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!
I can't believe it's been a week since my last post. Tonight I'll have another Lost post for you all to ignore, as well as some exciting news on the job/home front. Oh, and my wife has dared me to try and write one of my old 600 word pieces defending Cheney's shooting accident. I just might do it.
Later.
This is another one of my sister's Fwd: emails. Again, not normally my cup of tea, but kind of cute and inspiring.
The next time you feel like GOD can't use you, just remember...
Noah was a drunk
Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer
Jacob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused
Moses had a stuttering problem
Gideon was afraid
Samson was a womanizer
Rahab was a prostitute
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
David had an affair and was a murderer
Elijah was suicidal
Isaiah preached naked
Jonah ran from God
Naomi was a widow
Job went bankrupt
John the Baptist ate bugs
Peter denied Christ
The Disciples fell asleep while praying
Martha worried about everything
The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once
Zaccheus was too small
Paul was too religious
Timothy had an ulcer...AND
Lazarus was dead!
Normally I detest Fwd: emails, but as of late my sister Katie's been coming up with some halfway good ones to pass around.
*******************************
An elderly couple was attending church services, when about halfway through she leans over and says to him:
"I just let a big silent one, what do you think I should do?"
He leans over to her and replies "Put a new battery in your hearing aid."
I can't believe I forgot Middle Child's favorite saying:
"Snow White run away" - a reference to Snow White fleeing the Evil Queen in the Disney movie. Spoken (inevitably) whenever it's on the vcr (which is always). When spoken, an adult must oblige her by following her into her room to view the pivotal scene. Also verbalized whenever she wears her Snow White dress, sees a picture of the princess, or hears something that possibly/conceivably/maybe/could be a reference to the movie or any attempt to flee authority.
I'm in a bit of an unusual pickle with my current reading material.
The Wheel of Time is an excellent fantasy series by Robert Jordan. In fact it's the only fantasy series I've ever liked enough to endorse. Keep in mind it's hard to recommend the series to someone new because each book is ~1000 pages, give or take a few hundred, and there are eleven entries so far.
Knife of Dreams, the latest installment, is a vast improvement from the tenth book. That one drrrragggged on, and was just a great waste of time. There was no plot or character development; you really could skip that mammoth killer of trees and not miss a thing in the series.
Now the tempo is greatly increased, the end of the tale is in sight, the fate of the characters is soon to be revealed . . and I can't make any headway.
Seriously, I've read what, ten books in the last few weeks? Yet its taken more than a week to chug through 300 pages of Knife of Dreams.
Aside from the fact that the main character has yet to appear in the book 300 pages in I have no qualms with the story or the writing. Scratch that: after a two year hiatus it's too hard to remember which of the dozens of characters belongs where, much less who is secretly a two-faced agent for whoever.
A nice little 'previously in Wheel of Time' would have been a nice preface . .
I'm enjoying it, but I just can't make headway. With no intention of being a wiseass, I imagine this must be what it's like for a learning disabled reader. You love the material, you want to finish . . . but something holds you back.
Ugh.
Here's hoping I snap out of it.
Well, congrats to the Steelers. Even if they hadn't been able to rack up a score or so courtesy of the NFL, they'd have taken the day. I'd still like to see those refs canned, as they were the true difference makers in the game.
A disapointing end to the season for me. Although I rooted for the Steelers through the end of conference play, I was pure and simple a fan of Holmgren and the 'Hawks.
Shame the season had to end like that. At least it wasn't a sport I care about, like baseball. Hard to imagine that I don't really care about football, given my postings, but I'm no more than a casual fan, albeit (I think) a pretty knowlegable one when I give a da**.
Oh well. At least I had a good time with my nephew Jonah, who came over to watch the game. A rare treat nowadays, to see the kid in something more than passing, even if he was a Steelers fan. Check out his blog, located on the sidebar. He's never met a spellcheck program he liked, but other than that its a pretty decent read for an eleven year old.
