@QMS
Feel better already. Thanks.

.
Why don't eggs play April Fools' pranks? They might crack each other up.
and a play on words
Why did the coffee file a police report on April Fools' Day? It got mugged.

Cheers!

@exindy @exindy
on your handle...Ex-Indy.
My family was migrants from wayback.
Starting in Ireland in the mid 1800s we wound

up in the Southland and then the forested hills of Kentucky, logging that out.
Then on to the coal mines of West Virginia.
The mid 1950s found us migrating to the Golden State and for the first time, the entire family found middle class status.
By the mid 60s we numbered over 40 living and thriving in and around Los Angeles.
We have since moved on to the PNW, but some have returned to Appalachia.
Of course, along with so many other Americans, we've largely fallen out of the middle class.
Yes Virginia, there once was a real M.C.
s/
Thanks for sharing.
P.S. John McCain was once asked what income defined someone as Middle Class. His response, nearly 20 years ago, was 3 to 4 million a year.
Who are the ones that are out of touch with reality?

Before boring you with more of my meager history I think I need to make
a comment explaining my complaint with the Trump/Musk movement.
Tho I agree with the intent and the result, I am very much opposed
to the means to that end. Let me explain why.

It has to do with their roots, their means. I've determined that
for them ROI is the most important factor and making sure there
is little investment and maximum return is the ideal situation.
In addition I don't think either of them has any idea about the
"Commons", that is, the idea that something is owned by everyone
and that each has a say in its use and disposition. Over the last
decades we have come to worship at the altar of bidness. That
someone who is producing a monetary profit would be a wonderful
leader and steward of our collective wealth. Tho I am a little
rusty about the principles from my business law classes I do
think I can still grasp the meaning behind Stewardship and
Bailment. Perhaps OTC can provide a better definition and
insight. I'm sure the raygun handlers in the 70s and 80s can give us a
better idea of who owns what and who gets to sell it. Everyone
knows the purpose of gov't is profit. /s

In other words my opinion is that neither Trump, Musk, Bernie,
DeJoy, Brendan Carr, nobody has the right to sell something that
has been placed with them for their care and safekeeping. When
I lived in Indy, some clown sold an 80 yo post office building
on public land to a bidness guy. His business failed.

As an aside, let's not forget that Tesla was the leading
candidate for a byedone electric auto contract and was the darling
of the DNC just last year. Then came the "oh shit" DOGE
wake-up after the election.

I'll resume my history around mid 50's when my parents
relocated to the Ohio valley along the Ohio river. At that time
there were steel mills all up and down the river from Pittsburgh
to Portsmouth. Near the mills were foundries stamping furnace
parts, car parts, etc. I lived across from a paper mill and
there was a titanium plant 20 miles north. As I mentioned,
Robin Yokum has written books about his life that was a little
later. I might recommend his writing because he seems to have
escaped the profiteers preying on the contemporary authors.
(...robinyocum.net/about)

All thru my later teen years my stamping grounds were from western
PA into northeastern OH. I watched the devastation of our
industries, watched the closing of so many plants. When I moved to
Indy after college I saw it there. M&A and financialization sucked
it all.

It's too bad I don't have the time or stomach for a mention of
China's Most Favored Nation status that was pushed by Clinton.

Maybe we should talk about tariffs afterall. It's too bad we can't
make them retroactive and confiscate the value that was stolen
from those who stole it.

On a personal basis some good things have happened. I did the form
to renew my passport and it's in Philly and due to be done in
6-8 weeks.

As it turns out the ID.ME system as it was implemented was easier
to spoof than they had advertized. But it was most certainly more
profitable. It matches the stupid decision to use a "smart" phone
to verify an email address and provide no method to change either.
Afterall, everyone knows that neither an email address nor a phone
number ever changes.

As an aside, that is why I filed a complaint thru the CFPB about
the credit bureaus. My complaint was satified by 2 of them. Equifax
stuck with a credit lock. Hmm, thanks for tossing me in the briar
patch. Dogeing the CFPB is a good idea.

Back to the thread. My difficulty with the ID.ME system has been
pretty much resolved. OMB came up with a procedure that bypassed
the stupid contract and I am now able to make changes in my CSRS
account. SSA has also determined that my account with them is
grandfathered. I confirmed my identity. Now when my email address
changes I can change my login and if my phone number changes I
can change the second step.

As for the easier to spoof? It provides a means for illegals to
be paid illegal monies from the magic money tree. Welcome to
corruption on a grand scale. If only we could have directed that
effort to high speed rail. But then that's not profitable enough.

A side note: I am totally infavor of daylight savings time. Year round.
Corps and business hate it but I like to have light in the evening. My
night vision is crap because of cataracts and retinopathy. By giving
me a little light I can drive until dinner time. When I was playing golf
in Indy I managed to get in 18 holes after work. Then Indy refused to change.
Not surprising. Indy can't handle more than one change in their lives a
year. Oops... that was unkind. MsIndy is a Hoosier, sorry honey but it's true.

In closing.... all those reports of factory closing since the raygun days are
nothing but numbers. Living it is real. Especially to an early teen with raging
hormones. The bales of magazines to be processed taught me more about anatomy
than the nun at the elementary school.

Be well, all. In many ways I've enjoyed my life's journey and thanks very much
for allowing me to share it.

