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!

(At Least) 4 More Weeks

I had my 2-week follow-up appointment this morning.  It started with x-rays, followed by removing the staples.  There may not have been 100 staples as I commented to my sister the other day, but there were at least 50.  And yes, they hurt like hell to be pulled, but I survived.   My leg is still swollen and puffy.  When I touch my knee I can't feel it yet, which is a very strange, disconcerting feeling.  So I decided I just won't touch it for a while.  On the bright side, at least I can shower now.

The most shocking thing was that when the PA came in he put up this morning's x-rays right away before I had a chance to brace myself.  Wow.  Of this type of break, I really went all out.  It was broken in two different directions.  I now have an 8 or 9 inch metal rod in my leg with four 4 inch screws in the bottom of my femur (in the top of my knee joint) and two 2 inch screws above at the other end of the metal rod.  Eventually I may try to get some images so I can show you here, but trust me when I say I really broke it terribly.  My next appointment is in 4 weeks.  Until then I still can't put any weight on that leg, and so I will be completely off work until I can be re-evaluated in a month.

At least 4 more weeks.  Sigh.  That's a long time with not much to do.  All I can hope for is that my leg continues to feel more and more comfortable and I can improve my mobility even just a little.   I have improved since the surgery 2 weeks ago, so I must remember that and just let myself take the time to heal.  Yeah, that's it.

I Bought A Poncho The Other Day

I had a computer and time on my hands.  It's one of those things that I have never had yet always wanted.   They just seem like they'd be comfortable and functional for some situations and/or weather.

About 20 years ago I saw a poncho in a store that I really liked but, for reasons I can't recall, I never bought it.  I have regretted that ever since and have always kind of kept my eye out for one but never see any for sale.  So with that thought, free time, and permission from my wife I went about searching for one.  It wasn't as easy I thought - which makes me think I don't have fashion to worry about.  Fashion only matters as much to me as any other typical 40 something male, anyway.

I wanted black, but in the interest of dirt and lint, I got a gradated gray.  It has a hood, is made of sheep and alpaca wool and comes from Bolivia.  I got it here, less than 50 bucks total, and it should arrive in 10 days or so.  I really hope I really like it, but it's probably not smart to wear it while I still have to use crutches or a walker...

The Hospital Stay, Briefly

Generally the hospital stay was the necessary experience that you would expect.  It started out fine, Friday night after the surgery, with competent, nice, nurses who took good care of me.  When I started to see the nurse's aides on the day shifts is when I got nervous and worried.  These were people who seemed underqualified to say "do you want fries with that?"  It culminated in the last nurse I had on Sunday being downright scary.  She didn't seem to have confidence in what she was doing, so how were we to be confident in her?  She didn't even know how to operate the bed I was in.  But mostly she pissed me off when she gave me the wrong meds on Sunday afternoon.  I hadn't noticed at the time, but it sure explains why I got so drowsy!  We wound up voicing our displeasure to anyone who would listen, and had a talk with the head nurse about her before I was discharged.  We couldn't get me out of there fast enough that day. 

I've had the misfortune to be hospitalized a couple times in my life, and the quality of care has gone down each time.  I guess this is just a reflection of the times we live in, unfortunately.

Broken Leg: Week Two

Hello people, family, friends, peers, lurkers and random visitors.  I hope all of you enjoyed your 3 day weekend, if you were so lucky.  We would have been but, of course, we were both off work already.

My wife returned to work this morning for a half day, getting me all set up in my chair with everything I might need before she left.  I have been encouraging her to go back, I need to be more self sufficient during the day hours.  I had been working on my mobility with a walker (broken thigh, remember?) this holiday weekend and can now get myself around the house and in and out of chairs the way I need to.  After this she will work full days tomorrow and Thursday, maybe with an extended lunch break that she will use to come home and check in on me.  Then only in the afternoon Friday so she can get me to my leg appointment in the morning.

I know she has been upset with me a few times since getting me home from the hospital.  Mostly because I had been a jackass, frustrated with my own limitations.  But she has been wonderful to me this whole time.  If I had any doubt that she loved me, well, she has seen me at my lowest and still has never turned away from anything.  For that and so much more,  I love her more than anything.  When things are more normal I want to do something very nice for her.

