When you hit middle age you really only have two choices: you can get fat and lazy until you roll over and die, or you can can get off your ass and do something, like maybe ride a bike.
Bluntness
Friday, April 26, 2024
Discovery
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Fake News
Well, it's a partly cloudy Thursday morning. Temps are in the mid 40s (F) here, with a predicted high in the mid 60s (F). Supposedly we're in for a quick cool down, followed by a mini-scorcher during which our high temp will top off at 90 (F). I guess it's time to prep for an air-conditioned summer. Will this summer be as cool as last? If the trend continues that will probably be the case.
Yesterday was so boring at work. Today is going to be more so. We are fully staffed... on a Thursday. We need to be fully staffed over the weekend, unfortunately we have associates in the department who don't like working either Saturday or Sunday, so they call off. And calling off is soooo easy now. There was a time when you actually had to speak to a manager who might give you attitude. Those days are gone. Now you can call off, or let the store know you're going to be late by using an app we're all forced to use. You no longer have to talk to anybody, not that talking to a manager was much of a deterrence. The app just makes calling off soooo much easier. Sadly, no one's going to call off today, though I was already by one of the specialists that he's not going to make it in on Saturday.
Pretty much everything is set to go for my trip to Greece. Now, all I have to do is wait 5 months.
And, of course, thanks to David Pecker's testimony in Trump's Campaign Interference trial, we all know that headlines such as these emblazoned across the national Enquirer were all lies.
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
Oh, my, according to the weather on my computer in about 2 hours gusty winds are predicted. This means any yardwork I want to do before heading off to work will need to be done now. Oh, well, the only yardwork on my list is watering the grapes, so I'm pretty much set to go.
Yesterday was a really good day of accomplishment. I was going to ride the bike, but ended up doing a dumbbell workout instead. Sometimes, when I ride for too long, I will get leg cramps and last night I went to the movies. Let me tell you, it can be downright excruciating for your quads to start cramping sitting in a seat at the theater. Usually, we will sit in the 2nd row behind the handicap accessible space made for wheelchairs. Rather then a row of seats in front, there are railings and I can stretch my legs between the bars. No problem. I've also learned not to ride the bike before a movie.
Oh, and what movie did I see? The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Based on actual events, it's a Guy Ritchie film, a bit on the hyper-violent side, and quite funny at times. Henry Cavil was one of the stars and I have to admit, I think this was the first time I've ever seen him in a movie. I never wanted to see his Superman flicks. The entire cast was good. If you don't mind the overtop violence, put this on your list. And, as an interesting side note, one of the characters is Ian Flemming... yes, that Ian Flemming, the one who wrote the James Bond books.
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
The Bitter, Old Man
Temps today are predicted to climb into the mid 70s (F). I can deal with that. Tomorrow, since this is spring, rain is predicted, but not much, with temps hovering around in what they call the "seasonal" range. This means it might be chilly, but it shouldn't be cold. I get to work tomorrow and I don't have any yardwork planned prior to my hitting the store.
I did work yesterday and it was oh, so slow. I did manage to get the requisite measure for the week, not all I need are the sales. They might show up, and then again they might not. It's no skin off my nose.
My internet was down last night. I found out when Alexa told me he didn't know what I was talking about when I told him to turn off the lights. Of course, I didn't know it was the entire internet in my area, so I went through everyone of those tedious little steps to make sure the problem wasn't on my end. This is one of the reasons I have T-Mobile for my phone and Fios for my internet. When one goes down, the other is till operational. When Verizon finally admitted the problem was on their end, I went to bed. This morning everything was up and running smoothly.
Today is primary day in PA. I voted by mail. So many people are trying to replace Scott Perry, it's almost ridiculous. Only 1 of the 8 candidates will go head to head with him in November. There's a fairly large Republican group that's anti-Perry, so who knows who they will be voting for since in Pennsylvania primaries, Democrats vote for Democrats and Republicans vote for Republicans.
And I saw this picture yesterday. In case you didn't know, this is what evil looks like.
Monday, April 22, 2024
Court Room Edition
Monday. I have to work a full 8 hours. Outside, the weather is cool but not cold. Overnight temps dropped down to 40 (F), which was better than what they had been predicting. Yesterday afternoon I received a text telling me we were under a freeze watch... of course, a watch is better than a warning.
I paid off my trip to Greece this morning. That's one less bill I need to be concerned with. Now, all I need to do is save up the money I spent so my checking account is nice and plump again.
