Sammy and Elena

 A soggy weekend has begun.  Outside, the rain is steady, not heavy; what we like to call a soaker, where there is just enough time for the rain drops to soak into the ground.  They're forecasting 1 - 2 inches, which is basically a drop in the bucket to the 2 feet Ian dropped on Florida.  Temps today are predicted to hover in the upper 50s (F).  Sadly, that temperature is one at which grass will continue to grow, so I'm expecting to be mowing my front lawn next Friday.

Tuesday, the plumber will be here to give me an estimate on the water hook-up on the 2nd floor.  I could almost envision $$$ adding up in the receptionists head when I told her where the new washer was going to be located.  As I told her there was both a sink and a shower on the other side of the wall, I could hear those $$$ draining out of her voice as she said, "oh, that'll be easy."

Also, I'm going with a ventless dryer, (yes there is such a thing.)  I can't see spending $500 to have some contractor lean a ladder up against the backside of my house just to chop a whole in the wall for a vent.

I do get to work today, so I'll probably post a pic or 2 tomorrow of the updated Flooring Department.  They did transfer a full time associate into our department as a specialist.  I can see him spending a lot of time back in the employee lunch room to avoid having to design blinds, and work with quotes on floors.

Here's a pic I took of the dogs this morning.  I call it Rainy Day Dogs.

I got a notice from the USPS that my mail-in ballot should be arriving either today or Monday.  I'm betting most of you can already guess who I'm voting for.  This my part of trying to save Democracy in America.

There are... rumors... Sammy Alito is not too happy with fellow judge Elena Kagen.  I'm sure there are a number of reasons this could be true:  she is female, for one.  It's understandable that a man who referenced a 17th century jurist in his decision to overturn Roe might question the superiority of women's voices.  He doesn't understand, history will not be looking kindly on him.

For those outside of the state, the attack ads on Fetterman are everywhere.  Oz has narrowed the gap, at least according to polls.  This was done with endorsements from the Fraternal Organization of Police, and the State Police.  They're trying to paint Fetterman soft on crime.  It's the only thing  they have.  That, and his tats, which Tucker Carlson wasted a 20 minute rant on, at least that's what I've heard.  Republicans aren't even going near the abortion issue, which means they're writing off a majority of the voting base.  One of the many reasons I'm voting blue is to send Ozzie back over to New Jersey, where he belongs.

Size 20 +

The end of September.  The month has past quickly, I think.  Time does seem to move faster as you grow older, but the past 4 weeks were gone in what seemed to be a finger snap.

Yesterday was interesting at work.  The renovation of the flooring department is... major.  So far, I'm not impressed.  Our desk is tiny.  There is no way one associate can design blinds for customers, while another keys in a flooring measure.  The desk was still in the process of being located into its final position.  Pictures tomorrow.

I started watching Andor last night on Disney.  It's okay.  Characters actually said 'bastard' and 'shit.'   There were 3 short episodes which were basically a introductory starter pack.  I will watch future episodes, though this isn't something that has be hanging on the edge of my seat.  Instead of watching each new episode weekly, I'll wait a couple of weeks.

Ian is going to hit South Carolina this afternoon.  For those of you in his path, persevere, his rains will pass.  He will be raining on Central PA tomorrow and Sunday.  With college football on TV on Saturday and Pro football teams playing Sunday, the store will most likely be slow.

Ginni testified before the Jan 6 committee yesterday.

For those of you who don't remember, she was going to set the record straight.  Well, it turns out that Ginni told the committee that she still believes the election was stolen.  She will never change her story.  She also told them she never discussed her political belief with Clarence.  Well, we all know that's horseshit, but then we all need to remember that Ginni's universe is, while seeming large, at least a size 20 +, in reality it is very small.

In fact, her universe is approximately the same size as that of Sammy Alito.  He just spoke his mind in a mini-tirade about the so-called integrity of the Supreme Court.  Sammy is upset that so many people are questioning the legitimacy of the court.  This is because in Sammy's mind, God is behind everything, including McConnell's decision sit on Merrick Garland's nomination, as well his his decision to throw out the filibuster in order to seat Amy Cony Bony.  In Sammy's universe, 1864 was a very good year.

And finally, for those who missed it, Judge Ailleen Cannon has decided that the Special Master her client, Donald Trump, wanted needs to be reigned in.  You see she thought Dearie was going to cozy in with her and the Trump defense team, and he didn't.  Since he didn't, she took matters into her own hands to create a delay.  She also decided that it wasn't really necessary for Trump to prove that the FBI planted the documents he claims to have declassified.  She is the essence of corruption.

Murphy's Law

 And Thursday arrives with a chilly temp of 478 (F) outside.  In case anyone is wondering, I did turn on my heat, setting it at 70 (F).  When we are deep in the coldest throes of winter and outside temps hover in the mid 30s (F), I will set it at 71.

This November, when we have our benefits sign-up at the large, orange retailer I work for, I'm going to end my Dental plan.  Honestly, I should have ended it when I went on Medicare, because it wasn't that expensive.  It's still not that expensive, but for someone whose dental needs are few and far between it's way too much.  I can go to the VA for $15 a visit, or a Blue Cross plan I have for $10s, with no premium.  

For those interested, I've well over 52,000 words done on the next book, The Body Under Ice.  There are 2 characters who have turned out to be a joy to write:  Louise and Clark, 2 barfly's at Hennepin's.  In their last interaction with Eli and Max, they were sitting at the bar watching Bowling for Beers.

The organization of my slides is proceeding slowly.  I threw out most of the 80 + slides I took of the San Diego zoo, though I saved a few, like the giraffes.  I also saved the concert pictures, though some are very blurry.  Back in 1972 concerts at the San Diego Sports Arena were all general admission, so people who wanted to be close to the stage got there early.  I saw some good concerts there, including The Doobie Brothers and Grand Funk Railroad.  The first band I saw there was The Moody Blues on their Every Good Body Deserves Favor tour.  I suspect some of you out there know what E, G, B, D, F stands for. These blurry pics are from that show.

And, what about Putin annexing regions from the Ukraine?  I don't think he has any idea this act will define him as one of the most impotent leaders in the world.  What is it?  Over 70,000 Russian soldiers dead?  Because he's started up the draft, many men are leaving the country.  That fact that he's no where close to winning make him a laughing stock.  He has proven to be a small man brittle with incompetence.

Doug Mastriano as started 40 days of Fasting and Prayer, hoping that will help him win the election.  This man's brain is awash in pure horseshit.

Finally, a bit about Ian.  I'm seeing predictions of hundreds of deaths.  There are many, many trailer parks in the path of the storm.  I shouldn't have been surprised when I saw a number of people were refusing to evacuate.  MAGA brains, no doubt. No masks.  No vaccines.  No evacuation.  And they were living in mobile homes not built to withstand 150 mile an hour winds, or any storm surge.  How stupid can you be?  And people staying in hotels were Tweeting videos of water rushing in through the front doors, and that was before Ian made landfall.  These people are the reason Murphy's Law exists.

