We finally got some rain

My lawn is slowly becoming a lawn again. I probably should get some seed, scratch the ground a bit and see if maybe I can get it to turn into grass.

Or maybe I'll just leave it the way it is and see what it looks like in the spring.

⧫
I managed to watch about 3 or 4 minutes of the debate before I had to change the channel.

I can't emphasis enough how frustrating it is for me to have a choice of Trump or Biden.

The democrats should blow their party up and start over because if after four years of Trump the best the democrats can offer is Biden, they have seriously screwed themselves up.

And the republicans should blow their party up as well. If the democrats ever get their collective shit together and start running candidates that the people like, the republicans will become nothing more than a footnote in the history books, right next to the whig party. Trump has done a lot of damage to the party of Lincoln and the only reason they are getting elected is because the democrats are worse.

I'm just gonna write-in my name this year.

⧫
I watched some of the Yankees / Indians game last night and I'll probably watch some of it again tonight.

I'm not watching it because of the Yankees, I'm watching it because of the Indians. They are not going to win the series but I'll root for them anyways.

⧫
Enjoy these links:

• Only in Florida.



• I'm pretty sure this makes him a shitty dad.



• It's the old, "Someone dropped my DNA from a plane!" defense.



• Key phrase in this story: "a miniature pony was found with lipstick on its face."



• Also only in Florida.



• Can you blame us?

Documentation, documentation, documentation

I hate writing documents. Particularly documents that do not have a story line, a plot, relatable characters or a beginning, a middle and an end.

I don't mind writing. Hell, I've been writing this thing for almost 13 years now (yes, I know the timeline starts in 2012 but before that, I had my own website on Pats' webserver for at least 5 years prior to this) so there is proof that I don't mind writing. What I don't like is writing something that is both instructional and dictatorial.

My day today was spent writing a document on procedures to be followed in the event of a security incident.

Trust me when I say it's boring as hell.

⧫
Here is the latest drought monitor courtesy of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln:

In case you are curious, me and my lawn are located in the severe drought region.

They say it might rain tonight so hey, we got that going for us.

⧫
Back on July 23rd, I posted a screen shot of some predictions made by a bunch of "experts" at CBS Sports.

I said I would link back to those predictions on OCtober 1st and today is Spetember 29th. Close enough.

Turns out they weren't too far off. Here are the standings after the final games on September 27:

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The Yankees and the Indians are playing at 7:00 tonight so I'll watch some of that. I may also watch some of the debate tonight just to hear what insults they toss at each other.

While I plow through that, you can plow through these:

• They were probably the most popular exhibit in the park.



• As far as I'm concerned, city-dwellers are morons.



• I'll have to remember this if I ever have a heart attack.



• I'm pretty sure current ones are using them as well.



• Only in Florida.

Non-political politics

I’ve never understood the fascination we have with how much people pay in taxes. If you invest $1,000 and it returns $1,500, you are only paying taxes on the $500, not the entire $1,500. And if you were to take the $1,000, put it in your pocket and reinvest the $500 you earned, you don’t pay any taxes.

You see, you don’t pay any taxes on money you’ve already paid taxes on (the original $1,000) and as long as you continue to reinvest the capital gains, you don’t pay any taxes at all. This holds true whether you are talking about $1,000 or $1,000,000,000.

Look, I think Trump is back-stabbing, arrogant, self-serving New York slumlord with all the class & style of a $5.00 hooker and the diplomacy of a little 6 year old boy. Personally, I think everyone that voted for him should really rethink their belief system but his business losses and gains are really none of my business. This weasel-like focus that the democrats have on his tax returns borders on insanity.

And that, my friends, is all I'm going to say about politics today.

⧫
My little office setup that I put together last week is working out pretty darned nice.

I had both windows open today and the breeze made it pleasant & comfortable up there. The Small Dog slept on the floor at my feet and when they weren't trying to type on my keyboard, The Cat's slept on the bed. The one thing I miss about being at the kitchen table is the television. I always turned the news on at noon and now I don't have that. Maybe I'll get one of those small cheap TVs and put that up there.

Or maybe I'll just come down to the tv room at noon and watch the news while I eat lunch. Seems like that might be more reasonable than buying a tv that I'm only going to use for a few minutes a week.

⧫
One of my daughter's friends sent her a little gift today:

They are bat wings for the cats.

For the record, the cat is not overjoyed with them:

My daughter's friend has a good sense of humor.

⧫
There is no baseball tonight and Monday Night Football doesn't start until 8:15 or so.

I'm going to watch a few DVRs and then some football. You can do whatever you want, including clicking on these links:

• Face and eyeball tattoos are always an indication of bad life decisions.



• I have a feeling this is going to result in a 'rona outbreak.



• Well, this sounds fun. Dangerous, but fun.



• Seems like the big problem with this year is China.



• The video is actually kind of funny.



• Not only in Florida.

I like Cam Newton

Despite his hair style, I've decided I like the guy. He is consistent and steady in the pocket, he doesn't get rattled when he's under pressure and he can run if he has to. His passing game is about as good as anyone's, including Brady.

It was a good game to watch today with the Patriots beating the Raiders 20-36.

⧫
As for the Red Sox, once the Patriots game ended, I switched over to the baseball game and caught the last 5 innings.

They played their final game of the season today. As I post this, they are in the 6th inning and leading the Braves 3-1. Pivetta pitched a good of a game, going 5 innings and giving up only one run but the bullpen appears to be struggling a bit. Right now the Bravers have the bases loaded and there is only 1 out.

On a side note, the Red Sox released Ron Roenicke today. He took the job as a one-season manager after their previous manager, Alex Cora, was fired and suspended from baseball for the season. As far as I'm concerned, Roenicke did a decent job with a team that had been gutted, both intentionally and by shitty circumstances. I'm not sure if he'll look for another job in baseball or just call it a career and go live a good life.

