Welcome to the end of 2022

All-in-all, it wasn't a terrible year

It could have been better but it wasn't terrible.

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We started taking down the Christmas decorations today but stopped at doing anything outdoors. Seemed kind of dumb to go out in the rain to take down lights.

We'll finish things up either tomorrow or Monday.

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The Bruins lost to the Sabres 4-3 in overtime this afternoon. The Bruins picked up one point for the regulation tie and remain 6 points ahead of the Hurricanes

Next game is this Monday against the Penguins. The puck drops at 2:00pm.

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It's beginning to look like George "I'm only lying when my lips move" Santos may have funded his campaign with funds that he obtained in a less than ethical or legal manner. Then he may have spent those funds in a less than ethical or legal manner.

If he gets sworn in on January 3^rd, we might actually get to see a congressman get arrested.

In my opinion, that would be pretty satisfying

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It's been a pretty crappy year for the stock market. This is the market for 2022:

Guess I won't be retiring any time soon...

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I'm going to watch bad television and fall asleep early.

You can check these out if you want:

• Key phrase in this story: "...research indicates that when we're confronted with breasts, or even breast-related stimuli, like bras, we'll start making bad decisions."



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



• We don't pay cops enough.



• Meet Kaline Hoppe. She is the A-Team

Busy day

I didn't spend a lot of time on the interwebs today so I don't have a lot to offer.

I do have some links for you:

• I have no idea who he is but it seems to me that she's right and he's a douchebag.



• Huh. Gotta say I did not expect this. I don't know what I expected but it wasn't a PhD student.



• Key lie in this story: "was not involved in those challenges in any way."



• I always told people that if the place they work at eliminates the person that cleans the bathrooms and replenishes the toilet paper, it's time to find a new job.



• Presenting this episodes Brilliant Criminal of the Month.



• Oh Canada.



• That's a hell of a typo...



• Well, this sounds awful.



• Australia: What doesn't try to kill ya, pretends to be a stuffed animal and then tries to kill ya.



• A good song will do that to you.



• Man, Psycho Vlad is whacking people all over the place.

They won

Continuing their remarkable season, the Bruins beat the Devils last night 3-1.

I like it when they win

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In other sporting newses, the Red Sox lost Nasty Nate Eovaldi to the Rangers yesterday. That is the second starting pitcher they've given up on, the first being Dick Mountain (Rich Hill) who went to the Pirates.

So far, they have lost pitchers Eovaldi, Hill and Strahm. They've also lost Martinez (DH), Cordero (1B), Bogaerts (SS) and Hosmer (1B).

Now I'm not saying they had a great team last season and they should bring back everyone because that would be stupid. They had a crappy team last season so some retooling would be a good idea.

The problem is, I haven't seen very much "retooling" going on. Yes, they have signed pitchers Yoshida, Jansen, Martin & Rodriguez and they are in the process of signing Kluber but they still have a hole at either shortstop or second, depending on where Story plays.

They also need someone to replace that big bat of Martinez and if they are smart they need to commit to Devers with a lengthy contract. They can bring Casas in as their first baseman and hopefully rely on his ability to hit the ball but he's still considered a rookie. Rookies all go through a massive slump during their first few months so he's a wild card

I'm really hoping Bloom and the front office are truly looking to get back on the winning track for 2023 because 2022 was painful to watch.

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Got an email from a recruiter today and believe it or not, I decided I'm going to talk to the guy.

I am not sure I want this job or that the employer will want me but I figure it's worth talking to them about it. If it pans out the way I want, I'll be working from home for the most part. If they want me to go in periodically, I will but I do not want to have to go into an office more than once every other week.

We'll see how this goes but I'm certainly not going to leap into a job that I don't like or want. I'm too old for that shit.

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No sports tonight. Guess I'll crack open some DVRs.

While I enjoy those, you can enjoy these:

• The guy is 95 and turning translucent. I'm willing to bet that he would like you all to stop praying for him and just let him go already.



• He was a hell of an athlete.



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



• Man, Buffalo just can't catch a break.



• Australia: What doesn't try to kill ya, just wants to catch a few rays with ya!



• At this point, I'm beginning to wonder if his name really is "George Santos" or if he's lying about that too.

They lost

The Bruins lost to the Senators last night in a shoot-out. The final score was 3-2.

Fortunately, the Bruins picked up a point with the regulation tie and they remain in first place in the NHL, a full five points ahead of the Hurricanes.

They are in Newark to play the Devils tonight. Puck drops at 7:00pm

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I got nothing else to give you so here are some links:

• Key line in this story: "I’m not a criminal who defrauded the entire country and made up this fictional character and ran for Congress."
  (Yes, yes you are. And you should be charged with fraud.)



• I would like to point out that this is happening in their bathroom.
  (Yes, that is in Australia.)



• Key line in this story: "They had an open offer for her to come home on the condition that she go to treatment for drug use, and she obviously made the choice not to."



• Some people might ask, "Why would you bring a live racoon into a bar?" Other people ask, "Why wouldn't you bring a live racoon into a bar?"



• What happens when you have a National Weed Glut? You create the worlds longest joint.



• I go down to my workshop in the basement and turn on the loudest power tool I own.

It's snowing in Buffalo, again.

The people in Bufallo really need to rethink where they live. Today they are getting more snow on top of all the snow they've got already.

By the time December ends, they're gonna have 10 or 15 foot high snowbanks and no place to put it.

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Yes, the Bruins are playing tonight.

Yes, I'm going to watch the game.

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Time to eat some dinner, get in to my comfy pants and settle in to watch the game.

You can enjoy these if you want:

• Are they saying that they want sober people to get drunk?



