Are YOU? Looking an ME? & The Water & Light Miricle

Rest in Peace Wild Bill Guarnere - one of the Band of Brothers and Greatest Generation. A true hero and this always makes me sad.
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DJ and I watched Taxi Drive for the first time Friday night.  One of those movies that we just never got around to watching even though it is the 5th greatest film ever on its directors' poll.and is considered "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant by the US Library of Congress.

Hell ya!  WOW. It is such an odd  "we can't STOP watching" movie.

Filmed in 1976  the climactic shoot-out was considered intensely graphic but I think I have seen worse on The Doodlebops on Saturday morning. (OK OK maybe that is a stretch but The Doodlebops REALLY creep me out.  It is what nightmares are made of).

BUT of course seeing where "Are you looking at me? comes from is a highlight!  They should combine "Are you looking at me? with "Look at me, Look at me"

"Look at me, Look at me, I'm the Captain now, are you looking at me? are you,,, looking at me?  Look an me!" 

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Thursday I was a volunteer for the UW-Wisconsin Cohort Sleep Study. The longest sleep study in the world.  I guess 20 years ago I agreed to be part of it.  I found out that I was chosen because I worked for The State and they believe that State Employees are stable and don't move to other states (at least until the Walker Administration and then knowledgeable employees left in droves like lemmings on a sinking ship, poor pay, no benefits and aging tools, only MG&E has older equipment).

SO - as you all know I filled out a 30 page questionnaire every year and collected  $40.

This year they wanted me to sleep over for $150 and free food. SWEET - the one thing was this would be only the 3rd time in 18 years I would not be in the same sleeping location as DJ.  But - for $150 and an adventure . . . . how can I turn that down (sorry DJ).

I arrive at 4:30pm and fill out 4 more questioner's have 5 separate doctors examine me, push, tap, press, do all the test drunks take (try this one . . . .take off your shoes and socks (important), and walk in a straight line heal touching toe for 10 feet.   Harder then you think.

They give me a menu to order food, as much as I want whatever I want.  UW-Hospital has a pretty Las Vegas style cafeteria and a large menu.  I order a New York Strip with bake potato and salad with corn.  Basic but what can I say, I was overwhelmed.

I fill out more forms and the meal comes.  Pretty darn good, I was happy.

So now comes the memory tests that sound fun because I have one.

WHAT A FREAKING NIGHTMARE - OMG, totally humbling.  I THOUGHT I had a memory! I was proven wrong. The examiner said no one ever likes that test.   

Another test was just as hard but WHY!! 

Time - 60 seconds (the key as it adds stress).  Name all words (not names or places) that begin with . . . . . . . L  GO!

The first 9 or 10 are easy right but then you still have 45 seconds left?  We did that a few times with different letters to bring me down.

So I get to relax for 15 minutes and then this new nurse comes in that I have not seen.  Nurse Brünnhilde Fraulein.  Not the chippy happy pretty nurses I've been dealing with at all for the last 4 hours.

But before she can do anything another Doctor comes in and a pharmacist to interview me.  While they are asking questions I have answered 5 already, scary nurse is playing with THE WALL OF DISCOMFORT!

 
Dr #6 leaves and Scary Nurse says it will take about one and a half hours to hook me up!  WOW!!

Scary Nurse turns out to a REALLY good photographer and we talk about techniques and so forth but then back to business.

4 cords on my legs, two straps around my chest, 10 things inside my hair, more on my cheeks and under my chin and a few more on my back and then one on the tip of my finger that glows like ET.  OH - and finally a couple up my nose and I'm all set for a nice relaxing night in a too soft bed near the heliport.

a glamor selfie! I am going to sleep SO WELL!      DON'T LOOK AT ME

This is the best hotel EVER!

And . . . . . . I gotta pee.

Now they have to get all the machines talking to each other.  This stuff tells them EVERYTHING

They can measure which way my eyes are looking and what my tongue is doing.  Which toes are wiggling and am told to inhale and exhale all the air in my body and hold it as long as possible to see how my body recharges O2.

NIGHT NIGHT!

Oddly I had some bizarre dreams.

One dream it was raining really hard (we all know what THAT means).  And the last dream I was walking around with all this garbage on me in a brewery and realize I looked like a monster and had to go back to my room.

I wake up about 6:00 and they are there immediately, and un-hook me and at the same time are drawing blood.  Then I get my breakfast and fill out 2 more questionnaires and told to leave whenever I want.   

I'll get the results in a month but they said I'm a good sleeper and went to sleep quickly (which is odd because I normally take a while, DJ hits the pillow and is sleeping within 5 minute, it always amazed me). 

But the thing is it really threw me off on Friday because my routine was so out of whack. I felt out of sorts all day.   I think this will not be the last time I do this or maybe I slept to well.

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Seems I can start saving money on bird food. When I was super cold I was filling the feeder up at 6:00am and 5:00pm.  Now it's gone a day and a half and there is still food in it.
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It'll be interesting what Water and Light does with reimbursement.  Looking at my last 6 Februaries we average using 2,730 gallons of water a month.  Here is something weird that I had never noticed before.   February 2011 and February 2012 we used the EXACT number of gallons of water 2,917!  How does that happen, what are the chances!  IT'S A MIRACLE!!
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Wait - looking at the numbers, all of the "cubic feet of water used" is rounded to the nearest 10 so it makes it easier.  We used 390 cubic feet which is (390 * 7.48051945gallons).   

Actually we have used 390 cubic feet of water four times.  Guess it's not THAT uncommon.  

