Reflections

 Interesting day today.... today would have been Mom's bday, and -- also because I didn't want to cook -- I went to Wendy's to celebrate.  A 4 for $4 meal, a free mini frosty, and endless refills of flavored Diet Dr. Pepper... well, Mom would have approved.  Not that I was depressed, just...well, it was something I felt like doing.  I was able to do a gym double today, and really pushed the cardio (after legs) at night... I weighed in at 194.2; still too much, but given one of the symptoms of this norovirus....well, it's not all bad.

I was talking to one of the trainers at the gym -- noticing I was lugging around an 800-page tome, and we got to talking about my exercise routine.  But, the one thing he mentioned -- repeatedly -- was that I am not sleeping enough.  He said it was common for everyone, but in my age group (he was a few years behind but didn't look it)... as he noted, sleep and diet are the things we can best control.  Stress and life happen.  You pig out once in a while.  All of those things are ok, but sleep really does recharge you, helps you lose weight, etc.  I just might not set the alarm tonight, just to try it.

As for the book,  it is interesting... I am about 160 pages in, and it is brief vignettes about cultural figures (Miles Davis now); 2/3 of whom I have heard of, the rest I wikipediaed.  The author does move around; he spent more time talking about Bix Biederbecke in the Louis Armstrong essay, for instance, and in some cases he only barely touches a figure.  Odd.  The text is dense (it is cultural criticism) but it does move, so it is not the worst.

https://www.pillarcatholic.com/pittsburgh-diocese-catholic-identity-conference-not-endorsed-by-catholic-bishop/
Catholics who are actually Catholic, what will they think of next?

Recovery

 Joyous day today.  Ok, it was fine, as always; slept in a bit, productive day of work -- I have a bunch of little projects to handle, all of equal importance, which amuses me -- and dinner with my sister, continuing my monthly tradition.  Her turn to pick, and she chose Little Birdie Wine Bar on Broadview... had a taste for a flight and charcuterie.  It was...good; a bit pricey, but I liked what I had.   As she said, it was different.  Next month is my turn and she is expecting chilled monkey brains or some other oddball cuisine.  So I will have to oblige...

The next book on my pile is Cultural Amnesia by Clive James.  It is a collection of essays about famous  but largely forgotten cultural figures (if you get my drift).  More or less importantly, it is 800 pages, so my goal of 50 books looks even more forlorn.  Even a few additional trips to the bathroom (if you get my drift) will not greatly accelerate this process.  Alas.  I could have moved it to the bottom of the pile but that is NOT my style.

https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2022/09/theres_a_reason_conservatives_are_becoming_less_tame.html

Oh, I don't know... some of this is a reaction to the left, but some of this is also due to the fact that the Left has, for so long, been so wrong, and there have been absolutely no consequences for it.  I mean, look at the carnage by the closure of our schools; test scores are down, anxiety among children is up, people are fleeing the public schools... and they are proceeding as if nothing happened.  That is simply unacceptable to a bunch of people nowadays, and I think the GOP is rapidly coalescing around the idea that at the end of the day, heads will have to roll...

Norovirus

 Is it me, or is something going around?  Couple other friends of mine say that they have been stricken with norovirus, and I looked it up...they may be on to something.  Last night I clocked out a little before 11, and woke up a little after 6, had some twilight sleep til 7...and it was glorious.  I did feel better today, then hit a wall late in the afternoon.  I feel a bit odd; not terribly ill, but definitely off.  Could be anything -- change in weather, OC duty, whatnot -- but I do not like it, for a bunch of reasons.

