Bike Fuel

First of all I gotta say this before I forget. If you go to Leroy Meats in Horicon, OF COURSE, mention you are from Columbus and you wish they would open a store here.  But,  OH  SHIT, I just dropped my bagel on my shirt,  BUT . . .  what you need to do is buy their Amish butter.

Butter you say?  Yea - is REALLY good.  I mean for butter.

and you are wondering about the snow we never really got?  Two things happened.  The LOW moved in a more southerly track WHICH, allowed dryer air near the ground to arrive early WHICH, made the snow evaporate about 1000 feet above our heads for 3 hours.

MEANWHILE - my newest obsession with coffee continues. This all started when it was announced that JBC Roasters in Madison were named one of the top 5 roasters in America.  SO - I felt the need to tastes very expensive award winning coffee.

Me didn't likey.

it was way too fruity for my taste and every product they offered was really fruity like an Ethiopian coffee. It's their thang.

Longer story shorter I tried Bike Fuel roasted by #JUSTCOFFEE 

Loved it and once that "12 oz "pound"" was nearing completion I purchased

which is darker but not a dark roast - certainly more dark chocolate nuances. So I am two for two on loving this brand. Add to the fact is it is fresh roasted. Pretty new on shelves.  The El Corazon was 3 weeks from roasting and I believe the Bike Fuel was about 2 weeks.

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Speaking of Bike Fuel the Columbus WI, Cycling Club had its first meet and greet meeting with 15 in attendance. Not bad for something that started as a question less then a week ago.

OH - sorry - again - wrong file

Meeting was perfect as a start.  Discussing what we are there for and just making some friends and future plans.  Not a LOT of hard details yet but for being only like 5 days old getting 15 people to attend was GREAT.

My personal issue is my new hybrid bike is SO easy to ride I wonder why my road bike is such a hassle.  Is it fit wrong? are the breaks on?  I would LOVE two bikes that I loved.  I have two bikes but I stopped riding the road bike because it was just hard to not get so tired.

Now I have to revisit that bike . . but it's raining.  Maybe I'm in better shape then 4 years ago?  NAAAA!   Maybe if it stops raining today I'll take it for a quick spin.  Maybe it just needs a tune up?    I do have like 5000 miles on it but it's 15? years old and bikes have come a long way in 15 years . . .IT SEEMS (Hydrolic disc breaks on my Trek DS2).

Stay tuned.

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The IRS gave away $300 million last year to tipstirs for ratting out tax cheats. Those tipsters brought in $1.4 billion in revenue.  Personally I never trust any business that does not take credit cards. It's an easy way to NOT tell the IRS all the cash you are bringing in.  I believe that is called tax fraud and a federal offense.   

I see absolutely zero reason to NOT take credit cards. You actually LOSE money by not taking them.  I don't think company's understand how many people ONLY use cards and I (and many it seems) refuse to go to a place that does not take them.

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Sydney was completing a massive LEGO set and one piece was missing.  She is VERY careful on not losing pieces and very aware of where every piece is . . . but was missing one.  So - she wrote the company

  

 No word yet.  YOU GO GIRL

MEANWHILE in Indonesia 270 election workers have died LITERALLY from fatigue-related illnesses from counting ballots in their national election.  Seems 270 million ballots for President were cast and another 500 million for other offices.

All counted by hand in horrid conditions.  Another 1800 are hospitalized.  Seems like they need a better plan.

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The Stock market is at some all time high and will be testing some ceilings this week which if they fail will then test some of the floors.

      The first support lever is in the 26,000 range and if that gets broken 24,500 is next. So the bet is for a lowering for a the time being. Earnings season has not really had much effect on the markets so far.

  

Brewers / Snow / and baseball stuff

WELL - the weather forecast has not really changed that much in the last day.  Should get a fair amount of snow, more south as you go towards Madison which seems to be in the epic center of this mess.

I'm expecting at least 3 inches in Columbus on the grass and maybe 5 in Madison but SOMEWHERE somebody will get 8 inches (that's what she said).   I'm putting extra food out for the birds even though I'm pretty sure the bird population as survived the last 200,000 years with late spring snow.

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Joe Biden is running for President - didn't see that one coming.  I like Joe but him and cronie Scott Fitzgerald are on the same page when it comes to cannabis, including medical. Totally against it.  He cosponsored a 1998 resolution that said state medical cannabis laws send “ambiguous cultural messages about marijuana use and are contributing to a growing acceptance of marijuana use among children and teenagers" and expressed support for federal authorities enforcing prohibition “through seizure and other civil action, as well as through criminal penalties.”

He also was the lead in the creation of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, and voted for legislation requiring the drug czar to oppose marijuana legalization.

Thanks GrandPa.

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Got a call yesterday - BIKES ARE IN!  o'boy o'boy o'boy . Picked up a red flashing LED light that has now blinded DJ riding behind me.   

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HEY Columbus Popcorn cart - RESPOND TO FREAKING MESSAGES - people are trying to donate and the Hasey Family WISHING they would move the cart to the Museum.  People are getting pissed at that group for hiding the cart where nobody knows its hidden in TheWorkshop. 

Stop being so anal.

SO - they can hide it where nobody knows it's where it is and it will be forgotten  forever, BUT, in mint condition - OR - display it in a safe place when it's story can be told and where the Hasey family want it . . .  in the Columbus Historical Museum.   The Hasey's even said they would pay to move it there. 

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So the Brewers play the NY Mets and NOT the Cards or Dodgers (who they do not play the rest of the year).  What a tough month.  Being .500 is not that bad looking at who they have played. 

Now they play the Mets who are expected to win 86 games, one more then the Phillies so The Ump better be rooting for the Brewers this weekend. 

Have I mentioned that Rich Fronheiser (The Ump) who lives on the other side of the circle will be umping the Little League World Series in PA this year? - what a fantastic honor. Bravo!!   Oh yea - it was in the paper - nevermind. I still think it should be repeated!

I hope they stay in Columbus - YET another family thinking about moving because of our school system.  So so many.

The Brewers are now slated to win 82 games, 4 games behind the Cards, Cubs are battling the Reds for last place this year.

The teams the Brewers have played so far this year have an average predicted winning % of .520. TOUGH month and it really does not get any better anytime soon 

My SOM team ended this month 13-14 and looking deeply it was the hitting and not the pitching holding me back.  I wonder if it was because of the ballparks in my division.  Miami, San Francisco, and Houston.  All pitcher parks.

Miami is the #1 pitchers park in MLB, San Francisco you cannot hit a Home Run but hits are ok and Houston has HUGE foul territory which lowers batting average a LOT (foul balls are caught) but Home runs are up. 

