A sense of progress

 You know, summer and the year is flying by.  Already the end of June.  I mean, it was a good month -- the weather is nice, and life is good -- but I am liking the summer; nice weather, lots of stuff to do, just enjoying the weather.  Rah.

I went to hang with a friend last night -- helping him pack for a move -- and he and his gf (oi) were like "gee, you have really been working out."  This is odd to me for a bunch of reasons, such as the fact that I am still 12 pounds overweight and while I have been in a tweener phase as to adding weights... I am not exactly adding 20 pounds a rep.  At least I was able to help a friend (lugging crap and discussing man things) and I appreciated the comments, even if I do not exactly believe them.

Finally finished book 20 today, or at least what I am calling book 20 (I lost count, but it's close).  It was about the Roman Army in the East, but also morphed into other subjects -- they didn't really have a policy of defensible borders, they didn't go to war for reasons other than plunder, they tended to put camps and bases in areas that were not terribly defensible (but made sense for other reasons), etc.  Interesting; basically, for a long time (and even now), historians tended to look to modern examples as to explain why they did what they did... but it doesn't exactly carry over to now.

I watched the 1925 version of "The Wizard of Oz" today; it's a silent film with Larry Semon (a very sad Hollywood tale) and a not-important role played by Oliver Hardy.  It was...good?  I mean, it wasn't great, and doesn't follow the novel/1939 version a tall, but the story was...cute?  The acting was decent, and it was...comedic, certainly to someone in 1925.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/29/magazine/moderate-democrat.html?smid=url-share
This is....terrible.  :P  

Mattie Makes a Trip

 Jesus...it has been four days since I posted.  Busy weekend, of course -- not that I minded, and then yesterday I worked and helped a friend pack for his move (to CA, of all places); sad to see him go, but he found a new and better job (though as he noted, given what it costs to live out there...).  Anyways, got in late last night and crashed.  Oi.

In the meantime, the world -- despite the end of Roe v. Wade -- has gone on; the sun rises and sets, Pinkerton does not return, people got up and went to work, the Earth did not crash into the Sun, that sort of thing.  Imagine that.

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2022/06/27/more_than_1m_voters_switch_to_gop_in_warning_for_dems_147806.html

Interesting.  Not sure what to make of it; yes, some of it is Democrats crossing over, a la Operation Chaos, but I suspect most of this is general enthusiasm for the GOP (or at least they are tired of Democrats).  Now, it does depend where these people are for them to be of any use (politically speaking)...  but I can't help but think this is good for the GOP; new blood, more enthusiasm... I hope some of them are in Ohio; Vance has yet to get on the air, which is a problem, as Ryan is not holding back; I think we could say he is defining himself, which is a concern.  

Visited the SVDP ministry at St. Aloysius today; it is in the heart of Glenville and is a majority African-American parish... never been to that part of town, but it is a nice church and they have an impressive ministry.  Today was hot meal distribution -- drive through for now -- and it was nice; they made a decent meal and gave it out, though, of course, they had their share of "problem" clients (I joked they had cousins in the Village).  I also got a tour of their food pantry, which was quite an impressive set up.  I was glad to see and meet everyone, actually, given that I said I would, and it just added to my list of ideas to work on for future ministry efforts...

Best Day Ever!

 So, the day we never thought would happen happened...and it's been awesome.  I mean, a real win!  In every sense of the word.  Judicially, the errors noticed by RBG and others have been corrected.  I won't make my usual comments about the impossibility of the Supreme Court changing its mind...  Morally... I think we tend to forget -- or the issue is intentionally obfuscated -- that abortion is not going away.  To be sure, in some states it will, or be highly proscribed, but in a lot of places, it will be business as usual, if not moreso.  Not much we can do about that.  Nor can do we do much about the people who complain about the rights that have been violated; never mind the rights of the children, never mind the men whose rights to parenthood have been silenced without their consent, never mind the taxpayers who have had to fund these procedures without their consent...

