Sprung Spring

Just a quick note to acknowledge the dramatic change in our weather.  In a week our high temperatures raised over 40 degrees, from highs in the teens or lower at the end of the previous week (Grandma's funeral) to over 50º F by the middle of last week.  Right now it is 71º F.  Very nice.  I have to re-learn how to dress myself.  Winter coat in the morning, light jacket midday and none in the evening?  Who carries two coats around all day?  Sigh.  I'll adapt, I always do!

Pictured here is the yard on Saturday.  The only snow left was in the shade along the back fence.  Today there is no snow left in the yard and after work we got a little bit of raking and picking up sticks done.  There is always much to do in spring, waiting for the proper time can be difficult, though.  I finally got my pressure washer, it will first be used to clean the foundation (and I may as well get the siding while I'm at it) so we can repaint it before the plants come up.

Daylight Saving Time

How is this still a thing?  

A bit late for the topic, but I must agree.  There are no discernible benefits to our bi-annual time shift, so why do we continue what is generally viewed as a useless tradition?  Dubya (President George W. Bush) altered the dates for no apparent reason in 2005.  That's enough for me now, I blame him!

In reality I think we would all adjust rather easily.  The video is entertaining - watch it!


via B&P

RIP Grandma L

My paternal grandmother passed away on Monday morning.  She was 95 years old and had lived independently up until only a couple months ago.  I had last seen her on September 9 of last year, my mother and I had met at grandma's place for a visit.  I liked visiting with her but I usually always had someone with me, just to help fill the silences.  It can be hard to keep a conversation going for a few hours, for me anyway.  Grandma loved talking about the farm where she grew up and I was able to get part of one of those stories on video that day.  Two days later she called me to wish me a happy birthday - a message that I still have on my phone.  I think part of me really thought that it may be the last time I see her, and it was.

We drove down, about an hour and change away, on Wednesday afternoon and checked into a hotel before going to the wake.  I had just been here less than two years ago for my maternal grandmother's funeral.   Like then, there were several relatives I had not seen in a long time - aunts and uncles, and lots of cousins that have grown up and, in many cases, had moved away.  It was very nice to see them all again.

A few years ago I was visiting with her and she asked me to be one of her pall bearers.  Of course, I told her, and I was.  My brother and sister always used to tease me about being her favorite.  I was her first grandchild, but I cannot say that I was the favorite.  Maybe they were just rotten kids.  I think I'll just go with that.  Thursday morning was the last visitation and funeral service.  It was nice as far as church things go, grandma didn't need to know I'm agnostic/atheist.  The ceremony by the grave site was shortened as it was very cold that morning, barely above zero, so no one lingered long.  Afterward was a lunch in a small hall attached to the church.  It was a last opportunity to visit with everyone before we all went our separate ways again.

I'm fresh out of grandparents now.  A sign of getting older, I guess.  RIP Grandma L, I will miss you.

Andrew Bird - Echolocations

Just because I like Andrew Bird and I find this refreshing and relaxing.  Enjoy.

Flat Tire and Trouble Walking

Friday is the work day we all can't wait to arrive but when it has we can't wait for it to be over.

When I went to break this afternoon I checked my phone - I had two texts and a phone message waiting.  I never see that type of activity so I knew something was up.  It was my wife, she was okay but she got a flat tire just down the road after leaving work and was waiting for Triple-A to come and change her tire so she could get home.  I gave her a call while she was waiting for them and after some discussion we decided to go ahead and get new tires, the cheapest available and only on the front.  I called the shop right away and arranged for service on Monday.

See, we recently paid off my vehicle so we have no car payment at all now.  We have been discussing getting rid of her 1997 low riding ashtray sedan for a newer vehicle.  We have had it since 2000, so for 15 years now and it has definitely seen better days.  With my broken body it is barely usable for me, I can barely get in and out of the tiny and low car anymore.  The plan is to acquire a new vehicle for me so my wife can drive the car I drive now.

My 2003 RAV4, stock

The problem is that I love my car.  When we get a new one, I will drive the new car and have garage parking to protect the investment and so my wife can smoke in the older car, a 2003 model, and keep parking that vehicle on the street or driveway in all seasons - as I do with same vehicle now.  We always kept her older car in the garage because first; I'm a gentleman and her car is clean and sheltered all seasons, and second; it, frankly, increased the chances of it surviving the last several winters.  Being the non-smoker, I will suck it up and drive the new car (when purchased) and enjoy the garage access for the first time in my adult life.  I'm sure I'll still be using both cars, they will be more interchangeable for short trips and I will make her keep it cleaner than the old car she drives now.  Now for me, let's start talking about heated seats, USB ports, colors and all other options!  Okay, maybe too early for that, but we may have to start looking into it soon.

Meanwhile, on to a story my wife - Miss Trouble Walking herself - told me about her younger days after we got home from dinner and drinks tonight:

She and her bff Terry dropped out of a night school gym class after getting caught not walking during an independent walking exercise class, 45 minutes, for school credit, on their own, outside.  She said they would walk to the car, parked a block away out of sight, then drive around and smoke, listen to music, you know - do what kids would do.  Then they would try to come back like nothing happened - and they got caught.

Like, just take a fucking walk around a block or two, girls!  Wow.  Youth - we've all been there.

We had a good laugh, and there is more detail to the story but she can post it herself if she wishes.  She has always had an open invitation to post but has yet declined.

I hope every one of you has a great weekend!  LLAP

Think Spring!

No, this is not here.  Wherever it is, I admire their artistic optimism!      via Bits & Pieces

Valentine's Day Dinner

On Valentine's Day I went to dinner with three lovely young women, my wife Kate, her friend Terry and Terry's sister Becky.  In reality, I wasn't lucky enough to have three dates for the holiday, but I was lucky enough to tag along for a different dining experience at the Bourbon Street Grille - on the south side of Madison and located on the Yahara River - on what just happened to be the heart-y holiday evening.

