Satisfactory

Alicia Keys with short straight hair = yummers

YaYa takes a SCUBA course!

Early in the summer I caught wind of an introductory SCUBA course taught through the Milwaukee Recreation Department. The age and swim ability requirements limited it to YaYa alone, and I quickly signed her up.

The class was offered at a high school on the west side and taught by a guy who had been a certified instructor since before I was born - literally. It was a three hour class, and it began with a long recitation of the waiver form, followed by a quick quiz. Once YaYa passed that (easy peezy lemon sqeezy for my gal) she was fitted with fins and a tank and sent into the water.

Intitially there were a lot of problems with her googles, so many that I secretly questioned if she was just scared and didn't want to do this, but as usual I was wrong. 

It turns out none of the goggles were small enough for the two kids in the class, and both girls had the same trouble. They worked through it, but the delay in getting the gear fit meant YaYa and her newfound friend were a litte behind the rest of the class. This worked out to their benefit, as the instructor's assitant was assigned to just the two of them, giving them essentially a semi-private class.

Like reading, the class was far more exciting to DO than to watch. For me it meant three hours of reading my Nook and yawning in a humid pool room. For YaYa, it was three hours of learning and excitement.

By the end of the class YaYa was spending extended amounts of time swimming along the pool bottom, and as a result of the class she will be able to go SCUBA diving with a professional with no additional training beyond a quick 1-2-3 refresher.

It is a class I will certainly sign the other kids up for when they are old enough, and I may sign YaYa up for the fulll course if the funds (and time) become available.

The best moment of the day? When it was over YaYa, who knew I'd been the sole impetus on this activity, offered a sincere 'thank you' and told me it had been fun. Awwww :)

A visit to the park with Junie

ATM

Favorite song on the radio: "One More Night" by Maroon 5

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!)

.
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!

Post-Debate

LOVING the morning headlines, where even pure blue sources like CNN trump Mitt Romney as "the clear winner" of last night's debate. CNN.com also brandishes a headline reading:  "Obama took it on the chin". Well done Mitt. Maybe some of this country will finally wake up and realize that Obama is nothing more empty promises and failed ideas.

Game 162

It's the final day of the 2012 Major League Baseball season and there are major storylines still on the table. 

1.  While both Baltimore and NY are guaranteed playoff spots, the division title is still up for grabs. My Yanks hold a one game lead in the AL East - here's hoping they keep it. Who do the Yankees play? None other than their perpetual foe, the Red Sox. 

2. The Rangers and A's face off for the AL West crown.

3. Future HOF'er Chipper Jones and longtime Brewer Ben Sheets have played their last game. 

4. Perhaps the greatest race up in the air - Miguel Cabrera might clinch a Triple Crown today, quite literally the first Triple Crown of my lifetime. 

He leads the AL in batting average at .331, well ahead of the Angel's rookie Mike Trout. He's the leader in home runs with 44, but prolific slugger Josh Hamilton is only one behind. He doesn't have to worry about the RBI title, since he's ahead in that category by 11. 

I hope he gets it :)


Two thoughts:

AL MVP - In my opinion, it has to be Cabrera. Trout is having a massive year, truly one for the record books, and he's doing it as a rookie.

There are SABRmeteric agreements that put Trout ahead of Miguel. And pound for pound Trout's arm, fielding, and baserunning might make him a better contributor than Cabrera.

But I don't see how you take a Triple Crown winner, on a team that slugged it out all year and took their division, and pass him over for an award you then hand to a rookie on a team that won't be playing again in 2012.

No matter which one wins, they'll be deserving of the honor. But if I had a choice? Trout is ROY, Cabrera is MVP. 

Secondly, I don't care one way or the other for any of the teams competing for the NL pennant, so long as the Cardinals are sent packing. 

In the AL, naturally I'm rooting for the Yankees. If they falter, my heart is with the Tigers, a gritty, blue-collar Midwest team that features a great manager, the before-mentioned Cabrera, and former Brewer Prince Fielder. 

If the Yanks don't grab ring # 28, I hope the Tigers take the Series. 

Oh, one last thing - I really have no love lost for the 2012 Orioles, an overachieving little Bad News Bears team that's annoyed my Yankees and annoyed me. Like the Cardinals, I hope they go kaput in the playoffs as soon as they begin. 

Cutie Pie

Fall is Here!

above: LuLu 'scares' me by jumping out of a pile of leaves on our lawn

Stuffed Green Peppers

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 Junie) liked 'em too, and Smiley praised my cooking. Yay me.

Lorenzers

Lovely Molly

Last night we Netflix'ed "Lovely Molly", a horror film composed largely of "found footage". Molly is a newlywed who moves into her deceased parents home and slowly unravels, slipping either into insanity or demonic possession. I vote for the insanity route myself, so I didn't agree with Lisa's assessment that the narrative was left unresolved in the end. She has a valid point, but I liked the ambiguity. I'm going to go against the majority here and give this a good rating, because dangit I *did* enjoy it (how much of that you can chalk up to Gretchen Lodge's incredible performance is incalculable). Grade: A-

Well Done, Brewers

Congratulations to the Brewers on notching a second consecutive winning season - an impressive accomplishment, given that they were 12 games under .500 with only 42 games left on the schedule. IIRC they had a similar surge to finish off a Trebelhorn year, back in '87 or '89. In other baseball news, my Yanks are back alone in first with two to play, congrats to the Tigers and Prince on clinching the Central, and to the Nationals for their first ever division title. Well done all.

Happy Fall!

The New Daughter

Just finished watching "The New Daughter", a horror film starring Kevin Costner. Costner moves his family to an idyll country home, only to discover the earth mound on the property is an ancient burial mound populated by deities who seek to restore their power by corrupting his daughter. I liked the movie. No big surprises, but it was more than substantial enough to than keep my attention and I liked Costner's acting; he physically portrayed the father as a jittery, somewhat fear driven guy. Grade: B+

YaYa Opens Her Nook E-Reader

Sure, I did a Christmas morning post, and loaded it with pictures. As I said in that write-up, however, YaYa's reaction to her Nook was worth a post all its own.

She'd been asking for a Nook, the electronic e-reader, for over a year. I had no doubt she'd use it, since she's a voracious reader, but I just couldn't afford it. Around November an opportunity arose for me to get one for her, and I didn't hestitate to fork over the cash.

She saw her Nook before it was wrapped, but Lisa (after scolding her for snooping) brushed it off by saying it was a gift for me. We made this all the more credible a statement by having me open my Nook first. She was happy for me, but you could tell she was jealous.

And then we gave her the package.

I don't think she knew what it was. Not a clue. And then she came unglued.

She started crying. She tried covering her face, but the emotions were too strong, and she lay there on the floor short of breath and weeping.

I thought she was doing this for show, but it quickly became clear that wasn't the reason. No. We had simply SCORED THE BEST GIFT EVER for the kid. :)

She calmed down and opened the Nook cover we bought her, but began to cry again. Ginger, who at the time wasn't very close to her (they grew closer here in 2012) went and put her arms around her to support her.

What a great moment. What a great reaction. What a "remember this forever" Christmas memory :)