It's a regular rollercoaster

The Red Sox are back in first place in the ALEast by a full game over the Yankees.

The Red Sox are up in Toronto to start a three game series against the last place Blue Jays and the Yankees are in Houston to start a three game series against the first place Astros.

My hope are high that by the Fourth of July, the Red Sox will have a three game lead over the Yankees in the ALEast.

⧫

I'm watching the doppler and there is a major line of storms heading my way.

While I drag my generator out of the garage so I can make sure I don't miss the Red Sox game, you can visit these links:

• Key line in this story: "She also said the marijuana found on scene was hers."



• Key line in this story: "Mom, Dad, there's a bear in my room."



• Michael Prince Myers isn't the brightest member of our species.



• Turns out this headline does not mean what I thought it meant.



• Only in Florida.

Turns out the ransomware is not ransomware

Researchers have discovered that the latest ransomware attack was never designed to be recovered. It was designed to destroy. They are saying that all of the data that was allegedly encrypted is instead simply gone.

Sucks to be those people.

⧫

The Red Sox lost last night and the Yankees won so once again they are in a tie for first place.

They are simply not hitting the ball. And if they don't hit the ball, they don't step on home plate. If they don't step on home plate, they don't win.

I'm going to watch tonights game and I really hope they win.

While I do that, you can click on these:

• Key entry from our favorite police log: "5:14 p.m. A small wiener dog tried, but failed, to attack a group of Kalispell chickens."



• Oh Canada.



• Only in Florida.

Let's talk ransomware.

If you haven't heard by now, there is another computer attack going on. It's a thing called ransomware which is a word that, if you pay attention, you will see contains the word "ransom".

This is the second significant wave of this particular type of attack. The first one was a few months ago and it was called "wannacry".

Wannacry was an amateur attempt to hold computers hostage and collect a ransom. It failed because the author was vain and included code that had the computer call out to a server on the internet so he (or she) could tell how many victims they had.

The solution was to shutdown access to the server and the ransomware package failed.

This one is different. It simply infects the computer, encrypts all the data and tells the user, "Hey! I got your stuff and if you want it back you have to send $300 in Bitcoin to this address."

This is bad for two reasons. The first being that most people effected by this don't have $300 in Bitcoin and the second being that the address given no longer exists so even if you do have $300 to give them, they can't get it anymore because the email address has been shut down.

Here's what I want you all to remember:

SamsClub, CVS, Walmart, Amazon, etc... aren't going to send you an email saying, "Thank you [email address] from [popular merchant]. Click here for a $50.00 gift certificate!"

There is no $50.00 gift certificate, only a bad thing from a bad person trying to get your money or personal information. Don't click on it.

Oh, and one other thing, if you are using Kaspersky as your anti-virus protection, you should probably delete it and find a new anti-virus provider.

⧫

Bill Belichick and his girlfriend recently did a magazine interview with Nantucket Magazine and there were some pictures taken.

Here's the best comment I've seen about those pictures:

You gotta admit, that's kinda funny.

⧫

The Red Sox are in first place by one game. Let's hope they stay in first place.

While I yell encouraging words at them via my special coaching TV, you can visit these links:

• This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs.



• Only in Florida.

They want him gone

I listen to the Boston sports radio when I'm in my car and to a man, they are all saying John Farrell has lost control of the team and it's time for him to go.

I'm not going to disagree with them but you still gotta remember that they are in first place. It's kinda touch justifying the termination of a manager when the team is in first.

⧫

Work continues to go well, I'm still wearing sox and I'm still tired.

I'm hoping the tired thing goes away eventually.

⧫

The Red Sox are without their manager tonight because he went and got himself suspended. They are also starting about an hour late because of rain. That means I probably won't make it through six innings.

While I do that, you can visit these links:

• What is an 80 year old woman doing next to a planes engines?



• Here's a guy who has his priorities straight.



• Only in Florida.

My first day of work...

All-in-all, it was a pretty damned good day. I like the people I'm working with, the work environment is nice and overall employee / employer relationship is good.

The having to wear socks thing wasn't all that great....

I put in a full day and I'm tired but I suspect I'll be back into the swing of things in about a week.

⧫

I'm going to settle in and watch the rest of the baseball game.

Here are a few links for you to visit:

• Key line in this story: "...he expresses his apologies."



• Floridians are expanding their range.



• A headline you will only see in Canada: "Don't take selfies with the moose."

My last day of "retirement"...

As most of you know, I have been on an extended vacation since March of last year.

This vacation, or "retirement" as I liked to call it, ends tomorrow when I return to the ranks of productive people by starting my first day of employment.

After 30 years at one company and then 14 months of "retirement", I'm sure I will have some adjustments to make in the way I do things. For instance, I'll have to start wearing socks again.

