This and Thats

Please forgive my absence, I've been rather sick for the last week (which may have had something to do with my mood in the last post).  I've been hearing for a while now that a nasty upper respiratory bug has been in the region and I think that is what I had.  Today is the first day in a week that I'm feeling almost like my normal healthy self.

So, what to say...

Well, I did mention a couple posts ago that I had quit smoking again.  I got tired of all the phlegm, quite frankly.  I previously quit back in 2009, I believe.  I know I had been off the smokes for about two years when I started again in the first half of 2011.  And it wasn't that I missed smoking as much as just having two surgeries and looking ahead to another stressed me.  I didn't want to get addicted again, so I started smoking clove 'cigars.'  It was much later I found out that those can be up to two thirds tobacco, so even though I didn't smoke them as much or inhale nearly as deeply I found myself addicted again.  I had a doctor appointment last month so I had him give me Chantix again.  It's how I quit last time and is working well so far again.  I've been smoke-free for over a month now.

I also mentioned that I finally got my first cell phone, a smart phone.  I've been playing with it for over a month now.  No, it has not made me text crazy.  I have only shot one 'selfie' and that was for my first text to all I know so they would have my new number - still accounts for about half my texts total.  I bought a memory card and have been using my phone in lieu of my ipod recently, but I'm thinking of going back to my ipod for music and podcasts because the battery life on the new phone isn't the greatest, about 6 hours I'm told, and I've been doing more listening at work.  I've also downloaded and uninstalled about a dozen games so far.  Most games don't appeal to me, or they have too many ads, or they want money to continue, etc.  But I do get a new cool background from NASA every day!  Having a phone has not changed my habits, really, at all.  And that is nice.  I do not want to be one of the cell phone zombies that you see everywhere, and I don't think I ever will be.

Fall is here, on the calendar and outside.  It was nice this last weekend, but it was also most likely the last time we will see 80ºF until next year.  Leaves are falling and starting to clutter up the streets and walks.  Fall chores are coming up very soon and there is always much to do, but you can't rush things, either.  Still, I should make sure the snow thrower starts before it gets too late.

Okay, time to wrap up.  I guess this will be a 'This and Thats' post.  Goodbye September!

*     *     *

This was my first ever text, I sent it to all I know their number:

'Whose got a thumb and finally joined the 21st century?  This guy!  Save my number!"

...Goofy-lookin' fucker, ain't I?

This And Thats

It has been a week since I posted anything but not a lot has been happening.  It must be time for a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

• Work has been keeping me busier than I'd like.  I shouldn't complain, it is only 5 hours of mandatory overtime a week, but I still do.  Especially in the summertime it is nice to be off work at my regular time.  I do have a week off pretty soon, hopefully that will relax me, maybe change my attitude.
• We have been pretty dry lately, but not dry enough to turn the whole lawn brown again.  We've also been warm this summer, but not warm enough to use the air conditioning too often.  Overall a very nice summer.  I'd like more rain but we seem to be getting by for the moment.
• Ace Frehley's new album Space Invader comes out real soon.  I'll see how it sounds to me, but as long as it doesn't bomb it just may be my next LLP post.
• Due to reasons nonforthcoming, money has been a little tight recently.  Not too bad, but there is a lot that we need and want by this fall.  Kate is going to take some online classes so we need to get a laptop for her, and I've been wanting a power washer for several outdoor tasks around here.  We know what's number one on the list, after that is the 'wish' list that greatly declines in urgency as it gets longer.  I think we've prioritized well and should be able to get everything necessary by the time it's needed.  See also the overtime above.
• I missed my sister's kids birthday.  Sorry J&L, happy belated!  I'd like to think I'm getting better by creating a list with phone numbers, addresses and birthdays, but I still should get better with cards, especially with the kids.  I've never been a card person, but I really don't get to see the nieces and nephews much.
• Nothing new on the computer front, the old one is still humming along nicely.  It's easy to get complacent but we have to have a back up plan.  There was no warning last time it crashed and I don't expect one next time.
• The Packers play their first preseason game tonight!  Yeah, it's early and we won't see a lot of the starters, but some of the kids we do see may make the team.  I can feel the season coming!

