Merry Christmas! Enjoy a few of the old MTV Christmas songs.
After the Monkees one, MTV sold to Viacom who slowly stopped playing music videos and turned it into the piece of junk that it is today.
So enjoy some classic rock n roll Christmas songs this year.
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Monday, December 23, 2013
Power's Out
After I got home from work tonight, Kris and I had to run a couple of errand, including going to check on her dad, clean his apartment, etc. While we were there, I got a call from Sarah saying that the power had gone out. She was in the process of getting ready with her friend from next door to go bowling. Not having power put an end to that. Our side of the street was out, and across the street all the lights were on.
We ended up calling the electric company to report it and I was told that people had just started calling in so they didn't have anything to tell me as far as why and how our power went out, but said they would estimate the power to be back on by 8:30 PM (I called at 7:00). So we drove home to wait. The thing is that is was 2° outside and without power, the furnace doesn't work, so the temperature started dropping.
I debated last summer what it would cost to get a generator that would kick on when the power went out but thought that the cost would be excessive for the number of times we would need it in a year. But Kris pointed out to me that we lose our power at least a couple of times a year, whether during a thunderstorm, or something like this. A few years ago we lost our power early in the winter during due to a very heavy wet snow. It was out for more than 12 hours. At that time, at least, Kris could take the girls over to her parents' house. But we can't do that anymore. So I may end up rethinking this.
The power came on just before 10:00 PM, so it was off for almost 3 and a half hours and the house got down to 62° (I think - it was 62° the last time I checked it which was about 10 minutes before the power came back on), and it started at 68°. So at least we didn't need survival blankets to sleep. Let's hope it stays on now.
We ended up calling the electric company to report it and I was told that people had just started calling in so they didn't have anything to tell me as far as why and how our power went out, but said they would estimate the power to be back on by 8:30 PM (I called at 7:00). So we drove home to wait. The thing is that is was 2° outside and without power, the furnace doesn't work, so the temperature started dropping.
I debated last summer what it would cost to get a generator that would kick on when the power went out but thought that the cost would be excessive for the number of times we would need it in a year. But Kris pointed out to me that we lose our power at least a couple of times a year, whether during a thunderstorm, or something like this. A few years ago we lost our power early in the winter during due to a very heavy wet snow. It was out for more than 12 hours. At that time, at least, Kris could take the girls over to her parents' house. But we can't do that anymore. So I may end up rethinking this.
The power came on just before 10:00 PM, so it was off for almost 3 and a half hours and the house got down to 62° (I think - it was 62° the last time I checked it which was about 10 minutes before the power came back on), and it started at 68°. So at least we didn't need survival blankets to sleep. Let's hope it stays on now.
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Bird in the Room
On Saturday, we took the girls up to Kris's friend's house for a pre-Christmas get together. Kris is her daughter's godmother so she gets her a gift every year. She is a senior this year and is joining the Air Force as soon as she graduates so this might be the last year getting together the way we have done in the past.
She had some other friends and family there and after being there for a couple of hours some of the guests started leaving. As the door opened when some of her friends left, a bird came flying into the house. All the kids started screaming and running out of the room. I thought that initially it was a bat flaying around the way everyone was reacting. It ended up flying around for about few minutes before someone was able to capture it and then let it go outside. It was really pretty funny. It was almost like the scene in Christmas vacation with the squirrel in the tree. If you don't know what I'm talking about, here it is. Enjoy.
She had some other friends and family there and after being there for a couple of hours some of the guests started leaving. As the door opened when some of her friends left, a bird came flying into the house. All the kids started screaming and running out of the room. I thought that initially it was a bat flaying around the way everyone was reacting. It ended up flying around for about few minutes before someone was able to capture it and then let it go outside. It was really pretty funny. It was almost like the scene in Christmas vacation with the squirrel in the tree. If you don't know what I'm talking about, here it is. Enjoy.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
UCA Qualifier
Last Saturday Sarah had her first real cheer competition of the year, the UCA Qualifier. I don't know why they do this competition, because they (the JV squad) doesn't go to nationals, so even if they get a bid, they can't go. And this year, the UCA qualifier is early. Usually they have a couple of competitions in before they get to it. Plus, it is on a Saturday night, whereas all their other ones are in the morning or afternoon. It is a daylong event at the Wisconsin Center for Cheer, Poms, and Dance teams. By the time we get there, all the refreshments are gone and there is no place to park. So I sort of dread going there.