I am looking forward to getting back to work. Retirement may be great but not at my age. I still have a need to have something to do every day. I don't like sitting around looking for things to do, I want to have goals and achievements on a daily basis, not just every once in a while.

Also, I'm sure that I will really like having an income again and no longer drawing on my hard earned retirement account.

⧫

The Red Sox managed to lose last nights game. This upset me and caused me to sleep late this morning. I didn't get up until 6:30...

The Red Sox also managed to lose this afternoons game. This upset me even more so maybe I'll go to bed early.

⧫

I'm going to grill some steaks with mushrooms and onions. While I do that, you can click on these links:

• I am so going to get one of these only it'll have hair. Lots of hair.



• Key line from this video description: "...this was my first and only attempt."



• Based on his mugshot, I'm sure he's a fine upstanding young man.



• This is why I don't live in the desert south-west.

Email is functional

So far, the biggest problem I've had getting all my "stuff" from my old computer to my new one involves Microsoft products. Getting my documents and my email over was a snap but getting the office products to recognize them and stop using whatever default directory Microsoft insists on using was a pain in the ass.

But now I have everything functioning the way I like it so I am a happy guy.

⧫

And speaking of happy guy, the Yankees lost today so the Red Sox are in first place with a half game lead. If the Red Sox win tonight, they will take a one game lead in the ALEast.

I like it when they are in first place.

I'll like it even more if they win tonight.

⧫

While I give Farrell my sage coaching advice and wisdom, you can visit these links:

• It's the old, "I can't poop!" defense.



• Key line in this story: "...just this coagulated goo of gravy and cheese."



• Only in Florida.



• No thanks....



• Presenting this episodes Brilliant Criminal of the Month.
  (Trust me, watch the video...)



• It's better than those damned fidgety things....

It's having a well-deserved rest

My old laptop has been put out to pasture. I may have to call on it every once in a while to do some Windows stuff but as of today, I am using a mac to do my websurfinterneting.

It's going to take me some time to get used to using a mac. Everything is just different enough that my muscle memory is no longer in synch with the machine. For instance, the keyboard is just slightly different and instead of hitting the "A" key, I hit the caps lock key. Also, the Microsoft Red X that sits at the top right hand corner of every window has been replaced by the Apple Red Dot in the top left hand corner.

I also now only have USB-C ports so I have to get a conversion cable to use any of my old USB devices like thumb drives.

If you sent me an email in the last few days and I haven't replied yet, hold your horses. I still have to export my Outlook contacts to my server and then import them into my new copy of Outlook (yes, I have a copy of Office for the mac). I'm hoping to get that done this evening or tomorrow morning.

So anyways, now that I'm a member of the hipster elitist "Apple is the BEST thing ever" crowd, I'll have to start drinking PBR with my pinky elevated.

⧫

Since the Yankees managed to lose last night, The Red Sox are once again tied for first place.

Tonight the play the Angels, who just finished beating the Yankees, and if they win, they stand a pretty good chance of taking sole possession of first once again. This is because the Yankees are playing the Rangers and Yu Darvish is pitching.

When Darvish is on, he's un-hittable.

⧫

While I watch baseball and figure out the easiest way to move my email from my old laptop to my new one, you can click on these:

• Australia: "What doesn't kill ya tries to steal your dinner.



• What the hell is it with these idiots who dress up like cops and pull people over.



• So is it illegal to sell pancake mix?

John Farrell is on thin ice

Rumors are flowing throughout the Boston sports boobs that John Farrell has made a few too many mistakes with his pitchers and maybe, just maybe, he's been given a final warning.

Personally, and I know this is not a popular position, I have not been a fan. He seems to let the players get away with whatever they want and they are walking all over him. One look at Ramirez and Sandoval shows that he has no control over them.

Only time will tell if Farrell remains at the helm of the ball club or if ownership says enough is enough and sends him packing.

⧫

My wife is home from her trip to Penn State University.

She was at a training conference out there for the week and while she got a lot out of it, she seems happy to be home.

And she brought me a T-Shirt, so hey, I got that going for me.

⧫

You can enjoy these links if you want:

• Either the President of Costa Rica is one tough SOB or Costa Rican wasps are wussies



• What kind of batteries are in that thing!?!?



• Only in Florida.

Sole possession of first place

For the first time this season, the Red Sox had sole possession of first place. With last night's win against the Royals and the Yankees loss to the Angels, the Red Sox were half a game ahead of the struggling Yankees.

I can't help but notice that they tend to win when Sandoval is not in the game. Farrell recalled Sam Travis & Deven Marrero from Pawtucket and they both contributed to last nights win.

I know that Sandoval is owed a lot of money but the way I look at it, I don't really care. It's not my money. It's John Henry's money.

