Am going downtown to catch the First Half of my alma mater's Game, then leaving at Halftime to eventually take my parents to the airport today.  I don't think there will be any issue, but I am using my car a lot, and for somewhat superfluous reasons.  The thought that my car will break down downtown scares me all of a sudden.  Hope that doesn't happen.

Hot MAGAts

The election has made me finally decide to do something I only dreamt about.  I am compiling a list of all the Facebook friends I befriended only because they posted pictures of themselves in bikinis who also were proud to have voted Republican, or at least Trump, but probably both.

Why?  I'm not sure what I'm going to do.  I'm still contemplating publishing a manifesto/screed about how people who voted for him are dumb.  I've also thought about finding anti-Trump memes and sending them to all these women through Messenger.  I might wait until he actually, gulp ick, gets to be "President" again and send these hot MAGAts a news story about him saying or doing something stupid and/or cruel, then going, "This is the asshole you voted for???"

Basically I want to scold them.  Because more often than not (there are a few hot MAGAts I will not do this to because, and this is self-serving, they've been nice to me), they are fully in the cult and exhibit the worst characteristics of this dumb fucking movement: The inability to think critically, prizing selfishness over the greater good, the unearned cockiness, and the idea that they know something we "normies" don't, and bless our souls for being so innocent and doe-eyed.  It's really, really sad to see so many gorgeous women that are, well, fucking stupid.  And so I'm torn between calling them out for the ignorant, racist and sexist filth that they are ... and hoping they send me nude photos of them.  Yep, I'm a hypocrite.

Working Every Other Day

Noticed that starting yesterday/Thursday/Thanksgiving, I am only working two of the next five days I normally work at my main job.  Yesterday was Thanksgiving, obviously.  Today/Friday I worked (although it was a very abbreviated day because there was no work -- thank Buddha there was so much work Tuesday and Wednesday that I think I got my 32 hours for the week).  Monday I don't work, Tuesday I do, Wednesday I don't because that was one of the few free days I could take my paid time off that I would otherwise lose at the end of the year.  So, yeah, I should recognize that I can take it easy.

Now, the reason I am taking Monday off is that a co-worker needed Saturday (as well as the following Saturday) off, so we are switching (I was going to switch with her the following week, but my annual night with my friend was that Saturday, so I switched the Saturday switching with yet another co-worker who is helping out my other co-worker by working a Saturday).  If I include the Vikings the next day as work (and, yes, I work the Vikes this Sunday as well), I will be working seven days straight from Thursday to next Wednesday.  Guess I should recognize I should take it easy because it'll get a bit more hectic later on.

Darn Cottonmouth

Just want to say that ever since the Timberwolves Loss Thanksgiving Eve I have wanted to drink anything and everything under the sun.  Man, I have cottonmouth bad!  I need to buy some liquid somewhere today that I can drink.

That is all.

Ate too much again.  For Thanksgiving dinner (which I finished up around 5 or so) we had steak, mashed potatoes, vegetables (not stuffing) and asparagus.  It was great, but it was too much, especially when we had a pretty full lunch around 11:30.

Truly, I am not looking forward to seeing my parents leave.  Well, I love having the house to myself.  Anyway, I look forward to eating what I want when I want.  I will probably overeat, anyway.

Plants Stink

So I got home last night from the Timberwolves Loss -- T-Wolves suck right now, BTW -- and immediately the stench from Father's blooming plant or plants hit me.  It started the previous day, but it came out in full force when I got inside the house.  Whoa!  It was so pungent I started coughing.  I had to retreat into my room, which is as far away from the plants as you can get.  But if I ever had to step out onto the hallway -- and I had to several times because I suddenly got cottonmouth and was drinking everything in the kitchen that a human could -- dang, I could smell it.

Father is proud of his plants.  And this plant that blooms, uh, maybe once a year or less is a sign of its health.  Glad to see that vacation I took to Hawai'i for two weeks two years ago didn't kill it.  But ... golly, it smells.  I think it subsides after a week.  It'll be fantastic for Father to smell as he leaves for Las Vegas, but hopefully, that stink will die down shortly after I have the house all to myself.

Mortgage???

So I need to go to the bank before the big meeting where I Do The Deed on Monday.  For some goddamn reason, though, Mother told me there's a mortgage beginning in the new year.  What mortgage?  Is Mother expecting me to ... pay monthly installments?  Does she think ... I have the money?  I-I-I-I-I thought the house was already paid for.

Ngl, I'm freaking out right now.  Suicidal thoughts have entered my mind.  I can't believe my parents would let me be caught in the lurch if I can't financially cover the house ... right?  Right??

Democracy Died Yesterday

Yeah, I said democracy died before, and I'll probably say that again.  But ... well, Jack Smith pulled the indictments.  He had to, otherwise the Supreme Court could make them go away.  Ironically, I now have to hope that this motherfucker doesn't die so that he can be brought up on charges after he leaves office.

That piece of shit has skated all his goddamn life.  He cheated to win in 2016, he couldn't accept that he lost in 2020 so he got all his goons to storm the U. S. Capitol, he threatened everyone who wasn't a cis, white male who didn't cross him (at least according to him), he said every racist and sexist thing one could think of, I'm fairly certain he asked for foreign help this election cycle -- which, like in 2016, is illegal -- and ... he's going to get away with it.

There's been a lot of slagging on Merrick Garland.  True.  There should also, I'm afraid, be a lot of blame given to President Biden.  While Garland was too slow to indict those who masterminded the insurrection, who was the one who hired him?  But ultimately we can't lose focus on the true enemies: Republicans who covered for him and the Supreme Court that ruled that the President is above the law, which goes against constitutional precedent as well as common sense.  They all let that prick get away with it.

And that led to yesterday.  I'm trying not to harm myself, but the good things that are happening to bad, bad people are only going to continue, and it is very difficult to not scream, or worse.

(ETA at 1:08 a.m. on 11/26/24 that even though Jack Smith is dismissing these indictments without prejudice, there's a goddamn statute of limitations of four years -- while that bastard is in office.  As pessimistic and depressed I've been acting, yes, I still held out hope on one shred of evidence that maybe, just maybe, he could get nailed for his crimes.  But no, the statute of limitations pretty much ends that.  My hopes being dashed just by reading the news proves how much of a stupid hopeless romantic I am for truth and justice.  And like I say, it's the hope that kills you.  I need to put sharp objects out of my reach.)

The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey

Before I begin, I want to note that I am writing about 11 local teams this WMNSS.  I think that's a record:

#-1: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -4).  The top five teams in this Week's survey went a combined 8-0, but none of the victories are particularly mind-blowing.  With that being said, these Gophers went to South Bend and swept Notre Dame, which received votes in the polls, over the weekend by scores of 6-3 and 5-3, so that's why these guys take the top spot.  Don't know if they will do so next Week as they host Alaska-Fairbanks, which I believe is a program that was revived either this Year or the season prior, for two over Thanksgiving Weekend.

#-2: Gopher wrestling (Last Week: -3).  North Dakota St. and Campbell ain't Oklahoma and Penn St.  But the Gopher grapplers did pitch Shutouts this screening Week, 39-0 over the Bison Friday and 44-0 over the Camels yesterday/Sunday afternoon.  So while beating up on tomato cans probably shouldn't get you the top spot in this Week's WMNSS, not allowing either school to score is really, really good.

At South Dakota St. Sunday.

#-3: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: 0).  Glad to see this team blowing out foes, but they are mid- and low-major schools, and they're playing them at home, so one should curb one's enthusiasm.  Beating Eastern Illinois by 29 and Montana by 39 is one thing; participating in The Big Easy Classic in New Orleans this weekend where Houston and, well, Louisiana await is, uh, sort of another.

#-4: Vikings (Last Week: -1).  Yes, they are 9-2, but dammit, that record is so unimpressive.  Not when you blow an 11-Point lead in the last 90 Seconds of the Game by allowing a huge Kickoff return, a Two-Point Conversion and, worst of all, an Onside Kick with National Football Rules basically making a successful recovery impossible.  The Chicago Bears did all that and forced Overtime, then won the coin toss to potentially ride the momentum from the comeback to a Win.  Fortunately, Minnesota stopped Caleb Williams & Co., Sam Darnold (who did not throw an Interception yesterday/Sunday afternoon) found T. J. Hockenson and Jordan Addison in the ensuing drive, and John Parker Romo drilled the Game-ending Field Goal to take the Win at Soldier Field.

