Angst

 So, Tuesday night I just crashed... it was a good day, but as always I was just exhausted.  Today was... stressful.  Lots of meetings at work, pivoted to some new and important projects, and, to top it off...my Internet crashed before an important meeting.  It came back on in time, but...oi.  I didn't need that with everything else that went on today.  Then I had a nice workout at the gym (cardio cancelled due to low blood sugar, gr), dinner, Dr. Pimple Popper, and...running the vacuum.  Trying to do it a couple of times a week now, as I do notice the difference.  Yes, the carpet needs to go -- and I am thinking sooner rather than later -- but it is also good practice when I change the carpet (something darker).

Yesterday I had my haircut in Lakewood and since I was in the area I decided to try Dave's Hot Chicken.  I think I was more pleased to find a close parking spot, but... it was good not great?  I ordered the basic meal deal, which has two pieces of fried chicken (sauce to taste), fries, bread, special sauce, and some pickles.  The chicken was decent, the sauce... a bit too spicy for my taste.  The special sauce was good; much better than Raising Cane's (IMHO) and it did neutralize the heat.  I think I will eventually try Hot Chicken Takeover to see which I prefer...  my culinary tourism can be a bit quotidian...

I definitely want to do some cleaning or organizing this weekend; I mean, I will be busy, but I keep finding mini-messes and piles that I could handle, at least in an hour... I should probably de-crap some stuff, but I am young enough that I don't need to.  I hope.

Senescence

 First time in a while I had a gym double -- arms in the AM, legs in the PM.  Now, my blood sugar was a bit low in the afternoon, so there was no cardio, but it was good to get back into the swing of things.  One funny thing of note.. I arrived at the gym this evening and realized -- by looking down -- that I was still wearing my sandals.  Oops.  In my getting shit done at the end of the day and wanting to leave at six... I forgot to change shoes.  I felt like those old people who go downstairs and wonder why they went in the first place. 

https://spinstrangenesscharm.wordpress.com/2022/08/25/student-loan-forgiveness-biden-regimes-latest-reverse-robin-hood-scheme-san-francisco-lgb-for-palestine-shocked-when-exposed-to-palestinian-attitudes-on-homosexuality-documentary-on-a/
This amused the hell out of me -- the part about the Palestinians.  I remember a while back I was talking to one of our interns at Freedonia -- he was very LGBT and pro-Palestine.  I told him that I would attend a Pride Parade in Jerusalem and he could attend one in Teheran... and that I would buy the ticket (as I would only need one).  Needless to say, after some googling, he was NOT amused, though, of course, I was.

So I was trying to schedule a medical appointment (maybe this eczema will go away, ha) and I called the dermatologist my MD gave me... I have an appointment in March 2023.  I decided to keep it, not sure why -- the chance of my remembering this is slim and none -- but I can't believe they are scheduling six months in advance... ok, I can, but...

Sunday Funday

 OC duty yesterday -- last Saturday of the month.  It was good.  Fairly smooth, efficient volunteers, slightly small but usual crowd for the end of the month.  The produce pickup was a little small so we were able to give it all away -- fruit, veggies, bread, even the little bit of milk.  We are off next week, so... nothing can rot, and the pickups we make mid-week we can store.  In the clothing room...stuff is bare; we are down to three racks of clothes (more are coming, for better or worse).  Hell, we also gave away an additional four boxes of toys that are in the storage area.  Not that this is an objective measure of success, but having less crap than what we started with is... good.

Today was fairly productive -- Mass, gym (definitely need to do some doubles this week), cut the grass (probably should have weed-whacked, too), and then some work on a big project.  I know, of course, HR will be appalled by this, but... I do want to get stuff done, and it is important.  This week will be busy (as it always is) so this isn't the worst thing in the world.

