Pet Sounds

Another week, another batch of pet pics.  I mean - and why not?

My lord he's a tall boy when he's on his hind legs. 

He was looking at ducks. 

Soph checking out my shoes. She loves shoes. 

A nightly occurrence.  In case I have food. 

It lasts 10 seconds and he's gone, but every single day. 

May I cut in? 

Gabe tries to muscle in on the Shep - Maizie action.  I didn't hear how it ended, but wouldn't bet against Shep. 

Self-Cleaning. 

Song by: Beach Boys

I'm a Conservative

Did you all see Roseanne?

Did you think it was funny - at all? Is it just me who cringed more than laughed (in the two episodes, I don't think I laughed at all, actually).

Let's forget the "jokes" for a second. The "acting".  OMG - the worst.

I take it that the original Becky hasn't done anything since she left this show. Her lines were so stilted...but because of her, though the material was not helping one little bit.  DJ?  Other than "hi" - I'm pretty sure he said nothing else.  Sara Gilbert was the only semi-natural one on there.

Roseanne was Roseanne - it's not like she is an actress, really.  But John Goodman was sad - and I couldn't have felt worse for Laurie Metcalf's playing to the back of the room performance.  The only one who worked was the gender-fluid boy character.

But yes, let's get to the show and the jokes. First off, I found out afterwards that Whitney "I have no idea why people keep hiring me for anything" Cummings is the show runner. That explains the rapid fire bad jokes that were horribly delivered. It's Two Broke Girls go to Landford.  And I'm sorry to say that Wanda Sykes wrote a lot of those jokes.

What I truly don't get is the BLOTUS angle. Yes, Roseanne is Roseanne, so her character like the actual person voted for and supports BLOTUS - which was most of episode one. Yes, media and BLOTUS himself (who claims he doesn't watch TV) called to congratulate her. Conservatives, allegedly, think the show represents them well.

Really?  Well?

Let's break it down, shall we:

• Roseanne chides Jackie about "everyone getting 'free' healthcare" - yet she and Dan are not getting all their medications because they cannot afford them.  A product of the GOP's economic policies. 
• Darlene has no job and raising two kids as a single mother. GOP would see her as a potential welfare mom. 
• One of them being the possibly gay son.  Two words: Mike Pence.
• DJ has a black child.  I think that speaks for itself w the GOP view. Including Strom Thurmond. 
• Though his wife is in the military. Yea for other people going to war. 
• If Dan and Roseanne have jobs at all, it's not mentioned and they don't go to work.  Maybe BLOTUS isn't the job creator he claims. 
• Becky works as a waitress and in dire financial straights who is going to rent out her womb. She's not the 1%. Of course she doesn't have a financial plan and living hand to mouth. 

Is this the face of the conservatives?

Actually, it probably is, but I'm more surprised if they'd admit it. Or see it.

In actuality - this is a family the GOP hates. It is the face of America. They are a drag on the economy and society.

It baffles me that BLOTUS or Roseanne herself doesn't see this. It's like they're all wearing beer goggles....yet we are not looking better every beer.

The only joke of the show is:  this is the family who voted for him. Thousands of them. Like the show, they don't see the irony in their situation and yet will defend the person who will hold them back, more than anyone before him, to the death.

I think the show will stick around. I can't imagine I will continue to watch.



Song by: Iggy Pop

Site of the Month

In keeping with the March for our Life / Lives theme, I'm extending it to the Site of the Month.

At our March here in Cleveland, people were handing out seed packets.  Sunflowers to be specific.

I took one package - which seems to have quite a few seeds in it - but the woman encouraged me to take many.

Maybe she just wanted to get rid of her allotment, or maybe she really just wanted people to grown sunflowers.

I never have, so I thought - what the hell.  She said: come September of October (is that when they bloom?) she hopes to see hundreds and hundreds throughout Northeast Ohio. 

One of our gay neighbors (yes, I had to qualify that), grows them in this front yard right near the street.  When they die, he spray paints them pink. Art, and all.  Gay, and all.

Anyhoo......the seed packets had a url:  Seeds of Change 2018. 

