Long Time

It's been over a year since I posted anything on my blog since I discovered Facebook. Hope to get caught up.

The Enthusiast

I finished reading "The Enthusiast" by Charlie Haas

ABOUT THE BOOK

Henry Bay has his own America going. If there's an offbeat interest or extreme sport that's poised to sweep the nation, chances are there's a magazine for its enthusiasts, and chances are also good that Henry has worked there. He's a modern nomad, associate-editing his way from state to state, exploring the small worlds that make up modern America from Spelunk to Ice Climbing, to Cozy, The Magazine of Tea. But those are other people's interests — Henry's still looking for his own enthusiasm. He ends up finding more than he ever imagined.

My Best Friend's Girl

We watched the DVD "My Best Friend's Girl."

Synopsis

Dustin (Justin Biggs) an amiable guy, is in love with Alexis (Kate Hudson) a coworker. When she tells him she just wants to be friends, he hires his roommate Tank (Dane Cook) a fast-talking, amoral scoundrel who has a side business: men whose women have dumped them hire Tank to take their ex-girlfriends out on the date from Hell, to drive the women back into their old boyfriends' arms. He takes out Alexis who, against her better judgment, decides she needs some randy fun, so Tank is in a quandary: take Alexis up on her offer, or stay true to his friend. More complications ensue as the wedding of Alexis's sister approaches. Tank seeks advice from his father (Alec Baldwin) Dustin pursues Alexis, and questions of self-worth need answers.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

I watched the DVD "Vicky Cristina Barcelona."

Synopsis

Conventional Vicky (Rebecca Hall) who is engaged to Doug (Chris Messina) travels to Barcelona to spend her summer holidays at the home of their parent's friends Judy (Patricia Clarkson) and Mark Nash Kevin Dunn) She travels with her unconventional and open-minded friend, Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) While in a restaurant, the divorced painter Juan Antonio Gonzalo (Javier Bardem) flirts and invites them to travel to Oviedo with him and also to go to bed with him. The reluctant Vicky does not accept the invitation but Cristina agrees. Once in Oviedo, Cristina develops an ulcer so Vicky goes sightseeing alone with Juan Antonio. Vicky eventually falls in love with Juan Antonio and has sleeps with him. However, back in Barcelona, she does not say anything to her friend and Cristina moves into Juan Antonio's house, while Vicky marries Doug. When the unstable former wife of Juan Antonio, Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz) overdoses, the painter brings her to his house and their troubled relationship harmonizes with the presence of Cristina.

Killing Rain

I finished reading "Killing Rain" by Barry Eisler.

ABOUT THE BOOK

John Rain has a new employer, the Mossad, which wants him to fix a "problem" in Manila. And a new partner, Dox, whose good-ol' boy persona masks a sniper as deadly as Rain himself. He also has a new hope: that by using his talents in the service of something good, he might atone for all the lives he has already taken. But when Rain's conscience causes him to botch an assignment, he finds himself as the Mossad's next target.

Then She Found Me

We watched the DVD "The She Found Me."

Synopsis

A New York schoolteacher (Helen Hunt) hits a midlife crisis when, in quick succession, her husband (Matthew Broderick) leaves, her adoptive mother dies and her biological mother (Bette Midler), an eccentric talk show host, materializes and turns her life upside down as she begins a courtship with the father (Colin Firth) of one of her students.

The Scarecrow

I finished reading "The Scarecrow" by Michael Connelly. "The best of the best."

ABOUT THE BOOK

Jack McEvoy is at the end of the line as a crime reporter. Forced to take a buy-out from the Los Angeles Times as the newspaper grapples with dwindling revenues, he's got only a few days left on the job. His last assignment? Training his replacement, a low-cost reporter just out of journalism school. But Jack has other plans for his exit. He is going to go out with a bang — a final story that will win the newspaper journalism's highest honor — a Pulitzer prize. Jack focuses on Alonzo Winslow, a 16-year-old drug dealer from the projects who has confessed to police that he brutally raped and strangled one of his crack clients. Jack convinces Alonzo's mother to cooperate with his investigation into the possibility of her son's innocence. But she has fallen for the oldest reporter's trick in the book. Jack's real intention is to use his access to report and write a story that explains how societal dysfunction and neglect created a 16-year-old killer. But as Jack delves into the story he soon realizes that Alonzo's so-called confession is bogus, and Jack is soon off and running on the biggest story he's had since The Poet crossed his path years before. He reunites with FBI Agent Rachel Walling to go after a killer who has worked completely below police and FBI radar—and with perfect knowledge of any move against him. What Jack doesn't know is that his investigation has inadvertently set off a digital tripwire. The killer knows Jack is coming—and he's ready.

