Indictment

 For some of you Friday defines the end of the week and the beginning of the weekend, however for me today is the last of what you might call a mini-vacation, that is if I were a full time associate.  Keep in mind that for the next 3 days I'll be working at the flooring desk.  Sounds like fun, eh?

Yesterday was kind of busy, kind of not.  I got some painting done.  It seems as though I have so much painting: trim, doors, walls, and a final coat on the kitchen ceiling.  Wrote a little. Edited a little.

I'm watching what is purported to be the last season of Picard.  Let's hope so.  I don't if it's because I've watched a lot of Star Trek or not, but so much of this season, which will unite the cast of Star Trek, The Next Generation, seems to be plucking so much of it's storyline from the past several decades.  Last night's episode had the evil Changeling standing on the bridge of the USS Titan and taking command; flashback  to the Wrath of Khan with Khan standing on the bridge of the USS Enterprise taking command.  In this series Picard finds out that he has a son he never knew about, in The Wrath of Khan, Kirk finds out that he has a son he was never told about.  Been there.  Done that.

Otherwise, yesterday was fairly unexciting.  Well.... maybe not.

For all of you naysayers and disbelievers out there... told you so.  And it's only the first.

I'm fairly certain the decision to indict him was made some a while back, Bragg and the Grand Jury just needed to get the timing right.  Having them go on a month's vacation gets them away from the courthouse because the MAGA movement has been brainwashed to react badly to this news.  Overnight there were no MAGA protests, but we must not allow ourselves to get complacent.  There are going to be some very angry people out there.  

Of course, Conservatives are upset.  Lyndsey Graham went so far to call the indictment "bullshit."  Personally, I think many of them are scared shitless.  They've seen the polls. Most Americans think Trump should be held accountable and the Republicans and their MAGA base are in the minority.  Trump was destined to take they down.  They are terrible losers, for that means their deepest dreams are being rejected by the masses.  They do not understand how wrong they are.

Disney Delivers

 Holy Crap!  I cannot believe it's Thursday already!  I'm off today.  Normally I work Thursdays but our scheduling system looks at the total hours I'm available to work and would rather have me sitting at the flooring desk on weekend when we do our most business.  By contrast, next week they have me scheduled for 27 hours.

The temps yesterday got up into the mid 60s (F) here.  It was nice.  Then, last night around 11 PM a cold front came through, lots of wind, some rain, and a drop in temps.  Today we will barely climb into the low 50s (F).

I went to see John Wick, Chapter 4 last evening.  If it hadn't been so long, I would have liked it a lot more than I did.  However, the movie was over 2 hours and 49 minutes long.  You can only laugh at the over-the-top violence and they can be quite entertaining, but a 15 minute actions scene circling the Arc de Triomphe was way too long, as was the 20 minute sequence on the stairs leading up to Sacre Coeur.  The only sequence which actually stood out was one with the camera looking down and moving across multiple rooms in a villa.  That was actually ingenious.

The NYC Grand Jury is on vacation for a month.  Gee, even I don't get a month long vacation.

I got a big chuckle when I found that Ronnie DeSantis best laid plans to force Disney into a tightly fitting conservative box have failed.  Ronnie's appointees are fuming that unbeknownst to them, the previous board of directs pass rules that will tie the current board's hands for the next 30 years.  Ronnie D is now looking like the bumble, bumble he really is and will never be anything more than Meatball Ron.

One thing I don't find surprising is that 38% of Americans want Trump to have a 2nd term.  They are the MAGA brains, and old Tea Party Republicans who think the world will only be right when they can permanently say "shut up, we're in charge."  They are the MTGs of the party who will never understand the harsh reality that a majority of Americans think they're human failures.  In their minds, their only option is to be louder, and more aggressively stupid.  They don't understand that this works against them.  

Indictment?

 Wednesday.  Temps are supposed to climb up into the 60s (F) today.  Both today and tomorrow are supposed to be sunny.  On one of those days I will be putting in some yardwork.  I need to clear the flower bed in the front yard and sow some zinnia seeds.  They're a great late summer and early autumn flower.  I also need to clean the bed at the side of the house, many tulips are sprouting there.  

The River Birch in the side yard are going to be trimmed as well.  And, out at the front porch, I think I'm going to get rid of the wisteria that's been growing there for years and years.  For a long time, the flowers were pretty, but wisteria is a vine that needs constant pruning.  Sometime this spring, I don't doubt that it will be removed.

Here's a picture of my nectarine buds.

The NYC Grand Jury has been quiet for some time.  Will there be an indictment shortly?  That's difficult to say.  Word was out that they may reconvene tomorrow and possibly look at other cases.  I don't think that's how it works.  I do think Grand Juries are convened for one specific case, when the decision is made to either indict or not, that jury is let go, they move on to other cases.  There, I suppose, the possibility they may be working on indicting more than one individual Trump's case.  

And Mikey Pence needs to testify before the DOJ Grand Jury.  That's a good thing.

I find it amusing how the Republicans talking constantly about how Democrats have weaponized the government while it's they who have been weaponizing everything they can to hurt Centrist America.  They fail to understand that they will never get a majority to sign on to an authoritarian America and they don't care if they end up destroying the one thing that makes us great.  And there is so much hatred in their hearts.

Finally, I've been laughing at Fox and how they're trying to keep Rupert Murdoch from testifying in the Dominion Law Suit.  Are they afraid he might say something damning?  And the fact that their extremists are going to have to testify?  That's almost yummy.  Tucker Carlson in the witness box is a gift.

Goggle This

 Monday, and the sun's supposed to shine, though the temps are to be around normal, that means in the mid 50s (F).  That's fine with me.  Things will be warm enough, soon enough.  Many people can't wait for summer and then when it finally arrives they complain about the heat so much I wonder if they have mid-term memory issues.  Don't they remember that summer does not mean temps are going to stay in the comfortable 80s (F), but that there will be times when they climb into the high 90s (F) or early 100sk (F)?

They gave me Specialist of the Month yesterday.  Some think this is a great.  Me?  I know there are only so many Specialists and only so many months in the year.  For a part-timer, my sales are good, better than some of the full-timers, in fact, and that's what they look at.  Still, getting the award does let me order a special gift from an Award Catalog.  Every other time I've won, I've chosen a nice water bottle.  This time?  Maybe a thermometer.

And the new glasses arrived. They're garnet colored.  For those who don't know, garnets are a deep, almost blood red color, at least the ones I've seen.  My grandmother used to have a garnet necklace - big stones. I like them.  They're a big change up from the blue and the lenses are clear.

