Excitement

Quite the TV night!  First, the return of Angel Reese at LSU.  I have to admit, it was entertaining, watching everyone fawn over her and discussing what she could have done to get in the Mulkey doghouse.  This could be me, but... I think her message was that "I 've recruited the #1 class -- including post players -- and everyone is doing fine without you" and thus if she wants to stay, fine... but if not, we will be fine without her.  I suspect strongly she will go elsewhere next year, though where... oh, I guess I will go with the Lady Vols.

I spent more time watching the Newsom-DeSantis debate as I am a politics guy.  It was entertaining; the talkovers were annoying -- I wish they could have a SPECTRE-style cutoff for these sorts of things -- but it was good drama.  I don't think anyone won or lost; rather, Ron and Gavin spoke to their bases and there are points for each to run on.  Ron can win on crime and livability (the feces app was awesome); Gavin had some points on the abortion and the LGBT issues.  As several people noted, the concept of the debate was quite cool, and I certainly think we need more of these things; could you see Greg Abbot in one of these, say with Pritzker?

Mid-American Conference to scrap divisions starting in 2024 (msn.com)
Interesting. I don't know; one thing I love about divisions and championship games is that they make the regular season games equally (and totally) important; you have to win them all to be standing at the end.  I mean, people are complaining that we could have (if the Big Ten did NOT have divisions) a rematch of tOSU-UM.  I think the TV people (and Buckeye fans) want this, but as a matter of fairness... do we want that?  tOSU had their chance, lost, and... oh well.  Maybe for the MAC this is a good thing, as you can ensure the two best teams are in the championship, and, if you think you have a chance to get a team to a New Year's Bowl... right now, what, Toledo is ranked 23?  They would need help, though I am not sure that there is any MAC team that would really propel them to the top.

Saucisson to close in Cleveland’s Slavic Village after 10 years - cleveland.com
More victories of Bidenomics!  More seriously, this is sad; I have been there but a few times -- they are good not great, a bit pricey, and their activities are a bit... odd -- but it was certainly nice to see such a business in the Village, even if I didn't think it was quite the fit.  It's a nice little site inside, and I do wonder what they will be doing with it in its next incantation...

Recency Bias

 Angel Reese ban return explained by LSU women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey (msn.com)
I am shocked -- shocked -- that she is coming back for the big matchup on national television.  At least they will have something to talk about before, during, and after the game, which I am looking forward to.

Opinion | I Read Mike Johnson’s Legal Filings. They Reveal a Distinctive Pattern. - POLITICO
I am much less worried about this sort of thing, as for most of the time, people like the author have been...less than concerned about the rights of Christians in the public sphere, so when it is done to them... out comes the clutchable pearls.  To be sure, thanx to the Trump wing of the Court, we have little to worry on that front.  For now.

Is it me, or does Duke have a big man problem?  I mean, Filipowski is fine, but if he has foul trouble... and he is good-but-not-great defensively.  The transfer from Northwestern is... a bit limited, if you will.  I realize the game is moving towards this -- fewer big men -- but I would think Duke, of all teams, would benefit from adding size, if only to complement the outside shooters.  And, as I like to say, there will be nights when the 3s do not fall.  No one seems to have found a solution for that yet.  At least JMU is ranked 22, so that win against Sparty -- their only big one -- seems a bit more impressive.  For now.

Henry Kissinger just passed away.  He certainly had an interesting life -- to put it mildly -- and I think it is fair to say that he had a checkered career.  Now, I would argue that it is mostly positive, but there is the loss of the Vietnam War (a big one).  On the other hand, there is the Nixon-to-China moment, the Yom Kippur War (helping Israel to win, keeping the USSR out), and the fact that he was right on the big things -- the evils of Communism and the need to keep it contained.  

I went to the gym after work and had a good workout, which was fine, but my blood sugar was low -- too low for me to hit the bike, which is a problem.  I weighed in at 186 pounds, which is a problem, and the fact is that I can always use an extra 15 minutes or so of bike time to get some reading in.  I think 75 books this year is impossible but 65 should be... doable.  For now.

Departures and Progresses

 I saw the Macaroon Tea Room in Bview closed.  This is sad -- not only was it a nice local business, but I never got to go there, and it was on my restaurant list!  To be sure, unemployment put a dent in that, but... given that as I am working now, there is no reason why I cannot hit some places, especially if the weather is not so crappy.  Also closing:  my local Rite-Aid.  I got a sense it was happening when I went in there yesterday to get a prescription, and it looked like any New York City/San Francisco retail establishment (ha).  I sort of liked the place; close, convenient -- walking distance, even! -- and they were fairly nice.  I think they are NOT part of the new insurance plan for 2024, so... still, one does not like to see closures anywhere.

