1820: Missouri Compromise

Congress back then found a way to kick the can down the road on slavery by admitting Missouri into the US as a slave state if Maine joined as a free state. Thus setting off the continuing battle of always trying to find two states at a time to balance the Senate, probably the House too.

Some things never change.

Now we’re in the same dilemma with Climate Change but the Deniers aren’t contained to just the South, they’re sprinked throughout the West with smatterings in the remaining regions. Eventually this will hit critical mass and…we’re then screwed, or the Deniers will be so pimp-slapped by Reality, they will finally capitulate.

Today, Missouri is a hybrid state. Its northern half is mostly Midwestern with agriculture, attitudes and to some extent politics. The southern half, mainly “below” St. Louis, is Dixie, filled with Ammosexuals, bikers, meth labs and evangelicals. Maybe it should be two states. South Iowa and North Arkansas.

Maine hasn’t fared too well over the decades neither. It may have given us Stephen King yet in return, they elected a shitbag governor (LePage). He’s gone now while the damage he left in his wake remains, like all true believer Republicans love to do, leave a mess, blame it on the black guy or woman. It is also incumbent upon these lobster eaters to fire Susan Collins. Her phoney-baloney excuse to acquit Orange Foolius defies critical thinking. She has a horrendous track record for a people that are allegedly Yankees.

Today, Missouri Compromise has the negative connotation it deserves.

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Belated Valentine to you all from the Sunny gang!

Word-play, puns, whatever kind of joke this is, I love it! Given what a bunch of reprobates the characters from Sunny are makes this thing even funnier!

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Wisconsin transplant?

Wrong breed of cow for Texas.

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The winner is Agamemnon or Aggie for short!

The poll ran for about a month and it did better than the one for Isis, 21 votes! I owe it all to nagging the crap out of many people! As difficult as this Greek name is to pronounce (AG-uh-men-non), I think Sean Connery’s appearance in Time Bandits as the mythical king won because Texas has a lot of Aggies (for non-Texans, those are Texas A&M students and alumni), the easier to say nickname. There wasn’t much competition as Agamemnon easily succeeded with 10 votes as Zed came in at six. Nobody remembers The Man Who Would Be King? Bummer.

I’m sure the vet’s office will hate spelling it too. I already have a mental reminder for me. Ready?

A-Game, easy to remember.

then an M since you can hear it when it’s pronounced correctly.

Close up with ‘non’

A-game-m-non or Ag-a-mem-non when saying it.

Lately though, it’s more often “Damnit Aggie!” His sharp claws have returned for his favorite hobby is making biscuits on my leg while watching TV or taking a nap. This cat is pure muscle too. He also pulled a 180 on his attitude toward me. Aggie has gone from being terrified of me to being my Kuroneko, he follows or seeks me out all the time. I can usually make out his voice since Isis is rather quiet.

How are the two cats getting along? Well, Isis seems to be the alpha despite being about half Aggie’s weight. Sometimes they hang together, play on the tower and take turns grooming which might be another dominance exercise. Then will come the swatting cats love to do at each other as their ears pull back indicating how pissed they get. Isis is most often the instigator for hitting but I give her plenty of attention to let her know she remains my number one girl kitty.

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Biden’s pivot!

This represents how Sen. Foot-in-Mouth is pivoting to prove he’s all things to all Democrats. Namely the ones too lazy to remember/research his shitty record in the Senate and/or those obsessed with the mythical “electability” needed to defeat Orange Foolius.

I remain in Sanders’ camp, not to be a spoiler nor do I think he’ll win the nomination. The objective is to make sure there’s a fight at the convention, force the DLC-NeoLiberal shitbags into taking up many of our causes in the platform. Plus, we get people onboard to hold their feet to the fire instead of getting another four-to-eight years of Obummer and Slick again. They, alongside Bilary, are how we were saddled with the worst couple Presidents lately…enough people said, “Why should I vote for the Center-Right candidate? They always screw me as hard as the Far Right.” A key argument I make for the Apologists. You need to think beyond winning in November. You need to remember how to govern and implement better policies to prevent another idiot.

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A better explanation for a poor makeup job

Recently, the wind kicked up on the White House lawn to expose the faux tan Orange Foolius has. He must have his toupee fastened on with Krazy Glue though.

