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Monday, March 21, 2011

 And the Slapczynski kids are late again, this is ridiculous. I officially have to take over the alarm now. - Lisa

Tardy. Again.

And the Slap kids are late again, this is ridiculous. I officially have to take over the alarm now. - Lisa

Sunday, March 20, 2011

National Champs!

BADGERS WIN! 2011 NCAA WOMEN'S HOCKEY CHAMPIONS!

Man on Wire

We finished watching 'Man on Wire' the documentary about Phillipe Petit's 1974 high wire walk between the twin towers of the World Trade Center. Wonderful, wonderful film. Petit is a marvelous interview, full of life and passion, and I enjoyed the documentary immensely.

Right Now

I'm with LuLu at a Girl Scout cookie sale at a church. outside getting some air. I love cold rainy days, but i'm worried the seams of the gutters i fixed on our house yest might not have had time to cure . . .

Other Kingdoms by Richard Matheson

I was ridiculously excited to see the legendary Richard Matheson wrote a new novel, 'Other Kingdoms'. 

Sadly it had no discernable plot, the typically childish portrayal of romance that has always been the chink in his writing armorer, he pontificates about new age voodoo, & the style was right up there w/ a freshman lit paper. 

Ugh. Epic fail. Epic.

How I Spent the Halfway Mark to my 74th Birthday

Thanks to everyone on FB for their kind Birthday wishes - believe me, they made me smile!



It was a damn fine birthday, although nothing exciting by most definitions of the word. I got up at 8, took YaYa over to a friend's house, stopped at Walgreens, went to the bank, and got an oil change, all before 10.

Then with the help of my friends Eric & Erv I repaired/replaced the busted gutters on my porch, and I also cleared the drainage tile of debris and widened its waste channel before stopping at a cookie sale for Grace's troop. While I was doing that Lisa went to the mall to get a bday cookie for me, and to have our wedding rings inspected (for the continuing warranty). It was important to me that I get something productive done to start the 'new' year.

(while it was pretty darn chilly outside today, the kids spent much of the day playing in the backyard and reacquainting themselves with the trampoline. Meanwhile YaYa was at a production of Annie at the Fireside for a friend's bday)








By then it was four-ish, and I sat down to enjoy my new toy - a Sony Blu Ray player SDP-380. It wasn't a bday gift per se, as I purchased it a week ago. But I finally had it up and running today, and it has already become one of my Favorite Things. I can stream Netflix, Hulu, Pandora, FearNet, some on-demand services, and more. I may never again leave the couch.

Tonight alone we (Lisa, me, and our friend Chris) watched:

Smokey and the Bandit - neat fact: you can learn geography from the Bandit. West to East, you traverse TX, Arkansas, Mississipi, Alabama and Georgia in order. Preferably w/ Sally Fields riding shotgun.

REC - the Spanish movie that seems to be the scene by scene, line by line inspiration for the movie 'Quarantine'. Although they are essentially the same movie, this version seemed much more powerful. Perhaps because, robbed of its American setting, the gov't quarantine seemed less an act of conspiracy than a rational reaction to a plague. I liked it.

Speaking of conspiracy, howsabout 'Paul McCartney Really is Dead' a "documentary" which claims to use secret tapes made by George Harrison to prove Paul died in 1966. Like most conspiracy theories, it loses credibility as it inevitably morphs into paranoia that turns anything into 'evidence'. Still, for the most part it was fun to watch, if FOS.

Don't Look Back - a French language pyschological thriller w/ a difficult to follow plot. For the record, I 'get' the ending, Mr.snooty smarty-pants; I just didn't like it. 90% of the movie was good, inc. all of the scenes of Monica Bellucci (natch), but I think they dragged the gimmick out too long. I would hesitate to recommend this.

Grace - a movie about a stillborn baby who returns to life w/ a hunger for human blood. Not as bad as you imagine, but if I had to guess I'd say the intelligent, nicely foreshadowed ending I saw coming was scrapped in favor of a crass, gross-out finale. Two stars.

UHF - I watched ten minutes, gagged, and stopped it.

