The Last Plant Update, I Promise*

I started showing this view and I will see it through to the end!  Which is now.  The irises are almost in full bloom, and again most are yellow and only a couple pink and one purple have emerged.  I bought a small fence to put around them, about 6 weeks too late but it works.  It's really for when they get heavy and flop over.

This may be it for the week.  I am on mandatory overtime this week so I will be earlier to rise and earlier to bed.

*For this and for now.

Just A Plant Update

Once again, I was taking photos for the garden blog and I snapped another of the flower bed out back to show the growth that's happened in just the last week or so.  The irises have shot up their buds and there's even one or two open already.  Mostly they are a pale, dirty yellow (the ones that were here when we moved in) but there are also pink and purple mixed in that we got from a friend at my work a couple years ago.  The alium (purple puffballs) are also at the height of their bloom right now.

The weather this Spring has been odd.  After a very mild Winter, March had temps in the 70's and 80's, April was mostly a more seasonal 50's with the obligatory 'April showers' and May is looking good so far with 70's projected for the next week or more.

Cinco De Mayo Peeps*

*Update 5/15/12.  I combined all three videos into one using youtube's editor feature (for the first time).  Only one video now, and no page break.  Original written post remains.  Enjoy!

So yesterday, Cinco de Mayo was an excuse for us to have some friends over for some food, drinks and a fire.  Well, 'Saturday' would have been a good enough excuse but now there was a reason to play odd Mexican music in our house for an evening.  The food, drinks and socializing around the fire in the back yard were the main attraction.  I eventually remembered the camera, so after snapping a few bad pics, someone called for video when the orange peep toasting was about to start, and I was 'happy' (read: intoxicated) enough to oblige...

Here is the first of three videos I took in a short period of time.  It sets the table with what is going on.  After the break are two short videos of sacrificing the last peeps, with a bit of a frantic save, an accidental turning off the video, and the last video is the restart, seconds later, to finish it all off.
We had a very fun night with friends and this was just one of our small adventures, the funny peep finale videos after the break!

As soon I saw the peeps fall off, I jumped up to get them back up to where they would burn and not be a sticky mess on the side. The camera was lost to me until after, I had no idea I was catching myself from below, and even accidentally hit the 'off' button when I picked it back up, thus the short part 3 video, next.

Our thanks to all that came out, we had a great night with you!

Hurray, Hurray! The First Of May!...

...Outdoor Humping Starts Today! - Buzz Burbank - every year.

Happy May Day, Masturbation Month, Memorial Day, Mother's Day, and any other Day for the month, just so we're covered.  First off, I'm a day late, I know it.  Second, I think I just mentioned two things in the same sentence that can be rather disturbing...  No, don't read back!

My wife has been chastising me lately for not posting so much.  I work hard on a computer all day, I get tired.  Posting isn't just a hammer-it-out thing for me, I can read and re-read several times, sometimes, trying to get it just right.  Even now, trying not to, I have edited my previous sentence, dang it.  How about I just get right to it, eh?

I was out taking pictures of the garden for a post over on my garden blog, when I decided to take a few pictures of all the plants that we have coming up and growing in our yard.  It is a yard plant pic dump, of sorts.  First off, is a pic of the alium (purple puff balls) finally opening.  Lots more after the break if you wish to view the rest!

Pic Dump 40

40, huh?  Time flies.  As my pic dumps approach middle age, all the same rules apply.  I have 50 plus pics to share (and dump off my computer) that I have saved in my travels through the internet since my last pic dump.  Some will shock, some will amaze and some will leave you shaking your head in befuddlement, but most are hilariously humorous!  For the most part, they just caught my eye at the right time and I saved them to share just with you.  Some may be (will be) NSFW, click the pic for original size if different (although blogger may be doing a slide show thing now, I think), much more after the break and just...  Enjoy!

First off, from right here in Madison, Wisconsin, featured in our Dane County Jail since late last year, whats-his-name!  This made the rounds in the national media due to his legal name, changed last November if I remember right, shortly before he was jailed.  He's a bit of an interesting story, look it up if you wish.  Google should have no problem confusing him with anyone else!


