We keep voting for idiots.

Smith and Wesson has been a major manufacturing company in Springfield, MA for more than 160 years. That is all changing now simply because we have elected officials who use words like "gun violence" when they mean human violence, who call any firearm that is black an "assualt weapon" and who honestly believe that getting rid of guns will solve all of the worlds problems.

Those people are idiots.

Smith and Wesson announced today that they are moving out of Massachusetts because of the pending gun legislation that would make it illegal to manufacture semi-automatic firearms. This means hundreds of people will be out of work and millions of tax dollars will be lost to the region.

We can thank people like Attorney General Maura Healey, the state legislature and all of the liberal idiots who decided that guns are bad and voted for legislators that enacted these incredibly stupid gun laws.

Guns aren't bad. People are bad. Guns are no more violent than hammers, drills, saws, cars, knives, rakes, shovels or any other inanimate tool that people use every day. If our state legislators focused on dealing with bad people instead of tools, we would all be better off.

Idiots.

Healey should be the first idiot thrown out office. Eric Lesser should be the second idiot thrown out of office. Don't vote for Healy or Lesser. They don't give a shit about you, they only care about themselves.

⧫
In case you can't tell, I'm kinda pissed about what our state has done to a great company that employed a lot of my friends over the years.

Having said that, I am actually pretty pleased with last night baseball results.

The Yankees lost and the Red Sox won. That means the Red Sox are now only one game behind the Yankees. They are still onoy half a game ahead of the Mariners but if they can win tonight, they stand a pretty good chance of picking up another half game on the Mariners who are off tonight.

⧫
I killed myself today running a thatcher/slice seeder over my lawn and then raking all the thatch up. It was a necessary but unpleasant 4 hours of my life.

Now if the grass seed takes root and starts to grown, I might just have a lawn next spring.

⧫
Here are some links:

• Why?



• Around here, we have no shortage of clowns.



• Personally, I would not eat in a shed.



• Presenting this episodes Brilliant Criminal of the Day.



• Yes, alcohol was involved.

Only half a game

With last nights loss to the Orioles, the Red Sox are just barely holding on in the wildcard race. The Mariners are now only ½ a game below the Red Sox. If the Red Sox lose tonight, the Mariners will take over the number two wildcard slot, pushing the Red Sox out of the race.

As for the Yankees, they have a full two game lead over the Red Sox so they are pretty much locked in at this point.

I guess we see what tonight brings.

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

You should probably visit these links:

• Yes, I know it's from 2018 but it's still funny as hell.



• Well this isn't good. No sir, not good at all.



• Key phrase in this story: "I would like to apologise for the distress this may have caused."



• I was all set to get one of these but the line was at least 25-30 people long.



• Looks like Krazy Kim is up to his old tricks.



• They should absolutely do this.

Go big or go home

In my opinion, these final six games will make or break the Red Sox.

They are playing three games against the worst team in the majors (the Orioles) and then three games against the fifth worst team in the majors (the Nationals). If they don't win all of these games, they may not make the playoffs.

Hell, if they don't win at least four of the six games they don't really deserve to make the playoffs.

I'll be cajoling and coaching them so you know I'm doing my part to help them win.

⧫
This afternoon, that serial killer from Page Blvd in Springfield pled guilty to thirty nine charges including three counts of first degree murder.

I guess since we don't have the death penalty in this state, a guilty plea to first degree is the same as a guilty plea to anything else.

Gotta give the guy credit for saving the families of the victims the pain and suffering of sitting through a long, drawn-out trial.

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Time to feed the creatures and then feed the humans. After that is baseball.

You can check these out if you want:

• Why am I not shocked that Goofy Joe lied when he said no one warned him.



• Man, you gotta be a seriously screwed up guy to call one of your employees just to describe your "little Donald".



• It's become very clear to me that Cape Cod poses no threat to Broadway.



• Now they tell me! Do you have any idea how many of those white priority boxes we sent to our three children during their college years? I'm betting it was close to a hundred.



• Normally I don't understand "art" but I understand this work.

Not going well

The Red Sox are now one game behind the Yankees and one game ahead of the Blue Jays in the wildcard race.

Everyone is off tonight. Tomorrow, the Blue Jays play the Yankees while the Red Sox will play the Orioles. All I can say is I really hope the Orioles haven't suddenly gotten good because if the Red Sox lose, there is a really good possibility the Blue Jays will bump them out of the wildcard race.

That would be bad.

⧫
As much as I hate wearing a mask, I do it because I feel like people that don't wear a mask are telling society to go screw itself. They are saying to people who have medical conditions that their lives don't matter. I don't want to be that guy. I don't want to be the guy who scares the shit out of some kid with asthma or fightens an 85 year old lady.

Having said that, the reason I hate wearing a mask is because my face gets sweaty when it's warm out. Fortunately, fall is upon us and the weather is turning towards cool & dry. That means my face won't be as sweaty.

I hate when my face gets sweaty.

⧫
While I watch some Gold Rush, you can look at these:

• We're gonna need more ammo.



• I want to know what they mean by "dozens". There are at least 2,100 MSP troopers. If 24 of them resigned, that's 1 percent. That means 99 percent of the state troopers are in compliance.



• How does one become a "shaman"? Is there a test you have to take?



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



• That's a lot of baht for poop.



• Key phrase in this story: "...'top secret' CIA mission..."

Bad day for Mac Jones

Mac Jones & the Patriots got run over by Jamis Winston & the Saints today. The Patriots had several turnovers that cost them and despite having some decents drives in the second half, they just couldn't overcome the Saints.

