They lost

The Bruins lost again and they are still three games out of the wildcard.

And to make matter worse, one of the forwards, Poitras, got injured when he was checked from behind into the edge of the Islanders bench door. I gotta be honest with you, it looked like it hurt a lot and my first thought was, "Jeez, I hope he didn't get his innards ripped open."

I doubt he'll be back any time soon so I fully expect them to call up a forward from Providence in the next day or two.

Their next game is tomorrow against the Penguins. Puck drops at 3:00pm

⧫
Speaking of lost, the Red Sox lost this afternoon but I'm not all that upset about it.

The Red Sox showed up to play the Phillies with a AAA team. The Phillies, the home team, showed up with their major league team and the Red Sox still managed to score 5 runs.

In the end, they lost 5-7.

Tomorrow they take on the Twins and the game will be broadcast by NESN. That means I will be able to watch it.

First pitch is at 1:05

⧫
Trump and Zelenskyy got into a shouting match this afternoon and when all was said and done, Trump looked like arrogant asshole.

Trump is trying to force Zelenskyy to give in to Putin and Zelenskyy is trying to save his country.

I'm pretty sure Putin is pulling Trumps strings and Zelenskyy isn't willing to cave in to Psycho Vlad.

⧫
Here are some links:

• I'm betting this was a big mess.



• Trespassing Turkey would be a great name for a 1980s lounge singer.



• I hate to agree with him but in my opinion, it's about damned time.



• Belgium: Apparently they are a little odd.



• Of course they did.

Breakfast with a friend

This morning was my semi-annual breakfast with my buddy Kathy and despite the fact I had two eggs, I did not have to take out a loan.

We always go to the same place. It's a small local joint that has been in business for decades. Much to my surprise, the restaurant has not raised its prices to the ridiculous level that some chains seem to be reaching.

There was no "egg surcharge", no extra charge for jelly and no charge for a coffee refill. The prices were reasonable and, as always, the food was great.

Oh, and all is well with Kathy.

⧫
The Bruins lost last night and it was heartbreaking.

They were up 3-1 after two periods and the Maple Leafs managed to tie the game 4-4 with only 46 seconds left in the game.

Then, with only 52 seconds left in the sudden death overtime period, the Maple Leafs scored and win the game.

They have dropped to three out of the wildcard now.

Tomorrow they face off against the Islanders. Puck drops at 7:00

⧫
The Red Sox lost today. And as if that's not bad enough, I had to once again listen to Will "Ted Baxter Flemming call the game

He drives me nuts.

So anyways, Liam Hendriks took the mound after alomst 2 years and I'm pleased to report that the man can still pitch.

And since he's from Australia, he uses some of the most colorful phrases when he swears...

⧫
Hear are some links:

• There are going to be a lot of unemployed people in the very near future.



• President Musk held his first cabinet meeting.



• Devers needs to step off and just DH.



• Here's a shock: People released on their own recognizance sometimes don't show up...



• Presenting this episodes Criminal of the Day.

Semi-fired

Our "smartliest, bigliest, president ever" has once again graced us with one of his highly literate statements:

"And then, if you don’t answer, like, you’re sort of semi-fired or you’re fired, because a lot of people aren’t answering because they don’t even exist."

I need someone to define "semi-fired".

Is it like, "kinda pregnant" or "absolutely positively definitely maybe" of "partially full"?

I've decided that I am going to start calling the current administration, "The Chaos Dweebs".

⧫
The Red Sox took on the Braves this afternoon and lost 6-1. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to watch it because it was not on television.

It was, however, on WEEI AM so I was able to listen to my least favorite announcer, Will "Ted Baxter" Flemming

Tomorrow they take on the Rays and, once again, I will be listening to the game on the radio.

Apparently NESN has decided it's more important to show reruns of "ChasBro Outdoors" or "Old Perv & Young Girl Eating Out."

⧫
Here are some links:

• Attention Morons...



• Key line in this story: "...19 million people without electricity."



• Best hooker name ever: Soon Bang.



• No, this is not in Uganda or 16th century New England. It's in modern day New Mexico.



• Looks like Musk is achieving his goal of getting people to quit.



• Only in Florida.



• Things like this make me laugh.

First rainout of the season

The Red Sox were supposed to play the New York Aaron Judges this afternoon but the Florida weather had other plans and the game was cancelled due to rain.

Since the Bruins are off today, that means no sportings for me.

The Red Sox and the Braves will go at it tomorrow at 1:05.