Finally finished my book today -- King Arthur's Wars -- about the Anglo-Saxon takeover of England.  Very interesting (33 for the year); sort of demolished the idea of the Romans abandoning Britain and letting barbarians run amok.  Lots of discussions of military strategy, archaeology, and revisionist thinking, who wouldn't love it?

https://www.slashfilm.com/673162/heres-why-movie-dialogue-has-gotten-more-difficult-to-understand-and-three-ways-to-fix-it/?utm_source=pocket_mylist&fbclid=IwAR2FB3AwCIomZ2F_ZFAlPpU1rZfCAs-lIFQKY_RvcYcfgLgGr5tcFhBvBCs

Interesting; I always assumed it was that I was deaf or that my home sound system is 17 years old, but I rather prefer this one...

I am vastly amused by all of the hullabaloo over the Italian elections.  Not that the first female PM is a big deal, but...given the ephemeral nature of Italian political coalitions, she could be gone in a season.  I guess I will be more impressed if she can stick around and actually do something.  Italy is example 1 of why a multi-party democracy is problematic, and why I don't want one here, and, secretly, I believe, most people don't either.  In the meantime, we can all sit back and enjoy the trainwreck on the left...

Links Because I Am Lazy

 It was largely a good day -- slept in a bit, watched J! (blew the Final), hit the gym hard, but... I was just so tired during the day, couldn't explain it.  Ok, aside from the not sleeping and sleeping poorly when I do.  I plan on hitting the sheets soon, in part to catch up, and also with the wind and the rain, no point in going out for a stroll.  I do need one, though...I looked at the scale at the gym.  Yeesh.

https://awealthofcommonsense.com/2022/09/what-is-the-fed-doing/

This is a very good question; I don't doubt that rates need to be raised, and prices must come down.  But... given all the other factors in the economy, I think some smaller raises in the rates and efforts to say, get people in the work force again, might have a more desirable effect.  But that's me.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/15/magazine/extraterrestrials-technosignatures.html

Interesting and cool, even if I think it would be cooler if we were indeed all alone...

https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/gutfeld-late-night-culture-wars/

Does it, though?  I mean, for one, I don't think "Gutfeld" (funny as he is) has the cultural cachet, if you will, of late night network TV.  Two... I suspect Hollywood -- like everyone else -- ignores what it does not want to see.  Now, if this continues, and Gutfeld really puts on the numbers (say, three million viewers), that might change... but I am just not sure that it will happen.

https://news.yahoo.com/democrats-say-they-expect-a-pro-republican-maga-surge-in-fall-elections-090025530.html

Let's hope so!  Again, I am skeptical; the primaries were then, people are less excited (especially if their guy  lost), we are operating at a cash advantage in many places...I realize I am gloomy gus in these situations even in the best of times, but I see a very difficult climb to get the Senate back.

Mattie and his Malcontents

 Interesting weekend... of course, today...I slept through the alarm, and woke up at ten to 8 (I was out late last night, friend's bday fest).  Whoops.  A quick but thorough shower (I do tend to linger in there and crystallize my thoughts), teeth brush, check the schedule (I was the Eucharistic Minister, of all days), and, of course, a self-reminder that only Hope and Changers sleep in and miss Mass... and I made it in with minutes to spare.  So I guess it worked out fine, but the lack of discipline is of course appalling.

Speaking of, I need to do some long-term -- for the food pantry, the SVDP, when I am going to actually make the brownies for the Festival, calling and getting some estimates (good luck) for the new bathroom --- in short, adulting.  There are many reasons why I have not done some of these things -- other stuff in the way, life, work, achieving other goals -- but I think I need to tackle a couple of these, as well.

Those were some brief, but intense, thunderstorms last night... about 2:30 or so.  Didn't last long, I don't think, but considering the lateness of the year, and the cooler temperatures... it sounded and seemed impressive.  I mean, it feels like autumn already...dark later, the 30-degree drop in temperature, the leaves shading ever so slightly darker... sigh.

