Who's Playing Summerfest July 2nd

I don't know if I'd brave Thursday's weather - a high of 68/low of 54, but much cooler by the lake - just to see No Doubt. Then again I like their music, I'm a fan of Gwen Stefani's solo work, and since she had kids certain areas of her anatomy have filled out quite nicely. There would be worse ways to pass an evening.

Judas Priest is at Summerfest too, but yawn. Pass. I could never get into their music. The closest I ever got to liking their sound was what I heard of the Priest knock-off band in the movie Rock Star.

sidenote: The best part of that film remains, of course, Mark Wahlberg peforming "Good Vibrations" during the closing credits. Yes, even better than the much hyped lesbian kiss by Jennifer Aniston, which should tell you just how ho-hum that scene turned out to be.

Again, I'll pass on Priest.

I do however dig Whitesnake just a wee bit, and I like David Coverdale. I will say that the Jimmy Page/David Coverdale collaboration from the '90's (cleverly named Coverdale/Page) really doesn't hold up over time. I remember sending in my little postcard and buying it from my BMG account; it was the Hard Rock/Metal Selection of the Month, if memory serves. For a minute there I thought it was the bomb and the second coming of Zep. What can I say? Oopsie.

BTW - I've learned a new word. Apparently "hype" means "crack addict", and is used as a noun to replace the former in conversation. Whodathunkit.

Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Given the title you'd expect a few laughs, probably at the expense of good taste and conventional sexual mores. The movie delivers on that, but it also gives you much more: a tender, almost romantic love story. Consider me impressed.

Zack and Miri are long time friends who were on the bottom rung of the high school social ladder and have stayed there ever since. Now roommates in their late twenties, they are broke. Utilities turned off/rent late broke. There seems to be no way out with the crappy jobs they hold down, and the future (and present) looks bleak.

So they decide - and give Kevin Smith credit here as a writer - to make a porno to get out of debt, and damned if you don't see it as a genuine decision and not a Hollywood plot point.

They enlist a cast of misfits to act in the film with them, finance it with a co-workers savings, and roll film. But the emotions that have built up between Zack and Miri over the years come bubbling up to the surface, and the future of the film is in doubt.

This is a very good movie, and I marvel at how Smith managed to pull off a credible and moving love story in the midst of what could have been a crass Porky's ripoff. I I tip my hat to Kevin Smith. Well done sir, well done.

3.4 out of 4

Almost Time

Getting Lisa packed and ready to go to the New Kids concert in Kansas. T minus 12 hours now.

F'ing Blogger keeps warping drafts, one after another. Ugh.

A long, busy (but happy) Tuesday

Tuesday was a busy, busy day.

I dropped Lu off at school, then went on a brisk 30 minute bike ride with YaYa. My stamina is definitely improving to 2008 levels, thank God. Then we practiced baseball for awhile before she wigged out.

Midway through the day I picked up Lu from school and we spent a good half hour on the playground, where a teacher said something that will prompt a post of its own soon.

But that's for later: today Lu attacked the monkey bars, and after her customary hesitation she mastered them with ease.



Afterwards, she went roller skating outside.



Later in the day the whole family packed up and dropped YaYa off at my sister for a sleepover, then went to the bank. Nearby a homeless woman stood by the highway begging for food. Lisa didn't hesitate to drive to Burger King and buy her a Whopper and a drink. Lu, Smiley and I walked it to the woman, who thanked the kids and then went behind a bush to eat her meal. I was thankful - had she simply ignored it and resumed begging, as has sometimes been the case when we've done this, it would have given the kids the impression that all beggars are charlatans.

Kudo's to Lisa for her charity.

Then we went over to a car wash and started to clean the interior of the car. We filled two huge garden sized trash barrels and discovered a wealth of items - the missing tickets to the May dance recital, clothing, our Kanye West and NKOTB discs, LuLu's summer school schedule, a car battery, and a funeral mass card from one Elizabeth West. Ms. West was born March 22, 1874 and passed away April 30th, 1957.

I have no idea who she was or how she is connected to our family, or why her mass card appeared in our 2006 Ford.

From there we split up. Lisa dropped Smiley and I off at Best Buy, while she and the girls perused a local strip mall. Once he and I were done we got word that - surprise! - the ladies weren't done shopping. So we walked to meet them, a pretty decent haul that looked deceptively shorter than it was.

