Trolling in Every Sense

 Halloween and as always, no trick or treaters (which is fine).  The houses are far apart, the driveways are long, the street is dark, and the next block down is the complete opposite....  alas.  To be sure, I have never been a Halloween guy -- not into dress up, not into fun, and what's the point of getting candy if you cannot eat it?  In other words, a normal night here -- gym, dinner, J!, and some reading.

J!... the real TOC started today, and the trendy dark-horse pick for Champion (Ryan Long, America's favorite ride-share driver) went down... missed a Daily Double and that was that.  OK, I thought the FJ! was the world's easiest (for obvious reasons), but it wasn't that hard, IMHO.  One thing I do not like about the new format:  no wild cards.  (Yes, I hate each and every change.)  In the old days, there were five and four, so there was some...drama?  Strategery? in the final betting.  Now it is win or go home, which is fine -- it is the TOC, after all, but I liked that about tournament play, that good players could advance anyways.  

So... I got pulled over today.  I was in Brecksville, on the way to the library, and I made an aggressive (not to me) lane change (not that anyone was around for a block), and I certainly didn't signal, and the officer very kindly pulled me over.  No ticket, just a warning, easy as can be... but I was still WTF?  Now, if I had papers or something, or was a minority, I am sure it would have hit the fan, but on the other hand...do Bville cops have nothing else to do but pull over white guys in trucks?  This, of course, would have been funnier if not a couple of weeks ago I was taking my friend Davey (my favorite baristo) home (to Lakewood, grr) from the hospital (air cast on sprained ankle)... I pulled over on the wrong side of the street to help him up the steps, and the local po-po cruised by... had it not been for the crutches, I am sure they would have raised hell, but... Davey is a POC, and does not like cops, and was having a mild panic attack...I assured him that not all cops are racist jerks, and the moment passed, but even I was wondering what on earth some of these guys are thinking.  

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/i-identify-as-an-american-indian-alito-appears-to-troll-defenders-of-affirmative-action/ar-AA13AuGO?cvid=6c4ff2f9cd4445bf86f38da39d0daa0f
This would have been funnier if he had presented the question to the lawyer for Harvard, but... I was vastly amused.

Lazy Sunday

 My streak of blogging yesterday ended for reasons, but that was fine... OC duty in the AM.  For the fifth Saturday of the month, it was busier than we expected (to be sure about 15 or so people were those who came thinking this is November already; we just gave them produce).  We did get rid of all the perishables, rotated some stock, and pushed some clothes and garage sale crap.  This was fine; there were a lot of pain in the ass clients...we had some bakery and candy apples (for the kids), and you would have thought they were made of platinum.  I sort of wish we wouldn't pick them up...I know they are free, but...oi.  I am one of the co-managers for November, and it will be busy, due to the compressed month (off for the holidays), people wanting turkeys (good luck), and people tend to notice budgets are short.  Alas.

https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2022-the-crypto-story/?leadSource=uverify%20wall

This is a looong read, but it is good... and informative.  But a but too much of both?  I mean, three or parts would have been more...manageable. 

Today was the annual "selling of the food (and drink) remnants from the Polish Festival," and I was graciously invited to help out.  I did, after the Sunday Masses, and I was pleasantly surprised with how much sold.  All of the potato pancakes, czarnina, and stuffed cabbage went; the last one were in $60 trays of 25 each.  We had about 12, and they all sold today.  Lots of pierogi and booze, as well.  Now, to be sure, future sales will be less lucrative (save for the booze), as we mainly have pierogi left, but a few extra dollars for the Festival is not bad, and it cleans out the parish freezers...I picked up a bag of kielbasa and some cheese pierogi, and might buy more at the future events...

Settlinh

 Here I am, another nice big Friday night home...to be sure, this is not a bad thing.  I had planned to hit the gym this morning, but slept in; I guess I needed the rest.  Then, of course, a busy day -- work and the insurance on this new van -- and to top it off, my blood sugar was low all day.  Oi.  I did meet a friend for coffee (instead of dinner), which was nice, and then home... so this is not too bad.  I suspect I will crash slightly early, and enjoy two nights of seven hours of rest.

One thing I have not done is read; I have a pile of books, but have not started them, as I have been instead concentrating on the pile of Games magazines...trying to finish one and then another arrived.  Not that this is not an equally good form of mental stimulation, but the book list continues to expand exponentially, and the pace of reading is at best geometric.  Alas.  Odd; sometimes my mind works quickly and I get through someone at a rapid pace, others... I tend to jump around, which may not help, despite my general interest in going front to back.  To be sure, one never knows which muse will be on my shoulder on any given day...