In May I play the opposite ball parks it seems so I should see my run production increase a LOT (I hope).  My defense is taking one more hit away then my opponents per game.  I think I'm in last place at 13-14. tough division.

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That NBA system I found "PLAY the team in the last quarter that has been outscored every quarter for the first 3 quarters"  is 10-2 in the play offs.   Almost like a back door cover.

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OH - one of the most anticipated debut in MLB happens tonight when Vladimir Guerrero Jr plays tonight.  Toronto Blue Jays.  His dad is a Hall of Famer and this guy is a pure hitter. He has hit solid at every level he has played in Minors and all of the stat junkies have run their algorithms and with standard deviation he SHOULD hit .300 as a rookie.

He hit .400 in AA last year and .367 in AAA this year. It's hard to tell as he has played for 8 teams in 3 years as he moves up the ladder. 

ANYWAY - he is the full time 3B for Toronto replacing Eric Sogard (who was batting .400).

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 8% of the worlds population of penguins are gone.  Replaced with climate change deniers.  Seems the breeding ground is barren since 2016 with the ice breaking up or gone completely. 

But it will snow tomorrow so OBVIOUSLY climate change is a lefty hoax.

***************

have a cold but awesome weekend.   

SNOW COMING . . .somewhere. Probably here

Remember a few years ago when James Street was completed and drunks from The Cage would fall off the new curb twisting ankles saying they would sue the city?

WELL - the new railings to keep drunks off the streets were installed by DPW and AT FIRST I was disappointed and sad.  What a freaking ugly cattle trough railing.

HOWEVER - the black inserts will be replaced with stainless steel inserts with 3 different laser cut images.  WONDERFUL BRAVO!!!

and of course then "what about our schools??? Our schools for our children NEED money...we don’t NEED railings...who paid for these???"

Columbus - we complain about everything . . but we do it as a team

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But there is good news - cyclists will soon have a voice.   When I put a question on facebook if there was ANY interest in a cycle group  . . it seems there is.

The Columbus ,WI Cycling Club will have it's first meeting this Sunday at 2:00 at Cercis Brewing.  Currently 40 members and growing.  I can see street lights and anything solid ringed with bikes attached to them in the future.   But HOPEFULLY NOT TREES

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So I downloaded MapMyRide which I thought was a great app for biking.  Then I find out I SEEMED to have this app in the past as I had rides from 2014 showing up.

SO - I went golfing with the MapMyRide yesterday for the first time this year at The Oaks North (also called Kestrel Ridge) and decided that I should try their burgers after the round.

Why is it EVERY golf course has horrible burgers.  Seriously. Our league moved from Door Creek after 3 years of really bad food.  Kestrel Ridge? I could not even finish the burger which is REALLY weird.

Yet another frozen patty.  I understand about frozen patties if you do not sell that many but the bun was a nighmare.  What little juice the burger had at one time was soaked up by this THICK, chewy bun that acted like a sponge.  It was like 3 buns compacted into one. 

If you want to see a perfect buns.

Wait - what just happened - OH - wrong bun folder - sorry

Even Elweed said - THAT is the perfect bun (Mooyah - remember invite code RodMel08196 on the app).  It looks thick but is fresh every day and is light and airy.  OUTSTANDING BUNS!

BUT - back to golf.

I decided to use MapMyRide golfing and everything was going well

Things started to go bad on the 7th hole.

Drive, trap, trap, trap, putt putt.

and THEN the wheels fell off.  Because my old cart did not have a good place for my phone it was in my pocket and I must have switched off MapMyRide as I was entering a 6 on my GolfShot app.

SO - I decided that since my cart was the last thing I purchased with my poker winnings 15 years ago it's time for new technology.

It's sad MapMyRide was turned off as the 9th holes was rather . . . . interesting.  I was tired and lazy and the ball drifted right, towards the soybean field.  Ended about 6 inches away and 170 yards from the hole.

took a mighty swing and the ball goes right again into a trap and up OVER the edge - GOOD LUCK?  no.

I LITERALLY stood in the trap with the ball about crotch level, I stared at it for a LONG time (only 3 minutes allowed for FINDING a ball but what about just staring at it).  WTF do I do.

Well, I choked way way down, took a swing and the ball hits the green and comes to a rest 6 inches from the hole.  PAR!!   it's an easy game.

Did I mention the "8" on the par 5 before it?   Ended with a 46.

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There is a new show on ABC called Bless this Mess which at first I felt it was a Green Acres copy.  HOWEVER - after two episodes we love it.  Some REALLY good dialog (better then what the trailer shows).  But here is the thing - we LIKE all of the characters.

Some shows seem good but you just dislike one or two of the characters but this one - love them all and there are so many from The Office, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Ed Begley Jr. - it's just a good mindless show.

https://youtu.be/57GhBbKgzJg


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SNOW COMING . . .somewhere.

Saturday - SOMEWHERE in our area there will be snow.  The LOW is passing south of us with copious amounts of moisture associated with it.  Saturday will be a clusterf*ck with High temps NOT reaching 40  and wind chills NOT reaching 30.  Winter coat weather with strong cold winds and 2-5 inches of snow possibly.  The talking heads say SOMEWHERE to cover their ass. 

I say somewhere between 2-5 inches of rain changing to snow by the afternoon.  Maybe the Juncos who are cold weather birds will fly south again from Canada.   The storm is still 3 day away so things can move but the forecast keep getting worse and worse.

Then off and on again rain all next week until Friday.

Cheers - stay warm

The new world Cycling. Yelich numbers

Yelich - in his last 89 games

Batting average .359
On Base percentage .501
Slugging pct .800
OPS 1.301
98 RBIs
38 Home Runs
91 walks

That is basically one half of a season.

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Exciting day at the Melotte household as we purchased a couple of new bikes.  We had two old bikes, my Giant that had maybe 5000 miles on it BUT it was 15ish years old and a road bike and DJs Trek 7200 hybrid which was about 30 pounds and just old

I picked up a DS2  and DJ purchased a Verve 2.  I guess hydraulic disc brakes are a thing. Did not have those when I got my last bike.

The DS2 is a little heavier then my road bike and DJs Verve 2 is WAY lighter at 28lbs.  Not as light as Ragans 11lb bike but we are not doing Iron Man Hawaii. 

So with Doug Caldwell's Heinie Ride this weekend and people talking about bikes I got onto a facebook page and just asked if there would be any interest in a cycling group.

MAN - people came out of the woodwork. YES YES PLEASE!

And then came the complaints about Columbus roads which I tried to explain are BETTER now yada yada yada and complaints about  Columbus Government which seems to be almost anti-bike, which I sort of agree with but perhaps not ANTI bike but more . . .  ambivalent?

