It's been raining outside and my cats are most put out about it.

Especially Jenny. She seems to think that the sound is a full-scale alien invasion or something. If she's downstairs, she's on high alert... staring out the windows and bouncing around from chair to chair. Upstairs she's staring at the ceiling. Eventually she will fall asleep, but then at some random moment snap awake and start staring at the ceiling again. Like she forgot and then remembered again.

Since I can't really do much while I'm laying here making sure my cats aren't freaked out, I decided to surf the internet for cat stuff. Starting with this video of a guy taking his cat camping in the rain. An activity which would cause my cats to lose their damn minds...

You're welcome!

I had a heck of a Friday. Could not catch a break. By the time I finally made it home, I wanted to take a half-bottle of sleeping pills and go to bed.

But first I ran outside to do a bit of yard work before it gets pitch black. Ordinarily I wouldn't, but it's supposed to rain this weekend. Not in the morning, but there's no way I'm getting up to work in the yard on a Saturday morning. So best to get it over with now.

Now I'm even more tired.

But, ironically, now I'm too tired to sleep. And so I'm watching comedy videos on YouTube so my brain can fade out. It started out random, but then I started watching every video that Rory Scovel has ever released...

   
Now I need to cook dinner. But I'm too tired to do that so I guess I'll have a bag of potato chips.

Still too tired to sleep though.

Sorry I'm so late posting. I've been spending my free time lighting a fire under my Washington State political representatives in an attempt to make them DO THEIR FUCKING JOB AND DENOUNCE HAKEEM JEFFRIES AND CHUCK SCHUMER. The status quo has got to go.

Along the way I have been active on social media, doing my part to elevate voices that are opposes those Democrats who are digging in their heels to compromise down the mandate they've been handed.

A recent comment I got was that I was being uncivil because I was railing against Cindy Hyde-Smith and Virginia Foxx.

I'm the one being uncivil.

Well, gee. What do you call what this vile old hag is dishing out?

Yeah, fuck her. I'm giddy with the prospect of her losing her seat, so sue me. Alas, the race hasn't been called yet... but finger's crossed.

In other news, I've been thrilled to see Dave Columbo calling out the bullshit coming out of Hakeem Jeffries pathetic ass...

He's not alone. A lot of people are calling him and Chuck Schumer out on their bullshit. I have already contacted my worthless Senator, Maria Cantwell, my tiresome Senator, Patty Murray, and my annoying Representative, Kim Schrier. And, for good measure, I contacted Representative Pramila Jayapal... no, I'm not in her district, but she's fucking pissing me off. Every one of these people should be loudly and immediately stating that they are not supporting Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer FOR ANYTHING.

And if they don't? They can pack their shit and get out of the way too.

I am increasingly hostile towards politics, in general, and the political parties, specifically. Republicans have zero interest in making things better for the American people and every interest in making things better for corporations. Democrats have an interest in making things better for the American people, but they are near-worthless at getting anything done. They love nothing more than doing fuck-all so that they have something to run against in the next election cycle. It's a vicious circle which is more about maintaining wealth and political power than serving those who elect them.

Last night was a predictably massive response swing to the fucking horrific policies of the Trump Administration. People's lives are measurably harder with new wars from the "No More Wars President"... heinously more expensive from the "Cheaper Groceries on Day One President" (not to mention the "I Don't Know How Tariffs Work President")... then capped off by the "I Only Give a Shit About Making Myself Richer And Don't Give A Fuck If You Get Poorer President"... etc. etc. etc.

Democrats didn't experience a "blue wave," so much as a fucking blue tsunami.

But Republicans shouldn't be too upset. Unlike your party that elects people who go for the throat and get shit done, Democrats will cling to the status quo. At least I assume so, since that's all they ever do. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised!

My personal favorite election of the night was Dr. Abdul Al-Sayed winning Michigan away from corrupt piece of shit Mike Rogers. The worry, of course, is that Abdul is a Muslim and is going to conquer the country with Sharia Law. Which is so fucking absurd as to be laughable. Indonesia is the country with the largest Muslim population on earth... and Sharia Law is not a governing factor at all. But I've been there and have seen it in person, so I can't be scared over what a bullshit concept it is. Abdul ran on "Money out of politics. Money in your pocket. Medicare for all." Which is great... I love it... except he's going to be fighting his party every step of the way. Crusty assholes like Nancy Pelosi and my own Senator Patty Murray will fight tooth and nail for their right to suck Big Pharma and Insurance Lobby dick for cash. I wish the fuck they could get the hell out of the way, but they are career politicians who don't want meaningful change. Good luck, Abdul. You'll need it.

I thought that James Talarico had a near-impossible task ahead of him turning Texas (of all places) blue... but, then again, I underestimated how disgusted Republicans would be with total fucking piece of shit Ken Paxton. Had it been just about anybody except Paxton, I think Texas would still be red. No fucking clue what in the hell Republicans were thinking by running the asshole, but it will make for an interesting change for the Lone Star State. Now if only they would get rid of Ted Cruz. I'd pay serious money not to have to see his fucking face ever again.

What's funny to me is that a lot of times I wasn't rooting for Democrats... I was rooting against Republicans. Let's take a look, shall we?

• There was one Democrat I was rooting against... John Fetterman. But since he wasn't in a race, the best we could get was a Democratic majority which would make that fucking turd completely irrelevant. Fortunately, that's exactly where we're at. Get fucked, dipshit.
• I was going to say there was a second Democrat I was rooting against, but I don't know what the fuck Haley Stevens is supposed to be. She ain't a Democrat, that's for sure. What I love is that it's pretty obvious the plan all along was for her to appear at an Abdul Al-Sayed rally and endorse Mike Rogers. Except her own staff, who fucking hate her, warned Abdul's people which got her disinvited. Then she tried to salvage her plan by siding with Rogers because there was no way somebody named "Abdul" could win, right? Right?!? What a fucking idiot.
• Nancy Mace. Jesus, I won't be shedding any tears over her getting purged from politics. But the best part of her loss? The winner, Nancy Lacore, is a retired Navy ADMIRAL who was fired by incompetent fucking piece of shit and all-around pathetic waste-of-space, Pete Hegseth. Glorious. Hopefully having somebody who actually respects our troops in office will offset Hegseth, who very clearly does not.
• Susan Collins. Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out, you repugnant fuck. Or do. I don't really give a shit so long as you're gone.
• Rex Miller. When people who deserve to go down in flames actually go down in flames, it's a good day. This asshole belongs in prison. Not for the hearsay about him holding a gun to his ex-wife's head... but for the verifiable publishing of a photo of his nude daughter online. Republicans are constantly accusing people of being pedos WHEN THE CALL IS COMING FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE! I love the Democrat who ran this race. He's an ironworker named Brian Poindexter, and he feels like somebody who will work hard to make American lives better.
• Darline Graham. I do not understand at all how the asshole sister of a fucking dead asshole is considered qualified to take over her brother's seat. She's beyond stupid in all the areas somebody in this position has to be smart. "National security is not my thing" is a hell of a thing to say when you don't know your ass from a hole in the South China Sea. And don't get me started on her fucking DISGUSTING treatment of Jack Smith that was as stupid as it was embarrassing.
• Mike Collins. Such a fucking unserious troll. I was disappointed that he managed to muster 40% of the vote when up against Jon Ossoff.
• Aaron Flint. I accidentally came across this disingenuous, lying, transphobic asshole while I was Googling for something entirely unrelated to Montana politics. Then became obsessed with the idea of him losing. I didn't think his opponent, Sam Forstag, had a chance in hell (a Democrat IN MONTANA?!?), but I had hope. And here we are. First Democrat in 30 years or something like that. I guess you can never underestimate the power in running against an asshole.
• Greg Abbott. Because fuck that fucking woman-hating, anti-science, racist fuck.
• Zach Lahn. This arogant, disrespectful, ignorant ass losing to Rob Sand was deliciously satisfying in all the best ways.
• Vivek Ramaswamy. Saving the best for last, this piece of shit weaponized his opponent's rape when she was a little girl by her stepfather by dragging out the mother who stood by him. This asshole can't fuck off far enough. What a repugnant piece of shit. One of my favorite moments was finding out that Amy Acton didn't accept his concession call. And why should she? He's so far fucking below her that acknowledging he even fucking exists is too much. If there's a hell, I hope Vivek gets stuck in the worst corner of it. Get fucked, stay fucked.