Friday morning is the first follow-up appointment, a full fortnight after the surgery.  I won't even be seeing the orthopaedist, I will be seeing his PA.  I have never had staples before, I don't know if they will be removed then, but I am a little worried they will hurt.  (They're metal friggin' staples in my leg!)  I should get a clearer idea of when I may get back to work though, among other things.  I still have not seen my original x-ray.  I don't think I want to see it yet, but I may request a printout of the before and the after x-rays, in a sealed envelope for 'someday'...

I know I haven't recounted the hospital stay yet, so I may just touch upon that next.  It was kind of an eye-opening visit for me, but I'll explain that later.   Good Day!

A Hunter Shoots A Bear

I found this fun to play with!  Do it!

Leg Meds!

Well, here is my surgically repaired right leg and meds I am taking.  I tried to make it look like an exclamation mark (!).  Eh, what can I say, I'm bored.  But the Badgers open their season tonight at UNLV!  I will be up for that despite the 10:00 pm start!

Recounting The ER

Well, I said I would recount my visit to the ER.  I was in exceptional pain at that time, so the following is the gist of what I can remember in that haze.  Facts may differ slightly, as may the timeline of some things.   This may be hard to read for those close to me.  It is upsetting for me to write.

The ambulance guys were nice, efficient and professional, and very understanding of the amount of pain I was in.  They gave me 100 mg of Fentanil, I think.  It seemed to me to be the most they could do.  When I got to the ER they told that to the nurse and also told them that it didn't even touch my pain.  The nurse shot me up with what she said was a double dose of Dilaudid, which did bring my screams down to a dull roar.  I do remember her saying, "Stop screaming!"  My breathing was still rapid and labored trying to deal with the pain.  This may have been the point that the young ER doctor, who still thought I had just twisted my knee, picked up my leg and straightened it out and back a couple times.  This made me scream bloody murder like I never thought I could.  It. Was. Brutal.  I yelled at him to stop, between my gutteral screams.  What followed was a shot of Morphine that did nothing for me.  I think around now they tried to get x-rays, but I could not be moved so the did their best and did manage to get their pics.  After that everyone was noticably nicer to me - the x-rays showed them how horrific my injury really was - and I got another shot of Dilaudid.  Finally the painkillers stopped my screaming, yet it was wearing off fast.  I begged them to knock me out over and over but I got nothing else until I was in the OR.  At one point I remember a rather large man talking forcefully to me about due to the violent nature of my injury if anyone did this to me or if anything else happened besides what I had told them.  I didn't see him again and, looking back, I believe it may have been some sort of cop.

That is mostly what I remember.  Definitely not everything that happened but in my state at the time I wish I could forget it all.

Edit: I should note that the accident happened at about 4:00 and I was wheeled into OR about 8:00, 4 hours later.  A long 4 hours in some ways.  As quick as they could, I am certain.

Stepping Out, So To Speak

I had a doctor appointment this morning for my upper back.  It just confirmed what I already know but there's not a whole lot to be done about it until this busted thigh bone thingy is more under control (meaning less pain and more mobility).  I don't want to have to go to PT like this and I can't have an MRI with the brace on my leg (not to mention the staples in my leg!).  So, I just have to deal with it until we are better able to treat it.  I did get another prescription that is supposed to help with the inflammation of my back and the nerve that is giving me pain in my arm and numbness in my hand, though.

So this morning was very busy (mostly for Kate, of course) getting me cleaned up, dressed, and transported across town.  Very tiring and trying for both of us.  Shortly after we got home I ended up dozing until just recently, it really wiped me out.  My next scheduled foray out into the world is next Friday, a follow-up appointment for my leg.

I know blogging has been different around here lately.  I am not able to spend much time on the computer so I am trying to let everyone know how we are doing here so they don't feel the need to call constantly.  I know it is all well intentioned, but truthfully I am sick of repeating myself, and that's just to the medical staff!  I told the nurse this morning that I had written out how it happened on my website and I should probably just print it out for the next dozen or so inquirers!

Anyway, this is what I am dealing with so this is what I am writing about.  I want to thank everyone for all their well-wishes and nice comments (even though they don't comment here).

