Learning

 https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/democrats-worry-a-lot-about-policies-that-win-elections-thats-short-sighted/?ex_cid=biden-approval

https://www.niskanencenter.org/can-democrats-design-social-programs-that-survive/

Interesting; I guess I always thought -- given the growth of the budget, welfare state, etc., that no government program ever gets cut or eliminated; I mean, it's not completely true, but I never thought the attrition rate in the second link was so...high. Certainly seems lower; hell, Republicans seldom want less government, so I can't imagine that it so.  I just wonder what would happen if a GOPer ran on, say, cutting government -- whole Cabinet departments, thousands of bureaucrats, etc. -- and cutting taxes and maybe paying down some debt.  Now, I doubt all of the program would get passed, but even if a small part of it would be achieved...well, that would be a sight to see.

I think I am coming down with a cold; sniffles and such.  Now, I suspect if I turned on the furnace again, it would help, as would getting some more sleep. My original plan of seven hours a day is gone, and last night I woke up with low blood sugar -- took nearly an hour to get it under control, and in consequence I slept through the alarm and woke up late today.  Oi.   Maybe next week I will be a bit more disciplined -- or have fewer little things that need attention -- and can have some scheduled time for rest. But I doubt it.

Thoughts

 I tried to watch some of the World Series, but then I heard Joe Buck, and I had to stop, and thus "watch" on my phone.  This could be me, but America -- a country founded in revolt against the idea of monarchical inheritance -- seems to be ok with Joe Buck basically having inherited his job from his father.  I don't know about ok -- I note there are plenty of people who share my sentiments -- but still, it seems...odd. 

https://aswathdamodaran.blogspot.com/2021/10/the-billionaire-tax-worst-tax-idea-ever.html

Watching the Dems not pass a tax bill is rather amusing, I will give you that.  And, I guess I do share some of their sentiments -- the accumulation of capital by individuals or groups is bad, we should raise revenue (to retire debt, not to spend more on crap we don't need), yadda -- but this concept troubles me.  One, of course, is that some of people worked harder/made a better mousetrap/were smarter, and we are punishing them for that. Two, I don't like the idea of targeting some people for this; the old quote about there being no one when they came for me seems relevant here.  Three...mind you, this came from many places, but the general concept is that the rich, with their phalanxes of attornies and accountants, are well-placed to avoid these taxees, so they would raise less revenue in the first place. Indeed, a couple of people noted that with our tax laws as they are, you can claim losses from sale of stock (or if it falls in value) under this scheme; can you imagine the hubbub if they have to send Musk or Bezos a check for a half billion as a "refund" if that happened?

https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/former-cleveland-sems-allege-sexual

My college roommate -- and a former seminarian -- sent this to me.  As I noted on Facebook, we shouldn't be dealing with this anymore, and shouldn't these men have known better?  My roommate said that the seminary could be a weird place (he left, not for this reason).  I think that is true, but it isn't that weird...

Surprises

 Interesting day today; namely, the Internet was down, and thus after waking up and using my phone to read the news and the sports scores (the horror!), I had to drive to the office to get some work done.  I managed to get some errands done as well on the way (how nice -- gas was, for once, cheaper on the East Side), but then it was to work. I was quite productive -- there were three of us there, after all -- and I had a couple of client meetings where I certainly needed to see the spreadsheets. On the other hand, I didn't miss the commute.  But, some of it was much the same; the tellers at the bank branch I visited, the people at the gym out there (some even said hello after a year), the bullcrap about snarky sports with some of the coworkers who came in for a meeting.  It was..,oddly normal, if you will.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/11/alden-global-capital-killing-americas-newspapers/620171/

This story almost saddened me... :)

I finished an interesting, if short, book today:  Boomers, which was written in the same vein as Strachey's Eminent Victorians (which I read in college)...basically, it's a chapter-length bio of a Baby Boomer, and the chapter is used to illustrate the follies of the generation. The author covered Steve Jobs, Aaron Sorkin, Sonia Sotomayor, among others, and while I didn't agree with all of it, I agreed with a bunch, and that with which I did not agree made me think, always a good thing.  

Lateness

 Busy weekend but I tried -- every night -- to get seven hours of sleep.  Now, of course, I am tired but not that tired, so here I am, catching up on blogging.  Rah.  Interesting day today -- had my phone line fixed, rescheduled an MD visit for a virtual one (their idea, not mine), did some laundry, shut off the furnace (I cracked yesterday and turned it on, but it was warmer today), got a flu shot, played with the budget, and was fairly productive at work (bunch of meetings tomorrow, so I had to be).

