Published writer, compulsive reader, Old School Whovian, Match Game enthusiast, NKOTB fan, data hoarder, and - surprisingly, given that list - married with four kids. Welcome to my take on life, fatherhood, entertainment, and whatever strikes my fancy. Enjoy!
Monday, October 10, 2011
The Perfect Host
This morning we watched "The Perfect Host" an indie horror film starring David Hyde Pierce (Niles from Frasier). A bank robber on the run worms his way into a dinner party hosted by Pierce, only to discover the foppish host might have plans of his own. Pierce was great, the early twist was devious, and we enjoyed it. My one complaint was that the story should have ended at dawn, and ixnayed the rest. Available to stream on Netflix.
Humbled
Down by 91 points in my fantasy game going into tonight. All I need is for Jay Culter to throw 400 yards, w/ 4 TDs and scramble for ten yards - and I'll still lose by 50 points. A humbling week.
Facebook - October 1st thru the 4th
October 1st
"It's Saturday morning and our fantasy commish has finally! acknowledged my awesomeness in Week 3. I won the weekly cash prize (deducted from dues) by whupping on my opponent 115.30 to 67.9, a league best difference of 47.40 points. Quoteth commish: "Thumbs up to Slapjacks for winning ass kicker bonus - thumbs down to Slapjacks for whinning about the lateness of this post.""
"Unless MLB has failed to update stats in the last few days, Pujols finished shy of 100 RBI, thereby ensuring Arod's consecutive streak of 100RBI/30HR years is safe for another decade. Booyah. And all this talk about how Terry Francona should be held accountable (but not to blame) for the Red Sox collapse ignores one issue: where was their so-called "Captain" Varitek? He bragged about that 'C' on his uniform enough in the past, but where was his leadership when someone needed to yank those guys out of the weeds?"
AT&T sent me 3 statements for the same account, all dated Sept 27th, all w/ different totals. I called & was transferred 2x then was accidentally disconnected. Time wasted 12:44. 2nd call, transferred 2x, ended up on the phone with an Indian woman w/ no English comprehension beyond her script. I was not kind, and was tx'd to a woman in Chicago who did a decent job but had to transfer me again, waited five minutes on hold, hung up. Total time wasted: approx 47 minutes. WORST COMPANY EVER.
Worked the concession stand at the kids' school, then stayed late when our replacement failed to show. Then home to watch the Badgers-Nebraska matchup in primetime.
"Congrats Badgers! What an impressive wupping of Nebraska - 48 to 17 @ Camp Randall! Great game, great team, great state."
"Before I forget, today marks the 50th Anniversary of the day Roger Maris set the MLB record with his 61st home run of the season. I'm not an anti-steroid nut, barking at the moon and asking for records to be wiped, but when it comes to Maris and Aaron, my gut and my heart still think of them as the *true* home run record holders. RIP Mr. Maris, 61 is still the number to beat."
"Writing with "McCartney II" playing in the background ("Waterfalls" at the moment). My current job may bankrupt me and drive me to the Rescue Mission, but I'll say this for it - it's given me a great appreciation for the catalog and talent of Paul McCartney."
October 2nd
"Wise sayings often fall on barren ground, but a kind word is never thrown away - Arthur Helps"
"Speak to the organ grinder, not the monkey"."
"If I were asked to name the . . . writer who I think has stuck most closely to that idea—STICK TO THE STORY, STICK TO THE GODDAMN STORY—it probably would be James M. Cain. There’s not a word in Cain that does not apply to the story he’s telling you - Rex Stout"
"Playing my hunches today. With Hillis weakened by illness I'll play Benson in his place, and w/ Sanchez playing Baltimore I'll start Cutler. After Knox was announced as the #2 WR for Chicago just an hour ago, I decided he'll sub in for the 'probable' Manningham. *Fingers crossed*"
"Whoo-hoo! Netflix has added additional seasons of The Office, 30 Rock and Parks & Recreation to streaming! G'd bless 'tis a good night!"
"Dang it, I lost my fantasy game by *point six five* points. My decision to start Cutler looked like crud when he earned 1.85 pts (!) but in fact it was the right move; Sanchez earned *negative 9.98*. Benson outscored Hillis, ditto Knox over Manningham. So far so good - except I played Arizona's D over NE. There wasn't much of a scoring difference, just four points, but it was enough. Losing sucks, but I'm confident I'd make the same decisions again, and I was right 3 out of 4x - and the 4th was by a hair. Slapjacks now 2-2."
Monday October 3rd
"The column I wrote Friday will/should be published in Tuesday's Journal-Sentinel. Please buy a copy, or at the very least link to/tweet/FB/comment on the published piece on jsonline."
Amanda Knox wins appeal, judge orders release . ."
"Smiley and I walked to his Tiger Cub den meeting today. It was a nice walk on a lovely evening, but near the end he was pretty tired - until some girl from school saw him walking and said hello. Then he was all smiles and asked if we could walk home afterwards too. :) At the meeting my suggestion of a relay race involving Q&A on the motto, etc, rocked. . . .BTW - Park's selling popcorn as a fundraiser for the Pack. If you'd like to place an order, let me know. A heapin' helpin' of the $ raised stays in his personal Scout account."
October 4th
"Quoteth the Ginger: "Pig-a-lee Wig-a-lee, Shop Da Pig!""
"It's Saturday morning and our fantasy commish has finally! acknowledged my awesomeness in Week 3. I won the weekly cash prize (deducted from dues) by whupping on my opponent 115.30 to 67.9, a league best difference of 47.40 points. Quoteth commish: "Thumbs up to Slapjacks for winning ass kicker bonus - thumbs down to Slapjacks for whinning about the lateness of this post.""