Oh, sorry, one more Finally.  Marjorie Taylor Green is getting divorced.  In his court filing, her husband sand their marriage was irretrievably broken, or something to that effect.  Why am I not surprised?

Ian

 Well, if you're living in Florida, today is going to be Wet Wednesday.  Tomorrow, too.  Up here in Central Pa, this morning was the briskest so far.  A chilly 47 (F).  Our high today might reach 66 (F).  And, right now, the dogs are still sleeping.  Not me, of course.  I already have a load of laundry in the washer.  

Later this morning, I have a dental appointment.  There was a time when I had my teeth cleaned professionally twice a year.  As I get older, that's dropped down to one single visit.  I have no problem with that.  My dentist will, as usual, talk to me about having two crowns and a bridge installed in my mouth.  At my age?  That ain't gonna happen.

And, even later this morning I will call and make an appointment for someone to put in a washer hook-up in what used to be a walk-in closet.  Not that it isn't going to be a walk-in anymore.  Things are just going to be re-arranged.

Yesterday, Ronnie DeSantis had an excuse of a presser to tell the world things were moving well ahead of Ian, making sure to emphasize that Biden hadn't talked to him.  At that time, Ian was expected to weaken.  That smarmy assed loser should have realized Ian had something else in mind.  Overnight Ian has strengthen to a very strong Category 4 (nearly a Category 5) hurricane.  The current forecast has him smashing into the state south of low lying Tampa and then slowly heading north through the center of the state.  Suddenly, this morning Ronnie had praise for the White House.  The fact that Ian might possibly tear Florida in half probably has a lot to do with his change of attitude.  Three hours ago, he had a sustained wind speed of 155 mph.  There go the mobile home parks.

For those who didn't catch it, Frankie Graham had a meltdown regarding one of his beloved anti-abortion protestors.  You see, this loser was arrested for breaking the law, and Frankie believes Christians are allowed to do that.  The Cracker Jack Crazies are blowing this way up and out of proportion because they believe they are special.  Can you even begin to imagine how frenzied they'll be in November if the Democrats win enough seats in the Senate to bypass the filibuster and pass a women's health care law?  Frankie's brain might just implode.

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Ars Gratis Artis NOPE

Morning!  It's cool here in Central Pa.  The temps are not, I repeat not predicted to hit 70 (F) today.  The high is forecast to be around 68 (F).  I love this weather!

Biggie loves this weather, too.  Three gabapentin every 12 hours are working magic.  I understand the med is a pain blocker, keeping the nerve impulses from reaching the brain, and not an anti-inflammatory.  His carprofen take care of the inflammation cause by his arthritis. 

For those who haven't heard, Sixpence is having some issues with Blogger, evidently there is a threat to shut down his blog because of what he calls the 'little collages' he's taken from Instagram.  The first thing that went through my head was that one the artists he likes has decided to claim copyright infringement.  Just because something is published on Instagram does not mean it's in the public domain.  Many artists are very big on licensing agreements.  They don't care if you publish their work as long as they're getting paid.

And, in case any of you are wondering, I do know a little about artists.  For a number of years I hung out with several.  They're odd people.  Since they make their living by selling their art, many are focused on the money aspects of their business.  Here's a piece by Lawrence Von Barann.  I was hoping Larry would leave me a piece in his will.  He didn't.  If you're interested, you can buy this from the Yale Gallery of Art.  For those who are wondering, the answer is yes, that is Yale University.

And, not surprising, there were more guilty pleas In the North Carolina election fraud case.  Republicans, of course.  Isn't it fascinating how the group that shrieks the loudest is responsible for the most problems?

It's also fascinating that Republican Adam Kinzinger is beginning to advocate for people to not vote Republican.  As he says, "they will try and impeach Biden every other week."  That is not some mindless assumption on his part.  Just like the Orange Anus, the Republican party focuses on revenge.  Conservatives have always been terrible losers.  The idea that the beliefs they hold as intrinsically true are rejected by a majority cuts them to the core.  They simply cannot comprehend how they can be so wrong.

The National Humanitarian Award

 The new week has arrived!  For those impressed by such things, this will be our first full week of Autumn.  The temps are cool at night, but during the day they're forecasted to climb up into the upper 60s (F).  That's fine.  Soon the leaves will be changing colors as they prep to fall from the trees.  This means, at some point, I'll be posting a picture of my golden ginkgo.  

Lunch was fun with my friend Betsy.  We talked quite a bit about politics, and then more politics, and then a bit about The Body Under Ice, about how gossip, in itself, is almost a character in the new book.

My neighbor's lawn is looking more and more like a field.  They have a problem, I suspect, that being they've decided to sell the house 'as is.'  They have a contract a potential buyer would need to sign excluding them from anything and everything.  I haven't seen it, but my neighbor across the street has, (his mother's a real estate agent), and he pulled out of the deal.  I gather the contract implies there are major problems, meaning even a house flipper is going to wait until their asking price hits rock bottom.

President Biden honored Sir Elton John with an award this weekend.  The National Humanitarian Medal.  Good for Elton.  I will admit that watching this clip did bring a tear to my eye.

Not a lot happened this past weekend in the political arena.  On Friday, the House GOP revealed a veiled commitment to... well, nothing.  E. J. Dionne, as well as many others have called it horseshit (my word).  They listed a Republican laundry list of what they claimed were problems without providing a single clue as to how they were going to solve them.  This really was nothing more than empty bluster.  How do I know?  They did it on a Friday.  Politicians, in particular, prefer to have bad news released on Friday because they know the weekend tends to dilute the issues.  You don't release good news on Fridays, that happens on a Monday when the news cycle has 5 full days to glorify it.  These Republican dumb shits knew this was going to go over as well as a soggy pancake with everyone except their MAGA base.

Finally, because on 64% of all the Italians eligible to vote actually did vote, the country now has a female version of Donald Trump.  From what I know of Italian politics, that's not going to last too long.

The Process

 Sunday slow day.  Yesterday was Blizzard day.  That's right.  They bought a large number of DQ Blizzards in various flavors.  Sadly, they were small.  I like my Blizzards big.  Surprisingly, I only had one.  Peanut Butter Cup.  Tiny but tasty.

Otherwise the day was simply boring.  Until 20 minutes before I was due to leave, then I received a call from a customer who is not satisfied.  She is, unfortunately, going to be very disappointed.  She wants us to retile her bathroom... with 6 different types of tiles.  This includes the floor, the walls, a triangular tub, and a separate shower.  She wants a designer bathroom, one with octagonal tiles on a triangular tub.  We could do the installation, however, she wants us to provide her with a quote.  Unfortunately, the software we use does not let us build design quotes.  We install floor tiles, and wall tiles, and tiles in your shower.  If she wants a designer bathroom, she's going to have to pay a designer ($$$), who's going to hire a contractor ($$$), who will be able to build her the designer bathroom of her dreams.

