scene, a killer. You start to wonder if there isn't anything they can't do with the character that they've developed. The acting across the board is pretty good and the women in the show are easy on the eyes. I still wonder just a little bit if my laughing here and there isn't somehow off kilter. Not unlike the show itself, I might add.
I got a text from the Ev man while I was out food shopping yesterday. He was inquiring as to what spare keys I did or did not have for his apartment and his car. I'm thinking to myself, what did he lose now and how will we replace the things that I'm thinking he lost. Come to find out, he was laying the groundwork for what he was planning to do later in the day. We discussed the various options with him later that day but he was determined to do what he thought best so that was that.
Doing what he did, and going where he went, is par for the course when he feels the need for a reset in his life. I'm not sure if it's the things that are catching up with him or maybe just the totality of the events in his life that leave him feeling the need for a reset. Whichever the case, he always has a plan for better or worse. It's a safe option and one that we as his parents fully endorse. No one but the Ev man makes decisions for the Ev man. We're there for him, as usual, for what it's worth.
Debbie Rah-Rah is coming to town tomorrow. It's always good to see her. Word has it that she's bringing up the usual chow mien dish for her mum. I don't think I get the chow mien thing, quite frankly. I mean, I know what chow mein is but what is so special about this chow mien that can't be found in the chow mein made locally? Maybe I don't know what chow mein is. Maybe there is a special recipe that is only found in dishes prepared in one or two restaurants down Ms. Rah-Rah's way. Nonetheless, the G's are in with both feet when it comes to this dish. Bon Appetite!
What is this we're hearing about a trip to Alaska? The Rah-Rah's, minus one Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, have made plans to take a trip to Alaska in early 2022. There was a time in my life when I might have considered such a trip but, as of late, not so much. It's not like the missus and I were invited or anything. You don't invite people that you know who have no intention or interest in doing anything of the sort. Were it not for the air travel, who knows. But there is air travel so there's that.
We stopped over to the Ev man's last night when we were in town to visit Debbie Rah-Rah and Mrs G. There was mail to check and we wanted to make sure that he hadn't left one or more appliances on when he left his apartment the previous day. Everything seemed to be in order although the place was in need of a good sprucing. I'll need to make arrangements to pack up a few things here at home and make my way over there sometime this week before the Ev man returns home. That's the plan, anyway.
I was telling the missus that the Ev man's place gets away from him from time to time and there is a point somewhere along the line when it becomes maybe a little intolerable or overwhelming and he just can't get it done by himself. I'm not looking to make excuses for him but that's just a fact. Well, it's my interpretation of things anyway. I know I'm over the target when he welcomes what I think of as a helping hand. It doesn't happen very often but I'm good with doing what I can if it will help get him back on track. After looking at his place, all I can say is, the sooner the better. I think the Ev man would agree with me.
I'm at loose ends this morning. I have plans to get on over to the Ev man's today as previously noted. I've got my bucket loaded with this and that so I'm not caught short handed once I get to work. I have to remember to bring a wrench or two since he has a table that is getting little wobbly. The missus suggested that I take advantage of the laundry room around the corner from his unit to do any washes that need to be done. This is starting to look like a 3-4 hour job. I'm going solo since that works best for me. No distractions, no delays, and no nonsense!
I've only got so much energy so I'll need to parcel it out properly if I'm to make it through the day and get everything done that needs to be done. The good news is that his apartment is smallish so the scope of what needs to be done is limited. I've already brought over a few things so that's one or two less things that I need to do today. I'm probably going to pay dearly for all the twisting and turning that I'll be doing in the course of the day but that's a worry for another day. Here's hoping that I have enough juice left after it's all said and done to get a bike ride in at the end of the day.
The missus has been complaining lately that our washing machine has been acting a little strange. It's going all unbalanced all of a sudden and it's making a bit of a racket that you can't ignore. It actually won't complete the cycle and she has to jigger things here in order to get it going again. The fellas came yesterday morning to replace Evan's bedroom window so that gave me the chance to fiddle with the washing machine while the missus worked in the back room on a few work-related matters.
I googled the washing machine issue and came up with a couple of possibilities. That had me taking the machine apart and looking for a loose nut in the bottom of the tub. There weren't so many parts that I had to worry about which part went where once I started to put its all back together so that was good. The kicker was that the nut wasn't loose by the time I got everything taken apart so that was not time well spent. That's the downside of troubleshooting, I suppose.
The upside, if there is any, is that I discovered something that I thought might be contributing to the problem when I was taking its all apart. There are four pieces of foam that are strategically placed on the inside of the tub that prevent the tub from moving too far in one direction or another when it's going through certain cycles that require a certain amount of agitation. One of the four pieces was pretty worn and that may have caused the machine to move too far in one direction thereby causing it all to go off into a cocked hat as it were.
I reinforced the foam with another piece of foam that I had lying around so we'll see if that does the trick. I'd hoped that the missus would do a wash last night so I could test out my theory. She was too tired after working all day and it wasn't so important that it couldn't wait for another day. Whether or not she'll test it out before I leave this morning remains to be seen. We're all on a pretty tight schedule today so maybe it waits a bit longer. It's not the end of the world.
Fast forward 24 hours and a long 24 hours it has been. Cleaning Ev's apartment took far longer than I expected. I referred to some sprucing that needed to be done but just sprucing was not going to get the job done. I left the scrubbing of this and that until the end which may not have been the best strategy. When the time came for a little muscle power, there wasn't much left in the tank. It was so bad that I was washing the floor on my way out the door by pushing a rag around with my foot since I feared that if I got down on all fours I might not be able to get up. If I had only had a mop.
I was telling the missus when I got home a little after 7 that his wool rug is a problem. The pilling, even after two years, is just making a mess of things in his apartment. My suggestion was that we work with him to replace the rug. It was like light was dawning on Marblehead. The minute I threw out the suggestion, our collective focus was on getting rid of the rug and finding a suitable replacement. The missus didn't say that in so many words, but her silence spoke volumes.
I was dragging my feet and unbelievably bleary eyed by the time I got done with Ev's apartment. I haven't been that dogged tired in a long time. I had all I could do to take familiar roads home since taking any other route would have been to tempt fate. I worried from time to time that I might be going too fast without realizing it so I was feeling grateful when I had a set or two of taillights to follow. I was reminded of just how mindless an activity like driving a car can be since I was on complete auto pilot but managed fine nonetheless.
I felt bad that I had to leave the Ev man with a refrigerator that was, by and large, empty. I know he has a bad habit of not throwing things away when they should be tossed out. I fully expected to find things in his refrigerator that I would be throwing away. I didn't even have to look at dates in most cases (ugh.) By the time I finished sorting it all out, he didn't have much left. Looking on the brighter side, it was a lot easier to clean once I could see what I needed to clean. He warned me about the microwave and he wasn't wrong. I need to remind him to cover things he intends to cook in the microwave. Yo, dude.
The Ev man was at our house when I returned from a day cleaning his apartment. His plan was to spend the night but I'm up this morning and he's nowhere to be found. He does that sometimes. Without a word of warning, he picks up and departs. No notes, no nothing. He's a free man in Paris, as the saying goes, so no harm, no foul. We'll catch up with him sooner or later.
This time of the year is such good weather for having soup for lunch or dinner. I'm pretty good when it comes to throwing together a batch of chili but I'm not very good when it comes to making a decent soup. If I'm not mistaken, it's one of those kitchen sink deals. Right? You throw a pot on the stove and then you throw everything in but the kitchen sink. The missus makes a mean lentil soup now that I think of it so maybe I'll ask her to brush off that recipe. That'll be just perfect for a weekend night if the timing works out right.
It's disturbing to me that you can walk into a supermarket and see row after row of canned soups but not a damn one of them is healthy for you. The ingredient listing looks pretty good until you get to the part where it lists just how much sodium you get in every serving. It's enough to kill a damn horse. We're talking 700 grams, or milligrams, of sodium per serving give or take. I can't eat that in good conscience. I won't put it into my body. I just won't do it. I mean, who eats that stuff? It's hard to believe that there was a time when manufacturers weren't required to put labels on canned goods. God only knows what we were putting in our bodies back in the day.
I'm not sure if we'll be paying Mrs G a visit this weekend or not. They're giving out Covid booster shots at her place now since the CDC is now recommending them for people in her particular age group. It's a crock of hooey, it is. I guess they've had a couple of cases of Covid popping up in here and there and they're not taking any chances. Apparently, the efficacy of the shots administered some six months ago is wearing thin so that's making folks just a little bit jumpy. I'd like to see them take a stand against the vaccines and put their faith in the baby Jesus for a change. Let him decide when it's time to go.
We did tell Mrs G that we'd get her out and about for a ride to see the Fall foliage so we need to think about when we're going to do that. The colors out and about are starting to look a little muted so the time to do this is now. I'm all about keeping our word when we say we're going to do something. It may have gone in one ear and out the other when we first told her but we can't take any chances that it didn't. Go in one ear and out the other ear, I mean. I don't know that our ride will include a trip to Whole Markets or not but, as they say in the movies, hope springs eternal.
We said something to Debbie Rah-Rah about getting her a cooler to put in the back of her SUV this past week. It's something we're wanting to get for her for Christmas and we needed to know one way or the other whether or not she was interested. It turns out that she is so now we just need to decide on when to make the purchase. Hearing as we are about supply chain issues and the like, it would behoove us to get the order in and get it wrapped before the holiday season is upon us in earnest. Having a cooler as we do, we can't imagine life without it. Did I mention that it keeps things both hot or cold? She's going to love it!
I saw a tweet today that went something like this: "Even if 100% of all humans took a Covid vaccine this week, Covid would not disappear and it would still be killing people and the government would return none of your freedom." Man, is that the living truth. Just look at other countries like Australia that have become a complete police state by using Covid as a cudgel to control and beat the living hell out of their citizenry. We're not quite there yet but we're heading in that direction at warp speed.
I think there are enough people and enough organizations pushing back that we might be able to avert any all out effort to go full tyranny on the part of our government officials. There are enough sensible people in government to see Covid for what it is; a seemingly seasonal virus that is just something that we are going to have to live with. That's the current consensus anyway. We do what we can to protect the elderly and we give them what we can to make sure that they have everything they need to make decisions about what drugs they wish to take or not take.
These attacks on the unvaccinated are totally unwarranted. Disallowing them entry to establishments based on their vaccination status is out and out discrimination. I'll stand with them in their fight for their freedoms until the cows come home. I'm glad to see some of the airlines backing off their plans to fire their employees who choose not to get vaccinated. Other companies are doing the same. This is not going to end well for the democrats and Sleepy Joe Biden who think that firing health care workers, policemen, and firemen who don't want to get vaccinated is the right thing to do. It's not.
There doesn't seem to be any end in sight for the supply chain issues and all those container ships still sitting off our east and west coasts. Biden's approval rating in most states is sitting around 37%. Dr Fauci has been exposed for the fraud that he is for lying to Congress about the Wuhan lab and his funding gain of function experiments. Alec Baldwin has still not been charged with killing a cinematographer after allegedly discharging a prop gun on a movie set in New Mexico. Inflation is still raging at 5%, Bill Belachik is still coach of the New England Patriots despite the team's abysmal record of 2-5, and Hunter Biden, the bagman, is still selling access to the White House. What a world we live in.
I'm three episodes in and I think if it doesn't start getting better or more interesting I may have to turn it off. It has this 1970's kind of feel to it that has me feeling like I'm watching some cop show sitcom from that era. It's almost cheesy if that makes any sense. The main character, Walter White, is a chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and is literally coughing up blood before the end of the second episode. What kind of show starts off by killing off the main character before the plot even starts to unfold?
Characters come and go in different scenes almost as though the director of the show is trying this and that character to see if he or she makes the show any more or less interesting. Knowing as I do that this series ran for some five seasons, I found myself wondering which characters would be around and which ones were destined to drop out after an episode, or maybe a just scene, or two.
And I don't know if this is appropriate or not, but I found myself laughing out loud at a lot of the scenes that maybe weren't supposed to be humorous. I mean, who locks up a drug dealer in their basement and secures them by the neck to a pole using a bicycle lock? To think that Walter was about to let him go before he discovers that the drug dealer had taken a piece of a broken plate and planned to stab and kill Walt once he freed him.
Walter finally finds the testosterone he needs to strangle the bastard as he flails about while sticking Walter here and there with the jagged shard. The writers of this show are wasting no time in turning this sheep of a chemistry teacher into a meth maker, and now with the basement scene, a killer. You start to wonder if there isn't anything they can't do with the character that they've developed. The acting across the board is pretty good and the women in the show are easy on the eyes. I still wonder just a little bit if my laughing here and there isn't somehow off kilter. Not unlike the show itself, I might add.
I got a text from the Ev man while I was out food shopping yesterday. He was inquiring as to what spare keys I did or did not have for his apartment and his car. I'm thinking to myself, what did he lose now and how will we replace the things that I'm thinking he lost. Come to find out, he was laying the groundwork for what he was planning to do later in the day. We discussed the various options with him later that day but he was determined to do what he thought best so that was that.
Doing what he did, and going where he went, is par for the course when he feels the need for a reset in his life. I'm not sure if it's the things that are catching up with him or maybe just the totality of the events in his life that leave him feeling the need for a reset. Whichever the case, he always has a plan for better or worse. It's a safe option and one that we as his parents fully endorse. No one but the Ev man makes decisions for the Ev man. We're there for him, as usual, for what it's worth.
Debbie Rah-Rah is coming to town tomorrow. It's always good to see her. Word has it that she's bringing up the usual chow mien dish for her mum. I don't think I get the chow mien thing, quite frankly. I mean, I know what chow mein is but what is so special about this chow mien that can't be found in the chow mein made locally? Maybe I don't know what chow mein is. Maybe there is a special recipe that is only found in dishes prepared in one or two restaurants down Ms. Rah-Rah's way. Nonetheless, the G's are in with both feet when it comes to this dish. Bon Appetite!
What is this we're hearing about a trip to Alaska? The Rah-Rah's, minus one Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, have made plans to take a trip to Alaska in early 2022. There was a time in my life when I might have considered such a trip but, as of late, not so much. It's not like the missus and I were invited or anything. You don't invite people that you know who have no intention or interest in doing anything of the sort. Were it not for the air travel, who knows. But there is air travel so there's that.
We stopped over to the Ev man's last night when we were in town to visit Debbie Rah-Rah and Mrs G. There was mail to check and we wanted to make sure that he hadn't left one or more appliances on when he left his apartment the previous day. Everything seemed to be in order although the place was in need of a good sprucing. I'll need to make arrangements to pack up a few things here at home and make my way over there sometime this week before the Ev man returns home. That's the plan, anyway.
I was telling the missus that the Ev man's place gets away from him from time to time and there is a point somewhere along the line when it becomes maybe a little intolerable or overwhelming and he just can't get it done by himself. I'm not looking to make excuses for him but that's just a fact. Well, it's my interpretation of things anyway. I know I'm over the target when he welcomes what I think of as a helping hand. It doesn't happen very often but I'm good with doing what I can if it will help get him back on track. After looking at his place, all I can say is, the sooner the better. I think the Ev man would agree with me.
I'm at loose ends this morning. I have plans to get on over to the Ev man's today as previously noted. I've got my bucket loaded with this and that so I'm not caught short handed once I get to work. I have to remember to bring a wrench or two since he has a table that is getting little wobbly. The missus suggested that I take advantage of the laundry room around the corner from his unit to do any washes that need to be done. This is starting to look like a 3-4 hour job. I'm going solo since that works best for me. No distractions, no delays, and no nonsense!
I've only got so much energy so I'll need to parcel it out properly if I'm to make it through the day and get everything done that needs to be done. The good news is that his apartment is smallish so the scope of what needs to be done is limited. I've already brought over a few things so that's one or two less things that I need to do today. I'm probably going to pay dearly for all the twisting and turning that I'll be doing in the course of the day but that's a worry for another day. Here's hoping that I have enough juice left after it's all said and done to get a bike ride in at the end of the day.
The missus has been complaining lately that our washing machine has been acting a little strange. It's going all unbalanced all of a sudden and it's making a bit of a racket that you can't ignore. It actually won't complete the cycle and she has to jigger things here in order to get it going again. The fellas came yesterday morning to replace Evan's bedroom window so that gave me the chance to fiddle with the washing machine while the missus worked in the back room on a few work-related matters.
I googled the washing machine issue and came up with a couple of possibilities. That had me taking the machine apart and looking for a loose nut in the bottom of the tub. There weren't so many parts that I had to worry about which part went where once I started to put its all back together so that was good. The kicker was that the nut wasn't loose by the time I got everything taken apart so that was not time well spent. That's the downside of troubleshooting, I suppose.
The upside, if there is any, is that I discovered something that I thought might be contributing to the problem when I was taking its all apart. There are four pieces of foam that are strategically placed on the inside of the tub that prevent the tub from moving too far in one direction or another when it's going through certain cycles that require a certain amount of agitation. One of the four pieces was pretty worn and that may have caused the machine to move too far in one direction thereby causing it all to go off into a cocked hat as it were.
I reinforced the foam with another piece of foam that I had lying around so we'll see if that does the trick. I'd hoped that the missus would do a wash last night so I could test out my theory. She was too tired after working all day and it wasn't so important that it couldn't wait for another day. Whether or not she'll test it out before I leave this morning remains to be seen. We're all on a pretty tight schedule today so maybe it waits a bit longer. It's not the end of the world.
Fast forward 24 hours and a long 24 hours it has been. Cleaning Ev's apartment took far longer than I expected. I referred to some sprucing that needed to be done but just sprucing was not going to get the job done. I left the scrubbing of this and that until the end which may not have been the best strategy. When the time came for a little muscle power, there wasn't much left in the tank. It was so bad that I was washing the floor on my way out the door by pushing a rag around with my foot since I feared that if I got down on all fours I might not be able to get up. If I had only had a mop.
I was telling the missus when I got home a little after 7 that his wool rug is a problem. The pilling, even after two years, is just making a mess of things in his apartment. My suggestion was that we work with him to replace the rug. It was like light was dawning on Marblehead. The minute I threw out the suggestion, our collective focus was on getting rid of the rug and finding a suitable replacement. The missus didn't say that in so many words, but her silence spoke volumes.
I was dragging my feet and unbelievably bleary eyed by the time I got done with Ev's apartment. I haven't been that dogged tired in a long time. I had all I could do to take familiar roads home since taking any other route would have been to tempt fate. I worried from time to time that I might be going too fast without realizing it so I was feeling grateful when I had a set or two of taillights to follow. I was reminded of just how mindless an activity like driving a car can be since I was on complete auto pilot but managed fine nonetheless.
I felt bad that I had to leave the Ev man with a refrigerator that was, by and large, empty. I know he has a bad habit of not throwing things away when they should be tossed out. I fully expected to find things in his refrigerator that I would be throwing away. I didn't even have to look at dates in most cases (ugh.) By the time I finished sorting it all out, he didn't have much left. Looking on the brighter side, it was a lot easier to clean once I could see what I needed to clean. He warned me about the microwave and he wasn't wrong. I need to remind him to cover things he intends to cook in the microwave. Yo, dude.
The Ev man was at our house when I returned from a day cleaning his apartment. His plan was to spend the night but I'm up this morning and he's nowhere to be found. He does that sometimes. Without a word of warning, he picks up and departs. No notes, no nothing. He's a free man in Paris, as the saying goes, so no harm, no foul. We'll catch up with him sooner or later.
This time of the year is such good weather for having soup for lunch or dinner. I'm pretty good when it comes to throwing together a batch of chili but I'm not very good when it comes to making a decent soup. If I'm not mistaken, it's one of those kitchen sink deals. Right? You throw a pot on the stove and then you throw everything in but the kitchen sink. The missus makes a mean lentil soup now that I think of it so maybe I'll ask her to brush off that recipe. That'll be just perfect for a weekend night if the timing works out right.
It's disturbing to me that you can walk into a supermarket and see row after row of canned soups but not a damn one of them is healthy for you. The ingredient listing looks pretty good until you get to the part where it lists just how much sodium you get in every serving. It's enough to kill a damn horse. We're talking 700 grams, or milligrams, of sodium per serving give or take. I can't eat that in good conscience. I won't put it into my body. I just won't do it. I mean, who eats that stuff? It's hard to believe that there was a time when manufacturers weren't required to put labels on canned goods. God only knows what we were putting in our bodies back in the day.
I'm not sure if we'll be paying Mrs G a visit this weekend or not. They're giving out Covid booster shots at her place now since the CDC is now recommending them for people in her particular age group. It's a crock of hooey, it is. I guess they've had a couple of cases of Covid popping up in here and there and they're not taking any chances. Apparently, the efficacy of the shots administered some six months ago is wearing thin so that's making folks just a little bit jumpy. I'd like to see them take a stand against the vaccines and put their faith in the baby Jesus for a change. Let him decide when it's time to go.
We did tell Mrs G that we'd get her out and about for a ride to see the Fall foliage so we need to think about when we're going to do that. The colors out and about are starting to look a little muted so the time to do this is now. I'm all about keeping our word when we say we're going to do something. It may have gone in one ear and out the other when we first told her but we can't take any chances that it didn't. Go in one ear and out the other ear, I mean. I don't know that our ride will include a trip to Whole Markets or not but, as they say in the movies, hope springs eternal.
We said something to Debbie Rah-Rah about getting her a cooler to put in the back of her SUV this past week. It's something we're wanting to get for her for Christmas and we needed to know one way or the other whether or not she was interested. It turns out that she is so now we just need to decide on when to make the purchase. Hearing as we are about supply chain issues and the like, it would behoove us to get the order in and get it wrapped before the holiday season is upon us in earnest. Having a cooler as we do, we can't imagine life without it. Did I mention that it keeps things both hot or cold? She's going to love it!
I saw a tweet today that went something like this: "Even if 100% of all humans took a Covid vaccine this week, Covid would not disappear and it would still be killing people and the government would return none of your freedom." Man, is that the living truth. Just look at other countries like Australia that have become a complete police state by using Covid as a cudgel to control and beat the living hell out of their citizenry. We're not quite there yet but we're heading in that direction at warp speed.
I think there are enough people and enough organizations pushing back that we might be able to avert any all out effort to go full tyranny on the part of our government officials. There are enough sensible people in government to see Covid for what it is; a seemingly seasonal virus that is just something that we are going to have to live with. That's the current consensus anyway. We do what we can to protect the elderly and we give them what we can to make sure that they have everything they need to make decisions about what drugs they wish to take or not take.
These attacks on the unvaccinated are totally unwarranted. Disallowing them entry to establishments based on their vaccination status is out and out discrimination. I'll stand with them in their fight for their freedoms until the cows come home. I'm glad to see some of the airlines backing off their plans to fire their employees who choose not to get vaccinated. Other companies are doing the same. This is not going to end well for the democrats and Sleepy Joe Biden who think that firing health care workers, policemen, and firemen who don't want to get vaccinated is the right thing to do. It's not.
There doesn't seem to be any end in sight for the supply chain issues and all those container ships still sitting off our east and west coasts. Biden's approval rating in most states is sitting around 37%. Dr Fauci has been exposed for the fraud that he is for lying to Congress about the Wuhan lab and his funding gain of function experiments. Alec Baldwin has still not been charged with killing a cinematographer after allegedly discharging a prop gun on a movie set in New Mexico. Inflation is still raging at 5%, Bill Belachik is still coach of the New England Patriots despite the team's abysmal record of 2-5, and Hunter Biden, the bagman, is still selling access to the White House. What a world we live in.
Mean Tweets
17/10/21 08:19
Just when I think I'm kicking butt and taking names with my new online word unscramble game in the New York Times, "Spelling Bee", they seem to have made some changes behind the scenes that make the game more challenging. More to the point, getting the "Genius" rating is more of an uphill battle than it was just last week. What kind of bait and switch bitch did I buy into here? Just when I was starting to feel all smart and everything they come along and change the rules up on me.
I'm guessing they received a lot of feedback from their regular readers that this particular game was maybe too easy and maybe not consistent with what their everyday readers expect from the lauded paper of record, the New York Times. Maybe the paper underestimated just how many of their regular readers would end up playing this game. I am not a regular reader of the paper but the missus is so I get to play the games while she reads whatever it is that she reads.
Nonetheless, the changes they made in the dark of night make it not only more difficult to achieve a "genius" rating but it has tripled the number of words that I consider words that I would never get in a million years playing the game. You know which ones you didn't get because they list all of the words the following day and there are little checkmarks next to the ones you were successful in unscrambling and there are no checkmarks next to the ones you didn't get.
I'm no wordsmith but even I found words from time to time that were not in the mix that I thought should have been in the mix. Since when is "pentangle" not a word? Clearly, I was able to make the word from the letters provided. But when I went to spell out the word, it wasn't recognized as a valid word. I sent off an e-mail to the people at the paper who encourage players of the daily "Spelling Bee" game to contact them if and when you think they missed a word.
I never did hear back from the good folks at the New York Times. Either they were too embarrassed to admit that they missed such an obvious word or they just thought that flooding the zone with inane words in daily games going forward would do the trick. I can see them sitting around in a room reading my e-mail and contemplating the following response. "He wants pentangle, we'll give him pentangle." "He can stick his pentangle up his bloody arse." Be nice.
While I'm thinking about it, I should impose a time limit on myself. I typically get about 90% of the words I need to achieve "genius" level in the first 20 minutes of play. That's the low hanging fruit I've referred to in past posts. Much of that low hanging fruit, as it were, is made up of four-letter words. We're not talking "supercalifragilisticexpialidocous" here. Knowing full well that I'll pick up where I left off sometime during the day, I'm happy to have a fresh look at the letters after I've cleared my head a little bit.
What I'm finding now that they've made the game more challenging, is that I'm spending an inordinate amount of time trying to get a very small number of words that will put me over the top. Maybe I should be less concerned with getting to the "genius" level and more concerned about spending too much time on the game. We all want those things we can't have, though, so I'm not likely to leave any stones unturned in my search for the words that will help me get to my goal. Who gives up at "awesome" when you know "genius" is right around the corner? What fool does that?
I see that Merck, the pharmaceutical company, is now approaching the FDA seeking emergency authorization to put their "Covid" pill on the market. The Wall Street Journal is calling this pill a potential "game changer." I think Merck put a stop to the clinical trials when it was clear that any delay in getting it into the hands of the consumer, with its obvious efficacy now well documented, would simply be unethical.
If the FDA turns down Merck's request, which I believe it will because of their financial backroom deals and commitments to Pfizer and perhaps Moderna, that will tell you all you need to know about just how politicized this process has become.The politicians in power are simply too invested, and the financial windfalls to which they are married too vast, to allow another player on to the field. This, mind you, is at the expense of the American people and people around the world whose lives could be saved by this miracle drug.
If you have a bottle of pills by your bedside that you can tap when you feel the virus coming on, what does that mean for the worldwide effort to get the jab into everyone's arm at any expense? What would that mean for the hospitals, funeral homes, and doctors offices across the globe who have been incentivized to classify every death as a Covid death in order to get reimbursed at astronomical rates only seen during a pandemic? Did I mention that the Biden Administration purchased 1.7 million of these pills?
For those of us who have and have not yet taken the jab, there are still open questions about what it is exactly that they are wanting to put in our bodies so badly. So badly, in fact, that they are willing to shut down our economies in order to see that their mandates are adhered to? So badly that they are willing to look the other way when their constituents take to the streets with their placards, their face masks, and their pitchforks. So badly that even after it has been proven that once vaccinated you can both contract and transmit the virus, they not only keep the mandates in place but they double down on putting the jab in not only more arms but younger and younger arms.
I was telling the missus that if Trump were president he would not tolerate any of this mandate nonsense for a minute. We wouldn't have a mandate. It's that simple. Trump would approve this Merck pill in a heartbeat. Our economy would be off and running and we wouldn't be in the middle of a dumpster fire like we are now with Biden in office.
We wouldn't have hundreds of container ships sitting off our shores waiting on the unions or whomever to come unload and distribute the goods across our fruited plains. We wouldn't have hundreds of planes sitting on the tarmac in city after city whose pilots are refusing to take to the air due to their unwillingness to take the jab. When you consider the various groups involved in this movement pushing back against the radical Biden mandates including everybody from rock stars like Eric Clapton to basketball stars and now airline pilots, I think we're seeing the genesis of a star-studded solidarity movement.
Think of all the policemen who would still be on the job were it not for the insanity of the mandates and the unwillingness of our politicians to respect our desires for individual freedom when it comes to taking the jab. The list doesn't stop there. There are teachers, nurses, and god only how many other occupations in the mix. You have to respect people who stand up for what they think is right and who are willing to give up their livelihoods in order to not bend to the will of either government or the corporations who do their bidding. It is an immense sacrifice. God bless them all.
In Bernie Sander's world, the citizenry standing in bread lines for hours on end is preferable to allowing the rich to have easy access to goods and services while the less well off in our society go hungry. One has to wonder, with all of the supply chain issues now in the news, and the Biden Administration now warning people that they may not get what they want for Christmas, if these shortages aren't a creation of Bernie Sanders or someone like Bernie Sanders pulling strings behind the scene to create the very bread lines that Bernie and his comrades lie awake at night dreaming about.
Is this a problem created by Biden so that Biden can take credit for solving the problem that he created? I know how that sounds and it's hard to believe that a president, even an illegitimate president like Biden, would be so brazen and bold to even think about doing such a thing. I've heard people say that rationing cards are coming next and that wouldn't surprise me. Would it surprise you if I told you that in order to get that rationing card you will have to be vaccinated?
There are others who think that everything we're seeing coming out of the Biden Administration is a result of sheer incompetence. That makes perfect sense to me knowing that Joe Biden was probably the most incompetent of Senators during his fifty years in the Senate. Why would that change with his moving just up the street to his new home at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue?
I mean, literally, everything he touches turns to shit. It's worth remembering that one of his very first acts as president was to put a stop to the construction of an oil pipeline that employed thousands of people and put America on track to be energy independent for the first time in our country's history.
I have a good mind to go shopping today to see what, if any, impact that these supply chain issues are having at the local supermarket. I've been a little surprised in some of my more recent shopping outings to find some things maybe barely in stock or not in stock at all. I'm talking about things like frozen blueberries. Have blueberries become the modern day version of the canary in the coal mine? I think I need more evidence.
If I notice that things are on the wane, I may start putting things in my cart willy nilly just because I can. Assuming that the store is open, and that is never a sure bet these days with Biden paying people to stay at home, I have the time and inclination to do what I need to do at the store.
Mrs G has been complaining that she hasn't been able to find her caramel nips anywhere so I'll see if my local store has any while I'm stocking up on other things usually found in that particular aisle. I've grabbed every last box in sight in past visits since I think other people may be doing the same thing which is why I'm not expecting to find any during my visit today. This is what happens when you have excess demand and a limited supply of any one particular product or item. I've even looked on Amazon for the nips but there were none to be found.
I've also not seen any panic buying in our local stores so that's good. If that happens, we'll see signs up in every aisle limiting customers to one or two, maybe three or four if I'm lucky, of this and that item. Some signs may well read, "while supplies last." In the not too distant past, I noticed that they were limiting customers to one container of dishwashing soap. That was completely unexpected.
I made a mental note to shop for my dishwashing soap elsewhere and just kept walking down the aisle. The odd thing was that the only item with a limit of sorts was the dishwashing soap. Even stranger than that was the fact that they had what appeared to be a plentiful supply of the soap so it was, well, weird. These sorts of scarcity issues, in addition to the unavailability of people willing to do the work, might well explain why stores and restaurants are either closed or open for an abbreviated number of hours on any given day. Anyone miss the mean tweets yet?
Fast forward 24 hours and I can now report out on my visit to the supermarket. The store itself was not overly crowded when I arrived around noon. That is not when I typically go shopping so maybe it was crowded for noontime and maybe it wasn't. Not surprisingly, they still had no frozen blueberries. Normally, you can find the generic brands but they too were nowhere to be found. I didn't notice any empty shelves or seriously depleted stocks of any one item. The milk that I like to buy, which is always in short supply, was in short supply today and I took the last four containers.
I surreptitiously eyed baskets here and there looking for hoard-able items like toilet paper, etc. Again, nothing seemed out of place. It was only when I went to check out that I noticed that people and their carts were backing up at the small handful of open aisles where I might have expected more aisles to be open. I also noticed that the carts lining up at the open aisles were filled to the brim with groceries. Finally, the first sign of panic buying. What or who were they listening to in the privacy of their homes or cars that prompted them to come to this particular store today to do a little panic shopping?
Were they buying into the claptrap that inflation was driving prices up not by the week or the day but by the hour and they wanted to get their shopping in while the prices were low? There is nothing like the threat of prices being more expensive tomorrow to get you to splurge today. Maybe, like me, they watched in horror on the telly as the container ships backed up at our country's ports and, with nobody to unload them, who knows when, or if, the goods would ever end up on the shelves of our local stores.
Maybe they had a chance to catch one or more of demented Joe Biden's speeches about any one of the many horror shows he's created and they decided that our days as a civilized country are numbered. You go back to the basics and that all starts with being able to feed your family. That's job numero uno. I'm getting frazzled sitting here just thinking about it. There is also a helter-skelter quality about the things that people put in their shopping carts when they're shopping for what they think are end times.
You know you've outdone yourself when the bagger gives up on trying to organize your purchases and just starts filling bags as fast as he or she can with whatever he or she can grab off the conveyor belt. It's a fools errand to try and bag up cold thing with cold things and hot things with hot things. There simply isn't enough time. Any residual guilt you might be feeling about having depleted stocks at the expense of your fellow hoarders starts to fade as you place your final purchase on the conveyor belt.
You save the heaviest item for last. It's a 5-lb bag of Carolina rice. That, and some dried beans you have left over from the last pandemic, will suffice as sustenance during the hardest of hard times which you hope will never come. Optimism is hard to come by in Joe Biden's America in the year of our Lord, 2021.
You gird yourself for the final obstacle course which has you pushing a top heavy cart of groceries out of the store and out and around people and vehicles before arriving at your final destination. Never mind that people heading into the store look at you, and then your cart, and wonder to themselves if they didn't wait too long to do their shopping. You can watch in real time as they quicken their pace and beat a more determined path to the entrance of the store. You can see the panic setting in. The things those cashiers must see in the course of their day.
The missus and I were just finishing a little dinner the other day when we got a call from Mrs G. She had broken down by the side of the road while driving home and was now just waiting for AAA to send along a tow truck driver. The good news is that she was using her cell phone to reach out to us to let us know of her predicament. She actually had the presence of mind to take her phone with her when she left home which is not, incidentally, always the case. It's not that she's not mindful of such things, or forgetful of such things as it were, but rather she simply isn't in the habit of carrying around her cell phone. That probably goes with the territory for people of her generation.
By the time she called us, Mrs G had made all the necessary calls and she had taken all the necessary precautions that you might otherwise expect someone to take who was in her situation. In fact, she wasn't necessarily even asking that we do anything to lend a hand. It was all over but the waiting. She was in good spirits otherwise and not overly concerned one way or another about her own welfare, her car, or the fact that nightfall was imminent. That's me saying in a roundabout fashion saying that Mrs G is no shrinking violet. No sireee, Bob.
The missus and I decided fairly quickly that it was probably not a good idea to leave a woman her age, and we're talking about Mrs G here, sitting by the side of the road in a broken down vehicle with nightfall just around the corner. There are simply too many stories of people in a situation like that who end up in a bad way for one reason or another. One fella did stop by and was good enough to take a quick look beneath the hood but went along on his way after offering his unsolicited assessment. Mrs G had a bit of a bone to pick with the people in a building adjacent to where she had broken down since not a soul came out to offer any help. The nerve!
We contemplated for a moment or two that the Ev man might be able to go sit with her but, not knowing what he might be in the middle of, we didn't want to put any pressure on him to do something that he was not otherwise inclined to do. We certainly didn't want or need him driving bleary eyed across town only to show up at the scene with a teeter in his step and a half cocked smile on his face reminiscent of some Cheech and Chong album cover from back in the sixties. I don't know that that would ring any bells with Mrs G but we weren't taking any chances.
It wasn't long after we arrived that the tow truck driver showed up. I was telling the missus on the way over there that the best case scenario was that we would arrive at the same time as the tow truck driver. We went back and forth a little bit about who would stay with the car while the other drove Mrs G home but it turned out to be moot point when we saw the flashing lights of his flat bed truck coming round the corner. The last little bone I had to pick with Mrs G is that she could only muster a $5 tip for the tow truck driver. I thought he deserved more but my pleas fell on deaf ears. Oh, well.
There are just a couple more items I want to chat about before clocking out on this week's blog. One, is the bizarre anger we see coming from Biden when he's reading off the teleprompter. This is something new. First, it was the weird whispering. The country saw that and must have wondered what the fuck they were seeing. Is this Joe off his meds? Maybe, just maybe, this is Joe on his meds. He's still whispering so we've come to accept that it is just part and parcel of his overall affect when he speaks. It's not less weird, it just is what it is.
The anger is new and maybe just a little alarming. He actually looks a little like Hitler without the mustache when he's all worked up and pumping his fists and grimacing like a madman at the podium. This is serious businesss, folks. The other word that comes to mind is "unhinged." I mean we're talking off the rails unhinged. If I saw a foreign leader speaking like this I would be no less alarmed and might even question the people who voted he or she into office. You expect a certain civility out of your elected officials and when you see just the opposite it makes for a worrisome event.
What is he so angry about anyway? Is he trying to compensate for his otherwise feeble demeanor? Does he think that expressing anger like a bloody and demented old fool will somehow move people to do what it is that he is wanting him to do? He's out there on the stump trying to make the case for the boondoggle of a bill he and progressives are trying to pass and his fiery tirades are doing more to alienate people than anything else.
Did I mention that his approval numbers are in the mid thirties? Watching old films of Hitler from the 30's and 40's in pre-war Germany is probably not something that you want to try to emulate. Does Sleepy Joe even know how that movie ends? I suppose his handlers can only do so much in the hours and minutes leading up to a planned speech. They can control his getting on and off the stage pretty well but, once he is up there, he is on his own. Left to his own devices, and this is unfolding in real time, we're seeing the real Joe Biden. It is not pretty. God help him and God help America.
Lastly, there is this growing feud between democrat senator's Joe Manchin from West Virginia and Bernie Sanders from Vermont. Manchin is a moderate who wants better things for his people in West Virginia but doesn't believe that government programs are the answer to every problem. Sander's think that every problem under the sun can be solved by government and that a perpetual welfare state is just what we need in America.
"We are the richest country on the face of the earth", bleats Bernie. "We can afford it"! The problem is, the progressives in the House and Senate need Manchin's vote if they are going to pass this boondoggle of a bill in the US Senate. Bernie is not happy that Joe is getting cold feet as the time to cast their votes draws near. He's worked too hard to get his socialist agenda passed into law and now, after decades of trying to bring his brand of communism to the floor of the Senate for a vote, Joe Manchin and Krysten Sinema are the two senators who are about to deep-six his agenda.
I know it's hard to believe but get this: Bernie wrote an op-ed and put it in a newspaper in Manchin's West Virginia in an attempt to get the people of West Virginia to exert pressure on Manchin to vote for the bill. West Virginia is maybe the poorest state in the union so, as you might imagine, Bernie's message of free this and that had a certain appeal to people in Appalachia and similar environs.
This enraged Manchin. I mean, who does that to a fellow senator? Is decorum no longer a thing? I wouldn't be surprised to see Manchin dig in his heels even deeper after this egregious sleight of hand by Sanders. Manchin responded with something along the lines of Sanders being a socialist and yada-yada-yada. I mean we're talking bad blood here. Manchin comes from the land of the Hatfields and the McCoys so we're not just talking feud here, we're talking blood feud. You can't fix this.
I'm getting a little long in the tooth here as usual. It's hard to say where this bill goes so that will be fodder for an upcoming blog post. If you see a blog of mine entitled "Good Riddance", you'll know the bill went down to defeat in the Senate. I'll be singing the praises of the baby Jesus and that will be that. I still think Mrs G could have ponied up a better tip for the tow truck driver so I'm not letting up on that. I'm like a dog with a bone sometimes. Sometimes?
I'm guessing they received a lot of feedback from their regular readers that this particular game was maybe too easy and maybe not consistent with what their everyday readers expect from the lauded paper of record, the New York Times. Maybe the paper underestimated just how many of their regular readers would end up playing this game. I am not a regular reader of the paper but the missus is so I get to play the games while she reads whatever it is that she reads.
Nonetheless, the changes they made in the dark of night make it not only more difficult to achieve a "genius" rating but it has tripled the number of words that I consider words that I would never get in a million years playing the game. You know which ones you didn't get because they list all of the words the following day and there are little checkmarks next to the ones you were successful in unscrambling and there are no checkmarks next to the ones you didn't get.
I'm no wordsmith but even I found words from time to time that were not in the mix that I thought should have been in the mix. Since when is "pentangle" not a word? Clearly, I was able to make the word from the letters provided. But when I went to spell out the word, it wasn't recognized as a valid word. I sent off an e-mail to the people at the paper who encourage players of the daily "Spelling Bee" game to contact them if and when you think they missed a word.
I never did hear back from the good folks at the New York Times. Either they were too embarrassed to admit that they missed such an obvious word or they just thought that flooding the zone with inane words in daily games going forward would do the trick. I can see them sitting around in a room reading my e-mail and contemplating the following response. "He wants pentangle, we'll give him pentangle." "He can stick his pentangle up his bloody arse." Be nice.
While I'm thinking about it, I should impose a time limit on myself. I typically get about 90% of the words I need to achieve "genius" level in the first 20 minutes of play. That's the low hanging fruit I've referred to in past posts. Much of that low hanging fruit, as it were, is made up of four-letter words. We're not talking "supercalifragilisticexpialidocous" here. Knowing full well that I'll pick up where I left off sometime during the day, I'm happy to have a fresh look at the letters after I've cleared my head a little bit.
What I'm finding now that they've made the game more challenging, is that I'm spending an inordinate amount of time trying to get a very small number of words that will put me over the top. Maybe I should be less concerned with getting to the "genius" level and more concerned about spending too much time on the game. We all want those things we can't have, though, so I'm not likely to leave any stones unturned in my search for the words that will help me get to my goal. Who gives up at "awesome" when you know "genius" is right around the corner? What fool does that?
I see that Merck, the pharmaceutical company, is now approaching the FDA seeking emergency authorization to put their "Covid" pill on the market. The Wall Street Journal is calling this pill a potential "game changer." I think Merck put a stop to the clinical trials when it was clear that any delay in getting it into the hands of the consumer, with its obvious efficacy now well documented, would simply be unethical.
If the FDA turns down Merck's request, which I believe it will because of their financial backroom deals and commitments to Pfizer and perhaps Moderna, that will tell you all you need to know about just how politicized this process has become.The politicians in power are simply too invested, and the financial windfalls to which they are married too vast, to allow another player on to the field. This, mind you, is at the expense of the American people and people around the world whose lives could be saved by this miracle drug.
If you have a bottle of pills by your bedside that you can tap when you feel the virus coming on, what does that mean for the worldwide effort to get the jab into everyone's arm at any expense? What would that mean for the hospitals, funeral homes, and doctors offices across the globe who have been incentivized to classify every death as a Covid death in order to get reimbursed at astronomical rates only seen during a pandemic? Did I mention that the Biden Administration purchased 1.7 million of these pills?
For those of us who have and have not yet taken the jab, there are still open questions about what it is exactly that they are wanting to put in our bodies so badly. So badly, in fact, that they are willing to shut down our economies in order to see that their mandates are adhered to? So badly that they are willing to look the other way when their constituents take to the streets with their placards, their face masks, and their pitchforks. So badly that even after it has been proven that once vaccinated you can both contract and transmit the virus, they not only keep the mandates in place but they double down on putting the jab in not only more arms but younger and younger arms.
I was telling the missus that if Trump were president he would not tolerate any of this mandate nonsense for a minute. We wouldn't have a mandate. It's that simple. Trump would approve this Merck pill in a heartbeat. Our economy would be off and running and we wouldn't be in the middle of a dumpster fire like we are now with Biden in office.
We wouldn't have hundreds of container ships sitting off our shores waiting on the unions or whomever to come unload and distribute the goods across our fruited plains. We wouldn't have hundreds of planes sitting on the tarmac in city after city whose pilots are refusing to take to the air due to their unwillingness to take the jab. When you consider the various groups involved in this movement pushing back against the radical Biden mandates including everybody from rock stars like Eric Clapton to basketball stars and now airline pilots, I think we're seeing the genesis of a star-studded solidarity movement.
Think of all the policemen who would still be on the job were it not for the insanity of the mandates and the unwillingness of our politicians to respect our desires for individual freedom when it comes to taking the jab. The list doesn't stop there. There are teachers, nurses, and god only how many other occupations in the mix. You have to respect people who stand up for what they think is right and who are willing to give up their livelihoods in order to not bend to the will of either government or the corporations who do their bidding. It is an immense sacrifice. God bless them all.
In Bernie Sander's world, the citizenry standing in bread lines for hours on end is preferable to allowing the rich to have easy access to goods and services while the less well off in our society go hungry. One has to wonder, with all of the supply chain issues now in the news, and the Biden Administration now warning people that they may not get what they want for Christmas, if these shortages aren't a creation of Bernie Sanders or someone like Bernie Sanders pulling strings behind the scene to create the very bread lines that Bernie and his comrades lie awake at night dreaming about.
Is this a problem created by Biden so that Biden can take credit for solving the problem that he created? I know how that sounds and it's hard to believe that a president, even an illegitimate president like Biden, would be so brazen and bold to even think about doing such a thing. I've heard people say that rationing cards are coming next and that wouldn't surprise me. Would it surprise you if I told you that in order to get that rationing card you will have to be vaccinated?
There are others who think that everything we're seeing coming out of the Biden Administration is a result of sheer incompetence. That makes perfect sense to me knowing that Joe Biden was probably the most incompetent of Senators during his fifty years in the Senate. Why would that change with his moving just up the street to his new home at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue?
I mean, literally, everything he touches turns to shit. It's worth remembering that one of his very first acts as president was to put a stop to the construction of an oil pipeline that employed thousands of people and put America on track to be energy independent for the first time in our country's history.
I have a good mind to go shopping today to see what, if any, impact that these supply chain issues are having at the local supermarket. I've been a little surprised in some of my more recent shopping outings to find some things maybe barely in stock or not in stock at all. I'm talking about things like frozen blueberries. Have blueberries become the modern day version of the canary in the coal mine? I think I need more evidence.
If I notice that things are on the wane, I may start putting things in my cart willy nilly just because I can. Assuming that the store is open, and that is never a sure bet these days with Biden paying people to stay at home, I have the time and inclination to do what I need to do at the store.
Mrs G has been complaining that she hasn't been able to find her caramel nips anywhere so I'll see if my local store has any while I'm stocking up on other things usually found in that particular aisle. I've grabbed every last box in sight in past visits since I think other people may be doing the same thing which is why I'm not expecting to find any during my visit today. This is what happens when you have excess demand and a limited supply of any one particular product or item. I've even looked on Amazon for the nips but there were none to be found.
I've also not seen any panic buying in our local stores so that's good. If that happens, we'll see signs up in every aisle limiting customers to one or two, maybe three or four if I'm lucky, of this and that item. Some signs may well read, "while supplies last." In the not too distant past, I noticed that they were limiting customers to one container of dishwashing soap. That was completely unexpected.
I made a mental note to shop for my dishwashing soap elsewhere and just kept walking down the aisle. The odd thing was that the only item with a limit of sorts was the dishwashing soap. Even stranger than that was the fact that they had what appeared to be a plentiful supply of the soap so it was, well, weird. These sorts of scarcity issues, in addition to the unavailability of people willing to do the work, might well explain why stores and restaurants are either closed or open for an abbreviated number of hours on any given day. Anyone miss the mean tweets yet?
Fast forward 24 hours and I can now report out on my visit to the supermarket. The store itself was not overly crowded when I arrived around noon. That is not when I typically go shopping so maybe it was crowded for noontime and maybe it wasn't. Not surprisingly, they still had no frozen blueberries. Normally, you can find the generic brands but they too were nowhere to be found. I didn't notice any empty shelves or seriously depleted stocks of any one item. The milk that I like to buy, which is always in short supply, was in short supply today and I took the last four containers.
I surreptitiously eyed baskets here and there looking for hoard-able items like toilet paper, etc. Again, nothing seemed out of place. It was only when I went to check out that I noticed that people and their carts were backing up at the small handful of open aisles where I might have expected more aisles to be open. I also noticed that the carts lining up at the open aisles were filled to the brim with groceries. Finally, the first sign of panic buying. What or who were they listening to in the privacy of their homes or cars that prompted them to come to this particular store today to do a little panic shopping?
Were they buying into the claptrap that inflation was driving prices up not by the week or the day but by the hour and they wanted to get their shopping in while the prices were low? There is nothing like the threat of prices being more expensive tomorrow to get you to splurge today. Maybe, like me, they watched in horror on the telly as the container ships backed up at our country's ports and, with nobody to unload them, who knows when, or if, the goods would ever end up on the shelves of our local stores.
Maybe they had a chance to catch one or more of demented Joe Biden's speeches about any one of the many horror shows he's created and they decided that our days as a civilized country are numbered. You go back to the basics and that all starts with being able to feed your family. That's job numero uno. I'm getting frazzled sitting here just thinking about it. There is also a helter-skelter quality about the things that people put in their shopping carts when they're shopping for what they think are end times.
You know you've outdone yourself when the bagger gives up on trying to organize your purchases and just starts filling bags as fast as he or she can with whatever he or she can grab off the conveyor belt. It's a fools errand to try and bag up cold thing with cold things and hot things with hot things. There simply isn't enough time. Any residual guilt you might be feeling about having depleted stocks at the expense of your fellow hoarders starts to fade as you place your final purchase on the conveyor belt.
You save the heaviest item for last. It's a 5-lb bag of Carolina rice. That, and some dried beans you have left over from the last pandemic, will suffice as sustenance during the hardest of hard times which you hope will never come. Optimism is hard to come by in Joe Biden's America in the year of our Lord, 2021.
You gird yourself for the final obstacle course which has you pushing a top heavy cart of groceries out of the store and out and around people and vehicles before arriving at your final destination. Never mind that people heading into the store look at you, and then your cart, and wonder to themselves if they didn't wait too long to do their shopping. You can watch in real time as they quicken their pace and beat a more determined path to the entrance of the store. You can see the panic setting in. The things those cashiers must see in the course of their day.
The missus and I were just finishing a little dinner the other day when we got a call from Mrs G. She had broken down by the side of the road while driving home and was now just waiting for AAA to send along a tow truck driver. The good news is that she was using her cell phone to reach out to us to let us know of her predicament. She actually had the presence of mind to take her phone with her when she left home which is not, incidentally, always the case. It's not that she's not mindful of such things, or forgetful of such things as it were, but rather she simply isn't in the habit of carrying around her cell phone. That probably goes with the territory for people of her generation.
By the time she called us, Mrs G had made all the necessary calls and she had taken all the necessary precautions that you might otherwise expect someone to take who was in her situation. In fact, she wasn't necessarily even asking that we do anything to lend a hand. It was all over but the waiting. She was in good spirits otherwise and not overly concerned one way or another about her own welfare, her car, or the fact that nightfall was imminent. That's me saying in a roundabout fashion saying that Mrs G is no shrinking violet. No sireee, Bob.
The missus and I decided fairly quickly that it was probably not a good idea to leave a woman her age, and we're talking about Mrs G here, sitting by the side of the road in a broken down vehicle with nightfall just around the corner. There are simply too many stories of people in a situation like that who end up in a bad way for one reason or another. One fella did stop by and was good enough to take a quick look beneath the hood but went along on his way after offering his unsolicited assessment. Mrs G had a bit of a bone to pick with the people in a building adjacent to where she had broken down since not a soul came out to offer any help. The nerve!
We contemplated for a moment or two that the Ev man might be able to go sit with her but, not knowing what he might be in the middle of, we didn't want to put any pressure on him to do something that he was not otherwise inclined to do. We certainly didn't want or need him driving bleary eyed across town only to show up at the scene with a teeter in his step and a half cocked smile on his face reminiscent of some Cheech and Chong album cover from back in the sixties. I don't know that that would ring any bells with Mrs G but we weren't taking any chances.
It wasn't long after we arrived that the tow truck driver showed up. I was telling the missus on the way over there that the best case scenario was that we would arrive at the same time as the tow truck driver. We went back and forth a little bit about who would stay with the car while the other drove Mrs G home but it turned out to be moot point when we saw the flashing lights of his flat bed truck coming round the corner. The last little bone I had to pick with Mrs G is that she could only muster a $5 tip for the tow truck driver. I thought he deserved more but my pleas fell on deaf ears. Oh, well.
There are just a couple more items I want to chat about before clocking out on this week's blog. One, is the bizarre anger we see coming from Biden when he's reading off the teleprompter. This is something new. First, it was the weird whispering. The country saw that and must have wondered what the fuck they were seeing. Is this Joe off his meds? Maybe, just maybe, this is Joe on his meds. He's still whispering so we've come to accept that it is just part and parcel of his overall affect when he speaks. It's not less weird, it just is what it is.
The anger is new and maybe just a little alarming. He actually looks a little like Hitler without the mustache when he's all worked up and pumping his fists and grimacing like a madman at the podium. This is serious businesss, folks. The other word that comes to mind is "unhinged." I mean we're talking off the rails unhinged. If I saw a foreign leader speaking like this I would be no less alarmed and might even question the people who voted he or she into office. You expect a certain civility out of your elected officials and when you see just the opposite it makes for a worrisome event.
What is he so angry about anyway? Is he trying to compensate for his otherwise feeble demeanor? Does he think that expressing anger like a bloody and demented old fool will somehow move people to do what it is that he is wanting him to do? He's out there on the stump trying to make the case for the boondoggle of a bill he and progressives are trying to pass and his fiery tirades are doing more to alienate people than anything else.
Did I mention that his approval numbers are in the mid thirties? Watching old films of Hitler from the 30's and 40's in pre-war Germany is probably not something that you want to try to emulate. Does Sleepy Joe even know how that movie ends? I suppose his handlers can only do so much in the hours and minutes leading up to a planned speech. They can control his getting on and off the stage pretty well but, once he is up there, he is on his own. Left to his own devices, and this is unfolding in real time, we're seeing the real Joe Biden. It is not pretty. God help him and God help America.
Lastly, there is this growing feud between democrat senator's Joe Manchin from West Virginia and Bernie Sanders from Vermont. Manchin is a moderate who wants better things for his people in West Virginia but doesn't believe that government programs are the answer to every problem. Sander's think that every problem under the sun can be solved by government and that a perpetual welfare state is just what we need in America.
"We are the richest country on the face of the earth", bleats Bernie. "We can afford it"! The problem is, the progressives in the House and Senate need Manchin's vote if they are going to pass this boondoggle of a bill in the US Senate. Bernie is not happy that Joe is getting cold feet as the time to cast their votes draws near. He's worked too hard to get his socialist agenda passed into law and now, after decades of trying to bring his brand of communism to the floor of the Senate for a vote, Joe Manchin and Krysten Sinema are the two senators who are about to deep-six his agenda.
I know it's hard to believe but get this: Bernie wrote an op-ed and put it in a newspaper in Manchin's West Virginia in an attempt to get the people of West Virginia to exert pressure on Manchin to vote for the bill. West Virginia is maybe the poorest state in the union so, as you might imagine, Bernie's message of free this and that had a certain appeal to people in Appalachia and similar environs.
This enraged Manchin. I mean, who does that to a fellow senator? Is decorum no longer a thing? I wouldn't be surprised to see Manchin dig in his heels even deeper after this egregious sleight of hand by Sanders. Manchin responded with something along the lines of Sanders being a socialist and yada-yada-yada. I mean we're talking bad blood here. Manchin comes from the land of the Hatfields and the McCoys so we're not just talking feud here, we're talking blood feud. You can't fix this.
I'm getting a little long in the tooth here as usual. It's hard to say where this bill goes so that will be fodder for an upcoming blog post. If you see a blog of mine entitled "Good Riddance", you'll know the bill went down to defeat in the Senate. I'll be singing the praises of the baby Jesus and that will be that. I still think Mrs G could have ponied up a better tip for the tow truck driver so I'm not letting up on that. I'm like a dog with a bone sometimes. Sometimes?
Up In Arms
10/10/21 07:36
Well, here goes. Welcome to October! Is it time to see if my snow moving machines are in working order? Nah, probably a little bit too early. Hey, who won the lottery over the weekend? I think it was a pretty good size pot so I probably would have heard or seen something by now. You know, one ticket that was sold in a small town just west of Oshgosh, Wisconsin. Is there such a place?
Will the winner live long enough to spend his or her winnings? Is the winner young and likely to mismanage their winnings never having had much before they played the game for the very first time? Having oodles of money, especially in a windfall situation, can be a curse although most people wouldn't mind having that problem if it gave them enough cash to pay off their debts and have a little left over to buy a big screen television. Oh hell, throw in a new microwave too and let the good times begin.
I'm not looking to poo-poo the winner if there was one. I wish him or her the very best. I don't buy tickets since I never win anything. That's a good enough reason. No? It's like throwing my money away. Why would I do that? I feel bad for people who delude themselves into thinking that they actually have a chance to win the big enchilada. You know what they say. You're more likely to get hit by lightning than you are to win the lottery. The corollary to that is you can never win if you don't play. I'll have to cogitate on that.
I've been playing around a little bit trying as I might to get two computers to use one monitor and keyboard. This is for the missus, mind you. This is what happens when you work from home. The challenges are endless. We have a workaround in place that allows her to use our main monitor instead of having to look at her laptop monitor all day long. I've got some bluetooth stuff going on that I need to think a little bit more about before trying something new. I'm reading online this morning about KVM switches which are designed to do what I'm talking about here. Who knew?
I'm getting little annoyed because the KVM switch thing basically allows you to switch between computers with the press of a button. Here I am plugging and unplugging things left and right and moving keyboards all around so everything works and the missus can get on with her doing her schtick. Better late than never I guess. The missus will be happy to know that she can do a little shopping now on her favorite sites between tasks. Men like to go shopping too so I'm not going all Femi-nazi here. I think men just do less of it for whatever reason. If you say so, Johnny boy.
Did I mention that Mrs G liked the Halloween wreath we brought over for her over the weekend? We helped to put it up and then we took turns looking though the peephole on the other side of the door at what it might look like when gawkers come gawking. I wouldn't say that her enthusiasm was off the charts for the wreath but she humored us and we all had a few laughs putting it up together. I think once the compliments start rolling in she'll think better of the arrangement and we can all start thinking ahead to the next holiday on the calendar. Something less macabre and maybe a little more festive?
The missus got me started on this game called "Spelling Bee" offered up by the New York Times. It's an online game that gives you a handful of letters and challenges you to create as many words as you can using the letters provided. There are additional rules that make it more challenging than it sounds but challenging is good. We like "challenging." When you've made as many words as there are to make you are rewarded with a "Genius" rating. Anything short of that gets you a "good", or an "amazing", and there are a couple of others that I can't quite recall.
Actually, a "Genius" rating only means that you've accumulated so many points. There are still a small handful of words left to make after you achieve the "Genius" rating. I know that there are words that I don't know so I couldn't care less about missing them. I do care that I miss some other words that were there all along for the making but my brain just wouldn't go there. It's that elasticity thing where you start down a particular path once the game begins and you end up running around in circles akin to a word salad cul-de-sac the longer the game goes on.
I'm getting to the "Genius" rating faster and faster these days and I'm finding that 90% of the words are there for the picking in maybe the first ten or fifteen minutes. Who doesn't love low hanging fruit? It's a word unscrambling game that I think you're either good at or you're not. I don't think it has anything to do with what they affectionally refer to as "native intelligence" or anything like that.
I'm not even sure which side of the brain is responsible for managing this sort of activity when all is said and done. I do think it's a fun game that might well keep you on your feet and, maybe, if you're keeping track of such thing, give you a bitch slap at the first sign of cognitive decline. I should have gotten that word. Right?
So, we have two Senators (Manchin and Sinema) who are presumably holding up Biden's "Build Back Better" signature legislation from passing. These are centrist senators who come from purple or red states and whose constituents want no part of this boondoggle of a bill. It's not helping Biden's cause that they've essentially unleashed the leftist dogs of war on the two senators in an effort to bring them to their knees so they will capitulate to the demands of the leftists.
In the last couple of days we've seen illegal aliens chasing down Senator Sinema on an airplane and even into a bathroom where they stood outside her stall while she sat inside wondering who these freaks were that were threatening her from the other side of the door. I don't think that these two senators are senators who take kindly to the tactics of Soros and the rabid left and, god willing, it will give them the intestinal fortitude that they need in order to give a thumbs down vote if and when the time comes. Voting any other way will send the wrong message. These votes belong to the people in the state they represent, not the cretins on the left chasing them in and out of bathroom stalls.
I'm getting that KVM switch today if the Amazon delivery gets here as expected. I'm going to have to move a few things around to get this set up but it will be well worth it in the end. We'll be done with plugging and unplugging devices every time the missus has to log on to work. She'll be a push button away and that's the kind of efficiency that one should embrace. It's been a while in the making only because I didn't have the presence of mind to see it as a possibility. Now that I have, we're off to the fucking races. Let's hope it works as advertised.
What's this provision in Biden's $350 trillion dollar bill I'm hearing about where banks will be required to report out on account balances of more than $600? It's so totalitarian in its makeup that I have to believe that it was inserted into the bill to give one side or the other a bargaining chip with which to offer up as something they are willing to take off the table if the other side is willing to vote for the bill. This provision, in addition to the 80,000 IRS agents that the Biden Administration is talking about hiring, is incendiary enough to have citizens grabbing their pitchforks and putting their state reps on speed dial.
If that is not their intent, to use it as a bargaining chip, then it has to be stopped in its tracks. It has to be killed in the crib, metaphorically speaking. The heavy boots of the Biden regime are already on the necks of every day Americans in so many ways. Hell, Biden even instructed his Attorney General to go after moms and dads who show up at school board meetings to voice their displeasure at everything from mask mandates to teachings of Critical Race Theory (CRT) that has been inserted into their school's curricula. These good honest god fearing folks are now officially classified as domestic terrorists.
It's almost like the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has taken over our government and we're all just waking up to the insanity of it all. We know that Sleepy Joe Biden is in bed with the Chinese in ways that we probably can't even fathom. As long as Sleepy Joe gets his "10% for the big guy" share then the Biden Crime Family is good to go.
You've no doubt heard about Hunter Biden and his new found art shows where he is unashamedly taking in hundreds of thousands dollars for his works of "art." This is grift, or graft, depending on which urban dictionary you choose to refer to, that is beyond the pale. It's a pay-for-play racket, or scheme, cooked up to further enrich the Biden Crime Family. The corruption of the Biden Crime Family knows no bounds.
I have a good mind to take what few shekels I have in the bank out of the bank if this bill passes with the banking provision still in it. I don't want the government to know any more about me than they already do. You may have noticed that I didn't refer to the government as "my" government. I do not recognize elections that I deem stolen and this one was stolen. That would make Sleepy Joe an illegitimate president. In other words, not my president. There are always cryptocurrencies, I suppose. Not that I know anything about them but I can always learn. Where there's a will, there's a way.
It gives me no pleasure to have to think about how I can circumvent laws so I can, at a minimum, continue to do what I've always done without the heavy hand of government in my back pockets or maybe looking over my shoulder. I'm not talking about joining the underground economy or anything of the kind. I don't travel in those circles and I don't intend to start doing that now.
I can see myself joining a barter system or group where we trade goods that don't involve the exchange of shekels between and amongst participants. Maybe I'll become a beekeeper and trade my honey for this or that. I could pick up a carpentry job or two with my limited skills and exchange my work for something of equal value.
Maybe this will kick off the demise of banks and like institutions. If everyone considers their bank as nothing more than a satellite office of the IRS then who the hell is going want to do business with them? Biden and his vaccine mandates are already in the process of driving people out of other key businesses so why should banks be any different?
This is how socialism works if I'm not mistaken. It's all part of the "Build Back Better" scheme that Biden and his minions have put together. Now we're seeing what he means by "Build Back Better", you can only draw one conclusion. We are in deep shit as a country. Not to worry, Joey's eighty-million voters have his back. This is what they voted for.
I have a good mind to run our generator for a while over this coming weekend. It makes a bit of a racket so I try to do it when I know my neighbors are away. Winter will be here soon enough so I want to be prepared. I have snow machines that I've ignored all summer long so maybe I can drag those out and maybe change the oils in or more of the machines.
I've got this hankering to do things outside that need to be done and that should be done while the weather out of doors is nice. All of that can change in a hurry this time of year. I won't be caught with my pants down around my ankles when the first snow starts to fall. I just won't.
The missus and I were doing a little shopping in Walmart the other day and I picked up a yellow hoodie that the missus thought might help me up my visibility on the road while biking. It is just a cheap old thing coming in under $12 but it's a bright yellow and damn near fluorescent if I do say so myself. I tried it out on one of my rides this week and, not surprisingly, I found it to come up short in terms of having a fabric on my upper torso that breathes as I ride.
It was so bad that it gave me this chilled sensation that was just uncomfortable for the entirety of my ride. That, my friends, is a non-starter. I think I like it for around the house because it has a faux fleece lining that provides a modicum of warmth when I'm getting up to start my day. If I only had a pair of yellow crocs to match (only kidding.)
Amazon really is something. I don't go looking around on Amazon unless I have something in mind that I need and something that I'm wanting sooner rather than later. So, I can remember to an item those things that I've gone looking for in the last month or so. None of which I ended up buying, by the way, but all things I had expressed an interest in.
I have an e-mail in my in-box from Amazon today with a listing of all of those things I've looked at one time or another. Tell me that's not someone trying to close the deal on one or more of the items. They're basically saying, we know you were interested in these items but you didn't make a purchase. Care to reconsider?
Good on them is what I say. I'm not annoyed and I probably shouldn't be surprised. This is probably all AI driven and without an iota of human intervention. What's next is what I would ask. Whatever happened with their delivery-by-drone idea? I see their trucks driving up and down the street and I see an expense that seems, well, unnecessary.
There isn't even a modicum of interaction with the drivers so there is no opportunity for the drivers to build on or reinforce a rapport of sorts with the Amazon faithful they lovingly refer to as their "customers." I still don't know how they manage to get me the items I order online to my doorstep in a matter of a day or two.
I watched an interview on the telly last night with Anderson Cooper and William Shatner. I'm not a CNN watcher but I just happened to catch it when I was flipping through the channels. It was uproariously funny! It was hard to believe that Shatner is 90-years old in watching him as I was going back and forth with Cooper and engaging as they were in a remarkably witty repartee.
Never mind that Shatner's hair and teeth were probably not his own. Cooper had him on his show to talk to him about his upcoming flight into outer space with Jeff Bezos. I just can't get over how intellectually facile Shatner is for a man of his age. If what I was watching is the new ninety, then I say, bring it! Godspeed, Captain Kirk!
I was half expecting Shatner to resurrect or refer to his role in Star Trek in some way, shape, or form during the conversation. For a man who played captain of an intergalactic spacecraft for the better part of ten years on television or more, I thought we might hear a rehashing of one or more of his more famous episodes as a backdrop for his upcoming flight into space. It was not to be. Why else would he be invited, of all people, to join the likes of Bezos and crew on their second flight into space? Just curious.
Maybe he's being considered as a spokesperson for Bezos's enterprise once their flights go commercial. There is something to be said for giving your employees, or spokespeople, a taste of what it is that you are asking them to sell. That's true whether you're selling lemonade, automobiles, or uber-expensive flights into earth's lower orbit. If Shatner had any trepidation about his upcoming flight, it was not readily apparent in the interview (shades of Captain Kirk.)
That is, unless what we heard in the interview was a man who uses humor to deal with anxieties about such things. My guess is that, given Shatner's age, he can afford to be supremely glib about the prospects of death even in the face of death. It was all just rolling off his back as far as I could tell. He was so funny in the interview that I wouldn't be surprised to see him doing a Netflix stand-up routine once he returns from space. What's even funnier its that I don't remember Shatner having a particularly interesting sense of humor. Then again, I wasn't much of a Trekkie.
I continue to be concerned about supply chain issues. When you consider the fact that we have hundreds of container ships sitting off our shores that can't be unloaded because the manpower is not there to do the job, that's a problem. When you hear about trucks sitting idle because there are no people to drive those trucks, that's a problem. These are the visions that roll around in my brain as I go from aisle to aisle in the supermarket wondering when precisely we are going to start seeing empty or partially empty shelves due to these supply chain issues. So far, so good.
It doesn't take much to ignite mass hysteria. When it comes to food shortages, I think the fuse is even shorter. It wouldn't take much to kick off lines at the supermarkets, gas stations, etc. It's interesting to me that the government will use the National Guard to fill in at the local hospitals when half the staff has been fired because they won't get the jab but they won't use the National Guard to man the trucks and unload the container ships? Of course, Biden's government has had a hand in creating this monster by passing legislation that essentially pays people to stay home.
I'm trying to remember to pick up a few extra things when I'm out and about doing a little shopping but I'm running out of ideas. You can only buy so many canned and dry goods. I also don't have a lot of experience when it comes to prepping for end times so there's that. We have a neighbor who planted an especially large garden this past Spring and I'm wondering if they know something that we don't. With the proper canning techniques, they could be sitting pretty when the shit hits the fan. We planted nothing so we probably shouldn't expect much in the way of reciprocity if the going gets tough.
Maybe I should have offered a hand in tilling the soil or building the fence so that the local deer population wouldn't decimate their fledgling plants. I watched in interest as they worked day after day building up the beds and putting up the proper supports for vegetables like peas, tomatoes, and other climbing crops. I offered a word of support and encouragement here and there as I made my way down the street on my bike but never once offered a hand when a hand might have been appreciated. They didn't ask and I didn't offer. And now, our chickens are coming home to roost.
I learned a bit of a lesson when I put away a lot of cans of this and that when we all had to hunker down in early 2020 in order to "Slow the Spread." The hospitals feared that they wouldn't be able to function if they had too many Covid cases cluttering up their ICU's. About the only thing you could do was go to the store and buy food since the supermarkets were considered "essential services." So we bought food and maybe a little extra of this and that just in case someone decided that the pandemic was worse than they thought and the stores would then also be considered off limits.
We still have some of the things we purchased. The good news is that I never did get around to donating them to a food bank after the fact. That's bad for the food banks but good for me (us.) The bad news is that I don't have nearly enough to get us through another apocalypse of whatever it is that may or may not be coming down the pike. I went to Starbucks yesterday in the early afternoon to buy a pound of coffee. The place was dark and unoccupied. They had a sign blocking their drive-up window that advertised for employees and offering bonuses to eligible applicants.
We called a restaurant about take-out last evening and we were told that it would be a good hour and a half for any order placed. They didn't say, but it was yet another example of businesses not being able to find employees to do the work. Needless to say, we did not place an order. Biden and his democrat party have really screwed the pooch this time around.
Someone has to be held to account for bludgeoning our economy and for putting our livelihoods at risk. You know what they say. Elections have consequences and stolen elections have catastrophic consequences. We're in the throes of it now and it's hard to see how it gets better with Biden still in office. And to think that he's only been in office for 9 months.
Will the winner live long enough to spend his or her winnings? Is the winner young and likely to mismanage their winnings never having had much before they played the game for the very first time? Having oodles of money, especially in a windfall situation, can be a curse although most people wouldn't mind having that problem if it gave them enough cash to pay off their debts and have a little left over to buy a big screen television. Oh hell, throw in a new microwave too and let the good times begin.
I'm not looking to poo-poo the winner if there was one. I wish him or her the very best. I don't buy tickets since I never win anything. That's a good enough reason. No? It's like throwing my money away. Why would I do that? I feel bad for people who delude themselves into thinking that they actually have a chance to win the big enchilada. You know what they say. You're more likely to get hit by lightning than you are to win the lottery. The corollary to that is you can never win if you don't play. I'll have to cogitate on that.
I've been playing around a little bit trying as I might to get two computers to use one monitor and keyboard. This is for the missus, mind you. This is what happens when you work from home. The challenges are endless. We have a workaround in place that allows her to use our main monitor instead of having to look at her laptop monitor all day long. I've got some bluetooth stuff going on that I need to think a little bit more about before trying something new. I'm reading online this morning about KVM switches which are designed to do what I'm talking about here. Who knew?
I'm getting little annoyed because the KVM switch thing basically allows you to switch between computers with the press of a button. Here I am plugging and unplugging things left and right and moving keyboards all around so everything works and the missus can get on with her doing her schtick. Better late than never I guess. The missus will be happy to know that she can do a little shopping now on her favorite sites between tasks. Men like to go shopping too so I'm not going all Femi-nazi here. I think men just do less of it for whatever reason. If you say so, Johnny boy.
Did I mention that Mrs G liked the Halloween wreath we brought over for her over the weekend? We helped to put it up and then we took turns looking though the peephole on the other side of the door at what it might look like when gawkers come gawking. I wouldn't say that her enthusiasm was off the charts for the wreath but she humored us and we all had a few laughs putting it up together. I think once the compliments start rolling in she'll think better of the arrangement and we can all start thinking ahead to the next holiday on the calendar. Something less macabre and maybe a little more festive?
The missus got me started on this game called "Spelling Bee" offered up by the New York Times. It's an online game that gives you a handful of letters and challenges you to create as many words as you can using the letters provided. There are additional rules that make it more challenging than it sounds but challenging is good. We like "challenging." When you've made as many words as there are to make you are rewarded with a "Genius" rating. Anything short of that gets you a "good", or an "amazing", and there are a couple of others that I can't quite recall.
Actually, a "Genius" rating only means that you've accumulated so many points. There are still a small handful of words left to make after you achieve the "Genius" rating. I know that there are words that I don't know so I couldn't care less about missing them. I do care that I miss some other words that were there all along for the making but my brain just wouldn't go there. It's that elasticity thing where you start down a particular path once the game begins and you end up running around in circles akin to a word salad cul-de-sac the longer the game goes on.
I'm getting to the "Genius" rating faster and faster these days and I'm finding that 90% of the words are there for the picking in maybe the first ten or fifteen minutes. Who doesn't love low hanging fruit? It's a word unscrambling game that I think you're either good at or you're not. I don't think it has anything to do with what they affectionally refer to as "native intelligence" or anything like that.
I'm not even sure which side of the brain is responsible for managing this sort of activity when all is said and done. I do think it's a fun game that might well keep you on your feet and, maybe, if you're keeping track of such thing, give you a bitch slap at the first sign of cognitive decline. I should have gotten that word. Right?
So, we have two Senators (Manchin and Sinema) who are presumably holding up Biden's "Build Back Better" signature legislation from passing. These are centrist senators who come from purple or red states and whose constituents want no part of this boondoggle of a bill. It's not helping Biden's cause that they've essentially unleashed the leftist dogs of war on the two senators in an effort to bring them to their knees so they will capitulate to the demands of the leftists.
In the last couple of days we've seen illegal aliens chasing down Senator Sinema on an airplane and even into a bathroom where they stood outside her stall while she sat inside wondering who these freaks were that were threatening her from the other side of the door. I don't think that these two senators are senators who take kindly to the tactics of Soros and the rabid left and, god willing, it will give them the intestinal fortitude that they need in order to give a thumbs down vote if and when the time comes. Voting any other way will send the wrong message. These votes belong to the people in the state they represent, not the cretins on the left chasing them in and out of bathroom stalls.
I'm getting that KVM switch today if the Amazon delivery gets here as expected. I'm going to have to move a few things around to get this set up but it will be well worth it in the end. We'll be done with plugging and unplugging devices every time the missus has to log on to work. She'll be a push button away and that's the kind of efficiency that one should embrace. It's been a while in the making only because I didn't have the presence of mind to see it as a possibility. Now that I have, we're off to the fucking races. Let's hope it works as advertised.
What's this provision in Biden's $350 trillion dollar bill I'm hearing about where banks will be required to report out on account balances of more than $600? It's so totalitarian in its makeup that I have to believe that it was inserted into the bill to give one side or the other a bargaining chip with which to offer up as something they are willing to take off the table if the other side is willing to vote for the bill. This provision, in addition to the 80,000 IRS agents that the Biden Administration is talking about hiring, is incendiary enough to have citizens grabbing their pitchforks and putting their state reps on speed dial.
If that is not their intent, to use it as a bargaining chip, then it has to be stopped in its tracks. It has to be killed in the crib, metaphorically speaking. The heavy boots of the Biden regime are already on the necks of every day Americans in so many ways. Hell, Biden even instructed his Attorney General to go after moms and dads who show up at school board meetings to voice their displeasure at everything from mask mandates to teachings of Critical Race Theory (CRT) that has been inserted into their school's curricula. These good honest god fearing folks are now officially classified as domestic terrorists.
It's almost like the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has taken over our government and we're all just waking up to the insanity of it all. We know that Sleepy Joe Biden is in bed with the Chinese in ways that we probably can't even fathom. As long as Sleepy Joe gets his "10% for the big guy" share then the Biden Crime Family is good to go.
You've no doubt heard about Hunter Biden and his new found art shows where he is unashamedly taking in hundreds of thousands dollars for his works of "art." This is grift, or graft, depending on which urban dictionary you choose to refer to, that is beyond the pale. It's a pay-for-play racket, or scheme, cooked up to further enrich the Biden Crime Family. The corruption of the Biden Crime Family knows no bounds.
I have a good mind to take what few shekels I have in the bank out of the bank if this bill passes with the banking provision still in it. I don't want the government to know any more about me than they already do. You may have noticed that I didn't refer to the government as "my" government. I do not recognize elections that I deem stolen and this one was stolen. That would make Sleepy Joe an illegitimate president. In other words, not my president. There are always cryptocurrencies, I suppose. Not that I know anything about them but I can always learn. Where there's a will, there's a way.
It gives me no pleasure to have to think about how I can circumvent laws so I can, at a minimum, continue to do what I've always done without the heavy hand of government in my back pockets or maybe looking over my shoulder. I'm not talking about joining the underground economy or anything of the kind. I don't travel in those circles and I don't intend to start doing that now.
I can see myself joining a barter system or group where we trade goods that don't involve the exchange of shekels between and amongst participants. Maybe I'll become a beekeeper and trade my honey for this or that. I could pick up a carpentry job or two with my limited skills and exchange my work for something of equal value.
Maybe this will kick off the demise of banks and like institutions. If everyone considers their bank as nothing more than a satellite office of the IRS then who the hell is going want to do business with them? Biden and his vaccine mandates are already in the process of driving people out of other key businesses so why should banks be any different?
This is how socialism works if I'm not mistaken. It's all part of the "Build Back Better" scheme that Biden and his minions have put together. Now we're seeing what he means by "Build Back Better", you can only draw one conclusion. We are in deep shit as a country. Not to worry, Joey's eighty-million voters have his back. This is what they voted for.
I have a good mind to run our generator for a while over this coming weekend. It makes a bit of a racket so I try to do it when I know my neighbors are away. Winter will be here soon enough so I want to be prepared. I have snow machines that I've ignored all summer long so maybe I can drag those out and maybe change the oils in or more of the machines.
I've got this hankering to do things outside that need to be done and that should be done while the weather out of doors is nice. All of that can change in a hurry this time of year. I won't be caught with my pants down around my ankles when the first snow starts to fall. I just won't.
The missus and I were doing a little shopping in Walmart the other day and I picked up a yellow hoodie that the missus thought might help me up my visibility on the road while biking. It is just a cheap old thing coming in under $12 but it's a bright yellow and damn near fluorescent if I do say so myself. I tried it out on one of my rides this week and, not surprisingly, I found it to come up short in terms of having a fabric on my upper torso that breathes as I ride.
It was so bad that it gave me this chilled sensation that was just uncomfortable for the entirety of my ride. That, my friends, is a non-starter. I think I like it for around the house because it has a faux fleece lining that provides a modicum of warmth when I'm getting up to start my day. If I only had a pair of yellow crocs to match (only kidding.)
Amazon really is something. I don't go looking around on Amazon unless I have something in mind that I need and something that I'm wanting sooner rather than later. So, I can remember to an item those things that I've gone looking for in the last month or so. None of which I ended up buying, by the way, but all things I had expressed an interest in.
I have an e-mail in my in-box from Amazon today with a listing of all of those things I've looked at one time or another. Tell me that's not someone trying to close the deal on one or more of the items. They're basically saying, we know you were interested in these items but you didn't make a purchase. Care to reconsider?
Good on them is what I say. I'm not annoyed and I probably shouldn't be surprised. This is probably all AI driven and without an iota of human intervention. What's next is what I would ask. Whatever happened with their delivery-by-drone idea? I see their trucks driving up and down the street and I see an expense that seems, well, unnecessary.
There isn't even a modicum of interaction with the drivers so there is no opportunity for the drivers to build on or reinforce a rapport of sorts with the Amazon faithful they lovingly refer to as their "customers." I still don't know how they manage to get me the items I order online to my doorstep in a matter of a day or two.
I watched an interview on the telly last night with Anderson Cooper and William Shatner. I'm not a CNN watcher but I just happened to catch it when I was flipping through the channels. It was uproariously funny! It was hard to believe that Shatner is 90-years old in watching him as I was going back and forth with Cooper and engaging as they were in a remarkably witty repartee.
Never mind that Shatner's hair and teeth were probably not his own. Cooper had him on his show to talk to him about his upcoming flight into outer space with Jeff Bezos. I just can't get over how intellectually facile Shatner is for a man of his age. If what I was watching is the new ninety, then I say, bring it! Godspeed, Captain Kirk!
I was half expecting Shatner to resurrect or refer to his role in Star Trek in some way, shape, or form during the conversation. For a man who played captain of an intergalactic spacecraft for the better part of ten years on television or more, I thought we might hear a rehashing of one or more of his more famous episodes as a backdrop for his upcoming flight into space. It was not to be. Why else would he be invited, of all people, to join the likes of Bezos and crew on their second flight into space? Just curious.
Maybe he's being considered as a spokesperson for Bezos's enterprise once their flights go commercial. There is something to be said for giving your employees, or spokespeople, a taste of what it is that you are asking them to sell. That's true whether you're selling lemonade, automobiles, or uber-expensive flights into earth's lower orbit. If Shatner had any trepidation about his upcoming flight, it was not readily apparent in the interview (shades of Captain Kirk.)
That is, unless what we heard in the interview was a man who uses humor to deal with anxieties about such things. My guess is that, given Shatner's age, he can afford to be supremely glib about the prospects of death even in the face of death. It was all just rolling off his back as far as I could tell. He was so funny in the interview that I wouldn't be surprised to see him doing a Netflix stand-up routine once he returns from space. What's even funnier its that I don't remember Shatner having a particularly interesting sense of humor. Then again, I wasn't much of a Trekkie.
I continue to be concerned about supply chain issues. When you consider the fact that we have hundreds of container ships sitting off our shores that can't be unloaded because the manpower is not there to do the job, that's a problem. When you hear about trucks sitting idle because there are no people to drive those trucks, that's a problem. These are the visions that roll around in my brain as I go from aisle to aisle in the supermarket wondering when precisely we are going to start seeing empty or partially empty shelves due to these supply chain issues. So far, so good.
It doesn't take much to ignite mass hysteria. When it comes to food shortages, I think the fuse is even shorter. It wouldn't take much to kick off lines at the supermarkets, gas stations, etc. It's interesting to me that the government will use the National Guard to fill in at the local hospitals when half the staff has been fired because they won't get the jab but they won't use the National Guard to man the trucks and unload the container ships? Of course, Biden's government has had a hand in creating this monster by passing legislation that essentially pays people to stay home.
I'm trying to remember to pick up a few extra things when I'm out and about doing a little shopping but I'm running out of ideas. You can only buy so many canned and dry goods. I also don't have a lot of experience when it comes to prepping for end times so there's that. We have a neighbor who planted an especially large garden this past Spring and I'm wondering if they know something that we don't. With the proper canning techniques, they could be sitting pretty when the shit hits the fan. We planted nothing so we probably shouldn't expect much in the way of reciprocity if the going gets tough.
Maybe I should have offered a hand in tilling the soil or building the fence so that the local deer population wouldn't decimate their fledgling plants. I watched in interest as they worked day after day building up the beds and putting up the proper supports for vegetables like peas, tomatoes, and other climbing crops. I offered a word of support and encouragement here and there as I made my way down the street on my bike but never once offered a hand when a hand might have been appreciated. They didn't ask and I didn't offer. And now, our chickens are coming home to roost.
I learned a bit of a lesson when I put away a lot of cans of this and that when we all had to hunker down in early 2020 in order to "Slow the Spread." The hospitals feared that they wouldn't be able to function if they had too many Covid cases cluttering up their ICU's. About the only thing you could do was go to the store and buy food since the supermarkets were considered "essential services." So we bought food and maybe a little extra of this and that just in case someone decided that the pandemic was worse than they thought and the stores would then also be considered off limits.
We still have some of the things we purchased. The good news is that I never did get around to donating them to a food bank after the fact. That's bad for the food banks but good for me (us.) The bad news is that I don't have nearly enough to get us through another apocalypse of whatever it is that may or may not be coming down the pike. I went to Starbucks yesterday in the early afternoon to buy a pound of coffee. The place was dark and unoccupied. They had a sign blocking their drive-up window that advertised for employees and offering bonuses to eligible applicants.
We called a restaurant about take-out last evening and we were told that it would be a good hour and a half for any order placed. They didn't say, but it was yet another example of businesses not being able to find employees to do the work. Needless to say, we did not place an order. Biden and his democrat party have really screwed the pooch this time around.
Someone has to be held to account for bludgeoning our economy and for putting our livelihoods at risk. You know what they say. Elections have consequences and stolen elections have catastrophic consequences. We're in the throes of it now and it's hard to see how it gets better with Biden still in office. And to think that he's only been in office for 9 months.
No Time For Pussies
03/10/21 07:25
This jab mandate thing is getting a little crazy. How is it that the nurses of hospitals across the nation who were on the front pages of every magazine coast to coast thanks to their heroic and selfless actions during the height of the pandemic now face an employment firing squad if they don't get the jab?
In New York, the governor is threatening to bring in foreign workers to fill the spots of fired workers. I'm not sure that went over very well because just a day later she is now threatening to have the National Guard fill backfill spots vacated by the fired workers. This is the thanks they get?
In case you're wondering just how complicit the media is in this craziness, there was a freedom rally in Boston yesterday with thousands of attendees and I can't find anything anywhere about the gathering. I'm hearing one newspaper did a piece with the headline that characterized the attendees as anti-vaxers. They are not anti-vaxers. They want what all freedom loving people want pandemic or no pandemic. The freedom to choose, and in this case, the freedom to choose what goes into their body.
It's just complete madness and you have to wonder when the hell is everyone going to wake up from this nightmare. I'm also reading stories about large container ships amassing in great numbers just offshore on both coasts of our country. Does this portend shortages or supply chain issues that we the public should know about? Whatever it is that we're looking down the barrel at it seems to be metasticizing.
You have to believe that the pandemic, the push to get everyone vaccinated, the supply chain issues, and now the threat to fire everyone who resists the jab is all part and parcel of a bigger picture that we just can't see yet. Having bumbling Biden not only at the helm of our country but steering this madness with a zeal you only see in the most maniacal of leaders should give us all pause.
It's almost as though Biden and his minions, after stealing an election by using the pandemic to change and pervert voting laws which gave them the election, now have the chance to take our country to a place that our Founders may have warned us about. "It's a Republic, if you can keep it."
The constant push by the media, and you can't forget for a minute that they are the propaganda arm of the democrat party, to tear at the fabric of our society by constantly harping on issues that divide we as Americans is corrosive and debilitating. I'm old enough to remember when it was something that everyone could understand like the difference between the haves and the have nots. Fast forward to 2021 and it's all about race and inequality. In just the last couple of months, they've added the vaccinated and unvaccinated to the mix. It's a witches brew of bewilderment and discontent.
The people in power have always had the power but it's been ephemeral at best bouncing back and forth as it does between the party's every election cycle. Have the democrats figured out how to never lose an election and we are now in the middle of the transformation that Obama promised just a few short years ago? Maybe we're heading down the road into a decade of darkness where the ruling class continues to consolidate power and the rest of us fight for whatever remaining scraps of our democracy we can find in the societal rubble that grows deeper by the day.
That might explain why you see so many companies and institutions taking sides in this left versus right struggle. No one, and I mean no one, wants to be on the losing side of the battle at the end of the day. The unimaginable riches accruing to the winners are not something that can be left to chance. There is simply too much at stake. Those who sign on with the leftists, knowingly or not, have sworn an allegiance to something other than our Constitution. The devil is in the details but isn't that always the case. Caveat emptor.
The deadline to get the jab is closing in and large swaths of professionals from nurses to police officers across the country are now facing the loss of their jobs because they've chosen not to take the jab. Biden mandated that all companies with greater than 100 employees would need to have their employees vaccinated or be fined some ridiculous amount.
There are any number of lawsuits asking the courts to rule that these mandates are unconstitutional but with little success to date. So, the firings will commence and the epicenter of this madness will likely expand exponentially to include other groups until Biden has way in getting a jab in the arm of every American man, woman, and child. Yes, even in the children who have a survival rate, if infected, of greater than 99.999%. It's madness.
With his tyrannical dictates in place, Biden and his minions may well be looking to nationalize many of our private industries. How better to achieve that than to fire every last worker who won't get the jab and replace those fired workers with government employees (National Guard, etc.) With everyone relying on Government for their sustenance and support, the tyrannical liberals will have the new world order they desire. There will no end to their dictatorial redistribution schemes. It will be Robin Hood on steroids.
So far, so good. The frogs are in the water and the water is on a slow simmer. There is a bit of steam here and there but nothing more. No reason for concern. What will it mean for the little guy? What will it mean for the Johnny's of the world? I, for one, wouldn't much care for being greeted at the doors of my local emergency room by a Haitian doctor who doesn't speak English.
If I'm the victim of a crime, I don't want to be sitting on a curb somewhere for and extended period of time with a gunshot or knife wound wondering who, if anyone, is going to respond to my call to 911. I also don't fancy the idea of having to scramble for early deliveries of paper products at my local Walmart so we can have access to toilet tissue with the ply of our choice. I don't even want to think about shortages when it comes to other necessities like food.
It's bizarre to think that were it not for Trump's mean tweets we might not have a total loser like Sleepy Joe Biden in the White House. We wouldn't be looking down the barrel of an authoritarian regime looking to impose socialism on our great country. And this pandemic thing? Well, the overall trend is down and moving in a direction that does not justify these tyrannical dictates coming out of Biden's White House.
It's all wrong and people know it's all wrong. There was a recent poll of Independent voters in Iowa that showed Biden's approval ratings in the high twenties. It's going to get worse before it gets better but you can bet your bottom dollar that Biden's shelf life is growing shorter by the day. Look no further than the boondoggle of a $3.5 trillion dollar bill that is currently under consideration in the Congress.
It will ostensibly launch the left's wet dream better known as the Green New Deal which, among other atrocities, is designed to cover student tuition, give amnesty to millions of illegals, etc. It is destined to be the hallmark achievement of the Biden Administration not unlike what Obamacare was to Obama. It is floundering on the fucking rocks as we speak and rightly so. The Republicans need to kill this bill in the crib and kill it now. Put a bow on the bastard and never look back. This is no time for pussies. Get in there and get the job done.
I hate going all political in my blog but sometimes you do what you have to do. I'll keep an eye out for silver linings so you don't have to. I was reading an article this morning about Covid cases in a York, Maine hospital. You might think that being in a pandemic as we are that they would have bodies stacking up outside their ICU like cordwood.
They have a measly 5-bed ICU so it wouldn't take much to fill that sucker up with Covid cases. But, no, there are currently just two cases of Covid in their ICU. Their average number of cases of Covid in the ICU over the course of the summer, according to the article, has been one case. One or two cases a pandemic do not make. I'm sorry, they just don't.
The missus wonders out loud from time to time why I listen to or watch the talking heads on the left if I'm so up-in-arms when it comes to wanting them out of power and out of politics. I do enjoy the gnashing of teeth and the pigtail twisting on the left when they cry like a bunch of sissies when they don't get what they want.
The name calling and the Trump bashing tells you all you need to know about just how warped they are and what they're capable of doing when backed into a corner. They do stick together so the messaging is consistent if one is to trying to tease out who to listen to or whom to watch. It's just not time well spent unless you're into that sort of thing.
You can tell when they are going balls-to-the-walls on an issue because everything you watch or listen to is not unlike a synchronized swimming exercise. Whatever station you turn to you can expect to hear the same thing. The faces and personalities are different but the storyline is scripted and presented with gusto but nothing over the top. It's all-hands-on-deck and steady as she goes.
Maybe it's me but the talking heads I see on the telly, especially when they bring on politicians like Maxine Waters, look every bit like the moonbats you might expect to see if you took one hundred liberals and put them in the same room. I mean, we're talking looney tunes. They all want two kill babies and pay restitution to people who have never been slaves. That's just for starters.
And then, when their wet dreams begin to fade because the political winds have shifted, the messaging grinds to a halt. You'll never hear them after the fact lamenting that they've lost this or that battle to the opposition. They'll move on to the next battle and the next battle after that. Their progressive counterparts on the radio will continue to wage war and threaten to go nuclear on members of their own party for not towing the line and getting on board with the latest and greatest. The script remains the same and only the players change from day to day.
It's probably a little premature to be taking a victory lap on the taking down of Biden's signature $3.5 trillion dollar boondoggle of a bill. It's down but not out as I sit here this morning. It looks like they're going to have to settle for something less and that is not what the progressives put Biden in office to do. If his party can't get the job done, it could mean less support at the polls come Election Day in 2022. With support from his own party already on the wane because of Biden's long list of abject failures, less support from the progressives means a defeat of epic proportions for the democrats in the House in 2022. There is light, albeit not much, at the end of the tunnel. Let's hope it's not a freight train.
Did I tell you that I bought a pair of Croc's? I've always thought Croc's on guys looked a little gay but I'm now willing to rethink that now that I own a pair. It's funny how that works. I had been slipping on a pair of the Ev man's sandals that were lying around the house when wanting to put something on my feet but they never fit quite right. I own a pair of slippers but they're lined and lined slippers don't cut the mustard in the middle of the summer. I was getting little tired of them anyway so there's that. Now that I have them in-house and on my feet, they are, in a word, the bees knees. Just what the doctor ordered!
And now, that POS Biden, has extended his jab mandate to the Border Patrol Agents. Like they don't have enough bullshit to deal with and now there's this. That mother fucker is looking to decimate their ranks so he can take down every last obstacle to every illegal alien who wants to come into our country. How is this not treason? Does our Constitution not task him, as demented a Commander-in-Chief as he is, with protecting our borders? What is it going to take for our nation to wake up? I mean we're talking about caravan after caravan of dirt poor and illiterate migrants coming from god only knows where crossing willy nilly into our nation and no one seems to care.
I got sucked (pun intended) into watching this show on Netflix called Midnight Mass. I don't even know how to describe it. It's that twisted. It's sort of a cross between "True Blood" and The "Exorcist." That should probably tell you how many flicks in this genre that I get around to watching. I'm watching the last episode now and it resembles something of a zombie apocolypse movie so, as you can see, it's all over the place. If I had to guess, I would say that the Catholic Church wouldn't be too happy with this show seeing as how it portrays their religion and it's practitioners as a facade of everything that is righteous and true while, behind the scenes, blood sucking pastors and winged vampires posing as angels concoct a scheme to ravage the communicants in an otherwise sleepy seaside community.
Needless to say, I'm watching this alone. You know how the missus has a hard time watching shows that are weird and gory. The first episode or two started off innocently enough but things started going sideways and she told me in no uncertain terms, as she is prone to do, that I was on my own. I like sideways so I was good to go. I'm all in favor of only watching shows together that we can agree on although she does have some shows that only she watches and vice versa. And then there are those shows that we think we're going to like but they veer off in one direction or another where one or both of us lose interest.
I make an effort to review the show or shows we're wanting to watch so that we know what to expect once the lights go down. I like a good whodunnit but you can't find one these days that doesn't involve a corpse. I'm not complaining but I'm just making the observation. I enjoy a good cold case flick as much as the next armchair detective and I may even prefer it to something more mundane like a documentary on the band, "The Who." They're going to run out of cold cases to solve sooner or later? Right? As long as our society continues to produce prolific killers like Ted Bundy and Charlie Manson, I think we'll not be out of the woods when it comes to having cold cases to solve.
This was supposed to be the week when the democrats in Washington passed either everything Biden wanted in his signature legislation or, conversely, when everything fell apart and collapsed on its own weight. As I sit here this morning, there are a couple of heroes on the left that seem to be stopping this boondoggle from crossing the finish line.
Thank you to Joe Manchin and Krysten Sinema for keeping any hopes of killing this bill in the crib alive. These are two fearless senators who know that this leftist legislation is a budget buster and not in the best interests of the American people. If they can hold the line against the intense pressure they are likely to face from their peers and their leftist constituents, and have been facing right along, then Joe Biden's legislative wet dream will never see the light of day.
We'll need to bring the plants in soon. It's October 1 here on the Seacoast and we're seeing temperatures get down into the forties so it's time. God forbid we have any plants still out on the deck when the first frost arrives. I almost had the deck furniture put away a week or two ago but the missus was having none of it. Of course, we've not spent a moment sitting out there since she insisted that I leave everything up but that's neither here nor there. I even have some bird feeders that I need to move around before winter comes. It comes fast here in the Northeast so you can't let your guard down for a minute.
The missus ordered herself a nice Halloween wreath. I think I convinced her that the wreath would look better on her mum's door than ours. Living in one of those independent living facilities as she does, she has neighbors who have their doorways all gussied up with stuff that appears to be stuff that they just couldn't bear to throw away when they were in the process of downsizing.
Either that or it's indicative of the hoarding that is taking place behind closed doors and that's not a pleasant thought. Nonetheless, as you pass from doorway to doorway on your way to the main lobby or elsewhere you can't help but pause along the way to see what it is that people choose to put out for the world to see.
Mrs G has a few things of her own to share outside her doorway but it is minimalist at best. I'm not even sure that if I had to draw any conclusions about the woman behind the door based on what she has on display that I could do that with any sort of confidence. Knowing Mrs G as I do, I suspect that her minimalist approach is by design rather than happenstance.
So, I think the wreath with all of it's intricate artwork might have folks stopping by to admire it and, Mrs G, if she is so disposed, might surreptitiously tiptoe up to the peephole in her slippers just long enough to take as much pleasure as her little heart desires from seeing people eyeballing her new wreath. Shhhh.
The headline in the online newspaper the Huffington Post today reads, Kavanaugh Tests Positive For Covid." Is it me or are they really saying that they're hoping he will die a slow and painful death from the virus? Yes, I think I have the right take on this. Never mind that he's vaccinated and has no symptoms.
He is one of 6 conservative justices on the Supreme Court and wouldn't they relish the opportunity to have Biden replace him with a liberal justice. Biden has had no opportunity to put anyone up for a seat since there have been no vacancies. Thank the baby Jesus for that. The libs even tried to talk one or more of the older liberal justices on the court to retire so they could put up a younger justice. Anyway just a sick fucking headline from a sick leftist rag for their sicko fucking leftist readers. Don't get me going.
In New York, the governor is threatening to bring in foreign workers to fill the spots of fired workers. I'm not sure that went over very well because just a day later she is now threatening to have the National Guard fill backfill spots vacated by the fired workers. This is the thanks they get?
In case you're wondering just how complicit the media is in this craziness, there was a freedom rally in Boston yesterday with thousands of attendees and I can't find anything anywhere about the gathering. I'm hearing one newspaper did a piece with the headline that characterized the attendees as anti-vaxers. They are not anti-vaxers. They want what all freedom loving people want pandemic or no pandemic. The freedom to choose, and in this case, the freedom to choose what goes into their body.
It's just complete madness and you have to wonder when the hell is everyone going to wake up from this nightmare. I'm also reading stories about large container ships amassing in great numbers just offshore on both coasts of our country. Does this portend shortages or supply chain issues that we the public should know about? Whatever it is that we're looking down the barrel at it seems to be metasticizing.
You have to believe that the pandemic, the push to get everyone vaccinated, the supply chain issues, and now the threat to fire everyone who resists the jab is all part and parcel of a bigger picture that we just can't see yet. Having bumbling Biden not only at the helm of our country but steering this madness with a zeal you only see in the most maniacal of leaders should give us all pause.
It's almost as though Biden and his minions, after stealing an election by using the pandemic to change and pervert voting laws which gave them the election, now have the chance to take our country to a place that our Founders may have warned us about. "It's a Republic, if you can keep it."
The constant push by the media, and you can't forget for a minute that they are the propaganda arm of the democrat party, to tear at the fabric of our society by constantly harping on issues that divide we as Americans is corrosive and debilitating. I'm old enough to remember when it was something that everyone could understand like the difference between the haves and the have nots. Fast forward to 2021 and it's all about race and inequality. In just the last couple of months, they've added the vaccinated and unvaccinated to the mix. It's a witches brew of bewilderment and discontent.
The people in power have always had the power but it's been ephemeral at best bouncing back and forth as it does between the party's every election cycle. Have the democrats figured out how to never lose an election and we are now in the middle of the transformation that Obama promised just a few short years ago? Maybe we're heading down the road into a decade of darkness where the ruling class continues to consolidate power and the rest of us fight for whatever remaining scraps of our democracy we can find in the societal rubble that grows deeper by the day.
That might explain why you see so many companies and institutions taking sides in this left versus right struggle. No one, and I mean no one, wants to be on the losing side of the battle at the end of the day. The unimaginable riches accruing to the winners are not something that can be left to chance. There is simply too much at stake. Those who sign on with the leftists, knowingly or not, have sworn an allegiance to something other than our Constitution. The devil is in the details but isn't that always the case. Caveat emptor.
The deadline to get the jab is closing in and large swaths of professionals from nurses to police officers across the country are now facing the loss of their jobs because they've chosen not to take the jab. Biden mandated that all companies with greater than 100 employees would need to have their employees vaccinated or be fined some ridiculous amount.
There are any number of lawsuits asking the courts to rule that these mandates are unconstitutional but with little success to date. So, the firings will commence and the epicenter of this madness will likely expand exponentially to include other groups until Biden has way in getting a jab in the arm of every American man, woman, and child. Yes, even in the children who have a survival rate, if infected, of greater than 99.999%. It's madness.
With his tyrannical dictates in place, Biden and his minions may well be looking to nationalize many of our private industries. How better to achieve that than to fire every last worker who won't get the jab and replace those fired workers with government employees (National Guard, etc.) With everyone relying on Government for their sustenance and support, the tyrannical liberals will have the new world order they desire. There will no end to their dictatorial redistribution schemes. It will be Robin Hood on steroids.
So far, so good. The frogs are in the water and the water is on a slow simmer. There is a bit of steam here and there but nothing more. No reason for concern. What will it mean for the little guy? What will it mean for the Johnny's of the world? I, for one, wouldn't much care for being greeted at the doors of my local emergency room by a Haitian doctor who doesn't speak English.
If I'm the victim of a crime, I don't want to be sitting on a curb somewhere for and extended period of time with a gunshot or knife wound wondering who, if anyone, is going to respond to my call to 911. I also don't fancy the idea of having to scramble for early deliveries of paper products at my local Walmart so we can have access to toilet tissue with the ply of our choice. I don't even want to think about shortages when it comes to other necessities like food.
It's bizarre to think that were it not for Trump's mean tweets we might not have a total loser like Sleepy Joe Biden in the White House. We wouldn't be looking down the barrel of an authoritarian regime looking to impose socialism on our great country. And this pandemic thing? Well, the overall trend is down and moving in a direction that does not justify these tyrannical dictates coming out of Biden's White House.
It's all wrong and people know it's all wrong. There was a recent poll of Independent voters in Iowa that showed Biden's approval ratings in the high twenties. It's going to get worse before it gets better but you can bet your bottom dollar that Biden's shelf life is growing shorter by the day. Look no further than the boondoggle of a $3.5 trillion dollar bill that is currently under consideration in the Congress.
It will ostensibly launch the left's wet dream better known as the Green New Deal which, among other atrocities, is designed to cover student tuition, give amnesty to millions of illegals, etc. It is destined to be the hallmark achievement of the Biden Administration not unlike what Obamacare was to Obama. It is floundering on the fucking rocks as we speak and rightly so. The Republicans need to kill this bill in the crib and kill it now. Put a bow on the bastard and never look back. This is no time for pussies. Get in there and get the job done.
I hate going all political in my blog but sometimes you do what you have to do. I'll keep an eye out for silver linings so you don't have to. I was reading an article this morning about Covid cases in a York, Maine hospital. You might think that being in a pandemic as we are that they would have bodies stacking up outside their ICU like cordwood.
They have a measly 5-bed ICU so it wouldn't take much to fill that sucker up with Covid cases. But, no, there are currently just two cases of Covid in their ICU. Their average number of cases of Covid in the ICU over the course of the summer, according to the article, has been one case. One or two cases a pandemic do not make. I'm sorry, they just don't.
The missus wonders out loud from time to time why I listen to or watch the talking heads on the left if I'm so up-in-arms when it comes to wanting them out of power and out of politics. I do enjoy the gnashing of teeth and the pigtail twisting on the left when they cry like a bunch of sissies when they don't get what they want.
The name calling and the Trump bashing tells you all you need to know about just how warped they are and what they're capable of doing when backed into a corner. They do stick together so the messaging is consistent if one is to trying to tease out who to listen to or whom to watch. It's just not time well spent unless you're into that sort of thing.
You can tell when they are going balls-to-the-walls on an issue because everything you watch or listen to is not unlike a synchronized swimming exercise. Whatever station you turn to you can expect to hear the same thing. The faces and personalities are different but the storyline is scripted and presented with gusto but nothing over the top. It's all-hands-on-deck and steady as she goes.
Maybe it's me but the talking heads I see on the telly, especially when they bring on politicians like Maxine Waters, look every bit like the moonbats you might expect to see if you took one hundred liberals and put them in the same room. I mean, we're talking looney tunes. They all want two kill babies and pay restitution to people who have never been slaves. That's just for starters.
And then, when their wet dreams begin to fade because the political winds have shifted, the messaging grinds to a halt. You'll never hear them after the fact lamenting that they've lost this or that battle to the opposition. They'll move on to the next battle and the next battle after that. Their progressive counterparts on the radio will continue to wage war and threaten to go nuclear on members of their own party for not towing the line and getting on board with the latest and greatest. The script remains the same and only the players change from day to day.
It's probably a little premature to be taking a victory lap on the taking down of Biden's signature $3.5 trillion dollar boondoggle of a bill. It's down but not out as I sit here this morning. It looks like they're going to have to settle for something less and that is not what the progressives put Biden in office to do. If his party can't get the job done, it could mean less support at the polls come Election Day in 2022. With support from his own party already on the wane because of Biden's long list of abject failures, less support from the progressives means a defeat of epic proportions for the democrats in the House in 2022. There is light, albeit not much, at the end of the tunnel. Let's hope it's not a freight train.
Did I tell you that I bought a pair of Croc's? I've always thought Croc's on guys looked a little gay but I'm now willing to rethink that now that I own a pair. It's funny how that works. I had been slipping on a pair of the Ev man's sandals that were lying around the house when wanting to put something on my feet but they never fit quite right. I own a pair of slippers but they're lined and lined slippers don't cut the mustard in the middle of the summer. I was getting little tired of them anyway so there's that. Now that I have them in-house and on my feet, they are, in a word, the bees knees. Just what the doctor ordered!
And now, that POS Biden, has extended his jab mandate to the Border Patrol Agents. Like they don't have enough bullshit to deal with and now there's this. That mother fucker is looking to decimate their ranks so he can take down every last obstacle to every illegal alien who wants to come into our country. How is this not treason? Does our Constitution not task him, as demented a Commander-in-Chief as he is, with protecting our borders? What is it going to take for our nation to wake up? I mean we're talking about caravan after caravan of dirt poor and illiterate migrants coming from god only knows where crossing willy nilly into our nation and no one seems to care.
I got sucked (pun intended) into watching this show on Netflix called Midnight Mass. I don't even know how to describe it. It's that twisted. It's sort of a cross between "True Blood" and The "Exorcist." That should probably tell you how many flicks in this genre that I get around to watching. I'm watching the last episode now and it resembles something of a zombie apocolypse movie so, as you can see, it's all over the place. If I had to guess, I would say that the Catholic Church wouldn't be too happy with this show seeing as how it portrays their religion and it's practitioners as a facade of everything that is righteous and true while, behind the scenes, blood sucking pastors and winged vampires posing as angels concoct a scheme to ravage the communicants in an otherwise sleepy seaside community.
Needless to say, I'm watching this alone. You know how the missus has a hard time watching shows that are weird and gory. The first episode or two started off innocently enough but things started going sideways and she told me in no uncertain terms, as she is prone to do, that I was on my own. I like sideways so I was good to go. I'm all in favor of only watching shows together that we can agree on although she does have some shows that only she watches and vice versa. And then there are those shows that we think we're going to like but they veer off in one direction or another where one or both of us lose interest.
I make an effort to review the show or shows we're wanting to watch so that we know what to expect once the lights go down. I like a good whodunnit but you can't find one these days that doesn't involve a corpse. I'm not complaining but I'm just making the observation. I enjoy a good cold case flick as much as the next armchair detective and I may even prefer it to something more mundane like a documentary on the band, "The Who." They're going to run out of cold cases to solve sooner or later? Right? As long as our society continues to produce prolific killers like Ted Bundy and Charlie Manson, I think we'll not be out of the woods when it comes to having cold cases to solve.
This was supposed to be the week when the democrats in Washington passed either everything Biden wanted in his signature legislation or, conversely, when everything fell apart and collapsed on its own weight. As I sit here this morning, there are a couple of heroes on the left that seem to be stopping this boondoggle from crossing the finish line.
Thank you to Joe Manchin and Krysten Sinema for keeping any hopes of killing this bill in the crib alive. These are two fearless senators who know that this leftist legislation is a budget buster and not in the best interests of the American people. If they can hold the line against the intense pressure they are likely to face from their peers and their leftist constituents, and have been facing right along, then Joe Biden's legislative wet dream will never see the light of day.
We'll need to bring the plants in soon. It's October 1 here on the Seacoast and we're seeing temperatures get down into the forties so it's time. God forbid we have any plants still out on the deck when the first frost arrives. I almost had the deck furniture put away a week or two ago but the missus was having none of it. Of course, we've not spent a moment sitting out there since she insisted that I leave everything up but that's neither here nor there. I even have some bird feeders that I need to move around before winter comes. It comes fast here in the Northeast so you can't let your guard down for a minute.
The missus ordered herself a nice Halloween wreath. I think I convinced her that the wreath would look better on her mum's door than ours. Living in one of those independent living facilities as she does, she has neighbors who have their doorways all gussied up with stuff that appears to be stuff that they just couldn't bear to throw away when they were in the process of downsizing.
Either that or it's indicative of the hoarding that is taking place behind closed doors and that's not a pleasant thought. Nonetheless, as you pass from doorway to doorway on your way to the main lobby or elsewhere you can't help but pause along the way to see what it is that people choose to put out for the world to see.
Mrs G has a few things of her own to share outside her doorway but it is minimalist at best. I'm not even sure that if I had to draw any conclusions about the woman behind the door based on what she has on display that I could do that with any sort of confidence. Knowing Mrs G as I do, I suspect that her minimalist approach is by design rather than happenstance.
So, I think the wreath with all of it's intricate artwork might have folks stopping by to admire it and, Mrs G, if she is so disposed, might surreptitiously tiptoe up to the peephole in her slippers just long enough to take as much pleasure as her little heart desires from seeing people eyeballing her new wreath. Shhhh.
The headline in the online newspaper the Huffington Post today reads, Kavanaugh Tests Positive For Covid." Is it me or are they really saying that they're hoping he will die a slow and painful death from the virus? Yes, I think I have the right take on this. Never mind that he's vaccinated and has no symptoms.
He is one of 6 conservative justices on the Supreme Court and wouldn't they relish the opportunity to have Biden replace him with a liberal justice. Biden has had no opportunity to put anyone up for a seat since there have been no vacancies. Thank the baby Jesus for that. The libs even tried to talk one or more of the older liberal justices on the court to retire so they could put up a younger justice. Anyway just a sick fucking headline from a sick leftist rag for their sicko fucking leftist readers. Don't get me going.
Smoke and Mirrors
26/09/21 07:18
We'll be taking a closer look at the new iPhone 13 for the missus soon. She won't be needing or wanting either of the pro models and the only choice left to make is whether or not she wants the mini or the regular sized model. This will be a real upgrade for the missus since she has one of the older models that is either no longer supported or is close to being no longer supported. I've always regretted not getting one with enough storage when we first bought her the phone she has now so we won't make that mistake again.
I was a little worried that she might never get up the courage to buy a new phone. She likes what she likes and, truth be told, she might be a little fearful of change and having to adapt to that change especially where technology is concerned. I have a newer model phone that she has some familiarity with so that might be helpful in providing a bridge to the so-called future for her where smart phones are concerned. She also read an article recently where certain electronic devices are susceptible to hacking by nefarious entities and that may have pushed her over the top.
I'm not sure what a hacker might find on her phone. I suppose they could whip up some porn using the photos stored on her phone and then threaten to e-mail them to everyone in her contact list. You can do wonders with an application like Photoshop these days. It wouldn't take much to snip out her head from an existing photo and put it on Nicki Minaj's body. So, there's blackmail. You pay us gazillion's of dollars in cryptocurrency or we'll mail this stuff to everyone in your contact list. Then, there is always the possibility that they can sell the data on her phone to someone. China, maybe?
The only decision left to make now is which size phone to buy. We'll have to go to a few local outlets when the iPhone's finally hit the shelves and see which one fits best in her hand. She typically keeps the phone other places on her person when she's exercising but the phones are usually tethered to the counter so stashing it on her person to gauge fit might not work too well. The biggest plus for her, I think, will be the facial recognition capability. Punching in the passcode every time you want to do something is so yesterday. Welcome to the 21st century, little darlings.
I haven't seen any hummingbirds this morning as yet so maybe today is the day. Maybe they've departed for points south wherever that might be. September is the month they leave so the only question left to answer is, which day is it. I've done a good job staying on top of their feeders this summer in terms of changing the sugar water regularly and so forth so I feel good about that. If it isn't today, then maybe it will be tomorrow. We have two feeders on opposite ends of our house so we always have a bead on their comings and goings. I suspect that they have a bead on our comings and goings too. So much intelligence inside those little heads of theirs.
We have other bird feeders as well. I decided this summer that I would stop putting out bird seed during the summer months. Their appetites for the seed (nuts and fruit) were seemingly insatiable during the summer months and that surprised me. I've always thought that they would turn back to Mother Nature after a long hard winter at our feeders if for no other reason that to enjoy the bounty of natural food sources so plentiful and readily available in the environment. I also thought to myself, why am I spending so much money on this bird food when they have everything they need. It's there for the taking.
It made me wonder if I wasn't playing God just a little bit by inadvertently training generations of birds to come to my feeders for the calories they require. I was denying them an opportunity to develop their own foraging techniques and to learn those techniques typically handed down from generation to generation. The parents became dependent and their offspring also became dependent. In a manner of speaking, I was feeding them fish every day instead of teaching them how to fish so they could feed themselves. In other words, I wasn't doing them any favors. God forbid.
Does a day pass by when I wish I hadn't gotten the jab? Not so much. The Veritas group put out some sort of expose' in the last 24 hours which is damning. The gist seemed to be that no one knows what is in the vaccine, the vaccine has side effects the frequency and severity which are being kept out of the public eye, and the single mindedness with which the government is pushing these vaccines on the population is cause for serious concern which no one in government seems to be paying any attention to. They don't want to hear about therapeutics. They don't want to hear about natural immunity that arises from having the virus itself. It's get the jab or lose your livelihood.
I'm listening to one caller this morning calling into one of my favorite morning talk shows on the radio and he says he's had conversations with a doctor friend of his who, rather than get the jab, has taken a saline jab instead. His doctor friends have no interest in putting this "vaccine" in their arms and they are going to great lengths to avoid having to take it.
Some are even having fake paperwork put together so they'll have something to present to the officials if and when requested. The talk show host has a theory of his own which says that big Pharma will avoid any and all liability if and when they can eliminate what is commonly know in the industry as the "Control" group. If everyone gets the jab, there is no control group.
And what about all of these federal agency employees who are not subject to the mandate? Is this the ruling class doing what the ruling class does again? It's for thee, but not for me? What, pray tell, lays in store for those of us who have already taken the jab? Where are all the longer term studies? I'd settle for a short term study for chrissakes. It's fucking crickets from the folks doing the studies. Maybe there are no studies. That way, there is nothing to put out. There is no cause for concern and the push to get everyone vaccinated is on.
We should have known that something was up when they put this vaccine together in record time. There had never been a vaccine for a coronavirus until these viruses came along and maybe we know why now. These aren't vaccines at all, now are they? What are they then? How is it that within a year of the virus coming out of the lab in Wuhan that we have vaccines available for this particular virus across the globe.
I'm beginning to think that there never was any competition as to which pharmaceutical company would come out with their vaccines first. They were all tasked with producing the same vaccine. One vaccine that would go out under different names but essentially one commercially concocted cocktail for all. The only question remaining is, what the hell is this designer drug designed to do exactly?
I take some comfort in the fact that they are now pushing boosters. It tells me that the original swill of a cocktail isn't getting the job done whatever that job is. Maybe the dose was insufficient. Maybe the formula needed a tweak or two. The good news is that the anti-vax crowd has made serious inroads into this maniacal push to get everyone vaccinated and now people have questions and concerns. The sheep are waking up. People like me who got the jab have no plans to get the booster. Over my fucking dead body is what I say. Maybe I should be careful what I ask for.
