I haven't watched a State of tne Union speech for years.
I'm pretty sure I won't end my streak this evening.
January 30, 2018
January 29, 2018
Sometimes life in suburbia is just dull
And thus passes a pretty unremarkable weekend here in the great Midwest. Saturday some friends came to visit. We hit a new BBQ dive for an excellent, but cheap dinner, then retired back to the house for an evening of euchre and laughs.
Yesterday I...I dunno. I touched up the paint in the kitchen where the wife used the wrong paint to touch up the paint in the kitchen. I helped her rearrange the shelves in the laundry room. I took the dog for a walk. I may or may not have taken a nap. Yeah, it was like that. I read a little. The TV was on.
It was as boring to live it as it is for you to read about it.
Yesterday I...I dunno. I touched up the paint in the kitchen where the wife used the wrong paint to touch up the paint in the kitchen. I helped her rearrange the shelves in the laundry room. I took the dog for a walk. I may or may not have taken a nap. Yeah, it was like that. I read a little. The TV was on.
It was as boring to live it as it is for you to read about it.
January 28, 2018
That is how I do it
The coffee is hot and black. Sinatra croons softly in the background. Charlie, my wooden cigar store Indian, stares at me from the corner, an inscrutable expression carved upon his face. Dawn is breaking in pale pinks and blues behind the bare limbs of the big willow out the window at my right shoulder. The gas bill lies folded on my desk waiting payment. At my left shoulder Chicago Cubs players leap and hug in celebration, frozen in time in a framed newspaper front page. I lean back in the recliner and stare at the iPad cursor blinking a steady beat out of time with the music, I sip the coffee, take a deep breath and begin to type my Sunday blog post.
The coffee is hot and black...
The coffee is hot and black...
January 26, 2018
I've never been accused of being a liberal but...
I would vote for a reborn combo Woodrow Wilson, Hillary Clinton, and Eugene Debbs over This troglodyte. Actually, I would just stay home. I am glad I don't live in Missouri.
Seriously, are there still jerks like this in the world? If this is the choice I guess Old Claire will be back in Washington.
Seriously, are there still jerks like this in the world? If this is the choice I guess Old Claire will be back in Washington.
Which works better, worms or lures, for click bait?
It is Friday at last. Too bad it is not also pay day. It is clear and bright. Jet contrails streak the pinkish-blue morning sky. We are expected to break 50 degrees today. That is a far cry from the weather that wracked the area forty years ago. Thirty inches of snow followed by extreme cold and high winds left the area nearly paralyzed. Drifts fifteen feet high piled up around buildings and houses.
It was during this Blizzard of '78 that my wife's father died. She recounts how she had to brave the weather to get to her sister's, who had no phone, to break the news. How the relatives were unable to get to the funeral. Sometimes I fail to fully appreciate how hard that must have been for her to lose her father at 16 years old. This all happened before we started dating.
Part of the ongoing story of the hit series "This is Us" centers on the loss of the father when the three kids were teenagers. I asked my wife, who loves the show, if it dredged up painful memories. We have never talked in detail about her loss. It is strange how you can know someone for forty years and still not really know them. Neither of us are the type to sit around talking about "feelings".
As far as I know, we have no big plans for the weekend. On the other hand, I do not function as the social chairman at the old homestead. I am sure I will be informed when I have the "need to know".
Have a great Friday. Don't worry, no Friday Music video for you not to watch.
It was during this Blizzard of '78 that my wife's father died. She recounts how she had to brave the weather to get to her sister's, who had no phone, to break the news. How the relatives were unable to get to the funeral. Sometimes I fail to fully appreciate how hard that must have been for her to lose her father at 16 years old. This all happened before we started dating.
Part of the ongoing story of the hit series "This is Us" centers on the loss of the father when the three kids were teenagers. I asked my wife, who loves the show, if it dredged up painful memories. We have never talked in detail about her loss. It is strange how you can know someone for forty years and still not really know them. Neither of us are the type to sit around talking about "feelings".
As far as I know, we have no big plans for the weekend. On the other hand, I do not function as the social chairman at the old homestead. I am sure I will be informed when I have the "need to know".
Have a great Friday. Don't worry, no Friday Music video for you not to watch.
January 25, 2018
Rest Easy
I have good news for you faithful followers of the old blogeroo, it appears my hypochondriacal ravings of yesterday were unfounded. I am not going to die in the next few hours. In fact, I don't think I'm sick at all.
In fairness, I was probably deathly ill yesterday morning, but superior willpower and shear determination allowed me to expel the germs and viruses and foreign invaders from my body. Yes, that is it, I am sure.
I know you were all worried about me. Aside from a minor headache, I think I am going to be fine. You may cease worrying and breathe a well-deserved sigh of relief.
In fairness, I was probably deathly ill yesterday morning, but superior willpower and shear determination allowed me to expel the germs and viruses and foreign invaders from my body. Yes, that is it, I am sure.
I know you were all worried about me. Aside from a minor headache, I think I am going to be fine. You may cease worrying and breathe a well-deserved sigh of relief.
January 24, 2018
It is not their fault
Here is a post from January 29, 2014. I guess some things never change.
An allegory that is probably way, way too difficult for Democrats and GOP leadership to understand
Take a page from John Lennon and imagine.
Every day you leave for work. Every day a man stands behind your property line and watches. After you leave, this man jimmies the back door and comes in your house. He eats your some of your food. He grabs a few quarters from your change jar. He watches the chicks on The View. He sneaks a few band aids from the box under the bathroom sink.
You do not notice, he doesn't take much of your stuff on any given day. After a while, you get suspicious, so you put up a fence over part of your property. He goes around the fence and consumes your stuff every day anyway: a little milk and a few aspirins today, cheese and cough medicine tomorrow.
One day, you come home from work early and catch this thief red-handed stealing your stuff. You make a call to the police, the Feds get involved, and low and behold it is you on trial. You are a hater. You are a bigot.The man is just trying to survive. Your thief just wants a better life. It is not fair you have such a nice house and he lives in a cardboard box behind the Food Lion.
In fact, the authorities tell you since he has been stealing from you for ten years and has not been caught up to now, yourillegalundocumented intruder really is now a part owner in your home. He is allowed to move his extended family into your spare bedroom. The President says you have too much and you should share what you have, Your new roommate sues you because you do not have the SAP feature enabled on your TV, so he can watch in Spanish. Lawyers are sending you threatening letters because you will not let your new co-homeowner vote on the grocery list. Terms like "apartheid" and "discrimination" are used with greater frequency.
After all, it is your fault you did not catch him when he first started stealing from you.