It's like if you don't see people on bikes they must not ride bikes while the other side says - we don't ride in the city because there are no bike paths or routes or bike racks anywhere.  I know former Mayor and restaurateur Crombie  rides bikes and hands out helmets - WHICH - are SO MUCH more comfortable now then 10 years ago.

Our helmets were cracked just from age.  If a helmet is over 5 years old it is almost more dangerous to wear it then not.  Plus the new ones are awesome. We have one with a little dial that tightens it for a perfect fit.   BRIGHT LED lights are new also for me.  It feels like I was in prison for 2 decades and the biking world has progressed.

I could not find a bike with a subwoofer and speakers but I did find one that is wireless for your bike computer.  No wifi though. LOL     But I digress.

Maybe we can change government thinking if there is a voice.  I mean good grief, we're next to Trek. I see Trek bikers all the time but I think I can count on one hand how many bike racks are in Columbus and are there ANY downtown?

SO - the first step was to create a facebook page (not by me) called Columbus, Wi Cycling Club (CWCC).  There were 25 people interested so far and that is just one teeny tiny group on one page that were interested.  Gotta get the word out.  All strengths of riders welcome.

A decade or so ago I rode many organized rides, RAGBRAI once (and only once) with GRABBAWR 4 times along with SAGBRAW a couple of times, all 500 mile rides in 7 days. LOVED it.  But then life got in the way and I drifted away from cycling.

I downloaded MapMyRide onto my phone and we are ready . . . all we need are our bikes to come in . . .  NEXT week.  sigh!

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Changing gears to a different subject

America is at full employment so restaurants are having HUGE issues keeping employees.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that the average restaurant employee lasts 1 month 26 days.

Economists say full employment is NOT what you want and is actually bad for the economy.  It's like when I was one of those guys that fill magazine racks. You never want to sell out of one mag.  It means you COULD have sold more.

So our economy has jobs going empty as there are no workers which is making those companies with empty positions lose money.  If a company is going to hire someone they need to hire away a worker that already HAS a job which hurts the OTHER company who then has to hire someone away from another company. 

Trump supporters are always quick to take credit for this economy.  It's like you build a fire and then someone comes along and pours gas on it and claims I BUILT A FIRE!  NO - you are going to burn the fire out faster you idiot.  It rages NOW but will be gone twice as fast and now we have no gas to keep it lit.

Plus the fire was going LONG LONG before you came and tossed your unneeded gas.

I tell ya - if the left go full on impeachment for the next 2 years - Trump wins reelection because it shows the left cares nothing about helping the citizens and ONLY about hurting Trump.  The guy has already lost the election in my book and it's the Democrats election to lose.   

Should he be impeached?  HELL YA - but I'm not into being politically correct - it's why the left always loses . . .the "we are better then they are" strategy is a loser strategy.

I'm not a HUGE Bernie fan but I am in his court on this one. Impeachment increases the possibility of losing the election. 

Better idea - tell the citizens how your plan will help them.  Don't go all Hillary and attack attack and ignore the people. 

I'm PRETTY sure Americans already have their views on Trump that won't change.

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Bucks won - Brewers didn't.  It's never good when you are starting a guy for the very first time ALREADY.   Bullpenning is great when you have a bullpen. Not so much when you don't LOL

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The Report

Quick and dirty thoughts.

The Mueller Report - I'm happy with it.  Who wouldn't be. First of all I think it is GREAT that our President was NOT colluding with Russia. Think of the clusterf*ck that we would have if it was found he was colluding. Good God.

Second, Obstruction.  Many believe it's sad he was not found to be REALLY obstructing.  WELL - I'm elated that his handlers did not carry out his instructions to lie and obstruct. it's a GOOD thing.  The report pretty much proves Trump is as dishonest, unethical, immoral and unpatriotic as we all thought he was.

Third is we now know that Trumps AG is all for Trump and not for America.  Oddly what The Report said and what the AG said do not REALLY line up. 

And remember - even though Mueller DID find that Trump was doing MANY things illegal, you cannot do much to a sitting President . . . however - there are ZERO rules saying a former President cannot go to jail.   

Now we just have to get through 2 more years of his buffoonery at trying to lead his followers (not the country as a whole).  His Presidency is like watching a bunch of goats work an ATM.  Totally lost and just punching random buttons.

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DJ and I watched the last episode of Michael Palin in North Korea. He spent 2 weeks roaming the country side talking to North Koreans.

I tell ya - WHAT A BIZARRE Weird country.   They are building a huge mega resort for tourists with a HUGE International airport  . . .with zero incoming or outgoing flights.  Palin was there for the ONE flight.  It was the only arrival and deport of the day but the airport, the size of O'Hara was completely filled with employees . . for one camera crew.  Not one other human was there. 

Its a fascinating documentary - must see TV (your youtube)

https://youtu.be/UY0PUpuIXLM


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Joey Votto popped out to the first base 2 days ago. Why is this news?  Because it was the very very first time he had EVER popped out to first base in his career.  NO REALLY.  FIRST TIME!   6,829 plate appearances and he had never popped out to first.   WEIRD

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Amazing Race this season has 4 teams from Survivor, 4 from Big Brother and 4 from The Amazing Race - GREAT first episode.

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I had a thing a few days ago that said - QUESTION AUTHORITY - I think that is my life long mantra.  I got beat up in Junior high because I questioned a bully, I was thrown off an elevator at DOJ because I questioned a detective (LOL).   My parents went against the Fort Atkinson School Board and questioned their authority and won.  (They were going to drop music classes).

You should ALWAYS question authority. I have found that most authorities are there only because NOBODY questioned them.

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Between April 19 and May 7 over 1 billion birds will fly over the Gulf of Mexico to their spring breeding grounds in North America, half of the 2.1 billion estimated birds to traverse the journey over the course of the entire spring. Over 100 species of shorebirds form this fleet every year, migrating 2,700 kilometers in a three-week window. At peak, there will be 26,000 birds per kilometer of airspace. They form a mass so intimidating that they show up on weather radars. If you live in the south and are getting tired of all the damn bugs, I kid you not when I say that the single most voracious air force on the planet is incoming.

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Have a GREAT weekend - stay cool Sunday - might hit 80 (probably not but very close)

StandWithPolice - SCAM!

blah blah blah no collusion  nothing redacted that should not have been yada yada yada no collusion.

NOW here is Trumps problem.  Without Mueller he has to deal with actual issues like immigration and healthcare. GOP IS the party of healthcare you know.

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SCAM ALERT - StandWithPolice.org contacted me asking for a donation.  I said SURE I would love to donate $25.  They said they would send an envelope.  I said no need, where can I drop off a check . . . . silence. . . . The headquarter is in Washington.  PERFECT, I will be in Washington next week what is the address . . . .silence. . . . "it's on the website".  Well you can just tell me  . . . . . . we will send an envelope.  No no - save postage I'll be in the neighborhood.  silance

It went on like this for maybe 5 minutes with the silence between questions getting longer and longer . . . . . . until they just hung up.   

