Packing

We're packing for an overnight trip at my buddy Ervin's house in Rockford. Lauren's (self-packed) bag? PJ's, two My Little Pony's, a sippy cup, and three packs of ramen noodles. Priorities and all.

Farmville

Sure, it's lame, BUT - if anyone could gift me the material to finish my Japanese barn in Farmville, I'd appreciate it.

I hate when someone from work calls & asks me to pick up a shift at the last minute. If I can manage it I'll do it, since I need the $ & don't want to be a jerk, but with 4 kids my days off are committed to one activity or another. Today we're packing for the zoo and may go swimming if the kids don't wig out, so I just turned someone down. Schedule me 100 hours and I'll show, but picking up a last minute gig . . .

Dinner and a Storm

To celebrate the end of one of the worst weeks ever, we took the kids (- Lu) to El Fuego for dinner, sitting on the patio and enjoying the atmosphere. Later, of course, came the tornado sirens and a quick and needless trip to the basement.

Craving

Jeez-us I want a cigarette right now - the craving is just as bad as when I quit four years ago. I miss it.

A Horrible Day

Yesterday: easily, EASILY one of the 5 worst days of my life, literally start to finish. 

Among other things, Lisa's aunt passed away unexpectedly; her body was found ~ two days after her passing, and Lisa and her Mom had to wait two hours with her remains while they waited for the medical examiner. Her death bumped what was already a top 10 worst day to top 3. As for the rest, it'll pass, but I don't feel like talking about it.

Oh boy

The NY Times is reporting that Roger Clemens allegedly paid for PED's w/ $ from a charitable foundation. If true - and there is no evidence beyond hearsay - it would lead to felony charges.

My Solemn Right

I believe it is my right as a Dad to snatch as many toppings from a frozen pizza as I like before it enters the oven. 

Two Quotes of the Day

"Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them." - James Baldwin

"How often in life it is a truth that we have no time for our friends but all the time in the world for our enemies." - Leon Uris

Quote

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."- Aristotle

Big 11?

ESPN is reporting that Nebraska has agreed to jump ship and join the Big Ten.

Rockford Jams

You know Erv really needed help with his office if he sat there quietly while I sang along to NKOTB as I typed. Currently playing - Call it What You Want.

Rockford

I'm in Rockford IL, helping my friend Ervin organize some paperwork for his business. A nice ride down, aside from near constant rain.

I went to WalMart with Erv and found something Lisa & I have been looking for (w/out luck) back in Milwaukee. Then we grilled out and enjoyed a dinner of steak, potato, mushroom/onion, corn and dinner rolls. Time to get cracking again on that paperwork.

The Library Does GaGa

Sarah Wachter, a UW-Seattle student in library and information science, has created a small internet sensation with this version of Lady GaGa's "Bad Romance".

Enjoy!

You got a question that is causing you some pain
Typin’ keywords into the search engine again.
Look your naïve searching just ain’t gonna get it done
Cause when it comes to search if it’s not tough it isn’t fun (fun)

Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhhh, ohh-oh-e-ohh-oh-oh
I’ll blow your mind, show you how to find.
Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhhh, ohh-oh-e-ohh-oh-oh
I’ll blow your mind, show you how to find.

Can use my
Can use my
Yeah you can use my catalog
(Don’t forget the databases)
Can use my
Can use my
Yeah you can use my catalog
(Don’t forget the databases)

Ca-ca-ca-catalog ca-ca-catalog
(Mum mum mum mah)
Ca-ca-ca-catalog ca-ca-catalog
(Mum mum mum mah)

This keyword search it gives you way too many hits
Boolean limits pare things down to just what fits
Use the thesaurus to find subject terms that work
Then in just one minute you’ll be through like Captain Kirk (Kirk)

[Chorus]

We love the Big 6, baby!

Step one define your problem
Pick your sources.
Then go huntin’. We’re not puntin’
On the research. We’re engaging and extracting somethin’
Then you can put it back together
Tell your friends about your awesomeness
It’s synthesis synthesis
Evaluate cause we’re into this.

The MLB Draft

Today is the MLB draft, w/ the 1st and supplemental rounds to be broadcast on the MLB Network. I'll be at work, but I'm DVR'ing it. From 11 pm on I intend to be camped in front of the TV, Baseball America in hand, enjoying the hell out of it. Dorky? Well, yes, in a way. But sexy too, no?

Some Advice

Oy, some advice for characters on Torchwoood & Primeval: I know you save the world every wk. I do feel, however, this would be much easier if a) u were professionals in training or demeanor b) u didn't go into dark buildings alone c) u stopped manufacturing moral quandries where there r none and d) if you used f*ing guns when appropriate. Say what u will, killing monsters is easier if you have a nice .45 at ur side.

