12 of 12

So I'm doing my 192nd 12 of 12.

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 Darnell and 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.

04:55. My first wake-up.  

This is a screen shot of my iPhone which now acts as my bedside clock. 

06:00. Oats. Pre-oatmeal. 

07:44. Well, this doesn't look good!

It would turn out my left brake light was out. 

09:17. Cool down walk after a 5.25 mi run with the running group. 

09:30. Panera. 

After our Sunday run we meet at Panera (or Einstein Bagels) for coffee (or tea). 

10:10. Autozone. 

Purchasing new brake lights. 

10:39. Picking up my crazy pills. 

12:52. Afternoon hike with the husband and dog. 

13:31. Ugh. The price of petrol. 

13:42. Attempting to change my brake light. 

They sold me turn signal bulbs.  Blast!

18:39. A Shep greeting. Warm-ish outside, so we could sit there and enjoy the backyard. 

19:04. Pasta. That what would be for dinner. 

Sense

While I try to avoid news, I mean, you can't help but here bits here and there. So, yes, I'm aware there is war in Iran. With Iran. Because of Israel. Let's be honest about that last part. 

However, I obviously don't read the blow-by-blow if you will, but I'm fairly certain that this dude below is 100% correct.  ......except for the fact he didn't mention 'Epstein Files' once. 

Song by: Terry Hall

Tennessee Stud

Phew. Saved by the dogs. 

Politics. Mental Health. Cooking. We need a break from those posts, no?  I do. 

Dogs are the answer. Cats too, should one come near me. Cleveland has a cat cafe, which I'm trying to get 710 to go with me. If nothing else, for pictures. And maybe a croissant. In that order. 

It's mostly Shep today, but he's not always alone. 

Day Out with Shep and Dad #2. 

Once a week (at least) I try to do an outing with just the two of us. 

Spunky Jack Russell encounter. 

Shep was not sure what to make of her. But she was cute AF. 

Shy Bailey?  Or just weird Bailey? 

Yes. Yes he is. 

....and originally from Tennessee. 

New Greeters. 

This is Leo. He lives three doors down. 

In the almost six years we've been here, we have never seen him walked. Oh sure, he's been out in the middle of the street, but never seen on a leash. But all went well. 

Song by: Johnny Cash

Can't Get My Mind Around You

Again - I was thinking of a 'nothing post' and then thought - nah. Not today. 

Here I am in the waiting room with all the other "crazy" people waiting to see their shrink mental health provider. 

HIPAA wasn't really broken since you can't see them, let alone identify them. Save me. I'm there. Right there. 

I guess it's room with elder white women - myself included. ...and our elderly white women problems? 

Oh, to be able to see the doc's notes. Unlike MyChart - which is powered by Epic and allows you to see your entire medical record, psych notes are much much much more protected. 

When NeuroPysch fell under my rule, even I had to have different credentials to see things. Normal hospital folk were blocked. That makes me seem like I'm saying I'm 'special', when it is probably just 'abnormal'. 

Anyway - I was all over the place at my session. I wasn't focused. Little, or no, linear thought processes either. I found myself touching my face a lot when I talked. And I took off my glasses at the beginning of the appointment, making it almost impossible to see the doc let alone his reactions. 

Who am I kidding? Like most psychiatrists, he shows no emotion or reaction. They rarely validate or invalidate much with a look. 

Looking back, I think removing my spectacles was a subconscious move on my part. Or self-conscious. Maybe I knew I was going to have a weird session and just picked some coping mechanisms.  ....or tell tale sings of anxiety. No real eye contact maybe made me feel safer.  Oh what a difference an 'n' and an 'f' make.  

Should that be the case, I don't think I accomplished that. N or F. I left feeling just as bent out of sorts as I was going in - and that rarely happens. 

Song by: the Philosopher Kings

Dark Side

As I like astronomy stuff, I'd love to know something about Artemis II journey - but on the other hand, I don't. 

Reading about it is tough. I think I can navigate space news from other news, but it's risky. Anything where Space X and US government are involved drags me down. 

