Cutting Away

I had my first biopsy today... I have this rash/like thing on my knee; my MD said it looked like psoriasis, and suggested a dermatologist.  Off I went this morning, and she was like... maybe.  Or, it looks like psoriasis, but I don't really have any of the other symptoms, so... let's cut me open and look.  I had to agree, not that I was a huge fan -- why don't we treat it as psoriasis and then worry about it later, but as someone who loves ever pimple-popping video ever made, I couldn't say no.  So there it was.  The injection of the painkiller was worse than the procedure -- sort of stung a bit -- but I was completely numb when they spliced me open.  It bled through the bandage -- change and clean daily, monitor for worse -- but has no other issues for me (so far).  Rah.

I watched the Trump tariff presser -- work was interested, I assure you -- and it was quite interesting.  As for the tariffs... I noted that China has been cheating for years, and no one is going to complain that they are getting hammered by this.  Trump -- for all his flaws -- can really do a press conference.  The thing with the placard with all of the countries -- not just the dirty 15 now! -- was classic, as was the part about bringing up the auto worker.  I mentioned that my dad was a UAW member and Democrat, and he was spinning in the urn that a GOP President was doing something to save the US auto industry...but also that this explains how the shift in the GOP base -- from rich white guys to the working class.  I will admit that the man has his flaws, but for a certain part of the electorate... after the results of yesterday -- warning lights for the GOP -- this might be a solution.  Less Elon, more exposure of government waste, and some Trump doing his thing.  Will it work?  Meh.  I think we have seen -- many times -- that an angry minority can get out the vote more than the current party, with disastrous results.  Given how narrow the GOP majority is...

Food stamp nation - Don Surber
As I approach the 20th anniversary of my food pantry service, I can say that this is completely correct, and that this is something that we can easily -- well, fairly easily -- fix.  Now, do we want to?  Probably not, though if there is a time to do it, now would be, given the Trump push to cut government spending and the MAHA movement.

Basketball on the Brain...

I have to admit the coaching carousel in college has been interesting.  Sean Miller to Texas, where hopefully his sojourn with the Jesuit values of Xavier will have served him well.  The Villanova hire of Kevin Willard is amusing; this could be me, but it seemed that MD wasn't happy with him when he was there, and is more unhappy that he is gone.  So their kvetching seems a little... odd, to put it mildly.  They get a good coach in Buzz Williams, so... it may work out.  Left unsaid of course is that these guys will be making big money.  In the pre-NIL era these guys would make it and not the "student athletes," but now... yes it is unsightly but they deserve it too.  Oh, CSU needs a new coach.  Maybe a bit odd -- 3 20-W seasons, but no NCAA tourney... Dennis Gates made one and got to the SEC, so there must be a premium for making the Big Dance...

Shannon Sharpe Tears Into ‘Nasty’ Kim Mulkey For Snapping At Reporter After Loss | OutKick
On to the women's game... I guess I am of both schools?  It was a dumb question, and only a reporter wouldn't know that, of course.  So once that pretense had been dropped, I have no problem with her going off and shitting on the guy.  On the other hand, she is not exactly nice to reporters in general, and while I will never sleep over that... well, I think she could handle herself as well.  It is entertaining, at least.  Can't complain about that.

Keeping with the women, I couldn't help but note that going against Geno now is unwise.  Yet, I could not help but think that with JuJu, this was a different game.   Alas.

Strickland criticizes pope over ‘siren call of sodomy’ in Mar-a-Lago letter
I have to admit that I like the guy, and when he does stuff like this...well, so much the better.

Hooping It Up, Part II

I mentioned this on Facebook, but it bears repeating.  Most of the games in the women's tournament have been closer/more compelling than the games in the men's tournament.  This is probably good -- in theory, people will watch games if they are more interesting, though I suspect that without compelling people/players, viewership is down.  That said...they miss a lot of layups; I was watching Duke-South Carolina and it was mentioned that Duke was 7 of 20 on layups; aside from the fact that if they had converted half of them, they would have won, but... I do not think the failure rate in the men' game is that high, not even close.  I can see how some people would watch this and be like "ugh," and that's that.  Somewhat more entertaining was watching Dawn Staley and Kim Mulkey look very unhappy during most of their games.  But, . Tom Izzo, people seem to like/want to play for them.

