Dumpster

I'm Dumping Dump.

The descriptor, not the man. He was never mine to let go of. I can't / won't embrace him.....unless it's to break his neck of suffocate him.  Yes Secret Service - I'm sure you can find where I live.

And as much as I like CheetoFührer it's not quite working for me.

So, while I'd like to claim this as my own concoction, Becky led me to So-Called Ruler of the United States.

Yes, from now on, the Donald will be known as SCROTUS.

And while I'm not completely burying my head in the sand - it's hard to take the news. Maybe I'm imagining it (though I don't think I am), but there is a LOT of SCROTUS coverage. I know he's new - and a dick - but I don't think Obama or even Shrub got this much coverage.....combined.

Yay to the 9th Circuit Court.  Of course, this poses problems for SCOTUS (sans R). No, scratch that, SCOTUS poses the problem. The delay of getting the case on the docket could mean having a 9th judge. A SCROTUS pick. A SCROTUS prick.


Not that I'm thrilled with the 'ban' ("it's not a ban!"), but the anger and hate coming from this White House is just as scary as the lies.....and the propaganda / whitewashing of the truth. Any truth.

They are literally - literally !!! - telling a lie until it becomes the truth.....and not only that, are saying it out loud.  The 'we will call it 'fake news' until you support the president'.

What.  The.   Fuck.

When the Wall Street Journal thinks you're fucked up and lying - and it is owned by Rupert Murdoch - then you're probably fucked up and lying. Not that SCROTUS has gone after them. At least that I know of.

I'm surprised not a bit by the confirmations of Sessions and DeVos. But you gotta figure, especially with the latter, you can't feel good about your appointment when you need a tie-breaker.

...and speaking of SCOTUS (sans R), I don't believe for a second that Gorsuch’s comments on Trump's judge comment ("demoralizing") weren't fully orchestrated to bring the left to his side.....even by 2-3 votes.  To me it's just an obvious play that I never considered he wouldn't take the opportunity to say something "off the cuff" in front of democrats who would relay it to the media.

The dems played right into their hands, of course. They always do.


Sigh.



Song by: Cuntfish

Ok....ok.  I do NOT own or know of this song. I do have another song I do own with 'dump' in the title, but this one presented itself and it was far far far far too good not to use it.  ....but mostly for the band name. 

All Fall Down

Blergh.

All our snow was melted, so I cannot blame that.

Yesterday morning I had a meeting off sight, so I didn't go in to the office, but planned to go directly to said meeting.

This gave me an extra 90 minutes or so at home. It gave Mr. Shep an extra 60 minutes or so free from his crate. It was a win-win.

While we had done our daily 05:30 constitutional, I took him out for another chance to go #1.

I had a plan.

When one crates Shep, they should be fully prepared to walk out the door. Coat on. Shoes on. Keys in hand. The whole ball of wax. If you do it properly, you can almost be at the door before the barking and howling beings.

So, taking him out before crating him throws a wrench into the plan. Either track through the house with wet, possibly muddy, shoes (snow melted and it poured the day before, leaving everything yucky) or take off shoes, crate and then have to put shoes back on. That is a lose-lose.

I attempted something else. I put on a pair of 710's slip-on shoes he keeps for taking out the dog. That was problem #1.  #2 was taking Shep out for more than a trip to the ground cover. He pulled me for a walk - I had the time.

Our neighborhood is old. I'd say about 50% of the sidewalks are original.......and slate. Slate is a lot more slickery than ceee-ment.

So, not knowing the shoes had less than optimal tread, Blobby went down........and he went down hard.  And while this is a semi-gay blog, I didn't "go down" that way.  Just to be clear.

It was one of those falls that you were on the ground for a good four seconds before you even knew you were on the ground.

There were a few problems, of course - besides me laying in sidewalk dirt and wet whilst in my work clothes.  I had landed on my bad leg. The one with the plate and nine screws. So there was that. I also hit my right elbow....which is another problem.

But my bigger issue was my fall and probable noise(s) I made scared one puppy.....and I also inadvertently let go of the leash.

710 and I had this conversation weeks back....that if he got away during a walk, what would happen? I figured out early on what Petey's reaction would be:  he looked back once and kept trotting away. The ingrate.

Shep is a special kind of dog. He looked back when he wasn't so startled by all the action, I called him, and he came running to me......as I lay on the cold, wet, hard ground.

It allowed me to grab his leash, while I tried to figure out to get myself up with a little dignity - though that had already disappeared.