Hustle and Bustle

 I should go to bed like, now, but I won't...stayed up to watch "Gutfeld" and their take on the PA Senate debate, and the whole show was...hilarious, so it was after twelve when I went to bed, and then I woke up at 1:45 and couldn't go back to sleep.  Oi.  This was sad, because today was...busy if not borderline stressful.  My car did NOT start, so it had to be towed to the auto shop.  Alas.  But...it turned out it was just a battery -- cheaper than what I expected -- and once I reset the display settings, the Behemoth was as good as new.  Phew.  

The rest of my day...well, work was fine.  My aunt canceled Turkey Day -- a bunch of reasons, all of them valid, and the savings on the canceled hotel room paid for the battery -- but that was sort of sad, as I do like it -- seeing family, my aunt puts out a masterful spread, and I was looking forward to getting away for a bit.  I can, of course, make my own bird, and I sort of know how... I told my sister I could really make Mom spin if I went somewhere and helped serve meals or something.

Next, it was devolved on me to find insurance for the van the OC is (finally) buying.  Mind you, the travails of this purchase are enough to drive me to drink, but that is another post.  Anyways...on my breaks (or on hold) I was able to line up quotes, get the van details, that sort of thing... I managed to largely line up a contender for tomorrow; just need a few more details, and if all goes well I can go on lunch and handle everything.  It wasn't that bad once I got down to it, but...I just love surprises and I think I prefer things...uncomplicated.

Difficulties

 Continuing my trend of First World problems, the cable in my living room is not working.  Gr.  I suspect it is a cable connection issue, as the TV works (I watched a movie yesterday, you know).  I will try and have it reset tomorrow; if not, I have to call.  Oi.  At least the truck will be taken in tomorrow, and hopefully returned the same day...  In other news, surprisingly, the arborists came today -- ahead of schedule -- and removed the problem trees in the back.  (awaiting the invoice, sigh)  So at least that problem is fixed.  In mixed medical trading, my reimbursements are coming in, but my prior authorization for a new prescription was denied, so I have to figure out Plan B.  Oi.

We had our quarterly Board Presidents meeting today for SVDP.  I represented the East (remotely) and I think it went rather well.  I always have a shitload of stuff to do after these meetings -- follow up questions, stuff to communicate to the parishes in the District (and the OC), ideas I want to suggest, and places I want to try and get to to see how they operate.  This is good, mainly, provided I get to everything, and of course not all of my ideas are good, or practical.  But we try.

I watched the PA Senate debate this morning, and... it's painful.  I mean, it's a serious question, but one that needs to be discussed; Fetterman clearly is not capable of running, much less being, a Senator now, and while he is improving...he has a long way to go.  The fracking thing was a gaffe, though I suspect he would have made it if he had been in perfect health.  I am not sure why anyone thought this was a good idea to have him debate, or, for that matter, to complete his run.  Not that Dr. Oz is the strongest candidate, but...I would say he is improving.  It does seem he is learning the issues, making a case for himself, and he -- unlike candidates in other states (ahem) -- has been campaigning since Day One.  Let's hope this debate can push him over.

A Changing of the Guard

I have a confession to make:  I am not a fan of the Second Chance Tournament on J! right now.  For one, I prefer -- generally -- new people getting their own chances to become J! stars, rather than bringing back new people (of course, if they asked me back, I would go in a heartbeat).  More seriously, this could be me, but I am not sure that these people deserve a spot in the TOC.  It's an honor and a privilege to be in one, and I am not sure winning a few games against other fellow non-winners is quite the same as piling up a bunch of wins in real J! (or a tournament).  Just not that impressed with what I am seeing so far... I wonder what everyone else thinks.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/22/opinion/joe-biden-midterms.html?campaign_id=2&emc=edit_th_20221022&instance_id=75430&nl=todaysheadlines&regi_id=31060267&segment_id=110825&user_id=f914b0e213c5e2b4265494b6d07fe88f
I think this is exactly correct (Douthat often is), and while I feel badly that this happened...well, we all saw it coming.  Certainly, the people who caused this will never have to answer for it, which is a problem.

I watched an interesting film today, "One Man Out."  British film from the 1940s, about an IRA man (James Mason), injured, on the run after committing a robbery gone wrong.  I thought it would be "The Informer" meets "D.O.A," but... it was not.  Most of the action is how people react to this wanted criminal showing up unexpectedly -- you can get in trouble with the cops and the IRA, and in consequence no one really wants anything to do with him.  Interesting; James Mason was in it, and I think he was a good fit for the role.

More sadly, my VCR/DVD combo -- my gift to myself in 2005 -- is on its last legs.  The CD player barely works, and now I cannot get the VCR to work, which is a shame... I always preferred the VCR (more durable), and one could always find older stuff in the medium.  That, and I have a small library of films on tape which I could (but don't want to) convert, to say nothing of all sorts of family stuff.  Not sure if I can get it fixed, not sure I want to buy a new one, given all the other stuff I have been buying (or will).  Oi.