Is it me, or is the Matt Araiza story... well, I am not saying anything as to whether or not he did the crimes of which he has been approved.  But... has he been found guilty?  No.  Hell, he hasn't even been charged.  (I am aware of the many bad things going around SDSU and its football team, but...)  So the Bills cut him?  Maybe this is a good thing, but I cannot help but think we are developing a two-tier system of justice:  one for people accused of sexual assault, where one is automatically guilty, and another, where you can commit any crime (up to assault and grand larceny), and be back on the street overnight.  I realize Democrats want to re-establish old precedents, which leads me to believe that "separate but equal" might be back on the table.  

https://slate.com/human-interest/2022/08/shia-labeouf-catholicism-conversion-latin-mass-scandal-explained.html
I had to read this one twice.  One, because of who it is.  Two... this is what brought him to the faith?  I mean, I am all for this, but... odd.  I couldn't help but note that it is Slate (soon to be followed by Vox) that is surprised by the interest in the TLM and what it represents.

Bemusement

 So... I ended up getting the monkeypox vaccine today.  Hadn't planned on it, but as there have been some people in my life who have it (all Hope and Changers, of course), I decided to err on the side of caution and get it.  Thus, off to Metro this morning.  This was funny, as I had never been there before.  Getting there is not too bad -- the pain in the ass traffic circle by Steelyard notwithstanding -- but once I arrived I had to fumble my way around, so I took a circuitous walk around the place.  Oi.  Then, there was a line when I arrived, so... let's just say I am more worried about getting the pox/TB/some Democrat disease (besides the stupidity) from that than anything.   The shot is fairly painless -- in the forearm, a booster next month -- and I guess I am covered, even if I have to delay my COVID booster.  Alas.  No ill effects, thank God.  

Watched an interesting neo-film noir tonight -- "The Limey," about a UK ex-con who comes to the US to avenge his daughter's death.  Pretty good, actually; not too long, interesting action scenes, and a fun-filled ending.  I probably should have done something actually productive, but I guess today was my cheat day, if you will, and I just chilled.

I finished reading Reinventing Food Banks and Pantries today.  This brings me to 28... anyways, not on the original schedule, but it was being read by Downtown, so I decided why not... it was...largely interesting.  Lots of good ideas.  On the other hand...I suspect that in our neighborhood, and a lot of others, some of the ideas wouldn't fly, as our people are interested in helping themselves only by taking more crap.  (I also suspect that those examples were edited out of this tome.)  The idea of letting people shop for items, I think, could work -- we'd have to move stuff around, for one, and the whole COVID bit is a problem (many clients are unvaccinated!)... I am not opposed to it, but anyone who thinks that people want more healthy food is...going to be disappointed.

Linx

 Been trying to sleep in a little, not sure I am seeing any changes.  Ok; maybe I drank a bit less caffeine today -- and I switched to tea -- but I would not exactly say that I feel refreshed.  Not that I am hitting the sheets earlier, though I did go to bed promptly at 11:30 last night.  And, the reason I switched to tea... my stomach has been rumbly since the Indian/Nepali feast.  My sister has been chiding me that my iron constitution may be a bit rusty, though I blame the heat.  Anyways, I avoided culinary excitement, and I feel somewhat better... my desire for culinary adventure will not be denied, no matter the ailment.

https://claremontreviewofbooks.com/why-are-we-in-ukraine/

Interesting; I don't agree with this, of course, but there are some good points here.  Course, if the US won't commit to help defend a fellow democracy, what the hell are we here for?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/for-united-methodists-the-center-is-not-holding/ar-AA10R47I?li=BBnbfcL

I am vastly amused by stuff like this; I mean, what the hell did the expect?  First, of course, the liberals lost their vote and then decided to bail.  Then, of course, they go and create this favorable (to then) plan to stiff the majority parishes of their buildings and pensions.  So, when these churches push back...they bitch even more and try to take the rest of the loaf that left.  Given how liberals always try to take as much as they possibly can, no one is exactly surprised by this... nor should we be surprised that everyone is going to the mattresses.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/23/us/politics/food-insecurity-biden-stimulus.html#commentsContainer

I read the comments -- I sometimes do that -- and I was fascinated by the responses.  Some of them saying people should be eating meatless diets, others saying they should be cooking... what surprised me was the number of people complaining about the aid -- that it was meant to be temporary, that people should be working, that sort of thing.  I mean, for the NYT...that was a surprise.

