Grey Gardens

This morning we watched "Grey Gardens" a film based on the life of Jackie O relatives Edith Beale and her mother, whose descent into squalor and poverty was documented in a famous documentary of the mid '70's. It's a sad but hopeful little film, bouncing back and forth from the wealth and dreams of the earlier decades to the dung filled house of later years, but never surrendering the certainty of better times ahead. Very enjoyable.

A Great Day

Nov 23rd, the day B4 Thanksgiving, and I'm sitting on my front porch reading, Junie on my lap, enjoying the sun. This weather is truly something 2b grateful for.

Tim Cusprin

I just got a big shock when I ck'd JSOnline. Tim Cuprisin, former TV columnist and a FB friend, has passed away @ 53. RIP Tim, I valued your columns.

Super 8

I eagerly rented the JJ Abrams flick "Super 8" today. The verdict? Disappointment. I loved the cast, especially the kids, and really enjoyed watching the internal conflicts between the characters. OTOH, I thought the sci-fi plot was thin and incredibly 'been there, seen that'. Sadly, the latter took up the bulk of the film, leaving the human element to waste away into a footnote. C-

MVP!

Congrats to MVP Ryan Braun!

2 quick sports notes: A) not only did I win my fantasy matchup in wk 11, I took "Biggest Blowout" for the 2nd time this season, whupping my opponent by 36.79 points. B) a lot of buzz on the 'net that Matt Kemp should've taken the NL MVP. Yeah, no, although it wouldn't have been a tragedy. True, this was a career year for the guy, but he walked away w/ a ridiculous 8 yr contract to show for it. Hmph. Readers of 2019 take note: as you read this, Matt Kemp is bagging groceries at your local A&P. He's not going to maintain this level for long.

What it Means to be a Democrat by George McGovern

In the interest of fairness, I tried reading George McGovern's new book "What it Means to be a Democrat". I made it through 19 pages. I quit not because I disagree with him (I knew I would going in) but because he came off as a nutter. It is one thing to value your party, to be proud of it, to champion its goals - quite another to put it on a pedestal and make it clear, in only a handful of pages, that It Can Do No Wrong. Honestly, it came off as creepy political porn. Yuck. Maybe I'll give it another go, just to see if the Kool Aid wears off along the way . . .

Good Luck Melanie!

X Factor tonight: Melanie Amaro has a smooth, powerful voice. I've always found her attractive, but tonight, w/ that Carribean accent and her devotion to Christ, she is 1000x yummier.

3 Films

But, courtesy of Netflix's mail service, we did have a double feature today. 1st up: 'Just Go With It', a comedy about a man who has his assistant to pose as his ex-wife to help him land a girl. The plot is ridiculous and has holes big enough to fit a truck through sideways, but oddly enough, I liked it. It was surprisingly funny, and there was a noticeable and sweet on-screen chemistry between Adam Sandler and Jennifer Anniston (whodathunkit?)

2nd course: The Queen, starring Helen Mirren. The Queen and newly elected PM Tony Blair navigate the public's perception of the monarchy in the wake of Princess Di's death. I thought it was a superb movie. I like that they don't shy away from the idea/(fact?) that Di's private persona was directly at odds with the image she manipulated in the media. I love how the film traces Blair's building indignation w/ the attacks leveled against his Queen, and his rise to defend her. A+

Oy, almost forgot a film we watched over the weekend: "Good Neighbors". Set in an apartment building in Quebec while a serial rapist/killer is on the loose, it follows 3 neighbors who hit it off but who may - or may not - each have their own dark secret. Lisa found it boring, I thought it was quirky and entertaining, if a bit light on action, plot, motive, and . . .well, a lot of things. Plus Jay Baurchel's voice gets on my nerves. C+

About the Blu-Ray player . . .

I should mention that my my brand new Sony Blu-Ray player, purchased in March, took a dump last month. No one dropped it, manhandled or otherwise harmed the thing, it just went kaput. Sony's response? They'll fix it, sight unseen, for a flat fee - of $110, $15 less than the cost of it new. FU Sony, rest assured the replacement will not come w/ your name on the box (when I can afford it). Meanwhile I can no longer stream my beloved Netflix, and have been in mourning ever since.

Thank You!

A big thank you to Lisa and the girls for coming by the Tiger den meeting and helping us put together a special gift for all the Mom's and Dad's!

Thank You!!

A big thank you to Lisa and the girls for coming by the Tiger den meeting and helping us put together a special gift for all the Mom's and Dad's!

Selfies by Junie

A Headscratcher

markers the kids linked together and posted over the office door for reasons unknown

Take Me Home Tonight

Natch, the 1st x I can watch a Packers game start to finish they struggle (but take away the win, may Carlos Harmon spend the night weeping). Last night Lis & I watched "Take me Home Tonight", a rom-com starring Topher Grace. Despite mediocre reviews, we both liked it a lot (and the soundtrack rocks!). Bonus - the bonus content on the DVD, which we rarely watched, was LOL & worth the rental cost alone.

And . . . 

thanks to Vincent Cruz and Desean Jackson's performances tonight on SNF, I've notched a win in my fantasy league (and I still have a player left on the field tomorrow night). 4 and 7 on the year. Yay me. (smirk).

Selfies of Junie

Watch Out!

whoo-ee LuLu is a pill today

Kiss Me Deadly

I just finished watching "Kiss Me Deadly" a 1955 Mike Hammer film considered a masterpiece of dark, paranoid noir. (recently released on Criterion, it was playing on PBS) True to its reputation, the characters are dark, brooding, sadistic, and lacking any moral center. Damn good film. And the ending - YIKES! 66 years later and I honestly think the last four minutes are among the most frightening you'll see. The sound effects alone gave me the willies!

Some of Lisa's Floral Designs

Captain America

Normally I find superhero movies tedious at best, and usually nothing more than an excuse to spend $ on f/x instead of a script. Not so with 'Captain America', which I greatly enjoyed. The emphasis was on the story and the character (of the man, not the 'hero') and I thought it was well done start to finish. I even enjoyed the '40's visuals and look forward to seeing more of Cap. (Smiley and Lu also enjoyed the film, tho' Yaya  ducked out halfway through).

Regis's Finale

watching Regis' last show. Two minutes in and I'm damn near tearing up

Lisa's Arrangements

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)" by Mindy Kaling

Today I finished reading "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)" by Mindy Kaling ('Kelly' from 'The Office'). It's funny and I enjoyed it, but it was nowhere near as good as Tina Fey's offering. Check it out.

Friends

LOL'ing through an episode of Friends (the one where Ross meets Phoebe's future husband - "Chandler watches shark porn!")

Quote

"A thought which does not result in an action is nothing much, and an action which does not proceed from a thought is nothing at all." - Archbishop Fulton Sheen

Accused at 17 and The Craigslist Killer

Awhile back we rented "Accused at 17" a TV-movieish DVD about a 17 year old framed for murder after her revenge against a rival goes too far. It was ok, but nothing I'd watch a second time. Also, a coupladays back we rented "The Craigslist Killer", a good if unexceptionable take on the famous case. A) Dude was a media creation. One murder in Boston and he's national news? C'mon B) he wasn't very good at it. If there's one thing I respect it's competency, and thus he earns an F.