In the meantime...everyone remember when they legalized gay marriage?  Did GOPers threaten to burn down churches or Supreme Court Justices because they disagreed with the ruling?  I don't seem to recall... of course, that was then, this is now... of course, sooner or later there will be a GOP President and AG, and given that these people are on camera, and possibly engaged in a continuing conspiracy... 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/roe-v-wade-overturned-supreme-court-11656110804

Interesting look; this was certainly a multigenerational goal, and it is good to see it pay off...

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-controversial-economics-of-abortion-law-11656012556

This is actually pretty cool; I mean, I like this sort of stuff as much as anyone, and we will now have a nice, long period of data to test the theories.  I do wonder what the state-by-state stuff will reveal, if anything.

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/06/24/democrats-white-working-class-00041807

Good points here.  I -- and a lot of GOPers, I can assure you -- feel this is exactly right.  One sees a lot of it at the food pantry, honestly; it's not hard to note people with nicer cars than you, with smokes and beer, with bags from other food pantries, and complaints that you don't get enough... even though they take everything you can.  Nor, of course, do these people look like they have missed any meals...

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/23/arts/new-orleans-mardi-gras-film.html?campaign_id=2&emc=edit_th_20220623&instance_id=64867&nl=todaysheadlines&regi_id=31060267&segment_id=96635&user_id=f914b0e213c5e2b4265494b6d07fe88f

This is awesome!  I love stuff like this, and hope it gets released to the public as soon as possible.  These are the first glimpses, in many cases, at a long-lost world, and we should cherish them.

https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2022/06/24/arizona-gubernatorial-candidate-kari-lake-leaves-cnn-reporter-speechless-n583402
This is even more awesome!

Deliciousness

 Interesting day today; met a friend for breakfast, so I had to awaken at the buttcrack of dawn.  But, it was good to catch up.  Then, I left work early because we had our quarterly District Presidents' meeting.  It was a bit long, if you will, but it was incredibly informative.  I learned quite a bit about what other parishes and conferences are doing, ideas for ministry, other resources to use... good stuff, and I am still doing follow-up emails and such now (and will be for a while!).

Then, since I was in the neighborhood, sort of, I decided to hit the Caribe Bake Shop.  It was a bit farther north, but not that far... the place is carry out only, and has a wide panoply of options; I went with the $10 meal deal (meat, rice, plantains or beans), and then picked up some sides -- a beef empanada and a beef-stuffed baked potato -- and, for dessert, some bread pudding.  They even threw in a giant loaf of bread.  It was pretty good!  The portions were yuuuuggge, which was nice -- lunch and dinner tomorrow, at the very least.  The pork was good; a tad dry, but it was falling off the fork, and had a good flavor.  The plantains were quite good, as were the sides.  The bread pudding was more a slab, with a more flan-like interior, so it was richer than, say a clumpier bread pudding.  It was a nice touch to the end of the meal.

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/victoria-taft/2022/06/23/the-key-ways-justice-thomas-vanquished-gun-grabbers-in-his-bruen-decision-n1607542

This, on the other hand, is like a delicious appetizer before a sumptuous meal (hopefully, the end of Roe v. Wade).  I don't think it means that much aside from the targeted states, mainly, but it does send a signal to the states and localities... I also appreciated that Thomas pointed out that most gun control laws were racist, which, of course, is a nice slam on all of the Dems...

Milestones

 So, we hit a milestone today -- actually two!  First, this is my 1,300th post here, which is pretty cool, given that I am old and barely post every day nowadays.  Two, the Behemoth reached 160,000 miles.  This is also cool, mainly in that I am driving less now, so the miles come much less frequently.  But still, she has been a good truck, and I hope to get a few more good years out of her (and the new tires).

Finally had my birthday dinner with my sister -- I selected Twisted Taino in Parma, even though I had been there before, because it was fairly close and I have had a taste for it.  It was good; we did joke about how Mom would have bitched -- "Who Eats That Shit" was her favorite line -- but the portions were huge; both of us took home lunch tomorrow, and it was good to catch up with the latest family news and scandals... not that we had any role in them.

https://hotair.com/allahpundit/2022/06/22/earthquake-desantis-leads-trump-in-primary-poll-of-new-hampshire-republicans-n477973

Is this surprising?  Maybe a little?  I mean, I do think there are plenty of Republicans who, while they like Trump, realize that it might be a little easier in 2024 if they run someone with...less baggage?  More competence?  Not in danger of any indictment?