OC duty yesterday and it was surprisingly; we were a bit short of volunteers, so I had to do a bit more (which is fine).  We had a rush early and one late, but steady the rest of the day... we made sure we ran out of produce, as our operations manager complained they had to throw away.  This amused me, as -- let's face it -- no one eats kale, and certainly not our clients.  So of course yesterday there were about 50 spaghetti squash... we gave away half, most of which went to the volunteers.  And, of course, the recycling bins were full, not that we filled.  So today I went into full Matt the Meanie mode -- reminding everyone else at the parish complex that they, too, can call the recycling people and ask them to pick up our bins, and then suggesting that maybe we not take all the produce, especially if we cannot use it.  Couple of people emailed to agree with me, which is... well, pleasing and surprising (not really, but you get the drift).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSbt84KBRdw
Interesting...this story still fascinates me, for a bunch of reasons... mainly, how stupid could they be, and how come we as the GOP are not weaponizing this against them.

Jug Day!

Today was the Little Brown Jug, and I spent the day with my aunt and some of the cousins in Delaware to watch the race.  The town has certainly expanded on the perimeter -- upward and outward -- but much of downtown is...similar.  New and different stores in some parts; the UDF is being renovated, some of the city parks are nicer.  But... much was the same.  This is good!

As for the races themselves... we lost.  Not many winners, and -- continuing a trend of recent years -- even when the horses you pick do win, it's hard to win money.  Many races have one or two clear favorites and the rest are long shots...but with little chance of winning, so the favorites -- even as part of perfecta and trifecta pools -- do not pay out all that much.  Still, my handicapping can improve.  The day itself was...a bit cool and windy.  It was 90 there yesterday; today, mid-60s.  Mostly sunny, but a brisk wind, so much so that my aunt wanted to leave after the Jug heats, and while I hated missing them... I saw her point.  We left about an hour early, and that in turn got us home earlier, which is nothing to rue.  I can count my non-winnings (ok, it was manageable, and I did have a good time) and plot out my weekend.

Good Deeds Have Consequences

 So, last night I hung out with a friend who was having some issues...I do wonder why I of all people get these duties, given that I am not exactly compassionate, if you get my drift.  Anyways, all problems are solved -- for now -- and all is good there.  Funny; we were watching South Park from like 2003-2004, and we both commented that many of the episodes -- the giant douche one, the immigrants from the future one, the Wal-Mart one -- all worked now, which is pretty remarkable.

In consequence for my actions, I woke up at 4 AM with a charley horse and felt the lack of sleep all day.  Sigh.  I didn't hit the gym, as I am still limping a bit.  It does usually take a full day or so to recover from one of these things, but yet again I am reminded that I am not exactly a young man anymore.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/13/magazine/ron-desantis.html
God, I hope so!  I mean, yes, most political figures are artificially created, one way or another, and I think he is as well... but he is fighting the right battles for the right reasons, and as I like to say, he is certainly more disciplined than Trump.  He will do the rolling, not get rolled.

https://www.cleveland.com/opinion/2022/09/cuyahoga-county-leaders-are-defying-their-bosses-by-forging-ahead-with-toxic-jail-site-and-global-center-boondoggle-leslie-kouba.html
This would be funnier if it weren't for the fact that the PD can't help but always endorse the Dems who do this every time... it doesn't matter on the Dem, of course; the PD slobbers over them and then complains when they do the same crooked stuff that every other Democrat around here does.  I realize, of course, that the PD is also run by Dems, so the case of "Being too stupid to know how stupid you are" applies, so it's not like things are going to change...

Merry Christmas

 Busy weekend -- wedding Saturday and then Sunday was (finally!) the Zielenski family Xmas.  Delayed by COVID positives thrice, we finally had a get together.  My cousin got a pavilion at a public park, and we were able to meet somewhat safely (social distancing was not practiced, I guess).  And....it was awesome!  We haven't been all together in a while!  We ate (too much, I feel the fatness), we exchanged presents, watched the Browns lose, caught up on gossip, and played poker.  We also decided that Xmas 2022 will probably be a summer affair as well; I mean, with COVID still a thing, it might be wise for one more year to delay and have it in the summer, where you can be outside.  I have no issue with this; better to have Xmas late than not at all.

