Squeezing a pimple yesterday, I glanced up, saw my face in the bathroom mirror, and paused.

I've worn that face all my life, and it's gotten worn. Craggy, saggy, and sour.

Looking at me in the mirror the way I'd look at a stranger if he didn't know I was looking, what I saw was a fat man who's trying to lose weight, but not trying very hard.

The bathroom behind me was sloppy but basically OK, except for the toilet. Sometimes I say I never scrub it, and people think I'm joking. That wacky old dude, ha-ha. I'm not joking.

Why clean something, scrub and scrub at it with chemicals, when you're just going to sit down and shit on it again?

I live alone in this apartment, which looks kinda like the toilet. Vacuumed the living room when a guest visited, circa 2019, but never since. Generally nothing gets cleaned unless it smells bad.

Once daily I go out for a short walk... unless it's cold, or raining, or snowing, or I'm lazy or don't feel like it. Other than that, I rarely go anywhere.

My recliner no longer reclines, but it's been mashed to exactly the shape of my butt, very snug and soft. Why would I leave?

The blinds are down, because I'm usually naked. When I do get dressed, all my clothes are rumpled and stained.

If I ever go job-hunting, I might need new slacks and a shirt. Hope not. Just thinking about it feels like a betrayal. If I do buy new duds, the effect will be very temporary. Give it a month, and any new clothes will be rumpled and stained, too.

I'm rumpled and stained.

My only friends are on-line — and good morning, by the way!

Haven't even accidentally touched a human yet this year.

Romance seems ridiculous, and would take too much effort.

Alone is nice.

I'm not trying to change any of the above. Rumpled and stained, saggy and sour. That's me, and I like me.

Things could be worse. Things will be worse toward the end, but today I'm enjoying my lazy life alone. If you have any advice, ideas to make myself or my life better, kindly stick 'em up your butt.

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She was told she could vote again after felony convictions. Now she's in prison for trying.

I'm not keeping a spreadsheet or anything, but I've read coverage of 8-10 white people who illegally voted in 2020. One of them got three days in jail, and the others all got probation.

Pamela Moses didn't illegally vote, only tried to register to vote, but she's black so she's sentenced to six years in prison.

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Calculations at NASA, 1961

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CNN hires Jonah Goldberg

CNN makes itself even CNNier. No news in that, except that Goldberg is one of the world's absolute hacks. He has no earned credentials whatsoever — everything about his career came from his famous father, his well-connected mother, and Monica Lewinski.

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JBS agrees to pay beef wholesalers $52.5 million in latest price-fixing settlement

How ordinary: A giant corporation breaks the law, makes huge profits, probably drives some little people bankrupt, gets caught, pays a fine, and admits no wrongdoing.

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Spotify CEO says man he gave $100 million does not represent values of his company

The hypocrisy speaks for itself, but when the CEO of Spotify says "we are not the publisher of Joe Rogan Experience," that's only a trickery of the law. In plain English, they pay Rogan big bucks for the right to publish his show, so of course they're Rogan's publisher.

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Bad news, late:

Landmark's Embarcadero Cinema to close after 26 years in S.F.

When a movie theater goes dark, especially a place where I've seen great movies, I mourn. Me and the Mrs were often at the Embarcadero... which closed last weekend.

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This is what kids in Virginny were taught about slavery, just 50 years ago.

The tasks of each [house slave] were light. … They learned much about the finer things of life. The house servants took a great deal of pride in their comfortable positions. …The field hands … were given a rest period at noon, usually from one to three hours. Those who were too old or too sick to work in the fields were not forced to do so. … The ‘task system’ … gave them free hours after they finished their daily tasks. … The planter often kept a close eye upon [the overseer] to see that the slaves were not overworked or badly treated.

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CDC website offers blank vaccine cards for download, despite fraud worries

It’s a head-scratching choice for the CDC. In early 2021, the agency said it had repeatedly warned state governments against doing the same thing — for fear it would aid fraudsters looking to replicate the flimsy paper credential.

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Austria is done foolin' around with COVID deniers and refusers.

The new law... could see unvaccinated people face a maximum fine of 3,600 euros ($4,000) up to four times a year if they are not on a vaccine register by their assigned vaccination date.

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Supreme Court allows Alabama voting maps that advocates say disenfranchise Black voters

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The long list of legal cases against Donald Trump

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After 70 Years, UC Berkeley Museum returns massacre remains to Wiyot tribe

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Me and Mini Scaredy

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One-word newscast:

• cops

• elections

• Ottawa

• Virginia

• Trump

Dead:

• Syl Johnson

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Mystery links — Like life itself, there’s no knowing where you’re going:

—①—

—②—

—③—

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♫♬ Sing along with Doug ♫

"Tryouts for the Human Race" — Sparks

2/8/2022
Tip 'o the hat to All Hat No Cattle, Linden Arden, ye olde AVA, BoingBoing, Breakfast at Ralf's, Captain Hampockets, CaptCreate's Log, John the Basket, LiarTownUSA, National Zero, Ran Prieur, Voenix Rising, and anyone else whose work I've stolen without saying thanks.
Extra special thanks to Becky Jo, Name Withheld, Dave S., and always Stephanie...
Cranky Old Man