Hopefully the Bruins win

As I type this, the Red Sox are down 11-2 in the 9th inning against the Astros. Things don't look good.

Hopefully the Bruins will win tonight and take a 2-0 lead in the series.

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I've been busy with sports and linux today.

Here are some links:

• Another reason I don't like to fly commercial.



• You'll forgive me for saying, "Well, DUH..."



• I'm trying to be nice to all these robot things that they keep inventing because I want them to think nicely of me when they take over the world.



• And yet one more reason I don't like to fly commercial.



• Oh Canada.

No baseball today

The Red Sox / Marlins got rained out this afternoon. The game has been rescheduled to June 7 at 5:00pm

No hockey today but I did watch Scotland beat Canada in the curling mixed-doubles semi-finals.

Right now, I'm burning through some DVRs because it turns out that Curling, Gold Rush, Gold Rush: Bearing Sea Gold and How The Universe Works take up a lot of space on that little hard drive.

When I first started this afternoon, the recordings occupied 89% of the drive. As of right now, I've got it down to only 64% and by the time today ends, I expect to have it below 50%

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If you have an Amazon network device like a Ring camera or an Alexa (echo dot), then you might have an issue. Seems that Amazon has decided to turn your device into an internet-sharing device.

Amazon has created something called "Amazon Sidewalk" that is designed to allow Amazon devices stretch your internet coverage. On the surface, this seems like a good thing. Amazon says it means your devices like your Ring doorbell or Ring camera will be able to get a better wireless signal when they are located far away from your router.

Unfortunately, it also means your neighbors Amazon devices can use your internet if they happen to be within range.

Personally, I don't want anyone using my internet so I turned off Amazon Sidewalk on my Alexa. It's pretty simple to do if you have the Amazon Alexa application on your phone. Here are the steps:

1. Open the app and go to the menu.
2. Click on "More"
3. Click on "Settings"
4. Click on "Account Settings"
5. Click on "Amazon Sidewalk"
6. Disable "Amazon Sidewalk"

The big problem I have with this is that I was never asked if I wanted this turned on. They just turned it on without my permission.

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I'm going to watch some more DVRs and free up that hard drive space.

You can visit these if you want:

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



• I actually know people who are going to quit rather than go back to an office.



• Australia: Those people are kinda screwed.



• Only in Florida.



• Methamphetamine and The Invasive Snails would be a fantastic name for a 1980s acid rock band.

So far, so good

The Red Sox managed to win their second game against the Marlins this afternoon and there was no rainout!

Last night's game ended in the sixth inning when it started raining so hard the grounds crew was on the infield pushing mud around, trying to eliminate the puddles.

On a personal note, my youngest son was at today's game. It was his first time at Fenway and he loved it.

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The Bruins and Islanders drop puck at 8:00 this evening.

It should be a close series and I won't be surprised if it goes all seven games. Early in the season, the Islanders beat the Bruins every time they faced each other. As the season progressed, the Bruins started winning their matches and the last two times the played each other, the Bruins won both games.

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I don't have a lot of links because I was busy watching baseball and now I'm going to be busy watching hockey.

The ones I do have are here:

• Hopefully straight to hell.



• I guess "freeing the weed" has other consequences.



• I'm pretty sure it's bad if the wheels fall off.

The end of an era

On August 17, 2020, I got my very first covid test. It came back negative, which is actually a pretty good feeling.

On January 12, 2020, I tested positive for covid.

This past Wednesday, May 26, 2021, I received my final covid test:

It's been kind of a wild ride that, at the very least, taught me a lot about people and how they deal with the unknown.

Most of us looked at the 'rona as a illness that was really contagious and could be deadly for some of us. Particularly for the elderly or those among us who might already have some minor medical issue like asthma.

Most of us accepted the idea (and in some cases, the legal requirement) that wearing a simple face covering could help prevent the spread of the disease and maybe save the life of some little old lady who we crossed paths with at the grocery store.

Most of us understood that periodic testing was a way of keeping track of who had the 'rona and identifying those of us who should stay away from others. My household is the perfect example of how testing helped - none of us would have known that we had covid without the test. We were fortunate enough to be in the group of people that had almost no symptoms and without the test, we would have gone through our lives oblivious to the fact we were probably infecting people who were not as fortunate.

But there were some of us in our society who looked at the 'rona as some evil conspiracy. It was something that the government was using to exert control over us and to take away our "freedoms". They refused to wear masks, they questioned every statement made by scientists and doctors, they made up stories and they claimed to know more about the 'rona than the medical community.

In other words, they were gullible fools who spent a lot of time and energy trying avoid any precautions. They probably also infected a lot of other people like that little old lady who wanted nothing more than to buy some toilet paper and go home.

Then, once the medical community created, tested and approved a vaccine, those gullible fools created even more idiotic conspiracy theories about how the vaccine contained tracking chips or was really a mind control drug.

Fortunately, most of us followed the advice given by the medical community. We wore our masks and when it became available, we got vaccinated. That means that the 'rona has no control over us any longer and we can begin the process of getting back to living a normal life. Hopefully they will finish the vaccine testing and make it available to little kids so we can start being families again. Once that happens, the only people that will have to worry about the 'rona are the ones that either medically can't get vaccinated or they were dumb enough to refused to get vaccinated.

I will do what I can for the folks that can't get vaccinated because of a medical condition. I will gladly wear a mask around you and maintain plenty of distance. The rest of you that refused to get vaccinated are on your own. Stay away from us, we don't want your cooties.

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It's time for me to watch some baseball.

That means it's time for you to do whatever the hell it is that you do.

Here are some links:

• I sure hope the little guy is okay.



• Key phrase in this story that involves alcohol: "My training is in early Chinese philosophy and comparative religion."



• Haven't they been down this road before?



• Yea, but were they 6 feet apart?



• Presenting this episodes Brilliant Criminal(s) of the Month.

Overflowing gutters suck

You know those squiggly things that come from oak trees? Those things that are like strings of fluffy yarn filled with pollen?

Well those things filled up my gutters and prevented the water from flowing to the downspouts. That means that when last nights storms rolled through, my gutters basically overflowed.