One downside of the weekend -- aside from the fatness -- was that I was really feeling it today.  Slept past the alarm (no gym but the blood sugar was low), and I was just dragging today, especially in the afternoon.  Drank plenty of coffee, but it was not enough... got a second wind later (like now) but a lot of good that did... I guess I just can't party like I used to.  This was also a problem as I was super busy at work, especially as the day went on... I received two new high-importance projects, one after the other, which amused everyone.  But the schedule is full.

https://blog.solidsignal.com/news/fun-and-games/the-dial-comes-to-town/

This is hilarious, in many ways; from the whole needing ten minutes to tell people how to make a call to the fact that making a phone call is such a project.  Nowadays, of course, who calls anyone anymore?

https://video.foxnews.com/v/6312391225112#sp=show-clips

This is also hilarious, of a different sort.  Of course, it's not like anyone is going to Martha's Vineyard and asking the locals these questions, which is a problem in and of itself.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/09/12/cant-we-come-up-with-something-better-than-liberal-democracy-two-cheers-for-politics-isonomia-and-the-origins-of-philosophy

Interesting.  I mean, I don't necessarily think some of this is a problem -- in designing a political system, some things will simply be clunky, anachronistic, or prejudicial in some way, due to the nature of the compromises -- but I do find it fascinating that people are imaging a system where they try to minimize the issues.

https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/we-spoke-with-the-last-person-standing-in-the-floppy-disk-business/

This is pretty cool.  Hell, remember all the cool video games you played on floppies?  Oregon Trail, the Carmen Sandiego franchise, that sort of thing.  I suspect my hobby would be finding a computer that could play them and doing so at every moment of leisure.

Friday Night Delights

 So, I am sitting here at the kitchen table, surfing the 'Net (thanx to WiFi), and it is glorious.  I am making a seven-layer jello -- just finished mixing layer five.  To be sure, it's been a while since I made one, and I forgot how long it takes, which meant that I tried to rush a couple of layers... we can do that on the bottom, but not for the stop, so... I have to make sure everything cures.  Of course, I have nothing but time tonight, so...  why the hell not?

In the meantime, I finished the book I was reading (Forged by Fire, about Sherman's March to the Sea; I think this is 32), completed some shipments data for the OC, went through some other paperwork... one nice thing about the process is that one has plenty of time to do other stuff.  I have a couple more minor errands and such to do while this settles, and... well, at least I will be feeling doubly productive.  

If I were a betting man, I would say that Sacramento will be the next stop for the busload of migrants.  And I will laugh.  This fight between DeSantis and Newsom -- if a potential preview of 2024 -- is fairly epic, and I suspect, encouraged by all around them.  Biden probably prefers this fight to be fought by someone else, and Trump...well, much as he dislikes avoiding a fight, it does limit the heat on him, so... maybe it's not the worst for him.  Funny; Greg Abbott in TX started all of this, and he seems not to get the credit or the blame.  Maybe it is the wheelchair, or maybe he is just concentrating on being Governor, but one would think a Texan would be a place to look for the GOP in 2024...

First Loser

 Pub Quiz at Stonewater tonight, where we came in...second.  Alas.  To be sure, it was fun and good to see everyone again, and we got a mini bottle of booze (to be added to the pile for the Polish Festival basket), but I do not like losing.  Also... it's odd, but, while it is on the East Side (like where I used to work), it's so nice, you hardly notice it's the East Side.  Hell, there is less asshole driving out there.  Very odd.  I mean, I was driving through the development to get there, and you'd think you were in Brecksville or Independence, and not five minutes from the People's Socialist Republic.  But one should still pack heat, anyways... it is the East Side. 

