The Secret Meeting

 And so we move on into another week.  This morning's temp outside was 59 (F) which is warm for this time of year.  Yesterday afternoon high was in the upper 80s (F) and people, including associates, were walking in through our front doors complaining about the heat.  We have a replay on tap for both today and tomorrow.  That means lawn work on my day off.  Good, I'm hoping to get some sun.  I don't want to go to Greece pale as a fish's belly.

Since it was warm yesterday, people were buying portable air conditioning units for their windows.  We sold quite a few.  At least this year some people seem to be a bit more pro-active. rather than waiting until we're cooking away in the dog days of summer.  

The new narrator is already working on the The Body on the Lawn.  He's asked for a character breakdown, which is something I didn't get with the previous narrator.  He's estimating this project should be completed in between 4 and 6 weeks.  That's fine with me.  For the last book, it took about a week and half; I'm in no rush.  I'm fairly certain this book is going to be longer.  Listening time for The Body Under Ice was 5 hours, I've been checking, that's short.  Most audiobooks run about 8 hours.  Does this mean the first narrator rushed to get the job finished?  I'd say there is a likelihood of that being possible.  For those who don't remember, here's the cover art.  It's good deal right now if you want to buy the paperback.

Kristi Noem was no longer trending yesterday, well, at least she wasn't trendy to the extent she had been on Saturday.  People are questing her judgement at including that story in her book; what audience was she actually trying to reach?  

There was also a not so secret meeting between the Orange Anus and Ronnie DeSantis at Mar a Lago this weekend.  Somehow I don't think they got together to share secret documents the way some people share recipes. But then, both of them so desperately want to be America's first dictator.  That'll never happen.

Trump's election interference trial starts again today.  Everyday is a surprise.  I'm guessing that Sarah  Sanders Huckabee is not one of the witnesses.  You have to admit, that would be really funny, getting to see her pouty, angry face glaring from the witness box.

Kristi Noem kills dog

 Sunday.  Today's supposed to be warmer than yesterday, which topped off in the mid 50s (F), by many degrees. Over 30.  That's right, our temps are predicted to climb up into the 80s (F) this afternoon.  The same will be true for the next 2 days, as well.  And after that, it looks as though are afternoon highs will be sailing through the mid 70s (F).

And, as expected, yesterday the home improvement retail world was oh, so slow.  Blame the temps.  Blame the wind.  Blame the rain.  Rain?  We were only supposed to have spotty showers.  Well, that was not the case.  Forty-five minutes at a time, it rained.  Steady.  Soaking.  We needed it.  This morning we have fog warnings.  It's not thick, and will probably burn off by the time I head into work.

My new narrator and I have been emailing each other and right off the bat the rapport is different then with the first narrator.  This guy wants character descriptions.  He's asking what I want Eli and Max to sound like, of course, they're middle-aged jocks so I have to decided in my head what a middle-aged jock sounds like and tell him.  That's nice.  It's also nice that when I tell him that even though The Body on the Lawn is a mystery, it's more about family than anything else, about parents and their relationships with their adult children.  In fact, when I read through the manuscript prepping it for narration, I was surprised at how integral those sections of dialogue on adult children dealing with their parents to the outcome of the book, of Eli's father developing a sense of pride in a son he'd kept distant for most of his life.

And here is a picture of my dogs, because everyone is posting pictures of their dogs to protest Kristi Noem's shooting of a 14 month old puppy because it was untrainable at hunting, and she hated it.

Of course, social media went wild yesterday, with so many people posting pictures of their dogs.  Is Kristi Noem heartless?  Well, she's a Republican, I think that pretty much tells you everything that you need to know.  The fact that she bragged about shooting her dog, as well as a goat, in her book tells you quite a bit about her mind set.  This is not the first time Kristi's come across as being amoral.  There was that incident when she gave her daughter preferential treatment so secure a position as a state real estate appraiser.  Oh, and then there's her extra-marital affair with Corey Lewandowski, of course, that relationship is immoral not amoral, not that it makes any difference to Kristi.  Oh, and she wants to be Trump's VP.  Ain't that a joke?

The Rug... another lie

 Saturday.  A work day.  Temps are supposed to be cool, hovering in the mid-50s (F)s.  Our afternoon skies are going to be overcast and there will be showers in the area, nothing that's going to amount to much.  We haven't had a soaker in a while and could use one.  This is spring.  Though for the past 2 years most of our spring showers came during the month of May.  Our last 2 winters have been warm, so I'm suspecting nothing is going to break the pattern.

Whether it's the extra hours or not, I find that I've been sleeping longer.  Last night I almost got a full 8 hours of sleep.  That's odd for me.  Usually, I'm getting by with 6 or 7.  

I do get to work this afternoon.  Can you read the excitement in my words.  There are three of us scheduled with only 2 computers to work at.  That means I'm probably going to be getting paid to wander around if the one or both of the other specialists gets a customer.  I can always find someone to talk to, so basically, I'm getting paid a generous wage to walk and talk.  

When I finish up here, I'll be booking the narrator for The Body on the Lawn.  I started booking yesterday and halfway through the process, decided I want to email him with some questions.  His rate was lower than we had discussed, and there was a licensing agreement which was for either days, weeks, or months.  It's an audiobook that's going to be available for years.  So I've got to do a little research on that.  Everything will be concluded this after I finish this entry.

Of course, I did take time yesterday to look through Threads, the Instagram version of what used to be called Twitter.  This pic is actually from Thursday.  What a hoot.  So, the Orange Anus where's a rug, or a toupee, if I were to choose to be polite, but I don't.  The gray stuff is the rug glue that was supposed to keep it attached to his bald head.  The video was so much funnier.

I saw where Jamie Raskin said that the Supreme Court should relocate to the RNC headquarters, of course he was being cynical, and sarcastic, and honest.  One of the things we, just as the majority of Americans, need to remember is that the conservative members of this court don't care what we think.  They are part of that group that is going to say "shut up, we're in charge," and they don't care what kind of damage they do to America, just as long as they get their way.  The fact that their decisions are effecting elections counter to what they so desperately want doesn't phase them.  These few Federalist judges don't understand that states constitutionalizing the right of choice in regards to abortion is a punch in the face.  All they want to do is dictate, and by doing so, they are doing America wrong.

Discovery

Well, it's Friday, outside it's sunny, and I have the day off.  Temps are predicted to climb into the mid 60s (F).  Now, doesn't that sound like a wonderful day for yardwork.  I've a branch on one of my river birch trees that's broken and needs to be cut completely off.  I might even get out the weed wacker.

As expected, yesterday was slow I work.  I did manage to get $2000 vinyl floor tile sale.  That was nice.  I don't expect any of my flooring measures to sell, so that might be all the sales that I get this week.  

I like Star Trek and have been watching the last season of Discovery.  I don't like the one story arcs a lot of TV series have become very fond of over the past few years.  I prefer episodic storylines.  Star Trek dove into the deep end of the story arc pool right from the beginning and, in my opinion, has been struggling ever since.  Each season the Galaxy is about to be destroyed, and they always seem to be up against an advanced technology that always proves to be weaker than the captain and crew of the Discovery.  This year's no different, and I sit there out of loyalty to the series feeling glad that this is the last year.  Discovery is not what Gene Roddenberry envisioned.

