Packers Week #14

The Green Bay Packers easily manhandled the Oakland Raiders 46-16 this afternoon at Lambeau Field.

Here are my thoughts of the game:

The Packers made it look easy against the Raiders...

Rodgers threw for 281 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in less than three full quarters' worth of work. Back up QB Matt Flynn filled in the forth quarter to rest up Aaron Rodgers. By then the score was 43-7

As opposed to Oakland's QB Carl Palmer- threw for 245 yards with a touchdown and four interceptions.

The only downside of the Packers' win was a knee injury to one of the Packers' many talented receivers Greg Jennings.

The Packers are now 13-0.

Christmas Cookies

Man, am I stuffed! Just got back from another cunning ninja raid on my girlfriend's homemade Christmas cookies. Stealthily grabbing cookies when her back is turned. Until...I get caught.

"Are you into my Christmas cookies again?" she asks.
"Nope" I mumbled with a mouthful of a delicious treat, wondering if she knew that I had five more of them in my hand behind my back and two stuffed in each pocket.
"They are for CHRISTMAS!" she scolds, "Take ONE and leave the rest for our relatives."
Grabbing one, I slipped away to safety with my bounty...

The tradition continuous... Last year, my girlfriend held up the kitchen baking almost 30 dozen cookies from 12 different recipes. She had peanut butter blossoms, potato chip cookies, Goldfish drops, holiday bars, peanut butter cookies and of course, my favorite, a double batch of chocolate chip cookies stuffed in nook and cranny in the freezer. A seemingly endless supply of cookies... Think she'll miss a few? I hope not, because I love 'em!

Packers Week #13

The Green Bay Packers beat the New York Giants 38-35 in this nail biter of a game at the Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Here are my thoughts of the game...

As I predicted, the Packers had their greatest battle of the season against the exceptional Giants.

Both teams seemed evenly matched at times exchanging leads.

Aaron Rodgers threw 28 of 46 for 369 yards and 4 touchdowns. Yet, he was sacked 3 times and threw one interception. (His fifth, all season).

Linebacker Clay Matthews also returned an interception 38 yards for a score in the second quarter.

The game came down to the wire when Packer kicker Mason Crosby kicked a 31 yard field goal at the last second to win the game.

The Packers are now 12-0 and cliched a spot in the playoffs.

More on the game here.

Album Covers

Album covers fascinate me. They give a somewhat a visual perspective of the music hidden within their gate folds. The ones I really enjoy are the illustrated artwork, especially the ones done by Roger Dean. His cosmic architectural landscape design adorns albums from Yes, Asia and Uriah Heep. The photo above is one my favorites from Roger Dean- Yes Tales from Topographic Oceans.

Not just only Roger Dean I like, there is the Stanley Mouse/Alton Kelly combo whom does the Journey album covers and the "story" they tell.


Then there is Frank Franzetta's work on the Molly Hatchet and Nazareth album covers. Very medieval-screams rock and roll....


The portraits of "life, death and afterlife" of Iron Maiden's mascot Eddie are done by Derek Riggs. Some of them shockingly gruesome... What the hell, it's only rock and roll!



Another one I like is the Grateful Dead's Blues for Allah album cover done by Philip Garris..



There many more I'd like to post, some other time maybe... So what is your favorite album cover?

Packers Week #12 Turkeys and Touchdowns

My girlfriend had to work this morning, so I up ended with the task of making the turkey. Never made a turkey before, so this is a whole new experience for me. She did leave instructions on how to do it. So I think I'll manage... (I hope so)

Hours later, it's beginning to smell like Thanksgiving around here. The aroma of the turkey that is roasting in the oven is filling up my apartment sending pangs of hunger in my stomach. After spending time this morning stuffing an empty cavity of a deceased bird, I'm feeling hopeful. So far, so good...no smoke either...

The Green Bay Packers did route the Detroit Lions 27-15 this afternoon at the Ford Stadium. Here are my thoughts of the game...