And I'm going to say something very unpopular:  I wish the mission had failed. 

I mean, not explosions and death. I'm a dick - not a monster. 

I just don't want any space exploration succeeding with BLOTUS in charge or Musk near anything. I'd have been happier if China, Japan, India or France had gotten there first. 

710's niece sent me the title image. I'm sure it's out on social media, but I've been trying to avoid that too. 

For a while it has been pretty standard that even though "his" name isn't mentioned in some kind of meme or story that everyone knows of whom you speak. Still - it's good not to hear said name. 

Yesterday, someone at work showed me an image from Artemis II. It was a cool shot - not that I can find it. And it was said - though I am skeptical - that it was taken with an iPhone. 

While looking for that image, did come across others. 

Still very cool. The moon these days seems more hospitable than its neighboring planet. 

Song by: Kelly Clarkson

Budget Shoes

Honestly, you'd be happier if I wrote about having nothing to post - as I have nothing to post. 

But I can't just leave it at that, can I?   (the question is rhetorical - natch). 

It was time for new running shoes. Past time actually. I usually got 400 miles or so in each pair - and my last was pushing 550. But I've been lazy. 

Asics came out with a new version of a shoe - and everyone was raving about it. The professional running mag reviews went on and on about it too. And as P.T Barnum once said..........a sucker born every second. And I don't think he meant gay dudes. 

The Superblast is the most I've ever paid for shoes.In a way, my last pair, the Megablast would have been, but I had a $50 coupon off of them - which is kind of the only reason I bought them. However, it's an incredible shoe. 

The Superblast???   Ehhhhhhhh

Normally, the styles of shoes I buy are somewhat on the same level, so breaking them in isn't really a thing for me. 

Luckily, where I get my shoes, you can return in 90 days - no questions asked. Even if worn. And I was about to do just that. 

I'll back up a bit. My first run in them was 10 miles. Maybe not a great choice for first time out. But the shoes were loud. As odd as that sounds. When foot hit pavement, you was just a loud clomp. Me - being me - assumed it was me. My gait. The cushion of the shoe. Whatever. So I mistakenly changed my gait but it did nothing for the sound. And that sound was distracting. 

What I did was fuck up my legs and thighs. The gait change I tried just really hurt me. But I kept plugging away. 5 miles here and there and then another 10 mile run last Saturday. By the end of that run, I was set on taking them back. Later that day, my heels hurt so badly I could barely walk  Not an exaggeration. 

And like a moron, I took them out for 6 miles the following day. My running group goes, "I thought you said you hated those....and they hurt".  I concurred. But was giving them "one more chance". 

While they didn't wow me, this time, They didn't hurt afterwards. The sound is still there - and every one knows I'm behind them. 

Still......my thought was "take them back". 

I figured I'd run in them yesterday - and trade them in at the end of the run (as we run from the store). But fuck if I didn't have one of the best and fastest runs I've had in forever. Almost effortless. 

Fuck. 

Long story short (too late!), I think I'm keeping the shoes. I don't think I can do 26 miles in them, but for training I think they'll be fine. 

Mind you, I still have 75 days to take them back, but I might have truly broken in my first pair of shoes. 

.....and yes, they are that ugly. They come in two colours - one being a cool blue, but they couldn't find them in 12.5.  Usually I don't care about the colour, but fuck, these are f'ugly.  Funfetti Shoes. 

Song by: Gord Downie & the Sadies

Cooking with Blobby

When 710 sent me this recipe, I should have made it immediately, as Spicy Pork Noodle Soup screams 'cold weather' and earlier last week it had dropped from 78 to 31. We wet back to the 70s, so it doesn't seem like soup weather............but I had already acquired the ingredients. 

Luckily (?) temps are on their way down to the 20s - again. It even snowed a bit yesterday morning. So Spicy Pork Noodle Soup it was. 

It looked easy enough and it seemed different enough that it could be very good. 

I guess we're about to find out, no? 

