I had started another blog post, but it's still in draft form. Not ready for prime time, as it were.
I have no current events of which to speak. I have successfully avoided the newspapers and news shows. The tv hasn't really been on either. Ignorance might be bliss, but so is silence.
The weather has been semi-cooperating. Enough so that we have eaten outside most days this week. Straight from the grill.
End of month 2 at the gym is - well tomorrow, but I'm pretending it's - Sunday. It will be my second weigh-in. I'm hoping I lost something. I'd say "anything" but that's a big fat lie. I'd like it to be close to double digits, but trying not to set myself up for disappointment. But I know I'll be disappointed.
We are headed into a long weekend, but I'm not jazzed about it. I'm not sad about it either.
I'm still bent out of shape about the shootings mass executions in Texas.
I'd fucking like everyone to be, but 90% of people have gone on with their lives and a shrug of the shoulders. They accepted defeat as soon as the bodies were cold. Probably before.
It's sad. Not shocking.
There is absolutely nothing Congress - either side / either party - will do. NOTHING.
The Second Amendment - whatever interpretation one might have - is about the right to 'arms'. However, it's not about the right to ammunition. Why isn't someone legislating the fuck out of that? Or at least trying?
Like fucking clockwork, the chatter of: "arm the teachers".
Are you FUCKING KDDING ME?
It's not about how an almost poverty level job (once you factor in the hours of before and after class time they have to put in) has to lay down their life to protect the kids. Parents are already expecting the world out of these teachers with over-filled classrooms and basically hoping to get through the day without interruptions of all kinds - let alone a hail of gunfire.
Thanks to Ohio's governor, you don't even need training or permit to carry a weapon. This douche wants to win re-election in the worst way. And he'll succeed - on both fronts.
So parents, communities and politicians who think teachers should be packing, riddle me this:
If I don't need to be trained in firearms, should Mrs. Smith who has 2nd period math? I mean, they're watching over your 'darlings'. ''
Who is paying for these weapons and ammo? I mean, schools and the state already don't even basic supplies for teachers - they have to shell out for them on their own.
Will teachers get full immunity when they accidentally put a bullet through Evan's head when they tried to shoot the guy with the gun?
Best yet: will you pay them the salary of a teacher, security guard and armed marksman? Oh - and clean-up crew?
It would not surprise me that these parents do indeed expect taking a bullet for their kid to be part of the job requirements for accepting a position at the school district.
You know what's sadder? Each and every time and event like this happens, there is a sliver of me that thinks: THIS will be the time of action.
It's silly and demoralizing, because, as you know, I'm not an optimistic person, but in this case, one almost has to be.....even if just a sliver. But each time I'm not just proven wrong, it's with a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire hitting me upside the head and the absolute cruelty this country condones and encourages.
Yes. Encourages. By having no repercussions for any of this behaviour, these tactics, these killings, there is no downside for anyone but a few dozen parents. You certainly don't hear the funeral homes or casket makers advocating for gun safety - hell, the one funeral home in Uvalde is going to make a killing. Pun fully intended
That said, I love Steve Kerr. I have since he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers. But he is a winning coach - and when you're winning you can say most anything. While you might have not have backing of your front office, if you're winning, they won't fire you.
Kerr has spoken passionately about any number of social issues including the killing of George Floyd and now Uvalde.
Almost 10 years after Sandy Hook, and nothing has changed. Not a g-ddamn fucking thing.
Well, not true. As of yesterday, you can add 14 more elementary school children to the death statistics.
Truth be told, I got home from work and saw the headline and that's it. I've read nothing. Nor do I plan to. It is far too sad in so many regards.
Say what you want, and while every life counts in this regard, it seems a lot lot worse when they are elementary school-aged kids. We are number to the high school shootings, which the shooters are usually high schoolers themselves.
But this is Texas. A gun state. Ironically, a severe pro-life state - unless your trans, then they're not. But gun deaths of children there don't mean prof-life. It means more pro-gun. Arm everyone and this won't happen.
Reality: arm everyone and it happens more often.
The NRA is having their convention in Houston next week. Their last in-person convention guns were not allowed in the venue. Irony.
In more reality news, around the same time as the newest shooting, Ohio gets this:
And with this fucking shit-eating grin too.