And by "overflowed", I mean, 'Holy Shit! Look at all that water!"

Fortunately I didn't end up with a basement filled with water but I did have to get the extension ladder out and spend this morning emptying the gutters of water, squigglees and dead birds...

Yes, you read that correctly. There were dead birds in my gutter.

Turns out that one of the gutters on the side of my house had a pigeon's nest in it and the baby bird drowned last night.

Sometimes you find unexpected stuff in your gutters...

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Sports:

The Bruins will face the Islanders in the second round of the divisionals. Their first game is scheduled for Saturday at 8:00pm

The Red Sox avoided the sweep by beating the Braves last night. Unfortunately, the game went into a rain delay at the end of the 6th inning and after listening to an hour of meaningless prattle from Tom Caron and Jim Rice, I called it quits and went to bed.

A check of the box score this morning shows me that rain delay lasted 2 hours and 53 minutes so I'm glad I went to bed when I did.

Next game is tomorrow when they kick off a 3-game series against the Marlins.

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I have no sports to watch tonight so I guess I'll try to burn through some DVRs.

You can enjoy these links if you want:

• If you want to play in the big leagues, you need to play like you belong in the big leagues.



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



• Key phrase in this story: "...under indictment on several federal fraud charges..."



• I thought Northampton was one of those towns that defunded the police.



• I'm no english major but I believe they are unclear on what the word aesthetic means.



• Australia: What doesn't try to kill ya, just wants to play with your kids.

Storms are brewing

According to the weather dweebs on our local television station (that is probably owned by a large international conglomerate), we have severe thunderstorms heading our way. Looks like the line will reach here around 6:30 or 7:00 so if you don't hear from me for a few days, assume it's because I live in Tornado Alley - New England Division and my internet is out.

As for my preparedness, I have 10 gallons of gasoline for my generator, several cans of chili, a full propane tank for my grill, a bunch of Costco hamburgers and an ample supply of toilet paper. I'm about as set as I can be.

Wish me luck...

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The Red Sox lost last night because once again, they are leaving runners on base.

In the first inning, they had the bases loaded with 1 out and they only managed to score a single run before hitting into a double play. After that, they pretty much ran headlong into a guy named Charlie Morton. Morton is a pitcher for the Braves and he was on fire last night.

Tonight Pivetta is on the mound for the Red Sox and the batters will face Drew Smyly who is on the mound for the Braves. I'm not sure if Smyly is any good or not. So far this season, he's pitched in 7 games, won 2, lost 2 and had a no-decision in the other 3. His ERA is 5+ so his stats say that he is slightly below "middle of the road".

All I know is the Red Sox need to win tonight to avoid the 2-game sweep.

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I'm going to watch some baseball and fall asleep early.

You can click on these if you want:

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



• I never want to be that old.



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



• When I first read the headline, all I could think was, "Man, those older women are getting kind of aggressive."



• Speaking of Australia...



• Well, the only people they will invect are other unvaccinated people.

The Penguins are on the edge.

The Islanders beat the Penguins last night and now lead the series 3-2. They play game 6 tomorrow and if the Islanders win, the Bruins will be ready for them.

That's the beauty of the Bruins finishing their series early - they got time off to relax a bit before round 2 kicks off.

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The Braves are in town to play the Red Sox this evening. It should be an interesting game because these two teams faced each other nine times during spring training and the Red Sox managed to win five of those games.

Currently, the Braves are a sub-.500 team so I'm hoping the Red Sox win both of these games.

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I'm not saying the loud-mouth arrogant New York slumlord is right but I do have a question:

How come it's considered bad or racist to call it "the china virus" but it's considered okay to call it "the UK variant", "the Indian variant" or "the Brazilian variant"?

Just wondering.

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Today was a windy day filled with plenty of pollen. Everything I own is covered in yellow dust.

While I sneeze, wipe my runny eyes and watch some baseball, you can click on these links:

• I won't be shocked if there is a follow-up story stating that the victim is not cooperating with police.



• I'm still fascinated by the people that are upset by face masks.



• The Japanese: They aren't like you and me. Or anyone else for that matter.



• Key phrase in this story: "David-Pitts was identified and arrested within an hour thanks to his distinctive pink-camouflage pants."



• Key phrase in this story: "...his approval rating has gone up eight points..."



• I will never understand "fashion".

No local sports tonight

Fortunately I have several choices:

The Penguins / Islanders game is on NBCSports at 7:00. They are tied at 2 games each and it should be some pretty good hockey.

My DVR recorded two episodes of World Championship - Mixed Doubles Curling.

My DVR is filled to overflowing with Last Man Standing that I really should binge watch one of these days.

Since the second and third items are recorded and I can watch them whenever I want, I'll probably just go with hockey. If it gets boring, I'll put on curling.

⧫
I'm friends with his brother Joe and I knew his mom Bernice (Bunny) and his dad Carl. Everyone knew that Lavigne was guilty but we all also knew that the son of a bitch of a DA made it clear he would never prosecute a priest. That dick, Matty Ryan, should be remembered for his failure to serve justice. He should be remembered for how much damage he did, not only to the DA's office but to the Croteau family.

Bernie and Carl passed away several years ago knowing that the scumbag murdered their son by caving his skull in with a rock from behind. They passed away knowing that the scumbag was living the quiet life of a retired priest, supported by the parish and protected by the law.

Screw Matty Ryan and everyone who supported him in his decision to protect Lavigne.

Screw the catholic church for making every effort possible to protect Lavigne by shuffling him from parish to parish and for supporting him in his retirement.

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Time for some dinner and then some hockey.

It's also time for some links:

• More proof that there are assholes among us.



• Yet another reason that I try not to fly commercial.



• My question is, "Where do they empty that chemical toilet?"



• Meet the latest Darwin Award winner.



• Key entry from our favorite police log: "4:05 p.m. A car was struck by a bicycle."



• Whatever...

Red Sox lost today but won the series

The lost to the Phillies this afternoon but since they won the first two games of their 3-game series, they leave Philadelphia as winners.