The Fall

We had a nice visit with Lori (from my work) yesterday.  It sounds like the main rumor there is how drunk was he?   Well, lol, sorry to disappoint everybody but I hadn't had a drink at all.  Here's what happened:

I got home from work about 10 or 5 minutes to 4:00.  After dropping off all my junk inside I took a walk out to the back yard to check out the garden and pick up sticks if needed.  This is something that I do almost every day.  I'm still infatuated with being a homeowner so I go out sometimes just to admire what's mine and Kate's.  Strawberry runners are always trying to escape the garden, and the way our tree in back sheds sticks and branches has been well documented here.  All in all, maybe 5 minutes tops.

For some reason I was just doing a fast jog back to the house.  By the side door is a cement landing maybe 7 feet long with two wooden steps down to the back and two cement steps to the front.  I caught my foot going up the back steps and stumbled across the landing and down the other side, landing in a heap.  I laid there, unable to move my leg, for maybe 10 minutes until a neighbor got home and heard me yell.  Time; about 4:10.

She was very helpful.  I expected my wife home about 4:20 unless she had to stay a little late, which is a real possibility on Fridays.  My neighbor called the ambulance, helped clean up the blood off of me, grabbed my ID from inside and locked my doors.  The ambulance arrived followed shortly by my wife, about 4:20.

I don't remember how I fell exactly or anything, I wish I could block out the whole thing.  But there it is in a nutshell.  At a later date I will recount the emergency room.  I have had enough of these memories for now...

I do know that everyone at work has access to read my words here.  That was my choice, this blog isn't about work at all so if they're looking for dirt professionally or even personally it won't be found here.  I share what I choose, but I have no real secrets anyway.  So, if you are a co-worker who reads this, welcome!  If you have any questions or anything to say at all please leave a comment below or email me at scoakatsblog at gmail dot com!

Lost Promotion

Today I was supposed to start training for a new position at my company - a promotion.  HR, my new bosses, and I decided that I would remain in my current position right now.  They can't hold up the class and I would be playing catch-up for months whenever I do return.  All while hobbling to and from work and physical therapy.  I'm disappointed, but there will be other job postings.

Things are hard here at home, too.  The last thing in the world I want to do is frustrate my wife, but it will happen.  I depend on her for everything right now.  (What would a single person with no close family do in this position?  Scary to think.)  I'm trying to get about more on my own but, really, I can only do so much right now.

Good news:  I ordered some books on Monday that will arrive today to help me fill the hours.  And a good friend from work is stopping by briefly this afternoon to lift my spirits and take some of the massive amounts of herbs we have in the garden.  Speaking of which, I had my wife take the end of the month garden pics for me yesterday so I can update my garden blog (listed on the right).

That's it for now.  My time on the computer must be limited to short periods since I sit mostly upright and my leg swells.

Well, That's What I Get For Whining

Friday afternoon, shortly after arriving home from work, I took a helluva spill on the concrete steps outside and broke my right femur.  I spent all weekend in the hospital, arriving home last night.  It was baaad.  I was rushed into surgery as soon as a room was open.  No waiting for the swelling to go down, no pumping my stomach.  Pain, pain, pain.  Son of a bitch...

But I'm okay and being well taken care of, so please don't worry.  It will be a trying couple of months coming up, but I will heal.

I will be away from the computer much of the time, so I will share more when possible.  I don't know what else to say now, so until later...

Whining?

I'm obviously not getting my meds refilled tonight, but I did get an appointment with my regular doctor on Monday.  So I'm not going to feel guilty about indulging in drink just for tonight.  The Packers play in about a half hour and my lovely wife is cooking me corn on the cob and grilled brats right now. 

Who am I to whine about pain?

dammit

Fire Tornado

This is a first for me!  I didn't know this was possible...



Via ZanyPickle!

VY Canis Majoris

Here is a good reminder of how insignificant we really are in the universe.  I love these space/perspective things.


Thanks to Jonco

Paused

I'm still here.  I have been on meds and resting my back all week so I haven't really felt like posting anything.  Finishing the detail work in the bathroom is paused, along with everything else I could be doing.

I'm sure regular posting will resume shortly.  Thank you.

