Success!

 A week between posts...a new low, even for me.  Well, most of last week I was prepping the house for...Christmas.  It was my turn to host among the cousins last year,  but with the pandemic, we couldn't do it. However, grandma and grandpa would spin in their graves if we skipped, so...I proposed then that we postpone it, and casually suggested the last weekend in June (the midway point).  Well, it rolled around sooner than I expected, but I was game...so every amount of time I had was spent in cleaning, dusting, getting party supplies and food, that sort of thing...

And Sunday it happened.  And, it worked!  Fewer showed up than expected, but we had plenty of food (I had a mini sandwich platter, made asparagus and cauliflower bites as well as jello, and had a multitude of snax and desserts) and drink, so everyone ate and took stuff home (I had accumulated a small quantity of takeout containers, and most of them conveniently disappeared).  The poker -- Texas Hold 'Em is the family game -- was good, if we only played once...  

Anyways, Monday I took off and spent it on errands and putting the house back together (still need to run the tables and chairs to my sister's).  I guess I was more exhausted as I crashed (hard) Monday and Tuesday nights; both cases were lights on and I fell asleep in the chair/lying down.  Yes, I need the sleep, but yes, I have shit to do...  So today was a posting imperative, and even with a double gym visit (yes, I need it), I am typing away...

We watched (live) the Naylor injury, and it was...extremely unpleasant, to put it mildly.  Naylor was sort of settling into the RF role; I would argue the lack of a minor league season last year affected guys like him, as the development he could have had was stunted... anyways, he was at least useful out there, and filled a hole.  Now...well, Mercado is up; this could be  me, but if you don't want to play Daniel Johnson now, when do you?

Holes

Talking about the Tribe rotation -- or lack thereof -- today...one thing that struck me was that a generation or so ago, a team (especially one with an expectation of making the playoffs) running short on starters would make a move (any move) to fix the holes; yes, you may be trading away John Smoltz, but Doyle Alexander was a guy you needed now.  Nowadays, it seems, teams just don't do that; they fill from within, or, for better or worse, do without.  You get 3 or 4 IP from the "starter," and go from there.  To be sure, there are fewer starters out there, and teams really value prospects (and team control) more, but... this is just new and odd to me.

Similarly, today is Clarence Thomas's birthday...I made some jokes about Long Dong Silver, and there was a generational slant as to those who got the cultural reference.  I mean...I remember the hearings, and it was quite the thing, but now... I don't know, it seems almost tame?  Maybe not...if anything, he would have been dead man walking with the allegations, and no dragging over the coals of Anita Hill....

https://www.wsj.com/articles/supreme-court-rules-for-high-school-cheerleader-in-speech-case-involving-snapchat-post-11624458926?mod=hp_lead_pos2

I am glad this happened, and I think they ruled largely correctly, though I would prefer a more broad defense of free speech here.  Thus, it was somewhat troubling (if not sad) to see Thomas with the dissent here.  I see his point, but the fact of the matter is -- especially now when there is much less to trust with our public schools -- we don't need them policing online content.  Except, maybe, their own.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/trumpism-after-trump

Interesting and largely correct!

Judgments

 So, here I am, waiting for my sugar level to be appropriate before going to bed... didn't do much house work today, though I did some shopping.  Tomorrow is another day, and we will carry on... got a haircut today.  WHile the new hairdresser will never quite reach the level of the old one, she is...close.  I have to admit, I looked like a million bucks when I left, and felt the same way...  

I also decided, as I was in Lakewood, to hit another place on the list, and today it was the Southern Grill...  it was ok.  I mean, it was good, but some of the stuff tasted from a can, and the chicken and waffles, while interesting, was just... I expected more.  The grits were good; not too cheesy, and the peach cobbler was decent.  One of the Fun Runners said it sounded like the place was in the food equivalent of the Friend Zone, which was...surprisingly apt.

https://sensingonline.blogspot.com/2021/06/stop-making-protestant-arguments.html

Interesting view; hadn't looked at it from this way.  I don't know; on the one hand, we're still Catholics here, and we should stand for something.  (I would also like to point out the Church teachings that, quite clearly, direct Catholics to operate at local levels, and thus direct our solutions and politics to the same; this, of course, is also completely antithecal to the Dem way of thinkfing, not that anyone calls them on it.) On the other hand, as an EM, I don't think I could, or should, turn people away from the Sacrament on my own; I mean, I don't think I am the best judge of internal moral character in these things, and I would certainly hate to pass judgment on others...let's face it, most of the time, my own prejudices will be affeting how I discern things.  That, to put it mildly, is something of a sacrilege...

