Where Are You, Storage People?

Today I endeavor to remember to call the people who manage my storage unit.  It's time for me to re-up; I think my lease ends at the end of March.  But I tried actually going to the storage place and dropping by their office, and both times the door was closed, even though I visited when they said they would be open.

I don't remember ever being "ghosted" by them.  They live at the complex, and I see them occasionally when I run in and grab some stuff in my unit.  They seemed like a decent, normal couple.  I therefore find it inexplicable that they wouldn't there during normal office hours.  And it's starting to scare me.  You see, I usually pay well enough in advance of the renewal date that they won't send notices to renew through the mail.  My parents don't know I pay for a storage unit.  Well, they do, and Father is a pussy ass bitch when he brings it up because he hates that I pay for a storage unit.  I play dumb and am all, "I don't know what you're talking about."  Anyway, even if I am just keeping up a charade, and even though my parents aren't coming back for another month (gulp, only a month?!), if they see a renewal notice through the mail when they start picking it up ... well, they can get violent is all I'll say.

I want to nip this in the bud, and I want to nip this in the bud now.  And so I hope I can call, give the couple my credit card information, tell/remind them not to send a renewal notice, and I'll be able to act like I haven't thrown all my shit into some 5'x5' tin container.

Fuck You, AXS

I just tried buying a ticket to the Big Ten Women's College Basketball Tournament Championship Game, which is on Sunday.  There were tickets to be had, and they were cheap, too -- twenty bucks for a conference title Game?  I'm surprised they aren't more.

But they are more, because I forgot all those goddamn service fees.  Those three motherfucking fees -- a "handling" fee, a "processing" fee, and a "web convenience" fee -- were almost, almost as much as the price of the fucking ticket itself.  So what initially was only $20 was very close to $40.  I have heard of tickets for concerts doubling in price after you add in fees, but a part of me still can't quite believe that any company would be so fuckin' brazen to double the cost of a ticket.

But that's fucking Ticketmaster for you.  Except that it's not Ticketmaster that's fucking me.  It's AXS, and I swear I thought Ticketmaster was the parent company of AXS.  Not so.  Ticketmaster is owned by LiveNation, and AXS by AEG.  Totally different companies, but totally colluding when it comes to jacking up the price of a ticket to an event with exorbitant and obscenely unnecessary fees.

All these fees are bullshit.  But if I had to pick out the worst of the three, it'd be the "web convenience" one, because that fee in and of itself is almost ten bucks.  I think I can avoid that if I go to the Target Center box office.  It'll be a pain in the ass to drive to downtown from work, and to do so in the middle of rush hour.  Plus, I don't know if I'll be able to make it before they close down the box office at 6 today/Monday.  But if it saves me $10, the hassle and the price for parking will be worth it.  Paying twice as much for a ticket to a Game is unfair and goddamn absurd.

The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey

Positive Numbers: Gopher women's hockey (Last Week: -1).  It really isn't special that these Gophers swept St. Thomas over two Games to get into the WCHA Final Faceoff again.  (Their last four Games are Wins over the Tommies, by the way.)  But considering their male counterparts are also rolling but that they're three Weeks behind in their schedule compared to where the women are in theirs, I figure that it's justified that the Gopher men get to rise above negative numbers, and since the Gopher women have accomplished slightly bit more, they not only get the top spot for the Week but also get to Positive Numbers.

The competition now suits the Gophers program.  They once again host the conference tournament at Ridder Arena, and they, as the second Seed, face third-seeded Wisconsin Friday evening.  The winner of that Game advances to the title Match the next afternoon -- probably top-seeded Ohio St. but possibly fourth-seeded Minnesota-Duluth.

#0: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: 0).  They finish off their regular season with a sweep of eighth-ranked Ohio St. at Mariucci.  And while they won two different ways, both outcomes wound up not being close.  On Friday they blanked the Buckeyes, 4-0, all of their Goals coming in a span of 6:15 (the middle two on Power Plays 39 Seconds apart) in the Second Period.  In yesterday/Saturday afternoon's tilt, the U. actually was down 2-0 (the first coming with 3.4 Seconds left in the First Period, the second coming 66 Seconds into the Second) before they answered with five straight.  Mind you, this Ohio St. team is, or was, ranked in the top ten.

So the U., regular season champs of the Big Ten, have the bye for next Week's Quarterfinals, which are best-of-3.  The Gophs host on March 11 the worst-seeded of the three squads that win.

#-1: United FC (New Season!).  Where's Rey?  The weirdest story in Twin Cities sports is the quiet disappearance of Loons talisman Emanuel Reynoso.  Ever since their season ended at FC Dallas, he has been nowhere to be found.  If MNUFC brass knows where he is and why he hasn't reported to Minnesota, they're not telling, and I don't know if they do know.  All that we do know is that he has been suspended, without pay, for failing to report.  Please note that Bebelo has been in some criminal trouble in the past, including an incident where he pistol-whipped some kid.

I am a season-ticketholder and even I didn't quite know what was going on until recently.  Just saying that if this were a more high-profile sport -- like if Justin Jefferson just peaced out to Louisiana and didn't show up for the pre-season in Eagan -- all the news departments in this area would be sending teams to Louisiana to figure out what the hell is going on.

Reynoso is that important to this franchise.  Maybe even more important, considering he is the only star player United FC has.  So without him and his playmaking ability, what do you do?  Well, the regular season starting last/Saturday night, and Head Coach Adrian Heath jettisoned is his pet 4-2-3-1 in favor of a 4-4-2.  His most flexible player, the getting-to-be-indispensable Robin Lod, became a Midfielder and the side's pivot.  And ... it worked ... ?  Going back to the place where last season ended, MNUFC began this season with a clutch 1-0 Win over FCD, a victory I didn't think was forthcoming.  And it was Forward Mender Garcia off a rebound in the 48th Minute to give the Loons that Win.

Look, even if Reynoso (some fans are calling him "Reyno-show," and that's funny as hell) reports today, he'll need time to get in shape.  And if he just disappeared this quickly and utterly, will he come back at all?  This will be a different, and possible new, club going forward.

With the addition of expansion team St. Louis City SC this Year, Major League Soccer has now grown to 29 teams, so one team every Match cycle will have a pseudo-bye.  Next Week just happens to be Minnesota.  The following Week they play at Allianz Field for the first time this Year against the New York Red Bulls.

#-2: Wild (Last Week: -2).  This team has been teasing us.  Victories over Nashville, Los Angeles and Columbus extended their winning streak to four, but that ended Friday with a 2-1 Overtime Loss in Toronto.  Their good form as of late has firmed up their playoff status, however; they're still in Wild Card playoff position, but their four Points clear of Calgary, the team that sits in ninth place.

That gives General Manager Bill Guerin no clarity as to whether this team should be buyers or sellers as the Trade Deadline comes on Friday.  The Wild appear to be a decent squad for now, but I don't think there is a difference-maker for which using all their available cap space makes sense.  I am encouraged by how they're playing, but they're now winning the Cup this Year.

Their annual after-tournament Sunday matinee is a return fixture with the Blue Jackets this afternoon.  That's followed up with a home date with the Islanders and the return of both Zach Parise and Cal Clutterbuck, the latter of whom appears to have been playing longer than the Minnesota Wild franchise.  They then strike out to northwest Canada to play Vancouver and said Bastard Atlanta Flames.

#-3: Gopher softball (Last Week: -4).  The first notable victory for this team came last Sunday, when they clipped Virginia, 2-1, in eight Innings in their last contest in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.  They then went from Chapel Hill, N. C., to Waco, Tex., for the Baylor Invitational, where they battered Texas A&M - Commerce in five, 17-0, lost to the host Bears (who are ranked) in eight, 3-2, then, in Minnesota's next two notable Wins, beat ranked Maryland (in what probably is billed as non-Conference Game)s, 4-1 and 5-1.  They finish up this tourney with a second bite of Baylor.  After this, the third tourney for the U. happens in Fullerton, Calif., and the Judi Garman Classic.  Five Games, five different opponents -- Oregon Friday, LSU and the host Titans Saturday.

#-4: Timberwolves (Last Week: -3).  This ballclub remains incredibly frustrating to get a read on.  Jon Krawczynski, Timberwolves beat reporter for The Athletic, noted that their first Game after the All-Star Break, Friday night at home to Charlotte, is an important one.  These guys will be playing way more road Games than home, and most of their Games in total are against teams in or fighting for a playoff spot.  The Hornets are 19-43.  And they went into Target Center and beat the Timberwolves, 121-113.  While that doesn't damage their playoff hopes, this feels like a big blow in their efforts to get out of the Play-In Tournament.  By the way, the Western Conference remains super-tight; fourth and 13th place are separated by only 4 1/2 Games, and the Woofie Dogs are one of three squads tied for seventh.

One of those times they're tied with is The Golden State Warriors, and it just so happens that their four-Game trip to Cali starts there tonight/Sunday night.  From there they stop in Los Angeles to face the Clippers and The Team That Was Stolen From Us v.1.0., and then on to Sacramento.

#-5: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -5).  This squad is only up this high because it played, and lost, only one Game, at Michigan St. on Wednesday by four.  Head Coach Lindsay Whalen said in a news story last Week that, and I'm paraphrasing, "Things will get better next season.  Believe it."  Sorry, Coach, but I don't.

The only saving grace is that this/Sunday afternoon's Game at Williams versus Purdue is the last Game of the regular season.  The B1G Tournament, being held at Target Center, begins Wednesday.  It'll all be over soon.

#-6: Whitecaps (Last Week: -7).  Oh, no, Whitecraps, what the fuck?!  I was stunned that I saw them lose to Buffalo last Saturday.  But they followed that up with a 1-0 loss to the Beauts the next afternoon.  They just got swept by The Worst Team In The Premier Hockey Federation at home.  And then they lost by that same 1-0 score last/Saturday night at Richfield Ice Arena to an actually good team, The Toronto Six.  A three-Game losing streak has allowed The Connecticut Whale to start gaining on them for third place.  And it's not getting any better; after finishing up this afternoon against Toronto, they'll play at first place Boston Friday and Saturday.

