Random Thoughts

Littered about today's posts are some comic strip panels I posted to some posts back in spring 2019.

Last night, der Führer himself, Donald Trump, co-opted some prime time television to ostensibly address the nation about the war in Iran.

In full disclosure, I am writing this post the day before that speech so I may be wrong but given every single thing Li'l Donnie has ever done, I don't think I will be wrong about what he said last night.  

So Trump....

• lied.
• got angry 
• contradicted himself.
• lied some more.
• denied reality.
• blamed Joe Biden.
• threatened allies.
• claimed the war is won
• promised to keep fighting the war.
• persisted in lying.

I could go on but hell, we've lived through this moron's bullshit too long now. You know the drill.  

If Trump actually delivers an address that is calm, rational, unifying, sensible and reassuring, I will eat my hat.

• OK, step one: buy hat.
• Step two: eat hat. 

Problem: due to tariffs and war, I can't afford a hat.

Wait! Andrea has a hat.

• OK, step one: steal Andrea's hat.
• Step two: eat hat. 

Again, I fully expect my future diet will be hatless.

I have tomorrow off from work.

For Good Friday.

This is not some personal observance of a religious holiday.

It's a company holiday.

If I hear Donald Trump or one of his ilk rant and rave that Christianity is under attack, I must address that the Fortune 500 company I work for does not give us the day off for Ramadan or Yom Kippur.  

On the other hand, our firm will be shut down on the date that commerates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.  

Hey, it's a day off and I'm certainly not complaining about that.

But I am pissed off at alleged Christians who try to present themselves as martyrs to a faith under siege who live in a country where businesses will close for Good Friday.

This weekend will be Easter Sunday.

I have Andrea's gift ready in the form of a small Easter basket of goodies.

Yes, she is an adult person and who expects gifts for Easter other than children looking for candy from the Easter Bunny.

Well, she does and she's already bought something for me and I had to retaliate.  

I can't let Easter be a shut out. I have to put up some kind of fight. 

That is that for this post.

We're back tomorrow for Your Friday Video Link.

Our Movie Time Post on Saturday is about a bizzare film from the 1950's that is surprisingly topical.

Until next time, remember to be good to one another.  

To the Moon!

How did I NOT know this was happening?

Artemis II launched at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida yesterday.

And not just some unmanned probe being shot into space but a rocket with actual people.

Here is the team in Artemis II: Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, of Canada,, Pilot Victor Glover, Commander Reid Wiseman, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch.

Real people in a real rocket really going into real space?

I'm not kidding! I did not know this was happening!

Am I so caught in the maelstrom of a world spirialling into ignorance, fear, hate and chaos that I totally missed a truly wonderous thing happening?

Humankind venturing once more into space! 

Artemis II is going to the Moon! We're not landing or anything, it is just a fly by but still.... damn! Since it's been over 5 decades since we last went to the Moon, just driving by to wave high at the moon is a pretty damn big deal.

And somehow....  I did not know it was happening. 

How? How did I not know of such a momentous thing was taking place?

For whatever the reason, I just hope things go well and wish for the crew of Artemis II to have an amazing adventure and to safely make it back home.

Stories That Shoud Be April Fool's Stories But Are Not

 So that post earlier this morning that I was dedicating the blog to the exclusive topic of actor Rachel Brosnahan? 

Yeah, I know, it was totally random and just weird.

I thought of doing some kind of strange satire piece around current real world events, politics or some other third thing.

But that's hard to do in a world with Donald Trump and his minions generating their own satire.

These are stories that should be April Fool's stories... but they're not.

TRUMP SPENDS CABINET MEETING TALKING SHARPIES

Yes, the alleged President of the United States gathered the heads of various government agencies and pontificated in detail on....

Sharpies! 

Yep, that thick marker Li'l Donnie uses to scrawl his  signature on executive orders made for a long winded discussion about how the usual White House ball point pens were too expensive and didn't work and the kids he gave them to as souvenirs didn't know what they were ("Mommy, what is this?") and how the head of the company that makes them offered to make some special for Donald Trump in black with gold lettering for $5 a pop.

Well, that was a good use of everyone's time. 

And also....

