Candy for everybody!

We are ready for the "trick or treaters" to show up and demand candy from us.

We usually have a fairly decent number of kids and I anticipate that this year will be much the same.

The neighbor kids tell me that they will be dressed as "a sheriff" and "a cat". I suspect they informed of that so I would know who they were and give them extra candy.

Yes, I will give them extra candy.

⧫
Yes, I will be watching baseball this evening.

The Astros are in Philadelphia for three games against the Phillies. The series is currently tied 1-1 and I have a feeling the Astros will win at least two of those games in Philadelphia.

⧫
Time for me to answer the door and be impressed by the costumes.

While I do that, you can visit these links:

• I don't blame her. No one wants to go to Walmart.



• Australia: What doesn't try to kill ya, lets you stagger around the grocery store drunk off your ass.



• Apparently it's okay to drink yourself into a coma in Ireland.



• These people are idiots. You know how I know they're idiots? Bacause none of them can draw something as simple as a swastika.



• Ouch...

The series is tied

The Astros did good last night, beating the Phillies 5-2. No, I did not stay awake to see all of the game. As a matter of fact, I only made it to the 5^th inning before I decided I should go to bed and not fall asleep on my couch.

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with my couch. It's very comfortable and I've been known to take the occasional nap on it. But when it comes time to go to sleep for the night, I chose my bed over my couch.

⧫
The Patriots beat the Jets 22-17 this afternoon, giving them a .500 (4wins, 4 losses) record.

I didn't watch the game because today was The Vet's birthday and we had a family gathering to celebrate. I did watch the highlights and I saw that Jones played all four quarters.

Next game is against the Colts on Sunday @ 1:00.

⧫
Remember the other day when I said I wanted to remind you that Trump is friends with that racist piece of shit? Well today I want to remind you that Trump said we should look into injecting poison into people to cure covid.

This is the moment when Trump turned around, read a PowerPoint slide and put his highly intelligent brain into high gear. This is the moment that Trump said,

"And then I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in one minute. And is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning, because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it’d be interesting to check that, so that you’re going to have to use medical doctors with, but it sounds interesting to me. "

Within a day of that news conference, Reckitt Benckiser, the makers of Lysol, released the following statement:

Oh, he also said something putting a light inside the body. Not sure if he meant doing it orally or analy.

Good times, good times...

⧫
As I said, today was The Vet's birthday so I didn't spend a lot of time doing anything except being a dad. There was very little news and very little internets.

All that means is you get a short post.

Here are a few links:

• Key phrase in this story: "Do we really need to say, 'Don't hit golf balls into the Grand Canyon'?"



• Key phrase in this story: "...they give off kind of a nasty smell that isn’t very attractive."



• Key phrase in this story: "...to prevent further roach migration..."

Another win

The Bruins won again last night, giving them a 8-1 record.

They are off now until Tuesday when they will be in Pittsburgh to play the Penguins.

Since Pittsburgh is in the same time zone as me, I should be able to watch the entire game.

⧫
The Phillies pulled game one of the World Series out of their ass last night, beating the Astros 6-5 in the 10^the inning.

Actually, from what I saw (I was watching hockey and flipping over to FOX between periods), the Astros had a nice 5-0 lead going into the 4^th inning when the Phillies decided to start hitting the ball.

Like I said, I didn't watch a lot of the game because I was more interested in the Bruins. Tonight's baseball game will be my primary focus because there is no hockey game.

Hopefully the Astros can tie up the series before they head to Philadelphia on Monday.

⧫
The media is having a great time with this picture:

Here's one example of what I mean.

Here's another example.

They think it's cute.

You know what I see when I look at that picture? I see the potential for a major coronal mass ejection.

If you don't know what that can mean, let me enlighten you. The internet will become sketchy and slow, cable television and HDTV broadcast television will go a little nuts and, if memory serves me correctly (it doesn't), we've had power outages because of circuit breakers being tripped by an overload of the grid.

That's not cute at all.

⧫
Time to toss some steaks on the grill and then watch some baseball.

Here are some links you can ramble through:

• Key phrase in this story: "...a pro-nudity activist who had picketed naked at protests..."



• Too be honest with you, I'm not disappointed by this. He had a good run but it's time for him to move on. I don't think he's been happy playing in Boston for the last two seasons.



• At some point, humans need to go to Mars and poke around a bit. Maybe NASA could send Matt Damon.



• By "professional", is she saying this is her job and she gets paid to do it?



• Yet another reason I stay out of New York City.

World Series or hockey?

Game one of the World Series is tonight and it turns out I was wrong about the start time prediciton I made the other day. The game starts at 8:00pm my time, not 9:30.

But that doesn't matter because the hockey game starts 7:00. The Bruins are in Columbus, Ohio to take on the Blue Jackets tonight.

If memory serves me correctly (it usually doesn't), the Blue Jackets are hard on the Bruins and tonight I expect that will hold true. This will be a tough game for the first place Bruins but I think they will succeed.

Speaking of succeed - Yes, the Bruins won last night. Yes, I managed to stay awake to watch all three periods.

The Bruins now have 14 points and are two points ahead of the Golden Knights.

⧫
Before I forget to do this, I wanted to remind everyone that Kanye West, the no-talent, arrogant, self-centered, racist piece of shit, is friends with Trump.

I just wanted to make sure you didn't forget that.

