Got in some fun today

My daughter and I decided we wanted to go kill some paper today so we went to the range this afternoon. I was concerned that since it was a beautiful Saturday afternoon the ranges would all be occupied and we would have to wait but we were pretty surprised to find there were only four others there.

We went to the last range in the line and set up our target about 100 feet down range. I quickly discovered that the sights on my rifle were off so I spent a few minutes zeroing that in and then handed it off to my daughter.

She did this:

She's still a little rocky with the pistol but she consistently puts at least 5 out of 8 rounds into the target from 50 feet or so. She may not be grouping them on the bullseye but those targets are about as big as a man's chest. That means if she had to, she could hit an assailant in the chest 5 or 6 times.

Ain't nobody gets up off the floor after that...

I am, as always, the proud dad.

⧫
The Rays kicked the shit out of the Red Sox last night and are now only half a game behind tham in the ALEast.

It's going to be a tough second half of the season simply because the Yankees made themselves a lot better, the Blue Jays made themselves a little better and the Red Sox traded for a guy on the DL...

Man, I hope Bloom knows what he's doing. I also hope Sale makes his return soon and he is in top form.

I would love to see a rotation that has Sale, Eovaldi, Rodriguez, Perez and Houck in it. That would a pretty great rotation.

⧫
Time to watch some baseball.

You are more then welcome to visit these links if you want:

• Apparently this is how geese pick up chicks.



• I live in a substantial county.



• Dragon Penis would be a fantastic name for a 1990s grunge band.



• Well, guess I'm never moving to California.



• Key phrase in this story: "In an effort to kill them, she poured the rubbing alcohol in the car and set it on fire.."

Another busy day

Today we spent quite a bit of time cleaning out an apartment and hauling "stuff" back to our house for sorting/donating/disposal.

It's amazing how much crap one person can accumulate in a small three room apartment.

Next up will be scheduling a mover to haul the furniture back to our place so we can go through the whole sorting/donating/disposal thing all over again.

My wife is really enjoying being an only child...

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So the Blue Jays kicked the crap out of the Red Sox last night. Rodriguez did not have a good game and the bullpen didn't fair much better.

The final score of the game was 13-1 so that should tell you how bad of game they had.

In other Red Sox news, they acquired Kyle Schwarber from the Nationals. He's on the DL right now but what the hell, let's trade for him anyways!

Basically, they needed a left handed bat in their lineup and Schwarber is a pretty good left handed bat. Oh, and he can play first base.

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Like I said, busy day for us so this is short.

Here are some links:

• Isn't this how the movie The Andromeda Strain started?



• How do you explain to someone that you misplaced their radiactive stuff?



• Key phrase in this story: "...the mastermind of the toilets..."



• Ouch.



• Me too!



• Key phrase in this story: "Masturbation has a range of health benefits."

They flipped the score

Yesterday, the Red Sox lost the first game of the double-header 4-1. Then they won the second game of the double header 4-1.

The new kid, Duran, managed to hit an in-the-park home run that the official scorer ruled a triple and an error. Personally, I think it was a home run but since the outfielder had a small bobble, the scorer decided to give him an error.

Hopefully they get tonights game in. The Weather Channel forecast for Boston shows a 20% chance of rain between 7:00 and 10:00 tonight which means there is an 80% chance it will not rain between 7:00 and 10:00 tonight.

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Time for an update on the tomatoes:

The picture on the left is from May when my daughter first planted her tomatoes. The one on the right is from yesterday.

There are currently dozens, if not hundreds, of cherry tomatoes and dozens of Roma tomatoes. They are beginning to turn red so we are expecting a bountiful harvest in the near future.

By the way, I hate raw tomatoes. I will eat them cooked as a sauce, I put ketchup on my fries and I'll even eat stewed tomatoes but raw tomatoes taste like shit to me.

Well, maybe not "like shit" since I don't know what shit tastes like. Let's just leave it at "they taste terrible to me".

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I'm going to figure out what to make for dinner and then hopefully watch a baseball game.

I didn't find a lot of links but what I did find are here:

• So now who am I going to buy a vegamatic, some hair-in-a-can or a pocket fisherman from?
  (Gotta give him credit, he was smart and his commercials were so popular that Saturday Night Live did a skit about them.)



• I kinda hope they don't do this.



• Well, this sounds awful...



• Only in Florida.

Double header baseball

The Blue Jays / Red Sox game got rained out last night so they played a double header today. First game was at 2:00 and the second game will be at 7:00.

The Red Sox started their day with a two game lead in the ALEast because the Yankees were kind enough to beat the Rays last night. Then they went and lost the first game of today's double header, leaving them one and a half games up in the ALEast.

I'm really hoping they win the second game so they can increase (or maintain if the Rays beat the Yankees tonight) that division lead. Having a two game lead is better than having a one game lead.

⧫
The CDC is close to issuing a mask mandate where we will all be told to wear masks again. I don't care about that but if they start closing down bars again and my buddy has to close up shop, I'm gonna be pissed. He won't survive a second round of shutdown, he'll end up closing down permanently and a dozen folks that work for him will lose their jobs.

You know, even though we already had the 'rona (my wife, my daughter and myself all had it back in January), we all went and got vaccinated because in our world, a responsible human being takes the appropriate measures to protect himself, his family, and those within his society.

In other words, we got the shot because it's the only way to beat this virus back and get back to living like normal people.

Unfortunately, there seems to be a large number of people that don't give a shit about the rest of us and have decided to listen to the paranoid snowflakes out there that think the shot is going to kill you.

The vaccination is not going to kill you. Your stupidity is going to kill you. And until it does kill you, the rest of us have to go back to wearing a mask so we minimize the risk of infecting you.

Grow up, stop listening to the lies and get yourself vaccinated against a disease that is killing people on a pretty regular basis. It's either that or go to a covid ward and get yourself infected. Then you can either die or develop antibodies "naturally".

⧫
Any law enforcement officer that still thinks Trump has his back, you might want to rethink that thought.