Rock and Roll is my preferred choice of music, and that includes what was once called alternative rock.  I also have, possibly some might think it a bad habit, of fixating on one group when I begin writing a new book.  For years it was Fallout Boy.  For The Body in History, I've gone back a few decades to a little known Aussie band called Midnight Oil.  Here they playing one of their little ditties called Sell My Soul.  It should be played very loud.

Since I did work yesterday, I only got to read snippets of the Trump trial in NYC.  There's a great video of him speaking at some point, probably during the lunch break, where he's outside and a gust of wind grabs his hair and lifts it up proving to the world that he wears a wig, or a rug, or whatever you want to call it.  There were lots of mini-bombshells dropped during Pecker's testimony, including the fact that Sarah Huckabee Sanders was in on the payoff.  That should not be surprising to anyone.  She's such a load.

And, as expected, the Supreme Court is going to wait their decision on Trump's immunity until the end of June.  The conservative branch is going to help their god as much as they can.

 

Fake News

 Well, it's a partly cloudy Thursday morning.  Temps are in the mid 40s (F) here, with a predicted high in the mid 60s (F).  Supposedly we're in for a quick cool down, followed by a mini-scorcher during which our high temp will top off at 90 (F).  I guess it's time to prep for an air-conditioned summer.  Will this summer be as cool as last?  If the trend continues that will probably be the case.

Yesterday was so boring at work.  Today is going to be more so.  We are fully staffed... on a Thursday.  We need to be fully staffed over the weekend, unfortunately we have associates in the department who don't like working either Saturday or Sunday, so they call off.  And calling off is soooo easy now.  There was a time when you actually had to speak to a manager who might give you attitude.  Those days are gone.  Now you can call off, or let the store know you're going to be late by using an app we're all forced to use.  You no longer have to talk to anybody, not that talking to a manager was much of a deterrence.  The app just makes calling off soooo much easier.  Sadly, no one's going to call off today, though I was already by one of the specialists that he's not going to make it in on Saturday.

Pretty much everything is set to go for my trip to Greece.  Now, all I have to do is wait 5 months.

And, of course, thanks to David Pecker's testimony in Trump's Campaign Interference trial, we all know that headlines such as these emblazoned across the national Enquirer were all lies.

It's been said many times before and will continue to be said, that everything accusation from Trump and the Republican party is nothing more than a projection.  They have already, or are still committing the crimes.  The lies and deceits they blame on everyone else are merely a reflection of their own crimes and misdemeanors.  They want to exclude themselves from rules, and regulations, and laws they are constantly claiming others are breaking.  The fact that their cultist base knows, understands, and accepts this should be a wake-up call for all normal Americans.  

One thing I find funny are the polls.  In 2016 polls showed Hillary with a large lead, and she lost because Democratic voters stayed home because they thought she was going to win.  And here we are in 2024 and the polls are doing the same thing, this time many of them have Trump in the lead.  And Republicans are happy with these polls.  Am I the only one who sees their mistake?

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

 Oh, my, according to the weather on my computer in about 2 hours gusty winds are predicted.  This means any yardwork I want to do before heading off to work will need to be done now.  Oh, well, the only yardwork on my list is watering the grapes, so I'm pretty much set to go.

Yesterday was a really good day of accomplishment.  I was going to ride the bike, but ended up doing a dumbbell workout instead.  Sometimes, when I ride for too long, I will get leg cramps and last night I went to the movies.  Let me tell you, it can be downright excruciating for your quads to start cramping sitting in a seat at the theater.  Usually, we will sit in the 2nd row behind the handicap accessible space made for wheelchairs.  Rather then a row of seats in front, there are railings and I can stretch my legs between the bars.  No problem.  I've also learned not to ride the bike before a movie.

Oh, and what movie did I see?  The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.  Based on actual events, it's a Guy Ritchie film, a bit on the hyper-violent side, and quite funny at times.  Henry Cavil was one of the stars and I have to admit, I think this was the first time I've ever seen him in a movie.  I never wanted to see his Superman flicks.  The entire cast was good.  If you don't mind the overtop violence, put this on your list.  And, as an interesting side note, one of the characters is Ian Flemming... yes, that Ian Flemming, the one who wrote the James Bond books.

And yesterday was election day in Pennsylvania.  The Democratic race I thought most interesting was the seat held by Scott Perry.  He was uncontested on the Republican side.  The Democrats had a number of candidates vying for the nomination.  The winner was Janelle Stellson.  For years she was a newscaster on the local ABC affiliate station and has unbelievable name recognition.  The one constant in her campaign was her anti-Perry push.  It was constant. While I didn't vote for her, I do believe she has a very good chance of replacing him.

And, of course, yesterday Pecker leaked.  Sorry, I had to do that you know?  For those who don't know, Pecker is the CEO for the National Inquirer, the largest tabloid newspaper in the US.  Back in 2016 he made an agreement with Trump to run fake stories about his competitors, while at the same time quashing stories about Trump's womanizing, and having to pay off porn stars, and hookers to keep them from talking.  Their talking would have hurt Trump's campaign.  So, Pecker helped to shut them up.  What is newsworthy about his testimony, is that Trump has remained relatively silent about it, instead continuing to focus his ire on the judge.

The Bitter, Old Man

 Temps today are predicted to climb into the mid 70s (F).  I can deal with that.  Tomorrow, since this is spring, rain is predicted, but not much, with temps hovering around in what they call the "seasonal" range.  This means it might be chilly, but it shouldn't be cold.  I get to work tomorrow and I don't have any yardwork planned prior to my hitting the store.

I did work yesterday and it was oh, so slow.  I did manage to get the requisite measure for the week, not all I need are the sales.  They might show up, and then again they might not.  It's no skin off my nose.

My internet was down last night.  I found out when Alexa told me he didn't know what I was talking about when I told him to turn off the lights.  Of course, I didn't know it was the entire internet in my area, so I went through everyone of those tedious little steps to make sure the problem wasn't on my end.  This is one of the reasons I have T-Mobile for my phone and Fios for my internet.  When one goes down, the other is till operational.  When Verizon finally admitted the problem was on their end, I went to bed.  This morning everything was up and running smoothly.

Today is primary day in PA.  I voted by mail.  So many people are trying to replace Scott Perry, it's almost ridiculous.  Only 1 of the 8 candidates will go head to head with him in November.  There's a fairly large Republican group that's anti-Perry, so who knows who they will be voting for since in Pennsylvania primaries, Democrats vote for Democrats and Republicans vote for Republicans.

And I saw this picture yesterday.  In case you didn't know, this is what evil looks like.

Have you ever seen a more bitter, old man?

The first witness in Trump's campaign interference trial was some guy named Pecker (I kid you not), who own the National Inquirer.  I didn't get a chance to see what he had to say, but from what I understand he's going to be telling about Trump's frequent sexual peccadillos, and how, for a fee, he kept them out of the National Inquirer.  Evidently the Moral Degenerate was even more immoral than we thought.  Today, Pecker's going to be testifying again, and no doubt, the world will hear that Trump, among everything else, was also a serial cheater.

