Slapinions

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-30T09:04:00.001-06:00

This year work and whatnot ('whatnot' including family that didn't return our calls re: dinner plans) conspired against a traditional sit down dinner. So instead, after work, we hightailed it down to Kenosha, about a 40 minute ride, to dine at Golden Corral, an all you can eat buffet we'd noticed on a prior road trip.

The price, even while inflated for the holiday, was reasonable. For six people it was $54, far less than I would have paid for all the fixin's at home.

The place was packed, and we g0t there only an hour before it closed, but we were seated quickly and as a buffet the food was immediate. I stuck exclusively to dinner fare - meatloaf, potato, broccoli, roll, etc - while Lisa had a salad before hitting the dinner section.

The kids on the other hand . . . well, they ate some protein and some veggies at our insistence,

but mainly they just raided the dessert table. They were ecstatic over the sight of a chocolate fountain

Oh, and cotton candy. Did I mention they liked that?

We had a blast. Hey, I even impressed Lisa, stepping in and saying something to a couple who bullied their way into the restaurant as it closed. How rude - what, the staff doesn't deserve to go home and spend time with their own families?

I think we'll dine out again for the holiday, and maybe even at the Golden Corral!

My (Current) Facebook Profile Pic

2011-11-30T02:18:00.003-06:00

FB - the end of October

2011-11-30T02:01:00.003-06:00

October 23rd

‎10 years ago today - at 4:20 pm to be precise - the first of the Four Greatest Kids Ever was born, inaugurating me as a Dad. Happy Birthday YaYa, and welcome to the Double Digits!

"Pujol's 3HR performance last night was awesome, and one of the best WS shows ever. But best of all time? Hell no. Albert - 3 HR in a blowout of a series tied at one, and he recorded an out. Reggie: 3 HR on 3! pitches in a WS clincher won by a score of 4-3. As usual, my YANKS retain their glory and surpass the rest of baseball. REGGIE, REGGIE REGGIE!"

October 25th

15 years ago today, on what was the 25th anniversary of the UN's misguided expulsion of Taiwan, Lis and I were married. Thanks for putting up w/ this dork for 15 years Sinatra. Xoxo

Maggiano's for lunch today, courtesy of an anniversary gift card from my sister (thanks Katie!), followed immediately by a flat that necessitated a new tire. Then, with no sitter, we picked up the kids from school and retired to a night of X-Factor, some Smirnoff, and a McRib. Now we may/may not rent "Horrible Bosses" from Vudu. Not exactly a TMZ worthy day, but a decent way to pass an anniversary.

October 27th

Redbox is raising their daily DVD rental fee to $1.20. Bluray and game rental prices will remain the same."

Muslim students at a Catholic University are claiming the presence of crosses violates their 'human rights'. What crap. Nope, it's not a master plan to colonize in reverse. No sirree.

October 28th

"I finished reading "Double Dexter" by Jeff Lindsay, but don't feel up to a review right now."

October 29th

"We had a great time at the school Halloween Hoopla. Lauren even won the costume contest in her age bracket for her "Uni the Unicorn" outfit!"

"Breaking News: CNN is reporting 13 US Servicemen KIA from a suicide attack in Afghanistan . . ."

October 30th

"Heading to Kenosha, listening to Lisa and the kids sing along to Adele. Lu loves her."

"out for a walk w/ Smiley and Ginger"

October 31st

"Over the weekend I finished reading "Tension City: Presidential Debates from Kennedy-Nixon to Obama-McCain" by Jim Leher. A memoir of his own time as a pres. debate moderator, the book offers nothing new to anyone familiar with history. While the point of the book is to stress the importance of Presidential debates, it actually proves the opposite, giving ample examples of how appearance and one-liners triumph over substance."

"half an hour ago i was ready 2 kill these kids . . .now I can't stop beaming over 'em"

"‎@ dance studio waiting 4 the kids. Took the opportunity to take a brisk 32 min walk."

"kim kardashian filed for divorce today - after a whopping 72 days of marriage"

A Walk in the Park with Smiley and Ginger

2011-11-02T08:49:00.002-05:00

Over this past weekend I took my two youngest for a walk to a friends house, only to divert to the park when my friend was called away. We spent quite a bit of time enjoying the sights, especially the pond at the center of the park.

They greatly enjoyed playing on the rocks at the edge of the water.

It was a very nice walk, and a great time with two great kids.

My Week

2011-10-23T10:04:00.003-05:00

October 16th

"Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon died today in an Indy car crash. RIP"

"Not the biggest sports story of the night, I know, but I just lost my fantasy matchup. My team matched its projected total, finishing at 97.3 points, but my opponent, alas, notched 119.68. CIN did great for me (23.5 pts) but that $@# Hillis went out w/ an injury after running all of 14 yards, and as usual my WR corps earned #'s worthy of the 1905 Rutgers squad. 2 - 4 now on the year, loser of 3 in a row. Not good. Not good at all."

"What a lousy, emphatic end to the Brewers season. All allegiance now to the Rangers nation, in hopes that they can send the Cards home without a ring. Memo to future Brewers teams, only half tongue in cheek: avoid playing the Cardinals in best of seven series. It doesn't appear to be our forte."

October 17th

"i just met Tom Oslowski, a scout (currently for the Tigers) who was responsible for Darrin Erstad being drafted by the Angels"

"Sunday we watched "Vidal Sassoon: The Movie" a documentary on the life and career of the innovative tycoon: his rough childhood (including years in an orphanage) his service in the Israeli armed forces, his innovative hair salons, his media presence and his continued influence in the industry. I thoroughly enjoyed the film and finished it with a new respect for Sassoon. Available to stream via Netflix."

October 19th

"when the pressure builds too high, even volcanoes boil over, and they are made of stone. (You) are made of slightly softer stuff - Jeff Lindsay"

October 20th

"Happy Bithday Sinatra! Xoxo"

"CNN headline: "Gadhafi is dead, according to Arab sources. CNN has not confirmed the reports." FOX's less sensationalist headline: "Conflicting Reports That Gadhafi has been killed or captured". Yay Fox for doing your job right . ."

[he was dead, murdered on camera by NATO supported rebels]

"Don't argue with an idiot, others might see you and not recognize the difference"

October 21st

"Obama, actively in re-election mode, is as we speak announcing a full pullout of US troops from Iraq. CNN, oddly enough, led off by reporting this is the result of a failure to negotiate a plan to have some troops remain in-country to train Iraqi forces. Just as well. We'll need the troops for Libya, East Africa, and everywhere else our resident Nobel Peace Prize winner wishes to kill known bad guys and replace them w/ heretofore unknown bad guys."

"i see Barnes and Noble bought Borders' Facebook accounts, and B&N is now posting under the "Borders" name. Welcome to a monopoly."

October 22nd

Busy day of errands and shuttling the kids around town. Went to Yaya's volleyball game, picked her up from a bday party, got lu ready for camp, etc

"playing little red riding hood w/ Ginger"

"‎(Ginger, running her fingers along a wrinkle) Daddy, why you got stripes on your forehead?"

The first week of March on Facebook

2011-10-19T11:52:00.000-05:00

March 1st

"The Journal editor just wrote and asked me to do a column on the fiasco in Madison, citing my POV and my ability to not sound like a nut. I was going to say 'no', but mistakenly emailed a 'yes' reply I was seeking to scuttle. Whoa Nelly, this is gonna bring some hate mail."

“If the Church is not on fire, you should not be talking.” Amen."

"Watching Gov Walker's budget address on 10.2. Good speech, well spoken."

"Working on that column. Tonight's musical selection: Andres Sergovia, Mazzy Star, Styx, Cold War Kids, Oasis. Couldn't find the Judas Priest I was looking for earlier."

March 2nd

"Customers of note: the old man who'd been at the Ice Bowl, w/ ticket stubs to prove it; the guy who spent the equivalent of my annual salary at Job Prior to buy a genuine Stevie Ray Vaughn guitar; a member of the Detroit Tigers' front office, with a World Series ring you couldn't miss."

above: Ginger spent 10 minutes balancing nuts on a balloon, then applying downward pressure with a plank of wood and shooting them, tiddly-winks style, into a bowl.

"The Journal moved up the date of publication to Thursday, so pick up a copy on the way to work. Of note, this warning from the editor: "Hi Dan, your column will run Thursday for sure. Don’t read the online comments unless you’re a masochist."

The Eastern cougar has officially been declared extinct.

March 3rd

"Sunday's paper will include the names of the 2011 crop of Journal/Sentinel community columnists. I've been asked to stay on a 3rd year, which is great, but OTOH whoopdeedoo. I appreciate the platform, and the confidence the editors place in me, but been there/done that/would like to be paid more for it. Anywho, look for me in Sunday's Crossroads section."

"Smiley & I went for a haircut Thurs evening, and he asked me if he could get a mohawk. I said no and had him ask Lisa. To my shock, she told him it was OK. In the end he and I agreed on a 'faux-hawk' - closely cropped hair on the sides, w/ the hair on top blended and sculpted into a mohawk. He loves it."

March 5th

"Adalbert's vets: I ran into Chrissy Go- in the produce dept of the Pick 'N Save on 76th. She has four kids and seemed happy, but alas no Facebook account, claiming she doesn't use a computer at all. How you can be happy w/out FB is beyond me, but to each their own."

March 6th

Today is the 175th anniversary of the fall of the Alamo. RIP Texans, RIP.

"Tonight, after a long day at work, Lis & I watched "I Knew it Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale" (aka Fredo from The Godfather). It was an entertaining tribute to him as an actor, but little else. As to Cazale as a person, we learned he was born in 1935, smoked a lot, died young . . . and that's it. The filmaker could have done a lot more with the material."

"For the record: I believe recall efforts are an ugly attempt to undermine the value of the election process & our democratic system. If you don't like the guy in office, fight their policies and then vote him out at the end of his duly elected term. There's no damn mulligans here. If my signature was the deciding factor that would get OBAMA out of office, I'd put my pen away."

12,000 year old fishing tackle has been found in California

"I just watched some new footage from 9/11, & Olivia came up & asked me if the Towers were factories (because of all the smoke rising from them). She admitted she had no idea what 9/11 was or what it meant to this country. I spent several minutes explaining what happened that day, and I think I did a good job. I'm surprised she hadn't been taught about it in school, although in fairness she is quite young."

"Tim Cuprisin is reporting that Charlie Sheen has been fired from "Two and a Half Men". What crap. If you aren't allowed to be a drug fueled sex addict, then what's the point of Hollywood success?"

March 7th

"Just finished "The Ghostwriter". It would be a dang good movie if the plot made any sense. A former PM of Great Britain demonized for having 4 known terrrorists kidnapped & waterboarded? The UK allowing a PM to be brought up on charges by the (ridiculous) internation court? A consistent anti-American plot thread (literally)? Bullsh-t."

Happy Birthday Smiley!

"Do Good And Care Not to Whom - a sign in the hallway of Lauren's school, attributed to an old Italian proverb"

Facebook'ing the last half of February. Yes, February. And yes, I made Facebook into a verb.

2011-10-18T10:12:00.000-05:00

February 16th

A big day for my Smiley. He volunteered to do a petition @ the school Mass this morning, & all props to the teacher for letting him do it despite his speech problems. We've got him all gussed up & are planning to attend in force, & he's practiced all week. "For all soldiers we pray to the Lord". Sadly, he's so worried about it he had several nightmares last night, meaning sound sleep was in short supply here.

He did great!

With reports of a Borders (bookstore) bankruptcy a "low probability event" the company began reorganizing. "Good luck to them. They have a more pleasing color scheme than B&N and I wish them all the best."

CBS New's Lara Logan was beaten and suffered a brutal and sustained sexual assault by a crowd of Egyptian "pro-democracy" protesters. I wish her well.

President George Herbert Walker Bush received the Medal of Freedom, the highest honor our nation can bestow upon a civilian. Congrats sir!

"‎"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." -Anais Nin"

Feb 17th

[a few school districts closed due to teacher protest 'call ins' related to the budget battle in Madison] "MPS reports only 'slightly higher' than normal call ins, 425 as opposed to the 'norm' of 340-350. Putting aside the budget bill, just think about those #'s. On a typical Thurs in Feb, 350! teachers will call in sick in MKE. For the 100 who are legit ill on those days, I wish them all the best. For the other 250 who took a spa day, thanks for putting the kids first. Your dedication has made our schools what they are."

"Stay away from the crack . . .unless you can manage it socially - Charlie Sheen"

Feb 18th

"I've finished Charles Portis' novel 'True Grit'. It's a very short book, written as a monologue by the teenage heroine a half century after the events. I love the voice Portis gave the character; think Huck Finn with a bad temper and a cranky disposition. Well worth a read."

"I can't understand why a person will take a year to write a novel when he can easily buy one for a few dollars. - the late great Fred Allen"

"Woke up to discover MPS is closed with the teacher 'flu'. Not that I'm cynical or anything, but I do note that with the scheduled day off on Monday MPS teachers have now guaranteed themselves a 4 day weekend with which to spend their average salary of $46K (for working 9 months a yr w/ wknds and holdidays off). But it's not about $ people, it's about their rights!"

"tried and failed to secure Taylor Swift tix for Grace. The only ones i could get were out of my price range, and efforts to borrow the xtra $ were for naught. So I failed my 1st born again. Wonderful.

Feb 19th

‎"YaYa's junior troop is doing a service project and needs to collect a few things. If you'd like to help her troop out they need: men's socks, men's underwear, wash cloths, travel size soap, shampoo, prayer cards/coins, tooth brushes/paste. Our goal is to make 50 small care packages for a omeless shelter, so it's a great cause. No donation too small :)"

"After work tonight we sat down & watched "Eleven Minutes" a documentary about the creation of Jay McCaroll's 2007 fashion line. Fascinating to watch, and Jay is certianly a character. Interesting fact: he turned down the prize $ from his win on Project Runway, citing the fact that the contract gave 10% of his earnings, in perpetuity, to the PR production company."

"Other than Molly, is anyone on here going to Madison to support Gov. Walker? Someone asked me to go, but I have to work this morning - insert lame joke about how only teachers can skip work w/out penalty. Anyhow, if you are heading to that mess, stay safe. It could get ugly, esp since unions are bringing in folks from out of state to swell their numbers. (that's a fact out of the JS front page article, not opinion)."

Feb 20th

"I had a great day post-work. Capped it off by watching 'Piranha 3D' with Lisa - believe it or not, her Redbox choice, not mine. It was campy, gory, featured a lot of boobs and an awful soundtrack. I thought it was swell."

"That's supposed to be a clear bottle of water. What you're looking at is the typical, persistent backwash of Ginger."

"After a nice dinner w/ the kids Lis & I sat down to watch "You Again". Despite some nice buzz here on FB I thought the script was paint-by-numbers, w/out an original thought to be found. BUT it did pick up steam in the last third, so not all was lost."

Feb 21st

‎"I find it ironic that the same day that thousands of people skipped work to rail against our “undemocratic” leader [Walker] fewer than a quarter of the registered voters in Madison bothered to vote in an actual election." - Phil Hands of the Wisconsin State Journal"

"This evening's soundtrack: Edith Piaf, George Harrison, Amy Winehouse, Fleetwood Mac, Rihanna, David Bowie, Black Sabbath . . ."

Feb 22nd

"‎16 years ago today I met Lisa for the first time. 2/22/95 will always rank as one of the pivotal days of my life, and she remains the best thing to ever happen to me. Happy Anniversary."

Feb 23rd

"I watched 'Monsters' tonight. Despite its moronic choice of title, it was grand. The story involves 2 people trying to cross the "Infected Zone" & reach the US - the Zone being an area of Mexico that has been overrun with ET's who arrived when a space probe broke up on entry. Yeah, yeah, I know - but it's GOOD, even moving at times. IIRC it won several film awards in the UK, and I think it was well deserved."

"Lisa took YaYa (or Grac.E as she now writes her name) to Justice to use up a gc from her aunt katie (thanks!). She found a lot of bargains, even buying something for LuLu. Nice mother/daughter time."

"You're born an original. Don't die a copy." - John Mason"

Feb 24th

"I downloaded a virus on my home computer. Working hard to fix it as we 'speak'."

CBS has stopped production of "Two and a Half Men" due to the dispute with star Charlie Sheen

Feb 25th

"B4 work I sat down w/ the kids & watched Tyrone Power in "The Mark of Zorro", (these kids will appreciate movie history if it's the end of me). Since it features no talking dogs or singing teenagers, they wandered off 1 by 1. All, that is, except for LuLu, my doll. For her faithfulness she was treated to the greatest sword fight in movie history - Tyrone Power vs Basil Rathbone, a scene she even asked me to rewind."

"I've mentioned before how I quiz the kids about what artist is playing on the radio, in an effort to get them to pay attention and broaden their listening taste. Yesterday the radio was playing "Captain Jack". I asked YaYa who was singing. "Uh . . .Guns 'n Roses???" she said. Long silence. "That may be the only time in history," I said, "where Billy Joel was confused with Axel Rose"

South Viet Nam: Death at Intermission time - a link to a contemporary time article detailing the first combat deaths in Vietnam, Master Sergeant Chester Ovnand and Major Dale Buis. It was July 20th, 1959, ten years to the day before man would walk on the moon.

Feb 27th

"I'm just going to say what needs saying, regardless of the boos from the gallery. Kirk Douglas made a harmless ass of himself at the Oscars, and it was downright embarrassing. Kudos to Justin Timberlake for recognizing the humour in the situation, and a big un-kudo the folks who let a senile, barely intelligible Douglas present an award. A healthy, younger Kirk would be appalled."

Duke Snider, the HOF center fielder for the Dodgers, is dead at 84. In high school I read his autobiography "Duke of Flatbush". RIP Duke.

Feb 28th

"Self Pity
I never saw a wild thing
sorry for itself.
A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough
without ever having felt sorry for itself.
- D. H. Lawrence"

Frank Buckles, the last living US WWI veteran, has died at age 110. RIP sir, and thank you.

Hollywood sex symbol Jane Russell has passed away at the age of 89. RIP.

The Week on Facebook

2011-10-16T00:05:00.000-05:00

October 15th

"After dinner Lisa and I watched "Hey, Boo: Harper Lee & To Kill a Mockingbird" a documentary on, duh, Harper Lee and To Kill a Mockingbird. There is nothing earth shattering or original in the doc's content, but it certainly reminds you of how great a book that really is, and if nothing else, that makes it all worthwhile."

This week I added Victor Cruz/CIN Def/John Kotsay & dropped Sam Bradford, ARI D, & Rob Bironas. My lineup for Wk 6: Cutler, Desean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Victor Cruz, Hillis and Turner at RB, Kotsay, Gronkowski (TE) and CIN. Versus: Brady, Reggie Wayne, Greg Little, Colston, Mendenhall & Ingram at RB, Jimmy Graham (TE), Janikowski and TB's Defense. Wish me luck.

"Congrats to the Texas Rangers and their fans" [on winning the AL Pennant]

"‎60 yrs ago today I Love Lucy debuted on TV"

"‎Carlos H- says: Facebook should have a limit on times you can change your relationship status... After 3 it should default to " Unstable ""

Today is Sweetest Day. If you're going to buy your sweetie flowers (and u should) please go to --- btwn 9 & 1 and ask for Lisa. U won't b sorry!"

October 14th

My Pumpkin Farm Monster! Today was Ginger's first school field trip to the pumpkin farm, and she brought home a teeny-tiny Ginger sized pumpkin home with her!

"Got home from work, wrote and submitted a column, made dinner, now off to sell Cub Scout popcorn and Brownie nuts door to door. BTW, if anyone wants either POPCORN or NUTS, please let me know. Thanks!"

October 13th

"There, Brewers win, LCS tied at 2 games each. Happy now? Jiminy Cricket, I said it in the NLDS and I had to trot it out again yesterday: have some confidence and act like you've been there before. Watching Fox 6 Wake up News this morning was like watching a funeral for the team. Until the last out of the elimination game, have faith."

"watching teen wolf too"

“Even the devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.”
-William Shakespeare”"

October 12th

October 11th

"Today I finished reading 'Shockwave', a Virgil Flowers novel by the great John Sandford. It's a serial bomber in a small Minnesota town, who appears to be trying to stop the fictional equivalent of a Wal-Mart from opening. As expected from Sandford, it's a fine read with plenty of style and a who-dunnit that actually kept me guessing. Recommended."

"BREAKING NEWS: Twitter is reporting that long-time Brewers groundskeeper Gary Vandenberg has lost his battle with cancer. RIP."

"“If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.” - Elmore Leonard"

"CNN is reporting that the US has disrupted a plot by "elements of the Iran government" to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the U.S."

NJ Gov. Christie has endorsed Mitt Romney

"Just FYI, I lost my fantasy matchup by 92.52 points. Not only was it the biggest whupping of the week, my opponents 164.67 points is some kind of league record. Good grief."

"The Beast of Bray Road is a low budget horror film centered around the werewolf legend of Walworth County (here in Wisconsin). This was awful, but in a 'make you smile not retch' kindaway. The acting is rec-class awful (although the lead & Kelly were good), the costumes were ill fitting, everyone in WI apparently wears Stetsons, cops don't retaliate when punks spit at them, and the werewolf looked silly. But it was set in WI, there are two nice sets of breasts bared for your viewing pleasure, and what the hell - it's set in Wisconsin."

"LuLu is a big fan of the book "Porkenstein" by Kathyrn Lasky and has read it 2 or 3 times since checking it out of the school library this week."

