CNN.Com is flashing breaking news of the actor's death, presumably of cancer. Check the site for further details throughout the day.
Hat Tip: Chrissy
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!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
The important event of September 26th, 2008
Tonight, in front of a live national audience, two opponents face off. They've been chipping away at one another from a distance throughout the summer, and now its time for a final blow. At stake for the winner is a position of power and significance. For the loser, a bleak and somber autumn.
No, not the debates. Pfftt. My choice is clear, and even if it weren't I distrust the scripted rhetoric of these stiff debates, where the prettiest one liner brings 'victory'.
No, I'm speaking of something far more important: Brewers-Cubs to decide the NL wildcard.
It's been a heck of a week. The other day I watched the Brew Crew scrape and claw their way to victory versus Pittsburgh, capped off by a blast from Prince Fielder. Yesterday I missed the game (d'oh!) but swoon at tales of Ryan Braun's 10th inning, walk-off grand slam.
Keep hope alive people, keep hope alive!
We enter the final weekend series against the Cubs tied with the Mets for the wildcard spot. As normal for a Cubs series my business was overflowing with wretched Chicago fans all afternoon.
I spotted a familiar pair around two o'clock.
"Hey," I hollered to an employee helping them, "Don't you dare give these people our best [product]. Lousy Cub fans. Sell them something you'd be ashamed to give your Mom."
"Not so fast there, " the husband said. " I bet you were doing plenty of rooting for the Cubs when we faced New York."
"Sure I did," I said. "And thanks a lot for playing your B-team all week.I appreciate you handing the split to the Mets."
"You're welcome," he said and laughed.
"How much you want to bet you won't be resting your guys against us? I don't think I'll see Aramis and Lee on the bench do you? No chance of Lou skipping Dempster eh?"
I'll say this for Cubs fans. By and large their female fans are hot, although their souls are obviously corrupted. Not that that's bad in a girlfriend, but still . .
Every time I write about the Brewers they promptly mail in a loss (or seven) but I'm hoping I break that streak right here. We need the postseason. We deserve the postseason (debatable, but roll with me). We will have the post-season!
And then we'll all wind up watching the Angels-Dodgers World Series.
Let the games begin!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
The end of CD's?
Let's start out by asking my readers to say 'thank you' to Beth over at Nutwood Junction. She and I disagree over the upcoming election and I've spent many an enjoyable hour commenting on her posts. Why offer thanks? Simple. Commenting over there has sated (sp?) much of my urge to write about politics on Slapinions, thereby sparing you, dear reader, from trudging through those posts :)
* * *
I was a late convert to CD's, making the transition in 1993. Even now, 15 years later, I dislike the silver frisbees. They scratch, they melt, they crack in two. If you have one kid, much less four, you might as well forget about having any in usable condition. MP3's? I like them, but if I'm going to buy an album I'd like something more concrete in my hands than zeros and ones.
So I was pleased to hear that the music industry is introducing a new format to replace (?) CD's. It's called Slot Music. Developed by Sandisk, it's a micro SD card smaller than your fingernail. It will hold an album's worth of songs, liner notes, and cover art with room to spare.
Of course micro SD cards are nothing new; I have one in my MP3 player to boost the device's memory. The 'smaller than a fingernail' bit alarms me, as I imagine I'd lose an album the day I bought it, but each Slot Music will come with its own USB device and should be usable in many cellphones, MP3 players, computers, and eventually car stereos.
By Christmas Walmart and Best Buy will be stocking albums in this format.
Personally, I'd prefer something like a hard, slim shell (roughly the size of a business cared holder) that opens while in the player to expose the tracks without risking damage to the music.
As for SlotMusic, let's throw it open for debate. Do you think this format will catch on?
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
KayKay's Volleyball Games
[Irrelevant aside: today was Smiley's 1st ever school picture day. I'll post the pics when I get them.]
In the two weeks she stayed with us we attended both of my niece's volleyball games. The first week her team lost all three sets to my kids' school (booyah!) but they took 2 of 3 sets the following week versus another team.
(if you haven't been to a volleyball game in a bit, you now play up to 25 and earn points on every volley, whether your team served the ball or not. A similar rule seems to be in effect in professional beach volleyball.)
Both weeks Lisa and I were ticked off at the coach. Her team was horribly handled. A girl twice fouled by serving over the line, they rotated incorrectly, it just went on and on. I don't know much about the sport and I think I could have done a manageable job of correcting the errors.
On top of that the coach's kid is the captain, naturally, and my niece was forced to sit the second set of both games. This, despite the fact she was one of the best players. I'm not speaking (soley) out of bias here. There were girls who couldn't serve, and one in particular who couldn't/didn't get a ball over the net in any capacity either week.
