Published writer, compulsive reader, Old School Whovian, Match Game enthusiast, NKOTB fan, data hoarder, and - surprisingly, given that list - married with four kids. Welcome to my take on life, fatherhood, entertainment, and whatever strikes my fancy. Enjoy!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Throwback: 3rd Grade
Dated June 7, 1983. I'm second from the right in the second row from the top, wearing a Brewers cap and an a red, white, and blue polo LOL
It was the end of 3rd grade, and our teacher Mrs. Kusch (sp?) invited us all out to her house for the day.
New Zhu-zhu
I just showed Smiley an ad for the new generation of Zhu-Zhu pets and he freaked out. He started hopping up and down and sounded like he was going to hyperventilate. Man he loses those toy hamsters!
Lost "What Kate Does"
I think yest.'s episode of Lost ("What Kate Does") was a big improvement over last week, even if it did center around Kate, who I find predictable & dull (when in doubt, run. When certain, run anyway). Note that Claire's ultrasound was dated a month after the Sept crash of 815 in the org. timeline. So . . is this a true alt timeline, or has something manipulated the group AFTER the crash? And what is the "darkness"?
Facebook'ing the end of January
Jan 30th: Lisa took the girls to their Mardi Gras dance last night, coming home at 10:30 on an adrenaline high. L and I then watched 'This is It'. Commercialization of MJ's death? U betcha. But seeing his obsession to detail and the pure grace of his moves was worth it. And his voice . . . Sh*t. If MJ's voice wasn't a gift from God nothing is.
Obama had another wonderful idea: to meddle with the format of how college football decides its champion: I stand by a belief in never letting the urgent crowd out the important, but this is neither. There's bigger things to worry about in Washington than whether or not Boise State has the opportunity to win a NCAA championship. Seriously, Mr. President - speaking not as a Republican but as a citizen - why is this even on the radar?
* Big news in the book world: MacMillan has asked Amazon to raise the price of ebooks it offers; not only have they refused, Amazon has now dropped all MacMillan books from its site. This also includes Mac. imprints Farrar, Straus & Giroux, St. Martins Press & Henry Holt.
Jan 31st: Came home from work and watched 'Ghost of Girlfriends Past' w/ Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Lacey Chabert and Michael Douglas. MUCH better than I feared. It's a fun romantic comedy and very enjoyable. Well worth the rental.
*(saw) A preview of Oliver Stone's sequel to "Wall Street". I liked the original but is there a story worth repeating here? More likely it's just an excuse for Stone to practice his heavy handed preaching. 1 thing: if Gekko spent 23 years in prison for insider trading, while you can serve much less for murder or rape - what a f'ed up system.
* Just finished polishing a piece I wrote, went to send it and the word processor crashed. Now, no trace of the file remains - no file, no anything. It's like someone took an eraser to it. F**k.
* Lousy day, lousy mood. Among other things our oven now refuses to heat up. Sha-it. the oven works, but temperamentally
* Watchin the season premiere of the Duggars on "19 Kids and Counting" and juggling my DVR schedule to accomodate the return of Lost.
Obama had another wonderful idea: to meddle with the format of how college football decides its champion: I stand by a belief in never letting the urgent crowd out the important, but this is neither. There's bigger things to worry about in Washington than whether or not Boise State has the opportunity to win a NCAA championship. Seriously, Mr. President - speaking not as a Republican but as a citizen - why is this even on the radar?
* Big news in the book world: MacMillan has asked Amazon to raise the price of ebooks it offers; not only have they refused, Amazon has now dropped all MacMillan books from its site. This also includes Mac. imprints Farrar, Straus & Giroux, St. Martins Press & Henry Holt.
Jan 31st: Came home from work and watched 'Ghost of Girlfriends Past' w/ Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Lacey Chabert and Michael Douglas. MUCH better than I feared. It's a fun romantic comedy and very enjoyable. Well worth the rental.
*(saw) A preview of Oliver Stone's sequel to "Wall Street". I liked the original but is there a story worth repeating here? More likely it's just an excuse for Stone to practice his heavy handed preaching. 1 thing: if Gekko spent 23 years in prison for insider trading, while you can serve much less for murder or rape - what a f'ed up system.