Quite the commute this morning.  Funny; I woke up at 6, saw nothing, watched the weather and traffic, went to take a shower, and when I looked outside...it was coming down pretty hard.  The weather people -- for all we may bitch -- got this one exactly right.  Anyways, the trip up 77 was slow and steady -- if a bit perilous -- but once I got onto 480 for a bit the snow...stopped.  Completely.  Now, the roads were still quite sketch (and I am NOT blaming ODOT here; heavy snow during rush hour is a catastrophe for them) but at least it was clear.  Now, 90 was...very meh.  One lane clear, and it was the far left one, which was a problem, because half of the commute...well, Lakewood and the near west side are like the East Side, full of Hope and Changers who can't drive, and there were plenty of people who driving far slower than they should in a left lane, clogging up the highway.  Oi.  Cops never do anything about these people, no matter the weather.  Sigh.  Anyways, I was only a few minutes and made all three of my morning meetings, joy.  Actually, I was full of foreboding and dread, and the ones today were... quite good!  

Comments - Most Americans are better off financially now than before the pandemic (substack.com)
I think this is largely true, but this begs the question:  why are so many people hitting up food pantries and such?  I would argue that one reason is that the wage gains are fine...for those who are working.  As we all know, there are many people who can't, or won't, work, and thus they are excluded from wage gains.  Indeed, the cut in SNAP benefits and such doubly hurts them, as they are less-well equipped to deal with the food inflation.  I am not sure how I feel about this -- let's face it, all these benefits have played a role in driving inflation, and given the hiring signs one sees out there, there is ample demand for people to work; if our clients will not do so -- and I know there can be valid reasons why -- I am simply not going to lose sleep over it.

Snowpocalypse

 Winter storm coming!  I mean, it's not even December, but in a year when we have Halloween snow, this is... not to be surprising?  Unpleasant, to be sure, but... well, let's just hope it is not too bad out west.  This will be a new commute for me, so... we will have to give it a try.  

Busy Sunday -- big Polish fest and then I helped out at the dinner for the priests after the Eucharistic Adoration (yes, I should have gone to the Adoration!), so it ended up being a long day (hence the lack of posting).  But it was nice to help out, do Polish things, eat good food, and be productive, in a way.  I need to do other things, of course.  For instance, the HELOC is now paid off in full, so I can now go and get the bathroom re-done.  I need to find a contractor to do it -- my Facebook query was not exactly successful so we will have to find some other candidates.

Speaking of other candidates, is it me, or is Texas A&M picking the wrong coach? I mean, winning at Duke is no small feat, and he put together some good recruiting classes.  But... Mark Stoops has been a winner for a longer period of time, an SEC coach for a decade, and, dare I say, has a longer period of sustained success?  I think Elko will be fine, and if he has the confidence of the AD and boosters, so much the better, but I am think they bypassed a good coach to get one where the jury is out.

The Long Goodbye | The Smart Set
Myt queue was not as long as this person's, but... I got the sentiment; I often described my queue as something I was interested in or wanted to watch six months ago, and for various reasons I never got around to watching items until many moons later...

Technology, the wonder!

 So... I was asked to come in and help set up for a charity event tomorrow.  This would be fine, but the plan was to do it at 2 PM today... right when The Game was on.  What to do?  Well, the obvious!  I put the game on Tivo and went and did my duty... and then four hours later or so I came home, made some dinner (all leftovers gone, sad), and then turned on the Tivo.  It was a bit of a challenge to not check my phone for four hours, but... as for the game itself, I was surprised; I felt OSU was going to get blown out of the water, but... at the end of the day, they didn't make plays?  No turnovers forced, only one sack, just enough defensive lapses...alas.  Ryan Day, I think, is a good coach -- no Purdue-style losses so far -- but this is a problem.  I don't think he leaves for TAMU, but...

How mathematics built the modern world - Works in Progress
This is a deep read but quite interesting!

The End of Retirement | The Walrus
Funny this came up; my sister has been talking about retirement (she is 64 plus) and I told her that I would never retire, and she was...skeptical.  Now, I am not saying I wouldn't, but as I told her, given my love of money and the fact that I generally work sedentary and mental jobs, there is no reason that I couldn't work for a long time.  Plus, I do like being productive and there is no point in being productive without making a buck.  (Also, the more I make the more I can leave to the Church.  :P)  More seriously, though, the article makes two points -- one, people need to condition themselves that they may need to work longer than they expect.  Two...employers have to realize that people want to work longer and that they are not disengaged and ready to cash out.  I suspect one is more likely than two...

Conveyor Belt Sushi

 Probably should have blogged yesterday, but it was the food coma, the reading, or the general napping.  Yesterday started late; I woke up at 7 AM, took some insulin, went to the bathroom, and went back to bed... and woke up at 10.  I needed the sleep, to be sure, but...anyways, it was nice, and then I caught up on some stuff around here before going to my aunt and uncle's for Turkey Day.  It was quite nice -- just the four of us -- but we ate and talked and caught up and it was quite lovely.  The food was good, the time was fun, and I got some leftovers.  Then I came home and... chilled?  Watched a little football, nodded off, and watched a couple of documentaries from the pile in my inbox (always needed).  Of course I had trouble sleeping last night, which was a problem...

