Resurrection and Death (of a dream)

Well, the day started well.  I slept in til 7, which was fine, I guess; then it was off to Mass, which was quite full... and exceptionally beautiful.  As I have said, we do Church well, with trumpets and timpani and incense.  Mass was a bit long -- Fr. Alex (the new priest) was a little long today, which is a problem at 8:30 Mass, because the Polish crew (for the 10 AM Mass) likes to arrive extra early...and their arriving to a full church and parking lot was not something expected.  Of course, part of it was the crowd; lots of people needed Communion, new faces in the pews (I traveled a bit more today, always good), and I certainly felt I was going to have a repetitive injury distributing Communion.

Then it was off to the gym -- surprisingly crowded, ok, maybe not that surprising -- and then home to change and pack up for the travels of the day.  This brief respite accomplished, I was off to the west side, where I took Communion and babcia to my new Polish friend (she was happy to see me!) and then to my cousin's for meal and fest... which was fine.  My cousin made a lemonade pie -- a mix of concentrate and vanilla ice cream -- which was quite refreshing; I had seconds, and not something I do often (the gym will be visited extra tomorrow).

Then it was back home to watch Duke...lose.  A first half was effective, but the second half... the team went cold.  Dumb fouls.  Too many turnovers.  The defense sagged... and that was that.  Alas.  While no one can complain about a trip to the Elite Eight... well, this one is going to sting a while.  NC State has been on a roll, so there is that.  Alas.  I guess my pledge of getting my nails done if they win out is safely deep-sixed, so there is some silver lining in this.  I realize, of course, they will not fix this, but they do need some size and HEFT in the middle.  Ryan Young is a fine role player, but... watching the big bodies of NC State run through the middle... sigh.  

At least the trips to the godchildren -- many of whom are also Fans of the Brotherhood -- went well, even if it was a bit sepulchral.  Gifts distributed, children (no matter the age) thrilled, parents not so much...the way things are supposed to be.  Now we are home to... catch up on stuff that has not been done the rest of the weekend.

Can This Forgotten Anti-Poverty Progam Be Saved? | The New Republic
Interesting.  One thing that always fascinates me throughout this trip in the world of social justice is that for all of the talk about solving the "benefits cliff," no one actually does it; I have no doubt that it will be difficult, and mistakes will be made, but it can't be that hard to try something new.  Funny thing is, it could be done in a bipartisan way; Dems would get more benefits in some cases and GOPers could get, say, people working while reducing benefits to those who don't work.  Again, the point of a compromise is that everyone gets a shit sandwich...

America Made a Huge Bet on Sports Gambling. The Backlash Is Here. - WSJ
I am not much of a gambler, and as you all know, grew up in a family of them, so I am not really surprised by this.  The chasing the money, the blurring of the links between acceptable and unacceptable behavior... this could be me, but people making threats against coaches and players over prop bets should be prosecuted -- harshly -- to teach them a lesson.  Of course, in this day and age of everything is a mental illness, it wouldn't take long for some enterprising defense attorney to claim that the better isn't really responsible for their actions.... and some idiots in the jury box will believe them.

Who wouldn't like prices to start falling? Careful what you wish for, economists say (msn.com)
Dare I say they protest too much? I think we have an issue of banks NOT lending because interest rates are too high; people who can afford to buy houses with cash will do so, but everyone else is sitting on their hands.  Lower prices would help a lot of people on the bottom of the scale, especially for such items as gas and food.  Wages need not rise so much if prices fell, but people wouldn't mind; I think the costs are what cause the angst, and a series of small raises would be ok...

Busy as a Bee

 Busy and exciting day!  Met a friend for coffee, helped with the passing out of goods to the homeless for a bit (despite the rain; I put the odds of walking pneumonia at 50/50), then met with the contractor's designer to go over the details -- flooring, cabinets, that sort of thing.  The lady was nice -- she noted that I am more the decisive type, steered me out of frat-house style decisions (i.e., a towel rack) and noted that I seemed to know a lot about bathroom renovations... that first career came in handy, I guess.  Then I hit the noon basket blessing at church (I rather like the tradition, but it was a bit brief!) and subsequently off to hang with some friends.  Their Jack Russell terrier puppy -- which is always active to begin with -- literally molested me at every step of the way; I think it smelled all the consecrated meat products from church.  Let's just say that I do NOT need a dog.  But it was fun to catch up.

Interesting day of hoops; I don't think I have ever seen a 30-0 run before; hell, UCONN didn't even do that to Stetson.  It was interesting, as it seemed that Illinois completely forgot how to play defense, not rotating, letting people run amok in the lane, leaving guys open.  After a while I couldn't even tell if it was a coaching decision or the players were just... confused.  Odd.  At least the second game was much closer.  I also drifted to watch some women's games; Duke played like absolute crap but help on against UCONN; LSU -- with Kim Mulkey all fired up -- will face Iowa in an Elite Eight matchup Monday, which is must-see TV.

Washington Post Kim Mulkey Piece 'Hits' - Personal, Not Defamatory (outkick.com)
So, I read the article -- twice -- and... well, I am not sure it was all that bad.  Certainly not good, in some ways, but... I don't know, what I found most admirable (in some ways) was her reaction to her father's leaving them; not saying it is right but... she feels quite strongly about it -- and deservedly so, I think -- and she seems to place a high value on loyalty, albeit in a Trumpian sense.  It does seem she doesn't like lesbian players, which would make coaching women's basketball a poor career choice.  For a while I thought that maybe she was trying to protect her players at Baylor -- a slightly conservative place, if you will -- but given how many players seemed to have an issue, I think it is something else...  It was something of a hit piece -- players seem to like her, she wins, that sort of thing... I would liked to have seen more of that, if only for fairness and balance, not that I expect that from any paper nowadays.

