Dissolution by CJ Sansom

After a miserable day at work yest I finished CJ Sansom's "Dissolution", a Tudor era mystery featuring King's Commisioner Matthew Shardlake. I liked it quite a bit, but admit to becoming irrationally angry at some of the Reformist actions/thoughts expressed through the character. Also, I guessed the murderer's identity - but not until about 20 pgs before it was revealed. A good read and recommended.

Phone Photo Dump - My Darling LuLu

There's a few pictures with Junie, and a couple of Smiley in his dance costume, but on the whole these are pics from LuLu's 1st Commmunion Trip to Fort Atkinson. Enjoy!

A couple pics from the dance recital

Watching the Channel 10 Auction with Lisa and LOL at all the crappy artwork and tschotcke's (sic) they're peddling.

The Royal Wedding of William and Kate

I'm watching the Royal wedding w/ Lisa, YaYa, Lu and Smiley

 lovely dress - and the choir just began. Here we go! 

they look very happy, whispering and smiling to each other at the altar beautiful reading and well done 

 My "Royal Wedding Name", according to the FB challenge making the rounds: Lord Michael Prudence Arthur

GI Joe: Rise of Cobra

On a lark I watched "GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra". For a big budget popcorn flick, it was fine. Better than I expected really, tho' the Flash Gordon technology was tiresome. So was the acting. Channing Tatum seemed to think he was hired to imitate Mark Wahlberg's worst traits, while Marlon Wayan's signed on for a degrading minstrel show performance.

With LuLu at Wendy's

FB'ing the end of January

Jan 23rd - the Packers win the Halas trophy and advance to the Super Bowl:

I am so happy, so happy I requested off months ago for the Super Bowl!

Hey Brett - F*** U again. Sincerely, Ted Thompson

Jan 24th

I finished Robert Crais' "The Sentry", a Joe Pike/Elvis Cole novel centered around the suspected kidnapping of Pike's love interest. It's on par with Crais' other books, which is to say it's a strong story populated by great characters. I do wish, however, that he'd bring back some of the humor that was present in his early work.

Jan 25th

We just finished watching the first season of The Amazing Race. Minor discord there at the end, with me rooting on the eventual winners while Lisa, a fan of the runner ups, accused me of betraying my economic and social class with my decision. Either way, no losers on that show. Even if you're eliminated in week 1, you see more of the world than most people do in a lifetime.

[now] watching 'the notorious landlady' w/ Kim Novak, Jack Lemmon and Fred Astaire

6 pm. Saturday July 6th 1957. [the date/time when Lennon and McCartney first met]

Here's the cover YaYa made for her Expo project, a bio of a famous Wisconsinite. Her choice: Barbie who, yes indeed, is alleged to hail from these parts.



And some ad-libbed work by LuLu



According to an email I just received, a Packers column I wrote should be in Thursday's Journal-Sentinel. I'll let you know if it pans out.

Jan 28th

Thank you to the folks who bought GS cookies from my girls, esp those who went out of their way w/ their generosity

It's petty, but I am sore with a) the headline JS gave my piece B) a glaring typo they introduced into it (it is not in my submission) and c) an edit that took out a line that had a lot of humor and heart. But they paid me, so it's all sour grapes. so OFW.

I made tandoori chicken and rice pilaf for dinner last night, and it was a disaster. Awful. Sitcom awful. Smiley and I were the only ones who swallowed more than the mandatory one bite - Lisa included :( the ckn was undercooked, the rice was crunchy and the spices were too strong. Plus the yogurt tasted off. It bit a*s. Even the cats avoided the scraps.

‎25 yrs since the Challenger exploded. U'd think the anniversary would get more ink, but the nat'l tragedies of the last quarter century - waco, OK city, columbine, 9/11 - seem to make it less impactful on our collective memory.

Facts are for people who can't create their own truth - Get Fuzzy {1/27/11}

Jan 29th

watching the 2011 US.Figure Skating Championships on NBC

I found our old Baby Songs DVD and to my suprise Smiley was ecstatic. He and LuLu are watching it now, singing and laughing along. Good times :)

Zikes. Even the most sedate, productive, happy days can descend into chaos and drama before changing back just as quickly. Life is just a big helping of messy, unpredictable disorder I guess.

Jan 30th

(Pantera playing) LuLu: Dad, turn that off! Me: Why? LuLu: 'Cuz it's ugly music!

Pantera, btw, is loud, aggressive metal. She was in a critical mood, and later objected to my demonstration of the Humpty Dance. There's no pleasing some folks.

Jan 31st

who needs internet porn when u can watch Katy Perry's 'Teenage Dream' video? Well done Mrs.Brand, well done. In other news Cold War Kids were pretty darn good.

‎'RED' was ok, but in the end was little more than cookie cutter action/comedy. What comedic bright spots there were came largely courtesy of Mary Louise Parker.

I love this quote: It's always too early to quit - Norman Vincent Peale

A photo dump from my phone - dance pics, Smiley's art, goofy faces

Our "Easter"

Since I worked all weekend and Lisa was up north on Saturday, our Easter is *today*. Took the kids to Mass at 8:15, big dinner at 4:30. Ham is in the oven, kielbasa in the slow cooker, potatoes peeled and cut, hard boiled eggs peeled and ready for . . er, deviling. Desperately hoping for a nap b4 the final push . . . but instead I'm outside Stonefire waiting to conduct a Craigslist purchase of kids clothing. Big scary man alone outside kids play area = not most well thought out meeting place