Bleepedy Bleep Bleep

Back on my great unemployment saga during Covid the wife’s car broke down. It needed more than a thousand bucks in repairs that we could not afford. We traded it for a used Ford Escape. 

Last week I went out to the garage and started the car to warm it up in the frigid weather. When she went out to the car it wasn’t running. She started it again and backed out of the driveway. Before I could get upstairs she was back. The car was running rough and didn’t want to go. 

Since I’m a car expert (sarcasm),  listened to the motor and agreed - there’s something wrong. She climbed into my car and left. 

The diagnosis is in. There is coolant in two cylinders. Busted head gasket? It’s broken, that is for sure and it’s going to be very expensive. 

The good news?  I bought an extended warranty when I bought the car. Now I just need to fight with them to pay for the fix. 

Explain it all with a sigh

Tuesday. After a record warm day yesterday we are right back into the clutches of winter today. It may snow tomorrow.

Stupid rodent.

It appears Mexico and Canada caved and the tariffs on those trading partners are on hold for now. That’s a good thing. 

It is okay to disagree with the president and not automatically be a liberal somewhere to the left of Nancy Pelosi. Anyone who knows me would bust a gut in laughter to think I’m a leftist. I used to say I would like Rush Limbaugh if he could only be a little more conservative.

I do reject the notion there is some kind of conservative purity test and we all have to toe the line or else. That’s the same kind of nitwittery the far left has adopted to drag their party into political correctness and losing elections. It is okay to disagree with Trump. 

Here’s the thing, friends can politely disagree. I suspect I have far more experience dealing with anti-dumping duties and tariffs as part of my job than most of you. I have dealt with them in one way or another for more than thirty years. Duties and tariffs inflate the market, cause short-term shortages and supply chain disruption. In the end, the prices settle at a higher rate as the cheap products carry the tariff burden and the higher domestic goods use the new reset market price as an opportunity to slowly increase prices to maintain the status quo. 

We need some music. Economics gives me a headache.

It’s still about the economy , stupid

I guess Trump didn’t read the polls leading to his election. I’m not surprised, a narcissist like he could never grasp that people voted against Harris and her policies as much as for his policies. I held my nose and voted for him.

The overriding issue in the recent election was the economy, namely inflation. So what does the president do? Implement tariffs on three of our largest trading partners. 

You would think Trump, or at least his advisors, would understand that tariffs are not paid by the exporters but by the importers. That means you and I will pay higher prices. Do you think Walmart or Target* are going to eat a higher cost and not pass it on? 

For instance we are in the winter here, some of the produce you get at the local market comes from Mexico. Guess what?  Your groceries are going up. Again. 

Here’s the thing, if China is too expensive then manufacturers will move to Vietnam, Malaysia, or India. It has already happened with clothing and athletic shoes. Read a label. They are not reopening mills in the Carolinas. Americans aren’t going to pay $25 for a pair of tighty whiteys. 

We live in a global economy. 

We make a lot of stuff in America. But it takes years to build and open a factory. In the meantime you and I try to get by with thinner wallets. 

I guess Trump wants the loathsome Democrats back running Congress in two years.

*or Ford or GM, or Home Depot, etc. 

Creepy Crawlers

Raise your hand if you ever got burnt by the Creepy Crawler Thing Maker.

That toy would never be sold today. 

I imagine I have dated myself. 

On a completely unrelated note I put no credence in the forecasts of a rodent, even if he is about as accurate as the weather lady on the TV. 

Dear Sir or Madam, will you read my book?

I’m in a generous mood as we start out February. I’m sure you are bored and beset by the winter doldrums so I’m going to let you get my first novel at a ridiculous low price of just $0.99 cents for the e-book version. You can download a free Kindle reader if you don’t have one. I get a book sale and you get a few hours of meager entertainment to pass the gloomy February days. What a deal!*

You can Buy it here. Be sure to put up an honest review after you are finished. I’m a big boy, I can take criticism. I get it from my wife daily!😎. Just kidding.

As bonus I’m throwing some Saturday music. Does my generosity ever end?

*Act now, limited time offer. Get two for the price of two. Order for your friends. No stamps. Guaranteed to contain real words and sentences. May contain adult subjects. Keep off the grass. Obey all posted signs. Headlights on while wipers are working. No texting while driving. Loud music may damage your hearing. Clean up after your dog. Be sure and tip your waitstaff. Two drink minimum. Only you can prevent forest fires. 

**Ssle starts around noon EST

Girls as sharp as her are somethin' rare

 I’m up early this morning. I don’t know why, perhaps because I went to bed early…there may be a hidden pattern here. 

I’ve been reading this: https://cbs4indy.com/news/indycrime/court-docs-indianapolis-apartment-where-children-were-found-was-biohazard-mother-charged-with-murder-in-girls-death/amp/

If ever there was a case that screamed for cruel and unusual punishment, it’s this one. 

Anyway it is Friday and payday, so it is a good day. 

What? Why yes, I agree, let’s listen to some music.

I’m clearly getting old. I just want those girls to calm the heck down. 

California wants to take their ball and go home

 So the sore losers in California are  once again calling for succession. I was about to embark on an epic rant on the stupidity of such a notion when I remembered I already did back in 2016:

I find the idea that California wants to secede from the Union equally laughable. Let us leave aside for a moment that secession was settled some 150 years ago. If California were to secede then Social Security stops. Medicaid stops. There are no more food stamps or WIC programs, There are no more highway funds. There are no more drought funds. There are no military bases. No border patrol. The US would likely impose a tariff on California goods. The cost to import cars and oil, and manufactured goods into California would soar. California would no longer get electricity generated by dams in the United States. US dollars are no longer valid currency. California would have to establish its own currency. What do you think a California currency would be worth? The State is billions in debt. Who will back the currency? California would have to negotiate its own trade deals with China, Canada, Mexico, the EU, and OPEC.Go ahead and leave.

The sore losers in California cannot accept that they are out of step with a large portion of the nation. The secessionists are like petulant teenagers threatening to leave home. It sounds great until they learn they will have to pay for their own gas, insurance, cell phone, and clothing. Then mom and dad do not seem so unreasonable.

I think that about covers it.

Frankly that big earthquake cannot come soon enough.

Wayback Wednesday

I am coming up on 20 years of blogging. I agree, I don’t know why either. For no ther reason than nostalgia here is one of my first posts from March of 2005 (please note I did not claim it is good , just old):

March 24, 2005

Mighty Mouse lives in Utrecht!

