Floored

 Well, it's sunny today.  Yesterday, as almost everybody knows, it was overcast, rainy, and windy.  Overnight, the temps dropped down to the low 30s (F), and today's high is expected to be in the low 40s (F).  So, while it bright and sunny outside, it's a bit on the cool side.  

I had planned on getting in a fast walk on the treadmill, and a couple thousand meters on the rower yesterday.  That didn't happen.  Instead, I spent the entire morning and early afternoon finishing off the kitchen floor.  I like it.  Lily doesn't.  I had path her way to the back door with area rugs.  She'll get used to it. I think it looks great.  White quarter round, and almond colored cove base are the only things left to do, and that shouldn't take long.  Though, it won't happen today.  I need to buy those things first from my local orange home improvement store.

And, speaking of the orange home improvement store that I work at, Corporate has finally come out and said that Americans are no longer interested in large home renovations.  In fact, both orange and blue home improvement have come admitted this publicly.  This is a problem of their own making.  In fact it's a problem for all retailers who failed to grasp the fact that increasing prices in order to hit their profit goal with cost them in the end.  Prices are beginning to come down.  The American consumer is not going to bend blindly to corporate greed.

Here's what my floor looks like.

And like everybody else in the country, I was floored by yesterday's Supreme Court decision.  We now have proof that not only are they corrupt, but they're gutless has Hell.  Common consensus was that a guilty verdict in any of Trump's Federal cases would have killed his chances for getting elected in November.  Now those Federal cases are on hold, probably until 2025.  This is what the Orange Anus wanted.  But it does more.  Had the Court said he wasn't immune, Conservatives would have blamed them, this decision to delay things gets them off the hook, at least in their minds.  Now, if Trump loses in November, it's his fault and his alone.  

And there was some bright stuff yesterday.  Trump tried to play let's make a deal by offering to pay $100 million of his $454 million fine and got rejected.  Mitch McConnell is going to step down at the end of his term, which is in 2027.  I'm betting he doesn't make it.  He'd like to go out on a high note and instead he'll end up proving how big of a failure he is.

Tiny

 Wednesday and we have thunderstorms and a high wind warning that will expire tomorrow morning.  Temperature wise, we're supposed to top in the low 60s (F) today, before a cold front moves through, not that it's going to be that cold.  Tomorrow, our high will be in the mid 40s (F), however by Friday it's up in the 50s (F) again.  We have another 3 weeks before winter is officially over.  

My eye appointment went well.  I was wrong. I'm not on eyedrops for the rest of my life.  I'm still... borderline.  I suspect I will remain borderline.  In fact, everything about me is borderline.  My blood pressure is barely high enough for me to be on Lisinopril, if I take off 20 lbs that med will be gone.  My cholesterol is, as you might expect, borderline.  The more I exercise, the less borderline I become, meaning I am meaner when I am leaner.  

Another thing about my eyes is that my vision is fairly stable.  They didn't get any worse.  My prescription changed only slightly.  Because my eyesight has not gotten any worse, I can switch off between sets of glasses, so on some days I'll wear the blue ones, and on other days I'll wear the red ones.  I'm actually considering buying a 3rd pair, maybe yellow or green.  

And this made me laugh because we all know that Mike Johnson is small, we just didn't realized how tiny this little man was.

Of course, for those of you who haven't been paying attention, the government is scheduled to shut down again on Friday.  There was a time when Republicans could use these shutdowns to their advantage, back when they at least gave the appearance of knowing how to govern.  Those days are gone.  Mostly because miniscule Mike has chosen to bow down before the Orange Anus.  Republicans don't seem to realize that these shutdowns achieve absolutely nothing.  Having to punt the budget down the road every few months shows how badly out of touch they are with the real world.  In the end, no matter how frequently they stomp their feet, they end up caving.  And, shutting down the government, even for a few days, before caving makes them look even more incompetent.  The truth is America is getting fed up with the "Just Say No," party saying "no," without offering an alternative, something they are incapable of doing.

Tulip Time

 Tuesday tops the week with sun!  And it's going to be warm, with temps climbing into the mid 60s (F).  Sixpence said the temps were in the 70s (F) yesterday in the Chicago area, they should be our entre tomorrow... except thunderstorms are also on the menu, possibly a nice, booming desert before the temps drop back down to what is considered normal for late February.  However, according to the forecast, that chill will be only momentary.  We are in a transitional season.

I have an eye appointment this morning because I need to have the old ogglers checked.  I have borderline glaucoma, so I know my optometrist is going to suggest eye drops again, she does suggest them at every exam.  If I go on them, my appointments will be every 2 years, rather than every year.  If only I didn't hate having to put a drop in each of my eyes every day.  We shall have to wait and see.

Even though work was boring yesterday, I did manage to get 2 measures, my goal for the week... well, maybe I got 2 measures.  One of them hadn't been paid for.  The customer forgot his credit cards.  I printed off his appointment and told him that he needed to call in and pay for it within 8 hours to activate it.  He told me he'd call the store when he got home.  That was around 5 minutes before I left, so I won't find out if he called or not until Saturday, when I work again.

And I just zipped down to snap a pic from the side of the house to prove that we are rapidly approaching tulip time.

And, if you've been paying even slight attention to Trump's legal woes, you see that his team of lawyers are not quite firing on all cylinders.  His finances are liquid enough to cover appeals for the $454 (?) million he owes because of his crookery, and so those attempting to represent him are pulling flimsy legal straws out of their asses as they try to keep his ego from crashing into the wall of reality at a very high speed.  Perhaps if he did have his foot on the accelerator things might not be as horrifically terrible as they are, but this is a loser who can't shut his mouth.  They're trying to keep Michael Cohen from testifying at Trump's Stormy trial because Mikey's testimony will be a slam dunk for the prosecutor.  That case starts in a little over 3 weeks.

His niece says his sanity is dangling.  I don't doubt that, and I'm enjoying it.  

Send $$$ Now

So, I put my phone on the charger last night, though it wasn't centered correctly and failed to charge.  Dead Battery.  Damn.  I hate when that happens.  This is only the 2nd time I can remember this happening.  Now it's nestled in its cradle correctly and should have ready to go when I head off to work.  In the mean time, I've had to use my tablet to get this morning's weather.  Outside, we have partially cloudy skies and they're supposed to stay like that throughout most of the day.  Temps will climb into the upper 60s (F).  No rain today, that's coming tomorrow.

Lily is back to her normal behavior.  Up and down the stairs with little to no problem.  She has gotten pickier about her diet, however, she likes her food ground now, rather than the slices of meat she'd loved for a long time. 

Yesterday, because retail was slow, I endured a long 8 hours of desk time, with occasional breaks to wander the store and talk to friends.  How did I fill that time? Research for the next book took up quite a bit as the story continues to fall into place.  And I also spent some time researching travel packages to Greece.  I figure, I might as well begin looking now.  Many of the include island hopping tours, they don't interest me. This one looks nice.

