Counting Sleep(spots)
Used in a series of sentences: "Whether it was the heat or the fact that I had gotten too much sun the other night, I could not fall asleep no matter how I tried. Somehow the wires got crossed in my brain, and instead of counting sheep to fall asleep, I ended up considering all of the places in my life to date where I had a dedicated place where I could regularly sleep -- so I began counting sleep(spots)."
Here's the output from that early morning exercise ...
... I was born to the place in Bethel (1), but moved to Elverson (2) after the first divorce, and then to Fredericksburg (3) after the second divorce, until dad partnered up again and we moved into her place in Jonestown (4) until the house (an old parsonage) (5) was ready. Since there was a degree of joint custody at this time, there was also the place my mom stayed with her mom in the Bethel trailer (6) until she partnered up with Mr. Fox in the place by the lake in Schuykill Haven (7) and then got divorced and lived in the apartment (8) on the hill in the same town. Back in Jonestown, the church wanted the old parsonage back to make more parking spots and we moved to Cumberland St in Lebanon (9).
... after eight years (is that stability?), I was out of there near the end of my senior year, spending the first night at my friend Jarrod's house (10), the next week at my girlfriend Kerri's house (11) and the rest of my college years at the Woodwards (12). Except for when I was in college in Mary Green in two different dorm rooms (13 and 14), Funkhouser (15) and that special secret place in the basement of the library (16). Oh, except for when I was in Koln, Germany for my semester abroad (17) and in Uniontown for my theater internship (18). Until she died last year, my grandmother always kept a bed made for me at her apartment there (19), and then at her house in Fairchance (20).
... then my "adult" years back in Lebanon, first in Greentree (21) with Jarrod and then the Whitmans, then on Broad St (22) when that all fell apart, and finally on Walnut St (23) next to Big Bertha's for the second attempt at fraternity style living. Then, old age -- next on to Green St in Harrisburg (24) until the move to Chicago -- first in Logan Square (25) and NOW in Wrigleyville (26).
Let me tell you, instead of falling asleep, all that happened next was memory upon memory popping off in my head like those rooms they use to explain nuclear reactions (the ones with the mousetraps and the ping pong balls) ... and then I briefly glimpsed insanity when I thought maybe I should count all of the places I've actually laid my head (summer camp, vacations, parties, after-parties, after-after-parties, etc.).
In a spirit of complete acquiescence, I then just started counting sheep, having learned not to rock the count-the-item-to-fall-asleep boat.
WHERE DID COUNT THE SHEEP ORIGINATE?:
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/103375.html
NUCLEAR REACTIONS AS VISUALIZED WITH PING PONG BALLS AND MOUSETRAPS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORqc1x3_Evg
June 30, 2010
June 29, 2010
Random Tune for Tuesday 6/29/10
I (re)stumbled across this gem while on vacation in Miami last month, blasting the greatest hits of Gloria Estefan as I was driving past Star Island (she didn't appear to sing along, as I thought she might). Luckily, the link to a video for "Go Away" is (reliably) online. If you're looking for a little "kiss-off" song to play at home or at work or to a Cuban dictator (whatever the situation calls for), look no further than this 1993 track off her Greatest Hits collection, also featured in Whoopi's Made in America.
AND WHEN YOU GO I WON'T MISS YOU AT ALL:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEDGgXYFFAM&feature=PlayList&p=E9D5C055C834A9F2&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=2
AND WHEN YOU GO I WON'T MISS YOU AT ALL:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEDGgXYFFAM&feature=PlayList&p=E9D5C055C834A9F2&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=2
June 28, 2010
Random Memorial for Monday 6/28/10
Gone but not forgotten: Chicago's gun ban.
It's been a supremely busy news day. I could have just as easily courted "the career of John Paul Stevens" or "Mr. Bader-Ginsburg" or "Kagan's poker-face" to conclude the tag line for today's post ... but I chose to go with the one that most hits home.
Since 1982, handguns have been banned in Chicago. In the past two weekends, at least 76 people have been shot (11 fatally) -- so what comes next? Will the number of walking wounded grow exponentially, or will the shooters die off as folks arm themselves -- or will there be no noticeable change at all -- a draw, so to speak -- because the ban's proven ineffective in curbing violence?
I can remember when all my friends back home went through the "gotta get a gun" phase (cruising the loop was such a dangerous past time?) and shooting tracers into the sky at the rock pile was something we did to pass the time. And when I go to visit family in Indiana, I've tagged along to the shooting range to try out my relatives' collection of firearms (sadly, I'm not that good a shot and seem to get confused about which eye is dominant as I line up to hit the target). Recreational use -- responsible ownership -- reasonable registries: it seems like those should be the goals we're advancing. People sure do get fired up about the issue, and although it looks like the bullet's in the chamber to kill this law and the Supremes pulled the trigger today, I fear more litigation and legislation is around the corner.
Rules that prohibit me from finding a handgun under my Christmas tree in years past (not a hint, just saying it could happen if the right person draws my name in the gift exchange), will you be missed?
TALLY OF THE WEEKEND 's WALKING WOUNDED IN CHICAGO:
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/06/at-least-3-dead-in-weekend-chicago-shootings.html
OFFICIAL SITE OF THE GUNCASE THAT PREVAILED TODAY:
http://www.chicagoguncase.com/
FROM THE "CHICAGO HAS A P.R. PROBLEM, NOT A GUN PROBLEM":
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/13/chicagos-image-problem-th_n_575324.html
REASONABLE GUN CONTROL FROM THE VIEW OF AN OFFICER OF THE LAW:
http://www.officer.com/web/online/On-the-Street/Op-Ed--Reasonable-Gun-Control/21$49245
It's been a supremely busy news day. I could have just as easily courted "the career of John Paul Stevens" or "Mr. Bader-Ginsburg" or "Kagan's poker-face" to conclude the tag line for today's post ... but I chose to go with the one that most hits home.
Since 1982, handguns have been banned in Chicago. In the past two weekends, at least 76 people have been shot (11 fatally) -- so what comes next? Will the number of walking wounded grow exponentially, or will the shooters die off as folks arm themselves -- or will there be no noticeable change at all -- a draw, so to speak -- because the ban's proven ineffective in curbing violence?
I can remember when all my friends back home went through the "gotta get a gun" phase (cruising the loop was such a dangerous past time?) and shooting tracers into the sky at the rock pile was something we did to pass the time. And when I go to visit family in Indiana, I've tagged along to the shooting range to try out my relatives' collection of firearms (sadly, I'm not that good a shot and seem to get confused about which eye is dominant as I line up to hit the target). Recreational use -- responsible ownership -- reasonable registries: it seems like those should be the goals we're advancing. People sure do get fired up about the issue, and although it looks like the bullet's in the chamber to kill this law and the Supremes pulled the trigger today, I fear more litigation and legislation is around the corner.
Rules that prohibit me from finding a handgun under my Christmas tree in years past (not a hint, just saying it could happen if the right person draws my name in the gift exchange), will you be missed?