...because I got up at the buttcrack of dawn.  There were some things at Giant Eagle I wanted to get -- 99 cent diet pop!  Cheapish shrimp! -- and I indeed got some; it was funny... I went to the GE in Broadview and there was very little diet pop there, but after the gym I hit the one in Parma and there were piles of it; obviously, people in Parma are less concerned about their health (and teeth).  I did do a gym double today, and got some reading done...which was good, as I needed both!

Favorite niece and I met for lunch at Watami in Seven Hills, the conveyor belt sushi place.  It was... good!  The set up is pretty cool; basically, it's a long counter, with some dividers at intervals, and there is basically a model train track that goes from the kitchen to the seats.  Plates of various things -- sushi, sides, desserts, etc., pass by, as you can take them as they go by.  You can also order various items (they have menus) if you wanted from the servers (who are fairly good).  Those items are run out to you on a little machine that runs on a separate track; it comes to your table section and then you take the plate and send it back.  Quite cool!  Miss and I took a bunch of items (we had to look at the menu to make sure a few times) and the sushi was pretty good!  It was about $20 a person -- not that bad -- and we were certainly full.   Quality family time with favorite niece is always good, especially when we catch up on the family gossip...

Relief

 Funny; not a lot of people were in the office today but I managed to get a lot done (imagine that), even though they let us go at 3.  I mean, I still have much more to do -- lots of long-term projects -- but all I can do is plug away.  I went to the bank and Aldi on my lunch break, and I was surprised -- not as crowded as I thought it would be, and the lines moved quite quickly.  This is good!  The local Culver's was... well, doing a land office business at the drive-through.  This I found fascinating; all the eating tomorrow and people are pigging out today!

I watched a documentary today:  "MLK/FBI," which discusses the secret taping of MLK by the FBI; namely, they were looking for Communism and discovered his...extracurriculars.  Being the FBI, they sent copies of the sex tapes to him and his wife, which, as you can imagine, went over fabulously well.  Per the documentary, MLK sort of cooled off his activism for a bit, but then the war in Vietnam picked up, he started speaking up again... and then he was assassinated (while the FBI was monitoring him), and that was that.  The tapes are under seal til 2027 (for whatever reason) and of course the debate is what will happen then.  What was fascinating to me was the whole idea of the Reverend MLK having group adulterous sex -- repeatedly -- and no one seemed to think THAT was a problem.  I mean, neither in the moral sense or the fact that all of these extracurriculars might affect his public ministry... no one seemed to call him out (privately) on this.  That also seemed fascinating to me.  I am definitely hitting the gym tomorrow as to make sure I can live long enough for these files to be released.

One nice thing about tomorrow:  I have nothing to do aside from Turkey Day, so I can sleep in and NOT set the alarm.  No I will probably wake up at the crack of dawn, but it would be lovely if I could get an actual full night of sleep.

Trying to get a win

 Two days without a post; quite a scandal.  Sunday was actually a busy day -- Mass, gym, a quick trip to my sister's, a visit to my friend in Edgewater, a housewarming party for my friend who finally completed his flip house... anyways, I crashed early and hard Sunday.  I did watch the end of the Browns game, where -- despite myself -- I found myself rooting for the team, even though it seemed like a giant trainwreck.  The city really is a happier place when they win, and that says something...right?  Monday was a WFH day, and a double gym day (I am somewhat fat again, and with Turkey Day coming up...), and a Zoom meeting day.  Oi.  I ended up crashing again!  This is probably not a bad thing -- I need the rest -- but there is much to do.  Hell, I need to read more; I finished book 60 a couple of days ago, and the list is getting longer, even without books temporarily loaned to me by friends.  This long weekend, at least, may provide time for literature.  I am not sure 75 is possible, but 70... probably doubtful, but, you never know.  

The stones left unturned in the Sam Bankman-Fried trial (mollywhite.net)
Interesting; I wonder how much more will be discovered about this, though I have a not-so-sneaking idea that it will be some muckraking journalist -- and not the government -- that accomplishes this.  

Inside Mike Johnson’s Ties to a Far-Right Movement to Gut the Constitution - POLITICO
This is interesting to me, mainly because this convention idea is IN the Constitution.  Considering all the stuff not in the Constitution that has found its way into law, I find it fascinating that liberals would be appalled that someone would want to NOT see this happen.  Not that I blame them, but...  the other thing I would note that the chance of this happening is...well, not very high, for a number of reasons.  

Killing Federal Agencies Is Easier Said Than Done - WSJ
This is also a problem, especially for the GOP, which never seem to actually get a win on this sort of thing.  We promise all the time, but...again, sometimes I wonder what we are doing, aside from trying not to win elections.  I can take the culture war if we would do something about spending, but it seems we try to have both and do neither.

