Midnight Mowing

So, I had to cut the grass, and for reasons tonight was the first/last night in a while I could do it.  I didn't get to it til 6 -- had to get a work project out the door -- and by the time I finished it was fairly dark.  I mean, like, I could have used my phone to navigate; instead I used the leaf piles as a guide, and I hope that I hit everything.  To be sure, this should be the last time I have to mow, but... my mother used to joke about giving me a miner's helmet to do this, and I am sure she was looking up/down on me while I was completing my sorely needed yardwork.  I need to weedwhack, but that is for tomorrow.

Last night I went out for Pub Quiz; Team Eleven was occupied with other legit things, but we are 10th in our region in the J! Bar League, and putting up a zero was NOT acceptable.  My friend Dustin joined me - younger and more of a pop culture person.  We came in 4th, which is what I expected, sort of?  I mean, you really need at least four people to cover the knowledge bases (I can handle the Dewey Decimal System, for instance).  And, there are some good teams that play this (Multiple times a week, which is a bit much?).  Not winning sucks, but... we do what we can.

 Inside the World of ‘Dark Nutrition’ - The New York Times
This seems extreme, even for me...

Ohio Governor’s Race Roiled by Ramaswamy Attack Ad Featuring Democrat Amy Acton’s Estranged Mother - WSJ
This seems highly questionable to me for a bunch of reasons.  One, mainly because it probably will not work.  Two...Dr. Acton has plenty of actual shit to go after her for -- for instance, the COVID response was based on highly questionable science, and she has never actually answered for it, or even explained it.  At some point don't you have to?  They should be going after her for that, not this Hail Mary stuff.  Oi!

 

Is it me, or is the Ilhan Omar story endlessly fascinating and amusing?  It could be -- and I will never discount the ability of the GOP to screw this up -- that we have mastered the slow drip of bad news, and now we have to go and attack her and her defenders.  Now, it would be easier to do this if we weren't getting our asses kicked, but we can't have everything, can we?

Mattie Escapes

So, tonight (or last night), I went to the House of Blues for Hawthorne Heights, touring for the 20th anniversary of their "If Only You Were Lonely" tour.  As I often say, this whole concept of tours for albums is a new thing,  That said, it was... fun?  These are the songs of my 20s, and it was nice to escape for a bit and go back in time.  I parked for $8 by the Cathedral, and I couldn't help but note how Downtown has... grown as a residential location?  More apartments, more businesses, that sort of thing.  Quite cool, actually.

It was nice to get away because I have been busy with work, not sleeping well, and then trying to do more of other things -- and not exactly succeeding at any of them.  Much to do, as always, and not enough time to do them (especially when I take off for concerts).  The emails and such other things are piling up.  Sigh.  At least my blood sugars are fairly normal, and I have been able to get a walk in at lunch -- my weight is down a bit, but not nearly enough, in my humble opinion.  I crashed hard last night; it would be funnier but also serious...

Student test scores are in a decade-long decline
This could be me, but isn't this something we should be stressing in the gubernatorial debate?  For all the talk of Acton and her personal issues, it is her policy choices that are most troubling to me; much of the decline in test scores can be attributed to the choices she made, and has yet to be called to the carpet for it.  Funny thing is, I agree with many of the other ideas here -- schools should test to the same standards, private schools get too much funding -- but the fact of the matter is that the public schools have chosen poorly, and we have all suffered for it.

This Counts For Last Night

So last week I went out after work every night....not sure that is good, but it was, sort of.  Thursday night I met a friend from church and his wife -- wanted the full scoop on the Polish Festival and such... when he went to chat with someone, his wife said he was dealing with some health issues... not sure what to say?  Glad to know, but...it did put a chill on things.  Then last night was haircut and I went to dinner.  Funny; I was checking my restaurant list, and I saw a place -- LBM -- that was on it.  It just closed (the Viking bar in Lakewood), and not only did I miss it, but places do NOT stay open if we don't visit.  So, last night I made sure to hit a place on the list -- Local West in Gordon Square.  They were out of the recommended Italian beef, but it was...pretty good?  I mean, not sure it is worth $23 with tax and tip, but it was a pretty good Cubano and four-bean salad.