Court Room Edition

 Monday.  I have to work a full 8 hours.  Outside, the weather is cool but not cold.  Overnight temps dropped down to 40 (F), which was better than what they had been predicting.  Yesterday afternoon I received a text telling me we were under a freeze watch... of course, a watch is better than a warning.

I paid off my trip to Greece this morning.  That's one less bill I need to be concerned with.  Now, all I need to do is save up the money I spent so my checking account is nice and plump again.

With The Body on the Lawn, I've decided that I'm going to deal just with Audible and Itunes.  This means I'm not going to go with Findaway.  While that was a good learning experience, it was just that.  And I'm still learning.  I've been watching educational videos at ACX University.  ACX is the publishing part of Audible.  They cover everything from pre-production to publication of the audio book.  Findaway made it easy, however there were glitches along the way, like The Body Under Ice only getting submitted to certain retailers, rather than all I had selected.  Findaway is now owned by Spotify, which is moving into the audiobook business.  

After listening to soooo many auditions, I've finally settled on a narrator.  An actor named Dermot, who's an Irishmen living in Madrid.  While I was happy with the work the previous narrator did, he was not open to suggestions.  He also managed to get cast in an Indie film and communications with him seemed less important, something he could get away with putting on the back burner.  Anyway, I'm thinking the audio version of The Body on the Lawn should now be out on Audible around the first week in August. 

And I saw this yesterday and thought it rather appropriate.

Today will be the actual first day of the Moral Degenerate's trial.  Opening arguments will be heard.  Donnie will have to try and stay awake.  You may not find this surprising, but I'm not the only person to have doubts about his not napping his way through the 4 years of his presidency. Maybe that was why conversations with him needed to be peppered with praise.  This is also probably the reason he doesn't read; after the first sentence he's out like a light.

Also, his rally in North Carolina was canceled because of rain.  I'm betting it wasn't because he was worried about his cultists, either.  Most likely he was worried his make-up might run

Juror #7

 Well, here it is, Sunday, and I have to work.  Not a problem.  Temps are predicted to be on the cool side, only making it up into the mid 50s (F).  Tomorrow things are going to be warmer, but even than highs will only be in the mid 60s (F).

For the most part, work was boring yesterday.  I did manage to hit my measure goal for the week and had an $8800 sale go through.  That should keep management happy.

I have this sofa in the the writing room that the dogs used to spend so much time on, however, it looks like the dogs spent a lot of time on it, so I'm thinking of getting rid of it.  The problem?  It's very heavy.  Waste management will take it on garbage day if I call them, the trouble is getting it hauled out to the curb.  I'm going to have to start talking to people.

It seems as though I will need to turn into Max Sullivan for a bit and eliminate the Fluffy Foods from my diet.  Climbing on the scale every morning is becoming a very gainful experience.  I guess that every time I look at food I'm going to have to ask myself, what would Max think?

And I know they're trying to keep this information out of the press, but I thought you'd like to see a picture of the 7th juror.

My sister called yesterday while I was at work and left a message.  It seems as though my brother in law went out to buy a generator.  One of the many purchases he's been making which indicate he believes we're going to have a war... he's a Cultist.  Among his other purchases are light bulbs with their own battery packs, freeze-dried food, and dime-sized pieces of gold.  He loves Trump, or rather I should say the authoritarianism Trump represents.  In fact, that's one of the ties that binds most cultists together, the craving for an authoritarian government in which they are in charge.  Yep, they are the Republicans.  The same group whose mantra is "shut up! we're in charge!"  Of course, when you look at the GOP it's easy to see that when they do manage to get themselves into positions of authority, they give tax breaks to the wealthy and to corporations.  They simply don't understand that the vast majority of Americans, given the choice of an authoritarian government and one that is Democratically Centrist would chose the latter.  Nor do they understand that trying to force that form of government onto the nation would be terribly disastrous for them.  Face it, you can't fix stupid.

Trump cuts the Cheese

 It's Saturday, and that means I get to go to work.  As you might guess, that means the clouds are going to dissipate and the sun will shine.  Temps are predicted to climb into the upper 60s (F) and that means the grass is going to grow.  With all the drizzly rain we've been having, Tuesday is probably going to turn into a mow day.

I'm rather pleased to say that I accomplished much yesterday, including a ride on the bike.  I also, after cleaning the oven, roasted a nice piece of corned beef.  I prefer roasting over cooking in a pot with cabbage and potatoes.  I don't need the soupiness of corned beef and cabbage.  My tastes run more to the Reuban, though not necessarily the sandwich.  Corned beef with sauerkraut topped with a nice chunk of Swiss cheese is just as tasty, especially if the cheese is melted.  Yum!

My new availability is going to be effecting my movie nights because on the days I work, I won't get home until 7.  We prefer shows that start before then, of course, I can always head right over to the theater from work.  This week I'm scheduled both Wednesday and Thursday.  Next week that's not the case, and I'm also scheduled off on Saturday, which rarely happens.

And my passport arrived yesterday.  It's different than the last one, more plastic and a lot more seals, the imprinted kind, not those that eat fish.

I found this to be downright hysterical.

One of the things presidential candidates do is try and present the most appealing image to the voting public, and this is done by rallies, by giving speeches, and make public appearances.  Trump's campaign interference trial is turning that approach upside down.  He's no longer able to hit the necessary fund raisers because he now has to sit in a courtroom.  The public was never given this sort of up-close and personal look at the Spawn of Satan, until now.  One of the things we're learning about him is that he likes his naps.  He nods off daily.  I don't know about you, but if I was on trial for breaking a serious law, I'd be paying close attention to the proceedings.  Not Trump.  He just dozes off.  And yesterday?  He had a problem with flatulence, what we colloquials call "cutting the cheese."  From all of the memes I've seen, it must have been truly moldy cheese.

Trump: The Footnote in History

 It's Friday.  The last of my 4 days off in a row, and the weather is going to be putzy. The clouds are not going to be clearing and this afternoon spotty showers are in the forecast.  Temps in the mid 60s (F).  This is not the recipe for joy.

Yesterday was a day of accomplishments: another walk in Adams - Ricci, a ride on the bike, and a dumbbell / band session.  Some writing was done.  And, according to Garmin, I had an excellent night's sleep, over 7 hours.  If it weren't cloudy outside, I be feeling quite refreshed.

About a month ago I tried baking some cream cheesy, peachy thing in my oven, my own recipe, and the spring form pan leaked.  It was one of those things I should have cleaned up but put off because I use the air fryer more than the oven.  Well, last evening, part of my dinner was roasted asparagus, so I fired up the oven and smoke came billowing up.  Burnt sugar smoke.  Now my house smells like burnt sugar, not the most attractive scent around.  This morning, when I go to my neighborhood Giant supermarket, I'll be picking up some over cleaner, and maybe a couple of dozen scented candles.

Here's another picture I took while walking through Adams - Ricci on a sunny day.