With The Body on the Lawn, I've decided that I'm going to deal just with Audible and Itunes. This means I'm not going to go with Findaway. While that was a good learning experience, it was just that. And I'm still learning. I've been watching educational videos at ACX University. ACX is the publishing part of Audible. They cover everything from pre-production to publication of the audio book. Findaway made it easy, however there were glitches along the way, like The Body Under Ice only getting submitted to certain retailers, rather than all I had selected. Findaway is now owned by Spotify, which is moving into the audiobook business.
After listening to soooo many auditions, I've finally settled on a narrator. An actor named Dermot, who's an Irishmen living in Madrid. While I was happy with the work the previous narrator did, he was not open to suggestions. He also managed to get cast in an Indie film and communications with him seemed less important, something he could get away with putting on the back burner. Anyway, I'm thinking the audio version of The Body on the Lawn should now be out on Audible around the first week in August.
And I saw this yesterday and thought it rather appropriate.
Sunday, April 21, 2024
Juror #7
Well, here it is, Sunday, and I have to work. Not a problem. Temps are predicted to be on the cool side, only making it up into the mid 50s (F). Tomorrow things are going to be warmer, but even than highs will only be in the mid 60s (F).
For the most part, work was boring yesterday. I did manage to hit my measure goal for the week and had an $8800 sale go through. That should keep management happy.
I have this sofa in the the writing room that the dogs used to spend so much time on, however, it looks like the dogs spent a lot of time on it, so I'm thinking of getting rid of it. The problem? It's very heavy. Waste management will take it on garbage day if I call them, the trouble is getting it hauled out to the curb. I'm going to have to start talking to people.
It seems as though I will need to turn into Max Sullivan for a bit and eliminate the Fluffy Foods from my diet. Climbing on the scale every morning is becoming a very gainful experience. I guess that every time I look at food I'm going to have to ask myself, what would Max think?
And I know they're trying to keep this information out of the press, but I thought you'd like to see a picture of the 7th juror.
Saturday, April 20, 2024
Trump cuts the Cheese
It's Saturday, and that means I get to go to work. As you might guess, that means the clouds are going to dissipate and the sun will shine. Temps are predicted to climb into the upper 60s (F) and that means the grass is going to grow. With all the drizzly rain we've been having, Tuesday is probably going to turn into a mow day.
I'm rather pleased to say that I accomplished much yesterday, including a ride on the bike. I also, after cleaning the oven, roasted a nice piece of corned beef. I prefer roasting over cooking in a pot with cabbage and potatoes. I don't need the soupiness of corned beef and cabbage. My tastes run more to the Reuban, though not necessarily the sandwich. Corned beef with sauerkraut topped with a nice chunk of Swiss cheese is just as tasty, especially if the cheese is melted. Yum!
My new availability is going to be effecting my movie nights because on the days I work, I won't get home until 7. We prefer shows that start before then, of course, I can always head right over to the theater from work. This week I'm scheduled both Wednesday and Thursday. Next week that's not the case, and I'm also scheduled off on Saturday, which rarely happens.
And my passport arrived yesterday. It's different than the last one, more plastic and a lot more seals, the imprinted kind, not those that eat fish.
I found this to be downright hysterical.
Friday, April 19, 2024
Trump: The Footnote in History
It's Friday. The last of my 4 days off in a row, and the weather is going to be putzy. The clouds are not going to be clearing and this afternoon spotty showers are in the forecast. Temps in the mid 60s (F). This is not the recipe for joy.
Yesterday was a day of accomplishments: another walk in Adams - Ricci, a ride on the bike, and a dumbbell / band session. Some writing was done. And, according to Garmin, I had an excellent night's sleep, over 7 hours. If it weren't cloudy outside, I be feeling quite refreshed.
About a month ago I tried baking some cream cheesy, peachy thing in my oven, my own recipe, and the spring form pan leaked. It was one of those things I should have cleaned up but put off because I use the air fryer more than the oven. Well, last evening, part of my dinner was roasted asparagus, so I fired up the oven and smoke came billowing up. Burnt sugar smoke. Now my house smells like burnt sugar, not the most attractive scent around. This morning, when I go to my neighborhood Giant supermarket, I'll be picking up some over cleaner, and maybe a couple of dozen scented candles.
Here's another picture I took while walking through Adams - Ricci on a sunny day.
