Week-long Welcomings from Moosylvania: May 1st through May 7th

May 1, 2016 JanF Community 122

Welcome to The Moose Pond! The Welcomings posts give the Moose, old and new, a place to visit and share words about the weather, life, the world at large and the small parts of Moosylvania that we each inhabit.

Welcomings will be posted at the start of each week (every Sunday morning). To find the posts, just bookmark this link and Voila! (which is Moose for “I found everyone!!”).

The format is simple: each day, the first moose to arrive on-line will post a comment welcoming the new day and complaining (or bragging!) about their weather. Or mentioning an interesting or thought provoking news item. Or simply checking in.

So … what’s going on in your part of Moosylvania?

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NOTE: The comments page will now split off after 20 or so left margin comments with the most recent comments on the current page. To see the older comments, scroll to the bottom of the page and use the link.

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48 Comments

  1. 40 at dawn and sunny, heading for 70. Let’s see if we match Sunday’s 23 KWHs :) – already have more than half of yesterday’s total. Between the copy machine noise and the water pipes singing (this building is heated by hot water) I really can’t think straight this morning. Hope it will quiet down as I’ve got end of academic year payroll to deal with. sigh. Holding the good thought for Hillary in IN today. With you folks on wishing Bernie and Jane would go home. Sad to think how pleased I was when he declared. (Not because I wasn’t already a Hillary backer, but because he would divert the media from 24/7 Hillary hate/discounting/demeaning crap. Well, he did for a while.)

    Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}

    • Which part of it was going to be the crosspost? I have an easier way to get pages picked up.

  3. Good morning, meese! Wednesday …

    It is 45 degrees in Madison, on its way up to 56. Mostly cloudy skies are in the forecast.

    I haven’t had time to digest the news, yet. Cruz out, Trump presumptive nominee (or “presumtive” if you are Reince Priebus – probably the result of drinking). Indiana went to Bernie Sanders by 5 points but, from what I saw, he picked up one net delegate. Stupidest headline: “Sanders stuns Clinton with Indiana victory”. No. Indiana was Vermont without the picturesque scenery. He won on white male youth. He can stay in as long as he wants but the minute he interferes with Hillary Clinton’s plans for November, someone will need to give him a stern talking to. Best headline: This Is the Face of the Woman Who Will Save the World from Donald Trump.

    See all y’all later!

    • I was paying attention to Lake county where the black folks are – lol
      Hillary did fine.

      Read a comment from a smart mouth whining about all the “old people” voting for Hillary – low info cause we only get our news from tv – and wonder how old they thing BS is.

      Sheesh – no respect for elders who have had to survive tons of shit.

      I’m old and proud of it.

      • We’re low information voters?? Probably coming from a guy who gets all his information in echo chamber social media? Sheesh! Get off my lawn!!

  4. Good morning, Meese, and May the Fourth be with you! It’s 55 F. in NoVa right now on a misty, moisty morning, with more rain expected later.

    My mouse just died! That’s all I needed to make my day perfect. Typing this on my actual laptop, which I’m not used to doing. Might consult the family exchequer to see whether I can run to Best Buy and get a new one.

    Mildly upset that the pollsters got it wrong about Hillary’s winning Indiana, but she’s so far ahead it doesn’t matter. It’s nice that Cruz Missal is toast. Over at GOS, Greg Dworkin says Kasich will still be running in December.

    Not many thoughts this morning, so wishing everyone at the Pond and Beyond a great day!

    • My mouse died too! And keyboard! Need batteries. Lucky we have extras around here.

  5. May the Fourth Be With You! May is full of geeky days — tomorrow, besides Cinco de Mayo is also Revenge of the Fifth when Star Wars fans are supposed to celebrate the bad guys. And then there’s Towel Day later this month, to celebrate the dear Douglas Adams. (He is high up on my TARDIS list, because dying of a heart attack preposterously young is preventable & right. I know, time travelers aren’t supposed to change things, but the Doctor does it all the time. And changing things by saving a good man would change things for the better.) Confession of geekiness – I actually had a discussion with a girl working in a cake ball shop about: which companion it would be best to pal around with – and going back and saving Michael Hutchence, because that was also a stupid, preventable death & him still being here would make the world better. We agreed that for long-term hanging out, Amy & Rory would be best – and you’d get River in the bargain; but for going back & putting things Right, Rose Tyler. And she would agree about saving Hutchence. But enough Dr. Who, today is Star Wars Day.