I slept in a bit but still hit the gym and did some errands.  I bought a new vacuum; I went to a vacuum store in Strongsville and spent more than I imagined on one.  I will see how it works -- I have bought cheaper crap from big-box stores, and we will try this.  I have a feeling I will clean more if I have a good tool.  I have a bunch of little things to do, and here I am blogging and watching tOSU and not doing any of them.  I crashed, sort of, last night -- then I couldn't sleep and did stuff -- and watching the J! backlog or other things were not done.  Oi.

The Mystery of the Disappearing Airplane Barf Bag - WSJ
Funny; the last time I flew I noticed this as well.  Now, not that I need them, but they are awfully nice to have around, if you get my drift.  The fact that I may have to buy my own.... oi!

Happy Times

Just realized I had not posted in a while, so here we are...I have a new sensor acclimating in my arm, so technically, I am waiting for that to kick in before hitting the hay.  This week is going to be busy -- today was Pub Quiz (second), and yesterday I helped some friends move some furniture and met some other people for a post-Festival catchup.  No real news, might hear some this weekend.  As for last weekend, it was good?  Caught up on some stuff, worked, did some paperwork... rah.

I don't want to sound like a GOP propagandist, but...I went to Mousey Moussey -- that French/Asian fusion bakery in Parma.  Always wanted to try it, and I was going to the cemetery to visit Mom and Dad, so... I had coffee and a slice of cake.  With tax and tip, it was $15.  Mind you, it was quite good, but that seems a bit steep.  That said, the place was quite busy when I was there, and I couldn't but notice they did some Doordash/Ubereats traffic as well... which seems expensive for that.  Anyways, for all the talk of the economy being in the tank...   As the main criteria...would I go back...yes, I think I would; couple of things looked interesting, and I would try them.

‘Literally crazy’: Convention center expansion talk sparks backlash over county priorities - cleveland.com
I got a kick out of this.  First, the coumty has a social services levy out there, and while it will probably pass, it seems odd that they have the money for this and not that.  Second - and I texted the cleveland.com people about this -- this is why the GOP never wants to deal with them; they slobber over Dems, endorse them, endorse them religiously (in so far as they do anything religiously), and then act surprised when they fuck us over.  Really, there is no point for a GOPer to do anything with them to get shit upon, when the Dems get the royal treatment...

The Death and Afterlife of an American Con Man - The Ringer
I think it is...well, not exactly sad, but something is missing that the younger generation really didn't experience this.  Ok, they do -- Joel Osteen comes to mind -- but in my day it was new and fresh (the power of cable!) and certainly something alien to my faith tradition (Catholics just don't give as much, I suspect).  These people mostly flamed out (Pat Robertson did not, and Jerry Falwell skipped it, though his kid...) but it was funny as hell while it happened.

Mattie wakes

 I fell asleep last night so this will count for Friday.  I took yesterday off -- a delayed recovery from the Festival -- and honestly I needed to.  I slept in a bit, did a gym double (am and pm), and did some much needed errands -- paid bills, did some groceries, banking, etc.  I forgot one thing (to do today) and of course there is more to do today (like watch J! episodes) but it was just good to be off and able to do what I wanted.  Yesterday was the first day I felt mostly normal after the PF.  I still have a raft of emails and links to handle, but....today is another day.

I also took a mid-afternoon walk and will try to do so today.  I do have a few extra pounds -- I can feel it without seeing the scale -- and while food is part, so is exercise.  I need to do more, especially now before winter.  There is no reason not too, and even just strolling about the house during commercial breaks on J! will help.  I am overdue for a foodie visit but I think I can wait on the pigging out until this dietary emergency is resolved.

I Went Shopping. When Did I Become an Unpaid Employee?
Quite true!
The Mighty American Consumer Is Crashing Through Inflation and Driving Growth - WSJ
Also true.  I have friends who joke that try getting into a restaurant on a Friday night (or any night), and the economic data isn't showing a pull down.  But I suspect that the bottom third is simply NOT doing well, and we miss that.  I am a frugal guy, and I tend to go out for a reason, but we all know plenty of people who do it because it is Tuesday... and I suspect some of them are pulling back.

