Moonfall

 

I'm not going to say something snarky like "I'm dumber for having watched this," but I would have when this blog was new. 

The moon, affected by what appears to be an alien life form, breaks its orbit and approaches Earth, causing chaos and disaster around the globe. Two intrepid astronauts - one, of course, stripped of his job and his reputation for having warned the world in the first place - take off on a missiont o save the world. 

I am not a scientist, but I'm pretty sure 95% of this movie was hooey - there is a moon, so they got that right - and if you can't predict every action in the plot then congratulations on watching your very first movie!

That said, it was entertaining enough to pass the time. So it wasn't all bad.

Grade: C 

Cindy Williams

It's hard to put into words how much I loved Laverne and Shirley when I was a young kid. I really did. And now they're both gone.

Cindy Williams - Shirley - has died at 75 after a short illness. 

RIP

When You Finish Saving The World

This movie is impeccable, almost an art film.  Did I watch it [January 20th] just because my youngest is a Finn super fan and I was forced? Absolutely.  Would I recommend it to a non fan? Absolutely.  Julianne Moore was awesome too. Go see it, you'll enjoy it. - Lisa

How to Tip Your Server

Smiley couldn't dig his car out of the snow in time for work so I drove him this morning. Cut ahead eight hours. I had to take the exchange kids to the mall. Rather than keep going back and forth I went to his restaurant and had coffee to wait out the hour until he was off. 

He gave me the check. $3.10, and I gave him a twenty dollar bill. 

"Do you need change?" he asked

"No. Take $6.90 as a tip and put ten towards the garbage bags you bought for us." I said. 

"The garbage bags were fifteen," he responded. 

"Ok. Then take $1.90 as a tip and fifteen for the bags"

LOL

Thumbs up from R.L. Stine

goosebumps man responded -  YaYa

Idiocy

Alec Baldwin intends to finish 'Rust' production despite facing involuntary manslaughter charges, source says. Despite facing involuntary manslaughter charges connected to the “Rust” set shooting death of a cinematographer, Alec Baldwin intends to finish the movie's production.

THIS IS NUTS TO ME.

- Lisa

Moments that Have Altered my Brain While Working at McDonald's - by Junie

 Moments while working at McDonald’s that have definitely altered my brain 

1. The time I spilled a 2.5 gallon bag of Caramel frappe mix and my manager tried to clean it up and then spilt another 2.5 gallon bag of mocha frappe mix

2. The time a guy refused to go pull up into the parking spot and so my coworker was instructed to just go outside and wait with the food in the parking lot until he pulled up and got it

3. When I got an order for 32 cents.

4. The time a guy and his wife pulled up to the first window where I was working and asked me if id ever been to chipotle and when I lied and said no he asked if id ever been to qudoba and then proceeded to call me a bitch after I said no again 

5. When a guy came into the drive thru PLASTERED and his eyes were so bloodshot that I thought he was blind and I proceeded to defend him to my coworker who said he was drunk until I realized..that you can’t drive if you’re blind 

6. When I spent the entire shift being made fun of by my coworkers for liking Taylor swift 

7. When my family wanted food for the fireworks and so I ordered a big order and spent 20 mins packing it up just to walk into the lobby and have the bag break. I spent 5 mins picking up nuggets and fries off the ground 

8. When my manager picked up a customers dollar off of the ground and it had cocaine folded into it

9. When I was taking orders and started the order with “what do you want.” on accident

10. When my coworker shit herself 

11. When my coworker pissed herself 2x

12. When my coworker pissed herself and then sat in it for the rest of her shift

13. When said unpottytrained coworker made my other coworker cry because she refused to stand up and take orders bcuz of her “knees” even tho my other coworker literally walks with a walker and STILL stands for orders 😭

14. When one of my older coworkers saw a customer (who was male) with nail polish on and ranted to me about how it was disgusting and vile and weird and how angry it made me and how “only women should do that”

15. When I had an argument w my coworker about abortion after seeing a roe v wade protest 

16. My manager getting into a fight with this old dude because he wanted to sit in the lobby when it was closed followed by him screaming that she was ableist (??)

