Closing Out

Didn't blog yesterday -- we had a family poker fest (hence the reason for the jello making) to celebrate my cousin's divorce/visit from Florida/reason to hangout.  This was fine, but the second game ran a bit late, and by the time I came home and caught up on a couple of things...well, off to bed.  Didn't sleep long or well last night, and my stomach was in knots today.  Not sure why...ok, work is going to be a bit long and stressful this week but that is not new (and it will be like that for many, though I was warned NOT to work on the weekends, a nice touch).  Anyways, tonight my blood sugar dropped, and it has been low all nite, which I also guess is stress related.  Oi.  Here I am, tired but not quite.

I got a kick out of the brouhaha on CNN, with the Trump spox calling them out for being biased; it would have been far better for her to have shown the CNN reporter with the screenshot of her looking raptuously at Biden; hell, she could have blown the guy by the look on her face.  Good but not good enough.  More seriously, if every Republican -- and not just real GOPers, if you will -- just stopping booking on CNN... this might solve itself.  Quite frankly, I would tell them I go where the viewers are, and that is FNC, and if you don't like it... But no one ever does that anymore, and that is...ok?  Sort of; I mean, there is an echo chamber on the GOP side as it is, but the argument is that we encourage by going there on their terms.  

Free meals for all Parma students shows double-edged sword. Here’s why. (msn.com)
This could me, but wouldn't this make it harder for Parma to pass levies as it is?  If people think that the kids get too much free (i.e., taxpayer-supported) stuff as it is... they won't vote for them, and considering how much trouble they have in the first place...  I am sure they are thinking "Free" money for breakfast and lunch, but... 

The Stanley Cup Final was... pretty cool.  It usually is, though, but there is something exciting about a close game 7 -- empty net, scrambling for the puck, seconds ticking away.  Never been a huge hockey fan -- I couldn't really see the puck then, much less now -- but it is exciting enough, and I should probably watch more.

Actives

 Busy day, at least early -- food pantry today, and while our count was about average, it seemed more; I think the heat just affected everyone.  We all were moving a bit slower, in some ways, and we had new volunteers who were very good, but -- as we said -- it took a while to get used to such efficiency.  We had a lot of produce we needed to move (food rescue Friday) and we really got rid of it -- between the crowd and the general push to get it, I think 80% is gone.  We didn't rotate too much stuff, for the obvious reason that we didn't want people dying while sorting it, but overall... it was a good day.  We are still in anti-insect protocol -- sprayed hard today and I will do so tomorrow but it seemed that all we had were the fruit flies, which are endemic now.

Then it was off to gym, errands, and finally lunch at Wayback Burgers where I got a free shake as part of their promotion.  It was good, in that Five Guys sense, though I am not sure it was worth $15 for it (shake or not).  Of course, everything is expensive nowadays.  I guess I was ravenous after the busy day and would have eaten anything.  Then it was home to do some work, catch up on emails, that sort of thing.  Also emailed all my SVDP parishes for a monthly follow-up, which was.. well, it was about time.

Black Keys, Porter Robinson, Jennifer Lopez, & Poor Ticket Sales For Arena Tours (stereogum.com)
I think this is exactly right!  Price matters, as does the venue, and the fact that people have gotten their concert fix and have to be more judicious in their spending... all of these things are totally plausible and highly indicative of why many bands, I think, are recalculating their touring places or cutting shows altogether.  Could be me but we need more of this to ever beat inflation...

Respite

Nothing like a big Friday night at home... of course, we have a family fest this weekend, so I am making a seven-layer jello, and it is taking a bit longer than I expected.  The heat is affecting even this, as I think it is taking a much longer time to set -- both the jello layers and the filling layers.  On the one hand I feel like crap -- as I cannot even make a seven-layer jello -- but as long as the bottom layers hide it... well, it should be ok.  Mostly.  Five down, the sixth is coming, and the last... well, I need to be careful with how I place it -- not too hot, just cool enough to not ruin the milk-based layer.  Oi.  

Today was ok; not as long or as stressful as Thursday, at least.  Still much to do -- work, work, and other things -- but there is some progress and light at the tunnel.  Much as I say there are some days one must endure, sometimes there are projects where one must just plow through, and there we are now.  I did hit the gym twice, but my plans for extra cardio were quashed by low blood sugar this afternoon.  I am 182 pounds -- all the walking about for the office step challenge, I guess -- so that is not a bad thing, but I hoped for more.  Then home for dinner, J!, and some reading and work while jelloing... rah.  I have to admit, the J! tiebreaker was cool, but -- call me an old person -- I prefer the old method of returning co-champions.  This new method is cheaper, of course.

