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Sunday, December 26, 2010
Fantasy football, some more RIP's, books, and Indian food
October 16th
RIP Mrs. Cleaver (Barbara Billingsley)
Oct 17th
The Badgers knocked off #1 Ohio State! Whoo-hoo! On Wisconsin baby!
German Chancellor Angela Merkel states that German multiculturalism has "absolutely failed." Huh. Between France and Germany, it looks like Europe is finally wising up. Wonder when it'll be our turn?
Neck to neck in my fantasy matchup this week. My gut says it'll come down to the numbers Peyton puts up tonight.
Despite a 3 digit score my fantasy team lost by under 5 pts. Take away Manning's fumble & Cooley's exit, and the game was mine. That makes *3* losses decided by 10 pts or less. An optimist would say that means I've done my homework & just had some bad luck. A pessimist would say that the scores mean I could've won, if only I'd put forth one extra bit of effort. A Dan would say, who cares? I'm 1-5 & dead in the water.
Oct 18th
I just returned from a 90 minute interview with two regional managers who came in from Chicago for the Q&A. Wish me luck - if I don't get it, it certainly isn't for lack of effort.
Oct 19th
Lisa's van had a flat tire this morning, a gash in the sidewall that meant a good chunk of change was spent before 9 a.m. OTOH, our local Pick 'n Save now carries sushi! About time. Whoo-hoo!
RIP Mr. Cunningham (Tom Bosley)
Howsabout that? My fantasy commish intervened in the outcome of last weekend's game, noting that Yahoo failed to properly post a lineup change that should have *cost* my opponent four points. The other owner concurred. The result? I won, changing my W/L to 2-4, which sounds a heck of a lot nicer than 1-5.
I finished Carter's "White House Diary" & will prob do a write-up on my blog. Meanwhile, I polished off Robert B Parker's "Painted Ladies" on the Nook today. It's (presumably) the late author's last Spenser novel, & while it was enjoyable I thought I caught a few instances were characters spoke or acted 'off' - perhaps the hand of a 2nd author polishing the text? Either way, RIP RBP, RIP.
I've been listening to Yankee radio out of an Albany station. So far Texeria pulled a hammy, the Yanks can't bring a run to the plate if you gave them an armed escort, and Josh Hamilton has homered twice tonight (4 for the series). We're going to lose this game, but hopefully we'll regroup and come back to win 3 in a row.
Oct 20th (Lisa's Bday!)
We received our first Christmas card of the year (!), from a blog reader in Great Britain. She wrote that she was sending it on what her post office claimed was the "last possible" date for overseas mail to arrive by Christmas, but acknowledged they were probably full of it. I guess mail service employees are the same the world over, eh?
Whatever your political leanings, the JSOnline "Choose your Candidate in the 2010 Governor's Race" quiz is woefully biased. Every ? is phrased to make one side the devil and the other sound like Christ himself. I would have been turned off by something that blatant on a partisan site, much less in an 'objective' major newspaper.
'finished "Write it When I'm Gone" by Thomas DeFrank. It's a collection of Gerald Ford interviews done over a 30yr period, all w/ the understanding they were off the record until his death. No surprises, other than that he was quite an astute predictor of future political events. The text is often circuitous & repeats the same anecdotes chapters apart, but it's an interesting read. B-
Oct 21st
We watched LESLIE, MY NAME IS EVIL (alt title Manson, My Name is Evil). It's either a poorly written attempt to rationalize the Manson murders as a by product of Vietnam, -or- a platonic love story btwn a fictional juror and Leslie Van Houton. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't good either. Ample sex scenes with beautiful women; unfortunately they were covered in blood much of the time. Yuck. C.
A taxpayer funded entity [NPR] fires a man [Juan Williams] for expressing the right to free speech. If his comments were about Christianity and not Islam, NPR would no doubt give him a raise.
The paper today has an article on 'dirt rain' that blanketed Milwaukee recently. As a victim of it myself, it was quite a pain to wash off the car.
Most people are mostly good, most of the time - Gerald Ford
We had white chili and cheese quesadillas for dinner, & the kids gobbled it up without complaint. As a matter of fact there were no leftovers. Bully for them - when I was a kid I wouldn't have tried so much as a bite of it. We've more or less agreed that since the kids are so willing to try new food, we'll cook up Indian soon. Quote Lu: "Indian? Like, Indian corn and stuff?"