A surprisingly spry Bastard Chicago-by-way-of-St. Louis Cardinals team, even though they lost to Seattle Sunday, comes to town in a deceptively meaningful Game.

#-5: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -6).  In their only Game this Week, the squad defeated Cleveland St. by 11 on Tuesday at Williams.  I kind of think that a slightly more talented team would've crushed the Vikings by 25.  Anyway, these young men have a really busy screening Week coming up.  They host Central Michigan tonight/Monday night, go down to Orlando to quickly play The ESPN Events Invitational Thursday (against Wichita St.) and Friday (either Florida or Wake Forest), then come back to The Barn to play Bethune-Cookman Sunday afternoon.  

#-6: Wild (Last Week: -5).  I don't know how this club is doing it.  They still have the second-most Points in the National Hockey League (tied with The Bastard Colorado Rockies, both behind The Bastard Atlanta Thrashers) despite Kirill Kaprizov battling yet another injury.  They were on the road this Week but beat St. Louis and Edmonton before losing in Calgary in a Shootout in a Game where they came back to score two Goals to force OT.  Things are going so well now that I just know the other shoe is going to drop.

Speaking of The Bastard Atlanta Thrashers, they're in town tonight/Monday night in an early-season showdown.  They fly out to Buffalo Wednesday.  They then have their customary Black Friday afternoon matchup, this time at home versus Chicago, then host Nashville Saturday night. 

#-7: Gopher volleyball (Last Week: -8).  I'm settling into a new level of bored ossification with this program.  Though the club took it to the whole five Sets, they still lost at sixth-ranked Wisconsin on Wednesday, and sweeping Iowa at Maturi Saturday doesn't change my opinion that these players aren't going to do much come tournament time.  At least the regular season is over this Week -- at Illinois Wednesday, home to Ohio St. Black Friday.

#-8: Gopher women's hockey (Last Week: -2).  Women's college hockey doesn't really matter until the NCAAs, especially for Minnesota, who seems to have trouble breaking through over Wisconsin and Ohio St. but will routinely whip all their other opponents and ... wait a second -- did the lose at St. Cloud St. Saturday afternoon?!  They did, 3-1!!!  What the fuck, Gophs???  You're not supposed to do that shit.  You're supposed to be a cut below elite, not part of the muck with the Huskies.  Holy fuck, what is wrong with this program??

At St. Thomas in two Weeks.

#-9: Timberwolves (Last Week: -7).  An goddammit, what the fuck is happening with the Woofie Dogs?  Dropped both their Games this screening Week, and they had a chance in both.  Moreover, there are glaring signs that the locker room is not completed copasetic right now.  First, in their five-Point Loss in Toronto on Thursday, Rudy Gobert apparently threw a tantrum because Julius Randle wouldn't pass him the ball by intentionally committing a Three-Second Violation, then quickly fouling on the other end of the court.  The Raptors are shit, by the way, so an outburst like that played a not-insignificant factor in the defeat.

Follow that up with yesterday/Sunday afternoon's 107-105 Loss where, to be fair, they came buck from an 11-Point deficit after three Quarters to make it a close one, and oh my fucking God, they're currently eleventh in the West and technically out of the playoffs.  The Defense, virtually rock solid last Year, has been merely average so far this Year.  Not to say that Karl-Anthony Towns, a man who has a reputation for dogging it on D, is the reason for the defensive decline (though, to provide context, New York fans are noticing he isn't playing shut-down D in Manhattan, either).  But safe to say that last season both KAT and Kyle Anderson that provided a chemistry that kept the squad together and made their Year magical.  That isn't there, and the players in the locker room need to find some chemistry, and soon.

They start a four-Game homestand this Week.  NBA Cup Group Stage contests continue, with Houston tomorrow/Tuesday and The Bastard Boston Braves/San Diego Clippers Friday, with a run-of-the-mill tilt vs. The Bastard Cincinnati Royals/Kansas City-Omaha Kings inbetween on Wednesday, a Game I will be attending for a friend.

#-Infinity (tie): Gopher soccer and United FC (Last Week, respectively: Positive Numbers and Re-Entry!).  The seasons for two soccer teams that kind of mirrored each other ended Sunday.  Both the Golden Gopher soccer side and the Loons had seasons that pleasantly surprised some, and it ended with sound defeats.

For the Gophers, while it didn't end with a championship, you can see that it was a success.  In fact, it was a much-needed breakthrough season for Head Coach Erin Chastain.  The U. followed up their First Round Win over South Dakota St. with a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over the Region's 3-Seed (and 14th-ranked) South Carolina on Friday afternoon.  The Sophias, Boman and Romine, were the scorers, the former on a Penalty Kick, the latter on a golazo from outside the box.  Yesterday/Sunday afternoon marked their first appearance in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen since 2010.  Unfortunately, they ran into 2-Seed and weekend hosts North Carolina, and the Tar Heels shut them out, 3-0.  Again, no shame.  They hadn't been in the tournament since 2018 and didn't host a tourney Match since 2016, so there a lot of positives to take away from the Year.  Now, it's a matter of building on it.

As for MNUFC, a rollercoaster of a season that got extended with a 2-0 upset sweep of Real Salt Lake ended with a 6-2 thumping in Carson, Calif. last/Sunday night by The Los Angeles Galaxy.  You can be forgiven if this Western Conference Semifinal Game snuck up on you; because of Major League Soccer's playoff format and the International Break, United FC last played about three Weeks ago.  Not to say that rust was the reason they lost.  With the way the Galaxy were cruising, I don't know if the result would have been any different had they played the last few Weeks.  Nonetheless, Eric Ramsey was able to do a lot in his first season at the helm.  There could be some serious re-vamping of the roster before next Year, and the stratification of MLS is starting to become a problem.  But for the Loons, while they fell short, things are looking up for them as well.

Father is checking the machines we have, specifically their minivan and the snowblower.  He was always able to provide.  But damn it, of all the things to worry about as we head toward winter, I notice (well, noticed -- I saw this a few weeks ago) that one of the tires on the snowblower is getting flat.  Of all things, man!

I wish I could just carry the whole thing over to a gas station to pump it up, but it's too heavy.  So it looks like I'll need to figure out how to take out the tire, take that to the gas station, pump it up, then put it back on the snowblower.  Sounds pretty easy ... so it probably is incredibly difficult, and I won't be able to do it.

Never a moment's peace. ...

Realized I Am Doing Stuff Every Day (Just About)

I am working the Golden Gophers Game, well, this/Saturday afternoon, and I am supposed to come in way earlier than I think I should.  That makes me think I am actually doing a job contrary to the one I was initially asked to do.  Oh, well, although my alma mater is playing late in the evening.  I thought I would have plenty of time to get to that Game after leaving the one I worked.  But if I am going to be worked over like a mule, there's a chance I'll have to miss it.

And then, while I was out last/Saturday night, my cousin texted me saying that his mother (my aunt) wants to visit my other aunt as she's doing rehab.  I was the one who thought it would be a good idea to see her now that she's rebuilding her strength, but then I totally forgot I did when I got so bummed out when he said he wanted to see her.  It's probably for the best, but I had plans to, well, do nothing.

And nothing is not what I will be doing for some time.  I work, of course.  Next weekend I have to take my parents to the airport and work the Vikings.  The weekend after that I have to go into work to cover for someone and work that Week's Vikings Game.  In the following weekend, I have that huge annual Arrows watch/dinner with my friends.  I have nothing to do the day after, but knowing my luck that's when a blizzard will hit and I will be busy plowing and shoveling.

Now, yes, there is Thanksgiving this week.  Also, I think it's a relative slow day if all I do is go to and come from work.  But dammit, I just want to ... not do anything for one day.  No work, no chores, and even no pleasure.  And that won't be happening for some time.

I Left A Bandage On For A Month -- So What?

You know those activation stickers on credit cards you're supposed to peel off and throw away once you activated them?  I never do.  Why?  It's too much work.  Plus it's not hurtin' anyone, right?

