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!
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Golfing
I was feeling twitchy today (still am) and so late in the evening I went down to the driving range and hit an 80 ball bucket. It's a nice way to work off some steam, and I can already tell that my game is improving.
Friday, August 1, 2014
TeamSlap Picnics at the Park
With Lisa working State Fair, I had our annual picnic at Whitnall Park, with its traditional search for golf balls in the tall grass of a blocks-long field.
This years tally was low - a mere 8, not including one badly damaged by a mower -
but I did catch and release some grasshoppers, saw and failed to capture a snake, and had a beautiful red dragonfly land on my belly!
Note: LuLu wasn't feeling well and so did not attend :(
In addition, Smiley saw that Junie was upset that she hadn't found any balls, so he told me he would hide one in the grass and let her find it. I vetoed that (she found one on her own anyway) but told Junie about his plan, and the love in her eyes for her brother was something to see.
Good kids, these, if you conveniently overlook the tantrums and the drain on my wallet
What a Different World It Would Have Been
Wow. . .just wow. A newly released tape shows former President Bill Clinton in Australia giving a speech just *hours* before 9/11. In the speech he says he regretted not killing bin Laden when he had the chance, but since killing him risked the lives of 300 others where Osama was staying, Clinton nixed the strike.
What a twilight zone thing to say just hours before the towers fell.
(I'm saying it's a coincidence, NOT implying some conspiracy)
Clinton & company has always denied, to my recollection, ever even having the opportunity to take out bin Laden. Guess that was selective memory loss.
Hindsight is 20/20, but it's hard to fathom the leader of the Free World not seeing that killing bin Laden, even at the risk of some innocent life, stood a good chance of saving the lives of many more innocents at a later date.
In this case, some 2000 Americans on 9/11, thousands more of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the civilians killed in those conflicts.
Thursday, July 31, 2014
The Grasshopper Picnic 2014
With Lisa working State Fair, I had our annual picnic at Whitnall Park, with its traditional search for golf balls in the tall grass of a blocks-long field. This years tally was low - a mere 8, not including one badly damaged by a mower - but I did catch and release some grasshoppers, saw and failed to capture a snake, and had a beautiful red dragonfly land on my belly!
In addition, Smiley saw that Junie was upset that she hadn't found any balls, so he told me he would hide one in the grass and let her find it. I vetoed that (she found one on her own anyway) but told Junie about his plan, and the love in her eyes for her brother was something to see.
Good kids, these, if you conveniently overlook the tantrums and the drain on my wallet ;)
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Not a Grand Day
Yesterday when I picked up the kids from UWM I walked with them down Lake Drive for a mile or so, enjoying the beautiful weather. We stopped our hike at Northpoint Custard, where we met up with Lisa, and I treated the family to ice cream.
In return, Lu mocked Junie, Smiley somehow managed to get as much ice cream on his face as in his mouth, Junie got upset over OJ's taunts, and YaYa went on and on about how she'd prefer chicken wings, because, you know, it was National Chicken Wing Day. I was so annoyed I left the table.
When the kids and Lisa joined me at the car Yaya stepped on a bee and was stung in her bare foot. (her first ever sting). Hey, I know it makes me sound like an awful Dad - but I gotta believe there was some Old Testament smiting at work. Thanks Big Guy!
Good Job Lu
This morning Lu's plans to go to WI Dells with a friend fell through at the last moment - at 8:40 a.m, just as #TeamSlap was leaving for a 9 o'clock drop off at College for Kids. With literally no complaint she changed her clothes, grabbed a lunch Smiley made for her, and headed out the door to attend class. Kudos to her on handling the situation with maturity and calm. xxooo LuLu xxoo
Dying Order
I'm stealing the phrase "dying order" - which means getting things cleaned or organized enough so that you wouldn't be embarrassed if you dropped dead this moment and strangers walked in - from longtime AOL friend Jan Agar Combs
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Monday, July 28, 2014
All Cheerleaders Die
We just finished watching "All Cheerleaders Die", a horror film that was pretty darn good. And yes, that was surprising. Bring on the sequel!
They Don't Like this Pizza
I bought a thin crust Spicy Fennel Sausage, Mushroom and Red Pepper pizza for the kids tonight from Papa Murphy's .. . . and they hate it. *I* happen to think it may be the best pizza ever, but I'm now in danger of being the victim of a coup . . .
My kids prefer supreme pizzas loaded with all of the above (well, not fennel, although I use it in my zupa toscana). . I thought they'd adore it. What I think threw them off was the white sauce.
A Solemn Anniversary
Today marks the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War, which, all hyperbole aside, completely molded the 20th century into the bloody, conflict ridden mess it was. RIP to all who perished during its four years.
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Divergent
Just finished watching "Divergent" with the middle two. Not bad. I think Hunger Games was better, and D romanticizes violence much more than HG, which I find repugnant, but overall, a decent flick. I liked it better than the book.
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Grouchy
I'm having a pretty crap*py day - if I was going to give details, you'd have read them by now - and to burn off some steam I hit the pavement and walked over to Socialist's house. From there we walked over to Goodwill to scope out some golf clubs for a starter set. I picked up a driver and a great golf bag, the latter being only $4.99. As this is my life we're talking about, the cashier initially refused to sell it to me, saying it was mistakenly marked and should have been either $14.99-$24.99. OFW lady, y'all wrote the tag, not me.. A nice driver and a great bag for just over $9 - a much better way to BLAAH than by shoving food down my throat.
Friday, July 25, 2014
My Day
Two things, the first a little TMI: With a family history of skin cancer, I went to the dermatologist today about a nasty mole I was worried about. It turned out to be ok, but the Dr noticed and removed two others she thought were actually worthy of concern. I'm sure it's nothing and the procedure was easy. The worst part was when she said she felt the need to do a full body lookover and ordered me to strip. "Ugh," I said, as she poked around my belly. "This would be a lot less embarrassing if you were older or uglier", which inspired a good laugh from her and a blush from moi.
Second, I walked there and back (about 3.5 miles total) and took in the sights and sounds of Bay View along the way. I really love this place - it's the best part of southeastern Wisconsin, without a doubt. I was so damn proud of my hippy-dippy yuppie paradise that by the time I was at the Doc filling out my medical forms I filled in my city as "Bay View, Wisconsin". LOL
Thursday, July 24, 2014
All Is Lost
For the record, Robert Redford's "All is Lost" is a stunning, beautiful film that is a fitting finale to his acting career (if that's what it is; he is, after all, 77).
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Quote
Lana Del Rey: "I have slept with a lot of guys in the industry, but none of them helped me get my record deals. Which is annoying."
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