Friday respite

Busy day.  Long day -- got a bunch of projects, assignments, and such, had to finish some items, and was assigned my 30/60/90 training/career goals.  All to the good!  I think I am stressing a bit about this -- I am still new, and I am just impatient, but...I do want to impress people and be a part of the team.  Anyways, so here we are, trying to blog a bit early so I can get to bed early and then wake up early; it seems odd but I do like to get stuff done bright and early, as we know.  Funny; I have a pile of paper to get through tonight, and I intend to do it, as well as some links and emails, no matter what.  We will see...

Trump tries to reset his campaign after brutal month - POLITICO
This is good.  Not that he is losing, but that he is trying to fix it, though I don't know.  Some of the ads they have been running -- changing the values, Bidenomics -- are quite impressive.  I don't think they will move the needle that much, as most people know how they are voting, but...at least someone is doing something.  I watched the interview last night, and it was certainly a softball... not that we expected anything else.  To be sure, the next GOPer who goes on Bash's show -- and every GOPer should do it -- should call her out about it.  That, of course, would be entertaining.

If Donald Trump's Sex Life Is Fair Game, So Is Kamala Harris' (thefederalist.com)
Quite true.  Honestly, more people should be asking her about this -- the morality of it and such -- but of course they are Democrats, so it's not like they have any morals, which is fine. Again, GOPers should be mentioning this on every talk show...

Spanish Inquisition in Context: A Moderate Court by the Standard of Its Day | National Review
Interesting.  I am not exactly sure it holds up, but they do make the point that medieval justice was... well,, not exactly justice.

OSU plays tomorrow -- Akron -- and, like most times, I have to say the usual:  they really scheduled the hell out of that one.  OK, more seriously, I like the idea of a gimmie game to start off with, but then you have to play at least two real non-conference teams, or... especially now with the 12-team playoff, you can be forgiven for a loss.  I guess I don't blame teams for pulling this, but until people get cut out of the playoffs for playing only the Little Sisters of the Poor...

Mattie returns

As many of you noted, I haven't posted for three days...for the simple reason that I was in Sacramento for work -- the research teams have an annual meeting and I was hired with just enough time to make it.  And it was...good.  Sacramento is an interesting town.  Our hotel was right downtown, so it was quite swanky, with a political theme (the Dem coasters were a souvenir), which was cool, but around the area...well, they have not re-developed their downtown like we have.  Lots of homeless people everywhere, and while we were told to walk in groups, etc., I went out alone about 11 and had no trouble.  They took over Cesar Chavez park -- their possessions ruined the local statuary -- and it was not goof.  My hotel was by the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament (it took me a while to figure that one out) and it was beautiful in there, but they keep all of the doors locked, save for a concealed entrance...it was a little off-putting.  Also, one of the bars we went to after had a mermaid show over the bar, which, all I can say is, impressive.  As for the work stuff, it was good.  My coworkers are good people, I learned a lot, and I have a bunch of notes and ideas for the future.

The flights do take a lot out of me; I do not like to fly, and I am better at it, but not good, and the flight yesterday arrived home at 11 at night, so...by the time I went to bed it was 1, and I woke up for a full day of work... I was fine with some coffee, but I will definitely be sleeping in Saturday.  No OC duty, and while I may make jokes about people coming in and giving out food...well, let's just say that I will not be one of them.

US national debt: Why and how it should be fixed | Vox
This is amusing, given that it is Vox and they are the people who wanted us to spend the money in the first place.  Also, many of the programs that they view as untouchable -- Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare -- are the ones who are causing the problems.  Similarly, you really can't say that curbing health spending by fixing paperwork is a solution; the fact of the matter is is that we are unhealthy, and until that is fixed...

Not-So-Lazy Sunday

 I am going to bed before 11 tonight if it kills me; I was at a 50th anniversary last night (impressive, not sure I could do it) and thus decided not to post... not that I was up late, but... it was a busy day yesterday, with both the food pantry and all.  Food pantry was fine; 112 was the count.  Steady all day -- there were only about 15 minutes when we did not have clients.  It was funny; we had the early rush and the late rush, and since we did not have much, the late rush people got produce (what we had and hot dogs).  As you can imagine, they were a bit shocked (some of them) and a bunch of them were asking if we had stuff -- toilet paper, pizzas, etc.  We had received a few of them but they were gone by 9:30, and each they would ask -- me or another volunteer -- they would get the same answer.  I mean, some of them were understanding, but some were like what the hell... which of course amused me.

