Happy Spring 2022

Happy Spring equinox, everyone.  It was a beautiful day today, sunny here with temperatures getting up to the mid-60's.  I slept in and we had a lazy morning but then early afternoon we took a walk down to the Atwood area for a lunch and conversation at Wilson's and a short stop at the Harmony.  The bike path was very busy, as expected for how beautiful this Sunday was.  There were lots of walkers like us and bicyclists trying to make their way, too.  It is a bike path, after all, though on days like this and for summer events the walkers seem to outnumber the bicyclists by a lot.  I got this picture looking back on the way down when few were around us for a minute, and it was much busier on the way back.

The green in the far right middle is fake grass, but still a nice outdoor area behind the ice cream shop that we will visit when it gets warmer.  Otherwise, there's not any green that is noticeable yet, unless you look very close and in the right place.  We do have a few things around the yard starting to grow, and you can now just start to see buds on the trees.

We had some new snow on the ground yesterday morning, but not much and it didn't last long before melting.  The next few days will be cooler with a 'wintry mix' at times, but only a couple nights below freezing in the forecast and no highs below, thankfully.  You can finally really feel that spring is in the air, so hopefully soon I can write less about the weather and more about going out and doing things when the opportunities arise.  I plan to walk more now that the weather is getting better, and just try to get out to do more things.  There will come a time when the heat of summer will force us inside, hopefully not too often, but working from home now for so long I know I need to make more of an effort just to get out of the house a whole lot more often than I have.  Winter is not an excuse anymore and with the pandemic seemingly under control getting out and about should be easier to do this year.

Happy Spring, everyone.  I have high hopes.

Latest Listening Pleasure 39 - The Warning

I can't remember exactly where or when I first learned of The Warning, but it was about 2 or 3 months ago and probably while in some Youtube rabbit hole.  They are the Villarreal sisters from Monterrey, Mexico.  Yes, sisters - Daniela, Paulina and Alejandra - and surprisingly young when you see some of their earlier videos as kids, but even then you could see the talent.  

I found they first got some popularity from an early cover of Metallica's song Enter Sandman back in 2014, and they actually collaborated on that song for Metallica's Blacklist album that came out last year.  They've been writing their own music now for a while and have a couple releases out there, and a new song coming out next Friday called Money.  And they do seem to have lots of fans already, with several Youtube channels posting all sorts of videos with and about them, even livestreams of their shows.

There's a 5 minute documentary video they released a few days ago and shows their charm and growth, musical and otherwise, including talking with the parents.  Unfortunately, though, it doesn't look like they allow embedding so you can see it here, I recommend it.

Instead, here's the latest video and single by The Warning, Disciple.

What seemed to catch me first was the voice.  I like a strong, female rock voice (think Lzzy Hale or Liv Sin).  Then to see her play guitar and sing live was impressive, while the younger sisters were no slouches, either.  Plus, I must admit, I was intrigued by the novelty of what were young kids playing good songs well.  They've grown up a bit now and play tight and loud and have some very good songs out.  I think the best is their most recent EP, Mayday, but that's to be expected as its the first I heard.  I have one earlier album from 2018, Queen of the Murder Scene, that is also very good and a little more diverse.

And if you know me, you know I love the live stuff.  Here's a great livestreamed show I watched almost a month ago.  Live, from Saltillo, Mexico; The Warning.

If they continue their current trajectory I think we'll all be hearing more of them in the future.  They're just about there, and I think one 'hit' song just might break it wide open for them.  Maybe I shouldn't have predicted that, I just know what I like and find interesting to listen to and lately this has been at the top of my list.  It's always fun when I find my next latest-greatest!

Previous LLP Posts:

LLP 1 - Pain
LLP 2 - Nightwish
LLP 3 - Die Antwoord
LLP 4 - Pain part 2
LLP 5 - Andrew Bird LIVE
LLP 6 - Nightwish part 2
LLP 7 - Paramore
LLP 8 - Newsted
LLP 9 - U.D.O. LIVE
LLP 10 - Nightwish Imaginaerum Movie
LLP 11 - Kiss
LLP 12 - Rick Springfield
LLP 13 - Hyrax
LLP 14 - In This Moment
LLP 15 - Faster Pussycat LIVE
LLP 16 - Sebastian Bach
LLP 17 - Cradle Of Thorns
LLP 18 - Amaranthe
LLP 19 - Lindemann
LLP 20 - Halestorm
LLP 21 - Garbage LIVE
LLP 22 - Arcade
LLP 23 - Nightwish LIVE
LLP 24 - Ace Frehley
LLP 25 - Darkc3ll
LLP 26 - Dementia
LLP 27 - Rammstein
LLP 28 - Marilyn Manson LIVE
LLP 29 - The Harp Twins LIVE
LLP 30 - Diamante
LLP 31 - Steel Panther LIVE
LLP 32 - Scum Of The Earth