I will pledge $1000 next time and "drop it off". THAT was fun!  Try it.

BTW - the website says the headquarters is in California

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BEFORE yesterday when the  Brewer pitchers were hitting.367 this year with an OPS of .927.  Yesterday they were 1 for 2 with a home run.

Burns REALLY needs to get that 3rd pitch working.  Have two great pitches is great for the bull pen but you need at least 3 as a Starter.

OH - I don't hate Strat-o-matic.  I think my "random" number generator on my computer is broken with no 1's.

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I was informed that The Patio Warehouse  (LIVE OUTSIDE) is looking for me.  A associate went there and the person in charge asked where they were from.  Columbus.  They asked do you know Rod Melotte.  Yes - - WELL - it seems they have gottin a lot of visitors from Columbus lately and they all know me!

No such luck with Mooyah Burger - REMEMBER - download their app. and use RodMelo8196 and I get 20 points (worth about $2 in the long run).

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There is a show called Desert Flippers that DJ watches.  A Madison couple moved to Palm Springs,

buys foreclosed homes inside unseen and renovates them.  Cute couple, hunkyish male and a cute girl next door woman. 

ANYWAY - they buy a home and smash in the front door and they both stare.  "What the hell did we just buy"  cut to commercial.

Commercial over "What the hell did we just buy".  The contractor comes forward, looks inside and says

"I believe you could call this a marijuana grow house"?  thousands and thousands of feet of pipes and electric outlets everywhere.    it was funny!

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A study on treating epileptic dogs with CBD found that “seizure frequency improved considerably and owners reported a positive impression.”

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Canopy Growth Corp. is reportedly nearing a deal to buy Acreage Holdings Inc. for $3.4 BILLION (John Boehner is on the board of directors along with former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney )  Shares are up 9% today.  Jim Cramer touted that CSC COULD be the next Amazon. Well, we shall see about that.

So far they are doing everything right with fingers in 47 countries and 5 continents. 

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Carl's Jr.(also known as Hardee's) is testing a CBD burger.

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GREAT WEEKEND COMING

63 and pure sun Saturday - light winds
70 ad a few clouds Sunday

then showers for the next 6 days

Rain Chain in Action / Columbus water and Flickers

And here I was going to take a day off of writing  . . . but then it rained.

It started with a gentile rain and I ran outside excited like it was Christmas (the 2nd Christmas in 2 days)

https://youtu.be/C_LyRHdI09A


and then the real test - hard rain

https://youtu.be/E52ShV0Awlo


SWEET!!!

AND THEN . . . .

Since we have had the deck built we have been hearing weird hammering off in the distance. Theilans construction? (I believe they are recreating Nortre Dame). The quarry?  All the other building in the area?  Once a day hammer hammer like a jack hammer.

This morning just before the rain we heard it again.  I went to the back window and opened it.  listened . . . . hammer hammer hammer.  WHAT IS THAT!!! 

I walked out onto the deck and listened.

HAMMER HAMMER HAMMER 

WHAT THE F*CK?  It's right above my head. I so slowly walk down the steps and look up.  A Northern Flicker is hammering on the metal eves trough! 

So I ask a Facebook bird group.  SEEMS - they hammer on metal areas to announce their territory and attract girls (where was THIS information when I was in high school). 

     





HEY - do me a solid!  Download the Mooyah app with RODMEL08196 and I get 20 points WHOO HOOO!!    Making money now baby!! 

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Made coffee this morning.  We have been drinking Costa Rican using filtered Columbus water.  This morning I ground the grounds and was lazy and used tap water. 

DJ asked  what coffee is this?  It taste's "Grassy".  I said - - yea it DOES taste "grassy".  I made another few cups but with the filtered water.   PERFECT!   I really loath Columbus water. Can't use it for brewing beer either. 

Later! 

Llamas . Kestrel Ridge and a 1 putt 10

OK - I was not going to get all political but I JUST got an email from The Tea Party

Somehow the Republican Party and the Tea Party believe I am a conservative and I got on a few email lists telling me how evil liberals are.  Did you know liberals will get $900 MILLION from over seas Russian Oligarchs to fight Trump?  YUP    According to teapartypac@teaparty.org

AND

Democrats are hell-bent on running our great nation into the ground, no matter what the cost may be. And now they're hoping liberal judges will help them stop President Trump from securing our borders...

Are there any liberal judges left?

A funny thing happened while Nortre Dam was burning down.  President Trump was man-splaning to the French firefighters how to put out the fire.  He said take aircraft and dump water on it from above . . and do it quickly.

WELL - The French in a very very rare tweet explained that if they did that the entire building would collapse because while water is very very wet and its is also very very heavy (a pints a pound the world around).  The results to his brilliant idea would have been catastrophic.

Stay in your lane President Trump (the super genius). 

and don't get me started on giving Tiger Woods the Presidential Medal of Freedom which would make all other medals given out for REAL heroes - pretty much meaningless.
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Before I get the the coming storms have I mentioned I hate Strat-o-matic?   We all know baseball is REALLY random (I have mentioned this).

WELL - My S-O-M team that I had such high hopes for is REALLY struggling.  9-12 is not horrible but this stat tells it all.

RISP - Runners In Scoring Position

My team is 24-120  RISP batting a solid .200   My opponents are 24-65  .369   My team is CONSTANTLY getting runners on 2nd and then  pfffft!! nothing     I played a team that was 3-12 and in that 3 games my team was 5-31 RISP. 

I get so many baserunners its crazy . . . and strand them

BUT WAIT - I had a 1 PUTT 10 yesterday in my TGC virtual Golf World (my life is being played out online in a virtual world) I took a 10 on a par 3 in a tournament.

I hit my drive on a par 3 into rocks next to a lake next to the green.  I tried to hit OUT of the rocks and got in more rocks.  Then I tried to have an unplayable lie but since my option was to go back to my LAST shot that did not work.  So I was forced to hit it into the lake (software issues)

My drop for that was the other side of the lake which was deep deep brush 70 yards away . . . into a 20 mph wind.  A couple balls INTO the lake and then finally onto the green for a 1 putt.

WELL - there goes THIS weeks standings.   

 
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OK - I've been waiting for an email to myself to arrive.

Check out Kestrel Ridges covenant.  If there is ANY issue with anything in I believe we should get all of these things or none of them.

"Buy lamp posts AND mail boxes through the developer? Who is that?  10% off all stuff at the Golf course?