That's what's going on in my world, what's going on in yours?  I hope it's more exciting.

This And Thats

It has come time again to drop all sorts of little nuggets about this or that going on in our life recently.

• I've been overdue to update the garden site.  We've had a lot of rain recently and the plants have been growing well.  According to our rain gauge, we had about 8.5 inches in a 4 day stretch last week, and some pretty severe storms.  I got home one day and the street was blocked off just past our house due to downed branches and phone, cable and power lines.  There were similar or worse scenes all around the region.  I wanted to post about it but I don't want to show my neighbor's houses.  I can choose to post our own house, but even then I've blocked out the street numbers before.
• Speaking of the garden - well, I started to - salad greens have been ready and we got some more from a friend so we have been eating a lot of salads lately.  Kate has been eating more than I since I tend to tire of them after a couple days.  Steaks on the grill tonight!
• I'm taking a bit of time off this week and I really have nothing planned.  No projects, no nothing.  I'm starting to feel a bit guilty about being lazy, but I really need my batteries recharged.  I've been almost constantly training in one thing or another at work since last August and my brain is tired.  I have a U.D.O. concert dvd that I haven't watched yet - there, now I have plans tomorrow.
• I got a laugh from this fact about Wisconsin, via a very interesting article at Huffington Post that my wife pointed out to me:  'With a population of 5,664,893, Wisconsin has only 57 fewer drinking places (3,043) than California (3,100), a state with a population of 39,969,200.'  And 'Wisconsin had nearly three times more bars than grocery stores.'  It is an interesting article that covers a lot of things we're known for here, and not just drinking.
• We've had fun getting together with friends for fun and family for Father's Day recently.  We were going to have our spring party last weekend, but a few weeks ago, right before we started plans in earnest, we got a flier on our door for the 3rd annual street block party.  Just the same, the timing wasn't the best for us this year to throw a big shindig like we have almost every year since we moved here.  We have not gone up to the street's block party (held on the next block) yet, it seems like it is more of a families with kids thing.  Or maybe that's just an excuse.  I like to think we are friendly with most all our neighbors, but we are actually pretty private, too.

I've left this for a bit and come back after a wonderful grilled tenderloin steak dinner.  I really thought that I had more to say.  I'll probably think of a half dozen more things after I hit 'publish.'  Good thing I have a couple more days off...

This And Thats

It feels like it's been some time since I wrote about anything, but the last LLP post did take a couple days of writing here and there to finish.  It may be my longest (written) post yet.  I don't think I'll write that much tonight, but then again, I'm not sure what I'm going to write yet.  Well, time to tip my head and see what spills...

• My wife was out of town on a business trip all of last week - to Las Vegas, no less!  Sure, it was for work, but she had wonderful weather while we had cool, cloudy and wet weather all week here.  The sun did not come out the whole time she was gone.  It also sounds like she got all the free food and booze she wanted.  Oh well, someone had to stay and feed the cats.  And we missed her, of course.
• Speaking of work, I've been in training again.  All of last week and all of this week yet.  Just more of the same, onward and upward.  The problem is that the training is all day, 40 hours a week, and while I'm not being given more new work I still have many things in progress.  There is no mandatory overtime, just voluntary right now, but not really voluntary for me because I have to spend some time on the cases I have in progress.  Mostly I have kept up so far by working extra early before training and only staying later sometimes, but things are starting to pile up this week.
• Kate has been doing a lot of planting recently, with more plants coming yet.  You can catch that stuff over here at the garden site.  I'm still hoping she'll take over that site but it may be a little while until that happens.  She wants to get a laptop for that blog and some classes she will be taking this fall.  I'm not a computer hog, I'm just on it all night every night!
• We've upgraded to a modem/wireless router combo at the house, anticipating the laptop but she can use it now for her iphone.  It seems like a pretty nifty device but I haven't been able to get the printer to work wirelessly since I first hooked it up.  I'll have to take another crack at figuring it out but otherwise I may hit up StepDan if the folks come to town.  Thankfully, it is not a pressing matter, we can still use it wired.
• We're going to have our first fire pit party of the year this weekend.  I have some leftover firewood from last year, plus the neighbor's branch that I helped him get down off the telephone wire last summer.  We also removed the larger pieces of bark and mulch from around the tree out back (see picture at the garden site link, above or on the right), so I have two five gallon buckets full of that stuff to toss on the fire over the course of the summer.  It has to go somewhere so I may as well use it as kindling.
• The cats turned 2 years old on or about April 20.  I believe they are full grown, as long as we don't let them get fat.  They have been loving having the porch open for them again this spring.  Basil is getting particularly interested in the outside when we come and go through the doors, so we have been discussing the harnesses again.  They don't like them but we don't want to take them out without them on a leash.  They have not been, and we don't intend them to be, outside cats.  (There are a lot of dogs in the neighborhood, as well as questionable cats that wander about.)  But it would be nice to be able to walk them around the yard on nice days.

