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Thursday, January 8, 2015
School is Closed
School has been canceled for the kids today due to the extreme cold. While I agree with the decision, I don't remember that happening during my childhood. Which is either a sign of the world being more civilized now, or wimpier; either/or.
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Good on Ike
Early in WWII Australia feared invasion by the Japanese and asked for American help. Eisenhower ordered some all black divisions there (under FDR the Army was still segregated) but they were rejected despite the urgency of the situation: Australian law forbid bringing blacks into the country.
Ike acknowledged the concerns of the Australians by withdrawing the black divisions - and by refusing to send any other American troops in their place. "Stand [your] ground and make no differential between blood," he told his chief of staff.
Australia quickly withdrew their objection and allowed in the troops.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Happy Wedding Anniversary!
Happy 70th wedding anniversary George and Barbara Bush!
Bubble Mania
Earlier tonight I beat the last level (#114) of Bubble Mania, a great free app that I've been playing for a bit. I'm sad that I won't have new levels to play when I'm bored. :(
Research
I spent several hours today at Marquette, doing research at the law library on behalf of a relative. I was pleasantly surprised to have two faculty members stop and say hello when they saw me. Apparently I'm just as memorable in person as on Facebook.
Smiley's Work Ethic
Smiley has taken on the shoveling duties here at Villa Slap, earning a buck towards his room and board each time. He does it on his own initiative, and we're proud of him. He's now also taken on shoveling for Alys H, with his first gig wrapping up just an hour ago. As it is bitterly cold I offered to help him scrape the compacted snow off the sidewalk, but he refused my meddling, saying "I'm the one getting paid, I'm the one who should do the work." Good on him and his American work ethic :) Love ya kid!
Monday, January 5, 2015
Tonight!
Seeing a salt truck might be nice. The roads are still crap.
Anyway.
Fair warning: We're starting up the three hour season premiere of The Bachelor and I'm already fighting the urge to "live" tweet/FB the event. ? #bachelorNation
SlapFail
To my shame, Smiley and Junie just pointed out that they have never been to the circus. #slapFail
A Fine End to Christmas Break
Yesterday, to cap off Christmas break, I took Team Slap out for dinner at the Copper Kitchen. Well, most of Team Slap; despite spending ten days at grandma's YaYa couldn't be troubled to dine with us. And when we got there everyone just watched The Simpson's and Family Guy on the TV. But wth, it was still family time and we didn't have to cook. :)
Sunday, January 4, 2015
Thank You's
1. Thanks for shoveling Smiley!
2. Good to have you home YaYa
3. Nice job on the bathroom Junie
4. The Cowboys are self-destructing
5. Thanks for thinking of my sister Lisa
You do have some awesome kids, love them lots - Grandma Jeanne
Saturday, January 3, 2015
A Time to Heal by Gerald Ford
In December, as a break from reading law texts, I read “A Time to Heal”, the Presidential
memoir of Gerald Ford that was published in 1979.
A good man, Ford. Some
items of interest, to me if no one else:
· Having just finished
a biography of Nelson Rockerfeller, it was nice to hear some of the stories of
N.A.R. from a second source, and I’m pleased that Ford held him in genuine
esteem.
· Ford criticizes himself, in print, for his “political
cowardice” in bowing to the Right and taking Rockerfeller off the ticket in
’76. A brave admission by a politician.
· Ford’s dislike for Reagan, which I’ve read about before,
shines through. I can’t blame him. Reagan f’d the GOP in 1976 by seeking the
nomination against a sitting Republican President.
· Many of the power players from the last few decades came on
the scene in the Ford era, and it was neat to hear about the “young”
up-and-comers: GHW Bush, Dick Cheney,
Rumsfeld, etc.
· Joe Biden pops up too, when as a Senator he refuses to
allow any funds to be used to evacuate South Vietnamese civilians as Saigon
fell. “I will vote for any amount for getting the Americans out,” he said, “I
don’t want it mixed with getting the Vietnamese out.” As this quite literally meant condemning
120,000 civilians to possible death or
internment, Ford was less than happy
with the young Senator (Ford secured
private funding to bring them into the US)
· At one point, Ford writes that he wishes he’d been able to
pick GHW Bush as his Vice Presidential candidate (Bush had been forced by
Congressional Democrats to swear off any such opportunity when he became CIA
Director)
· Ford also strongly considered Anne Armstrong as his VP,
predating the Geraldine Ferraro
nomination by eight years. If given the opportunity to do it again, Ford writes
“I might well have said, ‘Damn the torpedoes,’ and gambled on Anne.”
· From a distance, it’s easy to see when something is doomed
to fail or succeed. Ford spend some time applauding his own emphasis on
truth-in-sentencing and mandatory sentences, both of which would lead to an overcrowded penal system that is
now a blight on our culture. He also
causally pokes fun at “outrageous” regulations that now seem routine; case in
point, the ‘beep’ of a commercial vehicle going in reverse.
Friday, January 2, 2015
Donna Douglas
RIP Donna Douglas, aka Elly May Clampett of The Beverly Hillbillies, aged 81.
Thursday, January 1, 2015
We Love Her Anyway
Sitting in an office chair, wrapped in a comforter, wearing gloves, eating taco dip, and watching Doctor Who. #normalForTeamSlap
Tomorrow?
Still contemplating a plunge into Lake Michigan with LuLu tomorrow. Yes, it'll be a day late and Lisa is already mocking us, but we can start a "thing" and call ourselves the Tardy Bears. No?
Wayne Rogers
RIP Wayne Rogers, aka Trapper John from M*A*S*H, age 82. IMO, a superior character to BJ (although not one as explored as deeply, I'll admit)
Happy New Year 2015!
In a few
of my forty years on this planet the New Year brought forth a stream of
Resolutions. Some were sincere, some tongue-in-cheek, and almost all doomed to
failure.
The dawn
of 2015 is a little different. I’m content with the road I’m on right now, with
the express understanding that it is *the journey* and not the
destination. My goal in 2015 is to
simply continue what I’m doing, but do it better.
To Whit:
1.
Continue with my healthier eating
habits and reinforce my exercise routine.
2.
Stay employed 40 hours a week
3.
Continue with law school, but bump
up the GPA
4.
Keep the marriage healthy as we
enter year 19
5.
Make improvements around the house
6.
Be a good/better Dad
7.
Get back into writing (for pay)
8. Finish watching Breaking Bad. I'm currently midway through season one.
Happy New Year!
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Goodbye 2014!
New Years Eve (a running narrative)
One Direction singing "Story of my Life". Everyone singing along, here and in the audience. GREAT song. GREAT GREAT song.
Playing Pokemon with Smiley. I'm confused. Very confused (the margaritas probably aren't helping)
My spur of the moment plan to take the family on a county bus ride, just because they are free on NY Eve, has been vetoed by Lisa. In part because it's 12 degrees outside, and in part because it's a dumb idea.
Smiley and I are hitting the road while LuLu dyes Lisa's hair
Note the strawberries Lisa had the kids dip in chocolate as an activity/treat for NY Eve
Just watched 1D on New York Rockin Eve! Plus, saw Donnie Wahlberg!
Happy Birthday Joe!
Happy Birthday Joey McIntyre!
A Walmart Run
I took Smiley to Wal-Mart yesterday to spend the gift cards he got for Christmas. We spent about twenty seconds in the toy aisle before moving on to the art and crafts area.
I was pleased to see him pick out a grow your own trilobite kit we considered buying for Christmas, but in the end my boy spent his $20 on Pokemon cards.
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