Big Love

We just finished watching Season 4 of Big Love . . whoa Nelly! That is a Damn Good Show.

Flash Forward by Robert J Sawyer

I've finished Flashforward, the Robert J Sawyer novel that was supposedly the inspiration for the short lived series. 

El boringo, w/ a thin plot, little action, and enough science jargon to fill a txtbk. Blech. C-

Bow to Him!

Arod hit his 30th homer of the year tonight - to go along with 122 RBI's! That's the 13th season in a row he's reached the 30 dinger plateau. Well done sir. You are the best of the best, and I bow to you.

TV Night

I'm loving Hells Kitchen! They HAVE to keep Raj - that nut is a pip!

A day late, but what the hell: I didn't love the Glee Brittany episode. There were some laughs, sure. Yet overall I thought it was poorly written and oddly constructed, w/ the music forced into place as an afterthought. Yawn. Plus, what's with the wheelchair kid joining the football team? Must this show ALWAYS push political correctness to the point of absurdity? It's wearing thin.

Ooooo, Big Love season 4 is getting juicy!!

Raising Hope continued to impress, but the Wilde something or another w/ Keri Russell is running its gimmick into the ground. It'll be gone by the end of November.

Ramona & Beezuz

For family night yesterday we surprised our oldest 3 by taking them to see 'Ramona & Beezuz' @ the budget showhouse. It was a great family movie, w/ a contemporary urgency to the plot, great acting and best of all true to Bev Cleary's characters. A+

Dexter is Delicious by Jeff Lindsay

I've finished 'Dexter is Delicious', the newest of the series (#5) that inspired the hit show. Well written w/ an interesting plot, & very enjoyable.

Smiley and Junie at Dance!

I love this photo, it was so high on his feet...trying so hard....my cutie! - Lisa

LOL

Not the appropriate response to your wife's complaint: Tonight the brunette Danny-girl from across the street knocked on my door, introduced herself, and asked to borrow our blender. I obliged. "Don't you think that's ballsy," Lisa said. "Knocking on a stranger's door and asking for their blender?" To which I replied: "Did you *see* her???

We're OK

Hi, sorry to worry anyone. We're all healthy, if not wealthy and wise. Mid June to the present has been . . . less than the highlight of my life, and I haven't had the gumption to sit and type anything more than the 400 character cap of a Facebook post.

I'll try to post pics and an extended update here soon.

Regards and best wishes,

Dan

Johnny Appleseed in person!

 Smiley wearing the Johnny Appleseed cap he made in school

LuLu in the Park

Some pics at the war memorial in the park 

TV

We just started Season 4 of Big Love. No spoilers please, but I can't help thinking Bill is ignoring his true calling. He is destined to be the One True Prophet of Juniper Creek. 

Also - I'm a new fan of 'Big Bang Theory' (~1/2 way into season 1). I love Sheldon, but Lisa doesn't seem as adoring of the show. Mayhaps a past as a dork helps breed empathy.

I've also begun watching the original BBC series "Life on Mars." LOVE it.

 Also nearly done with Season 1 of "How I met your Mother". While I love Barney (NPH rocks!) I think the actor playing Ned dragggggggs the show down. I dig it, but overall I have to grade it a B-

The Eternal Question

I don't understand why step 2 of the job application process was to upload my f**king resume, while step 3 and 4 is to replicate it by typing in endless fill in the blanks. What was the point of asking for the resume in the first place??????

You Don't See that Everyday

70-3 at Camp Randall??? For a second I didn't realize it was a football score. 

Anyway, David Garrett [a classical violinist who plays renditions of rock songs]  is performing on channel 10 as of this writing. Ck him out. I like his album but I recognize it's a gimmick. If he wants to elevate the commercial appeal of his instrument, then he should compose pop/rock music for the violin, instead of just adapting old hits.

Good Advice? Or no?

Why I am not employed by the UN: 

Smiley & I were raking leaves when he told me a boy in his class was 'mean' and hitting other kids. 

"He ever hit you?" I asked.

Smiley shook his head. "Naw, not 'et".