⧫
Two months ago I had a crown put in and everything was great. My tooth was no longer cracked and I was living the good life. Then, about three weeks ago, I started to experience some pain whenever something cold came into contact with that particular tooth.

This morning, I visited my dentist, he took an X-Ray, poked around in my mouth and said, "Well, I can't rule out a dying nerve. I want you to go see root canal specialist."

Now I have experienced more than a few root canals in my life and I can tell you, I don't like them. No sir, I don't like them one bit.

This afternoon I went to see a root canal specialist and he took an X-Ray, poked around in my mouth and said, "You appear to have a bruised nerve and I don't think you need a root canal. Come back and see me in four weeks for a follow-up just to be sure."

My day has been an emotional rollercoaster...

⧫
Here are some links:

• Bummer.



• I think t's pronounced "Justinson" or maybe "Just Nixon" but everyone calls him "The Password"...



• So it's "voluntary" but if they don't respond, they'll be fired?
  I don't think the feds understand what the word "voluntary" means



• Cambridge Turd would be a fantastic name for a 1970s ballad trio.



• She had a beautiful voice.



• I miss Justion Turner.



• After seeing the residents of Orlando drive their cars, I can guarantee you that this is going end poorly.



• Here are some really good nature photos.

They lost

The Bruins were down 2-1 with about a minute left in the game when they scored the tying goal and forcing the game into sudden death overtime.

Unfortunately, four minutes into the five minute overtime period, the Ducks were able to put the puck into the Bruins net and they won the game 3-2.

The Bruins picked up one point but they remain outside of the wildcard.

Like I said yesterday, I don't expect them to make the playoffs but I will be very happy if they do.

⧫
The Red Sox lost to the Blue Jays 8-7 this afternoon but it was still a good game. I enjoyed getting to see the players that will probably be the ones we see on the roster come opening day.

Bregman was great, Crochet was excellent, Story was great, Casas needs some work on his swing but he's close, Refsnyder was the DH and Hamilton played a good 2^nd base.

Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and Nick Sogard all got some playing time and they did pretty well.

I gotta admit, this team has me a little excited.

⧫
Here are some links:

• Looks like Abreau has the runs.



• How do you "unfire" someone?



• I wonder what the death rate is for these people.



• Psycho Seagulls would be a great name for a 1980's German techno band.



• Buzz is on the loose.



• Only in Florida.

First real game

The Red Sox and the Rays played baseball this afternoon and NESN carried the game.

The Red Sox put a lot of minor leaguers on the field and they played pretty well. This morning, my youngest and I had a conversation about some of those kids:

I hope Story stays healthy, I hope Bregman stays healthy, I hope Devers stays healthy and I hope Casas stays healthy but if one or all of them go down during the season, there are some kids in Worcester who should be able to step in and play some pretty good baseball.

So anyways, the Red Sox managed to win, beating the Rays 6-4.

Tomorrow they take on the Blue Jays. First pitch is at 1:05 and NESN is carrying the game

⧫
After General Milley decided that there was no way he was going to allow Trump to go to war with China during Trumps first term, Trump has decided that he really needed to get some loyal generals in place. In order to do that, Trump and Hegseth have begun firing generals that aren't loyal.

I gotta be honest with you, this kinda frightens me.

Why do I envision a time in the near future where Trump calls upon the military to put down a protest that has pissed him off?

Why do I picture Trump throwing a hissy fit about some governor daring to defy his edicts and calling on the military to remove her from office?

We are going to end up in a civil war and become one of those "shithole countries" that Trump keeps whining about.

And if we don't end up in a civil war, our traditional adversaries are lining up to take advantage of our insane president and his weakening of our military.

⧫
Yes, there is hockey this evening with the Ducks in town to take on the Bruins. Puck drops at 7:00

No, Charlie McAvoy will not be playing.

My attitude with the Bruins right now is they are not going to be in the playoffs so I'll just enjoy the games they have left.

If they make the playoffs, I'll be a very happy guy but if they don't make the playoffs, I will not be upset.

⧫
I found this on the interwebs and it made me laugh:

⧫
Enjoy these links:

• If you've ever wondered what happens if you don't clear the snow from around the fire hydrants near your house...



• Everything in Australia kills ya.



• I've said it before and I'll say it again - Make sure your system and applications are up-to-date.



• Paul Donnelly and The Mysterious Puddings would be a great name for a 1950s lounge band.



• As I said a few days ago, I'm seeing white smoke in his near future.



• I miss Terry Francona.



• I always liked her.

First game

The Red Sox and Northeastern played their traditional spring training game at 1:00 this afternoon and as is usually the case, the Red Sox won, beating the Huskies 5-2.