Tourism

 Interesting set of days... last night a friend turned 30 so I attended his birthday.  I reminded him not to make the same mistake I did for my 30th (get engaged), and he assured me he would not.  Fine.  It was fun, though I -- being stupid -- graciously volunteered to drive a drunken person home (we were on the West Side; he lived north of 71 on W. 130th).  This was fine...til this morning, I discovered he had left his cell phone in my car.  Grr.  So, on my lunch break, I hauled ass back there to deliver it... did he thank me?  Yes... but it's not like he offered to pay for gas, lunch, etc.,  Now, not that I would have accepted, but... of course, said person is a Hope and Changer (he disparaged both Trump and Top Gov!), so his sense of entitlement was... high.  I am sure his student loans are being cancelled, too, not that I had to pay ALL of mine off. 

More seriously, I do wonder how that will play out in the election.  Will Millennial voters turn out in droves?  Or will those of us who had to pay full freight become incensed and march to the polls instead?  I guess it will come down as to who can get the best ads out.  If this were the Vance campaign, they wouldn't make any...  given that the red wave is supposedly fading, I suspect it will help Team Blue more.  Alas.

https://a16z.com/2022/08/15/investing-in-flow/

This could be me, but giving a guy who blew through billions of dollars (of other people's money, of course) a chance to do it again seems... well, to use a favorite phrase, this will end poorly.

So...since I was in the neighborhood, delivering phones, I decided to go and cross another restaurant off my list....and off I went to Cafe Everest (off Puritas), serving Nepalese and Indian food.  It was...good?  I ordered chicken choila -- chicken grilled with onions and spices, fried soybeans, a vegetable salad, and some (late-arriving) rice.  It was good; the chicken had a bit of a late kick (the server was warned about my needing a second bottle of water) but good flavor.  The rice was outstanding -- best saffron rice I have had!  The other sides were...fine; good but nothing special.  I ordered dessert -- no kheer (the horror) but was offered Ras Malai (even if no one could explain to me what it was -- I had to wikipedia it).  That was quite good; I could taste sweet and cardamon, and the milk base did solve the burning esophagus issue.  Also started with lentil soup -- delicious.  Service was a little off... odd as it was not crowded, but they had 5 DoorDash orders, so my mother's eternal question -- Who Eats That &%$# -- would have had a ready answer.

To the Belly of the Beast

 Crashed hard yesterday and woke up late (no gym double), which did not make me happy, for a number of reasons, even though I do need to catch up on rest -- even strangers say I look tired.  This, of course, also makes me unhappy.  Anyways, good and busy day -- the usual multitude of projects, the usual Monday meetings, that sort of thing.  Had our quarterly food pantry Board meeting, which was fine -- a bit long, but good; planning for the winter starts now, sad to say.  I mean, we will have fall clothing drives and blanket Sunday collections to account for, figuring out freezer space for the Turkey Day and Xmas dinners, to say nothing of the usual stuff -- van. food orders, budget, getting stuff fixed -- that we need to discuss and prepare for.  To say nothing of East District President stuff, which often overlaps.  That is another pile of work needing attention.

Yesterday I met some of Team Eleven and went to the Greek Fest in the PSRCH... had not been in a while, and you know how I feel about getting out of the house.  It was quite good -- better than the one in North Royalton -- and I spent less to get more food.  I had Greek-style beef stew with rice and green beans (I really should figure out how they make their green beans) and rice pudding (sans raisins, alas).  Plus it was good to stay and catch up with friends...aside from having to go to the PSRCH.  At least the Opportunity Corridor reduces travel times...as long as the denizens over there do not descend upon my nice part of the world.

Journeys

 Good day today... OC duty -- I slept in a bit but arrived in time to set up and all.  We had an average crowd (91) but we were a bit short handed in front, so I did a lot of the work there... not many people want to handle the computer or deal with the clients (not that I blame them).  But I did have a lot of running and carrying to do.  The day went mostly fine; the usual pains in the rear were there, but we ran out of produce (the order was not so large) and all of the extra crap we put out (6 boxes of kid stuff, other garage items that arrive) went, which is good.  We also gave away a lot of clothes -- the racks were light -- and this is fine, as we will be having clothing drives in the fall.  One more week, thank God.  