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UFCU keeps dragging ass

How I just wish the other shoe(s) would drop in my life. UFCU has now added the wrinkle of saying the underwriter wants the foundation repaired before going through. I explained politely to the intermediary that the underwriter is trying to put the cart before the horse. Hence, the money I’m asking for in the refinancing will tackle the foundation first, or more appropriately, third since the current mortgage has to be paid off, then Somara and the shoring up the house can follow. I wouldn’t do it any other way. I really want to redo the floors but it would be pointless and might have to be redone if the house’s foundation isn’t exactly on the level.

So there’s a heads up if I let out a little of my current annoyance leak out at you. Sorry.

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Life is progressing, I think

Had a bit of a relapse with the cold and other crap because for some damned reason January gets me down and all somewhat. Nevermind that the first three days of February are always a triumph on many levels. I escaped from the dying, dreary Midwest which has sadly become Trumpkinland outside the major cities (Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis-St. Paul, St. Louis and Detroit) with the university areas (Madison, Champaign-Urbana). Personally, it was already transforming into or has been ripe such assholes while I lived there. The coronation of St. Reagan is when the tide turned against the New Deal Democrats. I’ll close with this for any Republican reader I may have. It wasn’t wholly the Dems fault for why the Midwest and East became the rust belt, I recall numerous schmucks in my neck of the woods voting against their own interests constantly by electing shitbag Republicans…who screwed them over, cycle after cycle. But hey, they punished all those poor people and added those who elected them to the ranks of the down and out!

However, I think I’ve come full circle in life yet again. I just have forgotten how many times from the ending of 1993 until I got to escape to Austin but currently I’m stuck on pins and needles. UFCU seems to keep finding yet one more question before processing the refinancing loan which will bring me some much needing relief: getting Somara her money, consolidating debt which happened during the transition to one income to maintain Chez Maggi…I’m somewhat fine now but if everything were under fewer payees, then phew!, and proceeding to get this house into shape as my new, tasteful, bachelor home. Nothing gaudy, juvenile and sexist like Boomhauer’s house! A very, nice, tidy, organized, safe place for friends and other types to come over, watch Netflix at or shooting the shit about a favorite book. The other big goal is to make sure the house doesn’t have the lingering stench of two cats using the crapper indoors.

The other element of the circle is just professional boredom. I miss things my original role used to include. Now it’s tedious and frustrating. The special assignment I’m on remains pretty cool but it will come to an end inevitably. The billion-dollar question is what else can I do within or without my employer who I think squanders talent unless its wiling to relocate to an unaffordable section of California.

Let’s see how it all shakes out. The new mortgage will provide the breathing room I’ve needed as soon as Somara moved out. At least matters with another person I’ve been socializing with have been pretty sweet, she enjoys my humor.

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RIP Robert Conrad

When I was growing up, Robert was the star of a short-lived WWII show called Black Sheep Squadron. It was loosely based upon the memoirs of Pappy Boyington, a fighter pilot in command of a Marine base. He was also pretty cranky as NBC’s team captain on Battle of the Network Stars. Afterwards, he did a string of commercials for Everyready Batteries and they always closed with one on his shoulder as he asked you to knock it off. This tough stance required my parents to explain: it was a dare in the Fifties, similar to people in the Enlightenment smacking a glove across your face.

Then in the Eighties, WGN started airing Wild Wild West reruns. This was Robert’s real stardom circa the Sixties. I appreciate it more as an adult because I learned more about its context. West was a cool mash-up of Westerns (these remained a TV staple) and the very popular Spy genre sweeping America (James Bond, The Man from UNCLE). In addition, there was a very strong Jules Verne feel to gadgetry. Today we call it Steampunk.

Thanks for everything Robert! I will have to see if any of the streaming services are carrying your hit show.

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The Rampage are moving to the Vegas area

After 18 seasons in San Antonio, my team’s I-35 rival for 11 seasons will be wrapping it up this Spring and then joining their new NHL parent, the Golden Showers…I mean Knights. It’s interesting to have a team in Sin City, they just have the lamest name alongside Houston’s NFL team and Toronto’s NBA franchise. At least it’s not offensive like DC’s football team.

It’s a bummer but I’m guessing the Spurs people have had enough or something, namely how the Rampage have been tied to multiple NHL teams with little luck.

