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It was rainy and cold by Tempe standards so I had to break out the overalls for the day. People loved the tie-due overalls and I just said “They’re great for painting” and showed the paint on my hands from my current project and they all said “Oh yeah” and realized they are great for painting because who gives a fuck if you got a splotch of paint on your tie dye? At any rate, I got the trim done so tomorrow the ceiling and then the second coat on the walls and the edging and then painting the closet. Then all I have to do is replace all the sockets, hang the curtains, and the dog room/sun room will be complete. YAY.

Normally I just do the trim first, then the ceiling, then the walls, but I am painting yellow over white so I knew it was going to need two coats, so I did the bulk of the walls, then the trim, then I will do the ceiling and another coat on the walls. If that makes sense. It made sense to me. So that is why I did it. Joelle was giving me a suggestion that didn’t make sense, and I just blurted out “you had fifteen years here to do that, now you’re just gonna sit back and let me do it my way.” I’m still an asshole at heart.

I dunno if I have ever talked about it, but my dad was a teacher at a state college in WV for decades, and I don’t know if you know anything about teacher salaries in the 70’s and 80’s at small schools, but they were not great. They sucked, in fact. Mom and dad went to college for a combined almost 20 years and their combined salaries were substantially less than all the union guys mining coal or working at the steel mill. And don’t think I think those guys were overpaid. Hardly. I watch them gimping around to this day, broken bodies and all, enjoying their retirement. And they fucking earned it.

At any rate, teacher salaries sucked, so dad supplemented their incomes by basically being a handyman- painting, drywalling, wallpapering- he was very good at it. And I had to “help” him a lot, although I am sure my help as a young pre-teen to teen consisted mainly of me being the most obnoxious cunt on the planet the entire time I was there and occasionally being useful for brief, fleeting moments with the frequency of Halley’s Comet.

Halley’s comment. Everyone my age knows about that, but I bet very few people under the age of 45 do.

Back to my point- he did a lot of that, I was there for a lot of it, and I basically learned how to do it without planning to or for that matter wanting to. I am glad I did. During the summers when I was in undergrad, and the bars I was a doorman at didn’t need me because no students, and the clothing store didn’t have many hours for me and I was not at national guard, I would work construction/renovation. I did roofing, a lot of painting, a bunch of drywall, etc. Don’t do plumbing or electricity and don’t fuck with them in the least- that’s a quick way to create a major bill. Those guys are pro and you hire folks to do that shit.

I don’t do tile, either. That shit is HARD and a real skill. Not that the other things are not. I am sure a pro would look at me doing this shit right now and just shake their head. But I know enough of painting and drywall that I can do a passable job.

All of this was a very long-winded way of saying that while doing this it is funny how many things I have started to do and had an “oh yeah that’s how you do it” memories come flooding back, fighting their way through who knows how much drink and drug to make it to the surface and be remembered.

Had another trip down memory lane today when I saw that Erick Erickson was promoted to primetime slots on Cox Media Group. The same Erick Erickson who wanted to throw political opponents from helicopters ala Pinochet and who once said he was going to shoot a postal worker. Among who knows how many other awful things he has said and done. And it made me think about how cancel culture really works. And the way it works is there’s always money for assholes who fluff the billionaires.

Remember Ward Churchill? I don’t even remember what his point was or what he was talking about so this is by no means an endorsement, but that’s how cancel culture works for liberals. You get shitcanned and memory holed. Be a Nazi and you get promoted.

You will be pleased to know that the young lady across the street and introduced herself and apologized for parking where she did, and we had a nice chat. I told her there was no reason to apologize, I was not mad, I was just worried we were going to hit her car (it’s a Mercedes). I could give a shit about my paid off 2013 CRV, it can take a little dented bumper, builds character. Look at the fucker driving it.

Long story short she was very pleasant, got home late last night form work and didn’t even pay attention, and I told her that if she has a hard time finding a parking space, just park in our driveway behind Joelle’s car because she never drives. At least there she’s not gonna get backed into by two old fuckers with thick glasses.

So that was nice.

Speaking of Joelle, she’s had a rough one because her best friend’s brother died unexpectedly in his sleep. I knew him, nice fellow, about 3-4 years younger than me. Went to bed and never woke up. Joelle was friends with him and is doubly upset as she lost a friend, but also because her other friend is distraught. So that kinda sucks. I’ve been through that recently.

That’s it from me. Very good piece by Dan Froomkin on why the NYT sucks so much.

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