Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Wandering Across An Eleventy Minute Wednesday Window

 



I've set my timer for eleventy minutes.  I will stop mid-word when it goes off.


God, it's tough being a sports fan loyal to a specific set of teams.  Good run, Michigan, but not the ultimate prize.  Moments like Atlanta United winning the MLS Championship are so rare - just makes it all the more precious when it does happen.  Go Blue!  I'll never give up on you!

Speaking of Blue, I don't need a fortune teller to let you know where I'll be come mid-October/early November - I'll be in jail.  Why?  For giving water to voters in voting lines.

I'm already at my fill line with tax season.  Have I said that before?

Mornings continue to unpredictable in timing when I can write.  I won't give up.  I'll keep looking at strategies and readjusting.

We have four dogs.  That is a lot, but they all have different personalities, and they complement each other, providing us a rich tapestry of love and joy.

We continue to traipse across the streaming world in watching television.  We are currently watching The One on Netflix.  It centers on a matching service that uses DNA to match you with the one person on Earth you are most meant to be with.  It uses pheromone matches or something like that.  It's not too bad, a little too focused on the inventor of the process, and not the effects of the process itself.  I think it's like a British show.

And now for the most important thing I've ever told you.  It is this - what I need to tell you, what I want you to know, is that I w



Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Readjustments

 





It was a good idea and a much-needed break.

We would spend the weekend in North Georgia, anchored at a vrbo (vacation rentals by owner) near Athens.

Step one was to drive to Milledgeville and see our son at Georgia College State University.  If his homework was under control, he would come with us.  The vrbo we rented had two problems.

As we were parking near Benjamin's dorm, we got the message - the owner had to cancel our stay because the fuse box went out and would not be repaired until after the weekend.  We were all dressed down and no place to go.

No matter.  We would readjust.  We made reservations to stay at a motel in Milledgeville and travel up to see points north from there.

As soon as we settled into that motel room, the whole motel lost water.  We went to Benjamin's dorm room to "freshen up." Later that evening, the water was back on.

The projected weather was rainy, so we didn't know how much we could see.  We adjusted our plans to indoor things, but by the afternoon, it had cleared up enough for us to take in the State Botanical Gardens.



In fact, the sun was out and hot, and we were dressed wrong for that, but we readjusted the best we could.

All in all, for all the readjustments we had to make, we had a good time.  It was a nice visit with our son and seeing new and familiar places, even if we didn't get as far north as originally planned.

Biggest surprise - did y'all know that Covington, Georgia, had been taken over by Vampire Diary fans?  They were all over and had big tour groups and such.  Apparently, the show is filmed in Covington, disguised as Mystic Falls.  And here I thought Covington was famous for being the film location for The Dukes of Hazzard?  Times and circumstances readjust everything, I guess.

Speaking of readjusting, this is my first post since Monday, March 22nd.  No matter how I plan to accommodate my blog writing, things happen to mess that plan up, and I have to readjust.

Be patient.

I will get my groove back.

Somehow.

Stay safe,

T. M. Strait










Monday, March 22, 2021

A Season Delayed

 


I so want to get tax season over with. 

But no such luck.

The IRS has delayed the individual tax deadline to May 17th.

Even though I have been semi-retired, I have been generally respectful of major tax deadlines, particularly centered around March 15, April 15, and October 15th.  This has not always been easy, especially in the spring, when Alison usually has a week-long break in early April.  So, we never went anywhere, or spent much time together, during that period.

This year, I can't do it.  I have to buck tradition,  The sudden month delay has caught me exposed.

Now that major parties involved are or will soon be vaccinated, we set in stone our plans to visit family in Michigan.  On the way back, we will visit my son and daughter-in-law in metro Atlanta.

Benjamin gets out of school on May 7th.  We want him to be able to get a summer job, and once he does that, he is not likely to be able to travel. And this is the week that my sister has been able to set for us to come to Michigan.  

Do I feel a little guilty about leaving the week of the deadline?  Yes.

Is it going to make me cancel my plans, and have to potentially wait another year to go to Michigan? No.  It's been far too long since we've been up.  The grand-niece we saw at almost one year old is now in school.  And there are three more (grand niece and grand nephews) we've not even seen.

Sorry, IRS.  Please forgive me, Higginson and Paulk.

I know the deadline changed, but I'm going to need to make this trip.



Saturday, March 20, 2021

The Miracle at the 33rd Parellel : Saturday Political Soap Box 271

 

It's a miracle!

A true BLUE spectacle!

A miracle come true!*

A miracle based on the hard work of Stacey Abrams and associated groups that worked their tail off for multiple years to make it happen.  A miracle that Republican officials stuck to the truth and would not be bullied by the great orange narcissist. 

And look at what was achieved!

Trump is in Mar-A-Lago, rummaging the buffet lines.  Mitch McConnell has been reduced to a noisy impotent hen.

And for the first time in YEARS, a major piece of legislation has passed that has its benefits directed to the working people of the United States, with nothing special going to major corporations and the very wealthy.

I about wept with joy hearing Senator Raphael Warnock's first Senate speech, eloquently defending voter's rights.  That's MY Senator!  From MY state!  Best political moment ever since I moved to this state in 1978.