A Sense of Progress

 https://lawliberty.org/radiohead-within-the-forest-dark/?utm_source=LAL+Updates&utm_campaign=ce717eabf0-LAL+Updates&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_53ee3e1605-ce717eabf0-72419881

I haven't listened to any of my Radiohead CDs in a while...funny; back in the college days, and after, I loved them.  Now... I mean I guess I still do, and if I immersed myself in them, I am sure they would somehow speak to me again, but not quite in the same way...  I also should probably read The Divine Comedy (even the thirty-three layers of perfection at the end), because, well, that is what civilized people do.  I did finish a book yesterday about the Vicksburg campaign.  It was...ok.  Written by a Southerner and he wrote from that perspective (admitted in the preface).  At times he was interesting (defending John Pemberton's generalship, made some points), at others...he doth protest too much.  Plus, of course, to assume the hated Yankees of bad things while defending Slave Power (to use the period term) is...well, amusing, I would say.  Alas.  36.

I will be able to get more reading done as they cannot take the car til Thursday.  Oi.  To be sure, I can be here for a few days, no problem...heck, I have had more time to read and watch movies.  Yesterday I watched three; one a documentary about the archaeology of the pre-Clovis peoples (i.e., where did all these people come from?).  Next was "The Myth of the American Sleepover," a charming coming-of-age tale.  I liked it; always had a soft spot for these films, mainly because I always wonder why wasn't I running around and having fun.  Finally I watched "American Animals," a story about four people who tried to rob a college of some of their rare books...and how they had a good plan, until, of course, they didn't.  Not that I was rooting for them, but it was interesting to see how they felt it could work.  It was fairly compelling, I will give you that.

Funny; I cleaned out 95% of my emails yesterday.  I mean, I was trying to, and I succeeded, so that is good, but the inbox looks slightly bare.  Still more I could handle, but they are more of the long-term project.  I guess I was just proud of myself for plowing through and handling things, even if they were of modest import.  This same spirit has moved me at work, as I cleaned out some emails, handled some bookmarks, and did a couple of things on my to-do list as a break for my long-term project.

https://awealthofcommonsense.com/2022/10/why-isnt-inflation-falling/

I think this is exactly right.  This could be me, but this could be a thing for Republicans to go over; corporate profits are high, we are paying for them, and the GOP could indeed say "This is enough" and threaten to raise corporate taxes or so -- offering cuts for taxpayers, threaten hearings, or do the other things Congress can "do."  I am not surprised that they aren't, but I would love my newly populist party more if they crossed the Rubicon on this.

First World Travails

 Grr... the Behemoth is having trouble.  I noticed the past couple of days it was slightly more difficult to start the car, and then today... I had to rev the engine and flood it to get it to start.  Oi.  I made it home -- skipped the gym after Mass -- and will call tomorrow to see if I can get an appointment (assuming it starts).  I mean, it's fine -- I have plenty of grub, no need to go anywhere for a couple of days -- but with all of the other expenses I have had (water heater, tree removal)... well, we are well back to square one on debt reduction.  Ugh.

At least, with the prospect of being home, I was productive today... updating the food pantry budget, handled some paperwork, did some emailing of other comanagers, emailed the Conference Presidents for the month checkup... to be sure, all of this I could have done a bit ago (or should have), but I put it off (stupidly) and it was good to do so now... also called the insurance company to go over/fight with them over some prescriptions, which was...lovely?  I mean, it's not awful (another First World problem, if you will) but it was quite the runaround to get a Prior Authorization.  As I often say, oi.

Yesterday I did some errands and then I checked out the Our Lady of Czechostowa shrine in Garfield Heights.  Funny; we have all these shrines in the Diocese, and I haven't seen any of them, and so I decided I should remedy that.  It's a bit hard to find on the penguins' complex; I nave a sense for these things, and eventually I found some stele, which I realized were actually the Stations of the Cross...  Anyways, it's not a very large structure, but nice; very pretty inside, the stained glass windows and the mosaic work is quite beautiful.  It was a bit nippy, so I should return in the summer, but it was a nice few moments of my time to reflect.  Which I should do more of...

With the Anointed

 My blogging streak ended last night; I was hanging with a friend, and then another friend texted me for help with some personal issue, so off I went... didn't get home til after midnight, and I wanted to get to bed, because today was a big day...I went to the JD Vance campaign rally with Ted Cruz at the Thirsty Cowboy in Medina.