So most of yesterday, I walked with a limp. But I can't say it's from the fall. Two days ago it was 57 degrees.....if February. Yesterday afternoon it was snowing. My leg is susceptible to low pressure fronts in terms of pain and limping. So......it was the fall or the winter.....or both.


That all said, I was just really really really happy with Shep's reaction. Who's a good boy??



Song by: Shawn Colvin

Everyone's Gone to the Movies

....and so it begins.

The Golden Globes were just a warm-up to the 6th Annual Academy Award Guessing Game®

Truth be told - I just paid-up my wager to Mike (g-d help me, I link to his blog which hasn't been updated in almost four years!) regarding my humiliating loss to him.

Truth really be told - it was his birthday and he needed more sweets like Dump needs a new Executive Order Trapper Keeper.

So, that might not have been the best analogy, but you know where I was going with that.

And if I'm totally being honest, I didn't make cookies for him. I purchased them. I didn't even try to pass them off as my own. They should arrive today.

I did watch most of the SAG awards. Had I known Winona Ryder (trust me, click on the hyperlink) would be unintentionally high-larious, I would have paid more attention. But my take away from the show was: La La Land isn't untouchable.

Nor should it be. More hype than art. More fluff than substance. I felt better when Becky posted a quizzical Facebook response to the movie. Many people chimed in saying they didn't get why everyone thought it was so good - and how it wasn't close to being the best movie of the year.

I "joked" with 710 saying we should go see La La Land again, to see what we clearly missed the first time. Though now it seems that we missed nothing.

Still - the contest looms. February 26th.  Closer to the time, I'll give my selections, Mike will wait an appropriate amount of time to choose his. And as always - you are all welcome to join in.

But to warm up - we will be selecting from below.  So put on your thinking caps.


BEST PICTURE Arrival Fences Hacksaw Ridge Hell or High Water Hidden Figures La La Land Lion Manchester by the Sea Moonlight

BEST DIRECTOR Denis Villeneuve, Arrival Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge Damien Chazelle, La La Land Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea Barry Jenkins, Moonlight

BEST ACTOR Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge Ryan Gosling, La La Land Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic Denzel Washington, Fences

BEST ACTRESS Isabelle Huppert, Elle Ruth Negga, Loving Natalie Portman, Jackie Emma Stone, La La Land Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Mahershala Ali, Moonlight Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea Dev Patel, Lion Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Viola Davis, Fences Naomie Harris, Moonlight Nicole Kidman, Lion Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Hell or High Water La La Land The Lobster Manchester by the Sea 20th Century Women

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY Arrival Fences Hidden Figures Lion Moonlight

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Arrival La La Land Lion Moonlight Silence

BEST FILM EDITING Arrival Hacksaw Ridge Hell or High Water La La Land Moonlight

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS Deepwater Horizon Doctor Strange The Jungle Book Kubo and the Two Strings Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN Arrival Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Hail, Caesar! La La Land Passengers

BEST COSTUME DESIGN Allied Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Florence Foster Jenkins Jackie La La Land

BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING A Man Called Ove Star Trek Beyond Suicide Squad

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE Jackie La La Land Lion Moonlight Passengers

BEST ORIGINAL SONG “Audition (The Fools Who Dream),” La La Land “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” Trolls “City of Stars,” La La Land “The Empty Chair,” Jim: The James Foley Story “How Far I’ll Go,” Moana

BEST SOUND EDITING Arrival Deepwater Horizon Hacksaw Ridge La La Land Sully

BEST SOUND MIXING Arrival Hacksaw Ridge La La Land Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE Kubo and the Two Strings Moana My Life as a Zucchini The Red Turtle Zootopia


Song by: Steely Dan

Come

When my friend Jeremy moved to Atlanta a few years ago, I fretted that it would be the end of our friendship.

There are no worries. We call each other now and then, but text often - usually daily.

Mostly it's about his "love" life {oh yes, quotes!} or being the only Jew working in a Christian organization. Both are fun topics. I get to comment on guys I don't know and will never know - and get to hear tales of the single life and how horrible it sounds to actually attempt to date.

Then of course, we exchange the weird things in life.   ......like yesterday.

Here is a pop-up news story that came to his phone.

Maybe he got busy, but Jeremy didn't respond to my comment:  did they slip and fall in it? 


Or maybe it's funnier because law enforcement has to provide updates on said bank robbery. Either way, I bet they don't put those exploding dye packs in the getaway bags.