The ‘Cornell 7’ Lawsuit Has Reignited America’s Debate Over Sexual Consent - WSJ
I found this interesting because...in my college days, the drunken hookup was very much a thing.  Not by me, of course, but...you get the drift.  If both are intoxicated, the man could easily say that he was lured it into it by the woman.  I realize no one will believe him, but that is reverse sexism (and how can liberals define a man, anyways), and at that point...well, you may as well throw away the law books.

I Went Back to Idaho to See How the Hard-Right Transformed This Deep Red State - WSJ
Interesting.  Will this cross over elsewhere?  Not sure it will happen here, but....

Alive Albeit Barely

It has been a while since I posted... last weekend was the St. Stan's Polish Festival, and I was involved with that.  Wednesday I went to help unload the truck from Chicago (we all joked about "accidentally" breaking Father's hooch) and then to make cucumber salad.  Thursday was off to make beet salad (quite good for both, actually), and then home to make brownies.  Then...Festival for three days.

It went fairly well; with the Social Center construction, we had the kitchen, but tents were outside for the food, which had to be trucked around the campus.  The runners kept it good, we had warming units, but...hopefully we will not have to do this again.  The crowds were busy and steady; we ran out of food (with a truncated menu) and I think we made decent cash.  That said, I think I did too much - it is a lot, to do 14-hour days for five days, to say nothing of dehydration and eating food but once a year (my stomach is still a bit unsettled; not that I do not like kielbasa and stuffed cabbage, but...).  Suffice it to say, my dupa was kicked, and not taking time off from work wasn't wise, either.  I am off Friday, and will not be setting a clock.  In the meantime, here I am, waiting for my blood sugar to return to a normal level.

But yes, I was away -- I crashed earlyish Monday and Tuesday.  Monday my sister and I had our annual post-Festival dinner at Panera (good but pricey, though the new menu items are interesting) to go over the Festival and catch up and Tuesday I went and played PQ with Team XI at Saucy Brew Works; they have decent food and the J! bar league is fun.  I do need to get out of the house more... I also need to walk more, as I feel the fatness, if you get my drift.  Today I tried to chill and catch up on stuff, and I think we all know how that went.  I guess this is why we have weekends.  :)

Where did all the vegan restaurants go?
This could be me, but I suspect that the main reason is that most cities simply do not have the market for more than one or two?  And, given how restaurants go the way of all flesh anyways...

A quest for normalcy

Wake today for my friend's son... I really didn't want to go, of course, for many reasons, but then of course I thought that my attendance cannot be any worse than burying my son, and thus I went out.  And it was...ok?  Very sad, and even my kind words felt hollow.  I went to high school with his first wife -- vaguely remembered her (not of my year) and I ended up seeing some HS people I knew, including some who were friends.  So it wasn't the worst...should go to the Mass tomorrow, but I suspect I will not be able to.  I also need to clean my house, but tonight I need to finish my book -- due back at the library -- so we will have to "tomorrow is another day" approach.  Sigh.

At DraftKings, AI Targets the Gamblers Likeliest to Lose - The New York Times
This could be me, but of course a company based on gambling is going to do everything it can to make money from problem gamblers.  But, at what point do we need to say that it is the fault of the gamblers?  I would think that if you go and lose your money, time after time, you can't fault the company for wanting to maximize their winnings.  The mention our governor regretting his choice, and all I can say.... he should have seen this coming?

In Fighting for Every Black Child, Did I Betray My Own? - The New York Times
This is one of the funniest -- unintentional, I am sure -- things I have read.  She will probably win a Pulitzer for this, even though all it has done is reveal her to be as a bigger idiot than imagined.  If, of course, you can imagine that...

Can Democrats Reclaim the Christian Moral High Ground? - The New York Times
Only in the NYT can anyone think of a way to say that Democrats even had, at any level, a sense of Christianity or the moral high ground....