Yes, Barack police acted stupidly Obama threw you all under a bus, then got in the bus and drove it back & forth over you for 8 long years. Yes, Elizabeth I'm gonne get me, uh, a beer Warren called you all racists, top to bottom. Yes, Donald I'm smarter than all those generals Trump told you he loved you but he said that much like a 23 year old guy in a bar five beers into a short night, hitting on some girl, trying to get laid.

He doesn't love you, he wanted to screw you.

Remember the testimony of those four guys if Trump decides to run again in 2024 and starts telling you he loves you.

I realize that we may only have a choice between Goofy Joe and The Donald. Just remember that the mob that attacked the capital and assaulted those cops was sent there by Trump.

And that is all I'm going to say about that.

⧫
Time to make some dinner and then watch the second game.

Here are some links:

• Monkeys Clash would be the name of the band made up of Peter Tork, Joe Strummer, Mickey Dolenz, Mick Jones, Michael Naismith, Paul Simonon, Davy Jones and Topper Headon.



• If you act like an arrogant asshole, eventually even your friends decide you're an arrogant asshole.



• I don't like their pizza and I really don't like their clothes.



• You gotta love dogs.



• New York City: Even the sidewalks try to kill you.



• Key phrase in this story: "Connally does not have a lawyer listed in court records, and was unable to be reached for comment."

They keep finding ways to win

When I went to bed last night, the score was 4-3 in favor of the Blue Jays. When I woke up this morning, I found that in the eighth inning, Renfro walked and then Verdugo hit a home run, giving the Red Sox a 5-4 lead. They held that lead when Barnes got the first three Blue Jay batters to hit into outs.

They just keep finding ways to win.

As of right now they hold a one and a half game lead in the ALEast and a one game lead in the AMerican League.

This could get interesting because tonight the Rays (second place in the ALEast) are playing the Yankees and I'm really hoping the Yankees suddenly get good. That would knock the Rays back a notch or two.

⧫
As I said yesterday, we are still busy. Today was spent working and then moving some personal belongings from one abode to another. Then we met with some finance folk and some legal folk to make sure all is well. Also, numerous phone calls were made to various places with changes of address.

I'll tell ya, moving someone from one place to another is a pain in the butt. Specially when the person being moved not only can't help, they actually make it hard to complete the tasks that are necessary.

It sucks getting old but I hope that when I'm at the end of my life, I hope I've planned things so my children don't have to do much of anything except visit occasionally. I hope I'm also capable of accepting the inevitable and I don't spend one moment of my remaining days being a miserable cuss, making life difficult for others.

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Having said that, I'm now done for the day and it's time to post some links.

Here they are:

• Never threaten a guy who owns a tank. Who knows what else he's got stashed away..



• Free the Weed!



• This is why women live longer than men.



• Louisiana: Just down the road from Florida...



• It's not vandalism. It's cleaning.



• Another reason I don't go to New York City.

Still busy

Like I said yesterday, we have a lot going on and today was no exception.

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With yesterday's win and the Rays loss, the Red Sox maintain a one game first place lead in the ALEast and they are tied with the Astros for first place in the American League.

Tonight's game against the Blue Jays features Pivetta on the mound.

Let's hope they win again tonight.

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I found these two pictures and thought they were funny.

First up is some gardening tips:

Here is a some workout encouragement:

The internet is a wonderful place...

⧫
Time for some dinner and then some baseball.

Enjoy these links:

• Apparently Michelangelo was a butt man.



• Key phrase in this story: "The IOC generally has the moral compass of a KGB hit man..."



• Someone really hates sparklers.



• Key phrase in this story: "I’m just kind of turning it and that’s when I saw arms, and like, the little guts sticking out."

They appear to be slumping.

Don't get me wrong, it's not a terrible, long-term slump but yesterday's loss to the Yankees makes me wonder if the hitters aren't having some issues or are simply in a group funk.

Last night was one they should have won but didn't. Despite the Red Sox going up 3-0 over the first three innings, the Yankees managed to score four runs in the eighth and the Red Sox managed to lose 4-3.

As for today, the Red Sox went seven innings without a hit and in the middle of the eighth inning, the score was 4-0 Yankees.

Then they got serious about this game...

They got their first hit in the eighth when Verdugo hit a double out to center.

They scored their first run when Renfro hit a double, driving Verdugo home.

Then things really happened when both Vasquez and Cordero hit singles. The score was not 4-2 Yankees but the Red Sox had runners on first and second and their hottest hitter, Hernandez, coming to the plate.

Hernandez hit a double, driving in Vazquez and moving Cordero to third. This made the score 4-3 Yankees, runners on second & third and no outs.

Next up was Plawecki who hit a bouncer to the short stop. Plawecki was out at first but he drove in Cordero, tying the game 4-4 and moving Hernandez to third.

That was when Bogaerts hit a fly to right that was deep enough to drive Hernandez home and giving the Red Sox a 5-4 lead.

So in one inning, they went from being no-hit and down four runs to having five hits, scoring five runs and taking a one run lead.

Barnes came in to close out the ninth inning. The first two batters went quickly but Stanton managed to hit a single. Then Odor came up and proceeded to hit a infield fly that was caught by Devers, ending the game and giving the Red Sox the win.

It was a hell of a comeback win.

⧫
The summer olympics are going on and I have no desire to watch the traditional sports. I'm more of a winter olympics kind of guy but there are some events at the summer olympics that I find entertaining.

Today I watched some table tennis and then some kayaking.

Table tennis is a fast game that requires extreme reactions and kayaking requires immense skill with a apddle and incredible upper-body strength.

Don't get me wrong, they're not curling but they are interesting to watch. Way more interesting than "dressage" or "artistic swimming" but they just don't match the thrill of curling.

Other events I'll watch are baseball, archery, field hockey and some of the shooting events. Skeet shooting is always fascinating to watch.

⧫
Time for some dinner and then maybe I'll watch the mens archery prelims. Or Americans Funnist Video's. I don't know yet.

Here are some links for you:

• Well, guess I'm a moron now.



• This is one tough little dog.



