Well...

I guess I'll have to hit the dumbbells a bit harder to prepare for Round Two of this culture war, huh?

As early as 7pm my local time, I started hearing whispers that Latino men were to blame for Kamala Harris's polling results. Then those whispers became chatter as we headed to midnight. When I awoke this morning, it was a full blown accusation and the first thing I saw on Reddit. 

Fuck. My. Life.

I don't mind playing the villain. I'm a dashing one on Sundays or whenever I wear my Las Vegas Raiders stuff. But today I'll be isekaied back to 2015 when I was blamed for merely existing. 

Only this time around, I'll get it from both sides -- Republicans AND Democrats. Ugh!

To those that'll blame me for Harris/Walz losing, I voted for them.

To those that'll tell me to go back to Mexico, I'm a third generation Mexican-American, pendejo!

To those that'll say it's my fault because I have a penis, I voted to protect your rights. I will also resist the urge to exclude you from my dating pool since frustrations are running a bit high right now.

To those that'll accuse me of taking your job, I don't need one at this time.

***

Okay, now that the hostility is out of my system let's get down to business. 

The only thing that's almost guaranteed to be fine over the next four years are my investments. In that respect, it doesn't matter who's in office. FYI every crash has a rebound, and I'm diversified accordingly to weather both events.

As for my civil rights, I'm thrilled I often pass for Italian. Yes, I'm fully aware of that stereotype, but that's not what I'm talking about here. I mean I can slip under the radar as long as I can suppress my anger when someone calls my fellow Latinos "Those fucking beaners!" or worse. 

What's not going to be fine in the coming days is California's Gavin Newsom problem. 

On Friday, the cronies he appointed to CARB (California Air Resources Board) will vote to increase our gas taxes by as much as 65 cents a gallon(!) in their push to prohibit the sale of ICE vehicles in our state by 2035. Even though many people here are struggling with $5 a gallon gas, $5 carton of eggs and $9 boxes of family sized cereal they intend to vote yes anyway. 

It's so insane that I may re-register as a Republican next week. It's the only way I can cast a protest vote against almost all Democratic incumbents in our June primary elections. I also want my beloved Congressperson to easily win re-election in November 2026 by giving them the shittiest candidate to run against because that's what bad boys with good hearts do.

***

I'm thankful it's Wednesday, that glorious day of the week when I can find my Sea of Tranquility while caressing Miku's steering wheel. The weather is cooperative, so with a touch of a button we can go topless despite the cooler temperatures.

I intend to carry out some much needed retail therapy. I currently have two pairs of jeans being altered to the perfect length, and now I need a pair of dressy black boots to wear with them. I don't care if they have a heel or not since I don't consider myself vertically challenged. I just want another footwear option to wear besides dress and athletic shoes.

I'll also stop by the comics shop. I'm sure there's at least one person behind the counter today that sucked up a lot of courage just to show up for work. If I can brighten their day somehow, I'd love to. 

I mean, we could all use a good hug right about now. Right?