I still think Jones is going to be a hell of a quarterback, he just needs some time. I'm impressed by his ability to read the field, his stability and footwork in the pocket and the fact that he can run the ball if he has to.

The Patriots will have good games and bad games but I also think that within the next year or two, he'll be Brady-esque and the Patriots will become a jugernaught on the field.

⧫
On the upside, the US Ryder Cup team managed to beat the Euopean team. That is unusual because to my knowledge, the US has only won 5 of the last 17 matches. That's a pretty shitty record.

I will say that the youngsters that are playing the game these days seem to have more fun than their elders. They are more like Lee Trevino then Tom Kite, enjoying the game of golf instead of playing like robots.

⧫
Now it's time for the final meeting of the Red Sox and Yankees in the 2021 regular season.

If the Red Sox win tonight, there is a pretty good chance these two teams will meet one more time in the wildcard playoff to determine who will be the number four seed team in the ALDS.

They really need to win tonight.

⧫
While I watch those two blithering idiots from ESPN, Rodriguez and Vasgersian, tell me how to play the game of baseball, you can enjoy these:

• When I'm dead, feel free to use my headstone to make fudge. I won't care.



• It's party time in Norway!



• Key phrase in this story: "...it was not a good idea..."



• Troy Headrick is my kind of guy.



• Listen, you can spend all the tax money you want on bike lanes, bike ramps and bike racks but I can promise you that there is no freakin way I'm riding a bike to a bar.

I'm dying.

The 5 or 6 hours we spent at the Big E yesterday gave me blisters on my feet, turned my back into a pretzel and wiped me out but good.

Today has been a painful day.

On the upside, my daughter made a new friend.

I'm goind to start calling her Dr. Doolittle because I'm pretty sure she can talk to animals.

⧫
The Red Sox lost to the Yankees last night and again today. That means they are now tied in the wildcard race.

This isn't looking good. If they lose to the Yankees again tomorrow, they will have been swept by a team that they beat badly almost every time they faced them during the season.

I guess they just need to win tomorrow.

⧫
I'm going to watch some crappy tv and then fall asleep early. Maybe when I wake up, my back will feel normal again.

Here are some links for you to visit:

• William Shatner is going to ride the giant Bezos penis.



• Only in Florida.



• This does not seem like a good idea.



• How does one obtain something that can do that. Seems like it should be pretty hard to get something like that.



• When I read this all I could think of was this.

It's a Big E kinda day

We spent most of today at the Eastern States Exposition and now the Yankees/Red Sox are on. That means I had no time for interwebing.

I will say that due to the rain this morning, the crowd at the fairgrounds was smaller than the last time we went.

What they lack in numbers they made up for in the volume of weird. There was some serious weirdness on display today.

Personally, I look at a 75 year old man with painted fingernails, bright green hair, wearing a top hat and ripped jeans as free entertainment. It's like those old sideshow tents they used to have.

⧫
Here are some links to hold you over until tomorrow:

• Only in Florida.



• Australia: What doesn't try to kill ya, uses your house as a bordello.



• Key phrase in this story: "Fire officials say the bear spray was accidentally discharged in one of the rooms by a member of the hotel’s housekeeping staff."

Holding their own

The Red Sox are currently two games ahead of the Yankees and two & a half games ahead of the Blue Jays. As things stand right now, the Red Sox have nine games left to play, the Yankees have nine games left to play and the Blue Jays have ten games left to play.

Of those three teams, only the Blue Jays are playing tonight so if they lose, they will be three games behind the Red Sox.

I'm kinda hoping they lose but I suspect they will defeat the Twins.

⧫
Not much to prattle on about. The guy that killed his girlfriend is still missing, the Haitians are still trying to run into the United States, the Feds are about to raise our taxes, and some bonehead shot up a Kroger in Tennessee. Other than that, not much to prattle on about.

That means I'm gonna watch some DVRs and fall asleep early. Before I go, let me leave you with these links:

• I give it six months to a year and we’ll be reading about this guy killing a family of three in their own home.



• We always knew that “professional wrestling” was fake. This just makes it faker.



• Looks like we are learning more about how Goofy Joe will pay for his big infrastructure plan.



• Fumbling Fornicators would be a fantastic name for a 1980's porno comedy.



• Key entry from our favorite police log: "3:57 p.m. Two cows that were at large were not scared away by a lawnmower."



• I like bats but I don't want one hanging fro my crotch.

Happy Autumnal Equinox

It's all downhill from here...

⧫
The Red Sox beat the Mets last night but the Yankees beat the Rangers and the Blue Jays beat the Rays. That means the wildcard race remains as it was with the Red Sox one &amp a half games up on the Blue Jays and two games ahead of the Yankees.

The only difference in today's schedule is that the Blue Jays/Rays game started at 3:10 this afternoon and right now, the Rays are up 6-0. And if my math is correct, if the Rays win this game, they clinch a playoff spot.

As for the Rangers/Yankees and the Mets/Red Sox games, they both start around 7:00 this evening.

⧫
It's time to feed the creatures, feed the family and feed myself. Then watch some baseball.

While I do all that, you can do these:

• First a $1.3 trillion tax debacle. Then the abrupt and chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. Now this. Goofy Joe is really on a roll...



• Key phrase in this story: "Tarbell provided the dispatcher with his name and location."



• Facebook new motto: "Hey, we're facebook. We do what we want."



• This pretty much fits the description of every middle-aged guy in Florida.



• I would venture to guess that if they ever fire this guy, the fans will stage a riot.



• It's probably a good idea to refrain from having sex with carp.

It's going to come right down to the wire

The Rays are in first place and chances of anyone catching them is pretty slim but the wildcard race is tight.