And, if you're interested in seeing how much interest the Moral Degenerate is accruing here's a nice little website to keep an eye on..

Also, Rhona McDaniel (sic Romney) has announced her retirement from the RNC.  She's stepping down because the Spawn of Satan needs a new influx of cash, and what better spring to tap than the well of the RNC.  Lara Trump is going to be the new co-chair.  Remember, everything Trump touches dies.  So, if you're a loyal Republican, send money now.  Lots of money?   Better yet, give them your credit card number and let them do automatic charges. 

 https://trumpdebtcounter.com/

Flooring, and other tidbits

 Okay, so we've made it to Sunday, the end of the week, the day of rest, except for me.  I always work on Sunday.  Today is supposed to be sunny, too.  Temps climbing into the middle 409s (F).  Short range temps are to continue climbing, reaching the low 60s (F) by Wednesday.  There is some rain thrown in there, but the we are nearly in spring, when spring showers drizzle.

I've finished more of my kitchen floor yesterday.  It's... approximately 3/4 complete, and most of that area by the chimney, and under the refrigerator.  I will need to have to do some serious cuts around the floor vent, but I don't see them as being so difficult as to cause much of a problem.  After the tiles are in, there's the quarter round needing to go in around the perimeter, and the almond color cove base under the cabinets before the construction is finished.  I will be glad.  While it's taken me longer than I though to do this myself, the alternative would have been expensive.   With the floor prep, the cost for someone else to do it would have been around $1000, and that's a conservative estimate.

Lily is back to being an upstairs / downstairs dog, and by that I mean she goes upstairs in the evening to go to bed, and then downstairs in the morning.  The rest of the day she spends on the sofa in the writing room, or chewing on one of her snacks.  She's eating fine.  Her stubby tail is wagging again.  What was her problem?  Well, she has a cyst on her wrist that shrank in size, meaning there was some internal leakage, and she had a swollen gland on her cheek that caused her nictitating membrane  to swell.  All is back to normal.  

SAG awards were last night.  I didn't watch.  But Oppenheimer continued to steamroll it's way through award season.

As expected, Trump won the Republican primary in South Carolina.  59.5% of Republicans in that state voted for him, however, his victory was not a slam dunk.  39.5% of the voters chose someone else, mostly Hailey.  He has lost the loyalty of these people.  That is something the Republican party simply doesn't understand.  They deeply believe the individuals who cast their ballots for someone else will automatically vote the the party's nominee.  Nope.  The only thing they can count on are the MAGA cultists.  Rather than having to chose between Biden and Trump, many old school Republicans will simply sit on their hands and not vote.  And, as several pundits have already noted, one guilty voted will send that number through the roof.

Separation of Church and State

 Well, we've started one of those weekends that everybody is working for...  Of course, that doesn't include everybody that I know, many of whom are retired, or else they work from home and pretty much set their own hours.  Also, I do need to point out that being retired does not mean that you're going to sit back and wait for death to come calling.  I have a very few friends that are waiting for this.  I don't understand what's going through their heads when they tell me "they've worked their entire lives, and they're not going to work anymore."  It just might be a form of laziness.

The weather's going to be fine today.  Temps in the low 40s (F), chilling out overnight.  Tomorrow starts a warming trend, not that we haven't been warm so far this winter, that will take us up into the 60s (F).  By the end of the week we'll be in March.  Spring is in the air, I can smell it.

Another third of the kitchen floor was finished yesterday.  I'm working on it again today.  It's not time consuming, except when it comes to cutting the tiles.  Supposedly, you should be able to cut it by scoring it a few times with a box cutter, and then snapping it.  That, however, doesn't always give you a smooth break, so I'm down in the basement with a hand saw every time I need to cut a tile.

My daffodils are pushing their way up through last years leaves.

And CPAC is happening.  There was a time when this gathering of conservative crazies actually represented something other than... well... a gathering of Christian crazies.  The Orange Anus spoke zombie-speak.  One thing the media picked up on was his racist characterization of black people, the one where he said that black people like him because of his mugshot.  

If I'm remembering correctly, it was a CPAC that they rolled out the golden Trump idol.  That's when Christians should have kicked their concern into high gear.  They didn't.  They were too unabashedly delighted that the evil one was going to give them what they wanted.  So happy were they, they told themselves he had to have been sent by God.  Stupid people.  They shriek and moan about all types of sins without understanding how evil actually works.  It gave them what they were praying for, and they helped to spread the evil in return.  Ouch!  This is the reason our founding fathers decreed there was going to be a separation of Church and State.

America's Duty

 Even though it's Friday, I keep feeling as though it's Saturday.  Don't ask me why.

The skies are overcast.  Temps are supposed to climb in to the high 40s (F), and there are showers on the way.  Notice, that's showers, not rain, nothing that could be considered a steady soaker.  Tomorrow, temps are predicted to cool off, slightly, but the the warm air the Midwest has been having will begin to move through the area.

I got a measure yesterday for cellular blinds.  The young lady wants one, and it needs to be motorized because the window is too high to reach.  The motorization is going to add about $350 to her bill.  

And while I quite enjoy talking to older people, it's not all of them.  Some people want you to feel sorry for them, it's how they convince themselves that they're special.  Take the older woman I overheard at the post office the other day.  She wanted a Post Office Box, but only for 1 month (you have to rent them for at least 3 months).  She whined this story to the clerk: her husband died suddenly 2 months ago leaving her with a large townhouse that was too big for her, so she decided to sell it and move into an apartment.  However, (and this is a big one), she couldn't move into the new apartment for 30 days, and the closing on her house sale was in 2 days and she needed to be out.  And she definitely wanted those standing nearby to feel sorry for her bad planning.  I listened, and said nothing, as the line behind her grew to at least 7 people.  Finishing my business, I left, and I can tell you, the faces on those waiting were not happy.

When I got home last evening, I found the Lade of the House down on the sofa.  She ate her dinner, did her business outside, and then went back upstairs to bed.  I've decided that Lily is going to play the part of the semi-invalid for as long as she can.  

And what about Alabama?  Is a fertilized egg a person?

Of course not.  But this is what happens when you put the Crazy Cracker Jack Christians in charge.  This is the the religious extremism you see in Iran, except this crazy is in America.  In the 3 days since the Alabama Supreme Court ruled fertilized eggs are people, the country has been in an uproar.  It is the Republican party, the GOP, that has enabled these lunatics, and they are out of control.  The party needs to be taken out of power.  All you need do is look at the House of Representatives to see the GOP can not govern.  In fact, they don't really want to govern, they just want to say "Shut up!  We're in charge!"  And it is every American's duty to take what little power they have away from them.

Upstairs Dog

 Another short post because I work today.

