NOS4A2

Joe Hill is Stephen King's son, and a heck of a writer. I loved the book, BUT . . for the first time I finished one of his novels and couldn't have told you it was his or his Pop's. His voice was kind of lost in this one.

Grease Live

Great show, worthy of the original and watched by the family. Big Kudos to Vanessa Hudgens for kicking butt mere hours after her father passed away. And how nice that Rydell High was fully integrated and tolerant of interracial couples by 1958 lol!

(and lest I forget - I hung our floating headboard during the show)

It's an Opinion For Sure

The Andrews Sisters are the Nickelback of Big Band. #pass

George Michael

OMG - RIP sir  

From Wham! to the Faith album to the stunning performance at the Freddie Mercury tribute concert, Michaels was just fully intertwined with the cultural landscape of my youth. To lose him so soon. SMH. Wow. 

Descent by Tim Johnston

 A great literary thriller about loss and survival. Worth a read.

 Eating dinner at Omega with Lisa, Alex, and Trudy

Match Game

 A young #AphroditeJones is a contestant on this episode from 1978!

Contracted: Phase II

Rough morning with the hip. It wasn't helped by watching this pitiful, pointless excuse of a sequel.

30 Years Ago Today

 30 years ago today, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded.

A Milestone of Sorts

I was cleared to go down to a cane yesterday, although the hip was bad enough that I stuck with the crutch overnight. This morning, a milestone: I dropped the van off at the shop and purposely didn't call Lisa for a ride, choosing to walk home the block and a half instead. It's the longest continuous walk since the surgery. The hip didn't feel so good, but man o man was it good for the morale.

Update: Using the cane is exhausting, and not comfortable. :(

Goosebumps

A delightful movie. I rented it for Smiley yesterday and wind up liking it too.

Galactica: 1980

It has a horrific reputation, but the first episode is actually quite clever. I'm wondering if the series goes downhill fast, or if the haters just did what they do best and sabotaged it. update: I watched them all. It wasn't great, and it was inconsistent. I definitely didn't like seeing Adama subservient to Dr Zee. But it was enjoyable, and the Starbuck episode was great.

My Day

Yeah, I overdid it with the hip today. I don't think it was the short walk, but rather the overall impact of the first active day on the cane. It's nowhere near as comfortable or supportive as the crutch, and by the time I finished at Marquette I was wiped out. I'm back on the cooling machine for the first time in a few weeks. But I think it's just a bump in the road. Overall I'm getting much better.

LOL

Betty White, on Match Game 78: I never see pornographic movies.

Gene Rayburn: Why don't you ever see pornographic movies?

Betty White: Because I don't have a pornograph.

Nightmares

A nightmare filled night - picture the movie Aliens fought in a Minecraft world - probably brought on by the hip acting up. It woke me up several times. But you know, in daylight that premise actually sounds kinda cool. Someone should design that game.

Abe Vigoda

 RIP the great Abe Vigoda, age 94.  Man, I liked that guy. As Fish in Barney Miller, and of course as Tessio in The Godfather. 

Mary Tyler Moore

 RIP to the television LEGEND. 

 Tonight I watched a woman take notes nonstop, filling page after page with what could only be a near transcript of the class. I don't understand that process. Take down the pertinent points, jot down reminders to review troublesome areas, be thorough - but SOMETHING has to sink in, and some things are obvious. There's no need to write down that Sunday inevitably follows Saturday. Have some confidence

Henry Worsley

RIP 

 Watching  Star TOS "Arena". Great episode.

LOL

 #Ouch After Wendy's promoted their 4-for-$4 meal menu, Burger King promoted their own 5-for-$4 meal by writing on Twitter "5 is better than 4." When asked how Wendy's would respond, Wendy's wrote, "with edible food."

The X-Files Reboot

Lisa, annoyed the NFC Championship was on Fox: 

Aren't we watching X-Files tonight?

Me: Yup. It's on right after the game. For which I thank the Fox schedulers profusely.

Carson Palmer is a choker. It makes the Green Bay loss all the more pathetic.

I liked the new episode. Lisa, not so much.

Great Game

Wow. Congrats to Peyton Manning and the Broncos. Great game

A Dream of Smiley's, and a nightmare of mine

 I had a nightmare. Lisa and I got remarried, because some paperwork snafu rendered the last 20 years void. This time it was at the awful basement church that is St Roman's. Tre didn't stand for the Our Father, and I thought the whole thing reeked of a shotgun wedding. Lisa was thrilled tho, BC "all the dinnerware matches", which it did at our real wedding BTW, but this time it was all paper plates.

