Hells Kitchen

I'vebeen up since 5:30 running errands. TIme to sit down and enjoy Season 4 of Hell's Kitchen. Now F* off you donkeys!

AT&T

After ~ 2 wks w/out the net, we're back online as of 6:47. I still say AT&T was doing what AT&T does best during the delay - give you half-ass service due to a near monopoly - but they have gone ahead and credited our account w/ 2 free months of service. It doesn't make up for the damage to my farm on Farmville (crops withered, co-ops lost *sob*) but it's a start.

Family Night

Today's Family Night: homemade fajitas we shared w/ friends, then Lulu off to skating w/ a buddy while the others watched 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' and I dealt w/ AT&T.

Grouchy Dad

YaYa is all pissy because I got angry when she took my phone & made a pic of the kids my wallpaper. Whatever. My kids are important to me, but they aren't my complete universe. I'm allowed to have snippets of a life unrelated to being a parent. 

National Bakery

At National Bakery (Greenfield) after dance

On Pfc Manning

While I would normally relish this Administration looking the fool, I would never want it @ the expense of our nation. Those connected to the Wikleaks fiasco are willingly putting our standing & safety at risk. The source - Pfc Manning, IIRC - is a treasonous Judas who deserves whatever we throw @ him. 

Irwin Kershner

RIP Irvin Kershner director of "Empire Strikes Back"

Leslie Neilsen

RIP the great Leslie Nielsen, age 84. 

From Paris With Love

"From Paris With Love" is a fun but mindless action romp, & John Travolta's character single handedly steals the show. At least he did until the 3rd act, when he stopped being a delightful maniac and got all serious. Boo to that :) Travolta alone was worth the rental fee.

Eat, Pray, Love and The Expendables

We're watching "Eat, Pray, Love" and it is torture. How can someone make a movie this rambling and dull and not hang their head in shame?

From one extreme to another: The Expendables was fun from start to finish. Ah, maybe w/ another cast it would have been a B movie, but w/ the Justice League of freakin' action heroes involved it was a hoot.

Robin Hood

I expected the worst from 'Robin Hood' but all in all it was impressive. Very little to do w/ the legend at all, tho they try to correct w/ a lame postscript. The streak holds; I've yet to see a bad Russell Crowe movie.

It's Gonna Be a Long Day

Gadzooks I'm tired, and I haven't even gone to work yet.

36.5 WMVT

36.5 WMVT aka MPTV Jazz = one of the few reedeming graces of being limited to broadcast TV.

LuLu at Ervin's House in Rockford earlier this year

Genesis

Saw an old Genesis concert video on 4.3. Without question, the great Phil Collins is the dorkiest, least sexy frontman in history. Good for him for rocking it anyway

Predators and Best Worst Movie

I just stayed up way too late to finish "Predators". I'll pay for it in the morning, but the film was a pleasant suprise. Very entertaining for an action sequel, esp one in a franchise I thought had been bled dry. Well worth a rental.

We just watched 'Best Worst Movie', a documentary about 'Troll 2'. It was funny and entertaining, but dragged a bit @ the end. Now, of course, we'll have to rent Troll 2.

A Busy Thanksgiving

Went out to tgiving lunch, took some photos for our Christmas cards, returned to watch NO-DAL, now watching Taylor Swift on NBC. I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving too.

.

Quote

If you want to shine, ya gotta polish

Happy Pets

My column will appear in the Thanksgiving edition of the Journal-Sentinel. Please buy a copy or read it online.

Put a fish head up your butt

"Put a fish head up your butt" a chant the kids started while marching around the house this morning, after I told Smiley to "get your head outta your ass" and find his shoes.

My Thoughts

Just a note: school buildings were constructed a century ago, ergo if you bought a house across the street you knew what you were getting into. Don't piss & moan about traffic at 7am and 3pm; don't whine about playground noise, don't complain about kids loittering on the sidewalk. You sound like a jag-off moron, and in fact you are.

School Work

A Dentist Visit

I took the youngest three to the dentist today, a follow up to their appointment with Lisa a few weeks back. 

Chi-Taco

Junie telling a friend about our recent trip to IL: "We went to Chi-taco"

Well, I Thought I'd Be a Hero

Woken up @ 4:45 by noise in the alley, & when I saw the light on in my car I ran outside. No one was there, & I suppose Lis coulda left the lt on. Next time I play hero I can't be barefoot slippers & wearing onlypj bottoms. The hell w/ the danger of a fight,  the cold nearly did me in.

Crazy by William Peter Blatty

I finished Blatty's "Crazy", a novel about a boy who befriends a girl w/ a few screws loose who may/may not be from the future. It'- very sweet and nostalgic, w/ a few good laughs tossed in. As always Blatty's faith provides the philosophical backbone of the book. A nice read in the vein of Mitch Albiom {sic}

What Unusual Weather

Weird day, eh? Late November, but so warm it felt like spring, w/ rain showers and even tornado warnings in SE Wisconsin. & yet it's supposed to be in the 20's later this wk. What a beautiful, whacky state.