* Just finished polishing a piece I wrote, went to send it and the word processor crashed. Now, no trace of the file remains - no file, no anything. It's like someone took an eraser to it. F**k.
* Lousy day, lousy mood. Among other things our oven now refuses to heat up. Sha-it. the oven works, but temperamentally
* Watchin the season premiere of the Duggars on "19 Kids and Counting" and juggling my DVR schedule to accomodate the return of Lost.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Facebook Jan 28-29th
Jan 28th: J.D. Salinger has passed away. RIP. Still, let me be honest: I'm one of those readers who felt Catcher in the Rye was vastly over-rated, and that Holden Caulfield was a spoiled brat.
* How to be a Bad Parent to an 8 yr old: After school, YaYa was ecstatic. "Dad, I got a hundred on my math test!" she said. To which I immediately responded: "How?? Did you cheat?!"
The Senate voted to increase the debt by $1.9 trillion: From the piece: The measure would put the national debt @ $14.3 trillion — more than $45,000 for every person in the United States. And the debt is increasingly held by foreign nations such as China. The measure passed 60-39 under ground rules insisted upon by Republicans that required 60 votes to pass it.
* My sister just called to say Jay Leno's on Oprah, doing an "aw shucks, I didn't mean to screw over anyone" schtick, perfected circa 1992. Never fear Jay, your AARP audience will stand by you. I thanked her for the info, but I've got no interest in boosting Oprah's ratings.
* That's it folks. MPTV will no longer be featuring daily episodes of Mr. Rogers. By the time of my grandchildren it will known only through second-hand recollections. RIP Neighborhood of Make Believe.
Avatar neared Titanic on the all-time revenue chart: Because someone asked me about this very subject . . . if you account for inflation and the rise in ticket prices, Avatar would have to double its current gross to approach Titanic, and would have to rake in 1.5 BILLION to match Gone with the Wind.
Jan 29th: My five favorite TV Shows are Lost, Project Runway, Match Game, Doctor Who and American Idol. BTW, if you were going to flesh out my list of TV shows: Twilight Zone, Dirty Jobs, MASH, Friends, Barney Miller, Naked Science, Seconds from Disaster, Air Emergency, As the World Turns, Chuck, The Dish, Launch my Line, One Step Beyond, Demons, Life is Worth Living, The Prisoner (original), Unsolved Mysteries, Beyond Belief, Cake Boss, Rupaul's Drag Race, Medium, 19 Kids and Counting, etc.
* Today's random, taken out of context, overheard conversation, this time at a local restaurant: "Just shut up and put your meat in the hole".
* Doctors volunteering in earthquake stricken Haiti were under fire for pictures of them drinking: Poor judgement and indiscrete. Yet their work was 'excellent' - & keep in mind they're not giving breast implants to movie stars, they're helping quake victims in the middle of chaos and carnage. Give them a break, and bury the PC bullsh** that might cost them their careers.
* This being Doppelganger week, I asked Lisa what celebrity I resembled. "Dante from Clerks," she said. Duh - I was even called Dante for a bit when the movie was big, and neither one of us has a chin. "That, or a really, really fat Ben Affleck."
* How to be a Bad Parent to an 8 yr old: After school, YaYa was ecstatic. "Dad, I got a hundred on my math test!" she said. To which I immediately responded: "How?? Did you cheat?!"
The Senate voted to increase the debt by $1.9 trillion: From the piece: The measure would put the national debt @ $14.3 trillion — more than $45,000 for every person in the United States. And the debt is increasingly held by foreign nations such as China. The measure passed 60-39 under ground rules insisted upon by Republicans that required 60 votes to pass it.
* My sister just called to say Jay Leno's on Oprah, doing an "aw shucks, I didn't mean to screw over anyone" schtick, perfected circa 1992. Never fear Jay, your AARP audience will stand by you. I thanked her for the info, but I've got no interest in boosting Oprah's ratings.