Thursday, April 18, 2024
Nature
The weather forecasters have planned a day of filled with a solid cloud cover. Not a wink of sunshine shall peep through. Temps are predicted to be in the low 60s (F). Not my kind of day, still I do want to get a bike ride in and possibly a bit more.
Yesterday turned out to be busy and tedious. Meh!
My neighbor and I had our updated signatures validated by a notary public for the will which was changed. That took about an hour of the morning. She drove. All backroads. She doesn't like driving on the highway. And she talked constantly. Her favorite phrase is "you know what I mean?" except she never pauses to let you answer. She's also a smoker and said, "I hope you don't mind," as she lit one up. Those clothing are waiting to be washed later today. Don't get me wrong, she's a very nice person, she'll be taking care of my fish when I'm in Greece. She just has some idiosyncrasies.
I had lunch with my cousin and her husband and she texted me the wrong time, so I sat around and waited... and waited, for them to pick me up. And then I ate pasta, and all I wanted to do was sleep the rest of the day. Those damn carbs!
Here's a picture of the nature trail at Adams - Ricci that I walked the other day.
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Swan Song
Yesterday, the weather was gorgeous. Weeds were wacked. Grapes were planted. The temps were in the mid 70s (F). It was a beautiful spring day. Unfortunately, today the showers are going to return, with temps in the low to mid 60s (F). It's important to keep in mind we're barely into spring.
Much was accomplished yesterday, starting off with a 1.5 mile walk around Adams - Ricci Park. I took pictures with my phone! Rather than stay on the paved trail, I took the Nature Route, which is a hillier dirt path. There were a lot of small branches littering the extended section, as well as the normal roots sticking above the ground, and to my surprised, I passed a fellow walker wearing flip-flops. That's right, on a path where you constantly need to be lifting your feet and watching where you put them, he was he was flip-flopping away. Maybe he saw it as some sort of obstacle course.
I'm dealing with a bothersome legal issue right now that is not of my own making that has become a bit of an inconvenience. Evidently 8 years ago I signed as a witness on my neighbor Eileen's will. I don't remember it. Anyway, about 2 months ago she died. However, she did several changes to the will by hand, initialing and dating each of the changes, one of which was removing her brother. I think he's complaining because now I have to sign a document saying I was one of the witnesses, and it has to be notarized. What a bother! Hopefully, this will be done this morning.
How about this for a headline?
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Mr. Grumpy goes to Court
Forecasters are saying we're going to have a bright and sunny day here in Central PA, and I will openly admit that I'm up for it. Tis the season of yardwork. Now that I'm in a short hiatus between beasties (dogs), I'm going to reseed the area of lawn inside the fence. So, today I'm going to take my weed wacker out and decimate a large section. Our temps are predicted to climb into the mid 70s (F), which is just fine and dandy with me.
I did work yesterday. It was sooooo slow. Last week's sales figures are equal to what they were prior to the Covid lockdown. Of course, Wall Street is demanding that we force 5% growth, so corporate is trying to squeeze water from a stone. To my surprise, yesterday was the first time I heard one of the most conservative associates in my department complain about pricing. OSB (particle board) is selling for over $33 a sheet. He knows it's terribly overpriced, and complained that with such high prices we're never going to hit our planned sales. This is something Wall Street is eventually going to have to come to grips with, 5% growth year after year is unsustainable.
Anyway, I'm thinking of g3etting rid of the dog sofa in the writing room. It's old, been used by 3 dogs, and no matter how much you clean it, the stains are never going to come completely out. If I call Waste Management, they will pick it up with the garbage, I've just got to get some strong arms to help me get it out of the house. Maybe I'll replace it with a small dining room set.
And then yesterday Mr. Grumpy went to court.
Monday, April 15, 2024
Fallout
Well, it's Monday, the beginning of the work week. Presently our temp is 49 (F) and it's expected to zoom, zoom, zoom up to 80 (F). That's warm for this time of year. We had rain overnight, and thunderstorms are expected later in the afternoon, early event. With it being so warm, and with the rain, I can tell you that my lawn is going to go zoom, zoom, zoom as well.
I do get to go to work today. This will be the last shift I start at 0930. That makes me happy. Sure, I get to leave an hour earlier, but I'll be honest, that hour doesn't make that much of a difference. I'm a morning person. I get things done in the evening. When I get home at 1930, all I want to do is either watch something on TV or play a video game. The idea of starting a project, or continuing a project is the farthest thing from my mind. I sure as hell not going to take a 14 mile bike ride. In fact, as far back as I can remember, I've never been an evening person. Perhaps that's why I was always late with my homework.