RIP Mrs. Cleaver (Barbara Billingsley)
Oct 17th
The Badgers knocked off #1 Ohio State! Whoo-hoo! On Wisconsin baby!
German Chancellor Angela Merkel states that German multiculturalism has "absolutely failed." Huh. Between France and Germany, it looks like Europe is finally wising up. Wonder when it'll be our turn?
Neck to neck in my fantasy matchup this week. My gut says it'll come down to the numbers Peyton puts up tonight.
Despite a 3 digit score my fantasy team lost by under 5 pts. Take away Manning's fumble & Cooley's exit, and the game was mine. That makes *3* losses decided by 10 pts or less. An optimist would say that means I've done my homework & just had some bad luck. A pessimist would say that the scores mean I could've won, if only I'd put forth one extra bit of effort. A Dan would say, who cares? I'm 1-5 & dead in the water.
Oct 18th
I just returned from a 90 minute interview with two regional managers who came in from Chicago for the Q&A. Wish me luck - if I don't get it, it certainly isn't for lack of effort.
Oct 19th
Lisa's van had a flat tire this morning, a gash in the sidewall that meant a good chunk of change was spent before 9 a.m. OTOH, our local Pick 'n Save now carries sushi! About time. Whoo-hoo!
RIP Mr. Cunningham (Tom Bosley)
Howsabout that? My fantasy commish intervened in the outcome of last weekend's game, noting that Yahoo failed to properly post a lineup change that should have *cost* my opponent four points. The other owner concurred. The result? I won, changing my W/L to 2-4, which sounds a heck of a lot nicer than 1-5.
I finished Carter's "White House Diary" & will prob do a write-up on my blog. Meanwhile, I polished off Robert B Parker's "Painted Ladies" on the Nook today. It's (presumably) the late author's last Spenser novel, & while it was enjoyable I thought I caught a few instances were characters spoke or acted 'off' - perhaps the hand of a 2nd author polishing the text? Either way, RIP RBP, RIP.
I've been listening to Yankee radio out of an Albany station. So far Texeria pulled a hammy, the Yanks can't bring a run to the plate if you gave them an armed escort, and Josh Hamilton has homered twice tonight (4 for the series). We're going to lose this game, but hopefully we'll regroup and come back to win 3 in a row.
Oct 20th (Lisa's Bday!)
We received our first Christmas card of the year (!), from a blog reader in Great Britain. She wrote that she was sending it on what her post office claimed was the "last possible" date for overseas mail to arrive by Christmas, but acknowledged they were probably full of it. I guess mail service employees are the same the world over, eh?
Whatever your political leanings, the JSOnline "Choose your Candidate in the 2010 Governor's Race" quiz is woefully biased. Every ? is phrased to make one side the devil and the other sound like Christ himself. I would have been turned off by something that blatant on a partisan site, much less in an 'objective' major newspaper.
'finished "Write it When I'm Gone" by Thomas DeFrank. It's a collection of Gerald Ford interviews done over a 30yr period, all w/ the understanding they were off the record until his death. No surprises, other than that he was quite an astute predictor of future political events. The text is often circuitous & repeats the same anecdotes chapters apart, but it's an interesting read. B-
Oct 21st
We watched LESLIE, MY NAME IS EVIL (alt title Manson, My Name is Evil). It's either a poorly written attempt to rationalize the Manson murders as a by product of Vietnam, -or- a platonic love story btwn a fictional juror and Leslie Van Houton. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't good either. Ample sex scenes with beautiful women; unfortunately they were covered in blood much of the time. Yuck. C.
A taxpayer funded entity [NPR] fires a man [Juan Williams] for expressing the right to free speech. If his comments were about Christianity and not Islam, NPR would no doubt give him a raise.
The paper today has an article on 'dirt rain' that blanketed Milwaukee recently. As a victim of it myself, it was quite a pain to wash off the car.