Forecasters are predicting rain today.  On and off showers are supposed to dampen the entire region, both today and tomorrow, and then temps will drop, if they're right.  But then we're going to have another prelude to Spring with a warming trend.  We've had so many preludes, I'm thinking maybe we should call them an overture.

Lily had decided that she wants to spend the rest of her days upstairs, lounging on the bed.  She has a better view from the upstairs window, downstairs all she can see are the squirrels, upstairs, the FedEx  and UPS trucks are visible almost half a block away.  She goes up and down the staircase as little as possible.  She's a senior dog.  Biggie stopped, too, but he chose to stay downstairs.

I spent a big chunk of time yesterday cutting out one difficult piece of vinyl plank for the kitchen floor.  Lots of cuts, in under the front of the dishwasher, then out for 1.5 inches for the dishwasher cabinet, then a horizontal cut for front of that cabinet edge, and then an 8 inch vertical for the outside of the cabinet.  I was really concerned that I'd break the plank during the final cut because it's very narrow.  That was the most difficult piece I had to cut.

Here's a pic I took of Lily eyeing the staircase yesterday.  She waited until I was playing a game before getting drink of water and heading up to bed.  Sneaky, she is.

And, of course, it's quite amusing how the Republicans are stammering terribly about their Russkie witness, the one who, at least in the eyes of the Kremlin, was going to give them the goods they needed to impeach Biden.  And, who all knew he was a fake?  Comer and Jordan for two.  And now we have Republican Ken Buck saying everything is a lie.  Ouch!

Republican Sheep

 Okay, so today's weather is supposed to be a replay of yesterdays.  Warm and sunny in the afternoons, with the temps dropping overnight down into the upper 20s (F).  There's rain in the forecast as well.  The storm that just pummeled California is moving east - they all do.  Sometimes we take a direct hit, at other times they the main storm will move either north or south of us.  

And yesterday tended to be a nappy kind of day.  Not that things weren't accomplished, but it always seems as though the next day after working 3 days, I want some recouperation time.  This usually means at least one nap on the bed with Lily.  That probably won't be happening again.  After she went out for her morning potty,  she ended up on the sofa in the writing room.  That happened with Biggie, too, the stairs are just too much for her.  The same thing happens to people as they get older.  Stairs become a great inconvenience.  

Today might be a bit of a nappy day as well.  I stayed up till almost midnight finishing the second playthrough of Starfield.  Rather than do a 3rd speed run through, I've opted to play the main storyline again, though I don't doubt at some time in the near future I'll put the game to bed.  At some point, Bethesda will drop some new extended content, so I will probably pick it back up when that happens.  

Oh, and I saw this yesterday and thought it cute.

As expected, the Republicans are digging themselves even deeper into their hole, not that they have much of a choice.  This is what happens when the "just say no" party doesn't get their way.  Interestingly enough, this has been a big problem for them since Reagan.  That's when they started believing the lie that there was this silent majority of conservative Americans.  Had that been true, they would have never lost the presidency.  Amazingly enough, there are some who still believe this falsehood.  Except now when they lose, it's election fraud.  They will never stop lying to themselves... ever.

And what about Jimmy Comer's star witness in the faux Biden hearings into possible impeachment being a Russian agent.  Wow!  Never saw that coming from a guy named Alexander Smirnov.  Did the Republicans know?  You can bet they did.  They are a complete and utter failure, and they will continue to fail until the very last one of them is voted out of Congress.

Bottom of the Barrel

 What a bright, sunny Tuesday we have outside!  Temps are cold.  When I woke up my thermometer was at 23 (F), which is quite chilly.  Afternoon temps, however, are supposed to climb into the mid 40s (F).  For those counting, we have 28 days until Spring, and I'm certain we'll breeze through them rather fast.

Lily's feeling better this morning.  She rousted herself out of bed to go downstairs for her morning "potty outside."  She snacked on her breakfast, and then did what she's been doing for quite some time now, went back to bed.  On an average, senior dogs sleep between 18 and 20 hours per day, and she's definitely a senior dog.

Work was... odd yesterday.  I had a nice window blind sale go through, after some hiccoughs with getting the quote to print correctly.  I also have a very large flooring sale going through.  There was a problem with that one, too, due to a large dip in their floor (3/4 inch).  The customer told me that she and her husband knew there was a dip in the floor, but they never realized how much of a dip they had.  This is true with so many customers.  They don't understand that you foot is flexible and bends in order to make you stand upright.

And, of course, there was political humor yesterday.  In fact, I'm still chortling away.  Things like this:

The idea of Lara Trump becoming co-chair of the RNC is rattling a number of people in the GOP, and not just because she's a bimbo.  As I said before, even with her partially in charge, funds are going to be skimmed... well, maybe skimmed is not the right word.  How's openly stolen?  All those cultists gleefully sending money to Trump's campaign will actually be paying his legal bills, and his fines, and for ketchup by the truckload.

But the funniest thing yesterday was seeing that Historians rank Trump as the worse president of all time.  Not only did the Internet explode, but so, too, did media outlets.  The Fox Propaganda Outlet was furious, all the while praying that their shitty indignation would increase their ratings.  Like the sneakers picture above, there was bountiful laughter bouncing around in the form of memes, many of the anything but kind.  And, if you take this just a tiny step farther, his rating applies as well to his party, the dying RNC.  

Adding just a little bit of spice to this presidential rating, is that Reagan not listed as being too good, either.  Conservatives love him because he tried to give them what they want, unfortunately, that was at the expense of the rest of the country.  Conservatives are a minority group.  It's time they learned their place in America.

President's Day

 Ah, on this sunny Monday President's Day, it's going to be a short entry.  I slept in until 7 and need to be at work by 9:30.  And it is Sunny.  Not only are the days growing longer, we've only got 28 days of the winter season to work through.  

Lily had an episode last evening.  A little panting, not much, like Biggie with his Cushing's Disease.  Many senior dogs get Cushing's, unlike Biggie, most aren't diagnosed until very late in life, and after diagnosis, they can be expected to live for another 1 - 2 years.  Lily's 10 and a half.  Average lifespan for a Boxer is 11.3 years.  This morning I got her downstairs to go potty outside, and when I went into the kitchen, wouldn't you know it, but that sneaky little lady went back upstairs and got back on the bed.  It's not her heart, it's her breathing.

And, yesterday at the flooring desk, it was rather busy in the morning.  I had a small blind sale.  No measures.   But I did get a lead from the most delightful little, senior Japanese woman.  I find myself chatting more and more with seniors, probably because I'm becoming one.  Believe me, most of them like to talk, and sometimes I get the feeling that people don't talk to them enough.  Just because you're getting up there in years, doesn't mean you've lost your ability to be social.  We are all, or at least everyone that I know, social animals.  Talking is good for you soul.  Maybe that's why my books have so much dialog.  You can describe someone and their actions from here to high heaven, but it's what they say that truly reveals their character.