They are off tomorrow while they return to Boston where they will welcome in the Braves for two games.

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The Bruins are in Washington tonight to take on the Capitals in game five of the first round of the divisionals.

The Bruins are up 3-1 in the series and if they win tonight, they move on to round two where they will play either the Penguins or the Islanders, depending on who wins that series (currently that series is tied two games each).

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I'm going to watch some hockey now.

Here are some links:

• Key phrase in this story: "I am sleeping peacefully".



• Only in Florida.



• I've been to Pennsylvania numerous times. I don't think it's gross.



• This is just plain weird.



• I guess the old saying is true: Everyone has their 15 minutes of fame.



• Finally, something Krazy Kim and I can agree on.

To quote Charlie Sheen: Winning!

The Bruins and the Capitals played some serious old-time hockey last night with lot's of brawling and lot's of scoring. The Bruins won in regulation, beating the Capitals 4-1. This gives the Bruins a 3-1 lead in their best of seven, one game away from winning and moving on to the second round of the divisionals.

Game 5 will be played in Washington tomorrow (Sunday) at 7:00.

As for the Red Sox, they held the Phillies to 3 runs while scoring 11 of their own. Perez pitched really well, earning the win and while the offense was hitting the ball well, a lot of the runs can be attributed to what can best be described as a "lazy Phillies defense".

It was almost painful to watch the Phillies play in the field. They made 3 errors but even more shocking was how they wandered after baseballs instead of charging them or how they made tosses instead of throws.

Well, that and Danny Santana finally made his debut for the Red Sox.

They meet again this evening and I can't help but wonder if maybe Phillies manager Joe Girardi will still be more than a little pissed off at the level of play they bring to the field. I would have loved to be in that locker room after last nights game to hear what he had to say to them.

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Say hello to Ana:

Fortunately for all of us on the east coast, Ana looks like she's gonna hang out in the middle of the Atlantic.

⧫
My DVR recorded some curling last night and I spent my afternoon watching three hours of mixed doubles curling.

Now I'm going to spend three hours watching baseball.

You can spend as much time as you want clicking on these:

• Welp, the internet, radio, cable television and satellite television are probably gonna suck for a few days.



• Thank goodness toilet paper isn't on the list.



• Continuing proof that there are idiots living among us.



• I should probably call my aunts and uncles and cousins in Pennsylvania.



• Only in Florida.



• I plan on going out and enjoying myself.

They keep finding ways to win

When I went to bed last night, the Red Sox were losing to the Blue Jays 5-7 in the 8th inning. When I woke up this morning, I discovered that the Red Sox managed to score three runs in the 9th and win the game 8-7.

I wish I could have seen that 9th inning but I was so tired I was falling asleep sitting up.

Trust me, I do not want to fall asleep sitting up. My neck and back would turn against me and become professional protestors, complaining about every move I made.

So anyways, the Red Sox are in Philadelphia today to play the Phillies. That means I get to see Martin Perez swing a bat.

I love watching an American League pitcher try to bat. It's one of the more entertaining moments in baseball.

As for the other sport in my world, the Bruins and Capitals faceoff in game four of their best of seven series this evening. The Bruins lead the series 2-1 and a win tonight will make me very happy.

⧫
And so it begins:

That image is from NOAA's National Hurricane Center and it shows a 90% chance of a cyclone (tropical storm) developing in the mid-Atlantic.

Looks like hurricane season may be starting a bit early this year.

⧫
Burgers and dogs for dinner tonight and then some sporting events.

Here are some links:

• Only in Florida.
  (It's actually a good Florida story.)



• So this was pretty cool.



• This is why I'm not a cop. You swing an excavator bucket at me and I'm gonna shoot you in the face.



• Oh Canada.



• Also Oh Canada.



• Key phrase in this story: "The bride's family deliberated the pool of potential husbands in the groom's wedding party, called a baraat, and settled on an eligible suitor."

We better get some rain soon

I am trying my best to avoid watering. I had to water yesterday because the fertilizer guy applied weed killer & fertilizer and he told me to water it in but other than that, I would really like to not water my lawn.

After suffering a near-death experience last year during the drought, my lawn has had a miraculous rebirth:

I'd kinda like to keep it that way.

I have been watering the young trees because I don't want to go through that again but ideally, since I don't have a sprinkler system, I would like the lawn to survive on rain alone. Dragging hoses around and setting up sprinklers is a pain in the ass. The only easy part about watering the lawn like that is I have an Alexa who reminds me to turn the sprinklers off.

Every time I start the sprinklers, I walk in the house and say, "Alexa, remind me to turn the sprinklers off in 20 minutes" and Alexa cheerfully say, "Okay. I'll remind you in 20 minutes". Then, 20 minutes later, I hear, "I'm reminding you to turn the sprinklers off."

She's damned polite and very handy to have around. And I don't really give a shit if Jeff Bezos gets his jollies listening to recordings of my wife or myself telling the dog she is a good girl.

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My hopes came to fruition last night when the Red Sox beat the Blue Jays and the Bruins beat the Capitals.

The Bruins beat the Capitals 3-2 when Craig Smith skated to the back of the Capital's goal, stole the puck from a Capital's defenseman and slipped it past the goaling into the net. This puts the Bruins up 2 games to 1 in their best of seven series. The next game will be tomorrow evening in Boston.

As for the Red Sox, it was a pretty damned good game with the Red Sox beating the Blue Jays 7-3. Their 3 game series is now tied 1-1 and tonight's game will decide who wins that series.

In other baseball news - As I type this, the Giants are in Cincinnati, kicking the crap out of the Reds 18-1:

It must suck to be a Reds fan, sitting in the ballpark and watching your home team get its ass handed to it.

⧫
Time for me to figure out what I want for dinner and then settle in to watch some baseball.

I managed to find these for you:

• I wonder if there will be a second date.



• Best excuse ever for not coming in to work: "I am doing penance at home by entering into fifth dimension to change the global conscience....I can't do such penance sitting in office."



• We don't pay cops enough.



• Researchers; Contributing to the betterment of our society or a complete waste of perfectly good oxygen.



• Only in Florida.