Fulton County DA Fani Willis plans to take a lead role in trying Trump case - CBS News
Interesting choice.  I think it is the correct one, in some ways... but on the other hand, I can see how it could backfire... any combative witness (like Trump or someone else) could point that she is a hypocrite, value-challenged, and hardly unbiased.

Pope Francis Faces Growing Revolt (msn.com)
This is probably sacrilege on Easter, but on the other hand...one should expect Catholicism from the Pope, shouldn't we?

Why did we wait so long for the bicycle? (rootsofprogress.org)
Fascinating article, and I think the last part -- the materials processing -- played the largest part.  Not that people didn't want an alternative to horses (which are expensive to own and maintain), but a bike was also an investment, so you needed to be able to make it cheaply and quickly (so it could be mass produced).  I mean, the funny thing is that it was only a generation or two before we had the automobile, and once that happened...people used the bicycle mainly as an exercise tool.  Though I guess now it is making a comeback...

An Exceptionally Good Friday

 Yesterday I didn't blog...odd.  Felt meh yesterday.  Not sure; could have been the spiritual experience of the Holy Thursday Mass, which was... quite nice.  Our new Indian priest said it, and for all the pssspss about him, he was... quite nice.  His accent was there, but he was quite more understandable than some of the Polish priests we have had.  Homily was a bit long, which is odd, because.. well, the service is long.  Foot washing is back -- I avoided it -- but did have EM duty, which was interesting -- new faces as ALL Masses were there.  But it went well, and I liked sitting in the normal place, watching the people take apart the altar and then the procession to the side altar to "hide" the Blessed Sacrament.  Today I went to noon Stations, and it was quite full -- 50 or so, including some of the Polish community (Polish Stations are at two!).  

One odd thing...on the one hand, I am not a fan of the general coffee-klatching after Mass/Stations, especially as it is Holy Week.  On the other hand... plenty of people don't see each other that often, we have tourists (I was talking to someone from New Philly this afternoon), and I think if conversations are being quiet, brief, and (if possible) in the back...it's ok.  And, given the older age of the people...well, quiet is aspirational.  I don't know how I fully feel or how to fix it... it was a bit loud in front, but on the other hand, some of it was people explaining stuff, and that is... fine?  As I often say, if there is one thing we do well at the Shrine, it is... church.

They added sweet corn hush puppies at Holy Name this week, and... wow.  Impressive!  $4 for 9, not a bad deal.  The place was packed -- not many parishes are open -- and those who got the puppies... well, I was doing some math.  If they can make 200 servings, and make $2 each, that's $400, and seven Fridays... well, that's a collection there, and nothing to sneeze at.  I hope it is on the menu again next year, and not just once... and, of course, the guys there are working their way back to sobriety...

After a killer workout, it was home to make kielbasa (but not eat it, not exactly good planning) and boil eggs (I forgot to get the Easter basket out of the attic) and then...watching that scrappy team of underdogs -- Duke -- against Houston.  I was worried -- Houston is more of a physical team -- and at first I thought they would get blown out.  There were too many turnovers, of course -- thank God Houston can't make FTs -- but they rallied.  They played tight defense.  They broke down the Cougar defense -- ball rotation -- and, aided by a key injury, came back...and held on.  I thought they would blow it, but...phew.  Not that the next game is any easier...

America's Political Realignment Is Real (freebeacon.com)
Yes?  Maybe?  I think I would say not so fast, and not so much, but...

Hushed Limbaugh - Taki's Magazine (takimag.com)
Interesting.  I wasn't sure what to think at first, but... I think this guy gets it right.  Also... Rush was funny; how often would you turn on the radio and get some gasbag.   I think a lot of GOPers sounded like William F. Buckley, which is fine, but not all the time, especially when you are working and such.  People need a break from the serious, and Rush could do that...

I bombed Korea!

 I did some culinary tourism today and went to Mochinut, a Korean corn dog restaurant in Westlake.  It was... interesting.  It's definitely fast casual in vibe; they have corn dogs with a variety of coatings (flaming hot Cheetos, ramen, cereal, etc.) and fillings (mozzarella cheese, mix), as well as donuts (Korean-style) and boba tea.  It was... good not great?  I mean, I liked it; I had a cereal-coated dog and a ramen-coated one.  The latter was better than the former though ramen would be tastier than bran flakes.  The donut was also good -- lemon cheesecake -- and quite sticky.  That said, the dogs took a while to cook...they said it would take a while, but...it took a bit.  I know I skimp on lunch and am ravenous at dinner, but..  Also, it was a bit heavy on my stomach -- been feeling it all night.  Not that I eat like that all the time, but... maybe, of course, I should.  :)

In the meantime, this is the last "normal" night for a while; tomorrow is Holy Thursday, then Good Friday, Holy Saturday (my streak of NOT attending Mass that night will remain intact, ha!), and then Easter.  Yay!  At least the weather should be improving, as this is my favorite holiday of the year.  Duke plays on Good Friday, which might be a challenge to my sense of holiness, especially if things go... poorly.

Is There Something More Radical than MAGA? J.D. Vance Is Dreaming It. - POLITICO
A bit long but good.  You know, there is much here to like -- the idea that we need to re-position our party, that both sides have profited from the decline of the average American, that we need a fundamental re-think of many things...funny, of course, how they portray this as... bad?  Awful?  Revolutionary, in a wrong sense, which it is -- to the people who have brought us to where we are now.

Biden’s New Math: 25% = 100% So Free Lunch for Everybody – MishTalk
This could be me, but considering the number games schools do to manipulate the counts for, say, athletic divisions... I can only imagine what will happen once people realize there is actual money involved.  Left unsaid, of course, is the idea that people should be able to feed their own kids lunch most of the time... this would actually be a GOP talking point, that Bidenomics has left us that parents can't even send their kids to school with a peanut butter sandwich...