And, since it's President's Day, I'm posting a presidential picture.

And, since it is President's Day, I thought I'd refrain from talking about the Orange Anus... except for one thing.  He is now considered the worst president we've ever had.  You'll get no argument from me on that.

Ironed

 Happy sunny Sunday morning!  We're a bit cool here in Central Pa, the temp was in the mid 20s (F), when Lily got me out of bed so she could go potty.  That was around 0520.  Me?  I thought, well, since I'm up, I might as well stay up, and started the coffee maker.  However, once I'd sat myself down in front of the computer and began checking headlines, I realized I could use a bit more shut-eye and went back to bed.

2 hours later.

I am really well rested.  Lily is snoozing on the bed.  There is no heating plate on my coffee maker, so the coffee doesn't cook, the pot is well insulated, so the coffee stayed hot.  Yes, it is a well insulated pot.

Yesterday work was... slow.  The snow was light and fluffy, and shoveled fast.  Customers were not completely non-existent, but we were slow.  Those customers in the store were asking "what's your deal for President's day?"  As usual, I gave them my standard reply.  "Deals are going to be in appliances.  We don't do sales in flooring."

One of my fellow associates did manage to ring up a $16,000 flooring installation, however (and it's a big however), the only way the customer could pay for it was to put it on 3 different credit cards.  I don't know about you, but I have a problem with people buying things they apparently can't afford.  Of course, not everybody thinks paying interest is a bad thing if it's the only way you can get what you want.

And I don't know about you, but it seems to me that there is a lot of irony smashing around in the Republican party.

Many Republicans look at Putin's dictatorship authoritarian government and think "wouldn't it be nice to have that here in America, except make it socially conservative."  This same group is also shouting angrily about Russia having nukes in space. One would think that they would be able to put one and one together and make two.  This is a good definition of Irony.  Another good example is their inability to understand that in a country as diverse as America, democracy works best, and that having an authoritarian leader, especially one who has his competitors and critics assassinated, simply wouldn't work here because... we're too diverse.  It works for Trump's blo bro Vlad because most of Russia is a Third World Country.  America is not.  There is great irony here, and conservatives don't seem to understand that if they continue down this path they will simply be ironed flat.

Here comes the Sun

 Well, more free cardio arrived over night.  Not much.  It's not like the snow we had last week, which was wet and heavy, this stuff is light and fluffy and... well it's not really going to provide much cardio.  Because the temps are at freezing, it's already beginning to melt.  

Yesterday was somewhat more productive than the day before, but not much.  I did get a short bike ride in at San Remo.  However, other things kept cropping and up and interfering.  

I have a conference call on Tuesday with the VA regarding my blood pressure.  Neither I, nor they, are overly concerned that there's been a slight rise.  These things happen as we get older.  If I weren't so active, I might be concerned.  Sedentary lifestyles tend to the bane of every senior's existence.

Wow!  the sun has just burst brightly into the room.  That poor snow ain't gonna last too long.

There are only 2 more editor / readers / reviewers to go before The Body in Motion gets published.  And, as always, many, many notes have been taken on the next book, The Body in History.  Pictures have been printed off, character names have been decided on, and even some bits of chapter 1 have been written.  Here's a smashing pic of a Greek windmill.  I'll bet you can't guess how this plays into the next book.

My sister called yesterday laughing uncontrollably about Trump's $350 million dollar fine.  You do have to admit, it is more than a little amusing.  He shrieked that he's going to appeal, but that would mean putting about 15% o that amount into an account, and everybody suspects that Trump's wealth is as fictitious as his tax filings.  As some have pointed out, right now, he owes over half a billion in fines.  That makes me laugh.  The only thing the Orange Anus has ever been good at is getting people to believe his lies.  

Something interesting to think about:  what will the Republican party do when Trump is gone?  They have invested so much into his deceit, have walked across his bridge of falsehoods to find themselves stranded on the other side.  I suspect that many of them will languish there, waiting for their own demise lost in confusion.  Many will never admit they were wrong.  Instead, I don't doubt some will dream of the coming of a second Donald Trump, they way they dreamed and waited for a second Ronald Reagan.

What's a Republican to do?

 It's Friday, which means that this truly is my Friday and I get to go to work tomorrow... possibly... maybe.  They're calling for snow to start this evening and end tomorrow morning with a possible accumulation of 3 - 6 inches.  Right now the sun is blazing in through my window.  Last night we had wind.  Lots of wind.  So loud I could hear it rattling the old windows on the 2nd floor (ground floor windows have all been replaced).

Yesterday was one of semi-accomplishment.  I did go for a row around Lake Como in Italy.  The video was clear, but the camera operator hugged a shore line covered with bushes.  Not much to see, which is a shame since Lake Como is beautiful.

And I watched the first 3 episode of Halo last night.  I enjoy the show, probably because it's a lot less like the video game and more like a Sci-Fi epic.  I find it interesting that the evil alien race, the one attempting to exterminate humanity, is called the Covenant.  Here's the trailer for season 2.

And did everybody hear the hoo, hoo, ha, has racing across... well the internet, and social media platforms, and media outlet's yesterday?  Well, to be honest, there were Republicans grimacing terribly when the news broke that Jimmy Comey's star witness in the Hunter Biden uncrime saga had been arrest for lying.  Yep!  A Trump appointee by the name of Weiss arrested Alexander Smirnov for lying to the FBI.  For those who aren't familiar, it was Al's original statement to the FBI that old Republican duffer Chuck Grassley wanted released to the public because it was so explosive.  What's a Republican to do?  They so desperately want to push the fiction of the Biden Crime family and yet every one of their witnesses turns out to be a liar.  Instead of working on legislation America could appreciate, this Republican Congress has spent far to much time suckling on the Trump's retaliation teat.  They evidently have never learned that everything Trump touches dies.

The Oafish Lout

 We have 2 days of cool weather forecast for here in Central PA.  Notice I said cool.  Highs are to be in the low 40s (F), which for you in the Celsius world is about 5.5, and that's only for the next 2 days, after that we're going to be warming up again.  That's not bad since we're halfway through February... oh, wait, it's a leap year, so we'll be halfway through in another few minutes.  This means we have just 33 days until spring.  My, wasn't that a fast winter?

So, I went to PetSmart yesterday and left snailless.  This means I'm going to have to take a trip down to That Fish Place next week for snails and fish. I don't mind some algae on the statuary since the green sort of gives it that "deep sea" look.  The new statue will go into the tank tomorrow.

Oh, and yesterday was Valentine's Day and, since it is one of those artificial Hallmark holidays, I don't really celebrate. Let's be honest here, if you need to set aside one day to officially remind yourself to tell someone that you love them, you're pretty much of an oaf.   And, if the only time of the year you get told you're loved is on Valentines Day, you're in a relationship with a lout.  Wow!  How's that for vocabulary enhancement?