⧫
Look, I don't like her at all and I'm pretty sure he's a swindler with a drinking problem but this is the United States of America and we don't deal with politicians we don't like this way.

Between this, the attack on the Capitol and the attempt to kidnap the governor of Michigan, it's like living in a third world shithole where instead of voting them out of office, they overthrow and execute their leaders.

Jesus Christ people, if you don't like a politician, don't vote for them. Breaking into their home and hitting them with a hammer is not part of the democratic process.

⧫
Yes, I moved all the leaves off my back yard again this morning.

Yes, my back yard was covered with leaves this afternoon.

Yes, I'll probably do it all over again tomorrow. It's what I do.

While I enjoy my sportings, you can enjoy these links:

• This is why you can't trust the media. They are so quick to report something, they never check to see if it's real or not.



• "Too loud to be true!" is my new favorite phrase to describe what people like Rachel Maddow, Tucker Carlson, Chris Cuomo, Anderson Cooper and Chuck Todd call "news".



• I am shocked. Shocked I tell ya! Goofy Joe finally said something that makes sense to me!



• Key description in this story: "He was married to 13-year-old (possibly even 12-year-old) Myra Gale Brown, she was his cousin, and he was still married to his previous wife."



• Art: I don't get it.



• North Carolina: My sister lives there....

Still dealing with wet leaves

Before:

After I took that picture, I went back in the house to do something other than try to move wet leaves around. My hopes were that the sun would possibly, maybe, hopefully, evaporate some or all of the water.

I can assure you that after three hours, the sun had done nothing to the water and I spent the next hour or so moving wet leaves around.

This is what it looked like this afternoon after all that leaf moving was completed:

I believe that what you are looking at is one of the many definitions of insanity.

⧫
In honor of National Black Cat Day, here's a picture of one of our black cats:

For the record, she's not allowed on the table.

As for our other black cat, well, what can I say. She is anti-social as hell. We don't see her during the day because she spends her days hiding under whatever piece of furniture happens to be in whatever room she happens to be in when one of us happens to walk by.

⧫
Things are improving for us.

We are still shown as being "abnormally dry" but the "none" is creeping closer and closer to us.

According to the weather dweebs on the local news, we won't see any rain until Monday so I doubt we'll see any improvement but you never know.

The weather dweebs have been known to be wrong...

⧫
I'm going to watch some hockey and try not to fall asleep early.

You can check out these links:

• No thank you. They already have outfielders. They need pitchers.



• There's big money in fishing. I don't understand why there is big money in fishing, but there is



• Key entry from our favorite police log: "2:14 p.m. A car with a “trust in God” bumper sticker kept running red lights and stop signs."



• They should have let him glue his forhead to the wall and then just left him there for a few days.



• I can assure you that if you do this, you have a drinking problem.

Yet again, it was a day.

There are few things that are more frustrating than trying to clean wet leaves off a lawn.

Right now, I can't think of what those things are but I'm sure they exist.

⧫
The Bruins won again last night, beating the Stars 3-1 and maintaining their first place slot in the NHL.

They are tied at 12 points with the Golden Knights but since they've played one less game, their record is better with 6 wins and 1 loss (.857). The Knights have 6 wins and 2 losses (.750).

Their next game is tomorrow when the Red Wings come to town. Once again, puck drop is at 7:00 and that means I should be able to watch all three periods.

⧫
There are numerous rumors floating around that the Red Sox are making a big push to sign Devers to a seven year contract. He becomes a free agent after next season so they want to lock him down before then.

The problem with this is that he is not a pitcher and that is where they are in trouble.

I get that keeping him on the team is a good thing but without a decent rotation and a good bullpen, they are no better off than they were this past season.

I really hope they don't put themselves in a position where they keep Devers at the expense of their pitching staff.

⧫
I'm going to take two ibuprofen, watch some Gold Rush and fall asleep early.

While I do that, you can do these:

• It's a damn shame that Wisconsin does not have the death penalty.



• I have one thing to say about this story: "They lost and it's not because of one pass that may, or may not, have hit a wire."



• This is why the internet was invented.
  Well, that and porn.



• If I ever have $10,000,000.00 to burn, trust me, I'm not gonna gamble it away on a baseball team.



• Australia: What doesn't try to kill ya, tries to make your miserable life a little less miserable.



• This is why I always use a gas can.

Jones didn't do well

Jones started the game last night and he made it through the first quarter before Belichick pulled him and put Zappe in.

Zappe played the remainder of the game, and, in my humble opinion, he performed better than Jones.

Don't get me wrong, the Patriots still lost the game and that is on Zappe but when he came in, they were in a 10-0 hole and he was able to take a 14-10 lead before the Bears put a lock on the Patriots offense.

The game ended with the Bears winning 33-14.

The Patriots remain below .500 and are currently in last place in the AFC East.

⧫
Yes, there is hockey this evening.

Yes, I will be watching it.

The Dallas Stars are in town to play the first place Bruins and puck drops at 7:00. That means I should be able to watch all three periods before falling asleep.

⧫
I'm going to enjoy some dinner and then some hockey.

Hopefully you enjoy these links:

• I was pretty happy when I had a mild case of the 'rona. Maybe I should be concerned.



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



• Apparently bathing can kill you.



• Speaking of bathing killing you...



• No.



• I'm pretty sure this is the second best approach to dealing with idiots who glue themselves to something...

The World Series is set

It looks like game one of the World Series will be played in Houston on Friday. They haven't announced a start time yet but based past series, it's a pretty good bet that FOX will get the MLB to start the game around 8:30 Houston time.