Tomorrow they play their first official spring training game against the Rays. First pitch is at 1:05pm.

⧫
Speaking of the Red Sox, I did not watch any of today's game because I was at lunch with the boys, solving all of the worlds problems.

Well, not all the boys were there. Just the Bill's and me.

Jim spent the last week taking care of some of his great-grand children because his grandaughter's partner was in the hospital. That pretty much wiped him out and he told me he was going to take a looong nap.

You know what, if I live long enough to have great grandchildren, I think I'd take care of them if I could.

⧫
The US lost to Canada last night but I kind of expected that. McAvoy is out and one of the Tkachuk brothers was out. Those are two big names.

So anyways, it was a pretty good game with almost no fighting and only two penalty minutes.

The first and only powerplay of the game took place two thirds of the way through the second period when a US player tripped a Canadian player. And for the record, the trip did not intentional to me.

⧫
This is me on television today:

I'm the guy in the vehicle waiting for a bucket of salt in a long line vehicles.

This is the news chick who was taking my picture:

⧫
I read this story and I remembered that I have a QR code.

Here it is:

I'm a real jokster...

⧫
Here are some links:

• Oh Canada.
  (Good for her)



• The New York Yankees are gonna grow beards.



• Trump claims that his loyal sycophant is "high IQ" but I think Musk is a moron.



• MLB is dropping its partnership with ESPN after the 2025 season. This makes me very happy because as you may know, I hate ESPN's coverage.



• And I thought our government was screwed up...



• Might be time to stock up on toilet paper...



• I remember when Trump said he was going to fix the economy.

Quiet day

We got our grocery shopping done this morning and while we were out, I decided to check out the price of eggs.

Turns out they are selling for around $5.00 a dozen which is around $3.00 less than the price the fear-mongers on the nightly news keep yelling about.

⧫
I grabbed another screen shot of some baseball stuff:

That is Bregman working out at thrid base.

⧫
I chopped a little ice in front of our mailboxes this afternoon because I have a fear that I'll look out one day and see one of my neighbors laying on the ground with a shattered hip.

There was at least 2 inches of iron-hard ice in a sheet that was about 3 feet by 4 feet in size. Fortunately I had thrown some salt down a few days agao so when I chopped at the sheet with my coal shovel, it split nicely and I was able to break it into chunks

I'm beginning to understand why some people move south when they retire...

⧫
Here are some links:

• This does not sound good.



• This does not sound good either.



• This does not sound good as well.



• I wonder if these are the same people that keep telling me my overdue tolls are overdue.



• Well at least she wasn't a real girlfriend.



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

It's baseball time

I like watching hockey. I enjoy watching football. I can watch some golf.

I really, really like watching baseball...

The Red Sox are in camp and the first spring training game will be this Friday.

The new guy, Crochet, threw BP this morning.

Hopefully he's as good as they say he is.

⧫
Here are some links

• This just keeps on getting better and better.



• Key line in this story that should result in this guy never getting elected again: "Michael Squindo broached the topic of implementing a local option tax."



• The Bruins have released an update on McAvoy and it looks like he won't be playing for a while.



• Remember when President Trump said we would return to the moon? I guess president Musk says we're not going to the moon...



• How stupid do you have to be to go to Iran for vacation.



• Canadian Super Pig would be a great name for a 1970s comedy starring Super Dave Osborne, Father Guido Sarducci and Dom DeLuise.

Their first loss

Sweden was able to capitalize on the loss of two key US players and they beat the US 2-1 last night.

Looks like McAvoy is out for the Four Nations championship game and will probably by on the injured list for the Bruins once regular season play starts back up.

Speculation in the media is he suffered some kind of "upper body injury" that became infected. This led to a stay at a hospital for treatment. Again, that is all speculation on the part of the Boston media which means most of it is bullshit.

Speaking of the championship game, that will be this Thursday between Canada and the US. Puck drops at 8:00 and I speculate it will once again be a "fiesty" game...

⧫
I want to talk about this picture:

That is a picture from MassLive story about a protest that was held in Springfield yesterday.

I would like to point out that the sign holder is protesting against the democratically-elected President of the United States while saying he (or she) (or they or it or them) is defending democracy.

This, my friends, is the height of hypocrisy.

How can you protest against the winner of the democratic election and still claim to defend democracy? That makes no sense to me.

You may not like Trump but he won the election. Just because the guy you don't like won does not make the election undemocratic.

