Managing My Time / OCD Tendencies

I've been trying to change my days around a bit lately.  The biggest change is letting go of The Don Geronimo Show podcast.  It is his whole morning radio show from KHTK in Sacramento without commercials, which is usually just over three and a half hours long.  I listen while I work and usually finish it by lunch time, or sometimes later.  I've managed to keep that up for over a year and a half, plus the other, shorter, less frequent podcasts that I listen to (listed in the right column).  Then at home I like to watch The Mike O'Meara Show podcast, video recorded on Ustream.  Between TMOS and my usual surfing sites, they replace evening television for me, which results in me being holed up in the computer room all night, sometimes even while eating dinner.

It has been a week since I've been a loyal TDGS listener, and not a bad week.  I've been able to keep up on my other podcasts easily and listen to a lot of new music that I hadn't been able to get around to before.  The next step is to start listening to the daily TMOS shows at work in the mornings instead of watching it on Ustream every day after work.  TMOS is a scant 70 minute podcast compared to TDGS's 3.5 hours plus.  I will still watch the TMOS bonus shows on the weekends, that is content that I have bought and paid for the year.

While I will still be on the computer daily, I want to free up more of my time spent every day, keep my wife company more often, and spend more time just doing things, little things around the house that need to be done.  I can catch up on TDGS when I ever have free time, or when something sounds like it's getting interesting.  I'm not deleting it from my itunes, mind you, so I will still see the daily descriptions.  Hell, I've listened to him for probably 12 or 13 years now, it's hard to let go completely.

I'll have to check back with this later.  Somehow, posting my intentions publicly may help me be able to follow through.  I hope for less stress and time commitments in my everyday life.  I guess we'll see how I manage my OCD tendencies...

This was easier a few years back when they were still together on The Don & Mike Show.

Latest Listening Pleasure... PAIN

PAIN is a band from Sweden, essentially Peter Tagtgren, that blends metal with techno with electronic whatever to create a big metal sound. I first learned of PAIN a year or two ago and liked the music so much that I explored them further. The early stuff I found to be a big bowl of okay, while their last two releases have greatly appealed to me. I love how the internet has introduced me to so many bands around the world that I never would have heard of otherwise. Anyway, I have been listening to them quite a bit more lately and, since I haven't posted in a week, I thought I would share what I've been jamming to lately. First, kind of keeping in the theme of crazy drummers, is PAIN's first single, 'Dirty Woman,' off their latest release 'You Only Live Twice.' While it is a great song, it also shows the drummer get frustrated, then destroy and eventually set fire to his drum set. After that is my current favorite song, 'The Great Pretender,' kind of a continuation (well, there's a hint at the end) of the 'Dirty Woman' video. This is what I like, do you? Give it a try...




PAIN on Wiki
PAIN Official Website

Crazy Drummers

I remember quite some time ago a funny little video of a very, um, enthusiastic drummer was making the rounds.  Then, just a bit ago, as I was watching some video of last night's Vince Neil concert, I found that I couldn't keep my eyes off the drummer.  They seem to be cut from the same cloth.  The band starts about 2 minutes into the video.  While he is entertaining throughout, he seems to really hit his stride at about the 10:30 mark. 

Pic Dump 37

For the thirty-seventh time, here are all the pics that I have come across in the course of my internet travels that caught my fancy enought to save since the last dump to share with you now.  Same rules apply:  Some may be NSFW, click pic for original size if different and much, much more after the break.  Enjoy!

Here's mine: "In the wake of Woodstock, the entire music business was gripped with what could best be described as Festival Fever."  Ace Frehley - No Regrets, 2011.  'Festival Fever!'  Oh Boy!

As always, many thanks to the fine site on 'My Favorite Sites' list on the right!

Other Things On My Mind...

...on this 'sick day' that I will pay for later in more ways than one....

My beloved Green Bay Packers lost, that's right, lost their divisional playoff game versus the New York Giants.  I was, and still am, mightily disappointed.  I'm having a hard time yet, but if you can bear it, here are some theories on the Packers' breakdown..

I happened upon an amazing, NSFW youtube page that gives you some convenient phrases in sign language.  It's called Dirty Signs with Kristen.

Sometimes I enjoy A beer for the shower...  Sometimes a cruise through the ghetto (beware, really)...

And sometimes it's just fun to blow shit up!  (Highly Recommended!)

No SOPA No PIPA

If you don't know what it is you may want to look it up.

I'm home being ill today so I've had time to read some news.  I'm disturbed by what I hear.

Huffington Post is a good place to start, too.

Smoking Update

I've put this post off for a while now for two reasons, I think.  First off, it is a self-examination post which is always a bit harder to write, and also I wanted to wait until it was closer to my anniversary of quitting cigarettes, sometime late January two years ago.  I have been cheating, however, so I should actually say I have not been addicted to nicotine in the past two years after smoking cigarettes for 26 years before that.