That means it probably won't start until 9:30 my time.

That means I'll only watch a couple of innings.

Since it's the Phillies vs. the Astros, I don't really care all that much about the game or who wins so I'm not too disappointed.

Oh, there is one more baseball thing I wanted to say:

The New York Aaron Judges are now on vacation.

⧫
I'm still concerned but it's looking more and more like one day I might be able to retire:

⧫
The Patriots are playing the Bears this evening and Mac Jones is listed as "questionable".

I'm thinking it might not be a bad thing if Zappe is behind center again tonight. He's proven that he knows what he is doing and the team seems to be playing real well under his command.

Don't get me wrong. If Jones is on the field tonight and they win, I'm not going to complain. If they lose, I'm going to complain.

⧫
While I figure out what to have for dinner and then watch a couple of periods of football, you can visit these links:

• Am I the only one who is shocked that these guys suddenly don't want to talk about the 2020 election?



• Devin Crabb is a first class asshole but my real question is why wasn't he in prison? Maybe Tina Keeley would still be alive if he was locked up.



• I want one. I can't afford one but I want one.



• Add this to the list of things I don't want for Christmas.



• This is funny as hell.



• Key phrase in this story: "Not everyone, however, is thrilled."

The Phillies are in

The Phillies beat the Padres this afternoon, securing the NLCS and a shot at the World Series penant.

I was going to watch the Astros / Yankees game but they are under a rain delay that looks like it might end around 8:30 or so.

That means I'll only be able to watch five innings or so before I fall asleep.

Hopefully when I wake up tomorrow I learn that the Astros won the ALCS and will face the Phillies in the World Series.

Go Astros!

⧫
Since the Golden Knights lost last night, the Bruins have the best record (5 - 1 for 10 points) in the NHL.

Go Bruins!

⧫
This is late because I started another little project today that required my attention.

I am applying a acrylic clear coat to our vinyl-clad window frames because the ones in the direct sunlight (facing the south) have begun to fade and peel.

I start by peeling off the finish that isn't firmly adhered, cleaning the surface with some rubbing alcohol and then applying the clear coat. Then I wait for an hour, lightly hit it with some fine sandpaper to smooth it and then apply the second coat.

It is tedious and requires a very steady hand because I do not want to get this stuff on the glass.

⧫
Here are a couple of links:

• I'm betting he's not going to testify but if he does, he will absolutely turn it into a circus and there is nothing they can do to stop him.



• Okay, this is a lengthy and wordy document based on a lot of research done by some really bright people but in a nutshell, it says that when we think we are making concious decisions abotu things, we aren't. We're actually winging it...

Another win

The Bruins took the Wild in OT this afternoon and it was a good game to watch.

Their record now stands at 5-1, which is the best in the Eastern league. I'd say it's the best in the NHL but the Golden Knights will play the Avalanche at 10:00 tonight and if the Knights win, they will also have a 5-1 record.

Yes, I know it's early in the season but as I always say, it's easier to maintain a lead than it is to overcome a deficit.

Their next game is Tuesday when the Stars come to town. Puck drop is at 7:00.

⧫
In the world of baseball, the Phillies are up 2 games to 1 in their series against the Padres and the Astros are up 2 games to 0 in their series against the Yankees.

The Phillies and Padres will play this evening at 7:00 while the Astros and Yankees are playing as I type.

They are currently in the bottom of the sixth inning and the score is 2-0, Astros.

Go Astros!

⧫
We picked up some nice pieces of cod this afternoon that I placed in a butter-covered baking dish. Then I covered the fish in a mixture of bread crumbs, Ritz cracker crumbs and melted butter. Once it finished baking away at 375°, I removed it from the oven and we ate it.

It was good. Maybe less bread crumbs and more Ritz cracker crumbs next time but still, it was good.

While I digest and watch baseball, you can enjoy these links:

• I guess Psycho Vlad doesn't need nukes if he can simply blow up a dam and destroy 80 cities with the flood.



• Aside from an assault or murder, identity theft is one of the worse things you can be a victim of. Once your identity is stolen, you never get it back.



• I wonder if Boris will be back?



• Oh Canada.



• Once again, I have to say, Oh Canada.

Still not much to say

The world is running along at a boring clip. And by "boring", I mean nothing has changed. I suppose if I lived in Eastern Europe, I wouldn't think it was boring.

Hell, I can't even find anything humorous or entertaining to blurb about. Although I will say I found a new comedian that I kinda enjoy: Meet Jeff Arcuri.

⧫
The Astros and the Bruins both won yesterday.

This means the Astros have now taken two of seven from the Yankees, giving them a commanding lead and making me happy.

It also means that other than the loss to the Senators the other day, the Bruins are playing some pretty good hockey. This also makes me happy.

⧫
The Patriots will not play football this Sunday. They will instead play the Bears on Monday.

I was reading the Patriots news today to see what the status of Mac Jones is (He was limited during practice) and I ran across this story with the key phrase, "it's impossible to deny how well Zappe played in Cleveland".

If I were Jones, I would be a little nervous about my job.

So anyways, I am not a fan of Monday Night Football simply because I find it hard to stay awake for the entire game. Don't get me wrong, I'll still watch it and I will do my best but chances of me seeing very much of the second half is pretty slim.

⧫
Huh. Maybe I will be able to retire one day...