⧫
Whenever I get to thinking it's kinda cold out, I visit the Mount Washington Weather Observatory webpage.

This is a screen capture of the weather up there at 3:30 this afternoon:

For the record, that's cold.

Compared to that, it was downright tropical where I live:

⧫
Here are some links:

• Key line in this story: "Alberto Nonino had an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction in the middle of his event."



• Mysterious Seal would be a great name for a 1960's psychedelic garage band.



• Some people have too much free time.



• I'm pretty sure this is not the best way to win her back.



• I don't know who made this sign but whoever it is, they are very funny.



• Key name of proposed new law: Conception Begins at Erection Act.

Let's review, shall we...

As you all know, I'm no fan of our current president, Elon Musk, or his faithful minions, Donald Trump and Jimmy Vance.

Having said that, I'm going to now say something that will make a lot of people go, "WTF!"

Trump is right about NATO.

I know, I know, it's weird I would say that but hear me out.

For the past 75 years, since it's founding in 1949, NATO has been the defender of most of Europe. The US has been the largest contributor to the NATO budget but that isn't the big problem. The big problem is that most member nations contribute 1½% of their GDP while the US contributes almost 4% of our GDP. If anyone should be contributing 4 or 5% of their GDP to NATO, it should be the nations most served by NATO.

I find it fascinating that the Europeans, after 75 years of having their defense basically paid for by the US, are suddenly getting together to talk about increasing their collective defense spending.

The US has been Europe's personal security guard for decades and, to be honest with you, it's about time for them to step up and defend themselves from whatever perceived threats they see.

⧫
It is cold, it is windy and the power is out over most of western Massachusetts.

But not where I live.

I like to think we didn't lose power because I have a generator. If I didn't have a generator, the power would go out everytime a fly farted.

⧫
Yes, the USA will face off against Sweden this evening.

Yes, I will be watching the first two periods.

No, I do not expect the Swedes and the US to go at it like the Canadians and the US did. I expect this will be a nice polite hockey game with maybe only one fight in the first few minutes of the game...

⧫
Here are some links:

• Only in Florida.



• Funeral home name that is a lie: "Compassion and Serenity Funeral Home".



• Key photo caption in this story: "Just Another Day in Arizona..."



• I hate to be the one to break it to you but I'm seeing white smoke in his near future.



• Dam beavers...



• Best western city name ever: Gun Barrel City.



• Surprisingly enough, these did not come from Australia.



• This, however, is from Australia.

Still ticking

The Beast continues to struggle but it powered through the four inches of heavy wet snow we got last night and my driveway is once again clean.

I don't know how much more snow is coming this week but I did see something about a possible small northeaster on Thursday.

As always, I guess we'll just have to wait and see what the New England weather is gonna do

⧫
As I told Pat, I'm about 90% certain The Beast's loss of power is a valve issue. I replaced the carb two years ago and within a month, I took the new carb off and put the old one back on. I've also replaced the spark plug. None of those changes have made any difference.

It's not a timing issue because that would manifest itself immediately. The loss of power the machine is experiencing doesn't rear it's ugly head until the machine is heated up.

A combustion engine needs five things to run correctly: fuel, air, spark, timing and a sealed combustion chamber. Replacing the carb showed me the fuel and the air are fine. The fact it runs at all means that the spark is fine and the timing issue would happen when the engine was cold or hot.

That means the problem is most likely with the seal on the combustion chamber and these flat head Tecumseh's are notorious for having valves that actually stretch out over time. That causes a small gap between the valave and the valve seat during combustion.

As I said, I just need it to make it until April. Once the weather warms, I'll rip it apart and see what I see.

I'm hoping it's the valve and not the cylinder or the piston rings.

I hate replacing piston rings and I'm not equiped to rehone or replace the linings of the cylinder.

⧫
Back in February of 2024, my friend John lost his mom. Here we are one year later and his dad passed away yesterday evening.

I've known Tulio almost as long as I've known John. He was a good guy, a good husband and a good dad.

His three boys are devestated but they will move forward.

⧫
Like I predicted yesterday, that hockey game between the US and Canada was a wild game

And for the record, the US won 3-1.

The US will take on Sweden tomorrow at 8:00.

⧫
Here are some links:

• I wonder if it's the same zoo that painted dogs to look like pandas or dressed up dogs to look like lions?



• Only in Florida.



• Mr. Finnbogason and the Repeated Sasquatch Hunt would be a great name for a 1950s rock-a-billy band.



• Musks child-programmers start poking around the Treasury and suddenly the Treasury gets hacked. Coincidence? I don't think so...