• It has been 7 days since the last Russian oligarch died uner mysterious circumstances.



• Only in Florida.



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



• Oh Canada.



• His new nickname is "Joey Four Fingers".

Still being lazy

Yes, we are still being lazy and enjoying our Christmas.

Although I will admit to going outside, extending my new ladder and removing some debris from the gutter over the garage. As expected, it was way easier than hauling the extension ladder out and standing it up.

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Got the notice to renew my sportsmans club membership last week. This is the last year of me having to pay full price because next year, I get the senior citizens discount!

The one good thing about getting old is that some things tend to be cheaper. Like when Pat and I went golfing last summer at the par 3 course. He paid $16 because he's still a baby and I paid $12.50 because I'm an old geezer.

This summer, he'll qualify for the geezer discount so he's got that to look forward to.

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Despite another embarrassing loss on Saturday, I find that the Patriots are still listed as "On The Bubble" in the NFL playoff picture.

As it stands right now, if the Patriots beat the Dolphins next Sunday, they will have the same record (8-8). If the Jets win their game against the Seahawks, they will also have a 8-8 record.

This means that the following Sunday, the last week of the regular season, there will be three teams tied for the final wildcard slot in the AFC.

Unfortunately, the Patriots are playing the Bills that week and if I was a betting man, I would not bet on the Patriots to win that game.

In other words, the Patriots need a miracle to get into the playoffs and I don't think Jones has it in him to deliver a Brady-esque miracle.

Thank goodness for the Bruins...

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I'm gonna make some dinner and watch some DVRs.

You can enjoy these links:

• I really hope that whoever is doing this touches a 34kv line and explodes into a mass of charred meat.



• When I was a high school kid back in the 70s, I never once imagined that one day, we would see a news headline with the words, "National Weed Glut".



• I wonder if people call Mary Warwick "Bat Woman"?



• Key lie in this story: "accidentally"...



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



• Maybe my wife and I are boring but when we got married, we just had a small band and an open bar. We didn't have any brawls or stabbings.

Merry Christmas Everybody!

To all my christian peoples, I sincerely hope you have a wonderful Christmas.

To all my non-christian peoples, I sincerely hope you have a wonderful Christmas as well because what the hell, why not. My wife has a friend who is jewish and she is married to a christian. He calls the large decorated plant in their living room a Christmas tree and she calls it a Hanukkah bush. I have a friend who is muslim and he sends me a Christmas card every year.

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Oh, and if you are wondering, the box wrapped in a giant contractor debris disposal bag I told you about last week contained something I really wanted.

At some point in the late summer, The Vet had a contractor come to her house to give her an estimate on a new roof. She asked me to be there because I'm her dad and it's what I do.

The guy showed up in a small car and the first thing I said to him was, "You don't have a ladder. How are you going to get up on the roof to inspect it?". He opened his trunk, pulled out a one of these:

It's a 12 foot telescoping ladder!

Best Christmas Ever!

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Anyways, I just wanted to extend a Merry Christmas to you all this morning.

There will be an update later today.

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Update

We had an excellent Christmas and are now in slowdown mode. As a matter of fact, I came pretty close to taking a nap this afternoon.

In case you have never taken a nap, let me tell you that naps are the best thing you can do for yourself.

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I have been playing with my new ladder. You have no idea how happy my back is to no longer have to haul that cumbersome extension ladder out of the garage when I want to get up on the roof to clean the gutter. Now I just pick up the telescoping ladder with one hand, place it on the ground and extend each section until it locks.

When I'm done using the ladder, I push two buttons and the steps collapse back down. There are air pistons in the sides of the ladder that slow the descent of the steps so there is a pretty good chance I will not smash my fingers...

Yes, I realize I am easily entertained but let's face it, us old guys like new toys as much as kids do.

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I'm going to watch some DVRs and catch up on my sleep.

You can check these out:

• I will never understand why humans live in Buffalo.



• I have been looking for flying cars my entire life. This isn't them.



• Key phrase in this story: "...some also wondered how SBF was able to afford the business-class tickets amid FTX’s bankruptcy proceedings."



• I've always told anyone that would listen that LastPass was a bad idea idea.



• Only in Florida.



• I spent most of today watching this movie.

Today is day one of our Christmas

Our offspring will be with us today and tonight. Then, tomorrow morning, everyone will go their seperate ways.

We do it this way for two reasons:

1. Christmas is a season, not a day. imiting your celebration to a single day is silly.
2. Doing it this way means no one is stressed about having to make a decision about who to see on Christmas day.

We will see my siblings during the week for our traditional holiday dinner.

Since today is earmarked for Christmas, you don't get much of a posting.

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I did spend a few minutes this morning looking for links.

This is what I found:

• Face tattoos are usually an indication that you probably make bad life decisions.



• Welcome to Massachusetts where we have warnings for everything.



• Chunks of Sperm Whale would be a great name for Red Lobster nightly special.



• At least he took his little brother (or sister) with him.



• Key entry from our favorite police log: "12:54 a.m. A woman wanted officers to check on her boyfriend, because she hadn’t heard from him since they decided to give each other space for a while."



• I was not aware of this piece of Christmas history.

Power is out

We lost power around 8:00 this morning and as of 1:00pm, it's still off.

We were having some pretty nasty wind gusts and I thought for sure my neighbors oak tree was going to come down. That thing looked like it was moving a good 20 or 30 feet at its top and I swear I could see the base flexing at the ground.

Like I said yesterday, thank goodness for generators. That generator means we have heat, hot water, lights and a working gas stove so The Professor and The Vet can make their world-class Christmas cookies.