[After one revolting play I turned to Lisa and said with disgust. "They're never going to win if they keep that girl in. She may wear #7, but she's no Mickey Mantle." This earned me a (deserved) elbow to the ribs. The girls Mother was two rows in front of me, and the girl was a good friend of my niece and had even been to parties at their house when I was in attendence. Oops. My bad.]
In one set my niece was the only member of her team to score a string of points, but was still pulled in favor of one of the yahoos.
"KayKay!," I yelled in between one set and motioned her over. "You want me to say something to her. 'Cuz I will."
"No!," she said, mortified. "Then she'll never play me."
Nice. Classy coach.
Anyhow, here's some pictures of her games.
Some misc. pics, mainly of Smiley
There's not much rhyme or reason to these pics, it's really just a 'clean-out' of my cell phone's memory.
Still, I think this picture of Smiley is awesome. Eh, on second thought I think he's actually upset. I have a dim memory of him sitting down in the greeting card aisle of Wal-Mart, burying his face in his hands, and bawling because we wouldn't let him run free in the store.
Here he is with his cousin. Smiley adores him. They are the only two males in that generation of my family, compared to *six* girls.
Here's a stray pic from the Olive Garden dinner we had a few weeks back, the celebratory dinner that knocked my diet off kilter for a bit.
Here's a photo I include as a reminder. I'll need this to know where to install the 'quick release' on the bike trailer.
Smiley loves his dance class and I've caught him doing 'shuffle whatever' on the sly. Here's a pic of him in his dance clothes, wearing a hat of YaYa's that's very similar to a style I wore the heck out of in '82-'83.
Wrapping up Yesterday
After I posted yesterday I went over to the DMV, where I was very disappointed that I didn't get to read more of the Joe Hill book I'd started. There was a line out to the door and I was still in and out (with new registration tags and an updated driver's license) in less than ten minutes. WTF? What's the world coming to if you can't depend on the DMV to provide fodder for your blog?
[sidenote: I was sad about renewing that license tho'. With a eight-year expiration I'm pretty sure the picture on the front will be the last one to bear witness to my hair. {sob]
I was out so quickly that I headed to the hospital to visit my Mom before taking Smiley to school. I was stymied at the information desk when I was informed my Mom was not, nor had ever been, a patient.
Fortunately I was taken aside by someone I knew and slipped her room number, with a stern warning not to divulge where I'd gotten the information. She had been listed as 'Jane Doe' for security reasons - what security reasons I can't fathom, lest she's been slipping cookie recipies to Al Queda - but no one was supposed to know she was there. (Yeah, that suprised my Mom too)
Anyhow, she looked awful. As I walked in she was asleep with her head to one side and her mouth open. Her arms were bruised and her legs heavily bandaged. She told me the story I'd heard yesterday was very nearly accurate. She had been told of having an 'e factor' after my sister's birth and warned to divulge the information whenever she needed a blood transfusion.
"I carried the little card with me for twenty years before I threw it out," she said. "I figured, I hadn't needed it this long . . "
By the time I saw her the transfusion had taken place already, two pints of 'blood or whatever', and scans of her legs had revealed no clots, which was certainly good news.
Her speech was very slurred and incomprehensible at times. She had no explanation for it but told me the doctor was sending her home that evening. I couldn't believe it. I'm not a doctor but she looked and sounded awful. I told her she must be mistaken.
* * *
After saying goodbye I hurried home in time to take Smiley to school via bike, just to show the morning's disaster hadn't dampened my resolve. It was again eezy-peezy, but I had the misfortune of talking to his classmate's Mom, who (naturally) bikes her kid in via a twelve mile roundtrip each day.
"You got tired after only a mile? How odd," she said. I think she was honestly oblivious to the lack of tact involved in saying this to a 300 pound man, so I don't hold any anger towards her.
[I will say however, that a pre-Rennasaince era Danny might, conceivably, have looked at this unnattractive woman and thought something like "If I biked twelve miles every day I'd look a hell of a lot better than you do now sister"
But this is a new era, and so a thought like that never crossed my mind. Not once.]
In the evening the kids had dance and in their absence I took Lump on a ride too, although I concede this was nothing but showing off to my readers. While I was wrapping up my Dad called to say his car had died taking my Mom home from the hospital, so I drove out to pick them up.
While in the car my Mom told me a story about dreaming of a bright tunnel with a peaceful white light at the end.
Malarky.
"Ma, I've known you for thirty years. With that mouth of yours there's not gonna be any 'white light'. The best you can hope for is to avoid a red glow and pray for puragatory," I said.
She laughed. "Your [paternal] Grandma used to tell me the only way she'd get into heaven was if Grandpa Mike died first and held the ladder for her. She used to say that to me all the time. Remember Eddie?"
"Yeah, but it didn't work out that way, did it?" my Dad said, being a buzzkill and referencing my Grandma's early demise.
Anyhow, that was it for the day. A busy day, and productive.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Fantasy Football Week Two (NFL Week 3): Slapjacks Win!
Well I finally got a win in my fantasy football league, making me 1-1 on the season, but I still didn't crack the century mark in weekly points. My overall lack of points means I place seventh in the league standings. I have to pick up the pace if I want to be in the running for a playoff berth.
SlapJacks 1-1-0 Nine Pound Hammer 0-2-0
vs.
Points | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pos | Player | Opp | Status | Projected | Actual |
| QB | (NYG - QB)  | Cin | W, 26-23 | 14.18 | 14.63 |
| WR | (Cle - WR) | @Bal | L, 28-10 | 11.49 | 2.70 |
| WR | (Pit - WR)  | @Phi | L, 15-6 | 12.04 | 3.40 |
| WR | (Was - WR) | Ari | W, 24-17 | 9.21 | 15.50 |
| RB | (Cle - RB) | @Bal | L, 28-10 | 9.27 | 7.70 |
| RB | (Jac - RB) | @Ind | W, 23-21 | 8.54 | 13.00 |
| TE | (Ten - TE) | Hou | W, 31-12 | 4.59 | 2.60 |
| K | (GB - K) | Dal | L, 27-16 | 8.60 | 10.00 |
| DEF | (Sea - DEF) | StL | W, 37-13 | 18.09 | 15.50 |
| Total | 96.01 | 85.03 | |||
Points | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pos | Player | Opp | Status | Projected | Actual |
| QB | (Car - QB) | @Min | L, 20-10 | 11.86 | 2.37 |
| WR | (NE - WR) | Mia | L, 38-13 | 11.10 | 2.50 |
| WR | (Pit - WR) | @Phi | L, 15-6 | 9.51 | 3.20 |
| WR | (NYJ - WR) | @SD | L, 48-29 | 7.76 | 7.60 |
| RB | (Ind - RB) | Jac | L, 23-21 | 16.93 | 24.80 |
| RB | (Car - RB) | @Min | L, 20-10 | 4.86 | 9.50 |
| TE | (Den - TE) | NO | W, 34-32 | 8.57 | 1.20 |
| K | (Ten - K) | Hou | W, 31-12 | 9.47 | 8.00 |
| DEF | (GB - DEF) | Dal | L, 27-16 | 13.44 | 10.50 |
| Total | 93.50 | 69.67 | |||
I continue to worry about the lack of production in Cleveland. That's gonna be a problem for me as the year wears on.
Next week Seattle is on bye so San Diego resumes defensive duties for me. I also realized *both* Manning brothers are on bye in Week Four (what the heck, do the Mannings have a barmitzva that weekend or what?) so I dropped Adrian Peterson (Chi - RB) and picked up Tampa's Brian Griese. TB plays Green Bay next week but with Al Harris out with a ruptured spleen the Pack's secondary should be ripe for exploitation.
Or not.
It's not like I'll be rooting against the Pack. I'm hoping for 200 yards, a TD and a pick out of Griese, nothing more.
Oh, by the way a big thank you to Chicago's defense for coughing up the game to Tampa Bay on Sunday. Pinning them down at their own goal and then granting them an automatic first down via a personal foul? Priceless. I knew Green Bay would probably fall to Dallas and the Chicago loss kept us firmly in first place in the NFC North. I was as cheerful as a electrolysis tech when Bea Arthur walks in the door.
Now on to Week Four . . .
On overdoing a bike trip and an update on my Mom
First things first. Yesterday I decided to use my bike to pick up Smiley from school. It's only a mile or so away (if that) and was an easy-peezy ride with the litle guy. Because of that success I nursed the idea of taking both LuLu and YaYa to their school [~ 2 to 3 miles away] via the bike trailer, and at 7:35 this morning I pulled the trigger and loaded 'em up.
Big booboo. Together they weigh 80 pounds, not Smiley's thirty-nine, and those extra forty pounds makes quite a difference. There also seems to be a dramatic discrepancy between the hills I remembered being between here and the school and the number that actually exist. It was like freaking San Francisco out there.
On three different inclines I had to ask the girls to get out and walk while I caught my breath. I got them to school five minutes late and was holding back from heaving my breakfast. Not a ringing endorsement for the activity, to say the least.
Both girlsseemed thrilled with the novelty of it and were happy, but I felt like shooting myself. Not out of depression or disappointment - just to put myself out of my misery.
It took me 25 minutes to get there and a scant 10 to return.
Will I do it again? I think so, but it'll probably wait until next year when (hopefully) I'll be in better shape.