LLP 33 - Marty Friedman LIVE
LLP 34 - Buckethead LIVE
LLP 35 - Alice Cooper LIVE
LLP 36 - Poppy

LLP 37 - Code Orange

LLP 38 - Wargasm UK

LLP 39 - The Warning

Beef, Vacation and Weather

This morning I took a road trip north to pick up our next quarter cow, three days short of when we picked up the last one last year and our sixth quarter cow overall.  I mentioned recently that we were about to call them when they had a devastating fire, so I wound up waiting and just called them on Monday.  We expected 4-6 weeks until it would be ready, and that's what they said on Monday, but I got the call that it was ready to pick up on Wednesday as I was recovering from anesthesia while still in the hospital.  Turns out, our order for a split half just worked out well with other orders they currently had so was available much sooner.  We weren't about to complain, and I had the time for a road trip this morning.  It was a little over an hour's drive each way so I was home by noon easily.  A pretty uneventful drive, though I did pass through spots of sun, clouds, and three separate spells of snow flurries along the way.

When I got there this morning I saw firsthand what was left of the building that had burned.  Most had been already removed, but there was an adjacent building that had been boarded off on that end and you could see the blackened remnants on it.  They had a makeshift office and store in one of their production buildings and were selling sausage and other products from a nearby meat plant that had been helping them recover with use of their facilities to continue business for their workers and customers.  The employees were in good spirits and looking forward to getting back to full capacity and the new building they would be getting built.  We were glad to give them our business.

We expected it to cost more this year, not due to their circumstance but everything else that has been going on in the world, and while it does go up a bit each time it's still better than grocery store prices.  This time it was smaller, 108 pounds compared to 131 last year, and $5.98 per pound, up from $5.21 last year.  Still a good deal and we're glad to have it.  But we do have a few steaks and a couple pounds of hamburger to eat yet from last year's cow.

Otherwise, we've been teased with Spring weather now and again though it has definitely not fully arrived yet.  We still have some leftover snow from several inches that fell earlier in the week and temperatures have still been mostly below freezing.  Pictured here is how the back yard looks currently, still a smattering of snow and no thoughts of any fires or outdoor chores quite yet.  Milder temperatures are expected this coming week and I hope this will be a definite turn of the corner towards Spring.

So that's about it for this vacation week, it was nice but for the medical stuff and I will have another week off in 2 months to look forward to.  And I still have the weekend here before I must turn my attention to work matters again.  Stay well, everyone.

And Another Thing!

March.  A bit of Spring, a bit of Winter, and a whole lot of dirty snow piles, bare trees and filthy, dormant grass.  We've had melting and freezing, puddles and ice sheets.  Temperatures have been teasingly warm then plunge below freezing again.  We've only had about half the snow we normally get, but it's not over yet.  Today's high is 60ºF (16ºC) - highest of the year so far - while a week from today only 29ºF (-2ºC) expected.  Today is also rainy with thunderstorms expected tonight and there is snow possible next weekend.  March is a necessary evil, but at least we know we're going in the right direction.

The last few weeks have been extra stressful for me.  Work has been very busy and I have so many extra projects on my plate and keep hitting obstacles in trying to accomplish anything.  Home has been difficult recently but hoping to get that moving in the right direction again just like the weather will be.  I was going to write about work in more detail last weekend, but it would have just sounded like complaining as I really can't give details.  Suffice it to say that I took this whole upcoming week off on rather short notice, and they let me.  I had to have off in the middle of the week for a medical procedure and my wife convinced me to just ask for the whole week off.  A very good idea as I had time to use up and will get all my time back at the end of the month.  And it will be very nice to have the time away from work, hopefully get myself a bit more centered again.

Tomorrow I go in for only my second Covid test ever, the first was when I was admitted to the hospital in November.  That may seem strange to some, but I've been mostly holed up at home since I had Covid in early 2020, when you could only get tested if you went to the hospital (that was bursting with Covid at the time).  The numbers have gone down far enough that our local mask mandate expired at the end of last month, though still required at medical facilities and some government buildings while private businesses can decide for themselves.  Fitting to happen while Spring is arriving, but will still feel a bit strange when I do get out.  It's been so long now, and I've spent the last two years on the over side of cautious.  Anyway, I have to have the Covid test a few days prior to going in for a colonoscopy, ahead of schedule do to my recent diverticulitis.  Good times.  At least it was the impetus for a whole week off.