Shall We Dance

We watched "Shall We Dance."

Synopsis

John Clark (Richard Clark) is a man with a wonderful job, a charming wife and a loving family, who nevertheless feels that something is missing as he makes his way every day through the city. Each evening on his commute home, John sees a beautiful woman, staring with a lost expression through the window of a dance studio. Haunted by her gaze, John impulsively jumps off the train one night, and signs up for dance lessons, hoping to meet her. At first, it seems like a mistake. His teacher turns out to be not Paulina (Jennifer Lopez) but the older Miss Mitzi (Anita Gillette) and John proves just as clumsy as his equally clueless classmates on the dance-floor. Even worse, when he does meet Paulina, she icily tells John she hopes he has come to the studio to seriously study dance and not to look for a date. But, as his lessons continue, John falls in love with dancing. Keeping his new obsession from his family and co-workers, John feverishly trains for Chicago's biggest dance competition. His friendship with Paulina blossoms, as his enthusiasm rekindles her own lost passion for dance. But the more time John spends away from home, the more his wife becomes suspicious. With his secret about to be revealed, John will have to do some fancy footwork to keep his dream going and realize what it is he really yearns for.

Henry Poole Is Here

We watched the DVD "Henry Poole Is Here."

Synopsis

In a working class neighborhood in Los Angeles, a world weary Henry Poole (Luke Wilson) buys a house caring little about its lack of amenities. He drinks and eats pizza. Recent stucco work has left a brown stain on a patio wall and to Henry's irritation Esperanza (Adriana Barraza) a neighbor, is certain she can see the face of Jesus in the stain. She brings her priest (George Lopez) then others. Meanwhile, Henry hears his conversations replayed over the fence in another neighbor's yard. It's Millie (Morgan Lilly) who is about 7 and mute, clutching a tape recorder. Over time he tells Millie's mom why he's sad and angry and the face on the wall seems to shed a tear of blood. Real life, however, refuses to cooperate with Henry's plans. Nosy neighbors interrupt him with curious visits and prying questions. Then the situation escalates as a stain on Henry's stucco wall is seen to have miraculous powers. His last-ditch hideout becomes a shrine; his backyard turns into an arena for passionate debate about faith and destiny. Seeking anonymous oblivion, cynical Henry Poole instead finds himself right at the center of the human comedy. Whether backyard miracles are real or triggered by hope and belief, their personal effects are permanent.

Noodles & Company

I won a free tasting at Noodles & Company for 5 of my work associates an me. We had a wonderful lunch and got to try a loy of different dishes we probably never would have tasted if they weren't free. It was from a business card drawing.

First Family

I finished reading "First Family" by David Baldacci.

ABOUT THE BOOK

It began with what seemed like an ordinary children’s birthday party. Friends and family gathered to celebrate. There were balloons and cake, games and gifts. This party, however, was far from ordinary. It was held at Camp David, the presidential retreat. And it ended with a daring kidnapping... which immediately turned into a national security nightmare.Sean King and Michelle Maxwell were not looking to become involved. As former Secret Service agents turned private investigators, they had no reason to be. The FBI doesn’t want them interfering. But years ago, Sean King saved the First Lady’s husband, then a senator, from political disaster. Now, Sean is the one person the First Lady trusts, and she presses Sean and Michelle into the desperate search to rescue the kidnapped child. With Michelle still battling her own demons, and forces aligned on all sides against them, the two are pushed to the absolute limit. In the race to save an innocent victim, the line between friend and foe will become impossible to define... or defend.