It has gotten to be almost bedtime and that seems to be all I can come up with.  Until next time, good night, everyone.  PTFO

This And Thats

When we got back from Alabama I wrote a post every day for a week.  Since then I just haven't felt like writing much of anything.  I feel I need to write something, but the mood hasn't really hit me yet so we'll just have to see what comes out...

• I ordered my new glasses yesterday.  I've had trouble reading the newspaper for a while now so I was due.  The frames I picked out were only a hundred bucks, but the lenses I got were mighty expensive.  Oh well, it's something that I'll wear almost every waking moment every single day.
• I glossed over it, but we had a really good time with friends last Saturday night.  My wife puts a lot of work into cooking, cleaning and decorating for these things, but she enjoys it greatly.  I try to help where I can but staying out of her way is usually the most help to her.
• The weather has finally seemed to turn toward spring.  We have gotten above freezing once or twice in the last couple days with more on the way, so they say.  I'm still not convinced that we haven't gone into a new ice age and won't believe otherwise until I can sit outside in a t-shirt comfortably.  I kept my chin up about the lingering winter for quite a while but have finally succumbed to the exasperation everyone else has had for months.
• Which reminds me of the word snirt.  The term coined for the mounds of dirty black snow and dirt by the sides of the road as melting begins.  The ugly part of thawing out.
• Work continues to take up my life all week.  I'm still on mandatory overtime and will be for at least this whole month.  Probably the biggest reason I have been neglecting this space somewhat.  I've put in for a little time off this next quarter, I hope it gets approved.

I've been stuck at this point in writing for a while now, so I guess I'm done.  Good cheers to all and go Badgers!

This And Thats

Been kind of a slow week around here.  I haven't done this in a while now, but here's a bit of this and some of that...


--I've tried to post twice now this past week, but blogger still won't allow that.  Just wanted to share a couple great things from B&P - but not enough to save, upload to my flickr, then post.  How does everyone else post pictures they find?  Upload? By url?   So far I get the impression that it is a glitch with Blogger, but this has been over a week now since it started.  Lately when I try to add a pic by url it freezes so all I can do is close the whole Blogger tab/window.  I think this is what is called hyperlinking, and I've heard that it can be frowned upon.  I never thought my little site would bother anything.  I'm showing my lack of computer smarts here, aren't I?

--Another 'Polar Vortex' is upon us.  Stock up on bread and toilet paper! *Yawn.*  Temperatures will generally be single digits during the day and negative single digits over night, actual F temperatures.  Just another day in the life, lately...  Many people around me are starting to get a little exasperated with the weather.  I've just been calling it the 'dog days of winter.'  I don't like it either, but what can you do?