Funny thing yesterday...I need a new storm/screen/security door, so I ordered one from Lowe's; basically, you have to go to the store to set everything up (odd, I know), and for some odd reason, it directed me to Strongsville.  Fine again; hit the gym and then it was SW down Pearl.  I didn't get the address, because, well, I knew it was in Strongsville, and how can you miss a Lowe's?  Well, I almost did; the street addy is Pearl, but it's more off of Whitney, and I had to hustle to find it... the whole thing amused me.  That and the fact that there are literally 9,000 places to eat in Strongsville, to say nothing of the places to shop. It's impressive, if a bit...omnipresent?

World Series tomorrow, with a team -- the Braves -- that is not only keeping its name, but managed to get Eddie Rosario -- he whom we traded for Pablo Sandoval -- into form as the NLCS MVP.  Makes you wonder what exactly the Cleveland Baseball Team is doing, doesn't it?

Recovery

 Today was better; of course, that's not saying much compared to yesterday.  I "had" to go to the office today; they were having a new employee meet-and-greet (with lunch), and I figured if I went in today, for all day, it would be more productive...so there I went, and it was.  Lunch was fine, met some newbies, had social hour...met my friend Andy to pay him the cash I owed him for Boy Scont popcorn, then off to the gym for an impressive leg day (with plenty of cardio, not that I am not fat)... then off to Our Lady of the Cedars in Fairlawn for their walk-in parish festival (it's Maronite Catholic, so it was ok).  I am not a huge fan of Mediterranean cuisine in general, but....most of what I had was pretty good!  The meat pie was delish, and the rich/chicken/lamb melange was pretty tasty; good mix of flavors.  Polished off some bakery, too.  Spent a bit more than I expected but I do have leftovers, always good...then home.

Finished off the FSU book -- Champions Way -- which was interesting... ok, not really; big football school covers up all sorts of shenanigans from its players (criminal and academic); I guess the thing that surprises even me is that no one, literally, at these schools seems to reach the "this is enough" moment.  I mean, rape and sex abuse should, in theory, be completely out of bounds, but it's not.  Similarly, you would think someone on the academic side would be appalled by cheating or graduating illiterate players, but those, too, are off-limits.  One wonders why no one seems to take the NCAA seriously anymore...

Craptasticness

 So, today was an absolutely meh day; started with the dentist, where I discovered I need a power clean and have three (small) cavities, so I will need two trips back... oi.  Then it was off to work at home, where, the usual problems happened, with the result that (save for a dinner and J! break) I finished at 9:30.  No gym, of course.  Oi.  At least I got some reading done -- couple of days ago I finished From Holmes to Sherlock, which was quite interesting -- a look at the media portrayals of Holmes, mainly, with an interesting aside of how the Doyle estate handled the character (and their own personal finances). Now I am on to a book about the football scandals at FSU; it seems like it should be a weightier tome, in all honesty...

Didn't watch any of the Browns, but the college crew was, so I was able to follow the action from their 19,000 text messages.  Could be me, but isn't the type of game good teams win?  I mean, backup QB, starting RBs hurt, defense playing like OSU the last two games, short week... and they manage to win 17-14?  That's some serious coaching, for one, but if that isn't a gut check (in so far as it exists), what else is?

Educational folies a deux

So, Monday I went to a friend's house to help him pack for a move, and yesterday I went to bed at 11... early for me.  Monday, of course, was amusing in that my friend's (ok, his wife's) cat pissed all over just before I arrived... I always get a kick out of people who tell me that I need a dog/cat/pet, because, well... I don't.  I always say pets keep you and not the other way around, and this sort of proved it... not that I ever wanted a cat.  The hair!  The scent!  Oi!  Anyways, now, of course, I can't sleep -- despite trying to go to bed early again -- and so I may as well blog.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/what-happens-when-conservative-school-boards-seize-power-at-districts-around-the-country/ar-AAPJUoL?li=BBnbcA1

I get a kick out of these articles...for one, people always complain the community isn't involved enough in one way or another, and you certainly can't complain about that now...  Also, of course, is that people seem to be surprised that non-leftists can win anywhere.  I don't know; I would think education/their children is the one thing people would be most conservative about, and in consequence when they see/hear something that rattles them -- excessive wokeness would be the first of many things, I suspect -- they will get riled up. It's also genius for the GOP as a party building exercise; for one, people tend to win elections and think they can win more.  Also, you get people involved in campaigning (and donating), and if some of those people stay involved for house and senate races...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/amid-pandemic-turmoil-and-curriculum-fights-a-boom-for-christian-schools/ar-AAPI97a?li=BBnb7Kz