And, of course, there are only 7 more alternative jurors to go in Trump's campaign interference trial... or is it 6?  Either way, jury selection should be completed by the end of today.  I find it interesting that those people who've been eliminated have said, after seeing him sitting in the courtroom, is that he looks like an old, orange man.  He might look more sympathetic to the jury if he got rid of the make-up and took the blond dye out of his hair.  Juries do tend to empathize with seniors.  However, that would present a terrible problem for him.  His cult wouldn't recognize him.  They'd wonder just who is this stranger?

I find it interesting that more and more news services are showing him approaching and leaving the courtroom without any sound.  I've seen 3 so far, and the on-air reporter always mentions that we've heard it all before, and that he isn't saying anything new.  Old news.  Stale news.  Been there, done that, and it's time to move on.  That's one of Trump's many problems.  Like the GOP he now runs, he is unable to stop kicking that dead horse.  Except for his cult, who have turned his whines into a mantra, America is ready to move on.  This trial will guarantee he is only a footnote in history.

Nature

 The weather forecasters have planned a day of filled with a solid cloud cover.  Not a wink of sunshine shall peep through.  Temps are predicted to be in the low 60s (F).  Not my kind of day, still I do want to get a bike ride in and possibly a bit more.

Yesterday turned out to be busy and tedious.  Meh!

My neighbor and I had our updated signatures validated by a notary public for the will which was changed.  That took about an hour of the morning.  She drove. All backroads.  She doesn't like driving on the highway.  And she talked constantly.  Her favorite phrase is "you know what I mean?" except she never pauses to let you answer.  She's also a smoker and said, "I hope you don't mind," as she lit one up.  Those clothing are waiting to be washed later today.  Don't get me wrong, she's a very nice person, she'll be taking care of my fish when I'm in Greece.  She just has some idiosyncrasies.  

I had lunch with my cousin and her husband and she texted me the wrong time, so I sat around and waited... and waited, for them to pick me up.  And then I ate pasta, and all I wanted to do was sleep the rest of the day.  Those damn carbs!

Here's a picture of the nature trail at Adams - Ricci that I walked the other day.

And because yesterday was such mish - mash of time consumption, I didn't really get the chance to pay attention to what was going on with Trump's Election Interference trial.  More and more people are beginning to call it that, rather the Hush Money trial, since his payment to Stormy Daniels was made to keep her from going public.  Honestly, though, I don't think the cult would have minded that much.  They swallowed so much of his guff without batting an eye.  For all I know, they might have actually found it amusing.  They're weird like that.

Oh, and evidently Fox called MTG and Idiot, not that she cares.  That, in itself, defines her as being an Idiot.  Oh, and her dipshit boyfriend was up in New York City and made the comment that he was surprised.  He'd been expecting the streets to be over run by homeless individuals and violent crime to be rampant.  This was not the case.  Of course, he listens to Marjorie which makes him an Idiot, too. 

Swan Song

 Yesterday, the weather was gorgeous.  Weeds were wacked.  Grapes were planted.  The temps were in the mid 70s (F).  It was a beautiful spring day.  Unfortunately, today the showers are going to return, with temps in the low to mid 60s (F).  It's important to keep in mind we're barely into spring.  

Much was accomplished yesterday, starting off with a 1.5 mile walk around Adams - Ricci Park.  I took pictures with my phone!  Rather than stay on the paved trail, I took the Nature Route, which is a hillier dirt path.  There were a lot of small branches littering the extended section, as well as the normal roots sticking above the ground, and to my surprised, I passed a fellow walker wearing flip-flops.  That's right, on a path where you constantly need to be lifting your feet and watching where you put them, he was he was flip-flopping away.  Maybe he saw it as some sort of obstacle course.

I'm dealing with a bothersome legal issue right now that is not of my own making that has become a bit of an inconvenience.  Evidently 8 years ago I signed as a witness on my neighbor Eileen's will.  I don't remember it.  Anyway, about 2 months ago she died.  However, she did several changes to the will by hand, initialing and dating each of the changes, one of which was removing her brother.  I think he's complaining because now I have to sign a document saying I was one of the witnesses, and it has to be notarized.   What a bother!  Hopefully, this will be done this morning.

How about this for a headline?

Of course, Trump's trial began yesterday, and as many are pointing out, it's not so much of a Hush  Money trial, as it is a trial of campaign interference since he interfered with how his campaign was viewed by the voting public.  And, of course, he lied right from the very beginning.  Then he attempted to cover up his lies.  What else is new?  I'm getting hearty ho, ho, ho when I hear the GOP say this very public trial, one where Don Snoreleone fell asleep 2 days in a row, is not going to change the public perception of the Spawn of Satan.  He thinks he can turn these daily hearings into tiny little campaign events, like he did with the Covid debriefings, however that isn't working.  More and more, the media outlets are no playing his sound bites.  They show him, mostly in the parking garage it seems, talking but with out the sound, and, as the newscaster on NBC said yesterday, "he's just repeating the same thing, over and over again."  He doesn't realize that only his cultists will fail to realize this is his Swan Song, and it's not even going to be a One Hit Wonder.

Mr. Grumpy goes to Court

 Forecasters are saying we're going to have a bright and sunny day here in Central PA, and I will openly admit that I'm up for it.  Tis the season of yardwork.  Now that I'm in a short hiatus between beasties (dogs), I'm going to reseed the area of lawn inside the fence.  So, today I'm going to take my weed wacker out and decimate a large section.  Our temps are predicted to climb into the mid 70s (F), which is just fine and dandy with me.  

I did work yesterday.  It was sooooo slow.  Last week's sales figures are equal to what they were prior to the Covid lockdown.  Of course, Wall Street is demanding that we force 5% growth, so corporate is trying to squeeze water from a stone.  To my surprise, yesterday was the first time I heard one of the most conservative associates in my department complain about pricing. OSB (particle board) is selling for over $33 a sheet.  He knows it's terribly overpriced, and complained that with such high prices we're never going to hit our planned sales.  This is something Wall Street is eventually going to have to come to grips with, 5% growth year after year is unsustainable.

Anyway, I'm thinking of g3etting rid of the dog sofa in the writing room.  It's old, been used by 3 dogs, and no matter how much you clean it, the stains are never going to come completely out.  If I call Waste Management, they will pick it up with the garbage, I've just got to get some strong arms to help me get it out of the house.  Maybe I'll replace it with a small dining room set.

And then yesterday Mr. Grumpy went to court.

I was working, so I had to rely on social media for most of my trial updates, and even those were amusing.  Some people began calling him Don Snoreleone because he fell asleep, though there's no evidence that he actually started snoring.  He will try to turn the next coming days into a constant campaign stop the same way he did his daily Covid briefings.  And the speeches he's going to make?  A broken record of complaints, skipping back over and over again in an endless whine of repeat, repeat, and repeat.  I had to laugh when I heard he wanted to stand next to the judge while potential jurors were being questioned.  He so desperately needs to be seen as a person of authority.  And it was also reported that he had some terse moments with his attorney.  He wants to play armchair attorney, which will help to incriminate him even faster.  And I also had a big hoot when I saw the list of witness.  Giuliani.  Steve Bannon.  This is more like a league of liars than anything else.  I'm not that familiar with what they can and can't do in a Federal trial, but if they can claim the 5th, they will.  Of course, that never sits well with the jury. 

Fallout

 Well, it's Monday, the beginning of the work week.  Presently our temp is 49 (F) and it's expected to zoom, zoom, zoom up to 80 (F).  That's warm for this time of year.  We had rain overnight, and thunderstorms are expected later in the afternoon, early event.  With it being so warm, and with the rain, I can tell you that my lawn is going to go zoom, zoom, zoom as well.  

I do get to go to work today.  This will be the last shift I start at 0930.  That makes me happy.  Sure, I get to leave an hour earlier, but I'll be honest, that hour doesn't make that much of a difference.  I'm a morning person.  I get things done in the evening.  When I get home at 1930, all I want to do is either watch something on TV or play a video game.  The idea of starting a project, or continuing a project is the farthest thing from my mind.  I sure as hell not going to take a 14 mile bike ride.  In fact, as far back as I can remember, I've never been an evening person.  Perhaps that's why I was always late with my homework.

And, speaking of TV and video games.  I watched the new Fallout on Amazon Prime.  Loved it!  And I'm evidently not alone.  The show has a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes.  That same % is on Google reviews.  Yes, it's that good.  It has over the top violence that makes you laugh.  There is so much going on, I may have to watch it a 2nd time to get what I've missed.

Today is, also, the Spawn of Satan's first day in court.  Do you have any idea how good it makes me feel to say those words?  Finally.  Will he be held accountable?  I don't doubt.  I'm hearing that it make take 2 weeks for the jury to be seated.  During that time prepare for the onslaught of media reporting and opinionizing as America has never seen.  Will it hurt Trump in his attempt to win a 2nd presidency?  You bet.  He has always played the part of the injured party, but for this trial to help him he would need to play sympathetic and that's impossible.  He has always played the part of the angry victim, however, that's going to be difficult as people begin to testify.  As his sleaze factor goes on full display, Evangelical Christians are going to discover Trump was the test of Faith that they failed.  He is not the Herald they were praying for.  The cultists will rage, not because they feel sorry for him, but because he got caught.  It's always fun watching a phony great man fall.

A Plague of Locusts

 It's 42 (F) outside.  The early morning skies are somewhat overcast.  If the weather forecasters are correct, they will give way to partial sunshine and the temps will zoom up into the high 70s (F).  That would make for a really nice day, how sad that I have to work. 

Luckily I'll be sitting at the flooring desk, rather than outside loading mulch in people's cars.  And yes, mulch season has arrived.  That time of year when customers line up to buy bags of (mostly) organic material to spread around their flower beds in order to gain optimal curb appeal.  I can only remember using it one time, and that time it ended up getting spread far beyond the the flower beds by squirrels who can never remember just where it they've buried their nuts.

And for those of you who don't know, there is a plague of locusts coming our way... well, that's not precisely correct.  This summer, two groups of cicadas are going to be hatching.  From what they're saying, they being those who know about cicadas, the numbers will be in the billions.  Two different brood groups will be making their appearance at the same time.  There will, literally, be a plague of locusts.  This summer is going to be special... but not for everybody.  When I first heard about this insect event, I thought it was going to be all over since we have locusts here in Central PA.  Wrong.  It seems that most of this pseudo-religious event will be happening in none other than the Red conservatives states.  I honestly had to laugh when I saw which states are going to be effected the most.

And barely an hour goes by with out the Orange Anus  spitting out something vile on his Truth Social account.  Everybody does know what Truth Social is, don't they?  That Trump owned Social Media platform that went public, so people could invest in Donald?  Of course, it's failing because everything Trump touches dies.  Truth Social was supposed to earn him billions.  (Can you hear me laughing?)  The stock was way overpriced, initially at $70 a share, though the bottom fell out fairly fast and it's now trading at around $29 a share.  Ouch.  A lot of cultists are losing money.  Good.  Everything about this man is a lie.  The "Art of the Deal," was a lie.  Truth Social is anything but true.  The cultists will never understand.  For that to happen they would have to not only think, but reason as well.

Picture This

 Oh, my gosh!  It's Saturday.  I have to work.  Weather wise our temps are predicted to climb into the mid 60s (F), though the wind will be steady at 20 - 25 miles per hour, with the occasional gust.  Spring.  Isn't it nice that it is so easily undefined, a potpourri of weather patterns that shade and shine across our lawns, filtering with colors that both dim and dazzle.

Anyway, yesterday was interesting.  I've begun to play around with the digital camera I bought, a Canon.  It got good reviews, which is nice, and it was fairly inexpensive, which is nicer.  I used to have a Nikon, and the only thing I liked about it was that it was red.  Photo storage was cumbersome, the Bluetooth never stayed connected to my phone, and Nikon wanted you to use their cloud storage called Nikon Spaces.  Most digital cameras have the same set-up, so if you know how to work one you should be able to work another, meaning the Canon is quite similar to the Nikon, but without the crappy Bluetooth, and storage problems.

And, as is my habit, now that The Body in Motion is published, I started actual work on The Body in History.  I think of it as a little tale about identity theft and the intervention of fate.  The plan was always for it to take place in Greece, and now I'm going there.  Will Eli and Max meet a Pythia?  Will they have to deal with the Cult of Phoebus?  You'll find the answers to these, and other questions next April.

One of the settings for The Body in Motion is the Adelphi Theater, which was torn down in 1970 so they could build a Hilton Hotel.  One of the pieces of history that were lost during demotion were the murals painted by Mortimer Lichtenauer.  Among his other works is the ceiling of the Shubert Theater, in NYC.  Here's a photo of one of the murals in the Adelphi Theater.

Of course, I'm looking forward to Monday, as are many people in the country.  Trump in court.  Of course, this will on be for jury selection, and one thing you can count on, the Orange Anus will have his attorney's object to every possible juror.  There is no limit to the number of jurors an attorney can want dismissed, but for dismissal to happen, the attorney needs to have a reason.  Thin lips or narrow eyes doesn't count.  Trump will try and use this as a delaying tactic because he knows he's going to lose.  He also knows that the media will broadcast every filthy detail in All Caps.  This is just another way for him to destroy the Republican party.  More power to him.

The Body in Motion

Now available for Kindle and as a paperback on Amazon.  Next week the eBook will be available for the Nook at Barnes & Noble.  Do I stick it to Social Media?  Yes.

While being nominated for a Motion Award was not as prestigious as getting nominated for a Webby, Eli and Max were both delighted the little blog their associate Bobby Tussel had started for them was being recognized.  Now they had a reason for spending some time in New York City and had planned on sticking around after the ceremony to take in the sights and see a couple of shows.  Of course, those plans went all to hell after a body turns up and they find themselves in a social media maelstrom, as bloggers, vloggers, and YouTube influencers all try to get in on the action.  Everyone seems to be demanding a piece of the investigative pie, as they put together clues to solve the mystery of The Body in Motion.

