Happy Thanksgiving

Here in the United States today is the day we give thanks for our ancestors, the "pilgrims", surviving a New England winter. If it wasn't for the fact they paid attention to the natives in the area and stocked up on food to make it through the winter, they would be dead and no one gives thanks for that.

Also, if the pilgrims had landed in someplace other than New England, like maybe Florida, we would not be celebrating Thanksgiving either because they don't have winters in Florida. Besides, the pilgrims would have all died from alligator attacks or getting hit by falling iguanas.

So anyways, I hope you were well-stocked on food and enjoyed your tryptophan nap this afternoon. I also hope no one got hit by any falling iguanas.

And yes, I am fully aware that Tryptophan and the Falling Iguanas would be a fantastic name for a 1960's lounge band.

Oh, and I got this picture of a shitload of free turkeys the other day. If you need a turkey, just drive through my town and you'll eventually find one.

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The Bruins beat the Islanders 3-1 last night, moving up to 3^rd place in the Atlantic division.

One of the reasons you see the Bruins listed lower in tie situations is simple math - they have played more games than anyone in the league. Simple math means gives them a lower win percentage than a team with fewer games and the same number of wins.

The best explanation is 5 wins divided by 10 games played equals a win percentage of .500 while 5 wins divided by 11 games played equals a win percentage of .455.

And to make things even more difficult, they add in the number of ties in regulation.

In the case of hockey's OT system, it's not not just the number of wins divided by games played, it's the number of wins plus half of the OT points, also known as ties in regulation. If a team has played 10 games and they have 5 wins with 2 OT loses, they would have a win percentage of .600 because it would be 5 wins plus (2 ties in regulation / 2) = 6. Divide that by games played and you get a win percentage of .600 even though they only have 5 wins.

And now you know more about how hockey standings are calculated than you did yesterday.

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If the news is to be believed, one of the guardsmen that was shot yesterday was hit in the head. That means a traumatic brain injury.

Also, the shooter is an arrival in this country from Afghanistan and the FBI is treating this like an act of terrorism. This means that Trump is now looking into reviewing everyone who came to the US from Afghanistan.

Time for me to get a little racist...

Too be honest with you, I'm not entirely sure that looking into the lives of each and every Afghan refugee is a bad thing. Culturally, Afghanistan might as well be on a different planet than the United States. The people from that culture are vastly different than the people from the United States.

This has been my narrow-minded racist view of the world. We now return to my traditional view that every culture and race has assholes within it. This includes my culture and my race. There are assholes everywhere.

So anyways, I hope the guardsman, Sarah Beckstrom, does not suffer and she either recovers to live a long healthy life or she passes with no pain. Either way, she did not deserve this. She was doing nothing other than following the lawful orders of her command.

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Here are some links:

• Normally, I don't speak russian. As a matter fact, I'm not really all that good with english. But I was able to interpret this. I believe what he said was, "Give me what I want or I will keep killing babies and school children."



• Trading him to a team where he can play his position would be the best thing for both him and the Red Sox.



• I own a streaming box from Amazon. It's an Alexa FireTV cube and I can't load any software on it that doesn't come from Amazon.



• His real name was Frank Urban Zoeller which made his nickname 'Fuzzy'.

There are sportings tonight

The Bruins will hopefuly beat the Islanders tonight.

I say hopefully because they've already beat them twice this season but they are on a small losing streak lately so it is anyone's guess what will happen tonight.

The one thing I do know is the puck drops at 7:00 so I should be able to watch the entire game.

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As I type this, there is news out of Washington DC that two National Guardsmen were ambushed and shot point blank about 500 yards away from the Gold-Leaf Palace formerly known as "The White House".

It's an odd situation because initially the governor of West Virginia, where the guardsmen were from, reported they had both died. At some point a little later, he came out and said that they had not died. What is known at this point is that the shooter is alive and in custody. He had no ID on him and he has not said anything to anyone.

Hopefully the guardsmen survive with no life-changing injuries and the douchebag that shot them gets put into a dark damp hole for the rest of his life.

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Here are some links:

• Key line in this story: "He could not accept being defied."



• This guy would be a great addition to the team.



• Turns out that the Worlds Strongest Woman is actually just a pretty strong guy.

No sports tonight

I managed to get all the leaves out from under the bushes in our backyard this afternoon.

This makes me happy simply because now I can see the mulch I busted my ass spreading this summer.

Oh, and my neighbors got their leaves picked up so I suspect I can now say that short of some kind of natural disaster, I am done with leaves.

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When we bought our house, it had a oil-fired boiler for heat and hot water. Immediately after signing the papers, we went to the store and bought an American flag, a package of toilet paper, some paper plates and drinking cups. We weren't going to be moving in for about a month while we worked on the house, making it our home by tearing up old green shag carpets, ripping down 1970's "western motif" wallpaper, installing new modern lighting, cleaning all the surfaces of the prior owners life, etc...

We also called the gas company and ordered a LNG conversion for the house.

They offered a great deal where they would convert the boiler from oil to gas and pipe the house with connections for appliances.