Have you ever heard of a pasta board?


Me neither.  And while it was good, it was still eating spaghetti and meatballs off the table.

Actually, it is a specially treated board that covers the table and I'm sure they wash it very thoroughly.  The recipe for the sauce was supposedly bought from a local legendary Italian place that is no longer, and it was very good.  The meatballs were large and fine-tasting.  The pasta was just pasta and the salad and bread were just okay.

The whole thing about this by-reservation-only dinner is the novelty of eating off the table.  You use the pasta spoon to pull a pile in front of you and still have your sides and drinks beside it on the table.  I'm not really trying to knock it, but now that I've had the dinner for myself, it is still just eating pasta off the table.  We actually did have a good time while doing so and because Terry got a great groupon deal it was not expensive, thank you for dinner, Terry!  Overall, though, I don't really see myself needing to ever to do that again.

Sorry for the blurry pics, I hate the camera on my phone but that is for another post.

Latest Listening Pleasure 17 - Cradle Of Thorns

Wow, I haven't posted a LLP post since last June!  I have been enjoying mostly the music I always have, even thought I have been looking for and listening to what new music (to me) that I can.   I'm always open to new music but sometimes the new music is old music still waiting to be found.

1996 - Download This!

Cradle Of Thorns was first known to me as the CD my latest gal pal in the late mid 90's did not want to lose.  The 1996 CD was called Download This!, I had never heard of them, but she could not wait to play it for me, and yes, I agreed it was pretty great, just not as fanatically as she.  Okay, she'd say, I'll leave it here but you better take care of it and I want it back!  This was a girlfriend that, well, chose me.  You know, you're in a dead spot and she's kinda cute and likes you lots.  Not sure if you want all your friends to know your seeing her but she does some things very well to and for you to keep you there. That kind of thing.

Not really long story short - she wound up off in Montana and her CD was still at my place, not my fault.  It was a really good CD way back then and still is now.  It has some of that in between song annoying, inane stuff, to me anyway, but the songs were innovative and differently good to me at the time.  Plus it had a great cover of Motley Crue's 'Shout at the Devil!'

1994 - Feed-Us

Recently I had been listening to this CD again and I decided to look them up on YouTube.  There is not much to be found.  They put out three albums as Cradle Of Thorns, then a later CD as Videodrone in 1999.   I have the Videodrone CD from a prior re-interest a few years ago (I guess when I have no new music interests I tend to research my prior favorites more).  This time I went back and got their 1994 album, Feed-Us, I ordered the physical CD from my favorite place to shop, Amazon.  This CD has things on it that reverberated on 1996's Download This!, but in my opinion not quite as well.  But I would expect that, as this came before, and as of right now I've just re-added the 1999 Videodrone CD to my digital library to refresh my memory on that.  If I'm still curious later, there is a 1990 CD called Remember It Day out there somewhere, probably waiting to find its way to my collection in another 5 years or so, depending on how bored I get finding new things to listen to.

They have no real 'official' videos that I can find, so try this - the song Flesh, from my newest CD; Cradle Of Thorns, 1994, Feed-Us.


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
LLP 13 - Hyrax
LLP 14 - In This Moment
LLP 15 - Faster Pussycat
LLP 16 - Sebastian Bach
LLP 17 - Cradle Of Thorns

Prior LLP Bands that have also turned my head recently after the break!  Including a brand new video posted only yesterday!

Kanye... I Agree With SP

Steel Panther saying what we all thought.

A Sick This And Thats

It is winter and not as much happens, thus nothing to write.  Plus, now that I have taken a step back from blogging for a bit it does get harder to make myself sit and write.  So, since I may jump around a bit we'll make it a This and Thats post!

• I've accepted my third promotion in about as many years.  Tomorrow I start in my new department, higher in rank and money though not much of either.  Still, this department has a whole lot more potential than the department I was in.  I will have adjustments to make, like I will have a later schedule and I'll be changing buildings again.  I'll be back in the building I first worked in for years, so there will be a lot of familiar faces - whether I like that or not.
• And of course on the eve of my new job I get sick.  After work on Friday, my wife and I went out for bit before coming home and ordering out dinner.  Sometime during the course of the evening the back of my sinuses gave me that feeling and sure enough, when I got up on Saturday I felt terrible and it only got worse the longer I was awake.  I only feel slightly better today, still very ill.  I can only hope for a miraculous recovery for tomorrow morning or it will probably be a difficult week in training.
• For good news, we went out a couple of weeks ago and bought a new bed and it finally got delivered yesterday.  Our old bed had been worn out for quite some time.  Nyquil, Sudafed and a new mattress helped me sleep okay last night.  We also bought a couple new comforters for the new bed and we will also have to buy some more sheets to fit, this bed us much taller than the last.
• My thoughts lately have turned to spring, and taking a week off with nicer weather.  I feel the need for a vacation very soon and I have projects I would like to work on.  But sawing and painting is best done outside in the driveway or garage.  It's way too cold for that these days.  I still have some designing to do but the final design is always just how it ends up, not always the idea I started with.  I like creating as I go so only general plans are usually needed until I start sawing things.
• We still have all the snow from a week ago, piled up everywhere.  Temps the last couple days have started it melting but we know it is not over yet.  At about 27 inches we're about six inches under our average for this date.  There's still plenty of time for mother nature to wallop us again.  I don't know what Jimmy the goundhog - the local celebrity for the holiday - told the mayor of Sun Prairie but he seemed adamant about it.  The local 'hog's bite made news around the world.

Okay, I'm tired.  Back to my lazy boy and blankie.