• Well, I'm screwed.

Not a lot to offer today

I worked this morning, took care of some business around the house and then I was asked to meet up with some fellow vaccineeee's this evening.

I have not seen these guys for more than a year and they both recently (two weeks ago) received their second shot of anti-covid stuff. They reached out to me yesterday and said, "Let us go do adult stuff!" so we did.

All that means to you is I did not have a lot of time for readin' and writin'.

⧫
The Red Sox lost last night and they better win tonight.

The Bruins won the other night and they better win tonight.

That is all I really have to say about that.

⧫
I did manage to find a few links:

• This story has everything you could want: A 61 year old man with a 27 year old girlfriend, a night of drinking, and a bucket of urine.



• She is one very fortunate and very tough little girl.



• I'm beginning to think the whole self-driving car thing just might be a bad idea.



• I will never understand "fashion"...

No, I don't have insomnia

Last night I fell asleep watching hockey and that might have pretty much screwed up my sleep schedule.

I think I fell asleep around 8:45 or so and woke up three hours later, just before midnight. I dragged myself off the couch and headed up stairs to bed were I promptly...

...laid there and stared into space all night long.

So basically, I've been awake since midnight. That's why I'm tired.

⧫
The Bruins defeated the Capitals last night, tying the series one game each.

As I mentioned, I made it through the first period and a few minutes of the second period before going unconscious on my couch. When I woke up, the NESN scroller at the bottom of the screen was kind enough to inform me that the Bruins has won in OT.

Game three of the series is tomorrow at 6:30 and this one will be played in Boston.

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The Red Sox are in Florida to play the Blue Jays. Yes, they are in Florida. Seems that Canada won't let the Blue Jays play baseball in Toronto so they are using their spring training site as their home field. That training site is located in Dunedin, FL

Rodriguez is bringing his 5-1 record to the mound tonight and I'm hoping he ends the night with a 6-1 record.

Hernandez is still on the DL so I assume Chavis is still up and playing with the big team. He can be a bit streaky when it comes to hitting so hopefully he continues to hit the ball. Reports are that Hernandez will be back either tomorrow or Thursday at which point Chavis will probably head back to Worcester to await the next injury.

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I'm glad they added the big red arrow to help us see what is odd about this picture:

⧫
I'm going to make my best effort to watch the entire baseball game this evening.

You can visit these links if you want:

• When all else fails, throw money at them.



• Only in Florida.



• Seems to me that flying over the Atlantic Ocean isn't the best place to test this.



• Presenting this episodes Brilliant Criminal of the Month.



• I wonder if it was ranting, "Where's The Beef!?" while it was chasing them.
  (If you don't know what I'm talking about, check this out.)



• No.

Ibuprofen is my friend

I slept like a baby last night, meaning I woke up at least twice to go to the bathroom. But I did not wake up because I was sore.

My daughter spent the weekend in Dallas at a friends wedding and her flight home landed at 11:00 last night. I was the designated picker-upper and we got home around midnight / 12:15. I popped three ibuprofens and I was in bed, fast asleep by 12:30.

My back is still a little sore but not as bad as I thought it was going to be.

Oh, and for the record, my plumbing skills are holding firm. There are no leaks in either the sink or the toilet and both are still functioning correctly. And by correctly, I mean poop goes down the toilet and water comes out of the faucet.

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Key phrase in this story: "Work-Life Balance

When someone says to me, “You need a good work-life balance!” I have always said back to them, “Shut up. It’s not work-life balance. It’s life-work balance.”

Putting “work” first in that statement implies that work is the first thing you should worry about. Trust me, the order of things you should worry about are life first, then family, then friends and finally work. As a matter of fact, work should be right around the last thing you worry about. Feel free to put hobbies, drinking buddies and pets ahead of work if you are so inclined.

My father suffered from heart disease and he died when he was 55 years old after undergoing coronary bypass surgery. While his heart disease didn’t actually kill him (turns out he was allergic to propofol), it was the driving force behind his death. I’m not saying work caused his heart problems because he also smoked, used salt like it a primary food source and drank Canadian Club & ginger ale like it was water. No, his heart disease was caused by a lot of factors, including work. He worked hard all the time, right up until the day before he died. Work was not the primary cause of my fathers problems but it was a significant contributor.

Businesses push employees to deliver as much as possible for as little expense as possible. They heap billions of dollars on executives in pay and perks while constantly berating staff to produce more and more for less pay.

Things companies say to make employees stress out and produce more:

• Work smarter, not harder – This is a bullshit thing to say. If they wanted employees to work smarter, there would be no office buildings, no long commutes and no late nights. People would work from home. That saves the hour or two of commute time, puts less stress on employees and employees that work from home actually work more than the required number of hours each week.


• Our employees are our greatest asset! – This is nothing more than a bald-faced lie.  Employers value furniture more than employees because furniture doesn’t take sick time, it doesn’t complain and it doesn’t form unions.


• Be agile – This implies that employees have the authority to make decisions about their job. They don’t. Middle-managers massage their ego’s by asserting their authority over employees. They also protect their jobs by preventing employees from coming up with good ideas. They live in fear that senior management will see an employee doing a great job and promote them over the manager.


• Thrive in ambiguity! – The English interpretation of the statement is, “We have no idea what we are doing so don’t expect us to be able to tell you what we are doing. Just keep working hard without any guidance.”


• Move with a sense of purpose – Again, this is a bullshit phrase. What they mean is, “I want to see you working, not socializing with your co-workers.”


• Don’t be afraid to say NO – Trying telling your VP, “NO” when he calls you at 10:30 on a Friday night and says that the Wilkinson account is out of order. It needs to be reviewed and correct by 7:00am Monday morning when Mr. Wilkinson and his accountants will be in to go over it with a fine-toothed comb. He needs you to get right on it and have the updated documents on his desk by Noon on Sunday for his review and approval.


• Be an agent of change! – This is related to the ambiguity thing. What it means is they fired the previous vice president and the new guy has different ideas on how things should be done. Forget everything you’ve done for the last several years because it turns out you were doing it wrong.