The idea is to spread the word for political change. And to do it through distributing sunflower seeds. Make the world a better place with flowers and with changing out the current political climate.

I'm down with that.

The site also tells you how to grow and care for your sunflowers - which is great, because, as I said, I never have, so this will all be new to me.

I will be happy to share my progress from planting until withering. 

....and maybe I'll spray paint ours as well after they perish.

Whenever I Call You 'Friend'

This is Mike.

Mike is my friend / arch nemesis.  He's also a winner.  {sigh}

Listen, I lost the 7th Annual Academy Award Guessing Game®.   But I had to take it like a man and pay up.

In our bi or thrice annual contests, we've expanded from bragging rights and / or cookies and moved to cupcakes.

When I lost the Golden Globes contest  - I could have done cookies, but Mike's endocrinologist would have scolded him on his HgbA1C.

I could have had liquor delivered, but his sponsor probably would have scolded me.

I kid, I kid - as if he has a sponsor.

Ok, the reality was, I didn't want to stand in line at the post office to mail sweets to my sweet sour.  Just figuring out the Overnight v Express Mail slips requires a doctorate, and who has time for that?

So for the GG, I just went on-line and bought movie tickets for Mike and his husband. They used them and the loved it, as I also got to pick out their reserved seats.  I'm a good friend. A great one, in fact.  ....if I say so myself......and trust me, it's only me saying it should Mike ever be asked.

For this loss - and there have been many - I needed to think a little differently when it came time for his 'prize'.  Ruckiry (not Jon's boss), every now and then I come up with what I think is a good gift idea.

I planned. I plotted. I scoured information. I ordered. I waited............and waited.............and waited. Getting cheap shit sent from China takes a long time!

Knowing Mike is on the top 10 Armie Hammer stalker list (he'll say top 3, but nu-uh), I had determined it had to be Armie related.

The full-sized cardboard Armie would have been fun, but you know - how long are you really going to keep that around (though 30 years later, I still have my full-sized Pee Wee Herman, so what do I know?).

Thus, I came upon this..........{so to speak}

Oh yes. An iPhone 7+ case.......avec Mr. Hammer.


I tracked the package.....ever so slowly. I kept Mike updated on delivery of his unknown gift - well, unknown to him.

Two days ago I got a nice message and the title photo of him "using" his new gift. I assumed - wrongly - that Mike's husband would have rolled his eyes at the gesture, but apparently he laughed and laughed.

Mike says he'll use it when he's in Provincetown - where they summer.....or Hollywood (insert eye roll}.

What I heard: "I'm not using it in public or at work, lest people think I'm gay."   Ohhhhh, honey!

I'm glad he got a kick out of it - though I can guarantee you for the price I paid, it is not protecting his phone one little bit.  But it does pay off my betting debt.



Song by: Kenny Loggins & Stevie Nicks

I Don't Want to Spoil the Party

Due to a preview we saw during Call Me By Your Name, I wanted to see the Party.

The previews didn't tell much of anything - which I always enjoy.

Sally Potter (Orlando) directed, I figured it would be decent. And with Kristin Scott Thomas, Peter Pettigrew (I don't really know his real name), Cherry Jones, Cillian Murphy, Emily Mortimer and the absolute  real reason to plunk down dough for a ticket - Patricia Clarkson!

Not knowing what to expect, we did ask along our friend David & James, with whom I had spent the morning at the March for our Life rally.

While only 71 minutes long, it was an uncomfortable 71 minutes.  The premise is a get together to celebrate Thomas' character's win for the Ministry of Health. Even without the ensuing revelations to come - as they always do a movie parties like these - it doesn't seem like this group of friends seem to like each other very much.

But then there are the revelations, the announcements, the pronouncements - none of which I shall reveal here. But there is uncomfortability before those even start to appear.

Shot in black and white, the lighting, for the most part is great. The acting is well done from all - though Mortimer is kind of the weak link. There were some really great moments - I think all attributed to Clarkson.