If one needs any further proof that this vaccine thing is a well crafted hoodwinking, one only needs to pay attention in the media to the stories that we see from time to time where public officials say one thing in public and then do something quite the opposite in private. Yes, it's hypocritical, but it's also telling when they mandate that everyone wear masks in and out of doors and then you see footage of these very same people dining in large private parties where no one is wearing a mask and there isn't a semblance of social distancing.
Whatever happened to social distancing anyway? If this is what they're doing with one of the more obvious prophylactics of the so-called pandemic, imagine what they're doing or not doing when it comes to getting the vaccine. It's all smoke and mirrors, folks. And what they're doing to our children is unforgivable. Fauci wants to get them all jabbed up too. "The younger, the better" seems to be their mantra. It's just heartbreaking to see these little tykes all masked up and unable to play as children do in and out of the schoolyard. The devil (Fauci) is going to get his due but at what cost?
I'm hearing this morning that planeload after planeload of illegal aliens are being flown into airports in Massachusetts. This is government sponsored madness, my friends. My guess is that these are transplants from Afghanistan or maybe Haitians who have been amassing on our southern border for the past two weeks swelling in number to maybe 20,000 or so. It is an unmitigated disaster. When I say it's government sponsored, it's coming at you fast and furious compliments of the Biden Administration. Every country has an immigration policy and ours is no different.
The difference here is that it's part of a bigger, more nefarious plan, which I've already discussed at length. Suffice it to say that it's coming to a town near you now like it or not. They don't speak our language, they probably have little interest in adjusting to our culture, and god only knows what diseases and crime they intend to introduce to the collective communities that look to embrace them with open arms. The lot of them probably don't have two nickels to rub together so their general welfare will be largely defined by whatever funds they are allotted as part of the onboarding process.
If you are a black or brown skinned American who already finds the job market and opportunities in same to be elusive, I've got bad news for you. It's only going get worse. That's me admitting that there may be a handful of illegals who prefer to take their chances in the job market rather than subsist on the "paltry" $200 to $300 per child per month that the government is now paying to every Tom, Dick, and Harriet with an eligible child. You know, the basic income bullshit that the democrats put in a bill to create yet another welfare state where personal creativity is discouraged and incentives to put in a hard day's work flame out like a bad dream.
Maybe we'll find the illegals to be more industrious than we thought they would be. Maybe there's a Henry Ford or Elon Musk coming in on one or more of the planes. What the Biden Administration doesn't want to see is any one or more of the immigrants casting ballots for republicans once they qualify to vote. The key for Biden and his minions in the democrat party is to keep them fat, dumb, and happy living off the largesse of the government. Have more children, bring your relatives in to share in the wealth, and realize the American dream while not forgetting for a minute who made it all possible. Can you imagine anything more insidious? This is your democrat party in the year of the Lord, 2021.
I think that the democrats made mistake in assuming that this model of government would create an underclass that would be there for them as a perpetual "cradle-to-grave" constituency. They never figured on a Trump coming along to upset the apple cart. It turns out that the underclasses that the democrats have taken for granted all these years have started to see the light thanks to non-politicians like Trump. When Trump put an end to the immigration nonsense at our borders, that was good for a certain segment of the population who wanted nothing more than to earn a decent paycheck and put food on the table for their families. Trump made that, and more, possible.
With blacks and browns no longer tethered to the plantation created by the democrats, the democrats now need a new constituency. It has to be a constituency that will not vote for a republican so Cubans need not apply. If they arrive on our beaches, back they go compliments of the democrats. Haitians, on the other hand, may be the perfect constituency so every accommodation should be made to see that they are sent to red states where they can cast their ballots for the political party who made their new and improved lives possible. If the goal is to turn red states blue, and it surely is, this is a step in the right direction for the wily democrats.
Ev was telling me the other day that the mirror on his new car had gone all wobbly. I took a look around on YouTube and after looking at a video or two I think I can fix the darn thing. It isn't the kind of thing that I usually think of when I think of things going wrong with cars. It's mechanical but it isn't? The car will operate just fine without the mirror but it handicaps the driver as you might imagine. It may even put people and things at risk so it needs to be fixed. There is an adhesive that bonds the mirror to the underlying holder and that can weaken over time. It just needs to be reapplied so I ordered some adhesive from Amazon and I'll give it a go the next time the Ev man pays a visit.
Is it something that I think he can fix himself? With the proper guidance, I think so. Do I wish he had taken a look out on YouTube to see if it was something that he thought he might be able to fix? Yeah. Maybe he thought I was more familiar with the problem than he was so he chose to take the path of least resistance. I'll want to have him see what it is that I do when I remove the mirror and reapply the adhesive so he can be up to speed if and when it happens again. I think the key is just having him keep an open mind about these sorts of things so when I'm not around he can do what needs to be done. Just sayin'.
There is a Carolina Wren making quite a racket just outside my back door. That is a big noise for a little bird! It's a piercing warble of sorts that gets your attention. You actually have to convince yourself that this little bird is capable of producing that sound so getting a visual of the bird mid-warble is key. He might be complaining that the suet is running low in my suet feeder so I'm willing to take that to heart. It's been an insistent warble for the last five minutes or so and now it's stopped. He probably knows I've taken notice and it's all about next steps now. I was wanting to make sure that all the suet was gone before refilling the feeder but I'm now reconsidering. You've made your point, little man.
I never give a lot of thought as to how much I put in any one of my blog posts. I think there is such a thing as not having enough to say so I try to pace myself to make sure that my post is not too short and not too long. I suppose "long" and "short" are subjective anyway so maybe it's all in the eye of the beholder. Well, the reader anyway. I also worry a little bit from time to time that if I stop writing for days at a time that I might have trouble getting started again. I'm pretty regimented in how I go about this business so getting off track seems to be unlikely as I sit here today. Tomorrow could be another story.
I'm thinking about getting a pair of Crocs. There are days when I'm running around the house when I'm not feeling like putting on a pair of shoes but otherwise feel the need to have something on my feet. I have slippers but they're lined and not quite right for the summer months. I've been slipping into a pair of Evan's sandals here and there that he left behind but they're a bit too small and I can only wear them for so long before I need to get them off my feet. I don't know why I've not noticed this so-called deficit before but here it is and I think I've now made a decision. Something new should be fun so there's that. I like the black ones with the ankle strap that can flip up when you're not wanting to use it. I only have one question left to ponder: Do real men wear Crocs?
We're one step closer this morning to buying that iPhone 13 for the missus. We ended up at Best Buy yesterday and we wanted to see if they had the new phones in stock. It was very quiet in the store even for a Friday. Ain't that always the case. You think you're going to run into iPhone lovers like yourself beating a veritable path to the iPhone section in the store. We didn't know what to expect but we were pleasantly surprised to see that there wasn't a soul there to look at the new iPhones. We had it all to ourselves! Who knew? And then, the other shoe dropped. The phones were there all lined up line like presents beneath the Christmas tree but the signs said otherwise.
The little placards in front of the display told us that these were iPhone 12's. Now it made sense as to why no one was there to see the "new" iPhones. I wasn't surprised that they didn't have the new phones and I was prepared for that eventuality before we even entered the store. But, wait. I started to explain to the missus that these were maybe what we might expect to see when the phones came around. I thought we might start by comparing sizes since that is really why we were there. We had no intention of buying the phone at the store. Apple's terms are much more favorable so we planned to make the purchase online once the missus was satisfied that this was the device for her.
The minute I picked up one of the tethered phones so the missus could make the appropriate comparisons, The screen on the device in my hand came alive. To our pleasant surprise, it was, in fact, the new iPhone 13. How is it that the store management saw to it that the phones were out on display but they failed to update the cards propped up in front of phones that would otherwise inform the viewing public that these were new iPhones? It was a comedy of errors but we were the beneficiaries of their incompetence and we were not about to look a gift horse in the mouth, Just call me Johnny Cliche'.
We looked over the various sizes, makes, and models of the iPhone 13 until we were pretty much decided on which one was best for the missus. We were wrapping up and really didn't have any questions but a fella came off the sidelines asking if we needed any help. I think we came up with a question or two for no reason other than he was there offering to help. We noticed that there was an older woman at another display in the Apple section and the store employee beat a quick path to offer her assistance. The missus was not happy with this development. "Who is more likely to make a purchase of these pricey devices", she asked? I thought it was a reasonably good question.
When we finally had the employees undivided attention, I have to say, he seemed somewhat detached and maybe a little disinterested. We almost answered our own questions without his input. Maybe he could tell that we weren't there to make a purchase and he'd seen our types before and didn't want to expend the energy or time trying to make a sale. He was pleasant enough but maybe a little detached emotionally. It helps when you're excited about making a purchase that the salesperson shares your excitement. He didn't know we weren't planning to buy but he didn't have to be a fucking deadpan Donnie.
That wasn't the worst of it. He wasn't with us for more than 5 minutes when a young woman came up to him inquiring about ear buds. It was bad enough that he didn't attend to us the minute we showed up and now he was looking to run off and satisfy the needs of another customer without "closing the deal" with us. There was no closing the deal but he didn't know that. Or, maybe he did. We were a little gobsmacked to see him walking away with another customer so soon and the missus was not taking it well. No woman likes to be ignored and my missus especially doesn't like to be ignored. That's just a fact.
The missus was definitely wearing her "I'm the manager and this is what I would do" hat while in the store. Have Apple releases become that humdrum over time to the point where Best Buy employees could care less now when they release new devices? How about a little fucking fanfare, fellas? Is that too much to ask? I'd love to see someone like Steve Jobs go into that store as a phantom shopper just to see how apathetic and incompetent these store employees were in hawking Apples's new wares. Maybe Best Buy doesn't make all that much from selling Apple products. A mere pittance perhaps? But they bring customers into the store. No? Yes, the missus had some ideas. She always has some ideas.
I was a little worried that she might never get up the courage to buy a new phone. She likes what she likes and, truth be told, she might be a little fearful of change and having to adapt to that change especially where technology is concerned. I have a newer model phone that she has some familiarity with so that might be helpful in providing a bridge to the so-called future for her where smart phones are concerned. She also read an article recently where certain electronic devices are susceptible to hacking by nefarious entities and that may have pushed her over the top.
I'm not sure what a hacker might find on her phone. I suppose they could whip up some porn using the photos stored on her phone and then threaten to e-mail them to everyone in her contact list. You can do wonders with an application like Photoshop these days. It wouldn't take much to snip out her head from an existing photo and put it on Nicki Minaj's body. So, there's blackmail. You pay us gazillion's of dollars in cryptocurrency or we'll mail this stuff to everyone in your contact list. Then, there is always the possibility that they can sell the data on her phone to someone. China, maybe?
The only decision left to make now is which size phone to buy. We'll have to go to a few local outlets when the iPhone's finally hit the shelves and see which one fits best in her hand. She typically keeps the phone other places on her person when she's exercising but the phones are usually tethered to the counter so stashing it on her person to gauge fit might not work too well. The biggest plus for her, I think, will be the facial recognition capability. Punching in the passcode every time you want to do something is so yesterday. Welcome to the 21st century, little darlings.
I haven't seen any hummingbirds this morning as yet so maybe today is the day. Maybe they've departed for points south wherever that might be. September is the month they leave so the only question left to answer is, which day is it. I've done a good job staying on top of their feeders this summer in terms of changing the sugar water regularly and so forth so I feel good about that. If it isn't today, then maybe it will be tomorrow. We have two feeders on opposite ends of our house so we always have a bead on their comings and goings. I suspect that they have a bead on our comings and goings too. So much intelligence inside those little heads of theirs.
We have other bird feeders as well. I decided this summer that I would stop putting out bird seed during the summer months. Their appetites for the seed (nuts and fruit) were seemingly insatiable during the summer months and that surprised me. I've always thought that they would turn back to Mother Nature after a long hard winter at our feeders if for no other reason that to enjoy the bounty of natural food sources so plentiful and readily available in the environment. I also thought to myself, why am I spending so much money on this bird food when they have everything they need. It's there for the taking.
It made me wonder if I wasn't playing God just a little bit by inadvertently training generations of birds to come to my feeders for the calories they require. I was denying them an opportunity to develop their own foraging techniques and to learn those techniques typically handed down from generation to generation. The parents became dependent and their offspring also became dependent. In a manner of speaking, I was feeding them fish every day instead of teaching them how to fish so they could feed themselves. In other words, I wasn't doing them any favors. God forbid.
Does a day pass by when I wish I hadn't gotten the jab? Not so much. The Veritas group put out some sort of expose' in the last 24 hours which is damning. The gist seemed to be that no one knows what is in the vaccine, the vaccine has side effects the frequency and severity which are being kept out of the public eye, and the single mindedness with which the government is pushing these vaccines on the population is cause for serious concern which no one in government seems to be paying any attention to. They don't want to hear about therapeutics. They don't want to hear about natural immunity that arises from having the virus itself. It's get the jab or lose your livelihood.
I'm listening to one caller this morning calling into one of my favorite morning talk shows on the radio and he says he's had conversations with a doctor friend of his who, rather than get the jab, has taken a saline jab instead. His doctor friends have no interest in putting this "vaccine" in their arms and they are going to great lengths to avoid having to take it.
Some are even having fake paperwork put together so they'll have something to present to the officials if and when requested. The talk show host has a theory of his own which says that big Pharma will avoid any and all liability if and when they can eliminate what is commonly know in the industry as the "Control" group. If everyone gets the jab, there is no control group.
And what about all of these federal agency employees who are not subject to the mandate? Is this the ruling class doing what the ruling class does again? It's for thee, but not for me? What, pray tell, lays in store for those of us who have already taken the jab? Where are all the longer term studies? I'd settle for a short term study for chrissakes. It's fucking crickets from the folks doing the studies. Maybe there are no studies. That way, there is nothing to put out. There is no cause for concern and the push to get everyone vaccinated is on.
We should have known that something was up when they put this vaccine together in record time. There had never been a vaccine for a coronavirus until these viruses came along and maybe we know why now. These aren't vaccines at all, now are they? What are they then? How is it that within a year of the virus coming out of the lab in Wuhan that we have vaccines available for this particular virus across the globe.
I'm beginning to think that there never was any competition as to which pharmaceutical company would come out with their vaccines first. They were all tasked with producing the same vaccine. One vaccine that would go out under different names but essentially one commercially concocted cocktail for all. The only question remaining is, what the hell is this designer drug designed to do exactly?
I take some comfort in the fact that they are now pushing boosters. It tells me that the original swill of a cocktail isn't getting the job done whatever that job is. Maybe the dose was insufficient. Maybe the formula needed a tweak or two. The good news is that the anti-vax crowd has made serious inroads into this maniacal push to get everyone vaccinated and now people have questions and concerns. The sheep are waking up. People like me who got the jab have no plans to get the booster. Over my fucking dead body is what I say. Maybe I should be careful what I ask for.
If one needs any further proof that this vaccine thing is a well crafted hoodwinking, one only needs to pay attention in the media to the stories that we see from time to time where public officials say one thing in public and then do something quite the opposite in private. Yes, it's hypocritical, but it's also telling when they mandate that everyone wear masks in and out of doors and then you see footage of these very same people dining in large private parties where no one is wearing a mask and there isn't a semblance of social distancing.
Whatever happened to social distancing anyway? If this is what they're doing with one of the more obvious prophylactics of the so-called pandemic, imagine what they're doing or not doing when it comes to getting the vaccine. It's all smoke and mirrors, folks. And what they're doing to our children is unforgivable. Fauci wants to get them all jabbed up too. "The younger, the better" seems to be their mantra. It's just heartbreaking to see these little tykes all masked up and unable to play as children do in and out of the schoolyard. The devil (Fauci) is going to get his due but at what cost?
I'm hearing this morning that planeload after planeload of illegal aliens are being flown into airports in Massachusetts. This is government sponsored madness, my friends. My guess is that these are transplants from Afghanistan or maybe Haitians who have been amassing on our southern border for the past two weeks swelling in number to maybe 20,000 or so. It is an unmitigated disaster. When I say it's government sponsored, it's coming at you fast and furious compliments of the Biden Administration. Every country has an immigration policy and ours is no different.
The difference here is that it's part of a bigger, more nefarious plan, which I've already discussed at length. Suffice it to say that it's coming to a town near you now like it or not. They don't speak our language, they probably have little interest in adjusting to our culture, and god only knows what diseases and crime they intend to introduce to the collective communities that look to embrace them with open arms. The lot of them probably don't have two nickels to rub together so their general welfare will be largely defined by whatever funds they are allotted as part of the onboarding process.
If you are a black or brown skinned American who already finds the job market and opportunities in same to be elusive, I've got bad news for you. It's only going get worse. That's me admitting that there may be a handful of illegals who prefer to take their chances in the job market rather than subsist on the "paltry" $200 to $300 per child per month that the government is now paying to every Tom, Dick, and Harriet with an eligible child. You know, the basic income bullshit that the democrats put in a bill to create yet another welfare state where personal creativity is discouraged and incentives to put in a hard day's work flame out like a bad dream.
Maybe we'll find the illegals to be more industrious than we thought they would be. Maybe there's a Henry Ford or Elon Musk coming in on one or more of the planes. What the Biden Administration doesn't want to see is any one or more of the immigrants casting ballots for republicans once they qualify to vote. The key for Biden and his minions in the democrat party is to keep them fat, dumb, and happy living off the largesse of the government. Have more children, bring your relatives in to share in the wealth, and realize the American dream while not forgetting for a minute who made it all possible. Can you imagine anything more insidious? This is your democrat party in the year of the Lord, 2021.
I think that the democrats made mistake in assuming that this model of government would create an underclass that would be there for them as a perpetual "cradle-to-grave" constituency. They never figured on a Trump coming along to upset the apple cart. It turns out that the underclasses that the democrats have taken for granted all these years have started to see the light thanks to non-politicians like Trump. When Trump put an end to the immigration nonsense at our borders, that was good for a certain segment of the population who wanted nothing more than to earn a decent paycheck and put food on the table for their families. Trump made that, and more, possible.
With blacks and browns no longer tethered to the plantation created by the democrats, the democrats now need a new constituency. It has to be a constituency that will not vote for a republican so Cubans need not apply. If they arrive on our beaches, back they go compliments of the democrats. Haitians, on the other hand, may be the perfect constituency so every accommodation should be made to see that they are sent to red states where they can cast their ballots for the political party who made their new and improved lives possible. If the goal is to turn red states blue, and it surely is, this is a step in the right direction for the wily democrats.
Ev was telling me the other day that the mirror on his new car had gone all wobbly. I took a look around on YouTube and after looking at a video or two I think I can fix the darn thing. It isn't the kind of thing that I usually think of when I think of things going wrong with cars. It's mechanical but it isn't? The car will operate just fine without the mirror but it handicaps the driver as you might imagine. It may even put people and things at risk so it needs to be fixed. There is an adhesive that bonds the mirror to the underlying holder and that can weaken over time. It just needs to be reapplied so I ordered some adhesive from Amazon and I'll give it a go the next time the Ev man pays a visit.
Is it something that I think he can fix himself? With the proper guidance, I think so. Do I wish he had taken a look out on YouTube to see if it was something that he thought he might be able to fix? Yeah. Maybe he thought I was more familiar with the problem than he was so he chose to take the path of least resistance. I'll want to have him see what it is that I do when I remove the mirror and reapply the adhesive so he can be up to speed if and when it happens again. I think the key is just having him keep an open mind about these sorts of things so when I'm not around he can do what needs to be done. Just sayin'.
There is a Carolina Wren making quite a racket just outside my back door. That is a big noise for a little bird! It's a piercing warble of sorts that gets your attention. You actually have to convince yourself that this little bird is capable of producing that sound so getting a visual of the bird mid-warble is key. He might be complaining that the suet is running low in my suet feeder so I'm willing to take that to heart. It's been an insistent warble for the last five minutes or so and now it's stopped. He probably knows I've taken notice and it's all about next steps now. I was wanting to make sure that all the suet was gone before refilling the feeder but I'm now reconsidering. You've made your point, little man.
I never give a lot of thought as to how much I put in any one of my blog posts. I think there is such a thing as not having enough to say so I try to pace myself to make sure that my post is not too short and not too long. I suppose "long" and "short" are subjective anyway so maybe it's all in the eye of the beholder. Well, the reader anyway. I also worry a little bit from time to time that if I stop writing for days at a time that I might have trouble getting started again. I'm pretty regimented in how I go about this business so getting off track seems to be unlikely as I sit here today. Tomorrow could be another story.
I'm thinking about getting a pair of Crocs. There are days when I'm running around the house when I'm not feeling like putting on a pair of shoes but otherwise feel the need to have something on my feet. I have slippers but they're lined and not quite right for the summer months. I've been slipping into a pair of Evan's sandals here and there that he left behind but they're a bit too small and I can only wear them for so long before I need to get them off my feet. I don't know why I've not noticed this so-called deficit before but here it is and I think I've now made a decision. Something new should be fun so there's that. I like the black ones with the ankle strap that can flip up when you're not wanting to use it. I only have one question left to ponder: Do real men wear Crocs?
We're one step closer this morning to buying that iPhone 13 for the missus. We ended up at Best Buy yesterday and we wanted to see if they had the new phones in stock. It was very quiet in the store even for a Friday. Ain't that always the case. You think you're going to run into iPhone lovers like yourself beating a veritable path to the iPhone section in the store. We didn't know what to expect but we were pleasantly surprised to see that there wasn't a soul there to look at the new iPhones. We had it all to ourselves! Who knew? And then, the other shoe dropped. The phones were there all lined up line like presents beneath the Christmas tree but the signs said otherwise.
The little placards in front of the display told us that these were iPhone 12's. Now it made sense as to why no one was there to see the "new" iPhones. I wasn't surprised that they didn't have the new phones and I was prepared for that eventuality before we even entered the store. But, wait. I started to explain to the missus that these were maybe what we might expect to see when the phones came around. I thought we might start by comparing sizes since that is really why we were there. We had no intention of buying the phone at the store. Apple's terms are much more favorable so we planned to make the purchase online once the missus was satisfied that this was the device for her.
The minute I picked up one of the tethered phones so the missus could make the appropriate comparisons, The screen on the device in my hand came alive. To our pleasant surprise, it was, in fact, the new iPhone 13. How is it that the store management saw to it that the phones were out on display but they failed to update the cards propped up in front of phones that would otherwise inform the viewing public that these were new iPhones? It was a comedy of errors but we were the beneficiaries of their incompetence and we were not about to look a gift horse in the mouth, Just call me Johnny Cliche'.
We looked over the various sizes, makes, and models of the iPhone 13 until we were pretty much decided on which one was best for the missus. We were wrapping up and really didn't have any questions but a fella came off the sidelines asking if we needed any help. I think we came up with a question or two for no reason other than he was there offering to help. We noticed that there was an older woman at another display in the Apple section and the store employee beat a quick path to offer her assistance. The missus was not happy with this development. "Who is more likely to make a purchase of these pricey devices", she asked? I thought it was a reasonably good question.
When we finally had the employees undivided attention, I have to say, he seemed somewhat detached and maybe a little disinterested. We almost answered our own questions without his input. Maybe he could tell that we weren't there to make a purchase and he'd seen our types before and didn't want to expend the energy or time trying to make a sale. He was pleasant enough but maybe a little detached emotionally. It helps when you're excited about making a purchase that the salesperson shares your excitement. He didn't know we weren't planning to buy but he didn't have to be a fucking deadpan Donnie.
That wasn't the worst of it. He wasn't with us for more than 5 minutes when a young woman came up to him inquiring about ear buds. It was bad enough that he didn't attend to us the minute we showed up and now he was looking to run off and satisfy the needs of another customer without "closing the deal" with us. There was no closing the deal but he didn't know that. Or, maybe he did. We were a little gobsmacked to see him walking away with another customer so soon and the missus was not taking it well. No woman likes to be ignored and my missus especially doesn't like to be ignored. That's just a fact.
The missus was definitely wearing her "I'm the manager and this is what I would do" hat while in the store. Have Apple releases become that humdrum over time to the point where Best Buy employees could care less now when they release new devices? How about a little fucking fanfare, fellas? Is that too much to ask? I'd love to see someone like Steve Jobs go into that store as a phantom shopper just to see how apathetic and incompetent these store employees were in hawking Apples's new wares. Maybe Best Buy doesn't make all that much from selling Apple products. A mere pittance perhaps? But they bring customers into the store. No? Yes, the missus had some ideas. She always has some ideas.
Shot Across The Bow
19/09/21 10:42
We're waking up today here in America to yet another stolen election. Gavin Newsom has apparently won a recall election in California. We'll see the usual crowing in the leftist media across the country about his "blowout" performance. Those of us who know better will simply say, "I told ya so." We saw this one coming from a mile away.
The leftists were not going to let a republican get control of their state and if stealing an election was required then that is what they were going to do. Never mind that the republican running for Governor was a black man. Larry Elder would have been California's first governor "of color." Yet, not a word about his historic run as a black man. When Obama was running for President, you never heard the end of his being the first black president. It's enough to make you puke.
I don't know about you but when any political party lays claim to anything much less the largest state in the union, it's time for the people pulling the levers in those voting booths to do the right thing and vote the party hacks out of office. It's hard to do that when it involves voting against your interests and the interests of your family and the politicians know this only too well. It's all about consolidating power and welding power in order to further their socialist wet dreams.
I'm not sure that we've crossed the rubicon as yet but it certainly seems that way knowing what we know this morning about the outcome of the California election. Turning states from red to blue is the path to political supremacy and the democrats wake up every day and continue to work towards that end. If it takes opening our southern border to hordes of illegal aliens who will help turn our red states like Texas from red to blue, then it's a small price to pay.
We're now two days removed from the California recall election. The AP reports that some 350k ballots cannot be found due to "staff error." I don't know about you but I smell a fucking rat. This is how they do it, folks. This is how they get away with their thieving ways. What's it going to take to get to the bottom of this? How are we ever going to get our country back with these criminals running the show?
Just when you think you've heard it all, there's this. Florida and other red states have been experiencing elevated levels of covid infections these last few months. One therapeutic drug regimen that has been very effective in managing the number of deaths and hospitalizations involves the use of a drug called Ivermectin. Increased use of therapeutics like Ivermectin has served as viable alternative for those not wanting, for whatever reason, to get the jab.
A red state doing well with therapeutics when the Biden Administration is trying desperately to mandate jabs for everyone across the country just doesn't sit well with Joey Biden and his cabal of criminals working out of the White House. They're simply not happy if people in these red states aren't dying and being stacked up outside hospitals like cordwood. They need that visual to support their narrative that without the jab people are going to die and, even better, those deaths will be at the hands of red state governors who are resisting mandates on behalf of their beleaguered citizens.
So what does Joey and his cabal of criminals do in response to this alarming report of people actually surviving the virus? That mother fucker decides to limit the amount of Ivermectin being delivered to Florida and other red states. Joey simply can't abide by the fact that conservative red state governors are resisting his mandate bullshit and, quite frankly, making him look like the addled old fuck that he is. I guess this is what Joey meant when he said that he was going to "run over" governors who resisted his mandates. I'm paraphrasing, but that is in essence what he said. Maybe there is something to be said for keeping one's word.
Speaking of Biden's disasters, what the hell is going on down on the Texas border with the hordes of Haitians? Last I looked, the crowd had swelled from 5k to 10k overnight and it's growing larger by the minute. Who can blame these people for wanting a better life? Fox News dispatched a drone team down to the border to monitor the mass gathering and report back to the American people as news organizations are prone to do. The aerial shots of swarming black bodies huddled beneath the overpass, row after row of tent like structures constructed of god only knows what, and all of this brought to living rooms and cell phones across the country was seemingly more than the Biden Administration could take.
God forbid that the American people should know what the Biden Administration is doing or not doing when it comes to managing our borders. Their plan all along has been to increase the number of democratic voters by swamping red states with illegal aliens who will then be given amnesty and ballots with which to vote for the democrats. It seems that the Haitian hordes, in all their glory, were simply a bridge too far (pun intended) for viewers across the nation. So much so, in fact, that the Biden Administration ordered an immediate no-go zone for all aerial flights of any kind over the area. That included the drones that FOX had in the air.
File this under "more than one way to skin a cat." Next thing you know, we have even better images and video brought to us by local television stations and police helicopters who have long since stopped caring about the concerns of the Biden Administration especially as it relates to Biden's open border policy. Going along to get along is so yesterday. Biden's blatant attempts to conceal their open borders shenanigans was even more infuriating to those Americans who bought into Biden's "we'll be the most transparent administration in history" bullshit. Enough is enough.
Again, if this is what the liberals are willing to subject our country to in the name of maintaining and perpetuating their political power, what will our country look like after they've achieved their unstated goals? Venezuela? Cuba? Russia? China? I'm not sure I want any part of an America the likes of which the Biden-ista's have teed up for us. In the interest of keeping out of the gulag, I'll temper my delivery as much as I can but it may not be enough to save me when the storm troopers come around looking for naysayers and wayward republicans with an attitude.
What is this I'm hearing now about Biden Administration wanting the nations banks to report out on accounts with balances greater than $600? Who are these Stasi mother fuckers? It isn't enough that that they hire an extra 80,000 IRS agents to muscle the American public into having to explain why they took an expense that they shouldn't have on their taxes? We're all criminals now? When does the flight of capital from the banks begin? When will we see customers lining up around the block looking to withdraw their monies from banks who have long since moved those funds to an offshore facility. I can hardly spell "cryptocurrency" but you can bet your bottom dollar I'm going to give a try.
And then they came for the owners of cryptocurrency. Isn't this some form of illegal search and seizure when it comes to sizing up my bank account without my consent. Whatever happened to my account, my money? Are they going to just help themselves and it will be my responsibility to prove that what I have in my account is legitimate? What if I'm trying to pay bills with the dollars they have "on hold"? Is this what the democrats voted for when they voted for this clown? Eighty-million people voted for Biden because they were hoping that he would deliver this kind of government? Will somebody on the Supreme Court get off their ass and do something before it's too late?
I was telling the missus that she ought to give Mrs G a bit of a hand when it comes to some of her accounts. It never fails that when we're over for a visit we spend an inordinate amount of time looking over Mrs G's shoulder while she tries to navigate this or that account. She has the navigation and the hand-eye coordination down pretty good but there are built-in pitfalls that are generally there for security reasons or other that leave Mrs G scratching her head. This is typically not unfamiliar territory to the missus so she may be able to pick up some of the more technical aspects of the task while leaving the sheer pleasure of the shopping experience, as it is, to Mrs G. Just a thought.
The Ev-man was over for his birthday the other day. He liked his presents enough and was pretty happy to have the things that we bought for him. We told him that he should check his mailbox for cards and such from other relatives but he doesn't much care to do that on any regular basis so there's that. I filled his tank with gas and returned something that his mom had confiscated from him maybe a week ago. I could tell that he was happy to have it back even though he didn't outright admit as much. We ordered our favorite dish from a local restaurant and Ev and I split that dish while his mom had a side salad and maybe a bite or two of what I had sitting in front of me.
I don't think there's much hope for the Ev man when it comes to keeping his car clean. It never fails. Every time I take it to put gas in it I end up doing a thorough cleaning which means at least four to five good handfuls of trash comes out. He makes more of an effort at home so I'm a little surprised that his car gets as messy as it does. Was I that bad when I was his age? He does a lot of take-out so that doesn't help. He also doesn't have anyone to impress at the moment so maybe he just couldn't care less. You know, someone to whip him into shape and teach him some of life's lessons as hard as they can be to learn sometimes. Maybe we should be satisfied that he keeps most of his appointments. Yeah, that's the ticket.
Occasionally, the Ev man will tell me not to clean out his car. He knows I do it out of whatever and that's fine. He knows that I do what I have to do because that's just me. I think there are times when he's asking me not to clean up his car because maybe I'll find something that he doesn't want me to find? There are other times when he'll go out to his car and maybe even remove whatever it is that he doesn't want me to find because he knows I'll be doing a deep dive when I start throwing away things that need to be thrown away. We're talking about half eaten sandwiches, leftover McDonalds cups half filled with cigarette butts (slight exaggeration), and empty Red Bull cans in maybe three out of the four cup holders in his car. I'll even do a little dusting to remove ash residue from god-only-knows-what that has fallen like snow across the dashboard and steering wheel column.
I have the ingredients to make chili so I think I'll put that on my agenda for today. I thought about making it yesterday but I had spent a fair amount of time cleaning the kitchen and I couldn't bring myself to make yet another mess that I had to clean up. The missus asked that I make a portion of the chili without meat for her and I reluctantly agreed. It just never works well when I have to tease out enough ingredients to make what I consider to be another dish that is unrelated in many ways to what I'm in the middle of making. I hope that doesn't sound too selfish.
The leftists were not going to let a republican get control of their state and if stealing an election was required then that is what they were going to do. Never mind that the republican running for Governor was a black man. Larry Elder would have been California's first governor "of color." Yet, not a word about his historic run as a black man. When Obama was running for President, you never heard the end of his being the first black president. It's enough to make you puke.
I don't know about you but when any political party lays claim to anything much less the largest state in the union, it's time for the people pulling the levers in those voting booths to do the right thing and vote the party hacks out of office. It's hard to do that when it involves voting against your interests and the interests of your family and the politicians know this only too well. It's all about consolidating power and welding power in order to further their socialist wet dreams.
I'm not sure that we've crossed the rubicon as yet but it certainly seems that way knowing what we know this morning about the outcome of the California election. Turning states from red to blue is the path to political supremacy and the democrats wake up every day and continue to work towards that end. If it takes opening our southern border to hordes of illegal aliens who will help turn our red states like Texas from red to blue, then it's a small price to pay.
We're now two days removed from the California recall election. The AP reports that some 350k ballots cannot be found due to "staff error." I don't know about you but I smell a fucking rat. This is how they do it, folks. This is how they get away with their thieving ways. What's it going to take to get to the bottom of this? How are we ever going to get our country back with these criminals running the show?
Just when you think you've heard it all, there's this. Florida and other red states have been experiencing elevated levels of covid infections these last few months. One therapeutic drug regimen that has been very effective in managing the number of deaths and hospitalizations involves the use of a drug called Ivermectin. Increased use of therapeutics like Ivermectin has served as viable alternative for those not wanting, for whatever reason, to get the jab.
A red state doing well with therapeutics when the Biden Administration is trying desperately to mandate jabs for everyone across the country just doesn't sit well with Joey Biden and his cabal of criminals working out of the White House. They're simply not happy if people in these red states aren't dying and being stacked up outside hospitals like cordwood. They need that visual to support their narrative that without the jab people are going to die and, even better, those deaths will be at the hands of red state governors who are resisting mandates on behalf of their beleaguered citizens.
So what does Joey and his cabal of criminals do in response to this alarming report of people actually surviving the virus? That mother fucker decides to limit the amount of Ivermectin being delivered to Florida and other red states. Joey simply can't abide by the fact that conservative red state governors are resisting his mandate bullshit and, quite frankly, making him look like the addled old fuck that he is. I guess this is what Joey meant when he said that he was going to "run over" governors who resisted his mandates. I'm paraphrasing, but that is in essence what he said. Maybe there is something to be said for keeping one's word.
Speaking of Biden's disasters, what the hell is going on down on the Texas border with the hordes of Haitians? Last I looked, the crowd had swelled from 5k to 10k overnight and it's growing larger by the minute. Who can blame these people for wanting a better life? Fox News dispatched a drone team down to the border to monitor the mass gathering and report back to the American people as news organizations are prone to do. The aerial shots of swarming black bodies huddled beneath the overpass, row after row of tent like structures constructed of god only knows what, and all of this brought to living rooms and cell phones across the country was seemingly more than the Biden Administration could take.
God forbid that the American people should know what the Biden Administration is doing or not doing when it comes to managing our borders. Their plan all along has been to increase the number of democratic voters by swamping red states with illegal aliens who will then be given amnesty and ballots with which to vote for the democrats. It seems that the Haitian hordes, in all their glory, were simply a bridge too far (pun intended) for viewers across the nation. So much so, in fact, that the Biden Administration ordered an immediate no-go zone for all aerial flights of any kind over the area. That included the drones that FOX had in the air.
File this under "more than one way to skin a cat." Next thing you know, we have even better images and video brought to us by local television stations and police helicopters who have long since stopped caring about the concerns of the Biden Administration especially as it relates to Biden's open border policy. Going along to get along is so yesterday. Biden's blatant attempts to conceal their open borders shenanigans was even more infuriating to those Americans who bought into Biden's "we'll be the most transparent administration in history" bullshit. Enough is enough.
Again, if this is what the liberals are willing to subject our country to in the name of maintaining and perpetuating their political power, what will our country look like after they've achieved their unstated goals? Venezuela? Cuba? Russia? China? I'm not sure I want any part of an America the likes of which the Biden-ista's have teed up for us. In the interest of keeping out of the gulag, I'll temper my delivery as much as I can but it may not be enough to save me when the storm troopers come around looking for naysayers and wayward republicans with an attitude.
What is this I'm hearing now about Biden Administration wanting the nations banks to report out on accounts with balances greater than $600? Who are these Stasi mother fuckers? It isn't enough that that they hire an extra 80,000 IRS agents to muscle the American public into having to explain why they took an expense that they shouldn't have on their taxes? We're all criminals now? When does the flight of capital from the banks begin? When will we see customers lining up around the block looking to withdraw their monies from banks who have long since moved those funds to an offshore facility. I can hardly spell "cryptocurrency" but you can bet your bottom dollar I'm going to give a try.
And then they came for the owners of cryptocurrency. Isn't this some form of illegal search and seizure when it comes to sizing up my bank account without my consent. Whatever happened to my account, my money? Are they going to just help themselves and it will be my responsibility to prove that what I have in my account is legitimate? What if I'm trying to pay bills with the dollars they have "on hold"? Is this what the democrats voted for when they voted for this clown? Eighty-million people voted for Biden because they were hoping that he would deliver this kind of government? Will somebody on the Supreme Court get off their ass and do something before it's too late?
I was telling the missus that she ought to give Mrs G a bit of a hand when it comes to some of her accounts. It never fails that when we're over for a visit we spend an inordinate amount of time looking over Mrs G's shoulder while she tries to navigate this or that account. She has the navigation and the hand-eye coordination down pretty good but there are built-in pitfalls that are generally there for security reasons or other that leave Mrs G scratching her head. This is typically not unfamiliar territory to the missus so she may be able to pick up some of the more technical aspects of the task while leaving the sheer pleasure of the shopping experience, as it is, to Mrs G. Just a thought.
The Ev-man was over for his birthday the other day. He liked his presents enough and was pretty happy to have the things that we bought for him. We told him that he should check his mailbox for cards and such from other relatives but he doesn't much care to do that on any regular basis so there's that. I filled his tank with gas and returned something that his mom had confiscated from him maybe a week ago. I could tell that he was happy to have it back even though he didn't outright admit as much. We ordered our favorite dish from a local restaurant and Ev and I split that dish while his mom had a side salad and maybe a bite or two of what I had sitting in front of me.
I don't think there's much hope for the Ev man when it comes to keeping his car clean. It never fails. Every time I take it to put gas in it I end up doing a thorough cleaning which means at least four to five good handfuls of trash comes out. He makes more of an effort at home so I'm a little surprised that his car gets as messy as it does. Was I that bad when I was his age? He does a lot of take-out so that doesn't help. He also doesn't have anyone to impress at the moment so maybe he just couldn't care less. You know, someone to whip him into shape and teach him some of life's lessons as hard as they can be to learn sometimes. Maybe we should be satisfied that he keeps most of his appointments. Yeah, that's the ticket.
Occasionally, the Ev man will tell me not to clean out his car. He knows I do it out of whatever and that's fine. He knows that I do what I have to do because that's just me. I think there are times when he's asking me not to clean up his car because maybe I'll find something that he doesn't want me to find? There are other times when he'll go out to his car and maybe even remove whatever it is that he doesn't want me to find because he knows I'll be doing a deep dive when I start throwing away things that need to be thrown away. We're talking about half eaten sandwiches, leftover McDonalds cups half filled with cigarette butts (slight exaggeration), and empty Red Bull cans in maybe three out of the four cup holders in his car. I'll even do a little dusting to remove ash residue from god-only-knows-what that has fallen like snow across the dashboard and steering wheel column.
I have the ingredients to make chili so I think I'll put that on my agenda for today. I thought about making it yesterday but I had spent a fair amount of time cleaning the kitchen and I couldn't bring myself to make yet another mess that I had to clean up. The missus asked that I make a portion of the chili without meat for her and I reluctantly agreed. It just never works well when I have to tease out enough ingredients to make what I consider to be another dish that is unrelated in many ways to what I'm in the middle of making. I hope that doesn't sound too selfish.
Mother Of All Posts
14/09/21 07:31
The missus is sure going to miss her corn on the cob and her watermelon now that summer is over. I've been having a bit of watermelon myself lately but only because we've had no other fruit in the house. Who doesn't like a stone cold plum or nectarine right out of the refrigerator in the middle of the summer? I can never get peaches to ripen quite right so I've avoided them while shopping. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. Plums are good too but they seem to ripen too fast. Once they get squishy, they really get squishy. Too squishy to eat.
I don't even know if there is such as a thing as a seeded watermelon any more. They used to be so much bigger than they are today. Maybe it's one of those "I remember walking to school as a kid when the snow was up to my chin" kind of things. I also don't remember spitting watermelon seeds at my brothers and sisters as a kid but I also can't imagine not wanting to do that sort of thing. It's juvenile and, quite frankly, the kind of thing that kids excel at. If there was a time when we were warned about such things, it must have come and gone in the time it took to issue the warning. You nip it in the bud. That's what you do.
I half expected not to see hummingbirds this morning when I got out of bed. I've been keeping track of their arrivals and departures the past few years and they are usually gone around the 5th of September or so. Yet, here they are. I sometimes wonder if their delayed departures are, in a way, a modern day story of the canary in the coal mine. In other words, a harbinger of things to come in the wake of the many warnings by the fear mongers about global warming. If I'm seeing them a week from now I'll entertain such notions but not before then.
The only question I have now is, do I change their sugar water concoction before I leave on vacation or not. I have so many other things to do before we get out of the house that adding one more thing which may or may not be necessary might be a bridge too far. The missus did the lion's share of the packing yesterday and I get to move it all into the car today. We'll be taking our smaller cooler on the trip so that should help free up some much needed space for everything we're wanting to bring. It seems to me that the missus packed more than is necessary but ain't that always the case.
I'm calling the hummingbird food unnecessary because you can bet your bottom dollar that those little fellas will be gone, maybe long gone, by the time we return. The sugar water that I have out there for them now is maybe a week old so that may just tide them over until they pack their bags for points south. I'm still trying to get my head around the idea that a bird the size of my thumb will fly a thousand miles or more before reaching their destination somewhere in Mexico. God bless em is what I say. We did all we could to keep them supplied with the best sugar water we could over the course of the summer. It's now time for someone else to step up to the plate.
I'm a little worried about the Ev man. He hasn't been himself these past couple of days. I told them that he needed to stop doing whatever it is that he's doing. I'm not sure why the missus doesn't see what I see. You'd think a mother would be tuned into that sort of thing when it comes to knowing the wiles and ways of her child. He needs to shake it off and shake it off in a hurry. Maybe that means getting a good night's sleep. Sometimes, time is the best remedy. That's all it takes. It's to the point, quite honestly, that I wouldn't want to see him behind the wheel of a car in his current condition. He knows I know. That may be enough.
I understand that he's anxious about this and that as it relates to our trip. That has to be tempered with the excitement that goes along with getting away for a little vacation. No? We'll see. Today is another day and I'm expecting to see a new and improved Ev man when he comes out of his bedroom this morning. I was a little concerned earlier today when he came into the house totally unexpected at the hour of 5:30am or so. I thought he was in his bedroom fast asleep. He didn't say much but went directly to his bedroom after saying something about being out in his car. He sounded fine, which was good. It's still early.
Whatever it was with the Ev man, it seems to have passed. He seems to be himself again. Maybe it’s being here at the lake and on vacation that is doing the trick. Maybe it’s being away from the maddening crowds at his place that’s doing the trick. Whatever it is, he needs to keep doing it. Did I mention that we’re on vacation? We did it! We got out of the house, on the road, and out of town. Good stuff!
I wish we had a pancake mix. I’d whip up some pancakes for the family in a heartbeat. I think that’s just what the family needs. Not sure about the carb thing but we’ll not worry about that seeing as we’re on vacation and not giving a whole lot of thought to such things. Blueberries would be good in the cakes. Bananas are good too but we have none. Some people like chocolate chips in their pancakes. No thanks.
We wanted a nice spaghettti dish on our first night here at the lake and that is what we had. Ev enjoyed his dish immensely and we were happy to see him sitting down to a meal that he didn’t have to prepare for himself. Truth be told, I think he doesn’t prepare a lot of meals for himself and there has to be a shelf life for take-out. No? I mean, it must get old and get old fast. It’s fine if you’re on the run or on the road but that aside, it’s for the birds.
I’d hoped to add a little protein to the meal and the Ev man and I drove up to Bean’s to see what we might find. We were interested in meatballs and inquired about same. They had them but they were busy as all get out so they couldn’t assure us one way or another of what we might find on the ingredient list. We walked away with them but the Ev man decided that it was a reach to eat them without knowing about possible allergens so he passed.
I would have made garlic bread but I don’t think anyone was interested so I didn’t even mention it. If the missus was concerned about cooking the spaghetti using lake water, she didn’t mention it. We’re cooking with gas here so that’s an interesting change. The missus was toiling away at the stove and all I could hear was the click click click of the gas burner. I think that means she needs to adjust the knob one way or another to stop the clicking. I should look that up. I’m not sure what it means others than to say it’s annoying. Annoying is never good.
I took one look at the boat we’re supposed to be using and it looks to be a handful. A handful in the sense that it’s a big boat and maybe closer to a mini barge if I do say so myself. I’m sure it’s a relative measurement comparing it as I would to other boats I’ve used in the past. I think it’s true that if you can drive one boat, you can drive any boat. It’s more of a navigation thing anyway. Less driving and more navigating. Stay left of this when you’re heading north and right of that when you’re heading south. Got it.
What was that noise we were hearing in the middle of the night here? I can’t even describe it as I sit here the morning after. I can’t tell you if it sounded man-made or not. I can tell you that I wasn’t interested in getting out of bed to find out. I think the missus picked her head up off the pillow to maybe make more sense out of what she thought she was hearing. I’m sure she thought I was asleep or she would have had me investigate. I wasn’t about to disabuse her of that notion so I kept my own counsel. Zzzz.
This is the third time we’re staying at this house on Assembly Point. I took some comfort as we were getting ready for bed that I thought I wouldn’t have to get used to the bed as it were. You know how it usually takes a night or two to get used to such things. And, you don’t sleep all that well until you get over it. Or, get used to it is probably closer to the truth. I’m a firm believer in muscle memory and I was counting on it to give me a good night’s sleep. So far, so good, is what I say.
I am not used to using this keyboard. My fucking fingers are all over the place. My back is starting to hurt and I’m thinking my time at the keyboard may be running short. I have other distractions to keep me busy including reading, this Spelling Bee thing Nancy has me doing, biking, boating, and god only knows what else. I’m the only one up and out of bed at the moment so I think I can hang in there for a little bit longer. Thank the baby Jesus for auto correct on this keyboard. Onwards!
I always look back at my keyboard time while on vacation and it sounds like so much prattling. It’s a different vibe for sure. It’s a different feel all around. Did I mention that there is a young woman named Kierstan living in the basement here? Not sure what that’s all about but it is what it is. She was in the garage doing something or other when we arrived yesterday so we got to meet her. She seems nice enough. Was there anything I might have gleaned from the fact that she has a German Shepard and she drives a Jeep? Maybe a little. Yep, she has a wild side. Ya think?
We look down at the lake here at the house. It’s bright sunny morning here and there is a slight southerly chop on the lake which glitters through the blinds like nobody’s business. It’s like looking into one of those kaleidoscope thingies where you think you;re tripping but without the drugs. Who cares if there’s a road between us and the lake. Yes, it’s a distraction but nothing more. Why is it that everyone I see walking looks like they’re out of some rehab joint? Just curious.
Bumbling Biden is going to be giving some speech today on vaccines and whatever. That mother fucker best keep any ideas he has about mandates to himself. He doesn’t have the authority to force mandates on the states and we’re not living in crazy land like Australia. But the left is setting up to see to it that people who don’t get the vaccine will be ostracized and left to die by the side of the proverbial road if and when it comes to choosing between those who have been vaccinated and those who have not. So much for the Hippocratic oath.
It might be putting the cart before the horse. Here they are forcing everyone to get the jab and we have no long term studies on anything. Just yesterday, Fauci said something about maybe it’s a good idea to do a study on the effects of women’s menstrual cycles after women reporting serious issues. Young men are still having heart issues after getting the jab and nobody seems to give a flying fuck about that issue. Just get the jab and don’t ask questions. Fucking enough already!
Joey’s speech has come and gone. What a fucking loser. He said something about forcing people to get the jab and suggested that is any governors getting in his way will have to deal with him. Who the fuck does he think he is? Everyone is up in arms and most of the red states have already threatened legal action. We’re going to take Joey out back behind the shed and give him a good thrashing. A well deserved thrashing at that.
We got out in the boat yesterday for the first time. There was a slight wind that was really just perfect for our maiden voyage in a boat that we had never been out in before. An apt comparison might be the difference between driving a sports car and then taking a Winnebago out on the road. When I see little old ladies behind the wheel of a Winnebago, I think to myself, how hard can it be to drive one of those suckers?
We went in and out of our favorite bays and out and around Long Island before heading back to the dock. The trip was probably 45 minutes long and everyone felt good about the fact that we were out there and doing what it is that we came up here to do. Seeing the Ev man behind the wheel and feeling good about behind the wheel was all we needed to feel good about what it was that we were doing as a family.
We had a pretty good run of homemade meals here at the house yesterday. I like to think that we’ll eat out more than in when we;re on vacation but just the opposite seems to be happening. I threw together a nice batch of piping hot blueberry pancakes for breakfast and, for the Ev man, a couple of eggs right on top in place of syrup which we didn’t have and didn’t need. I cooked up another half dozen pancakes to throw in the refrigerator after we were done just to use up the batter.
I’m liking the assortment of pots and pans we have available here at the house. Oh, and Ev came to the conclusion the other day that you have to leave pasta to cook longer than the instructions on the box recommends if you want something other than an al dente dish. He LOVED the pasta that I cooked the other day where I let it cook until it’s soft and Uber pliable. Lessons learned. Right? Following the instructions on the box just doesn’t get the job done when it comes to pasta.
For dinner, I whipped up some grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches and served them with a nice batch of tater tots. The sandwiches came off the grill looking every bit as good as you might find in the fanciest of restaurants. Maybe it’s the gas stove, or maybe it’s the rarified air here in the Adirondacks. The tots tasted a little too processed but once dipped in ketchup they were the bees knees. I saved the other half bag of tots for the bacon cheeseburgers that I’m planning to make maybe today.
I haven’t had much a hankering to go fishing nor has the Ev man expressed a desire one way or another. There is a fishing pole in the boat and I have to say that maybe I’d like to cast the line out a few times off the dock here at the camp but that comes from a place that maybe doesn’t need to be revisited. At least not this trip. I’m not sure I ever thought I’d see the day when I didn’t want to go fishing when visiting my old haunts from my childhood here on the lake.
I have to give a tip of the hat to Uncle Wally for making the boat possible. We thought we’d be without a boat after finding out that he sold his boat. We were caught unaware to say the least. Not that I ever want to take anything for granted because I do not. We’ve always used his boat when visiting the lake and have always been eternally grateful. Having his boat has always been part of the landscape and when that all went poof, we we’re back to square one and, quite frankly, boat-less.
The lake was pretty rough on Friday so we waited until late in the afternoon to take the boat out. There were actually white caps deep into the bay here out in front of the house so that should tell you something about just how rough it was out in the open water. Ev and I would have been fine but the missus is a fairy weather traveler. Any bumping and grinding at all just doesn’t cut the mustard with the missus.
Even though the white caps had given way to mere 2-3 foot swells by the time we went out, the missus was still a bit apprehensive. It’s not like we were out and about in a dinghy for chrissakes. This boat was solid in any weather and really not given to any bumping and grinding no matter the conditions on the lake. We’ve committed to getting out on the boat at least once a day so out we went last evening bumping and grinding or no bumping and grinding.
We made a bee line for Sandy Bay which is probably a 15-minute drive by boat. We anticipated that there wouldn’t be too many boats about in the bay and we weren’t wrong. We went about the job of selecting just the right buoy where it was deep enough to jump in without fear of breaking something and shallow enough where we could see the beautiful sandy bottom of the bay that makes this spot so special.
Then, the task at hand was to have the Ev man secure the boat in place by grabbing a buoy and snaking a rope through the eye of the buoy while the boat still bobbed up and down in the swells. My job was to drive the boat up to the precise spot next to the buoy where the Ev man could do his thing. Try doing that while behind the wheel of a Winnebago. We lost sight of the buoy under the front of the boat for a few minutes but didn’t abandon our task knowing what we knew about the structuring of the pontoons on the underside of the boat. So far, so good.
By the time we secured everything in place, each of us had our our demons to exorcise before we could even think about getting in the water. Was it deep enough to jump in? Diving was out of the question and that we all agreed on. I put my feet in the water at the back of the boat and we were a good few feet off the surface of the water so I only got my feet wet every other swell or so. As I suspected, the water was probably warmer than the air. The bay was mine for the taking.
Ev joined me before long and he finally made it to the back of the boat where he attempted to use the ladder to get into the water. He was first in the water and judging by the look on his face I would say that he wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else in the world given his druthers. This is why we’re here, I reminded myself. I wanted him as far away from his everyday life as possible and Sandy Bay was just the Nirvana, or elixir, that I had in mind. Mission accomplished.
The missus was another story. Isn’t she always? Hell, she had her noodle and everything else that she needed to get into the water and never look back. It didn’t matter that the men in her life were in the water and up to their necks in the fine waters of Lake George, the Queen of American lakes. She was having none of it. She wanted to go in, but the spirits of the bay were saying nay, nay, nay. Not today, sweet thing. The Ev man and I be beckoned to her time and time again but our voices drifted off into the ether never to be heard again. They fell on deaf ears as it were.
I was disappointed but she was doing what she wanted to do so who was I to insist that she do anything different. Once back at the camp I went about putting on pasta and throwing together meatballs for a spaghetti and meatball dinner. Ev had been hankering to have spaghetti again after having an enjoyable spaghetti dinner on our first night here at the lake. I put it all together and served dinner with a nice side of garlic bread, a new container of our favorite Parmesan cheese, and a glass or two of ice cold milk to chase it all down.
Ev has been doing most of the driving while out on the lake and that’s just what the doctor ordered. He’s in his element here on the lake and he’s a natural behind the wheel. He has me take over when we’re in tight spots or when we’re about to dock the boat. That has more to do with his not knowing the boat and less to do with his abilities to manage same. Were we here longer, I would insist that he take over those boating duties that give him pause and that would be that. He would be over it once and for all.
He has a good sense of his momma’s comfort level so he’s not off and running at breakneck speeds while driving the boat. I’m not sure that this particular boat is capable of breakneck speeds but we’ll not be going there this vacation so that’s that. It’s not our boat and we’re going to be respectful of the fact that it is ours to enjoy but not to abuse. There was a time when we would go out of our way to find the biggest waves to ride or maybe a time when we would trip the light fantastic or the equivalent just for the fun of it. These days, not so much. That’s for the better, I think.
There’s a real cast of looney tunes walking, riding their bikes, and making their way one way or the other up and down the road here in front of the house. The get-up’s are something to behold. One person is covered head to toe in clothing that seems designed to avoid any exposure to sunlight. A vampire maybe? Another fellow thinks he’s the hunchback of Notre Dame but covers some serious ground despite his apparent physical limitations. Another woman walks her dog daily but avoids eye contact and has little to offer other than a quick wave of the hand when pressed.
I suspect the lot of them are used to people like us coming and going the entire summer long. They do only what’s perfunctory and as little of that as possible. Their worst fears may be that we come and stay. We’re just far enough away from the road where they can cast a suspicious eye up in our direction while passing by without arousing any suspicion. Nonetheless, we lock our doors at night in case their curiosity gets the best of them while the world sleeps. Even that doesn’t mean that we don’t sleep with one eye open.
I’m thinking of entitling this post as “Man Overboard.” That has more to do with the length of the post than anything else. It also seems somewhat fitting given our time here at the lake. The “overboard” part is all about boating and has a nautical twinge to it if I do say so myself. The reality is less nerve wracking than the word suggests so I may give a little more thought to that between now and the time I post this write-up. Maybe “All Aboard” is more appropriate. Mother of all posts? We’ll see what today and tomorrow brings.
And the beat goes on. I’m getting out of bed this morning and I noticed that the missus is sleeping upside down. Her head is down near my feet. I could have kicked her in the head when I was getting back into bed in the middle of the night. Her back has been bothering her so I get it. She thinks it’s the bed and that’s fine. I offered my side of the bed to her but she declined. When all else fails, sleep upside down.
I never got around to seeing the sisters this time around here at the lake. I’ve had a week to get around to it but it was an epic fail. I think I wasn’t up for family and, in the words of the Ev man, we just hunkered down. We managed to get about and about on the lake every day so that’s good. We had a boat of sorts that worked out better than anyone maybe anticipated. The seats were plush and that suited the missus just fine.
I’ve always looked askance at the pontoon boats but now that we’ve had one to use I’m of a different mind. It is like sitting in your living room so that was no surprise. Navigating in and out of docking spots is a little like maneuvering a Winnebago so it took a little getting used to. I had Ev do most of the driving and he was down with that. That meant I had a little less of a comfort level when it came to docking but after a few dockings, with each one bing better than the last, I was good to go.
I knew I was golden when we took the boat over to fill up the tank at the end of the week and I eased that puppy into the spot like nobody’s business. I had the gas pumps on my left and a classic 1960’s Chris Craft on my right side where the owners were on deck sprucing up. I gave no one cause to think out loud, look at those noobs. No one had to stand at the ready to push us away if we came too close. You can be damn sure they were on alert.
This was a busy marina and they had maybe the misfortune to hav maybe the worst spot in all of the dock spaces. No one, and I mean no one, wants the spot next to the gas pumps where veterans and newbies come and go all day long. It’s not the veterans you have to worry about, believe you me. A docking gone awry could sink a vessel in the wink of an eye. With boats flying off the shelves these days due to excessive demand, there is cause for concern when and where operators of these boats haven’t a clue as to what they’re doing behind the wheel.
I was telling Uncle Wally that we filled the tank of the boat and it came to $59. That’s a far cry from the multi-hundred dollar bills that we used to see when we filled his boat back in the day. I don’t know if we got better mileage with the outboard on the pontoon boat or, maybe more likely, we didn’t put as many miles on the boat as we thought we did. We did as much boating as we wanted to so there’s that. There might be such a thing as too much boating but we never came close.
I made Evan and the missus a nice breakfast yesterday of bagels and eggs. Ev had bacon with his but the missus passed on the pork. Ev likes his eggs like me, runny and warm. The missus takes her eggs cooked hard. I actually put her eggs in the microwave to make sure her yolks were thoroughly cooked. Some home fries would have been nice but we had none so it was a hard pass. I’m guessing we may have the same this morning but without the bagels. Maybe I’ll scramble the eggs for something different.
I ended up giving Uncle Wally one of my Air Tags from the four pack that I purchased. The missus asked me after the fact why I hadn’t consulted with her before doing that. No, my little darlings, it was not intentional. I didn’t not consult you because I thought you might push back on the idea. You’ve not been involved in the Air Tag business from the start so I felt no obligation one way or the other to consult with you before giving one to Uncle Wally. I think Uncle Wally was quite impressed once he got the darn thing up and running. So impressed was he that he felt obligated to give me a Trump Bobblehead when we were on our way out the door. Well, okay. If you insist.
I took a few video’s while we were out boating. I sent a couple of the funnier ones to Mrs G and the missus’s sister. I did it without getting consent from the missus, do you detect a pattern here, and we all had a good laugh after the fact. I mean these were laugh out loud videos with the missus screaming nonsensical words when we were going over bigs waves or other. Her sister Debbie rah-rah never did come up to the lake despite every intention to do just that. I think Debbie rah-rah would have liked the boat and god only knows she loves swimming in Sandy Bay (Seventh Heaven.)
I feel good about the fact that the Ev man and I managed to put the cover back on the boat. The owner said something about not needing to do that but rain is in the forecast this week so I think we saved him the trouble of coming up to the lake to put the cover back on. The Ev man and I got off to a rough start not knowing which end was up when it came to the cover and, out of frustration, I told him that he could go back up to the camp and I would figure it out. Not very nice, I know.
He insisted that we have another go at it and we finally put a plan in place to git er done. I felt bad about letting my impatience getting the better part of me but I put all of that in the rear view mirror and we kept plugging away until all the I’s were dotted and all the T’s were crossed. I’m glad he didn’t let my exasperation get to him. Truth be told, I think he’s a little more even keeled when it comes to this stuff. That’s a good thing because what the situation called for is exactly what he brought to the fore. Thank you for that, my good man.
In all the time we’ve been here these last seven days, we’ve not once awakened to a glassy lake surface. I get up before daybreak so if we’re going to see one of these days, I’d be the first to catch a glance. But no, every morning brought a slight chop which only picked up in intensity with every passing hour during the day only to settle down during the evening hours. Well, this morning we finally have our glassy surface. The one day of the week when we’re planning to leave to go back home. The Lord works in mysterious ways?
I don’t know what this is all about but the three of us have all had seriously weird dreams while staying in this house. The Ev man was the first to pipe up about his dreams earlier in the week. The missus and I talked about our dreams last night and I told her that mine were just as disturbing as hers without getting into any details. My dream was so weird that when I got back into bed after getting up to go to the bathroom that I went back to bed and tried to pick up where I left off. Not because I enjoyed the dream, but rather to see if I couldn’t find some resolution. Sometimes that works, and sometimes it doesn’t.
I don't even know if there is such as a thing as a seeded watermelon any more. They used to be so much bigger than they are today. Maybe it's one of those "I remember walking to school as a kid when the snow was up to my chin" kind of things. I also don't remember spitting watermelon seeds at my brothers and sisters as a kid but I also can't imagine not wanting to do that sort of thing. It's juvenile and, quite frankly, the kind of thing that kids excel at. If there was a time when we were warned about such things, it must have come and gone in the time it took to issue the warning. You nip it in the bud. That's what you do.
I half expected not to see hummingbirds this morning when I got out of bed. I've been keeping track of their arrivals and departures the past few years and they are usually gone around the 5th of September or so. Yet, here they are. I sometimes wonder if their delayed departures are, in a way, a modern day story of the canary in the coal mine. In other words, a harbinger of things to come in the wake of the many warnings by the fear mongers about global warming. If I'm seeing them a week from now I'll entertain such notions but not before then.
The only question I have now is, do I change their sugar water concoction before I leave on vacation or not. I have so many other things to do before we get out of the house that adding one more thing which may or may not be necessary might be a bridge too far. The missus did the lion's share of the packing yesterday and I get to move it all into the car today. We'll be taking our smaller cooler on the trip so that should help free up some much needed space for everything we're wanting to bring. It seems to me that the missus packed more than is necessary but ain't that always the case.
I'm calling the hummingbird food unnecessary because you can bet your bottom dollar that those little fellas will be gone, maybe long gone, by the time we return. The sugar water that I have out there for them now is maybe a week old so that may just tide them over until they pack their bags for points south. I'm still trying to get my head around the idea that a bird the size of my thumb will fly a thousand miles or more before reaching their destination somewhere in Mexico. God bless em is what I say. We did all we could to keep them supplied with the best sugar water we could over the course of the summer. It's now time for someone else to step up to the plate.
I'm a little worried about the Ev man. He hasn't been himself these past couple of days. I told them that he needed to stop doing whatever it is that he's doing. I'm not sure why the missus doesn't see what I see. You'd think a mother would be tuned into that sort of thing when it comes to knowing the wiles and ways of her child. He needs to shake it off and shake it off in a hurry. Maybe that means getting a good night's sleep. Sometimes, time is the best remedy. That's all it takes. It's to the point, quite honestly, that I wouldn't want to see him behind the wheel of a car in his current condition. He knows I know. That may be enough.
I understand that he's anxious about this and that as it relates to our trip. That has to be tempered with the excitement that goes along with getting away for a little vacation. No? We'll see. Today is another day and I'm expecting to see a new and improved Ev man when he comes out of his bedroom this morning. I was a little concerned earlier today when he came into the house totally unexpected at the hour of 5:30am or so. I thought he was in his bedroom fast asleep. He didn't say much but went directly to his bedroom after saying something about being out in his car. He sounded fine, which was good. It's still early.
Whatever it was with the Ev man, it seems to have passed. He seems to be himself again. Maybe it’s being here at the lake and on vacation that is doing the trick. Maybe it’s being away from the maddening crowds at his place that’s doing the trick. Whatever it is, he needs to keep doing it. Did I mention that we’re on vacation? We did it! We got out of the house, on the road, and out of town. Good stuff!
I wish we had a pancake mix. I’d whip up some pancakes for the family in a heartbeat. I think that’s just what the family needs. Not sure about the carb thing but we’ll not worry about that seeing as we’re on vacation and not giving a whole lot of thought to such things. Blueberries would be good in the cakes. Bananas are good too but we have none. Some people like chocolate chips in their pancakes. No thanks.
We wanted a nice spaghettti dish on our first night here at the lake and that is what we had. Ev enjoyed his dish immensely and we were happy to see him sitting down to a meal that he didn’t have to prepare for himself. Truth be told, I think he doesn’t prepare a lot of meals for himself and there has to be a shelf life for take-out. No? I mean, it must get old and get old fast. It’s fine if you’re on the run or on the road but that aside, it’s for the birds.
I’d hoped to add a little protein to the meal and the Ev man and I drove up to Bean’s to see what we might find. We were interested in meatballs and inquired about same. They had them but they were busy as all get out so they couldn’t assure us one way or another of what we might find on the ingredient list. We walked away with them but the Ev man decided that it was a reach to eat them without knowing about possible allergens so he passed.
I would have made garlic bread but I don’t think anyone was interested so I didn’t even mention it. If the missus was concerned about cooking the spaghetti using lake water, she didn’t mention it. We’re cooking with gas here so that’s an interesting change. The missus was toiling away at the stove and all I could hear was the click click click of the gas burner. I think that means she needs to adjust the knob one way or another to stop the clicking. I should look that up. I’m not sure what it means others than to say it’s annoying. Annoying is never good.
I took one look at the boat we’re supposed to be using and it looks to be a handful. A handful in the sense that it’s a big boat and maybe closer to a mini barge if I do say so myself. I’m sure it’s a relative measurement comparing it as I would to other boats I’ve used in the past. I think it’s true that if you can drive one boat, you can drive any boat. It’s more of a navigation thing anyway. Less driving and more navigating. Stay left of this when you’re heading north and right of that when you’re heading south. Got it.
What was that noise we were hearing in the middle of the night here? I can’t even describe it as I sit here the morning after. I can’t tell you if it sounded man-made or not. I can tell you that I wasn’t interested in getting out of bed to find out. I think the missus picked her head up off the pillow to maybe make more sense out of what she thought she was hearing. I’m sure she thought I was asleep or she would have had me investigate. I wasn’t about to disabuse her of that notion so I kept my own counsel. Zzzz.
This is the third time we’re staying at this house on Assembly Point. I took some comfort as we were getting ready for bed that I thought I wouldn’t have to get used to the bed as it were. You know how it usually takes a night or two to get used to such things. And, you don’t sleep all that well until you get over it. Or, get used to it is probably closer to the truth. I’m a firm believer in muscle memory and I was counting on it to give me a good night’s sleep. So far, so good, is what I say.
I am not used to using this keyboard. My fucking fingers are all over the place. My back is starting to hurt and I’m thinking my time at the keyboard may be running short. I have other distractions to keep me busy including reading, this Spelling Bee thing Nancy has me doing, biking, boating, and god only knows what else. I’m the only one up and out of bed at the moment so I think I can hang in there for a little bit longer. Thank the baby Jesus for auto correct on this keyboard. Onwards!
I always look back at my keyboard time while on vacation and it sounds like so much prattling. It’s a different vibe for sure. It’s a different feel all around. Did I mention that there is a young woman named Kierstan living in the basement here? Not sure what that’s all about but it is what it is. She was in the garage doing something or other when we arrived yesterday so we got to meet her. She seems nice enough. Was there anything I might have gleaned from the fact that she has a German Shepard and she drives a Jeep? Maybe a little. Yep, she has a wild side. Ya think?
We look down at the lake here at the house. It’s bright sunny morning here and there is a slight southerly chop on the lake which glitters through the blinds like nobody’s business. It’s like looking into one of those kaleidoscope thingies where you think you;re tripping but without the drugs. Who cares if there’s a road between us and the lake. Yes, it’s a distraction but nothing more. Why is it that everyone I see walking looks like they’re out of some rehab joint? Just curious.
Bumbling Biden is going to be giving some speech today on vaccines and whatever. That mother fucker best keep any ideas he has about mandates to himself. He doesn’t have the authority to force mandates on the states and we’re not living in crazy land like Australia. But the left is setting up to see to it that people who don’t get the vaccine will be ostracized and left to die by the side of the proverbial road if and when it comes to choosing between those who have been vaccinated and those who have not. So much for the Hippocratic oath.
It might be putting the cart before the horse. Here they are forcing everyone to get the jab and we have no long term studies on anything. Just yesterday, Fauci said something about maybe it’s a good idea to do a study on the effects of women’s menstrual cycles after women reporting serious issues. Young men are still having heart issues after getting the jab and nobody seems to give a flying fuck about that issue. Just get the jab and don’t ask questions. Fucking enough already!
Joey’s speech has come and gone. What a fucking loser. He said something about forcing people to get the jab and suggested that is any governors getting in his way will have to deal with him. Who the fuck does he think he is? Everyone is up in arms and most of the red states have already threatened legal action. We’re going to take Joey out back behind the shed and give him a good thrashing. A well deserved thrashing at that.
We got out in the boat yesterday for the first time. There was a slight wind that was really just perfect for our maiden voyage in a boat that we had never been out in before. An apt comparison might be the difference between driving a sports car and then taking a Winnebago out on the road. When I see little old ladies behind the wheel of a Winnebago, I think to myself, how hard can it be to drive one of those suckers?
We went in and out of our favorite bays and out and around Long Island before heading back to the dock. The trip was probably 45 minutes long and everyone felt good about the fact that we were out there and doing what it is that we came up here to do. Seeing the Ev man behind the wheel and feeling good about behind the wheel was all we needed to feel good about what it was that we were doing as a family.
We had a pretty good run of homemade meals here at the house yesterday. I like to think that we’ll eat out more than in when we;re on vacation but just the opposite seems to be happening. I threw together a nice batch of piping hot blueberry pancakes for breakfast and, for the Ev man, a couple of eggs right on top in place of syrup which we didn’t have and didn’t need. I cooked up another half dozen pancakes to throw in the refrigerator after we were done just to use up the batter.
I’m liking the assortment of pots and pans we have available here at the house. Oh, and Ev came to the conclusion the other day that you have to leave pasta to cook longer than the instructions on the box recommends if you want something other than an al dente dish. He LOVED the pasta that I cooked the other day where I let it cook until it’s soft and Uber pliable. Lessons learned. Right? Following the instructions on the box just doesn’t get the job done when it comes to pasta.
For dinner, I whipped up some grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches and served them with a nice batch of tater tots. The sandwiches came off the grill looking every bit as good as you might find in the fanciest of restaurants. Maybe it’s the gas stove, or maybe it’s the rarified air here in the Adirondacks. The tots tasted a little too processed but once dipped in ketchup they were the bees knees. I saved the other half bag of tots for the bacon cheeseburgers that I’m planning to make maybe today.
I haven’t had much a hankering to go fishing nor has the Ev man expressed a desire one way or another. There is a fishing pole in the boat and I have to say that maybe I’d like to cast the line out a few times off the dock here at the camp but that comes from a place that maybe doesn’t need to be revisited. At least not this trip. I’m not sure I ever thought I’d see the day when I didn’t want to go fishing when visiting my old haunts from my childhood here on the lake.
I have to give a tip of the hat to Uncle Wally for making the boat possible. We thought we’d be without a boat after finding out that he sold his boat. We were caught unaware to say the least. Not that I ever want to take anything for granted because I do not. We’ve always used his boat when visiting the lake and have always been eternally grateful. Having his boat has always been part of the landscape and when that all went poof, we we’re back to square one and, quite frankly, boat-less.
The lake was pretty rough on Friday so we waited until late in the afternoon to take the boat out. There were actually white caps deep into the bay here out in front of the house so that should tell you something about just how rough it was out in the open water. Ev and I would have been fine but the missus is a fairy weather traveler. Any bumping and grinding at all just doesn’t cut the mustard with the missus.
Even though the white caps had given way to mere 2-3 foot swells by the time we went out, the missus was still a bit apprehensive. It’s not like we were out and about in a dinghy for chrissakes. This boat was solid in any weather and really not given to any bumping and grinding no matter the conditions on the lake. We’ve committed to getting out on the boat at least once a day so out we went last evening bumping and grinding or no bumping and grinding.
We made a bee line for Sandy Bay which is probably a 15-minute drive by boat. We anticipated that there wouldn’t be too many boats about in the bay and we weren’t wrong. We went about the job of selecting just the right buoy where it was deep enough to jump in without fear of breaking something and shallow enough where we could see the beautiful sandy bottom of the bay that makes this spot so special.
Then, the task at hand was to have the Ev man secure the boat in place by grabbing a buoy and snaking a rope through the eye of the buoy while the boat still bobbed up and down in the swells. My job was to drive the boat up to the precise spot next to the buoy where the Ev man could do his thing. Try doing that while behind the wheel of a Winnebago. We lost sight of the buoy under the front of the boat for a few minutes but didn’t abandon our task knowing what we knew about the structuring of the pontoons on the underside of the boat. So far, so good.
By the time we secured everything in place, each of us had our our demons to exorcise before we could even think about getting in the water. Was it deep enough to jump in? Diving was out of the question and that we all agreed on. I put my feet in the water at the back of the boat and we were a good few feet off the surface of the water so I only got my feet wet every other swell or so. As I suspected, the water was probably warmer than the air. The bay was mine for the taking.
Ev joined me before long and he finally made it to the back of the boat where he attempted to use the ladder to get into the water. He was first in the water and judging by the look on his face I would say that he wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else in the world given his druthers. This is why we’re here, I reminded myself. I wanted him as far away from his everyday life as possible and Sandy Bay was just the Nirvana, or elixir, that I had in mind. Mission accomplished.
The missus was another story. Isn’t she always? Hell, she had her noodle and everything else that she needed to get into the water and never look back. It didn’t matter that the men in her life were in the water and up to their necks in the fine waters of Lake George, the Queen of American lakes. She was having none of it. She wanted to go in, but the spirits of the bay were saying nay, nay, nay. Not today, sweet thing. The Ev man and I be beckoned to her time and time again but our voices drifted off into the ether never to be heard again. They fell on deaf ears as it were.
I was disappointed but she was doing what she wanted to do so who was I to insist that she do anything different. Once back at the camp I went about putting on pasta and throwing together meatballs for a spaghetti and meatball dinner. Ev had been hankering to have spaghetti again after having an enjoyable spaghetti dinner on our first night here at the lake. I put it all together and served dinner with a nice side of garlic bread, a new container of our favorite Parmesan cheese, and a glass or two of ice cold milk to chase it all down.
Ev has been doing most of the driving while out on the lake and that’s just what the doctor ordered. He’s in his element here on the lake and he’s a natural behind the wheel. He has me take over when we’re in tight spots or when we’re about to dock the boat. That has more to do with his not knowing the boat and less to do with his abilities to manage same. Were we here longer, I would insist that he take over those boating duties that give him pause and that would be that. He would be over it once and for all.
He has a good sense of his momma’s comfort level so he’s not off and running at breakneck speeds while driving the boat. I’m not sure that this particular boat is capable of breakneck speeds but we’ll not be going there this vacation so that’s that. It’s not our boat and we’re going to be respectful of the fact that it is ours to enjoy but not to abuse. There was a time when we would go out of our way to find the biggest waves to ride or maybe a time when we would trip the light fantastic or the equivalent just for the fun of it. These days, not so much. That’s for the better, I think.
There’s a real cast of looney tunes walking, riding their bikes, and making their way one way or the other up and down the road here in front of the house. The get-up’s are something to behold. One person is covered head to toe in clothing that seems designed to avoid any exposure to sunlight. A vampire maybe? Another fellow thinks he’s the hunchback of Notre Dame but covers some serious ground despite his apparent physical limitations. Another woman walks her dog daily but avoids eye contact and has little to offer other than a quick wave of the hand when pressed.
I suspect the lot of them are used to people like us coming and going the entire summer long. They do only what’s perfunctory and as little of that as possible. Their worst fears may be that we come and stay. We’re just far enough away from the road where they can cast a suspicious eye up in our direction while passing by without arousing any suspicion. Nonetheless, we lock our doors at night in case their curiosity gets the best of them while the world sleeps. Even that doesn’t mean that we don’t sleep with one eye open.
I’m thinking of entitling this post as “Man Overboard.” That has more to do with the length of the post than anything else. It also seems somewhat fitting given our time here at the lake. The “overboard” part is all about boating and has a nautical twinge to it if I do say so myself. The reality is less nerve wracking than the word suggests so I may give a little more thought to that between now and the time I post this write-up. Maybe “All Aboard” is more appropriate. Mother of all posts? We’ll see what today and tomorrow brings.
And the beat goes on. I’m getting out of bed this morning and I noticed that the missus is sleeping upside down. Her head is down near my feet. I could have kicked her in the head when I was getting back into bed in the middle of the night. Her back has been bothering her so I get it. She thinks it’s the bed and that’s fine. I offered my side of the bed to her but she declined. When all else fails, sleep upside down.
I never got around to seeing the sisters this time around here at the lake. I’ve had a week to get around to it but it was an epic fail. I think I wasn’t up for family and, in the words of the Ev man, we just hunkered down. We managed to get about and about on the lake every day so that’s good. We had a boat of sorts that worked out better than anyone maybe anticipated. The seats were plush and that suited the missus just fine.
I’ve always looked askance at the pontoon boats but now that we’ve had one to use I’m of a different mind. It is like sitting in your living room so that was no surprise. Navigating in and out of docking spots is a little like maneuvering a Winnebago so it took a little getting used to. I had Ev do most of the driving and he was down with that. That meant I had a little less of a comfort level when it came to docking but after a few dockings, with each one bing better than the last, I was good to go.
I knew I was golden when we took the boat over to fill up the tank at the end of the week and I eased that puppy into the spot like nobody’s business. I had the gas pumps on my left and a classic 1960’s Chris Craft on my right side where the owners were on deck sprucing up. I gave no one cause to think out loud, look at those noobs. No one had to stand at the ready to push us away if we came too close. You can be damn sure they were on alert.
This was a busy marina and they had maybe the misfortune to hav maybe the worst spot in all of the dock spaces. No one, and I mean no one, wants the spot next to the gas pumps where veterans and newbies come and go all day long. It’s not the veterans you have to worry about, believe you me. A docking gone awry could sink a vessel in the wink of an eye. With boats flying off the shelves these days due to excessive demand, there is cause for concern when and where operators of these boats haven’t a clue as to what they’re doing behind the wheel.
I was telling Uncle Wally that we filled the tank of the boat and it came to $59. That’s a far cry from the multi-hundred dollar bills that we used to see when we filled his boat back in the day. I don’t know if we got better mileage with the outboard on the pontoon boat or, maybe more likely, we didn’t put as many miles on the boat as we thought we did. We did as much boating as we wanted to so there’s that. There might be such a thing as too much boating but we never came close.
I made Evan and the missus a nice breakfast yesterday of bagels and eggs. Ev had bacon with his but the missus passed on the pork. Ev likes his eggs like me, runny and warm. The missus takes her eggs cooked hard. I actually put her eggs in the microwave to make sure her yolks were thoroughly cooked. Some home fries would have been nice but we had none so it was a hard pass. I’m guessing we may have the same this morning but without the bagels. Maybe I’ll scramble the eggs for something different.
I ended up giving Uncle Wally one of my Air Tags from the four pack that I purchased. The missus asked me after the fact why I hadn’t consulted with her before doing that. No, my little darlings, it was not intentional. I didn’t not consult you because I thought you might push back on the idea. You’ve not been involved in the Air Tag business from the start so I felt no obligation one way or the other to consult with you before giving one to Uncle Wally. I think Uncle Wally was quite impressed once he got the darn thing up and running. So impressed was he that he felt obligated to give me a Trump Bobblehead when we were on our way out the door. Well, okay. If you insist.
I took a few video’s while we were out boating. I sent a couple of the funnier ones to Mrs G and the missus’s sister. I did it without getting consent from the missus, do you detect a pattern here, and we all had a good laugh after the fact. I mean these were laugh out loud videos with the missus screaming nonsensical words when we were going over bigs waves or other. Her sister Debbie rah-rah never did come up to the lake despite every intention to do just that. I think Debbie rah-rah would have liked the boat and god only knows she loves swimming in Sandy Bay (Seventh Heaven.)
I feel good about the fact that the Ev man and I managed to put the cover back on the boat. The owner said something about not needing to do that but rain is in the forecast this week so I think we saved him the trouble of coming up to the lake to put the cover back on. The Ev man and I got off to a rough start not knowing which end was up when it came to the cover and, out of frustration, I told him that he could go back up to the camp and I would figure it out. Not very nice, I know.
He insisted that we have another go at it and we finally put a plan in place to git er done. I felt bad about letting my impatience getting the better part of me but I put all of that in the rear view mirror and we kept plugging away until all the I’s were dotted and all the T’s were crossed. I’m glad he didn’t let my exasperation get to him. Truth be told, I think he’s a little more even keeled when it comes to this stuff. That’s a good thing because what the situation called for is exactly what he brought to the fore. Thank you for that, my good man.
In all the time we’ve been here these last seven days, we’ve not once awakened to a glassy lake surface. I get up before daybreak so if we’re going to see one of these days, I’d be the first to catch a glance. But no, every morning brought a slight chop which only picked up in intensity with every passing hour during the day only to settle down during the evening hours. Well, this morning we finally have our glassy surface. The one day of the week when we’re planning to leave to go back home. The Lord works in mysterious ways?
I don’t know what this is all about but the three of us have all had seriously weird dreams while staying in this house. The Ev man was the first to pipe up about his dreams earlier in the week. The missus and I talked about our dreams last night and I told her that mine were just as disturbing as hers without getting into any details. My dream was so weird that when I got back into bed after getting up to go to the bathroom that I went back to bed and tried to pick up where I left off. Not because I enjoyed the dream, but rather to see if I couldn’t find some resolution. Sometimes that works, and sometimes it doesn’t.
Gonna Sip Me Some
05/09/21 07:10
It's hard to believe that summer seems to be winding down. It's almost September and the days are getting shorter, the nights are getting cooler, and crowds down on the boulevard are thinning out and getting back to whatever it was they were doing before summer came along. It's another season gone by the boards as they say in the movies. See ya later, alligator. Arriva doochy. Don't let the door hit you in the arse on the way out. Next up? Pumpkin spice lattes and maybe a little of this and a little of that. All in good time.
The Little League World Series has come and gone and the winners have claimed their prize. It almost doesn't matter who won and who lost. I suppose it's better to win than it is to lose but there's something to be said for the experience. No? We rooted for this team and that team along the way and despite the fact that the team from New Hampshire didn't win the big enchilada, we were happy to see them in the hunt. It almost didn't matter that there were no international teams on board because of Covid. Would I have liked to see our guys and gals beat the team from Saudi Arabia? You betcha. And then there is always Japan.
The attendees to this annual event were limited to family only and that kept the crowd sizes in check. For all the hoopla about the virus, it hardly seemed to matter to the kids playing or their family members in the stands. There was literally no social distancing. Almost no one was wearing a mask outside the officials officiating on the field and I don't think any of the coaches wore masks. So much for setting a good example is what I say. Maybe it tells us all we need to know about this crock of a virus we're calling Covid. The children get it and go on with their lives. The elderly and infirm, not so much. Seems like a grand design to me.
I barely mentioned the deaths of the 13 or so soldiers in Afghanistan last week. It was devastating. I had wrapped up my journal entries for the week a day or two early and I couldn't bring myself to extend it any longer since it was already too long. I might have said that I thought these soldiers died needlessly and they would be alive today were it not for the nonsensical decisions of one Sleepy Joe Biden and his cast of woke fucks in the military and the State Department.
That's a fact and it isn't lost on anyone who's been paying attention. I'm still not sure Biden has ordered the flags of our country to be flown at half mast. The moron couldn't attend the casket ceremony without looking at his watch and wondering just how much longer he would have to stand at attention at an event that he would have just as soon missed had he his druthers. He is the Commander-in-Chief, after all. If he wants to be back at the White House eating his afternoon oatmeal and taking a nap at his leisure, who's to say he can't have his way?
In retaliation for the killing of our nation's finest, Biden and his bumbling generals have now bombed a few back streets in Kabul, killed a few children in the process, and despite requests for the names of the so-called terrorists they say they killed, they will not release any names. Word in the street is that they killed a few planners but no bigwigs got taken out. When I hear the word "planner", I think about limp wrists, plaid tablecloths, and wicker baskets filled with grapes, wine, and cheese. How about you?
If there is anything good coming-out of this disaster in Kabul, it is that the military seems to have strengthened their defenses around the airport which may yet save more lives between now and the time we exit the airport for good. It's too late for the fallen, but hindsight is 20-20. Right? Speaking of fallen, have you seen the seen the video of Biden sitting in the Oval Office with the Prime Minister of Israel? The PM is prattling away while Sleepy Joe seems to be catching a nap. His eyes are closed, his chin appears to be dropping to his chest, and there is no response of any kind to the words being spoken by the PM. He is just a national fucking disgrace, he is. A demented clown in his own right.
The missus asked me the other day, "Johnny Boy, I'm not seeing anything in the news about Afghanistan. Is it over?" "What, pray tell, are you reading these days that gives you that impression?" I responded. "Well, the Boston Globe and the New York Times", she responded. I went on to tell her that these two rags have little to no interest in writing about Biden's disasters. They would prefer, as they apparently have, to move on to other things. If the newspapers that you read don't cover a story like Afghanistan, then it doesn't exist. See how that works?
I suppose that we'll not be hearing a lot about the Americans left behind in Afghanistan now that the war is officially over. It's not something that the American media has any interest in covering since it can only add to Joe's woes and the woes of the people who supported him and who will now be up for re-election in 2022.
We Americans have short memories and the democrats will be relying on that truism as the election nears. The media may even flood the zone as we near November of next year in order to accelerate the news cycle leaving what little remnants of Biden's disasters we do remember in the proverbial dustbin of history.
Nonetheless, his party will pay the price for supporting his sorry ass and there will be a great awakening for those of us who knew better from day one. It's (the election) a little more than 12 months from now and it can't come fast enough. Biden won't be up for re-election until 2024 but no one really expects him to be on the ballot when 2024 rolls around. In all likelihood, we'll be looking to replace Harris instead of Biden. As I sit here today, that seems like a sure bet.
We'll start by putting republicans back into power in the Congress and relegating the Biden-loving democrats that now head up committees to lesser roles where their voices will no longer matter. The only lingering question I have is, will the Americans who now receive monthly checks because of the boondoggle bills passed by the democrats be willing to put those very checks at risk by now voting for a republican? I think the democrats are counting on people voting their self-interests. How it turns out remains to be seen.
I'll have to ask the Ev man if he wants to go fishing when we're away on vacation. I've lost some of my interest in fishing but that could all change in an instant if I get a good tug on my line. There are licenses to buy, rod and reels to prep, and bait that I'll need to buy if and when we decide to do this. Maybe I'll invite my sister along who I'm told enjoys fishing although I've never been fishing with her. I don't think of fishing as a girl thing but that probably dates me a bit. Maybe it's just the worm on the hook business that makes it a cringe worthy experience for girls. I don't mean to make excuses for them. Do I even know what the hell I'm talking about?
We're talking fresh water fishing here, folks. I like to know what I might have on the end of my line when I start reeling it in. If it's a really hard tug and draw, maybe I've got me a nice bass or, better yet, a nice trout. If I decide to go fishing using minnows or crawfish for bait, I will probably avoid catching smaller varieties like yellow perch or bluegills. That would suit me just fine. Then again, catching something is better that catching nothing. No?
I have caught bass with worms but your typical lunker would most likely look elsewhere for a quick meal. We'll get an early start and maybe head for one of our favorites spots off the north end of Elizabeth Island. We'll pan fry the big ones and throw back the little ones. Not really. That just happens to be the title of one of my favorite Steely Dan songs. I don't think anyone eats fish out of the lakes in the Northeast anymore. If I missed a memo somewhere along the line I'll happily adjust my thinking on that issue. You couldn't keep the filet knife out of my hands as a kid and, now, I don't even keep one in my fishing box.
I may just drag my feet on all of it until we get up to the lake and then we'll see if it's something that I'm wanting or not wanting to do. It's called "going with the flow." We''ll have a boat at our disposal that may or may not lend itself to fishing. I won't be able to bring my espresso machine along when we go up to the lake. It's too big and it would take up too much space in the car. We'd have to leave something else behind just so I could have my morning espresso. Someone would have to go without their favorite pillow or blanket. The missus said something about bundling up the bedding and strapping it to the top of the car. Really?
Reuter's has a story out this morning about Biden and his discussion with the leader of Afghanistan in the months leading up to our pulling our troops out of the country. This is one of those stories from an anonymous source in the State Department which, in and of itself, is surprising. People only drop dimes like this when republicans are in office. It's an actual transcript of the call and maybe with a little audio but I'm not certain of that. It has all the makings of a quid pro quo deal the likes of which they impeached Trump over. Worse than that, it contradicts what Biden and his buddies have been telling us about them not knowing that the fall of Afghanistan was imminent. That was a lie. Now, we know.
My adrenaline is running red over this one. Who will cover it in the media? Will anyone care? What republicans will take to the rostrum demanding Biden's resignation? Maybe more importantly, what democrats will demand his resignation? Will this provide the impetus that the Harris (VP) lovers need to unseat Joey so she and her minions can slide into the Oval Office? This is a doozy of a story and it needs to get legs and get legs fast. It's hard to ignore so the media can't ignore it. They can, however, spin it until it collapses under its own weight. When the democrats start to turn on their own, and they might just do that here, it's all over.
The month of September is really quite nice here along the coast. The summer crowds have departed and the roadways are once again devoid of traffic as far as the eye can see. This is a good thing if you are a cyclist. Hell, if you're a walker you might even get to cross the highway without looking. That's not something I would advise but you get the idea. I feel bad for the local businesses but they know the routine. You make hay while the sun shines or you don't make it at all.
We stopped by one of our favorite restaurants last evening to pick up a quart of their chowder for dinner. It's a restaurant that we never frequent during the summer months because it is just too busy. Their chowder is good but it's not worth the hassle all things considered. They had a couple of hand scrawled signs taped to the regular menu which hung outside their take-out window putting customers on notice that "Prices have increased" and "These items are no longer available." We're not familiar enough with the regular pricing since we avoid going there in the summer so the increases, whatever they were, went unnoticed by us. Fourteen dollars for a quart of the best seafood chowder on the Seacoast seems more than reasonable.
If it's Thursday, it's time to start thinking about what we might bring over to Mrs G when we see her tomorrow. We're out and about enough that it wouldn't kill us to stop someplace and pick a little something up that we think Mrs G might enjoy. The Ev man may be stopping by today too so I'll want to have something on hand for him to take home with him. He enjoys Panera's tuna sandwiches so maybe I'll grab a couple of those while the missus is out getting a haircut this morning. He's been complaining that his EZ pass isn't staying on his windshield so I should probably take a look at that. Lot's to do today, folks. Places to go, people to meet, things to buy, and things to think about buying.
I bought a 4-pack of Apple Air Tags the other day. I've been wanting to have a couple for us and one or two for Evan. He's always losing his wallet and other things so we'll see if these Air Tags don't help him keep better track of things. We've looked at other tracking gizmo's in the past but none have really worked for us one way or another. There is a product called the "tile" that does the same thing as the Air tag but it has a battery that cannot be replaced. That is just a non-starter. I'm also not sure that the Air tag isn't a superior product in terms of functionality so I'm looking forward to giving it a test drive. Just so you know, I'll not be posting any reviews to YouTube.
The Air Tag is nice, and maybe even a little slick, and it's what you might expect from Apple. Funny thing is that it doesn't come with a holder of any kind. You need to buy an accessory if you're wanting to attach it to your luggage, your dog's collar, your wallet, etc. These so-called holders originally sold for $35 when the Air Tag was announced which was a complete disgrace. They cost more than the actual Air Tag for chrissakes. It wasn't long before the marketplace stepped in and now you're seeing knock-off's in the $10-$15 dollar range. I wouldn't be surprised to see that a lot of these knock-off's are manufactured in China. I should care about that but I don't.
They sure do things in Texas a little bit differently. Their legislature came up with a law called the "Heartbeat" law and the governor signed it into law. It says that if a heartbeat can be detected, then no abortion can be performed. It won't be the State that steps in to enforce the law. It will be any Tom, Dick, or Harry who learns of the abortion and decides to sue the people aiding and abetting anyone who was involved in the carrying out of the procedure. Hell, they can sue the Uber driver who drove the pregnant woman to the clinic if they so desire. Everybody and anybody can be sued for the bounty of $10k per the law.
Well, this has the libs in an uproar. They just didn't see this one coming. As you know, the libs want unfettered access to the abortionists for any woman looking to get rid off an unwanted pregnancy. To make their lives even more miserable, the Supreme Court voted to leave the law in place with a 5-4 vote. Yes, these are Trump judges for the most part since he put at least three of the five on the court. That has to hurt. Now, I suppose we'll have to wait to see how it washes out once the first case winds its way through the courts and back up to the Supremes. Until then, the libs tears are simply delicious. I'm gonna sip me some.
Next post will be Tuesday, 9/14.
The Little League World Series has come and gone and the winners have claimed their prize. It almost doesn't matter who won and who lost. I suppose it's better to win than it is to lose but there's something to be said for the experience. No? We rooted for this team and that team along the way and despite the fact that the team from New Hampshire didn't win the big enchilada, we were happy to see them in the hunt. It almost didn't matter that there were no international teams on board because of Covid. Would I have liked to see our guys and gals beat the team from Saudi Arabia? You betcha. And then there is always Japan.
The attendees to this annual event were limited to family only and that kept the crowd sizes in check. For all the hoopla about the virus, it hardly seemed to matter to the kids playing or their family members in the stands. There was literally no social distancing. Almost no one was wearing a mask outside the officials officiating on the field and I don't think any of the coaches wore masks. So much for setting a good example is what I say. Maybe it tells us all we need to know about this crock of a virus we're calling Covid. The children get it and go on with their lives. The elderly and infirm, not so much. Seems like a grand design to me.
I barely mentioned the deaths of the 13 or so soldiers in Afghanistan last week. It was devastating. I had wrapped up my journal entries for the week a day or two early and I couldn't bring myself to extend it any longer since it was already too long. I might have said that I thought these soldiers died needlessly and they would be alive today were it not for the nonsensical decisions of one Sleepy Joe Biden and his cast of woke fucks in the military and the State Department.
That's a fact and it isn't lost on anyone who's been paying attention. I'm still not sure Biden has ordered the flags of our country to be flown at half mast. The moron couldn't attend the casket ceremony without looking at his watch and wondering just how much longer he would have to stand at attention at an event that he would have just as soon missed had he his druthers. He is the Commander-in-Chief, after all. If he wants to be back at the White House eating his afternoon oatmeal and taking a nap at his leisure, who's to say he can't have his way?
In retaliation for the killing of our nation's finest, Biden and his bumbling generals have now bombed a few back streets in Kabul, killed a few children in the process, and despite requests for the names of the so-called terrorists they say they killed, they will not release any names. Word in the street is that they killed a few planners but no bigwigs got taken out. When I hear the word "planner", I think about limp wrists, plaid tablecloths, and wicker baskets filled with grapes, wine, and cheese. How about you?
If there is anything good coming-out of this disaster in Kabul, it is that the military seems to have strengthened their defenses around the airport which may yet save more lives between now and the time we exit the airport for good. It's too late for the fallen, but hindsight is 20-20. Right? Speaking of fallen, have you seen the seen the video of Biden sitting in the Oval Office with the Prime Minister of Israel? The PM is prattling away while Sleepy Joe seems to be catching a nap. His eyes are closed, his chin appears to be dropping to his chest, and there is no response of any kind to the words being spoken by the PM. He is just a national fucking disgrace, he is. A demented clown in his own right.
The missus asked me the other day, "Johnny Boy, I'm not seeing anything in the news about Afghanistan. Is it over?" "What, pray tell, are you reading these days that gives you that impression?" I responded. "Well, the Boston Globe and the New York Times", she responded. I went on to tell her that these two rags have little to no interest in writing about Biden's disasters. They would prefer, as they apparently have, to move on to other things. If the newspapers that you read don't cover a story like Afghanistan, then it doesn't exist. See how that works?
I suppose that we'll not be hearing a lot about the Americans left behind in Afghanistan now that the war is officially over. It's not something that the American media has any interest in covering since it can only add to Joe's woes and the woes of the people who supported him and who will now be up for re-election in 2022.
We Americans have short memories and the democrats will be relying on that truism as the election nears. The media may even flood the zone as we near November of next year in order to accelerate the news cycle leaving what little remnants of Biden's disasters we do remember in the proverbial dustbin of history.
Nonetheless, his party will pay the price for supporting his sorry ass and there will be a great awakening for those of us who knew better from day one. It's (the election) a little more than 12 months from now and it can't come fast enough. Biden won't be up for re-election until 2024 but no one really expects him to be on the ballot when 2024 rolls around. In all likelihood, we'll be looking to replace Harris instead of Biden. As I sit here today, that seems like a sure bet.
We'll start by putting republicans back into power in the Congress and relegating the Biden-loving democrats that now head up committees to lesser roles where their voices will no longer matter. The only lingering question I have is, will the Americans who now receive monthly checks because of the boondoggle bills passed by the democrats be willing to put those very checks at risk by now voting for a republican? I think the democrats are counting on people voting their self-interests. How it turns out remains to be seen.
I'll have to ask the Ev man if he wants to go fishing when we're away on vacation. I've lost some of my interest in fishing but that could all change in an instant if I get a good tug on my line. There are licenses to buy, rod and reels to prep, and bait that I'll need to buy if and when we decide to do this. Maybe I'll invite my sister along who I'm told enjoys fishing although I've never been fishing with her. I don't think of fishing as a girl thing but that probably dates me a bit. Maybe it's just the worm on the hook business that makes it a cringe worthy experience for girls. I don't mean to make excuses for them. Do I even know what the hell I'm talking about?
We're talking fresh water fishing here, folks. I like to know what I might have on the end of my line when I start reeling it in. If it's a really hard tug and draw, maybe I've got me a nice bass or, better yet, a nice trout. If I decide to go fishing using minnows or crawfish for bait, I will probably avoid catching smaller varieties like yellow perch or bluegills. That would suit me just fine. Then again, catching something is better that catching nothing. No?
I have caught bass with worms but your typical lunker would most likely look elsewhere for a quick meal. We'll get an early start and maybe head for one of our favorites spots off the north end of Elizabeth Island. We'll pan fry the big ones and throw back the little ones. Not really. That just happens to be the title of one of my favorite Steely Dan songs. I don't think anyone eats fish out of the lakes in the Northeast anymore. If I missed a memo somewhere along the line I'll happily adjust my thinking on that issue. You couldn't keep the filet knife out of my hands as a kid and, now, I don't even keep one in my fishing box.
I may just drag my feet on all of it until we get up to the lake and then we'll see if it's something that I'm wanting or not wanting to do. It's called "going with the flow." We''ll have a boat at our disposal that may or may not lend itself to fishing. I won't be able to bring my espresso machine along when we go up to the lake. It's too big and it would take up too much space in the car. We'd have to leave something else behind just so I could have my morning espresso. Someone would have to go without their favorite pillow or blanket. The missus said something about bundling up the bedding and strapping it to the top of the car. Really?
Reuter's has a story out this morning about Biden and his discussion with the leader of Afghanistan in the months leading up to our pulling our troops out of the country. This is one of those stories from an anonymous source in the State Department which, in and of itself, is surprising. People only drop dimes like this when republicans are in office. It's an actual transcript of the call and maybe with a little audio but I'm not certain of that. It has all the makings of a quid pro quo deal the likes of which they impeached Trump over. Worse than that, it contradicts what Biden and his buddies have been telling us about them not knowing that the fall of Afghanistan was imminent. That was a lie. Now, we know.
My adrenaline is running red over this one. Who will cover it in the media? Will anyone care? What republicans will take to the rostrum demanding Biden's resignation? Maybe more importantly, what democrats will demand his resignation? Will this provide the impetus that the Harris (VP) lovers need to unseat Joey so she and her minions can slide into the Oval Office? This is a doozy of a story and it needs to get legs and get legs fast. It's hard to ignore so the media can't ignore it. They can, however, spin it until it collapses under its own weight. When the democrats start to turn on their own, and they might just do that here, it's all over.
The month of September is really quite nice here along the coast. The summer crowds have departed and the roadways are once again devoid of traffic as far as the eye can see. This is a good thing if you are a cyclist. Hell, if you're a walker you might even get to cross the highway without looking. That's not something I would advise but you get the idea. I feel bad for the local businesses but they know the routine. You make hay while the sun shines or you don't make it at all.
We stopped by one of our favorite restaurants last evening to pick up a quart of their chowder for dinner. It's a restaurant that we never frequent during the summer months because it is just too busy. Their chowder is good but it's not worth the hassle all things considered. They had a couple of hand scrawled signs taped to the regular menu which hung outside their take-out window putting customers on notice that "Prices have increased" and "These items are no longer available." We're not familiar enough with the regular pricing since we avoid going there in the summer so the increases, whatever they were, went unnoticed by us. Fourteen dollars for a quart of the best seafood chowder on the Seacoast seems more than reasonable.
If it's Thursday, it's time to start thinking about what we might bring over to Mrs G when we see her tomorrow. We're out and about enough that it wouldn't kill us to stop someplace and pick a little something up that we think Mrs G might enjoy. The Ev man may be stopping by today too so I'll want to have something on hand for him to take home with him. He enjoys Panera's tuna sandwiches so maybe I'll grab a couple of those while the missus is out getting a haircut this morning. He's been complaining that his EZ pass isn't staying on his windshield so I should probably take a look at that. Lot's to do today, folks. Places to go, people to meet, things to buy, and things to think about buying.
I bought a 4-pack of Apple Air Tags the other day. I've been wanting to have a couple for us and one or two for Evan. He's always losing his wallet and other things so we'll see if these Air Tags don't help him keep better track of things. We've looked at other tracking gizmo's in the past but none have really worked for us one way or another. There is a product called the "tile" that does the same thing as the Air tag but it has a battery that cannot be replaced. That is just a non-starter. I'm also not sure that the Air tag isn't a superior product in terms of functionality so I'm looking forward to giving it a test drive. Just so you know, I'll not be posting any reviews to YouTube.
The Air Tag is nice, and maybe even a little slick, and it's what you might expect from Apple. Funny thing is that it doesn't come with a holder of any kind. You need to buy an accessory if you're wanting to attach it to your luggage, your dog's collar, your wallet, etc. These so-called holders originally sold for $35 when the Air Tag was announced which was a complete disgrace. They cost more than the actual Air Tag for chrissakes. It wasn't long before the marketplace stepped in and now you're seeing knock-off's in the $10-$15 dollar range. I wouldn't be surprised to see that a lot of these knock-off's are manufactured in China. I should care about that but I don't.
They sure do things in Texas a little bit differently. Their legislature came up with a law called the "Heartbeat" law and the governor signed it into law. It says that if a heartbeat can be detected, then no abortion can be performed. It won't be the State that steps in to enforce the law. It will be any Tom, Dick, or Harry who learns of the abortion and decides to sue the people aiding and abetting anyone who was involved in the carrying out of the procedure. Hell, they can sue the Uber driver who drove the pregnant woman to the clinic if they so desire. Everybody and anybody can be sued for the bounty of $10k per the law.
Well, this has the libs in an uproar. They just didn't see this one coming. As you know, the libs want unfettered access to the abortionists for any woman looking to get rid off an unwanted pregnancy. To make their lives even more miserable, the Supreme Court voted to leave the law in place with a 5-4 vote. Yes, these are Trump judges for the most part since he put at least three of the five on the court. That has to hurt. Now, I suppose we'll have to wait to see how it washes out once the first case winds its way through the courts and back up to the Supremes. Until then, the libs tears are simply delicious. I'm gonna sip me some.
Next post will be Tuesday, 9/14.
Blood On His Hands
29/08/21 07:25
We hunkered down hereabouts for the first hurricane of the season. His name was Henri. The missus was all abuzz with her usual litany of "we're all going to die" histrionics. Truth be told, the Ev man and I were just along for the ride. We brought in the plants, lowered the umbrella on the patio, moved the cars so that they were not beneath any trees, and I went to the local gas station and filled two five-gallon jugs with gasoline for the generator just in case. You can never be too prepared.
Just south of New York City, this so-called hurricane started wobbling while on its northward trajectory and it seemed to lose its mojo in realtime as the forecasters showed map after map of the areas likely to be affected. By the time it was supposed to reach our area, I wouldn't say that we had blue skies and fair winds but there wasn't even a hint of anything in the air much less remnants of a hurricane called Henri.
I was reminded during this exercise in storm preparedness of just how unprepared we were and are when these types of things come along. Most of those failings have to do with having enough food on hand. We had little in the refrigerator to begin with and that could have been a problem had there been a run on the stores and had we experienced a prolonged period of time with no access to stores where we might replenish our food stocks.
By the time you realize you might have a problem, you also realize that stores are also likely mobbed with people and you're probably better off just trying to get by with the meager canned goods and dried pasta that you have left over from your periodic buying during the pandemic. The self-recriminations are fast and fierce. Why didn't I do a better job stocking up for this storm? I knew it was coming down the pike. I knew I didn't have enough food own hand to last more than a day or two, maybe three in a pinch. I'll never let this happen again. No siree, Bob.
It's comforting to know that we have a generator if and when we lose electricity. It's one of those portable generators that powers any number of things in the house but moving it out and about during a raging storm is not ideal. Both of our neighbors have stand-by units which power on automatically. That seems to be the way to go. It would avoid all the fuss and muss of lugging gas back and forth from gas stations that may or may not be open and it would require considerably less muscle on the part of any and all family members, myself included.
The FDA approved the Pfizer vaccine (not the one you think) yesterday. It has been largely available as an experimental therapy for the better part of a year now. While there are questions about how this drug was approved so quickly, and without knowing the results of any and all clinical trials that might challenge Pfizer's claims about it's efficacy, it does make one wonder why Bumbling Biden was at the podium encouraging companies to mandate their employees get the vaccine as a condition of employment. Maybe this says more about the symbiotic relationship between big government and big Pharma than anything else.
If big government can force you to take a vaccine whose efficacy is questionable, they can force you to do anything. This does not have a good feel to it in any way, shape, or form. To say that this whole Covid thing has been a cluster since day one would be an understatement. Why would anyone force vaccines on a population where only a small segment of that population is even at an increased risk of getting seriously sick or dying of the disease? Does that make any sense to you? These coronaviruses mutate and variants emerge that may or may not respond to vaccines currently on the market. Then what?
Raise your hand if you're feeling like a fucking guinea pig? A lab rat, maybe? We cannot forget for a moment that most people who survive this virus go on to harbor antibodies that can protect them quite nicely for a time. None of the people who want to give you the jab even want to hear about antibodies. Roll up your sleeves, mother fucker! As it turns out, people who have antibodies are at increased risk for developing side effects from the vaccines. Again, they just don't give a flying fuck.
Get the jab or don't bother coming in. That's increasingly what we're hearing from companies and institutions across the country. Yes, it's the old vaccine passport bullshit. You can only dine here if you're vaccinated. You can only work here if you're vaccinated. Now that the FDA has "approved" the vaccine, and with Biden's blessing, companies are going to get even more militant about insisting that their employees tow the line and get the jab. When is someone going to take these bastards to court so we can get a legal ruling one way or another? I can't believe the Supremes would look kindly on any of this nonsense.
Vaccines aside, what the hell is going on in places like Australia and New Zealand? They are essentially locking down their populations when they see maybe a case or two or maybe one or two deaths a day. Are they fucking crazy? I watched in horror as police forces in Australia took to the streets and beat protestors who wanted nothing more than to have their voices heard. That is the definition of tyranny. This is the kind of thing you might expect to see in China where there is just no such thing as human rights. Does this really have anything to do with a virus? Or, are they using the virus as a subtext to force their populations into submission? To what end, I ask you.
I regret getting the jab so I'll say that at the outset. The missus was petrified of getting the virus so I went along to get along and off we went to get the jab. As for the booster, they can kiss my ass. Not a day passes by that I don't worry that the jab that I got is killing me in some small way or other. Every twinge I get makes me wonder if what I'm feeling is because of the jab. Would I be stronger and more resilient or resistant to sickness and disease had I not gotten the jab? I'll never know because I rolled up my sleeve and took god only knows what into my body and for all the wrong reasons. I'll never forgive the missus for that but I'll not be saying that to her anytime soon. It makes me sick just thinking about it.
There is a political angle to all of this that is troubling as well. It seems the leftists are taking a victory lap after the FDA's approval of the Pfizer vaccine. They seem to think that this will give the institutions the cover they need to force the vaccine on the unwilling, better know as the vaccine-hesitant crowd, many or most of whom are republicans. They are licking their fucking chops at seeing republicans having to kneel at the altar of big government. To imprison or otherwise ostracize these Trump-loving resistors is the ultimate wet dream. They are less than human, after all. If this sounds familiar, it is. It's no different then what the nazis did to the Jews in the 40's when they forced them to wear the Star of David on their chests. Never again.
Mrs G told us over the weekend that her independent living facility will no longer allow guests who have not been vaccinated. Ordinarily, I would say fuck them and the horse they rode in on. I surely didn't say this to Mrs G although she may have noticed that I was squirming in my seat a little bit when she gave us the news. At least for now, it isn't a problem. Maybe by the time the boosters are part and parcel of the vaccination scheme, the legal challenges will have taken their course and the hysteria of it all will come down a notch or two.
The missus has a good point when she says that the residents of Mrs G's facility are free to go out and about in the community where they are certainly exposed, at a minimum, to whatever variants are mutating locally. So, they want to protect their residents by controlling who comes and goes from their facility but they are willing to throw caution to the wind by allowing their residents to get infected while out and about in the community only to have them bring it back into the facility at the end of the day? Is it not sufficient that most of their residents have already been vaccinated? Are they not now protected from getting seriously ill even if they do catch the virus? Or, is her facility just doing their part in forcing the rest of us to get the jab? Fuck them!
Why is it that every decision that Biden makes seems to benefit China? They have that demented old fuck by the balls and we Americans are paying the price. Looks like Biden gave the G7 a thumbs down on their request to keep troops in Kabul after August 31st. Biden's shills keep moving the goal posts just to keep everyone on their toes. One day it's, "We're getting every American out of Afghanistan." The very next day, it's "We're getting every American out of Afghanistan who wants to get out of Afghanistan." Who do they think they're kidding? Biden is so feeble minded that he probably doesn't even know what's really going on behind the scenes. He reads the teleprompter and he gets the hell off the stage. The faster, the better.
You know damn well that the Tally-bon has Americans squirreled away somewhere where they can drag them out at a moment's notice as needed. Maybe they use them as leverage to achieve their goals. Maybe they mutilate and kill them on the nightly news if they don't get what they want. Maybe they parade them out on the anniversary of 9/11 to remind everyone what happens to infidels when they do the things that infidels do. Using our embassy in Kabul as the backdrop for their optics will serve as a message to other infidels who have designs on lands where they are no longer welcome. Occupation will not be tolerated.
It's sad to think that we as Americans could have done a half dozen things that might have avoided all of this humiliation on the world stage. That's what's so damn vexing about it all. And Biden just keeps digging the hole deeper and deeper. Could we bomb them back to the Stone Age? Probably. I'm guessing that the Chinese want things more or less intact when they go in to Afghanistan to mine rare earth minerals so there's that. There are oil pipelines to be built between Iran and China and those pipelines go through Afghanistan so, the fewer bombs dropped, the better. Both China and Russia still have embassies operating out of Afghanistan so I guess not all infidels are bad.
Why every republican member of Congress isn't calling for Biden's impeachment is beyond me. Imagine if this were all happening on Trump's watch. The media would be wall-to-wall coverage of his doing China's or Russia's bidding and they would have at least a half dozen articles of impeachment up for a vote in the House. Absent someone, anyone, speaking up against the tyranny of the Biden administration on the issue of Afghanistan alone, the media has moved on to other things. Mission accomplished. Joe Biden has pulled America out of the longest war on record in Afghanistan and he's saved countless lives of both Afghans and American's in the process. He's an American Hero, don't ya know.
Where do we go to get out country back? How did our country lose its dignity and its place in the world order so damn quickly? We've managed to alienate every damn country that stood by our side in the Afghanistan conflict from day one. Our soldiers have stood side by side with the soldiers of our allies for decades and those alliances are now seriously frayed by the unilateral decisions of our Commander-in-Chief, one bumbling and demented Joe Biden. It isn't just Afghanistan. It's our southern border that he has torn down and left open for every criminal, miscreant, and terrorist from near and far to pass through.
The leftists occupying our White House and our Congress are pushing an agenda the likes which have to have our founding fathers rolling over in their graves. They are bankrupting our country with their spending bills; They are tearing away at the fabric of our voting apparatus in order to ensure that they win every election going forward; They are subverting the rule of law to ensure that chaos is the order of the day and only they can restore order in this new world; They have co-opted every possible governmental agency into aiding and abetting their lawless pursuits; and, sadly, there are even republicans who have joined their ranks in the most sycophantic and sickening way one could imagine.
I'm a little surprised that Biden hasn't played the blame game by firing one or more of his sycophantic generals when it comes to this Afghanistan fiasco. He's probably surrounded by his minions who whisper nothing but sweet nothings in his ear. I can hear them now. Joey, you are such a stud on the world stage. Joey, don't listen to these naysayers. Joey, your approval ratings are through the roof with your Afghanistan decision. Joey, your presidency will go down in history as one of the best. Right up there next to George Washington! We all have your back, Mr President. Yes, sir! (The sound of lips puckering in the background)
I don't know why but I have to remind the missus when we're out and about it would be nice if we can pick a little something up for her mother (Mrs G.) It's usually something to go with her tea or maybe a box or two of her favorite candies. Not the coffee flavored ones, mind you. She thinks they keep her up at night. She's also not all that keen on the chocolate parfait flavored ones. She likes what she likes. If they don't have the caramel flavored Nips then we don't get the Nips at all. Life is too short not to get what you want, when you want it, and the more the merrier, if you don't mind.
But they don't have Nips at Whole Foods, Johnny boy. That's true. They do not. While the missus was off looking at god only knows what in some other section of the store, I spied with my eye something that I thought might do just fine. I was more than happy to just put it in my basket and move along but thought it might be better to get the proverbial nod from the missus just to be safe. It's her mother, after all. Would I have bought it for my mother if I had a mother? Most certainly. Yes, it was a lovely pound cake with a nice lemony frosting that caught my eye. I knew it was the bees knees when I held it in my hands and felt the full weight of the butter and the goodness despite the fact that it was half the size of a full loaf.
Her mother is always most appreciative of these little gifts when we show up for our weekly visits. It's only as of late that we've been bringing things on a more regular basis. And, yes, I always have to remind the missus that her mom might appreciate this or that and it would behoove us not to put one or more of the whatever in our basket before checking out. Who doesn't like to surprise their mom with things that they think she might like? For all we know, assuming we're talking about food stuffs, they might get stashed away in her freezer and then maybe just forgotten in the fog of time.
There were other loaves on the shelf to choose from and I have to admit that I might have liked one or two for myself. I tend not want things around the house to eat that are far too easy to eat and usually devoid of much in the way of nutritional value. Mrs G could have a small slice or two and save the rest to enjoy with friends assuming you could count her friends over on any given day on one hand. I think she can be trusted not to go whole hog and consume the entire loaf in one sitting. I'm not so sure I have that kind of will power so I just don't buy those things. Now, if I can only show a little more restraint while in the ice cream aisle, I'll be good to go.
This week's post is getting a little long in the tooth. I guess the same can be said for the month of August, not to mention the summer season hereabouts. I used to be lucky to get three paragraphs down on a good day. Those days are longs gone. You'd think I'd learn to write a little more succinctly over time but that horse too has left the barn. If I have too little to say, I worry endlessly that I'm losing my mojo. If I have too much to say, then that's probably closer to my natural state these days. Happy mediums are for the other gal or guy.
God bless the 12 Marines who lost their lives in Kabul yesterday thanks to Joe Biden's hapless and irresponsible decisions. We will not forget.
Just south of New York City, this so-called hurricane started wobbling while on its northward trajectory and it seemed to lose its mojo in realtime as the forecasters showed map after map of the areas likely to be affected. By the time it was supposed to reach our area, I wouldn't say that we had blue skies and fair winds but there wasn't even a hint of anything in the air much less remnants of a hurricane called Henri.
I was reminded during this exercise in storm preparedness of just how unprepared we were and are when these types of things come along. Most of those failings have to do with having enough food on hand. We had little in the refrigerator to begin with and that could have been a problem had there been a run on the stores and had we experienced a prolonged period of time with no access to stores where we might replenish our food stocks.