A long time ago, my family owned an AKC Irish Setter my mom named Rusty, his AKC name was Sir Rusty of Fairview.  Setters have long hair, which clumps up into little ice balls between their toes when they go out in the snow.  My mom's solution was to tie white, plastic garbage bags on Rusty's legs.  He was quite patient throughout the process.  

I know some are upset that things are not moving fast enough with all of the Trump investigations, and I do try and temper their enthusiasm.  Patience is a virtue, especially in regard to #45.  He is a slimy sack of shit who has learned to manipulate the system over the years.  Can you even imagine the anger if he should be indicted, only to have the indictment thrown out because some one person in the DOJ, or working with the Fulton County Attorney General forgot to dot the 'i' or cross the 't'?  The MAGAs would go into rapture.  We need to let the process work.  Take the Special Master, who seems to be completely opposed to Trump's manipulations of the Justice system.  He smacked back Aileen Cannon, proving publicly how big of a fool she is.  But it takes time.  There may not be an indictment before the midterms, but I'm suspecting possibly one, maybe 2 public announcements to thrash both Trump and the GOP.  And, of course, there is the approaching October Surprise.  An indictment of... say, Giuliani  would really rattle Trump's cage.

A good thing for America

 So, happy Saturday.  After my 7 hour stint at work this afternoon, I'm not scheduled until next Thursday.  I can live with that.  Four days off.  It's anybody's guess at how busy the store is going to be today.  This used to be a transitional period.  Since the holidays are approaching, people begin to think of installing new flooring, especially carpet.  However, we're competing with college football.  I was told that Penn State has won every game so far this season.  Living in Central PA, that is an important factor.  A lot of people want to hear those Nittany Lions roar.

For our Success Sharing weekend, today is ice cream and Blizzard day.  I don't know if that means a Dairy Queen truck is going to be parked in back of the building, or if we're going to be served some sort of knockoff.

My slides are all in my computer, or at least the ones that I'm keeping have been saved.  Most of the 100 + pictures I took of animals at the San Diego zoo are in the trash.  If you want to see a peacock just Google peacock.  What did I save?  Pictures like this.  In 1973, I spent a few weeks working in the radar department of our destroyer escort.  I was flown there by a helicopter (I really don't like helicopters).  here's one of the pictures I took when I flew back to the Constellation.  This is what it looks like from above as you're preparing to land.  And yes, those are jet planes parked on the flight deck.

Yesterday, Kevin McCarthy (he wants to be High Priest in the Trump cult) and several other prominent Republicans released the GOP plan for heading into the midterms.  They did not mention their intentions of a nationwide ban on abortion, or their plan to eliminate Social Security.  What they did was release vague statements in a video which some are saying included scenes from Mother Russia and statement from Lehman Brothers that they attributed to Lincoln.  Some smart individual took their Commiotment and added some of the details the Republicans forgot to include.

I understand that Sydney Powell is considered on the lam because she failed to show up for a court appearance.  This was to be expected.

An Arizona judge reinstated an anti-abortion law from before Arizona became a state.  This is how you unite the women of Arizona.

And finally, there is evidently growing concern among Republicans in regard to Trump's legal issues.  That, I believe is an understatement.  You see, many Republicans, including Kevin McCarthy, saw the MAGA base as a slice of heaven; a guaranteed voting bloc they could rely upon.  However, that bloc is a minority group that includes another minority voting bloc, the Evangelicals.  They are not 2 distinct groups.  The QAnon crazies?  They, too, are in the MAGA group.  They are in trouble, and they know it.  Trump is killing their party, which is a good thing for America.

Hillary's Emails

 Outside, the temp is a cool 52 (F) and it's breezy.  Autumn has definitely arrived. Today's high is supposed to reach 65 (F).  That's unusually chilly for this time of year.  For the rest of the week they're predicting a more normal mid 70s range for day time highs.  Nights, though, the temps will be dropping down into the high 40s and low 50s.  Time to pull out the wooly blankets.

Yesterday was very slow at work.  I did sell some expensive blinds to a very nice Asian woman.  My manager stopped by the flooring desk and told me he wanted me to push 'credit.'  As I've said before, if someone asks, I'll sign them up for a card.  If they don't, that's fine.  Corporate wants us to believe that people with one of our credit cards will spend more money.  That's not true.  Most of our customers already have credit cards.  With some, this may be true, but most people I deal with watch their credit.

Also, yesterday, because this is our Success Sharing weekend, food was provided:  Breakfast all Day.  Meh.  Now, don't get me wrong, I like breakfast, but I'm not one of those who delight in getting to eat breakfast at one in the afternoon.  Tomorrow is ice cream and Blizzard day.  Now, that's what I call a treat!  I'm going down to York for lunch with my friend Betsy on Sunday and we always stop at Dairy Queen.  So the question is will I be blessed with Blizzards 2 days in a row, or will tomorrow's Blizzard be knock off?

And, of course, yesterday social media was a mock of Trump saying you can declassify documents simply by just thinking about it.  What a hoot!  Now, I know there are those out there clutching their pearls and shrieking, "they need to arrest him now," but admit it, this is rather amusing.  I actually was responsible for several loud guffaws from people's comments.  I'm also laughing at the GOP, who are trying to push a phony agenda heading into the midterms and nobody but the cultists are paying any attention.

Honestly, I even watched some clips of his Sean Hannity interview as have, I presume, some of you.  There's no avoiding them, really.  So, while Kevin McCarthy goes to Pittsburgh to lie about what the Republicans are going to do should they take back the House and Senate, most people are still laughing at Trump.  When he said that "the FBI raid at Mar a Lago was so intense, they might actually have been searching for Hillary's emails," I suffered through a mini laugh riot.  While his cultists eat  this shit up, a vast majority of the American population had a 'what the fuck' moment.  So, while Kevin's trying to talk up a nonexistent Republican agenda, most of the reporters there are going to be waiting to ask him if he believed the FBI was, indeed, possibly searching for Hillary's emails.

Witches do Exist

 Hello Thursday!!  Outside, the temps are a comfortable 70 (F), however we do have rain.  Supposedly a thunderstorm is supposed to pass overhead.  That doesn't seem to be happening.  All I can hear is the steady rain on the roof.  That temp?  70(F)?  Well, that's about as warm as it's going to get today.  Summer is ending on a rather chilling note.  That's fine.  I'm ready.  Soon the leaves will be changing.

Yesterday was a day filled with mini-accomplishments.  One thing that I plan to wrap up, possibly when I'm off tomorrow, is transferring all of the slides I took while in the Navy to jpeg images.  I have about 2000 and every one of them is at least 45 years old, however I'm not saving all of them.  quite a few are repetitive, like 24 pictures of people working with silver in a factory in Baguio, Philippines.  Of course, the rewards are finding the gems, like the pictures of a snake charmer in Singapore.  Don't worry, you'll get so see some of them when I've finished.

