A dream

Despite the title of this post, it isn't a wistful water colored trip down memory lane. It's simply a nightmare I had last night. I wanted to preserve it for future shrinks to pick apart. Nothing that follows is exaggerated for effect - l don't normally remember dreams, but this one is very detailed. I guess it's an all-or-nothing affair, eh?

It began at the 4077th of MASH fame. Colonel Potter was there, and the later-seasons version of Hot Lips, when her hair was more silver than blonde and she was much more serious than in the early years. They were going to have a party or event of some sort involving a long line of white jeeps. You had the feeling it was near the end of an episode, and sure enough there was a close-up of Radar. "Choppers!" he yelled. Hot Lips pulled her jeep to the side of the road. Someone yelled 'Japs!' and pointed to the sky, and there was a Zero with an American Mustang behind it.

Odd, seeing as this was Korea, but whatever.

Then it was no longer Korea but a huge parade, the size of one of those old ticker-tape jobs. It was certainly a street much wider than any here in Milwaukee. The family and I were on a flat stretch of sidewalk a few blocks down from a large hill. Over a loudspeaker a male voice announced that the Zero and the Mustang were going to do some acrobatics for the crowds amusement.

All went well as they zoomed over the hill and past us, doing flips and whatnot. Then the Mustang  tried to flip backwards and spiraled quickly out of control. I remember being afraid and telling the family to 'get down'. It glanced off the pavement and violently skipped up the street, slamming in a firestorm into the crowd on the hlll..

And then it was the same place, same event, but no plane.

In its place was an orange stock-car. It  was in a violent head over tail flip down the length of the hill. At the hill's base the car burst into flame. Rescue vehicle's tried to surround the car but its driver, silhouetted behind the wheel, seemed intent on finishing the parade. It roared past me on fire, flames creeping up on the driver.

I had a clear view of him hunched over the wheel, eyes obsessed with finishing no matter the cost. I remember thinking that this sight, this tape of a man about to burn to death at a parade, was going to play forever on TV. Even in my dream I imagined the 'warning' that would proceed it ever time it was showed, and I knew it would just encourage people to stay and watch the carnage. I knew I would too.

I was scared, I was alarmed, and I was fascinated.

And then the alarm was ringing, the baby was crying, Lisa was sleepily asking me what time it was, and it was time to wake up and start the day.

Biden - warning: Politics ahead

Well, if nothing else it's over.

I was so sick of hearing about who Obama might pick,  why he might pick them,  the neato way he'd inform the world (text message) and gosh darnit,  was that use of the masculine pronoun a tipoff or is Obama just a foolin' with us here reporters? My lord MSNBC, just kiss the guy already.

It was like watching the season finale of The Bachelor over and over for weeks.

I for one have always felt the entire VP selection is overblown. Important, yes. Vital for reassuring the country? Perhaps. But I don't believe any Presidential candidate goes into this thinking he's going to die in office, which means the selection is more about election politics than the health of the nation. So we waste gads of time obsessing over a tactical move by a candidate and in the end the impact is usually overblown.

It didn't have to be that way this year. Had Obama picked Hilary the media attention alone might have drowned out the McCain campaign long enough to stop it dead in the water. But that was never going to happen; the campaign had been too bitter, and the spector of the Clinton yoke was too real to even bring up HRC as a contender.

But Joe Biden? I'm not even a Democrat and I feel let down. Yikes.

Look, I get it. Obama's running on a very short resume and his one big foreign policy effort has been minimized by the Surge. It makes sense to go with someone with a few more years in Washington and some foreign policy expertise. I just think there were better choices out there.

One of the campaign mandates is 'change' is it not? Biden's been in Washington longer than I've been alive, and I'm old enough to remember the bicentennial (in a blurry sort of way). More to the point he spent all of *four* years in the private sector before landing his gig inD.C, making it all the more obvious that for Biden it's about the power and not a desire to 'change' the system. He IS the system.

The idea that it was necessary to choose someone the (professional) polar opposite of yourself does not, in my mind, work to resolve skepticism of your credentials.

Biden himself jumped on Obama in his short-lived campaign for the Oval Office. "The presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job training.," he said. Biden has also questioned  his judgment on Iraq, Afghanistan and his willingness to meet  with the leaders of 'rogue' states.

Worthless campaign snipe? Sure. I don't put too much stock into it. But in turn I also won't buy the lovey-dovey between the two we're sure to see until November.

From a strictly practical point of view, I don't get it. Biden is an uninspiring national figure, never getting past the first innings of the Presidential primaries. He's from a state with a mere 3 delegates, and more to the point he's from a section of the country that's painted a solid blue. Why not pick someone from the South or from areas that are walking a thin line between the parties?

Biden's only two selling points are the experience angle and his abilities as a crass, sometimes foul-mouthed attack dog. That has it's place, and I"m sure he'll be put to good use.

But he also has a reputation as a seriously long winded, meandering speaker who sometimes says things that are offensive and/or insensitive. He's never had to worry about that for too long on the campaign trail (the plus side of losing I guess) but now he'd better mind his P's and Q's for the next ten weeks.

