Lost: The End

You want another insight into my chaotic head? For years now I've made the series finale of Lost a benchmark in my life, a goal that I had to reach. I was always a little worried that God, with His sense of humour, would have me drop dead a week before the finale just so I'd never know how it ended. Along the same lines I've decided, well in advance, to avoid becoming interested in anything after the age of 70, just so He can't screw me out of the answers to that too :)

Now . . . it's over. I made it.

And you know what? The word that comes to mind when I think of the finale, more than any other, is 'satisfied'.

As always Lost stayed devoted to the 'story', a true rarity on TV. The characters moved us and spoke to our hearts, but they existed to move the story along, not to bump it to the side. I love that, just as I love characters like Jack and Desmond.
What also impressed me is that through all the confusion and all the theories, Lost stayed true to its own canonical beliefs. There was an unapologetic belief in the spiritual, and the unflinching rule that 'what happened, happened'. There was no reset button, no 'it was all a dream'. For the characters, free will is real and powerful, even in the face of fate, but what is done is done; no amount of wishing will absolve them from facing the consequences of their actions. They may come to terms with the past, but they can never outrun it.

As to the finale in particular: I think Jack's fate on the island was what it needed to be, a necessary (and freely chosen) sacrifice as part of Jacob's long con; that the means of Smokey's defeat was surprising and emphatic; that the role of the Protector went to the person who was always destined to carry the burden. I also think the duct-taped jet using a dirt runway was a stretch, but who am I to argue with a majic island?

For the record, I think the resolution to the 'flash-sideways' was poignant, sweet, and most importantly, absolute. We know their fate was was exactly what we saw on the island - what happened happened, no takebacks. We also know that in the end it all mattered immensely - and didn't matter at all.

I think back on the last shot of the series, that perfect bookend to the pilot, and I'm torn between a smile and a tear.

Lost, I'll miss you. It's been a hell of a ride.

Quote of the Day

If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion.- George Bernard Shaw

Recital Weekend

2 down 2 to go.....I'm sooo tired. Thanks to everyone who helped watch my kids this weekend, really helped us a lot. 🙂 - Lisa

The Lost Finale (delayed)

Too much chaos here to watch the Lost series finale in 'real-time', so I'm DVR'ing it. I'll watch it once the kids and the Mrs. are asleep, so I can enjoy every second. One near disaster: Lisa walked into the living room to find the kids had shut off the recording of the pre-show to put on Disney. Lousy buggers!

GI Smiley

A moment ago Smiley was crouched in the sandbox. He was barechested & tan, with khaki-army(ish) pants slung low, & his blonde hair was in a near crewcut. He was filling a containter with sand, & on his face was a barely disguised look of fatigue/contempt for his lot in life. I laughed. "Jeez Smiley," I said, "You look like an extra from Platoon. All you need is a cigarette dangling from ur mouth & a chopper overhead"

Kate Gosselin

Lisa said something very insightful. She said that since Kate Gosselin is so damn stiff and difficult to watch on her gigs on DTWS, Entertainment Tonight, etc it's proof that her persona on J&K+8 was genuine. "She isn't a good enough actress to fake being real," Lisa said. And you know, she's right.

What the - ???

80 degrees outside, a backyard baking in the sun, a kiddie pool set up and in full use - and Junie comes outside wearing a swimsuit, snow boots, and a winter cap with tassels.

The Brewers need some confidence...and skill

I think it's sad that a real-time Brewers publication brags about having in the lead in the bottom of the ninth, then fiinshes the post with "Let's hope the Brewers can hang on!". Yeah, let's hope. Geesh, things went south here quickly, didn't they?

Cleaning the House

Cleaned the house all afternoon, capped by MAJOR fit by YaYa a few minutes ago. The kid deserves an Oscar, honest and truly. What a freakin' drama queen; you'd mistake her fits for outakes from Hostel. Alas (for YaYa) we didn't give in and made her clean our room & take out the trash. Unfortunately alll the dust of the cleanup set off a major asthma attack for Lu, but she's back in action now.

Hoarders

While at the Dollar Store today I ran into a Milwaukee man who was featured on "Hoarding: Buried Alive" He was there w/ his two foster children. I asked if he'd been on 'that TV show', intentionally avoiding its name, and he said yes. His kids got very excited & said they were stars & wanted to make a movie now. I said I was glad the show helped him and we went on our way.

My Sweet Lu :)

I just walked LK and OJ to the gas station so Livvie could spend some spare change on candy & whatnot. On the way home she pumped her fist. "Yeah!" she said, seriously giddy. "Daddy I've never spent my own money at the gas station. This was great. THE best moment of my life." I wish I was pleased as easily.