The Joy of Work

 Busy weekend; wedding, random stuff, and today was house-cleaning.  Finished the basement (but not the bathroom), washed the kitchen floor, did the steps, emptied the playroom, took all of the stuff to the basement, got a pile of stuff to take in the attic (tomorrow will be cooler, so...), and did some cleaning.  I also decided the old TV could be taken to the tree lawn, so that will clean some more space in the playroom (the closet will have to be cleaned and organized, but tomorrow is another day).  I could have done more, of course,  but I think I did...enough.  For today, that is; who is say I won't have some energy and move the extra table or run the vacuum (untangling the Nintendo cords was a challege enough, though).

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/06/20/barstool-sports-republican-politics-portnoy-trump-495221

Now, I have never actually listened to his show, but... as we know, I just love articles like this; I enjpyed the book about South Park Republicans, but I suspect, of course, that there were other things behind the movement as well, and the GOP then wasn't configured to absorb this group.  Now, of course, they are, but the message and messenger is slightly different.  On the other hand...I think Donald Trump and Dave Portnoy do speak to a certain segment of society, which explains why Trump won in 2016 and almost did so in 2020. Getting these people out in 2024 without offending anyone else...

https://fee.org/articles/new-harvard-data-accidentally-reveal-how-lockdowns-crushed-the-working-class-while-leaving-elites-unscathed/

This is exactly right, and is one the reasons I was opposed to the lockdowns and such foisted on us by our political leadership... needless to say, one can also trace the fault lines politically, here... which is amusing, given that the Democratic party is portrayed as a friend of the worker...at least a certain kind of worker.

Labors

 Well, that was an exciting and unexpected Tribe game.  Certainly one expected a low scoring affair with Civale on the mound, but we needed all of those runs -- homers, baserunning, triples a-plenty.  Using the top two relievers again today (thrice in a row) is a problem to me, especially as they were used yesterday to hold a five-run lead.  I don;t know...you don't want them to break, and I would argue that the other arms in the pen are just effective enough to hold the Birds to...well, less than 4.  

I did get a kick out of watching the press go after Joe Biden for going off on them.  I can only wonder how the press secretary will circle back to that one.  Now, if a GOPer did this, it would be Defcon 4 with the press corps, but I think they will retreat into acquiescence in about three days (and I would take the under here).  Not that we are surprised...

Cleaning continued; dusted and wiped the basement, did half the floor til I ran out of swiffer fluid, so off the store tomorrow... I think I will finish it tomorrow and then to the upstairs on Friday (my plans that day were unexpectly cancelled, and I think the wise play is to apply some of this free and extra time to housework).

Finished the book on the great extinctions of Earth's history...one thing I was amused was well, one of the causes of these things -- though they are not exactly sure how -- is that the Earth receives varying amounts of solar radiation over time. It is sort of but not really cyclical, and there are fluctuations, but the fact of the matter is we get more sun, if you will, at some times compared to others, and this affects the Earth in myriad ways.  Makes sense!  Then there was a graphic showing solar radiation for the past 15,000 years (about as far as they can measure).  Well, lo and behold...the Earth hasn't received this much solar radiation in about 2,500 years, and even then...it is now very high.  I was like...hmm...maybe this is causing some role in global warming?  If so, how do we combat that?

Accountability

 Interesting day today; lots of little things at work, lots to catch up on after taking Monday off, all sorts of things read (cleaning out the email box always useful), even got some stuff put away.  (Not enough, of course.)  Need to do more; I can just look around here and see more to do... alas.  Oi.