Anyways, off I went...the place is huge (never been, always heard of it) and not at all hard to get to; off the 18 exit, but two blocks up...so easy in and out.  I got there about 8:45, and the place was...not full, but full in the stage area; I put attendance at 200. Very white and old crowd... FWIW.  Anyways, Jim Renacci, of all people, kicked off the event; I guess he needs a job like anyone else.  This was followed by about 10 minutes of JD Vance, and he was...fine?  He hit the main points -- inflation/economy, crime, and border security, and the crowd seemed to enjoy it.   Then it was Ted Cruz....and he was quite impressive.  He is on some bus tour for GOP candidates, so this is prolly his 40th speech, but... it was pretty funny.  I mean, he made good points, but there were times he had even rolling in laughter -- Hunter Biden being unable to afford crack, for instance.  It was certainly amusing to see all these people in Trump hats cheering him on (and vice-versa, I guess) but on the other hand...Ted might want to run for a national office again (one can hope, tee hee) and this won't hurt.

I decided -- though it was a bit nippy -- to try the line to meet and greet.  I am glad I did, because I got a picture (with me) of both of them... let's just say that I may temporarily revise my policy of sending as few Christmas cards as possible.  It was pretty cool; their staffs took the picture, but they got two snaps of me with the pair, and it was heavenly.

After sending out the pics -- and getting vomit faces from the Jesus haters in my life -- it was back home to work... cleared a bunch of little things off the docket, always good.  Rode extra long on the exercise bike, finishing book 35:  Tin Can Titans, about a squadron of US destroyers in WWII.  My goal of 50 is prolly shot, but...

A Return to Clarity

 Was off work today, as I had -- unbeknownst to myself -- scheduled two medical appointments on the same day.  To be sure, there is something to this; getting them done all at once, one day off of work is better than slipping in and out, for instance.  But mainly this was just me not checking the calendar (as I so often do) and not realizing I had double-scheduled something (again, which I often do).  

The unimportant news is that my health is fine, and my vision (eye doctor was the second) is unimpaired.  The important news was that I decided to drive home after the eye doctor (she is on the East Side).  Yes, my pupils were dilated, but the rain meant no glare, and I could see well enough... which was true.  I forgot how awful East Side driving is; I know they are Hope and Changers, and nary a Christian in the bunch, but... whoa.  Let's just say it was, yet again, another reminder of how happy I am to have a new job and that I am not hauling ass across town every day.

Anyways, while I got some reading done today, the fact was for a few hours I was a little blurry, so I decided to watch some movies that had been "recommended" to me by Kanopy.  The first, "Benediction," was a recent UK film about the life of Siegfried Sassoon, the War Poet (I read most of their works in college, but that, sadly, was many moons ago).  The movie was...meh.  Very jumbled, and it mainly told the story of him through his same-sex affairs (illegal back then) and his tortured mental state after WW1, which was nice, but... well, I expected more.  War experiences?  His future works?  That sort of thing.  Alas.

The next film was a documentary called "GameStop:  Rise of the Players," and it discussed how a bunch of day traders beat a short-selling hedge fund into losing billions of dollars by driving up its share price.  It was pretty good; funny, because, it took a while to get there, and I was getting impatient, but then I realized that I was doing something that the big firms had done... part of the story was that the company -- left for dead -- was able to save itself during the pandemic.  Some of it was luck, but a combo of cutting excess stores, changing business practices, and realizing that people were home and had nothing to do but game... they were able to save the company, and the people on the ground saw it before Wall Street did.  Which is pretty cool.

Long-Term Plans

 Good day today... got a bunch of stuff done at work, had the arborist over to give me a (good) price on cutting down some of the dead trees in the back yard, and had an extended trip on the exercise bike.  I think I have given up on losing weight; I mean, it's just hard.  I also need to add some muscle, especially in the arms area.... need to add weight, or get a trainer again to set me on the path.  Oi.  I also need to plant trees -- back and front yards -- to replace those that have been lost.  I know it is not priority one (and spending on tree removal is affecting the bathroom replacement) but...it would be nice.  I remember the weeping willows in the backyard when I was a kid, and they were so pretty, and sounded so well.  Alas.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-10-islet-transplant-method-insulin-independence.html

This is good.  Honestly, I have always wondered why more of this has not been pursued.  Ok, the obvious, insulin is more profitable.  But... if the disease is caused by a malfunction in the islet cells, getting them replaced should be something that has to be considered.  I am glad they are working on the worst case scenarios, if you will, but... faster, please!

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/matt-margolis/2022/10/18/kari-lake-goes-savage-on-reporter-for-dubbing-her-an-election-denier-n1638011

This is awesome.  I mean, the more I see of her, the more I love her; the polish, the attacking mentality... it is impressive.  Her opponent, Katie Hobbs, is... well, a trainwreck; not even the not debating thing, but her public appearances...oi.  It doesn't help that Lake has decades of anchoring to give her the perfect media presence, but...  I am in love.