For those who don't know, back when I was in college, I was involved in theater.  One of the things I did was set design for several of the shows.  This is part of the set that I built for Damn Yankees, a staircase that's used 3 times in the entire production.  At no time did the director ask me if I thought we really needed this staircase.  While I will admit to being naive back then, I will freely admit that I was neither an oaf or a lout.

One of the funny things from yesterday was seeing Mikey Johnson, faux Speaker of the House, telling the world that Tuesday's special election was not a bellwether election.  That's a "ho ho" funny if I ever heard one.  

The Orange Anus is back in court today, up in New York, I believe.  If I'm right, this is the case regarding the money he paid to Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet during the 2016 election.  And Stormy is, I think, going to bring her cloudy weather into the court room to publicly rain on Donny T's parade.  You can tune in if you want, but I'm fairly certain he's not going to do his Streisand impression.

Heading Straight to Hell

 Well, our snow day has ended.  The sun came out, and though it did not sing to us, shone brightly down on the slush.  If it wasn't shoveled, it froze overnight.  Mine was shoveled.  Free Cardio.  The temps climbed into the 40s (F) and melting was well underway by the time night fell.  What's left of the storm will have to deal with today's sun.  Tonight, the temps are predicted to drop down into the teens again, and my back yard will turn into a skating rink.

Yesterday, as do most of my Tuesdays turned into a day any real productivity.  I'm working through Dave P's edit of The Body in Motion and got through 5 chapters, however besides shoveling snow, I didn't do anything physically challenging.  I'm going to have to change that today, after I finish my morning "run-arounds."

One of the things I want to do is stop at PetSmart and pick up some snails.  I had purchased a UV light for the big tank that has eliminated everything except the green algae; snails will take care of that problem.  I might pick up some fish, too.  Earlier this week, the last Greek statue I wanted arrived, that will put 3 in the tank.  Because they're all white marble, the algae shows brighter.  Here's a pic

And there was a special election yesterday in New York to replace George (that's not my real name) Santos.  A Democrat won, Tom Suozzi, and though polls said he only had a 1 point lead over his Republican rival, he ended up winning by 8 points.  Do Not Believe Polls. Their loss of Santos' vote, means that House Republicans only have a 2 vote majority.  Ouch.  Now, I'm going to take a second here and remind you that after Biden won the Whitehouse, Republicans boasted how they were going beat Democrats terribly in the next mid-term elections (the opposing party usually wins a number of seats in both the House and the Senate).  The mid-terms, however, proved them terribly wrong.  America chose Democrat over Republican in most races, and Democrats held the Senate.  And while Republicans did win the House of Representatives, it was only by a few votes.  And, true to form, instead of using their slim majority to push their agenda, they embarrassed themselves by fight among each other, taking an eternity to elect McCarthy as Speaker, and then voting him out of that position.  Rather than attempt to introduce and pass conservative legislation, they have focused almost totally on retaliation, because that's what Trump wanted them to do.  Yesterday's special election was considered a bellwether of what was to come, and they lost it by 8 points.  The Orange Anus is going to take them straight to Hell.  

Snow

 We have snow!  Not the light and fluffy kind, however, thick and heavy.  Very moisture laden, might be a good way of describing it, and beneath the white is a layer of slush, weighty stuff.  This cardio will be a workout.  Temps are barely below freezing, and as the day goes on, the warmer they're going to be getting.  Some forecasters predicted 1 - 3 inches, other 4 - 8 inches.  I'm guessing we got on the low end of the 4 - 8 inches, and while flurries are still flying, I'm not expecting much more of an accumulation. 

An apology to Sixpence for not responding to his comment yesterday.  Blogger did something odd and the reply button was not working.  In fact, the same thing happened to Maddie's reply button after I responded to her comment.  

Retail was slow yesterday.  Once again, I'm going to repeat myself.  We're in the middle of February, here in the mid-state, the number of people choosing to wait on home improvements is enormous.  The installation measures I have been getting are for blinds, not flooring.  There's no need for doors to be open for extended periods of time while product and tools are carried into the house.  There's also a lot less mess.  Cleanup is virtually non-existent. 

Quick snowy weather update, the sun has just broken through the clouds!  According to Accuweather radar, the storm has passed.  So, I guess we're looking forward to partly cloudy skies with temps in the mid 40s (F).  Meaning the snow is already going bye bye.  Here's a pic from my backyard.

And, if anyone hasn't been paying attention, the social conservatives are flipping out over those pro-Christian ads that played during the Super Bowl.  Holy Crap!  Literally.  They're calling them Satanic, and pure evil.  One of the said that they promoted a Woke Jesus (I found that funny), since social conservatives hate the idea of being woke.  Remember woke?  That thing Americans rejected Ronnie DeSantis, and his campaign, because he couldn't stop shoving it down everyone's throat?

Another bit of bright news is that the last chapter of Moms for Liberty in Pennsylvania has officially disbanded because of... lack of interest.  The thing they didn't understand is that parents really don't want someone telling them how to raise their children.  Nope.  Perhaps if they had provided a list of books that parents might want to consider to be either appropriate or inappropriate for their children they might have had a better success rate, but nope, they charged into schools ripping books from library shelves.  That, and the fact that they heartily approved of a White Supremacy.  

Finally, looking out of my window, I think it's about time I got my ass into gear and went out and shoveled some snow.

Run Away! Run Away!

 Snow Watch!  Looks like we might be getting some February weather... maybe.  And while some might be sitting at the window staring out in anticipation of that first snow flake, I will not.  Temps are predicted to drop into the upper 20s (F) tonight while the snow is falling, but they're going to be warming up into the 40s (F) tomorrow afternoon.  I don't doubt that what we do get will need to be shoveled, but how much shoveling is in question since one forecast says 1 - 3 inches, and another says 2 - 6 inches, and that's a big difference.  

Retail yesterday was, as expected, slow.  Even still, I managed to get 2 measures and and sell $2000 in vinyl plank flooring.  My 5 measures last week and $10,000 sales are keeping management happy; I'm receiving a 2 gift cards today.  When I punched out yesterday, there were possibly 5 customers in the store, and the parking lot was very empty.  So, I spent a lot of time scrolling through my phone, talking to fellow associates who didn't call off (there were a number of those), and getting my steps in.  Over 11,000 steps!  meaning I traversed the store a number of times.

And I did see this, which I found funny.

For those who don't get the reference, here's the video explaining the bunny.  Run away!  Run away!

