iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Why are conservatives so homoerotic? "Not that there's anything wrong with that" 🤣

Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

Ever notice how the "don't tread on me" crowd is suddenly just fine with ICE stopping anyone at random and demanding they prove their legal presence authority in the US?

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

Bitch McConnell is the epitome of buyer's remorse after shopping a store with a no-returns policy.

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

Inmates get a more sustainable caloric and nutrient intake.

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

Kinda like going to an estate sale, buying someone else's trophies, and then putting them on your own mantel. That's a special level of sad.

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

Well, looks like X the Social Media Train Wreck Formerly Known as Twitter, has taken another massive dump today.

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

Ouch. What a sadly brutal & honest summary of today's state of events.

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

Well, I'm grateful to the interior designers for the effort to contain costs by shopping at Temu, Salvation Army, and Eastern Market & Georgetown Flea Market. (Silver linings)

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

I used to say the US was slowly yielding it's global lead in all areas. I've now realized it's happening much more rapidly than I originally thought.

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

It's been a long time for my since-retired ass, but I do believe it's a hard 30-day line - and it's 30 days in one location. Some military/civilians have "multiple location" orders where they don't stay in one place for very long, so the 30 day rule never kicks in.

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

I'm so 2025 lazy I don't check my doorstep for my delivery - I check the online tracking status.

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

Well, when crazy people say crazy things, the contrast is pretty unremarkable.

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Reposted by Ray Sharradh

Mrs. Betty Bowers @mrsbettybowers.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

RULE ABOUT AMERICAN FLAGS: If you burn the fabric part, you're looking at jail. But it you use the pole part to assault a police officer, you get a presidential pardon, praise, and some cash.

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

The dude who freely talked about going around grabbing women by the BEEEEEEEP doesn't get to lecture us about placing limitations on free speech and sending people to jail for violating his opinion.

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

Well, his career is on the clock......

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

***Ronald Reagan has entered the chat*** 👍

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

I say - let's give him a Noble Prize....

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

MAGA is having conniptions on this one over on the former Blue Bird place! 🤣 They're posting "This is so gay", blah blah blah. Well.... **DUH**. Tell me you've never had brunch in Dupont Circle without telling me you've never had brunch in Dupont Circle. What a bunch of clowns.

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

I'm sure it isn't related to the USA's latest mass murder shooting, but Thoughts&Prayers futures are going through the roof. I even heard Susan Collins is concerned! Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer have gone into private conference to draft a tersely-worded statement.

media.tenor.com

Today Is Absolutely No Different Having Fun GIF

ALT: Today Is Absolutely No Different Having Fun GIF

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

Dunno about that. Some people had trouble with travel cards being declined for legit uses because the authorization was flagged by a well-intentioned but poorly-programmed algorithm (usually a word in the merchant's name).

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

Yeah, I remember getting the nastygrams about charging lunch on a personal card while TDY. It didn't sit well, esp with the Hooters lunch crowd. 🤣

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

All of those pictures of Guardsmen standing around in Union Station or the Dupont Circle Krispy Kreme finally struck a nerve with someone in the chain of command. Guardsmen working as landscapers and litter patrol isn't a huge improvement on image.

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

OMG - we had a guy who maxed out his GSA travel card, THEN took a part-time job he was working WHILE on the clock. His entire work plan documentation was blank except for a few falsified entries. He was allowed to resign in lieu of criminal prosecution, which I thought was a VERY gracious deal.

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

M&IE Sidenote: DHS IA did an investigation of one of our field offices. These idiots were claiming ~$70 airport parking, "lost" receipt. Turns out, they were getting rides to the airport & pocketing the unauthorized money. Lost their $60k+ jobs for the price of a good dinner. Idiots.

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

How are the times from DC Union Station to NY Penn Station? When I lived near DC, Acela only got you to Penn Station a very short time ahead of the regular Amtrak trains, but cost significantly more. I usually ended up on the US Airways shuttle from DCA to LGA.

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

PS - You're allowed up to the maximum lodging rate, or actual lodging rate, whichever is lower. Sometimes we had to get "actual expenses authorized" if hotels were super-expensive. If lodging is provided, your cost is $0, so you get $0.

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

That's true. In Saudi Arabia we got "field rate" per diem as all meals were provided. It was like $2.50/day to cover uniform care. Also, once a TDY goes over 30 days in one location, you're expected to secure lower-cost long-term accommodations & therefore the per diem rate is reduced substantially.