I was supposed to hang out with a friend tonight, but he pseudo-ghosted me (ok, I know we are all busy) and now my plan to see "Napoleon" is on flux.  Getting home was fine, doing a gym trip and being able to watch J! was probably the smarter choice... I can in theory get to bed sooner though I think we all know what will actually happen.

The zoo

OC Duty today and as expected it was a zoo.  I do not think we expected the full level of zoo-ness, as it was a record crowd today --197.  Fully a third (if not more) were out of area, having been sent here from word of mouth or Lord knows where.  I put out cones at noon (when we officially close) to block the parking lot, and of course a few people drove over them; let's just say the "we didn't know you were closed" excuse was not held in great regard (I want to buy spike strips to prevent this).  I had ordered produce for 160, and even with the stretching...well, we ran completely out; to be sure, this is good, but everything is bare.  The carnage in the main food room was impressive, as well.  We got very little meat -- people were getting one sausage til that ran out -- and all of the meat freezers went.  I was too busy to monitor other things but the clothing went well; I saw at least three empty racks depart, which was good.  We ARE closed the rest of the month but December may be equally zooish; we also may need to consider the status of people who come out of the area MORE than once.  Couple of people -- NOT me -- suggested a one time only regular load, then just produce, and then a referral elsewhere.  I am neither for nor opposed to it; hate to see people leave empty handed, but...

Also, I told many people that I had 15 pounds of potatoes and would be eating them instead of meat going forward; that, as you can imagine, went over well, but it should have, especially considering how many of our clients could use a crash reduction in calories, if you get my drift.

At least it was cold but not terribly so; the weather was good and the people were mostly nice; the main thing, of course, is that when we have people out the wazoo, we can't do special things, we cannot fart around, and we have little time for crap; if you don't have the right ID or don't follow the rules -- you get less.  I would think this is common sense, but...

Busyness

 No blogging last night; actually, yesterday was a very busy day!  I had two meetings -- one at noon for some central planning for the future of SVDP, and then our quarterly (of sorts) Regional meeting, which was fairly well-attended.  While it was a bit long, it went well -- much to discuss and go over, and people seemed pleased.  I think we will eschew the winter one and move right to spring for reasons of weather.  Anyways, one downside was that yesterday -- once I had returned home and watched the Tivoed J! -- I crashed hard on the living room flooring, waking up with the lights on and such as 3 AM.  Oi.  My plans to hit the gym this morning were derailed by the sore throat I felt when I woke up at 3.... so I slept in a bit.  I had another meeting today -- the quarterly Hunger Network one -- which was mostly fine; the presentation was about minimizing the stigma of mental illness (I generally think we need MORE stigma) and then there was the usual managers' discussion; everyone is seeing rising demand and higher counts.  Behold the success of Bidenomics!

Inflation is the Lesser of Two Evils - A Wealth of Common Sense
I think this is largely true, yet 1) For many people, especially at the bottom economically, inflation is the worse evil; 2) It really hasn't stopped -- prices are just rising more slowly -- and this is a concern, especially because (as I have mentioned many times) 3) prices never rise as fast as wages.  People, I think, prefer certainly (as much as possible) to crazy, and the continual price hikes aren't really something you can plan for, which is not good.  I think we could have deflation -- though that would cause other issues -- but it would not be that hard to get inflation down.

For a bunch of reasons -- mainly because I have been busy -- my reading pace has slowed.  This is not good, and one reason I am looking forward to the short week next week is that with a couple of off days I can put some time into just reading and maybe plowing through a book or two.  Funny -- a former coworker offered me something to read and while I will probably accept it... it just delays the ever-expanding Matt list.  Sigh.

Disappointments and Bemusements

 Here I am, well past my bedtime, and not asleep, at least not yet.  Honestly, my evening was somewhat...troublesome.  I had a late zoom meeting/call for SVDP, which was fine, and then I got a text from our ops manager -- the order I submitted for the OC was rejected, so no food tomorrow.  This raised hackles, as not only did I place the order, but I had -- mercifully -- a pic of the order registered as submitted.  I took some pictures of the produce order so the volunteers would know what I actually ordered, and conveniently... well, I went over the order with the ops manager and she couldn't find anything wrong with the order, so... we will see.  I submitted it early Monday (5 am or so) but as far as I know there is nothing that says we can't.  Oi.  Yet another thing I have to do tomorrow, in addition to work and Matt stuff, like track down bills and prescriptions.  Ugh.   At least I caught up on some back episodes of J! that I have Tivo'ed, which is...convenient.

I went to Giant Eagle today to buy pop before it went off sale and discovered that they had 5-pound bags of potatoes for 99 cents, which was cheap, so I bought one.  Then I discovered that Aldi had a 10-pound bag for $3.49... so I now have 15 pounds of russet potatoes to eat.  To be sure, baked potatoes with peanut butter are a new favorite (and healthy) but the whole thing amused me.