As of this afternoon, the Red Sox are one & a half games ahead of the Blue Jays and two games ahead of the Yankees.

Tonight, the Red Sox start a two-game series against the Mets. Hopefully they make quick work of the Mets and have a nice relaxing day off on Thursday before starting a three-game series against the Yankees on Friday.

The Rays and the Blue Jays continue their series tonight and since the Red Sox probably won't catch the Rays, it would be nice of the Rays to beat the Blue Jays so the Red Sox can open a bigger led in the wildcard.

⧫
I have been avoiding saying anything about that little girl from Long Island/Florida who disappeared on a road trip with her boyfriend because, to be honest with you, I didn't know anything about it. As a matter of fact, up until today, the cops didn't really know anything either. All anyone had were educated guesses.

Now that they've positively identified the body they found as that little girl and have declared her death a homicide, I have a guess. But before I tell you my guess, let's look at some facts:

The boyfriend and the girlfriend got into a van and drove across the country.

The boyfriend came home alone.

The boyfriend and his family hired an attorney who refused to give the police access to his client.

The boyfriend's family suddenly announced that he wandered off into a swamp and they hadn't seen him for several days.

Here is my guess: He killed her, his family gave him money to flee and they are covering for him while he makes his way out of the country.

That is my guess.

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

I'm also going to fall asleep early.

While I do all of that, you can do these:

• Meanwhile, all of Haiti is rying to cross the border into Texas.



• It's simple. Step 1 - Pick up one end. Step 2 - Rotate body of sofa through doorway. Step 3 - severely damage the drywall, the wood frame, the wood floor and the sofa by getting pissed off and ramming it at full speed to get it unstuck from doorway.



• I'm not familiar with New Zealand law but "an undisclosed quantity of fries" sounds like a pretty serious crime.



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



• When you gotta get laid, you gotta get laid.



• Key phrase in this story: "Police say they took the leg off Hooks' head and gave it back to the victim."

So much for my retirement plans

So an unknown property development company out of China named "Evergrande" has a huge amount of debt (Actually, it has almost $300 billion in debt) and it's about to go belly up. This caused all the markets to suddenly have a seizure and drop almost two percent. In the case of the DJIA, it dropped 1.8 percent.

Or, as I like to call it, a shitload of money.

I didn't go look at my accounts this afternoon because, well, there's not much I can do with them at this point and rather than be all stressed out, I think I'll just take the old childhood approach where I cover my ears and rant, "I can't hear you! Blah Blah Blah!".

Maybe things will get better in a few days...

⧫
We are one week away from the first exhibition game of the Bruins hockey season. They will play the Capitals at 5:00pm on Sunday the 26th. Unfortunately, it looks like the game will not be televised.

That's okay because the Patriots are playing the Saints at 1:00pm and the Red Sox are playing the Yankees at 7:00pm so exhibition hockey would take a back seat anyways.

⧫
A friend of mine is a newly minted LTC (License to Carry) holder so I took him shooting the other day. Turns out he has never fired a handgun before and he was a bit nervous. To add to his nervousness was the fact he was shooting my 9mm. Despite what they show you in the movies or on television, 9mm's tend to dance and kick a bit.

Next time he goes, I think we'll go in a different direction and give him a nice little .22 rifle to play with for a bit. That should ease his nerves and get him used to aiming, breathing control and trigger discipline.

It's also a little easier on the wallet.

⧫
The Red Sox are on an off-night tonight so I'll probably watch the Rangers/Yankees game on MLB.

While I do that, you should do these:

• Who knows, maybe he'll do a good job for them. Hell, he can't be any worse than Ferdinand Marcos was...



• For the record, the little Martian helicopter is still flying around.



• In my opinion, the coaches and the referees are acting like immature children.



• Carnivorous Hammerhead Worms would be a fantastic name for a 1950s sci-fi movie directed by Ed Wood and staring Tor Johnson.



• Maybe Trump should take some tips on election recounts from the Miss Rodeo Florida Organization.

Another win

The Red Sox won, the Blue Jays won, the Rays lost and the Yankees got their ass kicked.

That means the Red Sox are now six & a half games behind the Rays in the ALEast, one game ahead of the Blue Jays and two & a half ahead of the Yankees in the wildcard.

The Red Sox are off tomorrow while the Yankees will play the Rangers and the Blue Jays will play the Rays.

Like I said yesterday, it's going to be an interesting two weeks.

⧫
The Patriots pretty much ran over the Jets 25-6 this afternoon, giving Mac Jones his first win and giving them a 1-1 record.

I gotta tell you, I am impressed by this kid. I suspect he will have a bad game or two during the season but I also suspect he will overcome those bad games. He seems pretty mature and stable in the pocket and his ability to control the field is reminiscent of a young Brady.

This could be a good year to be a Patriots fan.

As for my "other football team", the Steelers, they lost to the Raiders this afternoon, giving them a 1-1 record. Roethlisberger did okay but he's 39 years old and he's slowing down.

Hopefully he can hold his own and avoid any serious injuries. I like their backup, Mason Rudolph, but he's not as good as Roethlisberger and I seriously doubt they stand much of a chance with him instead of Roethlisberger.

⧫
You can visit these links while I watch some news and then America's Funniest Videos or some such nonsense:

• Maybe he was unhappy with the presents...



• He's a funny guy. I hope he's okay.



• I am a firm believer that health care should be available to all. I don't want to be the guy who has to tell some mom her child is going to die of cancer because she isn't covered. Having said that, I also think you should have some skin in the game. You want free health care? You should have to do volunteer work at the local homeless shelter or grade school.