First off, 2 years ago in early 2010, I told my doctor that I wanted to quit and what I've tried and failed in the past.  After discussion, he gave me a 3 month prescription for Chantex that finally got me to quit.  I know others who have tried that drug successfully, another that didn't stick with it (not ready to quit yet), and yet another that got the nasty side effect of depression and suicidal thoughts, so it may not be for everyone.  Then I had a bit of a rough time of it.  I broke my leg* at the end of August 2010, then had the usual holiday stress on top of that rehab.  I finally had neck fusion surgery in March 2011 that I had needed to deal with arm and nerve pain I had suffered from since about 2 months before I broke my leg.  And then, while only days after recovering from neck surgery, realized and soon had confirmed, that I needed another surgery on my lower back, which would happen in July, 2011.

It was in that period of time after my neck surgery, and realizing that I would have to have back surgery again soon, that I was at my wit's end with all the medical stuff I had already gone through and all the pain I had dealt with in that short period of time.  I had been sneaking some of my wife's cigarettes here and there, always a partial thanks to cigarette snuffers.  But I was weak willed enough to almost go back to smoking.  Then I did go back somewhat, but I did not want to ever get addicted to nicotine again so I sought out clove cigars (it's illegal to call them clove cigarettes anymore**).

That's what this post is about, really, I confess that I smoke clove cigars now.  A bit every day, but on a work day that is about 2 a day at home thanks to the snuffers (I don't smoke at work at all).  I can go out briefly up to 5 or 6 times on 1 clove cigar or I can linger, if engaged, and smoke more.  Mostly it is my old psychological habit coming back that makes me go out to smoke, even now that it is cold again.  I used to laugh at my wife a little bit last year when she would put herself through getting all bundled up to go out into the cold to smoke.  I used to do that, then didn't for a season, and now find myself doing it again when I know I actually don't need to.

The difference now is minimal.  I have been inhaling more than I should and have been getting that early morning smoker's phlegm again.  While that should be enough to make me stop, I have only been trying to cut down and consciously not inhale so much lately.  Now that winter has made it's late appearance that can only help keep me from stepping out to smoke.  Stressful situations, such as a high stakes playoff game, will keep me stepping out on commercial breaks, but maybe a second consecutive Super Bowl win by the Green Bay Packers would finally take the edge off...  I can only hope!    Go Pack Go!


*Saying simply that I broke my leg seems to diminish it.  I really effed it up!

**Same size and shape as a cigarette, it's just that a recent law says, essentially, that they have to be called cigars now, or cannot be called cigarettes.  Whatever.

Snow's-A-Here!

But as you can see, it's not a lot to write home about.  I took this pic looking over the back yard just a bit ago.  The roads were snow covered and slippery on the way home, my usual 15 minute commute was 25 minutes this afternoon.  Then I did some shovelling and eventually, after figuring out how to use it again, used the snow thrower to clear the walks and driveway.   Since the snow continues, I'll get up a bit earlier than I would need to tomorrow morning to do a bit more shovelling before I go to work.  The last two seasons I believe we got dumped on for our first significant snowfall, this is much easier to deal with.

Snow's-A-Coming!

As we approach the middle of January we still have only had a few small snow events, totalling about 4 inches.  Of course, it always melted almost immediately so we have had basically no snow cover at all yet.  That will all change soon, starting around midnight tonight it is supposed to snow all day tomorrow, Thursday, and into Friday morning with a total of up to 6 inches expected.  So much for a snowless winter!  Another bummer, my friend Jerome and I are supposed to go to a birthday party tomorrow evening, right in the middle of it.  It is my friend Keelan's mom's birthday.  I don't really know her but I do want to go to be there for my friends and because there are going to be a lot of people from the HR department at my work there and I'm actively looking for a new position in the company.  I've never had to 'network' for a job before, but I really want to move up out of the department I'm in now so I'm ready to schmooze it up!  The only thing is we have about 50 feet of driveway and 2 walks to do (I'll be helping out my neighbor Jane this year like neighbor Dave helped us out last year when I was broken).  The snow won't be finished by tomorrow evening, but it may be easier clear it before it gets to be too much then do it again after work on Friday.  I guess I'll just have to play it by ear and see what it looks like then.

And to think, the past few days have been in the 40s and 50s but tomorrow morning will be about 12F.  I already heard many people at work today talking about staying home tomorrow, so at least it should be a pretty quiet and relatively calm day.

For those everywhere but the states, here's a temperature converter.

More Plumbing Problems

It was not too long ago that we had to get a new toilet installed and now, of course right after the holidays, we need a new kitchen faucet.  The original plan was to eventually get a new faucet, install shutoff valves under the sink, put in an undersink water filter and buy and hook up a dishwasher.  Now that the faucet has gone, our plans have been rushed a bit.  We have a plumber here now installing the valves, dishwasher hookup and new faucet (and sprayer).  Saved for later are the water filter and, of course, the dishwasher, the two most expensive parts of this project.

I've always hated plumbing, but with the upgrades today we will be in better shape later to add the things we want.  I might even be able to handle the filter installation myself, but the dishwasher is a bigger project that I may need help with.  Both are projects for a later date.  We now have lots of things around this house we wish to upgrade or get.  *Sigh*, all in due time....