17. When I had to serve my best friend’s ex and they asked if she hated her ( she did )

18. When the line during a Night Shift was so long and stagnant because one of the cars wasn’t moving and we were all wondering why and then my manager went outside to check what was going on and the driver of the car was KNOCKED OUTTTT asleep and he had to wake him up 😭😭

19. My coworker throwing ice down my shirt while I was doing dishes

Amen

 nothing will humble you more than working out for the first time in awhile - LuLu

Congratulations to new HOF'er Fred McGriff!

On the heels of my Scott Rolen post you might think I'm equally down on Fred McGriff getting into Cooperstown via the Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee. Not so. 

McGriff was a model of power and consistency that went largely unheralded in the shadow of the numbers put up in the Steroid Era. 

Congratulations sir!

Scott Rolen should NOT be in Cooperstown

Ok, nothing against Scott Rolen as a human being - I mean, I don't know if he's more Mother Theresa or Pol Pot, to be honest, but I'm assuming he's a'ight.

 But as a player? He shouldn't be a Hall of Famer. 

Now, MLB is doing a full on propaganda offensive to convince you he is. But no. I'm not buying it.  It is/was/was commonly perceived as the most exclusive HOF of any sport.  It should remain so. 

2077 hits, a .220 postseason average, 316 home runs (in a super HR favorable era). It doesn't scream Hall of Fame to me. 

And honestly, isn't that something that SHOULD be a criteria for the Hall?  You should hear a guy's name and nod, content that the voters got it right (or near enough for horseshoes).  I appreciated Rolen as a solid player, a very good player, but I never even thought he'd sniff Cooperstown. And I think that was the consensus during his career. He only cracked the top ten in MVP votes once, and only got any votes at all four times. 

If we're being honest, he's in because the players *actually* worthy of the Hall are shadow banned for steroids (Bonds, Clemens, Arod, etc) and so the BBWAA must conjure up a name and pretend they are doing their due diligence. 

Rolen isn't the most egregious admission to the Hall. It still doesn't make it right. 

The Craziest Things

Junie asked me the craziest things that happened when I was a waitress many years ago and they're kinda neat so I thought I'd share here.

1. Serving my now husband breakfast at Webbs and 30 min after meeting him declaring, "I'm going to have to marry you" Just call him Nostradamus. 

2. When I burnt E. Michael McCann's toast during the Jeffrey Dahmer trial because I DID recognize him and I was awe struck. For those unaware he was Milwaukee County District Attorney from

 1969 – 2007

- Lisa

I'm tired of hearing it

“your camera takes such nice photos”

yeah my entry level dslr certainly does all the work for me - Yaya

My LIttle One circa 2011

 

Pretty Girl

How I Decorated my Cubicle for Christmas 2022

Ali Siddiq - Live at the Vic Theater in Chicago

 We left Milwaukee at around 4:30, too late to grab dinner and still make the 7pm show.  SpotHero found us a parking spot about half a mile from the venue, down Seminary, and it was a nice walk though what I imagine is Chicago's version of Bay View - plenty of nice shops and homes, plenty of people out walking dogs, a feeling of safety but with enough graffiti to remind you you were in Chi-Town. 

The Vic was built as the Victoria Theater back in 1912, the same year the Titanic sank, and apparently, they ADORED stairs in 1912. 

Now, I'm not talking about a simple, utilitarian use of stairs to carry patrons from one level of the building to another. Oh no. There are THREE flights of descending stairs and a winding passage (ending in a large step) just to reach the restrooms, and steps galore throughout. You want to move six feet to your left? Go down a flight, then up another.   Architect John E.O. Pridmore and M.C. Escher must have been kin. 

But all kidding aside, the theater is gorgeous. 

Here's Lisa with her $24 drink 

We had balcony seats (row K, seats 302 and 301) and our view was fine, although Lisa thought we lost a lot in not being able to see Ali's facial expressions. Both Siddiq and his opener (dang, I wish I recalled his name) were hilarious, and I laughed a lot. 