After the ceremony I had to pee, which annoyed Lisa, but the men's room had a long line. Thankfully St Roman's had urinal's up and down the hall, so I took advantage. Some guy chose to talk to me at the urinal, and I told him he was barking up the wrong tree .. We went home

After the honeymoon night Lisa vanished, presumably knowing she couldn't handle such skill. I put up missing posters, but the cops were no help. They kept saying she ran off, I'd say with what $, and they'd point out cabinets of shoes and accuse me of lying about our finances.

Then I noticed the screen door was open. I went out on the porch and Angel had gotten out and was staring down two lookalikes. Between them was a tiny, sparkling silver and black kitten. For some reason I kicked the kitten into the house (nicely) and the cats went nuts, and I woke up

Smiley had a dream too. He slipped into a pond, and it carried him back in time. He befriended a girl named Anna or

Alice, also a victim of time travel, and together they struggled to find a way back to the present. All the while they had to stay ahead of the locals, who viewed Smiley's watch and glasses as evidence of witchcraft.

TV

 I'm watching the 2016 Prudential US Figure Skating Championship with YaYa 

My Thoughts - On the Oscar

A ridiculous concession to those who prefer to win based on the color of their skin rather than the value of their work. It devalues the award, and forever stigmatizes any person of color who wins an Oscar.

YaYa and Politics

The insomniac otherwise known as YaYa initiated an intelligent and insightful political discussion with me last night. She's a young woman of strong, well-thought-out opinions. Once experience complements that brainpower she'll be a formidable force in any debate; I look forward to those conversations down the road. :)

TV Time with LuLu

Watching Kitchen Nightmares with Lulu. "Finn McCools" :)

And: Yesterday at work, a miracle: for almost two hours the pain was gone. Not just the awful stuff that comes and goes, but the constant ache that's kept me company for a year. Oh, it came back alright, but those two hours were a beaut. #GoodSign

Cookie Time!

It's Girl Scout cookie time! Send Junie your orders by commenting here. ($4/box)

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

Episode: "The Sky is Falling" 

This is the first time I've seen the show, and boy did the strength of the script surprise me. Well done

House of the Rising Sun

A wonderful, atmospheric novel set just after WWI. Part western, part action novel, part literary novel. James Lee Burke is a master

Warriors of the Storm by Bernard Cornwell

Another great tale of Saxon England by Bernard Cornwall.

SMH

A Kent State associate history professor is under investigation by the FBI for allegedly trying to recruit students to join ISIS!

LOL

Back to the Grind

 I started classes at Marquette yesterday, and went back to work. School went fine, work not so much. Spending 8 hours on an office chair older than some of my kids did the hip no favors. Yes, I was told I can get up and stretch if need be, but that doesn't quite do the trick. It's going to be an adventure - and to quote Louis L'amour, adventure is just another word for trouble.

Last Words by Michael Koryta

 Another good novel by Koryta

A lunchtime nap at HoHo's?

Went to lunch at a Chinese joint that doesn't always have the best reviews but has always been good to us and YaYa had to wake up the waitress in order to pay!! #truestory - Lisa

Thank You

 Just a big shout out to YaYa for helping me. I was cleaning my desk and computer. The Monitor was turned off but the computer was on. Anyway, after cleaning the key board I turned the monitor on (desk top) and it (Picture) was up side down. Miss YaYa informed me what to do. And, it worked. Love my grand kids...The clean my house, and now fix my computer. Thanks... Grandma Jeanne

Today on Match Game, which I watched with Lisa: Contestants Robin Marker and the memorably named Myrta May Meth

The First Flower to Grow in Space

This f-ing hip. Enough already

Glen Frey

Glenn Frey of the Eagle has died, age 67. 

I remember him for his solo work, given my age: The Heat is On, You Belong to the City,  I Found Somebody, and Smuggler's Moon. 

RIP

I finished my sci-fi novel!

At 3:40 this morning I finished the first draft of a novel I've been puttering around with since 2012, although the idea first came to me way back in 1986. I'll need to fine tune and polish it, but if I drop dead right now the story is there, on paper, and finally out of my head. I am relieved, and proud.

 In honor of Betty White's 94th birthday today, we are watching her on an old episode of Match Game. 

Da Day

Just dealt with an openly rude customer service rep from DirecTV. Lisa do not let me forget to complain about her on Monday

Anyway, after a nice, largely pain free day I had to climb out of bed and take a painkiller. Waiting for it to kick in before trying to zzzz again.