FB March 11th - 13th

March 11th:

I'm a wee bit peeved. I was called and asked to pick up a shift at work and said yeah, sure, just let me ck the wife's schedule and I'll call you back. I called and, naturally, it had been handed over to someone else - because that 15 min delay obviously meant the diff. between the comp going bankrupt or staying solvent. $%^#@

* [on the death of NFL player/actor Merlin Olsen] I was born too late to remember him from the NFL. My memories are limited to seeing him on Little House on the Prairie (wupping some punks that beat on Michael Landon in town) and the FTD commericals. RIP.

* Kansas City (MO) is planning to close 28 of its 61 public schools.

* I've finished the historical novel "The Burning Land" by Bernard Cornwell. As the 10th century ends the Saxon warrior Uhtred, oath-bound to Alfred the Great, forsakes his vows. But soon a Danish army under Haesten threatens Mercia - & Alfred's daughter, its Queen, so Uhtred's blade must sing again. It's fast moving, ...blood-drenched, (more or less) historically accurate adventure from a proven master. Well done.

* I dig the first line: "Sometimes multitasking has its limits." LOL Police: Woman Crashes Car While Shaving Bikini Area

* What a lousy night of AI. Andrew freakin' Garcia, Didi and Lacey Brown go forward while Lilly Scott is cut? F that. Good for her for not rolling over and mouthing the standard issue PC crap after she was robbed. Alex Lambert was screwed too; forget the mullet and listen to that voice. WTH was America thinking?

* I'm not a big 30 Rock fan, but "Hard Cheeses and Your Root Canal, Liz" had me LOL for so long I dang near wizzed my pants.

March 12th:

The kids are watching the ICarly special where they train for a space flight, and the exterior shot of the futuristic 'space training facility' is . . . the Milwaukee Art Museum.

* Exciting news. Viking remains have been found in England. All of the men were beheaded, presumably by the very Saxons they were trying to conquer. Not the greatest article. The concept of a "Dark Ages" has been largely discredited (and rightly so), and the term 'Viking' here is used as if it was a nationality, not (for lack of a better word) an occupation. Still, exciting.

* A beautiful, very foggy night out there. I just got back from running errands with YaYa for the last few hours, including burning the last of her Xmas GC at Barnes & Noble (where she picked up 2 Club Penguin books).

March 13th:

Paranoid is what people who are trying to take advantage call you in an effort to get you to drop your guard

* This is old news (Oct 2009) but new to me. This is the only known film image of Anne Frank, taken as she leaned out her window to watch a bride and groom next door. Here at home we continue to read 'The Diary of Anne Frank' to the girls before bed, usually only an entry or two a night.

Incredible

Yest. morning Lump's babysitter (a family member) suddenly tried pawning her off on another relative. When I heard this I called and asked about the sudden change of plans. She claimed this was what we'd agreed on [so not the case] "It's the information I was given," she said. "From who?" I said. "The President of Wakey-Wakey-Make-It-Uppy?"

I Agree Henry

Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all. - Henry David Thoreau

Not Cool GSA

Yikes! The Girl Scouts just charged my card $200 towards summer camp - that'd be $200 I can't spare - despite the fact that I took care of that bill months ago. They've reversed the charges ("for now") but I need to redo some of the paperwork (?!) for the camp. Apparently a large chunk of the application was lost, & so their computer records are incomplete & I was charged as part of a mass billing . . .

Ruby Ridge

Lisa & I watched a show on Ruby Ridge; what a needless waste. Then, we watched testimony from OR v Beagley, a case of alleged negligent homicide against parents who refused med treatment for their 16 yr old son. IMO, another case of the gov't overstepping its bounds. Gov't doesn't shrink or remain stagnant, it perpetually grows, like a cancer. I shudder to think what burdens our great-grandchildren will live under.

Babysitting the Godson

Babysitting my (soon to be) Godson TJ. Took him for a walk in the stroller with LuLu and Junie stopped at a local playground, then spent time in the backyard. He seemed the happiest outdoors, breaking into huge grins for Lisa & the girls. Now he's asleep in the bouncer, but he's been a little grumpy. From experience I'd say he's teething or constipated. Or he's po'd about the Brewers losing AGAIN; Lord knows I am.

Facebook March 7th - 11th

March 7th - my Smiley's 5th Birthday!!

* Smiley's name appeared on Sprout's Birthday Wishes at ~9:32 this morning, but (so far) not his card.