Then, of course, there is this guy:

https://hotair.com/ed-morrissey/2022/06/22/whoa-gillum-faces-21-count-federal-indictment-for-campaign-finance-related-fraud-n477949

I don't know, this could be me, but you never see anyone going around and asking all of the Democrats who supported this guy what they think of him now.  I mean, that would be in addition to the meth and male escort thing.  Which, of course, brings me to this:

https://twitter.com/ChristinaPushaw/status/1539051887323975682
Hilarious!

Musings

 I had planned on hitting the gym this morning, as I was supposed to dine with a friend tonight.  But, a friend texted me with some personal issues, so I talked to him and sorted that out.  By that time it was too late to hit the gym, so I decided to clean the bathroom (it was overdue) and started the day.  Of course, my friend canceled dinner plans, so... alas.  I was amused.  At least the bathroom was clean and I lifted hard this evening.  Low blood sugar meant no cardio...not so good.  Alas.  

https://www.pragcap.com/the-feds-policy-mistake-has-been-made/

I think this is exactly correct, and for all the talk of Biden and Yellen screwing this up (should we be surprised?), the actions of Powell and the Fed are also an issue... my own answer would be that they screwed up -- not on purpose, but because they were concerned about the errors of the recovery of the last recession.  Course, then the issue was that growth was not fast enough.... now, growth has been quite fast, albeit from a steep drop.  Certainly, they saw that -- people who could spend did so, and while they were concerned about those who were suffering... well, I can't imagine that the poor and working poor are thriving now.

I can't help but think that the Browns stories -- the need for a billion dollars for a new stadium and the Deshaun Watson new accusers (and settlements) -- are closely linked on purpose.  I mean, I think the deal will go through -- people love the Browns, you know -- but not as many of them now, and certainly it will be asked (maybe even by the PD) that if they can spent a quarter of a billion on a guy who might not play (to say nothing of his legal issues), they can spend a billion of their own money.  Ha!

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/06/27/can-ron-desantis-displace-donald-trump-as-the-gops-combatant-in-chief

I hope so!  Ok, more seriously, one can tell that people are concerned if the New Yorker is running pieces on the guy.   I am surprised any GOPer actually talked to them, but...people are always looking forward to grinding axes.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/20/us/politics/pence-trump-jan6-hearings.html?campaign_id=2&emc=edit_th_20220621&instance_id=64579&nl=todaysheadlines&regi_id=31060267&segment_id=96318&user_id=f914b0e213c5e2b4265494b6d07fe88f

Interesting.  I also wonder how Pence will run this.  I am not sure nowadays that there is a path for more moderates -- and Pence sort of is one nowadays -- to run.  This isn't a bad thing, as it does clear out the RINOs (not in the Greitens way; can't wait for someone to run an ad discussing his legal issues).  But with the party moving rightward, if you will, I am not sure Pence can win just on the dwindling (but still important) Christian wing of the party.  In some ways that is the genius of DeSantis; he has the support of the Trump-lite group, and his culture warring will attract the Bible voters as well.   Of course, he will have to beat Trump, and if you try to kill the king...

Mom is Spinning in the Urn

 Three days without a post... hmm.  Ok, it is understandable; Thursday was Pub Quiz -- we lost, sadly; there was an unfavorable math error by the quizmaster against us (grr!) and one of the rounds...the answers were a little suspect.  Alas.  Friday night I helped one of my friends move (this is the sign of old age; a big night out is moving), which told me that maybe I should trade in the Behemoth for a Mini Cooper.  Yesterday I had a thrilling wedding, which was fine, just long.