I am uncomfortably aware, though, that the miracle was narrow and not uniform.  My home county voted 87% for one of the vilest human beings on the planet.

And we are in the process of relearning the most frightening American lesson -

THE EMPIRE ALWAYS STRIKES BACK!

The Georgia State legislature is drafting the most draconian, restrictive voting suppression measures since Jim Crow.  It may even become a crime to give someone standing in a long voting line water.  How low can you go?  How unchristian can you get?

And yet another harsh lesson -

RACISM IS REAL

Sadly, the narrow blue (federal - on a state level Republicans still dominate) victory did not end racism.  Sadly, it may have intensified it.

The deadly killing spree aimed at the Asian-American community in the Atlanta area brought into terrible focus that the forces of intolerance still thrive in this state.  What the killer did was a crime against Asian Americans AND women.  

And to have a police official say the killer just "had a bad day?"

Astounding.  Just astounding.

Nevertheless, I am happy that Georgia is at least starting down the right path.  

I am aware of how difficult that path is, and how many will try to knock us off it, and even push us back.

The fight for social justice, the struggle for economic equality and security, the reversal of deadly global warming, it will not be easy. Still, it is the only fight worth having now.

Thank you, Georgia, for your blessed miracle.

We are at least are finally on the right path!


*yep.  I stole those lines from Barry Manilow. Please don't sue me, Barry.  I am a big fan. 😁












Tuesday, March 16, 2021

Second Shot Soliloquy

 


I should have known better.

The only two times I've had flu-like symptoms were a few days after I took a flu shot.  And I've only had two flu shots, so that made me two for two.

So, I should have known I wouldn't be one of the lucky ones to have no reaction. 

I had my second Moderna shot Monday.  It wasn't too bad, some minor chills, some dizziness, a little tiredness, a tiny bit of nausea. Being semi-retired and checking that there wasn't anything urgent in the office, I decided not to go in after my shot.  I knew I would be fine by morning.

Well, it's Tuesday morning now, and quest what?  I have more serious chills, some congestion, and a fever. Last check, my fever was 100.9, not too high by some people's standards, but high for me considering my usual morning temp is around 97.

I feel bad that I may have to beg off work again.  I fear I might give fuel to the anti-vaxxers.  Even semi-retired, it's around the time of year that others are quite intense about coming in.

Make no mistake.  I do not expect this to last very long.  If it subsides, perhaps I can come in today.  I also have church treasury work I have to do.

I shouldn't have been surprised.  But historically from me?  It kinda makes sense.

Anyways, I'll see if it drops in the next hour.  Maybe I'll even post an update.

Everyone needs to get vaccinated.  It's the only way out of this nightmare.

Stay safe,

T. M. Strait

UPDATE 3/17

There is a woods.  Right now, I am in a better part of the woods.  But I am not out of the woods.

My feet dropped some, so I charged ahead to work, first my church treasury job, and then my CPA job.  I endured as long as I could and then went home.  My fever rose to 101.7.  

The good news is that I took a couple of Tylenol (acetaminophen), and my fever dropped!  I cannot recall when Tylenol worked for me, so it was a bit of a surprise.

This morning I have a much lower fever.  My mind is cloudy, like I took some PM medicine or melatonin.  I alternate between hot or cold.

But the journey through the woods is getting better, and I can see myself out of them very soon.

UPDATE 3/20

Sorry I haven't updated in a while.  Tax season has been kicking my posterior maximus.  

But...I feel great! Really, higher energy than normal!  Earlier, I barely had the energy nor mental concentration to do CPA work. Since Thursday, I've had too much energy and mental sharpness to WANT to do CPA work.

I guess no matter what the circumstances, I'm not really wanting to do CPA work.  Surprise!  

But I feel wonderful being on the other side of the vaccine divide.




Saturday, March 13, 2021

He Never Woke Up: Saturday Political Soap Box 270



He never woke up.

Not once.  Not one second.

Five years ago, when Trump descended the escalator with a torrent of hate directed towards immigrants, I thought, since he had earlier been disgusted by Sarah Palin, and although a devout Christian Conservative, he had left the 2008 Presidential line blank, that meant he wouldn't tolerate Trump.

Well, if he had those qualms, surely he would understand how terrible Trump was.  Trump is basically Palin dialed up to eleven.

It got to the point where we could no longer talk about politics.  I got too upset - he got too defensive.  

So I backed off.  I gave him space.  He was a bright, intelligent man, caring and loving towards his family.  Surely, at some point, he would wake up.  

No, I didn't think he'd stop being Christian Right.  But I did think, naively, that the accumulated horror of the narcissistic in chief would eventually wake him up. Not that he would become progressive, or hell, even a Democratic or even Republican centrist, but just understand what a monster Trump was.

I waited patiently for some sign that he understood, that he had made a mistake, and realized how damaging Trump was.  

He didn't.  Not with children in cages.  Not with ignoring and accelerating climate change.  Not with Trump praising dictators and dissing democratic leaders.  Not with so much suffering caused by Trump's inept leadership (or lack thereof) on COVID-19, even as it affected his own family. Not even as Trump incited a violent insurrection on the capital of the United States.