Modern Romance

We watched the DVD "Modern Romance."

Synopsis

Robert Cole (Albert Brooks), a film editor, is constantly breaking up with and reconciling with long-suffering girl friend Mary Harvard (Kathryn Harrold), who works at a bank. He is irrationally jealous and self-centered, while Mary has been too willing to let him get away with his disruptive antics. Can they learn to live with each other? Can they learn to live without each other? The movie also provides insight into film editing as Robert and co-worker Jay work on their current project, a cheesy sci-fi movie

The Big Bad Swim

We watched the DVD "The Big Bad Swim."

Synopsis

The film is an ensemble comedy-drama that focuses on a few people who are afraid of the water and join an adult swim class. Amy Pierson (Paget Brewster) is a calculus teacher going through a divorce with her husband, Paul (Grant Aleksander). Noah Owens (Jeff Branson) is the teacher of the swim class who is battling depression, until he meets Jordan (Jess Weixler), a beautiful casino dealer/exotic dancer who wants to learn how to swim. Other members in the class include a cop (Kevin Porter Young), a cocky woman who already knows how to swim (Liza Lapira), and a married couple (Todd Susman) and (Darla Hill). Also, at the same time, Jordan's brother, David (Avi Setton) and his obnoxious friend Hunter (Ricky Ullman) are trying to make a documentary about her.

Bait Shop

We watched the DVD "Bait Shop."

Synopsis

Paradise Lake, near Kissimmee, Florida, is hosting a Professional Bass Association contest. Local bait-shop owner and former amateur champ, Bill Dugan (Bill Engvall), is in deep trouble: the bank wants $15,000 for the shop's mortgage, he doesn't tell his wife who's angry when she finds out, and his wealthy blow-hard father-in-law wants Bill to work for him. The tournament favorite is Hot Rod Johnson (Billy Ray Cyrus), a crowd-pleaser and ESPN darling who'll do anything to win. Bill's son Scott (Vincent Martella) thinks Hot Rod is cool, Hot Rod opens a huge store close to Bill's, his ne'er-do-well pals are ready to desert him, and Bill may lose it all. His one hope is to enter the contest and win the prize. Time to fish or cut bait.

Burn After Reading

We watched the DVD "Burn After Reading."

Synopsis

Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich), a Balkan expert, is fired at the CIA, so he begins a memoir. His wife wants a divorce and expects her lover, Harry (George Clooney), a philandering State Department marshal, to leave his wife. A diskette falls out of a gym bag at a Georgetown fitness center. Two employees there try to turn it into cash: Linda (Frances McDormand), who wants money for elective surgery, and Chad (Brad Pitt), an amiable goof. Information on the disc leads them to Osbourne who rejects their sales pitch; then they visit the Russian embassy. To sweeten the pot, they decide they need more of Osbourne's secrets. Meanwhile, Linda's boss (Richard Jenkins) likes her, and Harry's wife (Tilda Swinton) leaves for a book tour. All roads lead to Osbourne's house.

My Sassy Girl

We watched the DVD "My Sassy Girl."

Synopsis

My Sassy Girl is the tale of the first and last time Charlie Bello (Jesse Bradford) falls in love. From their initial meeting, trouble is the name of the game. Imagine an amorphous mass of dating disasters and you get an idea of the relationship between the young couple. Some mysterious force with the strength of gravity between two planets must be at play between Charlie and Jordan (Elisha Cuthbert) as the relationship truly makes no sense on the surface. Everything seems pitted against the two of them. Things suddenly come to a halt when the two write letters confessing their love for each other. Agreeing to meet a year later to read the love letters together, Charlie and Jordan go their separate ways.

Downers Grove Park District 5 & 10 Miler

I worked as a volunteer for the Downers Grove Park District 5 & 10 miler. On the busride to my corner the bus got hit by a car and delayed the race a half hour. Wild. My son finished 9th overall in the 10 mile race and first in his age group so he got a medal. It was a beautiful morning for a race. Racetimes

Boogers Are My Beat

I finished reading "Boogers Are My Beat" by Dave Barry.