• Oh Canada.



• Does anyone even know how to use a phone booth?



• Get ready for the protesters banging on peace drums to start bitching about this.

Another busy day

I spent the afternoon at the animal clinic my daughter works at installing a couple of data drops in the their offices. For my efforts, I received cheese cake.

Personally, I think anytime you can do a favor for someone and they pay you in cheesecake it's a darned good transaction.

⧫
The Red Sox won last night and they won this afternoon. They are currently in first place in the wildcard race, on and a half games ahead of both the Blue Jays and the Yankees.

The Blue Jays are winning their game right now so if that continues and they come out victorious, the Red Sox will be one game ahead of them this evening. The Yankees lost today so they will remain one and ahalf games behind and out of the wild card.

The Red Sox have 12 games left in their season and they really need to win most of them to assure post-season play. They have a good chance of doing just that because four of the remaining games are against the Orioles, three are against the Nationals, two are against the Mets and three are against the Yankees.

The Orioles are beatable, the Mets are a sub-500 team and the Nationals are worse than the Mets. The only predictible problem are the Yankees.

It should be an interesting final two weeks to the season.

⧫
The "mandates" that our government(s) are issuing about vaccinations and masks are all well and good. Hell, I think you should be vaccinated and I think you should wear a mask if you are in situations where you can't stay away from people you don't know. What I don't agree with is placing the role of "enforcer" on the over-worked, under-paid staff.

If the governing body puts a requirement in place they should supply the means to enforce that requirement. If the city, state or federal government has decided that people need to be vaccinated before they can go into a restaurant, a bar, a concert or a ball game, then that authoritarian body should provide adequate enforcement instead of penalizing the establishment for those fools who decide to go against the mandate.

And by the way, in this country, we do not have anything called a "mandate". We have laws that are enacted through a well-established process but this isn't a dictatorship where a single person (in this case, a mayor) can issue an edict and have it be law.

No, I don't have the answers, I just think we shouldn't be asking restaurant hostesses to protect us from assholes.

⧫
While I watch bad television, you can look at these:

• The planet Jupiter spends a lot of time protecting the rest of the planets from the various little problems floating around our solar system.



• Australia: What doesn't try to kill ya, does your laundry for you.

Oops

Turns out Friday was a busy day and I never got around to posting.

Sorry about that.

Time for a reprint

Back in 2013, I put together a collection called "The Adult Book of Rules". Based on some of the behaviors I've been seeing lately, it's time for a second publication.

Allow me to present you with an updated "Adult Book of Rules":

1. Driving below the speed limit is just as annoying, and dangerous, as driving above the speed limit.


2. If the sign says "No Dogs Allowed", it means all dogs, including your precious little rat-dog or your lovable, boisterous, uncontrollable yellow lab. I realize you consider yourself a "pet parent" and you think your dog is a precious child but it's not, it's a dog. It thinks like a dog, it acts like a dog and it shits like a dog.


3. If the sign says "12 items or less" and you show up with a carriage filled with 20 or 30 items, you deserve to be hit in the face with a 2x4.


4. Someone went through a lot of time and expense to paint all those lines on the parking lot. If you don't park between those lines, your car should be towed...
   To a junkyard...
   In another city.


5. If you want your constitutional rights to remain intact, don't fly on a commercial airline. Air travel is stressful enough as it is and having some moron ranting about constitutional rights while passing through security just makes it worse for all of us. It is in your best interest to shut up, get on the plane and sit down in your seat so that we can all get to where we want to be with as little fuss as possible.


6. When you are 20, you look good in spandex. When you are 50, you don't look good in spandex. Stop wearing it.


7. Take a bath or shower and brush your teeth on a regular basis. Humans stink and no one wants to be standing next to you while you are emitting stink rays like Pepe' Le Pew.


8. The more you tell someone they can't do something, the more they want to do it. It's human nature. Your best bet is to mind your own damned business and don't tell people what to do. This includes all of you "woke" people who think the rest of us are morons for not seeing how terrible [insert your particular injustice/cause here] is.


9. Take a deep breath before you speak. This not only relaxes you, it gives you a second to think about what you want to say and will hopefully stop you from saying something stupid like, "Holy crap Doris! Are you pregnant or just really fat?"


10. Your mom and dad weren't wrong when they stopped you from doing stupid teenager things. Maybe you should tell them that and then thank them for keeping you alive long enough to reach adulthood.


11. According to the Declaration of Independence, you have certain unalienable rights, among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That means it is not the government's job, my job or anyone else's job to make you happy, it is your job to make yourself happy by pursuing that happiness.


12. Being a tree-hugger, a Jehovah Witness, a concerned liberal democrat or a watchful conservative republican is a choice that you made for yourself. Don't preach to me about your choice because to be honest with you, I don't care. As a matter of fact, get the hell off my porch before I poke you with a sharp stick.


13. If you are going to make a left hand turn on a busy street, try to move over to the left side of the travel lane so that the rest of us have a chance of getting by you on the right.


14. If you are rich, be generous and gracious. If you are poor, just be gracious. If you are neither rich nor poor, don't act like you are either. It's annoying and it makes you sound like an ass.


15. You don't know everything. Only Cliff Clavin knows everything and trust me, you don't want to be like Cliff Clavin.


16. Save things that you think you might need but remember that if you save everything, you are one of those crazy hoarder people and you should go see a shrink.


17. Some people aren't very bright and no amount of education, cajoling, lecturing or talking is going to change that. It's just the way it is. And just because they are dumb doesn't make them bad. Some of the nicest people I know have to be reminded to inhale every once in a while.