"Unless MLB has failed to update stats in the last few days, Pujols finished shy of 100 RBI, thereby ensuring Arod's consecutive streak of 100RBI/30HR years is safe for another decade. Booyah. And all this talk about how Terry Francona should be held accountable (but not to blame) for the Red Sox collapse ignores one issue: where was their so-called "Captain" Varitek? He bragged about that 'C' on his uniform enough in the past, but where was his leadership when someone needed to yank those guys out of the weeds?"
AT&T sent me 3 statements for the same account, all dated Sept 27th, all w/ different totals. I called & was transferred 2x then was accidentally disconnected. Time wasted 12:44. 2nd call, transferred 2x, ended up on the phone with an Indian woman w/ no English comprehension beyond her script. I was not kind, and was tx'd to a woman in Chicago who did a decent job but had to transfer me again, waited five minutes on hold, hung up. Total time wasted: approx 47 minutes. WORST COMPANY EVER.
Worked the concession stand at the kids' school, then stayed late when our replacement failed to show. Then home to watch the Badgers-Nebraska matchup in primetime.
"Congrats Badgers! What an impressive wupping of Nebraska - 48 to 17 @ Camp Randall! Great game, great team, great state."
"Before I forget, today marks the 50th Anniversary of the day Roger Maris set the MLB record with his 61st home run of the season. I'm not an anti-steroid nut, barking at the moon and asking for records to be wiped, but when it comes to Maris and Aaron, my gut and my heart still think of them as the *true* home run record holders. RIP Mr. Maris, 61 is still the number to beat."
"Writing with "McCartney II" playing in the background ("Waterfalls" at the moment). My current job may bankrupt me and drive me to the Rescue Mission, but I'll say this for it - it's given me a great appreciation for the catalog and talent of Paul McCartney."
October 2nd
"Wise sayings often fall on barren ground, but a kind word is never thrown away - Arthur Helps"
"Speak to the organ grinder, not the monkey"."
"If I were asked to name the . . . writer who I think has stuck most closely to that idea—STICK TO THE STORY, STICK TO THE GODDAMN STORY—it probably would be James M. Cain. There’s not a word in Cain that does not apply to the story he’s telling you - Rex Stout"
"Playing my hunches today. With Hillis weakened by illness I'll play Benson in his place, and w/ Sanchez playing Baltimore I'll start Cutler. After Knox was announced as the #2 WR for Chicago just an hour ago, I decided he'll sub in for the 'probable' Manningham. *Fingers crossed*"
"Whoo-hoo! Netflix has added additional seasons of The Office, 30 Rock and Parks & Recreation to streaming! G'd bless 'tis a good night!"
"Dang it, I lost my fantasy game by *point six five* points. My decision to start Cutler looked like crud when he earned 1.85 pts (!) but in fact it was the right move; Sanchez earned *negative 9.98*. Benson outscored Hillis, ditto Knox over Manningham. So far so good - except I played Arizona's D over NE. There wasn't much of a scoring difference, just four points, but it was enough. Losing sucks, but I'm confident I'd make the same decisions again, and I was right 3 out of 4x - and the 4th was by a hair. Slapjacks now 2-2."
Monday October 3rd
"The column I wrote Friday will/should be published in Tuesday's Journal-Sentinel. Please buy a copy, or at the very least link to/tweet/FB/comment on the published piece on jsonline."
Amanda Knox wins appeal, judge orders release . ."
"Smiley and I walked to his Tiger Cub den meeting today. It was a nice walk on a lovely evening, but near the end he was pretty tired - until some girl from school saw him walking and said hello. Then he was all smiles and asked if we could walk home afterwards too. :) At the meeting my suggestion of a relay race involving Q&A on the motto, etc, rocked. . . .BTW - Park's selling popcorn as a fundraiser for the Pack. If you'd like to place an order, let me know. A heapin' helpin' of the $ raised stays in his personal Scout account."
October 4th
"Quoteth the Ginger: "Pig-a-lee Wig-a-lee, Shop Da Pig!""
Buy a Copy
I just got word that the column I wrote Friday will be in tomorrow's (Tuesday's) Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Please feel free to comment on it the JS site.
125 Years Ago Today
125 years ago today New York millionaire James Potter showed up at a dinner party wearing a new style of jacket, one suggested to him by the Prince of Wales. The jacket proved a hit and people soon referred to it by the name of the place where Potter debuted it - the Tuxedo Park Club.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
The Event/Alias/The Walking Dead
With the family out of town enjoying a visit to Wisconsin Dells, I fell asleep after work watching the DVD of Season 1 of "The Walking Dead". It's a zombie series that follows the plight of one sheriff's deputy intent on guiding his family through the post-apocalyptic hell that's become contemporary Georgia.
There's nothing overly original about the series, no unique advancement in zombie physiology, our reaction to them, or our methods of killing them. (you still shoot 'em in the brain). Actually, it may have one original trait: an intelligent script and a decent respect for characterization. Sure, sure, I saw the cheating wife coming, and the goody-two-shoes lead can infuriate, but all in all it's well written and certainly worth your time.
And I want to know what secret Keller whispered in the deputy's ear in the season finale.
Grade: A
I've been meaning to watch Alias for quite a few years and finally got around to watching most of season one. I like it, and find it entertaining and decently complex. But - and you know there was a but coming - it's also tedious. Keeping a weekly spy series going, especially one that has an overall story arc, demands that for every X amount of episodes there is a mandatory X amount of death defying, all hell's breaking loose missions. Hard to believe, but 8 or 9 episodes in I felt it was very mundane.
