LuLu

Our Garden Beds are ready for planting

Vidal Sassoon

Ugh, I almost forgot - RIP Vidal Sassoon. Your death has gotten entirely too little attention from the media. 🙁

IT Help?

FB - I own a Seagate Freeagent external hard drive that works perfectly fine on a friend's computer but does nothing - nothing - on mine. It worked on my old computer, and the USB ports are good to go (they work fine with other devices) so they're not to blame. I have Windows 7 and have gone to start-computer-manage-storage-disc management but the device doesn't show up there either. I need ideas. Anyone?

The Family Corleone

I am a longtime fan of Mario Puzo's The Godfather and the universe it inspired. I rank the film as my 2nd favorite movie of all time, while the book holds the unique record of being the only - the ONLY - book of the hundreds I've read that I've re-read more than once.

 (Er, it actually might be the only adult book I've re-read period. Why re-read a book when there are thousands waiting to be read for the first time?)

I was looking forward to reading The Family Corleone by Ed Falco, a prequel to the original novel that was authorized by the Puzo estate and supposedly based on an unpublished GF4 script by Puzo himself.

The verdict? Eh.

It's not awful, although I fear any Godfather work carries with it built-in brownie points that prohibit a failing grade. The book is centered around the years '33-35 and the mafia war that brought the Corleone's to prominence. The war was mentioned in the original novel at some (moderate) length, and I was eager to read about it in more detail.

Unfortunately, the book was bogged down by several anachronisms - one literally on page one - , coupled with characters who felt compelled to reference the few pop-culture cliches of the era - you know, to establish "setting" - and who run around talking like dime store hoods. They also voice a ton of  vulgarities in Italian (enough that Falco included a glossary in the back), which is probably realistic but comes off as a bit contrived between these covers.

 There's also a glaring editorial error on the inside cover. Above an an organizational flowchart of the New York families is a title reading "Names and Families" - only it mistakenly reads "Games and Families".

Sigh.

Here's my problems with the plot. I think there's a pretty wishy-washy lead up to the war; not that there wasn't violence and disagreement, but I'm still not clear how this drew every family into conflict. Nor do I think Vito's little speech with Luca was nearly enough to establish his loyalty, and the Irish subplot was pointless. Worst of all, the 'war' seemed more like the invasion of Grenada -some people got hurt, but it lasted a blink of an eye.

And Falco messes with established cannon. Luca killed Capone's thugs with an ax, and one choked to death on his gag in fear. Not here. Vito himself was ill at ease with Luca - not here. Sonny was corrupted by seeing his father kill Fanucci - there's a different victim here. Rescuing Tom Hagen was an act of selfless piety - not here.

Screw that.

I'm not one of those idiots who spent page after page blasting Mark Winegardner's literary sequels of the last decade. I enjoyed them, even if I didn't love what they did to Tom Hagen. But I honestly thought this was a mediocre novel that lacks Puzo's grim brilliance.

I grade it a C.

How can I convince the Slap Family that an Alaskan vacation should be on their to do list? Fred Bryan

I took the family out to El Fuego tonight to celebrate some great news, blowing my entire (part-time job) paycheck in the process. No, I'm not telling you what the news is - if I was going to do that I'd have led off the update with it. Suffice it to say, however, sometimes a burning sensation goes away all on its own. I kid, I kid!

The Journal-Sentinel has officially asked me to stay on for a 5th year as a community columnist. I'm not *unhappy* about it, but I'm long past the point of being awed/excited about the news.

My guilty TV pleasure? Castle. Somehow I find myself watching it every week and enjoying the hell out of it. My not so guilty pleasure? DWTS. Great show, great season!

The Rose

The rose we gave Smiley after the recital bloomed today.

My Godson and his father

Hiddenburg - 75 years on

Today is the 75th anniversary of the Hindenburg disaster. RIP.

Dance Recital Weekend!

Recital weekend here at the Slapinions house! We took the kids to Kopps for burgers and custard after one show!

Mariano Rivera

Ugh. A torn ACL . . . say a prayer for Mariano. He deserves better than to have his career end in such a fashion. Get better Mo!