Bathroom Paint Update

So, this little bathroom -that's even mostly tile and shower, not much wall to paint- has been dragging on for several reasons.  First, there was a botched first attempt.  A little too much sand in the paint and only 1 quart of paint, theoretically should have been enough yet not.  So I got to buy an electric sander to make the walls smooth again and a whole gallon of paint for the next go-round.  These pics are before and after the first try.

Sunday the bathroom was repainted correctly and Monday I removed the tape.  All that is left is a little detail work.  I bought one of those tiny brushes to  touch up the paint lines, and I still have to touch up the ceiling a bit where I brushed it accidentally.  I have been waiting and spacing it out so much because of a familiar problem, a back problem.  The same lingering problem for about a month now but I am at my wits end with it.  I may be seeing a doctor tomorrow.  They already gave me drugs once without seeing me. I think they will want to see me for further treatment, we'll see what happens.

TMOS Cartoon II

The paint is just barely tacky, about 24 hours later.  But the tape is down in the bathroom ,the hardware not yet up and some, er, detail work needs to be done.  So no bathroom-redo post today.  It is a big project and I have decided that I hate painting projects.  Good to know with the kitchen coming up yet.  Sigh.

Anyway, for tonight here is a new animation by Strine Studios of  The Mike O'Meara Show, listed on the right.  Pretty safe (little kids won't get it), real (I remember the shows well), and very funny.  Enjoy!



Here's the first one.

Pic Dump 18

When I started these pic dumps they had twenty something pics.  Recently they have been about 50ish per post.  This one may be a few more.  Notice the bacon related pics, I still find them even though I posted a Bacon Pic Dump recently.  The only other specialty pics I'm saving up are people in animal costumes.  A while ago I asked my wife, Kate, what pics she found funny.  She told me that people in animal costumes are always funny, so I'm still accumulating those pics for a future post.  Those pics aren't as common as you might think, either, so I may cheat a little.  That's just a tease for that future post...

As for now, here are more pics than you deserve, that I spent too much time collecting, and no one cares about (other than my sister, Hi Kel!).  Some pics nsfw after the break, so get an efffin' sense of humor.. and... Enjoy!

More after the break, click the pic for actual size.

Finally, Football Is Here!

American Football, for my friends overseas.   The Packers play their first exhibition game tonight at Lambeau Field, in about a half hour!

There has been progress and regress on the bathroom project.  I will try to finish the job tomorrow, and summarize it here.  Plus, my wife had another Happy Hour Party here last night.  Much fun with friends!


But for tonight, it's GO PACK GO!

You And Your Johnson

HAHAHAHAHA!!!   They had to know....

Lynda Carter Dances With 'KISS'

This made me laugh, the Kiss fan that I am.  I love this era of Kiss and was hoping to see if it was really them.


Thanks Joanne

In The Still Of The Night?

Not here.  I woke at 2:20 this morning and there was a storm outside.  Nothing that seemed too major except for the wind.  Not much thunder and lightning but I remember becoming concerned at one point when the howl of the wind did not abate quickly.  All I could think was, 'tornado?'  Then it finally was whipped around again.  This morning I took a cursory glance outside, I knew I would be picking up sticks later.  But I was not expecting what I found when I got home.

Another large branch had broken off our silver maple in back.  I could see by the divot that it landed about 2 feet out from the porch roof, then fell over toward Dave's house, causing no damage thankfully.  This one was about 20 feet long, 4 inches in diameter at its widest.  (By comparison, our Easter Sunday branch was probably almost 40 feet, 9 or so inches in diameter - So they're getting smaller!)  This is after we had the tree trimmed over a year ago when we moved in.  Perhaps the trimming exposed other branches or perhaps they just trimmed rather than consider the structure of the tree.  Either way, how many more have to fall until it has to be removed?  That would be a costly, messy operation as well.

I didn't take the time to get the camera.  I knew it wasn't going to be fun, close to 90 humid degrees and hordes of mosquitos, so I just got to it.  Now there is a bigger pile of sticks out front and some smaller logs for next years firepit.  That's another thing to remember next year- use the firepit early and often next year before the mosquitoes take over.

Oh well, how was your day?

Bathroom Scrimmage

My wife was up early this morning cleaning while I slept as late as I could.  I eventually got up about 9:30 or so, showered, and waited for her to leave to go out to lunch with family.  Then, I started on the bathroom.