* * * * *

End of netural apprasial, start of personal thought:

This next bit might come off as a crude attack itself, but I assure you it is my longheld and personal opinion of the man, admittedly created by nothing but his appearance and his sound bytes. And if I feel some way, just on gut reaction, then I'm sure others in Topeka and San Bernadino feel the same.

My vibe:  I don't like him. I think he's full of himself and phony. His hair-plugged mullet irks me. And for the life of me every time I see him I picture him as the kind of guy who comes home late, joins his wife for a cocktail at a dinner party  then excuses himself to see his mistress, grabbing his wife's ass as he leaves (and making sure all his friends see him do it).

Of course, I have an active imagination. But I can't, I just can't be the only American who thinks he comes off as slightly creepy.

Some say a waste of time . . others say an incredible waste of time

The last time I wrote a glowing report on the Brewers they tanked a series versus the Cubs. I will not repeat that mistake, nor express my man love for CC Sabathia, as we face a two game series against St. Louis that *could* put the Wild Card firmly in our pocket.

So instead of putting a curse on my Brew Crew, please enjoy this segment from Conan O'Brien's show in which he visits a group of 1864 Base Ball re-enactors.

You don't have to love baseball to get a laugh or two from this one.

Conan O'Brien 1864 Baseball
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A Sunset

Ok, so when I'm upset I write. Sue me. :)

The following pic does not do the image justice. It was taken, by necessity, on my cell phone from a grocery store parking lot.

As the sun set a corridor of natural light cut through the blue/purple sky, looking as if it was emerging from the ground and rising to the heavens. It was honestly breathtaking. I don't think much or any of that translates into this picture, but it is what it is.

Oh, to continue the wicked, Dennis the Menace ways of Smiley - the kids are great fans of hard-boiled eggs. 'Seems he took an egg upstairs, I would think under the assumption it was hard boiled, and cracked it- all over my comforter set.

Nice.

Smiley's Trip to Chuck E Cheese

On July 25th Lisa and I took Smiley to Chuck E. Cheese. No other kids,  just the Little Man. He crumpled the above photo, btw, so do not adjust your monitors.

It was a weekday afternoon, very quiet, not busy at all. Smiley seemed to relish the time alone with his parents and it was good to be with him. I don't regret having four kids - I'd have more if Lisa would give the nod - but I will admit there's a certain calm harmony to focusing on one or two alone.

Why is he crying in the next shot? I don't remember, but I think we were denying him use of the tunnels until he ate a piece of pizza.

A good time, very sweet and relaxed. I think when we venture to Chuck E. Cheese's we'll try to take only one kid at a time from now on.

BTW - right after my last post I went to take a tortilla chip and some salsa. I immediately spit out the salsa. "Smiley!," I yelled. "What did you do?"

Turns out he dumped some bubble liquid into the brand new, just bought salsa, then mixed it up. I'd ask him what the heck he was thinking or planning, but since he doesn't talk (no sarcasm intended) it'll always be a mystery.

Criminey. Serves me right for waxing poetic about them. ;)

Oh Lord am I down tongiht

I am very melancholy tonight.

For one thing the kids are going back to school on Monday. [Well, not Smiley, he starts the 2nd of September, but the girls restart the daily grind at the conclusion of this weekend]. It's ridiculous really. They ended school midway through June and they're going back nearly a week before August ends. That's a miscarriage of childhood, and I'm not being facetious.

I had so many worries going into this summer and yet it turned out to be a great experience. It was jam packed with activity without coming off as forced or overdone, and I had a blast. There's so many things I haven't even had a chance to blog about yet and I hope to get to them soon.

Meanwhile I look at the kids and I already miss them, troublemakers though they may be. To compound this mood  I've seen a lot of 'old' photos recently and their similarites just jump out at me. YaYa's baby pictures could pass for Lump, and she and Smiley share so many features and expressions, while LuLu shares traits with them all.

Appearances aside you can look at the pics and never doubt which child is which. In each of their photos there'sa ray of their personality shining through. There are  many traits and expressions that are there right out of the gate and come through every day even now, so many that you will never fully convince me that 'nuture' overcomes 'nature' in a human being.

Gawd, I'm down.

* * * *

You may recall that quite some time ago I mentioned that my parent's were in a legal dispute with my Uncle over my Grandmother's estate. No details here, but suffice it to say they lost and the house was forcibly put on the market. Late last month I got a call saying it had been sold.

This is the house I grew up in from '77 to '96, the house my Mom grew up in, the home where both my Grandpa's passed away, a house where many of the family's memories reside. And in one week it will be gone, in the hands of someone outside the family for the first time in more than a half century (longer, if you count the step-relatives of my Grandfather who lived there prior to them).

In many ways I'm glad to see the family move on. For every good memory, and there are thousands, there is a more recent memory to muddy the waters. Certainly the fierce fight over the house did no favors to thememory of my Grandma and the bad blood it created appears to be permanent.

