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Sunday, December 23, 2012

Facebook - October 2009 (bonus coverage of the Yanks run to their 27th World Championship!)


Nice to see TBS pimp the "A-Rod is in a slump cr*p" every time he steps to the plate. [bleep] [bleeps].
October 7, 2009 at 6:26 pm Friends

2 out RBI hit for A-Rod. :)
October 7, 2009 at 7:06 pm Friends

Followed by a two run blast by Matsui. The floodgates are open.
October 7, 2009 at 7:10 pm

Arod: 3 AB's with RISP and 2 out = 3 hits, 3 RBI. I may just swoon from all the love I feel. Seriously.
October 9, 2009 at 7:20 pm Friends

2 run home run by A-Rod in the bottom of the ninth to tie it up . . . I bow to you, Oh Great One of This and Any Era!
October 9, 2009 at 8:42 pm Friends

Arod does it again. He toyed with Pavano, then yanked one to the opposite field to pull the Yanks even.
October 11, 2009 at 8:07 pm Friends

"There goes an A-Bomb from A-Rod!" lol
October 11, 2009 at 9:39 pm

Congrats to my Yanks as they move on to the ALCS for the first time since 2004. ARod's line in the 3 gms of the 2009 ALDS: .455, 2HR, 6 RBI.
October 11, 2009 at 9:42 pm Friends

Ok! magazine is running with a story claiming ARod has asked Goldie Hawn for permission to marry her daughter (Kate Hudson). This can't wait til we have ring #27 people? There's playoffs to worry about!
October 12, 2009 at 3:04 am Friends

Lisa just took LuLu to the ER after she woke up short of breath with chest pain. Hopefully (?!) it's 'just' her first/last horrific asthma attack.
October 12, 2009 at 6:24 am Friends

RIP
Legendary wrestling figure Captain Lou Albano, perhaps best known for his association with pop singer Cyndi Lauper, died Wednesday, according to World Wrestling Entertainment.
October 14, 2009 at 3:07 pm Friends

"Safety Third!" - Mike Rowe
October 14, 2009 at 8:09 pm Friends

Random Jon and Kate thought: Jon's full name is spelled "Johnathon", which is an odd spelling, but then he shortens it to 'Jon', which to me has always read like a poor man's spelling of "John". Huh. Deep.
October 15, 2009 at 1:35 am Friends

Another night’s sleep lost to this damn toothache, w/ the dentist appt. pushed back another week. At least I got something done 2night, hammering out a column for the Journal.
October 15, 2009 at 3:48 am Friends

Funniest snark comment I've gotten: merging my whine about my tooth with my Mike Rowe Quote, Carlos wrote ""Mike Rowe's dirtiest job would be your dentist"
October 15, 2009 at 12:57 pm Friends

Milwaukee Public Library just Facebooked to say their health presentation @ Center St. library is cancelled today . . due to illness
October 15, 2009 at 12:59 pm Friends

I was going to say this week’s episode wasn't worth a prison riot, but the show in question was actually the Jim and Pam wedding, so . . . yeah, it was.
Apparently one Sheboygan County Jail inmate isn't a fan of
October 16, 2009 at 8:20 am Friends

A-Rod, 0-2 in the bottom of the eleventh, blasts a game tying home run to the opposite field - and w/out full arm extension! Truly, my man love for A-Rod has reached unhealthy proportions.
October 18, 2009 at 12:18 am Friends

Lest we forget, Mariano shut down the Angels for 2 1/3 innings.
October 18, 2009 at 1:15 am Friends

Pope Benedict XVI has has created a new church structure for Anglicans who want to join the Roman Catholic Church.
October 20, 2009 at 1:00 pm Friends

Barnes & Noble is launching the "Nook" in November to compete w/ Kindle.
October 20, 2009 at 4:06 pm Friends

RIP Vic Mizzy, age 93, the man who gave us the theme songs from Green Acres AND The Addams Family.
October 20, 2009 at 4:10 pm Friends