Most people are mostly good, most of the time - Gerald Ford
We had white chili and cheese quesadillas for dinner, & the kids gobbled it up without complaint. As a matter of fact there were no leftovers. Bully for them - when I was a kid I wouldn't have tried so much as a bite of it. We've more or less agreed that since the kids are so willing to try new food, we'll cook up Indian soon. Quote Lu: "Indian? Like, Indian corn and stuff?"
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Merry Christmas!
It isn't the best picture in the world, but as usual Lisa's done a grand job of decorating our tree. This is our first year with this a 7ft artificial tree that we got for free (yes, free) courtesy of a Craigslist poster who upgraded his own model.
I wish you all a safe and happy holiday with the ones you love as you celebrate our Saviour's birth.
"Every mother, when she picks up the young life that has been born to her, looks up to the heavens to thank God for the gift which made the world young again. But here was a mother, a madonna, who did not look up. She looked down to Heaven, for this was Heaven in her arms." Archbishop Fulton Sheen
Friday, December 24, 2010
The Weight by Andrew Vachh
I finished Andrew Vacch's 'The Weight', which I quite liked six weeks ago when I was 50 pgs in. Then, through no fault of the book itself, I had to finish it in blocks of 20 or 30 pgs over a month long period. By the end I resented the hell out of the novel. Couldn't stand to even look at it. Anyhow, it's the last bk I'm reading in '10. I'm done read out for the year.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Quote
If a train is coming @ you, closing your eyes won't save you. But if u look right @ it, you at least have a chance to jump.
The Loss of Franklin the Turtle and other news
Oct 9th
Not the greatest day in the world. A headache, a dinner out w/ grouchy kids, and some other schtuff that wasn't the greatest. But I did get a a call back from Chicago re: a potential job, thank God. In other news, I've decided to ditch the TV version of 'Dexter'. It is a good show, well acted/written, but I prefer the books. So why waste X amount of hours watching it when I could watch something I'll love?
Oct 10th
Tonight, near midnight, I pocket texted my supervisor endlessly for nearly 15 minutes, prompting her to write me a pleading yet snarking message to stop. Bet that'll go over well on my next review.
Congrats to my Yankees for advancing to the ALCS!!!! WOO HOO!!!! Only 8 more wins 'til #28! (they lost the ALCS)
I came home from work to find that the kids had taken Franklin, our pet turtle, out in the yard to play. They *also* went to bed w/out taking him back inside. With the possum prowling around, I'm not sure he was even around to be found by the time I was done w/ work, but I scoured the yard w/ a work light and an extension cord. No luck. He's still MIA. He's been part of the family since Feb '05, predating Smiley. Damn.
It is wise to remember that you are one of those who can be fooled some of the time - Lawrence Peter
Good - the Vatican aims to strengthen Christian communities in the Middle East
Oct 11th
I cleaned the toys off the lawn & raked it all. I moved their playhouse & everything in it. I went through the compost pile. I trimmed the weeds by the trampoline. i moved the trampoline itself and searched underneath. No Franklin. Maybe he skedaddled 'neath the shed, but if he did he's SOL. Lisa wants to think he's quote "truckin'" endquote on down to the pond at the park, & I guess we'll let that myth stand.
In other, happier news: Saturday Lis & watched "Kinky Boots", a Brit film about a man who inherits his father's failing shoe factory & tries to save it by making custom made boots for drag queens. Surprisingly non-camp, the film is predictable but sweet and entertaining. We also picked up LaRoux's album; other than the techno 'Bulletproof', the CD is very mellow, not at all what we expected.
"If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe." - Carl Sagan
Oct 12th
We just cleaned Gingers's room. She really is 1/2 of the 'bookends' - like YaYa, she's a hoarder. Unlike YaYa, however, she also destroys. One drawer had 1/4" of rice crispies; another was coated with orange kool-aid powder she rubbed into the wood. Spilled nail polish & paint. Broken toys. Rotten apples. Broken CHINA. It took two 13 gal. garbage bags + 2 laundry baskets and 2 LAWN & GARDEN bags to clean up the mess. Ok, to be fair 1/2 of the garden bags were devoted to toys I jettisoned, so I guess *that* doesn't count.