Plus, as a network show intent on showing Sidney isn't 'bad', she continually exhibits what I feel is Slapinions Golden Flaw of Action Characters: she fails to end the threat. John Doe is a bad guy, you say, one who constantly is trying to kill you and has nearly succeeded in the past? You just defeated him in a fight, and despite his spiteful warning that he'll be back to kill you . . . you handcuff him to a radiator and move on. Bulls((t. End the threat. Kill the guy. Not because you are bad, or evil, or callous, but because by letting him live you're not proving you're better - you're endangering your own life and that of the world as a whole.
Grade: C
I haven't seen but two episodes of The Event so far, so my judgement is incomplete. It's a Lost-ish thriller about a group of aliens who have been kept prisoner by the US for decades and now may/may not be orchestrating a violent takeover. I like it, but again, there's plenty of time for it to go south.
Grade: Incomplete
Saturday, October 8, 2011
YaYa Rides a Horse
This past spring YaYa attended a Girl Scout camp (I think it was 3 days/2 nights) and the highlight, nay, the very focus of the experience, was a chance to ride a horse.
Of course, other activities were scheduled too
but as I said, it was all about the four legs.
She had a blast, and was convinced her horse was smarter than the others because it took care to journey around, not through, some puddles on the trail.
Another great life experience courtesy of Scouting!
Of course, other activities were scheduled too
but as I said, it was all about the four legs.
She had a blast, and was convinced her horse was smarter than the others because it took care to journey around, not through, some puddles on the trail.
Another great life experience courtesy of Scouting!
Friday, October 7, 2011
Haunted Hayride and Zombie TV
Home from Eric's. Once his wife came home it was kibosh on MLB night. Lisa and the kids are in the Dells with a friend (enjoying a haunted hayride, I'm told) so I Redbox'ed "The Walking Dead, The Complete First Season" and plan to knock that off tonight.
On to the NLCS!!
I'm @ eric's watching game 5 of the NLDS
Update: NLDS Victory in the 10th inning, courtesy of T-Plush! Fireworks went off in Bay View (literally) and cops are pulling people over everywhere, as the whole damn neighborhood is drunk (or just delirious w/ joy). Whoo-hoo!
My Day
Work bit ass. Went to tailor shop afterwards, tried on some threads. Looked smashing. Par for the course. Came home, wrote and submitted JS column, it may run Tues. Wrote it intending to stir up some schtuff, so less than 50 JSonline comments will mark it as a failure.
Big Plans for the day
Went to bed 3 hrs earlier than normal in a depressive funk, but time to nut up & keep slugging. Off to work soon, then afterwards I'm going to stop and price a new suit. I clean up well, emerging, when I care to, as a plump but politically wiser Alec Baldwin. Enough of this bulls--t. Time to make some money again.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
:(
And . . . I didn't get the Dells job. I was just notified - @ 10:27pm!? - via a personal email. Ugh.
Aaaaand Detroit just ousted the Yanks. What a crappy half hour.
Man Up
Folks at work were soooo despondent over the Brewers dropping 2 games in a row to now face elimination in the NLDS. I'm talking hardcore, kept a day to day W-L count on the bulletin board kind of fans. Huh. That mindset is new to me. As a Yankees fan, they can be down 3 games to none in the LCS, losing 9-0 in the bottom of the eighth, and I'd still bet on seeing them in the Series. Milwaukee fans need to act like we've been here before and quit anticipating a collapse.
Hypocrisy
'Occupy Wall Street' protest business while mourning Steve Jobs. Fine.
But Steve Jobs had a net worth of around 7 billion and was one of the *gasp* 1% that 'undermine democracy'. On principle, they should toss out their IPads, IPods, and Macbooks. They won't, of course.
Know this kiddies: Jobs created more jobs, and hence helped more people, in any given year than all you protesters will do in your lifetimes, COMBINED.
Facebook - the end of September
Sept 25th
"I'm reading Mitt Romney's book, and I just don't get many of these "Obama Lite"/weak principles accusations that I hear flying around all over the net. The man skewers Obama on foreign policy and clearly lays out a solid economic plan. He is a politican and unlikely to yak on air just to feed the liberal press, but that doesn't make him weak. So far he has my vote."
Police have found the decapitated head of a newspaper editor in Mexico. Again, the Somalia of North America.
Some more of our garden's yield:
"I had my annual review at work today, and later in the evening intercepted a thief and recovered a bagful of property. Yay me. Of more interest to me, while my opponent still has two players on the field Monday night, I lead my fantasy matchup 115.55 to 55.80."
September 26th
"watching 'Reefer Madness'. 30 seconds in it's already full of hooey. This'll be a hoot!"
Er, no. It was tiresome and so over the top it was dull.
"Lisa & I just finished watching 'Contagion' (bootleg DVD - I didn't download or buy it, I just bummed it off a friend, so my conscience is no more than murky at best). Anyhow, it was a good film and worth seeing, but overall pretty monotonous and dry. Lisa seconded my opinion. C+/B-"
September 27th
8:04 am "@ dentist then off to work. Oh it's raining too. Lovely 'morn :("
""When Mitt Romney & Ted Kennedy are celebrating the same piece of legislation, it means only one thing: one of us didn't read it," - Ted Kennedy"
"Tues we watched 'Cedar Rapids' a comedy about an insurance agent from a small town in WI who lets it rip at an industry convention in Iowa. It was funny, believable, and low key considering it had a few raunchy moments. We liked it. Today we watched 'Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen'. I thought it was a fair to good popcorn flick. But then, just when I decided I liked it, my internal plot-maker said "we should be entering the 3rd act about now" . . . and we still had an hour & 8 min too go. Too long, too loose of a plot, and all the Transformers looked alike during their brawls. C."
