Junie on the Phone

Today being my sister Katie's birthday, I had the kids call and wish her well. Before we put Lauren on the phone LuLu warned her that she'll talk forever. 

Most people assume we're being cute or exaggerating when we say that, but Junie will talk non-stop FOR AN HOUR OR MORE if you do not intervene. I have personally taken a 45 min car ride with her and never had a moment to interject a word. Not a word. I'm not sure she even breathes during her monologues. 

Anyhow, according to my phone my sister lasted 9 min 42 sec listening to Junie ramble, then surrendered and hung up. No matter; Junie continued to speak into the dead phone for another ten minutes before she noticed. {shakes head}

Angelmaker by Nick Hardaway

Tonight I finished an e-ARC of "Anglemaker" by Nick Hardaway [publication date 3/20/12].

It's the story of Joe Spork, the son of an infamous but beloved gangster, who tries to live a good and peaceful life as a clock maker. Unfortunately, his family's past includes the construction of a doomsday device centered around mechanical bees, and things begin to go poorly for our hero.

It's a "modern world collides with secret steampunk" set in London, and features a 90 yr old female super spy, mysterious monks made out of metal, and a dastardly villain worthy of a movie serial, the horrid Opium Khan.

It's a rollicking adventure, but Hardaway will have to tighten up the construction a wee bit before he earns an A from me: B/B+

 Our lights went out twice in this snowstorm.

 Folks, I guess my status updates have given the impression I'm worried about the job, or intimidated by the casualty rate among the new-hires. Not so. I'm doing fine. It just boggles my mind that 7 people have been cut out of such a small group. I didn't expect that. That's all. But thanks for the well wishes anyway

Warning: Obnoxious smarty pants bragging ahead. Not only did I score only one wrong on the final (on a subjective question I still believe I got right), but I was also the first one done in the class. Oh, did I mention it was an open book/notes test, and yet I refused to use either? Holla.

Another trainee is gone, leaving 12 of the 19 to take the final training exam tomorrow.

Archer - Season Two

I finished season two of Archer on Netflix. Lisa doesn't dig it, calling it 'vulgar', but I think it's one of the funniest, best written shows out there. The episode where Archer goes on a rampage against the Irish mob ("The Placebo Effect" was wicked good, btw. A.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

YaYa has been bugging me for months to take her to the Hunger Games movie (opening March 23rd) and to see what all the fuss is about I read the book by Suzanne Collins. The verdict? To my chagrin it's a pretty damn good read, with a good mix of action, character and chaste romance. I'm actually kind of looking forward to the movie now. Huh. Whodathunkit? Grade: B

All react

Patriot Acts

Today I finished reading another Greg Rucka novel in the Atticus Kodiak series, "Patriot Acts". For the +/-'s of the book see my review of his last one, as there's little difference in the flaws and triumphs of the book. I will say that I'm consistently annoyed by authors who paint gov't's, business, etc as evil and act disgusted by their violent acts, while ignoring the fact that the protagonists - and by proxy the author's wallet - thrive on acts just as violent, and often more unconscionable. The 'bad guys' in this one crushed a Communist revolution in Latin America (egads!) while the 'good guys' once burned a reporter alive and cut strips of flesh off a man just to make him scream. Hypocrisy anyone? Grade: C (tho' the writing deserves a solid B)

Hey if no list for Smiley's birthday comes by early this week...UNDERWEAR is in his future '! And we remember what happened that one Christmas! !! Also tell me yours .... you might just end up with underwear - Aunt Katie

Smiley and the Prism

Smiley's been begging for a coin-counting bank for weeks, and we finally gave up on waiting 'til his bday and agreed to get it today. So how does he wake me up this morning?

By asking for a prism instead.

"Dada, if you buy it I can play with light, and bounce it and divide it and make colors on the wall." He was more detailed than that, explaining the whosit and whatsit involved. It was enough of a presentation that we agreed (plus it was 7 am, and I wanted to get back to sleep). Come ten o'clock we were at American Science and Surplus buying him a prism.

This, on the heels of him spending two weeks poring over YaYa's books on space, watching Nat Geo docs on the cosmos and drawing both constellations and galaxies on scratch paper

The Walking Dead by Greg Rucka

 On Thursday I finished reading "The Walking Dead" by Greg Rucka. Yes, the title is confusing and out to be changed, because it's not a zombie book. It's a thriller, the 7th of the Attitcus Kodiak series. I've been a fan of the series for over a decade, but I can't say I'm in love with the abrupt change in direction it's taken. Atticus started out as a professional bodyguard/bouncer with a foster child in his care. Now, he's a globe trotting fugitive trained as an elite assassin. Uh . . . ok. Still, Rucka has a great style that makes up for many flaws - such as having a plot that could double as the movie "Taken". Grade: B/B-

Elmo and Me

 Last night we watched "Elmo and Me" a documentary about the life of Elmo's puppeteer Kevin Clash. It's a great story, w/ Clash creating his first Muppet at age ten while living in a distressed Maryland neighborhood referred to as "Chocolate City". By 18 he was a star of a local TV show, and soon caught the eyes of the legendary Jim Henson and Kermit Love. The part that got me the most were the scenes of Clash training the French cast of Sesame Street, where his talent and passion were on full display. That, and a scene of a dying child meeting Elmo as her last wish; that part choked me up. Grade: A

 Ryan Braun won his appeal and won't be suspended!