And Listen up Social Media! Green Bay Packers B.J. Raji on #Flipgate, complaints about the OT rules, etc: "That's sucker stuff, man. We lost the game. We should've won."

 I'm watching Match Game with LuLu

Tutoring

 My Dad tutoring YaYa at Zablocki library for her algebra final. He must be doing something right, as a stranger just came up and asked him for advice.

 We're playing the Family Feud Board Game for Family Fun Night 

Smiley's Work is On Display!

Smiley's artwork, on display at a local restaurant. Restaurant called "All in the family" at 1000 E Rawson Ave

LOL

Saw a panhandler on Holt & I-94 that had a sign reading "Why lie? I need beer."

Sinister 2

A rare sequel that comes close to the original. Close, but not quite. And sadly, that's makes the difference between a great horror film and a pretty good one.

Swim Letter

While the rest of #TeamSlap was at the party, YaYa attended her swim team

banquet. Plus, she got her letter in swim!

My Evening

Spent the last three hours listening to Big Band and writing 2400 words. Now watching an episode of Match Game before bed.

Phone Trouble

My phone broke over lunch, just fritzed out and became a brick. This happened only because it is a payday, and God enjoys cutting apart my budget. I bought a replacement. When I got home I told LuLu and asked if she wanted to see it.  

"Really? REALLY? My phone has had a cracked screen for six months, I can't use half the apps, and you still won't replace it! Ugh!" she said. 

Silence for a moment. 

"So . . .you don't want to see it?" I asked, deadpan.

"Argggggggghhh!!!!" LuLu said and stormed off. 

Lisa started laughing. "I would have HATED having you as my Dad."  she said.

My Grades

Finally got my grades from last semester. I got a B in Alternative Dispute Resolution, which is hooey, and a B+ in Constitutional Law 2. That puts my cumulative GPA at 3.0 for the first time in law school.

Dan Haggerty

RIP the great Wisconsin native Dan Haggerty, aka Grizzly Adams. Man I loved that show as a little kid. 

The Annual Christmas Party at Chuck E Cheese

Tonight was Grandma Jeanne 's annual Christmas party at Chuck E Cheese, which was combined with Jaspare's 78th birthday celebration. A great time was had by all!

My German and Polish children, born and raised south-siders (and Catholic to boot) don't like a Friday fish fry..... Where have I led them astray Lord!? Send me a sign so we can get them on the right path of beer batter and rye bread holiness!! - Lisa

Please Lawd May Her Taste Improve

When I was stopped at an intersection downtown, I rolled down the window & gave a young beggar a dollar.

"He. Is. CUTE!" YaYa said.

"The homeless guy?

" Yes. Admit it, he was cute." she said.

"He's either homeless, an addict, or a conman" I said. "Nice to see you have good taste in men."

My Day

YaYa & I went to Marquette to buy two books for the upcoming semester. Cost? Around $300, plus the cost of a parking ticket. Then we picked up Smiley and went to visit Louise, followed by a stop at Toys R Us, where I ran into Mike C. The kids were shocked I knew someone, because I am, of course, a social leper. Finally a stop at Walmart, where the last scooter was taken by a huge woman with no cane/crutch/brace, which certainly gives her priority over the guy hobbling around on a crutch and a surgically repaired hip.

But - Joe McIntyre is on Angel from Hell on Fox!

:(

Bad accident on 8th and Oklahoma, a crumpled minivan. Multiple ambulances on the scene. You could hear a woman inside scream in pain as you drove by. Say a prayer for her.

Rene Angelil

 René Angélil, the husband of Celene Dion, has died at age 73. RIP.

 did my theatre demonstration with Beatrice six minutes ago and i'm still shaking. i think i did well though

- YaYa

My Thoughts - Presidential Aging

Every eight years we get media stories about how the pressure of the Oval Office has aged the President - how  he turned gray & wrinkled as a consequence of the job. While I agree it's a horribly stressful life, that's ridiculous. The fact is most Presidents enter office at the latter stage of middle age, and 8 years on the beach in Bocca would still see their hair gray & their face age considerably. Good grief people, do YOU look the same as you did in 2008?

Wrong Answer Mr. President

Junie and the American Girl Dance

LK needed an American Doll for her dance class. Yeah, I know, right? But knock-offs are allowed and so we picked up a doll from Walmart and delivered it to her in class. If you were in New Berlin last night, you might have seen my wife cuddling with a doll as she drove down National Avenue.