⧫
I need to figure out what to have for dinner and then figure out what I'm going to watch for entertainment.

The Phillies and the Padres are playing tonight but I don't really care about them. I might watch an inning or two but I suspect this is going to be a Netflix kind of night

Enjoy these links:

• Looks like PigPen Bannon is going to jail.



• Here's a description I didn't need to read: "You make your way out to the outhouse. You sit down, and your junk hangles there. And as it does, it hits the cobweb. And the usually non-aggressive black widow instinctually runs over and bites down on the new creature that has landed on its web."



• Seems like they have some interesting health care in London.



• Wyoming: It sounds like a fun place.



• I would like to point out that Oz is losing to a guy who had a stroke.



• Farting Zebra would be a fantastic name for a 1970s garage band.

Once again, not much to prattle on about

The news is all the same - Russia is attacking Ukraine, the economy sucks, Trump is calling some judge a hack because he ruled against Trump.

You know, the usual stuff.

⧫
The Astros beat the Yankees last night 4-2, taking game one in their best-of-seven ALCS series.

They are at it again tonight with first pitch at 7:30.

I will watch only some of that game because...

⧫
...the Bruins take on the Ducks tonight at 7:00 and I will spend the majority of my time watching that while occasionally flipping over to the baseball game.

Hopefully the Bruins get their act together and don't have a repeat of the other night against the Senators.

⧫
Hey! Guess who is no longer under drought conditions!

Now we're just "abnormally dry".

⧫
While I figure out what to have for dinner and then watch some sportings, you can visit these:

• She resigned over a terrible economic plan? Huh. Maybe we can get Goofy Joe to resign because his plans aren't working either.



• Hey Pat. You still thinking about going AMD on the next build?



• These things always fascinate me.



• Seems to me that Volkswagen knows how to treat protestors...



• We don't pay cops enough.
  (She's kind of a smug looking bitch, ain't she...)



• I can only imagine what the traffic backup looked like.

Not much to say today.

I visited campus today and then came home to clean my yard.

My main goal was to clear the leaves off my back yard as well as all the pine needles off my side yard.

I'm pleased to say that I accomplished both goals.

⧫
The Bruins lost last night and it was hard to watch.

It was like watching a high school hockey team flounder around on the ice.

Hopefully tomorrow goes better for them.

⧫
Now that the Guardians are eliminated, I'm rooting for the Astros.

I decided that any team that has Christian Vazquez on it is worth rooting for.

⧫
You should visit these links:

• I'm not entirely sure I would call them a crime fighting tool.



• I don't know about you but I'm staying the hell out of Florida.



• Well, at least he didn't launch a nuke.



• Why?



• Key phrase in this story: "No and I didn’t think this account would be such a long term commitment."



• Was Samuel Jackson on the plane?

Trigger time

This morning The Vet, and I went out to the range for about an hour.

We spent some time with the pistols and it's nice to know that we can both hit the target.

After sending 50 rounds down range with our pistols, we moved over to the mid-size range and broke out the shoulder cannon.

While I was shooting, The Vet decided to take a picture showing how far away our targets are.

This is a picture of your humble host. The little squares you see in the distance are our targets:

This is a screen shot from Google Maps showing the distance from my shooting position to the target location. The distance is 300 feet which is 100 yards:

This is a picture of the results:

For the record, the black dot is one inch across, the inner circle is three inches across, the middle circle is five inches across and the outer circle is seven inches across.

After we had each sent our four rounds down to our targets, we each took a shot at a golf ball that was placed on a board. It's hard to even see a golf ball at 100 yards, never mind shoot one.

The Vet missed with her shot but not by much. I saw the dirt kick up just over the top of the ball. I took my shot and the ball took off. We went down to retrieve our targets and hunt down the ball. The Vet found it about 20 feet away with a rather large hole in it.

I am pretty pleased with myself that I can still hit something as small as a golf ball at 100 yards. As they used to say in the old westerns, "That there's some purty good shootin' Tex."

⧫
Is it just me or does anyone else think Tom Brady is starting to look a lot like Skeletor:

The blonde teenager-looking girl on the left of the picture is Dr. Dana Blumberg, Robert Kraft's new wife. She is 33 years younger than he is. All I have to say about that is, "Way to go Robert..."

Now will someone please give Brady a bacon double-cheeseburger with a side of fries and a vanilla shake.

⧫
The Guardians / Yankees game got rained out last night and moved to this afternoon.

As I type this, the score is 3-0 in favor of the Yankees after one inning.

Go Guards!

⧫
The Bruins won handily last night, beating the Panthers 5-3.

They remain undefeated but since they've only played three games, that statistic is pretty much meaningless.

They are in Ottowa to play the Senators this evening so I have something to watch tonight after the ball game ends.

⧫
Enjoy these links:

• The heroes of my youth are all passing on.



• The Orionids are back and I will be watching.



• Key phrase in this story: "You can start thinking about getting COVID as almost as an accelerant to aging."
  Aside from being a grammatical mess, that sentence is also probably a load of bullshit.



• Australia: What doesn't try to kill ya, clips your peepee off and tosses it on the shore.



• Key phrase in this story about a brilliant criminal: "...scampered away from the scene with his shoes on fire."



• Only in Florida.

Winner take all

The Guardians lost last night so now the series is tied 2-2. Tonight at 7:00 is a winner-take-all game and I really hope the Guardians win.