Similarly, is any of this a surprise?  I mean, I don't think the public school system (and their unions, to be more precise) have exactly covered themselves with glory during this pandemic, and given the above factor (excessive wokeness) combined with dissatisfaction over the educational process... people will look for alternatives.  As I am fond of saying, if a restaurant declines in quality, there is no law that forces me to eat there... and similarly, parents are more than capable of putting their children elsewhere...

Mind you, I am as much of a public school person as anyone (let's not send the kids to the organization that pulled off a multinational, multigenerational campaign to molest kids, you know), but the fact of the matter is that now they are not serving the public good and in consequence parents are pulling their kids out.  If this should happen to pull out dollars in funding and make it harder for districts to pass levies...well, they should have thought of that, shouldn't they?

Snickers

 Woke up this morning and it was...cold.  Ditto for outside; first time in a bit I wore long sleeves to church.  In the meantime, busy weekend, so now I am home with very little to do; did a spot of dusting, put some stuff in the attic, went through a paper pile..prolly scrounge up some dinner soon and maybe go through the backlog of movies that came from the library... I ordered a bunch of both, supply does create its own demand.  I hope...

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/10/babylon-bee-news-kyle-mann-wokeism/620376/

I thought this was hilarious, especially when he tells the writer that there is no point in explaining the joke to her; I know they are liberals, and we all know what I say about them being too stupid, but... this was too much.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/america-is-not-ready-for-trumps-second-term/ar-AAPsB4p?li=BBnb7Kz

Oh, I don't know...if he wins (fairly), wouldn't that mean Americans were ready for Trump's second term, wouldn't it?  I mean, Joe and crew are making it obviously easier for him now, but that may or may not continue..

Links

 Long but interesting day; woke up bright and early for morning leg day; wanted to go again after J! (wasn't that the world's easiest final?) but of course my blood sugar was low.  On the other hand, it did allow me to stay home and catch up on most of the emails I accumulated over the weekend, read some articles, and delete some bookmarks, so....

Weighed in at 192.4 lbs, which is about right, sigh. Finally finished off the food from the Polish Festival (mainly chicken); I ate a lot less than usual, mainly because we cooked and served it (which is good on multiple levels).  Salmon tomorrow and Friday, and I really cannot wait; honestly, I do need to crack down more on the crap food, and walk a little more, and I think I can permanently get back under 190... I suspect I have more muscle now, so 180 might be tougher, but mentally, I would feel better.

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/10/09/david-shor-democrats-privileged-college-kid-problem-514992

Interesting and hilarious; if you think about, in some ways this is the Dems' problem in the House and the Senate now; the progresive wing can't roll the moderates, mainly because...well, I think they are trying to save their jobs, also because they are trying to determine what a Democrat is (besides stupid and immoral, ha!).  Mind you, GOPers are doing the same thing, but we are in the minority, so this is all under the radar; also, the debate started 5 years ago or so and is still going on, so... yawn?

https://www.niskanencenter.org/the-future-of-the-biden-agenda-in-congress/

Interesting, if a bit long; I think we all know I love petty political crap/inside baseball (which explains why I am single), so this was up my alley.  I think one thing that is being underestimated is that... well, I believe Joe Manchin wants to run again, and win, and if he caves on the green and other stuff, he is dead man walking, Joe Manchin or not; the man isn't stupid and can read a map.  Oddly, I think that is his biggest selling point, if you will; the Dems want 50, and the only way to get there is to win in red states/flyover country, and he alone can fix that....

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/stacey-lennox/2021/10/13/will-ron-desantis-save-christmas-n1523711

This is hilarious, and smart policy to boot. This is the sort of thing, that, in a normal year, would be genius, but with Trump in the primary (early as it is), acting like Jupiter among the asteroid belt, it gets lost.  On the other hand, if something starts to improve on the supply chain side, he can claim credit, and I would think that "competence" is something that anyone could take Trump on... not saying it will work, but...

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10088027/Katie-Couric-admits-editing-Ruth-Bader-Ginsburg-interview-protect-late-justice.html

RBG was smarter than I thought...never imagined I would ever say that in my life.