Something's Coming

So here it is Thursday, and our weather forecasters are predicting a rainy, windy day.  Joy.  This is what we have to look forward to, until Sunday, when it will once again be party cloudy, though cold, with a high temperature sitting somewhere in the upper 50 s (F).

My lower back is a little cranky this morning.  That means I need to spend more time on the treadmill.

As someone who writes, I try to constantly upgrade my vocabulary in order to use words that younger readers can relate to.  It's nice to incorporate current slang words such as sick and dope, though I don't think sick is a popular as it once was.  This is how it goes with slang.  In one minute, and then out the next.  This is why there is a character in The Body in Motion, a pseudo influencer, who's concerned about his "riz."  It's also why... wait, what was that?  A little trembling coming from New York City?  It can't be another earthquake, they only have them once a century, and they just had one.  Hhhmm.  Then it must mean something big is approaching.  And I just got an email from Bobby Tussel!  He says something huge is on the fuckin' horizon! and he included this.  I wonder what it all means.

In other news, the Orange Anus struck out for the third time yesterday in his attempt to delay his porno / hush money trial.  I'm sure his brain is flip flopping inside his head.  The legal tactics he's always used to avoid legal prosecution are failing.  And, it is good.  He splutters more and more when he speaks, that, too, is delightful.  I did chortle when I saw that one of his attorney's arguments that his trial should be delayed because it was keeping him off the campaign trail.  Perhaps its because he's not going to be able to turn his approaching courtroom sessions into a profanity laden stump speech.  Not that he isn't going to try.  A funny thing people are noticing is that some of his posts to Truth Social appear to have been written by someone else, rather than the Moral Degenerate.  They know this because there are coherent sentences and no ALL CAPS shrieking.  Don't worry, there will be more attempts to stave of the eventual. And this is more than a one, or two bowl of popcorn event.  Maybe we should buy stock.  

 

Travel Insurance

 Yesterday was beautiful.  We reached a high of 77 (F).  That was fine.  My lawn was mowed, leaves were raked, and pruning was completed on the rose bushes out front.  I've even weeded a bit.  Today, however, the overcast skies with their showers are back.  Tomorrow the forecast is simple:  rain.  That means next week I'll be mowing my lawn again.

The passport photo went well.  Maybe I'll scan one of the pictures and post it here.  Me without glasses.  I do look somber.  I suppose that's because most people don't smile, or at least not as much as we think we do.  That's something I was thinking about at work the other day, that I seem to be smiling less frequently.  But then I don't know.  I don't really spend a lot of time thinking about smiling.  So many things are running through my head, most of which are not happy, smiley thoughts, and I wonder if I've always been like this?  Probably.  Most people don't smile, unless they have a reason.

I need to get travel insurance for my trip to Greece, so I was shopping for options yesterday.  Simple coverage is not that expensive, it's when you add in the cost of getting a cancelation reimbursement that sends it through the roof.  It would be nice to be reimbursed should something happen and the trip would get canceled.  However, once I started looking at the exceptions that weren't covered, that I began to question if it truly was worth the cost.  My cousin and her husband were supposed to go to Israel and of course the war happened.  Now, the insurance company is making they jump through all sorts of hoops to get their refund, you see the insurance company still wants them to go.

The tulips at the side of the house.

Of course, Arizona's Supreme Court using an 1864 law to set a precedent on abortion in the state is roiling the Republican party big time.  I find it rather humorous.  For decades, the Republican party has catered to the the anti-abortion crowd because they saw this group as a constant, steady voting bloc.  Now that they're getting their way, the RNC has realized that all their catering is now cratering their candidates in local and state elections.  How smart is that?  But then, no one ever said the GOP was smart.  The truth is they never really thought about it.  Their only goal has been to get themselves into power.  To do that, they have turned, and twisted, and jerked themselves into all sort positions to satisfy fringe groups in order to get themselves elected.  Now... well, it seems as though they're starting to realize they've been shitting in their pants for years, and it's the American voters who are going to change their dirty diaper.  Republicans have always been more desperate than smart.

Excitement

 We have a bright sunny day scheduled here in Central PA.  Warm, too, with the temps predicted to climb as high as 78 (F).  That's really warm for this time of the year, and my lawn is going to go zoom, zoom, zoom, growing faster than you can believe.  Tomorrow, on the other hand, that temp is supposed to drop back into a more season 66 ish (F).

I have my passport appointment this morning.  It's going to take longer to drive to the Post Office than it will to have my pics taken and hand in the forms.  I am, however, going to kill 2 birds with one stone.  While I'm there, I'm going to drop of my Mail in Ballot.  One good thing is that I have my expired passport to use for my identification.  I'm going to take a birth certificate alone, too.

And, of course, yesterday was the Solar Eclipse.  I put CNN on the monitor at work so I and my fellow flooring specialists could watch.  My manager made one of those box viewers and was walking around with it.  Since I didn't buy any glasses, I hadn't planned on going outside... until they announced it over the store system. "Any associates wishing to see the eclipse can meet out in front of the building."  There were only 4 or 5 people in the store, so I went out front.  Here's blurry picture I took.  Not a big crowd, just employees passing around one pair of glasses and the box.  A few customers joined us.  I will admit I was surprised by all of the excitement.  It was neat to actually see it.  It was a dusky, not dark, and the light itself seemed to be coming through a filter... which it was, sort of, as the sunlight slipped past the moon.  I can't wait for to see the next one in 2045.

And, as expected, there were no biblical events, no Hand of God manifestations, no earthquakes, no tidal waves, just the government of Arkansas sitting tightly in their sate of emergency.  This is what happens when you choose mythology of science.  I wouldn't be surprised if there were quite a few social conservatives who were sorely disappointed that nothing did happen.  Many no doubt wished the eclipse would have been a sign, and it was, just not the one they were looking for.

Of course, yesterday the Orange Anus said he believed abortion rights should be left to the states, that was another sorely disappointing message for social conservatives.  You see, the Evangelicals want to desperately believe that he was sent by god to give them what they want, and his statement doesn't fall in line with their wants and desires.  You'd think they would have realized that everything he says has the taint of deceit, so nothing coming  out of his mouth can be trusted.

The Eclipse

Can I get a big shout out for Eclipse Monday!  For the vast majority of this planet, today will be a day just like any other.  Here in Central Pennsylvania, it will go dark, at least for the most part.  We're not under the direct path of the moon's shadow, but we will get dusky.  Temps will be in the upper 60s (F).  Winds will be calm; that's right, they're not going to get excited about something that's happened millions of times.  

As you can probably tell, I'm not that excited by today's astronomical event... or, if you want, you can call it celestial.  You see, this is not my first rodeo.  There was another full eclipse of the sun when I was a child, about 8 or 9 years old, and people were just excited.  I was excited.  Back in the early 1960s there was another eclipse, though Central PA on caught the edge of that one.  My dad, who was working at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Lebanon, brought home some exposed X-ray film and cut it up into squares so we could watch the moon pass in front of the sun without burning off our corneas.  It was a big thing for me.  Today's eclipse?  Been there, done that.  What a shame for all of those eclipse watchers that we're most like going to have cloudy skies.  We will be dusky.

