Calvada

Left too much time on the clock for KC.

I thought this was a little lame as the fall finale. The cliffhanger is whether Eddie leaves the show? I have to think the majority of viewers are thinking "so what?" I know I am. I also hope they are finished with Brad Torrance. What should have been a one episode character has been dragging on way too long.

If he does return to Congress, re-open the ethics investigation. I think Gaetz may be worried about state-level criminal charges. The Manhattan DA has a lot of free time with the Trump case on hold, right? One predator down, way too many to go.

I have got several pairs of Lands' End elastic waist knit pants. I live in those all winter long. But I don't just have black, I have gray and navy blue too. I have multiple pairs of Lands' End yoga pants too. These are items I always look for when I go to their annual warehouse clearance sale in the summer, held about 40 miles from where I live. I think a majority of my wardrobe is from Lands' End: t-shirts both short and long sleeved, polo shirts both short and long sleeved, knit pants, regular pants, fleeces, sweaters, yoga pants, shorts, nightgowns, bathrobes, coats. Not to mention sheets and towels. They do regular sales. Right now it's 50% off site wide with the code KNIT50. I'm not employed by Lands' End, just a Wisconsinite who has shopped there for decades.

They were only up by 2. You don't want to risk a fumble or a bad snap. But I'm sure it never crossed his mind as he pinballed into the end zone!

The Packers somehow managed to steal a win over da Bears. The play calling by Matt LaFleur was terrible. But is there any more delightful sound than the double thud when it's your team blocking the kick? What a gut punch for Chicago. So much worse than the Hail Mary game.

If only the Badgers had a QB. And an offensive line. Luke Fickell is like Gary Andersen 2.0 in recruiting and developing the offensive line.

If a child rapist in prison has a heart attack, they are given medical treatment. If someone is drunk off their ass and causes an accident that results in death to others and injury to themselves, they are given medical treatment. Serial killers on death row are given medical treatment. How can Republican voters rationalize why women who are losing a pregnancy are being allowed to die, why are they treated worse than child rapists and serial killers? Fifty percent of those who voted are just fine with this. At least until it happens to them or someone they love.

Because of spotty cell service at my home, I still have a landline. This means I get calls from pollsters all the time. I ignore these calls, but I've gotten a couple in the last 24 hours and I think if I get another I'll answer it, only to ask why I should bother to respond since obviously their methodology is totally flawed, since the majority of the polls leading up to the election were WRONG. Then I'll tell them to never call me again. I think too many voters are incapable of looking beyond the immediate future. Part of that is the feeling of many, especially younger people, that the planet is doomed anyway, so why worry about the future or other people? Live for now, live for me. But this nihilistic viewpoint gives me hope for the midterms, because many voters might be ready for a new flavor of the month. Of course this presumes we will still be having elections in the Second Reich.

Now that I have had a few days to deal with my sorrow and disappointment, the following is what I am thinking about: In the aftermath of 2020 election, the incumbent refused to acknowledge he lost; he refused to engage in the transition of power at a time when there was a worldwide pandemic; his followers conspired to have fake electors file false electoral ballots; he incited a mob that resulted in an attack at the U.S. Capitol that caused deaths, injuries to law enforcement, and the desecration of the Capitol with weapons and feces; he shrugged off reports that the mob he incited was seeking his Vice President in order to hang him; and he refused to attend the inauguration of his successor. Following the 2024 election, none of these things will happen. There will be no Democratic-led criminal conspiracies to overturn the results of the election, the transition will be held in an orderly manner with integrity and civility, and there will not be riots and violent mobs incited by Joe Biden or Kamala Harris.

I am a bit amused at how some people say that these political differences should not affect friendships or family relationships. How can they not? To me, this is not like the debate between Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan or John McCain and Barack Obama. I will never understand how people can give their vote to someone who calls white supremacists "very fine" people, with someone who laughs at an 80 year old man nearly being killed by a lunatic with a hammer, with someone who has repeatedly assaulted women, with someone who calls those killed while wearing the uniform of my country suckers, with someone who called January 6, 2021 a day of love, with someone I believe is totally devoid of integrity, honesty, compassion, and decency.

I'm wondering how many of the things Trump talked about will actually happen. Tariffs for example. Aren't there some Republicans in Congress who have the common sense to realize the negative economic impact that would have? I am sure that shortly after January 20 they will reintroduce the immigration bill, that one that was a bipartisan effort, the one that Trump had killed, and claim a huge victory. Why wasn't Trump asked every day during the campaign if issues at the border are so crucial, why did he use his influence to kill this bill so that another couple of years went by without needed resources? I have a friend who is terrified her son is going to lose his health insurance. He doesn't have a job that offers those benefits, so he has obtained insurance because of the ACA. I have a relative who has two kids in their early 20s who are still on her insurance, one of whom has a pre-existing health issue, a genetic eye condition that has required surgery in the past and will require ongoing care. What's going to happen to these young people if they get rid of the ACA? I have many friends and relatives who have daughters and granddaughters, who are terrified that a miscarriage will result in their death because of Trump abortion bans. I am a cancer survivor. What will happen to my ability to retain my health insurance?

When the people in the media who most closely fact check and question Trump's statements and policies are the late night hosts, there's a problem.

I have so many feelings - anger, disgust, sorrow, and fear. I don't know if America, the Constitution, and my heart can survive another four years of this. And now he has the Senate, most likely the House, and the Supreme Court. Another four years of being embarrassed to admit I'm from Wisconsin. Our incumbent senator barely won her race by the closest margin she's had and this was the first race when the opponent made an issue of her being gay loudly and clearly in ads, by claiming her partner is a conflict because she works on Wall Street. And her opponent is a millionaire banker who only lives part-time in Wisconsin. I'm thinking of Harris and her husband having to welcome Vance and his wife to the VP's residence for the traditional tour. Can you imagine having to be nice to someone who called you trash? And I'm still waiting to hear the outrage from people about the Republican candidate saying he's going to have to "hit" a former First Lady. I hope all the people agonizing over the cost of eggs enjoy paying for things when the tariffs are imposed. Look at the labels on your clothes - how many of them are made in America? Where's that new furnace or refrigerator you need being manufactured? Or the parts for your car? How about your TV? Phone? Computer?

I find a lot of recipes are poorly written. For example, step 1 is cooking the pasta, but if you think about it, you realize the sauce won't be finished for an hour, so cooking the pasta first makes no sense. In my 20's, on my own for the first time, I had a few disasters as I figured this out. Also, too many recipes underestimate the prep time. For example, they'll say 10 minutes and over 30 minutes later I'm still chopping up vegetables. I don't think many include true prep time - for example, they just count the actual minute you're chopping the onion, not the time you spent peeling it/preparing it to be chopped. Nor do they count the time to assemble the ingredients, pots/pans, and utensils you need. I agree with those who have said this is important to do. You don't want to get 30 minutes into the preparation of something to realize you're out of oregano or you forgot to put tomato paste on the grocery list.