Relief

Salazar has pitched pretty well...have to admit, wasn't sure if he would.  Yes, I am sure the extra rest was beneficial, but...you hear virus, weight loss, etc., and you wonder how much he had actually had.  But I guess he had enough...though, give him credit, his stuff was good and the location was where it needed to be all night.  In the meantime, Terry and his bunts...good God.  I mean, playing for ONE in the FIRST is dumb, especially against the Toronto offense.  Never mind the whole taking the bat out of the hands of the best player.

In the meantime, work is going to be no fun for a while (ideally, this week) though I survived today's conference call fairly unscathed.  I still have a pile of work to do, and a pile of articles to read, but..

Funny gym story today...I worked through lunch and left at 3ish to do some leg work.  I arrived at the squat-weight rack at the same time as a fairly attractive female..so I told her "Pearls Before Swine," which she seemed to really appreciate.  Then she took a weight that was ten pounds heavier than the one I was planning to use, so I had to take the one ten pounds heavier (because I have external gonads)...and then do my squats, etc.  It was NOT fun, and of course, today, we had a Fun Run, and let us just say I did NOT win this one, though we did not come in last (because I have external gonads, nor am I French).

Well, that was an exciting inning.  I do have to give Francona credit for going to his best pitcher in a tight situation...even if said pitcher also creates said situation.

Heat

I thought Francona was a little quick to pull the plug on Tomlin today; I mean, you're going to Toronto tomorrow, the team that, if nothing else, swats the hell out of the ball.  I realize the rotation is felt to be pretty good, but...I would like to think that running Tomlin for 120 pitches and this having a fresh as possible 'pen would be ideal, especially given how Terry loves his relievers.  I know one or more will be added on 9/1, but...  In the meantime, the Tribe announcers were prattling on about this team being 4.5 back of the wild card spot and how hot they were...uh-huh.  Let's see if they can win ONE game in each of the next two series.

In the meantime, busy weekend; hung out with some friends Saturday night...all I can say is that we are NEVER doing THAT again; from Lakewood to Porco's to the Velvet Tango...overpriced drinks that weren't very good and no parking.  I always complain about it, but I learned my lesson this time.  At least it will give the Fun Runners something to discuss on our run....

Savantery

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/abortion-foes-find-new-ways-to-get-details-about-patients-doctors/2015/08/25/c9d0cac0-3ba8-11e5-8e98-115a3cf7d7ae_story.html?wpmm=1&wpisrc=nl_headlines

I am not exactly sure how I feel about this, but on the one hand...remember when they used to put people with CCW licenses in the paper?  Or that paper in New York that put the names and addresses of gun owners in public?  In some ways, I think, this is the same thing...if you enter an abortion clinic -- exercising your First Amendment rights -- one could argue that, well, you should WANT people to know it (the Planned Parenthood types certainly do) and it shouldn't be a concern...sort of like Ashley Madison, right, we're all consenting adults here!

Watched two more movies off the list:  "Two-Lane Blacktop" and "Footlight Parade."  The first -- which stars James Taylor and Denis Wilson of the Beach Boys -- was interesting; not great, but I liked it...from what I could tell, it was about street racing, and in 1971, it was something that was simply not done...The second I liked; it was James Cagney after "The Public Enemy," and then he morphed to a Broadway musical specialist moving to Hollywood...so it was a career shift.  I liked it-- the musicals were shoved to the end -- and it did have some humor..of many varieties.

Two other things:  while watching him in the beginning, I was like..this is how he could do "Yankee Doodle Dandy."  And, watching some commentary afterward...they mentioned how "Footlight" made it possible.  Also, there is one number with swimming and dancing routines and whatnot...and I was like, hmmm, this is basically Esther Williams.  Sure enough, they mentioned how this film made her career possible.  I don't know if I should be pleased or appalled...