October 10th

"Breaking News: The NBA has officially cancelled the first two weeks of its season."

I don't care about pro basketball at all, but i do mind that the hotels, restaurants, bars, parking garages, vendors, ticket exchanges, etc in Milwaukee that profit from the games will now take a hit.

"This morning we watched "The Perfect Host" an indie horror film starring David Hyde Pierce (Niles from Frasier). A bank robber on the run worms his way into a dinner party hosted by Pierce, only to discover the foppish host might have plans of his own. Pierce was great, the early twist was devious, and we enjoyed it. My one complaint was that the story should have ended at dawn, and ixnayed the rest. Available to stream on Netflix."

Lisa made a great dinner of chicken and mashed potatoes. She made the chicken perfectly, following a method advocated by America's Test Kitchen, and the results were easily the juicest, most perfectly cooked chicken I've ever had. Unfortunately, I like my chicken dry and slightly overdone LOL

"Down by 91 points in my fantasy game going into tonight. All I need is for Jay Culter to throw 400 yards, w/ 4 TDs and scramble for ten yards - and I'll still lose by 50 points. A humbling week."

"I just got word that the column I wrote Friday will be in tomorrow's (Tuesday's) Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Please feel free to comment on it the JS site."

(a wax covered leave the kids made)

Ginger in the Columbus day hat she made at school (yes, we still celebrate it!):

"‎125 years ago today New York millionaire James Potter showed up at a dinner party wearing a new style of jacket, one suggested to him by the Prince of Wales. The jacket proved a hit and people soon referred to it by the name of the place where Potter debuted it - the Tuxedo Park Club."

October 9th

"‎100th Career TD tonight by Aaron Rodgers"

"‎56 yard field goal by Mason Crosby just now, w/ plenty of oomph to spare. It ties GB's all-time FG distance mark."

RIP Pianist Roger Williams

"I'm a 30 point underdog going into this weekend's fantasy matchup. Playing QB Cutler WR's Moore/Desean Jackson/Manningham RB's Benson and Turner TE: Gronkowski K Bironas DEF New England. Opponent: Brees/Bowe/Calvin Johnson/Steve Smith/Jones-Drew/Adrian Foster/Vernon Davis/Minn D/Philly's kicker."

Facebook - February 1st - Valentines Day (yeah, February. What of it?)

2011-10-13T16:38:00.000-05:00

Feb 1st

"‎'RED' was ok, but in the end was little more than cookie cutter action/comedy. What comedic bright spots there were came largely courtesy of Mary Louise Parker."

We just finished the documentary 'Catfish'. I really enjoyed it, and I think the title - which stems from an anecdote w/in the film - is a phrase worth remembering

"I fear this [war with Israel]will be one of the outcomes of the 'democracy' protests in Egypt. Egypt, 2011 = Iran, 1979? Let's hope not."

Jon Knight: I was never in the closet

Feb 2nd

The interesting disappearance of Maud Crawford

"Education is finite. Fame whoring is forever - TMZ"

We watched 'Cyrus' tonight, a John C. Reily comedy with a plot that seemed, at first glance, too similar to his awful 'Step Brothers'. No fear; it turned out to be a sweet, mature rom-com. We liked it."

"Btwn shoveling [snow] we watched 'Winter's Bone'. Set in the Ozarks, it's about a 17 yr old girl who must find her meth-cooking father or lose the house he put up as a bail bond. It's very bleak, but the acting is superb. And the character of Teardrop? He didn't raise a hand in the whole movie, & he still scared the crap out of me."

"We watched 'The American' a few days back, and despite a good trailer & George Clooney in the lead role, it was el-boringo. Criminy, *I* wanted to kill the dull bugger myself by the 3rd act. 'Love Ranch' a Helen Mirren/Joe Pesci film about a legal brothel in the '70's, was pretty good but ended like a bad TV movie, narration and all."

Feb 4th

"Back from work & not happy. Moving on . . 'Nowhere Boy' a biopic of John Lennon's formative years, is a good film. I will note that I was annoyed that the lead actor is 100x better looking than Lennon, and that Paul is portrayed by what appears to be a ten yr old waif. Still, very enjoyable. (creepy incestous Mommy relationship aside)"

Feb 5th

"I just finished watching season 7 of The Amazing Race. It's disapointing that Boston Rob and Amber didn't win. Yeah, I agree Eugenna (sic) & his wife are nice people. Whoopdeedoo. W/out Rob and Amber that season would have sucked."

"You know you're an experienced Daddy when your 3 yr old vomits in the car and not only doesn't fit faze you, you clean her up,change her, and wipe down the car with only an old newspaper and handfuls of snow."

British PM David Cameron: Stop Tolerating Islamic Terrorists and respect British Core Values. Europe is waking up - when will we?

Feb 6th

After a two year investigation, a local woman has been charged with killing her infant in 1957

Feb 7th

"A cop just knocked on my door and asked if I witnessed an alleged strong arm robbery directly across the street. A guy says he was robbed * & * bit by the crook's dog. We were in our living room, w/ the bay window uncovered, & saw/heard diddly. Not saying it's a drunk fairytale, but . . . Neat to have to give my name/middle initial/DOB/phone to a cop again. Strange what I miss from Job Prior."

"Happy 100th birthday Ronald Reagan! The Pack will one for you Gipper, count on it!"

"I don't know if y'all heard, but the Packers won the Super Bowl. Just thought you'd like to know."

"We (me, Lisa, Chris) crammed in a viewing of "The Virginity Hit', a mockumentary following a young guy looking to lose his virginity. Much to my surprise it was LOL - the inflatable tranny doll scene had us all but peeing our pants in laughter. it turns out that it was produced by Will Ferrell. REnt it if you have a sense of humor."

"AOL has purchased The Huffington Post and given it complete control over all AOL editorial content. Ugh, yet another reason to seperate from AOL."

Feb 8th

"Damn, it is well and truly bitterbit*h cold out there."

"Please. I've had mono so often it turned into stereo - the utterly yummable Santana on Glee"

Feb 9th

"Tonight we watched 'Paranormal Activity 2', a movie that takes place before/during the events of the original. It wasn't bad, if u can stomach a movie where a child may be in danger & can tolerate watching security footage of an empty room where (mostly) nothing happens. A decent waste of 90 minutes & worth a cheap rental."

The iconic video game Guitar Player has been axed. No pun intended.

"Lu had to list 3 Presidents as options for a report, & her teacher then chose 1 on a 1st come/1st served basis so there'd be no repetition among the students. Lu listed Obama, Polk & Adams. She got *Obama* which presumably means no one else in the class had him listed high; quite a diff from what MPS, no? She solicited my help to start it. I quipped "Barrack Obama, our 44th President, was born in Kenya . . . ""

"Egads! The long awaited DVD of Project Runway Season 8 arrived via Netflix and won't play! We've been forced to jump ahead 5 episodes & start w/ disc 2. Pfui."

dislike/disagree about Mr. Sunshine. I'm not sure how long the concept can hold, but I thought it was funny. Then again, you dislike We Built This City, so your judgment is suspect from the start."

Feb 10th

Ginger: Knock knock
Me: who's there?
Ginger: Uh, doctor who
Me: Doctor who who?
Ginger: doctor who, uh, soda!

"Matthew Perry's new show, "Mr. Sunshine", has taken some heat here on FB but I enjoyed it & found it funny. [Plus my opinion is worth ten of anyone elses, so pbbbt.] Good to see the girlfriend from 'Joey' bed down yet another Friends alum on TV; I eagerly await her future co-starring role with Jen Aniston."

"I just turned off "Middle Men" w/ 45 min left on the DVD. How do you take a film about porn, strippers, drugs & the mob and make it boring? For starters, bury it under so much narration you think you're listening to an audio book. This ain't Goodfellas, buddy, & you're no Scorsese. Show us the story, don't recite it. Yawn."

Feb 11th

"NEVER ask for what should be offered - a quote from Winter's Bone, and one that rings true. We used it just this week to teach LuLu a lesson about pride. She was hurt that she's never asked over to a friend's house, while other (wealthier?) kids are, and wanted to call and ask the parents for an invitation. Hell to the No."

"‎'tho it meant going to work on shy of 4hrs sleep, I stayed up to finish 'The Cypress House' by Michael Koryta. It's a supernatural story set in the gloomy swamps of Depression-era Florida. Very well written & satisfying. Count me as a fan."

"Having a good time with the kids. YaYa took photographs of drops of food coloring she suspended in water, Smiley and I made paper boats and Ginger is running around half naked enlessly repeating "Ohmygoodnessohmygoodness". And best of all: Dean Martin's album "Dino" is playing. Dean Martin's voice is like buttah, infinitely easier on the ears than Sinatra. It never fails to make me smile."

"Lu's reaction to the Beiber movie? "It's freakin' AWESOME!!!". She and Lisa were happy to get primo seats w/out any hassles, in lg part because they caught the last matinee. On the way out they said teenage girls in PJ's and "Beiber warpaint" were lined up around the corner hoping for good seats for the 1st evening show."

Feb 12th

"US officials have identified the remains of 11 US WWII servicemen found in a wreck in Papua New Guinea. The remains include those of 2nd Lt. Robert R. Streckenbach Jr., 21, of Green Bay, Wisconsin. RIP."

"Horrible nightmares all night, one rolling right into the next. Not a good night."

"‎"He was a stupid man, he knew nothing at all of the world, and like all men who knew nothing of the world, he was suspicious and jealous" - The Duke of Wellington, on the jailor of Napoleon, Hudson Lowe"

"Martha Stewart takes the ordinary and makes it beautiful. Katie Brown takes the beautiful and makes it hideous. Sometimes I think she plays it for the camp factor. That has to be it, right?"

Feb 13th

"Great day at work, lousy night at home. Anyhwho, now we're watching the Grammy's. For the first time ever there has yet to be a nominee or performer whose album I haven't heard, start to finish, at least once. I feel all knowledgable and schtuff."

"Esperanza Spalding wins best new artist . . . [sx: crickets chirp]. She wouldn't have been my FOURTH choice out of the nominees. What a waste of airtime."

"Yo, Babs: if you are presenting a Grammy, best not to stammer over the winner's album title. Kinda gives the impression you don't know them or their work (which you don't)."

Feb 14th

"After the Grammy's we (well, Lisa) baked cupcakes for the kids' Valentines Day treats, then settled down to watch 'I Spit on Your Grave'. It's a remake of a '70's film where a woman is gang-raped and left for dead, only to return & kill off her attackers in Saw-esque scenarios. Ten years ago, I'd have labeled the movie and *all* of its characters 'retarded'. Now, dutifully PC, I don't know how to describe it."

"While waiting for the kids at dance class I finished "The Ice Bowl: The Cold Truth About Football's Most Unforgettable Game" by Ed Gruver. Stylish writing, great detail, tons of research; just a great read. Be forewarned tho' - the ebook version is awash in typos that don't appear in the print editiion."

"Enough is as good as a feast"

"Big fan of the Nook, as you know, and I favor the reading experience and battery life of the b&w over the Color, but I gotta tell ya - the inability to read in dim light is wearing on me. As soon as twilight arrives your reading is done, long before a booklight would be needed for a traditional page. Not liking the idea that a Color might be the weapon of choice when funds allow."

October 5th - 8th

2011-10-11T13:01:00.001-05:00

Wednesday October 5th

"QB Aaron Rodgers has been named the "NFC Offensive Player of the Week" for the second time this season"

"OK, just finished my 30 min phone interview, the 4th step in the WI Dells process. I think it went well, but whadda I know? If I get this, it means $ - the *starting* wage is more $ than I've ever earned - and relocation (she told me the $ they'll give me for relocation and apologized for the amount. Apologize? I thought the relocation amount was my ANNUAL wage - and I was happy.) Too good to be true, which means it won't happen."

"‎'Cuz I was asked: Philadelphia/Milwaukee NLCS, Yankees/Rangers ALCS."

"BREAKING NEWS:
Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, has died at age 56."

"We just finished watching Season Five of Hell's Kitchen. It's a lot of fun to watch, as I've noted five times now, but I do wish they'd add a little variety to the challenges. Still, congrats to winner Danny Veltri, who as usual went on to become 'the executive chef' at a Ramsay restaurant - aka, a standard sous chef. Most mislabeled prize in all of reality TV."

October 6th

"‎'Occupy Wall Street' protesst business while mourning Steve Jobs. Fine. But Steve Jobs had a net worth of around 7 billion and was one of the *gasp* 1% that 'undermine democracy'. On principle, they should toss out their IPads, IPods, and Macbooks. They won't, of course. Know this kiddies: Jobs created more jobs, and hence helped more people, in any given year than all you protesters will do in your lifetimes, COMBINED."

"Folks at work were soooo despondent over the Brewers dropping 2 games in a row to now face elimination in the NLDS. I'm talking hardcore, kept a day to day W-L count on the bulletin board kind of fans. Huh. That mindset is new to me. As a Yankees fan, they can be down 3 games to none in the LCS, losing 9-0 in the bottom of the eighth, and I'd still bet on seeing them in the Series. Milwaukee fans need to act like we've been here before and quit anticipating a collapse."

Smiley's Power Rangers Halloween costume:

"And . . . I didn't get the Dells job. I was just notified - @ 10:27pm!? - via a personal email. Ugh."

"Detroit just ousted the Yanks. What a crappy half hour for Danny."

October 7th

"Went to bed 3 hrs earlier than normal in a depressive funk, but time to nut up & keep slugging. Off to work soon, then afterwards I'm going to stop and price a new suit. I clean up well, emerging, when I care to, as a plump but politically wiser Alec Baldwin. Enough of this bulls--t. Time to make some money again."

"‎@ eric's watching game 5 of the NLDS"

"NLDS Victory in the 10th inning, courtesy of T-Plush! Fireworks went off in Bay View (literally) and cops are pulling people over everywhere, as the whole damn neighborhood is drunk (or just delirious w/ joy). Whoo-hoo!"

Pics taken during the game winning hit (plus Eric's 'Beast' pose)

"Work bit ass. Went to tailor shop afterwards, tried on some threads. Looked smashing. Par for the course. Came home, wrote and submitted JS column, it may run Tues. Wrote it intending to stir up some schtuff, so less than 50 JSonline comments will mark it as a failure."

"Home from Eric's. Once his wife came home it was kibosh on MLB night. Lisa and the kids are in the Dells with a friend (enjoying a haunted hayride, I'm told) so I Redbox'ed "The Walking Dead, The Complete First Season" and plan to knock that off tonight."

Our Miraculous Continental US Pancake:

October 8th

"Breaking news: Raider's owner Al Davis is dead @ 82. RIP"

I literally kissed the cover when I saw it on the shelf. Disturbing but true.

I'm a 30 point underdog going into this weekend's fantasy matchup. Playing QB Cutler WR's Moore/Desean Jackson/Manningham RB's Benson and Turner TE: Gronkowski K Bironas DEF New England. Opponent: Brees/Bowe/Calvin Johnson/Steve Smith/Jones-Drew/Adrian Foster/Vernon Davis/Minn D/Philly's kicker.

Courtney Love has gone on record as saying she'd kill Kurt Cobain if he came back to life. I guess if you've done it once . . .

Facebook - October 1st thru the 4th

2011-10-10T09:27:00.000-05:00

October 1st

"It's Saturday morning and our fantasy commish has finally! acknowledged my awesomeness in Week 3. I won the weekly cash prize (deducted from dues) by whupping on my opponent 115.30 to 67.9, a league best difference of 47.40 points. Quoteth commish: "Thumbs up to Slapjacks for winning ass kicker bonus - thumbs down to Slapjacks for whinning about the lateness of this post.""

"Unless MLB has failed to update stats in the last few days, Pujols finished shy of 100 RBI, thereby ensuring Arod's consecutive streak of 100RBI/30HR years is safe for another decade. Booyah. And all this talk about how Terry Francona should be held accountable (but not to blame) for the Red Sox collapse ignores one issue: where was their so-called "Captain" Varitek? He bragged about that 'C' on his uniform enough in the past, but where was his leadership when someone needed to yank those guys out of the weeds?"

AT&T sent me 3 statements for the same account, all dated Sept 27th, all w/ different totals. I called & was transferred 2x then was accidentally disconnected. Time wasted 12:44. 2nd call, transferred 2x, ended up on the phone with an Indian woman w/ no English comprehension beyond her script. I was not kind, and was tx'd to a woman in Chicago who did a decent job but had to transfer me again, waited five minutes on hold, hung up. Total time wasted: approx 47 minutes. WORST COMPANY EVER.

Worked the concession stand at the kids' school, then stayed late when our replacement failed to show. Then home to watch the Badgers-Nebraska matchup in primetime.

"Congrats Badgers! What an impressive wupping of Nebraska - 48 to 17 @ Camp Randall! Great game, great team, great state."

"Before I forget, today marks the 50th Anniversary of the day Roger Maris set the MLB record with his 61st home run of the season. I'm not an anti-steroid nut, barking at the moon and asking for records to be wiped, but when it comes to Maris and Aaron, my gut and my heart still think of them as the *true* home run record holders. RIP Mr. Maris, 61 is still the number to beat."

"Writing with "McCartney II" playing in the background ("Waterfalls" at the moment). My current job may bankrupt me and drive me to the Rescue Mission, but I'll say this for it - it's given me a great appreciation for the catalog and talent of Paul McCartney."

October 2nd

"Wise sayings often fall on barren ground, but a kind word is never thrown away - Arthur Helps"

‎"Speak to the organ grinder, not the monkey"."

"If I were asked to name the . . . writer who I think has stuck most closely to that idea—STICK TO THE STORY, STICK TO THE GODDAMN STORY—it probably would be James M. Cain. There’s not a word in Cain that does not apply to the story he’s telling you - Rex Stout"

"Playing my hunches today. With Hillis weakened by illness I'll play Benson in his place, and w/ Sanchez playing Baltimore I'll start Cutler. After Knox was announced as the #2 WR for Chicago just an hour ago, I decided he'll sub in for the 'probable' Manningham. *Fingers crossed*"

"Whoo-hoo! Netflix has added additional seasons of The Office, 30 Rock and Parks & Recreation to streaming! G'd bless 'tis a good night!"

"Dang it, I lost my fantasy game by *point six five* points. My decision to start Cutler looked like crud when he earned 1.85 pts (!) but in fact it was the right move; Sanchez earned *negative 9.98*. Benson outscored Hillis, ditto Knox over Manningham. So far so good - except I played Arizona's D over NE. There wasn't much of a scoring difference, just four points, but it was enough. Losing sucks, but I'm confident I'd make the same decisions again, and I was right 3 out of 4x - and the 4th was by a hair. Slapjacks now 2-2."

Monday October 3rd

"The column I wrote Friday will/should be published in Tuesday's Journal-Sentinel. Please buy a copy, or at the very least link to/tweet/FB/comment on the published piece on jsonline."

Amanda Knox wins appeal, judge orders release . ."

"Smiley and I walked to his Tiger Cub den meeting today. It was a nice walk on a lovely evening, but near the end he was pretty tired - until some girl from school saw him walking and said hello. Then he was all smiles and asked if we could walk home afterwards too. :) At the meeting my suggestion of a relay race involving Q&A on the motto, etc, rocked. . . .BTW - Park's selling popcorn as a fundraiser for the Pack. If you'd like to place an order, let me know. A heapin' helpin' of the $ raised stays in his personal Scout account."

October 4th

"Quoteth the Ginger: "Pig-a-lee Wig-a-lee, Shop Da Pig!""

The Event/Alias/The Walking Dead

2011-10-09T00:15:00.000-05:00

With the family out of town enjoying a visit to Wisconsin Dells, I fell asleep after work watching the DVD of Season 1 of "The Walking Dead". It's a zombie series that follows the plight of one sheriff's deputy intent on guiding his family through the post-apocalyptic hell that's become contemporary Georgia.

There's nothing overly original about the series, no unique advancement in zombie physiology, our reaction to them, or our methods of killing them. (you still shoot 'em in the brain). Actually, it may have one original trait: an intelligent script and a decent respect for characterization. Sure, sure, I saw the cheating wife coming, and the goody-two-shoes lead can infuriate, but all in all it's well written and certainly worth your time.

And I want to know what secret Keller whispered in the deputy's ear in the season finale.

Grade: A

I've been meaning to watch Alias for quite a few years and finally got around to watching most of season one. I like it, and find it entertaining and decently complex. But - and you know there was a but coming - it's also tedious. Keeping a weekly spy series going, especially one that has an overall story arc, demands that for every X amount of episodes there is a mandatory X amount of death defying, all hell's breaking loose missions. Hard to believe, but 8 or 9 episodes in I felt it was very mundane.

Plus, as a network show intent on showing Sidney isn't 'bad', she continually exhibits what I feel is Slapinions Golden Flaw of Action Characters: she fails to end the threat. John Doe is a bad guy, you say, one who constantly is trying to kill you and has nearly succeeded in the past? You just defeated him in a fight, and despite his spiteful warning that he'll be back to kill you . . . you handcuff him to a radiator and move on. Bulls((t. End the threat. Kill the guy. Not because you are bad, or evil, or callous, but because by letting him live you're not proving you're better - you're endangering your own life and that of the world as a whole.

Grade: C

I haven't seen but two episodes of The Event so far, so my judgement is incomplete. It's a Lost-ish thriller about a group of aliens who have been kept prisoner by the US for decades and now may/may not be orchestrating a violent takeover. I like it, but again, there's plenty of time for it to go south.

