My first month or so on Facebook - June/July '09

Tired, and amazed at G.H.W. Bush's energy

I Just Saw This on CNN.com: 'I don't feel a day over 84'

Former president George H.W. Bush celebrated his 85th birthday by jumping out of an airplane.

June 12, 2009 at 8:30 pm

Annoyed at the amount of noise coming from the street. It's 2am on a Monday morning - get in your car and go home already.

June 15, 2009 at 1:59 am

Just put Ginger down for a nap. I've been calling the dentist for Lisa - the insurance claims not to have received their request for approval. I'm also writing some reviews for Slapinions to post later in the year. Meanwhile, Smiley's at a picnic and the

June 15, 2009 at 12:14 pm

Watching I-Carly with Smiley and Ginger

June 15, 2009 at 5:49 pm

LuLu's K5 GraduationThis past week featured a big day for LuLu, the graduation ceremonies that moved her from the world of kindergarten into First Grade. We got there just in the nick of time to see her class stroll ...Read More

June 15, 2009 at 5:49 pm

tired. kids and their friends are playing in the basement, no doubt destroying whatever's left in one piece down there.

June 17, 2009 at 10:56 am

trying to type a post on Slapinons while Smiley stands behind me on the chair pulling my necklace taunt and yelling "Elmo now daddy! Elmo now!".

June 17, 2009 at 4:18 pm

Just got done helping my friend Socialist replace the wax seal and bolts on my toilet. By 'help' I mean I entertained him with anecdotes while he did all the work.

June 17, 2009 at 5:38 pm

Happy. Journal's assigned me to write a column for July 2nd.

June 19, 2009 at 11:21 am

I'm wondering why no one from my grade school class appears to be on Facebook. I even dug out an old school group photo to make sure I spelled the names correctly, but no dice. You have to figure some of the girls now live under married names, but still,

June 19, 2009 at 8:04 pm

Just watching the College World Series game I recorded earlier tonight. Not happy that LSU won the earlier game and ousted Ark., but whatcha gonna do?

June 19, 2009 at 11:30 pm

Sorry for the back-to-back thoughts, but I just noticed that my sidebar here features an ad for a "Guarenteed Resume $34.95." If they can't spell their service correctly in the ad, chances are their work isn't going to impress many employers.

June 19, 2009 at 11:35 pm

More problems with the construction of Miler Park, following Friday's rain. Parts of the roof were destroyed, the service area was flooded, and public records stored at the stadium were destroyed.

June 21, 2009 at 6:59 pm

I should point out that the order is somewhat mixed up. It's a Wondeful Life should be #1 on the list, as it is my favorite movie of all time. And you haven't seen it unless you've seen it in a theater full of people buzzed on Christmas wine.

Favorite movies of all time by Daniel The Godfather, Titanic, It's a Wonderful Life, Ben-Hur and The Ten Commandments.

June 23, 2009 at 2:12 am

Just took out two bags of water damaged trash from the basement, including (sniff) my beloved Zombie Halloween Costume! Plus I'm covered in waterlogged cat litter, but who cares -my zombie costume is ruined!

June 23, 2009 at 10:40 pm

Just emailed my column to the Journal, with a little time to spare. Not the easiest one to write, but I think it turned out ok. Oh, and LSU took the College World Series w/ a lopsided win today, so congrats to them. Woulda preferred Texas to win the crown

June 25, 2009 at 1:17 am

Just got this in an email from the J. editor: "Dan, nice column by the way. Not too political, but gets at the importance of freedom and Fourth of July. " It must not have been as bad as I feared ;)

June 25, 2009 at 3:39 pm

Taking Lu in for a last minute doctor's visit. She's got an awful hacking cough. Guess she inherited my family's allergies.

June 26, 2009 at 11:11 am

Just got home from work. Tired and my feet ache.

June 26, 2009 at 11:59 pm

Just got back from a rare dinner out with Lisa. One kid at grandma's, one at my sis, two watched at home with a babysitter.

June 27, 2009 at 11:50 pm

Trying to Facebook while the baby hangs on my leg, jabbing a pencil at the screen and chating "Momma" as she points at my profile pic.

June 28, 2009 at 12:52 pm

Billy Mays of OxiClean Fame, Dead at 50CNN is reporting that Billy Mays, the popular bearded pitchman for OxiClean and other products, as well as a star of his own reality series, was found dead in his Tampa home at age 50.