So, we were in Utrecht, The Netherlands, Holland, whatever. We were in this little pub having a few beers. The place was dark, and a little dingy. It was off the canal, but the still in the City Center. They were playing classic rock, not the techno shit you usually hear in every drinking establishment in Europe. It was a juke box, but they were set up for a band. I guess they did not play on a Tuesday night.

This fat Hoosier was having a good time. The beer was smooth and going down fast. The bartender brought over a basket of snack mix to the table with another round of beer. Everyone dived in. The basket tipped and some of the mix fell on the floor. As the evening wore on, we probably dropped more bits and crumbs onto the scratched and dented wooden floor.

At one point I moved my foot and felt something move under my shoe. As I looked down I saw a little gray mouse scurry across the floor to a dark corner near the area where the band usually played. WTF? I was not sure I was seeing things correctly.

We watched, and sure enough a few minutes later here he came again zigging and zagging across the dirty floor for another nibble at our mix. That was enough for the female member of the drinking group. We left right away. After all, there were plenty of places to drink in downtown Utrecht!

Woot!

I was watching the old Errol Flynn version of Robin Hood on HBO Max (thanks SIL) Saturday morning. Imagine my excitement when I perused the “you might also like” selections and discovered the streaming site has all of the original Jonny Quest cartoons! 

That adventure series was my favorite Saturday cartoon as a kid. I limited myself to one episode. Normally I binge the heck out of something I like. Not this time. I want to savor the awesomeness that is Race Bannon. But that damn dog drives me nuts.. 

Typical Monday Post

Monday. Back to work. 

Blah blah blah.

Weather 

Blah blah blah

Football

Blah blah blah 

Have a great day.

Passionate Lady Give Up Your Vows

I stayed up late watching Landman with the wife so I’m up a bit later than usual today. Of course 6:30 isn’t late for many people. I know what will happen, I’ll take a nap this afternoon probably while the first football game is on. 

I’ll be darned if I can tell you what I did yesterday. I hung up a picture for the wife, but beyond that I couldn’t tell you. 

There will be no weather report today. Look out your own window. 

I better drink some coffee before this thing takes a dark turn. 

Have a good Sunday.

Bless the Beasts

We got a dusting of snow Thursday afternoon and evening. I was standing at the patio door yesterday morning eating a dry Walmart brand apple danish looking at the myriad of animal tracks cross-crossing my patio. Rabbit, squirrel (or cat?) and tiny tracks that have to be chipmunk mingled in a trail from left to right in front of the door. Where are they going? Where have they been? Why is my patio an animal highway? Why does the rabbit huddle under one of the chairs and stare inside after dark? Pervert rabbits. 

The people have spoken

One more cold day before a slight warm up. I can live with that. 

I’m cracking up over the liberal wailing and gnashing of teeth. Get over it, America spoke. Remember that “Democracy “ you shouted about for four years? 

As far as the illegal alien thing, as I understand it, if you do not break the law (or hang with people who break the law) you will not have an issue. That seems pretty simple to me. Follow the same laws the rest of have to or face deportation. Pretty simple. 

The cops have never arrested me or come to my house because I don’t steal, do drugs, or worse.

You too can live a clean life. 

Well, they came to the house that time I got in a fight after school when I was 16, but only to tell me to knock it off. I never cared for my snitch of a neighbor after that, but that is a tale for another time. 

You are as cold as ice.

It’s been cold here. Really cold, but not unprecedented. I feel for the people in the south with temperatures in the teens and more snow than many have seen in their lives. I have a furnace and a warm winter coat. My house is insulated. 

For people who find fifty Fahrenheit chilly, eighteen degrees must seem unbearable. Most humans can take the heat, it’s the cold that gets you. 

Not in the mood

 

That’s me, Mr. Contradiction.

It’s a new day

I cannot help but laugh and point at people who celebrated when Biden appointed Msyor Pete to his cabinet then argue Trump’s nominees are unqualified.

No grasp of irony at all

 The senile old fool actually wrote this*:

Baseless and politically motivated investigations wreak havoc on the lives, safety, and financial security of targeted individuals and their families,” Biden said

The pardon of Mark Miley, who committed what any reasonable person would deem treason, is galling.

*or someone pretending to be the President did

I bet it’s cold at your house too

 It’s so cold the Tidy Bowl man is ice fishing in my toilet.

That’s a classic joke. 

What? I guess you have to be of a certain age to get it. Here:

Yesterday’s Post Today

For Christmas my daughter bought me a 23andMe DNA ancestory kit. I got my results Friday. To no surprise at all my ancestors were 99.3% European. The main contribution is 79% Scotch-Irish and 20.3% German. The Germanic part is from the Rhine River area which matches my research into my family tree. 

There is 0.6% trace DNA from Angola/Congo and North Africa. Somebody somewhere in my past had a little multi-cultural dalliance! 

Apparently I have 76% more Neanderthal DNA than other 23andMe customers. I have been accused of being a Neanderthal more thsn once in my life and now I can retort “yeah, so what?” 

The most interesting result was where they identify relatives (who have taken the 23andMe DNA test). I was randomly clicking on the map and a name and picture popped up. It was my college roommate! He is my third cousin once removed. What a small world. 

Always looking at the bright side of things

The Rolling Stones are playing in the background as I hunt and peck on the keyboard. Rain falls gently outside as the snow slowly melts into the semi-frozen ground and storm sewer. I’m told it is going to get cold - really cold - in the coming days. One only has to read through the almost twenty years of archives over there on the right to discover subzero temperatures are not unusual in January. 

I had an idea for today’s post as I prepared for bed last night. The topic floated away with my already forgotten dreams. It is okay, I’m approaching this conundrum with my usual buoyant optimism. Biden will be gone in days. Pitchers and catchers report for spring training in a few weeks. Spring is just over the horizon. 

Hey, I just remembered what I was going to write about! See, it is a good day.

What? No, I’ll put it in a separate post, I’ve already typed words and sentences enough for a Saturday. Besides, the wife asked me to go get donuts for breakfast. Maybe if I go get her some chocolate covered donuts she will do something nice for me. 

That’s not why I’m going, of course. But it never hurts to hold out hope. 

History recalls How great the fall can be

 

Friday music. Yay! Says you. 

I saw Supertranp live at the old Market Square Arena sometime in the early eighties. I’m sure they played this.

A little of this a little of that

 Happy Wednesday Thursday readers. Morning temperatures have finally started out in something above single digits and we may actually get above freezing today. It’s okay, it is nearly always cold in January. 

