Reviver by Seth Patrick

 

Junie finished reading this book earlier this year, after taking it off Lulu's bookshelf, and I picked up after getting hooked on the first few chapters.  So that means 3 of us have read it.

Unfortunately, those first chapters were a bait and switch. It began as a unique and terrifying premise - forensic artists can resurrect dead victims just long enough to coax the name of their killer, only now, something far darker wants to cross the divide into our world.  Aaaaand then it devolved into a run of the mill thriller novel, complete with unnecessary romance, hokey cliffhangers, yada yada. 

When I asked Junie her opinion of it, to see if it matched mine, she merely shrugged and said "It was a book."

I grade it a C.

Everything Everywhere All at Once

 

We rented this movie after YaYa and Smiley independently recommended it, with one of them (I do not remember which) declaring it one of the most moving and powerful films they had seen. 

I enjoyed it, but I don't feel nearly as strongly about it. 

EEAAO is the story of Evelyn, a Chinese-American immigrant who lives in a cluttered apartment above the laundromat she owns with her husband, a man she secretly blames for the mundane life she lives. The business is under threat by the IRS, her daughter is barely on speaking terms with her, and her estranged father lives with them and does little beyond ratchet up her anxiety.  

So it is a bit surprising when Evelyn is told that she is but one of an infinite number of Evelyn's across the multiverse, and as it happens, the one Evelyn destined to stop an all-powerful entity threatening creation. 

The movie, if you can't tell, is part drama, part sci-fi, part action/kung-fu film, and part comedy. It's an unusual and  awkward mix of genres that works most of the time. When it clicks, you're delighted and left smiling at the screen. The few times it doesn't - well, it plops down with a thud. 

I think Michelle Yeoh and Stephanie Hsu were magnificent as the mother/daughter pair, and deserve award consideration. Beyond that, I don't think the movie lives up to the praise it's received. It's very good, but it isn't Citizen Kane. 

Perhaps, and I am quite serious here, the divide is purely generation. A large chunk of the film devotes itself to a nihilistic view of life, and the search to find a sliver of existence that by itself is enough to make you forget how small we are in the universe. 

That's a  subject that speaks far more to those just finding their footing in adulthood than it does someone who has seen the meaning of life reflected back in their children's eyes. 

Grade: B

Honey Buns

I had a honey bun phase when I was like 9 and I stg I just can’t eat them any more it’s sickening. YaYa

Another classmate lost

losing childhood classmates can be difficult and it seems to be happening a lot lately. gun violence is especially difficult for me to hear about and i hope everyone is taking the time they need. peace to the families, sincerely YaYa

A Walk in the Park

Does your park have yarn covered benches?

Voyage on the Great Titanic

One of YaYa's self-described favorite books of her childhood. 

The 2022 MLB Draft

Tonight I watched the 1st Round of the 2022 MLB Draft.

For Father's Day Junie bought me Baseball America's annual draft issue.  I have fond memories of dissecting those issues in years past,  highlighting the bio of prospects I thought were future big leaguers. On the day of the draft I would track the event in notes scribbled on the pages,  identifying where reality differed from the predictions of the writers.

Today I did much the same thing,  this time with Junie watching most of it with me - not by intention, she just wandered in - and asking some good questions.  She even offered to watch the next rounds with me,  although that might have been just a polite social lie. 

The Brewers, with the 28th pick, chose Eric Brown, a shortstop out of Coastal Carolina. BA ranked him the 53rd best prospect in the draft. 

Here's hoping he succeeds.

A Gift

These are the Polish headrest covers YaYa gave me last month. 

The Troublemaker

Taqwa's

For years now I've ignored Taqwa's on 27th and Layton.  After all,  I snootily thought,  how good could a Mediterranean restaurant be if it sets up shop in an abandoned Burger King?

Well,  as it turns out, pretty darn good. 

The interior of the restaurant was comfortable and attractive, and displayed no hint of its fast food history. 

We started off with delightful tabun bread,  served with oil and herbs.  

We tried a spinach fatayer, an individual pie cooked in a burning stone oven, and vegetable sambousek, a deep fried pastry that could pass for an eggroll. The fatayer was excellent; the sabousek merely good.  

For an entree we split a mixed platter of one skewer each of Shish Kabob, Chicken Shish Tawook & Kufta Kabob. They were wonderful,  although the rice it was served with was a little lacking in flavor. 

To drink: a mint lemonade smoothie that hit just right.

All that, and a reasonable price too.

It's worth a visit, and I regret not going  sooner!

Ivana Trump

RIP Ivana Trump, ex- wife of the former President. She was 73.

