YaYa

 

The Muppets

Before retiring last night we watched "The Muppets". If you forgive Segal for making the villain a stereotypical oil baron (why not a liberal bent on making the Muppet Studios an ACORN office hmmm?? Maniacal laugh, maniacal laugh!) then it was very enjoyable. Great songs, some genuine LOL moments, and a lot of nostalgia. Well done. Grade: B+

I've had a huge flatscreen since the days of Job Prior. This was an American Appliances. As soon as he heard the opening music Smiley dropped to the floor like a stone and stared watching Star Wars.

5 yrs 5 months since I quit, and yet today I'm craving a cigarette something fierce.

Unholy Night

 I finished reading "Unholy Night" a novel by Seth Grahame-Smith about role the Three Wise Men played in the days after Jesus' birth. Balthazar is an infamous thief and sworn enemy of Herod the Great who stumbles upon the Holy Family while on the run. Despite the misgivings of his own nature he feels compelled to escort the family to the safety of Egypt, all the while trying to avoid the Judean army and keep his two fellow thieves/"Wise Men" in line. Oddly reverent and action packed, I found myself liking this book far more than I thought I would when I picked it up. Grade: B+/A-

The Navidad Incident

I finished reading the winner of the Tanizaki Jun’ ichiro Prize, 'The Navidad Incident: The Downfall of Matías Guili' by Natsuki Ikezawa. It's set in a small island nation in the South Pacific where a tour bus of elderly Japanese WWII veterans dissapears into thin air. The bus is then seen in a scientist's microscope slide, flying alongside a jet, ordering soda at a grocery store, and attending Mass (but refusing Communion). Meanwhile Guili, the benign dictator of the islands, faces a late mid-life crisis, in part because of the arrival of a young holy woman whom he enlists as an advisor. It's a hard book to explain: part comedy, very small part fantasy, and overall an insightful and engaging glimpse into the soul of a troubled head of state. I really liked it. Grade: A

Caught Inside and The Darkest Hour

We rented "Caught Inside", an Australian film about a group of surfers who set out to sea on an extended trip that slowly exposes the madness of one of their own. It seemed like a good movie, except for accents so thick they might as well have been speaking Klingon. Grade: B-

I also watched "The Darkest Hour", a cliche ridden alien invasion film. It was ok, but I'll forget about it in another day or so. Grade: C

B.A.K.

For the first time since Saturday I'm back online, as I've finally ironed out the kinks I created when I moved my computer desk out of the office and into a new location. Expect a slew of posts of no significant value beyond the music of the angels you hear when you read whatever I write.

The Immortals

I watched "The Immortals" the other day. It was what I expected, a moderately well done but forgettable action flick. I will point out that the big ol' hero of the film accomplishes jack diddly doo diddly, so why he was considered a hero is beyond me. Grade: C+

RIP Dick Clark

RIP Dick Clark, age 82. We'll miss you.

Take Shelter

The best DVD I've seen in recent weeks: 'Take Shelter', a 2010 film about a man who is abruptly plagued by visions of an apocalyptic storm. Uncertain if he is slipping into the same madness that claimed his mother's freedom, he becomes obsessed with expanding the storm shelter in his backyard, even if it costs him his job, marriage, and standing in the community. It's a subtle, finely crafted movie that ratchets up the terror in slow increments, aided by a great performance by Michael Shannon. A great movie and I was (obviously) pleased to have rented it. Grade: A+

Junie at Sammy's Taste of Chicago (Hot Dogs)

100 years ago today

April 14th 1:42 PM: Baltic issues iceberg warning. Message given to Captain Smith who relays to J. Bruce Ismay 

 April 14th 5:30-7:30 PM: Temperature drops by nearly 10 degrees to around 33

April 14th 5:50 PM: Captain Smith makes the decision to alter Titanic’s course southwest.

 April 14th 6:00PM: Chief Officer Wilde is relieved by 2nd officer Lightoller on Titanic’s bridge 

 April 14th 7:30 PM Titanic intercepts 3 warning messages from Californian concerning large icebergs.

 April 14th 8:55 PM: Captain Smith returns to bridge from dinner party and mentions clear weather to Lightoller. 

 April 14th 9:20 PM: Captain Smith retires for the night. April 14th 10:00 PM: First Officer Murdoch relieves Lightoller on bridge. The current temperature is 32 degrees and conditions are clear

A belated congratulations to Alex Rodriguez on hitting his 630th career home run, putting him in 5th place all time. Here's looking forward to #763!!!

An Open Letter from Oftencold

 For group discussion:

Tonight, Dan is doing something we've all done in a fit of madness. That is, disassembling and moving his computer to another room.

Now, we all know that no matter how we lie to ourselves and say "this will just take an hour or so, and then things will be better," such a project always turns out drastically different. The cord is too short, the table won't fit, now the sun through the window reflects in the monitor, and so on.

I suspect, that before dawn, the kids are going to have to be told not to repeat some of the extra-special words, most of one short syllable, and all spoken with great zeal that they might hear Dad uttering as he completes this task.

Thoughts?

Last time my Yankees started 0-3 was 1998. All they did that year was win 125 games and the World Series.

BTW, I'll have a column in Wed's Journal-Sentinel.

Poor Rabbit

 This bunny was found outside this morning, presumably the leftover dinner of a local fox.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

 Worked all day, then went alone with Lisa to Old Country Buffet, traditionally one of my least pleasurable places to eat. Surprisingly, the food was good and fresh (probably because they were so busy) and the crowd was friendly and polite (probably because there were many families in their Easter best). It was nice to get out w/ Lisa one-one-one for a change.

Meanwhile the kids enjoyed their Easter baskets, and as a big ticket treat (thx in lg. part to some Walmart YaYa's left over from Xmas) I got the kids an internet streaming device for their TV, so they can watch YouTube and Netflix upstairs and live us the heck alone.

 RIP Mike Wallace and Thomas Kincade, and congrats to Prince Fielder on his 1000th career hit today.

 150 yrs ago today US Grant defeated the Confederate forces at the battle of Shiloh.

Sittin on the Porch, Enjoying Spring

 

13 and 1/2 hr work day, but it went very quickly. Extremely tired tho'. BTW, received word from the JS that my latest column will run in next week's paper.

Work went quickly today. Wrote a column and sent it on in the JS. Lisa's making stuffed green peppers, and we are both looking forward to a drink later . . .

Voting in the Primary

 We voted this morning, taking the home-sick-from-school Lulu with us. Lisa's ballot was inexplicably rejected by the machine, leaving the machine out of commission for a minute or so before she was handed a fresh ballot. Anyhow, I grabbed a sample ballot on the way out and per, tradition, took a pic of my choice for President. A few minutes later I saw LuLu erasing my choice.

What are you doing?" I asked. "Uh, doing it the *right* way," she said, promptly marking Obama's name. She also went through the ballot and marked every female name, up to and including Michelle Bachmann.