I feel the same way with bandages.  I keep them on until they fall off.  And if only one side of the Band-Aid is off, I try to stick it back where it was.  I think the month-long that just fell off is my personal record.  Got it for a flu shot I got at work back on October 16.  I think it fell off Wednesday, so November 20.  A month and four days?  Wow!  The bandage is blue and was applied by a nurse, so maybe it's, like, an industrial strength one.  It held up through showers and rubbing up against my bedsheet until it finally relented.  And now it's resting, face up, at my bedroom table, right by my side, right here as I write this.  And that is where it will stay.  Maybe.  Or maybe till Father throws it away.

I Don't Know If One Should Talk About Death While Watching Football

So at these Game-watching events I organize there is a guy who's been a part of us for the last couple years.  He's a really cool dude, and I love his passion for his alma mater (frankly, it's outshone a lot of ours this trying Year).

Last Saturday, while we were watching our Game, he kind of dropped a bomb on me.  He called me over to where he was sitting and, while the Game was going on, told me his father died.  It was overnight from another Game we watched together a few weeks prior.  That Game kicked off so late, and the place was so crowded, that we decided to call it quits at Halftime.  He lives with his parents, but his folks sleep in separate bedrooms because his dad snores heavily.  Well, in the morning my friend was going out the door.  His mother was up and noted to him that she couldn't hear his father snoring, but he wasn't out of the house, either.  So my friend checked up on his dad and, well. ...

That is completely sad, no doubt.  From that point on during the Game, I was worried for my friend, as well as his mom.  My parents are getting up there in age, and I have had more than one night where I was afraid that one of them would go to bed one night and not wake up.  And it is because of my inordinate fear of that happening, which only ratchets up every night they make it alive, where I have to admit that I was completely damn flummoxed as to why in the world he would tell me this then.

He wound up his story on a ... well, let's just say an upbeat note: The evening before he went out to see the Game with me, he was talking to his father about it, so that is the last memory he will ever have about his dad, and it's about the college team he loves so much.  It's great he can see it in that positive light, but I can't.  If I were in his shoes, I wouldn't ... well, frankly, I wouldn't even bring it up.  Which raises the weird prospect of not telling anyone about a death in your family.  I may have told two people outside the family about my uncle's death in March.  On the one hand, I do find it kind of weird to not tell people.  After all, we all have family who die.  On the other hand, is there ever a good time to announce such an important event?  I could see it when you're not where you're supposed to be, like at work or even a party.  But short of that, there doesn't seem to be much need to call attention to it, and that would include watching a football Game together.  And once the death happens, well, life happens, so when would there be a good time to bring it up?

I am now bringing this back to me when it shouldn't be.  It's about my friend, who, frankly, appears to be taking it well, even though, if I were in his shoes, I would be devastated since this death was so sudden.  He'll be back this Saturday, and I will ask him about his mom and him.  Again, it's an important but grim subject, so I'll try and console him as much as I can during a football Game.

On Monday, Mother gave me more instructions than before about the house.  There's supposed to be a call, but I have yet to receive one.  I'm still actually freaked out by all this.  On the one hand, I want to live in this house, and these instructions are a step in that direction.  On the other, I am scared as to the responsibilities that entails.  Above all, I am paranoid about stability.  A house changing hands always invites problems.  I don't know what they are, but I know that there wouldn't be any issues at all if it wasn't being passed along.

But it's happening.  It's inevitable.  And I'm scared that somehow it'll get screwed up, and it'll be my fault.

Two Moths

Over the past week or so, I think I saw not one but two moths in my car.  Don't know how they got there, but they were resting at the top of a side window.  One of them I touched to make sure it was dead, but it was very much alive.  Alas, I don't know where either moth is now.  Maybe they're dead in the car.  Maybe they somehow flew out of it.

Just want to note that here.  Have never seen that before.  Not even one moth, not just two.

Hottest Babe In The Hooters Calendar: October 2024

Gosh ... kind of underwhelming.  I know that if I had this calendar hung up on my bedroom wall all month, I would get more positive vibes from it.  But I've just looked at this month for only the second time, so my opinion might be dampened from that, but ... I can single out half of the baker's dozen waitresses featured here, but I can't say that the six blow me away.

In sixth place is Emily, from Kirby, Tex.  Long and straight black hair that would cover her breasts, pure black two-piece bikini.  I like that she's posing straight at the camera.  I also like her grin.  Finally, she has a thin and reedy body, so she's got an easygoing, maybe even hippie-ish vibe to her, which I find approachable.

In fifth place is Winnipeg's Korlysse.  Long, cascading dark blonde hair that ends under her breasts, light blue two-piece.  She's posed to the side a bit and her mouth is a bit big for my taste.  But I cannot quit her huge bazoombas.

In fourth place is Phoenix's Jess.  Straight black hair that's long enough to reach the bottom of her breasts, and she's wearing an orange two-piece bikini bordered in periwinkle.  Her tits are nice, too, and I see that in the shadows of her pose, she's got a tattoo underneath her left breast.  I have to admit that my attention is drawn to her background; I can believe it to be an arid Arizona desert.  Cool.

In third place are twins, Holly and Amber, hailing from Kissimmee, Fla.  Both have long reddish-brown hair that hang below their breasts, and they are wearing red-zebra-striped two-pieces.  They look great.  I just like the fact that they're, you know, identical twins that work at a Hooters.

In second place is Aria, out of Sarasota, Fla.  Long, blonde hair down below the bottom of her boobs, sporting a black two-piece bikini with white dots.  I don't like her pose, to be honest -- she's cheating mostly to her side, plus she's resting her right elbow and left hand against a wall, and that obscures her stomach even more.  But I gotta tell you, she has a heavenly, beautiful face.

Finally, in first place is Kimi, of Costa Mesa, Calif.  Cascading, sandy brown hair (reaches three-quarters down her titties), wearing a sky blue two-piece.  She is basically posing straight ahead, and those titties are pretty big.  OK, that's a description I can make for many other babes I've analyzed here.  But, well, she's the best of a pedestrian lot.

Nevertheless, a hearty congratulations to Kimi and the rest.  I'll find time to jerk off to you all soon.

The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey

Positive Numbers: Gopher soccer (Re-Entry!).  I was at the Golden Gophers' First Round NCAA Tournament Game Friday at Robbie Stadium, and while I was somewhat unnerved that the First Half finished 0-0, Minnesota looked firmly in control.  And then Sophia Boman broke through, scoring off a scramble in front of goal off a Corner Kick in the 48th Minute, then slotting home a Penalty Kick in the 55th, to help the XI advance to the Second Round with a 2-0 Win.  They advance to play one and possibly two Rounds in Chapel Hill, N. C., some time over the weekend.  They face South Carolina; win that and they would then face either host North Carolina or Santa Clara.

#0: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -4).  Good teams dominate, and in at least two of the three Games the U. won in its perfect Week, they were, blitzing Massachusetts-Lowell, 82-37, Tuesday and then, in the first Game of the Briann January Classic in Tempe, Ariz., routing Oregon St. Saturday, 73-38.  But they had a much tougher go of it yesterday/Sunday afternoon, outlasting SMU, 65-56.

But hey, 3-0 is always great, and they remain perfect on the season.  That perfection should continue as these Gophers go back for some home cookin' this Week as Eastern Illinois (Wednesday) and Montana (Sunday) come to town.

#-1: Vikings (Last Week: -3).  Beat The Bastard Houston Oilers yesterday/Sunday afternoon in Nashville, 23-13.  Not much to say about it.  On the one hand, seeing how Tennessee was (or was not) moving the ball (that 98-yard bomb that Josh Metellus misplayed) aside, the Vikes were not in real trouble of losing the tilt.  On the other hand, there was that Metellus meltdown, and too often the Offense got stuck and had no imagination.  That 8-2 record covers up a lot of warts, and the team could get exposed Sunday afternoon at a deflated Chicago Bears squad that saw its upset over Green Bay literally get batted away with a failed Field Goal attempt at the gun.