Newell Brands of Atlanta GA who manufacture Sharpies do not know what the fuck Trump is talking about. There was no conversation between Trump and anyone with the company about making special pens for der Führer.

IRAN GIVES TRUMP A PRESENT 

Der Führer claims he and his administration are in talks with Iran. 

Iran says ain't nobody talking to nobody.  

Li'l Donnie says yes they are and they gave him a present to show their good faith that they are serious about negotiatin'. 

It turns out that Iran did let a couple of oil tankers slip through the Strait of Hormuz and this is what Trump was calling "a present".

TRUMP SHOWS OFF A BALLROOM WITH NO FRONT DOOR 

While the fucking world is on fucking fire from the fucking war he fucking started, Donald Trump regaled the press on Air Force One with designs for his precious ballroom.

The New York Times poked around with the schematic drawing and well, they have questions.

The grand staircase out front does not actually lead to the entrance of the ballroom.

There are too many columns, obscuring a view of the building from  the outside and the view of anyone inside looking out.

Stairs on the side go nowhere.

It is too big and too tall. 

It's a garish monstrosity.

And Li'l Donnie is so proud of it.  

ALSO: apparently, the ballroom will be on top of a secret military complex.  Which is not a secret since Li'l Donnie blabbed about it.  

No matter how bad things can get in this world, Donald Trump will always find joy in his ballroom.

Unless...  

SIDE NOTE: a federal judge made a ruling that construction on the ballroom has to stop until Congress approves it.

Now Li'l Donnie's sad. And mad.  

VANCE SAYS ALIENS ARE DEMONS

No, I did not pull that headline from a tabloid.

It's a real thing that a real person really said.

During a podcast interview, J D Vance posited that if extraterrestrial beings really do exist, they are not from outer space.

They are demons.  

I'm not making that up. Vance said that.

You know how everyone keeps gleefully anticipating that Donald Trump is gonna die? Well, it happens, then J D Vance will be in charge.

So it would be more of a lateral move than any kind of improvement.  

KRISTI NOEM'S HUSBAND IS A CROSSDRESSER

Ok, NOW I'm making shit up, right?

Nope! It's a real story.

Seems the former head of the Department of Homeland Security was caught off guard that her hubby dresses up in women's clothes and hangs out with fetish models online.

It is so hard to come up with a good April Fool's gag in a world so full of fools.

I'm just gonna go back and admire my Rachel Brosnahan post.

All Rachel Brosnahan All the TIme

It's the beginning of a brand new month and it's also the beginning of a brand new day here at I'm So Glad My Suffering Amuses You.

A major challenge for this blog is a distressing lack of focus. What is this blog about? What is it's purpose?

Comic books, TV shows, politics, movies, all matter of things.

This blog can be so random. And quite frankly, I've had enough!

So that's why I've decided to dedicate this blog to one topic, one purpose, one person.

And that person is Rachel Brosnahan! 

Yes, Lois Lane in James Gunn's Superman movie!

The star of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Yes, that  Rachel Brosnahan! 

And I'm not talking about something lame like a post once in a while! 

NO! Every day, this blog will be dedicated to the joy, the sheer pleasure of living on the same planet as  Rachel Brosnahan! 

• MONDAY: What is Rachel wearing today?
• TUESDAY: What is Rachel having for breakfast?
• WEDNESDAY: What is Rachel watching on television?
• THURSDAY: Why is Rachel not answering my texts?
• FRIDAY: What are Rachel's plans for dinner?
• SATURDAY: What does Rachel look taking a nap?
• SUNDAY: Why do I have a restraining order from  Rachel Brosnahan? 

I will replace the Tuesday TV Touchbase with a weekly recap of the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as I analyze this ground breaking series 10 minutes at a time.

Movie Time? We're gonna watch Superman every week! 

I am serious! 

• Posts about the idiot in the White House? GONE! 
• Posts about Doctor Who or Star Trek? Outta here! 
• Posts about comic books? Beat it! 

Only one thing matters. 

Only one purpose! 

 Rachel Brosnahan! 

I will need to rename the blog from I'm So Glad My Suffering Amuses You.

I'm thinking I'm So Glad Rachel Brosnahan Amuses You! 

Or I'm So Glad We Live In A World With Rachel Brosnahan!

Maybe I'm So Glad You Finally Realized This Is An April Fool's Day Post.

I hope you have a good and pleasant April 1st.

But seriously, Rachel Brosnahan is so seriously awesome!  

Tuesday TV Touchbase: Daredevil: Born Again

First of all, a rant about Wheel of Fortune and a repeated stupid move being made by some of the players this season. It happened again last week.  

In the final round, if time is running out, the wheel is given a final spin and $1,000 is added to whatever the wheel lands on. In the instance from last week, the wheel landed on $600 so each correct constantant guessed was worth $1,600. 

Then each player in turn guesses a letter until someone can solve the puzzle. 

Last week, someone who had no money blurted out the answer to the puzzle without choosing a letter first. They got the house minumum (what I call pity money) of $1,000 for solving the puzzle. If they had given at least one letter from the puzzle before blurting out the answer, the player would have won $600 more.  

This was not the first time I've witnessed this happening this season and I'm wondering, have these people actually watched the show before? 

Enough of the rant. On to the Touchbase.  

And we're back with a second season of Marvel's Daredevil: Born Again.  

This is not an easy show to watch.

The violence is graphic and brutal. Lots of blood and broken bones. 

Yet somehow I talked Andrea into watching this with me.

It's also not easy due to the really troubling parallels to real life.

Any comparisons between former Kingpin now Mayor Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) and his anti-vigilante task force and Donald Trump and ICE may be just a coincidence.

Or it's the fucking point.

You decide. 

Fisk is pinning anything that goes wrong in New York City on vigilantes. It's is one size fits all problem which fits his own size fits all solution which is to sieze power for himself and rule NYC with an iron fist. 

All the while engaging in his own criminal enterprises to enrich himself with total impunity with no oversight from anyone. 

Am I watching a Marvel, super hero show or CNN?

Well, Matt Murdock has suited up as Daredevil in defiance of Fisk's anti-vigilante full court press to expose whatever shit Fisk has got going on.  

Like the ship full of military grade arms coming up the river to Fisk's private port. When Daredevil stages a raid on the ship, the vessel's captain sinks the ship on his bosses orders in case of an attack.  

Except Wilson Fisk is pissed off the ship got sunk and sends his task force to search for the hapless captain.  

An agent for the CIA known only as Mr. Charles shows up and tells Fisk he can clean up the mess of guns in the river.

What the hell is Fisk up to? And if the CIA is involved, how high up does it go?  

As of episode one of the 2nd season, she hasn't shown up but she has been name checked, "she" being Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones. I'm really looking forward to seeing our favorite super powered private eye back on TV once again.

There are no day-glo super heroics going on here. Daredevil: Born Again is very dark and gritty and given the real world parallels, the show can be quite disturbing.  

To quote Capt. Kirk, "The odds are against us and the situation is grim."  But Matt Murdock, battered, beaten and running out of time and options, still thinks he can win against Wilson Fisk.

The Kingpin has an entire city and an army.

Matt Murdock only has Daredevil.

And maybe more? Could it be long time nemesis and the bastard who assassinated Foggy Nelson last season, Bullsetye, is on Matt's side in his war against the Kingpin?

We'll have to wait and see as we anxiously await the dramatic return of Jessica Jones.

TOO MUCH TV!

• As I write this, I've got 2 episodes to go to finish season 2 of Fallout.  
• I'm already behind 2 episodes of  the new season of Invincible.
• And I've got season 2 of Deadloch waiting for me.  
• And I just saw that the 5th season of Hacks will be debuting next week.  
• I am staying on top of Outlander as I want to avoid spoilers on Jamie Fraser's fate. Is he going to die in battle at Kings Mountain as predicted in Frank Randall's book? 

And there's all the stuff I watch with Andrea and....

Whew! It's a lot! 

For now, that is that for this week's Tuesday TV Touchbase.

Until next time, remember to be good to one another and try to keep it down in there, would ya? I'm trying to watch TV over here.   

No Kings Day 03/28/2026

Saturday was another round of "No Kings" rallies around the United States and the world to protest Donald Trump and the general fuckiness of his fucking fuckery.

Gee! Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said we're in the middle of a Golden Age brought to us by his lord and savior Donald Trump.