All the big brains on the internet are predicting that the Red Sox will re-hire Cora but that is a wild guess. What the hell, if you're gonna make wild guesses then I'm going to guess they'll offer the job to Jason Veritek...

⧫
I'm going to go eat some dinner and watch some DVRs. Turns out there was a Last Man STanding marathon the other day and my DVR recorded around 15 or 20 shows. I've got at least two or three weeks of Tim Allen queued up and ready to go.

While I enjoy that, you can enjoy these:

• Listen up people: If you are planning on committing suicide, please do it without involving innocent bystanders. Those two people have to live with this for the rest of their lives.



• Oh Canada.



• I'm not seeing a problem here.



• Must be time for another war in the middle-east.

Ol' Timey Stuff.

My cousin sent me this picture that was taken a long time ago.

That is me trying to get away from my dad's mother.

Based on the clothing and my wild-ass guess that I look like I'm about 5 or 6 months old, I'm guessing this was taken in the fall of 1958. We are in my aunt and uncle's front sitting room in Haydenville.

⧫
There are two more games left in the season for the Red Sox. They lost last night but it took the Braves 12 innings to beat them.

They are playing at 7:00 tonight and yes, I will watch them. Just like I will watch them tomorrow at 3:00 for their final game. Then I will watch some of the playoffs because, well, what the hell else is there to watch.

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You are more than welcome to click on these links if you want:

• Turns out that space toilets are really freaking expensive.



• Key phrse in this story: "Officers tried to reason with Myers and obtain his cooperation to no avail."



• Key phrase in this story: "...he did acknowledge that the environment he was creating would likely attract people looking for violence."

Let's chat about yesterday

I went on to campus yesterday to get my laptop synched back up with the network. I also went on campus to check in with some of my coworkers that I haven't seen in a while.

One of the folks that I haven't seen in a while is our department admin assistant, Gail. We chatted for a bit, catching up on what's new in our lives and then she said something about my boss moving into my office. I thought that was a great idea and I said, "Well, I talked to him about the lack of use my office was getting and how I could probably just continue working from home." She expressed a little jealousy but said, "Can I have your key so I don't have to beg for a second one?"

So basically, I took the gear and the few personal items out of the office, gave her my key, went home and set up my office in one of our spare rooms. I'll go on campus once a week just to stay in touch and that will only be for an hour or two.

Despite my initial discomfort of working from home, I've decided it's perfect for me. I'm getting just as much done remotely plus the lack of drive-time is freeing up an hour of my day. Going on to the campus periodically keeps my in touch with my coworkers and gets me out of the house.

This is going to work out pretty damned well.

⧫
The Red Sox are done playing at Fenway for the season. Their final three games are in Atlanta against the Braves.

It has been an incredibly crappy season but still fun to watch. I'm really hoping they make some decent moves over the winter and come back next year with a winning team

⧫
Well, it's 5:00 pm and we just lost power. It's looking like we won't get it back until 7:00 or so. That means I'm connected to the interwebs over my cell phone and this is going to be a very short post.

⧫
I'll add some links once I get actual National Grid electricity and the internet back.

⧫
Update at 7:30.

I decided to fire up the generator. It's running now but I'm kind of hoping the power comes back on soon.

Fortunately my cable/internet is up so I can webernize and watch the Red Sox game.

While I watch baseball, you can check these out:

• Why is it that when some fool buys a Jeep, he decides to take it off-road.



• The price of weed is about to go up.



• Yes, alcohol was involved.



• Wait. Are they saying I can "lend my wife" to somebody for money? Isn't that called "prostitution"?



• The cats and dog would have a field day with this.

Sorry about that.

No, I didn't have a long day. I had a short day. I simply forgot to type this up and post it.

It was actually a short day. I went into my office and picked up my monitors and docking station, along with a few things I didn't want to leave behind, gave my key to our admin and I officially became a remote worker. My boss is going to move into that office now and I have set up a nice little office in one of our spare bedrooms.

After that, I ran over and got a flu shot.

I might get the 'rona but I ain't gonna get no flu. (I hope...)

⧫
It's late, I'm tired and the Red Sox are losing.

Here are a few links:

• When I coached soccer, I yelled that all the time.



• Finally, a piece of art I understand.



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

It was a very pleasant day

I put in my work day and then headed over to a friends house to hang out with her and her husband in their backyard. We had a nice conversation, catching up on all that has happened since covid came along and sent us all scurrying into our houses like frightened mice.

After that I ran over to the local legal drug dealer to get a flu shot but the line was at least 10 deep. That pretty much made up my mind to not get the flu shot today. I'll run over again tomorrow in the morning to hopefully beat the crowd.

I hate crowds and waiting in line.

⧫
The Red Sox beat the Orioles 8-3 last night. They brought the new guy, Privetta, up from Pawtucket and he pitched a hell of a game. He's one of the guys they got from the Phillies for Workman & Hembree and, on the surface, that seemed like a bad trade. Basically, the Red Sox traded away two established bull pen guys for a starter who had a terrible year last year and a minor leaguer who has never pitched in the majors.

Turns out Bloom just might know what he is doing because this guy Privetta is a lights out, a four-pitch pitcher. And one of those four pitches is a nasty sinker that no one can touch. If the other guy, Seabold, turns out to be a decent pitcher, that was a hell of a trade and Bloom is a genius.

It also turns out the sports fans of Philadelphia are pretty upset with their GM over it.

They play the Orioles again tonight and Evoldi is on the mound. I'd really like to see them win again tonight. They still won't make the post season but it's always nice to see them win. It's also nice to see the Philly fans upset.

I don't like the Phillies. Never have, never will.

⧫
I'm going to go make some dinner and settle in to watch the baseball game.

I hope your evening turns out to be as exciting as mine...

• I am never going to Taiwan. Ever.



• Only in Florida.



• Australia: What doesn't kill ya, ruins your camping trip.