He's owed the money and they have to pay him no matter what so they might as well pay him to NOT screw up on the field and lose them games. In my opinion, they should bite the bullet and make Marrero the full time third baseman.

Let Sandoval play in Pawtucket.

As for todays game, they fell apart and gave the game away in the 8th inning and are once again tied for first. The Yankees play at 7:00 and if they win, they will take sole possession of first place.

Let's hope they lose.

⧫

After last weeks crappy landing incident, I decided I needed a refresher and scheduled an hour with John, my instructor.

We did three touch-&-go's, two full-stop landings and one go-around. When we were done, I once again felt pretty good about my ability to land an aircraft.

We also discussed a plan for working on my instrument rating. I love flying and I want to be able to go to different places. The problem is I am what is known as a VFR pilot and I fly under visual flight rules. That means I have to keep the ground in site and avoid clouds.

Getting my instrument rating frees me up from that particular restriction and I will be able to fly above the weather. That's when I'll be able to go places outside of this general area.

⧫

Here are some links for you to visit:

• Presenting this episodes Brilliant yet Happy Criminal of the Week.



• Ikea is trying to burn your house down.



• Only in Florida.



• Mom of the Year.

First place for less than a day...

The Red Sox managed to lose last nights game to the Royals and are now once again in second place.

I guess we'll see what this evening's games bring. Maybe the Yankees will lose again and maybe the Red Sox will win.

⧫

As for me, I'm busy getting ready to return to the working world.

The job I'll be doing doesn't exist at the college yet and not only do I have to define the role, I also have to design the processes and then develop a plan to implement those processes.

I'd like to hit the ground running so I've been working on my design. The plan will have to wait until I am actually in place and have a good handle on the current state of affairs.

It's hard to plan when you don't know the parts.

It feels good to once again use the skill-set I've refined over 30 years and I'm looking forward to being productive again.

⧫

The humidity has finally broken and I have turned the AC off. This is a good thing because there is a problem with air conditioning when you have dogs....

When the windows are closed, the dog farts linger for longer and the fan from the AC blows the smell into other rooms so there is no escaping it.

Because there are two dogs in this house, I really needed to open some windows....

⧫

While I watch baseball and enjoy my open windows, you can visit these links:

• Attention Mattell: Please stop propagating and enabling these current fashions trends.



• Key line in this story: "I have this Batman costume on but I'm an off-duty police officer."



• Here's a little good news about humans being good.



• Well, here's another child-rearing skill that new parents no longer have to worry about.

Tied for first

The Red Sox managed to beat the Astros last night and get themselves into a tie for first place with the Yankees.

Unfortunately, the win came with a price when Pedroia was hit in the ribs by a pitch and it looks like there might have been some damage. They took him out of the game after it started swelling up and shipped him out for x-rays.

Today they are in Kansas City, Missouri to play the Royals and the Yankees are on a travel day, returning from the west coast back to New York. That means if the Red Sox win tonight, they will take sole possession of first place by half a game.

I'd like to see them in first place...

⧫

You can visit these links if you would like:

• They made Billy Connolly a Knight!
  (If you've never heard of him, you don't know what your missing.
  Do yourself a favor and do a youtube search for him.)



• Where were these teachers when I was in high school???



• Andrew Cheadle ain't the brightest bulb on the candelabra....



• Australia: What doesn't kill ya, tries to kill other things that will probably kill ya.



• Oh Canada.



• And I thought our gypsy moth caterpillar problem was bad....



• If you don't know how to row a boat, you are truly stupid.

Happy Fathers Day to all you fathers out there.

Today is Fathers Day. It's supposedly a day for children to celebrate their father. Personally, I think it's a day for dads to celebrate their kids.

At some point in my life, I made a decision to get married and have children. I don't know when I made that decision because for most of my young life, I wanted to find several acres of woodland, build a cabin on it and live my life in solitude.

But at some point, I made the smartest decision of my life and I'm happy I did.

I know everyone thinks their kids are great but I'm here to tell you that my wife and I managed to raise three pretty damned great kids and I am proud to be their father.

⧫

If the Red Sox had won last night, they would be tied for first place today. Instead, they lost and started the day still in second place.

Then the Yankees opened the door for them, again, by losing to the Athletics this afternoon. That means the Red Sox will start tonight.s game only half a game out of first.

If they win tonight, they will be tied for first.

⧫

While I try to stay awake for tonight's game, you can click o these links:

• Stop sending worms into space or we're gonna end up with a 1950's horror movie on our hands.



• Here's a headline I never thought I'd see.



• Germany: Making our world a better place one fidget thingee at a time.



• Key phrase in this story: "...is back on track with her meds."



• Are they saying this is against the law?