We also have no internet or cable television right now and I doubt that's going to blaze back to life anytime soon. I'm currently connected to the internet via my Verizon phone, which is the worlds a shittiest internet connection.

So anyways, you get an early post that basically says, "Due to circumstances beyond our control, we are unable to bring you a posting today. Should those circumstances change in the near future, we will gladly dive headfirst back into the mire known as 'The World Wide Web' and bring you an update."

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Update

According to National Grid, the estimated date/time they will restore my power is tomorrow (Decmber 24^th) at 6:00pm

I'm not going to be happy if my power is out all night tonight and all day tomorrow.

I'm also gonna be out of gasoline...

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Update, the Sequel

According to the National Grid outage map, my power is still out and won't be restored until tomorrow but I am pleased to report that I have power tonight. As a matter of fact, not only do I have power, I also have internet and cable.

I missed the first 1½ periods of tonights hockey game but I'm pleased to report that right now it's near the end of the second period and the Bruins are up 3-1 over the Devils.

And for those of you that are concerned, yes, I need to go fill my gas cans tomorrow.

Rain and wind

The weather dweebs are predicting a lot of rain and high winds for our area. Add to that the fact we live in New England and it's winter time and it's a pretty good bet we will have ice on the trees, the power lines and the roads.

Thank goodness I have a generator.

Now I just need to make sure I have enough gasoline to last more than a day.

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Yes, there is hockey tonight.

Despite the NHL postponing two hockey games because of weather, the Jets are still scheduled to face off against the Bruins at 7:00 this evening.

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Nope, no retirement for me.

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Enjoy these links:

• Somebody finally did something funny (and a little frightening) with deep fake technology.



• Good thing we pulled out and let the Taliban take over...



• For some reason, whenever I see a picture of Chuckles Schummer, all I can think of is Jack Palance in the original Batman movie.



• Turns out Trump is right. Election fraud is real.
  (If true, Santos should go to prison.)



• It's still the cleanest and cheapest form of electrical generation.



• I wonder if he'll skip town and end up somewhere in South America.

Happy Winter Solstice

Remember, it might be the shortest day of the year but it's also the longest night. That means I can get some extra sleep if I try real hard.

Oh, and if you happen to be a practicing druid, don't go sacrificing any virgins. As a matter of fact, you should probably forgo to whole sacrificing thing in general.

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Since it's the holiday season and the weather is leaning towards "extra crappy" over the next few days, I spent some time with friends this afternoon. That means you get a short post.

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I have a problem with this.

When Richy "I've never had a real job!" Neal said he wanted Trumps returns, it was for the sole purpose of reviewing the laws surrounding the Presidential Audit function of the IRS. Under no circumstances should those returns ever be made public by anyone other than the individual who is the subject of the return.

In other words, if I want you all to know about my tax return, I can release it into the wild. If I don't want you to know about it, the government does not have my permission to release it into the wild.

Maybe Richy "Representing the people of Ireland in the U.S. Congress for 34 years!" Neal should be investigated by the ethics committee for behaving like a jerk and doing something that, in my opinion, is unethical

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I'm going to use as much of the darkness as possible.

While I'm doing that, you might want to check these out:

• These are all very good questions.



• I bet there's going to be a lot of oligarch accidental deaths over the next few months.



• Bummer. He was one of my hero's.



• In my opinion, this would be the best Christmas ever!



• Australia: Things are diferent there...
  (Key phrase: "Seeing her eating a Asian house gecko was a highlight.")



• It's the hap-hap-happiest time of the year!

Thank goodness for the Bruins

The Red Sox are making mediocre moves at best and probably will be a mediocre team next season (I'll still watch them), the Patriots are tied with the Jets for last place in the AFC East and will probably finish last in the division (I'll still watch them) and the Celtics play a sport that I can't stand (I won't watch them). That means my only hope for sporting-happiness are the Bruins and they are not disappointing me.

No sir, they are not disappointing me at all.

Last night, they beat up on the Panthers pretty badly, winning the game 7-3.

With 31 games of the 82 game season under their belts, they are currently 7 points ahead of the Golden Knights in the National Hockey League. What is more amazing is the fact they still have a .839 win percentage.

I know this is wishful thinking but if they can maintain their current pace, there is a possibility they will beat the league record of 62 wins currently held by both the Red Wings and the Lightning. That would be pretty amazing. More amazing than the dumb-shit play the Patriots put on to lose their game last Sunday which you gotta admit was spectacular in it's stupidity.

So anyways, I look forward to Thursday at 7:00pm when the Bruins face off against the Jets.

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I got to studying up on the congressional committee that spent more than a year and $3,000,000.00 dollars looking into the attack on the Capital and I have formed an opinion.

I am of the opinion that maybe, just maybe, the committee overstepped its charter and turned itself into a grand jury. That is a violation of constitutional law.

They were basically tasked with collecting information about the cause of the attack and coming up with steps to prevent it from happening in the future. Instead, they went on an evidence hunt and issued opinions regarding criminal charges.

They are a legislative body, not a grand jury. They are not equipped to collect and analyze evidence nor were they tasked with conducting a criminal investigation. They were tasked with making recommendations for new or updated laws that would help mitigate the possibility of a recurrence.

I can't help but wonder if they might have actually violated the constitutional mandate of three separate and distinct branches of government, those being legislative, executive and judicial.

Will someone be investigating them?

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This is the first year in a good many years that I do not have to go Christmas shopping right up until December 24^th and I don't quite know what to do with myself.

I feel like I should be rushing out to the various stores, getting all stressed out and then rushing home to wrap the presents so my wife has something to unwrap on Christmas. It's kind of unsettling

Maybe I'll go shooting...