Ingredients 

Yield: 4 servings 

12 ounces thin dry noodles (such as ramen or soba) 

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 

½ pound ground pork 

 Salt and freshly ground black pepper 

4 garlic cloves, minced 

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 

1 bird’s-eye chile (optional), sliced 

1 teaspoon ground turmeric 

1 teaspoon ground cumin 

4 cups chicken stock 

6 ounces snow peas, thinly sliced on the diagonal (see Tip for other seasonal options) 

3 scallions, thinly sliced 

Preparation 

Step 1 Prepare the noodles: Boil the noodles in a pot or saucepan according to package instructions. Rinse under cold water to halt the cooking. 

Step 2 Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high. Add the pork and spread it into an even layer, then cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until well browned underneath. Season the pork with salt and pepper while it browns. Break up the pork into small pieces with a wooden spoon. 

Step 3 Add the garlic, ginger, chile (if using), turmeric and cumin, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant. 

Ooops. I forgot to put in the chile at this point. No worries. 

Add the stock and bring to a boil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Step 4 Just before serving, slide the snow peas into the hot broth. 

Step 5 Divide the noodles among bowls and ladle the soup over top. Garnish with scallions. 

Tip This evergreen soup was created with springtime snow peas in mind, but is great for any season (or craving!): A mix of fresh corn kernels and chopped tomatoes would be delicious in the summer, as would thinly sliced winter greens like kale during the winter.

A few take aways:  I would use less oil next time. Like half of what it called for. It's a lot. And I did cut the ginger by about half. To me - a little goes a LONG way and I like ginger, but I don't love it. It was the the right call. 

I'd also cut the noodle total in half. 12 oz is a lot of ramen. Far more than the 4 cups of stock used. I will have ramen for days and days. 

As you saw I did use peppers. But for the life of me - almost every recipe I see has a certain name of a chile, and no store carries any chile by that name. And since I'm not fluent in Scoville heat levels, whatever I bought was a crap shoot. And I used two instead of one. It brought the heat, but nothing over the top. 

You can see, it's a pretty dish. In the title pic you can see a lime too. Asian cooking almost screams 'lime' and I should have used it, but I forgot. It would have brought a brightness to it. 

I also might have added more stock. The liquid / noodle ratio was off - not so much for dinner itself, but for leftovers. As for the pork, you may as well used ground turkey or chicken. The flavours are never really coming from the protein in this dish. 

710 really liked it. Said he wasn't sure what to expect when he sent it to me, but it wasn't what the final product was. I liked it. I didn't love. But I think there might be too much ginger. And even a little too much cumin. 

Still it was good and very different. I'm all for that. As we are moving into the warmer months, I doubt I'd come back to this until later in the Autumn, but I'd try it again. 

My Music Monday

I'm going to say something possibly controversial here:  I never saw the big deal of the Velvet Underground or Lou Reed. 

There. 

I said it. 

They just never resonated with me. Maybe it was too far before my time (though barely). My nephew loves them, or claims to. I think someone told him that he should like them, if I'm honest. 

Still, many musicians will say they were influenced by the Velvet Underground. Both the band and Reed are inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall O'Fame.  ....so you know they're good!   (that is sarcasm, folks.)

But Matt Berninger from the National and Rosanne Cash team up (again) to cover the Velvet Underground's "Who Loves the Sun". Like last week's post with Michael Stipe, this is a song for a Hulu show called Sunny Nights. 

We don't have a Hulu subscription, so I'll never see it. Not that I know a single thing about it other than this song. 

Now, I love both Rosanne Cash and some of the National. All they touch isn't gold, but they more than have their moments. Cash had a duet with the band with "Crumble" a few years back and it was extremely well done.  ....and I adore she. 

Cash's husband plays all (or most) of the instruments and produces the track. 

I know nothing of the original version, so I can't compare (nor did I go back to familiarize myself with it either). 

As the Underground was 60s, this song is too. But parts of it borders on the Brady Bunch's Silver Platters. Yes, the "bah-bah-bah-bah"s. 

