Bob Barker

If you grew up in America from 1972 to 2007, and this man's face wasn't synonymous with your television viewing on a sick or snow day from school, then you were flat out raised wrong. 

Bob Barker, the host of The Price is Right, has died at 99.

RIP sir 

Milverine's Jersey

On August 22 Milwaukee legend, Bay View's own Milverine, aka John Frank Hamann, threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Brewers game.

  This is the jersey they gave him.

If the Brewers haven't thought about producing replicas of this, they should.  Make one in my size and I'd proudly wear it!

Today's Drive

My ride into work at 6:30ish A.M

And my ride home at around 4pm - given that this two lane road is itself the detour route (putting me an extra 4 miles out each way) I inched along the edge of the drainage ditch, through some of the branches, to get through. 

Fresh Zucchini Bread

Yesterday after work I made zucchini bread for the first time, largely because Lisa was growing upset that we were wasting the veggies in the fridge. I think it turned out pretty darn good, even if I was the only person in the house that will eat it (I did deliver some to my appreciate Mother-in-law). 

It was easy to make, and the cooking time is long enough that I cut the grass in the time it was baking. 

There is nothing earth shattering or unique about this recipe, I'm merely bookmarking it for the future. Feel free to ignore this post.   

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2  teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 2 teaspoons  ground cinnamon

• 2  large eggs

• 1/2  cup vegetable oil

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 cups grated zucchini, peel and all. Do NOT remove the moisture

1. Toss together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a bowl

2. Combine the oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and zucchini in another bowl.

3. Add the wet mix to the dry ingredients and stir only until combined. 

4. Spoon the batter into a loaf pan

5. Bake at 350 degrees F for around an hour or until done

Junie's 16th Birthday pt 2

After breakfast on Day 2,  everyone on the trip went down to the pool to swim . Unfortunately , the handicapped lift aiding Grandma in getting out of the pool broke,  leaving her stranded in the water . After both staff and the boys failed to get her out , Hotel staff called 911 . 

She was okay and gave all the firefighters hugs and a kiss.

Then the group checked out and went to explore the Mall of America. Lisa and her mom went one way, the kids the other. Junie and the Core Four went to the amusement park inside the mall, to Popeye's for dinner, to Barnes and Noble and countless other stores, and to a mirror maze. 

They were there until 9:00 p.m.

At Build-A-Bear, Lauren and the Core Four chipped in together to buy a sloth, each of them adding a heart to the animal and then naming it with a combination of their own names.

Then it was on to our house, where they arrived around 3:30 in the morning. The last of the guests left in mid-afternoon. By all accounts it was a great birthday. To quote a very happy Junie, "I didn't cry!"  (a first for her birthdays!)

Junie's 16th Birthday pt 1

 

To celebrate  Junie's Sweet 16^th, I’ll be taking her on a road trip to the Mall of America in Bloomington MN.  As she’s invited her 4 close friends, I’ll be renting a larger car for the trip, so I do ask that extra care is taken when eating or drinking on the road!

Because it is 5 hours away, we ask that your child be ready at our house by 8am on August 7^th. We’ll be staying in two rooms at the Fairfield Inn and Suites in Bloomington (2401 American Boulevard East, Bloomington, MN 55425)  The stay includes a free breakfast and use of the pool, so be sure to pack a swimsuit.

We’ll visit the Mall (which includes an amusement park inside!), swim at the hotel, and eat at a locally famous burger joint to  enjoy a “Juicy Lucy.”

We expect to return to Milwaukee very late on the 8^th. If you can’t pick up your child until the morning, they can stay overnight, but please let us know.

We’re covering the transportation and hotel, as well as snacks and birthday cake, but please bring money for the mall (inc the amusement park) and meals.

Oh, and send us your favorite beverages and snacks so we can prep for the road!

Please contact me with any questions or concerns at  xxx-xxx-xxxx.

 

Lisa

That's the text message we sent out to the parents of the Core Four - the four friends in Junie's immediate circle.

Alas, the trip ended before it began. The rental car company gave away the seven-seater she reserved and offered Lisa a five seat vehicle. Never mind the fact that seven people (Lisa, Junie, her friends, and Grandma) headed out to Minnesota. She even went down to a second car rental agency and got the same result. All this, after waiting in line for a good long time.