The movie comes off as a play adapted for the screen, though it does not ever seem to have been a stage production. While I liked the movie, it felt like something was missing - and not just the semi-ambiguous ending.

The broadness of the performances leaves a gap in some real human interaction / emotion, but perhaps I'm nitpicking.............but that's kind of my thing, no?

Still - if you have 71 minutes and it's available, I liked it enough to recommend it.  Again, if nothing else, for Patricia Clarkson.




2018 Movie Count / Goal:  05 of 12


Song by: the Beatles

My Music Monday

I used to like Tears for Fears. I mean, I still do, but....it's been a long while since they put out anything new.

First it was Roland and Curtis - then just Roland. Back in 2004 they regrouped for Everybody Loves a Happy Ending.  The disk was ok, but I truly was only drawn to one song:  "Call Me Mellow".

The song has a good mix of pop, rock and the slight ingenuity that the band tried to bring to their songs. There's not a lot of stretch between 1989's the Seeds of Love and this, but it was a nice nostalgic take.

Allegedly the two are still in the midst of writing the follow-up disk, but as it's been 14 years, I'm not really holding my breath.



for April (and maybe May?), I had a thought - and I swear I'm not just skating or passing the buck. I get to give my readers the chance to tell me one of their favourite songs and a blurb about it the song or artist and why you liked it. I can search out the tune and put it up here.

Just sent a brief email (not via the blog notes) to blobbysblog@gmai.com and I will do my best to convert that email into a blog post.  Obvi, folks who have blogs can get theirs linked during the post. Those who don't have a blog, no worries.....not having a blog doesn't exclude you at all.

....and yes, you'll probably have to endure an aria of some sorts should Dr. Spo choose to participate in this, but that's ok. It's not like he was ever going to pick the Sugarhill Gang, and we (yes, including me), can / should open ourselves open to other kinds of music.

Let's do this!

Kids in America

True that, lady I took this picture of.  True that.

Yesterday was the Marches for our Lives. While I didn't go to DC, that would have rocked.

Did anyone else go?

While rallies are not always my thing, I felt this one was a need to attend. We couldn't figure out what to do with Shep, so 710 stayed back with him and I went solo.

While walking from car to rally, I ran into a friend, who was meeting up with his husband, so we made it a threesome.

Well 3+10,000 maybe?

Somewhere in all of this, I forgot it was about the children.

Yes, they're our future, blah blah blah. I knew it was spurred from the Parkland shooting, but with all the adults on-board, I forgot about the kids.

It became apparent shortly after the rally truly kicked off.

But first - David and I walked up, looking for James. we speculated the crowd might be at 5,000. I think we were off, as we got more into the crowd.....and then the crowds just kept coming. Not bad for a day that was maybe 34 degrees.  Maybe. But it was sunny and blue sky.

Then the rally started. We were maybe two-thirds back from the presentation area, but with the intro, you could barely hear a word. We weren't sure if the PA system wasn't working, if there was a PA system or if the girl was just a low-talker.

The mayor got up and low-talked too, but that is his thing. Speaker after speaker couldn't quite get it together and 10k folks with no port-a-potties. My inner-Miranda Priestly came outter.....and I said to David, "It's just baffling to me. Why is it so impossible to put together a decent rally? You people have had hours and hours to prepare. It's just so confusing to me."  David got the reference and laughed.  Phew.

All but three of the speakers were high school students. Some were good. Some were not. Some were reading what was inevitably their college entrance essay, some pulled quips off of memes from the internet and forced them into a speech. One kid was clearly writing his introductions speech to his future PAC.

That said - all of them had at least a few good points (though the chick from Bryn Mawr was out of place. Hers was about education and race. I think she could have made a decent analogy if she had tried, but she didn't......make the analogy or try).

I think my favourite line from a girl who goes to public school was, "my dress code is tougher than Ohio's gun laws".  For. The. Win.

I did like the speaker who pretty much skipped the 'we will vote' to 'we will run'.  Or the girl who mentioned that their generation is the 'most education, most diverse' group in history. This can only bode well. Another mentioned how anyone taking NRA money will not get their vote.