Now, isn't it nice to know there are certain things we can all rely upon?  I mean, nothing changes about them.  They are constant.  They stay the course.  Nothing will ever alter their heading.  Ever.  Take, for example, the investigations into Donald Trump.  No matter how greatly the evidence proves guilt, no matter how many people flip and testify against him, these investigations will always be witch hunts.  Knowing this, I did a little investigating on my own.  Did you know that not all witches wear pointy hats?  Or that their evilness is long-lived? Or that witches are gender based?  The male witch is called a warlock.  This immediately proves him wrong.  These investigators are not looking for some scaggy, old bitch who flies around on a broom.  No, if Trump is correct, this is a warlock hunt.  Well, I hate to admit it but he's correct.  As proof, I offer up this old lithograph as proof.

Anyway, I don't know about you, but I'm finding this week to be more than a little titillating in regard to the Donald.  Joy of joy, things have been going terribly for him.  Thanks to the lawsuit filed by the Attorney General of New York, people suspect he's not really a billionaire.  And all those times he took the 5th?  In a civil trial, which this is, they can be used against him.  This means that the 440 times he refused to testify on the grounds it might incriminate him, he was really telling the courts, "yeah, I'm guilty as hell."

And, of course, the 11th District told Trump's pocket judge Aileen Cannon that she has her head up her ass.  Contrary to what his cult wants to believe, you can not declassify documents simply by thinking they are declassified.  I suspect an indictment for treason from the DOJ will be forthcoming.

The fact that he keeps shrieking witch hunt proves beyond a doubt that witches really do exist.  

  

Put up or Shut up

 Hello Wednesday.  Midwoch for some, and the weather outside is lovely.  Skies are a clear, cool blue, though them temps are suppose to climb into the mid 80s (F) this afternoon.  In the early hours of tomorrow morning Autumn will come knocking.  I hope everybody's ready, I know I am.

One of the lights in my refrigerator burned out.  I need to pick up milk later, so I'll see if they have one at my local, neighborhood Giant supermarket.  If not, I'll pick one up when I go to work tomorrow.  

Speaking of the store, our bonus checks are being disbursed on Friday.  This will be the first I've gotten since going part-time.  While being a benefit, part-timers have never real gotten anything substantial.  Of course, I'm not a regular part-timer... I have mgmt. history, so I was pleased to see that this little deposit will handily pay for the flooring I just bought.

And I went to the movies last evening to see the comedy, mystery See How They Run.  It was quite enjoyable.  Split screens were used effectively, especially in one pivotal scene where something has happened and the cast members are all rushing to discover... something.  The movie begins on the 100th anniversary of Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap.  The cast, including Dickie Attenborough, is celebrating, and of course murder and mayhem ensue.

Judge Dearie, the Special Master that Donald Trump so desperately wanted, basically told Trump's legal team to "put up, or shut up," yesterday.  He wants a list of the classified documents Trump claims to have declassified and the proof the declassification was done.  Ouch!  This was a gamble by the Orange Anus and, if one takes a look at his previous wagers, (the steaks, the ties, the wine, and the university) you'll see he loses far more often than he wins.  Being the pathological narcissist that he is, however, in his mind there are no losses, only successes.  

There's a good possibility Trump's bad week will be continuing this week.  Fani Willis, the Fulton County AG, is going to make a big announcement today.  While a lot of people are praying she's going to indict Trump, I'm betting it will be Rudy Giuliani who makes the Perp Walk.  Though, to be perfectly honest, I wouldn't be disappointed if it was Lindsey Graham.  Though I think Rudy will flip faster than Graham, who will never leave his concrete closet.  

UPDATE:  my apologies it seems it was Letitia who had the big announcement, not Fani.

The Competition

 It's Tuesday, which means it's part of my mid-week weekend, the first day to be precise.  Mowing the lawn is on the list of chores for today, so is getting a haircut.  Yep, it's that time of year.  I try to get as few haircuts as possible.  I dislike the entire process, mostly because I end up having to deal with a barber who feels compelled to talk.  My idea of the perfect haircut is sitting down in the chair for 3 - 4 minutes while your hair is being cut and then leaving.  Unfortunately, that never happens.

It seems to be Blogger's been running slower lately.  When this happens my suspicious eye always looks at Microsoft.  My new computer runs Windows 11 and Microsoft is in competition with Google, or Alphabet, or whatever it's called right now, and, of course, Blogger is a Google product.  So, is Microsoft practicing a bit of competitive slowness?

I've started watching Amazon's Lord of the Rings prequel, The Rings of Power.  So far, so good.  The only issue I have is that there are only 8 episodes in Season 1 and if you have to wait a year between seasons, well, this thing's going to run forever and I'm only going to live for so long.  Of course, this is a problem I have with series in general, it doesn't make a difference whether it's Amazon, or Netflix, of Disney, in order to get these shows to run for decades, they give you 8 - 10 episodes and then tell you you're going to need to wait over a year for the next season.  They are competing against each other and, over time, this will work against them over time.  Because so many shows are being put into the competitive cycle some other series will become more popular.

There's an interesting bit in The Hill that the GOP's problem with Trump is worsening.  No surprise there.  This guy is a shit show in action.  He has become an anime from Hell.  Extremist imagers from his rallies set people's teeth on edge, especially those teeth of independent voters.  The classified document issue is making things worse.  I don't know if anyone has seen the bit about his legal team not wanting to tell the Special Master they requested exactly which documents he declassified.  And just think, next week we're going to have another Prime Time Jan 6 hearing.  

And the DA in the Georgia investigation has said thought her inquiries were going to lead to Jail terms.

And everyone is waiting to see what happens in New York.

It's almost as if all of these investigations were in competition with each other to see who can bring down the Orange Anus first, which means the GOP problem with the Idiot Jerk Trump will continue to worsen.

 

Self Loathing Republicans

 Monday has arrived.  I get to work this afternoon.  Will we be busy?  Difficult to say.  It's only for 6.5 hours, but that means I will need to take a lunch.  I'm taking sausage.  Blame it on my PA Dutch heritage (German), but I do like my sausage.  As a toddler, I used to watch my grandmother (Mom's side of the family), make it.  Fresh.  Today's serving will be cooked in the electric fryer.

Most of the new floor is in.  My legs are, for the most part, fine.  Knee joints weren't any creakier.  I did find going down the stairs a bit stiff.  But then, I'm not 19 any more.  As for the floor itself?  Hhhmm.  I hate to tell you, but it's not as precise as I thought.  You click in the top edge, and then using a tapping block click in the side.  You can barely see a seam on the sides of the tiles.  The top edges, however, are a different matter.  On some tiles, you can barely see a seam, on others?  At least to my eyes there is a significant gap.  Of course, there are ways to fix this.  And, to be perfectly frank, I didn't splurge on the best tiles, but rather spent my money on something that is considered a lesser grade.  I couldn't see spending the extra money when there's going to be a washer and dryer sitting on top of them.