And, speaking of TV and video games. I watched the new Fallout on Amazon Prime. Loved it! And I'm evidently not alone. The show has a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. That same % is on Google reviews. Yes, it's that good. It has over the top violence that makes you laugh. There is so much going on, I may have to watch it a 2nd time to get what I've missed.
Sunday, April 14, 2024
A Plague of Locusts
It's 42 (F) outside. The early morning skies are somewhat overcast. If the weather forecasters are correct, they will give way to partial sunshine and the temps will zoom up into the high 70s (F). That would make for a really nice day, how sad that I have to work.
Luckily I'll be sitting at the flooring desk, rather than outside loading mulch in people's cars. And yes, mulch season has arrived. That time of year when customers line up to buy bags of (mostly) organic material to spread around their flower beds in order to gain optimal curb appeal. I can only remember using it one time, and that time it ended up getting spread far beyond the the flower beds by squirrels who can never remember just where it they've buried their nuts.
And for those of you who don't know, there is a plague of locusts coming our way... well, that's not precisely correct. This summer, two groups of cicadas are going to be hatching. From what they're saying, they being those who know about cicadas, the numbers will be in the billions. Two different brood groups will be making their appearance at the same time. There will, literally, be a plague of locusts. This summer is going to be special... but not for everybody. When I first heard about this insect event, I thought it was going to be all over since we have locusts here in Central PA. Wrong. It seems that most of this pseudo-religious event will be happening in none other than the Red conservatives states. I honestly had to laugh when I saw which states are going to be effected the most.
Saturday, April 13, 2024
Picture This
Oh, my gosh! It's Saturday. I have to work. Weather wise our temps are predicted to climb into the mid 60s (F), though the wind will be steady at 20 - 25 miles per hour, with the occasional gust. Spring. Isn't it nice that it is so easily undefined, a potpourri of weather patterns that shade and shine across our lawns, filtering with colors that both dim and dazzle.
Anyway, yesterday was interesting. I've begun to play around with the digital camera I bought, a Canon. It got good reviews, which is nice, and it was fairly inexpensive, which is nicer. I used to have a Nikon, and the only thing I liked about it was that it was red. Photo storage was cumbersome, the Bluetooth never stayed connected to my phone, and Nikon wanted you to use their cloud storage called Nikon Spaces. Most digital cameras have the same set-up, so if you know how to work one you should be able to work another, meaning the Canon is quite similar to the Nikon, but without the crappy Bluetooth, and storage problems.
And, as is my habit, now that The Body in Motion is published, I started actual work on The Body in History. I think of it as a little tale about identity theft and the intervention of fate. The plan was always for it to take place in Greece, and now I'm going there. Will Eli and Max meet a Pythia? Will they have to deal with the Cult of Phoebus? You'll find the answers to these, and other questions next April.
One of the settings for The Body in Motion is the Adelphi Theater, which was torn down in 1970 so they could build a Hilton Hotel. One of the pieces of history that were lost during demotion were the murals painted by Mortimer Lichtenauer. Among his other works is the ceiling of the Shubert Theater, in NYC. Here's a photo of one of the murals in the Adelphi Theater.
Of course, I'm looking forward to Monday, as are many people in the country. Trump in court. Of course, this will on be for jury selection, and one thing you can count on, the Orange Anus will have his attorney's object to every possible juror. There is no limit to the number of jurors an attorney can want dismissed, but for dismissal to happen, the attorney needs to have a reason. Thin lips or narrow eyes doesn't count. Trump will try and use this as a delaying tactic because he knows he's going to lose. He also knows that the media will broadcast every filthy detail in All Caps. This is just another way for him to destroy the Republican party. More power to him.
Friday, April 12, 2024
The Body in Motion
Now available for Kindle and as a paperback on Amazon. Next week the eBook will be available for the Nook at Barnes & Noble. Do I stick it to Social Media? Yes.
While being nominated for a Motion Award was not as
prestigious as getting nominated for a Webby, Eli and Max were both delighted
the little blog their associate Bobby Tussel had started for them was being
recognized. Now they had a reason for
spending some time in New York City and had planned on sticking around after
the ceremony to take in the sights and see a couple of shows. Of course, those plans went all to hell after
a body turns up and they find themselves in a social media maelstrom, as bloggers,
vloggers, and YouTube influencers all try to get in on the action. Everyone seems to be demanding a piece of the
investigative pie, as they put together clues to solve the mystery of The Body
in Motion.