Uh, why are you on Facebook right now? You should be watching Glee on Fox.
October 21, 2009 at 8:08 pm Friends

If you happen to be in England, lucky you. Not for the commie medicine that weakens your soul ;) but because Sarah Jane Adventures will be on in ~11 minutes on BBC1
October 22, 2009 at 10:20 am Friends

Who wants to buy some girlscout nuts? LuLu’s goal is 45....damn her ambition! LOL....
October 25, 2009 at 12:12 am Friends

Sure it was great watching the Pack win and the Bears collapse (sorry Ken), but best of all, this NFL.com headline: "Favre fumble, INT help end Vikings' run". Sweeet!
October 25, 2009 at 7:47 pm Friends

Yankees win the pennant! Yankees win the pennant! Best. Anniversary Present. Ever.
October 25, 2009 at 11:08 pm Friends

Anyone who looks at Arod's #'s in this ALCS, and the impact he had, and *doesn't* think the MVP snub was PED based . . . well, share your stash, cuz it must be kind sh*t.
October 26, 2009 at 1:07 am Friends
Had anyone else heard of this? A Columbian soccer team was kidnapped in Venezuela, chained in the sun to trees for weeks, then brutally murdered. A freakin' TEAM.
The Los Maniceros massacre was the kidnapping of twelve members of a Colombian amateur association football team Los Maniceros (Peanut Men), ten of whom were later murdered. The dead were aged between 17 and 38.[1]
October 26, 2009 at 10:44 am Friends

I'm watching Tony LaRussa's press conference as he names Mark McGwire as the Card's new hitting coach. Kudos to Tony for the helping hand to restore Mark's place in baseball.
October 26, 2009 at 11:20 am Friends

"You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do."- Henry Ford. 'Course, Henry never met the Prez.
October 27, 2009 at 9:23 am Friends

{shudder} I just had the misfortune of reading something penned by Joy Behar. Wow.
October 27, 2009 at 10:14 pm Friends

Hot damn, the Escort is fixed and back in my hands! Now the big question - how to cover the check I just wrote to pay for the repair. Eek.
October 30, 2009 at 4:56 pm Friends

Reminder: if you are setting your DVR to record Kate Gosselin's much anticipated interview w/ Natalie Morales, it's on Monday under the title "Kate: Her Story" *not* "Jon and Kate Plus Eight"
October 30, 2009 at 4:06 pm Friends

And don't get me started on the Duggars. I love me some Duggars.
October 30, 2009 at 4:55 pm

The Phils will start Blanton in game four, saying Lee shouldn't pitch on 3 days rest . . but they'd toss Lee back out there for a possible gm 7 on 2 days rest!? Okeedokee
October 30, 2009 at 7:32 pm Friends

"One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important."- Bertrand Russell
October 30, 2009 at 10:59 pm Friends

Arod homers, Yanks win and take a 2-1 lead in the Series.
10.31.09: Alex Rodriguez is awarded a homer after the umpires use instant replay, the first postseason homer ever awarded in this manner

Never Give In

"Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. " - Winston Churchill

Shopping

Shopping for Mom's gift with Dad at the 27th St. Walmart 

Saturday, December 22, 2012

A Powerful Quote

"Anyone can carry his burden, however hard until nightfall; anyone can do his work however hard for one day." Robert Louis Stevenson. (a quote POW James Kasler held dear during 6 years of torture in Hanoi)

Air War – Vietnam by Frank Harvey

I’ve finished reading my 103rd book of the year: 'Air War – Vietnam' by Frank Harvey, a 1967 expose advertised as the story of “What our Airmen are really doing in Vietnam!” and “The headline making eyewitness story of America’s devastating new brand of warfare!”.  