Evidently attendance at Trump's rally in Ohio was rather sparse.  And there was a moment when the audience demonstrated their subversion.

At a rally in Chambersburg, PA, Doug Mastriano had his audience do the same thing.  "Put your right hand in the air," the told the crowd, and they did as he wanted.  The only thing missing was for them to begin chanting 'heil, heil.'  Many pictures have been circulating of both rallies have been circulating.  The one above seems to have been getting the most press.  Amusingly, there are Trumpies out there who are claiming the media doesn't cover Trump's rallies.  They don't see anything wrong with this, which is why he's becoming a detriment.

Speaking of the Moral Degenerate, I understand he arrived back at Mar a Lago... during the night.  I'm betting the first thing he did was check to make sure his secret stash of documents was safe.

Finally, on the immigration issue, personally, I don't think the political stunts of sending refugees to places like Martha's Vineyard is having quite the effect  the Republicans had hoped.  True, they do make headlines, but the only gleeful outrage I'm seeing is from hard core conservatives.  Since the Republican party can no longer say, "shut up, we're in charge," they're giving America their 'screw you' attitude instead.  I am truly disappointed when I see Hispanics running for office celebrating these incidents.  So much self-loathing is amazing.

Dueling Fascists

 So, I hope everyone is having an enjoyable, relaxing Sunday.  I am, but then I don't have to work today.  Downstairs, Alexa is playing Stravinsky's Firebird Suite.  For those interested, I was introduced to Stravinsky at at Yes concert in 1973.  Yes does not use a warm-up act when they tour.  Most often they have used Stravinsky played very loudly.

One thing I will not miss from summer is the mosquitos.  I don't know if it's because the Susquehanna river is only 3/4 mile away or not.  But every summer we seem to swarmed with mosquitos.  My neighbor across the street is constantly burning punk sticks to keep them at bay.  I prefer citronella candles, bot inside and outside the house.

I picked up my new flooring yesterday when I left work.  4 boxes should do the trick.  I'm going with a marble look that has a bit of a shine.  Hopefully, since this only a walk-in closet (62 sq ft) installation should happen fast.  Needless to say, I will have to spend sometime down on my knees (can you hear them creaking, yet?).

One of the things I used to do on Twitter was call out the liars.  Twitter didn't like that, said it sounded threatening.  So, I've changed words to something less hostile.  Now, when Jim Jordan, or Ronna McDaniel (?) spit some fresh turd at the public, I simply type 'horseshit.'  Innocent, yet truthful.

And, evidently, Trump had a rally in Ohio yesterday?  I understand he called for the death penalty for human traffickers, you know, like Ronnie DeSantis?  Notice the subtle dig at Ronnie?  He's terrified Ronnie's going to become more popular.  Ronnie's soon going to be fighting back.  Just wait for it, dueling fascists, each trying to be more extreme than the other.  This is how you destroy a political party, from within. 

The 118-year-old floor

 This morning, because the temperature was a comfortable 58 (F), I decided to switch to my fall wear, which is also pretty much the same as my winter wear: sweatpants and sweatshirt.  I love sweats, big, and baggy, and warm, but only as casual wear at home.  There are those who think they're great casual wear in public.  Nope, not for me.  A pair of pants and a shirt are nice for the simple reason that not everybody looks good in sweats... in public.  Just like yoga pants.  You have no idea how many times I have come to being blinded by women showing up at the flooring desk wearing yoga pants that are stretched to the max.  When you can see their stretch marks through the leopard skin pattern, there's a problem.

And yesterday was a day of accomplishment!  I have a big home improvement project coming up.  Currently, my washer and dryer are in the basement.  That's changing.  They are being relocated to the 2nd floor walk-in closet.  I'm speaking American floors here not European, where they think of the first floor as the ground floor.  Right now, there's carpet... or I should say was carpet there.  I removed it yesterday.  This is what that 118-year-old floor looks like.  I'm betting there's lead in that paint, so I'm not sanding it down.  Rather, I'm going to be putting in some marble plank flooring that I'll be picking up from work today.

And, of course, yesterday the DOJ filed an appeal with the 11 District Court regarding failed judge Ailleen Cannon's decision to join Trump's defense team.  That is what people are saying, in case you didn't know.  Perhaps it's because she is completely ignoring the facts.  Even though the 11 District Court is a bit lopsided, 6 Republicans 5 Democrats, the belief is there will be no problem.  Siding with Trump would shit away all precedents and prove that the district is corrupt.  I'm not saying that isn't going to happen, just that it's unlikely.

Ronnie D, the governor of Florida is coming under a lot of fire for his political stunt of flying immigrants from Texas to Martha's Vinyard.  Ronnie doesn't think about the details, though.  When he attempted to parade the smugness of his stunt at a press conference, his braggadocio stumbled badly.  His hands fluttered and flailed almost as bad as Donnie Jr.'s on a good day.  As someone pointed out, this is why Ronnie doesn't want to debate.  When things move away from his prepared statements, he flounders and gets angry.  I suspect Ronnie will be a one term governor.

Tasty

 Now, isn't this exciting, the weekend has arrived with all of its coolness, ie the temp outside was 52 (F) when I got up this morning.  In fact, looking at the long-range forecast, most nights the mercury will be dropping.  For those of you who don't know, that's a reference to when they used mercury in thermometers to tell the temperature.  Even those thermometers you put in your mouth.  That's right, before digital thermometers, we had to put thin, glass tubes into our mouths to see if we were running a fever, and, a long, long time ago, when I was a child, those thermometers had mercury inside them.  You know what I'm talking about, the heavy metal, shiny, very poisonous mercury.  Those were the dark ages of modern medicine.  During the time of Covid, the great orange retailer I work for gave all associates a digital thermometer.  I have no idea what I did with mine, probably threw it away.  Taking my temperature so many times a day was truly a pain.

I made homemade ice cream on Wednesday.  French Vanilla.  Or, as some say, Custard, since it's lots of eggs, sugar, and cream.  Believe me when I tell you, this stuff goes straight to your arteries.  Of course, if you've ever had homemade French Vanilla (Custard) ice cream, warnings are useless as it is tasty as Hell.

Of course, Ronnie DeSantis was trafficking in humans yesterday because he's a smart ass.  He sent them top Martha's Vinyard.  Ronnie is trying to make points with the MAGA base.  He was rewarded by seeing them shriek with joy.  They saw this as an attack on the liberals, especially those who live on Martha's Vinyard, like Alan Dershowitz.  Remember Al?  He's the screaming liberal who defended Trump during his 2nd impeachment.  And Al's not alone.  What those foolish MAGA brains fail to understand that Martha's Vinyard represents wealth more so than it does Liberalism.  But then Ronnie's more interested in making points with the MAGA base rather than making points with wealthy, conservative donors.