Alleged domestic abusers can’t own guns, Supreme Court rules - POLITICO
I don't know; I agree to an extent but I think I see Thomas' point; a mere accusation should not be enough to deprive someone of a fundamental Constitutional right.  I can see Roberts, as always, trying to provide a more moderate and sensible approach...

Louisiana governor mandates 10 Commandments in schools | Fox News
This story has been bounding around, and dare I say... I am little surprised some wags are not making plans to get around this, such as by turning them around, putting them in the bathroom, that sort of thing.  I am not saying I approve of this sort of thing, but I would be most amused if someone started pulling crap.

Quite The Day

Quite the day today; a new project, which was then delayed by the fact that I need to complete some Excel training.  I am not saying this is bad -- I can refresh/learn new things, but I have plenty of other work to do.  Also, I had a few long meetings this morning, which were fine -- informative, useful -- but again, that took time from other things.  Oi.

In the meantime, I got a couple of messages from our operations manager at the food pantry; one of the freezers defrosted and -- the message was garbled -- either we had/needed as a precaution the exterminator come to handle the bugs and the floor was damaged.  Oi.  The flurry of follow-up messages were not exactly helpful, so after watching a youth baseball game... I trucked over to the OC.  I am not sure what I expected -- 100 ant farms unleashed, a collapsed floor -- but... well, it was about the same.  I smashed three ants (about what we normally find), moved some tables around the slight bump in the floor, and noted that it didn't seem too different.  Heck, there was produce out in the main room...I think they could have shoved more in the fridges if they were truly concerned.  As always, I let the people who ARE in charge know about this.  I do hope the exterminator and carpenter shows up tomorrow, just to be safe, but... I guess I should be glad there was not catastrophe, but...

I also guess I would prefer a little less drama and stuff to do in my life the next couple of weeks.  I realize this is life, but I would like time to read, watch movies, catch up on paperwork, etc.  Nothing is on the schedule for next week -- yay -- but that is seldom set in stone.  Heck, I need to complete the follow-ups from yesterday's meeting!  At least I took some time tonight to watch the saved episodes of J!  The champ lost, I missed a few by not paying attention and reading, and completely forgot about Joyce regarding Final J!  Maybe I should read his books but I would rather now.  :)

RV Maintenance Isn’t for the Faint of Heart. What to Know Before Hitting the Road. - WSJ
I wasn't halfway through this before I realized that I do not ever want to own an RV....even if I could afford it.

Immigration fears are pushing centrists to the right in the US and Europe - POLITICO
Is this really surprising?  I believe that people are in the whole supportive of immigration, but not too much, not all at once, and, of course, immigrants have to assimilate.  I don't think they are, or at least not enough of them -- and not well enough.  Let us not discuss the social justice issue of all these Americans who do NOT have jobs and could fill some of the roles for which we currently use immigrants...

Accomplishment

 I would like to think that the day was productive despite the fact that I was "off."  I put in some time on my contract project -- cleaning, organizing, adding content.  Watched some College World Series (Favorite Niece is there) and while I didn't see her on TV, it was... ok to watch college baseball?  I mean, my fandom really has evaporated, as I had but minimal interest in the game.  Maybe the Willie Mays biopic between game one and game two of today's tripleheader was the most interesting part?  I think it is true that people do tend to forget/ignore his greatness; that which we do not see...

A milestone was reached, as I finally met the last parish in the Cuyahoga East SVDP District.  It was GESU, up in University Heights, and it was sort of hard to find... I don't think I have been out that way in decades, and I made a bum steer while trying to guess which branch of a five-way intersection to go.  (I was either in Shaker or University Heights at the time, and I was not surprised.)   Anyways, the meeting went fairly well!  I gave my spiel, answered their questions, went over some potential issues, and exchanged contact info.  This is a wealthier parish -- active in a number of ministries -- but they seem nice and good at caring and interacting.  So I was pleased.  And, my white whale has been caught, so I can do the other 300 things I need to do with the order!

Made all my step goals again today, and hit the gym twice -- early and late.  It felt sort of good, even if I can feel my legs tightening as we speak.

I think a skunk blew his musk outside my bedroom window; I like to have them open, even now with the heat, as I like the fresh air, but tonight... oi.  The scent is wafting through the whole house, and I know it is summer, but...

