Your Bag of Nothing for Thursday, January 9, 2024

  • School’s closed today and tomorrow, thanks to an impending winter storm. The kids really lucked out, snagging two days off during their very first week back from winter break—what a way to start the new year! It got me thinking about my own school days as a small-town kid in the Eighties.

    These days, parents get emails, texts, and alerts, not to mention the school district’s name popping up on the TV screen crawl. Back then, it was a whole different ballgame. Mom would be stuck redialing the school office, only to be greeted by that relentless busy signal— there was no informative voicemail greeting and leaving a message wasn’t even an option, just the sound of “try again.” Meanwhile, Dad would hover over the radio or keep an eye on the TV, hoping to catch the news. Waiting for our tiny school district to show up on the TV crawl felt like a lost cause.

  • Honestly, I can’t even remember the last time I heard a busy signal on a phone. It’s funny how something so small can stir up such vivid memories.
  • Last night, I saw the kitten still on my back porch when I got ready for bed. BoyGeeding and I made him a little shelter and set out some cat food and milk. But I couldn’t find the little fella in the morning, and he never made another appearance. How. Freaking. Rude. I laid out the welcome mat, made his bed, provided a meal, and he left without as much as a thank-you. I hate cats. They are just rude. Uncouth, I tell ya. Not even a thank-you. Here’s hoping he returned to his owner and is warm inside a house.
  • During my recent deep dive into the details surrounding JFK’s assassination, I came across something surprising about the widely circulated autopsy photos. When I first saw them as a young adult, I was shocked that such graphic and unsettling images could be made public. The image of his naked body and lifeless eyes staring open haunted me—it felt as though all dignity had been stripped away.What I’ve since learned is that these photos were not officially released by the government or the Kennedy family. In fact, all official autopsy photographs remain under the strict custody of the National Archives, where access is tightly controlled. While many researchers believe these public images are likely authentic, there’s no definitive way to verify their origin or whether they were part of the official autopsy. Some argue they could be altered or unrelated, leaving room for doubt about their authenticity.
  • President Biden welcomed his first great-grandchild yesterday after his granddaughter Naomi had a cesarean section birth in Los Angeles. Biden, 82 and just 18 years younger than the late Jimmy Carter, is believed to be the first sitting president to be a great-grandfather while in office, according to The Associated Press.
  • I think this 100-inch virtual display has potential. But I’m not sure of the $950-a-year subscription model.

  • I’m fortunate to have made a few Canadian friends because of this silly blog, and I always enjoy bantering with them, learning more about their government and culture. With President Trump floating the idea of annexing Canada, one of my Canadian friends stated that would hurt Trump and his party because most of Canada would be blue. He also had a few questions about how adding Canada to the U.S. would affect the Electoral College, something he was unfamiliar with. Curious, I asked Perplexity AI  that question. For your entertainment, here’s the interesting answer.

    If the U.S. annexed Canada and transformed each province into a state, the Electoral College would be significantly altered. Here’s an estimate of how the Electoral College might look for the new Canadian U.S. states:

    1. Ontario: 38 electoral votes
    2. Quebec: 26 electoral votes
    3. British Columbia: 16 electoral votes
    4. Alberta: 14 electoral votes
    5. Manitoba: 7 electoral votes
    6. Saskatchewan: 7 electoral votes
    7. Nova Scotia: 7 electoral votes
    8. New Brunswick: 6 electoral votes
    9. Newfoundland and Labrador: 6 electoral votes
    10. Prince Edward Island: 3 electoral votes

    These estimates are based on population comparisons with existing U.S. states and the current Electoral College system. Each new state would receive a minimum of 3 electoral votes (2 for senators and 1 for representative). It’s important to note that:

    1. The total number of electoral votes would increase from 538 to approximately 668, changing the majority needed to win from 270 to about 335.
    2. The Canadian territories (Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut) would likely remain as territories without electoral votes due to their small populations.
    3. This annexation would significantly impact U.S. politics, potentially creating new battleground states and altering the existing two-party dynamic.
    4. The addition of these new states, which tend to be more liberal, could shift the balance of power in the Electoral College.
    5. Existing Electoral College votes for current U.S. states would need to be recalculated and redistributed to account for the new population balance.