--It has been an exciting/disappointing/laughable year for sports in Wisconsin.  Milwaukee Brewers:  Braun gets busted for doping and the team nosedives.  (On a side note: Work friend and personal good acquaintance Al has passed.  Second from the left in the pic here.)  Badger Football:  Another disappointing end to what started to be a very promising season - and yet another bowl loss - but expectations have been high.  Green Bay Packers:  Only won the division because the division was terrible.  Still, you got to have something to hang your hat on.  Milwaukee Bucks:  I have no words and they have no game.  Badger Basketball:  Here we still have hope!  They started out 16-0 but have lost their last two games.  Hopefully it's a good wake up call.  Everyone has fun shooting baskets but everybody has to play a little defense, too.  If they can get back to that, they may still go far.


That's enough for now, there are other things I need to do in my short time before bed.  PTFO

This And Thats

I have been rather preoccupied by work and life recently so I haven't been doing a whole lot of writing here.  I do make an effort to post something occasionally, even if I have nothing to say.  But eventually I feel I must write, so I guess that means it's time again to start typing and see what happens...


-I am in training again at work.  This position is two pay grades higher, but stability and happiness would mean more to me.  Maybe this will be it for a while.

-For the first time ever we are planning a winter getaway for a few days, down to the gulf coast of Alabama thanks to my Mom and her husband Dan.  They will be spending quite some time down there over the winter and have been nice enough to invite all their kids and their families to join them at some point.  Ahhh, escape...

-We're still loving the new windows.  We really like how efficient they will be this winter, and they give the house a much better look, inside and out (see two posts ago).

-Fall chores are almost done.  Leaves have been mulched and put in all the flower beds.  The few leaves left on the lawn I will mulch with the mower when I run that out of gas for the winter.  The house is washed but could use a touch up here and there.  The gutters have yet to be cleaned, hopefully we'll have a dry, mild day next weekend.  And I may want to test the snow thrower soon.

-It's getting to be a good time of year for sports.  Football is still in full swing, hockey and basketball seasons are getting started, and the never-ending baseball season is over!  Who won?  Who cares, it sure as hell wasn't the Brewers.  Go Packers!  Go Badgers!


Well, that's all I can think of right now.  Maybe I'll update later if I think of something else.  For now, I have the La-Z-Boy, a football game and the Sunday paper beckoning.  PTFO

This And Thats

It has been 2 weeks since I did any real posting.  I have, however, been pretty active over at the garden site recently, so feel free to check that out here.  Now, on with the thought dumping...


-Speaking of the garden site, I have not kept to a posting schedule over there this year.  The last couple years I would always try to post around the middle and end of the month at least, with other noteworthy posts when warranted.  It's not really that important to anyone other than me because it is only used as a diary of sorts, but next year I promise to get back to a semblance of regularity over there.

-We had our little circle of friends over last Saturday for the last fire pit party of summer - Saturday was the last full day of summer.  It was the usual fun.  B&Z were kind enough to bring some wood so we actually have enough to have a fall fire pit party sometime.  It was a cool evening, not cold, but still it was funny to me how everyone was in such a tighter circle than some summer fire pits.  Fall may be the best time to have a fire.

-Projects always need to be done.  I still haven't finished with the shelves downstairs, and I also have various fall projects on my mind.  Washing the house, washing and water sealing the back steps and some caulking on the roof of the porch should be done soon.  In no time it will be raking leaves, cleaning gutters and yard clean-up.  It's always something.

-We are well into football season now.  The Packers should be doing better, I feel.  The Badgers have maybe their biggest game of the season tonight at Ohio State on national television.  (I'm having a couple friends over for the game, it should be a good one!)  Pretty soon we'll have Badger basketball and hockey, too.  Yes, fall/early winter is a good time to be a sports fan in Wisconsin.  As for the Brewers, well, they suck but at least they're not quite as bad as the Cubs.

-Still no date set for the installation of the new windows.  It will probably happen around the beginning of November.  I'm eager to see (feel) how much they will help keep our house warm this winter.