September 28th, 2011
""Very often education is geared to what it calls extending the frontiers of truth, and sometimes this ideal is prized and used to excuse men from acting on old truths already discovered. The discovery of the size of a distant star creates no moral obligation; but the old truths about the nature and destiny of man can be a reproach to the way one lives." Archbishop Fulton Sheen"
"Have you seen those commercials that follow a little girl's academic path? She's shown to be crazy for science & chemistry, is elected high school class president, wins on Jeopardy, graduates from college babbling medical-speak - and winds up as a pharmacist at Target. I know Target's trying to say "we've got the best and brightest" but to me it screams "Recession. Couldn't afford med school, so I got a job where I could. Sorry Ma." Geez, how depressing. I haven't seen that much wasted potential since I looked in the mirror this morning.
*the above post earned me a few comments adamantly defending pharmacology as a career, and one worthy of respect. That was never the issue. My belief, one that is solidifying over time, is that it is a sin to squander your talents.*
regardless, I still look at her and grimace. Pujols doesn't play tavern league softball. Faulkner didn't write greeting cards. Oliver didn't do sitcoms, and Hawking doesn't teach 2nd grade science. If this woman was 'real', which of course she isn't, her God-given gift for medicine and science are squandered. She should have been out in the world curing cancer or just making the world a better place, not shuffling pills in a retail store. I'm quite serious. The premise deeply upsets me.
I'm not trying to offend pharmacists here (my friend Roy's Dad owned Gull drugs down on Lincoln when I was a kid),and it is of course an honorable profession, but no way that was her first choice, not as gung-ho for science and medicine and diagnosis as she was in the clips. And she will not cure cancer, ALS, MS or anything else while ringing up a prescription and asking if they would like to sign up for a red (Target)card while they're at it. I've pissed away all my potential, and I hope JC rips me one for it at the pearly gates. I'm thinking in her old age Fictional Genius will feel the same.
That Wed night was the final day of the MLB regular season, and three crucial races were up for grabs. In the NL the Cardinals had battled back to tie long-time front runner Atlanta for the Wild Card, while in the AL an epic collapse led Tampa to creep into a tie with Boston. Milwaukee Brewer Ryan Braun was also neck to neck with Jose Reyes for the NL batting crown.
"So Jose Reyes bunts in his first at bat, then takes a seat rather than risk his lead in the race for the NL batting title. Not exactly the Ted Williams ethic there, eh, Jose? With that move, Braun now needs 3 hits tonight to take the title."
"Drew, the 14 yr old who aced Beiber's ''Baby" on X-Factor, pretty much made the hour."
10:48 pm "Damnit. Cardinals won and Atlanta fell in extra innings. LaRussa's in the playoffs and we face the Diamondbacks on Saturday. Ugh. I wanted a post-season free of Boston and St. Louis fans. I can still get the former, since my Yanks - just to spite Boston, no doubt - let Tampa rally. That decisive game is now in the 12th inning."
11:18 PM "Whoo-hoo! The Red Sox choked in the 9th and lost to Baltimore, and Tampa rallied to win 8-7 which means Tampa takes the Wild Card! Congrats Boston, that month long choke - capped off by yet *another* Boston choke - makes the '69 Cubs look like studs. Enjoy your postseason from your living room you second class wannabee Yanks."
"Listening to the 'Boombox Rehearsals' from Nevermind's 20th anniversary deluxe edition. Simultaneously pre-ordering my kids' school pictures online. The two seem so incongruous. 20 years ago, listening to this for the 1st x, could I have pictured myself with 4 rugrats? Well, yeah. Who am I kidding? I always knew I'd have kids, provided I found a woman foolish enough to repeatedly breed w/ me. BTW, track 38, the rehearsal take of "On a Plain" made me break into a wide grin. I love that song."
Sept 29th
""Nobody can ever claim again with a straight face that the wild card has taken all the excitement out of baseball. Incredible barely begins to describe last night."- comment on BaseballThinkFactory.org"
""When there is a gap between one's real and one's declared aims, one turns, as it were instinctively, to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish squirting out ink." -- George Orwell, "Politics and the English language". Just something to keep in mind when listening to our Prez."
Journalism course instructs students to disregard/water down reporting of Jihad activity. Ah, the media - purveyors of truth and objectivity.
Sept 30th
"After seeing it on Matt K's FB page, Lisa & I streamed "I Think We're Alone Now", a doc that follows 2 people obsessed w/ pop singer Tiffany. One is a hermaphrodite w/ a brain injury who believes Tiffany appeared to her during her coma. The other is an autistic man who has stalked her since her heyday. Both believe Tiffany is their 'friend' & soulmate. It's a depressing film, full of sadness & pain, & despite their obsession and the danger it conceivably poses your heart goes out to them. Available to stream via Netflix."
Spending the morning on the job hunt (just finished a predictive index test) before heading off to work."
"Pausing to search for Halloween costumes for the kids online. Playing Bleach at @ full volume. Life, if not good, is moderately acceptable."
"Listening to Bush's new CD "Sea of Memories"."
- not bad. certainly a good background CD, but my ears didn't pick out anything really 'radio friendly', although "Baby Come Home" might fit the bill.