I saw a sign that showed me that he had not changed, a sign you would only have if you voted for him and continued to support him.

He never woke up.

Is it my fault?  Because I gave him space and did not try to persuade him?  Or would that have just aggravated the rift between us?

I don't know.

Yes, his side lost.  Yes, President Biden and the team are doing amazing things, more than I expected given Biden's moderate Democratic Party roots.

But I'm sure he knows none of this.  He probably knows about Mr. Potato Head, Dr. Seuss, the biting White House dog, and some things I don't know of, like maybe about prayer in school or babies being ripped from the womb and then smothered.

I know I should be happy.  After all, progressives made a lot of gains in the election. Georgia voted blue in the Presidential and Senate elections.  Our biggest problem is no longer Trump or McConnell - it's Joe Manchin.

But I like him, and I worry about what his lack of change may mean.  74 million people voted for someone who is arguably the worst person in American History.

I'd like to be confident, but I know these bromides -

    The Empire Always Strike back.

    When a bear is wounded and cornered - that is when he is at his most dangerous.

    Republicans still control most state legislators, and they will continue to gerrymander and suppress voters.

I had hoped that he would wake up.

He did not.

God help us all.

---------------

The second part of this is my largest copy (plagiarism?) ever.

Whenever confronted by Trumpers, my heart beats too fast, and I stumble trying to remember all of Trump's malfeasances.  This posted list helps me remember his avalanche of crimes, incompetence, and downright nastiness.

I should memorize this.  I probably won't, but it's good to have handy.

Please! Help my soul.  If you previously voted for Trump but are now awake and regretful, please let me know.

Give me hope for the future.


 I owe my Trump-supporting friends an apology.