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

Aaaaaamen! Her years in Eurythmics was near-wasted. She was the forerunner of George Michael's experience in Wham! (Forerunner by one year!) Just a bit of "Don't Let it Bring You Down" in the movie American Beauty was chilling! www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cIR...

youtube.com

Don't Let It Bring You Down

YouTube video by Annie Lennox - Topic

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

Bananarama had a couple of songs that were fun in the moment & they had a memorable, fun name. They're the Chevy Fuze of the 80s - not built to last. My musical bane was the Spice Girls - 10% talent, 90% production.

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

Theft & black market resale has been a hallmark of business in Russia for so long, it's culturally ingrained. When the CCCP collapsed, foreign businesses were chomping at the bit to get into Moscow. Most retreated when this black market cost became too much to bear.

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

I want to thank Bibi Netanyahu for opening my eyes to his true nature. And while most of this barbarism is attributable to him, it's still the IDF that's carrying it out. I still support the seemingly fictional two-state solution, but Israel's clearing of Gaza is well across the war crimes line.

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

That's a good point. The evening news doesn't always have to be full of doom and gloom. That's what Twitter/X is here for. 🤣

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

You bet. 37 years of dealing with travel vouchers & fighting Accounting & Finance over proper location rates while often moving from location to location while on a TDY trip. GSA also sets the maximum allowable lodging/hotel rates. (Secret Service often has to pay a higher rate at Trump properties.)

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

Per diem is set by the Government Services Administration (GSA) and is formula-derived on a geographic basis each fiscal year. FY26 rates have been posted along with the current FY25 rates at: www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-... (Aug is typically a slow month in DC, d2 Congress break)

gsa.gov

Per diem rates

GSA establishes the maximum CONUS (Continental United States) Per Diem rates for federal travel customers.

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

FEMA is not a direct "first responder" agency. It coordinates the deployment of scarce resources based on greatest need and impact. No FEMA? State & local gov't will openly compete for scarce resources, bidding prices up, with the poorest areas most adversely affected.

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

You signed up to defend your country from... litterbugs in the nation's capital? Imagine what your unit could be doing for your neighbors back in your home state. Isn't that the primary mission of the National Guard? Trump's breaking federal law enforcement agencies, too - FBI, ICE, HSI, CBP, etc.

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

Well, thanks to the Trump Administration's 10% stake in Intel, whoever Intel does business with, the United States now does business with.

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

The line I like is "I don't care if you're gay, just don't show it" from a person who has a pic of their spouse on their desk, wears a wedding band, never has to swap genders in overheard discussions, and frequently cuts out early because they MUST be present for little Susy's 3rd grade pageant.

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

Anybody else get seemingly arbitrarily suspended over on X? This got me suspended for "violent speech". I'm still trying figure out where the violence is.

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

Wasn't on the ABC Evening News last night, and I was more than a bit put off that 8-1/2 minutes in there was a three minute segment on Taylor Swift's engagement. IMHO, that's a very sad commentary on the current state of US media.

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

I must have been doing kale wrong. I tried it once. I still have nightmares.

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

Said it before, I'll say it again: DOGE was a smoke screen to facilitate the penetration of the citizen and consumer data firewalls in government agencies in order to correlate all of that data and export it to users like Palantir. Dictatorship depends on surveillance and suppression.

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

Did you ever see a more parody-impaired crowd than MAGA? Then again, their Orange Schittstain Gawd in dirty adult diapers is a walking, talking parody.

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

Trump's policies are going to absolutely break the FBI, ICE, CBP, HSI, NPS and other federal law enforcement agencies. Agents are being pulled from duties including counter-terrorism, fighting sex- & child-trafficking rings, US infiltration by foreign drug cartels, etc.

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

This country really does need to get back to basics. I get the concept of "federalism", but that concept does not overtake the original principal that, unless specifically delegated from the states to the federal government, states' rights are of primacy.

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

I just wonder what brand MAGA's going to go after to drag back to "the good old days" next? (Note for MAGA: Your "good old days" weren't so good for a lot of people.)

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Ray Sharradh @rsharradh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

I wonder if all of those TDY (Temporary Duty) Guardsmen are collecting the DC per diem rate of $183 each and every day they're there? If so, they're some of the most expensive gardeners in the world. (PS - DC per diem goes to $275 per day this coming Monday.)

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Reposted by Ray Sharradh

Adam Kinzinger @adamkinzinger.substack.com · 11/03/2025

Your wallet shrinks, your 401(k) tanks, but Trump's first thought is to help Elon.

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