Morning linx

Yes, I am posting in the morning -- I skipped a couple of days ago, so why not add an extra?  To be sure, I wanted to hit the hay yesterday, though, of course, with the taut leg... well, it was not exactly a raging success.  I am off today, so I could in theory nap, but... there are plenty of things to do, even if it I don't.  Indeed, I am doing some contract work now... 

The Dark Forest theory in '3 Body Problem,' explained (nationalgeographic.com)
Interesting but the main problem with this -- to me -- is that there has NEVER been an instance of a society hiding themselves from another.  Ok, there are the Andaman islanders (though I think we just leave them alone), and maybe a tribe or two in the Amazon, but by and large, we are curious creatures...and that usually gets us killed.  Or worse.

Why Steubenville matters (pillarcatholic.com)
I noted this one because the ex-fiancee was from there, and I was always interested in what goes on there... including the mismanagement from the previous bishop and the obvious railroading into the merger with Columbus.  One of the other Catholic news sites to which I pay attention suggested that if they had to merge, wouldn't a better fit -- culturally and geographically -- be the Diocese of Wheeling across the river -- Appalachian, coal country, etc.  Of course, one obvious issue is that the diocese would cross state lines, which is just something that is not done.  This amused me, because this issue -- parishes from across county lines really don't help each other -- is something that is coming up with SVDP work and while in some ways this is something we should solve...well, it's never been done that way, and of course people may or may not like the precedent.  I guess to me the novelty of it is what makes it more doable, but...

The Original War Game - WSJ
I sort of want to find a copy of this!  As someone who has -- and once in a while cracks out the war games -- I found this fascinating and interesting... to say nothing of that I was always surprised by the people who play these games.  Their appeal is really broad...

Being Taut

You know, my lower leg muscles have been sore all day.  I suspect it was a combo of the killer leg workout, two trips on the exercise bike, plenty of extra pacing, some dehydration, and waking up in the middle of the night by the low blood sugar alarm; not only did it spoil the sleep schedule -- grr -- but I suspect the body did not recover.  Oi.   Not good.  I took it a bit easier on the exercise bike today -- my step count was a little low -- but tomorrow I expect to be right back at it again.  That said, I took advantage of being early to my haircut by putting my feet on the table; my stylist was vastly amused by this, I can assure you.  She suggested I look into compression socks, which went over about as well as her telling me that my gray hair looks good.

I am off tomorrow for Juneteenth, and while on the one hand, I am a little surprised -- how does one spend an off day in the middle of the week -- on the other hand the morning is already full.  To say nothing of the fact that I can work on my contract job, and if I truly cared I would hit the Diocesan Juneteenth celebration.  I just might, depending on how the morning goes and if I can get all my stuff done.

Is it me, or shouldn't the GOP be all over the Justin Bibb news?  Especially after the Fetterman event, I would think they should be pushing the rules for thee not for me approach.  I realize there is nothing to it, politically, aside from cheap-shotting, but... why not?  One should always take the easy W, to me.

Transformations

 A two day hiatus from blogging?  Unacceptable!  I had a busy Friday and Saturday, which ended up with me being in something of a funk Sunday and collapsing for a bit; this was followed by hanging out with/helping a friend move back here (to Clark-Fulton).  It is good to see Eli back in town, but I prefer not to haul stuff on a Sunday night.  Alas.

So a few weeks ago I bought a new vacuum.  Sunday I finally put it together and used it.  Wow.  The carpet simply looks beautiful; all of crap that has been accumulating for weeks is gone.  I think the thing was half full of dust -- indicative of my sloth -- but it is just immaculate now.  I should do it again and again over the next few days, just to really remove the accumulation of crud.  Adulting is hard, as we say, but this time it really paid off!

Funny; my busy week has become less busy.  We were supposed to PQ tonight but with only two of us -- and we had stuff to do -- we decided to cancel, saving me a trip to the East Side.  Tomorrow I was supposed to hang with a friend, but he is too tired and is calling off.  I do not want to say that I am saddened by this -- I am, but I can use the time more profitably (and reschedule).  Wednesday I am off for Juneteenth -- was NOT aware of this -- and I am hoping I can use that time to take care of things (while being productive and hitting a meeting).  Of course, I had planned to do more tonight, but my emails were a bit more detailed than I expected... so the inbox will remain slightly full for another day.  Alas.

I made a list of stuff to buy and upgrade, and I could add more, but I also realized I need to other things, like go through a couple more closets, look at ALL of my shoes, look at my drawers and cabinets again, and really purge items to see what I need.  For instance, I thought about making some lime water (I got some yesterday) but I don't have a pitcher for it.  Oi!  I guess I could use the Brita in the back of the cupboard, but I felt quite dumb NOT having a water pitcher!