Warmed over dog doody
Top O' the morning blog world. I have been up for a while. I managed to take my meds, answer and send some work emails, clog up the toilet, and eat 1/2 of a donut. It is what I do.
Mostly, I am up because I think I am getting sick. My skull feels like it is clamped in a vise and my innards are twisted and I feel achy all over. I am shivering with cold. My right nostril has started a steady drip of snot. That last bit may explain the pounding in my head. I suspect most normal humans would be at the ER if the had a fraction of my symptoms.
It may also be true that I am a hypochondriac of the highest order. We shall see as the day progresses.
In the meantime, I have to go take another whack at the plunger. I assume you want me to eschew the details.
Mostly, I am up because I think I am getting sick. My skull feels like it is clamped in a vise and my innards are twisted and I feel achy all over. I am shivering with cold. My right nostril has started a steady drip of snot. That last bit may explain the pounding in my head. I suspect most normal humans would be at the ER if the had a fraction of my symptoms.
It may also be true that I am a hypochondriac of the highest order. We shall see as the day progresses.
In the meantime, I have to go take another whack at the plunger. I assume you want me to eschew the details.
January 22, 2018
Call and ask your Democrat Senator why he thinks Illegal Immigrants are more important than American citizens
“I believe in immigration reform. What if I persuaded my caucus to say I’m going to shut the government down, I’m going to not pay our bills unless I get my way. It’s a politics of idiocy, of confrontation, of paralysis.” -- Chuck Schumer 2013No matter how you look at it, the Democrat Party has taken a position that Illegal Immigrants are more important that American Citizens. More important than National Parks, More important than the National Guard. More important than government employees. Remember, according to Democrats, law-breaking illegal immigrants are "Dreamers". You are "Deplorable". Not much else needs to be said.
Too bad the national press is far more interested making Trump look bad than actually telling the truth.
As always, I welcome rebuttals in the comments.
Edit: BTW, before you argue, keep in mind a court issued a stay and DACA HAS NOT been rescinded. No one who registered under Obama's Executive Order has or can be deported. Emergency or posturing? The Democrats have created a fake emergency and are arguing they would rather get amnesty than open the government.
The best laid plans
I'm glad I am back to work today. I need to recover from the weekend.
We got the Christmas stuff moved from the garage into the attic on Saturday. Yesterday, I moved furniture away from the wall, took down pictures and shelves, and filled in the nail holes. I sanded and made the drywall smooth. I grabbed the quart of paint I purchased last fall to touch up the walls and...the paint was solid. Not the rubbery, chunky goop old paint sometimes morphs into, but solid, like play dough. It was like wet sand. All I can guess is it got frozen in the subzero goodness that has defined most of this month, even though the garage is insulated. Since we start projects around here at 4:00 on Sunday afternoon, the paint store was long past closed.
I told the boss we could move the furniture and I would paint later. Since moving the couch means moving everything in the room, the TV has to move to a different cable outlet box. The box won't work. They promised it was functioning when we switched to cable from the phone company last summer. Nope.
Everything went back into its current place. The room looks strange with nothing on the walls but white dots of drywall patch. I can look forward to moving everything again after I schedule the cable company service call and buy some paint. Woot.
We got the Christmas stuff moved from the garage into the attic on Saturday. Yesterday, I moved furniture away from the wall, took down pictures and shelves, and filled in the nail holes. I sanded and made the drywall smooth. I grabbed the quart of paint I purchased last fall to touch up the walls and...the paint was solid. Not the rubbery, chunky goop old paint sometimes morphs into, but solid, like play dough. It was like wet sand. All I can guess is it got frozen in the subzero goodness that has defined most of this month, even though the garage is insulated. Since we start projects around here at 4:00 on Sunday afternoon, the paint store was long past closed.
I told the boss we could move the furniture and I would paint later. Since moving the couch means moving everything in the room, the TV has to move to a different cable outlet box. The box won't work. They promised it was functioning when we switched to cable from the phone company last summer. Nope.
Everything went back into its current place. The room looks strange with nothing on the walls but white dots of drywall patch. I can look forward to moving everything again after I schedule the cable company service call and buy some paint. Woot.
January 21, 2018
The government is closed and I don't care
It's all just a big stage play, this government shutdown. Both sides are leveraging to gain power for the next election cycle. Trump won the nomination and election pretty much on stopping illegal immigration (that and his last name wasn't Clinton), so I'm not sure doubling down on amnesty is a good Democrat policy move. I may be wrong.
I know this, if the news program you are watching in any way blames the President, you should find a new source of information. That news writer, reader, editor, or producer is profoundly Constitutionally illiterate, stupid, or just a damn liar. Congress passes the budget. Well, they are supposed to. For several years now they just pass continuing resolutions to keep on spending whatever was in the last budget, plus mandatory increases they loaded in just so both sides can have room to posture. Finance is a legislative power, not executive. Look it up.
How long do you think this shutdown would last if the Congress Critters didn't get paid and their staffs were furloughed? Could you imagine their panic if they had to live on lobbyist kickbacks alone?
We had dinner with some friends last night. The guy is a pretty hard-core Democrat union member-type. We get along despite his leftist leanings. Neither of us is going to change the other's mind so there is no point in arguing politics. Anyway, he made an interesting point. He said it is time Democrats quit trying to win the last election and started to win the next. "Trump won, somehow", he said. "Move on".
Indeed.
I know this, if the news program you are watching in any way blames the President, you should find a new source of information. That news writer, reader, editor, or producer is profoundly Constitutionally illiterate, stupid, or just a damn liar. Congress passes the budget. Well, they are supposed to. For several years now they just pass continuing resolutions to keep on spending whatever was in the last budget, plus mandatory increases they loaded in just so both sides can have room to posture. Finance is a legislative power, not executive. Look it up.
How long do you think this shutdown would last if the Congress Critters didn't get paid and their staffs were furloughed? Could you imagine their panic if they had to live on lobbyist kickbacks alone?
We had dinner with some friends last night. The guy is a pretty hard-core Democrat union member-type. We get along despite his leftist leanings. Neither of us is going to change the other's mind so there is no point in arguing politics. Anyway, he made an interesting point. He said it is time Democrats quit trying to win the last election and started to win the next. "Trump won, somehow", he said. "Move on".
Indeed.
January 20, 2018
Wherein I do a bunch of complaining
My Internet is slow as heck this morning. I don't know why. I will blame it on the Government shutdown. The real issue is my office is as far from the router as possible. I need to get a mesh system or at least a wifi extender to improve performance.