Name this Plant

For the last three years these plants have thrived in my backyard, despite my best efforts to get rid of them. I don't have a clue about what they are, not being a gardener by trade or disposition. Lisa thought they were rhubarb but said they don't taste like it, which leaves us right back where we started. So if there's anyone out there that can ID this plant, let me know.

The Day Continues

After dinner we watched the DVD's the boys got at the library, then I packed them off to bed. 90 minutes of chaos later I had to go hard core: I shut off every light on the 2nd flr, pulled up a chair, and sat insidethe bedroom door to stamp out so much as a whisper. I think I may now have the house to myself (well, Lu's up, but she's fine). A Torchwood/Primeval marathon it is!

A Busy Day

Lisa and her crew are en route to Hammond, IN to see a New Kids on the Block concert. Meanwhile, we've extended Smiley's sleepover, and I took the boys to three libraries, a store, and finally to Little Caesar's for dinner. BTW thank heavens for LuLu; her Mommy skills have sure come in handy.

Credit to Stephen Crane

"Sir, I exist!" 

Happy Birthday LuLu!

Today is LuLu's seventh birthday, and while it's a cliche, it feels like only yesterday she entered our lives - the day after Sammy Sosa was caught with a corked bat, IIRC. Another seven years and she'll be entering high school; seven more after that and she can legally drink.

Wow.

God willing they'll be a couple posts about her in the next few days, but before the clock strikes midnight I wanted to stop by and post *something* to mark her day. Here are some pictures of the wonderful cake Lisa made to mark her special day. It was two round strawberry cakes, separated by a layer of icing and fresh cut strawberries, with slices of strawberries along the side and an edible image of ballet shoes on top.




It was gorgeous, and tasted just as good (and I'm not a cake guy).



Happy Birthday LuLu! We're proud to have you as our daughter, and we love you very much!

The Cable Guy

Happy 7th Birrthday LuLu!!! In a concurrent dose of adult life today: the cable guy failed to show this AM, which put my day on hold. When I gave up on him Parker and I got my paycheck, went to the bank, made a few stops, and returned home with crickets for the turtle, some goldfish for Smiley, a Beta for YaYa, and Hannah Montana wrapping paper for Lu's gifts. *allegedly* Time Warner will now be here btwn 3-5.

That . . . isn't a toilet

We own a hollow kids table that has a removable top. During Smiley's sleepover his friend decided to use it - as a urinal.

Daisy Bridging

Back from Lu's Daisy Scout bridging ceremony, and it was actually quite fun. Congrats LuLu!

FYI

BTW - Friday is Lu's bday/Smiley's sleepover, so I won't be attending, but a co-worker is holding a fundraiser at The Borg Ward (823 W. National Ave.) tommorow at 10. She'll l be screening 2 gems of the silent film era: Luis Buñuel & Salvador Dali's surrealist classic "Un Chien Andalou" (1929), AND Fritz Lang's sci-fi masterpiece "Metropolis" (1927) $5 donation suggested.

Buy One

Well damnit, I have a column published in the Journal-Sentinel today and no one told me. Go out and buy a copy, ok?

Savages by Don Winslow

I just finished 'Savages' by Don Winslow. It was very good and deserves a full write-up here; hopefully I'll find the time soon. It's brutal, violent, sexy, and well, savage. Winslow doesn't just use the English language, he manipulates and twists it like play-doh to create the mood and thoughts he wishes to express. I envy his talent.

So True

"A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul." - George Bernard Shaw

Quote

"Advertising gives beautiful names to ugly things. Pornography gives ugly names to beautiful things" - Don Winslow

Progressive Roadside Assistance

God bless Progressive's roadside assistance program. It may just be the smartest purchase I've made in years. I blew a tire today on the way to work and once again they proved their worth. By my count that'd be three tows + that would have come out of my pocket since the 1st of the year.

TV Night

Gasp - a Tues w/ out AI or Lost. I hope Glee is good. It's gotten a little heavy lately, w/ the wheelchair and long-lost Mom storylines. Plus there's the whole Kurt is gay and angry plotline - WTH is up w/ him? He's got a loving and supportive father, a great teacher, friends that adore him, and plenty of talent. That kid has a better support system than Jayne Mansfield's bossum - quit whining already.