I’ve been critical of the Trump presidency these last four years, and am still exhausted from the experience.
But to be fair, President Trump wasn’t that bad, other than when he incited an insurrection against the government, mismanaged a pandemic that killed nearly half a million Americans, separated children from their families, lost those children in the bureaucracy, tear-gassed peaceful protesters on Lafayette Square so he could hold a photo op holding a Bible in front of a church, tried to block all Muslims from entering the country, got impeached, got impeached again, had the worst jobs record of any president in modern history, pressured Ukraine to dig dirt on Joe Biden, fired the FBI director for investigating his ties to Russia, bragged about firing the FBI director on TV, took Vladimir Putin’s word over the US intelligence community, diverted military funding to build his wall, caused the longest government shutdown in US history, called Black Lives Matter a “symbol of hate,” lied nearly 30,000 times, banned transgender people from serving in the military, ejected reporters from the White House briefing room who asked tough questions, vetoed the defense funding bill because it renamed military bases named for Confederate soldiers, refused to release his tax returns, increased the national debt by nearly $8 trillion, had three of the highest annual trade deficits in U.S. history, called veterans and soldiers who died in combat losers and suckers, coddled the leader of Saudi Arabia after he ordered the execution and dismembering of a US-based journalist, refused to concede the 2020 election, hired his unqualified daughter and son-in-law to work in the White House, walked out of an interview with Lesley Stahl, called neo-Nazis “very fine people,” suggested that people should inject bleach into their bodies to fight COVID, abandoned our allies the Kurds to Turkey, pushed through massive tax cuts for the wealthiest but balked at helping working Americans, incited anti-lockdown protestors in several states at the height of the pandemic, withdrew the US from the Paris climate accords, withdrew the US from the Iranian nuclear deal, withdrew the US from the Trans Pacific Partnership which was designed to block China’s advances, insulted his own Cabinet members on Twitter, pushed the leader of Montenegro out of the way during a photo op, failed to reiterate US commitment to defending NATO allies, called Haiti and African nations “shithole” countries, called the city of Baltimore the “worst in the nation,” claimed that he single handedly brought back the phrase “Merry Christmas” even though it hadn’t gone anywhere, forced his Cabinet members to praise him publicly like some cult leader, believed he should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, berated and belittled his hand-picked Attorney General when he recused himself from the Russia probe, suggested the US should buy Greenland, colluded with Mitch McConnell to push through federal judges and two Supreme Court justices after supporting efforts to prevent his predecessor from appointing judges, repeatedly called the media “enemies of the people,” claimed that if we tested fewer people for COVID we’d have fewer cases, violated the emoluments clause, thought that Nambia was a country, told Bob Woodward in private that the coronavirus was a big deal but then downplayed it in public, called his exceedingly faithful vice president a “p---y” for following the Constitution, nearly got us into a war with Iran after threatening them by tweet, nominated a corrupt head of the EPA, nominated a corrupt head of HHS, nominated a corrupt head of the Interior Department, nominated a corrupt head of the USDA, praised dictators and authoritarians around the world while criticizing allies, refused to allow the presidential transition to begin, insulted war hero John McCain – even after his death, spent an obscene amount of time playing golf after criticizing Barack Obama for playing (far less) golf while president, falsely claimed that he won the 2016 popular vote, called the Muslim mayor of London a “stone cold loser,” falsely claimed that he turned down being Time’s Man of the Year, considered firing special counsel Robert Mueller on several occasions, mocked wearing face masks to guard against transmitting COVID, locked Congress out of its constitutional duty to confirm Cabinet officials by hiring acting ones, used a racist dog whistle by calling COVID the “China virus,” hired and associated with numerous shady figures that were eventually convicted of federal offenses including his campaign manager and national security adviser, pardoned several of his shady associates, gave the Presidential Medal of Freedom to two congressman who amplified his batshit crazy conspiracy theories, got into telephone fight with the leader of Australia(!), had a Secretary of State who called him a moron, forced his press secretary to claim without merit that his was the largest inauguration crowd in history, botched the COVID vaccine rollout, tweeted so much dangerous propaganda that Twitter eventually banned him, charged the Secret Service jacked-up rates at his properties, constantly interrupted Joe Biden in their first presidential debate, claimed that COVID would “magically” disappear, called a U.S. Senator “Pocahontas,” used his Twitter account to blast Nordstrom when it stopped selling Ivanka’s merchandise, opened up millions of pristine federal lands to development and drilling, got into a losing tariff war with China that forced US taxpayers to bail out farmers, claimed that his losing tariff war was a win for the US, ignored or didn’t even take part in daily intelligence briefings, blew off honoring American war dead in France because it was raining, redesigned Air Force One to look like the Trump Shuttle, got played by Kim Jung Un and his “love letters,” threatened to go after social media companies in clear violation of the Constitution, botched the response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, threw paper towels at Puerto Ricans when he finally visited them, pressured the governor and secretary of state of Georgia to “find” him votes, thought that the Virgin islands had a President, drew on a map with a Sharpie to justify his inaccurate tweet that Alabama was threatened by a hurricane, allowed White House staff to use personal email accounts for official businesses after blasting Hillary Clinton for doing the same thing, rolled back regulations that protected the public from mercury and asbestos, pushed regulators to waste time studying snake-oil remedies for COVID, rolled back regulations that stopped coal companies from dumping waste into rivers, held blatant campaign rallies at the White House, tried to take away millions of Americans’ health insurance because the law was named for a Black man, refused to attend his successors’ inauguration, nominated the worst Education Secretary in history, threatened judges who didn’t do what he wanted, attacked Dr. Anthony Fauci, promised that Mexico would pay for the wall (it didn’t), allowed political hacks to overrule government scientists on major reports on climate change and other issues, struggled navigating a ramp after claiming his opponent was feeble, called an African-American Congresswoman “low IQ,” threatened to withhold federal aid from states and cities with Democratic leaders, went ahead with rallies filled with maskless supporters in the middle of a pandemic, claimed that legitimate investigations of his wrongdoing were “witch hunts,” seemed to demonstrate a belief that there were airports during the American Revolution, demanded “total loyalty” from the FBI director, praised a conspiracy theory that Democrats are Satanic pedophiles, completely gutted the Voice of America, placed a political hack in charge of the Postal Service, claimed without evidence that the Obama administration bugged Trump Tower, suggested that the US should allow more people from places like Norway into the country, suggested that COVID wasn’t that bad because he recovered with the help of top government doctors and treatments not available to the public, overturned energy conservation standards that even industry supported, reduced the number of refugees the US accepts, insulted various members of Congress and the media with infantile nicknames, gave Rush Limbaugh a Presidential medal of Freedom at the State of the Union address, named as head of federal personnel a 29-year old who’d previously been fired from the White House for allegations of financial improprieties, eliminated the White