Festing

Tonight I went to a birthday party for a friend -- very masculine (a real sausage fest, even if most of the crew are married with children) and almost retro, but quite fun.  Until, of course, the end; my friend is a bourbon enthusiast and the hooch flowed like water.  Anyways, when it was time to depart, I had in the back of my truck three drunk people, the grill and spit (it was a pig roast), and the pig's head, which one of the boys decided to take home.  Not sure if it was for head cheese, to amuse the kids, or to piss off the in-laws, but... well, it was a most interesting ride home.  Maybe I was more than glad to leave everyone in the bed and just roll up the windows and cruise home...

The 'Appeal to Heaven' Flag Is All Over Capitol Hill - NOTUS (Allbritton Journalism Institute)
I would fly one of these myself, but as I have no wife to blame (a la Alito), there is somewhat less amusement, and also to the fact that if it is good enough for San Francisco, it is NOT good enough for me.  On the other hand, I rather agree with the GOP types who fly them; even if it has been co-opted by MAGA types, there is no reason for anyone else to cede its historical origins.

Five days of the steps challenge for work, and I am averaging a little over 12,000, which is quite good; I mean, I was 6th on the company list so far, and the prospect of an active weekend, may boost that even farther -- or at least prevent me from falling out of the top ten.  Funny; I have some OC paperwork to handle, but the prospect of sitting and not doing anything has made me leery of undertaking them, at least until the fitness challenge has passed.  This is sort of cheating, albeit in a benevolent sense.

Media Follies

 'There's no pride' for LGBTQ community in Maple Heights, ex-council member says | Watch (msn.com)
Hahahahaha!  This amuses the hell out of me, mainly because no one seems to be saying the obvious thing -- the largely African-American voters of this largely Democratic city do NOT want to be on record saying they support LGBT rights, and of course no one in the local press seems to want to do some investigation...or, as I like to say, call them out for this.  Certainly the local Democratic party would want to sanction these moral reprobates, right?  I realize there are few GOPers around here, but you would think they would be assailing the local Dems -- and the media -- for not doing anything about this.

Fetterman had speeding tickets, distracted driving episodes before crash - The Washington Post
This is the sort of thing that Republicans should indeed be "pouncing" on; hell, every GOPer should be on the talk shows, the CNNs of the world, the left-wing pundits, and asking them WHY they didn't cover this story DURING the election?  The reason, of course, is that they were covering for him, as they are now, by not calling him out for this callous response, his history of driving issues.  Again, if GOPers had any sense, they would be on the offensive over this; no one seems to want to put the press on the defensive, and we must.  Someone like Vance or Cotton -- Ron Johnson -- would be ideal for this.  I realize they are colleagues, but there are times when this must go out the window.  

Birthday dinner with my sister today, and I chose Jibaro Latin in Parna for Mofongo.  I was there when it was a Mexican place and it was ok; with a more Puerto Rican theme, it was... much better.  Mofongo was quite good -- not too dry, and the accompanying pork was quite decent.  My sister had one of their loaded baked potatoes, and it was quite impressive -- large portions, almost enough for lunch the next day!  We email and chat often, but it good to get in touch in person and catch up.  Of course, she was only slightly snarky with my comments, and when I gifted her a box of Crumbl cookies -- a diabetic should eat just one box, I strongly suspect -- she was most pleased... as my brother-in-law will be as well!

Progress

 15,000 steps today, the result of hourly paces at work, a solid workout and bike ride, and plenty of walking at evening prayer and after.  This is quite good, though I do not think that this rate is sustainable.  I only hope that my coworkers -- or some of them -- are doing as much extra as I am.  I would say that I peeling off pounds, but as my dinner consisted of a peach CFA shake -- and a later Crumble cookie -- I do not think I can exactly claim that.  Both were quite good -- I have not had the pleasure of their cookies, and they were indeed sumptuous.  I got them as part of a fundraiser, so I am not sure as to the retail price... though it must be impressive, even now.

More -- albeit slight -- reorganization at work; this is not bad, I hope.  I have a new series of projects, which is good, and there will be plenty more, I believe.  The main idea is that there will be more integration between departments to get more ideas flowing...   Heck, we came up with a bunch of them at today's introductory meeting, which of course encouraged more collaboration and such.  Another thing; I have two screens at work now, and... I am getting used to it.  Certain work it does do quite well, such as cycling through spreadsheets, and I can monitor emails while doing that.  Not sure that I will fully master it, but...