Dave Cullen

Dave Cullen, the author of 'Columbine', left a comment on my blog's review of his book

March 21st and 22nd as told on FB

March 21st:

There are a lot of bennies to being happily married, Lord knows. But - if I was single that David Tennant poster that came w/ last month's Doctor Who Magazine wouldn't just be left to rot in our junk drawer. That's all I'm sayin'.

* Lisa and I just watched the UFC's matchup of Vera vs. Jones. Not our normal viewing habits, but better to watch that shellacking than see our country destroyed at the hands of Obama/Pelosi. [Obamacare was in the midst of a Congressional vote that night]

* [10:10 PM, after the bill passed] Historians will mark this date as the beginning of the end. It may take 50 years, or 100, but it is now a certainty: America will be a shell of what it was/what it could have been. An obese, ever expanding Federal government; the rationing of our resources; the supression of the constiuency's demands. This solution will be the mother of a thousand more problems. Well wishes and happy thoughts do not equal concrete, workable legislation. We will rue this day. What a waste. What a pitiful waste.

* Sure, Time Warner denies me the Military History channel (which suits my wants and needs) but, to be fair, they do allow me to gaze upon MTV Europe and watch lovely videos like this one [MGMT "Kids"]. "Rationing" I think they call their system. Welllll. As long as the idea doesn't spread . . .



March 22nd:

I have several friends on the Left, many of whom are understandably giddy @ Sunday night's travesty. One of the funnier exchanges (well, the ONLY funny one) btwn us was the following. "Thank you Government!" read the status update. To which I replied : Is this the Jeopardy answer to "What are three words Dan will never say in his life?"

* Wife and kids are asleep, school clothes are in the dryer, house is a mess, got a aches where there shouldn't be aches, dreading the week to come. Gonna go put on the new Star Trek movie before bed and hope I can temp. break my FB addiction.

* [re: the new Star Trek movie] I thought it was a fine action movie nearly spoiled by the lame future-Spock storyline. I'm sure it made fandom yell "Whoo-hoo!" but to me it said the producers were unsure a ST movie could stand alone, apart from the series. I thought it would have been a better movie - not nec. a better ST movie, but a better *movie* - without that crud.

* Attorneys general in 11 states warned that lawsuits will be filed to stop the federal government overstepping its constitutional powers and usurping states' sovereignty

* [Tiger Woods apologizes for his extramarital affairs] ""I've done some pretty bad things in my life" Tiger said in the article, then followed up by saying (in Danny's mind) "But you know, what I do with my di** is an issue only to my wife and myself. It's none of your concern. *If* I owe an apology to anyone, I owe my apologies to her and no one else."

* QUOTE from an LA Times article, refering to the killing of an Al-Queda suspect: "Officials had debated trying to take him alive but decided against doing so in part because of uncertainty over where to hold him. . w/out a location outside the U.S. for sending prisoners, the administration must resort to turning the suspects over to foreign governments, bringing them to the U.S. or even killing them."

* The end of a Barney episode was just playing in the background - you know, the "I love you" song - and a chocolate-faced, excited Ginger ran into the office, arms open, yelling "Da-dy, Da-dy". She gave me a hug, said "Uv oo" and ran back to the TV.

* I was very moved by this past weekend's Gospel (John 8: 1-11). Not just for the lesson it taught, but for the Jesus it presented. He was able to cut to the heart of the matter in only a few short words; forgiving and compassionate (but w/out approving of the behavior), and so uber confident he came off like a 1st century Cool Hand Luke. This, THIS would be a man you would be proud to follow even in the here and now.

* Begining at 8 PM Friday (CST) and repeating twice in the four hours after that, NKOTB's Coming Home - the concert and backstage footage of their 2008/09 tour - will be playing on Palladia (channel 1267 in Milwaukee). And yes, Lisa, I've already set the DVR. :)

* Back from work and watching DWTS on the DVR, eager to see Kate Gosselin. The result? Not good. A sad peformance lacking in both technical skill and stage presence. It was hard to watch. Plus, Kate was soooo much hotter w/ short hair, as most women are. Dangit, I was hoping she was in it to win it.

* We're watching Dr. Phil on the DVR, and a woman came on and said she spent $1000 on OTC pregnancy tests last year. Say what?? Listen kookoo bird, hit up the damn dollar store already. I've got four kids and 3 of the 4 pregnancies were discovered via two for a buck Dollar Store contraptions. I'll send you some of our leftovers. Gadzooks people, why spend $15 on a piss stick?

* I met Jessica Simpson more than a decade ago, and I didn't come away a fan. Even so, forget what the critics are saying. Her new show "Jessica Simpson's The Price of Beauty" is entertaining, well-meaning, and might actually do some good in the world. It's worth watching.