House office of pandemic response, used soldiers as campaign props, fired any advisor who made the mistake of disagreeing with him, demanded the Pentagon throw him a Soviet-style military parade, hired a shit ton of white nationalists, politicized the civil service, did absolutely nothing after Russia hacked the U.S. government, falsely said the Boy Scouts called him to say his bizarre Jamboree speech was the best speech ever given to the Scouts, claimed that Black people would overrun the suburbs if Biden won, insulted reporters of color, insulted women reporters, insulted women reporters of color, suggested he was fine with China’s oppression of the Uighurs, attacked the Supreme Court when it ruled against him, summoned Pennsylvania state legislative leaders to the White House to pressure them to overturn the election, spent countless hours every day watching Fox News, refused to allow his administration to comply with Congressional subpoenas, hired Rudy Giuliani as his lawyer, tried to punish Amazon because the Jeff Bezos-owned Washington Post wrote negative stories about him, acted as if the Attorney General of the United States was his personal attorney, attempted to get the federal government to defend him in a libel lawsuit from a women who accused him of sexual assault, held private meetings with Vladimir Putin without staff present, didn’t disclose his private meetings with Vladimir Putin so that the US had to find out via Russian media, stopped holding press briefings for months at a time, “ordered” US companies to leave China even though he has no such power, led a political party that couldn’t even be bothered to draft a policy platform, claimed preposterously that Article II of the Constitution gave him absolute powers, tried to pressure the U.K. to hold the British Open at his golf course, suggested that the government nuke hurricanes, suggested that wind turbines cause cancer, said that he had a special aptitude for science, fired the head of election cyber security after he said that the 2020 election was secure, blurted out classified information to Russian officials, tried to force the G7 to hold their meeting at his failing golf resort in Florida, fired the acting attorney general when she refused to go along with his unconstitutional Muslim travel ban, hired Stephen Miller, openly discussed national security issues in the dining room at Mar-a-Lago where everyone could hear them, interfered with plans to relocate the FBI because a new development there might compete with his hotel, abandoned Iraqi refugees who’d helped the U.S. during the war, tried to get Russia back into the G7, held a COVID super spreader event in the Rose Garden, seemed to believe that Frederick Douglass is still alive, lost 60 election fraud cases in court including before judges he had nominated, falsely claimed that factories were reopening when they weren’t, shamelessly exploited terror attacks in Europe to justify his anti-immigrant policies, still hasn’t come up with a healthcare plan, still hasn’t come up with an infrastructure plan despite repeated “Infrastructure Weeks,” forced Secret Service agents to drive him around Walter Reed while contagious with COVID, told the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by,” fucked up the Census, withdrew the U.S. from the World Health Organization in the middle of a pandemic, did so few of his duties that his press staff were forced to state on his daily schedule “President Trump will work from early in the morning until late in the evening. He will make many calls and have many meetings,” allowed his staff to repeatedly violate the Hatch Act, seemed not to know that Abraham Lincoln was a Republican, stood before sacred CIA wall of heroes and bragged about his election win, constantly claimed he was treated worse than any president which presumably includes four that were assassinated and his predecessor whose legitimacy and birthplace were challenged by a racist reality TV show star named Donald Trump, claimed Andrew Jackson could’ve stopped the Civil War even though he died 16 years before it happened, said that any opinion poll showing him behind was fake, claimed that other countries laughed at us before he became president when several world leaders were literally laughing at him, claimed that the military was out of ammunition before he became President, created a commission to whitewash American history, retweeted anti-Islam videos from one of the most racist people in Britain, claimed ludicrously that the Pulse nightclub shooting wouldn’t have happened if someone there had a gun even though there was an armed security guard there, hired a senior staffer who cited the non-existent Bowling Green Massacre as a reason to ban Muslims, had a press secretary who claimed that Nazi Germany never used chemical weapons even though every sane human being knows they used gas to kill millions of Jews and others, bilked the Secret Service for higher than market rates when they had to stay at Trump properties, apparently sold pardons on his way out of the White House, stripped protective status from 59,000 Haitians, falsely claimed Biden wanted to defund the police, said that the head of the CDC didn’t know what he was talking about, tried to rescind protection from DREAMers, gave himself an A+ for his handling of the pandemic, tried to start a boycott of Goodyear tires due to an Internet hoax, said U.S. rates of COVID would be lower if you didn’t count blue states, deported U.S. veterans who served their country but were undocumented, claimed he did more for African Americans than any president since Lincoln, touted a “super-duper” secret “hydrosonic” missile which may or may not be a new “hypersonic” missile or may not exist at all, retweeted a gif calling Biden a pedophile, forced through security clearances for his family, suggested that police officers should rough up suspects, suggested that Biden was on performance-enhancing drugs, tried to stop transgender students from being able to use school bathrooms in line with their gender, suggested the US not accept COVID patients from a cruise ship because it would make US numbers look higher, nominated a climate change sceptic to chair the committee advising the White House on environmental policy, retweeted a video doctored to look like Biden had played a song called “Fuck tha Police” at a campaign event, hugged a disturbingly large number of U.S. flags, accused Democrats of “treason” for not applauding his State of the Union address, claimed that the FBI failed to capture the Parkland school shooter because they were “spending too much time” on Russia, mocked the testimony of Dr Christine Blasey Ford when she accused Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault, obsessed over low-flow toilets, ordered the rerelease of more COVID vaccines when there weren’t any to release, called for the construction of a bizarre garden of heroes with statutes of famous dead Americans as well as at least one Canadian (Alex Trebek), hijacked Washington’s July 4th celebrations to give a partisan speech, took advice from the MyPillow guy, claimed that migrants seeking a better life in the US were dangerous caravans of drug dealers and rapists, said nothing when Vladimir Putin poisoned a leading opposition figure, never seemed to heed the advice of his wife’s “Be Best” campaign, falsely claimed that mail-in voting is fraudulent, announced a precipitous withdrawal of troops from Syria which not only handed Russia and ISIS a win but also prompted his defense secretary to resign in protest, insulted the leader of Canada, insulted the leader of France, insulted the leader of Britain, insulted the leader of Germany, insulted the leader of Sweden (Sweden!!), falsely claimed credit for getting NATO members to increase their share of dues, blew off two Asia summits even though they were held virtually, continued lying about spending lots of time at Ground Zero with 9/11 responders, said that the Japanese would sit back and watch their “Sony televisions” if the US were ever attacked, left a NATO summit early in a huff, stared directly into an eclipse even though everyone over the age of 5 knows not to do that, called himself a very stable genius despite significant evidence to the contrary, refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power and kept his promise, and a whole bunch of other things I can’t remember at the moment.
But other than that. . . 🤷🏽‍♀️
Plz copy and paste. Whoever wrote this deserves credit but I don’t know who it is. And anyone that supports DJT, has got to be CLUELESS.