Today, of course, was Corpus Christi -- one of my most favorite events of the year.  It was funny; I had EM duty at 8:30 Mass -- choir loft and main floor -- and then I noted that there was no EM for the 10:30 bilingual service...so I asked Fr. E if he needed for that as well....and he said yes.  Odd; usually the proboscht is a bit...restrained, but he was quite nice and cheerful to me today.  Anyways, I had breakfast at the Chimney -- quite good, and not that expensive -- and then after meandering and taking a look at the altars (lovely as always; the Polish ladies outdo themselves every year), back for Mass two.  That was nice -- the instrumentals and pomp are a nice touch, and I was the EM once again.  Fr. E had told me that no one would go to me -- the Polish people like their priests -- and while I only had one person in the pews who needed Communion...I did have plenty of business at the altar.  And... I think I administered more hosts by mouth today than I have...ever.  Polish people do like their old-school ways.  Anyways, then it was back to the choir loft for the singers and musicians and then the procession.  I ended up on speaker-carrying duty (not the worst, not the canopy, though) which was good for the arms.  

Funny; my Mom used to talk about how long the Procession was back in the day -- down 65th, to Broadway, to Fleet, and back, and how everyone had their statues of the Blessed Mothers out and all.  Sadly, those days are gone -- just around the parish property, and the neighborhood is clearly what you call missionary territory -- but it is still good to see all the old trappings going on today; flower children, incense, a train of parishioners, public religion... I realize I feel like Bodie on the corner here, but...

Skyrocket

 So, the Fed is finally raising interest rates; too little too late?  Well, maybe not too little, but certainly too late.  I did get a kick out of the articles about the role Yellen has played in this (or not); she has certainly made a bollocks of it, if you will.  Could be me, but shouldn't her head -- if not hers, someone's -- have to roll here?  Powell hasn't done himself any favors, either.  In the meantime, retail sales fell -- unexpectedly, I am sure -- and inventories are supposedly climbing.  I guess all this unsold crap will help prices, but as long as people are paying $3 for eggs and $5 a gallon for gas...such luxuries as the bargain bin will undoubtedly be few and far between.

More seriously...what does the Biden Administration actually intend to do about this?  Jawboning oil companies may feel nice, and some people may actually believe this to be true -- I am not unsympathetic to complaints about excessive profits -- but the fact of the matter is that they are sitting on much of the production of oil and gas in the US, and even if someone wanted to put a refinery up...would they let it?  Back to my main point... I realize this isn't an easy thing to fix, but it hardly seems they are doing anything to combat it.  Which is both odd and dumb (yes, they are Democrats, so...)

https://www.wsj.com/articles/return-to-office-dogs-pets-home-anxiety-11655129289

There are days I wonder why I don't have a pet...this is NOT one of them.

https://thefederalist.com/2022/06/15/republicans-look-to-florida-for-a-lesson-in-dealing-with-the-corrupt-corporate-media/

This is awesome.  It would have been more awesome if Ron had called Karen back herself -- as the supervisor -- and gone to town on her in his usual sense (and, of course, released the audio).  But one takes what one can.

One Step Back

 Oi.  Went to the gym today, and, while a few days ago I was 192 pounds...well, I am a couple above that.  All of the progress I had made in dropping a few pounds...well, that's what I get for skipping the gym.  Alas.  To be sure, I can make it all back...  Less happily, I need new tires for the truck.  While I had known about this for a while -- and they will last longer now that I am driving less -- it is disheartening, as I had been paying off some debt, and this will be... right back a bit.  Alas.  On the other hand, a few good workouts, some walking (tomorrow after the heat wave, of course), and... well, it will be wondrous for my esteem, if nothing else.

