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JFK - 50 years later
50 years ago today John F. Kennedy was gunned down in Dallas, an event no Baby Boomer will ever forget. My own connection to the event began twenty years later, in 1983. I was nine years old that year...
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Doctor Who - The 50th Anniversary
Following exactly one day after JFK’s assassination, another event that loomed large in my childhood took place: Doctor Who, a low budget children’s sci-fi show, premiered on the BBC.As with Kennedy, I...
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What's in a name?
I remember my Mom using this dietary aid in the early '80's. Later in the decade, as we stood on the front porch, I clearly recall her wondering why they stopped selling it. "Mom. . . ," I said. "It's...
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Junie picks out a First Communion Dress - May 2nd, 2014
Next year our little Junie is receiving her First Communion, and in longstanding #TeamSlap tradition we hit the after-season clearance sales to pick our her dress a year early. Big sister YaYa went...
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Our 2013 Christmas Card Photo Shoot
On Black Friday 2013 (November 29th, if I remember correctly) #TeamSlap headed to a nearby park to take the photo that would grace our annual Christmas card. The idea was simple but neat: form a...
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The Sweet Science
For those of you who don't know, I am officially on strike from Major League Baseball this season. I can't tolerate the hypocritical witch hunt that resulted in Alex Rodriguez's suspension, and yes, I...
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An Old Injury
One day last August I went out to start our lawn mower, only to be met with a nasty surprise. The engine seized and the starter cord flew out of my hands. It broke my left thumb in three places and...
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RIP Tony Gwynn
I was just startled - and I mean that literally - by the news that eight time NL batting champion and Padres legend Tony Gwynn died today of salivary gland cancer. He was only 54.What a loss, to MLB,...
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The End of the 2013/2014 School Year
At the end of the 2012-2013 we jumped ship, abandoning the Catholic school the kids had attended since YaYa was in K-4 and signing up for the local public school. The reasons were many, and I can't say...
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TeamSlap Picnics at the Park
With Lisa working State Fair, I had our annual picnic at Whitnall Park, with its traditional search for golf balls in the tall grass of a blocks-long field. This years tally was low - a mere 8, not...
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Seven on the 7th! Happy Birthday Junie!
"Seven on the 7th" is a phrase that Lisa coined as a leadup to Junie's Golden Birthday! This year her party was held on the big day itself at Cool Waters, a water park run by Milwaukee County. The day...
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The loss of the Photinia
Many years ago, when I was just a small child - I put it at around 1978 to 1982 - I remember a merchant vessel running aground in Lake Michigan, just off the shore here in Milwaukee. That's a little...
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Vote on August 12th!
The race for the local state assembly seat has been fiercely contested, and the candidates have visited my neighborhood incessantly . How often do we see a candidate? Last week one of them, Jonathan...
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RIP Robin Williams
About an hour ago I posted the following on Facebook:OMG - RIP Robin Williams, age 63. Early reports indicate it was suicide. I have to admit, the news of his death has really knocked me into a funk....
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College for Kids 2014
If you do even the most basic of searches here on Slapinions you'll find near annual posts about College for Kids at UW-Milwaukee. I'll skip the usual recitation of accolades about the program - all...
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Father's Day 2014
On the day before Father's Day my handsome son accompanied me on a Father's Day hike at Hawthorn Glen, a nature preserve here in Milwaukee. The guide was a father/son team too!At the conclusion of the...
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College For Kids 2013
Did you read the College for Kids post about this summer's experience? Well, when I was writing it I discovered I'd forgotten to post about last year (2013). So here we go :)Here's the beautiful...
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Summer School 2014
None of my kids were required to take summer school - their grades were good - but it was a good way to keep their minds sharp and their bellies full (they got lunch and breakfast LOL) Plus it was only...
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The First Day of School 2014
The first day of school 2014 went off without a hitch this morning as #TeamSlap headed out the door on time and happy. Miracles do happen people!YaYa and LuLu had been asking for a ride to school this...
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The 2014 Food Pantry Charity Walk
This past Saturday #TeamSlap, for the third year in a row, participated in a charity walk for the local food pantry. The morning of the walk the kids were not thrilled with the notion, despite looking...
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Junie's First Reconciliation!
Monday December 15th was Junie's First Reconciliation (confession), an important sacrament and a pivotal step towards getting her First Communion next spring!She was REALLY nervous beforehand - and I...
View ArticleBooks Read and Movies Watched in 2014
With law school and all I fell off the pace of my recreational reading, finishing 2014 with only 42 books. I did better on my movie total, watching 131. Here's my neurotic list of both: Date Title...
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Happy New Year 2015!
In a few of my forty years on this planet the New Year brought forth a stream of Resolutions. Some were sincere, some tongue-in-cheek, and almost all doomed to failure....
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A Time to Heal by Gerald Ford
In December, as a break from reading law texts, I read “A Time to Heal”, the Presidential memoir of Gerald Ford that was published in 1979. A good man, Ford. Some items of interest, to me if no one...
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Painting at Splash Studios
This afternoon I took Lisa to Splash Studio's, a bar downtown where you can paint while enjoying a nice drink. Lisa chose, in advance, the day when a couples-painting, "Birds Eye View" was offered. The...
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