I had my annual review at work yesterday. I was rated well and fair by my boss. If I’m honest, he rated me about the way I would rate myself. 

I cracked up over Biden’s farewell address. He warned us about rich oligarchs and their threat to democracy one week after he gave the Medal of Freedom to George Soros. Does that senile old idiot even understand irony?

Today would have been my dad’s 87th birthday. I miss you Pop.

We are out of toilet paper!

The Maha Kumbh Mela, a Hindi festival that occurs once every 12 years has begun this week. Over the next six weeks, 400 million people (more than the total US population) will travel to Prayagraj in northern India to bathe in the confluence of rivers sacred to Hindus. Preparations have been extensive: Authorities have constructed 150,000 tents for a makeshift city, 145,000 restrooms, and 99 parking lots.  

Can you imagine the stink from that gaggle of crap houses? 

I’m sure it is some kind of privilege

A new company car should arrive this week. It will be the same as the last one. You don’t have to say it, I know how awesome it is to have someone give me a nice new car. When I get ticked off I have not had a raise in three years or that I did not get my earned bonus last year I remind myself that few companies are giving out cars these days. Most sales guys I know have to buy their own vehicle and get a monthly allowance to pay for it. 

There are advantages to the car allowance system. If you end up out of work you still have a car. You get paid significantly more per mile than you do in a company car (I pay for my own gas). 

Most of you are shouting screw you, I have to buy my own car and I don’t want to hear about it. I get it. 

City Mouse and Country Mouse

In the late nineties I went to work for a big company located on the East coast. My boss was from the Camden, NJ / Philadelphia area. I worked remote in Indiana and the company rented me an office. 

I lived in a small town of about 18,000 people in central Indiana. I found an office in an old building right on the town square. It was two rooms on the corner of the second floor. I called my new boss to tell him I found a place and advise the rent payment. It was cheap.

“It’s in an old office building right downtown,” I said. “There are only a couple of tenants, there is an old lawyer upstairs and some retail on the ground floor.” He asked about parking and I told him there was a lot with alley access behind the building. 

“Is it safe?” He asked me. 

“Well I suppose so. I didn’t ask if it was up to code or anything.”

“No,” he asked again more emphatically. “ Is it safe? Do you have to worry about crime?” 

I never felt more small town in my life. I laughed and explained that I had no worries walking around downtown. 

We all see things from a different perspective. 

mom, I got a note here from the Harper Valley PTA"

 

Gotta dig the dobro.

We are all connected

Happy Saturday. We got about 3.5 inches of snow yesterday, nothing big at all. We have about a foot on the ground at this point. As I type the plow is cleaning the cul-de-sac. Unlike the major metropolitan Capital city to my south, we actually plow the streets here in Mudsock. 

I had to change my WiFi password yesterday. What a pain. Not changing, that was easy. Reconnecting my stuff is the issue. It is remarkable how much stuff I have that is connected to the web. I have everything from the TV to my Kindle to the various Eco devices to the thermostat and washer and dryer.*

My ancient first gen iPad refuses to join. So it goes. It won’t work with most websites anyway. 

Anyway, I have a few trmaodevices to tackle. Have a great Saturday.

*the washer and dryer notify the wife when they are done. Plus if you set the washer to a specific cycle, the dryer automatically sets itself to the same cycle, for instance if you choose “bedding”. I don’t know, the wife likes it.

The title could have been taken from the lyrics of a song

I’m getting senile. I put up a post featuring LA Woman by the Doors and a commentary on the  LA fires. I posted that music video just a few days ago. 

We are expected to get 2-4 inches of snow from the edge of the big winter storm slamming down the Mason Dixon line today. This storm will punch through Appalachia just as FEMA boots the hurricane victims from their government paid housing. Don’t worry, the Biden Administration just shipped off another $3billion or so to Ukraine this week. 

In a juvenile hissy fit I’m not going to post any Friday music at all since I already created a post and had to trash it. 

Is it really Thursday already?

 In a surprise to no one not in the thrall of the climate change cult it is cold outside this morning. Outside it is a frigid 6 Fahrenheit. Inside, a relative balmy 68 degrees. 

In other news, nothin’ comes to mind. Nothing I care to discuss anyway. I doubt you want to hear about dry skin, my beard, or what I had for dinner either. 

It was Mexican, Nosey Nellie.

One of my favorites:

Two more weeks

It is another cold morning here. I’m not surprised, it is January and single digit temperatures are not atypical. 

It sure looks like Joe Biden (or whomever actually runs stuff at the White House) is giving a gigantic “screw you” to America on his way out the door. Not only has he declared huge swaths of land and ocean safe from drilling our own oil, he has commuted the sentences of some of the worst criminals on Federal Death row. These are child killers and convicts who murder fellow prisoners. 

Are you aware Biden is letting terrorists go from Gitmo? Do you think those murderous scum have reformed? When more Americans are killed in coming years Biden can give a giant Urkel-like “Did I do that?”no he won’t , he is too self-righteous and senile to even grasp what’s going on.

Finally despite his pledge, he is moving to ban gas stoves and appliances. All in the name of the religion of Climate change. 

Spit.  This administration cannot go away fast enough. 

It’s been awhile

My old friend insomnia showed up this morning around 2:30 AM. I tossed and turned a bit before giving in to his insistent pestering. 

So here I sit relaxed in the office recliner sipping coffee and listening to music softly while surfing the interwebz. I’ll likely dose off in a bit. Or not. Maybe I’ll read a little. 

“But Joe,” you say, “why are you drinking coffee? Won’t that keep you up?” No little padawon , caffeine has little to no effect on my sleep cycles. It never has. It’s my brain that keeps me up. 

Drifting Away

There is still a bit of lingering snow falling. We got around six inches - real inches, not bragging teen boy inches - based on the layer on the patio table.  

I have yet to mosey out to shovel the drive and sidewalk. It’s okay, I don’t have anywhere to go today. 

The wind is supposed to kick up later. Drifts are going to be a problem. 

Edit. We have probably another inch this morning 

Edit Edit: the news says we got 8+ inches total

Ridin' the storm out, waitin' for the thaw out

 

We are supposed to get weather today. This tune may be appropriate, except we are just a bit east of the Rocky Mountains. Whatever. 

Mr Mojo Risin’

I’ve got nuthin’. 

I believe the outside Christmas decorations are coming down today. The house always looks blah after the holidays.