Is it me, or am I enjoying the spectacle of all these migrants being dropped on sanctuary cities too much?  It's brilliant, and even if Ron DeSantis is playing catch up, it's still awesome.  You would think some GOP group would donate money to Abbott and crew so they can send more of them elsewhere, as the optics are simply wonderful, no matter how you look at it.  To be sure, it is not stopping them from coming, but it is making them play by their own rules, and that is priceless in and of itself.

Took another nice long walk today; we won the beer round at PQ and I decided to treat myself to a Yuengling, America's favorite Trumpy Beer!  This was fine, aside from the facts that 1) I am fat; 2) I don't necessarily like beer, especially this one; and 3) My blood sugar went up.  Anyways, when I got home I simply put on a white shirt, grabbed the flashlight... and lo and behold, there I was, plugging away for three glorious miles.  Felt good, blood sugar is where it needs to be, and I feel slightly thinner... all of which are fine by me....

Invasion

 I didn't sleep well (or long) last night, and I should be in bed now, but... it was Dr. Pimple Popper night, and then I watched the intro to the Johnny Carson rerun (I am just old enough to get the cultural references, and the political jokes, sadly, are still relevant now), and then I took -- third night in a row -- a nice three mile stroll around the block.  To be sure, my blood sugar crashed after and I snacked up, negating the walk, but... it is good that I am doing this.  It was a bit cool -- a few more weeks and I will be switching to long sleeves.  Sigh.

Work was interesting; lots of research today.  I realized -- as at my old job -- I could do some competitive intelligence by reading the quarterly transcripts of earnings calls and other statements (for public firms), so I proceeded to do just that today.  I told our CEO I was an idiot for not realizing this sooner, and she was... immensely amused by this.  Then, our HR person told me I should be taking more days off.  I told her I was having heart palpitations, which went over about as well.   In the meantime, back to the previously scheduled projects tomorrow. 

My home is becoming something of an entomological museum.  I left the garbage bag in the can in the garage overnight a couple of weeks ago, and now I see occasional ants in the garage and in the kitchen.  Yesterday morning I killed a flying pest in the shower, and then in the afternoon I dispatched a large spider (ok, 90% legs) in the hallway door.  Today, while watching J!, I crushed two other small critters traversing the living room carpet.  Oi.  I am tempted to call the Orkin lady again, much as I know this is a temporary problem...

The Miracle

Interesting night yesterday.  First, they opened a GOP Victory Center literally two blocks from my house, and, even more amazingly, JD Vance -- our mystery Senate candidate -- was promised to be there to consecrate it.  So, I registered and walked over.  And...he was there!  Slightly late -- not exactly unexpected -- but he was there, and gave a nice little pep talk, and even took a few questions.  The funny thing is... he was pretty good.  To be sure, it was a friendly audience, and he was not there long, but... his answers to the audience questions -- Roe v. Wade, Hunter Biden, the power of the party against a Dem president -- were spot on; intelligent, reasoned, and he showed wit and spirit.  So, too was his speech; again, GOP bullet points, but the audience certainly responded well.  Which, of course, led me -- and others -- to wonder why the campaign has been dark until now.  Yes, he may be short of cash, but you'd think a bunch of events somewhere -- anywhere -- and lots of publicity about them would be one way to get in the new cycle.  But nada.

Anyways -- snarfing down the dinner I got at the rally on the way out (Corleone's, quite good), I then raced home to discover a friend had texted me with some personal shit, so I had to deal with that...not that I minded, but I just crashed when I was done.  Alas.  

In other news, I am fat -- feeling it -- so I have been trying to walk at night.  Last night I took the long way to and from the rally, and today I took the car in for an oil change, so I got some steps in there.  But I need to do some more...  funny, I am not feeling it tonight.  I didn't sleep well last night, and I woke up today with a sore throat (slightly) and a lump in my upper vertebrae; not sure how it got there, but moving my neck has been an adventure.  As if need more reminders I am not quite a young man anymore...