Look at all of those houses to be built LOL

And they say Columbus has no land to build houses?  I count 39 properties on the east side of Riverside Court alone  LOL.  Still soy beans as far as I can tell.

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When the housing market imploded it seems the llama market did also.   in 2002 there were 139,782 llamas in the US. in 2017 there are 39,599 llamas.  Just like houses, outsized and inflated prices preceded the collapse in the value of these beasts.  HOWEVER - because of the low supple prices are now rebounding according to llama auctioneers ( an actual thing).

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11.8 million people watched the season premiere of Game of Thrones.  Season 1 Episode 1 had 2.52 million.  I'm up to season 5 episode 9 now.

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USPS delivers 47% of all mail on earth,  150 BILLION pieces of mail annually. In Russia they deliver 2.4 BILLION pieces of mail

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WEATHER -  tomorrow - if there is rain in the day on Wednesday there should be no SEVERE storms Wednesday night.  But if the day is dry watch out.  We have a warm front that is pushing a lot of moisture and warmth our way before the cold front grabs it.

Weekend is look REALLY goo Saturday.

Cheers

 

Deer Pen? Tiger? Mooyah? Bucks?

"My mind is like an internet browser - 19 tabs open, 3 are frozen & and I have no idea where the music is coming from".

So I caught some shit on a Columbus facebook page about the Columbus Deer Pen.  I have always been a little against it as I felt locking animals in cages for entertainment was cruel. Sort of like our immigration policy and children.

Little did I know that they were all "rescue" deer. There are no signs, no reason to believe these deer would all be dead if not for the deer pen.  There are no stories on WHY these deer are here and their purpose.

So, how about  naming the deer and putting their stories out for all to see.  Would this not make the entertainment part even MORE entertaining?  Knowing about their past would make this a MUCH better venue.

Then people like me would not be called an idiot know-it-all (guilty) for even questioning an Columbus institution.

QUESTION AUTHORITY 

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Then there is Tiger Woods.  A 14-1 favorite to win the Masters.  Maybe the guy that put a $85,000 bet on him at 14-1 could buy Tiger a NEW Green Jacket as he does not get a NEW one but only gets to wear his old one . . .seems they only get one (budget issues I presume).

One of my buddies placed a $10 bet on Molinari when we were in LV.  25-1  so so close.

**************

OH - So we have had our deck for 12 years with lots of sunsets but the covered part really frames the sunsets.

I'm trying to capture all the sunsets that seem capture worthy,  Two so far.  Last night I ran out for another one that was not THAT great it seems. You win some you lose some but out of boredom I over-processed an image.

  
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Mooyah Burger has a Tax day special - 15 bonus points!   OK OK - I gotta get off the Mooyah Burger kick.  We went there Friday as it was free shake day.  STILL gotta love that place and 10% off basically if you use your app.  OH - they are reeling us in like fish.

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Hog Heaven?  NOT . China will kill 200 million hogs as that nation is in the middle of a swine flu issue. That is 30% more then the ENTIRE Hog production in America.

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The Blue Wave?  How does this time of year compared to last year?  There have not been many special elections but there have been a good number of smaller ones and so far the Blue wave is not as HUGE as last year but still leaning to more Democrats over performing then Republicans.

As as opposed to the blue tidal wave of last year it's just a normal blue wave . . .  at the moment.

++++

SO at this moment our President is a

a billionaire who hides his tax returns
a genius that hides his collage grades
a businessman who bankrupted a casino
a playboy who pays for sex
a Christian who does not go to church
a philanthropist who defrauds charity's
a patriot who evades the draft
and an innocent man who refuses to testify

And he is the guy voters wanted in the White House that was just like them?

MEANWHILE are we safer now?

No heads to the following departments with nobody in charge.

FAA - remember they let Boeing run their own tests on their planes to save money  - vacant
US Border patrol - vacant
Department of Homeland Security - vacant
Cyber Infrastructure - vacant
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement - vacant
Department of Defense - vacant
United States Ambassador to the United Nations - vacant

And how are we safer now?

Some of these are filled with temporary heads which means they do not have to be looked at closely by the House or Senate. They can do whatever they want without being confirmed.  Background checks are old school it seems.  No longer needed.

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I've been trying to find where I can get good steaks and burger with Maures closing along with Jacobson's.  Obviously not Pic-n-save and I tried Rechecks in Beaver Dam - I THOUGHT they were a butcher but just a grocery store - a very very nice one I might add. Wish it was in Columbus.

So next up will be Leroy meats. I'll make a trip to Horicon later this week.

************

The Bucks trashed Detroit last night and the regulars played 1/2 the game.  There is a wagering system that is a money maker if you pay attention.  If a favorite team outscores another the first 3 quarters bet on the underdog to cover the 4th quarter spread in that last quarter.

TYPICALLY the underdog will actually beat the good team that last quarter - it's money in the bank.  Happened last night. Detroit beat Milwaukee 25-24 in the final quarter.

CARMELO is basically PECOTA for the NBA - it estimate's each player’s future performance based on the trajectory of similar NBA players.

Using CARMELO  Golden State has a 60% chance of winning the NBA Championship, 2nd place are the Bucks at 16% with Toronto at 15%

 ELO is a measure of team strength based on head-to-head results, margin of victory and quality of opponent.  Using this system the Bucks are a 26% chance to win the Championship, Toronto 18% and Golden State 16%.

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1,200 children have died in Madagascar from Measles.  But the anti-vaxers are out in force.

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Game of Thrones - well, I'm on season 5 episode 7 so shut up! Will someone die in the next 3 seasons? DON'T TELL ME!  LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA

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Watched a show on the LA Riots in 1992 - HOLY CRAP I had forgotten about that time.  1000 fires in Los Angeles. So many officials did so many things wrong at the very worst time.

+++

and finally - 2 movies.  One was a Coen Bros movie called "Burn After Reading"   Typical Coen Bro movie with lots of stars, a convoluted and confusing plot and JUST A FUN movie to watch.   

https://youtu.be/SVCHSiRWjJM

  

The second was is a Tom Hanks movie called " A Hologram for the King" which was like a Choose Your Own Adventure where you do not get to choose and there is actually no adventure. 

The "plot" has 8 or 9 different plot lines that all start and end quickly going nowhere and you are left wondering about whatever happened to that story.  It seemed like a 10 hour mini series condensed down two a few hours

Move along.

Have a great day - weather is coming Wednesday through Friday - watch for river flooding. More on this later

Michael F Simon Builders

Blog Post #2002   937,617 page views

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Yesterday the final piece of the puzzle was installed.  Wind and snow were no issue for these guys.

It started February 20th in zero degrees and a wind chill of -8 and snow

and ended 43 days later in 31 degrees and a wind chill in the 20s . . . .  and snow.