The verses are well done, especially Cash's contribution. And as the song goes on, she harmonizes extremely well with Berninger. 

As much as I like both of them, I don't know how much I'll come back to this track. 

Together

It must be Spring, as I am now semi-furiously writing a post before another storm hits us, potentially taking out out power.  More 70mph winds on the way - and a temp drop from 81 to an expected 42. 

Today marks my sister's 40th anniversary. 

While the numbers I publish here regarding 710 being together "longer", she was dating her now husband for longer than 710 and I have been together. They just have those hetero-norm dating / anniversary timelines. We didn't get that luxury. 

Though 710 and I were together at this time, he wasn't my +1. Actually, I'm not sure I got a +1. 

710 was in Austria with his best friend. I'm not 100% sure that he had met my family at this point. Brining your gay bf to a family wedding for the first meet-and-greet seems ill advised. I say that now - and for a while now - but at the ripe age of 22 (?) I was a little put out. 

This was the first wedding I was in. Hell, it was the first wedding I attended. 

I remember absolutely nothing about it.  

That is not an exaggeration. Nothing.

And - I might add - I was not drunk. Or high. I don't remember the ceremony. I barely remember the reception  - no food, no speeches, no hijinx. No garter. No bouquet toss. Nothing. 

I'm sure there was food. As for the rest of it - maybe none of that was part of the day. 

Save one other picture at my sister's house, if there are other photos from the wedding (besides the one atop) I have never seen them. 

If you must look closely, save the woman on the far left, the others women are my sisters. Yes. Multiple. Here, when I talk about my sister ever (Bailey's keeper), she's the one in the wedding dress. 

The guys in the photo?  I met them the day before the wedding to get out tuxes. If there was a bachelor party, I was thankfully spared an invitation. Those three other guys (and the groom) were at our table at my niece's wedding 39 years later. 

I take it back, I did see two of them a year or so earlier than this pic, when they were all drunk, found me in Columbus and they crashed on the floor of my efficiency.  .....a story I made sure to bring up at the reception dinner table this last November.

40 years later, between the bride and groom they have a new rotator cuff each and 3 of their 4 knees have been replaced. The rest of them is pretty much intact. And after 40 years, that ain't nothing. 

Song by: Michigander

Penny

It was March and April this last week. Highs in the upper 70s and some pouring rain at 33. And most everything in between. 

As of this writing, it was like 78 today. By Monday it's back to the 30s.  Bother. 

But I broke Shep out of 'school' a few times and we had bonding time. 

Penny and her would-be stand-offish boyfriend. 

We went to a park west of Cleveland (in the background) for lunch. 

It was tres windy. Like 35 mph winds. And we did a big walk there.....

....which tuckered him out. I have to remind myself he is pushing 11. 

But he awakened..........and rolled and rolled. 

New guy at daycare. Very cute. 

And my always greeter - Sydney. 

....and this guy!  Bailey. 

Obvi not my sister's Bailey. The markings!!!!

Song by: Stan Getz

Let Go

"Which old witch? 

The wicked witch".

So the song goes. But in the song the witch dies - not terminated from employment.

Oh nooooo.......Pam Bondi was fired. 

Well, that's what memes and an NYT headline my sister sent me says. 

I don't know particulars, nor does it matter much. Gnome BLOTUS fired by social media. I don't know how Bondi got the axe. He is probably too big of a wuss to do it to her face. 

It's a risky move getting rid of her. I mean, I'm all for it. 

Getting hit by a bus was my first option, but this was in the top 25. The other 23 had some aspects of firearms, open sewer grates and numerous large vehicles assisting in her demise.  Maybe a lion or stampede of rhinos were in the mix. 

The risk is what she knows and how vengeful she might be. We know she could be. Let's face it - she's a mean girl. 

Don't get me wrong - that dickwad has shit on her too. He's evil, but he's not quite the idiot people make him out to be. And most importantly, he holds the keys to whatever pardon she is going to need in the near future. 