Is it me, or is Bobby Bradley actually hitting? If I can see this, why didn't the Tribe front office?   They sent Miller down and called up Clement, though I think it is more about Miller needing an "adjustmnet" than anything.  Clement seems to be more of a traditional infielder -- good field no hit, if you will -- and given that Cesar Hernandez probably will not be here next year, it might be a good idea to see what these guys can do.  Eli Morgan gets a second chance, and given the "opportunity" that exists, let's hope he takes it.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/the-media-called-the-lab-leak-story-a-conspiracy-theory-now-its-prompted-corrections-%E2%80%94-and-serious-new-reporting/ar-AAKUz7E?li=BBnb7Kz

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/06/12/local-news-demand-493495

I don't know...this could be me, but the first article is the reason why the second is happening -- and many people, including me, say "good riddance."  Some of this, of course, is simply reflexive Trump-hate, but let's face it, the few people who had the temerity to even question this were of course tarred with everything under the sun (anti-Asian hate, xenophobia, etc.,).  Now, while some of that is valid, the unquestioning assumption of the origins of the virus...isn't that what journalists do, question authority, check things, verifty?  Abdicating that responsibility only means that someone else will assume it.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/07/george-packer-four-americas/619012/

Interesting.  Not sure I agree with it, but I always like these sorts of analyses...

Missing Links

 Not sure what happened, but I LOST a blog post! Grr.  Posted this AM but now it is gone.  I can, of course, make one anew... so here we go.

Busy weekend, and a sort-of early bedtime last nite (aside from getting up several times, which did not exactly help), so here we are... suckitude about the Tribe. I had previously said it is the difference between a good team and a great one (winning two versus going for the sweep); of course, with Bieber pitching hurt, it's something else.  In the meantime, we have now have one starter (at least he is a good one) and...not much else.  If Mejia or Quantrill ever had a time to step up, it would be now...

https://reason.com/volokh/2021/06/06/aclu-attorney-who-argued-skokie-nazi-case-liberals-are-leaving-the-first-amendment-behind/

I am shocked, shocked by this; as I like to say, there are two sets of standards, one for them and one for everyone else, and we all know which ones are enforced far more rigidly...

https://townhall.com/columnists/larryoconnor/2021/06/08/be-like-breitbart-reject-the-premise-n2590659

Hard to believe this was ten years ago!  I think one thing I learned about at this time wasn't, of course, that Anthony Weiner was a slimeball (he is, but that is not quite relevant) but the fact that even when he was "caught" and the press was caught with him, they still defended him (and themselves); much like the shifting message on the pandemic, if it doesn't toe the party line (and we all know which party I am talking about) it just doesn't get air.  

https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-importance-of-teaching-dred-scott?utm_source=pocket-newtab

This blows my mind. I mean, the case that brought about the most contentious decision of its time (or ever), the Civil War, the Civil Rights Era...all of these things, and you just gloss it over?  Insane, even for them.

Today I started house cleaning...started in the basement by putting away ALL of the stuff that was broken up by the sump pump installers.  The shop is largely put together (sorted later) and I have a pile of trash in the can and a pile of stuff to donate.  Rah. I will vacuum and sweep down there tonight and that will only leave the bathroom down there, which should be good enough...

Wakey Wakey

 Busy as always here -- doing some house cleaning, moving stuff in the basement, that sort of thing.  Very exciting, I know...I opened all the windows a couple of days ago and really let all the fresh air into the house; it was quite wonderful.  I am one of those sleep with the windows open types, and I don't think airing out the house is something people can do enough.

A little surprised they didn't send Civale out for the 9th yesterday; only 101 pitches, no real trouble save for the first, winnable games tomorrow...maybe with the stretch of baseball coming up they didn't want to push him hard in the beginning, as he is one of the only actual starters we have. Good to see the offense progressing, though it is against the Mariners.  A. Rosario has certainly been hitting, which is a nice plus for the top of the lineup, and thus the offense as a whole.

Saw two movies recently (been trying to watch stuff before I get any busier).  One was "The Dam Busters," the story of how the RAF in 1943 blew up the Ruhr Dams, hurting the German war effort.  It was quite good, quintessentially British, but has come under fire, as one of the heroes of the movie named his dog a word only Hunter Biden can say... the other was "Parasite," the South Korean best picture winner from a couple of years ago.  Very good; couple of plot twists I didn't see coming, and certainly quite the tale...