Paul Simon of Michael F Simon Builders  was just here for a final look to see what his builders created and everybody is happy.  It was funny as last week as the carpenters and a few other workers were cleaning up they were all taking selfies.  Group selfies, and so forth and Paul said there was one that had 2 guys taking a selfie and in the background are two more guys taking selfies.   Always a good sign.

Proud of their work I believe. We have never had someone who REALLY cared about their craft working on our house.  It was like watching Amish builders work on our deck. We have had a few houses built by Amish builders in our area and it was like they would bless each piece of wood before they nailed in. Very meticulous and not just slapping things up to save time.

Almost a 360 image from the corner of the deck (iPhone). 

And the odd thing is everybody was named John.  In fact at one point we had two Johns at the same time (that's what she said).  So if you are named John and are looking for work AND care about your craft, check these guys out.

All we gotta do now is pay them LOL.  If you are wondering how much this cost. Take your largest estimate you can think of and then add 50% more  . . . and then you will be only few grand short.  It's basically a new room.

No builders were killed in this project.

I mention this as we saw a show last night about the Empire State Building.  Only 4 workers were killed building the skyscraper.  It took just over 1 year to build, was finished 2 weeks ahead of schedule and only cost $25 million. The estimate was $50 million (about what the deck cost). 

In fact in the 1930s there were very very few deaths constructing skyscrapers with zero safety regulations.  Rockefeller Center there were like 3 deaths and The Chrysler Building had zero deaths.

WITH ZERO SAFETY REGULATIONS.

Like in football and hockey - if you want less violence, take away the helmets.

Another fact - if you throw a penny off the Empire State Building hoping secretly kill somebody below  . . . FAIL.  The penny will only get to a speed about about 25mph.  You might bruise somebody but your attempt for a secret homicide will make you the laughing stock of the mass murderer facebook page. 

And don't even think about going to Grand Central Station. There is no such place.  It's Grand Central Terminal.  A station is where trains go to let people off and then continue.  A terminal comes from the word terminus which means ending.  It's the end of the line.  COME ON PEOPLE!

And what about the color of the Golden Gate Bridge (not in New York).  The plan was to paint it black or gray.  SWEET, great choices!!   But since the Navy owned both pieces of land where the bridge is connected they said  NYET! (Sorry, we're not totally Russian yet, just practicing).

The Navy said since one of the pillars is smack dab in the middle of the bay they said "we will painting it yellow and black striped". 

Seriously - that was the plan.  HOWEVER - during construction all the metal had an orange-ish hue from rust and a primer to keep it from rusting.  So as the bridge kept getting bigger and bigger more and more of the orange was being seen and by the time it came to painting . . . people just felt orange should be the color.

So they went back to the drawing board and created a color that was about the same shade of the rusty primer/rust.  International Orange.  The color of the Blogger icon.

OH - how many people died?  The estimate was for every $1,000,000 in a project one person would die.  The bridge cost 35 million but only 11 workers lost their life.  It was the first project where the  engineers had a rule where ALL workers must wear specially made hard hats and a net was installed below the bridge to catch workers that might fall.

The net saved 19 workers (the total would have been 30 then).

and that is my construction story.

In baseball . . . . .

We all know I made a crap load of money playing poker, and I have done well with NFL and NBA wagering (for pretzels and pennies for fun)  but my one true love is baseball and that is literally impossible to wager on.

If you have watched the Brewers the last few nights you can understand why.  They lost the last 2 nights where the Angels offense was pretty pathetic AND every one of their hits was a dribbler JUSt out of reach.  I mean COME ON - a bases loaded broken bat Texas Leager wins the game? COME ON.   In the game where Peralta gave up 6 runs in the first inning, except for the home run every hit was a weak ass dribbler.

Its why they play 162 games.  So many tiny random things can determine a game its crazy.

I mention this because my Strat-o-matic team, which uses last years stats is really floundering with hitting.

Freddie Freeman had a slash line (Avg/OB/SLG) last year of .309/.388/.505  WELL after 14 games his slash line for ME is .125/.219/.125.  He had 108 RBIs last year and has 1 for me this year. He is bating 2nd and has Yelich and Trout behind him - 3 runs scored.

Last night my team was 0-19 with runners in scoring position.  7 singles, 5 walks, 4 stolen bases and I lose 1-0.  As a team I am batting LESS then .200 against right handed pitchers.  I have four regular players hitting less then .200

DIDN'T SEE THIS COMING!

OH - Wednesday night - NY Mets beat the Twins 9-6  The fifth inning rally

Single, Walk, Walk, Base Running blunder, Walk, Hit By Pitch, Walk, Walk, Walk, Single.

Nine guys in a row reached base with the middle 7 not getting a hit.

++++++++++++++++++++
Weather in Wisconsin

https://youtu.be/cG0ghNBb_xo



Have a great weekend

North Korea: Michael Palin's Journey

And then this happened 

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I don't know how many of you ever saw Michael Palin's (former Monty Python) amazing travel documentary's.   Pole to Pole was the first one.  He took a team of 5 people and without using any air travel, except where it was absolutely mandatory,  to go from the North Pole to the South Pole by land.  

Some extremely dangerous situations in the Congo with zero back up.  A great great documentary.  He also did the Pacific Rim and the Sahara and now he has a new one on National Geo.

North Korea: Michael Palin's Journey.  He is spending 2 weeks in North Korea with his camera crew trying NOT to get in trouble with interviews.

WHAT A FREAKING AMAZING and BIZARRE COUNTRY. It's like an alternate reality country.  No internet, no outside influence. 

Watching the show you really see how careful he is.  When on camera he is very complimentary and positive when interviewing citizens and then back in Britain he explains what was REALLY happening.

He spent 2 days in Pyongyang which on one side of the river it looks like a city of the future.  Puts any city in the States to shame. On the other side where everybody lives it looks like a Russian military housing . . HOWEVER . . every building is painted a different color - VERY beautiful.

The city is so weird and creepy empty.  There are highways everywhere but zero cars.  There are no signs for advertising at all and only propaganda art,  He visited where the art is made and on camera the head artist is showing the latest propaganda.  Off camera he explained that he believed the art he was being shown was JUST for him.

They took a road trip to the DMZ, a 4 lane highway about 100 miles and totally void of all traffic.  He did get in a little trouble at the DMZ as he was asking about the war and why there was so much tension.   

He was told it was because America attacked North Korea and that even with all of Americas might the North Koreans won the war and must stay vigilante as America wants to invade the North Korea.

WELL - very politically correctly Palin said that Americans had a different take on this  . . and then things got REALLY TENSE.

Palin explained off camera that wherever he went there were at least 6 people surrounding him making sure he was not insulting the country.

Fascinating.  I think you can get it on demand.  We have only watched an hour and he goes into the country next.