Expectations

I think tonight's Josh Tomlin was...pretty much what you will get from him.  Lots of strikes.  Lots of homers...last time, against the Yankees, his stuff was a little better, it seemed...tonight, just average, and the result was that the good hitters in the lineup -- Lucroy and Braun -- lit him up.  The rest, not so much; mind you, the Brewers are not a good team.  I would argue that this is what the Tribe wanted from a fifth starter all year, and that they are only getting it now...well, what did they expect, that is the question we should be asking.  Let us also not discuss another Kipnis baserunning gaffe...

In the meantime, I am bemused by the Cook verdict in the FSU trial (not guilty), mainly because -- well, if the prosecution couldn't win there, what would they have done with Famous Jameis?  Also, the Baylor rape trial is a little fascinating to me.  I don't think we will ever know the whole truth until the lawyers are called in, in which case we will get two versions of it... I wonder if, somehow, maybe Briles thought that -- having happened once, and maybe a new environment, etc. (and Baylor is a Christian school, ask Britney Griner) that maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't happen again, and that they were going to get a good/serviceable starter for...well, nothing.  They didn't, of course, but...well...let me put it this way; three years ago, all of this would have been buried.  Deep.

Not only am I sore from the run, but I also had low blood sugar, and thus had to eat a substantial snack...so I am not exactly packing off the pounds.  To be sure, that BMI is sparking, and fruit and granola bars isn't the worst thing to be shoving in the mouth (in moderate quantities), but I think we all know how I feel about this sort of thing.  I really am turning into a gym junkie, and with it comes all sorts of interesting side effects...

That Old Time Religion

Arms day today...still a little sore.  Honestly, while I realize that ALL of the workouts are important, I've always seen arms as the best one...the one I really need to do the most; I think it is because I've always looked at the biceps as the thing that women/people go for, and thus...well, I prefer to work the hardest there...whereas, for something like legs...well, who cares?  Chest/back/core I tend to mix on, though given that one helps the other...well, I don't skimp on it anymore.

Had an interesting discussion with a coworker today...I made a reference to Elmer Gantry, she wiki-ed it, and we had a chat about it...I told her that that sort of thing was once an integral part of the American experience, and that she had never heard of it... I mean, part of it was that she was a Catholic (and that experience is largely foreign us), the other, I think, is that we tend to forget that 1) The US was a bit more religious in the day (for instance, the Bible was a/THE textbook even in public schools) and 2) Before TV, of course, you had to go out for entertainment...and the religious revival/tent meeting was such an affair...  Now, I think, it is reversed...the megachurches and the TV preachers ARE the entertainment, and you can watch them from the comfort of your home...if you think about it, most of the trappings are the same -- the "sea of green" is handled by phone and net; there is still a hunk of people who "come on down" and get the healing and such with a large crowd watching (from satellite, but still), and you do get the old time religion/rabble-rousing sermon.  Whether this is a good or bad thing...well, I pass no judgments either way.

Fatigue

Ended up going to the St. Mark's Egyptian fest yesterday; my family affairs ran short and some friends were thinking of attending, so I suggested Chateau Mattie as the meeting place.  It was nice; not that large, food was decent (very Mediterranean), desserts were ok...one was quite good, the others, hit or miss.  I wouldn't mind a church tour (I was with secular types) and some of that discussion; it appears they have a whole list of places where the Holy Family "visited" during their sojourn in Egypt.  I've come to the conclusion that next summer I need to hit MORE of these places; it is good to get out and see some of the other ethnic fests around.

Tried to retire early last night, didn't, and am feeling it this morning.  Alas, alack.  I did the yard and the weed-whacking...some other minor chores, and continued to plug away at the next Powell book.  I ordered the last in the series from the library, just so I can move it up on the pile and finish off the series.

I watched Chuck Todd discuss -- briefly -- this AM about Trump; one of the guys pointed out that 70% of the GOP electorate isn't voting for the guy, which we need to remember, and that most of this support of his isn't exactly the GOP base...they seemed to think all of this affected the back of the GOP ticket more than the front, which I sort of agreed.  I'd like to think that if I was a GOPer, I wouldn't worry that much...on the other hand, Trump and dumb words is like scandal and the Clintons; there are so many of them, it comes out as just another one...