18. If you are on a plane and the flight attendant tells you to wear a mask, do it and shut the hell up. If you argue, get belligerent and then decide to take a swing at the attendant, expect to be hogtied with duct tape and left to stew in your own sweat & piss until the plane lands.


19. If you pick and choose what information you will agree with, expect to be wrong most of the time. Be willing to recognize that a "belief" is not factual, it is an opinion. Having said that, if you decide to not get vaccinated against the current coronavirus, there is a good chance you will die a horrible death by suffocation and the rest of us will not be overly sympathetic about your passing.

I would like to put particular emphasis on Rule #1 by adding, "Get the hell out of everybody's way fer' cripes sake..."

⧫
No baseball tonight so I guess it's time to start plowing through all of those Last Man Standing DVRs that are taking up all the space on my machine.

You can go visit these links if you want:

• Ladies and Gentlemen: The President of the United States...



• Here are several excellent entries from our favorite police log.



• Thank goodness they were wearing seatbelts.



• Dogs: Not all of them are dumb.



• My kids are going to live forever.



• I gotta be honest with you, I think "Who Gives A Crap" is a great name for a toilet paper company.

One down, one to go

The Red Sox won last night, beating the Mariners 8-4. They are currently in a three-way tie with the Yankees and the Blue Jays for the two wild card slots.

They need to win todays game to continue to have a shot at post-season play. Also, it would be nice if the Yankees and the Blue Jays started losing.

⧫
Speaking of baseball, todays game started at 4:00 and it is currently tied 3-3 in the top of the seventh.

Enjoy these links while I watch the rest of the ball game:

• Our state motto should be: "Massachusetts! We're more corrupt that Illinois!"



• Key phrase in this story: "These are the ironies of life."



• Key phrase in this story: "When researchers examined the site where they dropped the carcass, there was a depression in the sand. But nothing else."



• Key phrase in this story: "...you have a right to defend yourself..."



• Proof that bears know how to have a good time.



• Add this to the list of ways I don't want to die.

Hopes are fading

It's beginning to look like the Red Sox may not make the playoffs. They are currently tied with the Yankees for the second wildcard slot and if the season were to end right now, the Yankees would take that slot because they have a .001 percent better win/loss record. The Red Sox are currently at .555 percentage points and the Yankees are at .556 percentage points.

They lost game one of their three game series to the Mariners last night so they need to win the next two to take the series. After that, their schedule just might be light enough that they stand a chance of winning enough games to get into the wildcard.

⧫
Update on my adventures in reloading:

I have successfully tested ten loads. Five rounds contained the lowest recommended charge and the other five contained a middle-of-the-range charge.

Basically, I fired 10 shots, put 10 holes in the middle of the target and came home with all 10 of my fingers.

This has been your update on my adventures in reloading

⧫
Again, no baseball for me this evening. I'm thinking I might spend my evening watching some Youtubes.

You can spend your evening doing whatever you want. Here are some links:

• I never thought he was all that funny but sixty one is too young to die.



• Pretty soon there won't be any "conservative" radio hosts left to tell us how stupid we are for getting vaccinated.



• Two things about this story:
  First, the key phrase is "...someone from “a company” had given it to him..."
  Second, Walt Disney World has its own news website?



• And they're five times more annoying...



• Oh please... Enough is enough...

I've about had it

You know what? I've had it up to here (I'm waving my hand over my head) with politicians.

There are Americans trapped in Afghanistan, the economy is on the verge of rapid inflation, people are refusing to go back to work (I have my own opinion on why that is), most of the western US is burning, the north east US is trying to recover from some of the worst flooding in ages and covid is surging like it did on 2020.

And while all of that is going on, do you know what our government is focused on? Spending $1.3 trillion that they don't have on "infrastructure" repairs that we may not need.

Morons.

Look, I get it, we have been remiss in keeping up with things like roads, bridges, power grid, etc... but why do we have to worry about it all at once and why do we have to put everything else on the back burner? Why is Schumer more interested in jamming the $1.3 trillion spending bill through the senate than he is in fixing the economy or the flooding?

⧫
Pat and I are in agreement: Mac Jones looked pretty damned good yesterday and if Harris hadn't fumbled the ball, the Patriots probably would have won by either a touchdown or a field goal.

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

⧫
The Red Sox aren't on until 10:00 and I'll be sound asleep by then. Fortunately I have lot's of DVRs to get me through the evening.

You can do some clicking on these if you want:

• I've been to Washington D.C. several times in my life and never once have I taken a bayonet or machete with me.



• Gretchen and the Swanky Restroom Trailers would be a great name for a 1950s rockabilly band.



• It's not our fault! It's all Trump's fault!



• That must have been one big-ass spider.



• Key phrase in this story: "...took it home and proudly showed it off to her parents..."



• You gotta love dogs.

They both lost

The Red Sox lost 2-1 and the Patriots lost 17-16.

Not a good day for us sports fans.

The Red Sox are now tied with the Blue Jays in the wildcard race and still 9 games behind the Rays in the ALEast. On the upside, the Yankees are now ½ game out of the wildcard

⧫
I ordered a precision scale today to measure gunpowder. That means I can start working up some loads and maybe testing them out this week.

If I screw it up and blow up my pistol, you probably won't hear from me for a while. It's hard to type with a blowed up hand.

⧫
My wife is finally getting around to replacing her 16 year old car and I couldn't be happier

Both of us drive 2005 Volvo's. They are great cars that have served us well for more than 15 years. We definitely got our money's worth out of our cars but, at this point in our lives, the risks of both cars having a problem is growing. I figure one of us needs a decent car and I prefer it be her. I'm an old guy with old values and I do not want my wife broken down on the side of the road on some freezing, sleety February night.

