Hiatus

So last night I just crashed and went to bed about 10:30.  Between this cold, the late night Tuesday, the early day Wednesday (6:45 Mass for Ash Wednesday, as we are not Hope and Changers), and the effects of the fast (ditto)...well, I just didn't feel.  I had an apple before I went to bed -- something of a mortal sin -- as my blood sugar was borderline.  As it was, I woke up at 4 with low blood sugar, alas, so... I got a good deal of sleep, maybe not enough, but 7.5 hours is heavenly.  I wouldn't say I am better but I feel...well, less crappy.

One casualty of this malady is that I did not go to the CSU game tonight; HL quarterfinal and last home game of the year.  I mean, I could have, but I decided valor was the name of the game so I stayed in.  It was a good game, but there is something to be said for staying in, resting, not getting cold, etc.  I will be heading out tomorrow -- First Friday of Lent! -- so even more the reason.

There are only two parishes in the Diocese that have fish fries on Ash Wednesday (which I sort of get, for many reasons) and last night I switched it up a bit and went to St. Ambrose in Brunswick for theirs.  Sort of a zoo (obviously) and I narrowly avoided several vehicular catastrophes in the parking lot (I parked far, but not far enough).  It was good -- better than Holy Family -- and for $17.50 (including drinks and dessert), I think it was borderline worth it in this day and age.  It IS for the Church, as I used to tell Mom (and we all know what she thought of that).  More seriously... a parish should consider starting one on Ash Wednesday; I know it is hard to get volunteers mid-week, but there are opportunities...

Dems’ DOGE problem may be bigger than they thought - POLITICO
This and the decline in mortgage rates... well, the GOP needs to be talking about this more -- I think a lot of people would understand (if not like) that for many years we have spent too much for too long.  You can Uber-drive at night all you want, but at the end of the day, when spending is the problem, you have to cut it, like it or not.

SOTU!

SOTU baby!  Dare I say it was...long?  I mean, as President of the 40-minute Mass society I am of course going to say that, but...I have a cold!  Early Mass tomorrow!  It was a long day!  More seriously, the speech was... good?  It does seem that the President has a good time at these things -- making fun of Elizabeth Warren, the Kennedy reference, the "How's that work out line," all of them were hilarious, and you could see the Dems really didn't know how to react.  Back to the speech... mainly the usual hits?  Immigration, economic platitudes, a defense of DOGE (shouldn't we mention the fall in 10-year Treasuries, and thus mortgage rates)... Al Green getting kicked out was a bit much; you would think the GOP would figure out a way to cut some load of funds from his district, just to ensure decorum in the future.  I should be watching the Dem response, but I have a blog to post, and then to bed. 

Funny; I had an MD appointment today, and he said I sounded like I had bronchitis (which I do not think I do), so I had a very thorough exam, followed by a discussion of the fact that on the one hand, I am of the age (and with the diabetes) I should be seeing a specialist, but on the other hand, I am fairly healthy, all things considered, so... I mean, I guess I should see them now to make sure everything is ok, but... one must do one's part to keep health care costs down.  One downside was the visit was longer, so I just went to the local bakery for my paczki, instead of a Polish one for an actual one.  Alas.

Is Domino’s pizza inflation-proof? - The Hustle
Interesting; I mean, I don't really eat/order that much pizza, so I was not aware of the price stability here, but...

Republican governors tried to slash state budgets. They have advice for Elon Musk. - POLITICO
Quite right?  I mean, if you are deleting items from your lists everyday and such, you sound foolish, whereas if you can provide -- as they have done at times -- lists of wasteful spending and the savings to the taxpayers...well, that is something that better withstands attack.

Trump’s Barrage of Executive Orders Overwhelms Opponents - WSJ
This could be me, but no one in his first term ever took high school government?  Not knowing what the Supreme Court does is...highly odd.  I will admit that this second time around, it is really...good.  I guess this is the price of experience.

My Afternoon With the 'Normal Gay Guys' Who Voted for Trump | GQ
I was not exactly sure what to think of this, but it was funny as hell, at the very least.

Mattie Catches Up

I figured I should actually post something, even though I am now suffering from a cold.  I suspect I caught it in Vegas, though the lack of sleep and Saturday's wedding (quite fun, but long) might have something to do with it.  I may try to get to bed early tonight, though sleep and hitting the hay are two different things.  I just nodded off on the floor and then went to bed.  I did not watch the archive of J! episodes, though I might hit a couple tonight.  I had planned to watch ALL of the stuff saved on Tivo, and now... oi.  Adulting is hard.  At least I got some work done tonight (skipping the gym with the cold seemed wise) and then it was time to send out some SVDP stuff (doing my other job, though I seem to have so many).  

Interesting moves from the Administration -- 25% tariffs on stuff from Canada and Mexico and a pause in aid to Ukraine.  I do not either of these moves are wise, and I suspect that a number of GOPers feel the same way, but are afraid of orange retribution, so... I am a little surprised by the tariffs -- Mexico sent over a bunch of drug dealers, and I suspect Canada could offer a similar package/tribute.  Unless, of course, there is another 11th-hour reprieve.  The aid pause may lead to an accelerated peace, but at poor terms...  I am sure we will hear about it tomorrow, and receive many, many tweets, but...

Powerful teachers union head faces reelection test amid contentious mayoral primary - POLITICO
I made a comment on FB about this -- hard to believe that union workers are only in it for themselves -- but then, of course, we have here in OH all of these people who are complaining about the giant mass of cash being sent to private schools via vouchers.  I do not doubt that this can be an unwise policy, but considering the alternative -- trusting your kids to those people -- I think it is something to consider.  Nor does our hometown paper, or any media group, mention this, or that the teachers' unions have been responsible for the educational and skills catastrophe since COVID...in other words, they need a kneecapping, or something similar.

Gene Hackman’s Coach Dale and the enduring appeal of ‘Hoosiers’ – Terry Pluto - cleveland.com
It is no secret that "Hoosiers" is one of my favorite movies, ever, and the news that Gene Hackman passed away...well, I have always loved the scene when Dale gets "accidentally" kicked out of the game; the look on his face -- and Shooter's -- is clearly one of those "I know that you know that I know" moments, and it comes off so wonderfully.  Of course, seeing a 30-point Duke win puts you in a hoops-watching mood...