The state of government

I’ve said it before, my wife is level headed and not at all prone to a quick passionate response to events. She is not a political animal at all. 

We were discussing the NOLA terror attacks. I mentioned that now they think there were not any accomplices. “They are all liars,” she said. “I don’t believe anything the FBI or government says.” 

When you have lost my wife’s confidence, things are bad. 

A new day

Monday Thursday, a work day. The first of the new year. I could get used to work two days, get two days off. I expect the day to be slow, many customers and coworkers are off until next Monday. I will sort of coast into it. 

The weather woman says a big snowstorm is heading our way Sunday/ Monday. It has been a long time since we got a big snow, heck,  last year I’m not sure if I even had to shovel the drive. We shall see, the forecast will change a lot over the next several days. It is not time to panic and buy bread and eggs yet. I don’t even care for French Toast anyway. 

New Year 2025

 A musical interlude. Live it’s better than the original.

And that’s a wrap

We find ourselves at the end of yet another year. Stuff happened. I commented on some of it. 

It looks to be a day of fairly warm and wet weather before January weather sets in with earnest later in the week.

Some friends are coming to visit tonight. We will go to dinner and enjoy some euchre and some laughs. At midnight I will kiss my lovely wife for the forty-sixth straight New Years. I’m a lucky man.

If you drink, don’t drive. 

Best wishes for a happy New Year to each of you. 

Unbearably mean

 Jimmy Carter has passed away leaving Joe Biden as the worst living president.

Tiny minds and mini marshmallows

If you really want to do good and make life better for your average American you would invent a Roomba that vacuums stairs.

n a place you only dream of Where your soul is always free

And just like that Saturday is upon us. I’m ensconced in my office recliner looking at yet another cloudy gloomy morning. Hello winter. 

I’ve been working on my annual year end wrap-up post. I like to highlight the events of the past year and reference some of my more cognizant posts. 

That’s just a lie. It’s not gonna happen. 

How about some live music for a Saturday?

Spit

As the who knows who is really running stuff Biden regime coasts to the last days in power they have proven there is not a baby they are unwilling to kill and a murderer they are unwilling to save.

I spit on his legacy. I’m glad he will go down in history as one of the worst Presidents ever.

A good time was had by all

Happy Monday Thursday. It is back to work after a week off for vacation and holidays. I doubt I’m fooling anyone, beyond catching up on emails,  there will be little work output today. 

I hope you all (those who observe the holiday) had a great Christmas. The whole family , minus the son who lives in Colorado😪) crowded around the table for Christmas dinner of ham and more carbs than I can count. Gifts were exchanged and I believe everyone went home happy. It was a great day. 

Merry Christmas

 

The Reason for the Season

 

Where are you Paul Harvey?

For people of a certain age you remember how broadcaster Paul Harvey would have a little tidbit where he gave a deep dive into a story,  fact, or event and told an aspect we might not have known - the rest of the story. 

We were at the grocery yesterday getting the fixins for Christmas dinner when one of the jerks who walks around the store holding up his phone with the speaker on walked by. Normally these people irritate me to no end, but this time I was intrigued. Here is the snippet of the conversation I heard:

“We was out in the front yard pokin’ a raccoon with a fuckin broomstick when…” 

Just then the wife asked something and I missed the rest. Paul Harvey I need you to tell me the rest of the story. 

Sunday

 

One of my favorite carols

It begins

A busy day is on tap this Saturday before Christmas. The granddaughters have a dance recital this afternoon. We have the Christmas get-together tonight with the wife’s family. We still need to purchase gifts for the White Elephant event there. 

The wife is stressed, time is short, money is shorter, and life moves apace. 

All is well.

The reindeer are carb loading in anticipation

 It is snowing. But not sticking. With a slight warmup on the way early next week there is no chance for a white Christmas. So it goes. It’s not like it is Vermont this time of year or anything. 

You probably suspect I’m going to drop a video of old Bing crooning away. How wrong you are little elf.

I will present one of my favorites:

Whole lot of nothing

It has been a slow work week, everyone is winding down in preparation for the holidays and I’m no exception. I took my last vacation day for the 23rd so I will have nearly a week off after tomorrow. 

The air bubble in my eye has nearly subsided. It obscures about 10% of the bottom of my vision, unless I look down then I have a big black spot blocking my vision like a lunar eclipse. The whole thing has reached the annoying stage. A day or two more and my vision will hopefully be clear. I go back to the surgeon Monday and I hope I get a great follow up report. 

Future UNESCO heritage site.

The homestead under a distant full moon all decked out in Christmas lights. 

The windows in the upper left are my office, where the blogging magic happens. I’m pretty sure it will be a national shrine someday. 

For the turd human beings out there

I’m gonna be blunt, if you support Luigi the murderer, then you are a piece of shit human being and I invite you to never stop by here again. 

No matter what you think about insurance companies, murder isn’t the answer. 

I’m not joking. Be gone. 

Not covering my ears like a postmaster general

My email in-box is filled to almost overflowing. Since I wasn’t supposed to read I did no work at all Thursday, Friday, or over the weekend. I have to get back at it today, even if I’m not supposed to read (eyes tracking left to right and right to left). 

I did spend most of the weekend watching old movies. Since I can not bend over or lift anything, I did no chores around the house either. 

In all it was a wasted weekend. 

The songs are tedious

 One of the political issues that dominated the end of the Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries was should the US Dollar be backed by gold or by silver. 

The Wizard of Oz was an allegory of that debate. Fat cats in Emerald City in the east wanted the streets paved with gold (yellow brick road) while the Witch in the west (miners) wanted the silver slippers (they were silver, not ruby). Interspersed in the tale were brainless farmers (scarecrow), heartless industrialists (tin man) and a cowardly lion (government). 

We went to the oldest granddaughter’s tenth birthday party yesterday. She took a bunch of friends to see Wicked. 

None of that stuff about gold and silver was in the movie.

I’m also certain at no point would Dark Side of the Moon sync with this version of the Wizard. .

Short and sweet

I went for a quick post-op visit to the eye surgeon yesterday. He says all is good. I still can’t see at all out of my right eye, there is a purposeful air bubble blocking my vision. It’s like looking through water at a fun house mirror. It will go away in the next days. Posting will remain light.

I lied

 

How can Friday the 13th be bad when it is pay day?

In case you are wondering, this is a canned post. Didn’t you hear that rush of air when you opened it? 

Kinda live: everything went well. Thanks for your support. 