I guess I'll find out tomorrow who won because the Bruins are also playing tonight.

Puck drops at the Panthers/Bruins game at 7:00 this evening and I will be watching that game.

I like it when there are two sports on that I enjoy. I get to flip back and forth during commercials or between periods.

⧫
I'm going to watch some hockey. You can click on links:

• At some point, someone needs to punch him in the mouth.



• I'm pretty sure the word "boyfriend" doesn't apply here.



• You might want to rethink any plans you may have to vacation in Cancun.



• Key phrase in this story: "...doesn’t come with a bathroom."



• Australia: What doesn't try to kill ya, vandalizes your walls.



• Just another reason why I don't want a rail line between Boston and us.

Lawn, Patriots & Guardians

One problem with my lawn making such a miraculous comeback is that now I have to mow it weekly.

Don't get me wrong, I don't really mind mowing the lawn when the temps are in the 60s but it's still a task that brings me no pleasure.

I also had to refill all of my gas cans. I cost me $45.00 to fill my gas cans and top off my car and my car only took five gallons.

Gas is going up and it's not going up slowly. Today I paid $3.39 a gallon. A week ago, I paid $3.19 a gallon. For those of you that are lacking in good solid math skills, that's an increase of six percent in one week.

I wish the DJIA grew six percent in the last week...

⧫
The Patriots took on the Browns and it wasn't even close.

Jones and Hoyer are still out and Zappe is fast becoming my choice for quarterback.

He holds his ground under pressure, he picks his targets well and he knows how to get rid of the ball if he's about to be sacked.

The defense was spot on as well. The Browns QB, Jacoby Brissett, couldn't hit his targets and had a difficult time avoiding the sack.

The Patriots ended up winning the game 38-15 and are now .500 on the season.

⧫
The Guardians took a 2-1 lead in their series against the Yankees yesterday and can win their ALDS tonight.

The Yankees are putting Cole on the mound and while he is a good pitcher, he has his moments of failure. For instance, the last time he pitched against the Red Sox, he got shelled. I'm hoping that happens tonight.

As for the Guardians, they are putting Quantrill on the mound. Hopefully he has his A-game and the Yankees slink back to their dugout after every at bat.

As I may have mentioned, that would make me happy

⧫
You can click on these links if you want:

• Key phrase in this story: "...a champion of prostitutes."



• I wonder how much this is going to cost the taxpayers of Western Mass...



• I'm going to assume that since we are all still alive, it missed.



• Some people have too much money.



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



• This is actually a pretty funny video.

Another busy day

We got some things done around the house and then made a trek down to Costco to stock up on the crap we like to stock up on.

We also managed to grab an early dinner at Red Robin because, well, why not.

I could eat burgers every day if I had to and Red Robin makes some reasonably good burgers.

Don't get me wrong, they're no Five Guys but they're still pretty good. Besides, we had a gift card.

⧫
The Guardians are at home to take on the Yankees this evening. This is the first of the two home games for them and as I'm sure you are now aware, I am hoping they win both games. This will give them a win in the ALDS best of five, send the Yankees on vacation and move the Guardians into the ALCS.

I would really like to see Francona win this World Series. I'm not sure how many seasons he has left in him and I always liked the way he managed his teams.

⧫
In other sportings, the Bruins are at home to take on the Coyotes this evening.

I'm watching the hockey game (the Bruins are up 2-0 at the end of the first period) and periodically checking in on the baseball game (they are tied 0-0 in the first inning).

While I do that, you can visit these:

• I want to know why they think it's burping? Maybe it's farting.



• If you went to school in Florissant, Missouri and you wonder why a large number of your classmates died from cancer, wonder no more.



• Ain't nothin' worse than illegal donuts.



• Heads up folks: This article uses a lot of words to tell you to not click on links in emails from people you don't know.
  I'm going to add, "Make sure you have recent backups".



• When I was a kid, during the halcyon days of the Cold War, Westover was a SAC base filled with B-52s & nuclear weapons and my father used to say, "If those sirens go off, I'm taking a folding chair and a six pack of beer and getting as close to Westover as I can so I can spend my last minutes on earth drinking beer and enjoying the light show."
  My dad was a very philosophical...

Trump will dodge the subpoena

I learned last night that the committee investigating the attack on the Capitol building only has authority to exist until the end of the current congress. Its writ expires on January 3^rd.

That means that all Trump has to do is dodge the server until November and then, once he is served, wait until early December and file a motion to quash the subpoena on the grounds that he was President when the attack happened and as such his actions are protected.

That should get him until the end of December. Then he will appeal whatever the court does to his motion and that will take until after the committee's authority expires.

Once that happens, the original subpoena to testify before the committee becomes invalid because it's kinda hard to testify before a committee that doesn't exist.

But none of that matters because in other news, the SCOTUS told him they are not going to listen to his appeal about the special master request he made on the whole top secret documents he stole and kept at his country club.

That means the process can move forward and if the DoJ finds that he was in possession of top secret documents that he had no right to possess, he might find himself in a little hot water.

⧫
The Guardians / Yankees game was postponed to this afternoon so I was able to watch the entire thing.

I'm pleased to say that the Guardians won and now they head to Cleveland with the series tied 1-1. I'm hoping that with home field advantage they will shut the Yankees down and move on to the ALCS.

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Nope. Still can't retire...

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I have a new project and once I figure out what/how I'm going to do it, I'll let you know. For the time being, let's just say it will probably involve some painting. I'm just not sure at this point.

