WOW - that was 2 months I wish I had back. Yesterday was literally the first day in 2 months where DJ and I could sit back and relax with no BIG worries.
Mel was put to rest Friday in a full military funeral that was outstanding for funerals. 150+ were in attendance with great food and wine and some fantastic funny stories.
Then at the graveyard there was a 15 gun salute (21 is reserved for very high dignitaries) but here was the amazing thing. There was no breeze and it was a little toasty. When the 15 gun salute finished all was quiet and then, way off in the distance came taps. Almost immediately a fresh breeze stirred and waved the flag. It was so surreal and very, VERY moving.
I tell ya - next time I need to be buried Gunderson Funeral home in Madison is where my money will go. They did a fantastic job.
*****************
For sale. one 5x8 trailer in perfect condition ($2000) and one like new lawn mower with new blades, wheels, sharp blades and front drive wheels ($200).
*******************
My brother who had a difficult operation last week with a backward herniated disc (2.5 hour operation which was successful) JUST had his narration of a book published. Oddly he got that herniated disc from building a sound studio for recording narrations.
Anyway - his first book was in is titled "American History, USS Indianapolis: The True Story of the Greatest US Naval Disaster: Incredible Secrets of WWII"
You can here an audio sample at the above link.
When talking to him a few things he has learned about this very complicated procedure. Paragraphs and periods in books are problems. When reading you see periods and paragraphs but when narrating they all blend together so you need to stop or pause or else everything runs together.
SO - his first book goes life on about the same day Mel pass's away.
Yesterday, 71 years ago, The USS Indianapolis was sunk, and thus starting 5 days of basically swimming for their lives (life vests were useless after 12 hours).
*******************
58% of Americans are pro, transgender individuals serving in our armed forces, but of course America is split. Only 38% of Republicans (the same amount that are pro Trump oddly) are pro transgender while almost all Democrat's are pro transgender.
+++++
Reince Priebus spent 189 days as Chief of Staff. Shortest ever for a hired Chief of Staff. Seems to be a "thing" for Trump, hiring "the best ever" and then firing them ASAP. Next up on the chopping block are national security adviser H.R. McMaster and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson who both have been talking about resigning. Everything is going great for the GOP. OH! and of course Attorney General Jeff Sessions is slowly being forced out and we know what happened to Shawn
Trump hires AND fires the best it seems. BASICALLY the GOP is getting booted from The White House in favor of family and military! What could possibly go wrong. YEA - Clinton would be SO MUCH WORSE!!
And if you missed it. YOUR tax payer money sent over 1 BILLION in a down payment for a Wall that will never be built. Bet you missed that one. That cash went to contractors Trump has business ties with. Coincidence? Yea - and Clinton was the bad one?
+++++++
Ford, who build most of their cars in Mexico, found 227 pounds of weed stuffed in the cars coming across the boarder. Ford sales have risen since this became known (no not really but . . . ).
++++++++++++++
OK - after 2 months of no working out it's time to motivate again.
WEATHER - rain Thursday for sure. Maybe a thunderstorm Wednesday around golf time but the big news is what happens once this Canadian air mass flows through!!
COLD. High in the upper 60s Friday but I think it will be warmer, more near 70. After Wednesday 5 of the next 6 days have the word "rain" associated wit hit as off and on storms.
Saturday looks like the best day this weekend with a high of 72 and sunny unless ther is a T-Storm moving through.
have a great day
Monday, July 31, 2017
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
interim
Mel Jacob, my FIL, passed away early Tuesday morning peacefully. Anybody that has not seen The USS Indianapolis: The Legacy should watch it. The giant Navy cover-up of a disaster they created from incompetence from the top.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
interim - E.V. Melotte
there is a world where
clocks have no hands or faces
months are unknown
and the seasons
crowd in where they can
time moves around you
in a circle
always facing you
just out of reach
it's never any later
until
always suddenly
it's too late.
from the book - Snapshots along the way
The one thing I hope everybody does right now - is video and save your beloved ones. My dad passed away in a long illness and all I remember of him is what he was like in the final few months. a dying old man that I loved. I have fleeting 5 second memories of him younger and vibrant but that is all.
In times like this I wish I had "more".
Create "more" so you can remember when things were fun and wonderful, not sick and dying.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
interim - E.V. Melotte
there is a world where
clocks have no hands or faces
months are unknown
and the seasons
crowd in where they can
time moves around you
in a circle
always facing you
just out of reach
it's never any later
until
always suddenly
it's too late.
from the book - Snapshots along the way
The one thing I hope everybody does right now - is video and save your beloved ones. My dad passed away in a long illness and all I remember of him is what he was like in the final few months. a dying old man that I loved. I have fleeting 5 second memories of him younger and vibrant but that is all.
In times like this I wish I had "more".
Create "more" so you can remember when things were fun and wonderful, not sick and dying.
Monday, July 24, 2017
Life reduced.
My life has become so simple. I feel like I have a newborn and have nothing to talk about except a baby. I hate those kind of people. I don't care about your baby. It's like you don't care about my golf game, YET, I go on and on and on.
So I have Mel who is in a nursing home waiting to pass away. When you leave him at night he says " Good Night hope I die". The guy still has a sense of humor but sadly he is not kidding. We treat animals with more kindness in Wisconsin then humans. We can keep them well so they can suffer longer. Terminally ill? Deal with it. We all have our problems. But time is growing short for our war hero.
I remember waiting for my dad to pass away week after week.
+++++
When I'm not trying vainly to help on that front I'm taking care of a baby named Gus who had an A+ weekend for behavior. He has learned to ring the bell 100% of the time when he wants to go out . . . . whether he needs to go potty or not . . . which is another problem.
Yesterday was a huge day for him as he got to play with two other dogs his size. Lola and Rocky.
He's been growing about a pound a week and we THINK he has a lot more Retriever in him then poodle as he is not getting any curly hair (we were thinking more wavy anyway). Still thinking 20-25 pounds. His legs are already longer then Blake had our Corgi that passed 5?? years ago.
