When Do I Have To Do The Long Drive?

So my boss yesterday/Thursday asked if I could come in to work tomorrow/Saturday and, after trying to think if there was anything I absolutely had to do and coming up empty, I said yes.

But there is something I kinda could have done tomorrow/Saturday.  Last week Mother asked me to drive all the way down to my brother's place and give my niece presents she asked my folks to get for her.  I don't enjoy a 45-minute drive, but I was prepared to do it.  Last week my sister-in-law told me they were out of town, so this weekend would've been the "perfect" time to do it ... until I volunteered to come in and work.  I guess I could still do it tomorrow/Saturday; it would just have to be after work and probably after dinner.  Or, I could do it Sunday before the Gold Cup Matches.  But if I had to drive all the way down to my niece's, I prefer it to be the only thing I do that day.  And that plan is ruined unless either 1) I get to do this drive possibly next weekend (I might be busy then, too) or 2) they come up here and get the gifts from us.  The latter would be a huge burden off my chest, but it probably won't happen.

Facial Rec For OnlyFans?!?! GTFO!!!

So I tried logging into OnlyFans a few days ago, and instead of seeing its busy, clunky homepage, I was told I needed to be verified.  The link I clicked on sent me to this third-party site that had a lot of words that I needed to read.  There it said that I need to be verified through, get this, facial recognition.

That shit came at me out of the blue.  I understand that maybe you need ways to identify consumers on your porn site.  But I also have the right to opt out and not volunteer my physical features to a company just so I can beat off to naked women.  So I refuse.  And that probably means I won't use OnlyFans unless they end or even lighten the policy, so I might not ever use it again.

I am kind of crestfallen, but I don't trust a porn site to keep my facial characteristics secure.  For all I know, they'll sell images of me to an artificial intelligence company.  That fear overrides any understanding that this company should know who you are.  Too bad; whenever I needed to see someone naked for a bit, I sometimes went out to OF.  But only sometimes because -- and maybe I need to rant a bit here -- its interface was awful.  I try to press a button and it would take forever to get to the next page.  And it's so picture- and video-heavy (for obvious reasons), yet it had a difficult time reloading and refreshing.  You would think a porn site would fix a loading problem.  But whatever, I can't and won't go there anymore.

The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey

#-1: Lynx (Last Week: -1).  Maybe this lower back injury to Napheesa Collier is worse than I initially believed.  She has sat out both Games this screening Week, and there is yet no timetable as to when she can return to the court.  Maybe this out of precaution; there are now 44 Games in the WNBA season now, and they will definitely need her for the postseason, if not by July 1 for the Commissioner's Cup Final vs. Indiana at Target Center.

In the meantime, whether it's due to injury or load management or a blend of both, the Lynx had to go without their impending regular season MVP.  It wasn't a problem at home Saturday, where they blew it open in the Fourth Quarter and routed Los Angeles, a team that hasn't figured it out yet, by 16 at home.  Kayla McBride stepped up and poured in 29 Points in the winning effort.  However, they suffered their second Loss of the Year last/Tuesday night, 68-64, at a Washington squad that is rapidly improving thanks to their bevy of young players.  McBride scored only seven Points.

This situation may need to be monitored if the Collier injury is more serious than thought.  Her club has to visit another team that seems to be getting it, Atlanta, on Friday, but then come home to play woebegone Connecticut before the CC, money in the bank championship Game against Caitlin Clark and the Fever Tuesday night.

#-2: Twins (Last Week: -3).  OK, I may have soft-pedaled the collapse the Twinks are going through, because even though it may have been this brutal during their entire June swoon, it took me this last Week to see how fucking awful this team is right now.  They went 1-6 this screening Week, they are currently in a five-Game losing streak, they got swept at home to The Bastard Seattle Pilots over the weekend, are 3-15 in their last 18.

