Kurt Cobain - Gone 20 Years

 Ack, while I'm busy spewing out ten updates in a row . . . my apologies (no pun intended) to the late great Kurt Cobain. The 20th (!) anniversary of his death passed this week without my commenting. RIP sir, RIP.

Carl Zimmerman

RIP Carl Zimmermann, the iconic Milwaukee broadcaster, age 96.

The Troop by Nick Cutter

I've been trying to spend my breaks/lunch reading something other than textbooks, so with that in mind I polished off "The Troop" last night. It's a debut horror novel by Nick Cutter (although that's a polite fib - Cutter is a pseudonym for Canadian author Craig Davidson). A troop of boy scouts journey to an isolated, uninhabited island for a weekend camping trip, only to encounter a skeletal figure filled with a hunger that isn't . . . quite . . . natural. A good quick read, and I enjoyed it.

 CNN is reporting 20 people have been stabbed at a Pennsylvania high school . . .

Geese in the Park

 

 RIP WWE's The Ultimate Warrior, age 54.

 RIP Peaches Geldof, the daughter of Bob Geldof, age 25

 Major League, one of the best baseball movies of all time, was released TWENTY FIVE years ago today.

A Walk with Junie

My walk with the youngest #Bookend today

 

 EW is reporting 'Captain America 3' has been confirmed for a May 2016 release, putting it up against 'Batman vs. Superman'

If you want to watch some great TV fire up HBO's True Detective. The scripts are dark but compelling, and the chemistry between Woody Harrelson and Mathew McConaughey is something to behold. I paused the finale a few times just to gulp and say "Oh sh--", and the final few minutes - well, IMO, if it was a feature film that scene alone would earn McConaughey another Oscar nod. Well done.

OTOH, if you want some awful TV, watch the OWN network's "Lindsay", a "docu-series" that follows Lindsay Lohan around New York two months after she exits rehab. I'm sure she meant it boost her career, but Oprah's people opt for blunt honesty (in the name of ratings, I'm sure), capturing every selfish,immature, spoiled moment of her life, which is just about every one of them. It's sad to watch, because even minus her addictions I think the woman has mental illness to overcome, and OWN gleefully exploits that to paint her as a lost cause. Awkward, painful, boring TV.

 RIP comedian John Pinette, age 50

RIP Mickey Rooney

RIP Mickey Rooney, age 93. 

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

 Ready to watch Captain America 2 with LuLu - at South Shore Cinema

update:

What did I think of Captain America: The Winter Soldier (with the caveat that I am predisposed against comic book movies from the get-go): I liked it. A lot. It's a solid movie that, with a few tweaks, would stand alone outside the Marvel universe, and bully for that. I don't understand the reflexive angst from the Right about the plot - is the audience SUPPOSED to value totalitarian control over freedom? Last time I checked, that wasn't a conservative value. Anyhow, the most important part was that Olivia loved it, Instagramming a selfie of us in our seats, cuddling up to me, and asking if I'd take her to see the third flick in the future. A nice way to spend the afternoon with one of my Centerpieces.

Um . . .

 Lulu: "We always talk about uteruses at Denny's. Can this one time PLEASE be different?? "

March Madness

 Get 'er done #Badgers!

Fritz's

 Best Fish Fry in town. 

The Milwaukee Wave has cut ties with Keith Tozer, their coach of 21 seasons and the winningest coach in North American indoor soccer history.

Junie just lost her top front tooth!

Junie is reading "A Fly Went By" (a childhood favorite of mine) to me as I work on the computer.

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The Younger Kids Learn about 9/11

A week or so ago - the night before we played with the Play-doh - Lisa discussed the events of 9/11 with Junie and Smiley. While both were interested, the subject clearly bothered Smiley and I haven't heard him ask many questions since then. Junie, however, has continued to inquire about it, so today I took her to the library and borrowed two children's books on 9/11. While it is well past her normal bedtime, I can hear Lisa reading one of the books to her now. LK keeps interrupting to ask questions . . .

Flight 370

 CNN is reporting that Flight 370 has been found and that "all lives are lost".

CORRECTION: the report now states that it's last known location has been determined from satellite data and that it was too far out in the ocean to have landed anywhere safely. Hmmmm....not quite the same thing as 'found', so why all the certainty?

Quote

 "This isn't about privacy; when you post content online, you give up the right to privacy. This is about propriety; it's about having manners, knowing your place, and respecting boundaries. Just because someone posts wedding pictures doesn't mean you criticize the bride's dress" - Ruben Navarrette, Jr.

 Our van is at my mechanic's house getting repaired. I had a nice walk home and now hope to sit on my butt until its time to walk and pick it up.