National Bakery (on Greenfield) after Dance Class

TV Tonight

DWTS -Bristol looked great in her freestyle, but Jennifer Gray kicked ass. That horizontal spin in the air? Wow.

Dick Button is a judge on Skating w/ the Stars? What a coup for the show, adding a much needed pinch of respectability to what threatens to be a short lived experiment.

Bethenny's scores were undeservedly low, dontcha think?

Dinner at Landmark

The YaYa

You Happy Mommy?

"You happy Mommy?" - Junie's favorite question, asked every morning and off and on throughout the day

The 15 Albums Game

THE RULES: Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen albums you've heard that will always stick with you. List the first fifteen you can recall in no more than fifteen minutes.

1. Ten - Pearl Jam

2. Brothers in Arms - Dire Straits

3. Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd

4. Time In/Out - Dave Brubeck

5. Jagged Little Pill - Alanis

6. Dream of the Blue Turtles - Sting

7. White Christmas - Bing Crosby

8. Singles Soundtrack

9. Double Live - Garth Brooks

10. Who's Next? - The Who

11. Live at Reading - Nirvana

12. Bleach - Nirvana

13. Songs you Know by Heart - Jimmy Buffett

14. Thriller - Michael Jackson

15. Metallica - Black Album

On Micheal Vick

Damn Michael Vick is good.

update: Yes, I know he ran a dogfighitng ring. Thanks for commenting about it ad nasuum. I was referring only to his talent on a football field. 

But . . . 

So to be clear we can/are expected to allow for the rehab of everyone from rapists to killers, but someone responsible for the death of animals is somehow unforgivable? That says more about the screwed up mindset of our society than anything else.

Abandoned

Great SNF game, now watching Brittany Murphy in

Abandoned. Long a member of my List of Five, my libido continues to mourn her passing.

Laurencia Bembenek

RIP Laurencia Bembenek. I'm sorry WI denied you justice in life.

Books, a notorious, tongue-in-cheek FB rant, and a day at the ballpark

September 7th

I'm watching an old Torchwood episode. My cat is a better actor than John Barrowman, albeit not as handsome. I've also just watched my first episode of Jersey Shore. Yuck.

Anyone else remember the movie Turk 182?

September 9th

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

RIP LFO lead singer Rich Cronin. I met this man, and in fact had a . . . business dealing with him (which my old co-workers may remember; it was one of my more infamous anecdotes from 3rd).

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.

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?

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

According to a status update by media writer Tim Cuprisin, Donald Trump is attempting to buy the site of the proposed Ground Zero mosque. [it didn't materialize]

September 10th

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 apolgize for the bed-wetting, but otherwise the fit was warranted.

September 11th

Here's a shot of Smiley, YaYa, and one of YaYa's friends




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.

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. Pics to follow.

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

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! (8:09 pm)

Note: The Brewers lost the game.

Dinner in Chicago

out at a restaurant in Chicago, and Smiley is macking hard on the cute waitress.

Net Issues

Were having some internet problems (by 'problems' I mean I forgot to pay the bill) so for the immediate future all FB will be by mobile only.

Lawrencia Bembenek - Update

WISN is reporting that Lawrencia Bembenek has been moved to a hospice & won't live to see 2011. I can remember my Grandparents looking at newspapers during her trial & saying they were sure she was framed; it'd be nice if some measure of justice took place while Bambi was around to see it. A request for a pardon is in the works, but the powers that be have kept her down for 30 yrs, so don't hold your breath.

Full Dark No Stars

Is anyone reading Stephen King's "Full Dark, No Stars"? I am, and right now it feels a lot like work. The first novella is so derivative of Poe it reads like student work from a creative writing course. The 2nd story is better, but naturally has a writer as the protagonist, just like, oh, Dark Half, The Shining, Bag of Bones, Misery, The Body, etc. Way to think outside the box Steve.

Lauren Conrad is Da Bomb

Lauren Conrad = Yum da YumYum.  She looks like Marcia Brady, only not fifty and poor. Better yet, she's the super hot Marcia Brady as you *imagined* her to be when you were a kid.

Passin' Time

I spent part of the morning surfing FB on the new NOOK color.

Lu, a model?

I took LuLu to get a haircut today, & while she was in the chair I went next door to do some shopping. When I returned a man approached me and asked if I'd be interested in having Lu model for him.  

I know - instant creep factor, & I brushed him off. 

But he left a business card behind & to my surprise he cks out, w/4  decades of legit art exhibitions (assuming he hasn't rigged a half dozen websites). In fact, he's the brother of Lance Sijan, the Medal of Honor winner whose name is honored throughout Bay View. 

Huh. Weird.

Lost: The New Man in Charge

I finally saw the LOST epilogue, "The New Man in Charge". Eh. So-so. 12 minutes is too short a time to answer any question worth asking. I'd like to see Hurley's 'reign', and Walt and Ben's employment, explored further in other media as the years go by.

A Temper Tantrum

Junie got off the school bus in a dark mood. We sat outside on the porch, enjoying this warm Nov day, but when I stopped Ms. Grump from writing on a fundraiser form she picked up a flowerpot LuLu had made over the summer & intentionally shattered it on the ground. She is now screaming at the injustice of my anger & her banishment to her room - oh, she just yelled that she hates me. I must be doing something right.