I can't think of much else to say right now, except that I was thinking the other day how long it has been since I posted anything about the kitties.  So, look at them now!  PTFO

Basil and Hamish

This And Thats Again

Maybe I'll make 'This and Thats' a regular thing.  It sounds better than the brain spillage stuff I usually say on posts like this.  So here's some of this and some of that!:


Weather-wise it has been pretty moderate the last few weeks.  We have been able to keep the windows open day and night comfortably, yet there has been very little rain.  Not as bad as last year's drought, but I may have to break down and use the sprinkler I bought this past Spring. And starting today the heat rolls back in, so we got that going for us.  Yeah.

My upcoming project for my upcoming vacation:  A cat bathroom.  Our two cats, Hamish and Basil, have no fear of the basement like our late cat, Puddy, so they have no problem with their cat box being downstairs.  The problem is that even though we have a tray outside the covered litter box, litter still gets on the floor in the area.  Daily cleanings and sweeping generally keep the mess in control, but when we get a good rain spell for more than a few days water sometimes seeps into the basement and makes the floor wet, resulting in a messy floor in that area and dirty cat paw prints that amazingly can show up all throughout the house.  It is my big vacation project this year, along with some other basement maintenance to be mentioned later.  Yes, there should be no shortage of posts in early to mid September!


The Packers play their last preseason game on Thursday, at the Kansas City Chiefs.  The Badgers start their season on Saturday against UMass.
 Football is back! 
Yee-haw!
 Football is back!
Whoop-whoop-whoop!!!
Ready for a knock-down-drag-out?!?!

This And Thats

There hasn't been any one amazing thing happening to us lately to write about.  That must mean that it is time to just start typing again and see what comes out.  Come along, it might be fun!


Our young cats found a new hobby recently.  They would climb up on the computer desk and pull out the pushpins holding things up on the bulletin board above and behind the monitor, then bat the tacks around everywhere.  It was not fun for us and we were not happy.  We had to start leaving the door closed at all times, essentially locking them out if we weren't in there ourselves.  Searching for a better solution, I found a cat training device on Amazon that seems to be working well.  It has a motion detector and will send out a spray of air to scare the cat away.  Easily found if you search, I just don't want to say the brand name here.  We have been using it overnights and may use it more during the days while we are at work.  They have not pulled down any pushpins since we got this device, I just want to make sure they continue to stay away so we'll keep using it at least for a little while longer.

Weather-wise has been pretty normal, though I would like a bit more rain recently.  Noteworthy is the very cool weekend we had last weekend.  Highs were in the lower 60's, F., very fall-like for just being July at the time.  It has been dry enough that I have not had to mow the lawn as much, even skipped the front for about 3 weeks, but there are spots that are browning a bit.  Maybe I'll go try a rain dance later.

I've declared war on crabgrass.  Not so much in my lawn, though there are spots, but in my neighbors lawn, specifically the stretch between our driveway and her house.  It showed up in the same area last summer so I sprayed it with crabgrass killer and a few weeks later threw some grass seed down to fill in the lawn.  Well, it came back this summer so, again with my neighbor's permission, I have been aggressive about trying to kill it off.  So far it is going well and hopefully I can get some real grass to grow before fall.  Yes, it is helping my neighbor and I know she appreciates it, but also some of my motivation is that I really don't want it in our lawn.

Work has been interesting lately.  I wrote some about the layoffs a while ago.  I was spared, and will be promoted even.  Now even more opportunities are in front of me.  Out of a possible 3 options, all promotions, I know which I will take.  I'll have a meeting on Monday with some important people then things will be clear and set.  I am grateful for these opportunities yet I will be most happy when things settle down and get back to normal.

I've been a bit concerned that we are mostly adding green stuff to the compost bin, most of the brown stuff comes in fall.  There were no problems last year, but it was not a full year of waste.  I know there are additives you can use but I don't think I'll look into that until I suspect we have a problem. This year I may be glad I built it every inch as big as it is.


And speaking of the compost bin, before this year I was pretty set on regular updates over on our garden site and that has become more sporadic this year.  What can I say?  I've been a bit of a lazy blogger this summer - but that's okay, I'll get over it!  PTFO

1. Sit 2. Type

I know that I have neglected this space for too long now, posting other things to put off writing.  This is just one of those times that I'm not inspired to write anything. So, usually what I do to get the ball rolling is to explain my lack of posting - check - then just start typing and see what comes out.  Yee-haw!