The conversion from oil to gas meant we were left with a rather large oil tank in our basement but that was okay and we lived with it for a long time. Eventually we had the tank removed, along with all the infrastructure associated with it like the fill pipe and the connection line to the boiler.

I tell you all this because PEOPLE ARE MORONS!

Who, in their right mind, removes an oil tank but leaves the fill pipe(s) in place?

In the first place, the fill pipes are a great opening for mice and other such rodents to use to get into your house but more importantly, they are a what oil companies use to pump hundreds of gallons of oil into the tank. If you have the tank removed, the hundreds of gallons of #2 home heating oil has no place to go other than your basement.

Morons...

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Here are some links:

• If I were him, I would refuse to talk to them without a subpena being issued and even then I would invoke the protections afforded under the fifth amendment.



• This is maybe the third or fourth time The Very Stable Genius has made peace in Ukraine.



• Why not. He's pardoned everybody else.



• Right now, I'm not sure if this is good or bad. If it's good, then Breslow is a genius. If it goes poorly, Breslow is going to look like a fool.

They lost

I made it through two periods last night and when I went to bed, the Sharks were up 2-0.

When I woke up this morning, I found that the Bruins had lost 3-1.

They need to get back on a winning streak because if they aren't collecting points, they don't stand a chance. There are too many good teams in the Atlantic division.

Don't get me wrong, they might stay in a wildcard slot but that can quickly become a problem because every other team in the Eastern conference is looking to fight its way into one of those slots.

Their next game is Wednesday against Islanders, a team they have already beat twice this season.

Oh, and here is an update on McAvoy. All I can add to that is "Ouch".

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My neighbor finally got his leaves off his lawn. This means that there is almost no chance I will find leaves spread all over my lawn in the near future.

This is a good thing because history teaches us that we here in the northeast can expect snow sometime this winter. Trust me, it's hard to rake leaves when there is snow covering them.

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Here are some links:

• Somehow I doubt we've heard the last of this.



• Key load of crap in this story: "This matter will be handled in compliance with military law, ensuring due process and impartiality."



• Brain Worm Bobby claims to know what the word 'nuance' means.



• Maybe it was caused by global warming...



• I'm pretty sure the kid didn't mind one bit.

Excellent win

The Patriots managed to beat the Bengals 26-20 this afternoon.

Maye did not look like his usual self-assured self. He was having problems hitting his targets and he actually threw an interception that was run back for a touchdown.

The last minute or so of the game was close and the Bengals were marching downfield with seconds on the clock but the Patriots defense managed to hold them off.

Next up for the Patriots is the Giants on Monday Night Football on December 1^st. That means I'll probably make it to the half before falling asleep.

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The Bruins go up against the Sharks tonight. As I said the other day, I'm hoping to make it through two periods but I'll settle for just making it through one.

Because the Red Wings, the Lightning and the Senators all won yesterday, the Bruins have been booted back down to 4^th place so they kinda need to win tonight.

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It's late so here are some links:

• This sounds like something that is going to hurt a bunch of very rich people.



• Gotta be honest with you, this has me a little concerned.



• I don't care what they say, the best time was last week.

A win

The Bruins beat the Kings last night.

Regulation ended in a 1-1 tie and 2½ minutes in to the OT period, Geekie put one into the net and won the game 2-1.

That win put them back into first place in the Atlantic.

Their next game is tomorrow against the Sharks. Since the puck drops at 8:00, I might be able to watch two periods. Or at least the 1^st period.

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There was nothing of note going on today so I'm going to end this.

Here are some links:

• Key load of shit in this story: "Sure, why not? I mean, I get along with everybody."



• If I remember correctly, she plans on representing herself during her trial.



• Sounds like the failed Patriots quarterback is just a bit jealous of the successful Patriots quarterback.



• Much like Jeffery Epstein and his friends, ChatGPT wants to have sex with little kids.



• Sounds like the cat had a really bad day.



• I'm betting that Vegemite is an acquired taste.

Lazy day

We got our housecleaning chores done this morning but since there has been no wind, I did not have to do any yard work.

I did take the snowblower out to make sure all the repair work I did this summer didn't screw it up.

I fired it up and let it run for about 10 minutes. That should have gotten the engine hot enough to cause the valves to expand and make the engine lose power. I'm pleased to say that did not happen. Apparently my dressing of the valve stems was enough to let them still seat properly.

Hopefully that means I do not need to buy a new snowblower this winter.

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The Lightning and the Senators both won last night and that pushed the Bruins back down to 4^th place in the standings.

It's not as bad as it sounds because you'll notice that it's actually a 3-way tie for second place in points but the winning percentage puts them at the bottom of the tie.

What is as bad as it sounds is the news regarding McAvoy. He had surgery and is now listed as "out indefinitely" which could be interpreted as "out for the season".

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Today was the day that baseball teams had to offer contracts to all of their eligible players or they become free agents. In the case of the Red Sox, they did not offer contracts to Lowe or Winckowski. They did offer contracts to Crawford, Houck, Casas and Gonzalez.

Assuming all four of those guys accept the contract without going to arbitration, I think that will give Breslow all the time he needs to start looking for new players to add to the roster.

