Sigh

So, I had a date last nite...I signed up for a test ride on an online dating site, and found some matches, one of which intrigued me...and we met.  At first, it started out well; she looked like the profile, she was funny...but as things went on, she was more and more what she had said she wasn't, and finally, the date ended, and we went our separate ways.  On the one hand, I was relieved; enough was enough; on the other...well, it's depressing; you get all dolled up and ready and raring to go, and...at the end of the nite, it barely qualifies as an entertaining evening.  Roll up the map of Europe. 

In the meantime, a full slate of college football, so a full slate of sitting around -- either here or at a friend's mansion -- watching The Game, The Iron Bowl, and maybe some Duke-UNC, which -- it still amazes me a bit to say this -- has playoff implications.  I am not making any predictions, as I was mocking a friend who is a 'Nova fan that they hadn't played anyone, and then they go out and beat Kansas, so I am for a turd sandwich....

In other news, I cleaned the house yesterday; started with one room, then the bathroom, and then I figured I may as well do it all.  It does look nice, even if half the stuff I shoved in a drawer or something.  In retrospect, my decision to start cleaning out closets was wise, as I had two bags of recyclables and two boxes of crap for the attic, and that opened some space for shoving.  This leads me to believe that starting the process in some other closet or nook of the house might yield similar dividends.

Bird

So, I am sitting here, trying to figure out if I should join the boys or not for the traditional T-day fest...when I remembered I hadn't blogged -- busybody activities and the usual, to say nothing of Duke last nite.  So here we are.

It's funny; I couldn't look at another morsel of food tonite, and my Mom -- I drove her home -- was all hungry and ready for dinner; I almost went to Cracker Barrel or somewhere just to get her something.  To be sure, I think I pigged out more during the day -- I had a light breakfast and dinner was at 1:30, so well past lunch, but... odd. 

The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism is going slowly...mainly because it is 400 pages in eight-point font, and also because it is packed with interesting facts and commentary; much like the corn stuffing, you really want to pound down as much as you can, but you also have to savor what is on the plate.  It is impressive but sad in that not much has changed, as evinced by the Pope's latest commentary; he is right to criticize excessive wealth, but that is a symptom of a healthy economy, and in this country -- where a large majority of people simply have lives of abundance (on a global basis of comparison), you'd think he would be encouraging everyone else to follow our lead.  Alas, alack.

Thud

I realize that this is anathema, but the end of the filibuster in some certain situations isn't that bad of a thing; I mean, it should happen, as judges -- like them or not -- should NOT be confirmed just because.  Now, if the Judiciary Committee had brains, they could go all apeshit on appointees, but brains are short in the GOP now, so...  plus, you can just filibuster everything else, and, well, I think Rand and Mike Lee would be most entertaining.

Florida losing to Georgia Southern...odd.  Remember a few years ago, when Wil Muschamp was THE guy at Texas, once Mack Brown left?  And then he decided to set up shop at Florida, which was a plum job, stacked with talent?  And now..well, Mack Brown, for all his faults, has had a much better season.  Florida has had injuries, but to get literally run over...well, not good.  The price for Ed Orgeron just went up, though I think he would be crazy to leave USC.  I would also like to note that Duke -- with a win -- will take The Rapists in the ACC Championship game.  My love for Coach K can be expanded to the football team, I assure you.

So, among the other duties I have had is to collate data for our new food bank coordinator; we are trying to use our purchasing power to get a better partnership with the Greater Cleveland Food Bank.  This is good, but our new center manager needs all sorts of stuff -- money spent, food deliveries, etc.  The CFB website is buttsex, so I had to recreate a lot of the stuff myself.  I had asked our food person to send out the info I didn't have.  I sent a budget update to her today, and not only did she completely misread that email, she revealed she hadn't sent out the info...and didn't know if she had to.  It was a true "thunk" moment, and it is not exactly sitting well now.

Movements

It's funny; I felt I would have a quiet evening at home, answering email...nope, I just got done with some OC budget stuff and some emails and some thank you notes to various donors.  Now, I am tired, but not so much that I want to go to bed...odd.  Alas.

So, the Rangers were so worried about David Murphy's loss that they went out and traded for Prince Fielder.  :)  First, the Tribe.  I wasn't keen on the move, but after bpro and other outlets...well, maybe.  He isn't a bad OF, and he can hit -- at least as part of a platoon -- and the deal isn't totally onerous.  Still, there are now five OFs and Swisher has to play first.  Stubbs will be expendable, which is fine...not sure there is a market (or a return) for the guy.  Nor does this solve the rotation issues. 