Mike Johnson is a board member of a Christian publishing house that called ‘monkeypox’ a penalty for being gay - POLITICO
This story also amuses me; as a matter of fact, it is a story of continuing amusement, from the creationism to the counseling business of his wife and now this.  I cannot imagine what tomorrow will bring.  The man also got a short-term extension of the government funded, which eluded his predecessor.  For now.  Quite frankly, I think he can take the sniping while this limps along.  I would like to think that someone over there could explain to the House that the more dysfunctional they are, the harder it is for the nominee -- especially if Trump -- to win.

Dare I say it?  I feel badly -- almost for DeShaun Watson.  I mean, I am not totally sold on his sincerity (and who would be) but it did seem that he, too, was excited about this season and the fact that the team -- despite his injuries -- was winning and being competitive.  This year...well, not so much now, and of course everyone is ripping --with justification -- the contract and the trade.  At work today there had been quite a bit of hopeful talk about the Steelers game, and when the news broke... well, it was like waking up on Christmas morning with nary a present in sight.

Relief of a Sort

 Well, that was a game!  Ok, Duke won, that is all that matters, but... it was a real (and close) slugfest.  All those turnovers in the first half!  Thank God MSU decided not to play the inside game and allowed the Blue Devils to get to the line so many times.  The three-point shooting was meh -- I guess they went down when it counted -- but at least the defense played with... intelligence?  Rotation?  Toughness?  Duke needed the win, and next is the "scheduled the hell out of that one" part of the schedule, with lots of mid-majors in Cameron.  Nothing wrong with that, but...I guess if the time is used to develop rotations, try new things, and see what guys can do... 

Today I was... lagging all day.  While I suspect the heavy lunch we had at work was a driving factor, the crazy and long day yesterday didn't help, as my sleep schedule has been interrupted.  I will recover, eventually, but I skipped the gym after work (to be sure, I had a meeting) and just came home.  Probably wise but now I feel fat.  

I read the inflation data today with interest, but -- and some people seemed to pick up on this -- a slowing increase in prices (especially of food) is NOT the same at no increase, or even deflation (which I do not think could happen, but we could try). Prices are still going up, and they will continue to do so this holiday season (and beyond).  I note -- as we see record crowds at the food pantry -- that everyone is hiring, and that is a part of the equation (along with the Fed and their high interest rates) that no one mentions.  I think about interest rates quite a bit, mainly because I am nearing paying off my HELOC, and while this would mean I start the bathroom, do I want to assume that much debt with such rates?  I mean, I probably will, but...I could start after Xmas and put some money away, which might not be a bad idea...  plunking a down payment on the desk will limit the carnage when I write the next HELOC check.  I mean, I am 99% sure I am hosting Christmas, and if I can get a new bathroom and new carpeting... well, it would be nice in many ways.

Mattie is a sleepy boy

 Long day today; had to get to work at 6 AM for a series of meetings.  They went fairly well, all things considered, but there was a lot to do, a lot to unpack, and, of course, real work to be done tomorrow.  Ok, today was real work as well, but you get my drift.  Then we had our quarterly food pantry Board meeting, where the big issue was spending more on food.  I was opposed to it -- not terribly -- but the Board decided on a compromise position of spending $500 more a month; basically, $2,000 a month from us, in addition to what we get from the Hunger Network, which seems... a lot.  Heck, a lot more than what most other food pantries spend!  To be sure, when I order, we are on or under budget people; others... well, I will believe it when I see it.  Other than that, things are...fine?  Much discussion about the inconsistent produce deliveries.  Clothing distribution (and blankets this month) is going well; we may get winter coats for our local Catholic schools, the mice seem to be much rarer (imagine that), and the late season rush is as expected.

One downside after these meetings is that I have a dozen or so "action items" to handle; follow-ups, questions, budget breakdowns, communications with other figures in the area; I should handle them tonight but I am a sleepy boy and will punt the ball until tomorrow.  Sigh.  Wisdom does cross my mind once in while.

An American Catholic bishop gets a deserved heave-ho from the pope (msn.com)
This is the flip side of yesterday's post, and this too is correct; there are ways to criticize the Pontiff, but it is fair to say that Bishop Strickland has prolly crossed the line.  Again, nothing would amuse more than to see people react in a positive way, though I doubt most care enough.

Randi Weingarten gets educated about exactly who is to blame for the rise in homeschooling (msn.com)
This, of course, is hilarious, and deserved.  On a related vein, there have been a number of articles pointing out that Moms for Liberty lost badly on Election Night, which is pretty much true.  On the other hand... this puts more of the people they campaigned against back in charge of the schools, which means you will see more of the batshit policies coming to the front.  It may also spur more parents to pull their kids out of public schools, one of those rare occasions where "starve the beast" may apply, and, of course, lead people to wonder what they get are getting in the first place.

