My FB posts from the end of July

Following the stress of the events of the prior (FB) post, I couldn't sit down and write for nearly three weeks. Not here. Not Facebook. The explanation I gave below wasn't a lie - we did lose the services I listed - but I could have stopped and used a public computer to check in with folks. I just didn't have it in me at the time.

July 22nd

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.

July 23rd

2:40 am - 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 heck of a lot more often than it did 20 years ago.

08:02 am - 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.

11:11 am - 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.

2:54 pm - 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 Hospital's elevator shafts flooded & they lost power during my surgery. A memorable day all around.

July 25th

Great Dad Moment of The Day: after Ginger fell 3x in an hour & sought my attention - "Are you OK? Good. Now be more careful, 'cuz real soon I'm going to just stop caring & call you a f*ing klutz".

This evening Ginger put the stopper in the bathroom sink, left the water running & shut the door. Eventually it leaked into the basement, and the result was worse than the storm flooding. Whole areas of my basement, including the furnace, some storage, and clothes, were soaked. She's still damn cute tho'.

July 26th

Weird request: 1 - if anyone has an old but new-ish Cricket phone for sale, let me know. 2. If anyone has a copy of the 1997 documentary "Ending Welfare as We know it", hosted by Meredith Vieria, kindly drop me a line. A friend of ours is featured in the film.

July 27th

Lisa and I took a, ahem, 'nap', and when we ventured back downstairs the house was destroyed. It's not like the kids were a hurricane; more like a hurricane that broke the levees, and the Army decided the city wasn't worth saving and razed it all. It's amazing how much damage the kids can do when you're gone for three and a half minutes.

{this post led to several insulting - and funny - comments such as " Soo... you took 3 and a half naps??}

July 28th

{re: France declaring war on al Qaida} No snark - my respect for the French has increased tenfold in the last year. It really has.

I spent the morning ripping out door frames and windows for a friend who's renovating her house. I will note that *contrary to the vocal opinions of my wife* I not only made it through in one piece, but removed the windows w/out damaging the surrounding tile. I've even been asked by the contractor to return and rip out flooring. So to Lisa I say, with love: pbbbbt. ;)

July 29th

An afternoon trip to the zoo was aborted when we were stuck in a traffic jam on 894. We detoured to the pool at my in-law's apartment complex & the kids had a blast. Meanwhile an anonymous Good Samaritan left two + boxes of toys & games on our porch. The clear favorite so far? The Lincoln logs, which were spread out over my dininig room most of the evening.

{the Good Samaritan turned out to be a neighbor two houses down, looking to forge an alliance w/ us against a shared neighbor, a longtime friend turned recent enemy. We wisely kept out of the disagreement}

Being limited to broadcast TV sucks in every possible way (ok, maybe not when 'America's Test Kitchen; is on), but it *was* bearable. Sort of. Then I saw a FB ad announcing that the new season of Project Runway starts tonight . . . plus no Doctor Who, no ESPN, no HGTV . . what's the point of even waking up in the morning?

July 30th

Ellen Degeneres has quit American Idol after one season

Our First Christmas Card of the Season

We received our first Christmas card of the year (!), from a blog reader in Great Britain. She wrote that she was sending it on what her post office claimed was the "last possible" date for overseas mail to arrive by Christmas, but acknowledged they were probably full of it. I guess mail service employees are the same the world over, eh?

Write it When I'm Gone" by Thomas DeFrank

'finished "Write it When I'm Gone" by Thomas DeFrank. It's a collection of Gerald Ford interviews done over a 30yr period, all w/ the understanding they were off the record until his death. No surprises, other than that he was quite an astute predictor of future political events. The text is often circuitous & repeats the same anecdotes chapters apart, but it's an interesting read. B-

Happy Birthday Lisa!

Happy Birthday to my one and only! Have a great day/year baby!

