If you have noticed that it’s been a little quiet around here…thanks for noticing. If you haven’t noticed, that’s fine too.
Baseball analogy time: Life around here has been in total turmoil as life seems to throw only curveballs, all the time, and I can’t hit them. It would be nice to have a fastball or a changeup, but instead it has just been a steady diet of curveballs.
Trying to keep up with the changes over the last year has been draining to say the least. The last month, month and a half, has been a blur.
I don’t mean to sound selfish, but I don’t wany any of it. I don’t mean to sound heartless or uncaring, but I am losing my ability to care.
I am tired of the constant family trials, difficulties, challenges.
Once again, life has gotten extremely uncomfortable. If you have been around here long, you are probably familiar with some of the things/people I have referred to in the past. Once again, the past issues are now current issues again.
High gas prices and getting higher. OPEC+ announced earlier this month that they are going to cut production. It’s hard to know exactly who to blame. Some say it is the result of inflation. Some say it is the result of government policy. Some say it is the result of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Some say it is just the oil companies jacking prices for profit. It obviously isn’t as simple as one of these things and trying to make it solely about one of them is foolish.
However, here in the the US, it has a lot to do with the fact that our government (the Biden administration) has chosen to take a route with energy policy that does’t keep access to oil easy or convenient. As such, the supply is always short in the US when we could actually be nearly oil independent. The administration refuses to allow more refineries, more drilling, and no new pipelines.
The Democrats believe higher energy prices will force Americans to finally get behind “clean” energy of wind and solar, the faster the better in their view. But they also see the peril in allowing prices to get too high, especially when it comes time to vote. Biden has been trying to keep prices low (very unsuccessfully) over the last couple months because of the looming mid-term elections. With an upcoming election and prices rising rapidly, the Biden administration is trying to put pressure on Saudi Arabia because the cost of fuel (well, the cost of everything really) will be weighing on the minds of Americans when they fill in their ballot. When Americans feel pain at the pump and in their wallet they tend to vote away from policies that made it them feel it.
As an example, I have three receipts less than a month apart. In that time span, the gas price as my local Costco (nearly always the cheapest price) has gone up $1.10/gal. That’s a lot of pain at the pump in less than a month. The worst part is that fuel prices are typically going down this time of year (after Labor Day) since the “driving season” is over and consumption/demand is lower.
My last three fill-ups.
Obviously, this is weighing on my mind. I make a pretty good income, but I am feeling the pinch. I can imagine how others who were already on tight budgets are feeling now. It’s a struggle and really hard choices are having to be made. I am sure the last thing they are thinking about is clean energy and long term policy. They (we) all want some relief.
Manipulating voters before an election is nothing new. Both parties do it. It’s irritating as hell that most people don’t see right through it. But, put a little money in the pockets of voters shortly before an election and they tend to forget the pain they felt for a short time while they vote. We’ve seen this fairly often too – and in a not so transparent move, California (the largest state, dominated by Democrats) is giving money back to voters just in time for elections. It apparently goes by many different names – “Middle Class Tax Refund”, “Inflation Relief Check”, “Gas Tax Refund” – but the goal is all the same, make sure voters try to forget their pain at the pump and other places for a short time. Also, just in time (not a coincident or a surprise), the president releases more oil from the strategic stock pile. Didn’t see that one coming…*sarcasm*
Anyone else tired of the garbage going on in DC, or their own state? Anyone else tired of the rich and elite manipulating the government for themselves?
The OPEC+ decision to cut oil production will make prices spike in the short term. How that ends up translating to prices at the pump remains to be seen, obviuosly. However, can we be confident that the OPEC+ members will actually abide by the agreement? Not really. Traditionally, they decide on a production cut and then one or more members decide that the price spike is too good to lower production so they keep producing at the current level to maximise profits during the price increase. Members always accuse other members of violating their agreement and everyone ends up producing just as much or more than previous levels to make up for lost ground in the market.
Ultimately, their announcement is market manipulation and likely won’t really happen. But, it also might be American election manipulation too. To say that oil producing countries are “pleased” with American Democrats and their progressive push towards climate alarmism would be more than a mis-statement. Another political party would be friendlier, in their opinion. This may be their actual goal, but time will tell.
Let me clarify, if you want to put flavored creamer into your coffee I think that is perfectly acceptable. However, flavoring the actual coffee grounds seems like weird practice. Mostly because I have now seen some of the strangest combinations of flavors in the office I work in.
I have co-workers who apparently like to try different kinds of flavored coffee. I have mentioned one of these in the past. I have yet come across another completely weird and out of character coffee flavor, at least I think so.