And Trump's personal judge Cannon appointed a Special Master.  By now, most Americans with a brain understand she's been bought and paid for by Trump.  While certain % of Republicans are happy with her decisions, many also realize she's doing more to damage their midterm chances.

 

The Dogs of Summer

 Can we all say "Howdy," to a nice, sunny Thursday morning.  Downstairs, the dogs are jumping around, at least Lily is, Biggie is no doubt observing from the sofa.  For a 9-year-old dog, she is very active.  Biggie is... well, big.  He's getting 900 mg of gabapentin in the morning, and another 900 mg in the evening.  This dosage works well for him.  He is a lot more active than he had been.  Dogs are the same as people when arthritis sets in, they tend to slow down.

Yesterday was sort of a day of accomplishment.  A time-consuming chore was completed, a little yard work was done, and words were written.  I'm always happy to when words get written.  The issues with B & N seem to have been resolved.  They are much slower than KDP, which is something I'm going to have to get used to.  

Homemade ice cream was the time-consuming chore.  Pics tomorrow.  I'd post them today but after I finished cleaning off the front porch, I blocked off the steps with a piece of wrought iron fencing and let the front door open.  Lily loved it.  Biggie laid right inside the doorway letting the late summer breezes blow over him.  

Of course, there wasn't a lot of political news yesterday, other than the Biden administration managed to get a tentative deal going between the railway owners and their employees.  Unions seem to be coming back into favor.

And there was more shit about the Trump mob family and the small insurrection fete Donald chose to hold.  Meadows has apparently turned over everything he'd originally turned over to the Jan 6 committee, to the DOJ.  

Marco Rubio jumped on board the Lyndsey Graham anti-abortion law train.  People are saying "what the hell?"  Well, I have a feeling about that national law the Republicans are suddenly trying to push.  It's really about the midterms.  Remember that after Biden won many, many pundits said traditionally the losing party in the general election picks up seats in both the House and Senate?  Well, Republicans thought that meant it was going to be a done deal, so they basically all turned their asses on America and let out a big fart.  The Supreme Court they politicized overturned Roe v Wade and, as a result, people got pissed.  The red tsunami they had been counting on ran into a big wall.  Then the Jan 6 committee began its hearings, and Trump started looking really bad.  And then there was the secret document horseshit; many Americans believe he was selling them to foreign governments.  Now it appears that the Republicans are almost assured of losing a few more seats in the Senate, and possibly winning only one seat in the House, which keeps them a minority.  The loyalty they had counted on is disappearing.  When your party is in political trouble, you do whatever you can to hold onto your base, so they're proposing the one thing they believe will keep their base loyal: a national anti-abortion law.   Believe me, the Republican Party is desperate.

Panic

 I was always an early riser, usually around 0530, though here of late that's been closer to 0630, which I'm certain many of you will still consider early.  The good news for me is that this morning I was back to my old schedule.  This works out better for me.  I like getting chores done in the morning.  For me, sluffing off things that should be done is so much easier later in the day,

The mini drama with Barnes & Noble continues.  They seem to have misplaced the email I sent them on 8/26 containing my W9.  They've told me they don't 'lose' anything, so, true to form, I've begun calling it my 'errant email' in all of our communications.  Oh, and I did remind them that if they somehow fail to locate my errant email, they will have, for all intents and purposes, lost it.  With KDP my account was set and ready for publishing the next day.  B & N is telling me that after they locate said errant email, it will take up to 10 business days for my account to be set up.  I thought they were better organized than this.

I made some sort of tomatoey, cheesy pasta dish for dinner last evening and ate way too much.

This might also be getting some use today.

Now I don't know about you, but I'm beginning to see quite a number of people wondering why the networks are spending so much time on the death of the Queen.  I don't watch TV, so have no idea how much time they're devoting to her funeral, especially with so much happening in American politics.

I don't know how many people know that a magistrate released more redacted information regarding Trump's stealing documents.  For someone who supposedly didn't like to read, he apparently made notes on some of the documents which have been recovered, or at least on the top of the folders.  What he wrote has not been revealed, but I suspect it's rather damning.

Lyndsey Graham announced that if the Republicans retook the House and Senate, they would work to create a national ban on abortion.  This was after Republicans said decisions on abortions should be left to the states.  This is, perhaps, an effort by the party to get evangelicals out to vote.  This does not appear to be a win, win situation for them.

And Mike Lyndell, the moronic pillow guy, had his phone confiscated by the FBI while he was buying dinner at an Arby's.  They had a warrant, so they didn't just snatch it from him.  When Laura Ingraham noted that it seemed as though everyone who had contact with Trump was having their phone confiscated, I had to laugh.  I'm sure panic among MAGA Republicans is spreading faster than a California wildfire.

The Last Subpoena

 Okay, so there's no other way for me to put this, yesterday work was boring.  While I did talk to some customers, most of my time was spent checking out headlines.  We hired a Jordanian to replace the Haitian and he seems to be working out much better.  The last we heard of the Haitian, he was up in Canada and didn't know if the United States was going to let him back in.  We shall have to wait and see.

Biggie is much better, but then I, personally, adjusted his gabapentin.  He now gets 900 mg twice a day.  The vet had prescribed 600 mg in the morning, 300 mg in the afternoon, and then 600 mg in the evening.  I think the gabapentin helps him more than the carprofen he's on, so I might cut that dosage back to half a tablet in the morning and the 2nd half in the evening.

I'm still waiting for Barnes & Noble to get back to me on publishing.  The hang-up appears to be with my W9.  Evidently, they didn't get it when I initially emailed it to them.  When I can publish, my books will be available in either paperback or eBook.

Back on 9/11 the Twitterverse was in full speculation mode; Trump had suddenly, and without notice, arrived at Dulles airport in a rented jet.  People wondered if he was ill, or if he had arrived to give some secret Grand Jury testimony, or if he was going to be indicted and had flown to Washington to avoid a perp walk similar to the one Steve Bannon had taken.  No One Knew!  The secrecy began to unravel yesterday afternoon at his golf club.

He, and eight of his co-conspirators had a golf outing... when no one played golf.  Devin Nunes was there, so was Kevin McCarthy, and Eric, and Newt Gingerich (you can see him in the top photo).  The reason for such a clandestine outing is to keep people from knowing it's taking place.  Obviously, the secrecy bit failed entirely.  There are quite a number of videos of them driving around in their carts and standing, talking in the rain.  Ooops!  And at first people wondered why.  Then the news began breaking.  So, why did Trump suddenly fly into Dulles?  Over the past week, the DOJ has issued over 40 subpoenas, and confiscated 2 cell phones from his close allies.  This is an 'oh! shit!' meeting.  They need to get their stories straight.  This is the gang that couldn't shoot straight, try to make sure they can corroborate their stories in secret.  The bottom picture has been dubbed Da Vinci's Last Subpeona.