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I have numerous DVRs to watch because in addition to Gold Rush, several other shows have returned to the cablewaves (we used to call them airwaves, but I don't have an antenna). Gold Rush: Bearing Sea, Gold Rush: White Water and Dirty Jobs are all back on TV. My DVR has been dutifully recording all of them so I have quite the selection to pick from.

While I decide on my entertainment for the evening, you can decide on these:

• Key sub-heading in this story: "Nothing gets the party started quite like a fact nobody needed or asked for.



• Isn't their slogan, "Just Do It"?



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



• How the Grinch Stole Christmas.



• "Tornado in a Closet" would be a fantastic name for a 1970s rock-a-billy band.



• In New York City, if you rob the average person, you get released without bail. If you rob a celebrity, you go to jail. There is something seriously wrong with a legal system that lets someone with 26 arrests walk free time after time.

So much for the playoffs

The Patriots managed to lose yesterday's game in grand style and I can't help but think to myself how fortunate I am to have seen it happen in real time.

With a minute left on the game clock, the Patriots had a 24-17 lead and it appeared they had the game in the bag. The Raiders had other ideas and the managed to score a touchdown and the extra point to tie the game. This made the score 24-24 with :37 seconds on the clock.

The Raiders kicked off to the Patriots, who managed to run five plays, ending up on the 55 yard line with :03 seconds left in the game. At that point, any sane individual would have said, "Whelp, guess we'll just take a knee and see what happens in OT".

But apparently the Patriots decided that wasn't what they wanted to do.

And so with :03 seconds on the clock, David Andrews snapped the ball to Mac Jones who immediately handed off to Rhamondre Stevenson.

Stevenson ran for about 10 yards before being hemmed in by Raiders. Instead of sliding to a stop and ending the game, he turned and tossed a lateral to Jakobi Meyers.

Meyers grabbed the ball and, in his infinite wisdom, immediately made a turn of 180°, heading back towards the line of scrimmage. That was when, and this is the part that no one can understand, he made a lateral to...

...Chandler Jones of the Raiders.

Thanks to the fact that Meyers had conveniently run the ball back to the line of scrimmage, all Jones had to do was run 45 yards through a wide open field to the end zone.

Which he did, scoring 6 points and giving the Raiders a 30-24 win.

If that "play" was called by the offensive coordinator, Matt Patricia, he should be fired. It was probably the dumbest thing I think I've ever seen.

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The congressional panel investigating the attack on the Capital building has recommended that the DoJ open a criminal investigation against Donald "better than Lincoln, better that Washington" Trump.

This should get very interesting.

If the DoJ opts to conduct a criminal investigation and eventually charge Trump with a crime, Trump will have a hissy fit of epic proportions. It will be great to watch. I expect spittle flying out of his beet-red face while he's ranting about stolen elections and fake news.

If the DoJ decides there isn't enough evidence to warrant an investigation, Trump is going to crow like a rooster at dawn, yelling about how he is the best thing that ever happened to this country and the congressional committee members are a bunch of losers.

Either way, it's going to be comedy gold...

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The Bruins and Panthers drop puck at 7:00 this evening.

While I watch that, you can check these out:

• Why do I have a feeling that up until now, they've been using google maps as their spy satellite.



• This guy is making friends everywhere he goes.



• This doesn't sound good. Didn't they already have one with a hole in it a few years ago?



• I like my Alexa but I draw the line at the bathroom.



• Yes, alcohol was involved.



• Oh Canada.

Not a great first half

It is currently half time of the Patriots / Raiders game with the Patriots down 17-3.

Hopefully the Patriots make a comeback in the second half.

On the upside, the Steeler won this afternoon so I got that going for me.

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I need to make some dinner and then watch the rest of this football game.

You can do whatever you want.

If you want some links, here they are:

• I thought the republican party was screwed up but man, the democrats are a mess.



• This is wrong on many levels.



• In Pennsylvania, they take their Pizza Pizza! very seriously.



• Apparently there are aliens in New York City.



• Putins friends just keep on dying.



• Ain't nothin' lower than a goat rustler.

They won.

The Blue Jackets came to Boston and got beat by the Bruins. The Bruins scored in the first period and never looked back. They dominated the Blue Jackets over all three periods and won the game 4-2.

This means that as of 5:00 this afternoon, they are a full five points ahead of the Golden Knights.

Their next game is Sunday against the Panthers.

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I'm still trying to get my Christmas shopping finished up. I have three more items on the list of must-haves so that means I'll be at a few atores on Monday or Tuesday.

I am fortunate to have my daughter nearby and willing to help me out with some items. If it was my job to pick out an article of clothing for my wife, it would not go well.

Not well at all.

She is also helping her mom with some items. I know this because there is a rather large box wrapped in one of my giant contractor debris disposal bags with a gift tag and a bow on it.

I have no idea what my wife got me but she seems pretty excited about it.

So far, it's shaping up to be a decent Christmas on all levels.

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We have a special guest with us this evening. The animal clinic is holding it's annual holiday diner and The Dog is with us. The Vet said she doesn't want to leave her little doggie alone with the Christmas goodies.

Apparently there has been some unauthorized unwrapping going on...

So while The Dog & I watch some DVRs, and maybe some Saturday football, you can click on these:

• I have been hearing about these alleged "breakthrough's" for the last 30+ years. It's like those promised flying cars - I'll believe it when I see it.



• Key entry from our favorite police log: "1:17 a.m. Following up on a tip, an officer asked a man what he was doing parked in a lot at this time of night. The man answered all the questions until the officer asked if there was someone else naked in the car, and the man swore and drove off."



• This is just the type of guy who would get scammed by Trump and buy those fanboy trading cards.