Speaking of politics. Bad news for the GOP - no Clinton will be running in 2018. Voters that hated Trump AND hated Clinton turned red last year. No Clinton in 2018 so it's a HUGE problem for the party that can't get anything done.
Based on polls that ask people which party they would support in a congressional election the DNC leads 48% to 38%. The FOX News poll (an "A" poll) has it 47% to 41% . ABC News (a A+ poll) has it 52% to 38%.
With Trumps approval rating constantly falling and only 0.5% above 41 days ago (38.5% now, a weighted combination of 40 different polls) it's pretty embarrassing for a country that has become a joke around the world. The next worst President is Gerald Ford. There have only been two Presidents since 1945 who have had disapproval ratings higher the approval and the GOP, like lemmings just follow along and get nothing down. The Party of NO have no idea how to run a country.
+++++
In other news - Hawaii has become the first State to start preparing for a nuclear bomb from North Korea.
+++++
Ark Encounter, a bible-themed amusement park sold a piece of land to a non-profit affiliate for $48 million. The plan is to become non-profit by doing this - OH - they sold it for $10.
++++
The White House "Made in America" week kicked off with Trump's Mar-a-Lago club asking the government to allow them to hire 70 foreign workers in the fall as they can not find American cooks, waiters and housekeepers.
+++++
So with me not having a real life at the moment and not able to play outside with my friends here is some repeat stories from my mom that I'm retyping.
_______________________________
She was a child. She loved the farm where she lived. Not the house. The house had people in it and she was never very comfortable around people. In the house she always felt a little like she’d arrived uninvited and unwanted, and they’d like to send her back if only they knew where to send her. But the farm itself, the barn, the fields, the pasture, the grove and the deep woods, these she loved. These were her world. She almost never left them except to go to school.
She loved school. Not lunch hour or recess. There were too many people then. She didn’t know how to talk to them or play with them. Except for her older brothers, who ignored her, she’d never seen another child until she started school. She had never played, except imaginary games by herself. She had no idea how to relate to other children. During school hours it was different. She didn’t have to relate to anybody except the teacher and she knew the rules for that. He had told her the rules the first day of school, and he never once changed any of them. That made it easy.
She led an isolated life in a seriously dysfunctional family, but she didn’t know it then.
-E.V. Melotte
So I have Mel who is in a nursing home waiting to pass away. When you leave him at night he says " Good Night hope I die". The guy still has a sense of humor but sadly he is not kidding. We treat animals with more kindness in Wisconsin then humans. We can keep them well so they can suffer longer. Terminally ill? Deal with it. We all have our problems. But time is growing short for our war hero.
I remember waiting for my dad to pass away week after week.
+++++
When I'm not trying vainly to help on that front I'm taking care of a baby named Gus who had an A+ weekend for behavior. He has learned to ring the bell 100% of the time when he wants to go out . . . . whether he needs to go potty or not . . . which is another problem.Yesterday was a huge day for him as he got to play with two other dogs his size. Lola and Rocky.
He's been growing about a pound a week and we THINK he has a lot more Retriever in him then poodle as he is not getting any curly hair (we were thinking more wavy anyway). Still thinking 20-25 pounds. His legs are already longer then Blake had our Corgi that passed 5?? years ago.
Speaking of politics. Bad news for the GOP - no Clinton will be running in 2018. Voters that hated Trump AND hated Clinton turned red last year. No Clinton in 2018 so it's a HUGE problem for the party that can't get anything done.
Based on polls that ask people which party they would support in a congressional election the DNC leads 48% to 38%. The FOX News poll (an "A" poll) has it 47% to 41% . ABC News (a A+ poll) has it 52% to 38%.
With Trumps approval rating constantly falling and only 0.5% above 41 days ago (38.5% now, a weighted combination of 40 different polls) it's pretty embarrassing for a country that has become a joke around the world. The next worst President is Gerald Ford. There have only been two Presidents since 1945 who have had disapproval ratings higher the approval and the GOP, like lemmings just follow along and get nothing down. The Party of NO have no idea how to run a country.
+++++
In other news - Hawaii has become the first State to start preparing for a nuclear bomb from North Korea.
+++++
Ark Encounter, a bible-themed amusement park sold a piece of land to a non-profit affiliate for $48 million. The plan is to become non-profit by doing this - OH - they sold it for $10.
++++
The White House "Made in America" week kicked off with Trump's Mar-a-Lago club asking the government to allow them to hire 70 foreign workers in the fall as they can not find American cooks, waiters and housekeepers.
+++++
So with me not having a real life at the moment and not able to play outside with my friends here is some repeat stories from my mom that I'm retyping.
_______________________________
She was a child. She loved the farm where she lived. Not the house. The house had people in it and she was never very comfortable around people. In the house she always felt a little like she’d arrived uninvited and unwanted, and they’d like to send her back if only they knew where to send her. But the farm itself, the barn, the fields, the pasture, the grove and the deep woods, these she loved. These were her world. She almost never left them except to go to school.
She loved school. Not lunch hour or recess. There were too many people then. She didn’t know how to talk to them or play with them. Except for her older brothers, who ignored her, she’d never seen another child until she started school. She had never played, except imaginary games by herself. She had no idea how to relate to other children. During school hours it was different. She didn’t have to relate to anybody except the teacher and she knew the rules for that. He had told her the rules the first day of school, and he never once changed any of them. That made it easy.
She led an isolated life in a seriously dysfunctional family, but she didn’t know it then.
-E.V. Melotte
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
Just a fill in. this and that.
I guess it is easier to obstruct then to actually govern.
---------------------------------------
Today should be the warmest day of the next 5 but might not be the most uncomfortable. That might be Friday . . but today will be a very very close 2nd. Expect pop-up thunderstorms the entire week coming to an end Sunday and a beautiful week NEXT week. Very very muggy starting today as the moist air slowly moves in today.
++++++++++++++++
WHAT, have we gotten ourselves into with A PUPPY - what were we thinking!. The good news is that yesterday Gus rang the out out bell 4 times and actually went potty.
++++++++++++++++
WHAT, have we gotten ourselves into with A PUPPY - what were we thinking!. The good news is that yesterday Gus rang the out out bell 4 times and actually went potty.