Then it was down to Akron to meet a friend for coffee... mainly to commiserate about the idiots in our lives (who are legion).  I then came home and caught up on stuff, made dinner, and then went to the gym; I was surprised.  Not a lot of people there at 6 on Saturday, which was nice, as I did a full workout -- no cardio, though, again, due to blood sugar being a bit low.  Oi.  Came home just in time to beat the rain, which, I guessed, worked.

Up to 27 on books for the year; read two smaller volumes (about 200 pages each); the most recent one was about the invention of the train changed travel, and it was fascinating.  For instance -- in Europe, they adopted a system of first and second class cars, with private cabins, and then third class, which were communal spaces.  In the US, we had no private cars; the author felt that this was because of the fact that we had steamboats first, which had large, open, luxurious spaces.  Similarly, we invented sleeper cars, mainly because the railroad had to cross such large distances here (many of which were frontier/unpopulated).  Not so in Europe -- they adopted them later.  Also good stuff about the psychological response to train wrecks -- no mass casualty travel events in the era of the horse -- and how people just couldn't comprehend how fast travel was.

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/08/17/biden-afghanistan-withdrawal-anniversary-00052268

Maybe because we remembered the fall of Saigon, and this was that?  

Leisurely Pursuits

 So, met my sister for dinner tonight... we have been trying to meet every month since Mom died, and so far so good.  I mean, we get along quite well, but sometimes it is just nice to shoot the shit.  It was my turn to pick, and I chose Antonio's -- the one by the remnants of Parmatown.  It was quite good!  It was funny, we both hadn't been there in decades, which was why I wanted to go (I even put it on my restaurant list)... the service was a bit off, but there was a good crowd, and they seemed a server short, and, honestly, we had nowhere else to go.  I had the lasagna; solid choice, good sauce, decent size portion.  My sister had a pizza -- I had a sliver, and it was a bit kicky for me (buffalo ranch) but good.  It was funny... I take food pictures for friends from church, and my sister showed me a Tiktok -- remember how, before cell phones, you took pictures of dinner, and then ran to Fotomat to get them developed? I was amused by that one.

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/08/16/conservative-nonprofit-midterms-00052081

This is hilarious!  I hope we can see some of these in Ohio.

https://www.jeopardy.com/contestant-zone/2022/tournament-champions?j=731255&sfmc_sub=21329342&l=29_HTML&u=24781755&mid=6403989&jb=268

This is...interesting.  First, I like the idea of expanding the bracket -- if there are enough good contestants, why not?  Seeding the big winners with automatic bye?  Awesome!  The second chance games...well, maybe.  I mean, I guess this is a replacement from the old wild cars format, and in some ways it works better -- scores are important and all, and in a tournament like this, good players will still lose -- but they are still around.

The Deshaun Watson story continues to amuse me; now, of course, he is suspended for 11 games (back in time for the Texans) and a minimal fine.  He, in turn, has largely walked back his apology.  Again, this could be me, but if he was really innocent, he would be fighting this more, but this does save him all the money, which is more important.  Almost as amusing:  all of the comments about the Browns being a tone-deaf franchise.  This is a team that went 0-16, is owned by a guy who tried to cheat truckers, and has a new coach every year...

Dead Man Walking

Is it me, or is it probable that Liz Cheney received more votes from Democrats than from Republicans?  I mean, everyone knew she was dead man walking, but... looking at the county results and the vote totals... this was as complete a repudiation of a candidate as anything.  This leads me to my next point, namely, that any notion that Liz Cheney can lead any sort of GOP anti-Trump party is the wettest of dreams of Democrats and people who are on the fringes of the GOP.  Let's face it, there are plenty of people already who are already leading the anti-Trump wing of the party; they're called Republicans.  Like, Ron DeSantis.  Mike Pence.  Hell, let's look down this roster to people like Tom Cotton, Tim Scott, Kristi Noem, etc.  All of these candidates would attract far more attention in a Trump-free primary than Liz Cheney.  Now, I am not saying that this isn't the unfair -- she is no liberal -- but she has certainly crossed the line with GOP voters, and... there you go.

Also, I really think ranked choice voting is dumb.  I can see the appeal in some cases, but... the point of voting is to make a choice about a candidate/party/policy issues; the point is you make a choice.  Here, we are making choices, and while yes, it does tend to put moderates in an advantageous position, I am not sure that in all times people want that.  It also smacks of the smoke-filled room and horse-trading that, to me, is a part of our political system. but not a good one.