Trials

 Busy day yesterday -- food pantry duty again and it was quite the zoo -- 171.  We were serving by 8:30 and fortunately the late crowd did not arrive quite so late, so we had NO clients by 11:55.  This was good, as we were able to move more boxes to the main room, take the trash out, take inventory, etc.  All of the produce went (we were stiffed on 1/3 of the order, which "helped") and the meat was largely decimated.  The canned goods were really hit hard, and I will make a large order tomorrow.  We are open only next week, but it will have to cover the first week of December, and we expect the same zoo crowds in that month.  I think we emptied five racks of clothes; can't say for certain, as I am the fastest typer there and I was largely chained to the computers.  Joy... actually, I am able to carry crap and I like to get a sense of how things are going outside.  Alas.  

Fresh revelations contradict Joe Biden’s sweeping denials on Hunter - POLITICO
This could be me, but 1) The man has a reputation for dishonesty and truth-stretching for decades, so this is hardly surprising, and 2) if the press really isn't going to go after him and his team for this, what's the point?  The fact that Politico -- of all people -- is bringing this up is fascinating to me, but...

Fr. Steve mentioned the case of Bishop Strickland at the Intentions at Mass today (a move that was not unexpected by yours truly).  I get a kick out of this, for a bunch of reasons, mainly from the school of "Pope complains that Bishop is too Catholic."  I know this will NEVER happen, but what if people there stopped donating their time, talent, and treasure?  OK, not everyone would, but what if half did?  I suspect that the people who go to Mass regularly and do so are more likely to support the Bishop Strickland school... so what if they pulled a capital strike (if you will) and kept their money close?  It would be a PR disaster if the various charitable efforts of the Diocese shut down now.

I was able to get through some links and articles today but not get to any of the 400 movies and TV shows I should be watching, which is... not good.  Also not good:  I misplaced a library book -- and by that I mean completely lost -- which is rare for me.  I have retraced my steps and located nothing, so I may have to man up, report it as lost, and call the library.  Sigh.  I wanted to really read it, so I could order it for myself at Amazon, but the prospect of buying two books is... unpleasant.

Sports Night

 Duke lost; very sad, of course, but they really had no business winning that game.  I don't they played all that poorly, but...there was a lack of finishing on sooo many plays; really, guys?  A big game, first TV game at home, and this?  Plus, that last play... that was what you drew up?  I realize the half-court is low-percentage, but the three-quarter heave is less so.

Since I am fully employed again, I decided to go to the Kent State-JMU game last night -- two good mid-majors, JMU was coming off the upset of Sparty, and I do like college basketball.  I had never heard of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge, but... anyways, that was a fun and crazy game!  Never been to a game at the MAC Center -- it's nice, not quite as nice as YSU, but nice enough.  Hard to believe it has been 21 years since the Elite Eight team... anyways, KSU is good, but JMU was taller (maybe not thicker) and as we say, you can't teach height.  It did play a role in the game, which was.... crazy.  Two crazy endings!!  The end of regulation was pretty much the picket fence play, with a modification to send the guard around the crowd; you have to defend the high post and that lets a guy creep around.  Quite effective!  The end of first regulation, equally crazy -- KSU had NO business making that three and a defensive stop!  Sadly, the height issue cropped up in 2OT, and that was that.

One thing -- the MAC Center is cashless, which I didn't expect.  I mean, I know kids nowadays have debit cards and no one under 40 uses a check register, but...it does slow up customer service lines, waiting for the readers to go through.  It's not a bad drive -- not as far as YSU, but it's not all highway; you have to cut through Stow and then Kent, and it's like going down Pleasant Valley.  Odd.  Getting through Kent wasn't too bad, actually. 

Funny; they made a comment on tonight's game about how these early marquee matchups are good for the game.  That is true, but wouldn't a game like JMU-KSU also be good for the game?  Two equal teams, two crazy OT comebacks, lots of offensive firepower... I find it hard to believe that ESPN couldn't find a way -- like March Madness -- to get games like this on the bigger screens, even if only for a few minutes, rather than some craptastic beatdown.

Study: Liberal US priests facing ‘progressive’ extinction (pillarcatholic.com)
How terrible...actually Catholic priests.  Who knew?

Is it me, or is the Big Ten setting up UM for a way to avoid serious craop from the NCAA.  I don't know, I can't see Harbuagh avoiding any sort of "failure of institutional control" penalty; of course, he is prolly going back to the NFL ASAP, so... who cares?  Maybe they are trying to keep the players from skipping a big bowl game -- which is a duty of the conference -- but the more I read about this the more I think you have to hammer them, just because of the egregious nature of everything (and the brazenness of it).