Song by:  Fleetwood Mac

My Music Monday

It's my month for the theme.  One month, I'm just gonna say to Erik - just put on music you like with no theme.   ...which is basically what I did for years.

Still, I went with songs that have an article of clothing in the title.

Both Erik and I populated our scheduled posts for the entire month. For the first time in forever, I feel there will be overlaps in choices. I suppose we have time to rectify that if it comes to fruition. But I'll be innerested to see if we choose any of the same songs.

I might be stretching that with my first selection, David Bowie and his song, "Blue Jean".  Not blue jeans. Or dungarees.

"Blue Jean" came barely a year after his super big outing with his Let's Dance record. I remember the MTV premiere for this, which they must have played every hour on the hour. ....and it never gets tiring.

....and you gotta love when Bowie sings, "she's got a poe-leece bike.....".  And the 3-D make-up is just fascinating.

I love the song. But I love Bowie.

Your Latest Trick

I tried to warn others a few months ago about Dump flashing shiny objects to distract you / us / me from the important things in life.

...and if not important, at least the ones that are his failures. Sometimes they are both wrapped up into one.

I hate to say it - but this administration is great at diversion and distraction. They know America's short attention span and how easily we can be derailed by something so heinous as Kellyanne's face.....the words that come out of it.

So, while many many many many folks mocked, tweeted, meme'd and Facebook'd all of this shit on the Bowling Green Massacre (and of course, not delving into it - since I was working - I assumed it was Bowling Green, OH),the CheetoFührer & Co, went about their "work".

So while people were what I believe to be purposefully diverted, the new administration went about to kill a rule aimed at protecting streams from the effects of coal mining.

Yes, Flint, Charleston WV weren't enough to ruin their water supply for months, years or decades. Now anyone in or near coal mining areas get a chance to have their water tainted. And let's not forget any of the Keystone or Dakota pipeline folks.

And let see, I think this is a nice juxtaposition

No - not the Fish Furniture ad. Who would buy a sofa set from a place named like that?

I'm talking about the started attempts to repeal regulations against the banking industry. The same banks that decimated us in 2008.

There was also that diversion of Dump's first botched military outing. But they did a double diversion with that one - the 10 year old video the Pentagon put out of the 'raid'.   Lies. All lies.

Of course, they could be trying to take your mind off of Dump's Supreme Court nominee.....

The nominee nor the administration even tries to hide how far to the right Gorsuch might be: the Fascism Forever Club.  He's not just a member - he's the Founder and President.


Yes, we can mock - and should - this administration for just about anything. But when they release / say something so outlandish, you had really better take a look at what they're trying to slide past us and don't let them and don't let up on the vigilance.


.....oh, and he lied - again - and didn't really distance himself from his companies. The sad thing is, he untruths so much, I'm not even the least big surprised. That in itself is trouble, as the U.S. people just get used to the fact as normal.


....and we're up to day 15.



Song by: Dire Straits

Talk to Me

I think we have a good selection of pictures this week. I'll say we find our house to be complete again with a dog in the picture. We pretty much sit around every evening just marveling at him.

As much as I'd like to think that Sophie rules the roost, right now she doesn't. We seem to be more a slave to his needs. He's not quite as self-sufficient as Soph.

Snow Day. 

Blazing a trail in lots of snow we had. He likes the snow, as long it's not slush or there isn't any salt. 

He also loves the radiant heat floor in the bathroom. 

Squirrel patrol. 

Many a time, I'll try to distract him from the varmints. This time, I ran with him to the tree, just to bring out his dog instincts and let him feel in control. 

Bed time snuggles.  It might be my favourite time of day. 

Make no mistake - Sophie has the upper paw. 

She puts up with a lot from Shep, and she had been taking refuge as needed. The other night, she decided she wasn't going to take it anymore. Shep got whapped and he had no idea what to do about it. 

Shep is also a talker. 

He's a barker too, but he talks. No idea what he's saying or what he wants, but it's fun to engage him. 

Song by: Chris Isaak

Ad of the Month

My Ads of the Month have somewhat been pseudo-sexual in nature. I don't think that was ever the intent, but it creeped into them anyways.

This month's entry? Not so much.    (well, I hope not!)

It just made me laugh. Which isn't a small feat considering John Malkovich makes me feel slightly weirded out a bit more than say Willem Defoe does.

...and yet compared to CheetoFührer, Malkovich is the most normal person on the planet.

Seeing Black

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Your President of the United States.

You stay classy San Diego!

