Anyhow, I did enjoy the breathtaking story of the "Robert E Peary", a freighter that escaped Japanese detection in the Pacific, survived fierce friendly fire, and managed to limp into Port Darwin, Australia nearly intact.
Published writer, compulsive reader, Old School Whovian, Match Game enthusiast, NKOTB fan, data hoarder, and - surprisingly, given that list - married with four kids. Welcome to my take on life, fatherhood, entertainment, and whatever strikes my fancy. Enjoy!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Pearl Harbor Christmas: A World at War December 1941 by Stanley Weintraub
I finished reading "Pearl Harbor Christmas: A World at War December 1941" by Stanley Weintraub. It's an account of the first month the US spent in WWII, and while it was a decent read I'd classify it as "History Lite" (think a one hour PBS special, as opposed to an in-depth, well sourced treatise).
Friday, November 11, 2011
Gizmo
Gizzie ~ How odd to think this cat out lived Maddie , Cocoa and everyone else !! Stolen any ham lately :) - Katie
Five Chiefs: A Supreme Court Memoir by John Paul Stevens
I finished reading 'Five Chiefs: A Supreme Court Memoir' by retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens. I learned a lot about the workings of the court, but it was so dry that it seems doomed to be forgotten.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Oops
Graphic seen on ABC Nightly News w/ Diane Sawyer: 'Choas reigns on Campus' (sic). Sctuff like that didn't happen when Peter Jennings was alive, let me tell ya.
A People of Hope: Archbishop Timothy Dolan in conversation with John L. Allen Jr
I finished reading "A People of Hope: Archbishop Timothy Dolan in conversation with John L. Allen Jr". It's a book length interview w/ Dolan on many of the issues concerning the Church today. A great read, tempered by Allen's tendency to insert pop culture references into his commentary. I love Dolan's theory of "affirmative orthodoxy" btw.
Elecktra Luxx
Watched "Elecktra Luxx" a film about a recently retired porn star, an adoring blogger/fan, a cheating housewife, and a dead rock star. You'd think it would be raunchy and vulgar, but you know what? It was kind of sweet, and oddly Catholic. Really. A respect for the unborn, an emphasis on love and relationships, and even sincere prayers to the Virgin Mary. An entertaining if odd little film.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Green Lantern
BTW, watched 'Green Lantern' last night. If u forget the embarrassing exposition that started the movie, and closed ur eyes 2 some of the script's weaknesses, it was actually pretty darn entertaining.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Prayers
I'm watching live coverage of the crash on 41/45 near Holy Hill Rd. Two semis, at least 3 cars, and 160 gallons of diesel fuel. Yikes.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Zhu Zhu and Penguins
Today we picked up NINE Zhu Zhu pets (all working, but two not 'running') and one Club Penguin figurine, along w/ various other toys for $5.50. Rock on Value Village, Rock on.
A Walk in the Park with Smiley and Ginger
Over this past weekend I took my two youngest for a walk to a friends house, only to divert to the park when my friend was called away. We spent quite a bit of time enjoying the sights, especially the pond at the center of the park.
They greatly enjoyed playing on the rocks at the edge of the water.
It was a very nice walk, and a great time with two great kids.
They greatly enjoyed playing on the rocks at the edge of the water.
It was a very nice walk, and a great time with two great kids.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
The Affair by Lee Child
I finished reading Lee Childs' "The Affair". I greatly enjoyed reading it, BUT upon review I've soured on it. As it includes spoilers, I'll leave those thoughts for the comments.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Tension City: Presidential Debates from Kennedy-Nixon to Obama-McCain" by Jim Leher.
Over the weekend I finished reading "Tension City: Presidential Debates from Kennedy-Nixon to Obama-McCain" by Jim Leher. A memoir of his own time as a pres. debate moderator, the book offers nothing new to anyone familiar with history. While the point of the book is to stress the importance of Presidential debates, it actually proves the opposite, giving ample examples of how appearance and one-liners triumph over substance.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Junie wins the costume contest!
We had a great time at the STAA Halloween Hoopla. Junie even won the costume contest in her age bracket for her "Uni the Unicorn" outfit!