The bad news is he is a Tasmanian Devil at times and it's freaking scary. We consulted a Goldendoodle Facebook group and they all say it's a phase and goes away . . . . OR, they are just telling us this.
***************************
Remember - reps from the DOT will be at city council tonight so you can tell them how to do their job with sidewalk creation. No really - ask questions and get answers. It's all good according to the federal Americans with Disabilities (ADA) standards.
**************************
geez - I can't believe people are SO anti downtown trees. What are they afraid of with 8 small trees. They will be ugly? A nuance? It's been done before? String banners all up and down James Street to make it pretty? Seriously? More brown dirty banners?
***************************
In 2009, there were $2.5 billion in subprime auto bonds sold. That number is up to 26 BILLION in 2016. Delinquency on paying auto loans is up 3.82% and 90 day auto loans are up even more. Sound familiar to anyone?
Loose regulations sink ships
*******************
Starting to prepare for football season looking at Rotogrinder and other sites but we decided to wait until week 4 or the season to jump in. So many variables before real numbers start to accumulate.
********************
Check out my hole in one in pretend golf . 189 yards
https://youtu.be/dazof8dLAQM
**************************
geez - I can't believe people are SO anti downtown trees. What are they afraid of with 8 small trees. They will be ugly? A nuance? It's been done before? String banners all up and down James Street to make it pretty? Seriously? More brown dirty banners?
***************************
In 2009, there were $2.5 billion in subprime auto bonds sold. That number is up to 26 BILLION in 2016. Delinquency on paying auto loans is up 3.82% and 90 day auto loans are up even more. Sound familiar to anyone?
Loose regulations sink ships
*******************
Starting to prepare for football season looking at Rotogrinder and other sites but we decided to wait until week 4 or the season to jump in. So many variables before real numbers start to accumulate.
********************
Check out my hole in one in pretend golf . 189 yards
https://youtu.be/dazof8dLAQM
Monday, July 17, 2017
here come da humidity
HERE COME DE HEAT!
After today things turn sticky - FINALLY, real summer. It's not going to be that HOT but it will be sticky with pop-up thunderstorms at least until Sunday and dew points near and above 70 until Monday.
The good news is Mullins will offer 1/4ers and $5 lunches this week so get'r done in your tummy.
++++++++++++++
Mel is doing well-ish for his conditions. Funny story. He is at the Sun Praire Healthcare facility and I was taking Gus out to go potty. An older gentlemen and his wife were sitting there and the guy asked "How old is your puppy" and I say "10 weeks" "Oh what a cute puppy". We go on and as we are coming back we pass him and he asks ""How old is your puppy" and I say "10 weeks" and he says "what a cute puppy".
AS I am leaving because Gus is a little over stimulated they are still there and as we walk past "How old is your puppy" and I say "10 weeks" and "what a cute puppy". LOL - I chuckled on the inside.
As for Gus OR Gustav, when he is in his . . . . Tasmanian devil mode that we have had to learn how to deal with, is doing fine and learning,
He now rings the bell to go out . . every so often but more and more he is understanding. He has learned to walk on a leash much better, and somehow has learned what "SIT" means. And he also LOVES to play fetch and actually brings things back except when he is outside. I guess his "retriever" is showing through. Blake NEVER fetched. My cat Sophie fetch's but only brings things back 3/4 of the way . . .like she is pimping me a little.
Seems Gus gets distracted with fire flies, birds and anything else that moves. He is NOT a good gardener as he will see me pulling weeds and wants to help by pulling anything green. It's almost like he does not understand the concept of "weeds".
I took Gus for a walk on James Street with multiple dump trucks being loaded with gravel and backhoes and all sorts of noise - not a problem. Getting past bars was a problem as he is a magnet for humans. I look SO MUCH BETTER with a puppy next to me. I'm very popular.
++++++++++
I STILL cannot find ANYPLACE that sells a 31x36 refrigerator tray that goes under the frig. THOUGHT I did but the the trey measures 31x36 on the OUTSIDE. Not where the frig actually sits which was 28x33 and it's completely useless. Anyone need a 31-36 tray? or a real good almost like new lawnmower?
I really have run out of options and will have to buy a new refrigerator at some point. The service man says unless they can tip it upside down . . . . . . and after 8 years we still do not know exactly where the water comes from as it only leaks at 2 to 4 in the morning. THUS it must be the defroster which is dripping water on the OUTSIDE of the hose. But the entire frig bottom is bone dry in the morning. Drip pan is dry.
How do we know it's leaking somewhere? Dry Rot under the frig. a lot of it. sigh.
***************
New poll ABC Poll which gets an A+ for accuracy has Trumps approval ratings at 36%. Historically low. No President has ever been hated this much so early YET, the GOP all stand behind him like a bunch of lemmings. No wonder more and more people are saying the GOP no longer stands for what they stood for 10 years ago.
439 counties were polled on Trumps approval rating. These counties were important on getting Trump elected. Of those counties his approval rating is 50%.
*****************
6% of weddings have banned ALL songs by Justin Beiber
A New York City Taxi medallion today is worth from $200,000 to 500,000. These medallions allow you to drive a yellow cab in New York.
Three years ago these medallions were worth 1.5 MILLION and backs were allowing you to use those medallions as collateral in loans. No longer.
After today things turn sticky - FINALLY, real summer. It's not going to be that HOT but it will be sticky with pop-up thunderstorms at least until Sunday and dew points near and above 70 until Monday.
The good news is Mullins will offer 1/4ers and $5 lunches this week so get'r done in your tummy.
++++++++++++++
Mel is doing well-ish for his conditions. Funny story. He is at the Sun Praire Healthcare facility and I was taking Gus out to go potty. An older gentlemen and his wife were sitting there and the guy asked "How old is your puppy" and I say "10 weeks" "Oh what a cute puppy". We go on and as we are coming back we pass him and he asks ""How old is your puppy" and I say "10 weeks" and he says "what a cute puppy".
AS I am leaving because Gus is a little over stimulated they are still there and as we walk past "How old is your puppy" and I say "10 weeks" and "what a cute puppy". LOL - I chuckled on the inside.