A couple weeks ago my wife removed the wallpaper, and last weekend we got the paint, so now I had to actually get things done to get ready to paint.  I scraped the walls to remove any loose drywall and clean up the little wallpaper leftovers, also to clean up the sealant around the shower so I could redo that, too.  So, well, that was the rest of day.  Spackle, let it dry, sand, repeat.

All that's left for this weekend is to finish the sealer around the shower/tub and paint the ceiling.  Then some night this week we will tape up everything and paint the walls.  I've not done a lot of painting where I really cared too much about quality.  Even when I worked part time at Ace I avoided the paint counter.  Now I'm doing our own bathroom in our own house so I want it to be perfect.  And as fun as this is, we will be doing the same to the kitchen very soon after this is done!

On a side note, the Packers had their Family Night Scrimmage tonight.  I watched it on TV like I do every year and it was as boring as it always is every year.  It's nice for families to see the team in Lambeau when they otherwise wouldn't during the season or even preseason, but it is just a glorified practice and pretty boring on television.  All it really means is that real football is almost here!  (The Hall of Fame game is tomorrow night!)

Friday Already?! All Right....!

Wow, you look up and its already Friday.  I haven't posted anything, but it has been an interesting week at work.  Unfortunately for you I stay away from talking about work here.  I'm sure I'll hint at it later, I won't be able not to.  Other than that a quiet week, and no big plans this weekend other than work on the bathroom walls and get some painting done.  I'm sure I'll document that a bit, maybe for a post.

I hope you have a nice weekend wherever you are.  If you're near here, enjoy it before the heat moves in Sunday to cook us again!

Tired Tuesday

Last night was a nice night of drinks with good friends and tasty delivered sandwiches .  This morning was heartburn at 2 a.m. and no more sleep.  I survived.  So anyhoo, I had meant to recap the weekend a bit.  This is usually easier the day of or even the day after.  Then it's easy to move on.  So, briefly:

Saturday was a busy day of running around, shopping, and having lunch with my Mom and her fiance, Dan.  It was a nice visit.  I seem to be more impressed with my Mom's choice this time around.  We had a nice lunch at Brothers Three, a local restaurand/bar/almost supper club type place.  It was nice to catch up and spend some time.

Sunday, another beautiful day, we went out on Terry's boat to chill and grill.  'Chill' figuratively, that is.  It was very warm and very busy on the lake.  When I counted the boats in the cove I got at least 50 other boats just like us, anchored, swimming or grilling, and having fun.  That is what I tried to catch in that short, crappy video I posted yesterday.  It was nice, yet tiring.  I could've used a backrest. 

Last night my wonderful wife, Kate, cut a chicken in half and brined it.  Tonight she grilled it to perfection.  We ate like royalty. 

It's been two weeks since my upper back locked up on me.  I'm almost over it - no drugs needed but anti-inflammatories still.  Now it feels kinda like I took a fastball on just the right shoulderblade.  Better and better every day and I only missed 6 hours of work that whole time (I went home after 2 hours one day).  Hell, I just took a week vacation, I can't call in willy nilly, even with FMLA.

Anyway, go here, I updated that tonight, too. 

Ta.

HA-HA

If you haven't heard, ole BF seems to have retired again.  Hello memory of a good, young Favre bringing us a Superbowl championship.  Goodbye creaky, old (younger than me), hillbilly drama queen (for what, the last 7 or so years?).   So much for going out on top, huh?

Of course, you know its not over yet...

I meant well

I meant well.  I was going to update the garden pics and post a recap of our weekend, including a visit from my Mom and Dan and our boat trip Sunday, but we went to the Malt House to see B & Z after work tonight.  Long story short, we expect delivered food soon then bed.
Until tomorrow, here's a preview:

Quireboys on Youtube

I was just browsing Youtube and found some live Quireboys from last week.  I was lucky enough to see them about 20 years ago on tour in the states with L.A. Guns.  I was prepared as well.  I bought their album "A Bit Of What You Fancy" right after I bought the tickets - about 2 months before the show.  I liked L.A. Guns already, obviously, and wanted to know what I was going to hear from the first band.  I was fascinated, and enjoyed their performance immensely.