{sure, it's an old Halloween picture, but she's so cute in it!}

White House Diary by Jimmy Carter

Despite philosophical differences with Jimmy Carter, I enjoy reading about his Presidency, in part because it is the first administration I can remember. The Iran hostage crisis and the failure of the Desert One mission made an impression on a five year old in Milwaukee, and I clearly remember my Dad watching a Reagan ad in 1980 and deciding - reluctantly -to vote Republican.

Thirty years later Carter himself has allowed us into the inner workings of his Washington years by publishing an abridged but personally annotated copy of the daily diary he kept from 1976-'81.

Having read Keeping Faith, his memoir of the same era, it wasn't hard to grasp the 'storyline' unfolding with each entry. Younger readers, or those with only a passing familiarity with Carter, might have a more difficult time, despite a modest timeline presented at the start of the book.

Still, there are no major historical surprises to be found; his combative relationship with Ted Kennedy is well known, as is the personal fondness for Gerald Ford and the equal disdain he had for Reagan. Each major crisis in the diary has been discussed in depth in prior memoirs, sometimes while quoting the diary itself.

So why bother reading it?

Day by day you explore the thought process behind the decisions that have shaped our world - a better question would be, why would you not want to read it?

That aside, I think it's invaluable for two reasons. One, while I've always had personal admiration for Carter's intelligence and ethics, it is reassuring to see that it wasn't an act (or if it was, a virtuoso performance worthy of equal respect). In particular, he seemed to be genuinely in love with his wife to a degree not seen by most honeymooners, much less an 'old' married couple. Good for him.

Two, it provides plenty of fodder to discuss just why his Presidency failed (or was/is perceived to have failed).

He is very intelligent, as I noted, but it's something he seems to take pains to impress upon the (future) reader. The annotations inevitably point out how he was correct, then lists the ways subsequent Presidents got the issue 'wrong'.

You get the impression this created a rigid, unshakable belief that he was in the right - leading, in turn, to a firm reluctance to tolerate criticism or change direction, and a horrific tendency to micromanage. The last bit just jumps off the page at the reader time and again.

He seemed to take his 'outsider' label a bit too seriously as well, charging headlong against the status quo, regardless of whether it was in the best interest of his Administration or its goals. He alienates his own Party, members of Congress, NOW, the Jewish community, Republicans, and perhaps most foolishly of all: the press. He (privately) calls several well known journalists liars, dictates scathing entries about The Washington Post, and refuses requests to appear at journalist dinners. Not the wisest path to take.

Carter finishes the book with an epilogue that agrees with my take (and goes even further). Of a more subjective nature is my feeling - and it is just a feeling - that there may be an undercurrent of Anti-Semitism in the diary. Unconscious, but there all the same.

It's one thing to disagree with Israel and its actions. But even taking into account his rather disagreeable experiences with Israel and its domestic supporters, there seems to be an inordinate amount of references to "American Jews", their backstabbing of his Presidency, and on at least one occasion a brief string of adjectives that straddle the line of caricature. He also seems to quickly dismiss the personality and value of the Israeli PM while slathering love on (Egypt's) Sadat.

Hey, maybe its legitimate gripes against an overbearing and presumptuous special interest group. I just got a feeling its a little bit more than that. I could be entirely off base. In fact, I hope I am.

I was also floored to discover that during his Presidency he was a member of a congregation that denied African-Americans the right to worship in the church. (see entry for 5 July, 1980, among others). Yes, as a member of the church he had voted unsuccessfully to allow them entrance, but that was in the '60's. That means that for at least a decade after the vote he continued to attend a segregated church. (in 1981 he left the congregation)

To me, that's inexcusable. By 1977 no President should have tolerated that discrimination so close to home, and I find it hard to believe it hasn't garnered more criticism over the years.

In closing - a good read and a valuable insight into the Presidency. A+

Not Good

I've been listening to Yankee radio out of an Albany station. So far Texeria pulled a hammy, the Yanks can't bring a run to the plate if you gave them an armed escort, and Josh Hamilton has homered twice tonight (4 for the series). We're going to lose this game, but hopefully we'll regroup and come back to win 3 in a row.

