January This-And-Thats

I haven't done this in a while so it seems like it's time to start typing again and see what comes out.  Come along, it might be fun.

• I'm finally feeling better after a rough start to the new year.  I was hit from behind in traffic on the Thursday before.  I stayed home the next day due to soreness, but did not go to the doctor and am quite well now.  NYE we had a few friends over for food, drinks and games.  It was a lot of fun but I felt that I was coming down with something all weekend.  On Monday evening it hit me like a ton of bricks and stayed with me all the way through Friday.  Just a nasty, snotty man-cold - the worst kind!  As I write this I am feeling perfectly healthy for maybe the first time this year.
• I drop my car off at the shop for repairs tomorrow morning.  At the same time I will get my rental car for the week.  That means I'll have to do some make-up time at work.  I don't like doing make-up time.  I will miss having my car, too.  I've never had to have this amount of repairs done to a vehicle and can only hope that when I get it back it's like brand new.  Or at least as good as it was before the accident.
• Our weather started out by snowing the first few weekends in December.  Since then we've had a few spells of bitterly cold weather.  Single digits, either above or below zero like our highs and lows have been, is really cold.  That said, I think I would rather have the cold than the snow.  Snow has to be moved and makes travel more difficult than the cold.  Unfortunately, I have no say in the matter.  Though the days are now getting longer we have months of both snow and cold yet to maneuver.

• We had a whole house humidifier installed last Tuesday.  It installs downstairs on the air ducts by the furnace.  We had been using a 4 gallon humidifier located generally in the center of the house but it just wasn't cutting it.  You're constantly filling it up and the filters are expensive and don't last long when it gets really cold and dry.  I think it will be a pretty good investment in the long run.  I'm still playing  with the settings a bit and it seems to be working well, but when the weather gets this cold and dry it has to run often.

• It is still a pretty good thing to be a sports fan in Wisconsin.  The football Badgers won a great game in the Cotton Bowl last week.  The basketball Badgers enter league play on a roll and have another really good team this year.  This afternoon's road game against Purdue will be a tough one, though.  And the Packers enter today's playoff game on a 6 game winning streak.  It's win or go home time, Packers.  I hope they can keep it rolling.

Even though I felt the need to sit and type I guess I don't have a whole lot more to say right now.  The holidays are over and we are in the part of winter where we tend to hibernate - we don't go out as much and spend little time outside.  Today, I'll be spending the later afternoon watching Packers play the Giants and flipping back and forth to the Badger basketball game.  It's not often the games conflict, but they do today.

LLP Bonus - Amaranthe and Pain

I may have to rethink this format.  I'd like to post these Latest Listening Pleasure posts more often ( the last was in April?!) but eventually it would be most of the same bands every time they release a new album.  Thus the LLP Bonus posts, like this one.  Although I'm constantly scanning the internet for new bands and new albums that I find appealing I need to really get into the music to write one of these posts.  I don't want another one like LLP 7 - Paramore where I really dug the single then later I hear the whole album and absolutely hate it.  Now, I've found a newer band that I want to write a LLP post about but first I need to acknowledge two favorites that I've been listening to a lot lately.  Both have recent releases and both have already been a featured LLP band.

Amaranthe's new album, 'Maximalism,' is much like their last and I am still enjoying their 3-singer sound.  The first single, That Song, is a standard rock anthem and I recognized it as such immediately.  Still, I found myself singing along and loving it.  This album goes deeper than the last with better songs but is still front-loaded like the last CD.  Below is the official video, but there is a great, simpler version from a record store appearance here.

Amaranthe - That Song



Peter Tagtgren's Pain has been a favorite of mine for a long time.  His new album, 'Coming Home,' has been eagerly anticipated as his last Pain album was in 2011.  Since then he has released a Hypocrisy album and the Lindemann album with Till Lindemann from Rammstein, as well as producing other bands.  Now, with his 17 year old son, Sebastian, filling in on drums, he is out touring again.  (Till even joined him for a Lindemann song, first time live!)  Besides the title track below, just released on New Year's Day, you can find all the other new Pain videos here.  Wannabe is a real good one, too.

Pain - Coming Home



There, now that I have these posted I can start on the next official LLP post.  No hints on who it is!  You probably wouldn't know the name even if I told you.  It will be posted when it gets posted...

