Hello, Mr Keillor

After an absence of a year and a half, The Writer's Almanac is back! My morning feels complete once more. I am delighted that Garrison Keillor has returned with a history lesson and a poem for the day. As far as his fall from grace is concerned, I was not a witness to what happened between Mr Keillor and the female colleagues who complained about his behavior in the first wave of #MeToo. I do believe them! As a fellow victim of sexual assault I truly believe that nearly all of us tell the truth and live with the resulting trauma for the rest of our lives. I think that Mr Keillor likely isn't an easy man to have as a boss and that there certainly could have been touching that was interpreted as inappropriate. I think it's important to remember that there are degrees of unacceptable behavior. There is an enormous difference between the actions of a serial rapist and a man who has committed an occasional social faux pas. Neither end of that spectrum of behavior should be tolerated. Boys will be boys is bullshit. I hope that in the wake of #MeToo we all learn to recognize that and hold those accountable for their actions and make certain that the punishment fits the crime.

The Bar is Open

Tucked in a corner of the sunroom just off the kitchen, the bar is ready for business. Phase 2 of the kitchen update is complete. Phase 1 was getting that cabinet hardware installed. Still to come are countertops & backsplash sporting a new sink and faucet, a range hood, and completing the painting of the cabinets.  

Souvenir glassware from various wineries and breweries. And all those martini glasses too pretty to stay stashed in a cupboard.

The granite top on the bar cabinet inspired a similar choice of material for the kitchen countertops. I will keep y'all posted. But first, a beverage reward for getting those shelves on the wall all level and everything.

Desk Decoration

Newton, doing his best to complicate my mousing ability. The only more inconvenient spot would be lounging directly on the keyboard. I suppose I should be grateful that he has positioned his butt somewhere other than in my face.

Equisucks

Hate is such a strong word. But I hate Equifax. I'm certain there are some very fine people working there carrying on the day to day business of the company. Once you ascend to higher management, however, I'm going with thinking that they really suck. The Peter Principle and all that. Bonuses and stock options to the most incompetent, I say! In 2017, Equifax was the victim of hacking, jeopardizing the personal information of as many as 143 million people. Fully aware of the data breach, management chose to keep things quiet for over two months. Big secrets are hard to keep, so when word got out about the hack job, we were not just stunned, we were pissed off. At this time it was recommended that you put a freeze on your account even if it wasn't clear that your personal information was affected by the hack. Now Equifax is holding me hostage. I can't unfreeze my account unless I pay a fee. It seems that prior to January one this year, I could have done so without a fee. Because they were being so fucking generous allowing us to freeze without a fee for a period of time due to their enormous fuckup and coverup. I would have appreciated getting an email or text notice when the deadline rolled around, but no. Informing the likely millions of people who froze and forgot would have dented the profits. Never mind the good will and reinstated trust they might have fostered. As it stands, I will use TransUnion to keep up on my credit score. They have partnered with my bank to provide, with no fee, regular checks on my credit rating. I remain solidly in the lower 800's, which if you didn't know, is pretty excellent. All the credit bureaus use an identical set of information to devise a credit score, so fuck you, Equifax. You're not to big to fail.
  

MomDay #30

There they are. Six year old Michael and two year old Reid. My beamish boys. I love being a mom. In Terms of Endearment when Emma says of parenting, "It's a lot of work. As hard as you think it is you end up wishing it were that easy." All I know is, these two boys were totally worth it. 

Captain Callipygian

To the rest of you, he's Captain America aka Steve Rogers, played by the handsome and talented Chris Evans. Butt (I apologize) to me, after seeing Avengers: End Game (snicker)*, to me he is and always shall be, Captain Callipygian.

As you can see, from any angle his behind is perfect.

And the rest of him ain't bad, either.

Chris Evans, I apologize for reducing you to a single body part and for shamelessly objectifying you. Should we ever meet in person, I promise to praise your other positive attributes. Which I'm certain exist. Until then, I will adore you from afar. One question, though. How do you feel about older women?

*Again, apologies.

Tis Beltane!

Just your basic fire and fertility fest. Celebrate responsibly.