In other words, once those four sign on the dotted line, Breslow can get down to business.

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Here are some links:

• This is good news.



• I give it a week before Trump starts insulting him and blaming him for something stupid..



• Trump's latest peace plan is: Psycho Vlad gets what he wants and the Ukranians get shit.



• I am sick and tired of hearing about this woman.



• Have I mentioned that I'm pretty sure Avi Loeb is crazy as a loon.

Still clean

My lawn is still spotless.

Amazing how that happens when there is no wind...

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The Bruins lost 3-2 to the Ducks last night. This means they have dropped to second place in the Atlantic division.

They are off tonight and tomorrow they will be in Los Angeles to take on the Kings. Once again, the game will start after my bedtime.

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Here are some links:

• Ladies and gentlemen, presenting Brainworm Bobby, our Secretary of Health and Human Services! I jumped to one of the better parts but feel free to watch the entire video.



• If they wanted to know how tough moss is, they could have asked me. I got that shit growing in some spots on my side yard and it just won't die.



• Looks like Maye and the Patriots might have some competition this weekend.



• Key line in this story: "Japan owns $1.2 trillion in U.S. government debt."

Nice and clean

Since there was no wind and the temps were above 40, I decided today was a good day to clear the leaves off my lawn. I also did my next-door-neighbor's lawn because his lawn guy is done for the season. Also, he's a old codger who probably shouldn't be doing much in the way of yard work.

So anyways, our lawns look great.

Now if I could get the people around us to do their lawns, we would probably be leaf-free for the winter.

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I got to reading up on how a bill is passed into law and found a unique process that I'm betting The Very Stable Genius will invoke regarding the bill to release the Epstein data.

When a bill is passed by the Senate and Congress, it is given to the President for his signature or veto. He has 10 days (not counting Sundays) to either sign it or veto it.

If the president chooses to veto the bill, congress can override that veto if they have enough votes and the bill becomes law. If they don't have enough votes, the bill dies and does not become law.

If the president signs the bill, it becomes law.

There is, however a rarely used process called a "pocket veto".

If the president does not sign or veto the bill during the 10 days (not counting Sundays) it becomes law. However, if he does not sign the bill and the house goes into recess during those 10 days, it does not become law and the House has to start the bill all over again.

I bet a dollar Trump leaves the bill on his desk and Johnson sends congress home the for the holidays.

Trump is going to say he didn't have time to read & sign the bill and Johnson is going to say congress had to go on recess for the holidays

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I have been accused, once again, of being an uber geek.

I had a conversation with a friend the other day and he asked what I used to back up data. I told him both my wife and myself have external hard drives that we periodically plug into our laptops and the operating system automatically backs things up.

Then I told him I also have a linux server on my network that I use as network-attached storage (NAS). I usually drop copies of important files like pictures of my grandkids on the server. He told me I was a nerd.

Then I told him I also have a SQL server, a VPN server, two different web servers (NGINX & Apache) and a MVS Z/OS mainframe emulator.

When he realized I said I had a mainframe he asked why in the hell I needed a mainframe. I told him because all of those devices help me keep my brain functioning. When I play with them, I have to think about things and do things that make me work my brain hard.

The way I look at it, I can spend my days staring at the TV or I can go sit in a bar or I can rumble around on the internet watching shitty youtubes.

Or I can do things that makes me think.

Since I don't want to turn into a mouth-breathing slug, I think I'll do the things that make me think.

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The Bruins game isn't on until 10:00. That means I will not find out what happened until tomorrow morning.

Here are some links:

• Only in Florida.



• The last time these two had a problem with each other, things did not go well for either side.



• Is anyone shocked by this?



• Look, we got enough problems with the whole "AI" bullshit thing. Let's not introduce artificial neurons into the mix.

They lost.

The Bruins lost 3-1 to the Hurricanes last night but they remain in first place in the Atlantic division.

Too be honest with you, they kinda deserved to lose. They did not play well and they looked tired on the ice.

Tomorrow they are in Anaheim to take on the Ducks. It's a long flight and the time change always makes things difficult so my hopes are not high but you never know what they'll do.

Maybe they'll be fired up on adrenalin and they'll beat the crap out of the Ducks.

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In baseball news, the Red Sox have DFA'd Nathaniel Lowe and traded a pitcher I never heard of named Luis Guerrero for a utility infielder I never heard of named Tristan Gray.

In all honesty, it's not a great start to the off-season roster building. Then again, what the hell do I know. Maybe this guy Grey is a hell of an infielder.

Guess we'll see what happens in March.

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I'm pretty sure The Very Stable Genius has no idea what the hell he is doing in regards to the economy.

Wait. Scratch that.

I'm pretty sure he has no idea what the hell he is doing in regards to anything but he is especially ignorant of the economy.

When the DJIA drops almost 5% in 5 days, that is not good.

Not good at all...

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Here are some links:

• I'm not seeing it.



• More than 30 years working in systems has taught me that most files will eventually grow beyond an expected size of entries.



• Key line in this story: "The worst decision I've ever made in my entire life."

There is hockey tonight

The first place Bruins will take on the Hurricanes this evening and if they want to stay in first place, they need to win.