My Hip

After two real good days with the hip, it's nothing but a world of pain this morning. Lisa keeps saying my expectations were too high, and that I'm doing great, but right now I'm in a woe is me/all is lost kind of mood. I'm sure I'm pleasant company.

The Martian

I watched this on Smiely's recommendation (he saw it in the theater with his friend Evan). Great movie. Rent it!

Good News

After physical therapy I stopped and weighed myself at a Dr's office down the road from my house, as I have every week for over a year. I was worried that after 3 weeks of inactivity my weight would soar; in the 2 wks before surgery I'd gained 8 pounds after eating my pain and anxiety. Instead, I've LOST nearly 3 pounds, and am down 66 pounds overall. I'm still a "before picture" and I need to get active again to lose the weight and preserve the hip. But that scale took a lot off my mind today.

The Last Samarai

It completely romanticizes the passing of a brutal and feudalistic culture best left in the dirt, but if you can forgive that it's one hell of a movie. Tom Cruise, as usual, was great.

A Brutal Night

Brutal night with the hip, the start of which coincided with a trip to Office Max for supplies for YaYa's portfolio. If you think the veneer of civilization was thin in Lord of the Flies, you should have heard my response to a sales clerk who merrily suggested I hobble to three different aisles and thus save her the trouble of knowing her own store's layout.

David Bowie

RIP music legend David Bowie. He was as good as advertised.  :(

Get Your Priorities Straight

In America you can rape and kill a woman, then burn her body, and have millions cheer for you based on a half-assed documentary. But hold a football with the laces in on a cold winter's day in Minnesota and the net fills with calls for your death. #ScrewedUpPopulace #Vikings

The Equalizer

More bad parenting on my part,as I let YaYa and LuLu watch, but this was a great (and bloody) movie. Some great camerawork too. I think Denzel might just be the baddest movie hero I've seen yet.

Sucess!

YaYa and I just managed the impossible: we trimmed the nails on all but one of Custard's paws. I think she drew some blood in retribution, but it's telling she trusted us enough to be held in the first place.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

I won $4 playing Powerball. That's $949 million less than I expected, and a net loss, but I'll take it.

Kneel Then Meal

Post-Mass dinner of homemade french fries, ground round hamburgers infused with Worcestershire sauce, topped by lettuce, mushrooms, pepper jack cheese, pickles and 1000 island dressing on a butter grilled sesame seed bun.

The Green Inferno

A gruesome movie, but not a bad one. And it led to a lot of discussion about female genital mutilation.

An Update on Lisa's Knee

We just left the hospital after Lisa's MRI on her injured knee from when she fell shoveling snow. They said it would take 35 minutes. It wound up being an hour and a half.

A Hip Setback

I'm back on crutches, having been scolded by the physical therapist for jumping to a cane too early. Truth be told, it is easier on the hip this way. But as a compromise, he said it'd be OK if I just used one crutch.

Amen

A Good Idea of Mine

There should be - if there aren't already - temporary handicap parking permits. The walk from the busy parking structure to the doctor's office just about destroyed me.

Dreams

 These wacky true-to-life dreams that are plaguing me the last couple nights can end now.... My mind feels like it's going to burst! - Lisa

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

I had the honor of repaying my Dad for taking me to Empire Strikes Back many moons ago by treating him to SW: The Force Awakens tonight. It was his first time at the Avalon in forty years, and from his reactions he liked both the theater and the film. Love you Pop!

A Flat Tire and Ineffective Service

My luck: blew a tire on the van and unable to change it with the hip. Waiting for roadside assistance.

So I'm stuck with a blown tire off its rim, a spare tire on the ground, and four of five lugnuts off. Just stuck. I look across the street, see an open sign in a crowded auto shop, and call them. They don't send people out as a rule, and are very busy, but I leverage my surgery and by golly they send a guy of normal, red-blooded American size, and he gets the last nut off eezy peezy. "Stripped" my ass. He then put the spare on for me. They charged me for the service, but not much, and I was glad to pay. 

As soon as I got home I called my insurance company and filed a complaint, slipping a little in my language at times, and telling them maybe they shouldn't contract with a company that employs runts to do a physical job. Small people SUCK. They agreed to reimburse me in full for what I paid to the garage, and allegedly will follow up with the service company. It's bigotry really, subconscious or not - someone sees a big strong guy and the level of help provided to them drops precipitously, even if he's (temporarily) crippled. Bulls*it it would have gone down like that if I was an old lady or even a runt of similar size. 

That About Sums it Up Anakin