• Oh good. Just what we need...

Old time hockey

At 8:00 this evening, the United States and Canada will face off in the Four Nation Faceoff series.

No, this has nothing to do with Trump or his arrogant, idiotic, threats to swallow Canada and make it the 51^st state, it's all about hockey.

I suspect that this is going to be a wild hockey game.

⧫
Time to watch some hockey.

Enjoy these links:

• If you are a smart person with good ideas and you want to earn $45,000 for one of those good ideas, check this out.



• This is an interesting story.



• If I remember correctly, "butt face" was the name Biff called Marty in Back to the Future.



• Only in Florida.



• This is a voter initiative I can get behind.

Quiet day

A few errands got run and the house got cleaned.

That seemed like enough to get done today.

⧫
The U.S. beat Finland last night in the Four Nation Faceoff.

Gotta be honest with you, it was a bit boring to watch...

⧫
Here are today's links:

• I'd like to think this will come back and bite Trump in the ass but history has shown he is made of teflon.



• I guess my little town isn't quite as safe as it used to be.



• My guess is they trade Yoshida, move Devers to DH and put Bregman back at third. That opens up second for Campbell.



• Damned bird flu.



• In case you haven't seen it yet, here's a video of a guy getting swallowed.



• Don Henley looks like a divorce attorney from an expensive Chicago law firm.



• Key line in this story: "...it would be difficult to enjoy 'the do' due to a lack of stability..."



• Cecilia Bembibre and The Mummy Sniffers would be a fantastic name for a 1960's tiki bar band.

This is interetsing

The Red Sox have signed free agent Alex Bregman to a three year deal.

Bregman is a pretty good infielder and he'll probably play second base for the Red Sox.

According to some of the talking heads in the world of baseball, this is the Red Sox projected opening day starting lineup:

Things are looking good and my hopes are being raised. Hopefully my hopes don't get dashed upon the rocks of the "All Star Break"

⧫
I've noticed there are at least four different house-buying companies advertising on television and I can't help but wonder why.

If you have a house you don't want, put it on the market and sell it as-is. There are people, like my son and daughter-in-law, who looking for houses who will probably pay you more than the house-buyer company will.

⧫
Here are some links:

• Things just got crazy.



• The man is a good quarterback but he's also more than a little nutty.



• This sounds awful.



• Another case of car violence.



• Yes, alcohol was involved. Also Florida.



• If you are going to Singapore for any reason, whatever you do, don't drink the beer.

Twenty three games

NESN has announced the Spring Training games they will be broadcasting and it looks like they are going to carry 23 games this year.

Of the 23 games, 8 games will be covered by the opposing team but NESN will be rebroadcasting their feed. In other words, when the Red Sox play the Orioles on March 3^rd, NESN will be broadcasting the MASN Orioles broadcast.

Regardless of who is talking about the game, I'll still be able to watch them play and that is all that matters.

Their first game is on February 21 when the Red Sox play their traditional first spring training game against the Northeastern Huskies. First pitch will be at 1:05

⧫
Guess who found his feeler gauge!

This means I can check the valve settings on my snowblower this spring!

Yea, I know - you don't care. But to me it's a big deal. Everyone needs a feeler gauge.

⧫
I have a book recommendation for you: The Murderbot Diaries.

This series of books combines science fiction with humor, fantasy and pyschosis.

Murderbot is the name a semi-human/semi-robot gave itself after it was able to hack itself and become self-aware. It is also probably autistic and a little pyschotic.

He/her/it has a friend named ART who is a self-aware, autonomous spaceship. ART stands for Asshole Research Transport. That is the name Murderbot gives the ship when they first meet.

This is a very well written series of book that you should read in order.

⧫
Here are some links:

• I've never had one but I hear they are delicious.
  (The cake, not the possum...)



• China: It's not like where we live.



• No one better even think about telling Trump about this insane idea.



• "Handicapped Fights" would a terrible summer Olympics event.



• Cats: Way more annoying than dogs.

I don't get it

Can someone explain to me why this is so important to Trump?

Sometimes I'm amazed at the things he pays attention to...

⧫
Red Sox pitchers and catchers will officially report to JetBlue tomorrow to start the spring training.

Several things of note:

• Lucas Giolito needs to stay healthy enough to make up for playing zero games last season.
• Liam Hendricks needs to stay healthy enough to make up for playing zero games last season.
• Garrett Crochet needs to be the pitcher they keep saying he is.
• Masataka Yoshida needs to keep hitting home runs.
• Rafael Devers needs to keep hitting home runs.
• Jarren Duran needs to keep playing like his life depends on it.
• Everyone else on the team needs to step up and play hard everyday.