In the meantime, it was a good day today; Mass was nice, if a bit brief, and then it was gym and off to Edgewater to take Holy Communion to my Polish friend, and then -- after a few errands -- home to do some work, clean the house a bit, go through the fridge, and move stuff around.  Also got some reading done, though my current tome -- as noted previously -- is quite hefty.  Alas.  

How JD Vance Found His Way to the Catholic Church (msn.com)
Interesting, and I am surprised that this was in the NYT, though I am sure it killed them to do it, save for the fact that they mentioned how few of these Catholics there are... on the other hand, these people are bringing new life to the Church, and save for Pope Francis, everyone seems to think this is a good thing.

The Chase

 Funny; I came home from the gym and there were two small herds of deer in the neighboring yards, and the husky that lives across the street from me was literally chomping at the bit to chase either of them.  Of course, they have an electric fence, so the thing did not, but their kids were literally holding the critter back, and he was very excited to see those things in his sights.  I was amused, of course.

Good workout today -- legs -- and some nice riding on the exercise bike, so I got some reading done on the missive I am working on, a tome about the strategy of the Hapsburg Empire.  Mainly it was to preserve and persevere, not exactly the stuff of legends, but the point was to survive-- given that they had enemies on every side, they had to.  Interesting take, and while I see the point... well, playing to lose is playing not to win, and that is not exactly the best thing...  The book is not so long but there is plenty of small and dense text, and I have a busy weekend ahead, so... sigh.

To help rebuild a broken community, you must first ask yourself, ‘Am I part of the problem?’ - cleveland.com
I always get a kick out of these articles, as no one ever tells these people that THEY are the ones who are responsible for where we are; namely, demonizing everyone who is opposed to them and insisting upon their total victory... which is fine, but the tactic is not something that makes people willing to compromise.

Gen Z Loves Cassettes. But Wait, How Do These Things Work?  - WSJ
I have a tape player, and some cassettes laying around, so I could give lessons, as if I needed another side hustle...

Mattie returns

Took yesterday off from blogging -- one of my friends was having a birthday party and I figured I should attend, despite my long-standing aversion to fun.  :)  It was nice, though I probably should have been home being productive or something.  Tonight I made sure I was, getting some work done and handling some texts and emails.  OK; at least I feel productive...

Finally got my Internet upgrade today; the tech arrived and told me that the old one was just wired wrong (another Cox tech had done that, oi) and while I probably didn't need the upgrade.... well, I told him to do it and you can tell; it is faster and there were no more annoying conk-outs during work.  So it is paying off...

So, I found out today that the order I placed for the food pantry will not be delivered until next week... which is when we are closed, so our operations manager had to cancel it and order stuff on the fly.  Oops. I do not think I ordered wrongly, but maybe I did?  The screencaps said no but the order was placed for next week.  Odd.  Unpleasant.  I think we will have just enough for this week, and that is fine -- the big order will be in two weeks -- but I needed this like a hole in my head.  With work onboarding, projects, etc., it was not quite needed.  Hard to believe I am in the new career three weeks!

The People Who Quit Dating (msn.com)
I guess this is me?  I mean, I guess I am not opposed to it, but as you get older, and people get less attractive...well, I have always been the solitary type to begin with, so it is not that much of a switch.

On the Ballot: American Manhood - WSJ
I don't know; maybe someone should ask Trump and Harris why their parties are so driven clashes and see what they say?  More seriously, I think the left has simply decided they really don't need men anymore, which is fine, save for the fact that then most men will simply join the party that welcomes them.  Given that men traditionally vote less than women...this, like the smaller number of people who go to church every week, is a concern...

My sister and I had our monthly dinner tonight; she selected Si Senor, and while we had been there before, it was quite good.  I forgot you get a lot of food and quickly (and hot); i even sampled the mango margarita and while it was good, I did not have another, as I had to drive home (the server was amused by that).  The tables and chairs have pretty cool artwork; I told my sister I wanted to get them for my house, and she assured me that Mom would indeed spin in her grave...

