Scarlet Pimpernel

No longer Russian...but now Irish!!

As always...thanks for the updates!!

Yay...congrats to you!!

This is very true. My cynical side says that concern for those in poverty or on the low end of the wage scale only shows up when it affects those financially much better off (and the companies that hire the workers). Such as during this COVID emergency. And even then, it's only a tacit acknowledgement. NOW there's concern, because businesses are losing money or supplies are short...with a "voice" of concern for those who cannot work due to shut downs. Yet no concern for living wage, sick leave, etc., in relatively better times. And even now, in this current situation...there are apparently some states contemplating that they will "require" certain industries to re-open, while stating that those employees who are nervous about going back and refuse, will be deemed as "voluntarily" not working. And they will thus be ineligible for unemployment benefits. That is truly sh*tty and back-handed. Really low. So yeah, where's the "concern" for those who are having it the roughest economically?

Good thinking. My brother has a big freezer in his basement and does something similar. He's gone to a local butcher (in the Cleveland area) who sells stuff in bulk or large quantities, pre-cut. So for instance he can get fillets or chicken breasts and the like for relatively cheaper than you'd buy in the store, but he buys a lot of them. He vacuum packs and freezes that, and it keeps quite awhile in that freezer.

Well, I was going to say maybe that purple beer is in honor of Prince, but it could be the Ravens too!

Good snark and humor are fine arts these days!! Thanks for that!! Too FEW people seem to understand how our lives are LESS fulfilling without that!

So in other words...he was pretty far off!! Well, except for the 'shrooms!

Ha, but of course!!

...or FEWER, for that matter!!!

I'm glad what I said was tangentially relevant! (Ducks for cover after a bad math pun...!)

Ha! For some reason, the incorrect use of "fewer" vs. "more" has always somewhat bothered me, and I'm guilty of it myself at times. Even in supermarket checkout lines, "12 items or less", should really be "fewer"...though I get they're probably just trying to be short about it. I've always heard you should use "fewer" for a discrete, integer number ("there are fewer people..."), and "less" for a non-integer or non-discrete value, or an abstract idea ("I payed less money for gas this past week", or "There is less confusion..."). Sorry to be off-topic and a bit pedantic here!

Oh hell yeah! Now that looks tasty and sufficiently unhealthy! I myself am making a split pea soup today using leftover ham bone from Easter for the broth. (There's the old joke about what's the definition of eternity? Two people and a ham!)

Suddenly, a variant of that Mary Poppins song went through my head... Feed the trolls, tuppence a bag! Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag! But why even waste that little on trolls!

I'll take that as a compliment!

I'm not wordy! I say exactly what I mean in exactly the number of words I intend to use! Maybe a few more than necessary. But hey, when the pen flows (or keyboard), what are you going to do? Shall I continue...? Nahhh!

I just finished my first glass of the evening, myself! Time for a refill...ring, ring!!

@RDM...thanks for this, overall I agree with your sentiment, though not all that you say. That's fine, as you say here one is free to disagree but at least politely. And I must respect you as a fellow native Ohioan!! I do find the divisiveness in general in this country to be harmful and depressing, and I'm sure most anyone would feel the same. As I've said in other comments in the past, my views definitely lean solidly left, and always have. Without getting too much into the weeds here, I'll say that I never cared for "both-siderism", thus letting one group off the hook by saying another one "does the same thing". With that in mind, I'll state it is my belief that the divisiveness is heavily weighted on one side these days. The current administration is a perfect example of this, and it is not only divisive, but actively promotes and incites such. I know that wades into being very political, but it's also simple fact. There was a very good Washington Post article some years back by Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein (not exactly flaming liberals) that went into this problem in some detail. Though my views are more liberal, I have always felt that, give me a conservative party (call it Republican, call it Whig, or whatever) that remains grounded in fact, does not deny science, does not constantly fight the culture wars, and does not view their political opponents as illegitimate. I may still disagree with most of their policy, but at least it would be possible to have a discussion and even come to some kind of middle ground and mutual respect. When it's simply impossible to hold a logical, intelligent discussion because they cannot even respect you, that's a real problem for me. I feel, unfortunately, that that's where the current "conservative" party is today. Heck, my older brother is more conservative than I am. We talk a lot, and we argue at times, sure...but he's also reasonable and not an ideologue. We agree on a fair number of things, though to varying degrees. And what we don't agree on, we still respect that. Likewise, there are some liberal friends where I just cannot go with some of what they think, or they may be too "purist" in their views, refusing to see that compromise is part of how stuff gets done...and that there are reasonable conservatives out there. Part of the problem may be that in this country, we have two parties and that's it (yes, there are 3rd party candidates, but other than on a local or state level at most, they don't go anywhere). We don't have anything like a parliamentary system as they have in Great Britain or elsewhere. So when you are presented with candidates, they are realistically one party or the other...that's your only choice if you want a chance to get one or the other into office. There's no "coalition" type of government in the legislature, really. I'm not by any means saying that going to such a system is a panacea or will cure all our political ills, but just an observation.

Hmmm, I see some tough free agency negotiations coming up!!

Don't forget to bring that margarita recipe to the club...the one you showed a picture of some time ago.

For a moment, I though these were your draft picks for next winter's reaper list. The Reaper going after Don S.???

Made me think of that line from "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade", where Indy's father (Sean Connery) said "...but in the Latin alphabet, Jehova starts with an I"!!

At least the plural isn't "priapism"!

LOL!! Well, I've never been behind one as far as I know. I've got a Honda Civic, myself. One thing about Priuses (is that the correct plural?) that always seems a bit spooky to me is that you cannot hear them approaching, they just suddenly "appear". Seriously. I guess it's when the engine is using just the electrical energy and not gas, or something like that! Actually, on a somewhat related note to driving behind someone. I find it annoying when in the left turn lane, the person in front of you (and 1st in line to turn) refuses to get out there into the lane so that they can at least turn right as the light changes. Then you have to sit and wait for the next light cycle, and they still refuse to put their nose out there...unless by chance there's enough space that they finally turn while the light is green! Likewise, when people behind you honk incessantly when you don't turn right on red despite a big sign that clearly says "NO TURN ON RED"!!

Ha! But Vovlos are the quintessential "liberal" mode of transportation, aren't they? Maybe a Prius would be better...