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/06/14/trump-populists-compassionate-conservatism-00039136

Interesting...I mean, I think part of the problem was that other things interfered -- the war on Terror, for instance, and invading Iraq -- but, and the article makes this point, the idea that the Christian right is driving this was part of the problem.  Now, it seems that they are not exactly driving the bus; rather, a whole populist coalition is being created, and while many of their goals are that of the Christian right... some of the are not.  Will this work?  I wonder...

https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2022/06/uber-ride-share-prices-high-inflation/661250/

Interesting as well; I hadn't thought of this.  Course, I don't actually use of these services -- Uber, Lyft, Doordash -- and I would like to think that society found a way to survive without all of these things... we can do so again, or at least much less.  I mean, I don't imbibe, so I don't need a DD, and I have never used a food delivery service -- I guess I prefer to check out a restaurant live and in the flesh (for a bunch of reasons).  Back to the point...at what point do people stop using these services?  I mean, probably never, but there comes a point -- maybe even now -- when these things get used less as people spend on other stuff.  Correct?

Exhaustion and Bemusement

 I crashed early -- sort of -- and hard yesterday, and have been feeling it today...tired, in every sense of the word.  Maybe it was the early onset of the heat, the fact that I woke up in the middle of the night the last two nights with low blood sugar (affecting sleep issues), and of course this silly cold...which is getting better, but is not gone.  Anyways, I skipped the gym and simply caught up on stuff here; prolly unwise, but there is a pile of little things that have been handled, so maybe this approach was not unwise.  Early to bed, sleep in a bit -- I hope to be back to fighting strength tomorrow.

Part of the problem was that Sunday was quite busy -- grilling for the parish picnic, then a Baptism and fest, all quite nice, but I was up on my feet and running about all day (and much of the evening).  Fun but yet another reminded that I am not quite a young man anymore.  Alas.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-races-where-democrats-are-rooting-for-election-deniers_n_62a4b700e4b06594c1c935ee

Jonathan Bernstein was talking about this today; I mean, I think the greater fear for Dems is that -- given their mismanagement of everything under the sun -- that some of these GOP candidates might actually win in the general; people keeping paying $5 for gas and $3 for eggs, and they might just decide to roll the dice on Plan B, whoever that is.  Funny thing, for me, though, is that maybe it is time for the GOP to do the same? I mean, look to WV for instance...  ok; I think most Dems there are smart enough to know that without him the seat is toast, but... they are Dems, so we know they aren't the brightest.  Hence...prop up someone!  I would like to think there are enough other races and candidates would could be flanked the left in the same vein, even in red states...

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/11/us/politics/biden-2024-election-democrats.html?campaign_id=2&emc=edit_th_20220612&instance_id=63848&nl=todaysheadlines&regi_id=31060267&segment_id=94913&user_id=f914b0e213c5e2b4265494b6d07fe88f

Hahahaha!  Again, if they were stupid enough to run him...well, we should be calling them on this every fricking day...

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/06/how-san-francisco-became-failed-city/661199/

Again, they voted for this, they should have to live with this, and we should be telling everyone about this.  More seriously...if this is how these people want to live, fine, but there is no way in hell they should be deciding anything else for the rest of us...

Rest and reset

 So...today was fairly...uneventful?  Woke up a bit later than usual (not really), had a nice leg day in the AM, did some errands, had lunch, came home...and had a FOUR hour nap in the afternoon.  I mean, I needed the sleep, and with the cold and all a little extra rest is good...but I had planned on being more productive with my day.  Anyways, I caught up on some crap, hit the gym -- lifted, always good, to say nothing of the extra cardio -- and then came home, where I watched (don't judge me) "The Great Mouse Detective."  It was pretty good!  Cute, dare I say?  I mean, almost canonical, if you will; couldn't use the stuff (prolly too cheap to get it from the Doyle estate) but close enough.  

In the meantime, that not done today will have to be tackled tomorrow; food pantry stuff -- budget, notes, new programs to add.  Oi.  I mean, this is long-term stuff, in some ways, but we all know I love to have 30 balls in the air at once.  Besides, I do need a new windmill to tilt at, and it's not like the usual summer romance plan goes anywhere, so...

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/06/10/ruth-bader-ginsburg-retire-legacy-00038638

hahahaha!  As a feminist, I am appalled by this retroactive effort to take away RBG's freedom of choice!  Ok, more seriously, I would imagine that 1) she miscalculated her lifespan (like everyone else does) and 2) maybe she just liked her job, and didn't want to quit?  I mean, in those cases, it's usually more fatal to quit than to keep working, so I cannot blame her for her choice there...

