Never Forget

Never forget.

Never Forget

Never Forget

Never Forget.

Never Forget

Never Forget

A friend asked on FB what her friends were doing on 9/11. Someone on her page responded "Over it." Say that. s**t to me today,  tomorrow,  or fifty years from now, and it's the last time we ever speak.

RIP Sir.

Never Forget

9/11 has been honored by nearly everyone I've run into today, even at the DMV, and on every radio station I've heard. #ProudOfMyCountrymen

The Younger Kids Learn about 9/11

A week or so ago - the night before we played with the Play-doh - Lisa discussed the events of 9/11 with Junie and Smiley. While both were interested, the subject clearly bothered Smiley and I haven't heard him ask many questions since then. Junie, however, has continued to inquire about it, so today I took her to the library and borrowed two children's books on 9/11. While it is well past her normal bedtime, I can hear Lisa reading one of the books to her now. LK keeps interrupting to ask questions . . .

The Tenth Anniversary of 9/11

I know nearly a month has gone by, but I want to be sure to mention that the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks did not go unrecognized here in the Slapinions household.

Discouraged by the lack of *any* apparent teaching about 9/11 in their school we took care to explain, albeit in age appropriate terms, what happened on that horrible day. On the anniversary itself Lisa and I sat down with Lulu and YaYa and watched the DVD of "9/11", the Naudet brothers eyewitness footage taken while embedded with a fire engine company that morning.



It is a powerful film, almost suffocatingly so, and we first watched it on the 6 month anniversary of the attacks. Although we had the girls exit the room for some (brutal) parts, we felt it was important they be sucked into the moment and know the fear, shock and horror that washed over every American that day. As a bonus, the structure of the film - it was conceived as an effort to follow a single probationary fire fighter during his rookie year - sucked the girls in. By the end they were frantic with concern for 'Tony', and thus were all the more immersed in the emotions of that day.

I am also proud to say that a column I wrote ran in the Pulitzer Prize winning Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel the morning of the anniversary, my first Sunday appearance and an emotional one for me, given the subject matter.

Early on the anniversary, while I was at work, Lisa's Mom took LuLu to a Brownie field trip to a local Air Force reserve base. While Lulu looks like a typical fun-loving eight year old in some of the pictures, rest assured there was some solemnity to the visit.


































To the victims of that horrible day - We Remember, and we will Never Forget.

Facebook: Sept 1st - 17th

Saturday Sept 17th

seriously considering calling into wrk for only the 3rd x since 1998. Dental problems, tired, and generally blah. I wish my hrs hadn't changed 2day - I'd b nearing the end of my day, not the start.

[I didn't call in]

I'm must be getting depressed. I've slept most of the day and am dreading the clopen [close, then open the next morning] ahead of me @ wrk . . .

Scientists have found (dinosaur?) feathers in 80 million year old amber

Why the Millenium Falcon? Why not? I wish I owned that bucket of bolts.





Sept 16th

A - You aren't following Alec Baldwin on Twitter? Why the heck not? B - There are few things worse than seeing your precious big screen TV subjected to "The View". Damn you Lisa. C - What's with all the moans & gasps & body noises in anime? Watching it is like listening to a deaf guy take a dump in the stall next to you. Must be some Japanese fetish. D - That host from Bravo has great chemistry w/ Kelly Ripa. He should be on the list to replace Regis.

"‎"In the Beginning, there was nothing, which exploded."
--Terry Pratchett on the current scientific understanding of Creation"

I really enjoyed the two episodes of the Japanese cartoon 'To' available via Netflix streaming. It's a blend of crisp computer animation, adult story lines, and inventive sci-fi. Check it out.

Sept 15th

"supper was homemade Applebee's fiesta lime chicken, smashed potatoes and brussell sprouts, all scorned by the kids, natch. Then it was on to Smiley's 1st Pack meeting, where we Tigers improvised a skit about a treasure hunting turtle who can't get a gold coin off the ocean floor cuz its glued on, so he uses some 'magic markers' to create a shovel to do the job. Lotta fun."

just finished watching the series finale of Hannah Montana. It was quite good if u scrap the last 30 seconds of the episode. [I took a lot of playful heat from my male friends about this one, but oh well - the show was important to my kids for years. I wanted to see how it turned out]

Sept 14th

"‎@ smiley and ginger's 1st dance class of the yr, and naturally both misplaced their ballet shoes so I look like a putz. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. On the + side i just looked @ last yrs dance pics & lk looks sooo much taller, leaner and more mature than she did a yr ago."