• That is what is known as a shitload of meatballs.



• Australia: What doesn't try to kill ya, gets you a little high.

They lost

I really thought the Bruins were going to win last night. I went to bed in the middle of the third period with the Bruins up 2-1.

When I woke up this morning, I discovered that the Kings tied the game 2-2 before the end of the third period. The OT period was scoreless and the Bruins lost 3-2 in the shootout.

They still picked up one point for the tie in regulation, keeping them three points ahead of the Knights and four points ahead of the Devils.

Next game is Saturday @ 1:00 when they face off against the Blue Jackets

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Yesterday was very busy for me.

I had breakfast with an old friend and when I got home from that, The Professor and I headed out to do some Christmas shopping.

Now, when I go Christmas shopping, I know what I want. I walk into the store, go to the department where the item is located, pick up the item and place it in my shopping cart. If there is more than one item I am interested in, I go get the other items and put them in my shopping cart. Then I go to the register, give the items to the cashier, pay for the items, take them back from the cashier and I leave.

That is how I shop. It is how I have always shopped.

When my wife goes Christmas shopping, she may think she knows what she wants but she does not go get what she wants. She wanders a bit, looking at things that weren't even on her mind when she walked in. And when she finally does find the item she originally thought she wanted, she might not want it anymore because something else has crossed her path that she is more interested in. Once she has collected some items in a cart, she goes to the register but just before she gets in line, she remembers that she wanted to look at something else and she goes back into the store. After several minutes of looking at different things, she returns to the register, gives her items to the cashier, pays for them and leaves.

That is how she shops.

When I shop, it is quick and painless. When my wife shops, it is lengthy and in-depth. Don't misunderstand, she is not a "shopper". She does not spend copious amounts of money or time shopping for items she doesn't need. She just doesn't necessarily stick to the plan when she goes shopping.

Anyways, after that was over with, I had some things I needed to do around the house and completely forgot about this internet thing.

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If you haven't seen it yet, here is Trump's "major announcement" from the other day:

Today, he comes out and says they are all sold out.

There are two possibilities here:

1. His cultists are incredibly gullible.
or
2. He is lying and he sold none of them.

Personally, I think the odds are just about even that either one of those possibilities is true.

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Enjoy these links:

• Australia: What doesn't try to kill ya, just wants to spread some Christmas cheer.



• This is probably the most British thing you will see today.



• I like it as much as then next guy but I don't think of the word "epic" when I think of KFC.



• When you combine fishing with comedy, this is what you get.



• A smart businessman would add the words "could have been" to the back.



• Based on her mugshot (she's only 51), I'm betting there are a lot of drugs in her life.

Busy day

Lots of stuff going on and I completely forgot about doing this.

Tomorrow will be better.

Maybe....

Another shootout

I barely made it through all three regulation periods, the overtime period and the shootout but make it I did.

The Bruins had a lead through the first two periods but the Islanders tied it up in the third. And man-o-man, let me tell you, that third period was a hell of a hockey game.

With that win, the Bruins now hold a three point lead over the Devils and the Leafs.

Again, I know it's still early in the season and the chances of the Bruins maintaining a .800+ win/loss record in a 82 game season is pretty damned slim but it sure is fun to watch them do it over these first 28 games.

It almost makes me not be anxious over the current state of the Red Sox.

Almost, but not quite...

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Again, today was an errand running / Christmas shopping day.

That means not a lot of interwebbing time.

Here are some links for you:

• If any of you believed he was in favor of "free speech", you haven't been paying attention.



• Bud Williams was the guy who drove Smith & Wesson out of Springfield. Now he's going after MGM. He won't be happy until everyone is unemployed



• The sounds of Mars.



• Only in Florida.



• Looks like things are going well for Russian soldiers.



• Australia: What doesn't try to kill ya, drink your beer and won't leave until you toss them out.
  (Key names: Kevin and Carol the Emus)

Nice win

When I went to bad at half time last night, the Cardinals were beating the Patriots 13-10.

When I woke up this morning, I discovered that in the second half, the Patriots held the Cardinals to zero points while scoring 17 of their own, beating the Cardinals 27-13.

I will say that the Cardinals suffered a bit during the first half. Their quarterback, Murray, went down during the first drive with a self-imposed leg injury. It was bad enough that they had to cart him of the field. It appeared that he had blown out his knee attempting to make a cut turn away from a defender and he went down hard.

Next game is on Sunday when they will be in Vegas to play the Raiders. Kickoff is at 4:00pm.

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She's not supposed to be on the table...

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Many errands got run today (yes, I actually did some Christmas shopping) so I didn't spend a lot of time internetting. And as a heads up, there will be more errands run tomorrow.

Also, there is hockey this evening.

So let's skip the prattle and get right to the links:

• This kid lived a very wealthy lifestyle for about two years. Now he's probably going to end up in prison for 20 years. I wonder if it was worth it.
  Oh, and he wants to be released because he's a "vegan" which is an old indian word for, "I don't hunt to well"...



• Trump may have been a nasty, arrogant prick and his wall was a joke but he had better control of the border than Goofy Joe does.



• I'm getting more and more depressed about the upcoming baseball season.



• Only in Florida.



• So is it partially accurate?

Currier and fricken Ives

Yes, I cleared my driveway this morning.

We ended up with a total of maybe four inches. I shoveled the walk and the top six feet of the drive. Then I broke out The Beast because, well, I'm a guy and guys like using power tools to do things.

When the Vet showed up with The Dog, she said the roads kinda sucked but my driveway was a skating rink. Turns out that the damp driveway froze into a sheet of ice once the snow was removed. This meant I had to break out the ice melt and sprinkle a little of it on the driveway.