    My head is joining in the geeky theme by playing me both Snow Patrol & Hozier. The singer of SP has described himself as a geek & talked about reading comics. And Mr. Byrne (Andrew Hozier Byrne) was on Talking Dead and talked about reading the comics that show is based on. So – gorgeous, incredibly talented, and a geek. Yay!

  8. 52 at dawn heading for 72 this sunny Woden’s Day. At grandson’s band concert last night so just got the results and none of the sturm und drang of the election. I’ll head over to GOS or hillaryhq.com to get the details when I get a minute. Tried running the malawarebytes again but it’s still not finding anything. Didn’t have time to try the other thing – will tonight. But I think basically I need to bite the bullet and go get the laptop. Didn’t need my dishwasher dying on me right now. (OK – it’s 18 years old and modern products don’t usually last that long, but still…) Oh well.

    Got a bunch of work to do that I couldn’t get done yesterday for one reason after another. At least I got Hourly Payroll submitted. If I can get the two mucked-up travel reimbursements fixed, I’m going to reward myself by going and getting a haircut. :) Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}

  9. Good morning, 51 and mostly cloudy in Bellingham. I’m trying to shake the primary blues this morning but last night’s overdose of Bernie, Trump and Cruz is lingering. November can’t come fast enough!

    But thanks to my friends at the flower shop I have a lovely yellow begonia basket on the front porch, and after the pool this morning I’ll make some more progress with my desk. And I will probably take a nap too.

  10. Morning all! As I subscribe to Al Giordano’s newsletter, I was not surprised by last night’s result – he called it almost exactly although he predicted a 6% margin that turned out to be 5%. Most important though – it doesn’t matter. Bernie has lost, he just won’t admit it. We need to keep a razor edged focus on beating Trump now, Sanders is just a distraction – I don’t think Hillary is going to spend any money to speak of on primary races from now on, she’s totally aimed at the GE at this point.

    Rainy and gloomy here today – gotta clean up for the cleaners then start on my treasurer’s report for our homeowners’ association meeting Saturday, as I finally got the dues notices out yesterday. Have a great day everyone!

    • She’s stopped any further ad buys in the remaining states (may have actually cancelled some but not sure on that point) and is now in the process of setting up ground teams for the general election starting with the “key” states. GOTV is going to be crucial and she’s working on it.

      • Now with Kasich dropping out, it is obvious that Sanders is only in it for his ego. The Republicans are gathering around their nominee … we need to do that same thing.

  11. Good morning, meese!! Thursday … how did that happen??!

    It is 38 degrees in Madison, on its way up to 65. Sunny skies are in the forecast.

    The Justice Department just made a federal case out of North Carolina’s HB2:

    The U.S. Department of Justice has informed Gov. Pat McCrory (R) that North Carolina’s anti-transgender law, HB2, violates the federal Civil Rights Act. He has until Monday to provide assurances “that the State will not comply with or implement HB2.”

    The letter sent to McCrory Wednesday explains that HB2, which among other things bans the use of restrooms by transgender people in accordance with their gender identities in all public schools and state buildings, violates both Title VII and Title IX. They protect against discrimination on the basis of sex in employment and education, respectively.

    “Access to sex-segregated restrooms and other workplace facilities consistent with gender identity is a term, condition or privilege of employment,” the letter asserts. “Denying such access to transgender individuals, whose gender identity is different from the gender assigned at birth, while affording it to similarly situated non-transgender employees, violates Title VII.”

    The letter also explains that because of the similar Title IX violations, North Carolina is at risk of losing its $861 million in federal funding for its schools.

    THIS is why it is imperative to elect a Democrat in November. It is not just the Supreme Court or veto power over a reckless Congress – it is the Justice Department and the power to prosecute civil rights violations and voting rights violations and pollution violations and, really, every law that we have on the books.

    Each time you see something good that the federal government is doing, think about what a President Trump would do. It isn’t even that difficult to imagine – just think waaaaay back to the Bush “Justice” Department where torture was approved and the Civil Rights Division was essentially shuttered. WWTD – What Would Trump Do? Why pretty much what Bush did but yooooger.

    The president was in Flint and I am going to post his video and remarks after I get my morning work done.

    See all y’all later!!