Painted Ladies and the White House Diary

I finished Carter's "White House Diary" & will prob do a write-up on my blog. Meanwhile, I polished off Robert B Parker's "Painted Ladies" on the Nook today. It's (presumably) the late author's last Spenser novel, & while it was enjoyable I thought I caught a few instances were characters spoke or acted 'off' - perhaps the hand of a 2nd author polishing the text? Either way, RIP RBP, RIP.

Flat Tires and Sushi

Lisa's van had a flat tire this morning, a gash in the sidewall that meant a good chunk of change was spent before 9 a.m. OTOH, our local Pick 'n Save now carries sushi! About time. Whoo-hoo!

Rand McNally's Picture Atlas of Animals

I read this over and over again as a kid. It's now been destroyed by my children. All that's left is literally an empty cover; I have no idea where the text has gone. Ah well. To paraphrase my mother-in-law, they'll have to change my diapers someday. That's punishment enough.

Say a Prayer

I just returned from a 90 minute interview with two regional managers who came in from Chicago for the Q&A. Wish me luck - if I don't get it, it certainly isn't for lack of effort.

FB: the start of a REALLY lousy few weeks

June 16th:

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 w/ the corpse while they waited for the medical examiner. Her death bumped what was already a top 10 worst day to top 5. As for the rest, it'll pass, but I don't feel like talking about it.

June 21st

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

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.

June 25th

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 . . .

June 27th

Smiley & I went shopping, then planted a (doomed) garden, which at least was a nice father/son moment. Later he made a sandwich for Lisa and gave it to her with a long face. "Why are you sad?" she asked. His response: "Me not make it well." He is a bit of a perfectionist.

{note: the garden was planted late in the season and in very poor soil. We had a very small yield from it, and if it was anything more than a child's whim it would have been a waste of time}

June 29th

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

{we went down for two reasons. First, to continue plowing through Erv's business paperwork. Second, it was as close to a vacation as I could afford for the kids. They had a blast during the visit, especially with his dog and the theater set-up in his basement. We've returned two more times as of this writing}

July 1st

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

July 2nd

GREAT album, & fun to listen to; buy a copy! {V.V. Brown's 'Shark in the Water'}

July 3rd

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.

{10 pm}

The cops just left my house. LuLu rode her bike across a patch of grass in front of my neighbor's house (a patch that is legally city property). He yelled at her, Lisa told him to knock it off, he called Lisa a c-nt & 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.

{this was the same neighbor we've had problems with before; among other things, he reported us several times to the city as an 'unlicensed daycare' because of the number of kids we have}

More Farmville

My Farm(ville)

On a trip to my friend Erv's house in Loves Park (IL), he introduced me to Farmville. Farmville is a game played primarily through the social networking site Facebook. While you grow and harvest your own crops, you depend on friends to help fertilize your farm, purchase your products and send you gifts.

As with most things that become popular, The Haters Hate. Farmville is now the subject of scorn from 'true' gamers, among others, and has been parodied online.

Oh well. I like it. A LOT. Not only is it fun to play, it really does encourage socialization online. Moreover, it relaxes me. Sometimes, as dorky as it sounds, I imagine this is a second home of mine, one where nature and hard work trump the noise and bustle of the city.

Here's some pics I took of my farm over the summer.

Here's my farmhouse, as it appeared when I first bought it.

My FV home. I love the clothesline and cat, I think they're just the right touch.

So . . . is the mammoth statue too much? {actually, because I like to relax on 'my' farm, I try to make it relatively realistic. I plant crops native to this region, avoid things like banana trees, and put the mammoth there just to get the pic.}

I wanted the greenhouse forever, but when I finally earned enough to buy it I was disappointed to learn it was merely a prop and not functional.

Eventually, I'll get a shot with the crops full grown. I didn't realize I hadn't. Here's my farm as it appeared earlier this month. The barn is to the right, the dairy barn to the right front. The brown building near my home is my bakery. Behind it and to the left is the chicken coop. My pigpen and horse stable are on the bottom right, and the yellow building is my nursery. My beehives and garage are located in the upper left, out of the shot.

