Fox 6 is reporting that the nut who held that boy hostage in an underground bunker for days is dead and the boy is safe . . . .
Published writer, compulsive reader, Old School Whovian, Match Game enthusiast, NKOTB fan, data hoarder, and - surprisingly, given that list - married with four kids. Welcome to my take on life, fatherhood, entertainment, and whatever strikes my fancy. Enjoy!
Monday, February 4, 2013
King Richard III has been Found!
CNN is confirming that the skeletal remains found under an English parking lot belong to King Richard III. I first read of the discovery months ago in Archaeology magazine, and I'm ecstatic that DNA tests have now validated the discovery. Well done!
A few reviews
Total Recall is a
remake of the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie of the same name, and in my opinion
its far inferior to the original. I won’t argue that Quaid’s angst was much
more believable in Farrell’s hands up to the point where he visited ‘Rekall’,
but from that point on it was your standard-issue shoot ‘em up. The greatest gaffe, in my opinion (other than
Jessica Biel’s stilted ‘acting’) was their complete abandonment of the “is it
real, or is it recall?” idea that permeated the original right up to the
finish. In this one, the ambiguity was all but ignored from the moment he sat
in the chair. The way they played it, I’d say it was pretty darn obvious this
was all just a little vacation in Quaid’s head (a few friends thought the
opposite, so maybe I’m full of it.)
Grade: C-
DC Cupcakes was a
reality show centered on the two sisters who run Georgetown Cupcakes in the
nation’s capitol. It is mindless fluff, and worst of all the acting is so
terrible you lose all pretense of this being a ‘reality show’.
Katherine is hot tho’.
Grade : C-
On the other hand, Mindy Kaling’s new sitcom The Mindy Project is smart, funny, and a
pleasure to watch. Tune in Tuesday’s on
Fox.
Grade: A
Frankenweenie is a
stop motion animation movie by Tim Burton.
When I saw this with the family I was worried the kids would rebel
because it’s in black and white, but happily they loved it. It’s the story of a
boy whose beloved dog dies and is brought back to life ala Frankenstein’s
monster, but there’s nothing monstrous about this pooch. Soon the secret is out, however, and the
safety of the entire town is threatened.
I loved the movie. Sweet and funny, with plenty of nods to
Mary Shelley’s novel and the film adaptations of it, this was a hoot.
Grade: A
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Pay Your Electric Bill New Orleans
I'm not watching the game itself, because I could give a rats ass, but I am watching the dull, barely intelligible CBS crew fill time during the power outage at the Super Dome. Way to go New Orleans/NFL - way to represent.
update: Justin F sez: 6 kids by five women, a murder he got away with and now his second Super Bowl ring. Congrats Ray Lewis, nobody deserves it more.
Dinner with my Godmother
Last night we saw my Aunt Jackie and Uncle George at Mass and invited them to eat dinner with us afterwards. What followed was a very nice dinner and conversation at Denny's. Thanks go to them for accepting, and for the kids (LuLu and Junie) for being good throughout a long dinner dominated by adult conversation!
Also, before I forget; when I complimented LK on being good in church she said she 'had to be' because she didn't want to get "left behind like last time" - meaning when she was a terror in church and we left her with Entourage and took the other kids out to eat. Huh. Whaddaya know, a punishment/deterrent that WORKED. Maybe we'll get the hang of this parenting thing yet.
Cookie Booth
This morning, for the 3rd of 4th year in the row, LuLu and I manned the Girl Scout cookie booth at the early mass at St. Paul's. I'm kinda proud of that.
On a small side note, having listened now to the sermon at both St. Paul's and Immaculate Conception this weekend, I can say that Father Ron had a deeper grasp of the week's readings and formed it into a great, inspiring sermon. He gets the 'W' this week.
Dinner with my Godmother
Last night we saw my Aunt Jackie and Uncle George at Mass and invited them to eat dinner with us afterwards. What followed was a very nice dinner and conversation at Denny's. Thanks to them for accepting, and for the kids (Lu and Junie) for being good throughout a long dinner dominated by adult conversation!
Also, before I forget; when I complimented Junie on being good in church she said she 'had to be' because she didn't want to get "left behind like last time" - meaning when she was a terror in church and we left her with Entourage and took the other kids out to eat. Huh. Whaddaya know, a punishment/deterrent that WORKED. Maybe we'll get the hang of this parenting thing yet.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Friday, February 1, 2013
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Sinister
Also on Monday: "Sinister", a horror movie with Ethan Hawke. He plays a true crime writer who uncovers sadistic home movies of entire families being killed, thus exposing what appears to be a previously unknown serial killer. Unfortunately, that's only sorta-kinda the case, and you get the feeling this isn't going to end well.
Scary? I covered my eyes a few times during moments of lost-manhood, and I have no hesitation in saying its the creepiest soundtrack ever. It didn't help that one of the murder sites featured my street address (!) which was repeated over and over in one scene just to make me squirm.
For some reason, when we went to bed that night, our computer TWICE turned on for no reason in the middle of the night, waking us ala the movie. After the second time I unplugged it from the wall and huddled under my blanket, literally praying it wouldn't somehow turn on again and prove that we were F*ed. LOL Grade: A+
Lincoln
On Monday I watched Spielberg’s “Lincoln”. Daniel Day-Lewis deserves all the accolades that come his way; wow, what a performance. As to the movie as a whole: I think it carries itself well enough to appeal to a general audience, but you need to be a history nut to properly relish it. After all, a movie about the passing of a constitutional amendment is not a shoot em up, and at times even I was a little “speed it up pardner”. What it does well – exceptionally well – is highlight Lincoln’s genius, his ideal combination of idealism and practicality, velvet glove and iron fist. Even as he argues for a gentle reconciliation, he exposes Civil War South and its apologists for what they were: the enslavers of an entire people, willing to betray oath and nation to protect their wealth - at enormous loss of life - under the masquerade of “state’s rights”. Grade: A
Monday, January 28, 2013
A Walk
I took advantage of the 40 degree weather and walked the kids home from school today (~1.5 miles), the first time we've done it since October. The oldest three kids did fine but Junie. . . whoah nellie was she a pain in the butt. She was not pleased.
An Update on the Fridge
Socialist just left. We got the refrigerator door rehung. The metal pin that secured it on the bottom had broken off, and the odds of finding a replacement part quickly were slim. Then I noticed that the other end of the door held the parts needed to move the hinges to the other side of the door - including a spare pin. We pilfered it and got it back in place. Total cost: $10 for his time.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
One of those days
Dinner was great: meatloaf made by Lisa and Junie, mashed potatoes peeled by YaYa and broccoli cut and seasoned by Smiley. At the table the kids were polite and friendly and it was just generally a great time.
And then . . . when putting the leftovers away our refrigerator door FELL OFF. I don't know if it's fixable, but I've got it jerry-rigged until Socialist can take a look tomorrow.
And then . . . YaYa reported that I'd left my wallet and checkbook in my pants when I put them in the wash. Good thing I have no money to my name or their complete annihilation might have upset me.
I swear, you live in a sitcom. - Fred
Friday, January 25, 2013
Remix
Just listened to the new New Kids on the Block single "Remix (I like the)". Maybe it'll grow on me, but I don't think it's their strongest effort. On the other hand, it's Joey and Donnie centric, which was an unexpected and pleasant surprise.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)