Once again, many thanks to 'My Favorite Sites' listed in the right column always, and here now:
Bits & Pieces, Crazy, Lazy, Silly and Strange, I Have Seen The Whole Of The Internet, Naughty Bits, and the Watcher's Web Funny Farm.

Imaginaerum Trailer

Nightwish released the trailer for their upcoming movie, Imaginaerum, this morning.


A couple times in the last few months I've posted a Latest Listening Pleasure... post, first featuring Pain, and then Nightwish.  I like that idea and I think you may be seeing that again around here.  Now, when that happens may be few and far between at times.  As of right now, over 90 percent of what I am listening to is still either Pain or Nightwish! 

Late Night Cruise Through The Ghetto

Space Ghetto.  Here's an interesting tribute to one of the sites that I look at when I'm done doing anything meaningful or productive on the internet.  There is much good in the ghetto, even though this song refers more to the scroll-scroll-scroll stuff, if you know what I mean.  Needless to say, NSFW, and I still will not link to it, or it's lesser (divorcee) site.  Enjoy!

Save Yourselves!

Maybe, if more people felt like this, change could happen.  Warning: NSFW.

The Amazing Athiest

Friday, Fish, Friends, Fun & Family

Happy Friday, everyone!  Even though I am loving my new job, nothing beats the weekend.  It is Spring, which means that I have lots I want (and some I need) to get done and hopefully still enjoy some good down time.  I'm not posting my list, what gets done gets done and I can talk about that later.  What doesn't get done just stays on the list.

We have our new TV all set up on the new TV stand in the living room.  Wait.  I mentioned that last week.  I didn't mention the party we had last weekend.  Oh, I did?  Well, it was fun and it was nice to see friends that we don't seem to see as much as we used to - but Summer is coming!  I guess this last week has been mostly work, sleep and computer for me.  For Kate it was work, sleep, cook, plan meals, look up recipes on her iphone and think about cooking.  Really, she should start a food blog - except I'm usually on the computer.  Hmm.

Speaking of Kate, she is out for fish with her dad right now.  Me, I really don't enjoy fish.  And I'm tired.  Waaah. Oh, I heard that someone in my immediate family had a surgery recently - and it wasn't me!  It seems my brother's gallbladder was disagreeing with him.  I remember when we were kids, his appendix was disagreeing with him.  Perhaps it is him who is disagreeable.  I wonder what's next?  Seriously, all my best to you, Kevin.  No horseplay with the kids for a few days and milk all the sympathy from the Mrs. that you can!  Ta!


Edit:  I almost forgot, I recently wished a fellow blogger a happy blogday and totally missed my own days later.  April 8 was three years and counting!

Flower Bed Pic

Since I went out to take pics of the garden for a post over at my garden blog, I took a pic of the plants at the back of the house from the same perspective for a third time now, I think.  The irises are healthy and there will be purple puffballs over on the right.  Kate's flamingo is flapping among the irises.

Work, Work, Play - In A GOOD Way

It seems to have been busy this week.  Maybe not.

I just couldn't pass up a chance to post Milton!

This is my fourth week in my new position at work.  While the training will continue for a few more weeks, now I am just working at what I know and they are slowly introducing each new job and giving me time to do it and learn it.  Each week will bring a new task to learn now, otherwise I'll just be doing the normal work.  Tasks rotate between most of us weekly or daily, depending on the task. 

I still arrive with a smile on my face every day since the move up.  I was commenting to my wife about how everyone smiles at me and is helpful when I realized that, well, I'm always smiling at them so maybe that helps them smile back.  The work atmosphere is so much different, more professional than my old department.  I am very happy.  That's about all I'll say about that then.

We now have the new TV stand in the living room, all set up with the old TV on it.  Now we just have to swap it out when the new one arrives - it is finally ordered and should be here soon!  The old entertainment center is half deconstructed and away in the bin already, the rest is sitting on the porch waiting to be dismantled and disposed of, probably over the next two weekly pickups.