Notice my blimp?

                            

FB - June 8th through Flag Day

June 8th

Expect the Wonk.

‎"No, no, no. Ice can burn, sofas can read. It's a big universe." - the 11th Doctor

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

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.

Last years #1 MLB draft pick Stephen Strasburg did just fine in his debut. He gave up four hits in seven innings, gave up two runs, and struck out *14* while notching his first win. Yikes. Quite impressive.

June 9th

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.

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

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

June 12th

Ford has officially killed its Mercury line

"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

June 13th -

RIP the long running comic strip "Annie"

I believe it is my right as a man to snatch as many toppings from a frozen pizza as I like before it enters the oven. If you object to this, get yer own pie.

June 14th - Flag Day

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.

Facebook - the first week of June

June 1st

Dave Cullen, the author of 'Columbine', left a comment on my blog's review of his book.

Al and Tipper Gore Break Up After 40 Years of Marriage

A school bus on the way to Fernwood Montessori tipped over near Chase & Oklahoma today, injuring at least 3 children. I saw the bus on the way to work today. Originally, because of the time of day and the location of the crash, there was some fear it was Smiley's bus. Thankfully, it wasn't, and all of his school's buses arrived safely.

Gasp - a Tues w/ out AI or Lost. I hope Glee is good. It's gotten a little heavy lately, w/ the wheelchair and long-lost Mom storylines. Plus there's the whole Kurt is gay and angry plotline - what's up w/ him? He's got a loving and supportive father, a great teacher, friends that adore him, and plenty of talent. That kid has a great support system - quit whining already.

June 2nd

God bless Progressive's roadside assistance program. It may just be the smartest purchase I've made in years. I blew a tire today on the way to work and once again they proved their worth. By my count that'd be three tows + that would have come out of my pocket since the 1st of the year.

Ken Griffey Jr has retired. One of the most exciting players of our era, and IMO the best of the '90's, Bonds be damned. I'm proud to have seen him play. See you in Cooperstown.

‎"A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul." - George Bernard Shaw

June 3rd

RIP Rue McClanahan, age 76.

I just finished 'Savages' by Don Winslow. It was very good and deserves a full write-up on my blog; hopefully I'll find the time soon. It's brutal, violent, sexy, and well, savage. Winslow doesn't just use the English language, he manipulates and twists it like play-doh to create the mood and thoughts he wishes to express. I envy his talent.

The mistake that cost him a perfect game was a lousy call, but on the bright side history will remember Armando Galarraga's game in a thousand trivia books.

Well damnit, I have a column published in the Journal-Sentinel today and no one told me. Go out and buy a copy, ok?

Back from Lu's Daisy Scout bridging ceremony, and it was actually quite fun. Congrats LuLu!

June 4th

The cable guy failed to show this AM, which put my day on hold. When I gave up on him Parker and I got my paycheck, went to the bank, made a few stops, and returned home with crickets for the turtle, some goldfish for Smiley, a Beta for YaYa, and Hannah Montana wrapping paper for Lu's gifts. *allegedly* Time Warner will now be here btwn 3-5.

We own a hollow kids table that has a removable top. During Smiley's sleepover his friend decided to use it - as a urinal.

RIP UCLA coach John Wooden

RIP local jeweler Marv Hussar

June 5th

Lisa and her crew are en route to Hammond, IN to see a New Kids on the Block concert. Meanwhile, we've extended Smiley's sleepover, and I took the boys to three libraries, a store, and finally to Little Caesar's for dinner. BTW thank heavens for LuLu; her Mommy skills have sure come in handy.

A man said to the universe:
"Sir, I exist!"
"However," replied the universe,
"The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation."