Grade: Incomplete

YaYa Rides a Horse

2011-10-08T00:08:00.004-05:00

This past spring YaYa attended a Girl Scout camp (I think it was 3 days/2 nights) and the highlight, nay, the very focus of the experience, was a chance to ride a horse.

Of course, other activities were scheduled too

but as I said, it was all about the four legs.

She had a blast, and was convinced her horse was smarter than the others because it took care to journey around, not through, some puddles on the trail.

Another great life experience courtesy of Scouting!

Facebook - the end of September

2011-10-06T01:50:00.000-05:00

Sept 25th

"‎I'm reading Mitt Romney's book, and I just don't get many of these "Obama Lite"/weak principles accusations that I hear flying around all over the net. The man skewers Obama on foreign policy and clearly lays out a solid economic plan. He is a politican and unlikely to yak on air just to feed the liberal press, but that doesn't make him weak. So far he has my vote."

Police have found the decapitated head of a newspaper editor in Mexico. Again, the Somalia of North America.

Some more of our garden's yield:

"I had my annual review at work today, and later in the evening intercepted a thief and recovered a bagful of property. Yay me. Of more interest to me, while my opponent still has two players on the field Monday night, I lead my fantasy matchup 115.55 to 55.80."

September 26th

"watching 'Reefer Madness'. 30 seconds in it's already full of hooey. This'll be a hoot!"

Er, no. It was tiresome and so over the top it was dull.

"Lisa & I just finished watching 'Contagion' (bootleg DVD - I didn't download or buy it, I just bummed it off a friend, so my conscience is no more than murky at best). Anyhow, it was a good film and worth seeing, but overall pretty monotonous and dry. Lisa seconded my opinion. C+/B-"

September 27th

8:04 am "‎@ dentist then off to work. Oh it's raining too. Lovely 'morn :("

"‎"When Mitt Romney & Ted Kennedy are celebrating the same piece of legislation, it means only one thing: one of us didn't read it," - Ted Kennedy"

"Tues we watched 'Cedar Rapids' a comedy about an insurance agent from a small town in WI who lets it rip at an industry convention in Iowa. It was funny, believable, and low key considering it had a few raunchy moments. We liked it. Today we watched 'Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen'. I thought it was a fair to good popcorn flick. But then, just when I decided I liked it, my internal plot-maker said "we should be entering the 3rd act about now" . . . and we still had an hour & 8 min too go. Too long, too loose of a plot, and all the Transformers looked alike during their brawls. C."

September 28th, 2011

"‎"Very often education is geared to what it calls extending the frontiers of truth, and sometimes this ideal is prized and used to excuse men from acting on old truths already discovered. The discovery of the size of a distant star creates no moral obligation; but the old truths about the nature and destiny of man can be a reproach to the way one lives." Archbishop Fulton Sheen"

"Have you seen those commercials that follow a little girl's academic path? She's shown to be crazy for science & chemistry, is elected high school class president, wins on Jeopardy, graduates from college babbling medical-speak - and winds up as a pharmacist at Target. I know Target's trying to say "we've got the best and brightest" but to me it screams "Recession. Couldn't afford med school, so I got a job where I could. Sorry Ma." Geez, how depressing. I haven't seen that much wasted potential since I looked in the mirror this morning.

*the above post earned me a few comments adamantly defending pharmacology as a career, and one worthy of respect. That was never the issue. My belief, one that is solidifying over time, is that it is a sin to squander your talents.*

regardless, I still look at her and grimace. Pujols doesn't play tavern league softball. Faulkner didn't write greeting cards. Oliver didn't do sitcoms, and Hawking doesn't teach 2nd grade science. If this woman was 'real', which of course she isn't, her God-given gift for medicine and science are squandered. She should have been out in the world curing cancer or just making the world a better place, not shuffling pills in a retail store. I'm quite serious. The premise deeply upsets me.

I'm not trying to offend pharmacists here (my friend Roy's Dad owned Gull drugs down on Lincoln when I was a kid),and it is of course an honorable profession, but no way that was her first choice, not as gung-ho for science and medicine and diagnosis as she was in the clips. And she will not cure cancer, ALS, MS or anything else while ringing up a prescription and asking if they would like to sign up for a red (Target)card while they're at it. I've pissed away all my potential, and I hope JC rips me one for it at the pearly gates. I'm thinking in her old age Fictional Genius will feel the same.

That Wed night was the final day of the MLB regular season, and three crucial races were up for grabs. In the NL the Cardinals had battled back to tie long-time front runner Atlanta for the Wild Card, while in the AL an epic collapse led Tampa to creep into a tie with Boston. Milwaukee Brewer Ryan Braun was also neck to neck with Jose Reyes for the NL batting crown.

"So Jose Reyes bunts in his first at bat, then takes a seat rather than risk his lead in the race for the NL batting title. Not exactly the Ted Williams ethic there, eh, Jose? With that move, Braun now needs 3 hits tonight to take the title."

"Drew, the 14 yr old who aced Beiber's ''Baby" on X-Factor, pretty much made the hour."

10:48 pm "Damnit. Cardinals won and Atlanta fell in extra innings. LaRussa's in the playoffs and we face the Diamondbacks on Saturday. Ugh. I wanted a post-season free of Boston and St. Louis fans. I can still get the former, since my Yanks - just to spite Boston, no doubt - let Tampa rally. That decisive game is now in the 12th inning."

11:18 PM "Whoo-hoo! The Red Sox choked in the 9th and lost to Baltimore, and Tampa rallied to win 8-7 which means Tampa takes the Wild Card! Congrats Boston, that month long choke - capped off by yet *another* Boston choke - makes the '69 Cubs look like studs. Enjoy your postseason from your living room you second class wannabee Yanks."

"Listening to the 'Boombox Rehearsals' from Nevermind's 20th anniversary deluxe edition. Simultaneously pre-ordering my kids' school pictures online. The two seem so incongruous. 20 years ago, listening to this for the 1st x, could I have pictured myself with 4 rugrats? Well, yeah. Who am I kidding? I always knew I'd have kids, provided I found a woman foolish enough to repeatedly breed w/ me. BTW, track 38, the rehearsal take of "On a Plain" made me break into a wide grin. I love that song."

Sept 29th

"‎"Nobody can ever claim again with a straight face that the wild card has taken all the excitement out of baseball. Incredible barely begins to describe last night."- comment on BaseballThinkFactory.org"

"‎"When there is a gap between one's real and one's declared aims, one turns, as it were instinctively, to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish squirting out ink." -- George Orwell, "Politics and the English language". Just something to keep in mind when listening to our Prez."

Journalism course instructs students to disregard/water down reporting of Jihad activity. Ah, the media - purveyors of truth and objectivity.

Sept 30th

"After seeing it on Matt K's FB page, Lisa & I streamed "I Think We're Alone Now", a doc that follows 2 people obsessed w/ pop singer Tiffany. One is a hermaphrodite w/ a brain injury who believes Tiffany appeared to her during her coma. The other is an autistic man who has stalked her since her heyday. Both believe Tiffany is their 'friend' & soulmate. It's a depressing film, full of sadness & pain, & despite their obsession and the danger it conceivably poses your heart goes out to them. Available to stream via Netflix."

Spending the morning on the job hunt (just finished a predictive index test) before heading off to work."

"Pausing to search for Halloween costumes for the kids online. Playing Bleach at @ full volume. Life, if not good, is moderately acceptable."

"Listening to Bush's new CD "Sea of Memories"."
- not bad. certainly a good background CD, but my ears didn't pick out anything really 'radio friendly', although "Baby Come Home" might fit the bill.

"<-- not used to a quiet house/lack of chaos. Where are the whiny, bratty kids? Why isn't Lisa pestering me? I am alone for all of 4 hours today and I feel like I've been in solitary for a month. Twitchy/lonely/bored. Geez, nut up."

"RB Peyton Hills was sidelined last Sunday with strep throat. He's OK now, but the Browns are reporting he lost *10 to 12* pounds over the weekend because of the illness and isn't at full strength.. Oh, bulls*it. Who loses that much weight that fast because of a illness that barely knock a kid on their butt? Way to screw w/ my fantasy lineup."

"‎"Mankind must remember that peace is not God's gift to his creatures; peace is our gift to each other." - Elie Wiesel"

"just toured the invitation only open house for the new bay view piggly wiggly. Quite impressive, and i hope they give pns a run for their money"

The local County Executive released a new budget which gutted part of the Sherriff's budget. No co-incidence that the Sherriff is his political nemesis, is it? Here was Sheriff David Clarke's response:

I am not surprised at all by County Executive Abele’s low priority for public safety. He demonstrated his disdain for law and order even before he became county executive. There’s no questioning his authority to propose a budget for Milwaukee County. My advice to him, however, is to go back and read the state constitution, state statutes and the case law relative to the authority of a sheriff. He obviously did not take the time to educate himself.

He does not run the Office of the Sheriff, and I do not take orders or directives from a county executive. Case law is very clear that the sheriff alone decides how to carry out his duty and responsibility. His budget is an obvious attempt to micromanage my office. I am independently elected by the voters of Milwaukee County. He may think that he can eliminate the Discipline Order Training and Structure (DOTS) program, but let me be very clear on this – the DOTS program is staying.

He may think that he can require me to submit reports, but again, the state constitution is very clear when it states that no county official can require a sheriff to submit reports. He can create any study group that he wants and they can make any recommendations they want. Again, I will refer the county executive back to the state constitution and case law that show that the sheriff alone decides how to carry out the duties and responsibilities of his office. My advice to him is not to hold his breath, because he’s not getting any reports.

He talked about shared goals? I don’t share his goal to be soft on crime, coddle criminal inmates and excuse criminal behavior. The first thing that will be cut as a result of this insane budget decrease will be in the area of inmate programs. Inmate programs, except DOTS, will cease to exist and the money saved will be applied to keeping the county a safe place for law-abiding people.

Chris Abele ran for county executive, not sheriff. If he wants to be in charge of my office, he’s going to have to run for sheriff in 2014. Until then, the voters elected me to run the sheriff’s office.

Bam! Straight talk, gloves off.

*The Rays beat the Rangers to open the playoffs, while the Yanks-Tigers were rained out.

Dancing robots getting off with no apology to Dubya. Or something like that.

2011-10-04T20:48:00.004-05:00

It's no secret I'm a fan of Dubya - his 2004 victory was the impetus for this blog's creation - so I'd wager it's a bit of surprise when I say I just finished his presidential autobiography Decision Points, a year after its publication. Yes, it's shameful of me, but in fairness I do have a poster of the book's cover adorning my locker at work. I deserve at least partial credit for that.

Stylistically, I didn't love the book. The format is reminiscent of 41's own Presidential memoir, which focused on specific crises instead of a chronological approach. I liked both books, but wouldn't have minded a more in-depth examination of the day to day of the office.

In addition the book sometimes seemed written in staccato little bursts, without much description or grace. The text does improve dramatically, IMO, as the book progresses, which is odd, as I say hook 'em early, but maybe it's what it seems like; an author simply gaining confidence and direction as he gets more practice under his belt.

Content-wise, I thought the book was great, providing detail and corroborating evidence for many of the decisions he made. Even a casual read tips you off at how biased and selective the media and the Left were during his administration. I have more to say, but I'm wise enough to know that he's a polarizing figure, and your take on the book will be manipulated by your opinion of the man himself.

As I am not a nut, a hippie, or a Hollywood actor, I greatly enjoyed the book.
I am certain, absolutely certain, that 100 years from now this man will be ranked among the top tier of US Presidents.

Gotta Dance is a documentary about a senior citizens hip hop dance group that performed at the home games of the New Jersey Nets (NBA). It was fun to watch and the performers had personality galore. It teetered on the edge of exploitation for a second, holding the group up as little more than a novelty PR stunt, but it found its footing and succeeded in showing them as a courageous, impressive bunch. Available to stream via Netflix.

I won't spend much time on Mitt Romney's book, No Apology, simply because its mentioned in a Facebook related post already. Obama lite? Read this and try saying that phrase with a straight face. The guy destroys Obama on foreign policy and lays out a pro-business, centrist domestic agenda too. My only beef was with his energy policy, or rather the chapter on it, as it was clearly written to appease everyone on both sides, and hence satisfies no one.

I rented Transformers 3 knowing the atrocity that was its predecessor; no plot, fight scenes where you couldn't tell who was who, wayyyyy too long, etc.

This one? This one was damned good.

Ok, sure, the love interest was lame. Not only did this kid land yet another supermodel girlfriend, he managed to score one that was just as bad an actress as the first. Geesh.

But aside from that, I loved the film. The plot was (mostly) coherent, you could easily ID the good guys from the bad, the humans were more than window dressing and played a role in shaping the future of their world, and the effects - oh Mommy. The special effects were wicked good. That twisty/snakey thing that chewed up a skyscraper? The car chase on the DC Beltway? Wow.

Yeah, yeah, it's a popcorn flick. I still think it rocked. A.

You know what didn't rock? Lawrence Block's new book Getting Off. I love the guy, even if his dialogue sometimes veers towards cutesy, but this one was a turd. The main character, a stunningly beautiful woman, was involved in an ongoing sexual relationship with her father in her teenage years. Ick. Double ick for having it referenced in some detail more than once. Triple ick for having it tossed out there when it was no longer essential to driving the plot.

Oh, and then she grows up and makes her living by seducing men, torturing and killing them, and stealing their money. You know, scalping a man while forcing him to have sex with her, then mutilating his . . .

Ick.

I didn't finish the book, and I hope you never try. What a waste of time, money, and dead trees.

Ick.

The Tenth Anniversary of 9/11

2011-10-01T22:44:00.004-05:00

I know nearly a month has gone by, but I want to be sure to mention that the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks did not go unrecognized here in the Slapinions household.

Discouraged by the lack of *any* apparent teaching about 9/11 in their school we took care to explain, albeit in age appropriate terms, what happened on that horrible day. On the anniversary itself Lisa and I sat down with Lulu and YaYa and watched the DVD of "9/11", the Naudet brothers eyewitness footage taken while embedded with a fire engine company that morning.

It is a powerful film, almost suffocatingly so, and we first watched it on the 6 month anniversary of the attacks. Although we had the girls exit the room for some (brutal) parts, we felt it was important they be sucked into the moment and know the fear, shock and horror that washed over every American that day. As a bonus, the structure of the film - it was conceived as an effort to follow a single probationary fire fighter during his rookie year - sucked the girls in. By the end they were frantic with concern for 'Tony', and thus were all the more immersed in the emotions of that day.

I am also proud to say that a column I wrote ran in the Pulitzer Prize winning Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel the morning of the anniversary, my first Sunday appearance and an emotional one for me, given the subject matter.

Early on the anniversary, while I was at work, Lisa's Mom took LuLu to a Brownie field trip to a local Air Force reserve base. While Lulu looks like a typical fun-loving eight year old in some of the pictures, rest assured there was some solemnity to the visit.

To the victims of that horrible day - We Remember, and we will Never Forget.

Facebook - August 20th - 31st

2011-10-01T00:45:00.000-05:00

August 30th

"I just finished reading "Dark Side of the Sun" by Andrew Dymond, a Farscape novel. I thought at first that it was a lousy Farscape product that would have been a decent to middling stand-alone novel. But in the end, w/ no grasp of the characters, a habit of favoring description over action and dialogue, and a viscous tendency to fill pages with endless one line paragraphs, I say poo. A waste of my time."

"Never ignore the insticts of a coward"

9:19 am "‎@ job fair"

"‎2 comments: One, job fairs bring out a boatload of desperate people, myself included. Waited in line an hour & they said it would be the same or worse all day. You're doing swell Mr. President. Two: Not the greatest interview of my life, which is sad since the bar is set rather low. I had to prompt him to bring up anything other than my current gig, which is least impressive part of the resume by far. What a lousy way to kick off the 1st day of freedom (aka school year)."

"Any damn fool can predict the past. - Larry Niven"

August 28th

‎@ diner w/ family celebrating the last day of summer vacation"

FANTASY DRAFT

Sad Sack Slapjacks
1. (8) Michael Turner
(Atl - RB)
2. (14) Peyton Hillis
(Cle - RB)
3. (26) DeSean Jackson
(Phi - WR)
4. (38) Mario Manningham
(NYG - WR)
5. (62) Sam Bradford
(StL - QB)
6. (74) Cedric Benson
(Cin - RB)
7. (86) Lance Moore
(NO - WR)
8. (98) New England
(NE - DEF)
9. (110) Jay Cutler
(Chi - QB)
10. (114) Brandon Jacobs
(NYG - RB)
11. (122) Johnny Knox
(Chi - WR)
12. (134) Rob Gronkowski
(NE - TE)
13. (146) Rob Bironas
(Ten - K)
14. (158) Marcedes Lewis
(Jac - TE)
15. (170) Derrick Mason
(NYJ - WR)
16. (182) Arizona
(Ari - DEF)

Walter Reed Army Medical Center closes its doors :(

August 26th

"On my lunch yesterday I finished reading "Dune Messiah" by Frank Herbert. Once again, I walked away stunned by how effective Herbert was at creating the universe of Dune, right down to the different language and speech patterns. I greatly enjoyed it."

"I just saw a radar pic of hurricane Irene. Whoa. To anyone on the East coast, take care. Our prayers are w/ u"

"‎22 to 9? Holy 27 rings Batman. The Yanks set a MLB record with 3 grand slams in a single game Thursday."

August 25th

"BTW, RIP Aaliyah, ten years on . . ."

The Journal-Sentinel is going to publish a column I wrote about the 10th anniversary of 9/11. It'll be published in the Sunday edition of 9-11-11, the first time my writing will appear in the hallowed Sunday 'Crossroads' section."

August 24th

"Need went deeper than proscription - Frank Herbert, Dune Messiah"

"kids and lisa are @ a local bookstore enjoying a back to school storytime"

YaYa got a new haircut today:

August 23rd

"While the world seems all giddy-goo over the likely fall of Gadhafi, I call B.S. You're ditching a known but neutered bad guy in exchange for a bunch of hoodlums who will - I'm sure {giggle} - install a fair, democratic gov't that is pro-US & believes in equality of the sexes, the right of Israel to exist, &freedom of speech. OR they'll install a Sharia (Islamic) gov't that'll serve as the Iraq for the next generation of American soldiers. Either/or. What a crock."

"A few nights ago we finished up season 1 of "Better Off Ted". It was a very funny, very well written show that deserved more than the chance it received."

"I watched the Mexican horror film 'Cronos' last night, the 1993 directorial debut of Guillermo del Toro. I liked it, and actually thought it was very sweet at times."

August 20th

"‎"Haters are confused admirers who can't understand why everybody likes you" Paul Coelho"

"Watched the '76 horror flick "Audrey Rose" starring Anthony Hopkins. Awful, boring, and lame."

The First Day of School 2011

2011-09-29T00:55:00.000-05:00

This year the big day arrived on August 29th. YaYa is now in 5th grade, LuLu in 3rd, Smiley in 1st (and officially in uniform attire!) and precious Ginger is in K4.

At 7:12 a.m. I posted the following on Facebook: "In a before school weigh/measure here at home, Smiley came in at 3# later than he did at the start of summer, and gained an INCH in height. He is now 55# and 48 1/2" tall."

The morning itself went pretty smoothly. In an effort to reign in the chaos of previous years we'd had the kids get their clothes ready the night before and require them to get dressed before heading downstairs. The theory - which so far as held up - is that when they know they can't get bathroom time, check the comp or watch a morning cartoon until they're dressed, they'll come down lickety split and ready to go. So far, three weeks in, so good.

Soon it was time for the mandatory 1st day of school shots!

I then drove them to school and walked Ginger to her spot on the playground. She was very nervous, twirling her hair rapidly as we walked. She went to school last year at a local montessori school, but this was her first day joining the rest of the family at this campus, and her first ever full day of school. Oh boy.

As was required I walked her in with the rest of her class, but this wasn't my first rodeo. I knew she'd be ok, so after a quick goodbye and "good luck" I left her to aquatint herself with the rest of her classmates. A month in, she continues to love school and sincerely adores her teacher Mrs. DiM-.

Here's to another safe and successful school year!

LuLu's Stitches

2011-09-28T23:38:00.000-05:00

There's a running tradition among my children: they must, before reaching maturity, acquire stitches above their eye.

For the 3 year old YaYa it was a fall on my Mother's steps on Easter Sunday. For Smiley it was an accidental dog bite at a neighbor's BBQ when he was ~4. This August 26th, LuLu assumed her place with a trampoline accident in our backyard.

She'd come inside to ask me if she could go to a softball game with a friend. I agreed and she left, but unbeknownst to me she took a few minutes to play on the trampoline with her friend before she left. That's a big no-no, in no small part because no one but my kids are allowed on the trampoline without parental approval.

Cut ahead a few minutes in the film and LuLu runs up to me crying, with blood streaming down her face. She'd gotten a gash above her right eye after accidentally headbutting her friend.

In what I felt was a great Daddy moment, I kept cool and calm, and talked her out of her panic. Alas, it did need stitches. She wanted the whole family along for support, and gathered up not only her own White Bear but YaYa's Brown Bear.

A two bear trip - you know she was upset.

Here are the Facebook updates from that night:

6:32 PM "‎@ St Francis ER w/ the family. LuLu got hurt playing w/ a friend and got a decent slash above her right eye."