* That's it folks. MPTV will no longer be featuring daily episodes of Mr. Rogers. By the time of my grandchildren it will known only through second-hand recollections. RIP Neighborhood of Make Believe.
Avatar neared Titanic on the all-time revenue chart: Because someone asked me about this very subject . . . if you account for inflation and the rise in ticket prices, Avatar would have to double its current gross to approach Titanic, and would have to rake in 1.5 BILLION to match Gone with the Wind.
Jan 29th: My five favorite TV Shows are Lost, Project Runway, Match Game, Doctor Who and American Idol. BTW, if you were going to flesh out my list of TV shows: Twilight Zone, Dirty Jobs, MASH, Friends, Barney Miller, Naked Science, Seconds from Disaster, Air Emergency, As the World Turns, Chuck, The Dish, Launch my Line, One Step Beyond, Demons, Life is Worth Living, The Prisoner (original), Unsolved Mysteries, Beyond Belief, Cake Boss, Rupaul's Drag Race, Medium, 19 Kids and Counting, etc.
* Today's random, taken out of context, overheard conversation, this time at a local restaurant: "Just shut up and put your meat in the hole".
* Doctors volunteering in earthquake stricken Haiti were under fire for pictures of them drinking: Poor judgement and indiscrete. Yet their work was 'excellent' - & keep in mind they're not giving breast implants to movie stars, they're helping quake victims in the middle of chaos and carnage. Give them a break, and bury the PC bullsh** that might cost them their careers.
* This being Doppelganger week, I asked Lisa what celebrity I resembled. "Dante from Clerks," she said. Duh - I was even called Dante for a bit when the movie was big, and neither one of us has a chin. "That, or a really, really fat Ben Affleck."
Why Hasn't MPS Cancelled School?
On our way out the door to go to Ginger's playgroup, snowstorm be damned. But I still can't believe MPS chose to stay open, not with 14 inches expected to fall.
UPDATE
MPS cxl'd school halfway through the day for @ least the 2nd x this yr. WTH - either have the foresight to close in the AM or the courage to ride it out. Even tho' the girls attend Catholic school, I went & picked them up. I think we're housebound for the rest of Tuesday.
My Life according to Facebook Jan 25- 27th
Jan 25th: Pissy Dan says - I know some people here have Bluetooth's, but I have to say it. If I'm in line with you, and you're yakking into thin air on that thing all la-di-da, obnoxiously loud and pretentious, know this: if it wasn't for my good looks making jail a liability, I'd put you on the ground.
Later that day I find out actor Pernell Roberts has died: What lousy, lousy news. True (albeit dorky and lol) story: in high school typing class we were instructed to type out a letter to someone of our choosing. I wrote a fan letter to Pernell Roberts.
Jan 26th: Father Gene Jakubek, a beloved Milwaukee figure who left the city in 1989 after admitting to an affair with a woman, has passed away. He was 87. Among other things, Jakubek was the founder of Father Gene's HELP (Happiness for the elderly, lonely and poor). I still remember going with my Dadto donate clothing to that o...rganization. He did a lot of good in this town. RIP Father.
Here's a rule of life as true as any in physics. No matter how long your ride - 10 min, 30, eight hours- you can count on a radio station playing a great 7 or 8 minute opus when - and ONLY WHEN - you are 2 min or less from your destination. I haven't heard the end to Bohemian Rhapsody or LA Woman in years.
I finally (!) found a new tank for the turtle, dang near a month after his old one shattered. It's as big as his old tank/smaller than his temp. digs, but he seems happy. Smiley and I found it at Goodwill for $5, and stopped to get Franklin a 'welcome home' meal of live crickets as a treat.
Plans for Family Night: BBQ chicken with a baked potato bar (salsa, sour cream, bacon bits, etc), followed by either a card game or door-to-door for Girl Scouts. Later, AI. Right now tho' Lisa is volunteering at YaYa's play practice for the 1st time, and I expect some rookie hazing. I give YaYa a 50/50 chance of NOT forcing Lisa to give her up for adoption.