Red

 Whether you like it or not, the new week started a little over 7 hours ago EST.  In a little over 2 hours, I will be sitting behind the flooring desk for a fun filled day.  One of my tasks today will be to call what are called Zero-comms.  These are customers who set up a measure through our website.  I suspect sometimes they set these measures up after a little too much vino, or after they've popped the top on the 4th brewskie, but then maybe I'm wrong.  I say this because the quotes they get tend to be rather exorbitant, quite often around $9 or $10 thousand.  These people never purchase the installation, still, as flooring specialists we will call them.  Management calls this due diligence.  I call it a waste of time.

Biggie is still in bed.  His back end was really wobbly when I got home from work yesterday; too much running around on Saturday when my neighbor and her kids were putzing around her house.  Now, just like humans, I suspect he's sore for simply over doing it.

And, after my tub picture, I figured I should make sure that you understand I did not spend all of my younger years lollygagging around in a bathtub.  Sometimes I was a cowboy.  What a shame this picture is in black and white, both my little boots and my hat were red.

For those who didn't know, Trump quietly arrived at Dulles airport in Washington DC early last evening.  The Twitterverse exploded with speculation.  I had no idea so many people who hated him, tracked his every movement.  This was after approximately 20 hours of being silent on Truth Social, his chat site which will soon be going into bankruptcy.  There were pictures; I'm not posting any.  But I can tell you, his hair was not sprayed down, he was wearing white shoes, either sneakers or golf shoes, and had a gray coat draped over his shoulders.  Oh, and the small jet he arrived in was a rental.  As I said, speculation was all over the map.  There is a feeling in the air that something is going on.  It could be a routine trip to Walter Reed, or something more important.  We shall have to wait and see.

Screwed

 Let the rain begin!  Actually, Lily woke me up around 0300 to go potty outside and the drizzling had already started.  Showers and soaking rains are supposed to continue through Tuesday.  The daily high temp is supposed to crest in the low 70s (F).  Autumn is arriving.

My neighbor was back yesterday with her daughter, and her brothers-in-law.  There was some hammer banging (not much), so I suppose they were fixing the attic stairs so a potential buyer can actually go up to the attic.  I had talked to her on the phone, and she said there was water damage, they thought the leak might be around the dormer. She and her husband bought the place in 1985 and have not replaced the roof, so there are probably several leaks the new owner will need to contend with.  The house is still filled with furniture.  Her daughter told me that in about 2 weeks they were going to have a walk through 'yard sale' hoping to clear some of it out.  They are so naive. 

Sometimes I rail against our customers.  Usually, when I do so, there is just cause.  By the same token, we have associates who, for some unknown reason, enable these asshole customers.  Take yesterday.  I went up to the Service Desk to get our returns and found someone had returned 2 white shelf brackets.  However, these brackets were no longer white, they had yellowed with both age and possible cigarette smoke.  That irritated me.  They were evidently past the return date.  But what truly pissed me of was the screw.  Can you see it?  That's how it was returned, with the screw still in it.  What the hell is wrong with people?  This customer definitely wanted to screw us over.  And the clerk who took this return had no problem being screwed.

Everybody is waiting for Trump to be indicted.  What I've heard is that it will happen after the election, at least as far as the DOJ's investigation is concerned.  Georgia is another story.  For that case Trump did manage to hire a highfalutin' attorney by the name of Drew Finding.  Expensive.  I hope Drew understands he's never going to be paid for his services.  Mr. Finding also usually defends rappers, though I'm wondering if his style will help him keep Trump from taking the wrap for election interference.  I'm suspecting Trump pretty much screwed himself when he made that call to Ken Rathensburger.  In fact, Georgia may be responsible for several indictments, including one nicely wrapped for Lindsey Graham.  No matter how desperately Lindsey tries to get an NDA from the Georgia Attorney General, it ain't going to happen.  He's going to end up being screwed, too, by Donald Trump.  Of course, maybe that's what he's always dreamed of.

This will not save Trump's ass

 What can I say, the weekend has finally arrived.  Today is supposed to be gloriously sunny (I work this afternoon), however tomorrow there is a 90% chance of rain (I work then, too).  They're forecasting the rain to continue into Tuesday, the first day of my mid-week weekend.  Next week I only work 3 days, that's fine with me.  This past week it was 4.  That's almost too much time to spend at the store.

I've been chatting with my brother about the house next door, advising him to disincline himself to purchase.  I get bad vibes.  Too many issues.  The new roof will cost between $20 to $25 thousand.  The big bugaboo is water damage.  Any time you have water involved; it is not a good thing.  Without ripping out the walls there is no telling where the leak might be.  Because water is involved, mold might also be part of the picture.  Mold remediation is very expensive.

And King Chuck has been formally announced.  I think I'll call him Chuck until he proves he's got the DNA of a Charles.  His mother was Elizabeth, never a Liz or a Beth.  Chuck, however, needs to earn his name.  Almost every article I've read has noted that he is not nearly as popular as his mom.  At 74 years of age, he has definitely had enough time to prove that he is not a 'people person.'  His sons are both much more popular, so I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people have started the timer, counting down the days until he passes, and William is crowned King.

I was walking through Petra yesterday:  2.70 miles averaging around 3.6 miles per hour.  It is so much bigger than people think.  Of course, most only know it from movies.  Believe it or not, this too is Petra.

Sometime, either before or after Bannon was indicted, he evidently said that "I have never laundered anything."  Looking at his pictures on the Internet, many find his comment not too surprising.

Oh, and speaking of Stevies, Steven Miller has been subpoenaed.  I believe he has already sat with the January 6 committee at least once, now, however; he'll have the chance to use the 5th amendment.  In fact, it seems as though both Stevies have had a very bad week.

And both the DOJ and Trump's turned in their lists of Special Masters.  One of the items Trump's team wants is for the Special Master to look at every single document.  This is how you define the intention to delay.  Trump believes that the Republicans will take back the house in November.  They won't.  He thinks that's going to save his ass.  It won't.  What will be interesting is this will help define how deep the collusion runs between Judge Cannon and Trump.

Yesterday

 Yesterday was a day for the history books.  I worked, of course, and there's nothing historical about that.  I dealt with a number of customers, and for many the passing of the Queen weighed little on their consideration.  Some Americans have a fascination with royalty, others do not. I, myself, will admit to getting a bit teary eyed when I saw the news flash.

While I was sorrowful, I must admit that my mind turned away from the passing of a great Head of State to her son, Charles, the new king of England, a man, to my mind, who has never been that popular.  His first wife, Princess Diana, was loved by multitudes and Charles was the one blamed for their divorce.  Cheating with Camilla, if I remember correctly.  And now, at 73, he has become the king.  Sadly, I do not doubt that the monarchy is in for some troubling times.

I thought this might be appropriate.

Of course, yesterday was also historic in that America had the chance to watch Stevie Bannon do the perp walk, in handcuffs, no less.  Honestly, I was a bit surprised when I saw how much money he had stolen from the Fund the Wall grift.  $15 million.  I actually laughed out loud when I heard him yell as they were taking him away, "you will never shut me up."  We'll have to wait and see what his fellow inmates say about that.

