The New Commandment

 And the mood of the day is???? 

Holy Moly!  I got almost 7 hours sleep last night with only a short (28 minute) heating pad session around 0330.  I have not gotten that much sleep in a long time.  And  it's wonderful!  My body battery is recharged, at least that's what my Fenix 6 Pro tells me.  I could easily slip in another few winks, but I do have to work today.

I bought a new shower head before I left work yesterday, this one includes a 'hand held' that I may use sometimes.  This is replacing a Delta that sprayed out the shower door onto the floor.  This was more of a nuisance rather than a hazard, having to mop up the floor every time I showered.

And some of my dahlias in the backyard have finally begun blooming.

Not surprisingly, the Republicans are still moving ahead with their phony audits in a number of states.  At this point, they are on only hoping to sow discord among their base, pushing the concept there's fraud in every election they lose.  This is merely a reflection of their Savior, the Orange Anus' own ego.  Oh, and speaking of Loser #45, I understand he had one of his minions remove praise  of Cyber Ninja because not only did they failed to feed his Big Lie, they reported he had lost by an even larger margin.

And not a small number of Texans woke up yesterday to discover that overnight their groveling governor had cowed his head to the Orange Anus; there is going to be an audit in several counties even though the Anus won the state.  Evidently, the OA has set forth a new commandment:  Let there be an audit to grow disatisfaction.

Gravely Disappointed

 Evidently Fall arrived during the night.  The temp this morning is a cool 52 (F).  How happy I am not to be disappointed.  I've checked several temperature readings, both online and in my house, and I'm pleased to say there is no evidence of temperature fraud.  That 52 (F) is accurate.

My schedule has been posted for my first week of part-time employment.  I work 3 eight hour days, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.  Thursday and Saturday I start at 0900, so I may be the opener.  Total hours?  24.  I don't find that disappointing in the least.  That was my goal.  Timely hours that allow me to have more 'me' time at home.

We did receive another couple of inches of rain yesterday.  Some found its way into my basement, not much.  In some places, maybe 1/4 of an inch, while other areas stayed bone dry.  I'm not disappointed by that at all.  Hopefully, I will be wrong and Climate Change will not turn us into a Tropical Rain Forest.  Personally, I think that would be a winning situation.

Oh, and remember that Arizona Audit, the one in Maricopa County?  The results are going to be published today.  A draft of the report has been circulating.  Fasten your seatbelts people, the results are going to be devastating...

for Republicans.  You see, the truth is the Orange Anus lost by even more votes than previously recorded. That squishy sound you hear in the background?  That's what 130+ congressmen in the House squirming around as they shit in their shorts.  One of the articles I ready said "Republicans are going to be Gravely Disappointed."  That's an understatement.  But don't worry, they will try to obfuscate The Big Lie.  They will start to shriek that 'inconsistencies' found mean they need to overhaul the voting laws.  Nope.  The time has come to hold this liars accountable for their actions.  Take the power of their lie away from them.  Vote them out of offices.

Bummerland

Well a happy Thursday to you all.  Here in Central PA we have rain... lotsa rain.  In fact, we're stuck in a band of rain moving north, and while I'm not going to get another 7 inches, the possibility exists for at least 4 more.  My lawn continues to grow... fast.  Since I'm off on Tuesday, I'll have to drag out my little electric mower and once again shear it off before it becomes a field.  If I had a little more land, I might consider buying a goat or two.

Normally, as the weather gets colder the leaves begin turning colors... well, here they turn yellow.  The leaves on my river birch rarely change color, they simply fall.  And so far, while we've had temps down in the 60's (F) at night, there is no sign of Fall actually arriving.  With that being said, this article in the Washington Post came as no surprise.  One of our seasons is getting longer, while the other 3 are all getting shorter.  We may have celebrated the autumnal equinox, however when autumn will actually arrive is still in question?  late October perhaps?  

That's not me

And, as climate change continues to effect the world, remember, when things get to bad for people they will move.  Of course, the idea of a group of people migrating because climate change has made their lives impossible  is something Conservatives never consider, especially the faux Cracker Jack Crazies, mostly because what's happening in Guatemala is way outside their sphere of Consciousness.  Perhaps if they weren't so focused on their 'me' principle, you know what I'm talking about.  "If it doesn't effect me, it's no concern of mine."

So many don't realize we're getting very close to Bummerland.

Pursuing the truth

 Well, my weekend is over.  Back to work.  Will today be busy?  I have my doubts.  Rain is in the forecast.  Yes, it's going to rain again.  Forecasters are predicting between 2 and 4 inches.  Tomorrow as well.  Remember what I said about Central PA turning into a Rain Forest?  I would really hate to be right on this one.

Fall is here.  I'm glad.  While I don't mind the heat of summer, I'm more comfortable with the coolness of the transitional seasons, spring and fall.  Truthfully, winter doesn't bother me too much either.  I don't think I could ever be a snowbird, someone who maintains a residence in the south specifically for the winter months.  I don't think I could ever be a seasonal gypsy, like that.  I enjoy the year round personalization I have with my house because snowbirds do leave things behind.

I saw where the Orange Anus is suing his niece for $100 million.  She says he's throwing as much shit at the wall as possible hoping something sticks.  But hasn't that always been the case?  An integral part of his reputation is the constant filing of lawsuits creating overwhelming headaches and expenses for his enemies.  And it's over the NYT articles regarding his taxes.  Oh, and his spawn named Eric has had one of his lawyers drop from his defense team.  I do believe that's an 'ouch.'    And not surprisingly, Loser #45's campaign new there was no voter fraud and allowed his claims to continue, just like all of his other baseless lawsuits.  They're trying to make it too expensive to simply pursue the truth.

Trim This

 Yesterday I got my hair cut short.  Short means fewer visits to the barber, though yesterday's visit was a bit surreal.  My barber yesterday was a middle-aged, tatted man who I saw, when he smiled, was missing some teeth.  Shortly after he had begun trimming with a scissors, he told me that he had gotten to work late because his son had been suspended from school, and he had been the one to pick him up and take him home.  The reason for the suspension?  His son had made a video of himself destroying school property and posted it on TikTok, part of the 'delicious licks' trend.  My barber proceeded to tell me that he also knew a lot about bad kids, since he had been one, having gone to jail 3 times (that's right, he told me he had been in jail 3 times).  And what did I do?  Laugh.  Seriously, for all his seriousness, he was funny as hell, and he knew it.  He got a nice tip.

My laser printer is now working again.  It took a tech from Microsoft to tell me what I already knew, that one of their recent updates had turned off certain printing aspects.  That was amusing, too.  He was remotely working in my laptop trying to find the problem while I chatted with him.  He say he was going to try something and I'd say that I had already tried it and it didn't work... and he tried it anyway.  He ended up reverting to the previous version of Word installed prior to the update.  I could only wonder how many others that update had effected adversely.