After dinner we watched the DVD's the boys got at the library, then I packed them off to bed. 90 minutes of chaos later I had to go hard core: I shut off every light on the 2nd flr, pulled up a chair, and sat insidethe bedroom door to stamp out so much as a whisper. I think I may now have the house to myself (well, Lu's up, but she's fine). A Torchwood/Primeval marathon it is!

I can't think of a rational or legal reason why the mosque shouldn't be built near Ground Zero. But my gut says this is wrong, a slap in our face disguised as a display of 'tolerance'. If they had any notion of respect or appropriateness they'd cancel their plans, just as if we valued our civilization we'd stop accepting such slights.

June 7th

We watched "Kate + Eight", the new Gosselin show, and the 1 hr Kate special that followed. I think the woman is high strung & I wouldn't choose her company, but she's a fine mother & certainly loves her kids. Most of the flack thrown her way comes via America's long established policy of hating the successful, esp. if they happen to be women. For the record - I hate the new hair. She was hot, now (IMO) not so much.

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?

[re: an internet article about 'ugly ducklings' who grew up to be 'beauties', complete with before and after pics] Yeah, uh, I hate to break it to you, but except for the last woman on the page, y'all grew up to look just as doggy as you were as kids. Woof-woof. What's the point of this article? To crush the hopes and dreams of all the Ugly Ducklings out there?

Jeff Suppan was released by the Brewers today. Kudos to the organization for admitting defeat and letting him go, but major props to Jeff for the class he shows in his statement.

A Book and a Movie

I've finished "Bad Blood", a Virgil Flowers mystery by John Sandford I read entirely on a Nook. It was great start to finish, and those last fifty pages - whoa.

"30 Days of Night: Dark Days"? I didn't even pay for the rental, and I *still* want a refund.

Facebook - the last week of May

MAY 24TH

As Lost departs, some good news: Glee has been picked up for a 3rd season. Yes, they're still in the 1st, which means we have at least two more years to watch.

No doubt mold exposure has health consequences, but HGTV is on & the steps taken to contain & remove a *small* amount of mold seem insane. Then a revelation - the contractor started out in asbestos removal. As that biz declined, the owner says they morphed to mold removal & "got the word out about the dangers". Huh. You'll excuse me if I think that translates to "stoked America's paranoia to keep the $$ coming in."

St Adalbert Alumni - Today I ran into Miss Hutch== for the first time in 20 years. Her hair was cut close to the scalp, with a pencil thin ponytail running down her skull to her shoulders. Not quite the traditional look of a Catholic school principal, eh?

May 25th

President Obama said that we rely too much on gadgets. He gave a passionate speech about technology, but he had to stop when the teleprompter broke. - Craig Ferguson

Just finished "The Little Stranger" by Sarah Waters, a ghost story set in the countryside of postwar England. Waters is a heck of a writer, and her prose sings. Here's the problem: there are literally ~ 9 pages of action in the 463 pg novel, almost all of it retold by a third party. I suppose the last line of the novel is supposed to 'unlock the secret' of the house, but is it worth the effort to get there?

I DVR'd a Torchwood marathon on BBC, the first time I've had a chance to see this Doctor Who spinoff. Much darker than Who, but so far the acting and writing are top notch. The negatives? As usual writer/creator Russell T. Davies tries hard to push his personal beliefs on the audience, which always gets on my nerves.

We're watching the finale of DWTS [Dancing w/ the Stars], and in particular Kate Gosselin's 'rise to the heavens'. May I just say - WTH??? Lisa and I burst out laughing, as did Tom Bergeron, and probably most of America. Oh Lawdy.

Nicole won Season 10 of DWTS, and she deserved the title. The whole finale was over the top but fun to watch. OTOH, American Idol sucked. Bowersox's 'Black Velvet' was impressive vocally but she looked (let's be honest) like a clydesdale in that black dress. Yikes. Meanwhile Lee brought his C game at best. Bowersox will/should take the crown of a crappy, crappy season.

