That Escalated Quickly

As many of you may have surmised, I was away last week -- I was in Vegas for work, as it was the International Builders Show and it was decided that I should attend.  Odd, as I never attended in first career, but now... well, it was good and fun and educational.  I learned a lot, talked to a lot of people, attending some seminars, etc... I am also dragging a bit and I have not yet caught up with all of the work I was doing before I left, and this just added to it.  Alas.  My boss hates Vegas, and I can sort of see why.  It is very American -- everything has a price, it is loud and garish and expensive, full of hard workers, but sort of vulgar and cheap, with everyone trying to screw you over.  I guess once in a while is fine, but...  at least my flights home were smooth (I will never get used to flying), I finished a book, and my expenses were reimbursed.

Today I was...well, busy with work -- didn't hit the gym -- and I am a bit tired (why I am up now is an open question).  I just had a PB&J, walked a bit, and started catching up on what I missed doing during the week (mostly).  Also...the bathroom is fully fixed; they laid the pipe Thursday (my sister served as project manager) and while it was a bit costlier than I expected -- two drain lines had to be laid -- it is done.  I have flushed a few times -- no water in the basement, and while a hot bath will have to wait... well, so far so good.  I will have to be tighter than usual (imagine that) as I want to pay down these bills, but... at least I am not running downstairs all the time.  I do have more to do, house-wise, but we will survive.

Americans Are Stuck. Who's to Blame? - The Atlantic
When even The Atlantic is saying that the left has caused more problems than it solved... 

Only fools think Elon is incompetent - by Noah Smith
I don't know if this is as big of a deal as they think; people on both sides do this all the time, facts be damned, and... I suspect this is part of it.  Of course, as I like to say, we are $36T in the hole, so no idea is too crazy, and no cut in spending is... well, a good start.

Am I missing something here, or was today's presser between the Presidents...a hot mess?  I mean, it is one thing to think some things, but it is another to say them out loud...it does no good for anyone -- the Ukraine, the GOP, the Europeans, and those concerned about the Russians, who will be more empowered than ever.  Not sure what the end game here; yes, we want the war to end, yes, we want as many of the Ukrainian resources as possible, yet we want the Europeans to do their fair share, but I am not sure what went on today helps any of this happen.  Sad.

Productive but Not Enough

Interesting day.  Busy day! First was OC duty, and it was... odd.  The count was 122 -- not exactly a record, but I think the cold, the wet snow (hard to walk through), and the clients (mostly good but a bit grabby).  We did move a lot of stuff today, mainly because it was the first day we could put out stuff; it was just cold.  So I was pleased?  Mainly, of course, because I am now done with managing till May, though I will place the order for Monday.  Phew.  

Then off to the gym and a couple of errands -- not as many as I would have liked because the blood sugar was low (also skipping cardio, sigh), but it was good to lift.  Odd, that after OC duty I want to work out, but... yes.  I made sure I got home in the PM because a friend was supposed to come over, but of course, he had to cancel (this seems to be thing, which I get, but...).  Oi.  I got to take a nap at least, in so far as I nodded off.  Alas.  Next up was to catch up on some work, which was fine, but I didn't the Matt stuff I wanted, like hang the shower curtain and do some OC paperwork/pay some bills.  Tomorrow is another day, but I do need to clamp down and get that stuff done.  I also neglected to watch the backlog of J! episodes.  Oops.

Earmarks another victim of Trump spending freeze - E&E News by POLITICO
Given that the GOP is running the show, it is appalling that there are any earmarks.  When I wonder if there are any real GOPers in the government... this is why.

The private GOP panic over the slash-and-burn DOGE firings - POLITICO
Dare I say that there is some merit in this?  I mean, cutting foreign aid and the arts and such is fine, but there should be some process to this, something explainable.  I mean, I don't doubt that there are too many government employees, and they need to be culled, but...on the other hand, we are $36 trillion in the hole, and there is no really getting around that.