Yesterday work was slow.  I'm betting it's going to be slow again today because so many people are going to standing outside gawking at the sun as they try and blind themselves.

A long time ago there was a group I like named Travis.  They had a decent hit with a song called sing.  I bought the CD.  While they continued to make music, Sing was they're only big hit, and I thought they'd gone the way of most one hit wonder bands, until last evening.  The group has been putting out new music for years.  Here's their latest.  It rocks.

And, as expected, the approaching eclipse has brought the crazies out in full force, especially the Evangelical, Conservative crazies, like Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the rather dim governor of Arkansas.  How dim is Sarah?  Well, Sarah's believes that today's eclipse is the equivalent of "the sky is falling."  Yepper.  Catastrophic and Calamitous events will abound..  Things are going to be so bad, that Sarah's decreed a pre-emptive State of Emergency for Arkansas.  I actually began to read her decree and had to stop because I was laughing to much, I kept spitting out my morning coffee.  She had evidently decided that eclipses are Woke, and it is her job to prepare the people of Arkansas for the end of the world.  Honestly, there's stupid, and then there's Republican stupid.  Of course, there's always the remote possibility that Sarah knows something we don't.... nah. She's just dumb as a brick.

 

Dullards

 Today we hit the 60s (F) which is alright by me.  Partially sunny.  That's nice, too.  Tomorrow are temps are predicted to be even warmer.  By Wednesday, they're supposed to be in the upper 70s (F).  However, there's always a cool down, isn't there.  Thursday the showers are going to be moving back into the picture.  I suspect that on Wednesday I'm going to have to get out my trusty little lawn mower and give the grass a buzz cut.

Yesterday business was slow.  I managed to get 3 measures, though one was arranged by the Specialty Manager and he had me mark it down.  I'm not wild about giving free measures.  To me it smacks of desperation.  While the measure happens on Tuesday, the installation, if the couple buy it, will not happen until sometime in early June.  It's my experience that when the time between the measure and the install is that great, the customer is going to use the measure quote and shop around.  This means the free measure generates business for someone else.  I did point this out to the Specialty Manager, and he knows, if this does happen, I will point it out again.

So my brother texted me some pictures he'd taken in Scotland.  In 2 of them the skies are clear and sunny.  That is not always the case over there.  It is spring, after all.  He did say that it's very, very, very windy.  Anyway, here's one.

The Moral Degenerate posted some sort of hate video on his Truth Social account yesterday and, of course, dullards copied it and posted it on Threads and Musk's social website, the one formerly known as Twitter, but now understood to be known as "going bankrupt."  A number of these dullards reposted it as a warning, saying we should watch the evil.  They did so without understanding they are playing right into his tiny, evil hands.  This is what he wants them to do.  This is how he spreads his evil, since no one in their right mind follows Truth Social.  I even saw some of these dullards asking that the video be reposted so that as many people as possible get a chance to see his malignancy.  Again, this is just what he wants.  So, why do these dullards repost this crap?  Mostly, I suspect, it's because their little pea brains want to see how many people repost.  By now, everybody in America knows how malignant the Orange Anus is, there's no need to help him spread his hatred.  So, if you're on social media and you come across this, or other videos of Trump, do not share them.  Do not repost them.  You can bet his black heart is desperately counting the times it does get shared.  Do not feed his ego.

Regulating Corporate Greed

 It looks as though we have a sunny Saturday ahead of us, and, as is always the case, I'm going to be working.  While it is sunny, temps aren't going to be that warm, only reaching the low 50s (F) today.  We do start a warming trend tomorrow, and Wednesday's high is supposed to be in the mid 70s (F).  I'm looking forward to that.

Yesterday was a good day for getting things done.  I have a set of Jabra ear buds that I used quite a bit when I was riding everyday.  They were, however, paired to my old phone, so yesterday I paired them to my current phone and went for a fast walk.  They work so much better than cranking up the speaker volume.  Rather than music, I started listening to a lecture series on Greece.  One of the things I learned was that the naked statues were meant to be erotic, and those that were dressed, weren't.  I found that interesting.

I also ordered a small digital camera.  Nothing expensive.  I'm too cheap, besides I don't know how often I'm going to use it.

My first schedule was posted with my new hours.  Wow.  I'll now be working between 30 and 32 hours a week, a 10 hour increase.  At first I was a bit taken aback, that was until I pulled out my calculator and did a little math.  If I work these hours until August, I'd be able to pay for 4 trips to Greece, and buy a refrigerator as well.

Ribs and rice were on the menu for dinner last evening.  They were delicious.  

Every morning I look at Facebook, mostly to see if any of my old Navy shipmates has died, it's an age thing; you'll do it too when you're my age.  Anyway, one of the old duffers posted a graph supposedly indicating how bad the Biden economy was. My first complaint was that the source of this graph was Grok.  For those who don't know, Grok is Elon's Musk venture into the world of AI, so right off the bat you know is screwy.  Another thing this duffer didn't consider is there is no such thing as a set price, one consumer cost that runs across the board.  He also didn't take into consideration that for capitalism to work, there needs to be competition, and by competition I don't just mean one or two competitors.  Take home improvement.  There are 3 home improvement retailers in America:  Home Depot, Lowes, and Menards.  If one of them raises prices, the others will, too, though not as much, and so the competition is to see how much they can charge the consumer before they end up taking a hit.  Corporate greed is an amazing thing, and in the end it's up to the consumer to regulate it and no one else.

Rainy Day Friday

Our flood warning expires today, though skies will remain overcast until sometime tomorrow.  We might have showers, and then we might not.  Tomorrow morning we've been told to expect snow flurries.  Highs will not get out of the upper 40s (F) until sometime on Sunday, then they'll be climbing up into the mid 60s (F) for a while.

Tomorrow, being that it's the first Saturday of April, will be our Kid's Workshop at the store.  Kid's Workshop is the reason my start time on Saturdays is 1300, or 1 PM, whichever you prefer.  While people think this workshop is good community outreach, we do it mostly because parents normally buy at least one thing while they're in the store.  They also have to deal with associates trying looking for leads and measures.  If Kid's Workshop wasn't a great resource for growing our sales, we wouldn't be doing it.  

The sun did come out yesterday afternoon and I got things done.  Grass seed was planted.  Twigs, sticks and branches were picked up.  I took the small Samsung TV off the wall in the training / computer room.  It still works, even though it's over 15 years old, so I'll see if I can find someone to take it off my hands.

I have a list of chores to do today.  I'm hoping the sun comes out again.  That would be nice.  Sadly, according to Accuweather, the day's supposed to be dreary.

I'm thinking this show looks very good. 

I will have to go to the post office today to buy stamps, a pack of 12 probably.  I rarely send things through the mail, but occasionally stamps come in handy, like in mailing my ballot for this years Primary.  There are a lot of Democrats running for all of the positions and they've all been sending me fliers.  The one thing that stands out among all of them is that they all claim to have stood up to Trump, or the MAGA cult.  One of them, Jenelle Stellson, is going after the insurrectionist Scott Perry in a very public way.  Whether it will help her or not, is something the voters will have to decide.  

