A medical update

I went to my physician today to follow up on the chest pain, but after a short wait he came out and told everyone in the waiting room there was a staffing problem and we'd have to reschedule. Swell. I wasn't going to wait and fret another week so I went to a local urgent care. A nurse hooked me up to an EKG and pronounced my sinus rhythm normal, showing no evidence of a heart attack, and said it was probably muscle strain combined with a bad panic attack. He said the dr wanted some more tests, and plopped me back in the waiting room. Ninety minutes later,still waiting but with class looming, I thought "F this" and bolted. I'm going with the panic attack/muscle strain theory, and thus will happily resume both gym and romantic activity.

My Thoughts

The American Bar Association has proposed withholding accreditation to any law school that has less than 75% of its graduates pass the bar exam within two years of graduation. The National Black Law Students Association has objected, expressing concerns it will negatively affect minority schools. In my opinion, the NBLSA stance only promotes the idea that minorities are incapable of doing the job unless given preferential treatment, which is insulting and ridiculous - and presumably not the organization's desired goal.

[in response to someone who commented that minority students attended simply to learn enough to defend their rights, not to work as attorneys] No one attends law school, at the cost it is, to simply know their rights. It's financial suicide. And the 75% pass rate applies ONLY to graduates that sit for the bar. In your scenario, the school wouldn't have an issue because those casual learners would not count toward the statistic. Law school is a trade school. A phenomenally expensive one, but a trade school. A school that fails more than a quarter of their graduates serves no one well, least of all the student mired in debt.

I think those are points are well said but merely rationales for the institutional failure. Arguing against the bar exam seems to occur, no surprise, only when the inability to conquer it threatens the livelihood of an academic institution. Even if it was the worst gateway possible, which I don't believe it is, it is THE gateway to the job, and you know that going in. Mandate part of a L3's curriculum be devoted to bar prep - one credit perhaps - and be done with it. And as near as I can tell from following tales of woe in The National Jurist over the last few years, there are schools that deserve to lose accreditation.

A Scare

A scare tonight. I had severe pain in my left arm, and as a long time fat man I grew concerned. My anxiety led the pain to expand to my jaw, at which time - after stopping at a friend's house to try and relax - I went to the ER. One look at the wait there and I turned tail and left. Once I did so the pain immediately lessened. I'll still follow up with my physician, but it's probably a pulled muscle from lifting weights yesterday. Or my impending death. Either/or.

Everyone in Politics is a Hypocrite

How True this is!

A Day at the Gym

Went to the gym and lifted weights with Smiley while Junie spent an hour in the daycare area there. On the way home the skies opened up and the rain was so bad I pulled over for a few minutes. That's Smiley's fault; just moments before he said he hoped it would "rain loud."

Nonsensical Pandering

In the wake of the recent terror bombings, Clinton has been quick to eliminate any mention of religion as a motivation for the attacks. To mention it, we are told, would only make radical Islamic violence happen more often. Even tho it, you know, it supposedly isn't happening at all. 

Let's  go over that logic. You can't say terrorism has nothing to do with Islam and simultaneously claim that addressing that claim will inspire more terror. That's . . . loopy. 

 #Enabler #Sucker #WrongForAmerica

Kubo and the Two Strings

Smiley and I had some father-son time this afternoon. I didn't know much about the film going in, but my son has good taste and chose an excellent movie. Visually grand, with a solid story and engaging characters, I recommend this to anyone. Thanks for hanging with me Smiley!

The Girl With All the Gifts

The first fifth of the book should be a primer on novel construction in creative writing classes; from there it descends into a standard, if literary, zombie tale.

I Wish

It is but a passing fancy, and no words are therefore needed to dissuade me, but today I feel very much like going full fat guy again. Say, eat a large pizza and garlic bread by myself, then sit and search for the TV remote between my fat rolls. You know, like in the #goodOldDays

A New View of Jupiter

Jupiter's south pole as seen by the Juno spacecraft. Amazing!

An update

Aside from my son being a complete spoiled jerk for two days in a row, and a funeral on the horizon, I spoke to my Mom today and was alarmed at the precipitous drop in her intelligibility. I literally could not understand a single word she said. I immediately called my Dad who said the cause is unknown; not a stroke, but perhaps caused by a lack of oxygen. Life, at the moment, is not kind.

Also - while walking to pick the kids up from school I stopped to talk to one of their classmates. A minute later he crossed the street on his bike and was struck by a car. He's OK, but man, what a day.