Thursday, April 11, 2024
Something's Coming
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Travel Insurance
Yesterday was beautiful. We reached a high of 77 (F). That was fine. My lawn was mowed, leaves were raked, and pruning was completed on the rose bushes out front. I've even weeded a bit. Today, however, the overcast skies with their showers are back. Tomorrow the forecast is simple: rain. That means next week I'll be mowing my lawn again.
The passport photo went well. Maybe I'll scan one of the pictures and post it here. Me without glasses. I do look somber. I suppose that's because most people don't smile, or at least not as much as we think we do. That's something I was thinking about at work the other day, that I seem to be smiling less frequently. But then I don't know. I don't really spend a lot of time thinking about smiling. So many things are running through my head, most of which are not happy, smiley thoughts, and I wonder if I've always been like this? Probably. Most people don't smile, unless they have a reason.
I need to get travel insurance for my trip to Greece, so I was shopping for options yesterday. Simple coverage is not that expensive, it's when you add in the cost of getting a cancelation reimbursement that sends it through the roof. It would be nice to be reimbursed should something happen and the trip would get canceled. However, once I started looking at the exceptions that weren't covered, that I began to question if it truly was worth the cost. My cousin and her husband were supposed to go to Israel and of course the war happened. Now, the insurance company is making they jump through all sorts of hoops to get their refund, you see the insurance company still wants them to go.
The tulips at the side of the house.
Tuesday, April 9, 2024
Excitement
We have a bright sunny day scheduled here in Central PA. Warm, too, with the temps predicted to climb as high as 78 (F). That's really warm for this time of the year, and my lawn is going to go zoom, zoom, zoom, growing faster than you can believe. Tomorrow, on the other hand, that temp is supposed to drop back into a more season 66 ish (F).
I have my passport appointment this morning. It's going to take longer to drive to the Post Office than it will to have my pics taken and hand in the forms. I am, however, going to kill 2 birds with one stone. While I'm there, I'm going to drop of my Mail in Ballot. One good thing is that I have my expired passport to use for my identification. I'm going to take a birth certificate alone, too.
And, of course, yesterday was the Solar Eclipse. I put CNN on the monitor at work so I and my fellow flooring specialists could watch. My manager made one of those box viewers and was walking around with it. Since I didn't buy any glasses, I hadn't planned on going outside... until they announced it over the store system. "Any associates wishing to see the eclipse can meet out in front of the building." There were only 4 or 5 people in the store, so I went out front. Here's blurry picture I took. Not a big crowd, just employees passing around one pair of glasses and the box. A few customers joined us. I will admit I was surprised by all of the excitement. It was neat to actually see it. It was a dusky, not dark, and the light itself seemed to be coming through a filter... which it was, sort of, as the sunlight slipped past the moon. I can't wait for to see the next one in 2045.
Monday, April 8, 2024
The Eclipse
Sunday, April 7, 2024
Dullards
Today we hit the 60s (F) which is alright by me. Partially sunny. That's nice, too. Tomorrow are temps are predicted to be even warmer. By Wednesday, they're supposed to be in the upper 70s (F). However, there's always a cool down, isn't there. Thursday the showers are going to be moving back into the picture. I suspect that on Wednesday I'm going to have to get out my trusty little lawn mower and give the grass a buzz cut.
Yesterday business was slow. I managed to get 3 measures, though one was arranged by the Specialty Manager and he had me mark it down. I'm not wild about giving free measures. To me it smacks of desperation. While the measure happens on Tuesday, the installation, if the couple buy it, will not happen until sometime in early June. It's my experience that when the time between the measure and the install is that great, the customer is going to use the measure quote and shop around. This means the free measure generates business for someone else. I did point this out to the Specialty Manager, and he knows, if this does happen, I will point it out again.
So my brother texted me some pictures he'd taken in Scotland. In 2 of them the skies are clear and sunny. That is not always the case over there. It is spring, after all. He did say that it's very, very, very windy. Anyway, here's one.
Saturday, April 6, 2024
Regulating Corporate Greed
It looks as though we have a sunny Saturday ahead of us, and, as is always the case, I'm going to be working. While it is sunny, temps aren't going to be that warm, only reaching the low 50s (F) today. We do start a warming trend tomorrow, and Wednesday's high is supposed to be in the mid 70s (F). I'm looking forward to that.