Mattie is bemused

Funny, as it often is -- went to gym, had a very solid workout (chest) after a couple of days hiatus, and... low blood sugar, so no cardio.  I am a few pounds over where I should be, so... that was somewhat disheartening, to put it mildly.  But we will survive.  Though, if the Kamala Harris presidency occurs -- as everyone seems to think -- it will be that much more difficult.  Indeed, that was one of the things we discussed yesterday at the meeting (and today at work), that the bottom third of the population is suffering somewhat from the price shocks, economic uncertainty, high interest rates, etc.  I do not think price controls or housing subsidies will help, though they will make some people feel better.

Comments - Two priests and a baby? What's happening at an Ohio parish? (pillarcatholic.com)
Cool story; interesting and sad.  It appears that the priests have been letting everyone know -- including their Bishop -- about their plans, which is...everything.  I realize that many people -- including myself -- seem to think of these guys are Jerry Sandusky, but... they are not.  We should always remember that!

I sent out a bunch of things yesterday after our Board meeting, and about half of them came back, and all of them will need responses.  I marvel at this, actually; I mean, it is not that they are all terribly important but...these things tend to reproduce like rabbits, and it is not fun when things are hanging in the air...

Seated

Long day, sort of; I had three and a half hours of meetings at work, and then we had a two-hour meeting for the food pantry after... lots of sitting.  Oi.  Ok, it wasn't too bad -- the weekly staff meeting, some onboarding, and much to discuss about the OC -- but it was long.  Much of the discussion at the OC was about food costs -- what we are ordering, spending, etc.  I mean, I think we will be having to spend a bit more at times -- though there is room in the budget -- and at times we will have to go without some things, especially if it not available... which was another thing we discussed, that some stuff is not on the ordering menu at times.  Alas.  We were talking about how we will be going back to the old ways, when everyone just got a package of hot dogs on the top of their grocery bags...

Election 2024: Harris' shifting stances on marijuana, death penalty | AP News
This is as good as time as any for the GOP to highlight these things, especially in the states where it would pay most.  Will they?  I doubt it.  Alas.

Is it me, or is the weather -- now -- very un-August like?  I had to pull the blanket up over me last night, and for all the talk of global warming...more seriously, it is a reminder that summer is almost over... alas.  I know the seasons are a thing, but...

Mattie Counts

 This would be 1861, so I wonder what I would post about -- historically -- today?  :)  Ha!  Anyways, it was Saturday, it was August, so I was at the OC.  The final count was 139, and I think it was what we expected.  We had an early rush and a late rush; there was a lull about 10:30 when no one showed up, then a few people, and then the late arrivers.  Oi.  Lots of volunteers, even as HS kid who toted bags, which was nice, though I toted plenty.  Anyways, we gave away most of the produce; there are some oranges left, as well as some squash donated by another food pantry that couldn't give it away.  Our clients are of the same ilk, so we just put it out there and let people take what they wanted.  Many didn't, some took a couple, and some were of the opinion that with food prices, they would eat what they could, which is the correct one, in my opinion.  One more week.  It has been a drama-free month, always good!

Another thing... I have been counting the number of walkers -- people don't drive.  I have been curious, others have been too, and... 27/152, 16/112, and 19 of 139 today, so 62 of 403, or just over 15%.  I told people it was about that, depending on the weather.  Funny; they tend to come in clumps, so you can undercount them, but... mind, many of our pantries have a higher number of people who walk.  I am not sure other managers will track this, but as I love to know what our clients are doing, sort of...

The polling data from the Harris camp, as well as the upcoming DNC, does NOT bode well for Trump.  Again, if the man would stick to the issues -- economy, inflation, the border -- he would be fine, but the man is... well, at times a rambling mess.  I know he is what he is, but...

Funny; we had some heavy rain about an hour ago... there was some this morning, and it looked threatening, but the skies cleared, and I am glad it did, as the clothes racks were put out (and emptied) and we just escaped with good weather.  Phew.  Now it is sunny again; I love weather here in the summer, but it is jarring occasionally.

Milestones

One of my friends told me that I should have been doing a favorite historical event recap, as I am in posts for the 1800s... I was like, yes, that would have been a good idea, and maybe when I get to 2026 or something, I can start at the year 1800 or something.  Alas.