I was flipping between the Duke-Illini game and "Sargeant York..." Duke had quite the win, which I did not expect.  Given the state of the ACC this year, everyone was looking forward to the game to get an objective look, if you will, at the Blue Devils.  But it was impressive beyond belief!  Back to Gary Cooper... dare I say the movie really holds up?  I mean, yes, the combat scenes are staged, and yes, the first half is a bit stilted, but as a story about a man wrestling with his conscience -- and going forth with the decision, it is really quite American.

So close, yet...

Long day today.  Work was quite busy -- all sorts of stuff to do, new projects assigned, and plenty of old stuff to handle, which I mostly did.  Then it was off to St. Aloysius for our District SVDP meeting.  The food order was a bit late, not surprising given the blizzard we had here.  Funny; there was one this AM, and then it snowed off and on all day.  The weatherpeople said it would stop this afternoon, but this strains the definition of afternoon.  Funny; the snow was much less worse literally three miles from my house -- at 77 -- and by the time I arrived at Independence it was fine.  I got to the church in time with the grub and the meeting went well; bit long but much to discuss, and I think it was worth it.  Of course, it was snowing again when we left, and while the roads were mostly good...well I was glad to have 4WD.  Anyways, I do need to write-up a followup, and watch the J! backlog...but tomorrow is (probably) another day.

I also watched the Canada-USA game, which was fun, though it would have been more fun if we had won.  Dare I say that without the trade war and the Trump tweets, the game would not have had all of the excitement?  Not saying that Trump did that on purpose (though it could be) but it certainly helped with everything else.  Now all of these guys will go back to the regular season...

P.K. Subban Goes On ESPN To Torch NBA Culture, Hype Up NHL Players: Video | OutKick
This was pretty funny, and the look on Brian Windhorst's face...well, it was precious.  PK is 100% correct, so... so much the better.

They forgot the Forgotten Man. Trump didn't - Don Surber
Also 100% correct!

Democrats Avoided Criticizing Biden. Jason Furman’s Doing It Now. - POLITICO
I have to admit, if this is criticizing Biden...well, I guess I should be pleased that someone is saying that the emperor had no clothes, even if it is a day late and more than a dollar short.

Sleepless

Oh, the irony...mainly, I nodded off and here I am, 12:30 at night, blogging away.  To be sure, I needed the nap, but I think it will be a poor substitute for sleep.  Also, the stuff that I had planned to do and wanted/needed to do did not get done.  Alas.  Tomorrow is another day.  Also, I saved J! to watch for later -- I worked late today (yesterday) because I have a meeting tomorrow (today) that I am planning/hosting so I need to leave promptly at 5.  Sigh.  Adulting is hard, leadership is hard, social justice is hard!

I went to Acme on a late lunch to get some stuff (beverages) for the meeting and as I had a taste for a rotisserie chicken, I bought one there.  And it was...ok.  I mean, not bad, and not dry, but it was modestly flavored.  Not too expensive, FWIW.  Not sure if I should go somewhere else or eat some healthy salmon next.  At least I have almost everything I need -- gotta make some copies at the library -- for tomorrow's fest, which will be a big push.  Not a fan of winter meetings -- the thought of snow suppressing attendance makes me antsy -- but the Conferences want one, so here we are.  I mean, it should be fine, but I do tend to worry about these sorts of things.  As one of my friends likes to say, I have a Mother Hen complex.

 Elon Musk Now Has 13 Children. A Conservative Pro-Family Scholar Says He’s Missing Something. - POLITICO
Interesting.  I know people feel that the old, culturally conservative right is dead, but I do not think that is the case; maybe the new wing is ascendant, but the old tried and true are not going away, and they still provide a significant hunk of the Trump base.  Also, the science is settled about this, as the Left likes to say, so...

Trump Signals U.S. Ready To Forgive Ukraine For Invading Russia | Babylon Bee
This could be me, but I got a distinct sense of Munich when I heard the latest broadside from Trumpworld.  I mean, if this was some elaborate charade to lure Putin into negotiations and then expect actual security for Ukraine, I would be incredibly impressed, but I think we know that that is probably not going to be the case.  Not that I care about the Europeans, but I can see how they -- and the Ukrainians -- would object to the entire scheme.  Nor does anyone really think that this will help end the war, do they?