• This is a brilliant idea.



• Another reason for me to shoot chipmonks.



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

And the heat is on

I came downstairs this morning to find the the heat was on and for that, I am grateful. The temp outside was 31° which is colder than yesterday morning.

Fall arrived at 9:30 this morning, along with the autumnal equinox.

The autumnal equinox was the day that the Druids sacrificed their virgins, which , when you think about it, seems like a stupid thing to do. Particularly if you are a Druid.

To be honest with you, Druid's don't strike me as a people who had a lot going for them to begin with and cutting down on the number of available women doesn't seem very bright to me. I would think they would want to maximize the number of women so they could survive as a people.

Maybe that's why you don't see a lot of druids wandering around anymore.

So anyways, Happy Autumnal Equinox everybody. Go get yourself a big ol' mug of mead to celebrate.

⧫
The Orioles are in town to play the Red Sox tonight so that means I have something to watch while I contemplate the devestating blow wrought on our world by the loss of the Druids.

While I sit around doing that, you can sit around clicking on these:

• Spider Poo would be a great name for the next Spiderman villian.



• Key entry from our favorite police log: "10:40 a.m. A man whose gun was confiscated by police wanted it back so he could sell it to his girlfriend."



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



• Which has more brawls: Chuckie Cheese or The Waffle House?



• Key phrase in this story: "He probably thought that was really rude. We kind of had a stare-down."

It might be time to turn the heat on

At 5:30 this morning, I came downstairs and noticed that my outside thermometer read 32°, a temperature that is also known as "cold".

It just might be time for me to change the setting the furnace from "summer" to something a bit more appropriate for freezing temps.

⧫
Time for an update on my grandson:

He's doing great, thanks for asking.

This has been your update on my grandson.

⧫
Some nutcase drove from the US into Canada, got some ricin and mailed it to Trump. She also mailed some to unnamed law enforcement agencies. Then she tried to return to the US where she was promptly arrested crossing the border because she was transporting a firearm.

This shouldn't shock anyone. During his presidency, Obama received at least two letters laced with ricin. Nutjobs like to use it to terrorize or kill people that they think aren't paying attention to them because, well, apparently ricin is easier to get than a gun.

But in my opinion, the key part of the story is kind of being brushed aside like it's no big deal. The fact she mailed that shit to some "unnamed" law enforcement agencies means that it's quite possible some poor administrative assistant will open a letter that will kill them.

Our society seems to be overrun with nutjobs and for the most part, we don't seem to be doing anything about them. We let them wander around, muttering under their breath things like, "I'll show them. I'm gonna show 'em all, you just wait and see."

⧫
The Patriots lost last night but it was a hell of a game.

There are no sporting things tonight so I guess I'll be watching DVRs.

No matter what I watch, I'll probably fall asleep early so while I do that, you can do these:

• I will never understand fashion.



• One of the downsides to all the wildfires in California is that a lot of Californians may move to your state and screw it up like they did to California.



• There are now 12 additional bald people in India.



• I wonder what the fish think about suddenly plumetting through the air.



• Canadian Lobster Feud would be a great name for a seafood restaurant.



• Australia: What doesn't kill ya, entertains ya.

Are we done talking about Kobe Bryant yet?

The reason I ask is because Ruth Bader Ginsburg died and the news is going to talk about her for the next year. I just want to know if we're going to have to listen to stories/tributes/references to both of them or will they only be expounding about her every night for the next 300 nights...

What is it about some people dying but not others?

When Michael Jackson killed himself, the media talked about him for a full year but when Robin Williams killed himself, they only talked about him for a month or so.

Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash back in January and they are still talking about him yet when Roy Halladay died in a plane crash, they only mentioned him for a day or two.

⧫
Things I'm adding to my list of great ideas I've had that turned out to be really bad:

The Corned Beef Quesadilla

I took two soft tortillas, four slices of corned beef, four slices of swiss cheese and a little 1000 Island Dressing. After grilling, the tortilla shell was nice and crispy with a light brown color. the swiss cheese was melted to the point it was almost a liquid and the corned beef was steaming hot.

Then the fat from the corned beef, the oil from the swiss cheese and the liquid from the 1000 Island Dressing combined to pretty much turn that crispy tortilla shell into something with the consistency of wet toilet paper. When I picked it up to take a bite, I ended up with swiss cheese & 1000 Island dripping into my sleeve and the corned beef sliding onto the plate in slow motion, like something out of a 1950's sci-fi movie.

It sounded great and it tasted great but trust me, it was a bad idea.

⧫
Speaking of things that I'm getting sick and tired of listening to, we only have 44 more days until election day. That means we only have to listen to those annoying political ads for 44 more days.

I will be glad when they stop running those commercial's but the most annoying thing about the political season is always the phone calls.

With that in mind, I'm going to say something important right now so pay attention:

Sign up for NoMoRobo.

I have not received a single bulshit phone call, including those idiotic political phone calls asking me to vote for so-and-so, since I signed up

You should sign up for NoMoRobo.

⧫
Well, the Red Sox managed to finally beat the Yankees this afternoon. And despite the fact it has no bearing on anything in this insane baseball season, it was nice to see.

As for other sports, the Patriots are in Seattle to play the Seahawks at 8:20 tonight and I'm hoping to watch at least half the game before falling asleep on my couch.

While I do that, you can do these:

• My youngest sister lives in Raleigh.



• I prefer to use a holster...



• This is why dashcam's and the internet were invented.



• Key phrase in this story: "...she wanted to test the capabilities of the car."

Time to put the AC's away

Since the overnight temps are predicted to be in the 30s and 40s for the forseeable future, I took out my air conditioners. You all realize the problem here is that now that my AC's are out of the windows, cleaned up and put away, we will suddenly experience a heat wave.

It's just the way my luck goes...

⧫
The Yankees beat the Red Sox last night but it took them 12 innings to do it.

