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!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Alive! Is Michael Jackson Really Dead?
Because I love her, that's why: at Lisa's urging we watched "Alive! Is Michael Jackson Really Dead?" a doc by Pearl, Jr. I am disappointed to report that not one moment of the film was convincing. In fact, most of it was so tepid that you could make the mistake of doubting the filmmaker's sincerity. She means what she says; she just has no evidence at all & is unwilling to concoct an entertaining lie in its place.
Working in the Garden
Today we planted a 2nd 4x4 garden planter in the backyard (jalapeno/tomato/cantaloupe/green pep). Afterwards, 2 rarities: 1, the kids went swimming w/ Gma, so Lis & found time to go out for dinner (takeout, but eaten not at the joint) 2 - My neck & shoulders are sunburned from the time in the garden. I *never* sunburn; normally I bronze like the god I am. I am discombobulated at this turn of events.
I'm Angry
Most people are mostly good, most of the time. Unfortunately, when granted anonymity on the internet, all that goes out the window. If you wouldn't have the balls to say it to my face if you saw me at Kohl's - and you don't, you pu**y - then shove your opinion up your ignorant ass. Warmest regards, Dan.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
Happy 4th of July!
home from wrk just in time to watch firewrks from my porch. Quite a view/sound! Happy 4th everyone!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
My Day
Pretty sinking lousy 3rd so far. Worked, now home in an empty house. Lis and the kids are up north for the holiday, but I'm stuck working. I cleaned the living room, played some Atari BattleZone on Google Chrome, then wrote 750 words of a children's story I'm working on. I think I'll make myself some dinner, and either fire up some Netflix or go on the porch and read. Quite the life.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
Anybody remember "Smash-Up on Interstate 5"?
It was a made for TV movie from the late '70's that cashed in on the "disaster movie" craze of that decade. It follows the victims of the crash over the course of 48 hours before the accident.
I remember liking it a lot when I saw it a few years later. I wonder how it holds up.
FB: April 14th thru the 24th
April 14th
ABC has announced they are cancelling the long running soap operas "One Life to Live" and "All My Children"
April 15th
"The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing in the right place but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment." - Lady Dorothy Nevill
April 18th
Dance reherasal today. In the rush to get them out the door, it's "Breakfast for Dinner" (maple sausage and pancakes). In the words of the Lump: "Deeee- licious!"
Wait a minute - the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel won a Pulitizer in 2008, 2010 AND now 2011???? Say what - am I missing something here? Then again, they began publishing me in '08. Coincidence? Perhaps not.
April 19th
We finally got around to watching 'The King's Speech'. It was very good, but by no means the "Best Picture" of the year, an honor I still think belonged to "The Social Network". BTW, kudos to Helen Bonham Carter, who stole the show in every scene in which she appeared.
Smiley, showing off some Easter bread he made in school:
April 20th
One thing I will miss when the kids are grown and off on their own: opening the freezer and finding random, ridiculous concoctions. Today's contribution: a fig newton stuck on the end of a skewer.
True story: ~ Two years ago I walked past a retail display and was sincerely outraged that they offered a gag gift called "The rapist In a Box". Then I got my head out of my butt and realized it read "Therapist in a Box".
[WI Supreme Court Candidate] Kloppenburg has the legal right to ask for a recount and so on we go - but if you're cocky enough to declare victory with a 200 vote lead, then turn around and ask for a recount when you're down by 7,000, excuse me if I think you're a hypocrite happy to waste taxpaper money to keep your dream alive a few more weeks.
I watched the sci-fi film Skyline. It is not merely a turd of a movie, it is a 'dog turd generously sprinkled with cholera' of a movie.
April 21st
YaYa gets new glasses:
April 23rd
Twice in recent weeks I've been asked how "you" - meaning a conservative - could be a fan of lefty music, up to & inc. being a member of Pearl Jam's fan club. Easy. I simply alter the lyrics in my head to reflect a more appropriate social message. "Screamed and bit the recess lady's breast"" - I think not. "Dreamed of always doing his very best" - there ya go Mr. Vedder, Danny made it all better.