The neighborhood has also slid downhill. I'm not very suburban, and resided in what many people consider a 'bad' neighborhood for years, but there are times when my Mom's block makes me nervous.

They are also, to my knowledge, the last of the Polish/German families who worked so hard to build the neighborhood (both sides of my family worked on the house and many in the area). With their departure it will be solidly Mexican up and down the block. Not a bad thing, mind you, but a marked departure from the block where my Grandparent's would converse with their neighbors in Polish. The city moved on, and now so will they.

I spent several hours today at the house, and for the first time I started to mourn the building.  I have plans to spend those last hours of the last evening of the last day with my family, sharing a meal in the same place we celebrated so many birthdays and holidays.

Jesus, I'm depressed. I think I may just tear up, and I am not a crier, the last time I shed a tear being when my Grandma passed two plus years ago.

I'm sure I'll write more on this later.

Cashback - Review

                           

Cashback is a 2006 British film by director Sean Ellis. Ben is a art student who recently broke up with his long time girlfriend and is now haunted by insomnia. To pass the time he takes a third shift job at a local supermarket, joining a cast of oddballs and misfits right out of Office Space. Ben, however, has a special gift: he can stop time, taking the moment to savor the beauty of the female form.

It sounds like an odd movie, and in many ways it is. Mind you, don't let the sci-fi slant slow your interest.  In my opinion the 'stopping time' bits could have been cut completely without jeopardizing the plot or rhythm of the movie. [And call me crazy, but when a guy stops time, uses it to undress women in the bread aisle of a supermarket and then draws their naked form, I'm not buying the 'innocent pursuit of art' argument]

No, it's odd in that peculiar British way. While I'm a big fan of their comedy (and most of the BBC programs I've seen), it falls inevitably into one of two categories. It's either over the top (see Benny Hill, Monty Python) or so damn slow and sad that you double-check the DVD case to make sure it wasn't put in the 'comedy' section by mistake.

Cashback is the latter. There is depressing first-person narration throughout the movie (fast becoming a pet peeve of mine) which treats us to glimpses of Ben's childhood, his sexual awakening, his brooding over his lost love, blah blah. Not that some of it isn't funny (such as his friend's Mom misunderstanding why he and his buddy are aroused) but much of it misses the mark.

The character of the supermarket boss is over the top and heavily influenced by The Office, and some of his parts provide the audience with genuine laughs (cue the soccer, er, football sequence).

Oh, and from the midpoint on it somewhat awkwardly transforms into a mild romantic comedy.

I'm still rather confused as to how I feel about the film. Let me know what you think if you see it.

2.5 out of 4, 70 out of 100.

Tags: Cashback, Sean Ellis

The Walking Stick

Those of you who've followed this blog for awhile will remember our fondness for (non-pest) insects. In the last year we've had a walking stick and a praying mantis, crickets, lightning bugs, and a mantis egg sack that regrettably never hatched.

Still, when the business manager motioned for me to come with her down the hall, her cell attached to her ear in a serious conversation, I was thinking it was a solemn work issue. Instead, God bless her, she pointed to a large walking stick on the ceiling and continued her conversation.

There are perks to working on a property adjacent to eight acres of woodland.

I captured it in a vase, put plastic wrap over the top and took it home with me.

The kids were thrilled, especially YaYa.

Look carefully at the next photo and you'll see the walking stick in her hair, having just crawled off her cheek.

She took it with her to visit her Grandma, promising to look up its diet online overnight.

* * * *
The morning after that 3.2 mile ride I spent the day at work  sore and achey-breaky up and down my legs. Even so when I went home I loaded up Smiley and LuLu and biked to and from the library (1.4 miles roundtrip). I'd wanted to take Lu alone, believing she was due some 'alone time', but Smiley really wanted to go.

It was no easier than the day before, although the kids were great this time out, but I had to do it: I was afraid if I didn't I'd retire the bike rather than face another work-out.

LuLu's Photography

The girls are more than happy to take my phone and snap shots of anything and everything.

 

The following is one pic Lu took from our car window, and I thought it was pretty enough to post here. I hope you agree.

Tags: LuLu

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Smiley's starting Dance Class soon

There exists a picture of me in a brown vest and pants, with a yellow shirt and yellow sequins up and down the sides of the pants. I'm doing a dance in a recital with my sister K, the very day my youngest sister had her first of many seizures related to childhood epilepsy.

Yin and yang, good with the bad and all that.

Anywho, Lis is big into dance and our son seems to have inherited rhythm unseen in my gene pool, so this year he will be joining his sisters on stage. Classes start soon, tuition is paid in full, and we picked up some sharp tap shoes for him. All that's left now is a pair of black jazz shoes and he's all set.

His stiches are out now too. The doc should forget medicine and go into tailoring because the line is darn near seamless considering how it looked that night.

BTW, our friends did offer to pay for the medical expenses. But accidents happen, no harm was intended, and no one lost a life or limb. It's kosher with me and Lisa wisely thanked them but said 'no thanks'.

Tags: Smiley

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