Well…had fun at pool even though I lost…but I probably should have stayed home…I think I have the flu…have been up and down all night and feel like crap…no, it’s not from going out….well..part of it is, but not the hacking cough and fever…so, it looks like a complete veg day today….will probably even skip going out for newspapers and coffee…yep, feeling that crappy….so, obviously, not much to do today…it took all of the energy I have right now to just sit here for a few minutes and write this…if I feel better, I’ll be back later with more…
Okay…I did go out for coffee and newspapers but the jury is still out on whether it was a good idea or not….just no energy at all and I’m running about 101 on the temp…you know that feeling I’m sure….but, I’m still going to work out here in a minute to try to get the temp up even farther…yep, I’m an idiot, but you knew that…I do have a topic for later..on the repubs new talking point of American exceptionalism…the newest bludgeon they are using to hit us progressives with….
Well..I have worked up a little outrage while working out…I only get a couple of channels on the tv by my weight machine and was watching Today when Dr. Laura came on touting some new screed she wrote, and I was struck by the sense of victim hood that just exuded from her….but she is not the first bully on the right who has done this…it appears to be page 8 in the right wing bullies handbook…after you get called out for your bad behavior, go on tv and claim the mantel of the victim…that it was not your fault that you spewed your hate, it is the fault of the media for reporting on it….and, of course, it’s a concerted, organized, effort by the left wing media to smear you. We’ve seen this in almost all of the right’s darlings…especially sister Sarah, who has used her self- identified victim status as a bludgeon whenever the press doesn’t kiss her ass..but it is not only her, the entire list of the right’s leaders from Beck, to Limbaugh, to Gingrich use the same tactics all the time. But it is not only these folks, but the Christian Majority in this country that always feel put upon and whine and cry whenever anyone questions them. Aren’t you getting tired of this crap? I know I am and I think the right needs to follow it’s own favorite admonition from the last election..”man up”…you’ve made a good living spouting your hatred and division….now reap the fruits….geez…
Well…have a furnace emergency at my son’s house so this will be it until later…and I’ll fill you in then…
Okay…I’m back…it was a quick easy fix for the furnace…the drive pulley had just come loose but I did have to look very deep in my memory to work on it…it’s been 8 years or so after all…as I said to T this morning, there is something to be said for 60 year old furnaces and how easy they are to work on…
Now…I’ll get to the normal stuff…stayed in last night since G is heading to a sales conference this week and had to get ready for it…and it was not bad to have two days off…I even have a little energy for today’s trip out to Ada but hat will probably change before I leave to go out there….I did remember to bring the cue sticks in last night after the trip around the complex….I know mine is so old that I wouldn’t want to subject it to the shock of whacking on something when it’s cold….not much else to do today…going to work out here in a minute and try to get one out later….but, you know how it feels to get behind right off the bat in the morning…something has to give and I don’t know if it will be this aft’s post…I will give it a try…oh, one last thing…witht he cable internet, I have been able to look at videos on the web lately…had a Joe Walsh day yesterday that just cracked me up…I hope he tours again so I can see him for the 9th time…more later…
Well…this one started to bubble after I read George Will’s column this morning where he goes on and on about the lack of self-control in the American populace and the fact that we supposedly lie to ourselves about everything….and this constant lack of self control is what is ruining the country. But, lies, obfuscation, and this lack of self control is only a problem when it is coming from individuals; when it is coming from the repub party; and it’s lies are for a political purpose, everything is just fine. Didn’t we hear this nonsense the last time the repubs were in power? That deficits don’t matter, that we can cut taxes and increase spending without any consequences? Now, they are treating facts as opinion again…calling the 230 billion dollar savings from the healthcare law (that was calculated by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office) just the “opinion” of the office…as if accounting principles now are like faith instead of math. They just loved the CBO when the numbers came up in their favor…but when the facts get in the way of their agenda, they are all too quick to discard them as partisan…think back to the Iraq war….reminds me of the lyrics to “Rocky Mountain Way” by Joe Walsh….”he’s tellin us this, he’s tellin us that, changes it every day, says it doesn’t matter….bases are loaded and Casey’s at bat, time to change the batter…”
I just want everyone to remember where “faith based” accounting led us the last time these guys were in power….two wars that were “off book” and not paid for…huge surpluses that were turned into the largest deficits in the history of the country….and a complete disdain for the truth that was not spun by their lies….fasten the seatbelts, here we go again…geez….