#-7: Gopher baseball (Last Week: -6).  I'll just say it: This program has been underachieving the last two, three Years, and it shouldn't be happening.  They have championship pedigree -- sure, the NCAA titles were won more than half a century ago, but they still count -- relative recent success in the conference, a stadium that still is on the young-ish side, and support in a metropolitan area.  They have the means to fix this.  If they want to.

They lost to California-Santa Barbara a second time, this one a 13-2 ass-kicking.  They took New Mexico to 12 Innings but lost, 4-3.  And then in a neutral-ish site in Fort Myers, Fla. (the Spring Training home of the Minnesota Twins), these Goofers lost the first two of a planned three-Game set vs. Saint Louis.  They've started the season 0-6.

They finish up the series against the Billikens this/Sunday afternoon.  They open the home-ish portion of their schedule Wednesday when they play a one-off versus Wisconsin-Milwaukee at U. S. Bank Stadium.  And then the Cambria College Classic comes, a pretty nifty early-season tournament where Minnesota and two other Big Ten teams (Nebraska and Maryland, so, in other words, two other Big Ten-ish teams) face three out-of-conference teams over the weekend.  Those out-of-conference teams usually came from the same league, but not this Year: Those three are Vanderbilt and Ole Miss from the SEC, and Hawai'i of the Big West.  I usually go to the Sunday nightcap, but 1) I might work overtime, 2) the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament culminates with the title Game late that afternoon, and 3) I just saw that they shifted up the first Game on Sunday, the Terps playing the Rainbows, to 9:30, which I understand because Hawai'i has a hell of a flight home but that's insanely early to play any important sporting event.  So I might go Saturday.

#-Infinity: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -8).  There is one thing I neglected to mention about this sorry-ass ballclub in last Week's WMNSS.  This team had not one but two Games postponed in a matter of eight Days: The one at Illinois because the Goofs got pinched with COVID-19, and the one at Michigan St. because of that horrific mass shooting there.  I can't remember the last time a men's college basketball team had two of their Games postponed and/or cancelled for separate reasons.  But seeing as how shitty their season has been, I can't help but think that the remaining members on this squad breathed a sigh of relief because of their, uh, "good fortune."  For other squads -- well, any one that isn't going through a 12-Game losing streak -- they would hate the disruption and abhor that they need to reschedule Games because, say, too many people got pinched with the coronavirus.  But this isn't your ordinary sucky club.  I'm sure these guys can't wait to get out of Dinkytown to air out the stink that comes from this program -- literally and figuratively.

Nevertheless, they are contractually obligated to make up those tilts.  And the one at Illinois that was set to be played back on the 7th was played Monday, and they lost it by nine.  They then went to Maryland and lost to the Terrapins Wednesday by 18.  And then they went to Nebraska yesterday/Saturday afternoon and lost by 11.  Hence the dozen-Game losing streak.

And yet their worst Loss, maybe in many Years, happened Friday.  Five-star Center Dennis Evans, the highest-rated recruit Head Coach Ben Johnson managed to snag (out of California) in his young tenure at the U., has asked Minnesota to be released from his commitment.  I cannot help but think that all this sucking has convinced Evans to avoid this dumpster fire at all odds.  Can't blame the kid.  You might even feel sorry for Johnson.  But it's his program.  The savior has decided this program can't be saved, so it's all on Johnson to figure out, with much less-touted players, how to make this university respectable again.

Until then, I have to give these guys another #-Infinity.  It's supposed to be rare.  But the depths of losing continues apace for this sorry-ass ballclub.

Broke Out Of Parking Ramp Jail

For the past several years -- well, ever since St. Paul extended enforcement of their parking meters past 4 p.m. during the workweek and on Saturdays -- I have had a pet parking ramp I use.  It's five bucks, it's relatively close to the Xcel Energy Center, and I have learned where it is in tricky "grid" of St. Paul to the point I've got it memorized.

Unfortunately, it looks as though I have to find another spot to park when I go into St. Paul.  I had a couple times where I was stuck at the gate trying to leave because ... I don't remember, the gate wouldn't raise.  Anyway, tonight I saw that the door to get back into the ramp is now locked and can only be opened by scanning the Quick Response code on the ticket you got when you came in.  Or at least that's theoretically how the door can open.  Because I scanned it, several times, and it wouldn't open.  I was prompted to call the attendant and pushed that button, several times, but no one answered.  I was pretty damn lucky that some other car came in to the ramp -- at 10 at night -- so I could get into the parking ramp through the entrance ramp.  Almost ran into the gate, though.

Got even more harry once I got in.  They used to have a pay kiosk at the lobby of one of the levels where you could pay.  Not any more.  I needed to use, yes, a QR code to pay through the app.  Probably needed to register, crap like that.  But I don't, because I couldn't pay through the app.  I had to search for my ticket on this app, but I kept getting a damn "Internal Service Error" message.

So my only recourse, because I didn't want to get stuck in a parking ramp in St. Paul at night, was to drive down to the gate and smash that attendant button.  I thought I would have to call 911 and get a cop to get me out of there, the way things were going.  But thank Buddha the advent of contactless payment hadn't yet reached this ramp, because I could use my credit card down there.  I don't remember if you could do that before.

Anyhoo, as I left, I saw a couple at that same door I was locked out of.  They probably were smashing that button, too.  I said a little prayer for them as I drove away.  Maybe they'll have a good Samaritan drive in to the ramp because they need to work third shift or something.

You know, if I'm going to face such difficulty at this parking ramp, maybe I just won't go into St. Paul anymore.

Am I Lactose-Intolerant Or Not?

Going out in about half an hour to watch EPL in downtown Minneapolis (at least hopefully; this pub likes to also showcase rugby, and the 6 Nations Games are being played at the same time, and as of right now I have no interest in watching rugby) is not the best to get the shits.

Had a banana and coffee at work yesterday/Friday (with a hash brown just before going into work), then I went to a friend's birthday party at our college football Game-watching place where I got a beer pretzel and a couple pieces of cake she brought.  Then I went to Subway to buy a sandwich with a two-dollar off "coupon" on the app which expired end of day.  Went to be dearly, got up early, got thirsty, realized I should polish off the milk that's still in the fridge, and off I went to the bathroom.

I guess the combination of all those things would go through my system.  But once in a while, when I drink milk first thing in the morning, that triggers my execratory system to go into overdrive.  I thought that was because I am lactose-intolerant.  However, I have switched to lactose-free milk, including this carton I just finished, and I'm still running into the bathroom.  So I'm not lactose-intolerant ... but it's something else in the milk (and it's regular cow milk, not oak or almond or soy) that's giving me the runs?

Asked my doctor this once during my physical and he said it wasn't worth testing.  Just try lactose-free milk to see if anything changes.  Thing is, I still don't know.  So (shrug)

Wrong Measurement

By the way, I'm going to amend the amount of snow I said fell between Tuesday and yesterday.  I think it's less than 11 inches, not ten.  I measured around less than six when I popped outside yesterday, so if it were ten, then I had to have measured less than four Wednesday evening, and I know that's not true.  Then I looked over a text I sent my sister Wednesday night where I said I measured less than five.  Whoops.

So, less than five plus less than six equals ... well, let's just say less than 11.  Maybe 10 1/2.  Or less than 11.

Oh, by the way, I measured before plowing; I think I got less than ten inches total at my house.  I have heard most other places got at least a foot; some places got 18 or 19 inches.  The forecast, I heard, was a foot and a half.  Yes, I guess there was much less snow than forecast.  But I'm not mad, unlike some other dumb idiots on social media.  For one, these people are just trying to help.  For another, you can't predict the future.  And finally, ten is much less than 18 or 19, but it's still a hell of a lot.  It's not as if there was so little snow that I could have driven to work but I stayed home because much more was forecast.  People are dicks a lot of the time.

I'm Playing Hooky Today, Or At Least It Feels Like It

I'm at home.  I'm not at work.  Yesterday afternoon, my boss put out an e-mail saying that if we didn't feel safe going out to work today, don't.  Honestly, considering what the meteorologists said was going to happen between then and now, it was a fait accompli that I was not going to go in today.  All I had to do was text in the morning.  I did, about 17 minutes after my shift was supposed to start, and I will trust that there won't be any blowback from him or his higher-ups, either for not coming in today or saying I won't come in today after my shift technically started.

But here's the thing: I'm looking outside and it looks ... OK.  Maybe even nice?  I don't know if the snow has stopped, but we're not being assaulted by it like we were last night or, I assume, overnight.  Any clouds in the sky are thin.  The sun might be poking out today, if it isn't now.  What I haven't done is open my front door.  I have looked through my windows at the back deck and the driveway and there is snow.  How much?  Don't know.  Could I drive through it?  Maybe, although I'd have to plow my driveway first.  What I wonder is how passable the roads beyond my driveway are.  Things look nice right now, but there's no use in leaving the house just because I have a snowblower if it's freakin' Hoth out there.

I have to admit, however, that a part of me still feels like I'm playing hooky, that I should be at work.  Not only is the weather right now making me feel like outside is drivable, but I also remember what happened just after the New Year.  I didn't know it at the time, but the storm we had back then (what I only learned when doomscrolling about this storm that that storm has been dubbed "The Big Mess") dumped 15 inches.  I made it to work the four days this system technically was in the area.  There was one day I came in 70 minutes late to clear my driveway, but otherwise, everything was normal.  I'm sort of bothered that I didn't plow and go into work today, or at least didn't have the attitude that I could have done more, or anything, to come into work today.  The difference, the way I see it, is that weather forecasts were warning upwards of a week ago that this storm had the potential to dump an historic amount of snow, much of which would (or should) be blowing around to the point that drivers would be facing blizzard conditions.  I don't remember them saying that about "The Big Mess."  I don't know if the snow totals or the driving conditions from this snowstorm are as bad as it's been made out to be.  But the stay-at-home recommendations were made, and I heeded them, and that's why I'm blogging from home in the early afternoon.  Again, I hope my company will understand.

I mean, companies should, right?  Our work comes from the South, and at least once a year (at least it seems like it) there isn't a shipment because a storm down there is so bad that no one down there can get to work.  I don't live down there, and I don't live their lives, so I try not to wonder whether it was really impossible to drive, or were they just being careful.  So then I have to stop and wonder why I'm being so gung ho for work.  I like my job, and for the most part I like my company.  But what should one risk to get to work on one day in not-ideal conditions?  If this were a 24-hour blizzard, and it was snowing heavily in the morning and still is right as I type this, of course I wouldn't go into work.  But how about what might be true now, where the worst of the storm is past us and now it might just be a matter of getting the snow out of the way and driving slowly?  Shouldn't this still be a case of staying home, just to be safe?

I kind of liken a situation like this to the more, uh, "enlightened" thinking behind staying home that some people have turned to once the pandemic hit.  Back in the early days when there was no vaccine for COVID-19, you were told to stay home if you think you got it.  Of course, since there was no weapon against which we could fight this virus, you didn't want to spread it if you got it.  I think that made many of us reconsider the idea of working while sick, or fighting through what you think may be a cold.  You really don't know what you have, and you don't know how sick you truly are, so why would you go into work and possibly infect someone?  That seems obvious for something as deadly (at the time) like the coronavirus.  But what about the flu, an illness that's been around for centuries and something I and many, many people have fought off but has, all-time at least, killed more people than COVID?  If you're sick with the flu, even if you can work while coughing and powering through your aches and pains, shouldn't you stay home?

OK, so maybe people stay home with the flu all the time.  I don't, or at least I haven't.  But maybe we should revisit the idea that we need to get to work at all costs.  In fact, maybe risking life and limb shouldn't be the height of the bar to which we decide not to work.  Maybe that bar should be lower -- like, for example, a lot of snow but only flurries now and, maybe, most of the main roads clear.

Or, maybe I'm just trying not to feel guilty about not going into work.  Yeah, feeling as though I've done the smart thing here is difficult.

Night Shoveling; Day Working; Facebook Slot Machine Avoiding/Forgetting

So I just got in from shoveling for about half an hour.  I started at a quarter to 3 and got done a quarter after.  To be clear, that's just now, this morning, overnight.  There was no one around while I was shoveling -- no cars, no strange people walking outside at night at the onset of a blizzard that might be my open door and think they can kill me and live in my house.

Anyway, I went to eat out -- maybe for the final time if I don't survive this storm -- after work (and thankfully the snow that started mid-afternoon wasn't too bed for me to drive home), and I got so tired that after seeing all but the first minute of Night Court (and that still irks me that I didn't leave the restaurant five minutes earlier!) that I went to bed around 7:30 and woke up around midnight.  I've been up ever since.  I had the energy, and I wanted to make sure that I could get to work in, uh, a couple hours, so why not go out and shovel?  At least I would know how bad the snow is.  And it's ... well, it's not great, but I hope shoveling the driveway behind my car and the part of the street that would be plowed onto the end of my driveway if a private snowplow drove down the street now will clear enough snow that I could leave the house and start my job.

So I'm glad I did it now.  I might have been able to power through the snow if I didn't shovel just now, but I'm not that sure.  I'm just glad my parents weren't here to stop me from doing what I want to do overnight.  Besides, I need the exercise.

The forecasters have consistently said that this phase of the storm, which should end in the morning, will be far better than the white hell we're going to face starting in the afternoon.  There's a steady stream of light snow now; if it stays this way through the end of the phase, I'll take it.  It's just getting home that scares the crap out of me.

---

I have a good boss.  Really, I do.  With that being said (and I hate to only point him out whenever I have a disagreement with him), I found it kind of tone deaf when, with this impending snowstorm coming, he sent all of his workers yesterday an e-mail saying that overtime is being offered because we're backed up again.  OK, maybe he had to put it out there, I don't know.  But we are in the middle of what will probably be an epic blizzard, and he's telling us we can endanger out lives and be at work for longer than we already are?!  I e-mailed him that maybe instead of OT, he could explain what we're going to do if we can't get to work (or the delivery can't make it to work, or if the plane can't bring out work to the airport) because it's damn Hoth outside tomorrow/Thursday.  We'll play it by ear, he says, which may be the only thing we can do, but dammit it's a whole lot worse to be reactive than proactive.  And that still doesn't explain if he knew how it, and he, looked when firing off an e-mail about potentially making more money when we should be worrying about surviving this storm.

No, I won't be coming in early or staying late this week.  If there wasn't a blizzard, yes, I would.  But there is, so I won't.  Besides, I worked there Sunday.  I've done my OT.

---

So I said I woke up at midnight.  I doomscrolled through my phone and did not get to my laptop, and that sucks, because the daily slot machine day ends at 2 every morning, and I failed to take my free spin, and so I broke my streak and have to go back to Day 1, which I just did.

Nowadays, if I want to go to the Internet, I use my phone and not my computer.  I use my laptop to blog, like I'm doing now, and then I incidentally surf the Internet.  But if I don't feel like writing, I take to my phone.  That prevents me sometimes from going to Facebook and making sure I keep up with the streak.  Yes, circumstances right now (snowstorm, fear, drinking, passing out) are reasons I didn't do it, but still, it sucks.

Expenses Without Receipt

Starting from Monday, February 20:

• Actually, let's go back to Friday, February 17, when, after work, I celebrated the retirement party of a co-worker I don't know but who was important to work with because she gave me part of the work I need to work on every day.  Does that make sense?  I am usually reticent in hanging out with people at work.  I think there's something good about keeping your social spheres separate.  But I don't want to be an antisocial dick, either.  And my, uh, social club was having its monthly dinner five minutes away, and this party was relatively close to work, so it made sense to pop in for a quick gingerbread cider to huff down in half an hour.  (Gingerbread cider, by the way, is a tad sweet.)  It was good; I had a nice time with these people, and I didn't overstay my welcome.  That cider plus tip: $10.
• That monthly dinner goes to different places every month.  I will tell you that this time around they/we went to Khan's Mongolian Barbecue, a place I had not been to in at least a decade and a half.  I detailed the, uh, somewhat gross details here.  I did remember that it's customary to tip the people doing up the stir fry.  So since I had two bowls/dishes I tipped a total of: $2.
• Back on Wednesday the 15th, ********a came over.  She was in town from western Minnesota for a few days.  It was supposed to be for a bed dance, but it morphed into a massage with me totally naked -- you know, the way ******a does ... well, did, since I think she's going through a mental breakdown right now.  She said that next month, when she's back in town, she'll rub me down good and proper.  Good -- even though I don't she'll touch my pee-pee.  The price I paid for the massage is the same amount I was going to pay for her dances: $100.
• When she was done I felt the need to eat, even though I probably didn't have to.  The local Chick-Fil-A was offering me a free chicken sandwich, so I took them up on it.  Paid for a bowl of tortilla soup, and I was surprised how big the bowl was (even though it wasn't that big, it's a hell of a lot bigger than the cups of soup you usually see).  Quite filling, too.  So a bowl of chicken tortilla soup and the free grilled chicken sandwich (got that instead of the original sandwich) came out to: $8.99.
• Back to Valentine's Day: Starting my day off at Caribou for a mocha and oatmeal.  I need to eat more oatmeal.  With tip: $11.27.
• When a loser like me goes to a strip club to find love.  I went to My Favorite Stripclub (Cover Division) to see my ATF again.  Yeah, I dropped 21 dances for her.  Don't think I mind it.  With cover, tips and an Angry Orchard I spent: $231.
• After the strip club I had time to dive into Pancheros, aka brokedown Chipotle.  I shouldn't say brokedown; they're cheaper, and they promote the fact that they mix up the ingredients in your burrito or bowl, which I think is a good thing.  Unfortunately, I got charged for extra guacamole when I didn't order it.  And the cashier said he couldn't take it off because he was new.  I wanted a drink to go, but he could only give me an item up to the price of the extra guac.  Hemmed in, and instead of offering a promise he'll discount me next time (I had no trust that this guy would still be working at this place next time), I got the guacamole I paid for and didn't want.  I like the food here; it's almost as good as Chipotle at a cheaper price point.  But this blown charge, man, means that I can't come back here for a while.  But I tipped anyway because I didn't want to look like the bad guy: $1.
• Assuming I had receipt stretching back till then, we go back to Friday, February 3 ... ***e* was in town, asked if she could get me off, and it just so happens that she is staying with ***u** while she was in Minnesota, so instead of just one person masturbating me, there were two.  Totally happy, I just wanted to be double-teamed when I wanted to be double-teamed.  Had to pay: $240.
• I don't know if this was the day I found a quarter and a penny on the ground, but I had to put this EWR somewhere.  An Infusion of: 26 cents.
• We go all the way back to Saturday, January 21, when I went to a party.  ***u** invited me, but at the time she still owed me money, so I tried getting any dance from her at a discount.  She finally relented, and thank God, because she is one hell of a lover.  I would stop seeing her if she kept saying she didn't owe me money when she did, but, well, she didn't.  With cover, this handjob only cost me: $100.
• Finally, on Friday the 20th ******a came over.  She was going through a mental breakdown, which I detailed here.  Suffice it to say that even though she is physically attractive and I appreciate her massaging me while naked, her paranoid bullshit had to stop.  I haven't seen her since this date, and while my muscles ache, I don't mind it.  Well, at least not right now.  Her going rate for rubdowns is: $120.

Good through February 20.

Goddamn Motherfucking Snowstorm Of The Fucking Century

Well, what the meteorologists hinted at last week appears to be coming true this week: We will have an epic, and possibly historic, blizzard.  All the models agree that, all told (from Tuesday through Thursday, although all the weather people insist there will be a sizable lull Wednesday), a foot of snow is certain, 15 inches is all but certain, and the consensus is that there will be -- my fucking God -- 20 inches of snow once all this shit is over.  There's a plausible chance -- not good, but apparently plausible -- that the Twin Cities could see two feet.  The record snowfall from a storm is the infamous Halloween Blizzard at just more than 28 inches.  Everybody says this storm will fall short, but the final total will be in the ballpark.

Goddamn.  Motherfucker.  I am emotionally upset right now because I fear this storm -- all of its aspects, whether it be driving through it or plowing it, and plowing it, and plowing it.  I was in high school for the Halloween Blizzard, so I remember it, but I don't remember it being all that bad because, frankly, I was a kid and I didn't have to deal with driving or shoveling all the snow.  My parents did that, or Grandmother did.  But I was a child studying to go to college, and I didn't need to be distracted by that shit.  This time around, though, it's just me here, and I have responsibilities.  So it falls on me to deal with all this snow -- on the roads, on my driveway, and, fuck, on the roof.

I'm actually scared that this fucking blizzard will kill me.  Can't be 100% sure it won't.

Don't have anything to do tonight.  I have planned to go to a coffeeshop to work on my expenses and maybe some alumni stuff.  However, Margo Price is playing at First Ave.  I have heard many of Margo Price's songs.  Tickets are available, and for a total (including fees) of $41.56.  I am surprised that there are tickets still available to her show, and that the cost isn't unreasonable.  (I am still reading City Pages I have kept from 2011.  First Avenue always had an advertisement in it showing off their upcoming concerts.  I am blown away that many of the concerts were selling, without fees, for under $20.)

That makes me think that I should go, as if these are signs that I should see Margo Price.  Quite frankly, however, while I respect her and her music ... shoot, I can't say that I was ever curious about going to her show until recently.  I feel bad, partly because there were other acts who have thinner discographies whose shows I did look forward to for weeks.  And there are other acts who have songs that I like a lot.  For example, Stephen Sanchez has that song, "Until I Found You," that is a perfect throwback to the 50's.  He's playing next Sunday at the Fine Line.  And that show is sold out.  And I am bummed; even though I only like one song of his -- I'll confess; even though I only know one song of his -- if the price is reasonable, I would go see Stephen Sanchez.  But I probably can't.

I just don't feel that ... enthused about Margo Price.  Guess I'll take the time tonight to do paperwork that needs to get done.  My God, this isn't supposed to be a slam post about Margo Price.  I now feel guilty.

The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey

#0: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -3).  Congratulations to the University of Minnesota men's hockey team.  The Big Ten says that once Ohio St. and Michigan went to a Shootout on Friday night, the Golden Gophers clinched this Year's regular season crown, their second straight and sixth overall.  May not mean anything because it ain't a championship, sure.  But it's still a well-earned accomplishment that's worth at least the top spot in this Week's WMNSS and a non-negative number.

I have spoken a lot here about how much talent is on this squad, and how it's meshing very well this season.  I'm still somewhat optimistic at their chances of raising that trophy and finally giving this metropolitan area a title-winning team of any sort for the first time since the Lynx in '17.  But it might be more important to note that the crowds at Mariucci are finally coming back in full force.  I attended the second Game of the season, October 2 vs. Lindenwood, and even though I have seen more scant attendances, it wasn't by much.  I think fans are finally believing in this team and are reveling in every Win and landmark they claim.  (Side note: I think this Year's team is taking a big step to [and this might be a harsh term, but I think it's somewhat accurate] erasing the history of the Golden Gophers' long-term tenure with the WCHA.  The series they've had against Michigan, definitely this Year but I'll also include last Year's, are the hard-worn rivalries that will form the foundation of Big Ten hockey.)

Oh, by the way, they swept the Nittany Lions at Penn St. over the weekend, even though last/Saturday night's contest went into Overtime.  They get to pay back the Buckeyes for what they did this weekend by hosting them next weekend in the final regular season series of 2022-3.

#-1: Gopher women's hockey (Last Week: -6).  In their final series of the regular season, these Gophers swept St. Thomas on the road (at Mendota Heights), even though the Friday Match went to OT.  They will probably face the seventh-seeded Tommies again to start the WCHA Tournament next Week ... or they could face last-place Bemidji St. as a result of winning the WCHA regular season title.  That will happen only if Wisconsin upsets Ohio St. a second straight Game this/Sunday afternoon.  For the record: Besides possibly/probably not winning the regular season crown, I am placing the Gopher women's hockey team below the men because I am more certain that this club will not win the NCAA championship.  Would love to be proven wrong, kids.

#-2: Wild (Last Week: -5).  General Manager Bill Guerin said recently that the team will tell him whether or not they will be buyers or sellers at the Trade Deadline.  Well, after going 1-2 this screening Week, it appears as though -- and if it doesn't appear, they should -- they will be sellers.  Or at least the third wheel in a three-way Trade.  I don't know how exactly it shook out, but once the dust settled, the trade, the most important part of which was Ryan O'Reilly going from St. Louis to Toronto, had the Wild trading away prospect Forward Josh Pillar, retaining a quarter of O'Reilly's remaining salary, and obtaining a fourth-Round pick from the Maple Leafs for the 2025 Draft.  Not this or next Year's Drafts, but the one in 2025.

Some fans are up in arms, but The Athletic's Michael Russo broke down the hows and whys of this three-way.  If Russo says it makes sense, then it makes sense.  I just wonder if Guerin will move Jordan Greeway and Matt Dumba before the Trade Deadline of March 3.  Right now it looks like GMBG is operating a third way these upcoming Weeks: Using the organization's available cap space (and he somehow has built in enough for a team that's operating with about 14 million fewer dollars than all the other teams in the NHL) to either clear cap space in future Years or clear enough space this Year to go for a player that he thinks might push the Wild over the top.  But like I said, that latter possibility happens only if Guerin thinks this team is good enough to make some noise in the playoffs.

Here's the kicker.  I am with a bunch of doomsaying Mild fans in thinking the team should just tank.  They haven't been playing well in 2023, that's for sure.  But if the playoffs were to start now, they'd be in the playoffs.  The last spot, sure, but they'd be in.  Whoda thunkit?

Oh, by the way, their sole Win this screening Week was at home against The Team That Was Stolen From Us v.2.0.  I don't have too many hard and fast rules here in The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey, but one of them, and this only applies to the Wild, is that I weigh results versus The Bastard North Stars much more than other Games, either ones the Mild play or ones the other teams on this survey play.  So if this team only loses one Game in a Week but it's against The Bastard North Stars, I dock them as if they lost more than one Game.  Now, they defeated The Team That Was Stolen From Us v.2.0 in a Shootout, but it's still a Win, and since they've had a similar Week to, and are in a similar spot with, the Timberwolves, that victory puts them ahead of the Woofie Dogs.

Busy Week ahead.  They host Nashville this/Sunday afternoon and finish their seven-Game homestand against Los Angeles Tuesday.  While the X hosts the Girls' State High School Hockey Tournament, Minnesota will visit Columbus and Toronto back-to-back, Thursday and Friday.

#-3: Timberwolves (Last Week: -4).  Wrapped up the first half of the season outlasting a hellacious Fourth Quarter run by the Mavericks (led by newly acquired Kyrie Irving, paired up with Luka Doncic for the first time ever) to beat Dallas in Dallas, then losing at home to Washington.  There are so many lingering questions that can't be answered until Karl-Anthony Towns is back, and then you add the departure of D'Angelo Russell (traded to The Bastard Minneapolis Lakers) as another variable this team has to get used to.  How is this team when it's at its best?  Will they even find it that level this season?

What may save the Timberwolves is the uncommon, and maybe even historic, compression in the Western Conference.  If the playoffs were to start now, they would be in eighth place and visiting New Orleans to play for a spot in the "real" playoffs.  They're only three Games behind third place.  They're also only three Games ahead of 13th.  That's fucking ridiculous -- and that may give the Wolves the time to figure things out for, ideally, a deep playoff run.

They're at the All-Star Break now.  They resume play Friday when they host Charlotte.

#-4: Gopher softball (Last Week: -2).  For me, some screening Weeks kind of just hit you with the reality that a team isn't going to be as good as you'd hope it'd be.  I unfortunately feel that way right now about the Gopher softballers.  After finishing the Northern Lights Tournament with a second, bookending victory over Western Kentucky, they went to Chapel Hill for the ACC/B1G Challenge and have promptly lost their first three Games there, two to host North Carolina and one to Virginia.  These are the first BcS schools they're facing, and no doubt they will face many more.  But coming off a 4-1 tournament against non-BcS competition, it feels as though they are out of their depth against fellow majors, and that's not a good sign.

One more tournament tilt versus the Cavaliers this/Sunday morning, then they had to Waco, Tex., for the Baylor Invitational next weekend.  Scheduled opponents (apparently they're not all firmed up yet) include the host Bears, Texas A&M-Commerce and ... Maryland, which is weird for two reasons: 1) They're a conference (well, "conference," because I still can't fucking believe Maryland isn't in the ACC because they should be) team, but I am guessing this will count as a non-conference Game, which still doesn't make sense to me, and 2) Maryland is the other B1G squad playing alongside the U. in this weekend's ACC/Big Ten Challenge.  Are they going to Waco on the same plane?  They should; they can split money on a ride.

#-5: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -Infinity).  It's still pretty fuckin' wild to me that the Gopher hockey teams are riding as high as the Gopher basketball teams are sinking low.  Don't believe that's happened before.  Anyway, the female b-ballers are here because they somehow eked out a Win Wednesday, 95-92 over Nebraska at The Barn, only their third conference victory of the season.  They then reverted to form yesterday/Saturday afternoon, getting humiliated at Northwestern, 76-62.

I have heard a lot about these Gophers turning the ball over seemingly every other possession.  I have looked up the statistics on NCAA.com; the team is averaging 17.6 Turnovers per Game.  I swear it was more.  The Goofs rank tied for 271st out of 350 top-flight women's basketball teams in that category.  I swear it was worse.  (Dead last, by the way, is Saint Peter's, at 22.8 TO/G.)  It is disquieting that a program led by a Hall Of Fame Point Guard has a team that turns the ball over so goddamn much.

Only one Game this screening Week, but it'll be a solemn one.  On Wednesday they travel to East Lansing and face Michigan St. at the campus of that horrible mass murder.

#-6: Gopher baseball (New Season!).  Traditionally, college baseball starts up a Week after college softball, so here come the male Nine.  They've started their Year in Surprise, Ariz., and the Sanderson Ford Classic.  And they've started off the season with two Losses, to California-Santa Barbara Friday night and Oregon St. yesterday/Saturday afternoon.  Don't freak out too bad; both the Gauchos and the Beavers are ranked ... in one poll; they're Receiving Votes in the other.  (Odd: Cal-Santa Barbara is ranked 14th in the poll Oregon St. is RV'ing in, and in the other poll, the Beavers are 18th but the Gauchos are Receiving Votes.)  Maybe we need to see more Games against teams their own size and caliber before assessing how good or bad they are.  But they play the Gauchos again tonight/Sunday night and then New Mexico tomorrow/Monday morning.  They then play a three-Game neutral-site series in Ft. Myers, Fla., vs. Saint Louis.

#-7: Whitecaps (Last Week: 0).  It may be the modest size of the Richfield Ice Arena and the paucity of parking surrounding it, but it looks as though the Whitecaps are making a name for themselves.  I built in some time to get to Richfield, and parking was still at a premium by the time I got there.  (The public address announcer during the Game said this is the franchise's first sellout at this arena, even though it looked like there were many spaces one could sit.)  Thankfully I managed to get a spot at an auxiliary site right next to the road.  If I didn't get that, I don't know where I would park, and I don't know if I would have been able to get to see puck drop in time.

Oh yeah, about the Game.  They lost.  They lost?  To last-place Buffalo?!  Yep, they did.  Defensive breakdowns were the story.  The second Beauts Goal came when two Whitecaps players collided just before the puck was being taken out of the Defensive Zone.  The dagger Goal came off a big rebound of a slap shot where only a Buffalo player was within four feet of the puck when it finally came down; that player promptly hiked it into the corner of the net while, presumably, all of the Whitecraps players were just standing around.  The 4-2 defeat snapped their winning streak at six.

All in all, it was a shocking and very disappointing performance by a Whitecaps club that I thought had things going their way.  This was not something I expected, let alone against a team that had won only two Games before last/Saturday night.  I thought they were going to win both Games this weekend.  And that's why I'm putting them this low in the WMNSS.  In case you haven't seen my principles in constructing this list before -- or if I have never spelled out my principles before -- I consistently give added weight for two things: 1) Games, Win or Loss, that I watch in person, and 2) their results against The Bastard North Stars (see above).

After finishing up with Buffalo (and maybe they'll win this one!), the Toronto Six come in for a two-fer beginning Saturday.  The Six are not in last place in the PHF, like the Beauts are, but second.

#-8: Gopher men's basketball (Re-Entry!).  On Wednesday they were supposed to play at Michigan St., but because of that mass murder, that contest has been cancelled.  Or postponed.  I don't know which.  I think they initially said cancelled, but now I'm not so sure.  Anyway, it is the second Golden Gopher Game in as many Weeks to not go off as scheduled due to unusual circumstances; remember that the Game in Illinois on February 7 was postponed because too many players on Minnesota's squad were injured.

That brings me to the point I want to raise here.  They're going through an absolutely shit season.  They're on a nine-Game losing streak with Losses this screening Week to Iowa and Penn St., both at Williams Arena.  But apparently they are riven with injuries this season, plus this is only Benn Johnson's second Year helming the U.  How much of a pass do you give him?  You can explain any injuries, but only to a certain point.  The best coaches -- and I assume Minnesota wants to be a top-tier program -- will be able to both recruit and develop depth.  Johnson certainly hasn't.  So are fans and boosters going to give him latitude and throw away this execrable season because so many players are hurt?  I don't want to give him such leeway, but maybe I'm being too harsh.  Or, maybe too many other people are being too forgiving.

On Monday they make up the Game at the Fighting Illini.  Wednesday they're in Maryland and they travel to Nebraska Saturday.  Those two postponements resulted in a de facto three-Game homestand (which, of course, they all lost).  All three Games this Week are on the road.  Karma?

Nightmare: Circumnavigating The Globe ... By Car

So right after work I stopped by a pub for a co-worker's retirement party, and then I went to a monthly dinner of my social club (for the first time ever for this particular club), which I was able to attend because it was very close to the retirement party, and that party's pub is not too far away from work.

It has been at least 15 years, at least, since I've had Mongolian barbecue.  Does traditional Mongolian cuisine consist of heaping bowlfuls of frozen meat and banging a gong once you're done?  Anyway, I thought I could go through three servings, but I only got to two, neither of which were that big (or tall; I saw these expert customers pile their modest bowls taller than the bowls were wide.  Oh, and I didn't wear gloves for my first serving, whoops).  My stomach got rumbly, left the social dinner early, went to Target, got home and quickly did my business, then decided I was tired, changed into my sleepwear, and turned off the lights.

I think I went to sleep around 9:30.  I think I woke up around 6:30.  Probably slept for less than nine hours, but it feels great.  Energizing, too, even though I didn't plan on waking up this early to finally see Grandmother's friend.  But at least I have time to blog post for the day, and I have one hell of a nightmare to blog post about ...

... as far as I remember, I was running hurriedly from place to place, even though I don't recall whether I was running around different places or different areas of this huge space.  I knew I had to leave, or "leave," because, I think, I needed to watch the Super Bowl.  At home, at a party, or somewhere else, don't remember.  So I'm looking at my watch and seeing on Google Maps how long it will take to get to my destination, and all this running around is eating into my drive time in order to get to where I want to go in time to watch kickoff of the Super Bowl.

Here is the thing: I think my drive, and I'm pretty sure in my nightmare that it was a drive, was taking me from Japan to Hawai'i to ... well, I don't remember.  I remember looking at Google Maps mapping out my "drive" from Japan to Hawai'i to my final destination, with direct lines charting my path on a picture of the world.  I remember that there was a Japanese pagoda in one of the places I was running around in.  And I also remember that I thought I had 4 1/2 hours before the Super Bowl started, and then all this running around meant I had only 3 1/2 hours before the Super Bowl started.  How am I going to drive from Japan to Hawai'i to wherever in only 3 1/2 hours and get to see kickoff in time?

And then I woke up.  This nightmare stands out in that even though I was running around, I know that I was not running away from anything or anyone.  My heart was beating, but not as hard as in other nightmares because in this nightmare I know that I wasn't being chased.  I was just ... annoyed, I guess.

(shrug)  What does this mean?

Welp, She's Now Encroaching On My Territory

I checked my schedule for next week.  After several weeks of working The Fourth Department, I will, starting next week, be working back there only two days a week.  The person who had recently taken the same position as I is finally going to begin training in this job.

Frankly, when I saw it on the calendar, I immediately felt defensive.  This is my territory, back off.  And then I have to be amazed at how territorial I've gotten with this job because six months ago, I would have paid anybody money to take the job I'm enjoying now.  It's such a 180 from how I felt back then.  Man, those were dark days; I felt embattled, it was a struggle for me to get out of there ten hours after I got in, and there were many moments when I wanted to bash my head against the monitors and quit.

A couple times I have looked back on the blog posts when I started off in this position on my own, and it's like I'm reading the blog of another person.  Now that I have seen most of what is thrown at me and can remember who to turn to in order to get the information I need, much of my job has become routine.  And now that it has become old hat ... well, I'm just repeating what I blog posted here, but I am currently enjoying the perks of working by myself back there in The Fourth Department now that I have been able to overcome the crap that comes with it.

But I do understand that this eventually was going to happen.  It doesn't make sense for only two people to know how to do this job.  And yet the more I think about it, the more I am going to hate data entry.  Not only will I not be able to just hide back there and sneak quick looks at the Internet, not only do I have to wake up an hour early for that position, but not needing to use my brain actually feels (at least right now, as I type this) like a big drawback as that leads me to feel very drowsy in the hours before I take my lunchtime nap.  Coming into this job I thought that keying would be the best job in the whole department.  I may feel differently once I get back into the groove of data entry, but right now, I am absolutely dreading going back to The Main Department three days a week.

Oh, and this means I have to clean up the area around the computer at The Fourth Department, too.  Having that workstation to myself these past several weeks meant that I could treat it as my own, and so I have been keeping my earbuds and coffee mug there.  I sometimes buy coffee and have kept the coffee cozies and stoppers on the desk.  Tuesday, before I go, I'll have to take all those and put them in my bag, and then sanitize the whole place.  Oh, and I'll have to erase the memory on the Internet browsers as well.  Man, switching out of The Fourth Department sucks!

RIP, COVID-19 Testing Place

So I went to the community COVID-19 testing place on Saturday.  Nowadays I drop by there just before visiting Grandmother's best friend in the nursing home.  What I do is swab my nose there, drive all the way down to either a Burger King or Dairy Queen (oh, wow -- king or queen ... I just got that), eat while getting the results of the test and, assuming it's negative (it was never positive), I could then proceed to see her at the nursing home.  Did that monthly for the past ... oh, many, many months.  It became a ritual, and this site became a place I didn't mind visiting to get a test because it was the state government's way of providing me with a means to see that I'm healthy enough to visit someone very old without fear I could give her something that could kill her.

That place is closed now.  Didn't know it when I went there Saturday, but I saw a sign saying that it closed ... well, I think it said January 30, which is a Monday, which is kind of a weird day to close up shop.  That place wasn't going to stay open forever, and with this impending end to the emergency declaration for the pandemic on May 11, its days really were numbered.  But I thought it would be open until then.  Moreover, this is Minnesota, a blue state completely run by Democrats.  I think they'd be smart enough to keep this community testing site open as a service to the public.  But it's closed, and I miss it because schlepping out there became a part of my life that used to be a pain the behind but became a familiar beat to my routine.  But it's gone now, gone forever.

OK, so I got a stripper, one I've known for a long time but one has always danced clean, who is coming over to the house tonight.  Assuming she's cumming alone (and I can't be sure of that; there's always the possibility that she'll bring a guy, "just to be safe," even though she's known me for years), I plan on, uh, surprising her by wearing shorts with no underwear on.  She says she's going to either be wearing or changing into a special Valentine's Day-themed lingerie set and give lap dances for me.  So, we could be relatively chaste and do a few on the couch ... or, I could convince her to do it in my bedroom, where she can lay on top of me, her moving around my crotch allows my hard dick to pop out (and you better believe it'll be hard; it's been years since I whipped it out in front of her), and then I can gently present her with an opportunity: Give her a bit more money than those for LDs in exchange for her finally touching my pee-pee -- or more.  Hey, it'll just be her and me.  I won't tell a soul!

Just thinking about is making this the highlight of my week.  Hope it works out!

Refuse To Engage

All I can, and should, say is that asshole whom I had to contact for work flew off his fucking handle again.  Forgot about this guy -- I swear I blog posted about him before, but I can't find it -- and I think he was actually decent and professional when he needed something from me several months ago.  But yesterday I needed information from him, and he responded like a whiny diaper baby.

I got all up in my dander with his condescending e-mail to me.  But I took a breath and I thought.  And then I e-mailed a different department to assist with this prick.  And I then I asked my co-worker for help.  This guy had the balls to e-mail me again, and this time his complaining exposed him for who he truly was: A drama queen.  Seeing that second e-mail made me less afraid of him and more ... I'd say done with him.  And that's when I remembered that I don't have to engage with this person.  In fact, I shouldn't take his bait.  It won't solve the problem, and it might get me in trouble.  I hate walking away because it always feels to me like I've "lost."  But there is so much else I can lose if I trusted my instincts and told this little bitch how I really felt.  So I didn't.  I pass it along to people who are paid to deal with these people.

Refuse to engage.  If that's an option, I should take it more often.  Now, what do I have to do if this little bitch comes at me again?

Addendum To: My Super-Specific Predictions For Super Bowl LVII

Yeah, I don't think any of my predictions came true.  But the Eagles lost, so I'm fine with it, lol!

My Super-Specific Predictions For LVII

Most people say this Game, between The Bastard Dallas Texans and the Philadelphia Eagles, will be a close one.  It pits the best team in both Conferences.  The oddsmakers opened the spread at PHI -1 1/2, and I don't think it's gone more than 3 anywhere.  And the ELO Rating, at least according to FiveThirtyEight, has the Kansas City Chiefs favored, though not by much.

So everyone I see expects this to be a close Game.  However, I just don't see it that way.  The final margin of victory I have decided on might be decided late on a desperation pass that turns into a pick-six, but I see one team stand out above the other: The Eagles.  Now, I don't like it.  The Chiefs seem to be a good and likable group of people, and I love the way Patrick Mahomes plays.  I like the city; been there a couple times, have been treated great (although the strip clubs could be a lot better).  And I like the small quirks Head Coach Andy Reid puts in the gameplan to make the players remember that this is a fun Game to play, quirks such as the Ring Around The Rosie in their last Game of the regular season.  Meanwhile, Eagles fans are assholes.  I'll never forgive them for bullying and punching Vikings fans when they traveled to Philly for the 2018 NFC Championship Game.  They also punch horses.  And they horseshit.  Really, they eat horseshit.  What kind of human does that?

So maybe it's my pessimism that's leading me to thinking that the Eagles are going to dominate the Chiefs.  But I think the Chiefs are going to have a bad Game, not dissimilar to their dismantling at the hands of The Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV.  With that, I begin my annual Super-Specific Predictions For LVII:

1) The big reason I think the Chiefs will not be the Chiefs in the Super Bowl: I think Mahomes's ankle sprain is worse than the team and he are letting on.  He is a capable, even superb, passer, but he pulls Games into his gravitational pull because he can scramble, improvise and extend plays with his feet.  I don't think he'll be able to do that with his ankle sprain.  So he won't run much, probably 15 Yards or fewer, and while I can see him throwing for just about 300 Yards and two Touchdowns, I think he'll be forced into two Interceptions.  And he'll be sacked at least twice.

2) Kansas City lost SBLV because it went into the Game without their starting Tackles and the Offensive Line as a result got run over, play after play.  They have poured millions of dollars into the OL since.  And yet I think it'll get paved over tonight, too.  Don't know why; every Chief O-Lineman grades out really well, and they're all healthy.  But the Iggles' Defense is mean, and that Defensive Line is nasty.  And I think Haason Reddick continues his superlative finishing kick, getting 1 1/2 Sacks.  (Something to note: ESPN's Adam Schefter says that Defense guru Vic Fangio, who once had to face Mahomes twice a season as Head Coach of the Denver Broncos, has been signed by the Eagles for the past two Weeks as some sort of consultant to help with the Eagles' Defense.  I didn't think such a temp job was allowed in the NFL.)

3) To counteract the Eagles' ability to rush Mahomes with only four players, I think Reid is going to deploy a lot of pre-snap motion, chip a lot, and rely primarily on screens.  Unfortunately, that closes down the Chiefs' playbook, and the Eagles are going to do a tremendous job of shutting down K. C.'s deep game.  I don't predict any Wide Receiver getting more than 75 total Yards.

4) And what about Travis Kelce, making a case to be The Greatest Tight End In NFL History?  He won't burnish that case in SBLVII.  He is Mahomes's brother from another mother, practically joined at the hip with him.  But that means Eagles Defensive Coordinator Jonathan Gannon is going to aim his excellent Linebackers and Secondary to double- and maybe even triple-team Kelce.  He's also going to do more than his fair share of blocking to blunt Philadelphia's Pass Rush.  So even though I can see him catching a Touchdown, he won't surpass 75 Yards receiving.

5) Big Games seem to be the time when a person's worst tendencies come out, and I think (even though he seems like a likeable enough guy), Andy Reid will revert to less than his best self.  He has a tendency to over-rely on the passing game.  I think that, even with the short passing game he'll concentrate on, he'll abandon his Running Backs in very short order.  Reid will call on a lot of jet sweeps, and screen passes will be thrown to WRs Juju Smith-Schuster and Marques Valdez-Scantling.  Isiah Pacheco will be limited to less than 50 Yards rushing with no scores.

6) When the Eagles have the ball, there is, in my humble opinion, only one weakness: Left Tackle Jordan Mailata.  He grades out worse than his linemates, and that should give the Chiefs Linemen who will line up opposite him, Frank Clark and Carlos Dunlap, chances to get by him and get to Philadelphia Quarterback Jalen Hurts.  One of them is going to get a Sack in this Game.  (George Karlaftis, the Defensive End on the other side of the line, will get one, too.)

7) However, Hurts is not, uh, hurt like Mahomes.  Eventually, Eagles Head Coach Nick Sirianni will shift blocking and plays to the right to mitigate the relative weakness from Mailata's spot.  Moreover, Philly will establish the run game early and to great effect.  Expect Miles Sanders to be used frequently, and he'll churn out 100 Yards rushing and one Touchdown.

8) That will open up play action, and while Kansas City is a good Defense, I don't think they'll show themselves to be a great Defense in the Super Bowl.  The analytics site Football Outsiders breaks down this game to a molecular level, and it reveals that the Chiefs can be exploited over the middle.  Therefore, Eagles Running Back Kenneth Gainwell will be a surprising star in this game.  He and not Sanders is the team's Pass-catching RB, and you'll see him slip through on checkdowns and be the hot Receiver as Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo calls for more and more Blitzes to rattle Hurts as the Game wears on in Philly's favor.  Add that he will split carries with Sanders and I can see Gainwell, uh, gain 150 total Yards from scrimmage and haul in a TD.

9) I think Philadelphia will win the Time Of Possession battle and keep the Game on the ground, but the triple-headed attack of DeVonta Smith, A. J. Brown and Dallas Goedert will get their shares of catches down the field as the Chiefs try and fail to stop the run.  This is kind of a cop-out, but I'll say it nevetheless: Those three players combined will get 225 Yards passing and two TDs.

10) The Chiefs have been garbage on third-/fourth-and-short all Year.  They'll face a similar situation once in the Super Bowl and fail to make the line to gain on both that third and that Fourth Down.

11) This is how I see the end of the Game playing out.  The Eagles will lead all Game, but be up by only a score (and I'll say eight Points) in the back half of the Fourth Quarter.  In desperation and with the Eagles infiltrating the Backfield again, Mahomes will run, or try to run, on his gimpy ankle, throw deep to a triple-teamed Kelce and get picked off.  And Jalen Hurts, who'll throw for about 350 Yards passing and keep K. C. honest with 25 Yards and a couple First Down pickups, will march the Eagles down the field for the dagger Touchdown.  He'll win Most Valuable Player only because Quarterbacks always get MVP.  If he produces in the way I think he will, Kenneth Gainwell should be the MVP (although I can see Haason Reddick deserving the honor if he goes buckwild like I think he could).

Super Bowl LVII Prediction: Eagles 38, Chiefs 22.  If I were willing to bet, I'd bet on the Eagles to cover what appears to be a spread of between -1 and -2 1/2.  And if I am wrong and Kansas City wins, I will be pretty happy to be wrong.

Enjoy the Super Bowl, everybody!

The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey

#0: Whitecaps (Re-Entry!).  A professional hockey team takes the top spot in this Week's WMNSS, and not only that, they're playing real well right now.  Nope, not the Wild -- it's the Minnesota Whitecaps, who are riding high on a six-Game winning streak and a third consecutive series sweep after going to Montreal and taking both tilts vs. the expansion team Force, 4-1 and 3-2.

And next weekend, after about two Months away, the 'Caps will be playing at home -- home being the Richfield Ice Arena -- for a two-Game series against the bottom-dwelling Buffalo Beauts.  They're in Richfield next weekend, too, so if you want to see some good hockey right now, and I for one do (and will), head on over to the RIA.  I'm sure you'll see two victories next Week.

With that being said, they still remain in third place (albeit a safe third) in the PHF.  If they move up -- by saying, for example, they sweep the Toronto Six two Weeks from now -- I could put them in Positive Numbers.  But one step at a time, so the Whitecaps get a #0.

#-1: Gopher wrestling (Last Week: -3).  In the final Dual of the regular season, the Gophs win the border battle at 19th-ranked Wisconsin, 19-15.  They finish 5-3 in-conference, 12-3 overall.  So ... this is ... OK?  Conference championships (in Michigan) the first weekend in March.

#-2: Gopher softball (New Season!  [I think I can be a little more accurate than "Re-Entry!" whenever I bring back a team that starts its new season).  It's always tough to know when the the college diamond sports' seasons begin because they always start away from home.  Anyway, the U. softball ballclub began this weekend with the Northern Lights Tournament from ... Leesburg, Fla.?  I don't get it, whatever.  They started off with three Wins, the first two Mercy Ruled (10-2 over Western Kentucky in six Innings, 18-2 over Butler in five, then 8-1 over Portland St.), but their perfect season 1 1/2 Days into their year with a 4-3 Loss to ... Colgate?  Really?  I don't get it, whatever.

They wind up the tournament this/Sunday morning with a second contest versus the Lady Toppers.  Next weekend Minnesota participate in the B1G/ACC Challenge in Chapel Hill, N. C.  The Gophers will play four Games, alternating between the host Tar Heels and Virginia.  (Maryland is the other Big Ten squad ... well, the other "Big Ten" squad, because we all know the Terrapins belong in the ACC, so it is totally ironic that the Terps are coming "home" to face their former conference mates.  I don't get it, whatever.)

#-3: Gopher men's hockey (Re-Entry!).  It's not the end of the world.  They were playing on the road against a rival, here's still some season left, and I still think this is as good a team the U. has had in quite some time.  But motherfucking God, Wisconsin was 11-18 overall and 4-15 in league play.  And the Gophs only got a split?  Yes, they fucked the Badgers over good Friday, 4-1.  But last/Saturday night they weren't all that competitive in losing, 3-1.  They'll lose that #1 ranking in the polls.  They might also lose the top spot in the PairWise, since one would consider this to be a bad Loss.  Again, we shouldn't need to go into crisis mode.  But let's go into Happy Valley and sweep Penn St., shall we?

#-4: Timberwolves (Last Week: -2).  A 2-2 screening Week that keeps the Wolves firmly in the muck of a still very compacted Western Conference, but of course that's not the big story coming from the squad.  It's the trade of D'Angelo Russell, one of the Big 4, to The Team That Was Stole From Us v.1.0 as part of a three-team trade that brings Mike Conley, Jr. over from The Bastard New Orleans Jazz.

First things first: It's a somewhat-schadenfreude-ish embarrassment that this mural and this mural are now out-of-date mere months after they were finished.

As for the trade itself, there are so many dimensions to this that I don't know where to begin.  But I'll start with the boast from D-Lo not too long ago that, if you read between the lines, he said it would be in the T-Wolves' best interest to keep him.  Obviously, President Tim Connelly believes otherwise.  But Russell's recent performance was markedly better than the choppy results that frustrated many fans and led Head Coach Chris Finch to bench him late, in Game 6 of last season's series against The Bastard Vancouver Grizzlies and in several Games this season.  They're going to miss his scoring.

The Woofs, however, are not going to miss his Defense, for which he provided very little.  His Defensive Rating has been consistently shit.  And the Wolves as a team improved on their backcourt when Russell wasn't playing.  I'm not sure if Conley is supposed to be an upgrade over that.  He probably can't be any worse, but it would help if the impending new starting Point Guard could try harder a little more on that end.

Conley, of course, is considered to be a consummate floor general, a pass-first organizer that Russell never was.  That, at least on paper, is a huge plus.  But the main reason Conley was acquired is because of his history dominating on the pick-and-roll with Rudy Gobert, whom Minnesota got over the offseason, when they were in Utah.  With just over half a season in the books, it is looking as though trading for The Stifel Tower has been a huge, and maybe Herschel Walker-level, bust in Minnesota sports history.  Getting Gobert easy buckets working in tandem with Conley is Connelly's effort to salvage the trade and Gobert's career.  What troubles me is how much Connelly is needed to do in order to justify getting, and then trying to fix, Gobert.  Yes, the Woofie Dogs were facing salary cap hell with up to four maximum contracts, and contract extension talks with Russell were going nowhere, so it stood to reason that D-Lo was going to get traded anyway.  Still, with Gobert playing like he's a sunk cost, this feels like throwing good money after bad.  And remember that Conley is nine years older than Russell, and his best years (many of which he played with Gobert) probably are behind him.  Plus, does this move mean Gobert will start rebounding and playing D?

Finally there is, I think, the angle no one is talking about and should.  Russell was acquired by Minnesota from Golden State (in the Andrew Wiggins trade) in large part because the putative current Alpha Wolf, Karl-Anthony Towns, wanted the franchise to get him so he could play with his friend.  I don't know how much Connelly was talking to KAT about this move.  But if Towns has any leverage, and assuming he and D-Lo are like blood, this trade should piss him off.  And then you have another of The Remaining Big 3 potentially becoming a Big Headache.

But, then again, does it matter?  He's been injured for weeks now, and we have no idea when he's coming back.  In the meantime, Anthony Edwards has been carrying the team, and frankly, it feels as though he has supplanted KAT as the face of the team.  So if Towns is pissed, who cares?  Trade him for someone who cares about Defense, go with an Ant/Gobert axis ... and stay stuck in the middle of the Western Conference, still?

This Week: Finish a four-Game road trip with a stop in Dallas Monday (with newly acquired Galaxy Brain Kyrie Irving), then a Game at Target Center against Washington on Thursday before Anthony Edwards, recently named an injury replacement, goes out to Salt Lake City and participates in next weekend's All-Star Game.

#-5: Wild (Re-Entry!).  They're now trying to pull themselves out of a spiral that had sent them out of a playoff spot.  The spiral came in the form of a three-Game losing streak this Week to The Bastard Winnipeg Jets, The Bastard North Stars, and Loss Vegas, which came into the X and beat the shit out of the Mild, 5-1, in what may have been the worst Game they have played all season.  They salvaged the Week with a Shootout Win at home over The Bastard Colorado Rockies which puts them, as of press time, tied for third in the Central Division with The Bastard Quebec Nordiques.  But their 5-on-5 scoring has remained crap (I saw a stat that shows that top Center Sam Steel has cratered since the New Year), and the Trade Deadline is heating up with both Jordan Greenway and Matt Dumba apparently being shopped around by General Manager Bill Guerin.  I don't know how a salary cap-strapped squad like the Wild are going to be able to find the money to trade for a scorer, and even then I don't know if that will make enough of a difference in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

They're in the middle of a seven-Game homestand which continues this Week with dates vs. Florida, said Avalanche and The Team That Was Stolen From Us v.2.0.

#-6: Gopher women's hockey (Last Week: -1).  Now this is disconcerting.  Wisconsin is ranked eighth in the country, so it's not as if they lost to, like, St. Thomas.  But the Badgers went into Ridder Arena, packed to the gills in both Games, and lost -- In a Shootout Friday, 7-5 last/Saturday night.  That means that Ohio St. is winning the WCHA regular season title.  Minnesota's got second, that isn't in doubt, and I think they'll stick at third in the PairWise, so they're still safely in the NCAAs.  But against the two power clubs in the same conference, the Badgers and Buckeyes, they're technically 3-5 (with one Win and two Losses coming in the Shootout, but still).  I now doubt they have the juice to beat those teams, or Yale, who's second in the PairWise, in the tourney.

I used St. Thomas as an example/punching bag because they're the U.'s foe for the last series of the regular season, next weekend in Inver Grove Heights.

#-Infinity: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -4).  Observation: Even with the stumbles both Dinkytown hockey teams suffered this screening Week, it's surprising to see the Gopher hockey teams doing so well and the Gopher basketball teams doing so poorly.  The sports right now are diametric opposites of each other.  Strange.

Anyway, I spent last Week's survey hating on the male hardcourters, so I think it's warranted that I now slag the female.  They have doubled their losing streak from three to six.  This sorry-ass squad had three Games this screening Week, and they lost all three.  And they covered all their bases by losing only by seven at Illinois, getting blown out at Ohio St. by 30, then dropping a home border battle to Wisconsin yesterday/Saturday afternoon in Overtime.  The U. is 2-12 in the B1G and 9-16 overall.  Even though it stands to reason Lindsay Whalen's seat should be hot, it may not be because she's Lindsay Whalen.

Nevertheless, this program is a walking humiliation, so that's why I am throwing them a still-very-rare #-Infinity at them.  Because this team sucks, and the players know it.  This Week: Home to Nebraska, then at Northwestern.

Fun Times, And No Fun Times

I came home from the basement bar last/Friday night sated, drink- and especially food-wise.  But I was so happy, and buzzy, that I was on one, and so I went to Taco Bell to eat 1,000 more calories.  I could have stayed home and make a sandwich from the fridge and both saved money and probably ate less.  My problem in a nutshell, huh?

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I had plans on watching the EPL this/Saturday morning.  But the place in downtown Minneapolis I wanted to go to is also showing Six Nations Rugby, and I can't get into that, at least not right now.  There's another bar just down Nicollet that has recently re-opened (more like resurrected itself over the past year after the pandemic) to regular hours, but it's an Arsenal bar and Arsenal is playing at 9 a.m., and I kind of want to be alone.  I could have gone to the bar in St. Paul, which was the one I went to last Saturday, but I don't want to go back there two Saturdays in a row, plus I went there last Saturday because I was going to go in to work after EPL and it was relatively close by.  We apparently got caught up from work delayed by last week's storm in the South around Wednesday, I think, so there's no overtime offered nor needed today, and so I'll just avoid the whole area today.

And yet, because of my inebriation, I went to bed relatively early and woke up a bit past 8:30.  If I really, really wanted to go watch EPL, I think I could have gotten dressed quickly and drove like a bat out of hell to a bar in time.  Maybe.  (Actually, I woke up a bit before 8:30 because I laid in bed for a good bit.)  See, if I decide not to go out to watch soccer, I want my body not to wake up until it's way too late to have the opportunity to go out to watch soccer.  By waking up around 8:30, I'm torn between bolting out of bed and peeling away to a bar or agonizing about letting a fun time pass me by.

Oh, well.  I have chores and errands -- this blog, watering Father's plants, getting the car washed, getting a shave, getting tested, visiting Grandmother's friend, paying for my storage unit, buying baking soda and mini-Pepsis, maybe shoveling and salting the driveway and back deck, and ... well, other stuff.  I don't know if I'll have time to do it all.  I guess I should figure that if I went to watch soccer, I wouldn't have been able to do some or even all of the things I just listed, and should do.

And come to think of it, it's about time I do those things.

Three Thoughts

1) It's about that time of the month where I have to pay my credit card bills, and once again I'm carrying over.  Goddamn, I don't know how I rack up so many charges.  No, that's bullshit; I know how I am -- eating out and porn.  I continue to scroll through all the charges I make and I hate myself afterwards.  It's just gotten worse over the past few months, and I don't know if the holidays are an exacerbating factor.  I just think I'm spending more money.

And that's why, hate to say it, I kind of think my parents coming home will help.  They'll make food for me, and they'll insist I stay home.  Those two tactics will help in keeping my money in my wallet.  Unfortunately, does this mean I'll burn through money ... once they're gone?

2) I'm going to be oblique about this.  All's I'm saying is that there are consequences to taking the high road.  Sometimes you have to get down and dirty.  And sometimes there is collateral damage when you're ridiculing someone who deserves it.  Getting all holier-than-thou is letting your real enemies off the hook.  Eyes on the bigger prize, people.

3) This relates to 1) -- namely, even despite all the money I'm throwing away, I am so going to a secret bar after work tonight.  It's not as if it's been a bad week at work, but it's been a long one.  Really, I've been planning and thinking about going after work tonight for about a week.  It's my safe place, and it makes me happy.  And besides, I probably won't be able to go to another secret bar for a few weeks; next Friday I have dinner with this social club, and the following Friday I'll be celebrating Happy Hour with a friend through my alumni club.  So damn my account, I guess.  

Hottest Babe In The Hooters Calendar: January 2023

First of all, I have to say that I cannot believe that I'd be buying Hooters calendars, let alone evaluating all the hot women in them, for the past four years.  This wasn't even in my frickin' radar until, I guess (can't remember) a Hooters waitress goading me into buying one in exchange for, I guess, a free beer when I went in that day.

With that being said, this month is, surprisingly and disconcertingly, very underwhelming for me.  I have kept looking at the ten waitresses for the whole month of January and part of February and I find myself not really getting enthused about any of them.  Don't get me wrong, they're all gorgeous.  But compared with some of the other photos from past months and years, this month is comprehensively lacking.  Hate to say it, but this might be the worst month of babes I've seen in a Hooters calendar.

Every one of the ten has some flaw that puts each of them and their photos a clear cut below all of the ones I at least have pointed out in previous months.  For example, the main girl, Megan of Melborne, Fla., is cute, but she has both her arms fully wrapped tightly against her body, significantly hiding her tight belly from us.  Ireland, out of Madeira Beach, Fla., shows off a nice figure and has a Jenny Ortega vibe to her, but Jenny Ortega is a hell of a lot younger than me, so I'm just going to avoid looking at her so that I don't get into trouble.  There's Orlando's Portia, and she looks familiar enough that I believe I have seen her in previous calendars, and probably ranked her as well.  But for some godawful reason she's in a red one-piece bikini.  She might as well be in a burqa since she's hiding all her goods.

The drawbacks continue.  Gwyn of Kennesaw, Ga., is wearing a skimpy black two-piece, but she's way too flat for my taste, plus she's not smiling.  Also looking as if she hated doing a photoshoot are Emily of Orange Park, Fla. and Nova of Alcoa, Tenn.  Finally on my list of honorable mention-as damning by faint praise is Mariah, hailing from Clearwater, Fla.  She's sporting a white two-piece, and her sideways lounging pose would be arousing if not for her left arm hiding a good portion of her stomach.  Also, I have to say, her face looks kind of old.  Maybe if I saw her in a Hooters uniform I'd get hard over her MILF vibes, but it doesn't work for me in a swimsuit setting.

If I am going to put anyone in first place for this month, I will select Kya, out of Houma, La.  I hate that she too is hugging herself in her picture; her arms are covering way more of her stomach than the others of the month.  And I also think she's a bit on the elderly side.  The only thing I like about her, and the only physical characteristic that makes her stand out from all the others, is that she seems to have a big pair of tits.

You may have heard the adage, "In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king."  Well, same scenario applies here.  Congratulations to Kya for winning what may be The Worst Month In Hooters Calendar History.  Unfortunately, I don't know if I can get turned on enough to masturbate to any of these women.  Sorry.

I Can't Resist The Soup. I Can Resist Workers Who Give Me The Silent Treatment

I decided I wanted to hang out at a coffeeshop and work on both alumni club stuff and my receipts last/Tuesday night.  The main thing in the evening -- well, besides LeBron James passing Kareem for the NBA's all-time scoring record -- was The State Of The Union address, and while it's important and while I am on the side of Dark Brandon, I do not want to be anywhere near a television set when a president has to make that boring speech.

On my drive there, I saw that my car was at a quarter tank.  It was possible I could have gone a day without filling up, and today/Wednesday is a no-spending, eat-at-home day for me.  But I didn't want to risk needing gasoline and not having the time for it when I had time after getting coffee and doing some work on my computer.  So I went to a particular gas station to fill up ... and to get some soup.  This particular gas station has a bevy of soups, but I regularly go for the macaroni in meat sauce.  I went to the gas brand to see if they had it, and tonight they had it.  So, even though I wasn't hungry, and in fact ate dessert at the coffeeshop (along with tea) which to me signifies that that's it when it comes to eating, I ate soup.  And by the way, it's the second cup of soup I've had at this kind of gas station; after work, along with putting air on one of my tires, I decided to get another cup of soup -- different station although it's the same brand.  Not the same soup; there was no macaroni in meat sauce, but I got a mac 'n' cheese instead.

As a result, I feel fat.  I guess I could have gone without the soup.  But I didn't.

---

Oh, by the way, when I was getting the soup, I was "helped" by a worker there who didn't speak at all to me.  I ladled the soup into my cup, but I needed a lid.  The worker was walking by; I asked her if she had any lids.  She went into the cabinet, took out a plastics sleeve of lids, opened it, and gave one to me.  It slipped out of my hands and onto the counter, but thankfully it didn't reach the floor.  I grabbed it and said thanks to this worker.  She said nothing.  Nothing at all throughout this encounter.  Yeah, I got what I wanted, but her silent treatment was disturbing at best and offensive at worst.  I don't know if I want to go to this station anymore. ...

May 12, 2023: Revenge Of The Anti-Vaxxers? (ETA at 4:46 P. M. On February 11, 2023 That It Should Be Anti-*Maskers*)

Scary thought popped into my head as I was doing some late-night grocery shopping at the local Hy-Vee last/Monday night.  As per usual nowadays, I was shopping with a mask on.  You may have heard that President Biden is going to end the country's COVID-19 emergency declaration Thursday, May 11.  That will end free tests, vaccines and treatments, which sucks, so I'll have to stock up on tests to take home and, maybe, get one final COVID shot for old-time's sake.

But I thought of one ripple effect from this.  Even though the end of this declaration has nothing to do with it, and even though it's no longer a requirement anyway, I wonder if I'll be able to shop, or do anything in public, with a mask on after May 11.  It's the imprimatur, the message implied by this end: "THE PANDEMIC IS OVER!" (even though it's not).  And if The President Of The United States says the pandemic is over, well, you scared, paranoid freak, why won't you take off your mask?

Admittedly I'm thinking about this because of what happened when I went out to eat at the place our club watches our alma mater's football Games at downtown Minneapolis Sunday night.  Some dude, obviously drunk, saw me sit down with my mask still on and asked me, several times, slightly varying his wording, why the hell am I still wearing a mask.  He repeatedly said he was "Just asking questions," to which I wanted to say that he was being a JAQ-off (JAQ?  Get it?  It's an acronym!), but I am going to assume he was sincere, even though I know he thinks I'm stupid for still wearing a mask when everybody at the bar and, I guess to him, around the world has stopped.

Add to the supposed order stupid people will think President Biden has made the real law that private companies can deny service and even order people to leave their properties, and I don't think I'm paranoid when I say I'm afraid I'll walk into a grocery store or a bar with my mask on, some dude that works there is giving me a hard time by saying, "You know, the President says the pandemic's over, you don't have to wear that thing anymore," and I'll reply, "I know ... force of habit," and then he'll say, "Seriously, take it off," and I'll go, "No, man, I'm keeping this on, please leave me alone," and then this asshole will escalate things and I'll either be led out in handcuffs or literally thrown out with my face pummeled ... and no mask.

I totally think this could happen.  There are a bunch of idiots who don't believe this pandemic was ever real and rail against all these COVID restrictions that have not been in place for at least 18 months and want to react violently against anything that reminds them of that dark time if those restrictions meant, to them, that they had their "freedom" taken away.  Masks, as powerful a preventative measure against getting any airborne disease as we have (although, to admit, I usually wear surgical masks and they don't stand much of a chance of preventing COVID from spreading), are its most conspicuous symbol.  So once they are given what they see as a green light from The Most Powerful Person In The Free World three months from now, hoo boy, they're going to make people pay.  They are going to get their revenge on all they believe enslaved them two and three years ago, even though those mandates were put in place to save lives, including and especially their ungrateful asses.  And I'll bet maskers are at the top of the list.

Great.  Another damn thing to worry about.