What really sticks out, however, is the extent to which they have gotten the shit kicked out of them in these "Games."  On Monday they got blasted by Seattle (at home), 11-2.  Milwaukee boatraced the Twinks 17-6 Friday and 9-0 Saturday.  And if you want to go further back, The Bastard Washington Senators v.2.0. notched 16 Runs on the Twinks twice.  The Rotation has been decimated, but I didn't think it would get this awful, and besides, this is a situation where you would think the Offense would try and pick up the slack, but obviously they haven't.

So now we've got a situation where the Twinks, who not too long ago held down a Wild Card spot and would have hosted a Wild Card series, now have the fourth-worst record in The American League, and there is such a listlessness around this team that this entire outfit is just about to crash into the ocean.  And considering how toxic the relationship between ownership and the fanbase is right now, I don't think anyone cares to do anything about it.

The Twins have two more chances to avoid getting swept by the Mariners.  They then travel to Detroit, who just got their 50th Win of the season last/Tuesday evening, for a trio over the weekend.  After that, they head to Miami to play a three-Game set versus the Marlins starting on Tuesday.

On The Hunt For Oral Rinse

I don't remember when, but whenever I brush my teeth (and I confess that it's not twice a day, and in fact it's not daily!), I use this oral rinse.  It's not Listerine, nor anything like that.  It is (I think) referred to as an oral rinse.  Specifically, if you look at what the active ingredients are used for in the back of the bottle, this is an anticavity liquid.  Some time ago, the American Dental Association, in my estimation, really pushed for the use of this formula to combat cavities.  And I, someone who battled cavities since I was a child (partly because I didn't brush my teeth daily, let alone twice a day), could use a magic bullet that would prevent them.

I don't have absolute proof, since my use of this oral rinse more than a decade ago coincided with greater brushing frequency and more diligent trips to the dentist, but I may have developed one cavity since I started using this oral rinse.  I was convinced that this indeed is saving my teeth, so I made it a routine to use it after brushing and, once I used it all up, I would go to Target, find that bottle of green liquid with the ADA logo signally approval and buy it.  This used to be ACT, but once I started becoming price-conscious, I switched to the Target's generic Up & Up brand, which had a similar formula and, more importantly, was also branded with the ADA logo.

And then, maybe a year or so ago, when I wanted to pick up yet another bottle at Target, I didn't see the logo anymore.  Freaked me the hell out.  What looked to be the replacement was not quite right.  I believe it said, instead of "oral rinse," "mouthwash" or "mouth rinse" or something.  I flipped the bottle to see the active ingredients and saw none of what I believe gave this product that seal of approval: Sodium fluoride and fluoride ion.  And it has to be at a certain percentage of those compounds: ACT currently has an oral rinse which I saw have sodium fluoride and fluoride ion in lower percentages in their bottles.  Guess what?  They no longer have the ADA seal of approval.

I ran out of my last Target bottle of oral rinse some time last week, and Saturday, the first time I stepped into Target since I started my boycott against this Trump-cocksucking corporation in early February, I was hoping to see if it was back on the shelves, but it wasn't.  I saw some Internet chatter that other people were wondering what happened to this product, so I began to worry that they just weren't making it anymore.  I can't conclude anything else than that now.

So the ACT oral rinse is now so weak the ADA doesn't believe it can prevent cavities.  Up & Up now touts "mouthwash" that is antiplaque and antigingivitis -- both good things, but dammit, I want something anticavity.  (More online sleuthing makes me think the main difference in what I want and I what I see on shelves is the prevalent use of alcohol.  The anticavity oral rinse I have used for decades does not give you that alcohol burn.  Listerine and I think these other mouthwashes do.)  I finally searched online and, after finding the magic words, it seems as though CVS has its generic brand of oral rinse.  And it's still in shelves ... even though it's not in all of them.  That kind of scares me.  If it's not just Target that's pulling this product, does it mean that there's something wrong with the formulation?  Is it not as anticavity as the ADA thought it was?  Or does this have something to do with a worldwide supply crunch of fluoride or something?

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Yesterday/Monday morning I couldn't sleep.  I may have gotten an hour overnight, but I was well enough that I got out to the car early enough to buy myself a mocha and oatmeal for breakfast.  I didn't plan on spending any money yesterday/Monday, but since I did, I figured I could spend more.  And after seeing that a ticket to see Dave Wakelin and his version of The English Beat at The Dakota was a bit too rich for my blood (the band seems to tour all the time, so I maybe I'll catch them at First Ave or a larger venue that'll have lower prices than $75), I figured yesterday/Monday was the day to hunt and stock up on this oral rinse.  Having a weirdly light day when I was expecting to be at work for at least ten hours made that decision easy to make.  All I had to do was drive up past where I live to a CVS I've never been to.  They had three bottles -- and, in another instance that makes me think they're just clearing out this product, it was BOGO.  Maybe I should've grabbed that third, but I got two.  And it may be the last two of this formula I will ever be able to use.

But, I have these two oral rinse bottles, so I'm set for the time being.  (It'll help that I'm starting to use the free bottles of Listerine I get with my free toothbrush and floss every time I visit the dentist.  Have to use them at some point.  Hope using them doesn't give me cavities!)  I really hope this is a temporary blip and that this formulation will be back on the shelves.  If not, I would like to see some explanation as to why I can't buy this anymore.  Like I said, I could be wrong, but I think it's a tooth saver, and so I want to keep using it.

Oh, Just Die, You Dumb Bug

Yeah, insects are becoming an issue.  After being afraid of a big ant that wouldn't die and having to change bathrooms to shower because of a lazy damn bug, there was another damn bug, a small beetle-looking idiot, that found itself at the top of my bathroom sink (this was about a week ago) and then sauntered on down just short of the drain (this was maybe Saturday or Friday).

It obviously wasn't a problem while it was hanging up on top.  But now that it was near the bottom, I wasn't able to wash my damn hands.  I opened a trickle a couple times just so it wouldn't drown, and some other times I just skipped washing my hands.  But I tried, man, I really tried to get it to leave the basin by holding an envelope of those, um, floss toothpicks (you know what I mean, right?) out for it to latch onto.  I feel bad that one time it may have gotten its front legs on it and I jerked the envelope away too fast, so it tumbled back into the basin.  Otherwise, it would just avoid the thing like the plague.  I need to use the sink, dammit!

Yesterday/Sunday I kind of had enough.  I opened the faucet a couple times to the point where I may have drowned it.  Then, after I burned my thumb carrying a pan of bread that just got done in the toaster oven, I went back to the bathroom to cool off my hand.  I may have forgotten about that insect, but frankly, I was more worried about putting my thumb under water.  And so I turned the faucet on all the way, and yep, clumsy, cruel me saw the small, dumb thing disappear down the drain.

Maybe I should've given it more of a chance.  And hell, if this beetle is anything like that ant, it'll crawl up the drain and scare the shit out of me.  But frankly, I've had it rearranging my human time to accommodate this lazy and/or dumb bug.  God made a hierarchy for a reason.

I Rule My Bedroom

What I've noticed -- and I don't think I've blog posted this before -- is that when my parents are here after they come home, I retreat into my bedroom.  If they were not home today -- and again, they shouldn't be -- I would be running around the house, maybe doing chores and stuff.  (Certainly I wouldn't be outside; it is about to become 4 p.m. here, and that is when the heat index is supposed to get to 107, the highest it'll get today [apparently it reached 109 yesterday/Saturday].)  But since they are home, and again I'm glad they're alive, I cede the house to them and just rule my bedroom.

I just woke up from a nap.  With nothing to do in my bedroom -- well, I could clean up, but why? -- I have been napping a lot since my folks have come home.  That probably will be how it is.

Ah!

Yeah, I got down with ****e this/Saturday afternoon, and it was as good as I hoped it would be.  In fact, I think she was willing to do more.  Man, so loving, so seductive ... I was putty in her hand just like that.

Better yet, when I asked her how much for her rendered services, she said, "Whatever."  So, I coolly reached in my wallet and pulled out some money.  I shouldn't have done that.  Actually I should have rearranged my dollar bills before I went to the party, because I just pulled out ... well, the amount I gave her when I didn't want to give her that much.  I mean, ****e is fantastic.  But for what she did to me, I have never given that much.

I get the feeling she is really chill about it.  (I was hoping that we could do this away from parties, but she didn't sound like she wants home visits, shucks.)  But I am afraid that she noticed how much I gave her before and will see that I won't give her that much next time.  And shit, as good as she is, I cannot give her as much as I did, just on principle.  Well, unless ****e wants to go all the way with me. ...

Summer Is Finally Here

We've had some hot days, but only a few.  It actually has felt like spring for many weeks and, in fact, early spring (maybe even in a late winter?) where there were nights, not too long ago, when the central heat kicked in.

I think those days are over, because yesterday/Friday was the first time in 2025 where it not only felt hot but also humid.  This is one of those days where I want Father to finally cave in and turn on the air conditioner.  We haven't done that yet, and I am OK with that because I am now paying for the AC and it'll get pretty damn expensive.  But as hot and humid as it is right now, it'll get even worse over the weekend.  We have an Extreme Heat Warning starting noon today/Saturday and ending, supposedly, 9 tomorrow/Sunday night.  I think Father, and I, will cave at some point.

Man, Those Are Some Big Bananas

Just at a banana.  Father always packs two things for me to take to work with me.  I keep telling him I don't need anything, but because he insists, I eat only one and take the other thing home with me, possibly to eat as a late-night snack.

I think I've told my thinking about this before, but usually, I take home the banana.  The other thing is some pastry Mother made that should be microwaved.  If I took it home, it'd go up to room temperature, and unlike a banana, I don't think it's supposed to be stored like that, so I usually eat that.  Anyway, I have noticed that, more often than not, the bananas Father gets are huge -- like, well, girthy huge.  The one I just ate was obscenely big.  I don't think Father means anything homoerotic about it (well, beyond the inescapable fact that the banana is shaped like a phallus), he wants the biggest pieces of food he can buy, and bananas are a prime example of this want of his.

I don't need to eat big bananas.  Heck, I usually don't eat any bananas when they're not in town because they'll go bad before I get around to eating them all.  But since Father is in town, I have to eat these huge frickin' bananas he'll buy, I guess ...

Rationing Days Off

In an unusual break in my day yesterday/Wednesday at work, I had time to re-parcel out my days off.  For some time earlier in the year, I was afraid that I would not be able to take enough days off, and if I didn't before the year was out, I would just flat-out lose them.

Well, I might have my calculations wrong, but I think I have the opposite problem now.  I did the math (I think) and I believed a few months ago that I need to average two days off a month in order to use up all the paid time off I would otherwise lose.  However, I strayed from that.  Sometimes it was out of necessity; for example, I think May filled up a lot, and so I don't think I took the two days off I thought I could.  Other times I wanted to take a third because ... well, take tomorrow/Friday.  I thought I would be taking a road trip to see my stripper girlfriend in western Minnesota, but her toilet doesn't work anymore, so that plan blew up in smoke, and then my parents came home, so there won't be a long weekend anywhere.  (I'm still taking the day off because I want to go to the Minneapolis Institute of Art and check out the art collection of Alicia Keys and her husband.)  And next month I have two MNUFC soccer Matches back-to-back.  Assuming there would be enough work for me to have to stay late, which I can't do if I want to get to the Matches on time, I figured I would stay as late at work as I could for the first Loons date, then take the next day off so that if the person to whom I am leaving so much work the first day is pissed at me, I wouldn't be there.  If she holds a grudge when I come back on Wednesday, well, maybe I'll be dead.

Bottom line is that, somehow, I now average less than two days per month to get to where I need to be.  I don't want to take off more days than I should, but then again I have gotten into the mindset that if I want to take a day off, I don't want anything to stop me.  Well, if I keep this up, I won't have any more days off I can take off.  So yeah, I'm in kind of a bind.