Two things of note today.  First, I paid off my HELOC today (for now).  My teller was in training, so that was something for her -- paying it off but not closing it -- and it was also something for me, in that (hopefully) in a few weeks the bathroom work will begin, and there will be a balance.  I hope it is sooner, as I want to get the carpet done as well.  Anyways, the other thing done was my professional photo shoot for the headshot for work.  It went well; she was quite kind and took a dozen pics; I selected three and will pass them on Monday.  Funny; the photographer was in training for real estate, and I was able to explain to her the changes with commissions and such.  I am hardly an expert there but I knew more than she did, just from my reading and paying attention.  I definitely need to brush up more...

Florida now counts 1 million more registered Republican voters than Democrats | AP News
This is impressive, and I think it is...well, a mix of things.  Certainly the popularity of Ron and his positions.  Certainly some outmigration to Florida from blue states by the more conservative types.  And, of course, the weather; as I told one of my coworkers today, no one likes snow, and going to Florida, one never has to deal with it...

Finished book 28 this morning.  Still behind, and the links are piling up in the bookmark page, despite my efforts to get through them.  I have a fairly empty email box, but the movie list -- and not even NFR stuff -- is starting to pile up.  Of course, one can read or watch films (mostly).  I suspect that if and when my OC duty ends (or Labor Day weekend) I will able to spend a couple of days watching movies and reading, and that will help.  I hope.

Daisy's

Learned a new task/skill at work, passed inspection, and started another one; if that passes inspection, I think the training wheels will be off, and that is... good.  I mean, getting more involved in things is exactly what I should be doing; that and the various onboarding and training things.  I hope I can pick up the pace next week.

I put some work in on one of the bedroom piles and it is compressed; now two large ones, though some stuff was put away, pitched, or handled.  It may not seem like a lot of progress, but it is some.  My house is mainly put together, but I have just been less than discerning about the bedroom piles.  Not sure why. Ok, I am lazy, that's why, and I have had other things to do.

Today I made an impromptu decision to treat myself... I went to 7PM Mass today and suspected -- and soon realized -- that it was a Polish Mass.  Not really a problem; you can follow along in the missalette, and while the homily was just to me a time of silent prayer, everything else was... the way it should be.  Indeed, the Polish people do Mass proper; hymns at every station, kneeling before Communion, laying flowers at the Dormition of Mary altar, and having a brief prayer service after Mass there.  Quite nice!  Anyways, after Mass I saw that Daisy's -- the Village ice cream shop -- was open, and -- having never been there -- I went.  It was...fine?  Peaches and cream ice cream, quite succulent, double scoops for $4.50 is clearly worth it. The hours are 2-10, and I am usually in the Village in the morning, so it is not exactly my fault I had not been sooner, but...I will definitely go back.

Almost finished with the current book, Wawro's Sons of Freedom, about the US Army in WWI.  His thesis is that we won the war -- the Allies were out of troops and our forces had the mass to overwhelm the Germans, but at horrific cost as we refused/could not adjust to modern war and logistics.  I mostly buy it, though I think he tends to underestimate American drive -- no matter what -- which can cause as many problems as it solves.  It is 509 pages, so the next ones on the list will be...shorter.

Eating Out

 No more evidence of rodents in the garage.  Not sure if I should be happy or sad about that.  

Tomorrow is a Holy Day of Obligation -- Feast of the Assumption -- and while I should probably go to 6:45 AM Mass, I will probably hit the 7 PM one.  Not sure if this is a concession to aging, practicality, or the fact that it works better for my schedule.  Of course, most people -- we call them "Democrats" in my house -- don't even go, so...considering you are supposed to, I guess I will exhibit some moral superiority, but not that much more than usual.  Which, to be sure, is a lot.

Had dinner with a friend from church today -- BJ's Brewhouse, right next to Cooper's Hawk at 271 and Harvard.  I tend to forget how built up it is down there; I can remember when there was no there there, if you will.  I think I preferred the Brewhouse to the Winery, whether do my nascent Trumpism or the fact that the menu was... interesting.  I had peanut chicken with spicy soba noodles and they lived up to it.  Phew.  Lots of pop for me, like I need an excuse.