And, of course, the political hacks of the Supreme Court have decided to take up the Mississippi abortion law on December 1, which means we should find out their decision next June, right before the 2022 midterms.  Will there be a yea or a nay for Roe v. Wade?  Republicans are hoping for a nay, believing such a decision will flood the polls with happy conservatives.  You see, they still believe in the 'silent majority' spoken of by that dolt Reagan.  Such a decision will only hasten the demise of the Republican Party and emblazon the moniker 'political hack' in every mention of Alito, Thomas, and Barrett for eternity because they completely denied the necessity of having a Centrist Constitution.

They will never learn. Vote Blue.

The Approaching Fall

Okay, so my weekend has just begun.  My back is only slightly cranky.  The temp is a crisp 59 (F), so I have some windows open letting in the cool morning air.  In a few days we'll hit the Autumn Equinox and fall will be official.  Interestingly enough, here in Central PA, we have one of the longest fall foliage seasons because we're smack, dab between the north and the south.  Occasionally we get bright, brilliant colors, but mostly we're rather subdued.

I did an adjustment to my work availability.  They can schedule me Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.  That way I'm guaranteed a day off between shifts.  The way it had originally been set up in the system, it was possible for them to schedule me 5 days in a row.  That's not why I'm going part-time.

Last evening, when I got home from work, I updated the drivers in my printer.  Evidently a large update happened back in March and I didn't receive notification.  I didn't try printing anything yet because, well, honestly, if it doesn't work I'll just have to get another laser printer.  

If the barbershop is open today, I'm going to get a haircut.  Believe me, I need one.

Here are some tasty tidbits of information:

For years we've been told to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.  Drink 8 glasses of water a day.  Now they've discovered hydration is different for every one.  8 glasses might be too much for some people, and not enough for others.  I read this and thought, hell, this is what happens whey you try and standardize everything.

Most of us with event the slightest bit of savviness have know this next one for a long, long time.  White, Cracker Jack Crazy Christians are really in it for the power.  Even though they might claim they're working for a higher power, the dark secret in their hearts is that all they're concerned about is the power to dictate and control.  Oh, and many believe in white supremacy because they they've convinced themselves they have chosen.  

And finally. the Hillsborough, Florida GOP have a bit of a problem.  It seems their anti-vax, anti-mask bookkeeper was a software developer who wrote the application for the finances.  Unfortunately, he was wrong about the vaxxing, and the masking, and died of Covid last week without telling anyone how to access their financial information.  Ouch!!

Updates

 So, the dogs got me up this morning at 0430.  Earlier then I usually get up.  My back was, as usual, stiff, and they didn't want to be patient.  When doggy bladders are full, doggies want to go... badly.  Like me, they can be impatient.  So they sat staring at me for 15 minutes while I let the heating pad get in its morning work and loosen up the sticky parts in my back.  Mostly, they were very patient.

Thinking about my availability for my new part-time schedule, one change is going to be made.  Saturday is going to be made unavailable.  Right now there are only 2 days in which I cannot be scheduled.  That's going to go to 3.  For me, part-time is not defined as 5 five hour days.

While working on a new book, one of the things that happens is every new chapter gets printed off and put into a binder.  That way notes can be made directly on the manuscript and there isn't a rainbow blizzard of post-it notes covering my desk.  Three days ago there was a problem with the printer.  Emails printed, nothing else.  Can we talk about frustration?  Nothing is more frustrating then having a routine crash.  The problem turned out to be the printer had gone offline.  I'm blaming one of the many Microsoft updates being done as they prep for Windows 11.

In other updates:

The little rally protesting the arrest of those involved in the January 6 attempted coup turned out to be very little.  One report noted there were more media people present than protesters. 

The Newsom landslide in California should not be seen as a bell weather moment.  He avoided recall by almost exactly the same amount of votes as he got when he won the election.  Translation?  Republicans did not cross the line.  Minority groups don't win elections... normally.

The 2020 Census is beginning to create a morass of gerrymandering changes in Republican states.  Prepare for lawsuits.  The minority Republican party will never understand their attempt to force the country down a conservative path will lead to anger, frustration, and upheaval, and they are the ones who will end up paying the price.

Vote blue.

Submarined

 And the weekend has begun.  For me, that's a working weekend.

Yesterday, I set up the hours I'm available to work.  There are only 2 days in which I cannot be scheduled.  Being a part-timer means I will never have to work on Tuesday and Friday.  For the rest of the days of the week I'm open between 8 am to 8 pm.  Remember, I can only work around 25 hours a week.  Since there are 2 other full time Flooring specialists, I will probably be covering their days off, so I'm figuring I'll be working 3 days a week to cover their days off.  

Today is the last day they are forecasting to be in the 80's (F).  The autumn equinox is upon us.  Last year we had fairly warm fall season. Not much rain.  That's fine.  We really don't need anymore rain, though they're calling for showers today.  

And what about the brouhaha between France and America.  They had a deal with Australia who it seems pretty much reneged on it.  Submarines.  68 Billion dollars worth of subs.  That's a lot.  I'd be pissed off as hell, too.  But if I read correctly, the deal is actually between the US, Australia, and the UK. And I don't hear them shrieking at Boris Johnson's government.  So, now we're selling Australia the subs (ours are nuclear), but it's not like Americans in general are going to make any money.  Really, I think they should blame China.

Oh, I almost forgot, today's the day they gather in Washington to celebrate their failed coup.  Losers all around.  The fact that so many Republicans have jumped aboard the Big Lie train tells you quite a bit about them and none of it is good.  They began selling off their souls a long time ago.  They really have no concern for human life.  They deny climate change.  They focus on greed.  They cite religion and then side step it constantly.  They have no problem walking over the downtrodden.  They idealized their own image and turned it into a deity.  They are a dead end and nothing more.  And the culmination of all of these traits is to die off because they turned the idea of being safe into a political position from which there is no escape.

Futures Evolving

Friday!  Payday, also, which is always nice.  After today I will only get 2 (count 'em) more full time pay deposits into my bank.  Some might find the idea of having their income halved rather daunting.  Not me.  While I don't want you to think I'm an old hand at this, I do have experience.  Think of it as my 'early pandemic, essential associate hours during a lockdown' trial run from last year when I voluntarily cut my hours down to 25 per week.  Back then I had a brief  'oh, shit' moment until I realized with my finances I had nothing to worry about as long as I cut back on those $40 bottles of wine (just kidding).

Yesterday was slow at work.  Really.  One of my fellow Specialists suggested it was the time of year, which might be the case.  I'm not really concerned.  In a few weeks, my sales goals are going to change, not that I have ever felt pressured or desperate.  

The dogs were down playing around with Lily's 6 foot squeaky snake and now she has a bit of a booboo paw, or to be more specific since her anatomy is somewhat different to that of a human, a booboo wrist.

The only thing I like about my free SiriusXM subscription is that I get to hear more new alternative music.  These guys are great.  Three brothers.  AJR.  Their lyrics are more than a little OK.

At least 7 conservative radio hosts and anti-vaxxers have died from something.

