Frugality

 Outside the temp is 27 (F) and we seem to have reached our high for today.  Yepper, we're in for a cold couple of days.  While our temps will climb up into the mid 30s (F) during the week, the forecasters are warning us not to expect anything balmy until... well, maybe next week.

Yesterday was a meh day.  I don't know why.  I didn't do my Monday workout because I started early on the last Monday I was scheduled to work.  This is a bit odd, seeing my hours decrease.  What I dislike mostly is knowing that I might have to use some of my social security check to cover expenses.  I may have to start learning to be frugal.  As I typed that, I remembered The Frugal Gourmet, a man who created a mini-cooking show empire by making dishes that were anything but frugal, and who lost everything when word broke that he was having an affair with his assistant Craig.  The two of them had mutual interest in Hot Rolls.

Being that this is Tuesday, laundry is already in the washer.  Since my bread machine died, I baking today's loaf the old fashioned way, kneading by hand.  This should be fun.

And I have a ride scheduled for this afternoon.  I've been chatting with my trainer about what happens when I training program goes on hold on the December 31.  I told him I have a schedule to implement and he told me to do screen prints of everything.  In my opinion, this is good customer service.  

For those of you who are curious how things ended up with Howie's Wubba, I have to report that the ending was not nice.  That's right, he's lost his head, and will very shortly end up in the trash.

This weekend in politics was interesting.  The Orange Anus now has bruising on both hands, this is not a good look and implies he's being pumped intravenously with some sort of joy juice to keep him functioning.  He met with Zelensky at his Swamp Palace in Mar a Lago.  Their meeting was behind closed doors and when the did speak to the press, Orangie was beside himself with happy dementia.  He actually said Russia invaded the Ukraine because the 2020 election was stolen by the Democrats.  

Orangie also met with Netty the Israeli war criminal and, of course, Orangie had to lie again.  He told the world press that he had spoken with the Israeli President and told him that Netty needed to be pardoned for the corruptioin charges he is facing.  Orangie then went on to say that the President agreed and that this was a done deal.  Later, the Israeli President issued an official statement saying this pardon had never been discussed and that for all intents and purposes it was horseshit.  But then, everybody in the world know how much Orangie lies. 

Face Off

 We have a chilly start to the day, that's if you think 67 (F) is chilly.  I don't.  We also have quite a bit of a breeze, the leftovers from a cold front that moved through the area late yesterday afternoon.  We did get rain, heavy torrential rain that fell in sheets across the highway as I was driving home from work.  And this wasn't like one of those quickie thunderstorms that's a flash, bam, thank you mam kind of storms.  We had heavy rain for over half an hour, heavy enough that I had to drive through waves.  What an adventure!  Today our high temp will only rise into the mid 70s (F).  That's fine.

Yesterday work was steady for the first three hours, but  then it died off.  The store did not hit plan last week.  This is going to continue.  I did set up a measure, but other than that the afternoon dragged on and on.  I had planned on stopping off at my neighborhood Giant supermarket on the way home, but by the time I got out of our parking lot the rain had started, and shortly after that drivers were slowing down and putting on their four-way flashers.

I did make Ukrainian Borscht yesterday morning before heading off to work.  One of the big differences between Ukrainian and Russian is that the Ruskies eat their borscht chilled, while the Hungarians eat theirs warm.  The recipe made a lot, so I'll have meals for the next 2 or 3 days.  

And, of course, Volodymyr Zelensky is going to be meeting with the Orange Anus sometime today, possibly this morning, maybe this afternoon.  Orangie has already attempted to lay the groundwork, the Ukraine needs to give up Crimea and not join NATO.  Zelensky has already told him to pound sand.  Some things everybody needs to remember are that Orangie is weak and caves under pressure, that's why they call him TACO (Trump Always Chickens Out).  At the same time we need to keep in mind that he's been given order by his idol, Vlad.  His shoe leather heart has been crushed and he's desperate to make things kissy, kissy again.  I don't think that's going to happen.  Vlad never wanted to be kissy, kissy with him in the first place, but Orangie did make a convenient tool for Vlad to use... and abuse.  Like a bad poker player, Vlad has played his hand too soon, probably because he's already lost a million Russian lives in this failed war.  Vlad is a tiny tyrant who wants his tiny feet to fit into much bigger shoes and that's not going to happen.  So, what will happen?  I don't know.  I wouldn't be surprised if Orangie raises the tariffs on Europe to 75% because being the terrible businessman he is, that's the only card he can think of playing. 

The Bromance Breakup

 Today is Sunday, a day of work.  This is also a day when our afternoon high temp is predicted to be in the mid 90s (F), that is until the storms arrive... if they do.  If the weather forecasters are correct, this should be the last 90 (F) degree day we have for a while.  Erin's is going to be crawling up the eastern seaboard and the cloud cover she is brining will keep our skies overcast for the next week.  That will cool things off.