• Key West: The part of Florida that even Floridians think is weird.



• Chair Wielding Gisborne Grannies would be a fantastic name for a 1970s female wrestling tag team.



• Admit it we all wanted to do this.



• Only in Florida.

Sorry about yesterday

We are still dealing with some transitional stuff in our family so my wife is spending all of her non-working time meeting with folks to discuss my mother-in-law's next steps in life or doing research into next steps. Since my wife is an only child, it's all on her to take care of her mom and I'm trying to be as helpful / supportive as I can be. Hopefully things will begin to slow in the next two weeks or so.

Having said that, I'm really hoping that I have planned our lives well enough that my children will not have to go through what we are going through.

⧫
So the Red Sox have taken two of four from the Yankees.

I was talking to a friend who is a Yankees fan and we both agreed that the worst thing the Yankees have done in the last few years was hand Stanton a giant contract and then try to hype him up like he's the second coming of Joe Dimaggio.

He's not Dimaggio. He's a drain on resources that could have been put to better use.

The best thing the Yankees have done is continue giving Gardner one-year contracts. That guy is a solid fielder and a consistent hitter. He puts Stanton to shame.

Having said that, as a Red Sox fan, I'm very happy that Stanton sucks.

As for today's game, it started at 4:00 and the Red Sox are currently up 3-0 going into the bottom of the 4th inning. It's a good start but a bigger lead would be better.

⧫
Enjoy these links while I watch the rest of this game.

• It's a good bet that the statement, "in some cases the member may have to be amputated" means that in some cases, they've had to do just that.



• I would not have guessed that those things are flammable.



• When he decided to steal it, did he say to himself, "Man, that looks like a sweet ride!"



• Key phrase in this story: "...striking police with a metal whip."



• Key entry from our favorite police log: "10:33 a.m. Two friendly dogs followed someone home."



• Summer camp in New Hampshire isn't quite what I thought it would be.



• I've owned firearms for more than 50 years and never once have I "forgotten" when I had one in my possession.

Oops

It was a busy day and I forgot to post.

Oh well. I'll make up for it tomorrow

The Toronto Blue Jays played their last home game in Buffalo, NY last night and it didn't go their way because the Redx Sox beat them 7-4.

Hernandez is living up to his reputation as a super-utility player by hitting the ball a ton and playing all the positions he's put in pretty damned well. Devers is still in a bit of a funk but it's not what I would call a slump. He's getting on base either by hitting the ball or drawing a walk. Verdugo and Dalbec need to get out of their respective slumps but even in a slump, they both play the game really well and it would be a bad idea to send them back down to the minors.

They are back in Boston tonight to start a four game series against the Yankees. Hopefully they get revenge for losing two out of three in their series in New York last week.

⧫
I'm going to make some dinner and then watch some baseball.

Here are some links:

• If they do this, my first question is going to be, "Why did I get vaccinated?"



• As much as I dislike Goodell, I can't say I disagree with him...



• Beaver Explosion would be a great name for a 1990s porno movie.



• Key phrase in this story: "We don’t tolerate that crap with us at all. So you can find another carrier to fly with. I'd suggest Spirit."



• The latest Hollywood blockbuster: That one time I got my ass kicked by a shrimp...



• Key phrase in this story: "I do not even know the name of the owner of the car to be honest."

I guess it rains in Buffalo...

Last night's ball game was postponed until August 7th because it was raining.

They now have two doubleheaders to play in August.

Tonight's game looks like it just might happen since no rain is predicted for Buffalo, or anywhere else in upstate New York for that matter.

⧫
Went for my annual CT scan this morning and once again, they didn't found anything in their preliminary look-see. Simply because there is nothing to find.

I said last year I wasn't going to do this anymore but my doctor talked me into it. I think this year, however, is it. When I next see my primary care guy, I'm going to call it quits with this.

I haven't had a cigarette in 10 years (although I miss them a lot) and I've been sitting through these CT scans for at least 5 years now. Nothing has changed in them which means my lungs are fine.

In much the same way I do not like legislating for the sake of legislating, I do not like medicine for the sake of medicine.

And since we're on a roll with my medical stuff, my blood pressure, my glucose, my cholesterol and my PSAs are all just fine & dandy, thank you very much.

⧫
I'm going to eat some KFC and then watch some baseball.

Here are today's links:

• Only in Florida.
  (Man, she is one hard-looking 42 year old)



• This is how most sci-fi/horror movies start.
  (I love this stuff. I hope they succeed in bringing samples back.)



• Speaking of the opening scene in a sci-fi/horror movie...



• Key phrase in this story: "...left with 10,000 t-shirts that incorrectly read #FreeBrittany - the name of France’s northwesternmost region."



• Key phrase in this story: "...a guy in waders."



• Only in Florida.



• I personally feel this is justification for the death penalty.

Busy day

I ran some errands and then stopped to help Tommy with his new MacBook.

That means I was gone all day and didn't have a lot of time to surf the webs.

Also, there is baseball so I want to watch that.

Enjoy these links:

• I actually like Taco Bell.



• Apparently there isn't much in the way of news on The Cape.



• Sex-starved Mosquitoes would be a great name for a 1990's punk rock band.



• We don't pay cops enough.



• Only in Florida.



• Didn't Paul Mccartney sing the song, "Bull On The Run"?

There is a first time for everything

The Yankees managed to beat up on the Red Sox last night, winning the game 9-1. Since the four game series was shortened to three games, that means the Yankees won the series.

Their record against the Red Sox is now 2-7

The Red Sox are in Buffalo to play the Blue Jays tonight and thankfully, the game is on NESN. That means I don't have to listen to Alex Look at me! Rodriguez and Matt I love when Alex calls me Matty! Vasgersian bumble their way through the game.

At least last night broadcast didn't include Jessica These two are creeping me out! Mendoza. Her primary role in the booth seems to be to fend off the awkward 14-year-old-boy-moves those two idiots constantly put on her.

⧫
First is was Russia. Now it's China. Tomorrow it'll probably be Canada...