TALLY OF THE WEEKEND 's WALKING WOUNDED IN CHICAGO:
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/06/at-least-3-dead-in-weekend-chicago-shootings.html
OFFICIAL SITE OF THE GUNCASE THAT PREVAILED TODAY:
http://www.chicagoguncase.com/
FROM THE "CHICAGO HAS A P.R. PROBLEM, NOT A GUN PROBLEM":
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/13/chicagos-image-problem-th_n_575324.html
REASONABLE GUN CONTROL FROM THE VIEW OF AN OFFICER OF THE LAW:
http://www.officer.com/web/online/On-the-Street/Op-Ed--Reasonable-Gun-Control/21$49245
June 27, 2010
Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 6/27/10
What Chicago is talking about this week:
The Wal-marts are coming! The Wal-marts are coming!
After six years of fighting, a second Wal-mart in the city limits was approved. But let me tell you, the whole process could easily fill a semester long study on urban planning. How's this for a list of underlying themes all at play: forcing Wal-mart to pay a "living wage", locating stores in poor communities where minority residents have no access to grocery stores and need jobs desperately, dealing with union-shops of other Chicago grocery stores concerned for the future, protecting mom-and-pop corner stores sure to fade away, rehabbing the reputation of the company as "predatory" with regards to labor issues -- and the list goes on and on.
What's really changed? The recession has us over a barrel, and the new rallying cry is "some wages are better than no wages". At this rate, we could go from 2 to 12 stores before the next increase in our state's minimum wage (8.25 on July 1)!
IT TOOK SIX YEARS BUT WAL-MART #2 IS A-COMIN':
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/reuters/MTFH19662_2010-06-24_20-05-35_N24109437.htm
BUT GOTHAM STILL SAYS NO WAY:
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20100625/REAL_ESTATE/100629868#
CHECK MINIMUM WAGE RATES ACROSS THE US:
http://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/america.htm#Illinois
The Wal-marts are coming! The Wal-marts are coming!
After six years of fighting, a second Wal-mart in the city limits was approved. But let me tell you, the whole process could easily fill a semester long study on urban planning. How's this for a list of underlying themes all at play: forcing Wal-mart to pay a "living wage", locating stores in poor communities where minority residents have no access to grocery stores and need jobs desperately, dealing with union-shops of other Chicago grocery stores concerned for the future, protecting mom-and-pop corner stores sure to fade away, rehabbing the reputation of the company as "predatory" with regards to labor issues -- and the list goes on and on.
What's really changed? The recession has us over a barrel, and the new rallying cry is "some wages are better than no wages". At this rate, we could go from 2 to 12 stores before the next increase in our state's minimum wage (8.25 on July 1)!
IT TOOK SIX YEARS BUT WAL-MART #2 IS A-COMIN':
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/reuters/MTFH19662_2010-06-24_20-05-35_N24109437.htm
BUT GOTHAM STILL SAYS NO WAY:
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20100625/REAL_ESTATE/100629868#
CHECK MINIMUM WAGE RATES ACROSS THE US:
http://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/america.htm#Illinois
June 26, 2010
Random Soapbox for Saturday 6/26/10
I don't mean to go off on a rant here, but ...
... airlines need to be held accountable for the safety and welfare for pets flown as "cargo". Have you heard of the case of Tucker, the Great Dane, whose shortened life due to damage suffered on a flight on Continental is drawing attention to the "worst practices" surrounding this activity? In Tucker's owners own words:
My Great Dane suffered injuries and illness while in the care of Continental Airlines Cargo QuickPak. He was on a flight from Honolulu to Seattle which had a layover in Houston. Tucker arrived in Seattle in such grave condition that he had to be euthanized just a few hours after he arrived. He was covered in vomit, feces, saliva and blood. Tucker could barely lift his head, move and didn't respond to any stimuli - food, water, our voices, etc. I have never seen my dog like this in the entire time I've had him. Tucker was clearly suffering and had been gravely mishandled. The callousness that we've been subjected by the airlines is outrageous. We want justice for Tucker and to prevent this from happening to anyone else's pet in the future.Our pets are our Loved Ones, NOT Luggage.
It's been over two years since putting down my pit bull Demon and just a few months since losing Mystery, and I can't imagine having the sense of loss from those experiences being aggravated by the actions of others in whom their care is trusted. Out of anger and frustration often comes focused advocacy, and I applaud these efforts to draw attention to these rules in hopes of making sure more pets aren't lost this way!
NEWS COVERAGE OF TUCKER'S TRAGEDY:
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=12670328
JUSTICE FOR TUCKER FACEBOOK GROUP:
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/group.php?gid=134603706554567&v=info
... airlines need to be held accountable for the safety and welfare for pets flown as "cargo". Have you heard of the case of Tucker, the Great Dane, whose shortened life due to damage suffered on a flight on Continental is drawing attention to the "worst practices" surrounding this activity? In Tucker's owners own words:
My Great Dane suffered injuries and illness while in the care of Continental Airlines Cargo QuickPak. He was on a flight from Honolulu to Seattle which had a layover in Houston. Tucker arrived in Seattle in such grave condition that he had to be euthanized just a few hours after he arrived. He was covered in vomit, feces, saliva and blood. Tucker could barely lift his head, move and didn't respond to any stimuli - food, water, our voices, etc. I have never seen my dog like this in the entire time I've had him. Tucker was clearly suffering and had been gravely mishandled. The callousness that we've been subjected by the airlines is outrageous. We want justice for Tucker and to prevent this from happening to anyone else's pet in the future.Our pets are our Loved Ones, NOT Luggage.
It's been over two years since putting down my pit bull Demon and just a few months since losing Mystery, and I can't imagine having the sense of loss from those experiences being aggravated by the actions of others in whom their care is trusted. Out of anger and frustration often comes focused advocacy, and I applaud these efforts to draw attention to these rules in hopes of making sure more pets aren't lost this way!
NEWS COVERAGE OF TUCKER'S TRAGEDY:
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=12670328
JUSTICE FOR TUCKER FACEBOOK GROUP:
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/group.php?gid=134603706554567&v=info
June 25, 2010
Random Flashback for Friday 6/25/10
Ah ... the days of innocence. Twenty years ago, summertime 1990 meant I was helping with a regular Sunday night church group for youngsters. I'm not sure why I have a picture of us getting ready to take a picture (that passed for avant-garde in my early days, I presume), but here is the basement of Hebron church and a group of children who now most surely have children of their own that are the same age. [I didn't mean for these flashbacks to make me feel so old, but that's clearly an unintended unpleasant side effect.] And that's Lisa Hoover corralling them (although she's not on FB to ask me why I'm putting pics of her backside in my album). Let that be a warning to all others out there whose backside pic I own! [Dolly, I'm talking directly to you.]
June 24, 2010
Random Thought for Thursday 6/24/10
If you have a connection to Lebanon PA (my hometown), and you list your birthday publicly on Facebook, and it is in the last six months of this current year, chances are pretty good that I'm going to wish you a Happy Birthday on that date and attach one of those e-gifts of a beer from the Downtown Lounge. It struck me I should probably lay out some ground rules:
1.) I used to say to many of you "enjoy the last year you can say you're in your thirties/twenties", based on the age of so many of my high school graduating class, but then one day I thought that was possibly a depressing message, and I stopped pointing out that we're all getting older so quickly.
2.) The e-gift is not a coupon. You cannot print it out and take it in to the Lounge and expect them to give you a beer.
3.) The e-gift is not even a promissory note. If you run into me at the Lounge on one of my occasional trips back home, you cannot whip out your smart phone, point to the post and expect me to buy you a beer. If, however, you run into me at the Lounge on one of my occasional trips back home, you remember the well wishes and you are inspired to buy me a beer, I'll take a Guinness, thanks.