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/trans-totalitarianism-time-for-moral-panic/

Quite right!

I went downtown yesterday to SVDP HQ -- I had to exchange some paperwork, and I ended up staying and talking with the staff for a good deal of time.  One, I don't think they realized for how long I have been doing food pantry stuff (17 years).  Two, of course, I have been around a while, and thus I do have some institutional memory -- why stuff happened, who did what, that sort of thing.  Three... well, we have a lot of work to do to help the poor in our communities, and we even put some good ideas together as to how to achieve this... we just need people and time.

The Cult of Productivity

 First things first -- I finally finished the Russia book, all 717 glorious pages.  It stops at 2010, so certain unpleasantness was skipped.  It was long, but I did learn a lot, so I cannot complain.  The next few books on the pile are much shorter, so I expect to finish them sooner.  Still not sure I can get to 50 for the year, but...

Was productive in a LOT of ways today -- performance review at work, did half of my corrections for a project, read over some documents for a big meeting Monday, ordered some prescriptions, cleaned up some minor stuff... also hit two grocery stores (part of my personal plan to combat inflation) and eradicated the darks of the laundry pile.  Not a huge of Giant Eagle anymore -- between their bag ban and their abortion tourism, my visits are few and far between.  I hit Acme after the gym... you know, they're not very cheap anymore.  Used to be they were... not Aldi cheap, but they had some decent deals.  Now... not so much.  Again, very targeted -- like the 10 boxes of cake mix for the Polish Festival brownies.  I know they are sort of in the mid-tier of stores (certainly no Heinen's or Giant Eagle, but no Aldi/Sav-A-Lot), and we all know what the middle of the road is for, but...  Anyways, if tomorrow is like today, much shit will be off my plate, in many sense of the word.

And, I did a gym double; lifted and legs.  No cardio, sadly, due to low blood sugar (grrr...) but it felt good to push myself.  I intend to do a couple more doubles this week, just because I can and because I need to.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/12/sports/football/green-bay-packers-shareholders-fans.html?campaign_id=2&emc=edit_th_20220814&instance_id=69299&nl=todaysheadlines&regi_id=31060267&segment_id=101368&user_id=f914b0e213c5e2b4265494b6d07fe88f

Interesting look at the Packers and their finances, or, as Mom would say, OUR Packers.  I guess I do need to get out to Lambeau one day for the shareholder meeting...

https://www.statenews.org/government-politics/2022-08-12/group-plans-to-put-christian-schools-inside-ohio-churches-and-allow-kids-to-attend-with-public-money

Interesting.  On the one hand, I am a little skeptical of religious schools, and these people seem a bit odd (if very close to the GOP).  On the other...well, teachers have no one to blame for this erosion of students (and funding).  I mean, the COVID shutdowns, culture war stuff, parents fed up... let's just say that I can see how a bunch of people would simply say "fuck it" and go for behind Curtain Number Two, whatever that may be.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/08/radical-traditionalist-catholic-christian-rosary-weapon/671122/
This is literally the funniest thing I have read in a while!  If liberals really believe this (and I am sure some of them do), they are even dumber than I thought, which is, let's face it, pretty damn dumb.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/private-jet-celebrities-taylor-swift-kylie-jenner-backlash-11660345684?mod=e2li--
Let's just say that I don't ever want to hear about my carbon footprint ever again....

An Eruption of Dust

 Busy day and weekend.  Yesterday was food pantry duty and it was...good.  We were a bit short-handed, especially in the packing area, but we survived.  Odd -- we had a few periods when NO ONE was there, and then we had like 8 cars (often with multiple people) all at once, so the equilibrium was a little off, but we got through it.  We didn't get a lot of produce and extra stuff, which was fine, as we gave away everything that we did have.  The clothing racks were put out and a lot of stuff went.  Also, the pile of toys in the clothing storage were ours to give out (no one ever tells us these things, oi) so I put out several boxes; we tried to limit what people could take because, of course, if we don't, some people would take everything and... well, as I like to say, for Hope and Changers, they really don't seem to get the concept of Their Fair Share.  Shock.

https://time.com/6205084/phonics-science-of-reading-teachers/

This could be me, but.. if we have a teacher shortage, but the teachers are running doing this -- cutting out phonics training for "social justice" -- then good, because I don't want these people anywhere near my, or anyone's, children.  Ever.