As for Gus OR Gustav, when he is in his . . . . Tasmanian devil mode that we have had to learn how to deal with, is doing fine and learning,
He now rings the bell to go out . . every so often but more and more he is understanding. He has learned to walk on a leash much better, and somehow has learned what "SIT" means. And he also LOVES to play fetch and actually brings things back except when he is outside. I guess his "retriever" is showing through. Blake NEVER fetched. My cat Sophie fetch's but only brings things back 3/4 of the way . . .like she is pimping me a little.
Seems Gus gets distracted with fire flies, birds and anything else that moves. He is NOT a good gardener as he will see me pulling weeds and wants to help by pulling anything green. It's almost like he does not understand the concept of "weeds".
I took Gus for a walk on James Street with multiple dump trucks being loaded with gravel and backhoes and all sorts of noise - not a problem. Getting past bars was a problem as he is a magnet for humans. I look SO MUCH BETTER with a puppy next to me. I'm very popular.
++++++++++
I STILL cannot find ANYPLACE that sells a 31x36 refrigerator tray that goes under the frig. THOUGHT I did but the the trey measures 31x36 on the OUTSIDE. Not where the frig actually sits which was 28x33 and it's completely useless. Anyone need a 31-36 tray? or a real good almost like new lawnmower?
I really have run out of options and will have to buy a new refrigerator at some point. The service man says unless they can tip it upside down . . . . . . and after 8 years we still do not know exactly where the water comes from as it only leaks at 2 to 4 in the morning. THUS it must be the defroster which is dripping water on the OUTSIDE of the hose. But the entire frig bottom is bone dry in the morning. Drip pan is dry.
How do we know it's leaking somewhere? Dry Rot under the frig. a lot of it. sigh.
***************
New poll ABC Poll which gets an A+ for accuracy has Trumps approval ratings at 36%. Historically low. No President has ever been hated this much so early YET, the GOP all stand behind him like a bunch of lemmings. No wonder more and more people are saying the GOP no longer stands for what they stood for 10 years ago.
439 counties were polled on Trumps approval rating. These counties were important on getting Trump elected. Of those counties his approval rating is 50%.
*****************
6% of weddings have banned ALL songs by Justin Beiber
A New York City Taxi medallion today is worth from $200,000 to 500,000. These medallions allow you to drive a yellow cab in New York.
Three years ago these medallions were worth 1.5 MILLION and backs were allowing you to use those medallions as collateral in loans. No longer.
Friday, July 14, 2017
Quick update
Just a quick update - Mel is safe and sound in a nursing home and all is well. Stress level has gone down DRAMATICALLY in the Melotte household. Well . . .I did get up to take Gus out at 3:00 this morning and we have been up since 5:45 when he decided it was time to play but besides that we're all good.
Now if we can get some of Gus's anxiety to go away whenever we are not near him . . . A work in progress I guess. I HOPE it's only a puppy thing.
***********
Cubs made a good trade giving the White Sox their #1 best prospect in the Minors and he could be worth 1 more win for them this year and 3 a year the coming years. Brewers don't have to respond. They are doing fine and I hope they don't give away the future in some trade for some St. Louis pitcher.
*************
Seems there was a previously undisclosed dude in that meeting with Trump Jr and in the past that guy was a military officer and now turned lobbyist, Rinat Akhmetshin, a Russian-born lobbyist accused of having ties to Soviet military intelligence ??? It just gets deeper. OH - I guess they forgot to mention he was there. Simple mistake.
Then I read that a major GOP donor and opposition researcher who said he tried to work with Russian hackers to retrieve deleted emails from a private server used by Hillary Clinton, died in a suicide.
Then I read that a major GOP donor and opposition researcher who said he tried to work with Russian hackers to retrieve deleted emails from a private server used by Hillary Clinton, died in a suicide.
++++
Westworld and Saturday Night each had 22 Emmy noms. LOVED Westworld.
OK - I have nothing else but will enjoy the calm as Gus is sleeping
OK - I have nothing else but will enjoy the calm as Gus is sleeping
Thursday, July 13, 2017
a small rant / baseball / and stuff
Had an angry round of golf last night for various reasons - however - playing angry I hit a pitching wedge 145 yards and a 6 iron 170 . . sadly NOT the intended distance (115 and 150).
One reason was that we FINALLY got Mel accepted into a Nursing Home and then could not find a way to get him there. Ryan Brothers Ambulance, when contacted said. "ummmm we're sort of busy on Thursday" how about Friday we asked "yea, we're busy Friday also and we don't deliver to Nursing Homes" WELL F U! What kind of a service are you???
Then the company that was providing 24/7 in home care (and doing it poorly at $500 a day) called and said they need a 1 week cancellation notice so there goes another $3,500.
I went through this with my dad who was bed ridden for 3 months with lung cancer (you die by FINALLY choking on your own phlegm) and all of these companies that are there to help you are money grubbing useless pisses of shit. 24/7 care means you get a 20 year old with a summer job for $500 a day. yea yea there were some very good attendants, but some that seemed to be clueless.
OK - got THAT out of my system. Good thing I'm not a President on Twitter.
***********************
Speaking of baseball.
The Astros and the Dodgers are in 1927 Yankee range as being the best clubs ever. Well, the 27 Yankees at the 90 game mark were only in 13th place of all time greatness at that point in the season but Dodgers are 16th and Astros are 19th. Last year the Cubs were in 144th place at this point.
Elo-based prediction model simulates the rest of the season, it calls for the Dodgers to finish the season with 108 wins (which would tie for the ninth-most of the World Series era) and the Astros to end up with 105.
The actual greatest team of all time? The 1939 Yankees!
**********************
I love Pandora interweb music service. But after 17 years it STILL has never turned a profit.
++
Seattle has the most construction cranes of any city with 58. I'm keeping this from my buddy who is always on top of the tallest crane in Madison.
+++
Boxer Floyd Mayweather has to come out of retirement because he owes the fed 22 million dollars. Just because you can MAKE money does not mean you are GOOD with money it seems. Oddly handling money is something that is skipped in high schools.