I'm Still Here - the documentary/mockumentary? of Joaquin Phoenix. A very good film, if depressing.









Oh, and Erv made me sit and listen to twenty minutes of NPR, which is 19 minutes 29 seconds longer than I cared to listen to the unfunny, pretentious drivel.

Again folks - thanks for the well wishes!

.

Friday, March 18, 2011



 

The School Talent Show!!!

LuLu and her friend Britanny after performing at the school talent show.





gc after her performance....her very brave totally ad-libbed performance.

This was so bad - YaYa

Nah, you were a doll, always and forever! - Mom







Butt still hurts and pain meds make me sleepy and i'm running out. House is trashed from our mini-remodel. Reminds me of the constant destruction we lived in when we first bought the house. It was exhausting but gave purpose to everyday. - Lisa

Thursday, March 17, 2011

 The sink/vanity is done. All that remains is to replace the medicine chest mirror.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

 The dryawall is mudded/sanded/painted, the vanity and sink are installed . . . and the bleeping j-trap is too short for the new pipe. So we are stalled at 90% .. .

A Sleepy Day

Soooooo tired. Exhausted really. I'm confused. I don't know if I'm coming down with something or if this is some flukey 'sleepy' day.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

 Lots of child abuse stories in the news...makes me sick. - Lisa

On Japan

I have nothing but praise for the Japanese and their character during this tragedy. The damage there is so much worse than it was in NOLA, and yet there are no reports of looting, of mass rape, or of violence. They deserve the help and respect of the world.

In Progress - The Bathroom Sink Replacement

 


Earthquake and Tsunami

I have nothing but praise for the Japanese and their character during this tragedy. Compare their attitude & actions w/ those of our our own people in NOLA - the devastation and loss of life/property is so much worse in Japan and yet there are no reports of looting, of mass rape, or of violence. They deserve the help and respect of the world.

Monday, March 14, 2011

 Any guy dumb enough to label Jean Harlow and Carole Lombard as 'average' while worshiping Julia 'Secretariat' Roberts should have his man parts removed forthwith.

A Small Bathroom Remodel

 10 o'clock at night and we've decided to begin our (minor) bathroom remodel. I've disconnected the pipes and removed the old sink, and Lisa just undid the antique medicine cabinet. Stamped on the back of the mirror and hidden for decades: "[illegible] Glass Co., November 18, 1938, Cincinnati Ohio."











FB thru Jan 22nd

Jan 16th

I'd give you my opinion of 'The A-Team', but I fear it was the vodka that made the flick even remotely watchable last night. Anyhow, Happy Birthday to Chris and Jaspare, and many more to them both.

Wow, what a coup for law enforcement {smirk}, bragging about finding a fugitive after thirty years. In 1980 Jackson McDonald escaped from custody on a weed smuggling charge, then lived a law-abiding life for 30 years. He even owned his own appliance store. But now justice is served, by golly, and the 72 yr old will be trotted out to justify the latest budget proposal from the Marshals office.

Jan 17th


Begin to be now what you will be hereafter - William James

200 cows mysteriously died in Portage County (Wisconsin).

Researchers claim they'll create living mammoths within five years.

Made an ass of myself this AM. On the flipside, when snow delayed me on the way to wrk I got the chance to listen to MLK's 'I have a dream' speech on the radio in its entirety. As powerful as its reputation, even 48 yrs on.

Jan 18th

RIP Sargent Shriver, age 95

Regis Philbin has announced his retirement. So long Reg. I've enjoyed your run.

Prince Fielder just signed for 15.5 million dollars.

Convey Calm

This should, if I did it right, link to my first paid writing gig - a $5 blurb in Boys Life 23 yrs ago.

