A Bad Storm

Wicked storms today.  The kids day at camp was ruined, and here at home we have  1/2 an inch of water in our basement, which is a vast improvement over the flooding of '08 & '09. I guess that drainage trench did some good after all. Meanwhile a friend texted to say she had more than a foot of H20 in her basement. This city floods a hell of a lot more often than it did 20 years ago. Sh*t.

Miraculously, most of the water in the basement vanished down the drain w/out my help - another welcome change from prior years. Now all I have to do is get rid of the rest, mop up, wash ~10 loads of clothing that got wet, replace the litter boxes that were soaked, run some errands, and go to work. Easy Peezy Lemon Squeezy.

OK, most of the water that was left has been removed and I'm the second load of laundry. I'm loaning my shop vac out to help a friend, but if anyone in striking distance has a good dehumidifer they can loan *us* for the weekend, please holler.

Hey, get this: MKE rainfall Thurs was 2nd-most on record - 5.79 in. But the *Highest* 1-day total was 6.81 on Aug. 6, 1986. That would be the day I had my tonsils out, a day when St. Francis Hosp's elevator shafts flooded & they lost power during my surgery. A memorable day all around.

Update

For everyone kind enough to ask about my absence from FB - - I couldn't afford to keep TimeWarner so I returned their equipment. For the last two wks we had no TV or internet. Now we have broadcast TV (shudder) & AT&T DSL. The next inevitable step down as my finances plummet: public radio and snail mail. I may just cry.

Wish me Luck

When you're making a cake from scratch for the first time in your life, it's probably not a good idea to do it while you're watching a 2 and a 4 year old. My kitchen looks like Lucy Ricardo just filled in at a flour factory. It's an apple cake, btw. If it tastes OK I'll post the recipe here on my blog.

update: Whodathunk I could make a cake from scratch? Having mastered all the Manly Arts, it seems I'm destined to conquer the kitchen as well. :) The apple cake is out of the oven & looks and smells wonderful. I made it for Friday's dessert so I can't judge the taste yet, but I'm gonna go on a limb & type out the recipe on Slapinions. I can always delete the draft if the cake is hurl-worthy.

The Crazy Neighbor

The cops just left my house.LuLu rode her bike across a patch of grass in front of my neighbor's house (a patch legally city property). He yelled at her, Lisa told him to knock it off, he called Lisa a cunt & threatened to go get his gun, and it was on. No tickets issued, but only because they would have cxl'd each other out. What a f'ing evening.

Swimming, Ponyo non-stop, being threatened that the neighbor was "getting his gun" over a bike track on his lawn (actually the city's), dealing with the police, and fireworks while mosquitos ate me alive and all the kids whined and cried.....all in a days work....I'm exhausted!

I thought we moved into a better neighborhood, but this one is way more headache then my old 'hood :) I'll take Mexican music till all hours of the night over a lawn-bully any day! - Lisa

Facebook

I just checked my Facebook wall and noticed how cluttered it is w/ Farmville crap. If that annoys you - and it would annoy me - block the FV application (but not my feed). If you can't figure out how to do that, well, then you don't deserve to be on the net anyhow and should suffer through my "Lost Wandering Moo Cow" updates.

Creepy

Around noon today on 27th ST our car stereo picked up a slew of unusual FM channels - including about four minutes of DJ chatter from Albuquerque, New Mexico. I didn't think that was even possible outside of a Twilight Zone episode.

2nd Grade

Mrs. Dahl wasn't Mrs. Dahl when the year started. If I'm remembering correctly, she got married that school year. I don't remember her maiden name - Bishop maybe?

I'm in the second row from the bottom, third from my left. My crush Lisa is second from the left, second row from the top. 

Tim Gunn just announced that next season each episode of Project Runway will be 90 MINUTES, not the 60 minutes that's been the norm. Hot dog - IMO, the more PR, the better :)

Farmville

Ok, I'm ticked at Farmville. I had my barn nearly complete and now it says I have only 1 of 10 bamboo (I had all 10), only one brick (I had six), and four nails. WTF?

Packing

We're packing for an overnight trip at my buddy Ervin's house in Rockford. Lauren's (self-packed) bag? PJ's, two My Little Pony's, a sippy cup, and three packs of ramen noodles. Priorities and all.

Farmville

Sure, it's lame, BUT - if anyone could gift me the material to finish my Japanese barn in Farmville, I'd appreciate it.

