MARCH 30TH
So we get the van back, Lisa takes it out to go shopping, (forgetting her phone in the process) and I get to work on cooking dinner. Cue a phone call from a store's landline - the van's battery was dead and Lisa was stranded. LOL - gotta love life.
With the school play in the rearview mirror, this will be the first Tuesday in weeks we can finagle "Family Night". On the menu: an early dinner of ribs, baked beans, fresh cornbread, and steak fries. Then we'll play a board game or two, watch the DVR'd Kid's Choice Awards, and finish by Lisa reading a few chapters of Anne Frank to the girls while I read to the little ones. Then, adult time: AI, DWTS, Lost, V.
"What it lies in our power to do, it lies in our power not to do." - Aristotle
"Nothing makes you a better parent than getting rid of your kid(s) for a couple of days." - ZITS, 2007
5:27 PM - Dinner would have gone a lot better if a)Ginger hadn't dissapeared halfway thru the meal (not that we noticed) b) YaYa hadn't slammed down her milk cup in a huff, splashing it everywhere c) LuLu hadn't revolted everyone by wiggling a loose tooth for all to see and - last but not least: If Smiley hadn't forced himself to vomit TWICE at the table rather than *try* the beans or ribs. Sigh.
Word back from the garage. $600 to fix the Escort. Or, as they'd say in France "$600 I don't f*ing have."
APRIL 2ND - There's a big fire somewhere in the neighborhood. The street and our backyard are tinged with a drifting haze of smoke, the odor is quite strong in the house (we have the windows open), and sirens have been going off for a good five to ten minutes now.
I'm boiling six dozen eggs for our annual dyeing extravaganza. Then, its off the net for the rest of Good Friday - and from noon to three no TV, radio, computer or playtime here in honor of Jesus' sacrifice.
APRIL 5TH - Here's a comical Danny-esque moment, but courtesy of Lisa: She went out to the van, then sent the kids in saying the battery was dead. Oh, she was furious - all that $ we'd spent and now the alternator or battery was kaput! After a few minutes tho', I realized the keys she'd handed me, the keys for the van . . *weren't* for the van. Once I went out w/ the right ones, it purred like a kitten.
APRIL 6TH - A celebrity sighting this morning on 'Match Game '74' : Al Ferrara, a former L.A. Dodgers outfielder, appeared as a contestant. He stated his profession was "freelance piano dealer".
APRIL 11TH - It looks like the plane crash that killed the Polish President was another casualty of history. He was on his way to commerate Katyn, where 22,000 Poles were gunned down by Soviet secret police in WWII. The Russians have been assholish about it, and there is talk that demands to divert from the airfield were viewed as a political manuever, not a safety issue.
APRIL 13TH - Dear Lord it's like the perfect storm: DWTS, American Idol, Lost, Glee, V, 19 Kids and Counting- all new, all tonight. I can hear the Black Eyed Peas in my head: Tonight's gonna be a good good night . .
DWTS - sad the yummalicious Edyta is gone, but what a great hour of dance. AI - boring. Tim was good, Andrew needs to go. What's up w/ Ryan? He's jacked up & rude lately. Glee - great reset episode, bringing the core character conflicts back into play. Love the Vogue clip. Lost - like the Hurley stuff, p.o'd at Desmond for f'ing up Locke in the flash-sideways. 19 Kids - love when the Duggars and Bates get together.
APRIL 16TH - Watching "9 by Design" on Bravo, a reality show about two home designers in NYC who have six children and another on the way. It seems like a fun family and a loving marriage, and their design asthetic is very sharp. It's well worth watching.
I finished reading 'Matterhorn', a new novel about a Marine company in Vietnam. It's *very* good, but IMO not the definitive example of Vietnam War fiction; I think James Webb's 'Fields of Fire' impacted me more.
I also polished off "The Third Option', the 1st book I've read by Vince Flynn. It was good, but I think it was a 'tweener' - an installment in a series where the characters actions accomplish nothing but setting up the next book.
At work I met a customer who claims to be a psychic. She came up to me and said my aura was 'brillant' and 'stood out from across the store' and that I was a 'very old soul' who had lived 'many, many lives'. It's a shame I don't believe any of that schtuff. For once, it was nice to be complimented for something other than my looks and intelligence.
APRIL 17TH - Wanna feel like a hero? Take a call from ur daughter saying she was using Walgreen's phone because Mom ran out of gas & lost her phone & I have to pee but McDonald's locked their bathrooms & we're stuck & it's dark & I have to pee real bad. Then ride to the rescue & have the kids clap & cheer & call out your name. Think they'd feel the same if they knew they were stuck cuz I'd been too lazy to stop for gas earlier?
A 112 year old yearbook has been found at MHSA. Note the error in the headline -unless I'm missing something 'highs' school is a boo-boo.
Argh, the link doesn't post pretty. Anyhow, an Australian cookboo has been recalled for a recipie that includes 'freshly ground black people.' Yes, they meant pepper, and yes, it was a typo. Yikes, what an oopsie.
We rented and watched Britany Murphy in 'Deadline', in large part because I wanted one last hurrah with my late, great List of Five-er. It was a boring movie w/ a bad script, and while she looked super fine in her crack-a-licious way, at the same time she also seemed very sickly. It might have been the character, but IMO and Lisa's, there was a certain sheen of "Time's Running Out" on her face.
"NJ man charged with purposely vomiting on 11-year-old girl, father during Phillies game". Classy.
Less than one hour until the U.S. premiere of Matt Smith's debut as the Doctor - followed by an all new hour of Graham Norton! [dabbing tears of joys from my eyes]. 'Tis a wonderful world, innit?
The verdict on Matt Smith's Doctor? He's no Tennant - let's make that clear - but he is well and truly The Doctor. I'm going to like this kid. Moffat's script was strong, there were some great lines, and new companion Amelia (Amy) Pond is surprisingly hot; think Leela but with red hair and wearing a policewoman uniform. It's going to be a great season.
APRIL 18TH - "George Washington racks up 220 years' worth of late fees at NYC library for 2 unreturned books". Both books were due Nov 2, 1789.
You know what (irrationaly) irks me? Ads that say "Reason # 61 Widget is better." I understand you want to give the impression there's a gazillion reasons your product/idea is better, but I dare you, I double dog dare you, to list 60 other reasons - and if you can, why the hell aren't you telling me the #1 reason? Isn't that what I'd most like to hear?
APRIL 21ST - Madonna + Glee = the best hour of American TV last night. Well done! Unfortunately, the Bowersox love caused AI to run over their time, which in turn cut off the last few minutes of Glee. #%#$ I'm seriously close to ditching AI this season. If I wanted to be bored by folks with bad teeth & dirty hair I'd watch Celebrity Rehab.
Lost - trumped by Glee last night, but still a great hour of TV. PseudoLocke is wrong. Jack is not 'with' him; his refusal to leave the island is clear evidence he's Locke's foe. And it looks like Sayhid may just be redeemed. Unless the rules of fiction writing have changed, he lied when he said he murdered Desmond. The plot thickens.
If you ever find yourself trapped in my house starving to death, fear not. After emptying the fridge and the pantry, and sacrificing the cats/turtle/fish, just rummage throught my couch. Last night I found whole slices of pizza and forgotten bags of Christmas cookies, along with scissors, knives, and several screwdrivers.U know, on 2nd thought, try the couch *before* eating my pets.
Would like to borrow, w/ a guaranteed return w/in a week: 1. a copy of "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' 2. CD of "Middle Cyclone" by Neko Case. 3. Glee soundtracks (someone - cough Anne cough - was supposed to get me a copy, but there ya go) 4. One MILLION dollars. I'll need that last one for more than a week tho'.