Later in the day, I was uplifted to see DC's march had 800,000 participants.

I wonder how our elected officials were feeling yesterday. Or the NRA - though they put out some vile sound bytes. You know how wounded animals strike out?  That.

I am glad I went. It was important to do. Finally - someone is thinking about the children.  And it is the children.



UPDATE:  there were an estimated 20,000 marching in the 216 yesterday!



Song by: Kim Wilde

Rich

It's that time of week.  I've got no other witty intro.  I'm actually dozing off.  It was a long long week.

On way home from the vet - a wellness visit. The staff gave him the treat. 

As they knew Petey, I heard one tell Shep, "you have big shoes to fill".  

This is Wally. 

Wally goes to Shep's daycare. Wally has basset toes. Blobby wants Wally. 

Oh - and Wally farts.  Lord does Wally fart. 

Shep and Maizie - one of his best girls - playing or dancing. 

.....and in front of a horse. 

Can't leave out Soph. 

Yes, Shep it kickin' it teen style on John D. Rockefeller's (the world's first billionaire) grave. 

And yes, John D. Rockefeller is buried in the 216. 

Song by: Yeah Yeah Yeahs

My City in Ruins

Trade. Tariffs. Stocks. Tank. McMaster. Bolton.

KaBoom!

If you look at the title, you can just substitute 'Country' for 'City'.

Four days after that cow, Huckabee-Sanders, lied saying he wasn't going anywhere, Gen. McMaster is going somewhere. As in gone somewhere.

I guess BLOTUS just had to scrounge up the dinero to get John Bolton a ticket on Spirit Airlines to DC. I'm assuming by increasing the debt by 1.1 TRILLION dollars in 14 months, you don't have a lot of extra cash sitting around for the nice things...............unless you're Ben Carson....or his wife.

I'm thinking with Bolton in place - of national security !!!!! - those "talks" BLOTUS is supposed to have with North Korea {as if that were ever  going to take place!} are not just  a few steps away from being a war doctrine.

Bolton likes war.....should it be with Cuba, Iraq and lord knows who else. What could possibly go wrong for us? 

It's like North Korea was gift-wrapped for him.

I SO hope that McMaster was the one who leaked Trump's congratulations to Putin though national security told him specifically not to.  He was my #1 choice anyways, but only because he was going to get shit-canned one way or the other. May as well go out with a bang.

But I do love this about the BLOTUS administration. He was so certain in his selections - hiring the "best".   Two chiefs of staffs, three communications director, two press secretaries, four national security advisors, countless lawyers, three wives, five (at least) kids.   None of them turned out like he wanted.  So much for his informed decisions.

Of course some of that WH change (again) was overshadowed by the huge Dow drop because of Trumps, again, informed decisions, on trade. It already cost him his economic adviser, now it will cost the rest of us our 401ks should he continue down this path.  I still haven't fully recovered from 2008's  debacle.

When you're as evil and stupid as BLOTUS, it must be nice for him to know that is more vile / corrupt (I know, right?) son-in-law is possibly worse than him.



Song by: Bruce Springsteen

Spy

I suppose I should be upset at Facebook, but why would I?

Is there some shock that anyone's internet data isn't being looked at and mined?  Didn't we go through all this with the NSA and cellphones / smartphones just a few years back?

Everyone sells your data. Everyone.

So Cambridge Analytica knows I like dogs, my friends, hate BLOTUS and likes to make fun of Mike.

Do your worst Cambridge!

I'm not one of these people who click on those side ads or news articles. I try to avoid the click-bait and quizzes that people always seem to take, though I really don't know how correctly identifying the character of Knots Landing is really telling marketers, political machines what I'll buy or who I'll vote for.  Is Nicolette Sheridan a Green Party supporter?

Listen, if they can determine I won't vote for that Orange Fuck, by my posts, then it was billions of dollars of consulting cash well spent, I say!

But honestly, every food company knows what I purchase at the store and how frequently. Every bank, restaurant, shop and hotel/airline knows how often I travel and do their predictive modeling to see what and how much money I'll spend and where.

