Last Post

This is post 415 this year. Not bad. Not my highest, nor my least number of entries in a given year. It seems I once again opted for quantity over quality at the old blog. Even my occasional readers probably expected nothing more. We are once again at the end of the year.  I do not anticipate plopping two entries onto the interwebz, so this is the last post of the year.

Happy New Year.

At this point we have nothing planned. The couple we usually hang out with is on vacation in the Florida sunshine. Our other friends are busy with a real life struggle: my friend Tony is lying in a hospital bed waiting on a heart transplant. I don't usually ask for this kind of thing but your prayers are appreciated. Compared to his plight, sitting at home watching Ryan Seacrest do his best Dick Clark impression is not so bad.

I spent yesterday evening cleaning carpets. The upstairs and stairway are done. I will do the rest of the house after we get the Christmas decorations and trees put away. Sounds like a great way to spend the holiday doesn't it? I'm not sure how I will stand the excitement.

Enjoy your New Year celebration. If you drink, do not drive.

How about a little ghost of Guy Lombardo to round off the year?

Big bag of nothing

Coasting today. Enjoy your Friday

Sad stuff indeed

In recent years 1950's Debbie Reynolds has replaced 1940's Esther Williams as my favorite old chick younger me would have fantasized about when they were young. I bet Reynolds did that intoxicating little laugh if you tickled her in just the right secret places.

Debbie Reynolds passed away yesterday. The death the previous day of her daughter, Carrie Fisher, was a strain Reynolds could not bear.  I have said it before, no parent should ever have to bury their child. It is a horror I pray to never face. After my aunt died you could almost see the life slip from my grandmother. Even though those two wonderful women died a few years apart, my grandma was not the same after cancer claimed my only aunt.

I am one of the least star struck people on Earth. I cannot think of a single celebrity, artist or musician that I care to meet. I wouldn't cross a restaurant to bother any athlete. I have no desire to go backstage to hang with my favorite musicians. It should come as no surprise that I do not watch TMZ and I don't scan Buzzfeed for the latest celebrity gossip. I really do not care what Johnny, or Jennifer, or Brad are saying or doing. That said, the passing of this mother/daughter pair is sad beyond belief. One would have to have the coldest of hearts not to understand the tragedy of the events, no matter if the people involved are famous. May they both rest in peace.

Temper tantrum

I had to behave like a real person yesterday. I got up at dark O'Clock, showered and hit the highways to arrive at the home office before seven. It was inventory day and my ability to count without using my fingers and toes was needed.  I don't mind getting up and going into work, just not early enough to post something on the old blog before i leave. I don't love you that much.

I am amazed at the pettiness of President Obama. He has absolutely stabbed Israel, our only friend, the only democracy in the Mideast, in the back. He has given the Palstineans yet another reason to refuse to negotiate with Israel on a two-state solution. Obama does not like the Israeli PM. Too bad.

Why Jews continue to vote overwhelmingly Democrat has confused me since Jimmah Carter was President. Democrats from FDR to now have screwed over the Jews. But American jews still keep voting for the anti-Semites. It is Stockholm Syndrome or something.

It appears Obama is going to shove his legacy down our throat in a last minute hissy fit. He is gonna figuratively trash his Vegas hotel room because he lost big at the craps table. He'll show us. Well, Mr. Obama, it is like you told us after you were elected; elections have consequences. America has repudiated your agenda on every level from local to state to federal. Get over it. These last minute moves make you look small, petty, and unPresidential. What is next? Are you going to stuff paper towels in the urinals and rip up the pillows as you vacate the White House? Did you carve a big "O" into the oval office desk so succeeding presidents will remember you?

Obama probably thinks the XX Amendment is racist because it kept him from sharing his vision for another four years.

Partied out

Good morning everybody. I'm at the old blog a bit later than usual. Late to bed and late to rise keeps me from posting anything wise.

I hope you had an enjoyable holiday weekend. I sure did. Food and family gatherings were all a great time. The granddaughter had a ball and really likes opening presents. The joy of a two year-old is contagious. I received some great gifts including a framed copy of the Chicago Tribune depicting the Cubs World Series victory.

