Survive and Advance

That World Cup game was...something?  I mean, I am glad we won, but...two goals taken off the board for offsides?  A Team USA player getting a red card for at best a very  modest contact foul?  Good Lord.  There are plenty of reasons for people to hate this stupid sport, but this seems to be even more than usual.  I realize my comparison to the J! TOC is apt -- survive and advance -- but still, you want the teams to play in a game NOT decided by the refs.

My aunt was in town for a couple of days -- staying with my sister -- so I went over there to visit and to do some research for my family history "project."  This is on my Mom's side, but I would like to know more about them as well.  I didn't realize I knew more about grandma's side of the family than grandpa's, and much of the evening was spent discussing that.  There are a lot more relatives on that side of the family -- my grandfather had many siblings -- and I guess there are plenty of distant cousins I could look up.  I still have some older relatives to ask, and that will be on the calendar for the weekend.  In theory; I would like to do some things, and I have piles of stuff to go through...

Inside the Egg Price-Fixing Scandal That Spiked American Grocery Bills - WSJ
Is it me, or is this not enough of a punishment?  Given all the talk about antitrust, affordability, etc., there should have been stronger actions; indeed, they should be breaking these companies up.  As I so often say now, one of the advantages of the death penalty is that you only have to do it once (in theory) before people get the message.  I know the Trump Administration is a bit more business-friendly than others, but...

InfantryDort on X: ""The century of progressivism did not go well. The European system that Wilson and the progressives scolded Americans for not adopting—which he called nearly perfect—led to the governments that caused the most awful century that the world has ever seen. Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini https://t.co/EqBQJUkI3t" / X
This is awesome!

Supremes

Hard to believe it is July already; summer (and life) is flying by.  Also, it was really hot today; the AC ran all day (I loathe to consider the electric bill) and there was a sense of heaviness to the air.  Heck, it is heavy now.  I took a stroll about 9 PM and it was....dense but comfortable.  I have been on a kick to keep the windows open but not today.

The Quiet Unraveling of America’s Food Safety Net - POLITICO
Is it me or is this article somewhat misleading?  I mean, for one, they don't mention that the current approach is also unsustainable -- look at our debt levels, for one.  And two, there is of course fraud and waste -- all these states have error rates that are incredibly high -- and no one is going around lookingn at that.  I am not saying we should go Nick Shirley here, but...

Is it me, or did the Donald win at the Court today, even if he didn't?  I mean, transgender bans are ok, and as I think the Court got the citizenship correct... Trump can continue to campaign a bit about it,  and maybe someone will figure out a way to actually do it legally...  I would get rid of pardons first, but photo ID while voting is something you can also run on.  And it sure beats the truth.

Awake and Alive

My plan to go to bed early foiled by the low blood sugar alarm, here we are.  Busy weekend -- busier than I thought it would be.  At least my jello came out perfectly; every layer set just so, even, no bleed between levels...yes, it took more time, but it was worth it, not only to me but the family as well.  Rah.

Saturday I woke up bright and early for OC duty.  The crowd was a bit low (113) but that was good, as we had but 9 volunteers (four fewer than the minimum), so we had to hustle.  I was all over -- up front, packing bags, moving boxes of canned goods off the pallets, etc.  I wish the parishes with too few volunteers had let us know.  In the meantime, our count is going to be a bit low for the month (in the post-COVID era).  I of course attribute this to GOP prosperity, which our left-leaning staff found to be...insufficient.  Oddly, our hot meal counts are low, too.  I did note that historically, our counts were always lower in the summer, so maybe we are going back to the old normal?

Then it was off to the bank (another HELOC payment, gotta start thinking about the next project), the gym, and a couple of errands.  Then home for a brief moment to shit/shower/shave, as we had a family fest and I had to get my aunt and then off for poker and fun.  I was ahead $6 for the night (not counting gas and jello expenses), leading to jokes about my hitting the night deposit on the way home.  I need to buy stamps (food pantry stuff), so I will just offset that.  

Today was the usual -- Mass, gym, Communion to my friend in West Park -- and then home, where I caught up on some work, handled paperwork, and made a brief appearance at a friend's soiree.  It is a perfect night -- just cool enough to be comfortable, a bit of a breeze -- and tomorrow it will be gone for the swelter pit.  Hard to believe June is almost gone!

NRCC Battleground Memo
This will surprise absolutely none of you, but I will believe it when I see it!

Setting Not Settling

Late night for me -- I made a jello for a family fest, and we all know how I am about every layer setting and being just right.  That means every layer has to set, and that takes time.  More time than I thought, as I did much but not all of what I wanted to do while making it.  Unfortunate, because I wanted to clear out more emails, links, etc.; at least I got the dishes done, some OC paperwork handled, and a corner of the table has been cleared off.  I even filled the paper box for the recycle bin, which took some work.  I am a bit tired, but will be more tired tomorrow...but the jello looked good (letting it set now), and that is what matters.

Experts Warn Mamdani’s High-Stakes Vote Could Trigger a NYC Housing Crisis
Another thing that can happen is that apartment owners will sell their units into co-ops -- people who buy -- and force the tenants on the street.  I wonder what would happen then... not good, I am sure, but markets find a way of working, no matter who is in charge...