None of this is news.

Sure, you can drop Facebook - but I'm not sure that's the reason. Every webiste you visit, every purchase you make on-line, hell, you see reminders of those pop up in 'ads' everywhere. There is no such things as internet privacy.  You're gonna have to dump a lot more than FB to be 'secure' (oh yes, quotes).

Yes, Cambridge Analytica are heinous, and there are dozens and dozens of companies just like that - they just haven't been revealed so publicly.  Facebook?  They probably sold data. I know they did. They said they did. But their 'agreements' with companies are what they can and can't do with it - because contracts area always adhered to.

So for now, I see now reason to drop some social media, though I have never understood SnapChat.

Of course, now Mueller is looking at Cambridge Analytica (allegedly), so this isn't all bad. I'll take one more round of ammo for his arsenal.



Song by: They Might be Giants

the Bunny

Little Bunny Foo Foo.

Somewhere in the Naval Observatory, Mike Pence is pounding his fist on the dinner table going, "dang nabbit!"

I'm sure it was those words, because good Christians (yes, I know it's an oxymoron) don't swear.

Yes, John Oliver has upstaged the VP, his daughter's and wife and their book about their pet rabbit. Because, what would rankle Mikey more than mocking his book with similar, but queer rabbit.

Maybe it's could have been a girl gay bunny who gets an abortion who then later sues a religious  baker.  That would have given the man a stroke.

Somehow Oliver got his book out on the exact same release date as Pence. Brilliant.

This should add to Pence's palpitations:

Oliver's book is #1.   Pence? #4.

Oliver's book has a 5 star rating.  Pence? 4.5

Oliver's book has 3,759 reviews (as of last night).  Pence? 83.


And Oliver has an Audio Book - voiced by Jim Parsons and Jesse Tyler Ferguson.  Pence doesn't even have one.  I guess Jesus was too busy to record it. Prior commitments and all.

What I love more about this is 710.  He comes home from work yesterday and says, "I ordered John Oliver's book".  He can read at higher than a 1st grade level, but he wanted to jab it a little to Pence in anyway he could. I guess our Planned Parenthood donations weren't enough.

I'm down with it. Anything to mock that P.O.S. is fine with me.



Song by: Mitchell Froom

a Feeling

I'm taking my feelings Disgust, Dread, Impending Doom and general Outrage fairly well these days.

Yes, I'm talking politics. Again. Still.

Not that having such emotions are the best, as they tend to have negative side effect. But I'm finding I still have a sense of Shock and Awe.  This can only be a good thing, right? It would be just so easy to totally check out or be so desensitized that it just doesn't matter any more.

The lines are now, for me, blurred as if BLOTUS truly does something more vile than the day before, or if it's just me reacting to him as such. Or perhaps it's a little of both.

So yes, I get pissed when BLOTUS is looking to limit Mueller's scope. I'm more surprised that he hasn't fired him. Yes, I know the repercussions of him doing that are bad. You know it too. BLOTUS? I don't believe he does.

When he (and make no mistake, Sessions wasn't the guy) to fire McCabe, I was upset. Doubly so when he hired a lawyer who believes in a theory (or helped concoct it) that the DOJ is framing BLOTUS. This goes to my post the other day, on how the DOJ / FBI are not-so-slowly being torn down in terms of staff and reputation, however flawed it all might be. The thing is: it doesn't have to be credible.

.....and that's how "they" win.

Fucking frightening isn't it.



So now, I've got my hopes and dreams focused on one little porn "star".   Oh yes. Stormy - we are counting on you to bring this president to his knees..........and then piss on him.

...except he'd like that..............allegedly.


Srsly though........this:

The flaw in this tweet?  Math.  The Dumpsters can't add 89+11.

What frightens me more than BLOTUS is Congress....the GOP section. So blind are they, so spineless, that they're fine perpetuating a fraud on this level, to this degree for......power, I guess. Forget that they still can't get anything passed with a GOP President, House and Senate. The best they can do is keeping others from doing something productive.

.....but at least I still feel.