High Housing Costs Are Consuming Household Incomes | Joint Center for Housing Studies (harvard.edu)
This is something that I am glad they are mentioning, though I am not sure how much -- and how quickly -- succor can be gained.  Need much more housing of course, and that cannot be built more quickly enough.  Similarly, while more apartments have been constructed, not enough are being built in the urban cores (though I do not blame builders for not going there).  Indeed, not enough are being built at all; one wonders why they don't link, say, welfare benefits to construction employment, which would at least alleviate (to some degree) the lack of skilled workers.

From Fire Hazards to Family Trees: The Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps — The Public Domain Review
Fascinating stuff!  Had no idea this was a thing!

Drilling

The day did not exactly start out with a raging success; I had my dental appointment today to get the temporary crown put on, and for an event that started at 8, I wasn't home til after 11.  This, as you can imagine, did not make happy.  The dentist discovered some extra decay on the tooth, which had to be drilled out, and that meant he had to pack the filling more, and got the gum inflamed (he had to play with it to make sure all of the decay was gone), and yadda, yadda.   Oi.  Nor did they exactly get me out the door in a hurry... to be sure, this was the dentist I didn't exactly have a lot of confidence in in the first place, so... this is my fault.  Anyways, it was done, and while I have to go back in two weeks for the semi-permanent crown... well, we will decide what to do next.

Anyways, when I got home and talked to my boss -- a slight project shift, and he was worried that I had been captured, press ganged, or something -- and then it was off to work (at home), which was quite busy, as I had much to plug away... anyways, I worked a bit late and then watched an interesting film:  "The King's Choice," which dealt with the actions of King Haakon in the early days of the German invasion.  It was a war film, but not quite one, but still very interesting; namely, how no one in the government -- save for him -- seemed to grasp the gravity of the situation.  To be sure, it was a dire situation, and I could see how many of the officials in the civilian government would be grasping at straws to get out of it...

Then it was J! -- easy Final, poor question mix for me -- and then to the gym, where I had a solid workout and an extended trip on the bike.  I was able to put 2,000 more steps in -- good, given my corpulence and the company exercise fest.  I daresay that if I do hit the exercise goal every day for the next two weeks -- and not eat crap, which is less likely --  I might actually drop a few pounds.  One thing I need to drop is some emails, as some food pantry and other stuff has been piling up long enough...

Exercises

 I slept most poorly last night, and I even had -- and remembered -- unsettling dreams, which I seldom do.  I am not exactly sure why this happened, but it was quite odd.  I felt it today, as I was dragging a bit.  On the other hand, we have started a fitness initiative at work -- prizes for the department with the best (weighted) performance -- so I am doing my part.  Frequent walks on my hourly coffee break, extra time on the exercise bike today (which did not burn as many calories as I thought it would), and extra walking around the house.  For instance, during the commercial breaks for  J!, I would walk around, rather than lie about and do word seeks.  I was able to surpass my 10,000 goals this way, and intend to keep it up; I think it is certainly better health-wise to do so.  Other gimmicks, such as walking while praying and walking while reading, are also on the schedule; again, not that I am getting thousands of steps, but a few here and a few there...

I watched another film from the National Film Registry tonight -- "Alambrista," about a Mexican man who crosses the border (illegally) to seek work and better support his family.  It was interesting, sort of good, and Matt being Matt, my main thought was that if we haven't solved these issues in the 45 years or so since the movie was made... oi.  Anyways, we are now up to 834 on that list.  Couple of recent additions on it are practically impossible to find in public, and to me that IS a problem; I get that films can be culturally significant for a bunch of reasons, but if we cannot see them... does not seem very wise to me.  Not that I have any selfish reasons, of course!

Links

Full and busy day again today; after Mass was the parish picnic, and I was helping out with the grilling, running food, and the cleanup; I really believe it is my metier in life to be stuck as the dishwasher at these events!  On the other hand, it seemed to be a good event; lots of people -- just under 100 -- and they ate plenty of food (us Polacks like free food).  I got out at 2 (the cleanup was long but smooth, which is not the worst thing) and then took Communion to my friend in West Park.  Humorous interlude:  I commented in Polish about the stressful process of picking out a date for Christmas in July, and I ended with a phrase --in Polish -- that basically says "Mother of God." I thought she was going to pee her pants she laughed so hard; it reminded her of her mother and grandmother yelling at them when kids when they did something wrong.  I told her my Mom used that phrase on me, and also in a general WTF way... it was pretty cool, actually.  Then off to my sister's to catch up with her, and then home. 