6:44 PM "the admission's lady mistakenly gave Lu the ID band of a lovely 92 yr old, and vice versa. The woman tripped on a new couch and cut her mouth. She is a very lively, friendly woman who looks 10 yrs younger."

6:58PM "Some nut is screaming and banging his head on the wall in the ER. Security is responding. Long wait, screaming nuts - it reminds me of riding the bus"

7:07 PM "playing rock/paper/scissors to pass the time"

We also watched Shark Tank and Smiley found a green Power Ranger action figure in the waiting room. He turned it in to the Lost and Found but a nurse sterilized it and gave it to him to pass the time. Score!

(he's not happy that she's hurt; at this point he was over-tired and goofy)

In the end, after all that fuss, I still wasn't 'there' for her when she got the stitches, as I walked her siblings out to stretch their legs right before the doc decided to get it over with. Figures.

Anyhow, the stitches are out, the scar is barely recognizable as one, and all is well. More importantly, a tradition has been continued! (j/k)

Our September Trip to Cool Waters

2011-09-27T01:02:00.001-05:00

On September 4th (Labor Day Weekend) we took the kids to Cool Waters, a local county owned water park, to celebrate the end of summer. The air that day was cool, and it was hardly a day that screamed 'water sports'. But it was the 2nd to last day of the season for the park, the water is heated, it was last day for the free coupons we had, and most importantly, one of the rare times Lisa could convince me to accompany the kids near a crazy large body of water.

The air temp actually worked towards our advantage, as we had the park all but to ourselves the whole day. I kid you not.

Here's a few of the FB posts I made from my phone that day:

Smiley is tall enough for the adult slides! And he loves them!

my family accounts for 6 of the FIFTEEN patrons in the entire water park right now [THIS WAS NOT AN EXAGGERATION!]

Although the air was chilly the water was warm, and w/ the park nearly empty my water-anxiety w/ the kids was nil. It was a great trip (my 1st there) courtesy of passes the kids earned from the library's summer reading program.

I went down the tube slide with all the kids individually (well, not Ginger. She was too small) and I made a big production of screaming like a ninny on the way down each time. Lisa said she could literally hear me across the deserted park!

This next bit *isn't* a sign we feed Ginger too much - it's an inflatable preserver built into her swimsuit.

The lifeguards that day were soooo bored, but I relished the opportunity to have 2 or 3 lifeguards for every kid in the water :) And as I said to one of them, "You might be bored, but I feel like a celebrity that just bought out the park".

For the most part, when I wasn't on a slide with the older kids, I just took turns with Lisa watching Ginger in the kiddie area. It was a very relaxing time.

What a great time we had!

Facebook: Sept 1st - 17th

2011-09-26T00:40:00.001-05:00

Saturday Sept 17th

seriously considering calling into wrk for only the 3rd x since 1998. Dental problems, tired, and generally blah. I wish my hrs hadn't changed 2day - I'd b nearing the end of my day, not the start.

[I didn't call in]

I'm must be getting depressed. I've slept most of the day and am dreading the clopen [close, then open the next morning] ahead of me @ wrk . . .

Scientists have found (dinosaur?) feathers in 80 million year old amber

Why the Millenium Falcon? Why not? I wish I owned that bucket of bolts.

Sept 16th

A - You aren't following Alec Baldwin on Twitter? Why the heck not? B - There are few things worse than seeing your precious big screen TV subjected to "The View". Damn you Lisa. C - What's with all the moans & gasps & body noises in anime? Watching it is like listening to a deaf guy take a dump in the stall next to you. Must be some Japanese fetish. D - That host from Bravo has great chemistry w/ Kelly Ripa. He should be on the list to replace Regis.

"‎"In the Beginning, there was nothing, which exploded."
--Terry Pratchett on the current scientific understanding of Creation"

I really enjoyed the two episodes of the Japanese cartoon 'To' available via Netflix streaming. It's a blend of crisp computer animation, adult story lines, and inventive sci-fi. Check it out.

Sept 15th

"supper was homemade Applebee's fiesta lime chicken, smashed potatoes and brussell sprouts, all scorned by the kids, natch. Then it was on to Smiley's 1st Pack meeting, where we Tigers improvised a skit about a treasure hunting turtle who can't get a gold coin off the ocean floor cuz its glued on, so he uses some 'magic markers' to create a shovel to do the job. Lotta fun."

just finished watching the series finale of Hannah Montana. It was quite good if u scrap the last 30 seconds of the episode. [I took a lot of playful heat from my male friends about this one, but oh well - the show was important to my kids for years. I wanted to see how it turned out]

Sept 14th

"‎@ smiley and ginger's 1st dance class of the yr, and naturally both misplaced their ballet shoes so I look like a putz. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. On the + side i just looked @ last yrs dance pics & lk looks sooo much taller, leaner and more mature than she did a yr ago."

"smiley at home watching (and enjoying) the 1961 Dick Tracy cartoons. Thank you Netflix!"

the last time a friend of ours took her baby daddy 2 court, he put a dead bird in her car. Today Lis took her again and her support (for 3 kids) was raised to 600/month. Quote the friend: if I'm found dead tomorrow, u know who did it.

Here's something I never thought I'd say in a review of 'Thor': it was dull. Yawn-y, "hit fast forward on the remote" dull. Plus Natalie Portman looked oddly . . . used up. I was really looking forward to this flick too, and even hustled it up my Netflix queue. What a shame. C-."

Two Mexican bloggers who wrote about the local drug trade were mutilated and disemboweled, then hung from a bridge as a warning to others. Welcome to Mexico, the Somalia of North America. The hell with a fence, time for a new Hadrian's wall.

"Brrr, what a cold evening. Welcome to fall. We just finished watching "Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037", a documentary about the year long construction of a Steinway piano. It's a good doc, but had lots of room for improvement. I've yet to see a documentary w/out narration that doesn't sacrifice something of both its storytelling and educational value. C+/B-"

"When the music changes, so does the dance"

"Ten years until manned trials, 20 years until we actually go somewhere. FM. If 15th century Spain had been run like our space program, Columbus would have made his second voyage right about . . . now."

Sept 13th

I greatly enjoyed ABC's 2 hour Jackie Kennedy special, and I wish I could afford the $60 price tag that comes with the book it promoted. I wish they hadn't spent a single second rationalizing her opinions; they were her opinions at that moment in time and big wup if they come off as bitchy 48 yrs later. It's not like MLK is going to hold a press conference and object. I will say tho' that her "signature, breathy" voice is irritating. When you close your eyes, it sounds like a bad drag queen.

Solyndra = the administration's 1st 'real' scandal?

"Old news to anyone in Milwaukee, but all afternoon/evening the city has been covered in a haze and reeking of smoke, courtesy of a wildfire in Minnesota - 300 miles away."

"CNN is reporting the US Embassy in Afghanistan is "under siege" by the Taliban . . ."

"I kicked off the NFL season by continuing a grand tradition: the Sad Sack Slapjacks got their butts handed to them 134.08 to 75.42 in fantasy football. 134 points is a monster game (my opponent's D earned 33 points alone) so a loss was all but inevitable, but I didn't help by starting a WR benched for injury and going with Bradford over Cutler. Ugh."

Monday, Sept 12th

Just back from an interview in IL, about 60 min from here. Yes, it's a long ride everyday and yes, I would take the job if it was offered.

Sunday Sept 11th

"watching abc's coverage of the 911 services in NY w/ the kids. YaYa tearing up, as am I, Smiley starting to grasp the enormity of it. Never forget, never forgive."

Saturday Sept 10th

"Yesterday I finished Dick Cheney's autobiography "In My Time". It's no shock that I hold the man in high regard, and I'm grateful that a man of his character and strength was there to guide us through the last decade. Politics aside tho', it was a very well written political bio, solidly constructed and entertaining. Well done."

(as I put on Voltron via Netflix) "This was my favorite show from when I was a kid" Smiley: "So it [is going to be]in black & white, cuz it super old?"

"Lee Child's short story "Second Son" is the tale of a teenage Jack Reacher, circa 1974, as his family relocates to a Marine base on Okinawa. Unlike Stephen King's recent short, *this* one features both a plot and some fine writing. It certainly left me hungry for the upcoming Reacher novel, which meant it done did it's job and did it well."

Sept 9th

Carlos H says: Don't make fun of a fat guy with a lisp. He's probably thick and tired of it.

"Last night I watched "The Burrowers", a movie set in the 1870's. White homesteaders are attacked and their women kidnapped. A posse sets out to recover them from the Indians, only to discover some . . . *thing* else took them. Think "The Searchers" blended with "Alien". I liked it, but way too little time was given to the creepy crawly aspect. It was 85% western, 15% horror. I grade it a B/B-"

KISS FM played a moving 9/11 tribute this morning, mixing actual audio of the day from flight controllers, Bush, news reports, and calls from the Towers. I teared up in the car but of course the kids seemed oblivious to its impact and just argued among themselves. Afterwards I called KISS and spoke to Wes McCain, and thanked them for making the effort.

Sept 8th

"i couldnt find the remote for the big screen so I'm forced to watch the game on the kids tv in the hallway. Ugh."

Booyah baby! 42-34, w/ the Packer's D putting up a wall @ the one w/ 3 seconds on the clock. Whew! [this was the NFL season opener vs New Orleans, a matchup of the last two SuperBowl winners]

Sept 6th

Got a call back about a job I applied for and the voice mail directed me to the company website - which then asked for my credit card # to pay for the privilege of filling out a screening questionnaire/IQ test. But don't worry; if I get the job I'm promised the $ back! Yeah, uh, I'll pass, thanks.

"Yesterday I finished reading Stephen King's new ebook "Mile 81". My verdict? Turdalicous. If it had any other writer's name on the cover, it would never have made it past an agent's desk, much less into print. Aside from the lack of a story (!) King tries hard to make a character sound like a young kid, which to Stevie means mixing vulgarities, brand names he swiped off the nearest TV ad, and slang from three different decades. For your own sake, skip it."

Sept 5th

hanging w/ the kids in the backyard b4 heading to work

Some of the yield from our garden

"I've finished watching "Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars", the mini-series that concluded the series. I thought it was so-so; on par with an average Farscape episode, but also riddled with cheap plot devices and deus ex machina 'outs'. And in case no one paid attention, the end completely justifies every machination, torture, and death that Scorpious committed over the run of the series."

Sept 3rd

I just finished watching "Centurion", a British movie about the unknown fate of the 9th Roman Legion, which disappeared from all records in the mid-2nd century. The film uses the belief that the Legion was destroyed in warfare w/ the Picts to set up a chase involving a few Roman survivors eager to return to their own lines. The film had mixed to negative reviews, but I liked it.

Sept 2nd

"Before work today we watched "HH Holmes, America's 1st Serial Killer", a documentary about the subject of the book "Devil in the White City". It was nothing I hadn't heard b4, but it was interesting all the same."

"Ah, to spend 7-4 at work and go home to find not one but FIVE rejection letters from jobs. At least one was actual snail-mail, so I had a glimmer of hope for a second."

Sept 1st

"My children's fave songs as of the end of August a) the '80's-ish "Denim" jingle from the Target back to school ads 2) "Pumped up Kicks" by Foster the People. 3) Lovesick by Emily Osment (which is actually quite catchy) and 4) "The Lazy Song" by Bruno Mars (which Lauren calls "the monkey song" after seeing a Youtube cover of it)"

strawberry stuffed french toast for dinner

The kids hated the stuffed french toast, but tough - it was yummy and we're gonna have it again.

FB September 18th thru 24th

2011-09-25T00:41:00.000-05:00

Saturday Sept 24th

20 years ago today Nirvana released Nevermind, and w/in a few months my friend Atta would introduce me to Nirvana, PJ, and more. I can't believe it's been 20 yrs. Thanks Kurt & Co for a great 2 decades.

watching StarBlazers on Netflix, an old anime about resurrecting the battleship Yamamoto as a space ship standing btwn Earth & doom. I own the old Comico comic books, but was never a huge fan . . . and now I remember why. It's Robotech minus the writing.

Friday b4 work I had a 40 min phone interview w/ another job that would require relocation. Did it go well? I can never tell. Maybe she kept me yakking because she's a sadist. An oddity: she devoted some ?'s to my writing (it's a job that has nothing to do with the arts in any way) & expressed concern I would jump ship when - not if - my writing 'took off'. A) Yes. Yes I would. B) Where did that come from? I didn't bring it up, & it's about as likely a problem as me landing on the moon tomorrow.

Adoring FB's new Timeline feature. I really think it's a blessing, so long as folks will spend 5 minutes getting the hang of it. Of course, it could go all to hell when it's rolled out. We'll see.

This was the Dow's worst week since October 2008, dropping 6.4% for the week. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.

Obama is allowing states to scrap academic standards set forth in the No Child Left Behind Act because many schools are in danger of falling short of those standards. So rather than fix the problem, he'd rather eliminate the acknowledgement of the problems. What a do nothing/stand for nothing President.

Friday Sept 23rd

LuLu has never been much of a reader but has recently taken an interest in it. When coupled with a week of low esteem following an innocent remark Lisa made at Isiah's birthday party (saying Smiley was the nicest of the kids), I figured it was time for a little reward. I bought her a Betty & Veronica comic digest, an old favorite of my sister. She'd never heard of them before (!) but tore through it. I was so glad.

I signed in as a Facebook developer and enabled the new Timeline feature. I'm sure they'll be some horrific breach of privacy involved w/ it down the road, but at first glance the dang thing is wickedly awesome.

Let me summarize Nic Cage's 'Season of the Witch': anti-Christian to a vile degree, full of ret-conned history and belief, and Cage does an English accent ala Costner. F.

CERN is alleging that they have recorded subatomic particles traveling faster than the speed of light. Whoa. If true, this could shake up everything, and prove Einstein wrong . . . .

September 22nd

Yesterday I finished reading Christopher Buehlman's debut novel "Those Across the River"

It's a gothic horror story set in rural Georgia in the 1930's. It is WONDERFUL, a dark decent into terror tempered by Buehlman's smooth, poetic language. I enthusiastically recommend this book.

The word 'convenient' is the most inconvenient word for me to spell in the whole dang language. I just wrestled with it for two minutes trying to reply to a job, spelling it so 'off' spellcheck couldn't offer any advice. Geesh!

Milwaukee native Grace Weber is promoting her first national CD on TV this morning.

Clara Tung, the missing 11 yr old Greendale girl police were searching for, has been found unharmed.

Wed September 21st

Congrats to my Yanks for clinching a playoff spot for the 16th time in 17 seasons - as if there was ever any doubt :)

Reading 'Day of Fire', a chapter in Dubya's autobiography. I got the chills when he described his trip to NYC after the attacks.

After 31 years together, REM announced today they are "calling it a day" and disbanding. R(etire)IP guys.

watching the premiere of The X Factor

55 min to get from Bay View to Brookfield for dance class. Yikes.

grouchy & under the weather. I went to bed early but woke up 90 min later feeling like crud. Now debating benefits of netflix vs going back to bed. I'll let u know who wins ;)

Tuesday Sept 20th

Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball

35 bodies were found on a single Mexican street. Again - Mexico has devolved into the Somalia of North America.

RIP Dolores Hope (widow of Bob), age 102.

Very bitter that this bloated DWTS special has pre-empted Wipeout. I didn't work all day to be scorned in primetime ABC. I am not amused.

Monday Sept 19th

I just finished warching Ashton Kutcher's debut on Two and a Half Men. I enjoyed it and found myself smiling/LOL several times. Maybe the show has some fuel left in the tank after all.

Digging the hot brunette on '2 Broke Girls'. The show's not bad either.

Congrats to Mariano Rivera on save #602, setting the all-time record and absolutely cementing his status as THE BEST EVER. Dang I love my Yanks!

Floyd Mayweather KO's Victor Ortiz for WBC title. Bam!

Sunday Sept 18th

After a lousy night of work I rented 'SuckerPunch'. It was visually exquisite. But it was also intellectually, emotionally, spiritually and artistically sterile. It was little more than a glorified video game trailer, and a fetishists rape fantasy played out under the guise of female 'empowerment'. EPIC FAIL. (wicked soundtrack tho')

Yet another reason to love Dubya. [news of a longtime feud between Bush and Perry] I'm not sold on Perry. Not by a long shot.

Spent part of the morning watching "Robotech" with Smiley, now off to a bday party, followed by football, a volleyball game for YaYa, more football, job hunting, and prob ten other things to consume this rainy day off.

@ YaYa's volleyball game.

A long day, but overall a good one. The bday party went much better than I expected, YaYa's team won their first game, after a tight contest I surged ahead to score a fantasy W at the close of SNF tonight, and Lisa's got a list of job openings highlighted and ready for my attention. Oh, and we had bacon and eggs for dinner. Can't go wrong with that.

Congrats to the Milwaukee Brewers, 2011 NL Central Division Champions!

2011-09-24T00:05:00.003-05:00

Here's something you don't see everyday. To be more precise, here's something you see once every 29 years here in Milwaukee. To be even more precise, every 29 years and 25 minutes:

Tonight, riding on the back of a clutch 3 run home run by Ryan Braun, the Milwaukee Brewers clinched the NL Central Division title. It is the first divisional championship the Brewers have held since 1982, back when Reagan was President, the Soviet Union was a superpower, barely anyone owned computers and I was 8 years old.

Congrats to the Brewers. It's not *quite* as fun for me as 2008, when we clinched our first playoff run since that magical 1982 season, but it's a whopper none-the-less.

Good luck in October!

The Media takes a moral stand - When it's Good for Business

2011-09-22T13:12:00.005-05:00

I don't want to turn this age into a political battleground, as I'm content with its move towards "Daddy Blog" but I am bothered by the media and popular reaction to the execution of *convicted* cop-killer Troy Davis.

In the 20 years since the murder his side has certainly won the 'battle of the press' and fostered a myth around his actions that day, and the identity of the 'real' killer.

I wasn't there. I also didn't run the investigation and see every bit of evidence, both that which saw light in the courtroom and that which was ruled inadmissible. I didn't sit on the jury and weigh the pros and cons of what was in front of me. I didn't sit on any of the judicial reviews and comb through the evidence again and again.

So I don't know if he was truly guilty, and I never will. Of course, unless your bio reads different than mine, neither do you. So, lacking any personal evidence and unaware of any conspiracy theory that doesn't reek of fiction, I will support the decision made by the judicial process and reaffirmed by it time and time again.

Do I support the death penalty? Yes. I'm not overly keen on it, but I have no moral outrage at the thought of a killer meeting his end at the end of a (legal) rope. On the other hand, having spent the last 37 years in a state without the death penalty, I don't yearn for its expansion.

Is it merely legal revenge? I think that's an overused argument. To some extent all punishment is a matter of vengeance, simply by its nature, but if our system was geared towards that goal alone there'd be a lot more 'tit for tat' sentences out there. The last time I checked battery convictions don't result in a state ordered beatings. It seems to me that the death penalty is, like it or not, what it's advertised to be: a dramatic, supreme penalty for a heinous crime.

But let's switch gears. Put aside Davis' innocence/lack thereof aside. I am appalled - and I do not use that word lightly - at the hypocrisy of the political left. A consistent running theme of this media circus has not been the Davis case itself, but how the death penalty as an institution is a black mark against our society. Any such use of our judicial power, I have read time and again, soils our collective soul.

As I write this, CNN.com is leading with a story that reads "Troy Davis may be dead, but his execution has made him the symbol for the global movement to end the death penalty." Actor Alec Baldwin has tweeted non-stop on the issue in the last 12 hours, and among his doozies is:

Wonder if the [cop's]family will seek death penalty for US leaders who killed thousands of US soldiers and countless innocent Iraqis

Which leads me to my point. This isn't about Davis. It isn't about race. It isn't about justice, or changing the world. It's all about a blind reflexive devotion to your clique, in this instance the 'cool kids' who believe their primo seat in the cafeteria depends upon their devotion to Davis. (BTW, Alec Baldwin is a smart man. But I would lay down money that most of the celebs yapping about Davis couldn't pick him out of a lineup - no pun intended).

What evidence do I have for this? Well, there's this: earlier in the day, mere hours before Davis met his end, a Texas man was executed. I heard no great media defense of this man, no strong and unwavering devotion to the philosophical notion that state sponsored killing was wrong.

Why not? Because the Texas case wasn't good theater. He was a white man, an admitted racist, who was convicted of the brutal dragging death of a black man fifteen years ago.

Apparently, public objections to the death penalty are decided not by a consistent moral code but by whether or not you can get some good press out of the deal. And a racist white guy just doesn't fit the bill.

I am saddened, not by the death of two human beings who in all likelihood had no compunction about dealing out death themselves, but by a society that seems all the more fragmented and shallow because of the existence of a man named Troy Davis.

That may be his biggest crime of all.

FB - May 11th thru the 17th

2011-09-21T00:27:00.000-05:00

May 11th

Congrats to Prince Fielder for hitting his 200th home run.

May 12th

08:29 out for coffee w/ Lisa [this is as rare as snow in July]

@ least 68 people are dead in Pakistan as a result of Al-Queda attacks

May 13th

Master Yourself

you're up to the hubs in mud, stockjobber

Sen. Herb Kohl has announced he will not seek re-election

A man in the Canary Islands decapitates an apparent stranger in a supermarket

May 14th

Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew has announced he will be entering hospice

The silent movie "Saved From the Titanic" starring survivor Dorothy Gibson was released on this day in 1912. In the film she wore the same dress she work during the sinking. Sadly, the film was destroyed in a fire and no copy seems to remain.

