Catching up

After a relaxing weekend...let's just say that work has been less so -- messy spreadsheets with inconsistencies, it has not been fun putting Humpty Dumpty together back again.  I think the morass will be done tomorrow, so I start working on the next projects.

I did -- thanx to the pesky library and their deadlines and late fees -- cross four more films off the list (561).  The following:
"The Phantom of the Opera:"  The silent version with Lon Chaney.  Quite good -- special effects were interesting, and there was an aura of spookiness about the film.
"The Pawnbroker:" Sidney Lumet film, starring Rod Steiger...didn't think I would like it, but I did...compelling and sad story.  Very pensive
"The Pearl:"  Adaptation of the Steinbeck novel.  All Mexican cast...film was just ok.
"Point of Order:"  Documentary about the McCarthy time...consisted entirely of footage from the hearings.  I liked it, but...one, I think it has lost something over time.  Second, of course, is that you only saw part of the whole thing.  Third, more importantly...there were Communists floating around the government at that time, and we now know the irreparable harm they caused...  which sort of took the sting of it away...

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careersandeducation/does-god-want-you-to-spend-dollar300000-for-college/ar-BBD4dGS?li=BBnbfcN

This one made me laugh; maybe God doesn't want you to, but His Church certainly does...after all, they have bills to pay as well. 

https://www.vox.com/2017/6/24/15865370/mike-pence-focus-on-family-evangelicals
This article, I think, demonstrates the difference between Obama and Trump; Obama would talk and say things about religion, of course, and then do the opposite...Trump simply sends it Pence and then makes, you know, actual Christian policies...and has done more for them in six months than the entire Obama term...

Relief

All I can say is...the week is over.  No work for this one.  Maybe I can sleep.  In the meantime, Trevor Bauer had one bad inning...which seems to be going around the rotation, at least the back end of it.  More seriously...the losing at home business is a concern.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2017/06/23/the-new-senate-republican-bill-will-transform-american-health-care/#41aa1be43184

I don't think this is quite what will happen; I mean, a straight repeal would have been the smartest, but the RINOs are running roughshod, so...this is what we have.  Roy's opinion does mean something, given his prescience, though...

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/obama%e2%80%99s-secret-struggle-to-punish-russia-for-putin%e2%80%99s-election-assault/ar-BBD4mdS?li=BBnb7Kz

This could be me, but...shouldn't they have responded more forcefully, anyways?  

I finished a book -- written about 1880 -- about the last few weeks of the Civil War in NC, and the woman wrote it pretty much listed every time a Union soldier pillaged a Confederate home.  While I felt badly, after a while I was like...well, you shouldn't have left in the first place, and two...considering what happened to the average slave for, oh, a century or so, I think they got off...lightly.

Swirling....

Well, it's been...a thrilling week of work, if you get my drift, and all of my other grand schemes have been...delayed.  Very crushing.  Alas.  Alack.  At least the Tribe is sort of on a roll, if you can consider sweeping the Twins (on the road) and two of three against the Orioles to be progress.  Ok, it is -- the Twins series could be a statement, if you will, and with Edwin hitting like we expected, so much the better.  Tomlin looks like a reliever, still...  but we will take it as it comes.

I was surprised that Handel pulled it off, though..I guess no one is getting a good grip on the GOP electorate.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/21/nancy-pelosi-fallout-georgia-special-election-239804

Not sure this isn't all that wrong; I mean, yes, she is a good fundraiser, but she is the face of the opposition, and the claim of San Francisco values, dog whistle or not, does mean something...especially in, say, exurban Atlanta.  Sometimes you need to make a change to make a change...

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/6/16/15804170/medicaid-poll-surveymonkey

I bet; I mean, if someone paid for ALL of my healthcare, I would think it is a good deal.  Of course, my health care costs have now MORE than doubled, so...the following applies:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/democrats-seethe-after-georgia-loss-%e2%80%98our-brand-is-worse-than-trump%e2%80%99/ar-BBCZnbn?li=BBnb7Kz

Hmm...

PQ was second last nite, lost by one...most disappointing.  Big crowd, so we sort of broke even.  Long night, though...and as I have not been resting well to begin with, it was not exactly a happen fun time today.  Actually, I did survive...

https://hbr.org/2017/06/is-america-encouraging-the-wrong-kind-of-entrepreneurship

Rather liked this article, but the one thing they only barely hinted at is that the rise of regulations/the deep state/the big bureaucratic mess actually creates the gap we are seeing...for one, it discourages actual innovation, and two, much of the "productivity" comes in rent-seeking and the fact that Joe Blow has to pay -- one way or the other -- for the knowledge of the tribe...

https://www.vox.com/world/2017/6/13/15771640/bernie-corbyn-melenchon-uk-election-young-voters-youth-vote

This was actually my first thought at the May election results; angry voters deciding to get involved and stick it to the man, or woman, in this case, if you will...

