YaYa's Dorm

the photos are kinda blurry but I think we can hand the "coolest dorm ever" award to my sister  -Junie

The Dorm

all moved in to sandburg! 💓 YaYa

First Day of College!!!

Although classes don't start until after Labor Day, YaYa moved into the dorms today. A new chapter has begun for her, and we couldn't be prouder!

Nap Time

Nap time

Firestorm #17 and the Day my Grandpa Died

On the day my grandpa died in 1983, a family member - their identity long lost to memory - bought a handful of comic books and brought them to our house in a thoughtful effort to distract me from my grief. Yesterday, thumbing through the dollar bin at the comic store with Junie,  this cover triggered a long lost memory. As I flipped through the book, the memory was confirmed; this issue of Firestorm was one of the books from that awful day. I'm happy to own a copy again - and under much better circumstances.

update: (from my sister Katie)  

Auntie Dolores had her daughters bring comic books and food from the open pantry they owned for us. Auntie Dolores watched us while mom and grandma went to take care of grandpa’s needs.

Gotti

I know this movie was tore apart by critics, and I acknowledge it wrongly sanctifies both Gotti and his son.  But you know what?  I really enjoyed it.  I thought it was a fine biopic with what *I* think was a stunning performance by John Travolta. It's worth renting for Travolta's work alone.

A Message to the Kids

Woke up just now with my heart so full of love in my heart for my kids. Don’t know what I was dreaming about that led to that feeling but when you feel it you should share it! YaYa, LuLu, Smiley, Junie💕💜 I’m so blessed to have been given the opportunity to be your mom.

Junie asked me the other day what my favorite age kid is and I couldn’t give her a straight answer. Pros and cons to all the ages but I love just watching them grow and change. They make me laugh every day! For all the dreams and hopes I have for them my biggest goal was always to raise people that I liked....and these four people are so likable, funny, genuine, and strong!! Every.one.of.them!!! So blessed. Tomorrow my post may be an auction to sell them to the highest bidder, lol, but for now I’ll embrace this warmth in my heart for these four beautiful people!!! 

Dan you ain’t so shabby either my love

- Lisa

Grasshopper

A very large grasshopper in the back yard.

The Popeye's Craze and Indian Food

I finally got the Indian food I was craving. Shout out to cafe India. Yum! Thanks Dan. The Popeyes spicy chicken sandwich with all the buzz will have to wait. The first location had 15 cars in line and the second location was sold out!

Bit-O-Paradise is more like it!

Best.  Candy. Evah. You can argue otherwise - but you're just lying to yourself.

A professor just wrote and offered me a research assistant position. I don't know what the job entails, but I know this - that's the last credit I need to graduate from this place.

The First Day of the Last Semester of Law School

Gawd I look awful.  But I look awful on the  first day of the last semester of law school, the (presumed) end to a long and difficult six year process.  So there's that.

Peter Fonda

If you're cheering Peter Fonda's death/ rooting for him to burn in hell bc of his politics, or something he said on Twitter, you're a burden to the cause and no better than a Lefty who can't separate politics from humanity.  Go away.

RIP Peter. 

The 36th Grandpa's Day

Yesterday was the 36th anniversary of Grandpa's Day, and while he was on my mind all day, it wasn't until today that I visited the cemetary. Afterwards we stopped and visited my folks. A nice little afternoon.

YaYa's Avatar

The First Day of (High School) School Year

Today my #Centerpieces went back to school, Lulu as a junior, Smiley as a freshman. #ProudParents #MuchLove

My Boo

I took yet another Boo to the promised land of level 60, but unlike past triumphs this one didn't spawn a new Boo for me. It looks like the game has tapped out, acknowledging my greatness, but in doing so it denies some young Boo the honor of a future championship.

Epstein and Clinton

I'm the guy that rejects conspiracies . .  But an awful lot of people with dirt on the Clinton's  wind up six feet deep. #ForReal #TooMany

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

My 2nd viewing, but the first for Lisa I love it.

Remember Them

What people remember most about the occupants of Cielo Drive on August 9th 1969 is their brutal end, and their status as victims.  But a life shouldn't be remembered only by its end.  Sharon Tate was an up and coming actress who was legitimately considered one of the nicest people you would ever meet. Jay Sebring revolutionized men's hair care and achieved fame of his own - he guest starred on Batman as a character modeled after himself 'Jay Oceanbring.' Abagail Folger, despite being the heiress to the coffee fortune, was a social worker in the slums of Los Angeles. Wojciech Frykowski survived the occupation of WWII Poland, and the subsequent communist takeover, and helped kickstart the career of Roman Polanski by financing one of his first films. Steven Parent had dreams of college and had overcome legal problems in his youth. Like every victim, they were so much more than a statistic, so much more than a body on the ground.  They deserved better.  They didn't have the chance to live on; let's make sure at least  their memory does. RIP. 