Harvey spent several weeks embedded with Navy and Air Force pilots in 1966, and what emerged is a frank portrait of the air war at the time.  It is frank, in that it discusses the good and the bad, but it is by no means prescient; while more a dove than a hawk, Harvey is a bit awed by the blunt power of our weaponry and overestimates our success. Not the greatest stylist in the world, Harvey still composed an entertaining account that is filled with details of everyday life that would now otherwise be lost to time. 

Grade: B

Friday, December 21, 2012

The Tragedy at Sandy Hook


For a nation at peace – or at least, at peace on its own soil – the elementary school shooting in Newton,

Connecticut is truly a tragedy beyond our comprehension. 26 victims are dead, twenty of them childrenv of only six and seven years of age.

Tragedy? It’s a nightmare.

Here’s another bit of trivia I noticed as I sat down to write this: there’s been so many of these mass murders that we now unconsciously rank them in order of their misery. How many dead? How many wounded? Were they all adults? Was the shooting at a workplace, or at a place of worship?? Was the shooter unknown to them, or someone they feared?

These mass shootings aren’t an epidemic; they’re a damn competition to see who can ratchet up the most attention from the grave.

I don’t know what motivated the killer. I’ve heard plenty of rumors, but I’m old enough to remember the half-truths that emerged post-Columbine, misconceptions that still skew our attempts to understand the horror. Just a few days ago the media publicly labeled the wrong man the Connecticut shooter, so you’ll have to forgive me if I doubt what they scrounge up now. Whatever the eventual consensus is on his motivation, I call foul.

I was bullied, and I know what it feels like to be an outsider, but I can guarantee you the thought of picking up a gun and killing children never occurred to me, or to the millions who share a similar lief story. I do not believe that video games, TV, or bedwetting inspired his actions. Gun ownership isn’t to blame (though let’s get real: no one could walk into that school with a baseball bat or a knife and kill twenty-six people). Maybe his Mom was great, maybe she was awful; either way, plenty of people deal with the repercussions and live a normal life. If he was truly mentally ill, then yes, he needed help, but blaming his illness would be to wrongfully smear the millions of American with mental illness who aren’t murderers.

Go back for a moment to what I said about this being a competition and look at all the attention paid to these shootings. The victims are the focus at first, but soon enough we hyper-focus t the killer and reduce the victims to historical footnotes. In time what remains? I can’t tell you the name of a single Columbine victim, but I can rattle off the duo of ‘Klebold and Harris’ without pause; show me a picture of a victim of the Colorado theater shooting and I’ll draw a blank, but I can ID the killer from any photo lineup. We do the same with everyone with blood on their hands – in time, they become the focus ofour memories and achieve a dubious, sick immortality.

I don’t blame the media. When dozens of people are murdered it is news, and must be reported. I blame you and me, the people who three weeks after the tragedy eagerly scoop up a magazine about it, or years after the fact plop down hard cash for a true-crime book with a lurid title. If it was up to me,the killers would never get their name in print. “We” don’t need to learn from them to prevent future deaths; that’s a job for psychiatrists and law enforcement, and they are welcome to immerse themselves in their biographies if it will do any good.

Take away that promise of fame, that proof that their otherwise worthless life was worth remembering,and I think some – not all, but some – of these future tragedies will be avoided.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Say What?

Whoa! 3x Olympic runner and 7x national champion Suzy Favor Hamilton, a Madison resident, has admitted leading a double life recently as a prostitute. "[I was]drawn to escorting in large part because it provided many coping mechanisms for me when I was going through a very challenging time with my marriage and my life." Uh, ooookay.