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I know not many people watch Survivor but even in season 38 it is still the most stable show on TV in regards to viewers.  AMAZINGLY stable even after 38 seasons and 562 tribal councils.

I mention this as last nights Tribal Council was literally one of the most amazing ones yet.  It was more like an open caucus where everybody had a mic and and everybody's plans were laid wide open for all to see.

You would think that after 562 episodes things would get old but this social experiment continues to amazed people.

******************

Last Saturday we awoke to fog and out screen on the deck looked pretty interesting.  I used a 200mm Macro lens to get right up next tho the screen, maybe 1 inch away

               
If you look you can see upside down landscape in every drop.

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Augusta National has spent the last 20 years spending 200 million to buy up 100 properties that surround the course.  Most of the times the going price of the purchase was 2 and 3 times the assessed value.

Reminds of how Steve Wynn went from a normal dude to a billionaire in Las Vegas because his very first purchase was a parking lot he knew would be needed for another resort.

++++

Game of Thrones - I'm still finishing season 5. HOWEVER - if you have not seen this awesome show  . . if you start watching tomorrow morning at 5:30 with S1 E1  and watch every show back to back you will be ready for the final season.

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I got an email this morning saying my TWITCH account had been accessed from Jamaica and if it was not me I should change my password.

First of all . . . what is Twitch?  I have an account?

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The National Enquirer is up for sale - anyone anyone?  Perhaps Fox News?   

Inspector is here - carry on

Unintended Consequence - STOP the plastic bag ban.

POST #2000!   937,192 page views 

Besides America Singapore is the #2 Nation that treads this . . .WHY????

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Everybody is going all gaga over the new playground Enerpac "gave" Columbus. Yet I seem to be the only one that remembers that the tax payers of Columbus are donating millions to keep Enerpac in Columbus with free property tax.
Think of the awesome playground we COULD have with how much in free property tax are we giving them every year?

Just sayin'

New park is GREAT but it's certainly NOT free.

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Unintended Consequence

Pic n Save will soon get rid of plastic bags.  Everybody is cheering but wait!  A study found that cities that have completely abandoned plastic grocery bags have seen a 120% increase in small garbage bags which are thicker plastic and take MUCH longer to disintegrate making the problem even worse. 

And worse yet - paper bags are actually WORSE for the environment. Yes, paper is biodegradable but the chemicals, massive amounts of water, gas and heavy machinery causes more greenhouse gas emissions (if you believe in climate change). There is no free lunch   

How about charging a fee for bags so people reuse them.

Are Plastic Bag Bans Garbage?

++++++++++

Coffee - in my trip around the world in coffee I'm drinking a Jamaican blend which is VERY nutty.

So far in order of lick-ness

Costa Rican is #1
Colombian
Machu Picchu - Peru
Kenya
Jamaican
Ethiopian - too flowery

The Jamaican almost seems flavored it's so hazel nutty.   What I have been doing is buying like 3oz in those bulk bins just for a taste.   DJ has commented 3 times when drinking "what is this one? I love it"? and it's always been Costa Rican

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NEW BURGER PLACE - MOOYAH BURGERS.

Near Woodmans and just north of the Grand Appliance in Sun Prairie ( and State Street).  OMG - so so good.  I want to compare it to Five Guys but with fresher burgers.

and  they do not have a menu system.  I hate it when you go into a place and they have to explain how to order.  Ever been to Which Witch sandwich?  They literally have someone there to explain how to order.  

WELL - Mooyah burgers are fresh and juicy and the fries are like Five Guys but crisper. 

 The burger to bun ratio is perfect. The bun is large but not "thick and condensed" just right and baked fresh every day. he burger is not frozen.

The place is not intimidating like the first time you walk into Portellos (have not tried their burger).

All I know is I crave one. They are quarter pound burgers so you don't have to eat more then you want but I could have had two.  Of course I always want two Rocky Rococco slices but always feel disgusted with myself after eating two.

It SEEMS like the grill was seasoned which made it really tasty.  Speaking of seasoned grills.

Did The Old Rock clean their grill when they got a new cook?  The last time we were there the burgers were well done and bland. Like they took a scouring pad and REALLY got that grill clean.

I can't see why restaurants don't want to pay their cooks more money.  Door Creek Golf Course had a great cook.  But then he wanted more money and they went cheap and said NO!   Three years later, and three cooks later and it seemed none of them knew how to cook.  HEY - I was a cook for many years and know my way around a grill and can tell when someone knows ( and cares) what they are doing.

It took our league 3 years but we left for The Oaks because the food was never as good as the prices represented.   When you order deep fried cheese curds and get deep fried cheese chunks instead, it's not the same.  When a burger is ALWAYS dry and over cooked and all you can get are red onions because it's cheaper to only buy ONE kind of onion, the kind that goes on salads, it's a sign. You know you are not getting food created with love.

NOTE - this coffee is just too hazelnutty for me!!

The restaurant industry is hurting because America is at full employment (actually not a good thing) and nobody wants to work the jobs that pay poorly.

Speaking of the economy.  Volume in shares traded has been small lately ahead of the earnings season which have already been downgraded once.  Most sectors are at their peak and at resistances levels.  Not a good time to enter the market as I suspect a sideways momentum for a while.   

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Baseball - WHAT has happened to Chris Davis (Baltimore).

In 2013 he hit 53 HRs and drove in 138 RBIs and hit .286.
In 2015 he hit 47 HRs and drove in 117 RBS and hit .262
but
In 2016 he hit 38 HRs and hit .221
In 2017 he hit 26 HRs and hit .215

Last year he had the lowest average EVER in MLB for a full time player hitting .168 with 16 HRs.

Monday Davis broke a record by going the longest anybody has ever gone without getting a hit.  I believe he is 0-47 and has not had a hit since early last September.

OUCH

Did I mention I am running  fumes (of coffee)  The Brewer game got over at 1:00 this morning.  Being retired is awesome!

************* 

Rain chain installed.  Or as I like to call it kusari-toi.  I tried it out yesterday with a hose - worked as advertised.  REALLY cool looking. Water just flowed down in a tube like fashion. 

Once it rains I'll see where the water flows and add some rocks and so forth. We're on a hill so it flows away from the house naturally.

+++

OH - Kestrel Ridge (now owned by The Oaks).  Already we're seeing changes.  I hit a bag o balls Monday and instead of the garbage old balls with creases they have all brand new range balls.  New golf carts I think and stakes telling golfers where NOT to drive (holes).

The guys that installed our screen asked if any balls had hit it yet.  I said no and he said they installed these screens on a deck in Bishops Bay and a ball hit a screen and bounced, breaking a neighbors window LOL

I think it would break OUR window looking at the trajectory.  12 years no broken windows YET.  A few close ones and some siding cracks.  Normally early in the season when people still think they can golf.