By the time you realize you might have a problem, you also realize that stores are also likely mobbed with people and you're probably better off just trying to get by with the meager canned goods and dried pasta that you have left over from your periodic buying during the pandemic. The self-recriminations are fast and fierce. Why didn't I do a better job stocking up for this storm? I knew it was coming down the pike. I knew I didn't have enough food own hand to last more than a day or two, maybe three in a pinch. I'll never let this happen again. No siree, Bob.
It's comforting to know that we have a generator if and when we lose electricity. It's one of those portable generators that powers any number of things in the house but moving it out and about during a raging storm is not ideal. Both of our neighbors have stand-by units which power on automatically. That seems to be the way to go. It would avoid all the fuss and muss of lugging gas back and forth from gas stations that may or may not be open and it would require considerably less muscle on the part of any and all family members, myself included.
The FDA approved the Pfizer vaccine (not the one you think) yesterday. It has been largely available as an experimental therapy for the better part of a year now. While there are questions about how this drug was approved so quickly, and without knowing the results of any and all clinical trials that might challenge Pfizer's claims about it's efficacy, it does make one wonder why Bumbling Biden was at the podium encouraging companies to mandate their employees get the vaccine as a condition of employment. Maybe this says more about the symbiotic relationship between big government and big Pharma than anything else.
If big government can force you to take a vaccine whose efficacy is questionable, they can force you to do anything. This does not have a good feel to it in any way, shape, or form. To say that this whole Covid thing has been a cluster since day one would be an understatement. Why would anyone force vaccines on a population where only a small segment of that population is even at an increased risk of getting seriously sick or dying of the disease? Does that make any sense to you? These coronaviruses mutate and variants emerge that may or may not respond to vaccines currently on the market. Then what?
Raise your hand if you're feeling like a fucking guinea pig? A lab rat, maybe? We cannot forget for a moment that most people who survive this virus go on to harbor antibodies that can protect them quite nicely for a time. None of the people who want to give you the jab even want to hear about antibodies. Roll up your sleeves, mother fucker! As it turns out, people who have antibodies are at increased risk for developing side effects from the vaccines. Again, they just don't give a flying fuck.
Get the jab or don't bother coming in. That's increasingly what we're hearing from companies and institutions across the country. Yes, it's the old vaccine passport bullshit. You can only dine here if you're vaccinated. You can only work here if you're vaccinated. Now that the FDA has "approved" the vaccine, and with Biden's blessing, companies are going to get even more militant about insisting that their employees tow the line and get the jab. When is someone going to take these bastards to court so we can get a legal ruling one way or another? I can't believe the Supremes would look kindly on any of this nonsense.
Vaccines aside, what the hell is going on in places like Australia and New Zealand? They are essentially locking down their populations when they see maybe a case or two or maybe one or two deaths a day. Are they fucking crazy? I watched in horror as police forces in Australia took to the streets and beat protestors who wanted nothing more than to have their voices heard. That is the definition of tyranny. This is the kind of thing you might expect to see in China where there is just no such thing as human rights. Does this really have anything to do with a virus? Or, are they using the virus as a subtext to force their populations into submission? To what end, I ask you.
I regret getting the jab so I'll say that at the outset. The missus was petrified of getting the virus so I went along to get along and off we went to get the jab. As for the booster, they can kiss my ass. Not a day passes by that I don't worry that the jab that I got is killing me in some small way or other. Every twinge I get makes me wonder if what I'm feeling is because of the jab. Would I be stronger and more resilient or resistant to sickness and disease had I not gotten the jab? I'll never know because I rolled up my sleeve and took god only knows what into my body and for all the wrong reasons. I'll never forgive the missus for that but I'll not be saying that to her anytime soon. It makes me sick just thinking about it.
There is a political angle to all of this that is troubling as well. It seems the leftists are taking a victory lap after the FDA's approval of the Pfizer vaccine. They seem to think that this will give the institutions the cover they need to force the vaccine on the unwilling, better know as the vaccine-hesitant crowd, many or most of whom are republicans. They are licking their fucking chops at seeing republicans having to kneel at the altar of big government. To imprison or otherwise ostracize these Trump-loving resistors is the ultimate wet dream. They are less than human, after all. If this sounds familiar, it is. It's no different then what the nazis did to the Jews in the 40's when they forced them to wear the Star of David on their chests. Never again.
Mrs G told us over the weekend that her independent living facility will no longer allow guests who have not been vaccinated. Ordinarily, I would say fuck them and the horse they rode in on. I surely didn't say this to Mrs G although she may have noticed that I was squirming in my seat a little bit when she gave us the news. At least for now, it isn't a problem. Maybe by the time the boosters are part and parcel of the vaccination scheme, the legal challenges will have taken their course and the hysteria of it all will come down a notch or two.
The missus has a good point when she says that the residents of Mrs G's facility are free to go out and about in the community where they are certainly exposed, at a minimum, to whatever variants are mutating locally. So, they want to protect their residents by controlling who comes and goes from their facility but they are willing to throw caution to the wind by allowing their residents to get infected while out and about in the community only to have them bring it back into the facility at the end of the day? Is it not sufficient that most of their residents have already been vaccinated? Are they not now protected from getting seriously ill even if they do catch the virus? Or, is her facility just doing their part in forcing the rest of us to get the jab? Fuck them!
Why is it that every decision that Biden makes seems to benefit China? They have that demented old fuck by the balls and we Americans are paying the price. Looks like Biden gave the G7 a thumbs down on their request to keep troops in Kabul after August 31st. Biden's shills keep moving the goal posts just to keep everyone on their toes. One day it's, "We're getting every American out of Afghanistan." The very next day, it's "We're getting every American out of Afghanistan who wants to get out of Afghanistan." Who do they think they're kidding? Biden is so feeble minded that he probably doesn't even know what's really going on behind the scenes. He reads the teleprompter and he gets the hell off the stage. The faster, the better.
You know damn well that the Tally-bon has Americans squirreled away somewhere where they can drag them out at a moment's notice as needed. Maybe they use them as leverage to achieve their goals. Maybe they mutilate and kill them on the nightly news if they don't get what they want. Maybe they parade them out on the anniversary of 9/11 to remind everyone what happens to infidels when they do the things that infidels do. Using our embassy in Kabul as the backdrop for their optics will serve as a message to other infidels who have designs on lands where they are no longer welcome. Occupation will not be tolerated.
It's sad to think that we as Americans could have done a half dozen things that might have avoided all of this humiliation on the world stage. That's what's so damn vexing about it all. And Biden just keeps digging the hole deeper and deeper. Could we bomb them back to the Stone Age? Probably. I'm guessing that the Chinese want things more or less intact when they go in to Afghanistan to mine rare earth minerals so there's that. There are oil pipelines to be built between Iran and China and those pipelines go through Afghanistan so, the fewer bombs dropped, the better. Both China and Russia still have embassies operating out of Afghanistan so I guess not all infidels are bad.
Why every republican member of Congress isn't calling for Biden's impeachment is beyond me. Imagine if this were all happening on Trump's watch. The media would be wall-to-wall coverage of his doing China's or Russia's bidding and they would have at least a half dozen articles of impeachment up for a vote in the House. Absent someone, anyone, speaking up against the tyranny of the Biden administration on the issue of Afghanistan alone, the media has moved on to other things. Mission accomplished. Joe Biden has pulled America out of the longest war on record in Afghanistan and he's saved countless lives of both Afghans and American's in the process. He's an American Hero, don't ya know.
Where do we go to get out country back? How did our country lose its dignity and its place in the world order so damn quickly? We've managed to alienate every damn country that stood by our side in the Afghanistan conflict from day one. Our soldiers have stood side by side with the soldiers of our allies for decades and those alliances are now seriously frayed by the unilateral decisions of our Commander-in-Chief, one bumbling and demented Joe Biden. It isn't just Afghanistan. It's our southern border that he has torn down and left open for every criminal, miscreant, and terrorist from near and far to pass through.
The leftists occupying our White House and our Congress are pushing an agenda the likes which have to have our founding fathers rolling over in their graves. They are bankrupting our country with their spending bills; They are tearing away at the fabric of our voting apparatus in order to ensure that they win every election going forward; They are subverting the rule of law to ensure that chaos is the order of the day and only they can restore order in this new world; They have co-opted every possible governmental agency into aiding and abetting their lawless pursuits; and, sadly, there are even republicans who have joined their ranks in the most sycophantic and sickening way one could imagine.
I'm a little surprised that Biden hasn't played the blame game by firing one or more of his sycophantic generals when it comes to this Afghanistan fiasco. He's probably surrounded by his minions who whisper nothing but sweet nothings in his ear. I can hear them now. Joey, you are such a stud on the world stage. Joey, don't listen to these naysayers. Joey, your approval ratings are through the roof with your Afghanistan decision. Joey, your presidency will go down in history as one of the best. Right up there next to George Washington! We all have your back, Mr President. Yes, sir! (The sound of lips puckering in the background)
I don't know why but I have to remind the missus when we're out and about it would be nice if we can pick a little something up for her mother (Mrs G.) It's usually something to go with her tea or maybe a box or two of her favorite candies. Not the coffee flavored ones, mind you. She thinks they keep her up at night. She's also not all that keen on the chocolate parfait flavored ones. She likes what she likes. If they don't have the caramel flavored Nips then we don't get the Nips at all. Life is too short not to get what you want, when you want it, and the more the merrier, if you don't mind.
But they don't have Nips at Whole Foods, Johnny boy. That's true. They do not. While the missus was off looking at god only knows what in some other section of the store, I spied with my eye something that I thought might do just fine. I was more than happy to just put it in my basket and move along but thought it might be better to get the proverbial nod from the missus just to be safe. It's her mother, after all. Would I have bought it for my mother if I had a mother? Most certainly. Yes, it was a lovely pound cake with a nice lemony frosting that caught my eye. I knew it was the bees knees when I held it in my hands and felt the full weight of the butter and the goodness despite the fact that it was half the size of a full loaf.
Her mother is always most appreciative of these little gifts when we show up for our weekly visits. It's only as of late that we've been bringing things on a more regular basis. And, yes, I always have to remind the missus that her mom might appreciate this or that and it would behoove us not to put one or more of the whatever in our basket before checking out. Who doesn't like to surprise their mom with things that they think she might like? For all we know, assuming we're talking about food stuffs, they might get stashed away in her freezer and then maybe just forgotten in the fog of time.
There were other loaves on the shelf to choose from and I have to admit that I might have liked one or two for myself. I tend not want things around the house to eat that are far too easy to eat and usually devoid of much in the way of nutritional value. Mrs G could have a small slice or two and save the rest to enjoy with friends assuming you could count her friends over on any given day on one hand. I think she can be trusted not to go whole hog and consume the entire loaf in one sitting. I'm not so sure I have that kind of will power so I just don't buy those things. Now, if I can only show a little more restraint while in the ice cream aisle, I'll be good to go.
This week's post is getting a little long in the tooth. I guess the same can be said for the month of August, not to mention the summer season hereabouts. I used to be lucky to get three paragraphs down on a good day. Those days are longs gone. You'd think I'd learn to write a little more succinctly over time but that horse too has left the barn. If I have too little to say, I worry endlessly that I'm losing my mojo. If I have too much to say, then that's probably closer to my natural state these days. Happy mediums are for the other gal or guy.
God bless the 12 Marines who lost their lives in Kabul yesterday thanks to Joe Biden's hapless and irresponsible decisions. We will not forget.
Shit Show
22/08/21 07:12
After listening to a days worth of coverage on this Afghanistan thing, I have to cut the leftist media in our country a little slack. They've been asking the right questions and they've rightly taken Biden to task for his piss-poor planning that resulted in this debacle we see playing out on the tarmac in Kabul, Afghanistan and across every television screen across the globe.
Everyone was incensed that the proper precautions were not taken in advance of the pullout. The dreaded Taliban now has the upper hand with thousands of people left behind and whose fate may now be sealed by the all-too-hasty departure of American troops.
I was, quite frankly, surprised by the angry reaction in the leftist media at the kerfuffle unfolding by the minute in the dusty outback of Afghanistan. They were rightly angry with the president whose advisers and yes-men bungled what might have otherwise been a better organized effort under any other circumstances. It didn't have to end this way and that was an unescapable truth. Biden happened to be on vacation at Camp David at the time and only returned after there was a hue and cry across the globe for someone, anyone, from the Biden Administration to come to the podium to say something, anything.
Not that anyone expected that his words would make any sense, much less give comfort and aid to those in need of same, but it didn't help when he finally returned to the White House and gave the much awaited teleprompter speech that he gave. I think the worse part was when he failed to take even one question after the speech. He turned tail and got out of town and back to his vacation spot while thousands of Americans anxiously awaited their turn for an opportunity to take the next flight out of Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the Taliban were going door to door looking for people who had supported the Americans.
Demented Joe usually has a contingent of faithful followers in the media who work for networks that are favorable to his political party. I expected that Joe would have a few cue cards in his jacket pocket with the names of people he could call on. They would ask their pre-planned questions and he would read his responses off his cue cards and that would be that. As sad as that sounds, that's the state of affairs we find ourselves in here in our great country. The minute Joey headed for the exits after the speech, it was clear to anyone paying attention that the media too had turned on him in his hour of need (and rightly so.)
Presidents are entitled to make some mistakes and then we just move on as a country for better or worse. The problem with the Biden Administration is that we move from one crisis to another without resolution one way or another. Maybe, just maybe, that's all by design. How else do you explain the travesty of his open borders policy that looks more and more each day like an invasion. Opening borders to allow in day migrant workers is one thing. Opening your borders to let in migrants from across the globe without concern for their welfare or the welfare of those Americans who might be infected by the diseases they carry or the crimes they commit is quite another.
I'm not wanting to beat this Biden thing to death but you have to admit, he and his minions are putting our country in greater and greater jeopardy with every passing day. The message that this Afghanistan thing sent to leaders around the world is not a good one. China now has the rationale that they need to take Taiwan. Russia too can now think about annexing other countries without interference from the hapless Americans.
Even your allies are in disbelief at what they are witnessing now as a result of Biden's incompetence. Consider this if you will: Biden has not called one ally of ours since this happened. Not fucking one. They are all talking to each other ,but not a one is even discussing getting bumbling Biden on the horn. This is what compromised leadership looks like.
What are we to think of the fact that we are hearing nothing from Biden's Vice President, Kamala Harris? I'm thinking that is by design. Not that Harris has the wherewithal or the gravitas to upstage Biden, but Biden's people are taking no chances. She could actually make matters worse by opening her mouth. If anyone in the Biden Administration has less credibility than hapless Joe, it's one-percent Harris. The one-percent reference, of course, refers to the votes she got when she ran in the 2020 democratic presidential primary.
Looming on the horizon is the twentieth anniversary of 9/11. If they are unable to extricate all of the Americans from Afghanistan by 9/11, it could become another defining moment for the Biden Administration. We could see beheadings, imprisonments, the routing out and rounding up of foreign nationals, and god only knows what else. American troops have control of one of the airports in Kabul, but the Taliban control all routes in and out of the city. Expanding our footprint on the ground is probably not feasible nor would it be tolerated by the Taliban. They have America by the balls and they know it.
It was good to see Trump on Hannity last night. We needed to hear a rational voice at this moment in history when teleprompters and demented old fools like Joe Biden just can't and won't cut the mustard. Trump was in his element talking about his negotiations with the Taliban. He exuded strength and courage in his exchange with Hannity the likes of which Biden has never experienced even on his best day. Polls out today tell us that were Biden and Trump to run against each other today that Trump would now win handily. Maybe those suburban moms are having buyers remorse after seeing their children masked up and held down for the jab by the government forces.
What's this I'm hearing about leaders from foreign countries reaching out to Hillary Clinton because neither Biden or Harris will return their phone calls? She has no authority to speak for the government so she needs to shut the fuck up. Clinton aside, what the hell is going on? And yesterday, Biden gave another teleprompter speech about Covid and said not a word about Afghanistan. Like his previous speech, he turned and walked off the stage after delivering his speech. He took no questions and, in all likelihood, was instructed by his handlers to not take questions. This is sheer insanity.
I have to wonder if this whole thing with Afghanistan wasn't something of a ruse. What if the Taliban was actually stronger and more in control of the country than our government was willing to admit? What if the Taliban actually gave us an ultimatum to leave the country or face a crushing defeat? Is it possible that our country, with the alleged greatest military in the world, could be beaten at their own game by a bunch of rag-tag sandal-wearing militants in a dusty outback the likes of Afghanistan?
To admit that kind of defeat in the tug of war that is currently in play on the world stage would be to admit to a vulnerability that would not ultimately serve us or our allies well. It would, no doubt, please the Hollywood elites to no end to see us taken down a notch or two or more. Maybe getting out while we still could was the only game in town. Now, all they needed was a distraction to take everyone down a rabbit hole or two while we exited the country with our proverbial tails between our legs. We got that in spades with the "hastily" planned pullout fiasco. Mission accomplished.
I know it doesn't help to explain how it came to pass that we left thousands of Americans in the country to fend for themselves. Maybe that should tell you something about just how badly we were losing the ground war in that country. What did we tell the tens of thousands of Americans who are now trapped behind enemy lines? Were they under the false impression that the country was stabilized and that no harm would come to them in their role as ambassadors and contractors?
Knowing what we know about the instability in the country, why would we intentionally put people in harm's way? Were these so-called selfless humanitarians part and parcel of the narrative built up for the sole purpose of deceiving an otherwise gullible public? Maybe this is where Biden and his hapless Vice President come riding in on a white horse to save the fucking day. Maybe this kabuki dance isn't over. What failing Administration in the history of our country hasn't pulled a rabbit out of the hat at the last minute in order to save their collective arses? Wait for it.
The final pieces are falling into place. All we need now are videos of Americans being beheaded and their corpses being dragged through the streets of major cities in Afghanistan. Biden would awaken from his dirt nap, disconnect his feeding tubes, call the generals to order, rally our allies, and he would proceed to bomb the Taliban-held backwater back to the Stone Age. Americans would die in the thousands but the Biden Administration would be hailed as heroes in the global media for having the testicular fortitude to defend life and liberty in the face of a humanitarian disaster. This is what real leaders do.
All kidding aside, I think Biden's time may be winding down. We can't have a president who can't take questions when our country is in a crisis. He knows it and we know it. When is Jill Biden and the rest of the Biden Crime Family going to figure that out? Maybe they're seeing if Hunter can nail down one or two more portraits before they call it quits. At $500k a pop, that should do the trick.
Speaking of pops, a portrait of Corn Pop (Biden) stroking the long hairs on his legs while straddling a diving board and surrounded by pre-adolescent children at the local pool should fetch a good price. If I had to guess, I would say that the history books are not going be kind to Joey and his clown car of a family. Then again, liberals write the history books so something more flattering than not might emerge. He did get eighty-million votes, after all.
Then again, if not taking questions is the litmus test we hold dear as a country for making it as a leader or not, Wheels-Up Harris will also not survive the cut since she's nowhere to be found. Like I said before, just a complete zero. It all leaves us in a very sad place. I'm just a one-man circular firing squad today. I can't get out of my own way. It's all negativity all the time.
I'm not usually this upbeat. Maybe the thought of having Corn Pop removed from the Oval Office while sedated for his own good is putting me in a better mood. On the other hand, we had better be careful what we wish for. I heard someone suggest today that Harris might name Hillary as her Vice President. I wonder if Harris has ever heard of Vince Foster.
It was just one red flag moment after another yesterday. One guy was sitting in a pick-up truck in Washington D.C. talking nonsense and threatening to blow up an entire city block. There was an inferno of a car or truck fire on the bridge in San Fran-Sicko. There were countless other stories of seemingly less importance but all, and make no mistake about it, were designed to take the focus in the media off Biden's boondoggle in Afghanistan. Things were going from bad to worse. We have the media to thank for not allowing the Afghanistan story to slip to the back pages where stories go to die. This story is not going away.
It's the kind of story that we'll likely never fully understand. One curious angle coming out yesterday was that Biden had sent massive shipments of military equipment to Afghanistan in the weeks leading up to the pullout. None of that equipment was withdrawn before the pullout. It's almost as though the equipment was intended to end up in the hands of the Taliban. It was a deliberate shipment meant to arm the Taliban for reasons, at least as of today, that are unknown.
Others have postulated that the media is going after Biden because they do the bidding of the CIA and other intelligence agencies. The CIA loves wars and does not want our country pulling troops out of Afghanistan. There is just too much money to be made for the contractors and the military industrial complex. Remember when Trump wanted to pull our troops out of Afghanistan and, voila, the CIA leaked a story to the media about Russians paying bounties for American scalps in Afghanistan? The media, of course, is not a news organization in the truest sense of the word. They serve masters whose names you will never see in the corporate charter.
I'll end this with what turned out to be a pathetic presser yesterday by Biden. He was reading prepared comments off a teleprompter and made comments that were just patently untrue. For example, Al-Qaeda is no longer in Afghanistan. He also said that no allies of ours had any concerns (I'm paraphrasing) about what we were doing in Afghanistan. Unbelievably, he said something about Americans having safe passage through Taliban checkpoints on their way to the airport.
All of these abject falsehoods infuriated the media who knew better and things only got worse when spokespersons from the State Department gave their own pressers and were forced to admit that their boss was just wrong about so many things he had to say.
It went from bad to worse when he took questions after completing his speech. He kept looking down at his notes. He was looking to see which media friendly audience member he was supposed to call on. It was all very premeditated. The people selected asked the questions while reading the texts from their phones that Biden's people had given them to ask. Let's make sure that Sleepy Joe doesn't get a question that he's not prepared for. That would be a disaster.
We can't have the Commander-in-Chief looking like a fucking dope. The world was watching and, yet, they couldn't make it work. In fact, as it always does with Biden, it made matters worse. This is what happens when you steal elections and when you prop up bad people. They do bad things and that puts each and every American both at home and on foreign lands at risk. It's not complicated.
Everyone was incensed that the proper precautions were not taken in advance of the pullout. The dreaded Taliban now has the upper hand with thousands of people left behind and whose fate may now be sealed by the all-too-hasty departure of American troops.
I was, quite frankly, surprised by the angry reaction in the leftist media at the kerfuffle unfolding by the minute in the dusty outback of Afghanistan. They were rightly angry with the president whose advisers and yes-men bungled what might have otherwise been a better organized effort under any other circumstances. It didn't have to end this way and that was an unescapable truth. Biden happened to be on vacation at Camp David at the time and only returned after there was a hue and cry across the globe for someone, anyone, from the Biden Administration to come to the podium to say something, anything.
Not that anyone expected that his words would make any sense, much less give comfort and aid to those in need of same, but it didn't help when he finally returned to the White House and gave the much awaited teleprompter speech that he gave. I think the worse part was when he failed to take even one question after the speech. He turned tail and got out of town and back to his vacation spot while thousands of Americans anxiously awaited their turn for an opportunity to take the next flight out of Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the Taliban were going door to door looking for people who had supported the Americans.
Demented Joe usually has a contingent of faithful followers in the media who work for networks that are favorable to his political party. I expected that Joe would have a few cue cards in his jacket pocket with the names of people he could call on. They would ask their pre-planned questions and he would read his responses off his cue cards and that would be that. As sad as that sounds, that's the state of affairs we find ourselves in here in our great country. The minute Joey headed for the exits after the speech, it was clear to anyone paying attention that the media too had turned on him in his hour of need (and rightly so.)
Presidents are entitled to make some mistakes and then we just move on as a country for better or worse. The problem with the Biden Administration is that we move from one crisis to another without resolution one way or another. Maybe, just maybe, that's all by design. How else do you explain the travesty of his open borders policy that looks more and more each day like an invasion. Opening borders to allow in day migrant workers is one thing. Opening your borders to let in migrants from across the globe without concern for their welfare or the welfare of those Americans who might be infected by the diseases they carry or the crimes they commit is quite another.
I'm not wanting to beat this Biden thing to death but you have to admit, he and his minions are putting our country in greater and greater jeopardy with every passing day. The message that this Afghanistan thing sent to leaders around the world is not a good one. China now has the rationale that they need to take Taiwan. Russia too can now think about annexing other countries without interference from the hapless Americans.
Even your allies are in disbelief at what they are witnessing now as a result of Biden's incompetence. Consider this if you will: Biden has not called one ally of ours since this happened. Not fucking one. They are all talking to each other ,but not a one is even discussing getting bumbling Biden on the horn. This is what compromised leadership looks like.
What are we to think of the fact that we are hearing nothing from Biden's Vice President, Kamala Harris? I'm thinking that is by design. Not that Harris has the wherewithal or the gravitas to upstage Biden, but Biden's people are taking no chances. She could actually make matters worse by opening her mouth. If anyone in the Biden Administration has less credibility than hapless Joe, it's one-percent Harris. The one-percent reference, of course, refers to the votes she got when she ran in the 2020 democratic presidential primary.
Looming on the horizon is the twentieth anniversary of 9/11. If they are unable to extricate all of the Americans from Afghanistan by 9/11, it could become another defining moment for the Biden Administration. We could see beheadings, imprisonments, the routing out and rounding up of foreign nationals, and god only knows what else. American troops have control of one of the airports in Kabul, but the Taliban control all routes in and out of the city. Expanding our footprint on the ground is probably not feasible nor would it be tolerated by the Taliban. They have America by the balls and they know it.
It was good to see Trump on Hannity last night. We needed to hear a rational voice at this moment in history when teleprompters and demented old fools like Joe Biden just can't and won't cut the mustard. Trump was in his element talking about his negotiations with the Taliban. He exuded strength and courage in his exchange with Hannity the likes of which Biden has never experienced even on his best day. Polls out today tell us that were Biden and Trump to run against each other today that Trump would now win handily. Maybe those suburban moms are having buyers remorse after seeing their children masked up and held down for the jab by the government forces.
What's this I'm hearing about leaders from foreign countries reaching out to Hillary Clinton because neither Biden or Harris will return their phone calls? She has no authority to speak for the government so she needs to shut the fuck up. Clinton aside, what the hell is going on? And yesterday, Biden gave another teleprompter speech about Covid and said not a word about Afghanistan. Like his previous speech, he turned and walked off the stage after delivering his speech. He took no questions and, in all likelihood, was instructed by his handlers to not take questions. This is sheer insanity.
I have to wonder if this whole thing with Afghanistan wasn't something of a ruse. What if the Taliban was actually stronger and more in control of the country than our government was willing to admit? What if the Taliban actually gave us an ultimatum to leave the country or face a crushing defeat? Is it possible that our country, with the alleged greatest military in the world, could be beaten at their own game by a bunch of rag-tag sandal-wearing militants in a dusty outback the likes of Afghanistan?
To admit that kind of defeat in the tug of war that is currently in play on the world stage would be to admit to a vulnerability that would not ultimately serve us or our allies well. It would, no doubt, please the Hollywood elites to no end to see us taken down a notch or two or more. Maybe getting out while we still could was the only game in town. Now, all they needed was a distraction to take everyone down a rabbit hole or two while we exited the country with our proverbial tails between our legs. We got that in spades with the "hastily" planned pullout fiasco. Mission accomplished.
I know it doesn't help to explain how it came to pass that we left thousands of Americans in the country to fend for themselves. Maybe that should tell you something about just how badly we were losing the ground war in that country. What did we tell the tens of thousands of Americans who are now trapped behind enemy lines? Were they under the false impression that the country was stabilized and that no harm would come to them in their role as ambassadors and contractors?
Knowing what we know about the instability in the country, why would we intentionally put people in harm's way? Were these so-called selfless humanitarians part and parcel of the narrative built up for the sole purpose of deceiving an otherwise gullible public? Maybe this is where Biden and his hapless Vice President come riding in on a white horse to save the fucking day. Maybe this kabuki dance isn't over. What failing Administration in the history of our country hasn't pulled a rabbit out of the hat at the last minute in order to save their collective arses? Wait for it.
The final pieces are falling into place. All we need now are videos of Americans being beheaded and their corpses being dragged through the streets of major cities in Afghanistan. Biden would awaken from his dirt nap, disconnect his feeding tubes, call the generals to order, rally our allies, and he would proceed to bomb the Taliban-held backwater back to the Stone Age. Americans would die in the thousands but the Biden Administration would be hailed as heroes in the global media for having the testicular fortitude to defend life and liberty in the face of a humanitarian disaster. This is what real leaders do.
All kidding aside, I think Biden's time may be winding down. We can't have a president who can't take questions when our country is in a crisis. He knows it and we know it. When is Jill Biden and the rest of the Biden Crime Family going to figure that out? Maybe they're seeing if Hunter can nail down one or two more portraits before they call it quits. At $500k a pop, that should do the trick.
Speaking of pops, a portrait of Corn Pop (Biden) stroking the long hairs on his legs while straddling a diving board and surrounded by pre-adolescent children at the local pool should fetch a good price. If I had to guess, I would say that the history books are not going be kind to Joey and his clown car of a family. Then again, liberals write the history books so something more flattering than not might emerge. He did get eighty-million votes, after all.
Then again, if not taking questions is the litmus test we hold dear as a country for making it as a leader or not, Wheels-Up Harris will also not survive the cut since she's nowhere to be found. Like I said before, just a complete zero. It all leaves us in a very sad place. I'm just a one-man circular firing squad today. I can't get out of my own way. It's all negativity all the time.
I'm not usually this upbeat. Maybe the thought of having Corn Pop removed from the Oval Office while sedated for his own good is putting me in a better mood. On the other hand, we had better be careful what we wish for. I heard someone suggest today that Harris might name Hillary as her Vice President. I wonder if Harris has ever heard of Vince Foster.
It was just one red flag moment after another yesterday. One guy was sitting in a pick-up truck in Washington D.C. talking nonsense and threatening to blow up an entire city block. There was an inferno of a car or truck fire on the bridge in San Fran-Sicko. There were countless other stories of seemingly less importance but all, and make no mistake about it, were designed to take the focus in the media off Biden's boondoggle in Afghanistan. Things were going from bad to worse. We have the media to thank for not allowing the Afghanistan story to slip to the back pages where stories go to die. This story is not going away.
It's the kind of story that we'll likely never fully understand. One curious angle coming out yesterday was that Biden had sent massive shipments of military equipment to Afghanistan in the weeks leading up to the pullout. None of that equipment was withdrawn before the pullout. It's almost as though the equipment was intended to end up in the hands of the Taliban. It was a deliberate shipment meant to arm the Taliban for reasons, at least as of today, that are unknown.
Others have postulated that the media is going after Biden because they do the bidding of the CIA and other intelligence agencies. The CIA loves wars and does not want our country pulling troops out of Afghanistan. There is just too much money to be made for the contractors and the military industrial complex. Remember when Trump wanted to pull our troops out of Afghanistan and, voila, the CIA leaked a story to the media about Russians paying bounties for American scalps in Afghanistan? The media, of course, is not a news organization in the truest sense of the word. They serve masters whose names you will never see in the corporate charter.
I'll end this with what turned out to be a pathetic presser yesterday by Biden. He was reading prepared comments off a teleprompter and made comments that were just patently untrue. For example, Al-Qaeda is no longer in Afghanistan. He also said that no allies of ours had any concerns (I'm paraphrasing) about what we were doing in Afghanistan. Unbelievably, he said something about Americans having safe passage through Taliban checkpoints on their way to the airport.
All of these abject falsehoods infuriated the media who knew better and things only got worse when spokespersons from the State Department gave their own pressers and were forced to admit that their boss was just wrong about so many things he had to say.
It went from bad to worse when he took questions after completing his speech. He kept looking down at his notes. He was looking to see which media friendly audience member he was supposed to call on. It was all very premeditated. The people selected asked the questions while reading the texts from their phones that Biden's people had given them to ask. Let's make sure that Sleepy Joe doesn't get a question that he's not prepared for. That would be a disaster.
We can't have the Commander-in-Chief looking like a fucking dope. The world was watching and, yet, they couldn't make it work. In fact, as it always does with Biden, it made matters worse. This is what happens when you steal elections and when you prop up bad people. They do bad things and that puts each and every American both at home and on foreign lands at risk. It's not complicated.
Marxists On The March
15/08/21 07:07
Now that Cuomo (luv gov) is stepping down as Governor of New York, you have to ask yourself the question: Who's next? Who thinks for a minute that the woke-ista's are done with replacing people in positions of power in state and federal offices who don't tow the "woke" line. Maybe it's that dimwit Congresswoman, Ocassio Cortez, who has threatened to run against Chuck (Chuckles) Schumer. Maybe we'll see the likes of Al (Shakedown) Sharpton run for Cuomo's position when that comes up in 2022. Maybe, just maybe, they impeach Cuomo to make sure that he doesn't run against Kamala Harris in 2024.
In case you missed it, there was a video circulating on Twitter yesterday of Bumbling Joe Biden walking into the West Wing at the White House. He was flanked by two Secret Service agents who appeared to be leading him along the pathway up to the steps and on to the hallway outside the West Wing. At one point, the Secret Service person walking in front of Biden stopped briefly and directed him to take a right at the end of the walkway. Wouldn't you know it, Bumbling Joe just kept walking.
Biden walked off the cement walkway and on to the grass where the Secret Service person was already a few steps ahead of dementia Joe and appeared to be taking the usual precautions by looking in and around bushes for the usual boogeymen. The Secret Service person behind dementia Joe looked around in bewilderment when Joe failed to take the path as directed by his fellow Secret Service person. He had to be asking himself two questions: One, where the hell is this old fuck going, and, please god, tell me that no one is capturing this on video.
I'm thinking that it's just a matter of time now before Joe steps down or is maybe forced from office. Will it have anything to do with allegations of sexual improprieties the likes of which we saw in spades with Cuomo? Well, there is the Tara Reid rape allegation still hanging out there against Biden so there's that. These two politicians (Biden and Cuomo) are freaks of a feather when you consider that they both used the "I've always been a hands-on and empathetic politician" defense when faced with sordid and twisted allegations leveled by females against them.
Make no mistake about it. They have Harris waiting in the wings to replace bumbling Joe. That's the plan. That's always been the plan. The only thing more frightful than what we see in Biden, his leftist policies aside, is the total void that is Kamala Harris. It's a well known fact that that she owes her political wins over time to her sexual dalliances with Willie Brown. Even Willie probably never envisioned her making her way into the White House given her lack of prowess and all-too-obvious intellectual vacuity. He knew her for the zero that she is but, then again, it wasn't her mind that he was interested in. Good ole Wille.
Yesterday was an Ev day. He and I spent time together sorting things out and putting things in their rightful places. I took a bunch of his things to the laundromat in the morning before heading over to his place for 1pm. I wanted to work with him to get a few extra things done around his apartment and then we were off to the town hall to register his car. It wasn't the best day to be running around doing things given that temperatures out and about were maybe just shy of 90 with high humidity but it was what it was. We then went to get his inspection sticker at the dealership and that too went off without a hitch. Easy peasy.
His comfort level with all of this stuff is just not up to snuff. That is where I come in. I try as I might to not do things for him that he is capable of doing for himself but that line is not always as clear as one might think. I'm in the "teaching him how to fish" phase so wish me luck. It's not me who needs the luck but there you have it.
We also took the opportunity during my visit to flip his mattress around. It was overdue given that he's had the mattress for some two years now. That's a two-man job to be sure. I spied a pile of dirty dishes on the corner of his sink while helping out and I wondered if that was the same pile of dirty dishes that I saw there the last time I visited. There are some things you just don't want to know.
Ev is getting some pressure from folks to get vaccinated. He's resisted thus far and I think that's a good thing. Adults his age have a better chance of getting hit by lightning than dying from Covid so I like his chances. No one knows the long term effects of this experimental vaccine they're pushing so I'm not willing to have my child be a part of some grand scale clinical trial by big Pharma. The government has gotten in bed with the devil when it comes to this vaccine and they've made promises that they will never be able to keep. American citizens should not pay the price for poor decisions made by their governments.
He owes no explanations for his decisions to pass on the vaccination. His body, his choice. Right? Isn't that what women say when it comes to abortion? And when people call him a murderer for not taking the vaccine, I thinks that's a bridge too far. I want him to stand tall and proud for sticking to his guns and not giving in to the panic porn around this vaccination business.
And, since when is it a liberal vs conservative issue? Not that the Ev man thinks in those terms, but he's painted with the same broad brush strokes when the libs start going after the unvaccinated. The unvaccinated are, after all, Trump supporters and by-and-large from Southern states. They never mention the fact that blacks and hispanics are also part and parcel of the "vaccine hesitancy" crowd.
If you listen to some of these clowns on the progressive radio stations like Sirius, you might think that the liberals have zero vaccine hesitancy, are all vaccinated and have received booster shots where appropriate, and all are at risk of losing their lives if infected by the unvaccinated republicans. Oh, and feel free to use the terms "unvaccinated" and "Trump supporter" interchangeably. That is what they would say.
Pushing the narrative that Trump supporters are responsible for the deaths of countless Americans is the hill that they are willing to die on if it will return them to Congress and the Presidency in 2022 and 2024. Is it too insensitive of me to be asking the question, "How many people have died this past week or month as a result of complications experienced after receiving the vaccine?" I'll wait.
Knowing what we know about the bumbling presidency that is the Biden presidency, the libs are going to need something more than a raging coronavirus to keep power in the upcoming elections. Biden's approval ratings are underwater and Kamala Harris, as a VP, has been an absolute disaster. Sleepy Joe will never escape the cognitive hell that he lives in due to his dementia and it only gets worse with each passing day.
I expect we'll see less and less of him as they hide him away and out of the public eye. It's not like we didn't see this coming. At what point does it become a constitutional crisis? At what point do they deem him unfit for office? I'm not sure that we should be praying for this moment knowing what we know about his Vice President. Uh, no.
Then there is the thought process that says that Joe Biden has never really been in charge anyway so who cares. Is it, by any chance, that fucking goat herder from Kenya with the transexual wife, Michael? They never left Washington after leaving office so one has to be a little bit suspect. We're all still waiting for one person who knew him in his college days to step forward with evidence that he even attended college in our country.
Either Obama wasn't in attendance, or he was the worst student on campus and nobody wanted to associate themselves with him. It's probably like the Kennedy assassination or the moon landing in the late sixties. We'll get the truth some 50 years from now when nobody, and I mean nobody, gives a fuck.
I saw some story yesterday about results coming out of the latest Census numbers for our country. It showed a declining number of white people for the first time since the Census began. As a stand alone story, not a big deal. Yet, we saw talking heads on the liberal talk shows taking a victory lap at the very thought of a diminishing number of white people going forward. How is that not racist?
Did you see white people taking a victory lap when the Census showed white people as the dominant race in our country? The short answer to that question is, no, you did not. These radicals might be surprised to know that our Constitution says nothing about racism. Maybe they missed the part that says, "All men are created equal."
I'm not convinced that this colorized version of our country coming down the pike is the nirvana that everyone on the left thinks that it is. We only have to look at the cities run by the democrats and the minority populations they control to know that more of the same is not a fruitful model for our country on a go-forward basis.
Crime is rampant, poverty is inescapable, graft and corruption are a way of life, pulling oneself up by one's bootstraps is practically impossible, and self initiative is not encouraged. So when I see morons giving each other high-fives at the thought of what is today a minority population finally having the upper hand in controlling our destiny as a country, color me skeptical.
More troubling to me is the move towards socialism we see with the Biden Administration currently in office. We're several generations removed from our country becoming a nation of black and brown people but we are a lot closer to losing our republic when we see what Biden and his minions are doing to weaken the firewalls of our Constitution.
There was a lead story on the Tucker show on FOX last night where he mentioned one thing but, in the process of doing that, revealed something more troubling that I think he wanted everyone to know about. He actually said that the grand daughter of Che Guevara has an office in Biden's White House. Wut? They know Che Guevara was a Marxist revolutionary. Right? WTF!
I was looking at the telly last night hoping to find news about the goings on in Afghanistan. It was crickets for the most part. CNN had some moron interviewing a Taliban commander and asked how they planned to further women's rights now that they are on the verge of taking over the country. You can't make this stuff up. That's when I tripped over Tucker's comments.
The absence of any real reporting on the pullout of American troops from Afghanistan by the leftist media, and what is now shaping up to be a repeat of the Saigon disaster in the late sixties, tells you all you need to know about the leftist press and their fervor for covering up anything that doesn't shed a positive light on the Biden Administration.
We're just waiting now for the video of American's being airlifted off the roofs of consulates across Kabul, if we get to see them at all. The smart money says that we will never get to see those pictures as long as the democrats are sitting in the White House and their praetorian guard are in control of the media.
You're more likely to hear about states along our southern tier where the virus is running rampant and the governors in those very states who are pushing back against vaccine mandates, mask mandates, etc. in the midst of it all. Not a fucking word about the illegal aliens pouring into those very same states where one in four is sick with one or more variants of Covid-19. This is Biden's America. God help us all!
In case you missed it, there was a video circulating on Twitter yesterday of Bumbling Joe Biden walking into the West Wing at the White House. He was flanked by two Secret Service agents who appeared to be leading him along the pathway up to the steps and on to the hallway outside the West Wing. At one point, the Secret Service person walking in front of Biden stopped briefly and directed him to take a right at the end of the walkway. Wouldn't you know it, Bumbling Joe just kept walking.
Biden walked off the cement walkway and on to the grass where the Secret Service person was already a few steps ahead of dementia Joe and appeared to be taking the usual precautions by looking in and around bushes for the usual boogeymen. The Secret Service person behind dementia Joe looked around in bewilderment when Joe failed to take the path as directed by his fellow Secret Service person. He had to be asking himself two questions: One, where the hell is this old fuck going, and, please god, tell me that no one is capturing this on video.
I'm thinking that it's just a matter of time now before Joe steps down or is maybe forced from office. Will it have anything to do with allegations of sexual improprieties the likes of which we saw in spades with Cuomo? Well, there is the Tara Reid rape allegation still hanging out there against Biden so there's that. These two politicians (Biden and Cuomo) are freaks of a feather when you consider that they both used the "I've always been a hands-on and empathetic politician" defense when faced with sordid and twisted allegations leveled by females against them.
Make no mistake about it. They have Harris waiting in the wings to replace bumbling Joe. That's the plan. That's always been the plan. The only thing more frightful than what we see in Biden, his leftist policies aside, is the total void that is Kamala Harris. It's a well known fact that that she owes her political wins over time to her sexual dalliances with Willie Brown. Even Willie probably never envisioned her making her way into the White House given her lack of prowess and all-too-obvious intellectual vacuity. He knew her for the zero that she is but, then again, it wasn't her mind that he was interested in. Good ole Wille.
Yesterday was an Ev day. He and I spent time together sorting things out and putting things in their rightful places. I took a bunch of his things to the laundromat in the morning before heading over to his place for 1pm. I wanted to work with him to get a few extra things done around his apartment and then we were off to the town hall to register his car. It wasn't the best day to be running around doing things given that temperatures out and about were maybe just shy of 90 with high humidity but it was what it was. We then went to get his inspection sticker at the dealership and that too went off without a hitch. Easy peasy.
His comfort level with all of this stuff is just not up to snuff. That is where I come in. I try as I might to not do things for him that he is capable of doing for himself but that line is not always as clear as one might think. I'm in the "teaching him how to fish" phase so wish me luck. It's not me who needs the luck but there you have it.
We also took the opportunity during my visit to flip his mattress around. It was overdue given that he's had the mattress for some two years now. That's a two-man job to be sure. I spied a pile of dirty dishes on the corner of his sink while helping out and I wondered if that was the same pile of dirty dishes that I saw there the last time I visited. There are some things you just don't want to know.
Ev is getting some pressure from folks to get vaccinated. He's resisted thus far and I think that's a good thing. Adults his age have a better chance of getting hit by lightning than dying from Covid so I like his chances. No one knows the long term effects of this experimental vaccine they're pushing so I'm not willing to have my child be a part of some grand scale clinical trial by big Pharma. The government has gotten in bed with the devil when it comes to this vaccine and they've made promises that they will never be able to keep. American citizens should not pay the price for poor decisions made by their governments.
He owes no explanations for his decisions to pass on the vaccination. His body, his choice. Right? Isn't that what women say when it comes to abortion? And when people call him a murderer for not taking the vaccine, I thinks that's a bridge too far. I want him to stand tall and proud for sticking to his guns and not giving in to the panic porn around this vaccination business.
And, since when is it a liberal vs conservative issue? Not that the Ev man thinks in those terms, but he's painted with the same broad brush strokes when the libs start going after the unvaccinated. The unvaccinated are, after all, Trump supporters and by-and-large from Southern states. They never mention the fact that blacks and hispanics are also part and parcel of the "vaccine hesitancy" crowd.
If you listen to some of these clowns on the progressive radio stations like Sirius, you might think that the liberals have zero vaccine hesitancy, are all vaccinated and have received booster shots where appropriate, and all are at risk of losing their lives if infected by the unvaccinated republicans. Oh, and feel free to use the terms "unvaccinated" and "Trump supporter" interchangeably. That is what they would say.
Pushing the narrative that Trump supporters are responsible for the deaths of countless Americans is the hill that they are willing to die on if it will return them to Congress and the Presidency in 2022 and 2024. Is it too insensitive of me to be asking the question, "How many people have died this past week or month as a result of complications experienced after receiving the vaccine?" I'll wait.
Knowing what we know about the bumbling presidency that is the Biden presidency, the libs are going to need something more than a raging coronavirus to keep power in the upcoming elections. Biden's approval ratings are underwater and Kamala Harris, as a VP, has been an absolute disaster. Sleepy Joe will never escape the cognitive hell that he lives in due to his dementia and it only gets worse with each passing day.
I expect we'll see less and less of him as they hide him away and out of the public eye. It's not like we didn't see this coming. At what point does it become a constitutional crisis? At what point do they deem him unfit for office? I'm not sure that we should be praying for this moment knowing what we know about his Vice President. Uh, no.
Then there is the thought process that says that Joe Biden has never really been in charge anyway so who cares. Is it, by any chance, that fucking goat herder from Kenya with the transexual wife, Michael? They never left Washington after leaving office so one has to be a little bit suspect. We're all still waiting for one person who knew him in his college days to step forward with evidence that he even attended college in our country.
Either Obama wasn't in attendance, or he was the worst student on campus and nobody wanted to associate themselves with him. It's probably like the Kennedy assassination or the moon landing in the late sixties. We'll get the truth some 50 years from now when nobody, and I mean nobody, gives a fuck.
I saw some story yesterday about results coming out of the latest Census numbers for our country. It showed a declining number of white people for the first time since the Census began. As a stand alone story, not a big deal. Yet, we saw talking heads on the liberal talk shows taking a victory lap at the very thought of a diminishing number of white people going forward. How is that not racist?
Did you see white people taking a victory lap when the Census showed white people as the dominant race in our country? The short answer to that question is, no, you did not. These radicals might be surprised to know that our Constitution says nothing about racism. Maybe they missed the part that says, "All men are created equal."
I'm not convinced that this colorized version of our country coming down the pike is the nirvana that everyone on the left thinks that it is. We only have to look at the cities run by the democrats and the minority populations they control to know that more of the same is not a fruitful model for our country on a go-forward basis.
Crime is rampant, poverty is inescapable, graft and corruption are a way of life, pulling oneself up by one's bootstraps is practically impossible, and self initiative is not encouraged. So when I see morons giving each other high-fives at the thought of what is today a minority population finally having the upper hand in controlling our destiny as a country, color me skeptical.
More troubling to me is the move towards socialism we see with the Biden Administration currently in office. We're several generations removed from our country becoming a nation of black and brown people but we are a lot closer to losing our republic when we see what Biden and his minions are doing to weaken the firewalls of our Constitution.
There was a lead story on the Tucker show on FOX last night where he mentioned one thing but, in the process of doing that, revealed something more troubling that I think he wanted everyone to know about. He actually said that the grand daughter of Che Guevara has an office in Biden's White House. Wut? They know Che Guevara was a Marxist revolutionary. Right? WTF!
I was looking at the telly last night hoping to find news about the goings on in Afghanistan. It was crickets for the most part. CNN had some moron interviewing a Taliban commander and asked how they planned to further women's rights now that they are on the verge of taking over the country. You can't make this stuff up. That's when I tripped over Tucker's comments.
The absence of any real reporting on the pullout of American troops from Afghanistan by the leftist media, and what is now shaping up to be a repeat of the Saigon disaster in the late sixties, tells you all you need to know about the leftist press and their fervor for covering up anything that doesn't shed a positive light on the Biden Administration.
We're just waiting now for the video of American's being airlifted off the roofs of consulates across Kabul, if we get to see them at all. The smart money says that we will never get to see those pictures as long as the democrats are sitting in the White House and their praetorian guard are in control of the media.
You're more likely to hear about states along our southern tier where the virus is running rampant and the governors in those very states who are pushing back against vaccine mandates, mask mandates, etc. in the midst of it all. Not a fucking word about the illegal aliens pouring into those very same states where one in four is sick with one or more variants of Covid-19. This is Biden's America. God help us all!
End Times
08/08/21 07:02
I'm beginning to wish that I had never gotten the jab. They're now saying that it not only doesn't offer full protection against the virus, but that you now can carry that ever-deadly (Delta) viral load and infect everybody in your community. You may not even know you have it but you will assuredly be Patient Zero in your community unless you wear six masks and agree to complete your mail-in ballot when the 2022 elections roll around. Oh, and Dr Fauci says so. Any questions?
Another thing I don't get is why so many organizations are making the jab mandatory for their employees. I'm just a little suspicious when I see that these are the same organizations that have joined the various woke causes of the left like Disney, Coca-Cola, etc. They know that these vaccines are "experimental." Right? What the hell is going on? Now that the word is out that the vaccines just aren't cutting the mustard, how can they continue to push the jab nonsense? It's just one more nightmare of a public relations fiasco coming out of the Biden Administration. One of many, I might add.
Just for context, it's important to add here that the Delta variant has been around for a while in Sweden resulting in very few deaths and maybe even fewer hospitalizations. Sweden just dropped their last mask mandate that had something to do with public transportation so that should tell us something about how effective masks are when it comes to protecting you from the virus. I'm reading this morning where some government official in Australia is saying that these viruses are going to be around forever. You heard that right. Forever. We'd be smart to just learn to live with it. Enough with the damn fear mongering.
Somewhere along the way, I must not have dotted all my i's and crossed all my t's. I keep getting these texts from the CDC telling me that I haven't yet gotten my second of two jabs. Nothing could be further from the truth, of course. It also annoys me that the CDC has any records concerning my vaccinations. I thought they were not supposed to have a database of any kind that tracks Americans when it comes to this vaccine. I have no intention of telling them to go screw. I'm just going to ignore the texts. It's none of their fucking business whether I'm vaccinated or not. What does "vaccinated" even mean anymore? It certainly doesn't mean "safe."
Japan is hosting the Olympics this summer. Japan is a stalwart ally of our country (unlike Beijing, China) so that is maybe one of many reasons for me to be tuning in. Yet, I've not watched any events. You don't have to love your country to watch your fellow countrymen competing in the Olympics, but it certainly helps. If your countrymen and women are using the Olympics as a backdrop for their social justice causes, then there's not a lot to love there. Let them take a knee, raise and pump their fists, and piss all over the American flag on their own time. Oh, and I have a piece of advice for Americans. Don't be sending men to compete in women's events. It's not a good look.
I'm not only not interested in watching these so-called woke Olympics, I'm actually pulling for the American's to lose. I can't say that I'm proud of that but it's the only silver bullet I have left in the chamber with which I have to fight back. When I heard that the women's soccer team lost to Canada, I couldn't have been happier. There were a handful of kneelers on that team who were profiting handsomely off the field thanks to their woke politics. They couldn't hate America enough. As if losing to a team that they'd never before lost to before wasn't enough, they made matters worse by being poor losers. Who does that?
When the gymnast, Simone Biles, decided that she no longer wanted to compete for the gold for reasons related to mental health, she was applauded by the leftist media for her courage in the face of adversity. Prior to her decision not to compete for the gold, she was also the darling of the leftist media. She was the new black hope. She was the one athlete that little girls could look up to and emulate for all the right reasons. When are we as a country going to start sending our best to these events?
The leftist media projected their hopes and dreams on Ms. Biles and when Ms. Biles stepped off the stage, they covered for her endlessly. Here's my take: She didn't have the grit, the determination, or the skills to get the job done. She took a place on the team that might have gone to a more worthy athlete. This is what happens in America when everyone, including the losers, gets a trophy. No one goes home empty handed. Children never learn the true value of competition. It's altogether the wrong message. We can do better as country.
And then there was this asshat (Gwen Berry) representing the United States in the hammer toss competition who said that, were she to win a medal, that she would be dissing our flag for all the world to see. She finished 11th out of 12th in the competition. A little divine comeuppance is just what we needed, so this pup is heading home to the country she despises. Her face will not be appearing on any cereal boxes, she'll not be going on any late night talk shows, and she'll have to think long and hard about her future prospects. I don't know that Walmart places a premium on prospective employees with experience in hammer throwing so there's that.
Speaking of asshats, what's with this Cuomo thing? You know, the luv gov. The governor of New York who loves to hug everyone and their mother. This is what Italians do. Right? He's on the hot seat now that the Attorney General of New York has completed her investigation into his alleged unwanted dalliances with woman in and out of his administration. It seems the 11 women that have come forward to date have all had their accounts corroborated. The investigative team documented both federal and state crimes in their month's long investigation. No charges will be filed against the governor as a result of their findings. Wut?
The gov (Andrew Cuomo) probably has the goods on many of the people in state government so he can count on them not turning on him. He's looking at Governor Northam in Virginia and sees how he survived after a series of black face photos surfaced and figures he too can survive with the passing of time and fading memories. I don't recall what legacy Mario Cuomo (luv gov's father) left behind him as governor when he retired, but the Cuomo's have been cashing in on his legacy ever since. The old man must be rolling over in his grave seeing how his son has now sullied the Cuomo name. There is no coming back from something this sordid and something this criminal.
I suppose they could impeach the luv gov. It takes 2/3rd's of this and 2/3rd's of that to do it. It's a reach. Even if he were to stay in office, what kind if environment would that be for females who have to work side by side with him knowing what they know about his perversions, penchants, and proclivities? How could they be certain that he wouldn't attempt to fondle or otherwise defile them with his unwanted gestures, his leering looks, his disgusting and suggestive remarks, or maybe with his grubby paws. They could never escape his lustful eyes or his old-man salivating at the sight and scent of their youthfulness and vulnerability. He'd have to make sure that there were no witnesses. It would be his word against theirs next time. That's always worked well for him in the past.
The communist contingent of Congress men and women stood on the Capitol steps singing Woody Guthrie's, "This Land is Your Land, this Land is my Land." They were celebrating Biden's 90-day extension of the moratorium against evictions for renters unable (and mostly unwilling) to pay their rent due to the spread of the Delta variant of Covid-19. First and foremost, Biden has no authority to do any such thing. Secondly, this moratorium is nothing more than an illegal action by the government against homeowners. It's tantamount to confiscation of their private property and a threat to their financial well being.
This is what communists do. They don't believe in the ownership of private property. If they can strip away those rights by governmental dictate, all the better. The Supreme Court already weighed in on this matter and clearly stated that only Congress has the right to legislate remedies as it relates to this matter. Biden swore an oath to support our Constitution and is now ignoring the Constitution with his most recent proclamation to extend the moratorium by 90 days.
Someone needs to spank this mother and spank him hard. I don't know that the Supreme Court has the wherewithal to drag this despot out of the corner office in order to put a stop to his lawlessness, but someone needs to step up to the plate. It's all about satisfying the blood lust of the left leaning flank of his party. They won't be satisfied until they see blood flowing in the streets and capitalists coast to coast locked up and their assets confiscated and redistributed. I'm still waiting for even one republican to stand up and proclaim to all the world that he or she is calling for Biden's impeachment for his many violations of the oath that he took when inaugurated. Tick Tock Tick Tock.
What's this I'm hearing about the doomsday variant? You know, the variant that hasn't evolved yet. Fauci says it's coming and it's deadlier then ever. So deadly, in fact, that none of the existing vaccines will help you escape its deadly grasp. What the fuck is he talking about? How does he know about such things? Did he help develop these viruses with the assistance of the Chinese Communist party? Senator Rand Paul has exposed this fraud, Fauci, time and time again for his role in not only the financing and development of these viral agents, but his role as chief scaremonger for the Biden-ista regime. It's just beyond the pale. You can only cry "wolf" so many times before people stop listening. We're there and then some, folks.
Apple has announced that they will now be scanning Apple devices coast to coast for images on devices that depict children in unsavory ways. That's laudable, at first glance. Who knew they were capable of such things? How long has this technology existed? Why haven't they done this sooner? I get a little concerned when I think back to a time when one or more family members living on Main Street, USA, were indicted on charges of a sexual nature for bringing film of their children playing in the tub to the local film developer. If Apple can surreptitiously scan devices without the knowledge of the device owner, who knows what will pass muster and what won't. Today, it's Apple. Tomorrow, it could be anybody.
The missus and I paid Mrs G a visit yesterday afternoon. She's doing well. We took care of a few computer related items like changing the ink in her printer and we gave her a hand in setting up passwords on a couple of her accounts. I'm not sure that she wouldn't have muddled through these mundane tasks herself but we were there and happy to help so that's what we did.
Sometimes, having something to do while visiting Mrs G keeps things moving and, more often than not, it keeps the discussion lively. We brought her a nice loaf of apple cinnamon bread from Tuttles to have with her coffee and she seemed pleased to have it. I think we'll try to take her out for a ride the next time we visit. She still has her car but there's nothing like riding shotgun when you're wanting to just take in a little scenery far from the maddening crowds. Well, as maddening and crowded as it gets in an independent living facility anyway.
The missus and I grabbed a couple of fish sandwiches at Lexie's in Exeter before heading home. They make a damn good fish sandwich. It's fried, so that's not ideal, but it's lathered with this and that sauce, piled high with coleslaw, and then served on a toasted or steamed bun. I think the latter. It was against my better judgment, but I also ordered a chocolate milk shake and an order of fries to go along with our sandwiches. To ease any residual guilt we might have felt both during and after consuming such a meal, we agreed to share the shake and the fries.
I'd forgotten that Lexie's doesn't take Apple Cash. We left our credit cards behind, so I had to read the credit card information off my iPhone to the woman behind the register. I think it wasn't her first rodeo so I was pleased to see she took it all in stride. No huffing, no puffing, no nasty looks. It made it that much easier to leave her a nice tip. Speaking of first rodeo's, I've decided that I really don't need to take my wallet with me in my travels any more. I have everything I need on my iPhone although I now keep my license in my car in the event someone needs to see it for proof of something or other. Easy peasy.
Another thing I don't get is why so many organizations are making the jab mandatory for their employees. I'm just a little suspicious when I see that these are the same organizations that have joined the various woke causes of the left like Disney, Coca-Cola, etc. They know that these vaccines are "experimental." Right? What the hell is going on? Now that the word is out that the vaccines just aren't cutting the mustard, how can they continue to push the jab nonsense? It's just one more nightmare of a public relations fiasco coming out of the Biden Administration. One of many, I might add.
Just for context, it's important to add here that the Delta variant has been around for a while in Sweden resulting in very few deaths and maybe even fewer hospitalizations. Sweden just dropped their last mask mandate that had something to do with public transportation so that should tell us something about how effective masks are when it comes to protecting you from the virus. I'm reading this morning where some government official in Australia is saying that these viruses are going to be around forever. You heard that right. Forever. We'd be smart to just learn to live with it. Enough with the damn fear mongering.
Somewhere along the way, I must not have dotted all my i's and crossed all my t's. I keep getting these texts from the CDC telling me that I haven't yet gotten my second of two jabs. Nothing could be further from the truth, of course. It also annoys me that the CDC has any records concerning my vaccinations. I thought they were not supposed to have a database of any kind that tracks Americans when it comes to this vaccine. I have no intention of telling them to go screw. I'm just going to ignore the texts. It's none of their fucking business whether I'm vaccinated or not. What does "vaccinated" even mean anymore? It certainly doesn't mean "safe."
Japan is hosting the Olympics this summer. Japan is a stalwart ally of our country (unlike Beijing, China) so that is maybe one of many reasons for me to be tuning in. Yet, I've not watched any events. You don't have to love your country to watch your fellow countrymen competing in the Olympics, but it certainly helps. If your countrymen and women are using the Olympics as a backdrop for their social justice causes, then there's not a lot to love there. Let them take a knee, raise and pump their fists, and piss all over the American flag on their own time. Oh, and I have a piece of advice for Americans. Don't be sending men to compete in women's events. It's not a good look.
I'm not only not interested in watching these so-called woke Olympics, I'm actually pulling for the American's to lose. I can't say that I'm proud of that but it's the only silver bullet I have left in the chamber with which I have to fight back. When I heard that the women's soccer team lost to Canada, I couldn't have been happier. There were a handful of kneelers on that team who were profiting handsomely off the field thanks to their woke politics. They couldn't hate America enough. As if losing to a team that they'd never before lost to before wasn't enough, they made matters worse by being poor losers. Who does that?
When the gymnast, Simone Biles, decided that she no longer wanted to compete for the gold for reasons related to mental health, she was applauded by the leftist media for her courage in the face of adversity. Prior to her decision not to compete for the gold, she was also the darling of the leftist media. She was the new black hope. She was the one athlete that little girls could look up to and emulate for all the right reasons. When are we as a country going to start sending our best to these events?
The leftist media projected their hopes and dreams on Ms. Biles and when Ms. Biles stepped off the stage, they covered for her endlessly. Here's my take: She didn't have the grit, the determination, or the skills to get the job done. She took a place on the team that might have gone to a more worthy athlete. This is what happens in America when everyone, including the losers, gets a trophy. No one goes home empty handed. Children never learn the true value of competition. It's altogether the wrong message. We can do better as country.
And then there was this asshat (Gwen Berry) representing the United States in the hammer toss competition who said that, were she to win a medal, that she would be dissing our flag for all the world to see. She finished 11th out of 12th in the competition. A little divine comeuppance is just what we needed, so this pup is heading home to the country she despises. Her face will not be appearing on any cereal boxes, she'll not be going on any late night talk shows, and she'll have to think long and hard about her future prospects. I don't know that Walmart places a premium on prospective employees with experience in hammer throwing so there's that.
Speaking of asshats, what's with this Cuomo thing? You know, the luv gov. The governor of New York who loves to hug everyone and their mother. This is what Italians do. Right? He's on the hot seat now that the Attorney General of New York has completed her investigation into his alleged unwanted dalliances with woman in and out of his administration. It seems the 11 women that have come forward to date have all had their accounts corroborated. The investigative team documented both federal and state crimes in their month's long investigation. No charges will be filed against the governor as a result of their findings. Wut?
The gov (Andrew Cuomo) probably has the goods on many of the people in state government so he can count on them not turning on him. He's looking at Governor Northam in Virginia and sees how he survived after a series of black face photos surfaced and figures he too can survive with the passing of time and fading memories. I don't recall what legacy Mario Cuomo (luv gov's father) left behind him as governor when he retired, but the Cuomo's have been cashing in on his legacy ever since. The old man must be rolling over in his grave seeing how his son has now sullied the Cuomo name. There is no coming back from something this sordid and something this criminal.
I suppose they could impeach the luv gov. It takes 2/3rd's of this and 2/3rd's of that to do it. It's a reach. Even if he were to stay in office, what kind if environment would that be for females who have to work side by side with him knowing what they know about his perversions, penchants, and proclivities? How could they be certain that he wouldn't attempt to fondle or otherwise defile them with his unwanted gestures, his leering looks, his disgusting and suggestive remarks, or maybe with his grubby paws. They could never escape his lustful eyes or his old-man salivating at the sight and scent of their youthfulness and vulnerability. He'd have to make sure that there were no witnesses. It would be his word against theirs next time. That's always worked well for him in the past.
The communist contingent of Congress men and women stood on the Capitol steps singing Woody Guthrie's, "This Land is Your Land, this Land is my Land." They were celebrating Biden's 90-day extension of the moratorium against evictions for renters unable (and mostly unwilling) to pay their rent due to the spread of the Delta variant of Covid-19. First and foremost, Biden has no authority to do any such thing. Secondly, this moratorium is nothing more than an illegal action by the government against homeowners. It's tantamount to confiscation of their private property and a threat to their financial well being.
This is what communists do. They don't believe in the ownership of private property. If they can strip away those rights by governmental dictate, all the better. The Supreme Court already weighed in on this matter and clearly stated that only Congress has the right to legislate remedies as it relates to this matter. Biden swore an oath to support our Constitution and is now ignoring the Constitution with his most recent proclamation to extend the moratorium by 90 days.
Someone needs to spank this mother and spank him hard. I don't know that the Supreme Court has the wherewithal to drag this despot out of the corner office in order to put a stop to his lawlessness, but someone needs to step up to the plate. It's all about satisfying the blood lust of the left leaning flank of his party. They won't be satisfied until they see blood flowing in the streets and capitalists coast to coast locked up and their assets confiscated and redistributed. I'm still waiting for even one republican to stand up and proclaim to all the world that he or she is calling for Biden's impeachment for his many violations of the oath that he took when inaugurated. Tick Tock Tick Tock.
What's this I'm hearing about the doomsday variant? You know, the variant that hasn't evolved yet. Fauci says it's coming and it's deadlier then ever. So deadly, in fact, that none of the existing vaccines will help you escape its deadly grasp. What the fuck is he talking about? How does he know about such things? Did he help develop these viruses with the assistance of the Chinese Communist party? Senator Rand Paul has exposed this fraud, Fauci, time and time again for his role in not only the financing and development of these viral agents, but his role as chief scaremonger for the Biden-ista regime. It's just beyond the pale. You can only cry "wolf" so many times before people stop listening. We're there and then some, folks.
Apple has announced that they will now be scanning Apple devices coast to coast for images on devices that depict children in unsavory ways. That's laudable, at first glance. Who knew they were capable of such things? How long has this technology existed? Why haven't they done this sooner? I get a little concerned when I think back to a time when one or more family members living on Main Street, USA, were indicted on charges of a sexual nature for bringing film of their children playing in the tub to the local film developer. If Apple can surreptitiously scan devices without the knowledge of the device owner, who knows what will pass muster and what won't. Today, it's Apple. Tomorrow, it could be anybody.
The missus and I paid Mrs G a visit yesterday afternoon. She's doing well. We took care of a few computer related items like changing the ink in her printer and we gave her a hand in setting up passwords on a couple of her accounts. I'm not sure that she wouldn't have muddled through these mundane tasks herself but we were there and happy to help so that's what we did.
Sometimes, having something to do while visiting Mrs G keeps things moving and, more often than not, it keeps the discussion lively. We brought her a nice loaf of apple cinnamon bread from Tuttles to have with her coffee and she seemed pleased to have it. I think we'll try to take her out for a ride the next time we visit. She still has her car but there's nothing like riding shotgun when you're wanting to just take in a little scenery far from the maddening crowds. Well, as maddening and crowded as it gets in an independent living facility anyway.
The missus and I grabbed a couple of fish sandwiches at Lexie's in Exeter before heading home. They make a damn good fish sandwich. It's fried, so that's not ideal, but it's lathered with this and that sauce, piled high with coleslaw, and then served on a toasted or steamed bun. I think the latter. It was against my better judgment, but I also ordered a chocolate milk shake and an order of fries to go along with our sandwiches. To ease any residual guilt we might have felt both during and after consuming such a meal, we agreed to share the shake and the fries.
I'd forgotten that Lexie's doesn't take Apple Cash. We left our credit cards behind, so I had to read the credit card information off my iPhone to the woman behind the register. I think it wasn't her first rodeo so I was pleased to see she took it all in stride. No huffing, no puffing, no nasty looks. It made it that much easier to leave her a nice tip. Speaking of first rodeo's, I've decided that I really don't need to take my wallet with me in my travels any more. I have everything I need on my iPhone although I now keep my license in my car in the event someone needs to see it for proof of something or other. Easy peasy.
"A Republic, if you can keep it."
01/08/21 07:09
Where are we going this week, Johnny Boy? What tortured and twisted road will we be going down before we end up god only knows where? So, life isn't all unicorns and rainbows? I guess we'll see. It will unfold before our very eyes for better or worse. No one has a crystal ball so there won't be any previews for those who love previews. We can only hope that there will be very little bad news and more good news than bad at the end of the week. What a way to kick off my blog this week. It's a fucking disaster before it even starts.
If the good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise, we'll be picking up Evan's new used car today. He's about as excited as one can be about getting a new set of wheels. He's been car-less for the better part now of two to three weeks and, while he's not one to complain, he seems darn happy about the prospects of getting back behind the wheel. His first official destination, or so he says, is to head for the nearest Starbuck's drive-up window and get himself an iced flat white. Seems righteous.
We have a vacation in the works but there have been a few developments that qualify somewhat as a flies in the proverbial ointment. Our plan was to stay lakeside for a week, do a little fishing and boating, and maybe throw in a modest road trip or two just to keep things interesting. Here's the rub: The boat we had planned to use has been sold. To make matters worse, the boat will stay in its present day mooring for the duration of our stay at the lake. That is to say, even if we wanted to use another boat, we would have no place to dock it.
That's a cluster under the best of circumstances. Half the fun of being at the lake is being able to do a bit of boating while there. So, we need a plan B. It's clear we need a plan B. We have a couple of feelers out for a place with an available dock but, thus far, it's a no-go.
I'm trying to negotiate a better price for this one place we're looking at considering the fact that we're talking about post-season rental dates. It's the best time to be on the lake if you want the unvarnished truth. The yahoos of summer have long since departed and the lake reverts to its natural state. It's the lake of my childhood. It's the lake of my dreams. It's the Queen of American Lakes.
The rental market for lakeside properties on this particular lake has been so hot this year that the owners seem to think that they can fetch top dollar even after Labor Day. Maybe they're right. I'm hoping they're wrong. It doesn't hurt to make a pitch so that's what I did. The week we're interested in still appears available on the website so why not offer less than top dollar? It's a win-win for everybody, is it not?
The realtor gets her slice of the pie, albeit a smaller slice than she'd hoped to get were she to find a renter to pay the full freight, but a slice nonetheless. The owner no longer has to run the risk of getting nothing as the summer season on the lake comes to a close and they find themselves competing with a boatload of vacated properties and a rapidly diminishing number of prospective renters.
The first response from the broker to my pitch was as follows: "The owners are charging $x,xxx for the month of September." Loosely translated, that means they're not offering any discounts at this time. All I could envision was Greta Thunberg sitting at her computer and banging away on her keyboard with the following: "HOW DARE YOU?" What about that response tells you that the broker didn't even approach the owner with my offer?
Call me suspicious but I had the funny feeling given the brevity and the haste with which she responded to my e-mail that she never even approached the property owner with my offer. When a realtor takes it upon his self or herself to speak for a property owner, that's a problem. I needed to tease this out a bit more, so I responded with the following: "Ok, thank you for inquiring." I was essentially calling her out for not making the pitch on my behalf but pretending that she had.
I wanted to let her know that I knew that she really hadn't done her due diligence as a realtor when she decided to answer for the owner of the property. What realtor worth his or her salt doesn't go back to the owner with a counteroffer tendered by a prospective renter/buyer? Has her experience as a rental agent in the fast flowing and occasionally nasty nature of that end of the business so corrupted her that she is essentially now nothing more than an agent running rogue?
The final steps in my long distance Kabuki dance with the realtor was to thank her for doing something that she essentially did not do. I knew that if she had any scruples whatsoever, this probably wouldn't sit well with her. I was counting on it. Within 45 minutes of my e-mail and her original response, she replied with the following: "I've just asked them again. Will let you know if anything changes."
Well, what do ya know? Asked them again, my ass. So, you've asked them twice within 45 minutes? It just doesn't pass the smell test, sweetie. So, here's the deal. I'm thinking that when August 1st rolls around, which is just a day or two away now, it will be a whole new ball game. It's one thing for a rental agent to turn down an offer when you have what you think is an entire summer ahead of you to find a renter willing to pay full price for a post-season rental.
It's quite another thing to get down to your last 4-5 weeks of the summer and those mid to late September weeks are starting two look very iffy. That can't sit well when your sole responsibility as a rental agent for the properties that you manage is to ensure that no weeks on the rental schedule go unfilled. I've bookmarked the agent's website in my browser and I check it daily now just to make sure that it hasn't yet been rented. Every day it goes unrented, my chances of getting an e-mail from the agent improve over my prospects from the previous day. Who says there is no god?
We finally put a bow on this car thing with the Ev man. He's now the proud owner of a brand spanking new used car. The old car has been towed away, we'll get this new one registered in a week or two, and it's nothing if not blue skies and clear highways ahead for the once beleaguered Ev man. Beleaguered in the sense that he was sidelined by a series of events with his car that were largely unforeseen and truly unfortunate. It's all in the rear view mirror now so that's a good thing. He couldn't be happier to be behind the wheel again and to have the freedom that having a car represents.
I was telling the missus the day I went with the Ev man to pick up the car that I don't think I've ever seen the Ev man so happy. I don't call him the "Ev man" when talking to the missus, but you get my drift. The day we picked up the car was an unusually sunny and bright day with a deep blue sky overhead. His car sat in the lot buffed and ready for the taking. She was even more beautiful than the day we took her for a test drive. I don't know what the Ev man was thinking, but he was all smiles, so all was well with the world.
It looks like we're going down the rabbit hole again with these so-called variants. I'm not sure it has anything to do with public health or anything of the of the sort. The messaging is all very confusing so one doesn't know quite what to make of anything they're hearing or seeing. One thing is clear. They are pushing the vaccines like nobody's business and that should give us all pause. We're even being told now that the vaccinated folks need to wear masks when indoors.
Apparently, vaccinated people can carry a viral load that makes them more infectious than previously thought. You need to protect the people around you and you're a danger to society if you're out and about without the protection of the jab and a mask! Oh, and it's those damn Trump supporters who haven't taken the jab who are putting us all at risk. Not a fucking mention of vaccine hesitancy in the black communities or communities of color. It just doesn't fit their narrative.
I get why people aren't getting the jab. It's an experimental vaccine and no one knows what the vaccine does to you longer term. The mortality rates for certain age groups are almost infinitesimal. This warrants taking a vaccine into your body that we really know nothing about? What parent would subject their child to that level of risk? What pregnant woman would subject their unborn child to this vaccine? Knowing what we know about the level of risk associated with the virus, not to mention the various and sundry drugs that have been shown to be effective against the virus, it should be no surprise that people are willing to take their chances by not taking the vaccine.
It's a moving target for the media. As an arm of the democrat party, the party that wants a jab in every arm in the country regardless of age, they've given the green light to every Tom, Dick, and Harry on their respective networks to push the jab at any cost. Their latest push involves featuring people who are now lying on their death beds with the virus who now say that they wish they'd gotten the jab. It's just more shameless jibber jabber from the dick heads on the major networks. Who's ready for another Trump rally?
We're even starting to hear about lockdowns again. Thankfully, most red states are now pushing back and passing laws against the idiocy that we can see coming down the pike. Governor DeSantis of Florida says that there will be no mask mandates, no lockdowns, and no more bullshit of any kind related to the virus in his state. Other red state governors are following his lead. There are more murders in the city of Chicago on any given weekend than there are people who die of the virus so everybody just needs to calm the hell down. You won't get this message from the democrats though. They have elections to steal. Time is a wastin.'
It looks like this eviction moratorium that we've seen in place since the pandemic began is about to come to an end. I'm at odds when it comes to feeling any empathy for those people who have not paid rent for months on end because they've had the full protection of the United States government behind them going back to the beginning of the pandemic. These protections were never intended to last forever. The owners of the real estate have borne the brunt of the program and have been on the hook for the monies owed on their mortgages irrespective of what their tenants have or have not been paying. They are more than deserving of our collective empathy.
For those tenants who have paid not a dime during the pandemic, for those tenants who have made no effort whatsoever to work with their landlords, I have no sympathy for them. It's not like there are no jobs available that would otherwise enable them to pay down their debts. Evict their sorry asses and do it now. I don't care how many children they have living in the household. Keep in mind that another boondoggle of a federal program brought to you by the bumbling Biden Administration, is now sending checks to every household every month depending on your income and the number of children in your household. Time to pony up, bitches!
And then there is the eight-hundred pound gorilla in the room. Our southern border is wide open thanks to the Biden Administration. We're seeing millions of migrants flooding our country and being transported in the dark of night by the federal government to every community across our country.
Nobody knows where these people come from, what diseases or viruses they carry, or where their final destination might be. It's a fucking invasion, folks. How is this not an impeachable offense by a sitting president? Have I heard so much as one voice from the choir of politicians in Washington even mention the word "impeachment"?
The Biden-ista's want to put masks on the faces of every American and a jab in every arm, but they seem to care not one iota about the illegal aliens flooding our borders harboring god only knows what viruses or other such diseases. We have millions of homeless living on our streets that don't see even a sliver of the largesse that is afforded to every Jose', Miguel, and Marguerite coming across the Rio Grande and into our country.
I hope they enjoy their stay here in America because they are all going back to where they came from when Trump gets re-elected in 2024. Trump also needs to fire every last one of the mother fuckers in the Department of Justice who have not only looked the other way while this invasion took place, but they have effectively aided and abetted Biden and the leftists every step of the way.
I thought they had some responsibility for upholding the Constitution and our way of life? What about a one-party government ala Venezuela do they find so alluring that they are willing to suck up to the Biden-ista's and do their bidding? This should concern every American.
Maybe Ben Franklin was right when he was asked by a group of citizens, "What sort of government have the delegates created?" Franklin responded, "A Republic, if you can keep it."
If the good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise, we'll be picking up Evan's new used car today. He's about as excited as one can be about getting a new set of wheels. He's been car-less for the better part now of two to three weeks and, while he's not one to complain, he seems darn happy about the prospects of getting back behind the wheel. His first official destination, or so he says, is to head for the nearest Starbuck's drive-up window and get himself an iced flat white. Seems righteous.
We have a vacation in the works but there have been a few developments that qualify somewhat as a flies in the proverbial ointment. Our plan was to stay lakeside for a week, do a little fishing and boating, and maybe throw in a modest road trip or two just to keep things interesting. Here's the rub: The boat we had planned to use has been sold. To make matters worse, the boat will stay in its present day mooring for the duration of our stay at the lake. That is to say, even if we wanted to use another boat, we would have no place to dock it.
That's a cluster under the best of circumstances. Half the fun of being at the lake is being able to do a bit of boating while there. So, we need a plan B. It's clear we need a plan B. We have a couple of feelers out for a place with an available dock but, thus far, it's a no-go.
I'm trying to negotiate a better price for this one place we're looking at considering the fact that we're talking about post-season rental dates. It's the best time to be on the lake if you want the unvarnished truth. The yahoos of summer have long since departed and the lake reverts to its natural state. It's the lake of my childhood. It's the lake of my dreams. It's the Queen of American Lakes.
The rental market for lakeside properties on this particular lake has been so hot this year that the owners seem to think that they can fetch top dollar even after Labor Day. Maybe they're right. I'm hoping they're wrong. It doesn't hurt to make a pitch so that's what I did. The week we're interested in still appears available on the website so why not offer less than top dollar? It's a win-win for everybody, is it not?
The realtor gets her slice of the pie, albeit a smaller slice than she'd hoped to get were she to find a renter to pay the full freight, but a slice nonetheless. The owner no longer has to run the risk of getting nothing as the summer season on the lake comes to a close and they find themselves competing with a boatload of vacated properties and a rapidly diminishing number of prospective renters.
The first response from the broker to my pitch was as follows: "The owners are charging $x,xxx for the month of September." Loosely translated, that means they're not offering any discounts at this time. All I could envision was Greta Thunberg sitting at her computer and banging away on her keyboard with the following: "HOW DARE YOU?" What about that response tells you that the broker didn't even approach the owner with my offer?
Call me suspicious but I had the funny feeling given the brevity and the haste with which she responded to my e-mail that she never even approached the property owner with my offer. When a realtor takes it upon his self or herself to speak for a property owner, that's a problem. I needed to tease this out a bit more, so I responded with the following: "Ok, thank you for inquiring." I was essentially calling her out for not making the pitch on my behalf but pretending that she had.
I wanted to let her know that I knew that she really hadn't done her due diligence as a realtor when she decided to answer for the owner of the property. What realtor worth his or her salt doesn't go back to the owner with a counteroffer tendered by a prospective renter/buyer? Has her experience as a rental agent in the fast flowing and occasionally nasty nature of that end of the business so corrupted her that she is essentially now nothing more than an agent running rogue?
The final steps in my long distance Kabuki dance with the realtor was to thank her for doing something that she essentially did not do. I knew that if she had any scruples whatsoever, this probably wouldn't sit well with her. I was counting on it. Within 45 minutes of my e-mail and her original response, she replied with the following: "I've just asked them again. Will let you know if anything changes."
Well, what do ya know? Asked them again, my ass. So, you've asked them twice within 45 minutes? It just doesn't pass the smell test, sweetie. So, here's the deal. I'm thinking that when August 1st rolls around, which is just a day or two away now, it will be a whole new ball game. It's one thing for a rental agent to turn down an offer when you have what you think is an entire summer ahead of you to find a renter willing to pay full price for a post-season rental.
It's quite another thing to get down to your last 4-5 weeks of the summer and those mid to late September weeks are starting two look very iffy. That can't sit well when your sole responsibility as a rental agent for the properties that you manage is to ensure that no weeks on the rental schedule go unfilled. I've bookmarked the agent's website in my browser and I check it daily now just to make sure that it hasn't yet been rented. Every day it goes unrented, my chances of getting an e-mail from the agent improve over my prospects from the previous day. Who says there is no god?
We finally put a bow on this car thing with the Ev man. He's now the proud owner of a brand spanking new used car. The old car has been towed away, we'll get this new one registered in a week or two, and it's nothing if not blue skies and clear highways ahead for the once beleaguered Ev man. Beleaguered in the sense that he was sidelined by a series of events with his car that were largely unforeseen and truly unfortunate. It's all in the rear view mirror now so that's a good thing. He couldn't be happier to be behind the wheel again and to have the freedom that having a car represents.
I was telling the missus the day I went with the Ev man to pick up the car that I don't think I've ever seen the Ev man so happy. I don't call him the "Ev man" when talking to the missus, but you get my drift. The day we picked up the car was an unusually sunny and bright day with a deep blue sky overhead. His car sat in the lot buffed and ready for the taking. She was even more beautiful than the day we took her for a test drive. I don't know what the Ev man was thinking, but he was all smiles, so all was well with the world.
It looks like we're going down the rabbit hole again with these so-called variants. I'm not sure it has anything to do with public health or anything of the of the sort. The messaging is all very confusing so one doesn't know quite what to make of anything they're hearing or seeing. One thing is clear. They are pushing the vaccines like nobody's business and that should give us all pause. We're even being told now that the vaccinated folks need to wear masks when indoors.
Apparently, vaccinated people can carry a viral load that makes them more infectious than previously thought. You need to protect the people around you and you're a danger to society if you're out and about without the protection of the jab and a mask! Oh, and it's those damn Trump supporters who haven't taken the jab who are putting us all at risk. Not a fucking mention of vaccine hesitancy in the black communities or communities of color. It just doesn't fit their narrative.
I get why people aren't getting the jab. It's an experimental vaccine and no one knows what the vaccine does to you longer term. The mortality rates for certain age groups are almost infinitesimal. This warrants taking a vaccine into your body that we really know nothing about? What parent would subject their child to that level of risk? What pregnant woman would subject their unborn child to this vaccine? Knowing what we know about the level of risk associated with the virus, not to mention the various and sundry drugs that have been shown to be effective against the virus, it should be no surprise that people are willing to take their chances by not taking the vaccine.
It's a moving target for the media. As an arm of the democrat party, the party that wants a jab in every arm in the country regardless of age, they've given the green light to every Tom, Dick, and Harry on their respective networks to push the jab at any cost. Their latest push involves featuring people who are now lying on their death beds with the virus who now say that they wish they'd gotten the jab. It's just more shameless jibber jabber from the dick heads on the major networks. Who's ready for another Trump rally?
We're even starting to hear about lockdowns again. Thankfully, most red states are now pushing back and passing laws against the idiocy that we can see coming down the pike. Governor DeSantis of Florida says that there will be no mask mandates, no lockdowns, and no more bullshit of any kind related to the virus in his state. Other red state governors are following his lead. There are more murders in the city of Chicago on any given weekend than there are people who die of the virus so everybody just needs to calm the hell down. You won't get this message from the democrats though. They have elections to steal. Time is a wastin.'
It looks like this eviction moratorium that we've seen in place since the pandemic began is about to come to an end. I'm at odds when it comes to feeling any empathy for those people who have not paid rent for months on end because they've had the full protection of the United States government behind them going back to the beginning of the pandemic. These protections were never intended to last forever. The owners of the real estate have borne the brunt of the program and have been on the hook for the monies owed on their mortgages irrespective of what their tenants have or have not been paying. They are more than deserving of our collective empathy.
For those tenants who have paid not a dime during the pandemic, for those tenants who have made no effort whatsoever to work with their landlords, I have no sympathy for them. It's not like there are no jobs available that would otherwise enable them to pay down their debts. Evict their sorry asses and do it now. I don't care how many children they have living in the household. Keep in mind that another boondoggle of a federal program brought to you by the bumbling Biden Administration, is now sending checks to every household every month depending on your income and the number of children in your household. Time to pony up, bitches!
And then there is the eight-hundred pound gorilla in the room. Our southern border is wide open thanks to the Biden Administration. We're seeing millions of migrants flooding our country and being transported in the dark of night by the federal government to every community across our country.
Nobody knows where these people come from, what diseases or viruses they carry, or where their final destination might be. It's a fucking invasion, folks. How is this not an impeachable offense by a sitting president? Have I heard so much as one voice from the choir of politicians in Washington even mention the word "impeachment"?
The Biden-ista's want to put masks on the faces of every American and a jab in every arm, but they seem to care not one iota about the illegal aliens flooding our borders harboring god only knows what viruses or other such diseases. We have millions of homeless living on our streets that don't see even a sliver of the largesse that is afforded to every Jose', Miguel, and Marguerite coming across the Rio Grande and into our country.
I hope they enjoy their stay here in America because they are all going back to where they came from when Trump gets re-elected in 2024. Trump also needs to fire every last one of the mother fuckers in the Department of Justice who have not only looked the other way while this invasion took place, but they have effectively aided and abetted Biden and the leftists every step of the way.
I thought they had some responsibility for upholding the Constitution and our way of life? What about a one-party government ala Venezuela do they find so alluring that they are willing to suck up to the Biden-ista's and do their bidding? This should concern every American.
Maybe Ben Franklin was right when he was asked by a group of citizens, "What sort of government have the delegates created?" Franklin responded, "A Republic, if you can keep it."
Summer Doldrums
25/07/21 07:17
Thus begins another week. Man, what a soggy frigging summer we're having. If it's not raining, then it's hot as the blazes. If it's not hot as the blazes, then it's humid as hell. I've luckily been able to squeeze in my bike rides between downpours on days where rain is in the forecast. I have an app that tells me what to expect in terms of temperatures, precipitation and probability of same, wind (MPH), and humidity readings. Every little bit helps.
Mrs. G was telling the missus and me the other day that her facility has a bus going to the new Whole Foods in Portsmouth for all interested party's. She was a little reluctant to go along because she wasn't sure she'd have a place to rest if and when that time arrived. I've only been to the store a handful of times now, but I have to believe they have accommodations for people like Mrs. G. I urged her to rethink her plans and reach out to them with her concerns so that they might reassure her or, at a minimum, allay her fears.
Mrs. G is not shy about pushing the envelope if that is what is required to get something done. We've regaled her with stories of our own experiences shopping at Whole Foods, so I'm guessing that might have helped her move closer to making a decision that works for her. We even bought a few things at the store for her to enjoy and enjoy them she has. For example, I bought her a package of specialty donuts before our last visit. The mistake I made was leaving them lying around our house in plain sight.
They called out to the missus time and time again. So insistent was the voice in her head that the minute we got to Mrs. G's with the package of donuts in hand, the missus was on bended knee asking if she might have but one of the lovely donuts. I'm not sure that she even waited for a response before opening the container. She proceeded to pluck one of the donuts from the box while simultaneously placing it into her mouth.
I'm not sure as I sit here today that her behavior didn't fly in the face of some socially unacceptable decorum kind of thing where you never partake of something brought as a gift before the recipient has a chance to do the same. Mrs. G will never know the pleasure of parsing out the entire array of pleasantries and savoring every last one to her heart's desire. It will always be one short. It's entirely possible, I suppose, that she took more pleasure in seeing the missus try the first one out of the box, so there's that. If the missus truly broke any unspoken rules, Mrs. G is far too sophisticated to have let her true feelings be known.
I had an urge myself last night after dinner to take a ride out to Whole Foods to pick up a few things. I had a full day yesterday, so when the time came to put my big boy pants on and get out the door, I just didn't have the oomph. I decided that a spoonful of my favorite chunky peanut butter and a ping ball-sized plum straight out of the fridge that had gone soft on me way too soon would have to do the trick for the time being.
The missus and I enjoyed grilled salmon burgers and vegetables for dinner. It was a push to get everything cleaned up before I could even think about maybe going to the store. Had the missus been amenable, I might have pushed myself to make the trip, but it was not to be. We had a lot to digest besides dinner, and that included the day's activities around nailing down a new ride for the Ev man.
Is the car that we looked at the right car for him? Is he just excited about it, or is he really enthusiastic about it? The mileage seems right, as does the make and model of the car. Whether or not it's the sweet spot we've been looking for remains to be seen. We'll know more in the coming days as we're having it looked at by our mechanic before deciding on the purchase. It's a familiar car to Ev, so that's good. He was otherwise oddly uncomfortable getting behind the wheel of a vehicle he was unfamiliar with when the time came to take a test drive.
Like everything else in life, buying a car is a process. Every aspect of buying a car is a process in and of itself. It's also a linear process in that certain things need to happen before other things can happen. It is an ordering of events that starts with the need to buy a car and ends with registering your new purchase at the town hall. Ev has never experienced the process firsthand, so I led the way, and he was on hand to see how the sausage gets made. He'll have a good feel for what's required the next time around when he needs a new set of wheels, and I'm not about to assist with the process.
I think the Ev man takes some comfort in knowing the next steps. Maybe that's my way of saying that he doesn't like surprises. I've been careful to make sure that he knows precisely what we're doing next to getting this car thing squared away. Anything more than a week out is probably too far out to matter, so I'm all about the next few days when I'm talking to him. It gives him something to look forward to, and it allows him time to digest and readjust his expectations if that is what it takes to keep him on an even keel. Who doesn't like having something to look forward to in these confusing times. Right?
There was a moment or two during this process when we thought there might be a chance that his old car could get repaired and he'd be on his way once the shop did their thing. We also knew there was a chance that the economics of the "fix" might not be warranted considering the car's age and given its high mileage. They are mostly highway miles, but 200k miles is a lot of miles nonetheless. The only calculus left to consider after finding what we thought to be a suitable replacement was, are we better off sinking money into a car that has a limited number of miles left or are we better off spending those same dollars on a vehicle that the Ev man will have for years to come?
This car we were planning to send into the dust heap of history wasn't just any car, mind you. This is a car that has been there for the missus year in and year out as she traveled back and forth from Boston for many years. It's been about as reliable a car as one could ask for, and it's earned our admiration and trust over the years for doing its job and doing it well. I don't think I'm speaking out of turn here when I say that the car has been a friend. It's been there when we needed it, and it's rarely if ever, let us down. Is that not the definition of a "friend"?
When we passed the car along to the Ev man, we knew we were doing the right thing, and we knew he'd be safe if and when he ever had the misfortune to get into an accident. Until that day came, which it now has, he would enjoy the relative comfort that the car had to offer with its many bells and whistles. We even had a remote car starter put in so he would never have to experience sitting and shivering uncontrollably behind the wheel of his car on a cold winter's morning while waiting for the heat to kick in.
These last few paragraphs sound like an obituary. The missus got a little emotional as we went through the car last evening, removing things that needed removing before the towing company towed it away for the last time. It was sad, I was sad, and the missus was sad. Maybe it was better this way. Having as many miles as it did on it, it was just a matter of time before our mechanic would be asking the question, are you sure you want to spend the money on a car with this many miles on it? That can be a long and expensive process. There is such a thing as keeping a car too long. Not this time around. Goodbye, old friend.
I've wanted to make stuffed peppers now for a while, but I can't seem to get it together. I'm reading about a lovely vegetable Napoleon this morning that might be doable. I've never considered steaming eggplant before, but it seems like a more healthful version of an otherwise standard recipe that involves sautéing or broiling the eggplant in oil. Once you add all the other things like mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce to the eggplant, you probably can't tell that the eggplant was steamed rather than sautéed. There's an abundance of local tomatoes available, so we may be off to the races with this recipe.
Last night, the missus and I had a couple of nice poke' salads from a local take-out joint called Ohana Kitchen. It's one of those places where you get to pick and choose the ingredients you want on your salad, and they throw it together for you. I like their standard Ohana salad that comes with chunks of raw tuna, slices of avocado, red onion crisps, sesame seeds, quinoa, and strips of fresh ginger. There are endless versions of this salad with the various mix-ins available, but I've found the one I like, and that's what I always order. Oh, and they have a wonderful soy sauce concoction that they throw in as a dressing. It's the bee's knees! No, really.
Mrs. G gave us a call last night, and she seemed pretty pumped that her local Staple's was willing to take back some printer ink cartridges she no longer needed. That's pretty good because one or two of the cartridges she was trying to return probably came from Amazon. On the other hand, it makes you wonder just how much old-lady charm she had to employ to pull this off. It won't be the first time that an elderly customer has used their age as a bargaining chip to get what they want when shopping out and about. Then again, the last thing a store manager wants is to have a confrontation of any kind with an elderly customer. It's just not a good look.
None of this was lost on Mrs. G. As a negotiator, she can be a tough old bird when she wants to be. I've never seen that side of her, but I know how savvy she can be, and, quite frankly, I'm happy to see her grabbing life by the balls and turning it on its head when it suits her purposes. So, if she wants to call us in the middle of the night to crow about her exploits, I say, you go, girl. Tell us all about it. We want to give credit where credit is due, and she did good, so we're applauding from afar. She and I had discussed this ink thing, so I knew she had planned to see if the store would take the unused ink cartridges. I never doubted for a minute that she would follow through on her plans.
Fast forwarding a day or two here, it looks like Ev's new car is a "go." She got good grades from the shop that I asked to give her a once over and the one or two things that didn't pass muster will be fixed before we pick it up. There was an issue with some codes that hadn't come up because they hadn't put enough miles on the car after resetting the codes. We know how this works because we've struggled with the same issue with almost all of our Volvo's. The car has a 3500-mile warranty which should cover any contingencies that arise after we drive the vehicle off the lot.
"Are you sure that this is what the Ev man wants" inquired the missus. Had she been a little more involved from day one, she would have known that he is very excited about the car we're about to purchase for him. I mean, very excited. Admittedly, it's hard to tell sometimes just how excited the Ev man is about something. It helps to tease it out of him by asking questions and maybe pressing him a little bit on how he really feels. I'm not sure he knows how he thinks about many things, but that is not true when it comes to the car. On the other hand, maybe he's just happy to be back behind the wheel of a vehicle, any vehicle. I suppose both can be true.
One thing that is likely to stay with him for a good long time is how I spied the car out of the corner of my eye as he and I were driving through Stratham and I insisted that we pull a U-turn to go back and take a look. That may be all he remembers as the years go by, but I hope not. It's the old "teach him how to fish" thing so he can feed himself during his lifetime that I'm thinking about here. Knowing how it (the process of buying a car) works and doing it are two separate things. If push comes to shove, could he get it done? There's no shame in leaning on a friend in a time of need, but taking the bull by the horns on your lonesome has its own rewards. That's just a fact.
The panic porn in the media about the vaccinated and unvaccinated continues. It seems like we have a new variant in the news every other day. I thought I saw something yesterday about some godawful Monkey Pox. The close-ups of the sores, pustules and rashes splashed across every inch of the infected victims were purplish and hideously disfiguring. The porn peddlers in the leftist media establishment seem more determined than ever to want to push Sleepy Joe Biden into bringing back the dreaded mask mandates and shutdowns. It worked so well in 2020.
I think the democrat party and their pretorian guard in the leftist media are scared shitless that the republicans will sweep back into Congress and take back the House from Pelosi and her gang in 2022. The Federal Government cannot mandate mask-wearing at the state level, so the red states may ignore any "mandates" from the Biden Administration. The red states have also tightened their rules around voting since the disaster in 2020, so it may not matter what the Biden Administration does or doesn't do to try and steal the election again in 2022 and 2024.
Another hypothesis circulating in the ether about why they're pushing so hard to get everyone vaccinated is that once they no longer have unvaccinated people as a control group, the drug companies will no longer have to explain away differences in mortality rates etc., between the two groups. As long as unvaccinated people qualify as a control group, comparable rates of all kinds may reveal that the vaccine is a likely progenitor of something far more pernicious than the risks posed by the virus itself.
The fact that our federal government is aiding and abetting the drug companies in this global scam only reinforces what we've always suspected about big Pharma and the power they wield. Did I mention that most of our drugs are manufactured in China?
I think the summer Olympics kick off today in Japan. This is probably the first time in the Olympics where there are no spectators. It's also the first Olympics where a man (who thinks he's a woman) competes in a woman's weight lifting event. Who's the brain trust who thought that was a good idea? Not having spectators is an interesting development.
I guess the country hosting the games is petrified that their sporting event might become something of a super-spreader event if they have too many people in too confined a space for too long. The very definition of "Olympics" seems to imply that spectators are just as important if not more important to the event than the athletes themselves. To me, this is now nothing more than a glorified track and field event. I expect the ratings when all is said and done will likely prove my point.
Mrs. G was telling the missus and me the other day that her facility has a bus going to the new Whole Foods in Portsmouth for all interested party's. She was a little reluctant to go along because she wasn't sure she'd have a place to rest if and when that time arrived. I've only been to the store a handful of times now, but I have to believe they have accommodations for people like Mrs. G. I urged her to rethink her plans and reach out to them with her concerns so that they might reassure her or, at a minimum, allay her fears.
Mrs. G is not shy about pushing the envelope if that is what is required to get something done. We've regaled her with stories of our own experiences shopping at Whole Foods, so I'm guessing that might have helped her move closer to making a decision that works for her. We even bought a few things at the store for her to enjoy and enjoy them she has. For example, I bought her a package of specialty donuts before our last visit. The mistake I made was leaving them lying around our house in plain sight.
They called out to the missus time and time again. So insistent was the voice in her head that the minute we got to Mrs. G's with the package of donuts in hand, the missus was on bended knee asking if she might have but one of the lovely donuts. I'm not sure that she even waited for a response before opening the container. She proceeded to pluck one of the donuts from the box while simultaneously placing it into her mouth.
I'm not sure as I sit here today that her behavior didn't fly in the face of some socially unacceptable decorum kind of thing where you never partake of something brought as a gift before the recipient has a chance to do the same. Mrs. G will never know the pleasure of parsing out the entire array of pleasantries and savoring every last one to her heart's desire. It will always be one short. It's entirely possible, I suppose, that she took more pleasure in seeing the missus try the first one out of the box, so there's that. If the missus truly broke any unspoken rules, Mrs. G is far too sophisticated to have let her true feelings be known.
I had an urge myself last night after dinner to take a ride out to Whole Foods to pick up a few things. I had a full day yesterday, so when the time came to put my big boy pants on and get out the door, I just didn't have the oomph. I decided that a spoonful of my favorite chunky peanut butter and a ping ball-sized plum straight out of the fridge that had gone soft on me way too soon would have to do the trick for the time being.
The missus and I enjoyed grilled salmon burgers and vegetables for dinner. It was a push to get everything cleaned up before I could even think about maybe going to the store. Had the missus been amenable, I might have pushed myself to make the trip, but it was not to be. We had a lot to digest besides dinner, and that included the day's activities around nailing down a new ride for the Ev man.
Is the car that we looked at the right car for him? Is he just excited about it, or is he really enthusiastic about it? The mileage seems right, as does the make and model of the car. Whether or not it's the sweet spot we've been looking for remains to be seen. We'll know more in the coming days as we're having it looked at by our mechanic before deciding on the purchase. It's a familiar car to Ev, so that's good. He was otherwise oddly uncomfortable getting behind the wheel of a vehicle he was unfamiliar with when the time came to take a test drive.
Like everything else in life, buying a car is a process. Every aspect of buying a car is a process in and of itself. It's also a linear process in that certain things need to happen before other things can happen. It is an ordering of events that starts with the need to buy a car and ends with registering your new purchase at the town hall. Ev has never experienced the process firsthand, so I led the way, and he was on hand to see how the sausage gets made. He'll have a good feel for what's required the next time around when he needs a new set of wheels, and I'm not about to assist with the process.
I think the Ev man takes some comfort in knowing the next steps. Maybe that's my way of saying that he doesn't like surprises. I've been careful to make sure that he knows precisely what we're doing next to getting this car thing squared away. Anything more than a week out is probably too far out to matter, so I'm all about the next few days when I'm talking to him. It gives him something to look forward to, and it allows him time to digest and readjust his expectations if that is what it takes to keep him on an even keel. Who doesn't like having something to look forward to in these confusing times. Right?
There was a moment or two during this process when we thought there might be a chance that his old car could get repaired and he'd be on his way once the shop did their thing. We also knew there was a chance that the economics of the "fix" might not be warranted considering the car's age and given its high mileage. They are mostly highway miles, but 200k miles is a lot of miles nonetheless. The only calculus left to consider after finding what we thought to be a suitable replacement was, are we better off sinking money into a car that has a limited number of miles left or are we better off spending those same dollars on a vehicle that the Ev man will have for years to come?
This car we were planning to send into the dust heap of history wasn't just any car, mind you. This is a car that has been there for the missus year in and year out as she traveled back and forth from Boston for many years. It's been about as reliable a car as one could ask for, and it's earned our admiration and trust over the years for doing its job and doing it well. I don't think I'm speaking out of turn here when I say that the car has been a friend. It's been there when we needed it, and it's rarely if ever, let us down. Is that not the definition of a "friend"?
When we passed the car along to the Ev man, we knew we were doing the right thing, and we knew he'd be safe if and when he ever had the misfortune to get into an accident. Until that day came, which it now has, he would enjoy the relative comfort that the car had to offer with its many bells and whistles. We even had a remote car starter put in so he would never have to experience sitting and shivering uncontrollably behind the wheel of his car on a cold winter's morning while waiting for the heat to kick in.
These last few paragraphs sound like an obituary. The missus got a little emotional as we went through the car last evening, removing things that needed removing before the towing company towed it away for the last time. It was sad, I was sad, and the missus was sad. Maybe it was better this way. Having as many miles as it did on it, it was just a matter of time before our mechanic would be asking the question, are you sure you want to spend the money on a car with this many miles on it? That can be a long and expensive process. There is such a thing as keeping a car too long. Not this time around. Goodbye, old friend.
I've wanted to make stuffed peppers now for a while, but I can't seem to get it together. I'm reading about a lovely vegetable Napoleon this morning that might be doable. I've never considered steaming eggplant before, but it seems like a more healthful version of an otherwise standard recipe that involves sautéing or broiling the eggplant in oil. Once you add all the other things like mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce to the eggplant, you probably can't tell that the eggplant was steamed rather than sautéed. There's an abundance of local tomatoes available, so we may be off to the races with this recipe.
Last night, the missus and I had a couple of nice poke' salads from a local take-out joint called Ohana Kitchen. It's one of those places where you get to pick and choose the ingredients you want on your salad, and they throw it together for you. I like their standard Ohana salad that comes with chunks of raw tuna, slices of avocado, red onion crisps, sesame seeds, quinoa, and strips of fresh ginger. There are endless versions of this salad with the various mix-ins available, but I've found the one I like, and that's what I always order. Oh, and they have a wonderful soy sauce concoction that they throw in as a dressing. It's the bee's knees! No, really.
Mrs. G gave us a call last night, and she seemed pretty pumped that her local Staple's was willing to take back some printer ink cartridges she no longer needed. That's pretty good because one or two of the cartridges she was trying to return probably came from Amazon. On the other hand, it makes you wonder just how much old-lady charm she had to employ to pull this off. It won't be the first time that an elderly customer has used their age as a bargaining chip to get what they want when shopping out and about. Then again, the last thing a store manager wants is to have a confrontation of any kind with an elderly customer. It's just not a good look.
None of this was lost on Mrs. G. As a negotiator, she can be a tough old bird when she wants to be. I've never seen that side of her, but I know how savvy she can be, and, quite frankly, I'm happy to see her grabbing life by the balls and turning it on its head when it suits her purposes. So, if she wants to call us in the middle of the night to crow about her exploits, I say, you go, girl. Tell us all about it. We want to give credit where credit is due, and she did good, so we're applauding from afar. She and I had discussed this ink thing, so I knew she had planned to see if the store would take the unused ink cartridges. I never doubted for a minute that she would follow through on her plans.
Fast forwarding a day or two here, it looks like Ev's new car is a "go." She got good grades from the shop that I asked to give her a once over and the one or two things that didn't pass muster will be fixed before we pick it up. There was an issue with some codes that hadn't come up because they hadn't put enough miles on the car after resetting the codes. We know how this works because we've struggled with the same issue with almost all of our Volvo's. The car has a 3500-mile warranty which should cover any contingencies that arise after we drive the vehicle off the lot.
"Are you sure that this is what the Ev man wants" inquired the missus. Had she been a little more involved from day one, she would have known that he is very excited about the car we're about to purchase for him. I mean, very excited. Admittedly, it's hard to tell sometimes just how excited the Ev man is about something. It helps to tease it out of him by asking questions and maybe pressing him a little bit on how he really feels. I'm not sure he knows how he thinks about many things, but that is not true when it comes to the car. On the other hand, maybe he's just happy to be back behind the wheel of a vehicle, any vehicle. I suppose both can be true.
One thing that is likely to stay with him for a good long time is how I spied the car out of the corner of my eye as he and I were driving through Stratham and I insisted that we pull a U-turn to go back and take a look. That may be all he remembers as the years go by, but I hope not. It's the old "teach him how to fish" thing so he can feed himself during his lifetime that I'm thinking about here. Knowing how it (the process of buying a car) works and doing it are two separate things. If push comes to shove, could he get it done? There's no shame in leaning on a friend in a time of need, but taking the bull by the horns on your lonesome has its own rewards. That's just a fact.
The panic porn in the media about the vaccinated and unvaccinated continues. It seems like we have a new variant in the news every other day. I thought I saw something yesterday about some godawful Monkey Pox. The close-ups of the sores, pustules and rashes splashed across every inch of the infected victims were purplish and hideously disfiguring. The porn peddlers in the leftist media establishment seem more determined than ever to want to push Sleepy Joe Biden into bringing back the dreaded mask mandates and shutdowns. It worked so well in 2020.
I think the democrat party and their pretorian guard in the leftist media are scared shitless that the republicans will sweep back into Congress and take back the House from Pelosi and her gang in 2022. The Federal Government cannot mandate mask-wearing at the state level, so the red states may ignore any "mandates" from the Biden Administration. The red states have also tightened their rules around voting since the disaster in 2020, so it may not matter what the Biden Administration does or doesn't do to try and steal the election again in 2022 and 2024.
Another hypothesis circulating in the ether about why they're pushing so hard to get everyone vaccinated is that once they no longer have unvaccinated people as a control group, the drug companies will no longer have to explain away differences in mortality rates etc., between the two groups. As long as unvaccinated people qualify as a control group, comparable rates of all kinds may reveal that the vaccine is a likely progenitor of something far more pernicious than the risks posed by the virus itself.
The fact that our federal government is aiding and abetting the drug companies in this global scam only reinforces what we've always suspected about big Pharma and the power they wield. Did I mention that most of our drugs are manufactured in China?
I think the summer Olympics kick off today in Japan. This is probably the first time in the Olympics where there are no spectators. It's also the first Olympics where a man (who thinks he's a woman) competes in a woman's weight lifting event. Who's the brain trust who thought that was a good idea? Not having spectators is an interesting development.
I guess the country hosting the games is petrified that their sporting event might become something of a super-spreader event if they have too many people in too confined a space for too long. The very definition of "Olympics" seems to imply that spectators are just as important if not more important to the event than the athletes themselves. To me, this is now nothing more than a glorified track and field event. I expect the ratings when all is said and done will likely prove my point.
Crickets On Steroids
18/07/21 07:11
This uprising in Cuba is interesting. It's not likely to go anywhere since the government has all the guns, but the protests continue. Our liberal media spews the propaganda that protests are due to the government not providing vaccines to its people. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Cuban people want freedom from the oppressive government that controls every aspect of their lives. I can't be sure what prompted this particular uprising, as it were, but the good people of Cuba are taking to the streets to demand their freedom. Good for them!
It isn't any surprise that our government, stolen as it was in 2020 when Biden was innaugurated, has said little to nothing about what's happening in Cuba. Should they not be out in front of this and joining the fight for democracy, at least in terms of their messaging? The Cuban people are fighting for their freedom in a country just 90 miles off our southern shores for chrissakes.
I think Jeff Kuhner (WRKO-680 am) has it right. The Biden Administration wishes that they could go after Trump supporters in the same way that the Cuban government goes after their people. That is to say, with guns blazing and truncheons waving until the streets of our cities and towns run red with the blood of everyday Americans. Well, every day Trump supporters anyway. But, the silence of the Biden Administration when it comes to the Cuban crisis is deafening, and everyday Americans are waking up to their collaboration with leftist regimes of the planet in exercising control over their populations at any cost.
I'd like to think that it is just one more nail in the coffin for the Biden Administration. How many more examples do we need to see before we're convinced that Biden and his minions do not have the best interests of the American people at heart. They are all about tearing down our Constitution and removing as many protections as possible so that everyday Americans are loathed to fight back or resist Biden's authoritarian tendencies. It's all about power for the left and what they're willing to do to keep and maintain it.
Remember that any references to Biden made here and elsewhere in my blog are probably wholly or partially inaccurate as he is a demented and bumbling old fool. Who is really running things? Is it Obama? Susan Rice, maybe? Is it Soros? Is it China? We know China has probably bought off most democrats in Congress, so it's not far-fetched to think that Xi is pulling strings behind the scenes. When we say Xi, we're talking about the Chinese Communist Party. What role did they play in the 2020 elections? How many pallets of falsified ballots did they deliver to Team Biden in the early hours of November 4th, 2020?
This 2020 election audit stuff seems to be getting a lot of traction. The audits started in Arizona and have now spread to other states. Most of the audits conducted follow the Arizona model which, is practically speaking, a forensic audit. In other words, they are investigating a potential crime.
Their findings, to date, have been incredibly revealing in terms of the outright fraud they're finding. It's only a matter of time before one or more states decertifies their election results. God only knows where that might take us. At a minimum, here's hoping that we can unseat a couple of senators in the democrat party. After that, all bets are off.
The good news is that the federal government has few tools at its disposal to slow down or stop what's happening in several states controlled by Republican legislatures. Our Constitution protects the legislature's role in establishing what does and what doesn't happen in elections that take place within their respective borders.
All the speeches by all the bumbling fools in the Biden Administration are not going to make the slightest difference in slowing down or stopping the audit process. It will follow to its logical end, and we'll all know for sure who won in 2020. More importantly, we'll know who cheated and who belongs behind bars for their criminal behavior.
So great is the concern about the ongoing audits in the hallowed halls of our beloved White House, which currently houses the corrupt and detestable Biden Crime Family, that bumbling Joey Biden went to Pennsylvania yesterday to give a speech about election integrity. He likened the audit process currently underway in several states as "Jim Crow 2.0." You're not reading a whole lot about his speech in the news this morning because it was probably one of the most inflammatory speeches given by a US President since, as Joey put it, the "civil war." It was that bad.
The term "Civil War" is now the new call to arms for Biden and his band of leftists. It's dropped left and right by every leftist with access to the media when and where they have the opportunity to expose and demonize voices of their opponents. If you can sufficiently demonize your opposition, you can justify any actions necessary to eradicate or silence them. Would there have been a holocaust in the 1940's had Hitler and his propagandists not been successful in waging a campaign to vilify and demonize the Jews? You see where I'm going with this.
With Ev's car sitting in a lot across town waiting for an assessment following his fender bender, I had the distinct pleasure of running him around town yesterday to get a few chores done. We went food shopping for maybe an hour and picked up a sub at Jersey Mike's before heading back to his place. He was more engaged than usual in the supermarket. He stopped in places going up and down the aisles that I wouldn't think he would be stopping at and put more things than usual in his cart. He typically buys too few things, so I was happy to see him stocking up. Maybe not having a car at his disposal makes a difference in how he now views the shopping experience.
I told the missus that the longer the Ev man is without his car, the more he might appreciate it when he finally gets back behind the wheel. Loosely translated, we're also hoping that means he will be less prone to do things that might otherwise increase his chances of getting in another accident and perhaps result in either losing his car or, worse yet, his license.
We're still not sure how the car thing will go, but I'm a glass-half-full kind of guy, so I'm hoping that Ev can get his car back after his car is back up to snuff. The glass-half-empty view is that the car isn't worth fixing, and we have to find him another vehicle. This is where I need my friends to step in and get involved. If an angel has to get their wings in the process, so be it. If you're listening, this is your time.
I found another chili that the Ev man might find to his liking. I bought some black bean chili (vegan) at Whole Foods over the weekend that I just got around to sampling the other day. It is astoundingly delicious! It's just the kind of chili that I wish I could make. It's always a challenge to get the right consistency down when you're not cooking with meat. But, this chili hits it out of the park. I'll just need to check the expiration date when I buy it to ensure that it's not sitting in our refrigerator too long before he pays a visit.
The chili is spicy but not too spicy. Ev can always throw in a bit of jalapeño flavoring if he so desires. I want to make sure that I have two containers on hand when Ev comes over next time around. One container to have here and one to take home. I also told the missus that I need to start a list of things that float my boat at Whole Foods. These are things that I want to make sure that I have on my list to buy when I go shopping at Whole Foods. The list is relatively short, but it's likely to grow longer as we become more familiar with the landscape inside the store.
I have a lot of things on my plate for today (Friday.) I just don't know that I'm going to get to everything, so I may have to pick and choose as the day goes on. I only have so much energy and so much time. Right? Exercise is important so here's hoping that the day won't be so hot that I can't ride. My list of errands is longer than usual, but I can see the circuitous route mapped out in my head that get's it all done in maybe two to three hours at the outside. My travels will take me to Dover and everywhere in between so I'll need to get an early start. Before then, a bite to eat is at the top of my plan. Good morning to you, too.
The Ev man gave me a call a few minutes ago and he's got bacon cheeseburgers on the mind so I'll be back in Whole Foods for burgers and who knows what else. I'm glad to hear Ev is open to the burgers since he's not a big fan of food prepped hereabouts. We haven't quite figured that one out but it is what it is as they say in the movies. He was keen on hearing that we had a case of Red Bull in the house and the case that he bought within the last few days at his home is already gone. I am not a Red Bull fan so he can take them or leave them as is his inclination. Oh, and I promised him that I'd stop in and check on his car. Jerry Jerry Jerry. I think that's who I talked to at the shop.
I'm listening to a little Billy Strings this morning. It's not my usual fare but I've seen a bunch of his stuff on YouTube so, needless to say, I think I'm on the slow train to fan-boy-dom. Man, can he play that guitar. It's classic something but I'm not sure what. That's how unfamiliar I am with that style of music. I appreciate what he brings to the genre though, whatever that genre be, and like any other country boy worth his salt, I'm willing to give it a listen. Thanks to YouTube, I can see him plucking the strings of his guitar in my mind and it's all good.
I watched the televised Arizona Senate yesterday on YouTube as they heard testimony about the ongoing forensic audit in Maricopa County. Man, who knew voting was such a complicated affair? The one question that I didn't hear asked was, how many of the discrepancies they found showed Biden with a preponderance or lopsided share of the vote? If you have 800 ballots with no crease (mail-in ballots would be creased), then the following question needs to be asked: How many of those 800 votes were for Biden? If you don't want to mention their names, simply ask for a breakdown of the candidates and the final tally per candidate.
The three experts giving testimony knew their stuff and gave detailed accounts of the "irregularities" they found. There is still more work to do including canvassing the county (Maricopa - AZ) to cross-check voters with their registrations, etc. The evidence seems clear that there were shenanigans galore in the 2020 race in Arizona, so I applaud the Arizona state senate for doing what they're doing to ensure that people can have confidence in the votes they cast in any given election. But, if there was fraud involved, how the hell did this thing get off the ground? Will anyone be going to jail? Who did the democrat party hire to do their dirty work? One thing is for sure; we need a full accounting. The sooner, the better.
It was rather astounding to me and others that the Biden White House has now admitted that they are working with the major social media platforms to shut down what they deem as "misinformation" about vaccines for Covid-19. Their spokesperson stood at the podium the other day and admitted as much. First of all, who the hell decides what is and what isn't "misinformation"? These are the same ass clowns that de-platformed the president of the United States when he started talking about how the 2020 election had been stolen by the Biden-ista's. If they can shut down the voice of the President of the United States, they can shut down anybody.
These are also the same fucking creeps that worked with the likes of Facebook and Twitter to remove any references to alternative medicines to deal with the scourge of Covid-19. It's actually against the law for the White House to work with a private entity to do something that they cannot do legally. Hello, republicans! Where the fuck are you? Who will stand up and speak out against this tyrannical government we have operating out of our White House? You've got all kinds of testosterone when it comes to speaking out about the injustices in Cuba and South Africa, but when it comes to our country, it's fucking crickets on steroids!