#-2: Gopher women's hockey (Re-Entry!).  First of all, I apologize for getting the dates wrong for the University of Minnesota women's hockey team's next Games.  I said two Weeks (and surveys) ago that they would play a pair at Minnesota-Duluth last Weekend.  The squad, in fact, had that weekend off and played the Bulldogs this past weekend, and won both Games by scores of 4-1 and 3-2.  The Bulldogs are ranked fourth and the Gophers third.  So, if you're following at home, the Gophers are perfectly ranked in third; they can beat a team ranked below them, but they have no chance of beating the two teams ranked above them, Wisconsin and Ohio St.  And they have a home-and-home this weekend with St. Cloud St., so they should beat the shit out of the Huskies as well.

#-3: Gopher wrestling (NEW SEASON!).  So they finally begin the Dual portion of their schedule by destroying Bucknell at Maturi Friday by a 35-3 score.  But the really interesting news is that Heavyweight legend Gable Steveson is returning to the U. for another Year.  I thought he wasn't going back.  I also think he's 40.  Whatever; Steveson potentially remaining undefeated and winning yet another NCAA title is the only intriguing thing with this club this Year.

Their next Dual is November 22 in Fargo versus North Dakota St.

#-4: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -1).  All good things come to an end.  Saturday's 3-1 Loss at Bemidji against Bemidji St. meant a split of the home-and-home series, coming one Day after the U. beat the Beavers at Mariucci, 5-3.  But their winning streak ended at a robust nine Games.  And then can start a new streak with a two-Game set at Notre Dame over the weekend.

#-5: Wild (Last Week: -2).  Blanked lowly Montreal Thursday, but goddamn lost to The Bastard North Stars Saturday, 2-1, and that weighs heavily as to why I put the Mild here.

Say, I caught the first snippet of that North Stars documentary Channel 9 put together on Friday.  First of all, I appreciate local news doing stuff like this; journalism isn't dead, after all.  But then I saw Norm Green's ass face and my blood pressure went up so high that I had to turn it off three minutes after I turned it on.  What I saw was the beginning of the bloody, bureaucratic process of getting the North Stars a new arena.  From comments on a North Stars group I'm a part of on Facebook, it's the usual "everybody is to blame" take, most notably with local government officials and the Metropolitan Sports Facility balking at negotiations.  I will say this: The threat of moving teams was still not a concrete threat back in 1993.  There were The Baltimore Colts and The St. Louis Cardinals, sure, but do not tell me the concept of franchise relocation was something top of mind with governments and local fanbases back then.  Officials were balking at Norm Green's demands because of something that is now passe but really shouldn't be: The idea of giving taxpayer money to rich people in the form of sweetheart arena deals for their sports teams is a complete ripoff.  Every economist knows that new stadia and arenas are money pits for local governments.  But it took the North Stars being taken from us to be cowed into submission and to open up our wallets to the Wild so that never happens again.  Frankly, the Twin Cities was traumatized by this move, and since Norm Green was the owner, he has final, and full, responsibility.  He had the option of cashing out and finding someone else to own the team, but he stole it away to Dallas (escaping a sexual harassment lawsuit here, by the way) and pocketed the money.  So yes, Norm Green Sucks, and I hope he dies an agonizing, humiliating death like, right fucking now.

On the road entirely this Week: St. Louis tomorrow/Tuesday, Edmonton Thursday, Calgary Saturday.

#-6: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -5).  BcS teams aren't supposed to lose early-season non-conference contests, especially at home.  But Jesus fucking Christ, I saw on B1G+ these Goofers lose at The Barn Wednesday to North Texas, 54-51.  And they had to overcome a 29-19 Halftime deficit to defeat Yale at home Saturday, 59-56.  Ben Johnson made improvements, small though they may be, last season, but this is a sign that he's back to square one.  At least these guys have only one Game this screening Week, vs. Cleveland St. Tuesday.

#-7: Timberwolves (Last Week: -6).  Sure, they would up the Week on a high note, winning twice and breaking a three-Game losing streak in the process.  But take a closer look at the screening Week and you'll see some disturbing patterns that shouldn't be happening to a supposed championship contender.  They started off the Week losing not once but twice to a still-rebuilding Trail Blazers squad on the road Tuesday and Wednesday.  They beat Sacramento on the road Friday, but only by four, and even though they're a good club, the Timberwolves of last season would've run right through them and locked them down.  And then, in Target Center yesterday/Sunday afternoon, they were trailing massively to Phoenix, and they needed to be bailed out by new acquisition Julius Randle's Three with no time left.  Great buzzer-beater, no doubt.  But I didn't think it had to get to that point in the first damn place.

Moreover, right now The Western Conference is in a huge jam-up because it is so fucking competitive.  The Wolves are in a three-way tie with Sacramento and Memphis for seventh.  Meanwhile they're still working out the chemistry kinks, Naz Reid is still trying to adjust to not being able to take advantage of being the first guy off the bench, and Mike Conley's precipitous drop in play means Head Coach Chris Finch has to plaster over weaknesses on the team that he doesn't necessarily have.

At least this Week lets them breathe.  Just two Games, but both unfortunately on the road -- Toronto Thursday and, ugh, defending NBA Champions Boston Sunday.

#-8: Gopher volleyball (Last Week: -7).  Sweeping Michigan yesterday/Sunday afternoon doesn't erase the fact that they lost in four Sets at Nebraska Thursday.  Now, the Cornhuskers are ranked second in the nation, but that gave the team a three-Game losing streak, and that's just more evidence this program isn't where it once was.

At seventh-ranked Wisconsin Wednesday, then hosting Iowa Saturday.

No Cutting

Need to look on the bright side these days, and something good did happen last week.  Every week I have to go into the lab once to cut open packages and reach into piss.  Didn't have to do that last week, however.  No, the workload was so slight that people who work in the lab needed something to do, so they did it all, which meant that we out in data entry weren't needed.

That of course might not be the case this week.  Also, not having work is a possible, if not probable, indication that there is little work at the company, which is its own problem.  But, in the very, very short term, I got a break, just a little.

Two Nightmares

Before I completely forget, I had two pretty vivid nightmares over the past week.

In one, I was in a huge, multi-story shopping mall complex, and I saw that a very, very slow-moving avalanche was on its way to bury us.  I was trying to get out of the shopping mall and warn others of it on my way out.  I don't know if I made it because the nightmare ended.

In the other, I noticed a really, really nice hunk of barbecued ... I guess it would be pork shoulder because I could cut it into thin strips.  (One of my stripper girlfriends, ***e***, showed me a picture of one recently as an enticement to come to her stripper party which was, I think, last Saturday.  It looked great, but alas, I couldn't go because I had dinner with family in town.  Anyway, I think that's how that pork shoulder got into the nightmare.)  However, it was in a cardboard box filled with other things which I don't remember, and the whole box had water, maybe, in it.  Furthermore, I think I was in a bathroom, and I may have been using the toilet.  And that may be the reason for the crux of the problem I was facing while in this nightmare: Can I eat this pork shoulder in the bathroom, from a box, with other stuff and what I guess is water in it?  It looked really good, and yet the whole situation was gross.  And I remember that was my dilemma before I woke up.

Fuckin' Did It Again

I overate again.  I went to Taco Bell again, last night, after seeing the University of Minnesota beat South Dakota St. in the First Round of the NCAA women's soccer tournament, 2-0, and to celebrate, I went to Taco Bell.  This time, unlike Thursday night, I was able to eat what I ordered without trouble, namely a tostada (an item from the '60s TB brought back) and a green sauce burrito (from the '70s).

But then, I got hungry again.  Or, I thought I was hungry.  Or, I just wanted to celebrate the Gophers' Win.  Or, I just didn't want to leave Taco Bell.  There is a deal on the TB application that I can buy, like, an empanada for a buck if I eat the four discontinued items on their "Decades" menu.  I already at the two others, the meximelt from the '80s and the gordita supreme from the '90s.  But dammit, I wanted to eat more!  And so I ordered the meximelt and the gordita supreme, just to make absolutely sure I qualify for that empanada, even though I don't like their empanadas and probably won't take them up on their offer to buy one for a buck.  And I ate both, even though my stomach signaled I was full by the time I got to the gordita supreme.  I will say this, though; I miss the meximelt so, so much.  I really enjoy that item from Taco Bell, I really do.

Anyway, I ate too much, again.