Getting Out

Didn't post yesterday; I was doing a bunch of things, got busy, and then went to bed.  Not sleep, mind you, as I tossed and turned for much of the night; I think it was after 3 AM when I finally slept-slept, and of course I was up at 7, so... I wasn't feeling it before, but am now.  Oi.  Not sure why but it was not fun last night. I am not exhausted by the winning, if you will.  Honestly, I think most Trump voters cannot be displeased by what they are seeing, and for all of the hand-wringing about tariffs, they have yet to occur.  I am skeptical that hitting China will be anything but popular to many Americans, and hell, even getting booed by the Canadians isn't going to hurt Trump politically, in my opinion.

Meeting after work, then a haircut, and as I had decided by then that I did not want to cook, I went to Barocco in Lakewood.  I think I have been to the Crocker Park one, but had not been here... anyways, it was good -- bit spicy, and my digestive system let me know it -- but I am not sure it was $35 good (with tax and tip). Of course, nothing is nowadays, but...interesting.  I also managed to finish the book I was working on -- up to six for the year.  I do need to read more, and watch some movies on the National Film Registry, and go through some links.  Maybe this weekend?  I have plenty of stuff to do, but there is nothing that says I cannot put some time in on those items.

I cranked up the heat a bit tonight -- not that I am worried about freezing pipes but you can never be too sure -- but man is it cold.  This stretch is like the second or third we have had this year, and while I do not think we have been too bad snow-wise, it does seem that the temperatures have been lower and worse this year compared to those for a while.  I will not make the joke about global warming, but it does make me wonder if people will say this winter has been worse when I am not exactly sure that it is...

Mattie's Weekend

Man, it has been a crappy day, weather-wise.  I drove to Mass in a blizzard, not exactly helped by the clump of people (pretty much all women!) driving like 30 with their blinkers on.  This could be me, but if you are so petrified by the thought of getting in the gar and going somewhere...maybe you should not?  To be sure, the thought did cross my mind that maybe I should not go to Mass, but then I realized 1) Hope and Changers skip Mass, and we are not Hope and Changers, and 2) I am a man, so I know how to operate a motor vehicle.  I arrived just in time for the Processional (4WD works wonderfully) and I am glad I did, as it was quite nice, if a little (understandably) sparse.  I thought about going out for breakfast/checking out the food pantry/gym but decided to go home, where I spent a couple of hours putting the living room back together and doing some needed dusting and sweeping.  

I should have done more -- going through the pile of boxes I brought down from the attic, going through the pile on the desk in the bedroom -- but I instead settled down to watch both of the women's top 5 games and the intro to the Daytona 500.  The first were interesting -- UCONN putting the smack down on South Carolina (Dawn Staley looked like she was going to kill someone) and then TX came back to beat LSU (Kim Mulkey always looks like she will kill someone, and given their fourth quarter collapse, she probably did).  The race...well, I watched very little of that -- I think it is boring and dumb -- but to me there is nothing more American than the Daytona 500, topped off with a visit from President Awesome, who was -- of course -- enthusiastically welcomed.

Saturday was OC day and it was... cold, sort of; I wore my clothes, but it was the warmest Saturday of the month.  It got warmer as the day went on -- the wet snow became rain, and sort of melted the ice and crud in the parking lot.  It was funny; we had a lot of volunteers, plenty of crap to give away, and...very few people.  The count was 90, and most came after 10:30 when the weather improved.  Not much you can do...the AM rush was 13, which was... impressive, in a way.  I expect next Saturday to be a real zoo.  I could take a week off, but that would be like missing Mass, and, well...see above comment.

Went about halfway through the current read -- I should have read more, but reasons.  More seriously, I can't multitask quite like I used to.  Maybe I was trying to watch the games, but also... it's one or the other.  Very troubling, though I guess I could -- and should -- try harder.  Ugh.

Wakey

I dare say, not only did I crash last night, but I did it as well while watching "Casablanca," so much so that I missed the singing of "La Marseillaise," or, as I like to say, the strongest French resistance to the Germans...  oi.  Here I am now, drinking coffee and trying to finish the stuff I should have done instead of watching (and napping through) my favorite movie.  Alas.  It was a long and busy week, I guess, so that is a reason, and with the weather this weekend -- bad when I will be out on the roads -- I suspect it will be slightly more stressful, too.  Alas.