Friday, October 28, 2011
Double Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
I finished reading "Double Dexter" by Jeff Lindsay, but don't feel up to a review right now.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
My Week
October 16th
"Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon died today in an Indy car crash. RIP"
"Not the biggest sports story of the night, I know, but I just lost my fantasy matchup. My team matched its projected total, finishing at 97.3 points, but my opponent, alas, notched 119.68. CIN did great for me (23.5 pts) but that $@# Hillis went out w/ an injury after running all of 14 yards, and as usual my WR corps earned #'s worthy of the 1905 Rutgers squad. 2 - 4 now on the year, loser of 3 in a row. Not good. Not good at all."
"What a lousy, emphatic end to the Brewers season. All allegiance now to the Rangers nation, in hopes that they can send the Cards home without a ring. Memo to future Brewers teams, only half tongue in cheek: avoid playing the Cardinals in best of seven series. It doesn't appear to be our forte."
October 17th
"i just met Tom Oslowski, a scout (currently for the Tigers) who was responsible for Darrin Erstad being drafted by the Angels"
"Sunday we watched "Vidal Sassoon: The Movie" a documentary on the life and career of the innovative tycoon: his rough childhood (including years in an orphanage) his service in the Israeli armed forces, his innovative hair salons, his media presence and his continued influence in the industry. I thoroughly enjoyed the film and finished it with a new respect for Sassoon. Available to stream via Netflix."
October 19th
"when the pressure builds too high, even volcanoes boil over, and they are made of stone. (You) are made of slightly softer stuff - Jeff Lindsay"
October 20th
"Happy Bithday Sinatra! Xoxo"
"CNN headline: "Gadhafi is dead, according to Arab sources. CNN has not confirmed the reports." FOX's less sensationalist headline: "Conflicting Reports That Gadhafi has been killed or captured". Yay Fox for doing your job right . ."
[he was dead, murdered on camera by NATO supported rebels]
"Don't argue with an idiot, others might see you and not recognize the difference"
October 21st
"Obama, actively in re-election mode, is as we speak announcing a full pullout of US troops from Iraq. CNN, oddly enough, led off by reporting this is the result of a failure to negotiate a plan to have some troops remain in-country to train Iraqi forces. Just as well. We'll need the troops for Libya, East Africa, and everywhere else our resident Nobel Peace Prize winner wishes to kill known bad guys and replace them w/ heretofore unknown bad guys."
"i see Barnes and Noble bought Borders' Facebook accounts, and B&N is now posting under the "Borders" name. Welcome to a monopoly."
October 22nd
Busy day of errands and shuttling the kids around town. Went to Yaya's volleyball game, picked her up from a bday party, got lu ready for camp, etc
"playing little red riding hood w/ Ginger"
"(Ginger, running her fingers along a wrinkle) Daddy, why you got stripes on your forehead?"
"Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon died today in an Indy car crash. RIP"
"Not the biggest sports story of the night, I know, but I just lost my fantasy matchup. My team matched its projected total, finishing at 97.3 points, but my opponent, alas, notched 119.68. CIN did great for me (23.5 pts) but that $@# Hillis went out w/ an injury after running all of 14 yards, and as usual my WR corps earned #'s worthy of the 1905 Rutgers squad. 2 - 4 now on the year, loser of 3 in a row. Not good. Not good at all."
"What a lousy, emphatic end to the Brewers season. All allegiance now to the Rangers nation, in hopes that they can send the Cards home without a ring. Memo to future Brewers teams, only half tongue in cheek: avoid playing the Cardinals in best of seven series. It doesn't appear to be our forte."
October 17th
"i just met Tom Oslowski, a scout (currently for the Tigers) who was responsible for Darrin Erstad being drafted by the Angels"
"Sunday we watched "Vidal Sassoon: The Movie" a documentary on the life and career of the innovative tycoon: his rough childhood (including years in an orphanage) his service in the Israeli armed forces, his innovative hair salons, his media presence and his continued influence in the industry. I thoroughly enjoyed the film and finished it with a new respect for Sassoon. Available to stream via Netflix."
October 19th
"when the pressure builds too high, even volcanoes boil over, and they are made of stone. (You) are made of slightly softer stuff - Jeff Lindsay"
October 20th
"Happy Bithday Sinatra! Xoxo"
"CNN headline: "Gadhafi is dead, according to Arab sources. CNN has not confirmed the reports." FOX's less sensationalist headline: "Conflicting Reports That Gadhafi has been killed or captured". Yay Fox for doing your job right . ."