Yes, this was how Dump kicked off Black History Month.


I've met 18 month olds who aren't as big of babies as this pussy.



Song by: Lucinda Williams

Trampled Rose

Any more these days, I come home to see what fresh hell awaits.

Oh, it's not 710, Sophie or Shep......well, sometimes Shep, but to see what CheetoFührer is up to now.

Well, now plagiarist DeVos got her cabinet seat approved. You had to see that coming. She never went to public school so she doesn't know it's not good to copy of your neighbor.

But Dump, can't get away from him television showmanship - if that is what one chooses to call it. I call it P.T. Barnum with a cathode ray tube.

First - a televised announcement (in prime time) for your pick for the Supreme Court?

Second - you're bringing your two top pics and selecting one?

Doesn't he have to go horseback riding on a beach with each of them, have a picnic lunch and make conversations with lots of sexual innuendo before giving the rose to just one of them?

I'm basing all my knowledge of the Bachelor from the Soup or the People's Couch.

I know I should care about both (or either) of these guys, but I don't. Oh my - a middle-aged white male. Shocking!

The thing is, unless they killed a baby on national tv, the vote will go down party lines. And even that baby killing thing is not a deal-breaker for the GOP faction. In fact, it might bolster their vote....but only if the baby was a refugee.....because you know: pro-life.

The public can protest all they want over a nominee, but does it ever do any good?  And don't say "Bork", because I'll counter with "Thomas".

So far the Dems have not stopped a single cabinet nominee. Sure the votes are off by one, but you only have to win by one. I expect Sessions, Price and that Secretary of State guy to make i through as well.

The best the Dems can do - and I encourage them to, regardless of the pic of how qualified they are - is to hold up the nomination for a year or two. Give the GOP a taste of their own medicine.

But they won't.

They need balls. I'd say bigger ones, but they should at least try out a starter-set before they go into 'man-up' mode.

I don't know about in your neck of the woods, but here in the land of Cleves, they are running political ads.  I shit you not.

"Don't let Sherrod Brown vote against Jeff Sessions.  Call his office NOW".

I hate Ohio.



Song by: Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

When They Came For Us

My friend Jeremy has helped me change up my political posts.  No longer will I be only calling Dump, Dump.  No - Jeremy gave me this little nugget:

CheetoFührer.

It has a nice ring to it, no?

Jeremy said he was at National Airport peeing next to Teddie Cruise Cruz. He was somewhat lamenting that he might prefer Ted to CheetoFührer.

Isn't it sad when one feels that way. I might actually agree with my friend. When it comes to different levels of evil, it's hard to discern what might have been.

So Dump has taken on the women with his abortion executive whatever. Then Muslims got own executive order - though he swears it is not a Muslim ban....though it is.

They've already eliminated the Jew out of Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Allegedly next it's the gays.

A Washington Post reporter claims there is an anti-LGBT executive order on its way - though the contents are not clear on what it might contain, though a ban on adoption might be part of it.

Sean Spicer (Ari Fleischer's less attractive and meaner-spirited cousin - and yes, you should read that as a 'double ouch!....for both of them') sat at his press briefing dodging the questions like the pussy he is.

If you're going to be the administration of evil - then just own up to it.

Yes - back to another Hitler reference, but that whole Martin Niemöller "they came for....." quote just seems to ringing truer each and every day......and it's coming at breakneck speed.

We're at Day 10.



Song by: Shiny Toy Guns

My Music Monday

The last of the cringe-worthy posts.  I'm not quite sorry to see it go, though I had a number of more in-line had the month gone longer.

Bernard Sumner. Johnny Marr. Neil Tennant. Chris Lowe. Together.

What could possibly go wrong?

It was a four-song cd single. Actually, it was one song with multiple mixes:  "Getting Away With It" by the newly formed group, Electronic.

The problem with having Neil Tennant as your vocalist is that no matter what you do, you're just going to be the Pet Shop Boys.

Electronic went on with Sumner and Marr, but Tennant was only on two or three songs. With Sumner doing vocals, Electronic seemed to be New Order 2.0 - not that I'm complaining.

I as intrigued by "Getting Away With It", but it was 1991 and I spent a lot of that time inebriated.

In theory it is a good song. I like the New Order element (it doesn't really have a Smiths element, even with Johnny Marr). When it comes down to it, not only do I only end up hearing mostly Pet Shop Boys with this, I can easily - easily !!!! - break into an Ethel Merman rendition of this, as Mr. Tennant makes it a very easy transition.