The food...what feasts! From barbecue at my mom's house Christmas eve to turkey and ham at my wife's family that evening to more turkey and ham at my daughter's on Christmas day, I ate and ate. Desserts and cookies and fudge and peanut butter pie and cherry delight and mashed spuds and noodles and rolls all have combined to make my blood sugar readings a bit high today, but lower than I expected. I dont even want to jump on the bathroom scale. That damn thing lies anyway. I'm thinking of frying up a piece of the leftover ham in a skillet and cracking a couple of eggs for breakfast. What he heck, one more day of over-eating won't kill me. Probably.

It was a great weekend and I hope yours was too.

Merry Christmas

The view from my patio December 2016

Reason for the Season

Sums it up perfectly

Frankie says Relax

We are in the midst of the holiday season. Lots of religions have celebrations around this time of year. Many are based on rebirth as we hit the solstice and the days begin to get longer. Indeed, this post may be better suited for next week and the advent of the New Year.

This may be a "pot meet kettle" posting. I sure hope not. I was most disappointed when Obama won the election in 2008 and 2012. I have looked at some of my posts from that time and I am certain I expressed disappointment, but in a reasonable manner. But life goes on. It is politics. The country is not going to collapse over night. We still have a system of checks and balances.

It is time to relax. No matter what you think about Trump, and there is plenty to worry about, some of this reaction is over the top. When you plan to disrupt the inauguration, when you want to have a concert that will compete with the festivities, when you boycott and shame entertainers for considering an inauguration performance you are borderline unhinged. It is OK to disagree about policy. Respect the office. Trump has yet to perform a single Presidential act. In fact, it looks like he is going to push an agenda most Democrats will like, starting with a stimulus not so different than he one Obama gave us. I am not in favor, but that does not give me leave to chase and harass Trump's daughter through an airport. That is just crazy behavior.

In the spirit of the holidays step back and assess.  Reign it in. It is OK to disagree with the policy, but Trump won. Get over it. Move on. Win the next election. Enough of the stupid stuff. If right wingers had disrupted Obama's inauguration, if his daughter was chased through the airport would you approve? I thought Bush Derangement  Syndrome was bad, but the angst and downright bat-shit crazy response to Trump's election makes me think a great number of liberals really do need therapy.

Relax. It will be OK. There is no need to ruin your Christmas dinner. Hug your kid. Pet your cat. Play fetch with your dog. Enjoy a cigar. There is plenty of good in the world. Do not spend so much time focusing on the bad that you miss it.

I complain as much as anybody. There is more than a decade of evidence right over there in the archives. Perhaps you will point to dozens of rantings stored over there on  the right that prove I am a hypocrite of the worst sort. I like to believe I spew my rant and move on with my day. You can't let this stuff consume your life. Everything Trump does or says is not a sign the sky is falling.

Relax, Chicken Little.

Edit: or just go Read a post that makes a lot more sense on the same topic

The day prior to the night before the night before Christmas

The stockings are figuratively hung by the chimney. The gift shopping is nearly done; we are out of time and out of money. I think a couple of items for the family gathering is all that is left. Cookies and candy are baked and prepared. The wife will make up some containers to gift the neighbors. I will brave yet one more trip to the grocery to get stuff to make for the various family get-togethers.

Friday and Monday are work holidays. In reality this week and next will be slow. No one wants to see or hear from a salesman at this time of year. To be honest, they don't want to anytime, but particularly right now. The first week of January will be tough to schedule appointments too. Even my winning personality, charm, and wit cannot overcome the holidays.

It appears a white Christmas is not in the cards this year. Winter storms are forecast for the Midwest, but it looks like we will be on the warm side and will see rain instead of snow.

Today's recommended Holiday movie is Donovan's Reef. This 1963 John Wayne comedy/action flick may not strike you as a Christmas movie, but the holiday plays a central theme in the tale. I may just throw the DVD into the player this evening. Heck, you can never go wrong watching The Duke.

I hope you have a great Thursday

The previous post left me sick

My wife, daughter, and granddaughter are all in the kitchen baking and decorating Christmas cookies.

Life is good. I feel better knowing there is still decency and goodness in the world.

Sick, disgusting, evil

Actress Lena Dunham says she wishes she could get pregnant so she could have an abortion. Source

No matter where you fall on the ideology spectrum regarding abortions, that is a sick, disgusting sentiment. It is borderline depraved.