4.) If you have decided to swear off alcohol and enter AA, please send me a quick message and I promise not to attach the e-gift, because that would be kind of (unintentionally) dickish.
5.) I promise to get a new gimmick on 1/1/2011 to keep things fresh (assuming FB is still around at that time).
6.) If you've never heard of Lebanon, PA or its downtown lounge, then you're missing out on a great central PA location famous for its bologna, its proximity to Hershey and its independent film-making (that's a rather unexpected turn of late).
OUR LOCAL HOMETOWN PAPER:
http://www.ldnews.com/
THE DOWNTOWN LOUNGE:
http://www.thedtl.com/
1.) I used to say to many of you "enjoy the last year you can say you're in your thirties/twenties", based on the age of so many of my high school graduating class, but then one day I thought that was possibly a depressing message, and I stopped pointing out that we're all getting older so quickly.
2.) The e-gift is not a coupon. You cannot print it out and take it in to the Lounge and expect them to give you a beer.
3.) The e-gift is not even a promissory note. If you run into me at the Lounge on one of my occasional trips back home, you cannot whip out your smart phone, point to the post and expect me to buy you a beer. If, however, you run into me at the Lounge on one of my occasional trips back home, you remember the well wishes and you are inspired to buy me a beer, I'll take a Guinness, thanks.
4.) If you have decided to swear off alcohol and enter AA, please send me a quick message and I promise not to attach the e-gift, because that would be kind of (unintentionally) dickish.
5.) I promise to get a new gimmick on 1/1/2011 to keep things fresh (assuming FB is still around at that time).
6.) If you've never heard of Lebanon, PA or its downtown lounge, then you're missing out on a great central PA location famous for its bologna, its proximity to Hershey and its independent film-making (that's a rather unexpected turn of late).
OUR LOCAL HOMETOWN PAPER:
http://www.ldnews.com/
THE DOWNTOWN LOUNGE:
http://www.thedtl.com/
June 23, 2010
Random Wordplay for Wednesday 6/23/10
NCAA Math.
Used in a sentence: "No wonder the association takes such a hit when it gets slammed for 'student athlete' being an oxymoron; if I understand NCAA math right -- the Big 10 has 12 teams and the Big 12 has 10 teams!"
This all kind of reminds me of Clock Arithmetic (or was it Z Module Math) from Unified Math in high school (where 7+7 =2). Or maybe its just that the calculations associated with the amount of money affiliated with these college sports teams is so astronomical and out-of-proportion to the scholarly budgets, that a new math system is essential to fully understand the way things all interact. [Joe Pa, I couldn't possibly mean you or the Penn State juggernaut, so let's just consider that present company excluded.]
As it is, my employer uses the NCAA basketball bracket each year as a key part of a WoW moment -- and now that 68 (and not 96 or 128) is the new 64+1, we have to go reprint all of that material!
Maybe it's just me and sports and math that's not the right combination. I mean if we can advance in the World Cup by scoring in the 91st minute of a 90 minute game ('cause the ref can add some injury time if he wants to?), then I'm just content to be confused with athletic arithmetic.
And, sure ... Go USA!
THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM IS THAT CONFERENCES NEED SOME RE-NAMING:
http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/2010/06/so_what_to_call_the_big_12_now.php
EXPLANATION OF CLOCK ARITHMETIC (BUT NO MR. MILLER IN SIGHT):
http://www-math.cudenver.edu/~wcherowi/clockar.html
I'M NOT AS ANGRY AS HE IS ABOUT STUDENT-ATHLETE:
http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Is-The-Term-Scholar-Athlete/6479/
Used in a sentence: "No wonder the association takes such a hit when it gets slammed for 'student athlete' being an oxymoron; if I understand NCAA math right -- the Big 10 has 12 teams and the Big 12 has 10 teams!"
This all kind of reminds me of Clock Arithmetic (or was it Z Module Math) from Unified Math in high school (where 7+7 =2). Or maybe its just that the calculations associated with the amount of money affiliated with these college sports teams is so astronomical and out-of-proportion to the scholarly budgets, that a new math system is essential to fully understand the way things all interact. [Joe Pa, I couldn't possibly mean you or the Penn State juggernaut, so let's just consider that present company excluded.]
As it is, my employer uses the NCAA basketball bracket each year as a key part of a WoW moment -- and now that 68 (and not 96 or 128) is the new 64+1, we have to go reprint all of that material!
Maybe it's just me and sports and math that's not the right combination. I mean if we can advance in the World Cup by scoring in the 91st minute of a 90 minute game ('cause the ref can add some injury time if he wants to?), then I'm just content to be confused with athletic arithmetic.
And, sure ... Go USA!
THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM IS THAT CONFERENCES NEED SOME RE-NAMING:
http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/2010/06/so_what_to_call_the_big_12_now.php
EXPLANATION OF CLOCK ARITHMETIC (BUT NO MR. MILLER IN SIGHT):
http://www-math.cudenver.edu/~wcherowi/clockar.html
I'M NOT AS ANGRY AS HE IS ABOUT STUDENT-ATHLETE:
http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Is-The-Term-Scholar-Athlete/6479/
June 22, 2010
Random Tune for Tuesday 6/22/10
Cordozar Calvin Broadus, you show up in the strangest places!
Was that really you on a commercial for One Life to Live? Did I see pictures of you hosting WWE wrestling? I know for sure that was you on that episode of Weeds, wasn't it? And I ... read about ... that porno you did.
And then, sho' nuff, you popped up after the second episode of this season's True Blood (shout-out to master allegorist Alan Ball -- surely to be put up there with Aesop and the Brothers Grimm when we reflect a few hundred years from now) singing/rapping your original song "Oh Sookie!"
If you missed it (and you're over the age of 18), here's the youtube link to this unexpected Snoop Dogg delight (viewed best with munchies in hand):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiPOrh3R45c
Was that really you on a commercial for One Life to Live? Did I see pictures of you hosting WWE wrestling? I know for sure that was you on that episode of Weeds, wasn't it? And I ... read about ... that porno you did.
And then, sho' nuff, you popped up after the second episode of this season's True Blood (shout-out to master allegorist Alan Ball -- surely to be put up there with Aesop and the Brothers Grimm when we reflect a few hundred years from now) singing/rapping your original song "Oh Sookie!"
If you missed it (and you're over the age of 18), here's the youtube link to this unexpected Snoop Dogg delight (viewed best with munchies in hand):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiPOrh3R45c
June 21, 2010
Random Memorial for Monday 6/21/10
Gone but not forgotten: ESPNZone.
Let's not pretend. I didn't grow up athletic by any stretch of the imagination. As it is now, I follow just enough about the local teams to make sure it never gets too awkward in any small talk situation. (The Hawks won, the Cubs and the White Sox are both struggling about the middle of their respective packs and the Bears don't play again for a few months. We kind of had a basketball team, but they don't do so much of late.)
But all the same, I've been to the ESPNZone once or twice in my life. As I recall, there were lots of plush recliners before banks and banks of TV screens airing every sport imaginable so that those so inclined could approach nirvana surrounded by endless beer, limitless wings and an infinity's worth of statistic-spouting blowhard talking heads.
For me, I'm most concerned about the old Baltimore Harbor. What's going to go in that highly visible space? Will the Hard Rock expand? Will the aquarium relocate its rain forest exhibit?