Goofy Joe and his minions have no idea who it is so I guess they’re standing out on the balcony, blasting away with a shotgun, hoping they eventually hit something.

Look, I have no idea who is convincing people to install ransomware. I do know that it's not "hackers". No one is hacking your computer. If you end up with ransomware on your computer it's because you installed it.

Maybe it was a free game you downloaded. Maybe it was a scam email claiming you had a package that couldn't be delivered. Maybe it was the guy with the Jamaican accent who claimed to be from Microsoft and offering to fix your computer.

The best way to prevent any problems with your computer is to be skeptical and untrusting. And to remember that nothing is free. Everything, including facebook, costs you something.

Oh, and get yourself a nice shotgun because according to Goofy Joe, that's the solution to all of life's little problems.

⧫
According to the Weather Channel, there is no rain falling in Buffalo so it looks like I'm going to watch baseball this evening.

While I do that, you can think about visiting these links:

• For the record, this guy, who says, "If I had any idea that the protest would escalate the way it did, I would never have ventured farther than the sidewalk of Pennsylvania Avenue" was wearing googles to protect his eyes from tear gas and was carrying a bag filled with zip ties & latex gloves.



• To all my law enforcement family and friends: Watch your back and retire as early as possible.



• This is why I call him "Goofy Joe"...



• I've worked with computers since 1980 and based on my 40+ years of experience, this makes me nervous.



• Key phrase in this video: "Holy shit..."



• Speaking of Holy shit...



• Key phrase in this story: "...key groups of people don’t answer polls in the first place."



• I'm going to say it again: They should just postpone this thing.

Two down, one to go.

The Red Sox lost a rain-shortened game last night. It was one of those games where the home team took a lead in the sixth inning and suddenly decided the field had become unplayable.

Funny how that works...

I will not be surprised if Steinbrenner tells Cashman to blow it up and make the Yankees sellers. They have a lot of players who are very valuable and could bring in a lot of young prospects. And also drop the Yankees payroll below the luxury tax cap.

Let's face it, baseball is a business and the owners are in it to make money. The more money they can make, the happier they are. Dropping blow the luxury tax cap would make Hal Steinbrenner very very happy.

So anyways, I'm hoping that the Red Sox kick the Yankees ass tonight. They are still in first place in the ALEast, tied for first in the American League and tied for third in the MLB. A win tonight would continue their dominance of the ALEast.

⧫
Remember that picture of the small pond in my backyard? Remember how I said it was probably going to end up in my basement?

Yea, it ended up in my basement.

Well, not all of it.

I ended up with less than an ½ inch over two different areas. One was probably 6 feet by 3 feet and the other was around 2 feet by 3 feet. The small spot over by the bulkhead did manage to find it's way into some carpet we have on the floor for a treadmill but the wet/dry vac was able to draw most of the water out and now the dehumidifier is working it's magic.

Not terrible considering the amount of rainfall we had but still a pain in the ass and not how I wanted to start my morning.

⧫
The other day I was going through some old pictures I have stored on a thumb drive and I came across this one:

It's my brothers truck parked in front of his apartment. I suspect the picture is from 2012 or 2013 and I probably took it as I drove by with the intention of using it to bust his chops about something.

He had his demons but he was a good man and a good brother.

⧫
Still no ammo to be had but rumors are flying about availability becoming a thing in the near future.

While I wait for that to happen, you might want to click on these links:

• Key phrase in this story: "This is going to haunt her for years."



• Billionaires doing billionaire things.



• Key phrase in this story: "Police tell us alcohol was not a factor."



• Key phrase in this story: "...her 78-year-old son Max..."



• $8,000!?!?! Holy crap! This is why I always get my dogs at the pound.

One down, two to go

The Red Sox took care of business last night and beat the Yankees 4-0. Rodriguez pitched a pretty good game and made it through 5 ½ innings to earn the win.

The Yankees would like to think it was because they were without two of their big hitters but the bottom line is even when they have those big hitters, they still have been losing to the Red Sox. They are currently 0-7 against the Red Sox so it's safe to say they probably would have lost if Judge and Urshela were in the lineup. If I were Boone and Cashman, I'd be working on my resumé...

It looks like we'll get to see that kid Duran in this evening's game. He is in the lineup at center field.

Eovaldi is on the mound tonight and I'm hoping he is on top of his game because Cole is on the mound for the Yankees and he is one tough pitcher. The Red Sox can hit him but it's sporadic at best.

⧫
We had a small pond and stream form in our backyard this afternoon.

I suspect that most of that will be in my basement tomorrow morning.

I'm glad I didn't put my wet/dry vac away...

⧫
All you people that haven't gotten vaccinated yet because you don't feel like it can kiss my rosy red ass.

The upside to you deciding that you don't need no stinking vaccine is that the rona will probably kill you or one of your loved ones in the near future. The downside is that it's people like you that are acting like petri dishes for the virus, causing mutations that could one day become immune to the vaccine.

Go to CVS and get your freakin' vaccination before you kill someone.

⧫
According to the Weather Channel's predictive radar, the storms will skirt around the Bronx, missing The Stadium. So while tonights game is delayed, hopefully it doesn't get rained out.

While I pay attention to that, you can visit these:

• Yay!



• Some people have real talent and a sense of humor.



• There is an old saying: "There are no atheists in foxholes."



• Key phrase in this story: "...that they cannot or should not be jumped on..."



• Key load of bullshit in this story: What the world is seeing of Cuba is a lie.



• Only in Florida.

No baseball last night

Seems that 6 members of the Yankees have tested positive for the 'rona so they postponed last nights game. No decision on when it will be played.

As for this evening, the Yankees say they are ready to play so hopefully there will be baseball and hopefully the Yankees can field a team that is better than a little league team.

⧫
My basement was dry until about 5:00 this evening when a small amount of water began seeping in.

So far, the dehumidifier is keeping up but if we get another frog-strangler this evening, I suspect I'll be pulling the wet/dry vac out and spending my time dumping water in my backyard.