Elon, the moron, Tweeted yesterday that only verified Tweeters, those paying $11.99 a month were going to get their Tweets prioritized.  This is nothing more than a way for the loser to inject some sort of revenue into the platform since advertisers have been bailing.  A number of those I follow retweeted his post and let their followers know they weren't going to pay the fee.  Many said that if things continued to deteriorate, they could be found on Post.  Transitioning to a new platform will not be difficult.  Right now, it seems that most of the Tweets that pop into my feed are either ultra right wing, or Republicans.  Believe me when I tell you that I'm tried of telling Elise Stefanik that she's nothing more than a lying sack of shit.

And Baby Bibi Netanyahu has reversed, or at least is been stymied by demonstrators who have managed to derail that is authoritarian agenda... for the moment.  I'm sure he's seething.  Conservatives in the US need to pay close attention.

 

The Human Brain

 Hey folks, we have another new week ahead of us, will it be 'same old, same old,' or something different?

Weather wise... we got rain in the forecast for today which is odd because it's bright and sunny outside.  I checked the weather map, however, and there is a storm front moving east.  Right now it's in Ohio, so I'm guessing it will hit Central PA later this afternoon, or this evening.

Yesterday was also bright and sunny.  Even though our Garden department was busier then the rest of the store, flooring was no slouch either.  My sales topped $20,000 for last week.  That should keep management happy, however this time of year we are normally much busier.  Sales are down across the district.  Our corporate office is trying several different specials to try and increase the $$$ coming into our tills, I don't see them working.  Forecasted sales are still too high.  I suspect the investors will end up being disappointed.  That's fine.  I have no problem with them getting a reality check.

I've been making friends with an individual who's going for Doctorate in Physical Therapy in order to build Max into a 3 dimensional character.  He's been a great asset so far.  Sometimes I ask him questions directly, at others I jot them down and text them to him.  Here's an example of one.  During one of our conversations he told me that he'd actually held a human brain in his hands, so now I'm trying to figure how I can write a line or two into the book about that into The Body in Motion.

And for those who haven't been paying attention, Israel's on the point of being flushed down the conservative shitter.  Baby Netanyahu and his ilk are desperately trying to create their own style authoritarian government, one similar to that which our Republicans want, where they will be able to say "shut up, we're in charge."  However, they're running into some serious problems.  A vast majority of Israelis don't want this.  Protests abound.  A General Strike is causing havoc.  And all the while, 
Baby and his cronies are facing what might possibly complete political ruination.  I think it's about time that Baby gets his diaper changed.

Here in the good old US, the question of the hour is "will this be the week of Bragg?"  I do believe the New York Grand Jury is set to reconvene today.  Anticipation is still on high.

Reuben

 Rather than continuous rain yesterday, our showers (and they were just showers) were spotty throughout the day.  The temps were cool, but not cold.  Today we're supposed to get more sunshine, with the temps holding steady in the mid 60s (F).  Tomorrow, however, rain is again in the forecast.  

Biggie had a bit of an episode last evening which was, I suspect, related to his Cushing's Disease.  His most frequent symptom is an episode of heavy panting which last about ten minutes .  The vet told there's nothing wrong with him, this is just the result of his pituitary working just a little too much.  Still, it is a bit offsetting at times.

Yesterday was good for me at work.  Another $6,000 carpet sale and another measure.  I'm actually doing better than one of the full time associates.  Management is very happy with me.  

My new glasses have arrived. The ones with the clear lenses.  The pair with the yellow lenses will be used for backup purposes, should I need them.  They were, unfortunately, a waste of money.  

Dinner last evening was a Reuben sandwich.  Tasty.  I slow roast my corned beef until it's quite tender.  Yum, yum.

The Orange Anus had a rally yesterday in Waco, Texas.  Honestly, I just didn't want to take the time to find out what he was saying.  I did see some sort of horseshit that brain dead Ted Nugent was there spitting out some sort of lies that floated through the audience like over-buoyant turds.  The only thing of interest I did see was his failure to mention either Ted Cruz or Greg Abbott.  Those 2 have become political enemies since they now support DeSantis. 

Mostly people seem to be waiting for the New York Grand Jury to reconvene.  People are hungry for an indictment, even centrist Republicans.  I don't doubt many of them realize that the party will be torn asunder, however, it won't be until afterwards that the rebuilding can commence.  I don't doubt that the future Republican party will be kinder and gentler, and oh so very much weaker.   

  

Survival

 Well a happy good Saturday morning to you.  Keep in mind, Saturday will always be a work day for me, almost; in two weeks I've been scheduled off.  That is so unusual.  My weekends, the days I get most of the essentials done, are Tuesday and Wednesday.  Now I'm going to have to find something to do on a Saturday, when everybody else is trying to get things done.

And we did have rain yesterday... and we will have it again today.  I've checked the map, it's all coming up from the south.  This weather pattern reminds me of the one I used in The Body in Repose, where the front extended from New Orleans up into New York state.  The was the first of 2 books in which weather played a part in the storyline, the second being The Body Under Ice.  

I started watching Ted Lasso last evening, just the first episode.  I did laugh out loud.  I find it interesting that  the Apple + which has won the Emmy for best comedy series for 2 years in a row is filled will language usually reserved a mature audience, but then I realized that most Appleheads, those who live for Apple TV, are, for the most part, adults.  

This morning, as I was reading through the Washington Post, I saw this article on Philippe Petit.  Back in 1974 he walked between the World Trade Center buildings on a wire.  Evidently, Phill is still doing the same thing, though not nearly at that altitude, and I do mean altitude; the rooftops of the Trade Center buildings were definitely at nosebleed heights.  What makes this really impressive, is that Phil is 73 years old.  Just sit back and let that sink in.  

A bit of delightful news was released yesterday, regarding Mark Meadows and... well, a whole bunch of Trump's allies.  A Federal Judge has ruled that they must testify before the DOJ's January 6 Grand Jury.  They are not allowed to use the 5th Amendment.  Oh, and one of his attorneys was forced to answer questions yesterday regard his stealing of secret documents.  Evidently there is enough evidence now that he used his that attorney, as well as others, to commit a crime.

The Orange Anus is also holding a rally today in Waco, Texas.  30 years ago there was a terrible siege at Waco between the Federal Government and a cult led by a guy name David Koresh.  He, as well as a number of other cultists, died in the ensuing battle.  Don't doubt for a second Trump doesn't want to incite his own cult.  He probably sees that as his only way to survive.

Trump Tormented

 Well, can we say "hello" to Friday?  The weather's a bit dismal.  We had rain yesterday, and rain is again in the forecast for today and tomorrow.  Central PA is sitting in the middle of a band of rain that stretches for hundreds of miles to the west and that band is moving eastward.  Like all stormy weather, it will pass.  

I worked for 5 hours yesterday.  Got one measure for a backsplash.  A young guy, I explained to him how expensive it was.  He called his wife to get her approval and she told him to go ahead.  Knowing that installing a backsplash isn't that difficult, I suggested that if the quote came back higher than they were expecting he could always do it himself.  He did not seem to excited about my suggestion. 

