Shredding It

I already tore it up in my lane at the posh club, so now it is time to communicate with the base. I know the question on the minds of many at poolside today was “Was this guy an Olympian? That slow, half-assed backstroke looks so familiar”. It turns out that folks were too shy to pose their query to me.

I saw my personable trainer yesterday.  He tells me my hammies are tight, so I’ll do double duty on those in my stretch routine today, which will be followed by a walk at the dog park on 3rd Ave. in San Mateo, during which I will take the hill.  You don’t get a body like mine if you don’t put in the work.

The Epstein wildfire is still out of control, which fills me with glee. After decades of slimy behavior, could this be the thing that finally takes Trump down? I don’t like being ashamed of the leader of my country. He just got roasted in the season premiere of South Park, with the creators sticking their thumb in the eye of Paramount just after inking a $1.5B deal with them. They tossed in some tiny dick jokes for good measure.

I turned my kitchen into a mac and cheese factory yesterday. My driveway cocktail buddy up the street just had a hip replacement, so I went up for a visit and dropped my wares. Another friend in SF took a tumble so my wife dropped off his portion after visiting one of her girlfriends up there.  I had planned to freeze some for my brother, but I’ll work up another batch for my visit next week. My mac and cheese has received many a plaudit, and I’m going to let the cat out of the bag.  You gotta us Tillamook extra sharp cheddar.

Anything else you’d like to hear about? Leave a comment, ya bums.

DJ, The Socialite

I’m sure my readership was surprised by my latest set of posts. Three within a week is not a record but is certainly enough to gladden the hearts of my die-hard fans.  I considered it a virtual tsunami of posts. Given this, JB gave me permission to take the rest of the summer off, but I’d never do that to you.  I commit to writing dozens of words every month.

As should come as no surprise, the active social life continues.  We had dinner with friends three straight nights over the holiday weekend, and I only had to cook one of them. It was a chimichurri chicken that would have pleased the grouchiest gaucho. Last Wednesday we caught a Giants game with the numbers, TCG and Barbie. We had fun despite the fact that the Phils crushed the home team 13-0. We then made a stop at Comstock on Columbus for cocktails and dinner at Sodini’s Green Valley restaurant, which likely hasn’t changed since I was lad.

Friday, we headed to Sonoma with 4M and wife to attend LA’s 70th birthday. The four of us had dinner at The Girl and the Fig, which was about 50 steps from our nicely appointed Airbnb. Four thumbs up on the restaurant and lodging. 4M ordered two fine wine selections and brought several from his own stash for later on. The big event took place at Sangiacomo Vineyard on Saturday, where we sampled several varietals while returning multiple times to the appetizer table. I met many of my sister and LA’s friends and saw several I knew.  My brother’s kids were there but sadly he could not attend due to a hernia that will be operated on next week. I asked him if he had been wearing tight pants.

Bro plans to recover at his daughter’s new house in San Leandro, so I will swing by to visit and provide one of my culinary delights. We have not seen each other for a while so we really need to resolve an ongoing argument regarding feats of strength.  I plan to challenge him to a deadlift contest.

OK, I know this is your go-to spot for political news, so I’ll provide some updates. Trump is crapping his pants on the Epstein story that will not go away. His “nothing to see here" strategy is not working and lately he’s been calling his critics “evil”. Kettle, meet pot. The guy is triple-coated Teflon but this one has shown some life and my fingers are crossed this somehow brings him down. That is a stretch, but even lapdog Mike Johnson is calling for a release of the files. I’ve been checking out a lot of YouTube podcasts. This one is a good example. If you don’t want to watch the whole thing, tune in around the five-minute mark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfmrMPTI7QA

Down in Texas, there’s been a lot going on. They are tearing into Kristi Noem for FEMA’s response to the floods. This is what happens when you hire the incompetent. Ted Cruz also got an earful as he again happened to be on vacation during a crisis. And Mrs. Paxton is finally divorcing her Ken doll on “biblical grounds.  The hope is this will trash his Senate run.  I’m not a Cornyn fan but Ken Paxton is an abhorrent human being.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/houston-chronicle-brutally-mocks-ice-barbie-kristi-noem-over-flood-crisis-failure/

I’ll leave you with this. I think it was one of those mistakes on purpose.

Aftermath

Aftermath is the fourth studio album by the Rolling Stones, released in 1966. But that's not what we're talking about here.

One generally thinks of a 70th birthday party as a sedate affair. I wish that had been the case last Saturday. I woke up in my backyard Sunday morning along with a couple Belmont dudes that had decided to climb my pergola some time after midnight. The house was trashed and some wiseguy unbolted the guest bathroom toilet. I’m still waiting on the legal consequences of the three separate ER visits due to bounce house injuries.

OK, I kid. Our Saturday soiree went smoothly.  We turned the patio into Party Central and in the kitchen we had professional chefs from Pinterest and Flour + Water, because we’re connected. The chow was a major hit.  We started with stinky French cheeses, sesame noodles and spring rolls, then moved on to the curry chicken and eggplant entrees. We had plenty of vino and beer and I scored a few leftovers. There was oratory and singing, but no dancing. Things wrapped at a reasonable hour so I could get my usual ten hours of sleep.

I’ve been following the news on Trump’s Big Fugly Bill. It seems a lot of people have problems with it, but the Senate passed it nonetheless. I appreciate that Susan Collins unfurrowed her brow and voted no. Rand Paul, who hasn’t had his ass kicked by his neighbor for some time, made it to the Senate floor to cast a no vote. Thom Tillis did the right thing this time, after voting to confirm charlatans RFK Jr. and Pete Hegseth.  I’ll be sending Tillis a new bolo tie as a thank you. Sen. Murkowski got special carve outs for Alaska, admitted it was a lousy bill, and still voted yes. I wish she could have thought of the other 345,000,000 Americans, especially the poor, many of whom will suffer silently when their Medicaid runs out and rural hospitals close, until it is possibly too late, and then flood the nearest emergency rooms. I’m crossing my fingers that the House wrangling sinks this thing. I can dream. At least Fetterman can head to the beach now. If you can get a freebie from Esquire, I recommend you read Charles Pierce’s take on this mess.

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a65269543/republican-big-beautiful-bill-passes-senate/