Celebrations

 Took a day off from blogging; not that I wanted to, but instead I met a friend I hadn't seen for a while for coffee, and we ended up chatting and such for nearly three hours.  By the time I got home and did some things, it was time for bed.. considering the sleep-deprived nature of the weekend, it was worth it, though I did not get nearly enough.  Sunday, actually... sometime after the Houston game, I fell asleep on the floor.  I woke at 5 AM with the light on and me still dressed.  Whoops.  I just shut off the light and rolled over for an hour.

Yesterday I also managed to watch "Maya Lin:  A Strong Clear Vision," a recent addition to the National Film Registry.  It was... ok?  The parts about her design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (and its controversy) were interesting.  Some of the other parts -- about her other works -- were...meh?  I don't know... not much into landscape art, I guess.  Anyways, this gets me to 830 on the list, which is...something.

Today I went out to dinner -- I decided to use some of the pile of gift cards so off I went to Bonefish Grill.  It was very good; for all my disdain of chain restaurants, I must admit that the better ones do do better on the details -- good service, soup was good, dinner was cooked perfectly.  You are paying for corporate consistency, but it is worth it.  Not quite culinary tourism, but... anyways, another reason for celebrating was that I paid off a balance transfer, so, aside from the mortgage, I am debt-free.  To be sure, in a few weeks that will change -- immensely -- as the bathroom work begins, but for now... retrenchment and reform!

Video of Biden effigy beating prompts calls for Kansas GOP leaders to resign | AP News
I don't know...could be me, but the burning of people in effigy is one of America's oldest democratic customs, and to see it fall completely off the map... in addition to the potential First Amendment violation, I think these sorts of things need to be brought back...would GOPers -- aside from Trump -- care if he was burned in effigy?  I somehow think not.

Weezer's Blue Album: The oral history - Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)
Interesting if depressing -- I still have the album and love it, but it pains me to realize that it -- and the glory days of my youth -- were 30 years ago.  Those vampires might be on to something...

Trump gagged again - POLITICO
This is something I want to see!

Victory!

Duke -- both the men and the women -- made the Sweet Sixteen today.  The men... well, the Brotherhood really put the stones to the Dukes.  I am not sure that the torrid shooting is sustainable, but... I will take it as it comes.  The defense was quite solid, too -- forcing turnovers, shutting down the outside game, and scoring off said turnovers.  I will paint my nails -- a la McCain -- if Duke wins out!  The ladies -- down 15 to tOSU -- came from behind and scored a big win in Cbus, which might be the more impressive win (given strength of schedule, if you will).  The games today have been fairly good as well,. with Bama-GCU being competitive til the last minute.  The SEC has NOT had a good tourney, while the ACC has four teams in the Sweet Sixteen.  And UVa.

LSU Coach Kim Mulkey Fires Away Again, Calls Washington Post Writer 'Sleazy' (outkick.com)
I really can't wait to read this article; it has to be good, otherwise she would not be going pre-postal.  As it is Kim Mulkey, it could be anything...  some scandal from Baylor?  Criticisms of her spending habits?  Something else?  Crapping on her again about the Britney Griner situation?  I mean, the woman is... different.  No one doubts her success (for now) but she does have this way of doing things...

Palm Sunday today; Lent is almost over, hard to believe.  Small crowd at Mass, I thought, though it seems people are creeping to the back of church (odd).  I heard some parishes were rationing palms, but we did not, though they did have a sign out warning us that the palms had not yet been consecrated.  I waited til they were... this reminded me that I have a couple of years of palms I need to turn in...

I tried to go to St. Vitus for their Palm Sunday dinner; I mean, I went, but forgot to pre-buy tickets, and they were all sold out... on the one hand, I get that, on the other... well, cash is cash, and we all know how I feel about not making money.  Better news... I have befriended a Polish lady from church -- largely homebound -- and she is back home after a stint in the hospital and rehab.  I visited with her a bit -- took her Communion, a consecrated palm, a welcome home present, and we just chatted and caught up.  I could tell she had a good therapy plan -- she is older than my Mom and can really move; I had to warn her to NOT go too far from the walker, which was... nice.  I wish my Mom had been more mobile...

Excitement

Man, that Oakland-NC State game was...incredible.  Oakland really had to win the game at the end of regulation, because... well, you had to assume that the superior talent of NC State would win out, and... then, even after their big men fouled out, I think one of the TV guys made the point that by going smaller, NC State would spread it out, and that would help their offense... and that is exactly what happened.  Alas.  In the meantime, the Zags blew out a depleted Kansas (Bill Self nicely attributing the loss there) and the Tar Heels handled MSU (as expected).  Sad to see Duqeuesne lose, too; Keith Dambrot seems a bit young to retire, but... 

Food pantry duty this morning; I looked at the snow outside and was like...really?  But I put on a long sleeve shirt and an extra sweater and while it was cold, it was manageable.  It was actually cool; crowd a bit low (early rush, late rush, and a gradual crowd in the middle).  We had a lot of produce -- some of it I would NOT have ordered -- which is a problem, as we are closed next week.  We even put some stuff out there, but the clients would just not take kale, lettuce, or other healthy things (shock).  Alas.  Again...just because it is free... oh well, the ordering crew can take it to the dumpster next week.  We are closed next -- Easter is coming -- and that will help with the budget and the ordering, as we will be fully stocked for the month.

Let’s hang it up on polling. In election after election, they get it wrong: Letter from the Editor (msn.com)
This could be me, but wasn't part of the problem that the PD wanted to believe that Matt Dolan was that close to pulling it off?  I mean, Dolan is their kind of Republican, but certainly not that of most of the rest of the party approves of... for all of their shitting on Trumpers, I would argue that his candidacy represents (for better or worse) the views of most of the Ohio GOP, and that his endorsement did matter...