The Tribe..well, a win is a win, though it says something that we have to pull Crockett in a seven-run game...but that we send a scuffling Tomlin back out after an inning of batting practice.  I am beginning to think he needs a not-so-short stint in the bullpen to solve his issues, though I think the issue is that Josh Tomlin is Josh Tomlin, and his marginal stuff will only go so far...

Catching Up

Five days since I've written, and with a busy and work-filled week...anyways, here we are.  Saw two movies off the list...up to 556.  "Peege" was a sad short about a family's last trip to see Grandma...I even got a little weepy at the end.  I also watched the 1924 version of "Peter Pan," and it was...delightful?  Cute, actually...the special effects were pretty cool for the time, and the actors...well, it was well done.

http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/nicholas-fondacaro/2017/06/11/cnns-stelter-bemoans-inherent-distrust-public-has-media

Got a kick out of this, mainly because...well, many GOPers (certainly myself) are of the opinion that the press went soft on the last guy, and well...in some cases, they are shutting out the press; in other, now it is time to go after them for their inconsistency -- for instance, the kerfuffle over Julius Caesar.  For myself, I think it is wonderful, but then again, I am not a fan of the passive defense...

https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/6/13/15791334/roxane-gay-hunger-trevor-noah-daily-show

I get that, but, as we discussed at yesterday's thrilling fun run...in this day of paying for everyone else's health care...well, too damn bad...time to drop the poundage.

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/06/13/trump-and-the-religious-right-a-match-made-in-heaven-215251

I think the line about Jimmy Carter being in the pew with us, but Trump is fighting for us...well, that's the appeal in the nutshell.  And, given the general trend of secularism in the Democrats...this will only push the two forces together.  I am not sure if this is a sustainable trend, but it will be fun to watch.

Older

Well, I am 39...rah.  Very sad, of course, and with all else going on...well, it wasn't very celebratory.  Cupcakes were at PQ at the Meadhouse yesterday, which we won (by one)... very exciting, I guess.  Today and the rest of the week I will be working from home and catching up on some things. Maybe getting things done without the fuss of the office will help...though I am not quite sure that is a complete remedy.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-06-07/world-s-most-generous-welfare-state-leaves-20-on-the-dole

As is so often the case, the problem is creating the system in the first place, as benefits, no matter how harmful they are, are seldom rescinded, seldom paid for, and seldom generate sufficient benefit compared to their outlay...

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/06/the-myth-of-the-kindly-general-lee/529038/

I remember reading The Marble Man a few years ago, and looking around online, you would have thought they were advocating the installation of a Porta-Potty on his tomb, so I am looking forward to the reaction to this one...

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/06/bernie-sanders-chris-van-hollen-russell-vought/529614/

This amused the hell out of me; I mean, he's a Democrat (ha!) and Jewish, so what on Earth could he possibly know about Christianity....

Bemusement

This could be me, but I think Francona erred in sending Tomlin back out there...not that it mattered, of course, but we all know Tomlin can get hit hard once you see him enough, and he had already begun to falter...especially when you have that good and fairly well-rested bullpen to get through one inning.  Alas.  I'd also like to note that Daniel Robertson has done a nice job while here...generation ago, he would have been your fifth OF, and guys like him would play all year; now, of course, these guys just sit around at AAA.  Again, the more I think of it, the more I am convinced you don't need seven or eight relievers...  but it is not going away.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2017/06/we_re_supposed_to_fear_the_rage_of_trump_voters_what_about_the_rage_of_clinton.html

I found this more than a little amusing, mainly because we hear about them ALL the time; no one every wrote about the rage of McCain or Romney voters; hell, even the Tea Party was tarred with every possible epithet at every opportunity.  Here, of course, we have protests, the press, constant hand-wringing, Hillary now out there swearing how she had the thing taken from her...  I am not terribly concerned, since whiny liberals are a dime a dozen in my line of work, but...

Green

The NBA finals are on and I couldn't give a crap...  In the meantime..went to the dentist today so the lingering mouth issues...just a bruise on the upper palate, all the nerves inflamed.  There really isn't any pain, so...I am surprised the knee healed faster than the mouth.

Driving to work yesterday and saw a quintessential East Side driving moment...a cement mixer almost missed the exit and decided to cut through the medium to get on to the Broadway ramp...  in the meantime, an SUV was going about 70...in the exit lane, and without slowing, drove around the mixer, barely... I really thought I would see a crash, and the whole time, was thinking, welcome to the East Side.

In the meantime...well, getting out of the Paris Accord...I don't really care, and I suspect that all of the people really miffed about it will do absolutely nothing to prevent climate change...no one at the office will bike to work, if you get my drift.  It was a campaign promise, so, there is something to be said for that.

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/5/30/15591700/mass-incarceration-john-pfaff-locked-in

I thought this was interesting...for one, yes, if you stop incarcerating violent criminals, and the crime rate goes up, people will be miffed -- crime was a lot higher a while back (I remember), and one way we solved it was to lock people up...there is an argument to be made for the economics, but the efficacy works.  Two...it wouldn't surprise me if a lot -- if not most -- of these prosecutors are Democrats, so why isn't anyone going around and asking them about this...