Rumble

 Was it me, or was the GOP debate both informative and entertaining?  I think it was both!  Maybe it was the deletion of the unserious candidates, maybe it was the moderators -- Hugh Hewitt is a conservative, and it shows -- or I don't know, but... despite the whole playing for second place bit, it was jolly good!  I think Haley and DeSantis were the winners; the "scum" comment will certainly be viral, while Ron -- on the home turf -- gave his best performance of the year.  I think Scott was playing more to win a narrow primary than a GOP electorate as a whole (may work in SC), while Vivek... I think his calling out the moderators for the Trump-Russia thing was the best moment of the evening (certainly the audience agreed), but the rest... he is sort of the annoying nerdy kid.   Not quite sure what to think of him, honestly.  I like a fresh face as much as anyone, but...

There's One More Word for What Happened Yesterday ... – HotAir
I think this is exactly right, and I am not sure how to handle it, honestly; obviously, no one else does, or we would have solved it.  It speaks horribly of us as a nation if this is where the opinion is, but... then again, as a student of the Civil War, I reflect (with equal hope and trepidation) upon how long it took for the concept of equality to take hold in this country, and how much farther we have to go, eight score years in.  Oi.

I had a series of wardrobe mishaps at the gym today; I changed at the gym in the car (don't ask) and I ended up putting on my pants inside out, which I didn't notice until I was in the gym, necessitating a trip to the locker room to flip my pants.  Then, while bike riding, my shoelace got caught in the pedal, which forced me to stop, take off my shoe, get off the bike, and unwrap the whole thing.  Sigh.  I was quite lucky to get back in time for J!  It did strike me as fitting, somehow, for how things have been going.  

Unsurprised

 Well, I am not surprised -- sadly -- by the election results.  As I told my college roommate (more Catholic than I am), while I am appalled by abortion, the bans are too extreme, voters are appalled, and the result is now that we have more abortion than we would have had before.  I am not quite sure why no one saw this coming and figured out a way to have something -- say, a 15-week ban -- with some exceptions.  I realize we are Republicans, but at some point you have to stop the stupid.  I realize we will try to figure out ways to minimalize this -- and as we have a veto-proof majority, we might be able to -- but on the whole it would be better to not have to do this.  Sigh.  At least the voters legalized pot; at the very least, we will cut down on carbon emissions from all the people driving to Michigan to fire up.

Slavic Village: Old-world traditions meets the 21st century - cleveland.com
This is...nice?  I don't know; crime is something more of an issue here, I think; people just don't want to risk it, especially when there are plenty of other places to go.

That said, yesterday my sister and I had our monthly dinner (for October) at Quisqueya la Bella... it's off Denison, by Pearl.  It is a Dominican restaurant, and we all know how I love different cuisines.  The parking lot is a bit tight, and my sister was amused by the black cat that crossed in front of us.  As for the food, it was good; I had the stewed goat and mofongo, because, well, when else do you get stewed goat?  The goat portion was a bit small -- it was on the bone -- and while the sauce was fine, I would have preferred a bit more...

The Unexpected Coalition That Is Remaking the Republican Party - POLITICO
Interesting, but...will it last?  Will it turn out?  I would like to see it happen more than once before I call it a trend...

Surprises

 Busy weekend, as evinced by the lack of posting.  Food pantry duty Saturday, and it was a zoo; the count was 179, and if it was not a record, it was damn close.  We were open and serving at 8:30, and the last client was served at 11:59.  I must confess that I was relieved by the sound of the church bells sounding noon.  Funny; it was extremely busy but not a shitshow; most of the problem clients were on good behavior or stayed away.  That was good!  We had blankets -- 500 -- and most wanted them; in some ways this drove up the count, as people found out we had them and of course they showed up.  This may drive up the count the rest of the month, and if we run out... we do.  We ran out of most produce (the ubiquitous squash are still there) and bread (also good), and the meat supplies were severely dented.  We expect plenty more the rest of the month.  Sigh.

Yesterday I was at a Baptism -- yay -- and I was fascinated by how many people fawned over the baby.  I mean, I certainly held the boy, but.. do we really want people (family or not) slobbering over a kid?  I know COVID is only sort of a thing, and I am something of a risk-averse person, but...it seems a bit odd to me, even now.

I was working from home today and I was fascinated (and surprised) to discover that the Moms For Liberty were campaigning in my neighborhood for Issue 1 and our local school board candidates (races to which I generally pay but modest attention).  They were quite nice, and I was more than happy to take their panoply of campaign literature, even if they will all go into the recycle bin tomorrow.  As I often say, I do love this about elections in the US; most issues, even now, are still local, and pounding the shoe leather is the only way for a lot of these people and ideas to get their message out.

Veneration

 Quite the interesting stretch here... last night I decided to venerate the relic of St. Jude -- on tour with its only stop in Cleveland -- so after work I hauled dupa to St. Sebastian's in Akron for Mass.  I just made it -- the trek from Avon is far, and the crowd was quite immense, so I had to park and hoof it.  And it was... nice.  Mass was a bit long -- not sure we needed a 30-minute homily with 9,000 people there -- but informative homily.  The relic itself was interesting; basically someone carved a wooden hand and there it is inside, but it was certainly awe-inspiring in front of it.... in so far as one can venerate properly after 10 seconds.  But it was the thought and prayer that counted, and there is something to be said for that... especially now, considering what people did to venerate a relic back then.  A long drive to Akron is hardly the sacrifice.  