There are way better Electronic songs, and while I embraced the song as a drunken young adult, I still slightly cringe when it rotates through.

Refugee

Day 9.

Still keeping score.

Foreigners. Immigrants. Refugees.  Denied.


Oh, I get what Dump thinks he's doing. I get what his supporters think they know what he's doing. Short answer is: they don't.

Of course, the ban on entry to the U.S. isn't on everyone - just Muslim countries. I don't know what percentage of a country of citizen who are Muslim apply to this ban, but 3.3 million or more are American. Not in America, but American.  Where should they go?

And if Dump is being truthful to you all - and I think we can all agree he wouldn't know the truth if it peed on his face - it is not all Muslim countries. Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen are the ones on the list.

Make no mistake, where U.S. businesses have lucrative interests are not:  UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia seem to be fine for entry.

We can pretend this is all terrorist related - but if that were true, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Lebanon seem to be off this list. You know - the three countries from where all of the 19 terrorists from 9/11 originated.

If you're looking as ISIS origins - we are still not covering the bases:  where is Saudi Arabia (again), France, the UK, Morocco, Tunisia and Dump's motherland - Russia?  Oh yes, Russia has over four times as many ISIS fighters amongst them than Libya.

And those pesky green cards are off the table. Yes, the "executive order" bars green card holder entry into the U.S. if they are from those seven aforementioned counties.

Yes, Dump's order keeps out kids fleeing war torn areas......and those thousands of pesky terrorists. The ones that still haven't truly materialized here.

And for all of you going "yayyy" to that, and say, 'because of him we won't have those terrorists' you also don't get other things.  I'd say you don't get the scientists who are doing incredible work here, but you none of you believe in science or facts, so, let's get you where it hurts........literally.

Under my employ, I have any number of physicians who are foreign born and trained. Incredible providers in specialties that some patients wait months to get into see.  One of my departments, I do not have one U.S. born physician. This ban could literally shut down an entire specialty in one of the largest medical organizations in Ohio.

On Friday, I had to issue a notice to all of them not to travel outside the country for the foreseeable future, as there is no guarantee of re-entry. They've literally been cut off from their families who are still living abroad. That is assuming these docs are not kicked out - even though legally here.

So, when you're ill and can't get into see a physician for your ailment, or can't get into the top rated one you want to see.........too fucking bad. Go see the nurse practitioner at the Minute Clinic.  Oh wait - you won't be able to.....since those positions need physician oversight.

I suppose the problems of those docs won't matter much anyway, if the ACA repeal happens.

I applaud mayors of Boston, Columbus and the likes. Still saying they will accept refugees - but all that is for nought since detaining at airports seems to be a thing now.

Still the underlying theme is scary. Balk all you want at the Nazi Germany comparisons, but starting to identify and target people of race and religion - and showing your papers. Then there is the controlling / limiting the press and relying on propaganda. It all seems like a pattern if you ask me.

I'm sure it is all coincidence but the White House had no mention of Jews on Holocaust Remembrance Day, but didn't because Dump "didn't want to offend the other people the Nazi's targeted and killed".

Had that been said in front a faux brick wall with a mic, there would have been a two drink minimum.

I'll give this to Dump - what took Hitler half a decade to do, he's done in nine days.


I hope you're all happy..........because I'm sure Dump is.



Song by: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

Brown Eyed Handsome Man

Not AS tough of a week at work, but this cold has been draggin' me down. I left work early on Thursday (by an entire two hours!) and worked from home yesterday.  I kind of miss working from there. And Shep loves it, as he doesn't have to be crated.

And the week had a few good photo ops.

Handsome man.

....and he knows it. 

Hanging out.....but at a respectable distance.

Waiting for his #1 dad to return.

 \

.....and then.....and then......the pillow just exploded!

{sigh}

Hanging out in the kitchen......at a respectable distance.

Shep's new nighttime leash. 

It's freaked out at least one neighbor.....oh, and it can go into flash mode. 

Bedtime Make-out Session. 

Song by: Buddy Holly

Record of the Month

I figured I'd do a monthly 'what I'm listening to' kind of thing. This could be viewed as a lame placeholder kind of post. And probably it is. But it's my blog! So there!

Calling this Record of the Month might be stretching it a bit. Looking back, it seems I have not done a new release since August of 2016 !!!!!

To be fair, in my year-end wrap up of music, I said the pickings had been slim, and they were. So far for 2017 there are releases on the horizon for which I'm fairly excited.