The Mars Delusion

This was a fascinating read.  I guess I would say that while it is unlikely that we settle Mars, it isn't as if we shouldn't try.  I mean, there are other scientific discoveries we could make, and even if we only make it to the Moon, we are better off.  Hell, if we put ALL of the Democrats there (whether it was habitable or not), think of how much better Earth would be!  :)

Catching Up

Three days and no posting...tsk tsk.  Monday I just crashed and Tuesday my sister and I had dinner.  As part of Cleveland Burger Week, I found a place -- Jojo Carlone's in Berea -- that had a marsala burger, which seemed interesting to me...and we met.  It was good -- burger a bit greasy, and the marsala was a little understated (I would think that red meat is less absorptive) but it was fine.  We caught up on stuff, yay!  And, yesterday I went to bed early as I had some fasting lab work to do and of course I wanted it done first thing this AM, so... 

Now I am awake, as I stayed up to watch the US World Cup match -- superfluous as it was -- and of course I fell asleep.  Missed the equalizer but did not miss the loser... alas.  I guess it was good in that no one got hurt, yellow and red cards, etc.  I guess it is cool that we advance -- I will never not root against Team USA -- but when this ends...I will be relieved.  This game is incredibly boring...

Long week so far, and a busy weekend already.  Summer is really flying by -- June is almost done!  I am behind on my reading, but have caught up with the paperwork.  Dare I say I am already looking forward to next weekend; with the off days and such, I might be able to rest and catch up on things.  Not bloody likely, of course...

Funny, one of my friends -- he and his family went to Gettysburg last weekend, and being the buff that I am we chatted about it.  I joked about Dan Sickles, but if you think about it, he is one in a long series of American antiheroes; I would put Aaron Burr as among the first, but Sickles is up there.  Certainly, Dan had an interesting tale, but I don't think he won the battle.  If anything, he certainly shit the bed, but (like John Reynolds getting killed before he could answer for disobeying orders) losing a leg and being able to tell your story to sympathetic Democrats (no matter the time, they are always up to no good) is a good way to evade criticism.

Hours

Good weekend, sort of; I didn't sleep well, or long, and I am feeling it today.  Friday was the usual, and Saturday was not helped by a 3AM low blood sugar alarm -- I had been sleeping fitfully (eventually) and poof, there, and there we go.  Oi.  Oh well.  I am getting slightly tired now, and I think I will crash suddenly.

Friday was the World Cup, and Team USA won.  This is good -- moving on to the SemiFinal round, if you will, is what you want.  I give soccer credit; the game was fairly boring, and then there is just enough excitement that you think something will happen, and it doesn't.  Oi.  Saturday I woke up an hour later than expected -- slept through the alarm -- and I hate to say it, but I was slightly off-kilter all day.  Everything was just behind; gym, bank, errands... all was behind.  I did some work this weekend, and I think I could have used an extra hour, even if just to better go through the email pile.  I did go through the email pile on my personal account, and the links, and we all know how I feel about that.  I even did some SVDP stuff, though that just generated more work.

Speaking of more work... last week we had a bag drop off -- you drop paper bags off at Mass, and people take them and fill them with canned goods.  I gave the second homily at some of the Masses...anyways, we had about 30 bags of canned goods in the back of the church today.  A fairly impressive pile, as most of them were quite full!  Of course, the problem was that we all whose job it was to take them to the OC.  I took an hour (more of that time!) to put everything away; at least we have 30 more paper bags at the OC (I even saved the paper attachments for next time, as my frugality knows no bounds).  More seriously, I was quite pleased by the response, and I even have some people who want to volunteer on Saturdays (so I can retire).

‘They Don’t Know How to Accept Him’: Vivek Ramaswamy Navigates Identity in Ohio - POLITICO
Dare I say that I have had this thought myself?  And, no, it shouldn't be an issue, but this is OH, the GOP (even if I suspect most of these types are former Democrats), and this is an election year.  And, as I like to say, a blue wave, so... it does add a level of unnecessary complexity to the equation.

The New Right Has a Blueprint for Building a Christian America - POLITICO
All while I was reading this, I couldn't help but reflect on the long tradition of utopian communities in the US.  Most of them come from the left, and I cannot recall a one that is around today.  This would be cool if it works, but I do not think it will...

Trump’s Lasting Legacy Is Trump Himself - NOTUS — News of the United States
Yes, this is something of a problem, especially when Trump is now unpopular.  There are ways to solve this, but I do not think POTUS will agree, which is also a problem...

Europeans in the US for the World Cup Are Celebrating American Culture—Specifically, Red America's Culture
Exactly correct!

Dining Out

Yet another late night, but with a pile of paperwork done, bills paid, checks written, grants applied for... etc.  Well, such is leadership.  Anyways, tonight I also had dinner with my sister -- her pick, and she selected The Club House in Parma Heights.  I had heard about it for its chicken paprikash, and it was quite good.  We both discussed that there are fewer places that serve dishes like this nowadays, so... places that do will do even better.  They had a few interesting things on the menu, so I would consider going back.

Last night (ok, Wednesday night) Team Eleven returned to the fold, going to the Wine Spot in the PSRCH for Pub Quiz.  Team Eleven led at the half, fell behind, and -- powered by a sweep of the NASCAR question in the final round (my guesses played a key role), we pulled off the win.  It was glorious, as we had not played in a while (my fault) and a win on the road... I offered to waive the non-Pride victory banner there, which went over fairly well amongst the more progressive members of the team.

In other news, the pushback on the Iran deal -- especially on the GOP side -- is impressive.  I am not surprised by it, given how poor it is.  To be sure, there are already signs of it fraying, which would permit more bombing.  Not that they do not deserve it, but as what has been done has not exactly brought them to their knees...to be sure, gas prices are falling -- just in time for the midterms, I am sure, and that is what matters.