The game was ugly and sloppy in the first half. A mostly defensive game filled with penalties.

In the second half, the Packers overcame their blunders and mental mistakes and stared playing real football. The Lions, however didn't.

Defensive back Ndamukong Suh of the Lions was ejected from the game for stepping on Evan Dietrich-Smith's arm in the third quarter. He could face a possible suspension.

Lions' Matthew Stafford threw three interceptions during the game. Hey, Aaron Rodgers only threw four during the ENTIRE season!

The Packers are 11-0 now. Still undefeated for the first time in franchise history...

More on the game here.

I hope everybody out there that is reading this is having a wonderful Thanksgiving! Love you all!

Packers Week #11

The Green Bay Packers held off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 35-26 at Lambeau field this afternoon.

Here are my thoughts of the game...

Aaron Rodgers didn't have a great of a game he normally does, yet when it counted he still shines.

Rodgers threw 23 of 34 passes for 299 yards, 3 touchdowns and one interception.

Rodgers has only 4 interceptions this year. Damn good.

Tampa almost caught up to the Packers in the forth quarter. It was a 40 pass from Rodgers to WR Jordy Nelson that sealed the Buc's fate.

The Packers are now 10-0 and still haven't lost a game.

More on the game here.

Box Sets, Anthologys and Other Compilations

As many may be aware, Pink Floyd has released a 16 disc remastered box set containing pretty much their entire catalog. Just in time for the holidays... So is this like the forth or fifth box set they've released? At a $180 price tag, I think I'll pass this up. I already have all of the Pink Floyd albums spread across my collection on vinyl, cassette or CD. So, why should I go out and get something I already have? It's pointless! Because it's better sounding than what I have? Vinyl suits me just fine. I'll eventually get the CD's for my car in due time, but not by spending $180 bucks for repackaged materiel. I don't need it. If Pink Floyd really wants to capture my wallet's attention, maybe a Roger Waters era concert would do the trick.

Which brings me up to the purpose of this blog post....

Box sets are nice....Believe me, I've been wanting to get my hands on some of them for some time. Tom Petty's Live Anthology, Jimi Hendrix's Winterland, Stevie Ray Vaughan's SRV, Grateful Dead's So Many Roads and so many others to mention are some of them that interest me. The box sets contain live shows, outtakes and other material I simply do not have my collection. If it wasn't for the hefty price tag, I'd have them by now. However, some box sets from Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith and Pink Floyd I have zero interest in. I don't need to spend a hundred buck a complete remastered, repackaged studio efforts that I already have. Why are they on the market anyway? For the die hards? I honestly believe they are quite satisfied with the present copies they have. As for the casual fan, I don't think they'll spend that much on something that they are unsure of.

Which brings me to the anthology albums. These often two or three disc compilations I like. The number of studio albums from older and sometimes forgotten bands like Free, Sweet, Blue Oyster Cult, Nazareth, James Gang, Jethro Tull and others on the market are dwindling, going out of print...Some them I have never seen a copy of. For about twenty bucks, many of these anthology albums can give a casual fan an honest overview of an artist's storied career. The ones I really like dig deep into the catalogs and pull out a few of the finer deep cuts from an obscure album. I find myself listening to Bad Company's The 'Original' Bad Company Anthology. Blue Oyster Cult's Workshop of the Telescopes, Jethro Tull's Best of Jethro Tull-The Anniversary Collection and Grand Funk's Thirty Years of Funk 1969-1999 quite a bit. The only downfall in these compilations are one can argue what tracks that should be used.

Single discs compilations, however, I feel are a waste of time. For one, there are too many of them! How many from Lynyrd Skynyrd, KISS, Aerosmith, the Beach Boys , the Beatles or the Stones we really need? How many different compilations does "Walk This Way", "Freebird", "Good Vibrations", "Light My Fire" or "Satisfaction" need to appear on? Yeah, the hits are being cashed in to assure sales, but this is overkill....especially when there is The Door's Greatest Hits, The Best of the Doors, The Very Best of the Doors and on and on....