"<-- not used to a quiet house/lack of chaos. Where are the whiny, bratty kids? Why isn't Lisa pestering me? I am alone for all of 4 hours today and I feel like I've been in solitary for a month. Twitchy/lonely/bored. Geez, nut up."
"RB Peyton Hills was sidelined last Sunday with strep throat. He's OK now, but the Browns are reporting he lost *10 to 12* pounds over the weekend because of the illness and isn't at full strength.. Oh, bulls*it. Who loses that much weight that fast because of a illness that barely knock a kid on their butt? Way to screw w/ my fantasy lineup."
""Mankind must remember that peace is not God's gift to his creatures; peace is our gift to each other." - Elie Wiesel"
"just toured the invitation only open house for the new bay view piggly wiggly. Quite impressive, and i hope they give pns a run for their money"
The local County Executive released a new budget which gutted part of the Sherriff's budget. No co-incidence that the Sherriff is his political nemesis, is it? Here was Sheriff David Clarke's response:
I am not surprised at all by County Executive Abele’s low priority for public safety. He demonstrated his disdain for law and order even before he became county executive. There’s no questioning his authority to propose a budget for Milwaukee County. My advice to him, however, is to go back and read the state constitution, state statutes and the case law relative to the authority of a sheriff. He obviously did not take the time to educate himself.
He does not run the Office of the Sheriff, and I do not take orders or directives from a county executive. Case law is very clear that the sheriff alone decides how to carry out his duty and responsibility. His budget is an obvious attempt to micromanage my office. I am independently elected by the voters of Milwaukee County. He may think that he can eliminate the Discipline Order Training and Structure (DOTS) program, but let me be very clear on this – the DOTS program is staying.
He may think that he can require me to submit reports, but again, the state constitution is very clear when it states that no county official can require a sheriff to submit reports. He can create any study group that he wants and they can make any recommendations they want. Again, I will refer the county executive back to the state constitution and case law that show that the sheriff alone decides how to carry out the duties and responsibilities of his office. My advice to him is not to hold his breath, because he’s not getting any reports.
He talked about shared goals? I don’t share his goal to be soft on crime, coddle criminal inmates and excuse criminal behavior. The first thing that will be cut as a result of this insane budget decrease will be in the area of inmate programs. Inmate programs, except DOTS, will cease to exist and the money saved will be applied to keeping the county a safe place for law-abiding people.
Chris Abele ran for county executive, not sheriff. If he wants to be in charge of my office, he’s going to have to run for sheriff in 2014. Until then, the voters elected me to run the sheriff’s office.
Bam! Straight talk, gloves off.
*The Rays beat the Rangers to open the playoffs, while the Yanks-Tigers were rained out.
"I'm reading Mitt Romney's book, and I just don't get many of these "Obama Lite"/weak principles accusations that I hear flying around all over the net. The man skewers Obama on foreign policy and clearly lays out a solid economic plan. He is a politican and unlikely to yak on air just to feed the liberal press, but that doesn't make him weak. So far he has my vote."
Police have found the decapitated head of a newspaper editor in Mexico. Again, the Somalia of North America.
Some more of our garden's yield:
"I had my annual review at work today, and later in the evening intercepted a thief and recovered a bagful of property. Yay me. Of more interest to me, while my opponent still has two players on the field Monday night, I lead my fantasy matchup 115.55 to 55.80."
September 26th
"watching 'Reefer Madness'. 30 seconds in it's already full of hooey. This'll be a hoot!"
Er, no. It was tiresome and so over the top it was dull.
"Lisa & I just finished watching 'Contagion' (bootleg DVD - I didn't download or buy it, I just bummed it off a friend, so my conscience is no more than murky at best). Anyhow, it was a good film and worth seeing, but overall pretty monotonous and dry. Lisa seconded my opinion. C+/B-"
September 27th
8:04 am "@ dentist then off to work. Oh it's raining too. Lovely 'morn :("
""When Mitt Romney & Ted Kennedy are celebrating the same piece of legislation, it means only one thing: one of us didn't read it," - Ted Kennedy"
"Tues we watched 'Cedar Rapids' a comedy about an insurance agent from a small town in WI who lets it rip at an industry convention in Iowa. It was funny, believable, and low key considering it had a few raunchy moments. We liked it. Today we watched 'Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen'. I thought it was a fair to good popcorn flick. But then, just when I decided I liked it, my internal plot-maker said "we should be entering the 3rd act about now" . . . and we still had an hour & 8 min too go. Too long, too loose of a plot, and all the Transformers looked alike during their brawls. C."
September 28th, 2011
""Very often education is geared to what it calls extending the frontiers of truth, and sometimes this ideal is prized and used to excuse men from acting on old truths already discovered. The discovery of the size of a distant star creates no moral obligation; but the old truths about the nature and destiny of man can be a reproach to the way one lives." Archbishop Fulton Sheen"
"Have you seen those commercials that follow a little girl's academic path? She's shown to be crazy for science & chemistry, is elected high school class president, wins on Jeopardy, graduates from college babbling medical-speak - and winds up as a pharmacist at Target. I know Target's trying to say "we've got the best and brightest" but to me it screams "Recession. Couldn't afford med school, so I got a job where I could. Sorry Ma." Geez, how depressing. I haven't seen that much wasted potential since I looked in the mirror this morning.
*the above post earned me a few comments adamantly defending pharmacology as a career, and one worthy of respect. That was never the issue. My belief, one that is solidifying over time, is that it is a sin to squander your talents.*
regardless, I still look at her and grimace. Pujols doesn't play tavern league softball. Faulkner didn't write greeting cards. Oliver didn't do sitcoms, and Hawking doesn't teach 2nd grade science. If this woman was 'real', which of course she isn't, her God-given gift for medicine and science are squandered. She should have been out in the world curing cancer or just making the world a better place, not shuffling pills in a retail store. I'm quite serious. The premise deeply upsets me.