They like living dangerously up in Idaho. The state has approved rationing of health care because of all the Covid patients in the hospitals, and what do they do?  They put someone who spews misinformation about the disease in charge.  He thinks it's fake.  What a shame he's not a radio host.

There's supposed to be some sort of assemblage of protestors in Washington tomorrow, losers upset that people involved in the January 6 coup attempt have been arrested.  However, to assemble, they need bodies, something organizers are concerned about.  Right Wing groups are telling their members not to go... they're worried about getting arrested, and photographed, and... well, doing anything incriminating.  The Orange Anus is going to be far, far away and, in fact, has rarely mentioned this gathering of Republicans, out of fear, I don't doubt.  His future does not look bright.

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/09/16/idaho-covid-gop-ryan-cole/

Stomping the Big Lie

 Yesterday was very slow at work.  And, as usual, the day ended with rain.  That's right.  We got more rain.  Storms that turned into momentary downpours, and then drizzles well into the night.  And today as well.  And tomorrow, too.  Yesterday at work someone else mentioned that we were turning into a rainforest.  Our visions are dissimilar in that he pictures people kayaking up streets and trees on rooftops, while mine had more do with continuous rainfall and swarms of mosquitos.

I saw where Amazon is raising  the starting rate for many of its workers to $18 an hour.  I don't know what positions are covered, but if that's true, something's changing.  Our starting rate of pay falls short of that mark.  Some of our positions do hit the $15 per hour, but most do not.

And Space X launched civilians into space yesterday.  The ticket price was hefty, but they can afford to spend the money.  Space tourism.  Who would have thought?  Serious exploration is not far off.  China wants to put men on the moon.  Russia's talking about building their own space station (the Chinese already have one in orbit, though no one talks about it).  India is launching probes to Mars.  This is our future.

And what about Nicki Manij?  I know the name, that's about it, but her anti-vaxxer stance, relying on some sort of conspiracy shit about one man's swollen testicles demonstrates stupidity at it's worst.  And now she's laughingstock, which might not help her career much.

Another amusing bit is that out in California Larry Elder conceded his loss rather than rely on a variation of the Bit Lie.  This does not make him any less of a loser, however, the really big loser was the Orange Anus who was desperately hoping to damage the Democrats.  Because of the Republican's failed recall, Democrats now have a decent playbook on how to beat them in 2022, other than just stomping the shit out of the Big Lie.

Office

 Good Morning, or Afternoon, or Evening, or whenever.  I say that because time has changed for me because of my lumbar issues.  Now, every night around 2:30 AM EST, I get up to use a heating pad for a half an hour.  That's not as big of a disruption to my sleep patterns as you might think, since now and then one, or both of the dogs, needs to get in an early hour pee.  Besides, the older I get, I find that the hours I sleep are less important than the total hours I sleep.  And I don't just sit like a dolt for that half hour, I watch videos, listen to music; there's nothing wrong with making that half hour productive.

Yesterday I got a walk in on my treadmill.  Walking is good for lumbar issues, I will do so again this morning.  I'm thinking of activating 'dictate' in Word, so I can walk and write at the same time.  

I am slowing turning the space around my writing desk into a home office.  This means no longer using the bottom shelf of my sideboard for storage, and my laser printer.  Prior to being useful, I used that space primarily for displaying some of my china.  Now, all I need to do is figure what to do about my leaning candles.

And, of course, one of the headlines I saw while using my heating pad this morning was in regard to the California recall.  You all know now that Newsome kicked Larry Elder's ass by a whole bunch of votes, or basically what they call a landslide, something like 64% to 36%., so it looks like he's going to be staying in office. This time the polls were correct.  Honestly, I wasn't worried.  Elder's nothing more than a craven Oreo trying to mold himself after the Orange Anus.  He was preparing to shriek 'voter fraud' however, after such a resounding defeat that lie would make him look like an even bigger ass than he already is, and he's already a fairly large buffoon.

Finally, here it is Wednesday and I'm still seeing pieces about that hack Amy Barrett something or other.  I don't know why she thought her little speech was a good idea, perhaps to rationalize the lie within her head.  What she did do, more than anything else, is prove to a majority of Americans that she's not only a hack but a toady as well.  She is one of many poster children exemplifying why Republicans need to be voted out of office.

The Cracker Jack Crazies

I get to go back to work tomorrow.  No excitement here.  I'm not all all looking forward to a 6 day stretch, even as I remind myself my 40 hour work weeks will be coming to an end very soon.  I have less than a month to go and my last fulltime schedule will be posted tomorrow.

I went to see Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings last evening.  There is a reason the film has a 98% viewer rating on Rotten Tomatoes.  The minute you walk into the moving bamboo forest you step into a whole new world.  From the streets of San Francisco, to a fight club in Macao, to Ta Lo, a small village protecting the world from evil, you are taken to places so new and different for most Americans.  There is not one small performance in this movie; even the smallest roles are crisp and fresh.

Today is recall day for Gavin Newsome.  If the polls are to be trusted this time, the GOP is going to fail at their attempt to take over the state.  From what I've seen, those pressing hardest to have him removed are the fringiest Republicans.  Larry Elder is already spewing the 'election fraud' lie.  I don't think these Cracker Jack Crazies understand a large majority of Americans are fed up with this damn lie.  But then, since they've shit away their principles, all these losers have is a lie.

And then there's Amy.  You know the Amy I'm talking about, the Cracker Jack Crazy the Orange Anus and the Conservatives put onto the bench of the Supreme Court to create a majority of Conservative and partisan judges.  This past Sunday she spoke at a conservative venue created by Mitch McConnell and said the Supreme Court is not partisan.  This happening so soon after the Supreme Court let the Texas Abortion law stand, makes me think this was their attempt to clean the shit out of their pants; a large majority of Americans are not happy with this extremely partisan decision.  And so Amy stood in front of a crowd of conservatives and lied.  No one believes her.  Now we know, Amy was put on the court not only to force a partisan, conservative, minority agenda on America, she was always put there to be deceitful.  

More Power to Them

Monday has arrived.

Yesterday, the first day of my 3 day unweekend, weekend was quite.  I drove down to York to have lunch with my friend Betsy.  It is always good to spend quality time with like minds.  

Justin came and mowed my lawn.  He will need some direction, but then I wasn't expecting him to read my mind and know exactly what I needed done.  He was pleased to tell me he's in the process of getting vaccinated.  His father had Covid - bad.  He's one of those who actually survived intubation, though his lungs are pretty much shot.  Teeny weeny little blood clots did a job and in his weakened state he developed a heart inflammation.  He has a long road to recovery.

One of the plants in my tank is flowering.  Tomorrow, if the back continues to improve, there will be a thorough cleaning.

Did anybody else see the bit about the Republican Senator from Alaska who's not allowed on Alaska Airlines because of her anti- vaccine, anti-mask stance.  Notice, I say stance rather than beliefs.  She will clean to her party's diatribes; to do otherwise might cost her votes.  Of course, unable get a flight out of Alaska might prove to be worrisome given she needs to be in Washington to vote against everything the Democrats want.

