Unbelievable! Gross Incompetence

I just checked my bank account and was floored when I discovered that iconic downtown restaurant Real Chilli charged me ........$1708.21 (!) for a couple of hot dogs for the kids and a bowl of chili. I got the # for the restaurant owner who said he saw the charge go through, knew it was an error, and lacking my name, was "waiting for an angry customer to call". Well, mission accomplished. There is a mortgage check and utility payments in the mail and now disaster looms, although the owner claims he'll cover all charges if that happens before he can reverse the charge Monday morning. What a life.

Spring Grades

Spring grades were posted. I didn't do as well as I hoped, notching only a B and a B- and taking a 2.912 GPA into the fall. 

The B in Civil Procedure ticks me off, b/c even in looking over the material in retrospect, I thought I kicked ass on the final. I'm left shaking my head and wondering what I have to do to earn an A.

Maybe it's beyond me. 

That said, that B- in Property Law features an obligatory reduction of my final grade because car trouble caused me to be late for the final, and the Professor informed me of the penalty before I was allowed to start the exam. Sooooooo, looking at it in that light, and remembering the awful stress that put on me in the moment, I guess I'll notch that as a shaky "win", or at least a draw.

As is almost always the case, EGBAR.

Maya Angelou

RIP Maya Angelou

Quote of the Day

You can delegate authority, but not responsibility." - Stephen W. Comiskey

With Lisa and the youngest two at Marquette School of Dentistry

Godzilla

I took advantage of $5 Tuesday's to take the oldest three and their friend Sydney to see Godzilla. I liked but didn't love it.

YaYa is amazing okok thanks ❤ ❤ - YaYa

The 2014 Memorial Day Parade

Junie Gets a Check Up!

Annual check up. 49" tall, 54#

Lisa and Junie Read a Book

Woods Cemetery

At Wood National Cemetery with the kids that didn't accompany us to the parade. Yes, I know it's Memorial Day, not Veteran's Day. We were merely paying our respects.

The Memorial Day Parade

Downtown on WI and Van Buren awaiting the Memorial Day parade. Front row seats in the shade no less...

Jump Rope

Smiley and I went to the park to skip rope. There are pics of me in action too but I'll spare you the horror.

Quote of the Day

Never do a wrong thing to make a friend or to keep one." - Robert E. Lee

Happy Birthday Sir!

Pearl Jam is playing the Bradley Center on Lisa's birthday/my Dad's birthday (Oct 20th). A little too close to some big events to part easily with any $, but it sure would be nice

Yup

To quote someone online: If your political party doesn't include people who make you uncomfortable, it's probably not broad enough to win a general election.

A copyright issue? After 40 years?

A lawyer is claiming Led Zeppelin "stole" the intro for "Stairway to Heaven" from Spirit's 1968 song "Taurus." Nice of them to notice FORTY THREE YEARS later. Lame.

News from Asia

In Thailand the military has declared martial law which came as a bit of a surprise to the government they supposedly serve. SE Asia is a mess at the moment.

TV Night

Lamest #TheAmazingRace finale ever. No intellectual challenge, winners I can't stand, and runner-up's that got there by shady means. #fail 

 Watching #DWTS and gagging over Maks and Meryl. How's about letting her feet hit the ground and *dance* instead of just tossing her around? #sickoftheoverrated

Septic Pencils

Good eye Yaya

Happy Birthday Rubiks Cube!

Today is the 40th anniversary of the creation of Rubik's Cube. No, I never solved it. Well, I did once - by moving all the colored stickers around. Outside of that my biggest memory of it is wanting to buy it at a school fair as a Christmas gift for my sister Katie. It was $5, and I didn't have enough money.

Callum Smith

I just watched Callum Smith, a good looking young fighter from Liverpool, deliver a four - 4! - knocknown round against Tobias Webb. Each knockdown was from a single body shot, and by the fourth and final one there wasn't much left of Webb. Yowsers - what a great fight to watch (unless you're Tobias Webb).

Earlier Today at the Park with Smiley and Junie

Jerry Vale

RIP crooner Jerry Vale, age 83

A Mixed Day

We had a very nice day overall. I went for a short walk with the kids, bought a nice patio umbrella for all of $2 from a rummage, played with the lil' ones at the park, then took the kids to the grocery store. When we got back I BBQ'd some hamburgers and corn on the cob, and as twilight descended we sat in the back yard with our friend listening to the trains in the distance. I remember thinking it would be a shame if #TeamSlap ever broke apart, and that I would miss moments like that . . . AND THEN Lu started in with Smiley, then it was the oldest two going at it, then I punished YaYa and Lisa scolded *me* saying I punished the victim not the aggressor, and I told her it'd be swell if she backed me up when I disciplined the kids,,then I noticed GusGus stroll down the alley, having escaped yet again, and I sent the kids to bed, so Smiley came down and screamed that "No one likes you Dad. NO ONE!", and Lisa had enough and decided to hit the sack at all of 8:40, and GusGus only now (at 11) decided to prance home, and I have yet to put dinner away...soooo . . . basically the whole neighborhood has confirmed, yet again, that we are a collection of dinkleberries. And now, because I am yacking here, so does FB.

Cool Rider

Lisa spent the day at J-Town (part of Junior Achievement) as the manager of a Chase Bank, helping make Lu's field trip a blast!

H.R. Giger

RIP artist H.R. Giger, best known as the designer of the "Alien" from the movie of the same name

The McCarthy's

premiering Fall 2014: "The McCarthys" (CBS) This Boston-based sitcom about a boisterous Irish-Catholic family and their gay son was passed over last season, but got picked up this year after extensive retooling. "Roseanne" alum Laurie Metcalf and New Kid Joey McIntyre are on tap to star.

He's Back

The runaway (cat) has returned, current typhoon be danged!