An afternoon of compromise. W/ Lis & YaYa gone shopping, Netflix failed so I found a college gymnastics tourney for Lu to watch. We're starving, so I set out to make tuna casserole, but in the end found no soup, so we're eating noodles, peas, and tuna dry. Thankfully, Lu seems to love both. She's entranced by the gymnastics for sure.

May 16th

Lagniappe (lan-yap) This word is Cajun for "something extra," like the extra donut in a baker's dozen. An unexpected nice surprise.

‎20 years ago today (IIR the date right, and I usually do), I was confirmed in the Catholic Church. The retreat that preceded the ceremony was one of the turning points in my life. There was a clear, defined moment when I looked at who I was and who I wanted to be and realized the two were worlds apart. The last 2 decades would not be possible w/out that insight.

Before school LuLu and I went to the local high school in hopes of retrieving a necklace she'd left behind after a [rec swim] class this past weekend. I didn't think there was a chance in hell of it still being around, but lo and behold there it be. Storing it in a broken locker with a smashed, askew door probably helped her cause.

The Sahara Casino in Las Vegas is closing after 58 years

Given 10 min unsupervised, Lump decorated the vanity, sink, toilet, her clothing and her face with lipstick & eye shadow. We cleaned it up, yelled at her, & then sat down in the living room. I still had an angry, PO'd look on my face. "Just drop the act, she's out of the room" Lis said. "You know you live for this sh-t." I LOL'd - she's right.

Donald Trump has announced he is NOT running for President in 2012

14:28 @ Olive Garden w/ Lis, then off to work. [we had a gift certificate]

May 17th

I have a dishwasher repairman coming at 1 o'clock. That means I have to clean. Ugh.[it cost me $73 for him to tell me an egg shell had clogged a water line. Double ugh]

Arnold Schwarzenegger fathered a child ten years ago with a member of his household staff. Yikes.

Former Obama supporter Cindy Crawford now backs my boy Mitt Romney. I'm all for a Romney/Ryan ticket - America deserves some R&R!

Ryan will not run for Herb Kohl's seat, but it looks like my man Tommy Thompson is game! Whoo hoo! Welcome back Tommy, I missed ya.

RIP Harmon Killebrew

Watching The Voice on NBC w/ Lis and Erv, after a 2hr dWtS marathon

Arod hits two outta da park, leading my Yanks to victory. Hoo-ya.

Netflix rocks. End of story.

2011-09-20T16:33:00.004-05:00

This is less of a post than a request for people to get a grip.

A few months ago Netflix raised its prices to - gasp! - about $16 a month for unlimited streaming plus DVD by mail service. From the outcry it raised you'd have thought they started charging people for the oxygen they breathe, instead of, you know, an optional entertainment expense.

I love Netflix. Nay, I ADORE Netflix, and I'm left speechless at the short term memory of all the haters out there. $16 a month for unlimited streaming and a constant rotation of DVD's is nothing, even for someone as poor as I am. It's less than the cost of two movie tickets, and about the cost of four rentals from Blockbuster. (not including the late fees, the cost of gas to get to the shop, etc.)

You remember Blockbuster? The shady promotions, the high cost of rentals, the shoddy service, and the late fees up the yazoo. You wanna return to that, or reward them by frequenting their streaming service? Go right ahead, sucker.

Ah, but then there's the complaints that the streaming service has a 'limited' inventory, and that it just isn't 'worth it'. I have 474 films/shows in my instant queue right now. If you can't find something to watch, I assure you, your tastes are too pedestrian and stale. Go watch Transformers 3 again and tell us how its like, the greatest movie ever.

Now, in a rather sloppy move, Netflix has botched another PR gambit by announcing their spinning off their signature mail service to a separate site, Qwikster.com. Initially, it annoyed me too, because it seemed to me like they were abandoning the DVD portion of their business. That, of course, is exactly what they are doing. They're spinning it off knowing its a dinosaur in the making, and that it'll be easier to kill off a little used site than chop off half your company when the writing's on the wall. And that's ok, because it means they are trying to adapt and survive, and that's fine by me.

I'm a Netflix fan, and I hope I have the chance to remain one for many years to come.

A wee bit of this, and a lot of that (with 'That' being quick movie reviews)

2011-09-20T01:22:00.009-05:00

Let's lead with the big news of the day: The Sad Sack Slapjacks notched their first fantasy football win of the year (117.07 to 105.42) thanks in no small measure to stellar performances from K Rob Bironas and TE Gronkowski (not to mention a midweek addition of Mark Sanchez). Whew. 0-2 would have been devastating. I needed this win.

Today was also Smiley's 1st Tiger Scout Den meeting, and it went fine, although I wish it had been more structured.

As an assistant leader I'm going to have to make sure I have some fallback activities ready to go in the future.

Some reviews: I rented the medieval action film "Ironclad" in part on the strength of its cast. Paul James Purefoy, Paul Giamatti, Jason Flemyng, Derek Jacobi, Kate Mara, Brian Cox, etc. Sadly, that was the only real bright spot in this Magnificent Seven/Dirty Dozen vs King John pic. I thought it was needlessly gory, ret-conned religious and social views, and worst of all was pretty darn dull.

At least it introduced me to Archbishop of Canterbury Stephen Langton, who seemed like a heck of a fellow.

Continuing a recent downturn in my luck with films, Lisa and I watched Conan O'Brien Can't Stop, a documentary on CoCo's 2010 tour in the wake of the Tonight Show fiasco.

We love Conan, but Lisa hit it on the head: at one point she stopped watching, saying his bitterness and treatment of his staff was taking the shine off our affection for him. By the end of the film, however, as some of the bitterness and anger leeched out, Coco seemed back to his 'normal' self, and the tone of the movie picked up.

There were a few laughs, but not nearly enough.

On the other hand, Arthur was a pleasant surprise.

No, more than that; it was a delight. It was sweet, funny, and well acted. Russell Brand continues to impress me as a genuine talent, not just an idiotic drunkard with a big mouth. We loved this movie. Go rent it right now. Go on - git.

You stuck around? Well, more the fool you, since the final review of the night is another Debbie Downer. The People I've Slept With is a comedy about a very (very) promiscuous woman who gets pregnant and seeks to determine the paternity. Lisa felt it was very pro-life, and I guess it is, but it was hard to snoop that out from among a dizzying array of flaws.

I don't think the writer did the actors any favors, but they sure repaid it in kind. This was some of the worst non-porn acting you'll find outside of a campfire skit at a special needs camp. My word, it was bad. (the only exception being 'Mr. Boring', and curse the director for limiting his screen time.)

Plus, I didn't dig the lame justification the narrator provided right at the start, rationalizing her insane promiscuity away as being nothing more than a case of a "woman with the mores of a man". Uh, no, hun. Even Charlie Sheen would draw the line shy of where this character stands (she has a stack of photos several inches thick, each one belonging to a man or woman she's slept with in the last seven weeks).

If you're going to make the character unself-consciously sex crazed, then stick with your guns and play it straight (no pun intended). There's no need to excuse it, and it's a crime to do so with a voluminous cliche.

Care for some reviews?

2011-09-01T10:13:00.003-05:00

For the 4th of July holiday Lisa and the kids were out of town while I was stuck here working. That was also the time when Netflix stopped streaming Babylon 5. With no family to fill my evening, and in dire need of another series to watch, I picked up the Aussie/American Farscape. I fell in love, and have streamed an episode or more each night. Last night, to my sorrow, I finished the 88th and final episode.

While the original story is a clear ripoff of one I wrote in 1986 (goodness knows how they got a hold of my 6th grade binder), it quickly blossomed into a complex, imaginative, sexy drama. Well done. Well done indeed. And while I know there's a follow-up miniseries, I happen to think the finale was the perfect ending for the show.

Better off Ted is another series we just finished watching in its entirety. It is laugh out loud funny, well written, and charming. It was also knocked off the air after only two seasons. Shame on you TV viewing America.

My buddy Fred sent me the 1st half of Doctor Who - Series Six. Possible SPOILERS ahead.

"The Impossible Astronaut"/"Day of the Moon" was the two part season opener, and while the former was the stronger of the two, they were both great. I loved Matt Smith's performance and the fact that (writer/producer) Steven Moffat dared to finalize the (apparent) future of the show. Not that he won't wiggle out of it, naturally, but it was fun to see down the road - even if we eventually turn off down a side street.

I thought "The Curse of the Black Spot" was lame, lame, lame, and in retrospect I shoulda/coulda/woulda fast forwarded the whole dang thing. OTOH, "The Doctor's Wife", the episode written (mostly) by Neil Gaiman, rocked. I love the notion of the TARDIS interacting with the Doctor, and I'm pleased to see a bit of the mythology expanded upon - a pretty neat trick for a show in it's 48th year.

There was nothing terribly original about "The Rebel Flesh"/"The Almost People", but you know what? I loved them both. I thought the atmosphere was creepy and the acting and writing sharp; so sharp that I failed to comment on a well used sci-fi staple (dopplegangers come to life) until after the show was over. I do hope, however, that the 'ganger is NOT the explanation for "The Impossible Astronaut".

I wasn't bowled over by the mid-season finale, nor the long-awaited reveal of River Song's identity. I agree completely with the green girl's assessment of the (new era) Doctor as being very aggressive, vengeful, and egotistical, at least by Doctor Who standards. I am sick of the whole "the universe quakes before me" vein of the show, and I'm glad Moffat outed it.

As for the 'reveal', I guessed it five minutes into the program (when Rory tried to recruit River) and told Lisa, who I'd actually suckered into watching it. When we were done with the episode she held my foreknowledge up as evidence that it was poorly written. I disagree. Sometimes I just know how *I'd* write something and wager that my notion is on par with the pros.

Call it my own egotistical Doctor moment.

April 1st thru the 11th

2011-07-14T13:51:00.000-05:00

April 1st

B4 school we sat the kids down & told them plans for Lu to get her own room were scrapped because, vasectomy doc be damned, we found out we were going to have another baby. It was an April Fool's joke and they totally bought it. Still, their reactions were a surprise. YaYa was happy (!?), LuLu was upset, and the two little ones didn't know how to react but seemed pleased. It's a shame it was just a joke.

April 2nd

I just finished reading Felix Gilman's "The Half-Made World". It is a beautiful, lyrical novel that will never get its due because its part of the 'steampunk' genre. But know this: rarely did three pages go by before I was again awed by his ability to capture a moment or a thought with the perfect, economical use of words. Easily the best written book I've read this year.

Lisa, to a Lump dressed in a velvet skirt, mismatched oversized boots she borrowed from her siblings, no shirt, and a large multi-colored bow tie she swiped from a clown costume: "Lump, LuLu's friend is almost here to pick her up. Go upstairs and stay out of sight until they're gone. We need to hide your . . . odd ways."

Lump has dark, beautiful long eye lashes. You're welcome kid.

April 3rd my friend Erv's 37th bday

Maupassant used to advise, “Get black on white.”

James Thurber: “Don't get it right, just get it written."

Lisa bought the two oldest tiny cross stitch kits to entertain them while introducing them to the craft. Sadly, they worked on it for a day before misplacing bits of it.

April 4th

Gotta love the honesty from CBS during halftime of the NCAA Championship game: Worst half of championship basketball ever. Awful. Sad. A competition to see who can play worse. A horrible showcase for the NCAA, etc.

Not the greatest start to the MLB season, finishing today with a record of only 3 -1. Ah well, we'll do better. I speak of course, of my beloved Yankees. My hometown Brewers, OTOH, stand at 0-4. I do count myself as a Brewers fan, but 37 years of dissapointment has tempered my confidence. I'm not a Cubs fan - every half century or so I'd like to see a championship.

Arod, Greatest of the Great, sits at .357 with 2 doubles, 2 homers, 3 walks, and 4 RBI's in four games. I bow to thee!

Oooo! There might be a revival of the late great Goldman's store here in town

April 5th - my Mom's 64th birthday/voting day

00:12: Ok, bedtime folks. If you're in WI, please go out and vote tomorrow (unless you plan to vote for someone other than Stone and Prosser, in which case take a siesta from voting and relax at home with a beer. Go ahead, I won't mind - and future Milwaukee County residents will thank you!)

If you want my predictions for the local election: I think Prosser takes the W, Abele grabs the County Exec, and the Bay View hating Terry Falk keeps his school board seat.

[I was right on all counts, but what a rocky road it would be to get there]

Here are some nature shots I took on the walk home from the polling place

From Lisa: I love you hunny....

April 6th

"We've done really well with teenage death songs"
- Eddie Vedder, on "Lost Dogs" liner notes for 'Last Kiss'

April 7th

Justice David Prosser picked up more than 7,000 votes and took the lead in the Supreme Court case after a reporting flub in Waukesha County. Yowsas - great news, but cue the conspiracy stories.

“Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little.” - Edmund Burke

"I like my beasts fast and my bass down low, put it on my headstone yo!" - Lisa

We just finished watching Christina Aguliera in "Burlesque". I'm not sure why the reviews I read last year were bad. Sure, the plot was predictable, but what, you rented it expecting The French Connection? The music was good, the women were hot, and the romance was sweet. I liked it.

April 8th

Manny Ramirez has chosen to retire from baseball rather than face a ban for testing postive for banned substances. Wow.

off of work and straight to doc w/ Lump for an earache/drainage

[this was a bad infection. She'd complained her 'tooth' hurt for days, and we were waiting for her dentist to return from vacation to schedule an appt, but once her ear drained the way it did - ickily, it ran down her cheek - it was obvious her ear and not her tooth was the problem. She took antibiotics for ten days and on a follow up had a clean bill of health]

April 9th

"Unless you're ashamed of yourself now and then, you're not honest." - William Faulkner

You needed to contain a story like a disease, before it spread. - Edward Conlon

Superstition brings bad luck. —Raymond Smullyan

April 10th

"When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras"

A beautiful warm day, a fresh column off to the paper, a short day of work ahead of me, and then a day off w/out any (known) obligations Monday. Sounds good to me.

April 11th

"The Winklevosses are not the first parties bested by a competitor who then seek to gain through litigation what they were unable to achieve in the marketplace," Chief Judge Alex Kozinski. "At some point, litigation must come to an end. That point has now been reached." - judge rules Facebook settlement stands

FB: April 11th - 14th

2011-07-10T01:31:00.000-05:00

April 11th

Tonight LuLu and I hit the road for our 1st ever bike trip together. We went to Howard Ave & back (about 2 miles), w/ a few added detours through the park, around the block etc. Tip: if you need to clean rust off your bike, take a ball of wet aluminum foil to it. Not only will it remove the rust, it doesn't scratch the paint.

April 12th

I took Lisa & Lump to El Beso, the new Mex restaurant in Greenfield (site of the old Champs). The prices were on the high end of avg & there were few items (and little change in price) on the lunch menu. Service was great, food was average, but they had a grease trap truck parked outside the entrance, greeting you w/ sewer odor as you entered and exited. Stick to El Fuego.

A) My left knee is killing me. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to sit on my a** for four months then abruptly bike 2+ miles B) I'ts the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. RIP Union soldiers. C) I'm in the paper today. Pick up a copy

April 13th

Erin Gray circa 1979 = Yum

The virulent (e)mails generated by my voter ID column [in the paper] don't bother me, but the fact that they CONTINUE to come in (3 today alone) is surprising. And I do mean angry, sometimes vulgar emails, not legit disagreements. One of the letters is as long as the original column. Geesh.

* * * *

This is the editorial the Sentinel printed the day after the Civil War began.

The vociferous cry of "The Union, the Constitution and Enforcement of the Laws" kept up in 1860 by those who opposed the election of Mr. Lincoln, has since been changed by those who then used it, for that of "No Coercion," which, being interpreted according to the rules of common sense, means "No Union, no Constitution, no Enforcement of the Laws."

In 1860, the prime object of the cry was the prompt capture and return of fugitive slaves; but in 1861, it is taken up by the very men against whom it was directed as a lying insinuation less than a year ago and there is both reason and force in their use of it; for since then, many of the very men who made such loud professions of their fidelity to the Union, the Constitution and the Laws, have broken up the Union, trampled the Constitution under their feet, and are this day arrayed in open defiance of the laws. If a Negro was rescued by men whose natural sympathies revolted against the execution of a statute which required the poor trembling wretch to be carried back to bondage and the lash, these men who are now steeped to the lips in treason, together with their Northern sympathizers and allies, held up their hands in holy horror at such a terrible infraction of law, and such treason to the Union.

Now, however, when every conceivable form of hostility to the government and the laws are openly and boldly practiced - courts abolished, custom houses seized, forts, arsenals and navy yards taken possession of and turned against the government; when treason of the boldest and rankest kind has banished all law from a large portion of the country, we must bear it all meekly - there must be no coercion - it will never do to talk about enforcing the laws - it would offend our "Southern brethren" - it may drive Virginia out of the Union - it may lead to bloodshed!

We have had too much of that kind of talk; and it was high time that a determined stand were taken by every man, who is not a traitor at heart, to stand up for the Union, the Constitution and the enforcement of the Laws, and we rejoice to believe that we have a man at the head of the nation who will be faithful to the great duties imposed upon him.

* * * *
I watched the Eastwood/Damon film "Hereafter" tonight. I don't know quite what to make of it. I guess it was like a lazy river ride at a theme park. It was nice, and well done, and you don't regret paying your admission, but it takes damn near forever and it does nothing to speed up your pulse.

My column from Tues. generated a fair share of hate mail. I was called mindless, a cracker, racist, a hater of "colored folk", and told I should leave Wisconsin. Apparently the far left interprets any mention of criminal behavior to = African American, which says a hell of a lot more about them than it does me.

April 14th

Yikes, these nightmares are getting out of hand. Some of it was the typical "makes no sense in the light of day" variety, but part of the 'plot' was my hunt for a killer who then got the jump on me. In order for him to spare my family I had to cut off the fingers on my right hand with a pen knife. I woke up with my hand hurting, which was either the cause or effect of the dream. I am, apparently, going nuts.

FB: April 14th thru the 24th

2011-07-01T01:12:00.000-05:00

April 14th

ABC has announced they are cancelling the long running soap operas "One Life to Live" and "All My Children"

April 15th

"The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing in the right place but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment." - Lady Dorothy Nevill

April 18th

Dance reherasal today. In the rush to get them out the door, it's "Breakfast for Dinner" (maple sausage and pancakes). In the words of the Lump: "Deeee- licious!"

Wait a minute - the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel won a Pulitizer in 2008, 2010 AND now 2011???? Say what - am I missing something here? Then again, they began publishing me in '08. Coincidence? Perhaps not.

April 19th

We finally got around to watching 'The King's Speech'. It was very good, but by no means the "Best Picture" of the year, an honor I still think belonged to "The Social Network". BTW, kudos to Helen Bonham Carter, who stole the show in every scene in which she appeared.

Smiley, showing off some Easter bread he made in school:

April 20th

One thing I will miss when the kids are grown and off on their own: opening the freezer and finding random, ridiculous concoctions. Today's contribution: a fig newton stuck on the end of a skewer.

True story: ~ Two years ago I walked past a retail display and was sincerely outraged that they offered a gag gift called "The rapist In a Box". Then I got my head out of my butt and realized it read "Therapist in a Box".

[WI Supreme Court Candidate] Kloppenburg has the legal right to ask for a recount and so on we go - but if you're cocky enough to declare victory with a 200 vote lead, then turn around and ask for a recount when you're down by 7,000, excuse me if I think you're a hypocrite happy to waste taxpaper money to keep your dream alive a few more weeks.

I watched the sci-fi film Skyline. It is not merely a turd of a movie, it is a 'dog turd generously sprinkled with cholera' of a movie.

April 21st

YaYa gets new glasses:

April 23rd

Twice in recent weeks I've been asked how "you" - meaning a conservative - could be a fan of lefty music, up to & inc. being a member of Pearl Jam's fan club. Easy. I simply alter the lyrics in my head to reflect a more appropriate social message. "Screamed and bit the recess lady's breast"" - I think not. "Dreamed of always doing his very best" - there ya go Mr. Vedder, Danny made it all better.

"The inability to forget is infinitely more devastating than the inability to remember," - Mark Twain

April 24th

Arod's stats on Saturday: 2 for 5 with a homer and SIX RBI.

‎600 [converts to the Catholic Church] today in the Milwaukee area, tens of thousands across the country. Welcome to the Church, and Happy Easter!

Some great TV, courtesy of Netflix

2011-07-01T00:23:00.003-05:00

One of the great things about being able to stream Netflix directly to my TV is that I'm free to experiment with new shows that I would never have rented on DVD. One of the happiest of these discoveries is Heroes, the NBC series about a world in which mutants (aka superheroes without the masks) are drawn together to act against a prophesied destruction of New York City.

I finished the first season in a little less than a year, polishing off an episode every few weeks. Now? Count me as a fan. Aside from the Nikki/Jessica subplot, I found the characters well developed and the storyline impressive. I think the season finale was a fitting denouement to the overall story arc, one so impressive I'm loathed to push on into further seasons - all of which, according to scuttlebutt, pale in comparison.

On the other hand, I was no so fortunate in Kolchak: The Night Stalker, starring Darren McGavin in a series billed as a spooky ancestor of the X-Files.

Uh, no.

It was cartoonish, poorly written, and about as scary as the crowd at a harpist concert. C-

To break the tie, let me introduce Parks and Recreation, a sitcom done in the pseudo-documentary style of The Office. Lisa and I finished the first two seasons in the blink of an eye and were left hungry for more.