One game out of first place

Amazingly enough, the Red Sox defeated the Astros, the best team in the American League and the Yankees lost to the Athletics, the worst team in the American League. This puts the Red Sox one game behind the first place Yankees in the ALEast.

Hopefully today's games go the same way...

⧫

I get spam.

Lots of spam.

Not only in my email but on this blog as well.

There is an entire spam industry devoted to spamming blog comment sections with crap and this blog is no exception. I get plenty of it.

Here are four that showed up last night on different entries:

1. great issues altogether, you just gained a logo new reader. What might you suggest about your submit that you just made some days in the past? Any sure?
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   Feel free to visit my page ...


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4. Please let me know if you're looking for a author for your blog. You have some really great articles and I think I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I'd really like to write some material for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine.
   Please send me an e-mail if interested. Thank you!
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All four of those posts were written by the same person or people. I know they were because the "homepage" they are referring to in the now-deleted links is to the same site.

Isn't amazing how well their grammar improved in just a few short minutes...

I want to point out these people are not quite as ignorant as you think they are. They use bad grammar, poor syntax and terrible spelling for a reason.

They figure that if you click on their links even though their message is screwed up, you are just the person they want to deal with. They figure that if you are dumb enough to fall for a message that makes no sense, then you are dumb enough to give them your money and personal information.

Don't be dumb. No reputable company is going to post messages or send emails that haven't been run through several spell-checkers and read by at least three or four people.

Oh, and all you scumbags that are posting spammy comments in the hopes that people will click on the link and get caught up in your latest scheme - f*** you and everybody that looks like you. How do you live with yourselves? Does your mother know what you do? Are you happy when you scam some widow out of her life savings?

You are all pieces of shit.

⧫

Here are some links you can visit:

• Key phrase in this story: "What started as a bit of drunken madness has gone worldwide."



• Oh Canada.



• Book Your Corporate Event? I can only imagine the number of bosses that don't make it home from that event.



• Only in Florida.
  (Caution, autoplay)



• I find it amazing that someone had to publish a story telling people to not do this.



• Key phrase in this story: "So I figured I’d try it for a week, and if I didn’t get arrested, it was legal."



• Those Dutch, they got everything...

They couldn't pull off the sweep.

The Red Sox managed to lose last night despite out-hitting the Phillies 5-4.

And that, my friends, is why I always say that the only part of the game that matter is the number of times your team steps on home plate. The Red Sox did not step on the plate at all and the Phillies managed to step on it just one time. But that one time was enough to win the game.

Today they are in Huston to play the number one team in Major League Baseball, the Astros.

This should be interesting.

⧫

Here are today's links:

• Attention criminals: If you are going to steal things, don't steal things that constantly send their location back to their rightful owner.



• Too Much Poop would be a great name for the next book in the Little Golden Book series.



• Up until today I had never heard of Austin Jones. Now, not only have I heard of him, I know that Austin Jones is a sick little jerk.



• If you ever run out of matches but you have a a sandwich bag, you can still make fire.



• It's not paranoia if someone really is out to get you...



• I was gonna say "Only in Florida" but then I remembered that this happens everywhere.



• Well, I guess the book, A Knucklehead's Guide to Surviving Niagara Falls isn't going to get published now.



• You know your state is in tough shape when the lottery says it won't do business there anymore.



• There has got to be a way for me to make money with all those old blue jeans I have in my basement,

Gypsy moths are back in all their glory.

I discovered that the leaves on all of the trees in my neighborhood are beginning to disappear. Further inspection revealed that the freakin' gypsy moth caterpillar is back and they are dinning on our trees.

I know it kinda grosses some people out but do me a favor and smash every one you see.

Thanks,

⧫

I am not available to provide you with my sage advise and wisdom this evening. I am also not available to help Farrell coach the Red Sox to victory.

Can one of you scream at him if he leaves his pitcher in too long?

Thanks.

⧫

I did manage to dig up a few links:

• I still think that stuff is way over-priced.
  (Caution, autoplay)



• This guy has a great sense of humor and too much free time.



• This is why I believe that children should count as a carry-on and be placed in the overhead compartment.

Stop it.

Some people blame the Democrats. Some people blame the Republicans. I blame all of you that are posting a constant stream of vile on Facebook and Twitter.

I don't care what your particular vile is directed at, it's still vile and you should stop doing that.

Stop telling everyone that this one is evil and that one is corrupt.

Stop telling everyone that "these people are stupid" and "those people are idiots".

Stop calling people deplorable, snowflake, racist, nazi or "social justice warrior".

Trust me, the Russians didn't rig the election, the email server was just a crappy computer, Benghazi was an act committed by terrorists and Trump is no more sexist than every other president before him.