"The inability to forget is infinitely more devastating than the inability to remember," - Mark Twain
April 24th
Arod's stats on Saturday: 2 for 5 with a homer and SIX RBI.
600 [converts to the Catholic Church] today in the Milwaukee area, tens of thousands across the country. Welcome to the Church, and Happy Easter!
ABC has announced they are cancelling the long running soap operas "One Life to Live" and "All My Children"
April 15th
"The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing in the right place but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment." - Lady Dorothy Nevill
April 18th
Dance reherasal today. In the rush to get them out the door, it's "Breakfast for Dinner" (maple sausage and pancakes). In the words of the Lump: "Deeee- licious!"
Wait a minute - the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel won a Pulitizer in 2008, 2010 AND now 2011???? Say what - am I missing something here? Then again, they began publishing me in '08. Coincidence? Perhaps not.
April 19th
We finally got around to watching 'The King's Speech'. It was very good, but by no means the "Best Picture" of the year, an honor I still think belonged to "The Social Network". BTW, kudos to Helen Bonham Carter, who stole the show in every scene in which she appeared.
Smiley, showing off some Easter bread he made in school:
April 20th
One thing I will miss when the kids are grown and off on their own: opening the freezer and finding random, ridiculous concoctions. Today's contribution: a fig newton stuck on the end of a skewer.
True story: ~ Two years ago I walked past a retail display and was sincerely outraged that they offered a gag gift called "The rapist In a Box". Then I got my head out of my butt and realized it read "Therapist in a Box".
[WI Supreme Court Candidate] Kloppenburg has the legal right to ask for a recount and so on we go - but if you're cocky enough to declare victory with a 200 vote lead, then turn around and ask for a recount when you're down by 7,000, excuse me if I think you're a hypocrite happy to waste taxpaper money to keep your dream alive a few more weeks.
I watched the sci-fi film Skyline. It is not merely a turd of a movie, it is a 'dog turd generously sprinkled with cholera' of a movie.
April 21st
YaYa gets new glasses:
April 23rd
Twice in recent weeks I've been asked how "you" - meaning a conservative - could be a fan of lefty music, up to & inc. being a member of Pearl Jam's fan club. Easy. I simply alter the lyrics in my head to reflect a more appropriate social message. "Screamed and bit the recess lady's breast"" - I think not. "Dreamed of always doing his very best" - there ya go Mr. Vedder, Danny made it all better.
"The inability to forget is infinitely more devastating than the inability to remember," - Mark Twain
April 24th
Arod's stats on Saturday: 2 for 5 with a homer and SIX RBI.
600 [converts to the Catholic Church] today in the Milwaukee area, tens of thousands across the country. Welcome to the Church, and Happy Easter!
Some great TV, courtesy of Netflix
One of the great things about being able to stream Netflix directly to my TV is that I'm free to experiment with new shows that I would never have rented on DVD. One of the happiest of these discoveries is Heroes, the NBC series about a world in which mutants (aka superheroes without the masks) are drawn together to act against a prophesied destruction of New York City.
I finished the first season in a little less than a year, polishing off an episode every few weeks. Now? Count me as a fan. Aside from the Nikki/Jessica subplot, I found the characters well developed and the storyline impressive. I think the season finale was a fitting denouement to the overall story arc, one so impressive I'm loathed to push on into further seasons - all of which, according to scuttlebutt, pale in comparison.
On the other hand, I was no so fortunate in Kolchak: The Night Stalker, starring Darren McGavin in a series billed as a spooky ancestor of the X-Files.
Uh, no.
It was cartoonish, poorly written, and about as scary as the crowd at a harpist concert. C-
To break the tie, let me introduce Parks and Recreation, a sitcom done in the pseudo-documentary style of The Office. Lisa and I finished the first two seasons in the blink of an eye and were left hungry for more.