Errors

While Terry and Salazar BOTH hit the showers early...you know, this team makes MANY baserunning gaffes; Kipnis not going home was yet another (and he has committed his share)...it is almost as bad as the PFP problem, except for the fact that in some cases you can excuse the outs...I can pardon sins of aggression, if you will,  But the brain farts are egregious, and you CAN blame the manager; no one ever gets benched or pulled, just to encourager les autres.

Busy days, gym time, lots of work.  Finished Herodotus and moved on to the next installment of the Powell series; this one is somewhat...erotic, if you will, or at least little more frank with the sexuality; maybe it is the liberated spirit of the post-WWII era?  It does read more quickly, FWIW, which is a nice change.  I mean, one does get a sense of achievement to go through the pile on the coffee table...

Quick Hits

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/in-heroin-fight-white-house-tries-to-break-down-walls-between-public-health-police/2015/08/16/f63d63c2-4425-11e5-8ab4-c73967a143d3_story.html?wpmm=1&wpisrc=nl_headlines

I go both ways on this; on the one hand, yes, this is good...on the other hand, we all know that in most cases, this won't end well...it is expensive...and, let's face it, if you dumb enough to try heroin, you really deserve whatever happens...call it mean, but...at the end of the day, you have to face facts.

http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-08-18/how-a-ban-on-plastic-bags-can-go-wrong

I remember, in the early days of the OC, some pantry in SF tried this; they spent all this money on reusable bags, and 95% of them just disappeared...we've gotten some at the OC from time to time, and I would say that they seldom come back...sometimes they do, and I am sure some people use them for other things, but...well, we ARE dealing with Hope and Changers, you know.

https://thewpsa.wordpress.com/2015/08/09/the-progressive-ideological-coalition-and-the-crisis-of-housing-affordability-in-san-francisco/

Snicker, snicker, snicker...

Robotica

http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-08-14/first-restaurants-raise-wages-then-what-

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/minimum-wage-push-could-bring-robots-to-restaurants/ar-BBlNiTA

I put these together because I think they point out the two things that will happen (mind you, I am not saying the minimum wage shouldn't be raised; maybe it should.  But we also have to be prepared for the consequences, and I realize liberals have a dim understanding of the concept)...in some cases, people will stop eating out, and two, restaurant owners will decide that a short-term hit in investing in robot technology will provide long-term benefits.

For the first...well, a real example...often Mom and I dine out Saturday for lunch.  We often hit Boston Market -- Mom likes the turkey.  But...they raised their prices at the beginning of the year, and to top it off...now the coupon specials aren't so special.  So...last week, we dined at Arby's (it is about $5 cheaper)...and we are going to try Subway, next.  No, we're not going to stop eating at BM, but we will be eating there less...and I think for the restaurant professional, that is the sort of thing you want to avoid...the people who can afford to dine at Pier W will do so no matter what, but the rest of us...well, you can eat at a lot of places...such as the grocery store, for instance.....where you can buy stuff and get Fuelperks/gas rewards/etc.

In other news, watched "The Court Jester" last nite; spoof of adventure movies starring Danny Kaye, Basil Rathbone, and Angela Lansberry....you know, I didn't think I would like it at first (very musical-like) but it grew on me...it was funny, it was cute, it was clever, and you could see what they were doing, so...while I wouldn't exactly watch it again...it wasn't the worst.

Day of Rest

For a day when I didn't do anything, it has been busy -- caught up on some work, did the OC budget report, answered some of the email backlog, watched the Tribe lose...rah.  The OC budget is ok...just ok.  Our parish missed the July collection, which is a minor issue...we also are short a big collection/donation (I budget for two).  Expenses-wise...we have a few K more in the account than expected because we haven't received the utility bill..we are about a month ahead in food costs, which is a sort of problem -- I expected us to do so to bleed off cash; once we do -- and I expect us to -- we cannot go into the well next year.  Oi.