Speaking of which. I brought up the need for a new schools in Columbus and one guy said the schools were good enough for him. YEA - they SUCKED 50 years ago so lets keep them sucky. We certainly don't want to get BETTER.
+++
Nevada is having a cannabis emergency. In the last 4 days Nevada has sold over $5 million in legal cannabis but shelves are becoming empty. The reason is because in Nevada the only way to transport wholesale legal cannabis is through beer distributors and they are refusing to do it.
So warehouses are stocked with hundreds of varieties of cannabis but no way to get it to stores.
The beer industry is not fond of cannabis it seems. In Wisconsin this is a problem as one of the bigger funding organizations for the GOP is the Tavern League and they are anti cannabis. Get caught drunk driving you get a ticket. The GOP does not have the balls to go against Tavern League and their funding to make tougher laws.
And get this - if you are a winery in Wisconsin that serves . . wine. The current law says you MUST close at 9:00. Brewery's are fine but wine? Gotta close at 9.
+++
WEATHER - fantastic stretch of weather coming - 5 awesome days. Then next Tuesday we could get to 90 and then 3 days of rain possible.
Weekend looks FANTASTIC 83 and 76 and mostly sunny
Cheers
Rod
One reason was that we FINALLY got Mel accepted into a Nursing Home and then could not find a way to get him there. Ryan Brothers Ambulance, when contacted said. "ummmm we're sort of busy on Thursday" how about Friday we asked "yea, we're busy Friday also and we don't deliver to Nursing Homes" WELL F U! What kind of a service are you???
Then the company that was providing 24/7 in home care (and doing it poorly at $500 a day) called and said they need a 1 week cancellation notice so there goes another $3,500.
I went through this with my dad who was bed ridden for 3 months with lung cancer (you die by FINALLY choking on your own phlegm) and all of these companies that are there to help you are money grubbing useless pisses of shit. 24/7 care means you get a 20 year old with a summer job for $500 a day. yea yea there were some very good attendants, but some that seemed to be clueless.
OK - got THAT out of my system. Good thing I'm not a President on Twitter.
***********************
Speaking of baseball.
The Astros and the Dodgers are in 1927 Yankee range as being the best clubs ever. Well, the 27 Yankees at the 90 game mark were only in 13th place of all time greatness at that point in the season but Dodgers are 16th and Astros are 19th. Last year the Cubs were in 144th place at this point.
Elo-based prediction model simulates the rest of the season, it calls for the Dodgers to finish the season with 108 wins (which would tie for the ninth-most of the World Series era) and the Astros to end up with 105.
The actual greatest team of all time? The 1939 Yankees!
**********************
I love Pandora interweb music service. But after 17 years it STILL has never turned a profit.
++
Seattle has the most construction cranes of any city with 58. I'm keeping this from my buddy who is always on top of the tallest crane in Madison.
+++
Boxer Floyd Mayweather has to come out of retirement because he owes the fed 22 million dollars. Just because you can MAKE money does not mean you are GOOD with money it seems. Oddly handling money is something that is skipped in high schools.
Speaking of which. I brought up the need for a new schools in Columbus and one guy said the schools were good enough for him. YEA - they SUCKED 50 years ago so lets keep them sucky. We certainly don't want to get BETTER.
+++
Nevada is having a cannabis emergency. In the last 4 days Nevada has sold over $5 million in legal cannabis but shelves are becoming empty. The reason is because in Nevada the only way to transport wholesale legal cannabis is through beer distributors and they are refusing to do it.
So warehouses are stocked with hundreds of varieties of cannabis but no way to get it to stores.
The beer industry is not fond of cannabis it seems. In Wisconsin this is a problem as one of the bigger funding organizations for the GOP is the Tavern League and they are anti cannabis. Get caught drunk driving you get a ticket. The GOP does not have the balls to go against Tavern League and their funding to make tougher laws.
And get this - if you are a winery in Wisconsin that serves . . wine. The current law says you MUST close at 9:00. Brewery's are fine but wine? Gotta close at 9.
+++
WEATHER - fantastic stretch of weather coming - 5 awesome days. Then next Tuesday we could get to 90 and then 3 days of rain possible.
Weekend looks FANTASTIC 83 and 76 and mostly sunny
Cheers
Rod
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
Happy Cow Appreciation day
I read a fascinating article in "World at War: Strategy & Tactics in WWII" called "Below the Blitz: London's Firefighters" which I have never really thought about that much. WOW - those guys were prepared for the blitz. What a nightmare that was (understatement of the year).
April 16th the Germans dropped 150,000 incendiaries and 16,000 pounds of high explosives on London. I'm going to copy this article and give it to Chief Koehn, I bet his dudes will love the article.
On one of the first nights firefighters were putting out a huge fire when a dropped bomb exploded in the middle . . . sucking out all the oxygen and putting out the fire.
On one of the first nights firefighters were putting out a huge fire when a dropped bomb exploded in the middle . . . sucking out all the oxygen and putting out the fire.
*************
Another great article I found on the web is called
SOCIALIZING YOUR PUPPY: WHY “LATER” IS TOO LATE
Basically if you have a puppy you have until week 16 to get him ready for the real world. Everything he learns up to 16 weeks he will think as normal life. After 16 weeks things start to change and instead of a bicycle being something new and fantastic as a puppy it will be regarded as something to worry
about and not trust. Now his brain is like a sponge and everything he see's is normal.
That is why it is so important to socialize on as many new things as you can think of when they are a puppy. I took Gus downtown last week and he had no problem with traffic and noise. So I'm looking for all sorts of experiences I can give Gus.
The cats are becoming more relaxed and will now be in the same room as Gus. Sophie (shown) has given Gus his boundaries and Iggy is fine as long as Gus is asleep which is most of the time.
Gus just wants to play and will bark at the cats to get their attention. Last night Sophie actually chased Gus which he thought was FANTASTIC fun.
Gus loves water which is so weird as Blake wanted nothing to do with water. He found a new wading pool that he thinks is just for him.
