Return of the Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett

Yesterday I finished an electronic ARC for "Return of the Thin Man" a collection of previously UNPUBLISHED Dashiell Hammett 'Thin Man' stories. He wrote these as treatments for MGM back in the '30's. Hammett's prose still packs a punch, even in this truncated format, but his genius shines in the dialogue; some of it is so sharp I was worried I'd need bandages. Individually, I'd grade "After the Thin Man" an A+, "Another Thin Man" a B+ and the oddly angry "Sequel to the Thin Man" a C. As a whole I'd grade this slice of history a B+/A- 

#59

A Night Without Kids

Lisa and I had a rare - dinosaur loose in the park rare - night without kids (GC camping; OJ Grandma's; LK and PD at an Aunt's). We went down to the pier at Sheridan Park, browsed through a thrift store, went out to dinner and *didn't have to rush home afterwards to meet some deadline imposed by a damn sitter*, window shopped some more, bought some drinks and hung out at Nancy Lynne Clothier's house, then returned home to watch "48 hours Mystery" and "Psych" before heading to bed. Except for a drunken booboo in the shower (which still provided entertainment galore) it was a postcard perfect night.

60 Wins

And the Yankees become the first team in 2012 to reach 60 Wins. Booyah.

Niceville by Carten Stroud

"she cherished her privacy and her memories, many sweet, some bitter; and all far enough in the past to have lost either their savor or their sting," - from Niceville 

Today I finished reading "Niceville" by Carsten Stroud. It's an eclectic mix of supernatural ghost story, thriller and crime drama that moves at rocket speed. I saw a negative review from Kirkus but I vehemently disagree, as I thought the book was excellent and a joy to read. In summation: Stroud can WRITE. Grade: A. #58

Lunch :)

How The Hunger Games Movie Saved Our Lives

If you are alive at this moment and over the age of 5 you've heard of The Hunger Games, the bestselling trilogy by author Suzanne Collins. YaYa read the books, loved them, and like most pre-teen girls in 2012, became their Biggest Fan. I even took her to a Hunger Games day at a local bookstore.

I'm not knocking her interest in the series. On her recommendation I read them, and I liked them a lot (especially the first in the series), so of course we promised her she'd see the movie when it hit theaters. What we *didn't* tell her is that we'd surprise her by taking her to see the movie at midnight on the day it came out (March 22nd)!

She was ecstatic, but, oh, of course - come every argument between then and now it's "you never do anything for me!" :)

Alas, while she and Lisa had a blast, their return was fraught with danger. Read on, Dear Reader.


Last night Lisa woke up YaYa @ 11:15 and surprised her with the news that we'd bought tickets for the midnight premiere of the Hunger Games! They went together and had a blast, and even sat next to another kid [from their school] they saw there. When they got home and woke me up it was a preview of 'Catching Fire' - YaYa saw smoke coming from Lulu and Ginger's room. Sure enough, Ginger had fallen asleep with her head sandwiching the desk lamp between the pillow and mattress. Smoke was coming out, the pillow (Big Fat Kitty) was scorched and melted in bits, and Lauren - she was oblivious. How my smoke detectors scream at a slightly overdone pizza but missed this is beyond me, but I'm very glad the ladies changed their minds and skipped a 3am ice cream run on the way home from the show.




I was asleep downstairs on the couch, waiting for them to return. If they'd stayed out longer, or if we'd gone to bed as normal, we'd have slept through the incident until it someone got hurt or worse.

This is the damage it caused to the lamp

While it's harder to make out, here's the scorched and melted wounds to Big Fat Kitty

So thank you Katniss, Suzanne Collins, and the grand publicity department at the studio, for saving my little girl from harm. 

A few days later I saw the movie too. 

Here's my verdict, as written on Facebook:

I just got back from seeing "The Hunger Games". Wow. Seriously - wow. They could have raked in a fortune just by slapping something together on screen that loosely resembled the books. They could have, but they didn't. In every shot, in every scene, in every subtle adaptation from print to script, there is a respect for the source material. The best compliment? Absent the existence of the books, I still think this would rank as a damn fine movie. Well done. Grade: a solid, easy A.

You haven't read the books? You haven't seen the movie? Shame on you. Correct that error as soon as you can. 

Blech

96 degrees, a heat index of 103, and I chose to walk 18 blocks after work.

