An Impressive Rescue

Yay! The first of the 33 men trapped in a Chilean mine since August 5 has arrived at the surface in a rescue capsule, and were greeted by hugs and cheers. 

Family Night - Marmaduke

For Family Night this week I rented the live action "Marmaduke" and made cajun style salmon cakes with rice and broccoli. Cue the standard kid reactions to unknown food, but they all tried it. Heck, Livvie even liked it. But the best, most honest reaction to my meal? Smiley took a big bite, swallowed, and said "It taste yuck. Me feel like I 'ave to 'uke"

YaYa's Silly Bandz

This picture, taken October 3rd, is of YaYa's silly bandz collection. Silly Bandz are thin elastic bracelets/rubber bands that are manufactured in different shapes - cars, animals, and the like. They're peaking in popularity right now and are highly collectible in elementary schools, where they're traded like baseball or Pokemon cards.



As you can imagine, they aren't quite as popular with teachers :)

Facebook - May 1st thru the 7th

MAY 1ST

Not to decide is to decide.

I'm 12 ft into digging a 2ft deep/30 foot long drainage trench w/ no shade in sight. Anyone want to come over and help? For gosh sake's I'm a fat guy - I'll have a heart attack any second

"When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up." - C.S. Lewis

The [BP] oil spill in the Gulf is horrendous, & the enviornment will suffer needlessly. But to those who claim this is *the* reason to abandon drilling: unless you live w/out a car, plastics, lawn mower, etc - YOU NEED OIL. We can continue to delude ourselves that letting other countries pump oil for us is somehow saving Mother Earth (?!), but its not. Plus all the economic & security reasons . . .

Just finished watching "Victory of the Daleks", ep. 3 of this season of Dr. Who. It features Winston Churchill, a devilish Dalek plan, and Spitfires (!) in a dogfight around the moon LOL. Grand. Good to see the new team jettison Davie's obsession w/ stamping out the Dalek race; this ep. made it clear the Daleks are back & here to stay.

Rented a movie but Lisa's already asleep & I'm pooped from digging. I might call it a night. Got a lot done in the yard (but not everything) the kids went to Home Depot for the monthly project w/ Grandma J, Lu went to a swim party, & we set up the sandbox & pool. Tonight Smiley's the only kid home. We've enjoyed the heck out of our 'quality' time w/ him. Life is good. It'd be better with $, but it's good all the same.

MAY 2ND

Helen Wagner, the actress who's played Nancy Huges on 'As the World Turns' since 1956! has passed away. She was 91. RIP.

I'm trying hard not to be the snarky pre-2009 Danny, but the populace isn't making it easy. Before work I waited in a 7 person line at a convenience store. Along comes an elderly woman, who cut in front of 4 of us with her Hoveround. She shot us a glare and *announced* that she is elderly & hence will assume that spot. Hey, lady, why does it matter to you how long you wait in line? You've already got a seat.

MAY 3RD

Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them. - Reagan

‎"What people say behind your back is your standing in the community." - Edgar Watson Howe

Unions in Greece are threatening to strike rather than agree to curtail gov't spending. BTW, I skimmed an article in yesterday's NYT claiming that part of the problem is that Greek citizens hide much of their income from the tax man, presumably leading to a short change of gov't funds. Of course, if taxes were fair there would be less societal acceptance of the cheating. Or not.

On this day in 1791 Poland established Europe's first national constitution - only the second such document in the world (after our own). Konstytucja Trzeciego Maja

LuLu just called from school asking for her inhaler. I know people from my school days are rolling their eyes and remembering me as a hypocondriac (sic), but things change. I've missed two days of work in 12 yrs, & while I'll keep the kids home to go see a concert or a ballgame, I'll be damned if they'll stay home for any illness that isn't fatal. But her asthma/allergies are becoming an issue . .BTW, her inhaler was in her backpack, right where I"d put it. She just hadn't seen me put it there.

‎"This'll be OK. I'll just do the thresome tonight, then break up with her. Bit ungentlemanly that, but then it's a threesome. Not exactly Romeo & Juliet, innit?"

The [Modjeska) youth theatre group has folded. YaYa audtioned for them a few years ago, and we have fond memories of several of their productions. Ugh. Dangit.

MAY 4TH

This morning's [tongue in cheek] status update from a FB friend & local cop: "I met a 14-year-old girl on the Internet. She was clever, funny, flirty and sexy, so I suggested we meet up. She turned out to be an undercover detective. How cool is that at her age?!"

lU had trouble breathing when she woke up & so they were late for school. The secretary gave them detention when I dropped them off, which set YaYa off in tears. Whatever. My kids have served more detention than all the members of the Breakfast Club put together. I consider it almost a badge of honor at that school - if you avoid it altogether you are,IMO, a meek and servile tool of the Man.