Looking at the polling, it does not look good for Trump.  Of course, he isn't really on the air yet, isn't defining her -- four more years of Joe, the border, the inflation -- and I think he certainly could.  Will he, of course is the question.  I know I am pessimistic as anyone, but I also sense opportunity.  Speaking of, one of the things we discussed tonight were the property tax hikes; mainly, that the GOP could do a huge favor to taxpayers -- and twist the Dems -- by making such requirements as the auditor has to sit on every board, making a more taxpayer-friendly appeal process, and capping property taxes.  Considering how this would hit the blue counties the hardest... why not?

The Counterattack

I found a mouse in the garage traps today, which, as we can imagine, generated an immense mass of activity on my part -- laying down more traps, adjusting the ones I have there now, and I think I will call the Orkin man tomorrow, just to get some reinforcements in there.  I realize it IS the garage but Mattie's patience -- in so far as it exists -- is more than exhausted.  Sort of like me; I have not slept well for three nights, and my plan to get to bed early tonight is of course shot.  Had some work to do, SVDP stuff, paperwork, etc.  At least it got done -- for now -- and we will wait for the return fire for these torpedoes.

At least I had a good workout at the gym -- chest today, lifted, and plenty of cardio -- so that was nice.  I am 187 pounds, which I attribute to the snacking post-Xmas party.  All of that was eaten today, save for the cake in the freezer, so that might help out with the diminution of poundage.  Mainly, I think, it is just time, less food, and more exercise.  I took a long walk Monday and it was heavenly; if I had more time I would do it again.  It was beautiful and good to clear my head; not that walking around Chateau Mattie (say, while doing the daily prayers) isn't nice, but it is not terribly helpful.

I note that in the past 3 days I have received 100 emails; maybe 40% are newsletters and such that I read.  About 20% are crap that I sort of read, and the rest... I had to respond to.  I do not want to humblebrag, but it is a volume that is impressive to handle, I think.  I looked at the pile of stuff in my bedroom that I need to handle, and I figured out why I haven't taken care of it yet.

Bemused

Interesting day -- busy at work, with lots of new stuff to learn and do.  Then it was off to the gym for a killer workout -- good day for the arms, my blood sugar was enough that I could get some cardio in, and then home for dinner and some of the usual stuff -- food pantry crap, paperwork, the usual.  And it was...good?  I mean, I am trying to develop a new routine and this may be it.  For now.  Rah.  Of course, this week is a quiet time, whereas the next few weeks will be more like the zoo to which I am used.  Oi.  I was thinking about that today while riding the bike, that maybe I need to cull some stuff; I am behind on reading, not getting any younger...of course, I won't.

Behind the Movement to Turn Back the Clock on Gender Roles - WSJ
I don't know; I think they are correct (mostly) but these sorts of things really cannot be started from the top -- the pushback is just too strong.  You really need the base of the people -- or enough of them -- to get involved here, becoming visible (and successful) to have any influence on policy.  Of course, you might not get that, and I think that is the problem...

With the J! hiatus, I am not watching it, which in turn means I am not watching TV in general, followed by my not sitting in the living room, so that is another reason why the house is cleaner than ever.  I ran the vacuum cleaner and there much less in the tank than usual... which I assume is because I am not mucking about there.  Honestly, I miss it, though; I feel my mental acuity isn't exactly getting better, and six weeks without it...

A Return to Normalcy

 Took yesterday off from blogging as it was a long and busy day.  Food pantry in the AM and for all of the worrying I had about meat and other stuff...the count was 112.  So we did have enough -- the chickens were gone but some randoms remained.  The produce was fine -- the Thursday crew got extra oranges and strawberries so we were good there.  We suspected that people did not have power so there was no need to go and get food.  Could be.  Just odd.  Not that I am complaining, but... in the meantime, there will be a big order tomorrow to re-stock canned goods.

I also helped out at the anniversary dinner for one of the nuns -- 70 years in the order, which is impressive.  Lot of work, actually, hauling stuff up and down the steps and making it look nice and kitchening, but I guess it was worth it, as the good sister was pleased.  Anyways, I was tired but not tired when I got home, so I watched the other NFR movie I got from the library, "Melody Ranch."  It's a Gene Autry film from 1940.  It is quite formulaic -- even had a training montage (reminded me of South Park) and also reminded me of "The A-Team" in that with all of the shooting only one person got shot.  On the other hand -- and this is why it is on the NFR -- Gene was a huge star and he made all sorts of films like that that were huge hits.  Might not think of it now, but we really can't ignore that, either.  Anyways, 838.  I should do a youtube search to see if anything is newly posted.