When you think of Death Wish Coffee Company’s coffee you envision an ultra-strong, no frills, no nonsense kind of coffee (at least I do). I have had their original coffee and it was strong and hit the spot. I liked it because it lived up to it’s name.
But, the other day I was at the office coffee maker when I saw someone had use a coffee pod that was a Death Wish Coffee Company’s Pumpkin Chai flavored coffee.
Image. Destoyed. Busted. Deflated.
Frilly, trend-following, wimpy coffee. At least that was what suddenly came across my mind.
I know because I said something to someone about it and magically a pod appeared on my desk later in the day with a note saying to “Try it.”
I did. Opinion not changed. Thankfully the chai flavor was stronger than the pumpkin, but overall wasn’t impressed.
I went out to their website and see that this appears to be the only flavored offereing. Sure, they have other “flavors” but they are more like the original with variations on strength and blends.
Anyway, have you seen this stuff? Tried it? Do you think it holds with the percieved image of the company?
Trying out something new. I have been playing with the idea for a while and then I thought, “What the hell! I don’t have anything to lose by doing it.”
So, if you click on that Menu button on the upper right of the page, you’ll see a new button to donate via PayPal.
Click on that Menu button!
If you feel led to do so, send me $5 of your hard earned money. I’ll appreciate ever so much!
Just think of it as fuel for my fury.
With just one more cup of coffee I can produce content that will make you think, make you laugh, make you shake your head in disgust, make you see something from a different point of view.
So, here’s another question for you. I don’t expect that you are going to answer it but I have to voice it – partially because it’s a frustrations of mine but also because sometimes (well, most of the time) I think people are just stupid. The question: Why do people post that the “tabs are up to date” when selling a vehicle?
Do they think this is a selling point that needs to be advertised? Because if they really thought about it (and here’s where the dumb part comes in), it isn’t.
The tabs on a license plate indicate that the vehicle has been registered and is therefore legal to be on the roadways. In most cases, it is registered to the owner of the vehicle. So, to some degree is also signifies who is financially responsible for the vehicle (yes, insurance also does that too but there is a difference).
Here’s two reasons saying the tabs are up to date is dumb and really incomprehensible as to why someone thinks this is a selling point.
The person buying said vehicle will have to transfer ownership into their name (usually within 14 days) and in doing so will also have to register it themselves, meaning it doesn’t matter how much “life” is left in the current tabs. They will have to buy new tabs to license the vehicle in their name. Once registered, they will get new tabs (and in some cases even new license plates). There is extra money coming out of the purchaser’s pocket no matter what, so this doesn’t save anything for them.
The person selling the vehicle wants the purchaser to transfer ownership of the vehicle so that they aren’t held responsible for financial damages\issues when the vehicle is used improperly. Whether it is ticketed for some reason, or abandoned, or used to commit a crime, the former owner doesn’t want it staying in their name.
I am sure there are more reasons why this particular statement makes for a poor selling point, but that is all I can think of right now.
What do you think? Am I way off on this or do you agree? Does it really make a difference in a decision to purchase a vehicle?
Well, looks like we have a pretty good idea of about how much a vote costs these days – about $10K.
In a very thinly veiled attempt to buy votes for the Novermber election, the Biden administration just put the burden of ill-advised student loans on taxpayers instead of the people who actually were supposed to be the guarantors of the loan.
You don’t have to be a financial guru to know that someone (well, most all taxpayers) are getting the shaft, yet again, from bad politics in the name of winning favor with a generation of people who know little about commitment and consequences.
This is a play for the Progressives in the Democratic party that keep yelling that there is a class war going on and that the poor of the country are losing it. Obviously this isn’t true, but it fits with the Progressive message about destroying Capitalism and a market economy and instead favor a socialist agenda which would eventually lead to a socialist (eh, communist) government. This, of course, fits into the message that all these ill-advised, college loan accepting, 20 and 30 somethings who were indoctrinated into leftist thinking by the colleges they attended. The colleges that likely pressured them in the first place to take the loans to get or continue an education.
It’s a perfect coup for the left.
Combine the $10k ($20k in some cases) forgiveness with the argument that abortions should be free and available at all moments, on a whim, and you can see where the messaging for the November elections are going. “Look, we are fighting for your abortions and forgave a portion of your college loans. Your vote should obviously be cast for us…”
Turns our Democrats actually want fences, just not to protect the nation’s borders.
It seems rather ironic, don’t you think?