Since I went to bed during the 8th inning, I can't really say what happened other than the Red Sox were up 4-3 when I fell asleep. The Yankees tied it in the 9th and won it in the 12th.

I'm hoping tonight goes more in their favor but with that kid Mazza pitching, who knows. He's a crap shoot on the mound.

⧫
While I eat dinner and watch baseball, you can click in these:

• I'm betting this is happening in other places besides Florida.



• The implication here is that she only poops on her birthday.



• Key phrase in this story: "...the fact that corn kernels appear unchanged by their journey through our bodies is one of humanity’s open secrets."



• Australia: What doesn't kill ya, wakes you up at an early hour.



• Does this mean it's made of vodka and bosrcht?



• Only in Pennsylvania.

Not much to say today.

I spent the majority of the day trying to figure out what the hell the stock market is doing.

If I ever figure it out, I'll let you know and we'll all get rich.

⧫
This is how I spend my evening:

With a cat sleeping on my shoulder/upper arm.

⧫
Red Sox are on at 7:30 this evening. They are hosting the Yankees at Fenway and I'm really hoping they do a lot better this time than the last 6 games they played them. The Yankees have won all of the games they played against the Red Sox and this is their last meeting.

The Red Sox need to win just to save face...

⧫
Here are some links:

• Only in Florida.



• I consider myself lucky if I can get off the couch without groaning.



• Australia: What doesn't kill ya, tries to kill ya...



• Key phrase in this story: "What the hell is this?"



• Researchers: Contributing to the benefit of our society or a complete waste of perfectly good oxygen?



• You gotta love dogs.

We are famous

My brother has been digging around in Ancestry and found that our family history contains a brush with fame.

During the movie Saving Private Ryan, a letter is read that was written by President Abraham Lincoln to a Mrs. Lydia Bixby. If you don't know the scene, here it is.

In the letter, Lincoln states that he has learned that she lost five of her sons to the war and that she has the nation's gratitude for her sacrifice.

For the record, the letter is real but her story is bullshit. Turns out she lied about a lot of things, including her sons. One of her sons was a deserter, another died of tuberculosis and a third may have changed sides and joined the Confederacy. Also, there are some accusations of someone maybe running a house of ill-repute, committing fraud and having generally loose morals.

But that is not what I can here to tell you.

My brother has found that Lydia Bixby is our 4th Great Grandmother on our father's side.

I guess we're famous.

⧫
The Red Sox took the series from the Marlins this afternoon by winning game three of their three game series.

Evoldi pitched a good game and Devers & Plawecki swung a good bat.

Next up is a three game series at home against the Yankees. It would be nice to see them beat the Yankees...

⧫
Here are today's links:

• Key phrase in this story: "...removing a patient’s teeth without their permission..."



• Some people should not be allowed to be parents.



• Australia: What doesn't kill ya, helps you pump your gas.



• Oh Canada.



• This is funny.



• Wasn't this a scene from The Blues Brothers?

It might be time

I gotta be honest with you, it might be time for this to happen. She is the cause of a lot of conflict and disagreements simply because she hates Trump.

I've made it clear that I'm not a fan of Trump but she is in a position that requires a certain amount of diplomacy and her decisions to fight at every turn has caused our government to stop functioning on our behalf. Her arrogance started with her ObamaCare lock-down back in 2010. She's the one who said, "We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it."

She needs to retire more than Richie Neal needs to retire.

⧫
The Red Sox won last night and we got to watch a shiny new pitcher do his thing. Tanner Houck put on a hell of a show and led the Red Sox to a 2-0 win over the Marlins.

I said yesterday that perhaps Weber or Kickham might be the fifth starter but based on what I saw last night, Houck should be the fifth starter. Maybe not even the fifth because after how he performed, I'm thinking he mnight be the fourth starter with Perez taking the fifth slot.

The kid was really good.

⧫
Not much else to say tonight so how about we just look at some links:

• Key phrase in this story: "A rat named Chuck."



• Oops.



• Only in Florida.



• Key phrase in this story: "Meanwhile, a man stabbed to death in Glasgow was previously jailed for trying to ram rival gangsters off the road while aiming guns at them."

Good Eats is back

Over the last few years, Alton Brown has continued his cooking presence on Youtube, which is great and all, but to me he will always be the host of Good Eats on The Food Network. It was one of my favorite shows.

Several months ago, Brown started running promos about redoing his show and he was calling it Good Eats: Reloaded. This was great and all but it was basically young Brown being chastised and made fun of by old Brown. In other words, my kind of show.

Well, in the last month or two, Brown as begun to release new episodes of Good Eats: The Return and that, my friends, is a good thing.

To be honest with you, The Food Network has morphed into "The-All-Guy-Fieri-All-The-Time Network" and as much as I think Fieri is kind of entertaining, variety is the spice of life. I can only watch so many reruns of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives...

I am, once again, entertained.

⧫
The Red Sox or in Miami to play the Marlins.

The season is winding down with only 12 games remaining. I'll be glad when this season comes to an end and the pain that is the 2020 Red Sox ends.

I'm hoping Chaim Bloom is the wunderkind that everyone makes him out to be and during the offseason, he makes some moves. I also hope that Sale, Rodriguez and Evolding come back in 2021 better & stronger because along with Perez, the Red Sox will have a formidable starting rotation with those four. Not sure about the fifth starter yet. Maybe Weber or Kickham

Only time will tell.

⧫
Well, time to feed the creatures. After that, we'll figure out what to feed ourselves. Then it will be time for baseball.

You can click on these if you want:

• No thanks.



• Maybe I should pick up a few extra boxes of ammo.



• Beer - Is there anything it can't do?



• Safety tip of the day: Do not get any elective surgery in Tijuana.



• Sounds like a typical Saturday night.

Brady should have retired

I hate to say it but the guy is too damned old and too damned slow.