Night by Elie Wiesel

Book #102 of 2012: I have finished reading Night by Elie Wiesel, his account of his time as a teenager in a Nazi death camp.  It is terse, shocking, and rumbles along towards a horrible fate at breakneck speed. The pages that involve his relationship with his father were filled with agony, still felt keenly after many decades.  I began to tear up reading it, and was so moved at his loss that I put down the book and texted “I love you Dad” to my own Father (this, in the middle of the night).  A masterwork. Grade: A+

Infantry in Vietnam: Small Unit Actions in the Early Days , 1965-66 edited by LTC Albert N Garland, USA (Ret)

Book #101 of 2012:  I’ve completed reading Infantry in Vietnam: Small Unit Actions in the Early Days , 1965-66 edited by LTC Albert N Garland, USA (Ret), with a foreword by William Westmoreland. It’s an excellent collection of contemporary accounts of platoon and company sized actions during the early years of the war, complete with wonderfully specific details that are largely lost to time. (50 years on, the emphasis is rightly on the broader handling of the war, not, for instance, the subtle agricultural clues that give away the presence of VC in an area).  

As I read the book I picked up on the fact that action after action, the US was learning. They were adapting tactics, technology, and thinking to the odd new war they had inherited, and it’s a fascinating transition to experience - second-hand.  I’m glad I wasn't there to iron out the kinks myself.

One troubling thing I read was a passage on pg. 110. “ . . . Brigadier General Ellis W. Williamson . . . emphasized whenever he could the deliberate and effective use of firepower.  . . [he] advanced the concept of using this firepower in any and all situations where its use might precluded the unnecessary exposure of personnel to hostile fire. He continually urged his subordinate commanders to use firepower first, and to use as much as necessary in lieu of or to precede the actual advance of the troops.”  [emphasis mine]

Jump ahead twenty years to a documentary about the Gulf War, in which Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf referenced his time during the Invasion of Grenada. He mentioned, with disdain, that infantry movement stalled at the slightest hint of enemy contact, with troops calling in air strikes or artillery to eliminate a single sniper. The aggressive, offensive nature of infantry had been curtailed by this holdover mindset from Vietnam, and he made immediate efforts to change that culture. 

During the rest of the book you see evidence of that defensive idea influencing action on the ground. Oh, there was plenty of fighting, and no one, least of all me, is equating that doctrine with cowardice, but from a distance it’s hard not to scream “What are you doing? You are giving the VC the initiative.” Unit action reports end with American units surrounding VC only to sit and wait for air support or daylight, allowing their escape, and one chapter revolves around a unit that expended  an ungodly amount of air, naval and artillery support, all for a single Viet Cong, without ever once attempting to initiate contact themselves. 

This book was the last of three I bought in an Ebay lot earlier this year, and I’m happy to say that was $1.99 well spent. I hope there are other titles in the series detailing the later years of the war. Grade: A+

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

The School Christmas Concert


Today is the annual Christmas concert, and while Lisa is at the show even as I type, I attended the afternoon rehearsal. Being me, I texted my review of the show as it went on!



1:39 PM: YaYa doing well

1:43 PM 3rd grade doing dance #, no vocals  [not one of our classes]



1:49 PM 4th grade (LuLu's) kinda blah so far


1:51 PM 4th grade 2nd song muuuch better. . . Lu doesn't enjoy the stage like the rest of our kids I think ;)

Lisa's response:  She waaaants to, her fear gets in the way of her being a star - but she wants to shine!

Me:  Ok - MOM! LOL 


1:58 PM Smiley singing proud

2:00 Singing at full joyous volume :)


2:07 PM Ginger on stage. Whatta smile!


2:10 PM - Oops! Ginger one beat ahead on her hand motions!

02:11 PM - [the school's traditional, infamous] Russian Dance!!


2:22 PM  YaYa up on stage again




Anyhow, I know the pictures don't sync with the text, but I'm pretty darn exhausted. It was a pleasure to watch and later I posted this on Facebook:

I spent the afternoon at the rehearsal for tonight's school Christmas concert. Yes, these buggers annoy me often, but when I catch myself grinning ear to ear at one of these things, or getting a big hug from all of 'em afterwards, I know the truth: if nothing else, I was born to be a Daddy.



Merry Christmas from the kids of Team Slap!