My wife has been busy all week doing all that she does for us and our home.  On top of that, we will be having several people over tomorrow evening for food, wine and entertaining.  It's acually a friend's party, she's just having it here and we are happy to oblige.

On a personal note, all our best goes out to our sick young cousin.  And happy homecoming to Grandma W!  Maybe me and Sis will make another trip to see the grandmas soon, while we luckily still can.

A Good Friday To Catch Up

It is a good Friday, today.  My wife and I are fortunate enough to have a half day off.  We started by going out to lunch and have since been discussing upcoming projects.  Mostly we have been walking the yard and weighing the recently cooler weather (frost warning last night) against when to plant all the plants that we have ready to go.  I think we decided that today is our 'take it easy' day, while tomorrow will be a 'work' day.  So since I have some time, and since I haven't posted in a week, let me tie up some loose ends and put other ones out there.

• First off, the live webcasts I talked about in the last post were fun to watch.  Kiss was a bit disturbing for me to view as Paul Stanley has clearly has lost most of his vocal range and power.  Gene Simmons is fatter, and the other two, while good, just ain't the originals.  TMOS's live theater show the next night was a lot of fun to watch.  Since I bought access to that one I still can watch it and plan to once more, maybe this weekend if I find the time.
• Last Saturday my friend Jerome came over and helped me put the TV stand together.  Everything went as it should and we got the 'parts' box all taped up and ready to ship out.  UPS picked it up on Monday, so that mess should be settled now.  The next step, and part of tomorrow's activities, will be to move it in to the living room and move the old one out to the porch for disassembly and disposal, probably a bit in the bin each week, which shouldn't be a problem since we usually put it out only every other week.
• On Tuesday morning an electrician stopped by before my wife left for work and did the quick job of putting in plugs under the sink so we didn't have to run the new dishwasher with an extension cord.  We are happy to finally have it done as it has been a longer process than it normally would be.  It seems their carpenter's wife is doing better, and this is a good, local, mom-and-pop plumbing place that has been real good to us in the past, so we dealt with the extra time.  Quality and customer service are important to us.
• Plants are getting bigger outside but there isn't anything more blooming yet to post any pics, and hostas sprouting up are pretty bland.  Over time I'm sure we'll have more early spring blooms, the creation of our flowerbeds is an ongoing, year to year process.  There was a frost scare last night.  I don't think we got any frost in our neighborhood, but I did see patches on lawns and cars on my way to work this morning.  Boy, March gave us a good glimpse of Summer, but recently it has been more seasonal.  Actually normal or even 5-10 degrees warmer for this time of year instead of the 30 plus degrees above normal last month.
• Speaking of the frost scare, you may notice a new look if you venture over to my garden blog, listed on the right. It's nothing special, but it is a wider format, maintains the green color scheme, and doesn't mess up the older posts too much. Further editing and template changes may occur when I have time to follow up and explore other options. Also, I added a link to a friend's new blog in the right column of my garden blog. He enjoys his garden and pond so much, I encouraged him to give it it's own website with Blogger and he has. It is early for this year, but he has many great pics of his gardenpond from last year up. Go to my garden blog and you'll see the link in the right column. I don't want to be too direct because he doesn't know I'm linking to it yet...(but if he knows how to use his stats he'll figure it out!) 
• Lastly, but not leastly, I want to wish a Happy 6th Blogday to fellow blogger, Delcatto!  I think I recently said he's like one of my best friends I've never met.  I mean it, but I was probably drinking when I said it.  ;-)   All my best, Del!  Here's to many more (*raises glass while drinking whiskey on Friday afternoon*)! 

That's about it.  Bullet points let me catch up on many topics all at once, thank you for listening.  I still have a post brewing about my new position and training at work.  While Delcatto's recent training seems much more intense, I'm still pinching myself gleefully.  Happy Easter, if that's your thing, we'll be meeting with the in-laws to celebrate father-in-law's birthday.  Whatever you're doing this weekend, I hope it is as fun and productive as I hope mine is!  Ta.
P.S.  A belated welcome to my newest follower and all around nice guy, MCW from Crazy Lazy, Silly and Strange!