The Fourteenth Day

I've finished reading "The Fourteenth Day : JFK and the Aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis: The Secret White House Tapes" by David G. Coleman (publication date of 0ct 8th of this year, to coincide w/ the 50th anniversary of the crisis.) I did learn some things, like the extent of the Kennedy administration's legally dubious actions towards the press, and the fact that the crisis (barely) scooped Khrushchev's plans for a November gamble to take the initiative in the Cold War. But as the title states, this book is crafted from secret recordings JFK made (clandestine recordings, vindictive attacks on reporters - JFK and RN were Bobbsey Twins in some regards). So . . . it might have been nice to actually have included more than a few lines of transcripts scattered throughout the book. For 200 pages the author essentially summarizes what's on the tapes, and because of that - and a lack of panache by the author - this reads like a well done but uninspiring research paper. . Grade: C

The Caller (2011)

We just finished watching "The Caller", a bloodless horror/thriller set in Puerto Rico (but with an Anglo cast). Mary is an abused housewife who has finally set out on her own, renting a dingy apartment in San Juan where she is plagued by a wrong # - a caller from 1979 who will change her life forever (and we ain't talking love and marriage here folks). It's a good flick, but nothing outstanding. Grade: B

Quote of the Day

"When you are getting kicked from the rear it means that you are out in front." Archbishop Fulton Sheen

My Blue Eyed Girl

Quote of the Day

"I don't mean to sound cold or cruel or vicious, but I am so that's how it comes out." - Bill Hicks

Cell by Stephen King

I finished reading Stephen King's "Cell" yesterday. A suspected terrorist attack causes cell phone users to have their heads scrambled, and a pretty typical zombie novel follows. However, about mid-way through King ratchets it up a bit and the book is rescued from mediocrity to become a halfway decent tale.

Still, it remains a glorified Luddite morality tale, and has the required # of stale King-isms: 1. The '60's were the highlight of all creation 2. people who believe in Christianity and (gasp!) actually say so are meanies. 3. JFK was Lincoln and Christ all rolled up in one 4. George Bush was evil 5. loudly proclaiming my love for classic rock and disdain for other music means I'm a cool kid, not the awkward, unloved horror geek I am, er, was! 

Grade: C

Goofy little Junie

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

I rented Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol thinking that it would be white noise on the TV while I puttered around doing this or that. You know what? I was an idiot. Not only was this a good film, it was a GREAT action film, with exotic locales, nerve-wracking stunts and great fight scenes. Color me impressed! Grade: A+

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

Seth Grahame-Smiths' "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" left me torn. On one hand I greatly enjoyed the novelty of the premise for about 3/4's of the book (Lincoln's life as we know it was nothing compared to the bitter,life-long war he waged against Vampires, many of whom wished to keep slavery intact to ensure a plentiful supply of food). And then . . .then it became woefully apparent that it was just a novelty, a cheap little means of piquing your interest in hopes that you finish the book before you realize the author has very little content, and only a hint of style, to offer you. Grade: C

Six months.

It's been nearly six months since my last post here on Slapinions. Yikes.

That's not to say I haven't been writing. I post like mad on Facebook, occasionally (ok, rarely) on Twitter, and since we last saw each other I've had work published in three Wisconsin newspapers. If you're a long-time reader, by all means, follow me in the world of social media. You may not be entertained, but at least you'll never have to wonder where I am.

But back to Slapinions . . .

It's been an up and down six months, full of some crushing lows and great rebounds. I've started a new job (and kept the old one part time) and things *seem* to be on the upswing [knock on wood]. The kids are doing great, if by great you mean healthy and happy and wildly annoying, and we've added a new addition to the house. No, not another spawn, a cat named Gus-Gus that we got for LuLu from the Humane Society.

There's a whole lot more to say about the last six months but the mere thought of thinking about those 180 days, much less writing about 'em, seems like too much of a chore. Eventually I'll repost my FB updates here and you can catch up in due time if you care (and if you do, my word you need a hobby)

Meanwhile, in lieu of actual content, let me just say a few words about some books I've read recently.

Bereft is a novel by Chris Womersely set in rural Australia at the conclusion of WWI. Ten years ago Quinn Walker fled his hometown on the night his 12 year old sister was raped and murdered, leaving his family and community thinking he was the killer. Now a grown man with a face disfigured by war, he has returned in secret, but for what reason? To avenge his sister? To confess? And what of the mysterious young girl he meets in the woods, the girl who seems to know secrets far beyond her years? It's a strong, well done mix of literary fiction and thriller, with a hint of the supernatural thrown in, all written with wonderful style. Grade: A (book #32 of the year)

Seth Grahame-Smiths' Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter left me torn. On one hand I greatly enjoyed the novelty of the premise for about 3/4's of the book  (Lincoln's life as we know it was nothing compared to the bitter,life-long war he waged against Vampires, many of whom wished to keep slavery intact to ensure a plentiful supply of food). And then . . .then it became woefully apparent that it was just a novelty, a cheap little means of piquing your interest in hopes that you finish the book before you realize the author has very little content, and only a hint of style, to offer you. Grade: C
(book #33 of the year)

I rented Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol thinking that it would be white noise on the TV while I puttered around doing this or that. You know what? I was an idiot. Not only was this a good film, it was a GREAT action film, with exotic locales, nerve-wracking stunts and great fight scenes. Color me impressed! Grade: A+

And finally, the most important review of the evening: 

The tamales at the local Piggly Wiggly are sinfully delicious. :)

I hope you are all happy and well, 

Dan