Since I was in Akron, I decided to hit a local restaurant on the food list, and thus went south to Luigi's (never been).  It's off of downtown Akron (I took Market in, and it's interesting. you start in a nice place, go through a grittier area, and end downtown), and while there was some parking, it was quite tight, so I ended up parking underneath a bridge.  On the one hand it was lighted and there were people around, and on the other... well, I saw a drug deal going down, and there were all sorts of interesting people about, if you get my drift.  The place itself has an interesting vibe (to be sure, I arrived just before 10 PM); a mix of old-school Italian, college students and younger types, and people looking for a late nite dinner.  It was good; not great, not sure worth $30 with tax and tip, but quite decent and the service was prompt (to say I was slightly ravenous would be an understatement).

Today I had the plumbers over and they snaked the back sewer line (which was jammed, just due to use and time; I joked there would be no more double-ply TP here).  While it set me back $600, it was fixed, it had to be done, and considering that it happens about every five years...well, I waste more money on many other things.  

I had planned on hitting the bed early, but Brandy called -- not sure what I was expecting, but it was NOT helping with her homework, and a current events class, no less.  I have thankfully refined my history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict so that went over well, but a couple of map exercises regarding Russia-Ukraine and China-Taiwan/Philippines... well, it was certainly an interesting and entertaining soiree.

The Decadeslong Travesty That Made Millions of Americans Mistrust Their Kids’ Schools (msn.com)
I always get a kick out of these articles, especially when people bitch about vouchers and homeschoolers; I mean, I get it, but teachers have put themselves in this position....

The Strange Return of George W. Bush - POLITICO
I don't know; after Trump, or even during Trump, all the people who hated the guy suddenly began to say he wasn't that bad, for one.  Two, he was President a long time ago -- not really, but certainly so in many ways.  Three...well, as the article noted, the same shit he dealt with we are doing so now, and as such, maybe people realize there is a bit more nuance there than they first thought.

An early start

Long day today -- I should be in bed.  It actually started last night, when I noticed a puddle of water in the bathroom.  After looking up (no roof issue), I soon discovered that the toilet was leaking.  Grrr.  I was able to shut the valve off and clean up the mess, and then I just put some towels on the floor and went to bed.  I could try to fix it myself, but I decided to just call the plumber and say fuck it.  Alas.  It was not a long rest, as I decided -- despite the weather -- to hit early Mass for the Holy Day of Obligation, because we are NOT Hope and Changers and do NOT skip Mass.  Ever.  Have to admit, one of the joys of St. Stan's is seeing the light pour through the windows at first sunrise, relieving the sepulchral pensiveness with the joy of the Resurrection.  But not today -- it was dark the whole time.  Good to see Fr. Paschal again, even if briefly; maybe he had a date, as I like to say.  Anyways, at least I made it work extra early, as the roads were fine and obviously everyone else went to early Mass.  More seriously, I wonder why they don't move the Holy Day to tomorrow -- All Souls Day.  Not that the Saints are unimportant, but don't we want the pour souls to depart Purgatory?  Just saying.  Of course, with the current (Anti-) Pope, anything is theologically possible (well, maybe not theologically)!

EV or Hybrid? What the Next Decade Holds - The Big Picture (ritholtz.com)
There have been a lot of articles in this vein, and...well, I am not exactly surprised.  Could be me, but there really isn't a compelling reason to get one, is there?  They cost more initially and I suspect most people (especially when everything else is expensive) won't be that interested.  As the above author points out, for quick jaunts they work, but there are a lot of people who drive a lot more, and the lack of charging stations (never mind the unsettled economics of those) makes it even less compelling for people.  Thankfully, the end of the Big 3 strike will make EVs that much more cost-competitive!

Crime spree? Retailers are actually overstating the extent of theft, report says | CNN Business
I don't know... can't it be all of the above?  If anything, I suspect it costs more to operate stores in urban areas (high rents, utilities, more labor) so there may actually be an advantage (even marginal) to cull the herd and concentrate in areas where there are just fewer issues.  Nor do I blame anyone for said choice.

Bobby Knight passed away.  For fans of a certain generation, he was the guy, and now... well, I think few coaches would get away with half of the stuff he pulled (look at Gregg Marshall); with social media, the Internet -- hell even the transfer portal -- players just have so many more options than fear and terror.  I dunno; Tom Izzo seems to have an explosive temper but it also seems that players love him; with Knight you never really saw the love.  On the other hand, his graduation rate was impressive, and a time when guys were committing scandals left and right... well, all of his troubles were external.