Wauwatosa's Cool Pool
No, this isn't about Wauwatosa's real Cool Pool at Hoyt Park, whose friends invite everyone to a Valentine's celebration and fundraiser on February 9.
(Though if you go there, you'll get to hear West and East high school students sing and watch Roosevelt's fifth graders tap and fox trot their Mad Hot Ballroom hearts out. And what could be cooler than that?)
Not-So-Super Thoughts
For the first time ever, I sat and watched the entire Super Bowl and even some of the pre-game. No special reason. Just a quiet Sunday afternoon. You didn’t ask for it and you’re probably SO past it, but here are my unsolicited thoughts on Sunday’s Super Bowl:
I was interested, then shocked, then depressed by the commercial aired by TicketToHope.com, a.k.a. “12 Minutes to Die.” If you missed it, the commercial showed a businessman preparing for his workday. We’re told that he will die in 12 minutes. The good news is, he’s insured his family. The bad news is he hasn’t insured his soul. Wow.
Tosa Mayoral Campaign - A Small Bunch of Disclosures
A recent commentator to this blog quite reasonably suggested the following:
It will be interesting how TTS fits in the race since its a mix of people like me....don't know these people and those who are personal friends of a particular candidate. I kind of think that such things should be declared so people know what context the cheap shot or rousing praise comes from.
Indoctrinate your children well?
As my son considers going to school at Loyola in Chicago, we’ve developed a routine. I pretend to be horrified and say “Promise me you won’t come home Catholic and Republican,” and Geo replies “I promise I won’t become Catholic.”
Mayoral Race
I had the pleasure of interviewing the 2 Mayoral candidates last week, Jerry Stepaniak and Jill Didier. I found both to very pleasurable to talk with and both were very quick to setup the meetings. Below are their answers to questions that we discussed, I am not endorsing either candidates but enjoyed my conversations with each one. I am listing Jerry’s answers first only because I interviewed him first.
Valentine's or Single Awareness Day?
In Wauwatosa, 40% of men and 50% of women over 15 are single. Which means that a lot of people are not particularly looking forward to February 14.
I'm a big fan of romance. It reminds you that you are very much alive and desired by someone whose desire you return. That's the best case, anyway.
Can I Get an Amen?!
I came upon an article in the Sunday paper about Rick Warren, the author of the blockbuster best-selling book, “A Purpose Driven Life.” Apparently, Mr. Warren has had a change of heart and is telling his flock to play nice.
According to the article, Warren now regrets an e-mail that he sent to 136,000 pastors prior to the 2004 election. That e-mail called for churches to focus on hot-button issues such as same-sex marriage, abortion and stem-cell research.
Another kind of love story
"So how'd it go," I asked Mom.
"It was wonderful. We had so much in common! We just talked and talked and talked. I think we closed the place down."
Sometimes, Bush is right: Medicare reform
Not all the way, maybe. But partly.
On February 15, the Bush administration proposed changes to Medicare that have made almost everyone unhappy. Like most legislation, it’s a mixed bag. But two ideas in the plan, already pronounced “dead on arrival,” are no-brainer necessities.
Tosan Building Subsidized Housing
It has been reported that a local man has begun building no-income housing within the city limits and without the prior knowledge or approval of city officials.
Exactly how this has escaped the scrutiny of the authorities is unclear.
Who NOT to vote for tomorrow
With the presidential primary just a day away, I'm still vacillating. Apparently, I'm in good company. Wisconsin, a swing state, likes to keep 'em guessing.
As CNN political analyst Bill Schneider said in the 2004 primary, "They like underdogs and outsiders in Wisconsin. that's why (Howard) Dean put his bets on Wisconsin. . .And just to show in another wildcard, this is an open primary. Anyone can vote. Independents and Republicans can vote. So, they could really stir things up, up there."
Winter's Lament - The Big Whine
I can’t stand this winter, not one moment more.
I’m throwing in the towel, the shovel and the door.
VOTE!!
Today is the Wisconsin Primary. Get out and vote!!
I am not saying who you should vote for, just exercise your right to vote.
The financial institutions formerly known as "Wauwatosa"
The name "Wauwatosa" is disappearing from local institutions. Wauwatosa Credit Union is now Focus. Meanwhile, Wauwatosa Savings Bank announced that it's changing its name "because of recent growth and expansions," though it hasn't decided to what.
Growth and expansions? From the Small Business Times: "Wauwatosa Holdings Inc., the parent company of Wauwatosa Savings Bank,
reported this week that its net income declined substantially in the
fourth quarter and for the full year of 2007. The company's fourth-quarter net income shrunk to $307,000, or 1 cent
per share, from $2.3 million, or 7 cents per share, in the same period
a year ago, as the company incurred an eight-fold increase in its
provisions to cover bad loans, according to a filing with the the U.S.
Securities & Exchange Commission. For the full year, the company's net income plummeted to $1.6 million from $8.1 million in 2006.
After the Primary Vote
I met Mr. Stepaniak in the Village last week and he stated that I wrote a very good article on the Mayoral Race in my 2 part blog, which you can read at the right. Then last week in the mail I received a hand written thank-you note from Ms. Didier stating I good job and was fair in reporting the Mayor candidates viewpoints. Thank you to both Jerry and Jill!!
Tender mercies
Last night, son Geo and I went to see Juno, a wonderful movie about a pregnant girl who gives her baby up for adoption. But it's really about the quirky and un-movie-blockbuster-like love people have for each other.
As I went just a hair above the speed limit down Bluemound to get there on time, Geo said gently, "Mom, do you want me to drive?"
Information, dogma, and the mayoral forum
"Philosopher Robert Anton Wilson defined information as data and ideas that are new to you. If it's something you already know, then it's propaganda or dogma, not information. Philospher Terence McKenna had a similar view. He used the terms 'information' and 'novelty' interchangeably. If you're not surprised, he said, if your curiosity isn't piqued then the messages streaming your way don't qualify as information."
That bit of sage-ery comes from my Free Will Astrology horoscope, not some scholarly text. But it's an intriguing way of looking at the onslaught of facts, contentions, and wishes that come from the mouths of every political candidate. So I'm taking astrologer Rob Brezsney's advice and making that my gold standard in the coming weeks.
Sick of being sick
I think that last Tuesday was the only day in the past week that we've been free of a close encounter of the medical kind.
Chances are, you know where I'm coming from: from the urgent care center to the clinic waiting room to the radiology suite, every place we've gone has been crowded with people coughing and looking miserable.