What I find weird is every time I go into a store with Gus the chicks come flocking to me. I must look so much better with a puppy in my arms.
*****************
A lot of the Trump Russia thing is so overblown and redundant I no longer look at it but the latest thing with Trump Jr has the makings to be a hit and a real pain for our weak President.
1. It's the first confirmed meeting in which Trumps inner circle is involved. Of course The Donald says he JUST found out so he is either totally clueless about what is going on around him or lying. Pick your poison.
2. Trump Jr.’s reason for being at the meeting is at the core of the Russia controversy: He was hoping to undermine Clinton.
3. The story is well-sourced and includes support from on-the-record sources. Many of the stories about Trump and Russia are full of unnamed sources making complicated accusations. Not this one.
*************
Shark Tank had an entrepreneur on once about an "umbrella sharing' business. Like bike sharing in large cities. The Sharks said that it was one of the stupidest ideas EVER and threw the guy out.
Well, a company in China DID try this . . . . . and most of the 300,000 umbrellas were never returned.
*************
The movie "Dunkirk" was totally filmed in 70-millimeter large-format film. "The Hateful Eight" was filmed in 70-millimeter large-format. My favorite movie of all time "Patton" was filmed in 70mm.
What is the big deal? It's like comparing a music CD to an album. Albums are MUCH MUCH better then a CDS. 70mm is much crisper with richer colors and more uniform then digital. You get much greater detail from film as opposed to digital.
In a theater digital will give you a resolution of about 2000 pixels, pretty much like Blu-ray. 70mm gives you a resolution of about 8000 pixels.
The problem? Many theaters can't handle 70mm. Interstellar had 49 reels and had a total weight of 600 pounds.
I'm not sure there is a theater near Madison can do 70mm. I don't think so.
***********************
IT'S COW APPRECIATION DAY - If you go to a Chick-fil-A dressed like a cow or have some cow themed accessory they will give you a free entree'.
On a side note for only $26 you can purchase this wonderful tote bag from Fine Art America
Basically if you have a puppy you have until week 16 to get him ready for the real world. Everything he learns up to 16 weeks he will think as normal life. After 16 weeks things start to change and instead of a bicycle being something new and fantastic as a puppy it will be regarded as something to worryabout and not trust. Now his brain is like a sponge and everything he see's is normal.
That is why it is so important to socialize on as many new things as you can think of when they are a puppy. I took Gus downtown last week and he had no problem with traffic and noise. So I'm looking for all sorts of experiences I can give Gus.
The cats are becoming more relaxed and will now be in the same room as Gus. Sophie (shown) has given Gus his boundaries and Iggy is fine as long as Gus is asleep which is most of the time.
Gus just wants to play and will bark at the cats to get their attention. Last night Sophie actually chased Gus which he thought was FANTASTIC fun.
Gus loves water which is so weird as Blake wanted nothing to do with water. He found a new wading pool that he thinks is just for him.What I find weird is every time I go into a store with Gus the chicks come flocking to me. I must look so much better with a puppy in my arms.
*****************
A lot of the Trump Russia thing is so overblown and redundant I no longer look at it but the latest thing with Trump Jr has the makings to be a hit and a real pain for our weak President.
1. It's the first confirmed meeting in which Trumps inner circle is involved. Of course The Donald says he JUST found out so he is either totally clueless about what is going on around him or lying. Pick your poison.
2. Trump Jr.’s reason for being at the meeting is at the core of the Russia controversy: He was hoping to undermine Clinton.
3. The story is well-sourced and includes support from on-the-record sources. Many of the stories about Trump and Russia are full of unnamed sources making complicated accusations. Not this one.
*************
Shark Tank had an entrepreneur on once about an "umbrella sharing' business. Like bike sharing in large cities. The Sharks said that it was one of the stupidest ideas EVER and threw the guy out.
Well, a company in China DID try this . . . . . and most of the 300,000 umbrellas were never returned.
*************
The movie "Dunkirk" was totally filmed in 70-millimeter large-format film. "The Hateful Eight" was filmed in 70-millimeter large-format. My favorite movie of all time "Patton" was filmed in 70mm.
What is the big deal? It's like comparing a music CD to an album. Albums are MUCH MUCH better then a CDS. 70mm is much crisper with richer colors and more uniform then digital. You get much greater detail from film as opposed to digital.
In a theater digital will give you a resolution of about 2000 pixels, pretty much like Blu-ray. 70mm gives you a resolution of about 8000 pixels.
The problem? Many theaters can't handle 70mm. Interstellar had 49 reels and had a total weight of 600 pounds.
I'm not sure there is a theater near Madison can do 70mm. I don't think so.
***********************
IT'S COW APPRECIATION DAY - If you go to a Chick-fil-A dressed like a cow or have some cow themed accessory they will give you a free entree'.
On a side note for only $26 you can purchase this wonderful tote bag from Fine Art America
I will leave you with that. I'm at home taking care of Gus and DJ is on the road taking care of Mel.
OH - there are now companies in America where they will give you 2 weeks paid New Puppy leave. You get a new puppy you get 2 weeks off to deal with the family member. Is two weeks enough? LOL
Cheers
Rod
Monday, July 10, 2017
rain, Brewers/Cubs, Big Brother, sidewalks and so on
Well - not sure why DJs phone's alarms went off at 5 this morning but it certainly did wake us up. Was it an amber alert? Flood warning? Gus munching on the phone?
Columbus received 0.77 inches of rain last night but Madison was in the 3.5 to 5.5 inch range. At the moment the next chance of rain will be Wednesday with thunderstorms.
**************
We all know the Brewers are over performing and I expect them to regress to the means and not AS good the 2nd half but what about the Cubs.
WELL - the Cubs are in a historic area as only 6 other teams in MLB history have taken such a large fall when looking at run differential or Pythagorean expectation. BUT, the Cubs, unlike the other 6 teams have basically the same line-up. I'm blaming their stupid coach who many believe lucked his way to a Series win which had nothing to do with him.
Pythagorean expectation is a way of seeing how many games a team SHOULD win according to how many runs they score and give uip.