And, of course, the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl.  Not surprising, the Moral Degenerate, Trump posted some sort of congratulatory BS on Truth Social.  No doubt one of his minions had told him that Taylor Swift has much more appeal to women voters than Kid Rock.  There is a rising fear among the conservatives that Taylor might endorse Biden, and I don't doubt some of them are desperately praying for a Holy Hand Grenade.  Well, it isn't going to come.  They're delusional dreams of a socially conservative America are dying faster than Monty Python's knights.  They haven't gotten to the point where they're going to start shrieking "run away,! run away!" but it's close at hand.

Alexander

 It's Sunday, and our temps are not predicted to be as warm as they were yesterday.  At one point, I check the outside temps and they were sitting at a comfy 57 (F).  We are in the heart of the winter.  Not that I'm complaining.  These warm days are saving me bunches of $$$ on my heating bill.  Today, if the forecasters are correct, we're supposed to be visited by showers.  That was supposed to happen yesterday and didn't.  Tomorrow night we have been told to expect wet snow.  

Even though retail was slow yesterday, I managed to get 2 blind measures.  Today, one of my carpet install customers is supposed to stop in and pay.  That will add around $6700 to my sales for the week.  As I did last year, I'm not doing to badly this year.  I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but my measures and sales are better than one of the full time associates'.  He comments every now and then about how he and I are in a "horserace."  Because I only work 22 hours a week and he works 40, he should be doing much, much better, though rather than point this out, that's management's job, I usually just smile.

I began watching the Netflix documentary on Alexander last evening.  I was interested for several reasons, one of them being a general interest in Greek history, another being that a number of Conservatives who began shrieking like mindless banshees because Alexander is portrayed as being bisexual, something historically noted for centuries.  Except for a 2 minute scene, there is relatively little sexuality in Alexander, so if you're interested in Greek history and are worried that might offend you, just blink during that bit.  For those not offended, I have to tell you I was impressed.  The details provided by a number of scholars from several universities, give Alexander a depth I wasn't expecting.  

Oh, and tonight's the Super Bowl. (Sigh).  And I won't be watching.  I am working, though, and the store should begin clearing out between 1 and 2 PM because they need to prepare for Super Bowl parties and Taylor Swift hate groups.   As I've said, I'm not watching, but I suspect that if the camera man focuses in on Taylor every few minutes, half of the Conservatives in the country will either turn off the game or go blind.  Either way, they lose.

Of a Certain Age

 Well, hello sunny Saturday!  If you're in central PA, you want to enjoy it while you can since the clouds are already rolling in.  Temps are going to climb into the low 60s (F).  Drizzle will dampen us this afternoon, and temps will begin a slow, but consistent drop, like the rain that will be falling later in the day.  Right now, however, the sun is blasting brightness in through the workout room window.

I do get to go work this afternoon.  So, I'll be sitting at the flooring desk when our spring-like weather declines.  Will I be busy?  Hhhmm, probably not.  We're in the middle of the February doldrums, when cold weather and the idea of having your doors open for an extended period of time, dissuades many from paying for any sort of installation or renovation.  Not every body.  There are those who might still consider have blinds hung.

We're also beginning to sell custom-made area rugs again.  Can you hear the excitement in my voice?

And I started installing my kitchen floor yesterday.  Rather than spending time on my knees, my biggest issue (and not problem) is making all the cuts to the tiles.  Supposedly, you can use an exacta-knife, or some other sharp blade to make the cuts on the tiles and then break them.  That don't work for me.  My straight edge keeps sliding so the cut is never... straight.  Instead, I'm using a miter saw to cut them.  I find it amusing that after the instructions spend several sentences telling you how to cut tiles for the installation, there's this throwaway tag line letting you know that if the knife doesn't work, you should use a jig saw or a miter saw.  Duh. If they know the blade isn't going to cut deep enough, why talk about it?  Here's what about 36 square feet looks like.  I will do the rest next week.

And, of course, Democrats are still flipping out over Hur's (the special counsel looking at Biden's document issue) comments about his mental acuity.  No matter how much they want to point their fingers and shout he was appointed by Trump, and is a loyalist to Trump, they should have been expecting this.  Biden's age is the Democratic elephant in the room.  They should have been prepared for something like this, and they weren't.  Now there are Republicans claiming he should be removed using the 25th amendment because of this.  Democrats should have known this was a card the Republicans were going to play, and while both parties can play dirty politics, Republicans are masters at that game.

My personal opinion:  Biden should have seen himself as a caretaker president and laid the groundwork for someone younger, say a Newsome, instead of convincing himself that his age was not going to be a problem.

The Lesser of Two Evils

 And we're scheduled to have another sunny day with a high in the low 60s (F).  This will be it for a while.  Oh, sure, the forecasters are saying that tomorrow the temps are going to stay this warm, but rain is going to be moving into the picture and the temps are predicted to fall.  Keep in mind, we're not even halfway through February, though we are now halfway through winter.  See, a bright spot!

Many things were accomplished yesterday.  It always makes me feel good when I can say that.  And today?  I'm finally going to begin working on the floor.  I don't know if I'll get the entire thing finished today (it's not that big), but I am going to be spending a lot of time down on my knees, using my rubber mallet and my tapping block to lock the tiles into place.  I also want to get in a fast walk and a row, and maybe a short dumbbell session.

I deleted TikTok from my phone.  I got tired of all of the reposting of videos from the few content providers I had friended.   One was putting reposting and / or posting new videos every 2 hours and I got bored.  And, since I'm speaking about social media, am I the only one who's fed up with all the ads on Instagram?  I'm wondering how many times I need to hide the Fanduel ads before Instagram finally listens.  

Here's a picture of Lily on the porch from last summer.  She was watching me as I chopped down and dug out the burning bush, which I learned is a predatory plant.  

And, of course, the special counsel released his report on Biden and the documents he'd had at his home.  No charges are going to be pressed, mostly because, according to this guy, Biden is an elderly man dealing with memory lapses.  Of course, Democrats went through the roof.  For years now, they've been down playing any hints of senior memory loss, trying to make Joe's brain look like its as snappy and fresh as it was when he was much younger.  Is the guy who did this a Trump loyalist?  Possibly.  He was appointed by Trump.  Still, this is a problem Democrats should have been more focused on.  There are going to be 2 candidates in this year's presidential election, one is 81 years old, the other is 77.  Both are a bit forgetful.  But one is entirely focused on revenge, and the other just wants to do a good job as president.  Sad as it is to say, this year people will be voting for the lesser of the two evils.  Vote Blue.  Save Democracy.  Put Trump in jail.

Rowing on Lake Mead

 So it's Thursday.  The spring-like temps continue.  Today we're predicted to hit the mid 50s (F), which is not bad for mid February.  Long range forecasts have our temps dropping back down into something considered more normal by next week, of course we all know how reliable long range forecasts are.