Challenge Accepted

The best thing about living in a First World country is I can leave my water running all day so it's nice and cold when I get home #MyWaterChoice

Hypocrisy

I'm watching a Jon Benet Ramsey Dateline special. I find it deliciously hypocritical that the press hounds someone to speak, then castigates and vilifies them for doing so.

Odd

Clinton is trying out claims that her slip in the polls is due to inherent sexism in the electorate. Odd she didn't mention that when she had a 15 point lead weeks ago.

The Aftermath of Losing Jaspare

Long night, less than two hours sleep. We still sent the kids to school, over their sincere objections, because keeping them busy is the best medicine (we hope). I went to the gym to avoid emotional eating, and now I hope to zz for a few hours.

RIP Jaspare

I lost my husband of 28 years, I will miss him, and I couldn't find a better man to love. Love you Jaspare, my teddy bear. -  Grandma J

R.I.P Grandpa Jaspare

I first met my stepfather-in-law when I was 20, on the day I met Lisa. The details are fuzzy, but within minutes of being introduced he either called me a Polack, swore at me in Italian, or otherwise violated social etiquette.

Sensing a kindred spirit, I returned in kind. 

He laughed in reply, and I liked him immediately.

Within a few months our trips for coffee together at George Webb's became routine.Although I didn't realize it, he became the one, in Lisa's words, to vett me for her family. 

A year later he was called in front of my parish priest to vouch for our upcoming marriage. My mother-in-law had already told the priest she dissapproved of the wedding - if my 19 year old daughter said she was engaged, I'd do the same - but Jaspare went to bat for us. According to the priest, he advocated for us in a manner more Perry Mason than retired factory worker. 

I owe you for that Jaspare.

He had his flaw, God knows, just like us all. But when we had kids he became a beloved Grandpa, one especially close to YaYa. 

I owe you for that too Jaspare. 

A few months ago, just after a house fire that drove my in-law's into temporary housing, he was diagnosed with a fatal brain tumor. 

Yesterday Team Slap went to say our goodbyes at his hospice. The kids hugged him and told him they loved him, and broke down in tears. I found myself crying too, and thanking him for being there for the family. 

Shortly after midnight, he passed away. 

Rest in Peace Jaspare. 

We love you, and we'll miss you. 

LuLu says goodbye to Grandpa Jaspare

I love you grandpa. Your going to a better place, there will be lots of chocolate pudding for you to eat and you'll see your mom and dad and you'll be happy. I love you very much. LuLu

An emotional evening. Goodbyes are hard. - Me

Smiley and Ginger at the Park

There's no significant event behind this post. It's just a random visit to the park after the first day of school. Enjoy. 

Shocking

A Crazy Dream

Another night, another sleep interrupted by dreams. It wasn't even a nightmare. Sure, I owed thousands to a mob boss who sent goons to break my legs, but I avoided them and set up a meet with the boss (Robert Duval) to hash it out. And this took place at Job Prior, where Lisa had rented rooms for everyone then split after finding out the  sister of a non-existent coworker had a thing for me, so I had that to deal with. And Junie had been left behind in a room by accident, but I found her talking to the maid in a room inexplicably filled with a lending library of MLP comic books. Then I had to leave her to avoid the goons again and take the stairs to the casino. But all in all, an entertaining sleep.

Is it just me?

I may be the only person online who avoids FB videos like the plague. If you can't say what you mean in a hundred printed words, then you're not someone I desire to watch prattle on for five minutes.

Grasshopper Hunting to End the Summer

Last Wednesday was the last day of summer vacation for the kids (my two week vacation from classes ended that Monday). We had a  mini-tradition, for a bit, of having a picnic in Whitnall Park during the week Lisa would work at State Fair. It's been a few years, but Ginger brought it up recently and so, for a last hurrah, we did the same. 

Sorta. 

We started out with an early dinner at Kopp's Custard. 

Oy, I know YaYa will hate this picture, given it shows her apparently jamming food in her mouth. But of the two I have as options, trust me kiddo - this is the more flattering ;)

 Alas, after dinner we split up. Nothing was wrong, but for some reason I don't even remember I got it into my head to go catch grasshoppers, and that only appealed to Ginger. In an act of sisterly love, LuLu offered to come with. And so the three of us went a'huntin'. 

Ginger was game for the chase. 

LuLu was not, and served as our spotter. An effective one at that. 

 

 LuLu also became our location photographer. 

 We were very successful, catching enough grasshoppers to fill a gallon pickle jar when we got home.

Ginger's grasshoppers have even mated and laid eggs since they joined our household!