The BYU racism story seems to be falling apart.  This could be me, but...  these things have a frequency to not pan out, so why are they reported with such earnest breathlessness?  The recanting is never done in the same manner, and no one comes out looking good.  I realize journalists have no ethical responsibility (or ethics or responsibility) to, you know, investigate a story, but maybe it is about damn time they do...

Mercies

 Busy Friday and Saturday -- was in a wedding -- so today was sort of a veg-out, in all honesty.  I did finish the one book I was working on (31) and started the next, cleaned out the email box, and got to work on some of the bookmarks I have saved, all of which is good.  I am sort of tired, so the rest is sort of nice, I would say.  Some days the body just needs that.

I really wanted Baker to pull one and stick it to the Browns; I guess we will all have to settle for a close loss.  Somewhere, Jim Tressel is a-flutter at a big special teams win.  Of more interest to me was the scene on the college side; App State doing it again and beating A&M, the Herd beating Notre Dame (God obviously took the weekend off), and Nebraska finally getting rid of Scott Frost (even if it cost them an extra $8 million).  I guess to me the issue should be that good mid-majors/Group of Five teams can win against Power 5 conferences -- they seem to do it every year -- so why are we surprised?  In some ways, it should be (as in hoops) that teams should be rewarded for avoiding (as much as possible) a Little Sisters of the Poor schedule...hell, even the Big Ten is mandating 1-A opponents in football.

https://aeon.co/essays/historical-data-is-not-a-kitten-its-a-sabre-toothed-tiger

Interesting; I have not read the books about slavery mentioned, though I sort of want to... the reason not, of course, is that I have 300 other things to read as it is.  But, the work -- and the responses -- did cause a paradigm shift in Civil War History, sort of like the publication of The Marble Man did to Lee a generation after Freeman.

https://theanchoress.com/on-charles-iii-and-the-value-and-power-of-ritual/

This is a very Catholic take on the matter, but I think it is...quite true, in many ways, which is why I liked it, I suspect.  This would be funnier if the Gospel today at Mass wasn't the Prodigal Son, which, as regular readers know, I dislike immensely.  But, Fr. Eric did address that point in his homily, namely that we need to look at it from the point of view of the Divine -- i.e., that's God grace, once extended to the sinner, is the goal here, not our own sense of justice.  I will try to keep that one in mind, but will still be pissed as hell if I get to heaven and see plenty of Democrats there.

Awake and Awoke

 I crashed the last two nights -- not sure why I am so tired, aside from getting up in the morning and going to bed late.  :)  Anyways, I have some low blood sugar, so while I wait for it to rebound...I may as well write.  The big news, of course, is the death of the Queen.  Not exactly unexpected -- she was 96 -- but as with most things... well, she was certainly a force.  As John Wayne said about Queen Victoria in "The Shootist," they never took away her dignity.  Now, of course, we have King Charles III and Queen-Consort Camilla.  Sigh, as we say.

This low blood sugar is becoming a thing; I mean, it drops when I work out, so I can't/don't want to risk cardio, so I can't read or ride the bike, and then I feel fat.  I did take a three-mile walk Wednesday night around here, and it felt...glorious.  It gets dark early (ok, earlier) now, and in the AM... not so bright.  Anyways, it was wonderful to stretch the legs.  The sidewalks are a little uneven in some places, but other than that, I had a good steady pace.  I should do this more often!

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/matt-margolis/2022/09/06/that-time-john-fetterman-grabbed-a-shotgun-and-chased-down-an-unarmed-black-jogger-n1627111

I forgot about this story, but...it is interesting; I strongly suspect that if a GOPer did this, he would have been hounded out of office six days after the incident, but... down the memory hole.  Until now.  I would LOVE if Dr. Oz made a comment to the effect that Tim Scott -- or Jim Clyburn --- should be careful walking around the Capitol with a guy like that around.