Even though I'm more of a SweetSassyMolassey kind of guy than a Boo-Yah one [to reference a classic Ray Romano SNL skit], chain 'o sports themed mega-complexes, you will be missed.
WHAT's LEFT OF THE ESPN ZONES:
http://www.espnzone.com/locations.shtml
SWEET SASSY MOLASSEY:
http://video.yahoo.com/watch/692293/3121896
VISIT THE INNER HARBOR IN BALTIMORE:
http://baltimore.org/baltimore-neighborhoods/inner-harbor
Let's not pretend. I didn't grow up athletic by any stretch of the imagination. As it is now, I follow just enough about the local teams to make sure it never gets too awkward in any small talk situation. (The Hawks won, the Cubs and the White Sox are both struggling about the middle of their respective packs and the Bears don't play again for a few months. We kind of had a basketball team, but they don't do so much of late.)
But all the same, I've been to the ESPNZone once or twice in my life. As I recall, there were lots of plush recliners before banks and banks of TV screens airing every sport imaginable so that those so inclined could approach nirvana surrounded by endless beer, limitless wings and an infinity's worth of statistic-spouting blowhard talking heads.
For me, I'm most concerned about the old Baltimore Harbor. What's going to go in that highly visible space? Will the Hard Rock expand? Will the aquarium relocate its rain forest exhibit?
Even though I'm more of a SweetSassyMolassey kind of guy than a Boo-Yah one [to reference a classic Ray Romano SNL skit], chain 'o sports themed mega-complexes, you will be missed.
WHAT's LEFT OF THE ESPN ZONES:
http://www.espnzone.com/locations.shtml
SWEET SASSY MOLASSEY:
http://video.yahoo.com/watch/692293/3121896
VISIT THE INNER HARBOR IN BALTIMORE:
http://baltimore.org/baltimore-neighborhoods/inner-harbor
June 20, 2010
Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 6/20/10
What Chicago is talking about this week:
Between trying to dodge the debris left on the roads and sidewalks after the storms from Friday (hurricanes start at 74MPH, but our winds were ONLY 70MPH), and trying to dodge the detritus of court reporting from the Blago (did you see his wife struggle to force him to honor the spirit of the gag order) and the Burges (I did not shock that man's genitals!) trials, we're just looking for something in the news that makes us smile.
And, we find it in an odd place -- the police report from an incident where a Gary Indiana man drug a bike cop down LakeShore Drive when he was ticketing him. The cop was treated and released (minor cuts and bruises) and the criminal is in for a heap of trouble -- DUI, fleeing an officer, driving without a license or insurance. So why the smiles? The criminal's name was Rogue Dooley.
On this father's day, please let this be a cautionary tale that it is important to choose your children's names wisely. I fear Rogue Dooley never really had a chance in life. Rogue Dooley was practically predestined to a life of crime the minute he was named.
Hang down your head, Rogue Dooley!
YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP:
http://www.examiner.com/x-7520-Chicago-Crime-Examiner~y2010m6d20-Rogue-driver-charged-with-dragging-bicycle-cop-down-LSD-during-traffic-stop
48 HOURS POST STORM AND STILL WITHOUT POWER FOR SOME:
http://cbs2chicago.com/local/thunderstorms.severe.comed.2.1761242.html
HANG DOWN YOUR HEAD AND CRY:
http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/lyrics/tomdooley.htm
Between trying to dodge the debris left on the roads and sidewalks after the storms from Friday (hurricanes start at 74MPH, but our winds were ONLY 70MPH), and trying to dodge the detritus of court reporting from the Blago (did you see his wife struggle to force him to honor the spirit of the gag order) and the Burges (I did not shock that man's genitals!) trials, we're just looking for something in the news that makes us smile.
And, we find it in an odd place -- the police report from an incident where a Gary Indiana man drug a bike cop down LakeShore Drive when he was ticketing him. The cop was treated and released (minor cuts and bruises) and the criminal is in for a heap of trouble -- DUI, fleeing an officer, driving without a license or insurance. So why the smiles? The criminal's name was Rogue Dooley.
On this father's day, please let this be a cautionary tale that it is important to choose your children's names wisely. I fear Rogue Dooley never really had a chance in life. Rogue Dooley was practically predestined to a life of crime the minute he was named.
Hang down your head, Rogue Dooley!
YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP:
http://www.examiner.com/x-7520-Chicago-Crime-Examiner~y2010m6d20-Rogue-driver-charged-with-dragging-bicycle-cop-down-LSD-during-traffic-stop
48 HOURS POST STORM AND STILL WITHOUT POWER FOR SOME:
http://cbs2chicago.com/local/thunderstorms.severe.comed.2.1761242.html
HANG DOWN YOUR HEAD AND CRY:
http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/lyrics/tomdooley.htm
June 19, 2010
Random Soapbox for Saturday 6/19/10
I don't mean to go off on a rant here, but ...
... what would you do when faced with the protesting Aryan Nation on the battlefield at Gettysburg, as was to have happened back home this very afternoon? After all, freedom of speech is a fundamental right that is protected in this country, but to see white supremacists spewing venom and vitriol near the site where the Emancipation Proclamation was read aloud surely has to make one stop and reconsider. If yelling "fire" in a crowded theatre is not permitted speech, surely yelling "all non-white, non-Christians will burn in hell" has an aspect of fire that some smart lawyer can connect in front of a sympathetic judge to silence them.
Interestingly enough, the community seems split in how this issue should be handled. Some, wanting to demonstrate that intolerance will not be allowed, planned to counter-protest, necessitating a safety zone to be created between the Aryans (big A Aryan that is, since there can most certainly be blond haired blue eyed folks NOT supporting the "nation") and those demanding to exercise their free speech rights to be anti-Aryan Nation. Others say "ignore them" and have created "diversity day" events away from the scheduled protest, with the belief that engaging "them" gives "them and their extremism" value. You'll recognize this second group of people out in the public ignoring their children as a parenting technique (they just want attention, don't give it to them and they'll shut themselves up, they say).
[Side note: the exact site for today's hatred rally appears to be at the Cyclorama building -- which is subject to its own protests (and lawsuits) now that the famous painting (how many of you back in PA saw it on a school field trip or two?) has been moved to a new visitor center, leaving the building itself standing hollow and empty. That post-modern less-than-civil battle is over whether the structure can be razed or whether it itself (sans famous artwork) is a historical monument. Architectualists, unite!]
Choosing controversial locations to proudly hate on others is textbook "we have no soul but we do have freedom of speech/no press is bad press" (a la demon-military-funeral- protester-Freddie-Phelps), but these Aryans have just gone too far in selecting this historic site. We all know the fourscore and seven years ago part , but let's not each of us forget the call to action in the final sentences of Lincoln's address:
"It is for us the living rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us [...] that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth."
People (of, by and for) -- speak now or run the risk of forever holding their swastikas! Exercise your right to speak freely!!
LOCAL NEWS COVERAGE OF A COMMUNITY PREPARING FOR THE "RALLY":
http://www.eveningsun.com/ci_15254287
CONTROVERSY SURROUNDING THE CYCLORAMA BUILDING:
http://www.mission66.com/cyclorama/index.html
LINCOLN'S GETTYSBURG ADDRESS (A CALL TO ACTION):
http://library.thinkquest.org/26451/contents/writtenword/gettysburg.html
... what would you do when faced with the protesting Aryan Nation on the battlefield at Gettysburg, as was to have happened back home this very afternoon? After all, freedom of speech is a fundamental right that is protected in this country, but to see white supremacists spewing venom and vitriol near the site where the Emancipation Proclamation was read aloud surely has to make one stop and reconsider. If yelling "fire" in a crowded theatre is not permitted speech, surely yelling "all non-white, non-Christians will burn in hell" has an aspect of fire that some smart lawyer can connect in front of a sympathetic judge to silence them.