This change leaves us as the only AHL team in the state. When we joined the league, we were one of three. How I want Houston back in the picture too. Their cheerleaders wore go-go boots! Seriously, Houston was a great city and had decent turnout plus according to my friend Jeremy, the NHL still has a grudge against the city, hence it’s never really in the running for expansion, and probably a relocation.

Once again, Chicago fans are going to be pissed because this means the Wolves will be tied to the Blues since their beloved Blackhawks’ club resides in exciting Rockford.

Thanks for all the games Rampage! Before my Stars got started, you were a great road trip for whenever I wanted to see the Admirals and Wolves!

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Life with cats, Feb. 6, 2020 edition

Now with two cats in my house (update on “Sean Connery” will be coming), I get double the showings, ugh. Thanks to my new friend Debbie for this gag which probably has been around for a while, I just tend to miss out on memes and whatever.

I will close with this since I found out why cats do this over the last year or two. When kittens are born, they don’t necessarily know how to go number two. So their mothers stimulate the area by grooming it. Obviously it works if you’ve ever seen a litter box. The side effect of course means cats associate this with joy, happiness, etc. because they’re fellow mammals and have a large number of nerve endings around there. This results in what we call in my household…elevator butt after they’ve been petting along the face and spine, they’re not fans of belly rubs like dogs.

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RIP Kirk Douglas

He really hung in there! Not to be flippant or crude but I thought he already passed away like in the Aughts.

Kirk did bring us a slug of good movies that I often caught on TV: Spartacus, The Vikings and Paths to Glory. He was semi-retired by the time I was old enough to know who was in what, etc. I think the only contemporary flick I saw with him in it was the weird comedy The Villain starring him, Ann-Margaret, Paul Lynde and…I kid you not…Arnold as the good guy Kirk is trying to kill off. I didn’t say it was good, just something on HBO.

Thanks for all the TCM material and going to bat for Trumbo when the studios were afraid of anti-Communist thugs. The latter compensates for your douchenozzle son Michael.

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The American farce continues to sink into patheticness

Everybody knew what the outcome was going to be from day Orange Foolius was installed by the overrated Alexander Hamilton system, the other patron saint of dictators…Plato is their primary god.

To anyone who’s a Republican and/or Libertarian, don’t you ever, ever, lecture me again. You’ve proven how you’re so full of shit year after year since the hateful Barry Goldwater hit the national scene. You only believe in affirmative action when it favors you, same with reforms.

As for Centrists/Moderates. The system doesn’t work. Never has since at least our Civil War. We need a new constitution that reflects reality. We are not 50-plus little countries, we’re one country. We need one set of standards. We need a re-alignment of the power to reflect where people actually live and who pay the taxes. For example, do we need two Dakotas? With the exception of Texas (due to population), the Blue states foot the bill for the lazy-ass Red states.

Let’s see if there’s a scrap of dignity left in this country and it removes the worst person to be POTUS since 2008.

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Twenty-six years in Austin!

Cripes! Where did it all go‽ One day I was driving through a light rain, listening to KNAC, trying to find University Towers. Now I’m middle aged, divorced but gladly a home owner. Still beats living in areas with Winter; I’d miss the change of seasons; yeah, keep telling yourself that lie!

It’s amazing how much the world has changed too. I’m talking about the details of travel. Cell phones were expensive and not widely available; had to hunt down payphones, leave messages on friends/family’s answering machine. The Internet was only known in small corners. I used travelers cheques in place of cash (I doubt these exist now). Mixtapes were played on the rental car’s tape deck since an iPod was a fictional device. So in short, my three-day drive had large pockets of me “disappearing” until checked in at a restaurant, hotel or payphone.

There are days I miss the ability to go off the grid. Pretty impossible with our iPhones being little Big Brothers/Tattlers. It certainly made my stops along the way worthwhile.

Will I live another 26 years? The Magic 8-Ball says…”Signs point to Yes.” Hot damn tamale!

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Mac Blake caused the name change

I don’t know if this moving company has franchises in other cities but this one has been a staple around Austin for about a decade. They used to be named “College Hunks Moving Junk.” Then the word “Hunks” was transformed into an acronym to calm down husbands who are the jealous type as per local comedian Mac Blake. You have to see him explain why he suspects the moving company is really cover for something emasculating. The he counters with a pitch for a female version.

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