There are serious first amendment issues at stake here, folks. This is the heavy hand of government deciding what is and what isn't worthy of airing. Our country is better than that. Our people are better than that. Maybe the Biden-ista's think they have the wind at their back after forcing the lot of us to mask up for the better part of a year starting in March of 2020.
As a people, we were much too passive in our response to that dictate so they're now going full Venezuela on us. And, I think they are not done with their caterwauling about the possibility of yet another shutdown due to the spread of various variants and other mutations of the Covid-19 strain. Just in time for the 2022 elections, eh? I'm not so sure that Americans are going to roll over quite so easily next time.
In Los Angeles County, for example, the sheriff in that county is already telling people straight out that his officers will not be enforcing any mask mandates. The mask mandates were recently imposed again by local government officials, presumably due to increasing infection rates in the community. At least this is the prevailing theory, people who have been vaccinated should not need to wear a mask. People who have not been vaccinated should have the option of getting vaccinated or not. This is America, Goddammit!
It's hard to imagine that anyone is okay with what's coming out of our government these days. That said, I can tell you with a straight face that the people in the democrat party and their partners on the left and far-left couldn't be happier. They've been waiting a long time to see a more socialistic agenda brought to our shores and they now think they've died and gone to heaven. This is more than Bernie Sanders could have ever hoped for. That's true of Elizabeth Warren as well. "Give me Marxism or give me death" is the rallying cry heard most often coming out of their quarters. If a handful of Trump supporters need to be jailed or even killed (Ashley Babbit) in the process, it's a small price to pay.
Their fantastical wet dreams of perpetual power, interrupted only when Trump was elected in 2016, are now back on track. They're handing out cash left and right to this and that constituency. How can anyone imagine not holding on to power when you have the benevolence of big government giving unsolicited handouts in exchange for their votes?
Is this how the shit holes of California and New York turned from red to blue in a generation or two? Is this now the destiny of our great nation? Or, will the elections of 2022 be just the beginning of a remarkable comeback for the Republican party? Calling all patriots! Calling all patriots! Let's get this party started! 2022 is right around the corner.
It isn't any surprise that our government, stolen as it was in 2020 when Biden was innaugurated, has said little to nothing about what's happening in Cuba. Should they not be out in front of this and joining the fight for democracy, at least in terms of their messaging? The Cuban people are fighting for their freedom in a country just 90 miles off our southern shores for chrissakes.
I think Jeff Kuhner (WRKO-680 am) has it right. The Biden Administration wishes that they could go after Trump supporters in the same way that the Cuban government goes after their people. That is to say, with guns blazing and truncheons waving until the streets of our cities and towns run red with the blood of everyday Americans. Well, every day Trump supporters anyway. But, the silence of the Biden Administration when it comes to the Cuban crisis is deafening, and everyday Americans are waking up to their collaboration with leftist regimes of the planet in exercising control over their populations at any cost.
I'd like to think that it is just one more nail in the coffin for the Biden Administration. How many more examples do we need to see before we're convinced that Biden and his minions do not have the best interests of the American people at heart. They are all about tearing down our Constitution and removing as many protections as possible so that everyday Americans are loathed to fight back or resist Biden's authoritarian tendencies. It's all about power for the left and what they're willing to do to keep and maintain it.
Remember that any references to Biden made here and elsewhere in my blog are probably wholly or partially inaccurate as he is a demented and bumbling old fool. Who is really running things? Is it Obama? Susan Rice, maybe? Is it Soros? Is it China? We know China has probably bought off most democrats in Congress, so it's not far-fetched to think that Xi is pulling strings behind the scenes. When we say Xi, we're talking about the Chinese Communist Party. What role did they play in the 2020 elections? How many pallets of falsified ballots did they deliver to Team Biden in the early hours of November 4th, 2020?
This 2020 election audit stuff seems to be getting a lot of traction. The audits started in Arizona and have now spread to other states. Most of the audits conducted follow the Arizona model which, is practically speaking, a forensic audit. In other words, they are investigating a potential crime.
Their findings, to date, have been incredibly revealing in terms of the outright fraud they're finding. It's only a matter of time before one or more states decertifies their election results. God only knows where that might take us. At a minimum, here's hoping that we can unseat a couple of senators in the democrat party. After that, all bets are off.
The good news is that the federal government has few tools at its disposal to slow down or stop what's happening in several states controlled by Republican legislatures. Our Constitution protects the legislature's role in establishing what does and what doesn't happen in elections that take place within their respective borders.
All the speeches by all the bumbling fools in the Biden Administration are not going to make the slightest difference in slowing down or stopping the audit process. It will follow to its logical end, and we'll all know for sure who won in 2020. More importantly, we'll know who cheated and who belongs behind bars for their criminal behavior.
So great is the concern about the ongoing audits in the hallowed halls of our beloved White House, which currently houses the corrupt and detestable Biden Crime Family, that bumbling Joey Biden went to Pennsylvania yesterday to give a speech about election integrity. He likened the audit process currently underway in several states as "Jim Crow 2.0." You're not reading a whole lot about his speech in the news this morning because it was probably one of the most inflammatory speeches given by a US President since, as Joey put it, the "civil war." It was that bad.
The term "Civil War" is now the new call to arms for Biden and his band of leftists. It's dropped left and right by every leftist with access to the media when and where they have the opportunity to expose and demonize voices of their opponents. If you can sufficiently demonize your opposition, you can justify any actions necessary to eradicate or silence them. Would there have been a holocaust in the 1940's had Hitler and his propagandists not been successful in waging a campaign to vilify and demonize the Jews? You see where I'm going with this.
With Ev's car sitting in a lot across town waiting for an assessment following his fender bender, I had the distinct pleasure of running him around town yesterday to get a few chores done. We went food shopping for maybe an hour and picked up a sub at Jersey Mike's before heading back to his place. He was more engaged than usual in the supermarket. He stopped in places going up and down the aisles that I wouldn't think he would be stopping at and put more things than usual in his cart. He typically buys too few things, so I was happy to see him stocking up. Maybe not having a car at his disposal makes a difference in how he now views the shopping experience.
I told the missus that the longer the Ev man is without his car, the more he might appreciate it when he finally gets back behind the wheel. Loosely translated, we're also hoping that means he will be less prone to do things that might otherwise increase his chances of getting in another accident and perhaps result in either losing his car or, worse yet, his license.
We're still not sure how the car thing will go, but I'm a glass-half-full kind of guy, so I'm hoping that Ev can get his car back after his car is back up to snuff. The glass-half-empty view is that the car isn't worth fixing, and we have to find him another vehicle. This is where I need my friends to step in and get involved. If an angel has to get their wings in the process, so be it. If you're listening, this is your time.
I found another chili that the Ev man might find to his liking. I bought some black bean chili (vegan) at Whole Foods over the weekend that I just got around to sampling the other day. It is astoundingly delicious! It's just the kind of chili that I wish I could make. It's always a challenge to get the right consistency down when you're not cooking with meat. But, this chili hits it out of the park. I'll just need to check the expiration date when I buy it to ensure that it's not sitting in our refrigerator too long before he pays a visit.
The chili is spicy but not too spicy. Ev can always throw in a bit of jalapeño flavoring if he so desires. I want to make sure that I have two containers on hand when Ev comes over next time around. One container to have here and one to take home. I also told the missus that I need to start a list of things that float my boat at Whole Foods. These are things that I want to make sure that I have on my list to buy when I go shopping at Whole Foods. The list is relatively short, but it's likely to grow longer as we become more familiar with the landscape inside the store.
I have a lot of things on my plate for today (Friday.) I just don't know that I'm going to get to everything, so I may have to pick and choose as the day goes on. I only have so much energy and so much time. Right? Exercise is important so here's hoping that the day won't be so hot that I can't ride. My list of errands is longer than usual, but I can see the circuitous route mapped out in my head that get's it all done in maybe two to three hours at the outside. My travels will take me to Dover and everywhere in between so I'll need to get an early start. Before then, a bite to eat is at the top of my plan. Good morning to you, too.
The Ev man gave me a call a few minutes ago and he's got bacon cheeseburgers on the mind so I'll be back in Whole Foods for burgers and who knows what else. I'm glad to hear Ev is open to the burgers since he's not a big fan of food prepped hereabouts. We haven't quite figured that one out but it is what it is as they say in the movies. He was keen on hearing that we had a case of Red Bull in the house and the case that he bought within the last few days at his home is already gone. I am not a Red Bull fan so he can take them or leave them as is his inclination. Oh, and I promised him that I'd stop in and check on his car. Jerry Jerry Jerry. I think that's who I talked to at the shop.
I'm listening to a little Billy Strings this morning. It's not my usual fare but I've seen a bunch of his stuff on YouTube so, needless to say, I think I'm on the slow train to fan-boy-dom. Man, can he play that guitar. It's classic something but I'm not sure what. That's how unfamiliar I am with that style of music. I appreciate what he brings to the genre though, whatever that genre be, and like any other country boy worth his salt, I'm willing to give it a listen. Thanks to YouTube, I can see him plucking the strings of his guitar in my mind and it's all good.
I watched the televised Arizona Senate yesterday on YouTube as they heard testimony about the ongoing forensic audit in Maricopa County. Man, who knew voting was such a complicated affair? The one question that I didn't hear asked was, how many of the discrepancies they found showed Biden with a preponderance or lopsided share of the vote? If you have 800 ballots with no crease (mail-in ballots would be creased), then the following question needs to be asked: How many of those 800 votes were for Biden? If you don't want to mention their names, simply ask for a breakdown of the candidates and the final tally per candidate.
The three experts giving testimony knew their stuff and gave detailed accounts of the "irregularities" they found. There is still more work to do including canvassing the county (Maricopa - AZ) to cross-check voters with their registrations, etc. The evidence seems clear that there were shenanigans galore in the 2020 race in Arizona, so I applaud the Arizona state senate for doing what they're doing to ensure that people can have confidence in the votes they cast in any given election. But, if there was fraud involved, how the hell did this thing get off the ground? Will anyone be going to jail? Who did the democrat party hire to do their dirty work? One thing is for sure; we need a full accounting. The sooner, the better.
It was rather astounding to me and others that the Biden White House has now admitted that they are working with the major social media platforms to shut down what they deem as "misinformation" about vaccines for Covid-19. Their spokesperson stood at the podium the other day and admitted as much. First of all, who the hell decides what is and what isn't "misinformation"? These are the same ass clowns that de-platformed the president of the United States when he started talking about how the 2020 election had been stolen by the Biden-ista's. If they can shut down the voice of the President of the United States, they can shut down anybody.
These are also the same fucking creeps that worked with the likes of Facebook and Twitter to remove any references to alternative medicines to deal with the scourge of Covid-19. It's actually against the law for the White House to work with a private entity to do something that they cannot do legally. Hello, republicans! Where the fuck are you? Who will stand up and speak out against this tyrannical government we have operating out of our White House? You've got all kinds of testosterone when it comes to speaking out about the injustices in Cuba and South Africa, but when it comes to our country, it's fucking crickets on steroids!
There are serious first amendment issues at stake here, folks. This is the heavy hand of government deciding what is and what isn't worthy of airing. Our country is better than that. Our people are better than that. Maybe the Biden-ista's think they have the wind at their back after forcing the lot of us to mask up for the better part of a year starting in March of 2020.
As a people, we were much too passive in our response to that dictate so they're now going full Venezuela on us. And, I think they are not done with their caterwauling about the possibility of yet another shutdown due to the spread of various variants and other mutations of the Covid-19 strain. Just in time for the 2022 elections, eh? I'm not so sure that Americans are going to roll over quite so easily next time.
In Los Angeles County, for example, the sheriff in that county is already telling people straight out that his officers will not be enforcing any mask mandates. The mask mandates were recently imposed again by local government officials, presumably due to increasing infection rates in the community. At least this is the prevailing theory, people who have been vaccinated should not need to wear a mask. People who have not been vaccinated should have the option of getting vaccinated or not. This is America, Goddammit!
It's hard to imagine that anyone is okay with what's coming out of our government these days. That said, I can tell you with a straight face that the people in the democrat party and their partners on the left and far-left couldn't be happier. They've been waiting a long time to see a more socialistic agenda brought to our shores and they now think they've died and gone to heaven. This is more than Bernie Sanders could have ever hoped for. That's true of Elizabeth Warren as well. "Give me Marxism or give me death" is the rallying cry heard most often coming out of their quarters. If a handful of Trump supporters need to be jailed or even killed (Ashley Babbit) in the process, it's a small price to pay.
Their fantastical wet dreams of perpetual power, interrupted only when Trump was elected in 2016, are now back on track. They're handing out cash left and right to this and that constituency. How can anyone imagine not holding on to power when you have the benevolence of big government giving unsolicited handouts in exchange for their votes?
Is this how the shit holes of California and New York turned from red to blue in a generation or two? Is this now the destiny of our great nation? Or, will the elections of 2022 be just the beginning of a remarkable comeback for the Republican party? Calling all patriots! Calling all patriots! Let's get this party started! 2022 is right around the corner.
Jibber Jabber
11/07/21 07:11
I hate reading articles written by liberals who typically have their britches in a bunch over the most ridiculous things. I'm reading an article about Jeff Bezos retiring after leading his company, Amazon, for the last whatever number of years. The writer seems to take issue that Bezos has a net worth north of oodles while his employees are on food stamps and living in abject squalor. I reject this characterization out of hand.
Maybe they would prefer that Bezos share his wealth? How much of his wealth would they allow him to keep if they could decide such things? How successful would Amazon have been had they only been allowed to operate on a shoestring budget dictated by a board of his quarrelsome and impoverished employees? Again, I say, God bless him. He achieved the American dream and did it his way. This is something we need to celebrate.
The guy revolutionized the American shopping experience and, I say, it's all for the better. The mom and pop stores across the plains of our great country may disagree, and, I get it. They just can't compete with the buying power of the big box stores. It's easy to forget that buying things online used to take a week or more to get to your doorstep. Not any more. If my package doesn't show up within 24 hours, I'm checking my tracking app to see where the hold up is. That's a good thing.
The funny part is that Bezos is a darling of the left, so you might think that articles written by lefties about wealth inequality would use his name sparingly, if at all. Maybe they're still annoyed with him because he was resisting and fighting back against efforts to unionize several of his facilities. Unions are parasitic by nature, so I applaud his fighting them at every turn. His employees are free to work elsewhere if they feel that their remuneration is inadequate. That, too, is the American way. If I might quote the Koch brothers, "fuck em."
What's this I hear about a self-styled militia group called "The Rise of the Moors"? Ten members of the self styled militia group were seated in two cars sitting idle on the side of the road in the early hours of the morning over the weekend in the State of Massachusetts when the cops just happened to drive by. The militia members were dressed in fatigues and armed to the teeth with weapons ranging from long guns to handguns and everything in between. There was enough of a perceived threat, according to police reports, that the police shut down the highway, ordered a shelter in place for the nearby homes, and began what turned out to be hours of negotiations before it ended with arrests of all involved.
I don't know that these people ever represented an imminent threat of any kind. The group leader went Livestream on YouTube to make the case that they posed no threat and meant no harm to anyone. Did I mention that they were black? Not that skin color matters, but when you hear the word "militia" these days, you invariably think, thanks to CNN, et al, white supremacists, conservatives, and Trump supporters. That might partly explain why the leftist media has chosen not to cover this story more broadly. It simply doesn't fit well with the narratives they've crafted over months and years of the typical white supremacist militia member.
I think that if they had been allowed to go on their way that we might never have heard the name "The Rise of the Moors." It's also possible that by arresting the lot of them, the cops averted what could have been a disaster in the making. It was the Fourth of July, after all. What were they really planning, if anything? Were they really going to their training camp in Maine? The libertarian in me says carry on as long as you don't pose a threat to anyone. I would also say, don't give the police a reason to suspect you of things by dressing a particular way or doing something like carrying guns in a state that prohibits such things. I know, I know, you should be able to dress as you damn well please. Especially on the Fourth of July, right?
I know it flies in the face of the Ev man's privacy rights, but I do it every chance I get. If he leaves his iPhone lying about, I'll pick it up and back it up. Not while he's around because he would never approve. He's uber paranoid about his privacy, so leaving bread crumbs of his activities anywhere is not something that sits well with him. I'm not even sure that I could convince him that my intentions were aboveboard no matter how hard I tried. Perhaps he'll be more forgiving when the day comes that he loses his phone, and I have what he needs to restore it without having lost anything in the process. It's been a while, but that has already happened once.
The Ev man had a bit of a fender bender yesterday in Stratham. Everyone is okay, so no worries there. He did all the right things regarding any post-impact activities, including calling the local constabulary to report the accident. So far, so good. His car is a bit of a hot mess, so we'll have to see how that turns out. We had it towed to a shop and I'll give them a call this morning to give them the lowdown. If they can salvage the vehicle with all of its warts, then that will be a good thing. It's hard to imagine how the Ev man will survive long term without a vehicle, so we'll need to have a plan B ready to go.
I would say that this is a teaching moment for him, so we'll see how that shakes out. He tells me that he'll be driving more carefully from now on, so maybe he's learned his lesson. Not having a car will be another reminder of what it means not to be ambulatory, and for someone in the Ev man's age range, that might be considered a death sentence. He doesn't exactly live on a bus line, and he's not likely to take a ride on public transportation even if he did. Uber is not in his budget, and he doesn't have that many friends where they can drop what they're doing to take him here and there.
It's important that we keep in touch with him at least once a day between now and when we figure out what's going to become of his car. I don't like the idea of him being cooped up in his apartment without a car for even a day. I have a sneaking suspicion that he's ordinarily out and about in his car a lot. That is to say, he probably eats out more often than not for one thing. What twenty-something spends any time at home making himself a meal? He probably uses his microwave more often than his stove, and I'm guessing it is mostly used for leftovers. We all equate having transportation with freedom, however you think of that concept. The Ev man is no different.
I think that the Ev man is a bit overwhelmed and maybe even consumed by what has transpired in the last day or two since the accident. He is literally in uncharted territory here, and that is not a good place for him. It's not about the accident so much as it is the idea that he can't do what he typically does day in and day out now that he doesn't have a car. There is something to be said for continuity, and he considers having a vehicle to be an essential and even integral part of his day-to-day experience. So, we're going to get this figured out, and he will have a vehicle of his own one way or another. The sooner, the better.
How about that Trump presser yesterday? He held a televised press conference around noon time to announce a class-action lawsuit against the tech giants and the ass clowns who run them. How dare they continue to silence the voices of people with whom they disagree? The fact that they work hand-in-hand with the democrats to silence conservative voices to squelch things that they don't want to be aired in public is a disgrace. Today, it's conservative voices. Tomorrow, it could be the voices of the democrats. Rein them in, dammit! It's now or never.
The tech companies are privately held corporations, and they can do as they please, but they are also afforded certain privileges by Congress, which may make a difference if this case ever sees the inside of a courtroom. This case isn't about Trump. It's about the millions of people who have had their voices silenced on subjects ranging everywhere from hydroxychloroquine to election outcomes. When they take the president of the United States off their platform and leave the likes of tyrants and killers like the presidents of China and Iran online, these are decisions that are decidedly political. It's a complicated case but the consequences and potential for change are significant.
I, for one, am happy to see Trump out on the stump speaking up and speaking out on the travesty that is the Biden Administration. We don't hear enough republican voices these days, and that is a problem. Americans who are tired of seeing their country going down the proverbial drain need someone with a megaphone to stand up and speak out against the tyranny of the Biden-istas. It's good to hear someone, anyone, who is willing to grab the nearest megaphone and speak truth to power. Does anyone do it better than Trump?
Nothing says summer here in New England like the sugar and butter variety of corn and watermelon. I was in Tuttle's yesterday and picked up a couple of pieces of corn out of the bin near the cash registers. I pulled back the husks on each of the ears a wee bit just to see if there were any worms I needed to be concerned about and placed the worm-free ears in my basket. I'm not a big corn guy, but the missus is, so I thought she might like a couple of ears to kick off the season. I threw a nice seedless watermelon in my basket for good measure and looked forward to surprising the missus upon my return home.
The Ev man is a big fan of the American chop suey that Tuttle's sells so we picked up a couple of containers. He hasn't been to Tuttle's since his days back in high school, so he was off wandering around while I went looking for specific items. I've not been a fan of the chili that Tuttle's sells, but I buy some here and there if it looks good. I found the chili yesterday to be a step up from their usual chili, so I wish I had bought more. But, it was almost as though they identified the one or two ingredients in their chili that just weren't working, and, voila, we are good to go.
I'm not looking to drop a dime or anything, but the store seems to employ any number of what appear to be Mexicans in their backroom operation. This might well account for the chili recipe falling short of the mark, as it were. Chili is a dish that is both versatile and subject to regional influences. Once you go south of the border, I suspect that all bets are off. If what I'm not liking about the chili they sell has to do with the people making it, and the people making it are not native to our shores, that might help explain what I liked or didn't like about the chili they threw together.
Is anyone else concerned about Biden's plan to send government flacks to every household in our great country to root out those who haven't been vaccinated? It's none of their fucking business who is and who isn't vaccinated. The virus has been on the wane now for a few months, so one has to ask, what the hell is going on? It's an intrusion the likes of which we've never experienced in our country short of rounding up people of Japanese descent during World War 2 and shipping them off to internment camps.
Our shades will be drawn and our "no trespassing" signs will be up across our property if and when they decide to come by for a visit. We may even put the dogs out. There is no mandate to get this vaccine, nor should there be. The mortality rate is infinitesimally low, and the mortality rates for people below the age of 50 are even lower. Did I mention that this is an experimental vaccine? So, I ask again, what the hell is this all about?
Should we be concerned that the Pfizers of the world came up with this vaccine in less than nine months? Or, has this vaccine been in the works for months or years, even before the virus came around? The government just needed the proper rationale for injecting the populace with the so-called vaccine. I know it sounds far-fetched, but I'm at a loss to explain or understand this administration's dogged and seemingly devious determination to get the jab into everyone's arms.
When you hear about specific therapeutics being withheld from the public when they or their loved ones are at death's doorstep with the virus, it's yet another alarm bell going off. And what about all of those fudged numbers in the early days of the breakout when it didn't matter what you died from, the cause of death was always officially recorded as "covid-19." Government officials, like Cuomo from New York, as well as other democrat governors, seemed to know in advance the death and destruction the virus would cause and planned accordingly to, "never let a good crisis go to waste."
We visited Mrs. G yesterday afternoon for a while. I ended up sitting with her at her computer to square away a password issue she was having with one of her sites. She had called them and they said something about her e-mail address being the reason why she was having her troubles. I had her look over my shoulder while I worked it all out and, it had nothing whatsoever to do with her e-mail address. Everything was up to snuff when we got into her account, so we made a couple of adjustments, and she was good to go. We had to go back a forth a few times, but we got er done.
I can imagine that some of the customer service calls that these places receive, especially from older people older with less patience than the average bear, are nothing short of maddening. I know what the two of them discussed, but the problem did not get resolved on the call and that is not my idea of good customer service. I almost feel a little sorry for Mrs. G because she had to make the call in the first place. I suppose you can make the case that the problem started with Mrs. G when she started fiddling with this, that, or the other thing but I'm not privy to those details, so we'll not go down that road.
I also think it's a good thing that Mrs G picked up the phone intending to fix what she perceived to be a problem with accessing one of her accounts online. I admire her fearless approach to solving her problems, and if that means she's going to ring up a customer service representative in a pinch, then that's what she does. I'm sure she asks all the right questions although we all know how things can go sideways in conversations like this especially when you have one of the two parties who is a little flatfooted when it comes to the technology involved.
Call me Mr Insensitive but who the hell cares what happens in Haiti? Why should we care if the president of that country gets assassinated? I have no objections to lending a hand after some naturally occurring disaster like a hurricane or something but that's where I draw the line. Why is the Biden Administration sending anyone down to that shit hole of a country? Let them sort out their own political affairs. It's a dog-eat-dog world down there and political assassinations are nothing more than a garden variety crisis-du-jour. Joey, if you're listening, mind your own fucking business. Maybe you can start by protecting our own borders for a change.
Maybe they would prefer that Bezos share his wealth? How much of his wealth would they allow him to keep if they could decide such things? How successful would Amazon have been had they only been allowed to operate on a shoestring budget dictated by a board of his quarrelsome and impoverished employees? Again, I say, God bless him. He achieved the American dream and did it his way. This is something we need to celebrate.
The guy revolutionized the American shopping experience and, I say, it's all for the better. The mom and pop stores across the plains of our great country may disagree, and, I get it. They just can't compete with the buying power of the big box stores. It's easy to forget that buying things online used to take a week or more to get to your doorstep. Not any more. If my package doesn't show up within 24 hours, I'm checking my tracking app to see where the hold up is. That's a good thing.
The funny part is that Bezos is a darling of the left, so you might think that articles written by lefties about wealth inequality would use his name sparingly, if at all. Maybe they're still annoyed with him because he was resisting and fighting back against efforts to unionize several of his facilities. Unions are parasitic by nature, so I applaud his fighting them at every turn. His employees are free to work elsewhere if they feel that their remuneration is inadequate. That, too, is the American way. If I might quote the Koch brothers, "fuck em."
What's this I hear about a self-styled militia group called "The Rise of the Moors"? Ten members of the self styled militia group were seated in two cars sitting idle on the side of the road in the early hours of the morning over the weekend in the State of Massachusetts when the cops just happened to drive by. The militia members were dressed in fatigues and armed to the teeth with weapons ranging from long guns to handguns and everything in between. There was enough of a perceived threat, according to police reports, that the police shut down the highway, ordered a shelter in place for the nearby homes, and began what turned out to be hours of negotiations before it ended with arrests of all involved.
I don't know that these people ever represented an imminent threat of any kind. The group leader went Livestream on YouTube to make the case that they posed no threat and meant no harm to anyone. Did I mention that they were black? Not that skin color matters, but when you hear the word "militia" these days, you invariably think, thanks to CNN, et al, white supremacists, conservatives, and Trump supporters. That might partly explain why the leftist media has chosen not to cover this story more broadly. It simply doesn't fit well with the narratives they've crafted over months and years of the typical white supremacist militia member.
I think that if they had been allowed to go on their way that we might never have heard the name "The Rise of the Moors." It's also possible that by arresting the lot of them, the cops averted what could have been a disaster in the making. It was the Fourth of July, after all. What were they really planning, if anything? Were they really going to their training camp in Maine? The libertarian in me says carry on as long as you don't pose a threat to anyone. I would also say, don't give the police a reason to suspect you of things by dressing a particular way or doing something like carrying guns in a state that prohibits such things. I know, I know, you should be able to dress as you damn well please. Especially on the Fourth of July, right?
I know it flies in the face of the Ev man's privacy rights, but I do it every chance I get. If he leaves his iPhone lying about, I'll pick it up and back it up. Not while he's around because he would never approve. He's uber paranoid about his privacy, so leaving bread crumbs of his activities anywhere is not something that sits well with him. I'm not even sure that I could convince him that my intentions were aboveboard no matter how hard I tried. Perhaps he'll be more forgiving when the day comes that he loses his phone, and I have what he needs to restore it without having lost anything in the process. It's been a while, but that has already happened once.
The Ev man had a bit of a fender bender yesterday in Stratham. Everyone is okay, so no worries there. He did all the right things regarding any post-impact activities, including calling the local constabulary to report the accident. So far, so good. His car is a bit of a hot mess, so we'll have to see how that turns out. We had it towed to a shop and I'll give them a call this morning to give them the lowdown. If they can salvage the vehicle with all of its warts, then that will be a good thing. It's hard to imagine how the Ev man will survive long term without a vehicle, so we'll need to have a plan B ready to go.
I would say that this is a teaching moment for him, so we'll see how that shakes out. He tells me that he'll be driving more carefully from now on, so maybe he's learned his lesson. Not having a car will be another reminder of what it means not to be ambulatory, and for someone in the Ev man's age range, that might be considered a death sentence. He doesn't exactly live on a bus line, and he's not likely to take a ride on public transportation even if he did. Uber is not in his budget, and he doesn't have that many friends where they can drop what they're doing to take him here and there.
It's important that we keep in touch with him at least once a day between now and when we figure out what's going to become of his car. I don't like the idea of him being cooped up in his apartment without a car for even a day. I have a sneaking suspicion that he's ordinarily out and about in his car a lot. That is to say, he probably eats out more often than not for one thing. What twenty-something spends any time at home making himself a meal? He probably uses his microwave more often than his stove, and I'm guessing it is mostly used for leftovers. We all equate having transportation with freedom, however you think of that concept. The Ev man is no different.
I think that the Ev man is a bit overwhelmed and maybe even consumed by what has transpired in the last day or two since the accident. He is literally in uncharted territory here, and that is not a good place for him. It's not about the accident so much as it is the idea that he can't do what he typically does day in and day out now that he doesn't have a car. There is something to be said for continuity, and he considers having a vehicle to be an essential and even integral part of his day-to-day experience. So, we're going to get this figured out, and he will have a vehicle of his own one way or another. The sooner, the better.
How about that Trump presser yesterday? He held a televised press conference around noon time to announce a class-action lawsuit against the tech giants and the ass clowns who run them. How dare they continue to silence the voices of people with whom they disagree? The fact that they work hand-in-hand with the democrats to silence conservative voices to squelch things that they don't want to be aired in public is a disgrace. Today, it's conservative voices. Tomorrow, it could be the voices of the democrats. Rein them in, dammit! It's now or never.
The tech companies are privately held corporations, and they can do as they please, but they are also afforded certain privileges by Congress, which may make a difference if this case ever sees the inside of a courtroom. This case isn't about Trump. It's about the millions of people who have had their voices silenced on subjects ranging everywhere from hydroxychloroquine to election outcomes. When they take the president of the United States off their platform and leave the likes of tyrants and killers like the presidents of China and Iran online, these are decisions that are decidedly political. It's a complicated case but the consequences and potential for change are significant.
I, for one, am happy to see Trump out on the stump speaking up and speaking out on the travesty that is the Biden Administration. We don't hear enough republican voices these days, and that is a problem. Americans who are tired of seeing their country going down the proverbial drain need someone with a megaphone to stand up and speak out against the tyranny of the Biden-istas. It's good to hear someone, anyone, who is willing to grab the nearest megaphone and speak truth to power. Does anyone do it better than Trump?
Nothing says summer here in New England like the sugar and butter variety of corn and watermelon. I was in Tuttle's yesterday and picked up a couple of pieces of corn out of the bin near the cash registers. I pulled back the husks on each of the ears a wee bit just to see if there were any worms I needed to be concerned about and placed the worm-free ears in my basket. I'm not a big corn guy, but the missus is, so I thought she might like a couple of ears to kick off the season. I threw a nice seedless watermelon in my basket for good measure and looked forward to surprising the missus upon my return home.
The Ev man is a big fan of the American chop suey that Tuttle's sells so we picked up a couple of containers. He hasn't been to Tuttle's since his days back in high school, so he was off wandering around while I went looking for specific items. I've not been a fan of the chili that Tuttle's sells, but I buy some here and there if it looks good. I found the chili yesterday to be a step up from their usual chili, so I wish I had bought more. But, it was almost as though they identified the one or two ingredients in their chili that just weren't working, and, voila, we are good to go.
I'm not looking to drop a dime or anything, but the store seems to employ any number of what appear to be Mexicans in their backroom operation. This might well account for the chili recipe falling short of the mark, as it were. Chili is a dish that is both versatile and subject to regional influences. Once you go south of the border, I suspect that all bets are off. If what I'm not liking about the chili they sell has to do with the people making it, and the people making it are not native to our shores, that might help explain what I liked or didn't like about the chili they threw together.
Is anyone else concerned about Biden's plan to send government flacks to every household in our great country to root out those who haven't been vaccinated? It's none of their fucking business who is and who isn't vaccinated. The virus has been on the wane now for a few months, so one has to ask, what the hell is going on? It's an intrusion the likes of which we've never experienced in our country short of rounding up people of Japanese descent during World War 2 and shipping them off to internment camps.
Our shades will be drawn and our "no trespassing" signs will be up across our property if and when they decide to come by for a visit. We may even put the dogs out. There is no mandate to get this vaccine, nor should there be. The mortality rate is infinitesimally low, and the mortality rates for people below the age of 50 are even lower. Did I mention that this is an experimental vaccine? So, I ask again, what the hell is this all about?
Should we be concerned that the Pfizers of the world came up with this vaccine in less than nine months? Or, has this vaccine been in the works for months or years, even before the virus came around? The government just needed the proper rationale for injecting the populace with the so-called vaccine. I know it sounds far-fetched, but I'm at a loss to explain or understand this administration's dogged and seemingly devious determination to get the jab into everyone's arms.
When you hear about specific therapeutics being withheld from the public when they or their loved ones are at death's doorstep with the virus, it's yet another alarm bell going off. And what about all of those fudged numbers in the early days of the breakout when it didn't matter what you died from, the cause of death was always officially recorded as "covid-19." Government officials, like Cuomo from New York, as well as other democrat governors, seemed to know in advance the death and destruction the virus would cause and planned accordingly to, "never let a good crisis go to waste."
We visited Mrs. G yesterday afternoon for a while. I ended up sitting with her at her computer to square away a password issue she was having with one of her sites. She had called them and they said something about her e-mail address being the reason why she was having her troubles. I had her look over my shoulder while I worked it all out and, it had nothing whatsoever to do with her e-mail address. Everything was up to snuff when we got into her account, so we made a couple of adjustments, and she was good to go. We had to go back a forth a few times, but we got er done.
I can imagine that some of the customer service calls that these places receive, especially from older people older with less patience than the average bear, are nothing short of maddening. I know what the two of them discussed, but the problem did not get resolved on the call and that is not my idea of good customer service. I almost feel a little sorry for Mrs. G because she had to make the call in the first place. I suppose you can make the case that the problem started with Mrs. G when she started fiddling with this, that, or the other thing but I'm not privy to those details, so we'll not go down that road.
I also think it's a good thing that Mrs G picked up the phone intending to fix what she perceived to be a problem with accessing one of her accounts online. I admire her fearless approach to solving her problems, and if that means she's going to ring up a customer service representative in a pinch, then that's what she does. I'm sure she asks all the right questions although we all know how things can go sideways in conversations like this especially when you have one of the two parties who is a little flatfooted when it comes to the technology involved.
Call me Mr Insensitive but who the hell cares what happens in Haiti? Why should we care if the president of that country gets assassinated? I have no objections to lending a hand after some naturally occurring disaster like a hurricane or something but that's where I draw the line. Why is the Biden Administration sending anyone down to that shit hole of a country? Let them sort out their own political affairs. It's a dog-eat-dog world down there and political assassinations are nothing more than a garden variety crisis-du-jour. Joey, if you're listening, mind your own fucking business. Maybe you can start by protecting our own borders for a change.
Old Glory
04/07/21 14:45
It's going to be another hot one. I don't mind the heat but the humidity is tough to take. You just don't want to do anything outside. It takes too much effort and it's uncomfortable to boot. That said, I feel the need to hit the gym today to move my body. I won't be hitting it hard but a little treadmill activity and a few weights might be just what the doctor ordered. I'm not even sure about biking as I sit here at 7:21 in the morning. A bridge too far?
The missus is up early today and she's running circles around me and distracting me to no end. It's hard for me to hold a thought in my head long enough to do anything with it much less put it down on paper. Whenever I think I'm starting to get some traction she says something or does something that reminds me that my time is not my own. Not even a little Joni Mitchell will bring me around to where I think I need to be to get on with this task of mine.
I'm sure I wanted to say something about the woman competing in the hammer throw competition in order to qualify for the summer Olympics in Japan this summer. Did I think it was un-American of her to scowl and turn her back when they played our national anthem? You bet your ass I did. She's a Black Lives Matter activist and she makes no bones about it. Everybody is looking for a payday these days. They all think that going full Colin Kaepernick is going to get their faces on a box of cereal, endorsements from this or that woke organization, and wealth beyond their wildest dreams. I'm not sure they're wrong.
I guess I'll do my part by not watching the Olympics. I can only hope that other god-fearing and similar-minded Americans will do the same. We vote with our feet when and where necessary to express our collective displeasure at what our fellow Americans are doing or not doing. You better believe that had one or more of the winning competitors worn a "Trump Won" tee-shirt, they would have been summarily dismissed and banished for maybe years to come. But, for now, we fight back. We're in it to win it.
The persistent theme of systemic racism we see being pushed day in and day out by the media and on the front pages of this or that leftist newspaper in America is just getting old. It's wearing thin, as they say. If we're willing to admit to being a racist country, that opens the door for all kinds of folderol. I'm not sure where it ends but I can be confident of one thing. It won't end well.
Just ask the white farmers in South Africa how that turned out for them. When they forced them off their farms that have passed down from generation to generation, how did that make them feel? How did that fix anything? Did that make them more or less intolerant at the end of the day? That policy is akin to Biden's plan to address racial disparity in our neighborhoods. They plan to federalize local zoning laws across the nation to construct high-rise low-income housing in single-family neighborhoods. What could go wrong?
This demented old fuck is running across the country selling a pig in a poke and the Republican Party better damn well not bend over for this so-called infrastructure bill with a price tag north of $10 trillion. The republicans negotiated in good faith for an infrastructure bill that came in around a trillion only to have bumbling Joe Biden come in and say that if they didn't buy into the two infrastructure bills, he wasn't signing off on anything. Two bills? What the fuck are you chattering about, demented Joe? This isn't what we (Republicans) discussed.
Speaking of crusty old fucks, what the hell is this business about letting Bill Cosby out of jail? It looks like his lawyers found an empathetic ear or two on Pennsylvania's Supreme Court, so he's leaving prison today after serving some two plus years of a 3-10 year sentence. It's a travesty. Then, he has the audacity to go on Twitter and profess his innocence. It was refreshing to see the left-wing media in an uproar about this latest development and, as I sit here thinking about it, maybe there is some life left in the #MeToo movement yet.
Maybe his comeuppance will come in the form of his being ostracized by those who once sung his praises. Is there an audience out there on radio or television who gives a whit about what an 80-plus-year-old sex offender has to say? He may have been "America''s Dad" in his heyday but that horse has left the barn. His slow old-man shuffle isn't going to fool anyone, and any attempts at staging a comeback are likely to fall flat. The many women he once drugged and raped will likely follow him around like the hounds of hell and rightly so.
That condo collapse in Surfside, Florida, in the last week was something else. Here we are just a week out, and there are still some 145 people missing. It's so tragic that it's hard to get your head around it. Most people living in the building had gone to bed for the night and were likely fast asleep when the building collapsed on top of them. One thing that surprised me was the number of people living in the building with Spanish surnames. I know Southern Florida has become something of an international community over the years, but I might have expected to see a Jane and John Doe or two on the list of the missing. Not so much.
It doesn't make the lives lost any less significant or noteworthy, so there's that. The big surprise is that this sort of thing happened at all. Time and time again, I would hear people on the telly say, "this sort of thing doesn't happen in America." If this sort of thing happens in third-world countries, I can't recall ever hearing about it. And shame on certain talking heads of CNN who seemed to want to lay blame wherever they could when interviewing people on the ground in Surfside. Chris Cuomo tried desperately to run with this or that narrative that never took hold because the people he interviewed were on to him. (Interviewee) Not on my watch, you mother fucker. Stick to the facts.
It's a bit like 911 in that the only thing that resonates after all is said and done is the feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you see the pictures of the people who lost their lives. The smiling faces of the children who likely spent the day at the beach across the street from the condo building with their little shovels and pails and without a worry in the world. The optimistic expressions on the faces of their parents in the photos who never in a million years saw this coming. The faces in the images of the senior citizens whose lives were on autopilot and who looked forward to doing what they always did on that otherwise fateful day.
You never know quite how to apportion your not-endless reservoir of empathy at times like this but whatever you're able to muster is probably never quite enough to go around. Most of it goes to the children, then their parents, then younger people, and so forth and so on until you get to the old folks. They had good lives and even now in the twilight of their years, they were enjoying every day as though it might be their last. You can easily imagine older people thinking these very thoughts to themselves from time to time. Little did they know that that particular day would be the day.
Bumbling Joe Biden made his way down to the building collapse site in Surfside, Florida to meet with the families and pay his respects to the dead. When he started rambling on and on about climate change as a possible cause or maybe one of many contributing factors of the collapse, and then went on to tie in the events in Surfside to bolster his arguments for passing his albatross of an infrastructure bill, it was just a hot fucking mess. Who uses a human disaster to push their political agenda at a time when bodies, or what's left of them, are still being scraped out of the debris by recovery specialists working day and night on their hands and knees under klieg lights with chisels and claw hammers?
We'll be popping over to see Mrs. G today to celebrate her 91st birthday. We're a day late due to some other commitments but we'll be there with bells on today. The missus wants to stop by Whole Foods first to see if there isn't a small cake that Mrs. G might fancy. That store opened up recently so it will be the first time the missus is paying a visit. I expect she'll want to do a bit of looking around while we're there. I thought Mrs G might like to have a small box of assorted cookies from Whole Foods so it's good to have other options if the cake thing doesn't work out. Do we even know what kind of cake Mrs. G might prefer? Carrot? Chocolate?
The missus put the birthday card for Mrs G in the mail a good week ago so she's put her best foot forward as usual. She bought a lovely scarf at a store a week or so ago and we're pretty sure it's something Mrs. G will take a shine to. Scarves are all the rage these days so why not? In looking at my e-mail today, I see that Mrs. G sent us a picture of herself and a few friends celebrating what appeared to be her birthday party. I wouldn't say that Mrs G was the one wearing the lampshade on her head at the end of the night but she was right up there if the picture she sent to us was an accurate depiction of what went down at the "party."
Just because there were no spent candles, cakes, or balloons in the picture doesn't mean that they weren't celebrating like it was 1999. Come to think of it, I don't think I saw any bottles, cans, or any other adult beverages in the picture. The image might've passed for a reunion of her nursing class of 1952 if I didn't know better. There was a notable absence of chumminess as she and her friends assembled for the picture. The participants body language was slightly stand-offish but maybe par for the course as the pandemic itself is barely in the rearview mirror a year and a half after it began. Even in the best of times, you maintain a stiff upper lip and keep your composure. After all, these are The Woods don't you know.
There was wall-to-wall coverage of the indictment of Allen Weisselberg in the news yesterday. He is the current CFO of the Trump Organization. Who doesn't like a good political persecution? Right? The AG in New York ran for the position promising to indict Trump if she won and she's delighting liberals from coast to coast who would like nothing better than to see Trump in an orange jumpsuit. I've always maintained that the media's vitriolic and irrational hatred of Trump comes from the non-stop vilification in the liberal media of everything Trump since he came down the escalator back in 2015 to announce his run for the presidency. How else do you explain that he was a veritable darling of the media before he ran for president?
I guess the libs thought that Obama had put the democrat party on a glide path to never losing another election and that Hillary Clinton would put yet another nail in the coffin of the Republican Party when elected to replace Obama. Trump put an end to that nightmare scenario when he was elected in 2016. One of the complaints about Trump when he was running was that he was a limousine liberal and just a Republican in name only. When a more conservative Trump started to take shape early in his administration, the bastards on the left and their praetorian guard in the media went after him hammer and tong. Endlessly, ceaselessly, rabidly.
Anyways, the libs have jailed any number of Trump associates over time for crimes alleged, some of whom Trump has pardoned or commuted their sentences. They were imprisoned with the expectation that they would flip Trump and the feds would then have the case they longed for that would put Trump in jail for good. It's one thing to go after one's target or associates when they're in power and quite another to do so after leaving office. This targeting of Weisselberg is clearly an attempt to get something on Trump and to stop him from running for president in 2024. Everyone knows it and only the liberals condone it.
Conservatives have to be pleased with a couple of cases decided by the Supreme Court last week regarding voting rights and reining in government power. The decision was 6-3, with the three liberals on the Court offering their usual hysterical dissent having to do with disproportionally burdening minority voters. On the other hand, the conservatives rightly upheld laws implemented in Arizona having to do with barring ballot harvesting and "out of precinct" ballot casting. It's good to see the conservatives stepping up to the plate for a change. Where the hell were they when Trump and his legal team raised their issues about fraud in the 2020 election?
With legislators across the country implementing new laws to protect the vote in advance of the 2022 and 2024 elections, Steve Bannon (Warroom) seems to think that the republicans can get back some 40 to 50 seats in the House and a couple of seats in the Senate in 2022. Just enough here and there to render Biden useless in the second half of his four-year term. It will set up 2024 just perfectly for Trump to re-enter the race and run away with the nomination. After all, those 40-50 seats are only getting filled because Trump has personally signed off on the individual candidates. That's what you do when you're a force of nature like Trump.
In an open and televised forum with Trump and Sean Hannity, Hannity asked Trump if he had decided about running in 2024. Trump answered, "yes." Bannon, reading between the lines as Trump's former campaign manager who took him into the White House in 2016, took this response as an affirmation that he was indeed running. Besides, Trump has not denied that he's running so that may be the tell. He has a rally tonight (July 3rd), his second since leaving the White House, tonight in Sarasota, Fla, so maybe he'll have more to say on the subject. Who wouldn't rather celebrate the Fourth of July with a real President? I thought so.
Do you know who else I like? I like Herschel Walker running for Warlock's seat in Georgia. He is one stand-up mother fucker. I'm talking about Herschel, not the Warlock. Both Warlock and the other democrat who took the senate seats in Georgia in 2020 are there because they could steal the seats. The election auditors will get around to Georgia soon enough still, there is already sufficient evidence that the fraud was rampant and the laws were changed without input from the legislators which tells you all you need to know. I'm thinking J.D. Vance, who declared he's running just this week in Ohio for Portman's seat, will also get the nod from Trump and those are just two of maybe a half dozen that are considered low hanging fruit. We can only hope. Right?
Lastly, I wish the missus would listen when the Ev man tells her that he doesn't need a new pair of shoes. C'mon, she says. Let's go on Zappo's and we'll see if we can't find you a nice new pair of shoes. This came from a woman who just went back and forth with Zappo's and finally finagled a few pairs of free shoes due to Zappo's shortcomings in delivering the goods. I think her heart is in the right place but, by his own admission, he'd rather shop the discount aisle and try a few pairs on before he makes a decision. Looking at shoes online isn't for everybody. Even if they do turn out to be free, what good are they if they don't fit? Asking for a friend.
The missus is up early today and she's running circles around me and distracting me to no end. It's hard for me to hold a thought in my head long enough to do anything with it much less put it down on paper. Whenever I think I'm starting to get some traction she says something or does something that reminds me that my time is not my own. Not even a little Joni Mitchell will bring me around to where I think I need to be to get on with this task of mine.
I'm sure I wanted to say something about the woman competing in the hammer throw competition in order to qualify for the summer Olympics in Japan this summer. Did I think it was un-American of her to scowl and turn her back when they played our national anthem? You bet your ass I did. She's a Black Lives Matter activist and she makes no bones about it. Everybody is looking for a payday these days. They all think that going full Colin Kaepernick is going to get their faces on a box of cereal, endorsements from this or that woke organization, and wealth beyond their wildest dreams. I'm not sure they're wrong.
I guess I'll do my part by not watching the Olympics. I can only hope that other god-fearing and similar-minded Americans will do the same. We vote with our feet when and where necessary to express our collective displeasure at what our fellow Americans are doing or not doing. You better believe that had one or more of the winning competitors worn a "Trump Won" tee-shirt, they would have been summarily dismissed and banished for maybe years to come. But, for now, we fight back. We're in it to win it.
The persistent theme of systemic racism we see being pushed day in and day out by the media and on the front pages of this or that leftist newspaper in America is just getting old. It's wearing thin, as they say. If we're willing to admit to being a racist country, that opens the door for all kinds of folderol. I'm not sure where it ends but I can be confident of one thing. It won't end well.
Just ask the white farmers in South Africa how that turned out for them. When they forced them off their farms that have passed down from generation to generation, how did that make them feel? How did that fix anything? Did that make them more or less intolerant at the end of the day? That policy is akin to Biden's plan to address racial disparity in our neighborhoods. They plan to federalize local zoning laws across the nation to construct high-rise low-income housing in single-family neighborhoods. What could go wrong?
This demented old fuck is running across the country selling a pig in a poke and the Republican Party better damn well not bend over for this so-called infrastructure bill with a price tag north of $10 trillion. The republicans negotiated in good faith for an infrastructure bill that came in around a trillion only to have bumbling Joe Biden come in and say that if they didn't buy into the two infrastructure bills, he wasn't signing off on anything. Two bills? What the fuck are you chattering about, demented Joe? This isn't what we (Republicans) discussed.
Speaking of crusty old fucks, what the hell is this business about letting Bill Cosby out of jail? It looks like his lawyers found an empathetic ear or two on Pennsylvania's Supreme Court, so he's leaving prison today after serving some two plus years of a 3-10 year sentence. It's a travesty. Then, he has the audacity to go on Twitter and profess his innocence. It was refreshing to see the left-wing media in an uproar about this latest development and, as I sit here thinking about it, maybe there is some life left in the #MeToo movement yet.
Maybe his comeuppance will come in the form of his being ostracized by those who once sung his praises. Is there an audience out there on radio or television who gives a whit about what an 80-plus-year-old sex offender has to say? He may have been "America''s Dad" in his heyday but that horse has left the barn. His slow old-man shuffle isn't going to fool anyone, and any attempts at staging a comeback are likely to fall flat. The many women he once drugged and raped will likely follow him around like the hounds of hell and rightly so.
That condo collapse in Surfside, Florida, in the last week was something else. Here we are just a week out, and there are still some 145 people missing. It's so tragic that it's hard to get your head around it. Most people living in the building had gone to bed for the night and were likely fast asleep when the building collapsed on top of them. One thing that surprised me was the number of people living in the building with Spanish surnames. I know Southern Florida has become something of an international community over the years, but I might have expected to see a Jane and John Doe or two on the list of the missing. Not so much.
It doesn't make the lives lost any less significant or noteworthy, so there's that. The big surprise is that this sort of thing happened at all. Time and time again, I would hear people on the telly say, "this sort of thing doesn't happen in America." If this sort of thing happens in third-world countries, I can't recall ever hearing about it. And shame on certain talking heads of CNN who seemed to want to lay blame wherever they could when interviewing people on the ground in Surfside. Chris Cuomo tried desperately to run with this or that narrative that never took hold because the people he interviewed were on to him. (Interviewee) Not on my watch, you mother fucker. Stick to the facts.
It's a bit like 911 in that the only thing that resonates after all is said and done is the feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you see the pictures of the people who lost their lives. The smiling faces of the children who likely spent the day at the beach across the street from the condo building with their little shovels and pails and without a worry in the world. The optimistic expressions on the faces of their parents in the photos who never in a million years saw this coming. The faces in the images of the senior citizens whose lives were on autopilot and who looked forward to doing what they always did on that otherwise fateful day.
You never know quite how to apportion your not-endless reservoir of empathy at times like this but whatever you're able to muster is probably never quite enough to go around. Most of it goes to the children, then their parents, then younger people, and so forth and so on until you get to the old folks. They had good lives and even now in the twilight of their years, they were enjoying every day as though it might be their last. You can easily imagine older people thinking these very thoughts to themselves from time to time. Little did they know that that particular day would be the day.
Bumbling Joe Biden made his way down to the building collapse site in Surfside, Florida to meet with the families and pay his respects to the dead. When he started rambling on and on about climate change as a possible cause or maybe one of many contributing factors of the collapse, and then went on to tie in the events in Surfside to bolster his arguments for passing his albatross of an infrastructure bill, it was just a hot fucking mess. Who uses a human disaster to push their political agenda at a time when bodies, or what's left of them, are still being scraped out of the debris by recovery specialists working day and night on their hands and knees under klieg lights with chisels and claw hammers?
We'll be popping over to see Mrs. G today to celebrate her 91st birthday. We're a day late due to some other commitments but we'll be there with bells on today. The missus wants to stop by Whole Foods first to see if there isn't a small cake that Mrs. G might fancy. That store opened up recently so it will be the first time the missus is paying a visit. I expect she'll want to do a bit of looking around while we're there. I thought Mrs G might like to have a small box of assorted cookies from Whole Foods so it's good to have other options if the cake thing doesn't work out. Do we even know what kind of cake Mrs. G might prefer? Carrot? Chocolate?
The missus put the birthday card for Mrs G in the mail a good week ago so she's put her best foot forward as usual. She bought a lovely scarf at a store a week or so ago and we're pretty sure it's something Mrs. G will take a shine to. Scarves are all the rage these days so why not? In looking at my e-mail today, I see that Mrs. G sent us a picture of herself and a few friends celebrating what appeared to be her birthday party. I wouldn't say that Mrs G was the one wearing the lampshade on her head at the end of the night but she was right up there if the picture she sent to us was an accurate depiction of what went down at the "party."
Just because there were no spent candles, cakes, or balloons in the picture doesn't mean that they weren't celebrating like it was 1999. Come to think of it, I don't think I saw any bottles, cans, or any other adult beverages in the picture. The image might've passed for a reunion of her nursing class of 1952 if I didn't know better. There was a notable absence of chumminess as she and her friends assembled for the picture. The participants body language was slightly stand-offish but maybe par for the course as the pandemic itself is barely in the rearview mirror a year and a half after it began. Even in the best of times, you maintain a stiff upper lip and keep your composure. After all, these are The Woods don't you know.
There was wall-to-wall coverage of the indictment of Allen Weisselberg in the news yesterday. He is the current CFO of the Trump Organization. Who doesn't like a good political persecution? Right? The AG in New York ran for the position promising to indict Trump if she won and she's delighting liberals from coast to coast who would like nothing better than to see Trump in an orange jumpsuit. I've always maintained that the media's vitriolic and irrational hatred of Trump comes from the non-stop vilification in the liberal media of everything Trump since he came down the escalator back in 2015 to announce his run for the presidency. How else do you explain that he was a veritable darling of the media before he ran for president?
I guess the libs thought that Obama had put the democrat party on a glide path to never losing another election and that Hillary Clinton would put yet another nail in the coffin of the Republican Party when elected to replace Obama. Trump put an end to that nightmare scenario when he was elected in 2016. One of the complaints about Trump when he was running was that he was a limousine liberal and just a Republican in name only. When a more conservative Trump started to take shape early in his administration, the bastards on the left and their praetorian guard in the media went after him hammer and tong. Endlessly, ceaselessly, rabidly.
Anyways, the libs have jailed any number of Trump associates over time for crimes alleged, some of whom Trump has pardoned or commuted their sentences. They were imprisoned with the expectation that they would flip Trump and the feds would then have the case they longed for that would put Trump in jail for good. It's one thing to go after one's target or associates when they're in power and quite another to do so after leaving office. This targeting of Weisselberg is clearly an attempt to get something on Trump and to stop him from running for president in 2024. Everyone knows it and only the liberals condone it.
Conservatives have to be pleased with a couple of cases decided by the Supreme Court last week regarding voting rights and reining in government power. The decision was 6-3, with the three liberals on the Court offering their usual hysterical dissent having to do with disproportionally burdening minority voters. On the other hand, the conservatives rightly upheld laws implemented in Arizona having to do with barring ballot harvesting and "out of precinct" ballot casting. It's good to see the conservatives stepping up to the plate for a change. Where the hell were they when Trump and his legal team raised their issues about fraud in the 2020 election?
With legislators across the country implementing new laws to protect the vote in advance of the 2022 and 2024 elections, Steve Bannon (Warroom) seems to think that the republicans can get back some 40 to 50 seats in the House and a couple of seats in the Senate in 2022. Just enough here and there to render Biden useless in the second half of his four-year term. It will set up 2024 just perfectly for Trump to re-enter the race and run away with the nomination. After all, those 40-50 seats are only getting filled because Trump has personally signed off on the individual candidates. That's what you do when you're a force of nature like Trump.
In an open and televised forum with Trump and Sean Hannity, Hannity asked Trump if he had decided about running in 2024. Trump answered, "yes." Bannon, reading between the lines as Trump's former campaign manager who took him into the White House in 2016, took this response as an affirmation that he was indeed running. Besides, Trump has not denied that he's running so that may be the tell. He has a rally tonight (July 3rd), his second since leaving the White House, tonight in Sarasota, Fla, so maybe he'll have more to say on the subject. Who wouldn't rather celebrate the Fourth of July with a real President? I thought so.
Do you know who else I like? I like Herschel Walker running for Warlock's seat in Georgia. He is one stand-up mother fucker. I'm talking about Herschel, not the Warlock. Both Warlock and the other democrat who took the senate seats in Georgia in 2020 are there because they could steal the seats. The election auditors will get around to Georgia soon enough still, there is already sufficient evidence that the fraud was rampant and the laws were changed without input from the legislators which tells you all you need to know. I'm thinking J.D. Vance, who declared he's running just this week in Ohio for Portman's seat, will also get the nod from Trump and those are just two of maybe a half dozen that are considered low hanging fruit. We can only hope. Right?
Lastly, I wish the missus would listen when the Ev man tells her that he doesn't need a new pair of shoes. C'mon, she says. Let's go on Zappo's and we'll see if we can't find you a nice new pair of shoes. This came from a woman who just went back and forth with Zappo's and finally finagled a few pairs of free shoes due to Zappo's shortcomings in delivering the goods. I think her heart is in the right place but, by his own admission, he'd rather shop the discount aisle and try a few pairs on before he makes a decision. Looking at shoes online isn't for everybody. Even if they do turn out to be free, what good are they if they don't fit? Asking for a friend.
It's Now Or Never
27/06/21 07:17
I am so sick and tired of everyone bending over to the LGBTQ lobby. You can't get away from it. I'm old enough to remember when rainbows conjured up visions of leprechauns and pots of gold. Not any more. It's all about being gay, loving and respecting people who choose alternative lifestyles no matter how perverted, demanding allegiance from people who find that particular lifestyle distasteful, outing and cancelling people who disagree with your lifestyle as racist and homophobic, and pushing the limits of societal acceptance by insisting upon inclusion in sports and other activities which have historically broken down along gender lines.
I've always been a "whatever floats your boat" kinda guy so don't have a horse in this race. If these or any other groups want to have their banners and parades then I'm with them in spirit. That's the American way. Maybe it's the cross currents of militarism and politicization of everything gay that has my knickers in a bunch. There's also a certain cultural dissonance when we start including trans types in sports that have historically not included trans types. There's an inherent unfairness in that selection process that should concern us all.
When you have an individual who was born a male who thinks he's a woman and wants to compete with women in sports events that will make or break them when and where scholarships or endorsements are concerned, that's a problem. This is where inclusivity, while a wild-eyed mantra for those on left, comes apart at the seams. Nobody wants these burly, muscled, and mustachioed fellas anywhere near the finish line in any competition but there they are. Nobody has the balls to stand up to these freaks and everyone is afraid to death of being cancelled for pushing back. It's now or never, folks.
I was in a restaurant the other day and caught sight of a bathroom door with signage that I needed a decoder ring to decipher. There were the usual male and female signs and then maybe some signage for those people who don't know what they are? Maybe it's more about who or what they identify with? Is there a third choice? Maybe it's non-binary? I need a new dictionary. Someone throw me a fucking lifeline! It looked like a single stall bathroom so unless you had some gang bangers wanting to throw a party in there you were probably good to go whoever and whatever the fuck you identify as. Wouldn't no sign have been just as effective?
Our country dodged a bullet yesterday. There was a vote in the Senate on a bill called S-1. It was a radical bill proposed by the democrats that would have essentially federalized our elections amongst other things. It was all about ensuring that democrats would hold power for the next hundred years so what's not to like if you were one of the 50 democrats who all voted for the bill. Thankfully, all 50 republicans voted against it recognizing as they did what a train wreck it would be for our nation. You don't see a lot of solidarity when it comes to republicans voting but they were unanimous in their dissent on this bill and thank the baby Jesus for that.
So devastating was their defeat (they needed 60 votes) that the left was left seething. They were experiencing yet another piece of legislation that was going down in flames. I spent the evening sipping liberal tears as I flipped back and forth between television stations watching as I was the implosion on the left. This is why the radical left voted for Joe Biden and they expected him to come through but the American people had something else in mind. His failure to deliver on key promises will ensure that the republicans take back the house in 2022 and that will essentially be game-over for their radical agenda.
I've got an eye on the New York City mayoral primary that wrapped up last night with Adams in the lead. New York City has long been the crown jewel of our nations cities but has been beleaguered in the past few years under the "management" of democratic (socialist) Mayor, Bill DeBlasio. Crime rates have been out of control, criminals have not been held to account for their crimes, and rates of murder, etc., have skyrocketed under DeBlasio's "leadership." You can't pick up a newspaper these days without reading about someone being pistol-whipped, car-jacked, sucker-punched, pushed in front of a train, you name it, it's that bad. And this is all before the sun goes down.
Forget New York City. Our country is ready to see the Big Apple return from the smoldering mess that it has become over the past few years. This Adams fella, an ex-cop and a democrat, is promising to restore law and order to the city. That's a good start. No one wants to even go into the city these days so that may change if Adams follows through on his promises. Its a forgone conclusion that a democrat will win the final election since the city is 8-1 democrat. Now, he just needs to prevail as they work their way through the results of the rank choice voting process over the next few weeks. Yang is out. Maya is in 2nd place and a full blown socialist so let's keep our fingers crossed that she doesn't somehow pull a rabbit out of the hat and win this thing.
Whoever thought that rank choice voting was a good idea? Where did this come from? An election that takes two weeks or more before you find out who's won the damn thing is an abomination. It is not at all what our founding fathers had in mind when they talked about these sorts of things. In fact, it's how Biden and his minions in the democrat party managed to steal the election from Trump in 2020. Trump won on election night only to have boatloads of Biden ballots show up in the early morning hours of the following day in democrat strongholds across several key states allowing Biden to declare victory.
The longer it takes to decide an election, the better the chances are that the democrat will emerge the victor. They've somehow managed to perfect the steal with the help of this, that, and the other officials involved in the process. I just don't know how you stop the democrats from loading up trucks in the dark of night with illegal ballots or stuffing ballot boxes in an attempt to sway an election just to get or keep their peeps in power. Maybe, now that they've passed legislation providing what amounts to a basic standard income to families with children who make less than $150k, they won't need to stuff ballot boxes or manufacture fake ballots any more. Most people will always vote for the guy or gal handing out the big bucks.
I popped over to see Mrs G yesterday and set up a new printer for her. The old one was a wireless printer that was getting a little long in the tooth and it wasn't cooperating with the new wifi system installed by her facility in the last week. I found her a new printer on Amazon and it was priced at a reasonable $119 including ink and a USB cable. Once unpacked, it was pretty flimsy and it didn't have nearly the heft of the old printer it was replacing. Not sure why I associate heft with quality but her new one lacked heft in spades so there's that. It was easy to set up and it did a pretty good job printing so I think Mrs G will be happy with her new purchase.
For the longest time, Mrs G has been retrieving her e-mail from the web site hosting her e-mail. We're talking G-mail here, not to be confused with Mrs G's e-mail. You'd think Google would have a better site for their e-mail but, alas, it's a piece of shit. It's got functionality up the fucking wazoo but it ain't pretty to look at and finding the right levers, buttons, and whatever to push when you need to make a change just isn't that easy. It's especially not easy for a 90-year old who isn't handy with such things to begin with.
My plan was to set up her e-mail in the Mail application on her Mac and let her experience what a pretty good mail application has to offer. I think I'd forgotten that I set that up for her a long while back so when I went to take care of thing I noticed that she had thousands of e-mails already in her in-box. Good stuff. That was one less thing to do while there. So, I sat her down and walked her through things until she seemed satisfied that she could manage on her own. Whether she remembers a thing I showed her a day later is another matter. It's one of those "you can lead a horse to water" deals so we'll have to wait and see.
I gave the Ev man a lift to his eye doctor yesterday for his annual check-up. It was one of those visits where you have your eyes dilated so Ev seemed pretty okay with not having to drive himself to the appointment. He is usually not open to having us do something that he can't do for himself. That told me a lot about what his thinking was when it came to getting to and from his home for this appointment. I ran a couple of errands while I waited for him and I ended up spending maybe a half hour sitting in the car in the parking lot outside the building that houses his doctors office. I was happy to do it.
I was going to say something to him about his returning the favor someday but didn't want to put any pressure on him to do just that. He's got enough on his plate these days so I don't need to go adding to that list. Did I mention that he got called up for jury duty? We all know that's not happening. Now, we just need to figure out how we make that go away. I suggested Ev take that up with his person and that is precisely what he did. His take-aways following that discussion were a little confusing to say the least but it seems like it's on the fast track to resolution. A note of confirmation one way or the other would be nice to have in hand. Everything in good time.
I stopped at Jersey Mike's in Exeter to grab a sub on the way home after taking care of Mrs G's computer stuff. Ev has been singing their praises since their grand opening a couple of week's back. I've never asked him what kind of sub that he found to his liking but thought I'd give it a try anyway. It was lunchtime when I stopped by so that wasn't good. I don't mind standing in line so it wasn't a big deal even though the line extended nearly out the door when I arrived. It gave me time to take a good look at the menu and to take in the vibe of the joint. By the time I got to the counter, maybe some fifteen minutes after I walked in, I knew precisely what I wanted.
With that meal now in the rear view mirror some 24 hours later, I'm left with a couple of impressions. One, the tuna was not white albacore. Not even close. Nancy thought it had more dark meat and I have to agree with her. The darker meat of the tuna is oily and it just doesn't have the pizzazz of the white tuna. It's cheap and it tastes cheap if you get my drift. In other words, I've had better. We won't be getting a tuna sub again there any time soon. Their club-sub, on the other hand, was quite good. The handful of thinly sliced or maybe shredded lettuce was a nice addition to the sub despite my not being a big fan of having lettuce on any sandwich.
I don't think there was anything I wanted to get done yesterday that I didn't get done. I was telling the missus that very thing last night. I even squeezed in a bike ride later in the afternoon which always makes me a happy camper. It was perfect weather for a ride with temperatures in the 70's and almost zero humidity. I could feel the adrenaline pumping before I got out of my driveway and that always bodes well. Traffic was likely to be light and cars along the boulevard were likely to be fewer if not non-existent now that the beaches had emptied out after a long and busy summer day. All of that was true in hindsight so all is well that ends well.
Trump is having a rally tomorrow night in Ohio. It will be his first since leaving the White House in January. To say that his followers have been chomping at the bit to get his comeback started is an understatement. I'm not sure he'll be announcing his run for 2024 but if he so much as hints at it that would be great. Let's get this fucking party started! I don't know that his being re-elected is going to be a cake walk or anything of the sort since all of the negative forces (media, etc) that allowed Biden to steal the election in 2020 are still in place. He's got some work to do, that's for sure. I will say, though, Biden's presidency has been a disaster so that can only help Trump.
It's important to keep in mind that most of the people who voted for Trump in 2020 believe that Biden stole the election from him. Stealing elections is the kind of stuff third world banana republics are made of so don't be surprised to see people coming out of the woodwork to throw the Biden-ista's out of office lock, stock, and barrel. If Trump does this right he'll have the mandate he needs to rip out everything Biden put in within thirty days of taking the oath. We Americans take our revenge at the ballot box and not in the streets and gallows that other country's erect at the drop of a hat when skullduggery is alleged or suspected.
Lastly, I hope I'm not the only one who is outraged at the democrats in New York who suspended Rudy Giuliani's law license for "telling untruths" about how the democrats stole the election from Trump in 2020. This is what tyrannical governments do. They go after their political opponents hammer and tong and jail them if they can. Rudy brought down the five families of the mob when he was a federal prosecutor and now he has to deal with these petty two-bit criminals posing as Attorney General's in the State of New York.
This is an overt threat by the establishment to anyone looking to represent Trump that you will be destroyed and possibly put in jail if you lend an assist to Donald J Trump. They will not allow Trump to return to the presidency if they have any say in the matter. I'm hearing that an indictment may be brought against a high level employee in the Trump organization this coming week. Let me be clear. This is nothing more than an attempt to get someone, anyone, to turn government's witness against Trump. There's only one problem. Trump is not now and never was involved in any criminal activity. That won't stop them from trying. This is unacceptable.
I've always been a "whatever floats your boat" kinda guy so don't have a horse in this race. If these or any other groups want to have their banners and parades then I'm with them in spirit. That's the American way. Maybe it's the cross currents of militarism and politicization of everything gay that has my knickers in a bunch. There's also a certain cultural dissonance when we start including trans types in sports that have historically not included trans types. There's an inherent unfairness in that selection process that should concern us all.
When you have an individual who was born a male who thinks he's a woman and wants to compete with women in sports events that will make or break them when and where scholarships or endorsements are concerned, that's a problem. This is where inclusivity, while a wild-eyed mantra for those on left, comes apart at the seams. Nobody wants these burly, muscled, and mustachioed fellas anywhere near the finish line in any competition but there they are. Nobody has the balls to stand up to these freaks and everyone is afraid to death of being cancelled for pushing back. It's now or never, folks.
I was in a restaurant the other day and caught sight of a bathroom door with signage that I needed a decoder ring to decipher. There were the usual male and female signs and then maybe some signage for those people who don't know what they are? Maybe it's more about who or what they identify with? Is there a third choice? Maybe it's non-binary? I need a new dictionary. Someone throw me a fucking lifeline! It looked like a single stall bathroom so unless you had some gang bangers wanting to throw a party in there you were probably good to go whoever and whatever the fuck you identify as. Wouldn't no sign have been just as effective?
Our country dodged a bullet yesterday. There was a vote in the Senate on a bill called S-1. It was a radical bill proposed by the democrats that would have essentially federalized our elections amongst other things. It was all about ensuring that democrats would hold power for the next hundred years so what's not to like if you were one of the 50 democrats who all voted for the bill. Thankfully, all 50 republicans voted against it recognizing as they did what a train wreck it would be for our nation. You don't see a lot of solidarity when it comes to republicans voting but they were unanimous in their dissent on this bill and thank the baby Jesus for that.
So devastating was their defeat (they needed 60 votes) that the left was left seething. They were experiencing yet another piece of legislation that was going down in flames. I spent the evening sipping liberal tears as I flipped back and forth between television stations watching as I was the implosion on the left. This is why the radical left voted for Joe Biden and they expected him to come through but the American people had something else in mind. His failure to deliver on key promises will ensure that the republicans take back the house in 2022 and that will essentially be game-over for their radical agenda.
I've got an eye on the New York City mayoral primary that wrapped up last night with Adams in the lead. New York City has long been the crown jewel of our nations cities but has been beleaguered in the past few years under the "management" of democratic (socialist) Mayor, Bill DeBlasio. Crime rates have been out of control, criminals have not been held to account for their crimes, and rates of murder, etc., have skyrocketed under DeBlasio's "leadership." You can't pick up a newspaper these days without reading about someone being pistol-whipped, car-jacked, sucker-punched, pushed in front of a train, you name it, it's that bad. And this is all before the sun goes down.
Forget New York City. Our country is ready to see the Big Apple return from the smoldering mess that it has become over the past few years. This Adams fella, an ex-cop and a democrat, is promising to restore law and order to the city. That's a good start. No one wants to even go into the city these days so that may change if Adams follows through on his promises. Its a forgone conclusion that a democrat will win the final election since the city is 8-1 democrat. Now, he just needs to prevail as they work their way through the results of the rank choice voting process over the next few weeks. Yang is out. Maya is in 2nd place and a full blown socialist so let's keep our fingers crossed that she doesn't somehow pull a rabbit out of the hat and win this thing.
Whoever thought that rank choice voting was a good idea? Where did this come from? An election that takes two weeks or more before you find out who's won the damn thing is an abomination. It is not at all what our founding fathers had in mind when they talked about these sorts of things. In fact, it's how Biden and his minions in the democrat party managed to steal the election from Trump in 2020. Trump won on election night only to have boatloads of Biden ballots show up in the early morning hours of the following day in democrat strongholds across several key states allowing Biden to declare victory.
The longer it takes to decide an election, the better the chances are that the democrat will emerge the victor. They've somehow managed to perfect the steal with the help of this, that, and the other officials involved in the process. I just don't know how you stop the democrats from loading up trucks in the dark of night with illegal ballots or stuffing ballot boxes in an attempt to sway an election just to get or keep their peeps in power. Maybe, now that they've passed legislation providing what amounts to a basic standard income to families with children who make less than $150k, they won't need to stuff ballot boxes or manufacture fake ballots any more. Most people will always vote for the guy or gal handing out the big bucks.
I popped over to see Mrs G yesterday and set up a new printer for her. The old one was a wireless printer that was getting a little long in the tooth and it wasn't cooperating with the new wifi system installed by her facility in the last week. I found her a new printer on Amazon and it was priced at a reasonable $119 including ink and a USB cable. Once unpacked, it was pretty flimsy and it didn't have nearly the heft of the old printer it was replacing. Not sure why I associate heft with quality but her new one lacked heft in spades so there's that. It was easy to set up and it did a pretty good job printing so I think Mrs G will be happy with her new purchase.
For the longest time, Mrs G has been retrieving her e-mail from the web site hosting her e-mail. We're talking G-mail here, not to be confused with Mrs G's e-mail. You'd think Google would have a better site for their e-mail but, alas, it's a piece of shit. It's got functionality up the fucking wazoo but it ain't pretty to look at and finding the right levers, buttons, and whatever to push when you need to make a change just isn't that easy. It's especially not easy for a 90-year old who isn't handy with such things to begin with.
My plan was to set up her e-mail in the Mail application on her Mac and let her experience what a pretty good mail application has to offer. I think I'd forgotten that I set that up for her a long while back so when I went to take care of thing I noticed that she had thousands of e-mails already in her in-box. Good stuff. That was one less thing to do while there. So, I sat her down and walked her through things until she seemed satisfied that she could manage on her own. Whether she remembers a thing I showed her a day later is another matter. It's one of those "you can lead a horse to water" deals so we'll have to wait and see.
I gave the Ev man a lift to his eye doctor yesterday for his annual check-up. It was one of those visits where you have your eyes dilated so Ev seemed pretty okay with not having to drive himself to the appointment. He is usually not open to having us do something that he can't do for himself. That told me a lot about what his thinking was when it came to getting to and from his home for this appointment. I ran a couple of errands while I waited for him and I ended up spending maybe a half hour sitting in the car in the parking lot outside the building that houses his doctors office. I was happy to do it.
I was going to say something to him about his returning the favor someday but didn't want to put any pressure on him to do just that. He's got enough on his plate these days so I don't need to go adding to that list. Did I mention that he got called up for jury duty? We all know that's not happening. Now, we just need to figure out how we make that go away. I suggested Ev take that up with his person and that is precisely what he did. His take-aways following that discussion were a little confusing to say the least but it seems like it's on the fast track to resolution. A note of confirmation one way or the other would be nice to have in hand. Everything in good time.
I stopped at Jersey Mike's in Exeter to grab a sub on the way home after taking care of Mrs G's computer stuff. Ev has been singing their praises since their grand opening a couple of week's back. I've never asked him what kind of sub that he found to his liking but thought I'd give it a try anyway. It was lunchtime when I stopped by so that wasn't good. I don't mind standing in line so it wasn't a big deal even though the line extended nearly out the door when I arrived. It gave me time to take a good look at the menu and to take in the vibe of the joint. By the time I got to the counter, maybe some fifteen minutes after I walked in, I knew precisely what I wanted.
With that meal now in the rear view mirror some 24 hours later, I'm left with a couple of impressions. One, the tuna was not white albacore. Not even close. Nancy thought it had more dark meat and I have to agree with her. The darker meat of the tuna is oily and it just doesn't have the pizzazz of the white tuna. It's cheap and it tastes cheap if you get my drift. In other words, I've had better. We won't be getting a tuna sub again there any time soon. Their club-sub, on the other hand, was quite good. The handful of thinly sliced or maybe shredded lettuce was a nice addition to the sub despite my not being a big fan of having lettuce on any sandwich.
I don't think there was anything I wanted to get done yesterday that I didn't get done. I was telling the missus that very thing last night. I even squeezed in a bike ride later in the afternoon which always makes me a happy camper. It was perfect weather for a ride with temperatures in the 70's and almost zero humidity. I could feel the adrenaline pumping before I got out of my driveway and that always bodes well. Traffic was likely to be light and cars along the boulevard were likely to be fewer if not non-existent now that the beaches had emptied out after a long and busy summer day. All of that was true in hindsight so all is well that ends well.
Trump is having a rally tomorrow night in Ohio. It will be his first since leaving the White House in January. To say that his followers have been chomping at the bit to get his comeback started is an understatement. I'm not sure he'll be announcing his run for 2024 but if he so much as hints at it that would be great. Let's get this fucking party started! I don't know that his being re-elected is going to be a cake walk or anything of the sort since all of the negative forces (media, etc) that allowed Biden to steal the election in 2020 are still in place. He's got some work to do, that's for sure. I will say, though, Biden's presidency has been a disaster so that can only help Trump.
It's important to keep in mind that most of the people who voted for Trump in 2020 believe that Biden stole the election from him. Stealing elections is the kind of stuff third world banana republics are made of so don't be surprised to see people coming out of the woodwork to throw the Biden-ista's out of office lock, stock, and barrel. If Trump does this right he'll have the mandate he needs to rip out everything Biden put in within thirty days of taking the oath. We Americans take our revenge at the ballot box and not in the streets and gallows that other country's erect at the drop of a hat when skullduggery is alleged or suspected.
Lastly, I hope I'm not the only one who is outraged at the democrats in New York who suspended Rudy Giuliani's law license for "telling untruths" about how the democrats stole the election from Trump in 2020. This is what tyrannical governments do. They go after their political opponents hammer and tong and jail them if they can. Rudy brought down the five families of the mob when he was a federal prosecutor and now he has to deal with these petty two-bit criminals posing as Attorney General's in the State of New York.
This is an overt threat by the establishment to anyone looking to represent Trump that you will be destroyed and possibly put in jail if you lend an assist to Donald J Trump. They will not allow Trump to return to the presidency if they have any say in the matter. I'm hearing that an indictment may be brought against a high level employee in the Trump organization this coming week. Let me be clear. This is nothing more than an attempt to get someone, anyone, to turn government's witness against Trump. There's only one problem. Trump is not now and never was involved in any criminal activity. That won't stop them from trying. This is unacceptable.
Can't We All Get Along?
20/06/21 07:17
It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood. That aside, I'm getting a late start this week doing this here journal thing. I don't know if I'll be ready to get it out by the time Sunday rolls around so that remains to be seen. I've got a guy coming over this morning to look at our dishwasher so I could be interrupted at any time after 8 o'clock. It's s dishwasher that we stopped using a long time ago because I never could get used to idea that coating the dishes that we use day in and day out with nasty chemicals was a good idea.
Fast forward a decade or two and I'm now of the mind that I can probably live with chemicals that are likely less toxic than they were back then if it means using less water in the dishwashing process. I am the chief cook and bottle washer in this here establishment so I get to make those decisions unilaterally. Our water is sourced from an artisan well that has never come up short in all the years we've been here so I'm not necessarily worried about waking up one day to an unproductive tap.
Maybe I've just come to the conclusion that I use too much water when I wash the dishes and I'd like nothing better than to make that progress more efficient. It's about moving forward and not accepting the status quo. It's about changing things up for the better. Maybe it means that I spend less time in the kitchen doing things that I don't particularly enjoy doing. When my focus shifts as it has from making sure that the water I'm using to wash the dishes is hot enough to get the job done to seeing to it that the drainer is properly stacked for maximum aeration then there's a message in there somewhere. Where am I going with all of this?
I'm not sure what I'm going to do if this fella tells me that we need a new dishwasher. To fulfill this fantasy of mine I suppose I'll have to take a look around and see what a dishwasher costs these days. Not that it matters but it doesn't make a lot of sense to have an appliance sitting in our kitchen that no longer functions as intended. What is it worth to me to see to it that things are working as they should? I would certainly replace a microwave were it no longer working. It goes without saying that I would replace a broken refrigerator. If we ever sell this joint we're going to need get it fixed anyway so there's that.
Debbie Rah-Rah is coming to town this weekend. She's coming to take in a crafts show hereabouts and she'll be around for a day or two before returning home. We have no plans to join her but the missus kicked around a few ideas with her on where she and her companion might dine out while they're in town. I suggested to the missus that we call the restaurant and make arrangements to pick up their bill in advance of their arrival. What's the price of a steak dinner between sisters, I asked. Imagine her surprise if you can. She couldn't.
So that was that. Yes, it would have been expensive but so what. We've surprised strangers with our largesse from time to time and, as you know, it's always better to give than to receive. It's never about the money. Think about it as paying it forward if you must. It might even make their dinner that much more memorable. I was having a meal with a friend a number of decades ago in Boston and a couple at an adjoining table picked up our tab. We didn't know them and they didn't know us. See how that works?
Anyone see bumbling fumbling Joe Biden as he made the rounds in Europe last week? My god, what a complete and utter embarrassment. This is what happens when you steal and election and put a demented old fool in our nation's White House. He was the laughingstock of the planet as he and his minions did their best to keep him under wraps.
God forbid a real reporter ask him a real question. He always carried a list with him of approved reporters who were ready with a predictable question and never pushed back when he gave a non-answer or something canned and ready to roll. This is how you manage patients with dementia. #SAD
It's hard to find a negative story about the Biden Administration these days. It's not because they don't exist, that's for sure. I thought I saw a story the other day about Biden withdrawing military aid destined for Ukraine following his trip to Geneva where he met with Putin. I can't find that story anywhere as I sit here today.
You may recall that the Obama Administration sent them blankets and some other bullshit instead of armaments which they desperately needed to keep the Russians from invading their country. Trump fixed that but here we go again as they say. And all you heard for four years when Trump was in office was Russia, Russia, Russia. And now, crickets.
This veil of secrecy around the Biden White House is nothing short of a dystopian nightmare brought to the American people by none other than the democrat party and, quite possibly, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP.) We can thanks the likes of Rand Paul for connecting the dots between the Chinese Communist party, the democrat party, and the Wuhan flu, better know as Covid-19. Yes, these mother fuckers weaponized the virus to take down Trump and install their puppet, demented Joe Biden. Millions had to die in the process but it was a small price to pay to get rid of Trump and advance the interests of the Chinese. Not the people, the Party. The CCP.
Never before have we seen a more sinister and sycophantic relationship between the liberal media and a political party in our country. They are quite literally the propaganda arm of the democrat party. Goebbels would be proud were he alive today to see how intertwined and incestuous the two interests have become over time. When the hacks from the various intelligence agencies leave government they literally walk across the street and take up their new posts working as mouthpieces for the networks.
The heads of the intelligence agencies lied through their teeth in front of Congress and the American people while employed by the agencies and suffered no consequences as a result of their chicanery. Then, they do the same as employees of the CNN's of the world and are applauded by the left for their bravery and insightfulness.
Had Trump returned from a trip to Geneva where he took to the stage with Putin and then turned around to take aid away from Ukraine, the democrats in Congress would be preparing articles of impeachment. They'd be screaming, "He's Putin's puppet"! And how about the story that Tucker (FOX) has been talking about for the past week?
You know, the one where they identified any number of FBI agents who were part and parcel of the riots on the steps and in the halls of Congress back in January of 2021? He's asking the obvious questions. Why were they there? What role did they play? Why are they not in sitting in jail like the others who are allegedly being held without bail and in solitary confinement? What the fuck country do we live in?
This is all part of a larger narrative concocted by the democrat party and their henchmen in the media to paint Trump supporters as racist and white supremacists. It's a cancer on the body politic that needs to be exorcised and laid bare for all to see.
As far as the story about the FBI agents who participated in the "insurrection", the media is fighting back. Tucker played back no fewer than 5-6 video clips where the CNN's of the world spewed their garbage about it being a nonsense story and nothing short of balderdash. I'm paraphrasing, of course. Who the hell even watches CNN anymore? I'm afraid this takes us all to a very dark place when all is said and done.
I used to like Twitter as a newsfeed but it no longer acts as an even handed purveyor of news and commentary. They effectively censor any and all news that does not favor the democrats and it's safe to say that they too have been co-opted by the power in party under Joe Biden. If you have something to say that is not to their liking, feel free to put it out there but know that if it doesn't pass muster by the minions behind the curtain at Twitter it will never see the "light" of day. Congress failed to put the proper safeguards in place when they created the ground rules for these big tech behemoths and, sad to say, the horse has left the fucking barn.
I guess I don't know where to get my news from anymore. Where can I expect to hear the real news? You know, the unbiased and unvarnished truth. How can I make decisions about things without worrying that maybe I've been mislead, our worse yet, lied to? I guess I should be happy about the fact that we no longer have just three networks available to us for news but, truth be told, I think I'd rather have Walter Cronkite back if it means getting rid of all the purveyors of bullshit across the spectrum of idiocy that we call the "internet" these days. Don't get me wrong. I'm happy to have Tucker and maybe a handful of others who will give me the straight poop night after night. I just don't know how long that will last in Biden's America in the year of the lord 2021.
So deviant and dasterdly are the policies of the democrat party these days that I'm afraid it (the rot) has metastasized to Main Street and the back streets of every community of our great nation. I can't drive through town here where I live without seeing a sign for someone running for this or that local office and thinking to myself, which one of these fools want to teach our children Critical Race Theory (CRT.) How can someone in their right mind buy into this nonsense and who will stand up and call it out for the sickness that it is? That is just one example of what we know the democrat party is pushing these days.
In all honesty, what the hell is this Critical Race Theory anyway? Where did it come from and who is responsible for including it in private and public curriculums from coast to coast? I don't hear anybody talking about that aspect of CRT. That may well help to shed some light on what the hidden agenda is behind the training. It's really indoctrination though, isn't it? When your audience for the training includes pre-schoolers as well as personnel in the armed forces you know they're spreading their net far and wide for a reason. I'm not going to pretend to know what the training entails so I need to do my homework.
You have to believe as well that the training has a meaning and a purpose. It's not enough to put out a pamphlet and leave the reader to his or her own devices. I'm particularly concerned about the impact of this training on young impressionable minds. Children are born color blind and we need not tamper with god's plan when and where our children are concerned. Does CRT teach hate? Does it teach intolerance?
Even introducing the word "racist" to young minds is devilish and divisive in its design and we need not tolerate that in any way, shape, or form. As for the agenda, it's coming from the leftists in our government so it must be questioned and torn root and branch from its moorings if it's half as toxic as we currently understand it to be.
Trump wasn't having any of it so he issued an executive order to rip it out of our institutions. That order must have been reversed by leftist Joe Biden because it's back in the news and not in a good way. I've seen the videos of parents schooling school boards on the menace that is CRT and to say they are hot under the collar on this issue is an understatement.
It's one thing to have your children attending library readings hosted by drag queens, courtesy of the democrat party, and quite another to be teaching them a vocabulary that espouses hate and intolerance. When little Tommy comes though the door after a long day at school and asks, "Mommy, am I a racist?", you know there's a problem.
I've never given much thought to race or racial issues. I've never considered color to be a binary issue. That is to say, black is bad and white is good. Or, white is bad and black is good. As Trump put it, there are good people on both sides. Conversely, there are bad people on both sides. But this constant harping on race in the last year or two is putting me at odds with a race I've never been at odds with before.
It's that whole "woke" thing that demands that I do things like pay reparations, give up things I own and believe in because of an alleged racial disparity, that I look the other way when blacks burn, loot, and pilfer because they "probably needed the things that they stole. I don't know about you but I'm not buying any of it.
Corporate charters of "woke" companies now demand that "people of color" make up a certain percentage of their boards regardless of their capacity to add value. It's affirmative action on steroids. Television shows make a point to add actors and actresses of color in scenes where they are portrayed as professionals of one type or another albeit in a lopsided fashion.
They seem to be trying too hard to make up for doing just the opposite in the not too distant past. Am I wrong for not wanting to see a black Superman or a black Spiderman? Does that make me a racist? And, quite honestly, I dismiss all-black television shows out of hand as nothing more than a blatant attempt to put people of color on the payroll regardless of talent. I can't turn the channel fast enough.
Fast forward a decade or two and I'm now of the mind that I can probably live with chemicals that are likely less toxic than they were back then if it means using less water in the dishwashing process. I am the chief cook and bottle washer in this here establishment so I get to make those decisions unilaterally. Our water is sourced from an artisan well that has never come up short in all the years we've been here so I'm not necessarily worried about waking up one day to an unproductive tap.
Maybe I've just come to the conclusion that I use too much water when I wash the dishes and I'd like nothing better than to make that progress more efficient. It's about moving forward and not accepting the status quo. It's about changing things up for the better. Maybe it means that I spend less time in the kitchen doing things that I don't particularly enjoy doing. When my focus shifts as it has from making sure that the water I'm using to wash the dishes is hot enough to get the job done to seeing to it that the drainer is properly stacked for maximum aeration then there's a message in there somewhere. Where am I going with all of this?
I'm not sure what I'm going to do if this fella tells me that we need a new dishwasher. To fulfill this fantasy of mine I suppose I'll have to take a look around and see what a dishwasher costs these days. Not that it matters but it doesn't make a lot of sense to have an appliance sitting in our kitchen that no longer functions as intended. What is it worth to me to see to it that things are working as they should? I would certainly replace a microwave were it no longer working. It goes without saying that I would replace a broken refrigerator. If we ever sell this joint we're going to need get it fixed anyway so there's that.
Debbie Rah-Rah is coming to town this weekend. She's coming to take in a crafts show hereabouts and she'll be around for a day or two before returning home. We have no plans to join her but the missus kicked around a few ideas with her on where she and her companion might dine out while they're in town. I suggested to the missus that we call the restaurant and make arrangements to pick up their bill in advance of their arrival. What's the price of a steak dinner between sisters, I asked. Imagine her surprise if you can. She couldn't.
So that was that. Yes, it would have been expensive but so what. We've surprised strangers with our largesse from time to time and, as you know, it's always better to give than to receive. It's never about the money. Think about it as paying it forward if you must. It might even make their dinner that much more memorable. I was having a meal with a friend a number of decades ago in Boston and a couple at an adjoining table picked up our tab. We didn't know them and they didn't know us. See how that works?
Anyone see bumbling fumbling Joe Biden as he made the rounds in Europe last week? My god, what a complete and utter embarrassment. This is what happens when you steal and election and put a demented old fool in our nation's White House. He was the laughingstock of the planet as he and his minions did their best to keep him under wraps.
God forbid a real reporter ask him a real question. He always carried a list with him of approved reporters who were ready with a predictable question and never pushed back when he gave a non-answer or something canned and ready to roll. This is how you manage patients with dementia. #SAD
It's hard to find a negative story about the Biden Administration these days. It's not because they don't exist, that's for sure. I thought I saw a story the other day about Biden withdrawing military aid destined for Ukraine following his trip to Geneva where he met with Putin. I can't find that story anywhere as I sit here today.
You may recall that the Obama Administration sent them blankets and some other bullshit instead of armaments which they desperately needed to keep the Russians from invading their country. Trump fixed that but here we go again as they say. And all you heard for four years when Trump was in office was Russia, Russia, Russia. And now, crickets.
This veil of secrecy around the Biden White House is nothing short of a dystopian nightmare brought to the American people by none other than the democrat party and, quite possibly, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP.) We can thanks the likes of Rand Paul for connecting the dots between the Chinese Communist party, the democrat party, and the Wuhan flu, better know as Covid-19. Yes, these mother fuckers weaponized the virus to take down Trump and install their puppet, demented Joe Biden. Millions had to die in the process but it was a small price to pay to get rid of Trump and advance the interests of the Chinese. Not the people, the Party. The CCP.
Never before have we seen a more sinister and sycophantic relationship between the liberal media and a political party in our country. They are quite literally the propaganda arm of the democrat party. Goebbels would be proud were he alive today to see how intertwined and incestuous the two interests have become over time. When the hacks from the various intelligence agencies leave government they literally walk across the street and take up their new posts working as mouthpieces for the networks.
The heads of the intelligence agencies lied through their teeth in front of Congress and the American people while employed by the agencies and suffered no consequences as a result of their chicanery. Then, they do the same as employees of the CNN's of the world and are applauded by the left for their bravery and insightfulness.
Had Trump returned from a trip to Geneva where he took to the stage with Putin and then turned around to take aid away from Ukraine, the democrats in Congress would be preparing articles of impeachment. They'd be screaming, "He's Putin's puppet"! And how about the story that Tucker (FOX) has been talking about for the past week?
You know, the one where they identified any number of FBI agents who were part and parcel of the riots on the steps and in the halls of Congress back in January of 2021? He's asking the obvious questions. Why were they there? What role did they play? Why are they not in sitting in jail like the others who are allegedly being held without bail and in solitary confinement? What the fuck country do we live in?
This is all part of a larger narrative concocted by the democrat party and their henchmen in the media to paint Trump supporters as racist and white supremacists. It's a cancer on the body politic that needs to be exorcised and laid bare for all to see.
As far as the story about the FBI agents who participated in the "insurrection", the media is fighting back. Tucker played back no fewer than 5-6 video clips where the CNN's of the world spewed their garbage about it being a nonsense story and nothing short of balderdash. I'm paraphrasing, of course. Who the hell even watches CNN anymore? I'm afraid this takes us all to a very dark place when all is said and done.
I used to like Twitter as a newsfeed but it no longer acts as an even handed purveyor of news and commentary. They effectively censor any and all news that does not favor the democrats and it's safe to say that they too have been co-opted by the power in party under Joe Biden. If you have something to say that is not to their liking, feel free to put it out there but know that if it doesn't pass muster by the minions behind the curtain at Twitter it will never see the "light" of day. Congress failed to put the proper safeguards in place when they created the ground rules for these big tech behemoths and, sad to say, the horse has left the fucking barn.
I guess I don't know where to get my news from anymore. Where can I expect to hear the real news? You know, the unbiased and unvarnished truth. How can I make decisions about things without worrying that maybe I've been mislead, our worse yet, lied to? I guess I should be happy about the fact that we no longer have just three networks available to us for news but, truth be told, I think I'd rather have Walter Cronkite back if it means getting rid of all the purveyors of bullshit across the spectrum of idiocy that we call the "internet" these days. Don't get me wrong. I'm happy to have Tucker and maybe a handful of others who will give me the straight poop night after night. I just don't know how long that will last in Biden's America in the year of the lord 2021.
So deviant and dasterdly are the policies of the democrat party these days that I'm afraid it (the rot) has metastasized to Main Street and the back streets of every community of our great nation. I can't drive through town here where I live without seeing a sign for someone running for this or that local office and thinking to myself, which one of these fools want to teach our children Critical Race Theory (CRT.) How can someone in their right mind buy into this nonsense and who will stand up and call it out for the sickness that it is? That is just one example of what we know the democrat party is pushing these days.
In all honesty, what the hell is this Critical Race Theory anyway? Where did it come from and who is responsible for including it in private and public curriculums from coast to coast? I don't hear anybody talking about that aspect of CRT. That may well help to shed some light on what the hidden agenda is behind the training. It's really indoctrination though, isn't it? When your audience for the training includes pre-schoolers as well as personnel in the armed forces you know they're spreading their net far and wide for a reason. I'm not going to pretend to know what the training entails so I need to do my homework.
You have to believe as well that the training has a meaning and a purpose. It's not enough to put out a pamphlet and leave the reader to his or her own devices. I'm particularly concerned about the impact of this training on young impressionable minds. Children are born color blind and we need not tamper with god's plan when and where our children are concerned. Does CRT teach hate? Does it teach intolerance?
Even introducing the word "racist" to young minds is devilish and divisive in its design and we need not tolerate that in any way, shape, or form. As for the agenda, it's coming from the leftists in our government so it must be questioned and torn root and branch from its moorings if it's half as toxic as we currently understand it to be.
Trump wasn't having any of it so he issued an executive order to rip it out of our institutions. That order must have been reversed by leftist Joe Biden because it's back in the news and not in a good way. I've seen the videos of parents schooling school boards on the menace that is CRT and to say they are hot under the collar on this issue is an understatement.
It's one thing to have your children attending library readings hosted by drag queens, courtesy of the democrat party, and quite another to be teaching them a vocabulary that espouses hate and intolerance. When little Tommy comes though the door after a long day at school and asks, "Mommy, am I a racist?", you know there's a problem.
I've never given much thought to race or racial issues. I've never considered color to be a binary issue. That is to say, black is bad and white is good. Or, white is bad and black is good. As Trump put it, there are good people on both sides. Conversely, there are bad people on both sides. But this constant harping on race in the last year or two is putting me at odds with a race I've never been at odds with before.
It's that whole "woke" thing that demands that I do things like pay reparations, give up things I own and believe in because of an alleged racial disparity, that I look the other way when blacks burn, loot, and pilfer because they "probably needed the things that they stole. I don't know about you but I'm not buying any of it.
Corporate charters of "woke" companies now demand that "people of color" make up a certain percentage of their boards regardless of their capacity to add value. It's affirmative action on steroids. Television shows make a point to add actors and actresses of color in scenes where they are portrayed as professionals of one type or another albeit in a lopsided fashion.
They seem to be trying too hard to make up for doing just the opposite in the not too distant past. Am I wrong for not wanting to see a black Superman or a black Spiderman? Does that make me a racist? And, quite honestly, I dismiss all-black television shows out of hand as nothing more than a blatant attempt to put people of color on the payroll regardless of talent. I can't turn the channel fast enough.
On The Cusp
15/06/21 07:04
Going to be another steamer today. How many more 90-degree days are we going to have to endure, I ask you. It's only June for chrissakes and it's just brutal. Maybe there is more to this global warming thing than we're being told. I pushed myself to get out on my bike ride yesterday around 7:30 am in order to beat the heat. I think it worked but there were far fewer of the usual pockets of cool air as I biked along the coast than I might have liked.
I stopped along my bike route on my way home last week and bought the missus a nice lobster roll. They charged $20 for a roll last summer and they're charging $25 this year. It cost $5 more and I'm not so sure that there wasn't a little less lobster in the roll. Inflation is raging under Biden's presidency so no one should be surprised that prices of everything are going though the roof. Gas has gone from $2 to $3 a gallon in just the last few months. I'm guessing those lobster boats don't run on methane.
You can't help but feel that you're getting ripped off when you see prices surging like that. It's less obvious when you're walking in and out of the supermarket especially when you're not paying attention to sticker prices. I hear meat prices are out of sight too but we're not big consumers of beef so no big deal. No harm, no fowl? I told the missus that we'll not be returning to the place down at the harbor anytime soon to buy another lobster roll. We'll be buying it elsewhere by the pound if we want it and, hopefully, we'll stay out of the poorhouse by going that route.
Maybe they're having to pay their employees more just to make sure that they have staff on hand when the time comes to open the doors every day. We see stores hereabouts that are closed from time to time because they have no employees to service the customers. There's that Biden presidency thing again. He's handing out checks and freebies like a drunken sailor so it's no surprise that nobody wants to work. This is the democrats model that will ensure that they never lose another election. People vote their pocketbooks. Right?
We've got a vacation coming up in a couple of months so that's good. Places were being snapped up left and right after the pandemic last summer forced everyone to batten down the hatches and stay home in order to avoid the dreaded Covid-19. That was a fucking disaster. Turns out that staying inside was the worst thing that anyone could do. It actually increased your odds of contracting the virus. It's almost as though government officials knew that but locked it all down anyway. That makes them complicit in the unnecessary deaths of tens of thousands of people. Right?
So, the vacation thing is good. It's not ideal, but it's good nonetheless. We night have preferred something a little different but we're not complaining now that we've nailed it down. There is something to be said for having something to look forward to and I guess this qualifies. The Ev man is excited as well and we're looking forward to getting away as a family. We've always enjoyed going to this particular destination so it will be like visiting an old friend. I know it's a couple of months or more away but it will be here soon enough. Good stuff.
Did I mention that I will not be planting tomato plants this year? I think that makes the missus a little sad but I guess she'll have to be sad then. I don't plant the damn things to make her happy and I won't plan the damn things just so she won't be sad. That's not the way I roll. Do I have any misgivings? Maybe I'll miss having a BLT or two down the road but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. I remember last year liking the crop and the tomatoes a lot but that isn't cutting the mustard this year. It's a new year and that's my final decision.
Our garden actually looks a little grumpy without the usual four or five tomato plants that I throw in every year. The ground lay bare as a reminder of what could have been. I will not be shamed into throwing in a plant or two at the last minute as an afterthought or just so I might avoid the real pangs of regret come harvest time. Listen to me. Harvest time? What am I? A fucking farmer? Hardly. I'm actually enjoying the thought of not having to water the plants over the course of the summer so let me keep enjoying that thought for as long as it lasts.
It's not like I can't find organic tomatoes in my local grocery store when I want them. The store I have in mind actually has a section set aside for fruits and vegetables grown locally by farmers and maybe even fair weather growers who have nothing better to do with their time. You know them. These are the assholes who drive from Farmers Market to Farmers Market with the bumper stickers on their old pick-ups that's say, "No Farms, No Food", or some such bullshit. I know, I know. Where would we be without them? That's a rhetorical question.
I humored the missus yesterday and agreed to go with her to a nursery of sorts maybe 45 minutes away. It was the biggest nursery I've ever seen. I think the missus was in her glory bumping around the joint thinking about all the plants she could purchase for her flower boxes which, as yet, are not up and running. This is where I come in.
I need to make sure that the boxes are affixed to the railings on the back deck and that the old soil has been replaced with the new soil she purchased just recently. It's not too much to ask and I'm happy to do it. We walked away with a few plants for the boxes so I need to up my game and git her done today. Like I said, it's the least I can do.
We stopped in South Berwick, Me, on the way home and had a burger and fries in a place that was recently written up in one of our local rags. It was located smack dab in the middle of the downtown area and we were fortunate enough to grab a parking spot almost right in front of the burger joint. We ignored the pleadings of a fella who stood in the center of the intersection holding a sign against the oncoming traffic outlining his plight of impoverishment and such and seemingly shivering in the cool 50 degree temperatures while wearing nothing more than a tee shirt.
I've always been under the impression, rightly or wrongly, that these panhandlers make a decent living on the backs of righteous people who subscribe to the biblical expression, "There but for the grace of God go I" or some such hokum. We were forced to drive back by the fella on the way back through town and did not ignore him the second time.
The missus wasn't crazy about the idea but I gave him a $20 and never looked back. If he wants to have himself a good drink or two, then so be it. If he wants to sit down to a burger and fries then I'm good with that too. Maybe he has a family he's supporting with his panhandling. God only knows.
The food was actually pretty good once we sat down to eat. I'm never happy thinking about all of the fat globules clogging my veins after eating a meal like that but I ignore all of it just long enough to tell myself that it is the last burger I'll be eating for a while so it's all good. I do it (have a burger) infrequently enough so that I'm not really putting my health in jeopardy but there are times when I'm better off not entertaining such thoughts when I sit down to eat. The fries were no less unhealthy and we scarfed them down with a chocolate shake and that was that. I'm not sure that we need to make the long trip back to this particular burger joint but I'm glad we went.
We stopped by a shop in Dover on our trip and I bought any number of things that I thought Evan might like to eat when he comes for the weekend. It's always an open question as to just how long he'll stay but that's a discussion for another day. As it turned out, he stayed over Friday night and retuned home on Saturday. I think he just likes a change of scenery from time to time like the rest of us. I also think he's become less tolerant over time of the single bed that he has here in his bedroom and prefers sleeping in his own queen-sized bed back home.
I'm trying as I might to get him to pay more attention to the maintenance issues with his car but he seems disinclined for whatever reason. These are things that I suppose he's not had to deal with over time since I've taken care of them but I keep telling him that if I get hit by a bus tomorrow he's going to have to know how to do these things. His oil was due for a change so I took it over to have that done. He's been spending a lot of time in his room since arriving on Friday night so I figured it would take more time and effort to roust him out of his whatever than it would be just to do it myself.
I know he feels better about driving a car that has been cleaned up, wiped down, a car that has had its oil changed, and maybe a car that has had its gas tank topped off. I know I feel better about sending him on his way with all of these things done too. What dad wouldn't? He had given me a list of thing he needed before his arrival on Friday night so I had them on hand for him to take with him when he left on Saturday. His only responsibility is to make sure that what I gave him doesn't sit in his car for an extended period of time before he brings any one or more of the items up to his apartment. I can only do so much for him.
During our visit to see Mrs G over the weekend we got her up and running on the right wireless networks after her facility updated their networks and we even got her squared away with her Amazon shows on the telly which she's been having trouble with as of late. I'm not sure myself what the difference is between the guest network and her individualized network but she was on the former and, using the instructions provided by her facility, we got logged her into the correct network.
Once she learned that she had been using the guest network for the better part of a week, she was happy to know that she was now in the right place. Or, more aptly put, on the right network. As a back drop to all of this, she gave us a call the day after the changes were put in effect in her place and asked if we might assist in helping her get online. I tried to walk her through things over the phone but, with what seemed at the time, limited success. She somehow ended up choosing the guest network and gave us a call back to let us know she was back online.
Good stuff, I thought to myself. For a woman her age and coming from a generation where computers were something out of a science fiction novel, she was doing pretty darn well for herself. I was proud of her for her perseverance and stick-to-it-ness when it came to solving her own problems with or without a handbook or maybe a relative or two lending an assist. I even offered to pay a visit to help her out but she was having none of it. There are people on hand at her facility who would have worked with her to get her online if push came to shove but she got it done all by her lonesome.
I think Mrs G is probably no different than anyone else when it comes to using the computer. She knows enough to be dangerous and that's all she needs or wants to know. I mean, how many of us, really, take computing to places where few or no man (or woman) have gone before? That's why we use bookmarks when browsing the web just as an example. It takes us back and forth to the places that we like to visit on a regular basis and we're pretty happy just being able to do that. We have calculators to help us balance our checkbooks, spreadsheets to help us track things, and word documents to keep document things we want to document.
I meant to bring my own iPad over to Mrs G's place to show her how she can track her portfolio on her iPad instead of having to sit down at her computer to check in on any changes. Maybe that's a matter of personal preference, I'm not sure. I'll keep it in mind to do the next time we visit.
I also noticed that she has a machine that takes telephone messages when she's away and the sound quality of the messages being left told me that it's getting a little long in the tooth. I think you learn to live with some things and then there are things you can't live with for whatever reason. That is to say, I wonder if she would even contemplate getting a new recording machine. I'll be sure to inquire the next time we're over for a visit.
Anyone catch fumbling bumbling Joe Biden traveling around Europe with the clown car better known in political circles as the G7? What a complete imbecile. Have you seen the moron referring to his note cards time and time again? They are in a font size 56 if you're curious about such things. What world leader shows up at the G7 with talking points on cue cards?
If you're a leader who's stolen an election and you're out of your depth on the world stage, you bring cue cards and the larger the font the better. In one speech he confused Syria with some other country several times. His handlers, wanting to prevent an absolute disaster, would not agree to have Biden and Putin on the same stage lest Putin reveal Biden for the complete moron that he is.
In another video, Biden is walking around inside a tent wearing these white sneakers like some demented old fool roaming around an old folks home. I can't say for sure but it sounds like he might be mumbling to himself. A party sitting at a nearby table shouted out a question and he looks back at them like he's just been roused out of a deep sleep but doesn't have a clue as to where he is, who he is, or where he's going.
His enabler, Dr Jill, comes to his rescue and leads him away by the arm at the last minute to make sure that the "leader of the free world" doesn't further embarrass himself on the world stage. One time, while standing at a podium, he says something about needing to walk away because his "handlers' wouldn't be happy were he to try and answer questions. You can't make this stuff up.
We're in a world of hurt with Biden in the White House. It's an inescapable truth. We know it, the world knows it, and the bad actors across the planet plan to take full advantage. Biden can't call out China because the Biden Crime Family sold out to China long ago. Biden can't hold a candle to Putin and I suspect it won't be long now before Putin takes Ukraine without firing so much as a shot.
The laughter we saw and heard on televisions in living rooms and boardrooms during Biden's trip to the G7 was most likely a nervous laughter coming from the global elites who have long counted on the US to stand up to the bad actors on the world stage on their behalf. What was once stalwart and reliable when it comes to US leadership has now been exposed as fraudulent and flimsy.
In the meantime, officials in Arizona are conducting a forensic audit of the 2020 election to determine what, if any, shenanigans occurred during the actual election. We're talking dead people voting, ballots with no creases, ballots with but one candidate (Biden) chosen, ballots with no chain of custody (where did they come from?), ballots that exceed the number of people in one or more specific precincts, etc. Everyone knows that Trump is the rightful winner of the 2020 election and Arizona is but one of many states getting to the bottom of the travesty that was the 2020 election.
No one expects Trump to be declared the rightful winner since Biden is in and that's the end of it. It will, however, let everyone know what we think we already know so we can go ahead and say with confidence that Biden is an illegitimate president. If Biden's DOJ tries to stop this, Arizona officials are threatening to put the Attorney General of the United States behind bars for interfering in their audit. After all, the states created the federal government and not the other way around and they need to be reminded of that now and again. Can 2022 and 2024 come soon enough? I think not.
I stopped along my bike route on my way home last week and bought the missus a nice lobster roll. They charged $20 for a roll last summer and they're charging $25 this year. It cost $5 more and I'm not so sure that there wasn't a little less lobster in the roll. Inflation is raging under Biden's presidency so no one should be surprised that prices of everything are going though the roof. Gas has gone from $2 to $3 a gallon in just the last few months. I'm guessing those lobster boats don't run on methane.
You can't help but feel that you're getting ripped off when you see prices surging like that. It's less obvious when you're walking in and out of the supermarket especially when you're not paying attention to sticker prices. I hear meat prices are out of sight too but we're not big consumers of beef so no big deal. No harm, no fowl? I told the missus that we'll not be returning to the place down at the harbor anytime soon to buy another lobster roll. We'll be buying it elsewhere by the pound if we want it and, hopefully, we'll stay out of the poorhouse by going that route.
Maybe they're having to pay their employees more just to make sure that they have staff on hand when the time comes to open the doors every day. We see stores hereabouts that are closed from time to time because they have no employees to service the customers. There's that Biden presidency thing again. He's handing out checks and freebies like a drunken sailor so it's no surprise that nobody wants to work. This is the democrats model that will ensure that they never lose another election. People vote their pocketbooks. Right?
We've got a vacation coming up in a couple of months so that's good. Places were being snapped up left and right after the pandemic last summer forced everyone to batten down the hatches and stay home in order to avoid the dreaded Covid-19. That was a fucking disaster. Turns out that staying inside was the worst thing that anyone could do. It actually increased your odds of contracting the virus. It's almost as though government officials knew that but locked it all down anyway. That makes them complicit in the unnecessary deaths of tens of thousands of people. Right?
So, the vacation thing is good. It's not ideal, but it's good nonetheless. We night have preferred something a little different but we're not complaining now that we've nailed it down. There is something to be said for having something to look forward to and I guess this qualifies. The Ev man is excited as well and we're looking forward to getting away as a family. We've always enjoyed going to this particular destination so it will be like visiting an old friend. I know it's a couple of months or more away but it will be here soon enough. Good stuff.
Did I mention that I will not be planting tomato plants this year? I think that makes the missus a little sad but I guess she'll have to be sad then. I don't plant the damn things to make her happy and I won't plan the damn things just so she won't be sad. That's not the way I roll. Do I have any misgivings? Maybe I'll miss having a BLT or two down the road but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. I remember last year liking the crop and the tomatoes a lot but that isn't cutting the mustard this year. It's a new year and that's my final decision.
Our garden actually looks a little grumpy without the usual four or five tomato plants that I throw in every year. The ground lay bare as a reminder of what could have been. I will not be shamed into throwing in a plant or two at the last minute as an afterthought or just so I might avoid the real pangs of regret come harvest time. Listen to me. Harvest time? What am I? A fucking farmer? Hardly. I'm actually enjoying the thought of not having to water the plants over the course of the summer so let me keep enjoying that thought for as long as it lasts.
It's not like I can't find organic tomatoes in my local grocery store when I want them. The store I have in mind actually has a section set aside for fruits and vegetables grown locally by farmers and maybe even fair weather growers who have nothing better to do with their time. You know them. These are the assholes who drive from Farmers Market to Farmers Market with the bumper stickers on their old pick-ups that's say, "No Farms, No Food", or some such bullshit. I know, I know. Where would we be without them? That's a rhetorical question.
I humored the missus yesterday and agreed to go with her to a nursery of sorts maybe 45 minutes away. It was the biggest nursery I've ever seen. I think the missus was in her glory bumping around the joint thinking about all the plants she could purchase for her flower boxes which, as yet, are not up and running. This is where I come in.
I need to make sure that the boxes are affixed to the railings on the back deck and that the old soil has been replaced with the new soil she purchased just recently. It's not too much to ask and I'm happy to do it. We walked away with a few plants for the boxes so I need to up my game and git her done today. Like I said, it's the least I can do.
We stopped in South Berwick, Me, on the way home and had a burger and fries in a place that was recently written up in one of our local rags. It was located smack dab in the middle of the downtown area and we were fortunate enough to grab a parking spot almost right in front of the burger joint. We ignored the pleadings of a fella who stood in the center of the intersection holding a sign against the oncoming traffic outlining his plight of impoverishment and such and seemingly shivering in the cool 50 degree temperatures while wearing nothing more than a tee shirt.
I've always been under the impression, rightly or wrongly, that these panhandlers make a decent living on the backs of righteous people who subscribe to the biblical expression, "There but for the grace of God go I" or some such hokum. We were forced to drive back by the fella on the way back through town and did not ignore him the second time.
The missus wasn't crazy about the idea but I gave him a $20 and never looked back. If he wants to have himself a good drink or two, then so be it. If he wants to sit down to a burger and fries then I'm good with that too. Maybe he has a family he's supporting with his panhandling. God only knows.
The food was actually pretty good once we sat down to eat. I'm never happy thinking about all of the fat globules clogging my veins after eating a meal like that but I ignore all of it just long enough to tell myself that it is the last burger I'll be eating for a while so it's all good. I do it (have a burger) infrequently enough so that I'm not really putting my health in jeopardy but there are times when I'm better off not entertaining such thoughts when I sit down to eat. The fries were no less unhealthy and we scarfed them down with a chocolate shake and that was that. I'm not sure that we need to make the long trip back to this particular burger joint but I'm glad we went.
We stopped by a shop in Dover on our trip and I bought any number of things that I thought Evan might like to eat when he comes for the weekend. It's always an open question as to just how long he'll stay but that's a discussion for another day. As it turned out, he stayed over Friday night and retuned home on Saturday. I think he just likes a change of scenery from time to time like the rest of us. I also think he's become less tolerant over time of the single bed that he has here in his bedroom and prefers sleeping in his own queen-sized bed back home.
I'm trying as I might to get him to pay more attention to the maintenance issues with his car but he seems disinclined for whatever reason. These are things that I suppose he's not had to deal with over time since I've taken care of them but I keep telling him that if I get hit by a bus tomorrow he's going to have to know how to do these things. His oil was due for a change so I took it over to have that done. He's been spending a lot of time in his room since arriving on Friday night so I figured it would take more time and effort to roust him out of his whatever than it would be just to do it myself.
I know he feels better about driving a car that has been cleaned up, wiped down, a car that has had its oil changed, and maybe a car that has had its gas tank topped off. I know I feel better about sending him on his way with all of these things done too. What dad wouldn't? He had given me a list of thing he needed before his arrival on Friday night so I had them on hand for him to take with him when he left on Saturday. His only responsibility is to make sure that what I gave him doesn't sit in his car for an extended period of time before he brings any one or more of the items up to his apartment. I can only do so much for him.
During our visit to see Mrs G over the weekend we got her up and running on the right wireless networks after her facility updated their networks and we even got her squared away with her Amazon shows on the telly which she's been having trouble with as of late. I'm not sure myself what the difference is between the guest network and her individualized network but she was on the former and, using the instructions provided by her facility, we got logged her into the correct network.
Once she learned that she had been using the guest network for the better part of a week, she was happy to know that she was now in the right place. Or, more aptly put, on the right network. As a back drop to all of this, she gave us a call the day after the changes were put in effect in her place and asked if we might assist in helping her get online. I tried to walk her through things over the phone but, with what seemed at the time, limited success. She somehow ended up choosing the guest network and gave us a call back to let us know she was back online.
Good stuff, I thought to myself. For a woman her age and coming from a generation where computers were something out of a science fiction novel, she was doing pretty darn well for herself. I was proud of her for her perseverance and stick-to-it-ness when it came to solving her own problems with or without a handbook or maybe a relative or two lending an assist. I even offered to pay a visit to help her out but she was having none of it. There are people on hand at her facility who would have worked with her to get her online if push came to shove but she got it done all by her lonesome.
I think Mrs G is probably no different than anyone else when it comes to using the computer. She knows enough to be dangerous and that's all she needs or wants to know. I mean, how many of us, really, take computing to places where few or no man (or woman) have gone before? That's why we use bookmarks when browsing the web just as an example. It takes us back and forth to the places that we like to visit on a regular basis and we're pretty happy just being able to do that. We have calculators to help us balance our checkbooks, spreadsheets to help us track things, and word documents to keep document things we want to document.
I meant to bring my own iPad over to Mrs G's place to show her how she can track her portfolio on her iPad instead of having to sit down at her computer to check in on any changes. Maybe that's a matter of personal preference, I'm not sure. I'll keep it in mind to do the next time we visit.
I also noticed that she has a machine that takes telephone messages when she's away and the sound quality of the messages being left told me that it's getting a little long in the tooth. I think you learn to live with some things and then there are things you can't live with for whatever reason. That is to say, I wonder if she would even contemplate getting a new recording machine. I'll be sure to inquire the next time we're over for a visit.
Anyone catch fumbling bumbling Joe Biden traveling around Europe with the clown car better known in political circles as the G7? What a complete imbecile. Have you seen the moron referring to his note cards time and time again? They are in a font size 56 if you're curious about such things. What world leader shows up at the G7 with talking points on cue cards?
If you're a leader who's stolen an election and you're out of your depth on the world stage, you bring cue cards and the larger the font the better. In one speech he confused Syria with some other country several times. His handlers, wanting to prevent an absolute disaster, would not agree to have Biden and Putin on the same stage lest Putin reveal Biden for the complete moron that he is.
In another video, Biden is walking around inside a tent wearing these white sneakers like some demented old fool roaming around an old folks home. I can't say for sure but it sounds like he might be mumbling to himself. A party sitting at a nearby table shouted out a question and he looks back at them like he's just been roused out of a deep sleep but doesn't have a clue as to where he is, who he is, or where he's going.
His enabler, Dr Jill, comes to his rescue and leads him away by the arm at the last minute to make sure that the "leader of the free world" doesn't further embarrass himself on the world stage. One time, while standing at a podium, he says something about needing to walk away because his "handlers' wouldn't be happy were he to try and answer questions. You can't make this stuff up.
We're in a world of hurt with Biden in the White House. It's an inescapable truth. We know it, the world knows it, and the bad actors across the planet plan to take full advantage. Biden can't call out China because the Biden Crime Family sold out to China long ago. Biden can't hold a candle to Putin and I suspect it won't be long now before Putin takes Ukraine without firing so much as a shot.
The laughter we saw and heard on televisions in living rooms and boardrooms during Biden's trip to the G7 was most likely a nervous laughter coming from the global elites who have long counted on the US to stand up to the bad actors on the world stage on their behalf. What was once stalwart and reliable when it comes to US leadership has now been exposed as fraudulent and flimsy.
In the meantime, officials in Arizona are conducting a forensic audit of the 2020 election to determine what, if any, shenanigans occurred during the actual election. We're talking dead people voting, ballots with no creases, ballots with but one candidate (Biden) chosen, ballots with no chain of custody (where did they come from?), ballots that exceed the number of people in one or more specific precincts, etc. Everyone knows that Trump is the rightful winner of the 2020 election and Arizona is but one of many states getting to the bottom of the travesty that was the 2020 election.
No one expects Trump to be declared the rightful winner since Biden is in and that's the end of it. It will, however, let everyone know what we think we already know so we can go ahead and say with confidence that Biden is an illegitimate president. If Biden's DOJ tries to stop this, Arizona officials are threatening to put the Attorney General of the United States behind bars for interfering in their audit. After all, the states created the federal government and not the other way around and they need to be reminded of that now and again. Can 2022 and 2024 come soon enough? I think not.
Junkyard Dogs
06/06/21 06:59
What a washout! The first big holiday weekend in a while and it rained pretty good for all three days. A little less in the third day of the three day weekend but I think the temperatures never got out of the forties in any one of the three days. That right there folks is what makes it more difficult to get out and go biking and to maybe stay active when you really just would rather stick your head under the covers and catch up on some sleep.
It's too bad, really, for the retailers who were hoping for a rebound in their fortunes after being locked down for the better part of a year due to the Covid bullshit. If you drive though downtown Portsmouth you will find that many of the outdoor venues put up by restaurants who have been limited in their ability to seat customers at 100% are still up and operating even though indoor seating capacities are now back to 100%.
I don't know if they are there to stay and that is a decision that the city fathers will have to deal with sooner rather than later. My guess would be that having an expanded seating capacity is probably good for the bottom line of the businesses involved but there are tradeoffs involving obstructed traffic patterns, etc. Businesses who don't have the option to expand their seating for whatever reason may have a bone to pick with those who do. There may be liability issues that insurance companies may not want to assume at any price.
Most retailers hereabouts are no longer requiring that customers wear masks although most people are still wearing them as fas as I can tell. It's a real head scratcher if you ask me. What is the matter with these people? If you aren't vaccinated, it makes perfect sense to wear a mask. If you have co-morbidities with or without the jab, you may want to wear two masks. I'm just waiting for somebody to say something to me about my not wearing a mask. I'm ready to go with something about the CDC or believing the science or something lie that. I'll be making it short and sweet.
I honestly don't care if an unvaccinated person wears a mask or not. That's their business. Just don't cough on me, mother fucker. I'm kidding. Hack away and see if I care. I do wonder, though, how people who are still wearing the damn things for all the wrong reasons feel about those of us who want no part of masks anymore.
I hear on occasion from this or that business that the city of Portsmouth requires them to insist that their customers are masked but I don't think the city has that kind of power. My best evidence for that would be the number of businesses in the city limits who no longer require masks city mandate or no city mandate.
The missus and I were in both Lowes and Target yesterday and neither required masks. Target had a sign that said something about not having to wear one if you were vaccinated but preferred that you did wear one if you were not yet vaccinated. I don't even think I saw a "masks required" sign in Lowes.
Just so you know, the missus doesn't go anywhere without her mask. She can do whatever she wants and that's fine with me. If she wants to wear a bag on her head I say go for it. Do you ever wonder if some people feel more comfortable hiding behind their masks? And masks simply do not cut the mustard as a fashion accessory so there's that.
We had a couple of lads show up yesterday to give us an estimate for a roofing job. They seemed thorough enough and they ended up giving me a price tag that exceeded even my expectations. It was through the roof, pun intended. It was higher by a factor of ten compared to how much we paid back in the 90's. I know inflation is a fact of life, but by a factor of 10? Does it have anything to do with the craziness in the real estate market across the nation? Does it have anything to do with the price of materials used in the building trades that have also been skyrocketing? Maybe this isn't the best time to tackle this project.
This must really be squeezing margins for people in the trades. I don't spend a lot of time worrying about the profit margins of various businesses but when you see what's happening today in real estate you can only conclude one thing: Something, sooner or later, has to give. For now, homes don't last but a day or two on the market and folks are getting the asking price or better. This is reminiscent of what we saw back in 2007 and 2008 where people were mortgaging their lives to buy into this or that investment hoping to double or triple their investments. That is, until it all came crashing down.
Markets like stability and when stability skews wildly in one direction or the other it will always revert to the mean. In the meantime, I think we can go a bit longer before we need to do anything with our roof. In the words of the long departed Mr G (Da), nobody is chasing us. Indeed. It was a ploy on my part initially to see if I might be able to negotiate a better deal on an upcoming insurance renewal. One thing led to another and one prospective carrier wanted to do an inspection of the roof after we actually signed on with them. If they deemed it not up to snuff, they would give us 30 days to have it replaced or the policy would be cancelled.
That's a lot of balls to juggle even for me. Did I mention I'm not keen on ultimatums? Too many if's and buts made the deal almost a non-starter but it highlighted the age of our roof and the need to address it maybe sooner rather than later. We may take the path of least resistance and just renew what we have and see if we can't deal with the roof down the road a piece. I think it's a lot for the missus to absorb at the moment so when I see her eyes fogging over at the mere mention of how this all might work I know I'm on thin ice. I'm no Hans Christian Anderson so there you have it.
I seem to be struggling for a so-called theme for this week's blog and it doesn't seem to be getting any easier as the week goes on. I don't mind bouncing around but it helps to have an underlying theme of sorts. I'm thinking it would help if I started a new project or two just to make things a bit more interesting. Not that I would comment on the projects, per se, but it will get me going down a different path and maybe pull me up and out of my doldrums.
Maybe something as simple as starting a new book or maybe going to the gym for a change. Were I a drinker, I might just toss back a few and let the chips fall where they may. Alas, I am not a drinker so that's one more door I can close behind me as I leave the room in search of greener and more interesting pastures.
My new Roku streaming device is arriving in the mail today so that's exciting. I am a self-described electronics geek so this should be fun. We'll see how it compares to the Apple TV which we've had and have enjoyed immensely from the day we bought it a few years back. I'll be using it (Roku) primarily as a device from which I can telecast or mirror my Xfinity channels. It's the poor man's version of the box that Xfinity wants to lease to you for $10 a month but without the monthly charge. I think Roku is the only device that does this and it's in cooperation with Xfinity somehow so we're not bending or breaking any laws here. God forbid.
I always have a debate with myself about getting back to people who may or may not be expecting to hear from me. We've decided that we'll just let the roof go for now but I'm not inclined to advise anyone of that fact. Would they like to know? Probably. I decided that the second of the two appraisers had the better spiel and I'll be going with them if and when the time comes. Maybe I just like to keep people in suspense. Maybe I don't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that his schtick worked with a schlepper like me. Had he been more insistent about hearing back from me then I might well have contacted him by now.
Part of me wonders about the company he says he represents. How much of what he told me is true? How much do I stand to lose if pay a deposit only to never hear from them again? Would someone go through all the trouble of setting up a web site to lure people in to their trap for what amounts to a small deposit? If they are on the up and up, what would their dissatisfied customers tell me about their experience? How do I know that the reference they gave me for one of their satisfied customers isn't the brother or cousin of the person or persons perpetrating this fraud? I was warned about accepting lowball bids only to see costs escalate after the fact. Where does this all leave me?
I don't think I've ever heard as much noise coming out of the bird house in our back yard as I have this year. There are four young sparrows, at least I think they're sparrows, that are balls-to-the-walls boisterous hour in and hour out banging the proverbial drums for another mouthful of whatever the hell it is that their parents bring back to the nest for them. The parents are nothing if not attentive and the cycle of life goes on. Their little heads fill the opening of the bird house and resemble four little catchers mitts with their unformed leathery beaks elastic as they are and all the better as receptacles for the live morsels being served up to them.
Whereas four little yapping mouths once filled the opening, now that they are getting bigger and bigger by the day, maybe only three can fit in the opening. What would it take for one of the chicks not getting his or her fair share to give his or her sibling a gentle nudge and then there would be but three in the nest. Funny how that works. I could be mistaken but it looks like the parents are maybe feeding them less often in the hopes perhaps of luring them out of the nest so they can begin the next chapter in their lives.
Fast forward 24 hours and I'm watching this morning as the last of the four chicks perches tentatively on the edge of the hole in the bird house that has been their home for the last number of days or weeks. What must he or she be thinking? Should I go or should I stay? Where the hell did my brothers and sisters go? Where is man next meal going from? Who's going to come and clean this damn place now that I have the birdhouse to myself? It's a shit hole! What do you mean I'm supposed to fly out of this place? Says who?
In the space of maybe 45 minutes, all four took to the wing and exited the nest presumably never to return. I'm not sure if they were egged on by one or more parents whistling dixie from a nearby branch or maybe it was just time. It's possible that one or more of the parents sat on a nearby branch holding food at arms length hoping that one or more of the more courageous chicks might set an example for the others and just take flight for flight's sake. That's my Petersen's Field Guide version in case you're curious about such things. It's more likely that the parents, maybe just fed up with all their bullshit just tweeted out, "get the hell out of my house"?
I'm glad to hear that they got Ev's air conditioning squared away. It was on the fritz for a few days for whatever reason. That's a new building so I assured him that it was probably just a bit of a glitch and something that is probably still covered under warranty. Nonetheless, we agreed to send a work order to the powers that be over at his place to move things along knowing as we do that the weekend is forecast to be warmer than usual. Left to his own devices, the Ev man would likely not send a note. My recommendation to him was that he stop down and see the management just to inquire. He seemed disinclined to do that too. We agreed that he was probably not the only tenant without air conditioning.
He was also a little concerned that someone would have to come into his unit. I'm guessing his concerns had more to do with his having to pick up his place beforehand should a visitation be necessary. Sure enough, they came knocking after the air conditioning was up and running again. Had we not sent the note, they probably would not have come around. He was prepared for that inevitability so that was good. He said that they came and left fairly quickly after checking his thermostat. I doubt that our placing the work order moved them to get things up and running again but it probably didn't hurt. There's a lesson there somewhere.
The missus wasn't too happy that I didn't wake her up to see the birds hit the skids this morning. I don't think I realized that they would all be leaving the nest in such quick succession. Besides, it was painful to sit there with a pair of binoculars up to my eyes for a prolonged period of time. Even I had to take a break from the action as intermittent as it was.
I need to get out on the road early today with my bike. The day is heating up and the sun is hot and getting hotter by the minute. I'll not avoid the traffic down on the boulevard if I wait much longer. As much as I like to look at the lotioned and lathered bottoms of the scantily clad lovelies making their way to the beach, they are a dangerous distraction when it comes time to avoid things like car doors opening, inattentive drivers jockeying for parking spots, family units pushing perambulators and carrying beach umbrellas, and yes, elderly drivers out dilly dallying on the road before the traffic gets too heavy.
We stopped by to see Mrs G yesterday afternoon. She wasn't home but her door was open so we let ourselves in and leisurely unpacked the items she had requested that we pick up for her. We couldn't find the small cans of soda she had requested so bought her the large size can thinking that she can just take what she wanted and she can pour the rest down the drain. We found what we thought might be a suitable bottle of wine knowing full well that her only real prerequisite was that it be a red wine and that it have a twist-off cap. We couldn't find a suitable orange juice container so we substituted a gallon sized water jug. Not the best choice in hindsight.
Mrs G was her chipper self and had fewer things than usual for us to attend to. She graciously offered us the tapioca dessert that came with her bagged dinner and we politely declined. My guess is that she chose this particular dessert from perhaps one of many on the menu because she enjoys tapioca. I like Tapioca as much as the next guy but wouldn't dream of depriving Mrs G of something that maybe she was looking forward to enjoying herself. Meatloaf was on menu that evening and if I had to guess I would say that, liver and onions aside, meatloaf is one of Mrs G's favorites. Who doesn't like a good meatloaf?
She said the management of her facility had big plans to change up the wireless arrangements in each of the units and they would be coming to her place in the upcoming week to do just that. I happened to notice when I was setting up her printer once that her network included printers in other units in her building. You choose the wrong printer when setting up your print job, and that sucker will be printing in someone else's apartment. Were I a hacker of ill repute, I might be tempted to drive a truck through the holes in their network and god only knows what I might find. This change is long overdue.
The missus and I have been watching this three-part television series on Epic called "Fall River" this past week or so and, knowing what we know about Mrs G's history with Fall River, we meant to ask her if she had any interest in taking it in. Apparently, Debbie Rah-Rah had already broached the subject with her and she seemed to be in with both feet. There was just one glitch. She was able to watch the first episode for free but had to sign up for $5.99 if she wanted to watch more episodes. Gleaning from the expression on her face when we brought up the subject, it was clear that her interest in the show was well worth the pittance they were charging people to see it.
I wasn't sure if she hadn't signed up because she didn't know how to sign up or what. She didn't elaborate one way or another. I took the initiative and signed on and signed up and left her at the proper screens where she could just pick it up at her leisure which, presumably, would be later that evening. The show itself was about the dregs of society, prostitution, murder, and what that looks like in a city the size and scope of Fall River in the early 1990's. If you had any interest at all in knowing more about the seamier side of life in Fall River, this show was for you. For the cold case aficionado, it was a veritable treasure trove of trashiness and tell-all badness.
Why someone felt the need to do an expose' on a handful of miscreants in the shit hole back streets and alley ways of Fall River some thirty years after the fact, I'll never know. Did it really deserve a thee-part mini-series of its own? Was it a story that warranted a rehashing not even 30 years later? Was there a miscarriage of justice somewhere in the story that I missed? Admittedly, I haven't watched all the episodes. Even if the ringleader of this bunch didn't do the actual killing, he was certainly guilty by way of association and belongs in jail.
The characters in this story ended up where they ended up not because they were worthless human beings or, in the parlance of the day, white trash, but rather because they committed an egregious act when they decided to take someone's life. What little satisfaction they may have derived from committing such a heinous act has to pall in comparison to the years that they will now spend, and have spent, behind bars paying back their debt to society. It was never, and is not now, about rehabilitation. It is also a debt that can never be repaid. It will always be about a loss of life and there isn't anything, especially the courts in their infinite wisdom, can do to change that outcome.
It's too bad, really, for the retailers who were hoping for a rebound in their fortunes after being locked down for the better part of a year due to the Covid bullshit. If you drive though downtown Portsmouth you will find that many of the outdoor venues put up by restaurants who have been limited in their ability to seat customers at 100% are still up and operating even though indoor seating capacities are now back to 100%.
I don't know if they are there to stay and that is a decision that the city fathers will have to deal with sooner rather than later. My guess would be that having an expanded seating capacity is probably good for the bottom line of the businesses involved but there are tradeoffs involving obstructed traffic patterns, etc. Businesses who don't have the option to expand their seating for whatever reason may have a bone to pick with those who do. There may be liability issues that insurance companies may not want to assume at any price.
Most retailers hereabouts are no longer requiring that customers wear masks although most people are still wearing them as fas as I can tell. It's a real head scratcher if you ask me. What is the matter with these people? If you aren't vaccinated, it makes perfect sense to wear a mask. If you have co-morbidities with or without the jab, you may want to wear two masks. I'm just waiting for somebody to say something to me about my not wearing a mask. I'm ready to go with something about the CDC or believing the science or something lie that. I'll be making it short and sweet.
I honestly don't care if an unvaccinated person wears a mask or not. That's their business. Just don't cough on me, mother fucker. I'm kidding. Hack away and see if I care. I do wonder, though, how people who are still wearing the damn things for all the wrong reasons feel about those of us who want no part of masks anymore.
I hear on occasion from this or that business that the city of Portsmouth requires them to insist that their customers are masked but I don't think the city has that kind of power. My best evidence for that would be the number of businesses in the city limits who no longer require masks city mandate or no city mandate.
The missus and I were in both Lowes and Target yesterday and neither required masks. Target had a sign that said something about not having to wear one if you were vaccinated but preferred that you did wear one if you were not yet vaccinated. I don't even think I saw a "masks required" sign in Lowes.
Just so you know, the missus doesn't go anywhere without her mask. She can do whatever she wants and that's fine with me. If she wants to wear a bag on her head I say go for it. Do you ever wonder if some people feel more comfortable hiding behind their masks? And masks simply do not cut the mustard as a fashion accessory so there's that.
We had a couple of lads show up yesterday to give us an estimate for a roofing job. They seemed thorough enough and they ended up giving me a price tag that exceeded even my expectations. It was through the roof, pun intended. It was higher by a factor of ten compared to how much we paid back in the 90's. I know inflation is a fact of life, but by a factor of 10? Does it have anything to do with the craziness in the real estate market across the nation? Does it have anything to do with the price of materials used in the building trades that have also been skyrocketing? Maybe this isn't the best time to tackle this project.
This must really be squeezing margins for people in the trades. I don't spend a lot of time worrying about the profit margins of various businesses but when you see what's happening today in real estate you can only conclude one thing: Something, sooner or later, has to give. For now, homes don't last but a day or two on the market and folks are getting the asking price or better. This is reminiscent of what we saw back in 2007 and 2008 where people were mortgaging their lives to buy into this or that investment hoping to double or triple their investments. That is, until it all came crashing down.
Markets like stability and when stability skews wildly in one direction or the other it will always revert to the mean. In the meantime, I think we can go a bit longer before we need to do anything with our roof. In the words of the long departed Mr G (Da), nobody is chasing us. Indeed. It was a ploy on my part initially to see if I might be able to negotiate a better deal on an upcoming insurance renewal. One thing led to another and one prospective carrier wanted to do an inspection of the roof after we actually signed on with them. If they deemed it not up to snuff, they would give us 30 days to have it replaced or the policy would be cancelled.
That's a lot of balls to juggle even for me. Did I mention I'm not keen on ultimatums? Too many if's and buts made the deal almost a non-starter but it highlighted the age of our roof and the need to address it maybe sooner rather than later. We may take the path of least resistance and just renew what we have and see if we can't deal with the roof down the road a piece. I think it's a lot for the missus to absorb at the moment so when I see her eyes fogging over at the mere mention of how this all might work I know I'm on thin ice. I'm no Hans Christian Anderson so there you have it.
I seem to be struggling for a so-called theme for this week's blog and it doesn't seem to be getting any easier as the week goes on. I don't mind bouncing around but it helps to have an underlying theme of sorts. I'm thinking it would help if I started a new project or two just to make things a bit more interesting. Not that I would comment on the projects, per se, but it will get me going down a different path and maybe pull me up and out of my doldrums.
Maybe something as simple as starting a new book or maybe going to the gym for a change. Were I a drinker, I might just toss back a few and let the chips fall where they may. Alas, I am not a drinker so that's one more door I can close behind me as I leave the room in search of greener and more interesting pastures.
My new Roku streaming device is arriving in the mail today so that's exciting. I am a self-described electronics geek so this should be fun. We'll see how it compares to the Apple TV which we've had and have enjoyed immensely from the day we bought it a few years back. I'll be using it (Roku) primarily as a device from which I can telecast or mirror my Xfinity channels. It's the poor man's version of the box that Xfinity wants to lease to you for $10 a month but without the monthly charge. I think Roku is the only device that does this and it's in cooperation with Xfinity somehow so we're not bending or breaking any laws here. God forbid.
I always have a debate with myself about getting back to people who may or may not be expecting to hear from me. We've decided that we'll just let the roof go for now but I'm not inclined to advise anyone of that fact. Would they like to know? Probably. I decided that the second of the two appraisers had the better spiel and I'll be going with them if and when the time comes. Maybe I just like to keep people in suspense. Maybe I don't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that his schtick worked with a schlepper like me. Had he been more insistent about hearing back from me then I might well have contacted him by now.
Part of me wonders about the company he says he represents. How much of what he told me is true? How much do I stand to lose if pay a deposit only to never hear from them again? Would someone go through all the trouble of setting up a web site to lure people in to their trap for what amounts to a small deposit? If they are on the up and up, what would their dissatisfied customers tell me about their experience? How do I know that the reference they gave me for one of their satisfied customers isn't the brother or cousin of the person or persons perpetrating this fraud? I was warned about accepting lowball bids only to see costs escalate after the fact. Where does this all leave me?
I don't think I've ever heard as much noise coming out of the bird house in our back yard as I have this year. There are four young sparrows, at least I think they're sparrows, that are balls-to-the-walls boisterous hour in and hour out banging the proverbial drums for another mouthful of whatever the hell it is that their parents bring back to the nest for them. The parents are nothing if not attentive and the cycle of life goes on. Their little heads fill the opening of the bird house and resemble four little catchers mitts with their unformed leathery beaks elastic as they are and all the better as receptacles for the live morsels being served up to them.
Whereas four little yapping mouths once filled the opening, now that they are getting bigger and bigger by the day, maybe only three can fit in the opening. What would it take for one of the chicks not getting his or her fair share to give his or her sibling a gentle nudge and then there would be but three in the nest. Funny how that works. I could be mistaken but it looks like the parents are maybe feeding them less often in the hopes perhaps of luring them out of the nest so they can begin the next chapter in their lives.
Fast forward 24 hours and I'm watching this morning as the last of the four chicks perches tentatively on the edge of the hole in the bird house that has been their home for the last number of days or weeks. What must he or she be thinking? Should I go or should I stay? Where the hell did my brothers and sisters go? Where is man next meal going from? Who's going to come and clean this damn place now that I have the birdhouse to myself? It's a shit hole! What do you mean I'm supposed to fly out of this place? Says who?
In the space of maybe 45 minutes, all four took to the wing and exited the nest presumably never to return. I'm not sure if they were egged on by one or more parents whistling dixie from a nearby branch or maybe it was just time. It's possible that one or more of the parents sat on a nearby branch holding food at arms length hoping that one or more of the more courageous chicks might set an example for the others and just take flight for flight's sake. That's my Petersen's Field Guide version in case you're curious about such things. It's more likely that the parents, maybe just fed up with all their bullshit just tweeted out, "get the hell out of my house"?
I'm glad to hear that they got Ev's air conditioning squared away. It was on the fritz for a few days for whatever reason. That's a new building so I assured him that it was probably just a bit of a glitch and something that is probably still covered under warranty. Nonetheless, we agreed to send a work order to the powers that be over at his place to move things along knowing as we do that the weekend is forecast to be warmer than usual. Left to his own devices, the Ev man would likely not send a note. My recommendation to him was that he stop down and see the management just to inquire. He seemed disinclined to do that too. We agreed that he was probably not the only tenant without air conditioning.
He was also a little concerned that someone would have to come into his unit. I'm guessing his concerns had more to do with his having to pick up his place beforehand should a visitation be necessary. Sure enough, they came knocking after the air conditioning was up and running again. Had we not sent the note, they probably would not have come around. He was prepared for that inevitability so that was good. He said that they came and left fairly quickly after checking his thermostat. I doubt that our placing the work order moved them to get things up and running again but it probably didn't hurt. There's a lesson there somewhere.
The missus wasn't too happy that I didn't wake her up to see the birds hit the skids this morning. I don't think I realized that they would all be leaving the nest in such quick succession. Besides, it was painful to sit there with a pair of binoculars up to my eyes for a prolonged period of time. Even I had to take a break from the action as intermittent as it was.
I need to get out on the road early today with my bike. The day is heating up and the sun is hot and getting hotter by the minute. I'll not avoid the traffic down on the boulevard if I wait much longer. As much as I like to look at the lotioned and lathered bottoms of the scantily clad lovelies making their way to the beach, they are a dangerous distraction when it comes time to avoid things like car doors opening, inattentive drivers jockeying for parking spots, family units pushing perambulators and carrying beach umbrellas, and yes, elderly drivers out dilly dallying on the road before the traffic gets too heavy.
We stopped by to see Mrs G yesterday afternoon. She wasn't home but her door was open so we let ourselves in and leisurely unpacked the items she had requested that we pick up for her. We couldn't find the small cans of soda she had requested so bought her the large size can thinking that she can just take what she wanted and she can pour the rest down the drain. We found what we thought might be a suitable bottle of wine knowing full well that her only real prerequisite was that it be a red wine and that it have a twist-off cap. We couldn't find a suitable orange juice container so we substituted a gallon sized water jug. Not the best choice in hindsight.
Mrs G was her chipper self and had fewer things than usual for us to attend to. She graciously offered us the tapioca dessert that came with her bagged dinner and we politely declined. My guess is that she chose this particular dessert from perhaps one of many on the menu because she enjoys tapioca. I like Tapioca as much as the next guy but wouldn't dream of depriving Mrs G of something that maybe she was looking forward to enjoying herself. Meatloaf was on menu that evening and if I had to guess I would say that, liver and onions aside, meatloaf is one of Mrs G's favorites. Who doesn't like a good meatloaf?
She said the management of her facility had big plans to change up the wireless arrangements in each of the units and they would be coming to her place in the upcoming week to do just that. I happened to notice when I was setting up her printer once that her network included printers in other units in her building. You choose the wrong printer when setting up your print job, and that sucker will be printing in someone else's apartment. Were I a hacker of ill repute, I might be tempted to drive a truck through the holes in their network and god only knows what I might find. This change is long overdue.
The missus and I have been watching this three-part television series on Epic called "Fall River" this past week or so and, knowing what we know about Mrs G's history with Fall River, we meant to ask her if she had any interest in taking it in. Apparently, Debbie Rah-Rah had already broached the subject with her and she seemed to be in with both feet. There was just one glitch. She was able to watch the first episode for free but had to sign up for $5.99 if she wanted to watch more episodes. Gleaning from the expression on her face when we brought up the subject, it was clear that her interest in the show was well worth the pittance they were charging people to see it.
I wasn't sure if she hadn't signed up because she didn't know how to sign up or what. She didn't elaborate one way or another. I took the initiative and signed on and signed up and left her at the proper screens where she could just pick it up at her leisure which, presumably, would be later that evening. The show itself was about the dregs of society, prostitution, murder, and what that looks like in a city the size and scope of Fall River in the early 1990's. If you had any interest at all in knowing more about the seamier side of life in Fall River, this show was for you. For the cold case aficionado, it was a veritable treasure trove of trashiness and tell-all badness.
Why someone felt the need to do an expose' on a handful of miscreants in the shit hole back streets and alley ways of Fall River some thirty years after the fact, I'll never know. Did it really deserve a thee-part mini-series of its own? Was it a story that warranted a rehashing not even 30 years later? Was there a miscarriage of justice somewhere in the story that I missed? Admittedly, I haven't watched all the episodes. Even if the ringleader of this bunch didn't do the actual killing, he was certainly guilty by way of association and belongs in jail.
The characters in this story ended up where they ended up not because they were worthless human beings or, in the parlance of the day, white trash, but rather because they committed an egregious act when they decided to take someone's life. What little satisfaction they may have derived from committing such a heinous act has to pall in comparison to the years that they will now spend, and have spent, behind bars paying back their debt to society. It was never, and is not now, about rehabilitation. It is also a debt that can never be repaid. It will always be about a loss of life and there isn't anything, especially the courts in their infinite wisdom, can do to change that outcome.
Good Night, Irene
30/05/21 07:02
If it's Monday, it's time to get my blog started for the week. I'll duck in and out throughout the week and get it out the door next Sunday right on schedule. But, where to start? There's something in the local paper this morning about dropping the mask mandates before the scheduled stop which is maybe at the end of June. I think the populace is way ahead of the politicians and, as usual, the politicians are in with both feet when it comes to acting like it was their idea to get life back to normal by dropping the stupid mandates.
I started a list of stores just last week that no longer required their customers to wear masks because I was determined not to do business with stores requiring them. My list was a short one but in the space of a week my list has expanded to the point where there are more stores that have dropped the mandate than not. I wasn't even waiting for them to take down the "masks required" signs.
I figured that if they wanted to kick me out then they would do just that. Word must have gone out to the staff in store after store because no one has said a word to me and I've gone about my business without wearing a mask. It was my way of saying, enough is enough. I can always take my business elsewhere and I did just that on occasion. Funny thing is that a lot of stores still have the signs up but, in practice, they've moved on from the mask bullshit.
I noticed in one store that they had actually removed the arrows from the floors before they did anything with mask signage. You know, the arrows that directed traffic during the height of the pandemic so that you didn't have people passing one another in the tight aisles. That was kind of an odd policy to begin with since you often had to pass someone by on the right or left anyway as they stopped to pursue this or that item. I'm guessing it was a good policy for profits since it forced people to go up and down aisles they might not otherwise go down.
The skeptic in me thinks that by changing definitions and relaxing standards we might well find ourselves in the soup again when this, that, or the other variant arises out of the ashes. Such variants will actually be encouraged to find a footing in a populace that has shed the usual protections for no protection at all. Recent history tells us that the pandemic, created out of whole cloth or not, enabled the democrats to push for voting changes such as mail-in-balloting, etc., which gave them the advantage they needed to steal the 2020 presidential election.
If the democrats are to capitalize and build on their electoral wins to date, they will need another pandemic to get them across the finish line. What better way to bring that about than to drop protections now only to have it resurface just in time for the 2022 and 2024 races. Could that explain why I still see so many people still wearing masks in and out of stores during my travels? Are these democrats who know the plan and want to avoid the second coming of the plague? The word "sheep" also comes to mind.
I popped over to see the Ev man yesterday while the missus worked from home. He enjoys having bottled water on hand so I brought over a dozen one-gallon jugs. I bought a hand dolly of sorts some time back which I use on occasion to wheel things up to his fourth floor apartment. He has to be up for these so-called deliveries and, if he isn't, he'll typically take a gallon or two at a time with him when he comes to visit. I don't know that the water in his town is unpalatable but he prefers the spring water in the gallon jugs so that's what we do.
I also brought over a replacement bulb for one of the headlights that he had out in his car. I walked him through the exercise as a teachable moment and I think he was a little surprised at how involved it was. It was really nothing more than an exercise in taking something apart and putting it back together again. But you have to know which pieces come out, which clips need to be unclipped, which things screw in and which things don't, so it helps to see all of that unfold in a logical manner. Nobody was chasing us so we had the luxury of getting it done at our own speed and in our own time.
I'm hoping to get a call from the local mower shop today letting me know that they have the mower blade that they ordered for me last week. Yes, I turned over my mower recently and noticed that the blade was pretty beat up and needed to be replaced. I hadn't noticed a problem while mowing but you know how those things work. You get used to seeing, or at least think you're seeing, the machine do it's thing. What you may not notice is that the cut isn't as precise or maybe you find yourself going over the same area more than once because you're just not happy with the way things are looking.
I have to say, I was getting a weird vibe from the guy behind the desk at the mower store. There was a bit of an edge to his customer service that almost bordered on hostility. Maybe it was one of those passive aggressive things that is, quite frankly, above my pay grade to chime in on. That said, I didn't feel as though he was unwilling to help me but I'm not entirely sure his heart was into it. I wasn't even sure that he wouldn't be treating the next guy in line any differently but in the moment it was all me and it felt personal. He told me that the blade I ordered would be in the following Tuesday so that was fine.
To make matters worse, or maybe to confirm my worst fears, I stopped back in on the day I was supposed to pick up the blade and wouldn't you know it, this very same asshat gave me some nonsense about there being a problem with the delivery. His attitude hadn't changed much so I figured the old cliche, what you see is what you get, is probably what I was experiencing. Maybe he didn't much care for his job. Maybe he didn't much care for me. Maybe he got a bad performance review and didn't much care for being told that his customer service skills sucked. I think I made a mistake when I paid for the blade in advance. That's on me.
I have a bolt for the mower on order which is coming today thanks to maybe FedEx or Prime. Maybe it's the reliability of company's like FedEx and Amazon that have conditioned me to think "overnight" when setting expectations in my own head for products and services to be delivered. In retrospect, I should have ordered both the blade and the bolt from the same place. I could have avoided all of this customer service nonsense.
There's no need to interact with people to get the things we need these days. You go online, click the right buttons, and it's usually on your doorstep the next day. I guess I was hoping to waltz in and pick up the things I needed. It didn't quite work out that way. In the meantime, my grass isn't getting any shorter. But with a new blade, I should be able to make quick work of whatever I find while mowing be it high grass, gnarly weeds, or small animals that are otherwise foraging in the dense cover and don't see me coming.
It was good to see Mrs G over the weekend. We dragged our feet for one reason or another but finally made it over there on Sunday afternoon. She has been hinting or maybe suggesting strongly as of late that we go through the facility's check-in process rather than enter her first floor unit directly from the outside. This is but maybe one of many precautions they're taking these days in the era of covid. I'm guessing she's concerned that one or more of her neighbors might drop a dime on her for letting in guests who haven't gone though the check-in process.
I don't think it's that big of a stretch to think that some busy body or other might be watching from a window or other spot maybe for the sole purpose of identifying scofflaws and maybe ingratiating themselves to the management. To what end, I ask. An extra serving of pudding? A front row seat at the weekly movie playing in the grand ballroom? When you check in at the front desk you get a sticker that you are supposed to wear and that tells anyone interested that you are good to go. Without that sticker, you are suspect. Patient Zero. Public enemy number one. Pick your poison.
As goes the missus, so go I. She wasn't wanting to push her luck with her mother, being maybe the more accomodating of her two other siblings, so we went through the front gateway and did what we had to to get our patches. There were people milling about near the front desk as we walked through and none of whom were wearing masks as required. That didn't sit well with the missus. The slightest infraction of the CDC guidelines brings out the mask nazi in the missus and I knew we were heading for a very dark place the longer we stayed in the foyer.
Mrs G had her usual list of things she wanted us to take care of so we spent more time fiddling and diddling with this and that, including a bit of gardening outside on her patio, that we never really got around to having much discussion with her. She was bright and alert as usual and she was getting about quite nicely despite having reported more recently of certain aches and pains. Nobody said getting old was easy. She had her knickers in a bit of a twist because her favorite blender was on the outs so I promised to look into it for her.
I wasn't so sure that the things she was asking of us were necessarily outside her area of expertise or capability. I suppose as you get older and maybe more frail you are less inclined to want to tackle certain things. There is probably a bit of that that ends up with her making lists and maybe not wanting to do certain things physically that were clearly in her wheelhouse not even ten years ago. You know what they say about the elderly and what it means when you break things or lose the ability to do things that you once did without a second thought. It's good night, Irene.
There is an ongoing bone-on-bone thing that Mrs G is going to have to come to grips with sooner or later. I suppose it's nothing more than the usual wear and tear but when it causes chronic pain there comes a time when you have to make a decision. There aren't a whole lot of in-between remedies available so it's either surgery or Tylenol. You'd think a shot of this or that or maybe elevating the joints would do the trick but when those options don't work you need to move on to plan B. Plan B wouldn't be so bad were it not for the extended period of rehabilitation involved. It's difficult keeping your chin up when your mobility is curtailed.
This is one of those mornings where I'm up too early and I think I'm fading fast. I couldn't wait to get out of bed so that I could add things to my to-do list before I forgot them. I calculated my sleep time and decided that 6 hours was sufficient and since I was going back to sleep that it was probably time to get out of bed and get my day underway. I know that six hours of sleep is just a little shy of what my body really needs so I'll need to make up for the sleep lost sometime in the next few hours. With everything real and perceived that I have to follow up and thorough on in the next few hours, that nap my body is longing for might just have to wait.
Did I mention that my Mbps download speeds are kicking butt and taking names? The cable guy paid a visit yesterday and did some serious re-wiring to correct some long overdue deficiencies in my internet performance. This was a problem that I thought I was going to have to live with given the age of our home and the cob jobbing of the wiring over time. The wiring is here, there, and fucking everywhere in this house. You need a road map to follow it all and even then you're not sure that what you have in place is going to get the job done.
The signal off the pole at the street level was a good one so the cable guy ran a few new cables to select spots in and around our home. It was a good two-hour job. He ended up going in and out of a few rooms I wish he hadn't but he said he's seen just about everything in his 32 years with the company so I said what the hey. I didn't want him thinking that we had a marijuana growing operation that we didn't want him to see so I moved a few piles of clothes here and there to make it look less cluttered and opened the doors to give him the access he needed. Needless to say, this did not endear me to the missus. Everyone has a room or two like this. Right?
Once he had the infrastructure squared away, he helped to get everything up and running. I had planned to simply ask him to activate the one room that had recently been deactivated and I would set up the equipment after the fact. That plan kinda went south in a hurry as he whipsawed his way in and out of our home just doing his thing. He was at least two steps ahead of me at any given moment. He kept showing me his mobile device depicting the ebbs and flows of this, that, and the other signal as he made one change after another.
I wasn't following any of it but I didn't tell him that. All I wanted to hear was that I was good to go. When he was finally finished a little after 2pm, he looked over my shoulder as I sat at the computer pulling up the page where I could test download speeds. He was feverishly working his mobile device hoping to beat me to the punch where he could announce his findings before I found the page I was looking for. Any detectable differences in performance, of course, might have more to do with my computer set-up involving modems, routers, and other devices too numerous to mention.
That is precisely where we ended up. He showed a terrific signal on his hand held device and my speeds, according to the website that measured such things, sucked wind. I was getting the usual 89 Mbps download speeds that I had before the cable guy even showed up. So, if I was paying for 400 Mbps and I was getting a mere 89 Mbps then the problem had to be on my end. I fiddled around with the connections changing this connection and that connection, which elicited a whine or two from the missus who was trying to nail down a sale or two at one of her online retailers, and it seemed I was getting nowhere fast.
I've never but once in my life had my computer out for service and I wasn't about to change that up now. I can do this, I said to myself time and time again. I had three days until the missus needed the computer for work so I had the time. Was it the VOIP device that I was forced to retrofit into my set-up that was causing the problem? Were my devices capable of handling the throughput that I was paying a king's ransom for month in and month out? It was not a hardware problem, I concluded. I can figure this out (the power of positive thinking!)
Besides, taking my computer out for service wasn't going to solve my wiring issue. The cable guy mention a service provided by Best Buy but that, to me, would have been to admit I wasn't capable of getting to the bottom of the problem that I was trying to solve. I wasn't going to have some twenty-something come into my house and fix my problem in the time it took him (or her) to unpack their tools and make the assessment. No fucking sireee, Bob, When all I was left with was trying to get back online, I looked at my router and uttered to myself, it's just you and me now, pal.
Sometimes, you just get lucky. You go down a path that just works. Of all the paths you could have gone down, you somehow picked the right path. You clicked the right button, checked off the right option, and it came together. I decided to let the router make the decisions instead of looking at MAC addresses, etc., and maybe ending up making a decision that would make matters worse.
Then, where would I go? What would I do? Who would I turn to? Did I even know that the router was capable of sorting these types of things out by itself? Seeing was believing and when the orange indicator lights on the router turned white all I could think of was, there is a god. Be they heaven sent or other, there they were in all their glory.
In the eyes of the missus, I am nothing short of a hero. That's wishful thinking on my part since the truth of the matter is she's used to me sorting these kinds of things out. It would have come as a surprise to her if I had admitted defeat and had to go out and find someone to lend me a hand in fixing the problem. I might have worried that she had somehow come to the conclusion that I was losing my fast ball and this was just one more example of how the passage of time lays bare the frailties we all face as we get older.
The time will come when that may be true but it's not today, it won't be tomorrow, and if the good lord's willing and the creek don't rise, it won't be anytime soon.
I started a list of stores just last week that no longer required their customers to wear masks because I was determined not to do business with stores requiring them. My list was a short one but in the space of a week my list has expanded to the point where there are more stores that have dropped the mandate than not. I wasn't even waiting for them to take down the "masks required" signs.
I figured that if they wanted to kick me out then they would do just that. Word must have gone out to the staff in store after store because no one has said a word to me and I've gone about my business without wearing a mask. It was my way of saying, enough is enough. I can always take my business elsewhere and I did just that on occasion. Funny thing is that a lot of stores still have the signs up but, in practice, they've moved on from the mask bullshit.
I noticed in one store that they had actually removed the arrows from the floors before they did anything with mask signage. You know, the arrows that directed traffic during the height of the pandemic so that you didn't have people passing one another in the tight aisles. That was kind of an odd policy to begin with since you often had to pass someone by on the right or left anyway as they stopped to pursue this or that item. I'm guessing it was a good policy for profits since it forced people to go up and down aisles they might not otherwise go down.
The skeptic in me thinks that by changing definitions and relaxing standards we might well find ourselves in the soup again when this, that, or the other variant arises out of the ashes. Such variants will actually be encouraged to find a footing in a populace that has shed the usual protections for no protection at all. Recent history tells us that the pandemic, created out of whole cloth or not, enabled the democrats to push for voting changes such as mail-in-balloting, etc., which gave them the advantage they needed to steal the 2020 presidential election.
If the democrats are to capitalize and build on their electoral wins to date, they will need another pandemic to get them across the finish line. What better way to bring that about than to drop protections now only to have it resurface just in time for the 2022 and 2024 races. Could that explain why I still see so many people still wearing masks in and out of stores during my travels? Are these democrats who know the plan and want to avoid the second coming of the plague? The word "sheep" also comes to mind.
I popped over to see the Ev man yesterday while the missus worked from home. He enjoys having bottled water on hand so I brought over a dozen one-gallon jugs. I bought a hand dolly of sorts some time back which I use on occasion to wheel things up to his fourth floor apartment. He has to be up for these so-called deliveries and, if he isn't, he'll typically take a gallon or two at a time with him when he comes to visit. I don't know that the water in his town is unpalatable but he prefers the spring water in the gallon jugs so that's what we do.
I also brought over a replacement bulb for one of the headlights that he had out in his car. I walked him through the exercise as a teachable moment and I think he was a little surprised at how involved it was. It was really nothing more than an exercise in taking something apart and putting it back together again. But you have to know which pieces come out, which clips need to be unclipped, which things screw in and which things don't, so it helps to see all of that unfold in a logical manner. Nobody was chasing us so we had the luxury of getting it done at our own speed and in our own time.
I'm hoping to get a call from the local mower shop today letting me know that they have the mower blade that they ordered for me last week. Yes, I turned over my mower recently and noticed that the blade was pretty beat up and needed to be replaced. I hadn't noticed a problem while mowing but you know how those things work. You get used to seeing, or at least think you're seeing, the machine do it's thing. What you may not notice is that the cut isn't as precise or maybe you find yourself going over the same area more than once because you're just not happy with the way things are looking.
I have to say, I was getting a weird vibe from the guy behind the desk at the mower store. There was a bit of an edge to his customer service that almost bordered on hostility. Maybe it was one of those passive aggressive things that is, quite frankly, above my pay grade to chime in on. That said, I didn't feel as though he was unwilling to help me but I'm not entirely sure his heart was into it. I wasn't even sure that he wouldn't be treating the next guy in line any differently but in the moment it was all me and it felt personal. He told me that the blade I ordered would be in the following Tuesday so that was fine.
To make matters worse, or maybe to confirm my worst fears, I stopped back in on the day I was supposed to pick up the blade and wouldn't you know it, this very same asshat gave me some nonsense about there being a problem with the delivery. His attitude hadn't changed much so I figured the old cliche, what you see is what you get, is probably what I was experiencing. Maybe he didn't much care for his job. Maybe he didn't much care for me. Maybe he got a bad performance review and didn't much care for being told that his customer service skills sucked. I think I made a mistake when I paid for the blade in advance. That's on me.
I have a bolt for the mower on order which is coming today thanks to maybe FedEx or Prime. Maybe it's the reliability of company's like FedEx and Amazon that have conditioned me to think "overnight" when setting expectations in my own head for products and services to be delivered. In retrospect, I should have ordered both the blade and the bolt from the same place. I could have avoided all of this customer service nonsense.
There's no need to interact with people to get the things we need these days. You go online, click the right buttons, and it's usually on your doorstep the next day. I guess I was hoping to waltz in and pick up the things I needed. It didn't quite work out that way. In the meantime, my grass isn't getting any shorter. But with a new blade, I should be able to make quick work of whatever I find while mowing be it high grass, gnarly weeds, or small animals that are otherwise foraging in the dense cover and don't see me coming.
It was good to see Mrs G over the weekend. We dragged our feet for one reason or another but finally made it over there on Sunday afternoon. She has been hinting or maybe suggesting strongly as of late that we go through the facility's check-in process rather than enter her first floor unit directly from the outside. This is but maybe one of many precautions they're taking these days in the era of covid. I'm guessing she's concerned that one or more of her neighbors might drop a dime on her for letting in guests who haven't gone though the check-in process.
I don't think it's that big of a stretch to think that some busy body or other might be watching from a window or other spot maybe for the sole purpose of identifying scofflaws and maybe ingratiating themselves to the management. To what end, I ask. An extra serving of pudding? A front row seat at the weekly movie playing in the grand ballroom? When you check in at the front desk you get a sticker that you are supposed to wear and that tells anyone interested that you are good to go. Without that sticker, you are suspect. Patient Zero. Public enemy number one. Pick your poison.
As goes the missus, so go I. She wasn't wanting to push her luck with her mother, being maybe the more accomodating of her two other siblings, so we went through the front gateway and did what we had to to get our patches. There were people milling about near the front desk as we walked through and none of whom were wearing masks as required. That didn't sit well with the missus. The slightest infraction of the CDC guidelines brings out the mask nazi in the missus and I knew we were heading for a very dark place the longer we stayed in the foyer.
Mrs G had her usual list of things she wanted us to take care of so we spent more time fiddling and diddling with this and that, including a bit of gardening outside on her patio, that we never really got around to having much discussion with her. She was bright and alert as usual and she was getting about quite nicely despite having reported more recently of certain aches and pains. Nobody said getting old was easy. She had her knickers in a bit of a twist because her favorite blender was on the outs so I promised to look into it for her.
I wasn't so sure that the things she was asking of us were necessarily outside her area of expertise or capability. I suppose as you get older and maybe more frail you are less inclined to want to tackle certain things. There is probably a bit of that that ends up with her making lists and maybe not wanting to do certain things physically that were clearly in her wheelhouse not even ten years ago. You know what they say about the elderly and what it means when you break things or lose the ability to do things that you once did without a second thought. It's good night, Irene.
There is an ongoing bone-on-bone thing that Mrs G is going to have to come to grips with sooner or later. I suppose it's nothing more than the usual wear and tear but when it causes chronic pain there comes a time when you have to make a decision. There aren't a whole lot of in-between remedies available so it's either surgery or Tylenol. You'd think a shot of this or that or maybe elevating the joints would do the trick but when those options don't work you need to move on to plan B. Plan B wouldn't be so bad were it not for the extended period of rehabilitation involved. It's difficult keeping your chin up when your mobility is curtailed.
This is one of those mornings where I'm up too early and I think I'm fading fast. I couldn't wait to get out of bed so that I could add things to my to-do list before I forgot them. I calculated my sleep time and decided that 6 hours was sufficient and since I was going back to sleep that it was probably time to get out of bed and get my day underway. I know that six hours of sleep is just a little shy of what my body really needs so I'll need to make up for the sleep lost sometime in the next few hours. With everything real and perceived that I have to follow up and thorough on in the next few hours, that nap my body is longing for might just have to wait.
Did I mention that my Mbps download speeds are kicking butt and taking names? The cable guy paid a visit yesterday and did some serious re-wiring to correct some long overdue deficiencies in my internet performance. This was a problem that I thought I was going to have to live with given the age of our home and the cob jobbing of the wiring over time. The wiring is here, there, and fucking everywhere in this house. You need a road map to follow it all and even then you're not sure that what you have in place is going to get the job done.
The signal off the pole at the street level was a good one so the cable guy ran a few new cables to select spots in and around our home. It was a good two-hour job. He ended up going in and out of a few rooms I wish he hadn't but he said he's seen just about everything in his 32 years with the company so I said what the hey. I didn't want him thinking that we had a marijuana growing operation that we didn't want him to see so I moved a few piles of clothes here and there to make it look less cluttered and opened the doors to give him the access he needed. Needless to say, this did not endear me to the missus. Everyone has a room or two like this. Right?
Once he had the infrastructure squared away, he helped to get everything up and running. I had planned to simply ask him to activate the one room that had recently been deactivated and I would set up the equipment after the fact. That plan kinda went south in a hurry as he whipsawed his way in and out of our home just doing his thing. He was at least two steps ahead of me at any given moment. He kept showing me his mobile device depicting the ebbs and flows of this, that, and the other signal as he made one change after another.
I wasn't following any of it but I didn't tell him that. All I wanted to hear was that I was good to go. When he was finally finished a little after 2pm, he looked over my shoulder as I sat at the computer pulling up the page where I could test download speeds. He was feverishly working his mobile device hoping to beat me to the punch where he could announce his findings before I found the page I was looking for. Any detectable differences in performance, of course, might have more to do with my computer set-up involving modems, routers, and other devices too numerous to mention.
That is precisely where we ended up. He showed a terrific signal on his hand held device and my speeds, according to the website that measured such things, sucked wind. I was getting the usual 89 Mbps download speeds that I had before the cable guy even showed up. So, if I was paying for 400 Mbps and I was getting a mere 89 Mbps then the problem had to be on my end. I fiddled around with the connections changing this connection and that connection, which elicited a whine or two from the missus who was trying to nail down a sale or two at one of her online retailers, and it seemed I was getting nowhere fast.
I've never but once in my life had my computer out for service and I wasn't about to change that up now. I can do this, I said to myself time and time again. I had three days until the missus needed the computer for work so I had the time. Was it the VOIP device that I was forced to retrofit into my set-up that was causing the problem? Were my devices capable of handling the throughput that I was paying a king's ransom for month in and month out? It was not a hardware problem, I concluded. I can figure this out (the power of positive thinking!)
Besides, taking my computer out for service wasn't going to solve my wiring issue. The cable guy mention a service provided by Best Buy but that, to me, would have been to admit I wasn't capable of getting to the bottom of the problem that I was trying to solve. I wasn't going to have some twenty-something come into my house and fix my problem in the time it took him (or her) to unpack their tools and make the assessment. No fucking sireee, Bob, When all I was left with was trying to get back online, I looked at my router and uttered to myself, it's just you and me now, pal.
Sometimes, you just get lucky. You go down a path that just works. Of all the paths you could have gone down, you somehow picked the right path. You clicked the right button, checked off the right option, and it came together. I decided to let the router make the decisions instead of looking at MAC addresses, etc., and maybe ending up making a decision that would make matters worse.
Then, where would I go? What would I do? Who would I turn to? Did I even know that the router was capable of sorting these types of things out by itself? Seeing was believing and when the orange indicator lights on the router turned white all I could think of was, there is a god. Be they heaven sent or other, there they were in all their glory.
In the eyes of the missus, I am nothing short of a hero. That's wishful thinking on my part since the truth of the matter is she's used to me sorting these kinds of things out. It would have come as a surprise to her if I had admitted defeat and had to go out and find someone to lend me a hand in fixing the problem. I might have worried that she had somehow come to the conclusion that I was losing my fast ball and this was just one more example of how the passage of time lays bare the frailties we all face as we get older.
The time will come when that may be true but it's not today, it won't be tomorrow, and if the good lord's willing and the creek don't rise, it won't be anytime soon.
Plantation Blues
23/05/21 07:10
It's a new week. Looks like a dandy out there this morning. Lots of sun and reasonably warm weather hereabouts. I've got me a to-do list that should keep me busy and out of trouble. I was thinking about putting something down on the deck but I'm not sure I want to do that with all the bird paraphernalia I have hanging around. I guess that's the responsible thing to do. Maybe the least I can do since I'm in control.
Israel is in the news over the weekend for bombing a building in Gaza that has housed Associated Press (AP) personnel for the past 15 years. It just so happens that Palestinian leadership also occupied the building, hence the notice by Israel. Israel put the AP on notice that they were going to light up (bomb them back to the Stone Age) the building amidst growing tensions between Israeli and the Palestinians after the Palestinians fired some 1500 rockets into Israel injuring and killing some Israeli's. Here's what I say to the AP: You sleep with dogs, you get fleas.
I have no vested interest one way or another in the outcome of the conflict although you might find me pulling for the Israeli's given that they are clear underdogs at least in terms of the numbers where their population is concerned. That is to say that they're surrounded by people who want to kill them. They are an island of democracy in a sea of madness, really. It's probably important to add here that I believe that Israel has the right to exist. And for those who have genocide on the brain, they need to cease and desist.
Tensions in the Mideast were lessening during the years Trump was in office because his administration worked hard to form coalitions between Israel and her neighbors. That all went into the proverbial dumpster not even 100 days into the Biden Administration. I don't know how and when the left went so wrong with their hatred for Israel, and maybe the Jewish people more specifically, but they wear it on their sleeves these days and it's not now, and never will be, a good look.
You've got that clown car and rabid anti-semite of a Senator from Vermont, Bernie Sanders, calling for the defunding of Israel in the wake of all the turmoil. You also have those four Jew haters in Congress that the left affectionately refers to as "The Squad." Their virulent hatred for everything Jewish is on full display and they make no bones about it. When hasn't Bernie and the Squad, and other monsters of their ilk, wanted to see Israel and her people cast into the sea? How is it that Jews like Bernie Sanders hate the Jewish people and the State of Israel? Is this some sort of self loathing? It's sick, I tell you.
You really have to wonder who is providing the Palestinians with the rockets and associated armaments that they are using against Israel. If you're thinking the Iranians, then you're probably right. If you're thinking the Biden Administration, you're also right since they began funding the Palestinians straight away after Trump had put a stop to it. It's tantamount to throwing gasoline on a fire and the good people of Israel, whose lives are now at even greater risk than ever before, have the idiot in the White House to thank.
The missus ordered me a new bike helmet a few days back and it arrived yesterday. She's a beauty! It fits well and I'm happy to have it. My old helmet was about as beat up and worn out as a bike helmet can be after years of use. It stopped mattering to me a long time ago that the outer shell had cracked and had ultimately detached from the underlying styrofoam frame.
They were both black in color so nothing seemed particularly amiss and I felt no less safe truth be told. I let the missus convince me, yes I did, that the outer plastic shell was an important part of the protection scheme and I was better off with it than without it. It's never been about having a fashion accessory on my head. Not that I think anyone would even notice riding day in and day out as I do. Nonetheless, it's nice to have a new helmet with all the usual bells and whistles again. Here's a hat tip to the missus.
Have you been following the latest balderdash about UFO's in the news? What is that all about? The latest footage shows an object of questionable size and shape hovering above the surface of the ocean and then it dips into the ocean and disappears. In a separate account, some Navy sod comes on and says that there are numerous accounts of underwater incidents where these so called unidentified objects are clocked at speeds unimaginable knowing what we know today about the physics of underwater travel. Wut?
They also say that these UFO's have been seen around the globe and, more specifically, in and around military installations. It's almost like it's not enough just to have an occasional sighting. They need to embellish the story to do what? Make it more believable? So, the more unbelievable it becomes the more believable it is? Where are they going with all this bullshit? It's funny how they state unequivocally that they're sure that other countries do not have the technology to create whatever it is that we think we're seeing. We know this how?
Part of it probably has to do with the fact that countries that might have the technology probably got their technical training in our country at institutions like M.I.T., etc.. If we're talking about the Chinese, whatever they have they more than likely stole from the United States. I suppose it's possible that they built on existing technologies stolen or otherwise to create these UFO's but I'm guessing we'd probably know that by now.
Before I go too far afield on this subject, I should say that it's probably a bit short-sighted of anyone to rule out life on other planets. Our planet is just a pee hole in the snow when it comes to the grand scheme created out of whole cloth by the big guy. In other words, what passes for intelligent life here on planet Earth may be, relatively speaking, child's play when you consider the exponential possibilities across the span of an infinite number of universes.
Is it too much to ask of our military to make sure that they provide better examples of what it is that they say they see in the skies? The recent film provided by the Navy looks like it was taken by the guy who shot the Zapruder film of the Kennedy assassination back in 1963. It was dark, grainy, and just ridiculous if you want the truth.
Had I been the captain on that ship and had a midshipman brought that film to me I would have told him in no uncertain terms that if he wanted to stay aboard my ship he best start by using better equipment and using it right. My god, man. This is 2021 for chrissakes. Where is my 8k footage? I ought to be able to read the serial numbers on these things using a 1000x magnification. If it says, "Made in China", then so be it.
Maybe we have to consider for a moment that these UFO's want to be seen and that's the only reason we have our sightings. If they're so sophisticated, they should be able to fly around undetected. Right? And if they're so damn futuristic and all-knowing, where is the little green man stepping out and making the following proclamation, "Take me to your leader." God help us if we hear that with Sleepy Joe in office. It would be an unmitigated disaster.
These last couple of nights I've made BLT's for dinner on focaccia bread that I bought at Trader Joe's earlier in the week. It's not the traditional bread one uses for BLT's but it was darn good nonetheless. It was a 12-inch loaf that I sliced down the middle and then placed under the broiler until the bread was warm and the top was a toasty brown. I debated buttering the bread before putting it under the broiler and ended up spreading it sparingly so as not to make things too soggy.
I bought some vegetarian turkey for the BLT's which we've had many times before and which I usually buy at Trader Joe's. It has a particular, but not unpleasant, taste to it. I even removed the veins in the leaves of the organic romaine that I used so as not to make the sandwich too crunchy. Doing that also kept the tomato slices from slipping and sliding once I slathered the lot of it with a "healthy" serving of mayonnaise.
Had I remembered to buy a can or two of tuna while shopping at Trader Joe's I would have also slapped together a nice rotini and tuna salad to go along with the BLT's. As it was, the sandwiches were more than enough to eat so the rotini salad would have been one dish too many. Maybe a few chips of some kind would have been nice but we're not big chip eaters although the missus likes to have a bag of Dorito's on hand from time to time.
I really need to work a little harder to make myself a list before I go shopping. There's nothing worse when you go food shopping than to return home only to discover that you've forgotten one or more items you had in mind to buy. If the store were only next door it wouldn't be an issue. And I'm a list kind of guy so there's really no excuse for not having one.
I've put one on my phone in the past and that has worked just fine. I'm not sure I have a preference. The missus tells me that I should have a standing list for certain stores I frequent and I'm inclined to agree with her. Then, I suppose, I could add or subtract from the standard list as needed. If I make a list on paper, I just need to be careful to empty my pockets of everything various and sundry before heading out to the store so that I'm not rifling through my pockets looking for the right piece of paper.
The Ev man just gave a call. He's wanting his mom to make him an appointment at the gym for this morning. He said something about not being able to access the site. He also said that he has something of a busy schedule today starting with the gym and ending with an afternoon visit with his doctor about something having to do with his sinuses. I'm not sure he knows what to do with himself half the time so I'm glad he's at least thinking about scheduling this, that, or the other thing, to fill his day.
He was over the other day and we went over how to check and refill his oil again. I need to buy a few quart sized bottles of oil for him to use rather than the five-gallon jugs that I buy just to save a few bucks. Putting oil in your car can be a messy business if you're not careful. The last thing you want is to go driving down the street leaving a massive cloud of burning oil in your wake. That's a bit of an exaggeration but not by much.
He seems to be staying on top of his gas fill-up's so that's good. We set up an account for him so he's now on his own when it comes to keeping his car topped off. You worry about your children letting the gas get too low in their car and finding themselves in some god forsaken place after dark the likes of which might scare the hell out of any mom or dad. If anything, I think he's over zealous about keeping his tank topped off so that's one less thing we get to worry about. Now, if I can just get him to throw away the trash in his car.
It's been a brutal week for the coins. I'm talking bitcoin, dogecoin, and all the rest. These crypto currencies have fallen by as much as 40-50% in the last week. They say crypto's are the currency of the future so there's that. Did you know that there are currently some 2000 plus crypto's out there? What are they based on? Is there an underlying value that you can even point to? I guess it's whatever they say it is or, maybe more to the point, it is whatever someone is willing to pay for it.
The financial guy I listen to on the radio says that they will all fall 90% or more when the next crash comes along. He says that you don't want to be the last one in before the crash. In other words, don't be buying at the highs. He also says that he wishes that he had maybe considered bitcoin early on since it's gone to the moon and who doesn't want to go to the moon. It was trading at $64k just a few weeks ago and dropped to maybe $32k earlier this week. Companies adding these currencies to their balance sheets as a hedge against inflation just got a bitch slap when the bottom dropped out so, if they needed a wake-up call, they just got one.
I am getting so tired of this so-called insurrection bullshit. You know, the day (January 6th, 2021) that will now go down in infamy as the day our government was almost taken down by a cadre of banner yielding, Trump supporting, insurrectionists. It was the modern day version of storming the Bastille, it was. Nonsense. Were they armed with weapons? No. Was security in the Capitol as tight as it could have been when the "insurrectionists" showed up? Probably not. The only person killed was a Trump supporter who was making her way into the chambers, or maybe a back room area somewhere, and she was summarily shot in the neck by someone the Capitol police have yet to identify.
Even worse is the fact that the government has identified and jailed a good number of these people who now sit in solitary confinement without having been charged with any crimes. What the fuck is this? Venezuela? Contrast that with the likes of Antifa and BLM who ravaged, looted, and set our cities on fire in 2020 and spent not a minute behind bars for their crimes. They were released as quickly as they were picked up only to go back to doing what they were doing time and time again. Just ask our current Vice President, Harris. She, along with her progressive brethren in the leftist community, bailed these bastards out of jail before they were even booked. Let that sink in.
What I'm getting tired of is the narrative being pushed by the leftist media that these so-called insurrectionists are anti-American and that every last damn one of them, including Trump himself, can never again assume power. It is a risk we cannot afford to take as a nation of laws. Our very democracy is at risk if the tyranny of the right is allowed to occupy the halls of power in our nation's capitol. You know what they say. They say that the left accuses the right of everything that they are guilty of doing themselves. It's so true.
The constant demonization of Trump supporters is the hill the democrats have chosen to die on. Maybe that shouldn't surprise anyone. Their handmaidens in the leftist media spew the propaganda and twist and turn events day in and day out to shape news to reinforce their message that democrats are good and republicans are evil. This is where we are in the year 2021.
Even more blatant is the power grab democrats are now making by sending monthly checks from the government to every family in the country based on the number of children they have in their household. Their gambit is that no one will vote against "free money" when Election Day rolls around. They may be right.
It may be the one arrow the democrats have left in their quiver to continue the stranglehold they have had on certain communities of color since the beginning of time. Communities of color that were drifting to the right when Trump's policies bore both fruit and promise during his four years as president. Can't have that. No sireee, Bob. Get back on the damn plantation!
Israel is in the news over the weekend for bombing a building in Gaza that has housed Associated Press (AP) personnel for the past 15 years. It just so happens that Palestinian leadership also occupied the building, hence the notice by Israel. Israel put the AP on notice that they were going to light up (bomb them back to the Stone Age) the building amidst growing tensions between Israeli and the Palestinians after the Palestinians fired some 1500 rockets into Israel injuring and killing some Israeli's. Here's what I say to the AP: You sleep with dogs, you get fleas.
I have no vested interest one way or another in the outcome of the conflict although you might find me pulling for the Israeli's given that they are clear underdogs at least in terms of the numbers where their population is concerned. That is to say that they're surrounded by people who want to kill them. They are an island of democracy in a sea of madness, really. It's probably important to add here that I believe that Israel has the right to exist. And for those who have genocide on the brain, they need to cease and desist.
Tensions in the Mideast were lessening during the years Trump was in office because his administration worked hard to form coalitions between Israel and her neighbors. That all went into the proverbial dumpster not even 100 days into the Biden Administration. I don't know how and when the left went so wrong with their hatred for Israel, and maybe the Jewish people more specifically, but they wear it on their sleeves these days and it's not now, and never will be, a good look.
You've got that clown car and rabid anti-semite of a Senator from Vermont, Bernie Sanders, calling for the defunding of Israel in the wake of all the turmoil. You also have those four Jew haters in Congress that the left affectionately refers to as "The Squad." Their virulent hatred for everything Jewish is on full display and they make no bones about it. When hasn't Bernie and the Squad, and other monsters of their ilk, wanted to see Israel and her people cast into the sea? How is it that Jews like Bernie Sanders hate the Jewish people and the State of Israel? Is this some sort of self loathing? It's sick, I tell you.
You really have to wonder who is providing the Palestinians with the rockets and associated armaments that they are using against Israel. If you're thinking the Iranians, then you're probably right. If you're thinking the Biden Administration, you're also right since they began funding the Palestinians straight away after Trump had put a stop to it. It's tantamount to throwing gasoline on a fire and the good people of Israel, whose lives are now at even greater risk than ever before, have the idiot in the White House to thank.
The missus ordered me a new bike helmet a few days back and it arrived yesterday. She's a beauty! It fits well and I'm happy to have it. My old helmet was about as beat up and worn out as a bike helmet can be after years of use. It stopped mattering to me a long time ago that the outer shell had cracked and had ultimately detached from the underlying styrofoam frame.
They were both black in color so nothing seemed particularly amiss and I felt no less safe truth be told. I let the missus convince me, yes I did, that the outer plastic shell was an important part of the protection scheme and I was better off with it than without it. It's never been about having a fashion accessory on my head. Not that I think anyone would even notice riding day in and day out as I do. Nonetheless, it's nice to have a new helmet with all the usual bells and whistles again. Here's a hat tip to the missus.
Have you been following the latest balderdash about UFO's in the news? What is that all about? The latest footage shows an object of questionable size and shape hovering above the surface of the ocean and then it dips into the ocean and disappears. In a separate account, some Navy sod comes on and says that there are numerous accounts of underwater incidents where these so called unidentified objects are clocked at speeds unimaginable knowing what we know today about the physics of underwater travel. Wut?
They also say that these UFO's have been seen around the globe and, more specifically, in and around military installations. It's almost like it's not enough just to have an occasional sighting. They need to embellish the story to do what? Make it more believable? So, the more unbelievable it becomes the more believable it is? Where are they going with all this bullshit? It's funny how they state unequivocally that they're sure that other countries do not have the technology to create whatever it is that we think we're seeing. We know this how?
Part of it probably has to do with the fact that countries that might have the technology probably got their technical training in our country at institutions like M.I.T., etc.. If we're talking about the Chinese, whatever they have they more than likely stole from the United States. I suppose it's possible that they built on existing technologies stolen or otherwise to create these UFO's but I'm guessing we'd probably know that by now.
Before I go too far afield on this subject, I should say that it's probably a bit short-sighted of anyone to rule out life on other planets. Our planet is just a pee hole in the snow when it comes to the grand scheme created out of whole cloth by the big guy. In other words, what passes for intelligent life here on planet Earth may be, relatively speaking, child's play when you consider the exponential possibilities across the span of an infinite number of universes.
Is it too much to ask of our military to make sure that they provide better examples of what it is that they say they see in the skies? The recent film provided by the Navy looks like it was taken by the guy who shot the Zapruder film of the Kennedy assassination back in 1963. It was dark, grainy, and just ridiculous if you want the truth.
Had I been the captain on that ship and had a midshipman brought that film to me I would have told him in no uncertain terms that if he wanted to stay aboard my ship he best start by using better equipment and using it right. My god, man. This is 2021 for chrissakes. Where is my 8k footage? I ought to be able to read the serial numbers on these things using a 1000x magnification. If it says, "Made in China", then so be it.
Maybe we have to consider for a moment that these UFO's want to be seen and that's the only reason we have our sightings. If they're so sophisticated, they should be able to fly around undetected. Right? And if they're so damn futuristic and all-knowing, where is the little green man stepping out and making the following proclamation, "Take me to your leader." God help us if we hear that with Sleepy Joe in office. It would be an unmitigated disaster.
These last couple of nights I've made BLT's for dinner on focaccia bread that I bought at Trader Joe's earlier in the week. It's not the traditional bread one uses for BLT's but it was darn good nonetheless. It was a 12-inch loaf that I sliced down the middle and then placed under the broiler until the bread was warm and the top was a toasty brown. I debated buttering the bread before putting it under the broiler and ended up spreading it sparingly so as not to make things too soggy.
I bought some vegetarian turkey for the BLT's which we've had many times before and which I usually buy at Trader Joe's. It has a particular, but not unpleasant, taste to it. I even removed the veins in the leaves of the organic romaine that I used so as not to make the sandwich too crunchy. Doing that also kept the tomato slices from slipping and sliding once I slathered the lot of it with a "healthy" serving of mayonnaise.
Had I remembered to buy a can or two of tuna while shopping at Trader Joe's I would have also slapped together a nice rotini and tuna salad to go along with the BLT's. As it was, the sandwiches were more than enough to eat so the rotini salad would have been one dish too many. Maybe a few chips of some kind would have been nice but we're not big chip eaters although the missus likes to have a bag of Dorito's on hand from time to time.
I really need to work a little harder to make myself a list before I go shopping. There's nothing worse when you go food shopping than to return home only to discover that you've forgotten one or more items you had in mind to buy. If the store were only next door it wouldn't be an issue. And I'm a list kind of guy so there's really no excuse for not having one.
I've put one on my phone in the past and that has worked just fine. I'm not sure I have a preference. The missus tells me that I should have a standing list for certain stores I frequent and I'm inclined to agree with her. Then, I suppose, I could add or subtract from the standard list as needed. If I make a list on paper, I just need to be careful to empty my pockets of everything various and sundry before heading out to the store so that I'm not rifling through my pockets looking for the right piece of paper.
The Ev man just gave a call. He's wanting his mom to make him an appointment at the gym for this morning. He said something about not being able to access the site. He also said that he has something of a busy schedule today starting with the gym and ending with an afternoon visit with his doctor about something having to do with his sinuses. I'm not sure he knows what to do with himself half the time so I'm glad he's at least thinking about scheduling this, that, or the other thing, to fill his day.
He was over the other day and we went over how to check and refill his oil again. I need to buy a few quart sized bottles of oil for him to use rather than the five-gallon jugs that I buy just to save a few bucks. Putting oil in your car can be a messy business if you're not careful. The last thing you want is to go driving down the street leaving a massive cloud of burning oil in your wake. That's a bit of an exaggeration but not by much.
He seems to be staying on top of his gas fill-up's so that's good. We set up an account for him so he's now on his own when it comes to keeping his car topped off. You worry about your children letting the gas get too low in their car and finding themselves in some god forsaken place after dark the likes of which might scare the hell out of any mom or dad. If anything, I think he's over zealous about keeping his tank topped off so that's one less thing we get to worry about. Now, if I can just get him to throw away the trash in his car.
It's been a brutal week for the coins. I'm talking bitcoin, dogecoin, and all the rest. These crypto currencies have fallen by as much as 40-50% in the last week. They say crypto's are the currency of the future so there's that. Did you know that there are currently some 2000 plus crypto's out there? What are they based on? Is there an underlying value that you can even point to? I guess it's whatever they say it is or, maybe more to the point, it is whatever someone is willing to pay for it.
The financial guy I listen to on the radio says that they will all fall 90% or more when the next crash comes along. He says that you don't want to be the last one in before the crash. In other words, don't be buying at the highs. He also says that he wishes that he had maybe considered bitcoin early on since it's gone to the moon and who doesn't want to go to the moon. It was trading at $64k just a few weeks ago and dropped to maybe $32k earlier this week. Companies adding these currencies to their balance sheets as a hedge against inflation just got a bitch slap when the bottom dropped out so, if they needed a wake-up call, they just got one.
I am getting so tired of this so-called insurrection bullshit. You know, the day (January 6th, 2021) that will now go down in infamy as the day our government was almost taken down by a cadre of banner yielding, Trump supporting, insurrectionists. It was the modern day version of storming the Bastille, it was. Nonsense. Were they armed with weapons? No. Was security in the Capitol as tight as it could have been when the "insurrectionists" showed up? Probably not. The only person killed was a Trump supporter who was making her way into the chambers, or maybe a back room area somewhere, and she was summarily shot in the neck by someone the Capitol police have yet to identify.
Even worse is the fact that the government has identified and jailed a good number of these people who now sit in solitary confinement without having been charged with any crimes. What the fuck is this? Venezuela? Contrast that with the likes of Antifa and BLM who ravaged, looted, and set our cities on fire in 2020 and spent not a minute behind bars for their crimes. They were released as quickly as they were picked up only to go back to doing what they were doing time and time again. Just ask our current Vice President, Harris. She, along with her progressive brethren in the leftist community, bailed these bastards out of jail before they were even booked. Let that sink in.
What I'm getting tired of is the narrative being pushed by the leftist media that these so-called insurrectionists are anti-American and that every last damn one of them, including Trump himself, can never again assume power. It is a risk we cannot afford to take as a nation of laws. Our very democracy is at risk if the tyranny of the right is allowed to occupy the halls of power in our nation's capitol. You know what they say. They say that the left accuses the right of everything that they are guilty of doing themselves. It's so true.
The constant demonization of Trump supporters is the hill the democrats have chosen to die on. Maybe that shouldn't surprise anyone. Their handmaidens in the leftist media spew the propaganda and twist and turn events day in and day out to shape news to reinforce their message that democrats are good and republicans are evil. This is where we are in the year 2021.
Even more blatant is the power grab democrats are now making by sending monthly checks from the government to every family in the country based on the number of children they have in their household. Their gambit is that no one will vote against "free money" when Election Day rolls around. They may be right.
It may be the one arrow the democrats have left in their quiver to continue the stranglehold they have had on certain communities of color since the beginning of time. Communities of color that were drifting to the right when Trump's policies bore both fruit and promise during his four years as president. Can't have that. No sireee, Bob. Get back on the damn plantation!
Follow The Science
16/05/21 07:23
I'm falling seriously behind on my blogging this week. One thing or another has come up and I haven't had a chance to get anything down on "paper." A lot of shit has been hitting the fan here, there, and everywhere so it's not like there isn't anything to weigh in on. That's kinda what I do.
The stock market has not had a good week thus far so there's that. It might be down some 4 percent or so. Geez, didn't see that coming. I thought it was frothy and overbought at the end of December. The risk reward ratio was screaming get the hell out while you still can even back then. I'm not even sure there was a catalyst of sorts responsible for the plunge in values we're seeing across the board these last few days. How long it lasts and how far it goes nobody knows. Just remember, the trend is your friend until it's not.
The overall trajectory of the market is up according to some so, dips here and there from time to time aside, it's game-on for investors. Nothing goes straight up and nothing goes straight down when it comes to financial markets and everything sooner or later reverts to the mean. I think we're doing a bit of reverting at the moment and that's probably a healthy thing. Now that I think of it, the government released some fairly ominous reports relating to inflation so that might have kicked things to the curb a bit. And then there was this pipeline thing.
It's not helping that employers can't find workers in this environment because of Biden's policies which pay prospective employees more to stay at home than to go out and find a job. A handful of states are not implementing Biden's plans so people in those states will need to get off their lazy asses and go out and find a job. That's going to be hard pill to swallow for some people. You have to keep in mind that these are some businesses that either can't open or are open part time due to not being able to find help.
With the stock market business, the rockets going back and forth between Israel and Hamas, not to mention the pipeline issue where hackers shut down a five thousand mile pipeline until they paid a 5 million dollar ransom in bitcoin, it's been a tough week for the Biden Administration. They have been inept at dealing with any of it every step of the way. When asked if he was being kept in the loop on the negotiations between the hackers and the pipeline owners, all Biden had to say was, "no comment." You know that mother fucker kowtowed to the hackers and agreed to the payment. You know that just incentivizes them to continue their hacking ways. Right?
His mealy mouthed response to the Israeli crisis was about as half hearted as you can imagine. No, we stand behind our ally in the Middle East one-hundred percent and then some. That's what he should have said. Israel can take care of themselves so don't need our help but a more forceful response by the president of the United States might have been helpful. It certainly didn't help that the Biden Administration paid the Palestinians some $250 million recently that Trump had discontinued due to their indiscriminate warmongering especially where the Israeli's are concerned. You can buy a lot of rockets with $250 million.
The only takeaway I have from this past week is that Biden and his leftist clowns working out of the Oval Office are simply not ready for prime time. We are the laughing stock on the world stage with Biden at the helm and that invites the sort of mayhem we're now seeing day in and day out. So what does Biden do? He comes out and says that there is new guidance from the CDC that says if you're vaccinated you no longer need to wear masks indoors or out of doors. Social distancing? That's no longer necessary either. Whaaaaat?
There was no mention of the 500k americans who have died of the virus. Not a fucking word. Wait a minute! What about the science? Where is the data to support this decision? You know damn well that it's all a bloody distraction to divert our attention from the madness that is Biden's America. It's more smoke and mirrors from the worst Administration in your country's history and they are just getting started. We're barely one hundred days into the Biden presidency for chrissakes. Where it all ends nobody knows. God help us.
Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, the missus and I went shopping at Home Depot. It's my first outing in a year where I kept my mask in my pocket when going into a local store. The missus? Not so much. They still had their "mandatory masks" signs up and I walked past the placards not knowing what or whom I might encounter once inside the store requesting that I put my mask on. It was pretty quiet for a Thursday night and I saw maybe two or three people not wearing masks so I figured I was not at threat of being asked to put on my mask or leave. So far, so good.
I was fully prepared to leave if asked to do so. I don't know that parroting the words of the president about the new rules would have made a difference but I probably wasn't going to leave the store and my purchases behind without saying something. I also figured that the more items I had in my basket the less the chance that they would insist that I leave the store. If the missus was embarrassed about being with someone not wearing a mask, it wasn't at all apparent. I didn't ask her and she didn't say. She knew what I was doing and she neither applauded or criticized me and I guess that's what significant others do.
And now, Walmart, Costco, and CVS are also following suit with the CDC's latest guidance. We're supposed to believe the science so I'm heartened to see that states and retailers are falling in line. Well, not all states are falling in line. States like New York are keeping the boot on the necks of their citizenry by not following the CDC's latest guidance. Who the fuck gave them the right to pick and choose which rules they follow and which ones they don't? This is what tyrannical governments do. Is it any surprise that these are run by democrats?
I've started a list of major retailers (Walmart, Costco, CVS) in my area that have done away with the mask mandates and I'll be shopping in those stores and those stores only. The missus and I drove to the store that we've shopped at since this all began and we sat in our car outside the front entrance counting the number of people either entering or exiting without masks. They still have the mask mandate in effect but we were curious as to whether or not they were enforcing it one way or another. This isn't too weird. Right?
The management of this particular store have never struck me as hardliners so I was surprised that nearly everyone entering and exiting wore a mask. The one person that did go into the store without a mask came out at one point, retrieved a mask from their vehicle, and reentered the store. I went online to this particular store's website today and voiced my displeasure stating matter of factly that I'd now be shopping at their competitors whose policies regarding masks were more in line with the CDC's latest recommendation. If they get enough of these letters, maybe it will make a difference. Maybe it won't.
Next stop, Trader Joe's. The signs about masks were gone from the front of the store so that was a good omen. I told the missus that I couldn't be sure about anything since everyone coming and going from the store, that we could see anyway sitting in our car as we were one or two rows away from the entrance, wore masks. The only way for me to know for sure, as I was telling the missus, was for me to go into the store to see for myself. My plan was to go in without a mask just to get a measure of what was really happening.
Would I summarily be tossed to the curb for my mere insolence by not wearing a mask? I couldn't be sure, after all, what local ordinances were in play. So, in I went. The place was busy as you might expect on a weekend day. I'm guessing there might have been a hundred or so people in the store including the employees. Here's the kicker; Everyone was wearing a mask. I wasn't and I wasn't accosted or confronted one way or another by anyone as I waltzed maskless from aisle to aisle. Not so much as a sideward glance, really.
I approached an employee and asked directly about their mask policy. All was good, I was told. It was okay not to wear a mask. She didn't ask for my vaccination card, whether I was even vaccinated, nothing. I don't think she cared. The mask around her mouth inflated and deflated as she spoke and it reminded me how good it felt to be rid of the damn thing. It felt like a live and let live policy and I liked it. Or maybe, as we're living here in New Hampshire, live "Free Or Die." That's our state motto for those who don't know.
So I'm left pondering the question, what the fuck were all of those people in the store doing wearing masks? The word "sheep" comes to mind but I don't wish to be unkind so I'll not go there. I think there's a deeper psychosis at play here that, quite frankly, is above my pay grade if you're asking for my opinion. It's like they're still wearing the damn things because they've been indoctrinated somehow to feel uncomfortable or maybe inconsiderate to their fellow man by not wearing the masks. I get it. We had a pandemic and wearing masks seemed and maybe even felt like the right thing to do. But, the pandemic is over now. Well, on the wane anyway.
Yet, these shoppers in Trader Joe's went from aisle to aisle with their stupid masks up around their noses like the CDC and Sleepy Joe Biden never uttered a word. Maybe the store needs to post a new sign. Something to the effect that it's okay to not wear masks. I was happy to be amongst the first to not wear a mask despite the fact that I was in the distinct minority. I wasn't even in the store to make a purchase so I'm not sure what I might have had to endure had I stood in line for any period of time.
It's good to know anyway that I didn't have to wear a mask so they will be getting my business from here on in until the other stores I normally frequent get around to implementing the new policy. On the other hand, what if these other stores have made the calculation that there are more customers who prefer to both wear masks and be surrounded by other shoppers wearing masks than the other way around? Would they, god forbid, implement a year-round mask wearing policy for their shoppers? I'm about to lose my mind!
I feel like I'm kicking a dead horse here but I'm just trying to wrap my head around all of this nonsense. I was actually pretty excited to hear about the new maskless policy at Walmart since I have select items that I usually pick up in their store. No sooner did I get inside the entrance to the store yesterday when I was informed by one of their employees that their mask policy was in play and if I wanted to shop there I had to put my mask on.
As a rule, I don't bother arguing with employees at stores like Walmart. I could have asked for a manager but that probably would have been fruitless in terms of trying to get into their store without wearing my mask. I told the missus, who stood directly behind me and was by now tugging gently on my sleeve, to go about her business and I would meet up with her at the car when she was done. Back in the car, I pulled up Walmart's policy on my mobile phone and there it was in black and white: "Masks are no longer required at our stores".
I need to get off my high horse here and get this blog out the door. I didn't intend to spend so much time on the mask business but that is where we are in Joe Biden's America. Did I mention that he signed an executive order to reverse Trump's policy that made it illegal to deface federal statues? It's just what the likes of Antifa and the BLM crazies have been waiting for. A green light of sorts to continue to tear away at the fabric of our society without any fear of consequence. You cannot make this stuff up. Not in a million years.
The stock market has not had a good week thus far so there's that. It might be down some 4 percent or so. Geez, didn't see that coming. I thought it was frothy and overbought at the end of December. The risk reward ratio was screaming get the hell out while you still can even back then. I'm not even sure there was a catalyst of sorts responsible for the plunge in values we're seeing across the board these last few days. How long it lasts and how far it goes nobody knows. Just remember, the trend is your friend until it's not.
The overall trajectory of the market is up according to some so, dips here and there from time to time aside, it's game-on for investors. Nothing goes straight up and nothing goes straight down when it comes to financial markets and everything sooner or later reverts to the mean. I think we're doing a bit of reverting at the moment and that's probably a healthy thing. Now that I think of it, the government released some fairly ominous reports relating to inflation so that might have kicked things to the curb a bit. And then there was this pipeline thing.
It's not helping that employers can't find workers in this environment because of Biden's policies which pay prospective employees more to stay at home than to go out and find a job. A handful of states are not implementing Biden's plans so people in those states will need to get off their lazy asses and go out and find a job. That's going to be hard pill to swallow for some people. You have to keep in mind that these are some businesses that either can't open or are open part time due to not being able to find help.
With the stock market business, the rockets going back and forth between Israel and Hamas, not to mention the pipeline issue where hackers shut down a five thousand mile pipeline until they paid a 5 million dollar ransom in bitcoin, it's been a tough week for the Biden Administration. They have been inept at dealing with any of it every step of the way. When asked if he was being kept in the loop on the negotiations between the hackers and the pipeline owners, all Biden had to say was, "no comment." You know that mother fucker kowtowed to the hackers and agreed to the payment. You know that just incentivizes them to continue their hacking ways. Right?
His mealy mouthed response to the Israeli crisis was about as half hearted as you can imagine. No, we stand behind our ally in the Middle East one-hundred percent and then some. That's what he should have said. Israel can take care of themselves so don't need our help but a more forceful response by the president of the United States might have been helpful. It certainly didn't help that the Biden Administration paid the Palestinians some $250 million recently that Trump had discontinued due to their indiscriminate warmongering especially where the Israeli's are concerned. You can buy a lot of rockets with $250 million.
The only takeaway I have from this past week is that Biden and his leftist clowns working out of the Oval Office are simply not ready for prime time. We are the laughing stock on the world stage with Biden at the helm and that invites the sort of mayhem we're now seeing day in and day out. So what does Biden do? He comes out and says that there is new guidance from the CDC that says if you're vaccinated you no longer need to wear masks indoors or out of doors. Social distancing? That's no longer necessary either. Whaaaaat?
There was no mention of the 500k americans who have died of the virus. Not a fucking word. Wait a minute! What about the science? Where is the data to support this decision? You know damn well that it's all a bloody distraction to divert our attention from the madness that is Biden's America. It's more smoke and mirrors from the worst Administration in your country's history and they are just getting started. We're barely one hundred days into the Biden presidency for chrissakes. Where it all ends nobody knows. God help us.
Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, the missus and I went shopping at Home Depot. It's my first outing in a year where I kept my mask in my pocket when going into a local store. The missus? Not so much. They still had their "mandatory masks" signs up and I walked past the placards not knowing what or whom I might encounter once inside the store requesting that I put my mask on. It was pretty quiet for a Thursday night and I saw maybe two or three people not wearing masks so I figured I was not at threat of being asked to put on my mask or leave. So far, so good.
I was fully prepared to leave if asked to do so. I don't know that parroting the words of the president about the new rules would have made a difference but I probably wasn't going to leave the store and my purchases behind without saying something. I also figured that the more items I had in my basket the less the chance that they would insist that I leave the store. If the missus was embarrassed about being with someone not wearing a mask, it wasn't at all apparent. I didn't ask her and she didn't say. She knew what I was doing and she neither applauded or criticized me and I guess that's what significant others do.
And now, Walmart, Costco, and CVS are also following suit with the CDC's latest guidance. We're supposed to believe the science so I'm heartened to see that states and retailers are falling in line. Well, not all states are falling in line. States like New York are keeping the boot on the necks of their citizenry by not following the CDC's latest guidance. Who the fuck gave them the right to pick and choose which rules they follow and which ones they don't? This is what tyrannical governments do. Is it any surprise that these are run by democrats?
I've started a list of major retailers (Walmart, Costco, CVS) in my area that have done away with the mask mandates and I'll be shopping in those stores and those stores only. The missus and I drove to the store that we've shopped at since this all began and we sat in our car outside the front entrance counting the number of people either entering or exiting without masks. They still have the mask mandate in effect but we were curious as to whether or not they were enforcing it one way or another. This isn't too weird. Right?
The management of this particular store have never struck me as hardliners so I was surprised that nearly everyone entering and exiting wore a mask. The one person that did go into the store without a mask came out at one point, retrieved a mask from their vehicle, and reentered the store. I went online to this particular store's website today and voiced my displeasure stating matter of factly that I'd now be shopping at their competitors whose policies regarding masks were more in line with the CDC's latest recommendation. If they get enough of these letters, maybe it will make a difference. Maybe it won't.
Next stop, Trader Joe's. The signs about masks were gone from the front of the store so that was a good omen. I told the missus that I couldn't be sure about anything since everyone coming and going from the store, that we could see anyway sitting in our car as we were one or two rows away from the entrance, wore masks. The only way for me to know for sure, as I was telling the missus, was for me to go into the store to see for myself. My plan was to go in without a mask just to get a measure of what was really happening.
Would I summarily be tossed to the curb for my mere insolence by not wearing a mask? I couldn't be sure, after all, what local ordinances were in play. So, in I went. The place was busy as you might expect on a weekend day. I'm guessing there might have been a hundred or so people in the store including the employees. Here's the kicker; Everyone was wearing a mask. I wasn't and I wasn't accosted or confronted one way or another by anyone as I waltzed maskless from aisle to aisle. Not so much as a sideward glance, really.
I approached an employee and asked directly about their mask policy. All was good, I was told. It was okay not to wear a mask. She didn't ask for my vaccination card, whether I was even vaccinated, nothing. I don't think she cared. The mask around her mouth inflated and deflated as she spoke and it reminded me how good it felt to be rid of the damn thing. It felt like a live and let live policy and I liked it. Or maybe, as we're living here in New Hampshire, live "Free Or Die." That's our state motto for those who don't know.
So I'm left pondering the question, what the fuck were all of those people in the store doing wearing masks? The word "sheep" comes to mind but I don't wish to be unkind so I'll not go there. I think there's a deeper psychosis at play here that, quite frankly, is above my pay grade if you're asking for my opinion. It's like they're still wearing the damn things because they've been indoctrinated somehow to feel uncomfortable or maybe inconsiderate to their fellow man by not wearing the masks. I get it. We had a pandemic and wearing masks seemed and maybe even felt like the right thing to do. But, the pandemic is over now. Well, on the wane anyway.
Yet, these shoppers in Trader Joe's went from aisle to aisle with their stupid masks up around their noses like the CDC and Sleepy Joe Biden never uttered a word. Maybe the store needs to post a new sign. Something to the effect that it's okay to not wear masks. I was happy to be amongst the first to not wear a mask despite the fact that I was in the distinct minority. I wasn't even in the store to make a purchase so I'm not sure what I might have had to endure had I stood in line for any period of time.
It's good to know anyway that I didn't have to wear a mask so they will be getting my business from here on in until the other stores I normally frequent get around to implementing the new policy. On the other hand, what if these other stores have made the calculation that there are more customers who prefer to both wear masks and be surrounded by other shoppers wearing masks than the other way around? Would they, god forbid, implement a year-round mask wearing policy for their shoppers? I'm about to lose my mind!
I feel like I'm kicking a dead horse here but I'm just trying to wrap my head around all of this nonsense. I was actually pretty excited to hear about the new maskless policy at Walmart since I have select items that I usually pick up in their store. No sooner did I get inside the entrance to the store yesterday when I was informed by one of their employees that their mask policy was in play and if I wanted to shop there I had to put my mask on.
As a rule, I don't bother arguing with employees at stores like Walmart. I could have asked for a manager but that probably would have been fruitless in terms of trying to get into their store without wearing my mask. I told the missus, who stood directly behind me and was by now tugging gently on my sleeve, to go about her business and I would meet up with her at the car when she was done. Back in the car, I pulled up Walmart's policy on my mobile phone and there it was in black and white: "Masks are no longer required at our stores".
I need to get off my high horse here and get this blog out the door. I didn't intend to spend so much time on the mask business but that is where we are in Joe Biden's America. Did I mention that he signed an executive order to reverse Trump's policy that made it illegal to deface federal statues? It's just what the likes of Antifa and the BLM crazies have been waiting for. A green light of sorts to continue to tear away at the fabric of our society without any fear of consequence. You cannot make this stuff up. Not in a million years.
No Harm, No Foul
09/05/21 07:21
This damn cold won't seem to go away. A fitting epitaph perhaps but I won't let it get the best of me. I won't, I won't. It's been a week today and the hacking has been endless. Night and day. Day and night. I've tried my best to quell the beast with NyQuil, endless afternoon naps and hour after hour resting on the couch, other medicines too numerous to mention, and even that time old elixir that is allegedly even better than mother's milk when it comes to putting colds out of their misery, chicken soup. To say this cold is persistent is an understatement. It makes me wonder if there isn't an underlying condition that is otherwise masked by this cold. Were it not for other people I've heard hacking in a similar fashion I might allow myself to go down that road. It is funny, not in the comical sense mind you, when you hear someone with an identical cold. It may even be comforting in a sense when you see them battling the beast much in the same way you do. The coughing that you try to avoid but in the end is necessary so you cough anyway. The stacatto rattling of the throat, the retching of the body with each cough, looking here and there before each hack so as not to offend or infect, and the deception with each cough that that cough is the last one. The last one indeed.
The family has been supportive yet oddly more scarce over this last week. I can't say I blame them. I know they wish me well but I also know they want to keep their distance so as not to contract this cold of mine. That has been more difficult for Nancy since we share the same bed. What I worry about more than anything else is keeping her awake with my coughing. I figure that our proximity being what it is she will either get the cold or she won't. If she doesn't, the least I can do is to do my best to cough less at night so she can get a good nights sleep. This is especially true on those nights when she has to work the following day. In the latter instance, I might well consider spending the night on the couch. Visiting her mother is, of course, is out of the question. As for Evan, I think about the computer keyboard, and countless other points where our activities intersect throughout the day so I can take the necessary precautions when and where possible. You just don't want to give something this nasty to anyone much less your immediate family if it at all can be avoided. I owe this much to them and would expect the same from them were the shoe on the other foot. Maybe this is nothing more than the usual nonsense that I experience every year around this time of the year. It is a little late in the season but not altogether unexpected.
It looks like our 2-5 inches of snow is arriving right on schedule. I'm happy to not have to go anywhere today although I'm feeling well enough to spend a little time at the gym so we'll see how that works out. There is not a lot on my plate otherwise but I should spend a bit of time looking at the taxes, cleaning the kitchen, and maybe even getting a fire going in the wood stove. There is nothing like a nice wood stove and the penetrating heat it offers to keep the weather blues at bay. Nancy made some egg concoctions yesterday in a newly purchased muffin tin and they were both visually impressive and tasty. They came out of the oven all puffed up like a lovely french soufflé but quickly deflated much to her chagrin. Nonetheless. they were quite good and I had one for breakfast just now. A little bit of change from the usual breakfast items so that is always good. Something you can stick in the microwave for a few seconds and you are good to go. Did I mention that she added some scallions and peppers to the egg concoction before baking? I might have suggested that she add some cheese and perhaps diced ham or even a little bacon to spice things up. I suppose you could throw in the kitchen sink without going to far astray.
The family has been supportive yet oddly more scarce over this last week. I can't say I blame them. I know they wish me well but I also know they want to keep their distance so as not to contract this cold of mine. That has been more difficult for Nancy since we share the same bed. What I worry about more than anything else is keeping her awake with my coughing. I figure that our proximity being what it is she will either get the cold or she won't. If she doesn't, the least I can do is to do my best to cough less at night so she can get a good nights sleep. This is especially true on those nights when she has to work the following day. In the latter instance, I might well consider spending the night on the couch. Visiting her mother is, of course, is out of the question. As for Evan, I think about the computer keyboard, and countless other points where our activities intersect throughout the day so I can take the necessary precautions when and where possible. You just don't want to give something this nasty to anyone much less your immediate family if it at all can be avoided. I owe this much to them and would expect the same from them were the shoe on the other foot. Maybe this is nothing more than the usual nonsense that I experience every year around this time of the year. It is a little late in the season but not altogether unexpected.
It looks like our 2-5 inches of snow is arriving right on schedule. I'm happy to not have to go anywhere today although I'm feeling well enough to spend a little time at the gym so we'll see how that works out. There is not a lot on my plate otherwise but I should spend a bit of time looking at the taxes, cleaning the kitchen, and maybe even getting a fire going in the wood stove. There is nothing like a nice wood stove and the penetrating heat it offers to keep the weather blues at bay. Nancy made some egg concoctions yesterday in a newly purchased muffin tin and they were both visually impressive and tasty. They came out of the oven all puffed up like a lovely french soufflé but quickly deflated much to her chagrin. Nonetheless. they were quite good and I had one for breakfast just now. A little bit of change from the usual breakfast items so that is always good. Something you can stick in the microwave for a few seconds and you are good to go. Did I mention that she added some scallions and peppers to the egg concoction before baking? I might have suggested that she add some cheese and perhaps diced ham or even a little bacon to spice things up. I suppose you could throw in the kitchen sink without going to far astray.
Paying the Piper
02/05/21 07:09
We're about a week or two from welcoming the hummingbirds back for the 20121 summer season. It's like clockwork. Funny thing is that they usually announce their arrival by flying stationary in front of one of the windows in our house. Last year, it was the window in our front room. A sole hummingbird just hung in midair seemingly peering in at us as we sat pleasantly shocked into silence at the abruptness of his appearance. Dude.
I'm convinced that he was the advance man because we didn't see any more of him or his kind for a good week or two after the sighting despite having immediately put out our two feeders at opposite ends of our home. I have no reason to believe that these aren't the same birds that come very year although I have no proof to offer.
I think that the hummingbirds that come to the feeders on opposite ends of our house for the summer season are not related and never the twain shall meet. That is to say, they don't go back and forth between the feeders. Again, I can't deny or confirm that assertion since I cannot distinguish one from the other. You'd think I would figure this out after all these years but I haven't and that's that. No sense in beating a dead horse.
I bought a bottle of hummingbird food at Walmart to fill the feeders when the time comes. I never buy that red stuff you see here and there because I worry about the impact of the red dye and what it might mean for the bird's health. This particular brand that I picked up has an extra dose or two of sucrose and it's supposed to give them a bit of juice to replenish energy stores depleted over the course of their journey up from Mexico and environs. It's the least I can do. Right? I'll transition to my own sugary brew soon enough so not to worry.
We saw an Oriole or two last year and we tried to encourage more of them to come around by putting out oranges and other fruits that we thought they might like. The fruit seemed to attract more squirrels and other critters than Orioles so we gave up on doing that for the time being. I'm not sure if we need a special feeder to keep the other critters off the oranges, etc., but I'm thinking I might like to look into that option. The Oriole is such a beautiful bird so wanting to see more of them isn't such a bad thing. Right?
My new espresso machine arrives today. I saw one on sale over the weekend and I pulled the trigger. It's a step up from my decades old Krupp machine that is still serviceable after all these years but I'm ready for a change. It has a couple of extra bells and whistles one of which is a water reservoir so I won't have to fill the water tank each and every time I want to brew an espresso. I tend to want to pull my shots to make sure that my beverage is not watered down and that I get the deepest and darkest flavonoids that my coffee beans have to offer.
Fast forward 24 hours and I have a few thoughts on this new purchase of mine. My first thought is that I should have spent a few more dollars and got myself a better machine than the one that arrived via Amazon yesterday. It works as advertised but it has a few things that work less well than my old machine. For one, I can't easily get the cups I have beneath the spout where the coffee comes out. I have to remove a couple of trays and basically jury rig the unit to make it work right. Is it me or does the coffee come out too quickly?
In other words, the water runs through the grinds as though the grinds aren't even there. I did a double take on the grounds left behind after brewing a cup of espresso and thought I noticed that some grinds that weren't even wet. Maybe I need to make sure that I grind the espresso beans extra fine next time around before filling the filter with the grinds. If the coffee grind is too coarse then that might result in a "watery" cup. How about that steaming spout? It's not long enough for one thing. How am I supposed to get my pitcher of milk under there? The frothing that I was able to do went well. I think the missus will be pleased.
So, I'm sipping the swill that I made with my new machine not knowing one way or another if I was getting the full impact of the flavonoids that my lovely beans have to offer. It tastes a little watery but maybe that's because I watched as the coffee came out of the spout and I just thought it came out way too quickly. Almost as though, quite honestly, that the grinds put up next to no resistance and we all know that the resistance is the key to getting a flavorful cup when all is said and done. Let's just say that the jury is still out.
The state of Arizona is trying to do a forensic audit of the 2020 election. The democrat party has dispatched their usual contingent of rabid attorneys to try and put a stop to it. They don't want anyone to know just how the rampant and widespread the cheating and stealing of votes in the State of Arizona was and how it contributed to the presidency being snatched from its rightful winner, Donald J Trump. It wasn't just in Arizona but you have to start somewhere. As Arizona goes, so goes the nation as the saying goes. Let's git er done!
Bumbling Joe Biden will have his first State of the Union speech tonight. I don't personally know anyone who will be watching much less anyone who is even interested in hearing what he has to say. He is such an asshole. 2022 and 2024 can't come soon enough. Republicans need to take back the House, the Senate, and the Presidency.
What is this balderdash I hear about Lyn Cheney thinking about a presidential run? She is one of just a handful of republicans who voted to impeach Trump so I'm guessing she's looking for a way out since the entire republic establishment in her home state of Wyoming has now turned against her after her impeachment vote.
Looks like we're in for a rainy day here on the coast. I don't pay much attention to the forecasts from day to day so I'm not quite sure what to expect when I get up every morning. I'll play it by ear and I'm fine with that approach. I almost welcome days like this when I get to take a break from exercising or other due to a change in the weather.
It works less well when I don't have something to fill in the void but, even then, I can kick back and just take the day off as it were. I've got some chores to keep me anchored and maybe I'll make up for the half hearted guitar practice that I muddled through yesterday. Twang twang.
The missus will be working so maybe I can plan to make dinner of some kind. We have a container of vegetarian chili that I took out of the freezer yesterday so we could have that for dinner. I had such a large portion of Shepards Pie last night for dinner that you would think I wouldn't need to eat for a day or two. I wish that were the way it worked. One forkful led to another and the next thing I knew the entire dish was gone. I'd forgotten how much I like that concoction. Chasing it down with a whoopee pie was the next best thing to having a death wish.
The missus put together a nice strawberry shortcake last night. I'm not sure the two Bisquick cakes came out quite right since they looked a little flat and a little too pale coming out of the oven. She wasn't convinced that the oven was getting hot enough after opening the oven door and not feeling the kind of heat that one might expect from a 425 degree oven. I've not had problems with the oven one way or another so we agreed to disagree and we went about our business. The home-made whipped cream was sweet but not too sweet and the strawberries, which we always buy frozen since they are stewed in their own sugary juices, were the finest kind.
It looks like the rental at the lake we were interested in later this year is not going to work out. I just heard from my brother from another mother and he said something about the fact that the place is already taken for the week that we wanted. Oh, well. We have no plan B so there's that. Maybe we'll just take a few day trips here and there. I think I don't care one way or another. This pandemic thing has nipped a lot of things in the bud so maybe the nipping continues well into 2021. It's kinda looking that way.
I'm having some trouble with this blog this week for some reason. I'm babbling my way through it all as I usually do but even that doesn't feel like it's as easy as it used to be. I can probably make up for any shortfalls by the time Sunday rolls around so I'm not worried in the least. It does concern me a little bit that maybe I'm running into a dry spell of sorts. How long it lasts, if it comes along at all, is anyone's guess. Just when I think I'm coming into my own I'm finding that maybe nothing could be further from the truth. Life is funny that way.
I'm thinking about suggesting to the missus this morning that we go across town to get a couple of breakfast sandwiches at a place in Exeter we've been meaning to visit. It's a new bakery sandwiched in between a couple of shops in a small mall on the south end of town. We're not big breakfast sandwich people but it would be a change in our usual morning routine and I'm thinking that changing things up just this once might be a good idea. I'll have to be careful on how I propose it all since she may or may not be receptive depending on her mood. We all know how old habits die hard.
If it's April, it's time to get my old car inspected. I gave her a good sprucing before dropping her off at the shop last night. With any luck, my favorite mechanic will overlook some of her more glaring deficiencies and give me a sticker that will extend the life of the car for another 12 months. By his own admission, he has never replaced a catalytic converter so I should be good to go unless he decides he wants to make an exception in my case. The car is 21 years old for chrissakes. You can't possibly expect her to meet or exceed today's standards when it comes to saving the planet from polluting gasses or other fumes too noxious to mention.
If he decides that he wants to take it for a spin or maybe charge me a little extra to replace this or that then I think that's something I can live with. I can't come right out and bribe him and truth be told I wouldn't know enough about that sort of thing to even attempt it. What do I do? Do I leave a few shillings in the glove box for him to help himself to? Do I tell him to fix whatever needs to be fixed costs be damned? We both know what I'm trying to achieve when I bring it to him each year so I'm not sure why this year should be any different. If he rejects it outright, I'm fucked. Think positive thoughts, Johnny. A prayer or two might help as well.
Well, I'll be damned if those prayers of mine didn't work out. Turns out that my car is old enough now so that it doesn't need to be "plugged in" in order to pass inspection. Those are my mechanic's words, not mine. That means that it doesn't need to pass any shuck and jive emissions tests in order to pass inspection. I don't think I knew that my car was old enough to qualify for any such exemption so I am, as they say in the business, good to go. Not only did my car pass inspection but the inspection cost less since there were fewer tests to administer. Par-Tay!
I was asking Mrs G the other day how her free six months of Apple Music was coming along. "Not too well," she responded. She followed up that comment with something along the lines of, "if you have to look up in YouTube on how to use the application then that should tell you how difficult it is to use." I found that to be a fairly incisive comment coming from a 90 year-old who has spent most of her life not using a computer. I happen to agree with her on that particular app and think that Apple could do better. Creating a playlist shouldn't be that difficult. Maybe you need to buy the music before you can create the playlist? She's already made plans to pipe in other music so not to worry. She's got this.
What the hell is the FBI doing raiding Rudy Giuliani's home at 6 o'clock in the morning? It's Biden's Stasi I tell you. It's all about going after your political enemies to make sure that they no longer pose a threat. The raid was ostensibly done to obtain electronic devices which the FBI would then review for FARA violations. We all know that's a crock. They're looking for something, anything, that they can use to rope in Trump or have Rudy turn on Trump. Trump remains the one candidate that can win the presidency in 2024 and Biden and his brown shirts are having none of it. Here's the problem they have: There is nothing on Trump.
And meanwhile, Hunter Biden walks around a free man despite everything they know about him and his illegal activities as they relate to his sexual exploits, his shaking down foreign governments for millions of dollars, his role as a bagman for the Biden Crime Family, and god only knows what else. This is what Trump gets when he doesn't put the likes of Hillary Clinton in jail for all of her devious and illegal doings. I know that sounds a lot like going after your political enemies but she really is a crook. A crook's crook if you must know. Don't get me going on her pedo husband. You know, the guy with his own cabana on Epstein's now defunct private island. Yeah, that guy.
There is clearly a double standard in our justice system. If you're a democrat, you can go about your business and you don't have to worry about anybody sticking their nose where it doesn't belong. The media won't be looking into your crimes so no worries there. Our intelligence agencies not only look the other way but they actually act as enablers when they do what they do. Or, maybe more to the point, when they don't do what they're supposed to do. How the hell did we ever get to this point in our country? How do we now fix it? Can we ever get that genie back in the bottle? God help us if we can't.
I couldn't be more proud of the missus and the progress she's making on getting on up and out of her Covid-19 funk. She went to her stylist yesterday and stopped on the way home at LL Bean and maybe one other place. She may have even amazed herself since she couldn't stop talking about it. Maybe she was looking to me to push and encourage her even more to get out and about and stop hiding at home like a frightened turtle. Nothing would please me more than to see her back at her yoga classes and stopping by as she used to do at one or more of her favorite places to shop on her way home. That's just for starters.
Back in the Falls, Kathy Two-Trees was planning a night out with her children to celebrate her birthday. What about going out to the Red Lobster and ordering up lobster tails and god only knows what else doesn't say, happy birthday? She said something about it being a good three years since she's sat down to her favorite meal. I knew better, of course, since I was there just two years ago when she sat down to a lobster feast. I said nothing about knowing better and the conversation moved along as it always does when I ring her up. It was good to hear that her children were taking her out for the night. Not that I would have expected anything less, mind you.
The missus and I watched this show called "Generation Hustle" about scams, shams, and well, hustles. We're all familiar with the college entrance exam scandal involving that Singer guy and the coaches from of those elite colleges who were involved. That was one of the many episodes we watched the other night. I swear to god that I could have written that episode by doing nothing more than reading the headlines during the time it came to light. I was hoping for the story behind the story. I was hoping to hear about some of the lesser known characters caught up in the scheme but it was not to be. That would have been interesting.
Instead, we got headline names that were household names before it all came out in the press. Was anyone surprised that people of means would use those means to achieve ends to benefit their privileged spawn? Hardly. Was it titillating to see your favorite television reality stars in the headlines for reasons that had nothing to do with their performance on the big screen? I suspect that the answer to that is a resounding "yes." With so many others caught up in the sting, how is it that we've only heard about the household names involved?
Again, I want the story behind the story. Is that too much to ask? To make matters worse, the scam-man himself, Singer, has yet to be sentenced. He's walking around out there today without so much as an ankle bracelet. That has to get the goat of the people he turned against just knowing that he got a pass of sorts. That doesn't mean he won't be paying the piper. It just means that he hasn't yet paid the piper.
Singer did, after all, agree to work with the FBI to have these people implicate themselves in phone call after phone call until they had what they needed to arrest and convict the lot of them. Something tells me that Hollywood is getting back to normal after all of this without anyone, much less these losers, losing so much as a good night's sleep. Villains in Hollywood? Who knew?
I'm convinced that he was the advance man because we didn't see any more of him or his kind for a good week or two after the sighting despite having immediately put out our two feeders at opposite ends of our home. I have no reason to believe that these aren't the same birds that come very year although I have no proof to offer.
I think that the hummingbirds that come to the feeders on opposite ends of our house for the summer season are not related and never the twain shall meet. That is to say, they don't go back and forth between the feeders. Again, I can't deny or confirm that assertion since I cannot distinguish one from the other. You'd think I would figure this out after all these years but I haven't and that's that. No sense in beating a dead horse.
I bought a bottle of hummingbird food at Walmart to fill the feeders when the time comes. I never buy that red stuff you see here and there because I worry about the impact of the red dye and what it might mean for the bird's health. This particular brand that I picked up has an extra dose or two of sucrose and it's supposed to give them a bit of juice to replenish energy stores depleted over the course of their journey up from Mexico and environs. It's the least I can do. Right? I'll transition to my own sugary brew soon enough so not to worry.
We saw an Oriole or two last year and we tried to encourage more of them to come around by putting out oranges and other fruits that we thought they might like. The fruit seemed to attract more squirrels and other critters than Orioles so we gave up on doing that for the time being. I'm not sure if we need a special feeder to keep the other critters off the oranges, etc., but I'm thinking I might like to look into that option. The Oriole is such a beautiful bird so wanting to see more of them isn't such a bad thing. Right?
My new espresso machine arrives today. I saw one on sale over the weekend and I pulled the trigger. It's a step up from my decades old Krupp machine that is still serviceable after all these years but I'm ready for a change. It has a couple of extra bells and whistles one of which is a water reservoir so I won't have to fill the water tank each and every time I want to brew an espresso. I tend to want to pull my shots to make sure that my beverage is not watered down and that I get the deepest and darkest flavonoids that my coffee beans have to offer.
Fast forward 24 hours and I have a few thoughts on this new purchase of mine. My first thought is that I should have spent a few more dollars and got myself a better machine than the one that arrived via Amazon yesterday. It works as advertised but it has a few things that work less well than my old machine. For one, I can't easily get the cups I have beneath the spout where the coffee comes out. I have to remove a couple of trays and basically jury rig the unit to make it work right. Is it me or does the coffee come out too quickly?
In other words, the water runs through the grinds as though the grinds aren't even there. I did a double take on the grounds left behind after brewing a cup of espresso and thought I noticed that some grinds that weren't even wet. Maybe I need to make sure that I grind the espresso beans extra fine next time around before filling the filter with the grinds. If the coffee grind is too coarse then that might result in a "watery" cup. How about that steaming spout? It's not long enough for one thing. How am I supposed to get my pitcher of milk under there? The frothing that I was able to do went well. I think the missus will be pleased.
So, I'm sipping the swill that I made with my new machine not knowing one way or another if I was getting the full impact of the flavonoids that my lovely beans have to offer. It tastes a little watery but maybe that's because I watched as the coffee came out of the spout and I just thought it came out way too quickly. Almost as though, quite honestly, that the grinds put up next to no resistance and we all know that the resistance is the key to getting a flavorful cup when all is said and done. Let's just say that the jury is still out.
The state of Arizona is trying to do a forensic audit of the 2020 election. The democrat party has dispatched their usual contingent of rabid attorneys to try and put a stop to it. They don't want anyone to know just how the rampant and widespread the cheating and stealing of votes in the State of Arizona was and how it contributed to the presidency being snatched from its rightful winner, Donald J Trump. It wasn't just in Arizona but you have to start somewhere. As Arizona goes, so goes the nation as the saying goes. Let's git er done!
Bumbling Joe Biden will have his first State of the Union speech tonight. I don't personally know anyone who will be watching much less anyone who is even interested in hearing what he has to say. He is such an asshole. 2022 and 2024 can't come soon enough. Republicans need to take back the House, the Senate, and the Presidency.
What is this balderdash I hear about Lyn Cheney thinking about a presidential run? She is one of just a handful of republicans who voted to impeach Trump so I'm guessing she's looking for a way out since the entire republic establishment in her home state of Wyoming has now turned against her after her impeachment vote.
Looks like we're in for a rainy day here on the coast. I don't pay much attention to the forecasts from day to day so I'm not quite sure what to expect when I get up every morning. I'll play it by ear and I'm fine with that approach. I almost welcome days like this when I get to take a break from exercising or other due to a change in the weather.
It works less well when I don't have something to fill in the void but, even then, I can kick back and just take the day off as it were. I've got some chores to keep me anchored and maybe I'll make up for the half hearted guitar practice that I muddled through yesterday. Twang twang.
The missus will be working so maybe I can plan to make dinner of some kind. We have a container of vegetarian chili that I took out of the freezer yesterday so we could have that for dinner. I had such a large portion of Shepards Pie last night for dinner that you would think I wouldn't need to eat for a day or two. I wish that were the way it worked. One forkful led to another and the next thing I knew the entire dish was gone. I'd forgotten how much I like that concoction. Chasing it down with a whoopee pie was the next best thing to having a death wish.
The missus put together a nice strawberry shortcake last night. I'm not sure the two Bisquick cakes came out quite right since they looked a little flat and a little too pale coming out of the oven. She wasn't convinced that the oven was getting hot enough after opening the oven door and not feeling the kind of heat that one might expect from a 425 degree oven. I've not had problems with the oven one way or another so we agreed to disagree and we went about our business. The home-made whipped cream was sweet but not too sweet and the strawberries, which we always buy frozen since they are stewed in their own sugary juices, were the finest kind.
It looks like the rental at the lake we were interested in later this year is not going to work out. I just heard from my brother from another mother and he said something about the fact that the place is already taken for the week that we wanted. Oh, well. We have no plan B so there's that. Maybe we'll just take a few day trips here and there. I think I don't care one way or another. This pandemic thing has nipped a lot of things in the bud so maybe the nipping continues well into 2021. It's kinda looking that way.
I'm having some trouble with this blog this week for some reason. I'm babbling my way through it all as I usually do but even that doesn't feel like it's as easy as it used to be. I can probably make up for any shortfalls by the time Sunday rolls around so I'm not worried in the least. It does concern me a little bit that maybe I'm running into a dry spell of sorts. How long it lasts, if it comes along at all, is anyone's guess. Just when I think I'm coming into my own I'm finding that maybe nothing could be further from the truth. Life is funny that way.
I'm thinking about suggesting to the missus this morning that we go across town to get a couple of breakfast sandwiches at a place in Exeter we've been meaning to visit. It's a new bakery sandwiched in between a couple of shops in a small mall on the south end of town. We're not big breakfast sandwich people but it would be a change in our usual morning routine and I'm thinking that changing things up just this once might be a good idea. I'll have to be careful on how I propose it all since she may or may not be receptive depending on her mood. We all know how old habits die hard.
If it's April, it's time to get my old car inspected. I gave her a good sprucing before dropping her off at the shop last night. With any luck, my favorite mechanic will overlook some of her more glaring deficiencies and give me a sticker that will extend the life of the car for another 12 months. By his own admission, he has never replaced a catalytic converter so I should be good to go unless he decides he wants to make an exception in my case. The car is 21 years old for chrissakes. You can't possibly expect her to meet or exceed today's standards when it comes to saving the planet from polluting gasses or other fumes too noxious to mention.
If he decides that he wants to take it for a spin or maybe charge me a little extra to replace this or that then I think that's something I can live with. I can't come right out and bribe him and truth be told I wouldn't know enough about that sort of thing to even attempt it. What do I do? Do I leave a few shillings in the glove box for him to help himself to? Do I tell him to fix whatever needs to be fixed costs be damned? We both know what I'm trying to achieve when I bring it to him each year so I'm not sure why this year should be any different. If he rejects it outright, I'm fucked. Think positive thoughts, Johnny. A prayer or two might help as well.
Well, I'll be damned if those prayers of mine didn't work out. Turns out that my car is old enough now so that it doesn't need to be "plugged in" in order to pass inspection. Those are my mechanic's words, not mine. That means that it doesn't need to pass any shuck and jive emissions tests in order to pass inspection. I don't think I knew that my car was old enough to qualify for any such exemption so I am, as they say in the business, good to go. Not only did my car pass inspection but the inspection cost less since there were fewer tests to administer. Par-Tay!