While I read up on how to do what I want to do and consider my options, you can visit these links:

• I'm hoping they make it to my town.



• This woman is a saint.



• First hand grenade simulators. Now this.



• If you are ever in Largo, Maryland, you should avoid Jasper's restaurant. Apparently they don't clean their restrooms.



• This sounds like it is either the worst idea ever or the best idea ever.



• Frankie and the Massive Dildo would be a great name for a 1960s porno movie.

Completion

I finished the painting in the final room today. Now all I have left to do is put it back together and admire my handywork.

I may have mentioned that Rustoleum gives off some fumes that make bother my wife and I so having the temps in the upper 60s / lower 70s allowed me to open the windows upstairs both yesterday and today. I'm sure the odor will linger for several more days but it's at least bearable.

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In an interesting turn of events, the congressional committee investigating the attack and siege of the Capitol building decided to issue a subpoena to Trump.

I wonder if he'll take the same path his good buddy, PigPen Banyon, took when he was given a subpoena.

Something tells me that Trump will fight the subpoena using his usual legal stall tactics until he dies because the last thing Trump wants to do is testify in a public hearing.

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For the record, Both NLDS playoff series are tied 1-1. The two ALDS playoff games are played today. The Yankees are up 1-0 in their best of five against the Guardians and the Astros are up 1-0 in their best of five against the Mariners.

I'm hoping that tomorrow morning I find out the Guardians and the Mariners have both tied their series.

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I'm going to make something for dinner, put the baseboards back together and then watch the ALDS-A game. Well, at least some the ALDS-A game. I'll probably be asleep by the 7^th inning

You can check these links out if you want:

• Key phrase in this story: "...threatened the boys with a flamethrower..."



• Well, that's gonna smell pretty bad after a few days in the sun.



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



• They finally have a day for me.



• This is the dumbest idea ever.



• It's time to start charging these idiots.
  And yes, if you have to be "rescued" twiced in one day, you are an idiot.

The painting continues.

I finished two more room upstairs today. That leaves only one room to do and I'm hoping to do it tomorrow. We'll see how my back feels.

I will be glad when this project is finished. It's killing me.

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Since I spent my entire day sanding and painting, I didn't spend any time internetting. That means I have nothing else to say.

Here are a couple of links:

• This means that there are rats with more brains than some people.



• I don't know about you but I think this is a dumb idea.



• Only in Florida.

We're paying for Goofy Joe

When Biden was campaigning for President, he basically said that the Crown Prince of the House of Saud was guilty of murder and called him a parahia. He also said he would not speak with the Crown Prince, only his father, the King.

Well, guess who is in charge of Saudi Arabia now? Guess who is making the decisions about how much oil the Saud's will produce?

The Crown Prince is.

Guess who is going to pay for Biden calling the Crown Prince names and accusing him of murder?

We are.

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The Mariners lost game one of the ALDS-B series, getting beat by the Astros in the bottom of the ninth inning.

The Mariners went into the bottom of the ninth leading 7-5. With two outs, one out away from winning, they proceeded to walk two batters. With two on base, they changed pitchers and brought in one of their starters who proceeded to give up a home run and giving the Astros a 8-7 win.

Right now I'm watching the Guardians play the New York Aaron Judges. There is no score because, well, it's the first inning and no one has touched home plate yet.

Let's hope the Guardians kick the Yankees ass and take game one of this best-of-five series

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While I watch baseball, you can click on these:

• Some members of our society have taken "being overly sensitive" to a whole new level.



• Key phrase in this story: "More than 15,000 have already registered on Telegram for the sex party."



• Why do I think this was some ship captain saying to a 22 year old fresh-out-of-Annapolis Ensign, "You're in charge of cleaning the deck. I don't want to see anything on it, including that box of simulators. Understand?"



• Key phrase in this story: "...risk having thousands of bees fly up inside his butthole by sitting on a beehive."



• I'm not sure which one of these two idiots should get the Father of the Year award...



• Key phrase in this story: "...he carries the hatchet around with him for protection."

So much for the Mets

The Padres defeated the Mets and they will play the Dodgers in th NLDS-B series.

The Padres are a decent team but they have a player that I personally have never liked - Manny Machado.

Machado is an arrogant little prick who likes to trash talk and cause trouble on the field. He is their third baseman and because of that, I hope they lose.

⧫
Kinda busy today working around our own house so not a lot of webernizing got done.

What I did find is here:

• We got Trump, Brazil has Satan. I think they got the better deal.



• Flaming Hot Dog Cart would be a fantastic name for a 1970s high school garage band.



• Might be time to sell that house and move.



• Was his name Tommy Flanagan?
  (for those of you that don't know who Tommy Flanagan is, he was a character played by Jon Lovitz who lied about everything.)



• Only in Florida.

Third string QB's are pretty damned good

Mac Jones was out with a sprained ankle last week so the Patriots started their second string QB, Brian Hoyer. He got himself injured in the first period and they put in their third string guy, Bailey Zappe, who looks like he's about 16 years old. Turns out he's a pretty good QB and he played a hell of a game against Aaron Rodgers & the Packers, losing 24-27.

This week, Jones and Hoyer were both still out and Zappe got his first start in the NFL.

Suffice to say, he did very, very well, playing the entire game and shutting out the Lions 29-0.

It's kind of early in his career to form an opinion but man, that kid is pretty damned good.