Fair Warning

I head for another eye surgery in the morning. The man is going to open my eyeball, cauterize the bleeder and clean out the accumulated blood blocking my vision. I anticipate no issues. I had to have the same procedure on my left eye about a year ago. 

There will be no post tomorrow. There will probably be no post Friday. I would put up a stupid music video, but YouTube is being a bitch and refusing to play unless you sign in. Neither of us is going to do that. I don’t care that much.

I’m pretty sure no one is going to lose sleep over missing a few posts around here. It’s not like you are getting much for your subscription price these days. 

I will resume blogging at some point. Probably.

I doubt the blog quality will improve with better vision. I’ll just be able to see the keyboard better as I type worthless words that entertain no one. 

About that Mac and cheese

I grabbed a few quick grocery items for supper last night; a pack of Echrich smoked sausage, a block of cheese, and a box of macaroni. For a good while a small block of Walmart brand cheddar cheese has been $1.98. Suddenly yesterday that same cheese was a $2.24. If my history major math is correct, that is a 13% increase. Tell me again inflation is easing. Oh wait, the government does not include food in the inflation calculation. 

The point of this mini rant is there were two main reasons Trump won the election and neither was the sex or skin color of his opponent. The reasons were the open border and the economy. 

Narcissist Trump believes we voted for HIM as opposed to policies. Maybe some of you did. But here’s the thing, if he slaps on tariffs like he is boasting, your prices are going to skyrocket. That means in four years the communists will be back in charge. We don’t want that.

Why would you care?

Yesterday the wife grabbed her cookie cutters and rolling pin and motored over to the daughter’s house for a day of making cookies. 

I watched a movie, vacuumed the carpet and floor, and ran the dishwasher. These were minimum effort chores. I decided I deserved a reward anyway. It was warm for a December Sunday so I threw on a jacket and moseyed out to the patio. I lit the fire pit and then a nice stogie. I put in my earbuds and listened to some more of the audiobook I started on my way home from Maryland last week. 

The cigar was nice, relaxing on the patio doing and thinking about nothing was better. 

It's the hap-happiest season of all

 

Is there anything in this house that works?

A three foot section of Christmas lights on the front of the house is out. I’m hoping it is a broken bulb from the high winds the other night. Probably not. I’ll have to drag out the ladder and replace the whole string. Fortunately I have a new box of lights. So it goes. 

Edit: I cannot believe I nearly forgot to mention today is Pearl Harbor day! It is one of the defining moments in American, if not global history. 

I published a VERY rough draft of my Pearl Harbor story a few weeks ago. I should have saved it. 

Friday Follies

 I took this picture a few weeks ago of the sunset and the ice rink at the Carmel Kriskindlemarkit. 

Here is a fun fact: I’ve never been ice skating. Ever..

I’m pretty sure I never drove I-68 before

I’m back from my two day trip to Maryland. I’m none the worse for wear, mostly. I pulled into the drive thirteen minutes short of 3AM, the stretch from mid-Ohio to home was brutal with sleet, snow, and very high winds. In all yesterday was a twenty plus hour endurance event. Bad weather and construction slowed my speed to make the trip home longer than expected. Yet here I am after four hours or so of sleep. I am either a machine or stupid. You decide.  In any case I’ll be drained by early afternoon. 

I finished one audiobook and started another on the trip. The last couple of hours I switched to music because I had a greater need to concentrate on the road rather than be entertained. 

When this song come on I backed it up and played a second time because I wanted to:

Road Tripping

 I’m out on the east coast for a Supplier Conference with my Big Customer. It seems there are about 100 suppliers here. Today we will get harangued for cost reductions and offered enticement in the form of look at the new products you could be part of if… It’s okay, I’ve been to this particular dance in one form or another  countless times in my career. 

On the bright side I opted to drive instead of fly, so I got in some windshield time. I listened to a good audiobook and enjoyed being on the road. 

Sometimes I think I miss being a road warrior and then I travel for a few days and realize I do not. A handful of nights in a hotel a  year are just perfect in my old age. 

List, Liar

Biden pardoned his kid for all crimes going back to 2014. Curious on that date, since that’s when Hunter started working for the Ukrainians. 

I guess you liberals who rant about lax gun laws and how the rich need to pay their fair share are all over this pardon for tax evasion and broken gun laws, right?

That beef burrito isn’t sitting so good in my stomach

Ah yes, it is time for the old fallback when searching for something to write - a useless weather report. It is eighteen Fahrenheit with a windchill of seven degrees right now in Mudsock. One would think it was mid January. 

The wife is nearly done turning the house into a Christmas wonderland. As always, it is done with taste and pizazz. 

The long holiday weekend has been nice. Of course the emails keep on coming. I won’t read them until Monday. 

I think I’ll try to do some work on the next novel later this morning. Because reasons the first half of the book needs to change from first person to third person. I’m editing and rewriting at the same time and it is tedious beyond measure. Worse, I know I’m going to miss replacing some of the “Is” and “Mys” and I’m going to have to reread and edit many times to catch them all. 

The change isn’t as simple as doing a search and find because often the whole sentence and paragraph has to be changesd to make the new perspective work. I’ve found the story is driving itself, and I need some characters to do stuff over here in this place and a first person narrator is somewhere else. I can find no way to jump back and forth with any kind of sense. I probably need to admit this book writing stuff is not my forte. 

Dressed in holiday style

 

Electricity made easy

The wife bought some new ceiling lights for the kitchen about a month ago. They were cheap from Amazon. The old chandeliers have hung in three different houses and are easily 30 years old. I’m pretty sure they were expensive at the time (I did not ask). Now the wife is looking for a less primitive country look and moving to more farmhouse. That’s what she tells me,  they are just new hanging lamps as far as I’m concerned. 

Wednesday afternoon I took the old one down, wired the new one just to make sure it works before actually hanging it. The lamp lit even though the switch was off. Something isn’t right and I can’t figure it out, after many attempts and plenty of checking I’m stumped. It doesn’t help that the contractor was pretty free with paint so it is difficult to figure out black vs white. 

I moved and replaced the one over the island with little trouble. 

A more experienced buddy is coming today to help me with the one over the table. 

What confuses me, is I’m the one who put up the previous light with no trouble. 

I’m not sure why a simple home repair always turns sour. 

Happy Thanksgiving

 What are you doing here? Go watch a parade or something.