* 3 words to describe Smiley's bday party (in progress): pretty dang lousy. [only one of six invited guests from his class showed up, despite folks RSVP'ing]

* [3:18 pm] The kid party is done. 1 hr 55 minutes until the family party for Smiley starts. I think I'm going to try and nap. Or watch the Magic-Lakers game. Either/or.

March 8th:

I'll say it again: as early as the 2000 election I witnessed, first hand, voter fraud at the polls here in Milwaukee. A few hundred fraudulent ballots may not sound like a lot, but in a battleground state like we were in '00 and '04, it matters.

* I finished *One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich*. The blase acceptance of the gulag as normal and "just something to bear" is as much an indictment of the Soviets as the injustice of the camp itself.

* [from my sister K] Danny - Congrat's dear man . Your wish has come true . People .com is reporting that Betty White will be hosting Saturday night live !!!!! Your fantasy lady is fullfilling your dreams :)

* [on the death of Natalie Wood in the '80's] I was seven at the time, and I think it's the first high-profile celebrity death I remember. Ah, memories.

* [re: a serial killer who won on 'The Dating Game'] By the time of the show he'd already raped a little girl, and by the end of that year he would abduct and kill the first of his victims. Even at the time the other contestants on the game felt he was 'creepy' and despite winning, the woman refused to go out with him.

March 9th:

* On Sunday I caught YaYa using "BRB" (as in 'be right back') in actual, human to human conversation. Our culture's decline is all but complete.

* [Rep Eric Massa (D - NY) on White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel] Quote: : "I am showering, naked as a jaybird, and here comes Rahm Emanuel, not even with a towel wrapped around his tush, poking his finger in my chest, yelling at me." Icky-ick. At least it was just a finger he was poking with . . .

* Internet quote of the day, from a commenter on a Baseball Think Factory article about Obemann's over-the-top (surprise!) & rude attack on sportswriter Bill Simmons: "It may take months. It may take years. It may take decades. But as God is my witness, before I die, I will see Science get that stick out of Olbermann's ass"

* AI: A srong night for the women, and I much prefer the terse one hr format to the dragged out 2hr crap. Lacey saved herself this wk, and I think it's obvious Paige has to go. 2nd elimination is harder to pick this week - maybe Katelyn for her good vocal/no personality performance?

* Lost: After last weeks yawner, it was good to see Lost back on track. I'm happy Ben is a good man in the flash-sideways. Note also that on-island he rejected neoLocke/devil?'s offer & been accepted into the (good) group simply by confessing his sins. Jack's transformation has begun as well; on the Black Rock it became ...clear he is now a man of faith, and a believer in destiny. The lines have been drawn. It's showtime.

March 10th:

* Actor Corey Haim dies (RIP) and Einstein's theory of relativity is allegedly proven

* Happy birthday Chuck Norris!. One of my favorite Norris facts: He destroyed the Periodic Table of Elements because he only recognizes the element of surprise.

* [on the retirement of the great but oft-injured Nomar Garciaparra] There's no sport that likes to dwell more on 'what coulda been', but baseball mythology aside, injuries rarely derail what was sure to be a Hall of Fame, history making career. Not so with Nomar. He could be the poster boy for great talent rendered useless. I tip my cap to you sir. Enjoy your retirement.

March 11th:

I think the men did quite well tonight on AI. Michael Lynche won the night, although not my vote, but I was also quite impressed with Alex Lambert's voice. My picks to go home: the one-note Andrew Garcia and Todrick Hall.

* Just finished watching the Spanish language film "Before the Fall" (Tres Dias). The world has 3 days before a meterorite destroys the earth. So its a disaster movie right? Nope. Prison riots break out, & a serial killer escapes to kill the family of the man who caught him. Only the man's loser brother is left to defen...d the children. Think High Noon meets Armageddon meets Party of Five. Very good flick.

Any dog'll turn

RIP my front lawn

Last fall the city used stimilus $ to tear up my lawn. They replaced a functioning, intact gas pipe w/ more of the same, wiped out the small hill in front of my porch & destroyed my grass. I was set to cut the new lawn today for the 1st x - so naturally the city returned & dug it up AGAIN. They left a note on my door saying it was just to ck & see if they'd done the work right. America, your gov't at work.

Quote of the Day

"Constantly choosing the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil." - Jerry Garcia

To every yahoo that went around Milwaukee yesterday saying "Whoo-hoo! Summer's finally here!" - thank your karma for the fifty degree tit-nipply weather today. I 'preciate it. 🙂

Bob and Brian

, stick a fork in Bob & Brian. I used to love 'em, and they did their schtick - blue collar/everyday Milwaukee Joe - better than anyone. But now they're rich, 50 yr old guys who live in the burbs; they're guys who have to google pop culture references, who refuse to play ANY music, & who pander to the stick-in-the-ass Zayban (sic). Enough. And please, don't even get me started on this 'Reheated' B.S.