The guy that decided to attack the Republican Congressional baseball practice this morning was a nutcase who got himself all riled up by all those postings on Facebook and if you think he's unique, think again. There are hundreds, maybe thousands, more just like him out there who are reading what people are posting, nodding their heads in agreement and planning to "show them what for and give it to them good!"

ABC, NBC and CNN are blaming guns, Fox is blaming all those alleged liberal mouthpieces and since no one really watches CBS, I don't know who or what they are blaming.

As for me, I'm blaming all of them for their constant partisan rhetoric as well as their tendency to skew the truth to fit their particular agenda. I'm also blaming everyone on social media that riles up those nutcases.

Stop it. Those people are full-tilt bozos and they do not need any help going over the edge.

⧫

I did not watch all twelve innings last night. Hell, I didn't even make to the ninth inning. I'm pretty sure I fell asleep around the seventh or eighth inning.

I was very surprised to learn that the Red Sox won. I figured for sure that they were going to lose that game. Not because of the pitching but because those guys just aren't stepping on home plate enough.

Tonight they are in Philadelphia and Ben Johnson will be pitching.

I hope he can hit as well....

⧫

Here are few links you can take a look at if you are so inclined:

• There is rampant milk crime in Britain.



• It's the old, "Hey, I didn't stab him" defense.



• Key ironic phrase in this story: "...rather be in jail than at home."



• If you can catch a baby that has been dropped from the ninth floor of a burning building, you deserve to be called The unKnown Hero of the Year.



• Violent Avocado Attack would be a fantastic name for a Food Network show.



• If you are planning on becoming a car thief, you should learn how to drive a standard.

Thank goodness we spent all that money

When the economy was getting ready to go into the toilet ten years ago, President Bush started the process of getting the economic recovery act going. When he left office, President Obama carried on with it.

One of the things the act did, aside from propping up the Big 3 auto manufacturers and the "too big to fail" banks, was to create a massive pool of money designated for "local municipal projects".

In Massachusetts, our forward-thinking state government decided to spend a huge junk of our funds on the purchase and installation of a bunch of electronic message boards for the various highways. You can't miss them if you drive the Pike or 91.

Yesterday I was rolling west on the Pike and as I approached the Chicopee exit, I saw a sign that read something to the effect of:

Sail Boston - June 17.
Heavy Traffic.
Plan accordingly.

So if you are planning on going to Chicopee, do it soon because once those sailors hit Chicopee, you won't be able to get anywhere....

My point is we spent a lot of our tax dollars on an electronic message board system that is being used to warn us about stuff going on 80 miles away in Boston. Or as Bostonians like to call it, the center of the known universe.

I would be a lot happier with the expenditure for message boards if they warned us about what was happening locally. You know, things that would be helpful like:

Some moron from New York is doing 62 in the left lane and he refuses to move over.
Because of him and all the trucks in the right lane, traffic is backed from Ludlow to Westfield.
Plan accordingly.

That's the kind of message that would be helpful to us out here.

I don't really give a shit that the poor souls in the seaport district are going to have to deal with a lot of traffic next Saturday. Warn me about something that actually impacts me.

⧫

He spent most of the morning outside frolicking with The Small Emergency Backup Dog. When they finally came in, he jumped up on the couch and promptly fell asleep with his tongue hanging out.

⧫

The Red Sox barely managed to beat the worst team in all of the MLB last night and tonight Price is pitching.

I do not have a good feeling about this....

While I watch the game, you can enjoy these links:

• Ladies and gentlemen, I give you "The SnotBot".



• This is the second-worst bathing suit idea ever. The first-worst bathing suit idea is the "Mankini"



• Another reason I don't run.



• Holy Cow Batman!

I better finish my honey-do list

A couple of weeks ago, I told you I was busy with meetings. I also said I wouldn't bore you with the details.

Well things have changed so let me bore you with the details:

Today I accepted a position with Bay Path University IT department.

That's right folks, I'm going back to work.

I'm finally going to have something to do every day that will give me a sense of accomplishment and purpose! Also, I'm finally going to stop drawing on my hard-earned retirement accounts!

As things stand right now, I will start on June 26th and my primary goal will be the security of the University's computer systems and data repositories. I'm sure they will have many other things for me to do as well and I will be happy to do them.

Those meetings I mentioned took place of several days during which I met with the current team of folks that runs the IT department, the VP of Finance, the President of the University and finally the HR department to finalize the process.

I'm looking forward to this. Hell, I've even started shaving every day just to get back into the habit.

I am, however, going to miss walking around barefoot.

⧫

Like I said yesterday, you never know what you are going to get from Pomeranz and last night the Red Sox got the guy who gets lit up like a brand new LED spot light.

The Red Sox are now four games behind the unstoppable Yankees and two games ahead of the third place Rays. The Orioles are now the fourth place team in the ALEast by half a game.