Irony #2: Firearms are prohibited at the Ohio Statehouse.
While not at retirement age, we are nearing it. We've been wondering what to do in our aging year - and where. But the where had been beach? city? Now the discussion has turned to: which country?
It's not longer a "joke". You cannot emigrate to Canada. It's not that easy. But I'd gladly live out my days in Paris. But with this gun shit, women's rights, the soon to be challenged same-sex marriage and the potential return of BLOTUS (which = the last dying gasp of the U.S), the joke is no longer funny.
Yes, we'd miss some family, and friends, but at least I'd have peace of mind.
Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren - how bad could it be? I thought? The on-line Insta trailers made it look lighthearted and funny - it seemed.
It wasn't bad. And it wasn't really lighthearted and / or funny.
It looks like it was semi-released in late 2020, but for general release, the studio et al tried to wait out Covid. It probably would have fared better just going to a streaming service. While it waited its release, the director unexpectedly died. It's not foreshadowing.............I think.
This is a mostly-true tale of a portrait of the Duke of Wellington that gets stolen from the National Gallery - the only known theft from the British Museum. It is done by a barely workingman who espouses Robin Hood references. He is a man of the people and for the people - which comes around at his trial.
The trial of Broadbent's character (well, the character he plays, not his 'character' per se) is the most humourous thing going here. While the rest isn't depressing, it plays a little bleak, but I suppose if you're a man of the people for the people, it should.
Broadbent's performance is good, I would say Mirren's is less so. It's ok and all, but halfway through there is a line inferring she is an Irish "girl". I didn't remember her sounding Irish before that comment, and not really after that line as well. Even after a foreseen transition in circumstances, she still is a frickin' crank.
Matthew Goode - who was also playing across the hall in Downton Abby: We're Making You Watch Us Again - was good as always. I have yet to see him in be fair or bad in any movie or television show which he touches.
I'd have to say - if you have to see it, wait a month or two, it'll be on Netflix or the like.
Fun fact: the only gay bar I've been to in the UK was........the Duke of Wellington.
I like Duran Duran well enough, Are they Rock Hall worthy? Maybe.
MTV had been a thing, but their second album, Rio, really cemented not just them, but the second British invasion - and D2 lead that charge. They also kicked up video production standards for all bands making music filmettes.
Their music is fine. Some better than others, even if the lyrics really really don't make sense. 710 heard me sing "I smell like I sound......" from "Hungry Like the Wolf". He didn't believe me that these were the words, so he looked them up. Let's just say, I wasn't wrong.
Don't get me started on "Union of the Snake".
The band got in on their first nomination. Actually, I think at least 5 nominees did.
I could pick one of the flashier videos they did, but I'll stick with the first - or one of the first - "Planet Earth".
....to make you feel old, the song and their debut album is 41 years old.
Yet another installment in the drudgery that is everyday shopping. The camera-phone makes it a bit more fun - though I get looks whenever I take pics of products. Like I care what people think.
Yeah, most of my Shopping posts are "jokes", some are not. This one remains to be seen.
I got access to a supply of Teeth Whitening Strips. 14, to be precise. One is supposed to use them for two weeks in a row - well, for 30 minutes, each day for 14 days in a row........to be specific.
My teeth weren't (and aren't) shiny white. I don't want them to be Hollywood white, but I'd like them less dingy. I'm not 100% sure it worked. But I'm not sure it did not.
Using them is fairly easy.
They come with an upper set, as well as a lower one. I try off each tier of teeth and peel one (then the other) off and adhere them to my chompers.
They don't align perfectly, but you know, everyone has a different mouth.
I'd put them on in the morning - usually before the gym. I would do my 30 minutes of cardio, then pull them off.
Getting them off isn't that difficult, but it is sticky. Your saliva and their "glue" do allow them to bond, but good. What you then have to do it really rinse out your mouth and sometimes even run a tissues across them to get rid of what I can only fondly call as "gunk".
I did take before and after pics, and it can be a lot of factors, but in that venue, I don't know I see a difference.
However, in real life, I think they are marginally better. Of course, that could all just be wishful thinking. No one has just said, "hey! look how much white your teeth have become!". ....but I suppose if they did, all I'd take away was, "wow - your teeth were dull and dingy before!"