I have to admit I am somewhat dragging today, with a busy weekend, lack of sleep, and general busybody ways.  Indeed, I have already nodded off on the floor here, so I suspect that if I do not get cracking on this post... 

New Benefit Bridge program to help Cuyahoga residents transition off public assistance - cleveland.com
You would think that someone, somehow, would be out and trying to fix/minimize this issue?  I sent an email to the Plain Dealer as to why this had not on the front page, and I have little hope of a reply...

The Insulin Empire | Edward Ongweso Jr. & Athena Sofides (thebaffler.com)
Interesting, though as I often say, the development of insulin has shifted people away from trying to cure it altogether, with the expected result...

Unruly crowds overwhelm officers at St. Gabriel’s festival Saturday; event closes early today - cleveland.com
This is interesting, in that St. Gabriel is out there, and that this is the second time this month this has happened...  I wonder what would happen if 1) Churches insisted that a parent/guardian monitor the kids at all times; 2) If they did not, they and the troublesome kids would be arrested and prosecuted fully, and 3) Their other children, if any, would be put into the foster care system... I wonder what that would do as a solution....

Survival

 I celebrated my birthday by not blogging, though, of course, I had planned to... It was fine.  I worked, took a lunch at the food pantry (had a nice chat with Monsignor over he wanted to do), and then went to Kamms Corner for dinner at Habesha, an Ethiopian restaurant.  It was quite good; I was the only person there for a while, and the staff had a modest knowledge of English, but I was directed off a spicy entree, though... well, what I ordered what quite spicy enough.  I had cabbage stew, lentils, and some chicken and tomatoes. It was quite good, but a bit hot, and the anjera on which it was served did not quite offset the heat.  Alas.  But it was good and I would go back and try some other dishes.  Parking is a bit off there; I need to park in the lot and hoof it rather than risk the street.  While at dinner I got a text from my cousin; one of my other cousins is in town from Florida, and all the family was together, so... off I schlepped to Macedonia to hang out, which was nice.  Bit long but good to catch up.  Then home and to bed, as I had an early day today...

Today was mostly fine; something of a zoo this morning.  I arrived at the food pantry bright and early to help set up; cones were put up to block the driveway/make way for the hearse, and a couple of volunteers and some signs were able to direct the clients the right way.  We didn't have an early crowd at first, but then, for an hour, it was a zoo, with people piled into cars and some people for whom English is barely known... so of course I had to translate.  Oi.  This lasted til about 10:30, when the funeral crowds arrived... funny; couple of priests used our bathroom to change and vest, as they didn't want to take the steps.  We closed right at 12 -- no clothing racks or tables for extra stuff out today -- and it was quite smooth escaping (for once).  I guess it was not too bad but given the to and fro before...

I have made some progress in cleaning out the bookmark list, but now the emails are piling up... to say nothing of the fact that I have another massive tome to read, and scarce any progress in getting through it... alas.  

The Last Day

Today was field day at work -- the first time I have ever had one in all my working years -- and it was fairly fun.  I did not engage in the sport, but I did watch some impressive Jenga games, talked and hung out with my coworkers, and ate copious amounts of food -- City BBQ catered and we had an ice cream truck from East Coast Custard.  I tipped the ice cream server and he was most appreciative; it seemed no one else did so, which was... meh.  Anyways, it was fun.  We got to leave work early, though I didn't, as I had a couple of things to do.  Just when I wanted to leave, one of the comanagers texted me and we had a discussion about the funeral; Monsignor was planning on taking more of the lot for parking and we would need to adjust how we move clients.  I think we are game for that, though I also think we may close early....oi.  I think the next funeral will be mine at this pace.

I had planned on some culinary tourism on the way home, but with the big lunch, I was not hungry, so off to the gym and then home.  I was not home long before my friend Kevin called asking for some company, so he came over for a bit and we sorted out his life -- and he offered some decorating tips for my home (he is an interior decorator), most of which involve me going away for some period of time and leaving him an open checkbook.  :)  It was good to be a good friend, even if I always wonder as to why anyone would want advice from me.

I watched "Deep Web" today; it's a look at the Dread Pirate Roberts/Silk Road/Ross Ulbricht story, very sympathetic to him.  

Milestone!

This is post 1800, which I had planned to do before my birthday, and I have!  To be sure, maybe a few were superfluous, but... well, there is really no reason that I should not post every day, is there now?  This is what passes for achievement at my age, I guess.  That said, I am somewhat much less depressed about my birthday than usual... too busy?  Worried about other things?  Of course, I am not actually 46 yet, so... when it comes, I will feel the worse, I am sure.