But while we could hear the opener fine, most of Ali's first ten minutes were a mystery, until people in the balcony started yelling that we couldn't hear. After that it greatly improved, although you still had to pay attention or risk losing a word or two. 

A great time, and we'd definitely see him again. Check him out on Youtube!

Sal Bando

Sal Bando might have been an awful GM for the Brewers, but he was an awesome 3rd baseman, earning 3 rings with the A's and helping the Crew to its first postseason appearance in 1981.

RIP

The older I get, the better advice this is

 

A Church Fish fry for Dem

Although he's been to a "fancy" fish fry at the Packing House, Dem had yet to experience the heart and soul of the practice - a Milwaukee church fish fry. So I took him to St. Augustine's for their very popular event. 

We both got fried fish (I normally order baked), fries (instead of round potatoes) and he had a few shrimp added to the plate, along with mandatory green beans that - gasp! - he did not eat. I had coffee, he had milk. 

I asked him if he's willingly eaten a single vegetable, any vegetable, since his arrival in September. .

 "Isn't there any vegetable you like? 

"Bok choy" he said. 

"Ok, that's great. I'll make sure we get some next week."

"Yes,I like it fried in oyster sauce. With chili all over it."

Pause. 

"So, basically, completely destroying any record that it was a vegetable?"

Laughs. "Sort of."

The church basement was packed, and loud. Father Philip said hello to us, and families were everywhere. Very young babies (I heard one said to be five weeks old) were on display by their parents, a sort of coming out party to the community. Along the wall, for the length of the rom, ran a narrow bench/shelf on the wall, ending right at our table.  

These two little girls, four or five at the oldest, and dressed in their Sunday best, would run down the bench and stop right by us.  I would nod and say "Hello Ladies." and they would run back down to their parents, then begin the journey back to us, again and again. 

Dem was confused, but I found the whole sense of community wonderful. 

Dessert was homemade, donated chocolate bundt cake.  The woman who served it to us? The mother of that five week old lol

Dem ate everything save for the green beans, and pronounced it good fish. I, personally, think it lost a little something after the break for Covid. But that might be nostalgia talking. I hope we'll be back again before Dem returns to Thailand!

(btw, that is Father Philip in the background, with the gray vest) 

Great news!

Surgeon just called. Fantastic news!!! They were not only able to unblock one leg...but both! Soooo she will not need to have the additional bi pass surgery. Mom's doing great!!! - Lisa

David Crosby

Folk singer/Songwriter, David Crosby, a founding member of both Crosby, Stills & Nash and The Byrds has passed away.  The day before he died he tweeted that heaven was "overrated" and "cloudy."

RIP.

Alec Baldwin has been Charged

Legally, I think this is warranted. He didn't intend to hurt anyone, but the standard for involuntary manslaughter is when a person recklessly or negligently commits an act that results in the death of another person. He seems to have ignored industry standards when he handled the gun (reckless) and moreover, as the executive producer, his failure to properly vet the firearms staff and supervise their work would satifsy the standards of criminal negligence. 

Do I think he'll be found guilty? He's got good lawyers, plenty of access to the press, and the death was a tragic accident, of a kind rare enough for the public to be divided on its merit. So I think he'll plea down to a lesser charge and avoid time, be that right or wrong. 

Nap Time For The Huckle

Nap nap  time. 

New Music from Miley Cyrus

Miley and her pettiness is the perfect storm that creates memorable music. I'm so here for it. Released on his bday too? Lol...she's never going to behave, she will 100% find a partner who embraces the misbehavior! -Lisa 

Amen

Lesson of the day: the ones who demand you take the high road seem to not be able to hold themselves to the same expectation . - Lisa

Happy 1.5 Year Anniversary!

These two young adults get to enjoy a year and a half anniversary today...no small feat in todays dating world! When YaYa got serious with this sweet, initially quiet, fun sized man I didn't get it. Not sure Dan did either. I now see this young man for what he is... ying to her yang. Her balance, her peace. He doesn't just play along for dress ups and date ideas he adds his own ideas and fully engages. They have evolved and blossomed into such a sophisticated couple. I can't wait to see them grow more. We have met his parents and they are lovely as well. He is considered family in our home and I can't wait to see their love grow. - Lisa

Smiley's 2nd Birthday Pictures from back in 2007!

 

NYE Sausage

Here's a great recipe Lisa suggested for New Year's Eve, and man, was it a hit!

You take two rings of one pound smoked kielbasa (turkey if you like, it doesn't matter), and cut them into bite sized circles. 

Add them to a slow cooker with a half cup of brown sugar, 3 cloves of garlic,  red pepper flakes, and add a cup of unsweetened applesauce.  Cook it on high for 3 hours, stirring frequently. 

Now, some notes: 

1,  3 hours is what they said to do online, but nuh-uh. Within 90 minutes it was pretty much done and we had it on "warm" the rest of the day.

2. You must use unsweetened applesauce, but all I had on hand were a pair of "lunch" sized snack packs, so I cut up and added a green apple. In my opinion it added positively to the dish, both in flavor and texture.

3. We added a smidge - and I mean a SMIDGE of a Thai seasoning and it was enough to make it the almost too hot for Lisa. I liked the kick myself. 

Try it yourself!

The Pest

Mind = Blown

I just realized that when I see Taylor Swift in June I will be as old as she was when I saw her live for the first time in 2011 - YaYa

Together Again

For six weeks our access to Angelcake's ashes were blocked by the placement of the Christmas tree in front of its shelf.  Now - finally - she and GusGus are reunited, as they should be. 

RIP

Note: Originally GusGus was in the white urn, Angelcakes in the brown. That's what you see here. That made no sense, given Angelcakes was pure white and Gus a common mackerel tabby. So after this picture was taken at Lisa's wise direction, I switched their urn, which now better identify with the remains they hold. 

Candlelight: A Tribute to Taylor Swift

For Christmas we bought the 4 kids - Swifties all - tickets to a candlelight tribute to Taylor Swift.

Tonight they journeyed there together, and by all accounts it was money well spent.

The venue was certainly GORGEOUS.

And aside from a tired, introductory joke about Swift's exes (followed, ironically,  by playing Lavender Haze, a song about get current six- year relationship), the show was a respectful and entertaining tribute.

I'm happy they enjoyed it, and even happier they enjoyed it together!

Lisa Marie Presley

Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of Elvis, has died at age 54 after cardiac arrest.

RIP

The Office Knickknacks Expand

The Pale Blue Eye

The Pale Blue Eye is a historical mystery set at West Point during the 1830's. A cadet is murdered and his corpse violated, and a noted constable, played by Christian Bale, is called in to investigate. He soon realizes he needs someone inside the Academy walls to help him, and he enlists cadet Edgar Allan Pole in his quest. 

Yes, that Poe. Yes, Poe really did attend West Point. 

The movie was atmospheric and engaging - up to a point. I think Poe's inclusion renders the story more of a novelty than it needed to be, and the odd witchcraft angle twists the film (briefly) into a 19th century  Da Vinci Code. 

I liked the movie, but its flaws are obvious. Watch it - if you don't have better things to do with your time. 

 

Jeff Beck

Legendary Yardbirds guitarist Jeff Beck has passed at age 78.

RIP

Life

the college experience of those working to live throughout their studies …. and the experience of those who have it paid for…. are so different. i am exhausted. i need this degree but i need to pay rent more. - YaYa

OMG This is one of LuLu's Friends!!!!

WISN: 

Milwaukee police are investigating the death of a 20-year-old woman late Sunday night in the Walker's Point neighborhood.

It happened at about 11:50 p.m. near South Third and Mineral streets.

Family identified the woman who died as Neimah Jones.

Milwaukee police initially said this was a fatal shooting investigation that was domestic violence related. They arrested a 22-year-old man at the scene accused of obstruction.

Right now, Jones' family, is looking for clear answers about what happened to her.

"She was a very outspoken, independent person. She would put me in my place, put anybody in their place," said Hiawatha Jones, Neimah's father.

The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's office told WISN 12 News they are investigating this incident as a probable suicide.