It looks like I will have a busy weekend. The wife wants to rearrange furniture. And since I'm the one that will have to do it, we outta clean the carpets while we are at it. Don't forget that "we" will have to patch the holes in the drywall since stuff on the walls will have to be moved too. That means painting. Yet she tells me I'm being an ass about "Just moving the couch to the other wall". Yes, that other wall where the sofa was when we first moved here and she didn't like it there. She wants to find room for some shelves/bins for the grandkid's toys because somehow adding more furniture to a crowded room is going to give us more space.
I might have convinced her that cleaning the carpets in the middle of winter when the boy's dog is still running around the house is a waste of time. The boy is planning on moving out in a month or so.
At some point I have to get the Christmas stuff back in the attic. All I ask is for someone to help. If they pass me the boxes it is a lot faster. And easier. Otherwise I have to carry each box, one at a time, up the ladder. That is up and down for each box. 15 boxes means 30 trips on the ladder. The ladder is 8 feet so that is like climbing 30 flights of stairs. I need the exercise, but come on. I have made the boxes smaller and lighter because I'm a weak old man, but that means more boxes that I have to handle.
I know, boo hoo, whaaaa. I've pretty much spent the past few weekends parked on my lazy butt, so I guess a little work won't kill me. I don't have to like ot though. Besides, it gives something to whine about and that is my most favorite activity. I'm good at it.
Enjoy your Saturday.
It looks like I will have a busy weekend. The wife wants to rearrange furniture. And since I'm the one that will have to do it, we outta clean the carpets while we are at it. Don't forget that "we" will have to patch the holes in the drywall since stuff on the walls will have to be moved too. That means painting. Yet she tells me I'm being an ass about "Just moving the couch to the other wall". Yes, that other wall where the sofa was when we first moved here and she didn't like it there. She wants to find room for some shelves/bins for the grandkid's toys because somehow adding more furniture to a crowded room is going to give us more space.
I might have convinced her that cleaning the carpets in the middle of winter when the boy's dog is still running around the house is a waste of time. The boy is planning on moving out in a month or so.
At some point I have to get the Christmas stuff back in the attic. All I ask is for someone to help. If they pass me the boxes it is a lot faster. And easier. Otherwise I have to carry each box, one at a time, up the ladder. That is up and down for each box. 15 boxes means 30 trips on the ladder. The ladder is 8 feet so that is like climbing 30 flights of stairs. I need the exercise, but come on. I have made the boxes smaller and lighter because I'm a weak old man, but that means more boxes that I have to handle.
I know, boo hoo, whaaaa. I've pretty much spent the past few weekends parked on my lazy butt, so I guess a little work won't kill me. I don't have to like ot though. Besides, it gives something to whine about and that is my most favorite activity. I'm good at it.
Enjoy your Saturday.
January 18, 2018
First time for everything
I have had a job since I was 13 years old. I have rarely missed work. I almost never take sick days. In fact, when I had my surgeries in 2016 that was the first sick days I had taken in 3-4 years. I doubt I have missed 10 days of work (outside of my surgeries) in more than 40 years of working.
Today, I took a sick day. It is the first time I have ever, to the best of my knowledge, called in sick when my only illness was a desire not to work.
Yes, I played work hooky today.
Do not rat me out. I hate snitches.
Today, I took a sick day. It is the first time I have ever, to the best of my knowledge, called in sick when my only illness was a desire not to work.
Yes, I played work hooky today.
Do not rat me out. I hate snitches.
January 16, 2018
I have been thinking
Thinking. That might be dangerous.
I thought I was done with this subject, but what do you think when the Trumpster says (or didn't say) "shithole"? Me, I think of poor, uneducated, crime ridden and corrupt places.
The color of skin predominant in those places didn't pop into my mind. But then I don't readily go straight to the race card. For me corrupt, poor, uneducated, and crime ridden does not mean dark-skinned. It means uneducated, corrupt, etc. That's all.
Now, it could be I think that way because I'm a white guy steeped in white privilege, whatever that means. Maybe I'm a mere rube, hick, redneck. I'm not good at virtue signaling, I guess.
What I do think, is that a real racist would automatically think I'm talking about people of color when I say shithole, corrupt, uneducated, or crime-prone.
Of course Haiti is a shithole. Calling it so doesn't denigrate a Haitian person based on their skin, it denigrates the circumstances in which they live -- you know corrupt, uneducated, crime ridden, and poor. In other words, a shithole.
I thought I was done with this subject, but what do you think when the Trumpster says (or didn't say) "shithole"? Me, I think of poor, uneducated, crime ridden and corrupt places.
The color of skin predominant in those places didn't pop into my mind. But then I don't readily go straight to the race card. For me corrupt, poor, uneducated, and crime ridden does not mean dark-skinned. It means uneducated, corrupt, etc. That's all.
Now, it could be I think that way because I'm a white guy steeped in white privilege, whatever that means. Maybe I'm a mere rube, hick, redneck. I'm not good at virtue signaling, I guess.
What I do think, is that a real racist would automatically think I'm talking about people of color when I say shithole, corrupt, uneducated, or crime-prone.
Of course Haiti is a shithole. Calling it so doesn't denigrate a Haitian person based on their skin, it denigrates the circumstances in which they live -- you know corrupt, uneducated, crime ridden, and poor. In other words, a shithole.
January 15, 2018
Dear Pope
Your...ah, Pontifications...are getting old.
How many migrants did you allow to move into Vatcan City last year? How many Church properties were handed over to the various States to use as migrant housing?
That is what I thought.
STF up already.
Your friend,
Joe
How many migrants did you allow to move into Vatcan City last year? How many Church properties were handed over to the various States to use as migrant housing?
That is what I thought.
STF up already.
Your friend,
Joe
Poof! There it goes
Man, I can't believe it is Monday already. I'm not sure where the weekend went. I'm not even sure what I did. I know your Monday morning is not complete without an account of my exciting adventures, but you will not be able to live vicariously through me today.
It appears we got a layer of snow overnight. It is still falling. The lady on the radio says we will get three or four inches today. How ironic REDACTED on MLK Day.
Oh, relax. It is just a joke. To quote Robert Plant: "Does anybody remember laughter?".
Where was I? All of your enraged outrage threw me off.
I would appreciate it if you kept your protests electronic. There is not much parking here in the cul-de-sac, and that is filled with plowed up snow right now. Plus it is cold. And it is snowing. Besides, there is no public transportation out here in the 'burbs, and if there were, it wouldn't be running because it is a holiday. If you do decide to march around carrying signs in my front yard I would watch you through the window while sipping coffee. Hey, could you pick up those sticks that have broken from the tree while you are out there? Tuesday is trash day. Be a lamb and pull my bin out to the curb, OK? You might as well shovel the walk since you are traipsing around anyway. There is no point wading the snow and ruining your shoes.