Today we had Mass for my grandparents on Mom's side; my sister was there as were my aunts and uncles.  Quite nice; we went to one aunt's for pie and coffee after and it was good just to chat and catch up and bullcrap.  We do need to do this more often, so I think Masses will be said next year as well.

Then it was home to make some coffee and do some contract work, which was not done last week due to the party and the new job.  It was good to be back in the swim of things, and if I can get some more work done this week and weekend, it would be quite ideal, for many reasons.  I expect stuff to pick up next week at work as well - more training, deeper dive into the systems, so I will be a busy see of productivity...

Progress

My plan to hit the hay early seems to have foundered tonight though in my defense I was productive.  Gym, drugstore for prescription, then home to do some food pantry budget stuff, pay a few bills, and get through some emails and such.  I also need to re-arrange my freezer a bit, which I will do tonight before bed.  I do have some piles of stuff in the kitchen, as more work components arrived; sometime this weekend I will make permanent the work setup.  Not sure why I am putting it off, save for the usual mix of sloth and fear of the technology.

I returned to the National Film Registry today with a viewing of "Boulevard Nights," a coming-of-age/gang member story with an entirely Latino cast, set in the late 70s.  I don't think it was that interesting but as it had the Latino cast... anyways, 837!  I do need to watch the ones I ordered as eventually the library will want them back.  Alas.  I had done a full search of the ones I hadn't seen on the library website, and found a few...this was an unexpected benefit, save for the fact I have to make time to watch them.  

Trump’s Team Had a Harris Strategy. Then He Went Off-Script About Her Race. - WSJ
This could be me, but again, hitting her on the economy and immigration would be far more profitable than the other stuff, save for maybe the fracking flip-flop.  It would take some discipline to do this...

Linx

Returned to the gym today; with the party prep, the new job, and my being tired -- I have gotten about an extra hour of sleep the last two nights, and I can tell, trust me -- I didn't go.  Arms today, no cardio -- blood sugar was a bit low -- and I was surprised that I was only four pounds overweight, given the snacking I have been doing... and more to come, given the chips and such still in the house.  Alas.  Hopefully I will get back into the gym groove and with some cardio (and better eating) I can burn the pounds off.  I could give away more stuff...

Driving to the gym I was surprised at the devastation.  There was a large tree down in front of St. Anthony, and I could see a bunch of large trees either down, uprooted (uprooted!), or suffering damage.  Many houses, it seemed, had piles of twigs and branches up, and I could not help but note that I saw five power trucks in that general vicinity.  I asked at Marc's and they too were without power for a few hours.  I am sure they are trying, but as my sister and I were discussing, there is probably a shortage of crews, and momma didn't raise her kids to be linemen (or linewomen).  And, of course, power lines are not buried, so one tree falls and...

Trump campaign calls Harris’ surge ‘suspended reality’ - POLITICO
One way to look at it, but... do they have a plan to combat it?  And will Trump stick to it?  Those are two vastly different things, of course.  There will be another bump after the convention... can they fight it?  I have my doubts.

How I Joined the Resistance (thelampmagazine.com)
I have read this three times, and each time I have found a new insight that moves me.  Impressive.  I somehow wonder if the people who bitch about him read this, though I suspect it is wayyyy over their fucking heads.

J. D. Vance Has a Point About Mountain Dew (msn.com)
As someone who rather likes Diet Dew, this was... awesome.

Republicans want to dismantle the Department of Education. What would that look like? (msn.com)
Interesting.  Again, for all we talk about reducing government, we never actually do it, so believing would be seeing, but... I would think much of what this department does could be replicated in other departments, or, better yet, pawned off to the states.  Heaven forbid we actually practice what we preach.

What Gives Poor Kids a Shot at Better Lives? Economists Find an Unexpected Answer - WSJ
Interesting.  I don't know; with the labor force participation so low, this means there are plenty of people without jobs, and it doesn't seem that there is any push to get these people working... and that IS a problem.

Change in the Air...

Hard to believe, if you will, how some areas can have severe damage -- trees down, roofs off, etc. -- and power outages, and then other places -- like mine -- which were practically unscathed.  About two miles from me there is still a hot mess, but here it seems...very little.  My neighbor had his fire pit going with downed twigs, and that was about it.  Odd.