More importantly, Duke won Saturday night -- Final Four, baby!  I was at that family party, so I missed the game, save for my phone, though this was probably good, being social, instead of sitting home and having conniption fits.  I dare say that the Duke D -- in every sense of the word, I am sure -- was impressive, as they kept the 'Bama offense off the scoreboard.  I think Proctor is incredibly underrated as a player in general; he can shoot the 3, he can run the offense, he is good on defense, and he has quick hands.  I realize there are other luminaries, but...credit where credit is due!

‘If We Don’t Get Our S--t Together, Then We Are Going to Be in a Permanent Minority’ - POLITICO
Long may this continue, especially as it appears that us GOPers cannot get our s--t together, at least in terms of messaging.  This does explain the GOP celerity on everything -- the majority is thin as it is, and as the incumbents lose seats in the midterms... which is why I thought the Stefanik move was odd in the first place.

The Great Demolition - by David Dagan - Persuasion

I think this is what most GOP voters wanted, and they are quite willing to have more.  Hell, many of us have always been highly skeptical of the New Deal and its accoutrements in the first place, so here we are... and if we have a chance to whack it around, why not?

Just Survive

Long day today -- lots of stuff went down at work, mostly resolved, but it was a bit more hectic than I would have wanted.  Monday it will be finished and I can return to catching up on some of the other projects I need to handle.  It was sort of funny, as a couple of my peers had similar situations, and we were discussing it once the balance had been restored to the force.  At least we were in it together.

I had a family fest this weekend and of course I was making my seven-layer jello.  I have six layers done -- will do 7 tomorrow -- and I am not sure why, but it was not quite right; not sure but it is just not setting, hence my desire to do the last layer tomorrow.  This is troubling, as I should be able to figure this out, but. .there is a disturbance in the force here.  (Funny; I don't even like the movies, and I have only seen the original three.)

At least one nice thing about this of course is that I can get through things -- OC stuff, budget stuff, articles and links, that sort of thing.  The fact that this stuff can be broken down into twenty-minute intervals (i.e., between jello layers) is a nice and convenient touch...

College basketball has changed. But Tom Izzo will keep doing it his way.
Cool story; I wonder how he does it.  I suspect there is money involved, of course, and I have noted -- several times -- that his players seem to love playing for him.  I know he is fiery but I can't think of someone who has spilled the tea about the being there.  At a time when many veteran coaches are out the door... he is sticking around, and succeeding.  Pretty cool.

What Does MAGA Have Against Europe? - WSJ
Dare I say that a large cadre of the GOP have always been skeptical of Europe, but they have been somewhat marginalized -- until now?  Now these people have full rein in the government, and they are putting it to use.  I think the article gets both sides right -- the European electorate wanted this system, and it is true that our spending has subsidized this generous welfare state.  Now times they are a changing, and we will see who responds and how.

Emboldened Trump Squeezes Traditional Media - WSJ
Ditto, many of the right have always had a disdain for the traditional media -- too close and entrenched to Dems and elites -- and now, boys, there is a new sheriff in town...and I think (along with many others in the GOP) that this wonderfully overdue...

Mattie survives

Well, that was quite the Duke game.  Thankfully they won, or it would have been less of a game.  More seriously... I thought they had it in the bag, but then Arizona -- and Caleb Love, gulp -- came storming back, and there we were, a real nail-biter.  But, thankfully, the Boys in the Brotherhood pulled through.  On a night when Alabama put up 113 -- and Coach Cal lost, how sad -- it was good to see Duke also hit the century mark, as they will need it Saturday.

I missed much of the key second half (sort of) because our food pantry ops manager called me to discuss things.  Some were important, some not, and...well, I think much of it could have been handled tomorrow, or at least not during the Duke game.  Alas.  I survived, Duke survived, and I am sure I need more heart palpitations like a hole in my head.