The 3rd editor has given his copy of The Body Under Ice back to me with his corrections.  He seems to think that I use semi-colons too often; they are necessary at times.

I zipped out in the drizzle this morning to snap another picture of my nectarine buds.  The peach tree is doesn't haven't as many, but then I cut it back severely last fall.  I'll be interested in seeing if the new growth is more vertical.

Of course, we're going to have to wait until next week for Trump to be indicted.  Until that happens, and even afterwards, his MAGA base is going to continue giving him money.  They have the same mindset as the people who continually send money to Joel Osteen, or any other quack Evangelical minister; blood suckers to the end.  Or I should say greenback suckers.  I used to feel sorry for those people who believe their donations are going to buy them a ticket to heaven, not so any more.  I wish someone with access to the information would find out just how much of the terrible credit card debt Americans have is due to these phony religious men who charge a fee for their prayers.  

Probably the only good thing about the delay in Trump's indictment is frenzied posts on Truth Social, which do get copied and pasted onto Twitter.  I find it rather joyful to see him tormented so.

No Self-Sacrifice

 Rain.  That's what we have outside.  That's what's in store for today and tomorrow.  Temps will climb about 20 degrees today, up to the mid 60s (F)  Then they're going to slide down to hover in the mid-50s for the next few days.  I don't look at the long range forecast because that's always bonkers.

The past 2 days, my weekend, have been eventful in that I've accomplished the goals I'd set: the laundry was hung and my kitchen ceiling had its first complete coat of paint.  The ceiling will need to have a 2nd touch-up coat because its a ceiling; you always miss a spot.

My little bonus check will be hitting my account tomorrow.  Everybody got the same thing this time around, both full-timers and part-timers.  Is this change going to be permanent?  There is that possibility.  They did just give everybody a large pay raise, so lower bonus checks would help to offset that quite a bit.

And I do get to go to work today.  6 full hours.  Of course I'm going to take a break.  I cooked a lunch yesterday afternoon - chicken lo-mien for that purpose.  I ate half last night, the other half will be eaten during the fifteen minutes off I get because I'm working more than 4 hours. 

And, of course, the historic event that was supposed to take place yesterday did not happen.  The Grand Jury was suddenly cancelled.  There were rumors that the Trump team had another witness.  Delaying tactic?  Possibly.  Even though the Orange Anus claims he wants to be photographed wearing handcuffs, there is some fairly solid documentation that he's been worried about being arrested since the early 1970s.  

The Grand Jury is set to reconvene today.  Why the cancellation yesterday?  If there was a sudden witness, I don't doubt for a second that it was, and is, nothing more than a delaying tactic.  While the OA might see the publicity in having a picture of him standing in handcuffs, the reality of him being fingerprinted and having a mug shot taken might be a little too much for his ego.  Be honest, this man has never been known for his self-sacrifice.

The Historic Event

 And it's Wednesday.  The forecast is sunny and warm here in Central PA.  That's fine with me.  Yesterday began cold, but by the afternoon the temps were in the low 60's.  Today will be warmer, and sunnier.  Tomorrow we're supposed to hit the high 70's, though storms will pass through and knock the temps back down.   I like spring.  

Well, yesterday I hung the door between the bathroom and the new laundry room, all that's needed now is to put the casing up.  It was a bit of a challenge since the vinyl planking I put down on the floor reduced the height by 1/4 of an inch.  I did try to put an 80 inch door in a 79 3/4 inch opening, but it didn't work.  I ended up removing a small section of the planking.  Now the door is fine and only needs to be painted.  

The Twitter world, as well as quite a number of other social media platforms is abuzz today because... well there's a good possibility something historic is going to happen today.  And there are so many leaks spreading inuendo about this event.  Just how is this event going to take place?  The details are foggy, but again, the leaks are implying there will probably be no perp walk today.  Evidently, according to the leaks, the Orange Anus is rather fixated on that.  While being paraded down a hallway with his handcuffed hands in front of him would make for a great martyr picture, his ego would have a terrible time accepting that humiliation.  Let's be honest here, the Orange Anus is anything but humble.

As for the GOP?  The impending indictment is taking a sledgehammer to the party.  This is what happens when you choose party over country.  Happily for us, more indictments will follow.  They know this.  They are about to ender Bedlam.

And the Cracker Jack Crazy Christians?  You know they're in trouble when Frankie Graham is asking them to pray to God to keep Trump from being indicted.  Can we talk about failure here?  Frankie has put all of his eggs in the wrong basket, perhaps because he wanted to be more powerful than his dad, or perhaps because he's just a dumbass.  Either way, God is not going to stop the indictments, which will prove that either God doesn't care, or Frankie's been talking to the wrong deity (I'm going for the latter).  This historic event is sending the Cracker Jackers into some serious disarray.

In Truth

 My weekend started last evening.  I don't see a lot of exciting things happening in the next 2 days.  The weather is supposed to continue warming up.  Thursday, my day back at work, the high temp is predicted to be up in the 70s (F). 

And I do have to apologize for being remiss.  For some reason I thought Spring started today, on the 21st.  I was quite surprised when one of my customers told that yesterday was in fact the vernal equinox.  Had I known better there might have been a smidgen of a celebration.

The retail world was a mite busier yesterday.  I had some whoppingly nice sales (almost $6000) in blinds, and 3 measures.  You did read that correctly.  My bank account would have to be overflowing with greenbacks before I'd even consider spending that much money on faux wood blinds.

Before leaving work yesterday, I picked up a bifold door to go between the bathroom and the laundry room.  Later this morning it will be installed.  I chose solid rather than louvered because it's easier to paint.  Besides, I think solid door look better.

And today is Tuesday.  For those who don't know, today is the day Donald Trump told the world he was going to be arrested.  Well, the NYC District Attorney is going to disappoint him, probably on purpose because he deserves to be disappointed.  He deserves much more.  Don't worry.  The gates of Hell have begun to open.  

Many in Trump's MAGA base were complaining that Florida's Ronnie D wasn't spitting out enough pro-Trump rhetoric.  How galling it must be for Ronnie D. to be put in this position.  He wants to be our first duly elected fascist president, and he he is, sort of defending the man he wants to trample at the polls.  

And Republicans, themselves, are pulling out all of the stops of absurdity in order to try and discredit the approaching indictment.  Jesse Watters, of Fox, went so far as to say that Trump couldn't have had sex with Stormy Daniels because there was no baby.  Take a moment to let that sink in.  Take more than a few seconds.  Is he saying that every time Trump has sex with a woman she get's pregnant?  If that's true, then his sex life must have been pretty lonely.  Now, I want you to clear those thoughts from your mind, dwelling on them too long will lead to stomach cramps and nausea. 