A Thousand Words

A few days ago Lisa and I found time to rent "A Thousand Words" an Eddie Murphy comedy where he plays a literary agent who is cursed with a magic tree that sheds a leaf with every word he speaks; once the leaves are gone so is he. It's got a lot in common with 'Liar Liar' but with a more sentimental edge to it. The first twenty minutes were devoted to a weak script and overacting, but then it settled down into a decent if forgettable comedy that I enjoyed. Grade: C

The Empty Glass by JJ Baker

I finished reading 'The Empty Glass' by JI Baker, a novel about an LA County deputy coroner caught up in the death of Marilyn Monroe. It's very dark and reminiscent of James Cain, and you know from the moment you open the cover that no character is going to finish this book with a smile on their face and a song in their heart. Stylistically it is exceptionally well done. Where it falters is in the motivation. There is no reason, professional or personal, for the protagonist to champion this cause to the bitter end, and that's where Baker lost me a bit. I'd still grade this a strong B+ (book 57 of the year)

A-Rod Injury

BREAKING news from MLB: A-Rod diagnosed with non-displaced fracture in left hand, going on 15-day DL after being hit by pitch from Felix Hernandez. Damn!

Sherman Hemsley

RIP Sherman Hemsley, age 74

A lone pic of Gus-Gus

Sally Ride

RIP Sally Ride, 1st American woman in space, age 61.

Good Advice

Ixnay on the Lockers Today

Lisa and I had planned on a road trip to Janesville today. We were going to take two round trips to purchase and pick up old school lockers for our entryway. At the last minute, in fine Craigslist fashion, the woman came up with a b.s. excuse and backed out. Sucks.

Ryan Seacrest just tweeted a 'welcome to the fam' to Mariah Carey, so I guess we know the name of one of AI's new judges.

Penn State

A comment online says that its 'pitiful' that Penn State alumni are upset about the NCAA penalties imposed upon the school, saying they should "put the welfare of the children first". These penalties do NOTHING to protect the victims or ensure their well being, unless the funds will be used to fund a time machine to go stop Sandusky in 1998. It's just grandstanding for the cameras, and its hurting the innocent players and students, NOT the monster in jail or the authorities who let him skate.

Wildly Divergent Thoughts:

A) A summary of Slumdog Millionaires says it DOES end with the dance number I remember from the trailers; apparently it was edited for broadcast TV. B) Lisa says I was wrong about the apple cake and that it turned out perfectly. C) People need to STFU about the parents of that six year old killed in the Batman massacre. Whether the kid was too young to be out that late or not, the parents are no more to blame for the death than if he'd been the victim of a random home invader. The idiot with the gun is at fault, and NO ONE ELSE. Putting blame on the parents is just a backasswards way of blaming the victim.

The 2012 Dance Recital

My kids take dance classes every year and participate in a massive recital each May. This year the owner of the studio asked me to write a brief series of skits for the show, to string together the dances into a coherent narrative. My salary? At my insistence YaYa was given one of the two main parts, and she did great!

For those of you close friends and family who failed to properly support my children by attending the performances - shame on you. But here's a small taste of what you missed.

ps - sorry about the picture quality but I forgot my camera and made do with my phone

Good evening/afternoon, and welcome to ***  Dance Studios production of 'Up in Grannies Attic'. Our students have worked hard all year to bring you the very best show possible, and they're excited to see all their family and friends in the audience. Please, remember to shut off your cell phones, and for the safety of our dancers no photography will be allowed. And now, enjoy the show!

Girl 1: Grammie Miss Barbara, we're bored!

Girl2: Yeah, there's nothing to do while it's raining outside. Can we pleassse use your phone to text our friends?

GMB: I've told you girls before, Grammie Miss Barbara doesn't do text messages. If you're in such a hurry to write your friends, mail them a letter. [sizzle]. Besides, there's plenty to do in this old attic.

Girl2: Like what? There's nothing up here but cobwebs.

Girl 1: Yeah, and these old trunks.

GMB: But that's exactly what I mean! These trunks aren't just boxes, they hold a lifetime of fun and memories. Go ahead and open one. You'll see.

[the kids do so. Girl 1 lifts out a wedding dress.]

Girl 1: Wow!

Girl 2 [now wearing an eye patch and waving a rubber sword] Look at me, I'm a pirate! Arrrrr!

[both girls laugh].

GMB: I bet if you girls take your time, you'll find plenty to keep you busy up here until dinner.

Girls: OK.

GMB [begins to walk offstage, then stops and turns back, as the girls begin playing with some dolls they've found]. Oh girls?

Girls2: Yes?

GMB: While you're up here, it wouldn't hurt to clean up some of these cobwebs either.

[music begins]

SCENE:

[the girls are digging through a trunk]

Girl1: Hey, will you look at this! [holds up a string of LP's]

Girl2 [shaking her head] : Who would ruin a perfectly good CD by punching a hole in the middle?