As for the trade, I think I like it better for Texas than Detroit.  Fielder is at 1B, so Moreland can go to RF (to replace Murphy) or somewhere else.  If Fielder needs to DH, he can.  The Tigers...well, Cabrera goes to 1B, Kinsler to 2B, and Castellanos to 3B.  It is better defensively, but I don't think the offense adds up.  Yes, they want to resign the pitchers, and that is smart, but God forbid Kinsler collapses (old 2Bs aren't pretty) and they are running out Infante again.

Caught

http://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/the_audio_book_club/2013/10/ender_s_game_book_club_podcast_orson_scott_card_s_sci_fi_book_reviewed.html

I listened to this a couple of days ago...I have to admit, it has been a LONG while since I've read Ender's Game, so it would behoove me to do it again...  the podcast was interesting, but I thought it was odd...they immediately zeroed in on the use of the term "buggers;" maybe it is anti-gay, but -- and this came later -- my first instinct was to recall Heinlen and Starship Troopers; in that series, Earth was attacked by bug-like creatures.  Also...Heinlen is dark and not very religious/Christian; you cannot say that about Ender's Game, which leads me to believe that Card was being intentional in that his book was a theological response (among other things) to Heinlen, and the language...well, I guess I am not surprised that slate.com writers would be unaware of the right-leaning/libertarian.

Branches

I ordered "Shame," the Fassbender movie about sex addiction, from Netflix...it arrived, but the disc was damaged, and I had less than half of it completed before it crapped out.  Alas, alack.  It was sort of interesting...but not that interesting, though of course it is still incomplete.  I sort of applauded myself, as I tend to binge-load the queue, so what I watch today was selected months ago.

This is not a bad thing, as I am reading The Liberty Amendments, and it is due back Thursday, so it did give me an extra hour to plow through it.  The book is interesting, but I am not sure that ALL of the solutions are the cure.  Some, like term limits and an end to the 17th Amendment, are quite wise; I am less sold on the others, like methods of overturning Supreme Court decisions.  One of the best ways to limit federal power is for the Executive Branch to not use it, or better yet, cede power back to the states.  W was as egregious about this as Obama is, so conservatives are rightly pissed about it, and it's not like Romney -- or Christie -- had any solutions, either.  Even guys like Paul and Lee and Cruz are selective in their approach, which may be fine -- provided it is a bridge to bigger and better things.

Gusty

This wind is impressive; I can only hope it is just wind, and nothing severe is happening, like something off, or on, the roof, or a few branches down.  I do think Bview missed some serious shit; it did seem -- on the weather porn -- that our area seemed to miss the main line of storms, which broke up as they passed by.  I expected to hear a lot of rain, but did not.

I was out most of the day -- Mass, Mom's, family dinner -- and then when I did arrive it was in time to watch everyone talk about the weather...to be sure, I am just glad that, for now, we avoided most of the tough stuff, though I am saddened that not everyone did.

Skeeball playoffs were last nite; we made the Sweet Sixteen before getting our asses beaten by the Final Four team.  We were seeded fairly low, but made up for it, so all was well...pretty cool, and I was already scheduling practice for next season.  I also note that I ate nine billion things Saturday while at the banquet, so that was pretty cool, aside from the fact that I feel like a total, albeit non-exercising, fatass.

Return

You know, I really need to stop saying I'll post more...  anyways, this most recent hiatus was caused by the laptop, which would turn on but not display anything; a trek to Microcenter revealed a loose connection (and that the laptop is an antique) and thankfully, $70 later, it is back...  ok, it was back Thursday, but I decided to have TV nite (Glee is totally cheesy and gay) and yesterday I cleaned my house while watching UCLA.  Yes, old age is full of excitement.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/kmart-rent-own-program-turns-225908189.html

I get a kick out of these stories, because on the one hand...it's a business, they are there to make money, and it is easier to make it from stupid people.  Of course, I am a social justice para-professional, and we all know that this is basically usury.  To be sure...well, as I like to say, while some people are unfortunately poor, there are others -- a LOT more than the first type -- who are poor by choice, and programs like the one above are the reason why.  And, no, I really do not have a lot of sympathy for people who make bad decisions all of the time.

Thus, the October stats (which are supposedly low...):  442 household visits, encompassing 189 seniors, 629 adults, and 481 rugrats.

 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kylesmith/2013/11/08/modern-democrats-would-view-john-f-kennedy-as-a-reaganite-extremist/

I think everyone knows I despise the Kennedys, so this took a little extra to get down (or, as the governor of Maine would say, extra vaseline), but I think this is also spot on....