Dividing America

 And here we are at the start of a brand new week.  Temps here in Central PA are predicted to rise into the upper 60s (F).  I'm looking forward to the real Spring finally arriving, rather than the fake spring that sprung from an overly warm winter.  We may have had a total accumulation of perhaps 3 inches of snow in total, none of which lasted more than few hours.  Just to be on the safe side, however, I will not put my snow shovel to bed until sometime in mid-April.

My back's a bit cranky again this morning.  The little A/C unit ;and the ceiling were deposited at a friend's house yesterday on my way back from York.  Of course, I was the one to carry both of them from my car to the patio at the back of her house.  The slight strain is muscular, I can tell because of where it's located, around kidney height and to the left.

I called and ordered a refill on Biggie's gabapentin this morning.  That his only med, I discontinued the Carprofen.  I took him off of it when his liver issues showed up and never put him back on it.  Honestly, I didn't see any change between when he was on it and when he was off, so I have no idea how much of a help it actually was.

I have buds on my nectarine tree.

I find it fascinating that Trump is calling for civil protests and possible violence over his approaching indictment and Kev McCarthy spit out something yesterday saying there should be no protest.  I suspect Kev is going to find out that most MAGAs see him as nothing more than a wet noodle.  By giving away the store to the Far Right in order to get the Speaker position he gave away what little authority he could scrap together to call a backbone.  MTG, Jordan, and the rest want to incite.  They see that as a strength while most Americans see it as ugly.  The Kari Lakes of this world see dividing America as giving them and advantage.  They don't understand they are actually driving people away.

As I said, yesterday I went down to York for lunch with a friend.  My route on my way back brings me up the Susquehanna past Scott Perry's Harrisburg Office.  Or, I guess I should say the former home that used to house his office.  His lawn shingle is down and that property is now up for sale.  Perhaps his neighbors complained.  Perhaps his landlords realized he was taking up space in a million $$$ property and kicked him out.  In fact, there are so many possible reasons.  I'm just glad that he's gone.

Grab Your Popcorn

 The forecast for today is sunny, though cool.  We're in for another day in which the temps might crest around 50 (F).  Tomorrow it supposed to be warmer, and on Tuesday, my day off, we're supposed to hit 65 (F).  That will be good.  I do need to get outside and start with the yard work.

My schedule for the next week is odd.  They have me starting early on Thursday and late on Saturday and Sunday.  I would rather have my mornings free and work a little later in the evenings, at least during the spring, summer, and fall.  Winter, when it gets dark early?  I could probably give up work entirely.

This afternoon, I'll be dropping off the old ceiling fan from the workout room as well as the little A/C unit I bought last year at a friend's house.  Having less stuff is good.  Not that I'm planning on turning into a Spartan, but as I look around I can't help but think about all of the money I've spent on things that really weren't necessary.  Take that Instant Pot I bought.  I've used it 3 times... maybe 4.  Not a sound investment.  I'll have to see if my nephew and his wife might want it.

 Here's a pic of my daffodils and all the tulips pushing through their winter blanket of leaves.

And I don't know about you, but I'm enjoying all the MAGA blustering that's streaming across the airwaves.  These people are blowhards from Hell.  I can't even imagine what kind of insane thoughts are going through their heads.  Their threats of him winning in 2024 by a landslide are absurd.  They don't understand that the MAGA mind is out of kilter with the rest of America.  One loopy loser said that the sex tapes on Hunter Biden's laptop are worse than anything Trump did.  That's right, he said sex tapes.  The lying will only increase as their desperation grows.  Sit back and grab your popcorn.

Get out your Party Hats

Saturday.  I work 6 hours, standard shift, 12 - 6.  Temps are predicted to climb into the low 50s (F), typical late winter, early spring weather.  No rain is in the forecast.  Yesterday was on and off showery, with 2 or 3 short term soakers.  Funny thing:  one of my co-workers actually said, "we need the rain, it's so dry."  Wrong.

I started watch Foundation last evening on Apple TV.  I figure, since I have the free subscription for 3 months, I might as well use it.  I have Paramount +, which gives me access to Showtime.  Meh.  I surfed their menu last evening and nothing jumped out and said "watch me now."  That's why I ended up watching the first episode of Foundation.  I'd tried to read the trilogy a long time ago.  Asimov could be really boring at times.

My lower back started feeling a bit scrunchy yesterday afternoon.  Maybe I slept the wrong way, or it could possibly the fact that I carried an A/C unit out to the car.  Maneuvering it down the staircase was a bit tricky since I couldn't see where my feet were.  Anyway, I don't doubt it will be naproxen and heating pads for the next couple of days.

I'll be taking a selfie for the back cover of my next book this morning.  I'll probably share it with you Monday or Tuesday.  In the meantime, here's a picture of Biggie I took last night.  Sometimes he'll hot dog it when the camera is out, last night, not so much.  It was past his bedtime.

If you were paying attention to the news yesterday, then you know that the New York City district attorney will be meeting with various sectors of law enforcement on how to handle demonstrations when Trump gets indicted.  The operative word in that sentence, for those you don't know, is indicted.  And it's just a matter of days.  And it's the first indictment, other's will follow.  

One of the Moral Degenerate's attorneys has said Trump will go peacefully, in fact, having pictures of him being handcuffed and fingerprinted will galvanize his base..  I'm betting that Ronnie D. doesn't want this to happen.  Trump, the martyr, will steal the votes Ronnie so desperately wants.  In fact, Trump's getting arrested is the worst thing that can happen to Republicans.  Get out your party hats, and make sure you stand way back for the bloodbath is about to begin.

 

Bros Bites

 For the most part, work was slow yesterday.  I had several sales go through and got at least one measure, that should keep management happy.  Sales, across the district, are still down.  They're counting on Spring to put a little bounce in our figures.  We will have to wait and see.  

The large, orange retailer I work for did give everyone a big raise.  It was a very good thing to do.  Our starting rate is now higher than just about every other in retail.  They're saying they chosen to invest in their associates.  That may be true to some degree, but I also think it's an attempt to keep Unions at bay.  For those who haven't been paying attention, Unions are making a comeback.  Corporate America hates Unions since they tend to keep the billionaires in charge in check.  

I watched Bros last night.  Parts of it I liked, parts were weak.  Billy Eichner sense of humor can be really hit or miss.  He was terribly upset when the movie didn't smash the box office.  While Bros played well in large cities, rural America ignored it partly because of the rating (R), but mostly, I think, because it was geared for a large city audience.  Luke MacFarlane was decent as Aaron, staring in a number of Romcoms on the Hallmark Channel give him a good resume, but he and Eichner have zero chemistry.  Perhaps if someone else had played the Eichner character, perhaps if this movie had gone through another few rewrites, perhaps if someone had realized that middle America doesn't find threesomes, or foursomes funny, this might have a been a good little movie.  I usually post the trailer for a movie when I write about it, but... meh.  So, here's a picture of Luke.  

Of course, everyone is waiting with bait breath for Trump to be indicted.  That's not going to play well on Fox.  Smartmatic has followed Dominion's lead, and also filed a lawsuit against the network.  Joy of Joys!  This is not what they want.  The other cable news networks are gleefully reporting every snippet of information regarding the lawsuits.  If you think it's juicy now, wait until Trump tells his base to attack them, and he will.  This is a nightmare of their own creation.

And the indictment for the Stormy Daniels payoff?  I would not expect it to fall on a Friday, that would give Fox the entire weekend to slough it off.  Monday would be a better day.  And they will make every attempt possible to not carry the story.  This is how Fox News dies.

The Eyes Have It

 I get to work today, and of course the weather is supposed to be nice, climbing all the way into the 60s (F).  Tomorrow I'm off and rain is in the forecast.  If I'm remember correctly, this weather pattern is similar to the ones we've had over the past couple of years.  Whereas they saying is April shower bring May flowers, our rains have been starting more than a few days before April.  With the temps as warm as they are, my flowers will be popping out in April.  It's almost as if we're going through some sort of climate change 😎😎😎.

I had ordered glasses through Zenni since my prescription changed ever so slightly.  I gambled on a different kind of lens, one that has what they call Blokz, which is supposed to protect your eyes against UV rays.  Well, they arrived yesterday and I don't like them.  The Blokz adds a yellow tint to the lens to they almost look like very weak sunglasses.  After putting them on, I looked in the mirror and thought, oh, hell, I look like Sonny Bono.  Well, not quite, he was a lot shorter and had longer hair.  When I wear them, everything has a faint yellowish tint.  So, this morning I ordered a new pair, without the Blokz.  I will wear the old, new pair when I'm working in the yard, or planning on spending more than 5 minutes outside.

March Madness has started.  That has something to do with basketball, not the antics by the zany Republicans acting crazy in the House of Representatives.

There was an article in Newsweek this morning proclaiming that 1 in 4 Republicans believe the 2020 election was stolen.  That's actually down.  At one point it was closer to 1 out of every 2.  Time is dealing a harsh truth to the Republicans, something they will never understand.

Evidently there's a Trump appointed judge who will decide if one of the two medications used to provide non-surgical abortions should be taken off the market.  This is just one more example of how that minority group, the Conservatives, are jamming their middle finger into the faces of a majority of Americans.  They were hurt badly in the last election cycle because of their anti-abortion agenda.  They will never learn.  All they want to do is dance around singing, "Ha, Ha, we're going to force our beliefs down your throat."  Things are only going to get worse for them and I'm going to enjoy it.

Told You So

 Woah, was it windy yesterday!  Of course, since it was garbage day, that should have been expected, especially at this time of year when seasons are in a transitional state.  However, since it was garbage day, gusty winds sent empty garbage cans careening down the street, trailed by empty juice bottles, and soft drink bottles, and the occasional milk bottle.  

The gusty winds are still with us this morning, though the temps are supposed to be much warm, hitting the high 40s (F).  

I did not get the ceiling lamp in the workout / computer room yesterday, though it wasn't from lack of trying.  Where as most of you have 2 wires coming out of your little junction box, a white and a black, I have 4: a white, a black, and then 2 black ones that are old.  Where as you didn't need to worry about polarity with incandescent bulbs, you do with LED lights.  The only way I can check for polarity is with a rather expense tester, not like the cheap one I bought the other day.  Rather than buy one, I'll wait until I have a few more jobs needing to be done and have a certified electrician do the job.

And I have found the first set of lyrics for the next book.  Since I don't listen to SiriusXM anymore, you're probably asking yourselves just where I heard this smashingly great song, so I'll tell you.  Amazon Music.  As I was going through my playlists to see if I wanted to add or delete any songs, Told You So popped up.  I like the song.  They lyrics are great.  They fit.  Give it a listen.  

And for those who didn't see, the Russkies crashed one of our drones yesterday while it was over international waters.  I'd say this is more of an example of Putin lashing out angrily than an actual threat.  His 3 day war has gone on for over a year.  Many countries in the world are give aid to the Ukraine, something he foolishly believed would never happen.  His ego is dealing with the same sort of blender Trump is dealing with, and Putin's upset.  He will never understand how terribly wrong he was to invade.

And, of course, Silicon Valley Bank seems to have started a domino effect.  Deregulation will do that.  Never wanting to admit their deregulation is the cause, Republicans will blame the Democrats.  What will the end result be?  It's difficult to say. I do suspect that those with 401Ks are going to be hurt (aren't they always?).  And the billionaires, too.  Don't doubt they too will be looking for some sort of bailout if the Republicans ever get back into power.

Getting Bitten in the ASS

 I ended up getting a choppy night's sleep because both the dogs had to go potty-outside twice, and, unfortunately, those breaks were not simultaneous.  Every hour on the hour I was roused so I could go downstairs and let one of them out.  This means I might end up taking a nap today.

Work was long and boring yesterday.   When the after-church crowd leaves are 3 PM, customers are few and far between.  The only one shopping are those unfortunate few who think that 6 PM Sunday is the perfect time to shop for an appliance, or flooring, and they want to have long conversations.  The problem is that most of these shoppers are simply that, they're not buyers.  They just want information.  Because so few of them are buyers, staffing is light.  Payroll expense is fine as long as money is flowing into the till, however, management knows talk is cheap only for customers.  

After my morning speed walk, I'm going to be hanging the new light in the workout / computer room.  Because the house is old, and the wiring tends to be a bit on the sketchy side, I bought an inexpensive non-contact voltage tester (and screwdriver).  I will use it the few times I need it and then give it away since it does have some value.

I understand that the Republicans have more of a problem with Trump than they were aware of, mostly in his appeal to Republican voters who have a high school degree or less.  What they're finding out is that over 70% of those individuals are seriously, almost rabidly, pro Trump.  This is terrible news for people like DeSantis and Youngkin.  This is what happens when you dumb down your base.  They are learning that when you spend all of your time damning the woke culture, you're actually creating a base of Trump loving dropouts.  In other words, by letting a very few people dictate what kind of books are being read in schools, Ronnie D is growing the base that wants to vote for Trump.  Now, how's that for having life bite him in the ass.

My Mother in the Matrix

 Yesterday was a short shift for me.  It was totally weird, starting so late and being in the store for 5 hours.  I have to say, I'm not a fan of that shift.  I might have to talk to HR to see that it doesn't happen again.

Outside, the weather crappy.  We might possibly have snow, but more probably get rain weather pattern we been through several times this past winter.  At this point, we do need to begin talking about winter as though it's in the past.  Sure, we might possibly get snow.  We might even get a deep snow, but it will melt away in a day or so.

And I did stay up to watch the Oscars.  I'm anticipating Bob's review of who wore what, waiting to see if he mentions the woman with gigantic veil who wasn't nominated but definitely wanted everybody, everywhere, all at once to see her.  This woman.  The one who gave zero fucks to anyone sitting behind her.  I'm surprised they left her into the theater wearing that.

As for the Oscars, themselves?  I liked them.  I was pleased with the acting wins.  Everything, Everywhere, All at Once deserved the picture.  I find it amusing that the idea for the film started at a party when one of the Daniels said "I wonder what would happen if we made a movie about my mother in the Matrix."

I'm so Excited!

 Yesterday was cold and breezy.  No snow.  No sleet.  No freezing rain.  Sometime this evening we're supposed to begin a 36 hour snow event - total accumulation being a little less than an inch.  Wait!  What's that?  An 36 hour snow event with practically no snow?  How can that be?!  Don't ask me.

Work was short yesterday, only 4 hours.  I got a window blind measure towards the end of my shift.  That will keep management happy for a few minutes.  Customers are not flocking to the stores for flooring installations, at least not while I'm working.  One of my fellow associates has racked up 6 measures so far this week, but most of them have been for window blinds.  

On the home improvement side of things, I'm going to be replacing the ceiling fan in the workout / computer room with a more standard ceiling light.  The fan was a mistake I made a long time ago.  At 54 inches, it's way too big for the size of the room.  I could only use it at low speed, anything higher created hurricane strength winds that tore apart the room.

I understand Michael Cohen is going to be talking to the NYC Grand Jury tomorrow.  According to what I've been reading, Trump is having constant meltdowns.  That turd deserves every piece of shit that floats his way, in fact, at this point in his life I'd have to say he's the closest thing the world has seen to a shit magnet.  And I don't know about you, but I think we really do need the Pointer Sisters right now!

Is Ronnie Gone, Gone, Gone?

Well, my Accuweather app isn't working.  We're under something called a Heavy Yellow Rain Advisory.  I Googled that since I didn't know what it was; ready for the definition?  In inches it means we should be getting anywhere between .25 inches to .5 inches of rain per hour (7.5 mm - 15 mm).   There is no time limit as to how long the heavy yellow is going to be falling.  We're also under a snow advisory with less than an inch in the forecast.  I do think we have a sloppy weekend ahead of us here in Central PA.  This is a bit of a foreboding sky, isn't it?

My replacement Cosori air fryer arrived yesterday.  I used it last night to make hamburgers.  Delicious.  The idea of purchasing a gas barbecue grill has occurred to me from time to time since I do enjoy a good hamburger, but the air fryer might just keep that expense at bay for the foreseeable future.

The kitchen ceiling finally got it's first primer coat yesterday afternoon.  Painting doesn't take long, I just need to get my butt motivated.  Because I had the ladder out, I also took some links out of the hanging kitchen light so it's higher.  When I initially installed it, I suspended the fixture rather low.  Even though it was not that low, people still ducked their heads when they walked beneath it.  That problem has now been fixed.

I saw this on Twitter yesterday and just had to share.  This is Ronnie DeSantis in all of his glory.

I understand Ronnie wants to put together his own army down in Florida.  The Florida State Guard is what he's calling it.  Right.  This would be a force he would control, with no ties to the Federal Government.  Supposedly they work in conjunction with the National Guard, but also be available to help out whenever Ronnie feels they are needed.  Besides sounding like he wants to put together his own private army, this militia would also create a rather large expense he would no doubt slough onto the middle - class tax payer.  Of course, those rich, conservative retirees living down in The Villages don't think about this.  If there are no ties to the Federal government, there are no supporting funds coming into the state to cover the expense of uniforms, and vehicles, and equipment... guns.  Perhaps this militia group will have to provide their own weapons and ammunition.  Wow!  Have you any idea what the price of bullets is today?  They make eggs look cheap.  The state would need to raise taxes in order for any reimbursement to take place.  Sounds like a plan that fills every rich, conservative's needs.

 

Tis the season of indictments

 So, when I checked the weather on my phone this morning there was a notification that "snow will stop in 20 minutes."  Looking out the window I saw no snow.   Curious, I checked the regional map and sure enough, Central PA was covered by a light blue cloud of snow.  Still, we were flakeless.  Honestly, it would be nice to have a little, just enough to use my snow shovel at least one time.

Those who read my books will know that one of my protagonists, Max Sullivan, started out as a nurse working for the #1 heart team in Old Towne.  Not knowing anything about cardiologists and heart teams, in the 3rd book I had him change careers, becoming a Physical Therapist (I've had PT) and actually got a scathing review telling me no cardiologist would ever do such a thing, even though I'd never said he was one.  For 3 books there's been only passing mentions of his new career.  That may change.  Max may become more 3 dimensional.  One of our new associates is not only a physical therapist, he attending a local university to get his doctorate.  I'm planning on having a conversation with him to see if he'll let me pick his brain.

I have this unusual feeling that this Sunday's Oscar ceremony may be one of the most watched in a long time.  Not because a lot of blockbusters have been nominated.  I suspect people will be tuning in because the nominations this year are filled with diversity.  I know I'll be watching for a number of reasons, one of which is I want to see them do Naatu Naatu live!  Just thinking about it makes me laugh.  What a great song!

For some odd reason, Twitter seems to have decide to add the crazy voices of Elise Stefanik, and Kev McCarthy, Tim Scott, and Casey DeSanits to my feed.  Even though some of them have been muted, they still show up regularly.  I don't doubt this is the result of a billionaire decision.  Rather than waste time calling these people out for their lies, so many others are already doing that, I'm simply muting them again.  The fewer people who see their Tweets, the weaker they become.

And it looks like we might finally be heading into indictment season, someone noted that it usually runs from March to June.  As I've noted before, once they begin to fall, Trump's base is going to unite around him.  They will become more aggressive.  Their lies will not only increase, but become more outlandish.  They will begin to attack every Republican who doesn't bow down to him.  They will become uglier and possibly violent.  While they do this, more and more Americans are going to see them for the evil they represent.  The death of the Republican party is not going to be quiet.

 

Divide and.. what?

 Okay, so it's Thursday and hump day was rather slow.  The weather was again rather brisk.  I know, I was buffeted by 20 mile per hour gusts as stood by the gas pumps filling my car's gas tank.  Right now it's sunny outside.  That will pass.  Clouds will soon be sweeping into Central Pa as another storm moves our way.  This one might be blustery enough to give us an inch of snow... the definitive words being 'might be.'  

I do get to work this afternoon.  Whether the store will be busy or not is difficult to say.  The weather will have some say in the matter, but not as much as it will this weekend.  We're approaching spring and people should be getting itchy about working in their lawns.  Me?  I want a nice day when I can rake up the winter's detritus; leaves and sticks have been partying outside the fence for too many months now.