Crossed two films off the list -- last nite "Prisoner of Zenda" was on TCM, so I watched...I liked it; I wouldn't say it was the best film ever, but it was very light and cheeky while covering...political intrigue, if you will.  I also watched "Hester Street," a film about Russian Jews emigrating to the US.  Same...liked it, not so much for the plot, but for the historical look...This puts me to 335...sooner or later I will decelerate to watch "Mad Men," but there is something to be said for cramming and pushing along.  Speaking of which, I have 40 pages to go on Herodotus...

I do want to see the mini-series about the affordable housing battle in Yonkers in the 80s...again, while I agree with them, there still exists the problem of there simply being not enough housing in general for people; there is an artificial scarcity of affordable housing because 1) People who don't have money to rent are bad risks;  2) The same people really tend to tear up housing stock, so much so that the Section 8 vouchers only work for the slumlord class (efficiency of scale) and 3) We don't want to admit that the best way to fix the crisis is to build up...putting a couple of hundred people in a better neighborhood is laudable, but does nothing for those left behind...

Avicide

Long time no chat...lots of stuff; work has been busy.  Tribe game Wednesday -- quite the nervewracker.  Ran the antivirus, and mainly trying -- and not very successfully -- to sleep.  Have to thank Kluber tonight; he may actually get me to bed at a civilized hour.

Progress continues on Herodotus; I've also gone back to the film list tonight, watching "Stranger than Paradise," which was...well, not very good.   I realize it is not exactly my genre, but...at least it was under 90 minutes.  FWIW, we are at 333 of 650... I picked up a couple at the library today, and there are quite a few in the Netflix queue, so...we can make some progress.  I need to find a few on youtube, and we can really do some damage.

In the meantime...a nest/bevy/bunch of bees have taken residence in my driveway, near the garage...a crack in the pavement affords a perfect hiding spot.  I've bought some stuff at a couple of stores, and sprayed it down at night...and while it has helped, there are still plenty of the critters flying about...the global concern about the plight of the honeybee means that it is impossible to actually purchase something that will kill them, which only annoys the complete and total fuck out of me...

Updates

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/chip-kellys-real-problem-isnt-race/ar-BBlBZvO?ocid=mailsignout

I asked one of my college friends -- an NFL follower -- the difference between Kelly and Belicheck; his answer was "Six Rings."  I don't know...reading the article, I couldn't help but think that Kelly isn't wrong...and that he is a lot like Belicheck, and no one complains about him (in this manner).  I guess winning is the only thing, not that I am one to object....

I have clicked two films off the list:  "Wild Boys of the Road" (a 30s flick about train-hopping, jobless youths) and "Off/On," an experimental film from 1968.  They were both, in a word, ok.  I have slipped a bit in my cutting through them, so the Tribe's off night was an opportunity -- despite a late day of work and a fun day of trainer time -- to cross one off, even if it was but 10 minutes.

 Herodotus continues to make progress -- I am at the second Persian invasion of Greece...it is odd, in that his is one of the few "contemporary" descriptions of the Battle of Marathon.  One of the key battles of Western Civilization (in that it remained Western) and without him...nothing to say.  It's like our only knowledge of Gettysburg coming from two or three interviews with veterans after the battle.

Labors

http://thefederalist.com/2015/08/03/pro-lifers-are-todays-abolitionists/

I pulled this because I was immediately reminded of one of my favorite movies..."Amazing Grace."  That film -- which discusses William Wilberforce and his attempts to end slavery -- could be used as a way to, I think, steer people in the proper direction.  And, let's face it...abolition wasn't exactly popular back in the day, either, but nowadays people think it would be crazy (if not appalling) to enslave people.  Well, most of them would.