If you want a good laugh, pick up "Emails from an A**hole" by John Lindsay. I made the mistake of reading this at work and laughed until I damn near pis**d my pants. Ah, who are we kidding? I did tinkle. But just a little bit. You could barely even tell. I hope.
Fireworks at the dinner table. YaYa sassing Lisa, Lu taunting YaYa, Smiley refusing to try his food, Ginger wandering off and shedding her clothes for no reason. For the first time ever we sent the kids to bed without supper - each and every one of the ungrateful little mooches. By 6:15 they were in bed for the night.
APRIL 22ND - Just finished the novel 'Snuff' by Chuck Palahniuk, the author of 'Fight Club'. I'll spare you most of the details and just say its about an attempt to film the world's largest gangbang, w/ a paternity issue thrown in for good measure. It was entertaining, although after awhile the subject matter begins to wear on you. I did guess the 'twist' of identity at the end, so points to me.
It was the first 20-0 game in the bigs since 1900, and a great victory for the Brewers.
If you ask someone why their cause is important, why does it matter *to me, to us, to the world* and they begin by saying "Well, uh, it's a microcosym for. . ." I call bullsh*t. If you can't string together 20 words to justify your belief in X or Y or Z, shut up and go home.
With the 23rd selection in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Packers have selected OT Bryan Bulaga, Iowa
Congrats to Seth Aaron Henderson on winning season 7 of Project Runway! It was a well deserved win, as he presented a really unique, eye-catching collection. A fitting end to a good season - certainly better year than that LA monstrosity aka Season 6.
Published writer, compulsive reader, Old School Whovian, Match Game enthusiast, NKOTB fan, data hoarder, and - surprisingly, given that list - married with four kids. Welcome to my take on life, fatherhood, entertainment, and whatever strikes my fancy. Enjoy!
Showing posts with label quotes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label quotes. Show all posts
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Facebook - March 23rd - 29th
MARCH 23RD
i @ 2:30 I heard somebody mucking around downstairs & there was Ginger, digging in the fridge. From that point until 4:45, she cried, screamed begged to go to the bathroom, & decided to 'read' in bed. Finally we erased nearly a decade of parenting rules and tossed her in bed w/ us, where she made a habit of shaking us awake whenever we nodded off. It was the worst night since, whew, probably since Lu was a baby.
As usual, Ginger was up at quarter to seven. Only now, as we are on the verge of leaving for her weekly playgroup, has she fallen asleep for a nap. Which means I either wake her up and invite hell into my life, or dissapoint Smiley, who gets off the school bus on Tuesdays yelling "Paygloop today?".
11:27 am - Dangnabbit. Smiley's at my elbow begging to go. Not gonna wake up Ginger, I'm too "tired to put up with her at the moment. As a sub for the playgroup I offered to take Smiley to the store later to replace some play-dough Ginger ruined, but Smiley just looked sad and said he didn't want anymore because Ginger would just "woon it". Gotta find some way to rescue this day, I've wasted half of it already.
4pm - I've turned the day around (knock on wood) in the past four hours. Met up with my friend Tre & ran an errand with our kids, at long last had our van taken in for service, ironed out some bills, have a turkey & mashed potatoes cooking on the stove, and played w/ the kids outside. I even have a subject for a new article, which I hope to hammer out before the day is through. Yay Dan-Dan.
7pm - Allright, I'll say it: Gaga will be this era's Madonna, provided she can stick around and adapt over time. I'm not a huge fan of this song [Telephone], but the video . . . I haven't seen a woman's prison this hot since Linda Blair was made to, uh, 'befriend' Bridgette Nielson in 'Red Heat'.
I didn't RTA {about Dancing with the Stars) and I don't care if you do either. I linked it just for the pic of Shannen Doherty, an on-again/off-again member of my List of Five since the days of 'Our House' and 'Heathers
Curious George - believe it or not - has its origins in a Jewish couples escape from the Nazi invasion of France.
He who allows himself a rest will fade into oblivion - Vasari
MARCH 24TH
My nephew got his temps today, so I picked him up from the DMV, took him to St. Adalbert's cemetery and put him behind the wheel. By the time we left his driving was much smoother, and he learns fast. Congrats Jonah!
I stopped at a gas station before work. After paying I turned around to leave, in the process throwing my shoulder into a woman who was close enough to reach in and tickle my prostate.She stumbled backward and down to one knee. I apologized and went through the motions of concern, but really - learn the value of personal space - how small of a turning radius did she expect a 300# man to have?
RIP to Stuart Kaminsky and actor Robert Culp
MARCH 25TH
Late last night we watched "The Fourth Kind", a quasi-documentrary about people being abduced from their beds by aliens at 3 in the morning. We were asleep by one a.m. No lie: at nearly three on the dot I sat straight up in bed, convinced I heard Lauren mucking about. I went through the dark house, only to remember the movie when I looked at the time. I promptly retreated to my bed and hid under my blankie.
RE: BLOCKBUSTER'S TROUBLES: Good. Here's hoping you go painfully into the good night, courtesy of Netflix, PPV, and Redbox. Maybe you shouldn't have acted like the biggest corporate bully ever while you enjoyed your monopoly.
This road must lead somewhere/is it somewhere we want to be? - Yann Martel
My DVR has been on the fritz, screwing up the taping of Lost (sob), Dr. Phil, and many others. Time Warner has now agreed to bring out a new, larger capacity DVR today. That means I'll have to reprogram the 84ish shows we have scheduled to tape, lose Smiley's bday wishes on Sprout, *and* Dear God - we'll lose the four or five hours of NKOTB footage we have stored. I may just cut my wrists.
1 of the few memories I have of my paternal Grandma, who died when I was 7, is of arguing w/ her that I had never-ever, in my whole life, slept. Minutes later I was asleep on her basement floor :) Today, Smiley picked up the torch. He does not sleep, he doesn't dream. When I pointed out that I ck on him when I go to sleep he claimed he's "a'way fakin'" & gestured that he props his eyelids open. The circle is complete.
3pm - Cable guy just left. My DVR was bad, and so was all the line running into the house. I could swear I saw that line installed, spankin' new, in 2007, but he claims it was 15 years or older. So it was 2 hours of drilling, running line, and climbing poles in the alley. The kids were awful & Lisa had to finagle the car out of our spot around the Cable van, which meant going into the neighbors yard & then out. Fun.
Anybody in Milwaukee know of a good, reliable - *and cheap * - place to have a sewing machine serviced? The arm by the bobbin isn't catching the thread to complete the loop; er, that's my layman's explanation for it anyway.
YaYa came in the door from play practice sporting a drawn-on beard and mustache. Smiley caught sight of her, cocked his head to the side, thought a moment and asked "Gwacie . . . you a boy now?" W/out annoyance, she answered "No Smiley, it's fake. My character in the play is a boy." "Oh," he said, "O-kay" and walked away.
Helen Keller once said "Gahhgrrr berkic dahhh errr waa waa!".... It's as true today as it has ever been - Carlos Harmon
MARCH 26TH - YaYa is en route to opening night of her mesmerizing portrayal of Raja in Kipling's 'The Jungle Book'. Break a leg kiddo!
Congrats to Tennessee! Normally I bleed Big 10, but in this instance my respect for Bruce Pearl trumps conference loyalty. A heck of a game, start to finish.
MARCH 27TH - In addition to my earring, back in place after yrs, I also used Lisa's lhair dye to highlight my hair Thurs night. It adds body & dimension to what was already a stunning display of God's workmanship. I *wanted* to rough up the goatee by dyeing it blood red or growing it long enough to split and double-braid, BUT . . I guess, like my proposed Match Game logo tatoo, that's it's just *too cool* for Lisa to handle.