And a number of different surveys are showing that there is very little that will change an anti-vaxxer's views.  This is a group who's so stringently held beliefs will be with them from the cradle to the grave, literally. 

And evidently Biden's mandates about getting vaccinated or tested have driven the Republican party into a tizzy.  Can't you hear their shrieks and moans?  They are in a real mess.  Legally, the Supreme Court has upheld such mandates in the past.  They have a big problem.  You see, people want their lives to go back to normal, pre-Covid, and the only way for that to happen without clogging up the hospitals with Covid patients is for people to get vaccinated.  Their desperate ploy which they believed would ring loudly in the ears of a majority, is falling mostly on deaf ears, in fact they are now dealing with a backlash.  This is fine.  In fact. I say more power to them.

It's in the Words

 I have a 3 day weekend beginning today.  Now, isn't that nice.  I suppose you might say my Labor Day has arrived a week late.  Of course, you could also say that because I don't have a non-retail job, this is how my schedule gets written.  I will admit, I do tend to have more 3 day weekends then many of my readers.  I have no problem with that.

Also, as of today, I have less than a month of full time schedules ahead of me.  I did add another vacation day in order to have one less day to work.  If you're counting, that's 19 days, unless I happen to feel like taking a personal day. I am so full of anticipation.

I want to set up a lighting routine for my new AI toy, Alexa, and I'll be perfectly honest, in a way it truly is a bit like a toy.  Currently, I have to specify individual lights I want turned on or off.  A routine will let me group lights together, so I only have to say "Alexa, lights on," or, if I wanted to let the Bobby Tussel come out in me, I could set up the routine so I only have to say "turn on the fuckin' lights."

People who read my books think I'm a lot like Eli, my main character, because I write in first person.  The truth is that while I don't dance, and don't run a porno website, in a lot of other ways I'm a lot like Bobby, my use of inappropriate language  being one.  Unlike Bobby, I have learned there is a time and place for every four letter word.

Where's the profane category?

Because I worked yesterday, I only caught bits and pieces of the 9/11 memorial services held around the country.  We saw a lot of pictures and heard a lot of words.  What surprised many was the speech by George W. Bush, not one of our better presidents.  His comparison of 9/11 to domestic terrorism, while not mentioning January 6, caused a bit of a furor.  I'm sure the skin of many Republicans burned with the criticism.  But don't worry, I'm also sure many of them easily sloughed it off, after all, the orange anus was hosting, or commenting at a boxing match last evening.  I believe every other living president, except the very senior Jimmy Carter, gave a televised speech.  Not that the OA didn't meet with some first responders, but only to get the media involved so he could spread another lie.  Isn't it a shame that this man will prostitute a national tragedy just to feed both his ego and the Big Lie.

Reflections

 As with most Americans, this is a day of Reflection.  The terrorist attack of September 11 shocked the world in a way unlike any other in history.  Those zealots who few planes into the World Trade Center and Pentagon thought only that they were declaring war only on America.  Those working in those buildings were of no concern.  So many nations lost citizens that day, for not only did Americans die, but also Swedes, and Germans, and Spaniards, and Britons, and Canadians, among so many others.  These zealots failed to comprehend how many citizens of the world were employed at the World Trade Center.  Narrow minds see only narrow paths.  For a brief moment, the people of the world were united.

Everyone remembers 9/11.  Many take time and think of where they were when those videos started flashing across TV screens and computer monitors.  I was working for xpedx, the distribution arm of International Paper.  One of our centers was in Hoboken, so while others desperately tried to find out what was happening, I called one of my contacts there.  The phone rang and rang, before a voice answered and was told they had lost contact with several delivery trucks that were in New York that day.  Communications were down.  When I asked about my sales rep, I was told he was on the loading dock.  "Everybody's on the loading dock watching."  I will always remember that voice telling me that.  "Everybody's on the loading dock watching."  I can't even begin to imagine their horror.

Responsibilities

 Well, I did take yesterday off.  Called in bright and early and took a personal day, not because I was feeling bad, well I did for a short while since the flooring desk was going to be left short handed.  Then I reminded myself there are others working who can talk to customers.  I'm not the only one working there.  As I get older, I'm shrugging off responsibilities I used to wear as a mantle of authority.  This is how life is.  I tell people that in all the years you spend on this earth there should be two times when you should be able to shirk off responsibility:  when you're a child and your parents are shouldering them, and when you get older.  And let's be honest here, I am getting older.

One of the things I did notice yesterday, and something which has come to my attention before, is that my back feels so much better when I'm at home.  Not that I think going to work causes psychosomatic pain, but I'm not walking on concrete at home, and I sit in chairs that are a comfortable height, and are cushioned and not plastic.  Six years ago, when I had a very serious back episode, my specialist asked me what I thought caused my improvement.  I didn't really know then.  Looking back, I'm fairly certain that today my answer would be, not walking on concrete, etc.  Six years ago I went on LOA for 3 months.

I wrote over 1000 words yesterday.  I suspect this is what my going part-time will be.  A new character has joined the plot in The Body in Repose:  Captain Trawley.

And then, of course, this happened yesterday.

A certain political party is not happy.  Which one?  Here's a hint: The one that is solely responsible for most of the Covid deaths right now.  Here's another hint:  The same party is running the state of Florida, a state which has stopped releasing the numbers of Covid or Covid related deaths.  The same party in running the states of Arizona and Utah where out of state health care workers are being hired to help with the over-crowded hospitals.  And why are they pissed off?  They say this is an attack on their personal freedom.  That's a lie.  The truth is they see masks and vaccines as part of the Democrat agenda and the last thing they want to do is give the Democrats a win.  The truth is they hate the Democrats so much they have chosen to let members of their own voting block suffer in die out of spite.  They alone are responsible.  

Conservative Mantra

 Today's my Hump Day.  My schedule was updated, so I now know how I'll be working during the 2nd last week of my fulltime employment.  It is not good.  Six days in a row.  A bit of a frown slipped across my face.  I have personal time on the books, so I may have to break up that stretch.

The portable heating pad I bought didn't work as well as I was hoping because it creates this superficial feeling that everything is fine.  Bending too quickly will still trigger a spasm, I learned that yesterday reaching down for a faux wood blind.  Heat relieves the symptoms, but not the problem.  In fact heat does a really good job.  I have heating pads upstairs and downstairs.  Days off are fine.  Work days, however, even with the portable pad, are not, and I'm wondering how much of that might actually be short-timer's attitude.  Is the discomfort worse at work because I know in a few weeks I'm only going to be working about 25 hours a week?  Honestly, I think about that when there are no customers, writing out different schedules for myself.