Ah, just a moment ago she yelled "Daddy - you can die!". Charming lass.

Congratulations to Archbishop Dolan!

In an upset, former Milw. (current NYC) Archbishop Timothy Dolan has been elected Pres of the U.S. Conf. of Catholic Bishops! "It means the bishops have decided to opt for a confident Catholicism. They had a choice, & they chose the boldest, most outspoken bishop. U wouldn't choose him as ur leader unless u thought what he was doing in the capital of the world (NY) is what we want the church to represent."

btw, this was a clear and bold rebuff of the passive, submissive wing of the American Church, the folks who try to get by with wringing their hands and saying "can't we all get along, even if it means we give up everything we believe in???"

No Luck

Just tried and failed to win tickets to the New Kids on the Block/Backstreet Boys [NKOTBSB] concert in June. Crap. Still, it's not like I won't buy tix eventually. At least the winner is a Joey fan, although I'm not keen on her bringing up Jon's sexuality on-air, and I sure as hell don't like Alley's anti-Jon bias. A woman cursed with kankles should have better manners - words to live by Alley, words to live by.

A Royal Congratulations!

Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton have announced their engagement. 'bout time you made her an honest woman William!

Football and Dancing Baby

With a win this past weekend I'm now 3-7 in my fantasy football league. I could go all petty and mention I lost 2 games by under 10 pts, but big wup - change the outcome and it would still only take me to .500. Meanwhile, three weeks in I'm 12-6 in my fantasy basketball league. Yawn. Wake me when spring training starts.

Meanwhile, a 'Dancing With the Stars' upset - Bristol Palin sends Brandy packing. Wow. Good for her, but there's no way she was a better dancer than Brandy. Not that I care; IMO folks that spend more than half their workday dancing have an unfair advantage that skews the results (cough Nicole Scherzinger, cough). But again, congrats Bristol. Good luck next week in the finals.

Full Dark, No Dawn

I'm 50 or 60 pages into Stephen King's new story collection and yawn yawn yawn. Hopefully it picks up. BTW,  I hate when King writes about sex, even in passing. I don't care how many kids he has or how long he's been married, the text always comes off crude, like it was written by the ugly kid in high school who has to pretend he knows what boobies look like.

LuLu - the jigsaw queen!

Lu with a 100 piece jigsaw puzzle she finished 11-15-10

Good and Bad

The bad? I didn't land (yet another) job I'd applied for, making me quite grumpy for a minute. Then, a small burst of good news. The Journal-Sentinel has asked me to do a holiday column, w/ the editor stating that "From previous columns of yours, I think you could do one with the right feel, be broad enough to appeal to all readers, and also steer clear of politics." So there's a coupla bucks in my pocket.

Awww

Junie after dance class 11/15/10

The Photon Series

Well, this means shit over diddly to anyone else, but I just discovered (via the magic of the wiki) that a series of books I read in my childhood were penned by a pseudonym of none other than Eisner winning writer Peter David. It's good to know I was drawn to the good schtuff even in my youth.

I can barely say this w/out cringing in embarrassment, but the Photon series, the 'backstory' to the Photon lazer tag game. The series ran for 5-6 young adult novels around the time we'd have been in middle school.

Ginger's first school bus ride

Despite attending K3 for the first time the week prior, September 8th was the first day Ginger took the bus to and from school. Unlike our experience with Smiley, who was both picked up and dropped off in front of the house, Ginger must travel to a bus stop a few blocks away each morning (although she is dropped off at home).

The good thing about all of this is that it forces up to be up earlier, and because of that all the kids have been getting to school on time for once. Yay!

Here's how I captioned the following photos: My scared baby takes the bus for the first time




She was only upset for a minute or two, but I was nervous to see how she'd handle the day. This caption? A change of heart; Ginger after her bus trip home.

My Farm

What Beauty!

Today is my parent's 40th wedding anniversary. Congratulations to them, and may they enjoy 25 more together!

Towers of Midnight

I just finished Towers of Midnight, the 13th book in the Wheel of Time series. As expected, it's a well written, engaging storyline populated with characters you know better than you know yourself (and small wonder, unless you've written 13 autobiographies of 1000 pgs each). The sun has begun to set upon the Third Age; Tarmon Gai’don is near. May the Light preserve us all.

YaYa and LuLu's Troop

Stem Fest

Stem fest with brownie troop 3057 and junior troop 1373, sooo much fun. Silk screened our own bags, and made our own perfume. The girls were about as excited as the adults, lol. Can't use the perfume til Tuesday, and they're chompin' at the bit! Good times with great kids and even better fellow lady-scouts, lol. - Lisa

Nightmare on Elm Street

Just finished watching the new "Nightmare on Elm Street". It was pretty good, but I'm not a fan of the new Nancy, or the humorless Freddy. 

The worst part? The preschool picture, w/ all the kids in the ancient outfits? It was dated *1994*. I was wearing flannel and mourning Kurt when those buggers were being potty trained. Ugh.

Meadow's Birthday!