Survive and Advance

 Two days without posting... well, Wednesday I was tired and just crashed, and then yesterday... busy day, meeting, and, of course, March Madness!  Someone was able to put the Oakland game on their tablet so those of us who are fans could crowd around, and -- as a Duke fan -- I was very sad to see UK lose.  The fact that Oakland was led by a transfer from Hillsdale -- America's other Christ-centered program -- was wonderful.  And, Yale beat Auburn.  The SEC is not having a good tourney, so Greg Sankey will call for the elimination of all mid-majors.  I mean, I guess he is doing his job, and that's fine, but at the end of the day, while people can talk... no one should listen to the guy.  

More fortunately, Duke won today, in a game that went largely how I thought it would; Vermont is a good, deep, veteran mid-major, and they played well.  Duke had a few too many turnovers and missed too many FTs for me, but... it appeared that the plan was to double Filipowski -- wise -- but to me he played extremely well without scoring; excelling passing, good defense, and kept them reacting to his moves.  The rest of the boys picked up the slack, but... the next game will be more of a challenge.

Only 27 Boston Markets Are Still Standing (thetakeout.com)
Dare I say this is sad?  Mom and I used to go there... well, sort of often; it was good but a bit pricey.  I think the Net has it right; before the grocery stores could offer a rotisserie chicken, Boston Market was the only place to get it -- either whole or not -- and I loved their sides.  Bit it was pricey, and the food dropped off a bit, and we began to go elsewhere.  I haven't been to one since Mom died, and I cannot imagine what one would cost now.  I sort of want to drive by the one at Ridge Park to see if it is open (the Net says no).  

Also sad:  Fridrich's Bicycle Shop is closing; after the Fleet Bike News... I took Mom there a few times to get her rollator walker fixed -- the brakes on them are like a bike -- and while it wasn't hard, you had to get there when they opened so they could fix it on site.  Mom was always fascinated by the area -- a mix of craphole and nice new places -- and the whole who wants to live there bit, but they did fix it...

Inflation at the Grocery Store - A Wealth of Common Sense
Mostly correct; people are paying more for food -- getting less of it -- and people notice it, and I am not sure that at the lower end of the market people are doing better.  Certainly if you make less... your wages won't cover the hikes in food and utility bills.  (Not everyone is as cheap as me.)

Bernie, Bernie

So, Bernie it is... it appears he has crossed the 50% profile, which I am a little surprised by.  Let us not doubt the influence of the Donald!  I guess maybe I am not that surprised; again, given the RINO perception of people like DeWine and Portman, I suspect that their endorsements probably hurt Dolan more than helped him.  Can he win the general?  I don't know; the primary was brutal, Sherrod has plenty of money, and he is the incumbent.  On the other hand...Ohio does lean a bit red; can the party come together and support him?  They should, of course...

Busy but good day (mostly); lots of meetings and such, several new assignments, and several research targets.  I just hope I have the time to complete them all... 

Watching the second half of the "Dante" special on PBS, and the story of how the last stanzas of the Paradiso were found...reminds me somewhat of the tablets of Moroni.  Not saying it didn't happen, but it seems a bit...fortuitous.  Of course, maybe it was finished and things were just...hidden.  Not that I wouldn't necessarily blame his sons for "assisting" with the completion...or maybe I am just more cynical and skeptical tonight.

The often silent and surprising history of devotion to Saint Joseph – Catholic World Report
Interesting; funny, I noted it was the Feast of St. Joseph this morning and then with work being what it was, I forgot it... until this evening.  I have always been fascinated by the iconography of the Saint, as if people figured out that this story of the Virgin Birth was a bit... skeptical, and hence we needed to make it plausible, by making him older and giving him a long and wonderful back story.  Considering the many "similarities" between Old and New Testament, maybe I am not giving our ancestors enough credit.

Decisions

Being the diligent person I am, ALL of the pools are filled in.  Men, women, NCAA, NIT, CBI, CIT; you name it, I filled it out.  Each of course is filled out differently, my own form of arbitrage.  One pool, of course, is a Duke pool, but the others could be... well, anything.  The chance of my winning anything is of course equal to my winning the lottery or getting married, but, as with so many other things, is not the fun in the trying?

Snow this morning!  And all day!  Quite impressive, sort of; very chilly out there, and while I don't think we got an inch -- if that -- the snowplow made a visit on my street about an hour ago.  I know it is Ohio and still winter, but after the good weather of the last few weeks, this little outbreak was... impressive in its own way.  I see it will be colder this week, which is not good... I guess it will long sleeves for another week.  I may as well get the laundry done, as it can dry in my enclosed sauna-like bathroom.

I watched the first half of the PBS special on Dante.... interesting.  I have only read a small part of it, and just the Inferno, but from what I saw...maybe I should check it out.  I guess I always liked the part about shitting on his enemies via poetry,  but he was also creating modern secular poetry, love stories, and new Italian literature.  

I still have no idea who to vote for tomorrow; I could use the weather as an excuse, but that's not really acceptable, and I would hate to break my streak of not missing an election.  I realize I will probably do the Archie Bunker strategery of always voting against, but in a three-way contest, you might have to vote for someone, and that is a problem...

More craziness

The brackets are in and... meh?  I mean, I think this year -- as with every year -- they got some things right and some things wrong (Indiana State is out, UVa is in key among them) but the main thing is that there is never any sort of serious pushback from anyone about this.  I realize the NCAA Selection Committee is as thankless a task as any (like being a District President, snark) but... someone be able to call them out on this.  I mean, they are getting on teams for poor strength of schedule, but... this really affects the mid-majors, who NEVER get a power conference to come to them, and God forbid they want to play a home game.  Anyways... as for Duke, I think the Committee got them largely right, and while I think they can handle Vermont and Wisconsin if they play well... therein lies the rub.  I guess no one has much confidence in Greg Gard.

The games today were interesting; Brown really pissed away the game against Yale, though you do want the higher seed to win in these mid-majors.  Then, in the A-10 Championship, It was Duquesne -- with Keith Dambrot, formerly of Akron (and SVSM), versus VCU... coached by Ryan Odom.  I was like, wasn't he the guy from UMBC, and wasn't he at Utah State?  He had been there for two years and came back east...I guess that works, but for everyone who complains that players move too much....