Interestingly enough, the community seems split in how this issue should be handled. Some, wanting to demonstrate that intolerance will not be allowed, planned to counter-protest, necessitating a safety zone to be created between the Aryans (big A Aryan that is, since there can most certainly be blond haired blue eyed folks NOT supporting the "nation") and those demanding to exercise their free speech rights to be anti-Aryan Nation. Others say "ignore them" and have created "diversity day" events away from the scheduled protest, with the belief that engaging "them" gives "them and their extremism" value. You'll recognize this second group of people out in the public ignoring their children as a parenting technique (they just want attention, don't give it to them and they'll shut themselves up, they say).
[Side note: the exact site for today's hatred rally appears to be at the Cyclorama building -- which is subject to its own protests (and lawsuits) now that the famous painting (how many of you back in PA saw it on a school field trip or two?) has been moved to a new visitor center, leaving the building itself standing hollow and empty. That post-modern less-than-civil battle is over whether the structure can be razed or whether it itself (sans famous artwork) is a historical monument. Architectualists, unite!]
Choosing controversial locations to proudly hate on others is textbook "we have no soul but we do have freedom of speech/no press is bad press" (a la demon-military-funeral- protester-Freddie-Phelps), but these Aryans have just gone too far in selecting this historic site. We all know the fourscore and seven years ago part , but let's not each of us forget the call to action in the final sentences of Lincoln's address:
"It is for us the living rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us [...] that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth."
People (of, by and for) -- speak now or run the risk of forever holding their swastikas! Exercise your right to speak freely!!
LOCAL NEWS COVERAGE OF A COMMUNITY PREPARING FOR THE "RALLY":
http://www.eveningsun.com/ci_15254287
CONTROVERSY SURROUNDING THE CYCLORAMA BUILDING:
http://www.mission66.com/cyclorama/index.html
LINCOLN'S GETTYSBURG ADDRESS (A CALL TO ACTION):
http://library.thinkquest.org/26451/contents/writtenword/gettysburg.html
June 18, 2010
Random Flashback for Friday 6/18/10
It's father's day weekend! So here's a pic of my mother from 20 years ago! [Why my mother and not my father? Well, the concept here is randomness, remember? Plus, in 1990, my father was still married to the stepmother, so there wasn't that much interacting between us going on. Although, truth be told, I didn't interact with my mom for this pic, which was most surely taken in Montana, but I did get it in the mail that year.] By the way, I spy at least two cats, and the creature on her left is either a dog or the largest cat I've seen in some time. Who knew such an attraction to animals was so genetic? [see "it's raining cats and dogs" photo album]
June 17, 2010
Random Thought for Thursday 6/17/10
[Warning: For many, this will be the most random post yet. I'm just trying to live up to the concept.]
The owl is gone, the otter is nearly extinct, and the fox stands alone -- all on the watch of the ostrich. Can no one stop this snake from its animal kingdom cleansing campaign? Where is St. Patrick when he is needed?
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL ZOO:
http://www.lpzoo.com/
ANIMAL WELFARE VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
http://charityguide.org/volunteer/animal-protection.htm
The owl is gone, the otter is nearly extinct, and the fox stands alone -- all on the watch of the ostrich. Can no one stop this snake from its animal kingdom cleansing campaign? Where is St. Patrick when he is needed?
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL ZOO:
http://www.lpzoo.com/
ANIMAL WELFARE VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
http://charityguide.org/volunteer/animal-protection.htm
June 16, 2010
Random Wordplay for Wednesday 6/16/10
Pinching in bad places.
Used in a sentence in yesterday's USA Today sports section of Chicago White Sox updates: "RHP Gavin Floyd was wincing in pain in the first inning of his Sunday start, bringing Guillen and trainer Herm Schneider out of the dugout; the problem was Floyd's protective cup was pinching in bad places and needed adjusting."
I couldn't help but be reminded of the way the media took to Nomar Garciaparra when he was a Cub and suffering from a groin injury in the summer of 2005. Around the office (in the Wrigley hood), we would check the paper for updates (referring to it as the Nomar Groin watch), based on how frequently the injury was covered and the plethora of updates about his privates that were provided that summer.
Mind you, I'm not making fun of these gentlemen in their painful predicaments, I'm just suggesting that there might be more exciting and less painful stories to report in the sports pages!
JUST ONE OF THE MANY NOMAR GROIN WATCH UPDATES:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2046397
INCLUDING A REINJURY LATER THAT SAME YEAR:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1880713
EVERYTHING ELSE ABOUT GAVIN FLOYD (EXCEPT PINCHING IN BAD PLACES):
http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/820/Gavin_Floyd
Used in a sentence in yesterday's USA Today sports section of Chicago White Sox updates: "RHP Gavin Floyd was wincing in pain in the first inning of his Sunday start, bringing Guillen and trainer Herm Schneider out of the dugout; the problem was Floyd's protective cup was pinching in bad places and needed adjusting."
I couldn't help but be reminded of the way the media took to Nomar Garciaparra when he was a Cub and suffering from a groin injury in the summer of 2005. Around the office (in the Wrigley hood), we would check the paper for updates (referring to it as the Nomar Groin watch), based on how frequently the injury was covered and the plethora of updates about his privates that were provided that summer.
Mind you, I'm not making fun of these gentlemen in their painful predicaments, I'm just suggesting that there might be more exciting and less painful stories to report in the sports pages!
JUST ONE OF THE MANY NOMAR GROIN WATCH UPDATES:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2046397
INCLUDING A REINJURY LATER THAT SAME YEAR:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1880713
EVERYTHING ELSE ABOUT GAVIN FLOYD (EXCEPT PINCHING IN BAD PLACES):
http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/820/Gavin_Floyd
June 15, 2010
Random Tune for Tuesday 6/15/10
I don't know why this song was in my head today.
I haven't seen William Katt since he guested on Heroes in 2008. I haven't recently discovered that I was walking on air. A bad guy could have pointed a gun to my head, and I would never have said that it was Joey Scarbury doing the singing. Try as I might, all of my wishes haven't suddenly come true.
But, you know what, I caught myself singing it out of the blue and I suddenly had a smile on my face. Here's a live performance from Solid Gold in 1981 should you also want to suddenly have a smile on YOUR face (believe it, or not) ...
YES, THANKS TO YOUTUBE, THIS IS A CLIP FROM SOLID GOLD:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9cB1K27v1o&feature=related
HEROES, NOW CANCELED, LIVES ON WITH ITS OWN WIKI!:
http://heroeswiki.com/Main_Page
I haven't seen William Katt since he guested on Heroes in 2008. I haven't recently discovered that I was walking on air. A bad guy could have pointed a gun to my head, and I would never have said that it was Joey Scarbury doing the singing. Try as I might, all of my wishes haven't suddenly come true.
But, you know what, I caught myself singing it out of the blue and I suddenly had a smile on my face. Here's a live performance from Solid Gold in 1981 should you also want to suddenly have a smile on YOUR face (believe it, or not) ...
