Blogging Thoughts

I've noticed lately that Pic Dump 14 has been getting a lot of hits.  I'm not sure how to use all those statistics provided by Google Analytics, or Bloggers new Stats feature either, or else maybe I could figure out why.  It's not that important, I guess.  If I knew why it was so popular though, I would try to do the same thing every time. 

I received more hits in the past month than any other since I've started this blog.  Of course, I attribute that to family and friends checking in because of my broken leg.  It's nice to know some people care, even if they don't comment.  I expect my numbers to go back down to their usual lows soon.  I could really try to comment more on other blogs, try to get on other's blog rolls, and self promote my site more.  But that's not really me.  I do speak up elsewhere and leave my address sometimes, but not too often.

I am a creature of habit.  Most of the bloggers listed on the right I have read for a long, long time.  I've seen them grow and change and used that when I started my own page.  I don't remember where exactly it started, perhaps with Diamond Geezer or Random Acts of Reality, but I started reading several blogs from the UK.  I've always had an interest in that part of the world so I'm sure I gravitated that way.  Over time that list has dwindled to what you see on the right.  Some know of me, some don't.  Some are friendly, some seem intimidating to me.  I still feel like I'm a fake blogger compared to them much of the time.

I'm just me, though, and for some that is good enough.  I could certainly have a worse hobby...

On Bended Knee

Friday night friends came over for a few hours (and a few drinks).  That was fun.  It was the first time in a month I really felt like I was sociable.  My wife said they wanted to do that the first Friday after I was out of the hospital but she called it off.  She said I was not ready for visitors and looking back she was right.  That first 2 weeks I was not really ready for extended visits.  Anyway, friends came over and I felt kind of like a real person with a real life again for a little while.  It was nice.

I'm still unable - or too uncomfortable - to be going out and about.  Technically I guess I could do anything my wife helps me do, but I would be taking a bigger chance of losing my balance or fatiguing my good leg and taking a fall.  This should change once I'm allowed to put some weight on my healing leg and I can bend my knee again.  Even to go back to work I will first have to be able to bend my knee so I can sit in a normal chair.  Right now, if you look at my leg as 180 degrees, I can bend it maybe 10 degrees at the most.  This has to be because of the swelling.  It bends just a little then I feel an internal pressure that just won't allow it to go further.

Most of all, I miss walking.  My good leg gets tired quickly when I'm up and about and my hands are getting sore from supporting my weight when I do move.  I have 2 more weeks until my next appointment so I'm not expecting anything to change at least until then.  Having this broken leg grows tiresome, more and more the longer it takes...

Phoenix On Letterman

Hello, nothing special happening lately.  I did see this on the internet this morning, though.  Remember Joaquin Phoenix' freaky interview on The Late Show a year and a half ago?  Well, he returned to David Letterman last night to admit that it was all a joke.  All made up for a documentary on his career change to rap singer that really isn't a documentary.  I think it's great how Dave seems actually pissed and wants a million bucks for being a patsy in the movie.  I hope he sues his pants off!  LOL

Pic Dump 21

I hope everybody had a nice weekend.  Nothing special happened here except for football, of course.  Both the Badgers and the Packers won, but this isn't a sports blog so you can read about that elsewhere.  For the most part I am just biding my time while my leg heals.  Not too exciting.  I have nothing to do all day but eat, sleep, read, watch TV(ugh) and surf the internet to pass the time.  Mostly I surf the internet.  I find that preferable to mindlessly looking at the idiot box.  I'd like to get drunk.  I have had a few drinks lately, mostly during football games, but not enough to say I was drunk.  The last thing I need right now is to topple over in my walker and hurt myself some more, so anything more than a couple is out of the question right now.  Besides, I don't know if it's because my taste buds are coming back since I quit smoking or the painkillers I'm taking, but whiskey just doesn't taste as good as it used to before the accident. 

Anyway, with all my web surfing I have already collected more than enough pics for another Pic Dump.   So like it or not, here's the third one in just over a week.  (I'll try to be more discriminating in the future.)  As always, discretion is advised after the break, click on the pic to see the original size.   Enjoy!