A president who literally ran with a campaign promise of cancelling the border fence started by the previous president and virtually opening the borders to all who dare to violate national sovereignty, well, he actually WANTS a fence…around his house and property. Mind you, this is also private property being protected with public funds for all of perpitude, though he will not be in public service beyond his time in office.
Turns out, protecting himself and his family and his wealth and his image (gained legally and…perhaps illegally? *cough – Hunter*) is important enough to have a fence around it. But, having a fence around the country and protecting those that live here legally (and illegally) from weapons, drugs, criminals, etc., etc., well, that is going too far.
Anyone else find the irony farcical?
Another example of leadership and the “do as I say, not as I do” attitude.
The Washington governor is the most ridiculous ever. This isn’t an over the top, exaggeration type statement. It’s a fact. Case in point: He still has his “emergency powers” and will not let them go. The state legislature doesn’t even have a way to check his power (not surprisingly, the Dems in the state actually refused to change the state constitution to give them, the legislature, a check on the governor).
As the dreaded c-word has basically run it’s course, the governor – Jay Inslee – continues to make rules and dictate what will happen in the state even though an emergency no longer exists. Nevermind the fact that the “emergency” was over at least a year ago, but now the CDC has basically said that nearly everyone in the US has “immunity” to it. 95% of Americans have had sh0ts or actually had it. As such, they have dropped nearly all precautions instituted/recommended. They even said they basically blew it when it comes to how they responded. The governor, however, has refused to say when he will give up the powers and certainly makes it clear there are no plans to do it any time soon.
Here’s the thing though, the governor (and by extension, Dems in general) don’t want to let go of this “emergency” because it has given them extraordinary, unchecked power to control nearly everything in the daily lives of the population. It has made it easier for them to cancel opposition or put up roadblocks to keep people from questioning their authority.
Folks, this had drug out way too long. There may have been a need at one point, for a short period of time, but this has turned into the most egregarious power grabs in history. Whomever thought allowing a governor to have unchecked powers missed the mark entirely.
Mark my words, there will be more “emergencies” in the near future.
I’m a body wash in a bottle guy for a reason. I don’t like hairy soap, plain and simple.
What do I mean? Well, I have had a bar of soap in the shower in the past. Obviously, I use it to clean my body, every day without fail. But, I use my hands to get a lather and then use my hands to spread the lather over my body parts – which usually also leads to more lather as well. I do not let the bar of soap touch any part of my body directly because I do not like hair on my bar of soap – even my own. It doesn’t even have to be hair from the nether regions of the body, just hair in general.
Now, imagine that I have managed to keep my soap hair free for several months and things are going swell. No worries in the world.
Then imagine a guest staying at the house who does not follow the same “soap rules” as I do. They take a shower, they use the soap in unacceptable ways, which is of course unbeknownst to them. They think nothing of it.
I am sure you can now imagine my surprise when I go to pick up the bar of soap and notice hair stuck to if from the previous user of the soap – obviously not me. Surprise probably isn’t really the right word…but I’ll keep the discussion family friendly. Bar of soap ruined.
Toss that slippery mess right into the trash! It is now contaminated beyond help.
Weird? I don’t know. Maybe. Anyone else out there hate this?
Thus, I am a body wash in a bottle kind of guy. Problem solved. No extra hair, anywhere.
Do you use cruise control in your vehicle when you are on a long drive? Do you like to set it and forget it…until some jackwagon decides that pacing you in your blind spot is a good idea and then you have to cancel your cruise by stepping on your brake?
You know it is inevitable, right? Is that Murphy’s Law or is that bad karma or is it just a coincidence?
I took a road trip this last weekend (12 hours total driving time) and I noticed that just about every time I set the cruise control (about 7-8 mph over the speed limit, mind you) that within about 10 minutes I would have to step on the brake and cancel it.
I was driving across the state, on the east side, where there are long stretches of nothing. It’s just highway – long, flat, some rolly hills, but mostly uninteresting. You would think it would be a great place to just set the cruise control and just drive.
Nope.
Seemingly without fail, about the time I would need to pass someone on the left there would be a car pacing me, in my blind spot, and not allowing me to change lanes.
It’s almost as if they were doing it on purpose. Miles and miles and miles of unobstructed driving until that moment.
And instead of recognizing what is about to happen in front of or next to them and speeding up just a little so as to not have to slow down themselves, they just keep their own pace and make me break mine. Jackwagon.
Do people realize you can step on the gas while cruise control is on and speed up and it DOES NOT cancel your cruis control or change your speed? No need to reset it. No need to click Resume. The vehicle just returns to the speed you set it for. Kinda like magic.
But instead, it would appear people like to annoy the hell outta me (and probably others too).
Piss and Moan 