McAvoy is still out and I don't blame him. Getting hit in the face with a hockey puck would put me out for the season.

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The 2026 Baseball Hall Of Fame ballot is out and I'm surprised to see Rick Porcello on it. I did not realize that it has been five years since he retired.

Pedroia is still on the ballot. I didn't think he would get the requisite 5% minimum votes to stay on the ballot last year but he did. As a matter of fact, he got 12% of the votes last year. Maybe he'll get more than 12% this year.

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Here are some links:

• Key line in this story: "profound investigative missteps".



• If someone knocks on your door and fire a bullet through the door, you are not defending your home, you are comitting murder.



• I'm betting this is going to stink up the entire island. Maybe they should get a bunch of dynamite.



• Imagine that. Who would have guessed that bees like open fields more than concrete and buildings.

First place

The Bruins held off the Canadiens last night and managed to win 3-2 in regulation.

It was, to say the least, an interesting hockey game. The first fight broke out at the 4 second mark of the first period. I'm pretty sure the puck hadn't even hit the ice when Zadorov and the Canadien player threw down their gloves and went at it.

In a scary moment, Charlie McAvoy took a puck to the face and went down like he had been shot. He did not return to the game but the news this morning is that he did not require hospitalization.

Of course, he might need some new teeth but at least he was able to return back to Boston with the team.

On the upside, they are now in first place in the Atlantic division:

Next game is tomorrow against the Hurricane. Puck drops at 7:00pm.

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Yesterday we spent the day up in New Hampshire at a baby shower for my youngest and his very pregnant wife.

It was a good time with a large turnout of their friends and families. My wife and I enjoy talking with our daughter-in-law's mom and stepdad. They are good people with a fine sense of humor.

So anyways, we didn't get home until just about 7:00 and by then, the Bruin were playing hockey. That is why you got a small post last night.

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I wonder if they put this sign up because Trump keeps walking into the wrong room...

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Here are some links:

• Mad Marj is not happy with The Very Stable Genius.



• He's just itching to get his war started...



• This headline begs the question: Is there such a thing as a "timely death"?



• Believe me when I say, "Don't hold your breath waiting on this".



• Penis Swingers and the Pair of Idiots would be a fantastic name for a 1970s porno/comedy fusion.



• You want to know what happens when you set your christmas tree up in the middle of the road? It gets hit by a car, that's what happens.

Busy day

We did numerous things today so not a lot of time for posting on the internet.

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Here are some links:

• I like tacos. I also like burritos and fajitas.



• Okay, who had "The Very Stable Genius turns against his most fervent suporter, Mad Marj" on their bingo card?



• Thanks goodness I didn't waste $2.00 on a ticket.

I'm tired.

The Bruins just couldn't pull it off last night and they ended up losing to the Senators 5-3 in regulation.

That loss pushes them back to third in the division.

Next up for them is the Canadiens tomorrow evening. Puck drops at 7:00.

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My tiredness comes from the fact that I watched the entire Jets / Patriots football game last night and I'm happy to report that the Patriots not only won the game, they moved into first place in the National Football league.

They are off for the next ten days which means those standings will probably change. My hopes are that they change in a way that keeps the Patriots in first place because the first place team maintains home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Yes, I'm already planning on seeing them in the playoffs. They have 9 wins and they are more than halfway through the season. They would have to lose most of their remaining games to drop out of the playoff race.

I seriously doubt they will lose most of their 6 remaining games since they are up against only one team with a winning record. The other 5 all have losing records:

Bengals (3-6)
Giants (2-8)
Bills (6-3)
Ravens (4-5)
Jets (2-8)
Dolphins (3-7)

Their next game will be on Sunday, November 23,^rd when they take on the Bengals. Kickoff is currently scheduled for 1:00pm.

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Nope, still haven't bought a ticket...

I'm waiting until it gets over a billion.

And even then, I probably won't by a ticket. I've got better things to waste my money on.

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Here are some links:

• "Hey Blondi Bondi. Investigate everybody but me."



• He's a hell of a fielder but it's a damn shame he couldn't hit a baseball to save his life.



• I don't understand why they are in such a hurry to bring back mammoths.



• If you spend $300.00 on a sock, not only do you have too much money, you are also an idiot.



• This is an excellent headline.



• Were they going to deport her to America?

Two sportings tonight

I'll start with the Bruins @ Senators at 7:00 and then do the Amazon Prime thing on my laptop at 8:00 when the Patriots v Jets game starts up.

Do I expect to stay awake long enough to see the entire football game? No, I do not. I'm hoping to make it to halftime. I am hoping to see the end of the hockey game.

No matter what happens, I will be in sports nirvana right up until my chin hits my chest and I snap awake. That is when I will turn the TV off, shut down the laptop and go to bed.

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Thank goodness they reopened the federal government today...

We probably would have been better off if they just left it closed.

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I have a reply to this:

Dear Mr Very Stable Genius,

The democrats did not shut down our country. Working in conjunction with the republicans, they shut down our government. The government is not the country. We, the citizens, are the country and if you think otherwise then we have a major problem.

