All signs point to rain

April 23, 2020 at about 6 ish a.m.

Good Morning from the deck of the Titanic,

Since roughly December 1st, 2019 our area has had about 37 inches of rain, as unscientifically measured by me and my trusty front porch plastic rain gauge. It rains and fills up the plastic tube and the next day or so, I note the amount, add it to the total that is kept with the plastic marker on the side , update it and say "Hmmm, we sure have had a lot of rain this month." That's what you do in retirement. You watch grass grow, you watch birds fly, you update rain guages and stuff like that. You might also read stuff depending upon your interests, but I won't assume that as I have too many people I know who disdain reading for some odd reason.

Rainfall Totals for the Atlanta area-2020

Other stuff that some regular folks might do during retirement I probably don't do (not that I don't want to), include driving to various places, mowing the lawn or gardening, building stuff that is heavy and requires motor driven big tools to move around and the like. Most of that sort of activity is beyond my capabilities right now, so I amuse myself reading, surfing the internet, watching TV movies and shows I have recorded, writing this blog and teaching myself to be a world class complainer. First time in my life I have to pay someone else to take care of my outdoors. Brian does a good job, just the first time I have ever had to pay someone else do it. Seems weird.

My older brother is still more effective than me at complaining though, because he can write an email or a letter  that actually gets results (he gets sent free stuff all the time). I have to be satisfied at this point with complaining for no reward except for the satisfaction at knowing that I have irritated someone who read my complaint. Maybe. You know you got under their skin and finally prompted a reply when their reply Begins with "We have received your last 4 complaints...". That makes me smile.

I have noticed that with the growth of the amount of channels that are available (and this is not new I know), the quality of TV programming has not improved at all. You would think there would be some sort of law of the jungle at work here, where the survival of the fittest would come into play, however even PBS is now producing crappy pablum designed to satiate people whose desire does not seem to be entertained so much as to be occupied until it's time to go to bed. I won't name anything specific however there sure does seem to be a lot of copycat shows on all the networks that are all about the same themes and are all about able to survive about 4 seasons before they run out of steam. That must be the magic level you have to achieve to hit nirvana, where you become the subject of an all night binge watch on Netflix or one of the streamer networks. Seems like a lot of shows are being canceled in their first seasons too, but that may just be me finally being in front of the boob tube paying attention.

Top 5 Dumbass things - unranked

1. The lesson of COVID-19 or whatever the name is this week,  seems to be don't catch this crap and be old at the same time. The data would seem to suggest that if you are in a long term assisted care facility (a Nursing home), and you come down with this ailment then you have about a 50-50 chance of dying. So far it seems as if a high percentage of deaths attributed to this disease are old folks, who are trapped in these environments. Something to think about.
2. I started watching the documentary about Michael Jordan on ESPN called "The Last Dance" , overall it is very good so far. It serves to remind me that I didn't think very much of the owner of the Bulls or of the GM Jerry Krause at the time, and still do not have any positive things to say about either of them.
   
   Both are a couple of knuckleheads. Hows that rebuilding going Jerry?
3. The XFL folded. There's a surprise. Again. For the second time.
   
   Now the terminated and fired ex-commissioner of the league, Oliver Luck (Yep Andrew's daddy), is suing the Owner of the league Vince McMahon for wrongful termination. Actually he is suing him for the balance of his contract but since Vince took the XFL into bankruptcy he couldn't get at the money that way, I guess. What do I know?
   
   Do you think Mr. Luck has a chance at winning? Stay tuned. this story ain't over.
   (Insert witty WWE response or comment here).
4. For whatever reason Ellen DeGeneres is taking a beating in the reputation PR department. People are bitching about all kinds of certain behaviors and decisions they apparently don't like that she has made over the last few years. Stuff about comments she's made, staff complaints some things she is said to have done have all come to light.
   
   She makes $70 million dollars a year to do her show and is worth about $350 million so they say. I'm sure some of this was/is inevitable. Anyway....
5. Facebook users amuse me and sometimes they are just stunning in the ability to create drama where none actually exists. There is a viral photo making the rounds right now that purports to show a bottle of CoronaVirus vaccine that is labeled as such being held up by somebody with commentary that suggests it is a "secret vaccine" for the death monster that is sweeping the world, and it is being withheld from the world by nefarious sources.
   
   That would be amusing if it were not really happening. Dumbasses.
   
   
   Dog Vaccine is not COVID-19 Vaccine
   (This information below is taken directly from the link above.)
   The vaccine label in the photo clearly states “Canine Coronavirus Vaccine". Like other instances of misinformation that have appeared since the outbreak began, the posts advance a false claim that centers on the term “coronavirus.” The term refers to a family of viruses, but they’re not all the same.The novel coronavirus, or SARS-CoV-2 — which causes COVID-19 — was first reported in China in late 2019. The product in the viral photo is Nobivac 1-Cv, a vaccine sold by a subsidiary of Merck & Co. It protects dogs from the canine coronavirus, or CCV, a virus that typically causes a mild gastroenteritis, or inflammation in the intestines, in infected dogs. It was first identified in 1971.
   
   I just adore untrained, uneducated microbiologists who have internet access and the ability to use google to find out all the medical secrets that we all need to know. I just love how anything and everything with the term Corona on it has became the advance army of the posting fools, also called shit posters.
   
   These are the same people that go to the doctor and waste their time with their own diagnosis they got from their 20 minute Google Medical Degree.
   
   Gotta go now,
   Hand me that paddle will you?
   
   BigMike