I Won!

Whoo-hoo! This is Customer Service Week at my job, a five day excuse to hold potlucks and play work-related bingo. In a stunning turn of events I won the employee raffle for a  20 quart Oster roasting oven – one large enough to hold a 24# turkey and a beauty that will roast, slow cook, bake AND act as a serving dish! I literally did a happy dance when I heard the news LOL

 It was the most coveted prize by far (with the possible exception of “8 hours paid time off”) and I will surely endure some flack from the masses for my victory. No matter. Haters hate, it’s what they do.

 Meanwhile, while they’re busy with that, I’m going to make some wicked ribs in my new roaster! Woot woot!

Happy Birthday Kate Winslet!

Happy Birthday to the incomparable Kate Winslet, #1 on my List of Five for 15 years running!

Prometheus, The Westing Game, and 100,000 Miles

Last night, as Lisa took the kids to dance class, our van passed the 100,000 mile mark on the odometer. To celebrate, it wouldn’t start on the way home. Luckily, it appears to have been just the battery. A jump start got Lisa back on the road, but I do not like the coincidental timing; it seems too much like an omen for my liking.

*****

Last night I also watched  Prometheus, the Ridley Scott prequel to Alien.

 It’s a beautifully filmed movie, and I think  Noomi Rapace does a good job of anticipating the feminine warrior that comes to fruition in Ripley. (Kudos also to Michael Fassbender for a magnificent job portraying the android, David.) 

There were many questions left unanswered by the film, and many relationships that existed in a vacuum and were never explored – David and his creator, the creator and his daughter, the frigid captain, the tame affair between the lead scientists, and so on. In some ways the film seems incomplete and vague. Personally, I don’t mind the ambiguity regarding the plot points, because in real life this situation would never lend itself to a tidy and comprehensive denouement. The relationships? They bother me a lot more. Why bother bringing them up at all, if they are to serve no purpose?

Overall, I loved the film.  Grade: A

I’ve also finished reading The Westing Game, the Newberry award winning young adult novel by Ellen Raskin. 

Yes, the Wisconsin setting was swell. But . . . this book won a Newberry and has been read and beloved for more than 30 years. I have to ask: WHY? The mystery at the core of the book was OK, but nothing special, and the writing (if the late Ms. Raskin will forgive me) is slipshod and devoid of style or skill. I don’t see the charm or the value of the book, and I’m going to grade it a C.

Book #79 of the year

Congrats Miggy! (and Mitt!)

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and on a far more controversial front than the Mike Trout/Miguel Cabrera MVP saga, congrats to Mitt Romney for trouncing President Obama in their debate last night, a fact acknowledged even by true-blue sites like CNN ("clear winner", "[Obama] took it on the chin" and MSNBC "[Romey] Outduels Obama in Debate", "Romney long on ideas". 

I'm old enough to recognize that a great debate performance - even one that outs the competition as out of ideas - isn't enough to clinch a win, and I'd still lay odds on Obama winning a second term. But it was mighty nice to see someone call out the Emperor for having no clothes. 

This and That

Just for posterity: I passed my driver’s license exam at 11:50a.m on 05/07/93 at test site “MSWI” (Loomis Road) with a total of 9 points deducted off.

Tuesday I made stuffed green peppers for dinner, the first time I've ever prepared it myself. They turned out very well - I seriously, objectively think they were some of the tastiest I've ever had. The kids (minus Ginger) liked 'em too, and Smiley praised my cooking. Yay me.

Yesterday, while the peppers were cooking, I finished the last of the episodes of Psych available for streaming through Netflix (seasons 1-5). I adore the show. I think the characters are well developed and interact flawlessly, the mysteries are fun and interesting, and I find myself LOL at a lot of the lines. It’s become such a favorite in the house that I caught the kids sneaking episodes of it on their Netflix enabled TV when they should have been sleeping! Grade: A++++++

I’ve also just finished Season 1 of Monk on Netflix. I’ve seen a few scattered episodes from later years and this season lacks the humor and ease of those examples, but that’s to be expected as a series feels its way out of the gate. It hasn’t caught on in the house – Lisa commented that she believes it both glorifies and diminishes those with mental illness – but I like it. Grade: B

Tonight I finished reading “Running out of Time”, a young adult novel by Margaret Peterson Haddix that Grace polished off a few weeks ago. It’s the story of a young girl raised in a village in the 1830’s that discovers it is actually 1996 and her family is part of an elaborate historical preserves. When diphtheria hits the village she alone must flee to the outside world to bring help. Remind you of The Village? Me too, but this predates the movie and makes a lot more sense. I liked it – Haddix has a knack for spinning a good yarn. Grade: B

Book# 78 of 2012

Do I like my new job? Hmm. Let me answer the only way an adult with four kids and a mortgage SHOULD answer: It doesn't matter. As long as the paychecks keep trickling in, and so long as there is nothing better knocking down my door, then the answer is "I am happy to have a job, ANY job, in this so-called improving economy". 

LuLu's 4th Grade School Picture

The Tall Man

Tonight we watched "The Tall Man" a French (English language) horror film/thriller set in Washington state and starring Jessica Biel. The town of Cold Rock is under siege, with 18 children abducted over the last few years. The law is sure that its the work of a local, but the townsfolk themselves believe a spectre called The Tall Man is to blame. Biel's character takes no part in the argument - until her own home is invaded. This is a smart, well done film that handles major plot twists with skill and grace. Well done. Grade: A

Still a Prince

Just as an FYI, if you were weren't paying attention to our friend Prince Fielder, in his first year as a Tiger he notched a .313/30/108 season with 33 doubles, 85 walks and an OBP of .412 while playing all 162 games. Not bad for the fat kid Billy Beane laughed off7.z  i n Moneyball.

Awful Photography

School pictures came back today, and I am not impressed. The overall quality of the pics are sloppy. Yaya looks 60, LuLu's hair is all out of place, Smiley looks like he's mimicking a Nick Nolte mug shot, and Junie looks - well, she looks ok I guess. Said LuLu: "I don't understand. I'm perfect, how could they screw up a picture of THIS?" RETAKE

Cabrera wins the Triple Crown!

Congrats Miggy!

BAM! - in addition, my Yanks took their rightful place atop the AL East. Let the post-season begin!