Today I got home and devoted some time to housecleaning.  I vacuumed yesterday and again today; I think I need a new one, as I suspect it is more pushing dirt around on the carpet (which also needs replacement).  Anyways, I did empty the container (two-thirds) full and cleaned out the filter; I get the sense I need to do this a few more times. Then I dusted everything, dry-swept the floors, and even found a spot to put both of Mom's tables in the living room.  There is now no more room for any furniture but so be it... I also realized I need to get another bookcase (at least) and a display case for the bobbleheads and baseball whatnots I have accumulated (at least that collection will not be growing in the near future).  I also need to figure out where to put these new pieces of furniture, but baby steps.

A Rest From Labors

 Finished the one project I was working on intensely today; it still needs to be reviewed and edited, but... I volunteered to do that over the weekend, and my supervisor told me she would rather me enjoy my weekend.  I told her this was new to me... and it is, sort of.  It's funny; I was talking to a former coworker who also left, and as he said...there is so much less stress at the new job.  And he's exactly right!  The equilibrium is so much better; less stress, less work, more free time... so here I am, relaxing and enjoying this.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/struggling-church-forced-to-cancel-festival-due-to-building-demolition/ar-AA10BJRf?li=BBnbfcL

Ugh.  Ok, I sort of like going there -- less of a mess than the Feast of the Assumption, a very pretty church, a neighborhood like that of my own parish...   I will probably attend the drive-through, even though it is not the same.  But it is good to support urban, ethnic parishes!

https://claremontreviewofbooks.com/there-goes-robert-e-lee/

Interesting?  I think the fascinating thing is we can track our nation's feelings on things with roughly the same way we look at Lee.  Hard to believe now that there were people in 1865 who wanted to hang him on the same tree with Jeff Davis, and one can/should argue that his actions -- going home, serving as President of a small college, keeping out of the news -- probably helped ensure...well, it wasn't peace during Reconstruction (as we now know) but, one can say, more open rebellion.  Then in the 70s they came for him -- The Marble Man at first, and now... everything.  I don't have a problem with this, though we need to add the proviso that 99% of the white population was racist (ok, maybe 90%) and even the one who were not...well, by the standards of today they would be raging Klansman.  That to me is the real issue with all of this; America until very recently was incredibly and casually racist, so it's not like you need a deep dive to find horrible stuff about people.  Trying to figure out how we got there -- and we moved away -- is to me a bit more interesting...

Respite

 So, last night a friend came over -- concerned about relapsing and dealing with stress -- and I spent most of the night talking him down and out (Mission Accomplished).  So, of course, tonight, another friend was having some issues, so I hauled ass to the west side (the far west side, not Parma!) to take a walk and hear him out and provide -- as best as I can -- some clarity, and, dare I say, compassion.  Anyways, aside from the wonder that anyone would want to use me for these sorts of things, there is the fact that my plans for a quiet evening at home have been -- for the past two nights -- gone up in smoke.  Alas.  

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/08/15/state-legislatures-are-torching-democracy

Interesting?  I mean, I agree that this is a problem, but -- as the article demonstrates -- Democrats were the ones who started this, and for them to now say this is an issue...well, that takes an enormous amount of chutzpah, even for them.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/03/magazine/claremont-institute-conservative.html

Also interesting.  I have been interested in the "Flight 93" essay, mainly because when I think about it what it represents, and it what it has actually brought to us...

Funny, sort of...woke up slightly earlier than I expected to, but then rather to go to bed, I decided to stay up and be a bit productive.  I was, but I am feeling it today...lo, how the mighty have fallen!

Concerns

 Woke up today with low blood sugar, so no AM trip to the gym -- I need to start doing some doubles again; not only for the general fatness, but I do like the exercise, and the chance to do some reading while on the exercise bike is always a plus.  I have some progress on the Russia book -- through the Decembrist revolution (I always though the episode interesting) and to the 1850s (lots of Russian poets died young, mainly, it seems, due to their own damn fault).  But still a ways to go.  Alas.

