Updates, Bricks, and Holiday Sweets

It's been a long, somewhat trying week around here so I haven't been posting much.  I've had the 'difficult' project at work, while still trying to get my back back to feeling normal.  Not much sunlight brings on minor seasonal affective disorder.  Tensions were high between me and my wife holiday shopping on Saturday while dealing with all the people and traffic jams.  Still buried in snow and a bit more expected soon.  

Remember when I fixed up the bricks at the corner of the house?  Yeah, well somebody actually walked up, brushed the snow off the top, then walked away with one of the bricks.  The fourth one up in those pics.  Who would do something like that?  I can get the same ornamental brick for just a couple bucks come spring, but not weathered the same.  I'm just a little flabbergasted.  I try not to speculate since that just makes me want to blame our 'bad' neighbor.  It was probably just some kids and the brick is probably in the creek at the end of the block.  I hope it broke the ice and made a nice splash/kerplunk for them.  Who knows?

My wife is off to her friend Terry's tomorrow at noon to make holiday cookies and sweets with her and her sister.  Sadly, their mom died a year or two ago, but they are keeping up a family tradition.  My wife has been bff's with her forever, so its just a natural thing to do for them.

Meanwhile, I guess I get the day off.  I  will sleep as late as I can since the Packers don't start until 3:15 this afternoon.  I will clear snow, maybe wrap presents, and do little things around the house as needed, but mostly I plan on sleeping in then relaxing with the Sunday paper before football.  Maybe prepare a supersize pic dump for early this week, as now that I'm doing that as a regular post I all of a sudden have a ton of pics saved just from my recent surfings on the web.  I must be more selective in the future, oh well.

It's late, I'm sleepy.   Good Night...

Male v Female Brains

This has been going around for quite some time, but still worth a watch.  My wife and I watched this together quite a while ago.   Earlier today we had a small spat and when I explained how I was thinking, using this example - she understood!  Reason enough to pass it along if you ask me.  Guys should enjoy this, file it away, and possibly get your point understood with your significant other with this example.  It makes hilarious sense to me!

Mark Gungor explains the difference between the male and the female brain:

The Mike O'Meara Show is Back!

Yes, The Mike O'Meara Show is back. After being fired about 5 months ago, the gang is back at it, in podcast form. They started up again last Monday, December 7, with Mike, Robb Spewak, and newsman Buzz Burbank. No home radio station, they are doing the show from Mike's living room. They do have at least one affiliate radio station carrying the show, and hopefully more to follow.

On the down side, gone are Beth Ann McBride, Joe Ardinger, Katie Powers, and other odd personnel. But joining the show is Oscar Santana of the Big O and Dukes show, fired at the same time 5 months ago.

I've been listening to Mike (and his former partner of 20 years, Don Geronimo,) for a long time, so the last few months I've had to find other things (link nsfw) to listen to. I'll continue with the other podcasts, since The Mike O'Meara Show is only 1 hour a day instead of the old 4 hour show. Boy, it's just nice to hear those old familiar voices again!

If you're unfamiliar, it's just guy talk. Check out The Mike O'Meara Show website where a quick listen is as easy as hitting 'play'!

Pic Dump 5

Again, some of the odd things I have come across. As always, discretion may be advised after the break. Remember to click on the pic to make it bigger (or in some cases - readable). Enjoy!

Just Playing With Audio

I'm checking out odiogo to read the posts aloud. So far it only says the first paragraph or so. I think I have it set now, so this is a test. But I have to add much more writing, so put up with this for a bit and I'll make this post go away.

Edit: All seems well with odiogo now. So you can listen while you read, just listen, or ignore it. The audio seems to be available about a day after the article is posted, though. Also you can subscribe to the feed a number of different ways, even with itunes! See the link in the lower right column.

I don't know what I'm doing. I'm playing with new (to me) things that I stumble across, usually found randomly on some other blog. I like them and play with them a bit. I am showing that I'm just a noob blogger playing with toys. Tell me, what do you think about the audio? Anyone?