Oh, btw, I annoyed the heck out of my wife tonight. Not only was I very distracted, my volumne at times kept the kids up and ruined her evening. Time to kiss and make up.
My apologies hon.
Now, two months of rest. And then . .
BASEBALL!
8:26 PM Nice to see the ref's call holding where there was none, negating that huge seahawks gain and setting the stage for the interception.
And, while I risk sounding like a whiny sore loser, that penalty against Hasslebeck on the pickoff was bogus - and as I write this, Al Michaels and John Madden just agreed with me.
Thank you Ben (7:57 PM) Sure, I get melodramatic - a man who doesn't live and die during in the heat of competition has no business taking part (even as a fan).
I thought the game was over, and what does Benny do? He tosses it loosy-goosy, 'Hawks intercept and run it back, eventually converting it to a TD.
Thank you Ben.
Signed,
All Seahawks Fans
Overall, a lame first half. The penalty negating Seattle's touchdown was a joke, and if Big Ben really crossed the plane with his 'touchdown' Amelia Earheart will land any minute now. . .
In the NFL, the refs seem to favor whoever is the darling of the fans.
And as for the Rolling Stones - lordy, who's going to play SuperBowl forty-one, Scott Joplin? Didya notice that while the folks up by the stage were into the band (and no doubt plants), no one in the stands seemed to give a rip.
The second half just started and the Steelers scored a big TD . . shame. The game's not over, but it serves as a reminder that the good guy doesn't always win the day . .
I still say/hope/pray Seattle will pull it off. Stay tuned.
My wife recently found these sad Gummy Bears on Ebay.
"This gummy bear was pulled from a bag in cleveland Ohio on 1-29-06.It is siamese the red one on the top Is Phil and the yellow one is grover.Grover was born with a birth defect and is missing his bottom left leg.The Highest bidder will save there lives.I will eat both of them in 10 days if they are not sold on Ebay.You and only you can save them.I will assume the highest bidder will give them the best life possible.
I wanted to bid, but the Mrs.said $5 was too much money to save this Bears' life . .callous Republican.
I was originally in line with your theory....but have since revised my position on the whole LOST experience...it's all about the power of the mind and suggestion. . . Those known as "the others" to the survivors are simply those who are aware of the physic suggestion and the origin of the experiment those who do not yet have this knowledge are "the survivors".
Legitimate studies have proven that children have a heightened physic ability which deminishes over time. This may be the reason children are garnered by "the others". they strengthen the illusion that is shared by the collective illusion being produced by those participating in the experiment.
My guess is the reason for the connectivity and background similarity has to do with where the study subjects orginally came from....All could be part of a program that participated in such an experiment or study.
I'm impressed, but not convinced. I think the best explanation is my purgatory argument. I do concede that their is a smattering of clues lately that point to a psychological explanation: namely, that this is all a figment of Hurley's insanity.
* The numbers, which pop up everywhere, are directly connected to the event that started Hurley's fall (the lottery)
*Hurley 'recognized' Libby, the psychologist among the Tailies
*Hurley hasn't lost any weight, despite spending two months on a deserted isle. This has been commented on by both fans and a character in the show. I realize it's probably nothing more than the actor's inability to lose weight, but if it's intentional - maybe his shattered psyche can't imagine a less overweight, 'more worthy' self
*Alone among all the castaways, Hurley seems to be a neutral and universally liked character on the island. Evidence? of him being the unintentional puppet master who's unwilling to ostracize himself?
I'm sure there's more, but Ican't think of it right now. I hope it isn't true. I'd hate to have the show end the way St. Elsewhere did, with the whole thing being written off as the product of an autistic kids imagination.
Might as well have Bobby Ewing pop out of the shower and call it all a dream.
I know there's message threads that debate these things endlessly, so maybe all three of these theories have been disproved - but ya know what? No one short of the writers know the truth, and depending on how long the series runs, the 'truth' might alter as the cast and audience changes.
In the meantime, while I might pop on a message board for a minute or two, I prefer to dwell on my theories here - and I'm more than happy to hear your opinions.