Lisa was super piss*d at me yest. So after work, w/ our kids dispersed to relatives, I took her out for dinner and drinks, followed by a moonlight ride by the lakefront. With her again loving the Dslap, I finally got down to enjoying Saturday night the way it was meant to be spent: w/ a new episode of Doctor Who on the TV. 😉

Facebook March 4th (cont.) - March 6th

March 4th:

* Whodathunk I could make a cake from scratch? Having mastered all the Manly Arts, it seems I'm destined to conquer the kitchen as well. :) The apple cake is out of the oven & looks and smells wonderful. I made it for Friday's dessert so I can't judge the taste yet, but I'm gonna go on a limb & type out the recipie on S...lapinions. I can always delete the draft if the cake is hurl-worthy.

* [on the brutal slaying of Rachel Thompson and her children here in Milwaukee] Ah, man. They killed the 4 yr old first - a child that greeted them by name - & then took turns stabbing a toddler in the neck. Then, and only then, did they kill the woman who'd seen her own mom, and now her own children, murdered. Monsters like this walk the streets, freed by our legal system, while people piss & moan about due process for terrorists. What a f*ed up world.

* two links, neither of which I can get to work today: a lock of Napoleon's hair was found in an Australian vault, and coins from the time of Alexander the Great were unearthed in Syria

March 5th:

* My parents just left. I'd invited them over for a Lenten meal of cajun style salmon cakes, rice, salad, and that homemade apple cake I made yest. Personally, I think the cake was a litte dry, but everyone seemed to like it.

* Luda's "How Low Can You Go?" came on when I was driving w/ Smiley. When the chipmunk voice chimed in he got very excited & asked me to turn it down so he could tell me something. "Daddy, t'ose Zhu-Zhu [Pet] sounds!" he said, a typical grin plastered on his face.



* From the comfort of a chair in WI, the 'race' seems like no big deal, if silly, but I'm sure it's a big no-no. Here's an interesting bit: I didn't know the USN had female Capt's on warships - or that this one (Holly Graff) has been relieved of duty for unprofessional and cruel behavior towards her crew. That behavior ...incl.'s assault, verbal abuse, & allegedly using her rank for personal gain. Way to be a pioneer for your gender there, Capt'n. Navy Captain Demoted After Warship Drag Race Surfaced

* [on news that Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger is alleged to have committed a sexual assualt] Here we go again. No idea if he's guilty or just an easy, easy mark, but enough already. Get your ass out of bars Ben, and hit up Craigslist personals and the local liquor store. The results certainly couldn't be any worse.

March 6th, my niece's birthday and the anniversary of the fall of the Alamo:

* Screw a dislike button. What FB needs is a spelling and grammar check.

* I woke up at 6 am, got dressed, scraped the frost off the windshield and drove to work, ready to start at 7 . . . only to discover my shift didn't start until 10.

* *93.6%* of Iceland's pop. votes 'no' to a bank bailout that would have cost them the equiv of $5.3 billion in payments to Britain & the Netherlands. Now International Moneary Fund may block a financial rescue package, the gov't might be destablized, and folks are p.o'd. Welcome to the messy, squabling Europe. Same as the old Europe, really, but w/out trench warfare. So far.

* After a busy day at work I came home, chilled for a bit, then noticed we were down to only 2 kids (after my niece's bday party YaYa stayed over, Smiley is at Gma). So I packed up & burned part of my paycheck on dinner at Villa Roma. Click on that link for a review of our experience. Lu and Ginger were dolls. A nice end to the day.

* My family ate at Villa Roma Saturday night. It was a nice atmosphere, relaxed and adult but more than accomodating to the kids - to the point they were given Princess and Hannah Montana plates! The pizza was typical Milwaukee style - thin cracker crust, a sweet tomato sauce, sausage and cheese. Very good, and quite affordable: $15.50 for a 12x18 pizza. The garlic bread was great but a little pricey for the amount that we were given. Service was quite friendly. We'll be back!

* [on an article debating whether or not civility and politeness in a crisis is directly related to the time you have to react] Interesting. I agree w/ the idea, but also w/ several of the rebuttals. The Lusitania, cited as an ex. of panic induced selfishness, did sink quickly, leaving no time to re-exert sociatal norms. But passengers had just been attacked & sunk during wartime, & they had full knowledge of the Titanic disaster. Put those conditions on the Titanic & a similar panic may have emerged, regardless of the time it took to sink.