I'm glad I least tried it. But I don't know I'll go back for seconds.
As I somewhat mentioned before, it was a tough week. So, there are not tons of pics.
I get that cats nap a lot! But I'm just not sure why they move from place to place during the day to do the same thing.
Our bedroom. My sister-in-law's bedroom. Shep's bedroom. ....and yes, Shep has his own king sized bed. Why do you ask? I'm guessing my s-i-l place the steps there for Sophie to come down easily.
Someone (me) might have been snacking outside.
Someone (not me) might have bee very interested.
New neighbor dog, Willa.
Lovely eyes. But in a way - TOTALLy creepy when she stares at you.
That said, she could have as easily been interested in Shep, but she whines for my attention. I love it.
It is 20:41 - and I can barely keep my eyes open. I like working out at 05:00, but it's fucking with my end of day life - what little I had with which to begin.
Work this week has made me Crank-Y! I'm not well-liked this week, but as I told my boss, "you don't pay me enough to be likable". Or lickable.
So, I have nothing crafted. .....and I'm going to bed.
Ok - technically the ad is like 50 years old. I do not remember it, but some of the readers older than myself (if there is such a thing!), might have seen it in the past.
Full disclosure: My mother put Dippity-Do on an almost daily basis when I was a wee lad.
I believe I used it in the 80s as well, when I somewhat still had hair and still felt it "needed" product. What it did was accentuate my thinning hair where you could see scalp.
Honestly, 27 months in and I took my first Covid test.
Well.........second. The first was for a pre-op when I had my nose fixed a year and a half ago. This time, it was for possible exposure.
Ever vigilant, whilst in Chicago, we semi-let our guard down. Since we had almost never been out to eat in the last two years, we met my nephew for dinner and I wasn't thinking. They asked for proof of vaccination.
I didn't have my card. 710 did. But I hopped onto my electronic medical record and could show proof that way. I was cool. And we were eating outside, so we felt somewhat safe(r).
The next evening, we had dinner with my friend Doug and his husband. Everyone but said husband had been boosted x 2. Erik has not met the age parameter to get the second booster - so good for Doug for landing a "younger" man.
I gave both a quick kiss upon arrival. 710 had never met Erik so they just exchanged greetings. We had a lovely evening (though the second worst pizza I have ever had in my life, and that includes the from the box Chef Boyardee shit). And we ate and socialized outside at their residence.
We ended the evening somewhat short, as they were flying to London the next day.
Cut to two days later, I get a text from the UK. Upon entry, tested positive for Covid.
Fuck. x 3.
I texted 710 to let him know. He took it better than expected. Doug and Erik felt terrible, but my take again was: we've made it 27 months. I took it as a when, not if, situation.
But we tested when I got home. It wasn't great, but it wasn't horrible. I'm not a fan of things up my nose - boogers included.
15 minutes later..........
It says I'm negative, though they don't make it easy to read.
C vs T. I suppose the FOUR PAGE INSTRUCTIONS tell you what that means, but all I had to know was C does not = Covid. It means it's negative.
710 was negative as well.
I texted Doug yesterday morning (the night before would have been rude, as it was the middle of the night in the UK). He and Erik were very relieved they had not passed it along to us - as they Erik felt awful about the prospet. I assured them ill feeling from something like that was never a concern.
Thanks to Pappy Joe, we used two of our free home tests.
I can't say I'm happy, but I can't say I didn't deserve it either.
87 in a 70.
Sure, Han Solo can do the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs, but you go a measly 17 miles over the speed limit and you get fined $140 !!!
Still, 87 mph is fast. Even on a turnpike. Even a mostly empty one (at the time).
I'll set it up a bit: 5-6 miles of one lane traffic. Everyone BUT the truck in front of me was going the posted, but slower, 55 mph. Due to said truck, we were doing 40.
So when the construction ended, Blobby opened up that throttle and took off.
710 uses Waze and I'd say 95% of the time, the other Wazers have notified us of police who are near. Not so this time.
G-d love him, the patrol guy probably heard my expletive even with my windows up. He had to see the brake lights. And he started to even pull out before I passed him. THAT is how fast I was going.
I knew it was going to happen. 710 knew it was going to happen. State Trooper Brigham definitely knew it was going to happen.
