Misc

Miscellaneous: a - this is day 7 a bad, unchecked headache. The Hoff believes it to be caused by a muscle I pulled in my neck, & I believe she is right. Here's hoping it goes the bleep away soon, as nothing seems to be helping. b - w/ Milwaukee now having had its first real snow (~5") so late in the  year I have now come to the conclusion that I would prefer a climate where snow is not *unknown*, but far more rare than it is here c - after having only the right boot for a year, then losing it and finding only the left for TWO more years, I have finally reunited my beloved black steel-toe shit kickers in time for said snowfall. Yay me!

A Message from Grandma Kathy

Hope they told Santa everything they wanted and how good they were.You. both are so cute.Love you. Santa looks so Christmasie. - Grandma Kathy

Country Strong

i just stayed up waaaay too late to watch Gwyneth Paltrow in 'Country Strong'. The script does its job, crafting believable and multi-layered characters and Garrett Hedlund steals the show, IMO. Very solid film and well worth the inevitable exhaustion tomorrow @ work.

The Switch & Rise of the Planet of the Apes

I Redoxed "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" today but watched only 40 minutes before  returning it. Maybe I'll give it another go at a later time, but I was put off by the performance capture technology used to create Caesar. Sometimes I want to watch a movie, not a glorified cartoon. Grade: Incomplete  

OTOH, I rented Jennifer Aniston/Justin Bateman's "The Switch" merely to appease the Mrs. and wound up enthralled by a touching, intelligent romantic comedy. If you didn't go Awwww" during the scene where Wally takes care of Sebastian's lice you have no soul. Grade: a hearty A

Smiley is introduced to Star Wars!

Smiley saw his first Star Wars movie over the weekend, and was excited to tell me about it. He didn't know the name of the film, but mentioned it had a tall gold robot, a little round one, a hairy guy (Chewbacca), a green lightsaber, Boba Fett (our favorite character), and a big monster that could eat people. I'm thinking "Return of the Jedi", though he made no mention of Ewoks or a certain gold bikini. Any guesses?

We were at Bounce Ream this weekend and it was playing in their little theatre area....It was a star wars film, not the first, and the monster had princess Leia captured, and she wasn't in her white robe. Sorry I'm not a Star Wars fan, and I didn't know Smiley was so interested in it either, other than he complained about not being able to hear it....the sound was turned down. - Grandma Jeanne

gotstabe Jedi then. Thx Jeanne

I Said It

Anyone who spends this sunny, 50 degree day excited about the 5-8 inches of snow expected tomorrow is a g-damn idiot with the brains of a donkey.

Home Depot Banks

At Home Depot making banks with the Grandkids - Grandma Jeanne

Yippee!

A picture of  YaYa and LuLu graces page 12 of the new UWM College for Kids catalog, a quote from Lisa is on page 14, and we're pretty sure Smiley is the boy sitting w/ his back to the camera on the cover.

The Conspirator

Tonight I watched "The Conspirator", a film by Robert Redford that follows the military trial of Mary Surratt, the woman hanged for her part in the conspiracy to assassinate Lincoln. It is a well constructed film with a host of great performances, but it clearly seeks to sell the notion that Surratt was innocent. For Redford, her innocence is vital in linking the perceived injustice of the tribunal to the Gitmo courts of today; but he does it subtly, so subtly that ten years down the road the unspoken association will be lost to the viewer. B+/A-

Quote

We cannot absolutely prove that those are in error who tell us that society has reached a turning point, that we have seen our best days. But so said all who came before us, and with just as much apparent reason. When we see nothing but improvement behind us, we are to expect nothing but deterioration before us." - Thomas Mcaulay 1830 

Congrats to Barry Larkin!

Congratulations to Barry Larkin, the sole player elected to Cooperstown this year by the BBWAA!

Labor Pains & Scream 4

"Labor Pains" is a recent-ish Lindsay Lohan flick about a woman who fakes a pregnancy to avoid getting fired and naturally winds up promoted and has the boss fall in love with her. It wasn't an awful film, but minus Lohan this would have been a TV movie on basic cable. C. 

Also watched "Scream 4", and loved it. It was just as smart and well done as the original. I was put off by Courtney Cox's face however, which had clearly been worked on by a surgeon in the lead up to the film. Sad to see her reach the age where she feels its necessary for her career. A.

Quote

(on symbolism in The Old Man and the Sea): "No good book has ever been written that has in it symbols arrived at beforehand and stuck in . . . I tried to make a real old man, a real boy, a real sea and a real fish and real sharks. But if I made them good and true enough, they would mean many things." - Ernest Hemingway

Quote

If you do not want America to be the strongest nation on Earth, I am not your President. You have that President today. - Mitt Romney

Manny

I just ran into Manny, I guy we lived above back in '97. For those not in the know, he was a crazy drug dealer who served time for carjacking. He looks good, and younger (oddly enough). Said me 2night: "Remember the time we were shoveling snow and this guy walked by, and you whacked him on the side of the head with your shovel, and I asked "WTF was that for?" and you said "Cuz"?" Good times, good times.