Thursday, March 11, 2021

Yes, Sir'ee They're Pips!

Oh, he’s Slim Chiply
The guy you see
On the Paramount Potato Chips
Bright red sack
He’s the flavor deputy
Protecting crispness in every pack
They’re nutritious
And so delicious
Yes, sir’ee they’re pips!
Paramount Potato Chips



 

Ever get old commercials stuck in your head?

This is the one that's stuck in mine.  Almost all the time.

I've tried to share it with Alison and the boys, more times than they care for me to do.  But..whoops...there it is.

They were made in Flint, Michigan, just 30 minutes or so from where I lived.  According to the interwebs, they ceased production very badly.

Alison collects old tins, so if anyone has a line on one, let me know.

Man, too much research.  Eleventy minutes already gone!

Stay safe!

Stay chippy!

T. M. Strait








Tuesday, March 9, 2021

Tuesday Twitter Questions 2! Maybe 3. I'll Have to check.


 Time for another thematically unsound Tuesday Twitter Questions!

If you left Twitter completely, do you think anyone would miss you?

I don't think anyone would miss me because no one really knows I'm there in the first place.  Over 80% of my posts get no reaction at all,  virtually all the rest one, and like a handful with two likes. I have seen people complain that no one is responding to their posts, and they have hundreds of likes and dozens of comments.  Not me.  I am truly the ghost of Twitter.

Do you use a working title or wait until you've finished your book?

Oh, no.  For better or worse, I know my title before I even begin.  For most of my books, I've been happy with that.  I probably should have called Crowley Stories: Swamp's Edge something else.  Swamp's Edge.  Stories from the Swamp's Edge. I'm still thinking about it.

What makes a man instantly unattractive?

MAGA hat.

Do any women get offended when they are called dude?

Maybe a few.  Most just abide.

Self-published authors, do you include a formal copyrights page?

Page?  I have a copyright statement that I copied from other works.  Hopefully, it's okay to copy a copyright, and that's not copyrighted.

Do you write when you're depressed or upset?

Sometimes, sure.  That's also when I crack out the fake poetry.  Or a Trumpocalypse rant.  Or rail against covidiots.

What's your favorite Easter candy, and why is it Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs?

Chocolate.  Peanut butter.  Mixed together. Next question?

What is the one movie everyone has seen except you?

That's a tough question because my answer may hit different generations differently.  Top Gun?  The Bodyguard?  God's Not Dead? Birth of a Nation?

Maybe the most recent answer would be that I have seen none of the Disney animated films' live-action remakes.

Would you eat biscuits and gravy from a gas station?

Sure. Then my car wouldn't be alone in getting gas.

SLAM!!!

Eleventy minutes are up again!

Stay Safe!*

T. M. Strait


*don't you hate it when amateur writers overuse the exclamation mark!  I know I do!





Monday, March 8, 2021

Stewing Monday Musings

 


With only eleventy minutes to write, it's hard to explore too much in-depth.

I only have time to let some concepts stew.  Maybe later they will turn into a full-fledged, well-thought-out post...but maybe not.

I know something's going on with the British Royals, and Meghan and Harry are upset about something.  Maybe more than one somethings.  I can't tell yet, because I've only read on the surface about their interview with Oprah.

There sounds like there is racism involved, most inexplicably directed at concerns of their child's skin color? They also seemed to be shunned in part or whole.

Quickie takes, that may be borne partly of ignorance -

Did they not know what they were getting into?  Would it not be better to stay and fight and try to change things from within?

And why exactly do we care so much about royalty anyways?  I don't understand this instinct of human nature.  Even though they are not OUR ROYALS, we pay a heck of a lot of attention to them.  And then, if that wasn't enough, we create our own royalty out of celebrities - movie stars, singers, sports figures.  And what the hell are the Kardashians, anyways?


I've spent a lot of time stewing over ideas concerning so-called cancel culture.

It seems to me that most culture disappears over time regardless.

Do you realize how many silent movies have vanished?  Sources I looked at (Wikipedia, Variety, The Atlantic) say over 75% of silent films are just gone, all prints destroyed.

And how many of you have watched ANY silent movie?

I recently watched Rosita, a silent movie starring Mary Pickford.  It was pretty good, but a synopsis falls out of my eleventy-minute scope.  Maybe in another post.  For whatever reason, in this case, Mary Pickford turned against the picture and ordered all prints destroyed.  

Recently, a degraded print was found in Russia.  The Museum of Moden Art worked to restore it, and I saw it in the last month on TCM, Turner Classic Movies.

And speaking of Dr. Suess, do you how many books from that time period are "out-of-print" and no longer being published?  Many, many more than are being published now, I daresay.

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Also stewing about cultural appropriation, but I need to think that one out more lest I say it wrong and offend people.

Bottom line...culture is much more fluid and temporary than most people think.

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Also, something about wanting the MLS (Major League Soccer) to leave Sinclair Fox Sports regionals and be shown elsewhere where we may be able to get their games.

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Also...

CRAP!  My eleventy minutes is way past!

...

Stay safe!


T. M. Strait









Saturday, March 6, 2021

President Joe Manchin! Saturday Political Soap Box 269

All hail the new President of the United States!