We just finished 'Devil', a movie created (but not directed) by M. Night Shamalan. It's about 5 strangers stuck in an elevator. Sadly for 4 of the passengers, the 5th is the Devil. I expected cheese and instead found a suspenseful, entertaining horror film that was a teensy-bit short on the actual horror. {applause}

Just finished "Buried" w/ Ryan Reynolds, a film about a civilian contractor kidnapped & buried alive in Iraq. I think it would have made a suspenseful novel, but as a movie . . . well, to quote Lisa "it's about a guy in a box talking on the phone for two hours". I like how they tried to present a Leftist view of the war and the Iraqi 'insurrgents', then have the Iraqi's not only bury the guy but ask him to mutilate himself on camera for their enjoyment. i think the latter is the more accurate view.

YaYa's Junior trip went on a field trip to Petco, where they got to handle many of the animals in the store.

Jan 19th

Study finds oldest known domesticated dog in Americas (10,000 yrs) - and it was apparently tasty, too

Jan 20th

‎30 years ago today Sr Pat, my kindergarten teacher, took our class to the music room across the hall to watch Reagan's inauguration. At some point during the broadcast it was announced that the Iran hostages were free, and I've never forgotten the look of relief on her face. "Thank God!" she said. I think she spoke for a lot of Americans that day.

It's also the 50th anniversary of JFK's inauguration, and his 'Ask Not' speech.

Wind chills of -20 to -30 degrees F are expected tonight

*Unofficial* news today that I will be asked to stay on for a third year as a community columnist for the Journal-Sentinel. (There's a new editor in charge of the opinion page, so it may still be ixnayed.)

Here's two pics of our cat Angelcakes, and an old shot of Lauren that I adore. She's seated next to our friend Chris.





Jan 21st

Bundled Ginger up to brave the negative wind chill today and took her to school - only to realize MPS has a scheduled day off today. D'oh!

I greatly admire Rod Serling.

"Nothing shows more thoughtlessness than the idiocy that it makes no difference what you believe; it all depends on the way you live. On the contrary, we act on our beliefs; our ideas are motorsprings in action; if our thinking is bad our actions will be bad." Archbishop Fulton Sheen

Some pics of Ginger:




Sunday, March 13, 2011

Truthers

 @ wrk I had to deal with a Truther & his loudly stated beliefs - see T-shirt reading "Investigate 9/11!". Like all Americans he is entitled to his opinion, based on the absurdly tiny amount of information he bothered to learn before he formed it. But I did enjoy the fact that someone so obsessed w/ conspiracy was apparently 'taken' - a Visa gift card he accepted as pay was empty.

A Day at the Symphony

Girl Scout symphony outing. - Lisa


While I was at work Lisa took the girls on a Scout trip to the Symphony, where LuLu won a copy of Lemony Snicket's "The Composer is Dead".

YaYa said she enjoyed the music, while Lulu said it was boring (but she was tired when I asked her). Then, a miserable night of subpar Sun TV, w/ no movie on hand. It was down to The Nanny (good) & '3 Ninjas' (suicide inducing).

 @ wrk I had to deal with a Truther & his loudly stated beliefs - see T-shirt reading "Investigate 9/11!". Like all Americans he is entitled to his opinion, based on the absurdly tiny amount of information he bothered to learn before he formed it. But I did enjoy the fact that someone so obsessed w/ conspiracy was apparently 'taken' - a Visa gift card he accepted as pay was empty.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Moseing (is that the right spelling?) up to the middle of January

Jan 5th

‎'Dinner for Schmucks' was hit and miss, w/ a few laughs and not a whole lot more to offer. PBS's contemporary 'Sherlock' is grand and a credit to the character. And there's no loser on "The Amazing Race" as even the eliminated teams experience sights and experiences I can only dream about.

I have friends on FB who strongly believe otherwise, but I feel that the anti-vaccine movement is a serious threat to public health. To find that one of the cornerstones of that movement is not only a discredited study, but a deliberately fraudulent one, cements that notion. Sadly, as per a CNN.com article "[believers are] not going to let the facts dissuade their beliefs that MMR causes autism"

Jan 6th

I rented 'The Last Exorcism' expecting a lousy film. I'm happy to say I was wrong. A disillusioned preacher asks a documentary crew to film him during an exorcism, so that he can reveal his profession to be a scam. Obviously it doesn't go as planned,but throughout you're never sure if the girl is possessed, mentally ill, crying out for help, a victim or a con herself. Very scary at times and solid throughout. Bravo.