Bullies

When I picked up YaYa  from school she was being picked on by a group of girls who accused her of stealing a bracelet, and the principal and her teacher quickly(and loudly) stepped into to squash the incident. Well, I just got an email from her teacher, saying the bracelet in question had been FOUND by a 4th grader and turned into his teacher by the time the accusations began. YaYa is relieved to have been vindicated, and I complimented her teacher for being on the ball.

Nigh Omnipotent by A. Lee Martinez

Time for bed. It's been a long day, but generally a good one. I did want to mention that I finished the book "Nigh Omnipotent" by A. Lee Martinez today. The god who created the universe keels over, leaving chaos and entropy behind. It's up to his estranged and laid back brother to figure out a way to save the universe from certain disaster. And giant eggs with guns. But mostly the certain disaster part. Great fun, as all of Martinez's work is; at 107 pages it's listed as an extended short story, but to me that's at least a novella, so I'm officially listing it on my tally of 2012 reads.

The Three Investigators and the Secret of Skeleton Island

1st thing this morning, after dropping off the kids at school, I fired up a DVD of "The Three Investigators and the Secret of Skeleton Island", a kids movie based on a series of books I worshiped as a kid. As for the movie, it was Goonies-esque and fun (LuLu enjoyed it a lot the other day). It was actually made in 2007 in Germany, but only released here on DVD in '10. A sequel was made in 2009 and presumably will hit shelves here soon.

The Future (film)

After work we stopped off at the cemetery to pay our respects to my Big Grandpa, then headed home to a great dinner of meatloaf. Later in the evening (post Winter Wipeout) we watched "The Future". A couple in their mid-'30's decides to adopt a stray cat, but the impending responsibility causes them to over-react and seek radical changes in their lives. It's a semi-dark, very quiet comedy that does a great job of showing the emotional depth of their relationship. I recommend it. B+

25 Years Gone

25 years ago today, on the 1st day back @ school after Christmas vacation, my paternal Grandfather died of lung cancer. RIP Big Grandpa.

Mr. Pollack

I just got word from my Dad that St John Kanty's Boy Scout leader Mr. (Chris) Pollack passed away yesterday of cancer. He was 64. RIP

Um....

Oddest comment I've seen online tonight (and no, it isn't mine) "Most of you probably won't read this, but I would love for nothing more than to become a walrus. I know there's a million people out there just like me, but I promise you, I'm different. On January 11th, I'm moving to Antarctica. I've already cut off my arms and wiggle around on my stomach everywhere I go as I've been training for life on the ice. I may not be a walrus yet, but I promise, if you give me a chance and the support I need, I'll become the greatest walrus ever."

Apollo 18 and Bridesmaids

A few minutes ago I finished watching "Apollo 18", a horror movie culled from 'leaked' Dept of Defense footage of the secret (and fictional) last flight to the moon. It's done Blair Witch/Paranormal Activity style, a technique that should get lost in space itself, thank you very much. Still, while its not like you couldn't see death and mayhem a'comin', it was reasonably well done. No true scares that I recall, but the claustrophobic and isolated lunar landscape helps give you the heeby-jeebies. C/C+

I suppose, just to ensure the hatred of every woman here, that I should finally out myself as someone who thinks "Bridesmaids" was the most over-rated comedy in years. Hey, I rented it expecting to LOL and all that, but nope. None of the characters were people you would want to spend time with; the much ballyhooed 'ad libs' were so blatant that some scenes could pass for a Comedy Sportz gig; the main character was pathetic, latching onto losers to boost her own self esteem & failing even at that; and why is there only one cop in all of Wisconsin, and why is he a f-ing Scot? My take:a wannabee 'Hangover', minus, you know, *the laughter*. C-

Cowboys and Aliens

Right after I dropped the kids off at school I fired up a Redbox of "Cowboys and Aliens" with Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig. Lisa initially refused to watch it ("It has cowboys. And aliens. Yeah . . no") but wound up enjoying it. I thought it was a well done, imaginative film that won't win any Oscars but certainly rises above the expectations of a typical Hollywood action flick. B/B+

The Leopard by Jo Nesbo

I've finished reading the first book of the year, "The Leopard" by Jo Nesbo,  a serial killer novel featuring detective Harry Hole (hee hee). It's the latest in a line of Scandinavian crime novels imported in the wake of 'Dragon Tattoo's" popularity. The plot has a gazillion twists and turns, so many I more than once felt exhausted by it all. I'd rate the story itself a B. BUT the writing . . . yowsas. Nesbo has a gift and at times - not always, but often - he makes the words on the page get up and dance a little pirouette for your pleasure. What a gift. A damn fine writer.