⧫
Dinner is consumed and it's almost time for baseball

You might find some interesting things here:

• When facebook or twitter censors someone, that's a private business deciding how their product is used. When the federal government does it, that's a violation of the first amendment.



• Nobody I recognize.



• Sex-Harass Lawyer would be a fantastic name for a 1980's porno movie.



• Oh Canada.



• Only in Florida.



• Seems like maybe a little bit of an over-reaction.

Yes, there is baseball this evening

Rumor has it the Red Sox have called up two of their top prospects to fill in for some injuries or to beef up the rotation. They start a long 18-game run tonight and any help they can add will be welcome.

It appears that Houck, the kid that I always thought should be in the rotation instead of Richards and Duran, the number one prospect in the organization are in New York with the team.

They are bringing Houck up because they want a 6 man rotation during this stretch and they are bringing Duran up because of injuries to their infield.

I suspect Brice and Chavis will be sent back down to make room. Gonzalez is probably going to end up on the DL with his bad hamstring so maybe Chavis will stay up.

I guess we'll know at game time, which is at 7:00 this evening.

⧫
After last night's downpour, I discovered I had to break out the wet/dry vac this morning. The rain came so fast and hard that the ground just didn't have time to absorb it. I had a small puddle near a crack in my basement wall, a small puddle over near my bulkhead and a small puddle where my water pipe comes into the basement.

It wasn't much but it was more than the dehumidifier could reasonably handle so I spent 15-20 minutes vaccuuming the water up and dumping it in the backyard where it will promptly seep into the over-saturated ground and probably run back into my basement...

Anyways, now all the dehumidifier has to do is dry out the damp cement floor.

Well, at least that's my hope.

⧫
Still looking for ammo. I'm having as much fun trying to create a DIY security camera system as I am finding ammunition.

Someone told me that they are starting to see three things happening:

1. The price of lumber is beginning to drop.
2. The stock price of both Pfizer and Moderna is going down.
3. Ammunition is beginning to find its way back onto store shelves.

The first one, when taken along with the fact the number of mortgage applications is declining seems to indicate that the price of a home is going to stabilize and maybe even begin to decline.

The second one is an indication that investors and researchers are under the distinct impression that we will not need a booster. Without the need for a booster, both Moderna and Pfizer lose out on the income that would have been generated by the sales.

The third one is an indicator that manufacturing is ramping back up. Not only ammunition but in all areas. Hopefully we start to see more automobiles, more silicon chips and more batteries in the near future.

More stuff means more people working and lower prices.

⧫
I'm going to watch some baseball.

You can look at these links:

• Australia: What doesn't try to kill ya, wants to go have a beer with you.



• Key phrase in this story: "I wanted to take a tinkle. A tinkle."



• Holy crap! How fast was that guy going?!?



• India: It's not like where you live.



• I've got a solution: A large uniformed federal marshall armed with two or three tasers and 100 zip ties should raise the intellectual level of these idiots.



• Key phrase in this story: "Glad he only lost $120 in cargo."

No baseball tonight

The American League won last nights All Star game.

Tomorrow night, the Red Sox will be in New York City to start a four game series against the Yankees.

After that, they'll go to Buffalo to play a three game series against the Blue Jays.

After that, they'll go back to Boston to play a four game series against the Yankees.

Then, just to change things up, they'll play a four game series against the Blue Jays.

I'm sensing a pattern here...

I'm really hoping they sweep the Yankees again.

⧫
So the federal government has decided that it's expensive to raise kids and parents need some help. They are sending parents of children under 17 years old either $250 or $300 a month, depending on the age of the child.

You know what? They're right. It is expensive to raise kids. Very expensive. I know how expensive it is because we raised three of them.

Here's a thought I had:

$250 per month comes to $3,000 per year.

$3,000 per year over 17 years comes to $51,000 per child.

Having 3 children would result in $153,000.

Where is my $153,000 for raising those three children to adulthood?

I guess I'll have to settle for the possibility of free eye exams, free hearing exams and free dental checkups.

⧫
Dinner was good and now I'm trying to figure out what to do to entertain myself this evening.

Maybe I'll work on my video system. Maybe I'll just fall asleep early.

Here are some links that you can click on if you want:

• Your federal government at work...



• Surprisingly, this is not in Australia.



• Key phrase in this story: "She was upside down too."



• Only in Florida.



• More proof that there are pretty stupid people in our society.



• How come no one takes images of me?

Boring as hell

Once again, the home run derby was boring as hell. I don't know why I start watching that thing every year but I do know why I change the channel after a half hour and watch whatever movie is available. Last night it was "Dr. Strange".

The first "official" home run derby was held in 1985 but before that, back in the early 1960's, someone decided to make a series of short films called "The Home Run Derby" which featured Hank Aaron, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Harmon Killebrew, Ernie Banks, Duke Snider and several other huge names from that era.

Basically it was two guys going up against each other with each one hitting the snot out of the ball and then sitting down for a an interview before getting up to hit the ball again. It was hokey as hell but to us, those guys were giants. They were supermen and to see them talking to the interviewer was like talking to them yourself.

Now it's a bunch of overpaid rich guys hitting the snot out of a juiced ball and then trash talking each other afterwards.

Not something I find entertaining.

⧫
There are a lot of headlines about the fact that one of the Haitian-American dudes who assassinated the president of Haiti was a confidential informant (CI) for the DEA.

My only thought is, "Well, DUH."

Do people think informants are usually nice guys with 9-5 jobs who happen to have some in-depth knowledge of the illegal drug trade?

I'm here to tell you that they aren't. CI's are usually the dregs of society, the lowest of the low. They are criminals who continue to be criminals while also letting the cops know what crimes their friends are committing.

Also, what kind of protection does Haiti provide for its president? Seems to me those 20+ heavily-armed guys waltzed into the president's house and gunned him down without so much as a, "Hey! You over there with the gun. Yea, you. What are you doing?"

⧫
I'm going to eat some dinner and watch an inning or two of the All Star game. Then I'll probably put on some old movie and fall asleep early.

While I do that, you can do these:

• Ladies and Gentlemen - I present to you two of the luckiest, and dumbest, human beings on the planet.