Today the Red Sox start a four game series against the Phillies.

They will play two games in Boston at Fenway where both teams will use a designated hitter.

Then they will go to Philadelphia and play two games at Citizens Bank Park where designated hitters are verboten and the pitchers will need to bat.

And before I forget to mention it, the Phillies are a terrible team. As a matter of fact, they are the worst team in all of Major League Baseball right now. I hope the Red Sox win all four of those games because if they don't, it'll be time to take a long hard look at John Farrell's management skills.

Generally, I'm not a fan of inter-league play but this series should be fun to watch.

⧫

I got some flying in today and I'm sorry I did.

The weather service assured me that the winds would be variable at 3 knots.

They were right abut the variable part but pretty darned wrong about the force part. It was blowing at about 15 knots with some pretty interesting gusts.

There was no altitude where the plane was stable. It bounced all over the place no matter what altitude I was at.

When I returned to Northampton, my landing was far from good and I ended up off the runway in the grass.

After the mechanical staff inspected the plane to make sure it wasn't damaged when it went into the weeds, my cousin jumped in with me and made me do three more landings because, in his words, "You can't call it a day after that. You need to do it again and get it right."

So we did three more and I managed to get it right.

I know I can still do it, just not in gusty winds. Next time I go, it'll be on a much calmer day.

⧫

While I watch the ball game, you can click on these:

• Well this sucks. I hope he beats the shit out of it and makes a full recovery.



• Here's a story about either a really bad shot or the luckiest idiots ever. I'll let you decide.



• I want to make sure I'm clear on this: It's against the law to sell drugs and it's against the law to sell not drugs?



• The bats upgraded to a better room.



• The Waffle House has replaced Chuck E Cheese as the place to observe stupid people doing stupid things.



• The last time the Germans had a shortage of something, we ended up in WWII.

Still holding on.

I watched as much of the game as possible last night but I fell asleep when the score was tied 3-3. When I woke up at 3:30 this morning, I discovered that the final score was 11-3 in favor of the Red Sox.

With that win, they picked up a game on the third place Orioles but since the Yankees won, they are still three games out of first place.

Since Pomeranz is pitching tonight, I don't really have high hopes. He's one of  those guys that you never know how he's going to pitch. Sometimes he shows up and he pitches like an ace but other times he gets lit up like a klieg lamp.

⧫

Today was a bit warm and tonight is going to be a bit muggy.

I say this every year around this time and I'll say again this year: Thank goodness for Mr. Willis Carrier and his wonderful invention.

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I've got some errands to run and then I'll be watching baseball.

While I do that, you can click on these:

• Only in Florida.



• I'm betting these two finds are related.



• Who the hell walks around wearing a robe and sandals...



• I think some guy at the DEA is making these names up just to screw with us.



• Oh Canada,

They are holding on

The Red Sox managed to come from behind and beat the Tigers last night. They are currently 3 games behind the Yankees and 1.5 games ahead of the third place Orioles.

They will play game two of their three game series against the Tigers at 7:00 this evening.

You can bet I'll be watching.

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My daughter in spending a few days in New York City with some friends. They went to see the musical Anastasia last night and then headed back to the apartment.

It is my understanding that her friends apartment is in the hospital district so she got to enjoy many, many sirens all night.

Today was spent wandering around central park.

I wonder if she saw anyone famous.

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Here are some links that you can do something with:

• BIFF! BAM!! POW!!!



• I'm with the President of Iceland on this one.



• It's the old "I didn't do it! They belong to a friend!" defense.



• This is why I have BB guns.



• Key phrase in this story: "Seventeen people had a crappy day at the Happiest Place on Earth."



• Oh Canada.

Many things got done today

Not a lot of time for websurfing because today was my self-appointed "lets get everything done before the heat rolls in" day.

I started my day doing a bunch of small tasks for my mother-in-law.

I put her AC in, fixed a lose piece of siding and then fixed a zipper she had managed to unzip without using the little zipper shuttle thing.

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After that, I ran over to Home Depot and picked up a bottle of Cutter Backyard Bug killer and then headed home to spray my backyard.

I use the stuff to keep the tick population to a minimum and it's working pretty well.The backyard is where the dogs hang out and while we give them medication to kill any fleas or ticks that try to dine on them, the little critters still manage to hitch a ride on them and come into the house every once in a great while.

I hate ticks so I try to kill them before they become a problem.

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Once the backyard was sufficiently de-bugged, I wrote some of this and looked for some links before I had to take my daughter to the train station so she could go party with her friends in New York.

I believe there is a musical involved in this trip but I also think there is going to be some adult beverages.

What the hell, when I was her age, I was partying like a rock star.