Vance brings a wrecking ball to diplomatic gathering in Munich – POLITICO
I listened to the speech (not live) and while I can see how the Europeans were appalled by it, the average GOPer would say 1) he is correct and 2) this is more than about time.  I think we all know where I stand on the matter, but, more to the point, I would think the Russia-Ukraine war would impel Europeans to become stronger...  not that they can deter the Russians on their own, but raising the stakes would make the Russians less likely to pull crap in the future.

Trump is slashing agencies long hated by the GOP. The next cuts might be harder. - POLITICO
I get that, to an extent, and yes, people like their benefits, but I think we in the GOP we have to call these people out in that they are acting like Dems -- they want not only theirs, but yours, as well.  I mean, we are $36 trillion in the hole, and we all know that government spending is the great cause of this -- and the inflation that has made it harder for a lot of people to live.  That is an inconvenient truth, but a truth nonetheless.  I think we will need tax hikes --- selected, I can assure you -- to fix this, but the spending reductions would help, and they must be done.

Republicans May Find It Harder to Cut Medicaid Than They Think - POLITICO
Similarly, we in the GOP are part of the problem, but that doesn't mean we cannot self-correct now; adding work requirements to Medicaid and SNAP are one way to do so, to say nothing of offering a partial solution to the illegal immigration problem.  I think we in the GOP need to ask ourselves why we are being Democrat-lite in so many cases.  I can see why it may be temporarily popular, but over the long run, no one is better off.

I am not exactly what I think of the "practice game" that was part of the J! TOC.  It aired tonight, and I guess I get it -- the first round byes do not play, and there may be something to the performance issue if someone else gets an extra game on the buzzer.  On the other hand -- Cris Panullo may disagree -- the solution is to have them play every round in the TOC?  I guess if I truly cared I would see what they are saying on the socials.  I guess my only objection is that my scores are lower, and I could use a return to regular J! to boost them, as if it masks my mental decline.

Mattie plows through

Guess what I didn't do tonight?  That's right, clean and rearrange the living room!  Done plenty of other things (skipped gym due to the weather, ugh), like worked a bit, sent out some emails, handled food pantry and SVDP stuff, even read a few articles.  Hell, I even have Duke on in the background!  So while this is not a disaster (I have gotten shit done) I still feel that I should have done some actual adult work.  Alas.

Ilhan Omar DID marry her brother, reveals Somali community leader | Daily Mail Online
This story amuses the hell out of me, for many reasons, from the multiple husbands, the marrying her brother, the constant scolding of US policy, the fact that she would have been thrown off the top of a building elsewhere in the Muslim world, etc.  Now, I don't think that they will have the stones to deport her, or put her in prison for immigration fraud, but considering all else the government is doing...well, a boy can dream.

New Housing Does Not Have to Be Affordable, Which is Good News
Dare I say this is exactly correct?  This is why I hate seeing all of this space being used for...well, lawns?  Commercial properties that turn over so much?  I am not expecting apartment complexes on every corner, but we should be putting up houses where all of these smoke shops and empty buildings currently reside.  I realize that the actual number of houses would be few, but if every suburb added say, 50 units...well, it would be the sort of thing that helped the housing market without necessarily bringing down property values.

Canned foods are convenient, affordable and nutritious. Why do they have a bad reputation?
Interesting; I think I prefer frozen (you can heat them up better, I think) but I do rotate canned goods in every so often -- two bags of frozen to one can.  I try to use the low-sodium varieties, as well; not that I am old, but I do try to watch what I eat.  Funny; I have been eating spaghetti squash for lunch and made a corn and peppers casserole for dinner (which has lasted a couple of days).  Not intentionally going vegan, but it is economical (and we all know how I feel about that -- especially after paying the gas bill) and healthier than most meals, so...  I can virtue signal even to myself!