Nightmare Alley

A great movie (his best?) by my favorite actor, Tyrone Power. 

Robert Bork

RIP Judge Robert Bork, woulda/coulda/shoulda been Supreme Court Justice

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

The American Experience: My Lai

This morning I watched "The American Experience: My Lai", with some trepidation. I was expecting to be hit over the head for an hour with more opinion than content . Instead, the documentary let the facts of March 16, 1968 speak for themselves; it was a wise move, as it was more than enough to cement the fact that the murder of 500+ women and children was an inexcusable war crime. 

Of note were the interviews with the men of Charlie company, and the myriad personalities that are on display even 40 years removed from My Lai: the meek follower, the strident soldier, the guy that just wanted to go home, the creepy rationalist. This should be required viewing. Grade: A+ (and as always, a tip of the hat to Hugh Thompson for his actions that day)

Monday, December 17, 2012

Facebook August 2009


The picture is of the Duggar's oldest son and his virgin bride, but I assure you, therrrrre's no need to fear - Marky Mark, Marky Mark is here. If you understood that reference, you are either at 33 year old woman, a gay man, or a very disturbed, very hairy 35 year old South Sider.

The actor and longtime girlfriend Rhea Durham tie the knot in an intimate Catholic ceremony in Beverly Hills
August 1, 2009 at 10:31 pm Friends

If you RTA, you come away a bit puzzled. MJ is often understood to have been a regressed man-child in his personal life, and yet his 12 year old son seems to be the opposite - a man inhabiting a child's body. He has alledgedly run the household staff - and won their respect, no less - for years. Moreover, when his Dad died the doctor came screaming for someone to "Get Prince!" - not 911, not an adult, but MJ's son - and it was not until Prince took over the scene that action was taken.

Since Michael Jackson's death, his son, Prince Michael I, has emerged as the man of the family.
August 1, 2009 at 10:49 pm Friends

What's up with the fire sale at the Journal Sentinel? First Tim Cuprisin said goodbye, then I hear the theater critic is gone, and now the book editor wrote her farewell address. What's the rationale behind all this - more than pure $ I mean?
August 1, 2009 at 11:00 pm Friends

Ken Griffey Jr. added Rangers right-hander Tommy Hunter to his long list of home run victims. Hunter became the 400th big league pitcher to surrender a home run to Griffey.
August 1, 2009 at 11:11 pm Friends

RIP

The remains of Captain Michael Scott Speicher, the first American lost in the Persian Gulf War, have been found in Iraq, the military said Sunday, after struggling for nearly two decades with the question of whether he was dead or alive.
August 2, 2009 at 12:09 pm Friends

This sucks, both for the Brewers and Bill Hall. I like the guy. I once had a conversation with his high school coach. He said he tried to stop Bill from entering the draft but all Hall could think about was getting to the bigs. I hope he gets another chance, and a change of scenery.

There's a best-case scenario for Bill Hall and the Milwaukee Brewers, and it doesn't involve his return to the starting lineup at third base. The best thing that could happen for Hall and the Brewers is ...
August 2, 2009 at 3:25 pm Friends

Hmm. The charismatic President of a country that's shifted from democratic captialism to socialism decides to put the media out of business unless they 'share his vision'. Thank God it can't happen here. Why, I saw this article on Fox, and . . . well, on Fox. No, I'm sure the 'Big Three' networks have the story on their sites too. . . oops, not a whisper. My bad.

Hugo Chavez Pulls 34 Radio Stations Off the Air , Hugo Chavez said previously that the revoked licenses could be given to broadcasters who share his socialist vision.
August 2, 2009 at 3:40 pm Friends

Not only was the guy on the FBI Most Wanted list in the '60's, in the early 70's he wrote a book about how he'd turned his life around. "If you see someone on the street who needs help, help him, because tomorrow night it may be you who needs help."