Sleepy

 Interesting day today... let me start off by saying yesterday I didn't do all that much -- just felt tired.  To be sure, I did some cleaning and ALL of the laundry, caught up on some emails, and even read a book -- it was about the racial atrocities committed by (mainly) the Confederates and the Union during the Civil War.  Quite interesting.  I wonder why the North didn't make more of these crimes -- you know, killing rebels after the war for this sort of thing.  OK, yes, there was the racism, but -- and many people wanted some retribution after the War -- the US easily could have hung people if they wanted.  Odd.  Anyways, that was book 30, and as today is National Read a Book day, I put about 100 pages into the next one.

Last night I crashed hard, but then today I woke up at 4 AM, and could not fall asleep; just laid there.  I finally decided to just get up at 5:15 -- did some paperwork, read some articles, and then off to the gym to start the day.  Can't recall the last time that happened, honestly.  Odd feeling.  I felt it most of the day -- had a couple of extra cups of caffeine -- and now, of course, I am somewhat overtired.

I have to admit:  all of my Internet surfing -- save for a brief period on day one -- after the arrival of WiFi has been done at my computer desk.  To be sure, I have the option to go elsewhere, but old habits die hard...

Recovery

 So, I was at a wedding this weekend, and between that and the Sunday Funday festivities...I did not set the clock this morning, and woke up at 9, feeling shitty about it.  It's true, I think; at my age, it's not that you can't do it all the stuff you used to, it's just that the recovery is...longer.  You just don't pop up out of bed.  Yesterday at Mass I genuflected at the pew (knees to the floor!) and I needed to grab the pew and hoist myself... let's not discuss the walk up to the choir loft.  Let's just say there was no two steps at a time at a bound up, if you get my drift.

Didn't see much of the OSU game (and I really didn't ND was #5, FWIW), but... I would think, for an OSU fan, that is what you wanted to see.  The high-porosity defense seems to have been filled (for now), and that is probably better.  I mean, given the talent on the offensive side of the ball, I would think it more likely that tOSU can better win a game by keeping it close and pulling away late.  I am not saying this is Tressel ball, but two teams going down the field at will, the weaker team thinks it can win, whereas this is more...pressure until the dam breaks.

https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2022/09/bleak-ohio-restaurant-sales-figures-released-as-cleveland-operators-navigate-industrys-razors-edge.html

Interesting but not surprising.  I mean, on the one hand, the restaurant owners are completely correct -- they have labor shortages, costs are going up, and yes, they have to charge more.  On the other hand...well, at a point, eventually, people will eat out less, or switch down, especially at time when inflation affects everything.  This is simply an economic law, like it or not.  When that happens, you will see less foot traffic, fewer guests, etc.  Restaurants have never been an easy industry, even in the salad days, but now...I suspect more places will go the way of the Chocolate Bar and such going forward, like it or not.

The End of An Era

 So, my Athletic subscription expired today, and... I sort of miss it already, given that it is college football season and the best way to follow the sport is to subscribe to a website that aggregates lots of local writers alongside a few national ones.  Ditto for college hoops; their Duke coverage was always pretty solid.  On the other hand, certain other sports I do not follow at all, so...plus, they are owned by the NYT, and one's capital must support one's values.  One of the Fun Runners suggested that given ALL my progressive friends, one of them could subscribe and pass on to me -- as I have so often done for them -- certain articles.  As you could imagine, we all had a good laugh about that.

Speaking of following one's values...