I'm done w/ the ditch for today, or more precisely the 10 ft part of it that runs in the narrow gap between my shed & the neighbors fence. Good news there - the neighbor came out and said his fence was encroaching on my lot by 14", and asked me to help him move it this weekend. So, if I don't finish by then, I'll have a lot more elbow rm to dig .

P--s on you AI for running overtime AGAIN and cutting off the end of Glee. Buy a g'damn watch already.

RIP Ernie Harwell

MAY 5TH

You know how I know Glee is a great show? Because every Wednesday morning I wake up to take the kids to school, think of the show I watched 12 hrs before, and break into a huge grin.

Cinco De Mayo is so different in this neighborhood. Back on Mitchell Street it was parties & fireworks & guys stalling traffic by driving around w/ huge Mexican flags hanging out of their cars and leaning on their horns. Here, there's not a whisper. I much prefer it, of course, but we did do one half-a*s but well intentioned nod to the event: the family enjoyed the take home Taco buffet from Taco Bell. BTW, if you think "going to Taco Bell had nothing to do with Cinco De Mayo", nuh-uh. Lisa pimped the idea all day as a cheap way to feed the family and discuss the holiday, and I finally caved. Not so cheap either, when feeding 6 people.

MAY 6TH

*spoilers* I finally got around to watching this weeks Lost. THREE principal characters killed off in a single episode - what other show would have the ba**s to do that? The death of the Kwon's was moving, as was Jack's last speech with Locke in the hosp.It was good to see Sayid shake off the 'fugue' - and wonderful to hear Jack named, however unofficially, as Jacob's successor. Wow.

Grim Reaper by Steve Alten will be released 10-10-10 *AND* will feature Bridgett, a friend of mine, as a character (two characters, actually) Leigh Nelson and Bridgett Deem. Her family Doug, Parker, and Autumn will be characters as well. You can pre-order copies now from Barnes and Noble!

MAY 7TH

Borders enters the E-Reader fray with the Kobo, priced $90 less than B&N's Nook.

[on the retirement of local newscaster Mike Miller] Danny Trivia: In 2005 I was late for a flight to DC and hurried down the aisle of a packed plane. I whacked Miller in the head with my carry-on as I passed him. He was clearly annoyed. Later when he saw me at an invite only GOP dinner he did an actual, classic double-take. That was the first and last time I've seen that action outside of a cartoon.

Where war and woe and wonder/Have been known frequently/And by turns bliss and despair/Have changed places suddenly

Franklin's Still MIA

I cleaned the toys off the lawn & raked it all. I moved their playhouse & everything in it. I went through the compost pile. I trimmed the weeds by the trampoline. i moved the trampoline itself and searched underneath. No Franklin. Maybe he skedaddled 'neath the shed, but if he did he's SOL. Lisa wants to think he's quote "truckin'" end quote on down to Humboldt's pond, & I guess we'll let that myth stand. :(

Kinky Boots and LaRoux

In other, happier news: Saturday Lis & watched "Kinky Boots", a Brit film about a man who inherits his father's failing shoe factory & tries to save it by making custom made boots for drag queens. Surprisingly non-camp, the film is predictable but sweet and entertaining. We also picked up LaRoux's album; other than the techno 'Bulletproof', the CD is very mellow, not at all what we expected.

Quote

It is wise to remember that you are one of those who can be fooled some of the time -  Lawrence Peter

Facebook - the end of April

APRIL 23RD

Smiley hooked his hands like a cat on the prowl & said "Claws it" over & over. He then started grabbing his, er, junk, still saying 'Claws' & pointing at the TV. 'Go pee," I said. "No!," he said, "Claws it 'en pee." "Pause the TV?" I said. "Yeesssss!" he said, & ran to the john. He gets his point across somehow/someway. He may not be able to speak well, but he apparently has the rhyming thing down pat.

‎"We have to believe in free will. We have no choice." - Isaac Bashevis Singer

APRIL 24TH

I had big plans in the yard for this day off, but it's been rainy and dreary all day. Lisa took lulU hiking with the Daisy scouts, YaYa is camping w/ the Brownies, Smiley is w/ Grandma, and Ginger was content with having the 2nd floor to herself. So I've spent *hours* watching the NFL Draft and finishing 'God's Spy', a novel by Juan Gomez-Jurado. Not the morning I had planned, but I'll take it.

‎"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas Edison

Read Smiley "Just a Bully" ( G & M Meyer). I expected the PC "Boy is bullied, he stands up to him, Bully is Exposed as Coward & Backs Down". Nuh-uh. He FIGHTS him, wins, becomes a cool kid, & the bully becomes a target himself. More realistic, but yowsas, is that always a good thing? While you're at it, for 'realism' why not have him knock up his girl & get a job under the table to avoid paying child support? Jeesh.

Since the Nook has a built in MP3 player and access to Barnes & Noble's inventory, here's a little idea. Wouldn't it make a whole heapin' helping of sense for a user to be able to purchase and download music or whole albums to their Nook?