Also, there is nothing about Epstein that is a hoax. A hoax is something that someone does to fool people. Epstein did not fool those little girls, he turned them into sex slaves and gave them away to people who he thought could help him in his business and life.

You know, people like you.

Thanks you for your attention in this matter.

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Here are some links:

• It's the "Clown Car of Crime".
  (Trust me, watch the video.)



• Apparently we are now rewarding people for being idiots.



• This is the greatest business model ever. Get your customers to pay you to watch content the customers create.



• My LNG bill is already outrageously expensive and it's about to get worse.



• Again, I am not happy about this.

Another win

Despite the fact that the Bruins and the Maple Leafs decided to beat the crap out of each other and extend the third period beyond my normal bed time, I stayed up to watch the entire game.

The Bruins managed to play some pretty good hockey and they ended the game with a 5-3 victory over the Maple Leafs which is the same score the last time these two teams played.

So now the Bruins are tied for first in points but are in second because of win percentage.

Their next game is tomorrow against the Senators. Puck drops at 7:00pm.

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Here are some links:

• Other than saying he doesn't bark, I'm not entirely sure these emails reveal anything, either good or bad, about Trump.



• Like I said before, how did a guy who had been arrested in a drive-by shooting get a job as the governors aide?



• Not in Massachusetts.



• About damned time.



• Next up will be Thunderstruck on accordians.



• You're 80 years old. Give it a rest.

Sportings will be watched

♫Hello out there, we're on the air, it's hockey night tonight♫.

The Bruins will take on the Maple Leafs and I'm hoping for a repeat of their last meeting when the Bruins won 5-3. Specially since that game was in Toronto and tonight's game is on the Bruins home ice in Boston.

Puck drops at 7:00pm. The game is not on NESN, it is on TNT.

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Today was one of those quiet days with very little going on.

So I went full-on nerd and fired up my IBM Z/OS mainframe emulator!

I spent 30 years working on the IBM mainframe platform and I kind of enjoy playing with the Hercules emulator. I don't have any specific processes that I'm doing with it, just writing some code, compiling it, running it and generally realizing that I have forgotten a lot of stuff about the mainframe.

Hell, it took me 20 minutes to remember how to create a file, or as us mainframe dweebs like to say, "allocate a dataset".

Basically, I'm just trying to keep my brain functional by assigning it tasks that require an effort on its part. My experience with some people over the years tells me that people who sit around and do nothing usually end up either dying young or lose their minds and end up strapped into a wheelchair, drooling into their lap.

I don't want to drool into my lap.

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Here are some links:

• If the clouds break and the skies clear tonight, you might see the aurora.



• The big question is did Pancake use pancake batter to batter father Pancake.



• This is why I like YouTube.



• Key line in this story: "...given a reprieve due to the COVID-19 pandemic."



• Steve should not be wearing speedo's.

I forget a lot

Presenting my excuse for forgetting yesterday's posting:

Back in 1975, my father wrote me a note stating that he had taken moms car. My mom was at work and he wanted me to call her to find out if she needed a ride home.


Several things to point out here:
• My dad had great handwriting.
• We always had a paper shortage at our house so we wrote notes on whatever was handy. In this case, it was the back of my sister Karen's report card.
• My sister Karen was prompt in repaying her debt of 50 cents back to my father.
• My father ended the note with the line:
Don't give me that "I forgot" crappola. O.K.
 
So even as a youngster, I had a shitty memory.

This has been my excuse for yesterday's lack of posting.

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No, I have not yet purchased any lottery tickets.

When it gets over a billion, I'll think about it.

And speaking of gambling...

Those kinds of stories piss me off because they are a bald-faced lie. That gambler did not spend $1.50 to win a jackpot. They probably spent a several hundred dollars to win that jackpot. As a matter of fact, if you add up all the money they gambled this year, they probably spent thousands of dollars before they won that jackpot

Gambling is an addiction and like all addictions, it can ruin you. I've seen people sitting in a bar spending their entire weekly paycheck on Keno. As a matter of fact, I once saw a woman ask Tommy to loan her money so she could keep playing her numbers.

If you are taking out a loan, or even using a credit card, to pay for your gambling, you are addicted and you need to get some help.

Don't fall for those newspaper stories about how exciting and fun gambling is. They are really just advertising for the casinos.

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Yesterday the Patriots beat the Buccaneers 28-23, firming up their lead in the AFCEast.

In the AFC, they are currently in third place:

Actually, they are in a three-way tie in the AFC but I'm pretty sure that in the event of a tie, the NFL uses net points to determine standings.

Their next game is this coming Thursday against the Jets. Kickoff is at 8:15pm and the game will be streamed on Amazon Prime. That means I'll be watching it on my laptop.

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Today was my monthly lunch meeting with Jim and The Bill's.

Once again, we spent a couple of hours not only identify everything that is wrong with the world but also solving all of those problems.

If only we could convince the world to listen to us, everything would be great.

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Here are some links:

• Key line in this story: "The pardons are largely symbolic — none of those identified were charged with federal crimes."



• If you own a Honda Civic, you might want to get another car.



• Defending the nation for 250 years.



• Socialists: Learning about reality one promise at a time.