We had another thunderstorm last evening.  There was still a drizzle this morning when I left the dogs out.  This is how we transition into a rain forest.  Climate change, you know?  I find it rather sad that there is a certain group out there who don't believe our weather patterns are changing.  Not surprisingly, these are the same people who think Covid is like the flu, they are the anti-vaxxers, and, as you might expect, the ones who treasure their little red hats, and worship the orange anus.  They are the ones, who, on their way to being intubated, will claim they don't have Covid, only bad allergies.  Cough.  Cough.

The unfortunate truth is that these people are having an allergic reaction to reality.  They will never be able to comprehend the actuality of the situation.  Denial is their daily bread.  For them, everything revolves around their conservative mantra:  Me, Myself, Mine.

Oh, and I saw where Kellyanne Conway had her ass fired.  What a sorry situation that a human being with that low an IQ should make it into any position of government or power.  She will always be, and never anything more, than the bottled blond from Hell.

Your Little Swimmers

Yesterday was ho-hum at work, slow for the most part.  I had to locate matching trim for a customer who's having a hardwood installation.  The original choice had been for primed white, so the only thing needing to be done was to have it painted.  However, there are 440 linear feet, and that's a bit of painting.  Rather than do that, the customer has opted (at an additional expense) to have trim which matches the hardwood.  Personally, I think matching quarter round makes it look like your floor is beginning to creep up your wall, but then I'm not the one who doesn't want to paint the trim.

The temp is forecast to hit 88 (F) today, the rest of the week is predicted to be cooler.  We are in September.  Fall is approaching.  Justin's going to come and mow my lawn on Sunday.  This will be a first for me.  I will have to find out what my pin is so I can take money out of the bank.

Since there are a number of bingo brains out their believing ivermectin will help if they catch Covid, like Joe Rogan, I am pleased to say that the worming med has an adverse effect of male sperm counts.  In other words, it reduces the number of your little swimmers if you take it.  This is all part of the natural selection process.

In other Covid contemplatables:  

As was the case last year, there was another large surge of infections after Sturgis.  This means all of those motorcycle men are going to be gulping down their ivermectin.

Idaho activated health care rationing last week in northern parts of the state.  Why quietly, you ask?  Well, Republicans know how much panic would ensue if their MAGA base realized Covid was much, much worse than the flu.

And last evening I got a flash from The Dallas Morning News, in their Coronavirus update, noting that Pediatric Covid-19 hospitalizations were at an all time high.  I find it interesting that those Conservative legislators will pass restrictive abortion and voting legislation while not doing a damn thing about their children.  

 

The Snitch site

 Well, a week of workdays will begin today.  The thought of calling off is strong... however, policy stipulates the loss of holiday pay if you call off on your next scheduled work day after.  That's a bit of a bite.  This is one of the last holidays I will be paid for 48 hours and only work 40.  After Black Friday, full-timers will be scheduled 32 hours + 8 holiday to get them to 40 hours.  In a little over a month, all of these hours will come to an end.  I can't wait.

My new keyboard arrived yesterday.  Not only is it wireless, it has a rechargeable battery.  It'll be interesting to find out how long the charge lasts for me since I'm not constantly writing.  I did have to set it up, which was one of the many labors I accomplished on Labor Day.  That, many loads of laundry, as well as setting up an Echo +.  That's right, Alexa has entered my house.  Does this mean the silence, other than barking dogs, present in my house will disappear?  Who knows.  Change is good.

I've learned all sorts of things while researching The Body in Repose.  One of the most startling has to do with the music of New Orleans.  Everybody thinks Jazz.  However, in the French Quarter, while there are a few bars that play jazz, most play classic rock.  This has to do with the tourists, many of whom, not familiar with jazz prefer to listen to something recognizable.

On Sunday, I did get together with my sister and brother at his farm.  These little gatherings are fun since we all remember things differently.  For those interested, here we are.

I saw where that whistleblower snitch site in Texas was taken down... again.  This is what happens when a group of zealots write a piece of fascist legislation that seems to have been taken straight from the playbook used by a group of Germans in the mid 1930's.  Anonymous tips were welcome when it came to reporting not only Jews, but those who might be sheltering them.  And so the snitch site is down again.  We have rights to privacy in this country, thank you American Constitution.  This legislation is an attempt to rip those rights away.  They want you to secretly point a finger, and are encouraging spineless cowards to blame others.  This is so horrifically un-American.

Free Range

 Well, it's Monday, Labor Day, and a paid holiday, and not only that, I don't have to work.  There will, however, be unpaid work done here.  Laundry is stacking up.  I need to drive to my local Giant Supermarket for a few food necessities for the up coming week (veggies).

I was at my brother's for a small get together yesterday.  It was drizzly.  I think that's a new word.  I say this because I've just used it in The Body in Repose and Word highlighted it for spelling.  I like it, so I'll let it stand.  Anyway, during the conversation, some of his free range chickens entered the picture, literally.  

Biggie gets Carprofen, a doggy NSAID, because like me, he has a touch of osteoarthritis.  My vet would rather I purchase his med from them, rather then through Chewy, however Chewy is much cheaper.  A tip of my hat to my sister in law (Jacquie (sp)) for giving me a work around for this problem.

And since it is a holiday, the news is slow.  Usually nothing politically groundbreaking happens on a holiday.  So today, in spite of the chores I need to do, will be spent relaxing, especially since I didn't get much of that yesterday.  Tomorrow, I'll be posting a family picture.  Now, won't that be nice. 

Hosts

This is such a weird weekend.  Not until I overhead someone talking about this being a holiday while at work did I realize we're supposed to be celebrating Labor Day.  This isn't to say I wasn't aware it was approaching, for some reason I just didn't realize that for some, this is going to mean 3 days off.  I get my 3 days off next weekend.  That's the way the schedule worked out.  And, oddly enough, I am off tomorrow, which is the holiday.

Last evening, as I was working on The Body in Repose, my wireless keyboard died.  At first I thought the batteries had run out of juice.  However, after replacing them, I realized the batteries were not the problem.  I'd power it up, the green indicator would light up, and then a few seconds later, that light would go off.  So, I did what seems to come naturally to me these days, I ordered a new one.  The reviews are mixed.  As long as it does what I want it to do, I'm fine.

And that portable heating pad I ordered?  Well, it's not portable, but it does massage with heat.  Woah.  I plugged that baby in last night and almost fell asleep in my chair.  And this morning?  While I'm still stiff, I'm not dealing with serious back spasms.  It's the things we don't think of sometimes, like massage therapy.

Let's take a moment of silence for Willard Scott.  He may not have been the best weatherman on national TV, but he was entertaining.  I'm one of those who can claim to have practically grown up with Willard Scott. He was your perfect host.  This is what aging is, for those of you who don't know, leaving familiar things behind.

And what about that Cracker Jack Crazy Jose Oliva?  He's that loony Florida representative who called women 'hosts.'  I don't know about you, but when I hear host in regard to another life form, I think of parasites.  True, the word host has many definitions, but Oliva wasn't talking about hosting a Tupperware Party, or, if you want to strain for an analogy, the eucharist.  Nope.  He was talking about women who host another lifeform in their womb.  I think of movies like Alien.  And tapeworms.  Not babies.  I think that's rather degrading of women.  You do know that in his mind, women will never be anything more than hosts.