Catching Up

Funny; last night I fell asleep on the living room floor (again) and woke up at 4...then went to bed for real and could not sleep.  Joy.  More seriously, I guess I was tired and having not slept well lately, I should not be surprised that I crashed, though it was a bit ridiculous.  In the meantime, that is why I have not posted for two days.  Today I did some of the stuff I have been meaning to do -- including making an email draft for tomorrow morning (adulting is hard) and plowing through the piles of emails.  Work was super busy today and in consequence I did not hi t the gym.  Sigh.  Gonna hit it twice as hard tomorrow!

Sunday was Super Bowl Sunday, which I sort of watched while taking down the Christmas tree and putting away the Christmas decorations.  It really is the new saddest day of the year; I guess I didn't enjoy them as much as I usually do.  I also ran the boxes up the attic after the Super Bowl, and found a couple more things to pitch/go through.  Mind you, I have to yet to vacuum or put the living room back together; I am definitely doing it tomorrow after J!, come hell or high water, or both.  Hell, I didn't even take the tree to the compost pile; with the ice and all -- still hasn't fully melted -- I just rested it on the front steps, and in a couple of days, once the temperature rises (and the backyard is a sea of mud) I will take the tree and recycle it; such a thing of joy and beauty does NOT belong in the trash.  

Interesting news out of Columbus, where Mike Dewine has selected Jim Tressel to be his lieutenant governor.  Not sure how to take it.  My first thought is that if he wants run for governor, he will win the primary (and the general election), simply by running ads from 2002 and his record against UM.  If he does, well, a master stroke by Dewine in checking Vivek and his meteoric rise to...something.  Mind you, I don't think he wants to be governor, and will not run, so... what's the point?  Getting him a nice pension boost?  Giving him a real job before retirement?  Signaling he is ok with a free-for-all GOP primary?  I am not really sure what the plan or end game is here...  I guess the Lee Fisher to BW move makes sense to me -- not that I think he has any ability or such, but he can raise $$ from the locals, and that it appears is what BW needs now.

I have been making some progress on my current read -- a collection of essays about Civil War soldiers -- but we are well off the goal of a book a week.  Sigh.  I realize these are thicker tomes, and I do not exactly have plenty of time to cuddle up with a book for a day, but...this bodes poorly.

More Mehness

Another meh day.  Ok, it wasn't that bad.  OC duty today, and that was...well, very cold.  We only had 110 clients, but it felt like more -- I guess the weather did affect us.  We had a lot of produce to give away (not sure why) and the bread pickups were crazy, so we put out extras, but...there was a lot left, though I think a lot of it will keep until next week.  The clients were better, though I suspect that the weather scared most away.  I will running another tight ship next week, too.  Not much to order-- the freezers are full, there is produce, and the canned goods situation is quite good.

I skipped the gym -- we closed promptly (more or less) at 12 to avoid the wintry mix, and honestly, I am glad I did; I was both tired and cold after my shift, and took a nap after lunch (why I am awake now), and I heard the freezing rain pittering away on the roof/windows.  Not I like had to go anywhere, so I did not.  It was fine, I guess; I needed the rest.  Then it was off to do some work -- not sure I needed to, but I felt like I was behind, one of our projects was accelerated, and I got two lesser projects out the door (proverbially), so it was not a terrible use of time.  Tomorrow (ok, today) is operation put the house back together, though where to start is... well, anywhere I guess.

Watched Duke lose -- I called it a trap game, and it was.  I will note that this is the third time this season Cooper Flagg has shit the bed in a clutch situation, and yes, these things happen, but, at the end of the day, Jon Scheyer has to call someone else's number, and this is painfully beyond obvious.  Oi.  I mean, Clemson is a good team, and if they have to lose it is better now (CSU lost to the Norse, for Christ's sake), but I of course do not like it.

How Democrats lost the DEI war to Trump - POLITICO
Dare I say that the DEI war was lost by the Dems, who didn't realize how unpopular it was, and that it was Trump who was able to capitalize on it?  I mean, for all of the talk about how the guy doesn't know what he is doing, I would posit that the opposite is the case, and as long as Dems keep misunderestimating the guy...well, long may this continue.

