Glitchy

Operation Internet with a Hotspot is proceeding...well enough?  I mean, people survived without the Internet decades ago, and I have plenty to do without it, be it read, clean my house, or get some SVDP stuff done.  Still, it is the usual annoyance when things do not work at the peak of efficiency. My new concern is that they will not be able to make the fix tomorrow, and that will be just more unpleasantness.  No one has ever accused me of undue enthusiasm, if you get my drift.

I rather like my doctor, but one flaw is that it rarely takes but one missive to get through... I asked for a follow up on the test, and something for this cough, and indeed off into the ether.  Tomorrow is another day, to be sure, but I would rather not, if you get my drift.

‘Cancer Doesn't Care What Party You Belong To’: Poisoned Water Is Turning This Rural State Bluer - POLITICO
This is a good article, and I agree with them, but if there is one thing I learned from my all-too-brief stint at Pebble Labs is that if you get rid of glyphosate...well, the alternatives are not so good, not so all-encompassing, and not nearly so cheap.  To be sure, part of the solution should be finding alternatives -- sort of like the people who want to ax property taxes here in OH.  I do not disagree with them, but if you are not providing a solution you are simply exacerbating the problem.

‘Not the slick choice’: Maine Dems sweat Troy Jackson despite dominant victory - POLITICO
Democrat set to replace Platner in Maine led state Senate with a temper - The Washington Post
I don't know; part of the appeal for Dems is that he is not as bad as Platner -- and let's face it, they certainly have a low bar.  Again, I feel this is a blue year, so it might not matter, but it does give me some comfort that our friends on the left are picking the candidates with the most baggage...

Spotty

 Another pause in blogging.  Thursday and Friday night were the usual; I went to bed semi-early, laid in bed a bit, coughing and not sleeping, then falling asleep somehow and waking up with low blood sugar.  Sigh.  I am feeling slightly better each day, and coughing slightly less.  Slightly, and not quickly enough.  Oi.

Saturday was OC day.  We had enough volunteers, and the crowd was 140, but we were all beat after service.  Not sure why -- the weather was fine, people mostly ok.  There was a shortage of strapping males so I spent 90% of my time in the garage bagging, which was more than fine; you really can do a lot more with 3 or 4 instead of 2 or 3 -- picking up boxes, restocking stuff, running the cart with full bags to the front, etc.  But dragging we were at the end.  Rah.  

Then it was off to the gym, and then my triumphal return to the St. Casimir Polish Festival (our sister parish).  It was... good not great?  First, they use those food tickets, and I just hate those, for many stated reasons.  The grub was ok; the chicken was good but cold, the beets were hot and out of a jar.  Better were the cabbage and noodles and the kremovskie dessert.  The church is nice; not St. Stan's nice, but pretty enough.  The clerestory windows are a bit high and a bit small; you need to really crane to see what they are.  The altar and apse are well-done, to be sure.  Not sure I would go back.

Today we had Mass for my grandparents on dad's side and my aunt, two cousins, and a cousin-in-law arrived.  I think I will move it up next year; a lot of my cousins do stuff on weekends, and switching the time with Mass for my other grandparent...well, might be worth of try.  Then breakfast, gym, and home for paperwork and some work.  Rah.

I am using my hot spot as my modem.  Yesterday -- literally when I got home -- I went to fire up the Wi-fi, but my neighbor was weedwhacking down by the telephone pole, and I suspect he nicked it, as I have not had a signal since then.  Oi.  The tech will come later in the week, and I will survive, despite it being a little choppy at times. 

Ted Williams, Satchel Paige and the fight to induct Negro Leaguers into baseball’s Hall of Fame | Baseball | The Guardian
Interesting article, and I think this is 100%, in that only Ted Williams could have pulled this off.  Now with the advances in historical statistical work, we can get a sense of how good Negro League players were, but back then....

Mattie Posts

Two days without a post, and I had been doing it regularly.  Alas.  I just crashed last nite -- I have a cold, sadly, and have been coughing up a storm, and when I got tired before 11, I figured if I could crash early, the extra sleep would help.  Now, I am sure it would, but I just started coughing, the fatigue passed me by, and while I eventually fell asleep... it was not a long and fitful sleep.  Alas.  Today I felt ok, just didn't hit the gym -- work was a bit stressful, and I am tired and hacking.  I of course emailed the MD this morning, and while I am sure they will eventually reply... well, there are days I think they just let it go into the ether.  Sigh.

Monday night I went to the Globe Iron to see Bloc Party -- never seen them live, love them, and it was an awesome set, so much so that I can almost forgive them for starting late.  The venue is pretty nice - West Bank of the Flats.  Google maps had me go down Canal (by East 9th) and come up that way; I hadn't been down that way in a few years, got slightly lost, but at least it was pretty cool; that area used to be desolate, and now there are like, people and houses and businesses.  Quite cool, and I have to admit if I was younger and not a property owner I would be interested.  Of course, now it is lovely, with nice weather and things to do and such; I am sure in December when the streets aren't plowed and the local Hope and Changers are trying to break into your car or house again...it is less nice.

Anyways, after the show there was some traffic, so I meandered to McCarthy's, had a late dinner, and figured that I would leave once it dissipated. I didn't realize that Louis Tomlinson was at Jacobs Pavilion, he had more fans and a later show, and I spent an extra half hour walking around while that jam broke up.  Oh well.  Also, everything there is cashless, so...I mean it is fine (I paid it today) but it is a bit odd.

What are the SEC’s breakaway choices? From going nuclear to the mild option - The Athletic
I realize they won't, but if they really wanted to play hardball and knock the SEC to its knees, the other conferences and the Powers That Be should say "fine, go away."  And, I mean, really force them succeed -- no games, nothing in the national championship race for ANY sport, no March Madness, anything.  I mean, the gesture would be a bit empty if they were shut out of the playoff race, and I bet the other schools would love to get a chance to make the playoffs, even we would now have 12 Big Ten teams in the playoff.  Of course, there is too much money involved so they will not, but...

Exhausted

Long and busy day.. Mass and then it was off to help set up for the alumni picnic.  I helped with some of the setup, some of the cooking and food prep, the grilling, the clean-up, etc.; in short, a little bit of all of the above.  And, dare I say, I am not sure I want to do it again; a lot of work, lots to do, and because many of the alums are a bit older and quite cannot do so much, so... Mattie had a few extra things to do.  And, I had to leave at 3:30 (ok, a bit later) as it was off to Edgewater to take Communion to my Polish friend.

That was nice -- it was her 92nd bday, so we had dinner and cake, and I was there a bit longer to chat and such.  I brought a couple of hamburgers for the pooches, and you would have thought they dogs had never eaten before.   Funny; someone brought a service dog and I fed that a hamburger patty and it loved me.  Indeed, I had some of the grill smell me, and the pooches were all over me.  Anyways, it was a nice time, but long, and I am very tired.  Not sleeping well the last few nights, and that doesn't help...  So bed soon. 

It was a bit stuffy inside tonight, and when I went to open the windows...well, now it is beautiful out.  A  nice breeze, a bit cooler, and now every window is open.  My hallway is getting a nice cross-ventilation, and it is almost perfect in here now.

The Last Time America Got It Right, According to MAGA’s Next Generation - POLITICO
Interesting.  It was the time I grew up in, and I think that would cloud my judgment.

Exclusive | Gavin Newsom affair partner Ruby Rippey-Gibney penning Vanity Fair story
Will this affect his run to POTUS?  I doubt it, given the overall tenor of things, but you never know.  And, they are Dems, so....well, it is hard to assail them for moral turpitude questions...

 Why Some Women in Maine Are Mourning the End of Graham Platner’s Campaign - The New York Times         
This is an interesting approach...

Mattie's Summer of Fun

The downside of these last nites is that my sleep schedule and biorhythms get messed up.  I woke up slightly later than usual and sort of dragged (not sure why).  I got the workout and errands done, and then it was off to my double event.  There was an open house at Grays Armory today, and I figured I should see that.  On the way there I remembered that the CBT had a day night doubleheader, so my approach in (I came in off 22nd) and parking plan was altered.  Still, I parked by CSU for  $3.35, which was cool. 

I am sure I went there as a kid, but it has been 30 years or more... anyways, it is a cool space - basically it is large stone house in the middle of downtown (I think they make more from parking than anything else).  It has that older feel, but it has a couple of large gathering areas, and there are plenty of military displays around.  A Civil War re-enactor was there -- I noted he was an artillery sergeant -- and he, I, and a couple of other guests had a lengthy discussion of their cannon, which is basically a hybrid piece the CSA made, we captured, and were like "off to the rear."  It was interesting to hear how this group survived as an adjunct to the National Guard and what it does now.  

Then it was off to the PACC for their Polish Picnic (I stopped at Philomena for some gluten-free treats; they are good, but different.  Still, gotta support a Village business!), which I had never been too.  I forgot they do those stupid food tickets (oi), and it was a little chaotic up front, as they just assumed people would buy tickets... I literally gave people some menus so they could figure out what they wanted and order (I told one woman I knew the cooks and thus the grub was good).  Very Polish.  Anyways, the food was good -- potato pancakes, goulash, gowumpki, halushki.  Bit heavy (which also explains my lethargy) but good.  I ate inside but meandered around the picnic area; never been there.  They have a series of plaques with key moments in Polish history (good and bad) and we all know I am a reader, so...despite the sun, I read them all.  

I talked with a friend who was there, and he was telling me stories of life under marital law (born in 80, came here in 87, so remembered some things) -- lots of cops, empty stores, waiting in line for little food, the surprise of coming to the US and hitting a supermarket.  He noted that stuff was pricier here but it was also... there, and in spades.  I told him he was like a World Cup video poster, and he said that is exactly what it was like, fascinating, and I told him to get this written or recorded.  (I should do the same.)

The 25 most influential works of American culture - Washington Post
Interesting.  I think Uncle Tom's Cabin has to be the TOP one in the decade they chose, and I can see why they chose a decade, but most of these are solid; hell, I spent a bit of time checking some of them out, not that I am exactly a culture guy...

Call Me a Vampire

Here I am, up late.  My big plans to do a pile of SVDP work were negativity affected by my falling asleep on the living room floor, though I did get through a pile of emails and links, which is close enough.  I have a full day planned tomorrow, so I should be in bed, but... alas.  

In some ways today was worse than yesterday; the air smelled more, there was less wind, and it was darker and thicker -- I had to put the lights on before the sun went down, which is a rare event.  I assume the rain tomorrow (and the wind) will clear out some of the miasma, or at least I hope so.  I walked across the parking lot at a strip mall to go the bank and I was like "ugh."  I can only imagine people with respiratory issues.  That said, the Canadians should be pleased we are poking around in Iran, otherwise POTUS would be declaring war.

How the U.S. Lost the World Cup—and Won Over the World - WSJ
This is exactly right, and while I would have rather us won the thing...this might be as close as we get.  And, for all of the shitting on Trump and his voters, it certainly appeared that a lot of these Europeans were traveling through red states and seemed to be enjoying it.

We Went to a Yacht Party for the Most Pro-Deportation People in DC - POLITICO
I sort of want to join, just for the shits and giggles.

Inside the tense final hours of Graham Platner’s campaign - POLITICO
This is a different form of shits and giggles, in that everyone loves a trainwreck, especially me, and this was one.  I would hope Susan Collins has a string of ads with all of the people who endorsed the guy, with a chyron of "How Can You Trust Them" or something. She is smart enough to win, and she might be able to do it again...

Inside the tense final hours of Graham Platner’s campaign - POLITICO
He is pretty funny, and while he might be too old for POTUS, I agree he is quite the road warrior for GOP campaigns.  I think we can use this -- humor -- especially as most Dems now come off as annoying scolds.  Ok, they always were,  but just moreso now...

Blame Canada

 Paul Pelosi’s Errant Driving Record Preceded His Latest Napa Valley Crash - The New York Times
Who does this guy think he is, Ted Kennedy?  Hell, he killed his own brother... again, I realize we are Republicans, but at the end of the day, this is the sort of stuff we should be going after them for, as it is not just a personal tragedy; it is a miracle that someone else hasn't been killed.

In other news, the truck is back -- a piece rusted off and was hitting another piece (of the body); no damage, just sound, and for a nominal fee they pulled it off.  Rah.  I will eventually have to replace the truck, but not now (the underbody and engine are fine), and that is a phew.  I do need to figure out what to do next, house-wise; I am tempted to get the plumber in and handle the slow-emptying sink, even if they blow those pipes.  

Anyways, to "celebrate" I hit the St. Paul's Greek fest.  It was good -- I went with the moussaka to change it up -- and then I got a chicken soulvaki outside (I know some of the grillers and made sure I said hi).  But, it is also a little pricey, and they were a bit pokey on the checkout, which was meh, especially as I was ravenous and thus was ready to chow.  There are some other interesting events this weekend that I will try to hit...again, I always talk about having a fun summer, and damn it, I am going to do it, as best as I can.  I also hit Aldi's for some apples (my jury-rigged freezer bags are keeping it cool enough in the soon-to-be-replaced fridge) and granola bars.  As I told my one friend, starvation rations are fine, but once the new fridge arrives, culinary normalcy will return.

It was slightly less warm today but with the smoke and haze you wouldn't have noticed.  Really felt heavy out there, and I just went to get the mail and to walk to the mechanic... I cannot imagine the pleasure of being out there all day.