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/10/16/how-desantis-and-florida-republicans-are-reshaping-higher-education-00061980
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/10/14/desantis-greatest-foe-its-hubris-00061211

I see the long knives are out for Ron DeSantis... not that I am surprised, but...one wonders who is pushing this.  Trump and his team?  Some other GOPer (Youngkin?)  I mean, I don't think the average reporter is smart enough to do this; hell, Kari Lake has shown that they can't even do election denying...

Victory, Preferable to Death

 Glorious day today.. well, the usual, more or less.  But tonight some of Team Eleven went downtown to Parnell's to play Pub Quiz... quick; 30 questions, 6 theme rounds of five.  I have to admit, I was a little skeptical going with the weather... it's a bit brisk and wet out there, but, like Kari Lake, I am "Pub Quiz anytime, anywhere," so off we went.  No food, but a Bombay Sapphire and tonic (I deserve it, I lied to myself) and we were good to go...and we won!  Narrow, half-point win, but... we will take it.  (My knowledge of the periodic table helped us get a perfect final round to seal the deal, always a good thing.)  And it was fun -- like I need a reason to escape the house.  Anyways, we all decided to dine afterwards, so off to Hofbrau Haus... 

I had never been.  It was good... huge place; I had heard it was, didn't quite get the scope of it, though.  Menu was broad and had a lot of interesting choices.  I had a chicken sausage and pretzel dish; the sausage came in this large bowl of water (poached), which was visually impressive, but a bit...superfluous.  The sausage was just ok, but the pretzel and the honey mustard sauce were off the charts.  Bit pricey, though.  We liked it, though; I can see us going back -- to both -- soon.

Anyways, yesterday I watched "A New Leaf," a film from the 70s starring Walter Matthau and Elaine May...basically, playboy marries rich heiress intending to kill her, falls in love with her instead.  It was quite good; to be sure, the plot appealed to my sense of humor.  Matthau isn't quite the suave leading man (I think) but he was quite funny, as was May.  Sort of a period piece, but amusing enough.  797 down on the National Film Registry...

Broke down and turned on the furnace (snow?  now?), but I forgot to switch the filter, so I am sure dust is in every corner of the home.  Oops.

https://www.commentary.org/articles/rob-long/late-night-television-conservatives-liberals/

Interesting.  And, dare I say...largely correct!

Excitement

 Should be in bed -- didn't sleep well last night, early rise today -- but I am not, not surprisingly.  Mass was amusing; I was in the sacristy to see who was the priest, and it was our Polish one... he said that I could whatever I wanted with the ciborium and the hosts, he was just visiting.  I told him that I wasn't sure that was the case, to be laughter of the servers and everyone else.  Then the first reading was about Moses and the Amaleks...the text said that Joshua and his people "mowed them down," which seemed to me a modern -- yet not untrue in the ancient days -- usage of the term.  I took the Precious Blood at Communion, as Fr. A is very traditional.  Then, a couple of people noticed that I left the outer door of the tabernacle open just a bit.  I pointed out that ever since the key broke (in the lock), it is a bit tricky to open.  With the inner door closed I think we are ok; now, at least, someone could get a finger in there...though everyone else will probably close it.

I finally finished Cultural Amnesia today -- 34 for the year -- and while I enjoyed it, it was a bit long, and the essays tended to wander from the source, so...I will not be sad to return it to the library.  The next few are a bit shorter, and maybe I can spend some more time reading them, too...

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/hunter-biden-laptop-investigation.html

Honestly, I don't know what to think.  Ok, I think he is a slimeball and guilty as sin, but... you can easily make the case that the given the chain of evidence and all the people who have seen and handled this thing, something may be off.  It does not absolve the MSM of ignoring the story, but there is enough there to cast doubt (not particularly serious doubt, though) on the whole thing.  Just saying.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/there-s-only-one-group-to-blame-for-how-republicans-flocked-to-trump/ar-AA12Xmhy?cvid=6d733efd77d3413db034b7bc4d63cf88

Interesting, and I think both points are correct.  One, GOPers saw how the press treated them, and acted accordingly.  Now, I suspect Trump acted this was since Day One (except when they fawned over him as a businessman and tabloid fodder), so this was not a leap for him.  But for the GOP electorate -- which has longed for politicians who would fight back for years -- this was a revelation, and they reacted accordingly.  I am not sure it is radicalization but -- as I like to say --  a reaction to something different than the usual Thurston Howell type we trot out every four years.  