Belichick, however, should keep coaching until he can no longer walk. The guy is good. Really good. And from what I can tell, he's grooming Josh McDaniels and his son to take the reigns in the future.

⧫
There is no baseball tonight but there is football. The Steelers are in New Jersey to take on the Giants so I'll watch some of that game.

Mom was from Pittsburgh and Dad was a Giants fan so I'll carry on that tradition with pleasure.

⧫
Today was a long day. I made two trips to Glastonbury, CT and in between, I went to campus and got my bi-weekly covid test.

That means I didn't have a lot of time to look for links or read the news, which is okay because sometimes it's a good thing to ignore the news.

⧫
What I did find for you is here:

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



• I think someone is about to find out that her entitled American attitude is going to get her tossed in jail.



• Key entry from our favorite police log: "4:52 p.m. An allegedly interested buyer wanted to sleep outside a for-sale property in his van to “get the vibe” of the place."



• That must be one hell of a drug.



• Last time I saw a bear, it was in Greenfield.

Today was a sports kind of day

At 1:00 this afternoon, the Dolphins came to Foxboro to play the Patriots and the Red Sox were in Tampa to play the Rays.

Thanks goodness for Picture-In-Picture technology.

⧫
Today was the home opener for the Patriots with their shiny new superstar quarterback, Cameron Newton.

Now I realize this is going to piss a few of you off but every time I see a picture of Newton, all I see is that recurring Simpson's character, Sideshow Bob Terwilliger:

That guy needs to go see a barber or a stylist or something.

Anyways...

Given that the team had six or seven key players opt-out of the season and lost their franchise quarterback to free agency, I would say they did pretty damned well. They beat the Dolphins 21-11.

I thought Newton did a pretty good job and I was pretty jazzed to see a Patriots quarterback run the ball while actually running instead of plodding along. Nothing against Brady but there is a reason his nickname is The Clydesdale...

And speaking of young Mr. Brady, the Buccaneers are playing the Saints right now and from what I can tell he's throwing crisp passes and not under-throwing his receivers like he was last season. I haven't seen him throw to Gronkowski yet but I have seen him throw an interception, get sacked once and get penalized for intentional grounding.

It's half time, the Saints are up 17-7 and I'll probably watch the rest of the game after the news is over.

Or maybe not. It depends on what else is on.

⧫
As for the Red Sox, they needed to win todays game to split the four-game series with the Rays and win it they did. They beat the Rays 6-3 on some excellent pitching by Perez and some decent hitting when it mattered.

As I've said before, they don't stand a chance of making the playoffs but it's still nice to see them win.

All-in-all, a good day for sports.

⧫
Time for an update on the cats.

Yes, they get along well with The Small Dog:

And yes, she loves them back. We are all one big happy pack.


⧫
I managed to consume and maintain a cheeseburger last night so tonight I'm trying for a nice piece of baked cod lightly crusted with seasoned bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.

I'll let you know how it goes...

Enjoy these links:

• Key phrase in this story: "Like, on purpose, as loud as we could, as a contest."



• Not really. I mean, she's polite and all and she takes orders without any complaint but she's far from "sexy".



• Simple: Bend over!
  Hah! I crack me up...



• I bet this kind of thing happens in Montana all the time.

Long day yesterday

On Thursday evening, I started experiencing some pretty intense pain in my gut and back. It was reminiscent of when I had my gall bladder and a few inches of intestine removed because of gangrene. I dealt with the pain, the puking and no sleep all night and at 10:00 on Friday morning I decided to go to a doc-in-a-box to see if they could offer up some medical assistance or drugs.

After several minutes of going, "Hmmm" and "Uh huh" and "Oh my", they said, "We have no idea. You really need to go to the ER. Want us to call an ambulance?" No, I don't want you to call an ambulance. I'm not paying those thieves at AMR $3,000 to drive me 10 miles down the road.

I drove myself to Baystate and after checking in at the ER, they tossed me into a wheelchair, poked me a few times, took my temperature and then wheeled me to the palatial and luxurious Pod 14 where I spent the next 8 hours:

Believe me, it was the height of opulence. The quality of the construction was superior to all other accommodations and the privacy afforded was top of the line, bar none.

And what more can I say about the amenities. This picture says it all.

All kidding aside, during the height of the covid crisis, Baystate had to come up with a way to keep people separated so rather than spread them throughout the hospital, they basically took the area that was at one time a covered drive used for valet parking at the ER and enclosed it. They put up simple yet effective 10x10 "pods" for each patient and, thanks to modern technology, they are able to conduct most tests and diagnostics right there.

The only time they had to take me to another location was when they decided to do a CT scan. Trust me, those machines are not portable.

Anyways, at 8:30 or so, they sent me home with a diagnosis of acute gastritis / inflammation of the gut. Everything inside me is intact and stable, just the usual bumps and bangs from living a reasonably exciting 62 years of life. For instance, the lesion they found on my spleen is probably related to some dirt bike incident from my youth. Or maybe that time I fell out of a tree. Who knows.

I did get to enjoy something I've never enjoyed before: morphine!

After being in pain for 12 hours, I declared morphine a nectar from the gods and my nurse, Kara, laughed.

My advice to anyone thinking about going to the hospital - be nice to the nurses. They are the ones that will take care of you and pissing them off is always a bad idea. Besides, they are genuinely nice people.

As of now, I am currently avoiding most solid foods. The only solid foods I have eaten since dinner last Thursday are three crackers last night around 10:00 pm, two pieces of white toast around 10:00 this morning and a grilled american cheese at 3:00 this afternoon. Maybe for dinner I'll try a cheeseburger on toast.

Go big or go home, I always say...

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Now you know why there was no posting last night.

I'm going to watch some baseball and try to catch up on my recent loss of sleep.

While I do that, you can do these:

• Key entry from our favorite police log: 7:19 p.m. "There are a lot of weirdoes around; just wanted to let you know."