"Studies have shown that a strict dress code fosters a safe and stable learning enviroment with fewer instances of gang violence and vampirism" - Glee

MIB: Am I [wrong]? They come. They fight. They destroy. They corrupt. It always ends the same.
JACOB: It only ends once. Anything that happens before that is just progress. - Lost

May 26th

The only thing worse than fiction that ignores the moral ambiguity of our world is fiction that creates ambiguity where there is none. Sometimes right is right and wrong is wrong, and watching a character struggle with obvious moral decisions doesn't inspire me: it tells me the author is lazy and ignorant of his characters motivations.

I post this [a link to a Doctor Who disappearing Tardis mug] for no other reason than I saw it on FB and suddenly remembered I owned one as a kid, although it was a much plainer design. I think I paid just as much tho' ($14.95) and that was 20+ years ago!

[re: Fergie's 'London Bridge'] I'm just saying: if you're a heterosexual man and can make it through this video without needing a box of kleenex and a cigarette chaser, then uh, maybe that time at Band Camp wasn't just to satisfy your curiosity. Not that there's anything wrong with that.



Aw, man. RIP Art Linkletter, age 97.

Lee wins American Idol?! I didn't see it coming but he's got a great commercial voice & should do fine. Congrats! As for the finale as a whole, wow, the average age of the performers was what - 81, 82? Joe Cocker, Bee Gees, Michael McDonald? Now I love me some BeeGee's, but overall this skewed far older than the audience they want/need, no? Loved seeing Alanis tho'. We should've named one of our daughters after her.

May 28th

Last night I started/finished Stephen King's new release "Blockade Billy", the story of a star MLB catcher that has his records erased forever after he does a little something . . . out of the norm. It also includes the story "Morality". An enjoyable, quick read. B+

Actor Gary Coleman is dead at age 42. RIP.

TV show's don't normally scare me - what am I, ten ? - but Torchwood may be the exception. Case in point, the episode 'Countrycide'. How the hell was that shown on broadcast TV, even in the UK? Folks being skinned and eaten for dinner, corpses everywhere - c'mon that was NUTS.

Got home from work, set the sprinkler out in the backyard for the kids, now cooking dinner and reading Rex Stout. A good afternoon/early evening.

Fed the kids, then took YaYa to the mall to get a new remote from Time Warner & somehow got suckered into spending $6 on scented hand sanitizer at Bath & Body Works. We got home in time to see the last 3 innings of the Brewers game and Hart's walk-off homer. Now I'm settling in for a night of Rex Stout and reruns of 'Justified'.

(radio station) The Brew is no more, ditching its 80's format. And I'll have to change my radio presets, since Smooth Jazz 106.9 has dumped jazz. Dangit.

May 29th

This morning we put our cat Billy, age 15-16 years, to sleep. Many, many tears to start this day. RIP Big Bill - you were The. Best. Cat. Ever.

RIP Dennis Hopper

Angelcakes, our remaining cat, just made a circuit of the house, I'd imagine looking for her friend Billy. She meowed to get my attention but fled rather quickly; sad. On a brighter note, I just watched Corey Hart blast his 2nd homer of the night, a sure HR the second it left his bat.

Congrats to Roy Halladay on his perfect game for the Phillies. (he would later pitch a no-hitter in the post-season)

Thanks for all the kind thoughts today. We didn't cxl any of our plans, hoping to keep the kids minds focused away from Billy. Lisa, Smiley and YaYa went up north to visit friends; LuLu went skating w/ a friend and to a party; I did some yard work, went grocery shopping, wrote, read, and watched baseball. Still, a shitty day.

May 30th

The more you put in a brain the more it will hold - Nero Wolfe (Rex Stout)

I finished "The Father Hunt" by Rex Stout today, a mystery centered around a paternity case. Not the strongest of Stout's plots, but otherwise a typical Nero Wolfe mystery - which is to say, a great read.

May 31st

I just finished writing and submitting a piece for the Journal on a computer with a mouse that doesn't track and a copy of Word that error'ed out and lost the complete first draft. I'm not even sure the attachment was correct, because that was finicky too. Jeez, except for the fact that I was clean, safe, & sitting on my butt, it was one step up from coal mining.