"smiley at home watching (and enjoying) the 1961 Dick Tracy cartoons. Thank you Netflix!"

the last time a friend of ours took her baby daddy 2 court, he put a dead bird in her car. Today Lis took her again and her support (for 3 kids) was raised to 600/month. Quote the friend: if I'm found dead tomorrow, u know who did it.

Here's something I never thought I'd say in a review of 'Thor': it was dull. Yawn-y, "hit fast forward on the remote" dull. Plus Natalie Portman looked oddly . . . used up. I was really looking forward to this flick too, and even hustled it up my Netflix queue. What a shame. C-."

Two Mexican bloggers who wrote about the local drug trade were mutilated and disemboweled, then hung from a bridge as a warning to others. Welcome to Mexico, the Somalia of North America. The hell with a fence, time for a new Hadrian's wall.

"Brrr, what a cold evening. Welcome to fall. We just finished watching "Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037", a documentary about the year long construction of a Steinway piano. It's a good doc, but had lots of room for improvement. I've yet to see a documentary w/out narration that doesn't sacrifice something of both its storytelling and educational value. C+/B-"

"When the music changes, so does the dance"


"Ten years until manned trials, 20 years until we actually go somewhere. FM. If 15th century Spain had been run like our space program, Columbus would have made his second voyage right about . . . now."

Sept 13th

I greatly enjoyed ABC's 2 hour Jackie Kennedy special, and I wish I could afford the $60 price tag that comes with the book it promoted. I wish they hadn't spent a single second rationalizing her opinions; they were her opinions at that moment in time and big wup if they come off as bitchy 48 yrs later. It's not like MLK is going to hold a press conference and object. I will say tho' that her "signature, breathy" voice is irritating. When you close your eyes, it sounds like a bad drag queen.

Solyndra = the administration's 1st 'real' scandal?

"Old news to anyone in Milwaukee, but all afternoon/evening the city has been covered in a haze and reeking of smoke, courtesy of a wildfire in Minnesota - 300 miles away."

"CNN is reporting the US Embassy in Afghanistan is "under siege" by the Taliban . . ."

"I kicked off the NFL season by continuing a grand tradition: the Sad Sack Slapjacks got their butts handed to them 134.08 to 75.42 in fantasy football. 134 points is a monster game (my opponent's D earned 33 points alone) so a loss was all but inevitable, but I didn't help by starting a WR benched for injury and going with Bradford over Cutler. Ugh."


Monday, Sept 12th

Just back from an interview in IL, about 60 min from here. Yes, it's a long ride everyday and yes, I would take the job if it was offered.

Sunday Sept 11th

"watching abc's coverage of the 911 services in NY w/ the kids. YaYa tearing up, as am I, Smiley starting to grasp the enormity of it. Never forget, never forgive."


Saturday Sept 10th

"Yesterday I finished Dick Cheney's autobiography "In My Time". It's no shock that I hold the man in high regard, and I'm grateful that a man of his character and strength was there to guide us through the last decade. Politics aside tho', it was a very well written political bio, solidly constructed and entertaining. Well done."

(as I put on Voltron via Netflix) "This was my favorite show from when I was a kid" Smiley: "So it [is going to be]in black & white, cuz it super old?"

"Lee Child's short story "Second Son" is the tale of a teenage Jack Reacher, circa 1974, as his family relocates to a Marine base on Okinawa. Unlike Stephen King's recent short, *this* one features both a plot and some fine writing. It certainly left me hungry for the upcoming Reacher novel, which meant it done did it's job and did it well."

Sept 9th

Carlos H says: Don't make fun of a fat guy with a lisp. He's probably thick and tired of it.

"Last night I watched "The Burrowers", a movie set in the 1870's. White homesteaders are attacked and their women kidnapped. A posse sets out to recover them from the Indians, only to discover some . . . *thing* else took them. Think "The Searchers" blended with "Alien". I liked it, but way too little time was given to the creepy crawly aspect. It was 85% western, 15% horror. I grade it a B/B-"

KISS FM played a moving 9/11 tribute this morning, mixing actual audio of the day from flight controllers, Bush, news reports, and calls from the Towers. I teared up in the car but of course the kids seemed oblivious to its impact and just argued among themselves. Afterwards I called KISS and spoke to Wes McCain, and thanked them for making the effort.