• I believe gender reveal parties are the second biggest waste of time. Raking leaves in the woods is the first biggest waste of time.



• I give it two months and all 97 acres will be on the market.



• I wonder what would happen if every one ignored them and the cops just left them there? I mean, aside from all the boys showing up taking pictures of them...



• Next time someone says something bad about the military, show them this.



• Attention criminals: When you are transporting drugs, try to avoid running into the cops.

The stock market kinda sucks right now

On September 2nd, the stock market tanked and the three indices are all down between 5% and 15% since then. The NASDAQ, home of the tech stocks, took the biggest hit at 15% while the DJIA only lost 7% and the S&P is down about 5%.

I'm not sure why this isn't bigger news than it is. A loss of 15% impacts retirement accounts, business capital, individual investors and the economy in general. And all of this is going on while the country is gradually going back to work.

Maybe the economy (investors) thinks we should be going back work quicker. Maybe they aren't happy that workers are concerned about gathering in workplaces while our government keeps lying to us, saying, "Don't worry! It'll be fine! Go back to work and enjoy yourself!"

Maybe it's because the democrats and the republicans can't seem to stop snarking at each other long enough to take care of the citizens of the this country that need help, which is pretty much all of us.

There's a freaking' pandemic going on! This is not a handout to people that don't want to work, this is keeping the people housed, fed and somewhat stable during an event that is threatening to destroy our civilization.

I hated the federal government under Obama & Bush & Clinton & Bush & Reagan & Carter & Ford but I hate it even more now.

Well, maybe not so much under Ford. He pretty much left us alone and just did goofy things. His biggest thing was pardoning Nixon and that didn't bother me none.

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The Red Sox are in Tampa to take on the Rays this evening and I wll be enjoying that game. Not just because it's baseball but because it starts at 6:40 and I might actually stay awake long enough to watch all nine innings.

I also understand there is another sporting event of some sort happening this evening. It involves a foot and a ball. Perhaps I'll take a gander at that sport as well.

While I do that, you can do these:

• This is not not shocking to any parent of a male toddler.



• Clay Willy and the Furious Top Brass would be a great name for a 1950s rock-a-billy band.



• In case I haven't mentioned it lately, the Japanese are crazy.



• This is a common sense legal decision if you ask me.



• I really hope they perfect self driving cars by the time I reach 90.



• Key phrase in this story: I know. That’s why I’m staying home.

They split the double header

They lost the first game on a walkoff but the won the second game.

It doesn't help them but at least it doesn't hurt them.

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There really isn't very much to talk about that isn't political so I'll just shut up now and post some links:

• Key phrase in this Florida story: "She had in her hand a pink colored, penis shaped sex toy that she was using in a masturbatory manner."



• Open Defecation would be a fantastic name for a 2000's ska band.



• I am never going to Thailand.



• Only in Florida.



• Only in Australia.



• Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the faces of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Well, they didn't lose yesterday

The Red Sox did not lose yesterday because they did not play yesterday. Today is looking like a different story.

Thee Red Sox are in Philadelphia to play the Phillies and instead of playing today and tomorrow, they are going to play a double-header today and use tomorrow as a travel day down to Tampa. If I recall the rule changes correctly, double-headers are now only 7 innings long instead of the usual 9 innings so maybe I'll be able to watch both games.

The first game started at 4:00 this afternoon and as I type this, they are in the top of the 4th inning with the score 4-1 in favor of the Phillies.

The starter, Perez, was pitching okay but the Phillies are hitting well. They've got guys like McCutchen, Harper and Gregorious swinging a bat and those guys know how to hit.

Hopefully the Red Sox win at least one of these two games.

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Our illustrious president accused the military of starting wars to keep the arms manufacturers in business.

Does that man ever think before he opens his mouth or is he incapable of thinking? Does he ever say to himself, "You know, I can probably handle the situation with so-and-so a little more gracefully and tactfully if I keep it private." or does he actually think blurting stupid things out in public is a good way to deal with people?

I think Biden is a terrible choice for president but I just can't convince myself to vote for that bumbling boob Trump. Not after the way he treated McCain, Kelly and Mattis. Not after the story about refusing to go to the American Cemetary in France to honor the war dead because they were all "losers".

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You should think about clicking on these while I watch the baseball game(s):

• Well, looks like there will be no vampires driving down highway 43 in Bakersfield, CA for a while.



• We have a president who thinks injecting lysol will cure a virus and Zambia has a president who thinks a special fish brings good luck. Which nation has crazier leadership?



• This type of behavior is either known as Survival of the FIttest or Thinning the Herd. Your choice.



• You just know this is the result of a bunch of drunks at a bar making stupid bets with each other.



• Ironic words spoken by someone who makes money by traveling around the world and posting it on TikTok: "I'm not with anyone I know, and I'm in f---ing Rwanda, Africa, and I don't know how long I'm going to be here, and they won’t tell me anything."



• Apparently the stoners in Ohio are price-comparison shoppers.

Plenty of links, no babble

Since nothing major happened today, other than I learned that Lou Brock died yesterday, I don't have much to say.

So let's just get straight to the links, shall we:

• And this is why I hate Trump. It's got nothing to do with current social affairs or his bad hair. It's how he views those who gave their liberty or life for us that makes me hate him.



• Liverpoo Philharmonic would be a fantastic name for a 1970's children's book about potty training an entire orchestra.



• We used to just call people and tell them after the baby was born.



• Well, I guess it's better than throwing molotov cocktails.



• Turns out Pete Robson knows a good investment when he sees one.



• Key phrase in this story: "Nothing like a good old punch up to end your wedding day."



• Attention news media: It is a big mistake making this guy out to be an innocent victim. He violated a restraining order and tried to enter a car with three children in it while brandishing a knife.



• College students: They aren't the sharpest tool in the shed.

They are not allowed on the counter

The cats are not allowed on the counter because, well, it's the kitchen counter and no one wants cats walking on the kitchen counter.