Awwww. How sweet. Of course, the next year he rented a house and then burned it to the ground, and later in the decade he allegedly abducted, mudered, and sexually assaulted a WI couple.

With rare exceptions, people don't fundamentally change their heart and soul once they're an adult. Why is that news to anyone? What a world.

Edward Wayne Edwards, charged with the murders of two Jefferson County teenagers in1980, was one of the FBI's 10 Most Wanted fugitives in 1961. He also published a book in 1972 about turning his life around.
August 2, 2009 at 4:43 pm Friends

Oh, it's still probably going to suck. It just won't suck as bad as a Michael Bay or McG driven flick.

Ridley Scott unleashed a monster that’s been scaring fans for 30 years when he directed the sci-fi classic “Alien” in 1979.
August 3, 2009 at 6:19 pm Friends
[this was Prometheus, and boy was I wrong; I loved it]

This one may get a blog post of its own. To quote the Times of London : "Christians also face intimidation because of discriminatory blasphemy laws, including one that carries the death penalty for defiling the Koran and images of the Prophet Muhammad. The law is often misused to settle personal scores."

Paramilitary troops patrolled the streets of a town in eastern Pakistan yesterday after Muslim radicals burnt to death eight members of a Christian family, raising fears of violence spreading to other areas.
August 4, 2009 at 8:55 pm Friends

Ordinarily I'd say 34 years for a weak stab at attempted murder is enough. But when you aim a gun at the President life in prison should actually be 'life in prison'.

Heck, I was watching a Nat. Geographic special yesterday that said some states will be put you in prison for 35 years for possession of two marijuana plants. Two plants = 35 years. Worship Manson and aim at gun at a President = 34 years.

What a world.

The president she tried to assassinate has been dead for nearly three years, and her longtime idol and leader, Charles Manson, remains in prison.
August 5, 2009 at 2:45 pm Friends

Happy 2nd Birthday Ginger!Today is the 2nd, joyous birthday of the one and only Feral Child, aka Lump aka Baby, better known online as Ginger Slap. May she enjoy this day, and another hundred birthdays in the years to come!
August 7, 2009 at 12:03 am

"She did say that they touched North Korean territory very, very briefly," Lisa Ling, sister of Laura Ling, told CNN on Thursday."

You know, I'm all for saying "P. off" to North Korea on just about any subject, but uh? Memo to 3rd rate journalist  Rather than creating an international incident between two nations that have come to blows before, DON'T ILLEGALLY CROSS THE BORDER. You cannot, you will not, ever convince me that N. Korea doesn't clearly delineate their border.

Ugh . .

Two U.S. journalists pardoned and freed by North Korea did cross illegally into that country, the sister of one of the women said.
August 7, 2009 at 1:45 am Friends

Cuban born Sen. Martinez (R-Fla) is resigning. This won't affect the makeup of the Senate, as the Republican Gov. will appoint someone to warm the seat until the 2010 election. Martinez had previously stated he would not seek reelection next year.

Sen. Martinez (R-Fla.) Gives Up Seat Early
August 7, 2009 at 12:23 pm Friends

You know what's ridiculous about major network news? (aside from their blind love for Obama) They run incredible stories t hat revolve around a picture or a dispute about a picture- and then, *out of a sense of propriety* refuse to post any of the picutres themselves. Then why run the story in the first place???

Lady Gaga's manager calls rumors that she's a hermaphrodite and has a penis
August 8, 2009 at 11:26 am Friends

As The World Turns is in danger of being cancelled, just one more sign that our civilization is crumbling.

My Mom watched it religiously in my youth, and I remember the Dusty-Lily-Holden triangle very well. I still look down at Margo for her affair with Hal. How could she cheat on a guy like Tom???