 "Huh," I said. "Well, if he does, beat his fu*king ass. Then tell your teacher."

In Which I Get Too Upset at a 30 year old Movie Review

I just read an online review of the 1982 version of 'Annie', a movie my ma took her Brownie troop to see back in the day. The reviewer was appalled by the "foul" language and called it far too adult and "risque" for her (presumably obnoxious) children. WTH?! When you have whackjobs like that for a parent, you're sure to wound up knocked up at 15 and herp ridden by twenty. Get a freakin' life.

update from 2024: Sigh. Language, Dan. Language. 

Some Great Photos of the Youngest Three

The Crew, minus YaYa (she's at Grandma's).

ooooh, I just love him! -Lisa

Lu channels Woodstock 

Taking the kids to the park in their wagon.  It is official: Smiley has outgrown his helmet. 

that's our kids, hold the helmet, not wear them, lol - Lisa 

Jeez people, bleep her shoes. She wouldn't wear 'em, and chose to walk to and from the park barefoot, and play barefoot as well.

Some TV

Wed evening we watched the premiere of "The Whole Truth". We were not impressed, finding it nothing more than a cookie cutter courtroom drama. C. OTOH, Hell's Kitchen was great fun, in large part because of the fine cast of piss poor, ghetto-riffic cooks they've cobbled together this season. B+

Also - I've finally finished watching the last of this season's Dr Who. Just this morning I voiced skepticism over the season's overall story arc (the 'cracks in time') but I'm happy to say Moffatt pulled it all together quite nicely. So, for the yr: a great new Dr, quite possibly the hottest companion ever (Amy), the first married couple/companions in the show's run, and a 1st rate writing team - I'm psyched for Season 6!

Dexter by Design

I just finished 'Dexter by Design' (bk #4), a very good addition to the series & a welcome recovery from the debacle of bk 3.

Glee

I was happy to see that Glee came back as strong as ever, & I can't wait to see the Britney epis. next wk.

Quote

Do I contradict myself? Well then, I contradict myself. I am large. I contain multitudes. - Walt Whitman

ISO

FV friends: I mistakenly deleted my newly expanded nursery in Farmville, and it cannot be restored. So kindly start barraging me with expansion materials if you can. TYIA.

Quote

Anytime you predict failure you have an excellent chance of being right.

Cue Evil Laugh

I'm sitting on my porch reading my Nook & enjoying the evening rain. Meanwhile the Evil Four are watching Honey I shrunk the Kids in our living rm and driving Lisa nuts. Shame i'm not inside to help, hee hee.

A Night of TV

We watched Bill Clinton on Letterman last night. Sure, it meant I had to put up with Dave's Lewinsky-worthy love for the guy [retch], but I was still expecting to be entertained; politics aside, Bill is good TV. Alas, he seems to have lost a few steps in the wake of his heart problems. It's sad, really. What was w/ the grade school tectonic plates lesson? Or his habit of quoting studies w/out referencing a source?

Yeah, it was kinda strange....he USED TO BE good tv, I guess. - Lisa

I worked last night and missed the premiere of NBC's "The Event". I've heard it's the Lost of this decade, which seems like a tall order. Did anyone see it? What's your verdict?

Things that make you go "hmmm"

I just returned from a dentist appt. It turned out my dentist had broken his arm "cleaning his pool" Saturday night and wanted to reschedule. 

Huh. 

Seems to me I remember seeing him wearing a Brewers road jersey and stumbling through Pick 'N Save's parking lot drunk off his ass at 2am that very night. 

My bad; must have been some other Indian dentist who drunkenly waved hello to me . . .

In Which I Defend Jimmy Carter from Spurious Accusations

IMO, the best thing you can say about the Carter Presidency is that it inspired the sitcom 'Benson'. Still, I must call foul on some local radio DJ's who labeled Carter's recent comments "sour grapes" against Ted Kennedy and a 'cheap shot when he [Ted] isn't around to defend himself'. Wrong. As early as his bio "Keeping the Faith" he accused Ted of sabotaging health care reform for his own political gain. This is nothing new.

Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay

Just finished 'Dexter in the Dark', bk #3 in the series & by far the weakest. Demonic possesion? Really? My objection isn't spiritual one. I just think it's far more fun to think of Dex as just one royally f'ed up dude. C.

Lu/Dad time!

Lu last Monday, as we spent an evening of "Dad/Lu" time.

A Rule of Life

A rule of Life, as certain as death and taxes: However much you hope otherwise, damn near everything told to a person - even in the strictest most pinkie swear confidence - will find its way into the ears of their spouse.

Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

I just finished "Dearly Devoted Dexter", the 2nd in Jeff Lindsay's series about serial killer/vigilante/crime lab worker Dexter Morgan. I have to say, it feels a little creepy to laugh out loud during dismemberment scenes; but aside from a novel premise, great characters, and a solid plot, the books are flat-out FUNNY. I tip my hat to you, Mr. Lindsay. Well done sir, well done.

Great Job LuLu!

LuLu is in the dining room reading "The Mouse who Wanted to Marry" to the little ones. Despite a bad cold, she is reading with impressive inflection and emotion; her ma's genes at work. Well done.

Our "S" Flag is up!!!

We bought this flag two or three years ago at the Fireside, but first put it up this week.

we had such a good time at the first and only visit to the fireside, glad to have something so nice to remember it by...Some day when we all have money it would be so fun to take the kids. - Lisa

Our Phones are Down

An accident near the airport has knocked down a Cricket tower, leaving most of the south side w/out mobile service. So if you're trying to call me, try FB'ing instead.

Update: The phones are still down. I have a land line, but truthfully I don't even know where we keep the phone; it's certainly not plugged in. Anyhow, I called the service dept to find out when the tower was going back online. A nice Indian woman who insisted on calling me "Mr. Daniel" said she would be happy to assist me but alas, failed to back up her claim.

I Voted

And . . . the polls are closed. Hope y'all voted today. As usual I took Yaya with me after school, but all that meant was that I had to give her my "I Voted" sticker. Sooooo not fair.

Class. Personified.

What's the point of having your ear pierced if you can't wear three safety pins 'round the house once in awhile?

My Picks

Ok - primary election day is less than 24 hrs away. My picks? Gov: SCOTT WALKER Lt. Gov: KLEEFISCH Senate: RON JOHNSON Congress (4th): DAN SEBRING. And, if I was in State Assembly District 20, MOLLY MCGARTLAND. In my own assembly district 19, I vote for KRISTA BURNS, not because of her party, but because a district that encompasses Bay View should have a rep w/ an address in, gosh, I don't know, Bay View.

My condolences, Dan. I'm on vacation and no one told me you hit your head so hard. - Sandra G

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

I just finished "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" by Jeff Lindsay, the 1st in the series that inspired the show "Dexter". It's great fun, give or take a torturous death or two. What really makes it tick is the playful voice of Dexter himself as he narrates the action. I'm going to read more in the series.

LuLu's Pumpkin!

The pumpkin Lulu decorated @ gma's

My Thoughts

It is my deeply held belief that anyone who insists on backing into a parking spot @ a public venue is a pompous ahole w/ far too high an opinion of their own worth.

Body Work by Sara Paretsky

I finished 'Body Work' by Sara Paretsky. The writing was good, but it seems to rely on character over plot, which is a problem when much of the oomph lies in the the fact the PI is a woman.That may have been a nice gimmick in the '80's, but not today. As to that plot - conspiracy, conspiracy, blah blah. 'Cuz, you know, no one is murdered by anything less than a secret corporate plot. I grade it a C.

The Founders Suite at Miller Park

I'm @ the Brewers/Cubs game @ Miller Park. Courtesy of my buddy Tre, I'm seated in the Founders Suite (#2) right behind the Brewers dugout. 

Best t-shirt so far: I'll root for the Cubs the day they play Al Qaeda

A moving rendition of God Bless America here @ the ballpark, w/ the flag @ half mast for 9/11. @ least for a moment, common ground w/ the Cubs fans here.

                            GREAT catch by Braun!

School Days

Lisa took the kids to the carnival at Junie's school!