All Over A Plate Of Fries

I overindulged with food again last night.  Once again, my long-held belief that I'm getting fat because my parents make me eat too much food at home is upended when I eat too much on my own.

After work last night I had this screening for a research study at the University of Minnesota.  But this wasn't on campus.  Instead, it was in north Minneapolis.  And I heard of a new restaurant just north of there that is kind of recommended.  I say kind of because I checked on Yelp and the reviews, especially when it comes to the food, haven't been universally kind, shall we say.  I thought about not going.  But ... well, I don't know the next time I will be in that part of town, and everybody seemed to like the drinks, so I decided to wedge a visit there between the experiment screening and Taco Bell, where I planned to finally eat that night.

And then, once I go to this relative new place, I caved and got an order of fries.  The fries weren't generally condemned, I don't think.  Besides, it was fries.  I figure it is hard to screw up, and even if it were, it's the cheapest item on their menu.  Now, they were good, even though I wish I had gotten a much bigger cup of aioli.  But it was a lot.  It was shareable size, and I was the only one eating it.  And my stomach got so full that I wondered whether I could even eat at Taco Bell.

But I made the decision to eat at Taco Bell anyway.  I altered what I would get, going from three food items to two.  But eating even a Mexican Pizza and their new street chicken chalupas was difficult.  I was so full that consuming them was not enjoyable, if you know what I mean.  And now, waking up after a four-hour sleep that's really a nap, I feel -- a bit bitter, but still plenty full.  Really, I feel as fat as I have ever felt.  All because I decided to have fries with my drink, dammit.

Goodbye, Twitter/X, Hello, Bluesky

The election shouldn't have prompted me to do it, but I'm far from the only one.  I had heard good things about it from time to time in the months leading up to last Tuesday, but I didn't really consider jumping from the dominant social media platform to one of these upstarts.  For one, I got what I needed from Twitter/X: Engagement, smart people promoting their smart things, and jokes and dunks on stupid people.

But I knew that I was liking and reposting under a company owned by Elon Musk, a guy I once thought was cool but had turned into a thoughtless, id-driven man-child who only talked shit about the concept of "free speech."  I didn't see all the hateful comments others saw, but I kept many of my settings private and largely stayed in my own lane.  Still, yes, Election Day was the final straw.  I also knew in the back of my mind that he was using his highly-leveraged platform to, uh, platform, racists and vile Republicans in order to tip the balance of races on Election Day in Republicans' favor, and goddammit, it worked.  It took this to fully realize I am monetizing myself for that asshole, and that was enough.

I need to be honest, though: Since devoting my attention over to Bluesky, the thing I miss the least was all those fucking ads.  And it's always the same one: That game where you shoot at something with a flashing number on it, and that number keeps going down.  Meanwhile, there are hordes of people coming at little old you, and the demonstration shows the object of the game is to ... well, survive, I guess?  Anyway, that was, like, every third tweet I saw, and even though I click on "Not interested in this ad," nowadays I still see that ad.  (By the way, I believe it's the same company that came out with a different type of game promoted on X/Twitter that I actually signed up for.  The gameplay was nothing, and I repeat, nothing like the promoted ad on X/Twitter.  I am so goddamn pissed that I gave these bait-and-switchers my personal information for a shitty lie.)  No doubt that that cesspool was where the racists and sexists lived because Musk invited them back.  But, I was most annoyed by the ads ...

... of which there are none on Bluesky.  I remember having that platform recommended on a local news website by a commenter.  Last Wednesday or Thursday, seeing how I was engaging for Musk, I decided to look around and, after looking around real quick, I signed up.  It is growing at breakneck speed.  So far, many people poking around Bluesky liken it to the younger, more innocent days of Twitter, where there were no ads to avoid, and no Republicans there to try to get you going.  Since it still is in an embryonic state (even though it's been around for several years now), people are trying to instill a "culture" there that's directly the opposite of the one in the old place, one that demands inclusion and thoughtfulness, and one where Republican trolls are easily and routinely blocked.

I like it so far, mainly because it looks a lot like Twitter/X, just without the baggage.  The easy block features sets up situations where posters congregate in their own bubbles, but quite frankly, the "public square" aspect of X/Twitter has just turned into firehoses of disinformation from people whose handles end in a string of ten digits, so I don't really care if I'm in an echo chamber.  It's good for my mental health.  But at some point there will be a controversial topic I am fascinated with, and I will wonder how ... uh, tolerant the place will be if I sincerely ask something I don't know, or state a minority opinion.  I don't mind debate on social media.  I just want that debate to happen in good faith, and I know that's no longer happening in Arkham Asylum over there.  That's why I am severely limiting my eyeball viewing on Twitter.  I won't shut down my account(s) because I think I would give my paper trail to Musk, so I will just lurk and not repost or publish anything original over there anymore.

So far, the vibes are good at Bluesky.  There's a mixture of relief over escaping a hellsite that just realized its worst fears and basest instincts combined with a happiness that there seems to be a community of millions that look forward to something new, happier, and free from pain.  I think all correct-minded Americans need that right now.  Of course, maybe Bluesky isn't meant to last.  After all, I think it's owned by a tech bro -- just like Twitter was before that dude sold out to Elon Musk.

WHY IN THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING THIS, PRESIDENT BIDEN?!?!?!

He insulted him personally.  He holds no respect for him.  He demanded the Department Of Justice investigate his sun, Hunter, for crimes even though he's not supposed to interfere.  And he threatened to withhold much-needed weaponry if Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy didn't lie and say he had evidence as to Hunter Biden's wrongdoing.

Worst of all, when he lost (fair and square, by the way) four years ago, he didn't meet with Biden in the Oval Office.  SO WHY IN THE GODDAMN MOTHERFUCKING HELL IS PRESIDENT BIDEN MEETING THAT CORRUPT SON-OF-A-BITCH AT THE OVAL OFFICE TODAY?!?!?!  You may believe in the peaceful transfer of power, President Biden, but he doesn't.  Remember that he sent his goons to invade the U. S. Capitol when he lost, an act befitting both a tyrant and a little bitch.  So why?  To show you're above it all?  To set an example??  To show that democracy can continue to reign over America when we all know he will destroy it once he's sworn in???  To try and change him????

Goddammit!!!  This asshole deserves no respect, which is more than he ever gave you.  Why do this?

WHY?!?!?!?!

And Now We're Well And Truly Fucked

I saw on a skeet on Bluesky (more on that some other time) that because of some congressional district in that turncoat fucking state of Arizona, those fucking Republicans will get control of the House, too.

So those MAGAts got the House, they got the Senate, and they got the presidency.  It's like from 2017-9, except that Trump knows what he's doing now, goddammit.

American democracy has just died.  We're just scrambling to save anything at this point.

The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey

#-1: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -2).  Wisconsin still hasn't returned to its lofty heights of yore, so this remains a lopsided rivalry.  Still, it's kind of impressive that this club went into Madison and swept the Badgers, who received votes in the polling, over the weekend by identical 3-2 scores, extended their winning streak to eight tilts.  And considering the relative unimpressive Wins by the other local teams this screening Week, that's good enough for the top spot in this Week's survey.

That winning streak should extend even further this weekend as they have a home-and-home series with Bemidji St. (here Thursday, there Saturday).

#-2: Wild (Last Week: -1).  A 5-1 defeat at home to Los Angeles on Tuesday, the team's first real clunker of the season, and a 2-1 Overtime Loss in Chicago last/Sunday night, bookend matching 5-2 victories on the road over San Jose and Anaheim.  So why are these guys second in the WMNSS?  Somehow, they are tied for the second-most Points in the NHL, matching defending Stanley Cup champs Florida and trailing only The Bastard Atlanta Thrashers.  That's the insulation a hot start gets you, but it's startlingly good nevertheless.

The Wild are relatively quiet this Week as they stay at the X -- it's Montreal Thursday, The Team That Was Stolen From Us Saturday.

#-3: Vikings (Last Week: -5).  Won 12-7 at Jacksonville on Sunday.  The Jaguars' starting QB, Trevor Lawrence, couldn't play this Game. Their Head Coach might have been playing for his job.  Mac Jones started under Center, for God's sake.  And the Vikes were bailed out by virtue of four Field Goals by Kicker John Parker Romo, who was signed to the team only this Week because their starting Kicker, Will Reichard, had to go on Injured Reserve because of a quad injury.

By Buddha, this was the most unconvincing Vikings Win in recent history.  And it probably can be laid at the feet of Sam Darnold, who threw three Interceptions and no TDs in Sunday afternoon's contest.  He hasn't been sharp in a while.  My friend on Bluesky just called him "Scam" Darnold, and that is a perfect (and probably already-used) insult for his poor play.

And this is supposed to be the Vikings' soft part of the schedule.  Sure, a Win's a Win.  But can they somehow play more competently Sunday at Tennessee against The Bastard Houston Oilers?

#-4: Gopher women's basketball (NEW SEASON!!).  It also feels as though the college basketball season start date varies from Year to Year.  This Year it came faster than I thought, the first Week of November.  What hasn't changed is colleges from power conferences starting their seasons playing pushovers at home.  And like clockwork, the University of Minnesota women's basketball team starting out of the gates 2-0, throttling Central Connecticut St. by 41 on Monday and crushing Vermont by 22 on Friday.

Minnesota clearly isn't in the top echelon of teams making a postseason run.  They may not be in the middle.  And that's a shame for a school that took the state by storm during that Final Four run twenty seasons ago.  Women's basketball has hit the accelerator, and its popularity will not slow down or go back, ever.  This is the time of the maturity of the sport where casual fans are buying in.  I believe that programs that meet the moment by having teams that are really good right now are going to have a lot of fans that will propel their brand for some period of time.  South Carolina is doing that as back-to-back champs.  UConn is doing that as the elder statesman program of the sport.  I think my alma mater is striking while the iron is hot with a loaded team.  Minnesota isn't on that level.  But, for what it's worth, they did make it to the WNIT title Game (where they lost to Saint Louis).  And while they didn't get any transfers of note, the nucleus of that squad has come back.  So I expect the U. to make it to the NCAAs this Year.

After hosting Massachusetts - Lowell Tuesday, the club will actually hit the road this non-con season, travelling to Tempe, Ariz., this weekend to participate in the Briann January Classic.  They will play Oregon St. Saturday afternoon and SMU Sunday afternoon.

#-5: Gopher men's basketball (NEW SEASON!!).  Stating out their season with a lot less hype, the Gopher men ballers are also 2-0.  But while they destroyed Oral Roberts at Williams Arena Wednesday by a score of 80-57, they somehow had to survive Nebraska-Omaha Saturday, 68-64.  Ben Johnson overachieved at times with last season's squad, and they have Dawson Garcia back this Year.  But you can't say your program has turned a corner if you barely beat UNO by four at home.

They stay at home this screening Week with contests versus North Texas Wednesday and Yale Saturday.

#-6: Timberwolves (Last Week: -6).  They were cruising along this screening Week, defeating Charlotte, Chicago (in Chicago) and Portland by double digits.  And then Fourth Quarter fuck-ups bedeviled the Wolves last/Sunday night in a 95-94 come-from-ahead Loss to Miami at Target Center.  And now, at 6-4, they are in a five-way tie for sixth place in The NBA's Western Conference.  That's the reason these guys are so low here this Week.  That West is so competitive, one person thought these guys will be battling for a playoff spot.  Can that be true?

I know I should talk about the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, but maybe some other time.

The Group Stage for The NBA Cup begins in earnest this Week.  They're going to Portland for back-to-back Games vs. the Trail Blazers tomorrow/Tuesday and Wednesday, but only the Tuesday match-up counts for The NBA Cup.  They travel to Sacramento Friday, then they return home Sunday afternoon to play Phoenix as part of the Group Stage schedule.

#-7: Gopher football (Last Week: 0).  There are several big things that affect college football in ways it doesn't quite in the NFL: Emotion (mostly in the form of personal animosity), momentum, and lassitude.  I don't know if the last two had anything to do with the Goofers' 26-19 upset Loss at Rutgers on Saturday.  But the Quarterback leading the Scarlet Knights to the victory is Athan Kaliakmanis, who was the U.'s starting QB last Year before transferring.  He went 17-of-33 for 240 Yards, and three Touchdowns (and one Interception).  Rutgers is 5-4 on the season and 2-4 in the B1G, so the only reason Minnesota lost, IMHO, is that Kaliakmanis was fired up to stick it to his old team.  And he did.

All isn't lost.  They host Penn St., but they have a Week to prepare for them.  An eight-Win season still is at hand.

#-8: Gopher volleyball (Last Week: -3).  Goddamn, what happened to this team this weekend?  At home, they lost to unranked Washington in four Sets on Thursday and then got swept by 12th-ranked Oregon Saturday.  This weekend cements, to me, the continuing slide into meh-goodness the once-aspirational University of Minnesota volleyball program has now become.  Forget finally winning that elusive national championship; Final Fours are out of the question, for this Year and many Years to come.  By God, seeing these results, reaching the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament is going to be the best they can do.  And really, Keegan Cook, that shouldn't be enough.

At second-ranked Nebraska Thursday (good luck with that), hosting Michigan Sunday.

Aunt's Not Doing Good

Huge family gathering at the cemetery this afternoon.  Ironic, sadly so, because my aunt isn't doing good.  Her son/My cousin says that since she slipped and fell, she hasn't been eating.  And when he answered my question, he looked worried.  Plus, my sister noticed that he was crying.

I don't want to come back to this cemetery so soon.

Urges: One More Day ... OK, Maybe Two More Days

In the mad scramble to prepare for my sister and brother-in-law coming here, I needed to take my jerk-off towel to my storage unit.  My sister never comes into my room anymore.  She thinks it smells.  On the hand I'm upset that she finds me so repellent that way.  On the other ... well, that means that she won't touch my shit and will leave me alone, and I always will like that.

Now, with that being said, I am paranoid enough to think that she would go into my room and peep around when I was away at work, just to be nosy or if my fucking parents goad her into doing it.  And it's not as if there's a lock in the closet.  She could have just opened it and smelled it and saw it right there.  And come to think of it, I find it very weird to try and rub one out while they're in the room on the other side of the wall.  Maybe that was the reason why I took it out of here.

Anyway, I have been able to refrain from masturbation for the past week-and-a-half or so.  Moreover, it's been pretty easy, "thanks," I guess, to my slowing libido.  There's this one chick on Zishy I have been obsessing over tonight, though.  I just found out she has an Instagram and an OnlyFans; maybe I'll be able to check her out once my sis and bro-in-law leave -- and not have the urge to wank before then.

---

Meanwhile, I'll confess, I have not been, uh, evacuating my bowels a lot since they got here.  I don't think that has anything to do with them being here; my body just goes through cycles like that.  Until now, thankfully.  I've had my first, um, productive evacuation in a long, long time.  I don't think I ate anything out of the ordinary yesterday/Saturday -- just Chinese food and wonton soup.  I don't consider them to be fiber-rich foods, so I don't exactly know why I had a good bowel movement now.  Maybe it was just time.  If so, good, because I haven't felt this good since at least Tuesday!

Too Busy Weekend

I already told my sister and brother-in-law my, uh, misgivings this weekend.  I understand that we need to do stuff while they're here.  But this is a lot, and with all the work I do during the weekend, this doesn't feel like I can rest, you know?  I'm not a fan of waking up early to do things when I don't have to do, but that's what I'm doing both right now and tomorrow -- even though, yes, this is stuff I want to do.  It is tiring as all get out.

But hey, family.  So I'll see you tomorrow, I think.

Still In A Daze

It feels as though people are freaking out more now than they did in 2016.  I think eight years ago was more horrible because this was the first time this fucking freak show was foisted upon the correct-minded among us.  But, maybe the idea that people who lived through Trump's first installation in the office actually liked it and voted for him again is good enough reason to in fact believe 2024 is worse.

Seriously, though, I need to unplug.  I totally understand the negativity and the need to process, but for me, coping has to be done away from the TV and from talk radio.  A week ago I wasn't looking forward to spending a long weekend with family, but I do now -- well, until they get on my last damn nerve.

And I just scared myself into thinking that My Mother will say that the rental I reserved is too small.

Democracy Has Died; We Are A Broken Nation

So after I blog posted my previous blog post I got a push notification from my phone that Wisconsin went to That Fucking Guy.  That he won, as soon (remember that Biden took Pennsylvania and thus the presidency four days later, on Saturday) as he did overnight, makes me suspicious, frankly.  Hey, it all depends on the conspiracy theories that are true.  Fifteen million votes fewer for Harris than for Biden?  Did they all not vote for her?

I cannot believe that this fucking asshole, who was convicted of 30+ felonies, who is a rapist, who broke the law to steal the presidency back in 2016, and who is a stupid asshole who can't even get through a speech without going into a demented fugue state, "won" again.  Don't even believe he won fair and square here, either.  There were bomb threats in polling places in Georgia and Pennsylvania; they were traced to, duh-duh-duh, Russia.  That Fucking Guy had meetings with Netanyahu; I will totally believe he made a deal with Trump to not agree to a ceasefire in Gaza just to make Biden look bad.  And from 2016, the Original Sin of foreign election interference and conspiracy, the people who were brainwashed into voting for him then voted for him again.  That's still foreign election interference in my mind.

But the overriding takeaway from this election is that this country simply is not willing to make a woman its president, especially one of color.  It is not a surprise that America remains deeply sexist and racist, but the ramifications of those deep-seated prejudices on such an important event, when the other choice is that piece of shit, is still shocking, and sad.  Harris is immensely qualified, smart, diplomatic, and doesn't dance like a bobblehead for 30 minutes.  But Trump's a white guy, so he has to win.

We can't forgot the media apparatus surrounding Republicans.  There is a behemoth of a cable station, several radio networks, and now goddamn podcasts all supporting that gutless cult of a party.  It's scary to think that Joe Rogan (who has daughters, by the way) may have played kingmaker.  The guy from Fear Factor played kingmaker?

With that being said, commenters who are doing post-mortems unanimously believe Biden would have done worse.  I will not agree.  If America is so sexist and racist and selfish and hypocritical that it would reject an accomplished Senator such as Kamala Harris for a guy in his eighties who gave a blowjob to a microphone, isn't there a possibility that pushing out a White guy, Joe Biden, for Harris was a mistake?  Hey, this move backfired on us.  Maybe Biden should have stayed.  I think he could have won.

I need to end this or else I'll start throwing things.

Yeah, This Is Feeling As Bad As Eight Years Ago

I don't want to rehash how I was feeling, but it was eerily similar to how I felt tonight, and being in a bar with like- and correct-minded people did not help with my anxiety and fear at all.

One thing I have noticed, however.  The doomsaying I am seeing now, as accurate as it probably is, was something I didn't see four years ago.  Why?  I can't just explain it away by the pandemic ... can I?  I was unable to congregate anywhere public, obviously, but I remember that on the Saturday after Election Day, when Pennsylvania and the presidency was called for Joe Biden, that I was helping to set up the Vikings Game at U. S. Bank Stadium.  I don't think the euphoria I felt then was reflected by any bonhomie on Election Night four days before.  But it was four years ago, so I could be wrong.

What I am hoping is that, like four years ago, the tabulations won't be done for a while.  Things weren't looking great for Biden this time in 2020, but then states began counting mail-in votes and the totals from the big cities started to pile in.  Maybe it could come sooner, and there are significant headwinds Harris is encounter now.  But I am hoping beyond hope that there is a blue tsunami, or a blue-nami, that will save us from ourselves.

With that said, I haven't looked on social media yet, so maybe democracy's already dead.  Who knows?

I've Had A Bad Day Since, Oh, Dinner Or So

Dinner at home last night was great.  But I ate at a Brazilian steakhouse Sunday night, so I'm already full, plus I have been fat for a while, so what we had last night isn't helping the waistline.  And I won't be going to the gym anytime soon, I'm afraid.

I was leading in all three of my fantasy football teams, including the one I care about because I have money in it, the one in which I have money.  But then Monday Night Football went into Overtime and Kareem Hunt scored the Game-ending Touchdown.  My opponent had Kareem Hunt.  He came back to win.  The guy I just choked away the lead to was winless until last night.  I still lead him in the standings, but I'm next-to-last in the league.  I checked, by the way; I was good four years ago.  That's the only reason I haven't thrown myself off the roof of my house.

Just woke up from a nightmare where, for some reason, I climbed a tree, then realized I was really high up and I froze because I'm afraid of heights.  People offered to climb up to help me.  One dude tried and fell to the ground; I don't know what happened to him.  The others helped me down -- quickly, actually, so quickly that I realized when I got down on the ground that I wasn't as high up as I thought I was.  Whoops.

Oh, and today's Election Day.  Will we still have a democracy after tonight?  Who bleepin' knows?

The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey

Positive Numbers: United FC (Re-Entry!).  I need to give some love to the Loons -- mostly because I decided to go to St. Paul and watch their Game instead of seeing my alumni lose at a bar.  MNUFC spared me a night of frustration and heartache.  Instead, I got to watch my hometown side sweep and upset Real Salt Lake in their First Round Series, something I didn't think would happen this season.

Now, to be fair, both Games reached Penalty Kicks after the squads finished regular time tied (scoreless in Tuesday's Game 1 in Salt Lake City, at 1 after Game 2).  PKs are the worst tie-breakers in world sport (with the possible exception of college football, but hey, when you see Dayne St. Clair stop two shots right in your line of sight, you gotta be happy.  It's rare for a local team to win in a clutch situation.  It's also rare to see them win as an underdog.  And, now that I think about it, this is the first time MNUFC has won a playoff Game at home in front of fans (they beat The Colorado Rapids at Allianz Field in the First Round of the 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs, but that was the pandemic, so no one was there to watch them win).  So, for all those reasons (but mostly for justifying my decision to see them instead of my alma mater), I am not only putting them at the top perch of the survey, but also above negative numbers.

Now for the sucky news: Due to the International Break as well as Major League Soccer spreading out this round's Game 3's till next weekend (of which there will be four), United FC's Conference Semifinal matchup, a one-Match-only setup at The Los Angeles Galaxy, won't be played until Saturday the 23rd.  It seems as though MLS's postseason always drags on like this.  Wonder if this is one of the reasons the league is thinking about flipping its calendar to August-May, matching pretty much every other country on Earth.  I think that's a huge mistake because I don't want to be freezing my dick off in early February.  In fact, I might be forced to sell my season ticket if MLS decides to do that.

#0: Gopher football (Last Week: 0).  After some early struggles, P. J. Fleck has gotten this team to buy in and turn things around.  They beat Illinois in Champaign, 25-17, on Saturday, notching their fourth consecutive victory and reaching their E- (Eligibility) Day in early November.  Also of note: This is the first time Bret Bielema has ever lost to the U.  Ha!

And let's look over the horizon real quick: They visit flaccid Rutgers Saturday.  After a Week off, they host Penn St., who, after losing at home to Ohio St., ain't all that.  They finish up the season at Madison Black Friday, and they're not great shakes, either.  The vibes are good around the gridiron Gophers right now; why can't this team run the table and finish 9-3?  They probably won't make the College Football Playoff, but a New Year's Day Bowl probably is in the offing.  And that's why these guys are above negative numbers as well.

#-1: Wild (Last Week: -5).  This hamstrung outfit somehow has the third-most Points in the National Hockey League after sweeping all three contests they had this screening Week: At Pittsburgh (in what is Marc-Andre Fleury's final appearance at his old stomping ground), then at home over Tampa and, in Overtime, Toronto.  Kirill Kaprisov, who usually starts seasons off slow, is as hot as a two-buck pistol, and is getting very early Hart Trophy consideration.  But I like their trajectory because they just passed The Bastard North Stars to reach third place overall.

They've got a very busy week coming up. The Wild finish up their three-Game homestand Tuesday vs. Los Angeles, then go out for a quick three-Game road trip: Back-to-back at San Jose and Anaheim Thursday and Friday, then at Chicago Sunday.

#-2: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -2).  A two-Game sweep of ranked Penn St. at home over the weekend to start conference play is surely good.  And ... that's all I got to say about that.  At Wisconsin for two this weekend.

