Last week, my dad came up and watched the kids while Jill and I ran the Crazylegs race. It was also the weekend of the Mifflin St. Block Party, a mild riot which is held annually in Madison. Though I've attended the Mifflin St. Block Party several times, I'm unsure as to its origins. I know it was started in the late 60's or early 70's and that our new mayor (Soglin) was involved at the outset. What mus have been a freewheeling lovefest back then has turned into a typically self-abusive drunken riot. Two people got stabbed this year. Though I'm uncertain of the stories behind the stabbings (could be gang related), I'm relatively certain that, as usual, alcohol plays a key role in these violent events. It was a strange feeling to watch all these 20somethings head to the Mifflin St. riot while I went for a 5 mile run. I really felt like I had changed sides.
I also had a good run in with a new recipe tonight. I have struggled, literally, for years trying to make a spinach/feta/tofu pie and finally got it right tonight. Jill sauteed the onions, and mixed in spinach and silken tofu. We pressed out as much water as possible, then I set that mixture in the oven for 10 minutes. After taking in out, I mixed in the feta. Then, individual pies were made out of crescent rolls (the pillsbury kind in the tubes) and baked. What's always ruined this recipe in the past was moisture from the spinach/tofu/feta ruining the crust. I turned out great tonight, though. Kudos to me!
El Desructo got new batteries for his remote control car and is driving it around the apartment and driving me crazy.
The Little Scientist wrote a poem last week:
"How We Know You're Moving"
If you see strangers:
lurking, living, leaning
in your house
then we know you're moving.
If you hear cars and trucks:
picking, parking, puddling
around the home
then we know you're moving.
If you sense people:
sacking, packing, tracking
What you need,
then we know you're moving.
If you ask your parents
they will tell you
then you'll know,
you're moving!
********
We are not moving this year, however, we signed another lease for our apartment.
Saturday, May 07, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Last weekend we were in Kenosha again - Jill is helping my dad in the Barasch Tax Accounting Salt Mines.
The kids stayed with my mom for a few hours while I ran some errands. Though for everyone's sanity, and so the kids have a healthy understanding of boundaries, we are usually quite structured in regards to mealtimes and bedtimes, things always go erratically with feedings and bed times when you travel. After I dropped the kids off at my mom's, El Destructo says to her, "I want 4 slices of ham for my snack." This is, mind you, at 9 AM. Frequent readers are familiar with El Destructo's diet. Frequent readers will be relieved that El Destructo has broadened his palate from frosting and processed meat to include many things recognizable as "food" even prior to the corporate domination of diet.
Mom had intended to take the kids to the park after Ben gorged on ham, but immediately after he ate, May visits the kitchen. "I'm hungry." And Nana has to go to work making macaroni and cheese and fried chicken. May described it to me later by saying, "And, before you knew it, it was a feast!" They had pineaple, beets, spinach, strawberries, and bananas.
I had a nasty cup of coffee while watching the Valvoline guys change the oil.
All in all things are well here. I plan to get my bicycle repaired this week and will start biking to work again. I am working right now on a brilliantly creative neuropathology gross description.
Jill's job evaded certain destruction when a Dane county judge ruled that the passage of the Job Destruction Bill was passed in a voting session before the public was given adequate notice of the vote. Thus, the judge has ruled that the law, though passed and signed, cannot be published. Without publication, state agencies are unable to enforce the edicts of the law. That is, until those crazy guys on the other side of the aisle come up with some new trick.
Other political news includes an upcoming pro-zombie march. I think the pro-zombie march is this weekend. We're big supporters of the rights of the dead, and also the living dead, to receive equal respect as animate, physiologically appropriate people. I'll try to post some pictures of the zombie liberation rally next week.
I'm thinking about running the Crazylegs Race this year.
The kids stayed with my mom for a few hours while I ran some errands. Though for everyone's sanity, and so the kids have a healthy understanding of boundaries, we are usually quite structured in regards to mealtimes and bedtimes, things always go erratically with feedings and bed times when you travel. After I dropped the kids off at my mom's, El Destructo says to her, "I want 4 slices of ham for my snack." This is, mind you, at 9 AM. Frequent readers are familiar with El Destructo's diet. Frequent readers will be relieved that El Destructo has broadened his palate from frosting and processed meat to include many things recognizable as "food" even prior to the corporate domination of diet.
Mom had intended to take the kids to the park after Ben gorged on ham, but immediately after he ate, May visits the kitchen. "I'm hungry." And Nana has to go to work making macaroni and cheese and fried chicken. May described it to me later by saying, "And, before you knew it, it was a feast!" They had pineaple, beets, spinach, strawberries, and bananas.
I had a nasty cup of coffee while watching the Valvoline guys change the oil.
All in all things are well here. I plan to get my bicycle repaired this week and will start biking to work again. I am working right now on a brilliantly creative neuropathology gross description.
Jill's job evaded certain destruction when a Dane county judge ruled that the passage of the Job Destruction Bill was passed in a voting session before the public was given adequate notice of the vote. Thus, the judge has ruled that the law, though passed and signed, cannot be published. Without publication, state agencies are unable to enforce the edicts of the law. That is, until those crazy guys on the other side of the aisle come up with some new trick.
Other political news includes an upcoming pro-zombie march. I think the pro-zombie march is this weekend. We're big supporters of the rights of the dead, and also the living dead, to receive equal respect as animate, physiologically appropriate people. I'll try to post some pictures of the zombie liberation rally next week.
I'm thinking about running the Crazylegs Race this year.