So after months of research along with discussions with friends and family, she has decided her vehicle of choice is a Honda CR-V. She found one that she likes a lot and yesterday she put a downpayment on it.

Now we wait for all the paperwork to get processed and for the Mass RMV to get its shit together. Hopefully things happen this week.

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Sorry for the late post. I was busy watching sports

Now I'm gonna watch bad television while you click on these:

• Stowaway Gecko would be a great name for a sidekick in a 1950's western movie.



• Well, he won't be peeping in windows anymore.



• They got some interesting issues in New Orleans.



• I wonder if Ted Cruze is going on vacation soon...



• Attention Alanis Morissette: This is ironic...

Hard to believe it was twenty years ago

I was working at MassMutual and word spread pretty quickly that something bad had happened. A tv was set up and we watched it all happen. My wife was working at American International College and I called her. She was teaching and she ignored her phone but she always knew that if I called twice, something was wrong so she answered.

I told her everything I had seen on tv and that it looked like we were under some kind of attack. I told her to get ready to go get our kids out of school and to get as much money as she could out of any ATM she happened to be near.

Turns out we didn't have any further attacks, we left our kids in school and we all met at home that afternoon.

Scary times but everyone seemed to be ready to help, ready to offer a piece of advice or kind word and ready to fight if need be.

Here we are 20 years later, still dealing with the scars of that day and still trying to figure out what to do about the middle-east.

⧫
The Red Sox lost last night.

Houke wasn't at his best last night and the White Sox scored 3 quick runs. When I went to bed in the sixth inning, the score was 4-1 in favor of the White Sox.

When I woke up this morning I discovered they gave it a run in the seventh but just couldn't overcome and the game ended with the Red Sox losing 4-3.

Fortunately, the Rays and the Yankees both lost as well so the standings remain the same in both the ALEast and wildcard races.

Tonight's game starts at 7:00 and I anticipate that I will make it through nine innings. Anything beyond that is a crapshoot.

A kid named Connor Seabold will be the starting pitcher tonight. He was called up this morning and hopefully he is ready for his big league debut. Hell, at this point, I'm betting Cora will be happy if Seabold doesn't test positive with the 'rona.

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Not much else to prattle on about. The game is on and I'm already falling asleep.

It's tough getting old...

Here are some links:

• The way cops are being treated in this country now, I'm surprised this isn't happening all over the place.



• So was the possum the lookout in this caper?



• The only theft that occurred here is the hundred dollar admission...



• Key phrase in this story: "Hi-Diddly-Ho, neighborinos!"

Late-ish baseball for the next few days

The Red Sox are in Chicago for a three game series against the White Sox. After that they head to Seattle for a three game series against the Mariners.

Tonight's game starts at 8:00, tomorrow is at 7:00 and Sunday is at 2:00. Then they hit Seattle and the first two games are at 10:00. The final game will be at 4:00.

What does all that mean? It means that I probably won't make it through six innings tonight but I should be okay for Saturday & Sunday. Forget Monday & Tuesday because I go to bed at 10:00. Wednesday is good for me. As a matter of fact, Wednesday is perfect because I might just go to Tommy's and watch that game with some friends. That's what all that means.

As for what's been happening, well, lots.

First the good news - the Red Sox are now in second place, 9 games behind the Rays and 1 game ahead of the Yankees.

Now the bad news - Sale tested positive for the 'rona so he is out for at least 10 days. They are going to have to bring up a kid from triple-A to fill in on the rotation and I anticipate that kid won't have the ability that Sale has.

The kinda good news is, so far, it appears none of the players that tested positive have experienced any severe or debilitating symptoms. Also, Bogaerts is back with the team so they got that going for them.

Now they just need to figure out what to do with Iglesias. Maybe he can play second base...

⧫
Time for an update on the grandchild:

The grandchild is doing great. He is a seriously happy guy.

And soon, he will have a little sister to watch over....

This has been your update on the grandchild(ren).
⧫
Before we had Goofy Joe, we had Goofy Donald.

Remember that time he took a NHC/NOAA hurricane track and drew on it with a sharpie to make it look like he knew what he was talking about when he said Alabama would get hit by the hurricane.

⧫
Dinner is done and the dishwasher is cleaning up after us.

I'm gonna watch some Bearing Sea Gold until the game comes on.

While I do that, you can do these:

• Key phrase in this story: Snowfall totals could reach an astounding 3 to 5 feet.



• Attention Alanis Morissette: This is ironic...



• Oh Canada.
  (Yes, I realize that Raccoon and the Penis Candy would be a fantastic name for a 1970s disco group)



• Key phrase in this story: "...excrement-fueled nightmare..."



• Only in Florida.

Well that was an interesting win.

Last nights game was 0-0 through seven innings when the Rays scored a run in the top of the eighth, making the score 1-0 going into the bottom of the eighth.

The Red Sox managed to get get a runner on base when Renfroe decided he'd had enough and hit a home run, scoring two runs.

In the ninth, it looked like the Red Sox were going to skate to a win with Robles getting two quick outs.

Then, a guy named Wendle hit a fly ball out to center that the center fielder, Santana, had no chance to catch. The ball hit the ground and went past him as he stumbled to grab it. Fortunately, the right fielder, Renfroe, was running over from right to backup Santana. He managed to chase the ball down and pick it up.

In the meantime, while all the fumbling was going on in the outfield, Wendle was running for all he was worth but he made a fatal decision as he neared second base. He decided to push it and turn his nice safe double into a triple.

Renfroe had other ideas.