June 28, 2009 at 1:42 pm

'House Hunters' is on in the background. A young couple (early 20's) are spending Daddy's $$ on their first house and (eek!) the girl is upset that the indoor pool doesn't have its own waterfall, and that the floors are mahogany and not carpet. Poor baby.

June 29, 2009 at 12:53 am

A former Match Game panelist dies of cancer. Bad week for celebrities.

Comedian Fred Travalena dies of cancer - CNN.com

Comedian and impersonator Fred Travalena died Sunday afternoon after a seven-year battle with cancer. He was 66.

June 29, 2009 at 9:26 am

Just got back from a brisk 30 minute bike ride with YaYa, then practiced some hitting. After all that when I went on the computer (robbing her of her precious Club Penguin) she spazzed out and said she hated her bike and baseball too. Jeez kid, learn to c

June 30, 2009 at 12:12 pm

I just found our copy of MJ's HIStory. Can't find my AWOL college diploma, but at least I can locate CD's we bought 14 years ago.

June 30, 2009 at 10:40 pm

Just a reminder - a column of mine will appear in today's Journal-Sentinel. If you're in WI, kindly pick up a copy.

July 2, 2009 at 2:07 am

Got a text from Lis @ ~12 saying they were 75 miles outside of DuBuque, IA. West of the Mississippi my city to city geography gets a little sketchy, so I have no idea if they're making good time.

July 2, 2009 at 1:48 pm  [Lisa and company were en route to Kansas for a NKOTB show]

Man, this sucks. I'll say a prayer for the soldier and his family. I suggest the Taliban responsible start praying hard too, because I imagine the US forces scouring the area aren't going to be in the mood to play nice.

U.S. soldier sold to Afghan militant clan, official says - CNN.com

The American soldier abducted in southeastern Afghanistan is now being held by a notorious militant clan, a senior U.S. military official said.

July 2, 2009 at 1:52 pm

Listening to my daughter watching Ghostbusters II in the living room. Yeah, it's late. So what? I had to drive the babysitter home after work, which meant taking the kids with me. She'll fall asleep on the couch soon enough.

July 2, 2009 at 11:42 pm

So let me get this straight. The Honduran president violates the constitution in his quest for power. The Supreme Court then orders the military to oust him and restore democratic, legal rule. And in response to the legal removal of this communist nut the White House cuts aid to the country. Beautiful.

July 3, 2009 at 11:55 am

Just got home 10 minutes ago. A long day, and i look forward to reading/writing in a quiet house. I still have to make that cake, but that *shouldn't* be a big deal. Famous last words, eh?

July 3, 2009 at 11:24 pm

I thought the kids were asleep but they just ran downstairs all full of fake terror, giggling over Smiley having an accident in bed. I'm not even 100% it's true. I wouldn't put it past those girls to dump water on him and fib just to ruin his night.

July 3, 2009 at 11:29 pm

Yeah, all b.s. to get out of bed. Smiley's asleep and dry as a bone. No liquid within five yards.

July 3, 2009 at 11:32 pm

Dying to take a shower, but waiting for the cake to come out of the oven. I think it's thermostat must be going , and lately baking times have to be played strictly by ear.

July 4, 2009 at 12:25 am

I'm beating my chest ala Tarzan. The cake is out of the oven and light and fluffy and golden brown. A thing of beauty, like looking at myself in carbohydrate form.

July 4, 2009 at 12:40 am

in an effort to gobble up some more federal money Gov. Doyle's new budget makes seat belt enforcement a 'priority' issue . So now cops can pull you over for nothing more than seeing you without a seat belt on - and for shi*s and giggles under the guise of "I thought he wasn't wearing one judge!". Absolute bunk. I wear my seat belt, but in no way/shape/form is it the busines of anyone else, esp. the gov't.

July 5, 2009 at 3:23 pm

My son's school bus failed to arrive this morning, Now I have to . . . well, naturally the bus just pulled up, 21 minutes late :)

July 6, 2009 at 8:08 am

Robert McNamara, ex-defense secretary, dies - CNN.com

Former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, a key architect of the U.S. war in Vietnam under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, has died at age 93, according to his family.

July 6, 2009 at 11:45 am

We found out about this in an odd way. We called to schedule the baby's birthday party and were curtly told the restaurant was evacuating, could we please call back later? The fire continues to burn in Cudahy.