Look, what if I apologized? Could I go down and get some coffee? I do not like being held hostage on my iPad.
You know, this is kinda like a SNL skit, I'm not sure how to end it.
Have a great Monday and holiday.
Edit: My wife says that joke is totally unacceptable. Would the 12 people (according to my logs) who actually saw it please erase it from your memory? Bleach it away like Hillary and her emails.
I am Sorry.
Love means never having to say your sorry.
That is horsechockey, you know. Do not adopt that attitude if you are entering into a relationship.
Now get off my lawn.
It appears we got a layer of snow overnight. It is still falling. The lady on the radio says we will get three or four inches today. How ironic REDACTED on MLK Day.
Oh, relax. It is just a joke. To quote Robert Plant: "Does anybody remember laughter?".
Where was I? All of your enraged outrage threw me off.
I would appreciate it if you kept your protests electronic. There is not much parking here in the cul-de-sac, and that is filled with plowed up snow right now. Plus it is cold. And it is snowing. Besides, there is no public transportation out here in the 'burbs, and if there were, it wouldn't be running because it is a holiday. If you do decide to march around carrying signs in my front yard I would watch you through the window while sipping coffee. Hey, could you pick up those sticks that have broken from the tree while you are out there? Tuesday is trash day. Be a lamb and pull my bin out to the curb, OK? You might as well shovel the walk since you are traipsing around anyway. There is no point wading the snow and ruining your shoes.
Look, what if I apologized? Could I go down and get some coffee? I do not like being held hostage on my iPad.
You know, this is kinda like a SNL skit, I'm not sure how to end it.
Have a great Monday and holiday.
Edit: My wife says that joke is totally unacceptable. Would the 12 people (according to my logs) who actually saw it please erase it from your memory? Bleach it away like Hillary and her emails.
I am Sorry.
Love means never having to say your sorry.
That is horsechockey, you know. Do not adopt that attitude if you are entering into a relationship.
Now get off my lawn.
January 13, 2018
Staffing Changes
I got a spam email from a dude the other day who told me how great my blog was. Then he offered to write it for me. I guess his message was "you are good, but I am better". If this drivel was written by someone else, it wouldn't be my blog anymore, would it?
I fully acknowledge that better writing would help the place. It might drive up readership. An editor would be a significant improvement. While we are at it, a template change and pruning of the blogroll would spruce the place up too. A pay raise for the writing and custodial staff would improve morale. Perhaps new iPads and laptops for the research department are in order. How about pretzels and cold beer TGIF parties?
Plush offices in one of those new downtown buildings would be sweet. Right now we are running out of a spare bedroom converted into an office. Perhaps we can get the good coffee for the Keurig instead of the Sam's Club store brand? Better yet, how about an espresso machine?
We need polo shirts and hats and coffee mugs with our logo on them. I guess we also need an art department to design a logo.
If we make those changes the blog would really be something. Oh wait, blogging died about a decade ago. I'm just holding on through life support and sheer hard-headed stubborness. Never mind.
I fully acknowledge that better writing would help the place. It might drive up readership. An editor would be a significant improvement. While we are at it, a template change and pruning of the blogroll would spruce the place up too. A pay raise for the writing and custodial staff would improve morale. Perhaps new iPads and laptops for the research department are in order. How about pretzels and cold beer TGIF parties?
Plush offices in one of those new downtown buildings would be sweet. Right now we are running out of a spare bedroom converted into an office. Perhaps we can get the good coffee for the Keurig instead of the Sam's Club store brand? Better yet, how about an espresso machine?
We need polo shirts and hats and coffee mugs with our logo on them. I guess we also need an art department to design a logo.
If we make those changes the blog would really be something. Oh wait, blogging died about a decade ago. I'm just holding on through life support and sheer hard-headed stubborness. Never mind.
January 12, 2018
A Rose by any other name
"Lets be outraged" theme of the day is that Trump referred to shithole nations as...shithole nations. We all know many of you who are now in the throes of vapor swoons over this comment secretly call those Third World shitholes..."shitholes". Your outrage is that Trump said it.
No? How many of you are saving up your cash to take a dream vacation to Haiti or El Salvador or Uganda?
That is what I thought.
If those shitholes are not shitholes, then why do the people from there need refugee status?
More to the point, Why do we give preferential immigration treatment to people from countries where most of the population has no education, no job skills? Those folks are most likely to end up on welfare and cost the taxpayers money when they arrive. It has nothing to do with race, but rather the purpose of immigration. Are we looking to help people out of their misery or to make America a stronger better place for all of us? Is the purpose of immigration to provide cheap labor or should there be a higher purpose?
Your answer to that question will define your level of outrage regarding labeling shitholes as shitholes.
No? How many of you are saving up your cash to take a dream vacation to Haiti or El Salvador or Uganda?
That is what I thought.
If those shitholes are not shitholes, then why do the people from there need refugee status?
More to the point, Why do we give preferential immigration treatment to people from countries where most of the population has no education, no job skills? Those folks are most likely to end up on welfare and cost the taxpayers money when they arrive. It has nothing to do with race, but rather the purpose of immigration. Are we looking to help people out of their misery or to make America a stronger better place for all of us? Is the purpose of immigration to provide cheap labor or should there be a higher purpose?
Your answer to that question will define your level of outrage regarding labeling shitholes as shitholes.
The more things change, the more they are the same
I just cannot muster any outrage over politics these days. The denizens of the swamp and those who feed there, namely the press and lobbyists, are going to fight tooth and nail to make sure outsiders are stripped of power. There is just too much money at stake.
I listened to a lengthy podcast this week about Teddy Roosevelt. It is interesting to trace his political fights. While I do not agree with many of Roosevelt's political positions, TR was similar to Trump in that he was popular with the voters and absolutely loathed by the politicians and Party bosses. The media hated him but he sold papers. TR bucked the system and fought the corruption, lobbyists, and bureaucracy. When he made his comeback bid in 1912 TR won the primaries but the Republican party had a pocketful of delegates that were not tied to the primaries that swayed the convention. Sounds a lot like "super delegates" doesn't it? In truth, the Republicans preferred to lose an election rather than let Roosevelt back in the White House.
Thus we got the despicable Woodrow Wilson.
Roosevelt was unpredictable, eschewed political correctness, impulsive, and straight talking. He upset foreign nations, and was decidedly Pro-American. TR was unconventional in his life and habits. While he spent his life in politics, Roosevelt was not a politician. That was his unforgivable sin.