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Have a great week.
Rm

  


 

Columbus Council votes to move Politics backwards 154 years

In a stunning but not surprising move the Columbus City Council  reversed their previous decision (against public opinion) and on the fly voted to keep Columbus, a historical community, by ignoring common sense and voting against having elections, in lieu of just having clubs and organization decide who will run Government.

My friend Fritz Kline as Lincoln in Columbus

"This is how it was done 154 years ago when Lincoln was elected with 30% of the popular vote so it must be the right thing".

Quoting one of Abraham Lincolns most famous words "NOW!  NOW! NOW! " is the time to move Columbus backwards 150 years.

Just because 100% of the cities in Wisconsin and the Country follow standard procedure and have primaries when more then 2 candidates run for office, why should we follow a tried and true political process that works for all other cities in our Nation.

This blogger called 11 other City Clerks in the area and asked about what their city did and 100% were shocked, but not surprised, that Columbus found a way to make the news again with oddball and bizarre politics. Most comments were in the "Why would they do that?" area.

In other news from the Council, roads were discussed and the fact that the citizens of Columbus continually fill out outdated questioners with the biggest complaint, year after year, on the condition of roads.

To fix this problem perhaps the most cost efficient way would be to take all questions about roads off the survey completely.  "At least we won't have to listen to our constituents about why we don't listen to them". That survey has been a real pain" one Aldermen was maybe heard commenting.

But I have a better plan.  With the 16/60 reconstruction coming in a few years, why not just tear up all the roads in Columbus and do away with the problem completely.  No roads, no complaints!!

Two members of the City Council who are both Auxiliary Police Officers and vote for anything the Police Department wants (conflict of interest worked in 1860 and it continues to be healthy in Columbus)  decided that personal cameras were what was needed, but other members of the council who don't have a conflict of interest decided that all citizens of Columbus be issued personal cameras, why does the Police Department only get them.

But because no decision could be made on what kind of camera, 5216 film  cameras (as opposed to digital) were purchased. They can be picked up at the Fire Station.  Be warned that each camera weights 6 pounds and MUST be worn when out in public, IT'S THE ORDINANCE.    

THEN - since Columbus will not have actual roads it was decided, just like in 1860, that the Columbus Police Department should be issued BRAND NEW, STATE OF THE ART HORSES!!

But there is trouble on the horizon and if not for the smart thinking of  Eric Anthon, the Water and Light Czar, disaster was diverted.      

You see once business and industry across Wisconsin heard that politics were set back 150 years in Columbus and that we were now a stable (yet laughable) community with all citizens working on one goal, to move Columbus backward 150 years, should they rethink relocating to this small yet fiercely divided community?  The main question was "Do they have running water?" (like in 1860?).

Eric Anthon to the rescue!

He blasted out an email to all citizens of Columbus.  From here on and until further notice you shall run your water 24 hours a day showing visitors and business  "YES, COLUMBUS HAS RUNNING WATER AND WE CAN PROVE IT!".

Then there was talk about Heads in Beds and not The Walking Dead variety (a new nickname that seems to be floating around when it comes to the City Council).

Seems some on the council do not like the idea of giving room tax money to organizations that bring people into Columbus.  Why give money to the carriage people or the Xplosion softball girls. All it does is bring people into Columbus and they use our roads and look at our buildings. We should only give room tax money to advertise in the same publications that everybody else, with no real vision, does.  The last thing we want to do is become "creative" when it comes to spending money.

And seriously, give money to help The Broadway Theater?  Why would we want to help this people anyway.  What good will a vibrant theater do to our downtown?   Lets not give them ANY help so they get used to it.  Look what happened to Lincoln . . . . .  IN A THEATER!!            

Photo bombing the Lincoln family

 Of course now I would be arrested and thrown out of schools because my hand looks like a gun.

sigh!  So once again negative political news about Columbus is being broadcast to Wisconsin because of an archaic loophole our politics.  I thought we had grown out of that dark period but once again we have become newsworthy in a bad way.

I have nothing to say

I've decided to not sleep for the next two days to make sure I'll sleep Thursday night for the UW-Wisconsin Sleep study. 

I'm sure being hooked up to dozens electrodes and sleeping in an odd bed is a sure way to get a good sound sleep!  I wonder if anybody has accidentally been strangled by wires "oh, Mr. Melotte sleeps so soundly". 

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How awesome is this - only $3.49. But be careful not for Children under 3.   

If Ryan Braun can continue to hit .800 in league play I will be totally over his past indiscretions.

Baseball Prospectus is predicting the Brewers will win 81 games this year and come in 3rd.  The are normally pretty darn accurate. 

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This is something the Columbus Police should post on their Fade Book Page (seems we keep losing officers or something . . . maybe I should apply).   
 
Did you know that there is a way to break into any garage with an electric door in 6 seconds?  Well, it might take you a minute the 1st time but with practice 6 seconds.  It was on You Tube and I'm not even sure I want to show anybody LOL   

this is how it's done

http://youtu.be/kSO_HTBHLFI

And this is how yo can fix it- go to the 2:00 minute mark for the fix

http://youtu.be/nDw8DOblGB8

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And then there is Tiger Woods.  Remember 18 years ago when people were wondering if his body could hold up with "that swing"?  Seems the answer is no.  Good Grief, the guy is like 38 and he is falling apart.  I think his body is like a 60 year old.

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West James Gallery is Closing.  OK OK - this is getting serious.  Every newspaper and magazine I get hired to write for goes under.  Every place I go to get married either blows up OR burns down and my two main galleries have both closed their doors this year.

And to top that off in 3 years I have never ever had the correct order for a delivery pizza from Napolies - HOWEVER - every random pizza we have ever gotten tastes outstanding so I can never complain!

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