ABOUT THE BOOK

In Boogers Are My Beat, we get the real scoop on:

• The scientific search for the world’s funniest joke (you can bet it includes the word “weasel”)
• RV camping in the Wal-Mart parking lot
• Outwitting “smart” kitchen appliances and service contracts
• Elections in Florida (“You can’t spell Florida without ‘duh’”)
• The Olympics, where people from all over the world come together to accuse each other of cheating
• The truth about the Dakotas, the Lone Ranger, and feng shui
• The choice between death and taxes
And much, much more—including some truths about journalism and serious thoughts about 9/11.

Cabana Charleys

We had dinner at "Cabana Charleys" at Seven Bridges in Woodridge. It was a don't cook night fundraiser for the parish. We saw Father Danaher there along with a bunch of parishioners.

Real Time

We watched the DVD "Real Time."

Synopsis

A hit man (Randy Quaid) gives an old acquaintance, a compulsive gambler (Jay Baruchel), one hour to live.

The Guards

I finished reading "The Guards" by Ken Bruen.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Still stinging from his unceremonious ouster from the Garda Siochana (The Guards, Ireland's police force), and staring at the world through the smoky bottom of his beer mug, Jack Taylor is stuck in Galway with nothing to look forward to. He is teetering on the brink of his life's sharpest edges, his memories of the past cutting deep into his soul and his prospects for the future nonexistent. Nonexistent, that is, until a dazzling woman walks into the bar with a strange request and a rumor about Jack's talent for finding things. Odds are he won't be able to climb off his barstool long enough to get involved with his radiant new client, but when he surprises himself by getting hired, Jack has little idea of what he's getting into. Stark, violent, sharp, and funny, The Guards is an exceptional novel, one that leaves you stunned and breathless, flipping back to the beginning in a mad dash to find Jack Taylor and enter his world all over again. It's an unforgettable story that's gritty, absorbing, and saturated with the rough-edged rhythms of the Galway streets.

Katie Larson's Graduation Party

We went to Katie Larson's high school graduation party at Buffalo Wild Wings by Seven Bridges in Woodridge. She is going to work in Door County for the summer before she starts school.

No Reservations

We watched the DVD "No Reservations."

Synopsis

Kate (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is a terrific chef at a Manhattan restaurant, sent to therapy by the restaurant owner because she is cold, unyielding, rule-bound, and a pain in the neck. Kate's world is flipped over when her only sister dies and her ten-year-old niece, Zoe, (Abigail Breslin) comes to live with her. As Kate struggles to be a parent to a grief-stricken child, the one world she used to control - the restaurant kitchen - is changed utterly by the restaurant's hiring a second chef, the loose, operatic, Italian-trained Nick, (Aaron Eckhart) who claims it's an honor to work in Kate's kitchen but who she suspects wants to replace her. Can the music of Puccini and the taste of good pasta soften Kate's heart?

Ghost Town

We watched the DVD "Ghost Town." I thought parts of it were very funny.

Synopsis

Bertram Pincus (Ricky Gervais) is a man whose people skills leave much to be desired. When Pincus dies unexpectedly, but is miraculously revived after seven minutes, he wakes up to discover that he now has the annoying ability to see ghosts. Even worse, they all want something from him, particularly Frank Herlihy (Greg Kinnear) who pesters him into breaking up the impending marriage of his widow Gwen (Tea Leoni). That puts Pincus squarely in the middle of a triangle with spirited result.

Nashville

We watched the DVD "Nashville." We're planning a trip down there.

Synopsis

In the wake of JFK's assassination, under the shadow of the Vietnam war, an independent presidential candidate is running, bold and cheap, under the banner of the Replacement Party: their unbelievable platform includes banning lawyers from Congress and re-writing the national anthem. This uncanny Perot-like figure is never seen, but his campaign wagon blares out rambling, pre-recorded speeches as it lumbers through the film unnoticed. The backdrop is Music City, the characters a myriad and hero-less cross-section of America. The lone foreigner is an insufferable reporter from BBC whose aimless monologues provide satirical counterpoint to the film's deadpan delivery.