Some things don't change. Even a century later.
I listened to a lengthy podcast this week about Teddy Roosevelt. It is interesting to trace his political fights. While I do not agree with many of Roosevelt's political positions, TR was similar to Trump in that he was popular with the voters and absolutely loathed by the politicians and Party bosses. The media hated him but he sold papers. TR bucked the system and fought the corruption, lobbyists, and bureaucracy. When he made his comeback bid in 1912 TR won the primaries but the Republican party had a pocketful of delegates that were not tied to the primaries that swayed the convention. Sounds a lot like "super delegates" doesn't it? In truth, the Republicans preferred to lose an election rather than let Roosevelt back in the White House.
Thus we got the despicable Woodrow Wilson.
Roosevelt was unpredictable, eschewed political correctness, impulsive, and straight talking. He upset foreign nations, and was decidedly Pro-American. TR was unconventional in his life and habits. While he spent his life in politics, Roosevelt was not a politician. That was his unforgivable sin.
Some things don't change. Even a century later.
January 11, 2018
I am taking a look forward to touch you
I got the greatest spam comment ever on a throwaway post from 2015:
Amazing things here. I am very satisfied to peer yourI rewarded the spammer by publishing his nonsense. I am giving like that
post. Thank you so much and I am taking a look forward to touch you.
Will you kindly drop me a e-mail?
Oprah is The Man
Tuesday I made a quick jaunt to Ohio (o-hi-ya). I got home around 5:00. It was cloudy, but moderately warm (40s). The snow had melted from the porch roof so I climbed up and removed the Christmas decorations. I stripped the trees and bushes of their lights and removed the garland from the porch. I de-Christmasified the house. It is all now piled in the garage until I can put the stuff back in the attic over the weekend. This was the first opportunity due to snow and cold to get outside.
Yesterday I motored up to the Windy City and back. It was annual review time with the boss. I have been at the gig less than a year, but frank discussions on performance and expectations is always welcome. I worked my previous gig for more than 8 years and never had a review. Not one. We all got the same annual percentage raise, janitor to clerk to salesman, no matter if one performed well or poorly. The Man got a two-fer from me yesterday as the work day ended up being just a shade over 17 hours long, if you count the windshield time. The drive passed pleasantly enough listening to the History on Fire podcast.
I wish I had exciting tales from tne road to offer. I took no scenic byways. Traffic was as expected. Other drivers stupidity was held to the minimum. In other words, my journeys were as boring as this post makes them seem.
It is supposed to be warm for one more day. If the rain holds off I might try to get in a walk. I haven't been able to get out since well before Christmas. Walking on snow-covered streets and sidewalks is a good way to hurt oneself. While I don't mind it being cold, I have no interest in braving subzero winds to tour the neighborhood. I might just bust open the humidor and burn some fragrant tobacco lovingly rolled between the thighs of a Caribbean beauty* during my exercise**. Now that is something to get excited about.
Have a great Thursday.
* leave me alone in my fantasy. Deep down I know it is manufactured by a sweaty crone in an oversized T-Shirt, the pits stained yellow by repeated wear and infrequent washing, stolen from her last boyfriend; a low-level enforcer for the local drug dealer.
** yes there is something self-defeating in smoking a cigar while trying to get some exercise. Look at it this way -- I won't be toting along a beer.
Yesterday I motored up to the Windy City and back. It was annual review time with the boss. I have been at the gig less than a year, but frank discussions on performance and expectations is always welcome. I worked my previous gig for more than 8 years and never had a review. Not one. We all got the same annual percentage raise, janitor to clerk to salesman, no matter if one performed well or poorly. The Man got a two-fer from me yesterday as the work day ended up being just a shade over 17 hours long, if you count the windshield time. The drive passed pleasantly enough listening to the History on Fire podcast.
I wish I had exciting tales from tne road to offer. I took no scenic byways. Traffic was as expected. Other drivers stupidity was held to the minimum. In other words, my journeys were as boring as this post makes them seem.
It is supposed to be warm for one more day. If the rain holds off I might try to get in a walk. I haven't been able to get out since well before Christmas. Walking on snow-covered streets and sidewalks is a good way to hurt oneself. While I don't mind it being cold, I have no interest in braving subzero winds to tour the neighborhood. I might just bust open the humidor and burn some fragrant tobacco lovingly rolled between the thighs of a Caribbean beauty* during my exercise**. Now that is something to get excited about.
Have a great Thursday.
* leave me alone in my fantasy. Deep down I know it is manufactured by a sweaty crone in an oversized T-Shirt, the pits stained yellow by repeated wear and infrequent washing, stolen from her last boyfriend; a low-level enforcer for the local drug dealer.
** yes there is something self-defeating in smoking a cigar while trying to get some exercise. Look at it this way -- I won't be toting along a beer.
January 9, 2018
A Most Perilous Path
I joked around in the previous post, but the Anti-Trumpers are heading down a dangerous path in their efforts to do anything to get him out of office. Pushing a coup for "mental deficiencies" is a dangerous game. Most politicians are egomaniacs.
How paranoid does it sound to allow the IRS to target your political enemies? Does it seem 'sane' to blame a "vast right-wing conspiracy" as the reason your husband lied under oath? What if the President is so OCD and controlling that he insists on personally writing the schedule for the White House tennis courts? What normal person would think it is OK to give guns to known criminals in an effort to prove guns are dangerous? Are any of these examples of rational thought?
Once we start down the road of palace coups we have descended into the dark days of the Roman Empire or a Banana Republic; changing leaders on a whim. Once the 100 Presidents-in-waiting in the Senate, the shadowy Praetorian Bureaucracy, the keepers of secrets, and want-to-be power-brokers in the press learn they can control the government at whim we are done as a nation. More simply, payback is hell. 79 AD was the year of four Emperors in Rome, and thereafter the top spot was controlled by whomever could gather a ruling coalition. Tyranny was the order of the day. and with few exceptions, the Emperor had to exercise his ruthless power to remain in control. The concept of a benevolent dictator is fantasy.
That said, anyone who thinks Mike Pence is dumb enough to commit political suicide by invoking the 25th Amendment is delusional themselves.
It is the height of malpractice for any physician or psychiatrist to diagnose publicly a person they have never met or interviewed. Since I do not have a medical licence of any type, I will say any medical professional who does so manifests signs of Trump Derangement Syndrome and anything she says should be discounted as pure ravings.
No sane person would trust the treatment of cancer or a heart disease to an Internet quack, and we should not trust the health of our nation to a partisan hack either.