I was asking Mrs G the other day how her free six months of Apple Music was coming along. "Not too well," she responded. She followed up that comment with something along the lines of, "if you have to look up in YouTube on how to use the application then that should tell you how difficult it is to use." I found that to be a fairly incisive comment coming from a 90 year-old who has spent most of her life not using a computer. I happen to agree with her on that particular app and think that Apple could do better. Creating a playlist shouldn't be that difficult. Maybe you need to buy the music before you can create the playlist? She's already made plans to pipe in other music so not to worry. She's got this.
What the hell is the FBI doing raiding Rudy Giuliani's home at 6 o'clock in the morning? It's Biden's Stasi I tell you. It's all about going after your political enemies to make sure that they no longer pose a threat. The raid was ostensibly done to obtain electronic devices which the FBI would then review for FARA violations. We all know that's a crock. They're looking for something, anything, that they can use to rope in Trump or have Rudy turn on Trump. Trump remains the one candidate that can win the presidency in 2024 and Biden and his brown shirts are having none of it. Here's the problem they have: There is nothing on Trump.
And meanwhile, Hunter Biden walks around a free man despite everything they know about him and his illegal activities as they relate to his sexual exploits, his shaking down foreign governments for millions of dollars, his role as a bagman for the Biden Crime Family, and god only knows what else. This is what Trump gets when he doesn't put the likes of Hillary Clinton in jail for all of her devious and illegal doings. I know that sounds a lot like going after your political enemies but she really is a crook. A crook's crook if you must know. Don't get me going on her pedo husband. You know, the guy with his own cabana on Epstein's now defunct private island. Yeah, that guy.
There is clearly a double standard in our justice system. If you're a democrat, you can go about your business and you don't have to worry about anybody sticking their nose where it doesn't belong. The media won't be looking into your crimes so no worries there. Our intelligence agencies not only look the other way but they actually act as enablers when they do what they do. Or, maybe more to the point, when they don't do what they're supposed to do. How the hell did we ever get to this point in our country? How do we now fix it? Can we ever get that genie back in the bottle? God help us if we can't.
I couldn't be more proud of the missus and the progress she's making on getting on up and out of her Covid-19 funk. She went to her stylist yesterday and stopped on the way home at LL Bean and maybe one other place. She may have even amazed herself since she couldn't stop talking about it. Maybe she was looking to me to push and encourage her even more to get out and about and stop hiding at home like a frightened turtle. Nothing would please me more than to see her back at her yoga classes and stopping by as she used to do at one or more of her favorite places to shop on her way home. That's just for starters.
Back in the Falls, Kathy Two-Trees was planning a night out with her children to celebrate her birthday. What about going out to the Red Lobster and ordering up lobster tails and god only knows what else doesn't say, happy birthday? She said something about it being a good three years since she's sat down to her favorite meal. I knew better, of course, since I was there just two years ago when she sat down to a lobster feast. I said nothing about knowing better and the conversation moved along as it always does when I ring her up. It was good to hear that her children were taking her out for the night. Not that I would have expected anything less, mind you.
The missus and I watched this show called "Generation Hustle" about scams, shams, and well, hustles. We're all familiar with the college entrance exam scandal involving that Singer guy and the coaches from of those elite colleges who were involved. That was one of the many episodes we watched the other night. I swear to god that I could have written that episode by doing nothing more than reading the headlines during the time it came to light. I was hoping for the story behind the story. I was hoping to hear about some of the lesser known characters caught up in the scheme but it was not to be. That would have been interesting.
Instead, we got headline names that were household names before it all came out in the press. Was anyone surprised that people of means would use those means to achieve ends to benefit their privileged spawn? Hardly. Was it titillating to see your favorite television reality stars in the headlines for reasons that had nothing to do with their performance on the big screen? I suspect that the answer to that is a resounding "yes." With so many others caught up in the sting, how is it that we've only heard about the household names involved?
Again, I want the story behind the story. Is that too much to ask? To make matters worse, the scam-man himself, Singer, has yet to be sentenced. He's walking around out there today without so much as an ankle bracelet. That has to get the goat of the people he turned against just knowing that he got a pass of sorts. That doesn't mean he won't be paying the piper. It just means that he hasn't yet paid the piper.
Singer did, after all, agree to work with the FBI to have these people implicate themselves in phone call after phone call until they had what they needed to arrest and convict the lot of them. Something tells me that Hollywood is getting back to normal after all of this without anyone, much less these losers, losing so much as a good night's sleep. Villains in Hollywood? Who knew?
Just So You Know
25/04/21 07:12
I'll probably get together with Ev today to nail down the chair he's been looking at over at Staples. We'll need to make sure we get a pad that goes on the floor beneath the chair. You know how concerned he is that rolling around in his new chair is going to make too much noise for the tenants living on the floor below him. He's a considerate neighbor to be sure so that's good. That should keep him in good stead with the other families in his building.
We'll also need to renegotiate his terms with his internet carrier some time soon. He negotiated a pretty good deal a while back and that baby has now expired resulting in a higher bill month in and month out. Like most people his age, he watches little to no mainstream television so there may be an opportunity to cut that service off at the knees.
His plan may have included telephone coverage and he doesn't need that for sure so there's another bite of the apple worth considering. And then there are new services coming online in his neighborhood which may give us a talking point or two in our attempts to drive down his monthly fee. It's all good. One thing we'll need to make sure of is that any new service we consider must meet certain MBS requirements. I'm not sure that they meet or exceed his current plan as I see it today but it's probably just a matter or time.
I watched Trump's interview with Sean Hannity last night on FOX. It was Trump's first on-air appearance since the stolen election of 2020. I wasn't sure that I was going to tune in but I just happened to be flipping through the channels as it began so I stayed with it for a while. Hannity is such a dope. I don't know that I can bear to listen to him for any extended period of time without losing a few points on the IQ scale.
Trump was Trump and I thought he looked well and he was, as usual, on his game. It sounds like he's going to go for it in 2024 but he didn't come right out and say that so we'll have to stay tuned. He didn't bite at any of the low hanging fruit served up by Hannity relative to questions about Biden's mental acuity, etc., so that will probably keep him out of the news for the time being. There's no question he could have put a couple of those questions right over the left field fence if he had been so inclined.
Maybe it's just me but I've seen enough of Trump's interviews over the last few years to pretty much know what he's going to say in response to any particular question. I find myself wishing that he'd find a way to reframe his answers so as to not sound repetitive or over rehearsed. It sometimes has a one-trick pony feel to it and I know Trump can do better but he, for whatever reason, does not. The Trump that we all know and love is the Trump that stands at the podium in a presser taking on all comers. That's not the Trump I see in these interviews.
I don't think it's Trump playing it safe either. I don't think he knows the meaning of the word "safe." He's been a balls-to-the-walls guy all his life so he calls em like he sees em. I'm referring to balls and strikes if you're looking for a baseball metaphor. But his responses are predictable and that makes me thinking it's okay to look away because I think I know what he's going to say. Will he sound like a broken record should he run again? Do I care since I will vote for him anyway? What about the other 75 million people who voted for him in 2020?
Let me chime in on this Chauvin trial thing. All I know is what I've seen on the video and that was painful to watch. What bothers me about the whole jury thing, the verdicts aside, is that the mob determined well before the jurists went off in a back room to do what jurists do, that the man was guilty. The BLM and Antifa types had amassed in streets across the city and they were armed and ready to mob, loot, kill or do whatever if they didn't get the verdict that they wanted. That's not justice, that's mob justice. Don't get me started on comments made by Sleepy Joe and that despicable POS, Maxine Waters. We cannot let this stand!
Now, every time I hear about a black person ending up dead at the hands of a police officer all I can think about is how big will the riots be, when will they begin, how long before Al Sharpton and his fellow race baiters show up on the scene, how many stores will be looted and burned to the ground, what kind of reparations will be paid to the family no matter who was at fault, and what career ending charges will be filed against the officer for performing his duties while in the line of fire.
It does make you wonder, who the hell is going to want to become a police officer in this day and age? I'm still waiting for republicans, any republicans, to stand up to the lawlessness in the streets and say, "no mas." Maybe that's asking too much. The democrats will be either silent or they will be egging on the marauders and brown shirt types from the sidelines. Democrats like Maxine Waters, the congresswoman from I'm not sure where, actually travelled to Minnesota to foment dissent while the Chauvin trial was in its final days.
I suppose the retail establishments in Minnesota that boarded up their businesses in advance of the trial thinking that they might well lose their business if the verdicts went the wrong way, are today breathing a sigh of relief. You have to wonder just a little bit that it took the jury really just a day before returning a verdict that was perhaps really just preordained. That's unusual given the counts that were outstanding. A little more deliberation might have returned a different result. Were the prosecutor's closing comments that compelling? Were the closing arguments by the defense team that unconvincing?
It's important to realize too that the jurists were not sequestered so who knows how they might have been influenced one way or another. Appeals are likely already in the works and they are quite likely to succeed with the shenanigans we've seen over the course for the trial. Take the jury out of the mix and we might have seen a very different outcome.
What happens to a guy like Chauvin in prison? Does the White Brotherhood take him under their wing? Is there such a thing as the White Brotherhood? How long will it be before someone kneels on his jugular for nine minutes to see if he knows what it feels like to die like George Floyd died?
We ordered take-out last night from a local greek joint which we like a lot. I usually get an eggplant parmesan dish served with penne and a nice salad and I rarely look at other items on menu. I've thought about it here and there and nobody likes to be so narrow minded that they never visit other things. I figured last night was the night to do just that.
I've had my eye on their Moussaka dish and I like every ingredient that goes into it so I wasn't going all wild eyed into the decision or anything. I even looked up the dish in YouTube and watched a chef go through the motions in prepping and cooking the casserole-like dish. Who does that? Right?
Well, the wedge of Moussaka that I pulled out of our take-out bag wasn't much larger than a medium sized brownie and it looked, sadly enough, just a wee bit deflated. That is to say, it didn't resemble anything that I had in mind going into this experiment of mine.
All the right ingredients were there but instead of sitting up like a piece of 7-layer lasagna it laid almost flat in the see-through plastic container it came in. When I pressed down with my fork I had to chase down a piece of unbreaded eggplant that oozed out from one side of the Moussaka like a slippery eel. I did my best to include a hint of the seasoned beef with the forkful of eggplant but, alas, I was less than successful.
So this is what I get for going out on a limb. This is what I get for taking chances. This is what I get for throwing caution to the wind. It only reinforces my belief that it's better to stick with what you know you like than to take a walk on the wild side. Had Thomas Edison stopped short of his inventing the light bulb because he thought experimentation wasn't all that it was cracked up to be, we'd still be lighting our homes today by candlelight.
To live is to reinvent yourself day in and day out and that means ordering things from the menu when you'd rather enjoy the dish that is tried and true. I need to keep pushing the envelope but I'll be steering clear of the Moussaka at least for now.
I don't know what I would have done had I looked at the dish before exiting the restaurant with my take-out bags. I might have said something along the lines of, "is this the Moussaka'? They might have taken from my tone that I was less than impressed. They might have said, "oh, no, that's the side dish that we serve. Let me go back into the kitchen and get you our dinner version."
What I walked away with is what you get when you don't ask questions. Besides, there is a line behind you waiting to check out with their take-out dinners and they would likely look unkindly at someone looking to disassemble their take-out package regardless of the reasons given.
The missus ordered a soup and a side dish of humus and pita bread. She was not impressed with the small dish of humus thinking that it should have been bigger for the price. I assured her that it was more than sufficient for the number of pieces of pita bread that it was designed to accompany and that is where the discussion stopped. She had little to say about her soup and I assumed that it was probably garden variety if nothing else.
We both agreed that the cookies we ordered were a bit on the stale side and wondered aloud how that could be given the traffic going in and out of this seemingly busy and popular locally family owned greek restaurant. This wasn't the first time we walked out of their place with stale cookies. It probably won't be the last.
Apple announced a couple of interesting releases the other day. They announced a device that allows you to track your possessions and they also announced an updated Apple TV. I might like to pick up a tracker or two to attach to my car keys. It costs several hundred dollars these days to replace some fobs so investing $25 in a device that will give you leg up in the search process when you lose your keys seems reasonable. The TV thing is a little less appealing since my current Apple TV works just fine and spending money on an upgrade seems unnecessary. Then again, who doesn't like to have the latest and greatest when it comes to Apple products?
Apple announced a new iMac as well. It looks pretty slick so I'm having second thoughts about having purchased a Mac mini for Mrs G. The timing wouldn't have worked out so there's that. The iMac just wasn't available when she was in the market for a new Mac. I'll have to take a look this morning to see what the pricing looks like but I'm guessing it's far pricier than the Mac Mini that she now has sitting in her "office." She has never needed more than a bare bones model so I think I made the right decision. I'll be signing her up for 6 months of free Apple music when we pay a visit this week. I think she'll enjoy what they have to offer.
What the heck is going on with Mike Lindell and his Frankspeech.com site? I thought this was supposed to be the latest and greatest in social media land. A cross between Twitter and YouTube or so he claimed. He went on and on about how this was going to be the greatest thing since sliced bread. He ordered 5 of this and 10 of those to make sure that his platform was not going to be disrupted or taken down by the Apple's, Google's, and YouTube's of the world when they decided that they didn't like what he or his customers had to say. We're a week into the launch and I see a whole lot of YouTube stuff but not much of the social media. None, in fact.
He's a huckster though. I'll give him that much. He really had us going for a while. When I say "us", I'm talking about we god-fearing Trump supporters. I should have known he was nothing more than a carnival barker when we relented and ended up purchasing one of his MyPillows. It had to be the worst pillow I've ever put under my head bar none. The word "lumpy" comes to mind. Need I say more? If I sound disappointed, it's because I am disappointed. I bought into his jive talk like a schoolyard girl and I'm paying the price. I'm feeling little jilted truth be told.
Lindell has a lot to say about how the 2020 election was stolen but I'm not inclined to listen to any of it until he does a little something to restore my faith in this FrankSpeech thing. That means getting the Twitter portion of his site up and running. I'm not running into a lot of like-minded people theses days on Twitter so that's annoying. I can't even express my annoyance since they shadow-ban my tweets.
My tweets do have a bit of an edge to them so I can't blame them for wanting to silence my sometimes acerbic rants. They're not edgy enough to get me booted so I must be doing something right. I like Twitter as a news feed but I'm more and more of the opinion that I'm only getting the news that they want me to see. Fuck em.
The Financial markets were doing just fine yesterday until Biden and his minions announced that they were planning to hike the capital gains tax from something like 15% to something maybe close to 40%. And then, some asshat from the Treasury said something about taxing cryptocurrency traders to the tune of 80% or some ridiculous number. Not sure why so many sellers starting selling off their equities since the increases would be retroactive to 2021 but sell they did and hard.
I'm not sure how the day ended up. There may have been some dip buyers willing to step in at the last moment to take advantage of the lower prices. Crypto prices were down another 15% this morning so we'll see how the day goes today. Who doesn't like volatility?
If the Biden Administration is looking to finance their socialist agenda by taxing the bejeezus out of hard working Americans, I think they may need to rethink their strategy. Putting more money in the hands of people who have never worked a day in their lives and taking money out of the hands of the entrepreneurs and business owners is a plan that is destined to fail.
It may make the wealth redistribution and income inequality crowd feel better about themselves but the poor and downtrodden have never contributed much to the financial wealth in our society. I guess, by definition, they are probably somewhat parasitic. They have certainly never done much to grease the skids of the financial markets that has made our country the preeminent financial powerhouse on the globe that we are today.
Who do they expect to finance all of this green energy bullshit they're pushing down our throats? How exactly do we fight a war against a country that is not carbon neutral and one that has the necessary resources to beat us like a rented mule when we can't access our logistical devices because it's been cloudy the last five out of six days?
And then we have this bloody power grab by the dems wanting to give statehood to both Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. They want nothing more than to add four more senators to their side creating a near majority so they can pass whatever the fuck them want when they want. Political power in perpetuity is not what our Founding Fathers had in mind. Yes, they want to pack the Supreme Court too.
This is the kind of far-reaching nonsense that put people like Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump into office back in the day so I say, without hesitation, keep doing what you're doing. We'll be more than happy to bring The Donald back into office in 2024. I'm okay with DeSantis too just so you know.
We'll also need to renegotiate his terms with his internet carrier some time soon. He negotiated a pretty good deal a while back and that baby has now expired resulting in a higher bill month in and month out. Like most people his age, he watches little to no mainstream television so there may be an opportunity to cut that service off at the knees.
His plan may have included telephone coverage and he doesn't need that for sure so there's another bite of the apple worth considering. And then there are new services coming online in his neighborhood which may give us a talking point or two in our attempts to drive down his monthly fee. It's all good. One thing we'll need to make sure of is that any new service we consider must meet certain MBS requirements. I'm not sure that they meet or exceed his current plan as I see it today but it's probably just a matter or time.
I watched Trump's interview with Sean Hannity last night on FOX. It was Trump's first on-air appearance since the stolen election of 2020. I wasn't sure that I was going to tune in but I just happened to be flipping through the channels as it began so I stayed with it for a while. Hannity is such a dope. I don't know that I can bear to listen to him for any extended period of time without losing a few points on the IQ scale.
Trump was Trump and I thought he looked well and he was, as usual, on his game. It sounds like he's going to go for it in 2024 but he didn't come right out and say that so we'll have to stay tuned. He didn't bite at any of the low hanging fruit served up by Hannity relative to questions about Biden's mental acuity, etc., so that will probably keep him out of the news for the time being. There's no question he could have put a couple of those questions right over the left field fence if he had been so inclined.
Maybe it's just me but I've seen enough of Trump's interviews over the last few years to pretty much know what he's going to say in response to any particular question. I find myself wishing that he'd find a way to reframe his answers so as to not sound repetitive or over rehearsed. It sometimes has a one-trick pony feel to it and I know Trump can do better but he, for whatever reason, does not. The Trump that we all know and love is the Trump that stands at the podium in a presser taking on all comers. That's not the Trump I see in these interviews.
I don't think it's Trump playing it safe either. I don't think he knows the meaning of the word "safe." He's been a balls-to-the-walls guy all his life so he calls em like he sees em. I'm referring to balls and strikes if you're looking for a baseball metaphor. But his responses are predictable and that makes me thinking it's okay to look away because I think I know what he's going to say. Will he sound like a broken record should he run again? Do I care since I will vote for him anyway? What about the other 75 million people who voted for him in 2020?
Let me chime in on this Chauvin trial thing. All I know is what I've seen on the video and that was painful to watch. What bothers me about the whole jury thing, the verdicts aside, is that the mob determined well before the jurists went off in a back room to do what jurists do, that the man was guilty. The BLM and Antifa types had amassed in streets across the city and they were armed and ready to mob, loot, kill or do whatever if they didn't get the verdict that they wanted. That's not justice, that's mob justice. Don't get me started on comments made by Sleepy Joe and that despicable POS, Maxine Waters. We cannot let this stand!
Now, every time I hear about a black person ending up dead at the hands of a police officer all I can think about is how big will the riots be, when will they begin, how long before Al Sharpton and his fellow race baiters show up on the scene, how many stores will be looted and burned to the ground, what kind of reparations will be paid to the family no matter who was at fault, and what career ending charges will be filed against the officer for performing his duties while in the line of fire.
It does make you wonder, who the hell is going to want to become a police officer in this day and age? I'm still waiting for republicans, any republicans, to stand up to the lawlessness in the streets and say, "no mas." Maybe that's asking too much. The democrats will be either silent or they will be egging on the marauders and brown shirt types from the sidelines. Democrats like Maxine Waters, the congresswoman from I'm not sure where, actually travelled to Minnesota to foment dissent while the Chauvin trial was in its final days.
I suppose the retail establishments in Minnesota that boarded up their businesses in advance of the trial thinking that they might well lose their business if the verdicts went the wrong way, are today breathing a sigh of relief. You have to wonder just a little bit that it took the jury really just a day before returning a verdict that was perhaps really just preordained. That's unusual given the counts that were outstanding. A little more deliberation might have returned a different result. Were the prosecutor's closing comments that compelling? Were the closing arguments by the defense team that unconvincing?
It's important to realize too that the jurists were not sequestered so who knows how they might have been influenced one way or another. Appeals are likely already in the works and they are quite likely to succeed with the shenanigans we've seen over the course for the trial. Take the jury out of the mix and we might have seen a very different outcome.
What happens to a guy like Chauvin in prison? Does the White Brotherhood take him under their wing? Is there such a thing as the White Brotherhood? How long will it be before someone kneels on his jugular for nine minutes to see if he knows what it feels like to die like George Floyd died?
We ordered take-out last night from a local greek joint which we like a lot. I usually get an eggplant parmesan dish served with penne and a nice salad and I rarely look at other items on menu. I've thought about it here and there and nobody likes to be so narrow minded that they never visit other things. I figured last night was the night to do just that.
I've had my eye on their Moussaka dish and I like every ingredient that goes into it so I wasn't going all wild eyed into the decision or anything. I even looked up the dish in YouTube and watched a chef go through the motions in prepping and cooking the casserole-like dish. Who does that? Right?
Well, the wedge of Moussaka that I pulled out of our take-out bag wasn't much larger than a medium sized brownie and it looked, sadly enough, just a wee bit deflated. That is to say, it didn't resemble anything that I had in mind going into this experiment of mine.
All the right ingredients were there but instead of sitting up like a piece of 7-layer lasagna it laid almost flat in the see-through plastic container it came in. When I pressed down with my fork I had to chase down a piece of unbreaded eggplant that oozed out from one side of the Moussaka like a slippery eel. I did my best to include a hint of the seasoned beef with the forkful of eggplant but, alas, I was less than successful.
So this is what I get for going out on a limb. This is what I get for taking chances. This is what I get for throwing caution to the wind. It only reinforces my belief that it's better to stick with what you know you like than to take a walk on the wild side. Had Thomas Edison stopped short of his inventing the light bulb because he thought experimentation wasn't all that it was cracked up to be, we'd still be lighting our homes today by candlelight.
To live is to reinvent yourself day in and day out and that means ordering things from the menu when you'd rather enjoy the dish that is tried and true. I need to keep pushing the envelope but I'll be steering clear of the Moussaka at least for now.
I don't know what I would have done had I looked at the dish before exiting the restaurant with my take-out bags. I might have said something along the lines of, "is this the Moussaka'? They might have taken from my tone that I was less than impressed. They might have said, "oh, no, that's the side dish that we serve. Let me go back into the kitchen and get you our dinner version."
What I walked away with is what you get when you don't ask questions. Besides, there is a line behind you waiting to check out with their take-out dinners and they would likely look unkindly at someone looking to disassemble their take-out package regardless of the reasons given.
The missus ordered a soup and a side dish of humus and pita bread. She was not impressed with the small dish of humus thinking that it should have been bigger for the price. I assured her that it was more than sufficient for the number of pieces of pita bread that it was designed to accompany and that is where the discussion stopped. She had little to say about her soup and I assumed that it was probably garden variety if nothing else.
We both agreed that the cookies we ordered were a bit on the stale side and wondered aloud how that could be given the traffic going in and out of this seemingly busy and popular locally family owned greek restaurant. This wasn't the first time we walked out of their place with stale cookies. It probably won't be the last.
Apple announced a couple of interesting releases the other day. They announced a device that allows you to track your possessions and they also announced an updated Apple TV. I might like to pick up a tracker or two to attach to my car keys. It costs several hundred dollars these days to replace some fobs so investing $25 in a device that will give you leg up in the search process when you lose your keys seems reasonable. The TV thing is a little less appealing since my current Apple TV works just fine and spending money on an upgrade seems unnecessary. Then again, who doesn't like to have the latest and greatest when it comes to Apple products?
Apple announced a new iMac as well. It looks pretty slick so I'm having second thoughts about having purchased a Mac mini for Mrs G. The timing wouldn't have worked out so there's that. The iMac just wasn't available when she was in the market for a new Mac. I'll have to take a look this morning to see what the pricing looks like but I'm guessing it's far pricier than the Mac Mini that she now has sitting in her "office." She has never needed more than a bare bones model so I think I made the right decision. I'll be signing her up for 6 months of free Apple music when we pay a visit this week. I think she'll enjoy what they have to offer.
What the heck is going on with Mike Lindell and his Frankspeech.com site? I thought this was supposed to be the latest and greatest in social media land. A cross between Twitter and YouTube or so he claimed. He went on and on about how this was going to be the greatest thing since sliced bread. He ordered 5 of this and 10 of those to make sure that his platform was not going to be disrupted or taken down by the Apple's, Google's, and YouTube's of the world when they decided that they didn't like what he or his customers had to say. We're a week into the launch and I see a whole lot of YouTube stuff but not much of the social media. None, in fact.
He's a huckster though. I'll give him that much. He really had us going for a while. When I say "us", I'm talking about we god-fearing Trump supporters. I should have known he was nothing more than a carnival barker when we relented and ended up purchasing one of his MyPillows. It had to be the worst pillow I've ever put under my head bar none. The word "lumpy" comes to mind. Need I say more? If I sound disappointed, it's because I am disappointed. I bought into his jive talk like a schoolyard girl and I'm paying the price. I'm feeling little jilted truth be told.
Lindell has a lot to say about how the 2020 election was stolen but I'm not inclined to listen to any of it until he does a little something to restore my faith in this FrankSpeech thing. That means getting the Twitter portion of his site up and running. I'm not running into a lot of like-minded people theses days on Twitter so that's annoying. I can't even express my annoyance since they shadow-ban my tweets.
My tweets do have a bit of an edge to them so I can't blame them for wanting to silence my sometimes acerbic rants. They're not edgy enough to get me booted so I must be doing something right. I like Twitter as a news feed but I'm more and more of the opinion that I'm only getting the news that they want me to see. Fuck em.
The Financial markets were doing just fine yesterday until Biden and his minions announced that they were planning to hike the capital gains tax from something like 15% to something maybe close to 40%. And then, some asshat from the Treasury said something about taxing cryptocurrency traders to the tune of 80% or some ridiculous number. Not sure why so many sellers starting selling off their equities since the increases would be retroactive to 2021 but sell they did and hard.
I'm not sure how the day ended up. There may have been some dip buyers willing to step in at the last moment to take advantage of the lower prices. Crypto prices were down another 15% this morning so we'll see how the day goes today. Who doesn't like volatility?
If the Biden Administration is looking to finance their socialist agenda by taxing the bejeezus out of hard working Americans, I think they may need to rethink their strategy. Putting more money in the hands of people who have never worked a day in their lives and taking money out of the hands of the entrepreneurs and business owners is a plan that is destined to fail.
It may make the wealth redistribution and income inequality crowd feel better about themselves but the poor and downtrodden have never contributed much to the financial wealth in our society. I guess, by definition, they are probably somewhat parasitic. They have certainly never done much to grease the skids of the financial markets that has made our country the preeminent financial powerhouse on the globe that we are today.
Who do they expect to finance all of this green energy bullshit they're pushing down our throats? How exactly do we fight a war against a country that is not carbon neutral and one that has the necessary resources to beat us like a rented mule when we can't access our logistical devices because it's been cloudy the last five out of six days?
And then we have this bloody power grab by the dems wanting to give statehood to both Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. They want nothing more than to add four more senators to their side creating a near majority so they can pass whatever the fuck them want when they want. Political power in perpetuity is not what our Founding Fathers had in mind. Yes, they want to pack the Supreme Court too.
This is the kind of far-reaching nonsense that put people like Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump into office back in the day so I say, without hesitation, keep doing what you're doing. We'll be more than happy to bring The Donald back into office in 2024. I'm okay with DeSantis too just so you know.
Poppycock
18/04/21 07:05
What are we to think about the fact that 45% of the Marines in our armed services refuse to get vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus? What do they know that we don't? Surely, 45% of the general public is not refusing the jab so what is going on with the Marines? How would they be privy to information about a vaccine one way or another when the general public is not privy to the same information? What about the Air Force? The Army? The Navy?
Might there be information available that could serve as a useful deterrent for one or more classes of people but which is otherwise being kept under wraps so as not to "poison" the current narratives being pedaled by the government and their minions in the media? If nothing else, the continual shifting of the narratives is troubling if not dizzying. Early on, children were not at risk in the least and now they tell us that we can never reach herd immunity without immunizing everyone from the newborns to the elderly. It's just poppycock I tell you.
I get it. They don't know how long the jab will protect you so they're putting it out there that you might need a "booster" after six months. Whaaaat? Herd immunity only lasts six months? And "booster" sounds so much better than just getting a second shot. It almost sounds whimsical and a little bit reassuring and that is precisely the language that they're hoping will have everyone lining up for their 3rd, 4th, and god only knows how many shots annually, bi-annually, or whatever. Can we get back to the Marines thing for a minute?
Our soldiers get vaccinated against everything under the sun in anticipation of being sent to hell holes, or shit holes as Trump calls them, around the world. I'm guessing those shots are required. In the armed services, you do what you're told. If you're told to get a shot of this or that, you get your ass down to the infirmary and you roll up your fucking sleeves. I'm not sure why the vaccines here in the case of Covid-19 aren't required by the brass.
The vaccines are not otherwise mandated by local or federal governments so that aligns with what we're seeing when it comes to the Marines. That could change if Sleepy Joe Biden decides that he wants it to change. I don't think he has the authority to expand that mandate to the general public but it wouldn't surprise me to see him float it in the media to see if it can gets any traction. It's likely to die a slow and painful death much like the idea of vaccine passports which went absolutely nowhere.
Here we go again. The police in Minnestoa pull over a 20 year old gangbanger for a violation of sorts. The police proceed to pull him from his car and place him in handcuffs based on existing department protocols. One thing lead to another and the next thing we know the gangbanger is dead from a single gun shot to the abdomen. The officer, thinking that she was drawing her taser, drew her service weapon instead and fired the fatal shot. It was an accident. The officer was summarily dismissed without due process within hours of the incident.
It's wash, rinse, repeat, baby. The gangbanger wasn't even stiff yet and the narrative went out across the community that one of their own had lost his life at the hands of the police. Shopping lists were promptly readied, masks were pulled up to conceal identities, no-justice no-peace placards left over from the George Floyd incident were hoisted, and they spread out across the city for the now usual aftermath of looting, rioting, and mayhem. Fanning the flames of racial division were the usual suspects of Black Lives Matter and, yes, the media.
I didn't care much for the fact that Trump didn't do more to enforce the law when this happened under his watch. He could have sent in the National Guard to protect the stores but deferred to the local forces on site. I expect Biden to fan the flames of social injustice for the benefit of his political party and that is precisely what he did when he came to the defense of the gangbanger without having all the facts. "Never let a good crisis go to waste," Rahm Emanuel once said. For once, I'd like to see these bastards rounded up and jailed for their looting and thieving ways. This has to stop. Enough is enough.
None of it would have happened had the proper resources been requisitioned and put in place before nightfall. Personnel with the proper armaments should have been placed in and around businesses within the city limits in order to deter those criminal elements looking to wreak havoc upon their places of businesses. Police departments should have had a zero tolerance policy in place yet most forces were told to stand down. Maybe it's their way of offering reparations to their mostly minority constituencies. If the local businesses have to pony up a flatscreen television or more to quell the flames of a riotous mob, so be it.
If people want to take to the streets to express their feelings one way or another then that's great. That is the American way, after all. We support and applaud those who follow the rules and who want to make things better for themselves and their community. What we don't and can't condone is the utter destruction and criminality that takes place under the guise of social justice. It has nothing to do with social justice yet communities continue to tolerate it and even look the other way when it's convenient to do so. These are dangerous precedents and it's hard to see how they end well. But end they must. Without law and order, we have no country. Period.
Evan is still on the fence when it comes to the vaccines. In other words, he doesn't have strong feelings one way or another about getting the shot. He says that he doesn't want to get sick so there's that. Who does, right? Does he have co-morbidities that would make matters worse for him should he contract the virus? I'm not so sure. He has a lot of years ahead of him so he can probably take his chances with not getting the jab and just see how that works out for him. If he does get it, he'll probably be just fine. That's kind of where he is right now.
He came by yesterday afternoon to join us for dinner that we ordered from Community Roots. We never know quite what to expect when we order something from CR but we've been pleasantly surprised for the most part. This time around, we ordered stir fry for the family meal of the week. It came with a quart sized container of fried rice and it was really quite good. I don't know why but I was expecting it to be, at a minimum, warm when I picked it up. It was stone cold.
It doesn't help that they never include instructions on how to reheat it, warm it up, anything of the kind. The chef is long gone by the time we stop by to pick up the meal so we're left with a hapless clerk who knows nothing from nothing about how to get from point A to point B when we get home with our take-out. She said something about throwing it in a pan to warm it up and I'm thinking to myself that it kind of defeats the purpose of a take-out meal if I have to dirty pots and pans in the process. It just doesn't cut the mustard.
Evan liked it just fine so I was happy about that. He made himself a nice dish and commented after the fact that maybe he had made a dish a bit too large because he just couldn't eat it all. I worry a lot about his eating right so you can imagine that I was delighted to see him eating something that resembled a real meal. I know, I know. It was a take-out meal but certainly a cut above that which he might have had at McDonalds or some other similar type of place. He didn't hang around long and he was out the door before his mom was done working for the day.
We sent him away, as we usually do, with a number of things from the fridge. Knowing as I do how he is not inclined to go shopping when he needs things, I pick up a few extra things when I go shopping that I know he'll take away with him when he visits. I'm talking about things like milk, maybe a bottle of cold brew, a container or two of tomato sauce, and a few cans of this and that that I think he might find useful. If we can get it all into one bag, all the better. He lives close enough that we don't need to worry about cold things getting warm and going bad by the time he reaches home.
The missus and I have been watching this program on the telly called "The Great Canadian Baking show." They put a dozen or so contestants from various backgrounds under a large tent and task them with making any number of baked goods ranging from pretzels to Linzer cookies. I'm not sure what qualifications are required but suffice it to say all of the contestants come with a baking background of sorts that puts them in a class all their own. In other words, these bakers are a cut above. Not professional bakers, mind you, but a cut above nonetheless. The artistry on display is quite amazing and it's just a fun show to watch.
I have zero baking experience so I can't really relate to anything they're doing but I can relate to the occasional angst and ultimate satisfaction that one gets from cooking from scratch. It is true that any number of people can follow the same recipe and get very different results. Maybe that is what makes it so interesting. Some people have more flair than others when it comes to decorating and that has to count for something. One challenge the contestants had was to create a family centerpiece for their dining table. I'm thinking to myself, what the hell is that? This is supposed to be edible too? Think "gingerbread men and women seated in gingerbread chairs and living in gingerbread houses."
The contestants are an interesting cross section of people representing the great country of Canada. I don't know if it was intentional or not but it sure seems that the producers of the show went out of their way to make sure that, at least on its face, the contestants were both multicultural and diverse. Throw in a couple of illegal aliens from Nigeria and you have yourself a real melting pot. This is Trudeau's Canada for better or worse. As long as the judges keep their biases to themselves the show will continue on its merry way. So far, so good.
The governor hereabouts has now lifted the mask mandate in our state. I don't think it matters much since each town is entitled to do their own thing. I'm guessing it won't mean that I can walk into any one or more of the stores in town without a mask so don't expect to see me jumping up and down anytime soon. It may well be one more arrow in the quiver of getting back to what we think of as normal though so there's that. It might also be an admission that they think we're on the right track as far as hospitalizations, therapeutics, and jabs are concerned. It's all good.
I was telling the missus that we ought to be popping into town to see if we can't find one or more examples of the kinds of treats we watched them concoct on the Great Canadian Baking Show. We've never even heard of some of the confections they put together and we didn't get any closer to recognizing them when they were set before the judges for a final verdict. We have a couple of really good bakeries in town where they may well have some of these puppies on display. It's worth our time to take a look. I'll settle for a cannoli if nothing else. It will be my first. Anything with a creme filling, quite frankly, will have my full and undivided attention.
The missus will be heading into the city over this coming weekend to work with an old boss of hers. I know he's partial to carrot cake so I may insist that Nancy take something down from our visit to the bakery. A slice of the cake is probably more appealing to the eye so I might prefer that but a muffin will do in a pinch. I'll tell her to tell him that it's from me so she won't have to explain herself one way or another. He and his wife have been good about sending her home plenty of times with a small satchel of oatmeal cookies for me so I'll just look at this as returning the favor as it were.
It's raining cats and dogs outside. A few degrees colder and we'd be getting snow. It will be a good day to hunker down here at home. I'm not expecting that the weather will be improving over the course of the day so we'll have to plan ahead. Maybe I'll ask the missus make a nice lentil soup for dinner. Then again, a nice hot veggie pizza sounds good too. Oh, and why not pop over to see Mrs G while we're at it? She has a few computer questions that she could use our help with so we can work through whatever issues she has. It always annoys me to think that she frustrates herself to no end trying to work through something when we're just a phone call or a short drive away. Don't do that!
Fast forwarding just a tad here, Mrs G and her computer issues were imminently solvable. We need to work a little more on increasing fonts and other things on her desktop that will make her computing experience less of a chore. You should see the magnifying glass she has sitting next to her computer. I'm thinking to myself, why doesn't she put on a pair of glasses that gives her the extra magnification that she needs. The missus thinks that it might have something to do with the fact that she's already maxed out on her eyewear. The nice thing about Macs is that they provide for these types of scenarios. You just need to figure out how to do it.
I'm giving myself a bit of a dope slap this morning. The Ev man and I worked out the free year's worth of Apple TV that we can both enjoy using the family share feature on the Mac. They have the same offer for Apple Music albeit only for six months. We were going back and forth with Mrs G yesterday between trying to get Pandora to work and looking at music in YouTube and we were getting nowhere particularly fast. Had I had my wits about me I would have gotten her up and running with the 6 months of free Apple Music. Dang!
Might there be information available that could serve as a useful deterrent for one or more classes of people but which is otherwise being kept under wraps so as not to "poison" the current narratives being pedaled by the government and their minions in the media? If nothing else, the continual shifting of the narratives is troubling if not dizzying. Early on, children were not at risk in the least and now they tell us that we can never reach herd immunity without immunizing everyone from the newborns to the elderly. It's just poppycock I tell you.
I get it. They don't know how long the jab will protect you so they're putting it out there that you might need a "booster" after six months. Whaaaat? Herd immunity only lasts six months? And "booster" sounds so much better than just getting a second shot. It almost sounds whimsical and a little bit reassuring and that is precisely the language that they're hoping will have everyone lining up for their 3rd, 4th, and god only knows how many shots annually, bi-annually, or whatever. Can we get back to the Marines thing for a minute?
Our soldiers get vaccinated against everything under the sun in anticipation of being sent to hell holes, or shit holes as Trump calls them, around the world. I'm guessing those shots are required. In the armed services, you do what you're told. If you're told to get a shot of this or that, you get your ass down to the infirmary and you roll up your fucking sleeves. I'm not sure why the vaccines here in the case of Covid-19 aren't required by the brass.
The vaccines are not otherwise mandated by local or federal governments so that aligns with what we're seeing when it comes to the Marines. That could change if Sleepy Joe Biden decides that he wants it to change. I don't think he has the authority to expand that mandate to the general public but it wouldn't surprise me to see him float it in the media to see if it can gets any traction. It's likely to die a slow and painful death much like the idea of vaccine passports which went absolutely nowhere.
Here we go again. The police in Minnestoa pull over a 20 year old gangbanger for a violation of sorts. The police proceed to pull him from his car and place him in handcuffs based on existing department protocols. One thing lead to another and the next thing we know the gangbanger is dead from a single gun shot to the abdomen. The officer, thinking that she was drawing her taser, drew her service weapon instead and fired the fatal shot. It was an accident. The officer was summarily dismissed without due process within hours of the incident.
It's wash, rinse, repeat, baby. The gangbanger wasn't even stiff yet and the narrative went out across the community that one of their own had lost his life at the hands of the police. Shopping lists were promptly readied, masks were pulled up to conceal identities, no-justice no-peace placards left over from the George Floyd incident were hoisted, and they spread out across the city for the now usual aftermath of looting, rioting, and mayhem. Fanning the flames of racial division were the usual suspects of Black Lives Matter and, yes, the media.
I didn't care much for the fact that Trump didn't do more to enforce the law when this happened under his watch. He could have sent in the National Guard to protect the stores but deferred to the local forces on site. I expect Biden to fan the flames of social injustice for the benefit of his political party and that is precisely what he did when he came to the defense of the gangbanger without having all the facts. "Never let a good crisis go to waste," Rahm Emanuel once said. For once, I'd like to see these bastards rounded up and jailed for their looting and thieving ways. This has to stop. Enough is enough.
None of it would have happened had the proper resources been requisitioned and put in place before nightfall. Personnel with the proper armaments should have been placed in and around businesses within the city limits in order to deter those criminal elements looking to wreak havoc upon their places of businesses. Police departments should have had a zero tolerance policy in place yet most forces were told to stand down. Maybe it's their way of offering reparations to their mostly minority constituencies. If the local businesses have to pony up a flatscreen television or more to quell the flames of a riotous mob, so be it.
If people want to take to the streets to express their feelings one way or another then that's great. That is the American way, after all. We support and applaud those who follow the rules and who want to make things better for themselves and their community. What we don't and can't condone is the utter destruction and criminality that takes place under the guise of social justice. It has nothing to do with social justice yet communities continue to tolerate it and even look the other way when it's convenient to do so. These are dangerous precedents and it's hard to see how they end well. But end they must. Without law and order, we have no country. Period.
Evan is still on the fence when it comes to the vaccines. In other words, he doesn't have strong feelings one way or another about getting the shot. He says that he doesn't want to get sick so there's that. Who does, right? Does he have co-morbidities that would make matters worse for him should he contract the virus? I'm not so sure. He has a lot of years ahead of him so he can probably take his chances with not getting the jab and just see how that works out for him. If he does get it, he'll probably be just fine. That's kind of where he is right now.
He came by yesterday afternoon to join us for dinner that we ordered from Community Roots. We never know quite what to expect when we order something from CR but we've been pleasantly surprised for the most part. This time around, we ordered stir fry for the family meal of the week. It came with a quart sized container of fried rice and it was really quite good. I don't know why but I was expecting it to be, at a minimum, warm when I picked it up. It was stone cold.
It doesn't help that they never include instructions on how to reheat it, warm it up, anything of the kind. The chef is long gone by the time we stop by to pick up the meal so we're left with a hapless clerk who knows nothing from nothing about how to get from point A to point B when we get home with our take-out. She said something about throwing it in a pan to warm it up and I'm thinking to myself that it kind of defeats the purpose of a take-out meal if I have to dirty pots and pans in the process. It just doesn't cut the mustard.
Evan liked it just fine so I was happy about that. He made himself a nice dish and commented after the fact that maybe he had made a dish a bit too large because he just couldn't eat it all. I worry a lot about his eating right so you can imagine that I was delighted to see him eating something that resembled a real meal. I know, I know. It was a take-out meal but certainly a cut above that which he might have had at McDonalds or some other similar type of place. He didn't hang around long and he was out the door before his mom was done working for the day.
We sent him away, as we usually do, with a number of things from the fridge. Knowing as I do how he is not inclined to go shopping when he needs things, I pick up a few extra things when I go shopping that I know he'll take away with him when he visits. I'm talking about things like milk, maybe a bottle of cold brew, a container or two of tomato sauce, and a few cans of this and that that I think he might find useful. If we can get it all into one bag, all the better. He lives close enough that we don't need to worry about cold things getting warm and going bad by the time he reaches home.
The missus and I have been watching this program on the telly called "The Great Canadian Baking show." They put a dozen or so contestants from various backgrounds under a large tent and task them with making any number of baked goods ranging from pretzels to Linzer cookies. I'm not sure what qualifications are required but suffice it to say all of the contestants come with a baking background of sorts that puts them in a class all their own. In other words, these bakers are a cut above. Not professional bakers, mind you, but a cut above nonetheless. The artistry on display is quite amazing and it's just a fun show to watch.
I have zero baking experience so I can't really relate to anything they're doing but I can relate to the occasional angst and ultimate satisfaction that one gets from cooking from scratch. It is true that any number of people can follow the same recipe and get very different results. Maybe that is what makes it so interesting. Some people have more flair than others when it comes to decorating and that has to count for something. One challenge the contestants had was to create a family centerpiece for their dining table. I'm thinking to myself, what the hell is that? This is supposed to be edible too? Think "gingerbread men and women seated in gingerbread chairs and living in gingerbread houses."
The contestants are an interesting cross section of people representing the great country of Canada. I don't know if it was intentional or not but it sure seems that the producers of the show went out of their way to make sure that, at least on its face, the contestants were both multicultural and diverse. Throw in a couple of illegal aliens from Nigeria and you have yourself a real melting pot. This is Trudeau's Canada for better or worse. As long as the judges keep their biases to themselves the show will continue on its merry way. So far, so good.
The governor hereabouts has now lifted the mask mandate in our state. I don't think it matters much since each town is entitled to do their own thing. I'm guessing it won't mean that I can walk into any one or more of the stores in town without a mask so don't expect to see me jumping up and down anytime soon. It may well be one more arrow in the quiver of getting back to what we think of as normal though so there's that. It might also be an admission that they think we're on the right track as far as hospitalizations, therapeutics, and jabs are concerned. It's all good.
I was telling the missus that we ought to be popping into town to see if we can't find one or more examples of the kinds of treats we watched them concoct on the Great Canadian Baking Show. We've never even heard of some of the confections they put together and we didn't get any closer to recognizing them when they were set before the judges for a final verdict. We have a couple of really good bakeries in town where they may well have some of these puppies on display. It's worth our time to take a look. I'll settle for a cannoli if nothing else. It will be my first. Anything with a creme filling, quite frankly, will have my full and undivided attention.
The missus will be heading into the city over this coming weekend to work with an old boss of hers. I know he's partial to carrot cake so I may insist that Nancy take something down from our visit to the bakery. A slice of the cake is probably more appealing to the eye so I might prefer that but a muffin will do in a pinch. I'll tell her to tell him that it's from me so she won't have to explain herself one way or another. He and his wife have been good about sending her home plenty of times with a small satchel of oatmeal cookies for me so I'll just look at this as returning the favor as it were.
It's raining cats and dogs outside. A few degrees colder and we'd be getting snow. It will be a good day to hunker down here at home. I'm not expecting that the weather will be improving over the course of the day so we'll have to plan ahead. Maybe I'll ask the missus make a nice lentil soup for dinner. Then again, a nice hot veggie pizza sounds good too. Oh, and why not pop over to see Mrs G while we're at it? She has a few computer questions that she could use our help with so we can work through whatever issues she has. It always annoys me to think that she frustrates herself to no end trying to work through something when we're just a phone call or a short drive away. Don't do that!
Fast forwarding just a tad here, Mrs G and her computer issues were imminently solvable. We need to work a little more on increasing fonts and other things on her desktop that will make her computing experience less of a chore. You should see the magnifying glass she has sitting next to her computer. I'm thinking to myself, why doesn't she put on a pair of glasses that gives her the extra magnification that she needs. The missus thinks that it might have something to do with the fact that she's already maxed out on her eyewear. The nice thing about Macs is that they provide for these types of scenarios. You just need to figure out how to do it.
I'm giving myself a bit of a dope slap this morning. The Ev man and I worked out the free year's worth of Apple TV that we can both enjoy using the family share feature on the Mac. They have the same offer for Apple Music albeit only for six months. We were going back and forth with Mrs G yesterday between trying to get Pandora to work and looking at music in YouTube and we were getting nowhere particularly fast. Had I had my wits about me I would have gotten her up and running with the 6 months of free Apple Music. Dang!
Now They Tell Us
11/04/21 07:29
I need to get this party started. I don't have a lot to say this morning but that could change over the course of the week. Maybe with a few more sips of coffee and the right music I can gin up the right mindset to launch a cluster fuck of sorts. Sometimes it's just more of the same but I never sit down with that being the end game. Moving the pieces around on the board of life makes it more interesting if it's interesting at all so I just have to keep putting one keystroke after another on this here new keyboard of mine. It's not going to type itself.
Maybe my lack of direction this morning has something to do with the fact that I have no plans to do anything today. I keep telling myself that if I take a portion of the lawn and do a little raking here and there that I can have it all done sooner rather than later. It's mindless work but I'm not sure that qualifies as a real complaint. You know, the kind of complaint that gives one pissing and moaning rights.
Like any other man in my situation, I take a certain satisfaction in a job well done so there's that. A repaired fence, a raked lawn, a spruced look here and there, a swept garage, it's all meaningful and at the same time, alas, meaningless. I know I'll feel better if I'm getting about and keeping busy so an agenda that includes going from point A to point B is an agenda worthy of my consideration. These highfalutin ideas come to mind so easily that's it's hard to imagine not getting one or more of them done in the course of the day. Don't you just love that word, "highfalutin"?
I'm getting better at pacing myself over the course of the week when getting this blog done so I feel good about that. I want to be ready to pull the plug by the time Saturday or Sunday rolls around and the only way I get there is to start early in the week so that I'm not short by one or more paragraphs when it's time to go. So here I am on a Tuesday raring and ready to go. I take a day off from writing the day after I post the blog just to let it all settle and consolidate whatever that means. I guess that is just what works for me. Just saying.
The missus and I watched this show on Netflix called "Serpent." It was one of those shows that had you wanting to wash your hands after watching it. It had a sleazy feel to it but you latched on to the storyline until you found yourself binge watching it from beginning to end. Well, until you fell asleep while trying to stay awake watching it with one eye open, that is.
It didn't help that the main character was fashioned after a real life con man and a serial killer who drugged and murdered hippies across the continent of Asia back in the seventies. Most of us will never meet people like this in the course of our lives so maybe there is a word of caution in there somewhere for parents whose children want to take the road less traveled. Suffice it to say that there are some bad people out there. It's the reason we lock our doors at night. It's the reason we roll up our car windows when going through the inner city.
It was only through the dogged determination of one Herman Knippenburg, a Dutch diplomat working and living in Bangkok, whom we come to know and love as "Cloggy", that this criminal ever sees the inside of a court room. When he begins to painstakingly piece together the patchwork of lives lost at the hands of this serial killer, much to the chagrin of the ambassador to whom he reports at the embassy, the local and global constabulary begins to take notice albeit slowly. There is plenty to cheer about in this drama that takes us back in time but it doesn't come easily or quickly. It's hard to imagine that the mind twisting timelines in this flick are intentional.
The missus has been talking quite a bit lately about the art heist that took place at the Isabella Gardner Museum in Boston several decades ago. We visited the museum maybe a small handful of times back in the day so we have somewhat of a connection to the area and, perhaps more intimately, the scene of the crime.
I'm not a big art heist guy so I did my best to humor the missus while she went on and on about whatever it was that she was reading. I see this morning that Netflix is releasing a show about this very thing. It has to be more effective than putting pictures of the stolen artwork on the backs of milk cartons so we'll see. Yes, we'll be giving it a watch.
What I don't know is whether or not her reading material at the time was an advance tickler of sorts that this show was coming down the pike. I usually make a mental note of such things and nothing rings a bell here. Will she be delighted to hear that it has finally arrived when I bring it to her attention or will she react with a dismissive ho-hum I told you so?
Aside from her preoccupation with the classics, I'm not sure why she finds this crime as interesting and maybe even as fascinating as it is. You know these paintings are probably hanging in a private gallery somewhere. Right? In the right circles, it's probably a standing joke, hiding in plain site as it were.
I want to see the 3-part series on Hemingway just released on PBS. I have no particular interest in Hemingway himself although he is something of a cult figure in the annals of 20th century literature. He is always portrayed in the media as a hard living man with a penchant for the bottle and a weakness for racy women. A real life rogue and a man's man, truth be told.
We've been to Key West, Fla. where his home is open to the public. We looked at the typewriter where he probably banged out some of his better novels like "The Old Man and The Sea." The decor in the two story home was just as he left it upon his departure from this life in 1961. It was easy to imagine him walking out his door and stumbling down the street to the local bar where he was likely a nightly fixture. I can hear the bartender now. The usual, Mr Hemingway?
We placed the order for Ev's new computer and monitor yesterday afternoon. He's pretty excited about it all and they deliver things so quickly these days that he'll likely see his new equipment within a couple of days. It's all plug and play for the most part. He won't be needing any hand holding to get it all set up although I'll need to warn him about the need for a wired mouse because his new Mac will not recognize a Bluetooth mouse right out of the box. I learned that the hard way when I set up Mrs G's new Mac.
We talked a little bit about buying a Mac vs PC since he's primarily a gamer and getting a Mac may not be the best decision. Maybe he can get something with a little more juice for a lot less money if he goes the PC route. He rejected that idea right off. "I'm more familiar with the Mac", he said. I guess you have to go with your gut sometimes and if your gut is saying get what you're comfortable with then that's what you do. I'm less familiar with PC's as well but I was willing to have a look at them if he was open to it. He wasn't so that was that.
The only concern the missus had was that the computer was scheduled to be delivered to our home on a day when we thought we might get away for the day. We thought it was just safer all around to have the equipment come here rather than sit on the doorstep at his apartment building where god only knows what could have happened to it.
There's an easy solution to that problem, my little darlings. The missus and I will go our way and the Ev man can sit around the house and wait for the delivery man. Not sure how much traction that idea is getting as I sit here on the eve of the delivery.
I like the idea that his game of choice will play natively on his new Mac. He'll see improved graphics and a better experience all around I suspect. The jury is still out on his new monitor. It seemed like a good choice given the price point between quality and performance so we'll have to see how that works out. You can spend thousands on a good monitor but he doesn't have thousands nor would he probably want to spend that much even if he did have it. It's 4K so that's a good start. Refresh rates were a consideration but maybe to a lesser extent.
The missus thought that we might want to go take a look at monitors to see if something didn't catch our fancy. More relevant are the specs and reviews you can find online about these sorts of things so heading to the nearest Best Buy seemed like a non-starter. You never know if someone has ramped up the contrast or maybe tampered with other settings on the monitors in the store just to make them look better to one or more unsuspecting consumers. The same is probably true of reviews you find online. Companies can often get a leg up by posting bad reviews online about their competition's products. How else do you explain one 5-star review only to see the next review in line that is sheer shit?
The missus was complaining that this new keyboard was putting a period at the end of everything when you weren't at the end of a sentence. I changed something in preferences/keyboard and I think I fixed it. Don't get me wrong, it was annoying me as well. I thought my typing was maybe not up to snuff or maybe it was something about this new keyboard that rendered it sucky. It's good to know that none of those things are true. I'll spend less time correcting my typing from here on in and more time putting stuff down on paper that is maybe a little meandering and most assuredly quite meaningless.
Sleepy Joe Biden was on his soapbox yesterday babbling on and on about taking away this gun right and that gun right. Oh, and he said something about the fact that just because it was in the Constitution that that didn't make it absolute. He's lost his fucking mind. Good ole Joey and his executive orders. He'll not get one of these new gun thingies through Congress or the Courts and he shouldn't be surprised to see one or more states sue the shite out of him for his sheer stupidity in coming up with these leftist ideas about taking away everyone's guns. Ain't happening, Joey.
Today is Ev's big day. He'll be getting everything he ordered online and he'll be stopping by to pick it all up here at our house. I'll want to bag up a few thing for him like a spare wired keyboard and mouse and maybe a power strip. He'll need all these things when he sets up his new computer at a his place today or tomorrow. I'll want to suggest to him that he take a folding chair from our house since he has no chair as yet to go with his new desk. I thought we might have nailed down a few of these things before today but you can only go as fast as he is willing, wanting, or able to go. I can't do it for him. He has to do it for himself.
I should bag it all up now so I don't forget to send him off with everything I think he'll need to get up and running. I don't think he'll ask for me to lend a hand in getting it all done but one never knows. I'm available if he asks. Part of me wants to see him go it alone so he can learn from his mistakes. It's not his first Mac so I think he gets all of that. Besides, he'll want to put it together from the ground up in the event I get hit by a bus and he has nobody to turn to in the event something goes south on him in the future. Everyone needs a plan B.
Yesterday turned out to be just a cluster. I began the day with a shopping list of things I wanted to pick up at the store that I needed to make dinner. We ended up ordering a take-out vegetarian pizza for dinner a little after 6:30 so that should tell you something about how our day went. I missed making salads for lunch and we were left to our own devices to fill in the blanks and that is never a good thing.
Our early afternoon coffee hour came and went and we went without for whatever reason. We lounged around way too long and way too hard and the day just frittered away without us. Eating chocolate just after the noon hour sent us into a sweet but sinister downward spiral. We need to do better today. God willing.
We thought we knew what we needed to know about the virus in terms of how it spread, etc. We were told in no uncertain terms that the virus remained viable on surfaces for x number of minutes or, worse yet, hours. You just didn't know what you could and could not touch anymore without getting infected and dying a miserable intubated death inside the halls of a crowded ICU without your loved ones at your side. I was wearing gloves here, there, and everywhere for chrissakes and I wasn't the only one. You couldn't find a pair of elastic gloves to buy if your life depended on it and we are all convinced that our lives did, in fact, depend on it.
I remember going to the grocery store and not wanting to pick up a piece of fruit or a vegetable that may have been handled by someone else before me. How many times have you picked up a nice head of lettuce only to return it to the shelf after having second thoughts about its true heft?
Its very lightness told you everything you needed to know about what you might find once you get it home and start to peel back the outer leaves. Who doesn't pick up fruits and vegetables from the bin and give then a turn or two to see if there isn't a blemish that might well render them less attractive or not worthy of the asking price?
People spent half their fucking lives cleaning things with every damn disinfectant under the sun so as to make the virus less transmissible. You couldn't find a container of Clorox wipes a week into this pandemic and it was just getting started. We have four containers in our garage here at home which I was lucky to put my hands on but which I've never actual used for anything. I can't stand the smell of the cleaner and when it comes to hand sanitizers, I find them just as odious. You can't get the stench off your hands no matter how hard you try. I just never used the stuff.
Where am I going with all of this? Well, now they're telling us that the virus doesn't really represent a threat anymore when it ends up on surfaces. I've not read all of the qualifiers attached to these new findings but it just makes me sick that we've endured all of this bullshit for the better part of a year now and they're just figuring this out?
Never mind, is what they're now telling us. Forget everything we said about viruses staying viable for up to 24 hours on surfaces. Man, they had it down to microseconds (slight exaggeration). If the surface was plastic, it was this many minutes. If the surface was metal, it was that many minutes. And now, never mind. Bastards.
The missus was quite emphatic. "Once we're past the two weeks after we've had out second shots, we can go shopping at Whole Foods." She said it like she meant it and I believed her. As soon as she was up and about this morning I gave her a cheery "good morning" and asked about our trip to the store. "I'm not going into the store on a weekend", she said without missing a beat.
I can't say that I didn't see that coming but I didn't see that coming. Maybe I should have. I could go by myself but that wouldn't be any fun. Will it make her feel any better if I tell her that we don't need to worry about the viruses sticking to surfaces anymore? Probably not.
My fingers are starting to ache. Is it this new keyboard? Is it my callouses? You know, the callouses I've worked so hard to develop so I can play the guitar without wincing? I'm not sure but it's starting to irritate me. If it's this keyboard, I am not going to be happy camper. I'll have to put back my old and funky Apple keyboard and see if it makes a difference. Just one more thing to think about today.
Maybe my lack of direction this morning has something to do with the fact that I have no plans to do anything today. I keep telling myself that if I take a portion of the lawn and do a little raking here and there that I can have it all done sooner rather than later. It's mindless work but I'm not sure that qualifies as a real complaint. You know, the kind of complaint that gives one pissing and moaning rights.
Like any other man in my situation, I take a certain satisfaction in a job well done so there's that. A repaired fence, a raked lawn, a spruced look here and there, a swept garage, it's all meaningful and at the same time, alas, meaningless. I know I'll feel better if I'm getting about and keeping busy so an agenda that includes going from point A to point B is an agenda worthy of my consideration. These highfalutin ideas come to mind so easily that's it's hard to imagine not getting one or more of them done in the course of the day. Don't you just love that word, "highfalutin"?
I'm getting better at pacing myself over the course of the week when getting this blog done so I feel good about that. I want to be ready to pull the plug by the time Saturday or Sunday rolls around and the only way I get there is to start early in the week so that I'm not short by one or more paragraphs when it's time to go. So here I am on a Tuesday raring and ready to go. I take a day off from writing the day after I post the blog just to let it all settle and consolidate whatever that means. I guess that is just what works for me. Just saying.
The missus and I watched this show on Netflix called "Serpent." It was one of those shows that had you wanting to wash your hands after watching it. It had a sleazy feel to it but you latched on to the storyline until you found yourself binge watching it from beginning to end. Well, until you fell asleep while trying to stay awake watching it with one eye open, that is.
It didn't help that the main character was fashioned after a real life con man and a serial killer who drugged and murdered hippies across the continent of Asia back in the seventies. Most of us will never meet people like this in the course of our lives so maybe there is a word of caution in there somewhere for parents whose children want to take the road less traveled. Suffice it to say that there are some bad people out there. It's the reason we lock our doors at night. It's the reason we roll up our car windows when going through the inner city.
It was only through the dogged determination of one Herman Knippenburg, a Dutch diplomat working and living in Bangkok, whom we come to know and love as "Cloggy", that this criminal ever sees the inside of a court room. When he begins to painstakingly piece together the patchwork of lives lost at the hands of this serial killer, much to the chagrin of the ambassador to whom he reports at the embassy, the local and global constabulary begins to take notice albeit slowly. There is plenty to cheer about in this drama that takes us back in time but it doesn't come easily or quickly. It's hard to imagine that the mind twisting timelines in this flick are intentional.
The missus has been talking quite a bit lately about the art heist that took place at the Isabella Gardner Museum in Boston several decades ago. We visited the museum maybe a small handful of times back in the day so we have somewhat of a connection to the area and, perhaps more intimately, the scene of the crime.
I'm not a big art heist guy so I did my best to humor the missus while she went on and on about whatever it was that she was reading. I see this morning that Netflix is releasing a show about this very thing. It has to be more effective than putting pictures of the stolen artwork on the backs of milk cartons so we'll see. Yes, we'll be giving it a watch.
What I don't know is whether or not her reading material at the time was an advance tickler of sorts that this show was coming down the pike. I usually make a mental note of such things and nothing rings a bell here. Will she be delighted to hear that it has finally arrived when I bring it to her attention or will she react with a dismissive ho-hum I told you so?
Aside from her preoccupation with the classics, I'm not sure why she finds this crime as interesting and maybe even as fascinating as it is. You know these paintings are probably hanging in a private gallery somewhere. Right? In the right circles, it's probably a standing joke, hiding in plain site as it were.
I want to see the 3-part series on Hemingway just released on PBS. I have no particular interest in Hemingway himself although he is something of a cult figure in the annals of 20th century literature. He is always portrayed in the media as a hard living man with a penchant for the bottle and a weakness for racy women. A real life rogue and a man's man, truth be told.
We've been to Key West, Fla. where his home is open to the public. We looked at the typewriter where he probably banged out some of his better novels like "The Old Man and The Sea." The decor in the two story home was just as he left it upon his departure from this life in 1961. It was easy to imagine him walking out his door and stumbling down the street to the local bar where he was likely a nightly fixture. I can hear the bartender now. The usual, Mr Hemingway?
We placed the order for Ev's new computer and monitor yesterday afternoon. He's pretty excited about it all and they deliver things so quickly these days that he'll likely see his new equipment within a couple of days. It's all plug and play for the most part. He won't be needing any hand holding to get it all set up although I'll need to warn him about the need for a wired mouse because his new Mac will not recognize a Bluetooth mouse right out of the box. I learned that the hard way when I set up Mrs G's new Mac.
We talked a little bit about buying a Mac vs PC since he's primarily a gamer and getting a Mac may not be the best decision. Maybe he can get something with a little more juice for a lot less money if he goes the PC route. He rejected that idea right off. "I'm more familiar with the Mac", he said. I guess you have to go with your gut sometimes and if your gut is saying get what you're comfortable with then that's what you do. I'm less familiar with PC's as well but I was willing to have a look at them if he was open to it. He wasn't so that was that.
The only concern the missus had was that the computer was scheduled to be delivered to our home on a day when we thought we might get away for the day. We thought it was just safer all around to have the equipment come here rather than sit on the doorstep at his apartment building where god only knows what could have happened to it.
There's an easy solution to that problem, my little darlings. The missus and I will go our way and the Ev man can sit around the house and wait for the delivery man. Not sure how much traction that idea is getting as I sit here on the eve of the delivery.
I like the idea that his game of choice will play natively on his new Mac. He'll see improved graphics and a better experience all around I suspect. The jury is still out on his new monitor. It seemed like a good choice given the price point between quality and performance so we'll have to see how that works out. You can spend thousands on a good monitor but he doesn't have thousands nor would he probably want to spend that much even if he did have it. It's 4K so that's a good start. Refresh rates were a consideration but maybe to a lesser extent.
The missus thought that we might want to go take a look at monitors to see if something didn't catch our fancy. More relevant are the specs and reviews you can find online about these sorts of things so heading to the nearest Best Buy seemed like a non-starter. You never know if someone has ramped up the contrast or maybe tampered with other settings on the monitors in the store just to make them look better to one or more unsuspecting consumers. The same is probably true of reviews you find online. Companies can often get a leg up by posting bad reviews online about their competition's products. How else do you explain one 5-star review only to see the next review in line that is sheer shit?
The missus was complaining that this new keyboard was putting a period at the end of everything when you weren't at the end of a sentence. I changed something in preferences/keyboard and I think I fixed it. Don't get me wrong, it was annoying me as well. I thought my typing was maybe not up to snuff or maybe it was something about this new keyboard that rendered it sucky. It's good to know that none of those things are true. I'll spend less time correcting my typing from here on in and more time putting stuff down on paper that is maybe a little meandering and most assuredly quite meaningless.
Sleepy Joe Biden was on his soapbox yesterday babbling on and on about taking away this gun right and that gun right. Oh, and he said something about the fact that just because it was in the Constitution that that didn't make it absolute. He's lost his fucking mind. Good ole Joey and his executive orders. He'll not get one of these new gun thingies through Congress or the Courts and he shouldn't be surprised to see one or more states sue the shite out of him for his sheer stupidity in coming up with these leftist ideas about taking away everyone's guns. Ain't happening, Joey.
Today is Ev's big day. He'll be getting everything he ordered online and he'll be stopping by to pick it all up here at our house. I'll want to bag up a few thing for him like a spare wired keyboard and mouse and maybe a power strip. He'll need all these things when he sets up his new computer at a his place today or tomorrow. I'll want to suggest to him that he take a folding chair from our house since he has no chair as yet to go with his new desk. I thought we might have nailed down a few of these things before today but you can only go as fast as he is willing, wanting, or able to go. I can't do it for him. He has to do it for himself.
I should bag it all up now so I don't forget to send him off with everything I think he'll need to get up and running. I don't think he'll ask for me to lend a hand in getting it all done but one never knows. I'm available if he asks. Part of me wants to see him go it alone so he can learn from his mistakes. It's not his first Mac so I think he gets all of that. Besides, he'll want to put it together from the ground up in the event I get hit by a bus and he has nobody to turn to in the event something goes south on him in the future. Everyone needs a plan B.
Yesterday turned out to be just a cluster. I began the day with a shopping list of things I wanted to pick up at the store that I needed to make dinner. We ended up ordering a take-out vegetarian pizza for dinner a little after 6:30 so that should tell you something about how our day went. I missed making salads for lunch and we were left to our own devices to fill in the blanks and that is never a good thing.
Our early afternoon coffee hour came and went and we went without for whatever reason. We lounged around way too long and way too hard and the day just frittered away without us. Eating chocolate just after the noon hour sent us into a sweet but sinister downward spiral. We need to do better today. God willing.
We thought we knew what we needed to know about the virus in terms of how it spread, etc. We were told in no uncertain terms that the virus remained viable on surfaces for x number of minutes or, worse yet, hours. You just didn't know what you could and could not touch anymore without getting infected and dying a miserable intubated death inside the halls of a crowded ICU without your loved ones at your side. I was wearing gloves here, there, and everywhere for chrissakes and I wasn't the only one. You couldn't find a pair of elastic gloves to buy if your life depended on it and we are all convinced that our lives did, in fact, depend on it.
I remember going to the grocery store and not wanting to pick up a piece of fruit or a vegetable that may have been handled by someone else before me. How many times have you picked up a nice head of lettuce only to return it to the shelf after having second thoughts about its true heft?
Its very lightness told you everything you needed to know about what you might find once you get it home and start to peel back the outer leaves. Who doesn't pick up fruits and vegetables from the bin and give then a turn or two to see if there isn't a blemish that might well render them less attractive or not worthy of the asking price?
People spent half their fucking lives cleaning things with every damn disinfectant under the sun so as to make the virus less transmissible. You couldn't find a container of Clorox wipes a week into this pandemic and it was just getting started. We have four containers in our garage here at home which I was lucky to put my hands on but which I've never actual used for anything. I can't stand the smell of the cleaner and when it comes to hand sanitizers, I find them just as odious. You can't get the stench off your hands no matter how hard you try. I just never used the stuff.
Where am I going with all of this? Well, now they're telling us that the virus doesn't really represent a threat anymore when it ends up on surfaces. I've not read all of the qualifiers attached to these new findings but it just makes me sick that we've endured all of this bullshit for the better part of a year now and they're just figuring this out?
Never mind, is what they're now telling us. Forget everything we said about viruses staying viable for up to 24 hours on surfaces. Man, they had it down to microseconds (slight exaggeration). If the surface was plastic, it was this many minutes. If the surface was metal, it was that many minutes. And now, never mind. Bastards.
The missus was quite emphatic. "Once we're past the two weeks after we've had out second shots, we can go shopping at Whole Foods." She said it like she meant it and I believed her. As soon as she was up and about this morning I gave her a cheery "good morning" and asked about our trip to the store. "I'm not going into the store on a weekend", she said without missing a beat.
I can't say that I didn't see that coming but I didn't see that coming. Maybe I should have. I could go by myself but that wouldn't be any fun. Will it make her feel any better if I tell her that we don't need to worry about the viruses sticking to surfaces anymore? Probably not.
My fingers are starting to ache. Is it this new keyboard? Is it my callouses? You know, the callouses I've worked so hard to develop so I can play the guitar without wincing? I'm not sure but it's starting to irritate me. If it's this keyboard, I am not going to be happy camper. I'll have to put back my old and funky Apple keyboard and see if it makes a difference. Just one more thing to think about today.
Soap Boxes and Street Corners
04/04/21 06:42
I'm happy to have a new keyboard but it's a bit clickety-clackety if you know what I mean. It's not an Apple keyboard but it's not exactly a cheap knockoff. It just doesn't pay to go with anything that isn't Apple when everything else you have is Apple. Maybe it's the difference between driving a Kia and driving a Mercedes. Will I get used to it? I don't know. I don't want to have to get used to it truth be told. I need to be less impulsive when it comes to this sort of stuff. Just bite the damn bullet and get what I want. Do it right the first time, every time.
So Biden's CDC person comes on the telly yesterday and tells us all about how scared she is. She made some veiled reference about "impending doom" or some such nonsense. Here we go again with the panic porn. Maybe she's talking about the variants that are sweeping across Europe. Maybe she's referring to the hordes of illegal aliens coming across our southern border infecting everybody and everything in sight. If her words weren't scary enough, maybe the tears that she was choking back did the trick for you. And since when do CDC Directors go "off script"? Her words, not mine.
I've been saying right along that these reports about variants from across the pond are worrisome. The fact that we weren't seeing or hearing anything about them here was maybe a little odd knowing what we know about the track of the viral storm that swept across Europe last year and ended up on our shores after a week or two infecting and killing thousands upon thousands of people. I figured Biden and his minions were just trying to keep it all under wraps while taking a victory lap for something put in place by Trump.
Biden then steps up to the podium and pleads with Americans to wear their masks. He pleads with those governors who have done away with mask mandates to reimpose them without delay. Is there a doubt in anyone's mind that he intends to impose some kind of a national lockdown? They want to keep it all locked down so they can put their vote-by-mail scheme in place just in time to steal the 2022 elections to make sure that Republicans don't take back the House. What was it that he said in his pathetic news conference just a week ago? He didn't know if there was even going to be a Republican Party in 2024. What the fuck is he talking about?
The missus and I are fully vaccinated now so we're good to go. Well, almost. I think we're considered fully vaccinated some 9 days after our second shot and we're not quite there yet. And now I read this morning about this whole vaccination thing being a massive depopulation scheme. You can't make this stuff up. They're also trying to start some kind of vaccination passport thing where you have certain rights and privileges if you've been vaccinated and, if you haven't, not so much. It's all very big brother-ish if you ask me. I don't want to be in any damn database and I don't want to be asked for my vaccine passport every time I turn around to do something.
I have no ill will against those people who haven't been vaccinated. That's their business. I don't need to avoid them in my travels because I follow the science and the science says that I don't need to concern myself about such things if I've been vaccinated. You and I know that science is nothing more than what a bunch of people getting together in a room says it is. It's all about consensus. Even when there is consensus, you know the lot of them can still be wrong. Consider the flat-earthers back in the day. Consensus at the time said that if you went far enough out to sea that you'd fall off a cliff. We all know how that turned out.
Were it not for Nancy sticking her head in like a frightened turtle during this pandemic, I might well have opted not to get the vaccine. I was never worried about getting the virus and, if I were to get the virus, then I would simply tough it out like anyone else who contracted the damn thing. My chances of survival are pretty good given my age and the stats of my overall health, so why not take a chance? All that went out the window the minute the vaccine because available. Nancy never hesitated and I figured that I would do everything I could to encourage her to get vaccinated if it meant returning to what we affectionately, but reservedly, refer to these days as "normal."
Variants aside, I'm looking forward to getting back to the gym and maybe going out to restaurants again now that we've gotten the jab. I'm not sure what Nancy has in mind. Maybe going into L.L. Bean again? I get the feeling that I'm going to have to cajole her here and there to do things that she used to do before the pandemic came along. When I told her last night that I would now be entertaining the thought of going out to dinner, she sounded surprised. Why not, little darlings? We're immune, are we not? Why would we not go back to the things that we gave enjoyed before the pandemic came down the pike? Like I said, baby steps.
Debbie Rah-Rah is coming to visit this weekend. She hasn't laid eyes on her mom (Mrs G) in more than a year. She'll be coming along with Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The Missus and I will plan to join them somewhere along the line and the lot of us will enjoy our time together as best we can. In days of old, we might have gone out to dinner as a group. Speaking of groups, I'm not sure what the rules at Mrs G's place say about crowd size. Five people may be two or three too many. You know how this virus just loves crowds. The missus and I may have to go in the side door and out of the sight of prying eyes.
I thought I could live with a cracked screen on my iPad but I'm thinking maybe I'll get it repaired instead. It's a circa 2019 Gen 3 iPad so maybe I should think about replacing it instead. If a new device costs $600 and it costs me $300 to replace the screen on my device, what makes more sense? Who knows, right? Maybe I should look at a refurbished Gen 4 device to see if I can get a little closer to the $300 price point. I sent off an e-mail this morning to a local place to get an estimate. If they can come in a little less than $300 then that might help get me closer to fixing my device rather than replacing it. Baby Jesus, if you're listening.
I set up an account for the Ev man last week and it's supposed to take 3-5 days before he can use it. Well, today is day 5 and I just checked. It's not ready yet but it's early so maybe I'll check back later in the day. I had the guy on the phone and I was trying to feel him out on the likelihood of it being ready on day three versus day five, etc. It's not a big deal one way or another but you like to know what to expect when it comes to these sorts of things. He wasn't much help so I guess I'll have to wait and see for myself. If I'm sitting here tomorrow morning at the same time and it still isn't ready, I am not going to be a happy camper.
It also tells me that maybe I need to rein in my expectations going forward. I need to plan better so that the account is funded if and when the Ev man needs it to be funded. The good news is that he can go check it himself and he can adjust his plans accordingly. There is a little more information available to him on the site than I thought there would be so we had some discussion about what decisions I made and didn't make when I set it up. I had no ulterior motives so didn't set up filters to prevent this or that purchase. It's all on the up and up and that's great. I'll feel better about things when I see it all working like it should.
My new keyboard can't come soon enough. This damn one I'm using is hard on my fingers. I decided against getting the latest Apple keyboard and opted to buy a knock-off instead. Didn't I just say that it doesn't always pay to go cheap when making these types of purchases? Am I just exchanging one knock-off for another? If the one that I ordered to replace this one I'm using is as bad or worse I'll be sending it back el-pronto. It's a little more expensive than this piece of shit that I'm using so I'm a little more hopeful truth be told. Really, can it be any worse? I'm thinking the answer is "no."
I'm a bit at loose ends this morning. It's rainy outside so I won't be taking my usual bike ride today unless it clears up. We have a couple of errands to run which will take us into town but there's really no rush to do that either. We thought we might like to buy some chocolates to take over to Mrs G's this weekend when Debbie Rah-Rah and Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory come up to visit.
We have a good mind to buy some raspberry flavored malted milk balls which we love and we think they'll find them to their liking as well. We're not sure about the nonpareils. I think there was a time when Mrs G preferred them but I'm thinking maybe not so much any more. If we ask, that might ruin the surprise. We need a plan B here, folks.
There's some weird shit going on here and there which might bear closer watching. What's with the fleet of Chinese fishing boats off the coast of the Philippines and why is the Russian army amassing troops on the border with Ukraine? Is it because these countries know that we have a demented old fuck in the White House who can't tell you what he had for breakfast much less rise to the occasion when global matters demand it?
Sadly, the answers to that question is "yes." Bumbling Biden is too distracted by cultural and societal issues to step up to the plate as a Commander-in-Chief. He's just too busy threatening states like Georgia for passing what appear to be common sense laws to ensure the voting rights of every god fearing Georgian. He's actually on the telly telling lies about what this new law in Georgia actually means. I don't know what else to call it besides lying.
When he says that people waiting in line to vote can't accept so much as a drink of water from someone not waiting in line, it's just not true. That wording in the new law is specific to political partisans who might otherwise offer incentives or threats to those waiting in line. Biden fucking knows it's not true yet he's on national television lying through his fucking teeth.
Now, I might cut him a little slack here since all Biden knows is what his leftist handlers tell him and that's never a good thing. The bad news is that he's too stupid and too demented to be able to tease out the facts before he takes to the podium to parrot the bullshit from his handlers. If you think for a moment that Sleepy and Demented Joe is running our country, think again. And yes, the Chinese and the Ruskies know this as well. Hell, they might have even had a hand in printing up the fake ballots that gave Sleepy Joe his 80 some odd million votes in 2020.
No sooner had Biden completed his comments than the wake corporations on the left like Coca Cola and Delta Airlines, both based in Georgia and both major employers in and around Atlanta, took to the airwaves and the printed page to denounce the new laws as racist. Hollywood and the Atlanta Braves weren't far behind with their own threats to boycott the state. How does that work with the Braves exactly? Well, that cuts both ways, doesn't it. I say, fuck Delta Airlines and Fuck the Atlanta Braves. Oh, and fuck the asshats in Hollywood. Try making a film like "Deliverance" in Iowa. See how that works out for you.
The missus sure has taken a shine to asparagus as of late. I picked up a canister of olive oil that emits a fine spray of oil rather than the usual bottle of this or that which is what I usually use when roasting vegetables. It's such a fine spray that it gets into every conceivable nook and cranny without having to toss the little buggers to and fro just to make sure that everything gets a good and thorough coating before putting it in the oven. There is little to no waste which is not the case when I have to throw the asparagus into a mixing bowl and then pour a tablespoon or more of oil on the asparagus before tossing it. It really is the bees knees.
I don't know that asparagus goes all that well with whole wheat pasta and a rustic tomato basil sauce but that is what I threw together last night for dinner. I debated throwing the asparagus on top of the pasta or laying the asparagus beside the pasta on the plate when serving it. The dish has to be as pleasing to the eye as it does to the palate. No? I worried, perhaps needlessly, that tomato sauce on top of the asparagus would somehow make the asparagus less appealing. No amount of parmesan cheese can bring a dish like this back from the brink if one decides that the tomato sauce thing is a non-starter.
You'll never hear anyone say, "May I have more tomato sauce on my asparagus, por favor?" The asparagus came out of the 400 degree oven glistening green and sweaty but not limp and soggy. I may have used a little too much of an everyday seasoning because the missus said something about the asparagus have a bit of a bite to it. I noticed her looking over her shoulder at one point to see if there was any more asparagus before she had barely touched her pasta so that was a good sign. And yes, my little darlings, we do love the seasonality of the asparagus and we shall look to buy some more when we go to the market this weekend.
Attention to detail is key when putting on a nice meal. I'm just as keen on satisfying the eye of my dining companion as I am her palate. If you're going to serve a dish like asparagus, which is typically a bright green if you've cooked it properly, you don't want to be serving it on a plate whose color doesn't somehow offer a proper and eye-pleasing contrast. Suffice it to say that some colors work better than others. In a pinch, you can never go wrong with white. Other considerations aside, it never hurts to heat up the plates you plan to use so that a meal meant to be served warm stays that way to the last bite. If you must, use the microwave.
Am I wrong to not want anyone in the kitchen while I'm preparing a meal? How peculiar is that? I don't even want anyone passing through the kitchen. You want a glass of something, ask me and I'll get it for you. From the moment I start to cook to the moment I put the dish on the table and call your name, I prefer not to be distracted. I need every possible sense working overtime to know when this, that, or the other thing is where I need it to be. There are no hour glasses, no buzzers or timers, just the usual sensory processing that comes into play including visuals, olfactory, tactile, auditory, and maybe a little sixth sense here and there.
There is something to be said for the so-called element of surprise. It's the feeling that you get in the pit of your stomach when you know your darlings are going to be imminently pleased as punch over one or more of your culinary creations. If you can spring it on them, all the better. That's not always easy to do when you're taking the better part of an hour or two in the kitchen to prepare a meal. There is sizzling that can't be squelched, aroma's that can't be contained, slicing and dicing that can't be quieted, microwaves that can't be muted, and the constant and unmistakable clinking and clanking of utensils and glassware.
What is this hooey I'm hearing now about the Pfizer vaccinations only lasting 6 months? If I had known this BEFORE I got my shots I would have not gone for the shots at all. I'm not putting that bullshit in my body every six months. Not on your fucking life! You need to keep in mind that these drugs they're asking us to put in our bodies have not yet been approved by the FDA. They are, for all intents and purposes, experimental.
No one knows what the long term effects of these drugs look like. At worse, it's a massive depopulation scheme. At best, it will serve to keep the virus at bay whatever that means. As for every six months, it's just not happening. I don't care how many establishments deny me entrance. Fauci and his buddies can kiss my ass.
Who else is happy to hear that Trump is calling for a boycott of Coca Cola and the MLB? He's fighting back against these woke mobs and he's asking us to join him in battle. You had me at "boycott", Mr President! I'm in with both feet for this fight. If you think that it is only the left who can engage in this so-called cancel culture, think again. We'll give you bastards a taste of your own medicine and then some. Picture if you can, Batman and Robin fighting bad guys in the back alleys of Gotham in the darkness of night. Wham! Bam! Pow! Kaboom! We've got this, Mr President!
I'm looking forward to Trump's social media site which, if we're to believe everything we hear, is on track to launch sometime in the next six months. I'll happily abandon my news feeds on Twitter to go to a place where I can hobnob with like minded patriots. I've had enough of Twitter's shadow banning ways to last me a lifetime.
I still post comments on Twitter even though I know no one will see them. There is something to be said for getting things off your chest. It's howling at the moon and it's fucking guttural and it feels good even if nobody sees it. I don't know what I did before Twitter came along. Not wanting to don the dunce cap of the village idiot, soapboxes and street corners worked for some but not for me. That all changed when the internet came along. It's a place where you can be who and what you want to be with or without the dunce cap. For better or worse, I might add.
So Biden's CDC person comes on the telly yesterday and tells us all about how scared she is. She made some veiled reference about "impending doom" or some such nonsense. Here we go again with the panic porn. Maybe she's talking about the variants that are sweeping across Europe. Maybe she's referring to the hordes of illegal aliens coming across our southern border infecting everybody and everything in sight. If her words weren't scary enough, maybe the tears that she was choking back did the trick for you. And since when do CDC Directors go "off script"? Her words, not mine.
I've been saying right along that these reports about variants from across the pond are worrisome. The fact that we weren't seeing or hearing anything about them here was maybe a little odd knowing what we know about the track of the viral storm that swept across Europe last year and ended up on our shores after a week or two infecting and killing thousands upon thousands of people. I figured Biden and his minions were just trying to keep it all under wraps while taking a victory lap for something put in place by Trump.
Biden then steps up to the podium and pleads with Americans to wear their masks. He pleads with those governors who have done away with mask mandates to reimpose them without delay. Is there a doubt in anyone's mind that he intends to impose some kind of a national lockdown? They want to keep it all locked down so they can put their vote-by-mail scheme in place just in time to steal the 2022 elections to make sure that Republicans don't take back the House. What was it that he said in his pathetic news conference just a week ago? He didn't know if there was even going to be a Republican Party in 2024. What the fuck is he talking about?
The missus and I are fully vaccinated now so we're good to go. Well, almost. I think we're considered fully vaccinated some 9 days after our second shot and we're not quite there yet. And now I read this morning about this whole vaccination thing being a massive depopulation scheme. You can't make this stuff up. They're also trying to start some kind of vaccination passport thing where you have certain rights and privileges if you've been vaccinated and, if you haven't, not so much. It's all very big brother-ish if you ask me. I don't want to be in any damn database and I don't want to be asked for my vaccine passport every time I turn around to do something.
I have no ill will against those people who haven't been vaccinated. That's their business. I don't need to avoid them in my travels because I follow the science and the science says that I don't need to concern myself about such things if I've been vaccinated. You and I know that science is nothing more than what a bunch of people getting together in a room says it is. It's all about consensus. Even when there is consensus, you know the lot of them can still be wrong. Consider the flat-earthers back in the day. Consensus at the time said that if you went far enough out to sea that you'd fall off a cliff. We all know how that turned out.
Were it not for Nancy sticking her head in like a frightened turtle during this pandemic, I might well have opted not to get the vaccine. I was never worried about getting the virus and, if I were to get the virus, then I would simply tough it out like anyone else who contracted the damn thing. My chances of survival are pretty good given my age and the stats of my overall health, so why not take a chance? All that went out the window the minute the vaccine because available. Nancy never hesitated and I figured that I would do everything I could to encourage her to get vaccinated if it meant returning to what we affectionately, but reservedly, refer to these days as "normal."
Variants aside, I'm looking forward to getting back to the gym and maybe going out to restaurants again now that we've gotten the jab. I'm not sure what Nancy has in mind. Maybe going into L.L. Bean again? I get the feeling that I'm going to have to cajole her here and there to do things that she used to do before the pandemic came along. When I told her last night that I would now be entertaining the thought of going out to dinner, she sounded surprised. Why not, little darlings? We're immune, are we not? Why would we not go back to the things that we gave enjoyed before the pandemic came down the pike? Like I said, baby steps.
Debbie Rah-Rah is coming to visit this weekend. She hasn't laid eyes on her mom (Mrs G) in more than a year. She'll be coming along with Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The Missus and I will plan to join them somewhere along the line and the lot of us will enjoy our time together as best we can. In days of old, we might have gone out to dinner as a group. Speaking of groups, I'm not sure what the rules at Mrs G's place say about crowd size. Five people may be two or three too many. You know how this virus just loves crowds. The missus and I may have to go in the side door and out of the sight of prying eyes.
I thought I could live with a cracked screen on my iPad but I'm thinking maybe I'll get it repaired instead. It's a circa 2019 Gen 3 iPad so maybe I should think about replacing it instead. If a new device costs $600 and it costs me $300 to replace the screen on my device, what makes more sense? Who knows, right? Maybe I should look at a refurbished Gen 4 device to see if I can get a little closer to the $300 price point. I sent off an e-mail this morning to a local place to get an estimate. If they can come in a little less than $300 then that might help get me closer to fixing my device rather than replacing it. Baby Jesus, if you're listening.
I set up an account for the Ev man last week and it's supposed to take 3-5 days before he can use it. Well, today is day 5 and I just checked. It's not ready yet but it's early so maybe I'll check back later in the day. I had the guy on the phone and I was trying to feel him out on the likelihood of it being ready on day three versus day five, etc. It's not a big deal one way or another but you like to know what to expect when it comes to these sorts of things. He wasn't much help so I guess I'll have to wait and see for myself. If I'm sitting here tomorrow morning at the same time and it still isn't ready, I am not going to be a happy camper.
It also tells me that maybe I need to rein in my expectations going forward. I need to plan better so that the account is funded if and when the Ev man needs it to be funded. The good news is that he can go check it himself and he can adjust his plans accordingly. There is a little more information available to him on the site than I thought there would be so we had some discussion about what decisions I made and didn't make when I set it up. I had no ulterior motives so didn't set up filters to prevent this or that purchase. It's all on the up and up and that's great. I'll feel better about things when I see it all working like it should.
My new keyboard can't come soon enough. This damn one I'm using is hard on my fingers. I decided against getting the latest Apple keyboard and opted to buy a knock-off instead. Didn't I just say that it doesn't always pay to go cheap when making these types of purchases? Am I just exchanging one knock-off for another? If the one that I ordered to replace this one I'm using is as bad or worse I'll be sending it back el-pronto. It's a little more expensive than this piece of shit that I'm using so I'm a little more hopeful truth be told. Really, can it be any worse? I'm thinking the answer is "no."
I'm a bit at loose ends this morning. It's rainy outside so I won't be taking my usual bike ride today unless it clears up. We have a couple of errands to run which will take us into town but there's really no rush to do that either. We thought we might like to buy some chocolates to take over to Mrs G's this weekend when Debbie Rah-Rah and Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory come up to visit.
We have a good mind to buy some raspberry flavored malted milk balls which we love and we think they'll find them to their liking as well. We're not sure about the nonpareils. I think there was a time when Mrs G preferred them but I'm thinking maybe not so much any more. If we ask, that might ruin the surprise. We need a plan B here, folks.
There's some weird shit going on here and there which might bear closer watching. What's with the fleet of Chinese fishing boats off the coast of the Philippines and why is the Russian army amassing troops on the border with Ukraine? Is it because these countries know that we have a demented old fuck in the White House who can't tell you what he had for breakfast much less rise to the occasion when global matters demand it?
Sadly, the answers to that question is "yes." Bumbling Biden is too distracted by cultural and societal issues to step up to the plate as a Commander-in-Chief. He's just too busy threatening states like Georgia for passing what appear to be common sense laws to ensure the voting rights of every god fearing Georgian. He's actually on the telly telling lies about what this new law in Georgia actually means. I don't know what else to call it besides lying.
When he says that people waiting in line to vote can't accept so much as a drink of water from someone not waiting in line, it's just not true. That wording in the new law is specific to political partisans who might otherwise offer incentives or threats to those waiting in line. Biden fucking knows it's not true yet he's on national television lying through his fucking teeth.
Now, I might cut him a little slack here since all Biden knows is what his leftist handlers tell him and that's never a good thing. The bad news is that he's too stupid and too demented to be able to tease out the facts before he takes to the podium to parrot the bullshit from his handlers. If you think for a moment that Sleepy and Demented Joe is running our country, think again. And yes, the Chinese and the Ruskies know this as well. Hell, they might have even had a hand in printing up the fake ballots that gave Sleepy Joe his 80 some odd million votes in 2020.
No sooner had Biden completed his comments than the wake corporations on the left like Coca Cola and Delta Airlines, both based in Georgia and both major employers in and around Atlanta, took to the airwaves and the printed page to denounce the new laws as racist. Hollywood and the Atlanta Braves weren't far behind with their own threats to boycott the state. How does that work with the Braves exactly? Well, that cuts both ways, doesn't it. I say, fuck Delta Airlines and Fuck the Atlanta Braves. Oh, and fuck the asshats in Hollywood. Try making a film like "Deliverance" in Iowa. See how that works out for you.
The missus sure has taken a shine to asparagus as of late. I picked up a canister of olive oil that emits a fine spray of oil rather than the usual bottle of this or that which is what I usually use when roasting vegetables. It's such a fine spray that it gets into every conceivable nook and cranny without having to toss the little buggers to and fro just to make sure that everything gets a good and thorough coating before putting it in the oven. There is little to no waste which is not the case when I have to throw the asparagus into a mixing bowl and then pour a tablespoon or more of oil on the asparagus before tossing it. It really is the bees knees.
I don't know that asparagus goes all that well with whole wheat pasta and a rustic tomato basil sauce but that is what I threw together last night for dinner. I debated throwing the asparagus on top of the pasta or laying the asparagus beside the pasta on the plate when serving it. The dish has to be as pleasing to the eye as it does to the palate. No? I worried, perhaps needlessly, that tomato sauce on top of the asparagus would somehow make the asparagus less appealing. No amount of parmesan cheese can bring a dish like this back from the brink if one decides that the tomato sauce thing is a non-starter.
You'll never hear anyone say, "May I have more tomato sauce on my asparagus, por favor?" The asparagus came out of the 400 degree oven glistening green and sweaty but not limp and soggy. I may have used a little too much of an everyday seasoning because the missus said something about the asparagus have a bit of a bite to it. I noticed her looking over her shoulder at one point to see if there was any more asparagus before she had barely touched her pasta so that was a good sign. And yes, my little darlings, we do love the seasonality of the asparagus and we shall look to buy some more when we go to the market this weekend.
Attention to detail is key when putting on a nice meal. I'm just as keen on satisfying the eye of my dining companion as I am her palate. If you're going to serve a dish like asparagus, which is typically a bright green if you've cooked it properly, you don't want to be serving it on a plate whose color doesn't somehow offer a proper and eye-pleasing contrast. Suffice it to say that some colors work better than others. In a pinch, you can never go wrong with white. Other considerations aside, it never hurts to heat up the plates you plan to use so that a meal meant to be served warm stays that way to the last bite. If you must, use the microwave.
Am I wrong to not want anyone in the kitchen while I'm preparing a meal? How peculiar is that? I don't even want anyone passing through the kitchen. You want a glass of something, ask me and I'll get it for you. From the moment I start to cook to the moment I put the dish on the table and call your name, I prefer not to be distracted. I need every possible sense working overtime to know when this, that, or the other thing is where I need it to be. There are no hour glasses, no buzzers or timers, just the usual sensory processing that comes into play including visuals, olfactory, tactile, auditory, and maybe a little sixth sense here and there.
There is something to be said for the so-called element of surprise. It's the feeling that you get in the pit of your stomach when you know your darlings are going to be imminently pleased as punch over one or more of your culinary creations. If you can spring it on them, all the better. That's not always easy to do when you're taking the better part of an hour or two in the kitchen to prepare a meal. There is sizzling that can't be squelched, aroma's that can't be contained, slicing and dicing that can't be quieted, microwaves that can't be muted, and the constant and unmistakable clinking and clanking of utensils and glassware.
What is this hooey I'm hearing now about the Pfizer vaccinations only lasting 6 months? If I had known this BEFORE I got my shots I would have not gone for the shots at all. I'm not putting that bullshit in my body every six months. Not on your fucking life! You need to keep in mind that these drugs they're asking us to put in our bodies have not yet been approved by the FDA. They are, for all intents and purposes, experimental.
No one knows what the long term effects of these drugs look like. At worse, it's a massive depopulation scheme. At best, it will serve to keep the virus at bay whatever that means. As for every six months, it's just not happening. I don't care how many establishments deny me entrance. Fauci and his buddies can kiss my ass.
Who else is happy to hear that Trump is calling for a boycott of Coca Cola and the MLB? He's fighting back against these woke mobs and he's asking us to join him in battle. You had me at "boycott", Mr President! I'm in with both feet for this fight. If you think that it is only the left who can engage in this so-called cancel culture, think again. We'll give you bastards a taste of your own medicine and then some. Picture if you can, Batman and Robin fighting bad guys in the back alleys of Gotham in the darkness of night. Wham! Bam! Pow! Kaboom! We've got this, Mr President!
I'm looking forward to Trump's social media site which, if we're to believe everything we hear, is on track to launch sometime in the next six months. I'll happily abandon my news feeds on Twitter to go to a place where I can hobnob with like minded patriots. I've had enough of Twitter's shadow banning ways to last me a lifetime.
I still post comments on Twitter even though I know no one will see them. There is something to be said for getting things off your chest. It's howling at the moon and it's fucking guttural and it feels good even if nobody sees it. I don't know what I did before Twitter came along. Not wanting to don the dunce cap of the village idiot, soapboxes and street corners worked for some but not for me. That all changed when the internet came along. It's a place where you can be who and what you want to be with or without the dunce cap. For better or worse, I might add.
Uphill Battle
28/03/21 07:26
I'm debating on whether or not to hire someone to give our yard a good raking this Spring. Maybe if I take a section a day or so until I'm done that might work. You know how things go this time of year. You make plans and when the day finally arrives it's either too hot, too wet, or too something else. As I sit here this morning with Spring just a day or two away, I'm debating less and less. I'm thinking it's doable. Git er done, Johnny.
Me and the missus will be getting our second vaccinations for the dreaded Covid-19 this coming weekend. I don't know that it will liberate the missus from her self-imposed prison or not because she is literally scared of her own shadow at this point. "Where is the missus I married?", I plead here and there while on bended knee. I wouldn't say that she's at the potted plant stage but she seems to be leaning into that possibility more and more with each passing day.
We don't even know anybody who has contracted much less died from the dreaded Covid-19 for chrissakes. Why in God's name is she so frightened? I'm telling you, she's reading all the wrong rags (newspapers) and they're putting the fear of god into her. I've said all along that we'd probably be better off getting the damn virus and beating it and then we'd have put it behind us once and for all.
There's some evidence now that the disease has lingering and long-lasting effects so I'm not so sure surviving it is the way to go anymore. What I'm not hearing in the media are accounts of people who have been vaccinated who then contract the virus and end up on a ventilator or worse. Is that by design? It seems the government is going out of their way to portray vaccinations as a pathway to liberty and news to the contrary would not fit easily or well with that narrative.
Nobody is mandating that everyone gets vaccinated so that gives the anti-vaxxers an out of sorts. That said, I'm reading about certain businesses that will no longer do business with you unless you've been vaccinated. When it comes to the airlines, they're referring to it as the "vaccine passport." I know of at least one ocean going cruise line that is now on board with this approach. I can't fault them but you have to admit that it does put the anti-vaxxers in something of a box.
The Astrozeneca vaccine is coming to market now after Pfizer, Moderna, and J&J have been around for a month or more. There have been wide ranging reports of dangerous and dreadful side effects of the Astrozeneca vaccine and I have to wonder if the competition is doing what competition does when they prefer to have the market all to themselves. The problem with rumors and vaccines is that rumors can destroy the public's appetite for the vaccine before the first jab is ever administered.
My last couple of bike rides have been pretty good. I've been a little concerned that my not riding all that often in the months of January and February would have put me behind the proverbial eight ball when the weather started to improve. I figure that every day you're out riding that it builds on the day before. If your endurance was X on Monday, then it's X+1 on Tuesday and so forth and so on. And conversely, when you're not getting your rides in you're losing ground or momentum. X-1?
It is true that when I haven't had a ride for a few days that I'm less able to put in the usual mileage. I just lose a step or two. It's not that complicated, really. My breathing is more labored, I tell myself that putting in this or that number of miles will be good enough for today, and with any luck I'll get back to where I was before the layoff soon enough. If my last two outings are any indication, I'm back in the game and in with both feet as they say. I even surprised myself when I found that I was going balls to the walls on the return trip these last couple of days. Yeah, baby!
I'm up so early today. I can't say that I like waking up at 4 in the morning with my eyes wide open but it is what it is. What I don't like to do is to end up feeling groggy around 9 or 10 in the morning and that happens sometimes when I get up too early. It's all about having to make up for the number of hours of sleep that I was somehow deprived of and the unrelenting need I feel to take a nap just to get back those hours of sleep that I missed. I can avoid it all by staying in bed later but, alas, that is not always in the cards.
I lie in bed at the hour of four a.m. with eyes wide open thinking about the day ahead and what plans, if any, I might want to follow through on. The longer the list of things that I have to contemplate, the less likely it is that I'll fall back asleep. I tell myself that if it's 3-something I have no business getting out of bed. If it's 4 something, that's close enough to the hour of 5-something that I can make a good case for getting up and out of bed. There is espresso to brew, news reports to read, blogs to update, radio shows to tune in to, etc.. Hell, I may even put the dishes that have been sitting in the dish drainer over night back in their rightful places.
Maybe the good news is that I'm not waking up to hordes of illegal aliens walking through my yard on their way to go knows where. Or, worse yet, to find Mexicans dead and dying on my lawn due to hunger, thirst, or simply failing to thrive after their arduous and harrowing trip northwards from countries south of our border. The same cannot be said for American families living along our southern border. They face this reality day in and day out in Joe Biden's America.
Despite Biden's media blackout directive, news of this disturbing reality is being broadcast across the globe by various outlets. This is beyond children in cages. It is a human tragedy of epic proportions. By throwing open our borders, Biden has essentially created a veritable chain of human suffering extending for thousands of miles. The violence, the rapes of children, the misery and suffering brought about by the inhumane conditions in the camps, and the virulent strains of every imaginable disease including Covid-19, has made for a hell on earth for those "lucky" enough to reach our shores.
Biden and his minions have taken one of Trump's largely successful policies on immigration and have turned it into a national disgrace. In their bid to undo everything put into place in the Trump administration, they have created an unmitigated disaster when it comes to our immigration policies. In their bid to flood the red states with low income voters who will vote for the political party providing handouts rather than for the greater national interest, the democrats have turned a blind eye to the misery of these pawns they hope to exploit for political gain. This is who they are. It's enough to make you sick.
I'm thinking about taking my old car to Walmart for an oil change. I stopped by yesterday to ask whether or not I needed to make an appointment to have it done. Let's just say the fella I spoke to behind the counter in the auto department did not inspire confidence. The fact that they only service vehicles between 11 and 6 was the first red flag. "There are only three of us here", he stated almost apologetically. I'm thinking to myself, how many of you should be here? Had he been on his toes, he would have offered to make an appointment for me despite the fact that they weren't opening for another hour or two. No such offer was extended. Strike one.
I've heard rumors here and there about businesses being able to find good help or maybe any help at all. It's just very difficult when the government makes it more attractive to not work than to work. With the federal government throwing another $300 or so on top of monies coming from the state, people making minimum wage are better off being unemployed. It's just fucked up. You almost have to question the IQ of people working who you know aren't making a decent wage and, quite honestly, do you want these people "servicing" anything you own of value. And no, I don't want them fucking up my oil change.
I need tires too. My car is old so no need to spend a king's ransom on tires that might outlast the car. I also can't have the tread peeling off on the highway in my travels around town so something in the low to mid range of prices might do the trick. Walmart has a pretty good selection of the types of tires I'm interested in and at the prices I'm looking to pay. Maybe I'll order them through the mail from Walmart and have them put on somewhere else. I've never ordered tires through the mail. How weird would that be?
I gave Mrs G a call last night to check in and to see if her new computer was up to snuff. I thought perhaps she was not wanting to bother me with questions that might have come up since I set it up for her last week. I knew of at least one change that she would likely welcome but maybe one that she thought was just part and parcel of her new system. I'm referring to her having to put her password in every time she wakes up her computer from a sleep state. I put that question to her directly and she seemed pleased to know that we could do away with that particular requirement.
I updated her on the purchases I was making on her behalf from Staples and it was all good. As snazzy as Bluetooth is, I'm not sure that it's for her. She's down with replacing batteries and such but reconnecting to the computer has been tricky and somewhat problematic for her. You kinda have to play with it a little bit to get it to work is what I've found. It's better to just take that off the table so that's what we're doing. We're going back to wired for both her mouse and her keyboard. I was a little worried about being able to find wired devices in these wireless times we live in but Staples had a good selection of both. Don't even ask about 5G.
I managed to get the missus out of the house and into an eyewear joint the other day in the hopes that we might find a nice pair of sunglasses for her. We've had great luck with Maui Jim's over the years so we thought we might like to have her try on a pair or two of new Maui Jim's to see if we might be able to replace her existing pair. She found a pair with frames and lenses that were just the right color but she couldn't decide on the fit.
She convinced herself that they kept sliding off the bridge of her nose if only ever so slightly. She actually walked around the showroom floor nodding here and there to gauge the actual slippage. It was quite a sight. I wasn't entirely sure that she wasn't trying to talk herself out of buying a new pair. And what role the mask she was wearing played I don't know. It may have contributed to the problem real or perceived in that the bridge of the glasses actually rested on the mask material that snugged up the entire length of her nose.
You could tell that the salesman had pretty much convinced himself that the sale was now slipping away. He took the glasses in hand at one point and put them into a machine that ostensibly altered the angle of frames so that they wrapped back around the ears a little better. I'm not convinced that the machine did anything of the sort. I'm thinking it was a ruse of sorts designed to do nothing more than convince someone that something had changed when it hadn't. In a desperate bid to salvage a possible sale, he offered to put the glasses on hold for a week while she came to her senses. Well, while she had a chance to think it over anyway.
If I had to guess, I would say she'll not be returning anytime soon to the store to buy the glasses. It will likely take something catastrophic happening to her existing pair before she makes a decision on any replacements. She'll not be out and about without glasses so there's that. She's also not one to abandon something that has worked well for her over time no matter how worn and tattered they might be. Yes, she's loyal to a fault sometimes. Moving her off the dime on decisions, especially when and where spending money is concerned, can indeed be difficult. Frugal to a fault too?
The Ev man was right. He called it. Police in Denver hadn't released the name of the shooter who killed some 10 people in the supermarket within 24 hours of his capture. Evan speculated that the alleged shooter might be of Mideastern descent. Why else would they not be releasing his name? If his name had been John Doe from Boise you can be sure that his name would have been promptly released. His Facebook and Twitter accounts would have been hacked by now and his political affiliations exposed. Certainly, if he were a Trump supporter, the media would waste not a moment in connecting the dots and fashioning narratives to further their own agendas.
But the shooter was a loser, a loner, and he actually despised Trump and said as much on his social media pages. Maybe not releasing particulars about the individual is designed to give reporting outlets time to craft their stories without having to respond to crushing deadlines created when headlines are needed to satisfy a public starved for facts. Maybe giving too many details too soon looks like a rush to judgement. Certain communities, minority and otherwise, might well bear the brunt of an angry public looking to exact their own pound of flesh before all the facts are known.
I'm reading today that the alleged shooter lived in his parents basement, had no friends, and more specifically, had no girlfriend. The media seems to be going out of their way to create a twisted narrative around his mental health, evading as they are prone to do, and desperate to avoid any mention or reference of immigrants going off the rails. Immigrants make better Americans, don't you know. It's bad enough that the immigrants coming over the border now are sick and dying with the virus. Add to that the fact that they're now looking to kill us where we go shopping and Americans near and far might just wake up in a WTF moment. God forbid they take to the streets with their tiki torches and pitchforks.
Who in their right mind wouldn't agree that killing folks like that is an insane act? And since when is not having a girlfriend a predisposition of sorts to taking up arms against your fellow citizens? People with mental health issues already have enough to deal with without the media demonizing them every time something like this happens. That connection it tenuous at best so let's make sure we don't let these radicals with rifles get away with murder by using the insanity defense. It didn't work for Ted Bundy and it shouldn't work for this asshat from Syria. Did Bundy actually use the insanity defense? Not sure.
The missus and I started watching a show called "Resident Alien" last night. We're always on the look out for a show with a newfangled twist or storyline. You know, a little something to watch before going off to sleep for the night. I really despise sitcoms so I keep them at arms length. This was not a sitcom. The premise seemed intriguing given how little we earthlings know about intergalactic travel so we thought why not tune in. We can always abandon it after one episode or sooner if need be. Life is too short to watch a shitty show when it's just not cutting the mustard.
Somewhere, deep into episode one, the missus said something about not caring for it one way or the other. I can usually tell when something doesn't strike her quite right and it usually happens sooner rather than later while watching a show. She might even start to nod or somehow pay less attention. I can just sense it. We disagree on this one so I may be tuning in to future episodes on my own.
I found the show to be a nice blending of "My Favorite Martian" and "Blazing Saddles." Throw in a little "Six Million Dollar Man" and a sprinkling of virtue signaling and you have yourself a delightfully comical bouillabaisse. Did I mention that the women in the show are sassy and sexy? This is not your grandparent's "Lake Wobegon." No siree, Bob. Not by any stretch of the imagination. Oh, and if you'll permit me, let's add a dash of "Twin Peaks."
It's easy to under-appreciate or overlook the writing that goes into making a show like this. The writing can more than make up for acting that is sub par when that happens but both are remarkably good in this show. It's a winning combination in my humble opinion. The show may well have a darker side when you consider that the end game for the alien posing as a human doctor is to kill every last human but you find yourself holding out hope that the more human and less alien he becomes the less likely it is he'll do anything of the sort.
You give the alien (aka Dr. Harry Vanderspeigle) a well deserved high five when he saves the proverbial damsel in distress from an ex boyfriend who is manhandling her in a brutish fashion. Maybe Garrison Keillor was on to something in his intro to Lake Wobegone when he proudly declares, "Welcome to Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong (but never strong enough), all the men are good looking (and effeminate), and all the children are above average (and annoying as hell)." Welcome to Patience, Colorado. See what I did there?
The alien's interactions with unsuspecting townspeople are understandably wooden given that he is still learning the ways of the earthling. While his behavior appears maybe a little awkward and odd on its face, it seems to endear him quite readily to the opposite sex. His social antics in scene after scene fly in the face of any and all existing social norms and the townspeople's reactions are, more often than not, more priceless than suspicious.
The show is good for a few laughs if not outwardly juvenile sometimes but you take the good with the bad and let things unfold as they will. There isn't anything in the show that will keep you from a good night's sleep so try not to take the alien stuff too seriously.
Me and the missus will be getting our second vaccinations for the dreaded Covid-19 this coming weekend. I don't know that it will liberate the missus from her self-imposed prison or not because she is literally scared of her own shadow at this point. "Where is the missus I married?", I plead here and there while on bended knee. I wouldn't say that she's at the potted plant stage but she seems to be leaning into that possibility more and more with each passing day.
We don't even know anybody who has contracted much less died from the dreaded Covid-19 for chrissakes. Why in God's name is she so frightened? I'm telling you, she's reading all the wrong rags (newspapers) and they're putting the fear of god into her. I've said all along that we'd probably be better off getting the damn virus and beating it and then we'd have put it behind us once and for all.
There's some evidence now that the disease has lingering and long-lasting effects so I'm not so sure surviving it is the way to go anymore. What I'm not hearing in the media are accounts of people who have been vaccinated who then contract the virus and end up on a ventilator or worse. Is that by design? It seems the government is going out of their way to portray vaccinations as a pathway to liberty and news to the contrary would not fit easily or well with that narrative.
Nobody is mandating that everyone gets vaccinated so that gives the anti-vaxxers an out of sorts. That said, I'm reading about certain businesses that will no longer do business with you unless you've been vaccinated. When it comes to the airlines, they're referring to it as the "vaccine passport." I know of at least one ocean going cruise line that is now on board with this approach. I can't fault them but you have to admit that it does put the anti-vaxxers in something of a box.
The Astrozeneca vaccine is coming to market now after Pfizer, Moderna, and J&J have been around for a month or more. There have been wide ranging reports of dangerous and dreadful side effects of the Astrozeneca vaccine and I have to wonder if the competition is doing what competition does when they prefer to have the market all to themselves. The problem with rumors and vaccines is that rumors can destroy the public's appetite for the vaccine before the first jab is ever administered.
My last couple of bike rides have been pretty good. I've been a little concerned that my not riding all that often in the months of January and February would have put me behind the proverbial eight ball when the weather started to improve. I figure that every day you're out riding that it builds on the day before. If your endurance was X on Monday, then it's X+1 on Tuesday and so forth and so on. And conversely, when you're not getting your rides in you're losing ground or momentum. X-1?
It is true that when I haven't had a ride for a few days that I'm less able to put in the usual mileage. I just lose a step or two. It's not that complicated, really. My breathing is more labored, I tell myself that putting in this or that number of miles will be good enough for today, and with any luck I'll get back to where I was before the layoff soon enough. If my last two outings are any indication, I'm back in the game and in with both feet as they say. I even surprised myself when I found that I was going balls to the walls on the return trip these last couple of days. Yeah, baby!
I'm up so early today. I can't say that I like waking up at 4 in the morning with my eyes wide open but it is what it is. What I don't like to do is to end up feeling groggy around 9 or 10 in the morning and that happens sometimes when I get up too early. It's all about having to make up for the number of hours of sleep that I was somehow deprived of and the unrelenting need I feel to take a nap just to get back those hours of sleep that I missed. I can avoid it all by staying in bed later but, alas, that is not always in the cards.
I lie in bed at the hour of four a.m. with eyes wide open thinking about the day ahead and what plans, if any, I might want to follow through on. The longer the list of things that I have to contemplate, the less likely it is that I'll fall back asleep. I tell myself that if it's 3-something I have no business getting out of bed. If it's 4 something, that's close enough to the hour of 5-something that I can make a good case for getting up and out of bed. There is espresso to brew, news reports to read, blogs to update, radio shows to tune in to, etc.. Hell, I may even put the dishes that have been sitting in the dish drainer over night back in their rightful places.
Maybe the good news is that I'm not waking up to hordes of illegal aliens walking through my yard on their way to go knows where. Or, worse yet, to find Mexicans dead and dying on my lawn due to hunger, thirst, or simply failing to thrive after their arduous and harrowing trip northwards from countries south of our border. The same cannot be said for American families living along our southern border. They face this reality day in and day out in Joe Biden's America.
Despite Biden's media blackout directive, news of this disturbing reality is being broadcast across the globe by various outlets. This is beyond children in cages. It is a human tragedy of epic proportions. By throwing open our borders, Biden has essentially created a veritable chain of human suffering extending for thousands of miles. The violence, the rapes of children, the misery and suffering brought about by the inhumane conditions in the camps, and the virulent strains of every imaginable disease including Covid-19, has made for a hell on earth for those "lucky" enough to reach our shores.
Biden and his minions have taken one of Trump's largely successful policies on immigration and have turned it into a national disgrace. In their bid to undo everything put into place in the Trump administration, they have created an unmitigated disaster when it comes to our immigration policies. In their bid to flood the red states with low income voters who will vote for the political party providing handouts rather than for the greater national interest, the democrats have turned a blind eye to the misery of these pawns they hope to exploit for political gain. This is who they are. It's enough to make you sick.
I'm thinking about taking my old car to Walmart for an oil change. I stopped by yesterday to ask whether or not I needed to make an appointment to have it done. Let's just say the fella I spoke to behind the counter in the auto department did not inspire confidence. The fact that they only service vehicles between 11 and 6 was the first red flag. "There are only three of us here", he stated almost apologetically. I'm thinking to myself, how many of you should be here? Had he been on his toes, he would have offered to make an appointment for me despite the fact that they weren't opening for another hour or two. No such offer was extended. Strike one.
I've heard rumors here and there about businesses being able to find good help or maybe any help at all. It's just very difficult when the government makes it more attractive to not work than to work. With the federal government throwing another $300 or so on top of monies coming from the state, people making minimum wage are better off being unemployed. It's just fucked up. You almost have to question the IQ of people working who you know aren't making a decent wage and, quite honestly, do you want these people "servicing" anything you own of value. And no, I don't want them fucking up my oil change.
I need tires too. My car is old so no need to spend a king's ransom on tires that might outlast the car. I also can't have the tread peeling off on the highway in my travels around town so something in the low to mid range of prices might do the trick. Walmart has a pretty good selection of the types of tires I'm interested in and at the prices I'm looking to pay. Maybe I'll order them through the mail from Walmart and have them put on somewhere else. I've never ordered tires through the mail. How weird would that be?
I gave Mrs G a call last night to check in and to see if her new computer was up to snuff. I thought perhaps she was not wanting to bother me with questions that might have come up since I set it up for her last week. I knew of at least one change that she would likely welcome but maybe one that she thought was just part and parcel of her new system. I'm referring to her having to put her password in every time she wakes up her computer from a sleep state. I put that question to her directly and she seemed pleased to know that we could do away with that particular requirement.
I updated her on the purchases I was making on her behalf from Staples and it was all good. As snazzy as Bluetooth is, I'm not sure that it's for her. She's down with replacing batteries and such but reconnecting to the computer has been tricky and somewhat problematic for her. You kinda have to play with it a little bit to get it to work is what I've found. It's better to just take that off the table so that's what we're doing. We're going back to wired for both her mouse and her keyboard. I was a little worried about being able to find wired devices in these wireless times we live in but Staples had a good selection of both. Don't even ask about 5G.
I managed to get the missus out of the house and into an eyewear joint the other day in the hopes that we might find a nice pair of sunglasses for her. We've had great luck with Maui Jim's over the years so we thought we might like to have her try on a pair or two of new Maui Jim's to see if we might be able to replace her existing pair. She found a pair with frames and lenses that were just the right color but she couldn't decide on the fit.
She convinced herself that they kept sliding off the bridge of her nose if only ever so slightly. She actually walked around the showroom floor nodding here and there to gauge the actual slippage. It was quite a sight. I wasn't entirely sure that she wasn't trying to talk herself out of buying a new pair. And what role the mask she was wearing played I don't know. It may have contributed to the problem real or perceived in that the bridge of the glasses actually rested on the mask material that snugged up the entire length of her nose.
You could tell that the salesman had pretty much convinced himself that the sale was now slipping away. He took the glasses in hand at one point and put them into a machine that ostensibly altered the angle of frames so that they wrapped back around the ears a little better. I'm not convinced that the machine did anything of the sort. I'm thinking it was a ruse of sorts designed to do nothing more than convince someone that something had changed when it hadn't. In a desperate bid to salvage a possible sale, he offered to put the glasses on hold for a week while she came to her senses. Well, while she had a chance to think it over anyway.