Another thing, the constant throwing in of a couple of newly recorded tunes in to push sales. As a collector, I don't go out of my way to buy any single compilations. By the time they come around I have whatever that is from them on the studio albums, therefore the couple of new tunes are just an annoyance to me. Sure I want the new songs to complete my collection, but I'm not going to shell out fifteen bucks for Aerosmith's The Big Ones just to get "Walk on Water" and "Blind Man". I'll tape them off of the radio or download them instead. (Unless someone gives me a copy) Just wish they save them for a new album..

Then there are the Gold, Icon and the Millennium Series. WHY? The kind of stuff that that the clueless fan would buy. The shit you buy at WalMart. They aren't even authentic releases approved by the artists themselves. Betcha they won't even see a dollar off of any copies sold. Just another reason to part with your hard earned dollar

So what kind of compilation you like? What do you recommend?

Packers Week #10

The Green Bay Packers crushed the Central Division rivals Minnesota Vikings 45-7 at Lambeau Field on Monday Night Football.

Here are my thoughts of the game...

Aaron Rodgers had another spectacular game throwing 4 touchdown passes.

The Packers defense played well, effectively shutting down the Vikings.

The Packers rested Rodgers and other starters at the end of the game. Second string QB Matt Flynn runs for another touchdown.

The bright side for Minnesota was defensive player Jared Allen,whom put some pressure on Rodgers.

The Packers are now 9-0 and STILL undefeated...

More on the game here.

Black Sabbath Reunites!

I just learned this from a couple of music blogs that the original lineup of Black Sabbath has reunited for an upcoming album and a tour in 2012. SWEET! After 33 years of "waiting" I finally could a chance to see this legendary lineup. Hope they come to Milwaukee...

The group's new ninth studio album will be produced by Rick Rubin, who also appeared at the press conference. The four band members are currently recording it and have not yet announced a title. "We've written about seven or eight songs .. and they're really good," Osbourne said at the press conference. "I'm not just saying that. I'm like, 'Woah!'" "Tony's come up with like, absolutely incredible music," Butler added. "It really is back to the old Sabbath style and sound."

What's ironic about this reunion of Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward is where their announcement conference took place-at Los Angeles' Whisky A GoGo on 11/11/11, the place of Sabbath's first American concert, exactly 41 years beforehand! What a trip!

Packers Week #9

The Green Bay Packers defeated the San Diego Chargers 45-38 in a rather impressive gave at Qualcomm Stadium at San Diego.

Here are my thoughts of the game...

The Packers' defense was impressive, picking off San Diego's Philip Rivers three times. Two of them for touchdowns.

Aaron Rodgers threw for 21 of 26 passes for 247 yards.

Though Rivers got picked off three times, he did well throwing for touchdown passes.

The Packers are STILL undefeated at 8-0

More on the game here.

Sunrise at the Lake

It's not too often that I get up early on a Saturday morning...That is either I'm gone off to work or in this case-to take my girlfriend to work. Otherwise, I sleep in. This morning, I was marveling at the quiet serenity of my surroundings and the peacefulness of the cities' streets. After dropping my lady off the reddish orange glow from the east lured me to the lake... Calmness seeped into me as I ate an Egg McMuffin, while watching the waves crash into the shoreline. As the sun rose higher into the sky, turning the darkness into light, I felt happy to be alive...

Packers Week #8

The Green Bay Packers had a bye this week. So...I'll take the time to make my annual Super Bowl prediction. As you recall last year I picked New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons to make it. Never one of them did. It ended up being the Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Well, let's see if I could do better this year...

On the AFC side of the ball, at this point, Pittsburgh leads with a 6-2 record. Buffalo and New England have a 5-2 record while Houston holds at 5-3. San Diego and Oakland tied their division at 4-3. Cincinnati and Baltimore are doing good at 5-2. So it kind of looks it's anyone's game at this point...

Kinda like seeing Pittsburgh or New England going in...