He knows this. He knows she knows this. And she knows he knows she knows this. It behooves her to to keep her piehole firmly shut. 

I believe - no evidence, natch - that her fucking up of Epstein files is the #1, and maybe only, reason for getting the boot. Bungled so badly even a made-up war couldn't quite quell that noise. 

.....though make no mistake, Epstein file chatter is down to a very very dull murmur. 

I'm not saying it was an ethical option, but she could have picked one name on that list and prosecuted them to the fullest extent, and acknowledged the women who showed up. A risky move for sure, but it might have sated some that she was doing something...........anything. But the doors would be open for exposing BLOTUS as a rapist and pedophile.......officially. Can't really have that. 

Now the door is open for someone who I'm sure is more heinous to step into that role. No doubt a dude. 

Lord help us. 

Song by: Ryan Adams

Dressing Up

Ya know.............where to even begin...... honestly.

Two evenings ago 710 tried to tell me he didn't believe this was real. And it did fall close to April Fool's Day. 

Make no mistake - the "kill" part is all too real. 

Yesterday showed no shortage of memes and "news". Granted, I clicked on none of it. But most of it had headline of Kunty Gnome wants "privacy at this time".  

I have zero idea if even that quote is credible, let alone of her cross-dressing husband. 

I feel fairly confident she and Cor(e)y Lewandowski (sp) shtup'd. It's gross on many levels, but you can see it as a "yeah, I get it" moment for both of them. 

Let's say that Señor(a) Gnome likes to play dress up. So what? 

One could say (oh wait, I said it) that I'm sure that household needs some femininity - and it ain't coming from that crusty, pulled within an inch of her life, bitch.  

What the fuck do I care - or should anyone - if he likes to wear bras and fishnets? I'd be a hypocrite when it comes to drag, trans or crossdressing allies. 

But that's just it. Hypocrisy. 

This is a woman who rails against trans, trans rights, gay rights - and probably any word that has a G, B, T, Q in it.  She does like L  - because it has "kill" and "Lewandowski" (sp). So if she really asked for privacy - FUCK HER. 

Obviously - not really.  I mean, that's what Cor(e)y is for - ammiright?  Maybe he should get a Presidential medal for taking that bullet for the cunt-ry. 

I wouldn't fuck her with someone else's dick. 

While 710 said all of this might not be true - my thing is: who gives a fuck. 

No one in Springfield are eating cats and dogs. There isn't widespread voter fraud. People using SNAP are not bankrupting this country. 

Almost nothing the GOP says is true, so for a tidbit like this, fact-checking is off the table. 

.....except for the fact that I WANT it to be true. 

However, this make so much more sense while Señor(a) Gnome sat in the House gallery and watched his / her (yes, those are "their" pronouns) "wife" get grilled on Homeland Security and being quizzed of her "relationship" with Lewandowski (sp) and not seemingly phased. His / Her 18 hour bra was probably at 17.5 hours and that was their focus. 

Sooooooooo many of the MAGAts, GOPers and J6ers are felons, pedophiles and closeted, yet latent, homos it just stands to reason. They are the biggest hypocrites of all. 

Personally, I think Señor(a) Gnome shouldn't be allowed to use any public restroom..........EVER. 

I just hate them all so much. 

Song by: the Cure

Winds of Change

Well, I kind of thought today might be a pass day, which ironically should have been Monday. 

But Mother Nature provided a slight topic. A Spring storm. A strong one at that. 

710 was coming home early (well, for him) so I could go on my training run, but as he was halfway home I got a notice that the run was cancelled due to possible bad weather. 

So we thought we'd get in a quick dog walk before the rains. 

Immediately we passed our neighbor Sam - who has serious Pedro Pascal vibes - who was doing doing the same. He goes, "yeah, we have about an hour".  I'm like......we have 15-20 minutes. It would be at the low end of that timeline too. 

We hadn't walked inside when we felt the first raindrop. We weren't inside for two minutes before our iPhones, Apple Watches, MacBooks and iPads all threw up the messages to your left. 

.....along with screeching alarms. Alarms that would freak out anyone x 1000 for a pet. Poor Shep. Apoplectic. 

Before going down in the basement, as suggested, I stood in front of, and looked out, the window while 710 checked the tv. That was all of 30 seconds before we thought it best to go. Me texting my niece and then sister-in-law to go. They were already on their ways (or there). 

Oddly, as far as I can tell at drafting time (18:34), I can see no debris and we still have power. But that's why I'm doing this now. Losing power is still a possibility with t-storms supposed to be happening all night. 

The winds were wicked. 75 mph. That we don't have branches down is kind of amazing. The rain and lightning were chaotic at best. 

The really bad parts lasted like 20 minutes only, which felt so much longer when you're stuck in a basement with an anxiety-ridden pup. 

Oh, and it turns out we had yet another alarm go off, which took us a few to locate. 

Our ADT system, it seems, just doesn't warn us about unlocked door, windows or break-ins. There is a fire, carbon monoxide - and weather !! - warnings too. 

We've been here six years. This is the first time it's gone off at least while we've been home. But at least it is one additional way to get warnings, I suppose - as if two watches, two phones, and other devices were not enough.  

.....and at least it didn't happen like at 03:00. 

Song by: Jefferson Starship

What's Going On

Yeahhhhhhh.............yesterday. 

Two weeks in a row with two "delayed" blog entries. I have no idea what is going on with me. 

Yesterday, I had drafted the post. Drafted. Weeks ago. I didn't even look over the last few days because it because I "knew" it was locked and loaded. 

Except that it wasn't. 

And whatever I did could not be fixed via phone, so I had to wait until later in the day when I was home to make it right. 

From the title image, I give to you a tiny glimpse into my blog editor, which lists entry status. As you can see there are three:  Draft, Scheduled and Published. 

The 'ed' in Published let's you know it is done. Past tense. Ditto - in a way - with 'Scheduled'. Once the scheduled date / time arrives, it updates to the 'Published' 

Then there is 'Draft'.  Exactly what it means - a work in progress, but either not completed or some yutz didn't hit "publish" with a "scheduled" date / time.

That yutz?  Me. 

It is disconcerting something like this has happened twice in short succession. This doesn't seem as bad as completely forgetting to write, draft, schedule, publish anything like last week. Disconcerting to me - probably not you. 

I honestly don't know what is going on with me these days. I don't think there is an underlying issue, but who really knows. I don't think I can get insurance to clear an MRI based on two missed blog posts. I'm not sure that proves medical necessity. 

Normally I'd say I'd be better.........but recent behaviour doesn't instill confidence, does it? 

Song by: Marvin Gaye

My Music Monday

Just an FYI, I've been drafting these MMM posts weeks and weeks in advance. I know if I don't draft them they'll fall off my radar and out of my head.  ....but the new music just keeps coming. 

This one is from Michael Stipe formerly of R.E.M. 

The man has been talking his first solo disk for years, with nothing to show for all the chatter. Even last year in an NYT Magazine interview he just lets deadline after deadline pass. Not that he's beholden to anyone. It's self-funded so any record company who might end up distributing it doesn't really have a say. 

That said, allegedly there is a new HBO show called Rooster that is out - or coming out. It looks like a Steve Carrell vehicle. 

Anyhoo.....Stipe does the theme song.

Now I haven't seen the show, but it is doubtful any opening song is three minutes long. Even the Greatest American Hero didn't get that, believe it or not. 

I've only heard "I Played the Fool" a handful of times, but it's not jelling for me. gelling? 

The way R.E.M. worked was Barry, Mills and Buck wrote the music and Stipe the lyrics. I'm not sure how his solo stuff is being crafted. But no one should ever doubt R.E.M.'s song-crafting. It was fairly impeccable. 

"I Played the Fool" isn't bad by any means. It is just more generic than I'd like to see from Stipe. But you know - it's gotta play to the masses who binge watch tv shows, though let's face it, after episode 1, they're hitting 'skip intro'. 

The song has its moments for sure, but as of now (well, weeks before this actually posts) it is a good song, but not great. 

Kill the King

Maybe I'm a fraud. Perhaps not. 

I couldn't muster the energy, courage or warmth to attend the third No Kings rally. 

Truth be told, until late last week, I didn't even know another one was even on the books. These last two certainly didn't have the hype of the first. 

When I heard about it, 710 told me and was keen on going. In theory I could get behind that. Still, it fell off my radar, and possibly his, as he never mentioned it again. 

After a shitty and freezing 10 mile run yesterday, someone at coffee brought it up that they were going. A number of others chimed in as well. At the same time I got a text from my sister asking if we were going. I just replied we were considering it. 

In all honestly, I just didn't want to go. If 710 had pushed it a bit, I probably would have, but I wasn't up to the mental task or the sub-32 temps. 

The picture my sister took is deceiving. I'm glad there were blue skies for this, but from 07:00 to this point, it was nothing but grey and flurries. 

It seems I'm fair-weather on democracy.......hence my fraud issue. 

If I truly thought my presence would bring down this current administration, I'd have been there with bells on.....and maybe little else. But we are at the third one. The first two didn't take them down. And it was scheduled for a very iffy weather circumstances day for one-third of the country. I'm assuming attendance was down most places. 

I could be wrong. I hope I am. 

Coming back from my run, a downtown parking lot that was full during the initial No Kings had cars you could count on one hand yesterday.*

The pic above is different than last June (May?) where there were barely inches between folks. 

Don't get me wrong, I am so glad folks showed. Any of them. They had more drive than myself. 

There are moments in time that I know 'break' me. In early BLOTUS second term days, it was all about discussing Project 2025 - but with all their shit, it's gone by the wayside.  Then this popped up:

It's been playing like a loop in my head for over a week. I feel so defeated with this administration  - and for us for missing this. And for us not truly being able to seemingly do anything about this. 

While I'd like to think showing up at a rally would solve this, it won't. We need to shut down the country. How is another matter, but I think it's the only thing that would get stupid fucks to pick up their head. 

On a "silver lining" note (I know, right?): 710 works for a company whose HQ is very pro-BLOTUS. With BLOTUS visiting there any number of times.....touting "all-American", though half 80% of 710's staff is located in India. 

That's not the silver lining. 

710 had to go to the corporate website, which he is only required to do for annual training. While there he saw a video of the CEO talking about the devastation of product lines and businesses due to tariffs. 

710 was surprised not only did he say it, but posted it. But add that CEO to the list of stupid fucks who voted - or at least rallied for - this dipshit "president" and now are having their asses handed to them. And while the CEO should be financially literate, they at least employ a CFO who is. How this didn't come up before is beyond me. 

But just maybe someone is seeing the light. Too late, but finally. 

*local news reported (according to 710) that ~2,000 folks were at Cleveland. There were about 5,000 when I went. 

Song by: Rainbow

Bite Me

Well, yesterday was just a weird moment and post. I got a text saying there was no post and clearly, it just went by the wayside. The post. The though of a post. The non-realization of something I have done daily for at least the last 6,205 days!  

Sure, I fixed it and all, but it was done on my phone (a first) from work (another first) . 

Clearly formatting a blog post via phone isn't a strong skill. But why break a daily entry streak since 2008?  710 thinks I should take days here and there. Morty gets nervous that I haven't taken a break - which sounds odd to some, but I totally get from where he is coming. 

Paying the cheese tax. 

Shep had to go to "school" but 710 was coddling him. 

I do love that both he and Petey use a pillow. 

My would-be girlfriend, Olive. 

75°F.  Two hours from then it would be 40°F. In six hours it would be 26°F.

But we enjoyed sitting on the back stoop for an hour just watching the world. 

I only know one of these dudes. 

SUPRISE !!!!

A special treat: Simon!

710 went over to see his sister last weekend and Simon made an appearance. He let 710 pet him, and then bit him........as he is prone to do. 

Song by: Avril Lavigne