Yesterday was a good day for getting things done. I have a set of Jabra ear buds that I used quite a bit when I was riding everyday. They were, however, paired to my old phone, so yesterday I paired them to my current phone and went for a fast walk. They work so much better than cranking up the speaker volume. Rather than music, I started listening to a lecture series on Greece. One of the things I learned was that the naked statues were meant to be erotic, and those that were dressed, weren't. I found that interesting.
I also ordered a small digital camera. Nothing expensive. I'm too cheap, besides I don't know how often I'm going to use it.
My first schedule was posted with my new hours. Wow. I'll now be working between 30 and 32 hours a week, a 10 hour increase. At first I was a bit taken aback, that was until I pulled out my calculator and did a little math. If I work these hours until August, I'd be able to pay for 4 trips to Greece, and buy a refrigerator as well.
Ribs and rice were on the menu for dinner last evening. They were delicious.
Friday, April 5, 2024
Rainy Day Friday
Thursday, April 4, 2024
Tailgate Party, anyone?
The sun is out! Well, on and off, so I suppose you'd say we have semi-partial sunshine. There's also a lot of fog, thick, like you see in the movies when needs to hide in it. Temps today are only going to climb into the low 50s (F), but the flood warnings will now end tomorrow rather than on Saturday.
And I did get water in my basement again. Not much. Not deep enough to float things, and it's pretty much all drained out, leaving large patches where the floor is now dry.
I'd had a bag of very old grass seed that I spread across the bare patches in my lawn hoping it would grow. Well, that didn't happen. Too old. So this morning I'll drive over to the store and pick up another bag, something that's dog friendly for when the next beastie arrives. Don't ask me what breed yet, I haven't made up my mind (many are tossing out suggestions). Boxers are out. I don't have any luck with them. Though the Von Trapp Family Boxers will remain in the books.
My brother leaves for Scotland today. He and his wife are very excited. This will be their first adventure in Europe. I told him not to drink too much Scotch. Though, if he wants, he can bring me back a big hunk of smoked salmon; one of my favorites.
I'm sure most of you have heard about the picture the Moral Degenerate posted on his Truth Social account with Biden in the back the a pickup truck. Well, Occupy Democrats have their own version. I don't think they'd have much of a problem if this was copied and posted across social media.
Wednesday, April 3, 2024
The Long Blinks
Well, we're under a flood warning here in Central Pa that's in effect until Saturday... and it's only Wednesday. Today the temps will climb into the low 50s (F), which is only a few degrees warmer than the high 40s (F) we had yesterday. The rain is not steady, arriving in waves that can be drizzles, or soakers.
I'm going to have to go out into it today to him my local Giant supermarket. I need dryer sheets. And paper towels. And, according to Accuweather, we are under a yellow zone of heavy rain right now. Hopefully that will pass by the time I leave the house.
Yesterday, I signed up for 3 months of Greek on Rosetta Stone. I'd take some courses about 2 years ago through Pimsleur, they were fine, but not great. The idea is not to become proficient, that would only happen if I moved to Greece, rather it's to become knowledgeable. I mentioned this to a friend who told me that "most of the Greeks speak English well," and I'm certain that's true, but I'm of the belief that knowing a little instead of none at all is a sign of respect for the culture. But then for the longest time I've had this deep interest in the country, so for me this seems to come natural. Would I learn Swedish if I were going to Sweden? Probably not.
I made ribs in the air fryer for dinner last evening and they were delicious. I was going to take a picture of them, but didn't think you wanted to see a pile of bones. However, I will tell you that this is what they looked like before they were eaten.
Tuesday, April 2, 2024
Millions of Voices
The big storm has arrived. Temps will stay between 45 (F) and 49(F) until further notice. Rain will be steady, though, as they're not predicting, on and off, which doesn't really make sense, but then we are talking about the weather. No matter which computer program you run the information through, there are always variations. The European models tend to be more accurate than the American models, at least as far as hurricane prediction, though this is not a hurricane, just one damn big rain storm.
Work was boring yesterday. Monday's usually are. I had some sales. One of my flooring customers is going to be coming in to purchase, but she didn't do it yesterday. That's about a $5000 sale. Management will be impressed. I also did something this morning that I thought I'd never do, I opened up my hours just a wee bit. I'm now available to work Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. That doesn't mean they will schedule me, but it does give me a few more hours a week. It is so quiet here at the house since Lily's gone, so this will help me to fill in those silent hours.