All we need now is the ceiling fan which seems to have a SLIGHTLY larger base then anticipated (fixed this morning).




It will be strange not having construction people on our deck 10 hours a day. It's been busy for a month.

Have a happy storm 1-3 inches. will melt tomorrow  Starting about 1400. Snow starts about 1700 REALLY windy tomorrow and Friday

Rain Sunday turning to slush.  gotta love spring

Cheers

 

The Pineapple Express is coming

 SO!  Do this.  in the address bar type "Florida Man and then your birthday"  Example - for me

"Florida man January 25"  And click on the first link - you will get news from January 25 on what a "Florida man" did.

For me! it's a little tough as "Florida Man" day is celebrated ON my birthday.  But looking deeper I get

Florida man accused of recording himself having sex with dog

Police: Florida man killed parents, brother over $200K sent to porn site ‘girlfriend’

Both happened on January 25th

And we let these guys vote for our President?

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THANK YOU  - GOP for killing Americans with e.coli

Under Obama in 2011 The FDA ordered that all water MUST be tested before it was sprayed on lettuce and other crops for consumption.  BUT - Under Trump those regulations were dropped because well, they were regulations and cost money for businesses.

It saved growers $12 million a year not having to test water. WELL DONE - you helped businesses.

HOWEVER - The GOP cost Americans $108 MILLION in medical expenses to fight the e.coli issue and a few deaths.  But the GOP does not care about actual PEOPLE - only businesses. And they are the Health Care faction of our government remember.   

**************

We watched a Queen Concert a few nights ago.  ROCK ON!  They were such a good rock and roll band and ruined it with poppy hits!  LOL   But thinking of Live Aid.  I had read that the Led Zeppelin appearance was one of the worst live performances in the history of live performances.  It truly is horrible and embarrassing.  It's like the Movie USS Indianapolis Men of Courage which was based on a book the director never read.

The concert was based on Led Zeppelin songs nobody could remember and a drummer that had never heard the songs before.  No wonder the group said to NEVER EVER let those recordings get air play.

I won't even dignify them with a link.

 +++++   

Then there are The Cubs.  In 73 innings this year they have walked 53 batters and given up 20 HRs AND have not played in their tiny ball park yet.

Then there are Cincinnati Reds.  Before yesterday when I think their entire outfield got kicked out of the game the Cinci OF was hitting .053, 4 for 75.  3-12 yesterday as a replacement player for Puig went 1-2 and there CF was 2-4  so NOW they are up to 7-87   .080.  Getting close to .100

And what of  Yelich hitting career home run #100  SERIOUSLY? only 100?   Yea - surprised me also.  Like he had 40 only last year.

********

Saw a thing on Social media about Columbus growing which will bring more drugs and at the same time people saying new schools would cost too much and are not needed.

If you build a new schools it is proven that kids learn more as they are proud of their schools.  How does this help the drug issues?  Maybe not immediately as kids learn MOST of the behavior from adults.

But what happens is those kids coming from new schools are smarter and at SOME point become smarter adults who are better teachers of their children then the past and thus, less drugs.   A direct correlation.

Not unlike the direct correlation between passing Roe v. Wade and violence 13 years later.  Less unwanted children born to parents who ignore their mistakes.  The more children born to LOVING parents = less violent children. 

The more children born to smart parents = less drugs.  If you want a better society - spend money on education.

******

speaking of the economy - thank you Obama.  I know Trump likes to take credit for saving America but no - alternate facts. Obama started it after the GOP ruined it.

        

In fact the 1st quarter of this yea saw the most layoffs in 10 years.  The economy is doing well BUT slowing and IF we go into a recession their is nothing the government can do. Everything in the tool box to get out of the recession has been used up. 

It's like America had a raging camp fire and Trump pours gas on the fire and then takes credit for building the best fire ever.

The market moves on earnings and earnings move from sales.  Sales are slowing and earnings are looking softer - HOWEVER - STILL strong and the future still looks good.  I know the GOP has been trying to time the economy so IF the left win the election the recession will hit AFTER the left takes over and they can then blame the Democrats on day one. Plus the left will have nothing to FIX Trumps over hyped economy.

Not unlike what Walker tried to do when he was elected.  When America was at it's lowest he promised 250,000 jobs.  A no brainer he thought. It can't get worse right?  Actually Wisconsin stagnated while the midwest did well.

BUT - most people really don't care about the economy anyway. THAT, is the GOP problem. Everybody has jobs except poor people and they don't vote anyway.  BUT - health care?  The GOP is the party of health care right?   Get rid of pesky Obamacare (which they thought of first) for . . . . what?

But I digress

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OK OK = lets talk weather.  GREAT day today - not so much Wednesday when we are looking at 3-5 inches of snow and THEN an inch of rain to wash the snow away.

The Pineapple Express is on it's way and even though it has not yet touched American soil yet this will be news ALL WEEK.  If a storm that is still a couple thousand miles away moves 40 miles north or south from it's expected path there will be VASTLY different weather.

SO - 5 inches of snow followed by an inch of rain?  OR 2 inch's of rain?   I'm betting snow and then rain at the moment but - it's a skinny band.

COLD though - wind chills Wednesday will be around 25 at it's peak. Expect rain starting noon Wednesday, changing to snow by drive home time Wednesday, back to all solid rain Thursday morning into late morning Friday. WET WET WET   Did I mention wind?  Lots of it

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Sunday was the first time we had coffee on the screen in deck.  The cats are a little skittish but seem to love being "outside" and Sophie already jumped on the screen.  No issues, can't even see where she climbed. NOT that we let her but she tried to jump on a railing and as she was falling caught herself.

Gutters and rain chain (singular ) going up today - anybody need a really cool rain chain?   Looks basically like the one below. We will let it go cheap (they are NOT cheap).  Copper and will turn that cool greenish with time.  Better then a big white downspout in the middle of the back yard.

https://youtu.be/tx_Sguldnxw




One of the most wonderful things in the world is the huge decrease in world poverty.  In 1990 there were 1.9 BILLION people in extreme poverty - the World Bank now has that number at 736 million.

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There is a whole lot of music coming out these days. In 2016 there was 249,000 unique physical albums produced.  Up from 200,000 in 2005 and 100,000 in 1978 and 50,000 in 1968.

GOOD - not a big fan of oldies music.  It's good but why live in the past.

DJ always says - There are just no GREAT rock bands these days like Led Zeppelin.  Of course I say - you mean there are no rock bands as good as the best EVER?  (you get my point)!

NOTe - Except for Greta Van Fleet. it seems  LOL   

Nuff said.  Step away from the coffee