Smiley was really talkative Tuesday, and it was a joy to behold. He said "Poorple (purple)", a few two and three word sentences, and on the walk, when I asked if he'd walk all the way home if it meant stopping at a jungle gym, "walk all way home". He was also very helpful in picking out the new camera battery, even going so far as to compare our old one to the one in the packaging before nodding his approval.

Once we were reunited we decided on a whim to go out to eat, choosing a nearby Ponderosa as the place to drop $30 we can't really spare. I consumed approximately 8,000 calories, and the rest of the family did their fair share of damage to the buffet. One cute thing: Smiley misunderstood the server's role there (all they do is bring you drinks) and kept asking her "me ice cream please".

[btw, bread pudding is always my dessert of choice there. Anyone have a good recipie?]

On the way home Lu fell asleep, but woke up in time to remember my promise to help her practice riding without training wheels. Fine. We went in front and went at it, but I'll cop to being very frustrated with her. She can ride fine, going four or five yars perfectly. But as soon as she realizes you've let go she visibly freaks and falls over with a melodramatic scream. Over. And over.

I passed her off to Lisa, who tried taking her around the block. I practiced with Smiley, who's way too young to do it but loves trying.



After a few minutes Lisa returned with LuLu, having completed her circuit of the block. Cue a fall and scream.

"Did she do that the whole way?" I asked.

"Yup."

"Better you than me," I said. "You have my pity."

She was just too tired to handle the bike riding, so we packed the kids off for bed and spent the rest of the night highlighting Lisa's hair and getting packed for her upcoming trip.

A busy day. But a good one.

Who's Playing Summerfest - July 1st

Today Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson are co-headling at Summerfest, and that's about all you need to know. I'm not a big Dylan fan. I'm not even a casual Dylan fan, but I can't help but acknowledge his status as an icon and seeing him in concert would be something to tell the grandkids. Plus he saw Buddy Holly in person and loved the guy, and for that I heart him.

As far as Willie Nelson, he's always been a favorite of my Mom, to the point where I remember being taken to see Willie in Honeysuckle Rose in 1980, when I was all of six years old. I think she also took me to one of his concerts, although I was too young then and she's too old now (j/k) to remember for sure. But we saw Kenny Rogers back in those early years of mine, so it doesn't seem unlikely. I know my Dad met the guy in person during his years as a hotel night auditor.

As long as we're on the subject, always thought it was odd that my Mom, who is top to bottom a Midwestern, law abiding and conservative woman, would adore a long haired, pot smoking, gravel voiced singer. Hell, the guy claims to have smoked pot on the roof of the White House. I don't see how that jibes with the woman I know, since even I think less of him for that. Oh, I think pot should be legal, but as long as it isn't it was disrespectful to do it at the White House. In my opinion, any and all crimes commited there should originate in the Oval Office.

What can I say, I'm a traditionalist.

Sign o' the Times

I'm sorry for the poor picture quality, but there was no way I was going to brave the traffic and construction to get closer with my camera phone.

This is a picture of Schlossman's Dodge City here in Milwaukee, "where you'll save a fistful of dollars". I had many dealings with them in my time at Job Prior. For nearly thirty years they sold Chrysler products from their location on S 27th Street.No longer. As part of the bailout restructuring they were forced to sever their relationship with the company.


"We've invested hundreds of thousands of dollars sticking with an
underperforming manufacturer," [GM] Wolf said of Chrysler. "Then, to be pretty
much orphaned by them."

As I took this picture Chrysler was removing the signage at the dealership; Schlossman's had refused to so much as cover them with a tarp, putting the responsibility squarely on the company that dumped them.

The auto group intends to keep their business on 27th Street alive. As of this writing, they are now Schlossman . . . Subaru.

A Question

Serious question, no snark intended, none needed in return: if you get a friend invite on Facebook from someone you *don't* want to add, will clicking 'Ignore' notify them and start a pissing match, or will I be able to claim ignorance?

Naturally

I  just found our copy of MJ's HIStory.  Can't find my AWOL college diploma, but at least I can locate CD's we bought 14 years ago.

:eye roll:

Just got back from a brisk 30 minute bike ride with YaYa, then practiced some hitting. After all that when I went on the computer (robbing her of her precious Club Penguin) she spazzed out and said she hated her bike and baseball too. Jeez kid, learn to cope.