I'm not trying to offend pharmacists here (my friend Roy's Dad owned Gull drugs down on Lincoln when I was a kid),and it is of course an honorable profession, but no way that was her first choice, not as gung-ho for science and medicine and diagnosis as she was in the clips. And she will not cure cancer, ALS, MS or anything else while ringing up a prescription and asking if they would like to sign up for a red (Target)card while they're at it. I've pissed away all my potential, and I hope JC rips me one for it at the pearly gates. I'm thinking in her old age Fictional Genius will feel the same.
That Wed night was the final day of the MLB regular season, and three crucial races were up for grabs. In the NL the Cardinals had battled back to tie long-time front runner Atlanta for the Wild Card, while in the AL an epic collapse led Tampa to creep into a tie with Boston. Milwaukee Brewer Ryan Braun was also neck to neck with Jose Reyes for the NL batting crown.
"So Jose Reyes bunts in his first at bat, then takes a seat rather than risk his lead in the race for the NL batting title. Not exactly the Ted Williams ethic there, eh, Jose? With that move, Braun now needs 3 hits tonight to take the title."
"Drew, the 14 yr old who aced Beiber's ''Baby" on X-Factor, pretty much made the hour."
10:48 pm "Damnit. Cardinals won and Atlanta fell in extra innings. LaRussa's in the playoffs and we face the Diamondbacks on Saturday. Ugh. I wanted a post-season free of Boston and St. Louis fans. I can still get the former, since my Yanks - just to spite Boston, no doubt - let Tampa rally. That decisive game is now in the 12th inning."
11:18 PM "Whoo-hoo! The Red Sox choked in the 9th and lost to Baltimore, and Tampa rallied to win 8-7 which means Tampa takes the Wild Card! Congrats Boston, that month long choke - capped off by yet *another* Boston choke - makes the '69 Cubs look like studs. Enjoy your postseason from your living room you second class wannabee Yanks."
"Listening to the 'Boombox Rehearsals' from Nevermind's 20th anniversary deluxe edition. Simultaneously pre-ordering my kids' school pictures online. The two seem so incongruous. 20 years ago, listening to this for the 1st x, could I have pictured myself with 4 rugrats? Well, yeah. Who am I kidding? I always knew I'd have kids, provided I found a woman foolish enough to repeatedly breed w/ me. BTW, track 38, the rehearsal take of "On a Plain" made me break into a wide grin. I love that song."
Sept 29th
""Nobody can ever claim again with a straight face that the wild card has taken all the excitement out of baseball. Incredible barely begins to describe last night."- comment on BaseballThinkFactory.org"
""When there is a gap between one's real and one's declared aims, one turns, as it were instinctively, to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish squirting out ink." -- George Orwell, "Politics and the English language". Just something to keep in mind when listening to our Prez."
Journalism course instructs students to disregard/water down reporting of Jihad activity. Ah, the media - purveyors of truth and objectivity.
Sept 30th
"After seeing it on Matt K's FB page, Lisa & I streamed "I Think We're Alone Now", a doc that follows 2 people obsessed w/ pop singer Tiffany. One is a hermaphrodite w/ a brain injury who believes Tiffany appeared to her during her coma. The other is an autistic man who has stalked her since her heyday. Both believe Tiffany is their 'friend' & soulmate. It's a depressing film, full of sadness & pain, & despite their obsession and the danger it conceivably poses your heart goes out to them. Available to stream via Netflix."
Spending the morning on the job hunt (just finished a predictive index test) before heading off to work."
"Pausing to search for Halloween costumes for the kids online. Playing Bleach at @ full volume. Life, if not good, is moderately acceptable."
"Listening to Bush's new CD "Sea of Memories"."
- not bad. certainly a good background CD, but my ears didn't pick out anything really 'radio friendly', although "Baby Come Home" might fit the bill.
"<-- not used to a quiet house/lack of chaos. Where are the whiny, bratty kids? Why isn't Lisa pestering me? I am alone for all of 4 hours today and I feel like I've been in solitary for a month. Twitchy/lonely/bored. Geez, nut up."
"RB Peyton Hills was sidelined last Sunday with strep throat. He's OK now, but the Browns are reporting he lost *10 to 12* pounds over the weekend because of the illness and isn't at full strength.. Oh, bulls*it. Who loses that much weight that fast because of a illness that barely knock a kid on their butt? Way to screw w/ my fantasy lineup."
""Mankind must remember that peace is not God's gift to his creatures; peace is our gift to each other." - Elie Wiesel"
"just toured the invitation only open house for the new bay view piggly wiggly. Quite impressive, and i hope they give pns a run for their money"
The local County Executive released a new budget which gutted part of the Sherriff's budget. No co-incidence that the Sherriff is his political nemesis, is it? Here was Sheriff David Clarke's response:
I am not surprised at all by County Executive Abele’s low priority for public safety. He demonstrated his disdain for law and order even before he became county executive. There’s no questioning his authority to propose a budget for Milwaukee County. My advice to him, however, is to go back and read the state constitution, state statutes and the case law relative to the authority of a sheriff. He obviously did not take the time to educate himself.