Tanks Fer Everyting

In March I will have been at this goofy hobby for 20 years. I have written more than eight thousand posts. Even if the majority of my writings are complete crap, that’s still a lot of words. Sure, some of you have been at it longer. You are the reason I started in the first place. 

A lot of bloggers have come and gone. My sidebar used to be much longer. So it goes. So I suppose I earn a point or two for perseverance. 

The real point of this post is to thank you. Without you, Dear Reader, there would be no point in the exercise. So, Thank you. 

Explain it all with a sigh

 A cold front is coming, I can hear the wind outside and the wreaths on the outside of my office window are shifting and rubbing against the glass. It is okay, cold and stormy fits my mood. 

I took yesterday off. It was grandparents day at the girls’schhol. I’ll have two quick days of work and then a long weekend. I have to travel the following week. Before you know it it will be the Christmas-New Year. 

For some reason I am just not in my normal holiday jolly mood. 

Go forth and enjoy your Tuesday. 

PS You are in my prayers . I know this week is hard. 

Second verse same as the first

 

Hmph

Blogger isn’t cooperating and I won’t either.

The snow is melted

It is still dark on this late November Saturday. My coffee is hot. Music gently plays in the background. 

I got a work email last evening informing me we are finally approved on a chunk of new business I’ve been chasing for nearly a year. It will be about $4 million in sales. I was so thrilled I even sent a text to my boss at 8:30 ladt night. He was pretty happy too. 

I’m not sure what tasks the wife has planned for today. There is no end of stuff that needs done, the question is what are her priorities?

Have a great day.

Friday Thoughts

His place is back along a tree line overlooking a ravine and small stream. The undergrowth is of typical Hoosier variety; mulberry. sassafras, wild blackberries. At first, he had few neighbors and it was not unusual to see tracks of deer, of fox, of the omnipresent squirrels in the winter snow. Over time, there came more neighbors, and I was saddened, but not surprised, when bulldozers cleared a large swath of trees nearby. This part of Hamilton County is among the fastest growing areas in the country.

I used to visit him every week, then once a month. Now, I talk with him a handful of times a year. It is not fair of me. He got me through the most depressing and darkest times of my life. When I said I could not go on, he told me "Not today, things will get better. Not today." 

I smile when I think about how he wrestled with his little sister laughing and shouting, his older sister supervising with a wry grin. There are the ball games, the soccer games, school plays. All fictitious memories that never happened. The baseball and pleather glove I gave him lie unused. The ball rotted away a few years ago. The glove lies cracked and faded. On each visit I think of him as he would be, growing older, playing, going to school, not how he is, a little baby boy who lived but a day.

I will go visit him Monday to celebrate a bittersweet birthday. Tuesday is a black anniversary I will try unsuccessfully to forget.  

Next Friday I will go down and put a little metal Santa Claus next to his grave as I do every year. 

And life goes on, the way of the Lord mysterious. 

Snow, snow, snow

 Imagine my shock to find the ground covered in fresh snow this morning. The driveway snd  pavement are clear, it was too warm to stick to concrete. There is not a lot of the white stuff, enough to cover the leaves still on the front lawn. It must have snowed a lot, the ground has to be warm. Temperatures hit seventy Fahrenheit on Tuesday. We have not seen sub-freezing in weeks, if at all this season. 

I’m tempted to break out the snow song from the movie White Christmas, but I’ll refrain. 

It is beginning to look..,

Temperatures hit the upper sixties yesterday. It was spectacular weather for a mid November day. The weather quacks were warning the spate of nice weather is about to change with wind, rain, and even snow in the forecast. With that in mind I knocked off work a bit early to get the outside Christmas  decorations on the house. My neighbors across the street had the same idea. 

I’m skeptical about snow sticking on the ground Thursday. It has been so warm I just don’t see it. There are still flowers blooming in the pot on the porch! 

I know, it would be weird to discover the weather forecast is wrong!

I wanted all of these bleeping trees

I came home from the doctor yesterday morning and decided to rake some leaves since I took 1/2 day vacation. 

I raked the entire front yard. 

The front lawn is covered in new fresh leaves this morning.  *#%@&$.

Start the day off right

Happy Monday. I’m off in a bit to the eye doctor again. I’ll let you know, but I suspect I am going to have to have surgery. The gel separation is worse and I can only see about 50% in my right eye. Maybe not, I did not sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night and my medical degree is non-existent. 

Edit: i am going back under the knife in a few weeks. Oh, and I thought I attached this song this morning. 

As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly

Cappy says we cannot go into the holiday season before the WKRP turkey drop and he is right. Thanksgiving is an artificial construct, the date has changed often in our nation’s history including when FDR fiddled around with the official date. 

Here’s the thing. We are having our family Thanksgiving today. Two-thirds of my kids and their related offspring and significant others will be on hand at the old homestead to feast and enjoy one another’s company. I will be tired and stressed to make sure everything is finished on time and fit to eat. It is just after 5:00 AM and I’m already plotting the cooking schedule. 

It will be without remorse when I drag out the Christmas decorations next weekend.

The turkeys have dropped. 

What?

I love Christmas and everything about it. We decorate the house inside and out. I enjoy the music, the food, spending time with family. Most of all I love Christmas movies - the classics, the Hallmark ones, the cartoons, the newer flicks. 

Last night the wife and I went to see The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. It is terrific. It may be in my top three favorite Christmas movies ever. 

So I looked up some reviews when I got home to see if my opinion was valid or if I was high on seasonal endorphins. Most people agreed it was pretty good. One person gave it a 1 out of 10. Their reason? I’ll have to paraphrase, “I went to see a Christmas movie, instead I got a religious lesson. The whole thing was about church and the birth of Jesus.” 

Sometimes words fail me. 

How long until baseball starts?

I started working a part time job at 13. I saved every penny and my first purchase was a stereo. My brother sold me a pair of speakers on credit and I was in business. I next bought a turntable and the world of music was opened to me. 

My first records were the popular tunes of the day. Soon I delved into Zepplin, Yes, Blue Oyster Cult, Jethro Tull, and  the Stones. Sure, I played my parents Herb Albert albums. I lived to hear music. 

Now for a lot of people that passion led to learning to play an instrument, alas I lacked that talent. What I could do was lay on the floor between the speakers and hear each instrument individually. I could pick out the bass, the drums, the rhythm guitar from the whole of the song. I would listen to a song over and over studying the parts that made up the whole. 

I could slip on my what was then very good Koss headphones and go into an almost trance. 

A couple of years later I added two more speakers. I had two Utah speakers with 12” woofers and two Pioneer speakers with 10” woofers in my little 8x10 bedroom. When mom and dad were at work I could literally shake the windows in our modest pre-fab National Home. I’m sure the neighbors loved me. 

I tell you this because it is Friday and that means Friday music. So for little 100 pound teen me, lying perfectly still in complete concentration I give you this:

Not hers

 The wife and I went to Subway for lunch yesterday. 

This is how they identified my sandwich vs hers.

I found it amusing. 

We have seen some much needed rain in the past 24 hours. One result is the leaves finally are falling. Right now my front yard is ankle deep with wet leaves. I hope I can get some of them cleaned up over the weekend.. 

We are hosting an early thanksgiving dinner Sunday. Turkey and the works is on the menu. The kids have other plans on actual Thanksgiving, so this is the only available weekend. 

I had hoped to start dragging Christmas decorations out, this weekend but that will have to wait. I  suspect between the leaves and dinner there is not enough time. 

Humping extra hard on hump day

I’m up and at it early this morning. There is no particular reason, I woke around 3:30AM and couldn’t get back to sleep. I dozed a bit and finally got up just shy of 5:00. So it goes. 

I have plenty to do. I have a couple of conference calls today. I have a bunch of studying on tap. One of my colleagues is leaving the company (a better opportunity, so good for him) and I picked up half of his accounts. So a busier job is a good thing. Transitioning accounts is always tricky, especially this time of year when the holidays and end of year vacations makes customer visits difficult to arrange. 

It will all work out. 

Not one mention of the weather

Little things amuse me. You might have concluded I was late getting a blog post up yesterday. Nope I scheduled it to go live at 11:11AM on purpose. 

Or you might not care at all and mutter under your breath “Joe, you narcissistic jerk, I didn’t even notice you did not post until late.” Valid point indeed. 

I raked up a couple of bags of leaves from the front yard before I realized the wind was just blowing more all over the portion I had just cleaned. I went inside to watch an old episode of Emergency! Instead. 

We had pork chops, baked spuds, and green beans for dinner last night. 

Frankly, I don’t know why you would care about any of this. 

Veteran’s Day

 

For the millions who served to make us free.

Fun for everyone

 

“New Oldsmobiles are in early this year.”

One more thing

I intended to be done with politics for a while. Instead I have one more thing to say to those who think they are about to be “killed”. If you have a position on abortion and feel like you are not being heard, then you should take up the issue with your state legislature and governor. 

Abortion (I refuse to call it women’s health) is a state issue just like the requirements to get a drivers license or if you can carry a gun. You may not like it, but that is the way it is.

Frankly, abortion was a losing platform for the Democrats because someone in Michigan cares nothing about the laws in Alabama. 

PS I guess i have two things. How do you Democrats now feel  about eliminating the filibuster and packing the Supreme Court? 

Yesh, that’s what I thought.

Here, I will tell you

Democrats and liberals are in total meltdown over the election. “How can this happen? “They ask. 

I will tell you. 

Trump is a horrible human being. If the Republican Party ran anyone else I would have voted for him/her. But I voted policy not personality. 

If you want to know when my vote for Trump was solidified, it was the ridiculous convictions over the payoffs to Stormy Daniels. If a reasonable person were to ignore the name Trump, you would agree the whole thing was Banana Republic-type bull. 

Quit demonizing people who disagree with you on policy. Anyone to the right of Mao isn’t Hitler. I am sick of being called a racist. To show how silly this plan of attack has become, Latinos were called racist because they failed to vote for Kamala. Seriously. I heard a nitwit on TV actually say "a majority of Americans have rejected democracy." That very well may be one of the dumbest things I have ever heard. Failure to toe the Democrat talking points does not make one a fascist. 

 Screaming and crying over the election makes you look beyond silly. No one lost a single right on Wednesday they had on Tuesday. The constant hyperbole is exhausting. I don't think some of you liberals understand what "literally" means. Literally, no one is literally killing you. The whole thing makes you look unserious and I won't vote for unserious people.

The Democratic party could not provide a definition of a woman until they nominated one for President. See above about unserious people. Women have worked too hard to suddenly have to fend off mentally ill people in the restroom or on the playing field. 

Reasonable people can disagree. I was embarrassed by the events of January 6, but it wasn't an insurrection and the "worst event since the Civil War" pundits made it out to be. It was a bunch of idiots protesting. It was only slightly worse than the protests from the left when Trump was inaugurated in 2017.  The events were nothing compared to the riots in the wake of George Floyd. 

I voted my best interest. Lowering the rate of inflation does not mean prices are going down, it means they aren’t rising as fast. Anyone who can promise to help relieve the price increases at the grocery and gas pump gets my vote. And no, "price gouging" is not the problem. That claim seems like Harris had no idea what to do.

My vote against Harris had nothing to do with the color of her skin or that she was a woman. I don't care about those things. It was 100% about policy. Bidenomics caused inflation. History shows Keynesian economic policies are a failure every time they are tried. Evidence suggests aggressive government spending actually helped extend the Great Depression. The so-called Inflation Reduction Act did nothing but increase spending and thus increase inflation.

I have been to Mexico. Not “vacation” Mexico, the real poverty stricken Mexico  I understand why those people want a better life they can find here. That does not mean we should not have secure borders. Protecting our borders is the responsibility of the government and the Democrats are derelict in that duty. Harris was in charge of the border and did nothing. In fact one of Biden’s very first actions upon taking office was to reduce enforcement of border controls.. 

The Vice President's failure to articulate a policy outside of abortion made it seem like she had no policy at all, and her one-time utterance that she would do nothing different than Biden, well, his unpopularity pretty much sums it up. 

We can start with that list. I will sum it up with a quote from a Democrat advisor: "Its the economy, stupid."

The bottom line is it was an election, not the apocalypse. Life goes on.  Had Kamala won I would be disappointed, but I wouldn’t waste a moment crying about it. 

It takes Congress to get a lot of the stuff done and it remains pretty much split 50/50. Relax Democrats, you will be fine. No one is going to put you in concentration camps. After all, only one political party in this country has ever resorted to that…

And the last and final point is that I’m not the only one who thinks this way. You have to face that the vast majority of voters rejected your politics. Not much else needs to be said. Except any time you can make Nancy Pelosi cry with the sadz it is a glorious day.

Maybe if she stood for something, anything …

 

Okay, I waited a day to gloat.  Ha! No, I didn’t. 

I have to say the liberals are having a collective meltdown of epic proportions. 

It is and always will be about “the economy, stupid,”

Want my advice? Perhaps it is not a winning policy to label 50% of the country racists, fascist, Nazis, and garbage merely because they disagree on some policy questions.

Where the Democrats are today

Look at that, three posts today

And my first one was the best and now it is buried, dang it.

Stay Classy, Kamala

 Harris never said a word of substance during her campaign. I should not be surprised Kamala Harris is a no-show when it comes time to concede, to thank her supporters, to address the nation. 

It reaffirms my opinion of that vapid, empty, and probably not nearly as smart as she believes herself to be presidential candidate . 

It is 10:30 AM EST and all we have from the Democrat candidate is bupkis.

At what point does this become election denial?  Asking for a friend…

What Gives?

I keep clicking that box on my computer screen that says “accept all cookies” but not a one has appeared at my door. 

By now I should have dozens of chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, sugar, or snickerdoodle cookies piled on the counter. 

I think I’m being scammed. 

Duty Done

I went to vote around 10AM. For the first time in a while there was a line.  I suppose It took around 45 minutes to wait and vote.

I get you want to make sure and vote wisely. One woman was standing at voting machine #2 when I came in. I waited. Showed ID and waited. I finally voted. The process once I got inside took about 20 minutes. The SAME woman was still standing at machine #2 when I left. 

Sheesh. 

Suck it up and do it

Go vote. 

It is perfectly acceptable to vote in your own best interests.

No, I’ll not wear the silly sticker after. 

I’ll say this, I got a text at 11PM last night. It was from the campaign of Mike Braun who is running for governor of Indiana. It ticked me off to no end. I’m sick of election texts anyway and sending one at bedtime is a jerk move. I was going to vote for him because he is marginally better than the alternative. I may vote for the democrat out of spite. 

It won’t matter, the Republicans have an iron lock on the Statehouse and a lefty governor has zero chance of implementing her agenda. 

Somehow, I find it strangely appropriate that today is Trash Day.  There is a metaphor in there I’m sure. 

Stolen

 

H/T MC

Now it’s in your head

 Flashback to 70s pop

A slice of Saturday

For as long as I can remember whenever I cross a State line. * I lean forward or stick out my arms to be the “first” one in the car across the line.  Of course I know it is goofy. 

The wife and I went on a little road trip yesterday. Living in central Indiana a couple of hours or so in any direction can put you into another state. Yesterday when we crossed back into Hoosierdom I reached out towards the windshield to earn my well deserved victory. The wife looked at me and shook her head.

I laughed. “After all these years you either think ‘He’s so weird’ or ‘that’s one of the many little charming things that makes me love him,’” I told her. 

She didn’t say anything . I laughed and prompted her, “You have lots of charming qualities, Joe.” 

Silence. 

I guess I know where I stand.

*when I cross into Indiana from Illinois on I-74 I always sing the opening lines to Back Home in Indiana. I don’t know why.  I suppose it is more than a quirk. I was weird even as a kid. 

PS try it the next time you cross any State line. Take any victory in life you can get.

A brief excerpt

It was a typical sunny Hawaiian morning. Joan Kowalski sipped black coffee while she skimmed the thick Sunday Honolulu Times. She was casually dressed in slacks and a blouse. An ignored cigarette burned in an ashtray at her elbow. The cigarette produced a trail of blue smoke that waved and curled in the gentle breeze from the open windows. Joan folded the newspaper expertly as she skipped to the jump page to finish an article. Across the enameled kitchen table Paula Jones wore her nightgown and a robe as she absently stirred sugar into her coffee cup while reading a page in a novel. She was hunched forward in concentration. Neither woman spoke. Music played softly on the radio. 

Alice Daughtry walked sleepily into the kitchen and headed straight towards the coffee pot on the stove. “Morning kids,” she mumbled. She was wearing silk pajamas that fit tightly across her large breasts. Alice yawned open-mouthed and stretched her arms above her head. Her top crept up, briefly exposing her flat stomach and navel. Alice rotated her head on her shoulders. Her brown hair was still sleep-tousled. She lit a Lucky Strike and reached for a coffee cup.

The roar of airplanes droned in the distance. Alice cocked her head and stared at the ceiling. “Sounds like the flyboys are at it early this morning.” She filled her cup from the metal percolator. “Edna gets off at eight, I better make another pot of coffee. You know how she is after working the overnight shift.” Edna Faber was their fourth roommate. Alice walked over to the table and poured the last of the pot into Joan and Paula’s cups.

“Huh, those planes seem pretty low,” Paula said. “There is a bunch of them.” She turned towards Alice, “You got in late last night Alice.”

Alice smiled and started to speak when her reply was cut off by distant popping sounds and what sounded like fireworks. “What the heck?” Alice exclaimed. She set the empty pot on the counter.

Joan walked outside barefoot followed by her roommates. Planes circled the distant harbor like flies at a picnic. She could see spurts of smoke and fire to the left around Hickam and more around Ford Island in the middle of Pearl Harbor. The air raid siren up the hill began to wail.

All three women looked at the distant base in awe. None thought to move despite the noise from the sirens blaring throughout Honolulu. The volume of noise grew. Puffs of smoke dotted the air from what Joan supposed were anti-aircraft guns. These made a lighter pop in the sky compared to the deeper thud of the bombs and larger boom of explosions as the torpedoes and bombs began to hit their targets. A buzz of machine guns was barely heard above the cacophony of explosions and the constant howl of the siren. 

The planes circled and dove in succession. The three nurses stood frozen in the yard. Suddenly there was a loud explosion, and a black spout of smoke and flame roiled from the harbor. “We are under attack!” Paula shouted. Her words woke something in Joan and called her to action. She sprinted into the house and pulled on some shoes. Joan immediately started jogging towards the hospital. Paula watched her go and headed into the house to pull on her uniform. Alice asked where she was going. 

“To the hospital, Alice. There are bound to be casualties.”

“But you are not on duty.” Alice whined. Paula gave her a withering look and followed in Joan’s wake.

Don’t fret, it is a first draft of a middle section. I hope to make it better with the inevitable rewrites. 

Pot meet kettle

I saw a campaign ad for Kamala Harris last evening. The spot  claimed “Donald Trump ended Rowe vs Wade.” 

No matter your position on that particular contentious issue, that claim is an out and out bold faced untruth aimed at ignorant voters. 

Yet the press repeatedly paints the Trump campaign as liars.