Posted Aug 7th 2009 9:02AM by Allison WaldmanFiled under: Programming, OpEd, Daytime, Cancellations, Pickups and Renewals, Ratings, Reality-Free
August 8, 2009 at 11:35 am Friends

Busy day today. My daughter's 2nd birthday party, followed by a family BBQ and then a bit of a mess after that. All in all, a great day.
August 9, 2009 at 12:15 am Friends

I mean this with 100% sincerity: if you want to put a smile on my face and make me instantly happier, no matter the situation, just show me an Alex Rodriguez home run.
August 9, 2009 at 9:27 pm Friends

Hmmm. I'm not sure what's sadder; the fact that this is considered national news, or that I was actually thinking about his dissapearance a few days ago.

A private investigator leading the search for Olivia Newton-John's ex, Patrick McDermott, said they received a fax that he is alive and well and wants to be left alone.
august 11, 2009 at 12:51 am Friends

Every few minutes I've heard this guttural sound coming from the other room. Kind of freaky in a quiet house, actually. Then I got it: it's Smiley's crickets. They aren't quite chirping so much as . . . well, making unique disgusting noises.
August 11, 2009 at 1:05 am Friends

Oh, I'd love one, don't get me wrong. But my trivial concerns: say you live in the heart of the city where there are no garages, or rent instead of own. I've lived plenty of places where everyone parks on the street. Or you live in a large complex where parking isn't assigned in the lot. Where do you plug in? Who pays for the juice in that case?

The Chevrolet Volt, GM's electric car that's expected to go on sale in late 2010, is projected to get an estimated 230 miles per gallon, the automaker announced Tuesday.
August 11, 2009 at 12:03 pm Friends

83 homes on the south side would be demolished under the current plan to expand the Kinnickinnic River. Thurs an open house will be held to discuss the idea. I like the goal: less flooding, more nature friendly river. I'm *not* fond of reducing our tax base further by shoving 83 families to the burbs, or the idea of taking homes for the public 'good'.

Aug. 11, 2009 5:16 p.m. | A Kinnickinnic River neighborhood plan and a proposed $40 million flood-control strategy for the river downstream of S. 27th St. will be discussed at a public open house from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday in the Kosciuszko Community Center gym, 2201 S. 7th St.
August 11, 2009 at 5:50 pm Friends


The city is marking up the street in front of my house - literally, directly in front of my house - and I went and asked what was going on. Turns out they're building a gas line from the landfill in Franklin, all the way down to Jones Island. (!) Based on soil samples from in front of my house, they may have to dig the street up to lay the pipe. Yikes!
 
Brewers have released Bill Hall, fired 17 year vet Bill Castro, sent JJ Hardy down to the minors and called up Escobar. Too little, too late I think. Thank God I still have the Yanks.

The Brewers have fired pitching coach Bill Castro and replaced him with Class AAA Nashville pitching coach Chris Bosio. In another drastic move, the Brewers have sent down shortstop J.J. Hardy and recalled Alcides Escobar from Nashville.
August 12, 2009 at 12:31 pm Friends

August 12, 2009 at 1:22 pm Friends

Smiley and Caitlin

Les Paul Dead at 94Waukesha's own Les Paul, the inventor of the electric guitar and music legend, has passed away. He was 94. RIP Les - you made Wisconsin proud.
August 13, 2009 at 3:43 pm

CNN is reporting Michael Vick has signed with the Philadelphia Eagles.
August 13, 2009 at 8:10 pm Friends

Spent the day @ UWM with my two oldest girls. Great time. Supposed to have a rummage tomorrow, but it's been postponed.
August 15, 2009 at 12:07 am Friends

Archie comics is celebrating issue 600 with Archie proposing . . .to Veronica! I always thought Betty was more bleepable, but to each his own.