• I'm pretty sure that Rudy doesn't understand that he was convicted at the state level and Trump can only pardon federal crimes.

I forgot

I'll try to remember tomorrow

95 days

The Red Sox pitchers & catchers, and any other players that feel like it, will report to JetBlue on February 11, 2026. That is 95 days from today.

As things stand, it looks like either Duran or Abreu will be on the trade block because they have plenty of outfielders while being in need of starting pitching, a 3^rd baseman and probably a 1^st baseman.

My guess is Duran will be the trade simply because A) he has a higher salary than Abreu and B) he has been sought after for a few years now. Numerous teams have expressed interest in him so he may bring the best price.

And the reason I say they may need a 1^st baseman is because Casas went down hard this year and there is no guarantee that he'll be ready to go this February. Also, he had become a little streaky with his bat, striking out a lot.

It's going to be an interesting 95 days...

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For the record, my lawn looks beautiful.

My wife got all the leaves out of her gardens while I used my lawn tractor to clean the lawn. My neighbor did his lawn as well so I won't have his leaves blowing over here for a couple of days.

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Here are some links:

• If you live on the west coast, you might want to move inland a bit.



• Australia: What doesn't try to kill ya, just wants to lick your face and love you to death.



• Psycho Vlad is 3½ years into his "special military operation"



• Key line in this story: "Defendant is a serial and prolific adulterer..."



• Assholes: They're all around us.



• This is not good. Not good at all.

Another OT win

The Bruins damned near blew it last night but they managed to finish regulation in a 2-2 tie with the Senators. They scored the winning goal in sudden-death OT and picked up two points in the standings.

They are now one point ahead of the Maple Leafs, in third place in the Atlantic division.

Their next game is tomorrow against the Maple Leafs so a win then will put them 3 points ahead in the standings.

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The Red Sox did not make a qualifying offer to Lucas Giolito which, initially, seems like a smart idea to me.

The qualifying offers this season are roughly $22 million and I'm pretty sure Giolito would have taken it because it's more than what he earned in 2025. It's also more than he might be worth.

By not making the qualifying offer, he becomes a free-agent which means the Red Sox are free to negotiate a contract with him if they are still interested in his services.

I'd like to see him back with the Red Sox next season but I understand why that might not happen.

In other Red Sox news, the so-called "experts" in the media keep claiming "this guy is a perfect fit" for just about every team in the league and that includes the Red Sox.

The problem with that is that a signing from Japan is a crap shoot at best. These players have not been through the MiLB and they have not received the training/coaching that kids coming up through the MiLB get.

I'm not saying they are a bust I'm just saying that their first season in the major leagues could be a waste of time and effort. Then again, they could also turn out to be another Ohtani...

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Here are some links:

• She's crazy as a loon. She actually makes The Very Stable Genius look stable.



• I wonder if the citizens of New York City will stop paying federal taxes.



• When you vote for Trump, you get Trumped.



• One upside of the government shutdown is The Very Stable Genius wont have to hear how poorly the jobs market is doing.



• Key line in this story: "...an armored casket mounted on an ATV frame..."



• Nothing like a good old fashioned skewer fight.



• This is not good. Not good at all.



• I guess Jon Stewart feels the same way about the democrats that I do.

Still breezy

The wind just doesn't want to slow down and as a result, my lawn is covered with my neighbors leaves.

One of these days, the winds will abate and I will have a clean lawn. Until then, you are going to have to deal with my bitching about it.

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The Bruins and the Senators go at it this evening and I'm really hoping it's not a repeat of their last meeting when the Senators beat the crap out of the Bruins.

The Bruins have been pushed back down to 4^th place by the Maple Leafs so they need to win tonight just to get back to where they were.

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The washing machine saga continues.

The repair guy was here this afternoon and found that there are some bearing/motor issues. This means ordering more parts and waiting until they arrive.

Once he has the new motor and drive belt, he seems more than confident that the repairs will be complete and we can once again wash our clothes like normal people.

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Here are some links:

• Finally, our long national nightmare is over.



• Looks like Antonio is gonna get his day in court.



• You want to know why Trump is president? This is why Trump is president. The democrats are all socialists/communists.

Third place

It was a messy win but a win none-the-less.

The first period ended 0-0 and the Islanders scored first in the second period. They traded scores through the second and third periods and regulation ended with a 3-3 tie. The sudden death OT period also ended in a 3-3 tie. That meant they needed a shootout to determine a winner.

Fortunately, the Bruins managed to put the puck into the net more times than the Islanders did and the game ended with a Bruins 4-3 win.

That win moved them back up the standings into 3^rd place in the Atlantic division.

Their next game will be tomorrow against the Senators. Puck drops at 7:00pm.

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Today I spent some time on a live chat with our washing machine repair people trying very hard to not yell at anyone.

I want you to understand that the act of remaining civil when my frustration level is a 17 on a scale of 1 to 5 is a difficult thing for me.

The bottom line is that I am now slated to have a repair guy working on my washing machine at some point tomorrow.

I'm very proud of the fact that I did not yell at the young lady from India who was trying her best to get things taken care for me. I did express my frustration with the process and she was quick to show me plenty of empathy and understanding.