I did work yesterday, otherwise I didn't really do much of anything.  Howie got his Frontline for the upcoming month.  He doesn't care.  

The coffee maker I have grinds and brews, but here lately the grinding seems to be a bit off, the coffee is not as strong as I like.  I have a coffee grinder that decades old and still works, so I've started grinding them myself.  The coffee is so much better.

And, as should be expected, the world is still talking about Orangie's and his blow bro Vlad's date, if that's what you want to call it.  Certain things didn't happen.  The fancy luncheon?  Nixed.  The golden desk statue, and American eagle?  That was never given.  There is truth in the saying that a picture is worth a thousand words.  Take a look at this one.  You'd almost think that Orangie and Vlads bromance is over.

Notice how Vlad has a chirpy little smile on his face, while Orangie is looking more than a little disgruntled.  Someone should tell him he needs to take that frown and turn it upside down.  What makes him such a gloomy Gus?  I'm betting Vlad teased him with the promise of a possible ceasefire in the Ukraine.  However, Orangie's face tells me Vald said, "sorry, babe, that card ain't on the table."  You know, I'm suspecting Orangie has just realized he's holding none of the cards.

When I heard that Zelensky was scheduled to meet with Orangie tomorrow, I will admit I was a little concerned.  So many reporters from around the world noted how everyone from Orangie's team was ashen faced when they entered that press conference.  It was almost as if they knew something really bad was going to happen, and I'm not just talking about Putin taking charge of the press conference.  So, I will admit to being relieved to discover Zelensky is being escorted by the Prime Ministers of Germany, France, Italy, and the UK.  All four will be sitting in that room beside him.  And you know they're all going to tell Orangie to pound sand, at which point Vlad will probably start dropping the dirt he has on Orangie since he is now a useless tool.

Senior Moment? Or Not?

The outside temps are a nice 60 (F); those adverse to heat need to prep themselves because if the forecast holds we're going to top off around 90 (F).  I find this amusing since my neighbors have been running their window A/C units none stop for the past month, even on those days when the temps dropped down into the 40s (F) over night.  They are going to melt if we get an extended stretch with our temps in the upper 90s (F).  We have another 2 weeks until we legitimately hit summer.

For a Tuesday, I think much was accomplished including 2 loads of laundry which were dried outside.  

I did have my bloodwork yesterday morning, they took 5 vials, rather than the normal 4, as well as a urine sample.  Amusingly enough, I had a senior moment, or maybe I didn't.  My blood gets drawn at the Rossmoyne Clinic.  I used that clinic regularly for years.  Then, 6 years ago my PCP retired and he was replaced by an Asian woman who was a Physician's Assistant.  A few months into Covid, I did something to my shoulder and couldn't move it without having severe pain.  So, I called to make an appointment and... she refused to see me.  She wanted me to leave a voicemail detailing pain, inability to move my shoulder and arm in order for her to decide if I should have x-rays taken.  When I reminded her assistant that I worked for the Great Orange Retailer and was considered an essential employee and was dealing with hundreds of people daily, her assistant told me, "it doesn't make a difference, she's not going to see you."  In my opinion this physician's assistant failed totally; it's why I go to the Lebanon Clinic.  So yesterday, after filling my pee cup, I stepped out of the restroom and saw her assistant sitting next to where I'd sat to have my blood draw, scrolling away on her phone, and that memory flashed through my head and... I walked by the tray where I was supposed to put my specimen.  Was it a senior moment?  Possibly... and possibly not.

Howie's 10 months old today.  He told me he's ready for his closeup.

Orangie's steel tariffs take effect today.  Can a steel TACO be far away?

Because his superior army was only in his head, estimates are that after 3 years of war Orangie's blow bro Vlad has sent one million young Russians to an early grave; if you need to see an actual number, this is it:  1,000,000.  I do think that in his addled brain Orangie was going to be the Ace in the Hole for him to play.  Vlad's problem is that Orangie has done so much damage to America's rep the world is going around us.  

Remember when Orangie told Zelensky he didn't have any cards?  The Guardian is reporting that in fact he's is holding several more cards and is just waiting to play them.  

And, finally, is Orangie's Big Beautiful Tax grab failing?  The truth is that there is so much bad shit in that way too salty piece of legislation that more than a few Republicans are sounding the alarm.  One of the many problems with this hit bit of party authoritarianism is the fact that so many Republican ilk simply rubber stamped it instead of taking the time to read over 1200 pages of horseshit.   Even that horse's ass Scott Perry is complaining, though in his case I think he's more worried about getting re-elected than that fact that this is a piece of donkey trip legislation.