Look, I’m not saying you should stop working but dammit, stop stressing over it so much. Don’t let your employer control your life. Take the time to enjoy yourself and above all else, stop putting in 80-hour work weeks.

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There is hockey this evening but no baseball. That means I get to leave my tv on one channel.

Enjoy these links:

• If you are vaccinated and you want to walk around without a mask, wait until May 29th and then go have yourself a good ol' time!



• Where the hell were all these "credits" when I had kids.



• If you live in eastern Pennsylvania or New Jersey, your daily walks are about to get extra-crunchy.



• No thanks.



• Presenting this episodes Brilliant Criminal of the Day.

I no longer have a back

What I have is a bent and broken spine attached to muscles that are stretched to the breaking point.

What I also have is a fully functional bathroom with a shiny new sink, shiny new faucet and a shiny new toilet.

Oh, and my hands and knees hurt.

⧫
The Bruins and the Capitals played a hell of a good hockey game last night. The game ended in a 2-2 tie with the Capitals winning the game in the first OT period on a redirect a shot under Rask's leg.

They meet again on Monday evening for game two of their best of seven series.

⧫
As for the Red Sox, they failed in their quest to sweep the Angels when they lost today's game.

They held a one run lead throughout most of the game until the ninth when Trout hit a single. Then Ohtani hit a home run. That gave the Angels a one run lead and eventually the win.

At least the Red Sox won the series. Winning series is how you stay on top.

Their next game will be Tuesday when they start a 3-game series against the Blue Jays.

⧫
Here are some links that you may, or may not, find interesting:

• California doesn't need a governor, it needs a baby sitter.



• Key name in this story: "Toni Boner".



• Oh Canada.



• You just know that every 13 year old boy is hanging out under that statue.



• We don't pay cops enough.

My back really hurts

The hot water knob on the sink in our first floor bathroom broke. Since the faucet is old, there is no replacement for the knob. That means we needed a new faucet.

My wife has seen me replace faucets before so she knows that it's easier to replace the faucet on a sink that is out of the counter so she said, "Hey, let's get a new faucet and a new sink!"

She went to the Home Depot website to find the sink she wanted and since she was getting a new sink in white to replace the ugly tan sink, she also apparently needed to get a new toilet in white to match the new sink.

That means my afternoon was spent under the sink trying to disconnect and remove the old sink. It turns out the damn thing was glued in place so removal was a bitch.

I finally go it out and cleaned all the old glue off. Then I put the new faucet on the new sink, applied a little of the polyurethane Gorilla Glue to the underside and set it in the hole in the counter.

Now I let it set until tomorrow so the glue sets up. Then I will cut/scrape any glue that has oozed out and attached the drain & water lines. If the glue scraping looks bad, I'll apply a bead of white silicone caulking around the edge to cover it up.

Once that is done, I'll remove the old toilet and put the new one in place.

After that, I will overdose on ibuprofen.

⧫
The Red Sox managed the beat the crap out of the Angels this afternoon, winning the game 9-0.

Because of my plumbing duties, I was only able to watch a few innings while I was installing the faucet on the sink but the innings I watched were all Red Sox. Verdugo and Dalbec are out of their hitting slump which is good news. They need those two guys hitting on a regular basis.

The Red Sox are at .610, in first place in the ALEast and after tomorrow's game, they are looking at a short road trip to play the Blue Jays and then the Phillies.

⧫
Tonight starts the Stanley Cup divisional playoffs. The Bruins are in Washington to play the Capitals and as I type this, the score is 1-1 after one period.

Here are some links that you may find interesting:

• If I were him, I would have requested a bright yellow headstone.



• This could very well be the most Chicopee things you'll see this week.



• Never bring a rake to a gunfight.



• I would be happy to do my part.



• Sign me up.



• As I age, those self-driving cars are looking more and more attractive.

My back hurts

My wife bought new porch furniture and it arrived today. That meant  today was "set up the porch day". I replaced two screens, put a table together and put two chairs together. Oh, and before I did that, I mowed the backyard.

So I realize that doesn't sound like a lot but the problem is I had to do most of the building and rescreening on my knees or hunched over. This is bad for my ancient frame and I am paying the price right now.

Oh, and did I mention that I got up at 4:00 this morning to take my daughter to the airport? Well, I did so not only am I sore, I'm freakin' tired.

What all that means is that I did not have any time for news reading or link hunting.

But sore back and knees aside, my wife is pretty happy with her new furniture. She'll be even happier when I build the last two chairs and we have a complete dining set out there.

Basically, that porch serves as our second dining area and our second office(s). When the weather is nice, we pack up our laptops and work out there instead of in our respective offices.

⧫
The Red Sox won last night, beating the Athletics 8-1 and avoiding the sweep.

Tonight they take on the struggling Angels. The Angels are a great team that is having a tough time getting it's act together. With guys like Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, Jose Iglasias and Justin Upton, they should be in the thick of things but they are currently in last place in the ALWest.

The Red Sox should have no problem winning this three game series and maintaining first place in the ALEast. At least, that's what I think will happen. I'm pretty sure the Angels have other ideas about how this will go.

⧫
I'm going to take two ibuprofen, put on the Red Sox game and fall asleep on my couch.

You can do whatever you want.

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



• Only in a Walmart.



• I'm pretty sure some black electrical tape over the camera will fix this problem.



• I still can't believe that Colonial Pipeline paid them $5,000,000.



• This is pretty gross.

My old phone sucked

I did not realize how bad my old cell phone was until I was setting up my new phone. Man, this thing moves like the wind, the display is crystal clear and despite being slightly larger, it actually weighs less.

I'm struggling to get used to not having the little fingerprint button but the facial recognition is working just fine. It's a little disconcerting to pick it up and have it unlock just by looking at it.

I can also now download some much needed applications that will be very helpful when I'm flying. Things like a weather forecast app, an app that contains info about local airports and an app that calculates cross winds on any runway based on current wind forecasts.

Oh, and also maybe some games...

⧫
The Red Sox managed to lose another game last night but I'm not ready to declare they are in a slump. Three losses in a row does not come close to offsetting the 22 wins they've had so far this season. They are still in first place in the ALEast and second place in the American League.