After playing Atomic Heart for a few weeks, I found myself bored to tears.  Same old, same old quests with just slight variations.  The good thing is that I got it through Game Pass, the XBox subscription service so I didn't spend money on it.  Being bored, I bought Hogwart's Legacy, downloading it last night.  I've never been a big Harry Potter fan, though this game takes place 100 years before Harry's saga begins.

I saw that old Mitch McConnell fell.  At 81, he's considered elderly.  His bitter, brittle bones bounce badly at that age.  And he is bitter.  His legacy has been terribly tainted by Trump.  Of course, he's always been a staunch defender of greed, so I don't think his legacy was too good to begin with.

Kev McCarthy left Marjorie Tayler Greene in charge of the House yesterday.  This must have been part of the agreement he made with her to get her to vote for him.  If my memory servers me correctly, this was the 2nd time since he's been Speaker of the House.  While this may endear him to her base, every time he does so her stupidity embarrasses him.  Under her guidance, the House passed a resolution to visit the jailed January 6 insurrectionists... in jail.  She wants to be divisive.  It's part of the Republican plan to divide and conquer America.  (Can you hear me laughing?)  In order for that to work, they need to convince a large portion of the Majority to believe Republican talking points.  They have no idea that at this point, all they're doing is talking to the base.  Everybody else is growing more and more angry that these dumb bricks managed to have themselves voted into a slim majority.  I believe it was Biden who said that Greene's stupidity is the best thing to happen to Democracy.

 

The Force

 Holy Crap was it windy yesterday.  The March lion was definitely on the prowl in Central PA.  Not only did gustiness abound, yesterday was also garbage day, so quite a number of unfettered garbage cans roamed the neighborhood, propelled by winds with speed up to 35 mile per hour.   Having a driveway in which to park, my car was relatively safe, however those cars parked along the street were fair game.

Today I'll drive to the Municipal Building a pay my taxes.  There was a time when I'd go inside, but now I just put the envelope with the check in the drop box.  I could email my bank and have them send a check, but I'm also going to have to hit my local giant for walnuts.  

So, I watched "Everything, Everywhere, All at Once" last evening, or I should say watched most of it.  For some reason, there have been issues both times I've tried to watch it.  The first time the sound wasn't synced right.  I sat through the entire 2 hours and 19 minutes with words never matching lips.  Last night the sound was right, and I was enjoying my second viewing until 20 minutes from the end.  Then, a blue vertical rectangle popped up in the center of the screen, about 2 inches wide and 6 inches tall.  It was right in the middle of the screen.  The movie played for another few minutes and then shut down.  I had the option of restarting, but chose not to.  There's nothing wrong with the TV, but there does seem to be some force out there which wants to prevent me from watch this movie.

I posted this to my YouTube channel yesterday.

I find it amusing that Dominion is releasing all of these emails and texts sent by the on-air personalities of Fox; people whose on-air personas are extremely right wing complaining about Trump.  These says a lot about their lack of moral fiber.  They had no problem pushing Trump's outlandish claims of election fraud basically to insure they were getting a paycheck.  It makes you wonder if Tucker, and Laura are still being phony; do they take their programs seriously?  Is Rupert still pulling their strings?

Word is that a certain someone is going to be indicted this afternoon.  I give a name, but, if it's true, I wouldn't want to jinx the chances.  If it is true, there will be joy in Mudville this evening.

Yesterday

 Holy Crap!  Retail was so terribly slow yesterday.  Not one customer.  These are the slow days we usually have in February.  By March, the stream of lawn and garden customers is beginning to pick up.  That isn't happening.  Most stores in the area aren't making plan.  I don't doubt a lot of it has to do with prices.  It isn't like the orange retail giant I work for isn't making money.  The business just is not earing them the revenue they've budgeted.  In flooring, we're offering a special deal until 3/19, but it's only on the top of the line carpet and pad: 10% off.  I laughed.  Instead of spending $4 per square foot, they want customers to spend $7, and for that they'll take off .70.  That will only fly so far.

Outside, we're under a snow warning.  A band of heavy snow is moving through the area.  But not here.  The skies are overcast, but that's about it... except for the occasional, single flurry that has managed to make a suicide dash from the clouds.

I did skip the treadmill yesterday, but I'll be back on it today.  That means I'll get my steps in.  Yesterday, even without the treadmill, I managed to get 13, 889 steps in, that's because business was so slow and could do lap, after lap, after lap around the store.

Here's a pic of one of my daffodils.

And, for those who haven't heard, yesterday Tucker Carlson relvealed the first edited video of January 6.  His version shows snippets of the rioters quietly walking through the halls of Congress.  He has the number one propaganda show on cable.  Tucker doesn't care if he manages to incites violence.  His boss, Rupert, would probably like that.  However, we do need to keep things in perspective.  Tucker may have his fan base, but on a daily basis CBS evening news. with its 5.3 million viewers nearly doubles Tucker's fan club.  NBC easily doubles Tuck's base with well over 7 million viewers, and Disney owned ABC News almost triples Tuck's base.  Those three networks combined, garner well over 6 times Carlson's base.  This also doesn't take into account those who watch cable news.  However, people talk about Tucker and his antics, whether that makes him more dangerous than not, I don't know.  What does make him more of a threat is the influence he wields among the crazies, the Trumpers, and the MAGA brained who will deny realityforever.

The Ice Bridge

It's nice and sunny outside and the temps are supposed to climb into the mid 50s (F).  Overnight, temps did drop down to freezing, but those days will soon be coming to an end.  Spring is edging closer and closer.  I'm fine with that, even if it does mean getting out the lawn mower and trimming the verge.

I do get to work today.  Short shift.  1 PM to 7 PM.  No lunch, though I'll take a break.  I'm glad it's the afternoon.  Sometimes Monday mornings are busy; contractors come to pick up supplies for the coming week's jobs.  By the time the afternoon rolls around, they've made their purchases.  One thing I've noticed in Flooring is that since our remodel, we get less contractors coming in to buy the cheap carpet we carried on rolls.  We also don't get the sheet vinyl customers we used to get.  This is fine.  Nobody in the department likes to cut sheet vinyl.

Yesterday afternoon was terribly slow in the retail department.  As I said to one of my fellow associates, I don't really mind those days.  I usually spend that down time doing research on the the Flooring computer.  In the next book, I was thinking of having my guys wander down through Central Park, possibly stopping by the Delacorte Theater to take in some Shakespeare in the Park, or maybe listening to some music at the Soundstage.  So many possibilities.

One thing that plays a part in The Body Under Ice is the ice bridge.  The only way to get to Mackinac Island is by ferry.  During the winter, when Lake Huron is frozen, people drive snowmobiles across the frozen lake using what they call the ice bridge.  On a sunny day it takes about 12 minutes, however on a moonless night it can take much longer.  Here's a video I watched about people driving across the ice bridge and taking a tour of the island.  It looks very cold.