 I was front and center for that show, at the Barrymore Theater.  (On a side note, that would be walking distance now.)  I even met most members of both bands after the show at the Black Bear Lounge.  The Black Bear used to be the Heavy Metal Bar in Madison at the time so, of course, after show parties were directed there.  I was drunk as hell that night but I remember having a great conversation (and shots) with Spike, the singer.  I also remember many other sordid yet drunken tales about that evening that I can't divulge here, as well....

Anyway, it was nice to be young...  Enjoy the vid!

Drinking and posting don't usually go together, but I like the Quireboys and now I'm going to watch their concert DVD on my computer.  Have a great weekend!

Saturday Notes

I noticed that I have been lacking posts the last few days.  My back has still been a bother so I have just been surviving the daily grind, is all.   Today my wife and I got a lot of chores and errands done, as well as meeting up with my Mom and her fiance, Dan, for lunch.  Mom always wants to go to a certain italian restaurant every time she talks about meeting us for lunch.  Instead, I suggested a local family-run restaurant/bar that my wife and I enjoy nearby.  I think they thought it was a fine lunch.  Even though this place does have a varied menu, it does lean more towards breakfast and dinner.  They do serve most dinners all day, but we mostly opted for burgers (always good) for lunch. 

My wife and I have been there plenty of times for lunch, a couple times for breakfast on Saturdays, but have never gone in the evening for dinner or drinks.  Still, they recognize us by now so it is a friendly, local place to go...  and we do need to get out more often.  There are several places we would like to check out on this side of town, yet never get up the gumption to do it.  We don't really have a night life like we did 10 years ago.

I guess I'm getting old, lazy, or both.

*Sigh*

KISS Face

This has been making the rounds lately.  I wasn't going to post it until I saw Joanne post it and, well, I had nothing else to say today.  As for the video, I keep thinking that I could do the makeup better - unless I had to do it on myself.  If he did his makeup himself with a mirror then he deserves his kudos.  Rock and Roll!!

Random Acts Of Reality

Tom Reynolds Brian Kellett has quit his job as an EMT/Ambulance Driver in London to move into a position as an Urgent Care Nurse Practitioner at a hospital.  I have been reading his blog, Random Acts Of Reality, about his life on an ambulance in London and more for a very long time.  It is one of the first and longest followed blogs that I read, if that makes sense.  I wish him the best of luck and will continue to follow his blog!  Give him a visit to hear his reasons for the career change.

Cat PSA

TV & Movie Spoofs
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Thanks Joanne!

Back in Action, Or Not.

Well, that didn't take long.  Starting Tuesday my upper back started locking up on me.  No worries, I had some medicine and finally got the muscle relaxers I needed this afternoon.  Most importantly I haven't needed to miss any time at work and now with the right meds tomorrow should be an okay day.  So until I have something more important to post, why don't you check out our garden here (or on the right).  We just picked the garlic!

Pic Dump 17

Well, I survived the first day back after vacation.  Sigh.  My work atmosphere won't change so my attitude must.  Same bullspit - different day, everywhere, for all of us in one way or another.  So it must be time to regurgitate all the pics that have caught my eye recently for one reason or another.  As always, discretion is advised after the break.  Enjoy!

Vacation, The Last Few Days

Thursday and Friday were much like Monday,  I didn't do too much other than listen to the radio and watch some podcasts live.  I did manage to do the last big thing on my to-do list for this week, clean screens and windows.  I started right after Kate went to work on Friday morning.  I got the three windows done that we always have open but the rest weren't dirty enough to spend my time on.  Besides, it was getting pretty warm out there by then. 

Today is Saturday.  I just got back from running a few errands so I don't have to leave the house tomorrow, my last day away from work.  It was nice to take the time for myself this past week.  I was able to get enough done to not feel guilty for the times I was lazy and indulged in mindless radio shows and podcasts.  Starting next week, I won't be able to listen to near as much as I have this week, which is probably a good thing.  My OCD tendencies make me wish I could listen to everything done by Don Geronimo or Mike O'Meara, but reality hits Monday morning. 

Kate is out on the boat with all the smokers today, so this is really the last of my time off right now, this moment.  I am glad I took this vacation, but now I am sad it is over.  Oh well, maybe I'll get to do this again in a year or two...