She has apologized. She says it was a "joke". Are you laughing?  Some words cannot be taken back.

Winning comes at a high price

My oldest son and I went to see the movie Miss Sloane last night. It was filled with drama, action, and just the right amount of humor. The acting was better than I expected and the plot was remarkably complete. Over all, it was a pretty good movie.

No wait, we did not see that anti-gun flop. We saw Rogue One.

Spoiler Alert:

Stuff you know

Until Waterloo, Napolean and the Duke of Wellington had never faced each other on a battlefield.

Two of the greatest field generals and tacticians, not only of their time, but in history, were contemporaries, antagonists, and enemies. Yet they fought only one battle.

It was, for the most part evenly matched, right up until the end when the Prussians showed up on the French flank.

Liberal Irony

My oldest son is a bartender/waiter in a college town. He works at one of the chain restaurants. Some of his frequent customers are the professors from the university. My son says these professors are the worst tippers as a group. One guy in particular irritates him. This professor comes in often giving all within earshot a hearty dose of his political philosophy. The liberal professor holds forth on Trump, economics, and the so-called "living wage".  And never, no matter the size of the bill, tips more than $2, says my son.

Waitstaff and bartenders are paid in tips. Their minimum wage is a fraction of the federal standard and most restaurants only pay the minimum wage if the tip amounts are less than the hourly minimums. It is either/or for the worker. Most establishments get rid of servers who cannot pull in more in tips than the paltry minimum wage. So when this blowhard tips a measly couple of Washingtons on a $50 tab, then he has cheated the server. Not only did he not pay the worker for the effort. But he took up a table that might have tipped better.

I am in no way arguing you should generously compensate bad service. I do find it hard to believe this one guy gets substandard service every time he dines at this restaurant. If he does, he should not continue to patronize the business. I think we all can deduce this liberal professor is like a lot of progressives, he likes to spend everyone else's money, but is hypocritical when it comes to real life situations. Talk is cheap, apparently this blow hard liberal is too.

Panic

The losers of the election are in full panic mode. They tried recounts to change the Trump victory then it was fake news, then they blamed it on the Russians. They hope enough electors will ignore their will and then enough GOPers the House risk tar and feathering by their constituents to vote for ..well someone not Trump.

Now in an OpEd Some Dufus is arguing that the populous states could sue in the Supreme Court because less populous states get more influence in the electoral college. He compares the populations of California and Wyoming and since both only get 2 senators then each one in Wyoming represents far fewer voters than the 2 for California. I guess he does not understand that is a feature, not a bug of the Constitution. This Kenneth Jost believes that there is some method that the Court can make the Constitution, well unConstitutional or something. The electoral college is written in. It can only be abolished through the amendment process. Oh, and notice as a good liberal, he trots out he old "the electoral college is racist" canard, despite it not being true; the Connecticut Compromise HURT the slave states.

Anyway, if this is what passes for intellectual thought then the losers are truly desperate.

Ice, ice baby

The cul-de-sac in front of my house is a sheet of ice. It looks like a skating rink. Freezing rain, more like freezing mist, started around 10:30 last night and we have a fine coating of ice everywhere. I don't think it is heavy enough to start breaking power lines, but I suspect the roadways are treacherous. You can learn to drive in snow. No one can safely drive on ice.

Leftist hysteria and attempts to delegitimize the Trump election continue. The sore losers are sowing seeds they will regret. Just as Democrats are sorry they changed Senate rules to get their agenda passed, they will wish they never cast doubt on the integrity of the electoral process in the future. The nation is divided politically. That will not change anytime soon. The smooth and seamless transition of power we have enjoyed since Washington left office in 1787 is no more. Acrimony and hate will ratchet up with each succeeding election. Disruptions of the electoral college, faux outrage and refusal by Congress to accept the election results, riots at the inauguration are just the beginning. How long until a future former government refuses to hand over the reigns of power because of a real or imagined issue with their successor? Just like my driveway this morning, it is a slippery slope and fraught with danger. This nonsense is the stuff of Banana Republics and the breeding ground for tyranny and future dictators.

 In the not so distant future we are going to look back and wonder how did we lose our Republic and we can point to George Soros and the Democrat Party. They will not be able to control what they have started any more than a speeding motorist can control his car on the icy interstate.

