March 24, 2022

Yesteryear
One year ago today: March 24, 2021, more van woes.
Five years ago today: March 24, 2017, the Fair science exhibits . . .
Nine years ago today: March 24, 2013, an absence of sidecars.
Random years ago today: March 24, 2009, aisles of cookbooks.

           Top news is Trump suing the gang that pulled the Russia hoax. I’m semi-indifferent about the politics, rather what I want to see is how well the Democrats fare when they are the ones having to spend millions defending themselves instead of getting on with it. They have always been too rash in putting laws in place without thinking one day those same laws would get turned on them. The reports are not clear if he is suing them for a total of $24 million, or for $24 million each. And what great timing, as the particulars will emerge just around the time the Democrats need to be focusing all their attention on the mid-terms. America is watching.

           What’s even better, is they cannot just stall this one or break even, they have to outright win. Their repetitious tactics over the past several months indicate they have no new tricks and their old ones are too well-used for any disguising. Face it, mind you, $24 million is not that much since there are at least 24 defendants and in any case they would just sponsor a bill to pay it with stolen taxpayer money.

           From the petting zoo, this is one of the critters they don’t let you get close enough. Bactria is the old Roman term for India, not to be confused with bacteria. The Fair has changed subtly but enough to commericialize it and change the atmosphere. Most prominently missing is the science exhibits. The Fair pays students $150 per project, I did not know that. In my day you were told to product something. Today, what was there kind of reflected that to these kids, $150 was not that much money.

           There’s a fair-goer giviing some diet advice to a dinosaur display. Like so many sheeple-led operations, the Fair lost all the middle-class clientele when they did their lame COVID closure of 2020. Like in so many other cities now, they have to make do with, shall we say, a “different” crowd. The sort of crowd the liberal newspapers like to portray as diversity. The real support is gone, they have melted away and found other things to do. The only blender in America is between the ears of millennial journalists.

           We shared an elephant ear, a kind of ritual for us near the midway entrance. Get it there before you enter so you can pay with cash instead of tokens and things are now expensive enough that even I take note. It takes only a half hour to view all the exhibits, mostly artwork, laser cut shapes, and popsicle stick shapes but quickly more to the petting zoo. Mostly goats this year, with one llama and one alpaca, hard to tell the difference. Next the “Barn”, the big farm animals. This year no chickens, no rabbits, and the remainder a mere shadow of what it was. And I recap that in 20+ years in Miami, I have not met anyone who can hold a camera and take a decent photograph. They had a small façade of a western town. But not one of the dozen pictures I had JZ take of me turned out.

           As usual, we walked through the entire area, stopping only for a bite to eat. Did I ever tell you I almost became a ride owner. It would sure have made my life more interesting. But I didn’t have $8,000 when I was ten years of age. This memory was prompted by the midway, where all the rides were the same as I saw back then. The Magic Carpet, Centipede, all the ancient rides, with nothing new to show for a century of operations. A couple variations but nothing new. If I’d bought that ride, it would have been right at home in a midway of today.
           As for the Fair part, it was around a fifth of what it as just a few short years back. As for the crowd, I’ve been socially distancing from that kind of people decades before Fauci came along. Oh, and when the announcer asked the crowd if anyone knew how to call a pig, I hollared back “SooooEEEeeee” expecting a crowd yell. Seems I was the only one. This segment of America is doomed once we are gone.

Picture of the day.
Bracelet by Gerard.
$1,513,024.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           I grabbed my Rx and took the scenic route back, over to Ft. Meyers. This is where the on-line call center said there was a full service bank. I wrote down the address and double checked on the GPS. It was not in Ft. Meyers, but 24 miles down a crowded road on a penninsula. Not the bank, the address. I pulled up to a strip mall with no Bank of America in sight. When I returned to the bank locator app this (tomorrow morning, actually) it had been cleaned up an showing only one branch left in Florida. It was 24 miles away in Naples, but it took so long to return to the freeway in rush hour traffic, I decided against taking a chance.

           That’s another feature of millennials. They lie to you but then are offended when you never trust them again. The bullshit information will still be on the GPS, which they repeatedly disclaim any responsibility, and the GPS just prints their own disclaimer. If you expand this photo you can see the arrow pointing at the road that angles out to a dead end in the middle of nowhere, and the alleged US Bank in Naples. No phone number, and anyway, the last one lied. One certainty, if US Bank had been honest enough to announce the closure of all it’s branches in advance, we would never have set up our Tennesse accounts with those assholes.

           It was a nice enough drive, if you don’t mind six hours behind the wheel. Overcast, plus a chance to stop in Harbor Heights for a visit with Alaine. We toured the yard, remember all those planters JZ and I delivered? They all part of the landscaping now, ask me to do a mini-documentary on that next trip. A new chef at the King’s club means fish and chips, sort of, is back on the menu, so we both had the same. And a walk in the golf course, where feral rabbits abound, get it, abound? Ha, ha.
           Alaine donated me two house plants that do not require major care, one of my criteria. Pictures later, maybe, if I feel like being a nice guy. Because I got home just after dark (8:30PM) and flopped for 10-1/2 hours. Life is getting harder for anybody who has any middle-class trapping left as the libtards tighten up the system and try to force electronic payment on everyone. It’s a prelude to cashless society, getting them used to paying by card or phone. I was well-prepared for this, but most people where themselves and now find life increasingly difficult. I won’t go into detail, but waiting in line for people to pay is becoming standard daily.

           Bryne wants to move to Texas, but will consider any state he can get a place in the countryside, near a city. Sounds like the same for me not too many years ago. He informs me that in Vero Beach, a one-bedroom apartment is now $1500 per month, and there is a sign on the swimming pool, “No Diapers Allowed”. I told him if he needs help driving his furniture van to Texas, I’d be glad to volunteer. Here is a glance at the token prices at the county fair. The “unlimited rides” looks like the best deal until you realize you cannot spend cash on the food or other merch and there is a huge tent at the exit to cash in you unused tokens. How long before you have to show ID for that and wait 30 days for a check in the mail?
           As an example of how political pressure works in this country, Uber has agreed to list regular New York taxis on its app. Hey! We thought a lot of the thrust behind Uber was the rip-off rates being charged by New York taxis. Share the wealth, I guess, but only with each other, they mean. And don’t we wish somebody would tell the news feeds that the union-busting going on over at Amazon is not really a big deal for the rest of the populace.

           Last, a note to myself. I got to my driveway just after dark. I usually back in but my back-up alarm keep sounding. Examining the lane, I found nothing, but rather than second-guess Florida, I parked on the street over night.

ADDENDUM

           Here are the only two real novelties at the Fair this year. First are night lights, inside is a Xmas tree bulb. The covering is a laser cut box of what I presume is incombustible material. These show a variety of sports team symbols and patriotic logos.

           And a brand new merry-go-round. At least, it does not look refurbished and this classic bit of Americana really moves. Reminded of Oregon, where there is or was a museum of these, I watched the operation. The closer you look, the more you realize most of the non-structural parts are plastic. I heard a rumor that these rides were originally for adults only and considered too dangerous for children. I can see that.

Last Laugh