He does not run the Office of the Sheriff, and I do not take orders or directives from a county executive. Case law is very clear that the sheriff alone decides how to carry out his duty and responsibility. His budget is an obvious attempt to micromanage my office. I am independently elected by the voters of Milwaukee County. He may think that he can eliminate the Discipline Order Training and Structure (DOTS) program, but let me be very clear on this – the DOTS program is staying.
He may think that he can require me to submit reports, but again, the state constitution is very clear when it states that no county official can require a sheriff to submit reports. He can create any study group that he wants and they can make any recommendations they want. Again, I will refer the county executive back to the state constitution and case law that show that the sheriff alone decides how to carry out the duties and responsibilities of his office. My advice to him is not to hold his breath, because he’s not getting any reports.
He talked about shared goals? I don’t share his goal to be soft on crime, coddle criminal inmates and excuse criminal behavior. The first thing that will be cut as a result of this insane budget decrease will be in the area of inmate programs. Inmate programs, except DOTS, will cease to exist and the money saved will be applied to keeping the county a safe place for law-abiding people.
Chris Abele ran for county executive, not sheriff. If he wants to be in charge of my office, he’s going to have to run for sheriff in 2014. Until then, the voters elected me to run the sheriff’s office.
Bam! Straight talk, gloves off.
*The Rays beat the Rangers to open the playoffs, while the Yanks-Tigers were rained out.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Hell's Kitchen
We just finished watching Season Five of Hell's Kitchen. It's a lot of fun to watch, as I've noted five times now, but I do wish they'd add a little variety to the challenges. Still, congrats to winner Danny Veltri, who as usual went on to become 'the executive chef' at a Ramsay restaurant - aka, a standard sous chef. Most mislabeled prize in all of reality TV.
Way to go Aaron!
QB Aaron Rodgers has been named the "NFC Offensive Player of the Week" for the second time this season
A Job in the Dells?
OK, just finished my 30 min phone interview, the 4th step in the WI Dells process. I think it went well, but whadda I know? If I get this, it means $ - the *starting* wage is more $ than I've ever earned - and relocation (she told me the $ they'll give me for relocation and apologized for the amount. Apologize? I thought the relocation amount was my ANNUAL wage - and I was happy.) Too good to be true, which means it won't happen.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Dancing robots getting off with no apology to Dubya. Or something like that.
It's no secret I'm a fan of Dubya - his 2004 victory was the impetus for this blog's creation - so I'd wager it's a bit of surprise when I say I just finished his presidential autobiography Decision Points, a year after its publication. Yes, it's shameful of me, but in fairness I do have a poster of the book's cover adorning my locker at work. I deserve at least partial credit for that.
Stylistically, I didn't love the book. The format is reminiscent of 41's own Presidential memoir, which focused on specific crises instead of a chronological approach. I liked both books, but wouldn't have minded a more in-depth examination of the day to day of the office.
In addition the book sometimes seemed written in staccato little bursts, without much description or grace. The text does improve dramatically, IMO, as the book progresses, which is odd, as I say hook 'em early, but maybe it's what it seems like; an author simply gaining confidence and direction as he gets more practice under his belt.
Content-wise, I thought the book was great, providing detail and corroborating evidence for many of the decisions he made. Even a casual read tips you off at how biased and selective the media and the Left were during his administration. I have more to say, but I'm wise enough to know that he's a polarizing figure, and your take on the book will be manipulated by your opinion of the man himself.
As I am not a nut, a hippie, or a Hollywood actor, I greatly enjoyed the book.
I am certain, absolutely certain, that 100 years from now this man will be ranked among the top tier of US Presidents.
Gotta Dance is a documentary about a senior citizens hip hop dance group that performed at the home games of the New Jersey Nets (NBA). It was fun to watch and the performers had personality galore. It teetered on the edge of exploitation for a second, holding the group up as little more than a novelty PR stunt, but it found its footing and succeeded in showing them as a courageous, impressive bunch. Available to stream via Netflix.
I won't spend much time on Mitt Romney's book, No Apology, simply because its mentioned in a Facebook related post already. Obama lite? Read this and try saying that phrase with a straight face. The guy destroys Obama on foreign policy and lays out a pro-business, centrist domestic agenda too. My only beef was with his energy policy, or rather the chapter on it, as it was clearly written to appease everyone on both sides, and hence satisfies no one.
I rented Transformers 3 knowing the atrocity that was its predecessor; no plot, fight scenes where you couldn't tell who was who, wayyyyy too long, etc.
This one? This one was damned good.
Ok, sure, the love interest was lame. Not only did this kid land yet another supermodel girlfriend, he managed to score one that was just as bad an actress as the first. Geesh.
But aside from that, I loved the film. The plot was (mostly) coherent, you could easily ID the good guys from the bad, the humans were more than window dressing and played a role in shaping the future of their world, and the effects - oh Mommy. The special effects were wicked good. That twisty/snakey thing that chewed up a skyscraper? The car chase on the DC Beltway? Wow.
Yeah, yeah, it's a popcorn flick. I still think it rocked. A.
You know what didn't rock? Lawrence Block's new book Getting Off. I love the guy, even if his dialogue sometimes veers towards cutesy, but this one was a turd. The main character, a stunningly beautiful woman, was involved in an ongoing sexual relationship with her father in her teenage years. Ick. Double ick for having it referenced in some detail more than once. Triple ick for having it tossed out there when it was no longer essential to driving the plot.
Oh, and then she grows up and makes her living by seducing men, torturing and killing them, and stealing their money. You know, scalping a man while forcing him to have sex with her, then mutilating his . . .
Ick.
I didn't finish the book, and I hope you never try. What a waste of time, money, and dead trees.
Ick.