Johnson said that before giving Trump a golden idol called the "America First Award" 'cause nothing appeases Li'l Donnie like getting awards.  

What pray tell do we have to bitch about? 

Let's see what the "No Kings" website has to say. 

• Masked secret police terrorizing our communities. 
• An illegal, catastrophic war putting us in danger and driving up our costs.
• Attacks on our freedom of speech, our civil rights, our freedom to vote. 
• Costs pushing families to the brink.
• Trump wants to rule over us as a tyrant.

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson called the protests “Trump derangement therapy sessions" and “the only people who care are the reporters who are paid to cover them.”

So not that big of a deal, I gather? 

Let's take a look around the country and see what's up.

WARNING:  Maureen O’Toole of  the National Republican Congressional Committee had this to say: “These Hate America Rallies are where the far-left’s most violent, deranged fantasies get a microphone!"

So CAUTION: the following may contain disturbing images of hate filled violence.

Saint Paul, Minnesota 

The Memorial Bridge in Washington DC 

"No Kings" Take Manhattan 

Here's more from New York City 

An opinion being expressed in Houston Texas 

Atlanta, Georgia 

Kansas joins in on the fun!

Boulder,CO

Topeka KS includes CATS against Trump! 

And DOGS come out to join the protests in California 

Minneapolis MN 

A No Kings protest in Palm Beach FL outside of Mar-A-Lago? Fuck Yeah!

Back In Washington DC 

It seems White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson may have a point.

Nothing to see here. 

All sarcasm aside, there was A LOT to see here with an estimated total 8 million people showing up for "No Kings" rallies, larger than the numbers from the two previous sets of rallies.

Which stands to reason as things seem to have only gotten worse. Since the last round of "No Kings" rallies, der Führer has ramped up his strident demands to curtail voting rights by pushing Congress to pass the so called SAVE Act and unilaterally sent American men and women into harm's way to START a war he cannot properly explain that has only made the world more unstable and unsafe.   

And the snivelling syncophants who surround him have only gotten even more intense in their cultish supplication to his every whim and appeal to his fragile ego.  Like that damn "America First Award" that Mike Johnson presented to Trump to appease his desperate need for flattery.  

Trump wants act like a king and his minions are more than prepared to treat him like one.

At least 8 million people disagree with that. 

Hopefully that disagreement will express itself at the polls this November and we can finally hold Donald Trump's fat corrupt ass to account.  

This (Non) Sporting Life: Basketball Games Are 40 Minutes Long

Welcome to This (Non) Sporting Life, a blog post about sports by a guy who does not care or know much about sports.

But I do know this: basketball games are 40 minutes long. 

Which is an important piece of information.

In today's NCAA Men's Tournament Game between Duke and UConn, Duke was winning after 39 minutes and 50 seconds.

Which is great! 

But...

What's that important piece of information?

Let's say it together: All bubble-blowing babies will be beaten senseless by every able-bodied patron in the bar.

NO! Not THAT! 

Say THIS with me: basketball games are 40 minutes long. 

So....

At 39 minutes and 50 seconds, Duke had the ball and a 2 point lead, 72-70. All they had to do for 10 seconds was keep the ball away from UConn and Duke wins and advances to the Final Four.

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

This game is pretty much over, ain't it?

Except....

Basketball games are 40 minutes long. 

And UConn steals the ball.

And some UConn player named Braylon Mullins heaves a desperation shot at the basket.  Oh, there's NO way that ball is.....

It went in? 

Nooooo! It didn't! It couldn't!

IT DID?!?!

IT WENT IN! 

For 3 points! 

UConn is up 73-72.  

What the unholy hell was that?

I mean, 39 minutes and 50 seconds and... and... and...

Damn it! Basketball games are 40 minutes long. 

Now if there is a sense of deja vu in this post, well, it's because the same goddam thing happened back in February when Carolina snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with a last second basket from Scott Trimble.  

Read about it here.

And the conclusion I came to then?

Damn basketball games are a damn 40 minutes damn long! 

Damn! 

OK, so the bad news is Duke has lost and been denied a shot at the national championship. And that sucks.

The good news is I can finally stop caring about sports. 

It really is out of character for me.