I think this show succeeds for a simple reason. Well, two. One, it's funny. Two, it refuses to settle for taking the easy road and making the characters one dimensional. Grumpy libertarian boss Ron would normally be written as a straight jerk; instead he's given depth and feeling. Amy Poehler's character, who by rights should be pigeonholed as a dorky, ineffective bureaucrat, is instead a multi-faceted human being. A
I have fond memories of watching Buck Rodgers as a kid, and I wasn't let down by rewatching it on Netflix. Oh, sure it's cheese, but you know that going in. All in all its a pretty darn good show for what it is, and having the super hot Erin Gray around doesn't hurt.
Roseanne, alas, lacks a resident beauty, unless you wait around for Becky #2 to pop up in later seasons. I saw nearly every episode during the series run, but harbor a bit of a resentment towards the show. No, it's not about the star' I grew up in a home not dissimilar to the Connors' and it's too close for comfort. Yet I have to admit, the writing holds up well after a quarter century, and the love between Roseanne and Dan is palpatable.
The biggest suprise to come via Netflix? Babylon 5.
I'd never seen a single episode, and had the show sitting unwatched in my queue for ages. When I began watching it last week I found the special effects appalling, hardly top of the line for a video game of the era much less a television show. Still, the writing of J. Michael Straczynski (whose screenwriting book I read and owned as a kid) hooked me. By the time I began season two I was mesmerized.
Naturally, it was then I discovered Netflix was losing the streaming rights begining today. Great timing. I've completed season two, and for now that's where I'll have to leave off.
It is a remarkably well crafted show. Not a single episode is a 'throw away'. Each show provides some nugget, however small, that adds to the overall story arc. It is a single story, carried out in multiple acts over a five year run. The twists and turns, the development of characters - how the Narn and Centauri defy the intial impressions we have of them, for instance - wow. Wow.
I can't wait to see more of the series. Three notes:
One, I much prefer Capt. Sheridan to Commander Sinclair. Sinclair, played by Michael O'Hare, always seemed to be in contention for Overactor of the Year.
Two, Bruce Boxleitner has excellent hair.
Three, I should make a drinking game. Every time Security Chief Garibaldi puts his hands in his pockets, take a shot. You'll be drunk in half an hour.
I finished the first season in a little less than a year, polishing off an episode every few weeks. Now? Count me as a fan. Aside from the Nikki/Jessica subplot, I found the characters well developed and the storyline impressive. I think the season finale was a fitting denouement to the overall story arc, one so impressive I'm loathed to push on into further seasons - all of which, according to scuttlebutt, pale in comparison.
On the other hand, I was no so fortunate in Kolchak: The Night Stalker, starring Darren McGavin in a series billed as a spooky ancestor of the X-Files.
Uh, no.
It was cartoonish, poorly written, and about as scary as the crowd at a harpist concert. C-
To break the tie, let me introduce Parks and Recreation, a sitcom done in the pseudo-documentary style of The Office. Lisa and I finished the first two seasons in the blink of an eye and were left hungry for more.
I think this show succeeds for a simple reason. Well, two. One, it's funny. Two, it refuses to settle for taking the easy road and making the characters one dimensional. Grumpy libertarian boss Ron would normally be written as a straight jerk; instead he's given depth and feeling. Amy Poehler's character, who by rights should be pigeonholed as a dorky, ineffective bureaucrat, is instead a multi-faceted human being. A
I have fond memories of watching Buck Rodgers as a kid, and I wasn't let down by rewatching it on Netflix. Oh, sure it's cheese, but you know that going in. All in all its a pretty darn good show for what it is, and having the super hot Erin Gray around doesn't hurt.
Roseanne, alas, lacks a resident beauty, unless you wait around for Becky #2 to pop up in later seasons. I saw nearly every episode during the series run, but harbor a bit of a resentment towards the show. No, it's not about the star' I grew up in a home not dissimilar to the Connors' and it's too close for comfort. Yet I have to admit, the writing holds up well after a quarter century, and the love between Roseanne and Dan is palpatable.
The biggest suprise to come via Netflix? Babylon 5.
I'd never seen a single episode, and had the show sitting unwatched in my queue for ages. When I began watching it last week I found the special effects appalling, hardly top of the line for a video game of the era much less a television show. Still, the writing of J. Michael Straczynski (whose screenwriting book I read and owned as a kid) hooked me. By the time I began season two I was mesmerized.
Naturally, it was then I discovered Netflix was losing the streaming rights begining today. Great timing. I've completed season two, and for now that's where I'll have to leave off.
It is a remarkably well crafted show. Not a single episode is a 'throw away'. Each show provides some nugget, however small, that adds to the overall story arc. It is a single story, carried out in multiple acts over a five year run. The twists and turns, the development of characters - how the Narn and Centauri defy the intial impressions we have of them, for instance - wow. Wow.
I can't wait to see more of the series. Three notes:
One, I much prefer Capt. Sheridan to Commander Sinclair. Sinclair, played by Michael O'Hare, always seemed to be in contention for Overactor of the Year.
Two, Bruce Boxleitner has excellent hair.
Three, I should make a drinking game. Every time Security Chief Garibaldi puts his hands in his pockets, take a shot. You'll be drunk in half an hour.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
MySpace was sold
Myspace was just sold for $35 million to a group that includes Justin Timberlake. While that sounds like a lot to you and me, the current cover story in Bloomberg quoted an asking price of $100 million, and mentioned that *that* figure would be an embarrasing loss for their ownership. Wow.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Playing Columbine
A days ago we watched "Playing Columbine", a film about the video game "Super Columbine Massacre RPG!". It was made by the vid game creator, and it lacked a narrative thread, instead piecing together endless soundbites justifying the game on artistic and constitutional grounds. (2 its credit, there were three dissenting views)
I agree that in theory it could have been an expression of art created w/ a desire to spur debate, but I call B.S. I think he made it knowing it was in poor taste but thinking it would have an intimate audience. When it blew up and he lost his anonymity he was more than happy to embrace the role of "constitutional martyr" and milk the attention.
Monday, June 27, 2011
My Day
Wrote and submitted a column, got word back it's accepted. Hung out with my friend Tre for a few hours, now off to get Lis and the kids from day camp.
The Bigamist
Today I watched The Bigamist, a 1953 drama starring Edmond O'Brien, best known for his role in D.O.A. It wasn't Big Love, but it was a pretty good flick.
And for the record, if I had to choose between Joan Fontaine and Ida Lupino, I'd be a bigamist too.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
An Interesting Conversation
Just spoke to a woman who survived the Depression, had a son born with a birth defect she was told would kill him before his fourth bday (he's 53 now), had a hospital perform the wrong operation by mistake, and has survived 11 strokes over the yrs. She said she is literally working on a autobio called "So you think your life sucks? Try mine"
LOL Snooki
Tonight I found this slipped into a novel written (yeah right) by Jersey Shore's Snooki: "Dear Reader: Congratulations! Just by opening this book your stock in life has gone down. I suggest you drop it right away and re-evaluate. [With] your best intentions at heart, R."
Saturday, June 25, 2011
The KIllers (movie)
Just emailed my column to In a rare daytime opportunity to watch TV, Lisa & I watched "The Killers" with Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl (sp?). I know it was panned by the critics, but we both thought it was cute and a fun watch.
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
After a hiatus of nearly 30 yrs, I finally finished reading 'Treasure Island'. I don't know why I had such a hard time of it as a youngster, as the prose is to the point & surprisingly modern to my ear. A fine adventure tale; I enjoyed it. I also appreciated that it was a '47 Grosset & Dunlap editon w/ both b&w & color illustrations - that's a great addition to any bk & a practice I regret has gone out of fashion.
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