Say what you want about the Mar-A-Lago raid -- it has given all of the bloviating heads something to talk about.  I listened (briefly!) to some of them during the day, just for shits and giggles, and it was all they could discuss, nonstop... which is why I seldom listen to them, preferring some educational podcasts (lots of art history now) as background noise.  It's like sports radio...oi.  

https://fee.org/articles/why-are-gas-prices-falling/

I think I have read like four articles on this the past few days.  Now, I am not opposed to falling prices, but the fall in demand is the main reason -- people are driving less.  I suspect people are still working from home and using gas prices as an excuse to not go in, and as the article points out, much of the optional travel just isn't happening at $4.50 a gallon.  As I am fond of saying, think of the carbon emissions!

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/08/06/tim-ryan-turned-his-race-surprise-senate-battleground-00050187
Thank God!  I mean, this will still be too close for my comfort, but I suspect a combination of actually showing up, some ads, and some help -- Ron DeSantis is coming in on the 19th, and God-help-me I will be there -- this might just be enough.  The issue of course is that Ryan has defined himself... can it be undone?  Possibly.  Given the general economic situation, it shouldn't be that close, and if Vance had no money after the primary...that is a concern, albeit for another day...

Cheating

 Meant to blog last night but crashed...oops.  The weekend was fine...I mainly worked.  I got a new project Thursday night -- deadline this Friday -- and it needs to be done.  I don't really mind; one, it's new, and two, it is important... and potentially profitable.  Funny; I did a lot of the stuff I would have normally did for my last job -- in terms of research approaches and methodology -- but for here and now, it was new for everyone, and I think they liked my approach.  So this is cool.  

Yesterday I went to a "Theology on the Rocks" presentation at St. Stephen's.  (Sad; I can remember going to Theology on Tap; this is the next generation, and I do NOT like it.)  It was a combo of church presentation/talk about the Latin Mass.  The last one amused me, as this church is served by the Jesuits, and our Jesuit pope (a person next to me called him the Antipope, so I made a friend) has been putting the kibosh on it.  Anyways, the parish is nice -- almost as nice at St. Stan's (we should host one of these) -- and quite ornate; lots of wood carvings brought over from Germany, though not as many statues.  The stained glass windows were interesting -- I missed the one with St. Lawrence (no grill!) -- and I was able to identify the rest.  Then the chat about the Latin Mass was interesting; the presentation was more "this is how the elements of the Mass came to be."  Like, a Greek pope liked the Kyrie, so that stayed, or there used to be more readings (like on Easter Saturday), and Mass got too long, so they culled it to three.  I love this stuff, of course.  The Latin Mass discussion was...interesting, given the current climate.  My own sense is that for people who like that sort of thing, it's exactly the thing they would like, and that we have just enough Tridentine Mass... but I also think shitting on it (like the Pope is doing) is wrong, in many ways.  Some day, of course, we will actually have a Catholic Pope, and these things will change.

https://www.si.com/college/2022/08/08/oklahoma-wr-coach-resigns-after-film-session-incident
I wonder...did the kid whose phone have the offending word get cut?  No word on that... but if it so offensive that it cannot be said... well, I think we know the answer to that question, not that any journalist is going to ask...

Also, the Mar-A-Lago raid...this could be me, but I think this will only make Trump seem like a more aggrieved figure, and boost him among the base.  But...the question is, to me, is that what Biden wants?  If he thinks that a reprise of 2020 is the best way to win... maybe.  If the economy improves and he rattles off more wins, it might work.  If not... the other thing, of course, is that if Trump gets indicted, he is off the market, and I think DeSantis and others are better candidates -- disciplined, more of the party apparatus (FWIW) is behind them, and that wouldn't necessary help Biden in 24...

Restful evening for once

 Interesting day -- I slept in a bit, which torpedoed the plan for a gym double... grr.  But I do need the rest, I guess.  Anyways, work was busy -- new project to work on, plenty of data to go through and organize -- and it was good.  I mean, I rather like it; learning new stuff, using what I did for the old job at the new one... solid stuff.  Funny... the NOAA released the hurricane forecast for the upcoming season.  Last year at this time, I would have been all over it.  Now, it is just another headline.  How things change...