* * * *
My Mom is still in the hospital and not yet on the upswing. I'm told she'll need a stent (?) in her leg and a blood transfusion, but some antibodies in her blood, present since a difficult pregnancy with my sister C, precludes most donors. It's very confusing to me and so far I'm hearing it only second or third hand.For all I know she's A-OK and milking it for the free applesauce in the cafeteria, God willing.
I'm going to try and stop and see her sometime today to get the scoop and wish her well.
New Kids 'The Block' debuts at #1 on Pop Charts, #2 Overall
Eleven more days until we see NKOTB in Chicago, one of two New Kids concerts we have on tap for October!
My friend Tre called me up the other day.
"Guess what I found for you when I was cleaning out my Mom's house," he said.
"What?"
"Oh, well it's maybe 12x12 and it's got a picture of five guys from Boston on the front, and let's see . . the round thing inside says, um, 'Hangin' Tough'." he said and laughed.
I darn near squealed, despite the fact I was at work.
"A New Kids LP? For real? Why the hell would your Mom have that?" I asked.
"Who knows man. I take it you want it?" he asked.
"Uh . .duh!" I said.
* * * *
This next bit is for Lisa, who was wondering about the record sales of The Block. I imagine it's a bit dicer to track than in 1988, given the emergence of digital tunes. But they seem to have done well across the board:
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
THE BLOCK
DEBUTS AS #1 POP ALBUM
THEIR FIRST NEW MUSIC IN ALMOST 15 YEARS DEBUTS AT #2 OVERALL
ON BILLBOARD TOP 200
(New York, NY) – Pop supergroup, New Kids on the Block, make their comeback debut as the #1 Pop Album in the country with The Block, their first album together in almost 15 years. Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, Danny Wood and Jordan and Jonathan Knight, who as a group have sold over 80 million albums worldwide, are now back at the top of Billboard’s coveted Top 200 Chart at #2 overall.
After huge performances on “The Today Show” and “The View” and rave reviews from People Magazine and the LA Times, the group officially secured their place at the Top of Pop with their remarkable ranks as #1 Pop Album and #2 Album overall.
The reunion of all five members of the famed 90s group continues to ignite fan frenzies nationwide. Loyal fans turned up in droves from all over to follow the group across the country on their album promo tour. The group was enthusiastically embraced by large crowds of screaming fans at all performances, interviews and signings. Throngs of fans in Boston lined up for nearly three days, braving harsh weather, just to see the guys for their hometown signing. A phenomenal fan base has always been one of the cornerstones of the group’s success.
The Deluxe Edition of the album holds the #1 spot on iTunes Album Pop Charts and #5 on the iTunes overall chart with their new single, “Single” featuring Ne-Yo already jumping into the top forty on the iTunes Pop Singles Chart. “Single” officially debuted at #140 on Billboard Singles Chart with a 114% sales increase from last week. The group’s first single, the hit mellow jam “Summertime,” is a top 20 single that has sold over half a million copies.The New Kids on the Block Greatest Hits album saw a 100% increase in sales this week, making BOTH New Kids albums Top 30 albums.
That info is a week old and located on NKOTB.com's 'news' page. I'll try to find more current sales info as the week progresses.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Art School Confidential
Art School Confidential is the story of Jerome Platz, who from a young age has aimed to become a world famous artist. He has the talent to make his dream a reality. The trouble is, his prestigious art school is oblivious to it, preferring the meaningless drivel of 'tortured souls' to his own work. But on campus there lies a serial killer, and in the killer's wake may come the opportunity Jerome has waited for his whole life.
Art School Confidential is a blatant swipe at the world of art., and it trots out cliches and stereotypes in droves to continuously remind us of of the fact. There is the bisexual talentless teacher who can paint nothing but triangles but considers each a masterpiece; the viscously butch and angry lesbians, the detached hippy, the 'Empty Nest-er' who returns to school, the talentless hack who is idolized by everyone - the list goes on.
It's not a bad film at all for 80% of its length, although the serial killer angle is introduced early and awkwardly. [Watching the film you get the notion that it could be explained away as a stray plotline from a movie playing two blocks over.]
There's talent to spare here. Angelica Huston, Steve Buscemi, and John Malkovich do a wonderful job of bringing this dysfunctional art school to life (esp. Malkovich - the man has a gift, he does he does).
Sophia Myles, who plays Jerome's love interest, is a stunning woman who looks rather like Kate Winslet. Her performance is fine but the writers fail her. His attraction to her is his motivation, sure, but what is her attraction to him? She is infinitely more experienced, articulate, and mature than Jerome and seems to place no special emphasis or interest in his naivete, his looks, or his art. What gives?
Again, an entertaining film for 80% of its length. Scratch that, for 95% of its run time. Only at the very end, when Jermome gets his wish, do all the movie's flaws come scratching and clawing to the surface in a mad rush.
2.5 out of 4, 68 out of 100.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)