If I had to guess, I would say she'll not be returning anytime soon to the store to buy the glasses. It will likely take something catastrophic happening to her existing pair before she makes a decision on any replacements. She'll not be out and about without glasses so there's that. She's also not one to abandon something that has worked well for her over time no matter how worn and tattered they might be. Yes, she's loyal to a fault sometimes. Moving her off the dime on decisions, especially when and where spending money is concerned, can indeed be difficult. Frugal to a fault too?
The Ev man was right. He called it. Police in Denver hadn't released the name of the shooter who killed some 10 people in the supermarket within 24 hours of his capture. Evan speculated that the alleged shooter might be of Mideastern descent. Why else would they not be releasing his name? If his name had been John Doe from Boise you can be sure that his name would have been promptly released. His Facebook and Twitter accounts would have been hacked by now and his political affiliations exposed. Certainly, if he were a Trump supporter, the media would waste not a moment in connecting the dots and fashioning narratives to further their own agendas.
But the shooter was a loser, a loner, and he actually despised Trump and said as much on his social media pages. Maybe not releasing particulars about the individual is designed to give reporting outlets time to craft their stories without having to respond to crushing deadlines created when headlines are needed to satisfy a public starved for facts. Maybe giving too many details too soon looks like a rush to judgement. Certain communities, minority and otherwise, might well bear the brunt of an angry public looking to exact their own pound of flesh before all the facts are known.
I'm reading today that the alleged shooter lived in his parents basement, had no friends, and more specifically, had no girlfriend. The media seems to be going out of their way to create a twisted narrative around his mental health, evading as they are prone to do, and desperate to avoid any mention or reference of immigrants going off the rails. Immigrants make better Americans, don't you know. It's bad enough that the immigrants coming over the border now are sick and dying with the virus. Add to that the fact that they're now looking to kill us where we go shopping and Americans near and far might just wake up in a WTF moment. God forbid they take to the streets with their tiki torches and pitchforks.
Who in their right mind wouldn't agree that killing folks like that is an insane act? And since when is not having a girlfriend a predisposition of sorts to taking up arms against your fellow citizens? People with mental health issues already have enough to deal with without the media demonizing them every time something like this happens. That connection it tenuous at best so let's make sure we don't let these radicals with rifles get away with murder by using the insanity defense. It didn't work for Ted Bundy and it shouldn't work for this asshat from Syria. Did Bundy actually use the insanity defense? Not sure.
The missus and I started watching a show called "Resident Alien" last night. We're always on the look out for a show with a newfangled twist or storyline. You know, a little something to watch before going off to sleep for the night. I really despise sitcoms so I keep them at arms length. This was not a sitcom. The premise seemed intriguing given how little we earthlings know about intergalactic travel so we thought why not tune in. We can always abandon it after one episode or sooner if need be. Life is too short to watch a shitty show when it's just not cutting the mustard.
Somewhere, deep into episode one, the missus said something about not caring for it one way or the other. I can usually tell when something doesn't strike her quite right and it usually happens sooner rather than later while watching a show. She might even start to nod or somehow pay less attention. I can just sense it. We disagree on this one so I may be tuning in to future episodes on my own.
I found the show to be a nice blending of "My Favorite Martian" and "Blazing Saddles." Throw in a little "Six Million Dollar Man" and a sprinkling of virtue signaling and you have yourself a delightfully comical bouillabaisse. Did I mention that the women in the show are sassy and sexy? This is not your grandparent's "Lake Wobegon." No siree, Bob. Not by any stretch of the imagination. Oh, and if you'll permit me, let's add a dash of "Twin Peaks."
It's easy to under-appreciate or overlook the writing that goes into making a show like this. The writing can more than make up for acting that is sub par when that happens but both are remarkably good in this show. It's a winning combination in my humble opinion. The show may well have a darker side when you consider that the end game for the alien posing as a human doctor is to kill every last human but you find yourself holding out hope that the more human and less alien he becomes the less likely it is he'll do anything of the sort.
You give the alien (aka Dr. Harry Vanderspeigle) a well deserved high five when he saves the proverbial damsel in distress from an ex boyfriend who is manhandling her in a brutish fashion. Maybe Garrison Keillor was on to something in his intro to Lake Wobegone when he proudly declares, "Welcome to Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong (but never strong enough), all the men are good looking (and effeminate), and all the children are above average (and annoying as hell)." Welcome to Patience, Colorado. See what I did there?
The alien's interactions with unsuspecting townspeople are understandably wooden given that he is still learning the ways of the earthling. While his behavior appears maybe a little awkward and odd on its face, it seems to endear him quite readily to the opposite sex. His social antics in scene after scene fly in the face of any and all existing social norms and the townspeople's reactions are, more often than not, more priceless than suspicious.
The show is good for a few laughs if not outwardly juvenile sometimes but you take the good with the bad and let things unfold as they will. There isn't anything in the show that will keep you from a good night's sleep so try not to take the alien stuff too seriously.
One Bite At A Time
21/03/21 07:14
It was cold as a witches tit out there yesterday. It was far too cold and far too windy to go biking so it's just as well that I found something else to do with my time. The Ev man and I worked on his apartment for the better part of 3 hours around mid day to get it in shape for an upcoming inspection (update: passed with flying colors.
Suffice it to say that there was a lot of work to do. We also got his air fryer up and running. He threw a few tater tots in for the maiden run. We might have overcooked them just a little bit but Ev said they were just fine after all was said and done. It's an interesting machine to say the least.
It's a good thing that the Ev man is insightful enough to know when he needs more help that he himself is capable of mustering. I'm more of a spit and polish kind of guy so I come in after the fact to make sure that nothing falls through the cracks. Ev mentioned that he noticed that there was a Maids car out in front of his building the other day. He said he'd never seen that before.
I think he may have been slightly intrigued by the thought of someone coming along periodically to help tidy things up. I've only lent a hand twice in two years so there's that. Not sure the Maids thing is for him. He just work a little harder at getting it done.
Remind me to pick up a mop and a dish drainer for him. What is this business, by the way, of one of his neighbors giving him groceries? He had a couple of jars of instant coffee sitting on top of his refrigerator that caught my eye right out of the gate. "Do you drink that stuff?", I inquired. He kind of chuckled and said that he didn't but there the jars sat. Neither had been opened. Talking to the missus later that evening she suggested that he donate the coffee to one of the many donor receptacles around town. Why didn't I think of that?
I ordered everything that Mrs G needs to breathe a little more life into her computing experience. Her device stopped accepting updates some years ago although how many I'm not sure. She'll be getting a snappier machine at a fraction of the original cost of her old machine. I promised that her desktop would look and feel just like her old desktop after I finished setting it all up. She responded by saying something about not having to get up to speed on learning something new. I'm paraphrasing, of course.
She's more of a browser than a carouser so she'll not have to spring for a computer that can send a man to the moon and back. If she can get out to her favorite web sites without much of a fuss, she'll be happy. I'll get the call from time to time when the batteries run low on her bluetooth devices but that's about it. She's had some printer issues as of late too but I suspect those issues are directly related to the age of her computer. They are likely to go away with the new set-up. We can always restore the default settings on the printer.
I might have fibbed a little bit when I told Mrs G that her new desktop would look just like her old desktop. I think the new operating system will put all of the existing icons from her old desktop into one folder on her new desktop after the migration. I think Mrs G is comfortable with the resulting clutter that goes along with having a shitload of icons on her desktop so I hope she's not too traumatized with the look and feel of the spartan-like appearance of her new desktop. As long as she knows where to find them, she should be okay. Here's hoping.
I always get a little antsy when it comes to ordering expensive computer hardware online and then having it delivered. The antsy part comes in when I'm sitting around waiting for a delivery that never arrives. What then? Whose feet do I hold to the fire? Who will compensate me for something stolen, misplaced, mis-delivered, etc?
How long will it take me to put my universe back together once the proverbial ball of yarn starts to unravel? How many bloody doors will I have to knock on before someone, anyone, believes me when I tell them that I never received the package that they say they delivered? Welcome to my world.
I had the computer mailed directly to Mrs G so I had little to no control over the logistics once it arrived. What befuddled old fuck, when seeing a package that he/she thinks might be his/hers, walks off with it without a second thought. How long might it sit on someones countertop before they realize that it doesn't belong to them? What are the chances that they might even forget that they picked up a package much less that they have a package that needs to be opened? Mrs G is sharp as a tack so no worries there. Others in her facility? Maybe not so much.
Who in her place is looking to make sure that the elderly residents of her building follow the proper protocols when and where it comes to the mail room? I received an e-mail from the vendor when it was delivered so I sent off an e-mail to Mrs G to confirm that she received it. Hours passed during the afternoon without any response. Yes, I was checking every hour on the hour. Finally, I asked that the missus call her mom after dinner to confirm one way or another that she received the computer.
I had put Mrs G on notice that the computer was being delivered to her place but I didn't tell her that the package wasn't much bigger than a pack of cigarettes. I think she was expecting something big and bulky but she got something that was small and compact instead.
The good news is that she received it so that was one less thing to worry about. Her new monitor is coming from another store and should arrive today. I'm less antsy about the monitor. Probably because it is less costly and less likely to disappear once it arrives. If the monitor comes along early enough in the day I'll pop over and put it all together.
I sent the Ev man a couple of pictures I took of computer desks while at Staples yesterday. I figured I'd stop by after going to Trader Joe's to see what they have in stock since Ev will be needing a desk once he gets his new computer. He responded but with the usual few words and then nothing.
I gathered that he liked what he saw in the photos that I sent but he said something about needing to sit at the desk. I get it. That's where the conversation ended. Are you planning to do that anytime soon? When can we move forward with this? All questions of the sort that never get asked and never get answered when it comes to the Ev man.
What is going on at our southern border here in our country? News reports say that people from across the world are now coming across our borders in droves thanks to Sleepy Joe Biden's immigration policies. "It's who we are", he tells us. Trump was the first president in generations who developed a policy in concert with other countries that kept the immigrants in Mexico while processing their asylum claims. Biden then threw the proverbial doors wide open when he got into office and this is where we are. It'a a fucking travesty.
Biden is doing this in the midst of a pandemic which is beyond reprehensible. Not a one is being tested for covid and we estimate that 25% of the illegal aliens have covid. The aliens are flooding the southern border states and are being bussed into the interior of our country to infect even more people. What's the goal, Sleepy Joe? Is it to turn Texas blue? Is it to ramp up the covid numbers in order to keep our country shut down so you and your damn democratic party can continue to steal elections? What's the end game, Joe? Americans want to know.
It's enough to make you sick. I feel so bad for the good people living in those towns and cities along the border. They and their people are probably living on the edge as it is as we're still trying to come back from an economy that has been shut down for the better part of a year due to covid. Resources and budgets are stretched thin and can barely meet the needs of their citizenry even under the best of circumstances.
The massive influx of illegal aliens who have come to our country to avail themselves of what little we have left to offer by way of free health care, free education, food stamps, etc., is just not helping matters. Is this what 80 million people voted for when they voted for Joe Biden? Spoiler alert: Nobody in their right mind believes that Joe Biden got eighty million votes.
The other little dirty secret here that nobody seems to be talking about is what our government is doing with all of these so-called covid relief checks they're mailing out to Americans. The last boondoggle of a bill that the democrats in congress passed in Washington sends checks out to Americans without any means testing whatsoever.
It guarantees monthly checks to families far and wide that look a lot like a guaranteed basic income. If you can depress the economy long enough and keep sending people checks that effectively disincentivizes them from working, you've got yourself a citizenry that will happily continue to feed at the trough and will vote at the polls for the party that promises more of the same. Let's call it what it is. It's a socialistic circle jerk.
Trump said something while in office about our country never becoming a socialist country. I don't know that he's right about that. I'd like to think that's true but where are all those so-called patriots who are willing to stand up for the America we've come to know and love but that now seems to be slipping away by the day.
Maybe the democrats have known this to be their path to endless rule right along and have decided that this is the moment in time to implement their grand scheme. It's worked for them if you look at the blue states where democrats have a veto proof majority so why not implement it at the federal level. And to think that they're just getting started. It's bold and bodacious but there's no turning back now. Victory is at hand.
People are fleeing blue states and going to red states in record numbers. That should tell you something about how people feel about blue state governors and their tyrannical inclinations. The people who can afford to leave are leaving as quickly as is humanly possible. The people who cannot afford to leave will be left to pick up the pieces. If and when every state turns blue, then where do you go?
You only have at look at shit hole cities like Baltimore and Minneapolis to see how that turns out. It's also no secret that people in the red states harbor little to no affection for the newcomers knowing all too well their proclivities when it comes to voting for government to play a more significant role in their lives. I'm not sure what this looks like when push comes to shove. The factions are far too entrenched in their own ideologies to budge in the least on the social and cultural issues that divide us.
Who knew that the gaming desk we bought for the Ev man was going to take the better part of three hours to slap together? You wouldn't have guessed it from looking at the somewhat flat but elongated cardboard box containing the unit. There were an endless number of screws and fasteners that in and of themselves told us all we needed to know about the job that lay ahead of us. The manual was reasonably good and with Ev's help at every step along the way we got her done. It was definitely one of those, "How do you eat an elephant?" types of jobs. One bite at a time, my friend. One bite at a time.
There is no turning back once you get started on this sort of thing so we did our best to make sure that we were doing everything in the right order per the instruction manual. We read and reread portions of the manual as we went along and we overcame obstacles as they arose.
It made no sense to lose our collective shit as we sat on the floor poring over the manual and the endless sea of screws and such. There would be nobody to blame but ourselves if things went awry so we were, if nothing else, overly methodical in our approach. "Can you read step number 13 to me again, Ev?", I asked.
Maybe the most satisfying part of the exercise, apart from doing the father-son thing, was putting the fully assembled desk in its rightful place against the wall near his bed and throwing away all the extraneous boxing materials in the trash receptacle outside his apartment. I have to tell you, the Ev man couldn't have been more pleased with the end result.
The desk was the perfect size for his small apartment and really just the bees knees in terms of upping his gaming platform and experience. If you can believe it, this thing even came with cup holders which we plan to attach at a later date. Next steps, a chair and a lamp. He thinks he knows what he wants. Sounds like we''re good to go.
I'm covering a lot of territory in this blog so bear with me. I never think I have anything to say when I start out but one thing leads to another and there you have it. A lot of hoo-haw, really. Anyway, what about this white guy who killed a bunch of Asians down south because he got in over his head about porn and went to his local massage parlor looking to cast out his demons while discharging his AK-47? We all mourn for those lost souls. Maybe more insidious is that the democrats do what democrats do best. They never let a crisis go to waste and they didn't this time around either.
Biden and his entourage of morons got on Air Force One and flew down to Atlanta, GA, where he stood at a microphone and bumbled at length about the curse of white supremacy, the legacy of Trump and the impact of his hurtful Kung Flu comments, and the overall impact on the Asian communities across our nation.
This was in stark contrast to the comments of his very own FBI who reported that the killings had nothing whatsoever to do with race or ethnicity. That's right. This is the very same Joe Biden who promised to bring our country together after four years of the divisive Trump Administration. You pathetic little man. You fucking little pathetic man.
I will say that it's been a pretty good week hereabouts politics and porn aside. I wrapped up Mrs G's computer business yesterday and it went about as I expected it would but with a few twists and turns. I sent her an e-mail this morning with additional recommendations that I hope she'll consider. You know, little things like adding a different mouse and maybe a full sized keyboard to her current set-up.
I'd like to think that I can show her a thing or two about using bookmarks in her browsers rather than dragging all of her site links to her desktop in the form of shortcuts, but I think that horse has left the barn. Maybe there is something to be said for consistency.
Suffice it to say that there was a lot of work to do. We also got his air fryer up and running. He threw a few tater tots in for the maiden run. We might have overcooked them just a little bit but Ev said they were just fine after all was said and done. It's an interesting machine to say the least.
It's a good thing that the Ev man is insightful enough to know when he needs more help that he himself is capable of mustering. I'm more of a spit and polish kind of guy so I come in after the fact to make sure that nothing falls through the cracks. Ev mentioned that he noticed that there was a Maids car out in front of his building the other day. He said he'd never seen that before.
I think he may have been slightly intrigued by the thought of someone coming along periodically to help tidy things up. I've only lent a hand twice in two years so there's that. Not sure the Maids thing is for him. He just work a little harder at getting it done.
Remind me to pick up a mop and a dish drainer for him. What is this business, by the way, of one of his neighbors giving him groceries? He had a couple of jars of instant coffee sitting on top of his refrigerator that caught my eye right out of the gate. "Do you drink that stuff?", I inquired. He kind of chuckled and said that he didn't but there the jars sat. Neither had been opened. Talking to the missus later that evening she suggested that he donate the coffee to one of the many donor receptacles around town. Why didn't I think of that?
I ordered everything that Mrs G needs to breathe a little more life into her computing experience. Her device stopped accepting updates some years ago although how many I'm not sure. She'll be getting a snappier machine at a fraction of the original cost of her old machine. I promised that her desktop would look and feel just like her old desktop after I finished setting it all up. She responded by saying something about not having to get up to speed on learning something new. I'm paraphrasing, of course.
She's more of a browser than a carouser so she'll not have to spring for a computer that can send a man to the moon and back. If she can get out to her favorite web sites without much of a fuss, she'll be happy. I'll get the call from time to time when the batteries run low on her bluetooth devices but that's about it. She's had some printer issues as of late too but I suspect those issues are directly related to the age of her computer. They are likely to go away with the new set-up. We can always restore the default settings on the printer.
I might have fibbed a little bit when I told Mrs G that her new desktop would look just like her old desktop. I think the new operating system will put all of the existing icons from her old desktop into one folder on her new desktop after the migration. I think Mrs G is comfortable with the resulting clutter that goes along with having a shitload of icons on her desktop so I hope she's not too traumatized with the look and feel of the spartan-like appearance of her new desktop. As long as she knows where to find them, she should be okay. Here's hoping.
I always get a little antsy when it comes to ordering expensive computer hardware online and then having it delivered. The antsy part comes in when I'm sitting around waiting for a delivery that never arrives. What then? Whose feet do I hold to the fire? Who will compensate me for something stolen, misplaced, mis-delivered, etc?
How long will it take me to put my universe back together once the proverbial ball of yarn starts to unravel? How many bloody doors will I have to knock on before someone, anyone, believes me when I tell them that I never received the package that they say they delivered? Welcome to my world.
I had the computer mailed directly to Mrs G so I had little to no control over the logistics once it arrived. What befuddled old fuck, when seeing a package that he/she thinks might be his/hers, walks off with it without a second thought. How long might it sit on someones countertop before they realize that it doesn't belong to them? What are the chances that they might even forget that they picked up a package much less that they have a package that needs to be opened? Mrs G is sharp as a tack so no worries there. Others in her facility? Maybe not so much.
Who in her place is looking to make sure that the elderly residents of her building follow the proper protocols when and where it comes to the mail room? I received an e-mail from the vendor when it was delivered so I sent off an e-mail to Mrs G to confirm that she received it. Hours passed during the afternoon without any response. Yes, I was checking every hour on the hour. Finally, I asked that the missus call her mom after dinner to confirm one way or another that she received the computer.
I had put Mrs G on notice that the computer was being delivered to her place but I didn't tell her that the package wasn't much bigger than a pack of cigarettes. I think she was expecting something big and bulky but she got something that was small and compact instead.
The good news is that she received it so that was one less thing to worry about. Her new monitor is coming from another store and should arrive today. I'm less antsy about the monitor. Probably because it is less costly and less likely to disappear once it arrives. If the monitor comes along early enough in the day I'll pop over and put it all together.
I sent the Ev man a couple of pictures I took of computer desks while at Staples yesterday. I figured I'd stop by after going to Trader Joe's to see what they have in stock since Ev will be needing a desk once he gets his new computer. He responded but with the usual few words and then nothing.
I gathered that he liked what he saw in the photos that I sent but he said something about needing to sit at the desk. I get it. That's where the conversation ended. Are you planning to do that anytime soon? When can we move forward with this? All questions of the sort that never get asked and never get answered when it comes to the Ev man.
What is going on at our southern border here in our country? News reports say that people from across the world are now coming across our borders in droves thanks to Sleepy Joe Biden's immigration policies. "It's who we are", he tells us. Trump was the first president in generations who developed a policy in concert with other countries that kept the immigrants in Mexico while processing their asylum claims. Biden then threw the proverbial doors wide open when he got into office and this is where we are. It'a a fucking travesty.
Biden is doing this in the midst of a pandemic which is beyond reprehensible. Not a one is being tested for covid and we estimate that 25% of the illegal aliens have covid. The aliens are flooding the southern border states and are being bussed into the interior of our country to infect even more people. What's the goal, Sleepy Joe? Is it to turn Texas blue? Is it to ramp up the covid numbers in order to keep our country shut down so you and your damn democratic party can continue to steal elections? What's the end game, Joe? Americans want to know.
It's enough to make you sick. I feel so bad for the good people living in those towns and cities along the border. They and their people are probably living on the edge as it is as we're still trying to come back from an economy that has been shut down for the better part of a year due to covid. Resources and budgets are stretched thin and can barely meet the needs of their citizenry even under the best of circumstances.
The massive influx of illegal aliens who have come to our country to avail themselves of what little we have left to offer by way of free health care, free education, food stamps, etc., is just not helping matters. Is this what 80 million people voted for when they voted for Joe Biden? Spoiler alert: Nobody in their right mind believes that Joe Biden got eighty million votes.
The other little dirty secret here that nobody seems to be talking about is what our government is doing with all of these so-called covid relief checks they're mailing out to Americans. The last boondoggle of a bill that the democrats in congress passed in Washington sends checks out to Americans without any means testing whatsoever.
It guarantees monthly checks to families far and wide that look a lot like a guaranteed basic income. If you can depress the economy long enough and keep sending people checks that effectively disincentivizes them from working, you've got yourself a citizenry that will happily continue to feed at the trough and will vote at the polls for the party that promises more of the same. Let's call it what it is. It's a socialistic circle jerk.
Trump said something while in office about our country never becoming a socialist country. I don't know that he's right about that. I'd like to think that's true but where are all those so-called patriots who are willing to stand up for the America we've come to know and love but that now seems to be slipping away by the day.
Maybe the democrats have known this to be their path to endless rule right along and have decided that this is the moment in time to implement their grand scheme. It's worked for them if you look at the blue states where democrats have a veto proof majority so why not implement it at the federal level. And to think that they're just getting started. It's bold and bodacious but there's no turning back now. Victory is at hand.
People are fleeing blue states and going to red states in record numbers. That should tell you something about how people feel about blue state governors and their tyrannical inclinations. The people who can afford to leave are leaving as quickly as is humanly possible. The people who cannot afford to leave will be left to pick up the pieces. If and when every state turns blue, then where do you go?
You only have at look at shit hole cities like Baltimore and Minneapolis to see how that turns out. It's also no secret that people in the red states harbor little to no affection for the newcomers knowing all too well their proclivities when it comes to voting for government to play a more significant role in their lives. I'm not sure what this looks like when push comes to shove. The factions are far too entrenched in their own ideologies to budge in the least on the social and cultural issues that divide us.
Who knew that the gaming desk we bought for the Ev man was going to take the better part of three hours to slap together? You wouldn't have guessed it from looking at the somewhat flat but elongated cardboard box containing the unit. There were an endless number of screws and fasteners that in and of themselves told us all we needed to know about the job that lay ahead of us. The manual was reasonably good and with Ev's help at every step along the way we got her done. It was definitely one of those, "How do you eat an elephant?" types of jobs. One bite at a time, my friend. One bite at a time.
There is no turning back once you get started on this sort of thing so we did our best to make sure that we were doing everything in the right order per the instruction manual. We read and reread portions of the manual as we went along and we overcame obstacles as they arose.
It made no sense to lose our collective shit as we sat on the floor poring over the manual and the endless sea of screws and such. There would be nobody to blame but ourselves if things went awry so we were, if nothing else, overly methodical in our approach. "Can you read step number 13 to me again, Ev?", I asked.
Maybe the most satisfying part of the exercise, apart from doing the father-son thing, was putting the fully assembled desk in its rightful place against the wall near his bed and throwing away all the extraneous boxing materials in the trash receptacle outside his apartment. I have to tell you, the Ev man couldn't have been more pleased with the end result.
The desk was the perfect size for his small apartment and really just the bees knees in terms of upping his gaming platform and experience. If you can believe it, this thing even came with cup holders which we plan to attach at a later date. Next steps, a chair and a lamp. He thinks he knows what he wants. Sounds like we''re good to go.
I'm covering a lot of territory in this blog so bear with me. I never think I have anything to say when I start out but one thing leads to another and there you have it. A lot of hoo-haw, really. Anyway, what about this white guy who killed a bunch of Asians down south because he got in over his head about porn and went to his local massage parlor looking to cast out his demons while discharging his AK-47? We all mourn for those lost souls. Maybe more insidious is that the democrats do what democrats do best. They never let a crisis go to waste and they didn't this time around either.
Biden and his entourage of morons got on Air Force One and flew down to Atlanta, GA, where he stood at a microphone and bumbled at length about the curse of white supremacy, the legacy of Trump and the impact of his hurtful Kung Flu comments, and the overall impact on the Asian communities across our nation.
This was in stark contrast to the comments of his very own FBI who reported that the killings had nothing whatsoever to do with race or ethnicity. That's right. This is the very same Joe Biden who promised to bring our country together after four years of the divisive Trump Administration. You pathetic little man. You fucking little pathetic man.
I will say that it's been a pretty good week hereabouts politics and porn aside. I wrapped up Mrs G's computer business yesterday and it went about as I expected it would but with a few twists and turns. I sent her an e-mail this morning with additional recommendations that I hope she'll consider. You know, little things like adding a different mouse and maybe a full sized keyboard to her current set-up.
I'd like to think that I can show her a thing or two about using bookmarks in her browsers rather than dragging all of her site links to her desktop in the form of shortcuts, but I think that horse has left the barn. Maybe there is something to be said for consistency.
Sleepy Joe's America
14/03/21 07:07
Finally, some halfway decent weather. We may even get into the low sixties today. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's time to start my seedlings but there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel. Just so you know, I don't do seedlings. It helps when the temperatures out of doors coincide with days on the calendar. In other words, it's starting to warm up as it should as we close in on the first day of Spring here in North America.
Snow storms this time of year are not out of the ordinary so we won't let our guard down too much. The good news is that they disappear almost as quickly as they come around so you might say they are something of a non-event. Did I mention that we have green shoots popping up along the front of the house? I think they're daffodils but I could be wrong. They are, in fact, the first sign of Spring here at our home. Can I get an amen?
There are so many political rabbit holes I could go down this morning. I'm avoiding then like the plague. You know when I'm talking about the weather that I really have other things on my mind that I'd rather be talking about. Besides, I don't want my blog to be a political rant day in and day out. The things worth mentioning will get plenty of air time but I just don't want them to dominate my blog. I want to be that flat stone skipping across the surface of the pond instead the boulder rolling down the hill crushing everything in its path.
My guitar stuff is going pretty well. I'm getting a little tired of practicing scales even though I'm getting better at playing the scales. You might say that my muscle memory is coming along nicely since I can do much of it without looking at the strings while I practice. I suppose I ought to be trying to make some music. I don't want to be that guy at the campfire strumming away like the village idiot but it wouldn't kill me to try to get a song or two down just in case someone puts in a request.
Were it not for the pandemic, I might have started taking lessons by now. One has to worry about bad habits and going too far down the road before realizing that you're doing something wrong. I don't dwell on these things because there's nothing to be done about them quite honestly. All I can do is what I've been doing. Pick up the instrument every day and do something with it.
Sometimes, I just worry that if I don't pick it up on any given day that my hard earned callouses will start to soften and all will have been for naught. I'm not, and never have been, a two-steps forward and once-step backwards kind of guy. I'm more of a slow and steady sort of chap. Johnny the tortoise?
The Ev man dropped by yesterday and stayed for dinner. He wanted a sub so we ordered out. He had half of the sub for dinner here at home and took the other half with him when he left. He was sporting a new haircut and seemed pleased with it if I do say so myself. He has a friend who lives in his complex that has cut his hair a couple of times now and he does a decent job. It's something of a buzz cut but not really. Maybe more of a "high and tight" kind of cut. Ev looks good with short hair. Always has.
I washed his car in the driveway and spent a bit of time on cleaning the grit and grime from the rims while he was here. I was happy to be outdoors doing something, anything, and he came around just at the right time. I stepped up to the plate like dads are wont to do. It's safe to say that he and I have different thresholds when it comes to feeling the need to keep things clean and that's fine. I take my pleasures where I can get them these days and if that means washing my son's car while he dillies and dallies elsewhere then that is what I'm going to do.
Besides, I'm very attuned to the needs of the car he's driving since it used to belong to we, his parents. If I've warned him once, I've warned him a thousand times. "Ev, if I get hit by a bus tomorrow you need to make sure that you check the oil in your car maybe every other time when you fill your gas tank." That car has always gone through oil like its nobody's business due to a design failure or whatever. I remember being shocked that the level of oil in the car was as low as it was back in the day when the missus was driving back and forth from Boston. I've been checking it more frequently ever since.
I came across a soup recipe yesterday that appealed to me for its simplicity. Soups don't appeal to me for the most part but this was maybe more of a chili-like concoction so I said what the hey. We needed something for dinner and I was determined to put something on the table for the missus and me. Two of the ingredients, collard greens and pinto beans, sounded healthy enough and I had everything but these two items so I was good to go. The recipe called for a quarter teaspoon of chipotle chili powder which I was not crazy about because I'm not the biggest fan of the smokey flavor that goes along with the chipotle spice.
I decided that a quarter teaspoon of anything is not enough to make a difference one way or another. I removed the lid of the container, eyeballed the spice, and gave the shaker just enough of a jarring to loosen what I needed. I mean, who even dirties a measuring spoon for a mere quarter teaspoon of anything? In case you haven't figured it out by now, this is one of those healthy recipes that calls for little to no salt and no oil in the recipe. I gave the collard greens a good chopping until the massive leaves were reduced to bite-sized pieces. I proceeded to sautéed them in just enough water until they were sufficiently wilted in the bottom of the pan.
The missus and I were both surprised at how good it was after all was said and done. She remarked that the pinto beans were maybe more like the beans you find in a baked bean dish. I couldn't disagree with that. They were surprisingly good and I thought to myself that maybe I've overlooked these beans for all the wrong reasons over the years. So much so, in fact, that I might want to look for recipes that call for pinto beans. It's a tomato based recipe that calls for some 30 ounces of diced tomatoes which I just happened to have on hand.
I don't usually pay any attention to the ethnic or racial makeup of characters in shows that I choose to watch on the telly. I don't hope for or otherwise prefer one race over another unless the story line demands it. It does seem, however, that Hollywood is hell bent on sticking the black experience in our faces these days through the many genre's at their disposal be they sitcoms, dramas, or documentaries. They're unwatchable, really. You know the programming comes at you fast and woke so who in their right mind would want to tune into that bullshit?
I now steer clear of any and all all-black casts in sitcoms, dramas, or movies. It's not unlike the introduction of same sex relationships which, once seldom seen on television, is now cringeworthy in its excess. Hollywood seems to think that they decide what is and what is not normal for the American public and we're expected to go along with their version of reality. The problem is that their reality is not the realty of most Americans. It's a chasm that has most of us chasing alternative programming and with good reason.
It reminds me a little of the show that was on television in the year or two leading up to Hillary Clinton's run for the presidency. I can't think of it at the moment but I'm quite sure that it was conceived with the sole purpose of introducing the prospects of our electing a female president. If you can cast that possibility in a positive light then maybe you can make people more comfortable when it comes to pulling the lever for someone as insidious and corrupt as Hillary Clinton once in the privacy of the polling booth. Talk about cringeworthy.
I'm not against hopeful messaging that comes out of Hollywood and if there is a story to be told that inspires, encourages, emboldens, etc., then I'm in with both feet. That said, I will not tolerate programing that suggests that every problem in the black community, or some other minority community, was caused by a white man or his ancestors. I'll not buy into that collective guilt in any way, shape, or form no matter how much and how often Hollywood and the liberal left wants to shove it down my throat.
And how is it that we're in the middle of a pandemic and wherever you go and wherever you look you see people masked and doing the social distancing thing but you see none of that in shows on television? What, the rules don't apply to them too? It's like we're living in a parallel universe.
Actors and actresses carry on as though the pandemic never came along and it's just one more example of the special dispensations afforded to the ranks that support certain political factions or parties. Maybe not unlike these blue state governors who insist on closing down their states while traveling with their families in the dark of night to remote vacation spots around the world. Hypocrites all.
I'm happy to see at least one red state governor working to pass laws that keep trans people from participating in sporting events. It's the craziest thing I've ever seen. Male weightlifters, track stars, and other biological males who now want to participate in women's sporting events will now have to seek out other venues, at least in this particular state, if they wish to continue to compete. Who in their right mind ever thought this as a good idea? What athlete, even on the best of days, would feel good knowing that their biology gives them a leg up when competing against someone of the opposite sex?
Again, this is just one more fanciful freak show brought to us by the loonies on the left. I hate to be a harpy about this stuff but someone has to speak up. What I'd like to know is who and what is behind this lunacy and why is it that we always find ourselves pushing back on something is clearly beyond the pale. We even have school children these days who think that men have periods thanks to the institutionalization of this craziness in our education system. Where does it fucking end?
The Ev man is up and about this morning and he is his usual restless self. I hate to say it but when he's restless, we're restless. I'm not sure he needed the cold brew that he helped himself to at the crack of dawn but it is what it is. You do what you have to do to get through the day, I suppose. It's no different for the Ev man. He's leaving for his place now ostensibly to get a head start in cleaning up his place ahead of an inspection scheduled for later this week. I suspect that his leaving has more to do with his feeling restless than it does with cleaning his apartment but, whatever. Keep in touch, dude.
Did I mention that my iPad dropped on the floor earlier this week? How did that happen, Johnny boy? Don't ask. The screen splintered into a million little fractals but remained intact. It's no longer as pretty as it once was but it still works. I think my brain is adjusting to the new view as necessary not unlike how one's brain filters out floaters in the eye until they might as well not even be there.
It's all about teaching old dogs new tricks in the 21st century. I won't be reading any more books on this iPad since that is clearly a bridge too far. Doing most other things will be fine. I can't help but wonder, though, if the fifth stage of grief here doesn't result in me ordering a new device. Shelf lives aside, life is too short. Indeed.
Our neighbor was out and about yesterday in the hood and we started chatting her up about her second jab which she just got the other day. She complained of not feeling all that well after the shot and we talked about how that is not all that unexpected knowing what we now know. Once you get past the occasional fatality, which we've all convince ourselves has nothing to do with the vaccine, we're left with a range of after effects all of which are somewhat unpleasant but none of which are game stoppers in their own right. Take care of yourself, Miss Betsi.
Speaking of the hood, who agrees with the family of George Floyd receiving $27 million from the city of Minneapolis? In what universe do they agree to pay off a family before the matter is properly adjudicated in the courts? Was it murder, or was it simply a man choking on his own vomit after digesting enough drugs to kill a horse? A copper kneeling on his jugular probably wasn't helpful but we need to ascertain the facts from the professionals who know about such things and not video's taken by cop-hating passerby's with their iPhone camera's rolling. Right?
Since we all know the firestorm of leftist fury that engulfed the country in the wake of Floyd's death, the city of Minneapolis is understandably wanting to put on a sympathetic face here when settling with the Floyd family. The more-than-generous payoff may have more to do with keeping the extended Floyd family off the nightly news than it does with anything remotely related to finding a solution that deals with the occasional and untimely, if not criminal, loss of a loved one.
These are the times we live in. This is Joe Biden's America for better or worse. God help us all.
Snow storms this time of year are not out of the ordinary so we won't let our guard down too much. The good news is that they disappear almost as quickly as they come around so you might say they are something of a non-event. Did I mention that we have green shoots popping up along the front of the house? I think they're daffodils but I could be wrong. They are, in fact, the first sign of Spring here at our home. Can I get an amen?
There are so many political rabbit holes I could go down this morning. I'm avoiding then like the plague. You know when I'm talking about the weather that I really have other things on my mind that I'd rather be talking about. Besides, I don't want my blog to be a political rant day in and day out. The things worth mentioning will get plenty of air time but I just don't want them to dominate my blog. I want to be that flat stone skipping across the surface of the pond instead the boulder rolling down the hill crushing everything in its path.
My guitar stuff is going pretty well. I'm getting a little tired of practicing scales even though I'm getting better at playing the scales. You might say that my muscle memory is coming along nicely since I can do much of it without looking at the strings while I practice. I suppose I ought to be trying to make some music. I don't want to be that guy at the campfire strumming away like the village idiot but it wouldn't kill me to try to get a song or two down just in case someone puts in a request.
Were it not for the pandemic, I might have started taking lessons by now. One has to worry about bad habits and going too far down the road before realizing that you're doing something wrong. I don't dwell on these things because there's nothing to be done about them quite honestly. All I can do is what I've been doing. Pick up the instrument every day and do something with it.
Sometimes, I just worry that if I don't pick it up on any given day that my hard earned callouses will start to soften and all will have been for naught. I'm not, and never have been, a two-steps forward and once-step backwards kind of guy. I'm more of a slow and steady sort of chap. Johnny the tortoise?
The Ev man dropped by yesterday and stayed for dinner. He wanted a sub so we ordered out. He had half of the sub for dinner here at home and took the other half with him when he left. He was sporting a new haircut and seemed pleased with it if I do say so myself. He has a friend who lives in his complex that has cut his hair a couple of times now and he does a decent job. It's something of a buzz cut but not really. Maybe more of a "high and tight" kind of cut. Ev looks good with short hair. Always has.
I washed his car in the driveway and spent a bit of time on cleaning the grit and grime from the rims while he was here. I was happy to be outdoors doing something, anything, and he came around just at the right time. I stepped up to the plate like dads are wont to do. It's safe to say that he and I have different thresholds when it comes to feeling the need to keep things clean and that's fine. I take my pleasures where I can get them these days and if that means washing my son's car while he dillies and dallies elsewhere then that is what I'm going to do.
Besides, I'm very attuned to the needs of the car he's driving since it used to belong to we, his parents. If I've warned him once, I've warned him a thousand times. "Ev, if I get hit by a bus tomorrow you need to make sure that you check the oil in your car maybe every other time when you fill your gas tank." That car has always gone through oil like its nobody's business due to a design failure or whatever. I remember being shocked that the level of oil in the car was as low as it was back in the day when the missus was driving back and forth from Boston. I've been checking it more frequently ever since.
I came across a soup recipe yesterday that appealed to me for its simplicity. Soups don't appeal to me for the most part but this was maybe more of a chili-like concoction so I said what the hey. We needed something for dinner and I was determined to put something on the table for the missus and me. Two of the ingredients, collard greens and pinto beans, sounded healthy enough and I had everything but these two items so I was good to go. The recipe called for a quarter teaspoon of chipotle chili powder which I was not crazy about because I'm not the biggest fan of the smokey flavor that goes along with the chipotle spice.
I decided that a quarter teaspoon of anything is not enough to make a difference one way or another. I removed the lid of the container, eyeballed the spice, and gave the shaker just enough of a jarring to loosen what I needed. I mean, who even dirties a measuring spoon for a mere quarter teaspoon of anything? In case you haven't figured it out by now, this is one of those healthy recipes that calls for little to no salt and no oil in the recipe. I gave the collard greens a good chopping until the massive leaves were reduced to bite-sized pieces. I proceeded to sautéed them in just enough water until they were sufficiently wilted in the bottom of the pan.
The missus and I were both surprised at how good it was after all was said and done. She remarked that the pinto beans were maybe more like the beans you find in a baked bean dish. I couldn't disagree with that. They were surprisingly good and I thought to myself that maybe I've overlooked these beans for all the wrong reasons over the years. So much so, in fact, that I might want to look for recipes that call for pinto beans. It's a tomato based recipe that calls for some 30 ounces of diced tomatoes which I just happened to have on hand.
I don't usually pay any attention to the ethnic or racial makeup of characters in shows that I choose to watch on the telly. I don't hope for or otherwise prefer one race over another unless the story line demands it. It does seem, however, that Hollywood is hell bent on sticking the black experience in our faces these days through the many genre's at their disposal be they sitcoms, dramas, or documentaries. They're unwatchable, really. You know the programming comes at you fast and woke so who in their right mind would want to tune into that bullshit?
I now steer clear of any and all all-black casts in sitcoms, dramas, or movies. It's not unlike the introduction of same sex relationships which, once seldom seen on television, is now cringeworthy in its excess. Hollywood seems to think that they decide what is and what is not normal for the American public and we're expected to go along with their version of reality. The problem is that their reality is not the realty of most Americans. It's a chasm that has most of us chasing alternative programming and with good reason.
It reminds me a little of the show that was on television in the year or two leading up to Hillary Clinton's run for the presidency. I can't think of it at the moment but I'm quite sure that it was conceived with the sole purpose of introducing the prospects of our electing a female president. If you can cast that possibility in a positive light then maybe you can make people more comfortable when it comes to pulling the lever for someone as insidious and corrupt as Hillary Clinton once in the privacy of the polling booth. Talk about cringeworthy.
I'm not against hopeful messaging that comes out of Hollywood and if there is a story to be told that inspires, encourages, emboldens, etc., then I'm in with both feet. That said, I will not tolerate programing that suggests that every problem in the black community, or some other minority community, was caused by a white man or his ancestors. I'll not buy into that collective guilt in any way, shape, or form no matter how much and how often Hollywood and the liberal left wants to shove it down my throat.
And how is it that we're in the middle of a pandemic and wherever you go and wherever you look you see people masked and doing the social distancing thing but you see none of that in shows on television? What, the rules don't apply to them too? It's like we're living in a parallel universe.
Actors and actresses carry on as though the pandemic never came along and it's just one more example of the special dispensations afforded to the ranks that support certain political factions or parties. Maybe not unlike these blue state governors who insist on closing down their states while traveling with their families in the dark of night to remote vacation spots around the world. Hypocrites all.
I'm happy to see at least one red state governor working to pass laws that keep trans people from participating in sporting events. It's the craziest thing I've ever seen. Male weightlifters, track stars, and other biological males who now want to participate in women's sporting events will now have to seek out other venues, at least in this particular state, if they wish to continue to compete. Who in their right mind ever thought this as a good idea? What athlete, even on the best of days, would feel good knowing that their biology gives them a leg up when competing against someone of the opposite sex?
Again, this is just one more fanciful freak show brought to us by the loonies on the left. I hate to be a harpy about this stuff but someone has to speak up. What I'd like to know is who and what is behind this lunacy and why is it that we always find ourselves pushing back on something is clearly beyond the pale. We even have school children these days who think that men have periods thanks to the institutionalization of this craziness in our education system. Where does it fucking end?
The Ev man is up and about this morning and he is his usual restless self. I hate to say it but when he's restless, we're restless. I'm not sure he needed the cold brew that he helped himself to at the crack of dawn but it is what it is. You do what you have to do to get through the day, I suppose. It's no different for the Ev man. He's leaving for his place now ostensibly to get a head start in cleaning up his place ahead of an inspection scheduled for later this week. I suspect that his leaving has more to do with his feeling restless than it does with cleaning his apartment but, whatever. Keep in touch, dude.
Did I mention that my iPad dropped on the floor earlier this week? How did that happen, Johnny boy? Don't ask. The screen splintered into a million little fractals but remained intact. It's no longer as pretty as it once was but it still works. I think my brain is adjusting to the new view as necessary not unlike how one's brain filters out floaters in the eye until they might as well not even be there.
It's all about teaching old dogs new tricks in the 21st century. I won't be reading any more books on this iPad since that is clearly a bridge too far. Doing most other things will be fine. I can't help but wonder, though, if the fifth stage of grief here doesn't result in me ordering a new device. Shelf lives aside, life is too short. Indeed.
Our neighbor was out and about yesterday in the hood and we started chatting her up about her second jab which she just got the other day. She complained of not feeling all that well after the shot and we talked about how that is not all that unexpected knowing what we now know. Once you get past the occasional fatality, which we've all convince ourselves has nothing to do with the vaccine, we're left with a range of after effects all of which are somewhat unpleasant but none of which are game stoppers in their own right. Take care of yourself, Miss Betsi.
Speaking of the hood, who agrees with the family of George Floyd receiving $27 million from the city of Minneapolis? In what universe do they agree to pay off a family before the matter is properly adjudicated in the courts? Was it murder, or was it simply a man choking on his own vomit after digesting enough drugs to kill a horse? A copper kneeling on his jugular probably wasn't helpful but we need to ascertain the facts from the professionals who know about such things and not video's taken by cop-hating passerby's with their iPhone camera's rolling. Right?
Since we all know the firestorm of leftist fury that engulfed the country in the wake of Floyd's death, the city of Minneapolis is understandably wanting to put on a sympathetic face here when settling with the Floyd family. The more-than-generous payoff may have more to do with keeping the extended Floyd family off the nightly news than it does with anything remotely related to finding a solution that deals with the occasional and untimely, if not criminal, loss of a loved one.
These are the times we live in. This is Joe Biden's America for better or worse. God help us all.
On the Horn with Bee-Bee (barf alert)
08/03/21 07:04
I'm up early today so there's no reason I can't put a quiche in the oven before sitting down at this here computer. Nope, no reason whatsoever for not getting that started. I've got plenty of broccoli and feta cheese and that's all you need if you're to believe the minimalist cook books that seem to be all the rage these days. I'm making that up. Is there really anything like that in the book stores? I doubt it. But, the fewer the ingredients the better, is what I say.
I'm just waking up to these so-called egg concoctions you find in the store that contain no cholesterol. Just so you know, your body makes all the cholesterol that you need. So, less cholesterol from external sources would ostensibly work to our collective benefit. I've overlooked these egg beater blends until rather recently and finally got around to giving them a try. They are, in a word, indistinguishable from the real McCoy once out of the container so no worries there. Unlike egg whites, which look more like strained drool, these actually look like real eggs.
The first omelette I made with the fake eggs huffed and puffed in the oven at 350 degrees until it looked more like a soufflé than an omelet. I don't know that I welcomed or even expected the bloating but I thought I'd better stick a knife into the center of the beast just to see what I was dealing with. If the knife came out dry, it was ready to come out of the oven. If not, I might set the timer for another few minutes. Toward the end of the process, of course, you turn the oven on "broil" and top the quiche with cheese until it turns a bubbly brown.
Besides, who doesn't like to surprise their little darlings with a little something right out of the oven on a cold winter's morn? I can't help her when it comes to cinnamon rolls or biscuits since these are things that you'll not find in our cupboards. I may be able to find a piece of wheat or sourdough bread to toast if pressed but not much else. Who says you can't enjoy a guiltless breakfast? Can I interest you with a little dijon mustard just to spice things up a bit?
It's so funny. Last March around this time we were facing a nasty pandemic for months to come and they closed everything down to nip it in the bud before hospitals were overwhelmed, etc. Mortality projections were a pittance here in our state at the time and, still, shutting it all down became the hue and the cry of every establishment swamp creature from coast to coast. And now, a mere 12 months later, actual deaths are up tenfold from the original projections yet some states are actually doing way with any and all mandates to wear masks, do social distancing, etc.
I'm good with fewer restrictions now that we have what seem to be better therapeutics and more vaccines. Not everybody agrees that states should be dropping the mandates since we continue to see variants popping up here and here across the globe. Another thing I don't understand is the lockdowns. The science says that lockdowns don't work but certain European countries are still in lockdown mode in an alleged effort to keep the virus at bay. Some say it's nothing more than the heavy heel of government on their backsides so there's that.
I thought that we were two or three weeks out from that which our European counterparts were experiencing when it comes to the virus. That being the case, should we not be concerned about our own welfare when it comes to the migration of the virus variants to our shores? We ignored it all when it first appeared in the streets of Wuhan, China in February and March of 2020 and nobody thought for a minute that we Americans would experience what they were experiencing. I'm just saying that we seem to be getting little complacent when it comes to this virus. Maybe we're just learning to live with it?
Mrs G says her place now has an opening date. I find that to be little surprising because the virus hasn't gone anywhere. It's still around. People are still dying and most of those deaths are attributed to the elderly living in nursing homes, independent living facilities, etc. Maybe the good news for Mrs G and her fellow travelers is that they are for the most part now all vaccinated. I'm guessing they are turning a blind eye to any and all variants and the threat that they pose. Good for them. It's time to let their hair down maybe just a little.
I was telling the missus that we've been in the habit as of late of picking her mother up from said facility and taking her here and there since on-site visits were verboten. I think she's enjoyed getting out and about even if it has only been every week and even then we never traveled far. It's Starbucks one day and maybe Walgreens the next.
This is in stark contrast to our visits before the virus showed up in the early part of 2020. Then, we rarely went anywhere. Visitations were on-site and nobody minded one way or another if we went anywhere. Well, we never asked and Mrs G never expressed any opinion unsolicited or otherwise. Just between you and me, I think she might now prefer have a ride in and about town when we visit. That would be fine. I usually just sit in the back seat minding my own business whilst the missus and her mom carry on as they are wont to do.
At a minimum you might think that Mrs G's facility might only grant access to people who have had their vaccinations. You know, just to be safe. Maybe they only want so many visitors on site at any given time to keep the community spread thing from getting a leg up. Again, maybe it doesn't matter since the residents have had their shots. We need more guidance from the CDC on what vaccinated people can and cannot do. That is slow in coming at the moment. There is so much they still don't know about this virus or maybe they're just not telling us. Bastards.
It's March and if there is even a hint of Spring in the offing I haven't seen it. The winds have been howling and the temperatures are still hovering in and around freezing. Not exactly the kind of weather that has one going outside to do outdoorsy things. I don't mind the cold and the wind when I'm out of doors this time of year but I'm usually starting to look forward to the warmer temperatures like everyone else living in North America. When that doesn't happen, I'm usually less happy and maybe even a little disappointed. Well, maybe a lot disappointed.
I was reading somewhere yesterday where the residents in a small town in California had voted on a measure that would prevent any gasoline stations from being built in their town. I suppose this goes hand-in-hand with certain automobile companies who after a date certain will no longer be building anything but electric vehicles.
It seems fairly drastic to me but knowing what I know about the moonbats in California maybe I shouldn't be surprised. I think this going green thing is something of a religion for the nuttier of the nuts and the fact that this is coming from California tells you all you need to know.
How liberal (nutty) are these fruitcake bastions, Johnny? Well, their laws are so liberal that Walgreens is closing any number of their pharmacies in San Fran-sicko area because laws on their books prevent businesses like Walgreens from taking action against shoplifters. Losses attributed to shoplifting, often times blatant and in full view of the helpless employees, have now rendered Walgreens and businesses like Walgreens unsustainable. #SAD.
The Ev man has his eye on a Mac mini. He's been a laptop guy for so long now that this presents a radical departure from his standard fare. I think he's coming around to the idea that having a bigger monitor and a little more juice for his gaming exploits trumps any concerns that he has about migrating to a less versatile device. He fancies Apple's new M1 chip and thinks that the price point for the new Mac mini with the M1 chip is right up his alley. It's a good an investment as any, I think, for a lad looking to upgrade his computing experience.
If they can move this pisser of a $1.9 B stimulus bill through the senate and on to Sleepy Joe's desk for his signature then Evan and millions of other Americans like Evan can satisfy their indulgences as they see fit. It's a travesty of a bill, really, and 90 some odd percent of it has nothing to do with Covid-19.
The bill rewards blue state governors and mayors who have run their states and cities into the ground and it penalizes red states that have done everything right from day one by taking money away from them. And the zillions being sent to hell holes across the globe, just don't get me going. It doesn't look, at least as of this morning, like the bill is going to get even one republican vote. It's a 50-50 Senate with the Vice President (Harris) waiting on the sidelines to cast her vote with the democrats to push this bloated POS of a bill over the finish line.
Forget not giving a State of the Union speech (As required by the Constitution.) Demented Joe Biden has still not held so much as a press conference. He has the record now of being the first president to not have a presser within x number of days of his inauguration. That number changes every day so we'll just leave it at x for the moment.
They're now saying that he will have one by month's end. That is three weeks out from today's date. If he's incapable of having a presser now because of his advanced dementia or whatever the fuck it is that has him drooling and in diapers, I'm not sure how an extra three weeks is going to help.
My guess is that it will be tightly scripted and managed to a tee behind the scenes before he ever steps up to the teleprompter. They might even get Hollywood involved in the coordination and staging of the event. Questions coming from the press will likely be known and answered long before he has a chance to repeat them from the rostrum. Technology is likely to play a part in the process but only those closest to Sleepy Joe will ever know the extent to which technology made his presentation possible. Think holograms.
He is just a complete fucking embarrassment. Who the hell is running the show in the White House? We're talking shadow presidents here, folks. They reported the other day that Kamala Harris, Biden's VP, was holding talks with the Prime Minister of Israel. You can just imagine how that went knowing as we do that Harris got a meager 2% in the presidential primaries before she dropped out. She's simply not ready for prime time. You heard that right.
She's on the horn with Bee-Bee because Biden is incapable of holding the simplest of conversations due to his advanced senility. I'm guessing the Military Industrial Complex thinks that this is just fine. Better a dolt like Biden where they can do what they damn well please without worrying about having to report to a real Commander-in-Chief.
Has our beloved Republic ever been on thinner ice? I can't remember when if it has. Maybe during the Cuban Missile crisis back in the sixties. This would be the time to strike for despots around the world who have otherwise been held in check by our previous presidents whose faculties were not nearly as impaired as what we see in Biden today. As for the leaders of countries around the world who were so quick to ridicule and decry the policies of Donald J Trump, they are now largely silent knowing what they know about Biden. It's disgraceful.
One last thing here before I sign off. We watched the movie "Nomadland" last night with Francis McDormand. I really liked it. The missus, less so. McDormand was perfect for the role in every respect. It was a poignant story about a woman in the twilight of her years crisscrossing the MidWest while living out of her van and holding down one seasonal job after another. I don't think it was meant as an expose' on the underbelly of America where displaced elderly white people survive on the margins but that is what it was all about at its essence.
It would be a mistake to waste even a moment of pity on any one of the many characters in the movie. There is something to be said for choosing one's own lifestyle and leaving familiar faces and places behind but one thing you cannot escape is your past. The juxtaposition of serenity and sadness is ever-present as "Fern" crisscrosses the picturesque and awe inspiring expanse of the MidWest while traveling alone from one familiar campsite to another.
There is a constant but subdued tension throughout the movie that ebbs and flows as characters, some more familiar than others, come and go. Fern reminds those who ask that she is houseless and not homeless. Relationships along the way, ephemeral as they are, offer Fern a veneer of comfort and security but she is steadfast in asserting her independence despite the isolation and occasional desperation that goes hand-in-hand with her nomadic lifestyle.
One suspects that Fern might well have her old life back were it still there for the taking but, alas, it is not. She returns one last time towards the end of the movie to an empty shell of a factory town and her hollowed out home, which she was forced to abandon after the factory town closed its doors, offering memories but little else. The film, above all, is a tribute to the American spirit and its capacity to not only survive but endure in the face of adversity. It's about the choices we make and the choices that are sometimes made for us. This one is well worth your time.
I'm just waking up to these so-called egg concoctions you find in the store that contain no cholesterol. Just so you know, your body makes all the cholesterol that you need. So, less cholesterol from external sources would ostensibly work to our collective benefit. I've overlooked these egg beater blends until rather recently and finally got around to giving them a try. They are, in a word, indistinguishable from the real McCoy once out of the container so no worries there. Unlike egg whites, which look more like strained drool, these actually look like real eggs.
The first omelette I made with the fake eggs huffed and puffed in the oven at 350 degrees until it looked more like a soufflé than an omelet. I don't know that I welcomed or even expected the bloating but I thought I'd better stick a knife into the center of the beast just to see what I was dealing with. If the knife came out dry, it was ready to come out of the oven. If not, I might set the timer for another few minutes. Toward the end of the process, of course, you turn the oven on "broil" and top the quiche with cheese until it turns a bubbly brown.
Besides, who doesn't like to surprise their little darlings with a little something right out of the oven on a cold winter's morn? I can't help her when it comes to cinnamon rolls or biscuits since these are things that you'll not find in our cupboards. I may be able to find a piece of wheat or sourdough bread to toast if pressed but not much else. Who says you can't enjoy a guiltless breakfast? Can I interest you with a little dijon mustard just to spice things up a bit?
It's so funny. Last March around this time we were facing a nasty pandemic for months to come and they closed everything down to nip it in the bud before hospitals were overwhelmed, etc. Mortality projections were a pittance here in our state at the time and, still, shutting it all down became the hue and the cry of every establishment swamp creature from coast to coast. And now, a mere 12 months later, actual deaths are up tenfold from the original projections yet some states are actually doing way with any and all mandates to wear masks, do social distancing, etc.
I'm good with fewer restrictions now that we have what seem to be better therapeutics and more vaccines. Not everybody agrees that states should be dropping the mandates since we continue to see variants popping up here and here across the globe. Another thing I don't understand is the lockdowns. The science says that lockdowns don't work but certain European countries are still in lockdown mode in an alleged effort to keep the virus at bay. Some say it's nothing more than the heavy heel of government on their backsides so there's that.
I thought that we were two or three weeks out from that which our European counterparts were experiencing when it comes to the virus. That being the case, should we not be concerned about our own welfare when it comes to the migration of the virus variants to our shores? We ignored it all when it first appeared in the streets of Wuhan, China in February and March of 2020 and nobody thought for a minute that we Americans would experience what they were experiencing. I'm just saying that we seem to be getting little complacent when it comes to this virus. Maybe we're just learning to live with it?
Mrs G says her place now has an opening date. I find that to be little surprising because the virus hasn't gone anywhere. It's still around. People are still dying and most of those deaths are attributed to the elderly living in nursing homes, independent living facilities, etc. Maybe the good news for Mrs G and her fellow travelers is that they are for the most part now all vaccinated. I'm guessing they are turning a blind eye to any and all variants and the threat that they pose. Good for them. It's time to let their hair down maybe just a little.
I was telling the missus that we've been in the habit as of late of picking her mother up from said facility and taking her here and there since on-site visits were verboten. I think she's enjoyed getting out and about even if it has only been every week and even then we never traveled far. It's Starbucks one day and maybe Walgreens the next.
This is in stark contrast to our visits before the virus showed up in the early part of 2020. Then, we rarely went anywhere. Visitations were on-site and nobody minded one way or another if we went anywhere. Well, we never asked and Mrs G never expressed any opinion unsolicited or otherwise. Just between you and me, I think she might now prefer have a ride in and about town when we visit. That would be fine. I usually just sit in the back seat minding my own business whilst the missus and her mom carry on as they are wont to do.
At a minimum you might think that Mrs G's facility might only grant access to people who have had their vaccinations. You know, just to be safe. Maybe they only want so many visitors on site at any given time to keep the community spread thing from getting a leg up. Again, maybe it doesn't matter since the residents have had their shots. We need more guidance from the CDC on what vaccinated people can and cannot do. That is slow in coming at the moment. There is so much they still don't know about this virus or maybe they're just not telling us. Bastards.
It's March and if there is even a hint of Spring in the offing I haven't seen it. The winds have been howling and the temperatures are still hovering in and around freezing. Not exactly the kind of weather that has one going outside to do outdoorsy things. I don't mind the cold and the wind when I'm out of doors this time of year but I'm usually starting to look forward to the warmer temperatures like everyone else living in North America. When that doesn't happen, I'm usually less happy and maybe even a little disappointed. Well, maybe a lot disappointed.
I was reading somewhere yesterday where the residents in a small town in California had voted on a measure that would prevent any gasoline stations from being built in their town. I suppose this goes hand-in-hand with certain automobile companies who after a date certain will no longer be building anything but electric vehicles.
It seems fairly drastic to me but knowing what I know about the moonbats in California maybe I shouldn't be surprised. I think this going green thing is something of a religion for the nuttier of the nuts and the fact that this is coming from California tells you all you need to know.
How liberal (nutty) are these fruitcake bastions, Johnny? Well, their laws are so liberal that Walgreens is closing any number of their pharmacies in San Fran-sicko area because laws on their books prevent businesses like Walgreens from taking action against shoplifters. Losses attributed to shoplifting, often times blatant and in full view of the helpless employees, have now rendered Walgreens and businesses like Walgreens unsustainable. #SAD.
The Ev man has his eye on a Mac mini. He's been a laptop guy for so long now that this presents a radical departure from his standard fare. I think he's coming around to the idea that having a bigger monitor and a little more juice for his gaming exploits trumps any concerns that he has about migrating to a less versatile device. He fancies Apple's new M1 chip and thinks that the price point for the new Mac mini with the M1 chip is right up his alley. It's a good an investment as any, I think, for a lad looking to upgrade his computing experience.
If they can move this pisser of a $1.9 B stimulus bill through the senate and on to Sleepy Joe's desk for his signature then Evan and millions of other Americans like Evan can satisfy their indulgences as they see fit. It's a travesty of a bill, really, and 90 some odd percent of it has nothing to do with Covid-19.
The bill rewards blue state governors and mayors who have run their states and cities into the ground and it penalizes red states that have done everything right from day one by taking money away from them. And the zillions being sent to hell holes across the globe, just don't get me going. It doesn't look, at least as of this morning, like the bill is going to get even one republican vote. It's a 50-50 Senate with the Vice President (Harris) waiting on the sidelines to cast her vote with the democrats to push this bloated POS of a bill over the finish line.
Forget not giving a State of the Union speech (As required by the Constitution.) Demented Joe Biden has still not held so much as a press conference. He has the record now of being the first president to not have a presser within x number of days of his inauguration. That number changes every day so we'll just leave it at x for the moment.
They're now saying that he will have one by month's end. That is three weeks out from today's date. If he's incapable of having a presser now because of his advanced dementia or whatever the fuck it is that has him drooling and in diapers, I'm not sure how an extra three weeks is going to help.
My guess is that it will be tightly scripted and managed to a tee behind the scenes before he ever steps up to the teleprompter. They might even get Hollywood involved in the coordination and staging of the event. Questions coming from the press will likely be known and answered long before he has a chance to repeat them from the rostrum. Technology is likely to play a part in the process but only those closest to Sleepy Joe will ever know the extent to which technology made his presentation possible. Think holograms.
He is just a complete fucking embarrassment. Who the hell is running the show in the White House? We're talking shadow presidents here, folks. They reported the other day that Kamala Harris, Biden's VP, was holding talks with the Prime Minister of Israel. You can just imagine how that went knowing as we do that Harris got a meager 2% in the presidential primaries before she dropped out. She's simply not ready for prime time. You heard that right.
She's on the horn with Bee-Bee because Biden is incapable of holding the simplest of conversations due to his advanced senility. I'm guessing the Military Industrial Complex thinks that this is just fine. Better a dolt like Biden where they can do what they damn well please without worrying about having to report to a real Commander-in-Chief.
Has our beloved Republic ever been on thinner ice? I can't remember when if it has. Maybe during the Cuban Missile crisis back in the sixties. This would be the time to strike for despots around the world who have otherwise been held in check by our previous presidents whose faculties were not nearly as impaired as what we see in Biden today. As for the leaders of countries around the world who were so quick to ridicule and decry the policies of Donald J Trump, they are now largely silent knowing what they know about Biden. It's disgraceful.
One last thing here before I sign off. We watched the movie "Nomadland" last night with Francis McDormand. I really liked it. The missus, less so. McDormand was perfect for the role in every respect. It was a poignant story about a woman in the twilight of her years crisscrossing the MidWest while living out of her van and holding down one seasonal job after another. I don't think it was meant as an expose' on the underbelly of America where displaced elderly white people survive on the margins but that is what it was all about at its essence.
It would be a mistake to waste even a moment of pity on any one of the many characters in the movie. There is something to be said for choosing one's own lifestyle and leaving familiar faces and places behind but one thing you cannot escape is your past. The juxtaposition of serenity and sadness is ever-present as "Fern" crisscrosses the picturesque and awe inspiring expanse of the MidWest while traveling alone from one familiar campsite to another.
There is a constant but subdued tension throughout the movie that ebbs and flows as characters, some more familiar than others, come and go. Fern reminds those who ask that she is houseless and not homeless. Relationships along the way, ephemeral as they are, offer Fern a veneer of comfort and security but she is steadfast in asserting her independence despite the isolation and occasional desperation that goes hand-in-hand with her nomadic lifestyle.
One suspects that Fern might well have her old life back were it still there for the taking but, alas, it is not. She returns one last time towards the end of the movie to an empty shell of a factory town and her hollowed out home, which she was forced to abandon after the factory town closed its doors, offering memories but little else. The film, above all, is a tribute to the American spirit and its capacity to not only survive but endure in the face of adversity. It's about the choices we make and the choices that are sometimes made for us. This one is well worth your time.
A Disaster In The Making
01/03/21 07:12
I'm looking around here and there this morning wanting to find something to get incensed about so I can rage against the machine. Maybe that was the title of a book written by Robert Heinlein. Not sure, don't know my science fiction all that well but I do recall that title from many years ago.
Anyway, I'm not finding a lot of stuff to get all fired up about. Maybe it's just my mood. It could leave me without much to say and that would be a problem as far as this here online journal goes. You're better than that, Johnny.
I'm out and about on my bike again after a two week or more hiatus due to the weather. You'd be surprised how quickly you lose momentum when you stop doing something physical. Now that I'm back out there, I'm riding less far, less hard, and throwing a little less caution to the wind that I normally would. It feels good to be doing it again though. And Spring isn't far off so I can see light at the end of the tunnel and it isn't a train coming down the tracks. That's a good thing.
I had two most excellent words last night in my nightly game of Scrabble against the Missus. In no particular order, they were as follows: Physio and ezine. I laid one (Physio) down on a triple score tile so that didn't make the Missus very happy. And the missus challenged my other word, ezine, and I think I hurt her feelings with that one. "How do you know that word", she implored.
It has something to do with the electronic publication of reading materials and I've known that word for a lot of years. Of course, I got to go again when she lost the challenge so that only made matters worse as you might imagine.
In my travels on YouTube yesterday, I tripped across a video by a guitar instructor whose instructional videos have been helpful to me in learning to play the instrument. I think it was entitled, "Five Mistakes Beginners Make." One of the five that stood out to me, and one that I'm guilty of making, was specific to the placement of my fingers when moving from one chord to the next.
He says you should be moving your fingers not one at a time to the strings in playing your next chord, but rather your fingers all at once. It is the only way you end up with the appropriate muscle memory that facilitates a smooth chord progression. Muscle memory in your fingers? Who knew?
I can't tell you how nice it is to get into my car these days, turn the ignition, and hear the engine beneath the hood come to life without the usual metal-on-metal scraping I'm so accustomed to hearing. I've had an issue with the starter for a godawful long time and finally decided to get it fixed. I always had this tinge of anxiety when getting behind the wheel because I never knew when it was finally going to not work. You know, not turn over the engine. So now, I just want to hug my mechanic. The fix was expensive, but worth every penny. Huzzah!
Boy, that didn't take long. How long has Sleepy Joe Biden been in office? Four weeks maybe? He sent our military into Syria last night on a bombing mission ostensibly in response to an attack by Iranian militia groups on our forces a month our so ago. He knows Syria is a sovereign nation. Right? This is another wag the dog situation just to take attention away from the fact that he's a senile old fuck and in way over his head as president. But boy, those damn democrats love to start wars. Here we go again.
And no, I will not be rallying around the Commander-in-Chief just to prop this feckless bastard up while he embarrasses our great nation day in and day out. Did I mention that he has no plans now to give his State of the Union speech? He'll not be giving the speech because he is physically and mentally incapable of giving the speech. I think he had plans to deliver the speech and then the administration just stopped talking about it. Crickets. Do we need to have that conversation again about his so-called 80 million voters who "elected" him?
Just so you know, our Constitution requires that he give a state of the Union speech. How about this parade of misfits being vetted by the Senate for positions in Biden's administration? You've got trannies vying for positions in Health and Welfare, Attorney General's who don't view illegal immigration as a crime, black nominees who think every white man is a supremacist of sorts, and military leaders whose first order to leadership was to identify and isolate every conservative in their ranks as a potential threat to the Republic. Oh, and there is this one clown running for I can't remember what who says he never sued the Little Sisters of the Poor. That's a bald faced lie.
The tranny is probably going to get through with flying colors (no pun intended.) What conservative from the other side of the aisle wants to infuriate the LGBTQ lobby and incur the online and in-person wrath of their members? I don't have anything against men who want to be women and women who want to be men, but I draw the line at having them involved in making healthcare policy for our country. Their views are, by and large, not mainstream and, again, we can't have the tail wagging the dog when it comes to this stuff. We just can't.
Yeah, baby! We got da jabs! You know, the virus killer. Pfizer is what they had so Pfizer is what we got. The Mrs was scheduled to get her shot a week later than me but she came along and the National Guard was able to accommodate her. We tried as we might to get one appointment for the two of us but the website was kinda wonky so we weren't quite sure what we had or had not accomplished once we were done signing up. Just to be safe, Nancy came along with me and, like the Baby Jesus assures us from time to time, it all worked out.
That isn't to say there weren't a few tense and nervy moments before we got ourselves out of the house and on the road a little before 8 in the morning. I had firmed things up online so I was good to go. Nancy, on the other hand, was unable to get on to the VAMS website just to check her status. She got stuck in a veritable loop and couldn't get out to save her life. Snow was coming down at a pretty good clip when we were expecting rain so that didn't help anyone's nerves. Calm down, baby cakes. I got this.
The National Guard had everything under control. Once we arrived, we drove from point A to point B at the site guided every step of the way by these uniformed Guard troops. They were polite to a fault, uber efficient, and damn good at administering drugs to people whom they've never met, didn't know, and would probably never see again. The first fella checking our papers at the gate admitted that he and I shared a birth date. Likely story, mate. Good opening line, though (me thinking out loud). We all had a good laugh. Next!
I'm not sure why Nancy was on pins and needles. She was almost hysterical when she was getting the shot. They had to promise to give her a sticker or two before she calmed down enough so they could do their job. You would think she would be happy to be getting this thing so she can get on with her life. And, she's seen far worse than this over time so it just struck me as odd. Maybe it was nerves and more nerves. She was fucking oozing nerves and it was starting to make me a little jittery. Not nervous, just jittery.
We're some four hours out now from getting our shots and life is back to normal. Well, what passes for normal anyway. The snow has stopped and it looks like mostly rain falling out of doors. Nancy is lying on the couch reading the paper and I'm here doing what I do. When we think of it, we're feeling pretty good about things all and all. We're that much closer to being fully inoculated against this virus. Come the end of next month when our second appointment comes along, add a few days for good measures, and we'll be out of the rough as they say on the links.
I told Nancy that we should probably celebrate when all is said and done by going out to dinner somewhere. My god, we haven't done that for the better part of a year or more since all of this began. I asked if she might get back to going shopping and doing things like that which we both know she thoroughly enjoys. Her response was slow in coming and that was no surprise. This pandemic has been hard on her and there's a whole lot of emotional scar tissue that has built up over time. That's not going to go away over night. It just isn't.
In last night's Scrabble game, a day later than the game referenced above, I eked out the word "chianti." I hit two double word scores with that puppy! That's a first! It was worth 48 points. Having a C and an H helped pump up the points. The A & N were already down and I just happened to have the rest of the letters needed to make the word. The first words out of my mouth to the amazed Missus Johnny was, "You challenge?" "How do you see these combinations?", she demanded. She actually won the game by one point so ballyhoo for the Missus.
Trump will give his first speech today since leaving office today at CPAC. They say he's expected to announce his run for the presidency in 2024. I'm thinking a Trump / Pompeo ticket might be in the offing. Trump is the presumptive favorite if nothing else and that is something that no one can deny.
He is the leader of the Republican party and still very popular across the board. Since sleepy Joe hasn't and can't give a state of the Union speech then, damn it, Trump should step in to the spotlight and fill that void. I suspect he will do precisely that in his speech today. I'll be tuned in with bells on!
I wasn't sure that I was going to tell my peeps that I was planning to get the Pfizer vaccine because I didn't want to cause anybody any undue consternation. I have brothers and sisters who probably need it more than me so I'm hard pressed to go around telling everybody how great it is to be getting my shot. Then again, if things were to go south after getting the shot, my words to them might well be parting words.
Responses ranged from, "can you pilfer me a couple of doses?" to "Good luck." Sister Weesey (rhymes with cheesy) didn't chime in so not sure what to think there. These were text exchanges rather than telephone calls so there's that. All in good time, my friends.
We put a call into Mrs G last night to let her know that we got our shots. We never did get a call back which I thought was a little surprising. There's a collegial look and feel to this vaccination process that encourages participation and celebrates success amongst its participants. The government may well be relying on peer pressure amongst key groups in order to achieve its unstated goals.
Spokespeople across ethnic and demographic spectrums are on the airwaves day in and day out singing the praises of the vaccines and the economy too seems to be responding in kind. So, why are we not hearing from Mrs G? What up?
I even got an update from our neighbor yesterday on the status of her vaccination. I may have asked the question first, but if she was reticent to talk about it beforehand because she didn't know if we had gotten our shots, she was ready to roll with vaccine updates on all those near and dear to her at the drop of the hat when I got around to asking the question.
She got the Moderna vaccine and her second shot was scheduled some two weeks out. Her boyfriend, John, living in Florida for the winter had gotten his first shot and was looking forward to getting the second of two shots. You see how this works. Like I said, collegial.
I have to be careful about going down too many rabbit holes on Twitter when it comes to this vaccine thing. I need to feel good and stay feeling good about getting the vaccine (Pfizer) that we got. I don't want to hear about how many people died or otherwise have bad reactions to not the first shot but the second of two shots required. Longer term, we just don't know.
I do want to hear that Pfizer is more, I think the word is "efficacious", than the Moderna and maybe the soon-to-be-announced Johnson & Johnson or Astrazenica vaccines. I can live with a 95% effectiveness rate. Anything less makes it simply another version of the wildly popular but sometimes deadly game of Russian Roulette. Do I still have to wear a mask even after the shots? Really?
Anyway, I'm not finding a lot of stuff to get all fired up about. Maybe it's just my mood. It could leave me without much to say and that would be a problem as far as this here online journal goes. You're better than that, Johnny.
I'm out and about on my bike again after a two week or more hiatus due to the weather. You'd be surprised how quickly you lose momentum when you stop doing something physical. Now that I'm back out there, I'm riding less far, less hard, and throwing a little less caution to the wind that I normally would. It feels good to be doing it again though. And Spring isn't far off so I can see light at the end of the tunnel and it isn't a train coming down the tracks. That's a good thing.
I had two most excellent words last night in my nightly game of Scrabble against the Missus. In no particular order, they were as follows: Physio and ezine. I laid one (Physio) down on a triple score tile so that didn't make the Missus very happy. And the missus challenged my other word, ezine, and I think I hurt her feelings with that one. "How do you know that word", she implored.
It has something to do with the electronic publication of reading materials and I've known that word for a lot of years. Of course, I got to go again when she lost the challenge so that only made matters worse as you might imagine.
In my travels on YouTube yesterday, I tripped across a video by a guitar instructor whose instructional videos have been helpful to me in learning to play the instrument. I think it was entitled, "Five Mistakes Beginners Make." One of the five that stood out to me, and one that I'm guilty of making, was specific to the placement of my fingers when moving from one chord to the next.
He says you should be moving your fingers not one at a time to the strings in playing your next chord, but rather your fingers all at once. It is the only way you end up with the appropriate muscle memory that facilitates a smooth chord progression. Muscle memory in your fingers? Who knew?
I can't tell you how nice it is to get into my car these days, turn the ignition, and hear the engine beneath the hood come to life without the usual metal-on-metal scraping I'm so accustomed to hearing. I've had an issue with the starter for a godawful long time and finally decided to get it fixed. I always had this tinge of anxiety when getting behind the wheel because I never knew when it was finally going to not work. You know, not turn over the engine. So now, I just want to hug my mechanic. The fix was expensive, but worth every penny. Huzzah!
Boy, that didn't take long. How long has Sleepy Joe Biden been in office? Four weeks maybe? He sent our military into Syria last night on a bombing mission ostensibly in response to an attack by Iranian militia groups on our forces a month our so ago. He knows Syria is a sovereign nation. Right? This is another wag the dog situation just to take attention away from the fact that he's a senile old fuck and in way over his head as president. But boy, those damn democrats love to start wars. Here we go again.
And no, I will not be rallying around the Commander-in-Chief just to prop this feckless bastard up while he embarrasses our great nation day in and day out. Did I mention that he has no plans now to give his State of the Union speech? He'll not be giving the speech because he is physically and mentally incapable of giving the speech. I think he had plans to deliver the speech and then the administration just stopped talking about it. Crickets. Do we need to have that conversation again about his so-called 80 million voters who "elected" him?
Just so you know, our Constitution requires that he give a state of the Union speech. How about this parade of misfits being vetted by the Senate for positions in Biden's administration? You've got trannies vying for positions in Health and Welfare, Attorney General's who don't view illegal immigration as a crime, black nominees who think every white man is a supremacist of sorts, and military leaders whose first order to leadership was to identify and isolate every conservative in their ranks as a potential threat to the Republic. Oh, and there is this one clown running for I can't remember what who says he never sued the Little Sisters of the Poor. That's a bald faced lie.
The tranny is probably going to get through with flying colors (no pun intended.) What conservative from the other side of the aisle wants to infuriate the LGBTQ lobby and incur the online and in-person wrath of their members? I don't have anything against men who want to be women and women who want to be men, but I draw the line at having them involved in making healthcare policy for our country. Their views are, by and large, not mainstream and, again, we can't have the tail wagging the dog when it comes to this stuff. We just can't.
Yeah, baby! We got da jabs! You know, the virus killer. Pfizer is what they had so Pfizer is what we got. The Mrs was scheduled to get her shot a week later than me but she came along and the National Guard was able to accommodate her. We tried as we might to get one appointment for the two of us but the website was kinda wonky so we weren't quite sure what we had or had not accomplished once we were done signing up. Just to be safe, Nancy came along with me and, like the Baby Jesus assures us from time to time, it all worked out.
That isn't to say there weren't a few tense and nervy moments before we got ourselves out of the house and on the road a little before 8 in the morning. I had firmed things up online so I was good to go. Nancy, on the other hand, was unable to get on to the VAMS website just to check her status. She got stuck in a veritable loop and couldn't get out to save her life. Snow was coming down at a pretty good clip when we were expecting rain so that didn't help anyone's nerves. Calm down, baby cakes. I got this.
The National Guard had everything under control. Once we arrived, we drove from point A to point B at the site guided every step of the way by these uniformed Guard troops. They were polite to a fault, uber efficient, and damn good at administering drugs to people whom they've never met, didn't know, and would probably never see again. The first fella checking our papers at the gate admitted that he and I shared a birth date. Likely story, mate. Good opening line, though (me thinking out loud). We all had a good laugh. Next!
I'm not sure why Nancy was on pins and needles. She was almost hysterical when she was getting the shot. They had to promise to give her a sticker or two before she calmed down enough so they could do their job. You would think she would be happy to be getting this thing so she can get on with her life. And, she's seen far worse than this over time so it just struck me as odd. Maybe it was nerves and more nerves. She was fucking oozing nerves and it was starting to make me a little jittery. Not nervous, just jittery.
We're some four hours out now from getting our shots and life is back to normal. Well, what passes for normal anyway. The snow has stopped and it looks like mostly rain falling out of doors. Nancy is lying on the couch reading the paper and I'm here doing what I do. When we think of it, we're feeling pretty good about things all and all. We're that much closer to being fully inoculated against this virus. Come the end of next month when our second appointment comes along, add a few days for good measures, and we'll be out of the rough as they say on the links.
I told Nancy that we should probably celebrate when all is said and done by going out to dinner somewhere. My god, we haven't done that for the better part of a year or more since all of this began. I asked if she might get back to going shopping and doing things like that which we both know she thoroughly enjoys. Her response was slow in coming and that was no surprise. This pandemic has been hard on her and there's a whole lot of emotional scar tissue that has built up over time. That's not going to go away over night. It just isn't.
In last night's Scrabble game, a day later than the game referenced above, I eked out the word "chianti." I hit two double word scores with that puppy! That's a first! It was worth 48 points. Having a C and an H helped pump up the points. The A & N were already down and I just happened to have the rest of the letters needed to make the word. The first words out of my mouth to the amazed Missus Johnny was, "You challenge?" "How do you see these combinations?", she demanded. She actually won the game by one point so ballyhoo for the Missus.
Trump will give his first speech today since leaving office today at CPAC. They say he's expected to announce his run for the presidency in 2024. I'm thinking a Trump / Pompeo ticket might be in the offing. Trump is the presumptive favorite if nothing else and that is something that no one can deny.
He is the leader of the Republican party and still very popular across the board. Since sleepy Joe hasn't and can't give a state of the Union speech then, damn it, Trump should step in to the spotlight and fill that void. I suspect he will do precisely that in his speech today. I'll be tuned in with bells on!
I wasn't sure that I was going to tell my peeps that I was planning to get the Pfizer vaccine because I didn't want to cause anybody any undue consternation. I have brothers and sisters who probably need it more than me so I'm hard pressed to go around telling everybody how great it is to be getting my shot. Then again, if things were to go south after getting the shot, my words to them might well be parting words.
Responses ranged from, "can you pilfer me a couple of doses?" to "Good luck." Sister Weesey (rhymes with cheesy) didn't chime in so not sure what to think there. These were text exchanges rather than telephone calls so there's that. All in good time, my friends.
We put a call into Mrs G last night to let her know that we got our shots. We never did get a call back which I thought was a little surprising. There's a collegial look and feel to this vaccination process that encourages participation and celebrates success amongst its participants. The government may well be relying on peer pressure amongst key groups in order to achieve its unstated goals.
Spokespeople across ethnic and demographic spectrums are on the airwaves day in and day out singing the praises of the vaccines and the economy too seems to be responding in kind. So, why are we not hearing from Mrs G? What up?
I even got an update from our neighbor yesterday on the status of her vaccination. I may have asked the question first, but if she was reticent to talk about it beforehand because she didn't know if we had gotten our shots, she was ready to roll with vaccine updates on all those near and dear to her at the drop of the hat when I got around to asking the question.
She got the Moderna vaccine and her second shot was scheduled some two weeks out. Her boyfriend, John, living in Florida for the winter had gotten his first shot and was looking forward to getting the second of two shots. You see how this works. Like I said, collegial.
I have to be careful about going down too many rabbit holes on Twitter when it comes to this vaccine thing. I need to feel good and stay feeling good about getting the vaccine (Pfizer) that we got. I don't want to hear about how many people died or otherwise have bad reactions to not the first shot but the second of two shots required. Longer term, we just don't know.
I do want to hear that Pfizer is more, I think the word is "efficacious", than the Moderna and maybe the soon-to-be-announced Johnson & Johnson or Astrazenica vaccines. I can live with a 95% effectiveness rate. Anything less makes it simply another version of the wildly popular but sometimes deadly game of Russian Roulette. Do I still have to wear a mask even after the shots? Really?
What Would Jesus Do?
24/02/21 07:26
It looks to be a snowy day of sorts. It's coming down so lightly that you have to look hard just to see it but it's out there. It's coating everything rather than piling up so that's good. Driving is likely to be a bit tricky but I'm not going anywhere so who cares. Nancy may have an appointment on her calendar but she's been up and she doesn't seem concerned. If she's not concerned, I'm not concerned.
So much bad shit going on out there in the world today. Biden is now getting us back in the Paris Climate Accord which is a complete disaster. He's agreed to talks with Iran after an Iran sponsored terrorist group killed an American citizen in the Middle East not even a week ago. Our public schools will now be teaching critical race theory again under the benign sounding guise of "Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education (CR-S)." Biden is even looking to give amnesty to foreigners who have already been deported. Wake up, America!
Why would you invite a flood of Mexicans and others across the globe into our country when unemployment rates are so bad that our own citizens can't find meaningful work? Why would you open our borders to hordes of plague carrying aliens when we're in the midst of a global pandemic? Why would you look to silence voices on Social Media when voices are all we have left in our quivers with which to resist the surge of leftist ideology within our borders?
Who else feels that we're just biding our time until 2024 rolls around so we can vote these leftists out of office once and for all? Grandiose promises by the leftists made during the 2020 campaign are falling by the wayside with each passing day. Gone are the promises of a $15 dollar minimum wage. Gone are the promises of eliminating up to $50k in college debt. Gone are the promises of not eliminating fracking and other forms of energy production that gave our country energy independence for the first time in our country's history.
All of those rubes who voted for Biden thinking that he was going to mail them a stimulus check for $2,000 are now scratching their collective heads now that Biden and his minions are talking about sending out checks of maybe $1,400 instead. I know it goes without saying but Trump was the first president in ages who not only kept his promises but exceeded that which he promised. He reset the standard by which future presidents would hopefully follow. Well, republican presidents anyway.
Trump's popularity is roughly 59% in the latest polls after they failed to convict him for a second time in the Senate. Compare that to the ratings of the members of Congress whose poll numbers are in the 20's and you have a recipe for a Trump comeback in 2024 of landslide proportions.
I think I heard that some democrat in Congress is proposing a bill that would keep presidents impeached for a second time, namely Trump, from being buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Another democrat in Congress is suing Trump for some nonsense related to the January 6th event at the Capitol building.
These assholes are persistent if nothing else. I'll give them that. The list of things they've tried since he and Melania came down the elevator in 2015 to bring him down have all failed miserably. Now, they're looking to bring lawsuit after lawsuit until they drive him into the financial gutter or until he promises not to run again in 2024 whichever comes first. I don't know who they think they're endearing themselves to since I think it makes them look petty and insignificant. You know what they say. If it doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger.
Is it wrong to want all of our own citizens vaccinated before we give so much as a syringe-full of vaccine to the citizens of another country less able to fend for themselves during this pandemic? I suppose we have some moral imperative of sorts as the greatest country on the face of the planet (hubris?) that says we should do everything we can to help others in need. That said, do we not as individual families want to make sure that the people living in our own households have the bread they need to survive before offering a crust to a neighbor? What would Jesus do?
What's this kerfuffle in Albany, NY about Governor Cuomo and his role in the unnecessary deaths of thousands in nursing homes across the State of New York? Isn't this the same ass clown who got an Emmy for his daily televised Covid-19 updates? Isn't this the same ass clown who wrote a book about his herculean efforts in battling and beating back the mighty Covid virus? Isn't this the same ass clown whose state has the record by and far for rates of death, hospitalizations, etc when it comes to Covid?
Why would he send all of those elderly patients sick with the disease back into the nursing homes when field hospitals and the hospital ship, "Mercy" sat docked in New York City with hospital beds at the ready but largely unfilled? And he had the unmitigated gaul to go on CNN time and time again with his brother, another ass clown in his own right, to laugh and make jokes about his popularity with women and his "success" in protecting the people of New York from the dreaded Covid. Yes, all of those elderly who now are deceased and forever off the medicaid rolls and off his budget. See where I'm going with this?
But we have a justice system under Biden that looks the other way when it comes to crimes committed by democrats and crucifies and incarcerates republicans so who knows if Cuomo will pay a price for what he's done. I'm not even sure what culpability looks like when it comes to policies written and implemented by governors whose policies result in thousands of unnecessary, and maybe even intentional, deaths.
We have people in the Biden Justice system who will not prosecute blacks because of the color of their skin no matter how egregious the crime so there''s that. What may contribute to Cuomo's undoing is the fact that he represents a threat to Biden's second term in 2024. It's probably far better to kneecap him now than to face him in the primaries. And let's not kid ourselves. We're talking about Kamala's second term. There, I said it.
I had a good mind yesterday to make chili not with beef but with chicken. It's a new twist on an old favorite and hopefully one that gets a little traction hereabouts. It's healthier, that's for sure. I've never liked the grease that I squeeze out of the beef when preparing the dish with beef. It's actually all the grease I don't see and the globules of grease that I'm not able to squeeze out that I have to believe is winding its wicked way through my veins with every spoonful. But that's what gives it the flavor, they say. It's all the fat.
I baked the chicken and shredded the cooked breasts with a fork just like the recipe said. I debated cubing the chicken instead but stayed true to the recipe and went with the shredded version. It was reminiscent, really, of the kind of chicken you find in barbecued chicken sandwiches and the like. And maybe it was a bit chewier than I might have preferred but with just the right amount of chili pepper and cumin it was the bees knees. So, now we have a pot of chili to eat at our leisure and, with or without chilled avocado slices, chicken chili is here to stay.
I was telling Mrs G that Fauci's latest proclamation was that vaccinated family members can now likely hug after they've had their jabs. The elbow bumps and hand gestures from afar will be a thing of the past, according to the Fauch (rhymes with couch.)
She tells us that they are planning to open up her facility to the public sometime soon and that will likely come as a bit of a relief to family members who have had to improvise here and there just to see their loved ones living at her place. Nobody's sure on what's to be done with those folks preferring not to be vaccinated. I mean, who wants to even sit at the same table with them?
We drove Mrs G over to the local Starbucks so we could grab a couple of coffees on the go. She gets out and about on her own but who doesn't like to be taken for a drive when the opportunity presents itself? I walked into the store since the line of cars for the drive-through was a bit too long for my tastes.
We weren't in any particular hurry but I thought Nancy and her mum might like a little one-on-one time so in I went. Had I not gone in, I might not have bought Mrs G a nice piece of lemon cake so there's that. My Flat White was less than zero. A little more consistency from Starbucks might be nice. At $6 a pop, it's not asking too much, or is it?
What the hell is going on on our southern border with Mexico? I'll tell you what's going on. The Biden Administration has thrown the border wide open to every Tom, Dick, and Harry from points south of the border. Not sure what the Spanish translation is for those names but maybe we're talking about Juan's, Jose's, and Paco's. Oh, and don't forget the moms and their bambinos. They're likely pulling up the rear and getting in line for Biden's promise of citizenship. Who the fuck died and made him king? Republicans, where are you?
All of this, at least on the border with Texas, is happening during a historic deep freeze in Texas. It seems the power grid supplying electricity to Texas, all comprised of energy sources including gas, wind, and solar, was never built to withstand freezing temperatures the likes of which Texas is now experiencing.
Frozen pipes are bursting, gas lines have gone dormant, solar panels across the state have a coating an inch or more thick with snow and ice, and yet, the flow of migrants and illegal aliens continues not only unabated but with a velocity not seen in many years on the southern border. This is Biden's America. This is your democrat party. This is what stolen elections look like. Welcome to America, and God help Texas.
The next book I have in the queue to read will be about the Johnstown Flood. I think that's the one involving a flood of molasses resulting in the deaths of any number of people in town. Can you imagine? Sticky wicky. Before I get the the Johnstown Flood, I need to finish this book I'm reading now about Cystic Fibrosis which is a good 600 pages long but very readable.
It's not a medical book, per se, but rather an account of how a national grass roots organization rose up out of nothing to meet the medical and emotional needs of children and families affected by this dreadful and terminal disease. I'm not usually interested in going 600 pages into anything but this one justifies an exception. It reminds me of a disease that is a bit closer to home and, thankfully, not nearly as terminal.
We've had so much snow and cold as of late that I'm missing out on my bike rides. Nancy tells me that I should avoid going to the gym until I get my jabs just to be safe. That leaves me, well, fiddling and diddling. Maybe I get on the treadmill here at home and maybe I don't. Maybe I go for a walk and maybe I don't. Yes, I have my guitar and my books at the ready in case I get bored and tired of all the inactivity but these are mere distractions. Maybe today is the day I get back to the gym. To hell with the virus. Gotta do what you gotta do. Hrrrrumph!
I tuned in to FOX last night, which I am loathe to do as you know, and watched a bit of the Tucker show. He had an ex-democratic operative on and she was talking about how this virus thing has given our politicians the justification to turn our country into a police state.
City after city and town after town telling their citizens that they have no right to a legal and lawful assembly, no right to attend religious services, and no right to speak out against things they deem to be against the state. When people from both sides of the political aisle stand up to a government that has gone too far, we're maybe one step closer to taking back our government. God willing.
The Supreme Court ruled yesterday that they will not be hearing a case about the alleged illegalities in the 2020 election. They wouldn't hear Trump's case during the election even though Trump's attorneys had a boatload of evidence that the election was stolen because they said he had "no standing."
And now, maybe they think that if they hear and rule on the case they might have to reach a verdict for Trump and where would that take us. But, by not taking the case, they are sending a clear message that all bets are off for nipping stolen elections in the bud going forward. It's tantamount to another free pass right into the end zone for the democrats. They must be pinching themselves.
I'll close with a tip of the hat to Pepsi-Cola. Coca-Cola has taken race baiting to a new level by introducing training to all employees on "How to be less white." That's it. I'm done with Coke. I'm tired of being told how racist I am and I'll not feel one iota of guilt for saying it.
In fact, I'll be boycotting not only Coke but any shows I watch on the telly that depict whites as racist and blacks as a subjugated race. We all know Hollywood is out to stick it in our faces with their propaganda about this cultural horseshit and I'll not be party to the propaganda. Over and out, mother fuckers!
So much bad shit going on out there in the world today. Biden is now getting us back in the Paris Climate Accord which is a complete disaster. He's agreed to talks with Iran after an Iran sponsored terrorist group killed an American citizen in the Middle East not even a week ago. Our public schools will now be teaching critical race theory again under the benign sounding guise of "Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education (CR-S)." Biden is even looking to give amnesty to foreigners who have already been deported. Wake up, America!
Why would you invite a flood of Mexicans and others across the globe into our country when unemployment rates are so bad that our own citizens can't find meaningful work? Why would you open our borders to hordes of plague carrying aliens when we're in the midst of a global pandemic? Why would you look to silence voices on Social Media when voices are all we have left in our quivers with which to resist the surge of leftist ideology within our borders?
Who else feels that we're just biding our time until 2024 rolls around so we can vote these leftists out of office once and for all? Grandiose promises by the leftists made during the 2020 campaign are falling by the wayside with each passing day. Gone are the promises of a $15 dollar minimum wage. Gone are the promises of eliminating up to $50k in college debt. Gone are the promises of not eliminating fracking and other forms of energy production that gave our country energy independence for the first time in our country's history.
All of those rubes who voted for Biden thinking that he was going to mail them a stimulus check for $2,000 are now scratching their collective heads now that Biden and his minions are talking about sending out checks of maybe $1,400 instead. I know it goes without saying but Trump was the first president in ages who not only kept his promises but exceeded that which he promised. He reset the standard by which future presidents would hopefully follow. Well, republican presidents anyway.
Trump's popularity is roughly 59% in the latest polls after they failed to convict him for a second time in the Senate. Compare that to the ratings of the members of Congress whose poll numbers are in the 20's and you have a recipe for a Trump comeback in 2024 of landslide proportions.
I think I heard that some democrat in Congress is proposing a bill that would keep presidents impeached for a second time, namely Trump, from being buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Another democrat in Congress is suing Trump for some nonsense related to the January 6th event at the Capitol building.
These assholes are persistent if nothing else. I'll give them that. The list of things they've tried since he and Melania came down the elevator in 2015 to bring him down have all failed miserably. Now, they're looking to bring lawsuit after lawsuit until they drive him into the financial gutter or until he promises not to run again in 2024 whichever comes first. I don't know who they think they're endearing themselves to since I think it makes them look petty and insignificant. You know what they say. If it doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger.
Is it wrong to want all of our own citizens vaccinated before we give so much as a syringe-full of vaccine to the citizens of another country less able to fend for themselves during this pandemic? I suppose we have some moral imperative of sorts as the greatest country on the face of the planet (hubris?) that says we should do everything we can to help others in need. That said, do we not as individual families want to make sure that the people living in our own households have the bread they need to survive before offering a crust to a neighbor? What would Jesus do?
What's this kerfuffle in Albany, NY about Governor Cuomo and his role in the unnecessary deaths of thousands in nursing homes across the State of New York? Isn't this the same ass clown who got an Emmy for his daily televised Covid-19 updates? Isn't this the same ass clown who wrote a book about his herculean efforts in battling and beating back the mighty Covid virus? Isn't this the same ass clown whose state has the record by and far for rates of death, hospitalizations, etc when it comes to Covid?
Why would he send all of those elderly patients sick with the disease back into the nursing homes when field hospitals and the hospital ship, "Mercy" sat docked in New York City with hospital beds at the ready but largely unfilled? And he had the unmitigated gaul to go on CNN time and time again with his brother, another ass clown in his own right, to laugh and make jokes about his popularity with women and his "success" in protecting the people of New York from the dreaded Covid. Yes, all of those elderly who now are deceased and forever off the medicaid rolls and off his budget. See where I'm going with this?
But we have a justice system under Biden that looks the other way when it comes to crimes committed by democrats and crucifies and incarcerates republicans so who knows if Cuomo will pay a price for what he's done. I'm not even sure what culpability looks like when it comes to policies written and implemented by governors whose policies result in thousands of unnecessary, and maybe even intentional, deaths.
We have people in the Biden Justice system who will not prosecute blacks because of the color of their skin no matter how egregious the crime so there''s that. What may contribute to Cuomo's undoing is the fact that he represents a threat to Biden's second term in 2024. It's probably far better to kneecap him now than to face him in the primaries. And let's not kid ourselves. We're talking about Kamala's second term. There, I said it.
I had a good mind yesterday to make chili not with beef but with chicken. It's a new twist on an old favorite and hopefully one that gets a little traction hereabouts. It's healthier, that's for sure. I've never liked the grease that I squeeze out of the beef when preparing the dish with beef. It's actually all the grease I don't see and the globules of grease that I'm not able to squeeze out that I have to believe is winding its wicked way through my veins with every spoonful. But that's what gives it the flavor, they say. It's all the fat.
I baked the chicken and shredded the cooked breasts with a fork just like the recipe said. I debated cubing the chicken instead but stayed true to the recipe and went with the shredded version. It was reminiscent, really, of the kind of chicken you find in barbecued chicken sandwiches and the like. And maybe it was a bit chewier than I might have preferred but with just the right amount of chili pepper and cumin it was the bees knees. So, now we have a pot of chili to eat at our leisure and, with or without chilled avocado slices, chicken chili is here to stay.
I was telling Mrs G that Fauci's latest proclamation was that vaccinated family members can now likely hug after they've had their jabs. The elbow bumps and hand gestures from afar will be a thing of the past, according to the Fauch (rhymes with couch.)
She tells us that they are planning to open up her facility to the public sometime soon and that will likely come as a bit of a relief to family members who have had to improvise here and there just to see their loved ones living at her place. Nobody's sure on what's to be done with those folks preferring not to be vaccinated. I mean, who wants to even sit at the same table with them?
We drove Mrs G over to the local Starbucks so we could grab a couple of coffees on the go. She gets out and about on her own but who doesn't like to be taken for a drive when the opportunity presents itself? I walked into the store since the line of cars for the drive-through was a bit too long for my tastes.
We weren't in any particular hurry but I thought Nancy and her mum might like a little one-on-one time so in I went. Had I not gone in, I might not have bought Mrs G a nice piece of lemon cake so there's that. My Flat White was less than zero. A little more consistency from Starbucks might be nice. At $6 a pop, it's not asking too much, or is it?
What the hell is going on on our southern border with Mexico? I'll tell you what's going on. The Biden Administration has thrown the border wide open to every Tom, Dick, and Harry from points south of the border. Not sure what the Spanish translation is for those names but maybe we're talking about Juan's, Jose's, and Paco's. Oh, and don't forget the moms and their bambinos. They're likely pulling up the rear and getting in line for Biden's promise of citizenship. Who the fuck died and made him king? Republicans, where are you?
All of this, at least on the border with Texas, is happening during a historic deep freeze in Texas. It seems the power grid supplying electricity to Texas, all comprised of energy sources including gas, wind, and solar, was never built to withstand freezing temperatures the likes of which Texas is now experiencing.
Frozen pipes are bursting, gas lines have gone dormant, solar panels across the state have a coating an inch or more thick with snow and ice, and yet, the flow of migrants and illegal aliens continues not only unabated but with a velocity not seen in many years on the southern border. This is Biden's America. This is your democrat party. This is what stolen elections look like. Welcome to America, and God help Texas.
The next book I have in the queue to read will be about the Johnstown Flood. I think that's the one involving a flood of molasses resulting in the deaths of any number of people in town. Can you imagine? Sticky wicky. Before I get the the Johnstown Flood, I need to finish this book I'm reading now about Cystic Fibrosis which is a good 600 pages long but very readable.
It's not a medical book, per se, but rather an account of how a national grass roots organization rose up out of nothing to meet the medical and emotional needs of children and families affected by this dreadful and terminal disease. I'm not usually interested in going 600 pages into anything but this one justifies an exception. It reminds me of a disease that is a bit closer to home and, thankfully, not nearly as terminal.
We've had so much snow and cold as of late that I'm missing out on my bike rides. Nancy tells me that I should avoid going to the gym until I get my jabs just to be safe. That leaves me, well, fiddling and diddling. Maybe I get on the treadmill here at home and maybe I don't. Maybe I go for a walk and maybe I don't. Yes, I have my guitar and my books at the ready in case I get bored and tired of all the inactivity but these are mere distractions. Maybe today is the day I get back to the gym. To hell with the virus. Gotta do what you gotta do. Hrrrrumph!
I tuned in to FOX last night, which I am loathe to do as you know, and watched a bit of the Tucker show. He had an ex-democratic operative on and she was talking about how this virus thing has given our politicians the justification to turn our country into a police state.
City after city and town after town telling their citizens that they have no right to a legal and lawful assembly, no right to attend religious services, and no right to speak out against things they deem to be against the state. When people from both sides of the political aisle stand up to a government that has gone too far, we're maybe one step closer to taking back our government. God willing.
The Supreme Court ruled yesterday that they will not be hearing a case about the alleged illegalities in the 2020 election. They wouldn't hear Trump's case during the election even though Trump's attorneys had a boatload of evidence that the election was stolen because they said he had "no standing."
And now, maybe they think that if they hear and rule on the case they might have to reach a verdict for Trump and where would that take us. But, by not taking the case, they are sending a clear message that all bets are off for nipping stolen elections in the bud going forward. It's tantamount to another free pass right into the end zone for the democrats. They must be pinching themselves.
I'll close with a tip of the hat to Pepsi-Cola. Coca-Cola has taken race baiting to a new level by introducing training to all employees on "How to be less white." That's it. I'm done with Coke. I'm tired of being told how racist I am and I'll not feel one iota of guilt for saying it.
In fact, I'll be boycotting not only Coke but any shows I watch on the telly that depict whites as racist and blacks as a subjugated race. We all know Hollywood is out to stick it in our faces with their propaganda about this cultural horseshit and I'll not be party to the propaganda. Over and out, mother fuckers!
Spill The Beans, Baby!
18/02/21 07:13
Every once in a while I'll pick up a book written by one of Trump's many detractors and I'll try to read a bit of it. If you want to know what the opposition is up to, you need to pay attention to what they say and what they do. Sometimes, what they're not saying is just as important. Sins of omission, as they are called in the trades. I also don't want to be accused of being too one-sided in my loyalty to Trump's "America First" revolution, I'm really just trying to keep an open mind.
Unfortunately, Trump's detractors are too rabid for my tastes so I'm good for a couple of pages and then I'm done. And the lies are usually just over the top. The truth of the matter is, there are a lot of people who believe the lies. The leftists know it so it is spewed endlessly on the nightly news and talking head shows and then regurgitated non-stop for edification of the masses who are open to such nonsense. It's sad, really, that there are so many gullible people out there. Maybe Michael Savage was right when he said that liberalism is mental disorder.
I'm reading today about the fact that New York is seeing 9,000 new cases of Covid a day and 1,000 deaths a week in hospitals and nursing homes. Those numbers might be down from numbers previously reported but they are still hellish. I am less trusting now of the numbers being reported by the Biden Administration. I've heard they're intentionally doing less testing so that invariably produces lower numbers. While everyone is taking a victory lap, the more virulent UK variant is showing up in wastewater in cities like Burlington, Vermont.
If we can't trust our government to give us accurate information about this Covid business then how are we to make any personal assessments about what works and what doesn't work when it comes to vaccines, etc.. How do we know that these vaccines aren't part and parcel of some plot by the Chinese or the globalists to render our populations sickly and vulnerable? I think the bigger question for a lot of people is, how are these vaccines going to play out longer term? Nobody knows, or if they do they aren't saying.
My appointment to get the vaccine is a couple of weeks away. I'm trying to familiarize myself with the panoply of symptoms I'm likely to experience once I get the shot so I'm not caught unaware. The symptoms seemingly range everywhere from a sore arm to death. I'll have to make sure my affairs are in order before I head out to the vaccination spot when the time comes. Maybe I'll treat myself to a special breakfast out somewhere. I'll throw caution to the wind and put in my order for "three pigs in blanket" and a nice side of home fries.
I may or may not share my vaccine business with my peeps. I know that one or more of them is having difficulty in getting their vaccinations so it's probably best to keep everything close to the vest. It's not my fault that my State is doing a better job than most in delivering the vaccines to its residents. All the same, no need to gin up bad feelings one way or another. There's enough anxiety going around without me throwing fuel on the fire.
I'm running into a little trouble here. I'm slowing down and I'm feeling less and less like putting anything down in writing. I keep trying different music to see if that might help. If I can strike a mood of sorts I'll be good to go. If not, I'll be fucked. If I can't empty my head I'll be in big trouble. It's going to be a wash-out of a day so there's that. Since when do we get torrential rains in the month of February? This global warming business is a bitch.
I thought I saw somewhere yesterday where some official in Massachusetts made the asinine comment that they will have to break the will of the people who rely on carbon in order to achieve their global warming goals. Who the hell died and made them global warming czars? Just to be clear, they're talking about people in the Northeast who rely on oil to heat their homes during the winter months. And, how exactly do they intend to break our will?
Another bothersome report I'm reading this morning is the fact that Kamala Harris, the Vice President, is having talks with G7 members like Emanuel Macron. You see what's happening here. Right? They're grooming her to replace the bumbling, fumbling, and ever demented Joe Biden as he slips off into god only knows where. For all we know, he's doing her bidding and the bidding of Obama day-to-day anyway so maybe it doesn't much matter. Biden was a trojan horse all along so don''t say you weren't warned. This is a problem.
Biden continues to hide behind the veil of the coronavirus to conceal his advanced stage of dementia. The people who voted for him, some 80 million allegedly, know but could care less about his collapse into darkness as long as their socialist agenda is implemented. You also don't see Biden doing any public appearances and it's clear as day as to what they're up to.
These pathetic bastards on the left showed their true colors in their latest attempt to impeach Trump in the Senate. They doctored evidence and lied to the American public when they brought their case. It was a dark day or two as the democrats rolled out a defense that would have resulted in the lot of them being disbarred in a different venue under different circumstances. It was really a very sad day in the annals of American jurisprudence. It was a poison that was quickly disproven by Trump's defense team. Thank the baby Jesus.
Evan was hoping against hope that the weather would be so miserable and nasty today that he wouldn't have to go to a pre-scheduled appointment. We're getting more rain than snow and maybe less ice and sleet than originally forecasted and that made for some anxious moments this morning in the Ev man's world. "When should I send the text that I'd prefer to come on a different day due to the weather?", he asked me. He spent the night at our house in anticipation of a more substantial storm socking everyone in for the day.
There are just enough reports of ice here and there across the region where asking the question about coming on a different day right might sense to someone not following things all that closely. If they knew that he was within a stones throw from their location I have to believe they would be less accepting of any requests he might make. The less they know about such things, the better I suppose. As it is, they sent him a text around about 7:30 this morning offering to see him on a different day due to the weather and resting road conditions.
So all is well in the Ev man's world once again. That means, as you might guess, that all is well in our world. Well, for today anyway. Nobody knows what tomorrow or the next day might bring so we take it day by day. Maybe a celebration is in order since we're over today's hump. I suggested that we order up a couple of breakfast burrito's from a local take-out joint that we love to frequent. He's game so we just need to work out the timing.
I'll be picking up my old car from the shop this morning. It was a costly repair but not beyond the pale, thankfully. I don't know that I thought it was going to be that expensive but I was prepared to throw a few extra dollars at it only because replacing her would be even more costly. Yes, I referred to my car as a "her." You can't very well justify spending a lot of money on an older car if there isn't some kind of relationship that says, "I love you but in a non-sexual way." And I do! What's not to love about a 21 year-old anything?
I've never so much as entertained even a thought or two about replacing her over the 8-9 years that I've owned her. Only more recently, and maybe due to her advanced age, have I given any thought to anything of the kind. One idea that comes to mind, maybe first and foremost, is that any new car that I might buy has to fit in our garage. If there are any exceptions to that rule, I can't think of one at the moment. Oh, and break my heart why don't you, I'm reading that Jaguar will be going all electric by such and such a date. WTF?
Nancy asked if I might like to buy an electric car. I'm certainly not predisposed to doing such a thing in case you didn't pick that up in my comment about the new Jaguars. I'm not worried or preoccupied about alleged holes in the atmosphere caused by homo sapiens and the vehicles that they drive or the excess of flatulence of the beasts in the fields in you want to go biblical. I certainly don't think that any spawn carrying my genetic material into the foreseeable future will look back and wonder what their bonehead of an ancestor was thinking when he did or didn't do something that maybe he should or shouldn't have done.
That isn't to say that if the right vehicle came along that I couldn't be willingly dragged into the local dealership just to take a peek. It's just transportation, after all. A way, if you will, to get from point A to point B. I'm all about curb appeal when all is said and done. Throw in a modicum of functionality with a twist of futuristic bells and whistles and I'm good to go. Where and what I put in my "fuel" tank is of little concern although availability is a strong consideration. Just don't tell me that I have to buy something just so the polar bears have more ice beneath their feet when they're off on their daily jaunt to kill and consume hapless fur seals.
Maybe it's been there all along and I just haven't noticed. We were watching a couple of shows on the telly and out of the fucking blue we get these scenes popping up reminding us that racism is alive and well and we (Caucasians, notably) need to fix it ASAP. These fucking woke producers in Hollywood are actually concocting scenes out of whole cloth that are designed to explore the alleged long time subjugation and exploitation of the black man. It's not enough to say you're sorry. On who's behalf are they spewing this nonsense and to what end?
It was really ghastly. The virtue signaling by the major networks in this country of ours is out of control. One scene spoke to the inequities of drug dispensing in a hospital setting between blacks and whites. The actress quoted some nonsensical, and I do think she pulled this out of her ass, numbers about how drugs are dispensed to whites more readily than to blacks for identical ailments. You have to understand something. Without victimology, the left has nothing. It now just looks like an act of desperation by the left but it may just work.
It should also tell you something about the shlock that you see on American television sets these days. It's really an abomination. Unwatchable, really. Ten minutes into any show on network television and you're ready to either vomit or get our your checkbook to make things right once again in the eyes of the gods by making out a check to Black Lives Matter. It's like sitting down to a meal that looked mouthwatering when you read the description of the various dishes but tastes like shit after the fact. You can't get back those wasted minutes. They're just gone.
Some of the best shows, or series of shows, I've seen as of late are those coming out of Australia, New Zealand and the UK. They are vastly superior to the crap the major networks have on here across the pond. It's a little bit funny, actually, that in some of the smaller countries you see the same actors and actresses time and time again. The talent pool just isn't that big. It's just a constant but enjoyable wash, rinse, and repeat. I steer clear of Korean films and those coming out of China since the acting doesn't quite cut the mustard and most of it is likely intended as propaganda.
I've followed Rush Limbaugh for a lot of years and I heartily join my conservative brethren in mourning his passing. I was never a hard core Rush guy but always appreciated his take on issues over the years. I don't think I ever listened to a full three hour radio show but that probably says more about my attention span than anything else. I remember trying to call in to his show during a period leading up to Christmas one year when he was giving away iPhones. Me and a million or more others I might add. That didn't end well for me. It was not time well spent.
Nancy thought that Rush should have put on some prerecorded message to his fans after his passing. It's not like he didn't see this coming, right? Instead, his wife comes on the radio and gives her spiel which was just fine. But, it wasn't the Rush meister. He could have hit this one out of the park but it wasn't to be. Maybe he did have something but she thought her message was maybe more important or more compelling. Maybe she figured that he had his moment or two in the limelight and it was now time for her to step up to the golden microphone. Maybe it's best not to tease this out too much. Godspeed, Rush.
Lastly, who believes this nonsense about Biden have hours long conversations with leaders from other countries? Where are the fucking transcripts? Who else was on the call? You know he can't even read from a teleprompter, for chrissakes. Right? And when is the last time you remember him taking any real questions aside from, what's your favorite flavor of ice cream?
Which foreign leader will be the first to step forward to set the record straight in the wake of these so-called two hour calls about the rudderless and demented Joe Biden and his band of leftist hacks running roughshod behind the scenes in our nations White House? Which country is willing to jeopardize their share of America's largesse in the form of foreign aid just to set the record straight on the moron currently sitting at the helm of our great nation?
And where are the fucking patriots with the goods? You know, like the ones that stepped up during Trump's time to spill the beans on his alleged malfeasance? Or, is it misfeasance? I can't hear you! They came out of the Washington woodwork like termites to condemn everything they didn't like about Trump and his Administration. Hell, they even impeached him for an "excellent" phone call to the leader of Ukraine. Please don't tell me that Trump didn't put a few moles in there just to keep an eye on things until he runs again in 2024. Come out, come out, wherever you are.
Unfortunately, Trump's detractors are too rabid for my tastes so I'm good for a couple of pages and then I'm done. And the lies are usually just over the top. The truth of the matter is, there are a lot of people who believe the lies. The leftists know it so it is spewed endlessly on the nightly news and talking head shows and then regurgitated non-stop for edification of the masses who are open to such nonsense. It's sad, really, that there are so many gullible people out there. Maybe Michael Savage was right when he said that liberalism is mental disorder.
I'm reading today about the fact that New York is seeing 9,000 new cases of Covid a day and 1,000 deaths a week in hospitals and nursing homes. Those numbers might be down from numbers previously reported but they are still hellish. I am less trusting now of the numbers being reported by the Biden Administration. I've heard they're intentionally doing less testing so that invariably produces lower numbers. While everyone is taking a victory lap, the more virulent UK variant is showing up in wastewater in cities like Burlington, Vermont.
If we can't trust our government to give us accurate information about this Covid business then how are we to make any personal assessments about what works and what doesn't work when it comes to vaccines, etc.. How do we know that these vaccines aren't part and parcel of some plot by the Chinese or the globalists to render our populations sickly and vulnerable? I think the bigger question for a lot of people is, how are these vaccines going to play out longer term? Nobody knows, or if they do they aren't saying.
My appointment to get the vaccine is a couple of weeks away. I'm trying to familiarize myself with the panoply of symptoms I'm likely to experience once I get the shot so I'm not caught unaware. The symptoms seemingly range everywhere from a sore arm to death. I'll have to make sure my affairs are in order before I head out to the vaccination spot when the time comes. Maybe I'll treat myself to a special breakfast out somewhere. I'll throw caution to the wind and put in my order for "three pigs in blanket" and a nice side of home fries.
I may or may not share my vaccine business with my peeps. I know that one or more of them is having difficulty in getting their vaccinations so it's probably best to keep everything close to the vest. It's not my fault that my State is doing a better job than most in delivering the vaccines to its residents. All the same, no need to gin up bad feelings one way or another. There's enough anxiety going around without me throwing fuel on the fire.
I'm running into a little trouble here. I'm slowing down and I'm feeling less and less like putting anything down in writing. I keep trying different music to see if that might help. If I can strike a mood of sorts I'll be good to go. If not, I'll be fucked. If I can't empty my head I'll be in big trouble. It's going to be a wash-out of a day so there's that. Since when do we get torrential rains in the month of February? This global warming business is a bitch.
I thought I saw somewhere yesterday where some official in Massachusetts made the asinine comment that they will have to break the will of the people who rely on carbon in order to achieve their global warming goals. Who the hell died and made them global warming czars? Just to be clear, they're talking about people in the Northeast who rely on oil to heat their homes during the winter months. And, how exactly do they intend to break our will?
Another bothersome report I'm reading this morning is the fact that Kamala Harris, the Vice President, is having talks with G7 members like Emanuel Macron. You see what's happening here. Right? They're grooming her to replace the bumbling, fumbling, and ever demented Joe Biden as he slips off into god only knows where. For all we know, he's doing her bidding and the bidding of Obama day-to-day anyway so maybe it doesn't much matter. Biden was a trojan horse all along so don''t say you weren't warned. This is a problem.
Biden continues to hide behind the veil of the coronavirus to conceal his advanced stage of dementia. The people who voted for him, some 80 million allegedly, know but could care less about his collapse into darkness as long as their socialist agenda is implemented. You also don't see Biden doing any public appearances and it's clear as day as to what they're up to.
These pathetic bastards on the left showed their true colors in their latest attempt to impeach Trump in the Senate. They doctored evidence and lied to the American public when they brought their case. It was a dark day or two as the democrats rolled out a defense that would have resulted in the lot of them being disbarred in a different venue under different circumstances. It was really a very sad day in the annals of American jurisprudence. It was a poison that was quickly disproven by Trump's defense team. Thank the baby Jesus.
Evan was hoping against hope that the weather would be so miserable and nasty today that he wouldn't have to go to a pre-scheduled appointment. We're getting more rain than snow and maybe less ice and sleet than originally forecasted and that made for some anxious moments this morning in the Ev man's world. "When should I send the text that I'd prefer to come on a different day due to the weather?", he asked me. He spent the night at our house in anticipation of a more substantial storm socking everyone in for the day.
There are just enough reports of ice here and there across the region where asking the question about coming on a different day right might sense to someone not following things all that closely. If they knew that he was within a stones throw from their location I have to believe they would be less accepting of any requests he might make. The less they know about such things, the better I suppose. As it is, they sent him a text around about 7:30 this morning offering to see him on a different day due to the weather and resting road conditions.