In retrospect, the day seem like a waste. After a morning spent on the NFL draft I dropped Lu off at a bday party, bought some soda, then returned home to watch a) Bucks-Hawks b)Lakers-Thunder c) bits of STL-SF (MLB) and d) an all-new Doctor Who. YaYa did watch Dr. Who w/ me, so I suppose that counts as 'bonding'. That salvages part of the day, right?

[re: Hawking's warning against contacting aliens] I would agree that it's short-sighted and dangerous to seek out a species w/ technology far more advanced than our own. Life isn't Star Trek. But that's not going to stop people from trying.

APRIL 25TH

‎"It's always a big day tomorrow. We've got a time machine. I skip the little ones." - Matt Smith's Doctor

[re: The Dr. Who episode "The Beast Below"] I have to revise my opinion of the episode. I missed some of Soffat's subtlety yest., and on a second viewing it really develops Smith's portrayal while telling you something about the Doctor himself. Matt Smith's quite good; more of a 'Old Soul' than Tennant, but with a dry and enjoyable sense of humor. I like him. I'm not digging his sonic screwdriver tho', or the high varnish look of the Tardis exterior.

Ladies, if your Facebook status is "It's Complicated" it's really not. It's simple, you have a sh*tty boyfriend/ husband, and you're co-dependent.

I think the joke [an allegedly anti-Semitic joke by National Security Advisor James Jones) is pretty funny. Common sense says there was no intent to malign Jews, since it was told in front of a pro-Israel group. There is a serious f*ing lack of humor in the world today; it's PC this, PC that. The Obama administration has been less than grand to Israel and they deserve criticism for that; but as for this joke - what the f* ever.

APRIL 27TH

The word I can never, ever seem to spell correctly: convenient

Productive day off so far. Wrote & submitted a piece to the Journal, spent some time w/ Lisa, took Ginger w/ me to Home Depot, just got done patching some cracks in our sidewalk and . . .well, sh**, I don't know the construction vocab: redoing a 3x3 square of 100 year old concrete that had cracked and caved in. Now, pending a disaster in the drying process, it looks as good as new. [fingers crossed]

Marriage resembles a pair of shears, so joined that they can't be separated; often moving in opposite directions, yet always punishing anyone who comes between them." - (Adam Smith) I used this quote in the best man toast at my sister's wedding.

YaYa and I had an argument this afternoon that matched one I had with my parents almost thirty years ago. Subject matter, volume, regrettable angry statements, you name it - it was eerily word for word at points. Afterwards she lost the glasses she's had for ONE day (found them later). We're good now but sh*t. That was depressing. On the plus side, the column I wrote this morning was accepted by the Journal.

AI was surprisingly good, wasn't it? From what we saw (we missed Mike's song) the weakest performance was Bowersox, and she wasn't 'bad' at all. There may yet be hope this season. OTOH, DWTS minus Kate just wasn't worth it. We fast forward-ed (sp?) it this week. Sigh. Maybe if Edyta was still on the show . . .

i Lisa watched today's Oprah on the DVR. In one segment a woman was happy to say she'd signed Oprah's ridiculous "contract" to ban cell phone use in a car (even w/ hands-free sets). How did the viewer break her 'habit'? Why, by cranking up the volume on her radio to eleven and singing along as she drove. Because THAT isn't more distracting than carrying on a conversation.

APRIL 28th

My latest column will appear in tomorrow's Journal-Sentinel. I'll post this again later just to be obnoxious, but you've been warned - buy one!

APRIL 29TH

We sent Lu to school today in her full Daisy Scout uniform. An hour later she called us from the office; there is no Daisy meeting today and she sticks out like a sore thumb. Oops. It's certainly not our worst error tho'. A couple of years back we sent both girls to school dressed to the 9's for Pajama Day and, well, I think you can see where this story is going :)

If you do the things you need to do when you need to do them, then someday you can do the things you want to do when you want to do them

Just finished putting a new (well, 'new to us') storm door on the back door. Now if only I'd remembered to buy a closer for it . . .

C'mon really?? This week the UN elected Iran to its Commission on the Status of Women, handing a four-year seat on the influential human rights body to a theocratic state in which stoning is enshrined in law and lashings are required for women judged "immodest." What a world.

APRIL 30TH

Richard Dawson on Match Game '74: "[Brett Summers] doesn't drink as much as she did. We slowed her down - we bent her funnel."

Saigon fell 35 years ago today.

Franklin is MIA

I came home from work to find that the kids had taken Franklin, our pet turtle, out in the yard to play. They *also* went to bed w/out taking him back inside. With the possum prowling around, I'm not sure he was even around to be found by the time I was done w/ work, but I scoured the yard w/ a work light and an extension cord. No luck. He's still MIA. He's been part of the family since Feb '05, predating Park. Damn.

Ooof

Early this morning, near midnight, I pocket texted my supervisor endlessly for nearly 15 minutes, prompting her to write me a pleading yet snarking message to stop. Bet that'll go over well on my next review.