I'd love to be able to add terminal fucking bitch Cindy Hyde-Smith to the above list, but her race is too close to call. This literal ghoul is one of the biggest pieces of shit in politics. How the fuck her race can be a dead-heat when she's such garbage is beyond comprehension...

Keep in mind... this is a Senator from FUCKING MISSISSIPPI, a state known for a history of LYNCHING, where she said PUBLICLY that she'd be happy to attend a public hanging. Good fucking GOD how do people like this get elected? Racist, anti-woman, trash. She's fucking trash. I hope to God that Scott Colom manages to maintain his razor-thin lead to prevail over whatever this gawdawful asshole is supposed to be.

Another race too close to call... Lauren Fucking Boebert. She has got to be, without a doubt, one of the stupidest, most-ignorant, and ill-informed US Representatives to ever give a hand-job in a public theater. Though, if I'm being honest, I will kind of miss her if she loses. Her entertainment value as the village idiot is almost too good to lose...

I mean, this... this... holy fuck, what is this?...

Wait. I take it back. It's just too fucking humiliating to the country that something this fucking idiotic is representing people here. WHAT THE FUCK, COLORADO?!?

And don't even get me started on Virginia Ann Foxx. That fucking waste of space is a non-stop parade of shit, and I'm hoping she falls under the recount threshold so I don't ever have to hear that hag's rude-ass, foul-mouthed, decrepit bullshit again.

Sadly, Tom Cotton kept his seat in Arkansas. What a fucking anti-American racist piece of shit. SLAVERY WAS A NECESSARY EVIL?!? WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK???? His being an Army veteran has done a lot of heavy lifting throughout his career, and I was ready for him to finally be removed. He's a special flavor of stupid who often unleashes idiocy that has no basis in reality, and only cares about being some kind of dim-witted attack dog more than being principled or right.

But anyway...

I am going to end this way-too-long political rant nobody wanted with this: If Democrats reward Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries with Speaker or any other election benefit, they are more fucking stupid than I thought. These clowns didn't contribute in any meaningful way to what happened on Tuesday. On the contrary, both of them did everything they could to stop it from happening. These two zeros are exactly who I'm talking about when I say that status-quo Democrats need to be shoved aside by those who want to actually get things done.

And so...

See you in two years, when we'll do this shit all over again!

I guess I put away the sonic spikes and the mole repellent away too fast. Neither of them work perfectly... but they do slow the critters down. And without the deterrent? The little bastards are back with a vengeance.

This is a massive one. 8-inches tall and about 16-inches across. I'm guessing that directly underneath is a major burrow or something...

About 12 feet away is this smaller one...

In the back yard, there's a little fucker that's poking an insane amount of holes...

And then this morning there's an all new molehill next to my sidewalk...

Everybody asks me why I don't poison them, but I could never bring myself to do that. Drive them away, sure. But kill them just because they happen to be in my yard? Nope.

Next year we'll give sonic spikes and repellent another try... and then make sure I keep them out until the snow falls.

Can you believe it's November already this month?

Can you believe how quickly it gets dark now that we're out of Daylight Saving Time?

Can you believe that it's going to be Christmas before you know it?

November is one of those months that always seems to blow by impossibly fast. One minute it's Halloween, then you blink and it's Christmas, then you wake up and it's New Year's Day. Life is passing me by faster and faster as I get older and older, and at no time do I feel it more than November.