@snoopydawg
some kind of sheep dip?
Brilliant if it is.
Rural folks are so resourceful!
Got a problem? Ask a farmer.
Thanks for the clip.

Nothing special to see, just an army of piglets queuing up to dive.pic.twitter.com/GJJ85j9VF7

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) March 31, 2025

In fact you’ll probably never see it again.
I gotta wonder who came up with this idea?

@soryang
Thanks for including the lyrics. Would have been beautiful without them anyway.
I instantly thought of the Everly Brothers tune "I'll do my crying in he rain". Don't know why.
I've been hummin' their songs since last week when there was a thread speaking of them.
Your lamenting comment reminds me of the old adage " I cried because I had no shoes, until I saw a man with no feet".
Thanks for stopping by.

So I thought I'd better check what Mark Twain had to say about it:

April 1. This is the day upon which we are reminded of what we are on the other three hundred and sixty-four.

– Mark Twain

The city has been finally making an effort to at least maintain the existing drainage system after two very damaging floods in just over two years. Last night I saw my neighbor, I know who had been very upset about this situation after his home was flooded a second time, like others in the neighborhood. After the flood, despite the damages he sustained, I noticed he was quite active, riding his motorcycle around the neighborhood a few times after he tuned it up, and also taking his boat out a few times. I thought that's the right attitude. I also gathered he was tipping some brews back on occasion with one of the other good old boys in the neighborhood. All to the good.

So I wanted to talk to him last night about the recent marginal efforts by the city improve or at least maintain the flood drainage infrastructure, such as it is, as he saw them (he used to be with the city public works). I saw he was outside with his son who was changing the oil on his pickup. When I began to talk to him, he was having trouble talking and was quite breathless. He also was stooped over. I was shocked to hear that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. (Really I still am).

My presence was obviously awkward, so I excused myself wishing him well. So I'm reminded, no matter what my hardships may be, there are others faring far worse. From the media, I know this has been the case for a long time. But the immediate impact of all my neighbors' suffering over the last two and a half years in a way woke me up at least temporarily from something like a fugue state.

I guess I'm a contemporary with you Earthling1, the Kennedy assassination woke me from a dreamlike state. In a flash, even though only a child, I thought, "oh I get it, the US is like a banana republic I've seen on the 6 o'clock news." My next awakening was the Vietnam War. After the Vietnam War I thought okay we're gonna go back to "normal" now. Boy was I ever so wrong. That's the short list.

I thought of this song, when I thought of these things, in Korean Yes, that's right I'm a fool. It's an old trot favorite.

내가 바보야 Ne ga pabo ya! I'm a fool! Singer 윤태화 Yoon Tae-hwa

To you who leaves with tears in your eyes
I say goodbye and now regret it and cry
Don't go, I should have caught you
I should have told you that I love you
What's the use now?
I'm a fool, I'm a fool, I couldn't catch you

With tears in my eyes, I say goodbye to that person
And now regret it and cry
Don't go, I should have caught you
I regret it now, I'm a fool, I couldn't catch you

It's a silly song, but the I'm a fool line is catchy. It's also a common line in drama's when someone is trying to get over on someone. The potential victim says angrily or in haughty tone, "Am I a fool?" (it's the same expression) Don't answer that.

@enhydra lutris
Pressure washing the driveway today, since it's not raining.
Tried to move the car and motor home out of the way, both batteries are dead. They're both done, kaput,expired.
Gotta go get two new ones.
Oh joy!
Thanks for posting.

Would acqueous or vitreous suffice? i.m at a disadvantage here, grew up during the sick humor and black humor era, lots of frog in a blender punchlines and dead baby jokes as a base layer, and sure enough life does mimic art, because today is ... Really. Your ( ) is soooo ugly [ ].

It's raining too.

Ao here's some vintage Lenny Bruce

be well and have a good one

@Enchantress
is still a member of the Mormon LDS church and they keep sending young girls(sisters) to talk her into attending.
She is of the persuasion "Good girls go to church, bad girls go everwhere". Having way to much fun enjoying life.
That actually applies to voting too.
Thanks for stopping by.

The only joke I have is actually voting today. April 1st seems appropriate. I live in Florida 1, Matt Gaetz's old seat. My choice is a Republican career politician, a Democrat who is not from this area, and an independent who I know nothing about. It doesn't matter who I choose, the Republican will win it anyways.

My polling place is never crowded. There's only about 300 who can vote. It's run by the Baptists, whose church is literally right across the road. They're really nice, even though I am still registered Democratic.

The demographics are slowly changing here. I know of a dozen churches which have closed down. They're like Congress. They're all old. I went to their church with a friend of mine and we were some of the youngest people there. No one is going to church anymore.

@dystopian
Chicken dinner!
Thanks.

Hey E1,

Hope it's good all over out there folks...

Have an old joke, so old most of you probably forgot it.... in case of need to crack smile

=====

There was a little boy that was born with no eyelids. A medical team determined that the foreskin was exactly the same as the eyelid. So when they circumcised him, they made him a set of eyelids. It was a great medical success. However he did grow up a little cockeyed.

this will be my entry to 'dumbest one heard all day' category.

happy trails all!

edited to fix a typo

@on the cusp
It will make things better for somebody.
Thanks.

Election results coming soon. Here's my joke: The election results will make things better.
Thanks for the OT, e1!