Revocation

Last night I went to a technical death metal concert -- the headliner band was Revocation.  My good friend Nick is a fan of the genre, wanted to go, and you know me -- I love to try new things -- and off we went.  After dinner at Momocho was cancelled due to the immense crowd (should have thought of that) we ended up dining at Hola Tacos in Lakewood (quite good, actually!) and then hoofed it to No Class... which was about right.  Basically it's a bar with an attached empty area for a stage.  It was odd; we arrived between bands one and two, and there is no backstage or anything; the crowd parted or went outside for a smoke and the departing band took their stuff off the stage (by themselves) and then the next band came and set up.  Very minor leagues of music...and these bands literally play every day.  Being econ nerds, the two of us made some...depressing calculations as to how much these guys actually make.

The show itself was...interesting?  Loud, for one.  Brought earplugs, didn't use them, but maybe I should have, as my ears were ringing a bit after.  I had heard that the lyrics are secondary to the music -- all about the guitar riffs and all -- which is good, as some of them were a bit...Satanic.  (Insert Church Lady reference here.)  I wasn't sure how much was an act and how much was real, but it was...odd.  If I fall down the choir loft steps tomorrow and break my neck, we will know God was not pleased.  I tried to listen to the bands before I arrived, so I had some idea of what I was getting into... I also think I was the only person there without any ink or piercings.

But it was fun...and I maybe would go again.  

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/dearborn-school-board-chaos-as-muslim-parents-clash-with-lgbtq-speakers/ar-AA12Y0ks?cvid=bb47ba01207747d1800d4c2810d25df1

This, as you can imagine, amuses me.  Every other time people complain about this sort of thing they are portrayed as Christian wingnuts, and now, when the Muslims are involved...well, people get a little circumspect about that sort of thing.  It's been pointed out on the right side of the Internet, but no one is asking the press about it, and they should...

The Tin Star

 So, I was channel surfing after J!, and I suddenly discovered that "High Noon" (one of my favorite Westerns) was on, and of course I had to watch.  Now, mind you, they were running a documentary about Carl Foreman (who lost his career) and Elia Kazan (who cooperated with HUAC) and the backstory with the movie (and "On the Waterfront") -- the choices they made and what happened.  My first thought, of course, was that this had better not interfere with my love of "High Noon."  Thankfully, it did not, but one thing I couldn't help but notice -- tacitly avoided, I am sure -- was that a lot of these guys were Communists and few, if any, ever regretted it.  Even after all of the revelations of what the regime was...

Fortunately, the documentary was... mostly fair, and then it was on to the movie, which of course was awesome.  Funny; I was about 30 when I finally figured out the implication of the hotel clerk asking Will Kane if he knew the way to Mrs. Ramirez's room... anyways, the movie really has everyone in it.  Lee Van Cleet is one of the bad guys; a young Lloyd Bridges is Will Kane's young deputy; Harry T. Morgan is one of Will's friends who abandon him, and Sheb Wooley (the coach in "Hoosiers") is Frank Miller's brother.  It's a Baconesque fest!

Anyways, God proceeded to smite me for doubting my love of my favorite Western by giving me an above-the-knee Charley horse exactly 45 seconds after the movie ended.  To be sure, I got it under control, but it really hurt, and it is still a bit tender now...I am not sure why I get them, and certainly above the knee, but it is not fun (not that I don't deserve it).

To The West Side

 Is it me, or is the story out of LA and their City Council...hilarious?  I mean, I suspect a good share of political talk behind closed doors is exactly like that (well, maybe not now). Certainly people talk that way about their rivals in real life all the time -- I say worse about Democrats and UNC fans (among others) before I go to the bathroom first thing in the morning, quite honestly.  Of course, that these are Democrats (and POCs) slamming other minorities is simply the icing on the cake.  I sort of hope the Ron DeSantis people would run ads in CA about this, just because they can.

Good day and night today... went to the other (but good) side of town to my friend's house to order my Boy Scout popcorn.  Only, of course, to support the Scouts, and not because I could polish off the entire bag in one joyous but ultimately regretful setting.  I arrived there and was immediately reminded why I do not have pets and why no one will ever nominate me for Mr. Sensitivity.  But it was good to see Andy, Diana, and Jack, even if I am...corrosive to good child-rearing practice.  Then it was off to the mall to buy a new wallet.  My old one died and I found one, but... it was one for people who don't use cash, which, of course does not describe me.  So after two days of that experiment...  

Then the evening took a foul turn.  When in Westgate, one hits the Chick-Fil-A; it is election season, and as every time I eat there, a Democrat dies, and we need to eliminate as many voters as we can.  This, of course, is not true, as Democrats vote for decades after they die.  Anyways, you can imagine my horror when I saw that the place is closed for renovations!  I had visions of hate nuggets and Nancy Pelosi's legs poking out from under a house.  Alas.