I've been watching while the whole world reacts to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and I like what I'm seeing.  Not just governments and their sanctions, but private businesses shunning Russia in many ways.  I don't like the unnecessary suffering because of this, both Ukrainian and Russian civilians, and I think this may end up being the downfall of Putin.  We can only hope.  It would be nice to see Putin and Trump share a prison cell.  Sounds like a late-night television sitcom, doesn't it?

Enough for now.  I'm seeing some sun peek out so hopefully there is a chance for a good walk sometime today between showers.  Have a good weekend, everyone.

February This-And-Thats

It's been mostly another slow, winter week around here.  We're way below normal snow totals so far, and most days recently have been very cold, but there was one day that got above freezing and I took advantage by taking a good walk during a long work meeting.  Aside from the weather (for a change!) there are a few things I'd like to touch upon, so time to start typing again and see what spills onto the page.

• I've not gone back for another try at the labyrinth, and just as well.  I thought about it briefly yesterday morning but the temperature was about the same as last week.  Not sure I would've gone even if it had been nicer.
• "The Mitten" is still along the bike path, and while it looks like it's been there for some time now all panels are still intact.  I've not crossed the road in some time to see the second half but its probably the same.  And no, I've still not heard the story behind how it came to be there.
• 
  Covid numbers are going down and my cabin fever numbers are going up, so I want to start venturing out again.  Last weekend was the first time I've gone out to lunch since before Christmas, and today I'm going to make a useful but not absolutely necessary trip out to the hardware store.  Maybe I've been too careful about it since it started getting bad again last fall.  I know lots of people are pretty much acting like normal now and have been for quite some time.  I guess I'm just very wary.
• I have an appointment with the surgeon again tomorrow about my ongoing diverticulitus issues.  I've not had a flare-up since the last time I wrote about it, but I did have a scare a little over a week ago that thankfully did not progress.  My diet has pretty much gone back to normal except for minor changes.  And I started eating dairy again without taking lactaid and seem to be handling it as well as I did before all this.  If I'm ever on antibiotics again I will be very, very cautious about it, though.
• We recently decided it was time to order another quarter cow again and from the same place we got it last time, then they had a devastating fire.  It was mostly the offices that were lost, but they're still in the process of reorganizing and completing their existing orders with the help of other meat processing companies in the area and will not be ready to take any more orders until at least next week.  We liked them and want to support them, so will wait until they are ready.

Today is Superbowl Sunday.  My Packers had a very disappointing loss in the first round of the playoffs so I don't really have a dog in this fight.  I like things about both teams so I'm just hoping for a good game to watch.  Aside from my errand, we're not going to be leaving the house at all today.  My wife has a nacho day planned for us with all the fixins to go along with the pomp and circumstance of the big game.  Yes, we really miss socializing and having people over.  Hopefully soon.

The Labyrinth

Late yesterday morning I set off to see and walk the Labyrinth at Olbrich Park, made out of donated Christmas trees after the holidays.  There's a short video about it here.  A peaceful, meditative walk sounded like something I could really use and I hoped to visit before there were too many people since it was a weekend.  There weren't so many people when I got there, but it was anything but peaceful.  I guess no one read the sign at the entrance.  Or, more likely, they just didn't care.

There was an entrance area by the parking lot made of old Christmas trees, then along the right side of the path to the labyrinth they had several different types of trees used as Christmas trees displayed and labelled, more kinds than I thought there were, actually.  Then at the labyrinth I noticed small children making noise and running around as kids do.  Parents stood around in the labyrinth talking, blocking the walkways, or else walking in pairs being anything but contemplative.  And a dog walker taking several minutes to dig her phone out of her backpack while it continued to ring or more likely an alarm.

I managed to get halfway through, well, not quite due to people gathered in the middle, then stepped over the tree branches lining the paths to leave.  There was simply no way to use the labyrinth as it was meant at this time.  On the way back to the car I really noticed how cold it was.  I had never checked the temperature before I left, but it was only 6ºF when I got home.  If I realized that I might not have gone in the first place.  Maybe I'll try again after work some warmer day this week, but this visit was not the experience I hoped it would be.

DNA Testing

For Christmas I got one of those DNA testing kits for me and my wife.  It had always sounded interesting to me and seeing it on sale and needing gift ideas I finally got them, the two-three and me one for health and ancestry.  We submitted them several weeks ago and we both got our results recently.

While the results are an interesting read I can't help but feel a bit underwhelmed.  There's a lot of fluff to go through to find results and numbers you want to see, but that's more of a website navigation issue, I think.  And no, I do not want to do a ton of surveys or pay $29 a year for more underwhelming reports and features, thank you.