YES, THANKS TO YOUTUBE, THIS IS A CLIP FROM SOLID GOLD:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9cB1K27v1o&feature=related
HEROES, NOW CANCELED, LIVES ON WITH ITS OWN WIKI!:
http://heroeswiki.com/Main_Page
June 14, 2010
Random Memorial for Monday 6/14/10
Gone but not forgotten: budget infusions.
Because that is the opposite of budget cutbacks, right? I know we're supposed to be on the other side of the Great Recession, but its effects sure are lingering. And it's permeated every aspect of life: personal (fewer bar crawls for me!), professional (no more week-long gatherings in Chicago for my company's annual meeting culminating in Whirlyball -- we've gone virtual like so many others!), television (Clive Pearse just disappears as host from this season's next design star!) and government (how many states are hurting because sales tax income targets predicated on consumption can't be reached when no one has the cash to consume)! It might be time to start scraping up some of my change to "invest" in the lottery (because you can't win if you don't play). I guess these will be the stories that we'll tell our grandchildren.
Throwing money at a problem until it went away or at least bought you some time, you are missed.
HAVEN'T HEARD OF WHIRLYBALL? HERE'S WHAT YOU'RE MISSING!:
http://www.whirlyball.com/home/index.php
BYE BYE CLIVE PEARSE!:
http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/design_star/2010_May_20_clive_out_no_host
WHEN DID THE GREAT RECESSION END?:
http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2010/04/when-did-great-recession-end
Because that is the opposite of budget cutbacks, right? I know we're supposed to be on the other side of the Great Recession, but its effects sure are lingering. And it's permeated every aspect of life: personal (fewer bar crawls for me!), professional (no more week-long gatherings in Chicago for my company's annual meeting culminating in Whirlyball -- we've gone virtual like so many others!), television (Clive Pearse just disappears as host from this season's next design star!) and government (how many states are hurting because sales tax income targets predicated on consumption can't be reached when no one has the cash to consume)! It might be time to start scraping up some of my change to "invest" in the lottery (because you can't win if you don't play). I guess these will be the stories that we'll tell our grandchildren.
Throwing money at a problem until it went away or at least bought you some time, you are missed.
HAVEN'T HEARD OF WHIRLYBALL? HERE'S WHAT YOU'RE MISSING!:
http://www.whirlyball.com/home/index.php
BYE BYE CLIVE PEARSE!:
http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/design_star/2010_May_20_clive_out_no_host
WHEN DID THE GREAT RECESSION END?:
http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2010/04/when-did-great-recession-end
June 13, 2010
Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 6/13/10
What Chicago is talking about this week:
Jet crashes in Oak Lawn en route to Midway! Meth lab taken down in the suburbs!! Terrorist attack - bomb explodes on CTA!!!
Or at least that's what we're all preparing for. [Or is it at least that's for which we are all preparing?] It's disaster preparedness week for the Illinois National Guard, and that means unemployed actors hit pay dirt by being paid to lie on the ground and play dead. The exercise is in full force, with makeshift morgues, government support and everything but the debris. Let's just hope it's all practice for things that will never occur!
FIVE DAYS OF EMERGENCY DRILLS IN CHICAGO AREA:
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/06/chicago-area-to-host-5-days-of-emergency-drills.html
STATE's SUGGESTION FOR BUILDING YOUR EMERGENCY KIT:
http://www.ready.illinois.gov/before/emergencykit.htm
Jet crashes in Oak Lawn en route to Midway! Meth lab taken down in the suburbs!! Terrorist attack - bomb explodes on CTA!!!
Or at least that's what we're all preparing for. [Or is it at least that's for which we are all preparing?] It's disaster preparedness week for the Illinois National Guard, and that means unemployed actors hit pay dirt by being paid to lie on the ground and play dead. The exercise is in full force, with makeshift morgues, government support and everything but the debris. Let's just hope it's all practice for things that will never occur!
FIVE DAYS OF EMERGENCY DRILLS IN CHICAGO AREA:
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/06/chicago-area-to-host-5-days-of-emergency-drills.html
STATE's SUGGESTION FOR BUILDING YOUR EMERGENCY KIT:
http://www.ready.illinois.gov/before/emergencykit.htm
June 12, 2010
Random Soapbox for Saturday 6/12/10
I don't mean to go off on a rant here, but ...
... why is this world filled with nay-sayers who claim your career is over when you get branded "difficult"? In my world, that's a badge of honor to wear proudly, stubbornly and obstinately!
A friend of mine (yeah ... a friend ... that's the ticket [to go all old school SNL ala Lovitz]) came to me for advice after he found out that others perceive him as "difficult" (just roll with it). Here's my .016492 euros worth (based on today's exchange rate): I still think that asking lots of questions and understanding the how, what and why things work is an admirable quality in a person. In a world full of automatons, blind followers and bandwagon jumpers, individuality is worth striving for -- it's the actualization at the end of the psychiatric lollipop! Let those who don't want to be challenged in their thoughts be surrounded by the yes-people, by the artificial schmoozers, by the "easy". There is nothing wrong with setting high standards or seeking out those who appreciate what you bring to the table. To be inspired by a little ee cummings:
'To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting."
Viva la bastante difÃcil!
CONVERT CENTS TO EUROS!:
http://www.x-rates.com/calculator.html
WISDOM FROM EE CUMMINGS:
http://thinkexist.com/quotes/e._e._cummings/
VIVA is SPANISH; VIVE is FRENCH (or YOU CAN FIND EVERY ARGUMENT ON THE WEB):
http://grumpygamer.com/5070201
... why is this world filled with nay-sayers who claim your career is over when you get branded "difficult"? In my world, that's a badge of honor to wear proudly, stubbornly and obstinately!
A friend of mine (yeah ... a friend ... that's the ticket [to go all old school SNL ala Lovitz]) came to me for advice after he found out that others perceive him as "difficult" (just roll with it). Here's my .016492 euros worth (based on today's exchange rate): I still think that asking lots of questions and understanding the how, what and why things work is an admirable quality in a person. In a world full of automatons, blind followers and bandwagon jumpers, individuality is worth striving for -- it's the actualization at the end of the psychiatric lollipop! Let those who don't want to be challenged in their thoughts be surrounded by the yes-people, by the artificial schmoozers, by the "easy". There is nothing wrong with setting high standards or seeking out those who appreciate what you bring to the table. To be inspired by a little ee cummings:
'To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting."
Viva la bastante difÃcil!
CONVERT CENTS TO EUROS!:
http://www.x-rates.com/calculator.html
WISDOM FROM EE CUMMINGS:
http://thinkexist.com/quotes/e._e._cummings/
VIVA is SPANISH; VIVE is FRENCH (or YOU CAN FIND EVERY ARGUMENT ON THE WEB):
http://grumpygamer.com/5070201
June 11, 2010
Random Flashback for Friday 6/11/10
I'm coming up on a year since I first started using FB to "micro-blog" (ah ... the early days ... fewer posts and fewer characters), and now that I've turned it up full blast, I look back at the pics of me and think that twenty years has been gradual (a few more pounds here, a bit rounder of a face there, less hair (but mostly on top of my head which doesn't get photographed that often)). Of course, to shatter that concept of time, all I have to do is view a photo of a youngster-and this shot of my niece Ashlyn (with my sister Holly) proves once and for all that a lot changes in two decades!