She doesn't look happy here, but she was!

Here are some pics outside the older kids school!

ISO

Farmville friends - I'd appreciate it if you could send any of the FV.com exclusive gifts, or better still the white apple tree unique to the iphone. Thanks in advance.

My Farm

An Apology

When a man comes home from wrk, sometimes all he wants to do is park himself in front of the TV in his undies, air out the Lebowski's, and eat some Manwich while watching Dr Who. That's all. So when you invite your SUPER HOT friend over at midnight, thereby forcing me to clothe myself and eat only human sized portions, I get a little pissy-wissy. I apologize for the bed-wetting, but otherwise the fit was warranted.

Ground Zero Update

According to a status update by media writer Tim Cuprisin, Donald Trump is attempting to buy the site of the proposed Ground Zero mosque.

The Fantasy Football Season is Starting

The NFL season starts tonight, which means my fantasy team has yet another opportunity to match the .333 winning percentage I've notched so far this century. Yeehaw! Ah, but I shouldn't let it get me down. After all, "Nobody in the game of football should be called a genius. A genius is somebody like Norman Einstein". -Joe Theismann

Marathon: How One Battle Changed Western Civilization by Richard A Billows

I finished "Marathon: How one battle changed west. civ" by Richard A. Billows. It was good, but of the 200+ pgs, only 30 were about the battle, w/ the rest devoted to centuries of Greek/Persian history. Some background is always nice, but you don't need to know the history of bratwurst making to understand how Rommel fought, do you? So why should I care about similar minutiae in Greek history?

ISO

TIME SENSITIVE: Anyone out there have 12 old Sunday papers (or their equivalent in size) laying around? My wife needs them for a Girl Scout 'sit-upon' project. The other leader had her basement flood and the papers were ruined. The meeting is THIS AFTERNOON.

Big Love S2

We finished the second season of Big Love - a mighty fine show. It's become a favorite around here.

Junie's 1st Day on the School Bus

My scared baby takes the school bus for the first time.  - Lisa

She looks so cute in pink, and she is soooo scared...Miss independent - Grandma J

She was only like this for a second.....she'll be ok :)  - Lisa

I'm sure, she will be, but it is still soooooo sweet.  Grandma J

Yah, but did I hear it from her daddy! LOL.... - Lisa

I'm sure, Daddy was upset I'm sure   Grandma J

A change of heart after the bus ride home

OMG, so cute....took a nap and Dan didn't wake me for this [her return]?! Oh well, at least I have this awesome pic. She's at Fernwood for K-3 and then most likely will go to the girls (and now Smiley's) school. -Lisa

so cute, look at that smile..:) - Grandma J

Junie's Cake

Torchwood

I'm watching an old Torchwood episode. My cat is a better actor than John Barrowman, albeit not as handsome.

Jersey Shore

I'm watching Jersey Shore for the first time. It really is a shithole hour of tv. Plus Snooki is a bleepin dog. Jeesh.

Duh

Any job is better at time and a half.

LuLu's First Tomato!

Lulu's first tomato from her Topsy Turvy

My Godson

Me & my Godson TJ today on my front porch

Bad Luck

So my Escort got a flat last night when a friend borrowed it, returning it to my parking slab with the rim damaged. Sigh. This morning, the same car won't start. It is inevitable - my cars work only in summer. At the onset of cold weather I should just think ahead and buy a f*ing bus pass.

Smiley's Sunflower Plant

Smiley's sunflower plant (1 of 4)

Quote

Women are the repository of personal details in the lives of all who intersect their worlds - Sara Paretsky

it's a Problem

How you can tell Farmville has taken over your life: Lisa and I were in the produce section when she asked me if I'd ever heard of a sale item called an asian apple pear. I stared at her for a second in disbelief, then answered - unintentionally - in valley girl upspeak:   "Uhhhh, *yeah*,  I raise them on my farm."

They Sure Do

Don't believe that crap that you're as young as you feel. Your feelings lie.

Junie's First Day of School EVER!

Junie started K3 today and was super excited (even if she looked a little nervous in some of the photos!)

With her new friend Claire: