Let's Sell it on Ebay!

Our miraculous continental US pancake

Hell's Kitchen

We just finished watching Season Five of Hell's Kitchen. It's a lot of fun to watch, as I've noted five times now, but I do wish they'd add a little variety to the challenges. Still, congrats to winner Danny Veltri, who as usual went on to become 'the executive chef' at a Ramsay restaurant - aka, a standard sous chef. Most mislabeled prize in all of reality TV.

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, has died at age 56. RIP

Way to go Aaron!

QB Aaron Rodgers has been named the "NFC Offensive Player of the Week" for the second time this season

A Job in the Dells?

OK, just finished my 30 min phone interview, the 4th step in the WI Dells process. I think it went well, but whadda I know? If I get this, it means $ - the *starting* wage is more $ than I've ever earned - and relocation (she told me the $ they'll give me for relocation and apologized for the amount. Apologize? I thought the relocation amount was my ANNUAL wage - and I was happy.) Too good to be true, which means it won't happen.

Dancing robots getting off with no apology to Dubya. Or something like that.

It's no secret I'm a fan of Dubya - his 2004 victory was the impetus for this blog's creation - so I'd wager it's a bit of surprise when I say I just finished his presidential autobiography Decision Points, a year after its publication. Yes, it's shameful of me, but in fairness I do have a poster of the book's cover adorning my locker at work. I deserve at least partial credit for that.

Stylistically, I didn't love the book. The format is reminiscent of 41's own Presidential memoir, which focused on specific crises instead of a chronological approach. I liked both books, but wouldn't have minded a more in-depth examination of the day to day of the office.

In addition the book sometimes seemed written in staccato little bursts, without much description or grace. The text does improve dramatically, IMO, as the book progresses, which is odd, as I say hook 'em early, but maybe it's what it seems like; an author simply gaining confidence and direction as he gets more practice under his belt.

Content-wise, I thought the book was great, providing detail and corroborating evidence for many of the decisions he made. Even a casual read tips you off at how biased and selective the media and the Left were during his administration. I have more to say, but I'm wise enough to know that he's a polarizing figure, and your take on the book will be manipulated by your opinion of the man himself.

As I am not a nut, a hippie, or a Hollywood actor, I greatly enjoyed the book.
I am certain, absolutely certain, that 100 years from now this man will be ranked among the top tier of US Presidents.



Gotta Dance is a documentary about a senior citizens hip hop dance group that performed at the home games of the New Jersey Nets (NBA). It was fun to watch and the performers had personality galore. It teetered on the edge of exploitation for a second, holding the group up as little more than a novelty PR stunt, but it found its footing and succeeded in showing them as a courageous, impressive bunch. Available to stream via Netflix.



I won't spend much time on Mitt Romney's book, No Apology, simply because its mentioned in a Facebook related post already. Obama lite? Read this and try saying that phrase with a straight face. The guy destroys Obama on foreign policy and lays out a pro-business, centrist domestic agenda too. My only beef was with his energy policy, or rather the chapter on it, as it was clearly written to appease everyone on both sides, and hence satisfies no one.



I rented Transformers 3 knowing the atrocity that was its predecessor; no plot, fight scenes where you couldn't tell who was who, wayyyyy too long, etc.

This one? This one was damned good.

Ok, sure, the love interest was lame. Not only did this kid land yet another supermodel girlfriend, he managed to score one that was just as bad an actress as the first. Geesh.

But aside from that, I loved the film. The plot was (mostly) coherent, you could easily ID the good guys from the bad, the humans were more than window dressing and played a role in shaping the future of their world, and the effects - oh Mommy. The special effects were wicked good. That twisty/snakey thing that chewed up a skyscraper? The car chase on the DC Beltway? Wow.

Yeah, yeah, it's a popcorn flick. I still think it rocked. A.



You know what didn't rock? Lawrence Block's new book Getting Off. I love the guy, even if his dialogue sometimes veers towards cutesy, but this one was a turd. The main character, a stunningly beautiful woman, was involved in an ongoing sexual relationship with her father in her teenage years. Ick. Double ick for having it referenced in some detail more than once. Triple ick for having it tossed out there when it was no longer essential to driving the plot.

Oh, and then she grows up and makes her living by seducing men, torturing and killing them, and stealing their money. You know, scalping a man while forcing him to have sex with her, then mutilating his . . .

Ick.

I didn't finish the book, and I hope you never try. What a waste of time, money, and dead trees.

Ick.

Pigg-a-lee Wig-a-Lee

Quoteth the Junie: "Pig-a-lee Wig-a-lee, Shop Da Pig!"

She was singing that the other day when I pick up Lisa, then she would say "My Mom works there" with a big smile - Grandma J

Amanda Knox

Amanda Knox wins appeal, judge orders release . .

Meanwhile, closer to home, the column I wrote Friday will/should be published in Tuesday's Journal-Sentinel. Please buy a copy, or at the very least link to/tweet/FB/comment on the published piece on jsonline.

A Walk to the Den Meeting

Smiley and I walked to his Tiger Cub den meeting today. It was a nice walk on a lovely evening, but near the end he was pretty tired - until some girl from school saw him walking and said hello. Then he was all smiles and asked if we could walk home afterwards too. :)  . . . .BTW - he's selling popcorn as a fundraiser for the Pack. If you'd like to place an order, let me know. A heapin' helpin' of the $ raised stays in his personal Scout account.

Fantasy Football - week 4

Playing my hunches today. With Hillis weakened by illness I'll play Benson in his place, and w/ Sanchez playing Baltimore I'll start Cutler. After Knox was announced as the #2 WR for Chicago just an hour ago, I decided he'll sub in for the 'probable' Manningham. *Fingers crossed*

update: Dang it, I lost my fantasy game by *point six five* points. My decision to start Cutler looked like crud when he earned 1.85 pts (!) but in fact it was the right move; Sanchez earned *negative 9.98*. Benson outscored Hillis, ditto Knox over Manningham. So far so good - except I played Arizona's D over NE. There wasn't much of a scoring difference, just four points, but it was enough. Losing sucks, but I'm confident I'd make the same decisions again, and I was right 3 out of 4x - and the 4th was by a hair. Slapjacks now 2-2.