Monday, March 14, 2011
My New Year's Resolution was to reconnect with creative energies. One of the things I will try to do is write blog entries again. What can you do to make up for not writing for a year? Beg forgiveness? Slave away and hope to be rediscovered by former readers? Post a link to the blog on Facebook? Probably not facebook.... Ironically, it is easier and more discrete to bear my soul to anonymous readers on the internet than to my "Friends" on facebook. It's not that my friends don't read this blog (or didn't before I screwed it up by not writing for a year), but that I'm not sure that I want everyone who has "Friend-ed" me to see what I write. If they really, really want to keep tabs on me, they can google me and do some cyberstalking.
What other plans do I have to reconnect with my creative energies? I'm hoping a children's book will be in the works. I have two on the back burner. 1) "Dinosaurs and super-heros drive construction trucks" 2) "How do ninjas bike to work?"
Professionally: I work in the lab at the VA hospital in Madison. This month I'm rotating through the autopsy service. It's fascinating. Whenever a medical student rotates through, I brag, "Noone consults the autopsy service for acne. These people have real medical problems." Some of their medical problems are so serious that, in fact, ........
News of the kids: El Destructo and The Little Scientist are well adapted to their new environment. During some of the recent political protesting, El Destructo turned to me and said, "Dad, when will I get a chance to vote." He enjoyed marching, but I think the meaning of the protest was a little over his head. When we got home, he marched around the apartment waving his placard and demanding, "Vote Packers! Vote Packers! Vote Packers!" Totally absurd. Nobody in our house would ever vote for the Vikings. He wants a gerbil for his birthday.
The little scientist has been doing well in school. During recent teacher strikes, she came with me to work and made up for my brusque antics and wretched flatulence with her charm and grace. She also redesigned our reporting system. She's going to take ballet this summer. She's made some new friends in the neighborhood and at school.
A brief treatise on economics: In a capitalist economy, which ours is, at least nominally, there are boom and bust cycles, growth and recession. These are normal. Keynsian economics is the idea that the government should sully the waters of pure capitalism by intervening during times of economic troubles. For example, build roads during a recession, thereby improving infrastructure and creating jobs. However, economics and politics are deeply intertwined and one frequently cannot take an economic position without it implying a political stance as well (excepting my chivalrous and gentlemanly Uncle Charles). The more conservative branch of of the American political system had for many years advocated a post-Keynsian approach to economics - a faith that pure markets can fix all problems. The recent economic problems have led prominent conservative figures, like Bush Jr., to reconsider the Golden Calf of Free Markets and re-embrace Keynsian economics (ergo the Wall St. Bailout).
Politicians in WI are not quite as progressive ***smirk*** here in WI, however, and it seems likely that Jill's perfect job will fall victim to the recently elected governor's job creation plan. In post-Keynsian economics, the government could never apportion aid to destitute, retarded, or elderly as efficiently as a private corporation could. And in fact, if you think about it, this is why there are so many corporations solely dedicated to social service and caring for the poor, the infirm, and the elderly. ***can I smirk twice in one paragraph?*** I'll leave you to the internet to sort out the details of the political protest, but would like to recommend one article by the Wall Street Journal for those who have an interest in finance and a reasonable understanding of the bond market.
As for me, I will wash the dishes, do the laundry, and try to rebuild my blog. One post per week.
What other plans do I have to reconnect with my creative energies? I'm hoping a children's book will be in the works. I have two on the back burner. 1) "Dinosaurs and super-heros drive construction trucks" 2) "How do ninjas bike to work?"
Professionally: I work in the lab at the VA hospital in Madison. This month I'm rotating through the autopsy service. It's fascinating. Whenever a medical student rotates through, I brag, "Noone consults the autopsy service for acne. These people have real medical problems." Some of their medical problems are so serious that, in fact, ........
News of the kids: El Destructo and The Little Scientist are well adapted to their new environment. During some of the recent political protesting, El Destructo turned to me and said, "Dad, when will I get a chance to vote." He enjoyed marching, but I think the meaning of the protest was a little over his head. When we got home, he marched around the apartment waving his placard and demanding, "Vote Packers! Vote Packers! Vote Packers!" Totally absurd. Nobody in our house would ever vote for the Vikings. He wants a gerbil for his birthday.
The little scientist has been doing well in school. During recent teacher strikes, she came with me to work and made up for my brusque antics and wretched flatulence with her charm and grace. She also redesigned our reporting system. She's going to take ballet this summer. She's made some new friends in the neighborhood and at school.
A brief treatise on economics: In a capitalist economy, which ours is, at least nominally, there are boom and bust cycles, growth and recession. These are normal. Keynsian economics is the idea that the government should sully the waters of pure capitalism by intervening during times of economic troubles. For example, build roads during a recession, thereby improving infrastructure and creating jobs. However, economics and politics are deeply intertwined and one frequently cannot take an economic position without it implying a political stance as well (excepting my chivalrous and gentlemanly Uncle Charles). The more conservative branch of of the American political system had for many years advocated a post-Keynsian approach to economics - a faith that pure markets can fix all problems. The recent economic problems have led prominent conservative figures, like Bush Jr., to reconsider the Golden Calf of Free Markets and re-embrace Keynsian economics (ergo the Wall St. Bailout).
Politicians in WI are not quite as progressive ***smirk*** here in WI, however, and it seems likely that Jill's perfect job will fall victim to the recently elected governor's job creation plan. In post-Keynsian economics, the government could never apportion aid to destitute, retarded, or elderly as efficiently as a private corporation could. And in fact, if you think about it, this is why there are so many corporations solely dedicated to social service and caring for the poor, the infirm, and the elderly. ***can I smirk twice in one paragraph?*** I'll leave you to the internet to sort out the details of the political protest, but would like to recommend one article by the Wall Street Journal for those who have an interest in finance and a reasonable understanding of the bond market.
As for me, I will wash the dishes, do the laundry, and try to rebuild my blog. One post per week.
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