Since I was there, I decided to hit the local Fitworks.  I always like going there; it's big and roomy, plenty of machines, and the place is full of hotties (including some of the women, ha!).  This is largely good, as who doesn't like eye candy, but seeing all these well-chiseled physiques and people who could kick my ass without breaking a sweat (including all of the women) is not exactly good for morale.  Anyways, it was back and shoulders today, not sure that wise, as I am still a but sorer than I would like to admit, but the workout was good and I rode the bike some (getting through 40 pages of Cultural Amnesia, which continues to hold my interest, despite the length).

Former poker player dominates on Jeopardy!  Yawn.  :)  More seriously, the TOC starts next week, and it is always one of my favorite times of the year, for a bunch of reasons...

Recovery

 For all my talk of a lost weekend, yesterday was a lost day.  Sunday at the Festival I fell -- forgot to sweep the greasy floor the night before -- and while I avoided major injury...well, let's just say that like soup, the hurt is better the next day.  I probably didn't need to wake up at 7 AM (low blood sugar alarm), snack up, and decide to lift.  Anyways, I was sort ALL over -- especially the back and arms -- to the point that I popped an OTC pain pill last night.  I mean, I am always tired after the PF, but this was...not that.  I even napped, and while I enjoyed dinner with my sister (the family tradition was lunch with Mom at Panera to go over the Festival), I prolly should have been in bed, or something.  My sister has been reminding me that I am not as young as I used to be and cannot do the things I used to do, which I appreciated about as much as she did when I called her Mom every time she said that.  It is a loving family.

Today I slept in (til 7) and skipped the gym (bad); I feel much better but not totally healed.  Eating PF leftovers, while delicious and frugal, is also not helping; need some healthier fare (soon).  Work was quite busy and in consequence of doing 14 things at once, not all were done, but tomorrow is another day.  My boss was slightly amused by my pulling hair out over not getting the list done by yesterday.  I think I am not used to this new work concept, even now...

Tonight I went to St. Adalbert's -- the one in Fairfax -- where they are starting an SVDP Conference.  Didn't see the church, but saw some of the school (impressive complex) and met the team -- they seem like a good bunch, and I (along with the rest of the leadership) was able to pass along some pointers and ideas for future work.  The area needs the help, and I hope I can do my small part in providing it.  I think if we can get two more up and running...well, it would be a missionary start.

Yes, I missed the Ohio Senate debate, but I saved it, and will watch soon.  Not that I need help in divining a candidate, but as a politics junkie, it would behoove me to watch my own race.  

https://www.pillarcatholic.com/steubenville-diocese-could-soon-face-merger/?ref=The+Pillar+Post-newsletter

Interesting....

The Lost Weekend

 So, this past weekend was the Polish Festival, and as always, I was in the thick of it.  I baked 11 trays of brownies (next year it will be 10), I went Thursday to help pre-cook, and went in early Friday and Saturday to help the Polish ladies prepare.  And, of course, I was in the kitchen all weekend, making pierogi (mainly) and helping out with other stuff.  I am...tired.  But, I will admit, things went very smoothly this year -- we have good crews, even if the styles are a bit different -- and in some ways I am just beat to death.  I will probably shower again, and my digestive system is letting me know that it is not used to this, but...I don't feel like I want to die (yet).  As for the Festival itself...it was good, I think.  We had good crowds all weekend -- didn't sell all the food, but not that much left -- and I hope we made decent money.

It was funny... last night, after catching up on J! and getting the laundry done (not a full load, but I don't want that stuff stinking up the house), I was making out my errand list, and hitting the bank was one of them.  Then I was like oh shit, they are closed... oi.  I will survive of course -- stores are open, other things can happen -- but I did want to get change and stuff (I have three dollars on me or so, as I don't need any for the Festival) but that will have to wait.  At least I reminded myself to remind all of my Italian friends to celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day, which is good enough for laughs...

A Series of Unfortunately Petty Events

 My life has been one of constant motion!  Wednesday, of course, the plumber came, saw the old heater, and promptly gave me a quote (and installed) a new one.  I've already mentioned the fiscal carnage -- all of the progress I have made on HELOC reduction was eliminated in one fell swoop -- so all I can say is that for all of the cost... I cannot complain.  Water temperatures have been variable the past few months, and when I finally took a shower this morning... well, it was nice and soothingly hot.  So that is good!

Of course, in the afternoon, the mouse stopped working on my work computer.  Plugging it in to the personal laptop revealed it worked fine, so it was something else... the remote IT guy suggested a cordless Bluetooth mouse (after walking through install and the how it works part).  I got it today, and... it does work.  Quite impressive, actually; I just have to remember to shut it off.