[he was dead, murdered on camera by NATO supported rebels]
"Don't argue with an idiot, others might see you and not recognize the difference"
October 21st
"Obama, actively in re-election mode, is as we speak announcing a full pullout of US troops from Iraq. CNN, oddly enough, led off by reporting this is the result of a failure to negotiate a plan to have some troops remain in-country to train Iraqi forces. Just as well. We'll need the troops for Libya, East Africa, and everywhere else our resident Nobel Peace Prize winner wishes to kill known bad guys and replace them w/ heretofore unknown bad guys."
"i see Barnes and Noble bought Borders' Facebook accounts, and B&N is now posting under the "Borders" name. Welcome to a monopoly."
October 22nd
Busy day of errands and shuttling the kids around town. Went to Yaya's volleyball game, picked her up from a bday party, got lu ready for camp, etc
"playing little red riding hood w/ Ginger"
"(Ginger, running her fingers along a wrinkle) Daddy, why you got stripes on your forehead?"
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
The first week of March on Facebook
March 1st
"The Journal editor just wrote and asked me to do a column on the fiasco in Madison, citing my POV and my ability to not sound like a nut. I was going to say 'no', but mistakenly emailed a 'yes' reply I was seeking to scuttle. Whoa Nelly, this is gonna bring some hate mail."
“If the Church is not on fire, you should not be talking.” Amen."
"Watching Gov Walker's budget address on 10.2. Good speech, well spoken."
"Working on that column. Tonight's musical selection: Andres Sergovia, Mazzy Star, Styx, Cold War Kids, Oasis. Couldn't find the Judas Priest I was looking for earlier."
March 2nd
"Customers of note: the old man who'd been at the Ice Bowl, w/ ticket stubs to prove it; the guy who spent the equivalent of my annual salary at Job Prior to buy a genuine Stevie Ray Vaughn guitar; a member of the Detroit Tigers' front office, with a World Series ring you couldn't miss."
above: Ginger spent 10 minutes balancing nuts on a balloon, then applying downward pressure with a plank of wood and shooting them, tiddly-winks style, into a bowl.
"The Journal moved up the date of publication to Thursday, so pick up a copy on the way to work. Of note, this warning from the editor: "Hi Dan, your column will run Thursday for sure. Don’t read the online comments unless you’re a masochist."
The Eastern cougar has officially been declared extinct.
March 3rd
"Sunday's paper will include the names of the 2011 crop of Journal/Sentinel community columnists. I've been asked to stay on a 3rd year, which is great, but OTOH whoopdeedoo. I appreciate the platform, and the confidence the editors place in me, but been there/done that/would like to be paid more for it. Anywho, look for me in Sunday's Crossroads section."
"Smiley & I went for a haircut Thurs evening, and he asked me if he could get a mohawk. I said no and had him ask Lisa. To my shock, she told him it was OK. In the end he and I agreed on a 'faux-hawk' - closely cropped hair on the sides, w/ the hair on top blended and sculpted into a mohawk. He loves it."
March 5th
"Adalbert's vets: I ran into Chrissy Go- in the produce dept of the Pick 'N Save on 76th. She has four kids and seemed happy, but alas no Facebook account, claiming she doesn't use a computer at all. How you can be happy w/out FB is beyond me, but to each their own."
March 6th
Today is the 175th anniversary of the fall of the Alamo. RIP Texans, RIP.
"Tonight, after a long day at work, Lis & I watched "I Knew it Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale" (aka Fredo from The Godfather). It was an entertaining tribute to him as an actor, but little else. As to Cazale as a person, we learned he was born in 1935, smoked a lot, died young . . . and that's it. The filmaker could have done a lot more with the material."
"For the record: I believe recall efforts are an ugly attempt to undermine the value of the election process & our democratic system. If you don't like the guy in office, fight their policies and then vote him out at the end of his duly elected term. There's no damn mulligans here. If my signature was the deciding factor that would get OBAMA out of office, I'd put my pen away."
12,000 year old fishing tackle has been found in California
"I just watched some new footage from 9/11, & Olivia came up & asked me if the Towers were factories (because of all the smoke rising from them). She admitted she had no idea what 9/11 was or what it meant to this country. I spent several minutes explaining what happened that day, and I think I did a good job. I'm surprised she hadn't been taught about it in school, although in fairness she is quite young."
"Tim Cuprisin is reporting that Charlie Sheen has been fired from "Two and a Half Men". What crap. If you aren't allowed to be a drug fueled sex addict, then what's the point of Hollywood success?"