Hot Meal meeting today -- I am not really sure I need to attend these things -- and we made the decision to switch to no more seconds and to make (at most) 100 servings of dinner.  No takeouts will also be more strictly enforced.  I guess I expected more acrimony but everyone was on the same page -- food costs are up, people are hogging food, leaving messes -- and it went quickly.  We will see how it goes.  The recent events at St. Malachi's were discussed; I joked about setting off fireworks in the bathroom, but more seriously... I think the issue was that some clients (a bunch of whom cause trouble at the food pantry) are abusing the system and it needs to stop.  Matt the Meanie is of course fine with this; as my sister likes to say, pigs get fat, hogs get eaten.

The house is surprisingly clean, though I still have a pile of crap in bedroom to handle.  I have set up a home office on the kitchen table; the two screens take up about half of it, and it does look a little cramped.  I will keep it for now, as it does keep me focused on work stuff.  I have much to do, and concentrating on finishing training as well as picking up some data and such.  I am not sure if that is the best plan but once all of that is done, I can concentrate on work stuff.  I do have a cardboard pile for the recycling bins at the OC which continues to grow...

Stormy weather

 Finished putting the living room back together today; all of the chairs and tables are downstairs in storage, and I put the tables and such back in the living room.  It still looks a bit bare, and I have plenty of stuff lying about on tables in my bedroom and the spare room that I need to handle, but... we will get there.  The big news was the weather... lots of people have power down.  My sister's company picnic was cancelled when the tents were blown over, and even here I had some flickering lights and internet connectivity issues.  I saw the alert about the tornado warning for Parma and Parma Heights, and that was...excessively close for me.  But here it was fairly quiet; the wind picked up a bit, and the rain came down, but I didn't see any damage or even limb loss, so I am truly blessed.  Actually, my haircut in Lakewood was cancelled -- no power -- which is not the worst, as I could prolly go longer, and I had time to do stuff here after work -- which is going well; lots of training modules to do and some I did today,

I was a little surprised by the selection of Walz; I would have thought Shapiro was the safer pick, and more likely to give PA to the Dems, which would keep the blue wall intact.  On the other hand, there is this...
Speaker Johnson: Josh Shapiro was ‘overlooked’ for VP because of Jewish heritage (thehill.com)
And I don't think you can discount this; I think it had to be in the back of a bunch of peoples' minds (in so far as the Dems have them) that you are putting a Jewish governor on the ticket when you are trying to hold the votes of the professional protesting class.  I think the GOP is more than fair to call this out, and they should.

How Gender Redefined the 2024 Election | The New Republic
Interesting.  I wonder if the Trump approach will win; I think there are more votes to be had with the suburban woman population, but Trump may be able to flip a state if he can run up the angry male vote.  Hell, if he can get some votes among the POC communities... well, that would be profitable in many ways.

Ten Points About Post-Lockdown Economics ⋆ Brownstone Institute
I wonder if the people who caused this will ever be called to the carpet.  I think not, of course...

I Survive

Lots of stuff going on, hence the weekend hiatus in blogging.  Saturday of course was food pantry duty and I was one of the co-managers.  Busy (as expected) albeit steady and not necessarily crazy so.  We put the clothes racks out and put them away for a bit when the rains came, and brought them out when they went away.  Most clients have verified their addresses and thus were able to get meat and produce; some came back with them.  We have given all clients notifications two months in a row, so...  we had a lot of produce and gave most of it away.  We did NOT have a lot of meat and some other items; I am not sure what our operations manager was doing last week in terms of ordering, honestly.  I tried to redress that this week with the order -- we should barely enough this week --- but I will have to order creatively for the week after.  Mind you, I order differently, so I do not think it is an issue, but...oi.

Then, of course, we had the family Christmas Sunday.  I think it went well; I was cleaning and prepping until literally 30 minutes before people arrived, but everything went smoothly.  We had a lot of food -- everyone brought something -- and while I expected 20 or more, we had 14, and the youngins did not show... alas.  The family took most of it home, phew.  There are still plenty of snacks, cake, asparagus, and other items left.  I took much to my sister's tonight and will try to pawn off the rest, or freeze it... alas.  Most of the house is put back together though I have not taken the tables and chairs down the basement (my siter said I can keep them).  Joy.  In other news, one thing that did surprise me was how the family has become...well, let's just say that they are voting red.  Moreso than I am, if you can imagine that; not sure how and why this occurred, but I was...impressed.