Waitress

We watched the DVD "Waitress."

Synopsis


Jenna (Keri Russell) is trapped in an unhappy marriage with a controlling, jealous husband and the last thing she wants is a baby, so when she discovers she has fallen pregnant, she’s terrified of what the future holds. In an effort to escape her husband, Jenna saves what money she can by working at Joe’s Diner where she creates amazing pies which she names after circumstances in her life like “I-Don’t-Want-Earl’s-Baby Pie”; “I-Hate-My-Husband Pie”; and “Falling-in-Love Pie”. Jenna finds support in her friends Becky (Cheryl Hines) and Dawn (Adrienne Shelly), working southern women trying to make the most out of the little they've been given in life and Old Joe (Andy Griffith), who owns the pie shop where Jenna works. Things seem hopeless for Jenna and dreams of a better life lost until she meets gynecologist Dr. Pomatter (Nathan Fillion), a good looking man who treats her with love, generosity and simple kindness. He’s handsome. He’s kind. He’s neurotic. He’s married.

House Bunny

We watched the DVD "House Bunny."

Synopsis

Finding family. Shelley Darlingson was raised in an orphanage, finally happy when she blossoms into a fox and moves into the Playboy Mansion. Unfortunately, she's summarily expelled on her 27th birthday(she's now too old). In desperation she takes a job as house mother for a sorority of misfits losing their house for lack of members. They have but a few months to find 30 pledges, or a sorority of mean girls will take over their place. Shelley figures that girls will pledge a house that boys find interesting, so she sets out to make the Zetas alluring, not act too smart, and host great parties. Can she succeed, and what about her own makeover? Sabotage is everywhere, plus it's hard to be one's self.

Cross

I finished reading "Cross" by Ken Bruen.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Cross (kros/ noun, verb, & adjective) means an ancient instrument of torture, or, in a very bad humour, or, a punch thrown across an opponent's punch. Jack Taylor brings death and pain to everyone he loves. His only hope of redemption - his surrogate son, Cody - is lying in hospital in a coma. At least he still has Ridge, his old friend from the Guards, though theirs is an unorthodox relationship. When she tells him that a boy has been crucified in Galway city, he agrees to help her search for the killer. Jack's investigations take him to many of his old haunts where he encounters ghosts, dead and living. Everyone wants something from him, but Jack is not sure he has anything left to give. Maybe he should sell up, pocket his Euros and get the hell out of Galway like everyone else seems to be doing. Then the sister of the murdered boy is burned to death, and Jack decides he must hunt down the killer, if only to administer his own brand of rough justice.

Lois Timmons Wake

My brother drove my dad and me down to Flora so we could go to the wake of one of my dad's best friend's wife's wake. We really surprised everyone. She was like an aunt to my brother, sisters and I. They attended a lot of the family events until they moved down to Flora. It was a four hour road trip.

Tropic Thunder

We watched the DVD "Tropic Thunder."

Synopsis

A film crew is in Southeast Asia filming a Vietnam-war memoir. It's early in the shooting, but they're already behind schedule and over budget. On the day an accident befalls the novice director, the cast and crew are attacked by a gang of poppy-growing local drug dealers, except the cast and crew don't realize these aren't actors who are stalking them. The thugs kidnap Tugg Speedman, an actor whose star seems on the decline, and it's up to the rest of the ragtag team to band together long enough to attempt his rescue. But will Tugg want to leave?

Chuck McGregor's Wake

We went to Chuck McGregor's wake after the picnic. His son went to Our Lady of Peace with my oldest son. My son saw a lot of his old classmates.

Cantigny

We had our annual Memorial Day picnic and of course it rained again.

St. A's Race

My oldest son came in first in the St. Alexander's Memorial Day 5-K. It was the first time he came in first in a 5-K. Awesome. I worked as a volunteer taking tags as each racer finished. We saw a bunch of old St. Alexander friends and Grandma stopped by after mass to congratulate Bobby. Racetimes

Track Sectionals

We went to the Track Sectionals. A lot of our guys will be going downstate.

Choir Concert

We went to my oldest son's last choir concert.