If all of that happens, I will be a happy guy and the Red Sox may once again become a leader in the ALEast

Then again, they still need a decent right hand bat so...

⧫
Here are some links:

• Whelp, I guess they're gonna have to use forks.



• I personally think it might be a mistake to trade him.



• This is why I only wear manually-operated socks.



• They got a day for everything.



• Turns out beavers are better than our government.



• Attention criminals: If you are going to comiit a murder, don't leave your 'to-do list' lying around.

Too much stuff

I have too much stuff and it's causing me a problem. I went looking for my feeler (thickness) gauge today and I can't find it anywhere.

Come this spring when I take my snowblower apart, I'm going to need that gauge to measure the gap (if any) between the valve stems and the lifters.

Now, those things only cost about $5.00 so replacing it isn't a problem but I know that the minute I run over to buy a new one, I will find the old one. Then I'll have two of them and as I said, I already I have too much stuff...

⧫
So the Eagles beat up the Chiefs last night, winning the Superb Owl 40-22.

I'm actually surprised the Chiefs managed to get 22 points because they were playing like crap.

Speaking of the Superb Owl, the halftime show sucked.

They need to bring back the marching bands. This hiring some "big name" singer to perform at halftime is bullshit. At least with the marching bands, they play actual music.

⧫
Here is your tip of the day:

Costco in Enfield has two dozen eggs for $8.49.

This has been your tip of the day

⧫
Here are some links:

• I gotta be honest with you, I think this should have been done 20 years ago.



• You gotta love The City of Brotherly Love.



• Here's one more thing Trump and I agree on.



• Fashion: I don't get it.



• The boys are showing up early.

Another loss

As I said, the Bruins just can't play in the 3^rd period.

They lost 4-3 to the Golden Knights and did not pick up any points.

Fortunately, they didn't lose any ground because the Senators, the Red Wings and the Blue Jackets all lost as well.

They are on a break now while the Four Nation tournament is going on.

Turns out I also need the break...

⧫
The Beast made it through this mornings snow with no problems. The engine is still running a little rough but it powered through the 4 inches of wet heavy snow.

I just need it to make it to April.

⧫
The Superb Owl is on so I'm going to end this and leave you with these links:

• Monkey Clash would be a great name for a 1970's lounge band.



• Yes, alcohol was involved.



• Fact Check: True.



• When they start having heart attacks, the undertaker won't have to move them very far.



• Good news from our favorite police log: "5:04 p.m. A Chihuahua-weiner dog mix was reunited with their owner."

Matinée hockey

The Bruins played the Golden Knights at 3:30 this afternoon and right now they are half way through the 2^nd period.

The Bruins are up 2-1 but they aren't playing all that great. Hopefully they can score at least one more goal before the period ends because historically, they usually get their ass kicked in the third period.

Since the Red Wings lost this afternoon, if the Bruins win this afternoon, they can jump over the Red Wings into the second wildcard slot. If they manage to do that, then they need the Blue Jackets to lose tonight so they can hold onto that wildcard slot.

Please note that there are at least two "ifs" in the previous paragraph.

This season is killing me...

⧫
I need to go make dinner.

Here are some links:

• Something tells me Musk is running the show at the White House. Trump is just going to hang out at Mar-A-Lago and poop in his gold toilet.



• This sounds like a terrible idea.



• This parking job is better than some of the ones I see in the grocery store parking lot.



• Meet Danielle MacPherson. The newest member of the A-Team.
  (Trust me, watch the video)



• This headline writer has probably waited a lifetime for this moment.



• The democrats continue to shoot themselves in the face. Looks like we'll have a republican government for the next several years...

Quiet day today

Snow is on the way and I'm a little worried about The Beast.

When I used it to clear my driveway the other day, it was running a little rough and it seemed to lose power going through the heavy stuff left by the plows.

I can't help but wonder if maybe it's got a valve issue, which kinda sucks. The machine is probably 14 or 15 years old now and it has a Tecumseh flathead 10.5hp engine. Those particular engines have a set of valves that, over a time, begin to cut into the valve seats. Since the valves are not adjustable, the only solution is to take them out and grind a tiny amount off.

Yes, it is as much work as it sounds and to be honest with you, I have no desire to pull the head off and check the valves while it's still 20° outside.

I just need it to make it to April. That will put the winter behind us and I can find a nice warm day to take the engine apart.