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/09/02/a-right-wing-answer-to-vogue-00054520

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/09/02/mag-weiss-kidsbooks-00053509

Oh, I don't know... one, if you think about it, this is a market-based choice; if you think there is a market for these things (no one watches Fox News, ever, right?), why not try to capitalize on it?  Given that the Left does this all the time, no one should be surprised that the Right is now trying it as well.  My second point is that while on the one hand, no one should have to choose where they shop and such based on politics, it is the left that has went there -- with cancel culture, Chick-Fil-A wars (no one ever eats there), etc., -- so again, no one should be surprised if the Right does as well.  I suspect this is the Left's biggest fear, that some of these ventures will succeed and traditional (lamestream, as the still-unemployed Sarah Palin would say) businesses dominated by the Left will see a hemorrhage of readers/income.  I mean, if the clevelandbaseballteam is seeing a 25% drop in attendance and TV viewing -- and can survive because they make so much money from the media contracts (for now), think of how badly publishing would suffer.  Hell, I sort of want to subscribe and buy the kids' books myself.

https://awealthofcommonsense.com/2022/09/savers-of-the-world-rejoice-yield-is-back/

This is good, but given the inflation rate, I would counsel against saving anything at all, unless you are saving for something... if not, either retire debts (so you will have more spending capacity when things normalize) or, if need be, buy something now (if a good deal), because eventually, it won't be.  I realize I am cheap, and I have debts, but right now I don't even save spare change (used to roll it and turn it in at the bank in the emergency fund).  If not spent at stores, it is added to the kitty when I make a HELOC payment, not that 60 cents every bank trip makes a colossal difference.  Indeed, I admit the effect is psychological (though an extra $20 a year should not be dismissed), but every bit helps...

Finally finished A Generation of Sociopaths.  This brings me to 29 books for the year, well of the pace of 50 I had wanted to do.  Alas.  Anyways, the book itself, I rather liked it.  I think it is largely true, and yes, the Boomers have to pay for what they have wrought.  On the other hand... I think the author doth protest too much?  I don't any other generation would not have tried to do what they did; they just had the numbers to push it through.  Nor do I think all of their misdeeds are that; some of the stuff in the tax code will benefit other generations, for instance, once they start to enjoy their benefits, and in other ways...well, the author is just wrong, such as his look at crime and the supposed superiority of Social Security; if anything, experience shows that private savings, not pensions -- private or government supported -- are the way to go.

Game Change

 So, here I am, sitting at the kitchen table, blogging away... not in the bedroom where my laptop has traditionally been situated.  Why?  Because today I entered the 21st century and got WiFi at Chateau Mattie.  Yesterday I decided not to fuck around with the internet outages and called for the techs to set it up.  To be sure, there were some problems -- they set it up and I could log in with the personal laptop, but not the work one, and then when they reset the system, the upgraded TV package box blew, so they had to do it again...but eventually all systems were go.  And...it's pretty glorious.  Faster Internet, more channels, and, of course... I can be anywhere in the house.  The guy did move the outside box up a bit and upgrade the lines, but he assured me that now...the signals are very powerful.  So here we are.  I have been getting shit upon for my Luddism from friends and family, but... I deserve every minute of it, of course.

https://ourbuiltenvironment.substack.com/p/americas-affordable-housing-problem

Long but interesting.  I think I agree with most of it; of course, there is the matter of intent.  But the general thrust... build more housing, of all types, is the best.  I do believe that people follow Gresham's Law, so we should be careful about who we move where; I guess my years of food pantry experience has shown me that many of these people do NOT belong in my neighborhood, for a bunch of reasons... or, more tactfully, implicit in high property taxes and values are actual values that residents expect to be maintained.

https://washingtonstand.com/news/thats-how-you-get-away-with-it-liberal-principal-admits-discriminating-against-religious-teachers
Hahahaha!  That said...I bet this guy keeps his job, or at least retires with pension, benefits, etc., because unions and such, and they certainly agree with him, explicitly and implicitly.  In the meantime, GOPers should be running ads off this, if they were smart, but...you know what I say.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/30/opinion/why-anthony-faucis-covid-legacy-is-a-failure.html?campaign_id=2&emc=edit_th_20220831&instance_id=70677&nl=todaysheadlines&regi_id=31060267&segment_id=102818&user_id=f914b0e213c5e2b4265494b6d07fe88f
When the NYT has turned on Dr. Fauci...you know it's something.