For Family Night this week I rented the live action "Marmaduke" and made cajun style salmon cakes with rice and broccoli. Cue the standard kid reactions to unknown food, but they all tried it. Heck, LuLu even liked it. But the best, most honest reaction to my meal? Smiley took a big bite, swallowed, and said "It taste yuck. Me feel like I 'ave to 'uke"
The first of the 33 men trapped in a Chilean mine since August 5 has arrived at the surface in a rescue capsule, greeted by hugs and cheers. - CNN
Oct 13th
I caught Ginger having a tea party in her room. Her drink of choice (which she was chugging liberally)? The pail of water we'd used to mop her floor.
The last of the Chilean miners has reached the surface, and I'm so genuinely happy for all of them it's nuts. What a great, honest, moving story of heroism and determination. Kudos to the government of Chile for fixing the problem, not the blame, and doing everything they could to rescue their people. I wish nothing but the best for the miners and their families. God Bless them all!
Oct 14th
A few days ago I finished "Star Island" by Carl Hiassen, an entertaining but forgettable novel about a spoiled pop star. I'm now ~ 150 pg's into Jimmy Carter's "White House Diary", which would mark the 4th bk on his Presidency I've read in the last 12 months. It's fascinating stuff, and at some point I'll devote a blog post or FB 'note' to some talking points about the text.
Took Smiley to visit his old school & sign him up for speech. The outporing of love for him there was great - everyone from office staff to teachers came to hug him, comment on his growth spurt, & tell him they miss him. His old teach even let him spend 1/2 hr in her class w/ his old friends. Best line? She sd his summer school teach emailed her to say Park liked being Heidi's student 'cuz she "blond and pretty" :)
Ironic license plate of the day: SUBTL T
Oct 15th
I've finished "Bad Blood", a Virgil Flowers mystery by John Sandford I read entirely on a Nook. It was great start to finish, and those last fifty pages - whoa.
"30 Days of Night: Dark Days"? I didn't even pay for the rental, and I *still* want a refund.
Not the greatest day in the world. A headache, a dinner out w/ grouchy kids, and some other schtuff that wasn't the greatest. But I did get a a call back from Chicago re: a potential job, thank God. In other news, I've decided to ditch the TV version of 'Dexter'. It is a good show, well acted/written, but I prefer the books. So why waste X amount of hours watching it when I could watch something I'll love?
Oct 10th
Tonight, near midnight, I pocket texted my supervisor endlessly for nearly 15 minutes, prompting her to write me a pleading yet snarking message to stop. Bet that'll go over well on my next review.
Congrats to my Yankees for advancing to the ALCS!!!! WOO HOO!!!! Only 8 more wins 'til #28! (they lost the ALCS)
I came home from work to find that the kids had taken Franklin, our pet turtle, out in the yard to play. They *also* went to bed w/out taking him back inside. With the possum prowling around, I'm not sure he was even around to be found by the time I was done w/ work, but I scoured the yard w/ a work light and an extension cord. No luck. He's still MIA. He's been part of the family since Feb '05, predating Smiley. Damn.
It is wise to remember that you are one of those who can be fooled some of the time - Lawrence Peter
Good - the Vatican aims to strengthen Christian communities in the Middle East
Oct 11th
I cleaned the toys off the lawn & raked it all. I moved their playhouse & everything in it. I went through the compost pile. I trimmed the weeds by the trampoline. i moved the trampoline itself and searched underneath. No Franklin. Maybe he skedaddled 'neath the shed, but if he did he's SOL. Lisa wants to think he's quote "truckin'" endquote on down to the pond at the park, & I guess we'll let that myth stand.
In other, happier news: Saturday Lis & watched "Kinky Boots", a Brit film about a man who inherits his father's failing shoe factory & tries to save it by making custom made boots for drag queens. Surprisingly non-camp, the film is predictable but sweet and entertaining. We also picked up LaRoux's album; other than the techno 'Bulletproof', the CD is very mellow, not at all what we expected.
"If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe." - Carl Sagan
Oct 12th
We just cleaned Gingers's room. She really is 1/2 of the 'bookends' - like YaYa, she's a hoarder. Unlike YaYa, however, she also destroys. One drawer had 1/4" of rice crispies; another was coated with orange kool-aid powder she rubbed into the wood. Spilled nail polish & paint. Broken toys. Rotten apples. Broken CHINA. It took two 13 gal. garbage bags + 2 laundry baskets and 2 LAWN & GARDEN bags to clean up the mess. Ok, to be fair 1/2 of the garden bags were devoted to toys I jettisoned, so I guess *that* doesn't count.
For Family Night this week I rented the live action "Marmaduke" and made cajun style salmon cakes with rice and broccoli. Cue the standard kid reactions to unknown food, but they all tried it. Heck, LuLu even liked it. But the best, most honest reaction to my meal? Smiley took a big bite, swallowed, and said "It taste yuck. Me feel like I 'ave to 'uke"
The first of the 33 men trapped in a Chilean mine since August 5 has arrived at the surface in a rescue capsule, greeted by hugs and cheers. - CNN
Oct 13th
I caught Ginger having a tea party in her room. Her drink of choice (which she was chugging liberally)? The pail of water we'd used to mop her floor.
The last of the Chilean miners has reached the surface, and I'm so genuinely happy for all of them it's nuts. What a great, honest, moving story of heroism and determination. Kudos to the government of Chile for fixing the problem, not the blame, and doing everything they could to rescue their people. I wish nothing but the best for the miners and their families. God Bless them all!
Oct 14th
A few days ago I finished "Star Island" by Carl Hiassen, an entertaining but forgettable novel about a spoiled pop star. I'm now ~ 150 pg's into Jimmy Carter's "White House Diary", which would mark the 4th bk on his Presidency I've read in the last 12 months. It's fascinating stuff, and at some point I'll devote a blog post or FB 'note' to some talking points about the text.
Took Smiley to visit his old school & sign him up for speech. The outporing of love for him there was great - everyone from office staff to teachers came to hug him, comment on his growth spurt, & tell him they miss him. His old teach even let him spend 1/2 hr in her class w/ his old friends. Best line? She sd his summer school teach emailed her to say Park liked being Heidi's student 'cuz she "blond and pretty" :)
Ironic license plate of the day: SUBTL T
Oct 15th
I've finished "Bad Blood", a Virgil Flowers mystery by John Sandford I read entirely on a Nook. It was great start to finish, and those last fifty pages - whoa.
"30 Days of Night: Dark Days"? I didn't even pay for the rental, and I *still* want a refund.
Bear
'Bear', a 2010 movie directed by John Rebel, was just . . . yeah.
I'm not sure who should be more embarrassed, the folks responsible for creating this drivel, or yours truly for thinking "well, crap, at least *they* managed to get something produced. What does that say about my own talent?"
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
The 15 Directors Quiz
15 Directors in 15 Minutes
The Rules: Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen Directors who've influenced you and that will ALWAYS STICK WITH YOU. List the first fifteen you can recall in no more than fifteen minutes..
Steven Spielberg
Francis Ford Coppola
James Cameron
Roman Polanski
Alfred Hitchcock
John Ford
Victor Fleming
Ashley Altodonna
Kurasawa
Oliver Stone
Frank Capra
Clint Eastwood
Billy Wilder
John Landis
Martin Scorsese
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Dance Class 2010-11
After a one year hiatus caused by financial hardship, the kids are now back in dance class, thanks to a generous payment option.
Actually, this is the first year *all* of the kids are dancing, which is a heck of a blow to our schedule. Monday's YaYa, Smiley and Ginger dance, which means we have to keep the two little one's busy for nearly two hours while YaYa dances. (it's too far to drive home and back). Saturday morning's are devoted to Lu's class.
These are some camera phone pics Lisa took on the sly, as parents aren't even supposed to be in the studio during a class.
Actually, this is the first year *all* of the kids are dancing, which is a heck of a blow to our schedule. Monday's YaYa, Smiley and Ginger dance, which means we have to keep the two little one's busy for nearly two hours while YaYa dances. (it's too far to drive home and back). Saturday morning's are devoted to Lu's class.
These are some camera phone pics Lisa took on the sly, as parents aren't even supposed to be in the studio during a class.