The NFC gets easier...Green Bay is undefeated at 7-0. The New York Giants led the East at 5-2. Detroit is just behind the Pack at 6-2. San Francisco leads the West with a 6-1 record. New Orleans leads their division at 5-3.

It looks as if the Packers will return to the Super Bowl...

Pumpkin Carvings

I think pumpkin carvings are pieces of art. The creativity of some of these are just a marvel to me, especially when they go to an extreme. Although I done some in the past (like the one I did that said PACKERS across it), none of them quite match up to some of them found on the Internet...

Packers Week #7

The Green Bay Packers beat the Minnesota Vikings 33-27 at the Metrodome today.

Here are my thoughts of the game...

Aaron Rodgers threw almost a perfect game completing 24 of 30 passes for 335 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Rookie QB Christen Ponder of the Vikings made his starting debut today and was rather impressive.

Minnesota running back Adrian Petersen rushed 24 times for 175 yards.

Packer safety Charles Woodson picked off Ponder twice in the third quarter.

The Packers are now 7-0 and STILL undefeated....

More on the game here.

Riders on the Storm

Today's weather was just nasty out there! 46 degrees-windy, rainy, cold-just plain miserable...Kind of day just to stay at home curled up in a blanket and watch a good movie, except the fact I was out to the library to pick up more CD's. While there, I noticed monstrous waves crashing onto the rocks on the lakefront. A perfect photo opportunity.

Packers Week #6

The Green Bay Packers slayed the St. Louis Rams 24-3 today at Lambeau Field

Here are my thoughts of the game....

The throwback uniforms that Green Bay wore really really sucked.

Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdowns including a 93 yarder to Jordy Nelson.

The Rams didn't seem half bad considering they are 0-6.

Rams cornerback, Al Harris, was impressed by his former team, calling them the best in the league.

The Packers are now 6-0, the only undefeated team in the NFL.

More on the game here.

Evidence of Autumn

Seems like Indian Summer has left us after a good week of excellent weather. The cold winds and rain finally came...stripping the colorful leaves and leaving the trees naked for all to see. Time to start planning for the winter ahead get ready for hibernation. Here are some pictures I took from around town I took before today's rain...

Petrifying Springs in Kenosha



Leaves over Pike River at Petrifying Springs



On Main Street by the Racine Zoo



By Piggly Wiggly on Erie Street



The road going into River Bend




Root River at River Bend




By the airport on Green Bay Road

Kiss vs Micheal Jackson

I stumbled across this video doing some rock and roll research and found it to be quite amusing....

I confess to a bit a KISS fan and well, Micheal Jackson-well...uh...let's just say he tends to be the brunt of my jokes..

So who wins? Watch the video and find out.



Now I wonder what would happen if Madonna and Lady Gaga were to square off... Rocket firing bras?

Packers Week #5

The Green Bay Packers defeated the Atlanta Falcons 25-14 at the Georgia Dome today.

Here are my thoughts of the game...

Atlanta jumped out ready to attack early in the game, scoring twice.

The Packers played without their starting tackles, leaving QB Aaron Rodgers vulnerable.

The situation changed in the second half of the game. The Packers came back with 25 unanswered points.

The Packers are now 5-0 and still undefeated....

More on the game here.

Learning Isn't Hard When you Got Your Library Card...

Since July, my music collection has grown like a weed overdosing on Miracle-Gro on steroids. Much that is due to repeated trips to the library to check out CD's and burning them. It may be an unconventional way of collecting, but it is cheap. Borrow ten discs, copy the covers in a printer and then burn 'em, all for the price of a package of blank discs (which is about five bucks). Cheap.

So here is list of recent additions...