It also gives me the entire summer to replace the machine if I screw the engine up...

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Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you our federal government:

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Here are some links:

• Key line in this story: "I’m a good dude who did a dumb thing on camera."



• Thank goodness we already received our refund.



• Tony Weiner is back!!!



• Smuggled Beetles would be a great name for a 1980's Beatles cover band.



• Great, just what we need, something else to worry about.



• Of course they won't. Under current US law, rich people get away with everything.

Another loss

The Ranger beat the Bruins 3-2 last night which means the Bruins did not get any points and are still out of the wildcard.

I gotta be honest with you, at one point they actually looked like a great team and I thought they stood a chance when they took a lead in the third period. But, as is often the case, the Rangers came back with a vengeance and first tied it and then took the lead.

Their next game will be Saturday against the Golden Knights. Puck drops at 3:30.

That will be their last game for a while because the league will be on a break while the Four Nation playoffs are going on.

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Spring training begins in less than one week and I'm still not sure what I think about the Red Sox.

I do know that I think Sam Kennedy is a snake oil salesman whose primary job is to convince the fans that everything is great and we should all spend thousands of our dollars on tickets to games.

He keeps using words like "aggressive", "focused" and "urgent" when he talks about the moves the Red Sox have made to improve over the offseason.

Sam Kennedy is a lying sack of snake snot and you can't believe anything he says.

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I was reading as much as I could about the so-called "deferred resignation" offer that was issued to government employees and if I was a government employee, I would refuse the offer. It's a scam.

There is a clause that says by signing and accepting the offer, the employee waives the right to sue the government if they fail to honor their side of the deal.

In other words, if Trump, a man who has a long and deep track record of deciding to not pay what he owes, decides to not pay the promised severence, the ex-employee will have no legal recourse.

Maybe that's why a court has blocked his offer.

Donald Trump and his minion, Musk, are lying sacks of snake snot and you can't believe anything they say.

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Here are some links:

• Speaking of people who believe what Trump says, it looks like "BiBi" has accepted Trumps offer to take over Gaza.



• They sound like a lovely couple.



• Ed Damiano and the Bionic Pancreas would be a fantastic name for a 1960s pop band.



• I guess I'm a intergluteal cleft man.



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



• Incredible understatement of the year: "unfortunate shopper"...

Another win

The Bruins beat the Wild 3-0 last night and tonight they take on the Rangers.

The two points they picked up last night moved them to one point out of the wildcard and two points out of the divisional. If they can win tonight, they will move back into the wildcard and possibly back into the divisional.

They need to win.

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Trump came out today and said the US should take over Gaza. He said we should turn it into a big resort. I believe his exact words were,

"I don’t want to be cute, I don’t want to be a wise guy, but the Riviera of the Middle East. This could be something that could be so magnificent."

He then went on to say that he had spoken to all the world leaders and they thought it was a great idea.

Then the world leaders released statements about his magnificent idea...

• Germany: "unacceptable"
• France: "dangerous"
• UK: "Palestinians must be allowed to rebuild"
• Egypt: "Palestinian rights must be respected"
• Jordan: "We support the Palestinians"

I personally thought the best analysis of Trumper's "magnificent idea" came from Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina who said,

"There are a few kinks in that slinky.”

No word yet from Canada or Mexico about their thoughts on Trump and his magnificent ideas...

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Here are some links:

• You know as well as I do that Legal Beaver Eating would be a great name for a really bad 1970s porno movie.



• It's only a matter of time before they outlaw those things.



• I appear to have something in common with Bonobos.



• Spain is bad enough but New York? Seriously?



• Back in the good old days, when I was in school, the teachers were smart enough to hide their booze.



• I predict that in the near future, some ICE agents are going to get gunned down.

Time for the predictions

I usually search the major news sites for baseball predictions but this year I thought I might give one of the "small guys" a try.

According to Baseball Prospectus (I have no idea who they are), this is what the standings will look like at the end of the 2025 season. As you can see, they have the Red Sox finishing last in the division:

I have no particular thoughts, beliefs or knowledge that I can use to claim they are wrong. The Red Sox have not done very much to improve themselves over the offseason so it's anyones guess how they will perform.

I guess we'll just have to check back in October to see if Baseball Prospectus is staffed with wizards or if they are just another collection of talking heads who babble on with no idea what they are talking about. Sorta like me!

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Speaking of babbling on...

Trump has decided to shut down the Department of Education.

Huh... This should get interesting.

Cabinet-level departments are created (and removed) by acts of congress, not by dictatorial decree.

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Yes, there is hockey this evening.

