Latest Listening Pleasure... Garbage

Madison's own Garbage is back with a new album, 'Not Your Kind of People.'  I still have been listening to a lot of Pain and Nightwish, but I have made room for the new Garbage album on my ipod.  They pick up where they left off six or seven years ago.  In fact, they started to lose me about the time 'Push It' came out, but after time and a fresh new album, I'm back to listening to Garbage.  (My dad would say I always have listened to garbage!)  As big as they got, they never played here in Madison a whole lot.  I do remember seeing them at the coliseum, with my wife, I think, and before we were married.  I've always had a bit of a crush on the Scot in the band, Shirley Manson.  That hasn't changed...

Here's a couple recent videos from rehearsal footage.  Check out all the new mini films here.
Garbage - Battle In Me


Garbage - I Think I'm Paranoid

Some Thoughts

It has been a while since I've just started typing and posted whatever came out.  Time to spill my gray matter all over the page..

• I'm past the probationary period and still loving my new job.  By now I have a better sense of all the personalities around me and it is still a much better environment than the department I came from.  I enjoy the work, the people and my supervisor greatly.  For the time being, I consider myself very lucky.
• Speaking of work, we ran out at the end of the day yesterday and this morning I jokingly told my boss that I'm a team player and can take a half vacation day for the team if need be.  To my surprise, she agreed immediately.  It's nice to get a head start on this three day Memorial Day weekend.
• Last Sunday we bought some petunias for our small pot out by the front stoop.  Each night this week we considered planting them but just didn't get it done, so I got it done this afternoon.  I don't mind gardening, especially since my lovely wife does most of it!
• Still no plans on visiting the grandmas again.  (Hey Sis!  We have to get off our butts and do this!)  We also have to have Sis and the kids up this Summer, her new schedule should provide more opportunities.  I'd like to get my brother involved as well.  Days turn into weeks turn into months and the guilt mounts.
• I'll be going to my first baseball game at Miller Park in Milwaukee on July 29.  I saw the Brewers at the old County Stadium a couple times when I was much younger.  Generally I tend to avoid large crowds, but I will be going with two Sunday game veterans so all I have to do is follow the leaders.
• We don't really have plans for this holiday weekend.  A friend, Jerome, is coming over to grill out tonight and another friend may take her boat out.  Mostly I'll want rest and relaxation.  It has been a long time since I had a proper vacation (as opposed to recovery from various surgeries) and I'm getting a little crispy.  Another 6 or 7 weeks to go yet.
• I can't wait for this ugly recall election to be over.  (I think politics as a whole has turned pretty ugly.)  I really do not like Scott Walker and want him gone and will be voting for Tom Barrett, a week from Tuesday I think it is.  Mainly I just tire of politics easily, all the sound bytes, commercials, news tidbits, commercials, volunteer door knockers, commercials....
• It looks like we will be getting some cats in a few weeks.  We are looking to get two male siblings.  It has been over 4 years since my cat died and about a year since my wife's cat passed.  Those two were housemates for a long time but only tolerated each other.  With 2 kitten siblings we are hoping they get along famously for a long, long time.

Well, I think my skull is mostly empty now.  Have a great weekend, everybody!

11th Anniversary

Today was my and Kate's eleventh wedding anniversary.  We were together for over three years before that, so that makes me an even luckier man.  I waited until I was older to settle down - I only wanted to be married once, and I still feel that way.  My wife has been my best friend and has brought out the best in me.  I know this is a quote from some movie I don't know, but she 'makes me want to be a better man.'  I love you, Kate, and I always will.

Also, recently some robins have taken up roost along our driveway on neighbor Jane's fence.  After Kate got home, but before we went out tonight, I noticed both birds in the backyard so I knew I could sneak up on the nest without them attacking me.  The nest is on the top of the fence in the plant that is right in the middle of the pic below. Just out of the pic on the left is our garage.  (We're lucky to have a neighbor that likes her plants and yard like Jane does!)

The Last Plant Update, I Promise*

I started showing this view and I will see it through to the end!  Which is now.  The irises are almost in full bloom, and again most are yellow and only a couple pink and one purple have emerged.  I bought a small fence to put around them, about 6 weeks too late but it works.  It's really for when they get heavy and flop over.

This may be it for the week.  I am on mandatory overtime this week so I will be earlier to rise and earlier to bed.

*For this and for now.

Just A Plant Update

Once again, I was taking photos for the garden blog and I snapped another of the flower bed out back to show the growth that's happened in just the last week or so.  The irises have shot up their buds and there's even one or two open already.  Mostly they are a pale, dirty yellow (the ones that were here when we moved in) but there are also pink and purple mixed in that we got from a friend at my work a couple years ago.  The alium (purple puffballs) are also at the height of their bloom right now.

The weather this Spring has been odd.  After a very mild Winter, March had temps in the 70's and 80's, April was mostly a more seasonal 50's with the obligatory 'April showers' and May is looking good so far with 70's projected for the next week or more.

Cinco De Mayo Peeps*

*Update 5/15/12.  I combined all three videos into one using youtube's editor feature (for the first time).  Only one video now, and no page break.  Original written post remains.  Enjoy!

So yesterday, Cinco de Mayo was an excuse for us to have some friends over for some food, drinks and a fire.  Well, 'Saturday' would have been a good enough excuse but now there was a reason to play odd Mexican music in our house for an evening.  The food, drinks and socializing around the fire in the back yard were the main attraction.  I eventually remembered the camera, so after snapping a few bad pics, someone called for video when the orange peep toasting was about to start, and I was 'happy' (read: intoxicated) enough to oblige...

Here is the first of three videos I took in a short period of time.  It sets the table with what is going on.  After the break are two short videos of sacrificing the last peeps, with a bit of a frantic save, an accidental turning off the video, and the last video is the restart, seconds later, to finish it all off.
We had a very fun night with friends and this was just one of our small adventures, the funny peep finale videos after the break!

As soon I saw the peeps fall off, I jumped up to get them back up to where they would burn and not be a sticky mess on the side. The camera was lost to me until after, I had no idea I was catching myself from below, and even accidentally hit the 'off' button when I picked it back up, thus the short part 3 video, next.

Our thanks to all that came out, we had a great night with you!

Hurray, Hurray! The First Of May!...

...Outdoor Humping Starts Today! - Buzz Burbank - every year.

Happy May Day, Masturbation Month, Memorial Day, Mother's Day, and any other Day for the month, just so we're covered.  First off, I'm a day late, I know it.  Second, I think I just mentioned two things in the same sentence that can be rather disturbing...  No, don't read back!

My wife has been chastising me lately for not posting so much.  I work hard on a computer all day, I get tired.  Posting isn't just a hammer-it-out thing for me, I can read and re-read several times, sometimes, trying to get it just right.  Even now, trying not to, I have edited my previous sentence, dang it.  How about I just get right to it, eh?

I was out taking pictures of the garden for a post over on my garden blog, when I decided to take a few pictures of all the plants that we have coming up and growing in our yard.  It is a yard plant pic dump, of sorts.  First off, is a pic of the alium (purple puff balls) finally opening.  Lots more after the break if you wish to view the rest!