Jasmine Crockett Is Tacky and Classless, and I Encourage This | National Review
Mostly good?  I mean, it's not like the press will ever call her out on this, so... until I see Jake Tapper giving her this treatment, other than that, call me underwhelmed.

How California’s excesses inspired the ‘abundance’ craze - POLITICO
Similarly, I will believe it when I see it.  To be sure, we should be calling them out on this at every opportunity, noting that when they are in charge of anything, they fuck it up...

DOGE’s next target: NPR and PBS - POLITICO
I have to admit, I got a kick out of the hearing snippets -- calling out the head of NPR about books she never read or tweets never sent is fine, but at the end of the day, there is no reason why these people should be getting any money, and the sooner the axe comes out...

Hooping It Up

You know, for all of the talk about the lack of mid-majors at the NCAA Tournament -- I am sure it is completely incidental, I assure you -- they are in spades at the NIT.  And you know what?  That tournament is better for it.  I have been watching those games, and they have been closer/more compelling than the Tourney, the mid-majors are winning, and honestly, the environment is better.  The houses are packed, the crowds are into it, and they have the drama and totality of winning and losing.  You could see the kids from KSU as their season ticked away, and the joy of the Ramblers as they were moving on.  I realize they won't change the tourney, but there is something to be said for the NIT now.

I also watched CSU lose in the CBI, which was not played in a packed house, or at a good time.  Much like KSU, CSU hung around for a while, but talent, size, and 3-point shooting told their tale, and the jig was up.  Still cool for them to be there.  Joe Lunardi was the color commentator for the game, and he made some interesting -- and good -- comments about the NCAA Tournament, namely that by loading up the brackets with teams from three conferences, it is less of a national tournament (though the Big Ten and ACC are certainly national in scope now!).  I realize no one was watching, so it was ok, but it was a good point.

‘Own it, fire Waltz, move on’: White House allies fume as group chat scandal grows - POLITICO
This story is hilarious, and more to the point, someone should go; I think Waltz was spilling the beans to the press (why else have an Atlantic journalist on group chat?) and that is reason enough, to me.

Unlikely Activist Scott Presler’s Campaign to Make JD Vance President in 2028 - WSJ
This is hilarious, and as far as I am concerned...long may this continue.  I rather like our new and diverse GOP, thank you very much, and I cannot wait for us to start lecturing the Dems about how they are a bunch of whiny and intolerant scolds.

Plugging Away

Long day -- lots of meetings, lots of work -- and while it was productive, I am feeling somewhat drained.  Tired, not sleeping well, stomach sort of rumbly; I should be in bed but of course I am not tired.  Alas.  Tomorrow is another day, of course, and not that the day was bad, but I would prefer a little bit more...balance.

I was thinking today about the new bathroom. which, well, is not so new.  But... it is pretty nice, and I was thinking of the time I have saved from not running downstairs to shower and use the bathroom.  Even if it five minutes a day, over the course of a month...well, it's also the principle; I can use ALL of my house. Now I just need to pay this thing off and get to work on the next one.  I would make jokes about my frugality, but I am sure a bunch of you do not think of them as jokes, if you get my drift.  I was telling a friend I am overdue for a restaurant adventure, but as I am dining at parish fish fries...I think I can wait.

Tesla Terror Is the New-Old Democrat Strategy
I don't know; one, I think a stretch of nice, CCW-toting Tesla owners would be the best defense, but, the article is correct -- the Dems really do have a long history of this, and we should be calling them out about it a lot more often.  Hell, a chyron of Dems in white robes and pointed hats assaulting Tesla dealerships would be quite funny...

The Death of the Nation, and How to Prevent It › American Greatness
I guess I am of two schools of this.  On the one hand, the public school system is the best way to educate kids; on the other, as I so often say, they have really made a bollocks out of it, and the fact that people are pulling out their kids to home-school them or send them to private schools...well, that is on them.  So I am not going to yell and scream at people who do this, and, on the contrary, the public schools need to up their game.  Of course, admitting they were wrong would be the first step...