If this doesn't work out to my satisfaction, I can always take my frustrations out by pounding clothes on rocks down by the stream for a few more days...

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Alex Bregman has declined his option to return to the Red Sox but Trevor Story has picked up his option and will remain the Red Sox shortstop for two more years.

This means the Red Sox either need to find a new 3^rd baseman or make Bregman an offer he can't refuse. I'm kind of hoping they make him that offer.

They also need to take a long hard look at what is going on with first base.

Casas should be back from his injury and hopefully ready to play but he's beginning to make bad noises on social media that indicate he is not happy. This is a bad path to go down for any player but it's a very stupid path for an injury-prone player to take.

He turned down a large contract offer in 2024 because he was sure he was worth a lot more than what the Red Sox offered him. Then he hurt himself and missed 60% of that season. In 2025, he hurt himself again and missed 80% of that season.

He really should have taken that offer back in 2024 because I doubt it's still on the table...

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Here are a few links:

• Key line in the ongoing saga of the worlds wussiest federal officer: "This case, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, is about a sandwich."



• For the record, "If I can help NYC, just let me know what I can do" is short for "I will give you a large some of money if you don't tax the shit out of me."



• I hope you aren't planning on going anywhere.



• Here's a nice Florida story.

My lawn is a mess

On the one hand, my lawn is nice and thick and green.

On the other hand, it is covered with leaves that have blown over from my neighbors yard and his oak trees.

At some point, the wind will stop blowing and maybe my lawn will stay reasonably clean. Until then, I just need to stay on top of things so I don't get overwhelmed.

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We were briefly the proud owners of a functional washing machine this afternoon.

And by "briefly", I mean long enough to get three loads of laundry done before it decided to once again flash some innocuous error code and shut itself down.

I have a text message into the repair guy but if I don't hear from him soon, I'll give a call to the company and start this whole, "My washing machine is broken" gig all over again.

At this point, I'm about ready to trash the thing and get a new one but since this one is only about 18 months old, that seems like an incredible waste.

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The Bruins will take on the Islanders this evening and I would really like them to repeat their last meeting when the Bruins beat the Islanders 5-2.

A win tonight moves them up the standings into a decent position and that will make me happy.

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The Red Sox have signed Jarren Duran to a one year contract which means they have avoided arbitration.

In the long run, avoiding arbitration doesn't really matter because I suspect the Red Sox will be trading Duran.

He is an outfielder on a team with two Gold Glove outfielders and a third outfielder who has been nominated for Rookie of the Year. That leaves him as the odd man.

Then again, what the hell do I know. Maybe they'll trade one of their gold glovers...

In other Red Sox news, they have declined to pick up the option on Liam Hendricks which is not surprising at all. As a matter of fact, I would have been very surprised if they had kept him.

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Here are some links:

• I will never forget the time he shot an old lawyer in the face.



• The Very Stable Genius is going to have an apoplectic fit if the socialist wins.



• Key phrase in this story: "...attempted to keep a straight face during the first day of his criminal trial."



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



• Speaking of Naked Guy In The News...



• Seems to me that Brazilian police might need some military support.

I hate the time change

I may have mentioned 50 or 60 times in the past that I really dislike the changing of the clocks.

I'm not entirely sure what purpose it serves other than to make me crankier than I normally am.

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Over the last two days, the Bruins have been bumped down two spots in the standings but that is because they have played the most games in the league.

If you look at the standings you will notice that they have 14 points which puts them in a 3-way tie for 3^rd place but they have played more games than anyone else. They have the same number of wins but more losses so they are a .500 team.

I expect that will change over the next week or so. Hopefully the change is the win percentage and points going up...

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Here are some links:

• So I guess PopEye Patel wasn't lying the other day.



• Speaking of PopEye, he takes after his boss.



• The Red Sox are in need of a third baseman.



• Charging him with a felony proves that the Trump administration is crazy but this idiot lost his job and his $10.00 sandwich because he can't control his emotions.



• I'm not a conspiracy theorist but I can't help but wonder if The Very Stable Genius and BrainWorm Bobby had stock in Kimberly-Clark and they purposely drove Kenvue's stock price down with their idiotic autism claims.



• This man is insane and someone should put him in a safe place before he kills us all.

My gutters are clean

I went up on my roof this morning and got my gutters nice and clean.

I figure they'll stay that way for at least a whole day before I have to think about going back up there to clean them out again.

I will be damned glad when the damned leaves are off the damned trees..

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The Patriots continued their winning ways, beating the Falcons 23-24 this afternoon.

The spread should have been greater but Maye got stripped on a sack and the Falcons recovered the ball. They scored a touchdown on the next drive.

Another turnover came when the Falcons rushed Maye, had him surrounded and he ended up tossing an airball that got intercepted. This resulted in an eventual field goal by the Falcons.

The Patriots take on the Buccaneers next Sunday. Kickoff is at 1:00 which means I will once again be able to watch all four quarters

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I managed to watch 5 innings of baseball last night and when I went to bed, the Blue Jays were up 4-2 over the Ohtani's.