I think this show succeeds for a simple reason. Well, two. One, it's funny. Two, it refuses to settle for taking the easy road and making the characters one dimensional. Grumpy libertarian boss Ron would normally be written as a straight jerk; instead he's given depth and feeling. Amy Poehler's character, who by rights should be pigeonholed as a dorky, ineffective bureaucrat, is instead a multi-faceted human being. A

I have fond memories of watching Buck Rodgers as a kid, and I wasn't let down by rewatching it on Netflix. Oh, sure it's cheese, but you know that going in. All in all its a pretty darn good show for what it is, and having the super hot Erin Gray around doesn't hurt.

Roseanne, alas, lacks a resident beauty, unless you wait around for Becky #2 to pop up in later seasons. I saw nearly every episode during the series run, but harbor a bit of a resentment towards the show. No, it's not about the star' I grew up in a home not dissimilar to the Connors' and it's too close for comfort. Yet I have to admit, the writing holds up well after a quarter century, and the love between Roseanne and Dan is palpatable.

The biggest suprise to come via Netflix? Babylon 5.

I'd never seen a single episode, and had the show sitting unwatched in my queue for ages. When I began watching it last week I found the special effects appalling, hardly top of the line for a video game of the era much less a television show. Still, the writing of J. Michael Straczynski (whose screenwriting book I read and owned as a kid) hooked me. By the time I began season two I was mesmerized.

Naturally, it was then I discovered Netflix was losing the streaming rights begining today. Great timing. I've completed season two, and for now that's where I'll have to leave off.

It is a remarkably well crafted show. Not a single episode is a 'throw away'. Each show provides some nugget, however small, that adds to the overall story arc. It is a single story, carried out in multiple acts over a five year run. The twists and turns, the development of characters - how the Narn and Centauri defy the intial impressions we have of them, for instance - wow. Wow.

I can't wait to see more of the series. Three notes:

One, I much prefer Capt. Sheridan to Commander Sinclair. Sinclair, played by Michael O'Hare, always seemed to be in contention for Overactor of the Year.

Two, Bruce Boxleitner has excellent hair.

Three, I should make a drinking game. Every time Security Chief Garibaldi puts his hands in his pockets, take a shot. You'll be drunk in half an hour.

FB April 25th to May 10th

2011-06-25T05:54:00.000-05:00

April 25th

the new Nook update is out! Apps increase from a handful to 139! Now it not only wups the Kindle, it makes it put on makeup and call Barnes and Noble "big daddy"

April 26th

13:01 Since I worked all weekend and Lisa was up north on Saturday, our Easter is *today*. Took the kids to Mass at 8:15, big dinner at 4:30. Ham is in the oven, kielbasa in the slow cooker, potatoes peeled and cut, hard boiled eggs peeled and ready for . . er, deviling. Desperately hoping for a nap b4 the final push . .

19:28 outside Stonefire Pizza waiting to conduct a Craigslist purchase of kids clothing. Big scary man alone outside kids play area = not most well thought out meeting place

I love playing "Old Cannon" a simple little 'physics' game where you attempt to knock down castles using only 3 shots from an old cannon. Smiley, oddly, aced every level while I struggled with a few :)

22:34 chilling w/ my friend erv, who just got out of the hospital (complications of diabetes)

RIP Poly Styrene (born Marianne Elliot), who has died of breast cancer at age 53.

April 27th

On a lark I watched "GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra". For a big budget popcorn flick, it was fine. Better than I expected really, tho' the Flash Gordon technology was tiresome. So was the acting. Channing Tatum seemed to think he was hired to imitate Mark Wahlberg's worst traits, while Marlon Wayan's signed on for a degrading minstrel show performance.

April 30th

Today marks 36 years since the Fall of Saigon.

Watching the Channel 10 Auction with Lisa and LOL at all the crappy artwork and tschotcke's (sic) they're peddling.

May 1st

After a miserable day at work yest I finished CJ Sansom's "Dissolution", a Tudor era mystery featuring King's Commisioner Matthew Shardlake. I liked it quite a bit, but admit to becoming irrationally angry at some of the Reformist actions/thoughts expressed through the character. Also, I guessed the murderer's identity - but not until about 20 pgs before it was revealed. A good read and recommended.

Pope John Paul II was named 'Blessed' today, a step below Sainthood. God bless him, what grand news! I love John Paul, and look upon CNN's reporting of protests as nothing more than anti-Catholic bigotry in action.

May 2nd

Just back from Parker's 1st ever Tiger Cub Scout meeting!

<---- perhaps the only man to ever complain to a Scout leader that his son's meetings conflict with watching Dancing With the Stars

May 3rd

For $3 I bought an old hardcover copy of "Little Orpan Annie and the Gila Monster Gang" (Harold Gray, published 1944) and loaned it to YaYa at 5 o'clock. She just came downstairs to return it, having finished the 248 pg bk. Just in case she was full of it, I skimmed the last two chapters and quizzed her, & she aced it. Well done, Danny Jr.

Seriously, how many times does this have to happen to me before I take the hint? Do NOT handle jalepeno peppers and then use the restroom *unless* you wash your hands first. I tell you this to spare you pain greater than any other . . . shoot me now.

May 4th

So, the Prez is cool with lifting the ban on photos of American KIA's, and w/ releasing photos of alleged abuse by our military - but he won't release a photo of OBL because he's afraid of offending our enemy. [crickets chirp] Wouldn't that be the same enemy that drags bodies through the street and beheads reporters on camera?

Gas in Chicago inching towards $5 a gallon. (I've seen $4.44 confirmed in print)

[gas prices peaked that day or the next before moving downward]

May 5th

Something's gone goofy here. I woke up with shooting pain from my wrists up to my elbows, and I barely had the strength in my hands to take apart the bikes this morning & replace their inner tubes. It's prob this flu that's been making the rounds, but I feel like an old man, and I still have a workday ahead of me . . .

[oh man, did I feel awful. Just awful, for about 48 hours. But I made it work both days]

May 7th

Don't linger on moments of no consequence, and don't rush over moments worth examining

RIP Sada Thompson, 83, actress best known from "Family"

Now that Obama has essentially sanctified Bush era polices by keeping Gitmo, using info obtained by EIT, and pre-emeptively attacking targets wherever they appear, I expect it will be harder for the Left to attack him on those points without looking like a complete hypocrite.

RIP, Claude Choules, the last known WWI combatant, age 110 - and thank you.

May 8th

Today was a perfect day, just the kind of day you'll jump to relive when your life flashes before your eyes. Just perfect :)

May 9th

Whaaaa??? Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife of 25 years, Maria Shriver, have separated

I just finished 'Last Men Out: The True Story of America's Heroic Final Hours in Vietnam" by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin. The book focuses on the Marine detatchment at the Saigon embassy, the last group of American's to exit Vietnam. Very compelling, and written in an easy and entertaining manner. Recommended.

May 10th

10:20 am - ok, about to exit the car and walk into an interview. Wish me luck

Interview went well (I think) lasting for 45 minutes and eventually involving the owner himself. Nice to wear a shirt and tie again, if only for a morning.

Lump passed her in-school eye test today, scoring a 20/50 in each eye. That's normal for a three year old. By 4-5 years old it should be 20/40, then 20/32 by age six.

The Artiste Gene

2011-06-23T00:30:00.000-05:00

This drawing of two dancers hangs outside YaYa's classroom and bears her signature. At a recent conference with her teacher, we asked if she traced it. Nope, her teacher replied (well, she didn't say 'nope', as that term is reserved for obnoxious bloggers). But she did say that it wasn't traced, simply eye-balled by YaYa from a picture she provided.

I'm impressed. While I can't deny a way with words and thus The Power to Move Masses, I've always envied those people who can take the pictures in their head and sketch them on paper. If I had that gift, and I could purge some of the ingenious ideas floating in my noggin, life would grand for all.

They've obviously inherited an artistic gene from Lisa, who should be -given the right breaks - Martha Stewart version 2.

Here's a giraffe Smiley drew too:

Here's some great work by LuLu

and by the Lump

Great, huh?

The tree out front goes "Adios!"

2011-06-13T00:35:00.000-05:00

Since we moved into our house four years ago we've taken special notice of the city-owned tree in front of our house. While much of it seemed healthy (certainly healthy enough to generate piles of leaves and clogged gutters every autumn) one large branch was visibly dead, and as the years wore on more and more of the trunk appeared diseased.

A few calls for removal went unheeded, but a few weeks ago a city worker drove by and just happened to notice the tree. He got out of his truck to talk to me, then put in an order for the tree to be cut down. The crew showed up the day we departed for LuLu's trip to Fort Atkinson.

One guy went up in a cherry picker with a small chain saw. One by one he removed the large limbs of the tree, often lowering them to the ground with rope.

Other crew members carried the debris to a portable chipper.

Given Smiley's huge interest in botany and gardening, this was right up his alley and we sat outside and watched the proceedings until it started to rain. Lu joined us for a spell, but YaYa (claiming to mourn the tree) stayed in her room. The guy in the cherry picker waved to her when he was even with her window.

Much of the tree is still standing. The rest will be removed another day, and the stump ground down. A replacement will be planted in the spring or fall of 2012.

Three Times the Lump!

2011-06-08T00:27:00.000-05:00

Smiley Loses His 1st Tooth (April 11th)

2011-06-06T15:45:00.000-05:00

On April 11th Lisa posted this to her Facebook account: Smiley just lost his first tooth! Seems so recent that I was sitting in his nursery rocking with him :(

He'd been bugging us forever to pull it out, as he was soooo excited to partake of this rite of passage. I think Lisa did the deed in the end, basically just lifting the loose tooth clean out with no fuss. Ick.

Now the little man knows there's no such thing as the Tooth Fairy - if I haven't blogged about that yet, you'll find it soon - but we kept up the tradition of rewarding the first tooth lost with a small gift.

Smiley's was a 'fingertip' Spiderman skateboard with wheels that could be changed out. He was so proud the next morning of his abiilty to swap them, mentioning with pride that the package said "ages 8 and up" and that he was only 6.

We also (well, Lisa) wrote the following note to him: "[Smiley] Congratulations on your first missing tooth !! Love, the Tooth Fairy p.s.keep being kind and a good brother"

Congrats little man!

What the heck Are you Up to Mr. President?/Jimmy Carter, Jimmy Carter

2011-06-04T10:37:00.000-05:00

What the Heck are You Up to Mr. President? by Kevin Mattson, is a short but informative book that showcases the background, delivery, and ultimately disastrous after-effects of Jimmy Carter's 'Malaise' speech.

For those too young to remember (and that would include me) the 'Malaise' speech - it never actually uses the word - was a public scolding Carter delivered to the American people, encouraging us to re-examine our energy policy and habits and refocus both for our betterment. It was met with initial praise, but soon became a symbol of the pessimism and defeatism of the Carter era.

The book details why the speech went wrong. It was designed to address the energy crisis that gripped America, and yet Carter dragged his feet so long that the crisis was waning by the time he pulled the trigger. Combine that with the ill-fitting mix of a somber, pragmatic President urging a weary people to essentially 'suck it up', and it was not a recipe for success. Rumor is Reagan knew he had the Oval Office when he heard the speech.

Keep in mind, Mattson isn't anti-Carter. It's his position that Carter was right, and the speech *should* have altered American behavior and (by default) history.

I enjoyed the book a lot.

Did I mention he was pro-Carter? Contrast that to Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter by Gary Allen.

I picked up this gem for free at a local rec center, and in fairness, it isn't just anti-Carter. It's anti-Democrat, anti-Republican, and most shocking, anti-Martin Luther King (these days, with his sainthood all but assured in American consciousness, attacking MLK seems horrifyingly racist. I'm not sure that was the author's intent, but I'm not sure it wasn't).

It was written prior to the 1976 election, presumably as a means of torpedoing his candidacy. It didn't work, and neither does the book. Then again, it wasn't a horrible read, especially if you're looking for a glimpse of the political mindset as we approached the Bicentennial.

(both books read August 2009)

'Annie' 2011 - Pt 2

2011-05-31T00:55:00.001-05:00

The show was great. Really. More on the high school end of the musical spectrum than any grade school extravaganza you've seen, and the choreography and vocals on "Hard Knock Life" were WOW. I kid you not, WOW. I loved it.

I suppose it doesn't hurt that Lisa helped choreograph the songs, and did a lot of the costume work too.

I attended the musical with my friend Tre, and picked the one show that Lisa managed to watch from the seats (she was usually busy with costumes/makeup in back)

Man the girls did well!

In the week or so prior to the show Lisa picked up an Annie cross-stich kit and knocked it off as a gift for the director. Another Mom sewed it on a pillow and the cast signed the back.

I'm so proud of the girls. If you ever want to see a cheese grin on my face, put my kids on stage. I can be screaming bloody murder and I'd stop to break a cheek smiling.

Lastly, here's some pictures of the two little one's as I drove home from the play with Tre. Goofballs.

Game Six by Mark Frost

2011-05-30T00:25:00.002-05:00

Game Six by Mark Frost may just be the greatest baseball book I've ever read. Worst case scenario, top three. Easily.

It's the story of the famous sixth game of the 1975 World Series between the Red Sox and the Reds, the game that ended with the iconic home run by Carlton Fisk. The Big Red Machine, chock full of Hall of Famers and seeking a ring, versys the 'cursed' Red Sox looking to bring a championship home to Boston.

The book details the game certainly, but it's so much more.

It uses that night -indeliably burned into the consciousness of sports fans - to extrapolate the ins and outs of that incredible season.

Well written, masterfully crafted, full of drama and emotion. Just an excellent, excellent book. It's so good I couldn't finish another book I picked up about the '75 season - it paled in comparasion to Frost's work.

If you're a baseball fan, you NEED to read this book.

~ read in 2009

YaYa's Scout trip to Adventure Rock

2011-05-27T00:23:00.000-05:00

On Friday May 13th YaYa and her Junior troop took a trip to Adventure Rock, an indoor rock climbing experience. Yes, you read correctly: we sent our oldest daughter rock climbing on Friday the 13th.

Of course, they first had to sit down and listen to a safety seminar.

But then it was on to the wall.

YaYa said she was nervous the first time she climbed the wall . . .

But claims to have then climbed it "maybe 50 times. For real Dad, we were there like three whole hours."

She certainly seems to have enjoyed it, and it was great exercise. Well done YaYa!

Better than Solid Gold dancers anyday!

2011-05-27T00:04:00.000-05:00

This was a tough year for dance. After skipping the 2009-10 season because of finances, we sucked it up and enrolled the kids for the '10-11 year. Monday's everyone but LuLu had practice, a three and a quarter hour stretch that often doubled as hel - er, heck. Have you ever tried to keep a three year old content in a dance studio wating from for two hours? It ain't pretty.

Saturdays were LuLu's day to shine, but unfortunately much of the school world revolves around Saturday's, so birthday parties, Scout trips, and the like chewed into her time.

But we did it, and in return the kids did us proud. Here are some gorgeous shots of my Gang (and note that YaYa is now old enough to do participate in two dances at the recital)

Ain't they grand?

The 2011 Production of Annie

2011-05-26T01:24:00.001-05:00

Let me tell you a little something about the school play at my kids elementary school. It's not the artistic version of a sprint, it's a bleepin' marathon.

For months before the play the kids practice twice a week after school for two hours a pop. In the two weeks preceding opening night ('tech week') the practices are daily, and often surpass three hours.

2011's Annie was YaYa's third play, and LuLu's debut.

YaYa was given the part of the orphan Tessie ("Oh my goodness!")

while Lu scooped up the role of an unnamed but adorable urchin.

You know the storyline: plucky Orphan Annie is set to be adopted by the rich Daddy Warbucks when some shady characters finagle a plan to walk away with the girl and some of Warbucks dough, etc. So I'll skip any further explanation and just let you gaze adoringly at some pictures.

Don't blame me for the lack of LuLu shots. All the pics were done by 'their' photographer, and I had to pay for the privilege of owning the shots.

Anywho, it was great. Really. I'll follow up with a post of pics from the performance day itself (well, one of three performances), and that's where I'll also prattle on about all the work Lisa did to help put on the show.

Til then folks.

~ Dan

Flashback: LuLu on the Computer 2007

2011-05-25T00:43:00.000-05:00

Lisa has enforced a no video games/no gaming system rule in this house since the start of our marriage, and while I once chafed under this Luddite decree, I now see its value. Too many times we've chaperoned an event where the kids were just transfixed by their handheld systems, just brain dead and lacking social grace. Forget that.

We do, however, allow them access to the PC and approved games online, like Club Penguin (where, btw, I am the *best* mine cart surfer EVAH).

It's beginning to backfire on us, as the kids are obsessed with getting comp time, so who knows? Maybe we'll cut that off too in the near future.

At any rate, here's two pictures of little LuLu playing on the computer at her Grandma J's house in 2007 (age 4)

The President Is a Sick Man by Matthew Algeo

2011-05-22T11:33:00.001-05:00

The President Is a Sick Man: Wherein the Supposedly Virtuous Grover Cleveland Survives a Secret Surgery at Sea and Vilifies the Courageous Newspaperman Who Dared Expose the Truth by Matthew Algeo is not nearly as florid and long winded as the title would have you believe.

It's the true story of the clandestine cancer surgery undertaken by President Grover Cleveland during his 2nd (non-consecutive) administration. It was a time of economic depression and turmoil, fueled largely by the divisive issue of whether to base American currency on gold or silver. Cleveland was entrusted with getting the country back on its feet, and in an era where cancer was seen as invariably fatal it would have been suicidal to his efforts to go public with the surgery.

Which is where the book slips the rails. As evidenced by the title, part of the narrative arc is showing the error and hypocricy of Cleveland's actions.But Cleveland was an unusually honsest politician. He did have legitimate and unselfish reasons to hide the surgery. Yes, one reporter paid the price for the lie, but even he was vindicated in time. All of this is stated and shown to be true in the text.

So, interesting tale, but . . . there is no villian to be found. Which is just as well. It's a swell read without that aspect, and Algeo does an exemplary job of bringing the issues of the past into sharp focus here in the present.

One major complaint - he uses quotes extensively, but provides no footnotes. That irks the history major in me, and I wish it could be corrected.

Finally: above all else the book proves yet again that there are no boring Presidents. Smart ones, brave ones, dishonest ones; but not a dull one in the deck.

Lisa & the kids hit the Milwaukee Public Museum

2011-05-21T00:01:00.000-05:00

During Easter Break this year Lisa took the kids down to the Milwaukee Public Museum to see the sights while I was at work.

This is a picture of the Art Museum, by the way, not the Public Museum. Apparently the camera made its way into little hands on the drive downtown.

One of the hightlights of the musuem is the live butterfly room. The kids had a blast enticing the butterflies to land on them.

Then there was the bug room, full of roaches, centipedes, and worms. Here's how YaYa described the experience on her blog:

i find this so funny lol! we were @ the mpm and I was brave enough to hold beetles, millapedes, and other bugs ! But Ive never had much problems with bugs ' cept ants!

Yech!

Afterwards, Lisa had the Fearsome Four pose for group pictures. Not all the pics were great by our standards, but so what? Given that they featured all four of my youngin's, they were stupendous!

Arlo and Janis, the best comic strip out there. Why aren't you reading it?

2011-05-20T00:05:00.000-05:00

- by Jimmy Johnson

3 movies I saw in '09

2011-05-19T01:48:00.000-05:00

So. It's a Zac Efron movie. Co-starring Matthew Perry. About a dysfunctional adult who wakes up to find himself 17 (again), a younger version of himself adrift to deal with the chaos of all the choices he's made over the years. Same sorta/kinda premise as Big. Freaky Friday. That movie with the kid from Wonder Years. You know the drill.

Except this one is really, surprisingly good.

It's funny for one thing. I don't mean a chuckle here and there, or a half-hearted smile, or even worse yet the pee-your pants laughter you'll sometimes get watching a raunchy comedy. No, this one actually makes you laugh because it has a script and acting that *work*.

Efron (whodathunkit?) plays the role of the bitter-man-in-teen-body with aplomb, and sometimes I got the impression he really was a crochety middle aged man. Perry's part is much smaller and not as impactful, but he still does well. And the love story that provides the emotional turmoil/chance for redemption throught the movie? Well done, sweet, and honest.

Did I mention this was a good movie? Go out and rent it already. I *really* liked it.

* * *

Sad to say, my memory refuses to remind me of whether or not I've already reviewed Hamlet 2. I don't remember much of the plot details, as I saw this two years ago, but I know a whackadoodle teacher writes and produces a sequel to Hamlet for his drama class to perform.

It was funny, and I remember liking it, but obviously it didn't impact me enough to retain anything past the gist of the story. Still, worth a rental.

* * *

Unrest is a horror film about a med student whose cadaver refuses to accept its death, leading to our heroine to believe she's a) going crazy or b) needs to investigate the cause of the death in order for the soul to be at rest.

It's not as cheesy or predictable as it sounds, and it does use genuine human fears (of death, of cadavers, etc) to ratchet up the viewer's paranoia and fear.

I liked it, even if I was grossed out at times, and I'd rate it a decent way to spend 90 minutes - if you enjoy devoting them to B movies. Which I do, so there.