June 10, 2010
Random Thought for Thursday 6/10/10
"Hawks Win!", (another) super-short sTROYie:
"In this corner ... the constant hum and whirr of the air conditioner, providing a white noise of sorts allowing me to slide into slumber. And, in the other corner, dressed in red or purple, the opponent to my good night's sleep each night, the el tracks just less than five feet away from my bed, rumbling at all hours, with a frequency seemingly designed to make sure that I never stay in deep REM sleep for too long. But this moment, 2:22 in the early hours of this new day, was different -- the el noises I regularly absorbed into my dreams as a coping mechanism were not the perpetrators of this jolt to my consciousness.
Instead, it was the rapid fire of gunshots. With my accelerated ascension to a state of awakeness, I wasn't sure exactly how many I had heard. Was that seven? eight? nine? Regardless, by the final shot I was hyper aware that I had exited dreamland. I lay there, expecting the next wave of disquiet to wash over me -- expecting the wail of the wounded, the nattering of neighbors gathered to inspect the shoot-out's outcome, the squeal of the sirens as Chicago's finest descended on the violence.
I waited. And waited. And heard only the hum and whirr of the air conditioner.
Curiosity piqued, I headed directly for the doors of my apartment. Back door -- all three locks in place. Front door -- also locked and only silence spilling from the hallway outside. Safety assured, I peeked through the blinds of the kitchen window, allowing me a view to the alley from whence the noises came. Nothing. No scurrying shadows. No nosy neighbors. No reflecting red lights. Nothing. Then, finally, my detective diligence was rewarded. Another round of "pops" -- from the same alley but this time across the street.
I ran to the front window, debating whether I was really prepared to become state's witness were I to see anything specific. Then, off in the distance, the true source of my evening's adventure came into view. The cascading colorful sparks of the fireworks were still visible in the night's sky above the alley.
Suddenly -- clarity! It was shortly after 2:22. The bars had closed. The revelers had spilled out to the neighborhood. Wrigley was awash with drunken hockey fans. I was not awakened by a shoot-out in Wrigley's alley. I was awakened by the ongoing celebration -- Hawks Win!"
AT LEAST A DOZEN ARRESTED AT WRIGELY AS HAWKS-WIN CELEBRATIONS GO ON:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/2377600,wrigleyville-hawks-celebration-0610.article
CAUTIONARY TALE - RESEARCH YOUR SEARCH RESULTS CAREFULLY:
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2006/12/27/why_hawks_win
"In this corner ... the constant hum and whirr of the air conditioner, providing a white noise of sorts allowing me to slide into slumber. And, in the other corner, dressed in red or purple, the opponent to my good night's sleep each night, the el tracks just less than five feet away from my bed, rumbling at all hours, with a frequency seemingly designed to make sure that I never stay in deep REM sleep for too long. But this moment, 2:22 in the early hours of this new day, was different -- the el noises I regularly absorbed into my dreams as a coping mechanism were not the perpetrators of this jolt to my consciousness.
Instead, it was the rapid fire of gunshots. With my accelerated ascension to a state of awakeness, I wasn't sure exactly how many I had heard. Was that seven? eight? nine? Regardless, by the final shot I was hyper aware that I had exited dreamland. I lay there, expecting the next wave of disquiet to wash over me -- expecting the wail of the wounded, the nattering of neighbors gathered to inspect the shoot-out's outcome, the squeal of the sirens as Chicago's finest descended on the violence.
I waited. And waited. And heard only the hum and whirr of the air conditioner.
Curiosity piqued, I headed directly for the doors of my apartment. Back door -- all three locks in place. Front door -- also locked and only silence spilling from the hallway outside. Safety assured, I peeked through the blinds of the kitchen window, allowing me a view to the alley from whence the noises came. Nothing. No scurrying shadows. No nosy neighbors. No reflecting red lights. Nothing. Then, finally, my detective diligence was rewarded. Another round of "pops" -- from the same alley but this time across the street.
I ran to the front window, debating whether I was really prepared to become state's witness were I to see anything specific. Then, off in the distance, the true source of my evening's adventure came into view. The cascading colorful sparks of the fireworks were still visible in the night's sky above the alley.
Suddenly -- clarity! It was shortly after 2:22. The bars had closed. The revelers had spilled out to the neighborhood. Wrigley was awash with drunken hockey fans. I was not awakened by a shoot-out in Wrigley's alley. I was awakened by the ongoing celebration -- Hawks Win!"
AT LEAST A DOZEN ARRESTED AT WRIGELY AS HAWKS-WIN CELEBRATIONS GO ON:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/2377600,wrigleyville-hawks-celebration-0610.article
CAUTIONARY TALE - RESEARCH YOUR SEARCH RESULTS CAREFULLY:
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2006/12/27/why_hawks_win
June 9, 2010
Random Wordplay for Wednesday 6/9/10
Briar Patch.
Used in a sentence while attempting to paraphrase Sue Sylvester in the GLEE finale last night: "It's hard to hear any word you're saying because your hair looks like a briar patch - I expect racist animated characters to jump out and start singing about life down on the bayou."
In many ways, this show reminds me of the Breakfast Club (each one of us is a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess and a criminal), updated for the new millennium with one of every color, every ability, every social status, every orientation, every intelligence (with a devout Christian and a relationship for Curt promised for next year), etc. There's something to be said for championing all-inclusivity using song as an avenue by which we all can discover self-expression. And with a basic subtext that there really is good in all of us combined with the ability to work 70's classic Run Joey Run into a pivotal point of the season, I just have to say ...
... there are two types of people in this world -- those who watch and appreciate GLEE and those who don't have a heart.
YOU SEE US HOW YOU WANT TO SEE US (DON'T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv1I4q6lOpo
EW SEASON 2 SPOILERS:
http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/06/09/glee-exclusive-season-two-preview/
Used in a sentence while attempting to paraphrase Sue Sylvester in the GLEE finale last night: "It's hard to hear any word you're saying because your hair looks like a briar patch - I expect racist animated characters to jump out and start singing about life down on the bayou."
In many ways, this show reminds me of the Breakfast Club (each one of us is a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess and a criminal), updated for the new millennium with one of every color, every ability, every social status, every orientation, every intelligence (with a devout Christian and a relationship for Curt promised for next year), etc. There's something to be said for championing all-inclusivity using song as an avenue by which we all can discover self-expression. And with a basic subtext that there really is good in all of us combined with the ability to work 70's classic Run Joey Run into a pivotal point of the season, I just have to say ...
... there are two types of people in this world -- those who watch and appreciate GLEE and those who don't have a heart.
YOU SEE US HOW YOU WANT TO SEE US (DON'T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv1I4q6lOpo
EW SEASON 2 SPOILERS:
http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/06/09/glee-exclusive-season-two-preview/
June 8, 2010
Random Tune for Tuesday 6/8/10
Facing a challenge in your life? Are recessionary after-effects causing you to doubt your future? Is there a leadership void at your workplace? Are self-saboteurs bringing down your Q rating? Are relationships with your co-workers beyond repair? Does the frequent fluctuation in weather leave you sun deprived? Do you have more illegitimate children on the way? If so, may I offer this song from yesteryear that used to get me charged up to beat the odds, time and again, in this youtube link. And, by the way, I have no idea why Don Henley's "I Will Not Go Quietly" is paired with someone recording their penguin avatar dancing around a virtual world. That's just the type of randomness on the internet that I live to discover!