By 8:30, when The Professor went to work, the driveway was wet and not slippery.

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The Sisters each have their own window on the world.

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The Bruins won last, beating the Golden Knights 3-1 and maintaining their first place in the standings.

What is more impressive is that I stayed awake to see all three periods even though the game ended at 10:30. Sometimes I amaze myself with my ability to stay awake into the wee hours of the night.

Next game is Tuesday when the Islanders come into Boston. That game will start at 7:00 which means I should be able to go to bed at a decent hour.

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The Patriots will play the Cardinals tonight at 8:15 on ESPN and I will watch at least half the game.

I'm hoping the Patriots can take advantage of the struggling Cardinals and come away with a much-needed win.

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While I watch football, you can check these out:

• If you've ever wondered what putting 1,000 sparklers into a toilet and lighting them would look like, wonder no more.
  (I copied the link to start after the first 5 minutes of that 10 minute video because it's boring as hell.)



• I've decided that Russia is being run by characters from a 1970's comedy war/spy movie.



• Only in Florida.



• In case you forgot, people are stupid.



• I wonder if my wife would like this.



• If they come up with a vaccine for this, I ain't getting it.

34 years is a long time

There is a line from the movie The Magnificent Seven where the widow Emma Cullen is asked by Sam Chisolm if she seeks revenge. Her reply was, "I seek righteousness, as should we all... But I'll take revenge."

In the case of the Lockerbie bombing, we have already gotten righteous justice with the overthrow of Kadhafi and the dismantling of his dictatorial government.

I can't help but wonder if this is going to be our revenge.

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NASA's Artemis mission concluded today with the splashdown of the Orion capsule.

I'm excited at the thought of seeing humans walk on the moon again.

I hope I live long enough to see it.

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In my quest to find something, anything, that will make me believe the Red Sox have a chance of playing well in 2023, I searched high and low.

All I could find was this:

My optimism is quickly fading away...

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I wish I had more news for you but apparently the majority of the stories being published are , "Where is Brittney Griner now and what is she doing?"

Let me just say that I don't care where Brittney Griner is nor do I care what she is doing. Until she was stupid enough to try and bring drugs into a foreign country, I had never heard of her.

And lets face it, I'm pretty sick of hearing about her now.

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The Bruins are in Vegas to play the Golden Knights. Puck drops at 8:00. That means I should make it through two periods and, who knows, I just might make it through all three. However, if they go into overtime, my presence is questionable...

You should check these out:

• In my house, unless you are family, you have overstayed after 4 hours.



• Listen up people: Stop dumping your goldfish into the local streams.



• Apparently Mr. Powers doesn't live by the adage, "Know your target."
  Key statement from his wife: "Well, I told you."



• Timmy Lamb and The Escaped Cow would be a fantastic name for a 1960s country-western band.



• Australia: What doesn't try to kill ya, does a really shitty job of decorating for the holidays.



• I'm still trying to figure out what the hell a "Boffin" is.

Tough loss

The Bruins lost last night and, no, I did not watch the game. It started at 9:30 and I watched the first period. What I saw was not good because the Coyotes scored about 20 seconds in to the period, right at the faceoff. Before the period ended, the Bruins scored and tied things up.

That was when I went to bed.

What I found out this morning is near the end of the third period, the score was tied 3-3 and it looked like they were going to go in to overtime. The Coyotes had a different plan and they scored with only 15 seconds left in the game. This gave them a 4-3 lead and that was how the game ended.

Fortunately, the Devils also lost so the Bruins remain in first place in the NHL.

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A quick review of all the normal baseball websites leads me to believe that it's going to be an interesting season.

No one can really figure out why Yoshida is being paid $90 million over the next five years, including most of the other GMs in baseball.

Looking at this team, unless Bloom knows something top secret about Yoshida and he pulls a rabbit out of his ass, I suspect us Red Sox fans will be wondering when ownership will fire him as GM.

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I'm just gonna say out loud to everyone on the internet that Costco has the best steaks.

That is all.

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We had steak for dinner tonight.

Now I'm settling in to watch DVRs before falling asleep early.

If you are interested in links, here they are:

• He's what we used to call "an interesting creature with interesting habits."



• My whole life I was blissfully ignorant of certain things. This was one of them. I would like to remain blissfully ignorant of things like that.



• Key entry from our favorite police log: "4:26 p.m. A man was where he wasn’t supposed to be."



• You gotta love dogs.



• Key line from this story: "And oh, so now I'm a bad guy?"



• Only in Florida.

I'm not happy

I spent some time looking at the moves the Red Sox have made so far and I gotta say, I think they are pretty screwed up.

Let's start with Bogaerts.

Never mind, the Red Sox were never going to pay Bogaerts what he wanted and to be honest with you, the Padres are really overpaying and for way too many years. The same applies to the Yankees and Judge but the Yankees at least kept their fan-favorite despite the cost.

Let's look at this kid from Japan, Masataka Yoshida. They paid his old team in Japan, the Orix Buffaloes, $15 million just for the rights to talk to him and then signed a contract that pays him 18 million a year for five years. Keep in mind that this is a kid who has never played baseball in the US, never faced MLB pitchers or dealt with the media/fan pressures that come with playing in Boston. I give him two years and they'll end up designating him for assignment.

Then there's Chris Martin, a relief pitcher who may or may not be good. It kind of depends on how you measure "good". Is he the Chris Martin who pitched a total of 31 innings for the Cubs and had an ERA of 4.31 or the Chris Martin who pitched a total of 24 innings for the Dodgers and had an ERA of 1.46? Let's hope he is the Dodgers guy and not the Cubs guy.