Lest you think I forgot, today is the day, 47 years ago, when 'the music died'
Buddy Holly remains one of the greatest of all rock legends, and one of (if not the) personal favorite of mine.
Rest in peace.
You know, maybe it's normal behavior, but this strikes me as crazy.
As I wrote a post last week, my youngest daughter started yelling for help in that 'Daddy, you're gonna be mad at me' kind of a way.
I went to her room and found her hanging from the top bunk with her arms extended to both sides, suspended only by the muscles in her tiny shoulders. I guess she had been trying to do some stunt, chickened out, and got stuck.
YaYa, of course, was laughing hysterically.
I comforted the little one, scolded YaYa for enjoying her sister's dilemma, and put them both back to bed.
Five minutes later, YaYa calls me: She's hanging the same way, only she did it intentionally.
Her explanation for trying to drag me in there: "You love her better. I like you, but you don't like me. You only like her"
This, if I may be so bold, is her mantra. Doesn't matter how many times you praise her, how often you point out how smart/pretty/articulate she is, it's YaYa vs. the world.
You can't even praise her sister without hearing "But I'm a good girl too. . "
Now, mind you, the gal doesn't have confidence issues. If there's one thing she seems to have inherited wholesale from my adult personality it's a brazen arrogance about her own worth.
It just happens to be mingled in with a stunning lack of faith in other people seeing that worth.
Odd.
In a bit less pedestrian piece of news, there's a chance (a very slim one, mind you) that YaYa will be playing the part of 'little girl' in a radio ad for my company. She's been practicing her lines but I think the part will go to someone older and more experienced.
[Note: out of the darkness of her room, I just overhead the following line from the ad: "Mom, will I ever be a real princess?"]
One thing hurting her at this point are her tonsils. The things are huge, and I'm thinking she may have yet another bout of strep throat. The doc's already said they'll have to go when she's six or so, but that means two more years of sore throats and the occasionally congested voice.
On the personal front today, I completed the final step towards my teaching license. Well, substitute teacher, er, reserve teacher, they call 'em now, thank you - but that's good enough.
Eight years ago I graduated college with the intent of going back and getting a full-fledged teaching license, but for a variety of reasons I never finished all the classes.
I don't have much use for the dang thing now, but I did feel the need to wrap up loose ends and validate an otherwise wasted chunk of my scholastic life.
Yay me.
Back on the family front, Parker continues to stand/crawl/smile, but has recently decided he doesn't want to eat anything - with the exception of some pizza we cut up for him tonight.
I also came up with one more saying of Middle Child:
"Sorree bay bee" the apology issued to her brother whenever she accidentally steps on him, steals his pacifier, drops his toy, or just generally makes him upset.
Here at home we're starting preparations for Parker's 1st birthday.
Granted, it's in March, but we tend to make the 1st birthday a blast - a Chuck E Cheese party for YaYa and a backyard picnic (complete with clown) for Middle Child.
Parker's party will be Jungle Safari theme, with the Mrs. displaying her artistic talents with elephant invites. When the time comes I'll post an example here.
I can't believe the little guy is almost one. Granted, he's not very small. Not fat mind you - none of my kids seem to have inherited my shape, at least not yet - but solid - tall and thick, with a peach fuzz dome and a charming little smile. By high school he should be the size of a small mountain, but so far he's played the role of the baby far longer than I thought. I think his Mommy wants him to stay an infant longer than with the girls.
He started crawling in the last month, the real deal, on his hands and knees. For a few months he was content to pull himself along by his arms. 90% of our place has hardwood floors, and that method was just too convient for him, allowing him to zip from one end of the place to another in record time.
Lazy boy.
By this time both the girls were already walking, but the best he's done is pull himself up on everything from our end table to the toilet (the boy has a facination with toilet water). He's still on soy formula, but samples table food routinely and is equally attracted to the cat's food dish.