Maybe that bag of corn needed guarding. Maybe it was up to no good and she was ready to attack if it made a move. Or if it didn't move. Either way, she was ready to pounce.

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The Red Sox had a two-game winning streak until this afternoon.

According to FanGraphs, they stand less of a chance now than they did a few days ago:

But that's okay, I'll still watch them.

Last night's game was almost a bust. Weber pitched a good game and he left after five innings with a 6-2 lead.

Then the bullpen took over...

Three members of the bullpen combined to give up 3 runs in the sixth and 3 runs in the seventh making the score 8-7 in favor of the Blue Jays. The eighth inning was a wash and they went into the ninth inning 8-7. Bogaerts hit a home run and then Vazquez got on base and scored on a hit by Munez, giving the Red Sox a 9-8 win.

It was a tough game to watch but in the end, it turned out okay.

As for today's game, a starter I know nothing about named Triggs did... Well, I can only describe it as "meh". He only made it through 3 innings which kind of sucks for a starter but he left with a 3-1 lead.

Then the bullpen took over...

By the end of the fifth inning, the Blue Jays were up 7-4.

By the end of the sixth inning, the Blue Jays were up 10-5.

By the end of the eighth inning, the Blue Jays were up 10-8.

By the end of the ninth inning, the Blue Jays were still up 10-8 and everyone went home after a 4 ½ hour game.

I really hope that during the off-season, the Red Sox do something about their pitching because their bullpen kinda sucks. And their starting pitching isn't really what I would call top-of-the-line. They have officially reset their luxury tax situation and Henry has proven that he is willing to spend money. It would be nice to get some bullpen arms and maybe a starter to help fill in when Evoldi or Sale end up on the DL.

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For the record, my lawn has begun showing signs of recovery.

The recent rains have caused large portions of it to sprout green again and I had to mow it yesterday.

Don't get me wrong, it still looks like crap and mowing probably created more dust than grass clippings but what the hell, the green part looks short now.

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You can click on these if you want:

• Only in Florida.
  (Also Massachusetts.)



• Sorry Chief, the goat ate my homework.



• Key phrase in this story: "Make the garden tidy, maybe with a gnome."



• Anyone that can afford to spend $26,000 on a purse probably doesn't really care if it gets destroyed.



• This is why women live longer than men.



• Key phrase in this story: "All I wanted was a chicken sandwich."

A little clarification

Okay, maybe a lot of clarification....

I got some feedback on my "I suspect was a 30 knot wind" statement yesterday. Allow me to clarify why I suspected that.

The following is a screenshot of a portion of the winds aloft chart for the northeast from the government-run Aviation Weather site. I took the screenshot at 8:00 this morning:

It shows Bradley airport (BDL) and Bangor airport (BGR) on September 5 at 06:00 UT. The date and time are labeled "DATA BASED ON 050600Z". Z means "Zulu" which is an odd way of saying Universal Time (or Greenwich Mean Time). What that means is this forcast was made at 2:00am EDT (EDT is 4 hours behind UT) and it was still valid at 8:00am EDT when I captured it.

The column headings indicate altitude in feet. The first column is the airport identifier, the second column is 3,000 feet, the third is 6,000 feet, etc...

The data in the column labeled "3000" indicates wind direction and speed. In the remaining columns, it contains wind direction, speed and temperature. The first two numbers are direction, the second two numbers are speed and the third set of numbers with a "+" or "-" is temp in celsius. Above 24000 feet the temps are all negative so they don't use a sign.

So that means that at 8:00 this morning, the winds at Bradley airport at 3000 feet were 3419. Interpret that correctly and you see the wind was out of 340° at 19 knots.

A quick check of the winds at ground level at Bradley showed "KBDL 051200Z 00000KT". In other words, dead calm - no direction and no speed.

Yesterday, when we were doing landings and takeoffs at Turners Falls, the windsock was almost straight out in a direct crosswind to runway 34 (340°). This means the wind was roughly out of 230°. Windsocks are weighted to represent a 15 knot when extended straight out. That means the wind at ground level was about 12-15 knots. Interpreting the general wind conditions in the northeast, you can always add about 15 knots for the first 3000 feet of altitude.

That, my friends, is how my flight instructor and I determined that we were dealing with 30 knot winds at 3000 feet and what made from some interesting steep turns and s-turns. Basically, we got our ass kicked. If I was by myself just flying for fun, I probably would have turned around and headed back to the airport. If I had passengers, I absolutely would have headed back to the airport.

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Time for an update on the cats:

Yes, they are now cats.
Yes, they still act like kittens.
Yes, they are stripping all the leaves off my wife's houseplants.
Yes, The Small Main Dog has accepted them as fellow pack members and playmates.

This has been your update on the cats.

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Time for an update on my grandson:

He's doing great.

This has been your update on my grandson.

No, I'm not going to post any pictures or information about him. The internet is a nasty place where some people are simply evil bastards who use information and photos in ways that you and I can't even imagine. My grandson does not deserve to become a spectacle on the internet. The only information I will give you is that he is happy, healthy and loved. Also, at the ripe old age of one month, he can probably pitch better than most of the Red Sox bullpen

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Here are some links:

• When I was a kid, I had two kinds of shoes: penny loafers for school (I went to a catholic school. We had to wear a uniform.) and Connies for everything else. It was either that or I would go barefoot. Back then, bikes had metal pedals with little spikes for grip. Trust me, you didn't want to ride a bike barefoot.



• Sometimes you're bug, sometimes you're the windshield.



• I've been to Summit. It's where 79 intersects with 90.



• Priests On A Floating Tiki Bar would be a great name for 1980's Hallmark Channel movie.

Yes, I went flying

And right after that I enjoyed adult beverages.

That means you get a short post.

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As for the flying, it was harsh.