March 7th
"Just finished "The Ghostwriter". It would be a dang good movie if the plot made any sense. A former PM of Great Britain demonized for having 4 known terrrorists kidnapped & waterboarded? The UK allowing a PM to be brought up on charges by the (ridiculous) internation court? A consistent anti-American plot thread (literally)? Bullsh-t."
Happy Birthday Smiley!
"Do Good And Care Not to Whom - a sign in the hallway of Lauren's school, attributed to an old Italian proverb"
"The Journal editor just wrote and asked me to do a column on the fiasco in Madison, citing my POV and my ability to not sound like a nut. I was going to say 'no', but mistakenly emailed a 'yes' reply I was seeking to scuttle. Whoa Nelly, this is gonna bring some hate mail."
“If the Church is not on fire, you should not be talking.” Amen."
"Watching Gov Walker's budget address on 10.2. Good speech, well spoken."
"Working on that column. Tonight's musical selection: Andres Sergovia, Mazzy Star, Styx, Cold War Kids, Oasis. Couldn't find the Judas Priest I was looking for earlier."
March 2nd
"Customers of note: the old man who'd been at the Ice Bowl, w/ ticket stubs to prove it; the guy who spent the equivalent of my annual salary at Job Prior to buy a genuine Stevie Ray Vaughn guitar; a member of the Detroit Tigers' front office, with a World Series ring you couldn't miss."
above: Ginger spent 10 minutes balancing nuts on a balloon, then applying downward pressure with a plank of wood and shooting them, tiddly-winks style, into a bowl.
"The Journal moved up the date of publication to Thursday, so pick up a copy on the way to work. Of note, this warning from the editor: "Hi Dan, your column will run Thursday for sure. Don’t read the online comments unless you’re a masochist."
The Eastern cougar has officially been declared extinct.
March 3rd
"Sunday's paper will include the names of the 2011 crop of Journal/Sentinel community columnists. I've been asked to stay on a 3rd year, which is great, but OTOH whoopdeedoo. I appreciate the platform, and the confidence the editors place in me, but been there/done that/would like to be paid more for it. Anywho, look for me in Sunday's Crossroads section."
"Smiley & I went for a haircut Thurs evening, and he asked me if he could get a mohawk. I said no and had him ask Lisa. To my shock, she told him it was OK. In the end he and I agreed on a 'faux-hawk' - closely cropped hair on the sides, w/ the hair on top blended and sculpted into a mohawk. He loves it."
March 5th
"Adalbert's vets: I ran into Chrissy Go- in the produce dept of the Pick 'N Save on 76th. She has four kids and seemed happy, but alas no Facebook account, claiming she doesn't use a computer at all. How you can be happy w/out FB is beyond me, but to each their own."
March 6th
Today is the 175th anniversary of the fall of the Alamo. RIP Texans, RIP.
"Tonight, after a long day at work, Lis & I watched "I Knew it Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale" (aka Fredo from The Godfather). It was an entertaining tribute to him as an actor, but little else. As to Cazale as a person, we learned he was born in 1935, smoked a lot, died young . . . and that's it. The filmaker could have done a lot more with the material."
"For the record: I believe recall efforts are an ugly attempt to undermine the value of the election process & our democratic system. If you don't like the guy in office, fight their policies and then vote him out at the end of his duly elected term. There's no damn mulligans here. If my signature was the deciding factor that would get OBAMA out of office, I'd put my pen away."
12,000 year old fishing tackle has been found in California
"I just watched some new footage from 9/11, & Olivia came up & asked me if the Towers were factories (because of all the smoke rising from them). She admitted she had no idea what 9/11 was or what it meant to this country. I spent several minutes explaining what happened that day, and I think I did a good job. I'm surprised she hadn't been taught about it in school, although in fairness she is quite young."
"Tim Cuprisin is reporting that Charlie Sheen has been fired from "Two and a Half Men". What crap. If you aren't allowed to be a drug fueled sex addict, then what's the point of Hollywood success?"
March 7th
"Just finished "The Ghostwriter". It would be a dang good movie if the plot made any sense. A former PM of Great Britain demonized for having 4 known terrrorists kidnapped & waterboarded? The UK allowing a PM to be brought up on charges by the (ridiculous) internation court? A consistent anti-American plot thread (literally)? Bullsh-t."
Happy Birthday Smiley!
"Do Good And Care Not to Whom - a sign in the hallway of Lauren's school, attributed to an old Italian proverb"
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