As Renfroe turned around after grabbing the ball, he saw Wendle rounding second. He wound up and made a throw of just about 300 feet (For those of you with limited math skills, that's the length of a football field) that bounced directly into the Dalbec's glove at third base. Dalbec spun and put the tag on the Wendle about six inches before his hand reached the bag.

That is how the game ended with the Red Sox winning 2-1.

And if that throw by Renfroe isn't the Play Of The Week on every sports channel, I'll be shocked. I have never seen anyone make a throw of that distance with that accuracy while moving in the opposite direction of the throw.

⧫
There is no baseball tonight but the Buccaneers are playing the Cowboys in the opening game of the NFL season. I might watch a bit of that game just to have something to watch.

While I do that, here are some links that you might find entertaining:

• Key word in this story: "Iconic."



• Amazingly enough, this did not happen in Australia.



• I'm betting this is harder than it looks.



• In my opinion, you should never take any advice from Kim Kardashian.



• Am I the only one that thinks that's a lot of beer?



• This sounds like a terrible idea...

The Red Sox are falling apart

They got their ass kicked last night.

They fielded the best team they could and the fielding still sucked. I watched guys drop balls, misjudge fly balls, miscommunicate with each other and generally fail to play the game of baseball at a professional level.

Then again, most of them are still just out of the minors so I guess I should give them a break.

⧫
Once again I was busy but not like yesterday. After work, I had some thing I wanted to get done around here and then Tommy called to ask me if I could take a look at his computer.

Now I'm watching the news and when that's over with, I'm going to watch some baseball.

Oh, and at some point, I'm going to eat some dinner.

While I do all that, you can visit these links

• My taxes are going to go up. Your taxes will also go up.



• Attention relatives and friends: Be aware of your surroundings, pay attention to the behavior of those around you and avoiud large or high-profile gatherings.



• If any of you have a spare $165,000,000, this can be all yours.



• Turns out using bitcoin as a national currency isn't the best idea.



• Key phrase in this story: "How do you leave without your teeth?"



• Grim consequences....

Busy day

I got a lot done today but that means I had almost no time for interneting.

On the upside, my lawn is mowed, my boss has been overwhelmed with all the paperwork he asked for and our lawyer is in possession of every aspect of my mother-in-laws life.

Hopefully that all means my lawn can now rest easy, my boss has something to read that will make him fall asleep and our lawyer is worth the fee he charges.

⧫
I'm going to watch the Red Sox (they're losing right now) and fall asleep early.

Here are a few links:

• Meet the new taliban, same as the old taliban.



• Key phrase in this story: "...the maskhole’s refusal to depart the aircraft after the flight attendant instructed her to do so."



• Damn. I missed it.



• Call me crazy but I'm pretty sure that doesn't look anything like Mel Gibson.

They brought Jose Iglasias back

Back in 2011, the Red Sox brought a kid up from AAA named Jose Iglesias to play short stop. We all thought he was the ss of the future and man, he was good. Not the best hitter but he could play short beter than anyone we had seen.

By 2013, it was obvious he was playing with injuries. Specifically, he was dealing with hairline fractures in his legs. The Red Sox wanted to trade him and the Tigers felt he was worth a go. He was traded to the Tigers and he stayed there for five years.

Oh, and for the record, the Red Sox ended up with Jake Peavy in that deal. In case you forgot, Peavy was a key player in their 2014 World Series win.

Iglesias has been with several teams over the years and just recently was traded by the Orioles to the Angels.

On September 4th, the Angels released him and on September 6th, the Red Sox decided they needed a short stop to fill in for Bogaerts (who is out with the 'rona) so they signed him to a contract and he played in today's game.

Iglesias is the second home-grown player they've brought back. The first was Travis Shaw

⧫
As for today's game, the Red Sox managed to blow a six run lead and lose the game 11-10 in the 10th inning.

They had a chance to move ½ a game ahead of the Yankees but they are now ½ a game behind them. They also could have picked up a full game on the Rays, moving to 7 games behind them but instead, they are now 9 games behind them.

They just can't seem to make any headway in the ALEast race.

⧫
We got some range time in today and we were not the only ones.

The club we go to has 6 pistol ranges, one 100yd range and one 300yd range. When we got there, four of the pistol ranges were occupied and one was under water. That meant we got the last range available.

After a half hour of shooting pistol and .22 rifle (yes, you can shoot .22 rifle on the pistol range), we decided to move over to the 100yd range so my daughter could try out the shoulder cannon.

We placed our target at 50yds and I sent 5 rounds down, teaking the scope a bit each time until I was satisfied with the sights. Then turned her loose.

She ran 10 rounds through it, hit the middle of the target each time and had a big smile on her face.

There is something satisfying about shooting a large rifle and hitting what you are aiming at.

⧫
I've eaten dinner and watched baseball. I guess all that's left to do is to watch bad television.

While I do that, you can do these:

• Apparently the fans of LSU football are big beer drinkers.



• Only in Florida.



• Speaking of football.



• I like watching people get tased. I love watching people with Scottish accents get tased.



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



• It's guys like this that give guys a bad name.

Four game winning streak that ended today

The Red Sox won last night, extending their winning streak to four. Unfortunately, they lost today.

Actually, let me rephrase that - The Worcester Red Sox lost today.

The first four pitchers used in todays game were all just called up from the AAA club:

1.   K. Crawford - Called up on 9/5/21
2.   J. Schreiber - Called up on 9/1/21
3.   S. Gonsalves - Called up on 8/31/21
4.   R. Brasier - Off the DL on 9/1/21

They actually did okay.

