Football Is Here!!!

Finally.  After a lockout summer and finally a new collective bargaining agreement, preseason is over and the action starts tonight with the Saints visiting the Packers at Lambeau Field in the opening matchup of the NFL season.  I've been looking forward to this night as I do every year. I'm not too fond of scheduling games when I have to be up for work 6 or 7 hours later but, hell, I always stay up and suffer the next day.  It's worth it.  Also, I know I haven't been posting much the last month or so, that may change soon as there are things I have been thinking of and pic dumps to post!  Now, got to go, I have much to do before the game starts!  Go Pack Go!

RIP Puddy

We had to have our cat, Puddy, put to sleep yesterday afternoon.  We guess she was about 17 years old or so.  She had been going downhill for the past few weeks and, well, it became time.  My wife got her a few years before we got together, Kate was the only one she ever even half trusted.  She may not have been the best cat, but she was ours and she will be missed.  Bye, Puddy.

First Kiss Poster*

The first Kiss poster ever made, from 1975.

I've been a Kiss fan almost as long as I can remember.  It was way back in the late 70's when I somehow acquired a secondhand Kiss poster that I have hung on to and taken with me everywhere all these years.  In the early 90's  I had the fortune of attending a Kiss Convention in Chicago.  It was there I saw the same poster, advertised as the very first Kiss poster, on sale for $50.00.  It was in better shape than mine, but it gave me my first idea of what I actually had.  When we moved into this house, it is the only poster my wife would let me put up, in the back room, and behind the door.  Well, this poster still meant a lot to me so recently I had it put into a frame.  It didn't come cheap, it cost almost a hundred bucks to have it done, but I am very happy with the results.  The matting covers the yellowed, taped and pin holed border and the frame and non-glare glass flatten it nicely for display.  The lower left corner dates it:  1975 Boutwell Enterprises/Rock Steady Management, All Rights Reserved.  The lower right corner says:  Exclusively Distributed by One Stop Posters, Los Angeles Ca, 90006.  And going up along the side from the lower right corner it states:  Lithographed in USA Eureka Lithograph Co.

I include the details just in case someone else searching on the web may come across this and be able to tell me about what it may be worth these days.  I have searched numerous times online and can find no mention of ANY Kiss poster before 1976.  No pictures, no copies, no nothing.  It doesn't really matter, I certainly don't want to sell it.  I am curious, however, and even more now that I cannot find anything on it.  It is located to my left as I sit at our computer and I must shut the door to see it (see pic below), but it still makes me very happy knowing it is there and now looking better than ever.

*Update:  Since posting this earlier it has been on my mind again so I spent the last half hour trying different search terms in google yet again - and I finally found it online!!  The site is not english, but it does price it at $150.00, about what I expected.  The link I found is here.

Back to Work On Monday

I had my last follow up appointment for my back surgery yesterday.  All seems to be as it should be.  I still get some tingling in my right calf and foot, but less and less as time goes by.  Hopefully it will eventually completely disappear, but I'm at peace with the fact it may not.  Starting on Monday I go back to work part time, just 4 hours a day all week, then after Labor Day weekend it's back to a full, regular schedule.  It is nice to have time off, but it would be nicer to be fit enough to accomplish something with that time off.  That is why it has gotten boring, not being able to physically do many of the things that I normally would like to do with all that free time.  In a week I can resume some light exercise and stretching.  I will have to get used to doing my morning physical therapy exercises again every day, and I may start getting on the exercise bike for a leisurely workout after my half days next week.

As I write this I have been dealing with the doctor's office and my work's HR department.  It seems my disability time must be extended for my half days next week so the time I'm not there is not put toward disciplinary action.  Work wants the notes, my doctor's office cannot send the notes directly, work must request the notes and my hospital's disability department then releases the notes.  Work should then approve it and we all move on.  I am being the middle man in all of this and it's getting annoying since I'm trying to enjoy myself on the last day in the foreseeable future I can watch my favorite podcast live.  Waaah.

Strawberry Mojito Party

We had a nice gathering of friends on Friday night.  The strawberry mojitos, three big pitcher's worth, went fast but there was plenty of beer for after.  Thanks to all who came, I hope everyone had a good time.  My wife put on an impressive spread.  Four grilled courses (jalapeno poppers - plain and bacon-wrapped, marinated shrimp, fresh pineapple and beef tenderloin on skewers), plus a table full of sides for vegetarians and carnivores alike.  Everyone seemed very impressed, but they usually are.  My wife really enjoys this kind of thing and she does it very, very well.

The Packers were also on, playing a preseason game, so I kept going back and forth a bit to check on the game.  I heard many nice things said about how well I was getting around.  I did cheat a bit, however.  I took my last two 12-hour oxycontins that day.  I had much to do all day and then play host that night and the pills stopped all those nagging aches and pains from getting in the way.  I did hit a wall, right about the time the party ended - and it ended early, about 8 or 8:30.  The rest of the weekend was spent dealing with those aches and pains I got from moving around so much that day.  It was well worth it and hopefully I can stay healthy so we can do this on a more regular basis again.