I finished playing Starfield last night by becoming Starborn.  As with most Role Playing Games, Bethesda is looking for replay value, the incentive for players to play the game again.  With Starfield, you can replay the main storyline again, or you can do other things, I chose other things.  While I did lose all of my weapons, I did retain all of my traits and abilities.  To make it interesting, as a Starborn, I've transitioned into a new universe (part of a multiverse scenario), so while they original characters are still there, they've changed.  In one universe, some of the good guys are now bad, so while the quests remain the same, you're dealing with an entirely new world.  How long will I continue to play?  Well, that all depends on when I get bored.  I might find a nice comfy planet and start building a settlement.

I tried a combo workout yesterday, rowing and then cycling.  The result was interesting.  It was the first time I'd used the laptop on the new stand, and it didn't roll as easily as I had been expecting.  I'm ambidextrous with a lot of things, working a mouse isn't one... yet, all I have to do is practice.  I did get to row with a gentleman named Kevin Scott, who has decent videos on that Kinomap I signed up for.  Yesterday he and I were rowing in Lake Mead.  What makes his videos interesting is that he changes the direction of the camera, so for a while you're seeing where you're going, and then for a short time you're watching him row.  Here's a teaser of him rowing in Tahiti.  As you might expect, it's a teaser to get you to sign up for Kinomap.

And the Supreme Court get's to hear arguments today on whether states can kick Trump off of the ballot.  This is not the same as when they have to decide if he has immunity, if they even take that hot potato.  I find the entire thing fascinating.  Conservatives so desperately want the court to give them a pat on the head (that's why they loaded it), however they are a minority.  While they did backflips of joy when Rove v Wade was overturned, it has cost them elections, which shows just how shortsighted they are.  Ballot initiatives enshrining abortion rights in state constitutions are easily passing, ripping their joy from their dark, tiny hearts.  Even in Florida, that Cracker Jack Crazy land of DeSantis, the state Supreme Court look dubiously at Republicans efforts to keep on such initiative off of the ballot.  Florida conservatives are going to fail.  Can you hear me laughing?

A Bad Day for Republicans

 Okay, so it's Wednesday.  Again we have sunshine, but then that's not something I reckon I'll get tired of soon.  Let's be honest here, when was the last time you heard anybody wish for a cloudy day?  If the weather people are correct, next week we should be hitting the low 60s (F) for a day or two.  After that, they have us dropping back down to more season temps.

My UGI inspector did his thing yesterday.  A real talkative chap, he felt the need to complain about a customer who needed a police intervention, and even then the inspection failed to take place.  I got to hear how a customer refused to allow him into his house, and waved a pipe at the inspectors, and tried to sic his dog on him.  What happens when the inspector can't do his job?  They turn off your gas.  

Because he managed to get here earlier than I had been expecting, I got in time on both the treadmill and the rowing machine.  I did increase the tension on the rower, moving up a notch to 5, and there was a noticeable difference.  In no time, I had my heart rate up to 130.  I don't know how accurate they are, but according to both the rower and Garmin I burned off 153 calories in 15 minutes.

I signed up for Kinomap, which is an app that lets you select a video you can row to, using down a river, or in a bay.  So, not only will I be riding with Garmin all over the world, I'll be rowing with Kinomap, though mostly in Europe.  I'll have to see if they have any videos of rowing down the Thames.

And, of course, yesterday this happened.

This is the decision I was expecting.  As they Appeals court stated, any other decision would have invalidated the 3 branches of government, and the president would become a dictator.  That is precisely what the Orange Anus wants.  I don't doubt he has wet dreams about being re-elected and then becoming the American version of his blow bro Vlad.  Well, that ain't gonna happen.  He will, as always, appeal to the Supreme Court and they're not gonna touch it.  They will let it stay.  And, if things continue to go as badly for him as they have, his Insurrectionist trial could start in May.  He's trying to get it moved out of Washington, but that's going to be a no go.  

And Nikki Haley came in 2nd in the Nevada primary... 2nd to None of the Above.  Ouch.

Really, yesterday was a truly terrible day for Republicans.  Once again, the House of Representatives, in which they have a slim majority, demonstrated gross incompetence.   You can bet that Trump is behind every one of their bad decisions.  Someone should tell them that everything he touches dies.

If it's Tuesday, this must be my first day off

 Tuesday has arrived and it is sunny, again, just like yesterday and just like tomorrow is going to be. Our forecast isn't changing for the next week or so.  Well, that's not quite right, temps are predicted to slowly rise.  Occasional showers are expected next week, though I'm suspecting that will change.  California is experiencing torrential rains, and they always move east.

Today is going to be an odd day.  UGI (my natural gas supplier) has someone stopping by to check out my gas lines and my meter.  They do this every 2 or 3 years because gas is explosive, and it will kill you if you breath too much of it.  Because all they give me is a window (1200 - 1600), I can't really make any plans.  I don't want to be on the bike, or the treadmill, or be rowing, and have to stop and wait for this guy to tramp down into my basement.

I started watching Feud: Capote vs The Swans last evening, and I was reminded just how much I really disliked him when he was alive.  A lot of people liked his petulance and pretentiousness, but not me.  That being said, I did enjoy the first episode, mostly because I know that his Swans are going to put him through the ringer he so much deserved.  

And of course Main Stream media is talking about the Border legislation that gives the Republicans just about everything they want and how Trump has decided to destroy it because he feels it will make Biden look strong.  Can you hear me laughing.  This sort of tactic works best when it's done in back rooms and out of the public eye.  The mere fact that so many people are reporting this, including Fox, defeats their purpose.  This is just one more pile of shit they should have tried to skirt.  Instead, they jumping right in, probably to see how far they can make it splatter.  

Today is also the day when the Republicans with their miniscule majority are going to try and vote to impeach Mayorkas because of the border crisis they need to keep in chaos.  They need to try and keep at least one iron in the fire.  Oh, wait!  Sudden news Flash!  The GOP has already lost their 2nd vote to impeach him.  Oh, Shit!  Instead of understanding how badly they are making themselves look to Independent voters, they will continue to kick this dead horse because that's the only thing they have to give to their base.

Joni Mitchell

 Yesterday was sunny, temps in the mid 40s (F).  We have the same forecast for today... and tomorrow.  Later in the week the temps are going to be up in the mid 50s (F).  Like last year, and the year before, this winter is turning out to be rather warm.  I tell people that we have no idea how Global Warming is going to effect Central PA.  For all I know, we might end up being a tropical rain forest.

Up until around 2 in the afternoon, business was steady.  I managed to get 2 measures and a shutter lead.  Management should be very happy.  Today I'll have to call a customer who's having specialty blinds made.  We have his window measurements.  Hopefully, he'll come in tomorrow to have them designed.  I really dislike the blind side of the business... and yes, that's supposed to be humorous.