Labors

 Continuing my trend of AM blogging....

So yesterday I decided to have my bday dinner by myself and finally hit Momocho.  It's not hard to find (off Fulton in Ohio City), and while the parking is a catastrophe, going on Tuesday was not too bad (which is not the same as good).  Anyways...I liked it, and it was good, but it was...different.  Flavor combinations were odd.  I had a cauliflower appetizer with almond aioli (it's mayo!) and mezcal raisins... it was good but the aioli, I think, added too much to the dish.  I had the blue corn chicken enchiladas for the entree.  It too was good (a tint of late heat) but again I thought several times "hm, I've never had these flavors before" and I wasn't sure how to take it...

Then, before I went to the gym, I decided to stop at Lowe's and pick up the concrete blocks to support the workbench.  I was in sandals and a nicer shirt, so why not... well, aside from looking like an idiot, I then had to haul them to the truck and pile them in.  Then it was off to the gym for leg night, and a hard one... I felt the fatness from dinner (all of the pounds lost in the past week are back, I am sure). Then it was home, where I hauled the blocks to the basement (not too heavy if gripped properly), piled them up, and then hauled the workbench top on top of them.  That was heavy, but I was able to set it on top of one and then walk it on top of the over.  It looked good, and close to where it was prior to the dig, and then I moved some more stuff into the shop.  I finally stopped at 10:15...I can see why people start earlier in the day...

Turn the page

 So, today is the birthday....we say goodbye to the Jackie Robinson year and on to...the Brad Daugherty?  Ok, it wasn't too bad -- it certainly had its low points -- but I guess my hope for this year is that it is quiet and peaceful.  I would not mind living in unintereting times. As for the day itself...not much; stopped work at 5, watched the OK/JMU game in the WCWS, dined; I have been tired all day, so I skipped the gym and decided to answer emails and clean out the bookmarks (as best as I can).  So here we are...

https://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2021/05/why-does-college-cost-so-much

Interesting.  One thing that has always fascinated me is the lack of a response by professors to the loss of faculty posts and this explosion of non-teaching positions that suck up resources.  It is their livelihood that is being affected, but no one seems to effectively squawk about it.  In some ways this would be an ideal time for a smart GOP governor to pull a Trump...one could make some points (to voting parents) about how this surge in non-teaching staff affects their pocketbook and the quality of their kids' education, and by threating to cut budgets and fire people -- even indirectly -- might get them on their side (to say nothing of the general GOP enthsiasm for cutting budgets and saving taxpayer money, in theory).  Of course, we have nothing to gain from this arrangement, so....

Corpus Christi was yesterday...the crowd at the procession was a bit smaller than usual, and its route was a bit shorter, but it was quite nice all the same.  I received the honor of canopy duty...I will assume it is for meritorous service to the parish, and not a combination of being young enough to do it and gullible enough not to get out of it.  I do like the procession, though; it's an old tradition and I am glad we keep it up.  The Polish community certainly does its part...

https://www.theringer.com/music/2021/5/25/22452539/soundscan-billboard-charts-streaming-numbers

Interesting!

Troubles on the Horizon

 Should have blogged Thursday or Friday, but last night I went to bed early (ish) and Thursday I watched "Uncut Gems" -- the Adam Sandler movie from a couple of years ago.  Quite good, had an ending I didn't see coming.  Funny; I used to think he was funny as hell, and now not so much... but I think he adds a certain realism to serious roles.

I have another birthday Monday, and let's just say that I am not exactly looking forward to it (for the usual reasons).  We carry on.  Ugh.  One is reminded of this process every day...sigh.

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2021/6/2/22455622/anti-semitism-israel-gaza-hamas-new-york-los-angeles-2021

Yeah, I have no idea why this is happening.  :)

The jobs report came out yesterday, and I think -- for all of the hullaballoo -- it was fine?  Jobs are coming back, but not all that rapidly.  People don't want to work, people want to work for a better wage, a lot of businesses are going to have trouble with that right now because all of the other costs are going up as well.  Funny; I was explaining to a less economically-savvy friend (a Dem, of course) that wages are tricky in that yes, they stimulate the bad inflation (cost-push) but they also spur aggregate demand (people have more to spend), so the trick is getting the rate right.  I suspect demand is higher now so it might be ok to get wages rising faster but I also don't think this will go on that long, and then that is where the "fun" will begin.  Maybe there will be a supply increase -- lumber mills are adding capacity, for instance -- but I think most will occur once demand is more flat, and then it will be.... not helpful.  What happens in a year in a more normal economy, or a slowing one, and businesses start cutting back?  Or, at least capping wage gains?  You might see a shedding of jobs, which would of course affect demand....