Happy New Year 2017

I was just looking back at the past few NYE posts on here.  From my griping about going down to the bar to last year's plans to stay in but canceling the party because my wife was ill.  I also noticed that I used to do morning after posts.  I'll have to see how I feel about that tomorrow.  Tonight we'll be having a few people over for food, drinks and games.  It should be fun, but I should probably try to get a nap in before they get here.  Again, I'll be the oldest one in the house tonight, I need my rest...

Happy New Year to you all.  The ones I read, the ones I love, all my friends and all of you who take the time to read me.  Whether you comment or not, I can see you're there.  Thank you.

Hit From Behind

Don't worry, I'm fine.  I was on my way back from my yearly haircut (Hi Laura!) on the other side of town, and I was almost home, when I was hit from behind.  Traffic came to a stop rather quickly and all stopped but the person behind me, who admitted she was changing lanes and was looking back when it happened.  Yes there was the cops, a tow truck and a witness who kindly stopped and gave me her information.  Good times.  I am getting a bit sore now, and I am somewhat surprised by that as it was not a high speed accident, I was stopped at the time.  I'll deal with the insurance companies more tomorrow.  Tonight I'm gonna make a few drinks.  Good times, indeed.

'Good' news, the tow truck driver cut the plastic away from the tire so I could drive it home.  Rear door won't open.

Doro / Lemmy - It Still Hurts

Doro Pesch released this early in 2016 on her "Love's Gone To Hell" EP.  One year on from losing Lemmy, she put out the video for their duet, It Still Hurts.  Strangely appropriate, now.  RIP Lemmy.



Link here for you email readers.

Season's Greetings

I've known for a while that I should post something for the holiday.  Days passed, but nothing I saw appealed to me or inspired me so I just kept procrastinating until here we are, now.  It has been well documented here in years past my dislike of holidays and travel, so I won't go into that.  I've read enough negativity this holiday season and maybe you have, too.  So before I start sounding grumpy, just know that wherever you are and whatever you are doing I hope it is enjoyable for you and yours.  Cheers!

Weather Gripe

Madison is the tiny white cross in the middle.

Two weeks ago I wrote about our first snow.  It was 5 inches, officially, and we got about the same last weekend.  Now, this weekend, we are having another 'snow event.'  It started snowing early this afternoon and it is forecast to be about 9 inches or so by the time it ends Saturday night.  We'll probably go out to clear the walks either tonight or tomorrow morning (hopefully not both), and then when it finishes up.  Temps have been in the teens and single digits recently, but after the snow we go further  into a deep freeze for a day or two.  What the hell!  Why the weekends?

Yup. Just like riding a bike, here in Wisconsin!  In fact, I'm sure some literally still will.

Dee Snider on Standing Rock

Dee Snider posted a video for a song called 'So What' off his recently released solo album, We Are The Ones.  If I remember right, his son directed the video and the crew had an interesting experience filming - scenes from some of the 'riots' included.  The censored version was released yesterday, this uncensored version was released today.  It says the F word a few times, is all.  After a few listens yesterday and tonight, I find it to be a good song and a good adaptation of it to current events.

Dee Snider - So What


Link here, for interested email readers.

First Snow, 2016

It started snowing this morning and fell steadily all day until recently.  We just came in a little bit ago from clearing the driveway and walks, at almost sunset.  A wet, heavy 3 or 4 inches of the stuff.  I was going to post a picture I took earlier but I changed my mind and decided to post some short videos I took today of the cats by the front windows.  See, I had laces delivered for my boots earlier today and during the Packer game I decided to change them out.  The cats were fascinated with this process so when I got done I gave them the old laces to play with, draping them over their throne.

You can see plenty of our first snow in the back of the videos while enjoying a short video of our adorable cats!  The first video is Hamish, clearly the leader in this kind of play.  Second is Basil, taking a turn after Hamish got a little tired (yet he still jumps in at the end!).






After the break is a Hamish video that I uploaded first mistakenly and can't make myself remove it since it's already uploaded.  Just more kitty cuteness with freaking snow in the background.

Like it or not, winter is back.  Here.  Now.  Sigh.

Happy Thanksgiving, 2016!