Residents being evacuated near burning Cudahy plant - JSOnline

Cudahy city officials are continuing to urge residents within a one-mile radius of the burning Patrick Cudahy plant to evacuate their homes immediately while a fire continues to rage more than 10 hours after the blaze was first reported late Sunday.

July 6, 2009 at 11:48 am

Yay! My son is home. I HATE that he takes a school bus, esp. since his summer speech program is at a diff. school, miles away from the one he knows. If he could say more than a couple dozen words - if he could voice his name and address - I'd feel much be

July 6, 2009 at 1:25 pm

Watching/DVR'ing the Michael Jackson memorial service on CNN.

July 7, 2009 at 12:37 pm

Right now Mariah Carey is peforming "I'll Be There" at the memorial. I don't care what anyone says, NKOTB did a better cover of the song.

July 7, 2009 at 12:43 pm

I'm saving my venom for when/if he officially signs with Minnesota.

Report: Favre pays deposit on Minnesota condo | Truth&Rumors | FanNation

A Brett Favre signing with the Minnesota Vikings is expected to be announced in time for the start of the team's single-game ticket sales July 20. The Vikings will play Favre's former team, the Green Bay Packers, Oct. ...

July 7, 2009 at 12:55 pm

Just back from my niece's 13th birthday party. We listened to the rest of the MJ memorial in the car, as V100 was broadcasting it live. (Probably the only time you'll hear me with that on my car stereo :)

July 7, 2009 at 6:53 pm

I just checked my gmail account. It's cool to get emails from people who read my occasional columns, and it *almost* makes me feel like an actual, grown up writer. But man! I can't believe the time some people have to devote to these things. Some are long

July 7, 2009 at 11:57 pm

Why is it . . .That a cell phone conversation in a public place is a thousand * times more infuriating than if the offender was yakking face to face?

July 8, 2009 at 8:48 pm

A Florida couple was slain in their home while 8 of their 16 children were present. 12 of the 16 children had been adopted knowing they had developmental disabilities and/or other issues.

July 10, 2009 at 9:55 pm

As a Certified Pool Operator at Job Prior, I can tell you the only way you're getting knocked up in a swimming pool is if you do it the old fashioned way. What's upsetting to me is the woman is Polish. Like we didn't have enough reasons for people to poke fun at us.

Pregnant By Swimming? - ParentDish

Magdalena Kwiatkowska of Poland thinks you can. She is suing an Egyptian hotel because she claims her 13-year-old daughter became impregnated after swimming in its pool during their recent holiday. Ms.Kwiatkowska ...

July 10, 2009 at 11:22 pm

I don't know what's going on. I look at some sites in IE and pics are missing. I go to a different browser and they're there. So one of my posts may or may not need to be corrected. I guess I'll wait til morning, reboot, and go from there.

July 11, 2009 at 1:06 am

Just back from the Frolics parade, followed by a little league game. Tired.

July 11, 2009 at 2:03 pm

anyone going to the circus parade?

July 12, 2009 at 11:24 am

Just got done watching The Unborn. Full review to follow, as you've grown to expect and detest, but as a sneak peek: it was worth the rental fee.

July 13, 2009 at 1:40 am

A glass plate just exploded in the microwave, scattering pieces across the kitchen and just narrowly missing Lisa. I guess that wasn't microwave safe after all.

July 13, 2009 at 11:22 am

Whoo-hoo! I worked tonight and didn't get the results until now. Congrats Prince!

Princesteals show from Pujols, becomes new HR Derby king - MLB - SI.com

Tonight was supposed to be Albert Pujols' night, but Prince Fielder and Nelson Cruz had other ideas.

July 14, 2009 at 12:30 am

Just finished a column and sent it in. Now I'm going to bed. 'Nite

July 14, 2009 at 3:11 am

Tonight's the All-Star game, which means the annual man only feast at my place. Dale, Jason - c'mon down if you can make it.

July 14, 2009 at 3:37 pm

Mix and Match of 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 off.

AND

 on 12:57 PM on May 28, 2006 I purchased an XM Satellite Radio from Best Buy.

AND

on February 28^th, 1980 S. Pat Meir, SSSF presented me with the “Sweet Smell of Success” (inc a grape smelly sticker) certificate announcing that I knew “all his ABC’s visually!” J

(on June 6^th of that year she’d give me a similar certificate for general “good work in kindergarten”

 Not that the super-lame stuff is out of the way, let us proceed with the merely-lame. 