He's the first of our kids to EVER have an ear infection, being cursed with a pair of them so far. Even so he holds the record for the friendliest, most personable baby in our family. Sometimes he wakes up and plays quietly in his crib for an hour before we realize he's awake. Short of a wet diaper (which leak through far more than the girls did) he almost never cries.
He and middle child are inseperable, and I predict that in a few years we'll regret letting that friendship grow. "Makers of trouble" is how Mrs. describes them, and it is a bit like having Ramona Quimby and Dennis the Menace grow up as siblings .
But Middle Child loves him, let me tell ya. She can't get enough of him, and loves him dearly.
YaYa . . well, let's just say so far it's two against one among the kids.
Speaking of middle child, here's a few of our resident Kewpie dolls favorite sayings:
"I won't! I won't" - said whenever you warn her that she is balanced precariously on something about to tip over and break her arm. Often accompanied by a furious head shake and side-to-side hand movement, ala hand jive.
"Thank you your highness" said whenever she is granted something by YaYa. Said by royal decree of her older sister.
"What the heck!?" - a new one, said in a cute, endearing, and totally exaggerated way. Often said with a grin, knowing she is amusing us.
"Hide, zombie" - inspired by my hide-and-seek zombie game. Often said out of the blue and right before she dives under a blanket.
"ParkerandmeandDaddyandParkerandMommyandmeandParkerandme" - her convoluted, repetive attempts at identifying a group, be it at the dinner table or in a description of a car trip. Regardless of how many times she says it, she always ends on 'me'.
"Daddy's work!!!!" - said whenever she sees something resembling our company logo, whenever we pass the place, and whenever I pop onto our website.
There are more, but at 11:36 at night, I can't think of 'em. I'll update them later.
CAMBRIDGE, England (Jan. 30) - A museum visitor shattered three Qing dynasty Chinese vases when he tripped on his shoelace, stumbled down a stairway and brought the vases crashing to the floor, officials said Monday.
The three vases, dating from the late 17th or early 18th century, had been donated to the Fitzwilliam Museum in the university city of Cambridge in 1948, and were among its best-known artifacts. They had been sitting proudly on the window sill beside the staircase for 40 years.
More here
Just a quick note to say that Ted Ferguson, Bud Light Daredevil, is too damn ugly to have a girlfriend that fine.
I'm just sayin' . . .
Today is the twentieth anniversary of the Space Shuttle Challenger accident. You can follow this link for a timeline of the accident, which includes audio (with transcript), and multiple videos from that day.
I remember riding in my Dad's car when they said one of the initial launch dates had been scrapped, and hearing that Christa McAuliffe had gone bike riding to relax.
That was the extent of the attention I paid to the flight.
So it wasn't a surprise that I didn't watch the launch live, but when word of the explosion spread my sixth grade teacher wheeled a television into our classroom. We spent the rest of the day watching network coverage.
I remember being a little put off that Christa McAuliffe received so much attention. Six others died that day, but how many people knew their names at the time - or now? It didn't seem fair.
I strongly believe in the value of manned space flight, and look with regret at the two-plus decades wasted on the costly and limited shuttle program. I'm glad to hear that, with a little luck, American's will walk on Mars in my lifetime.
In the words of Commander Dick Scobee's widow "Without risk, there's no discovery, there's no new knowledge, there's no bold adventure,"
"The greatest risk is to take no risk."
A year ago I asked for some info on a movie I saw twenty years ago.
Nothing so obscure with this request, but it is rather lame.
In grade school I had a science teacher who made us memorize what various parts of a word mean. That's a lame definition, but you'll see what I mean below.
Most have slipped my mind over the years, but a few have stuck with me.
auto = self
graph = write
ology = study of
morph = change
bio = life
tele = far, distant
astro = star
The theory being this: if you didn't know what 'autobiography" meant, you could decipher its meaning just by consulting the list.
If anyone knows where I can find a comprehensive list, drop me a line.
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I finished two more books recently, Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman and The Pale Horseman by Bernard Cornwell.