Pigg-a-lee Wig-a-Lee
Quoteth the Junie: "Pig-a-lee Wig-a-lee, Shop Da Pig!"
She was singing that the other day when I pick up Lisa, then she would say "My Mom works there" with a big smile - Grandma J
Monday, October 3, 2011
Amanda Knox
Amanda Knox wins appeal, judge orders release . .
Meanwhile, closer to home, the column I wrote Friday will/should be published in Tuesday's Journal-Sentinel. Please buy a copy, or at the very least link to/tweet/FB/comment on the published piece on jsonline.
A Walk to the Den Meeting
Smiley and I walked to his Tiger Cub den meeting today. It was a nice walk on a lovely evening, but near the end he was pretty tired - until some girl from school saw him walking and said hello. Then he was all smiles and asked if we could walk home afterwards too. :) . . . .BTW - he's selling popcorn as a fundraiser for the Pack. If you'd like to place an order, let me know. A heapin' helpin' of the $ raised stays in his personal Scout account.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Fantasy Football - week 4
Playing my hunches today. With Hillis weakened by illness I'll play Benson in his place, and w/ Sanchez playing Baltimore I'll start Cutler. After Knox was announced as the #2 WR for Chicago just an hour ago, I decided he'll sub in for the 'probable' Manningham. *Fingers crossed*
update: Dang it, I lost my fantasy game by *point six five* points. My decision to start Cutler looked like crud when he earned 1.85 pts (!) but in fact it was the right move; Sanchez earned *negative 9.98*. Benson outscored Hillis, ditto Knox over Manningham. So far so good - except I played Arizona's D over NE. There wasn't much of a scoring difference, just four points, but it was enough. Losing sucks, but I'm confident I'd make the same decisions again, and I was right 3 out of 4x - and the 4th was by a hair. Slapjacks now 2-2.
Whoo-hoo!
Whoo-hoo! Netflix has added additional seasons of The Office, 30 Rock and Parks & Recreation to streaming! G'd bless 'tis a good night!
Stick to the Story
If I were asked to name the . . . writer who I think has stuck most closely to that idea—STICK TO THE STORY, STICK TO THE GODDAMN STORY—it probably would be James M. Cain. There’s not a word in Cain that does not apply to the story he’s telling you - Rex Stout
Saturday, October 1, 2011
The Tenth Anniversary of 9/11
I know nearly a month has gone by, but I want to be sure to mention that the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks did not go unrecognized here in the Slapinions household.
Discouraged by the lack of *any* apparent teaching about 9/11 in their school we took care to explain, albeit in age appropriate terms, what happened on that horrible day. On the anniversary itself Lisa and I sat down with Lulu and YaYa and watched the DVD of "9/11", the Naudet brothers eyewitness footage taken while embedded with a fire engine company that morning.
It is a powerful film, almost suffocatingly so, and we first watched it on the 6 month anniversary of the attacks. Although we had the girls exit the room for some (brutal) parts, we felt it was important they be sucked into the moment and know the fear, shock and horror that washed over every American that day. As a bonus, the structure of the film - it was conceived as an effort to follow a single probationary fire fighter during his rookie year - sucked the girls in. By the end they were frantic with concern for 'Tony', and thus were all the more immersed in the emotions of that day.
I am also proud to say that a column I wrote ran in the Pulitzer Prize winning Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel the morning of the anniversary, my first Sunday appearance and an emotional one for me, given the subject matter.
Early on the anniversary, while I was at work, Lisa's Mom took LuLu to a Brownie field trip to a local Air Force reserve base. While Lulu looks like a typical fun-loving eight year old in some of the pictures, rest assured there was some solemnity to the visit.
To the victims of that horrible day - We Remember, and we will Never Forget.
Discouraged by the lack of *any* apparent teaching about 9/11 in their school we took care to explain, albeit in age appropriate terms, what happened on that horrible day. On the anniversary itself Lisa and I sat down with Lulu and YaYa and watched the DVD of "9/11", the Naudet brothers eyewitness footage taken while embedded with a fire engine company that morning.
It is a powerful film, almost suffocatingly so, and we first watched it on the 6 month anniversary of the attacks. Although we had the girls exit the room for some (brutal) parts, we felt it was important they be sucked into the moment and know the fear, shock and horror that washed over every American that day. As a bonus, the structure of the film - it was conceived as an effort to follow a single probationary fire fighter during his rookie year - sucked the girls in. By the end they were frantic with concern for 'Tony', and thus were all the more immersed in the emotions of that day.
I am also proud to say that a column I wrote ran in the Pulitzer Prize winning Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel the morning of the anniversary, my first Sunday appearance and an emotional one for me, given the subject matter.
Early on the anniversary, while I was at work, Lisa's Mom took LuLu to a Brownie field trip to a local Air Force reserve base. While Lulu looks like a typical fun-loving eight year old in some of the pictures, rest assured there was some solemnity to the visit.
To the victims of that horrible day - We Remember, and we will Never Forget.
McCartney II
Writing with "McCartney II" playing in the background ("Waterfalls" at the moment). My current job may bankrupt me and drive me to the Rescue Mission, but I'll say this for it - it's given me a great appreciation for the catalog and talent of Paul McCartney.
Roger Maris - 50 years since 61
Before I forget, today marks the 50th Anniversary of the day Roger Maris set the MLB record with his 61st home run of the season. I'm not an anti-steroid nut, barking at the moon and asking for records to be wiped, but when it comes to Maris and Aaron, my gut and my heart still think of them as the *true* home run record holders. RIP Mr. Maris, 61 is still the number to beat.
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