Mehness

Long week.  Mostly good, but long.  Feeling sort of meh today -- not sure if it is the lack of sleep, the amount of work, the other stuff I have to do, but..blah.  I did get a good workout at the gym -- been a few days since I was able to go, and I was feeling it, but I got a good arms workout in and some bike time, and some sorely needed reading.  Only at 4 so far -- yes I have had some thick tomes, but I still feel as if I am behind.  That is one of the nice things about gym time; assuming I do not have blood sugar that is too low, I can get a good 15-20 minutes or so of book time, which I sorely need, given the book list.

I do have a pile of paperwork to get through, which I should do tonight, but I will do it tomorrow, as I intend to watch the J! episode backlog tonight and then to bed.  Exciting, these Friday nights.  Actually, I did have some excitement, as I tried to back out of the driveway, and I skidded a bit; I wasn't going that fast, but I was going fast enough.  I was halfway down the driveway, so I had plenty of stopping space, but it was odd to think of the warmth from a few days ago had turned the driveway into a skating rink.  I should have salted the driveway, or at least broken up the ice floes a bit, but...

I don't know; have the sense of mehness; maybe if I achieve some things this weekend, I will feel less so.  But I do not like it.  The pipe contractor got back to me today -- one we have a stretch of over 30-degree weather (in February, I know) they can get to work, and I can go and get the bathroom back.  Phew.

I have to admit, all of the kerfuffle about the spending done by USAID... funny; I was on a social justice call yesterday, bemoaning the cuts, and there was plenty of pushback from the attendees (all of whom were Catholic, I think, though some were some of the Pope Francis ilk) about some of the grants, the salaries, etc., and basically that how could you say that money was being given to the poor.  There was no answer to it, so they tried to move on, but... that didn't help.  Dare I say that they are correct, and that as faithful Catholics... there are some things we cannot support, nor should we, and thus I don't have any deep sadness about this.  Far from it.

I pulled this from yesterday's West Wing Playbook from Politico, and this is...impressive.
“He truly believes that God spared him for a reason,” said one longtime adviser, granted anonymity to discuss private conversations. “He’s moving fast because he thinks this stuff is common sense. He thinks it’s going to work.”

Exhausted by the Winning

So, I got in touch with the pipe guy, and the estimate (not a quote, as who knows what they will find, and I know that) is on the way; I will make a deposit once it arrives and I will be on the schedule -- expedited (in so far as the weather allows) due to the referral from the bathroom people.  As good as we can do, I guess.  Rah.

Funny, sort of; I was trying to get dinner with a friend, he was noncommittal, and at the end of the day, I decided not to push it -- didn't want to run afoul of the ice storm that is coming.  I was a bit peeved, though it was probably better I stayed home and handled stuff.  Not that I started actual work on fixing the house, and I need to grocery shop after the gym tomorrow, but... adulting is full of unpleasant opportunity costs, if you will.  At least I witnessed an easy Duke win in the background.

Trump Unveils Exciting, Never-Before-Tried Strategy Of Having America Take Over Country In The Middle East | Babylon Bee
This was certainly an interesting proposal, to put it mildly.  My first thought is that the Donald is angling for the Muslim world -- who have caused much of this mess, one way or the other -- to pay for a good share of the rebuilding.  If you think about it, one of the big successes of Trump 45 was normalizing Israel within some of the countries in the region, and if he can leverage that...  then I told one of my friends in the LGBTQ community that he should be glad if Trump does this, as this way it would be a corner of the world where they didn't want to bounce him off the top of a building.  He was less than amused.  On the other hand, behold our 55th state!

Mike Johnson’s budget plan is at risk of collapse - POLITICO
This is... not good.  I mean, I realize the narrow majority -- and the divergent priorities of this majority -- are going to make passing anything besides gas the challenge, but... given the success of the President in steamrolling everything else, I am a little surprised he cannot get some discipline in this Congress, especially the House; I get the feeling the Senate has its shit together, if you will, and can get something done.  Maybe sending the House to Gaza might smack some sense into them.

Action!

Odd; I feel a cold coming on -- not sleeping well lately, a bit chilled, and the stomach is a tad rumbly.  On the other hand... I feel pretty awesome.  Work is busy, there is a pile of food pantry stuff to do, and while I am not cleaning the house and putting it back together... that is for tomorrow, as I want to empty the inbox.  

