BVCC Food Pantry Charity Walk

I have some notion that I should try to install responsibility and empathy into the kids, and teach them to give back to the community. Rolling with this thought, I picked the fundraising walk for the Bay View Community Center's Food Pantry as our inaugural "family project". 

Alas, Lisa had to fill in at work for her hospitalized friend so she couldn't attend. Then Lu had a fit and I left her behind (she reconsidered and joined me before the walk began), and I wisely viewed LK as too young to hoof a 3 mile course and dropped her off at grandma's.

 I wish I could say it went well, but it was a comedy of errors. Turnout was pitifully low. There were maybe, MAYBE two dozen walkers, and we accounted for a sixth of the total. Then the kids argued, right there in public, tho' they knocked that off once the walk actually started. There was also a moment I'm sure we'll laugh about in twenty years, but since this isn't 2032 mum's the word. So A for effort, C for achievement. At least the Food Pantry got a bag of groceries and some cash from us; I hope they did better financially than the turnout indicated.

Arab Spring = False Hope

Internal violence has now spread to Tunisia, Sudan, Nigeria, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, India, and Germany. Al Qaeda is publicly urging attacks on U.S. embassies and lauding the murder of our ambassador. Iran is being Iran, to the point where Canada has broken off relations.

I said it - in print - at the time; the Arab Spring was not a cry for freedom, it was one group of bullies and thugs overthrowing another for control of the lunchroom. You may also remember that I STRONGLY objected to our use of force in Libya, stating we had no idea what instability the overthrow of that gov't would bring to that country 

This is not a partisan post. This is not an election post. This is the simple truth: aside from tossing a few drones at a problem, this administration has no comprehensive, proactive foreign policy in the Middle East. And American prestige and lives are paying for that gaffe.

The Devil in Silver by Victor Lavalle

Today I had the pleasure of finishing The Devil in Silver, a novel by Victor Lavalle. Nominally, it's about a sane man who is admitted into a psychiatric unit for evaluation. To add to his misfortune, the hospital is terrorized by a flesh-eating demon that preys on the patients. 

That, of course, makes the book sound like a horror novel. Not a bad thing in itself, but woefully off-base. This isn't a horror novel any more than it's "Girl, Interrupted." This is a story reminiscent of Catch-22; full of pain and loss and idiocy but also humor, self-discovery, and yes, some genuine frights. 

I  loved the story and the author's style, which often included witty, tangential asides. 

I'm going to give this book my highest compliment: this guy can WRITE. 

Grade A+

Doctor Who Workout

To further your endeavors for better health!  Keep up the good  work!  - Tre

YaYa

WTH Nightline?

Watching Nightline with Lisa and there's a ridiculous story about a kid who, left alone by his Mom who "didn't see the warning on the package", swallowed some small balls. "He could have died!" she said. I was immediately angry. At the Mom, who's fibbing (what package doesn't have the warning?) and at ABC, who would run such a nanny-state piece. Lisa seconded the opinion, and with vigor. "Why don't we just ban dildo's too, so no one accidentally shoves them up their ass too far!"

Terror in Benghazi

RIP to American Ambassador Stevens and the other Americans killed in Libya yesterday, on the anniversary of 9/11 (how anyone could chalk the date up to coincidence alone is beyond me). Stevens is the 8th American ambassador killed in the line of duty.   I could spend the night commenting on the culture and people that promote such idiocy, or the lauded Arab Spring that was nothing more than the bad replacing the bad, but I'll respect Stevens memory enough to leave that alone for now. Again, RIP.

Huh. Look at that.

Thoughts and Prayers

A close friend of Lisa's had a brain aneurysm on Monday, but in her disorientation refused a paramedic's offer to transport her to the hospital. She then drove herself across town to Columbia St. Mary's (despite living near two hospitals) where they diagnosed her and id'd two other blockages in her brain. Then while they were working on her she had a heart attack and is in the ICU at Froedert. Lisa is justifiably upset and any kind thoughts/prayers for her friend would be appreciated.

Mix and Match

In keeping with a longstanding tradition, I have started my fantasy football season 0-1. Eli was lethargic and my running backs . . . well, damn them all. My WR, TE, K and D all did well, and I crept close to the century mark in points. Break 100 pts in a given week and you'll win more games than you lose, so not all is lost. Yet.

 ***
 Last night we watched the premiere of Matthew Perry's new sitcom "Go On". I liked it, which was a pleasant suprise if I'm being honest, but I don't see it surviving long. It's a little dry and at times a little serious for a primetime network sitcom. We'll watch it again.

 Shows we've taken to recording/watching: "Oddities". "American Restoration". "Great Lakes Warriors" We started watching "American Gypsies" but grew tired of it, or at least I did.

 The kids have taken a shine to Full House, the old ABC sitcom from my youth. They really like it - just as they really like Psych and enjoy The Nanny and American Dad (the latter I object to and ban from their viewing, but a sitter has allowed them to skirt the rule. Ridiculous.) They occasionally watch the Brady Bunch too. YaYa is also into anime, and last week, with my permission, watched the Japanese film 'Battle Royale'.

 ***

 I walked the kids home from school Monday, a good 45 minute walk, and to my surprise three of the kids did it without so much as whine or a whimper. I say three because Olivia was pooped 5 minutes into the walk and was not the best company for much of the route. I had been warned; my sister was so sure she was a 'lousy walker' that she asked Lu to have me photograph the event just for the shock value.

 In addition to walking them home from school I've been trying to walk a lot lately just for exercise. There was the epic hike in the rain with Ginger and Smiley, and the other night Smiley and I walked to the store and back around 9pm, with Smiley carrying a bag of laundry detergent and soda home without once asking me for help. The next evening LuLu and I walked to my friends house and back. I like the idea of getting more exercise and of including the kids in that routine.

****

Saturday I finished reading "Fire in the Streets: The Battle for Hue, Tet 1968" by Eric Hammel. As the title states, it's a detailed narrative history of American efforts in Hue during the Tet offensive. It is very detailed at the small unit level, up to and including estimates of how many rounds were expended during an action, and there's plenty of eyewittness accounts to hold your interest. Some flaws: I think the depth of the detail numbs you after awhile, and certainly puts it out of reach of the casual reader. It's also devoid of any overall context or analysis of the battle, reducing it to just a record of a shoot-em-up. Still, I enjoyed it. Grade: B

Book #74 of 2012

****

Best finale of Bachelor Pad imaginable. What a great, shocking moment! All hail reality TV, and all Hail King Jeff!