Hostess is back!

Hostess, the snack company that went under last year, is back. That's great for the nostalgia lover in me, but Twinkies? Blech. Here's a couple pics of Junie enjoying a Hostess display at a local grocery store. 

Helen Thomas

Noted - not necessarily good but noted - White House correspondent Helen Thomas has died at 92. RIP

Aw, How Sweet

On the way out of work I was exhausted and droopy eyed, and voiced the hope that I didn't fall asleep on the freeway and run off the road. To which my  co-worker Mike Steinke blandly responded: "Drive fast. Take risks." Well played sir, well played.

update: soon it became a catchphrase on our shift, but morped to "Drive fast. Take chances."

Question

I have two old 3.5" floppy discs. One contains the complete text of a book I wrote at the turn of the century, the other the only extant copy of my 60 page senior thesis. Both discs were in storage until recently. Neither one works when I try them in the computer, although the book disc does show a directory. Ideas?

On the possibility of a civil trial in the Zimmerman case

Regarding the possibility of Zimmerman facing a civil suit from the Martin family, which (like the OJ trial) I view as a form of double jeopardy, "If Trayvon’s parents pursue civil action against Zimmerman in state court, they will likely encounter a major obstacle, the “immunity” provision of Florida’s Stand Your Ground law that became part of Zimmerman’s self-defense strategy at his criminal trial. The 2005 law, which allows a person to use force to prevent imminent death or harm to himself, can also shield a defendant from liability in a civil wrongful-death case."

Cory Monteith

Cory Monteith, aka "Finn" of Glee, age 31, has died of a drug overdose. I'm in shock. 

Two Quotes from Junie

Junie was goofing around on our office chair when she tripped and 

fell off, landing on her face. Lisa and I both checked for injuries (to 

date, Junie is the only kid who has yet to have stitches). Thankfully

the damage was minor. “You’re ok, but you’ll have a fat lip,” Lisa 

told her.

Immediately Junie, who had faced down numerous injuries without 

blinking,  was aghast.

“FAT??!!!,” she said. “I gonna have a fat lip!”

Junie, you see, has a wee bit of a distaste for the 

weight-challenged, despite having yours truly as a father.

********

Junie came home from a weekend with Lisa’s mother singing a song

 that went like this “Chock-o-lat, you drivin’ me crazy” and she 

sang it over and over. Apparently this tune was belted out by a 

mechanical monkey she saw at Grandma’s, and as far as I was 

concerned it was singing about the wonders of chocolate. Lisa 

wasn’t so sure, and translated that first line – goodness knows how – as “Jungle Love”

Sure as day, it WAS “Jungle Love” by Milwaukee’s own Steve Miller.

Another favorite of hers, this one from the cartoon “Phineas and 

Ferb”:  “My name is Doof and you do what I say, my name is doof 

and you do what I say.”

George Zimmerman

BREAKING NEWS: Jurors have found George Zimmerman NOT GUILTY in the shooting of Trayvon Martin.

Not Ideal

Overheard at the optometrist: a vastly overweight woman loudly telling the clerk how her doctor has cut off her supply of pain pills, then asking if Obamacare will pay for the designer glasses she wanted.  Hells bells, even if you support that awful overstepping of government power,  you should do your best to keep people like that hidden from view. She ain't helping your case.

My Dad many moons ago

My Little Pony

I'm not sure why or how it happened, but all four kids are now obsessed with My Little Pony. I didn't even know the show was still being produced/rebooted.

My Boo

Hangover 3

I watched Hangover 3 yesterday. It was funnier than the second movie, but like that instalment I'd classify it as a buddy/action movie with occasional laughs, whereas the original was ROTFLMAO funny with a dash of action. For what it is, it works.

The Domes

I've posted about the Milwaukee Domes before, so I'll spare you much of the standard preamble. This past Monday we took advantage of free admission (and having only our two youngest in house) and visited the Milwaukee icon. 

It was a trip probably (and sadly) most memorable for the fact that I was nursing a bad knee injury that left me sidelined by the second dome, and by the third Lisa was forced to get a wheelchair for me to finish the circuit. :( 

Here's Smiley posing by a Sausage Fruit tree. 

On the way back, because the Domes are in our old stomping ground, we showed the kids three of the flats we once rented. This one, on Orchard, did not at all impress the kids. We rented the upper back in '97. Our last flat is still well maintained and pretty, but Smiley no longer has any recollection of it, and Junie never set foot in it - some small proof that we have moved up in the world in the last decade. 

Smiley's new bike

You read a few weeks ago that Little Man finally learned to ride a bike; alas, the bike he owned was now too small, and Lisa found a bike on Craiglist that was rugged, manly, and cool - and all for $25. 

Oh, it took some getting used to; this Chopper-esque bike is big enough to last him a few years. 

But as you can see after a few days - and a much needed haircut, he mastered it!

Enjoy it buddy-buddy! We love you!

Man of Steel

My former co-worker Patrick Markfort. wrote an insightful review of "Man of Steel", a review that may forever be known as the birthplace of the term "Rubble Porn", which he defines as the relentless and pointless destruction of propety. BRILLIANT phrase to capture a new pet peeve of mine. I said it before after "Avengers:, and I'll say it again after having watched "Man of Steel" Thursday night - it is ridiculous and almost irresponsible to portray the destruction of a city as if it has no consequence.