Speaking of drinking, here's a funny map.  There's a good chart related to drinking near the end, too.

Talk Like A Pirate Day

Today is Talk Like A Pirate Day!   ARRRrr, matey!! 

"In the eight years since Dave Barry mentioned us in his nationally syndicated newspaper column, what once was a goofy idea celebrated by a handful of friends has turned into an international phenomenon that shows no sign of letting up....every September 19 (and sometimes for days before and after)!"

Get Well Card

So I was perfectly happy being miserable all afternoon when I decided to check the mail just a bit ago.  One of the letters was a Get Well card from work.  I work with some very nice people and I know a card goes around when someone is out for a while, but it still caught me off guard in a very good way.  I want to say a great big thank you to everyone at work.  Today was a great day to get this, it really lifted my spirits.

                                  Thank You!!



Gloomy Day

It's a gloomy day outside and with not much sleep last night my mood has matched the weather.  I'm stressed because I'm not able to do much, my wife is stressed out because everything is up to her now.  I'm stressed because -besides not being able to do anything- I don't want my wife to be upset yet there seems to be nothing I can do to help, which just stresses her out more.  I can't help her by telling her what needs to be done, she knows.  I can't mow the lawn, I can't take out garbage, hell I can't bathe by myself yet.  This kinda really sucks.

I'll get over it and we'll be fine.  In a few weeks my leg will be healed and things will get back to normal.  But for today (at least until my wife comes home) I think I'll just let myself wallow in self pity and be miserable.  Confession over.

The Internet Sucked Today

With nothing else to do you'd think I'd find something I wanted to write about.  Well,

It happens.

Pic Dump 20: People In Animal Costumes

Another Pic Dump!  And so soon since the last?  Well, I have extra time on my hands these days.  Lucky you!

Quite some time ago I asked my wife, Kate, what kinds of pics she found funny.  She said that people in animal costumes are always funny!  So, I started saving those pics as I came across them for a dedicated pic dump.  Now, I did not do any specific searches trying to find these pics, I just saved them from my internet travels, so this post has been some time in the making.  The problem is there's just not that many of them out there, so I had to stretch the parameters quite a bit.

What follows are people in animal costume pics, people in other costume pics, animals in animal costume pics, even one animal in a people costume!  As with all pic dumps, discretion may be advised after the break.  Click on pic to see original size.  Enjoy!

Poor guy......  He must be fixed!

Herman Rarebell - Take It As It Comes

Herman Ze German (from The Scorpions) with some good advice:

Green Bay Opening Day!

Today is the opening day for my Green Bay Packers!  Expectations are high for the Packers this year, I just hope to see them do well one week at a time and perhaps we will have reason to be very excited at the end of the season.  Anyway, in honor of opening day, I am spotlighting my favorite Packer ever since he was a Badger, #65 Mark Tauscher.

Today's Wisconsin State Journal has a good article on his 'comeback' last season here.  And being a Wisconsin native and playing his whole college and pro career in the state prompted Travelwisconsin.com, Wisconsin's tourism board, to ask him to do a weekly blog about the state during this season.  The article about that is here, and the actual blog should be found here.  You didn't think I was going to write my own stuff, did you? 

Wherever you are I hope you are a Packers fan, if not then at least root for them for me!  I plan on enjoying the hell out of the game today against the Eagles.  It won't be easy starting the season in Philadelphia, but I think Tauscher, Rodgers, and co. will do well.


Go Pack Go!!

Pic Dump 19

It's time for another Pic Dump!  A collection of pics that I have come across recently that have caught my eye for one reason or another.  These aren't all meant to be funny pics, and that may be evident more so this time than in times past.  I may have an eye for thought provoking, sometimes artsy, and just plain weird pics as well.  As always, discretion may be required after the break.  Click the pic to see original size.  Enjoy!

253rd!  Poor girl..............      Now that's funny!