It is not Trump, nor Obama, nor Hillary, nor any other politician that is a danger to the Nation, it is the unreasonable reaction of the other side. The election is over. You get a do-over in three years. It is time to tone down the rhetoric before we head down a road we really, really, do not want to venture.
How paranoid does it sound to allow the IRS to target your political enemies? Does it seem 'sane' to blame a "vast right-wing conspiracy" as the reason your husband lied under oath? What if the President is so OCD and controlling that he insists on personally writing the schedule for the White House tennis courts? What normal person would think it is OK to give guns to known criminals in an effort to prove guns are dangerous? Are any of these examples of rational thought?
Once we start down the road of palace coups we have descended into the dark days of the Roman Empire or a Banana Republic; changing leaders on a whim. Once the 100 Presidents-in-waiting in the Senate, the shadowy Praetorian Bureaucracy, the keepers of secrets, and want-to-be power-brokers in the press learn they can control the government at whim we are done as a nation. More simply, payback is hell. 79 AD was the year of four Emperors in Rome, and thereafter the top spot was controlled by whomever could gather a ruling coalition. Tyranny was the order of the day. and with few exceptions, the Emperor had to exercise his ruthless power to remain in control. The concept of a benevolent dictator is fantasy.
That said, anyone who thinks Mike Pence is dumb enough to commit political suicide by invoking the 25th Amendment is delusional themselves.
It is the height of malpractice for any physician or psychiatrist to diagnose publicly a person they have never met or interviewed. Since I do not have a medical licence of any type, I will say any medical professional who does so manifests signs of Trump Derangement Syndrome and anything she says should be discounted as pure ravings.
No sane person would trust the treatment of cancer or a heart disease to an Internet quack, and we should not trust the health of our nation to a partisan hack either.
It is not Trump, nor Obama, nor Hillary, nor any other politician that is a danger to the Nation, it is the unreasonable reaction of the other side. The election is over. You get a do-over in three years. It is time to tone down the rhetoric before we head down a road we really, really, do not want to venture.
Women want me, men want to be me
One more day of seasonable winter weather then we get a couple of days in the 50s. Yes, I wrote 50s. It was subzero just a few days ago. Crazy. I blame it on global warming, climate change. What a great theory, no matter what happens with the weather you can claim it was caused by burning evil fossil fuels: cold, hot, dry, wet, stormy -- all because of living a modern life. Of course the climate Chicken Littles do not have an answer on how solar panels will keep us warm when it is cloudy for weeks at a time or how windmills have to be shut down if it blows too hard or how neither can generate enough power when the grid is maxed out by home furnaces battling -20 outside temperatures. If the Climateers were really interested in a safe environmentally friendly power source they would be out pushing for Nukes. We all know that is not the agenda at all.
Since it was just a shade above freezing yesterday evening I took advantage of the "warm" weather and threw a couple of chicken breasts on the grill. Later, while the wife was doing laundry, I bowed to peer pressure (her whining) and baked a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies. I even washed up the mess afterward. I still don't understand why I am not on the cover of Good Housekeeping, or Perfect Man, or People magazine. Plus, I know the words to the National Anthem.
Clearly, I too amSpartacus a Stable Genius.
Since it was just a shade above freezing yesterday evening I took advantage of the "warm" weather and threw a couple of chicken breasts on the grill. Later, while the wife was doing laundry, I bowed to peer pressure (her whining) and baked a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies. I even washed up the mess afterward. I still don't understand why I am not on the cover of Good Housekeeping, or Perfect Man, or People magazine. Plus, I know the words to the National Anthem.
Clearly, I too am
January 8, 2018
Swamp gas
Through the '90s and early 2000s I travelled to Oregon between 4 and 8 times a year. I still remember the first visit. I stopped at a gas station on US 30 near the airport. I got ready to fill up the rental car in anticipation of returning it.
"Get your hands off that" I was told by the attendant. I wasn't allowed to pump my own gas. He told me only trained attendants could fuel a car. I had been pumping my own gas since the late 1970's. I was unaware the procedure was dangerous or even difficult.
Later I learned that pumping gas is remarkably difficult in New Jersey too, so there were no self-service pumps in the Garden State either.
Oregon has now allowed gas stations in towns with populations of less than 40,000 to offer self-pump gas. This raises some questions. Why are rural and small town denizens of Oregon better able and equipped to pump gas than their big city counterparts? Why are the residents of the larger cities in the Beaver State unable to accomplish a task that nearly every American and most Europeans have managed to master? Or perhaps more appropriately, why do the politicians think the citizens are incapable?
I suspect we know the answer. Lobbyist money. The gas station and convenience stores are paying off the right people. Here in Indiana, beer is regulated by temperature. Only certain stores can sell cold beer. Grocery stores and convenience stores can only offer warm beer. Oh, and none can sell on Sunday. Who fights hardest against Sunday sales of booze? The liqueur store lobby. They see no reason to stay open seven days when they capture all of the available sales on a six day schedule. We Hoosiers all know if you want cold beer or a bottle you have to buy it Saturday. Similarly, I suspect enough Oregonian legislators have been persuaded by the petroleum dispensing organization to keep the "we gotta pump it" surcharge in place.
Yet somehow those same politicians will go home and tell the sucker voters how much he or she cares about he little guy. The swamp exists in places far from Washington DC.
"Get your hands off that" I was told by the attendant. I wasn't allowed to pump my own gas. He told me only trained attendants could fuel a car. I had been pumping my own gas since the late 1970's. I was unaware the procedure was dangerous or even difficult.
Later I learned that pumping gas is remarkably difficult in New Jersey too, so there were no self-service pumps in the Garden State either.
Oregon has now allowed gas stations in towns with populations of less than 40,000 to offer self-pump gas. This raises some questions. Why are rural and small town denizens of Oregon better able and equipped to pump gas than their big city counterparts? Why are the residents of the larger cities in the Beaver State unable to accomplish a task that nearly every American and most Europeans have managed to master? Or perhaps more appropriately, why do the politicians think the citizens are incapable?
I suspect we know the answer. Lobbyist money. The gas station and convenience stores are paying off the right people. Here in Indiana, beer is regulated by temperature. Only certain stores can sell cold beer. Grocery stores and convenience stores can only offer warm beer. Oh, and none can sell on Sunday. Who fights hardest against Sunday sales of booze? The liqueur store lobby. They see no reason to stay open seven days when they capture all of the available sales on a six day schedule. We Hoosiers all know if you want cold beer or a bottle you have to buy it Saturday. Similarly, I suspect enough Oregonian legislators have been persuaded by the petroleum dispensing organization to keep the "we gotta pump it" surcharge in place.