Apocalytica: Worlds Collide
Bachman & Turner: (s/t)
Bad English: (s/t)
Beach Boys: Greatest Hits Volume 1:20 Good Vibrations
Beach Boys: Classics Selected by Brian Wilson
Jeff Beck: Shapes of Things
Pat Benatar: Live From Earth
Pat Benatar: Seven the Hard Way
Pat Benatar: Best of Pat Benatar Volume 1
Pat Benatar: Best of Pat Benatar Volume 2
Pat Benatar: Greatest Hits
Blackmore's Night; Autumn Sky
Black Sabbath: We Sold Our Soul for Rock and Roll
Blue Cheer: Vincebus Eruptum
Bon Jovi: Keep the Faith
Bon Jovi: These Days
Bon Jovi: 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't be Wrong
David Bowie: The Best of David Bowie
Jack Bruce and Robin Trower: Seven Moons
Buffalo Springfield: Retrospective
Charlie Daniels Band: A Decade of Hits
Eric Clapton: Clapton
Days of the New: (s/t 2nd album)
Death Cab for Cutie: Codes and Keys
Dokken: The Very Best of Dokken
Doobie Brothers: World Gone Crazy
Doors: Alive She Cried
Electric Light Orchestra: The Essential Electric Light Orchestra
Fleetwood Mac: Greatest Hits
Foreigner: Complete Greatest Hits
Frogwater: Live at Thai Joe's
J. Geils Band: Anthology
Golden Earring: The Continuing Story of Radar Love
Great White: Can't Get There From Here
Don Henley: Actual Miles Henley's Greatest Hits
Jayhawks: Sound of Lies
Judas Priest: The Essential Judas Priest
Kings of Leon: Only by the Night
Kings of Leon: Come Around Sundown
Kinks: The Ultimate Kinks
KISS: Asylum
KISS: Revenge
KISS: Carnival of Souls
Jonny Lang: Long Time Coming
Huey Lewis and the News: Hard at Play
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Southern by the Grace of God
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Skynyrd's Innyrds
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Lynyrd Skynyrd (Box Set)
Lynyrd Skynyrd: The Last Rebel
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Endangered Species
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Twenty
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Then and Now
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Christmas Time Again
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Thirty
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Vicious Cycle
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Gods & Guns
Taj Mahal: Best of Taj Mahal Volume 1
Matchbox 20: Yourself or Someone Like You
Marillion: Six of One, Half Dozen of the Other
Marshall Tucker Band: Running Like the Wind
Marshall Tucker Band: Beyond the Horizon
Paul and Linda McCartney: Ram
John Mayall: The Turning Point
Steve Miller Band: Bingo!
Moody Blues: A Night at Red Rocks
Mott the Hoople: All the Young Dudes
Muse: Showbiz
Muse: Absolution
Muse: Black Holes and Revelations
Nickelback: Dark Horse
North Missisippi AllStars: Keys to the Kingdom
Ted Nugent: Super Hits
Queensryche: Greatest Hits
Quicksilver Messenger Service: Classic Masters
Bonnie Raitt: Road Tested
Ratt: Infestation
Rolling Stones: Rock and Roll Circus
Santana: Shaman
Joe Satriani: The Extremist
Joe Satriani: Cyrstal Planet
Scorpions: Sting of the Tail
Bob Segar and the Silver Bullet Band: It's a Mystery
Bob Segar: Face the Promise
Paul Simon: The Rhythm of the Saints
Bruce Springsteen: We Shall Overcome
Bruce Springsteen: 18 Tracks
Tears for Fears: The Hurting
UFO: Obsession
U2: 18 Singles
Widespread Panic: Free Somehow
XTC: Skylarking
Yardbirds: Rodger & the Engineer
Yes: Fly From Here
Neil Young and Crazy Horse: Reactor

I know that there are a quite a bit of compilations on this list. The library seems to have a lot of them. I don't normally go after them, because by the time they come around, I've got everything on them-that is on vinyl or on cassette. It's nice to have a CD to stick into my car and go.

And the Skynyrd explosion...Good story here. My girlfriend's son saw Lynyrd Skynryd at Rock USA up in Oshkosh last summer and thought they were excellent! She came up with an idea to gather up all the Skynyrd albums for his birthday. So why not? All I had was the entire Ronnie Van Zant stuff and a smattering of the post plane crash materiel...