Oh... before I forget... Happy National Veterans and Military Families Month! Well, to everybody except this ignorant, rage-baiting piece of shit...

Soon it will be May, and I'll be able to wish you a Happy National Military Appreciation Month... honoring active-duty service members, National Guard, reserves, and veterans.

Which is to say that veterans don't "get just one day." They get two months.

But stupid assholes trying to manipulate people with homophobia probably have trouble counting all the way to two, so maybe I'm being too hard on her.

I'll try not to feel bad about it.

   
• Color it Purple! Why? Why can't this be the political attitude on both sides of the fucking divide?

It's probably because hate is what wins elections now. And how sad is that? There was a time that politicians would work for all their constituents, we need to get back to that. By electing people like this.

   
• Feeling Off! This is wild. The guy is in Seattle, but what he's talking about can apply to a lot of places...

The guy's channel is fantastic. I can't stop watching it. This video from last night has insights that's tough to wrap your head around...

How this guy doesn't have his own television show on HBO is beyond me.

   
• How are the kids? I laughed for five solid minutes watching this...

Didn't help that this guy was dying while reading it.

   
• Rhapsodic! I love stuff like this (here's a link in case TikTok is being a dick)...

I wish Freddie were alive to see this.

   
• Thunderstruck! This is absolutely amazing. I love AC/DC, and this is a flawless tribute...

Give this young woman a beer!

   
• Racism: Alive & Well! Good GOD I'm sick and fucking tired of stupid...

Lord what a fucking racist piece of shit. And speaking of a fucking racist piece of shit...

No science? WE WRITE SCIENCE IN ARABIC NUMERALS, YOU STUPID FUCKING RACIST ASSHOLE! And what about algebra? Algebra comes from the "al-jabr" in the book title Al-Kitāb al-mukhtaṣar fī ḥisāb al-jabr wal-muqābalah by Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi... THE FATHER OF ALGEBRA! No literature? How the fuck could even the stupidest person not know of One Thousand and One Nights? It's a hugely famous collection of folktales, to which Sinbad the Sailor was added. How hasn't his ignorant ass heard of that one? And works from Arab authors are being widely translated into other languages... INCLUDING ENGLISH. Not that I expect this mutherfucker to read a fucking book. And notice that the turd never mentioned architecture. Probably because even his worm-addled brain knows that some of the most stunning architecture in the world comes from Arab origins. Or art, of which there is a fuck-ton of incredible works from the Arab world. Good God. — The asshole's got money... pick up a fucking passport and take a look at the world, dumbass.

THESE are the people representing this country? I just want it all to go the fuck away. What in the hell have we become?

   
• NEWSFLASH: Richard Norton, actor and martial artist, died after peptides triggered heart attack, coroner says. Good thing our Health Secretary is on the case: RFK Jr. eases access to unproven peptides despite opposition from FDA scientists. Jesus what a fucking stupid piece of shit. Anybody taking medical advice from the dumbass deserves what they get. Unfortunately, that means the United States of America, where he's inexplicably been put in charge of something he doesn't know jack-shit about.

   
Now back to laying on the couch with intestinal distress.

As you've undoubtedly noticed from the many photos I've posted, Jake likes to lay on my legs while I'm sitting on the couch. But only if I have jeans on! If I am in sweats or shorts or slacks, he wants nothing to do with laying on me.

Instead he will go to the end of the couch, sit down facing me, then stare at me until I go change into jeans.

Not exactly something I'm fond of given how much more comfortable it is to be lounging in sweats, but I've decided I am going to do everything I can to make my cats happy in the relatively short time they're on this earth. If he wants me in jeans, then that's what's going to happen...

But don't worry. When he's not on me, he's still flopped on his back spread-eagle to sleep...

And, no, I still cannot resist the urge to pet that belly...