 Yesterday – or was it the day before? – we Redboxed “Snow White and the Huntsman”. Lisa and I both enjoyed the movie, and I for one thought the films were striking. However, it was mighty long and mighty dark, and one wonders what riches or enjoyment the Queen could take from an empire literally reduced to mud and ashes. Plus, while she is attractive enough, we both found it hard to believe Kristen Stewart was the ‘fairest one of all’, especially in a kingdom where Clarize Theron resides. Grade: B

Several weeks into the new fall season, I think our consensus is that Animal Practice, while amusing, is far from LOL and fails to live up to its potential. I don’t see it sticking around long-term without significant shifts in direction.

Matthew Perry’s new sitcom, “Go On”, on the other hand, is a keeper. It needs to develop and fine tune some things, and it remains to be seen how long the rather limited ‘group therapy’ angle can work, but it is a) well written b) well acted by all involved and c) actually, if only occasionally, LOL funny.

My reading has been severely curtailed recently, although I’m at a loss to explain why. My Nook e-reader deleted my library two months ago, and while I restored it from a backup the loss of my ‘shelves’ and whatnot were a crushing blow. Combine that with a switch of shifts at work and an uptick in my writing time and I find my desire to read is next to nil. I have to kick it back into gear to crack the long-desired century mark.

I did however; finish reading the Stephen King/Stewart O’Nan tale “A Face in the Crowd”. It’s a short story, so it doesn’t qualify for my reading list, but I thought it entertaining and admired the quick way it introduced you to the characters and got you into the action, something I’ve noticed seems to have been fined tuned by the late great Rod Serling. I rate the story an ‘A’.

I’m inordinately pleased to see, on a used book I purchased on Ebay, a sales sticker reading “Zayre”. There was a Zayre store on S. 27^th when I was growing up. It occupied the former site of Treasure Island, aka the current location of Pic ‘n Save and as I recall there was a dry cleaning shop inside Zayre just as you were exiting the store. Anyway, my Mom worked at both Treasure Island and Zayre’s, and the sight of this sticker made me happy. Of note: the book , “West to Cambodia” by S.L. A. Marshall, retailed for $3.50, but it was on sale at Zayre for $2.80.

[I believe I read the book sometime in the early ’90’s, but may read it again]

Some songs that are among my faves lately (and that haven’t been mentioned before), I Won’t Give Up by Jason Mraz, As Long as You Love Me by Justin Beiber, Taylor Swift’s We are Never Getting Back Together and Fun.’s latest release, Some Nights.

Ginger's K5 School Picture

An Update on YaYa's Arm Injury

YaYa got a full arm cast, as the break was rather severe, but won't need surgery. Three weeks from now they'll X-Ray it again, and maybe switch her to a shorter cast. Meanwhile, that's the end of volleyball for the year, and there's a chance we might have to scrap her bday party; it's a lazer tag party and to activate a shot you need the use of both arms. We'll take her there and have her try it out before we make the call.

The Annual Check-ups

A couple of weeks ago Lisa took the three youngest in for their psychicals  All good, all healthy, although Lu's glucose was high (subsequent tests showed it to be an anomaly . Lu had a fit about the blood draw, but Ginger took four immunizations without a whimper - she simply recited the ABC's each time, the enunciation of each letter growing a little more unsteady in anticipation (the jab usually hit around "I"). 

Smiley was deemed to be in the 85th percentile for height and weight with the other two in the 60th percentile. He has gone through a recent growth spurt and to the eye appears taller and broad shouldered, a far more mature look than he sported even a few weeks ago. 

YaYa's 6th Grade School Picture

Alex Karras

Alex Karras, former University of Iowa and Detroit Lions star (and more importantly Webster's Dad) passed away this morning at the age of 77. RIP.

Rosewood Lane

Lisa and I watched 'Rosewood Lane' this morning, a soft horror film about a woman (Rose McGowan) who moves into a house in the 'burbs and is terrorized by a nutso paper boy who seems to have supernatural powers. It's pretty solid. I think the movie should have been over ten minutes into it, when she should have caved in his skull when he broke into her basement to stalk her, but whatev. Grade: B-

My Thoughts - PBS

IMO, spending $450 million on PBS each year, to duplicate programming found on multiple stations and online, seems like a questionable use of our resources. This isn't 1975, when we had 3 stations and PBS was a breath of fresh air. 