First Blizzard of the Season

Wednesday was spent on snow removal. Off and on all day. I did get to use my new snowblower, with difficulty. I got a single stage, so the snow was mostly three times deeper than it was designed for. It took longer than shoveling but was much easier on my back. I knew we would get this much snow occasionally, but I didn't expect it so early. I heard we got 18", 14.1" at the airport, but it seemed like much more.

I took a few pics (from indoors) when we were mostly done. About all you can see is white, though. If you're in this region I know you got it, too.

I think I heard of 8 finger amputations in Madison from unclogging snowblowers in the last few days. Wow. Even I knew to grab a stick!


So the snow beat us up Wednesday, and Thursday we stayed home (and off the roads) to lick our wounds. My back held up pretty well using the snowblower, but I had more than enough sore and aching muscles. My wife got the worst end of it. She did all the shoveling out front. It was alot of help, but her back was killing her. There was alot of moaning and groaning going on here Thursday, and not the good kind.

If you got hit I hope you got it taken care of well - kept all your fingers and vertebrae attached and aligned! Feel free to pass on your stories in the comments!

My Christmas Cookies Recipe

I don't feel like blogging yet, though I do have the snowstorm to tell you about. I'll probably post about what happened with that tomorrow. In the meantime I feel like making cookies:

Jack Daniels Christmas Cookies

1 cup of water
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup of brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup nuts
2 cups of dried fruit
1 bottle Jack Daniels

Sample the Jack Daniels to check quality. Take a large bowl, Check the Jack again, to be sure it is of the highest quality, Pour one level cup and drink.

Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter In a large fluffy bowl.

Add one peastoon of sugar. Beat again. At this point it’s best to make sure the JD is still ok, try another Cup just in case.

Turn off the mixerer thingy.

Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup Of dried fruit.

Pick the frigging fruit off the floor.

Mix on the turner.

If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaters just pry It loose with a drewscriver.

Sample the Jakc Daniels to check for tonsisticity.

Next, sift two cups of salt, or something. Who geeves A sheet. Check the Jack. Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.

Add one table.

Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can Find.

Greash the oven.

Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall Over.

Don’t forget to beat off the turner.

Finally, throw the bowl through the window, finish the JD and make sure to put the stove in the wishdasher.

Cherry Mistmas !



Via Bits & Pieces and altered here to my tastes.

Bacon, I Want It NOW!

If you love bacon (Jerome!), you must check this out. Let's get together to make one. That way we can split it and have a 50% better chance of surviving the heart attacks!



Spent the day digging out from a snow storm. I'll have more to say on that later on.

Friends and Badgers, Packers

Yesterday was a lazy day. We slept in, it was 11:00 am when I got up! I haven't slept that late in ages. We did have a few people over for the Badger game late Saturday night. The game was in Hawaii so it had a 10:30 pm start. It was alot of fun! I'm glad the game was a blowout because I didn't pay a whole lot of attention to it.

Although more were invited it was the same 6 of us that got together for a game a couple months ago. Everyone seems to be more comfortable every time they come over - and they should! We had table and chairs set up in the back room for an overflow area that wasn't needed, and plenty of food and drink. I think we always over estimate that stuff. I hope everyone had a good time. It was a late start to the evening, so understandably it ended relatively early. Around the beginning of the 4th quarter. The game had long since been decided.

And tonight is the Green Bay Packers v the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football! Last I heard it was Packers favored by 3. Sounds about right to me. Though they will make it the hard way most likely, I think the Pack will pull it out. GO PACK!

Here's a very good article today from ESPN Milwaukee on how Packer Mark Tauscher is enjoying his comeback. If you read it you'll see why its easy to like him. I wish I could be more easy going like that.

I deleted a couple spam comments today. I hate to do it, but if more start showing up I will have to add that security box to comments. You would just have to type a few letters that you see. It keeps out automated spam comments.

This morning there was enough snow for me to try out my new shovel. And according to the weatherman I'll get to use my new snowblower tomorrow night and Wednesday morning.

Yippee.

Pic Dump 4

I just keep finding odd and funny stuff and I like posting the pics that catch my eye. So I think Pic Dump will continue as a feature here on Scoakatsblog. I see it as a regular feature of 10 pics that have caught my eye for one reason or another. As always, viewer discretion advised.



Remember to click on the pic to make it bigger. (double click on videos to watch them at youtube.)