Continuing the theme of minor catastrophes...I cut the grass Wednesday, and it was long overdue and I figured why not, it was a nice day?  Anyways, in the back, one of the old dead trees is now partially uprooted and leaning against a live tree (on my side of the line, thank God), so now I have to that done.  Oi.  More expenses; yes, I could leave it, but I don't like to do that, so.... 

 Made all of the brownies for the Festival Wednesday and today.  I decided to try something new; I made the brownie part for all five sets (each day) all at once -- right after the other -- and then made the frosting and the chocolate topping.  Normally I would make one whole set and then start another... I think this new way is faster and at the least it is more contained.  It did take a while to get it all done, but all sets are made and I can have some leisure, hahaha.

Duties

 Quite the day today... woke up early to virtually attend a sustainable agriculture symposium, which was interesting; had to take a lot of notes, which I did by typing, instead of writing, and I was glad I did, and there ended up being a lot of content.  There were several more meetings today, as we are starting new stuff, and I even managed to finish a project.  And all was good.

Until, of course, I went downstairs to get something, and stepped in a trail of water...which I soon tracked to the hot water heater, which was leaking.  Oi.  It's quite old, and a call to the plumber revealed that it will have to be replaced (a permit has to be pulled, too), and while this is fine -- shit breaks, it gets fixed or replaced -- I immediately sighed.  I mean, I have been very assiduous at paying some debt down, and... this is an expense that blows a hole in that plan.  To be sure, it's manageable, and I need to do it, but... I think we all know how I feel about spending money, no matter the cause.

Tonight I trucked out to Solon to meet the SVDP Conference at St. Rita's.  One, I had not been out there, and while it is sort of far, it's all highway, and then you are in Solon, which is... well, it's not quite Hudson, but it's damn close.  Two, I knew all of the people there, from my work at the OC, but it was still good to meet everyone officially as East District President.  Lots of good questions, asking about their ministry, future plans, that sort of thing.  I have only two more conferences to go, and that will be difficult -- no one seems to want to meet, for a variety of reasons -- but I will not stop trying.

Bros and Vehicular Hos

 I realized something else about the new WiFi set up today.  Namely I don't have to work in my cold bedroom in the winter; rather, I can work anywhere in the house -- such as the dining room, or under a blanket in the living room -- and I can still be connected to the world.  And it will be glorious.

In other news, this amused me immensely:

https://redstate.com/bradslager/2022/10/03/hollywoods-latest-box-office-bomb-is-your-fault-according-to-billy-eichner-n636562
I don't know...most men won't watch rom-coms unless they have to (I can't recall the last one I have seen, and I have probably seen a bunch by my need to go through the NFR), and they certainly wouldn't see one about gay men.  I also suspect -- strongly -- that a lot of women don't want to see one about two men falling in love (ditto for lesbians).  So, this leaves...gay men?  Assuming 4% of the population is LGBT, half will be gay, so... maybe six million people to watch a movie?  So, at $10 a ticket -- most likely $15, given where the LGBT community lives -- that gives us... 320,000 tickets?  So, five percent of all gay men watched "Bros."  And the community is bitching about it.  I mean, who did they think would watch it?  Oi.

It's the one-year anniversary of "Let's Go Brandon," and I have to admit... it's still funny as hell.  

I had my haircut in Lakewood today, and... people out there drive like crap, by which I mean the East Side.  I don't how many times I came close to seeing brush the Behemoth, four cars double-parked in the lot and elsewhere, and my trip to DQ to get a Blizzard (low blood sugar) was delicious but almost coronary-inducing.  I realize they are Hope and Changers, and could use a good dose of the Let's Go Brandon spirit, but for a while there I thought I was back on Mayfield or 271.

A Creeping Sense

 Busy weekend, and here I am not, tired but not tired enough to go to sleep.  So here I blog.

Is it me, or is  OSU ranked too high?  I mean, the offense has been impressive, the defense has been fine, but... they haven't really played anyone, have they?  ND was a big name, not so much.  The wheels have come off the Badgers' season so quickly that the coach was fired (and a generous severance to boot).  Putting 77 on Toledo or 49 on Rutgers (I don't believe for a minute the fake call wasn't on) is just score-padding, in my book.  For all the talk about Pedophile State and Michigan playing no one... the same can be said for tOSU.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/5-reasons-for-democrats-to-still-be-concerned-about-the-midterms/

Maybe?  I guess to me the big one is the GOP enthusiasm; I don't think it has went away since the Dobbs decision, in all honesty, just that it was overwhelmed by the cacophony on the other side.  The ad spending is nice -- though the idea that we should be outspent is ludicrous -- but the main hope for the GOP has to be in getting their people to the polls; not only in OH but in WI and PA (where it seems they are still a bit divided).  As with most things, we should pull this off, but probably will not.  Oi.