My Dad and I went to YaYa's play tonight and she did great - a lot more lines than I thought she'd have! Good job baby girl!
Congrats to the Pius Lady Popes for taking the Division 1 State title - and ending a drought that went on far too long!
MARCH 28TH - Every yr or two I'm drawn to studying the battle of Stalingrad, and it's that time again. I just finished Beevor's 'Stalingrad', a solid study of the battle that emphasizes the Kessel over the horrific urban warfare of Aug-Nov. Of course the Wermacht needed to be stopped, but the 6th Army deserved a better fate than what awaited them in Stalin's hands - & they certainly deserved a better General than Paulus.
Congrats to Duke and Coach K! Hot Dog! I'm only sorry Tenn couldn't outlast MI State, but man those were two great games (even if my viewing was interrupted by the Smurfs, Yo Gabba Gabba, and Caillou). I'll go on a limb and predict a Duke/MI State title, w/ my allegiance going to Duke.
MARCH 29TH - "Have you ever paused to compare your own blessed lot with a fool's?/Can't you see how fortunate you are?/ [in grief] You have worn yourself out through ceaseless striving/you have filled your muscles with pain and anguish/And what have you acheived but to bring yourself/one day nearer to the end of your days?" - The Epic of Gilgamesh Book X
In America Sports, "Villian" and "Much Hated" simply mean "Damn Good" and "Consistently a Winner".
re: the discovery of the remains of Errol Flynn's son: I'm genuinely happy for the Flynn family, although I'm sure it's a bittersweet day for them. Sean Flynn, a well respected combat photographer, disappeared in SE Asia in 1970. You've probably seen the story on TV, or read about it in books on Vietnam, even if you've forgotten the name. It appears - although testing needs to be done - that his remains have finally been returned.
Caption under a pic of the USS Arizona, from the 1941 Army-Navy Game program booklet, dated November 28th 1941 - a week before Pearl Harbor - : "A bow on view of the U. S. S. Arizona as she plows into a huge swell. It is significant that despite the claims of air enthusiasts no battleship has yet been sunk by bombs."
"Only the gods live forever. Our days/are few in number, and whatever we acheive/is a puff of wind. Why be afraid then/since sooner or later death must come?" Epic of Gilgamesh Book III
I've finished reading the Epic of Gilgamesh, a poem written ~1750 B.C. in what is now Iraq. It's the tale of a heroic king who arrogantly angers his gods, who then strike down his only friend and equal. It is a story of friendship and loss, of the value of living life to the fullest and, pervesely, of the futility of human life. Powerful stuff, even from a distance of 4000 yrs.
Dr. Phil is playing in the living room; the Dr. Phil 'Family' to be precise. Question for the FB world -does anyone know what happened to the Mormon 'Dr. Phil Family' he used to help each week? The family w/ the hot, 'Danny Girl' Mom who had an affair w/ a man of a different race, got knocked up, gave the baby up for adoption and then finagled financial help from the adoptive parents? They just went AWOL. What gives?
Finally FINALLY got our van's transmission replaced after five months!! Of course, good w/ the bad, as I was pulling into the shop my Escort went belly-up. I had to push her in from the median and leave her in the parking lot. Lisa's bummed, but the way I look at it, that car was in need of work for a bit - 'twas nothing but the Grace of God that she held out until that moment. That'll do pig. That'll do.
i @ 2:30 I heard somebody mucking around downstairs & there was Ginger, digging in the fridge. From that point until 4:45, she cried, screamed begged to go to the bathroom, & decided to 'read' in bed. Finally we erased nearly a decade of parenting rules and tossed her in bed w/ us, where she made a habit of shaking us awake whenever we nodded off. It was the worst night since, whew, probably since Lu was a baby.
As usual, Ginger was up at quarter to seven. Only now, as we are on the verge of leaving for her weekly playgroup, has she fallen asleep for a nap. Which means I either wake her up and invite hell into my life, or dissapoint Smiley, who gets off the school bus on Tuesdays yelling "Paygloop today?".
11:27 am - Dangnabbit. Smiley's at my elbow begging to go. Not gonna wake up Ginger, I'm too "tired to put up with her at the moment. As a sub for the playgroup I offered to take Smiley to the store later to replace some play-dough Ginger ruined, but Smiley just looked sad and said he didn't want anymore because Ginger would just "woon it". Gotta find some way to rescue this day, I've wasted half of it already.
4pm - I've turned the day around (knock on wood) in the past four hours. Met up with my friend Tre & ran an errand with our kids, at long last had our van taken in for service, ironed out some bills, have a turkey & mashed potatoes cooking on the stove, and played w/ the kids outside. I even have a subject for a new article, which I hope to hammer out before the day is through. Yay Dan-Dan.
7pm - Allright, I'll say it: Gaga will be this era's Madonna, provided she can stick around and adapt over time. I'm not a huge fan of this song [Telephone], but the video . . . I haven't seen a woman's prison this hot since Linda Blair was made to, uh, 'befriend' Bridgette Nielson in 'Red Heat'.
I didn't RTA {about Dancing with the Stars) and I don't care if you do either. I linked it just for the pic of Shannen Doherty, an on-again/off-again member of my List of Five since the days of 'Our House' and 'Heathers
Curious George - believe it or not - has its origins in a Jewish couples escape from the Nazi invasion of France.
He who allows himself a rest will fade into oblivion - Vasari
MARCH 24TH
My nephew got his temps today, so I picked him up from the DMV, took him to St. Adalbert's cemetery and put him behind the wheel. By the time we left his driving was much smoother, and he learns fast. Congrats Jonah!
I stopped at a gas station before work. After paying I turned around to leave, in the process throwing my shoulder into a woman who was close enough to reach in and tickle my prostate.She stumbled backward and down to one knee. I apologized and went through the motions of concern, but really - learn the value of personal space - how small of a turning radius did she expect a 300# man to have?
RIP to Stuart Kaminsky and actor Robert Culp
MARCH 25TH
Late last night we watched "The Fourth Kind", a quasi-documentrary about people being abduced from their beds by aliens at 3 in the morning. We were asleep by one a.m. No lie: at nearly three on the dot I sat straight up in bed, convinced I heard Lauren mucking about. I went through the dark house, only to remember the movie when I looked at the time. I promptly retreated to my bed and hid under my blankie.
RE: BLOCKBUSTER'S TROUBLES: Good. Here's hoping you go painfully into the good night, courtesy of Netflix, PPV, and Redbox. Maybe you shouldn't have acted like the biggest corporate bully ever while you enjoyed your monopoly.
This road must lead somewhere/is it somewhere we want to be? - Yann Martel
My DVR has been on the fritz, screwing up the taping of Lost (sob), Dr. Phil, and many others. Time Warner has now agreed to bring out a new, larger capacity DVR today. That means I'll have to reprogram the 84ish shows we have scheduled to tape, lose Smiley's bday wishes on Sprout, *and* Dear God - we'll lose the four or five hours of NKOTB footage we have stored. I may just cut my wrists.
1 of the few memories I have of my paternal Grandma, who died when I was 7, is of arguing w/ her that I had never-ever, in my whole life, slept. Minutes later I was asleep on her basement floor :) Today, Smiley picked up the torch. He does not sleep, he doesn't dream. When I pointed out that I ck on him when I go to sleep he claimed he's "a'way fakin'" & gestured that he props his eyelids open. The circle is complete.
3pm - Cable guy just left. My DVR was bad, and so was all the line running into the house. I could swear I saw that line installed, spankin' new, in 2007, but he claims it was 15 years or older. So it was 2 hours of drilling, running line, and climbing poles in the alley. The kids were awful & Lisa had to finagle the car out of our spot around the Cable van, which meant going into the neighbors yard & then out. Fun.
Anybody in Milwaukee know of a good, reliable - *and cheap * - place to have a sewing machine serviced? The arm by the bobbin isn't catching the thread to complete the loop; er, that's my layman's explanation for it anyway.
YaYa came in the door from play practice sporting a drawn-on beard and mustache. Smiley caught sight of her, cocked his head to the side, thought a moment and asked "Gwacie . . . you a boy now?" W/out annoyance, she answered "No Smiley, it's fake. My character in the play is a boy." "Oh," he said, "O-kay" and walked away.
Helen Keller once said "Gahhgrrr berkic dahhh errr waa waa!".... It's as true today as it has ever been - Carlos Harmon
MARCH 26TH - YaYa is en route to opening night of her mesmerizing portrayal of Raja in Kipling's 'The Jungle Book'. Break a leg kiddo!
Congrats to Tennessee! Normally I bleed Big 10, but in this instance my respect for Bruce Pearl trumps conference loyalty. A heck of a game, start to finish.
MARCH 27TH - In addition to my earring, back in place after yrs, I also used Lisa's lhair dye to highlight my hair Thurs night. It adds body & dimension to what was already a stunning display of God's workmanship. I *wanted* to rough up the goatee by dyeing it blood red or growing it long enough to split and double-braid, BUT . . I guess, like my proposed Match Game logo tatoo, that's it's just *too cool* for Lisa to handle.
My Dad and I went to YaYa's play tonight and she did great - a lot more lines than I thought she'd have! Good job baby girl!
Congrats to the Pius Lady Popes for taking the Division 1 State title - and ending a drought that went on far too long!
MARCH 28TH - Every yr or two I'm drawn to studying the battle of Stalingrad, and it's that time again. I just finished Beevor's 'Stalingrad', a solid study of the battle that emphasizes the Kessel over the horrific urban warfare of Aug-Nov. Of course the Wermacht needed to be stopped, but the 6th Army deserved a better fate than what awaited them in Stalin's hands - & they certainly deserved a better General than Paulus.
Congrats to Duke and Coach K! Hot Dog! I'm only sorry Tenn couldn't outlast MI State, but man those were two great games (even if my viewing was interrupted by the Smurfs, Yo Gabba Gabba, and Caillou). I'll go on a limb and predict a Duke/MI State title, w/ my allegiance going to Duke.
MARCH 29TH - "Have you ever paused to compare your own blessed lot with a fool's?/Can't you see how fortunate you are?/ [in grief] You have worn yourself out through ceaseless striving/you have filled your muscles with pain and anguish/And what have you acheived but to bring yourself/one day nearer to the end of your days?" - The Epic of Gilgamesh Book X
In America Sports, "Villian" and "Much Hated" simply mean "Damn Good" and "Consistently a Winner".
re: the discovery of the remains of Errol Flynn's son: I'm genuinely happy for the Flynn family, although I'm sure it's a bittersweet day for them. Sean Flynn, a well respected combat photographer, disappeared in SE Asia in 1970. You've probably seen the story on TV, or read about it in books on Vietnam, even if you've forgotten the name. It appears - although testing needs to be done - that his remains have finally been returned.
Caption under a pic of the USS Arizona, from the 1941 Army-Navy Game program booklet, dated November 28th 1941 - a week before Pearl Harbor - : "A bow on view of the U. S. S. Arizona as she plows into a huge swell. It is significant that despite the claims of air enthusiasts no battleship has yet been sunk by bombs."
"Only the gods live forever. Our days/are few in number, and whatever we acheive/is a puff of wind. Why be afraid then/since sooner or later death must come?" Epic of Gilgamesh Book III
I've finished reading the Epic of Gilgamesh, a poem written ~1750 B.C. in what is now Iraq. It's the tale of a heroic king who arrogantly angers his gods, who then strike down his only friend and equal. It is a story of friendship and loss, of the value of living life to the fullest and, pervesely, of the futility of human life. Powerful stuff, even from a distance of 4000 yrs.
Dr. Phil is playing in the living room; the Dr. Phil 'Family' to be precise. Question for the FB world -does anyone know what happened to the Mormon 'Dr. Phil Family' he used to help each week? The family w/ the hot, 'Danny Girl' Mom who had an affair w/ a man of a different race, got knocked up, gave the baby up for adoption and then finagled financial help from the adoptive parents? They just went AWOL. What gives?
Finally FINALLY got our van's transmission replaced after five months!! Of course, good w/ the bad, as I was pulling into the shop my Escort went belly-up. I had to push her in from the median and leave her in the parking lot. Lisa's bummed, but the way I look at it, that car was in need of work for a bit - 'twas nothing but the Grace of God that she held out until that moment. That'll do pig. That'll do.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Quite Right Doctor
"It's always a big day tomorrow. We've got a time machine. I skip the little ones." - Matt Smith's Doctor
Friday, April 23, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Facebook'ing the end of January
Jan 30th: Lisa took the girls to their Mardi Gras dance last night, coming home at 10:30 on an adrenaline high. L and I then watched 'This is It'. Commercialization of MJ's death? U betcha. But seeing his obsession to detail and the pure grace of his moves was worth it. And his voice . . . Sh*t. If MJ's voice wasn't a gift from God nothing is.
Obama had another wonderful idea: to meddle with the format of how college football decides its champion: I stand by a belief in never letting the urgent crowd out the important, but this is neither. There's bigger things to worry about in Washington than whether or not Boise State has the opportunity to win a NCAA championship. Seriously, Mr. President - speaking not as a Republican but as a citizen - why is this even on the radar?
* Big news in the book world: MacMillan has asked Amazon to raise the price of ebooks it offers; not only have they refused, Amazon has now dropped all MacMillan books from its site. This also includes Mac. imprints Farrar, Straus & Giroux, St. Martins Press & Henry Holt.
Jan 31st: Came home from work and watched 'Ghost of Girlfriends Past' w/ Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Lacey Chabert and Michael Douglas. MUCH better than I feared. It's a fun romantic comedy and very enjoyable. Well worth the rental.
*(saw) A preview of Oliver Stone's sequel to "Wall Street". I liked the original but is there a story worth repeating here? More likely it's just an excuse for Stone to practice his heavy handed preaching. 1 thing: if Gekko spent 23 years in prison for insider trading, while you can serve much less for murder or rape - what a f'ed up system.
* Just finished polishing a piece I wrote, went to send it and the word processor crashed. Now, no trace of the file remains - no file, no anything. It's like someone took an eraser to it. F**k.
* Lousy day, lousy mood. Among other things our oven now refuses to heat up. Sha-it. the oven works, but temperamentally
* Watchin the season premiere of the Duggars on "19 Kids and Counting" and juggling my DVR schedule to accomodate the return of Lost.
Obama had another wonderful idea: to meddle with the format of how college football decides its champion: I stand by a belief in never letting the urgent crowd out the important, but this is neither. There's bigger things to worry about in Washington than whether or not Boise State has the opportunity to win a NCAA championship. Seriously, Mr. President - speaking not as a Republican but as a citizen - why is this even on the radar?
* Big news in the book world: MacMillan has asked Amazon to raise the price of ebooks it offers; not only have they refused, Amazon has now dropped all MacMillan books from its site. This also includes Mac. imprints Farrar, Straus & Giroux, St. Martins Press & Henry Holt.
Jan 31st: Came home from work and watched 'Ghost of Girlfriends Past' w/ Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Lacey Chabert and Michael Douglas. MUCH better than I feared. It's a fun romantic comedy and very enjoyable. Well worth the rental.
*(saw) A preview of Oliver Stone's sequel to "Wall Street". I liked the original but is there a story worth repeating here? More likely it's just an excuse for Stone to practice his heavy handed preaching. 1 thing: if Gekko spent 23 years in prison for insider trading, while you can serve much less for murder or rape - what a f'ed up system.
* Just finished polishing a piece I wrote, went to send it and the word processor crashed. Now, no trace of the file remains - no file, no anything. It's like someone took an eraser to it. F**k.
* Lousy day, lousy mood. Among other things our oven now refuses to heat up. Sha-it. the oven works, but temperamentally
* Watchin the season premiere of the Duggars on "19 Kids and Counting" and juggling my DVR schedule to accomodate the return of Lost.
Monday, January 25, 2010
What have I been up to - well, let's take a look shall we?
This past Sunday the local paper included a short bio of me as I began a second term as a community columnist. Since it described me as a 'prolific blogger since 2004', I'm a bit embarrassed to see that it's been three weeks since my last post.
Let's see, what's happening in my world . . I'm still poor, there's that . . . I had some (very) minor outpatient surgery just before New Years, so minor only a handful of people were aware of it, and all would have been fine if the stitches hadn't made a habit of re-opening in the weeks since . . .and I've facebook'ed a lot. I don't prefere the site over a blog, per se, but I do enjoy the "get in, get out" nature of the beast.
Anyhow, for the time being let's get you up to speed with a summary of my Facebook updates.
* * * * *
New Years Day: Listening to the Glee soundtrack on the computer, with Joe Mac's new album playing in the dining room, while Dance Your Ass off is on the TV and the Twilight Zone and Doctor Who marathons are recording on the DVR . . how I ever got laid, much less married, escapes belief.
Our turtle tank was just shattered, sending water across the floor. Franklin is OK, but I guess I'll have to spend my morning looking for a cheap tank to replace his home
[on the firing of Texas Tech coach Mike Leach] The link includes a blunt interview with Mike Leach, where he tells it like it is about the James' family. Here's hoping Texas Tech has deep pockets, because Leach is going to take them to the cleaners.
January 2nd: I'm proud that my two oldest are sad (and a bit concerned) that David Tenant's time as the Doctor is coming to an end tonight.They know far more about the show and its characters than I ever could have guessed, even ID'ing an episode after seeing one scene. Nice to know I've done something right.
The Ginger's Godfather, who we haven't seen in over a year, just called to say he's on his way over to drop off a gift for her. Yikes - and us, with a turtle in the bathtub and Chinese takeout half-eaten in the living room. [He brought over a wonderful gift - an annual family pass for the zoo, including parking!]
Worked until midnight, came home and watched the very well done Tennant finale and the premiere of Demons (yawn), then had to crawl into Smiley's bed for 5 hours of sleep because my two youngest girls were sprawled next to Lisa in our bed- and rule #1 is, and always will be, never wake a sleeping baby/toddler. Ever.
* * * *
DORK QUOTE OF THE DAY, CIRCA JAN 3RD:
Me (to the kids, quoting one of David Tenant's favorite phrases): "C'mon, hurry up. Allon-zee! [sic]"
Lisa: "Don't you mean 'Geronimo?"
This was a good-natured barb, using the new Doctor's catch-phrase to ram home the point David Tennant was gone.
* * * *
January 4th: The Journal editor just called my cell while I was grocery shopping and asked me to stay on for another year, through the first part of 2011! Hot dog!
After school I took my two oldest girls to help organize my Godson's nursery, as he's due to arrive home in less than a day. My girls were poite, helpful, eager to work, and kept their cool. I was very proud of them both!
QUOTE: "To days to come, and all my love to long ago"
January 5th: Not the greatest afternoon. The girls were pissy that a kibosh was put on their chance to see the newborn and it went straight downhill from there, plus Smiley was in a mood. Still, we sat down to french toast for dinner and Family Game night continued (3rd week in a row now) but it was stressful, very stressful.
BTW, for anyone unsuccesfuly calling our house: no, the home phone isn't disconnected. The fourth-born dumped a whole jar of pickle juice on the telephone base/answering machine, ruining it. It's replacement will have to wait until payday, if then.
And a royal %&* to the White House. The ABC Special Report on the photo op, er, 'security meeting' today wiped out the last third of a great Dr. Phil epidsode. What nerve! Any chance I'd ever vote for that guy is now sooooooo gone. ;)
January 6th: Tonight, in the course of half an hour we moved YaYa and the Ginger into new rooms; very half-ass results but whataya gonna do in 30 minutes? YaYa and Lu are now roomies, while Ginger's on her own in YaYa's old room. I objected to it because it feels like rewarding Ginger for making nights hell, but she's actually taki...ng the new digs as a punishment - screaming her head off as we speak.It's actually gone well since then, with all parties adjusting quickly.
January 7th: "The Ginger" - woke up today proud of "my 'oom". Good. Maybe she won't cry and scream until 10:30 like she did last night. Like all my kids she's used to sleeping in a dark room, but the new surroundings scared her.
Saw two movies last night, "Hangover" which I loved, and "Paranormal Activity". For the latter, what Lisa said: it's not half as scary as a day with our kids. Yawn. Aside from the Danny-girl lead, there was no reason to watch - and she not only remained clothed, she wore a bra to bed each night :( A waste of a rental.
January 8th: Still stuck @ home, w/ 14-15 inch snow drifts up and down the alley. We're mid block, and it'll take a while to dig out. Mucho thanks to Anne U. for picking up my girls and getting them to school today!
January 10th, the day the Packers lost in OT in the playoffs: That was a great 2nd half to watch, even if it was interrupted by Smiley throwing up Hot Fries for about two minutes (wicked to watch - A+ for effort little dude!) and the Ginger peeing on her Elmo couch. I no longer care who wins it all, so long as Hillbilly is sent packing next week. Oh, and memo to my sister - howsabout not giving a four year old an entire package of hot fries before sending him home to his pa :)
January 11th: In this article Mark McGwire admits steroid use, to which I say . . . Yawn. Not only is it old news, I'm damn sick of folks blasting MLB for steroids while conveniently giving the NFL a pass
Later, Goose Gossage called for steroid users to be banned from the Hall of Fame: This, from the yahoo who thought it was a good idea *not* to walk Gibson in '84. If you want all the 'cheaters' out of Cooperstown, start w/ Gaylord Perry and Don Sutton for mucking w/ the ball. And make sure to stay off my lawn, you young wippersnappers!
Later, Ferguson Jenkins got in the act: Take your own advice. Seeing as you pitched high on coke, speed, weed, etc. go and apologize to all the hitters you 'wronged'. Better yet, how about you just STFU.
January 13th: Thank God American Idol is back, or I'd be stuck with only a 100 hours of DVR'd TV per week . . I joined the Facebook page of Andrew Fenlon, the guy who pissed off Kara, btw. Nice to see Posh Spice, aka longtime member of my List of Five, is a nice human being. To which my wife's cousin Delaura responded: REALLY? Your list of 5? Would you feed her first?
As our culture and our nation continues its slide into full Suckassyness, one bastion of our grand past still stands tall: The Match Game. Where have you gone Gene Rayburn, a nation turns its lonely eyes to you (woo woo woo). To which my wife's cousin Brian responded: you know...i thought I was a dork. I'm passing the torch my friend...passing the torch!
January 14th: Vanessa Wolfe's time on American Idol was enough to break your heart. She's very attractive, talented, and down to earth, but was so beaten down and low on confidence I could barely watch. That line about not wanting the judges to 'look down on her' was gut wrenching. I hope she's not eaten alive in Hollywood. I'll be rooting for her.