LOL

Ironic license plate of the day: SUBTL T

Smiley Returns to His Old School for the Day

Took Smiley to visit his old school & sign him up for speech. The outporing of love for him there was great - everyone from office staff to teachers came to hug him, comment on his growth spurt, & tell him they miss him. His old teach even let him spend 1/2 hr in her class w/ his old friends. Best line? She said his summer school teach emailed her to say Smileyliked being Heidi's student 'cuz  she "blond and pretty" :)

Spooktacular

Star Island by Carl Hiassen and White House Diary by Jimmy Carter

A few days ago I finished "Star Island" by Carl Hiassen, an entertaining but forgettable novel about a spoiled pop star. I'm now ~ 150 pg's into Jimmy Carter's "White House Diary", which would mark the 4th bk on his Presidency I've read in the last 12 months. It's fascinating stuff, and at some point I'll devote a blog post or FB 'note' to some talking points about the text.

Royette Pickett November 28, 1942 - June 15, 2010

In mid-June Lisa's Aunt Royette passed away.

Royette, who was named after her father, was a genuinely kind woman who lived on her own in a senior apartment building while struggling to control the diabetes that took her life. She enjoyed Native American memorabilia, doll collecting, arts and crafts, and anything to do with Elvis and cats.

She also took a special interest in her grand-nieces, and more than once she had LuLu and YaYa spend the night. She seemed especially close to YaYa, and it was a fondness that was reciprocated. You can glimpse some of the love she had for my children in the pictures below.

Her death marked the beginning of a rough summer, and to my shame I failed to record her passing here. She deserved better. She was a good person, and we miss her. We really do.

Rest in Peace Aunt Royette.

I have fought the good fight.

I have finished the race.

I have kept the faith.

2 Timothy 4:7

Facebook May 19th - 23rd

May 19th

Any dog'll turn

Nine bleeping losses in a row [for the Brewers]. Macha has to go. Not because he's the worst manager ever, or because replacing him will magically save the season. He should go because in baseball fans *believe* it will make a difference, and the fans pay the bills. This is even more true here in Milwaukee, where the dramatic Rogers/Kuehn switch took us all the way to Game Seven. So - who's the eventual replacement?

Lost didn't tape this week, for whatever reason, but I finally just finished the episode on ABC.com. GREAT GREAT episode, a wonderful lead-in to the series finale this Sunday.

‎re: the sinking of a S. Korean naval vessel: "The truce prevents Seoul from waging a unilateral military attack." Are you kidding me? North Korea TORPEDOED one of your warships and KILLED your citizens. I'd say the truce is worth jack shit.

May 21st

Lisa & watched a show on Ruby Ridge; what a needless waste. Then, we watched testimony from OR v Beagley, a case of alleged negligent homicide against parents who refused med treatment for their 16 yr old son. IMO, another case of the gov't overstepping its bounds. Gov't doesn't shrink or remain stagnant, it perpetually grows, like a cancer. I shudder to think what burdens our great-grandchildren will live under.

Yikes! The Girl Scouts just charged my card $200 towards summer camp - that'd be $200 I can't spare - despite the fact that I took care of that bill months ago. They've reversed the charges ("for now") but I need to redo some of the paperwork (?!) for the camp. Apparently a large chunk of the application was lost, & so their computer records are incomplete & I was charged as part of a mass billing . . .

Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all. - Henry David Thoreau

Babysitting my (soon to be) Godson TJ. Took him for a walk in the stroller with Lu and Ginger, stopped at a local playground, then spent time in the backyard. He seemed the happiest outdoors, breaking into huge grins for Lisa & the girls. Now he's asleep in the bouncer, but he's been a little grumpy. From experience I'd say he's teething or constipated. Or he's po'd about the Brewers losing AGAIN; Lord knows I am.