Yet somehow those same politicians will go home and tell the sucker voters how much he or she cares about he little guy. The swamp exists in places far from Washington DC.
January 7, 2018
Appleauce cake with burnt sugar icing
Temperatures are a balmy double digits this morning and it looks like we will crack above the freezing mark for the first time since before Christmas later today. I dread my gas bill.
We watched my granddaughter last night. She was on, entertaining us the whole evening. She chattered nonstop. On the way to the testaurant she told me to "follow that car, Paw". Later she informed me I have to stop for a red light. When I told her that was a good thing for a 3year-old to know, she told me "Yeah, I a pretty smart girl[sic]".
In other news, I have nothing. I doubt you want to hear about my jock itch. I didn't win either of the giant lottery prizes, possibly because I didn't buy any tickets.
Do be do be do, indeed.
I hope you have a great day.
We watched my granddaughter last night. She was on, entertaining us the whole evening. She chattered nonstop. On the way to the testaurant she told me to "follow that car, Paw". Later she informed me I have to stop for a red light. When I told her that was a good thing for a 3year-old to know, she told me "Yeah, I a pretty smart girl[sic]".
In other news, I have nothing. I doubt you want to hear about my jock itch. I didn't win either of the giant lottery prizes, possibly because I didn't buy any tickets.
Do be do be do, indeed.
I hope you have a great day.
January 6, 2018
I'll take 420 for $200, Alex
The last time I burned a doobie was more than three decades ago. The fact I use the term "doobie" probably says a lot about it. I was never a huge fan and usually only partook pot under the influence of alcohol. In other words, I don't have a dog in the legal marijuana hunt. I think pot leads to harder drugs as you search for that better "high". I also don't see a big difference between smoking a joint and a downing a shot of whiskey.
I do think if California or Colorado or name your state wants to make smoking dope legal that is their business. It should not be a Federal issue. Washington DC doesn't get to dictate Indiana's archaic and ridiculous alcohol laws. I say legal pot is a good way to make tax money, it takes the black market out of the equation and ensures a safe transaction for all concerned. Soon the police will park outside marijuana stores ready to bust stoners as they jump behind the wheel like they do bars around here: another way to make revenue for the local and state coffers. Everybody wins. More importantly, this is a 10th Amendment issue.
Maybe Jeff Sessions should spend his time rooting out the corruption and partisanship at the DOJ and FBI instead of wasting time reinventing Prohibition and Elliot Ness teams to smash apart greenhouses.
On a more cynical note, if the Republicans want to stay in power long-term the millennial vote is more important than any minority group support. Be the party that legalizes marijuana nationwide and lowers the drinking age to 18 or 19. Make the Democrats argue against it. There I just earned my political consultant fee, send that big check my way as soon as possible.
Edit: title fixed to less demonstrate how unhip I really am
I do think if California or Colorado or name your state wants to make smoking dope legal that is their business. It should not be a Federal issue. Washington DC doesn't get to dictate Indiana's archaic and ridiculous alcohol laws. I say legal pot is a good way to make tax money, it takes the black market out of the equation and ensures a safe transaction for all concerned. Soon the police will park outside marijuana stores ready to bust stoners as they jump behind the wheel like they do bars around here: another way to make revenue for the local and state coffers. Everybody wins. More importantly, this is a 10th Amendment issue.
Maybe Jeff Sessions should spend his time rooting out the corruption and partisanship at the DOJ and FBI instead of wasting time reinventing Prohibition and Elliot Ness teams to smash apart greenhouses.
On a more cynical note, if the Republicans want to stay in power long-term the millennial vote is more important than any minority group support. Be the party that legalizes marijuana nationwide and lowers the drinking age to 18 or 19. Make the Democrats argue against it. There I just earned my political consultant fee, send that big check my way as soon as possible.
Edit: title fixed to less demonstrate how unhip I really am
January 5, 2018
A World Turned Upside Down
Washington State is suing the Motel 6 hotel chain for providing guest lists to ICE (immigration) Agents. Suspected illegals have found themselves deported after checking in to the chain's motels.
In general, I abhor snitches and rats. That said, I am struggling to find fault with the clerks at the hotel. They had knowledge of illegal activity and reported it. If a clerk watched someone rob the McDonald's next door and then run into the hotel, shouldn't they report the suspect to the authorities? If the Motel 6 Manager sees a wreck in the street should they refuse to turn over their security tapes? If the college student stuck doing late-night desk duty sees grainy footage on the news of a convenience store holdup and thinks the perp is staying down in room 218, should she call the police? If one of the guests lacks documentation and appears to be an illegal, why shouldn't ICE be informed?
Some in our society seem to think that breaking the law is OK. If you come in to the country without permission or overstay your visa, you have broken the law. I do not care if you did it 5, 10, or even 20 years ago, you have broken the law. You have not paid income or FICA taxes. You have perpetuated the employment black market. You have stolen from the United States, and in this case, the state of Washington. If a law is wrong, then repeal it. Selective enforcement undermines the rule of law in general.
I am not arguing that we should have a wholesale deportation of every illegal. I blame those who hire them and those who make it easy and attractive to come here and survive illegally. I think there is an opportunity to forgive those who came here, worked hard and want to become Americans. Substantial fines and a willingness to become American citizens is a path to avoid deportation. The flip side of that coin is identifying the employer who cheated you, me, and America by hiring that illegal guy or girl under the table. For that company, I have no leniency in my heart. They have provided unequal competition to their competitors who played by the rules, paid the taxes, provided the benefits as mandated by the various governments. I think a minimum fine of $100,000 for each and every illegal hired would be a good starting point.
In the meantime, maybe Washington should look into punishing the real law-breakers, not those who report them.
In general, I abhor snitches and rats. That said, I am struggling to find fault with the clerks at the hotel. They had knowledge of illegal activity and reported it. If a clerk watched someone rob the McDonald's next door and then run into the hotel, shouldn't they report the suspect to the authorities? If the Motel 6 Manager sees a wreck in the street should they refuse to turn over their security tapes? If the college student stuck doing late-night desk duty sees grainy footage on the news of a convenience store holdup and thinks the perp is staying down in room 218, should she call the police? If one of the guests lacks documentation and appears to be an illegal, why shouldn't ICE be informed?
Some in our society seem to think that breaking the law is OK. If you come in to the country without permission or overstay your visa, you have broken the law. I do not care if you did it 5, 10, or even 20 years ago, you have broken the law. You have not paid income or FICA taxes. You have perpetuated the employment black market. You have stolen from the United States, and in this case, the state of Washington. If a law is wrong, then repeal it. Selective enforcement undermines the rule of law in general.