Shrek Porn

Happy Saturday!  Today is my 13th anniversary of working for the orange home improvement retailer.  This is the longest I've ever worked for one specific company, not that feel the need to change jobs every 10 or 11 years, because like so many other workers in America I've been laid off.  Twice.  From 2 major corporations that proved they were inefficient at dealing with change.  Not that I'm complaining.  I received good severance packages from both that allowed me to pay off my house, go to France, buy my first boxer, and so many other things.  I do believe dealing with their failures have made me a better person.

I don't know if I mentioned it, but I bought a portable heating pad to wear under my shirt while I'm at work.  The meds, ibuprofen and naproxen, don't really help much, but heat therapy?  Simply amazing.

And, of course, I do have to go to work today.  I had a very large sale yesterday, blinds, almost $6000.  A couple with 5 boys are buying a new house, in fact they were the reason the wife said they needed to buy blinds... almost $6000 in blinds.  She was the driving force behind the purchase.  The husband was nice though hesitant.  I'd have been more than hesitant.  I can think of a better use of $6000.

I also have another flooring sale going through today that's close to $8000.  They're going to miss me when I go part-time.

Why the picture of Shrek?  Well, in case you haven't heard Tik-Tok is the advance guard of the cavalry in Texas.  A number of content providers on Tik-Tok are so furious over that Texas anti-abortion they've been flooding the 'whistleblower site' with Shrek Porn, among other things.  Or I guess I should say they were flooding it.  You see, the site was hosted by GoDaddy and GoDaddy has dropped it because it was breaking fundamental rules.  What rules?  How about gathering personal information about people without their authorization?  You see the idea was to turn average citizens into vigilantes, providing anonymous tips, making accusations about women without needing to provide information about themselves.  In other words, anybody can be an accuser with no accountability for their accusations.  Just think about the legal ramifications.  Guess who looks bad here, besides the Texas legislators?  And that dumb shit Abbott who signed a piece of legislation that is so obviously flawed?  Those 5 conservative members of the Supreme Court who let this law stand.  Evidently not one of them is a true constitutional scholar. 

 

She didn't think

 Well, let's give a cheery hello to Friday, aka Thursday if you're working my schedule.  This means I get to go to work today and tomorrow, followed by what seems to be my regular weekend, at least for the next 2 weeks.  After that my weekend moves to Monday and Tuesday for 2 weekends.  Two weeks after that I go part-time.

My eye exam went well.  In fact, yesterday was just a quick in and out to check my eye pressure and vision.  Wearing my glasses, I am better then 20 / 20, which is odd since personally, I don't think I see that well.  All the testing and the dilation will happen on March 3, 2022.

With my back issues, I find mornings are the only time things can be painfully bad.  A full 45 minutes with a heating pad is needed to sooth away the night's stiffness.  After that, everything is pretty much ducky dandy.  Heating pads have become my 'go to' friends.  I have 2, one upstairs and the other downstairs.  I've also ordered a portable one to take to work for those long afternoons.  It should be arriving Saturday.  Not a lot of meds here.  In fact, if there were a way to strap a heating pad on while I sleep, I'm sure mornings would be no problem.

The water in the basement is gone.  My house rests on a 116 year old stone foundation.  During heavy rains, the water rushes in from the back while slowly draining out of the front.  I do have a pump should I need one, but that's rarely been the case.  What I really need, in fact, what everybody in this area needs is no more rain.  Damn.  The rain never seems to end.  Nothing has a chance to dry out.  As a result, we are living in mosquito hell.  They are everywhere.  So much so, I've bought a Citronella candle to keep them away.

And what about that whining Susan Collins from Maine?  I saw she spit out a bit of shit yesterday regarding her vote for Kavanaugh.  She actually said the 3 most damning words a politician can say "I didn't think," of course she attempted to define those words in regard to his vote on the Texas abortion law.  The truth is that she didn't think then, she doesn't think now.  She's a Republican Party girl, a Conservative wolf dressed in Centrist Sheep clothing.  She didn't think.  She voted  for confirmation, the way her party wanted.  Now, Susan knows that she's in trouble if the voters do what she failed to do... think.  She knows quite well that the people of Maine are going to remember her inability to think the next time they go to the polls.

Between 6 and 7 inches

 Holy Crap!  I can't believe I forgot we started a new month yesterday.  That fact slipped my mind completely.  I even forgot to flip my Red Hot calendar over to meet the new ginger.  Just where was my mind?  Well, probably thinking up the rain.  Remember when I said Ida was forecasted to pass us to our south?  Wrong.  That bitch changed her mind and went right over top of us.  While doing so, she dropped a lot of torrential rain.  A lot.  Now I know some of you are wondering just how much a lot of rain is, so I'll tell you.  Here in Central PA we received between 6 and 7 inches (152 - 178 mm).   I also suspect there are those of you out there thinking to yourselves "between 6 and 7 is about average."  Perhaps if your measuring bananas, but when it comes to rain, those figures are humongous.  Believe me, I know.  I came home from work to find 3 inches of water in my basement.

For those of you who might have difficult imagining between 6 and 7 inches (152 - 178) here are some shots from Central PA.

And, then there's Texas... and the Supreme Court that was loaded by Liar #45 and the Republicans, a minority group desperate to dictate how Americans live their lives.  While these Cracker Jack Crazies are now dancing, they fail to realize they have put themselves directing into the crosshairs of a majority of Americans.  You have to remember, they are the party of the Selfish, whose favorite pronoun is 'my;' my money, my taxes, my religion.  And they are a minority group, and they are shrinking.  Their actions will not bring about the results they so cravenly want.

 

Ida need no more rain

 How can I put this mildly?  The weather forecasters were rather precise in putting Ida's track to the south of us by a bit.  That green funnel they use to represent a tropical storm's path barely grazed southern Pennsylvania.  We would only be getting showers from a glancing blow.... Well, they were wrong... by a bit.  In fact, as I write this, Ida is moving directly over head.  Centered we are, as bands of showers and heavy rains drench Central PA.  Which is not what we needed, if you know what I mean.  More rain.  We do not need any more rain.  That little orange spot?  That's us.  Now ain't that nice.

I bought some new pillows and pillowcases.  They arrived yesterday, the pillows are great, the case?  They are so tiny, they will never fit a standard sized pillow.  They're getting returned tomorrow.

In fact, tomorrow is looking like a busy day in the morning.  First thing up is an eye exam, with possible dilation.  Borderline glaucoma.  Then a stop off at Giant to pick up ingredients for Kimchi, followed by a short visit to my UPS Store to drop the teeny, weeny pillow cases.  And then?  Well, probably a nap or two.

Oh, and Texas now has the most restrictive voter laws and the most stringent abortion laws in the nation because...  Republicans.  This is the same state where many froze to death last winter because the power grid was shot to hell.  This is what happens when elected officials receiving large campaign donations from energy providers turn a blind eye.  And don't forget, Ted Cruz is from Texas?  Remember him, the loser who chose to take a vacation in Cancun during that freeze and then threw a hissy fit when the media found out.  Between you and me, I don't think it will be long before the state collapses.  You see, Conservatives desperately want to be in charge, though when they are they prove they are really terrible managers.  Always have been, and always will.

Seduced?

 Heading back to work for 2 days.  I have a new / old Specialty Manager.  New, because this is the first time she's working in my store.  Old, because I worked with her for four years when I was doing HR.  This will be interesting. 

I went to see Free Guy last evening.  The movie is very funny at times, as well as being touching.  Guy is an NPC (non-playable character) in a video game, meaning you can't control what they do, who becomes aware, the equivalent of artificial intelligence.  As someone who plays video games, I have to say, this movie is a hoot.  For those who don't play video games, the movie is a rollicking, joy ride, at least this is what my friends told me.  I mean, can a movie in which Channing Tatum tries to seduce Ryan Reynolds be anything but great?  Does he succeed?  Hahahahaha! (that's my evil laugh, by the way)

I saw some sort of blurty bullshit where Mitch McConnell said he doesn't see any reason to criticize his associates spewing anti-vax, anti-mask misinformation.  Think about that for a second or two.  What he's saying is that he doesn't really care if people listen to that misinformation and die.  What a terrible justification for his silence.  Human lives lost because he sees no point in being honest.  This is pretty standard prattle from a Conservative.

I Kid you not

 Monday.  They never really get me down because more often then not they are a day when I am not scheduled to work.  As in today, and in next Monday, and the Monday after that, all days I'm not working.  

I'm going to get the lawn mower out today and do some mowing.  This is something I'm not looking forward to at all.  This is a chore I have never liked even the slightest bit.  If my lawn were larger, I'd pay to have a landscaper do what I dislike so much.  While it's not the size of a postage stamp, it's not quite big enough to warrant that expense.  Of course, I could always talk to my young friend Justin about it.  He does lawn work.

Regarding my back, mornings are always the worst. Truthfully, during the day I rarely have problems, so I'm beginning to think I want to invest in a new mattress, or maybe begin to sleep sitting up.  One solution is definitely less expensive then the other.

Yesterday, while I was sitting on the sofa in the writing room, Biggie used my left leg as a pillow.  When I tell people his head is as big as a personal watermelon I'm being quite honest.

You can see Lily's 6 foot squeaky snake in the background

I saw where Kid Rock had to cancel a number of his shows after he and his band got Covid.  Dumb ass bragged, and played at Sturgis.  Now, I have to be very honest, there are breakthrough infections, some can be quite serious.  He, however, claims that both he and his band were vaccinated.  Me?  I'm calling bullshit.  If it were true, one of them might have suffered a breakthrough infection, the odds on all of them getting sick from Covid, while statistically not impossible, is rare.  Keep in mind, he does love his MAGA fans and the bucks they spend on his self-promoting paraphernalia. 

Chip This

 Well, my weekend begins and the weather forecast is for cloudy skies with possible rain,... off and on.  Outside the temps are 66 (F), though we're supposed to hit a high of 96 (F).  I'll believe it when I feel it.  Yeah, I know, 'possible' and 'on and off' in the same sentence doesn't make a lot of sense.  All I can do is blame the weather forecasters.  And Ida is on her way.  We should be getting our share of her rain beginning on Thursday.

Tomorrow I'm planning on mowing the field my lawn.  I will have to raise the height on my lawnmower, either that or grab the weed wacker and us that.  Somewhere up in the attic I have a hand scythe, if the rain doesn't stop soon I will need to use that.

Oh, and if I can find a daikon, I'm going to try making some Kimchi.  Tasty stuff.  Good for the gut.  My local Giant doesn't have it, though the Giant Camp Hill might, so I might trip myself in there later this afternoon.  If they don't, I'll have to locate the nearest Korean grocery.

An anonymous commentator dropped a link in here yesterday which I think was to justify the use of Ivermectin in the treatment of Covid.  The results came from a very small group similar to that tiny group from France using Hydroxychloroquine.  Remember that wonder drug touted by Liar #45?  I can only wonder what these dumb shits using a worming agent are going to do when they find out the government has been putting microchips in Ivermectin for years as a way to track free range livestock.  This little ditty should make them feel right at home.

Bigge at the Vet

 Well, Biggie went to the Vet yesterday.  He was so well behaved.   They kept calling him handsome, which no doubt helped.  He's lost 3 pounds, and is down to 114 lbs. and has full mobility in his back legs.  The Vet did give him meds, a mild pain reliever that needs to be used only when necessary.  They also did bloodwork just in case his dosage needs to be increased.  I gave him 2 when we got home because and he slept the rest of the afternoon, except for dinner. 

And I'm back to work today for just one day, and then for one of my Sunday / Monday weekends.  I'm only working 32 hours this week, since I've an eye appointment scheduled for the 2nd.  One of the odd things about going part-time is going to be my reduction in hours.  Part-time hours handily cover all of my living expenses, 

I'm back on my oatmeal breakfast again.  The cholesterol doesn't bother me, but evidently eggs are not one of the best foods around for those of us who have arthritis, at least not the egg yolk.  I guess I could always start eating egg white omelets.

Sitting here, looking at all of the warnings flashing all over the internet telling people to NOT INGEST worming meds to fight Covid, I couldn't help but wonder if people are dumber then I think... or you think... or we think.  So, I did a little search and found this wonderful article in the BBC!  The more inept people are, the smarter they think they are... now tell me, isn't that a very succinct definition of the Republican party?  That's also a perfect description of their leader, Loser #45, who was blustery as hell but set new heights on the Ineptitude Scale.  I suspect this is also a very accurate definition of Conservatives.  They're all mouth.  Any action they do manage to achieve only benefits themselves, and no one else.  Personally, I have no problem with them divesting themselves of parasites on their way to a cozy Covid health crisis.  If they survive, I guess this means they can graze any pasture they want until their next deworming.

 

Red Ink

 So, I'm off today, and I do not doubt it's going to be busy.  In a little over an hour and a half Biggie and I will be heading to the Vet.  I find it interesting that both he and I are having bouts with arthritis.  I can actually look at him and say, "I feel your pain."  And, speaking of the pain, and associate at work recommended Tylenol for my back, he, too, has issues.  So I picked up a bottle on my home, and am pleased to say it has knocked the soreness away.  Now, if only I could get rid of the stiffness when I roll out of bed in the morning.

Yesterday was on and off busy at work.  I got more than enough measures for the week, though I'll be honest, many customers are not happy with my response when they ask how long they'll have to wait until installation.  When I tell them at least four weeks until their installation, they frown.  You see, a lot of people wait until the last minute, and then expect things to be done easily, and on their timetable.