This year, there was a Bucks game going on, and a Wave game all at the same time as their competition so traffic in downtown Milwaukee was a zoo. We ended up parking on the upper level of the parking garage across the street, which was lucky. And the temperature outside was in the single digits.
But on to the cheer routine.... The Falls was only competing against one other team, and I have to say that they were much better than the way they performed at the Indian Invite. Unfortunately, I was playing with the video camera's settings and I forgot to change them back before their routine, so the video I took didn't turn out very well. The good news though, is that afterward, I did figure out what setting I need to have it on so that they don't look all washed out. So now I should be able to have a decent video of their next competition.
As I said, they did much better than their first run, and they ended up finishing first. There weren't many fans there for them but we did what we could to help cheer them on. Next time I will see about bringing my cowbells. Sarah had someone take some pictures with her phone, so as soon as I get them from here, I'll see about posting them. Congratulations girls!
This year, there was a Bucks game going on, and a Wave game all at the same time as their competition so traffic in downtown Milwaukee was a zoo. We ended up parking on the upper level of the parking garage across the street, which was lucky. And the temperature outside was in the single digits.
But on to the cheer routine.... The Falls was only competing against one other team, and I have to say that they were much better than the way they performed at the Indian Invite. Unfortunately, I was playing with the video camera's settings and I forgot to change them back before their routine, so the video I took didn't turn out very well. The good news though, is that afterward, I did figure out what setting I need to have it on so that they don't look all washed out. So now I should be able to have a decent video of their next competition.
As I said, they did much better than their first run, and they ended up finishing first. There weren't many fans there for them but we did what we could to help cheer them on. Next time I will see about bringing my cowbells. Sarah had someone take some pictures with her phone, so as soon as I get them from here, I'll see about posting them. Congratulations girls!
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Driving Practice in the Snow
Today Sarah and I did a little community service by volunteering at the St. Anthony's dinner and dance for disabled adults. Unfortunately we had a snowstorm which resulted in only about half of the people attending. What I did do though was take the opportunity to let Sarah get a feel for what it was like driving in the snow.
We got there early to do set up for the dinner. We ended up finishing early so we had about an hour to kill before people started arriving. The parking lot was empty with about 4-5 inches of fresh snow, so I thought it would be a good time for Sarah to get the feel of what it feels like driving in snow. It's a little different now since anti-lock brakes are standard, and with the traction control on my car, but it is still possible to get the car to slide around a little bit.
She didn't do too bad. There was only one small incident which I won't get into. One of the more important things that they don't teach you in driver's ed, which is something Sarah learned first hand, was the importance of having clean wiper blades. As the snow was melting on the windshield it was causing a little bit of ice to build up on the wipers, which made clearing the windshield a little difficult, and thus hard to see. But driving in the parking lot was much better than driving the first time it snows on the road, plus we didn't have to worry about possibly slamming into other cars.
We are only about two months away from Sarah getting her learner's permit. So far, I think, it looks like she'll do just fine. But I am still going to keep my fingers crossed.
We got there early to do set up for the dinner. We ended up finishing early so we had about an hour to kill before people started arriving. The parking lot was empty with about 4-5 inches of fresh snow, so I thought it would be a good time for Sarah to get the feel of what it feels like driving in snow. It's a little different now since anti-lock brakes are standard, and with the traction control on my car, but it is still possible to get the car to slide around a little bit.
She didn't do too bad. There was only one small incident which I won't get into. One of the more important things that they don't teach you in driver's ed, which is something Sarah learned first hand, was the importance of having clean wiper blades. As the snow was melting on the windshield it was causing a little bit of ice to build up on the wipers, which made clearing the windshield a little difficult, and thus hard to see. But driving in the parking lot was much better than driving the first time it snows on the road, plus we didn't have to worry about possibly slamming into other cars.
We are only about two months away from Sarah getting her learner's permit. So far, I think, it looks like she'll do just fine. But I am still going to keep my fingers crossed.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Chritmas Tree Lights
The unthinkable has happened, one of my strings of lights on the Christmas tree went out. This is the problem with having 2000 lights on the tree. Sooner or later there is going to be a string that goes out and then it's a pain to go back and replace them, because it requires more than just replacing the lights. It ends up requiring removing the lights as well as the ornaments and garland, reaching into the tree to unplug the lights and string new ones, then make sure that they are spaced evenly when the new string goes on.