Turkey gravy in five easy steps

Friday at last. Another miserable week in this  miserable year is almost in the books. I'm going to try and get in some Christmas shopping this weekend. It is far more likely I will take a day off next week and go to the mall during the day when the crowds are smaller. As usual, the wife has given me little to work with. "There is a white shirt with red on the sleeves at the Loft" is not much help. I have no intention of spending an hour sorting trough clothing at a women's store to determine if that is a T-shirt, a blouse, stripes? Or she tells me there is a necklace at Macy's. She assures me it is similar to "that one" she has, but when I ask her to show me she says she will later. So Christmas comes and I buy the wrong stuff or different stuff that she takes back or never uses or wears. A little help on her part would go a very long way. Women. I suspect yours is just the same.

Can you dig it? Ding , dong-ding, doooong.

I had a mini-rant here about the sore losers and their efforts to disrupt the Electoral College, but I erased it. It is Friday and I don't want to get all honked off. Besides, you either find the whole Democrat/never Trumper effort a disgrace or else lack the sack or ability to make a cogent argument against my position. And sorry, but Hamilton would be appalled at the hijacking of his name to thwart the will of the people and States.

If you see me at the mall, do not try to stop and chat. I will be on a mission to get in, get out, and making every effort to avoid beating any number of nitwits I encounter about the head and face with rolls of wrapping paper. Oh, and there is "this one sweater at Kohls" the wife likes. If you see it, let me know.

What a pile of steaming horse crap

This is why many of  us out here in flyover country think that Black Lives Matter and Identity Politics in general is a damn joke. If ever an asshole deserved to die, it was that guy and race had nothing whatsoever to do with it.

Maybe they should teach students at Ohio State a course in old tales, starting with the one about the boy and the wolf.

Hoo Boy

Baby, it's cold outside, and I ain't singing a Christmas song. The wind chill is around -12 or so. It really doesn't matter, once you pass zero, it is just cold. Go stick your head in the freezer. Yes, it is just like that outside.

But I'm just complaining. It is not like I have to work outside or anything. I'm ensconced in a warm house. I have a doctor's appointment later this morning, but that means I will be out in the cold long enough to scurry from my warm car to the warm lobby. It may be uncomfortable for those 45 seconds, but in reality I wouldn't even need a coat. But hey, my bitching filled up a couple of paragraphs!

I'm off later this morning to get an annual physical. I should put " marks around the annual, since I have not had a physical in five or six years. I have been to the doctor, I just have not had a thorough exam. But as far as I can tell, I am reasonably healthy. Except for the diabetes thing. Oh, and the going blind thing. I think that one is fixed. And I need a haircut. I don't think that is a health thing, unless I develop a Sampson complex in the next few hours. I hope the Doc doesn't want to do a prostate exam. I had chili for supper last night.

I have wasted enough of your time. No soldiers of the Rebel Alliance were harmed while creating this post. This entry was created using electricity generated from coal. This is, and will remain a vegan-free content website. Void where prohibited. Please don't send cash or stamps. No CODs. Bonus offer void in Montana. Final notice, your auto warranty is about to expire. Kevin is home alone and it is clear that Betty, Bailey, and Mary Ann were hotter than their more glamorous counterparts. I really do have a model of the HMS Victory on my desk. In just over a month Barry will be gone and my glee has nothing to do with the amount of melanin in his skin. Do not staple, mutilate or fold. Keep off the grass. Any resemblance to a real person, living or dead, is a coincidence.

Bonus Question: do you think Bill shook his head and with all the venom he could muster said to Hillary, "I can't believe you lost to Donald Fucking Trump, you stupid c%#t".

Not an original thought

Shut up about the popular vote.

Democrats are not being governed by a minority. Clinton won California by an estimated 4.3 million votes. She is ahead in the 'popular vote' by just over two million votes. That means she lost 49 states by about 2 million ballots.

California got screwed*. The rest of us got what we wanted.

I can live with that.

It is well past time to quit bellyaching. Consider this post an electronic Kleenex to wipe away your tears.

Besides, we do not elect the President through the popular vote. This election is proof positive why the system we have works perfectly.



* and just how many illegals voted in California?  More than a couple of dozen I am certain.