 Today is the 17th anniversary of the day Lisa and I met

Business Closings

 soref's carpet city just went out of business, acc. To jsonline

the Rosebud and Times theaters are also closing their doors . . As Appliance World did a few wks back

 

A Short Update

The new job is going fine, but I've never made a habit of talking about it online and I probably won't change now :) (but feel free to ask me privately). So far though it's just training and book learnin' in a classroom setting, so there's not a whole lot to discuss anyhow. 

In other fronts, tonight was my Tiger Cut den meeting. The thrust of the meeting was communication & manners, which was fortuitous: I failed to communicate well & they were shy on manners ;) Actually, by the midway point I found my groove and the meeting picked up steam. (and the kids were actually pretty good). Still below par tho', but maybe the kids learned a thing or two.

2 Pics

 

3 Movies

 Sunday night our friend Chris came over for a mini-movie marathon. We watched "Wake Wood" an Irish film about parents who broker a deal with a local villager to resurrect their daughter from the grave. Shockingly, this proves to be ill advised. It's nothing you haven't seen before, but it is well made and the actors do a convincing job of expressing the pain of their loss. B.

Also on the agenda: "In Time" a sci-fi thriler starring Justin Timberlake. In a future where lifespan is the currency of the age, Timberlake plays a poor working stiff who exists by scraping by, always hours away from literally running out of time and falling dead in the street. It's a silly premise, and really just an allegory for a perceived inequity in our own economic system. Still, I've seen worse thriller/Robin Hood tales. B

Our last flick: "The Ward", a 2011 John Carpenter film set in a psychiatric institution in 1966. There are some glowing reviews out there, and Carpenter fans seem willing to disembowel you at the merest criticism of the movie. What the hell - my stomach is too big as it is; the movie SUCKED. It's a cookie cutter plot with bits of Shutter Island, Identity, and The Ring tossed in like a poor man's 'Scary Movie', and other than the shrink I thought the acting was right up there with the best of off-off-off-off Broadway. Yeck. The only thing saving this one was that the hospital itself defied cliche, with male orderlies acting professional and refusing sexual advances, and a psychiatrist who seemed to care. That earns the film a reluctant C+.

Zone One by Colson Whitehead

 Today I finished reading "Zone One", a novel by Colson Whitehead. It is, on the surface, a zombie book, tracing the life of a single soldier assigned to Zone One, an area of Manhattan being cleared for reoccupation. What the book really is is a beautiful examination of our selves, our fears, and what it means to be human. It's a powerful literary work, and Whitehead can dance with the English language like he's one of the few to hear the music. I loved it. A+

2 Films

 2 films tonight.

First up: 'The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane', a 1976 suspense film staring a 13 yr old Jodie Foster. The 'shock' was plain to see from the start and honestly, the danger that powers the whole film could have been avoided if the girl had just locked the front door (not once, but many times people just walk right in). I also strongly objected to a full T & A shot of Foster. Not only was she a middle school aged minor, it was unnecessary to the plot. Grade: C

2nd billing: "These Amazing Shadows" a documentary that I streamed because I was told that it was about the preservation and conservation of our movie heritage. That's something I strongly believe in, and long ago in the pre-Lisa days I would occasionally donate some of my pay to restoration efforts at the Library of Congress. Anyhow, about 10% of the film was about that, with the rest being the standard self-serving documentary Hollywood loves to make about itself. Of great interest, however, was the shocking side by side clips of the censored & uncensored versions of "Baby Face" (Barbara Stanwyck, 1933). The censors changed the whole philosophy and drive of the film simply by tinkering with a few key moments. Revolting. Grade: C+

Hamburger Mary's

 I took three of the kids (LK was at Grandma's) plus one of YaYa's friends to Hamburger Mary's for dinner. Nice place, friendly staff, decent (but not mind-blowing food), but the price . . . yowsas. (and remember I usually dine with 6 people, not 5).

FYI

For those of you in Milwaukee, at 3:30 this morning Channel 58 (the CBS affiliate) will be airing Timothy Dolan's elevation to Cardinal. Other local stations will stream it online, but this is your chance to view it live on television. I've been getting up for work at around 5:30 this week, so it'll be a stretch, but I'm going to set my alarm and hope for the best.

A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas

We watched "A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas" last night. It isn't as funny as the original, but c'mon, who could match that? Anyhow it's a fair approximation and way better than the gawd awful 2nd film. I LOL'd several times and found the plot pretty decent, given it was just an excuse to get the guys in awkward situations. They all but abandoned the adoration of weed, which is sad, but in exchange the film did have a baby try cocaine and Ecstasy. B+