So I get home from work after getting a message from Kris saying that there were lights out and see where they are. I started with wiggling lights and at first they came back on after trying two or three lights. I couldn't be that lucky though. A day later they were out again. And they weren't just out. Only half the string was out, and the other half was brighter than any other lights on the tree. I thought that couldn't be good for sure. So I had to unplug the string and go to the store to get some new strings. I figured I'd get a couple of extras too, just because I can always use lights since they are always going out. Usually it happens when I test them the next year after sitting in a bin for 10 months. I also got a couple more extension cords, because I thought that maybe the reason the string blew was because I had too many strings connected. The directions usually say not to string more than 4 string together, but I did have a couple of sets of four strings plugged into the same extension cord. I don't know if that would have made a difference but I thought it would only be better if I only used one extension cord per set of four strings.
It took me about 45 minutes to get the ornaments off, the old string out, and the new one plugged in and wrapped properly. After putting the ornaments back on and standing back to look at the top of the tree (which is where the string was out) I thought that I probably had wrapped the new string a little too far apart. But I wasn't about to go back and restring it, I just wanted it to be over and done, so I left it. Maybe I'll look for a few more ornaments to fill in around the top so it doesn't look so light on the lights.
So I get home from work after getting a message from Kris saying that there were lights out and see where they are. I started with wiggling lights and at first they came back on after trying two or three lights. I couldn't be that lucky though. A day later they were out again. And they weren't just out. Only half the string was out, and the other half was brighter than any other lights on the tree. I thought that couldn't be good for sure. So I had to unplug the string and go to the store to get some new strings. I figured I'd get a couple of extras too, just because I can always use lights since they are always going out. Usually it happens when I test them the next year after sitting in a bin for 10 months. I also got a couple more extension cords, because I thought that maybe the reason the string blew was because I had too many strings connected. The directions usually say not to string more than 4 string together, but I did have a couple of sets of four strings plugged into the same extension cord. I don't know if that would have made a difference but I thought it would only be better if I only used one extension cord per set of four strings.
It took me about 45 minutes to get the ornaments off, the old string out, and the new one plugged in and wrapped properly. After putting the ornaments back on and standing back to look at the top of the tree (which is where the string was out) I thought that I probably had wrapped the new string a little too far apart. But I wasn't about to go back and restring it, I just wanted it to be over and done, so I left it. Maybe I'll look for a few more ornaments to fill in around the top so it doesn't look so light on the lights.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Snow Blower
Another one of the projects I have been trying to get on is getting the large snow blower running. I don't think it has run on two years now. I ended up having to replace a fuel line that was cracked, and I was hoping that was the problem. But no, even after replacing it, the engine still won't start.
At first I thought it was the spark plug, but I replaced it and nothing. Then the electric starter didn't sound right, but I think I solved that problem too. So now when I try to start it, it sounds like the engine wants to turn over, but it just never quite gets there. I can smell gas, so I know it is getting fuel. I took the spark plug out and hit the electric starter and I can see it sparking, so I know that isn't it.
I tried taking the cover off and looking into the engine to see if I could see anything wrong, but I could only get a few of the screws out and the cover wouldn't come off without taking the whole thing apart. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get everything back together properly again, so I gave up and tried the starter again. I tried it until the starter overheated to the point where I had to let it sit before it would work again.
We're supposed to get snow this coming week, so maybe I will have it going before then. If not, then I guess I'll just use the small one for now.
At first I thought it was the spark plug, but I replaced it and nothing. Then the electric starter didn't sound right, but I think I solved that problem too. So now when I try to start it, it sounds like the engine wants to turn over, but it just never quite gets there. I can smell gas, so I know it is getting fuel. I took the spark plug out and hit the electric starter and I can see it sparking, so I know that isn't it.
I tried taking the cover off and looking into the engine to see if I could see anything wrong, but I could only get a few of the screws out and the cover wouldn't come off without taking the whole thing apart. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get everything back together properly again, so I gave up and tried the starter again. I tried it until the starter overheated to the point where I had to let it sit before it would work again.
We're supposed to get snow this coming week, so maybe I will have it going before then. If not, then I guess I'll just use the small one for now.
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