DALLAS (AP) -- When comic book store owner Dave Luebke heard that after 67 years, the carrot-topped everyman of the comic world, Archie, was proposing to va-va-voomy rich girl Veronica instead of girl-next-door Betty, he decided to protest by selling his copy of the series' rare first issue.
August 15, 2009 at 11:22 am Friends

Jim Doyle Won't Seek Re-electionBig news out of Madison: according to published reports, WI Gov. Jim Doyle (D) has decided against a 2010 bid for re-election. Hallelujah. It could go on of two ways. First: Doyle leaves office early, Lawton takes over, and campaigns w/ an incumbents advantages. Two, the Dems abandon most of Doyle's record and campaign as 'outsiders'. Who the candidate is in that scenario I couldn't say, but it'll be a bumpy ride.
August 15, 2009 at 5:28 pm

How much can a 20#'er eat? Corn dogs, carrots, a granola bar, some salad, an apple, cereal, waffles . . now she just raided the fridge and brought me a jar of peanut butter and cream cheese. YOU ARE TWO. YOU DO NOT HAVE A TAPEWORM. GO WATCH ELMO. Ugh.
August 15, 2009 at 6:10 pm Friends

The Mayor was beaten with a pipe as he was leaving State Fair last night . . .more to follow . . .

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett was recovering Sunday morning after he was beaten with a pipe after leaving the Wisconsin State Fair with his family Saturday night.
August 16, 2009 at 10:47 am Friends

Ha! How very true!

Oh yes! Daniel E Slap-‘s best name anagram is A LAZY, PENNILESS DICK . But what is YOURS? August 16, 2009 at 11:48 pm Friends


Favre signs with Vikings, according to JS
August 18, 2009 at 12:38 pm

The company began in Janesville (WI) in 1888.

Atlanta-based Newell Rubbermaid Inc. said it plans to close its Janesville facility by the end of the first quarter of 2010. Manufacturing and distribution work will be moved to an office products division operation in Mexicali, Mexico. ...
August 18, 2009 at 5:40 pm Friends


Project Runway is Back! And (not) better than ever!I worked last night but returned home to a heapin' helpin' of Project Runway on my DVR. The verdict? Well, I won't say they've jumped the shark, but I wasn't bowled over
August 21, 2009 at 11:30 am

Just back from camping and found out Ted Kennedy died. As he was a fellow human being, RIP, but . . . "the end of Camelot" says CNN??? Ugh. Cue a solid week of crocodile tears and eulogizing on the Hill, in blogdom, and in the MSM.
August 26, 2009 at 3:47 pm Friends
[perhaps this was too harsh]


RIP

Dominick Dunne, the former Hollywood producer and best-selling author known for his Vanity Fair essays on the courtroom travails of the rich and famous, died Wednesday in New York city after a long battle with cancer.
August 26, 2009 at 6:31 pm Friends

Hmm. Somehow I don't think I qualify for a religous order, semi-teetotaler or not.

Daniel completed the quiz "What nationality do you drink like?" with the result Nothing..Never said it was a bad thing, but you don't drink. Your friends say you miss out on all the fun. You might not do it because you wanna be original, or you're "too smart" Its okay, you can have fun without drinking... It could be against your religion as well. When : Never What : Nothing How much : None.
August 27, 2009 at 9:58 pm

Teams I love to watch lose! by Daniel 1. Chicago Cubs2. Minnesota Vikings3. Boston Red Sox4. Chicago Bears 5. Los Angeles Lakers
August 27, 2009 at 10:02 pm

I have written and erased two comments about this monster. Read it yourself.

Police: California Girl Kidnapped 18 Years Ago Kept as Sex Slave in Couple's Backyard, Jaycee Lee Dugard, an 11-year-old girl who was kidnapped while waiting for the school bus in 1991, has been found alive after allegedly being held captive in the backyard of a convicted sex offender for 18 years.
August 27, 2009 at 10:16 pm Friends

I'm listening to Creed's new single "Overcome" for the first time, and it rocks.
August 30, 2009 at 9:53 pm Friends

I don't know what *your* facebook homepage looks like, but I hate the new version.
August 31, 2009 at 4:24 pm Friends
[again – an overstatement. I don’t even remember the ‘before’]