The Wild are in town to take on the Bruins. Hopefully things go the Bruins way and they win because if they drop any further out of the wildcard, they might as well call it a season and sell off their talent before the trade deadline on March 7^the.

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Enjoy these links:

• My cats don't kill anything. Except maybe air molecules. They aren't hunters, they're nappers...



• I personally think the puke stain on his jacket makes this mug shot one of the best.



• How is this not a story from Australia?



• Key line in this story: "The eggs are worth about $40,000." Next week they'll be worth $60,000



• Maybe they do it simply because they can.



• Here's your Naked Guy in the News story.



• Zombie Spiders would be a fantastic name for a 1990s punk rock band.

Things are getting worse

The Bruins are falling further and further out of playoff contention:

This is looking bad...

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Here are some links:

• This just keeps getting better and better.



• Then again, maybe it's not so bad after all.



• I like the Red Sox and I really hope they have another World Series parade real soon but this is the dumbest thing I've ever seen.



• Only in Pennsylvania.



• Oh Canada.
  (Yes, I realize that "Sexually Frustrated Sea Otters" would be a great name for a 1980s lounge band



• Japan: They aren't like you and me.



• So does this mean that when I drove up Main St. at 40mph this morning, I was moving faster than the speed of light?

Merry Groundhog Day

Today is the day that Punxsutawney Phil makes a prediction about the length of winter (Note: he says six weeks more)

Remember, don't drive angry.

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This morning, at about 8:00 or so, the power went out:

Whenever the power goes out, I usually wait about a half hour before starting the generator because a lot of power outages we have are very short. Like 15-20 minutes short. Believe it or not, National Grid is actually pretty quick about getting a crew on site and working.

Today I waited about 45 minute before finally saying, "Whelp, it's getting chilly in here. Guess I gotta go start the generator."

I went out doors, dragged the generator out to its running spot, plugged it into the house and started it up. Then I went down into the basement, flipped off the main feed to my subpanel and flipped on the generator circuit.

As soon as I did that, the main power came back on.

So I flipped the subpanel back over to the main, went back out doors and shut the generator down.

I like to think it came back on because I caused a miracle to happen when I went out into the cold and fired up my generator.

Either that or the National Grid guys are good at what they do and it was all a coincidence of timing.

I think I'm going to stick with the miracle worker thing...

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Trump and Musk's war on Canada has begun.

What has me concerned more than the increase in prices we will all have to pay is one idea being floated in Canada: They are thinking about offering funding and employment to health/medical researchers.

In other words, Canada may very well offer jobs to the entire staff of the NHI, the CDC and any private research institution that loses funding under the Musk/Trump regime or is forced to work under Weirdo Kennedy.

Get ready for the Great Brain Drain...

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The Lightning lost last night but it was in overtime so they picked up one point.

That one point was enough to kick the Bruins back out of the wildcard:

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Here are today's links:

• Only in Florida



• This should concern everyone. I think I'd rather China had access to my private data than Musk.



• Key entry in our favorite police log: 8:23 p.m. Kids were still throwing snowballs.



• Canada is building a wall.



• Brad from Bisbane would be a great name for a 1970s Chuck Norris movie.

They are all idiots.

Donald "I'm the smartest person in the world!" Trump keeps claiming that all California needs to do is release all the water they are storing and they will never have another fire again. Then he decided to tell his new guy in charge of the military, Pete "Lets attack Mexico!" Hegseth to order the Army Corps of Engineers to release all the water.

So they did.

The only problem is, they didn't tell anyone in California and the water they released was supposed to be used in the spring/summer for the growing season. Oh, and none of it went to Los Angeles, where the fires are, it all went to the central valley where Sacramento is.

So now the central valley has too much water, there is a possibility that the summer growing season may be in danger and that means higher prices on fruits & vegetables. And since Trumper has decided to "show Mexico how smart he is" by imposing tariffs, any fruits or vegetables that get imported from there will also cost a lot more.

Our country is being run by idiots...

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In the sports world, the Bruins decided to win their game this afternoon, beating the Rangers 6-3.

This helped them a bit in the standings by putting them back into the second wildcard slot and into a tie with the Senators for the third divisional slot.

Unfortunately the Lightning are playing this evening. If the Lightning win tonight, the Bruins will drop back out of the wildcard.

As I may have mentioned, more wins would be helpful...

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Enjoy these links:

• Like the title says, they are all idiots.



• China: They're different than most others.



• The longer he remains unemployed, the less he'll cost.



• Seems like this should have happened in Florida.