I hate when someone from work calls & asks me to pick up a shift at the last minute. If I can manage it I'll do it, since I need the $ & don't want to be a jerk, but with 4 kids my days off are committed to one activity or another. Today we're packing for the zoo and may go swimming if the kids don't wig out, so I just turned someone down. Schedule me 100 hours and I'll show, but picking up a last minute gig . . .

Dinner and a Storm

To celebrate the end of one of the worst weeks ever, we took the kids (- Lu) to El Fuego for dinner, sitting on the patio and enjoying the atmosphere. Later, of course, came the tornado sirens and a quick and needless trip to the basement.

Craving

Jeez-us I want a cigarette right now - the craving is just as bad as when I quit four years ago. I miss it.

A Horrible Day

Yesterday: easily, EASILY one of the 5 worst days of my life, literally start to finish. 

Among other things, Lisa's aunt passed away unexpectedly; her body was found ~ two days after her passing, and Lisa and her Mom had to wait two hours with her remains while they waited for the medical examiner. Her death bumped what was already a top 10 worst day to top 3. As for the rest, it'll pass, but I don't feel like talking about it.

Oh boy

The NY Times is reporting that Roger Clemens allegedly paid for PED's w/ $ from a charitable foundation. If true - and there is no evidence beyond hearsay - it would lead to felony charges.

My Solemn Right

I believe it is my right as a Dad to snatch as many toppings from a frozen pizza as I like before it enters the oven. 

Two Quotes of the Day

"Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them." - James Baldwin

"How often in life it is a truth that we have no time for our friends but all the time in the world for our enemies." - Leon Uris

Quote

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."- Aristotle

Big 11?

ESPN is reporting that Nebraska has agreed to jump ship and join the Big Ten.

Rockford Jams

You know Erv really needed help with his office if he sat there quietly while I sang along to NKOTB as I typed. Currently playing - Call it What You Want.

Rockford

I'm in Rockford IL, helping my friend Ervin organize some paperwork for his business. A nice ride down, aside from near constant rain.

I went to WalMart with Erv and found something Lisa & I have been looking for (w/out luck) back in Milwaukee. Then we grilled out and enjoyed a dinner of steak, potato, mushroom/onion, corn and dinner rolls. Time to get cracking again on that paperwork.

The Library Does GaGa

Sarah Wachter, a UW-Seattle student in library and information science, has created a small internet sensation with this version of Lady GaGa's "Bad Romance".

Enjoy!

You got a question that is causing you some pain
Typin’ keywords into the search engine again.
Look your naïve searching just ain’t gonna get it done
Cause when it comes to search if it’s not tough it isn’t fun (fun)

Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhhh, ohh-oh-e-ohh-oh-oh
I’ll blow your mind, show you how to find.
Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhhh, ohh-oh-e-ohh-oh-oh
I’ll blow your mind, show you how to find.

Can use my
Can use my
Yeah you can use my catalog
(Don’t forget the databases)
Can use my
Can use my
Yeah you can use my catalog
(Don’t forget the databases)

Ca-ca-ca-catalog ca-ca-catalog
(Mum mum mum mah)
Ca-ca-ca-catalog ca-ca-catalog
(Mum mum mum mah)

This keyword search it gives you way too many hits
Boolean limits pare things down to just what fits
Use the thesaurus to find subject terms that work
Then in just one minute you’ll be through like Captain Kirk (Kirk)

[Chorus]

We love the Big 6, baby!

Step one define your problem
Pick your sources.
Then go huntin’. We’re not puntin’
On the research. We’re engaging and extracting somethin’
Then you can put it back together
Tell your friends about your awesomeness
It’s synthesis synthesis
Evaluate cause we’re into this.

The MLB Draft

Today is the MLB draft, w/ the 1st and supplemental rounds to be broadcast on the MLB Network. I'll be at work, but I'm DVR'ing it. From 11 pm on I intend to be camped in front of the TV, Baseball America in hand, enjoying the hell out of it. Dorky? Well, yes, in a way. But sexy too, no?

Some Advice

Oy, some advice for characters on Torchwoood & Primeval: I know you save the world every wk. I do feel, however, this would be much easier if a) u were professionals in training or demeanor b) u didn't go into dark buildings alone c) u stopped manufacturing moral quandries where there r none and d) if you used f*ing guns when appropriate. Say what u will, killing monsters is easier if you have a nice .45 at ur side.