Somewhat amusing to me was the butthurt shown by St. Johns -- and that paragon of moral virtue, Rick Pitino -- and other teams, like Oklahoma and Pitt, who squawked about being left out of the tourney and thus are NOT going to the NIT (thus freeing up spots for some mid-majors).  I don't doubt that they have serious beefs (see above) but not playing seems a bit...petulant.  Funny; Tom Crean (of all people) had an impassioned bit about this (as if he ever does anything without passion) and it was...well, I hate to say I agree with the man, but....  In other news, tOSU to the NIT and CSU to the CBI.  This is good; I wish more people paid attention to these games, but I guess it is like a bowl game on December 20; something to watch if that.  Alas.

In on the Joke: The Comedic Trick Trump Uses to Normalize His Behavior - POLITICO
Largely true?

Mike Krzyzewski Implores People To Stop Complaining About NIL And The Transfer Portal (outkick.com)
I realize there are some of you who I think I am too slavish in my devotion to the man, but I think he is...wistfully correct here?

Craziness!

 Crazy day of hoops action!  Akron-KSU was insane...more seriously, wouldn't Enrique Freeman look good as a Duke graduate transfer?  Too much toughness, I suspect, to be seriously considered, but when I look at role players they bring in... not sure what you lose here.  In the meantime, #1 seeds going down, Temple forcing UAB out (stealing a bid!), NC State in, Brown expelling Princeton (Sweet Sixteen last year, remember?), and the fired Dan Monson going to the Dance anyways.  Awesome.  And, Jake Diebler will keep the tOSU gig, which I suspect is the right decision.

Early day today; I pinch-hit at the OC today, as the co-manager was ill and I had offered to help...so I did.  Honestly, it was...surprisingly slow.  The count was 106, and after the AM strafe (and a usual late rush) we mainly had dribbles the rest of the shift.  Odd, as the weather was good.  We did empty two clothes racks and then some, and cleaned out the produce, but... I expected more.  Hunger Network sent a helpful volunteer -- wanted to use the computer -- and the clients were mostly friendly.  I mean, servant leadership is what we do, and... there are worse ways to spend a Saturday (even if I had planned to do other things).  

The Fani Willis thing....a lot of people on my side think she should have had the book thrown at her, and while I do not disagree... I also see the point of letting her stay on, as it would be an equally political decision to throw her out.  I sort of like this; force her lieutenant off, remind everyone of what a clusterhump the case has become, and.... let the thing twist slowly in the wind.

The Madness

 Is it me, or is Duke not going well?  I mean, yes, I think they should be 32-0, but the last two losses... not very good.  Listless, lack of passion, what?  I realize that yes, NCSt is playing for its tournament life, and yes, everyone plays up for Duke, but...they really should have handled that team with ease, and instead...meh.  Most depressing, and it does not bode well for the NCAA Tournament.  I didn't get a vibe like that of Kansas -- conceding the tournament to get healthy for next week -- which I would have understood.  Not sure what is going on.  But it is concerning.

Did a gym double today, and it was glorious.  Couldn't lift -- people were on the racks -- but I did legs in the AM and a nice back/shoulder mix this evening.  It felt wonderful and I need to do it more!  Even did some reading tonight, which is good.  I finished book 8 -- a biography of Revolutionary War general Daniel Morgan -- a couple of days ago -- and am trying to finish the next one, a 500-pager about the shift in global power from the Uk to the US.  Interesting; the author's point is that it wasn't a straight decline; rather, the US expected the UK to run many things, and the reverse was true, and everyone wanted to do it on the cheap (with the other side picking up the tab).  It is a bit dense, but...informative.  Not sure I can finish tomorrow, but...

I went to St. Stephen's on West 57th tonight for dinner; it was quite good, actually.  The fish wasn't dry (you would be surprised) and moderately flavored, the cabbage and noodles decently flavored (shredded carrots in the mix).  Indeed, they were quite... potent later on, if you get my drift; not a lot of living insects in the car/house.  And you got a decent amount of for $12; it seems the Bidenomics has not hit here yet.  

Contractor visit today; very comprehensive -- it was the guy I originally wanted -- and I am guardedly optimistic.  To be sure, there is the cost and the time, but... he seemed to hit the main points (redoing things, pulling permits, budgeting where appropriate, etc.).  In some ways I should have just walked in the place a few weeks ago, but...

Not only is the list of bookmarks saved lengthy, I need to start going through some movies and shows I have wanting to watch; hell, I have yet to get through the archived J! episodes from this week.  Most depressing, though on the other hand, another evening of exciting hoops action... well, stuff is just not going to get watched for a bit, is it now?

Limping Links

 Has it been two days since I posted?  I guess so; no reason why I have not, just the usual -- watching hoops and trying to get to bed early.  Last night was a bit rough; couldn't sleep (the Big Sky final was oddly compelling) and then at 3 I woke up to my low blood sugar alarm going off... followed by my getting an intense Charlie horse.  I ended up in the bathroom -- I often feel dehydrated during these events -- and my leg gave out... I almost fell in the toilet, but caught myself.  I eventually had some water, a snack, and some elevation, but... it was not a joyous 20 minutes.

Monday night I was supposed to hang with a friend -- he cancelled -- and then the same thing happened Tuesday.  I guess I get it -- at my age, sadly, there are times I do NOT feel like leaving the house (especially during March Madness) but two in a row was unsettling.  Last nite I met a friend from church for dinner and I of course was NOT cancelling (ha); we ended up chatting for a couple hours.  The locale (my choice, my side of town) was Thai Gourmet in Independence... it was ok.  Not as good as Lotus Thai House, I would say... not that it was bad -- certainly not! -- but the difference was between an A and B, if you will.  I probably should have cut it earlier to get home sooner, but... work has been busy -- in a good way -- so it was nice to escape for a bit.

Cleveland’s Fleet Bike Shop in Slavic Village closing after 50+ years - cleveland.com
This is sad; mind you, I have never been inside there, but the place has been there forever, and yet another business on Fleet is shutting down... to be sure, the man deserves a retirement, but... 

GOP infighting in Ohio could blow the party's shot at flipping the Senate - POLITICO
I don't know; I think they are correct in assuming that a bruising primary doesn't exactly mean disaster in the general, but knocking off Sherrod Brown is going to be tough.  Left unsaid (mostly) is that I think a lot of GOPers do not like any of the candidates.  I am not sure that the DeWine and Portman endorsements help Dolan that much -- they are sort of seen as RINOs, let face it -- and I think the people most likely to vote in a primary are those who would NOT be moved by them.  Will the GOP electorate that loves Trump love him enough to support Moreno?  I think so but... I am not terribly convinced about him as a candidate, either.

How Overpaid Are State and Local Government Workers Compared to Private? – MishTalk
I think every government worker is overpaid AND underworked, so... yawn.

politico.com/f/?id=0000018e-0e31-dba0-abcf-4eb75a210000&nname=playbook&nid=0000014f-1646-d88f-a1cf-5f46b7bd0000&nrid=ccfeb898-0174-47bc-8200-846bade79d2d&nlid=630318
Good stuff here!

Replacements

 Medicaid Expansion Was Supposed to Pay for Itself, Instead Hospitals Are Closing – MishTalk

You would think the GOP would campaign on this more; one, because the rural hospital closures affect healthcare in those areas (and not that we need more votes from there but of course we do), but also because this is something that goes against the "if you like your healthcare you can keep it and save $2,500 a year" plan that has yet to occur.  Indeed, we are now paying more to support Medicaid expansion.  Again, one way around this would be for some GOP governor to put a tax on Obamacare plan holders to support rural healthcare; I realize it might be unpopular for some, but if the Supreme Court has said it is a tax...well, Democrats like to pay taxes, don't they?  I think it would be funny as hell, actually, if someone forced a Dem to explain that a closed hospital is NOT keeping your healthcare.

In the meantime, plenty of exciting hoops action tonight; the SoCon was entertaining, the Sun Belt game provided everyone to come up with reasons why Appalachian State is not Tournament-worthy (their RPI is a bit low, but certainly the committee knows that good mid-majors can't get people to play them, right?), and the Vikings came up just short in the Horizon League tourney.  Funny; they were the early game in the tourney, whereas the late game -- which did NOT feature the #1 seed -- got the ESPN2 treatment.  Odd.  You would think these people could manipulate the schedules to get the best teams on the best TV channel, but... no.

Interesting day of work; I always joke about the morning strafe, but I sort of had one today, and projects kept coming in...this is good, to be sure, but it was certainly different.  I intend to complete them all tomorrow, God-willing, but just to do some research and investigation was... a pleasant reminder of my first career and how much better things are now.  It was also a less pleasant reminder that the vacuum cleaner -- inherited from Mom -- is beyond saving and needs replacement.  I can assure you I do not want to do so (for myriad reasons) but as adulting is hard... it will have to go.  Such is life.

Hooping it up

Crazy two days of hoops in the women's game (shouldn't we just be calling it basketball?  asking for a friend...).  Yesterday was the SC-Tenn game, where SC won it at the buzzer by a three...by a young lady who had never made one before.  The look on Kellie Harper's face was priceless, though... in her defense, I think she was trying to prevent the other playmakers on the team from being open.  She took a chance and, sadly, it blew up in her face.  But I am not sure she deserves ALL of the flak she was catching.

Today, of course, there was the big brawl in the SEC Championship, where it obviously does mean more.  The fight near the end of the game was...impressive.  All of the bench players who got off the bench and got near the action -- all but one player -- were ejected from the game, and the two players who fought will miss the next game.  For a while, they were reporting that ALL players will miss that game -- the first round of the NCAA Tournament -- and while I would like to think that SC or LSU with only five players...still, it was something to see.  I thought Dawn Staley's comments after the game were... well, spot on. 

Also, kudos to Stetson; not only did the Hatters -- in a thrilling game -- advance to their first ever Big Dance, but they also showed everyone how to safely courtstorm; staffers were there with some rope to keep the crowd away from the Austin Peay bench (though I will miss chants of Let's Go Peay).  It seemed to work beautifully, and if they can do it in the ASun, I suspect a power conference can figure it out.

Church today was quite sparse; not sure if it was the weather (which was not that bad but quite unsettling to see snow, and the wind didn't help) or the new clock schedule... funny, a friend last night noted that in this day and age, when the clocks are automatically updated on the phone, it shouldn't be a big deal anymore...and he is right.  I admit that I had to reset my watch and the kitchen stove clock (and the stripper alarm clock) but on the whole... it wasn't the chore it was when I was a kid.  Behold the wonders of modern technology!

I did note Joe Biden apologized for calling the murderer of Lakan Riley "illegal," and the right-wing blogosphere exploded, as it should.  Now given that he is a Democrat -- and Joe Biden -- he is beyond embarrassment, but this is a bit much, and I would think -- if we had any brains -- we would be running ads till Doomsday about this.  Of course, we are Republicans, and...

Sadness

 Well, that was a catastrophe.  Ok, not really, but... a Duke loss to UNC in Cameron is simply not good.  To be sure, they looked like they were going to be run out of the building early, but battled back... you can't defend Cormac Ryan going 6-8 from 3-pt land, but you can make FTs, play better defense, etc.  I have trouble seeing them making a deep run in the tournament, but...  one never knows.

Funny; I had very little to do today -- no food pantry, no other stuff.  I paid my taxes, ran a couple of errands, hit the gym, and did some contract work... which was good.  I do like being productive and remaining knowledgeable about all of my fields...  one amusing thing.  I bought pop on sale at Acme (the 2-L bottles), and I asked for them to be in paper and plastic.  The young man behind the register put all four pops in a paper bag and then put them into the plastic bag... with immense difficulty, of course.  I tried to explain to him to put the paper bag (flat) in first and he looked at me like I was insane.  I got a kick out of this because I can pack a bag of canned goods in 94 seconds... and that's not the way to do it.  Oi.  I guess I am the reason why groceries stores want use to use cloth bags, but...

Melt founder Matt Fish on Independence restaurant’s closing: ‘This one stings a little bit for sure’ (msn.com)
Bidenomics in action!  More seriously, we were all a little surprised when it closed; it seemed like it was always busy, and from the article, it was... but they weren't making much cash.  I think this is a problem -- the article in the WSJ about expensive cheeseburgers also was demonstrative -- and there is no good way out of it, save for... either people stop eating and these places close, or they adjust, but... it's difficult to do so, and the restaurant industry has tight margins as it is.

We lose an hour of sleep today, and while I will enjoy the extra sunlight... I get as little sleep as it is, so... this is not the best scenario.  Alas.  Maybe we nap tomorrow!

SOTU

SOTU tonight -- as always, I was at my friend's SOTU party.  Dare I say he gave a good speech...mostly?  I think he did a good job, at least in the first half... but you could clearly tell -- and I am speaking as someone who is a mushmouth -- that as the night went on he was stuttering and slurring his words more.  I know he has a tendency to go long and such, but... shouldn't he recognize that and make sure he gets through the speech, doesn't bs through the line, etc.?  Anyways, I thought it was fairly good -- speaking about infanticide, wages, taxes -- though he really didn't answer the Lakan Reilly issue, which could be a problem, especially as Trump seems to have a lead in this.  The call for teachers to get a raise -- again -- seemed odd; one would think some GOPer would demand that US students see their test scores reach the levels of achievement before the pandemic before we start handing out money.  And, if I can say... I like a SOTU with yelling and shouting and a lack of decorum.  I guess I have seen too many Question Times with the Prime Minister and to me that is...more impressive.  Never been a part of the US political scene -- Congressmen gave speeches to each other, and only the Confederate Constitution allowed for Cabinet members to sit in Congress (to take heat for President, though that was not the intent).  I think we lose something without it.

Democrats pushed climate action. Then utility bills skyrocketed. - POLITICO
This is also amusing, and, again, some GOPers should be out there pointing this out and calling out Democrats for causing this.  Gas prices are up as well, and you would think someone out there would be running ads.  Odd.

Election results: Democrats should be terrified about California in November. (slate.com)
I am immensely skeptical of this; I mean, I want it to happen, but... one, part of this is CA's odd jungle primary, which means that you can see stuff like Democrats burying each other in "rigged" elections (ha, Katie Porter!) to obtain favorable circumstances.  Now, it could be that Steve Garvey -- Dodgers and Padres star, not too conservative, not Trumpy -- is the ideal GOPer for CA, and while he might still lose big in the general... it will be slightly more difficult for Dems to draw a MAGA hat on him, and that might help the GOP in a general.  But I would argue that in 95% of the time, Dems come home to Dems and vice-versa, and...

The Powerful Constraints on Medical Care in Catholic Hospitals Across America - KFF Health News
This could be me, but shouldn't people know -- by now -- that a Catholic hospital is going to require you to keep a baby?  I would argue that this is a powerful incentive for my usual idea -- that the Church should take the idea of "A Day Without a Mexican" and make it a week or month of "A Week Without the Church," and shut down all the schools, hospitals, food pantries, shelters, etc.,  Nothing would amuse me more than a cavalcade of the indigent heading down to where progressives congregate and telling them to handle this.

Foodie-ism

 I've been talking about doing a restaurant visit for a while, and so tonight after work I did one -- Taki's Greek Kitchen in Avon Lake.  The computer said it was three miles from my work, and it was on my list of places for "the best Greek food in Ohio."  So...off I went.  And it was... good?  I walked in and I was the youngest person there (save for the hostess), which -- given my advanced age -- is a problem.  Service was slow in getting to me, but efficient when I finally got served.  They start with pita bread -- hot off the oven, obviously, but the green pepper hummus spread was... meh.  As it was a Greek place, I went with the braised lamb shank.  It came fairly quickly and was hot... not spicy but hot in terms of temperature; I could barely get it down for a bit.  But... it was good!  I am not sure it was $40 good, but... it was a cut above.  Also... going to Avon Lake...just as built up as Avon.  I can see why people live out there; nice homes, all of the comforts of suburbia, few Hope and Changers...

Nikki Haley "suspended" her campaign today; I told a couple of progressive friends that this would happen, and it did.  I am not sure she had a path anyways, and without a few wins, and she was doing was wasting time and money.  Alas.  I am still a bit surprised by the hold the Donald has on the GOP electorate; there are some things that surprise me, like the creepiness and the felonies, but he also speaks to a lot of what we in the GOP now believe, and he has been the only candidate to speak to these things.  Can he beat Biden?  I don't know; the polls now say yes, but that is... now.  Wonder how the SOTU will go... the timing is certainly odd, to say the least.

Went to bed early last night, but had trouble falling asleep and then woke up early, so... oi.  I am going to try it again today and hit the hay soon, and maybe if I can get into a rhythm, I can actually get some rest tonight.  Not bloody likely, as we say in the Fun Run Bunch...

Not-So-Super

 Super Tuesday, and while I guess I am not surprised that Trump is winning all...I mean, I prefer the idea of multiple candidates still around and vying for votes across the country, or at least part of it...the main thing, I guess now, is whether or not Haley will drop out, or keep going.  I am not sure why she is carrying on, save for vanity or a future run, but... will she last until Ohio?  I will guess no, but...why not?  If she has the cash... in the meantime, I am wondering as to the effect of the anti-Moreno ads running.  He has to put up some new ones.  I think Dolan will still fall short, but...maybe we can get a visit from the Donald to help seal the deal.