A New Couch! And More...

Happy Friday all!  Overall it has been an average week for us, just a few out of  the ordinary and eventful things...

Last weekend we went out and bought a new couch and ottoman which were delivered on Thursday.  Kate has been looking online for quite a while for the perfect size and style for our small living/dining room, finally finding a new one that we both liked very much.  Before, the room only had 2 recliners and the four dinner table chairs for seating.  Fine for us, but inconvenient for entertaining.  We moved one of the recliners to the porch and a bookshelf to the back office/computer room and now we have seating for 3 more people, including the ottoman.  This morning I got it all Scotchguarded except for the ottoman.  We're not happy with the, um, centering of the pillow top on the base.  It's hard to describe, but there is a tech due to come out and assess it on Tuesday.  It's not something that can really be fixed so we want it replaced.  For almost 300 dollars just for the ottoman I expect a little better quality.  Bonus:  The pillows came with the couch!

On Wednesday I had a mobile repairman for small equipment out for my snow thrower and lawn mower.  The snow thrower has had an oil leak since about 18 months ago, so while I was laid up with a busted up leg last winter my wife used a shovel with a little help from the neighbors here and there.  I saw an article in the newspaper about the owner/operator earlier this Summer and saved it but thought I better have him out now before I go back to work.  Both machines are only a couple years old so there were no major repairs, but it was worth it to have the leak fixed, blade sharpened, oil changed and both tuned up without having to load them up and take them somewhere.

Beside all that, Jerome stopped by for a nice visit on Wednesday.  He and about a dozen or so more friends will be here tonight for our belated Strawberry Mojito Party!  This party was supposed to happen in early July after our strawberry harvest but was delayed due to my back pain, then recovery, this Summer.  So today is all about cleaning and preparing for that, with most of the work, and all the food prep, falling on my wife's lovely shoulders.  She has been good about keeping me from doing anything to hurt my recovery.  I do do what I can and my wife is still very supportive, but I hate that I can't help more yet and am very thankful for her patience.  I will try to keep the camera out so I can share some pics of the party here this weekend!

Pic Dump 33

I've nothing better to do but surf the web lately, so it's time for another Pic Dump!  Another collection of what I found interesting for some reason and saved to share here.  Some may be NSFW, click for original size if different and many more after the break....  Enjoy!

Many thanks to the fine links on 'My Favorite Sites' list on the right!

Nothing Lately*

It's been quite a while since I've posted.  There just hasn't been anything going on with me or anything I've come across that I felt like passing along here.  Mostly I have been doing nothing.  Just trying to take care of myself while my back recovers from surgery.  It's not easy to do nothing.  I can't exercise other than walking, and I haven't done enough of that, so I have felt my strength and stamina slip away.  My overall eating has decreased significantly, and I've also noticed that my body does not tolerate fast food at all anymore, it really puts me in a bad place.  I have two weeks before I return to work to try and get myself together a bit more.

My Mom came up for lunch yesterday.  It was a nice visit but would have been nicer if I was feeling a bit better.  When she left I slept for a couple hours then my wife and I went to a 'happy hour' get together at our friends Bridget and Zubin's new house.  It was nice, they have a very nice house, but again I was feeling weak and tired so I wasn't a whole lot of fun to hang with.

It has been a week and a half since I've posted and this is all I have to say.  Sorry, that's it.


*Edit:  I have also gotten some comments from people about my last post about work.  I want to make it clear that I don't resent any of my co-workers, most are very -and some very very- nice.  It's not a perfect world, it is pretty much every man for himself and take care of your own these days and I understand that.  Work is work, play is play, business is business and that's about it. 

Back To Work, Briefly

Yesterday I had my first follow up appointment, 2 weeks after back surgery.  This morning I took a note in to my place of work.  I walked through my area, only seeing one or two heads look up, to my supervisor's desk.  After chatting with him briefly I walked back through to leave.  It made me kind of sad.  I wanted to stop and talk to people but, when it comes right down to it, no one really cares.  There was a time and a (different) place where my workmates were some of my best buds.  Several of us would meet up outside of work and even vacation together.  Where I am now there are some very nice people but no one I trust completely or really even want to know better, anymore.  They all care about themselves mostly, and I can't blame them for that, I guess.  This is the third time I've been out for surgery in the last year so I have noticed this before, but it still makes me kind of sad and I know I will be a more closed, superficial person with them when I do go back to work.*

*Exceptions may be Cindy the guard and Keelan the receptionist, the two whom I've always talked with the most.

Hung Over

They say you shouldn't blog when drunk.  I did that early this morning and, well, I don't think it turned out too bad.  I was just enjoying one of my favorite bands.  We went out for dinner and drinks with friends last night.  I can't remember when I last had more than 3 drinks, but I may have tripled that last night.  I am one hurting son of a gun today.  Thanks, Jack.