Mulligan's Irish Pub

My mom and I lunched at Mulligans irish pub and grill on 27th street in Franklin. Sandy was our server, what a cool lady! We had the pretzels and Asian chicken salad. Both were very good! We had Irish coffee and the naughty school girl for drinks and they were delicious and well priced. Can't believe it's taken us so long to try this place..there's quite a few things left on the menu we need to try. We'll be back! - Lisa

Sonic

I’m currently obsessed with the mini brand surprise bags at Sonic. The mini drinks fit in the mini cup holder they have 😭  - YaYa

Good Job Milwaukee!!

I stand here incredulous. 

Say what you will about Milwaukee,  but here is a fact: over the weekend I filed a short online request to have the treacherous pothole in my alley filled. 

Today I returned home from work to this!

In less than two business days the City sent out a crew and resolved the problem. 

Well done!

If you need to report potholes or other road maintenance issues in Milwaukee,  you can do so here. 

LOL

- Lisa 

The Sparrow

I'm sitting on the patio with huck and there's a pretty good rain coming down. God bless the patio umbrella.  Before that,  I found this sparrow sitting on my car's rear wiper when I was taking out the trash.

I think the bird was injured or stunned, bc he didn't fly away.  I fed him some mealworms, and when I returned to check on him ten minutes later he was nowhere to be found. 

Lenny Von Dohlen

 You probably know him best for his role on Twin Peaks. Curiously enough, I know him best for playing a version of the same character in "Dual Spires," an episode of Psych that parodied Twin Peaks. 

He has passed away at age 64. 

Von Dohlen also holds a special place in my memory for starring in the '80's dramedy Electric Dreams, in which an architect, Von Dohlen, falls for his beautiful musician neighbor, played by Virginia Madsen. Alas, this couple must compete with the jealous emotions of the architect's newly sentient home computer who is intent on driving them apart. 

I loved that movie, and its soundtrack (new original songs, including one by Culture Club!) so much that I went out of my way to track down and buy a cassette tape of the same. I think I may have actually had to special order it at one of the mall music stores. 

Oh, and this has always stuck in my head: the character's solution to earthquake damage: construct building from bricks based on interlocking jigsaw puzzle pieces. 

I've always wondered if that would really work. 

RIP sir. 

Tony Sirico

My heart aches. Tony Sirico, who played the tough but loveable Paulie Walnuts in all six seasons of The Sopranos,  has died at age 79.

You will be missed.

Stranger Things Season 4

I finished watching Season 4 of Stranger Things last night. Season 4 didn't disappoint, and I continue to be grateful for tuning in and getting invested in these characters when the show first premiered. 

That's not to say the season was perfect. For every hint of a Steve/Nancy Rekindling there was a Wil crying and moping, and for every Eddie Munson there was the ridiculous Russian smuggler. 

You take the good with the bad, what can I say.  SPOILERS AHEAD

The Good: I enjoyed Steve's continued renaissance, my only issue with it being that he's become so dang close to mature and wise that they HAVE to be setting him up to die miserably, right? 

The Bad: Seriously - when did the Robin of Season 3 become an intelligent but scatterbrained comic foil? 

The Good: pretty much every scene set in and around Hawkins

The Bad: The California expedition seemed bleh, minus the shootout, anytime Eleven wasn't around.  

The Good: Nice revelation as to the identity of Vecna. I didn't see it coming. 

The Bad: I like Hopper. But he should have stayed dead at the end of season 3. Resurrecting a character cheats the audience out of the emotional impact of the death and plays with their trust.  

The Good: the scenes with Papa

The bad: Eddie dies for, essentially nothing. Which, in the real world, of course, is what most deaths amount to. But to "buy time?" To "not run away."?  The gang had already been captured. What a waste. 

The Good: how neatly the three divergent storylines merged to take on Vecna, even when separated by continents.

The Bad:  Max dies, but doesn't, and may awaken, or may not. Bah. Another Hopper. She opened the fourth gate, she should have remained lost to the group. 

I eagerly look forward to season 5. I imagine the grand finale will be quite the doozy. 

 

Gregory Itzin

 Familiar character actor Gregory Itzin has died at 74. RIP. 

Shinzo Abe assasinated

Whatever the reason, whatever the rationalization: it's wrong, and it's an affront against the democratic process. 

James Caan

Godfather, Misery, and Alien Nation star James Caan has died at 82. Like Luca Brassi, he sleeps with the fishes now. May he RIP.  

Happy Birthday Dad and Grandma

Tommorow would have been my Dad's 76th birthday,  and today is my Grandma K's bday. She always said my Dad was her bday present. - Lisa

Unless

Solid marriage advice:

Your wife won’t start a fight with you if you are folding the laundry.
#youarewelcome  - Me

Unless you're not folding towels the right way. - Lisa

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Birthday America! I love you very much!