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

Veterans Day 2013

New Windows and a New Outlook*

 

The cosmetics have changed a bit, for the better, we think.  We really like the black cladding around the windows.  Inside, the windows are wood grain that matches the trim throughout the house.  These windows are clearer, easier to clean and much more efficient.

It's a lot of money to spend and not have anything to play with.  Heck, we hardly even see them.  These shorter days have blinds shut and curtains drawn so early.  Still, we're glad we got them and should never have to replace them again.

Now we want a new front screen door and porch light, black to match.  We could also repaint the foundation and hand rails.  But I shouldn't get ahead of myself, there will always be something.

*The 'new outlook' reference in the title refers to a recent abrupt change in my career path. Not changing employment, just departments.  And still upward, just not the route I foresaw.  Unfortunately this all came under, well, I shall say odd, awkward and unforeseen circumstances. Boy, it's a good thing this blog isn't about work!

Follow My Blog... FREE!

Shameless self-promotion?  Nah.  But I did think it was cute and wanted to test if I could post gifs again because they didn't work for a time.  Via Joanne Casey.  Cheers!

Happy Halloween 2013

Happy Halloween, everyone.

It is rainy outside but is supposed to clear up later for trick-or-treaters.  Just as well, I'm in a pretty scary mood after my day at work.  I'd be fine with skipping it altogether but then we'll have all this candy in the house.

I hope everyone has fun this evening.  I'll be putting a smile on my face when I answer the door but inside I am deeply troubled.  That's my Halloween scare.

Nation's Best College Town - Madison, WI

The Badgers have another bye this week and if you're missing them play this may help.  Probably not, but I thought it was a neat video about our hometown teams and city.

The Season's First Flurries

We got the first few flakes of snow this afternoon.  Nothing significant at all, just enough to remind us what snow looks like.  Look hard at the pic and you can see a few streaks of snow.



Our weather seems to have jumped ahead a couple weeks.  Daytime temperatures are a bit above freezing as it is mostly overcast and nighttime temperatures are just below.  I've seen a bit of frost in the mornings but not much.  I haven't had to warm up the car yet or even scrape windows, but that may change any day now.  There are still a few outdoor projects I had hoped to do before it got to this point.  Oh well, hopefully we will have a couple relatively warm days and nights or else they will have to wait for spring.

I have not posted much lately but there hasn't been much to post about.  The kitties are still naughty.  We don't have a date yet for our new windows but it will be soon.  Squirrels are little bastards that won't stop digging in the garden.  Kate is well and I am too.  Ho-hum.  PTFO

Autumn's Arrival

It was officially autumn a few weeks ago, but now the weather seems to have caught up.  Temperatures are a more seasonable 50's or 60's during the day and can be into the 30's at night.  We have not had our first frost yet but it can't be that far off.

Almost all these leaves on the lawn are from neighbor Dave's black walnut trees.  Thankfully these leaves fall sooner than our silver maple tree's leaves.  That way I can mulch most of these into the lawn and use the maple leaves that fall later for mulch in the flower beds.  Even so, I usually rake back the leaves from about the tree on in this picture and let them mulch the hostas along the back fence.  Black walnut leaves have to compost for at least two years before you should use them and they affect or kill a lot of plants so I try to keep them out of our flowerbeds whenever possible.

Cool, wet and leafy.  Yup.  Fall is here and fall tasks are on my mind.

Happy - ( . )( . ) - No Bra Day!

 
Today, October 13, is No Bra Day, but, wait a second,  July 9 is National No Bra Day?

 

WTF?

 

I don't know about you, but I would have to agree with the frog!

Latest Listening Pleasure - 13... Hyrax

Hyrax - Over The Edge, released today.

Something caught me, I'm not sure what it was - the name, the description, maybe (not likely) the album cover.

Anyway, it caught my interest long enough for me explore them a bit more via the interwebs and youtube.  This is actually how I find most of the music I listen to these days.  I look around at what's out there - and in this global internet there is a lot of music out there - and occasionally I find something that I find greatly appealing to my eclectic (read: odd, heavy-ish and sometimes unexplainable) tastes in music.  Of course, 9 out of 10 of my inquiries range from music that I will never listen to again to good but forgettable stuff.  Then there is the occasional hit, that rare kind of sound that seems to really grab you.  You know that feeling, or at least I hope you do.

I've listened to the Hyrax album at least a couple times a day all week now, and I really like what I hear.  Hyrax's album, Over The Edge, is their first as far as I can tell.  I believe there are two EP's that they released since 2011, but I can't find them in a cursory internet search.  There also isn't much of this band on youtube, most of it can be found on their channel here.  No wiki page yet, but I believe they are from Germany.  And they're kids.  They gotta be, look at them.  Pick any two and they may not total my age.  *Sigh.*  Actually they remind me of when I found out about CKY, in fact I see quite a few similarities, except that when I found out about CKY they had a few albums for me to look back to and enjoy while this is, as far as I can tell, Hyrax's first full length release.

This first video, Desire, is similar to the second, I Never Thought, in that he has the aggressive-but-not-quite-cookie-monster vocal.  On the album, which is bookended by these songs, they actually come across with a good mix of this aggressiveness but also some harmonies that work well and set up the next aggressive verse - it all works very well.  I also like how they chose to film their two official videos, below, both are single camera, one take shots.  The first appears to be the first single, but I may like the second better.

Okay, enough review, check it out if you're intrigued - like I was.   NSFW (language)

Hyrax - Desire



Hyrax - I Never Thought



Previous LLP Posts...
LLP 1 - Pain
LLP 2 - Nightwish
LLP 3 - Die Antwoord
LLP 4 - Pain part 2
LLP 5 - Andrew Bird
LLP 6 - Nightwish part 2
LLP 7 - Paramore
LLP 8 - Newsted
LLP 9 - U.D.O.
LLP 10 - Nightwish Imaginaerum Movie
LLP 11 - Kiss
LLP 12 - Rick Springfield


Honorable Mention after the break!