Tonight is the final game against the Athletics so I'm hoping Richards pitches like he did during his last outing. They need a win to avoid being swept.

⧫
The Bruins first playoff game against the Capitals is this Saturday at 7:30. Fortunately, the Red Sox game scheduled for that day will start at 4:10. That means I probably won't have to do much in the way of channel flipping.

I'm not entirely sure I'm right about this but it appears that all rounds will be best of seven series. Here are the brackets as they stand right now (the west has not yet been finalized):

⧫
I've eaten dinner and I'm ready to watch some baseball.

While I enjoy my normal, relaxed evening, you can enjoy these:

• If I see you wearing one of these, I will make it a life goal to slap it off your head.



• Only in a Walmart.



• Australia: What doesn't try to kill ya, falls from the sky and probably tries to kill ya.



• When hunting them from a helicopter, do you use a 12 gauge with #8 shot or a .22?



• Underperforming Roosters would be a fantastic name for a 1960s dance group.



• It's about time they said something.

Long day

I had a physical this afternoon, or as I like to call them, my annual lecture on weight gain and laziness.

After that, I went to Tommy's & hung out with the boys and now I'm watching the Red Sox.

That means I had no time for news or links.

• This is another one of those things that I'm amazed needs to be said out loud.



• Happy Mothers Day!



• Only in Florida.

No sweep for the Red Sox

They lost to the Orioles last night 4-1. They are still in first place in the MLB, they just had an off night.

Tonight starts a 3-game series against the Athletics. This should be a good series because the Athletics are a pretty damned good team. They are first in the ALWest division and second behind the Red Sox in the American League.

⧫
The Bruins won last night, securing their third place spot in the divisional playoffs. They are currently two points behind the Capitals and as luck would have it, they are playing the Capitals tonight. That means if they win and pick up the two points, they will be tied for second place with the Capitals. From what I can tell, the tie-breaker has to do with the points from regulation wins (not OT wins) which means the Capitals will be the second place team.

I guess will know tomorrow where things stand. No matter how tonights game turns out and how the tie breaker is determined, the Bruins will at least be in third place and they will travel to Washington to play the Capitals in the divisionals.

And one of these days, the NHL may actually tell us when that is going to happen...

⧫
My old boss quit and moved to Texas so I have a new boss.

He's a good guy and I get along with him just fine which is good because after today's fiasco with the stock market, I'm not quite ready to retire.

⧫
I will once again be flipping back & forth between NESN and NESN+ at 7:00 this evening but for right now, I am watching the Worcester Red Sox play the Syracuse Mets. I love watching the kids play ball.

Here are some links for you to enjoy:

• I realize this may come as a shock to some of you but I’m pretty sure Krazy Kim is full of shit.



• Remember the other day when I advised you to get ready for higher gas prices...



• What do you do when there is a recall election coming up and it looks like you’re about to be kicked out of office? You throw money at the voters, that's what you do.



• I’m always amazed that things like this need to be said out loud...



• Sometimes a banana is just a banana.



• UConn Moose would be a fantastic name for a 1950's rockabilly band.

Has anyone accused her of lying?

Former Vice President Dick Cheney's little girl, Congresswoman Liz Cheney, is a member of congress from Wyoming and the current House Republican Conference Chair. To be honest with you, I have no idea what the House Republican Conference is nor do I know what the role of it's Chair is but I do know that Liz Cheney has been calling Donald Trump out every time he says the 2020 Presidential election was stolen from him.

I personally think Donald Trump lost the election fair and square. I also believe Donald is practitioner of the Joseph Goebbels school of propaganda:

If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.

Near as i can tell, Trump's entire life has been a lie. He lies about how he acquired his wealth, claiming he built his "billion dollar" real estate empire from "a small loan from his father". It was actually built upon a rather large loan from his father followed by a significant inheritance upon his fathers death.

As most of you know, I don't like Trump. I didn't like him before he ran for president but he really pissed me off the minute he called John McCain a loser.

But all that aside, Liz Cheney is calling Trump out every time he tells his lie about the election and because of that, the Republican leadership is trying to oust her from her chair. Basically they are a dysfunctional family in the middle of a war over who is the boss of who.

My question is pretty simple: Of all the republicans trying to oust Cheney from her role as chair, have any of them called her a liar for saying that Trump is lying? Are any of them willing to go on record to accuse her of lying about the election?

The short answer is, no, none of them want to go on record accusing her of lying because they all know she is telling the truth about Trump's lie.

The Republican Party is done. It's tearing itself apart from the inside out. It's fast becoming irrelevant and I predict a new party made up of like-minded independents (constitutionalist perhaps?) will one day form to fill the void left by the GOP.

⧫
My wife and I both need to get new cell phones.

My phone is at least 7 years old (it's an iPhone 6) and while it works like a champ when it comes to texting and talking, it's beginning to fall down on the job when it comes to finding things on the internet and providing that much-needed GPS service I find so helpful.

My wife's phone isn't much newer (it's a first-gen iPhone SE) and it not only can't handle any modern applications, it's constantly out of memory and it's having problems interacting with her other Apple products.

The problem is, it's been so long since we bought cell phones, we don't know what the new ones are like. We need to see them and at some point this week, we'll be heading over to the Verizon store and seeing what's what.

Oh, and for the record, neither one of us likes change so this should be interesting.

⧫
The Red Sox and the Orioles play game four of their four-game series at 7:00 tonight.

The Bruins and the Islanders drop puck at 7:00 tonight.

That means I have another evening of flip-flopping between NESN and NESN+

I also really hope the Bruins win tonight because if they lose, the Islanders will move back into third place and the Bruins will end up in fourth place.

Third place is better than fourth...

⧫
Here are some links you should consider looking at:

• This is both pretty cool and kinda terrifying.



• Only in Florida.



• Key phrase in this story: "...is now said to be in a stable emotional and physical condition."



• New Zealand: Australia ain't the only place that will try to kill ya.



• Key phrase in this story: "...people think I’m crazy."



• I wonder if these people have read this story.