Given the fragile 50 seats plus tie-breaker Vice President Harris Senate majority, the Democratic Party is only as strong as its most conservative Democrat.

And the winner of that contest, hands down, is Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia.

Sure, there are other grumblers and mutterers.  Senator Kyrsten Sinema can be an extra special treat, defiantly giving a big thumbs down to signify her vote against the $15 minimum wage.

But, in the end, it's all about the Joe.  And not the Joe we elected as President of the United States.

But, Tom, you say Joe Manchin may be a Democrat, but he comes from a very red state, voting both times overwhelmingly for Captain Bone Spurs.  Of course he behaves like a DINO.  He needs to represent the interests of his state.

Really?  You think that's what's going on? I daresay that if the $15 minimum wage was put on the ballot in West Virginia, it would pass with flying colors, as ballot measures increasing the minimum wage have been approved in red and blue states alike.  And the COVID-19 relief bill as a whole is extremely popular among all voting groups, including Republicans.

If this was about gun control or climate change efforts that moved us further away from coal, I would still disagree with Manchin, but at least it would make some sense based on his constituency.  This, however, makes no sense.


I can't fully explain everything Manchin does.  I don't know if he's a deficit hawk about everything or just when it comes to things that help the average working person.  I don't know why he seems to have a double standard for cabinet nominees, having voted for many of the nastier Trump nominees, and now becomes squeamish on strong Biden nominees, particularly, I'm afraid to say when it comes to women. I don't know enough about him to know if he just likes being the center of attention.

I have read that Chuch Schumer may not be tough enough on Joe Manchin, that perhaps Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota could corral him better. I don't know.  I'm not sure it would help.  It's just the way things are drawn right now.

Even if we didn't have the filibuster, we might not get the legislation we need if President Manchin "vetos" it.  Interesting, but we may never know.  Why?  Because the filibuster can't be eliminated without President Manchin's support.

From recent news reports:

 "Asked by the Hill’s Jordain Carney whether there is any scenario in which he might “change his mind” about the filibuster, Manchin replied, “Never! Jesus Christ! What don’t you understand about never?”"

President Joe Manchin.

This is why it's going to be so tough for us to have nice things.






Friday, March 5, 2021

The Best Part #3

 

3

 

None of the three wore masks.  Jackson Strickland had a no-mask enforcement policy. He even had a sign on his door that said, “We reserve the right not to follow the City’s mandated inforcement of required mask-wearing.”  No.  You saw that right.  Jackson had misspelled enforcement.

Aldie did not want to buck the person that signed his check, but he also didn’t want to be a covidiot.  He had one on his desk that he could slip on if he had to interview a client or if anyone in the office got too close.  There could be big trouble if he were narced on, but he didn’t think neither Marie nor Annabelle seemed inclined.

In November, Marie had gone through COVID, a mild case where she stayed out of the office for about three days. Now Marie felt like she was completely immune. If Annabelle had been infected, Aldie did not know of it.  She had expressed no opinion about it in the short time he had known her.

The three men who had come in from Pearce Lumber were dealt with quickly.  One of the three was new, and Marie gave him a brief interview.  He appeared to be Hispanic, which led Marie to question his citizenship silently, but he could produce a social security card and driver’s license.  That was good enough for us to take a substantial amount of his tax refund.

Once the pertinent information was gathered, Aldie entered Freedom’s second rate tax program and prepared their returns.  One of the three qualified for Earned Income Credit, so that took a little while longer to input. As the IRS shrunk, so did their auditing power, but they continued to be the hardest on those taking earned income credit even in their shrunken state. Attacking those least able to afford a lawyer and defend themselves made the poor easy prey. But that was true for Freedom as well, taking so much of their refund.  So much of the American economy nowadays seemed to be based on the exploitation of the poor.  Aldie did his best not to think about it.

Marie arranged their “tax loan” checks.  It was always for about two-thirds of what their return was estimated to be. They had to pay it back in a month, and the interest rate would make a car dealer blush or Jesus to start overturning tables.  They signed the efile papers and directed the return to come directly to Freedom.  In about a month, they would come back in to repay the loan, which included the loan value, all the interest, and a $50 fee for “loan processing.”  Technically they were not charged for the preparation of the tax return. Wallah. Magic.

The next hour was dead quiet.  Aldie sat quietly, looking at other returns in the computer, trying to see what he might be in for and to get used to the quirks of their crummy tax software.

Around 10:00, a big guy pulled up in a colossal pick-em-up truck. Aldie didn’t know what kind, except it was mammoth, four doors, and a truck bed that looked like it could accommodate two horses and a Toyota Yaris.

He smashed open the front door and strode in like he was the King of Siam.  He wore blue jeans, and a t-shirt that said MAKE MINE FREEDOM, and a red baseball cap that made his political affiliation clear to all.

“Hey, Marie!  How y’all doing?” the man boomed.

“Doing fair to middlin’, Ronnie,” Marie said.  She had a big, giddy grin and shivered in delight.  “Good to see you this fine ol’ January morning.  How are you doing?”

“Oh, I’m pretty damn excited this morning!  We’re gonna stop the steal today and put things right – you just wait and see!”

They were both laughing joyously, and then Ronnie stopped cold when he looked over and saw Aldie. “Who are you?  I ain’t seen you in these parts before.”

Aldie got up but stayed by his desk.  “I’m Aldie Martin.  It’s nice to meet you. This is only my third day here.”

Ronnie scrunched his face up, taking a few seconds to think, trying to connect the dots to another memory.  And then it clicked. “I know you!  You’re that little dude from that other office.  I think I saw you there.  I mostly dealt with the big dogs.  Bobby did all my work.”

Aldie wasn’t sure he’d seen Ronnie before, but he thought he might know who he was.  A few years ago, Bobby had given him a return to do from a Ronald Hilton, and the client cover sheet referred to him as Ronnie. His return was complicated and messed up.  He had to point several things out to Bobby that Aldie didn’t think passed muster. Bobby agreed with him on a couple of them, and that put Ronald Hilton into a bracket where he needed to pay more rather than get a refund.

“Yeah, I left them years ago when my buddy Jackson opened up this place.  No offense, Albany, but they weren’t just taking care of me right.  Not helping me take advantage of all the things they shoulda have done. Now, I ain’t hardly paid jack squat since coming to Freedom.  You see?  Just like my t-shirt says,” Ronnie said, gesturing to his t-shirt slogan. “Anyhoo, since you’re here instead of there, they musta done you wrong too.  Am I right?”

Aldie didn’t know how to answer that.  “It…was time for a change.”

“Ok, pal,” said Ronnie.  He extended his hand for Aldie to shake.  This was the last thing in the world that Aldie wanted to do, but he felt cornered.  He shook his hand, Ronnie doing so with a paralyzing grip. Oh, well, thought Aldie. I’ll use plenty of hand sanitizer as soon as he’s not looking.

This was certainly not the typical Freedom client, or so he had been led to believe. Well, at least he seemed to be personally handled by Jackson, so maybe he wouldn’t have to be involved with his return. 

The door to Jackon’s office burst open.  “Well, hell’s bells!  It’s good to see you, Ronniekins!” Glum Annabelle had flipped a switch and had turned into an effusive charmer.

They hugged for a long time.  Ronnie’s left hand rested just above her butt.  “I know it’s early, but I wanted to get an pre-limbered-ary analysis of where I was at,  Can’t start too early looking for them loopy holes, can ya?”

She took him by the hand and led him into the back office, closing the door.

Aldie quickly used the hand sanitizer.  Well, glad I’m not behind that door for whatever the heck it is those two are doing.

Then the door creaked open, and Annabelle’s head popped out.  “Aldie, get in here. We’re going to need you to help lay this out.”

Great.  Three days in and already headed for the lion’s den.

 

 

Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Tuesday Twitter Questions!


 

It's just a picture.  Need one to attract a few more viewers.

On to my eleventy minutes.

It's random Twitter Questions rime!

What's the meaning of life in 3 words or less?

Seize the day.

Can you live on $7.25 an hour?

As long as I can live with somebody else and they pay all the bills.

What's your age?  Funny answers only.

Last June, I got a card to carry from the government that officially identifies me as an old person.  

Have you written any characters that you just despise?

History of the Trap: Mark Granite.  Crowley Stories: Pastor Dan. The Extra Credit Club:  Professor LaCroix.

5 facebook points if you've read one of those books, 10 if you've read two, and 100 if you've read all three.

What is an act integral to your writing process that is not the act of writing itself?

Coffee.  And lots of it.

Glad that the COVID-19 vaccines are here?

Yes!  Wish they were being distributed faster, but I think the Biden administration is ramping up as fast as it can.  Georgia lags behind, in like the bottom five of vaccine distribution.  It feels like we are in a deadly race with the variants.

Any of you research Tarot?

Is that a vegetable?  No?

Oh, cards that "predict" the future.

Uh, no.

But let me check the cards.  Maybe I'll do it...in the FUTURE!


Man,  eleventy minutes is not a lot of time!


Stay safe!

T. M. Strait







Monday, March 1, 2021

March Times In



 

There I am.  Standing at the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland.

To be clear, that wasn't today.  That was a picture from three years ago (May 2018).

But time MARCHes, eh?

Last year, we went nowhere - no major trips.  You may not have heard of it, but there's this little thing called....COVID.

The year before that, it was Ontario (Niagra Falls, Toronto, Stratford).

When things sufficiently clear up, we hope to go to Michigan.  It has been a while since we've been back there.

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The case numbers have been slowly diminishing in my area - but the change is very slow, not dramatic.

I have had one of two vaccination shots (Moderna).  Alison has had none.  But they may start vaccinating school personnel in a few weeks.  

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I am starting to keep track of health-related numbers, including my food chart, to help control the intake of sugar, carbohydrates, and calories.  It worked when I did it before.  I just have to make it a habit and stick with it.

I weighed myself this morning, the first time in months.  It was much higher than I wanted it to be but not as high as I feared it would be.

----------------

Well, speaking of the March of Time, I already have used up my eleventy minutes.  Facing another tax season, I am.  No, it's not as involved as it used to be for me, but still...it takes far more of my brain wattage than I care to give.

Stay safe!

T. M. Strait