On Saturday evening we went to a surprise birthday party for our friend Zubin down at the Malt House.  Bridget organized everything, rounded up all his friends, got one of his friends to get him down there after a set time, and surprised the hell out of him!  That's the kind of thing you see on TV.  He had no clue it was coming.

Weatherwise it has been about as it should be this year.  Spring was a bit late and the rain is not lacking, very unlike last year and the drought.  We gave in and ran the air conditioner yesterday for the first time.  We could probably handle the temperatures, it's the humidity that kills you.  Okay, that's enough of that, then.

I got a couple more tattoos last week.  I got what I wanted but I was a little disappointed in the artist - I thought he could have done better.  Not him next time.  Eventually my upper left arm will end up in a half-sleeve when it is done.  I envision probably two more sessions like the last two I've had and it may be done.  Who knows when - or even if, this is a luxury item for me.

I made a note to post about the changes I've seen going from LPs, 8-Track tapes, cassette tapes, to CDs and finally digital downloads.  I remember a lot of 8-tracks, but they were on the way out even when I was discovering music.  LPs are the bulk of my physical collection.  There is the fun of the full size artwork, album sleeves, lyrics, posters, etc.  Now they are all boxed away in the closet and haven't been played in years.  Cassettes were a good way to get my favorite songs off the radio when I was real young.  Later they became a good way to get a copy of your buddy's LP, and I even bought several cassette releases, mostly after I learned to drive so we could play them in the car.  For the longest time I held out on buying a CD player.  Looking back, the way digital downloads have progressed, I am happy I waited so long back then.  Think of the money I saved on all those CDs!  Now, I still buy CDs here and there because I'm a fan and still like having the physical copy of some things, but the CD gets burned into iTunes and then may never get played again.  Unless it gets picked for a long car trip.  But now I have an adaptor for my ipod, so never mind that then.  It's a digital world now, yet fallible.  Back up your stuff!


Okay, that's enough time spent on brain spillage.  Remember, if you want to laugh more at what I write then click on the Gizoogled link on the right (nsfw).  Until next time, PTFO!

Bullets and New Ink

Hi!  How are you?  It has been over a week since I've last posted.  I know I have been lazy about blogging, and I don't really have a lot to say, but let me say a few things just to keep in touch.  Yes, bullet points again.  It just makes it easy and quick for me.

• We went out on Kate's friend Terry's pontoon boat on Sunday.  It was a nice day for it and her dog was relatively calm.  I don't think I got on the lake at all last summer due to health and healing so it was nice to be on the water, um, except all they do is drive about 10 minutes from the marina to a cove and put down anchor.  If it was my boat I would spend a lot more money on gas and see the sights and sounds around the whole over 200 square mile lake.  But, alas, it is not my boat, and I'll take what I can get... sometimes.
• I have been meaning to do some maintenance around here, mainly the right column.  Lists and links need to be updated as it has been more than quite some time since I have done anything.  That's another lower priority thing to get done, but it bugs me more and more so it will probably get done sooner than later.
• Now, I think that I get 300 MB of memory a month for free from flickr.  I'll have to look into that later, or be lazy and let it play out.  So far, 1 pic seems roughly 1 MB.  I may learn to like flickr after all.
• I'm sorry I haven't called you yet, Sis! I'm glad the appendix came out okay and I hope all is well with your new home and the kids. Send me pics!  I'll call you this weekend, I promise!
• After work yesterday I went straight to an appointment I had at a local, well-regarded tattoo shop.  It has been 20 or more years since my last tattoo.  I spent about 3 and a half hours in the chair and received a touch up of two older tattoos and a new design to pull them together and another brand new one that I really like.  I won't post pics of them here, but you can get a hint from the bandages I took off this morning if you dare!  No, it's not really too gross and, yes, that is the paw of a bad kitty in the lower right corner.

Picture after the break