The Indians (or whatever they're called now) took an early lead but the Red Sox fought back and at the end of the eighth inning, the score was 6-5 in favor of the Indians.

That was when the wheels came off and the Indians scored 5 runs in the ninth inning. The game ended with the Red Sox losing 11-5.

The Red Sox won the series and tomorrow they welcome the Rays into Boston for a three-game series.

⧫
The Patriots first game of the season kicks off in one week and I'm looking forward to seeing what the new kid can do.

Hopefully he is way better than Newton.

And speaking of Newton, he is still looking for a job and it doesn't look like he has a lot of teams interested in him. Maybe it's his haircut...

⧫
Time to watch some news and then some DVRs. It turns out I still have several Gold Rush's to watch.

Here are some links:

• Goofy Joe needs to explain why there are Americans being held hostage in Afghanistan.



• Turns out flooding and power outages aren't the only thing they have to worry about in New Orleans.



• Texas: They're all gonna get it.



• Sometimes lawyers can be funny.



• Is that a lobster in your pants or are you just glad to see me.



• I'm going to live forever.

Three game winning streak

The Red Sox won last night, giving them a three game winning streak and keeping them 8 games behind the Rays.

Todays game started at 4:10 and right now it's 0-0 in the top of the sixth inning. Houck pitched a good five innings. They brought in a guy named Austin Davis who loaded the bases before they took him out and put Robles in. Thanks to a lot of luck, Robles was able to take a batted ball of his foot that deflected over to the first baseman. Dalbec was able to pick the ball up and step on first to end the inning.

Hey, take an out any way you can get it.

Hopefully they extend their winning streak to four games today because the Yankees just lost to the Orioles. If the Red Sox win, only half a game will separate them from the Yankees.

As for the Rays, their game against the Twins also started at 4:00 and the Rays are up 11-4 in the fifth so I don't think the Red Sox will gain any ground on them today.

⧫
I'm going to make some dinner and watch the rest of this game.

You should visit these:

• Somewhere there is a ittle kid looking at the mug shot and saying, "Grandma? Is that you?"



• Domestic Spaghetti Battery would be a fantastic name for a 2010's boy band.



• Key phrase in this job opening press release: "Walk-ups will not be accepted."



• The people of Maine are a little different than most of us.



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

They split the series

Despite having most of their regular infield players and relief pitchers out wirth covid, the Red Sox managed to split the series with the Rays. It doesn't move them any closer to getting back into first place but it certainly didn't push them any further back.

They are currently 8 games behind the first place Rays and 1½ games behind the second place Yankees.

Tonight starts a three game series at home against the Indians (or whatever they are called now). Hopefully they win this series.

⧫
Here are some links you might find entertaining:

• Get ready for a big ol' tax increase on the working class.



• Key phrase in this story: "This woman put the T&A in the TSA."



• Goofy Joe is looking for something other than him to take the blame.



• It's shit like this that drove me away from using Microsoft products.



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



• Key entry from our favorite police log: "10:24 p.m. Someone who had clearly been drinking tried to buy more alcohol."

They won!

Sale pitched a great game and the new kids (the covid replacements) that were called up all did their best. One or two mistakes but nothing major and nothing that caused a run to score.

Tonight Rodriguez is on the mound and based on his recent performances, this could be hit or miss. He'll either pitch like it's game seven of the World Series or he'll pitch like it's the middle of the season in AAA ball down in Worcester.

I'm hoping we get the Rodriguez who is good tonight and not the guy who pitches like me - slow and over the middle of the plate.

As for the list of guys with covid, it hasn't changed today. They still have 8 players out of the lineup and I keep waiting for the next one to get listed. Those guys are always right next to each other in that dugout, spitting, hugging, slapping high-fives, etc... and if 8 of them have it, I find it hard to belief the rest of them don't. When I got it, my wife and daughter got it almost immediately.

⧫
It's late and the game is on in a few minutes.

While I watch it, you can visit these:

• Key reader comment in this story: "Nothing like a good old float down the Listeria River."



• I guess if it's okay for the taliban to blow up statues of buddha, it's okay for us to tear down statues of R.E. Lee.



• Have they never seen the movie The Andromeda Strain?



• Only in Florida.



• Now if he can figure out who is making all those car warranty phone calls, he'll be everyone's hero.

Add one more

So after I posted that the Red Sox had six players on the covid list, they went and added a seventh: Bogaerts.

He managed to play the first inning but as he took the field in the second, Cora called him back to the dugout. Turns out his test results came back positive.

As it stands right now, Chris Sale is pitching tonight and I expect him to pitch 6 innings unless he tests positive for the 'rona. If that happens, there is almost no chance they will win tonight.

Update: It now appears that Muñoz, who was just called up, has tested positive. That makes 8 players out with the 'rona...

⧫
Guess who was able to find and purchase some ammunition today!

It was a shock when I walked into the shop and said, "Do you have any .243 Winchester?" and the response was, "Yes!"

Maybe we'll get some range time in this weekend.

⧫
In case you haven't noticed, it's raining. And it's going to rain all night long. As a matter of fact, it's going to rain hard enough to flood the low-lying areas.

Fortunately, I don't live in a low-lying area so the worst I think I'll deal with is the 1/2 inch puddle in ny basement and maybe a small pond in my backyard.

⧫
Time to go pick up some pizza and then watch some baseball.

While I do that, you can do these:

• I am not shocked that this happened in France.



• Oh Canada.



• Well, this just sounds unpleasant for everyone.



• Kery phrase in this story: "...she drove off the edge of a Blair County parking lot."



• Australia: What doesn't kill ya, hides in your air conditioner.