Song by: the Throwing Muses

My Music Monday

Again, no theme this month, but I have an idea for April. But more on that in a minute.

This week's selection is a duet from the movie One from the Heart, which was an ambitious, but entirely successful movie from Francis Ford Coppola. Visually, it's stunning.

I'm not sure whose idea it was to the soundtrack of Tom Waits songs or whose idea it was to pair him up with Crystal Gayle. On paper, it just seems insane. On tape, it actually works......and it works well.

The entire soundtrack is not them together. Sometimes they are, some times they do separate vocals, but it still works. I've opted for on of their duets with "Picking Up After You". Since it is a Waits song, it's got that blues  / jazz feel.  Gayle's vocals do not come off as country either.

I think you all might enjoy the teaming up of Gayle and Waits.



As for April (and maybe May?), I had a thought - and I swear I'm not just skating or passing the buck. I get to give my readers the chance to tell me one of their favourite songs and a blurb about it the song or artist and why you liked it. I can search out the tune and put it up here.

Just sent a brief email (not via the blog notes) to blobbysblog@gmai.com and I will do my best to convert that email into a blog post.  Obvi, folks who have blogs can get theirs linked during the post. Those who don't have a blog, no worries.....not having a blog doesn't exclude you at all.

....and yes, you'll probably have to endure an aria of some sorts should Dr. Spo choose to participate in this, but that's ok. It's not like he was ever going to pick the Sugarhill Gang, and we (yes, including me), can / should open ourselves open to other kinds of music.

Let's do this!

Rough Justice

G-d.  How it must suck to be a career "man" at the Justice Department these days.

Sessions and BLOTUS had hinted for days about firing deputy director, Andrew McCabe, so while disappointing, it was no surprise they did.

B.T.W. - way to keep separation of powers alive !

I don't know if McCabe was a good man or not. At this moment, I'm not sure I care.

What we are seeing, right in front of our very eyes, is the dismantling of the justice system - not so slowly but ever so surely. There are fewer and fewer impediments for anyone holding this administration accountable for anything ethically, morally or legally.

Sessions is such a puppet. There was no need to fire this guy other than fucking him over on his pension. He had 36 hours left - so he was just vindictive on his bosses orders. Of course, Sessions is just hoping that BLOTUS doesn't fire him, so of course he's going to do the cowardly thing.

Naturally, I love that McCabe, like Comey, kept notes on every BLOTUS encounter.  And I mean, BLOTUS had to suspect this, right?  He does have to assume that every staffer he encounters is keeping notes - whether it be for their defense later on, or for their inevitable book deal.  Clearly, they need to for their own protection, because he is such a bold face liar.

This turn of events has left me unnerved.....and I'm not being over the top here. It just seems like a palpable change, even more than some of the other shit these guys have done. They are successfully discrediting an already weak news system and are well on their way to discredit and dismantling the basic tenets of justice. 

Should they keep on this path, not only will they not be held accountable for anything - which is inexcusable - but others will be held for such things as disrespecting the administration.  Again, I'm not being over the top. They are clumsy in all that they're doing, but being quite successful at doing it.

This is not paranoia. You think BLOTUS floating around the idea of "President for Life" is only a test balloon?  Last I heard, that is called a dictator.



Song by: Bananarama

Together Alone

I've more evenly split the children this go-around.  This should appeal to the cat lover and / or  the dog lover.
sophi

Shep & the skyline. 

710 took him on a walk without me. The nerve!

Sophie conquering me.  I'll allow it. 

A VERY defiant squirrel. 

Shopie basking in the sun. 

We found a new park to walk.  There are heron nests, and wetlands. Very cool. 

the two of them. Semi-together. 

Song by: Crowded House

Nineteen

Nineteen weeks to the day.

That is how long I have had one kind of splint or another (or cast) on my hand.

Nineteen months and one day since the fall.

But at the 19 mark, the last splint came off.

All told, I had the cast (obvi), but over the course of those years month weeks, I had five different splints.

One of those - the second to last one - I'm still getting billed for. I keep sending it to Disability Management to fix it, as I owe, and will owe, nothing. I had to tell them it was about to start hurting my credit.