Cracks in Economy Pose Risk to Harris’s Momentum - WSJ
I would like to think that Trump would concentrate on this story instead of the usual stuff, but... I mean, this is the winning argument for him, and -- like 2016 -- he really needs to stick to that.  I do not exactly think that sticking to the script is what the Donald does, so...alas.

Closure

 So, my third career ended today; it was odd, as I had some stuff I wanted to do, and while I don't necessarily think they wanted me gone... they encouraged me to cut it a little short and wrap things up.  To be sure, it was Friday, and -- like TFG -- I think they were surprised that I was leaving, so it was for the best.  Last trip to Avon (and back), and while it is not a terrible drive, I will not miss it.  Anyways, I made a final shopping trip to Meijer and Lowe's for some low-tax shopping.  I got some extra snax and stuff, and also some concrete for driveway repair; if I can get a window of no rain, I can plug the dip in the driveway.  That is a big if, and I should have done it sooner...   

Anyways, today's party planning including the extra shopping, making the jello, and finishing cleaning the basement.  Not that I expect anyone to go down there, but if they want to, they can.  Jello looked pretty good, I thought.  Finished the menu planning and all of the dishes are done... I need to bring up the party supplies, clean the upstairs bathroom, fill the driveway hole, and maybe bring down Xmas stuff?  The bathroom should be the last, I guess.  The house does look clean, if a bit empty.  And, the truck tailgate held up today!

The laptop for the new job arrived and I have to admit, for all that people complain about computers and modern technology... there was a snafu in the delivery of the laptop and it came in the afternoon instead of the AM.  Fedex kept me continually informed as to what was happening and when the package would arrive... and it did.  I realize the technology is basic now but it is still pretty cool.

TikTok Is Flooding Gen Z With Conversion Therapy Propaganda (thedailybeast.com)
Interesting; a lot of states have banned the practice, but I bet a lot of them are opposed to the overall TikTok ban...

Democrats Continue Long-Standing Tradition Of Large Whites-Only Gatherings | Babylon Bee
Snicker, snicker..

America’s New Political War Pits Young Men Against Young Women - WSJ
This is the next divide, and this is...more serious than others?  A gender gap is one thing, but a gender war is another...and considering both parties are doing this, and doubling down...hmmm.

Hazel Eyes

Well, the jury-rigged tailgate is holding up for now, though I am trying to be careful.  Funny; with all of the OTHER things going on right now in my life, I forgot to call the car place to get it fixed.  Next week it will have to be (I hope).  I also forgot to send out follow-up emails from Wednesday's quarterly Board meeting; not that I have a lot, but... today was busy at work and of course most were saying good bye and good luck.  I will miss them and the place, but... it was not a perfect fit for me.  I will miss Avon, which is quite nice, even if extremely busy.  Funny, I went to the bank to get money for stuff, and my favorite teller told me it was her last day there; I shared her my good news as well.  I tend to forget, as my sister likes to say, that people change jobs more often than I did, though I certainly can be said to be catching up.  

Operation house-cleaning continued with a vengeance.  Kitchen table NOT cleaned off fully; I moved all the stuff off it, sorted it, etc.; need to wash it down.  The floor was swiffered, the kitchen chairs wiped down and dusted, as was the table and light fixtures.  Most of the stuff from the table I just moved to the spare room to be further dealt with later.  Alas.  I also did some laundry!  Anyways, while I did not dust the basement, I did the basement bathroom (quite dusty).  Tomorrow is kitchen day -- making the jello, maybe some other side as well.  There will be time to clean.  I also cut the grass and did most of the weed-whacking; the battery ran out with some to go.  Funny; they were calling for rain at 6 and while the skies threatened...I chanced it and was rewarded.  I might just pull this off, but, don't get cocky, kid.

Brown holds 4-point lead over GOP opponent in new Ohio poll - Live Updates - POLITICO
Considering the barrage of ads against Moreno, for Brown to be up but 4...impressive.  I would love to see the guy go but...