Had I known Beulah, the first release from John Paul White since the demise of the Civil Wars, had come out last August, I'm 99% sure it would have been my top pick of 2016. As it is, now it stands as a contender for best of 2017.

My lord - what a great disk!!!

Ok - you know I find fault with most anything to a degree, but there isn't much to pick on with Beulah.

White starts strong with "Black Leaf" which I just loved from the start,  then he moves into "What's So.  The song starts of very Muscle Shoals-y, which could go either way depending on if you like that style, but I'd say a third of the way into the song, I was hooked. It is by far the best song on the disk....and that's saying something on a disk like this.

Maybe that's the thing with this album too.  On "the Once and Future Queen", it starts ok, and I was afraid it would be a milquetoast song....but as it goes along, it's incredible. The structure changes and the 'verse' and 'chorus' are almost non-existent. There is no confined element so many songs / artists seem to stick to with some kind of formula.   ...and some of White's vocal phrasing just kind of keeps you guessing.

Ditto with "Hope I Die". It starts off in one direction, one I wasn't sure I'd like, but it changes gears too....and then back again. The start of the song is not necessarily my style, but as I was learning, it was important to not make quick judgments with JWP's songs. He figured out to keep me on the hook.

With an artist like White, who is known for the Civil Wars, I was afraid people would look at this disk as the 'what if' one....and how it might compare to a Civil Wars disk. I tried to go in differently, and I think that helped. Save for "Make You Cry" and "Hate the Way You Love Me", nothing fits his previous band's mold. And while I really like both songs, at first, all I could hear is how it would have been with Joy Williams' harmony, and I didn't get that (or want that) from the rest of the disk.

And folks - on iTunes, it's $5.99 !!!  It's a steal at any price, but c'mon.......put a crowbar in the wallet and get it. I don't think you'll regret it.

More More More

I suppose it was bound to happen - I just thought it'd be Rhoda.

I mean, Valerie Harper had that brain cancer / six-months to live thing....three years ago.....and yet, she's still around. And ironically, Mary Tyler Moore was an octogenarian with Juvenile Diabetes.

...and oddly, Sue Ann Nivens is still plugging away.

I will admit to never being a fan of the Penis Van Lesbian Show. And I thought little of MTM on that show. That "oh Rob" line grew more tiresome with each utterance. Let's face it - Morey Amsterdam and Rose Marie were the stars of that show.

But I always had a soft place in my heart for Mary Tyler Moore Show. ....and it wasn't necessarily because of MTM.

Were there better foils than Rhoda and Phyllis or Ted and Murray? Or Sue Ann and Murray.  Or even Sue Ann and Lou.

Sure, she had funny moments, but she set-up the jokes more than she gave them. It was a great ensemble cast......though I will say, when she moved apartments and there was more "Georgette", my interest waned.

So many comedy retrospective shows always play the Chuckles the Clown funeral scene. Yes, it was good. But if I had to pinpoint one scene in that show that I loved, Mary is barely in it - and it is when Phyllis confronts Sue Ann for having an affair with her husband, the never seen Lars.

I only saw one of Moore's movies - and not the one you think. Ordinary People?  Too down for me. No - it was Change of Habit.  MTM being second banana to Elvis Presley......oh, and she played a nun!  Cinema doesn't get any better than that. The opening song was called "Rubberneckin'", as you might expect.

Oh - and I always reference Mary's take on getting a cold:  three days coming, three days with you, three days going.

BTW - I am at the second day of 'with you' phase.  It seems apropos.



Song by: Andrea True Connection

Pay Attention to Me

So, in case you haven't been paying attention.......

• ACA Repeal

Yes, Dump signed his executive order start repealing the ACA. Make no mistake, it will take 50 senate votes to repeal the ACA. But for all those of you turds who think that Dumpacare will be any better? First - he has no plan, other than something, "much better!".  The devil is in the details, isn't it?

Oh - and it takes 60 votes to replace.

Yes folks, it is harder to replace healthcare than repeal it - so there is your reality. That "much better" plan may never come to fruition.

And b.t.dubs.......when 18-22 millions people lose their healthcare, and the (re)newly uninsured go back into the emergency departments or hospital faulting on their bills that they can now no longer pay - - that cost comes back to...............wait for it.................YOU!

Indeed, it comes back to you in ways of increased premiums, of if you have an employer solution, you will be forced into a High Deductible Plan - and them deductibles are just gonna keep going up because your employer is gonna share that cost with.........wait for it.........................YOU!