    This hypothetical scenario would require a complete overhaul of the U.S. political system and would likely lead to the formation of new political parties or coalitions to represent former Canadian values and interests

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Your Bag of Nothing for Wednesday, January 8, 2024

  • Everyone is talking about the impending winter storm coming Thursday, which will blanket the area with snow. Of course, loyal readers know this will be an emotional trigger for me. But I think, as most things do, I’m handling it better as time goes by. Thankfully, BoyGeeding will be with me.
  • Driving my new car home from Denton last week on I35, all of a sudden, it sounded like the air conditioner fan went from low to high. Confused, I toyed with the climate controls and confirmed that wasn’t the cause. I didn’t think I hit anything as I was alert and saw nothing in front of me. I pulled over as soon as possible and examined the car, thinking I must be dragging something underneath. Nothing stood out looking at the front of the car, but underneath the engine splash shield, also known as the skid plate, lower engine cover, or engine splash guard, was dragging and bent out of shape. Unable to safely remove it, I drove to a nearby oil change place, and a worker was kind enough to remove it for me. Unfortunately, a wire came with it, and I was told the shield wasn’t correctly attached. He didn’t charge me anything, but I gave him twenty. Since I didn’t know what the wire was for, I opted to take the car to the dealership to get worked on, even though I found the engine splash guard as low as $122 online. The dealership told me I should contact my insurance because it was apparent to him that I hit something. USAA made an appointment to take it to the body shop, where I dropped it off, and called me the following day to tell me they couldn’t work on the car because it was clear it was in a collision and not repaired correctly, and the air conditioner was also damaged. They would now have a field adjuster look at my car, make an assessment, and then told me I could take it elsewhere to get it repaired. Some folks think I should ask the dealership how their 150-point inspection missed several things. But I’m thinking since I bought it “as is,” that will do no good. Others are telling me to reach out to CarFax about their buyback guarantee. Some are telling me I’m just SOL. As much as I want to take action on something now, I think it’s best to let a few things fall in place, such as letting the field adjuster do his job and get an estimate, and then go from there. But I am bummed I didn’t catch some of these things earlier before buying the car.
  • I am not a cat person in the slightest. But I found this kitten with two different colored eyes on my back porch yesterday afternoon.

    I let out DogGeedingII to chase it away, but that old dog just kind of sniffed at it. When I called OtherDogGeedingII to shoo it away, the kitten stood its ground and was prepared to fight. It’s literally freezing outside. I wouldn’t be concerned if the cat were an adult, but it’s still a kitten. Anytime I approached it, he ran away. When I went to trivia last night, I talked to our competitors we smack talk with who work at an animal hospital. They gave me the contact information for a rescue organization but also suggested that I contact my city’s animal control. It would be adopted quickly because it is a kitten with two eye colors, so my fear of it being put down would be put at ease. On the way home from trivia, I stopped by the store to buy some kitten food and a few other things. BoyGeeding and I used some stuff left over from owning our rabbit and made a shelter for the cat to stay in overnight. I’m trying to do what I can before the winter storm hits and everything is shut down.
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Your Bag of Nothing for Tuesday, January 7, 2024