Please skip the Big Bird/Elmo line of bull - Sesame Workshop earns a gazillion dollars in marketing and licensing. They don't need our pity, or our tax $ - move to syndication or a private network and they'd do just fine. 

 And for those who trot out the line that $450 million is chump change for the Feds, well, you're right - but it's that kind of thinking and ready acceptance of it that led to the waste in Washington in the first place.

Ted

I watched "Ted" this morning. It's ridiculous and low-brow, vulgar and devoid of any plot points you haven't seen 1000x before (well, maybe not the teddy bear on cashier sex; that was new). My verdict? Funny as hell. I LOL'd time and again and had tears streaming down my face. I didn't wet my pants laughing, but that's probably just because I'm dehydrated. Grade: A

What Would You Do?

Unpopular opinion of the day: few shows bother me more than “What Would You Do?” on ABC, the hidden camera show that professes to reveal how your average person reacts when exposed to a given situation in a public place. On its surface it’s a nice, wholesome show that shows plenty of Average Joe’s protecting the weak, minding the innocent, and doing right by all.

 I call foul.

Sometimes the situations are clear cut, say someone drops their wallet in a shopping mall, a man is beaten, a woman is verbally assaulted or a child is left seemingly unattended. These are ‘duh’ situations and devoid of ambiguity. Too often, however, there is an agenda at play. Underneath the benign surface the show is a bully pulpit enforcing the media’s idea of what’s right – aka, what’s Left – and using the power of television to force any and all objections to the side. It’s horribly slanted to portray X as righteous and any objection to X as wrong. Likewise it works to label anyone with an objection as misguided and ignorant , someone who would only act and behave ‘better’ if educated by the host  John Quiñones 

Legitimate objections?  Intellectual disagreements? A conscience?

“Blech, there’s no such thing!”, sayeth ABC.

Here’s the deal. I do think it’s in poor taste for a woman to breast feed her five year old in the middle of a restaurant. Yup, I do. I do not think illegal immigrants should be idealized and pitied, any more than I think they should be demonized and hated. I do not think any couple, regardless of race or gender, should make out in the booth next to me, unless that booth is situated in a strip club. I do not think it is any of your damn business if and when a parent decides to ‘force’ his kid to eat something on their plate, punishes them (without violence) or make them get a haircut and I question why you are perfectly ok with someone butting in during those private moments. If someone forces their child to steal from me because that family is hungry, I will not coddle them and say “that’s OK Bunkie”. If you had asked, I might have bought you some groceries; I have done so before. But if you steal and plead hunger, I call foul. Get food stamps. Go to a soup kitchen. Visit the food pantry. And don’t you dare call me ‘ignorant’ – I’ve had plenty of rough times, and I know what it’s like to stand in line for government cheese, thank you kindly.

So in summary: do not pretend you are the arbiter of good taste or conscience, and don’t confuse “politically correct” with “correct”. Your show is a sham, and I do not like it sam I am. I do not.

Here endeth my rant. 

Another Blast from the Past - Photobooth pics (remember those?) from 1995

The Avengers

I finally got around to watching "The Avengers" last night. I thought it was a very good movie, strongly written, well acted, and it smoothly merged several film franchises into a single great buddy flick. Plus it had that great quote about the world spinning on, which was worth the rental alone. That said, while I enjoyed it, it left me kind of empty. I was just a spectator until the final battle scene, when I caught myself grinning and even LOL'd once. I don't think that connection should have required two hours of foreplay, but again, I still recognize it was a great superhero flick. Objective grade: A; personal grade: B/B+

Smiley's 2nd Grade School Picture

Quote

“Until such time that the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on."

3-2

Even with two players yet to play, I've won my fantasy matchup for the week - against the current (but soon to be dethroned) division champion, and with a 25 pt margin (to date). 3-2 on the year baby!

Plus Theeeeeee Yankees take 1-0 lead over Orioles in the ALDS with a 7-2 victory!.

A So So Day

With Lisa at work i wasted an hour waiting at a hair cutting place, then had to leave (or felt I had to leave) when the kids came home sooner than I expected. There are moments - just moments mind you - when I hate my life.

Update: I've been home with Smiley for a half hour now and just noticed a deep dark shiner on his right eye. (he spent the weekend at Grandma's). He traces the black eye to a dust-up with Lu on Thursday before dance, but if so I can't blame her either; I saw the argument, and the injury was an accident.

Two pics of Junie to lighten the mood: