Yup, still unemployed. Hopefully, something will materialize soon. I’ve re-evaluated my process and made some tweaks. Hopefully, my luck will change soon. I’ve been working on a few things to improve my skillset; I just haven’t been sitting around. There is a certain type of “education” one receives by earnestly looking for employment for four months.

I’d bet good money that Dak Prescott will reach out to Cam Skattebo since he had the exact same compound fracture. That’s the kind of man that he is, a class act. I just wish he had a defense. And, a better running game.

I heard that Times Square got its name because the paper used to be located there. Feel free to fact-check that.

The last two times the exterior of the White House, and I’m speaking of the Executive Mansion, not any wings, was in 1829 and 1948. Andrew Jackson added the north portico to keep visitors from getting wet on rainy days. It was something Thomas Jefferson had suggested for improvement when he lived there. Congress appropriated $24,729, approximately $850,000 today. Surprisingly, I found out Truman paid for the balcony himself, and this was two years before the inside was gutted out, which I wrote about in my previous post. He didn’t bother asking the Republican Congress for the $16,000 to fund the project, since “no” was a foregone conclusion. Today, that would be about $266,000. He came up with the cash by making cuts to the president’s household account.

Truman had two main reasons for adding the balcony, other than it being a personal perk for whoever was living there. First, there was the design element. “Design experts” said adding a balcony would make the mansion’s south front more architecturally pleasing, that the long vertical lines of the original six stone columns (which survived the Brits burning the place in 1814) look better when broken up by a horizontal line across the middle, such as a balcony.

Then there were the so-called “savings.” Back before air conditioning, that grand old mansion in D.C. basically turned into a sauna every summer. The solution? Slap some ugly canvas awnings over the first-floor windows for some shade and hope for a breeze. They didn’t just look bad; they collected enough dust to start their own ecosystem. Come fall, the crew would haul them down, find them filthy beyond redemption, and toss them. Meaning every single summer, taxpayers got the joy of buying a fresh batch. By 1946, that little ritual was running Uncle Sam twenty grand a decade, about $305,000 today. So yeah, adding a balcony wasn’t just about a nice view; it was a money-saver that paid for itself.

Here’s a photo of Truman reading on the balcony. I noticed the railings are white in the photo, but I also know that the railings are black today. During Reagan’s term in 1985, they were replaced with a sturdier black version we see today.

So, that means this photo was taken sometime during Reagan’s first term.

And that this photo was taken sometime on or after 1985. And yes, I know the caption tells you the exact date.

Truman died during Nixon’s term in 1972. He famously hated Nixon. As a matter of fact, Truman told his biographer that Nixon was one of only two people in his whole political career that he actually hated. In case you were wondering, the other was Senator Joseph McCarthy. Yet, you’ll see that Nixon never took it personally and extended grace in a letter to Bess Truman after Harry’s funeral, expressing thanks for the balcony, and in this 1986 letter to Truman’s grand nephew and namesake. I also find it interesting that the personalized stationery says “Richard Nixon”, leaving out any titles or gimmicks like “From The Desk Of”.

A farmer bales hay with his John Deere 348 Baler

This is so cool pic.twitter.com/SuO0mYXdFF

— Dudes Posting Their W’s (@DudespostingWs) October 24, 2025

These Detroit Lions fans bought a jersey for a fan that didn’t have one yet

H/T : Heather Machemer – Facebook pic.twitter.com/Vrq78CQNiZ

— Woodward Sports Network (@woodwardsports) October 25, 2025