Like in Afghanistan.  A lot of people want to blame the current administration.  Occasionally we managed to stop terrorist attacks, but more often then not innocent people die.  If so many people hadn't waited until the last minute to try and leave the country things would have been easier, but they waited until the last minute.  Blamers in America want to point the finger at this administration.  Many of these same people are unvaccinated, they fight masks claiming it takes away their freedom. Procrastinators will always procrastinate.  The fact we have already evacuated over 70,000 people means nothing to them, because all these people want to do is point a finger.  I can't even imagine how bad things would have been if they were in charge.

Finally, here's more red ink because I didn't really know what else to post.  Another page from the first draft of The body in the Loch.  

Freshly Baked

 Well, this is my Friday, sort of, because I am off tomorrow, and then I'm off Sunday and Monday, in fact Sunday and Monday will be my weekend for the next 3 weeks.  Next week I'm only scheduled for 32 hours.  That's fine with me.  In a few weeks I'll be averaging between 24 and 30 hours a week, and I will be scheduled during my availability.

Yesterday was fairly slow.  The Temps were warm.  Kids are back in school, somewhat.  We always have a number of college kids who work for us during the summer, and their all leaving.  They become unessential during the fall.  Some will be missed, because they're good workers, others will not since they were only putting in hours to get a paycheck.  

And Only Fans is going to let its adult content providers continue providing adult content.  I find it interesting they made headlines when they reversed their decision.  I wouldn't be surprised if those banks that were putting the thumb screws to the site realized just how much money they were going to start losing.  It's a real bitch when you might not make your projected 5% fiscal growth.

Baked another loaf of Italian bread this morning.  

And, as was expected, the Sturgis Motorcycle rally has led to an unprecedented increase in Covid cases.  Over 1000% by most counts, which a local authority tried to play down by saying something like 'the percentage is so high because there are so few of us.'  Don't even try to find the logic in that statement.  One can only wonder how many of those motorcycle revelers have taken the virus home.  Now, isn't that a nice souvenir?  I can see the T-shirts now:  I went to Sturgis, and all I got was Covid.

The No Brainer

 It looks as though the Forecasters were a tad off on their temp predictions for this week.  Today we're only to get up to 93 (F) rather than 98 (F).  Now, I know that's not much, but every degree cooler helps.  Believe it or not, we're over halfway through August.  September is just around the corner.  Next thing you know people will be celebrating pumpkin pie spice season.  In case you wanted to know, I hate pumpkin spice.  Love the pie, hate the spice.  When I was growing up, the only spice used in baking pumpkin pies was cinnamon.  What can I say?  We're a simple people.

The inflammation in my lower back has moved to my right side.  This is an indicator things are improving.  This is how it usually works:  moderate pain with spasms across the lower back, then it moves to just one side, either left or right, and then finally to the other side, and then it goes away.  The entire process takes about 4 weeks.  Thank god for heating pads.

And yesterday was slow at work.  Really slow.  I had an install cancel, no problem.  The customer said he was going to go with Peel & Stick tiles.  You just peel off the paper backing and stick them to the floor.  This means that instead of paying $1100, he's going to be paying $70.  No brainer.  

I made some small bags of my snack mix to take to work.  Yum.

And, of course, Charlie Watts died yesterday.  When I saw that headline I had to pause for a few moments.  I was never a Rolling Stone fan, but they did impact music around the world.  A large part of that impact was because of their drummer, Charlie Watts.  He is  part of a musical heritage my generation understands.  He was a quiet icon.  Without him, the Stones might not have existed.  I know that no one lives forever, but it is always so difficult to say goodbye.

The Best of Plans

 Well, Tuesday has arrived.  Temps are surging up into the mid-90's (F) today and were 3/4 of the way through August.  I don't expect to see any kind of temp drop until mid September, which is pretty much how last summer played out.  summer hung around for a while, and then it got really cold quickly, but then it warmed up again.  And no, the warm-up wasn't Indian Summer.  I don't believe we had an Indian Summer last year.

Yesterday was rough on the back at work... no ibuprofen or naproxen, and boy did I stiffen up.  Every turn was a bit of a lurch.  This morning, however, things are better.  

Our sales rep for Bali blinds was in the store yesterday.  Very nice, but a real talker.  Also an anti-vaxxer who also believes the sore throat she had very early on last year means she's already had Covid.  Never been tested, of course, and more then a smidgen overweight, so when she does contract it, she might have problems.

For those interested, here is the very first page I wrote for The Body in the Loch.  I had no idea there were going to be so many Big Changes ahead.  Writing is a lot like life.  Every day is a first draft, you you wake up, you eat breakfast, and make plans, and then life takes a red (or black) pen and begins editing.  And so we compensate, and adapt, and delay, and eliminate things from our schedule.  I find it amazing that for some people, their only plan is to make it to the end of the day.

I saw where Ronnie DeSantis was flipping out because the media reported that one of his largest donors owned a large amount of stock in the company that makes Regeneron.  This is anti-vax, anti-mask Ronnie, who's pushing a treatment that only works for some of those patients who are the sickest, and even then it's not a cure.  Ronnie says the report is going to cost lives.  Someone should sit Ronnie down and tell him wearing masks and getting vaccinated is going to save many, many more lives then relying on Regeneron.  But he's a conservative, and his priority is not human lives, but in make sure his rich donor is making money.  In case you didn't know it, this is part of Ronnie's plan on getting his ass elected into the presidency.

Bands

 We ended up getting a fairly large amount of rain from Henri, but not nearly what they received up in Connecticut, and Rhode Island, and New York. We got a lot of drizzle, wizzle soakers, and they got a long downpour.  Over the next 4 days things are supposed to warm up.  With all the moisture in the ground, that's going to translate into hot and humid days.  I am not excited.

I've started a core routine to my work out.  It's pretty much the same stuff I had when I was in PT for my back 6 years ago.  Breaking out the power bands I'd bought back then,  the 'light strength' green band  snapped the minute I gave it a trial stretch.  Everything ages.  Nothing lasts forever.  As we get older, weakening core muscles become a problem.  In 15 years I don't want to be walking around nearly stooped in half.  The older we get, the more we need to do to fight the aging process.

I had to take my car to the dealership because of recalls and for some reason they gave me 3 free months of Sirius XM.  I don't have a subscription. and thought this is a nice change to listening to the music I've bought and downloaded.  I might consider getting a subscription if they'd offer an Alternative Music channel without the DJ.  Having to listen to a babbling bubbled headed DJ is not what I want to listen to when driving my car.   Why anyone needs to have a radio personality chitter chattering away is beyond me, yet there are those listeners who practically live for their DJ.

I understand Loser #45 had a rally in Alabama over the weekend.  Before he launched into his medley of falsehoods leading up to his rendition of The Big Lie, he mutter something about getting vaccinated, and the MAGAs in the crowd booed.  Not that this bothered him, for 2 seconds later the crowd was cheering as the deceits began rolling from his lips.