Win ratio = ((runs scores squared / (runs scores squared + runs allowed squared))
The Brewers are exactly where they should be while the Cubs are one game below expectations.
++
The Brewers have to be happy with the trade of Tyler Thornberg (season ending injury) to Boston for Travis Shaw and two pretty good minor leagers. Shaw is in his 3rd year in the majors and has an OPS of .938 which is WAY WAY up there and is a good average defense-man.
Then there is Vogt. An old time style catcher that the Crew got off the waiver wire because Oakland didn't want him. In Oakland where he came from there was a chant "I believe in Stephan Vogt, I believe in Stephan Vogt" that was a pretty much a "thing" in Oakland. He is awesome at framing pitches and his WARP (Wins above Replacement Player) has always been in the positive. The guy was a steal!
Plus - as with Sogard who also came from Oakland you are getting players from one of the hardest places in the majors to hit a home run to the easier place in the majors to hit a home run. ESPECIALLY if you are left handed. Miller Park is a lefty power hitters dream park.
So we enter the 4 worst days of summer. NO REAL BASEBALL. Wednesday is the only day in the year in America where there are no major sports taking place.
************************
Gotta say - Big Brother this year - as normal hated EVERYBODY in that house but the caricature's in
the house have world class bodies! Gotta say it. The men seem to be a bunch if knuckleheads and I don't mean in a good way. It's a guilty pleasure and still the best pure strategy game on TV.
It's like watching 16 players play Diplomacy but you get to hear all the behind the scenes secrets.
************************
And then there is Gus.
The whirling dervish puppy that is a Tasmanian devil 10 minutes an hour and a sleeping puppy the other 50 minutes.
He has learned to terrorize the cats but yesterday he learned how far he can go before Sophie said "ENOUGH". He of whacked on the nose . . .and he learned.
DJ got him a nice little blanky and Iggy the BIG fraidy cat was sitting on it. This morning he literally pulled the rug out from under Iggy!
*********************
Mel is doing so so. He loves getting letters and if you want to send him a card he would love it
Mel Jacob c/o Rod Melotte
300 Vista Circle
Columbus WI 53925
We will get them to him But do not ask for an autograph as a few people have.
*******************
The DOT will be in attendance at City Council on the 18th if you want to ask questions about the slanted sidewalks that MOST people have no issue with.
*******
watched Fargo for the first time - The MOVIE! I think this will be a hit. There was one point where something happened and DJ say's "oh geez" and seconds later William Macy says "oh geez" We had to stop the movie as we were laughing too hard.
++++++++++++++
Columbus has permits for 13 new homes this year and I have heard workers from Drexil have been looking into purchasing homes. I know we have seen a good number of people driving in our area looking for homes. You can always tell.
Columbus is having a growth spurt - the first since the early 1800s I think.
**************
Mitch McConnell came up with a Wealthcare plan that would include working with the Democrats. Although he is just trying to force the Tea Party to budge. Not a REAL plan to work with the left who also agree Obamacare needs tweaking even though it's doing fine, even using Trumps numbers.
Obamacare is NOT in a “death-spiral”.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, last week released a report about a wonky aspect of the Affordable Care Act related to insurance payments. Tucked away in the report, however, was evidence that the health insurance marketplaces set up by Obamacare were relatively stable in 2016. Contrary to the “death-spiral” narrative, the CMS report found that the mix of healthy and sick people buying insurance on the Obamacare marketplaces in 2016 was surprisingly similar to those who enrolled in 2015.
That doesn’t mean the marketplaces are working for everyone. There are millions of people who don’t qualify for subsidies, face high prices in the private market and likely haven’t enrolled in insurance as a result. That’s a problem that needs solving, but it’s a different problem than the marketplaces being in a death spiral.
*****************************
Have a great Monday - Gus see's his first Vet today
Columbus received 0.77 inches of rain last night but Madison was in the 3.5 to 5.5 inch range. At the moment the next chance of rain will be Wednesday with thunderstorms.
**************
We all know the Brewers are over performing and I expect them to regress to the means and not AS good the 2nd half but what about the Cubs.
WELL - the Cubs are in a historic area as only 6 other teams in MLB history have taken such a large fall when looking at run differential or Pythagorean expectation. BUT, the Cubs, unlike the other 6 teams have basically the same line-up. I'm blaming their stupid coach who many believe lucked his way to a Series win which had nothing to do with him.
Pythagorean expectation is a way of seeing how many games a team SHOULD win according to how many runs they score and give uip.
Win ratio = ((runs scores squared / (runs scores squared + runs allowed squared))
The Brewers are exactly where they should be while the Cubs are one game below expectations.
++
The Brewers have to be happy with the trade of Tyler Thornberg (season ending injury) to Boston for Travis Shaw and two pretty good minor leagers. Shaw is in his 3rd year in the majors and has an OPS of .938 which is WAY WAY up there and is a good average defense-man.
Then there is Vogt. An old time style catcher that the Crew got off the waiver wire because Oakland didn't want him. In Oakland where he came from there was a chant "I believe in Stephan Vogt, I believe in Stephan Vogt" that was a pretty much a "thing" in Oakland. He is awesome at framing pitches and his WARP (Wins above Replacement Player) has always been in the positive. The guy was a steal!
Plus - as with Sogard who also came from Oakland you are getting players from one of the hardest places in the majors to hit a home run to the easier place in the majors to hit a home run. ESPECIALLY if you are left handed. Miller Park is a lefty power hitters dream park.
 |
| Christmas Abbott |
************************
Gotta say - Big Brother this year - as normal hated EVERYBODY in that house but the caricature's in
the house have world class bodies! Gotta say it. The men seem to be a bunch if knuckleheads and I don't mean in a good way. It's a guilty pleasure and still the best pure strategy game on TV.
It's like watching 16 players play Diplomacy but you get to hear all the behind the scenes secrets.
************************
And then there is Gus.
The whirling dervish puppy that is a Tasmanian devil 10 minutes an hour and a sleeping puppy the other 50 minutes.
He has learned to terrorize the cats but yesterday he learned how far he can go before Sophie said "ENOUGH". He of whacked on the nose . . .and he learned.