May 22nd

Yest. morning Ginger's babysitter (a family member) suddenly tried pawning her off on another relative. When I heard this I called and asked about the sudden change of plans. She claimed this was what we'd agreed on [so not the case] "It's the information I was given," she said. "From who?" I said. "The President of Wakey-Wakey-Make-It-Uppy?"

I just walked Ginger and LuLu to the gas station so Lu could spend some spare change on candy & whatnot. On the way home she pumped her fist. "Yeah!" she said, seriously giddy. "Daddy I've never spent my own money at the gas station. This was great. THE best moment of my life." :)

While at the Dollar Store today I ran into a Milwaukee man who was featured on "Hoarding: Buried Alive" He was there w/ his two foster children. I asked if he'd been on 'that TV show', intentionally avoiding its name, and he said yes. His kids got very excited & said they were stars & wanted to make a movie now. I said I was glad the show helped him and we went on our way.

Cleaned the house all afternoon, capped by MAJOR fit by YaYa a few minutes ago. The kid deserves an Oscar, honest and truly. What a freakin' drama queen; you'd mistake her fits for outakes from Hostel. Alas (for her) we didn't give in and made her clean our room & take out the trash. Unfortunately alll the dust of the cleanup set off a major asthma attack for Lu, but she's back in action now.

I think it's sad that a real-time Brewers publication brags about having in the lead in the bottom of the ninth, then fiinshes the post with "Let's hope the Brewers can hang on!". Yeah, let's hope. Geesh, things went south here quickly, didn't they? {they lost the game lol]

[reacting to horrible anti-Christian comments on a scientific article about Copernicus} As usual, the anti-religious zealots swamped the comments on this article. Note that they only seem to attack Christianity; perhaps because we won't cut off their head if we find their notions heretical.

May 23rd

‎"They're not vampires. Like I said, they're fish from space." - The 11th Doctor

[on plans to outlaw drop-side cribs] What a perfect storm of crap: a gov't that doesn't know its boundaries and a group of yahoos taking a *miniscule* sample size and using it to dictate policy to the masses. ALL my kids slept in drop-side cribs and not once did we have so much as the faintest hint of trouble; then again I took more time assembling the crib than I did putting up my HDTV, which is probably the difference here.

‎80 degrees outside, a backyard baking in the sun, a kiddie pool set up and in full use - and Ginger comes outside wearing a swimsuit, snow boots, and a winter cap with tassels.

Lisa said something very insightful. She said that since Kate Gosselin is so damn stiff and difficult to watch on her gigs on DTWS, Entertainment Tonight, etc it's proof that her persona on J&K+8 was genuine. "She isn't a good enough actress to fake being real," Lisa said. And you know, she's right.

If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion.- George Bernard Shaw

RIP Jose Lima

A moment ago Smiley was crouched in the sandbox. He was barechested & tan, with khaki-army(ish) pants slung low, & his blonde hair was in a near crewcut. He was filling a containter with sand, & on his face was a barely disguised look of fatigue/contempt for his lot in life. I laughed. "Jeez Smiley," I said, "You look like an extra from Platoon. All you need is a cigarette dangling from your mouth & a chopper overhead"

Too much chaos here to watch the Lost series finale in 'real-time', so I'm DVR'ing it. I'll watch it once the kids and the Mrs. are asleep, so I can enjoy every second. One near disaster: Lisa walked into the living room to find the kids had shut off the recording of the pre-show to put on Disney. Lousy buggers!

I spent some time w/ a friend before watching Lost, and he p*'d me off by blasting Lost as 'mainstream' (as if that's an insult) and all but an opiate of the masses. Here's what I think: I think anyone who watches 'The Cleveland Show' and literally LOL's at the lame, mildly racist 'comedy' is someone whose opinion on TV matters for poop.

They Are Safe

The last of the Chilean miners has reached the surface, and I'm so genuinely happy for all of them it's nuts. What a great, honest, moving story of heroism and determination. Kudos to the government of Chile for fixing the problem, not the blame, and doing everything they could to rescue their people. I wish nothing but the best for the miners and their families. God Bless them all!