Anansi Boys is the story of Fat Charlie, a simple, boring Englishman who just happens to be the son of a god. After his father's funeral he discovers a long lost brother who inherited all the supernatural gifts in the family.
Embezzlement, murder, and general chaos ensue.
Gaiman is a natural, one of those guys you despise because God gave him more than his fair share of writing talent. A bit too much Douglas Adams in him though, and I feel he could lay off the dry British humor a tad.
Pale Horseman is the continuing tale of Uhtred, a Saxon with Danish leanings, who plays a pivotal (and fictional) role in Alfred the Great's defense of Wessex from invasion.
Sure, it sounds lame, but Cornwell is a master of historical fiction who's adept at elaborate and stunning battle scenes. He is, after all, the author of the famed Sharpe series (popularized by Sean Bean's TV portrayal).
A great second work in what looks to be a trilogy.
An overtly religious episode, one that certainly doesn't refute my purgatory theory.
Not a whole lot to discuss, frankly. I think Claire turned on Charlie awfully quick in the last few weeks, given that he's been her go-to guy from the time of the crash.
Charlies actions in this episode seem to validate Claire's mistrust - if that is, the viewers didn't know that the dreams and sleep walking were real.
Locke continues to be an obnoxious a**, and I'm probably reading too much into his role as the guy preventing the baptism. In the teaser for next week, Locke is again on his high horse and in opposition to Jack; the guy makes me ill.
Kate and Sawyer: He can have her. I fail to comprehend where her newfound attaction to him comes from.
Hurley and Libby: she gave me the creeps. She quickly deflected his "Do I know you?" question, and I'm eager to learn her crooked past.
She is cute though.
Was there any significance to the burning bush, especially in light of the whole Aaron/Moses theme running through the episode?
I came across a link to this on myufo.com. According to a list of WI locales, my old grade school features some bonafide ghosts and ghouls.
The school building used to be the church. Rumor has it that a boy fell to his death from the balcony. The balcony has since been walled over and converted to a room. Former teachers and students at the school attest to a strange feeling in the former balcony area. There is also a rocking chair in the attic that keeps rocking with no one around and no breeze. A strange man has been seen by staff and children in the church basement. Neighbors report that a former building on the site had a light that never went out even when the electricity was cut. Teachers also report feeling uneasy in the basement bathroom and hearing a strange ?wooooooing? sound.
My opinion? The school was spooky, sure, but mainly due to my classmates. .
In all seriousness, I remember the balcony, which overlooks the current (?) gym. It was kind of creepy, but only in a 'never used/dark and dusty' kind of a way.
Although, come to think of it, reading the paragraph brought back a dim memory of a teacher cracking a joke about a/the? ghost when I went with her to get some paint jars off the balcony.
I never heard of any rocking chair, though, and in nine years there (K-8) I never saw a 'strange man' in the basement. If anyone had I'm sure the police would have been called - the '80's were hardly a time of naive, blind trust.
As far as the other building, when I started there in the late seventies an old school building still stood on part of the lot. It was torn down when I was in Kindergarten or 1st grade. Like any abandoned building it sometimes gave you goosebumps, but I never saw the perpetual lightbulb they refer to in the paragraph.
Maybe I'll stop by again, just to check it out.
I came across this article on last week's episode of Lost. I hope the link still works 1000 years from now when the only remnant of civilization is a copy of Slapinions, because it's far too much text for me to reproduce. Read it or this won't make much sense.
I agree with the gist of the statements about Jack in this episode. He seems to be nearing the breaking point, as evidenced in part by the depressing flashbacks to his past. The marriage certainly seemed doomed from the start, and life never seems to have been very enjoyable for him.
BTW, I think he had to take Locke (their tracker) along on the quest, but Sawyer ???
I don't know what his true, subconscious rational was for pursuing Michael, but I'm willing to take it on face value: Michael was on a suicidal mission, and Jack wanted to find him and bring him home so he could screw his head on straight.