DJ got him a nice little blanky and Iggy the BIG fraidy cat was sitting on it. This morning he literally pulled the rug out from under Iggy!
*********************
Mel is doing so so. He loves getting letters and if you want to send him a card he would love it
Mel Jacob c/o Rod Melotte
300 Vista Circle
Columbus WI 53925
We will get them to him But do not ask for an autograph as a few people have.
*******************
The DOT will be in attendance at City Council on the 18th if you want to ask questions about the slanted sidewalks that MOST people have no issue with.
*******
watched Fargo for the first time - The MOVIE! I think this will be a hit. There was one point where something happened and DJ say's "oh geez" and seconds later William Macy says "oh geez" We had to stop the movie as we were laughing too hard.
++++++++++++++
Columbus has permits for 13 new homes this year and I have heard workers from Drexil have been looking into purchasing homes. I know we have seen a good number of people driving in our area looking for homes. You can always tell.
Columbus is having a growth spurt - the first since the early 1800s I think.
**************
Mitch McConnell came up with a Wealthcare plan that would include working with the Democrats. Although he is just trying to force the Tea Party to budge. Not a REAL plan to work with the left who also agree Obamacare needs tweaking even though it's doing fine, even using Trumps numbers.
Obamacare is NOT in a “death-spiral”.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, last week released a report about a wonky aspect of the Affordable Care Act related to insurance payments. Tucked away in the report, however, was evidence that the health insurance marketplaces set up by Obamacare were relatively stable in 2016. Contrary to the “death-spiral” narrative, the CMS report found that the mix of healthy and sick people buying insurance on the Obamacare marketplaces in 2016 was surprisingly similar to those who enrolled in 2015.
That doesn’t mean the marketplaces are working for everyone. There are millions of people who don’t qualify for subsidies, face high prices in the private market and likely haven’t enrolled in insurance as a result. That’s a problem that needs solving, but it’s a different problem than the marketplaces being in a death spiral.
*****************************
Have a great Monday - Gus see's his first Vet today
Thursday, July 6, 2017
bleary eyed but alive
Well - UP AND ADAM.
Slept in today as Gus was out all the way to 6:00 instead of the normal 4:30. Of course once I got up to let him out I took 30 second too long looking for some shoes and he piddled on the cat tree but so far week one has been basically smooth.
I will never forget last Saturday when he discovered fire flies for the first time. He was playing in the grass and a bug flew up and glowed. All of a sudden he sits up perfectly straight and is watching this bug float up and then it glows again. He literally did a back flip with joy and went nuts.
Fireworks? no problem. He actually turned towards them and watched for awhile and then fell asleep.
He's getting a bath at the moment and the cats are horrified
(yet laughing on the inside).
His daddy is 75% poodle and 25% Retriever and 10 lbs and his mommy is 100% AKC Retriever and 40lbs.
Both cats are getting used to him and making progress. Hissing is not as common now.
But with so much going on in our lives we totally missed almost anything 4th of July except the fireworks. But when you are retired holidays are more of a nuisance then anything else LOL
Dealing with hospice care and new puppies it's been a tag team of trying to get normal life things done. Just the constant attention to what Gus is putting in his mouth NOW is wearing me down.
Yesterday I put up a display of images in the Waupun Library that will be up for 2 months. I found out another gallery is closing in Paoli so there goes that revenue stream and Saturday I'm giving a presentation on how to take better photos at the Columbus Library.
Tonight is a Thursday City Council and of course there are the thunderstorms coming this afternoon into the evening and some could be on the severe side as the VERY warm, humid and unstable air mass gets hit by a cold front. Should make for an interesting evening.
So that is about it. Our lives are centered around puppies and Mel my FIL who is in rough shape but is feeling zero pain and I'll have some funny stories that will be much funnier a year from now. He has a good sense of humor but is sadly fading.
One person asked him if he had ever gone on a cruise to Hawaii or anything. He said "only once . . and it ended badly".
He is still answering questions from directors for a book for an HBO series in the works. HBO has approved a screen play but they can not produce a series without a book to go with it. Weird.
Nuff said - I need coffee
Slept in today as Gus was out all the way to 6:00 instead of the normal 4:30. Of course once I got up to let him out I took 30 second too long looking for some shoes and he piddled on the cat tree but so far week one has been basically smooth.
I will never forget last Saturday when he discovered fire flies for the first time. He was playing in the grass and a bug flew up and glowed. All of a sudden he sits up perfectly straight and is watching this bug float up and then it glows again. He literally did a back flip with joy and went nuts.
Fireworks? no problem. He actually turned towards them and watched for awhile and then fell asleep.
He's getting a bath at the moment and the cats are horrified
(yet laughing on the inside).
His daddy is 75% poodle and 25% Retriever and 10 lbs and his mommy is 100% AKC Retriever and 40lbs.
Both cats are getting used to him and making progress. Hissing is not as common now.
But with so much going on in our lives we totally missed almost anything 4th of July except the fireworks. But when you are retired holidays are more of a nuisance then anything else LOL
Dealing with hospice care and new puppies it's been a tag team of trying to get normal life things done. Just the constant attention to what Gus is putting in his mouth NOW is wearing me down.
Yesterday I put up a display of images in the Waupun Library that will be up for 2 months. I found out another gallery is closing in Paoli so there goes that revenue stream and Saturday I'm giving a presentation on how to take better photos at the Columbus Library.
Tonight is a Thursday City Council and of course there are the thunderstorms coming this afternoon into the evening and some could be on the severe side as the VERY warm, humid and unstable air mass gets hit by a cold front. Should make for an interesting evening.
So that is about it. Our lives are centered around puppies and Mel my FIL who is in rough shape but is feeling zero pain and I'll have some funny stories that will be much funnier a year from now. He has a good sense of humor but is sadly fading.
One person asked him if he had ever gone on a cruise to Hawaii or anything. He said "only once . . and it ended badly".
He is still answering questions from directors for a book for an HBO series in the works. HBO has approved a screen play but they can not produce a series without a book to go with it. Weird.
Nuff said - I need coffee
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