Smiley's Piano Recital

A whole crowd showed up to support Smiley when he had his piano recital. The weather was wet and gloomy, but not the performance. 

He strode confidently to the microphone, adjusted it for his height, and then played for the audience. 

For a single semester of rec division piano, I was bowled over! Great job Smiley!

Smiley's Piano Recital

I just returned from Smiley's piano recital at Hamilton High School. The asterisk next to his name denotes the fact he was promoted to a higher group over the course of the three month long, weekly Milwaukee Rec class. He did great, and showed extraordinary confidence!

I just finished reading the Book of Ruth, and am about to start The Historical Books. 1 Samuel here I come.

My Thoughts

's no secret I detest the media. If the story tells only who/what/where - say a shooting, a plane crash, an election result - all good. But the second they attempt to answer "why" it becomes nothing but a bully pulpit to expouse a worldview. That's true of the rare conservative report, and certainly true for the scads on the Left. It's not a free press anymore. It's not a Constitutional safeguard for our liberty. It's a propaganda tool that is suffocating truth, and no, I don't have a solution to offer you. Except, maybe, to encourage true free thinkers and patriots to go into the profession and minimize the damage others cause.

RIP Chris Cornell

Of the big names from the Grunge scene that I loved, and love still: Layne Staley and Andy Wood died of heroin (as did Scott Weiland), and Chris Cornell and Kurt Cobain by suicide. The last frontman standing, a mere quarter century in, is Eddie Vedder [knock on wood.] 

What a depressing day for my generation. 

RIP Chris.

A Quiz

People still ______ despite incessant warnings in the media urging them to stop: A) Smoke B) Drink C) Do Drugs D) Text and Drive E) Sleep Around F) All of the above #HumansBeHumansAndAintNuttinWrongWithThat

Attn: NKOTB Fans

To all my NKOTB fan girls you know who you are....Target has new cd with extra song for only$6.99. So worth it!! Classic NKOTB but fresh too. 💜

Of course we preordered from Amazon ages ago, but any *real* fan also bought this special edition today. #BoyBandCode

- Lisa

I've decided to read the Bible cover to cover this summer. In 2012 I devoted a good chunk of the summer months to a textual/ historical examination of the birth and passion narratives, but I think, given the amount of text here, that this read through will be more casual, but supplemented with exterior commentary when needed. I've just finished the Pentateuch, and Joshua, which means I've only got . . . a ton left to go.

Dangit. I'm on a walk and the hip is wonky. Had to pull up just now and rest on a park bench like an old man.

If being boring is a crime I'm proud to be law abiding - Me

The New Doctor Who episode

S10/E5 "Oxygen." If you ignore the sophomoric hate for capitalism, it was a very strong, very entertaining episode. By and large, this season has been impressive.

A Golden Anniversary

50 years ago today Yankees great Mickey Mantle hit the 500th homerun of his career.

Happy Mother's Day Ma!

That's my Mom and me on January 2nd of 1974, seventy six days before I was born (if I did the math right). I was born in plenty of time for Mother's Day that year, giving her the benefit of 43 such celebrations since the picture was taken. She deserved them all. Happy Mother's Day Mom - I wouldn't trade you for the world!

Smiley was upset at me for taking him with me to Mass when he wanted to nap instead. He was upset with me when I demanded his (nominal) help when I cut the lawn. He was definitely upset with me about moving the animal carcass. But tonight he asked to go on a bike ride with me. Half an hour and several hills later, #WeAreGood.

One Dead Possum

In recent days I've said it smelled like something died in our shed, and today I found it: a ~10 pound long haired cat or possum with its guts split by decomposition. 

It was actually outside the shed, jammed between it and the fence. Because of the size of the space I had to have Smiley get in there with a shovel and drag it out to a point where I could reach it. 

He wasn't easy to convince, and enjoyed it even less, but as Lisa said "You're going to be a man, and men have to deal with the ugly." 

I buried the beast in the backyard.

Wow

British doctors are calling for safety labels on avacodos, because of the danger of cutting your hand when slicing them. Sigh. This, from the people who once held off Hitler.

The Removal of Confederate Statues

I have mixed thoughts on this. The South should never have been allowed to venerate traitors after the war. But they did. And 150 years later the statues aren't being removed to correct that error, but to protest the ethical beliefs of a dead generation. That's an awfully slippery slope to start down.

Howboutthat?

Custard climbed up on my lap again! Twice in two years. Howboutthat?

The Firing of James Comey

Comey angered the Right by letting HRC off the hook; he angered the Left by his stunt before the election. He angered everyone else by misleading Congress and refusing to admit his mistakes. Why his firing is a surprise, much less labeled the act of a despot, is beyond my level of understanding, unless partisan hate now demands you protect this incompetent bureaucrat.

Grillin' Out

Twas nothing fancy, and it was too cold to justify dragging the grill out, but I did anyway and cooked up dinner.

A gift GC gave to LK for her recital

I just got back from a brisk 45 minute walk with Smiley

I just finished a ten question, three and a half hour tax exam. I had never, in my life, dreaded a test more, but it wasn't quite as horrible as I feared. The curve may be helped by the fact that it was the last class for many graduates, and no less than four told me they did just enough to pass and no more. As for my own grade, I'll take what I get, as long as I pass. C's get degrees too.

Some Post-Recital Pics

Some post recital pics (I went to the first matinee, Lisa went to the evening show). That's LK's friend Aly in one pic; in another, OJ holds a kid from a babysitting job she just landed at the show, and lastly I treated both girls to dinner at Subway.

I just turned on the tv and by chance NASCAR was on from Talledega. A driver is trapped (but ok) in his overturned car. The 16 car! accident footage is wicked. "Like Matchbox cars in a dryer!"