Mattie travels

 So, yesterday I took the day off; slept in, caught up on the emails and articles I missed through the weekend...and then I decided to cross a place off the restaurant list and traveled to Gibbs Butcher Block; it's in Columbia Station on the county line, and it is famous for its meats and sausages.  And they do have quite the selection; I counted about 25 different types, to say nothing of other goodies.  I ended up getting five different types, with one -- pumpkin pecan -- I had over yesterday and today.  It was quite good; still sausage, but a mellow, nutty flavor, quite delectable. They also have a restaurant in Olmsted Falls, so off I went to that.  I got a bum steer on the directions at the store, but eventually found the place =-- Butcher and Brews, I think.

I walked in and lo and behold I met one of my friends from the food pantry; her and her husband (I have become friends with both!) were off having a small lunch, and they invited me along!  Quite nice; we talked about all sorts of things; I had a sausage sampler (not bad; one had too many veggie fillers, but the others were quite good), and they told me to walk around the place; I had never been.  It's interesting. very white privilege and such, but it's also cute and quaint -- charming stores, an outdoor wedding venue, some interesting restaurants...and most were closed because it was Monday.  Alas.

Somewhat more serious was that all of that meandering meant two things.  One, I cooked all of the sausages I bought and froze them for later use (not a huge issue; I just turned on the oven). Two, for some reason, I was really beat from the Festival, and then trucking around the Falls...I just crashed. Hard.  Felt equally poorly today (at least in the PM); that said, I had a nice night at the gym, and it was... good to be back there.

https://www.vox.com/videos/22716635/3-point-line-nba-basketball-rule-change

Interesting, though I am not sure about wrecking the game; I mean, eventually smart teams evolve and figure out how to beat the system...  someone should make a movie about, I suppose...

The Polish Festival

 So, this weekend was the Polish Festival, and I was on duty the entire weekend; Thursday I made brownies for the Festival (4.5 pans).  Friday I took the day off and reported at noon to help pre-cook; I burned myself on a damaged glove, but it was good -- surprisingy busy.  Saturday I woke up at the buttcrack of dawn to shop for more stuff to make more pans of brownies (four more; inflation is certainly affecting how much they cost to make), and the off to pre-cook and then serve... and we were absolutely slammed; the line was out the door literally all night.  It was good -- we had a big crowd -- made a lot of money -- but we also coyuld have had more items to sell (not that I had a problem with the decision to order less).  Alas.  Today was merely busy; but we ran out of food at 4, and that was that; helped with cleanup (not much to put away) and I left about 630ish; we had some extra chicken legs and mashed potatoes, so I ran them to St. Herman's...and since I was in the area, I treated myself to Mason's Creamery.  I was literally reeking of the Festival, and two large dogs gave me plenty of up close and personal attention, which I loved.

Anyways, home now; laundry is in, shower is done, and now I am trying to catch up with all of the world's events (Alabama lost!  OSU didn't!). I guess I do spend more time helping out; they need the help, I am sort of good at it, and people aren't getting any younger (not that I am); Mom would definitely bitch, of course, but this is probably good.  Probably.

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2021-09-23/red-hot-chili-peppers-blood-sugar-sex-magik-anniversary-oral-history

Interesting, and hard to believe this is so long ago. Very depressing...

In other news, I am off tomorrow -- believe me, off is the word-- after three days of the Lord's work and aside from a gym double and some reading (and maybe some incidental cleaning), I intend to do as little as possible.  A restaurant field trip may be in order, given the timing (clearing a few off the list before winter sets in might be nice)...

Wakey wakey

 These morning blogs, sort of lazy...well, not really.  Yesterday I made five pans of mint brownies; four plus of them will be to the Polish Festival, while the rest might be given out to friends (if I see them), family, and my own expanding stomach.  i was able to watch some "All About Eve" while cooking, though.  It was funny; I decided this time to make all of the brownies first, then bake them and frost them, one after the other -- usually I do one at a time.  This new way, I think, saved time, and if it doesn't affect quality (I am more convinced the medium eggs made the mix less wet), it might be the new standard, especially as I only make these things in bulk, it seems.

Ty Van Burkleo was let go from the Cleveland Baseball Team...I don't know, but four no-hitters will do that.  To be sure, the issue is the modern game, with three true outcomes and a de-emphasis on...soft contact?  Going the other way, punching the ball through the hole; not saying it's impossible, but seldom do people do it anymore.  You'd think this would be the new inefficiency!