    • The President from Flint MI yesterday:
      President Obama in Flint: “This should not have happened”

      I do think that part of what contributed to this crisis was a broader mindset, a bigger attitude, a corrosive attitude that exists in our politics and exists in too many levels of our government.

      And it’s a mindset that believes that less government is the highest good no matter what. It’s a mindset that says environmental rules designed to keep your water clean or your air clean are optional, or not that important, or unnecessarily burden businesses or taxpayers. It’s an ideology that undervalues the common good, says we’re all on our own and what’s in it for me, and how do I do well, but I’m not going to invest in what we need as a community.

      • And our president is so right!

        Thanks for this, Jan. All this “Drown the gummint in a bathtub” business has got to stop. It’s a vile mental image anyway.

  12. Lovely cool morning, 80s this afternoon –this is the weather we pay for with our 100 degree days in the summer. Driving home last night, windows down — why did no one else have theirs down?? — blasting U2….. perfect evening even sitting in traffic. No thoughts in my empty head this morning, just music. Happy Cinco de Mayo and Friday Eve!

  13. Happy Thor’s Day, Moosekind! It rained overnight, it’s another gray morning in NoVa, and right now the temp. is 50 F. Today will continue to be gray while the temp. sneaks up to 56 F. Is this early March? Don’t answer that!

    Yesterday was super-busy with errands before our upcoming visit to Texas for the family reunion. Strength training this morning with my trainer, who always leaves me dripping with sweat, followed by packing.

    It’s dismal that I can’t get any writing done this week. I’m so afraid of losing my laptop that it’s going to stay right here at home. Not that I’d get much writing done anyway, except on the plane. In Texas I will be surrounded by people Who Talk Nonstop.

    Feeling hopeful about Hillary’s chances this morning, back later to say “hi.” Hope it’s a good day for all in Moosylvania and beyond!

  14. Good morning Meese. Got up at 2AM to finish my Sunday piece and am now going to relax a bit before heading up to school today. No classes – but I’m getting my “teacher of the year” award at 2PM – and then we have a reception for graduating women’s studies students.

    Am sick of Bernie Sanders, his campaign staff and supporters.
    I will say no more.

    • Congratulations!

      Hillary is pivoting to the general election. If she accidentally hits Bernie Sanders upside the head when she makes the turn, then it underscores the fact that he should have stepped aside! She does not have to win a single state between now and June 14th and will still win the nomination. With a string of butthurt white people’s states (and one libertarian west state) coming up she will lose more than she will win. But she will go out of the primary season on a high note – a big win in California and then a week later a complete blowout in New Jersey.

      • And, oh mah Gawd, do you believe they’re firing up the Emailghazi machine again? Do these thugs NEVER learn? As in, WHEN are they going to get the idea there’s no “there” there?

        All the stupid fake journos and fundits on telly will wear long faces and say, oh, her campaign is all kinds of over. Trump will win. Prepare to die.

        • It is no surprise that Emailghazi is firing back up … there is no more primary drama and the press now has a bunch of empty space to fill. Once the furor over Trump “hijacking” the Republican Party (by appealing to the voters that the Republicans attracted with their awful policies and rhetoric) dies down, the email server will be the only thing left. CNN reported that there is NOTHING TO REPORT. Goodness, gracious, what next? “BREAKING: Sun rises in the east – news at 11”.

    • My congratulations on getting the Teacher or the Year award and enjoy the reception. (And I’m with you on B.S., his campaign staff, and the obnoxious supporters.)

    • YAY for our Sister Denise! Congratulations!

      Wow. What wouldn’t I give to be a student in your class! Makes me wish I lived in New York State.

      But hail, my family is here.

  15. 42 at dawn heading for 75 this bright and sunny Cinco de Mayo. Topped 24 KWHs yesterday and might do it again today. Some day this month I should top 25 KWHs – Summer is ‘a comin’ in :)

    I’ve got so much stuff hitting at work right now I’m feeling totally overwhelmed. Probably the pollen mucking with my brain doesn’t help with that. Neither does the noise of the hot water/heating pipes and the non-stop copy machine (running tests). sigh. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}

  17. Good morning, 53 and partly sunny in Bellingham. We’ve made more progress with the house, garden and garage than I thought we had this week. The last of the holes in the walls from the electrical work will be fixed today and tomorrow the contractor will put new insulation in the attic. I’ll be glad to have this messy project completed.

    Martin Longman has an interesting post re the future of the GOP…….