You can thank Uncle Dump for that one.  ...and Tom Price, as he is one of the biggest detractors of the ACA.

And another note: it could cost up to $350 Billion (with a B) over the next decade to repeal the ACA. I thought the republicans were supposed to be fiscal conservatives. Then again, no cost is high enough to flip the proverbial finger to a black man who held the office.

• the Keystone Pipeline is back in play

Lots of risk for the environment (more on that in a bit) for little pay off in terms of jobs. Oh, and Dump own(ed?) stock in Energy Transfer Partners, the company that is building the Dakota Access pipeline.

• Women's Right to Choose

A room full of men. Not one woman around as Dump signs (another) executive order on funding that goes overseas if pregnancy terminations are performed. Or something like that. He's dipping his foot in the water to see how it plays here................three days after a march with countless women. It's not a mistake. It's calculated.

• Comey is staying on as head of FBI under Dump

Shocking!  I think it's called Quid Pro Quo.

• EPA Freeze

the Dump administration has instructed officials at the Environmental Protection Agency to freeze its grants and contracts, a move that could affect everything from state-led climate research to localized efforts to improve air and water quality to environmental justice projects aimed at helping poor communities.

• Popular vote lies continue

Yes, he's still won, and he's still going on about this. Oh, and there is zero evidence that any voter / illegal voting when on en mass.  But for argument sake, let's say it's true. Dump says 2.4 million illegals voted. Clinton won the popular vote by 2.9 million. Dumpy is still off by half a million - just like he was off by that same amount he claims showed to his inauguration. Even when he defends his win he can't win.



.....and just so we're keeping score, we are on day four.




Oh oh oh oh - have you noticed, Dump is almost nowhere with out Pence?  He's at every executive order signing (and there are a lot of those - even for four days). But Mikey-boy is even sitting next to Dump at "church".

....and you wonder who is actually making the decisions in that house.



Song by: Grand Funk Railroad

the Facts of Life

Every time I think my persistent funk since November 8th has lifted even in the slightest, I do something stupid by watching or reading something.

I know - I said I have stopped reading a lot of the news, but some things are unavoidable. Stupid Facebook or overhearing people talking or friends actually asking you shit about politics interferes with all that head / sand burying.

So - this entire shit-fest that is the Dump Propaganda Machine™ is just frightening as fuck.

While clearly I don't agree with repealing the ACA, or probably anything else the man and his administration is going to do, the absolute scariest is the easily (and frequent) lies - and the press, and/ or potentially lack of it.

Yes, it's fun to compare the attendance of the inaugurations, but to be so thin skinned about something that ultimately does not matter in the slightest is insane. This is what they're drawing the line in the sand over?

Not only did they get the attendance wrong at both Obama's and Reagan's swearing-ins wrong, they made up numbers that the Washington Metro put out on ridership. And when some reporter(s) had the audacity to question the new pussy (someone should grab him) press secretary, he fucking walked out the press room.

Here's a little known thing: the press briefings are to end when the press says so, not the press secretary.

And the lying. JFC - enough with the lies. Though Spicer says his 'intention was to never lie to you' {meaning the press}.  He just happened to do it four times in five minutes.

Which of course brings us to alternative facts. Or spinning lies.

But dude - your guys 'won' the White House. Who cares if fewer people showed up to his party. He still gets the job. Blame the weather if you want, but don't say there were a million more people when there were not.  There is video of Pence walking the route with block after block of empty stands.

Save your lies for something big!

This all bothers me. And the yelling at the press and saying they'll be banished basically unless they agree with this administration and only write nice things.

Now personally, I'm confounded by all of it. The press has let Dump off the hook more times than I can even potentially count on the WOPR {it's a War Games reference, people!}.  They almost never held him to a straight answer and barely ever stood up to him when he told a blatant untruth.

This press corps it the best thing to ever happen to any administration, because I don't see Dump's behaviour ever changing.

Yet, save a few editorials - which 710 insisted on reading to me, as I am still head-burying here - seem adamant about holding feet to the fire......which is all well and good.....IF they actually did it.

Still my unrest is real. The tone is tell the lies enough until they become truth. To control - truly control - the press until we are Germany at Poland's door circa 1939.

Yes, another fucking Nazi reference, but it's warranted. Truly warranted.

You know it's bad, when I - a fatalist - thinks this the most fucked up shit ever. It's not even subtle and barely anyone is taking note.