#-3: Gopher volleyball (Last Week: -1).  Back-to-back sweeps of the Michigan, and both on the road?  That's surely good, too.  And ... that's all I got to say about that as well.  They host the Pacific Northwest schools this weekend (that would be Washington on Thursday and tenth-ranked Oregon on Saturday afternoon).

#-4: Gopher women's hockey (Last Week: -3).  Swept Bemidji St. in Bemidji over the weekend.  That's surely good ... but it's Bemidji St., so who cares?  At Minnesota-Duluth over the weekend.

#-5: Vikings (Last Week: -6).  Well, at least they got off the schneid and ended their two-Game losing streak by beating The Bastard Baltimore Colts in Sunday Night Football.  Still, I'm not really impressed with this club right now.  I think the Defense really wasn't tested because Indianapolis really isn't a good squad.  Moreover, I think we have seen the ceiling of what Sam Darnold can do.  He was responsible for all three Turnovers the Vikes committed (even though the Fumble was a result of the Colts defender clubbing Darnold across the facemask, which is illegal).  He has trouble making reads and opts for the home run ball when the checkdown is the much better option.

Sunday night started a three-Game stretch where they finish up the AFC South portion of their schedule.  Sunday they visit reeling and lifeless Jacksonville.  After that they visit The Bastard Houston Oilers.  Very weak competition, but they can be 8-2 by the time they play at Chicago.

#-6: Timberwolves (Last Week: -4).  Want to note that overall, it was good Week for local sports.  The seven teams above this line went undefeated, going a perfect 13-0 over the past seven Days.  And that ends here, with the Timberwolves.

Anyway, with the Wolves being firmly his team now, the evolution of Anthony Edwards continues.  He has largely abandoned the mid-range jumper he was known for, and instead has basically taken Karl-Anthony Towns's place in letting it loose from the arc.  It's a healthier shot diet, and so far, he's hitting 43.2% of them.  That's quite good.

Unfortunately it was tough sledding for these guys.  In a Western Conference Finals rematch from last Year, Dallas came into Target Center Tuesday and again beat the Woofs, 120-114.  On Friday they made a hellacious comeback to beat Denver at home.  But playing less than 24 hours later in San Antonio, older and wiser San Antonio took advantage of the club's fatigue and beat them, 113-103.

The T-Wolves have a busy Week as well.  They host Charlotte tonight/Monday night, make a quick stop in Chicago Thursday, come back to host Portland the next night, then play Miami at home Sunday.

#-7: Gopher soccer (Last Week: Positive Numbers).  I was at chilly Robbie Stadium Friday night to watch Minnesota drop their Opening Round tilt versus Penn St., on a Free Kick by Mieke Schiemann with 97 Seconds left to go in the Match.  A gut punch, no doubt; even though I was cold, I wanted to see Extra Time (and in women's college soccer, it appears as though at least the Big Ten relies on an old format of two 10-Minute Extra Time periods before heading to Penalty Kicks and, glory be praised, The Golden Goal).

While that sucked, it looks as though this has not damaged the Gophers' chances of making the NCAA Tournament, which seem to be a lock.  In fact, this bracketologist believes the U. will be part of the top half of the field that will be seeded, specifically a 6-Seed.  We'll see where, and if, Minnesota is going dancing when the 64 teams are selected and placed next Monday.

I Now Hate My Whole Goddamn Family Right Now

I still object to today's plans, even though, thankfully, things have kind of changed.  My sister and brother-in-law are not picking up my niece in Carver County and then going back to St. Paul.  Instead, later this afternoon they are meeting my niece and their parent(s; brother's going, sister-in-law may not be my sister-in-law for all I know) in St. Paul.  Appreciate not taking the car back down there a second straight day.  But my parents and I are still taking the minivan to meet them in downtown St. Paul just a few hours later -- in downtown St. Paul, at the same time as the Wild Game.  And just now, I helped Father load in the removable back seats.  Mother said that if they need to junk the van, they can do so with all the seats in the back.

Wait -- are they junking the car?  She now fucking springs me the news that it's leaking oil and water.  Is the minivan even going to fucking make it to St. Paul?  Is it going to not overheat while it's idling behind a dozen cars full of hockey fans?  And I don't even know if I'm going to find parking on such a busy night. 

And then my parents just told me that they need to use the van on Tuesday, so if my sister needs to fucking take my car, that I have no car on Tuesday.  Where the hell am I going to sleep?  Goddammit, I hate my whole fucking family right now, this is too goddamn much. ...

Aunt Is Hurt

And I heard this morning that my aunt's in the hospital.  Fell and broke her back.  She's got a lot of rehab ahead of her.  How does someone in her eighties do rehab?

Anyway, we are driving down to Carver County, I think right now, to see her.  It's obvious.  But I have to leave in the early evening, get to downtown Minneapolis to make sure the Game is on for all my alumni buddies, than head on over to Midway for the United Match.  And there's also dinner.  And I have about four hours to do this all.  By the way, yes, the car is getting taxed today.  It needs to, also obvious, but considering that I took this to the airport this morning and my sister and brother-in-law are taking it to Carver County tomorrow, this is exactly the work and wear I was afraid the car was going to go through.

Hell, I'll just say it: I kind of resent my sister being here.  I feel as though she's horning in on my space, and that she's staying for only a little while before I have to readjust to her (and my brother-in-law) leaving is only aggravating me even more.  But it's the car that bothers me.  I finally realized something obvious: When I was out in Hawai'i, I never asked to use their car to just drive around.  But while they're here, they're driving my car, and they're driving it everywhere, and they will be driving it so much I am really, really bothered and scared that, at worst, they'll get into an accident and, at best, they'll be tacking on miles and bringing big repairs that much closer to today ... and that will be crap I will have to clean up.

Come to think of it, I gave her use of my car for some, if not most, of the days the last time she visited here, which wasn't too long ago (a year ago?  Two years?), by herself, while the parents had started wintering in Las Vegas.  Does she now feel, for lack of a better word, entitled to the use of my car whenever she's in town?  That cannot be the way this works, and I feel bad if that is the impression I gave her.  But she is coming off as if she can just waltz in to the house and use my car willy-nilly.  I really don't mind if those two tool around the metro area -- within reason.  But going outstate every day while they're here?  Hell no, but that is impression I am getting from her, and I don't know if I need to set her straight.

Anyway, I need to get up in several hours to pick them up at the airport.  Hope the car stays in one piece.

I Don't Know When To Go Out/Don't Know When To Stay In

Adding to my anxiety as my sister and brother-in-law come back home for a week and a half is that for every workday this week, I spent some time out.  With this headache coming tomorrow/Saturday morning (and I mean that in the nicest way), I could have used an evening just to myself, at home.  But I was out instead -- sometimes because I wanted to (I hit this bar in the outskirts of downtown Minneapolis Monday because it had a Halloween theme; I was going to see the Opening Round of The Big Ten Women's Soccer Tournament yesterday/Thursday), sometimes because I had to (had to go to our bar Tuesday to make sure we could watch the Game this Saturday; and I had to stash my shit because My Fucking Father threw it in the recycling bin on Wednesday).  Goddamn, I was so busy.

Today/Friday was going to be my nothing day.  But then *****y texted Wednesday that she was hosting a party, and considering all the stress I had from My Fucking Father making decisions on stuff that wasn't his and from my sister and brother-in-law coming tomorrow/Saturday, I thought a little sexual healing would be good for me.  But then yesterday's/Thursday's snow came.  It sure was no Halloween Blizzard, but it was a lot more than the trace that was forecast to fall in our area.  Because of that, the Matches that were supposed to be played yesterday/Thursday are instead going to be played today/Friday.  And because I love being an in-person neutral for big tournaments like this -- and because I don't know if I can get my money back -- instead of getting my pee-pee yanked, I'll be braving the cold of sitting at the Robbie Stadium bleachers.  And I'll be tired as hell once I get home ... after I have a late dinner and gas up my car.  My sis and bro-in-law come in at 6 in the morning Saturday.

But hey, the headlight bulbs finally came, and in time.  Maybe we won't need a rental car this weekend after all.  Unfortunately, the long line of what-ifs regarding this stupid decision to have dinner in St. Paul around the time the Wild Game starts remains.