Leaks

 I think a lot of the gains in my sleep have now been eliminated, as I was up late the last two nights -- pissing around, low blood sugar -- and while I do not expect a day-long crash, I am feeling groggy...decided to do a gym double tomorrow in the vain hope of hitting the sack early tonight.  Sigh.

Yesterday, of course, was the saddest day ever, as this year will be the swan song of Coach K...words cannot describe my sadness.  I do wonder what was the real cause; a couple of years ago, there were articles saying he still had much more in him, but now...  Too much transfer ball?  Pain-in-the-rear players?  The vagaries of the past season?  We will survive, of course, but things will not be the same.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/intelligence-on-sick-staff-at-wuhan-lab-fuels-debate-on-covid-19-origin-11621796228?mod=hp_lead_pos7

https://unherd.com/2021/05/what-if-there-was-a-lab-leak/

I have been meaning to post about this for a couple of days...I mean, I think it would be big, of course, but not in the way people think.  For one, I don't think for a minute that the CCCP would EVER let anyone find out the truth if they did it, so...much of the reaction would have to be external.  For another, even if we did come to the conclusion that they made it and let it out...GOPers would take a victory lap, of course, but even that would be muted -- do you think the press is going to call themselves out, or the types who pooh-poohed this theory from day one?  Of course not.  Short of a GOP President and Congress, the chance of a punishment will be extrememly...limited.  Certainly deserved, but...

The Morning Edition

 I was supposed to post yesterday, but I also wanted to get about 6 hours of sleep, so... here we are now, somewhat rested and refreshed. More seruously, it was good to get sleep, so I may as well try and keep it up.  Yesterday I hit the gym twice -- legs in the AM -- and cut down on the food intake, and while I am not feeling less fat, if I keep this up...  I also cut the grass; everyone else was, and it may rain today, so I figured I would join the fun.  I will return to basement work today...I can, I have decided, start putting Humpty Dumpty back together, so I may as well get on with it.

That was certainly an...exciting Tribe game.  Could be me, but maybe Karinchak has been...overworked?Seems to be getting a lot of work, and in close/tight games, which can only add to the stress level.  At least Hedges hit a HR -- a mistake, all he can hit -- and Harold Ramirez is proving to be quite the find.  Kudos to his agent to identifying the best place to land in the offseason (yeah, I know we picked him up, but agents do play a role here). Funny...I was listening on the radio yesterday, and Hamilton was all over LaRussa  for going with a hit-and-run in the 8th with Madrigal.  Yes, it was odd, but TLR is old school, and if there is a guy to try it, it's Nick Madrigal...so I liked it.

Speaking of liking, I finished up Shattered Sword, which looks at the Battle of Midway from the Japanese perspective, and also challenges/demolishes many of the previously conceived ideas about the battle.  I loved it; lots of fascinating stuff, with looks at Japanese carrier operations, submarne searches, staff work; he even pooh-poohed the idea of the Japanese landing force taking the island.  Quite good, I really pored through this one.

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/06/01/trump-lost-generation-491474

https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-turned-nonvoters-into-voters-in-2020-will-they-turn-out-for-next-years-midterms-11622545202

I guess I view these as...the same thing? The GOP is changing, and some older types are not comfortable...which in turn opens the door for new candidates.  Will it work?  Maybe.  We will see in 2022.  (Let's not forget that the GOP autopsy of 2012, cheerily disregarded, won in 2016.)  Many of these new voters  -- perhaps attracted to a candidate who spoke to them, like Trump -- need to be cultivated to get to the polls, while we need to get the votes back of those who lost.  To me, this implies a race where Trump is not on the ballot (easier said than done) but his ideas and disciples are...