Thankfully, my Mazda seats seven.  So Lisa called me and had me bring it back from work and exchange it with her own car.  After a couple hours  unexpected delay, they were on the way.

Five or six hours later they were in Bloomington getting dolled up at the hotel.

The kids took the shuttle bus from the hotel to the mall for a few hours while Lisa and her Mom picked up the cake I'd ordered. There was some difficulty finding the group at the mall - it is HUGE after all - but find them Lisa did, at the neighboring IKEA. 

Then it was out for a traditional Juicy Lucy burger at Matt's, which I'm told they all enjoyed minus one friend  (K) who of course had to order chicken instead and be difficult.

Here's Junie's birthday cake, ordered from a bakery in Bloomington. The images on the cake as well as the writing come from a custom design I ordered online. This is the third consecutive birthday where she has Finn Wolfhard on the cake.

Back home in Milwaukee the rest of Team slab gathered around our dining room table and over a FaceTime, I gave Junie the Polish birthday blessing while Lisa did the honors of tying the ribbon.

Then we did her a happy birthday and a good night, and she and her friends went down to the pool to get some swimming in. Day two awaited.

The First Day of School

I think technically it's "mortuary science" but I might be wrong about that too lol.  Lulu has not only been studying to be a funeral director, she's obtained her embalming license and works an internship at a local funeral home. 

Good luck this semester Lu!

Kenner's Death Star Station

I had this toy - now selling for $750 used on ebay LOL - and remember playing with it in my little bedroom on Arthur Ave. 

But I don't recall playing with it for very long. I was really into Star Wars and the Kenner toys, but this one really occupies only that one brief memory. Looking at the toy now, I think the battle cannon is pretty cool, but the rest of it is rather ho-hum. Yay, an elevator! How exciting!

And need I point out the thing isn't round? The Death Star is a bleeping sphere. From a distance - need I say it? - it can be mistaken for a moon. 

Does this look like a sphere to you? Or any portion thereof? 

It just didn't scream "Death Star" to me. 

BUT . . . 

What I did love about it, what I still love *to this day* was the green rubber monster they included with it. You know, the guy that lives in the trash compactor and dragged Luke into the water? 

Now I don't know where they came up with this design, as all you see in the movie is the neck and head. Maybe it was what George Lucas envisioned, maybe it was made up on the spot by some guy at Kenner. 

 Either way, I did NOT use this as a trash compactor monster. *I* found the overall shape rather reminiscent of Star Trek's Enterprise, and so I used it endlessly, not only for that, but as a generic "space ship" toy. 

And last I looked, this little guy (selling for $80 on ebay as of this writing) is still somewhere in my basement, resting until he is called on again . . . 

Visiting Junie at Work

This Tesla owner's got a sense of humor, what can I say?

A Letter From YaYa

Marcus Cinema -

My new year’s resolution was to see more in theaters. thus far i have seen 41 films in cinema, a majority being viewed at Marcus establishments. i am a weekly visitor, and though i will continue to frequent, i plead for Marcus to consider rolling out the Movieflex program to Wisconsin. 

it is a bit disappointing to see what looks like a fantastic program be limited to so few areas. Marcus dominates theaters around here in quantity alone. getting to the singular local AMC is a hassle, but their movie flex- adjacent program has tempted me to make the effort numerous times.

I appreciate what Marcus has to offer with value Tuesdays but those days are busy, with limited seats for showtimes that often fall at inconvenient times for myself personally. 

Please consider those of us who regularly love visiting your establishments when further rolling out this program (or allow Milwaukee to be a test city!)

Also, please consider adding Greg [Marcus]  blankets to the official merch line (I contacted customer service previously about this and no, I'm not joking)!  

we need Movieflex!!

- Yaya

Grandpa's Day 2023 pt 2

So where did Junie and I go after the cemetery? What was someplace fun but free? 

Why, how about the Humane Society AND the local animal shelter both!

I LOVED this massive boi that reminded me of our dear Billy!

The little doggos were adorable. 

At the animal shelter Junie was romanced by a very performative, all black cat that really, really wanted to go home with someone!

Meanwhile this stunner caught my eye. It looks like a lynx, doesn't it? I mean, look at the facial structure! It's so unique. 

It was a great way to pass the time and we had a blast!