Another thing I did, was to send David, my narrator, an email putting off the audiobook until I get back from Greece. There are things I should have done prior to publishing The Body Under Ice as an audiobook, one being to listen to other narrators in other audiobooks. Simply hiring a narrator from an audition recording without educating yourself is not necessarily a mistake, but it does limit your options. This doesn't mean I'm changing narrators. Let's just say I'm opening up the field. There are a million voices out there, who's to say I won't find one that I feel more defines the characters of Eli and Max.
There are also other things I feel need to be prioritized, like getting The Body in Motion published, and, probably most important, start the actual writing process for The Body in History.
And, sticking to my usual practice, here is an artwork tease. I just love doing these.
Monday, April 1, 2024
More and More
Well, here it is Monday, April 1, and no foolin' we got a really big storm heading our way. According to my Accuweather app, the temp is 48(F) outside, and we have rain. I took some recycling out to my bin and I can attest to the rain, my skin's not sensitive enough to recognize specific degrees of temperature. Now, these showers will hang with us into the afternoon, then we will experience a pause. Tomorrow? That's another soggy story.
As expected, Easter Sunday at the store was not a revenue breaker. We did not make our plan. No surprise there. Back when I started working for the great Orange Home Improvement retailer the store manager was required to keep a diary that tracked events which effected sales, like weather and holidays. This was supposed to help in the forecasting of sales' plans and provide reasons from year to year as to why sales on one particular day were either super good, or super bad. Not anymore. Now they look at sales by the week, and if you have a bad day, you just have to grow your sales during the rest of the week to make your plan. However, if you have a really good day, it will affect your sales plan for next year, usually by increasing it. This is how corporate greed works.
Anyway, they did bring food in, something they don't usually do on Easter. There were more customers then I expected. More and more, Christianity is losing it's grip on the general populace.
And luckily, even though it was Easter, this bunny from Hell did not come hip, hip, hoppity down any bunny trails near me.
Sunday, March 31, 2024
Sunday In the Park with George
Easter Sunday, and the sun is shining here in Central PA. Temps are supposed to climb into the mid 60s (F), but alack and alas, clouds will be moving into the region. Tomorrow the showers will start and Tuesday there will be rain. Over an inch is predicted.
One of those things I find fascinating is that Christians who have gone to sunrise services in Central PA will see the sunshine as a sign, while Christians in Cincinnati are lamenting the fact that their Easter services were marred by heavy rains. Too many Christians don't stop to think about weather patterns, yet they have convinced themselves that everything is according to God's will, or plan, which means the weather comes under his... jurisdiction, so to say. This is just one of the issues they refuse to deal with, ignoring the bigger picture because it fails to fit in with what they want to believe.
Anyway, I get to work today. The customers who show up will either be Asians, or non-Christians, or those who put looking at appliances over religion.
Since it is Sunday, I thought I'd post a Sunday picture; a Sunday in the Park with George picture, a modern recreation of George Seurat's famous painting. I think this is culturally amazing. Happy Holiday!
Saturday, March 30, 2024
Sympathy for the Devil
So, we have a sunny Saturday morning here in Central Pa, which is nice. Temps are in the low 40s (F) for right now, however things will begin to cloud over, and about the time I head off to work the occasional showers should start to fall. They're not expecting any deluges, those will come on Tuesday.
I talked to my sister twice yesterday, once around the noonish hour to wish her a happy birthday. She's younger than I, but old enough for us to laugh about our ages, and we do laugh. And it's not that we're old, we're not, but there there are people who look at our age and think of us as old. We laugh at them. I suspect too many people look at their accumulating years with a "woe is me" attitude, who look at their dwindling years with dismay, wishing there were a way to add more. And then there are those who simply resign themselves to the inevitable and just sit back and wait. I feel sorry for them, for their decision to give up so much.
And I did get a lot accomplished yesterday: a nice ride on my bike near Salzburg, some cleaning, some writing, some emailing.
David, my narrator are going back and forth via email on how long of a break does a comma require. I want barely a pause, perhaps a shift in tone, a variation on inflection, and the actor in him claims that a comma indicates a change of thought. I will win out, of course, since I'm in charge of the purse strings.
And one of my cactus flowers is blooming. Here's what it looks like this morning with the sun shining in on it.