Girl1: [puts the 45's back] Did you find anything interesting?

Girl2: Sure. [Shows off a poodle skirt she found]. How do I look?

Girl1: Neat. But check this out. [takes a hippie outfit out of the trunk and holds it up to her chest, makes peace sign]. Peace, man!

[both girls laugh].

Girl2: Do you think Grammie Miss Barbara actually wore this stuff?

Girl 1: I don't know. But if she did, I'm glad she stopped. This stuff is embarrassing. It's not half as cool as our skinny jeans and hair feathers.

[music starts]

(Ginger danced to Itsy Bitsy Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, Smiley did a Mambo, LuLu did See Ya Later Alligator and YaYa danced to Cotton Eyed Joe and Tutti Fruitti)

SCENE: 

Girl 2: What are you looking at?

Girl1[holding a photo album]: It's an old photo album of Grammie Miss Barbara's. It has photos going back generations.

Girl2: Family is important to Grammie Miss Barbara.

Girl1: You bet it is. Did you know that every year her dance studio has a very special dance? It's called the Family Dance, and everyone you see on the stage has a relative that goes to the studio. There's Mom's and Daughters, sisters and brothers, even Grandma's and grandsons. It's a tradition that's important to Arabesque, and it happens every year.

Girl2: Wow. I wish I could see the Family Dance. I wonder what it would look like . . .

[music starts]

---

Girl2 [by an open trunk]: Oh! I found the Christmas decorations! Come see!

[Girl 2 holds up a string of lights, Girl 1 grabs something else from the trunk].

Girl 2: Do you think this Christmas Grammie Miss Barbara will let us put out a stocking here? Just in case Santa stops here too?

Girl1: I don't see why not.

Girl2: Good. [reveals what she took out of the trunk, a super large Christmas stocking as large as she is]

[music starts]

(We bought all the kids roses and personalized them with a note, but somehow YaYa's was packaged MINUS the rose! She took the oopsie with uncharacteristic grace).

SCENE:

---

[Girl 1 is sweeping the floor with a broom]

Girl 2: What do you think you're doing?

Girl 1: Grammie Miss Barbara asked us to clean up some of the cobwebs, remember?

Girl 2: Since when do you do chores without someone nagging you? [suspicious] Did she pay you when I wasn't looking?

Girl 1: No. I just think it's a shame that these trunks have been up here so long. There's too many great things in them to just let them gather dust.

Girl 2: [skeptical] Hmm. If you say so. Go ahead, keep sweeping. But Grammie Miss Barbara said we could play up here until dinner. As far as I'm concerned, it's the weekend, and anything goes.

[music starts]

(after the recital I treated the family to dinner and dessert at Kopp's, and YaYa and Lisa shared a touching hug)

SCENE:

---

BEFORE 'WILL YOU BE THERE' AND STRING OF MOVIE SONGS

Girl 1: It's almost dinner. We should start putting this stuff back.

[the girls are putting items away]

Girl 2: Grammie Miss Barbara was right, her attic is a great place. There's so many memories, and so many things to explore.

Girl1: I know. I'd almost wish it would rain every time we visit, just so we could play up here.

Girl 2: Every time??

Girl 1: Ok. Every other time. Come on, let's ask Grammie Miss Barbara if we can watch a movie after dinner. [they close the trunk and begin to walk off stage]

Girl 2: Sure. Anything in particular?

Girl 1: Oh, I don't know. Have you ever seen Free Willy?

Quote

"A pessimist gets nothing but pleasant surprises, an optimist nothing but unpleasant.” 

― Rex Stout, Fer-de-Lance

Psych

In between the lines there's a lot of obscurity

I'm not inclined to resign to maturity

If it's all right, then you're all wrong

Why bounce around to the same damn song

You'd rather run when you can't crawl

I know, you know, that I'm not telling the truth

I know, you know, they just don't have any proof

Embrace the deception, Lean how to bend

You're worst inhibitions tend to psych you out in the end

I know, you know

I know, you know

I know, you know

I know, you know

FB - the 2nd week of March *2011*

March 9th:

Yo, if news reports on the chaos in Madison interrupt or pre-empt American Idol, I'm gonna be pissed.

Breaking news: from what I understand the collective bargaining measure has been removed from the budget bill and pushed forward on its own; since it ISN'T a fiscal bill the GOP can vote and pass it w/out the Senators that fled to IL. I guess it'll happen tonight.

Last night I finished "Instant Replay", Jerry Kramer's classic diary of the 1967 NFL season. It's a fun read, with a clear and intelligent voice. (not to spoil the ending, but the Packers win the SuperBowl)

Now this Madison mess has interrupted The Wendy Williams Show. Have they no decency?