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I was relaxing on the porch and messing around with video on our dinosaur camera when my wife got home from work yesterday.  I knew she would be home soon, but I wasn't expecting her yet. (She said she left a few minutes early.)  Here's that bad video below: (Edit: Video is now viewable, settings are corrected.)

Vacation, Day 5: The Garage

I slept past 7 this morning, only with the help of taking a sleeper last night.  Why can't I ever sleep 8 straight hours?  Oh well, that's another post.  I managed to take my time getting up, though.  This morning I finished my Grandma post and set about getting the garage in order by about by about 10:00.  I stopped only twice before wrapping it up after 5:00 tonight.  I had to take my truck in for a repair at 12:30 at a nearby shop.  It took about an hour so I waited across the street and got lunch at a local bar/restaurant that we have been patronizing since we moved into the neighborhood.  The second time was just to update my podcasts so I could continue listening outside.

It was a warm and humid one today, yet I had a great day organizing our garage!  I had a general plan of what I wanted to do, and this is pretty much it.  We have a lot of stuff in the garage still, but now it looks like it belongs there.  Just compare it to earlier pics.

I will post all my pics today in the order I took them after the break, but here is a good view of it when I was wrapping up:

Now I just have to find a home for this stuff.  I think the box shelves will be going in the basement and I want to find someplace outside to keep the wood from the Easter Sunday limb that fell.  The wheelbarrow will hang in the back right as it did before.

Vacation, Day 4: Grandmas

I got up today (Tuesday) at the same time as yesterday, 4:15 a.m.  So much for sleeping in on my vacation...  Anyway, I got to my sister's house by 8 and we were at Grandma W's house about 9:00 a.m. I hear that she hasn't been much for eating lately, so my Sis suggested taking donuts to get her to eat something.  She did eat and also we got her to walk up and down the block for some exercise so she couldn't use our visit as an excuse not to do it.  Mostly, we sat out on her front porch and talked about anything she wanted to.  I actively tried to get her to talk about her life and family because I'm not sure I will see her again.

This is the sad part, kinda.  Grandma W is 84.  She did say that she is ready, ready to die in not so many words.  She has some bad health problems and just seemed tired and, well, ready.  I'm not sure how much attention my Sis's kids paid to their great grandmother, but I don't think they will have her much longer.  All in all not a bad or depressing visit, though.  I do appreciate talking to her now more than when I was just one of the screaming grandkids in the house.

A bit after 11:00 we said our goodbyes and went across town to visit Grandma L.  She seems to get around a little better so we took her out to lunch at the only restaurant in town that isn't also a bar.  After that, back to her apartment for more conversation.  Again I was trying to get her to talk about her life and family.  I was the first grandchild for her, so my Sis says I'm her favorite and she may be right.  She does seem excited to see me and talk to me.

Grandma L just turned 91 last week.  She said many of the same type of things Grandma W did.  She is ready.  She even has her funeral planned.  I was a bit surprised when she asked me to be a pallbearer, but I said I would be honored. 

The impression I got was that though I may be lucky to still have both my grandmothers at my age, neither may be with us by next year.  I'd like to be wrong, but they do seem to be more than ready, knowing their time is short.  I love you, both!

Before we got back to my Sis's house we stopped by my Mom's work to say hi.  Sis wanted me to go in first, so I strode in and pounded on the counter, mischieviously.  My mom looked up surprised, but with no real recognition until she saw my Sis behind me.  I think I caught her totally off guard! After a short visit we went back to Sis's house.  I thanked them all for coming with me, the kids were very well behaved as always.

Once we were back the kids got in the pool and I wished I had brought my trunks!  Oh well, it was best I get back before the busy part of rush hour anyway.  A good day overall, just a bit mentally tiring.  Thank you Kelly, James, and Lindsey!

Pic Dump 16 - Bacon

I'm a bit tired with all the travel, play, and visiting all day today.  My day 4 vacation post will be posted tomorrow, that will give me time to rest and reflect on a good day with both of my elderly grandmothers.  In the meantime, this is for you...
 