The Grammy Awards were last night.  Other than the Oscars, I don't watch award shows, though I will admit to have been tempted to turn on Paramount when I got home from work.  I ended up playing Starfield.  I'm beginning to build my first outpost.  But then I also knew I had already missed the one thing I had wanted to watch: Joni Mitchell.  For those who don't know, Joni is 80 years old and is a stroke survivor. She won a Grammy and she sang Both Sides Now.  I was a very big Joni fan... still am.  Occasionally in my books you can find a lines from one of her songs.  For example, in The Body Under Ice, Eli makes a reference to the "hissing of summer lawns."  Anyway, here's a bad video of Joni from last night.

And I'm sure MAGA world suffered a crushing body blow when Taylor Swift made history by being the first artist to win Album of the Year for the 4th time!  One of the funniest things I saw was a picture of her head with Trump's face superimposed over hers.  It must grate him all to Hell to have someone as famous, and, I expect, richer than he is to basically treat him like the shit pile he is.  Except for encouraging people to register to vote, which many have done, she has stayed fairly quiet about her politics.  Believe me when I tell you, MAGA world is terrified that she is going to endorse Joe Biden.  Giver her time, boys and girls, give her time.

Aging dogs

Sorry, I forgot to publish this yesterday, so y'all are getting it today.

Sunny days are here again!  At least for the next 5 days.  Temps are predicted to climb up into the upper 40s (F), with the occasional venture into the lower 50s (F).  This is quite acceptable.  As far as I can see, with these temps and this amount of sunshine, the grass in my lawn might start to grow.

Much of the grouting in my large backsplash was finished yesterday.  There are a few odd spaces.  They will be completed next week.  I'm also ready to start caulking.  That won't take long.  And the, and I will admit this, I'll have to begin work on the floor.  When I think about going down on my knees, the word ouch does no justice.

In changing up the training / computer room to make space for the rower, I removed the wall shelf that held the sporty laptop.  It was a big of an eyesore, jutting out for the wall.  Still, I needed either a shelf or a desk for the laptop, so I ordered a small standing desk on wheels.  Space is important.

And the NYT had an article on dogs and how long most of the actually live.  It's probably the most precise list I've ever seen. For all you dog owners, here's the link.  Normally, when talking of dog's lives, the number of years we can spoil them is generalized.  Thanks to this list I now know that Boxers usually live 11.3 years.  Lily is 10.5.  Now the spoiling really begins.

And Trump's DC trial has been pushed back indefinitely because the courts have yet to decide if he's immune.  This was the Orange Anus's intention all along.  It's been his MO for decades: sue / delay, sue / delay.  The only time he wins is when someone else caves, so he hires attorneys who specialize in making plaintiff's cases fail, mostly by dragging them out into eternity.  In the scheme of things, he has always been a loser.

I did find it amusing that Trump did have some sort of mini-rally with a phony UAW group.  Yep, that's right.  He bragged another lie, said he was meeting with union workers and then staged it because... well, the UAW wants nothing to do with him.  And the president of the UAW is going quite public, showing America how once again Trump has jumped into another pile of shit.

 

The Art of Refinement

 Well, it's Friday, the end of the work week for some of you.  Not for me. 

Our temps outside are 44 (F) with a high today expected to be in the low 50s (F), and it's expected to be partly sunny today.  Tomorrow, and for the next 4 or 5 days, our forecasters are calling for full sunshine during the day.  That's fine with me.  Nights are shorter and days are longer.  Soon a spring time will be had by all.

A pic of the new training room will most likely be posted on Monday.  I'm still doing a few changes, like take an old Samsung TV down.  I used it when I was on the treadmill, but now all the equipment faces the big screen, so it's no longer necessary.  I'm thinking about moving it down to the writing room.

I rowed for 15 minutes yesterday, and burned 100 calories.  Nice.  One of the big things I'm going to have to learn is to rely more on the metric system.  Everything is in meters.  Nothing is in Imperial.  Another minor difference is that there aren't very many rowing videos, and those that I've found are "how to," instructions.  I probably just need to refine my search, perhaps look for Rowing on the Thames, or the Seine, or the Mississippi.

And I need you to steel yourselves.  Evidently this picture, and others quite similar are scaring people shitless.

Or perhaps I should refine that comment to say that picture is frightening the Hell out of Republicans.  I, myself, am not a fan of Taylor's music.  Her romance with Travis Kelce is somewhat interesting and I will glance at comments every now and then.  Conservatives, on the other hand, hate Taylor; she gets women to vote, and that's a losing cause for the GOP.  But then Republicans have never had someone like Taylor on their side.  Nope.  They have people like Kid Rock.  In fact, I saw where the Orange Anus is going to be doing some sort of fund raiser with the Kid.  I'm sure that will be a hot ticket.  Taylor spoke out and over 34,000 women registered to vote.  I'm sure that when the Kid speaks out, a certain, small percentage of that number will go out and buy a case of cheap beer.  Republicans will never learn the art of refinement.

Poor Things

 Hello February.  Winter is over 1/3 over!  We're supposed to have on and off sun today, and the temps are predicted to climb into the low 50s (F).  This isn't bad for being almost half way through the season.  That doesn't mean that we're not going to have any surprises.  Nature is notorious for it's undefinable changeability, cruel one minute and kind the next.  

The rower arrived, was assembled, and has taken it's place in the center of my workout room.  I did go for a small row yesterday, 7 minutes.  They recommend you start off slowly, with not too much tensions, since I am, as they put it, doing a new exercise for the first time.  They also recommend that you row almost every day in order to build up your endurance.  That shouldn't be a problem.

Putting the rower together and moving furniture was just about all I did yesterday.  I didn't get the HDMI cable attached from my laptop to the TV, that will happen this morning.  I may remove a wall shelf, or I may keep it in place. We shall see.

Last night I went to see Poor Things.  It's nominated for 11 Academy Awards.  It's very good.  Emma Stone's performance is amazing as an adult woman with the brain of a child, a child who matures under the guidance of Willem Defoe, until she sets out to discover the world on her own.  Poor Things is a fantasy for adults.  The prude at heart do need to be forewarned, there is a lot of nudity and sex, though not erotic or gratuitous, quite often being quite comic.  

And, of course, we're all waiting to hear what the judgement is going to be in Trump's fraud trial in NYC.  Some say as much as $350 million.  That would be nice.  There is one thing you can be sure of, no matter how much his fine / penalty is, he's going to shriek in ALL CAPS on Truth Social.  

Just another reminder about polls and how you should not take them seriously, or approval ratings for that matter.  Reuters published a poll showing Biden with a 38% approval rating, however Quinnipiac poll gives him a 6% lead over Trump (Biden 50% / Trump 44%).  Another poll shows women 22 and older are heavily skewed towards Biden.  That last one might have some veracity, since many women are still upset by the Supreme Court's decision to toss out Roe v Wade.  Also, some context needs to be valued when looking at the number of people who answered their phones to participate in a poll, as well as who's getting called.  Specific target groups who answer can easily tilt the results one way or the other.