Some more yield from Smiley's garden

Quote

"The best lie is silence. It's consistent, it speaks volumes and you never have to remember what you said last time if you remember that the last time you said nothing." - Steven Moffatt

Thanks Fred!

My friend Fred sent me the new season of Doctor Who via BBC America (all praise Fred!). "The Impossible Astronaut", the series opener, was a grand Who tale full of action, humor, and twists. Moffatt is a hell of a writer, and Dr. Who is lucky to have him at the helm. Also, Farscape's S4E5 "Promises" was excellent, just a prime example of why the show deserves more attention than it gets.

The Art Museum

@ the art museum w/  Smiley and Yaya, then later visited UWM and dined with Junie 

Ok, it's official. Amy Pond is the Doctor's yummiest companion ever.

@ IHOP w/ the family (kids eat free on Wed)

Farscape: House of Cards by Keith R.A. DeCandido

I finished reading 'Farscape: House of Cards' by Keith R.A. DeCandido. I read a scathing review of it on a fan site, but it was a fine novel for what it was, and it captured the character's voices very well. As for the review, chalk it up to typical fandom b.s.: namely, a belief that u & u alone are the guardian of all that is 'true' and good in ur niche of the sci-fi universe. It's that mentality that gives sci-fi fans a bad name. W

That's Why

On why she became a writer: I didn't want to work. It was as simple as that. I distrusted work, disliked it. I thought it was a very bad thing that the human race had unfortunately invented for itself.

-- Agatha Christie

The Monkey Bars

@the park w/ the kids. Lu is zipping along on the monkey bars. Meanwhile Smiley who threw up 3x today, is sitting w/ me. He just scolded the girls for going up the slide - a daddy in training

my sick boy :(

and here's a pic at the house

4  job apps in today . . .Two more submissions left hanging; need to get my online portfolio up . . .

Found it!

@ long last I found YaYa's missing volleyball (she's never even had the chance to see it; it vanished the day we bought it). To think, if before today I'd only lifted the entire ten foot trampoline by myself, balanced part of it on my back, and hacked through weeds the size of mature marijuana plants to discover it in the foliage layer beneath it, we'd have found it before. How could I have been so lazy in my prior searches?

A Question

Serious query: IIRC the income tax was enacted ~ WWI. How did the fed gov't raise revenue in the 140 yrs before that? Sure, they didn't have SS, Medicare, and 1000 useless cabinet positions, BUT it was still a world power that funded the Civil War, The Great White Fleet, the construction of canals, dams, etc. So where did the $ come from, and is it still a viable source of moolah?

102 Minutes: The Untold Story of The Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers by Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn

On lunch at work I finished reading '102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers' by Jim Dwyer  & Kevin Flynn. Powerful stuff, and very well written. I recommend it, especially given the upcoming 10th anniversary. I will say that a few times I caught the authors repeating information. Whether or not that was sloppy editing or a fault of the division of labor (or both), it was jarring each time it happened.

@ Junie's bday party

News

Forces in Afghanistan have wiped out the Taliban group that downed the US Special Forces chopper; a case of too little too late. Closer to home I'm happy I no longer have to suffer through back-to-back political ads, and even happier that the silent majority stepped up again and did what needed doing. The will of the people is the law of the land, and no amount of chanting & obnoxious protests will change that.

A Powerful Reminder

Kindness is in our power, even when fondness is not - Samuel Johnson

Hanging with TJ

Fablehaven by Brendan Mull

At YaYa's insistence I read the young adult (preteen?) book Fablehaven'by Brendan Mull.  I enjoyed it as an adult, but I would have LOVED it as a kid.

I Am Number Four

I watched "I am Number Four" yesterday, a movie I rented for YaYa. It's based on a teen book, and you know what? I really liked it, in a popcorn flick/guilty pleasure kind of a way. The action sequences were wicked.

Happy Birthday!

Happy 4th Birthday Honeybooanglecakeshoneybunchesaoats!

Quarantine 2

A few wks ago I raved about [REC] 2, a Spanish sequel to the scene by scene inspiration for the movie Quarantine. Last night I watched Quarantine 2, which isn't even in the same ballpark. Obviously a sequel to the American version, it features a completely different plot and characters than the Spanish version. It was a fun, disposable horror flick, but nothing you haven't seen before.

WTH? Someone anonymously dropped off a box of hardcover mysteries & some nail products. That's 2 donations in 2 wks. It would seem 2b someone we know, or a Good Samaritan w/ great intuition.

FIB

Ten min ago I saw a driver from Illinois came to a complete stop on 94 just west of downturn. No mech trouble, just came to a stop, got his bearings, and drove off. Nevermind the cars swerving to avoid him, natch. What an ass.

Bad Teacher

Late last night Lis & watched a bootleg of "Bad Teacher" we borrowed from a friend. It's not going to win an Oscar but it's LOL and I enjoyed it a lot. I loved Cameron Diaz's character, and start to finish she looked like a slice of heaven that had fallen to earth - it reminded me of why I fell in crush w/ her when I saw The Mask yrs ago. Recommended, BUT not for everyone here. It's far too raunchy for many a FB'er with better morals than yours truly.