  • The Musers on The Ticket’s morning show announced to extend their shelf life; they started to cut an hour from their show by ending an hour early. That’s cool and all, but if you are complaining about not getting enough sleep, how about cutting the first hour of the show and getting another hour of sleep instead of cutting off the end of the show? I wonder if they will continue to replay an entire segment from the previous day. They used to do that in case listeners missed the segment the day before, but that was back in the days of when you couldn’t get these segments online.
  • German police 16 years looking for a serial killer whose DNA appeared at more than 40 crime scenes in three countries. The DNA turned out to be that of a worker at the factory that manufactured the cotton swaps the police used to collect evidence. The factory behind the cotton swabs clarified that their products were for medical purposes — and not qualified for DNA testing, according to the publication, which also reported that although cotton swabs are disinfected before leaving the factory, disinfecting them does not remove DNA.
  • California man seeks reimbursement from raw milk dairy after two of his cats die
  • Two death row inmates reject Biden’s commutation of their life sentences
    • They’re refusing to sign paperwork accepting his clemency action. The men believe that having their sentences commuted would put them at a legal disadvantage as they seek to appeal their cases based on claims of innocence.
  • This short clip of Michael J. Fox receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom is worth watching.
  • Governor Jimmy Carter appeared on What’s My Line in 1973 with Host Larry Blyden. No one had a clue who he was.
  • That man really did not want to shake the Vice-President’s hand.

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Your Bag of Nothing for Monday, January 6, 2024

  • The holidays are behind us; let us all rejoice. As Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer, the last game of college football is my marker for the unofficial end of the holidays. However, over the years, they keep moving the day deeper into January. The game is on January 20 this year, so I may have to find another marker.
  • I watched a good portion of the Golden Globes. It seems everyone liked Nikki Glaser. You could certainly tell how much Demi Moore’s win meant to her as she rose above the notion of just being a popcorn actress. The most wholesome part of the evening may have been Colin Farrell thanking Carolina in craft services and her thoughtfulness. For the longest time, I couldn’t stand Farrell, but he’s grown on me.
  • Some girl’s dating profile stated she was reading a book called Let Them. Curious, I researched the book and author. Intrigued, I downloaded the Kindle book sample. After reading that in one sitting, I bought the book and read a lot of it over the weekend. A handful of times, I implemented the technique, and I think it made life a bit more pleasant. It falls along that saving I’ve been focusing on, “Acceptance is the answer to all my problems.”
    • The Let Them Theory is a step-by-step guide on how to stop letting other people’s opinions, drama, and judgment impact your life. Two simple words, Let Them, will set you free from the exhausting cycle of trying to manage everything and everyone around you. It’s time to build a life where you come first—your dreams, your goals, your happiness.
  • A few weeks ago, a friend asked if I was watching anything on any of the streaming services. I wasn’t, but for some reason, that made me think I should have been, so I started to watch Loudermilk since I’m a fan of Ron Livingst0n. If you like his Office Space character, it’s him but grown up, a music (rock) critic who leads a group similar to Alcoholics Anonymous in Seattle. One of the Farrelly brothers created it, but the other brother directed several of the episodes. I loved it. Sadly, Loudermilk consisted of only 30 half-hour shows. So, I needed something else to watch. Since the show paid homage of the popularity of how Ron Livingston and Kyle Chandler look alike. Those two really should play brothers in a movie; they are only two years apart in age.

    Being a fan of the Chandler, I decided to start watching Early Edition, an hour-long CBS show from the Nineties that ran for four seasons. It’s about a man who gets tomorrow’s newspaper a day in advance at his front door (along with a cat)  every morning, no matter where he wakes up. It allows him to prevent tragedies and help people in Chicago before they happen. Using his unique foreknowledge, Chandler’s character dedicates himself to changing potential future events and saving lives, all while wrestling with the moral complexity of altering destiny. Sadly, it’s not streaming anywhere, so I have resorted to alternative means to watch it.

  • This will upset a lot of people, but I can’t fault Jerry for getting the most out of life and taking advantage of an opportunity laid before him. The clip is actually a bit longer, and I don’t know why the OP didn’t include it. But here’s the full version but with lackluster quality.

  • Outraged by the January 6 Capitol riot, a wilderness survival trainer spent years undercover, climbing the ranks of right-wing militias. He didn’t tell the police or the FBI. He didn’t tell family or friends. The one person he told was ProPublica reporter Joshua Kaplan – The Militia and the Mole
    • He penetrated a new generation of militia leaders, which included doctors and government attorneys. He sent ProPublica a massive trove of documents. The conversations that he secretly recorded give a unique, startling window into the militia movement.
  • I predict this will be the next big trend. You saw it here first.

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