Anyhoo.....Tuesday, the doctor saw fit to have me remove the splint. He had two med students with him.  He showed the the incision point, but more importantly the two puncture wounds in my palm where he planed a potential exit point should the screw break off while inserting it.

We are holding off on any OT / PT for a few weeks. He wants to see how things go with my normal use - though I have limitations. Nothing more than 5lbs in my left hand, so masturbation is still out, I suppose.

What is odd - or possibly not - is how I have to re-re-learn everything. I adapted so much on how to dress, eat and work that taking the splint off almost as bad as having it on at first.

I think I'm finally getting the hang of my keyboard. Dressing is a LOT quicker. Eating is still weird. I'm sure I'll get the hang of a fork and spoon again shortly.

The best things though:  well the padding on the edge was starting to fray, so that was starting to chafe my hand. And the splint would make me sweat......a lot!  And that sweat would start to smell.  So it's nice having my arm free, if just for that.

The redness of my scar has already decreased a little since the splint came off. The scar might not come off so man-ish after it settles down. That's a little disappointing.

But onward and upward.  It's still sore, but I'm hoping that all changes as I continue healing.




Song by: Paul Hardcastle

the Turning of the Tide

My lord - if a GOP'er can't win in a place that literally represents Beaver, what chance do they have in November?

Isn't beaver their chomp wood and no doubt the GOP'ers like to have someone work on theirs.

Mind you - the victory was only by 627 votes, but fuck it, we can take that as a win.

I can guarantee you, had Conor Lamb's opponent had one by 627 votes, BLOTUS & Co would have called it a "landslide" or a "decisive win".

It wasn't. Kind of.

It was a win.  There was a decision, so........

But it was a red district. Notice the tense people.  The tense. As in: past.

It might be too early to tell how the rest of 2018 will go, but for the first time in a long time, I see the faintest glimmer of hope.

And sometimes, that's all you need to get you through the rest of the week.


Song by: Roger Waters

Another One Bites the Dust

Shocked?  Surprised?

No. I didn't think so.  The question really was: "what to you so long, BLOTUS?"

Yes, people are all a twitter - on Twitter - about Rex Tillerson's firing. And how he wasn't fired months ago for {allegedly} calling BLOTUS a "fucking moron"  - as if it really needed to be said aloud.

No, Tillerson was fired {allegedly} for blaming Russia for killing two in the UK.

Fake News.

If the latter is true, it was just an excuse for the "fucking moron" comment - as BLOTUS had been biding his time.

While clearly I have zero respect for BLOTUS, if you take a position in his administration, you kind of should. So, if I were the boss, I'd probably fire someone who called me that.

The difference is, I wouldn't tweet about it three hours before calling him.  The difference is, I wouldn't have my Chief of Staff call with the message:  “you may get a tweet.”

JFC - show some integrity. Have a fucking backbone - all of you.  Any of you.

Oh. Right.  Yeah - never mind. That's not gonna happen.

I guess if there is a shock to any of this - and there isn't - that it wasn't Betsy DeVos.  My lord. That woman makes Palin look like a MENSA member.



Song by: Queen

12 of 12

So I'm doing my 96th 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. Now it's just Erik and myself - that I know of.....as it's the only blog post he's still doing......for now.  

I still continue to do this, because of all my consistent post topics, I actually like this one the most.

05:25.  Cherrios.  Honey Nut, to be specific. 

06:05.  Time to trim the beard a little. 

06:48.  Ride to the Penthouse. 

07: 20. Scanning / emailing Worker's Comp documents (my own). 

It never seemingly ends. 

11:35.  PowerPoint. 

I've been leading a large system-wide project, to which I must given an update on Wednesday. Updating the work plan ahead of time. 

14:40. Beginning of the end?

As I sweat in this splint, I ponder whether the doctor will take it off tomorrow. 

Please oh please oh please oh please oh please on please

15:45.  Phew. 

17:05.  Walking out. 

I take the elevator up six, but I always walk down. 