When I woke up this morning, I discovered that the Ohtani's are World Series champions, beating the Blue Jays 5-4 in 11 innings.

Whatever...

So anyways, now that the World Series is over with, teams and free agents will begin negotiations. I really hope Breslow and ownership have the same goal in mind that I have - to win the World Series.

Do I think they can do it with the youngsters they have? Maybe but probably not.

Do I think they can do it by paying a bunch of free agents a lot of money? Also maybe but they better be the worlds best free agents.

Do I think they can do it if they combine their youngsters with a nice group of veteran free agents? Absolutely

Breslow needs to be particular who he brings in. He made some bad choices this past season (Matz and May come to mind) so I'd like to see him find the best fit.

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Here are a few links:

• For a guy that avoided military service by faking some kind of weird chronic problem, he sure likes to go to war.



• If you are planning on flying anywhere in the near future, you might want to think about driving.



• I'm beginning to think it's a race to see who goes first: The Very Stable Genius, Bubba or Goofy Joe. My money is on Goofy Joe.



• Bill Maher looks more like Barry Weiss from Storage Wars than Barry does.

Another win

The Bruins beat the Hurricane 2-1 this afternoon and are now in 3^rd place in the Atlantic division.

They played well today. They played like a team destined for a playoff spot. Hopefully they can keep playing that way.

Next game is Tuesday against the Islanders. Puck drops at 7:00.

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Something very large fell in our neighborhood around 10:30 last night. It was big enough that when it hit the ground, the house shook.

Fortunately, it didn't fall in my yard or in any of my immediate neighbors yards but when I went outside to look around, I could smell pine. And not like those cheap carwash air fresheners, I mean real pine.

My guess is that someone in my neighborhood is now the proud owner of a few hundred board feet of white pine.

My next door neighbor did have a tree fall this morning but it was an already dead oak tree in the woods behind our houses. No damage was done and it was no big loss.

Wind is an amzing thing.

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Our new control board showed up this afternnon and we now have an appointment for Tuesday morning.

Hopefully this is the final repair of this washing machine because if this doesn't fix it, I'm thinking it might be time for a whole new machine.

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The Ohtani's managed to hold off the Blue Jays last night and tie the series 3-3.

They play the final "winner-take-all" game tonight at 8:00.

I'll probably watch a few innings but if I don't, I'm not gonna worry about it. It's two teams I don't really care about.

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Here are some links:

• The world is filled with crazies and no one is paying attention to them. Time to stock up on ammo.



• He just loves gold. How much is all this shit costing us?



• Great. As if we didn't have enough to worry about, now we got collapsing crust.



• The football wizards are predicting the Patriots will beat the Falcons.

Good game.

The Bruins managed to give up the lead in the 3^rd period and regulation ended with a 3-3 tie. Then, with about 3 minutes left in the sudden death OT period, they scored and won the game.

There was, however, an injury to a Bruin that might impact the team over the next few weeks.

On the upside, they are now in the middle of the pack in the Atlantic division.

I can live with that.

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The other day, our esteemed governor, Maura "I know what's best for you!" Healey, was asked about the hiring process for her staff and she said, "That individual underwent a complete background check."

It's my guess that she might have lied about that.

Either that or she has no clue at all about the hiring process in her office and is just making shit up in her mind. If that individual had undergone a "complete background check", they should have noticed the drive-by shooting arrest back in 2001...

Unless of course by "background check" she meant, "We asked him if he had ever been a naughty and he said no."

I still don't understand how any organization that has been in existence as long as the Massachusetts government can be so inept at the little things like making sure the governor's aides aren't career criminals...

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The Small Dog was back with us again today and she was dressed appropriately.

I can say in all honesty, I miss having a dog in the house.

I'm never getting another dog because they require a lot of attention. Mainly because they don't have opposable thumbs and as such cannot open the door themselves to go outside and pee but I still miss having one.

Another reason I'm reluctant to get another dog is because Our Large Main Dog, Kirby, was a fantastic dog who rarely, if ever, did anything bad. I mean, other than eating two remote controls, a full roll of paper towels, an entire liter of cola and a large section of our family room rug, he was a great dog.

If my wife went outside to work in her gardens, Kirby followed her out and lay down right next to her. He felt he had two jobs: Protecting her and keeping her company. Those where his jobs and he did them with a passion. He listened to what we said and did what we asked him to do.

Having The Small Dog with us is nice. As I type this, she is curled up next to my wife on the couch. My wife is reading and The Small Dog is snoring and probably drooling because she's a dog. It's one of the things they do. That, and farting but if she was farting, we would know it because there is nothing more potent than a dog fart.

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Well, time to start paying attention to my door. We have a batch of little kids in my neighborhood so despite the wind, I anticipate some trick-or-treaters this evening.

Here are some links:

• I'm kind of surprised that they haven't fired their coach yet.



• I don't believe him. He lies all the time.
  And apparently I'm not the only one with a low opinion of him.



• Dammit...



• You know what? Just feed the people for christs sake. We don't need people begging for food on street corners. We're better than that.



• If you need help naming your baby, you should not be allowed to have children.



• This is probably not going to end well.