• Art. I just don't understand it



• I'm not sure if this is a truly brilliant idea or a skit from a Monty Python show.



• Key phrase in this story: "100% of the cases reported yesterday were among unvaccinated individuals."



• Key line of bullshit in this story: "They’re also surprisingly resilient."
  Not in my house. Those things would last a week or two, die and end up in my septic tank. Although we did have one pair that lasted almost two years...



• More proof that there are some incredibly stupid people living among us.

Maybe it's what they want.

The taliban now controls 80% of Afghanistan and Afghan army troops are surrendering fast than you can say la-la-la-la-la-la ala akbar!

The media is having a good time saying that this is terrible. They are using headlines like, "Humanitarian Crisis!"

Has it occurred to anyone that this is what the people of Afghanistan want? Maybe they want insane authoritarian religious fanatics to be in charge of their country. Maybe they don't want free and fair elections and instead want their rulers to take power with a gun.

It is, after all, the middle-east. Despite there being three or four machine guns for every man, woman and child in the region, no one seems to want to put up a fight.

As much as I dislike Biden, I have to admit that on this move, he is right. We should not be over there. We did what we set out to do and now it's time to leave.

Don't get me wrong. We should leave a little note on the desk that says:

Hey, taliban.

Do what you want in this country but if you so much as even look in our direction, we will come back with a vengeance. You won't know what hit you.

Sincerely,
The United States.

That note probably won't stop them from poking us but at least they can't say we didn't warn them.

⧫
Billionaire Richard Branson give himself & three of his friends the title "Mission Specialist", boarded a plane and they all went on a multi-million dollar plane ride today. They essentially sat in nice wide first class seats with plenty of legroom on his airplane/rocket and looked out the windows for 15 minutes. They crossed the recognized boundary of space, spent about 3 minutes in space and then came back down to land.

Now they are calling themselves "astronauts".

I have no proof of this but I'm betting the "stewardess" came out and asked them if they wanted coffee during their "astronaut" flight.

Billionaires doing billionaire things.

⧫
The Phillies kicked the shit out of the Reds Sox yesterday, beating them 11-2.

As for today, there was no ass kicking but the Red Sox did lose 5-4. I thought they were going to overcome in the 8th inning when they had the bases loaded but once again they left the runners on base.

So now most of them get the next three days off while 5 of them head to Denver to play in the All Star game.

They open the second half of the season against the Yankees and I really hope they sweep them again.

⧫
Enjoy these links:

• Heads up people: If one of your heavily-armed facebook friends posts something like, "go out in a big way" and they aren't talking about dinner & a movie, maybe you should have a chat with them or let the cops know.



• There is a reason they call it Death Valley.



• Key phrase in this story: "These were peaceful people, these were great people."
  (Trump is a propaganda genius. He knows how to play his cult like Yo Yo Ma knows how to play the fiddle. He makes Joseph Goebbels look like a moron.)



• I never thought I'd say this but it seems like maybe Ted Cruz said something funny.



• Key phrase in this story: "Do you want to die over a minor misdemeanor?"



• If the permafrost is melting, shouldn't it be called tempofrost?

The Phillies took a beat-down last night

The Red Sox beat the crap out of the Phillies last night. The game was a heart attack in the first inning but the other eight innings were all Red Sox. They ended up winning 11-5, giving Richards the win.

This afternoon's game is an ongoing heart attack. Perez didn't have his best stuff and he didn't even last 4 innings. As for the hitters, they just aren't stepping on home plate enough.

The game is currently in the 8th inning and the Phillies are up 6-2. Hopefully the Red Sox turn it on in the 9th but it ain't looking good.

Tomorrow's game will be at 1:00 and it will be the last game before the All Star break. Because of a deal with ESPN, the Red Sox and Yankees only get three days off before they are back at it on Thursday. The players are kinda pissed about that but let's face it, the players get paid a lot of money to play a game so they should play the damned game and stop whining about having to play the game.

Just my uneducated opinion.

⧫
Not much else to prattle on about so I'll just leave you with these links:

• Not all heroes wear capes. Some of them wear cargo shorts, hoodies and baseball caps.



• This thing fascinates me.



• In order to read this story, you need to register but trust me, you do not need to register to know what happened.



• Well, they are stable fill...



• I would not have guessed these were a smuggleable item.



• Damn, I missed it...

Not a busy day

My wife said she was going to leave her mom alone today so she could hopefully settle into the routine of the rehab place. That meant the whole day was ours.

I worked on my little security camera project (no, I don't have it working yet), ran a few errands (looking for ammo) and watched some of the many DVRs stored on my cable box.

Oh, and I kept an eye on my basement because whenever we get rain like this, I get puddles of water.

Usually those puddles are small enough that the dehumidifier dries them out in no time at all but sometimes we end up with a small pond that requires the intervention of a wet vac.

The Dog and The Sisters seem to like it when we have a small pond in the basement but I don't want any small ponds in my basement. And what I want is all that matters.

If you own a home and you don't have a dehumidifier & a wet/dry vac, you are destined for problems.

⧫
The Red Sox are back in Boston to take on the Phillies. This means that todays game starts at 7:10. That means I might be able to watch more than 2 innings.

Richards is on the mound tonight so I'll probably be screaming at my TV because that guy usually sends me into a apoplectic tizzy. The Phillies are a sub-500 team and the Red Sox should sweep them in this three game series

Hopefully tonight is one of those game that Richards pitches well and holds the Phillies to zero runs.

⧫
Time for an update on Donald "I'm the smartest guy in the room!" Trump:

He's still an idiot who doesn't understand the first amendment. The first amendment only applies to the government. It's perfectly legal for a private entity to take his megaphone away from him. He is also more than welcome to create his own megaphone and use it to tell his cult to inject disinfectant into themself.

This has been your Donald "I love you now but I'll hate you in a week!" Trump update

⧫
Time to figure out what to have for dinner and then watch some baseball.

I found a few links for you:

• No wonder I can't find any ammo. Apparently these idiots have it all.