Next up is Kanley Jansen who will probably be the closer. The Dodgers fans called him Heart-attack Jansen because everytime he pitched, they all had a heart attack. The Red Sox used to have a heart attack-inducing closer named Craig Kimbrel. Whenever Kimbrel took the mound, we would all collectively hold our breath and pray.

Finally there is Joely Rodriguez, another relief pitcher who may actually be worth a shot. He's being paid $1,500,000 for 2023 with an option for $4,250,000 if he is still with the team in 2024. If he's not on the team in 2024, the team can buy him out at $500,000. His stats aren't terrible with a 5-year average ERA 4.56 because he ad a terrible year 2017.

They need an infielder, a big bat to fill the DH role and some starting pitching because Eovaldi is a free agent and Sale is a huge question mark.

My pessimism gets stronger and stronger every time I read about the team.

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So the senator from Georgia, beat the ex-football player and got re-elected.

I would like to point out that Warnock, the democrat with a track record in the senate, barely defeated Walker, a nutcase who can't form a complete sentence because he got tackled a few too many times and probably has CTE.

What is it with the democrats running candidates who are just barely electable? Why are they unable to give us a candidate with some intelligence, some charisma and some semblence of decency?

I have nothing against republicans. I have something against the Trumpists that claim to be republicans. Just once, before I die, I would really like to see a democrat who isn't a socialist and a republican who isnt a fascist run for office. I would love to hear a debate with two people talking about what issues they think they can resolve and how they are going to resolve them.

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I'm trying to figure out what to make for dinner.

You can figure out what to do with these links:

• "Don't say Gay" but "Fraud is Okay"!



• Only in Florida.



• They seem to have a lot of "accidental fires" at facilities making military equipment since they imposed a draft.



• Art: I don't get it.



• I'm still a big fan of Philadelphia.



• I always knew there was something weird about him.

The Red Sox need a new infielder.

Looks like Bogaerts is heading to the Padres where he will be paid $25 million a year for the next eleven years.

The Red Sox already have a guy who can play shortstop or second base in Story so they need to find a shortstop or second baseman who can hit the ball.

They have been beefing up their bullpen which is good and hopefully they can find someone to fill this new gap in their lineup.

Oh, and they also need some help at starting pitching as well as catching. And they are missing the big bat they had in Martinez at DH.

You know, the more I look at things, the less optimistic I become...

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Even though I did not watch the game, the Bruins still won and beat the Avalanch 4-0 last night.

They are now tied at 43 points with the Devils but they are in first place with the better record. The Bruins, with their 21-3-1 record, are at .860 and the Devils, with a 21-4-1 record, are at .827 in the standings.

The Golden Knights have fallen behind by 4 points but don't count them out yet. Cassidy is a great motivator and I suspect they will come screaming back in the near future.

The Bruins are on their way to Tempe, Arizona to play the Coyotes on Friday. Puck drops at 9:30 so hopes are not high that I will be watching that game either.

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Attention Pat: I got a new golf cart:

Get your clubs cleaned up and be ready for the 2023 season because if we don't start doing something other than sitting on our respective asses, we're gonna turn in to blobs.

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Got another one of those text scam attempts today:

If you get one, just delete it. Don't click on any links

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While I admire my new golf cart, you can admire these links:

• Maybe next time she goes to a foreign country, she won't bring her drugs along with her.



• They stole what?



• Let me just say that if any of you terrorist assholes decide to shoot up the power stations around my house, I'm gonna be pissed.



• Two percent of you are gonna get pregnant. The other ninety eight percent of you will grow a hard outer shell and get really pinchy when you are pissed off.



• Australia, what doesn't try to kill ya, makes you really need a beer after it tries to kill ya.

A Date Which Will Live In Infamy

Eighty One years ago, a bunch of people on the island of Oahu were woken up by explosions and gunfire. Two thousand and forty three of those people never lived to see another morning.

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I didn't see anything in the news that caught my attention so I really got nothing much to prattle on about.

I'm going to watch some DVRs and probably fall asleep before the Bruins game starts.

You can check these links out:

• Yea, he needs to be on a team where the fan and media focus isn't quite as intense as it is in Boston.



• I'm curious: What were the criteria they used that made them pick Worcester as a fun city?



• I'm pretty sure I would have loved to have a bed available at my old job. I hated sleeping in my chair.



• That works out to $40 million each year. And all it will take is a blown-out knee or a spinal compression and it's all for naught.



• People are stupid.



• Guess I won't be going to Nantucket ever again. Last thing I want to see is some 72 year old Boston boobies...



• This is why I only drink beer out of a bottle.



• If you are bored, you can spend time destroying civilization.

The doors are still attached to the house

I guess I did a good job putting the storm doors on because The Vet assures me they are both still firmly attached to the house.

I'm always happy when something I do stays done.

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The Bruins lost their first home game of the season last night when the Golden knights beat them 4-3 in a shootout.

They still picked up 1 point with the OT loss, putting them back in first place in the league.

All in all, no one can complain about their play and they always manage to make a decent showing but last night they kinda sucked during the first period. The Knights took a 2-0 lead into the second period before the Bruins came alive and score two quick goals, making the score 3-2.

The Bruins scored one more goal in the third and prevented the Knights from scoring any. Regulation ended with the score tied 3-3 and the overtime period also ended with the score tied 3-3.

Both goalies were stellar during the shootout but the fifth shooter from the Knights was able to sneak one past Swayman to win the game 4-3

They are heading to Colorado to take on the Avalanche tomorrow night at 9:00.

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You would think that after all these years of being told you can't bring a loaded gun on to a plane, people would know by now that you can't bring a loaded gun on to a plane.