I am not arguing that we should have a wholesale deportation of every illegal. I blame those who hire them and those who make it easy and attractive to come here and survive illegally. I think there is an opportunity to forgive those who came here, worked hard and want to become Americans. Substantial fines and a willingness to become American citizens is a path to avoid deportation. The flip side of that coin is identifying the employer who cheated you, me, and America by hiring that illegal guy or girl under the table. For that company, I have no leniency in my heart. They have provided unequal competition to their competitors who played by the rules, paid the taxes, provided the benefits as mandated by the various governments. I think a minimum fine of $100,000 for each and every illegal hired would be a good starting point.
In the meantime, maybe Washington should look into punishing the real law-breakers, not those who report them.
January 4, 2018
Blah blah
I will get it out of the way quickly; it is cold. It is cold at your house too. If not, I don't want to hear about it. We won't get any weather from the storm of doom off the East Coast. There is that.
In other news, nuthin'. Things are boring around here. I'm just coasting until baseball starts for real in three plus months. Sigh. The excitement of the day is deciding what to have for supper. Maybe we will have breaded pork tenderloins tonight. If I remember to get them out of the freezer. Too bad the rest of the world ignores this regional classic comfort food. More pork for me!
It is becoming clear the previous administration conspired to take out Trump. It is equally clear life in the current administration is a soap opera. Trump may just be as paranoid as Nixon ever was. Can't anyone get that man off the interwebz?
Stay warm my friends.
In other news, nuthin'. Things are boring around here. I'm just coasting until baseball starts for real in three plus months. Sigh. The excitement of the day is deciding what to have for supper. Maybe we will have breaded pork tenderloins tonight. If I remember to get them out of the freezer. Too bad the rest of the world ignores this regional classic comfort food. More pork for me!
It is becoming clear the previous administration conspired to take out Trump. It is equally clear life in the current administration is a soap opera. Trump may just be as paranoid as Nixon ever was. Can't anyone get that man off the interwebz?
Stay warm my friends.
January 2, 2018
Please sir, draw me a sheep
Today is a holiday according to my work calendar. I slept in, at least compared to my usual schedule. It was -12 F when I got up -- real temperature, not imaginary "it feels like" temperature. A buddy commented that it is so cold the white trash girls are wearing two pairs of pajama pants to WalMart.
It looks like another day reading, watching TV, and staring out the window. I don't mind going for a walk in the cold, but it has to be above "you can get frostbite or die" kind of cold. Of course, I wouldn't die. That warning is for the potential Darwin award winners out there who do perpetually stupid stuff.
Weather extremes remind me why humans are the predominate creature on this planet. We are remarkably adaptable. We can survive in a wide range of temperatures from bone chilling cold to numbingly hot. We thrive in deserts and swamps. We live in mountains and prairies. Not the fastest of animals, we can run for hours on end. A man can run a horse into the ground. Man is cunning and despite our veneer of civilization, surprisingly vicious. Man can eat nearly anything, including our fellow man, in a pinch. Whether you credit an infinite Supreme Being, Mother Nature, or random genetic mutation, Homo Sapiens is adaptable. I could fly from freezing weather to overheated tropics today with no ill-effects at all. There is a reason we are at the top of the food chain, the true King of Beasts. I am willing to prove it if anyone wants to send me to the tropics. I can name some Caribbean Islands that would suffice as proper testing grounds.
Further evidence of our exalted status as top predator: it is cold outside. I could go out and survive, but I don't have to. And I won't. If your supposedly smart dolphin manages to get stuck on the beach, he cannot get himself back into the ocean. An African lion would perish on Greenland. I sit in my temperature controlled office drinking coffee. There it is.
Heavy thoughts for a ... Tuesday. Have a good day.
It looks like another day reading, watching TV, and staring out the window. I don't mind going for a walk in the cold, but it has to be above "you can get frostbite or die" kind of cold. Of course, I wouldn't die. That warning is for the potential Darwin award winners out there who do perpetually stupid stuff.
Weather extremes remind me why humans are the predominate creature on this planet. We are remarkably adaptable. We can survive in a wide range of temperatures from bone chilling cold to numbingly hot. We thrive in deserts and swamps. We live in mountains and prairies. Not the fastest of animals, we can run for hours on end. A man can run a horse into the ground. Man is cunning and despite our veneer of civilization, surprisingly vicious. Man can eat nearly anything, including our fellow man, in a pinch. Whether you credit an infinite Supreme Being, Mother Nature, or random genetic mutation, Homo Sapiens is adaptable. I could fly from freezing weather to overheated tropics today with no ill-effects at all. There is a reason we are at the top of the food chain, the true King of Beasts. I am willing to prove it if anyone wants to send me to the tropics. I can name some Caribbean Islands that would suffice as proper testing grounds.
Further evidence of our exalted status as top predator: it is cold outside. I could go out and survive, but I don't have to. And I won't. If your supposedly smart dolphin manages to get stuck on the beach, he cannot get himself back into the ocean. An African lion would perish on Greenland. I sit in my temperature controlled office drinking coffee. There it is.
Heavy thoughts for a ... Tuesday. Have a good day.
January 1, 2018
A New Beginning
Best wishes for a happy New Year, readers.
Things are starting on the cold side here. Currently it is -8 with a wind chill of -23. The furnace seems to be on permanent run mode. At this time it does not appear that any pipes are frozen. Based on a quick view of the weather I suspect it is cold at your house too.
The Colts fired their coach yesterday. That happens when your star quarterback fails to take a snap all season and the former GM whiffs on first round picks four straight years. Coaching has something to with it too. There is a problem when an idiot like me can call the upcoming play with regularity. The team started the first play in each half with a running pay (usually to the right of the center)all but one or two games the whole season.
The inside Christmas stuff is coming down today. The outside will have to wait until the snow melts. I have a strange reluctance to climb up on a snow covered porch roof to bring down the lights and wreaths on the second story.
Have a great day.
Things are starting on the cold side here. Currently it is -8 with a wind chill of -23. The furnace seems to be on permanent run mode. At this time it does not appear that any pipes are frozen. Based on a quick view of the weather I suspect it is cold at your house too.
The Colts fired their coach yesterday. That happens when your star quarterback fails to take a snap all season and the former GM whiffs on first round picks four straight years. Coaching has something to with it too. There is a problem when an idiot like me can call the upcoming play with regularity. The team started the first play in each half with a running pay (usually to the right of the center)all but one or two games the whole season.
The inside Christmas stuff is coming down today. The outside will have to wait until the snow melts. I have a strange reluctance to climb up on a snow covered porch roof to bring down the lights and wreaths on the second story.
Have a great day.