January 15th: Wednesday Lu called from school saying her stomach felt 'mushy', and w/in a day all the kids were down w/ it. It seems to be a quick 24-48 bug (3 are over it) but YaYa just puked all over my newly cleaned dining room floor. Dangnabbit.
True, the top two designs were great, and the group seems much more talented than the horrific LA season. Still, I wasn't very inspired by the season premier of Project Runway, even if it does feature a Milwaukee native. Has it jumped the shark, or was I just in the wrong Mood (nudge-nudge) when watching the episode?
January 16th: Happy Birthday to my stepfather-in-law Jaspare, who turned 72 today, and Lisa's friend Chris. Also - congrats to the Colts, and a thank you to the Saints for knocking off the Cards. It was a crappy day and included being called off of work and losing a day's pay. But at least I got to attend Jaspare's very nice birthday party at Paulo's pizza!
January 17th: Not much time this morning, but I needed to make my position clear: for the first (and hopefully the last time) in my life, I'm going to be rooting for a Cowboys win. And, if in the process, Hillbilly winds up with a wee bit of an owie, I'm cool w/ that too. I'm just sayin' The Cowboys got creamed.
A nice day so far. My cousin Mary and her husband stopped by to see the house and visit over lunch, then @ 4 we had bunk beds delivered and set up for the girls (yay Craigslist!). Sure the Dark Side won the NFC game today, and the Chargers are down 10-7 right now, but I'm sure we can end the day as nice as it started . . . The Chargers lost.
January 18th: I posted a very cocky status update on how I refused to come to YaYa's aid w/ her missing book report. It turns out I was wrong. She did it, Lisa took it to proofread, and the Ginger used it as an art project. So . . .yeah. I threw my kid to the wolves.
January 19th: Worst. Headache. Ever.
I took my two oldest to the dentist this morning. LuLu was very dramatic &the dentist asked me to leave the room so he could scold her w/out a 300# man glaring at him. YaYa, vet of many stiches, bore her cavities with stoic defiance. & good news: the 2 teeth loosened in a stumble at her Godfather's house are due out an...yhow. I'd been worried they were adult teeth.
Call me dumb here, but when Mountain Dew 'Throwback' heavily advertises "Made with Real Sugar!" . . WTH is the stuff in the 'normal' can?
Not a great night post-dinner, as Family Night gave way to tons of homework (although Lis taught Lu Uno). We've got plans to watch American Idol on the DVR, Pandorum on DVD, and hopefully cheer a Brown win in Mass., but I'm not holding my breath for any of it.
Whoo-hoo! Multiple sources are now calling the Massachusetts race in favor of Scott Brown! Ted Kennedy's old seat now belongs to a Republican!
January 20th, news of Robert B Parker's death breaks: The Times has a much better obit for RBP than the Globe. "Robert Brown Parker was a large man of large appetites that were nonetheless satisfied with relative ease. He was as unpretentious and self-aware as Spenser. All he needed to be happy was his family and writing,” she said. RIP
Wife Swap would be a better show if they actually 'swapped' wives. Just an observation.
So it's official, Leno will resume The Tonight Show in March. Yawn. Make no mistake, he'll still have a sizeable audience, even after being (re)outed as a douche. It'll be an ancient, gray haired audience that is the bane of advertisers, but they'll still tune in. (I'm a Conan O'Brian fan and am proud to say I saw both the first and last Conan Tonight Show episodes)
Anyone from St. Adalbert's remember Gilly? Until a few mintutes ago I hadn't thought of him in (easily) 20 years. Apparently, they did. I got quite a response from my grade school classmates. Gilly was a toothless old man in a knit cap who served Mass and did odd jobs around our school. He spoke in pure gibberish and was unintelligible at the best of times. He passed away sometime around the end of my years there (1988)
TO BE CONTINUED . . .
Let's see, what's happening in my world . . I'm still poor, there's that . . . I had some (very) minor outpatient surgery just before New Years, so minor only a handful of people were aware of it, and all would have been fine if the stitches hadn't made a habit of re-opening in the weeks since . . .and I've facebook'ed a lot. I don't prefere the site over a blog, per se, but I do enjoy the "get in, get out" nature of the beast.
Anyhow, for the time being let's get you up to speed with a summary of my Facebook updates.
* * * * *
New Years Day: Listening to the Glee soundtrack on the computer, with Joe Mac's new album playing in the dining room, while Dance Your Ass off is on the TV and the Twilight Zone and Doctor Who marathons are recording on the DVR . . how I ever got laid, much less married, escapes belief.
Our turtle tank was just shattered, sending water across the floor. Franklin is OK, but I guess I'll have to spend my morning looking for a cheap tank to replace his home
[on the firing of Texas Tech coach Mike Leach] The link includes a blunt interview with Mike Leach, where he tells it like it is about the James' family. Here's hoping Texas Tech has deep pockets, because Leach is going to take them to the cleaners.
January 2nd: I'm proud that my two oldest are sad (and a bit concerned) that David Tenant's time as the Doctor is coming to an end tonight.They know far more about the show and its characters than I ever could have guessed, even ID'ing an episode after seeing one scene. Nice to know I've done something right.
The Ginger's Godfather, who we haven't seen in over a year, just called to say he's on his way over to drop off a gift for her. Yikes - and us, with a turtle in the bathtub and Chinese takeout half-eaten in the living room. [He brought over a wonderful gift - an annual family pass for the zoo, including parking!]
Worked until midnight, came home and watched the very well done Tennant finale and the premiere of Demons (yawn), then had to crawl into Smiley's bed for 5 hours of sleep because my two youngest girls were sprawled next to Lisa in our bed- and rule #1 is, and always will be, never wake a sleeping baby/toddler. Ever.
* * * *
DORK QUOTE OF THE DAY, CIRCA JAN 3RD:
Me (to the kids, quoting one of David Tenant's favorite phrases): "C'mon, hurry up. Allon-zee! [sic]"
Lisa: "Don't you mean 'Geronimo?"
This was a good-natured barb, using the new Doctor's catch-phrase to ram home the point David Tennant was gone.
* * * *
January 4th: The Journal editor just called my cell while I was grocery shopping and asked me to stay on for another year, through the first part of 2011! Hot dog!
After school I took my two oldest girls to help organize my Godson's nursery, as he's due to arrive home in less than a day. My girls were poite, helpful, eager to work, and kept their cool. I was very proud of them both!
QUOTE: "To days to come, and all my love to long ago"
January 5th: Not the greatest afternoon. The girls were pissy that a kibosh was put on their chance to see the newborn and it went straight downhill from there, plus Smiley was in a mood. Still, we sat down to french toast for dinner and Family Game night continued (3rd week in a row now) but it was stressful, very stressful.
BTW, for anyone unsuccesfuly calling our house: no, the home phone isn't disconnected. The fourth-born dumped a whole jar of pickle juice on the telephone base/answering machine, ruining it. It's replacement will have to wait until payday, if then.
And a royal %&* to the White House. The ABC Special Report on the photo op, er, 'security meeting' today wiped out the last third of a great Dr. Phil epidsode. What nerve! Any chance I'd ever vote for that guy is now sooooooo gone. ;)
January 6th: Tonight, in the course of half an hour we moved YaYa and the Ginger into new rooms; very half-ass results but whataya gonna do in 30 minutes? YaYa and Lu are now roomies, while Ginger's on her own in YaYa's old room. I objected to it because it feels like rewarding Ginger for making nights hell, but she's actually taki...ng the new digs as a punishment - screaming her head off as we speak.It's actually gone well since then, with all parties adjusting quickly.
January 7th: "The Ginger" - woke up today proud of "my 'oom". Good. Maybe she won't cry and scream until 10:30 like she did last night. Like all my kids she's used to sleeping in a dark room, but the new surroundings scared her.
Saw two movies last night, "Hangover" which I loved, and "Paranormal Activity". For the latter, what Lisa said: it's not half as scary as a day with our kids. Yawn. Aside from the Danny-girl lead, there was no reason to watch - and she not only remained clothed, she wore a bra to bed each night :( A waste of a rental.
January 8th: Still stuck @ home, w/ 14-15 inch snow drifts up and down the alley. We're mid block, and it'll take a while to dig out. Mucho thanks to Anne U. for picking up my girls and getting them to school today!
January 10th, the day the Packers lost in OT in the playoffs: That was a great 2nd half to watch, even if it was interrupted by Smiley throwing up Hot Fries for about two minutes (wicked to watch - A+ for effort little dude!) and the Ginger peeing on her Elmo couch. I no longer care who wins it all, so long as Hillbilly is sent packing next week. Oh, and memo to my sister - howsabout not giving a four year old an entire package of hot fries before sending him home to his pa :)
January 11th: In this article Mark McGwire admits steroid use, to which I say . . . Yawn. Not only is it old news, I'm damn sick of folks blasting MLB for steroids while conveniently giving the NFL a pass
Later, Goose Gossage called for steroid users to be banned from the Hall of Fame: This, from the yahoo who thought it was a good idea *not* to walk Gibson in '84. If you want all the 'cheaters' out of Cooperstown, start w/ Gaylord Perry and Don Sutton for mucking w/ the ball. And make sure to stay off my lawn, you young wippersnappers!
Later, Ferguson Jenkins got in the act: Take your own advice. Seeing as you pitched high on coke, speed, weed, etc. go and apologize to all the hitters you 'wronged'. Better yet, how about you just STFU.
January 13th: Thank God American Idol is back, or I'd be stuck with only a 100 hours of DVR'd TV per week . . I joined the Facebook page of Andrew Fenlon, the guy who pissed off Kara, btw. Nice to see Posh Spice, aka longtime member of my List of Five, is a nice human being. To which my wife's cousin Delaura responded: REALLY? Your list of 5? Would you feed her first?
As our culture and our nation continues its slide into full Suckassyness, one bastion of our grand past still stands tall: The Match Game. Where have you gone Gene Rayburn, a nation turns its lonely eyes to you (woo woo woo). To which my wife's cousin Brian responded: you know...i thought I was a dork. I'm passing the torch my friend...passing the torch!
January 14th: Vanessa Wolfe's time on American Idol was enough to break your heart. She's very attractive, talented, and down to earth, but was so beaten down and low on confidence I could barely watch. That line about not wanting the judges to 'look down on her' was gut wrenching. I hope she's not eaten alive in Hollywood. I'll be rooting for her.
January 15th: Wednesday Lu called from school saying her stomach felt 'mushy', and w/in a day all the kids were down w/ it. It seems to be a quick 24-48 bug (3 are over it) but YaYa just puked all over my newly cleaned dining room floor. Dangnabbit.
True, the top two designs were great, and the group seems much more talented than the horrific LA season. Still, I wasn't very inspired by the season premier of Project Runway, even if it does feature a Milwaukee native. Has it jumped the shark, or was I just in the wrong Mood (nudge-nudge) when watching the episode?
January 16th: Happy Birthday to my stepfather-in-law Jaspare, who turned 72 today, and Lisa's friend Chris. Also - congrats to the Colts, and a thank you to the Saints for knocking off the Cards. It was a crappy day and included being called off of work and losing a day's pay. But at least I got to attend Jaspare's very nice birthday party at Paulo's pizza!
January 17th: Not much time this morning, but I needed to make my position clear: for the first (and hopefully the last time) in my life, I'm going to be rooting for a Cowboys win. And, if in the process, Hillbilly winds up with a wee bit of an owie, I'm cool w/ that too. I'm just sayin' The Cowboys got creamed.
A nice day so far. My cousin Mary and her husband stopped by to see the house and visit over lunch, then @ 4 we had bunk beds delivered and set up for the girls (yay Craigslist!). Sure the Dark Side won the NFC game today, and the Chargers are down 10-7 right now, but I'm sure we can end the day as nice as it started . . . The Chargers lost.
January 18th: I posted a very cocky status update on how I refused to come to YaYa's aid w/ her missing book report. It turns out I was wrong. She did it, Lisa took it to proofread, and the Ginger used it as an art project. So . . .yeah. I threw my kid to the wolves.
January 19th: Worst. Headache. Ever.
I took my two oldest to the dentist this morning. LuLu was very dramatic &the dentist asked me to leave the room so he could scold her w/out a 300# man glaring at him. YaYa, vet of many stiches, bore her cavities with stoic defiance. & good news: the 2 teeth loosened in a stumble at her Godfather's house are due out an...yhow. I'd been worried they were adult teeth.
Call me dumb here, but when Mountain Dew 'Throwback' heavily advertises "Made with Real Sugar!" . . WTH is the stuff in the 'normal' can?
Not a great night post-dinner, as Family Night gave way to tons of homework (although Lis taught Lu Uno). We've got plans to watch American Idol on the DVR, Pandorum on DVD, and hopefully cheer a Brown win in Mass., but I'm not holding my breath for any of it.
Whoo-hoo! Multiple sources are now calling the Massachusetts race in favor of Scott Brown! Ted Kennedy's old seat now belongs to a Republican!
January 20th, news of Robert B Parker's death breaks: The Times has a much better obit for RBP than the Globe. "Robert Brown Parker was a large man of large appetites that were nonetheless satisfied with relative ease. He was as unpretentious and self-aware as Spenser. All he needed to be happy was his family and writing,” she said. RIP
Wife Swap would be a better show if they actually 'swapped' wives. Just an observation.
So it's official, Leno will resume The Tonight Show in March. Yawn. Make no mistake, he'll still have a sizeable audience, even after being (re)outed as a douche. It'll be an ancient, gray haired audience that is the bane of advertisers, but they'll still tune in. (I'm a Conan O'Brian fan and am proud to say I saw both the first and last Conan Tonight Show episodes)
Anyone from St. Adalbert's remember Gilly? Until a few mintutes ago I hadn't thought of him in (easily) 20 years. Apparently, they did. I got quite a response from my grade school classmates. Gilly was a toothless old man in a knit cap who served Mass and did odd jobs around our school. He spoke in pure gibberish and was unintelligible at the best of times. He passed away sometime around the end of my years there (1988)
TO BE CONTINUED . . .
Sunday, November 22, 2009
This & That, and Quotes of the Day
A few days ago I wrote (on Facebook) about how our cat Angelcakes knocked over YaYa's Beta tank and ate her fish. Wrong. She knocked it over all right, but never got the fish. I found it today on the floor, tucked behind some shoes.
With YaYa at a friends house I tried to dispose of the evidence by feeding it to our turtle, but it backfired. Quoting YaYa upon her return: "Why is my fish floating in Franklin's tank?"
Oopsies. Finicky turtle.
* * * *
Lisa came into the living room, saw the Oregon-Arizona game on the television, and said "Is there anything we can both watch?"
"Sure," I said. "The Oregon-Arizona game."
I flinched and readied myself for the gunshot, but she just rolled her eyes and took up residence on the love seat with a book. About twenty minutes later Arizona scored. Lisa looked excited. "I didn't think they were going to convert on that down. They've got a good chance to win now, don't they?"
I smiled and gestured to YaYa, who was sitting next to her Mom.
"See, that's a skill, and I'm not being sarcastic," I said, with genuine admiration. "Your Mom has no interest whatsover in this game, and no idea what just happened, but she'll do her best to involve herself in the conversation and make you feel comfortable. That's a people skill, YaYa, one I don't have. I hope you're taking lessons."
YaYa smirked. "Are you kidding? I fake interest in what you say all the time."
* * * *
Smiley's latest obsession: Sizzlers. They're a pair of black magnets in the form of tapered cylinders about an inch long. They make a sizzling sound when tossed together.
* * * *
Lisa was on the phone with a friend when I heard her scold Smiley. "Go wipe your butt! You're stinky! Did you take a poop and not wipe your dupa?"
About five minutes later Smiley walked up in his underwear, turned his back to me and said " 'mell my butt"
"Smell your butt?" I said. "No, little man."
He grimaced and stomped his feet. "Momma say it steenky. 'mell my butt."
"You wiped?" I said. He nodded.
"Good enough for me. Off you go."
"No. 'mell my butt."
I was convinced he was sincere, and only wanted me to get him off the hook with Lisa. And then I saw a glint of Dannyesque mischief in his eyes.
"Are you just trying to get your Daddy to smell your butt so you can laugh about me?"
He started to giggle. "Yeessss!", then ran upstairs.
* * * *
Here's another shot from Chuck E Cheese last week. This is Lulu and the birthday girl Meadow.
With YaYa at a friends house I tried to dispose of the evidence by feeding it to our turtle, but it backfired. Quoting YaYa upon her return: "Why is my fish floating in Franklin's tank?"
Oopsies. Finicky turtle.
* * * *
Lisa came into the living room, saw the Oregon-Arizona game on the television, and said "Is there anything we can both watch?"
"Sure," I said. "The Oregon-Arizona game."
I flinched and readied myself for the gunshot, but she just rolled her eyes and took up residence on the love seat with a book. About twenty minutes later Arizona scored. Lisa looked excited. "I didn't think they were going to convert on that down. They've got a good chance to win now, don't they?"
I smiled and gestured to YaYa, who was sitting next to her Mom.
"See, that's a skill, and I'm not being sarcastic," I said, with genuine admiration. "Your Mom has no interest whatsover in this game, and no idea what just happened, but she'll do her best to involve herself in the conversation and make you feel comfortable. That's a people skill, YaYa, one I don't have. I hope you're taking lessons."
YaYa smirked. "Are you kidding? I fake interest in what you say all the time."
* * * *
Smiley's latest obsession: Sizzlers. They're a pair of black magnets in the form of tapered cylinders about an inch long. They make a sizzling sound when tossed together.
* * * *
Lisa was on the phone with a friend when I heard her scold Smiley. "Go wipe your butt! You're stinky! Did you take a poop and not wipe your dupa?"
About five minutes later Smiley walked up in his underwear, turned his back to me and said " 'mell my butt"
"Smell your butt?" I said. "No, little man."
He grimaced and stomped his feet. "Momma say it steenky. 'mell my butt."
"You wiped?" I said. He nodded.
"Good enough for me. Off you go."
"No. 'mell my butt."
I was convinced he was sincere, and only wanted me to get him off the hook with Lisa. And then I saw a glint of Dannyesque mischief in his eyes.
"Are you just trying to get your Daddy to smell your butt so you can laugh about me?"
He started to giggle. "Yeessss!", then ran upstairs.
* * * *
Here's another shot from Chuck E Cheese last week. This is Lulu and the birthday girl Meadow.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Smiley and the Ant Farm
You might remember reading about Smiley being swarmed by angry ants at a picnic two years ago. That's led Smiley to have a deep fear of ants and a fierce determination to stomp on them before they gang up on him again. It's calmed down now that some time has passed, but last summer it wasn't unusual for him to bring a walk to a stop just so he could have his revenge against some poor ant scout that caught his eye.
Anyhow, Lisa decided to buy him an ant farm from Target's $1 section. I'm not sure how this came about, but it was a dang good idea. One day last week Smiley and I went in the front yard and caught six or seven ants.
It was shocking how cool Smiley was with the whole process, letting the ants run around his hand while I got the cover open, then picking them up between his fingers and dropping them in. Plus he seemed to take some advice to heart. I told him to give up sifting through the grass for the ants and let them come to him. "Movement betrays motion," I said, quoting some movie line that's stuck with me for 25 years. He gauged the wisdom of this, nodded, then waited for an impatient ant to reveal itself by darting forward before swooping in for the capture.
Naturally he dropped the farm in the house, releasing the ants. No biggie, we just went out and found ourselves a new batch. As of this writing the second crop is still alive and well and scurrying in their home on our mantle.
Anyhow, Lisa decided to buy him an ant farm from Target's $1 section. I'm not sure how this came about, but it was a dang good idea. One day last week Smiley and I went in the front yard and caught six or seven ants.
It was shocking how cool Smiley was with the whole process, letting the ants run around his hand while I got the cover open, then picking them up between his fingers and dropping them in. Plus he seemed to take some advice to heart. I told him to give up sifting through the grass for the ants and let them come to him. "Movement betrays motion," I said, quoting some movie line that's stuck with me for 25 years. He gauged the wisdom of this, nodded, then waited for an impatient ant to reveal itself by darting forward before swooping in for the capture.
Naturally he dropped the farm in the house, releasing the ants. No biggie, we just went out and found ourselves a new batch. As of this writing the second crop is still alive and well and scurrying in their home on our mantle.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
The Products of a Cluttered Mind
Argh, there is so much to do. The following posts are past-due:
mingolf
arab fest
brian and delaura's
1st day of school
trip to the zoo
radio commercial
4th of July
Lauren's 1st week
stonefire
general Lauren and kid's pics posts
caitlin's party
a general 'this is what I want to remember about the kids 20 years from now' post
bus accident
mom's birthday
parkers birthday
dyeing easter eggs
easter
load xmas concerts
Blue Screen
parker in dress
YaYa's lost tooth
plus all the posts about the house renovations
Sigh. My goal is to polish off as many of these as I possibly can, as I'm itching to do some writing - some real, non-blog writing.
* * *
Here's part of a deleted profile of mine on AOL:
| Hobbies & Interests | Books (see one of my web pages), Baseball (and yeah, I feel it shoud be capitalized), NKOTB, movies, and history. |
| Occupation |
|
| Personal Quote | (1) Make sure you're right, then go ahead.- D. Crockett (2) Be proud of what you have done, then go and do better - Admiral Horatio Nelson? (3) EGBAR (4) Find your own creed, and follow it |
* * *
Another set of quotes:
Make sure you have finished speaking before your audience has finished listening.
- Dorothy Sarnoff
If the past isn't past, what is?
A hero is led by destiny, everyone else is dragged along by it.
Adventure's just another word for trouble
History is not written by the hand of intent. It's the deeds alone that matter.
There is nothing that cannot be forgiven but the failure to confess
You suffer for what you fail to confess, even when you fail to confess it to yourself
These [poetry] are the fragments which you may one day shore against your ruins
* * *
Most of the quotes were taken from THE UNCANNY by Andrew Klavan (sp?). It's an excellent horror/ghost novel . . he really is a wonderful writer with a gift for making words dance at his beck and call . at leas in this book. I'll have to pick up another of his works to see if he was a one-hit wonder in the talent department.
* * * *
Anyone in the Milwaukee area interested in buying an Entertainment or Gold C books, or Mr. Z's pizza, shoot me an email.
* * *
Tuesday, October 3, 2006
If you fail. . .
Fail dramatically. At least you will prove the error of your tactics to your successors.
Monday, January 30, 2006
Just a neat quote
Sometimes glass glitters more than diamonds because it has more to prove.
— Terry Pratchett
— Terry Pratchett
Monday, November 28, 2005
My Personal Quote of the Day
My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four, unless there are three other people.
- Orson Wells, as quoted on The Mad Perseid
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