OC duty today -- 123 people, steady busy...I didn't spend a lot of time up front, but the one thing we mentioned was that with the arrival of school supplies, people were more than their usual shining, happy, honest selves...kids were being invented left and right, it was most impressive.  We had about 250 sets to give out, and I think about 90 are left, as well as some loose items that need to be bagged....at least we managed to handle much of the produce.

Also of note...my Mom and sister went to the casino, so I went to the gym for an arms day...in retrospect, it was not the wisest of ideas, given the fact that I spent most of the AM hauling crap every which way, but it wasn't that crowded, and I did a full workout (some things I cut a little short), so all in all, it was not the worst idea..

Cleaning the decks

Odd day...worked from home in the AM, school supply delivery coordination in the late AM, lunch and shopping with Mom, work, then off to a winery for snax/drink with an old friend.  Came home and did some reading...and then decided to clean the shower.  And here I am...Tribe game is interesting, if nothing else.

I was a little surprised by the Tribe move, because a few weeks ago it was Swisher for Johnson, and now it was Swisher and Bourn and cash for the guy.  To be sure, I am as glad as anyone for the deal -- two bits of deadwood -- but I wonder what induced them (ok, it was the cash) to make the trade.  It does clear up a spot for someone (gives more time for Holt, hmmm) and gives us Johnson...not sure where he will play, either; Urshela has earned his spot at 3B with the glove and an acceptably useful bat.  Johnson can play first, but Santana is there, unless they swap out as 1B/DH.  Johnsom has had a good year before...but no one is expecting it again.

I think I am at the halfway point of Herodotus...I do like it, and it is interesting, but I think I will wait a bit before I plunge into Thucycides....

Events

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/08/south-lost-cause-confederacy-alabama-120914.html#.VcFtmvlVikp

I've always felt that MORE of these stories need to come to light; I mean, we tend to equate (or some do) the Confederates with noble freedom fighters, and maybe some of them were, but a good -- and very large -- share of them were really giant pieces of crap, putting it politely, and the sooner we get that down we can settle other issues.

In the meantime, the July OC stats (for three weeks): 388 client visits, 160 seniors, 579 adults, and 403 children.  Rah.  August will be busy, as I have duty and have to coordinate the school supply drive, which will simply be awesome...I only hope the school principal does not confiscate MORE than his fair share like last year, which caused some people (me) grief from bitching, and I think we all know how I feel about that.

Team XI participated in Battleground Brews yesterday...we didn't win.  Led til the final round, then there was a wager round -- J! style -- and we bet it all and missed it (a question about Democratic presidents, I gave myself a pass) and that was that.  Very sad.  On the other hand...it was at Portside Distillery...interesting.  That whole East Bank is all built up now with condos and such, so it looked really cool; on the other hand, it is half construction site, and like most of downtown, hard to get around and in and out.

Sunk

Interesting weekend, of sorts...finished off SOA, started Herodotus...tried to sleep, but that didn't work, indeed, it was quite the reverse.    Alas, alack.  I also did some house cleaning -- kitchen floors and countertops, bathroom, anything else.  I have only sort of gone through the closets like I said I would...yet another project I am too lazy to undertake.

Took Mom to the St. Casimir's fest today...it was sort of nice, but they are not exactly well-organized...I think I talked to four different people and heard four different stories as to what was going on, which was amusing...if a little frustrating.  The One World Festival was going on as well, and it made getting home from there sort of a clusterfuck.  It is a pretty church, but...you don't exactly see a lot of people going there, which is a problem...

I should be more excited for the debate, but...well, it seems to be a clusterfuck, if only in a completely different way.

So, they are thinking Kipnis to the DL...which is depressing, but of course, if the season is over, you may as well get him healthy, and create opportunities for the 900 INFs on the roster.  Chisenhall is hitting leadoff -- against Sonny Gray -- which amuses me, unless he is hotter than expected or they are getting him ABs in anticipation of a trade....so we could another middle infielder.