utechblog

Thanks Rick
1. What are your five favorite Christmas songs?
Carol of the Bells
O Holy Night – (especially fond of the South Park version)
Little Drummer Boy (I’m a drummer what can I say) (Bing and Bowie’s version rocks!)
most any song by Mannheim Steamroller
The 12 days of Christmas (the 12 pains is good, but Bob and Doug McKenzie’s version is the best! Hoser!)

2. Five foods you look forward to at Christmastime?
Turkey
Eggnog (esp the diluted kind)
Cranberry Sauce shaped like a can
Fruit Cake (my MIL’s original recipe)
My mother’s Christmas Bread [Kuchen] (already have the real butter in the fridge waiting for it to arrive)

3. Five favorite presents of all time?
I love the things that my kids get me from the ‘santa shop’ at school each year. One year our oldest got my wife a little nativity scene of Mary, Joe and baby Jesus in the manger with a cross in the background. It wasn’t for me but it is still one of my favorites.
Can’t remember the year but one year I got a little 3 piece screwdriver set that I still have and use regularly.
Christmas 2002 my wife got me a car stereo that was knock my socks off good (still have it and use it everyday).
Christmas 2005 my wife got me a mini fridge that is on my desk at work. (keeps my fruit and yogurt cold and nearby).
(can’t think of another one off hand)

4. What are your five favorite holiday TV specials?
Charlie Brown Christmas
Original Grinch
Mickey’s Christmas Carol
WKRP in Cincinnati “Turkeys Away”
When the Packers play the Lions on Thanksgiving!

5. Top five holiday-themed films?
A Christmas Story
A Miracle on 34th Street
White Christmas
A Christmas Carol (George C Scott version)

I have never seen “It’s A Wonderful Life” and don’t plan to. And I have never seen “Christmas Vacation” but we bought it this past year so I will be watching it this weekend and it will probably be added to this list.

It is amazing how true the old saying about real estate is – location location location.
Not that I have any land for sale or anything, but a couple of days ago I was surfing the net and happened to find the county auditor website for the county I grew up in. I looked up my grandparents farm and it looks like the property was broken up as it now only shows 40 acres when I know it was over 500. Still the 40 acres that have the buildings have a total valuation of 350K. Heck there are areas around me now that you can’t even buy 40 acres of bare land for 350K.

Now that Thanksgiving is over I need to get back on board and be more responsible in what I ingest. While it would be great to find some Miracle burn pill or some other sort of miracle drug to shed some pounds. I need to do it the right way – focusing on eating the right things and exercising. It really doesn’t sound like any fun but I remember back when I was working out and eating right and I do remember feeling a lot better. Why did I let that slip away?

tonight on the way home with the kids. my girls were discussing dating.
I asked what the purpose of dating is.
The oldest said – “To see if you are compatible”
to which my other daughter replied, “no that’s math”

My dad forwarded the following email to me – if you are from Wisconsin then you know how funny this is… and how dangerous it would be.

Due to the popularity of the “Survivor” shows, Wisconsin is planning to do its own, entitled “Survivor – Wisconsin Style”…

The contestants will start in Milwaukee, travel up to Sheboygan and on to Manitowoc and Green Bay. Then they will head over to Wausau and up to Rhinelander and Minocqua. From there they will proceed up to Ashland and Superior. Then back down through Hayward, Rice Lake, Balsam Lake, Chetek, over to Eau Claire and all the way down to Madison and back over to Milwaukee.

Each contestant will be driving a pink Volvo with Minnesota license plates and a large bumper sticker that reads:
Brett Favre is Gay.
Hillary in 2008.
Deer hunting is murder.
Go Vikings!

The first one that makes it back to Milwaukee alive wins.

Yeah, good luck on that one.

The cassette liner from my first tape cassette. Yes, I still have the tape too.

I am not really sure who “Pat D” is – the top autograph, not sure if he was a roadie or what. From looking at the other pictures it looks like he was the drummer that night. Don’t know why Frankie Banali wasn’t there. The other signatures are Kevin DuBrow, Carlos Cavazo, and Kenny Hillery who made up the rest of the line up in 1991.
Kenny Hillery committed suicide in 1996 at age 26.

Las Vegas Metro Police have confirmed to TMZ that 52-year-old Kevin Dubrow, lead singer for 80′s metal band Quiet Riot, was found dead in his Las Vegas home.
We’re told one of Dubrow’s neighbors found the singer Sunday around 5:20 PM. The Clark County Coroner confirms to TMZ that they are currently examining Dubrow’s body to try to determine the cause of death.
Fellow band member Frankie Banali posted this message on his website: “I can’t even find words to say. Please respect my privacy as I mourn the passing and honor the memory of my dearest friend, Kevin DuBrow.”
Quiet Riot was the first metal band to top the Billboard charts and are perhaps best known for their cover of “Cum on Feel the Noize”

Source: TMZ

I had the absolute pleasure to meet Kevin DuBrow in 1991. My dad was the organizer/promoter for the county fair and brought in Quiet Riot and a couple other bands. I was in front dead center of the stage for the show and then had a backstage pass when I got to meet the band, get pictures taken – which I still have, and got a few autographs. Including the cassette liner to Metal Health – which was my very first tape cassette. Rest In Peace – Kevin.

Update I found a picture of me with Kevin and Carlos. This is from August 16, 1991 – I don’t want any comments about me. And if you aren’t so quick in math I was 15.

One of the things that I notice every year is what seems like a high number of tragedy. Well here is an exception…

Prayers for Alivia Watson were offered for several years before “the miracle” arrived.
Ten-year-old Alivia was diagnosed three years ago with systemic sclerosis, a type of scleroderma that can cause hardening or tightening of the skin, blood vessels and internal organs.
“There is no cure,” said her father, Scott Watson. “It was grim.”
Then in July, her parents were told by specialist Dr. Thomas Medsger that she is in remission.
“We feel like this is because God touched her,” said her mother, Charmaine Watson. “We have always had her prayed for at church and from friends and family. We just know that God has held her in his hand.”
…
“The holiday season is coming and I think their greatest gift is knowing that their oldest child is healthy.”

Source: God has held her in his hand

We attended the same church as the Watson’s a number of years ago, in fact we were around when Alivia was born, our kids played together and even when to the same school for a little while. I know for sure that there have been many prayers sent up for Alivia, and knowing the family – they just needed this. God you are awesome! Thank you for touching Alivia.

I am not really one to get into March Madness I am more of a football person. However I will usually grab myself a bracket sheet and a quarter and fill them out. Heads for the higher seeded team, tails for the lower seeded team. I haven’t don’t too bad a couple of times, but since I don’t enter any of the polls that are going on it really doesn’t matter. So really the old madness I have in March is when my favorite TV show is bumped for a basketball game.

We got the tree up over the long weekend. Even put some lights outside (need to remember to turn them off). Actually one of the side benefits of going through all the Christmas stuff is that I have pretty much gone through the entire ‘storage’ area in the basement. It would be so nice to have a finished basement with a home theater area and a kitchenette with bar stools. But who am I kidding in this place. We even got in the nasty coal room and dug out the carolers that are now on our front porch. I think I stirred up some nasties cause my mouth and throat have been dry all day now. Maybe someone will drive by and offer to buy us out of this place as a Christmas gift.