We don't have open primaries in Pennsylvania.  You can only vote for your own party.  Democrats have money.  Republicans have Trump, so I'm wondering if they're candidates are mailing as many fliers.  

And, speaking of the Orange Anus, only 10 days to go until his first criminal trial begins.  Prepare yourselves, he's going to fly completely off the rails because he's going to have to sit in the courtroom through the proceedings.  This is Karma on a grand scale.

 

Tailgate Party, anyone?

 The sun is out!  Well, on and off, so I suppose you'd say we have semi-partial sunshine.  There's also a lot of fog, thick, like you see in the movies when needs to hide in it.  Temps today are only going to climb into the low 50s (F), but the flood warnings will now end tomorrow rather than on Saturday.

And I did get water in my basement again.  Not much.  Not deep enough to float things, and it's pretty much all drained out, leaving large patches where the floor is now dry.  

I'd had a bag of very old grass seed that I spread across the bare patches in my lawn hoping it would grow.  Well, that didn't happen.  Too old.  So this morning I'll drive over to the store and pick up another bag, something that's dog friendly for when the next beastie arrives.  Don't ask me what breed yet, I haven't made up my mind (many are tossing out suggestions).  Boxers are out.  I don't have any luck with them.  Though the Von Trapp Family Boxers will remain in the books. 

My brother leaves for Scotland today.  He and his wife are very excited.  This will be their first adventure in Europe.  I told him not to drink too much Scotch.  Though, if he wants, he can bring me back a big hunk of smoked salmon; one of my favorites.

I'm sure most of you have heard about the picture the Moral Degenerate posted on his Truth Social account with Biden in the back the a pickup truck.  Well, Occupy Democrats have their own version.  I don't think they'd have much of a problem if this was copied and posted across social media.

One of things I do wish media outlets would stop doing is listing polls.  We all know their fake, yet we are bombarded daily with results that are derived from a small number of people who keep their beliefs and feelings as secret as the ballots we love in this country.  During this primary season, a better gauge as to how America feels about our presidential candidates is to look at the voting trends.  For example, if Biden wins 89% of the vote in a Red State, that's good.  However, Trump wins 56% in a Red State, and 20% of the registered Republican voters cast their ballots for Nikki Haley, that's not good for Trump.  I'm sure the fact that in these Red States DeSantis, Rammiswammy (sp), and Haley are all taking votes from the Orange Anus should be extremely troubling for the Republican party.  These are the essential voters they need.  Without them, there is no victory dance, not that there ever was going to be one.

The Long Blinks

 Well, we're under a flood warning here in Central Pa that's in effect until Saturday...  and it's only Wednesday.  Today the temps will climb into the low 50s (F), which is only a few degrees warmer than the high 40s (F) we had yesterday.  The rain is not steady, arriving in waves that can be drizzles, or soakers.

I'm going to have to go out into it today to him my local Giant supermarket.  I need dryer sheets.  And paper towels.  And, according to Accuweather, we are under a yellow zone of heavy rain right now.  Hopefully that will pass by the time I leave the house.

Yesterday, I signed up for 3 months of Greek on Rosetta Stone.  I'd take some courses about 2 years ago through Pimsleur, they were fine, but not great.  The idea is not to become proficient, that would only happen if I moved to Greece, rather it's to become knowledgeable.  I mentioned this to a friend who told me that "most of the Greeks speak English well," and I'm certain that's true, but I'm of the belief that knowing a little instead of none at all is a sign of respect for the culture.  But then for the longest time I've had this deep interest in the country, so for me this seems to come natural.  Would I learn Swedish if I were going to Sweden?  Probably not.  

I made ribs in the air fryer for dinner last evening and they were delicious.  I was going to take a picture of them, but didn't think you wanted to see a pile of bones.  However, I will tell you that this is what they looked like before they were eaten.

Keith Edwards had a clip of the Orange Anus on his Instagram account this morning that I sort of watched, sort of being the two most important words here.  The sound is always turned down, especially since I can't stand the sound of Trump's whiny voice.  Rather than listen to the lies, I watched his eyes as he spoke, and, as is the case with most liars he blinked frequently.  Something else I noticed, when he blinked his eyes were shut for at least one - two seconds.  That's a long time.  I Googled what Long Blinks mean, and discovered that if the person is listening they may indicate understanding.  However, if the person is speaking they can mean something entirely different.  Long Blinks can be a sign of nervousness, or anxiety, or over thinking.  Since we know he's a pathological liar, we also know his deceit is spontaneous, he doesn't think about the lie, he just says it.  Trump doesn't care if he's getting fact-checked more and more, so I suspect there's something else bothering him.  Possibly his upcoming Hush Money / Porno Trial is upsetting him, the fact that he might be publicly humiliated and lose in a court of law.

Millions of Voices

 The big storm has arrived.  Temps will stay between 45 (F) and 49(F) until further notice.  Rain will be steady, though, as they're not predicting, on and off, which doesn't really make sense, but then we are talking about the weather.  No matter which computer program you run the information through, there are always variations.  The European models tend to be more accurate than the American models, at least as far as hurricane prediction, though this is not a hurricane, just one damn big rain storm.

Work was boring yesterday.  Monday's usually are.  I had some sales.  One of my flooring customers is going to be coming in to purchase, but she didn't do it yesterday.  That's about a $5000 sale.  Management will be impressed.  I also did something this morning that I thought I'd never do, I opened up my hours just a wee bit.  I'm now available to work Wednesday and Thursday afternoons.  That doesn't mean they will schedule me, but it does give me a few more hours a week.  It is so quiet here at the house since Lily's gone, so this will help me to fill in those silent hours.

Another thing I did, was to send David, my narrator, an email putting off the audiobook until I get back from Greece.  There are things I should have done prior to publishing The Body Under Ice as an audiobook, one being to listen to other narrators in other audiobooks.  Simply hiring a narrator from an audition recording without educating yourself is not necessarily a mistake, but it does limit your options.  This doesn't mean I'm changing narrators.  Let's just say I'm opening up the field.  There are a million voices out there, who's to say I won't find one that I feel more defines the characters of Eli and Max. 

There are also other things I feel need to be prioritized, like getting The Body in Motion published, and, probably most important, start the actual writing process for The Body in History.  

And, sticking to my usual practice, here is an artwork tease.  I just love doing these.

And, of course, the Moral Degenerate came up with a $174 million bond to keep the New York Attorney General from taking his properties.  He's going to lose his appeal and someone's going to lose their money.  

His Truth Social stock collapsed yesterday after investors were told that it lost $58 million last year.  Since we all know he's a thief, we can only wonder how much of that loss went to paying his legal expenses.

The Trump campaign team is also hinting at there being campaign events in the approaching days.  That might not be true, but then they, like their soiled diaper of a master, are pathological liars.  Whispers abound that he is so utterly consumed by his approaching hush money/porno trial that his handlers have serious concerns about him making it through an event without sounding like a blithering idiot spouting out a nonsensical word salad.  Is it likely that as he trial date gets closer and closer he will become more unhinged?  Well, we can only hope.