~ Dan

God's Batallions by Rodney Stark

2011-05-18T00:06:00.001-05:00

God's Battalions by Rodney Stark is, as its subtitle states, a justification of the Crusades. Maybe that's a poor word choice; I don't think Stark advocates war as a hobby, nor would he encourage you to march off with a cross to free Jerusalem in 2011. Rather, his thesis is that by the standards of the time, the Crusades were not only acceptable but necessary and that, a century of Political Correctness be damned, they actually did some good.

If you listen to the self-loathing spiel of the modern historian, the Crusades were the first wave of European colonialism. They were military expeditions launched for the love of plunder and a desire to force Christianity down the throat of the unwilling.

As Stark - no strong personal proponent of Christianity, by the way - details, that isn't the case. The Crusades were launched to check the rapid and violent expansion of Islam. North Africa, once home to Saints and a cornerstone of Christianity, had fallen under the sword. Apologists who write of merciful Muslim rule ignore evidence that Jews and Christians were treated with contempt. No public preaching or acknowledgement of their beliefs were allowed. Persecution was rampant, churches were leveled, and no further construction was permitted. In 1032-1033 there were over six thousand Jews murdered in Morocco, one of many mass killings recorded at the time. The future of Europe and Christianity was in doubt.

That isn't to say Christian nations of the time were gentle and compassionate. This is 1000 years ago, and the it is folly to impose the morals and standards of one era to another. Stark merely points out that there was much to fear from Islam at the time, and more than enough justification for war.

Some points really spoke to me. The first, that the so-called Dark Ages are a fabrication of later historians who force their own view of the world upon an entire era. It isn't an age we'd care to move to, but nor is it as bleak as we are led to believe.

Second, it argues against the notion that the Crusades sowed the seeds of a long standing grievance between the West and Islam. This seems to be a modern invention of convenience, as for much of the last millennia the Crusades were seen as either a Muslim victory, a localized war against the Turks, or both.

Finally, and most powerfully, the refutation of the oft-referenced idea that Muslim expansion touched off a wave of learning and discovery that resonates to the present. I read of this in nearly every general history book from elementary to high school. Not so. Much of this heralded information came not from Muslim intellectuals, but from Christian and Jewish scholars forcibly converted to Islam, and from the plundered intellectual wealth of libraries and monasteries that fell at their hands. 'Arabic' numerals are in fact Hindu, and many medical 'breakthroughs' were the product of Nesorian Christians.

A brave, intelligent work of socio-religious history. Highly recommended.

~ read in 2009

Easter 2011

2011-05-17T02:04:00.001-05:00

This Easter was a little convoluted. I worked the whole weekend, Lisa and the two oldest girls spent Holy Saturday up North, and it was just generally chaotic. We even bumped our Easter dinner to Tuesday to accomodate our schedules! None-the-less, we had the Easter baskets full and ready to go come Easter Morn.

How Lisa pulls these off I'll never know. Every kid got a pair of sandals for the summer; the older two got fashion heavy pairs, while Younger Two got sandals that were more functional.

They also each got a pack of underwear, some clothing, a toy or treat (Smiley got a pack of Punky Brewster DVD's to share with the kids) and of course candy. The girls also got earrings, and YaYa got some suspenders too.

A few days later, when we held "Easter" dinner, Grandpa K dropped off some Easter baskets too. Here are a few of the gifts in use:

I hope your Easter was happy and meaningful.

~ Dan

Nasty Weather, another Communion, and a TBR list

2011-05-16T08:18:00.000-05:00

It was a nasty weekend here in Milwaukee. The weather was cold, the sky a consistent gray, the rain was incesstant, and the winds reached 30-35 mph. The cold was bad enough, as we had to dig out the winter jackets for the kids, the very same coats we just felt confident enough to pack away last week. The rain, eh, I can handle that. But that wind . . . yikes. I live 'near' the lake, and the wind in my backyard was considerably stronger than offically advertised, even ripping off a piece of siding near my back door.

What a morbidly bleak weekend.

There were some pluses. LuLu finished a large book report project, and we made some headway on the laundry. Big accomplishments, I know. We also attended the 1st Communion of Mary, one of LuLu's best friends.

* * * *

I want to take just a moment here to jot down a list of books to be read (or TBR as I call it). Yes, yes, I have dozens of books that await my eyes, but there have been some great choices at the bookstore lately, and I'm afraid they'll take precedence.

Henry Kissinger - On China

Lawrence Block - A drop of the Hard Stuff

John Sandford - Buried Prey

Rawhide Down: The Near Assasination of Ronald Reagan by Weiner? (misplaced authors name)

In the Garden of the Beasts by Erik Larson

There's also a book called "Think of a Number" (a mystery) that looks good, and I have to polish of Dubya's Decision Points.

My Favorite Things pt 2

2011-05-16T00:04:00.000-05:00

I think that a few people thought an earlier spiel about my cell phone was a paid post, part of some obscure Internet marketing plan. No, sorry. I just love the phone. You'll see a few more posts of my 'favorite things' in the future. For today, I'm going to chose something low-tech, just to finish dispelling that notion.

This is a canvas book cover available at Barnes and Noble. Large enough to accomodate a Robert Jordan tome, but able to adapt to any convential size hardcover, this is truly one of my Favorite Things. I have one to accomodate mass market paperbacks, but it's this one that I adore.

It has a durable, textured canvas cover that resists stains, and a zipper that locks up the book safe and sound.

When I read a hardcover I remove the dust jacket for safe keeping and slide the book into the case. It includes an attached ribbon bookmark, if you like that sort of thing. Myself, I think bookmarks are a sign of mental weakness. ;)

The outside of the case features a zippered pocket. It's deceptively roomy. I keep my datebook, book light, coins, and misc junk in it.

And of course, it also has a handle along the spine.

I got the book cover from my Mom for my birthday in '09, and it certainly ranks as not only one of my Favorite Things, but one of the best gifts ever. I love it.

~ Dan

Sixkill by the late great Robert B Parker

2011-05-15T01:09:00.002-05:00

"I know what I like and what I don't like, and what I'm willing to do and what I'm not, and I try to be guided by that"

Sixkill is the 39th and final Spenser novel by the late great Robert B Parker.

As some of you may know I named my only son after RBP. This book marked the proverbial 'end of an era', and caused tears to well up in my eyes when I held it in my hands on the day of its release.

Still, I wasn't expecting a lot from the novel. While Parker had had a recent return to form, many of his latter Spenser novels were cookie-cutter, mailed in efforts. The odds didn't favor a masterpiece in the making.

I was wrong. Sixkill ranks as my second favorite Spenser novel of all time, behind only Early Autumn.

Like Early Autumn, this book is about a young male in search of a path in life, a way of overcoming his past, discovering what it takes to be a man, and getting on with the business of living. In both books Spenser is the mentor, the 'fixed point in space' on which they may rely, but unlike Paul in EA, in Sixkill the titular character morphs into an heir apparent.

That's important. The Spenser novels have never been about plot or mystery, both of which are in constant short supply with RBP. No, they were therapy sessions for the author to hash out his own demons through the life of Spenser. The convoluted relationship with his significant other Susan, the homosexuality of characters (both RBP's sons are gay), the constant search for meaning and truth - THAT'S a Spenser novel.

If the series had to end unexpectedly, how better to end it than with a novel that allows us see even more of what makes Spenser tick by giving him a clone to tutor?

Best of all, the trademark Parker/Spenser wit, the ability to toss out just a dash of sparse prose and make it zing - it's all there. I laughed out loud a couple times, and even read a passage out loud to my wife.

It is a fitting coda to the Spenser series and I loved it.

RIP Robert B Parker. You will be missed.

Lu's Trip to the Fireside pt 2

2011-05-14T01:00:00.001-05:00

The next morning we woke up and had breakfast. Well, Lisa and Lu did. They just brought some stuff back to the room for Sleepy Dad. While I got ready for the day Lisa took Lu swimming again, and then I packed up while the ladies freshened up.

Soon we were off to the Fireside.

The Fireside is justifiably well known for its extensive gift shops, and with cash left to burn LuLu spent quite some time browsing.

Here are two items I loved (but didn't buy). A birdhouse:

and a fancy music box that played LP sized discs

Soon it was time for lunch.

This is the adult menu for the show:

Signature Aloha Salad
Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Kiwi, Strawberries, Blueberries, Mandarin Oranges and Oriental Vegetables over Fresh Garden Greens, sprinkled with Sesame Croutons and glazed with our famous Papaya Chutney Dressing.

Freshly Baked Breads from The Fireside Ovens

Chicken Kona Kai
Skinless Breast of Chicken dipped in a special Egg Batter, rolled in Coconut Panko Bread Crumbs, sautéed to a golden brown and glazed with Brandied Apricot Sauce.

Served with Baked Yukon Gold Potatoes, Edamame Soybeans and Sweet Corn and a Plum Tomato stuffed with Creamed Spinach.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Garnished with ribbons of Caramel and presented on a Graham Cracker Crust.
Coffee, Tea and Milk

Lu's consisted of premium chicken tenders, mac 'n cheese, and corn. I also sprang for a big Shirley Temple for my girl

By the end of lunch LuLu was pooped, and with an hour before the show we retired to the van so she could rest. In the blink of an eye it was time to venture back in for the production of Annie.

The walls inside the theater were decorated in comic strip-esque panels

We took our aisle seats, which had an excellent view, and eagerly waited for the show to begin.

With a little time for horseing around.

Obviously, they don't allow photography during the show. I can tell you it was excellent, and the actress who played Annie was on the top of her game and did very well. I will say, however that our school's performance of "Hard Knock Life" had better choreography and energy. I kid you not.

Oh, and FDR's expansion of the federal government didn't end the Depression, nor was it an economic miracle as hinted at in the play. I just wanted to get that out there ;)

After a quick trip to Justice (a kids clothing shop at the mall) we were home, safe and sound.

And Lu's verdict on the trip?

"EXTREME fun!!!!"

Mission accomplished.

An apology, and a short explanation

2011-05-14T00:16:00.005-05:00

In six and a half years of writing Slapinions I have only one regret: that in the heat of a contentious American Idol season, this Bo Bice fan called Carrie Underwood a "no talent hack". I was wrong, and I apologize unequivocally.

Back to our regular programming . . .

Or not.

You may have noticed that Blogger, a Google company, went haywire over the last few days. In the end they temporarily wiped all blog entries posted after a certain date/time, to 'reset' the system and restore sanity. As promised, they brought the exorcised posts back, although in the case of this blog, not in the correct order. You'll notice a repeat of at least one post in the next few days. Sorry about that, it isn't my doing.

Which again begs the question of permanence. During Slapinions time on AOL I publicly argued for a print or save option; a year later AOL Journals went belly-up. Blogger has been much more dependable than AOL ever was, but if a Google company can glitch - yikes.

Fred, I'm putting this on you: if something (God forbid) was to ever happen to me, I'd ask that you get a printed/bound copy of this journal into Lisa's hands.

It's nearly summer - why not revist the 'Super Blow' Blizzard of Early February?

2011-05-13T00:40:00.000-05:00

Feb 1st 09:30 snow drifts up to the middle of my calves in the alley this morning. Could be worse. Probably will be.

14:13 mps [Milwaukee Public Schools] has announced they will close tomorrow. Let the Super Blow blizzard commence.

21:45

Feb 2nd 00:24 When u can no longer distinguish the sidewalk from the street and lawn, & the wind sounds like a Hollywood sound effects team has set up shop outside ur window . . . Well, then it looks like this blizzard will live up to the hype after all

09:37 6 ft drifts down the length of my alley, 6-8 foot deep hills the length of the side street to my south, and quite literally the largest snow drift I've ever seen on the side of my house. I doubt we'll get the van out on the road until Friday at the earliest.

I know I'm near the lake, but it still boggles my mind how deep the snow drifts get on this block. It's nuts. Six inches = up to my car windows if the wind is right.

15:58 Taking a break from my 2nd round of shoveling in the alley. Noting the wonderful grammar of local anchors who in the course of a few minutes said "props to the city" and "don't go nowhere".

16:12 if anyone digs out and is on the road this evening, I would welcome a quick lift to either Walgreens or the grocery store. Thanks!

Over the next few hours I attacked the alley, and inspired the rest of the neighborhood to do the same. Early on many ventured out to tell me I should quit, that it was 'too much' - but once I kept slugging away the shame got to them, and one by one people came out to shovel their section. Even our neighbor, who we've had many issues with, helped out and at one point helped me push our van.

23:01 We finally got out of the alley at a little after nine, after spending hours clawing a path to freedom. That . . . was a lot of snow to shovel. The worst part? My phone, which was in my coat pocket for one of the many soaking-wet rounds of shoveling, was damaged. It still works as a phone, but all the perks that made my life happier - FB, txt, aps, email - are a no-go.[it was a lost cause]

Feb 3rd, the day the music died:

13:01 Hey city plow drivers - thanks for burying the entrance to the alley under three feet of snow for the *8th* time. The only reason I'd ever own a dog would be so I could have it take a dump on your lawn.

16:47 Just dug out the alley entrance again. The side street to our north is damn impassable, but this yahoo insists on making pass after pass on the driveable street to our south.

17:30 While we were out in the alley LuLu konked me on the side of the head with a steel snow shovel. Full force, on a ridiculously comic backswing. Ouch.

Our tulips are blooming - Mothers Day 2011

2011-05-11T00:14:00.000-05:00

Lu's Trip to the Fireside pt 1

2011-05-10T00:02:00.004-05:00

First Holy Communion is a big deal, and for YaYa we threw a party at a local establishment. Here in 2011 we came to realize that we no longer have the # of relatives to warrant a party, and so we've introduced a new (better?) tradition: taking the Communicant on a one-on-one overnight trip out of town.

For LuLu, we chose a performance of Annie at the Fireside Dinner Theater in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. The day before the show Lisa, Lu and I set off on our trip, stopping on the way at a Wendy's. How cute (or sad?) was this - when I asked her what she wanted, she was ecstatic that her choice wasn't narrowed down to a single item off the Dollar menu.

"I don't only want to have fun," Lu said of the trip. "I want to have EXTREME fun!"

On the 75 minute drive LuLu fell asleep, which is just as well, as we got lost for a bit and added twenty minutes to the travel time. We arrived in mid-afternoon and checked into our hotel, located next door to the Fireside.

From there we headed out to the local Shopko, a store not found in our native Milwaukee.

LuLu had $50 to spend, courtesy of an early Communion gift from her Grandma Jeanne, and we spent a good hour or two looking around. She quickly found two pairs of shoes she loved. (the mismatched socks are intentional, a current 'style')

There was a lot of wheeling and dealing. I often made a deal with her - skip the $23 shirt and take the two nearly identical ones selling for $14 a pair an aisle over, and I'll pick up half the tab. She got some great clothes featuring the iconic peace sign motif she loves:

and wanted this one too. I almost caved on this sharp shirt, but she used it as a bargaining chip to get two other things she wanted instead.

After shopping we returned to the hotel and went for a swim. Lisa had forgotten her swimsuit, so it was just Dad and LuLu in the water.

While in the pool I suddenly learned the backstroke, something that has eluded me for years. Weird.

Once we got out of the pool the ladies retired to the room to watch American Idol, while I stopped at the grocery store for some snacks then picked up Subway for dinner.

The pillow is one she bought at Shopko, by the way. Ditto the nail polish she used to paint her nails that night.

After dinner we returned to the pool for a bit, then took showers and watched Lemonade Mouth on the Disney Channel. Lisa and I soon fell asleep, but Lu stayed up a bit longer to watch cable.

A great day, and another was yet to come.

Some overdue reviews from 2009

2011-05-09T00:01:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure if I'm a Michael Crichton fan or not. I've read a lot of his work, enjoying most of it, and I'm certainly conscious of the impact his imagination has had on our culture over the last few decades (Jurassic Park, ER). I've just never been bitten by the smitten bug -- excuse the unintended rhyme - when it comes to Crichton.

Which has nothing whatsoever to do with the task at hand. Pirate Latitudes is a Crichton book allegedly discovered on his computer after his death a few years ago. It is what it sounds like; a more or less true pirate tale set in the Caribbean. I thought it started out rip roaring but the energy petered out as it went along, even as the events on the page grew more volitale. It was odd, like watching a car tire spin all the faster even after it lost its air.

Still, a good effort for a dead guy.

Speaking of dead guys, The Gathering Storm is Book 12 of the late Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time Series.

The series is now continued by author Brandon Sanderson, and while some fans got all icky-ick over the idea of someone else taking the helm, I think he's done a heck of a job. It's rather seamless, with the only stylistic change I noticed being the introduction of contractions (I'm, you're, etc). Otherwise its all good, and I like the way he's picked up the pace and actually moved events along.

I liked it a lot.

The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor is a young adult novel set in the world of Alice in Wonderland. Now if you know me, you know I wish that Alice in Wonderland would be retired for the duration of my lifetime. And the next, if possible, as I think it's so repetively re-used it might as well change its name to A Christmas Carol.

Beddor's novel doesn't change my mind, but it came close. It showcases a darker world where Alice's world is at war and the popular version of her tale nothing more than the twisted interpretation of Alice's memories.

Now, please bear in mind Beddor is to writing style what I am to succesful weight loss. It's a great reimagining somewhat weighed down by his clunky prose. But the magic of that reimagining - Hatter Madigan in particular - make it worth overlooking.

Recommended.

[BTW, I don't know why that segment of 2009 lent itself to young adult novels, but I also read "The Giver" around that time]

I really enjoyed Erik Larson's Devil in the White City. It's most often described as being about a serial killer that prowled Chicago at the time of the Worlds Fair, but that does it a disservice. Yes, that plays a part in the text, but I personally found the book to be first and foremost of a study of the Worlds Fair itself; its creators, its construction, its soul.

How great a compliment to Larson's skill that he can take a simple tale of archeticural history and craft into a compelling and riveting narrative.

Very, very good.

Congratulations LuLu! First Communion May 8th 2011 (Mother's Day)

2011-05-08T20:39:00.002-05:00

Today was my LuLu's First Holy Communion, and it will take several posts to tell the tale. For an appetizer, I thought we'd start with these photos of my lovely girl. I'm so proud of her!

Gardening Season has begun!

2011-05-07T23:21:00.003-05:00

If you've been paying attention, you know Smiley is obsessed with plants, flowers, trees, gardening, and anything involving seeds and dirt. To satisfy this itch we planted a small garden last year, but the soil in my yard is so poor it yielded next to nothing. After some consideration I we decided to follow the "Square Foot Gardening" method of author Mel Bartholomew this year, and establish raised garden beds that don't depend on the native soil.

My mother-in-law, Smiley and I made the trip to Home Depot Saturday morning for the supplies, then enlisted the help of YaYa and a lil' red wagon to unload the van.

For each of the two boxes, I used 2x6 boards in four foot lengths and fastened them with deck screws to form the frame.

The sound of the drill drew the other kids outside to 'help'.

By the time frame one was done it was time for the kids' swim classes, and a cold, sporadic sprinkle of rain had started. I finshed the first frame and filled it with topsoil, peat moss, and some compost, butunderestimated the amount I needed and didn't have enough to fill the second box. I concentrated on finishing the first one before any serious rain began.

As part of the 'square foot' method, the 4x4 foot box is divided into 16 seperate growing areas, laid out by a simple grid of lathe that 'floats' above the box. Because I know my kids, I figured it would 'float' its way to pieces on the trampoline. So I secured it on two sides. Aside from one piece I forgot to pre-drill (which promptly split), it was pretty easy to rig together.

Come to think of it, the whole project was easy-peezy. Now I just have to fill the second box, grid it out, and get to a'plantin'. Here's hoping we get a better crop this season!

The only thing that writers write for themselves are shopping lists

2011-05-07T00:07:00.004-05:00

"I do not belong to that gang of bad writers who say that they only write for themselves. The only thing that writers write for themselves are shopping lists . . . All the rest, including laundry lists, are messages addressed to somebody else. They are not monologues; they are dialogues."

- Umberto Eco, Confessions of a Young Novelist. (emphasis mine)

When I first read those words they spoke to my heart; it so aptly describes me that I'm surprised I didn't write it myself. I certainly wish I had.

I can say with absolute certainty that I have never strung together more than a dozen words without first considering an audience. Never mind that my 'audience' was usually composed of exactly no one, and the words were destined for the trashbin. They were 'important'.

This practice even predates my ability to print letters. I still have a copy of a story I dictated to my Grandparents when I was four years old. It always irks me when I stumble across someone who professes to be a 'writer', yet refuses to submit their work. At four I knew the only point to spewing words on paper is to share the noise in your head. Why don't they?

Of course, that opens the door to the question of personal and artistic integrity. If I'm sitting here typing my "deepest darkest emotions" with one eye on a Grandma in Budapest who might someday buy a copy of the text, I can't in all honesty claim my words will reveal, well, all honesty. Consciously or not I will edit it to the liking of my Unseen Reader.

My most glaring example of this trait: a diary I kept in 1994. In those pages I glossed over some embarrassing tidbits, eliminated a few anecdotes, and most telling, actually made sure to include some (true) dirt to spice it up for the reader. It was so nauseatingly forced I couldn't bear to keep the diary going. It lasted all of a week.

That's a good sign tho', no? If I had the self awareness *then* to recognize and fight the need to tidy up the world, I think I'm pretty safe in saying there's a raw honesty running through whatever I write now.

So, Unseen Reader, I thank you. I thank you for keeping the fires of my imagination burning, for forcing me to always improve my work, and for - every once in a while - actually being a real, live reader who enjoys my work.

See you soon.

Dan

Smiley becomes a Tiger Cub Scout!

