Stacey's 8th Grade Graduation Party!

My niece's 8th grade graduation picnic at Jackson Park today.

Birthday Shopping with LuLu

Birthday shopping. She got the Captain America phone case, but not the dress

Full House

Lisa and I are watching Full House and poor Michelle just had her best friend Teddy move away to Armarillo 🙁

To put a bit of normalcy back into my day I took a twilight bike ride with Junie, 2.2 miles round trip. 🙂

Monaghan/Conceicao and Tapia/Soro. During the first fight Murr from #ImpracticalJokers made an appearance holding a sign saying he hates boxing, no doubt a punishment for a future episode! Update: both fights were good but the headline was a beaut, ending with an upset TKO by Soro to take the belt.

Fickle Kids

Made a delicious dinner of chicken spinach n feta sausage with noodles, alfredo n chopped spinach. Problem is the kids are already calling foul and protesting. Ugh..... Can't live on pizza, chicken breast, spaghetti, & hamburgers alone people! - Lisa

Check out the Green Sheet in today's Journal-Sentinel. It has a story about Gerald Kloss, the comic poet laureate of the old Journal, and an example of his work from '77. I was and am a big fan of Kloss and I'm tickled to hear he's still around at age 90.

Float on air!

I remember this ad quite well.

My Wheels

In case you were wondering what my 29" bike looks like, which of course you were not. It now features a rear rack too.

A Change in Plans

After my Dad abruptly cxld plans to take in a Brewers game, #TeamSlap enjoyed a great BBQ today courtesy of Alex Q and family. Afterwards Alex and his son went with me to see #MadMax. This being my second viewing I was able to put aside the fact that Max isn't the star and enjoy it for what it is: a stunning action film, maybe one of the best ever. Still not a great 'Mad Max' film tho.

For the record, today marks 50 years since Sonny Liston threw his second fight with Muhammed Ali, falling to the canvas courtesy of the infamous "phantom punch".

In Honor of the Fallen

Because today is for those who have fallen.

Jupiter Ascending

Not half as bad as advertised. I rather enjoyed it.

Junie sees NKOTB!

On their way to see #NewKidsOnTheBlock in Chicago! All four kids of #TeamSlap will now be able to say their first concert was NKOTB - a tribute to the group's longevity. Have fun ladies!!

Positive by David Wellington

Just finished this book, a post-apocalyptic zombie tale about infected humans scratching out a place in the world. A little young-adult at times, but a good read.

News from the Boy Scouts

Good! About dang time!

A Dateline Lesson

Watching #Dateline. Lesson reinforced: it's the kill kit that'll convict you. Buy it all with cash at different times, at different places. And throw away the receipt. The idiot asked the cashier at Walmart for lime! lol

Ready OkieOh!

Just played our first game of Zombie in what, a year?? Great fun with Smiley and Junie. Ready Okieoh!!

Grilling out on a day grown cold and foggy

Pitch Perfect 2

Lisa is at The Avalon watching Pitch Perfect 2 with my oldest three. Meanwhile I've weeded, aerated and sifted one of the two garden beds that have laid fallow and overgrown since '12.

The Cryptic TP

Why put the roll on and dispose of the cardboard tube when you can do cyptic art on the tube instead? Sigh.... - Lisa

Breaking Bad

Lisa and I just finished Season One. What a great show so far.

The verdict on Smiley's ankle: a fracture on the growth plate and a torn ligament. He'll be in a cast for three weeks and a walking boot after that, along with possible physical therapy. There is some concern his summer camp may need to be canceled or rescheduled, but hopefully that won't be the case. Mucho thanks to Lisa for enduring a three hour orthopedic visit with him.

I just biked here to the post office with Lisa and Junie

May Tyler Lu

Today Lulu was rocking the Mary Tyler Moore look. (that's a compliment, kid)

Quote of the Day

Me, to Lisa, as we lay in bed last night: "This isn't my pillow - no way you'd let me have something this comfortable."

Sick Days

Yesterday was quite the evening. Smiley hurt his ankle in gym class and after walking with a pronounced limp at his dentist appt, Lisa took him to urgent care. 

The diagnosis? A broken ankle, a cast, and crutches. [Some good news: he still needs to be seen by an ortho to confirm the diagnosis and God willing, maybe they read the X-rays wrong.] 

Junie had a high fever and sore throat and went with him to the ER, where she was diagnosed with step throat. Minus two of my favorite riding partners, I had to bike to Walgreens alone to fill her prescription 🙁

Parallels

It's our first day back on Netflix in a year, and first up for me was this movie length sci-fi pilot about a family searching parallel Earth's for their missing father. Pretty darn good. I hope it inspires enough interest to kick off a series.

I'm bored. It's almost as bad as being the patient. ALMOST - with the three youngest kids at Marquette School of Dentistry

Mother's Day

Treating Lisa for Mother's Day at Red Robin and waiting waaay too long for service

25 years ago today: the big snowstorm!

25 years ago,on a day I remember very well as a high school student, Milwaukee was hit by a snowstorm - ON MAY 10TH! 

Here's Vince Condella, WITI meteorologist, talking about his memories of that day: 

25 years ago today (May 10, 1990) I awoke to quite a surprise. Actually everybody was surprised. On the TV6 News at 10 the previous night, my forecast called for a chilly, cloudy day ahead with light rain. But overnight the weather system intensified, or deepened as we call it in the meteorology business. That increase in intensity brought colder air into the system and changed any rain to snow overnight. I couldn't believe when I woke up and heard reports on the radio of a heavy wet snow. I was hoping it was a dream. No such luck. And because we had warm weather in the previous weeks, including temperatures in the 80s in late April, the trees were budding and full of new leaves. Those leaves got loaded with the heavy wet snow and came down, bringing power lines with it.

Mother's Day

Me and Junie

Had such a great time tonight seeing the kids dance...😊 - Cousin Mindy