 In 2001, with more than a half hour notice, the two towers fell with a loss of 2000 lives. I'm supposed to believe that an eighth of New York/Metropolis is wiped out johnny-on-the-spot  by guys in tights and meh, the death toll might squeak past that of a bad commuter accident.   I estimated the Avengers climax would have produced 50,000 casualties; MOS certainly equalled that. I guess you have to destroy the village to save the village 

Enough already.          

                                                                                                                                               

As to the rest of the film, it was certainly no "Phantom Menace", so fans of the character can breath easy. It was a watchable, moderately entertaining film. It just wasn't a very good one. Some SPOILERS lay ahead, so tread lightly. 

I thought the Krypton scenes looked like something out of a Dune/Riders of Pern mash-up, and I can't say it adds to my respect of that esteemed civilization when they are openly aware that the planet is doomed to explode and are content to just sit down and wait. No "Jor-el you're a doomsayer" here, just a lil' "sure we screwed up the core, but what were we supposed to do?" Blech. 

Jonathon Kent, the true moral compass and role model of Superman - how bad a world would this be if that capsule had landed in the backyard of, say, Chris Brown? - is here reduced to a moral relativist. He suggests that perhaps his son should have let a group of schoolchildren drown, worries more about what will happen to our view of the universe than using his son's gift, and dies in the dumbest, cheesiest way possible. A -it's Kansas. You don't have to stand there yelling at people to run from a tornado. They understand John. B - it's a dog, not a human. It's not worth your life.  C - your son is invincible. Why are you the one out there again? D - what's with the quit at the end, and the 'stop' sign? Are you a suicidal Diana Ross?

Zod has none of the creepy menace of Terence Stamp, but criminy, who does? 

I liked Amy Adams as Lois Lane. I have yet to hear a compelling reason why anyone should feel otherwise. 

Henry Cavill was an ok Superman, but at times I felt he was playing up the "gee golly Mrs. Cleaver" act. And I thought he looked better with the beard. 

I think the film sacrificed humor and heart in a failed effort to match the intensity of the Dark Knight trilogy, a vital mistake as the two franchises have vastly different centrepieces.  Clark Kent is the heart of Superman, and his Superman persona is merely a means of expressing the worldview of Clark; Batman is the heart and tortured soul of what was once Bruce Wayne, and it is Wayne himself who is the mask for Batman. The Dark Knight films were dark and intense because they sought to portray and eventually overcome that darkness in Bruce. It works in that context. With Superman there is no such internal conflict, and I would argue that trying to force one onto the character - his fifteen year walkabout being the best example - is silly. 

As Patrick wrote, the movie hit one tone and one tone only, and the fight scenes seemed pointless and endless. 

At least this version of Superman, however, was proud and vocal about his American heritage, and didn't ignore that where he was raised shaped who he became. 

All in all, as reboots go, I liked Superman Returns better. 

Grade: C+

Quote

No human being is free to decide whether he will go through life without suffering and trial. These constitute as much the essence of life as shadows resulting from sunlight. Our choice is only to decide how we will react to them. - Archbishop Fulton Sheen

World War Z

Watched "World War Z" yesterday. It adds nothing to the genre and ignores the book it was based on but you know what? It was loads of fun. Brad Pitt is great at playing a concerned, involved father - art imitating life? - and the action was plentiful. I dug it. Grade: B+

Chill on the Hill

A few weeks ago we attended Chill on the Hill, a weekly free music concert at a local park. Team Slap went with our friend JJ and her daughter, but soon ran into some of YaYa's friends too. We had a blast, and without further adieu, here's some pics from that evening. 

Fireworks

Watched a great fireworks display from the comfort of my own porch. Yes, yes, people can have different opinions on such things, but in my mind if one day a year you can't get revved up for a parade, bbq, John Phillip Sousa, and fireworks, welllllll . . . I suppose even then there's room on this globe even for people like you ;)

Congrats CC Sabathia!

Congrats to CC Sabathia on his 200th career win!

Gettysburg 150 years on

Today marks a century and a half since Union forces triumphed at Gettysburg. That battle, 150 years ago, staved off the defeat and dissolution of our nation; tomorrow is the 150th anniversary of Grant's victory at Vicksburg, which ensured that the victory of that same nation was all but inevitable. To the men who fought in both battles - especially those who fought and died in blue, in the name of freedom and country - I salute you.

Smiley is going to see NKOTB tonight!

Just got up from a nap with Smiley, in preparation for his first ever concert - NKOTB at Summerfest tonight!

update: According to a text from Lisa, 98 degrees just took their bow and the crowd is waiting for New Kids to take the stage . . . .

The Purge

YaYa and I just finished "The Purge", and while it clearly has an underlying agenda the story stands up just fine on its own. There are some annoying moments - kids running off for no reason but to advance the plot, for instance - but some surprises too. Grace rates it a B+, I'd nudge it up to an A-

An example of Junie's artwork from College for Kids (her Geocaching class)