Well…a total veg day yesterday that was really needed…I just can’t take going two days in a row anymore…or should I say I don’t want to….when I got up this morning, even though it was quite early, I still felt so much better than yesterday…I wonder why I don’t learn this stuff? Oh, well…Sundays are kind of luxurious when you allow yourself to just flow with it and keep the guilt tamped down…there was no SF since we did it Sat aft and that was okay…needed to save some cash for tonight anyway….not much to do today….but even at that, it will still be better than yesterday…hmmm….maybe not better and I think I’m becoming too attached to my routine….that’s about it for now, but I will be back later for more…I think I need some political commentary since the repubs will be back to their shenanigans this week….and my outrage meter has been pegged on the low point for way too long…so, get ready for some passion…well….I’ll try anyway…more later…
Well…coffee, newspapers, and music are quite restorative and I had an idea materialize that I wanted to get down before I forget it…it may turn out that I should have forgotten, but here goes….we’ve heard all of the parsing of the tragedy in Arizona; that the shooter was left wing, that he was right wing, that his actions were caused by the heated political vitriol, that he was just a crazy…on and on, and on. But, something that just came to me a few minutes ago may or may not be pertinent…it seems like crazy ideas now have an official stamp to them since they are spouted by ‘news” organizations and public figures….it used to be that the crazies only had their own brains and thoughts and they would live in that closed off little world, with the rest of the society acting as a normality counterbalance. But now, those with crazy ideas can get them reinforced daily by just listening to talk radio or Fox news…can there be a feedback loop that spurs these crazies to action? That makes them think that their thoughts are normal?
Just a thought….and I may come back later to add to it….oh…I did add to the one below so take a look if you want…
Well…feel like crap today..way too much fun out with K at Logan’s and then I was not a good boy when I got home…so, it will be a penance day today as my body makes my brain pay for the stupidity….oh, well…the Wings did win last night so that make it a little better…but not enough so I’ll do that again soon. It looks like another boring day today but it’s still too early to tell…I am not planning on doing anything but you never know what will happen….I am going to try to get a couple of topics out today…but, I promise that every weekend and rarely keep that promise….all I can say is that I’ll try…more later…
Okay…I’m back…I forgot some stuff about yesterday that kind of touches on a theme from one of these last week…that, as I age, there are things that I enjoy and will no longer be able to do…not physically, but societally, yeah, that’s not a word but it conveys the idea that I’m trying to get across…and I used the example of going to water parks or stupid boating tricks….I am getting to a point…slowly, I’ll admit but I am getting there…well..sitting at Logan’s, and after a couple of beers and a shot, it seemed like a good idea to put together a tubing trip to Pando; one of the ski areas that we have around here. So, in a couple of weeks, we will be tubing under the lights at Pando….I wonder if it will be the last time I do something like that? Oh, the point…is it weird that a 57 year old still likes stuff like this? When do I have to stop before I become a caricature?
Well…running late this morning and I don’t know why…haven’t done anything yet except go out and get the papers and make coffee…oh, well…the Wings lost to columbus last night and that puts me a little out of sorts but I’ll get over it pretty quickly…Had a fun lunch with T yesterday and then just a veg day the rest of the day…I do have some work to do today but the papers and coffee come first…maybe a trip out this aft to Logan’s to hang out with K for a while but that is about it..see, I don’t have to say not much to do today….more later…
Well….have been trying all day to find a topic that I wanted to, or needed to write about…haven’t been successful but I do have some thoughts that I need to get down….i wanted to go on about the old, unemployed guy, but even I am bored with that so I won’t subject you to more of that…at least right now…maybe over the weekend. There was a story this week that I did want to comment on…and that is the the further decline of a once-great company from these parts…Steelcase…this week, they announced that they are basically shutting down the manufacturing of office furniture in the US to chase lower labor costs in Mexico. One of the things that has struck me as false in all of this outsourcing is the idea that labor costs are driving these moves….it’s just not true. As an engineer for the company…it was my job to know what these costs were…and, on average, the labor costs as a percentage of the selling price was never more than 10%. Yep, that’s right, even if they cut out all of the labor costs..it would amount to no more than a 10% savings for the company. But that’s not the least of it…the current CEO, who was the CEO when I was there, has been paid millions of dollars to shrink the company form 9K workers to 3K workers…something that does not take a visionary to do…a fricking monkey can just cut, cut, cut…but I think that is the problem with business in America these days….conventional wisdom has become dogma even when it’s not true…the rest of the furniture companies and the auto companies can make money with American labor, why can’t Steelcase? Geez….and yeah, this is a little sour grapes…it bugs the hell out of me when everyone but the big shots pay for their mistakes…they just GET paid…
Well…had a little fun last night…went out to OT to hang out with C and D and it turned into a nice little party..man, it was good to see some of the old people again…not really old people…you know what I mean. Almost overdid it but ran out of cash so that was a good thing…couldn’t understand the people on the way home, though…they were acting like it was glare ice…I mean, 35 on the e-way…if you are so scared of driving in the snow, just stay home…I was successful in controlling my anger and just followed the idiots…which I felt pretty good about. I do have things to do today! Bet you never saw that coming…need to get a few groceries, get out for coffee, and then lunch with T which I am really looking forward to….it is going to be a cocktail night with Red Wings thrown in so a pretty full day…for me, anyway….I am going to try to get a couple of topics out later…I’m sure I’ll get at least one…more later…