An Only-Child Boom Is Beginning. It Gets Complicated When Mom and Dad Age. - WSJ

I read this and I felt immense sympathy... I am not an only child, but I know plenty, and... I feel their pain.  In some ways, I was an only child...but at least my sister and I get along very well, and, mercifully, my Mom didn't really require serious care until the last few months.  But... this is a problem.  On the other hand...as I have often said, modern science and medicine has figured out how to keep people alive, but they didn't figure out how to teach people to live.  Affording retirement, caring for yourself, that sort of thing... I think a lot of people just never planned for this, and this is the result.

What does it take to convert office buildings into housing? - Marketplace
This is... quite good, and more people should read it.  I guess in my first career -- where I studied this stuff for a living -- I was familiar with the issues, but, as we all know, most people are just not.  Alas.

Sinema is NOT running for re-election... did it ever occur to anyone that maybe she read the writing on the wall and realized she can't win?  I guess if I was Kari Lake I would be concerned; I would have thought she could easily have won a three-way race -- Gallego and Sinema would split the left and center-left vote -- but I think she will have a harder track to get it done now.  To be sure, the race will be determined by the national trends, and if Biden wins AZ, Lake will lose.  It is that simple, for better or worse.

Catching Up

 I guess I didn't post yesterday... no reason, save for the fact that I was doing stuff, sort of; worked on my contract gig, watched "Bar Rescue," caught up on the archived J! episodes, and watched "Bamboozled," one of the latest entries in the National Film Registry.  It is a Spike Lee film about... the return of a minstrel show.  Yes, indeed.  It was funny... at times.  I think I see what he is doing, but I really think his films tend to hit where they were supposed to miss and vice versa.  And it was a bit long.  Anyways, 829!  Yes, I do need to start ordering and watching the new releases.  Actually, I just ordered one now, which is the best way to force me to do it... not that I mind.

I realize that this is the TOC (I think I prefer the old format with wild cards, but so be it) and the last couple of games the categories were not my favorites, but... I didn't hit 40 Thursday or Friday, and I barely got 41 today.  Never mind that a Celebrity J! winner won today, which fueled my suspicion that these were easier.  (I also had to google who Ike Barenholz was, no surprise.)  I know I am older, and I know I lose a couple by forgetting the category, but it is depressing.

The Supremes made their big ruling on the Donald today, and it was a 9-0 sweep.  No surprise, though -- and I hate to sound like an MSNBCer -- I think those on the left had a point that the Court punted by not ruling as to whether or not Trump committed insurrection.  I can see why they did not -- I listened to the orals, and I they were rightfully skeptical of the idea that states could willy-nilly decide this -- but it would have been interesting to see what they would have done.  I guess -- as a Civil War guy -- that I do not see insurrection; more of a riot that should  have been properly handled by law enforcement. But I would have loved to see Thomas and Alito duke it out with Sonia... the other issue, of course, is that a partisan split would be equally bad, so... yes, run the draw on 3rd and 17 and go home.

Very solid win for the Blue Devils tonight.  (Yes, aren't they all, but I digress.)  I thought they were going to be run out of the building, but they rallied and took control in the second half.  NC State is barely an NIT team (though with the new format, every power conference team can be one!) but they are a rival, it was senior night, it was Duke... and they won by double digits.  It don't really think it moves them off a 4 line, but a win Saturday could put them on a 2, which I would... prefer.

Culinary Travels

Went into the office today -- there were very few people in, and it was almost sepulchral.  But it was good... I had some work to do that I wanted to get done (and did), and had some reading and research to do, which I was able to accomplish, so... that was good.  Sort of old school, getting some research done, trying to master some aviation facts... not that I haven't had time time to do it, but...there are so many other things to work on.  Hell, I even found time to clean out the work email inbox (and we all know how I feel about that).

I also took advantage of the Friday in office to hit the fish fry at St. Joseph's in Avon Lake.  It is well-known (Channel 3 was there tonight) for the grub, as the pastor is something of a cook.  The place was a zoo; I barely found a parking spot, and I almost got killed by people going through the drive-through line. Inside, the line reminded me of St. Adalbert's, save for the fact that a family of 8 cut in front of me (oi), and then committed the cardinal sin of NOT being ready to order (this was drilled into me as a kid), which was...unpleasant.  The food was good; I ordered clam chowder (lots of corn and potatoes, good flavor), the cod with the mango chutney (which was sweet and a bit tangy; it certainly smelled good), and a dessert -- cherry cheesecake.  You got a side of cole slaw, and... that was it.. I should have ordered another side (even the green beans)... but, this could be me, I would rather pay a bit more to get everything than to a la carte it to death.  That said, considering I paid $25 for dinner as it was... well, it was good but not quite $25 good (even in Avon Lake).  Also... I think they used a separate plate for everything; I told our Hot Meal people I would shit myself if they pulled that!  (They concurred it was a bit much, phew.)  On the way home, I realized that I need to visit more inner-ring parishes... as I like to say, the parish in Avon Lake will be fine without my cover, but there are a dozen parishes where my $20 will go farther.

No wonder boys are turning toward conservative beliefs — it’s rebellion against parents’ woke ideology (msn.com)
This amused the hell out of me; first of all, kids rebel against their parents all the time, and second... if she is so concerned about not making her kids like that... well, show them how not to do it.  I suspect her actions and behavior are turning her kids against her... and that's too bad?  I guess I get a kick out of people who claim to be feminists -- which is supposed to be about choice -- and then working to shove their beliefs down peoples' throats.

‘The Church is always the target’: Why Archbishop Cordileone wants new emphasis on the martyrs of Communism (pillarcatholic.com)
Catholicism in San Francisco?  An Italian who is actually Catholic?  What will they think of next?  More seriously, this is a good idea; the Church does -- as the article reports -- stand for those affected by the scourge of Communism, and in this day and age it is important to remember its victims...