Movies, Farmville, and Baseball - FB the 1st week of October
Oct 3rd
Watched the first two episodes of Carnivale; I liked it, & will add the rest to my Netflix list. Still loving the hell out of the BBC "Life on Mars". The kids liked "The Last Song" but I didn't see more than 5 minutes of it. Wish i could say the same for "MacGruber", which was piss-fing-poor even by SNL movie standards. We could only stomach 15 minutes before throwing the DVD out the window.
Oct 4th
4X this school year my oldest three have been late for school because Lauren's bus can't make up its mind if it wants to be 10 min early or 20 min late for the scheduled pickup. %$%#
After work, w/ the other kids off at dance or Girl Scouts, I took LuL to Tenuta's for a kiddie cocktail and an order of garlic bread (1/2 price before six folks). As usual she was a chatterbox as we sat at the bar, and it was a good time. She's a good kid, she really is. Short, but good ;)
Oct 5th
Last night a nightmare woke me up at 3 in the morning. I was absolutely convinced that Whoopi Goldberg had died, and woke Lisa up to tell her. Why my subconscious would give a sh** about her passing is still under investigation.
Oct 6th
Every problem has a solution, except for those that do not.
Rule #1 for the thriller/action/horror filmmaker: in the first act you must either explain why the protagonist's cell phone isn't working, or conspire to destroy/lose it before the action starts. If you don't, four minutes into the flick the audience is wondering why the dummy doesn't just call 911.
Oct 7th
Today is the 25th anniversary of the cartoon She-Ra.
Financially troubled Grand Avenue Mall is up for sale.
Yesterday the Phillies' Halladay pitched a no-hitter in the NLDS. Wow. Great job.
I've finished "Handling the Undead" by Swedish author John Ajvide Lindvist. Yes, superficially it's a zombie novel, as the dead do rise, but that label does it a disservice. The dead are not violent, active, or even aware; the story is not about them, but about how their appearance affects the relationships and emotions of their loved ones. It's a damn good novel, and well written.
We watched "The Time Traveler's Wife" tonight. I don't regret the 90 minutes we spent watching it, but I'd rate it slightly less than average. Still, an OK 'pass the time' - no pun intended - flick.
Watched the first two episodes of Carnivale; I liked it, & will add the rest to my Netflix list. Still loving the hell out of the BBC "Life on Mars". The kids liked "The Last Song" but I didn't see more than 5 minutes of it. Wish i could say the same for "MacGruber", which was piss-fing-poor even by SNL movie standards. We could only stomach 15 minutes before throwing the DVD out the window.
Oct 4th
4X this school year my oldest three have been late for school because Lauren's bus can't make up its mind if it wants to be 10 min early or 20 min late for the scheduled pickup. %$%#
After work, w/ the other kids off at dance or Girl Scouts, I took LuL to Tenuta's for a kiddie cocktail and an order of garlic bread (1/2 price before six folks). As usual she was a chatterbox as we sat at the bar, and it was a good time. She's a good kid, she really is. Short, but good ;)
Oct 5th
Last night a nightmare woke me up at 3 in the morning. I was absolutely convinced that Whoopi Goldberg had died, and woke Lisa up to tell her. Why my subconscious would give a sh** about her passing is still under investigation.
Oct 6th
Every problem has a solution, except for those that do not.
Rule #1 for the thriller/action/horror filmmaker: in the first act you must either explain why the protagonist's cell phone isn't working, or conspire to destroy/lose it before the action starts. If you don't, four minutes into the flick the audience is wondering why the dummy doesn't just call 911.
Oct 7th
Today is the 25th anniversary of the cartoon She-Ra.
Financially troubled Grand Avenue Mall is up for sale.
Yesterday the Phillies' Halladay pitched a no-hitter in the NLDS. Wow. Great job.
Here's some more Farmville pics.
I've finished "Handling the Undead" by Swedish author John Ajvide Lindvist. Yes, superficially it's a zombie novel, as the dead do rise, but that label does it a disservice. The dead are not violent, active, or even aware; the story is not about them, but about how their appearance affects the relationships and emotions of their loved ones. It's a damn good novel, and well written.
We watched "The Time Traveler's Wife" tonight. I don't regret the 90 minutes we spent watching it, but I'd rate it slightly less than average. Still, an OK 'pass the time' - no pun intended - flick.
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