Here's a funny thing:  Newt Gingrich is concerned about some of the legislature the Republican of Florida are proposing under Ronnie D.  In particular, he's upset with the bill which would have bloggers register if they were going to talk about the state government, and Ronnie D.  Why is this funny?  Because Gingerich was the instigator that started the Republican move towards authoritarianism.  The Tea Party, remember?  He was the one who initiated the "shut up, we're in charge" doctrine, as well as the constant, unswerving attacks on Democracy.  Now, he's having an "oh, shit," moment.  I suspect Newtie is now realizing that the extremism he was pushing has now grown cancerous.  Keep in mind, it was Newtie who had no problem with Trump and his leprotic government.  However, now that the chips are falling, his concern is growing apparent.  Keep in mind, it was Newtie who joined Trump and his group of insurrectionists on a rainy golf outing last summer so they could freely speak far from microphones.  Believe me, Newtie is going to get everything he deserves.
 

What goes through a Fascist's mind

When is Sunday not a day of rest?  Whenever I'm scheduled to work.  Like today.  Will it be busy?  Well, it's difficult to say.  We are moving into carpet season, however, prices are what I would call exorbitant.  I was talking to a single father yesterday who wants to carpet his basement.  I did an estimate for him and he was like "woah!"  At that point I should have brought up our credit card, where he'd get 0% financing for 18 months.  I didn't because he's a single parent.  If he would have asked about our card, I'd have obliged him, but that's a decision he would need to make on his own.  He knows his finances, I don't.

We hired a new associate who rides mountain bike.  I don't mind walking mountain trails, but riding them?  Not for me.  He was telling me how he just bought some sort of shock absorber for his seat.  Knowing an opportunity when I see one, I asked him if he wanted a bike stand to do repairs and tune-ups (I bought one a few years back and used it once) and he said sure.  So, I got my stand up from the basement, dusted it off, and will hand it over to him this afternoon.

The Washington Post had a really interesting article about walking.  According to medical researches walking just 11 minutes a day will supposedly help you live longer.  While I found it interesting, I couldn't help but wonder if it was written for those who only exercise is to walk from their bedroom to their living room, with occasional forays into the kitchen to nuke a taquito or two.  By saying this, I'm not specifically targeting senior citizens, but for quite a number of them this seems to be the extent of their daily workout.  

A diminished CPAC is over.  LibsofTikTok spoke.  Her audience was non-existent. 

I can only wonder what went through her fascist mind when she looked out and saw all of those empty seats.  Was she disheartened?  Or did her hatred compensate, lie to her and tell her she's not a losing sack of shit.  

Kim Guilfoyle showed up and did her 'I wannabe a stripper dance,' to a slightly larger crowd.  Someone wondered how God's lightening bolts could have missed so badly.

And, of course, The Donald was there.  Sorry, no picture.  His crowd was larger, but it was anything but standing room only.  He spent some time attacking Ronnie D, who wasn't there.  I saw one photo of him and... well, I think he needs to hire a new makeup artist.

When I brought CPAC up to a friend, he just laughed.  This event, with it's lackluster attendance, is a visual demonstration on how the Republican party is splintering.  And stupid Ronnie DeSantis?  He's going to splinter it even more.  He's one of those desperate dumbshits who will never understand that America will never have an authoritarian government.  That thought never enters his fascist mind.

 

The Party that never thinks

 Wow!  We got a lot of rain last night.  Around 0130, I woke up to the sound of a downpour pounding on the roof.  Outside, it's still a little overcast.  I'm certain that will change as we're under a high wind warning.  That's going to dry things out.

I am entering my 3 day stint at work.  That's fine.  Installations should start to pick up, though how mush is anybody's guess.  Sales are pretty much back to our pre-covid days.  Anyone who didn't expect this is a dummy.  It does seem to me that more people are applying for credit cards.  That's not a good thing.  I think they've surrendered to the philosophy that they're going to be paying off those balances for the rest of their lives, so it doesn't make a difference how much they charge.  That's just wrong.

With the warm temperatures and the rain so come the buds and the sprouts.  I'm waiting to see how my peach tree does after that massive trimming I gave it last fall.  The idea was to see if I can get it to grow more vertically and less horizontally.  The few remaining branches to have buds.  And the roses?  Well, take a look.

And, as everyone knows, TPAC is going on right now.  Some of you know it as CPAC, that Cracker Jack Crazy Convention where phony Christians gather to trumpet their hate of everything they have passed judgement on. Turn out is... slim.  Pervy Max Schlapp, better known as The Fondler, is there.  DeSantis isn't, though, neither is Youngkin, both of whom want to make a run for the presidency in 2024.  Videos posted online show how empty the audience is.  These are the core Trump supporters.  They will only vote for him.  And, in case you doubted it, will put in an appearance and he will spit out his usual rant about the stolen election.  He is tearing the Republican party apart.  This is fine.  They should have expected this when they sold him their souls.  Unfortunately, Republicans never really think.

Fallout

 Accuweather has forecast rain for today.  The temps are only supposed to climb into the mid 40s (F) and that sounds cold.  We are, however, only in the early days of March.  If the temp hits 34 (F), that's spring weather.  People get confused.  They want to define spring as temps in the 60s and 70s.  Of course, since this winter has been so warm, those temps might be what we're going to be getting.

I've been having problems with my Fenix 6 Pro.  For the past 2 days, the only time I could get it to sync to the app was by rebooting.  Pain in the Ass.  So this morning I reinstalled it into the app.  So far it seems to be working fine.  

Since "The Last of Us," a series based on a video game, has become such a hit, anticipation is beginning to build for the next series with roots in the gaming industry.  If things continue to go as plan, that will be Fallout which will air on Amazon Prime.  The shooting for the first season has wrapped, meaning it's in post-production now.  No one knows how much CGI is going to be added to this post-apocalyptic action / thriller.  We do know it's going to be taking place on the west coast because that's where Vaults 32 and 33 were located.  A number of images have been leaked, including the Red Rocket gas station and interior of one of the vaults.  I'm excited.

And Republicans keep racing to the far right.  In Tennessee they passed a bill making it illegal to have Drag shows.  Of course, it will be challenged and quite probably make it to the Supreme Court.  I think it will die there since Drag, whether the Cracker Jack Crazies like it or not, is Freedom of Speech.

In Florida, one dingle headed loon introduced a bill to eliminate the Democratic Party.  Evidently this moron doesn't realized that Independents are already the largest voting bloc in the country.  So, why not just make that bloc larger.

Down in Texas, another dip-shit introduced a bill which would eliminate property taxes for those parents who had 10 children.  Now tell me, isn't that a great incentive to turn your wife into a breeder?  I doubt very much if that savings is going to be enough to cover the cost of raising 10 kids.

And then there's Marjorie Taylor Greene.  Joe Biden has thanked her for simply being herself knowing how many Centrist Republicans she's driving away from the party.  It's not that she doesn't have a brain, she just doesn't use it.