I thought I'd find the health portion more interesting but thankfully I tested negative for all variants they look for, no predispositions and not a carrier.  The wellness and traits section where they give you a percentage of likeliness I do find interesting, and while many do reflect my actual traits some do not.  It correctly gives me a bigger chance of not being able to match a musical pitch or be bitten by mosquitoes, but also says I'm less likely to be afraid of heights or likely to have fair skin.  Almost all with varying percentages.  99% chance I don't have red hair, 1% I do; 58% chance I do not have cheek dimples, 42% I do.  Yes, interesting information upon first read but nothing that you can really do anything with our about.

The ancestry report was more interesting, but about what I would have expected.  Growing up, I was always told that I was 75% German and 25% Irish (a simplified guess, I'm sure, but easy to understand), and the results weren't that far off and had a few other odd finds, like I have more Neanderthal DNA than 64% of their other customers at less than 2%, whatever that really means.

98.8% Northwestern European.  Not surprising, I know I'm not Native American.  Of that:

44.2% British and Irish.  County Dublin and Greater London appear to be at the top, but it does list 18 other regions.

40.2% French & German.  Not sure why they lump these together.  A closer look shows all to be regions of Germany and Netherlands.  No berets for me.

8.9% Scandinavian.  I hadn't expected that, but it seems I have some roots in Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

5.2% Broadly Northwestern European.  Apparently all the above but unidentifiable.

0.3% Finnish.  This made me smile, but only because I'm a fan of Nightwish.

Then outside of Northwestern European it tells me I am 1.0% Ashkenazi Jewish and 0.2% of trace ancestry.  Go figure.

There's also a section where I can connect with family members and lists several of my actual relatives who must also have done the same test.  So it knows who I am and who I am related to now.  And the other day I received an invitation to share ancestry from someone I don't know.  You are given their name and after a quick google search I found she lives with her family in a town south of here.  Likely a second cousin, but I have not responded and not sure I will.

I don't think I want to dive into this that much and make connections and start a family tree or anything like that.  But I'm glad I finally did it and while interesting it does not change anything or is really of any help for anything.  Maybe I'll change my mind in the future, but for now I'll just let this simmer for a while.

Cold, Cold Nights

It was -15ºF when I got up this morning, and -5ºF when I took this video at 10:00 a.m. of the view out the window from my desk.  (That's -26 and -21 in Celsius, my friends.) 

Spike (of the Quireboys) sings Frankie Miller - Cold, Cold Nights

Coldest Week?

I was outside this evening after taking out the recyclables, pondering a recent pile of poop on the snow that had already turned white and the tracks of the likely culprit.  No rabbit or other small animal, but larger and dog-like, judging by the gait.  My wife thinks it was a fox, and while the dog population in the area is much larger you rarely see one off-leash.  The tracks disappeared among the rabbit tracks back in the corner of the yard by the lilac.

Then my nose started to hurt.  It was maybe 2 minutes of being outside, but only 7ºF (-14ºC).

They said on the news this morning that this week is typically our coldest week each year.  Not sure how they determine it since weeks change a bit year to year, but okay.  I like my interesting facts to be more definitive, I guess.  Either way, it's cold.  There is no high temperature in the 10 day forecast that gets up to the freezing point.  As I write this it is already down to 3ºF.

Not a reason to like where I live, but we take it as it goes.

Here's a cool picture of Madison that I saw on this website.  Appears to be late in the day during a warmer time of year, looking northeast over downtown.  One of the best city regulations is a limit on building height on the isthmus and around the capitol building.  That's our house, top right.  ;)

Happy birthday this week to my lovely wife, who hates having it during the coldest week of the year.

The Mitten

Every Monday morning at work we have a short meeting of the department, since yesterday was a holiday we had the meeting today.  For this short meeting I like to call in to listen and take a quick walk around the block, weather permitting, as both usually take about 10 minutes.  This morning during this short walk I noticed some signs, a story placed along our section of the bike path.  It seemed to begin here, but I did see signs across the road on the bike path, too, so not a completed story on this walk.

Today is a bit above freezing, and the next several days will be much colder, so after work I set out for the rest of the walk to get to the end of the story.  At this time I also noticed the very first sign, a title card, that I had missed before at the end of the street by the canoe slide.  A neighbor from up the street soon caught up to me and I let her know what I was doing and she was very helpful righting signs in the melting snow so I could take a picture of them.  You can enlarge the pictures here, but the print is small so provided below the pictures, 16 in all.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present:  The Mitten

Once there was a boy named Nicki who wanted his new mittens made from wool as white as the snow.

Continued after the break!