Results

One story I HAVE been following lately is the A-Rod scandal; namely, he and his attorneys are going to war with MLB over his suspension, failed drug tests, etc...  It's quite good, given that no one really thinks A-Rod is a decent human being, and the fact that MLB has gone completely out of their way -- and into the gutter -- to get rid of him.  It's one thing to pile on, but this is ridiculous, and let's face it; A-Rod has nothing to lose by going to the trenches here, as he can lose everything if he doesn't.  So he fights.  Mind you, I think the pendulum has swung...if not his way, but somewhat more sympathetically; especially given how MLB has went about it.

So, Chris Christie is going to win big, and I don't have a problem with it.  In some ways, he's quite conservative...in others, not so much, but it is magnified now, given the rightward shift of the GOP.  As Bill James said about Haddix, I think, it's not that his conservatism is that moderate, is that it is moderate for his era.  I suspect he will have trouble 1) Because he is pro-choice and 2) He will have to raise taxes somehow to solve NJ's budget issues, and both of those are no-gos.  If you think about it, though, the GOP tends to do well when it hits the fan (In Blackett's War, Admiral King says "When the going gets tough, they send for the sons of bitches).  Up the road in NYC, it was Rudy (certainly no Tea Party type) and Bloomberg (he's not quite so conservative, but he certainly ran as one at first) who guided the ship when people felt that Dinkins was shitting the bed; the GOP romp in 2010 when people realized (not enough, and too late) what Obamacare would be like; hell, Reagan won in 1980 -- big -- by reveling in the shadow of Carter.  Christie was a law-and-order, corruption-busting prosecutor (always big for the GOP...like Rudy) and dealt with Corzine and his...fast-driving ways.  :)

Cucinelli is losing in VA, but not as badly as feared...that I suspect will cause recriminations up and down the chain.  On the one hand, a slightly more moderate candidate would have won.  On the other, Ken was badly crushed in funding, so the donors who sat on their hands deserve the blood on them.  Plus, like Mitt, Ken never seemed to realize you need to be something and stand for something...not just be the other guy.  Nor can we forget the corruption scandal involving former GOP-wunderkind McDonnell...

Awake

I must admit, I was a little surprised that the Tribe offered Ubaldo a deal; I mean, I think it is worth the risk of him accepting it, as if he does not, the Tribe gets a draft pick, and while it is a little high for a pitcher of his caliber...well, it is only for one year, and if the thing implodes...easier to trade.

I guess my fear is not implosion, but regression to the mean.  The OF isn't very good; they have three CFs out there, and Stubbs really should not be out there every day.  Bourn might be healthier, but he will also be older...  Swisher should play right, and Santana should take over first, which would bolster the offense.  I suspect Gomes will regress as well; thankfully, the D is superb, so I think you can accept some decline there.  Kipnis is ok...Cabrera will be traded, Lord knows for what, and maybe Aviles can be ok out there.  Chisenhall...I wish he could hit, and if he does not...  well, the farm isn't very deep.  Looking at the offense, and the rotation being what it is, .500 is more likely than not.

Tomorrow is also Election Day, so it would behoove me to vote, though it is hard to get excited about school boards and city council.  Not that I shouldn't be excited, but...

Film

My great plan to attend Mass yesterday, hit the family poker party afterwards, and then sleep in today was genius, except when I woke up at 7:15...and at 7:30 I gave up and roused myself.  To be sure, this does give me an extra hour to read, watch the Netflix flick, etc....but there is now this aura of uncertainty as to do waht next...one way of course is to end my blog hiatus (world series, skeeball, movie, yesterday) and write.

http://investigations.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/29/21222195-obama-administration-knew-millions-could-not-keep-their-health-insurance?lite&ocid=msnhp&pos=2

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/republicans-obamacare-cancellation-notice-media-9147.html

I found these stories fascinating because it was the first time I recall ANYONE ever writing about the administration and its honesty issues...and now calling them on it.  It is impressive, and all of these stories about people losing their coverage...well, it;s genius, and the GOP should be creaming themselves about the opportunity...fleeting though it may be.

Friday nite I saw "Maniac" and all I can say is...look it up. It's a 1934 film, and it's...well, impressive.  I've seen "Glen or Glenda" and "Plan 9" and this was easily worse/better in comparison.  I've always had an odd fondness for these sorts of films, not sure why, but I do think they represent a part of film history that needs to be remembered, if not exactly cherished.