He was very kind and courteous. While I wouldn't say he gave me an out, he gave me an opportunity to give an excuse why I was going so fast.
I suppose I could have said I had to poop, but I had just passed a rest area. I just copped to say: "I wasn't really paying attention". He ran what he needed to and came back with my ticket and fine.
That all said, it wasn't great, but it wasn't bad. My last ticket, 39 in a 35, cost me $10 more than what I was paying here. If you break it down by mph over the limit, I got quite the bargain.
All of this did not put a damper on our weekend in Chicago. But 710 drove the last hour of our trip.
Eurythmics are TOTALLY deserving to be in the Hall. For the most part - they did everything themselves - write, produce, play, you name it.
There are any number of 'obvious' songs I can throw up there, and all would be fine. But you've seen them before, here or MTV, or..........you name it.
A horribly underrated disk is Savage. The band went back to basics here - just the two of them. No one else (pretty much). And it works. Savage is a bit more eclectic, but so great.
I'm going with "Beethoven (I Love to Listen To)", it's got a good beat and sure, you could dance to it, but they're not gonna make it easy.
It's dangerous, but I skim on-line versions and ban all nightly news programs from the house. Now and again, 710 wants to read me an interesting story - and now and then, I have to tell him to stop.
Yesterday, it is the ban on social media for banning content. Texas has said FB, Twitter and the likes cannot ban any content posted.
While I like to think it would get struck down in any appellate, State or Federal court, clearly, things have not been going that way. This could be a whole new definition of the First Amendment if Ginny Thomas has anything to say about it..................and she does.
Yet, the door swings both ways, does it not?
I can publicly call Ted Cruz's wife, a sexually diseased immigrant whore, who likes to disembowel young girls 5-9 years old, and there'd be nothing he could do about it...............right?
As Ginny Thomas' husband so nicely stated yesterday, current SCOTUS is not the one of the Ginsberg years. Any deaf, blind, mute could tell you that you fucking asshat.
Guess what Clarence - the ones taking away women's rights to their own body: interracial marriage is on their agenda too. I have no doubt you'll vote to support that too.
Oh yeah, depending on which report you read,10-20 people were shot to death at a supermarket in Buffalo, by a white anti-Semite. It's so mundane, that even in electronic feeds, it was below the fold in the NYT and CNN sites.
Small-ish work week and a few days away from home. I had a shorter time for images this week, but I don't think anyone will be disappointed especially.
Shep loves his backyard. Yes, it's his. We pay for it, but it is his.
A moment of Sophie.
Harriet is a basset hound who lives around the corner and goes to our daycare.
I mentioned a year ago she hadn't found her bark yet. She has since found it. Quite well, I might add.
My man Henry. I don't see him as much, but he always seeks me out at pick-up as he knows I'm a sucker to give him pets and rubs and tell him he's a "good boy". .....and he is.
Post big walk.
Shep rarely reclines in the car. He was tired and a bit overheated.
Getting groomed. Happy to let her take care of me.
Normally it is 12 pictures taken on the 12th of the month. Since I only post once per day, you get my images the following day. All pictures taken with my iPhone.Click images to enlarge, if you choose.
Created by Chad Darnelland picked up from, what I can tell, any number of random bloggers who then link back to him and vice versa. Chad is no longer doing this, nor is successor coordinating the linking of other 12 of 12'ers anymore. Erik is back and I think he's picking up 12 of 12 again.
05:08. Morning gym. Every morning. 6 days per week.
07:39. Long weekend trip. Finally taking two days off of work. First time off in 2022.
08:03. Unfortunately, it was a dog-free trip.
Shep got dropped off at daycare / boarding.
09:32. Fangboner.
Best. Street Name. Ever.
11:16. It wants me, lord, I can't go back there.
13:37. Hotel room view.
Overlooking the place where Bob and Emily Hartley lived!
14:14. Very late lunch.
14:36. F. U.
Given the opportunity, I will always do this.
17:20. The El. Well, before it get el-evated.
18:12. Oh yeah? Oh YEAH???
.......or what??
19:51. Sunset from my nephew's rooftop deck.
We took him to dinner and had a really really nice time.
It is so simple and logical, so of course, the right won't see it or understand it - or think it truly applies.
But this is it: isn't it? I mean - really?
Choice is an odd thing.
You can't choose to have an abortion anymore - or soon - and yet you can't choose to adopt. And depending where you are, and if you're gay (which isn't a choice), you are not allowed to adopt if you chose to do so.
In those scenarios, there is actually no choice.
There are determinations. There are judgements. There is no choice.
So why isn't this the counter argument to SCOTUS when it gets to their docket? Not if - when.
If a woman can be forced (!!) to carry a baby to term, why can the court not mandate that the father be on the hook for all care and costs? Don't give the kid up for adoption, give it to their rapist, their prom date, their father (who raped them) and say "this is yours.........see ya".
While I would hate to see children suffer, I do want every adoption agency, social services center, on the brink of collapse to to thousands of babies who enter the system and never leave. Can never leave. Will never leave until they age out. I want to see agencies go broke because they have to pay $$$ to foster families. I want to see everyone of these struggling states on the brink of collapse financially due to this.
I want a dozen kids dropped per day at fire houses and hospitals.
I don't really want to see that, but I don't want to see kids abused and die by malnutrition because their mom is 14 and cannot possibly care for, raise, feed or clothe a child.
The Right has heard this all before. They. Just. Don't. Care.
For some fucking reason it wins them points at election, because the idiots who vote for them don't understand their dollars go to raise these unwanted kids. Oh sure, it's on the ultra-cheap, but that's where the money goes.
And yes, the same Right will insist on cutting social spending for these programs, never seeing the irony.
So I can use the rest of this month for a theme, right? I mean, it's my blog.
2022 Rock 'n Roll Hall o'Fame inductees. At least some of them. Not Dolly, as I still don't believe she should have been nominated let alone selected.
Let's start with Pat Benatar.
There are a number of songs with which I could have gone. Some weren't rock and / or roll, but more jazz leaning. Some were overdone. Benatar was big in the 80s. Lots of MTV time, all in black leotard with a red belt look. Good song, not a lot of video originality.
I almost went with "Love is a Battlefield" until I looked at the video and remembered how much I came to despise it. When the song was on the radio, my then roommate, would insert the "leave me alone!" from the whore to the pimp in the video version. Admittedly it made me laugh - and I still do it myself to this day.
I also add the 'ly' when Pat sings, "why do you hurt me so bad?"
But I went with "Invincible". Big hit. From a movie I didn't see, nor do I know anyone who might have. Or least they won't admit to the fact. Admittedly, the song has a great hook.
Cripes! It's May and we've seen only three movies. Tons of shit to watch on any of the streaming services and we've been sticking with the series stuff.
Yet, we had a late afternoon date yesterday and went to the movies. Turns out three other people decided to go as well. It wasn't a big turn-out, but that was ok with us.
I know, right? Most of you haven't heard of it. I saw a clip in my IG feed and it seemed so weirdly out there, I wanted to see it. I mentioned it a few weeks ago to friends Morty & Jon and they had the same enthusiasm I had for this.
The premise? Nicholas Cage plays Nicholas Cage in a movie about Nicholas Cage.
Well, versions of him peppered with some of his known idiosyncrasies and his known personal problems. It's all very meta - and yet again, it's not.
What little I knew of the premise, 710 knew nothing of what we going to see.
I won't get into details or spoilers, but the writer and director reference any number of Cage movies from the past - some I hadn't even heard of.
As good as Cage is at playing himself, he is best when playing off his screen partner, Javi, played by Pedro Pascal. Personally, Javi is the heart of the film, but the premise of a movie star in a movie about making movies keeps up the meta theme.
There are few laugh out loud moments, but they start to come later in the film, but there are humourous moments throughout the movie. The set-up for the movie takes a while, but it turns out to be necessary. That Cage is in on the "joke" makes it that much better.
Tis that time of week where kitty kat lover and doggies admirers come from far and wide to take a gander at animals that might show up on this here blog.
Let us hope you are not disappointed.
She likes lounging near me. I like it too.
He's just such a happy / happy looking dog.
Have water bowl will travel.
Bailey could be fending off intruders.
Personally, I think she's just telling my sister off.
Sophie is totally a pack animal.
For those who asked, she's ok. She has been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. So she is now on meds, and we'll see how it goes.