And the DOJ appealed judge Cannon's fumbled attempt to try and delay Trump's judgement.  Because she is way over her head and listening to Trump's attorneys, there is a good possibility she will deny this.  I suspect most arguments will be useless on her.  In the end, all she will have done is ruin whatever career she might have thought she had.

Naked!

 Thursday has arrived.  I get to work today, but for only 6 hours.  Yesterday was very showery, with rain falling on and off through most of the day.  Lots of rain.  What they call a soaker.  And, in spite of that, I got quite a lot done.  Of course, I didn't stay up late the night before binging on TV series that fill time without substance. I find that a lot of the series that air on streaming services tend to dilly dally around the plot rather than get to the point.  They present us with a host of side stories featuring peripheral characters that only vaguely touch upon the main storyline.

I took a walk through the Louvre yesterday while I was on my treadmill.  Lots of commercials.  And it was packed with people.  A word to the wise:  if you're in Paris and want to go to one of the greatest museums in the world, go early.  It opens at 0900.  Be there at 0901.  As a result, there were only 8 or 9 other people standing in front of the Mona Lisa, rather than the 200 or 300 packing the room later in the day.

And I know there are several readers who desperately wish I'd show a little skin, well, here you are, the real me in all of my naked glory reclining in the tub.  Enjoy.

Steve the scumbag Bannon, is turning himself into authorities today. It's my understanding that he's a little concerned about this indictment.  If found guilty, this one would bring him real jail time and possibly ruination.  Now, doesn't that make you feel good, the idea of Steve Bannon being ruined?  Let's be honest here, he's too old, and fat, and scabby to be very popular in prison.  Besides, I don't doubt that most inmates will see through his bullshit.

And Mitch McConnell was giving some sort of Republican presser yesterday and for the most part those journalists asking questions were playing softball, but then...  a reporter asked him about the top-secret documents Trump had a Mar a Lago.  Suddenly the presser ends, though not before Mitch informs the reporters that this investigation is all anybody has been talking about for the past month.  The words are barely out of his mouth, before he and the other Republicans make a quick exit.  Heading into the midterms, the Republicans have lost control of the conversation.  Here's a vid from Forbes.  The question is towards the end.  I found it amusing that he didn't even say 'good afternoon.'  They all just turn and high tail it out of the room.  It's almost as though a picture of Steve Bannon naked flashed in front of their eyes.

Blowing the lid off the Cesspool

 While yesterday wasn't a complete washout (I did manage to get several loads of laundry done), most of the day was spent in repose.  This is always the case when I binge TV.  The next day is a day of recovery, when I scan for newsbreaks, watch obscure videos on YouTube, and take naps with the dogs.  Inevitably, boredom sends me to bed early and I end up waking up around 0200 because I've had enough sleep for the day.

There is also an 'ongoing problem' with Office 365.  Clicking on the icon gets me a white screen.  In order to get to my files, I need to click on the specific icon in my sidebar.  I was told by a techy that the issue would be resolved within 3 - 5 business days.  I'm suspecting something slipped through their Q&R during a recent update, otherwise this wouldn't be an 'ongoing issue.'

More rain is forecast for today.  Friday I will have to mow the lawn.

And I have this vine growing along the fence.  I have no idea what it is.  There is a nice fragrance, and the flowers are pretty.  I don't think it's a weed.  If anyone knows what it is, please let me know.

Of course, there was so much negative Trump shit floating to the surface yesterday, starting in the afternoon with Billy Barr's attack on Ailleen Cannon's decision to permit a Special Master to review the documents taken by the FBI.  Seriously flawed, I believe is what he called it.  Now, I don't really care for Billy that much, and I'm wondering if his sudden change of heart regarding Trump might be the fact that he's suddenly realized that saving his own skin has become more important than saving Trump's/

That shit was still getting a lot of attention when all of a sudden, the Washington Post dropped a bombshell.  One of the documents confiscated had to do with a specific country's nuclear capabilities.  Yep, the Washington Post just blew the lid off the cesspool.  Many sharp minds are suspecting that country might just be Israel, since the Saudi's did pay Jared Kushner that $2 billion for consultation services.

Now even more sharper minds are looking at judge Cannon's decision and muttering about favoritism. 

And then later last evening news broke that Steve Bannon's going to be indicted and will be turning himself in on Thursday:  stealing money from MGAGs for that fake save the wall fund.  This most likely means more jail time on top of the time he'll spend in jail for not responding to the January 6 subpoena.  You just can make this amount of stupid up, can you.

Max at 20

 So, the Labor Day weekend has ended.  In the 5 hours I worked, the store was had some very busy moments interspersed with nearly empty aisles.  Business trended higher when it was raining, and in case anyone is wondering, we did get rain.  At times torrential downpours made it difficult to see.  This morning I looked out my front window and saw that my lawn had turned from brown to green.

I watched the last 2 episodes of Locke and Key, season 1, last evening and thought the ending was a bit anticlimactic.  I then watched the premier episode of season 2.  Meh.  Most of the 49 minutes was used to explain the ending of season 1.  I've watched other series and this going back to rehash the previous season in order to set up the next season is not good.  The writers seemed to be stretching in the wrong directions to find continuity.  Maybe that's why this is the 3rd and final season.  Or it could be that a minor character in season 1 is now a villain, oh, and she apparently lost about 25 pounds during the filming hiatus and looks completely different.  Or it could be the uncle in season 1, turns out to be gay and is suddenly engaged to a black man who just so happens to be leaving the country to study in Japan.  Or it could be that main villain in season 1 is still around, but in a new face and body.  Oh, shit.

Anyway, I found 2 more pictures of Max Sullivan, the cat.  He lived to be 21, and I took these about a year before he died.  He shrank as he got older and reminded me so much of an old man.

And, of course, yesterday Ailleen Cannon sort of granted Trump's request for a Special Master.  The Dallas Morning News reported that she had said to one of her department attorney's that she didn't see any harm in it.  While not coming as a total surprise to the legal community, many were surprised she chose to take this path.  She is, as one Tristan Snell put it on Twitter, in way over her head, and that she put party over country.  Personally, I don't think she has an idea how doing this is putting fuel on the fire.  No one is suddenly going to feel sorry for Trump.  Quite the opposite.  Anger is continuing to grow at the MAGA claim of a stolen election, at Trump's lies, of his possible use of confidential documents for personal profit and power.  Everyday more people are finding themselves fed up with the Republican Party.  Will judge Cannon's decision do anything other than delay the inevitable?  Absolutely not.  There are too many other ongoing investigations.  No matter how hard they try, they will not be able to stop the clock.  How do I know this?  My brother, a devout Evangelical has quietly told my sister that if Trump were to somehow get nominated again, there is no way he would be able to vote for him.