It's October, but my, it has been...nice.  I mean, windows open, walking outside, enjoyimg the lesser amounts of sunshine.  I doubt not that it will become worser, as my dad used to say, but this works for me now.  I also note that I should be cleaning the house some (a second attic pass was enough) and hitting some more restaurants off the list (HELOC be damned!) before the snow flies and I become more of a homebody.

Morning Thoughts

 So, wasn't feeling all that well -- just tired -- and went to bed right at 11 last night.  I didn't sleep all that well, but I did catch up on some rest (waking up just before 7)...in the meantime, I figured I owe you all a post, so here goes...  ok, not much.  I am reading a book about the history of Nazi concentration camps; it's pretty interesting, if depressing...one thing that bothers me is that a lot of these guys didn't pay the ultimate price, and...honestly, nothing happened to their families?  I mean, the wives were certainly an integral part of the process, for one.  Two, these people killed millions of humans, wrecked families...to me, justice commands that the same be done unto them. 

Had a date yesterday; just coffee, of course.  On the one hand, she looked like her picture, good.  On the other...well, she reeked not only of cigarette smoke -- yuck -- but also...dog and cat.  Yuck.  I couldn't wait for an appropriate amount of time to end so I could depart; mind you, she wanted to continue at her place... ugh.  I do not have enough Lysol around, at the very least!

This could be me, but if you are sooo dependent on Facebook to function, and it shuts down...

This has been on my mind a bit; I was reading the articles on Si.com about the USF men's soccer program and its accumulation of sexual abuse claims (I know, surprised that a Jesuit-run institution would have this problem), and then the NWSL story... this could be me, but...as a feminist, and one who believes that women are strong and independent characters...shouldn't they be smarter?  I mean, if the rumors are that the men's soccer team are a rapefest, do you go to their house and drink?  Oi.  The NWSL story...again, this could be me, but shouldn't these young women -- adults, for Christ's sake -- know better, that much of this behavior is wrong and predatory?  Iguess if you want to say that women are strong and independent, fine, but then if they act in a way that is childish and weak... 

I would have so much more respect for Kyrsten Sinema if she went R. Kelly on those bathroom visitors....

Participating Productively

 SInce my life was going so smoothly, my TV remote decided to stop working (in part); my channel side does not work.  Oi.  I guess I can call later on see if someone in tech support has any idea on how to fix this, but if not, I can trek on over to the cable store and get a new one (joy)...not like I have anything else to do.  Alas.  I can't watch the Tribe (wasn't on the last channel I had on), though I could do it on the laptop, but as I like to say, it sort of defeats the purpose of owning a TV.  First world problems of course.

So yesterday was OC duty and it was...fine?  I mean, we had the floor and foundation work finished -- new floorboards, reinforcements in the basement -- and then we had to move the stuff back to where it was.  Food inventory is low, so the order will be massive, but at least we won't fall into the basement. Anyways, putting Humpty Dumpty together went fairly well; we had some volunteers from Central Catholic as part of their community service day, and they were helpful...the "problem" was that everyone kept coming over to see what they were doing; Principal, a penguin, community service coordinator, Lord knows who else...I mean, for all of the non-volunteers poking around...one wonders what else we could have acheieved if they had been volunteering elsewhere...

Education

 Interesting day today; went on a factory tour in Wadsworth of a plant that makes roofing membranes and related products (yes, it was for work).  I do like to see stuff being made (knowledge is good), and you never know what you'll learn, so off I went.  Haven't been out there in a while -- not since Mom and I went to Belgrade Gardens, if I recall.  It's far but not that far, and it is all highway. Indeed, you pass the famed Akron Fossils and Science Center on the way, and I did get a tinge of excitement and humor, recalling te dino-mite time I had there years ago.  The tour was fine; interesting, lots of worries about supply chain (who isn't) and fun to see how things are put together.

No deal, no infrastructure, no spending bill... vastly amusing, all I can say.

Watching Eli Morgan pitch...well, he is young, and I suspect he -- like so many on the staff -- could use some more minor league seasoning.  And he was facing Texas tonight... on the other hand, does his stuff play in the major leagues, especially in the rotation?  I just don't know; right now I would say no.  But next year he will probably be back in Columbus, developing as he should, and if that did wonders for McKenzie, I assume something similar could happen there.  In other news, how does Austin Hedges hit 10 HRs?  I would think anyone he goes deep off on should be demoted immediately after the game as a matter of principle...