I put in 1.3 hours. We did some steep turns and s-turn in what I suspect was a 30 knot wind. Then we went to Turners Falls and did landings in 12-15 knot crosswind.

Most of my landing were okay but one realy sucked when I dropped the nose early and the nose wheel hit the runway a little hard. It put the plane into a bounce that almost pushed us off the runway.

Not my best landing but the other five were just fine.

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Here are some links:

• Maybe it was nursing...



• That's because people are bored and they are making shit up.



• I can't speak for the teens but I can tell you that us seniors, well, we just don't give a shit.



• I'm not entirely sure this is a good idea. Then again, what the hell do I know.

It's time to go out for lunch

I need to get in touch with the ROMEO's (Retired Old Men Eating Out) and do a lunch soon. We haven't gotten together since February and now that the restaurants are open, we should probably help the economy out by spending some of our hard earned dollars..

We'll see how everyone feels about things next week and if they are all in agreement, we'll schedule something

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Speaking of scheduling things, I scheduled an hour with my flight instructor tomorrow afternoon.

I have not been up flying since May and I have no intention of going up by myself. Besides, I'm learning how to fly complex aircraft and I need at least 10 hours before I'll feel comfortable flying one of those. Not only are there extra tasks to do like landing gear and manifold pressure regulation, they are fast so they can get ahead of you. I've heard stories of students being so far behind the plane that when they reach their destination, they have to circle for several minutes to do things like descend and slow down.

I'm a big fan of being ahead of the plane, not the other way around.

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Yes, I watched the Red Sox lose again last night and Yes, I will watch them again tonight.

I'm hoping to see them win a game or two before the season end in four weeks.

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While I fall asleep watching the ball game, you can visit these:

• Some people are just plain bad at being criminals.



• Whelp, we know the hamsters are safe.



• Key phrase in this story: "The lowest-risk sexual activity during COVID-19 involves yourself alone".



• Yet he's still employed.



• I seriously doubt that everyone is "pretending as though everything is just fine".



• Key phrase in this story: "The grenade was examined and found to be real and possibly live."

I wish I had a snappy title to put here.

Well, I checked the projected odds for the World Series and I can honestly say that the Red Sox don't really stand a chance.

Courtesy of FanGraphs:
(click on it for a bigger image)

FanGraphs gives them a 1% chance of making the playoffs and less than 1% chance of winning any games at all during the playoffs.

And for the record, Baseball Reference gives them even lower odds.

With the elimination of the Bruins and the elimination of the Red Sox, my hopes are resting with the Patriots simply because I could care less about basketball. I never liked playing it and I never liked watching it. The sound of a bouncing basketball grates on my nerves like nails on a chalk board. As far as I'm concerned, the Celtics are a bunch of guys who show up every so often and cover the ice at the Garden with a wooden floor.

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Now that primary season is over, we can finally stop listening to those idiotic self-serving, bombastic television commercials.

I was pleased to learn that once again, I will get the pleasure of not voting for Richie Neal. I understand there will be a republican or an independent on the ballot this November so maybe I'll vote for him/her. Either that or I'll write myself in like I usually do.

I also understand that for the first time since the 1952 senate race between Cabot and Kennedy, a Kennedy has lost an election in Massachusetts.

Despite the fact that most people in Boston would cut their own wrists before voting against a Kennedy, JoJo went down in flames and Ed "Do you like my poor-people sneakers?" Markey will be on the ballot in November. I have no idea if there are any republicans or independents running against him but if not, I'll just write my own name in.

Who knows, maybe on of these days I'll accidentally elect myself to office. Wouldn't that be a kick in the ass....

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Yes, I'm going to watch the Red Sox.

No, I don't expect them to win.

Yes, I realize I'm wasting my evenings watching them.

No, I don't care about wasting my evenings. I'm old and I kinda like wasting my evenings.

You should probably waste your evening clicking on these:

• This is the most expensive motor vehicle accident you will hear about today. Those things are $500,000 without any bells or whistles.



• There must not be much to do in Park City, Utah...



• Like I said when this happened, there is going to be a lot of used Harley-Davidson's for sale.



• Well, at least she waited until they landed.



• This is either a sign of mental illness or incredibly bad taste.



• I'm hoping to be dead before things reach this point.

Well, so much for hockey.

The Bruins got eliminated last night when they lost to the Lightning in the second overtime period.

It sucks they lost but too be honest with you, they weren't playing all that well. They won the first game and then proceeded to lose the next four. That is not the sign of a championship team.

As for the Red Sox, they' aren't playing championship caliber baseball either. They lost to the Braves 6-3 last night and they also had to place one of their relievers on the DL (Yes, I know we're supposed to call it the Injured List and not the Disabled List. I don't care. My whole life it was called the DL and that's what I call it.)

We'll see what tonight brings but I don't have any high hopes. As of right now, they have 7 players either on the DL or listed as Day-To-Day: Four starting pitchers (Sale, Rodriguez, Evoldi and Perez), one reliever (Hernandez) and two fielders (Benintendi and Martinez). That's a lot of important players sitting in the stands watching the game.

They did bring up two more guys from the minors: a pitcher and 2nd baseman. Maybe they'll bring some much needed energy to the team and they'll win a few games.

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Found this picture the other day and I thought it was quite humorous.

⧫
Time to make some dinner and then watch some baseball.

While I enjoy myself doing that, you can enjoy yourself doing these:

• If you've ever wondered what kind of Youtube videos I watch for entertainment, wonder no more. I have watched almost every one of Ben's videos multiple times. That shit fascinates me.



• Another reason I don't live in California.



• Well, Miss Waraschaya Akkarachaiyapas, if that is your real name, let me just tell you that I think you've got a lot of balls.



• New York City, where absolutely no one is safe.



• Beer: Is there anything it can't do.



• You see weird things at 3,000 feet.



• Australia: What doesn't kill ya, tries to kill ya.



• I certainly hope no one was shocked by this.