Amusements

 Lots of stuff I have been finding amusing lately...the scandal at the Washington Post, for one.  I think every guy has made the joke Dave Wiegel did (in one form or another) and while I am not sure he should punished for...well, maybe he should be punished for saying out loud what everyone else thinks.  Then, of course, their Twitter-sphere exploded (why I don't use social media), and...well, the story has been an awesome trainwreck ever since.

Moving on the world of sports... well, the whole Saudi golf league amuses me.  I mean, it's obvious that these guys are doing it for the money, and on the one hand...I don't blame them?  If someone came along and offered me double my salary...I would have to think about it, at least.  Now, the whole "shitty person who kills journalists" is an issue (especially to the journalists), but... I don't know.  People do business with shitty people all the time, and for a lot of business...

Then, of course, we have the latest DeShaun Watson news...this could be me, but I find it hard to believe that the Browns didn't know anything about this.  Unless they know that these encounters were "consensual," which I find extremely hard to believe... again, this is the guy you get at a discount.  I don't really believe that the NFL will throw the book at him, that the DAs in Texas will go after his attorney, etc., but... miracles do happen, I guess.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/08/us/teachers-uvalde-shooting-grief.html?campaign_id=2&emc=edit_th_20220607&instance_id=63479&nl=todaysheadlines&regi_id=31060267&segment_id=94515&user_id=f914b0e213c5e2b4265494b6d07fe88f

I don't know.  Do I feel sorry for teachers?  Yes?  Do we ask a lot of them?  Of course.  On the other hand...  in many ways, they have brought this on themselves.... teachers, and their unions, brought all this scrutiny and criticism of their ways on themselves.  Insisting on remote learning -- even after evidence showed it was hurting students -- only pissed off parents, and now with all of the culture war stuff going on, people are even less willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Mind you, it's not like they have done themselves any further favors by not admitting they were wrong...

Steve's Diner

 Having a cold is no fun...I got a full seven hours of sleep last night (not great not bad), which is good; drank some tea and made sure I had plenty of Vitamin C.  But I am still coughing, feeling slightly cold (it's 70 degrees outside), got a runny nose, and still feeling a bit...tired and sluggish?  I mean, I don't get colds but every couple of years, and I know this too will pass, but it is annoying...

I was looking at the restaurant list yesterday and I was like "Gee, there are a lot of places that are actually close by;" I mean, there are a bunch that are 40 miles away (not going there at $5 a gallon), but I can easily go and hit those nearby.  So tonight I worked late and then had dinner at Steve's Hot Dog Diner.  It's in the Biddulph plaza, where Giant Eagle is and where my favorite bar -- Werk, what a great name! (since changed, sad) was located.  It's next to another bar, so walking through the crowd of smokers reminded me of middle school.  The place itself has a diner look, and the food is... good?  The onion rings were literally gnarled together (not cool) but the hot dogs -- they have a full and interesting menu, but I was there for the weiners -- were pretty good; I had the chili dog and slaw dog.  Not that expensive, good size, and decent taste.  The slaw and the chili were fine as well; nothing special, but good.  I would go back -- the breakfast menu looked very interesting, even if I suspect I will have to race home after, if you get my drift.

https://jewishworldreview.com/michael/barone060322.php3

Interesting....

Happy Birthday

So, it was my birthday today, and while I was sort of down about -- and having a cold doesn't help -- it wasn't too bad.  I weighed in as low as I have been in a while (I am eating less, drinking more caffeine, to be sure) and while work was busy, it was fine... dined with my sister to catch up on stuff.  Got some cash presents, always nice to pay some bills.  Roofs do not pay for themselves, as I like to say.  More seriously, I have little to complain about it... I (finally) have a job that I enjoy, and am getting paid a good wage to do it.  I have a home -- more paid for than not -- in a non-shithole neighborhood.  The car is getting driven a lot less.  My bills are in control -- debts are low-interest rates, at least.  I had good parents, have a good family, and I would like to think I play a role in the communities and organizations in which I am a part.  It could be worse, even as I approach decrepitude.

https://www.thebulwark.com/the-gops-glenn-youngkin-model-stalls-out-on-the-pennsylvania-turnpike/?utm_campaign=wp_the_daily_202&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_daily202

Interesting....I sort of agree, but on the other hand... he was the perfect candidate for Virginia, and we can't give the convention enough credit for that.  In some ways, a convention is better than a primary; electability, I think, matters more to party professionals than voters, which is not good, because often you send a message that "we don't care about winning an election."  No one wants "I am not a witch" running for the Senate, you know.  In VA they chose...wisely.  Dems, on the other hand, chose poorly.  I don't know; I would like to think again that the party professionals looked at the opposition and said "we can beat him with this guy." Here in OH we have...well, the Donald and a candidate with a good story.  We lean red, so it may work, but then you look at, say, PA, and most people think that the GOP ticket is dead.  Hell, were it not for the economic conditions and the Fetterman absence... we could call the priest.

https://prospect.org/politics/in-pennsylvania-democrats-suburban-strategy-is-being-put-to-the-test/?utm_campaign=wp_the_daily_202&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_daily202

Just like that!  I think this is what makes politics so interesting and exciting in general, for one, is that fact that no one really knows what will happen.  This article is case in point.  The GOP voter registration explosion can't be ignored, but...the gubernatorial candidate might be unpalatable to some, and the Senate candidate is... a celebrity TV doctor.  Mind you, his campaign seems to be in better shape right now due to Fetterman's health scare and his continually evolving timeline.  In some ways this is ideal for Oz; his primary opponent conceded, the lovefest can begin, and he can run.  But PA is more of a moderate state, especially where the people are, and they might decide that the whole thing is too much.  Unless gas is $6 a gallon, of course.

The last day of 43

 So, I was supposed to post last night, but... I have a cold.  Grr.  Woke up yesterday with sniffles and a stuffy nose, and just felt languid all day... no matter the caffeine consumption.  Hence, I crashed early (like 11) and slept in til almost 7.  Now, I should keep this up, but we all know this won't happen.  I do feel slightly better today...of course, today is my birthday, and while I will not share my age...let's say that it is quite depressing.  At least I share a birthday with Mike Pence.

Yesterday I watched "Wall-E."  Am I missing something?  (Of course.)  I mean, it was a beautiful film to watch, but in terms of plot...it was dumb.  Hell, we are fat and lazy people who don't pick up after ourselves anyways, so we do not need a spaceship for that.  Oi.  What a way to spend 90 minutes.  It was on the National Film Registry, so...793.  I also think I need a new CD player; I have long given up hope that the DVD/VCR player can be saved...which sucks as I do have a bunch of tapes.  At least that still plays.

Gas is now over $5 here; no end in sight to the climb.  I bought at $4.75 to get my tank half full and thought it was a miracle...maybe it was.   Without more refining capacity, of course, you can't get it out, even if the barrel crude price falls.  Not sure why Mike DeWine doesn't propose the state build one; I mean, he is probably going to be re-elected, but... I would think it would be good politics to put the Biden Administration on the spot about this, but that is me...

Travels and travails

 So, Friday I went to Michigan for my godson David's First Communion; being the godfather, it sort of behooves one to go.  And it was...fine?  I am sure the boy (if not his parents) appreciated the generous but standard (to me) gift, and it was good to see the children again.  Getting out of dodge for a day is always nice, and a night in a hotel was...fine.  The only issue was getting home... in Michigan, they close ALL the entrance ramps to a highway for like 10 miles, so I ended up -- at $4.79 a gallon, no less -- having to travel 36 miles to go 12.  I don't ever want to hear about my carbon footprint after that one.  

I was supposed to go to New Mexico for a week of in-person stuff with my new job; however, that has been postponed for a bit due to some positive changes that will call for me to do a bit more work; this is fine, as I told my supervisor, as not only do I not have to fly, but I have more time to do the work I was supposed to do (instead of losing two travel days), to say nothing of getting this other stuff lined up.  I should cowboy up and get used to flying, but... 

https://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1532560383092957186?s=20&t=V9az1lgCioKl4sVwgH47eA--

This is exactly correct; it used to be far easier to put people away for being mentally ill; then, of course, the 70s rolled along, the ACLU and other libtards got involved, and now these people are everywhere but where they need to be.  I wonder now if we could roll some of that back; of course, it would be even better if the ACLU and its types could be sued and have to pay for it.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/01/opinion/republicans-religion-conservatism.html?campaign_id=2&emc=edit_th_20220602&instance_id=62943&nl=todaysheadlines&regi_id=31060267&segment_id=93962&user_id=f914b0e213c5e2b4265494b6d07fe88f

This could be me, but... I don't think necessarily think this is a bad thing.  Indeed, I think the religious right would gain more wins if they receded from the background.  Take, for instance, the latest pushback against the pushback to things like "Don't Say Gay." I would think that a lot of people would be annoyed by the religious right, but people are more upset by teachers telling their eight-year-olds about drag and sexuality...as they should be.  And it's not like the Christian right would be opposed to the goals of the new, diverse, GOP majority...

Progress of a sort

 So, Wednesday I finally finished a project for my last job... I graciously agreed to complete one set of numbers for them for a bunch of reasons, mainly for the money.  As I should have expected, what was supposed to be a quick and easy project quickly turned into the Russian Front; as I have often said, there is a reason why I no longer work at Freedonia anymore...  anyways, the big hunk of the project is done, and while there will be some follow up... well, one monkey off my back.  For a bit.  And there will be no follow up, let me assure you...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ohio-senate-race-in-virtual-deadlock-poll/ar-AAXXP0b?li=BBnb7Kz--

This is not surprising, given the bloodletting in the GOP primary and the fact that Ryan is on the air and Vance is not (though I am getting an impressive number of texts requesting money).  I think Vance is safe, but... funny; I was thinking about volunteering for the campaign, since I don't have enough to do.  But I do like the guy and the message, and these things take a large amount of legwork...

https://www.grid.news/story/economy/2022/05/28/the-real-reason-gas-is-so-damn-expensive-dont-just-blame-oil-prices-blame-refineries-too/

This is me, but...why not build more refineries?  I don't know, Ohio would be an ideal place, given we are sitting on natural gas formations, and have plenty of pipelines running through the state.  I realize with Gropey Joe in charge it would be difficult, but it wouldn't be impossible, and the optics are...favorable.

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/jeff-reynolds/2022/06/02/exclusive-the-governing-style-of-ron-desantis-create-the-public-polling-results-dont-follow-them-n1602670

Interesting.  But it makes a lot of sense, and yet another reason why I like the guy so much...

A long hiatus

 No blogging for three days?  I guess I didn't....the long weekend was nice, sort of; didn't exactly rest up, or watch any other movies, but I did catch up on work, hung out with some friends, and generally chilled, so it wasn't awful. The weather was beautiful -- it is hotter now, I think -- and at least I made sure to walk around.  I do need to clean the house, catch up on the book and movie pile laying around, and do 100 other things.  I also have a bday coming up, which has added to my malaise, as it always does...

https://www.si.com/college/2022/05/31/former-penn-swimmer-lia-thomas-didnt-transition-competitive-advantage

I got a kick out of this, mainly because...well, I know they are journalists, and thus not quite the brightest, but what the hell did they think she would say? "I did it?"  Oi.  I listened to it, and it was mainly a softball -- again, not expected -- but I do wonder what will happen if this keeps going, or, better yet, a bunch of men start identifying as women and start competing in (and winning) women's sports.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/biden-white-house-adrift-rcna30121

This, of course, amuses me even more... again, I wonder GOPers -- there are plenty of Senators who might want to run for President, for instance -- never go around and ask people (especially Democrats and reporters) where is all the decency and competence that they campaigned on and bragged about?  Hell, the ads would write themselves, and this could be used up and down the campaign chain...