Tomorrow, the two oldest start selling girl scout cookies, so let us know starting tomorrow how many cases you'd like, LOL. $3.75 a box this year, & worth every penny for the opportunities they allow girls locally and globally! Did you know that Thin Mints are 2nd only to OREOS in nationwide sales?!! Now imagine if Girl Scouts sold their thin mints more then just one month out of the year! Thin Mint domination!!

Jan 8th

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has died after being shot during a mass shooting in a store in Tucson, Arizona, law enforcement source tells CNN. NOTE: the report was wrong. She survived. Many others did not, including the 9 yr old granddaughter of former MLB manager Dallas Green.


We watched SALT last night, and I liked it a lot. It was a fun and decently intelligent thriller. Angelina Jolie, while a blonde and therefore not as hot as usual, was great as a suspected Russian sleeper agent. She's earned the crown of best ever female action hero . . . although, come to think of it, I can't think of another candidate.

Jan 9th

No time to say this yesterday, as I worked 'til 10, but congrats to the Seahawks, my 2nd favorite NFC team. It was a pain to follow the game at work, gleaming bits of info from customers, but I can't argue with the result

Jan 10th

‎'Leaves of Grass' was a bore, a truly pretentious turd of a film. There was the woman who answered questions by reciting verses of poetry, the discources on philosophy, needless gore & 'Parent Trap' FX. That enough for ya? OTOH, "The Invention of Lying" was pleasant enough, it's atheist plot notwithstanding. How a man can work alongside Jennifer Garner & not believe there's a Creator at work is beyond me.

I learned that I shouldn't get high to come up with ideas. I should come up with ideas and then get high to reward myself. - South Park "A Million Little Fibers"

RIP Dick Winters, the WWII officer featured in the series Band of Brothers



Jan 11th

We couldn't find a babysitter (6 months today!) so we took Ginger w/ us to lunch at Olive Garden. Subpar service but good food, and Ginger was an angel. She's gone from Thug to darling over the last few wks, and right now she's the apple of my eye. BTW, thanks Pam & Tre for the OG GC.

A man who fears suffering is already suffering from what he fears. - Michel de Montaigne

MySpace has cut its staff in half

A 6,000 year old wine press has been found in Armenia

Jan 12th

Aww man. RIP David Nelson of Ozzie and Harriet

Jan 13th

I love Jimmy Stewart's office in the movie 'Bell, Book and Candle'

"I felt awestruck, affirmed in my belief that there were no bounds to ingenuity when it met the curve of need." - Keith Hollihan, 'The Four Stages of Cruelty'

Jan 15th

A friend just asked to borrow $ from me to get a tatoo on her foot. Correct me if I'm wrong, but we *have* met before right? Asking Dan Slap- to pay for a woman's foot to be marred is like asking the Pope to wizz on the Bible.

The tat in it's final location. Work by Zoe's Vicious Circle on Howard Ave.




I finished Keith Hollihan's 'The Four Stages of Cruelty', a novel about the CO's & inmates of a max security prison. It's a good story, & Hollihan is a talented stylist. IMO the bks biggest handicap is its cover, styled to look like the panels of a comic bk. It gives a completely wrong impression of the contents & I'm sure many people have walked on by it w/out a second thought.

"Bad temper is an indication of a man's character; every man can be judged by the things which make him mad." Archbishop Fulton Sheen

One Brett Favre stat no one ever talks about: in his career Farve has put his hands under another man's ass over 20,000 times. (h/t Mick Lexington)
For dinner I made a huge pot of Zuppa Toscana from a Olive Garden knock-off recipie I found online. I tweaked it by adding chopped fennel and using half and half in place of 2/3rds of the required heavy cream. Quite deeelish. Now Lis and the newly tattooed Chris are out celebrating the latter's bday w/ a mutual friend, & I'm sitting down for the Packers playoff game vs Atlanta.

Tramon Williams' is gonna have to change his name to Sherman, 'cuz he done burned Atlanta!

[The Pack won and advanced]