One of my coworkers and I had an interesting conversation today... she mentioned that she was taking some time off and her and the family were going to the Creation Museum and the Ark.  I told her that I had been to the Museum and wanted to see the Ark (I didn't tell her what my actual science views are, thank God).  She said she was surprised by this, as I had made some snarky comments about President Trump... I don't know; I would like to think I had been there long enough to be known as a maker of snarky comments.  Heck, a few hours before I told her -- a bunch of my coworkers were selling raffle tickets -- that I didn't have $10 on me because I was practicing to be married (she, and the female coworkers, were more than pleased by this, at least).  Anyways, I was vastly amused by this, but told her that we would all be better off if we could make fun of each other again... and that was that.  I hope.

More to the point... how shall I say this?   One, I think the prosecution of Trump is political; if his name was Donald Smith, would he prosecuted?  Probably not; some sort of civil penalty (a strongly worded note, ha) and a public flogging but not much more.  Truthfully, the same could be said of Hunter Biden.  And, no one is above the law, but... no one is beneath the law; there is something troubling to only charge and prosecute one person for a crime possibly (or actually) committed by many.  There is something to be said for saying "this crime is so heinous that we will punish from now on," but, well, look to the Houston Astros to see the wisdom of that policy.

I watched a charming documentary tonight... "Finding the Money," a look at Modern Monetary Theory (MMT).  It's actually quite interesting; it was made in 2023, and it certainly seemed as if the first 2/3 of it was to explain MMT without explaining its deficiencies...and then they realized that the MMT they had advocated had caused ruinous inflation and was impairing the Biden re-election, so they had to pivot, namely that we don't necessarily have to have crazy to have MMT, we just made poor choices, and that inflation can be managed.  (In some ways they are not wrong, but...)  Of course, they then had to pivot to what we could be spending on -- healthcare for all, green economy, full employment -- and one has to just adjust our spending on that.  No one, of course, seems to think that maybe they could get it wrong...

The Nonprofit Industrial Complex and the Corruption of the American City - American Affairs Journal
This also amused me -- one because this is the sort of stuff MMT spending goes to, and the other in that if we know all these things, you would think some GOPer would at the forefront of calls to investigate and prosecute these things.  I mean, for all of the talk of the Donald and his ilk about persecuting their enemies... are not these people our enemies?

Rooting About

I had a root canal today; the result of benign neglect.  Anyways, it was bright and early when I arrived, and... it went very well.  Not much pain -- all done with discomfort by 1 -- and the procedure barely took an hour.  I asked, and the MD -- not that he wanted to humblebrag -- pointed out that the improvements in technology and refinements in technique made this a much less intensive and painful process.  Anyways, there is a temporary filling there, so next week we will have to go and get the temporary cap for the (semi) permanent crown.  Alas.  The other tooth pain, he suggested, could be cured by using Sensodyne or similar stuff on the tooth.  I guess that is good, though... alas, I should take better care, but...

The Hunter Biden trial and the Fauci hearings today... a banner day for virtue-signaling, but I am not sure that they will exactly achieve anything else, though that may be the point.  I think the former is more advantageous than the latter, given that everyone's opinions on these things seems to have been settled.  The former though, is rather embarrassing, as you can imagine, though I also expect that most opinions have been settled here as well.

The rightwing plan to take over ‘sanctuary’ cities – and rebuild them Maga-style | Donald Trump | The Guardian
This is quite droll, honestly.  Why should he not do this?  I mean, elections have consequences, as we know, and if that happens... well, alas for them?  More seriously, I get a kick out of this, as if Trump wins -- which I view as a very doubtful proposition in many ways -- why shouldn't he engage in some "reforms" especially as they would be popular politically with his base?  

 

I have about 100 more pages of the Guelzo book, and while in some ways it is old territory, it is good to hear how he interprets the battle -- the languid nature of Lee and his staff, what Reynolds was thinking engaging the ANV with only part of his army, the reflections of the townspeople -- it is quite interesting, and he writes exceedingly well (of course).  I have several more large volumes after this one, so I should get cracking on my literary activities...

Advance planning

Trump Conviction and Biden Tapes Put New Pressure on Mike Johnson - WSJ

Is it me, or has Mike Johnson always been under pressure?  I mean, such is the way of the world when you have a GOP majority of one, two, three, whatever it is, especially with such luminaries as MTG and Lauren Boebert are such key members.  On the other hand, the man has...survived?  I daresay, with a bit of luck and a decent Presidential campaign... he might retain his Speakership?  I think McCarthy would be an asset here, with his fundraising ability, but being something of a chameleon... at least Johnson has integrity and, if not the trust of, the ability to work with Democrats in some way -- again, something you need with a miniscule majority.  Alas.  Sigh.