Happy Mothers Day to all you moms.

And if you aren't a mom, you should tell someone who is a mom to have a good day.

⧫
The Red Sox trounced the Orioles last night 11-6 and I managed to stay awake until the 8th inning. At that point, I was falling asleep sitting up so I figured going to bed was a far better option than waking up around 3:00 in the morning in a sitting position with a stiff neck and screwed-up back.

This afternoon's game was a bit of a squeaker and it ended with the Red Sox winning 4-3.

They had two chances to really blow it open when they had the bases loaded but they just couldn't drive anyone in. That seems to be an ongoing Red Sox curse - leaving runners on base.

⧫
Not much else going on that merits my attention.

How about we just get to the links:

• Everybody can breath a sigh of relief now.



• I'm not entirely sure what this means but I bet a lot of people who bet on him are pissed off.



• Key phrase in this story: "Word on the street is it's a great place to live!"



• If I'm at the beach and you show up with on of these, I'm pouring sand in the gas tank.



• Australia: What doesn't try to kill ya, uses your car as the nursery from hell.



• Key phrase in this story: "He was just barking in the car and I walked past the car and I thought it was supposed to be a dog I was dog walking."

The string is strung

The "tomato trellis" project is done.

All that needs to happen now is planting the rest of the tomatoes and watching them grow.

⧫
The Bruins played the Rangers for the last time this season this afternoon, losing to them 5-4 but retaining their third place position over the Islanders. If the Islanders win tonight, the Bruins will still retain third place because they currently have a 3 point lead and a win tonight will only give the Islanders 2 points.

Next up is the Islanders on Monday and then the Capitals on Tuesday. That will end the Bruins regular season and they will get ready for the playoffs.

Speaking of the playoffs, the NHL has not yet announced a schedule. They were originally going to start this Tuesday but a lot of teams had games postponed due to covid and now it looks like the regular season will end on the 19th of May. I suspect playoffs will start around the 21st because the NHL doesn't want to push the start date back too far.

No matter when they start, the Bruins will be well-rested and ready to go. The only question is who will they be playing.

In the divisional playoffs, the #1 will play the #4 and the #2 will play the #3. If the season were to end today, the Bruins would go to Washington to play the Capitals and the Islanders would go to Pittsburgh to play the Penguins. Then the winner of 1-4 will play the winner of 2-3. The winner of each of those will play each other to decide the divisional winner.

After the division winners are determined, they will reseed each surviving team one through four and start the Stanley Cup semi-finals. It will also be a 1-4 and 2-3 matchup with the winners going on to the Stanley Cup finals.

⧫
The Red Sox won last night but due to a hour-plus rain-delay, I was only able to watch the first 3 innings before falling sound asleep on my couch, waking up and going to bed.

With that win, they are once again in first place in the majors:

They play game two against the Orioles tonight with Richards on the mound.

For the record, Richards worries me but his last two outings have been pretty good. If he does well again tonight, I will stop worrying about him.

⧫
If you are interested in links, here are a few:

• If you don't hear from me on Monday, you'll know why.



• Great. Just freakin' great. You realize this means they'll just start dumping it in surrounding towns.



• Those things will grow anywhere.



• Get ready for a huge jump in gas prices.



• Australia: This is actually kinda funny.



• I'm not going through that shortage shit again. I'm stocking up.

I stayed busy today

Not much time spent reading news sights an looking for links. That means you don't get much from me today.

I will say that the Bruins won last night and are now three points ahead of the Islanders and firmly in third place. They are still two points behind the Capitals and since they only have three games left in the season, I doubt they'll overcome that two point deficit.

All that matters at this point is that they are in the playoffs.

⧫
The Red Sox are in Baltimore to start a four game series against the Orioles. The Orioles are currently in last place in the ALEast so I'm really hoping the Red Sox sweep them.

While I go pick up some pizza and settle in to watch the Red Sox, you can click on these links:

• Australia: You never know what is living in your house.



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



• Her mugshot indicates she's not very upset about her situation.



• Key idiotic phrase in this story: "...celebrating someone's birthday..."



• This is like putting a Red Lobster in the seaport district in Boston.

My lawn looks pretty good

Last year was hard on my lawn. The drought pretty much turned it brown and killed off several areas. With all the rain we've had recently, my lawn has made a pretty good comeback.

There are quite a few bare spots from where the grass died and never came back but they are shrinking as the season goes on. I'm hoping that by the time June gets here, they will have filled in a bit more.

Just in time for this year's drought to kill them off again...

⧫
The Red Sox lost last night but won this afternoon and it's all about the hitting. The normal hitters did pretty good with Martinez, Devers, Bogaerts and Plawecki getting at least two hits each but the surprise of the day was Cordero.

Cordero is currently hitting .177 and was scheduled to be on the bench today but he was called upon in the first inning to pinch run for Hernandez. After crossing the plate to score a run, he stayed in the game, got himself three hits and an RBI.

As for Hernandez, he came out of the game after hitting a double in the first inning. While running to second base, he experienced some hamstring issues. Hopefully it's just a tight hamstring and he'll be fine for tomorrow or Saturday down in Baltimore. He's been playing some pretty good baseball lately and the Red Sox need him in the lineup.

⧫
Burgers for dinner and then hockey. Hopefully the Bruins can beat the Rangers tonight and secure that third place slot in the east.

Here are some links:

• He was a great baseball player who should have retired 2 years ago.



• Texas: The Wild West.



• Holy Shit!



• Only in Florida.



• Let me remind you that, for the most part, it's usually some overweight 55 year old that wants this.



• Key words in this story: 'Home-Made Boat' and '$4.00 Pool Noodle'.

Still in third place

Despite losing last night, the Bruins remain in third place behind the Capitals and one point ahead of the Islanders

They, along with the Islanders, are off tonight so there will be no change in the standings until tomorrow night.

⧫
The Red Sox won last night and maintain their first place spot in the ALEast. What's even more impressive is that with their sweep of the Tigers and their win over the Astros last night, the Yankees have moved from last place to second place in the ALEast.

My buddies, BillE and Jimmy, the Yankees fans, are suddenly feeling pretty good about things.

⧫
I can't figure out why the media is still talking about Donald Trump. There are at least a dozen stories about his new blog, the fact that Facebook said he is still banned and his constant whining about how he really won the 2020 election and everyone who says differently is a big fat liar.

They need to find something else to talk about. All they're doing is giving him free publicity. Trump loves publicity almost as much as he loves money.

Oh, and by the way, if you are willing to pay $15.00 for 10 plastic drinking straw, you are a gullible moron.

⧫
Enjoy these links:

• Australia: What doesn't kill ya, creeps you out a little bit.



• If you had any plans to climb Mount Everest, you should probably hold off for a bit.



• Key phrase in this story: "Oh, not again. This is not happening."



• Oh Canada.



• I gotta ask, who the hell decided study this?



• Key phrase in this story: "...envisions a world in which young people make positive decisions..."

The Bruins are in the playoffs.

With last nights win over the Devils, the Bruins moved into third place in the east as well as securing a playoff spot. As I understand it, they are now playing for home ice advantage.

They play the Devils again this evening and if they win, they pick up another two points. If the Flyers and beat the Penguins, which is doubtful, the Bruins will be one point away from second place.

Playoff hockey is the best hockey.

⧫
As for the Red Sox, they are at home in Boston taking on the Tigers.

It should be a good game to watch if only because the Tigers kind of suck right now but we get to watch Miggy Cabrera who, as far as I'm concerned, is a hell of a baseball player and an all-around funny guy.

⧫
I found this on the interwebs and it made me laugh:

⧫
While I spend my evening flipping between the Bruins and the Red Sox, you can click on these:

• Isn't this how WWII started?



• Some people are idiots. Some people are lucky. This guy is a lucky idiot.



• Only in Florida.



• I don't think she is mentally unstable. I think she wants to be left the hell alone.



• I'm also pretty sure he wants to be left the hell alone as well.



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

Quiet day

After I finished working, I trimmed back all the dead crap from a small tree we have in our front yard. After that, it was bad television while writing some test programs.

All I have to add to that is C++ is a pain in the ass.

⧫
I don't really have anything else to prattle on about.

What I do have are these links:

• This is kinda cool.



• There are going to be a lof of fully-vaccinated drunks wandering around New Jersey.



• Heads up everybody...



• Apparently there is a worlds record for everything.



• And when I say "everything", I mean everything.



• Add this to the list of things I didn't need to know about.

Yard and gardens are done

I mowed my lawn (with my shiny new lawn mower blades) and my wife finished up weeding and mulching her gardens around the front and side of the house. She still has to do around the back but she can do that at her leisure. I picked up 10 more bags of mulch this afternoon so she has more than enough to do the back garden.

I also managed to replace one of the porch screens and install some hooks on the soffit above my daughters garden. Those hooks will hold string that will support the tomatoes she is planting. We did this one year and the tomato plants climbed the strings all the way up to the gutter so we're hoping the same will happen this year.

Well, my daughter is hoping. I don't like tomatoes so I don't really care.

⧫
The Red Sox lost last night and again this afternoon. This means the series goes to the Rangers 3-1.

The Red Sox are still in first place in the ALEast but are now half a game behind the Royals in the American League.

Tomorrow they return home to Boston where they will start a three game series against the Tigers.

⧫
No hockey tonight but I do have some curling on the DVR.

Here are some links:

• Only in Florida.



• Key entry from our favorite police log: "2:49 a.m. A woman in the midst of reporting something said she was going to sleep and hung up."



• I don't know who the manager of Mavis Discount Tire is but he's the newest member of the A-Team.



• Key tweet in this story about how we don't pay cops enough: "at least one officer heading home for 30/40 minutes to get a change of clothes."



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



• I've been to the shore of Lake Michigan and all I remember about it is it smelled like a swamp.

Good day all around

Today was the day my nephew graduated from Norwich University and became a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force:

Since they are all vaccinated, his very proud mom, dad & brother were able to attend his graduation and commissioning ceremony.

⧫
Turns out I should probably replace the blades on my lawn tractor more often.

I decided to drop the deck on the tractor this morning so I could clean all the caked grass off. When I flipped it over, I noticed that the blades were no longer straight, one of the lift fins on one blade was snapped off and the remaining lift fins only had a quarter inch of metal holding them on.

So after a quick jaunt to Lowes to pick up two new blades, I installed them, put the deck back on and started the tractor. Then I engaged the blades and...

...nothing happened.

Turns out I forgot to thread the belt through the tensioning pulleys. So I fiddled with that for a bit and managed to get the belt back in place without having to drop the deck again. Then I restarted the tractor, engaged the blades and...

...everything worked like a charm.

I once again have a lawn mower that cuts the grass instead of shredding it with dull, mishapen, out-of-balance pieces of steel.

⧫
The Bruins beat the Sabres 6-2 this afternoon and they are currently in third place in the east with 66 points. The Islanders play the Rangers tonight and I hope they lose. If they win, the Bruins will fall back into fourth. But for right now, they are in third.

Speaking of standings, with last night's win over the Rangers, the Red Sox are not only in first place in the American League, they are in first place in all of the MLB:

I gotta tell you, this Red Sox team is impressing the crap out of me. They have good solid pitching, excellent front-of-the-order hitting and if the back-of-the-order starts hitting, they will be a very difficult team to beat.

My feelings, and they are just my feelings, is that they should send Cordero down to Worcester so he can figure out what his bat is for and bring up Duran, Downs or Chavis. Cordero should be hitting the ball but he's not. Get him the help he needs to figure out what is wrong and give one of the other guys a shot at the big team.

⧫
So now I'm going to watch the Red Sox.

You can click on these:

• Key phrase in this story: "...it is likely to be one of the biggest blockages Severn Trent has ever dealt with."



• If you're gonna rob a guy, you should probably wait until he no longer has a death-squirter in his hands.



• Fat-footed Tyrannosaur would be a pretty good name for a 1980s high-school garage band.



• Isn't Death Valley a hot, lifeless desert?



• Oh Canada.