• On the one hand, Goofy Joe is underestimating the goals and capabilities of the taliban. On the other hand, he is correct when he says there is no reason for the US to be there.



• Berated - A North Korean word meaning "executed"...



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



• I believe they made a movie about this called Weekend at Bernie's".



• Oh Canada.
  (If you full-screen the video, you'll see that the "border wall" between Canada and the U.S. appears to be a clothesline rope...)

Busy day

We are still doing some running around in an attempt to get my mother-in-law situated. She was transferred to a rehab nursing center today.

Hopefully things settle soon and she can get back to her own place.

⧫
So the Red Sox lost yesterday, giving two games out of three to the Angels.

They are still sitting in first place at the halfway point in the season and I don't see a major collapse happening to them in the second half.

Sale is working off a mound and will probably start a few minor league games in the near future. They are hoping to have him back in the rotation sometime in August. Getting him back will be a big help but I can't help but wonder who will get bumped. If they want my opinion, I'm thinking that Garrett Richards might be a good candidate for the DFA tag.

I have a heart attack every time that guy pitches.

⧫
Looks like we are going to get what is known in the weather business as "a shitload of rain" over the next 48 hours. Most of it will come tomorrow when Elsa rolls into town and dumps all of the moisture she collected down south.

The weather dweebs are all saying that driving might be a bad idea because they expect road flooding and possibly some washouts. I got a road near me that has a small stream (Sorth Branch of the Mill River) running under it and whenever we get heavy rain over long periods of time, it start to creep over the road. I'll be avoiding that road tomorrow.

⧫
I'm going to try and figure out how much of a hit my retirement accounts took today (the DJIA lost 1% today) and maybe watch some DVRs.

While I do that, you can visit these links:

• I'm probably going to hell for thinking this is some pretty funny shit.



• First the 'rona and now this.



• They should just cancel the Olympics altogether.



• So not only is he going to jail, he also lost his job.



• I don't know who Bob Brandon is but if he could pick me up a couple of MegaMillions quick picks, that would be great.

Tough loss last night

The Angels took a 1st inning lead in last night's game and they never relinquished it. They beat the Red Sox 3-5.

The Red Sox are still holding on to first place in the American League with a slim half game lead over the Astros.

Speaking of today, the game started at 4:10 this afternoon and so far, things aren't looking great. They aren't terrible but they aren't great. The game is currently in the 5th inning and the Angels are up 2-1.

⧫
I'm gonna continue watching baseball and enjoying the thunderstorms rolling through my town. We've already lost power once and I suspect it will go away again before the storms come to an end.

You can visit these links if you want:

• This guy has too much free time.



• Face tattoo's are alweays an indication of bad life decisions.



• Yea, but what do they taste like?



• My only question is, "Did he have a TV in the front seat?"



• Pavel Horky and The Drug Addict Trouts would be a fantastic name for a 1970s rockabilly / disco band.



• Apparently, Rebecca Daly is a flasher...

One down, two to go

The Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Shohei Ohtani's of Anaheim 5-4 last night. I only watched two innings but it was enough to see the Red Sox score two runs and to see Perez fan Ohtani.

I get it, the kid is a phenom from Japan and he's a hell of a ball player but a baseball team is comprised of 26 men and they win or lose on the strength of those 26 men, not just that one guy.

They do the same thing with the New York Aaron Judges.

Reading the MLB website, you would think that the only player on the Angel's is Shohei Ohtani and the only player on the Yankees is Aaron Judge because that is all the MLB talks about.

They should stop focusing on one guy on a team and start focusing on the entire team.

As for tonight, the game is once again on at 9:30. This means I'll only watch two innings before going to bed and falling sound asleep.

What can I say, I'm old.

And tired.

⧫
The heat is back for a two day visit but I turned my AC on before it rolled into my house.

I also managed to get my lawn mowed yesterday. It had been almost 2 weeks since I last mowed it so it was a little long and scaggly looking.

⧫
Storms are rolling in, it's getting dark and I hear thunder nearby so before I lose power or internet, I'm going to post this.

Here it is:

• Maybe I need to ground my mattress to my ground pipe.



• Cannon Buchholtz is one lucky little baby.



• So that whole "ranked choice voting" thing they did in New York City a couple of weeks ago hasn't worked out too well...



• "Voluntarily Causing Hurt" is probably the clearest legal definition ever.



• As a dad, I can say without hesitation that this guy has his priorities in the correct order.



• I'm not shocked that the snotty, obnoxious, self-centered little shits were from Boston.

No baseball for me

The Red Sox are in Anaheim to play the Angels and first pitch will be at 9:30 tonight. That means I might make it through 2 or 3 innings but that's debatable.

I hate it when they play in the pacific time zone..

⧫
Yesterday afternoon, Ware police arested two women for cocaine possesion.

If ever there was a poster child for what drugs do to you, it's this woman:

According to the news, Samantha (or maybe she likes to be call "Sam") is 44 years old.

That is the hardest looking 44 year old I think I've ever seen. If someone asked me how old that woman is, I would guess 60, maybe 65.

⧫
I don't want to say I celebrated the anniversary of our nation's independence in an illegal fashion but I will say that John Adams would have been proud.

You see, President Adams wrote to his wife regarding the Declaration of Independence and said the following:

I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.

The key phrase in that statement is "Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more"

I'm just doing my part to live up to the request of President Adams.

⧫
Dinner was pan seared scallops and it was good.

While I figure out what to do until 9:30, you can enjoy these links :

• Amazingly enough, this did not happen in Australia.



• Monkey Gland Operation would be a great name for a World War II assault on a Japanese-held island.



• If you go to visit Cornwall, England, stay away from Wally Walrus.

Merry Independence Day everybody.

⧫
My mother-in-law will spend at least one more day (probably two) in the hospital. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with her so we suspect it might be because she going to need nursing care and due to the holiday, they are having trouble arranging VNA services.

My wife went and visited with her for a bit this afternoon so at least she had some company today.

⧫
My day was spent dismantling and painting my two carriage lights and my post light.