Quoting Lisa's FB: [YaYa]has reached her goal of selling 150 boxes of Girlscout cookies! I feel redeemed for a pitiful showing last year (we didn't sell any!). She told the last house "I only have 3 more to sell and then I can go home!"....and the lady bought it! (it was the truth, but part of me thought, why didn't we... think about that line earlier!)
Jan 27th: Family Night went as planned (for once!) and all was well. My take on AI: Avril was an immature brat and a waste of airtime, Katy Perry was stunning, headstrong, and should be invited back, and this show is doomed once Simon leaves. BTW, "This isn't a Lifetime movie" (Perry) was one of the best lines I've ever heard fr...om an AI judge not named Simon.
"Not ironic?? This is like O. Henry and Alanis Morissette had a baby and named it This Exact Situation!” - from Archer, a great adult cartoon on FX
refering to pop star Ke$ha, who sings TikTok: Clear something up for me Ke$ha. Everybody gettin crunk crunk, boys trying to touch ur junk junk, now the dudes are lining up cuz they heard u got swagger, but u kick em to the curb unless they look like Mick Jagger. Have u looked in a mirror girl? Why would YOU waste your time on a Jagger look-a-like?
Then again, I do love a woman who brushes her teeth with Jack. :)
Later that day I find out actor Pernell Roberts has died: What lousy, lousy news. True (albeit dorky and lol) story: in high school typing class we were instructed to type out a letter to someone of our choosing. I wrote a fan letter to Pernell Roberts.
Jan 26th: Father Gene Jakubek, a beloved Milwaukee figure who left the city in 1989 after admitting to an affair with a woman, has passed away. He was 87. Among other things, Jakubek was the founder of Father Gene's HELP (Happiness for the elderly, lonely and poor). I still remember going with my Dadto donate clothing to that o...rganization. He did a lot of good in this town. RIP Father.
Here's a rule of life as true as any in physics. No matter how long your ride - 10 min, 30, eight hours- you can count on a radio station playing a great 7 or 8 minute opus when - and ONLY WHEN - you are 2 min or less from your destination. I haven't heard the end to Bohemian Rhapsody or LA Woman in years.
I finally (!) found a new tank for the turtle, dang near a month after his old one shattered. It's as big as his old tank/smaller than his temp. digs, but he seems happy. Smiley and I found it at Goodwill for $5, and stopped to get Franklin a 'welcome home' meal of live crickets as a treat.
Plans for Family Night: BBQ chicken with a baked potato bar (salsa, sour cream, bacon bits, etc), followed by either a card game or door-to-door for Girl Scouts. Later, AI. Right now tho' Lisa is volunteering at YaYa's play practice for the 1st time, and I expect some rookie hazing. I give YaYa a 50/50 chance of NOT forcing Lisa to give her up for adoption.
Quoting Lisa's FB: [YaYa]has reached her goal of selling 150 boxes of Girlscout cookies! I feel redeemed for a pitiful showing last year (we didn't sell any!). She told the last house "I only have 3 more to sell and then I can go home!"....and the lady bought it! (it was the truth, but part of me thought, why didn't we... think about that line earlier!)
Jan 27th: Family Night went as planned (for once!) and all was well. My take on AI: Avril was an immature brat and a waste of airtime, Katy Perry was stunning, headstrong, and should be invited back, and this show is doomed once Simon leaves. BTW, "This isn't a Lifetime movie" (Perry) was one of the best lines I've ever heard fr...om an AI judge not named Simon.
"Not ironic?? This is like O. Henry and Alanis Morissette had a baby and named it This Exact Situation!” - from Archer, a great adult cartoon on FX
refering to pop star Ke$ha, who sings TikTok: Clear something up for me Ke$ha. Everybody gettin crunk crunk, boys trying to touch ur junk junk, now the dudes are lining up cuz they heard u got swagger, but u kick em to the curb unless they look like Mick Jagger. Have u looked in a mirror girl? Why would YOU waste your time on a Jagger look-a-like?
Then again, I do love a woman who brushes her teeth with Jack. :)
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