I'm a little sick of Locke's holier-than-thou laizzes faire attitude. Not only is it ridiculous, it's hypocritical: he sure sticks his nose into things when he has an interest in the outcome. His obsession with the island has brought a lot of grief, and he does view the place as a 'holy land' of sorts - hence his look when scolded by Zeke for opening the hatch.
As to Kate - well, you have to doubt her worth (even if you overlook all the bank robbing and murder in her past) if she can be attracted to a loser like Sawyer . er, James. She'd have come in handy on the quest, though, and I imagine Jack left her behind because a) he's annoyed with her b) he still cares for her and that could have - and did - interfere with the search.
As for the Others: sure it was a pompous speech, and instinct is to yell "well, then help us off the da** island then!" but in real life, the survivors would mention the Others to the outside world, and someone would be compelled to return to the island and look for them (if for no other reason then to find the kidnap victims). I doubt that's what Zeke wants.
I too, think the torches were a trick, an automated sleight of hand meant to disguise their true numbers. I didn't see anyone else in the jungle, tho' in fairness I also didn't see whoever fired the shot at Sawyer.
I think they very well could have quizzed Kate on the way home; it just wasn't shown. And I too would have approached Sayid, but he's not exactly stable at the moment . .
I think this theory is fascinating:
"It's a schizophrenic delusion of Hurley's. Hurley is really still in a mental hospital, and Libby is his doctor. She's trying a new treatment to bring him out of it, hence her appearence.It's a schizophrenic delusion of Hurley's. Hurley is really still in a mental hospital, and Libby is his doctor. She's trying a new treatment to bring him out of it, hence her appearence."
But . .
I hold fast to my belief that no one survived the crash. The island is purgatory, where the sinners onboard who were unable to reach Heaven - but still capable of redemption -have gone to be tested.
No matter how the series ends, a part of me will always believe that's what the writers intended. I just fear they may be forced along a different route because of Lost's popularity (and the fact ratings will stretch the length of the series).
My evidence, in Cliff Notes fashion:
* No survivor seems to be without a messy, often violent past. Not a one seems to be able to show us a 'normal' life in flashbacks. Even when not a criminal, their lives are full of anger and pain.
* The children, presumably innocents, were the first to be taken. Their presence at all was troubling, but I believe it was to simply magnify the pain of folks like Michael and Anna. Michael's sins seem to have been in his relationship with his son. Anna still holds a secret, but latched on tight to the kids. Her flaws might lie along the same path.
* Why hasn't the baby been taken? According to the psychic in Claire's past, the baby is evil . .
*Remember that the mole among the tailies mentioned that the kidnap victims were taken in order of 'goodness', or some similar phrase . .
*And recall that Ecko was near the top of that list, but fought off his attackers. Among the islanders, his sins were the greatest - but his redemption was also the most sincere.
*Once Shannon proved her worth as a person, she was 'killed'. Boone too, seemed to have grown and matured.
*Charlie, who had made great strides, was nearly taken from the island (via death) but brought back - and his change of heart now seems to have temporary. I also attach some significance to his 'death by hanging in the garden' - some aspect of my parochial education recalls that Judas met a similar fate. Is he to betray the group at some point?
*Too many kooky coincidences. Ecko's plane is on the island? What about Jack's dad disappearing from the coffin? Slave ships, Dharma projects, polar bears, Others, and smoky monsters? What kind of 'island' is this?
Sadly, I'll miss tonights episode due to a big event at work. Damn our capitalist system! I will tape it of course, and I'm intrigued about the fate of Aaron. The teaser seemed to hint at the baby being tonights focus . .
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The following site advertised on a baseball forum I visit online, so I clicked to be generous. Turns out it's kinda interesting. Nothing all that wonderful, but it intrigued me for a minute or two.
How's that for an endorsement?
Check it out - it's a site allegedly written by a guy searching for the artist who created a strange painting he found hidden in his house. The artist, an otherwise normal farmer, then disappeared without a trace.