March 10th:

Five years ago I couldn't have imagined a day when I'd respect France as much as I do as of late. Sarkozy is a courageous, straight-ahead leader, and France is lucky to have him.

594K people living in Milwaukee as of 2010, the lowest total since WWII - all while the state's population as a whole grew.

Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact - William James

(Gov. Scott) Walker just finished his press conference. He was well spoken, calm, reliant on acts not emotion, and I'm pretty confident he has balls the size of watermelons. A striking contrast (no pun intended) to the cliche ridden tantrums outside the Capitol.

March 11th

I have no problem with having to watch commericals on a news site. I just think the site should be more conscious of the context in which they're placed. I'm sure Company X doesn't want their happy-happy jingle to be followed by a story of abuse and torture, as was just the case on CNN.com. It's poor taste, and the fault is CNN's, not the advertiser.

I've got this all backasswards - the busier I am in the day, the more I post. Instead of stopping for a cigarette break, I spend a few minutes clogging up your news feed. Yay for you. Just finished Morning Glory, and was shocked it was so good. I LOL'd 11 times - I counted - and Harrison Ford was superbly funny as the crochety old anchor. Loved it.

RIP Iowa Blackie. RIP.

Kate Winslet. #1 on my List of Five for 13 consecutive years.

"DO NOT bite at the bait of pleasure, till you know there is no hook beneath it." 
--Thomas Jefferson

[Japan was hit with a massive earthquake and tsunami, resulting in horrendous loss of life]

I took the family out for a fish fry to celebrate the 1st Friday of Lent. The kids were good - good enough to get a compliment from an elderly couple nearby. Now Lis and I are about to sit down and watch 20/20's report on the horrific earthquake in Japan . . .
 [several links to earthquake relief agencies and news articles on the tsunami followed]

March 12th

In the wee hours of the AM we watched "Life as we Know It", a rom-com with Katherine Heigl & Josh Duhamel. It was pleasant enough, and Heigl is always good, but all in all it's a collection of cliches stapled to a formulaic script. Some good moments though. [I was a little shocked to see Josh Lucas; he seems to have aged quite a bit since Wonderland]

March 13th

Just got home. Worked til 530, then went immediately to dinner/auction/dance at my kids school. Lots of fun, lots of food, lots and lots of drinking. Good time. And best of all, it's the first time since July 11th 2010 that we've gone out w/out the kids (other than an hour here or there w/ a deadline arouind our necks). Thanks Anne for the invite!

@ wrk I had to deal with a Truther & his loudly stated beliefs - see T-shirt reading "Investigate 9/11!". Like all Americans he is entitled to his opinion, based on the absurdly tiny amount of information he bothered to learn before he formed it. But I did enjoy the fact that someone so obesessed w/ conspiracy was apparently 'taken' - a Visa gift card he accepted as pay was empty.

March 14th

While I was at work Lisa took the girls on a Scout trip to the Symphony, where Olivia won a copy of Lemony Snicket's "The Composer is Dead".  Grace said she enjoyed the music, while Olivia said it was boring (but she was tired when I asked her). Then, a miserable night of subpar Sun TV, w/ no movie on hand. It was down to The Nanny (good) & '3 Ninjas' (suicide inducing).

Any guy dumb enough to label Jean Harlow and Carole Lombard as 'average' while worshiping Julia 'Secretariat' Roberts should have his man parts removed forthwith.

"in this country, it is wise to kill an admiral from time to time to encourage the others" - Voltaire, satirizing the execution of British Admiral John Byng by his own country (this day in 1757). RIP.

A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Read by William Rabkin

Watching a Japanese pro baseball game on Channel 8 . . .

Meanwhile I finished reading another Psych tie-in novel, " A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Read" by William Rabkin. When I stop to think about it the plot, or at least its resolution, was nonsensical and patched together by happenstance and wild leaps of faulty logic. But it was great fun to read, and I literally LOL'd at several scenes. I grade this one an A

Slumdog Millionaire

You may have noticed the movie/TV drought of recent weeks. We broke that streak with "Slumdog Millionaire". I know this sounds stupid, but I thought it was going to be a Bollywood musical. [I swear to the heavens there was a railroad yard dance number in the trailer, no???] Instead it was dark, sometimes violent drama that still managed to resonate with hope and the power of love. Grade: A-

The Bro Code by Barney Stinson

Today on break I finished reading "The Bro Code"  by Barney Stinson ( of How I Met Your Mother). It was funny, but book length funny? No. Not even skinny book length funny. But it had its moments. Grade: C+