After 30 years of weather and sun, they were pretty faded and I was either going to replace them or make an attempt to paint them. We bought them and I installed them almost 30 years ago and I don't recall ever doing anything to them after that.

I spent a few minutes studying them and discovered they were made of brass sheet and were held together with brass screws. For me to find new light fixtures of that quality now-a-days would be pretty near impossible and even if you could find them, they would cost an outrageous amount of money.

Once I made my decision, I dismantled them and laid all the parts on some cardboard in the garage. I could not remove the glass because it was held in with tabs that would have either snapped when I tried to bend them out of the way or I would have cracked the glass. That meant taping off the glass.

Once the parts were taped, I sprayed them with a nice coating of gloss black paint and let them dry for a few hours.

Once the paint hardened, it was simply a matter of remantling (Is that a word? It should be a word. If you dismantle something, you should be able to remantle it.) them and now they are back in place and they look brand new.

It always fascinates me what you can do with a little knowledge and some spray paint.

⧫
The Red Sox lost in the 12th inning last night. No, I did not stay up to see them lose but what I did watch was a good game of baseball. Both teams played hard and they traded leads throughout the game. I fell asleep in the 8th inning just as the A's tied the game 4-4 and when I woke up, I was not surprised to see that it took 12 innings.

As for this afternoon, the Red Sox won 1-0.

Again, both teams played hard and it was a good game to watch. Pivetta pitched a great 7 innings and held the A's to 2 hits and no runs. The Red Sox almost blew it in the ninth but Barnes held on & got the necessary three outs before the A's could score and tie the game.

In other Red Sox news, there will be 5 Red Sox players in the All Star game this year: Devers, Bogaerts, Martinez, Eovaldi and Barnes will all be in Denver to play in what I consider the single most meaningless game in all of sports, which is good because it shouldn't have any meaning.

The All Star game is really just a way for MLB to say, "All you guys are pretty good at what you do. Here's some swag and a nice little addition to your resumé that you can use come contract negotiation time."

⧫
While I admire my freshly painted light fixtures and catch up on some DVRs, you can enjoy these links:

• Key repeated phrase in this story: "didn’t think much about it."



• New Zealand: Australia's crazy cousin.



• This looks way better than plain old fireworks.



• I'm just going to stay indoors.



• Only in Florida.

Still busy

So the family emergency we had yesterday involved my mother-in-law. She is fine, just a little damaged and in the hospital for some observation after getting stitched up for a large gash.

My wife and I spent quite a bit of time at the hospital yesterday. Today we expected her to be returned to her dwelling but the doctor decided to keep her an extra day.

This gave us time to go to her place, do some repair work on her wheelchair, tidy things up a bit and speak to the staff there about her future.

We expect her to be discharged tomorrow.

⧫
The Red Sox and the Athletics went at it for 10 innings last night and in the end, the Red Sox came out on top 3-2.

I was only able to watch 2 or 3 innings before I fell asleep so I was surprised when I checked the box scores to see that they won. And since the Rays lost this afternoon, the Red Sox are now 5 games ahead in first place in the ALEast. As for the American League, they are 2 games ahead of the White Sox in first. In Major League Baseball, they are tied with the Giants for first place.

Not bad for a team that was predicted to suck by all the alleged experts. Then again, the experts also predicted that the Yankees would dominate and win it all.

⧫
Tonight's game is on FOX at 7:15 and Don Orsillo will allegedly be calling the game. I miss Don Orsillo.

Actually, I miss the camaraderie and fun that Remy and Orsillo had in the booth. They made it fun to watch a game, even when the Red Sox sucked.

So while I watch baseball, you can click on these:

• In my humble firearms-owning opinion, it's assholes like this that cause the legislators to tighten gun laws.



• Wait a minute.... Why the hell would they do this when they have a major mouse plague going on right now?



• If you're more than a little wealthy and you want to associate only with other wealthy people, they got a place just for you.



• My daughters dog just looks out the window for a minute and then falls back to sleep.

Busy day

We had a family emergency today and I didn't get around to doing interwebbing.

Tomorrow will be better, I promise.

⧫
I found a few links for you:

• I am never going to Japan.



• This does not sound good.



• Maybe this is why I have low blood pressure.



• I'm pretty sure that is not how you parallel park.

Four down, none to go.

Due to rain delays, I was only able to watch about six innings of last night's baseball game. When I woke up this morning, I was pleased to see that the Red Sox maintained their early lead and won the game 6-2.

First pitch for this afternoon's game was at 1:10 and it was not rain delayed so I was able to watch all nine innings. That means I was able to see the Red Sox beat the living daylights out of the Royals 15-1.

This gives the Red Sox another sweep and places them firmly in first place in not only their division but in the American League. They currently have a 3½ game lead in the ALEast and a 2 game lead in the AL. If the Giants lose tonight, the Red Sox and Giants will be tied for first place in the MLB.

Now the Red Sox are on a plane for the left coast where they will play three games against the Athletics and three games against the Angels. I was surprised to see that three of those games start at 9:30, one game starts at 7:00 and two start at 4:00. That means I will be able to watch quite a bit of pacific time zone baseball. Normally those games start around 10:00 and I don't see any of them so I'm a happy guy.

⧫
The high temps have moved on but it's still kinda humid out there. I turned my AC off this morning and within a half hour, I turned it back on.

Maybe I'll turn it off tonight when the temps drop below 70°.

⧫
Still no ammo to be had.

So far I've called four local stores, visited two local stores and called several stores in NH and Vermont. All have the same answer: "Nope. We don't have that."

Might be time for me to get back into reloading. It's time consuming and, if you don't pay attention to what you are doing, it can be dangerous but once you have all the components, you can produce what you need when you need it.

⧫
Enjoy these links:

• Being both unlucky and stupid is a crappy way to go through life.



• I want one.



• Key bald-faced lie in this story: "I’m not making any threats."



• I have a feeling there was something other than fireworks in that trailer.



• I'm happy to report that he is not related to me.



• Amazingly enough, this did not happen in Australia.