The whole thing with his taxes. Now he will never release them - his stooge Kelly says so. "People don't care....they voted for him."

I'll give her that. Those who voted for that butthole don't care, but somehow thing speeches given to Goldman Sachs should have been.

But it goes beyond that - or should. Persistently calling him out on his first broken promise of his presidency should be shouted from the rooftops over and over and over and over.  And over again.

Personally, I'd have more respect from Dump if he admitted he liked being pissed on. Clearly nothing is changing a large portion of the voting public's mind on him. They'd probably even try it - along with their newly purchased rubber sheets from the Ivanka Trump Collection™.

I'm all over the place on this shit today. Dump makes it hard for rationale people to focus, which could easily be part of his plan. Divide. Conquer.

The thing is: it's time to stop ignoring the problem. It's not going away. We have to deal with it, call them on it. Make their lives as miserable as they plan to make ours.

It's a fact.


Song by: John Wesley Harding

My Music Monday

Songs that make you go - ewwwwww.   Cringe-worthy.

Oh where to start I've already done three....and now two more, including today.

There is a difference between something that makes one cringe and something that one might loathe. We did the latter a few months back.

Plenty of songs are out there that make one wince a little.

In the U.S. the Cardigans broke-out with their song "Lovefool". It's slightly catchy, but slightly annoying.  The bubble-gum melody and the cutesy-girl vocals should be left to (and with) Gwen Stefani's solo crap. It's not appealing.

The "joke" is, that neither the band, nor singer Nina Persson, seem really to be that group. Their subsequent sound was harder edged, and when they did pop, it was not saccharine-y. Perhaps they were smart enough to know that this was the stuff that got on radio and MTV and they took a dive for the bigger cause.

"Lovefool" is one of those songs that I don't immediately turn off, but I don't go out of my way to play.

March Into the Sun

Part of me feels like I missed a big opportunity not going to DC....or Chicago or Boston.

By all accounts, Cleveland had a decent turn out for the Women's March. Clearly not as big as those aforementioned cities. Even my sister-in-law went to the one in Charleston. And I had friends or family who attended in New York, San Jose, Columbus, Portland and Atlanta as well.

There were also a bunch to headed to DC for the main event. I mean, after all, it was deemed, the Women's March on Washington. The DC Metro reported that yesterday, there was 82,000 more riding their trains than on inauguration day.

Allegedly there were over a half-millions people at the DC march (some reports of 650k). So many so, that people didn't wait for the official route, as it moved to slow and took over other avenues and streets.

I certainly didn't see these crowd numbers along what few images I saw of the inaugural route. ....though Dump and his press secretary will tell you I'm lying misrepresenting.  Yeah.  And the Metro is fudging their numbers too ?




Our piddly-ass rally we went to last August.  Though to be fair - the one we went to might have had more port-a-potties.   ....and let's face it, the lack thereof is what would have kept me away from DC.

As it turns out, Becca and her youngest ducked out part way through the DC march. I get it. The crowd can be overwhelming.  ....and well.....Madonna.

Oh Madge. All for women's rights, she is. She's all against ageism and sexism. I mean, that's what she says is the problem against her. It's not. It's her shitty music. But somethings are easier to blame, I suppose.

I'm not sure how I feel about the turn-outs in other regards.

Had this event happened the last week of October, would the election have been different?  But on the other hand, did anyone believe - or want to - that Dump would be where he is now?  Is that the difference? No one thought this kind of turn-out for this kind of travesty was necessary?

My big beef is the aftermath. While I think the march was great and it mattered, but the question is: to whom else?

Do you think anyone residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave is going "oh nooooooo.......the women don't like me?"

The problem is - he doesn't give a fuck.

Neither do the majority who reside at the other end of the Mall.  (and no, not the clerks at Things Remembered.)

Well, Dump does - in a way. It's a twisted irony with him. If he didn't care what people thought, he wouldn't tweet or speak at press events about it so much. Yet when it comes to actual action - he doesn't give a shit about anyone but himself. His supporters just don't see that yet.

The march is good for organization and a call to action, but for change in Planned Parenthood, ACA, Equal Pay or Education (just cross gun control off any list with this administration now), you're dreaming.

This fuck is going to be a long hard one. And with no lube. And it's gonna last four years.



....that said, I'm sorry I didn't go to the march. I'm not sure I could have handled being in DC with the administration - and lack of pooperies - but I'm sure I could have survived for a good cause.....and with a pack of Depends.



Song by: Echosmith