17:25.  A typical greeting when he's his apartment.

18:50.  Someone (not me) went shopping hungry. 

9:04.  NYT article on Rebecca Miller. 

I was seemingly more interested in it than it was interesting (thank YOU Maureen Dud).

09:30  Dolls. 

Take them daily. 

and now your Baker's Dozen

09:35  Leftover cake. 

Contrary to popular belief: I don't always eat dessert in one sitting. 

......until next month.......

My Music Monday

I thought of having a 'theme' month in March, but that didn't quite work out. I didn't even do my rotation of 10 to pick a song.

As my shuffle was just going through music, it happened upon a song I have not heard in a long while - Steve Warnier's "Crash Course in the Blues".

I'd say in the early 90s I went through a 'new country' phase, which is way better than the 'newer' country that would come down the pike and is still with us now. Some of the artists from the early 90s still remain, some stand out, others not so much. Garth Brooks still lingers. Clint Black? Is he still alive? Vince Gill I think is now playing with the Eagles as Glenn Frye's replacement. There are countless others who were out there.

Wariner, might not have been in the same league as those folks, but in ways he was more talented. He was probably more of an expert guitarist than an artist, but the industry tried to sell him as the latter.

The only issue I have with the song is there is no 'blues'. It would have been an obvious tie-in, but that wasn't what 90s country was about. There was a formula that required adherence.

Twin Skeletons

Years ago - like 30 - my friend Jon and I were sitting at the bar of a hip little place called K2U. Sitting near the corner, we had our back to the front door, but had a great view of all else.

Near us, sits a man and his friend. The man talks to me, very nice, but mentions he's seen me out at the Garage - which was, and now is again - a gay bar. This is while we lived in Columbus.

While he was being nice, I wasn't. I was, but I wasn't. I decided to play a game and knew Jon would automatically back me up.

I told this guy I had never been to the Garage. He insisted he has seen me there often {ouch}.  I cop to the fact that my identical twin is gay, so it might be him he has been seeing. This bit of fake news, intrigues the guy. One straight twin, one gay.

While I don't remember it now, I am certain I provided many details about "my brother" and how he goes out a lot with his friends. And while I support him, it's not to the level that I've ever joined him out at a gay bar, nor would he go to a bar like K2U with me.

Jon chimed in at the appropriate points in the conversation, helping me keep my tall tale all the taller.

Suffice to say two to three hours later it all fell apart, while making the rounds at the Garage, with Jon and in the same outfit I was wearing at K2U, we came upon our new 'friend' from K2U.

Oddly, he was not as amused as I  / we were.

I only tell you all of this because of an interaction I had last night. As I was not home all day, I went out to pick up dinner for 710 and myself. Upon obtaining said food, I walked to the door and passed by a man I somewhat know from work.

Ryan is, by some accounts, a devastatingly handsome man. He does posses model-like characteristics. My best description is he's "shiny".

So, he pretty much walks right past me and I said, "Hey Ryan, how are you tonight?".  He turns around and just looks at me. Now, he knows me but doesn't KNOW me, so I can see the wheels turning.

"I'm Rob.  Ryan's my brother".   (and clearly an identical twin brother at that.)

I counter with, "really?  Really?  This isn't a joke? Because I've played this joke before" - to which I got a really befuddled look.

He goes on to say he gets called "Ryan" all the time and so he just answers to both. I clear up for him that I work with Ryan - so he tells me, "Ryan just moved back here....", which I knew because, well, I work with him.

Me and my fictitious twin were not has handsome at Rob and Ryan (assuming they are two different people!).  I can only imagine what fantasies people conjure up about those two...separate and together.  Not me, of course.  I'm speaking of others.





Song by: Fall Out Boy

Sleeper

Sorry folks - it's a Sophie free week. 

I'll be better next time.  I promise.

Ferocious sleeper. 

Daycare pick-up. 

He's all about the tongue. 

He needs Head & Shoulders

Either he's telling me I have a problem, or he's hoping for a reward of some kind. 

the Poser.  

Gazebo with downtown in the distance. 

Song by: Greg Brown