“I Can’t Sugarcoat It Anymore”: Will Lewis Bluntly Defends Washington Post Shake-Up | Vanity Fair
Hahahaha!  I don't know; I can see and somewhat sympathize with the WaPo staffers, but... as the man said, their audience has halved, and if people aren't using their content... you have to do something different.  Democracy dies not only in darkness but in the light of day if no one is paying attention.  To be sure, writing content that will not be read or seen by a third (possibly more!) of the reading public... well, whose fault is that?

Somewhat more or less humorously... the previous pastor of Holy Name passed away yesterday and the funeral will be this weekend... while the food pantry is open.  Our operations manager called me to ask if I had a special plan to handle this crowd and our normal one... I told her to close, of course.  :)  More seriously, we have been in operation with funerals before, and while this is a large one -- I told her the Bishop could see us in operation!! -- there is little we can do... I mean, we can't close -- it was Fr. Tom who wanted the food pantry, ahem -- and people will just have to park in the back.  

Corpus Christi

So, Birmingham Southern lost today... my fault, I suspect, as I tuned in when it was 10-5 then and Wisconsin-Whitewater scored the next 6, including a walk-off HR in the 9th.  Alas.  No storybook ending, but there rarely is... my brother-in-law is thinking of going to a game; I would but they are the middle of the day, which is a problem for the laboring classes. Such is the life of D-3 baseball, I guess!

Corpus Christi was today, and... well, it was inside, as the rain made it impossible for the procession to take place outside.  It was nice, of course, but not quite as nice; for instance, instead of the four altars, we just had ceremonies at the side altars, and then one at the main one, and of course instead of the handmade ones, we just had the ones we already had.  The children didn't dress, but did scatter flower petals around the church (I was put on the team to sweep them up), and the crowd was slightly down... several people do come from afar, so I have heard.  Several people also came expecting the 11:30 Mass, and of course, there wasn't one; I guess it is as much of a tradition as poking out my eye on the pussy willows after Easter.  Alas.  

Funny; after the 8:30 Mass I went to the Chimney for breakfast, which was good, but a bit greasy, and my stomach was rumbling... and after, I went to the PACC for their coffee and pastry reception.  Let's just say that the coffee sent the rumbles into an eruption, and it has been like that all day.  Alas.  God was punishing me, I think, for some snarky comments -- such as noting that we did not need a map to process around the interior of the church today, followed by comment about the funeral of a former parishioner --  namely, that it was the first time I had known him to be quiet and peaceful.  All were amused by these snarkeries, of course, but such lese majeste, if not heresy, shall not go unpunished!

I have made good progress, at least, on the Guelzo book; that was nice, though I did it at the expense of say, other things.  Alas.  Tomorrow I shall do some more cleaning and organizing, and if tomorrow's workout is like today's...well, I shall somewhat more svelte.  Good things!

‘I took an oath to do no harm’: The two doctors wrestling over Fauci’s legacy (msn.com)
Interesting that the WaPo -- of all publications -- would run this.  Almost, dare I say, fair and balanced?

Poker Face

 Family fest last night -- I was making the jello for it last night, which everyone loved (of course).  It was nice to see everyone -- one of my cousins is getting divorced, and all are happy about that, and of course just sitting around, playing poker, and bsing is always good.  I tend to feed my cousin's dog, and hence, of course, it is my best friend, to the bemusement of most of the people there -- mommy, of course, is somewhat put off by this.  I guess, having never had dogs in the first place in the first place... well, let's just say that I will not be having one in the future, either.

Funny; no OC duty today, so I slept in a bit, caught up on some paperwork, paid the mortgage, hit the gym, and decided to treat myself with lunch at Wendy's... it was good, but it seemed they were quite discombobulated by the crowd inside and out -- I didn't get the frosty I ordered, and all noted that food was sitting... on the other hand, they were incredibly polite about it, and I had nothing else to do... well, it was nice just to sit, drink "free" pop, and catch up on some reading.

Dare I say the Birmingham Southern story is pretty awesome... and I had no idea the games are being played at Lake County!  I should make a pilgrimage out there, as even though I have abandoned my fandom, there is something to be said for this.  I mean, on the one hand, we have too many colleges as it is, but... this does seem somewhat sad.  A team with no school to go home to... well, I guess maybe I am not as hard-hearted as I thought.