For a while now I have been saving up bacon related pics that I happen across during my internet travels.  None of these pics were sought out, no searches were made.  These were found randomly in my visits to good sites like the ones I list on the right.   While there's not as many pics as a usual picdump I thought I had enough bacon pics to post (Read: I'm tired of collecting them).  Oh, just as a regular Pic Dump post, discretion may be advised after the break.  Enjoy!
 

Vacation, Day 3: A Change In Plans

This morning I woke up about 4:15 a.m.  Crazy, right?  Actually not very unusual, when I'm not on vacation my alarm is set for 4:51 normally.  The first second thing on my mind was The Kirk McEwen and Mike O'Meara Show.   It runs 4 - 8 a.m. my time, so there was going to be at least one morning that I got up early to check it out.  I sleepily decided that today was the day. 

My wife left for work about 7 and after the show was over I just putzed around on the internet, showered, and washed dishes.  When I looked at the clock and it was almost 10:00 a.m., I remembered that The Mike O'Meara Show podcast streams video live on Ustream for an hour.  So most all morning I spent listening and watching the same DJ live - in real time, which I never usually have a chance to do.

By this time the day can go 2 different ways.  Either I could jump into action and start working in the garage or I could relax, read the paper, and get some other little things done then listen to The Don Geronimo Show live at 2 to 6 p.m.  The radiophile in me won out.  I ended up listening to over 8 hours worth of shows today.  Not much accomplished, but I had a nice time relaxing.

Tomorrow I will be traveling with my sister and her kids down to see both of our grandmothers (the kids great-grandmothers!).  I'll try to recap that tomorrow night.  Now, the pizza is on its way so Good Night!

The Kirk McEwen and Mike O'Meara Show

Just a promo vid:

Vacation, Days 1 and 2

Day 1, Saturday.  It did not yet feel like I was on vacation.  It mostly felt like a weekend, like it always does.  That said, Friday was a total joke for me at work.  I only did some work to pass the time, otherwise I giddily screwed around like I never ever do.  For some reason I felt like I deserved to, that one day.  Saturday morning I went grocery shopping and my wife cleaned the house top to bottom.  We grilled out cheeseburgers for lunch and I visited a buddy for an hour or two that afternoon.  Then we stayed home and relaxed all night.  Pretty much regular weekend stuff.

Day 2, Today, Sunday.  It has sunk in that I don't have a 'Monday morning' coming up.  I mowed the lawn this morning, before it got too hot.  Mosquitoes are in season so I was all sprayed up with repellant, still got bit about 4-5 times.  A shower staight away when I was done seemed to help the itching while getting rid of the layer of repellant.

I knew the Brewers played the Pirates at 1:10 in the afternoon so I figured that was a good time to listen to the game and get the workbench assembled.  Time to finally put these pieces of wood together and make something useful!

This pic is after the second time I had to stop and spray 'Yard Guard' in the garage to keep the mosquitoes out.  Don't worry, I gave it plenty of time to settle before I went in there to breathe it in.  These are the sides modified with my own legs for the bench.  My custom legs are 10 inches longer than the ones that came with it.  I'm tall and I don't like to bend over.  If 10 inches is deemed too much later, I can trim the bottoms some.

It's starting to take shape now that I have it standing, still alot of crawling around to screw in all the bottom shelf planks.

At this point I had to run to the hardware store for another phillips bit for my drill.  The one I started out with was pretty worn and by this point was getting useless.  None of the top boards are attached in this pic, but finally I get to do some drilling and screwing while standing upright!

And finally, the finished workbench.  Just as Corey Hart hit a walk off home run to win the game for the Brewers!  (I'm on vacation - I paced myself!) I have pulled everything out of the corner where it will go.  Tomorrow morning I will start by moving the electrical box 2 studs to the left and up a foot or more. Then essentially empty out the garage, reorganize, and put up new shelves to hold all our stuff.  See you tomorrow!

Die Antwoord Coming Up

I'm less than 1 day away from vacation but I think I've already checked out.

Die Antwoord will be in Chicago on Wednesday, July 14.  If it was in Milwaukee I would be very tempted, but not Chicago, not now.  There's already videos online of last night's show in Prague, but this video is from 3 nights ago in Germany.  I love my wife more than anything but if I were to see Die Antwoord live, this is the view I would want.  Yo- Yo- Yo- Yolandi!  Enjoy.