2011-05-05T00:03:00.000-05:00

This Monday (May 2nd) me and Smiley attended his first ever Tiger Cub Scout meeting!

He'll be going into 1st grade next year, making him eligible for the Scouts, so when a flyer came home encouraging us to join up we jumped at the chance. Truth be know, I've tried to get him enrolled for a few months, even emailing the local council office.

At any rate, he was quickly absorbed in the activity of the night, while I sat through an orientation section. I filled out the application with pride. Lisa has been heavily vested in Girl Scouting with our girls; now it was the boys turn to shine! I intend to be involved in the Pack right along with Smiley.

We'll be attending a few events over the summer, but by and large his Scouting experience will begin in the Fall. We'll be breaking new ground together. While I was a Cub, Webelos, Boy Scout and Explorer, Tiger Cubs are a program that begin a few years into my Scouting years.

Smiley made and decorated a pair of spinning wood tops, got a welcome folder with a hologram, bookmarks, and baseball cards, and went home with a balloon and a cookie in his belly (and on his face!).

Congrats Smiley! I'm so happy for you!

Some long overdue reviews from 2009

2011-05-04T15:20:00.003-05:00

Back in '09 I read Robert B. Parker's Chasing the Bear, a young adult novel featuring a teenage Spenser.

I'm not sure how canonical the book is, as it moves Spenser's birth forward by several decades and eliminates some long-established facets of his life. It was nice to finally glimpse the all-male family dynamic that created the character, but I was visibly jarred when 'Spenser' was mentioned as a family name. To my recollection, the adult series has always been coy about never mentioning if it was his first or last name.

I liked the book a lot, and thought it was a great way to introduce Spenser to a future generation of buyers. What bothered me, however, was that the teenage Spenser kills a man. In defence of another, certainly, but even so, was it appropriate given the age of the character and of the intended reader? I don't think so.

At around the same time I rented the movie Mirrors, starring Kiefer Sutherland.

I remember I was alone in not liking it, but pbbbtttt. My opinion is the one that counts - it's my blog ain't it? So I stand my assesment: predictable, not frightening and average at best.

In '09 I also read Stephen King's Firestarter

It was written for a younger audience, and it shows. It's one of his weakest efforts, and it reveals the egotistical biases of King's generation. To overthrow the status quo and reveal the 'truth', they go to the only source that is independent and bold - Rolling Stone magazine. I didn't know whether to laugh out loud or gag.

That bit of hee-hee aside, it was an OK book, just nowhere near the level of King's usual standards.

I know folks love Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series, but I have to admit the one and only book I've read (Storm Front, the first in the series) fell flat.

I could tell Butcher was a good writer, and I enjoyed his style. I just find it hard to get into witches/warlocks/fairies, etc, and I found some of the plot paint-by-numbers.

I'm sure the rest of the series is great, but with all the books on my "To Be Read" pile, do I want to devote the time to giving him a second chance? At this time, the answer is 'no'.

Sinatra, Jr.

2011-05-03T23:22:00.003-05:00

Let me start out by saying that Lump, now 3 1/2, is a darling. She's really captured a place in my heart. She's very independent (we joke that she's a feral child), talkative and just plain adorable. I love her to pieces.

She can thank me for those eyelashes, thank you very much:

But those eyes, oh, you'll have to credit them to her Mom, who I nicknamed Sinatra not long after we met:

Beautiful, no? Just stunning (at least to this proud Papa)!

Rot in Hell: the tale of May 1st, 2011 and the death of Osama Bin Laden

2011-05-02T23:19:00.008-05:00

By now it is old news. Osama Bin Laden, the most hated enemy of America for ten years, a man three administrations have tried to locate and eliminate, was killed Sunday by a Special Forces operation in Pakistan.

What a great, great day for anyone who values freedom and justice.

The emotions and rapid flurry of events of that evening are best relayed as they were that night, as they happened, on Facebook.

9:43 pm Obama will interrupt programming shortly for 'important' announcement. If he's going to mess w/ my TV time it better mean we've made First Contact.

At the time I had no inkling of what this was about, but duly (and suspiciously) noted that the announcement would pre-empt rival candidate Donald Trump's television show. Then, on FB, a flurry of leaks about the news.

9:51 pm Osama Bin Laden is dead! Whoo-hoo! Rot in Hell asshole.

10 pm Richard Engel of NBC is waxing poetic about how this is the end of the War on Terror. No. It is a great moment, a proud moment, a vengeful moment, but it is not the end . . .

10:07 pm Spontaneous chants of "USA! USA!" have broken out at the Mets-Phillies game . . .

10:11 pm the local Fox affiliate reciting parts of Bush's speech from 9/11 . . . powerful stuff. Speculation Dubya will not comment on camera because of his respectful hands-off stance towards Obama

By now, the news was known to every American who was still awake, and we were still waiting for Obama to verify what we already knew.

10:21 pm His remarks will make the news either way, but this extended delay is allowing networks, the web, and local affiliates to not only scoop Obama on the news but also take the first wave of joy and relief upon their shoulders. A wasted opportunity for the White House.

10:23 pm Fox and NBC are reporting he was killed by a missle strike and that it took some time for 'boots on the ground' to recover the body.

To this, someone replied that Obama's speech was timed to knock the beautification of Pope John Paul II off the front page, and rhetorically asked why they couldn't have waited another day. To which I replied. speaking as a pretty adamant Catholic - because it was more important news???

10:30 pm Snippets of Obama's script are leaking. "not a moment of celebration, but of justice", etc. I, personally, would appreciate a bit of patriotic vitriol in the speech, but talking heads on TV are already downplaying that, claiming Obama is too 'international' to make those statements. If so, that tells you something.

10:31 pm Obama said to be 90 seconds away from speaking [actually, it was 3 or 4 minutes. I went and tried to wake up YaYa to watch the speech, but she was too tired and shrugged me off]

10:39pm started off poorly, stiff delivery, stumble on 'flight 93'. C'mon, pick it up we deserve your best

10:40 pm [reacting to Obama's announcement it was a ground strike conducted that day]today? On the ground?? Kudos to the WH for the misleading leaks earlier, preserving the scoop. Well done!

10:41 pm appreciate the nod to Bush.

10:43 pm he's picked up steam.much more natural now

10:45 pm I'm reminded of a comment about the British Empire; if u crossed them they would repay the debt, even if it took 20 yrs

10:50 pm ‎9 minutes, 27 seconds of speech that will read powerfully on paper but was sadly hit and miss live - for once I really hoped Obama would nail a speech, but the weight of the moment seemed to impact his first few minutes on screen. No doubt there are individual lines that will work well in news reports.

10:51 pm Crowd outside the White House cheering and screaming in happiness. Nice to see.

11:02 pm STATEMENT BY GEORGE W. BUSH

Earlier this evening, President Obama called to inform me that American forces killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of the al Qaeda network that attacked America on September 11, 2001. I congratulated him and the men and women of our military and intelligence communities who devoted their lives to this mission. They have our everlasting gratitude. This momentous achievement marks a victory for America, for people who seek peace around the world, and for all those who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001. The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done.

11:07 STATEMENT BY MITT ROMNEY

This is a great victory for lovers of freedom and justice everywhere.
Congratulations to our intelligence community, our military and the
president. My thoughts are with the families of Osama bin Laden's many
thousands of victims, and the brave servicemen and women who have laid
down their lives in pursuit of this murderous terrorist.

11:11pm For the record: I don't believe this was anything but the result of persistent American effort over the course of ten years and two Administrations. But, sometimes history falls in your lap so - pay attention, because it'll probably be the last time I ever say it - well done Mr. President. Good job.

11:14pm Whoever the American soldier is who fired that fatal shot - thank you! I can't imagine how proud and happy you are at this moment!

~ around this time I spoke to a friend of mine who had wept with pride and happiness at the news ~

12:40 am The State Department has issued a worldwide travel/foreign residency alert for US citizens in light of "enhanced potential for anti-American violence given [Osama's death]". Stay safe out there people.

Drudge [Drudgereport.com] is reporting Osama resisted and that 3 others, including one of his sons, were killed. One was a woman Osama's group used as a human shield. Unsuccessfully, it would seem.

~ a brief break away from the euphoria and stress of that night: Criminy, just finished Torchwood: Children of the Earth. If there is a more morbid, hopeless, self-loathing sci-fi miniseries out there I'll need zanax just to open the DVD case. Sadly, I fear the depiction of the human soul is probably spot on. It's a great end to the show, and very well done.

3:40 am Wait a minute -Obama ordered that Bin Laden be buried within a time frame mandated by Islam, so his body was dumped at sea? What?????? A) IF TRUE, welcome to conspiracy theory 101 B) he isn't deserving of any respect or consideration in death, regardless of his religion. In fact, I could give a sh*t about respecting his religion, be it Mormon, Islam or Lutheran. As for the idea it was done to pacify his followers, anyone who cares about how his remains were disposed is someone that will eventually end up on the wrong end of a SEAL bullet anyhow.

7:45 am Buried at sea. No body. A bow to Islam that makes no sense given we don't accord the same treatment to the thousands of other Muslims we've killed this decade. Welcome to Conspiracy Theory 101. My satisfaction with Obama's tactical brilliance lasted all of . . . 10 hours.

NOTE: By this point people on both sides of the political aisle were doubting the story of the death, and stating so on FB. Said one FB friend, who has certianly leaned Left in local politics: "It's a very nice story, but I believe very little of what the government says. It seems to come from the Department of Convenient Re-Election Strategy."

I didn't doubt he was dead, as it would be too easy for him to make a public announcement to the contrary and scrap Washington's credibility, but I was incensed at the disposal of the body.

~ 9 am. I guess I'm as fickle as the rest of the MTV generation. I woke up this morning and realized nothing changed - gas is still $4.19! a gallon, a $ is worth nothing, our debt is crippling, we're still ignoring revolutions in one country while inexplicitly bombing in support of another, and the wrong movie won Best Picture. Ugh.

The Bin Laden announcement actually pre-empted a post I was going to do here, questioning the reasoning and value of our recent involvement in Libya and elsewhere. In light of Obama's sucess, I felt it would read like sour grapes and scraped it.

~ another brief respite from the news ~ Since I'm 'on call' today I rented 'Black Swan'. It was good, and Natalie Portman deserved the Oscar for her emotional portrayal of Nutty Nutterson. No way it deserved Best Picture tho', so I'm glad it was skipped over - albeit for the wrong film.

This was my final political status update of the day:

By ordering the disposal of Bin Laden's body Obama has planted a perpetual crop of conspiracy theories.This should have been a unifying, patriotic victory, and was - for 12 hours. Now we are already dissolving into different factions. He dropped the ball big time, and it angers me. What a wasted opportunity.

So what would I have done differently? If I wasn't allowed to post his head at Ground Zero, ol' London style, I'd have immediately released video and stills of the corpse, then had it buried at Gitmo. That location would kill any opportunity for a 'shrine' while also preserving the corpse as a counter to any conspiracy nuts.

Later in the day the family sat down and watched extended coverage of the killing on ABC, and we answered some questions from the kids. YaYa, in particular, seemed bothered by the idea of the death, asking if we ever approached him for a 'peace treaty'. It was sweet. Naive, of course, but sweet and it warmed my heart. I am glad she is not as cynical and matter-of-fact as an adult (yet).

I remain bothered by the apparent lack of any teaching about 9/11 or the war in school. It is ten years old, and even if it was not, isn't it important enough to address often enough where I don't have to explain it all from scratch?

So there it is. Euphoria, then anger, then resignation, then back to a calm but certain pride.

Bin Laden is dead. Justice has been served.

May God Bless America.

The Royal Wedding

2011-05-01T14:20:00.002-05:00

This Friday morning, to the surprise of all, we actually managed to get up at 4am to watch the Royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

4:15 a.m. (FB) watching the Royal wedding w/ Lisa, YaYa, Lu and Smiley [we did not want to wake Lump]

I'm hardly a "Royal watcher" but I do have an affinity for the UK, and even if I didn't I'm a historian by training if not by practice, and this was something I felt the kids would regret missing. I do wish the networks had mentioned (and perhaps they had) that the wedding itself would not begin until 5 my time. I would have had the kids sleep in longer.

5:05 am (FB). lovely dress - and the choir just began. Here we go!

5:09 am (FB) they look very happy, whispering and smiling to each other at the altar

And they did, didn't they? Oh sure, things can still go sour. They are human. But the 'haters' out there who wish them ill or prophesize their divorce should take a flying leap.

5:27 am (FB) beautiful reading and well done

The reading was Romans 12: 1-2, 9-18.

* * *

Let love be sincere;

hate what is evil,

hold on to what is good;

love one another with mutual affection;

anticipate one another in showing honor.

Do not grow slack in zeal,

be fervent in spirit,

serve the Lord.

Rejoice in hope,

endure in affliction,

persevere in prayer.

Contribute to the needs of the holy ones,

exercise hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you,

bless and do not curse them.

Rejoice with those who rejoice,

weep with those who weep.

Have the same regard for one another;

do not be haughty but associate with the lowly;

do not be wise in your own estimation.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil;

be concerned for what is noble in the sight of all.

If possible, on your part, live at peace with all.

* * *

What a powerful passage!

It was a beautiful wedding for a very happy couple. And oh yes - the dress was wonderful!

Lastly, a bit of fun: My "Royal Wedding Name", according to the FB challenge making the rounds [grandparent's name/1st pet/street you grew up on]: Lord Michael Prudence Arthur. Not bad eh?

FB'ing the end of January

2011-04-27T00:46:00.000-05:00

Jan 23rd - the Packers win the Halas trophy and advance to the Super Bowl:

I am so happy, so happy I requested off months ago for the Super Bowl!

Hey Brett - F*** U again. Sincerely, Ted Thompson

Jan 24th

I finished Robert Crais' "The Sentry", a Joe Pike/Elvis Cole novel centered around the suspected kidnapping of Pike's love interest. It's on par with Crais' other books, which is to say it's a strong story populated by great characters. I do wish, however, that he'd bring back some of the humor that was present in his early work.

Jan 25th

We just finished watching the first season of The Amazing Race. Minor discord there at the end, with me rooting on the eventual winners while Lisa, a fan of the runner ups, accused me of betraying my economic and social class with my decision. Either way, no losers on that show. Even if you're eliminated in week 1, you see more of the world than most people do in a lifetime.

[now] watching 'the notorious landlady' w/ Kim Novak, Jack Lemmon and Fred Astaire

6 pm. Saturday July 6th 1957. [the date/time when Lennon and McCartney first met]

Here's the cover YaYa made for her Expo project, a bio of a famous Wisconsinite. Her choice: Barbie who, yes indeed, is alleged to hail from these parts.

And some ad-libbed work by LuLu

According to an email I just received, a Packers column I wrote should be in Thursday's Journal-Sentinel. I'll let you know if it pans out.

Jan 28th

Thank you to the folks who bought GS cookies from my girls, esp those who went out of their way w/ their generosity

It's petty, but I am sore with a) the headline JS gave my piece B) a glaring typo they introduced into it (it is not in my submission) and c) an edit that took out a line that had a lot of humor and heart. But they paid me, so it's all sour grapes. so OFW.

I made tandoori chicken and rice pilaf for dinner last night, and it was a disaster. Awful. Sitcom awful. Smiley and I were the only ones who swallowed more than the mandatory one bite - Lisa included :( the ckn was undercooked, the rice was crunchy and the spices were too strong. Plus the yogurt tasted off. It bit a*s. Even the cats avoided the scraps.

‎25 yrs since the Challenger exploded. U'd think the anniversary would get more ink, but the nat'l tragedies of the last quarter century - waco, OK city, columbine, 9/11 - seem to make it less impactful on our collective memory.

Facts are for people who can't create their own truth - Get Fuzzy {1/27/11}

Jan 29th

watching the 2011 US.Figure Skating Championships on NBC

I found our old Baby Songs DVD and to my suprise Smiley was ecstatic. He and LuLu are watching it now, singing and laughing along. Good times :)

Zikes. Even the most sedate, productive, happy days can descend into chaos and drama before changing back just as quickly. Life is just a big helping of messy, unpredictable disorder I guess.

Jan 30th

(Pantera playing) LuLu: Dad, turn that off! Me: Why? LuLu: 'Cuz it's ugly music!

Pantera, btw, is loud, aggressive metal. She was in a critical mood, and later objected to my demonstration of the Humpty Dance. There's no pleasing some folks.

Jan 31st

who needs internet porn when u can watch Katy Perry's 'Teenage Dream' video? Well done Mrs.Brand, well done. In other news Cold War Kids were pretty darn good.

‎'RED' was ok, but in the end was little more than cookie cutter action/comedy. What comedic bright spots there were came largely courtesy of Mary Louise Parker.

I love this quote: It's always too early to quit - Norman Vincent Peale

Gen-u-wine Wisconsin Potato

2011-04-26T13:20:00.006-05:00

While prepping for our belated Easter feast today, YaYa was keen to show me this potato she discovered.

Hmmm. It looks strangely familiar . . .

My Favorite Things

2011-04-25T22:45:00.001-05:00

I was a latecomer to the world of mobile phones, first getting one a few years into this century. Consider my reluctance a last gasp of loyalty to the beautiful pager I wore in the mid '90's. Or just rack it up to a lack of $ to spend on a phone. Either/or.

Nowadays, with more kids than zeros on my paycheck and obligations up the ying yang, a cell phone is a necessity. And while the Cricket MSGM8 II is not 'top of the line', and future readers will giggle at what they'll see as an antique, it is my darling, my honeyboo, my honeybunchesofoats.

It is truly one of My Favorite Things.

The party line: it is a bar phone with a QWERTY keypad, and weighs 3.74 oz while measuring 4.2" x 2.39" x .53". The screen has a 220 x 176 resolution and can display 260K colors. It has a 1000 contact capacity and a 1.3 megapixal digital camera.

I do wish the camera had better resolution and low light capabilities, but at the same time the camera is just about my favorite toy on the phone. I take pictures all the time, and sending them to email or my Facebook account is easy and intuitive. I don't just take pictures of the kids, either. I'll snap a quick pic of a book or CD cover as a reminder to research or purchase it later, and I find myself avoiding taking notes by simply photographing a memo or directions.

Speaking of directions, it does feature a link to Mapquest and an (optional) turn by turn GPS program. I've used the Mapquest link several times, and for frequent long distance destinations I've taken to putting the directions in the phone's permanent memo pad. Ditto recipes, list of recently viewed films for review, etc.

On the web browser I often check JSOnline and my Gmail accounts, and I can't begin to express how much happiness I've gotten from the quick link to Facebook that's built into the top screen. I love mobile Facebook.

As far as widgets/apps, I've downloaded PopEater (a pop culture news/gossip site), This Day in History, a personalized sports score app, IMDB news (movie news), Reuters Science News, Quote of the Day, Weather, and plain ol' news.

Texting is fast and easy with the QWERTY keboard and a quck navigation menu. Texting, heaven help us, has now replaced voice calls as my prefered means of phone communication.

Last but not least, the alarm clock is nice and loud and allows three different times to be set - just what this oversleeper needs.

All that for one flat monthly cost, with no overages, free 411, no contract, and great service :)

Easter Egg Dyeing, 2011

2011-04-23T15:21:00.004-05:00

It is a longstanding tradition in the Slapinions household, dating back long before we had kids of our own, that we dye Easter eggs on Good Friday with all the kids in our life.

Well, we missed that deadline because I worked. Frankly, this is a pretty messed up Easter weekend. I work straight through, Lisa and the two oldest are up North at a friend's house for a bday party, and . . well, as I said. It's a bit of a mess.

So with the two youngin's in my care this afternoon I boiled eggs and sat down to dye them. I coudln't find any of the supplies I know we had, so I'm afraid it was a ho-hum food coloring Easter, leading to a largely sedate color palate.

It went pretty smoothly, save for one hissy fit where Lump tossed a bottle of food coloring at the window.

I let the kids eat a few eggs that cracked, but they refused to eat the yolk, because as Smiley said "it were a chicken come from". That led to me giving a platonic, short birds-and-bees speech that fell on deaf ears. "Ya, but yellow part still were chicken come from if there a boy chicken, right? I not eat that."

We saved a dozen plain eggs for the girls to dye when they return. Happy Easter everyone!

The Ladybugs Have Arrived!

2011-04-23T13:18:00.002-05:00

The title of this post is probably a mystery to you unless you saw my Facebook post on Smiley's birthday. For the big guy's 6th Birthday we bought him a ladybug farm and sent away for the little critters. Just as we were giving up hope of them ever arriving, they showed up in the mailbox today!

First we took apart the terrarium and added water to the feeding station. "You strong," Smiley said as I pulled a wire loose. Darn tootin', kid.

We then unpacked the ladybugs from the mailing tube.

When it came time to open the tube that included the live ladybug larvae (?) and feeding gel, Smiley got squeamish. So I added the little guys myself.

He seems to love the setup, especially the magnifying lens built into the top of the dome. Here's hoping they give him lots of joy this summer!

An odd place to store a toothbrush . . .

2011-04-23T11:26:00.000-05:00

What is this, you may ask? A few weeks ago the kids got new toothbrushes that had a suction cup bottom, presumably so they'd stay upright on a counter without needing a toothbrush holder. Whatever. Anyhow, the kids began to attach them to the vanity mirror. After a few days of this Lisa laid down the the law - they were never to put the toothbrushes on the mirror again.

So they didn't. They started using the bathroom window instead.