    The Conservative Movement Died Tonight

    Assuming he loses, Trump will leave nothing whatsoever to build upon, because the smoking husk that remains of the Republican Party won’t have a future in a viable winning national party coalition.

    • That is probably the most fascinating thing about the Trump takeover of the Republican Party. It turns out that the conservative movement is simply one more faction in the Republican coalition. Nativists, racists, religious fundamentalists, teapartiers, chamber of commerce – the only way they could stay together as a party was to cede power to the establishment wing to pick their presidential candidate. This year the nastier elements of the party rose up and said “give us the vulgarian!!” So the Republican “identity”, the mask put on to cover up its monstrous visage, has been ripped away.

      I have no idea what will rise out of the ashes. Ted Cruz is pretty sure that they will turn to him in 2020 to FINALLY show everyone that America is craving purity. John Kasich is convinced that Republicans will cast aside their purity positions and select a pragmatist. All I know is that we have to focus on our party and our candidate and win back the Senate and the House so that our coalition, the Obama coalition, can finish the work that was halted by the teaparty election of 2010.

  18. Jan, we fly out at 8:15 tomorrow morning—Goddess willing and the creek don’t get up—arriving in Austin 11:30-ish if we are able to Get On that flight. On Saturday afternoon my daughter and her husband will drive us to Waco (the infamous Waco), where the family reunion is being held. We leave Austin at 7 a.m. Sunday morning (if we’re able to Get On), arrive home 10:30-ish, pick up Monty Beagle from Doggy Play Care, go home, and collapse.

    If we don’t get on our desired flight, we’ll have to roll over to the next two flights. We fly Space Available as Dearly Beloved is an ex-airlines employee. We hope by leaving at 0-dark-thirty we’ll get on, as otherwise we’re in for a long, tiring, headachy couple of days.

    It’s doubtful that I’ll be able to check in Friday or Saturday, as I’ll only have my phone and Safari is such a miserable browser. I’ll be thinking of you all, however!

    • Safe travels. Will be holding the good thought for smooth travels as well as safe travels.

    • Safe travels! I hope you have a wonderful time and that it does not wear you out too much. I suspect that a family reunion in Waco Texas will require a lot of tongue biting.

      See you on Sunday!

  19. Good morning, meese! Friday …

    It is 50 degrees in Madison on its way up to 82. Mostly sunny skies are in the forecast.

    The perfect antidote for Too Much Trump is right here on the Moose: RonK’s photo diary Gray Whales of the Salish Sea & the Pacific Northwest .

    I am having news overload. In general, I try to let the news steep for a while before I decide what it all means. Yesterday’s news will take a while. Bush 41/43 and Mitt Romney will not go to the RNC convention. Paul Ryan won’t endorse Trump, Trump won’t endorse Paul Ryan. Trump talking to coal miners about hair spray and eating a taco bowl in “solidarity” with Latinos. Conservative Republicans talking third party. Mary Matalin quiting the Republican Party to register Libertarian! Emailghazi back in the news as a huge nothingburger.

    The funniest part to me is that the #NeverTrump has blown up the Wisconsin Republican Party. The right-wing radio talkers who control the Milwaukee wing of the party, and who gave Cruz his fauxmentum, are angry with the state legislative leaders who are endorsing Trump. Trump did well with rural Republicans which is who those guys represent. I have no idea who the Charlie Sykeses think is going to run instead of Trump (Paul Ryan write-in?) but the fact that Their Choice was rejected everywhere else in the country tells you how out of touch they are. Good news for Wisconsin Democrats. We need to get candidates into every Senate and Assembly race!!

    As a palate cleanser, here are some doings from the White House: 58 more commutations for low-risk drug offenders and a new CFPB rule being proposed to ban forced arbitration for credit card, student loan, and payday lenders. Good government things still happening.

    See all y’all later!

    • I haven’t puzzled it all out either – I’m on news overload atm.

      It’s raining here – had a wonderful awards ceremony yesterday – am going to relax today, and play some WOW

  20. Another cool morning, with high in the 80s. This is our time of perfect weather.

    Our election is crazy, the Irish election is crazy — they’re trying again to get a PM voted in — the same guy who’s PM now…. but none of the independents that they’re counting on are even present. So. And then there’s Gerry Adams.

    I don’t know why my head is playing Stories For Boys. It’s from U2’s first album, I haven’t listened to it in years. I don’t dislike it or anything, just haven’t heard it.

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