A Timeline to Tragedy - pt 2

At this moment 50 years ago (1145pm PT) 18 year old Steven Parent entered the Cielo Dr property after getting off work at his 2nd job.  Some weeks earlier he'd given a ride to the property caretaker, and while he wasn't expected this night, Steven took the opportunity to stop by and say hello to him. He and the caretaker enjoyed a beer, and Steven, an electronics fan, unsuccessfully tried to sell the caretaker a Sony Digimatic alarm clock. 

As the calendar flipped to August 9th on Cielo Drive, Frykowski was asleep on the living room couch; Folger was reading in bed and had booked a 10am flight to visit her mother; 8 month pregnant Tate and celebrity hairdresser Sebring sat talking on her bed. And outside the main gate, Manson disciple Tex Watson was about to climb a telephone pole and cut the wires to the house. . .

At 1215am PT, Steven Parent used the caretaker's phone to call a friend and tell him he'd be stopping by shortly. He said goodbye and started his car. As he drove toward the main gate he was stopped and approached by Watson. Four shots followed, ending the young man's life. Although neighbor's later claimed to have heard the shots (and went back to bed) they apparently went unnoticed by the residents of the property. Moving past the body in the car, the four killers approached the house. .

At around 1220am PT 50 years ago Watson cut a window screen and entered the home, then unlocked the front door to admit Atkins and Krenwinkel, leaving Linda Kasabian outside as a lookout. Watson woke Fykowski with a kick to the head and announced that he was the devil, there "to do the devil's business.' The two women went down the hall to collect the others; Folger initially waved to one of the killers, believing her to be just another guest of Sharon's. The killer cheerfully waved back.

At about this time 50 years ago (1230AM PT) the four friends were forced into the living room. A rope was tied around both Sebring and Tate's necks and tossed over a rafter. Sebring objected to the treatment of the pregnant Tate; for his efforts Watson calmly shot him, leaving him to bleed out on the rug....

With Sebring dying chaos erupted. Realizing this was no mere robbery Frykowski escaped his bonds and grappled with Atkins. Despite stabbing him repeatedly in the legs she was losing and appealed to Watson for help. Eventually Wojciech would make it as far as the lawn before succumbing; it took multiple gunshots, 13 verifiable blows to the head, and 51 stab wounds to kill the Pole. The head injuries came from the pistol Watson carried, whose grip broke during the struggle, leaving behind a vital piece of evidence.

Meanwhile Folger attacked Krinwinkel and despite a stab wound escaped out the pool door in Sharon's room. She was overtaken on the lawn and stabbed to death as she pled for them to stop, saying she was "already dead.". In the morning the police would initially think her white nightgown was red, given the amount of blood it bore.

Tate died last, unable to flee because of the rope and the pregnancy. She begged to be kept a hostage long enough to have her baby; instead she died brutally near Sebring, calling out for her mother. Susan Atkins dipped a towel in her blood and wrote PIG on the door, then casually tossed the towel back into the living room. It landed on Sebrings face, erroneously creating a rumor the victims were hooded. By 1245, if not sooner, it was done.

A Timeline to Tragedy

50 yrs ago, at roughly this moment, Jay Sebring, Sharon Tate, Abagail Folger, and Wojciech Frykowski arrived for an 8pm (PT) reservation at the El Coyote Cafe. It was a busy Friday night, and the quartet waited in the bar 15 minutes before being seated in their booth. It was to be their final meal.

The 4 friends finished their meal and departed for Tate's home at 10050 Ceilio Dr.  Although they didn't realize it, Charlie Manson had visited the address on March 23rd, looking for the previous tenant, and had seen Tate. By the time the group finished dining on Aug 8th, Manson had ordered the occupants of the home executed.

A Barbie Post

drove around with my dad and my doll lisa - Junie

50 Years Ago Today - Abbey Road

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday to the newest - and best - 12 year old in the world! We love you more than lips can tell. Sto lot!

Dan 💕 our kids are blessed to have u. - Lisa

MOR Bakery

LuLu invited me to dine at her workplace Friday, and I proudly accepted.  I felt very loved in that moment - and the soup was pretty good too!

Heiress, '69

This was an unusual short film.  Two students arrive at a philosophy class to discuss fate vs individual choice. Their instructor?  Abagail Folger, a victim who died at the hands of the Manson Family fifty years prior. Together they discuss her life and murder, and the role her own choices played in putting her in Sharon Tate's home.  Aside from the horrible acting of the female student, it was well done and impactful, and a nice tribute to an often overlooked victim. Available on Amazon Prime.