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Finally, my wife and I took her mom, the aforementioned mother-in-law, out to dinner for her birthday.

I'd like to say it was a nice relaxing evening but since it involved my mother-in-law, it's never actually "relaxing". Let's just say it was nice and leave it at that.

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Now, I'm home and I'm waiting for the Red Sox to start a three game series against the Tigers.

I really hope this series goes better than the one they just put behind them.

While I watch the game, you can surf on these meager links:

• Well, the Rack, the Iron Maiden, the Breaking Wheel and all those whips & chains are fine but we're gonna have to shut you down because you got stuff stacked in front of your fire exit.



• Key phrase in this story: "...found himself in a spot of bother..."



• This is why I fly out of Northampton.



• Oh Canada.

Did I miss something?

I watched a bit of the James Comey testimony and then I read the analysis of the James Comey testimony. To be honest with you, I don't see anything in his testimony that reflects poorly on the President or his staff.

I'm not saying Flynn isn't an idiot and he deserves to be investigated for his ties to Russia but there is nothing in James Comeys testimony that leads me to believe the President was under investigation for any involvement with the Russians.

According to ABC, "Trump Lied".
According to NBC, "Trump Lied".
According to CNN, "Trump claims Comey is a leaker".

According to me, this is nothing more than a bunch of arrogant, self-centered politicians in a pissing contest over who has the biggest dick and every member of the media is lining up to perform coitus on the one who wins.

And Diane Feinstein may not have a big dick but she certainly is one. What the hell does "You're big. You're strong...." have to do with anything?

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The Red Sox lost last night and are once again two games behind the Yankees and only half a game ahead of the Orioles.

They need to win tonight.

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Here are some links you might enjoy:

• Key phrase in this story: "A spokesman for the U.S. Marine Corps. told the newspaper that its policy is not to get involved in such disputes."



• Preston Bierhals is an idiot.



• Only in Florida.



• Also only in Florida.



• Yes, alcohol was involved.



• Key line in this story: "...maggots are starting to feed on it."

One game out of first place.

Red Sox won last night but I spent a lot of time yelling at Farrell about Pomeranz and his 123 pitches.

John Farrell has a habit of letting "his guy go the distance" and it came in to play last night. Pmeranz was at 120 pitches in the fifth inning and Farrell wanted to leave him in to finish the fifth. I know he did it for two reasons. One, to give Pomeranz a shot at being the game winner and Two, to save his bullpen.

Fortunately Pomeranz was able to get out of what was becoming a nasty situation. The Yankees had two men on base with two outs and Pomeranz was falling apart. The fortunate part came into play when the batter decided to swing at the crappiest pitch ever thrown and strike out.

He got lucky.

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Today was Lunch with the Bills. We met at 99's in West Springfield and caught up with everything that's been going on.

One of the Bills is already retired and the other will be retiring in October/November. Other than the fact we are all getting old and feeling our age, all is well with everyone.

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I'm kind of hoping that the Red Sox win again tonight. That would put them in a tie for first place with the Yankees. You can bet I'll be yelling at Farrell if he doesn't handle his pitching staff the way I think it should be handled.

While I do that, you can visit these links:

• You gotta love dogs.



• The winner of the Mom Of The Year award is....



• I can't help but wonder what kind of damage he did to his balls.



• Here's your Naked Guy In The News story.

The other sled is done

And now that I have a sane methodology for making nice cuts on a table saw, I can start doing some woodwork again. I'd like to make a nice rack for the baseball bat my youngest made for me, I'd also like to do a little cabinetry and build a nice cabinet with drawers to hold my junk.

I've got a lot of junk....

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Baseball will be played in the Bronx this evening and I'm hoping the Red Sox can make up some ground on the first place Yankees.

It will be hard because the Yankees have a young phenom named Aaron Judge who can hit a baseball a country mile.

Still, baseball is played by a team, not one guy, so hopefully the Red Sox team that shows up tonight is the one that can hit the ball and score runs.

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While I yell at John Farrell via my special coaching television, you can click on these links:

• Best Babysitter Ever!



• Son, drunk and dressing like the Tin Man is no way to go through life.



• Listen up people: If you are going to do something that will upset members of our overly-sensitive society, don't post it on facebook.



• Someone has messed with the Rhode Island Big Blue Bug.



• Key line in this story: "propping himself up in his hospital bed with a 'learn to run' manual his friends had given him ."

One sled done.

I managed to create my 45° miter sled and get a start on the 90° ripping sled. The finished one makes almost perfect 45° cuts and for the first time in my life, I can create a corner that doesn't look like it was made with a dull axe.

I've got two parts glued up and drying overnight tonight and once they are set, I'll finish the 90° sled. That's when I'll be able to cut a board with a nice clean end.

I wish I had done this several years ago because we've got some picture frames around here that look like they were put together by a bunch of kindergartners.

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The Red Sox are off today so maybe I'll watch whatever game the MLB network is carrying. It's either going to be Cardinals/Reds or Giants/Brewers.

I kind of hope it's the Giants/Brewers because sometimes they use the local guys to call the game and Bob Uecker is the color guy for the Brewers.

Bob Uecker is a funny guy.

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You can visit these if you want:

• Here's your Naked Guy In The News story.



• My only question is, "Who thought it would a good idea to call a dentist?"



• Oh Canada.



• I found the people of Iowa to be rather polite. Guess I was mistaken.



• Key phrase in this story: "...a round of anatomically challenging self-fulfillment."



• Here's a mugshot of a Floridian who has made poor life decisions.



• In case you were wondering what it costs to provide all of the state-mandated services that a liberal government says inmates are entitled to, wonder no more.

Back in second and closer to first

The Red Sox won and the Yankees lost. This means the Red Sox are now a game and a half ahead of the Orioles and only two games behind the Yankees.

This is a good thing because tomorrow is a travel day and on Tuesday the Red Sox will be in New York to start a three game series against the Yankees.

If they can win two of the three games, they'll come out of that series only one game behind the Yankees. If they can win all three games, they'll come out of it in first place with a one game lead

If they lose two or three, it'll be bad and the Boston media will begin calling for Farrell's head on a platter.

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The links you seek are here:

• Man, they got some tough squirrel laws in Colorado.



• But they'll let bears do pretty much anything they want.



• I'm pretty sure they were trying to say that they are an ally but they left out a space.



• Oh Canada.



• Only in Florida.

Back in third place.

The Red Sox can't seem to beat the Orioles. The Red Sox batters suck at hitting the Orioles pitchers and the Red Sox pitchers give up home runs to the Orioles batters.

That's just not a good way to win games.

I'm really hoping they get their shit together and start playing a lot better than they are.

In other news: In three months, the Patriots will take on the Chiefs (or whatever their name happens to be by then) out in Foxboro.

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There is another terror attack going on in England right now.

I have no idea how to stop these people. Hell, I'm not even sure who "these people" are but I do know they aren't accomplishing what they want and they need to stop.

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I'm going to fall asleep watching the ball game.

You can click on these:

• Only in Florida.



• Elon Musk is now the owner of a functional space agency.



• I would never, under any circumstances, use a web service to store my passwords. I store my passwords the old fashioned way - on a post-it note attached to my monitor.



• If you haven't downloaded and run MalwareBytes, you should. Shit like this is the reason why.

So much for overtaking the Yankees.

I was really hoping the Red Sox would move up a game on the Yankees but my hopes were dashed when the Yankees won and the Red Sox lost. Instead of being at one game behind, they are now three games behind.

They absolutely need to win tonight.

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I'm starting to get the itch to fly but it seems like whenever the weather is nice, I've got too much to do and when I've got nothing to do, the weather sucks.

It sucks to be me.

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No meetings today but several phone calls and emails. You would think I was back at work with all this meeting/communicating I'm doing.

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I did a closer inspection of the nest today. Mom hung out one bush over and stared at me whle I took a good look at the babies.

It looks like there are four babies in the nest and they are some seriously ugly cusses.

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The grocery shopping is done, the pizza's are made and the Red Sox are getting ready to play.

While I eat and watch the game, you can click on these:

• Proof that no one lives forever.



• He's in the top ten on the list of people that make bad life choices.



• Meanwhile, in the United States we have subways running 30 year old car on 100 year old tracks.



• Here's your Naked Guy In The News story.



• Dads will do anything for their kids. Even incredibly stupid things.

We have babies.

The other day I posted a picture of a nest with four eggs that is located in a bush next to our house. The nest is clearly visible from one of our living room windows.

Yesterday I checked and found that there are now babies in the nest.

I'm not entirely sure how many there are. It looks like three but there could be a fourth one buried in the pile.

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The Red Sox managed to win again last night. The Orioles also won but that is a good thing because the Orioles beat the Yankees. This means that the Red Sox maintained their lead over the third place Orioles and moved one game closer to the first place Yankees. They are now only two games behind the Yankees.

Tonight the start a four game series against the Orioles while the Yankees head to Canada to start their own four game series against the Blue Jays. I'm hoping the Red Sox win all four games and the Yankees lose all four games.

That would be sweet,

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I'm off to get some panini's and then settle in to watch the Red Sox.

While I do that, you can visit these links:

• If this happened in this country, both cops would have been suspended for failure to arrest him and then they'd probably be fired because they took a picture and put it on social media.



• Only in Florida.



• Also only in Florida.



• Key line in this story: "I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris."



• Holy crap!