Maeve Binchy

RIP author Maeve Binchy , aged 72.

My Day

Did jack-diddley-do-diddley on this, my only day off of the week. Well, I did go school shopping w/ Lisa. And I did backup the hard drive from our old computer. And I did go to Lisa's work to visit over her lunch break. And I walked the kids to and from school, which was a genuine treat for me. But mostly, it was sit on my bum and do nada.

Yes, please.

That'll Do it

With the firing of the Brewers bullpen coach, Lee Tunnell is now pressed into service. I'm sure a big, bad, fearsome looking guy like him will whip them back into shape.

Incredible

The MPD dropped off a flyer on my door today, stating that with the large number of foreclosures and abruptly vacated houses in the neighborhood, we should report any suspicious behavior we see, esp. scrap dealers. I've been up and about for 38 years now, and I never thought I'd see the day when financial disaster was so common place it would leech into every aspect of our lives. 

Redcoat by Bernard Cornwell

In the kitchen of our upstairs flat was a two door, white metal storage cabinet that was used for odds and ends and assorted storage. I remember borrowing this book, Redcoat by Bernard Cornwell, from my Dad's stash in that cabinet. From the contextual clues, that puts it at or before 1985, so I was no older than 11. 

I loved the book, which was full of action and history (I will always remember the description of the powdered hair of the soldiers.). While I always remembered the book, I long forgot the name of its author. 

Decades later, Bernard Cornwell would become one of my favorite authors, a name on the cover that guaranteed I'd read the book. Imagine my suprise when I found Redcoat on his resume, and learned that I'd been a fan for far longer than I thought!

Still, if it gets you to read, then read it anyway

My Day

Going to work soon. Spent the late morning cutting my lawn for the first time since Father's Day (thank you extended record setting drought!). All well and good, but my yard is in full sun and an 80 degree temp for you means a 90+ degree ordeal for the guy pushing the mower. and I am drained. (mayhaps last night's alcohol played some small role in the dehydration as well.)

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Yesterday I finished an electronic ARC for "Return of the Thin Man" a collection of previously UNPUBLISHED Dashiell Hammett 'Thin Man' stories.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.