On another note, one of the Lions defensemen, Saivion Smith, suffered a neck injury that looked like he was paralyzed. He went down like a sack of potatoes and they had to call an ambulance on to the field to take him directly to the hospital.

An update was released that indicates he has movement in his extremities which means he may not be paralyzed but it doesn't mean he'll be juggling knives and axes at anytime in the near future.

Hopefully any problems are short term and he's back to normal in the near future.

⧫
Someone needs to call Psycho Vlad and get some clarity from him.

Is he really accusing the Ukrainians of terrorism?

The same people that he attacked back in 2014 and annexed the Crimea, a chunk of Ukraine the size of Maine?

The country that he attacked in 2022 and attempted to annex the two eastern regions, an area the size of Florida?

The country where his "soldiers" machine-gunned civilians?

The country where his "military" launched artillery into schools, hospitals & apartment buildings?

The country that he has threatened to use nuclear and chemical weapons against?

Is he calling them terrorist for fighting back against his brutality and his terrorism of civilians?

And that, my friends, is why I call him Psycho Vlad.

⧫
The divisional series are almost set. The only wild card left to be played is game 3 of the Padres / Mets series.

I'm really hoping for Guardians / Mets matchup for the World Series.

⧫
I'm going to watch some the Padres / Mets game and fall asleep early.
Here are some links:

• What kind of asshole blows off his teammates at the start of a playoff run?.



• "Reluctant Richard" is my new favorite term.



• Neither Rain nor Snow nor falling bombs will stay this courier from his rounds.



• This is why I don't have any tattoos.



• Why? Why would anyone sell something like this and why would anyone eat it?

Fifteen innings is a lot of innings

It took them five hours over fifteen scoreless innings this afternoon before the Guardians were able to beat the Rays 1-0, win the best of three wildcard series and move on to the ALDS.

They will now play the Yankees on Tuesday in game one of a best of five series. This is the ALDS-A series. The ALDS-B series will be between the Astros and either the Mariners or the Blue Jays.

I gotta be honest with you, it's going to take me a few years to get used to this new playoff scheme with the extra wildcard teams. Fortunately, MLB provided this picture to help me figure it out:

⧫
So Ukraine blew up a bridge but Russia says they fixed it.

I've decided I have no idea who to believe.

I've also decided that if Psycho Vlad is looking for an excuse to pop off a few nukes or to toss some chemicals around, this may be it.

⧫
Today was spent doing some work at The Vets house.

She wanted to paint her first floor bathroom so I removed the toilet tank and lights. While my wife did the trim, I worked on reattaching the electric service line to the side of her house and then applying some expandable foam in the opening where it went into the house.

Once the foam solidifies in a day or two, I'll trim it and then apply some silicone caulking to seal it up water-tight.

While those two were painting, I mowed her lawn.

I've decided I'm taking tomorrow off from everything.

⧫

Because I was a little busy today, I didn't spend a lot of time on the interwebs.

You can visit these links while I watch the Bruins play their final preseason game:

• The floating home apparently does not float.



• Only in Pennsylvania.



• Pfffftttt.... Nozzleheads.



• Oh Canada.

Two more done

Another bedroom and the upstairs bathroom are done and today, I did not severe an artery.

Yesterday, when I was taking the baseboard cover apart, I managed to nick a fingertip but I didn't realize it. I don't know about you but when I cut a finger tip, it bleeds a lot.

After a few minutes of dismantling and carrying, I finally noticed that everything was spattered with blood. And when I say "spattered with blood", I mean it looked like a scene from one of those bad 'made-for-television' cop movies.

There was blood on the wall, blood on the floor and blood all over the sheet metal that I had been carrying down into the basement. I'm still finding spots of dripped blood.

Today, I decided to be a little more careful and not spew blood all over the place.

⧫
Time for an update on my lawn.

The left side is from September 2^nd and right is today, October 7^th.

Like I said, it's amazing what a little water can do for lawn recovery.

⧫
Nope, I'm never going to be able to retire.

I don't know what Goofy Joe and The Fed are planning to do. Hell, I don't think Goofy Joe or The Fed know what they are going to do. All I know is my retirement account is not getting any better. This year is worse than 2019 when the 'rona hit and shut down everything.

⧫
I'm going to watch the end of the Mariners / Blue Jays game and then watch the Padres / Mets game. If you are interested, I'm kind of rooting for the Mets in the NL and the Guardians in the AL

While I do that, you can check out these links:

• Key phrase in this story: "Weeeeeee!"



• Australia: What doesn't try to kill ya, zips you up in a body bag and kills ya.



• This is pretty normal for Vegas.



• Looks like the launch is postponed to sometime early to mid November.



• I'm calling bullshit on this. Bostonians and New Yorkers use the 'F' word as punctuation.

One bedroom down

One bedroom is complete and that is enough for one day.

The paint smells bad enough as it is but now that I'm working upstairs, I'm keeping it to one room at a time. Fortunately today was in the 70s and I was able to leave the windows open all day to air out the fumes.

Tomorrow will be putting the first room back together and moving on to the next room. Tomorrow is also supposed to be in the 70s so maybe I'll do the second room plus a bathroom.

The more rooms I can get done before I have to close the windows, the better off we will be.

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Nothing else to prattle on about.

Here are some links:

• Free the Weed!



• This should be interesting.



• ... until the military offers them a billion dollars...