I think my dining room set is falling apart, as a couple of pieces of metal fell off one of my chairs.  I know the thing is as old as I am, and I can use/afford a new one, but... I would rather not have to shop for one now, as I want to concentrate on debt reduction/saving for the next round of home improvements (speaking of, bunch of phone tag today, so this is good).  I also think this is telling me that I need to lose a little weight, or more than a little, but don't we all?

Hard-liner rebellion forces House GOP leaders to scramble for deeper cuts  - POLITICO
Am I missing something, or isn't this why we elected the guy, to cut spending?  All of the brouhaha about cutting spending -- USAID, the DoE, etc. -- is what many GOPs believe in, and the fact that some people are balking on this... well, it seems more than a bit odd.  I mean, for all of the complaints from the chattering classes and the Fourth Estate... many of us are more and more!

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says media can't keep with Trump | Fox News
Dare I say I think she is largely correct?  I mean, for the last four years we had a President who could barely drool and eat ice cream at the same time, and now, when we have a guy who can do many things at once -- or at least empower those to do so -- and a lot of people cannot process all the winning, and/or would prefer to lose.  Long may this continue!

I love the TOC, but today's categories were not in my favor, and my mind was a tad slow, so I only got 36 today.  I thought the final was rather easy, but that is not exactly a tremendous consolation.  Alas.  I did finish up the Games magazine I was working on, so I can now pivot back to the pile of puzzle books from Mom... some day this will end, and I will feel quite sad, but today is not the day.

All Caught Up

 Interesting day today - work was busy, lots of meetings, and of course, the trade stuff (which I called, that they would make a deal to prevent their imposition).  Mind you, I do not think this is a wise (or good) long-term strategery, as there are some countries you cannot bully, or someone might call you on that, but... I also think that 1) the Donald was serious about this and 2) his base -- think UFC fans and the Liberty University Convocation -- loves this, and, as Bill Clinton used to say, good politics is good policy.  Will there be deals?  Yes, and I think favorable to the US.  I noted that the other countries who have challenged Trump have lost, so...

Manufacturing Towns Hit by the ‘China Shock’ Bounced Back. The Workers Didn’t. - WSJ
I think this is why we have the politics we have today (in part); we all laughed at Perot back then, but he was correct, and never got the credit.  Very few Dems ever really supported his position -- the quote about falling in line really resonates here -- but these small manufacturing communities (and for that matter, cities like Cleveland) were decimated by this.  Trump has spoken to them and you can say that his policies are an attempt, crude as they are, to provide redress.

Saturday was OC duty -- average crowd (156) but man the people were... clingy?  Grabby?  Rules-breaky?  Not been that way in a while, and it was a bit...annoying.  I told the other co-manager for next week that we will not be having that this week.  I placed the food order -- just under $1400 but nearly 7,000 pounds; I ordered mainly free stuff, which, to me, is a big difference.  Anyways, then it was off to my sister, some errands, some work, and then Duke-NC... which was a big win for the Brotherhood.  Not as close as the score would indicate.  I suspect the Clemson game is a trap one...

Yesterday was Mass -- the Feast Day of St. Blaise was celebrated, throat blessed, so I am safe from strep for another year.  Then it was off to the kitchen to help out at the fundraiser lunch for the new roof.  Truth be told, it was a lot of work -- helped with food prep, cooking, running stuff to the lines, cleanup, etc.  Oi.  Didn't leave until 4:30, and then I took Communion to my friend in Edgewater -- it was three weeks, and while I was tired, she needs the Blessed Sacrament, it is my job, and honestly, I think company is good for both of us.  Then it was home where I watched all of last week's TOC episodes that I had archived.  I do love the TOC even if the questions are harder!  I crashed slightly after the last episode...and woke up at 4AM on the floor with the lights on...  Maybe I am not quite so invincible as I thought.

Dana White 'Beyond Disgusted' By Bryce Mitchell Hitler View, Defends Free Speech | OutKick
Dare I say that this is the exact reaction to this sort of thing?  No canceling, no faux outrage... I think it is wonderful, and if this is a side benefit of the era of Trump II...

Democrats Once Again Concerned About Who Will Pick Their Crops | Babylon Bee
Snicker, snicker...