Handling the Undead by John Ajvide Lindvist

I've finished "Handling the Undead" by Swedish author John Ajvide Lindvist. Yes, superficially it's a zombie novel, as the dead do rise, but that label does it a disservice. The dead are not violent, active, or even aware; the story is not about them, but about how their appearance affects the relationships and emotions of their loved ones. It's a damn good novel, and well written.

Rule #1 for the Modern Filmaker

Rule #1 for the  thriller/action/horror filmmaker: in the first act you must either explain why the protagonist's cell phone isn't working, or conspire to destroy/lose it before the action starts. If you don't, four minutes into the flick the audience is wondering why the dummy doesn't just call 911.

Record Time

Rejected from a prospective employer less then 24 hrs after applying........DAMN! Now that's a record breaker for me. - Lisa

Quote

Every problem has a solution, except for those that do not.

A Nightmare

Last night a nightmare woke me up at 3 in the morning. I was absolutely convinced that Whoopi Goldberg had died, and woke Lisa up to tell her. Why my subconscious would give a sh** about her passing is still under investigation.

Grumble

4X this school year my oldest three have been late for school because Junie's bus can't make up its mind if it wants to be 10 min early or 20 min late for the scheduled pickup. %$%#

Dad and Lu Time

After work, w/ the other kids off at dance or Girl Scouts, I took LuLu to Tenuta's for a kiddie cocktail and an order of garlic bread (1/2 price before six folks). As usual she was a chatterbox as we sat at the bar, and it was a good time. She's a good kid, she really is. Short, but good ;)

Sillybands

Yaya and her sillyband collection

Our kids aren't allowed to wear them to school...they were "banned"

Media

Watched the first two episodes of Carnivale; I liked it, & will add the rest to my Netflix list. Still loving the hell out of the BBC "Life on Mars". The kids liked "The Last Song" but I didn't see more than 5 minutes of it. Wish i could say the same for "MacGruber", which was piss-fing-poor even by SNL movie standards. We could only stomach 15 minutes before throwing the DVD out the window.

Halloween Fittings

Fitting for Yaya's Fallen Angel costume

A test run of Ginger's Halloween costume

A Busy Day

A busy, productive day. LuLu had dance in the AM, while Smiley went to Home Depot's kid class w/ grandma before heading to her house for a sleepover; then some grocery shopping and a trip to pay the Cricket bill. We spent 3-4 hrs this PM cleaning the office (I discarded ~50 bks - ouch!), the pantry, & washing dishes; then visited w/ our friend Chris before watching "The Last Song" w/ the girls & making milkshakes.

Am I bovvered?

To my (happy) surprise, my oldest girls not only asked to watch the vid clips i posted on FB earlier [of Catherine Tate] but declared themselves big fans of 'Lauren Cooper' and her tagline "Am I bovvered?". As late as a few minutes ago Lu recited the line, which inspired my own Junie to walk up to me and say "You not bovvered Daddy, you not bovvered"

An Update on Bella's Fat Cat

According to a Bay View Compass article YaYa brought home, Bellas Fat Cat 's food license expired JUNE 30th, & they were ordered closed to the public on July 14th - yet they were seen serving customers as LATE AS SEPT 1ST. Any chance of them reopening is kaput now that the truth is out, & I just drove by and saw a "for lease" sign in the window.

TV Tidbits

Watched the pilot for Psych. I enjoyed it but found the characters too flippant; I think I can safely cross this show off my netflix list.

Rumor is Glee is planning a NSYNC episode, which I think is bull---t. I like NSYNC, but if they pass up NKOTB in favor of mere pretenders to the throne, count me as an ex-Gleek.

Big Love

We just finished watching Season 4 of Big Love . . whoa Nelly! That is a Damn Good Show.

Flash Forward by Robert J Sawyer

I've finished Flashforward, the Robert J Sawyer novel that was supposedly the inspiration for the short lived series. 

El boringo, w/ a thin plot, little action, and enough science jargon to fill a txtbk. Blech. C-

Bow to Him!

Arod hit his 30th homer of the year tonight - to go along with 122 RBI's! That's the 13th season in a row he's reached the 30 dinger plateau. Well done sir. You are the best of the best, and I bow to you.

TV Night

I'm loving Hells Kitchen! They HAVE to keep Raj - that nut is a pip!

A day late, but what the hell: I didn't love the Glee Brittany episode. There were some laughs, sure. Yet overall I thought it was poorly written and oddly constructed, w/ the music forced into place as an afterthought. Yawn. Plus, what's with the wheelchair kid joining the football team? Must this show ALWAYS push political correctness to the point of absurdity? It's wearing thin.

Ooooo, Big Love season 4 is getting juicy!!

Raising Hope continued to impress, but the Wilde something or another w/ Keri Russell is running its gimmick into the ground. It'll be gone by the end of November.

Ramona & Beezuz

For family night yesterday we surprised our oldest 3 by taking them to see 'Ramona & Beezuz' @ the budget showhouse. It was a great family movie, w/ a contemporary urgency to the plot, great acting and best of all true to Bev Cleary's characters. A+

Dexter is Delicious by Jeff Lindsay

I've finished 'Dexter is Delicious', the newest of the series (#5) that inspired the hit show. Well written w/ an interesting plot, & very enjoyable.

Smiley and Junie at Dance!

I love this photo, it was so high on his feet...trying so hard....my cutie! - Lisa

LOL

Not the appropriate response to your wife's complaint: Tonight the brunette Danny-girl from across the street knocked on my door, introduced herself, and asked to borrow our blender. I obliged. "Don't you think that's ballsy," Lisa said. "Knocking on a stranger's door and asking for their blender?" To which I replied: "Did you *see* her???

We're OK

Hi, sorry to worry anyone. We're all healthy, if not wealthy and wise. Mid June to the present has been . . . less than the highlight of my life, and I haven't had the gumption to sit and type anything more than the 400 character cap of a Facebook post.

I'll try to post pics and an extended update here soon.

Regards and best wishes,

Dan

Johnny Appleseed in person!

 Smiley wearing the Johnny Appleseed cap he made in school

LuLu in the Park

Some pics at the war memorial in the park