Day of rest

As I said, My back and I are taking today off from painting. Instead I went to see my walking buddy to wander around campus and chat. Then I went to lunch with some friends that I haven't seen in a long while.

As far as the painting goes, here is a picture of one of my many supervisors inspecting my recently completed work.

I think she approves.

⧫
Today is the final Red Sox game of the 2022 season and as I said the other day, I'm hoping they are busy during the off-season trying to get the roster back into shape. I had high hopes for this team but they just couldn't hold it together long enough to make it into the playoffs. And now, with the end of the 2022 season, they have some significant holes to fill before the start of the 2023 season.

Here is a list of the players that are either outright free agents or have the option of opting out of the final year of their contract:

• JD Martinez
• Nathan Eovaldi
• Michael Wacha
• Rich Hill
• Eric Hosmer (opt-out)
• Xander Bogaerts (opt-out)
• Tommy Pham (mutual option)
• Chris Sale (opt-out)

I fully expect Bogaerts to opt out and elect free agent status. Hosmer and Pham will probably stick around for 2023. Sale is a huge question mark because of his never-ending injury status. If he decides to opt out, I can imagine there are not a lot of teams that will jump at the chance to overpay him. Then again, if he can stay healthy, he's a hell of a pitcher.

All-in-all, that means they need to replace three (possibly four) starting pitchers, their DH and their shortstop.

That's going to require money and some solid negotiating skills. I'm not sure that Bloom has the skills and I'm pretty sure Henry has said he doesn't want to spend the money.

Like I said, it's goiong to be an interesting offseason

⧫
Speaking of baseball, Aaron Judge hit his 62^nd home run of the season last night, breaking Roger Maris's American League record for the most home runs in a single season.

This is not the most home runs ever. That record is held by Barry Bonds with 73. There are also two others with more than 62 home runs: Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa.

The problem with Bonds, Sosa and McGwire is they were all heavy steroid users so their records are considered tainted by the use of performance-enhancing drugs. They possess what are known as "asterisk" records.

I guess the old saying, "Better living through chemistry" doesn't apply to baseball players...

⧫
The baseball game started at 4:00 this afternoon and the Red Sox are currently winning 3-0 in the second inning. If they win, they will have swept the Rays in their final series of the year.

While I continue to watch the game, you can visit these:

• Key phrase in this story: "...the splatter ring around that was caused by the sheer velocity of the fart..."



• As far as I'm concerned, it should be legal to shoot these people dead.



• I think we can all agree that From Odenville to Pell City would be a great name for a redneck romance paperback whose main characters are named "Cleavus" and "Lurlean".



• Man, I wish they had padded quiet rooms when I was in school. i would have done everything I could to get locked in one.



• Oh Canada.



• This guy is a scumbag.



• I'm pretty sure Wax-Worm Spit and Digested Plastic was the name of a 1980's German techno band.

The first floor is done

The kitchen has been stripped, sanded and painted. Once it dries I will be able to put it back together and that will complete the first floor.

I think I'm going to hold off on the second floor for a day or two so I can give my back a rest.

⧫
The Red Sox won last night which is too little, too late.

Still, it was nice to see them win.

Tonight the play game two of their final series. First pitch is at 7:10 tonight.

⧫
The Bruins lost 1-0 to the Devils last night but they played a good game.

Right now, the team is working on who will make the team and what line they will be on. They actually have some tough decisions to make because near as I can tell, they have a lot of pretty good players.

Next pre-season game is tomorrow when they take on the Rangers.

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I'm goiong to go make some dinner and then watch some baseball.

You can check these out if you want:

• Local kid does good.



• He really doesn't want anyone looking at his documents.



• When an army leaves its dead behind, It's not really an army anymore.



• Not sure I can say I liked her big hit but she had a nice voice. I can say this is the only song she did I liked that she did.



• Next time you see me, ask me to tell you my swan story.



• Jason has some explaining to do...



• That's because cheeseburgers are happiness, celery is sadness.

The big room is done

The living room, which has about 30 feet of radiator/baseboard, is done. It took me all of seven hours to strip everything down, sand all the pieces and then paint them. Now my back is killing me.

I have one more room on the first floor to do (the kitchen) and then the six rooms upstairs.

I figure at this rate, I should done by the end of this week. This of course is dependent upon the status of my back. Fortunately, the living room was the biggest room with the longest pieces. Trust me, it's hard to paint 10 foot long pieces of floppy sheet metal and then find a place to set them to dry. Particularly when there are two cats wandering around this house.

So far, the cats have stayed away from the painted pieces.

⧫
Speaking of maintaining the heating system, the heat went on today.

My wife and I agreed that living in a house with a indoor temperature 60° was pretty much an indication that we might be either numb or stupid. Since neither one of us is stupid and based on the pain I feel in my back, I know I'm not numb.

So she flipped the thermostats to the "ON" position and set the temps for our traditional 65° at night, 68° during the day.

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I've eaten my dinner, followed by two ibuprofen for desert. Now I'm trying to decide if I want to watch the Red Sox or the Bruins.

The Red Sox are starting their final three-game series of the season. They are at home playing the Rays. The BRuins are in New Jersey, playing a preseason game against the Devils.

It's nice to have choices.

Enjoy these links:

• I'm pretty sure most people have wanted to do this.



• More prrof that some people have too much free time.



• They have never invented a "superfood" that tastes good. If they had, we would all be eating it.



• Here's more information than you ever needed to know about Candy Corn.



• Why?