The jobs data surprised me -- much stronger than I expected.  On the other hand... one, with all this inflation, people need second jobs to catch up.  LOL.  But, more seriously, with the inflation, the end of the COVID aid, and improving health conditions... we might need to look at the fact that now people might need to go back to work.  And, given that every place has a help wanted sign out...they can get it, and at decent wages.  This is largely good; I mean, we may be in a recession, but given that businesses are still short-handed, they will have to hire.  Just wonder how long this will last...

At page 200 in the Russian book -- it has been hard to get some reading done with all that is going on, but I have been plugging away a few pages at a time, and we are slowly progressing.  I don't know all that much about the subject -- just the basics and a bit more -- so the stuff about the Czar-boyar relations, the role of the Church -- is most fascinating and interesting to me.

First Loser

 Pub Quiz at the Rustic Grill again, where we came in...second.  Alas.  Not too bad -- there were only three of us, and a couple of the rounds were not favorable to us.  The questions are a bit easy, but it was fun, the food isn't bad, and we had a server who kept the diet coke flowing, so I was in love.  I wouldn't mind trying a new place, or another place in addition to this one, but... maybe once is enough.

This could be me, but... 1) Deshaun Watson's suspension -- six games -- is a gift, and he should be glad to get it.  Yet 2) the NFL is appealing.  Odd choice.  This could be me, but I would think they would want this to go away ASAP... maybe, of course, they want a stronger suspension to make it appear that they are serious about this, but if they really were, they would have wanted him gone for good.

https://www.businessinsider.com/constitutional-convention-conservatives-republicans-constitution-supreme-court-2022-7

Hmm...this could be me, but if we are going to let the voters decide abortion rights, we really can't complain if they want the voters in the states to decide on a new constitution (or a revised one).  The other thing is that I could easily see them pick up another 5 or 6 states if they applied themselves, in which case... would more GOP and leaning states demand a new constitution, or would it be like the ERA, stopping at the precipice?  I really do not know...

Wistfulness

 Big day yesterday...went to the Sad Summer tour -- eight pop punk (and related genres) bands, an all day affair at the Jacobs Pavilion.  I stayed the whole time -- I wanted to make sure I saw all of the bands I liked, like Mayday Parade and Neck Deep -- and it did sort of have a Warped Tour vibe, without the heatstroke and all.  I was definitely feeling it this morning, but still managed to lift, which felt good.  I mean, there will come a time when I do not enjoy this sort of thing, but that day has not yet come.

Today I went out to Chardon to get grandma's rocking chair from my aunt and uncle, and decided to stop at Bistro on the Square... it was pretty good.  I went with the pork chop ($26), which was coated in a maple glaze, carmelized apples, and sitting on a bed of mashed potatoes and green beans.  The glaze was delicious and the pork chop and apples were cooked perfectly, so I was quite pleased.  I even picked up dessert -- cherry pistachio topping on vanilla bean cheesecake.  It was also good, though... a bit too much of everything?  Maybe the pistachios were too much.  

When I got home and put the rocker in the house, I realized something...I might be the last one to remember Grandma Elsie; I am the youngest of the first generation of cousins, and all of their children were born after she died... funny thing, I don't remember all that much about her, either; I was only six or seven when she passed.  She was also nice to me, but they were quite old and frail, if I recall -- the downside of the late in life baby, I guess.  Anyways, it was nice to sit in Grandma's rocker -- reminded me of old times, back when I was a kid... followed by another morbid thought of what I am going to do with all of this stuff when it comes time to shuffle off this mortal coil.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/democrats-should-hang-their-heads-in-shame-for-helping-oust-principled-republican/ar-AA10gBT5?li=BBnbfcL--

Of all the things Democrats have to hang their heads in shame for... this is it?

https://gizmodo.com/butchered-mammoth-bones-new-mexico-1849365357

This is pretty cool...37,000 years, though, would really blow up the accepted theories of North American settlement.  To say nothing of robbing me of my usual jokes about how global warming has never shaped humanity....ever.