So all is well in the Ev man's world once again. That means, as you might guess, that all is well in our world. Well, for today anyway. Nobody knows what tomorrow or the next day might bring so we take it day by day. Maybe a celebration is in order since we're over today's hump. I suggested that we order up a couple of breakfast burrito's from a local take-out joint that we love to frequent. He's game so we just need to work out the timing.
I'll be picking up my old car from the shop this morning. It was a costly repair but not beyond the pale, thankfully. I don't know that I thought it was going to be that expensive but I was prepared to throw a few extra dollars at it only because replacing her would be even more costly. Yes, I referred to my car as a "her." You can't very well justify spending a lot of money on an older car if there isn't some kind of relationship that says, "I love you but in a non-sexual way." And I do! What's not to love about a 21 year-old anything?
I've never so much as entertained even a thought or two about replacing her over the 8-9 years that I've owned her. Only more recently, and maybe due to her advanced age, have I given any thought to anything of the kind. One idea that comes to mind, maybe first and foremost, is that any new car that I might buy has to fit in our garage. If there are any exceptions to that rule, I can't think of one at the moment. Oh, and break my heart why don't you, I'm reading that Jaguar will be going all electric by such and such a date. WTF?
Nancy asked if I might like to buy an electric car. I'm certainly not predisposed to doing such a thing in case you didn't pick that up in my comment about the new Jaguars. I'm not worried or preoccupied about alleged holes in the atmosphere caused by homo sapiens and the vehicles that they drive or the excess of flatulence of the beasts in the fields in you want to go biblical. I certainly don't think that any spawn carrying my genetic material into the foreseeable future will look back and wonder what their bonehead of an ancestor was thinking when he did or didn't do something that maybe he should or shouldn't have done.
That isn't to say that if the right vehicle came along that I couldn't be willingly dragged into the local dealership just to take a peek. It's just transportation, after all. A way, if you will, to get from point A to point B. I'm all about curb appeal when all is said and done. Throw in a modicum of functionality with a twist of futuristic bells and whistles and I'm good to go. Where and what I put in my "fuel" tank is of little concern although availability is a strong consideration. Just don't tell me that I have to buy something just so the polar bears have more ice beneath their feet when they're off on their daily jaunt to kill and consume hapless fur seals.
Maybe it's been there all along and I just haven't noticed. We were watching a couple of shows on the telly and out of the fucking blue we get these scenes popping up reminding us that racism is alive and well and we (Caucasians, notably) need to fix it ASAP. These fucking woke producers in Hollywood are actually concocting scenes out of whole cloth that are designed to explore the alleged long time subjugation and exploitation of the black man. It's not enough to say you're sorry. On who's behalf are they spewing this nonsense and to what end?
It was really ghastly. The virtue signaling by the major networks in this country of ours is out of control. One scene spoke to the inequities of drug dispensing in a hospital setting between blacks and whites. The actress quoted some nonsensical, and I do think she pulled this out of her ass, numbers about how drugs are dispensed to whites more readily than to blacks for identical ailments. You have to understand something. Without victimology, the left has nothing. It now just looks like an act of desperation by the left but it may just work.
It should also tell you something about the shlock that you see on American television sets these days. It's really an abomination. Unwatchable, really. Ten minutes into any show on network television and you're ready to either vomit or get our your checkbook to make things right once again in the eyes of the gods by making out a check to Black Lives Matter. It's like sitting down to a meal that looked mouthwatering when you read the description of the various dishes but tastes like shit after the fact. You can't get back those wasted minutes. They're just gone.
Some of the best shows, or series of shows, I've seen as of late are those coming out of Australia, New Zealand and the UK. They are vastly superior to the crap the major networks have on here across the pond. It's a little bit funny, actually, that in some of the smaller countries you see the same actors and actresses time and time again. The talent pool just isn't that big. It's just a constant but enjoyable wash, rinse, and repeat. I steer clear of Korean films and those coming out of China since the acting doesn't quite cut the mustard and most of it is likely intended as propaganda.
I've followed Rush Limbaugh for a lot of years and I heartily join my conservative brethren in mourning his passing. I was never a hard core Rush guy but always appreciated his take on issues over the years. I don't think I ever listened to a full three hour radio show but that probably says more about my attention span than anything else. I remember trying to call in to his show during a period leading up to Christmas one year when he was giving away iPhones. Me and a million or more others I might add. That didn't end well for me. It was not time well spent.
Nancy thought that Rush should have put on some prerecorded message to his fans after his passing. It's not like he didn't see this coming, right? Instead, his wife comes on the radio and gives her spiel which was just fine. But, it wasn't the Rush meister. He could have hit this one out of the park but it wasn't to be. Maybe he did have something but she thought her message was maybe more important or more compelling. Maybe she figured that he had his moment or two in the limelight and it was now time for her to step up to the golden microphone. Maybe it's best not to tease this out too much. Godspeed, Rush.
Lastly, who believes this nonsense about Biden have hours long conversations with leaders from other countries? Where are the fucking transcripts? Who else was on the call? You know he can't even read from a teleprompter, for chrissakes. Right? And when is the last time you remember him taking any real questions aside from, what's your favorite flavor of ice cream?
Which foreign leader will be the first to step forward to set the record straight in the wake of these so-called two hour calls about the rudderless and demented Joe Biden and his band of leftist hacks running roughshod behind the scenes in our nations White House? Which country is willing to jeopardize their share of America's largesse in the form of foreign aid just to set the record straight on the moron currently sitting at the helm of our great nation?
And where are the fucking patriots with the goods? You know, like the ones that stepped up during Trump's time to spill the beans on his alleged malfeasance? Or, is it misfeasance? I can't hear you! They came out of the Washington woodwork like termites to condemn everything they didn't like about Trump and his Administration. Hell, they even impeached him for an "excellent" phone call to the leader of Ukraine. Please don't tell me that Trump didn't put a few moles in there just to keep an eye on things until he runs again in 2024. Come out, come out, wherever you are.
One For The Good Guys
09/02/21 07:44
Man, this year is whipping by. It's February already. Puxatawney Phil either did or didn't see his shadow so we apparently have another 6 weeks to go before we can even begin thinking about Spring. It's hard to imagine Spring when you're digging out after a snow storm that dumped a foot of snow in the hood. I can call it a "hood" Right?
I think they call that creative license. It is whatever I say it is. You're free to disagree with me but, please, do it on your own time. The cancel culture is going to come and get you for cultural appropriation, Johnny! No, please. Not, me Mr Cancel Culture. I've not said anything that a thousand white nationalists before me haven't said. Only kidding. You see where I'm going with this. Right?
I read a story on Twitter this morning about a country western singer who lost his recording contract with a record label over some allegedly "racist" comment he made. It seems the left has zero tolerance for language that they find offensive. It doesn't matter that he apologized for making said comment. It doesn't matter that rap stars make millions talking about all kinds of nastiness and they are lauded in the media and on the left for their courage in taking on matters of social justice.
You know what they say. If the left didn't have double standards, they wouldn't have any standards at all. And what about Coca Cola? They are now mandating that a certain percentage of their legal business now go to minority firms. This is rich. This is affirmative action all over again. Whatever happened to the rules about seeing to it that you hire the most qualified people, the most qualified firms, and, in general, the outfits that have the best record of accomplishment?
I don't mean to go off on a tangent this morning but this is where we are just two weeks into the Biden administration. It's a fucking disaster. Did I mention that the dems in Congress just voted to strip a republican member of congress (Marjorie Taylor Green) of her committee assignments for comments she made BEFORE being coming to Washington? Since when do the democrats get to decide who does and who doesn't get to sit on certain committees in Congress? Be careful what you ask for. Payback is a bitch and 2022 is just around the corner.
Maybe I do mean to go off on a tangent. I got me a little caffeine in my bloodstream and a spring in my step this morning. I'm listening to James Taylor but the music isn't matching my mood. I need to change that up. Maybe a little Jimi Hendrix will do the trick. A little "Purple Haze" or maybe a cranked up version of "Along the Watch Tower." I like it. Much better.
My guitar thing is coming along. My finger tips are getting appropriately calloused but that doesn't mean they don't feel sore from time to time. I wonder if that means that I'm bearing down on the strings more than necessary. The good news is that I'm doing something every day with guitar.
In addition to practicing certain scales daily, I'm working on fingerpicking routines and strumming patterns. I've not been at all focused on memorizing where certain notes are on the guitar but I think that's the next step. A good musician needs to know about notes, sharps, flats, octaves, etc. Right?
And the wind cries Mary! Love that song. Anyway, it's all good. I'm taking a crack here and there at playing along to songs on YouTube. Some beats are harder than others to replicate but that just reminds me that there is more to this guitar business than meets the eye. It also helps when I find a song or an artist that I like when it comes to playing along with songs. This is where YouTube shines.
I finally broke down and bought a new coffee bean grinder. I'm doing my part to get this damn economy up off it's knees after a dismal few months of Covid related sluggishness. As a brand, Cuisinart has served me well over the years so when it came time to revisit my supplies Cuisinart was front and center. I think it's been at least 25 years since I bought my last coffee bean grinder so that's a pretty good run. Pretty good indeed.
I'm replacing my old, put the beans in and hold down the top until I think I have the right grind, with a machine where I can select the grind and it has an automatic turn off feature when the job is done. Oh, and I can manage the setting on the machine to grind just enough beans for the job at hand.
The receptacle holds a half pound of beans so I'll fill that puppy up and I won't have to think about refilling it for maybe a week. Oh, and did I mention that it has a burr grinder? I'll have no more of this "pulverize the beans" business! No sireee, Bob. Those days are gone.
Nancy did a little bit of shopping yesterday. She came home with a few things that she had on her list. Unfortunately, they were not the precise items that she had in mind so she was not a happy camper. I think the miscues had something to do with the labeling and her selecting the wrong items when the time came to put them in her basket.
It was maybe buying a bag of M&M's and not noticing the label "fudge" on the packaging. It was buying a tub of vaseline and not noticing that it was scented. Scented just doesn't cut the mustard. It wasn't what she wanted.
I told her that products these days come in so many flavors, varieties, and scents, that it's easy to end up with the wrong items in your basket. That's no word of a lie. It's especially true when it comes to M&M's. The color patterns on the packaging remind me of a herd of zebra running full tilt on the plains of Africa with a family of cheetahs in hot pursuit.
Licking your chops while surveying a lone Zebra feeding in the tall grasses is one thing. Chasing down that Zebra steak while trying to visually sort through the galloping mess of black and white stripes in a blinding cloud of dust is another matter altogether.
Just to be clear, Nancy is the cheetah and the M&M's in this example represent the herd of Zebra. Mother Nature wanted nothing but the best for the zebra so thought long and hard about how to protect the species from any and all natural predators. The geniuses behind the marketing of the M&M's, on the other hand, want the hungry eyes of the salivating public. The more dizzying and dazzling the display, the better.
It's also to their advantage to confuse the general public when the time comes to have them make their selection. With any luck, you'll find that you actually like this or that new flavor and that helps the company's bottom line. It's no less satisfying for the cheetah if and when they are successful. Success begets success and that isn't lost on the cheetah. Nancy took one bite of the fudge flavored M&M's and nearly spit it out. Maybe success doesn't always beget success.
I mentioned that I thought she was probably somewhat distracted while in the store and that probably didn't help. It's hard to be discerning and distracted at the same time. On one hand, you want to make your choices and get to the checkout counter while the getting is good.
The longer you stay in the store, the more opportunity you have to contract the dreaded Covid-19. You may or may not be sharing aisle space with someone harboring an even more virulent variant of the virus. You're hyperventilating just thinking about it. You're also breathing recycled air and that can't help you think any more clearly. Is it really any surprise that you buy something that you didn't intend to buy? And no, my little darlings, I don't think you're losing your mind.
I'm reading another story about the Biden bullshit again this morning. Trump gave communities across our great country some say in if, when, and how many refugees/illegal aliens of any stripe were allowed to resettle in their communities. Well, Sleepy Joe did away with that business. It's come one, come all.
He gave the big middle finger to every cotton picking community in our country and he alone will now decide what this invasion looks like. Never mind that not a one of these border crossing criminals is being tested for covid before entering our communities. No sir, not in Joe Biden's America.
Add to that Biden's nixing of Trump's agreements with Central American countries regarding immigration, and you have a real WTF moment for our great country. Say what you will about Trump, he had it right. As for Biden, we knew this is what we were in for and allegedly 80 million people still voted for him. Sure they did. Whatever you say, Karen. The democrat's goal of turning red states blue and creating a one-party government is getting closer to reality every day.
It breaks my heart to even have to put this Biden business in writing but there you have it. Somebody has to do it, right? We have to run these mother fuckers out of office on a rail in both 2022 and 2024. That has to be job number one.
I'm still gobsmacked that anyone could vote for the democrats after everything we've seen in the last year or two but I guess you can't fix stupid. And maybe there's some truth to the business about the indoctrination that goes on in our schools if what we're seeing in the populace is a manifestation of that so-called indoctrination.
Did I tell you that Mrs G got the Pfizer jab the other day? That's one of two, boys and girls. She says they (CVS?) came into her facility and did her and some 500 of her fellow residents. They just went down the line knocking on door after door until they got them all done.
They were required to sit for the obligatory 15 minutes to see if there were any adverse effects and off they went. She didn't know if there were any abstentions but I would imagine there were probably a couple. She walked away with a sore arm but that was it and she seemed to be satisfied all in all. Good stuff.
Nancy and I popped down to Massachusetts yesterday. I guess I should say that we ended up there after considerable hemming and hawing. We knew we wanted to be out of the house on such a nice day but we had no particular destination in mind. Sunday can be a busy day on the highways and byways so we girded ourselves for all of that and decided we would just have a go at it come what may. We weren't wrong about the traffic.
By the time we arrived in Newburyport, MA, it was early afternoon. It was warm enough for a short walk so we parked in town and stuck to the sunny side of the street while making our way through town on foot. The walks were sometimes icy and sometimes not. Most people in town wore masks and seemingly, and sometimes grudgingly, gave a wide berth to fellow passerby's.
Nearly every shop we walked past had a sign in their window advising prospective customers on the proper use of the face mask. "Face masks must cover both your mouth and your nose", the signs read with one or more words usually bolded. Each and every store also had a sign up indicating just how many customers they allowed in their store at any given time.
When retailers start to interfere with the normal ebb and flow of foot traffic in and out of their retail space by erecting barriers where none previously existed, they will likely see fewer customers. I offered to wait outside while Nancy spent a little time in one or more of the stores but she was having none of it.
The shops, on the whole, are small and tight in this historic seaport founded in 1764 and accommodate barely more than a handful of people even in pre-Pandemic times. No handbag, glad bag, or pair of earings was worth contracting what could be a death sentence.
Someone tweeted this morning that everyone in the White House was in tears last night after Tom Brady and the Tampa Buccaneers won the Super Bowl last night. They were distraught, of course, because Brady won and it's a well known fact that Brady is something of Trumpster. They probably could have cared less who lost but they really didn't want Brady to win if that makes any sense.
This was the premier public event that would cap off the political season and establish once and for all the dominance of the leftists. One of the two announcers for the network carrying the game was about as biased as an announcer can be without wearing the colors of his team on air. It was blatant and in your face. Of course, the media is the propaganda arm of the leftists so it's no surprise that they might be looking to take a victory lap now that the election is in the rear view mirror. Only, it was not to be.
The cameras cut to a lot of people in the stands during the game but I never saw them cut once to the governor of Florida, Governor DeSantis. He is a republican governor in a republican state that voted overwhelmingly for Trump in November, 2020. The State of Florida, under DeSantis, has the least restrictive guidelines dealing with the pandemic and this has been a burr in the saddle of the leftists from day one.
It irks the likes of CNN and their brethren in the main street media to no end. His success in managing the pandemic, and that of his state, run contrary to the goals and narratives pushed by the mask nazis in the media. Let's just say that the good guys won one last night with Brady's win. Knowing now what I know about the leftists crying in their soup, Brady's win was sweeter than sweet.
There were several videos on Twitter where the CNN's of the world were reporting from various local hotspots in an around Tampa both before and after the game. The double masked reporters gave breathless accounts of drunken revelers who wore no masks and actually seemed to be enjoying themselves.
They had such utter contempt for the revelers and their disregard and unwillingness to follow the "science" that they actually accused the lot of them on air of threatening the health and welfare of the American public by not following the usual advice by the CDC, i.e., wearing masks, practicing social distancing, etc..
The left wing media got themselves another scalp this past week when they took the beloved Lou Dobbs off the air. The silencing of conservative voices continues unabated. Lou was well known for referring to the democrats as the "radical left" and we conservatives loved him for it.
He was an unabashed supporter of President Trump although he wasn't afraid to speak up when he disagreed with one or more of Trump's policies. I'm guessing that they will be coming for Tucker, Maria Bartiromo, and others soon enough. Is it too radical a notion to suggest that this will not end well?
I think they call that creative license. It is whatever I say it is. You're free to disagree with me but, please, do it on your own time. The cancel culture is going to come and get you for cultural appropriation, Johnny! No, please. Not, me Mr Cancel Culture. I've not said anything that a thousand white nationalists before me haven't said. Only kidding. You see where I'm going with this. Right?
I read a story on Twitter this morning about a country western singer who lost his recording contract with a record label over some allegedly "racist" comment he made. It seems the left has zero tolerance for language that they find offensive. It doesn't matter that he apologized for making said comment. It doesn't matter that rap stars make millions talking about all kinds of nastiness and they are lauded in the media and on the left for their courage in taking on matters of social justice.
You know what they say. If the left didn't have double standards, they wouldn't have any standards at all. And what about Coca Cola? They are now mandating that a certain percentage of their legal business now go to minority firms. This is rich. This is affirmative action all over again. Whatever happened to the rules about seeing to it that you hire the most qualified people, the most qualified firms, and, in general, the outfits that have the best record of accomplishment?
I don't mean to go off on a tangent this morning but this is where we are just two weeks into the Biden administration. It's a fucking disaster. Did I mention that the dems in Congress just voted to strip a republican member of congress (Marjorie Taylor Green) of her committee assignments for comments she made BEFORE being coming to Washington? Since when do the democrats get to decide who does and who doesn't get to sit on certain committees in Congress? Be careful what you ask for. Payback is a bitch and 2022 is just around the corner.
Maybe I do mean to go off on a tangent. I got me a little caffeine in my bloodstream and a spring in my step this morning. I'm listening to James Taylor but the music isn't matching my mood. I need to change that up. Maybe a little Jimi Hendrix will do the trick. A little "Purple Haze" or maybe a cranked up version of "Along the Watch Tower." I like it. Much better.
My guitar thing is coming along. My finger tips are getting appropriately calloused but that doesn't mean they don't feel sore from time to time. I wonder if that means that I'm bearing down on the strings more than necessary. The good news is that I'm doing something every day with guitar.
In addition to practicing certain scales daily, I'm working on fingerpicking routines and strumming patterns. I've not been at all focused on memorizing where certain notes are on the guitar but I think that's the next step. A good musician needs to know about notes, sharps, flats, octaves, etc. Right?
And the wind cries Mary! Love that song. Anyway, it's all good. I'm taking a crack here and there at playing along to songs on YouTube. Some beats are harder than others to replicate but that just reminds me that there is more to this guitar business than meets the eye. It also helps when I find a song or an artist that I like when it comes to playing along with songs. This is where YouTube shines.
I finally broke down and bought a new coffee bean grinder. I'm doing my part to get this damn economy up off it's knees after a dismal few months of Covid related sluggishness. As a brand, Cuisinart has served me well over the years so when it came time to revisit my supplies Cuisinart was front and center. I think it's been at least 25 years since I bought my last coffee bean grinder so that's a pretty good run. Pretty good indeed.
I'm replacing my old, put the beans in and hold down the top until I think I have the right grind, with a machine where I can select the grind and it has an automatic turn off feature when the job is done. Oh, and I can manage the setting on the machine to grind just enough beans for the job at hand.
The receptacle holds a half pound of beans so I'll fill that puppy up and I won't have to think about refilling it for maybe a week. Oh, and did I mention that it has a burr grinder? I'll have no more of this "pulverize the beans" business! No sireee, Bob. Those days are gone.
Nancy did a little bit of shopping yesterday. She came home with a few things that she had on her list. Unfortunately, they were not the precise items that she had in mind so she was not a happy camper. I think the miscues had something to do with the labeling and her selecting the wrong items when the time came to put them in her basket.
It was maybe buying a bag of M&M's and not noticing the label "fudge" on the packaging. It was buying a tub of vaseline and not noticing that it was scented. Scented just doesn't cut the mustard. It wasn't what she wanted.
I told her that products these days come in so many flavors, varieties, and scents, that it's easy to end up with the wrong items in your basket. That's no word of a lie. It's especially true when it comes to M&M's. The color patterns on the packaging remind me of a herd of zebra running full tilt on the plains of Africa with a family of cheetahs in hot pursuit.
Licking your chops while surveying a lone Zebra feeding in the tall grasses is one thing. Chasing down that Zebra steak while trying to visually sort through the galloping mess of black and white stripes in a blinding cloud of dust is another matter altogether.
Just to be clear, Nancy is the cheetah and the M&M's in this example represent the herd of Zebra. Mother Nature wanted nothing but the best for the zebra so thought long and hard about how to protect the species from any and all natural predators. The geniuses behind the marketing of the M&M's, on the other hand, want the hungry eyes of the salivating public. The more dizzying and dazzling the display, the better.
It's also to their advantage to confuse the general public when the time comes to have them make their selection. With any luck, you'll find that you actually like this or that new flavor and that helps the company's bottom line. It's no less satisfying for the cheetah if and when they are successful. Success begets success and that isn't lost on the cheetah. Nancy took one bite of the fudge flavored M&M's and nearly spit it out. Maybe success doesn't always beget success.
I mentioned that I thought she was probably somewhat distracted while in the store and that probably didn't help. It's hard to be discerning and distracted at the same time. On one hand, you want to make your choices and get to the checkout counter while the getting is good.
The longer you stay in the store, the more opportunity you have to contract the dreaded Covid-19. You may or may not be sharing aisle space with someone harboring an even more virulent variant of the virus. You're hyperventilating just thinking about it. You're also breathing recycled air and that can't help you think any more clearly. Is it really any surprise that you buy something that you didn't intend to buy? And no, my little darlings, I don't think you're losing your mind.
I'm reading another story about the Biden bullshit again this morning. Trump gave communities across our great country some say in if, when, and how many refugees/illegal aliens of any stripe were allowed to resettle in their communities. Well, Sleepy Joe did away with that business. It's come one, come all.
He gave the big middle finger to every cotton picking community in our country and he alone will now decide what this invasion looks like. Never mind that not a one of these border crossing criminals is being tested for covid before entering our communities. No sir, not in Joe Biden's America.
Add to that Biden's nixing of Trump's agreements with Central American countries regarding immigration, and you have a real WTF moment for our great country. Say what you will about Trump, he had it right. As for Biden, we knew this is what we were in for and allegedly 80 million people still voted for him. Sure they did. Whatever you say, Karen. The democrat's goal of turning red states blue and creating a one-party government is getting closer to reality every day.
It breaks my heart to even have to put this Biden business in writing but there you have it. Somebody has to do it, right? We have to run these mother fuckers out of office on a rail in both 2022 and 2024. That has to be job number one.
I'm still gobsmacked that anyone could vote for the democrats after everything we've seen in the last year or two but I guess you can't fix stupid. And maybe there's some truth to the business about the indoctrination that goes on in our schools if what we're seeing in the populace is a manifestation of that so-called indoctrination.
Did I tell you that Mrs G got the Pfizer jab the other day? That's one of two, boys and girls. She says they (CVS?) came into her facility and did her and some 500 of her fellow residents. They just went down the line knocking on door after door until they got them all done.
They were required to sit for the obligatory 15 minutes to see if there were any adverse effects and off they went. She didn't know if there were any abstentions but I would imagine there were probably a couple. She walked away with a sore arm but that was it and she seemed to be satisfied all in all. Good stuff.
Nancy and I popped down to Massachusetts yesterday. I guess I should say that we ended up there after considerable hemming and hawing. We knew we wanted to be out of the house on such a nice day but we had no particular destination in mind. Sunday can be a busy day on the highways and byways so we girded ourselves for all of that and decided we would just have a go at it come what may. We weren't wrong about the traffic.
By the time we arrived in Newburyport, MA, it was early afternoon. It was warm enough for a short walk so we parked in town and stuck to the sunny side of the street while making our way through town on foot. The walks were sometimes icy and sometimes not. Most people in town wore masks and seemingly, and sometimes grudgingly, gave a wide berth to fellow passerby's.
Nearly every shop we walked past had a sign in their window advising prospective customers on the proper use of the face mask. "Face masks must cover both your mouth and your nose", the signs read with one or more words usually bolded. Each and every store also had a sign up indicating just how many customers they allowed in their store at any given time.
When retailers start to interfere with the normal ebb and flow of foot traffic in and out of their retail space by erecting barriers where none previously existed, they will likely see fewer customers. I offered to wait outside while Nancy spent a little time in one or more of the stores but she was having none of it.
The shops, on the whole, are small and tight in this historic seaport founded in 1764 and accommodate barely more than a handful of people even in pre-Pandemic times. No handbag, glad bag, or pair of earings was worth contracting what could be a death sentence.
Someone tweeted this morning that everyone in the White House was in tears last night after Tom Brady and the Tampa Buccaneers won the Super Bowl last night. They were distraught, of course, because Brady won and it's a well known fact that Brady is something of Trumpster. They probably could have cared less who lost but they really didn't want Brady to win if that makes any sense.
This was the premier public event that would cap off the political season and establish once and for all the dominance of the leftists. One of the two announcers for the network carrying the game was about as biased as an announcer can be without wearing the colors of his team on air. It was blatant and in your face. Of course, the media is the propaganda arm of the leftists so it's no surprise that they might be looking to take a victory lap now that the election is in the rear view mirror. Only, it was not to be.
The cameras cut to a lot of people in the stands during the game but I never saw them cut once to the governor of Florida, Governor DeSantis. He is a republican governor in a republican state that voted overwhelmingly for Trump in November, 2020. The State of Florida, under DeSantis, has the least restrictive guidelines dealing with the pandemic and this has been a burr in the saddle of the leftists from day one.
It irks the likes of CNN and their brethren in the main street media to no end. His success in managing the pandemic, and that of his state, run contrary to the goals and narratives pushed by the mask nazis in the media. Let's just say that the good guys won one last night with Brady's win. Knowing now what I know about the leftists crying in their soup, Brady's win was sweeter than sweet.
There were several videos on Twitter where the CNN's of the world were reporting from various local hotspots in an around Tampa both before and after the game. The double masked reporters gave breathless accounts of drunken revelers who wore no masks and actually seemed to be enjoying themselves.
They had such utter contempt for the revelers and their disregard and unwillingness to follow the "science" that they actually accused the lot of them on air of threatening the health and welfare of the American public by not following the usual advice by the CDC, i.e., wearing masks, practicing social distancing, etc..
The left wing media got themselves another scalp this past week when they took the beloved Lou Dobbs off the air. The silencing of conservative voices continues unabated. Lou was well known for referring to the democrats as the "radical left" and we conservatives loved him for it.
He was an unabashed supporter of President Trump although he wasn't afraid to speak up when he disagreed with one or more of Trump's policies. I'm guessing that they will be coming for Tucker, Maria Bartiromo, and others soon enough. Is it too radical a notion to suggest that this will not end well?
Ebbs and Flows
01/02/21 07:36
Not sure how I'm going to get this business started if I don't have anything to say. That's me thinking out loud. Did I mention that it's cold as a witches tit outside? Don't do that. Don't go there. Just you never mind. How cold is it, Johnny? It's so cold that, yada yada yada.
We put Mrs G''s car in our garage yesterday so my car is outside in this frigid weather. What the hell was I thinking? Had it not been for our icy driveway, I might have had Nancy park her mom's car in the driveway instead. I didn't want Nancy walking and maybe falling on the driveway so I had her drive directly into the garage. That's what good husband's do. Mrs G could probably care less where we park her car. Might she prefer to have it garaged? Probably.
Let me back up a bit. We brought Mrs G's car to get a detailing job yesterday. We picked it up the other night at her place and drove it to our place for the night before dropping it off the next day at the detailers. That was yesterday. I had but a cursory look at the car after the job was done and I think they did a great job. Evan and I sat in our car at the detailers talking about this and that while Nancy was inside the shop taking care of the bill.
I'm guessing that Mrs G will think that it was worth every penny. I'm not sure Mr and Mrs G ever had this particular car detailed and they've had the car for a lot of years. Were Mr G still with us, he would have seen to it long ago. He had an eye for detail, he did. One look at his garage while he was alive and two words would likely come to mind. Anal, and organized. Whether he had a genetic predisposition to be as organized as he was, or maybe it was all of his years doing what he did for a living, not really sure. Nancy would know but she's not saying. That's fine.
I just ordered a couple of breakfast burritos for the Ev man and me from a local shop. Ev will be leaving shortly to pick them up. He stopped by this morning so he didn't have to be at his place when workman showed up to perform some scheduled maintenance.
I think it has something to do with checking the ventilation in each of the units in his four-story building. He would prefer not to be on the premises when they arrive on his doorstep. Our advice to Evan was simple. Be sure to tidy up before they arrive. This maintenance business could be a ruse. I said nothing to him about the ruse business. He's got enough irrational notions kicking around in his head without having to worry about one more.
I don't think I understand all of this Robinhood business that seems to wreaking havoc in the financial markets. I'm talking about all of the small investors that have been communicating through certain social media sites like Reddit and collaborating as it were to drive up prices of certain stocks.
I now know that Robinhood is the app they all use to buy and sell stocks, futures, etc.. I'm a little less keen on what these day traders are hoping to accomplish. Are they intentionally trying to thwart the institutional traders who have been shorting these stocks hoping to make a quick buck? If the stocks go up instead of down, then the hedge fund guys need to cover their shorts and that doesn't come cheap. Somebody get Janet Yellen on the phone and be quick about it!
Is it truly a David vs Goliath move or something a little less noble? And what on earth does it have to do, if anything, with the 2 percent loss in most of the indices yesterday? Maybe it was just what the market needed. A catalyst of sorts to change a seemingly stoppable skyward trajectory in its tracks. Whatever it was, it worked. Remember, nothing goes straight up and nothing goes straight down when it comes to the markets. Think ebbs and flows.
FOX is still on my shit list so I'm not watching it with any regularity. I do like Maria Bartiromo and Lou Dobbs so I'll maybe stick my toes in the water just a bit when their programs are on. They have been dyed-in-the-wool Trump supporters right along. I appreciate the personal sacrifices they've made to support our 45th President while the rest of the analyst's on FOX have gone full Bernie Sanders, AOC, or Joe Biden. Pick your communist.
I miss the Trump pressers. He would take questions from the press endlessly and there would be plenty of give and take. You'll never get that from Joe Biden. He's simply incapable of having any kind of exchange or back-and-forth without the assistance of a teleprompter and without questions queued up in advance. The Jen Psaki pressers are pathetic. I suspect that she knows very little because the Biden insiders tell and involve her in very little. She puts a very sad and incompetent face on an administration that is, well, just as pathetic, sad, and incompetent.
I have a couple of Mourning Doves sipping from my heated bird bath his morning. It's something like eight degrees out there so I'm delighted to have something to offer them by way of liquid refreshment. A pair of Carolina Wrens are busy getting what they can from my suet feeder. It won't be long now before the squirrels show up for their share of whatever they can find. These are lean times for our fine feathered friends so I'm doing my part to help them get through the winter.
I've decided I'll read a book authored by Maria Bartiromo. She wrote the book in 2011 in the wake of the financial crisis of 2008 involving The Lehman Brothers. She was a reporter on Wall Street at the time so she was front and center when it all went down. I'm not sure that we're not in a similar but somewhat different situation these days just a decade later.
Our debt as a country is in the tens of trillions, the Fed is printing money like there is no tomorrow, financial markets are no longer tethered to the usual guideposts, and the average saver is screwed with interest rates at or below zero. Don't even get me started on the economic devastation in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Looks like Mrs G is going to be all set with the inoculation. She won't be needing the assist from us. Her facility worked something out with one of the pharmacies in town and they will be administering the shots to Mrs G and her fellow residents. It just didn't make any sense to have each and every person in her place making their own arrangements to get the shot. That's putting a lot of senior citizens at risk unnecessarily. God only knows what one or more of the residents might bring back to the place.
I was telling Nancy that if they can't tell me which vaccine I'm getting when the day comes for me to get the shot then I'm not getting the damn thing. I'm not an anti-vaxer, per se, but I'd like to have some say in terms of which vaccine I get. My preference is to get the Astrozenica vaccine since it doesn't have that RNA thingie.
Listen to me. Like I know what the hell I'm talking about. I don't. Just so you know, I'm still of the mind that I'd rather get the virus and take my chances knowing what I know about the odds published by the CDC for my age group. But, it isn't just about me, is it.
We got us a storm coming, folks. Not sure what we'll be seeing ultimately for accumulations but it looks like a good Nor'easter. We're talking high winds, drifting snows, whiteout conditions, so stay tuned. We have next to nothing on the ground when it comes to snow so that's about to change. I think they're talking about maybe 10 inches so that's enough to make things messy in and around town. Not that we'll be out and about because we won't.
I think we have enough groceries on hand to survive for the next couple of days. We won't need to get down and dirty with the usual hustle bustle of the crowds in the supermarkets that precede every 1-2 inch snowfall that comes around. We're running a little low on bottled water and milk so I can make a case of sorts for stopping into a store to see if I can't grab one or more of those items. I asked Nancy if she might consider making lentil soup today so we have something hot and nourishing on hand. If she can throw together a nice pan of hot cornbread to go with the soup, all the better.
I finally bit the bullet and bought a subscription for coffee beans. I also placed an order today for a burr grinder for the beans. I've had this little Cuisinart grinder for a lot of years and it's been as reliable as $25 piece of machinery can be. It smashes everything to smithereens, though, and I've decided that I need something that knows the meaning of "nuanced."
In other words, I may or may not want a coarse grind. Then again, if I'm making my darling of her favorite latte's, I might need a finer grind for the espresso. I'm staying with the Cuisinart brand though. Oh, and I love the idea of grinding just enough for the one or two cups of coffee that I'm brewing. My order can't arrive fast enough. That goes for both my new subscription and my new burr grinder.
The storm that's on the way looks like one of those storms that starts later in the afternoon, if not after dark, and continues throughout the night dumping snow at the rate of one to two inches an hour. I've never cared for late night storms since you wake up to snow banks sometimes seemingly unscalable. Thanks for nothing, Mr Snow Plow man. You know that we have to move the snow you've piled up at the end of our driveway, right?
I've got the hardware to get the job done but it can be a push if I don't take a few inches off the top every half foot or so. That's the plan as I sit here this morning. We'll hunker down and wait it out and hope we don't lose electricity along the way. It wouldn't be a Nor'easter without the high winds so there's that.
The Ev man will be stopping by midday or so and has plans to spend the night until the storm wraps up. He's never been keen on moving his car here and there in the lot at his place during storms in order to accommodate the plows so we're happy to have him tough it out here at home with us.
There are no surprises anymore now that we have technology that tells us all we need to know about what's coming down the pike where the weather is concerned. We know just when, just how much, and just how long it's going to last. I like that. Predictability is good.
We put Mrs G''s car in our garage yesterday so my car is outside in this frigid weather. What the hell was I thinking? Had it not been for our icy driveway, I might have had Nancy park her mom's car in the driveway instead. I didn't want Nancy walking and maybe falling on the driveway so I had her drive directly into the garage. That's what good husband's do. Mrs G could probably care less where we park her car. Might she prefer to have it garaged? Probably.
Let me back up a bit. We brought Mrs G's car to get a detailing job yesterday. We picked it up the other night at her place and drove it to our place for the night before dropping it off the next day at the detailers. That was yesterday. I had but a cursory look at the car after the job was done and I think they did a great job. Evan and I sat in our car at the detailers talking about this and that while Nancy was inside the shop taking care of the bill.
I'm guessing that Mrs G will think that it was worth every penny. I'm not sure Mr and Mrs G ever had this particular car detailed and they've had the car for a lot of years. Were Mr G still with us, he would have seen to it long ago. He had an eye for detail, he did. One look at his garage while he was alive and two words would likely come to mind. Anal, and organized. Whether he had a genetic predisposition to be as organized as he was, or maybe it was all of his years doing what he did for a living, not really sure. Nancy would know but she's not saying. That's fine.
I just ordered a couple of breakfast burritos for the Ev man and me from a local shop. Ev will be leaving shortly to pick them up. He stopped by this morning so he didn't have to be at his place when workman showed up to perform some scheduled maintenance.
I think it has something to do with checking the ventilation in each of the units in his four-story building. He would prefer not to be on the premises when they arrive on his doorstep. Our advice to Evan was simple. Be sure to tidy up before they arrive. This maintenance business could be a ruse. I said nothing to him about the ruse business. He's got enough irrational notions kicking around in his head without having to worry about one more.
I don't think I understand all of this Robinhood business that seems to wreaking havoc in the financial markets. I'm talking about all of the small investors that have been communicating through certain social media sites like Reddit and collaborating as it were to drive up prices of certain stocks.
I now know that Robinhood is the app they all use to buy and sell stocks, futures, etc.. I'm a little less keen on what these day traders are hoping to accomplish. Are they intentionally trying to thwart the institutional traders who have been shorting these stocks hoping to make a quick buck? If the stocks go up instead of down, then the hedge fund guys need to cover their shorts and that doesn't come cheap. Somebody get Janet Yellen on the phone and be quick about it!
Is it truly a David vs Goliath move or something a little less noble? And what on earth does it have to do, if anything, with the 2 percent loss in most of the indices yesterday? Maybe it was just what the market needed. A catalyst of sorts to change a seemingly stoppable skyward trajectory in its tracks. Whatever it was, it worked. Remember, nothing goes straight up and nothing goes straight down when it comes to the markets. Think ebbs and flows.
FOX is still on my shit list so I'm not watching it with any regularity. I do like Maria Bartiromo and Lou Dobbs so I'll maybe stick my toes in the water just a bit when their programs are on. They have been dyed-in-the-wool Trump supporters right along. I appreciate the personal sacrifices they've made to support our 45th President while the rest of the analyst's on FOX have gone full Bernie Sanders, AOC, or Joe Biden. Pick your communist.
I miss the Trump pressers. He would take questions from the press endlessly and there would be plenty of give and take. You'll never get that from Joe Biden. He's simply incapable of having any kind of exchange or back-and-forth without the assistance of a teleprompter and without questions queued up in advance. The Jen Psaki pressers are pathetic. I suspect that she knows very little because the Biden insiders tell and involve her in very little. She puts a very sad and incompetent face on an administration that is, well, just as pathetic, sad, and incompetent.
I have a couple of Mourning Doves sipping from my heated bird bath his morning. It's something like eight degrees out there so I'm delighted to have something to offer them by way of liquid refreshment. A pair of Carolina Wrens are busy getting what they can from my suet feeder. It won't be long now before the squirrels show up for their share of whatever they can find. These are lean times for our fine feathered friends so I'm doing my part to help them get through the winter.
I've decided I'll read a book authored by Maria Bartiromo. She wrote the book in 2011 in the wake of the financial crisis of 2008 involving The Lehman Brothers. She was a reporter on Wall Street at the time so she was front and center when it all went down. I'm not sure that we're not in a similar but somewhat different situation these days just a decade later.
Our debt as a country is in the tens of trillions, the Fed is printing money like there is no tomorrow, financial markets are no longer tethered to the usual guideposts, and the average saver is screwed with interest rates at or below zero. Don't even get me started on the economic devastation in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Looks like Mrs G is going to be all set with the inoculation. She won't be needing the assist from us. Her facility worked something out with one of the pharmacies in town and they will be administering the shots to Mrs G and her fellow residents. It just didn't make any sense to have each and every person in her place making their own arrangements to get the shot. That's putting a lot of senior citizens at risk unnecessarily. God only knows what one or more of the residents might bring back to the place.
I was telling Nancy that if they can't tell me which vaccine I'm getting when the day comes for me to get the shot then I'm not getting the damn thing. I'm not an anti-vaxer, per se, but I'd like to have some say in terms of which vaccine I get. My preference is to get the Astrozenica vaccine since it doesn't have that RNA thingie.
Listen to me. Like I know what the hell I'm talking about. I don't. Just so you know, I'm still of the mind that I'd rather get the virus and take my chances knowing what I know about the odds published by the CDC for my age group. But, it isn't just about me, is it.
We got us a storm coming, folks. Not sure what we'll be seeing ultimately for accumulations but it looks like a good Nor'easter. We're talking high winds, drifting snows, whiteout conditions, so stay tuned. We have next to nothing on the ground when it comes to snow so that's about to change. I think they're talking about maybe 10 inches so that's enough to make things messy in and around town. Not that we'll be out and about because we won't.
I think we have enough groceries on hand to survive for the next couple of days. We won't need to get down and dirty with the usual hustle bustle of the crowds in the supermarkets that precede every 1-2 inch snowfall that comes around. We're running a little low on bottled water and milk so I can make a case of sorts for stopping into a store to see if I can't grab one or more of those items. I asked Nancy if she might consider making lentil soup today so we have something hot and nourishing on hand. If she can throw together a nice pan of hot cornbread to go with the soup, all the better.
I finally bit the bullet and bought a subscription for coffee beans. I also placed an order today for a burr grinder for the beans. I've had this little Cuisinart grinder for a lot of years and it's been as reliable as $25 piece of machinery can be. It smashes everything to smithereens, though, and I've decided that I need something that knows the meaning of "nuanced."
In other words, I may or may not want a coarse grind. Then again, if I'm making my darling of her favorite latte's, I might need a finer grind for the espresso. I'm staying with the Cuisinart brand though. Oh, and I love the idea of grinding just enough for the one or two cups of coffee that I'm brewing. My order can't arrive fast enough. That goes for both my new subscription and my new burr grinder.
The storm that's on the way looks like one of those storms that starts later in the afternoon, if not after dark, and continues throughout the night dumping snow at the rate of one to two inches an hour. I've never cared for late night storms since you wake up to snow banks sometimes seemingly unscalable. Thanks for nothing, Mr Snow Plow man. You know that we have to move the snow you've piled up at the end of our driveway, right?
I've got the hardware to get the job done but it can be a push if I don't take a few inches off the top every half foot or so. That's the plan as I sit here this morning. We'll hunker down and wait it out and hope we don't lose electricity along the way. It wouldn't be a Nor'easter without the high winds so there's that.
The Ev man will be stopping by midday or so and has plans to spend the night until the storm wraps up. He's never been keen on moving his car here and there in the lot at his place during storms in order to accommodate the plows so we're happy to have him tough it out here at home with us.
There are no surprises anymore now that we have technology that tells us all we need to know about what's coming down the pike where the weather is concerned. We know just when, just how much, and just how long it's going to last. I like that. Predictability is good.
Lessons Learned
28/01/21 07:18
What should I read next? Of all the books out there what book might I be interested in reading? I tell myself that I like non-fiction but I find myself more often than not losing interest after a few chapters. I think I like it when I'm surprised with just how much I find myself getting sucked into a good piece of fiction. You know, one of those books that you can't put down.
We all know what it's like to start reading a book and finding to our surprise that it just isn't cutting the mustard. One thing I've never liked is starting a book and then not finishing it. I guess that's the chance you take every time you pick up a book. It may or may not grab you. With non-fiction anyway, you know what you're getting into.
Book reviews are great too but they can sometimes just leave you scratching your head. After reading a few pages, you find yourself asking the question, what the hell were they thinking? Maybe the characters aren't compelling enough. Maybe the writing style falls a bit flat.
Maybe there are just too many pages left in the book which now seem somehow insurmountable. I start to think about all the other books I'm not reading while trying to get through a book I'm not really enjoying. What would the book gods think about my reading more than one book at a time?
My guitar thing is going good though. I've decided that I'm not going to keep track of anything as it relates to my practicing or my progress (or lack thereof). I'm just going to pick the damn thing up every day and work on something. Maybe it will be chord progressions. Maybe it will be nothing more than getting my fingers on the strings so I can build up the callouses on my fingertips. Oh, and just so you know, it's all acoustic all the time. For now, anyway.
I watched a video on YouTube yesterday dealing with picking. I got some great tips and can't wait to work those tips into my routine. Apparently, it takes hundreds of hours to train your fingers before it all becomes second nature. I've even played along to one or more songs on YouTube. It wasn't pretty but it gave me something else to work on which is a good thing.
It keeps me coming back for more. I'm not contemplating taking lessons any time soon. Are they even doing that anymore in the era of covid? Maybe I should be worrying about developing bad habits going off on my own as I am. What the hey. Just keep doing what you're doing, Johnny.
Here we are on January, 26th, and I can't remember the last time it snowed. It's been kind of nice actually. I've gotten in a little more bike riding that usual although I've had a few days off recently because of the wind and extreme cold. I mark them on my calendar as "lazy days" since I could have gone but opted not to because of the weather.
If it snows then I mark my calendar accordingly, "snow." I need to ratchet things up, though, because I'm getting a bit lazy and soft in the middle if you get my drift. I'm staying away from the gym until I get vaccinated so there's that. I could get on the treadmill but Nancy is more often than not busy at work in the same room. I could change up my schedule, maybe rearrange it so I can get in there ahead of her, so something to think about anyway.
I'm not against using the treadmill but it is probably a last resort sort of thing. Truth be told, I'm more of a biking and weights kind of guy. Maybe I need to rethink the gym thing. There's also something to be said for getting out of the house. Moving your body and getting up and about. That is one downside of reading that you can't deny. And when the snow does come, I don't want to be caught flat footed. That is to say, I need to be in shape before I go tackling Mother Nature. She can be an unforgiving mistress.
There is some weird shit going on in the financial markets. You know, there's an ebb and a flow of buying and selling in a healthy financial market. When you have too much of one or the other, the market corrects and always reverts to the mean. When things get stretched, you typically see more volatility associated with those reversions.
It's true what they say about the ups and downs of the market. It's stair steps up, and an elevator ride down. And when the fed, and their counterparts around the world, print money endlessly as they are doing day in and day out, the distortions can be seismic to both the upside and downside.
The froth and speculation in the market today is unhealthy and unsustainable. Technicals are in la-la land everywhere you look. It is not a market I want any part of. If you want to chase yields knowing what you know about where we are in the cycle then have at it.
My advice would be to take your chips off the table and bank your profits until we see a little more sanity in the market. The buy and hold investor will weather it all and maybe ignore all but the most egregious plunges, dips, or dalliances into the red. Buying into this market, and especially at these levels, is never a good thing. Think 2000, 2009, etc. We're in late inning action as one financial guy I like to listen to says. When you see company's with no sales trading at unheard of multiples, that's one indication of an overbought condition. There are others.
I finally bit the bullet and went out to buy a battery for my old Volvo. I was getting little tired of wondering every time I got behind the wheel whether or not the car was going to start. I like living on the edge but maybe not so much when it comes to my car.
I can never remember when, where, and how long ago I bought my last battery so I don't usually know if my "battery" problem is really an "alternator" problem. I suppose if I can't remember then it's been a while since I bought the battery and it's more likely than not a "battery" problem. See how that works?
I don't know why I took notice of this but I did. I recall it vividly. I was driving somewhere and I happened to notice a couple of oil trucks on the road. It may have been on two particular outings. The trucks were delivery trucks bringing oil to residential customers as best I could tell. The trucks displayed the current price of oil on the rear of the vehicle ostensibly as an advertising tool for prospective customers. I don't know why the prices on display were of interest one way or another since we've only used one oil company for really years now.
I don't even follow oil prices and never have. I assume prices go up and down depending on prices in the spot oil market. I assumed, wrongly as I'm now realizing, that the only way oil companies stay in business is by offering competitive rates to their customers. It's the usual supply and demand equation that we all learned about in economics 101. The oil prices displayed by both trucks were close enough that it supported my thesis about how markets work. That is to say, they were cents apart as I would have expected. So far, so good.
The prices displayed were somewhere in the low $2 range. Maybe $2.10 a gallon or so were I to average the two prices. One thing I haven't mentioned is that Nancy said something about the bill we received recently from our oil company. I don't know that she did the math but the total price of the fill-up was somewhere in the area of $400.
So, the obvious question at that point was, well, how much are they charging per gallon and how many gallons did we get? Nancy wasn't asking those questions but one thing led to another and I ended up taking a closer look at the bill.
Let me see if I have this straight. We are being charged $3.29 a gallon for heating oil while the two prices I saw on my drive were much lower. The average oil tank is 275 gallons. We didn't need 275 gallons when they last delivered oil but that's neither here nor there.
The crux of the matter is that we paid maybe $150 more than we would have paid had we done business with someone other than our current oil company. Thank the baby Jesus that we didn't need 275 gallons! It was a real WTF moment. How do they justify charging such a premium? How long have we been paying these exorbitant rates? Why have we never noticed this before?
Let me call these people and see what they have to say. Maybe I have no one to blame but myself after all is said and done. I might have asked questions sooner. Ya think? They didn't have much to say when I finally got around to calling them. I suspect they get calls like mine from time to time when people have questions about such things. I was more curious than hostile so it wasn't an unpleasant conversation.
I was open to anything they might have to say about why their prices were higher than any other oil company in the area. I looked at all 10 or 12 online that service our area before calling them and the other company's prices were consistently in the range of $2.05 - $2.12. Oddly enough, my oil company wasn't included on the list. Say what?
It didn't take me long to get to the point in the conversation where I asked them to close the account. We've done business with them for years and years and they couldn't have cared less about losing our business. There was no, "thank you for your business all these past years" or anything of the kind.
If I had to characterize her tone, I might have said it was maybe a little gruff or uncaring. I wasn't wanting an apology, a kiss on both cheeks, or even a smidge of sympathy, and she clearly wasn't in the "caring" mode so that was that. Maybe I should have been more incensed but I couldn't blame them for my inattention to such matters so I just let it go. I've already signed on with one of their competitors so we are, as they say in the business, good to go.
And no, I don't need to take this issue up with the Ev man. He's got one of those all-inclusive type of deals where he doesn't have to worry about such things. In other words, his utilities are included in his rent. Not a bad gig if you can get it. He'll be stopping by today and maybe spending the night. I bought a freezer full of stuff from Trader Joe's that he might like so he won't be going hungry while he's here. He's always free to take or leave whatever he wishes from our freezer or elsewhere when he returns home. He just called. He's on his way.
I don't know what's going on in our nation's capitol but I don't think it's good. Biden is moving quickly with executive action after executive action to erase job gains, crater our position in the world as an energy independent country by cancelling oil and gas leases on federal lands, bringing back racist theory training to all federal employees, the stopping of all activities as it relates to building a wall on our southern order to stop the flow of illegals, criminals, and drugs, and he's now allowing transgenders and other sexual outliers to join the ranks of our military. This is just for starters.
More insidious are the actions being considered by Biden and the democrats to label any and all citizens encouraging or promoting anyone wishing to see the return of one Donald J Trump, or his policies in part or in whole, as racist and a direct threat to our nation's security.
This is sheer and naked totalitarianism. Republicans need to push back on these efforts and push back hard. In the absence of any pushback, the democrats will unleash a hellish volley of laws that will criminalize everything under the sun that threaten their one-party rule. Trumpster's need to tread carefully.
To label our current state of affairs in Washington D.C. as toxic would be an understatement. Did I mention that the FBI arrested a man in Florida yesterday for making a political meme? This guy is going to jail for making a political statement. I need to repeat that: This guy is going to jail for making a political statement.
Maybe someone can explain to me why we still have 5,000 troops in and around our nation's capital. Who are they protecting, exactly? It makes our capital look like a military encampment not unlike that which you might see in some of the shitholes around the globe. Our founding fathers must be rolling over in their graves. Oh, and not to worry. They're bring back good old 'Climate Change." The workers who lose their jobs in the oil and gas industry can now find employment making solar panels. That is, after all, as John (do you now who I am) Kerry puts it, "a better choice for you." Excuse me?
We all know what it's like to start reading a book and finding to our surprise that it just isn't cutting the mustard. One thing I've never liked is starting a book and then not finishing it. I guess that's the chance you take every time you pick up a book. It may or may not grab you. With non-fiction anyway, you know what you're getting into.
Book reviews are great too but they can sometimes just leave you scratching your head. After reading a few pages, you find yourself asking the question, what the hell were they thinking? Maybe the characters aren't compelling enough. Maybe the writing style falls a bit flat.
Maybe there are just too many pages left in the book which now seem somehow insurmountable. I start to think about all the other books I'm not reading while trying to get through a book I'm not really enjoying. What would the book gods think about my reading more than one book at a time?
My guitar thing is going good though. I've decided that I'm not going to keep track of anything as it relates to my practicing or my progress (or lack thereof). I'm just going to pick the damn thing up every day and work on something. Maybe it will be chord progressions. Maybe it will be nothing more than getting my fingers on the strings so I can build up the callouses on my fingertips. Oh, and just so you know, it's all acoustic all the time. For now, anyway.
I watched a video on YouTube yesterday dealing with picking. I got some great tips and can't wait to work those tips into my routine. Apparently, it takes hundreds of hours to train your fingers before it all becomes second nature. I've even played along to one or more songs on YouTube. It wasn't pretty but it gave me something else to work on which is a good thing.
It keeps me coming back for more. I'm not contemplating taking lessons any time soon. Are they even doing that anymore in the era of covid? Maybe I should be worrying about developing bad habits going off on my own as I am. What the hey. Just keep doing what you're doing, Johnny.
Here we are on January, 26th, and I can't remember the last time it snowed. It's been kind of nice actually. I've gotten in a little more bike riding that usual although I've had a few days off recently because of the wind and extreme cold. I mark them on my calendar as "lazy days" since I could have gone but opted not to because of the weather.
If it snows then I mark my calendar accordingly, "snow." I need to ratchet things up, though, because I'm getting a bit lazy and soft in the middle if you get my drift. I'm staying away from the gym until I get vaccinated so there's that. I could get on the treadmill but Nancy is more often than not busy at work in the same room. I could change up my schedule, maybe rearrange it so I can get in there ahead of her, so something to think about anyway.
I'm not against using the treadmill but it is probably a last resort sort of thing. Truth be told, I'm more of a biking and weights kind of guy. Maybe I need to rethink the gym thing. There's also something to be said for getting out of the house. Moving your body and getting up and about. That is one downside of reading that you can't deny. And when the snow does come, I don't want to be caught flat footed. That is to say, I need to be in shape before I go tackling Mother Nature. She can be an unforgiving mistress.
There is some weird shit going on in the financial markets. You know, there's an ebb and a flow of buying and selling in a healthy financial market. When you have too much of one or the other, the market corrects and always reverts to the mean. When things get stretched, you typically see more volatility associated with those reversions.
It's true what they say about the ups and downs of the market. It's stair steps up, and an elevator ride down. And when the fed, and their counterparts around the world, print money endlessly as they are doing day in and day out, the distortions can be seismic to both the upside and downside.
The froth and speculation in the market today is unhealthy and unsustainable. Technicals are in la-la land everywhere you look. It is not a market I want any part of. If you want to chase yields knowing what you know about where we are in the cycle then have at it.
My advice would be to take your chips off the table and bank your profits until we see a little more sanity in the market. The buy and hold investor will weather it all and maybe ignore all but the most egregious plunges, dips, or dalliances into the red. Buying into this market, and especially at these levels, is never a good thing. Think 2000, 2009, etc. We're in late inning action as one financial guy I like to listen to says. When you see company's with no sales trading at unheard of multiples, that's one indication of an overbought condition. There are others.
I finally bit the bullet and went out to buy a battery for my old Volvo. I was getting little tired of wondering every time I got behind the wheel whether or not the car was going to start. I like living on the edge but maybe not so much when it comes to my car.
I can never remember when, where, and how long ago I bought my last battery so I don't usually know if my "battery" problem is really an "alternator" problem. I suppose if I can't remember then it's been a while since I bought the battery and it's more likely than not a "battery" problem. See how that works?
I don't know why I took notice of this but I did. I recall it vividly. I was driving somewhere and I happened to notice a couple of oil trucks on the road. It may have been on two particular outings. The trucks were delivery trucks bringing oil to residential customers as best I could tell. The trucks displayed the current price of oil on the rear of the vehicle ostensibly as an advertising tool for prospective customers. I don't know why the prices on display were of interest one way or another since we've only used one oil company for really years now.
I don't even follow oil prices and never have. I assume prices go up and down depending on prices in the spot oil market. I assumed, wrongly as I'm now realizing, that the only way oil companies stay in business is by offering competitive rates to their customers. It's the usual supply and demand equation that we all learned about in economics 101. The oil prices displayed by both trucks were close enough that it supported my thesis about how markets work. That is to say, they were cents apart as I would have expected. So far, so good.
The prices displayed were somewhere in the low $2 range. Maybe $2.10 a gallon or so were I to average the two prices. One thing I haven't mentioned is that Nancy said something about the bill we received recently from our oil company. I don't know that she did the math but the total price of the fill-up was somewhere in the area of $400.
So, the obvious question at that point was, well, how much are they charging per gallon and how many gallons did we get? Nancy wasn't asking those questions but one thing led to another and I ended up taking a closer look at the bill.
Let me see if I have this straight. We are being charged $3.29 a gallon for heating oil while the two prices I saw on my drive were much lower. The average oil tank is 275 gallons. We didn't need 275 gallons when they last delivered oil but that's neither here nor there.
The crux of the matter is that we paid maybe $150 more than we would have paid had we done business with someone other than our current oil company. Thank the baby Jesus that we didn't need 275 gallons! It was a real WTF moment. How do they justify charging such a premium? How long have we been paying these exorbitant rates? Why have we never noticed this before?
Let me call these people and see what they have to say. Maybe I have no one to blame but myself after all is said and done. I might have asked questions sooner. Ya think? They didn't have much to say when I finally got around to calling them. I suspect they get calls like mine from time to time when people have questions about such things. I was more curious than hostile so it wasn't an unpleasant conversation.
I was open to anything they might have to say about why their prices were higher than any other oil company in the area. I looked at all 10 or 12 online that service our area before calling them and the other company's prices were consistently in the range of $2.05 - $2.12. Oddly enough, my oil company wasn't included on the list. Say what?
It didn't take me long to get to the point in the conversation where I asked them to close the account. We've done business with them for years and years and they couldn't have cared less about losing our business. There was no, "thank you for your business all these past years" or anything of the kind.
If I had to characterize her tone, I might have said it was maybe a little gruff or uncaring. I wasn't wanting an apology, a kiss on both cheeks, or even a smidge of sympathy, and she clearly wasn't in the "caring" mode so that was that. Maybe I should have been more incensed but I couldn't blame them for my inattention to such matters so I just let it go. I've already signed on with one of their competitors so we are, as they say in the business, good to go.
And no, I don't need to take this issue up with the Ev man. He's got one of those all-inclusive type of deals where he doesn't have to worry about such things. In other words, his utilities are included in his rent. Not a bad gig if you can get it. He'll be stopping by today and maybe spending the night. I bought a freezer full of stuff from Trader Joe's that he might like so he won't be going hungry while he's here. He's always free to take or leave whatever he wishes from our freezer or elsewhere when he returns home. He just called. He's on his way.
I don't know what's going on in our nation's capitol but I don't think it's good. Biden is moving quickly with executive action after executive action to erase job gains, crater our position in the world as an energy independent country by cancelling oil and gas leases on federal lands, bringing back racist theory training to all federal employees, the stopping of all activities as it relates to building a wall on our southern order to stop the flow of illegals, criminals, and drugs, and he's now allowing transgenders and other sexual outliers to join the ranks of our military. This is just for starters.
More insidious are the actions being considered by Biden and the democrats to label any and all citizens encouraging or promoting anyone wishing to see the return of one Donald J Trump, or his policies in part or in whole, as racist and a direct threat to our nation's security.
This is sheer and naked totalitarianism. Republicans need to push back on these efforts and push back hard. In the absence of any pushback, the democrats will unleash a hellish volley of laws that will criminalize everything under the sun that threaten their one-party rule. Trumpster's need to tread carefully.
To label our current state of affairs in Washington D.C. as toxic would be an understatement. Did I mention that the FBI arrested a man in Florida yesterday for making a political meme? This guy is going to jail for making a political statement. I need to repeat that: This guy is going to jail for making a political statement.
Maybe someone can explain to me why we still have 5,000 troops in and around our nation's capital. Who are they protecting, exactly? It makes our capital look like a military encampment not unlike that which you might see in some of the shitholes around the globe. Our founding fathers must be rolling over in their graves. Oh, and not to worry. They're bring back good old 'Climate Change." The workers who lose their jobs in the oil and gas industry can now find employment making solar panels. That is, after all, as John (do you now who I am) Kerry puts it, "a better choice for you." Excuse me?
Just A Jab Away
24/01/21 07:15
Welcome to Martin Luther King Day! Big fucking deal. Right? I mean, who really gives a hoot besides the sycophantic politicians lining up at the break of dawn at breakfasts across the nation to grovel before their minority constituencies. Get off your damn knees is what I would say to them.
If the black community wants to celebrate their heroes over scrambled eggs and sausages them let them have at it. If you're white and privileged, do the same for your heroes on, say, maybe President's Day. I, for one, will not be spending any time today reflecting on the life and times of MLK. I just won't. I have a dream too and it has zero to do with MLK.
Nancy and I took a walk along Ocean Boulevard yesterday. It was a bit of a hike starting at Wallis Sands beach that took us all the way down to Odiorne Point and back. It was quite windy in one direction but it was otherwise a partially sunny, reasonably warm, and downright pleasant day for the middle of January.
The traffic along Ocean Boulevard was heavy given the long holiday weekend and foot traffic here and there forced us to cross the Boulevard from time to time in order to avoid crossing paths with potential Covid-19 carriers. With a wink and a nod we delighted in caring enough about our fellow travelers to give them a wide berth when passing by. Perhaps of more concern were the bikers and runners whose viral exhalations as they passed us by were less contained and potentially more deadly.
The only saving grace may have been that they passed us by quickly despite being maybe too close and, more often than not, coming up on us fast and unannounced. Parking spots in the seven or so inlets carved out along the ocean-facing side of the roadway were hard to come by and family cells small and large combed the beach taking full advantage as they were of the outgoing tide.
We stopped at a local store on the boulevard after our walk hoping that we might find a quart or so of seafood chowder. The store, for all of its faults, and there are many, carries this particular product for a local restaurant. It was mid morning and they had sold all but one quart of clam chowder.
I decided then and there that it was better than having none at all. I must have hesitated a moment too long at the counter so the clerk asked if I might like some oyster crackers to go with my purchase. That is the kind of inattention to detail that can make the difference between enjoying your chowder and maybe enjoying it somewhat less. Had I not come out of the store with a fistful of crackers, I can hear Nancy now asking incredulously as she sometimes does, "You didn't get any crackers?" Just add it to my list of inadequacies.
I watched a documentary recently about a sailing vessel that was to be the first sailing vessel of its kind to make its way through the Northwest Passage. It was really a ragtag operation staffed not with men of the sea but rather with rank amateur 20-somethings looking for adventure to add to their already flimsy or perhaps even non-existent resumes'.
It was, in all modesty, a ship of fools. The boat itself was barely seaworthy and they were constantly warned by officials along the way who pay attention to such things that even the sturdiest of rigs fit for ice breaking sometimes have difficulty navigating the ice strewn seas. Spending the winter wedged tightly into a massive ice flow was one of many real possibilities for the ship and its crew. Losing their vessel to the ice floes altogether was a very real possibility.
As experienced as he was, the captain of the ship was a bit of left winger. Had circumstances been different I might have envisioned him leading the charge in one of many lightweight inflatable boats that run circles around commercial tuna boats attempting as they might to impede their progress. Mitigating the fishing vessel's impact on the species and the environment was mission numero uno.
So, it shouldn't have come as a surprise to any crew members boarding his vessel for the voyage that not only were there no firearms allowed on board but he also laid down the law about taking fish from the sea to supplement their diets. Put simply, it wasn't allowed. It was all vegan, all the time. And how they expected to protect themselves from polar bears if and when they lost their ship to the ice floes was never fully explained.
To make a long story short, they were surprisingly successful in traversing the Northwest Passage. You wouldn't have seen that coming had you watched and listened to the individual crew members giving their personal accounts about how they thought things were going and how dubious they were about the prospects for completing the trip. But everyone likes a good ending and, if it comes after a prolonged period of hardship, hopelessness, and prayer, all the better.
This is my long-winded way of saying that I enjoyed the story so much so that when the opportunity came once again to living vicariously through the trials and tribulations of other explorers bumping around in the Antarctic, I was in with both feet. As chance would have it, I happened to pick up an audio book about Shackleton and his band of Arctic explorers back in the early 1900's.
The audiobook "Endurance" has been my steady companion on my bike rides as of late and, gone for the moment, by design anyway, are my usual political talk shows and library of music that typically offers up a steady drumbeat that makes the mileage go by more quickly if nothing else.
I'm not sure I've ever listened to a complete audiobook so this could be a first. Whether or not it's the first of many remains too be seen. Now that I know I can do it I will give it another try to see if this isn't just another flash in the pan. This one might have legs.
We finally got Evan's remote car starter squared away. We bought it at a local retailer for him for Christmas and scheduled installation after the holiday. The price of the starter included installation but when I took it to be installed they informed me that they don't do European cars. Well, duh.
They might have informed me of this when I made the purchase. I returned the unit and made arrangements to have the job done elsewhere. Well, it's done now. As I sit here thinking about it, does a robust twenty something really need a remote car starter? When I was his age, yada yada yada.
I think the Ev man was pleased. It's not always easy to tell with him but he gave me a fist bump as he was heading out the door on the way home so that was good enough for me. "Let me know how it works from your fourth floor window", I reminded him. I was assured by the installers that if he can see his car, he can start his car with this particular remote starter.
He sent me a text a little after ten that evening that it worked from his window. Mission accomplished. Oh, and I picked up tuna sandwiches and chocolate chip cookies for dinner from Panera's on the way home from the installers. Damn, they make a good tuna sandwich! Or, maybe it's the black pepper focaccia bread that makes it soooo good.
I always think the worse when it comes to Evan and his inclinations when it comes to food preparation. That being the case, I''m always as mindful as a parent can be that sending him on his way with something wholesome is the least we can do as his parents.
He is likely more often than not to open a can of something or take something out of the freezer to stick in the microwave before sitting down to a meal. He has only himself to look after and that may be part of the problem. That doesn't mean that I, or his mother, can't be looking out for his welfare by seeing to it that he has something more substantial to eat if and when the opportunity presents itself.
You may not think that having a tuna sandwich from Panera's is something "more substantial" but I would disagree. It's pretty darn close to homemade and it beats the frozen and canned foods by a city mile. I even delude myself from time to time by buying one or more frozen "homestyle" dishes for Evan to take home. No matter how you slice it, it's still frozen food. If you were born before 1980, think Swanson.
The contents, once microwaved, more often than not fail to live up to what's advertised on the packaging. I cringe when I think of him sitting down to eat any of it but, he has to eat something. Right? And don't get me started on fast food restaurants. You know what they say about that stuff. It tastes good going down but, boy, it goes from bad to worse thereafter. And I'm not sure that this is just an "Evan" problem. Maybe we should just be thankful that he has some place to stop along the highway of life when he's hungry and needs something to eat.
Mrs G has had some fits and starts as of late when it comes to her vehicle. I know, I know. A woman her age has no business being behind the wheel of a car. I suppose it's not for me to say and anything coming out of my mouth should be taken as a generalization and nothing more. You worry about reaction times and stuff like that. Just sayin'.
If she had to stop on a dime, could she? If she had to swivel her head just so in order to avoid hitting that baby carriage on the walkway, could she? If she had the opportunity to beat an orange traffic light before it turned red, would she? What about the guy behind her who thinks the car ahead of him (Mrs G) has more than enough time and puts the petal to the metal so he can squeeze through right behind her before the light turns red? We know how this movie ends.
Surely there comes a time, or an incident, in the latter stages of a driver's life when the realization hits them that the gig is up. The day you realize there is no upside anymore to doing something that you've been doing day in and day out for the last 70 years or more. Mrs G is not there as yet and that's fine.
That doesn't mean that her children can't keep an eye on things when it comes to her using her vehicle. If an inspection is needed, maybe one or more of her children can arrange to get that done. If she wants to have her car detailed, maybe one or more of her children can arrange to have that done too.
Fortunately or unfortunately, Mrs G is not one to wait around while her children dither. She never expresses irritation or displeasure when things don't happen as quickly as perhaps she might prefer. She's perfectly capable of taking the bull the horns, or getting behind the wheel of her car in this case, and going about the business of getting things done.
So when Nancy offered to take her car recently to help her out with something inspection related, and Nancy dithered as she sometimes does, Mrs G took her car out on the highway instead of waiting for her daughter to show up. Going back and forth to church or the pharmacy in town is one thing. Getting out on the highway at speeds between 65 and 75 is something altogether different. Had we known that is what she had planned, we might have tried to talk her out of it.
She was no worse for wear when all was said and done so that was that. Maybe it was good for her to do something that maybe she thought was out of the question for a woman her age. Nothing says "independence" like a 90-year old barreling down the highway with her foot on the gas and not a care in the world. Maybe the people who created these independent living facilities were on to something. One day at a time. Right?
Lastly, Nancy and I have appointments to get ourselves an inoculation against the dreaded Covid-19. Why do I feel like a sheep being led to slaughter? Some say we're in the queue because we have a republican governor. Blue state gov's are busy seeing to it that the felons, pimps, prostitutes, and party and family members in their state get a jab before the more vulnerable in their populations get their doses. We'll see how it goes. Oh, and not to worry. We'll see if the Ev man qualifies. It never hurts to ask.
If the black community wants to celebrate their heroes over scrambled eggs and sausages them let them have at it. If you're white and privileged, do the same for your heroes on, say, maybe President's Day. I, for one, will not be spending any time today reflecting on the life and times of MLK. I just won't. I have a dream too and it has zero to do with MLK.
Nancy and I took a walk along Ocean Boulevard yesterday. It was a bit of a hike starting at Wallis Sands beach that took us all the way down to Odiorne Point and back. It was quite windy in one direction but it was otherwise a partially sunny, reasonably warm, and downright pleasant day for the middle of January.
The traffic along Ocean Boulevard was heavy given the long holiday weekend and foot traffic here and there forced us to cross the Boulevard from time to time in order to avoid crossing paths with potential Covid-19 carriers. With a wink and a nod we delighted in caring enough about our fellow travelers to give them a wide berth when passing by. Perhaps of more concern were the bikers and runners whose viral exhalations as they passed us by were less contained and potentially more deadly.
The only saving grace may have been that they passed us by quickly despite being maybe too close and, more often than not, coming up on us fast and unannounced. Parking spots in the seven or so inlets carved out along the ocean-facing side of the roadway were hard to come by and family cells small and large combed the beach taking full advantage as they were of the outgoing tide.
We stopped at a local store on the boulevard after our walk hoping that we might find a quart or so of seafood chowder. The store, for all of its faults, and there are many, carries this particular product for a local restaurant. It was mid morning and they had sold all but one quart of clam chowder.
I decided then and there that it was better than having none at all. I must have hesitated a moment too long at the counter so the clerk asked if I might like some oyster crackers to go with my purchase. That is the kind of inattention to detail that can make the difference between enjoying your chowder and maybe enjoying it somewhat less. Had I not come out of the store with a fistful of crackers, I can hear Nancy now asking incredulously as she sometimes does, "You didn't get any crackers?" Just add it to my list of inadequacies.
I watched a documentary recently about a sailing vessel that was to be the first sailing vessel of its kind to make its way through the Northwest Passage. It was really a ragtag operation staffed not with men of the sea but rather with rank amateur 20-somethings looking for adventure to add to their already flimsy or perhaps even non-existent resumes'.
It was, in all modesty, a ship of fools. The boat itself was barely seaworthy and they were constantly warned by officials along the way who pay attention to such things that even the sturdiest of rigs fit for ice breaking sometimes have difficulty navigating the ice strewn seas. Spending the winter wedged tightly into a massive ice flow was one of many real possibilities for the ship and its crew. Losing their vessel to the ice floes altogether was a very real possibility.
As experienced as he was, the captain of the ship was a bit of left winger. Had circumstances been different I might have envisioned him leading the charge in one of many lightweight inflatable boats that run circles around commercial tuna boats attempting as they might to impede their progress. Mitigating the fishing vessel's impact on the species and the environment was mission numero uno.
So, it shouldn't have come as a surprise to any crew members boarding his vessel for the voyage that not only were there no firearms allowed on board but he also laid down the law about taking fish from the sea to supplement their diets. Put simply, it wasn't allowed. It was all vegan, all the time. And how they expected to protect themselves from polar bears if and when they lost their ship to the ice floes was never fully explained.
To make a long story short, they were surprisingly successful in traversing the Northwest Passage. You wouldn't have seen that coming had you watched and listened to the individual crew members giving their personal accounts about how they thought things were going and how dubious they were about the prospects for completing the trip. But everyone likes a good ending and, if it comes after a prolonged period of hardship, hopelessness, and prayer, all the better.
This is my long-winded way of saying that I enjoyed the story so much so that when the opportunity came once again to living vicariously through the trials and tribulations of other explorers bumping around in the Antarctic, I was in with both feet. As chance would have it, I happened to pick up an audio book about Shackleton and his band of Arctic explorers back in the early 1900's.
The audiobook "Endurance" has been my steady companion on my bike rides as of late and, gone for the moment, by design anyway, are my usual political talk shows and library of music that typically offers up a steady drumbeat that makes the mileage go by more quickly if nothing else.
I'm not sure I've ever listened to a complete audiobook so this could be a first. Whether or not it's the first of many remains too be seen. Now that I know I can do it I will give it another try to see if this isn't just another flash in the pan. This one might have legs.
We finally got Evan's remote car starter squared away. We bought it at a local retailer for him for Christmas and scheduled installation after the holiday. The price of the starter included installation but when I took it to be installed they informed me that they don't do European cars. Well, duh.
They might have informed me of this when I made the purchase. I returned the unit and made arrangements to have the job done elsewhere. Well, it's done now. As I sit here thinking about it, does a robust twenty something really need a remote car starter? When I was his age, yada yada yada.
I think the Ev man was pleased. It's not always easy to tell with him but he gave me a fist bump as he was heading out the door on the way home so that was good enough for me. "Let me know how it works from your fourth floor window", I reminded him. I was assured by the installers that if he can see his car, he can start his car with this particular remote starter.
He sent me a text a little after ten that evening that it worked from his window. Mission accomplished. Oh, and I picked up tuna sandwiches and chocolate chip cookies for dinner from Panera's on the way home from the installers. Damn, they make a good tuna sandwich! Or, maybe it's the black pepper focaccia bread that makes it soooo good.
I always think the worse when it comes to Evan and his inclinations when it comes to food preparation. That being the case, I''m always as mindful as a parent can be that sending him on his way with something wholesome is the least we can do as his parents.
He is likely more often than not to open a can of something or take something out of the freezer to stick in the microwave before sitting down to a meal. He has only himself to look after and that may be part of the problem. That doesn't mean that I, or his mother, can't be looking out for his welfare by seeing to it that he has something more substantial to eat if and when the opportunity presents itself.
You may not think that having a tuna sandwich from Panera's is something "more substantial" but I would disagree. It's pretty darn close to homemade and it beats the frozen and canned foods by a city mile. I even delude myself from time to time by buying one or more frozen "homestyle" dishes for Evan to take home. No matter how you slice it, it's still frozen food. If you were born before 1980, think Swanson.
The contents, once microwaved, more often than not fail to live up to what's advertised on the packaging. I cringe when I think of him sitting down to eat any of it but, he has to eat something. Right? And don't get me started on fast food restaurants. You know what they say about that stuff. It tastes good going down but, boy, it goes from bad to worse thereafter. And I'm not sure that this is just an "Evan" problem. Maybe we should just be thankful that he has some place to stop along the highway of life when he's hungry and needs something to eat.
Mrs G has had some fits and starts as of late when it comes to her vehicle. I know, I know. A woman her age has no business being behind the wheel of a car. I suppose it's not for me to say and anything coming out of my mouth should be taken as a generalization and nothing more. You worry about reaction times and stuff like that. Just sayin'.
If she had to stop on a dime, could she? If she had to swivel her head just so in order to avoid hitting that baby carriage on the walkway, could she? If she had the opportunity to beat an orange traffic light before it turned red, would she? What about the guy behind her who thinks the car ahead of him (Mrs G) has more than enough time and puts the petal to the metal so he can squeeze through right behind her before the light turns red? We know how this movie ends.
Surely there comes a time, or an incident, in the latter stages of a driver's life when the realization hits them that the gig is up. The day you realize there is no upside anymore to doing something that you've been doing day in and day out for the last 70 years or more. Mrs G is not there as yet and that's fine.
That doesn't mean that her children can't keep an eye on things when it comes to her using her vehicle. If an inspection is needed, maybe one or more of her children can arrange to get that done. If she wants to have her car detailed, maybe one or more of her children can arrange to have that done too.
Fortunately or unfortunately, Mrs G is not one to wait around while her children dither. She never expresses irritation or displeasure when things don't happen as quickly as perhaps she might prefer. She's perfectly capable of taking the bull the horns, or getting behind the wheel of her car in this case, and going about the business of getting things done.
So when Nancy offered to take her car recently to help her out with something inspection related, and Nancy dithered as she sometimes does, Mrs G took her car out on the highway instead of waiting for her daughter to show up. Going back and forth to church or the pharmacy in town is one thing. Getting out on the highway at speeds between 65 and 75 is something altogether different. Had we known that is what she had planned, we might have tried to talk her out of it.
She was no worse for wear when all was said and done so that was that. Maybe it was good for her to do something that maybe she thought was out of the question for a woman her age. Nothing says "independence" like a 90-year old barreling down the highway with her foot on the gas and not a care in the world. Maybe the people who created these independent living facilities were on to something. One day at a time. Right?
Lastly, Nancy and I have appointments to get ourselves an inoculation against the dreaded Covid-19. Why do I feel like a sheep being led to slaughter? Some say we're in the queue because we have a republican governor. Blue state gov's are busy seeing to it that the felons, pimps, prostitutes, and party and family members in their state get a jab before the more vulnerable in their populations get their doses. We'll see how it goes. Oh, and not to worry. We'll see if the Ev man qualifies. It never hurts to ask.
Taking A Turn For The Worse
17/01/21 07:32
All right already. Speaker Pelosi and her gang of democrat miscreants in the House of Representatives impeached Trump a second time. She's a god awful disgrace. They used his words at a rally as a pretext for the articles of impeachment and from there it was just a matter of having more votes than not in order to impeach Trump. The Senate will not be taking up the matter until after Sleepy Joe is in office so it remains to be seen what difference that makes, if any.
There is still a social media blackout of everything Trump so you won't be seeing any of his tweets, etc., any time soon. The Twitters and Facebooks of the world are doing the bidding of the democrat party and silencing Trump to satisfy the bloodlust of their base. You have a media that has been bad mouthing the president for some four years now and you wonder why he's still standing much less tweeting. Well, that too has now come to a grinding halt.
The left-wing media in our country has never been able to, despite their constant vitriol and fabrication of stories designed to destroy Trump, separate Trump from his supporters. My personal preference would be for Trump to announce his second run for the White House on Biden's inauguration day on the 20th of this month. He might have to tweak the timing a little bit so he can do it from the Oval Office or maybe the Rose Garden at the White House but that's my recommendation.
Then, Trump can spend the next four years exposing and casting Biden and his minions as the imminent danger to our great Republic that he and they most surely are. How Trump gets his voice out to his 75 million followers remains to be seen. He won't get any help from the losers who are now silencing him but he does have options so it's not futile by any stretch.
I'm also not sure how he prevents the democrats from stealing another election in 2024 just like the last election in 2020. If anything, they have perfected the art of the steal and will likely not abandon that strategy especially in light of the fact that they paid no price one way or another for their malfeasance.
I'm sitting here just completely gobsmacked by the fact that this guy, Biden, with all of his baggage, is going to be inaugurated as President of the United States barely a week from now. It doesn't matter that he is a puppet of the Chinese Communists. It doesn't matter that he has been running a successful pay-for-play operation out of the White House for his entire eight years while serving in the Obama Administration.
It doesn't even matter that he's had questionable interactions with pre-pubescent children as evidenced by pictures scattered here and there across the web. It also doesn't even matter that, in his own words, he bragged that "We have put together, I think, the most extensive and inclusive voter fraud organization in the history of American politics."
There are just too many people in and out of government who looked the other way for one reason or another. Maybe their interests were self-serving or maybe they were just ready to have this Trump thing go away once and for all. Maybe there are those in government who never accepted the fact that an outsider with no political experience could step into the presidency and assume a position at the head or our government that was otherwise meant to go to the next seasoned politico in line.
That Trump was as successful as he was in spite of his opposition is a reminder to us all that we need to rid ourselves of the notion that only politicians can ascend to the highest office in our great nation. It was his very success, no doubt, that scared the bejeezus out of the political parties on both sides of the aisle.
Trump's "America First" policies had, and still have, immense appeal across racial and ethnic lines and threatened to weaken the very coalitions that have historically been the backbone of one or the other main political parties here in our country. Given half a chance, more than 90% of his supporters stand ready to vote for him again.
Where we go from here is anyone's guess. That said, Trump's movement is alive and well and just biding its time before it comes back to the fore. If anything, the theft of a rightful election that we all know Trump won handily is a good starting point or rallying cry for his next four-year term.
I don't know who out there in the political orbit at this very moment could assume the Trump mantle were Trump not to run again so that gives me pause. A continuation of the America First policies are a good start but the movement needs a firebrand like Trump to steer it through the perilous waters that constitute the Washington swamp.
I heard someone yesterday argue that the word "swamp" was inappropriately used in this context. A swamp, after all, is a viable ecosystem. The term "cesspool" is more appropriate. I agree with that.
The blue states, meaning the states run by democrats, have largely kept their economies shut down since Trump announced that the entire country was ready to reopen after being shut down for a period of time last year due to the pandemic. The red states reopened on schedule and their economies rebounded as expected. The blue states did not reopen.
Their collective thought process was that if they stayed closed down then Trump would not then reap the benefits of a sitting president when the economy rebounded. After all, they were looking to take back the White House in 2020 and they didn't care how many lives or livelihoods they had to destroy to achieve that end.
With the Biden inauguration just a week away now, the blue state governors are announcing that they are now reopening their economies come hell or high water. "There won't be anything left if we don't", declared the killer of senior citizens, Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York. The problem now is that there isn't much left to reopen.
The virus has reemerged as expected and death counts and hospitalizations continue to escalate. Rollouts of the vaccine have been, by and large, mismanaged by many of the blue state governors. Cuomo, for example, is prioritizing smokers, hookers, and inmates to get the vaccine while the most vulnerable, namely the senior citizens, are dying in unprecedented numbers.
Business owners and citizens alike are moving out of the blue states for greener pastures (red states.) The margins in the congress are also not such that any bailouts for these flailing and failing blue states will be likely in the near future. Reopening their economies while in the midst of a resurgence of the virus will likely only exacerbate matters.
I think one or more of the governors in these blue states could care less and probably look forward to escaping their fate at the polls by joining the Biden Administration. If you are Governor Cuomo in New York, you have a built in constituency of more than eight million citizens living in the barrios and backwaters of New York City so losing any election is unlikely if not impossible. Other governors in blue states likely enjoy the same protections given overwhelming majorities of minorities who reside in their inner cities and who vote blue no matter who.
There are even some reports about variants or mutations of the virus emerging here and there across the globe. The UK, for example, shut down all ports of entry to their country in the last week in order to protect their citizenry from one now identified new variant. Germany, in the last few days, announced that they are shutting down for a period of time once again. No one knows if the current vaccines are even of any use against these new variants. And, yes, these new strains have now been detected here in the states.
There are also reports out of Norway about deaths resulting from the new Pfizer vaccine as well. It seems that the elderly are the most susceptible so people are being asked to weigh the risks of taking the vaccine against the available "shelf life" of the recipient. In other words, if you're in your nineties and in reasonably good health then the vaccine may not be for you. You probably even stand a reasonably good chance of surviving the virus if you do get it especially if you have no other underlying co-morbidities.
It just seems that there is an awful lot they don't know about the vaccines. Or, maybe they do know a lot about the vaccines and the public is not being told. Even with the vaccine, you're being asked to continue to take the usual precautions, i.e., wearing a mask, staying socially distanced from those around you, etc.. I thought I read something yesterday about the virus being with us forever and that seems, well, unimaginable.
As of right now, our understanding is that the vaccine simply keeps you not from getting the virus but rather from your getting sick after being infected with it. They think you can still infect others thus the continuation with the usual precautions. Biden has made comments over time about "shutting it all down" to stop the virus so it wouldn't surprise me in the least if he attempted to do just that once he's in office.
I'm not sure Biden has the right to mandate it so I can see the red states remaining open in open defiance of his "mandate." He and the people around him are the tyrannical types so expect to see behaviors consistent with that mindset coming into play if his mandates are met with resistance.
I don't think we're talking Tiananmen Square here but I could be wrong. And don't expect the Supreme Court to come in at the last moment to save anyone. They failed miserably when it came to upholding the Constitution when States were stealing the election from Trump. They will likely fail us again.
There is still a social media blackout of everything Trump so you won't be seeing any of his tweets, etc., any time soon. The Twitters and Facebooks of the world are doing the bidding of the democrat party and silencing Trump to satisfy the bloodlust of their base. You have a media that has been bad mouthing the president for some four years now and you wonder why he's still standing much less tweeting. Well, that too has now come to a grinding halt.
The left-wing media in our country has never been able to, despite their constant vitriol and fabrication of stories designed to destroy Trump, separate Trump from his supporters. My personal preference would be for Trump to announce his second run for the White House on Biden's inauguration day on the 20th of this month. He might have to tweak the timing a little bit so he can do it from the Oval Office or maybe the Rose Garden at the White House but that's my recommendation.
Then, Trump can spend the next four years exposing and casting Biden and his minions as the imminent danger to our great Republic that he and they most surely are. How Trump gets his voice out to his 75 million followers remains to be seen. He won't get any help from the losers who are now silencing him but he does have options so it's not futile by any stretch.
I'm also not sure how he prevents the democrats from stealing another election in 2024 just like the last election in 2020. If anything, they have perfected the art of the steal and will likely not abandon that strategy especially in light of the fact that they paid no price one way or another for their malfeasance.
I'm sitting here just completely gobsmacked by the fact that this guy, Biden, with all of his baggage, is going to be inaugurated as President of the United States barely a week from now. It doesn't matter that he is a puppet of the Chinese Communists. It doesn't matter that he has been running a successful pay-for-play operation out of the White House for his entire eight years while serving in the Obama Administration.
It doesn't even matter that he's had questionable interactions with pre-pubescent children as evidenced by pictures scattered here and there across the web. It also doesn't even matter that, in his own words, he bragged that "We have put together, I think, the most extensive and inclusive voter fraud organization in the history of American politics."
There are just too many people in and out of government who looked the other way for one reason or another. Maybe their interests were self-serving or maybe they were just ready to have this Trump thing go away once and for all. Maybe there are those in government who never accepted the fact that an outsider with no political experience could step into the presidency and assume a position at the head or our government that was otherwise meant to go to the next seasoned politico in line.
That Trump was as successful as he was in spite of his opposition is a reminder to us all that we need to rid ourselves of the notion that only politicians can ascend to the highest office in our great nation. It was his very success, no doubt, that scared the bejeezus out of the political parties on both sides of the aisle.
Trump's "America First" policies had, and still have, immense appeal across racial and ethnic lines and threatened to weaken the very coalitions that have historically been the backbone of one or the other main political parties here in our country. Given half a chance, more than 90% of his supporters stand ready to vote for him again.
Where we go from here is anyone's guess. That said, Trump's movement is alive and well and just biding its time before it comes back to the fore. If anything, the theft of a rightful election that we all know Trump won handily is a good starting point or rallying cry for his next four-year term.
I don't know who out there in the political orbit at this very moment could assume the Trump mantle were Trump not to run again so that gives me pause. A continuation of the America First policies are a good start but the movement needs a firebrand like Trump to steer it through the perilous waters that constitute the Washington swamp.
I heard someone yesterday argue that the word "swamp" was inappropriately used in this context. A swamp, after all, is a viable ecosystem. The term "cesspool" is more appropriate. I agree with that.
The blue states, meaning the states run by democrats, have largely kept their economies shut down since Trump announced that the entire country was ready to reopen after being shut down for a period of time last year due to the pandemic. The red states reopened on schedule and their economies rebounded as expected. The blue states did not reopen.
Their collective thought process was that if they stayed closed down then Trump would not then reap the benefits of a sitting president when the economy rebounded. After all, they were looking to take back the White House in 2020 and they didn't care how many lives or livelihoods they had to destroy to achieve that end.
With the Biden inauguration just a week away now, the blue state governors are announcing that they are now reopening their economies come hell or high water. "There won't be anything left if we don't", declared the killer of senior citizens, Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York. The problem now is that there isn't much left to reopen.
The virus has reemerged as expected and death counts and hospitalizations continue to escalate. Rollouts of the vaccine have been, by and large, mismanaged by many of the blue state governors. Cuomo, for example, is prioritizing smokers, hookers, and inmates to get the vaccine while the most vulnerable, namely the senior citizens, are dying in unprecedented numbers.
Business owners and citizens alike are moving out of the blue states for greener pastures (red states.) The margins in the congress are also not such that any bailouts for these flailing and failing blue states will be likely in the near future. Reopening their economies while in the midst of a resurgence of the virus will likely only exacerbate matters.
I think one or more of the governors in these blue states could care less and probably look forward to escaping their fate at the polls by joining the Biden Administration. If you are Governor Cuomo in New York, you have a built in constituency of more than eight million citizens living in the barrios and backwaters of New York City so losing any election is unlikely if not impossible. Other governors in blue states likely enjoy the same protections given overwhelming majorities of minorities who reside in their inner cities and who vote blue no matter who.
There are even some reports about variants or mutations of the virus emerging here and there across the globe. The UK, for example, shut down all ports of entry to their country in the last week in order to protect their citizenry from one now identified new variant. Germany, in the last few days, announced that they are shutting down for a period of time once again. No one knows if the current vaccines are even of any use against these new variants. And, yes, these new strains have now been detected here in the states.
There are also reports out of Norway about deaths resulting from the new Pfizer vaccine as well. It seems that the elderly are the most susceptible so people are being asked to weigh the risks of taking the vaccine against the available "shelf life" of the recipient. In other words, if you're in your nineties and in reasonably good health then the vaccine may not be for you. You probably even stand a reasonably good chance of surviving the virus if you do get it especially if you have no other underlying co-morbidities.
It just seems that there is an awful lot they don't know about the vaccines. Or, maybe they do know a lot about the vaccines and the public is not being told. Even with the vaccine, you're being asked to continue to take the usual precautions, i.e., wearing a mask, staying socially distanced from those around you, etc.. I thought I read something yesterday about the virus being with us forever and that seems, well, unimaginable.
As of right now, our understanding is that the vaccine simply keeps you not from getting the virus but rather from your getting sick after being infected with it. They think you can still infect others thus the continuation with the usual precautions. Biden has made comments over time about "shutting it all down" to stop the virus so it wouldn't surprise me in the least if he attempted to do just that once he's in office.
I'm not sure Biden has the right to mandate it so I can see the red states remaining open in open defiance of his "mandate." He and the people around him are the tyrannical types so expect to see behaviors consistent with that mindset coming into play if his mandates are met with resistance.
I don't think we're talking Tiananmen Square here but I could be wrong. And don't expect the Supreme Court to come in at the last moment to save anyone. They failed miserably when it came to upholding the Constitution when States were stealing the election from Trump. They will likely fail us again.
A Fight Worth Fighting
08/01/21 07:07
It looks like the thieving son of a bitch, Biden, is going to be inaugurated. What a fucking loser. He's a puppet of the Communist Chinese and a pedophile to boot. What could possibly go wrong? With just a handful of days until Sleepy Joe's inauguration, Trump seems to have run out of options and now seems to be hinting at starting a third party.
Trump says, "we're not going anywhere." That has "third party" written all over it. It should give both the republican and democrat parties pause. Without Trump's base of some 75 million supporters, which draws supporters from both parties and independents, they don't stand much of a chance of winning anything and they know it. Here's my advice to Trump. Do it!
As long as it doesn't become some dynastic sort of thing involving any number of Trump family members, I think I might be signing on. Don Jr seems like a nice enough guy but he's no Donald J Trump. Just get off the stage, Donny. Oh, and take that Leona Helmsley wannabe, Kimberly "cleavage" Guilfoyle, with you.
Ivanka seems like a dear so I wouldn't mind seeing her have a go at it. Eric doesn't seem like he has it in him so that's fine. Not everybody is good at this sort of thing. Trump isn't getting any younger so he'll be timed out at some point. The permutations are not endless so let's get the party started!
Another problem I have is that with Biden in the Oval Office I'll be infinitely less interested in what's going on in and around Washington. Part of me wants to get on my soapbox every day and howl at the moon about all of the nonsense we're likely to see coming out of a Biden Administration. Another part of me wants to ignore it all knowing just how ugly it's likely to become.
It will be one of those "I told you so" moments in history. This is what happens when you put a corrupt and unprincipled person in the Oval Office. Our memories are not so short as to have forgotten what transpired in the Obama Administration. I'm not so sure this isn't going to shape up to be Obama's third term.
It remains to be seen just how much attention I'll be paying to it all. For now, there are any number of people in Congress calling for Trump to be impeached or pushed out of Government for what they perceive as his role in instigating the siege on Congress a few days back.
He did no such thing, of course, and while there were demonstrators laying siege to the halls of Congress, much of the tumult was coming at the hands of what appeared to be Antifa types. Trump's mostly million-strong march participants played no role whatsoever so there's that.
But, you wouldn't know that from listening to the main street media. The anti-Trump vitriol coming out of the mouths of the left wing media is predictably nasty and reprehensible but par for the course when you have media signing on to one political party to the exclusion of all else. This doesn't begin and end with a co-opting of media and media only. One sychophantic corporate entity after another is also falling in line hoping to curry favor with the incoming administration.
They've been taking sides for a while now so that's no surprise to anyone. What is surprising is the extent to which they are now looking to purge the legacy of Trump as though it never existed. This means running roughshod over everything even remotely "America First" including Trump's supporters both in and out of the halls of Congress.
Even the more ardent and perhaps sometimes fawning voices of Trump supporters in government are now changing up the tenor of their messaging to be less pro-Trump in an effort to step back and out of the fray. Step back too far and you alienate supporters of Trump that may help you win future elections. Not stepping back far enough can leave you over exposed when the shower of slings and arrows start flying in your direction. Pick your poison.
Now that the leftists are on the cusp of gaining total control of the levers of power in our country, having stolen elections to gain what can only now be seen as an illegitimate presidency, the tyranny and totalitarianism of the left is rearing its ugly head. Their propaganda mouthpieces in the world of social media, the Facebooks and Twitters of the world, have effectively and permanently banned the president of the United States, Donald Trump. Just incidentally, he is still president for another 11 days. This is a complete outrage!
This is right out of Nazi Germany, folks. We've seen this movie before and we know how it ends. This is also what happens when you don't put people in jail for stealing elections and when you have a clear double standard when applying our laws. Put simply, if you are not of the right political persuasion and you commit a crime, you go to jail. If your politics go hand-in-hand with the leftists, no laws are broken and you walk free to break more laws without any constraints or fears whatsoever of judicial reprisals. This is Hillary Clinton's world on steroids.
I'm waking up to a world this morning where I can no longer hear or see any messaging from the president that we elected some four years ago. What the hell is this? Venezuela? Who decides which voices we as American citizens get to hear? It seems that the tech giants from Silicon Valley now have the final say. They, no doubt, take their marching orders from radical leftists like Michelle Obama, Stacy "I'll never concede" Abrams, and other sycophantic acolytes of one long deceased but always inspirational, Saul Alinsky.
Not only has Trump been silenced, but Congress will likely vote next week to impeach him. It worked so well the last time that maybe their thinking is that the second time around will be the charm. What the liberals fail to understand is that this sort of thing only make Trump's supporters more enamored of him, not less. It makes him stronger, not weaker. Did they learn nothing from seeing that he garnered some 12 million more votes in his run for a second term despite his being impeached during his first term? I don't think the word "impeachment" even came up when he ran for a second term.
The war on Trump supporters is likely to continue unabated for months and maybe years to come. I know they know where I live, locally anyway. This is a fight that we cannot back down from. This is a fight worth fighting for. These are freedoms our forefathers fought for in and outside the contours of our great country. Trump's agenda was not so radical that 75 million people didn't agree with it. We turned out on Election Day in the tens of millions because we thought that the "America First" agenda was the right agenda for our country. We still believe that to be true.
Trump says, "we're not going anywhere." That has "third party" written all over it. It should give both the republican and democrat parties pause. Without Trump's base of some 75 million supporters, which draws supporters from both parties and independents, they don't stand much of a chance of winning anything and they know it. Here's my advice to Trump. Do it!
As long as it doesn't become some dynastic sort of thing involving any number of Trump family members, I think I might be signing on. Don Jr seems like a nice enough guy but he's no Donald J Trump. Just get off the stage, Donny. Oh, and take that Leona Helmsley wannabe, Kimberly "cleavage" Guilfoyle, with you.
Ivanka seems like a dear so I wouldn't mind seeing her have a go at it. Eric doesn't seem like he has it in him so that's fine. Not everybody is good at this sort of thing. Trump isn't getting any younger so he'll be timed out at some point. The permutations are not endless so let's get the party started!
Another problem I have is that with Biden in the Oval Office I'll be infinitely less interested in what's going on in and around Washington. Part of me wants to get on my soapbox every day and howl at the moon about all of the nonsense we're likely to see coming out of a Biden Administration. Another part of me wants to ignore it all knowing just how ugly it's likely to become.
It will be one of those "I told you so" moments in history. This is what happens when you put a corrupt and unprincipled person in the Oval Office. Our memories are not so short as to have forgotten what transpired in the Obama Administration. I'm not so sure this isn't going to shape up to be Obama's third term.
It remains to be seen just how much attention I'll be paying to it all. For now, there are any number of people in Congress calling for Trump to be impeached or pushed out of Government for what they perceive as his role in instigating the siege on Congress a few days back.
He did no such thing, of course, and while there were demonstrators laying siege to the halls of Congress, much of the tumult was coming at the hands of what appeared to be Antifa types. Trump's mostly million-strong march participants played no role whatsoever so there's that.
But, you wouldn't know that from listening to the main street media. The anti-Trump vitriol coming out of the mouths of the left wing media is predictably nasty and reprehensible but par for the course when you have media signing on to one political party to the exclusion of all else. This doesn't begin and end with a co-opting of media and media only. One sychophantic corporate entity after another is also falling in line hoping to curry favor with the incoming administration.
They've been taking sides for a while now so that's no surprise to anyone. What is surprising is the extent to which they are now looking to purge the legacy of Trump as though it never existed. This means running roughshod over everything even remotely "America First" including Trump's supporters both in and out of the halls of Congress.
Even the more ardent and perhaps sometimes fawning voices of Trump supporters in government are now changing up the tenor of their messaging to be less pro-Trump in an effort to step back and out of the fray. Step back too far and you alienate supporters of Trump that may help you win future elections. Not stepping back far enough can leave you over exposed when the shower of slings and arrows start flying in your direction. Pick your poison.
Now that the leftists are on the cusp of gaining total control of the levers of power in our country, having stolen elections to gain what can only now be seen as an illegitimate presidency, the tyranny and totalitarianism of the left is rearing its ugly head. Their propaganda mouthpieces in the world of social media, the Facebooks and Twitters of the world, have effectively and permanently banned the president of the United States, Donald Trump. Just incidentally, he is still president for another 11 days. This is a complete outrage!
This is right out of Nazi Germany, folks. We've seen this movie before and we know how it ends. This is also what happens when you don't put people in jail for stealing elections and when you have a clear double standard when applying our laws. Put simply, if you are not of the right political persuasion and you commit a crime, you go to jail. If your politics go hand-in-hand with the leftists, no laws are broken and you walk free to break more laws without any constraints or fears whatsoever of judicial reprisals. This is Hillary Clinton's world on steroids.
I'm waking up to a world this morning where I can no longer hear or see any messaging from the president that we elected some four years ago. What the hell is this? Venezuela? Who decides which voices we as American citizens get to hear? It seems that the tech giants from Silicon Valley now have the final say. They, no doubt, take their marching orders from radical leftists like Michelle Obama, Stacy "I'll never concede" Abrams, and other sycophantic acolytes of one long deceased but always inspirational, Saul Alinsky.
Not only has Trump been silenced, but Congress will likely vote next week to impeach him. It worked so well the last time that maybe their thinking is that the second time around will be the charm. What the liberals fail to understand is that this sort of thing only make Trump's supporters more enamored of him, not less. It makes him stronger, not weaker. Did they learn nothing from seeing that he garnered some 12 million more votes in his run for a second term despite his being impeached during his first term? I don't think the word "impeachment" even came up when he ran for a second term.
The war on Trump supporters is likely to continue unabated for months and maybe years to come. I know they know where I live, locally anyway. This is a fight that we cannot back down from. This is a fight worth fighting for. These are freedoms our forefathers fought for in and outside the contours of our great country. Trump's agenda was not so radical that 75 million people didn't agree with it. We turned out on Election Day in the tens of millions because we thought that the "America First" agenda was the right agenda for our country. We still believe that to be true.
Kicking Off A New Year
02/01/21 07:12
Well, here we are, folks. We made it to the new year, 2021. The race is on to get everyone who wants to be vaccinated against Covid-19 vaccinated. First Pfizer, then Moderna, and now Astrozenaca, are vaccines that have been approved for emergency use in the U.S..
Well, Astrozeneca has been approved in the UK but not yet here. I think the U.S. is a week behind when it comes to the latest market entrant from the UK, Astrozeneca. The only question remaining is how quickly can they get it all done in order to avoid more deaths due to viral surges here and across the globe.
The saga of the Biden Crime Family and the stolen election of 2020 continues. There are a few more formalities in the process before his so-called inauguration on January 20th. Maybe I've been on Twitter a little too much but there is a chance that the electors in Congress can, in fact, still side with President Trump when all is said and done and install him as the 46th president of the United States instead of Sleepy Joe. There is just too much documented fraud and, allegedly, too many ties between Sleepy Joe Biden and the Chinese Communists to allow his installation come inauguration day.
It remains to be seen how many patriots stand up for their country and our Constitution when the time comes for the electors to declare Joe Biden the President-Elect. Will they turn a blind eye to the corruption in the various states where the democrats literally stole the election by stuffing ballot boxes in the middle of the night? I have no doubt that the democrats are in with both feet when it comes to getting back in power in Washington, D.C.. If they've told us once, they've told us a thousand times. The ends justify the means.
Stealing elections is nothing new for the democrats. Standing up against this sordid business is new for the republicans so we'll see who does and who does not have a backbone come January 6th when electors are chosen. Trump has taught them all by example how to fight over the course of his first four years in office. Now, they get to choose. Do they go along to get along, or, do they do the right thing by their constituents, our Constitution, and their country and say "NO" to the illegitimacy of the election of one Joe Biden.
I'm a little worried as well about the senatorial election in Georgia on January 5th. If the democrats "win" both seats in that election, we are fucking toast as a nation. That will give the dems power in both houses of Congress and the presidency and god only knows what we'll see coming down the pike if that happens.
We've all heard the threats about packing the Supreme Court and giving statehood status to Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.. The prospects of Republicans never returning to power if these threats are carried out are real. We only need to look at the shit holes like California, New York, and other states governed by democrats to see what happens when one political party controls all the levers of power in government.
And there's no reason to think that the theft that occurred in the general election won''t occur once again in the Georgia senatorial elections come January 5th. This is what happens when there are no consequences for crimes committed in broad daylight. Well, it was in the dark of night during the general election but you get the idea. As a nation, we cannot allow this type of chicanery if we're to be true to what our forefathers fought long and hard for as a young but enduring nation.
The Constitution has to be more than just a piece of paper. It has long provided us with guardrails and off ramps to ensure that we stay on course and true to the words written on that very document. It has always been worth fighting for and seeing as we're at a constitutional crossroads here once again, I'm still waiting along with millions of other Americans to see what, if anything, people are going to do when it comes to standing up for what is right, what is good, and what is true. Oh, and by the way, where the hell is the FBI when it comes to looking into any of this?
If what they're saying about the machinery that is used in a number of states to tabulate the votes is true, then every damn last one of those votes is suspect. If any of what they're alleging about foreign entities like China and Russia having access to the software and systems of those very voting machines is true, then we can't very well validate those results by putting the swine, Biden, in the corner office in our nation's capitol.
And people wonder why we have so little faith in our institutions when they look at what went on both before, during, and after the general election. It's enough to make you think about just staying home the next time. They're just going to steal the election anyway so why bother. We have to do better as nation.
As for the homestead, we enjoyed a quiet night here at home on New Year's Eve. We had big plans for dinner but they fell by the wayside early on when we started eating snacks with abandon. One thing led to another and the thought of sitting down to dinner seemed, well, unnecessary.
We had high hopes of ordering a platter of two from a local eatery for the evenings festivities, but those plans too fell by the wayside when Nancy missed the deadline for ordering. The food that we did have on hand for dinner isn't going anywhere so maybe tonight's the night. Oh, and Nancy says that this eatery has a nice looking paella on their menu.
Let's bookmark that puppy for another day, shall we? Paella is one of my favorite dishes. It is best served in a cast iron skillet and the more seafood, sausages, and saffron rice the better. I fell in love with this dish at first sight when I had it some years ago in a Portuguese restaurant outside Boston. My relationship with this dish has been enduring if nothing else. That one dish has been the standard against which all future paella's have been compared over the years. We'll see how this one stacks up.
Evan stopped by late in the afternoon and brought with him things he ordered and picked up at a local Mexican restaurant. I don't know that he had any intention of spending the night but spend the night he did. He said something about not wanting to be out on the roads that evening with all the drunk drivers. We as parents nodded approvingly and promptly returned to our game of Scrabble. Nancy's game is improving by the day and I'm having to turn to new found strategies in order to continue my winning streak.
I've never enjoyed the part of playing Scrabble where you have to make sure that all the tiles are turned face down before you get started. I've come to find out, and not a moment too soon I might add, that tournament players actually pull their letters from a bag when their turn comes around. Who knew?
All this time I thought that players with innate abilities to identify familiar looking patterns on the back of tiles might well have an advantage in selecting the X's, J's, and other high scoring tiles. One might even go so far as to nick or otherwise mark a letter in order to gain advantage. Not me though. No siree, Bob.
When turning in my tiles for better tiles, I was always careful not to re-select those same boring vowels and others so put them in spots separate and apart so I would know the next time around not to pick them up again. Putting all of the tiles in bag creates a level playing field and removes any and all opportunity for any so called sleight-of-hand maneuvers by one or more players. My days of not picking up returned tiles are now numbered with this new "bag" strategy.
Having given it a go in last night's game for the first time, I can tell you that it's somewhat refreshing. There's a little bit of a "feet's don't fail me now" feeling when you put your hand inside the bag. There might even be a "Come to Jesus" moment or two depending on just how much luck you think you need in selecting your new letters.
Please, God, I only need a vowel or two and I can make that 7-letter word I've been wanting to make. Be a good sport for chrissakes. Grant me this one final wish and I'll be forever grateful.
We'll be popping down to downtown Portsmouth later today to pick up a small bag of chocolates that we expect to add to our list of presents we want to give to Mrs G as a belated Christmas present. We don't have much so the bag of chocolates will be a nice addition.
Who doesn't like a little more heft to their bag of goodies sitting under the tree? We'll need to pick her up since her facility doesn't allow guests and hasn't since this pandemic thing began earlier this year. Our days of paying her a visit while sitting outside on her patio are over now but were pleasant indeed while they lasted.
A friend gave Evan an air fryer for Christmas. I know, I know. What the hell is an air fryer? I am only now starting to read accounts here and there from people who have purchased the fryers and, to a person, the reviews are good to stellar.
What I don't know is whether or not the fryer will prove to be a suitable or even acceptable replacement for the microwave that he currently has in his kitchen. I think he has the space for both so maybe he keeps both. I don't know that it is intended to replace the microwave so we'll have to see how this works out for him. Baby steps.
It looks like a cold, rainy, and miserable morning here in town as the hour of eight o'clock rolls around. I meant to look at the forecast before drifting off to sleep last night but I never quite got there. Maybe the only question I might have had in mind was whether or not I might be able to get out for a bicycle ride the following day. It looks like that ain't happening. Not today, anyway.
I've been pushing myself to get out on the road over the last several days or so if for no other reason than to get out there while the getting is good. I can now take the day off with a clear conscience. That said, I haven't much cared for riding along Ocean Boulevard as of late because of all the folks on holiday driving through town.
It makes it difficult for bicyclists like me to navigate the twists and turns along the ocean where getting clipped by a passing motorists is always a real possibility. Let's face it, their attention is usually elsewhere. And, depending on the amount of snow hereabouts, it can be even more of a challenge. Weather conditions aside, It's just a little more unnerving than usual so with the holidays now behind us I think I can breath little easier when I'm out and about on the roads in town.
As for resolutions for the new year, I'll be stepping up my exercise routines, reading more, doing something with my guitar each and every day, watching television less, writing in this here journal maybe as much or more than last year, working with Nancy to deal more rationally with her fears about the dreaded Covid-19 and the futility of our collective but pained and plagued existence on the planet Earth, provide the Ev man with the love and support he thinks he doesn't need, and maybe try to get by with a little less chocolate in my diet. Gotta start somewhere. Right?
Well, Astrozeneca has been approved in the UK but not yet here. I think the U.S. is a week behind when it comes to the latest market entrant from the UK, Astrozeneca. The only question remaining is how quickly can they get it all done in order to avoid more deaths due to viral surges here and across the globe.
The saga of the Biden Crime Family and the stolen election of 2020 continues. There are a few more formalities in the process before his so-called inauguration on January 20th. Maybe I've been on Twitter a little too much but there is a chance that the electors in Congress can, in fact, still side with President Trump when all is said and done and install him as the 46th president of the United States instead of Sleepy Joe. There is just too much documented fraud and, allegedly, too many ties between Sleepy Joe Biden and the Chinese Communists to allow his installation come inauguration day.
It remains to be seen how many patriots stand up for their country and our Constitution when the time comes for the electors to declare Joe Biden the President-Elect. Will they turn a blind eye to the corruption in the various states where the democrats literally stole the election by stuffing ballot boxes in the middle of the night? I have no doubt that the democrats are in with both feet when it comes to getting back in power in Washington, D.C.. If they've told us once, they've told us a thousand times. The ends justify the means.
Stealing elections is nothing new for the democrats. Standing up against this sordid business is new for the republicans so we'll see who does and who does not have a backbone come January 6th when electors are chosen. Trump has taught them all by example how to fight over the course of his first four years in office. Now, they get to choose. Do they go along to get along, or, do they do the right thing by their constituents, our Constitution, and their country and say "NO" to the illegitimacy of the election of one Joe Biden.
I'm a little worried as well about the senatorial election in Georgia on January 5th. If the democrats "win" both seats in that election, we are fucking toast as a nation. That will give the dems power in both houses of Congress and the presidency and god only knows what we'll see coming down the pike if that happens.
We've all heard the threats about packing the Supreme Court and giving statehood status to Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.. The prospects of Republicans never returning to power if these threats are carried out are real. We only need to look at the shit holes like California, New York, and other states governed by democrats to see what happens when one political party controls all the levers of power in government.
And there's no reason to think that the theft that occurred in the general election won''t occur once again in the Georgia senatorial elections come January 5th. This is what happens when there are no consequences for crimes committed in broad daylight. Well, it was in the dark of night during the general election but you get the idea. As a nation, we cannot allow this type of chicanery if we're to be true to what our forefathers fought long and hard for as a young but enduring nation.
The Constitution has to be more than just a piece of paper. It has long provided us with guardrails and off ramps to ensure that we stay on course and true to the words written on that very document. It has always been worth fighting for and seeing as we're at a constitutional crossroads here once again, I'm still waiting along with millions of other Americans to see what, if anything, people are going to do when it comes to standing up for what is right, what is good, and what is true. Oh, and by the way, where the hell is the FBI when it comes to looking into any of this?
If what they're saying about the machinery that is used in a number of states to tabulate the votes is true, then every damn last one of those votes is suspect. If any of what they're alleging about foreign entities like China and Russia having access to the software and systems of those very voting machines is true, then we can't very well validate those results by putting the swine, Biden, in the corner office in our nation's capitol.
And people wonder why we have so little faith in our institutions when they look at what went on both before, during, and after the general election. It's enough to make you think about just staying home the next time. They're just going to steal the election anyway so why bother. We have to do better as nation.
As for the homestead, we enjoyed a quiet night here at home on New Year's Eve. We had big plans for dinner but they fell by the wayside early on when we started eating snacks with abandon. One thing led to another and the thought of sitting down to dinner seemed, well, unnecessary.
We had high hopes of ordering a platter of two from a local eatery for the evenings festivities, but those plans too fell by the wayside when Nancy missed the deadline for ordering. The food that we did have on hand for dinner isn't going anywhere so maybe tonight's the night. Oh, and Nancy says that this eatery has a nice looking paella on their menu.
Let's bookmark that puppy for another day, shall we? Paella is one of my favorite dishes. It is best served in a cast iron skillet and the more seafood, sausages, and saffron rice the better. I fell in love with this dish at first sight when I had it some years ago in a Portuguese restaurant outside Boston. My relationship with this dish has been enduring if nothing else. That one dish has been the standard against which all future paella's have been compared over the years. We'll see how this one stacks up.
Evan stopped by late in the afternoon and brought with him things he ordered and picked up at a local Mexican restaurant. I don't know that he had any intention of spending the night but spend the night he did. He said something about not wanting to be out on the roads that evening with all the drunk drivers. We as parents nodded approvingly and promptly returned to our game of Scrabble. Nancy's game is improving by the day and I'm having to turn to new found strategies in order to continue my winning streak.
I've never enjoyed the part of playing Scrabble where you have to make sure that all the tiles are turned face down before you get started. I've come to find out, and not a moment too soon I might add, that tournament players actually pull their letters from a bag when their turn comes around. Who knew?
All this time I thought that players with innate abilities to identify familiar looking patterns on the back of tiles might well have an advantage in selecting the X's, J's, and other high scoring tiles. One might even go so far as to nick or otherwise mark a letter in order to gain advantage. Not me though. No siree, Bob.
When turning in my tiles for better tiles, I was always careful not to re-select those same boring vowels and others so put them in spots separate and apart so I would know the next time around not to pick them up again. Putting all of the tiles in bag creates a level playing field and removes any and all opportunity for any so called sleight-of-hand maneuvers by one or more players. My days of not picking up returned tiles are now numbered with this new "bag" strategy.
Having given it a go in last night's game for the first time, I can tell you that it's somewhat refreshing. There's a little bit of a "feet's don't fail me now" feeling when you put your hand inside the bag. There might even be a "Come to Jesus" moment or two depending on just how much luck you think you need in selecting your new letters.
Please, God, I only need a vowel or two and I can make that 7-letter word I've been wanting to make. Be a good sport for chrissakes. Grant me this one final wish and I'll be forever grateful.
We'll be popping down to downtown Portsmouth later today to pick up a small bag of chocolates that we expect to add to our list of presents we want to give to Mrs G as a belated Christmas present. We don't have much so the bag of chocolates will be a nice addition.
Who doesn't like a little more heft to their bag of goodies sitting under the tree? We'll need to pick her up since her facility doesn't allow guests and hasn't since this pandemic thing began earlier this year. Our days of paying her a visit while sitting outside on her patio are over now but were pleasant indeed while they lasted.
A friend gave Evan an air fryer for Christmas. I know, I know. What the hell is an air fryer? I am only now starting to read accounts here and there from people who have purchased the fryers and, to a person, the reviews are good to stellar.
What I don't know is whether or not the fryer will prove to be a suitable or even acceptable replacement for the microwave that he currently has in his kitchen. I think he has the space for both so maybe he keeps both. I don't know that it is intended to replace the microwave so we'll have to see how this works out for him. Baby steps.
It looks like a cold, rainy, and miserable morning here in town as the hour of eight o'clock rolls around. I meant to look at the forecast before drifting off to sleep last night but I never quite got there. Maybe the only question I might have had in mind was whether or not I might be able to get out for a bicycle ride the following day. It looks like that ain't happening. Not today, anyway.
I've been pushing myself to get out on the road over the last several days or so if for no other reason than to get out there while the getting is good. I can now take the day off with a clear conscience. That said, I haven't much cared for riding along Ocean Boulevard as of late because of all the folks on holiday driving through town.
It makes it difficult for bicyclists like me to navigate the twists and turns along the ocean where getting clipped by a passing motorists is always a real possibility. Let's face it, their attention is usually elsewhere. And, depending on the amount of snow hereabouts, it can be even more of a challenge. Weather conditions aside, It's just a little more unnerving than usual so with the holidays now behind us I think I can breath little easier when I'm out and about on the roads in town.
As for resolutions for the new year, I'll be stepping up my exercise routines, reading more, doing something with my guitar each and every day, watching television less, writing in this here journal maybe as much or more than last year, working with Nancy to deal more rationally with her fears about the dreaded Covid-19 and the futility of our collective but pained and plagued existence on the planet Earth, provide the Ev man with the love and support he thinks he doesn't need, and maybe try to get by with a little less chocolate in my diet. Gotta start somewhere. Right?