You would be wrong.

Listen up people, stop bringing things that can be used as a weapon onto planes. You may have the constitutional right to carry a firearm in public but that right ends at a plane, a train or a bus.

Stop it. You are making travel worse for the rest of it. You don't need your gun on the plane. Your chances of getting into a shootout on a plane are pretty much zero.

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I have no idea what I'm making for dinner and I have no idea what I'm going to watch for my nightly entertainment. But I suspect you don't care about either one and are just here for the links.

Well, here they are:

• I believe that any cop who thinks Trump and his cult are looking out for them is sadly mistaken. Yes, I believe Obama is the cause of all the hatred towards police but Trump is worse - he lied to them and stabbed them in the back while smiling in their faces.



• Speaking of what I believe, I believe this is a terror attack within the boundaries of our country and should be treated as such.



• Looks like Ukraine is giving Russia a taste of it's own medicine.



• Key phrase in this story: "People need to be careful when they throw out anything that looks like a body."



• They have a stromboli volcano in Italy? Do they have a calzone volcano as well? What about a pizza volcano?



• I've seen this kind of thin on the MassPike.

Second door is in

I installed the second door at The Vets today and it went way better than the one I installed yesterday.

Yes, I screwed up the install of the closer and had to redo it but other than that, it took me just about an hour to put the door in and have it working nicely.

Next up is filling a gap between her living room floor and the fireplace hearth. Some expanding foam, facing bricks (the thin bricks) and some liquid nails will do the job nicely.

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I didn't spend a lot time on the internets today but I did see a story about someone shooting up an electrical substation in North Carolina, putting thousands of people in the dark.

That's some "Russian attack" shit right there is what it is. That's the kind of thing an enemy of a people does. Who the hell does that?

If they ever find out who did it, I'm not going to be surprised if they are wearing a MAGA hat. That is the kind of thing one of Trump's cultists would do.

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Nope, no retirement for me.

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Time to watch some hockey.

Here are today's links:

• I wonder if he's still an arrogant prick...



• This guy is going to end up in prison soon.



• Oh Canada.



• If you have a Kanye West tattoo, you are an idiot.



• "Not Healthy" is something a mobster would say about someone from another family.

Alexa, turn on the Christmas tree

Normally we put a small Christmas tree in our family room that we plug into a switched plug. That way it's easy to turn the lights on and off.

This year we decided to put the tree in the other TV room because that's where my wife likes to watch her shows while I watch sports and such in the family room. Unfortunately, that second room does not have a switched plug in it.

Enter The Vet.

My daughter bought a four pack of smart plugs for her Christmas lights and only needed two of them. She suggested I take one and use it to control the Christmas tree.

Well, after some quick and painless finagling, the Christmas tree and Alexa are happily talking to each other. The smart plug has been programmed to turn the tree lights on at 4:00 and off at 9:00. If my wife would like it on or off at different times, she simply tells Alexa what to do and Alexa takes care of it.

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The Steelers beat the Falcons this afternoon but I didn't get to see it because I was at The Vet's house installing a storm door.

According to the instructions, this little project should have taken around 45 minutes. I can tell you that if you are a professional Anderson door installer, the door frame is exactly the size it should be and the frame does not vary from top to bottom, you can do this in 45 minutes.

If you are a 64 year old guy whose helper has covid, the door frame is slightly smaller than it should be and it's a bit off kilter, you can do the job in 2 hours.

I still have one more door to install but I'm hoping now that I've installed one door, the second door will be a little easier.

I'm also hoping that Santa Claus brings me a winning lottery ticket...

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Dinner was simple cheese and bacon omlets. Now it's time to pop three ibuprofens and watch some DVRs.

You should consider checking these out:

• There are lot of things we should worry about in this world. This isn't one of them.



• Australia: What doesn't try to kill ya, fines you for something you didn't do.



• He was just into the Christmas spirit.



• We got blizzards, Florida has hurricanes, California has earthquakes and Hawaii has volcanoes.



• I'm reminded of the line from Groundhog Day where Phil Connors says, "You know, people like blood sausage, too. People are morons."

They are done

And just like that, the US is out of the World Cup.

My buddy Tommy, who loves soccer and knows more about it than anyone I know, called me asked me to go to his bar at 10:00 this morning to watch the match with him and a bunch of drunks. I told him no. He then got a little pushy and insisted. I told him no. Then I told him I had recently been exposed to someone with covid and I wasn't feeling all that great.

That was when he said, "Oh. Okay. Watch it from your house."

And yes, I watched the end of the match because I happened to flip on my television around 11:30 to see if there was any news worth watching.

As for the covid thing, yes, we were exposed the other day. My wife seems fine and I'm feeling fine but the one thing I remember about covid is it takes a few days to wipe you out. I'm waiting until Monday and I'll take one of those home tests to see if I have it. Until then, I don't really want to go out in public and give anyone that shit.

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Speaking of not feeling all that good, I'm still dealing with a lack of sleep. That means not only am I a bit punchy, I'm also a bit cranky.

The Professor has stopped decorating for the day. Here's my view of the world:

She will pick it up again tomorrow

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Dinner was baked stuffed sole and it was good. The news is on now and the Bruins are on at 7:00.

While I enjoy that, you can enjoy these:

• I have no idea if this is a good move or a bad move. Hopefully it's a good move.



• I pray that I never end up like this but if I do, I hope my kids take my car away from before I kill someone.



• I've come to the conclusion that "virtual life" is the dumbest thing we've invented since facebook.



• Only in Pennsylvania.



• This is the kind of thing that happens when you combine golfing with gambling.



• Yes, alcohol was involved.