Sept 8th

"i couldnt find the remote for the big screen so I'm forced to watch the game on the kids tv in the hallway. Ugh."

Booyah baby! 42-34, w/ the Packer's D putting up a wall @ the one w/ 3 seconds on the clock. Whew! [this was the NFL season opener vs New Orleans, a matchup of the last two SuperBowl winners]


Sept 6th

Got a call back about a job I applied for and the voice mail directed me to the company website - which then asked for my credit card # to pay for the privilege of filling out a screening questionnaire/IQ test. But don't worry; if I get the job I'm promised the $ back! Yeah, uh, I'll pass, thanks.

"Yesterday I finished reading Stephen King's new ebook "Mile 81". My verdict? Turdalicous. If it had any other writer's name on the cover, it would never have made it past an agent's desk, much less into print. Aside from the lack of a story (!) King tries hard to make a character sound like a young kid, which to Stevie means mixing vulgarities, brand names he swiped off the nearest TV ad, and slang from three different decades. For your own sake, skip it."


Sept 5th

hanging w/ the kids in the backyard b4 heading to work

Some of the yield from our garden



"I've finished watching "Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars", the mini-series that concluded the series. I thought it was so-so; on par with an average Farscape episode, but also riddled with cheap plot devices and deus ex machina 'outs'. And in case no one paid attention, the end completely justifies every machination, torture, and death that Scorpious committed over the run of the series."


Sept 3rd

I just finished watching "Centurion", a British movie about the unknown fate of the 9th Roman Legion, which disappeared from all records in the mid-2nd century. The film uses the belief that the Legion was destroyed in warfare w/ the Picts to set up a chase involving a few Roman survivors eager to return to their own lines. The film had mixed to negative reviews, but I liked it.

Sept 2nd

"Before work today we watched "HH Holmes, America's 1st Serial Killer", a documentary about the subject of the book "Devil in the White City". It was nothing I hadn't heard b4, but it was interesting all the same."

"Ah, to spend 7-4 at work and go home to find not one but FIVE rejection letters from jobs. At least one was actual snail-mail, so I had a glimmer of hope for a second."


Sept 1st

"My children's fave songs as of the end of August a) the '80's-ish "Denim" jingle from the Target back to school ads 2) "Pumped up Kicks" by Foster the People. 3) Lovesick by Emily Osment (which is actually quite catchy) and 4) "The Lazy Song" by Bruno Mars (which Lauren calls "the monkey song" after seeing a Youtube cover of it)"

strawberry stuffed french toast for dinner

The kids hated the stuffed french toast, but tough - it was yummy and we're gonna have it again.

Day of Fire

Reading 'Day of Fire', a chapter in Dubya's autobiography. I got the chills when he described his trip to NYC after the attacks.

A Moving Tribute

KISS FM played a moving 9/11 tribute this morning, mixing actual audio of the day from flight controllers, Bush, news reports, and calls from the Towers. I teared up in the car but of course the kids seemed oblivious to its impact and just argued among themselves. Afterwards I called KISS and spoke to Wes McCain, and thanked them for making the effort.

Truthers

 @ wrk I had to deal with a Truther & his loudly stated beliefs - see T-shirt reading "Investigate 9/11!". Like all Americans he is entitled to his opinion, based on the absurdly tiny amount of information he bothered to learn before he formed it. But I did enjoy the fact that someone so obsessed w/ conspiracy was apparently 'taken' - a Visa gift card he accepted as pay was empty.

I just watched some new footage from 9/11, & LuLu came up & asked me if the Towers were factories (because of all the smoke rising from them). She admitted she had no idea what 9/11 was or what it meant to this country. I spent several minutes explaining what happened that day, and I think I did a good job. I'm surprised she hadn't been taught about it in school, although in fairness she is quite young.

Ground Zero Update

According to a status update by media writer Tim Cuprisin, Donald Trump is attempting to buy the site of the proposed Ground Zero mosque.

Facebooking my life Feb 15th - 17th

Feb 15th: There was a Future Celebrity sighting on Match Game this morning. Jenny Jones, future talk show host, appeared in today's 1978 episode and won the grand prize. Interestingly, she stated she was born in Bethlehem (Palestine) to Polish Catholic parents.



* Want to feel older than your years? It's been 15 years since WISN and Fox 6 anchor Vince Gibbens unexpectedly died of a heart attack in 1995. Remember all the on-air memorials at the time? Yikes. Fifteen Years.

* Red beans & rice + sausage for dinner, then an hr of the most scuffles ever recorded among the kids. It was like Wrestlemania Slapinions. But good can come from bad. As they were all nuts anyhow, we picked today to break Ginger of sleeping w/ the room light on. She slept in the dark from birth to 2, then picked up the... habit when she moved 2 her own rm. 2night: darkness. & a lot of crying. It might be a long one. Note: It was a complete success. While I did have to unscrew the bulbs in the overhead light to keep her from turning it on, she's now sleeping in the dark, and falling asleep faster than ever.

* Oh hell yeah! Neil Gaiman to write Dr. Who Episode.

Feb 16th: Mitt Romney is threatened on a flight out of Vancouver. Mitt's new book comes out March 2nd. I can't wait!

* [wipes tears of pride from my eyes] Smiley just brought me a copy of Dr. Who magazine and asked me to read it to him while he ate lunch. "umtimes I 'ared, umtimes I not" he said. The other day the family watched "Lazarus Experiment" (great underated ep.) and he was petrified but stuck it out, even as he said to me "I a...ve night'ares tonight, it your 'ault" :)

* (linking to a $250 plate dinner w/ Jeb Bush] It's well outside my price range, but if your situation is different:

* [a 94 year old convict on death row dies of natural causes] The man was in prison for armed robbery, shooting a cop, and murder. He escaped and killed again. By the time he died he'd been in prison (all told) for nearly *79* years. $'s never a reason to kill a man, but try and convince me this wretched life was worth what it cost taxpayers.

* Lousy link, grumble. Anywho, this is about the "Betty White to Host SNL" movement, including some comments by the busty Mrs. White. Er, did I just put that last part in print?

Feb 17th: Good luck, and get well soon. (on news that former Bucks coach George Karl has cancer)

* [on yet another article critiquing the Olympics] I think most people need to just shut up and enjoy the Games.

* To the unknown person who donated the coffee maker to the Value Village, which I purchased 2day for $3: Sir/Madam, I salute u. No castoff this, no 'best fit for the rubbage heap but donate it 4 the write-off'. I can see the love u had for it, the care u took in maintaining it. Even on the shelf it shone like a glimpse ...into the Hereafter, so spotless my efforts to 'clean' it were superflous @ best. Well done.

* Zahi Hawass is everything the last 3 letters of his name implies, an ego-mad Egyptian who views everything in a Jingoistic light. King Tut could not be effeminate, as theorized, you see, regardless of what facts may or may not have been, because that wouldn't jibe with his world-view of manhood and Egyptian royalty. That said,the video doesn't include his take on the subject, so what's the point of the link at all?

* [on news that an 'ancient' Arabic inscription had been found] It was some Call me whackadoodle, but 1,100 years old doesn't qualify as "ancient" for anything historical. Heck, Alfred the Great was busy burning cakes by then.

Note: that post brought up a great discussion w/ Socialist. He asked me what I'd consider 'ancient'. I said at the earliest, anything B.C. "Excuse, me (airquote) Before the Common Era (airquote)." I said.

Later, I realized how idiotic that sounded. "It makes no bleeping sense to go around changing the name from AD and BC. Why? You're still dating things from the birth of Christ, right? Basically you're just farting around, saying you want to be tolerant and this and that and all you're doing is slapping some paint on it. You want to be PC, go ahead and redate every bleep thing. Just pick a random starting point and go at it. Or better yet, STFU."

He agreed.

We also discussed Truthers, those fair-haired kooks who believe the government conspired to fake 9/11 by various means. I still run into a guy who proudly wears a 9/11 Truth t-shirt, nevermind that it erases all respect for him in the minds of people he meets. We both agreed Truthers were nimrods, for a number of reasons. We both agreed it would take hundreds, if not thousands, of accomplices to pull off such a conspiracy. Presumably, those reams of volunteers were not only cool with killing thousands of their innocent countrymen, but were sooooo trustworthy they've all kept mum before and during the attack, and for the decade afterwards. Get out of here - Washington can't run Amtrack, much less plot 9/11.