Betrayal

 While the weather here in Central PA is moderate, the mood is stormy.  Marched came in like a lamb, for those of you who remember that saying.  Does this imply that it's going to go out like a lion?  We shall have to wait and see.

And yesterday was quiet.  I didn't shop.  I didn't buy anything on line, hey, I didn't even browse.  Sadly, I didn't use the time to do anything really constructive.  I did cook a nice chicken dish for dinner, and last evening I played Skyrim.  It is escapist.  Let me tell you, there is nothing more satisfying to killing orcs, and bandits, and daedras is a good way to release pent up frustrations.  Sometimes I use a Dwarven great sword to lop of heads, other times I use a mace and throw fire balls.

I do get to go to work today.  I'm interested in seeing if we made our plan yesterday.  The area around me is rather conservative, so whether enough people stayed home might be questionable.  I did see that Wall Street gained a bit, but not enough to offset losses.  Yes, February was a losing month for all of those owners of stocks and bonds.  And on Tuesday, the tariffs kick in because we have a moral degenerate in the White House who's referencing 1880 when validating his belief in tariffs.

Of course, Orangie and Vancey Pants, following Putin's order, created a scene in the Oval Office... and the world was shocked.  A telling fact is that Tass, Russia's national media arm, managed to get a reporter into the press pool and if not for the eagle eye of Reuter's reporter would have been broadcasting live to Russia; they knew what was planned and they were prepared.  It's nice to know that the White House had to scramble, claiming there had been a mix up, before the Tass reporter was expelled.  Isn't it interesting that the Russian national press can get in but the Associated Press can't?

Except for the MAGA cultists, Americans see this as a betrayal, siding with Orangie's blow bro Vlad instead of Democracy.  Condemnation was universal on social media, except for the cultists who demanded an apology.  Good luck with that.  Here's a short list of those reviling Orangie's attack.

One of the things that stood out to me in this ambush of Zelensky was Orangie's comment about being a business man (can you hear me laughing?)  He might be very good at laundering Russian Rubles, but when it comes to business his history of failures is long.  His startup businesses have all failed badly after the initial grift is earned.  

On Tuesday, Orangie's tariffs are going to kick in and our trading partners, the countries we've traded with if not for decades, than for centuries, are going to go elsewhere, you know?  Like the waiting arms of China.  What we do import, will be at a much higher price, and our exports will diminish.  It's going to get very expensive fast.  The world is going to punish us and their ain't no stoppin' it.  We are racing towards the FO stage of American political evolution.

Lack of Cohesion in Trump's Brain

 So, is today gong to be the last cold day for this winter?  Right now it's 15 (F) outside.  That's many degrees below normal for this time of year.  Sometime tonight our warm-up is predicted to begin, with the thermometer climbing up into the 30s (F) tomorrow and the 40s (F) by Friday.  Those temps will feel downright balmy.

Yesterday I began assembling the new filter for the big aquarium.  The process was a bit frustrating because the assembly sheet that was included was not for my filter.  Nope.  The directions were for a much different filter, so assembly was achieved by looking at the picture on the front of the box.  

I also had lunch with my cousin who at one time was a big Orange Anus supporter.  Times have changed now that Social Security might be involved.  She and her husband are in the FO stage.  

Otherwise yesterday was pretty much a day of slack.  Well, for the most part.  I did do laundry, and hand wash the dishes.  I'm going to be doing that more and using the dishwasher less.  Water consumption, you know?  Or maybe I should say water expense.  This winter is going to be very expensive when it comes to my heating expense.  To compensate I want to lower my water bill.

And then yesterday this was one of the many things that happened.

Of course, that was just one of a number shit show extravaganzas that happened.  The Orange Anus called Vladimir Zelensky a dictator.  Even conservative Ben Shapiro is calling that lie a lie.  If I might, let me play the devil's advocate and say there's probably not a lot of cohesion in Orangie's brain right now, nothing more than random thoughts trying for put forth his blow bro Putin's talking points.  Let's be honest here, he's a 78 year old man who'd rather just spend the rest of his sunset years cheating at golf.  Sadly, that does appear to be what he's doing while Elonia runs the government. 

Let me return to my cousin and her husband, they are aged Republicans who believe a lot of the GOP's propaganda.  They are very concerned about their Social Security, and not in the inane Susan Collins way, where concern is a quick wrench of her thin fingers and a momentarily furrowed brow.  They are worried, though rather than blame Orangie, their ire is directed at Elonia.  They were almost joyous talking about the protests, telling me how they had watched thousands of people all over the country protesting Elonia.  Being the kind spirit I am, I didn't let them know that those protests were against Orangie, too.  If this continues, I wouldn't be surprised if it's the MAGA leopards who end up eating Elonia's face.