Tonight was Halloween! The scariest night of the year... for Jake and Jenny. They are not accustomed to people knocking on my door and ringing my doorbell all night. They hate Halloween. Hate it! So much so that they usually cower upstairs in the closet.

But this Halloween I had two knocks on my door... total. And that resulted in four trick-or-treaters... total.

Which is pretty much just another evening here. Jake never left the living room, and Jenny ran upstairs both times... but ran back down immediately after the candy moochers had left. And since my turnout was so awful, I just told them to grab a handful, which they all happily did.

I had already picked out all the stuff I wanted for myself, so there wasn't a reason not to get rid of the rest.

Yesterday celebrated actor Patrick Stewart passed away, and it's a tough pill to swallow.

Which is strange to me given that I wasn't a fan of his two biggest contributions to Western culture... Jean Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films. I mean, Next Gen was okay... not as good as the original Star Trek, but watchable. Sometimes even entertaining. But X-Men? Not even a little bit. I loathed the way those films made one of the best comic books ever created seem boring.

So what was I a fan of that Patrick Stewart was a part of?

Easy...

1) Patrick Stewart as... Patrick Stewart
Easily my favorite character was himself. His interviews were the stuff of legends. Always incredibly entertaining, funny, smart, and humble.

He could have never worked as an actor again, and I would have still loved him on the interview circuit.

2) Patrick Stewart as... Gurney Halleck
David Lynch's Dune was a highly problematic endeavor. But I still loved it because I loved the book. And a big part of the reason why the movie was fun for me was Stewart's interpretation of Gurney. Alas, some of his interesting scenes were cut from the theatrical release, but were somewhat restored in the various cuts out there...

I mean, come on. He got to lead troops into battle while carrying a little pug puppy! Do movies get much cooler than that?

3) Patrick Stewart as... Avery Bullock
One of the things that made Sir Patrick Stewart so likable was his willingness to poke fun at himself. The biggest indicator was accepting a role as the poop emoji in The Emoji Movie. But a far better one was Avery Bullock in American Dad...

Hilarious. Maybe too hilarious, because the self-parody never got old.

4) Patrick Stewart as... Narrator
Thanks to his friendship with Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy, American Dad), Stewart got to narrate both Ted movies. There was something about his beautiful voice that lead to immediate credibility in a film, even when he was narrating something far from credible...

Any time Patrick Stewart spoke, people listened. Which is why he was tapped to voice so many characters...

5) Patrick Stewart as... Anything Animated
It was always a thrill to have him pop up in animated projects, because he was so fantastic in all of them. Here's just a sampling of what we were treated to...

What a loss. The guy was just so sublimely perfect at what he did. And we all got to tag along for the ride.

Rest in Peace, Sir. Sir Patrick Stewart.

I took the day off to work in my yard and get it ready for winter, but ended up having to work for four hours anyway. Oh well. I tried. Didn't get all my grass plants chopped down, so I guess I have something fun to do this weekend. Yay.

I was going to go get groceries (one of the more depressing activities, given the prices) and the first thing I wanted to buy was seedless strawberry preserves for my biscuits. So I grab my laptop and head to Safeway's website, search for it, find I have two options, and have to decide between them. I can get Smucker's on sale at a higher price, which I know I'll like... or I can buy into the unknown with Safeway's store brand and save $1.50...

   
I decide to save myself the $1.50 and go to add it to my cart. But, as you can see, I have to log in to do that. So I log myself in... search for seedless strawberry preserves again... and this pops up...

What the actual fuck is this?

So I open up a new browser and use a proxy to start over. I go to Safeway and... same exact thing. It's a completely different price once I log in.

Which begs the question: How many times have I already been logged in or didn't check a price before logging in only to have Safeway charge me more because they know I already shop there?

This is a crock of shit, and has me wondering if it's grounds for a class action lawsuit when stores charge different groups of people different prices for the same thing. It should be illegal.

And here I thought dynamic pricing digital tags were going to be the problem. Turns out that we're already there.