PENGUIN AVATAR DANCING TO "I WILL NOT GO QUIETLY" (INEXPLICABLY):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TFgBx0P9SE
PENGUIN AVATAR DANCING TO "I WILL NOT GO QUIETLY" (INEXPLICABLY):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TFgBx0P9SE
June 7, 2010
Random Memorial for Monday 6/7/10
Gone but not forgotten: days when banks kept their names for any length of time.
Here in Chicago, my dad's Wachovia account is now a Wells Fargo one (thanks for the free lunch and the chance to take my picture in a stage coach at your grand re-opening this past weekend) and my National City points are now being tracked by PNC (proving that you can take the boy out of Pennsylvania but you can't stop Pennsylvania from eventually being involved in the boy's finances).
Those minor changes have nothing on the account I once held back home that started at Peoples National Bank (right across from the McDonald's on the east end of town), that, if explained in Biblical lineage terms, begat Meridian, which begat Corestates, which begat First Union, which eventually begat with Wachovia, which is now all begatted again as Wells Fargo. By the way, this only works if begat stands for "bought out/efficiently found a way to charge lots more fees/got hooked up to support capitalism/absorbed/terminated tons of employees".
Do you think somewhere in middle America, Mr. Mooney still runs his own bank?
Days of yore when I could actually use all of my checks before they became obsolete due to bank mergers, you are missed.
SEASON REVIEWS OF "THE LUCY SHOW":
http://www.tv.com/the-lucy-show/show/1086/episode.html?tag=list_header;paginator;All&season=All
FROM THAT BASTION OF USELESS DATA, A LIST OF US BANK MERGERS:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_mergers
GALE GORDON (MR. MOONEY) at the MACABRE "FIND-A-GRAVE" WEBSITE:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=6455
Here in Chicago, my dad's Wachovia account is now a Wells Fargo one (thanks for the free lunch and the chance to take my picture in a stage coach at your grand re-opening this past weekend) and my National City points are now being tracked by PNC (proving that you can take the boy out of Pennsylvania but you can't stop Pennsylvania from eventually being involved in the boy's finances).
Those minor changes have nothing on the account I once held back home that started at Peoples National Bank (right across from the McDonald's on the east end of town), that, if explained in Biblical lineage terms, begat Meridian, which begat Corestates, which begat First Union, which eventually begat with Wachovia, which is now all begatted again as Wells Fargo. By the way, this only works if begat stands for "bought out/efficiently found a way to charge lots more fees/got hooked up to support capitalism/absorbed/terminated tons of employees".
Do you think somewhere in middle America, Mr. Mooney still runs his own bank?
Days of yore when I could actually use all of my checks before they became obsolete due to bank mergers, you are missed.
SEASON REVIEWS OF "THE LUCY SHOW":
http://www.tv.com/the-lucy-show/show/1086/episode.html?tag=list_header;paginator;All&season=All
FROM THAT BASTION OF USELESS DATA, A LIST OF US BANK MERGERS:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_mergers
GALE GORDON (MR. MOONEY) at the MACABRE "FIND-A-GRAVE" WEBSITE:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=6455
June 6, 2010
Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 6/6/10
What Chicago is talking about this week:
Severe weather for this summer has begun -- and the I-80 corridor saves the city yet again. I always knew to be wary when the radar turned from yellow to orange to red ... but last night there were purple spots that translated to tornadoes. But as with so much of severe weather that barrels across Illinois, everything stayed south of I-80. This same road often determines weather in ways I don't quite understand, like "severe ice storm south of the I-80 corridor but fluffy snows north of it". I feel pretty sure that Ike never planned for that effect when he championed the interstate system, but whatever keeps us safe in the city works for me.
Speaking of other uses for the interstate system, have you heard about how pioneering drug traffickers make good use of it for easy distribution of their product? Back home, it was I-81 providing the flow of hard drugs out of NYC and here it's permitting easy distribution of marijuana across middle America. Do you think Ike thought about that interstate use? Next time you're on one of those highways, keep your eyes on the skies and don't make eye contact with the car next to you (and watch the road in front of you too, of course)!
STORM DAMAGE SOUTH OF CHICAGO ALONG the I-80 CORRIDOR:
http://www.wgntv.com/news/wgntv-tornados-hit-illinois-june5,0,572896.story
I-80 POT BUSTS IN MIDDLE AMERICA:
http://www.transcriptbulletin.com/view/full_story/1825605/article-Pot-busts-boom-in-I-80-corridor-
YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT'S BESIDE YOU ON I-81:
http://www.whtm.com/news/stories/0210/702279.html
JOURNAL OF PUBLIC PLANNING "IKE AND THE INTERSTATES":
http://jph.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/2/3/237
Severe weather for this summer has begun -- and the I-80 corridor saves the city yet again. I always knew to be wary when the radar turned from yellow to orange to red ... but last night there were purple spots that translated to tornadoes. But as with so much of severe weather that barrels across Illinois, everything stayed south of I-80. This same road often determines weather in ways I don't quite understand, like "severe ice storm south of the I-80 corridor but fluffy snows north of it". I feel pretty sure that Ike never planned for that effect when he championed the interstate system, but whatever keeps us safe in the city works for me.
Speaking of other uses for the interstate system, have you heard about how pioneering drug traffickers make good use of it for easy distribution of their product? Back home, it was I-81 providing the flow of hard drugs out of NYC and here it's permitting easy distribution of marijuana across middle America. Do you think Ike thought about that interstate use? Next time you're on one of those highways, keep your eyes on the skies and don't make eye contact with the car next to you (and watch the road in front of you too, of course)!
STORM DAMAGE SOUTH OF CHICAGO ALONG the I-80 CORRIDOR:
http://www.wgntv.com/news/wgntv-tornados-hit-illinois-june5,0,572896.story
I-80 POT BUSTS IN MIDDLE AMERICA:
http://www.transcriptbulletin.com/view/full_story/1825605/article-Pot-busts-boom-in-I-80-corridor-
YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT'S BESIDE YOU ON I-81:
http://www.whtm.com/news/stories/0210/702279.html
JOURNAL OF PUBLIC PLANNING "IKE AND THE INTERSTATES":
http://jph.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/2/3/237
June 5, 2010
Random Soapbox for Saturday 6/5/10
I don't mean to go off on a rant here, but ...
... it's getting harder and harder for me to keep track of all my boycotts.
It's been suggested that I should boycott BP because of their Gulf Gusher ineptitude, but then a little research turns up that, due to industry consolidation, BP actually is responsible for brands like Castrol, Arco, Aral, am/pm, Amoco, and Wild Bean Cafe (petroleum flavored coffee drinks?). Even more research calls into doubt whom a boycott would actually hurt -- since so many stations are independently owned and/or local-family-run. [And can I just say that when we're beyond this situation and evaluating it for how not to manage a crisis, the BP employee who thought it would be a good idea to have a live video feed of ecological destruction in progress surely would be encouraged to rethink that plan.]
Then, there's Arizona. Because of their "show me your papers" policy, we're encouraged to bypass this state, its people and its products. But that means no more TGIFridays, no more U-haul rentals, no more SkyMall, no more Greyhound ... and that just all seems like too much work. After all, I think I'm still supposed to boycotting Jay Leno for what he did to Conan, but I saw him on the Marriage Ref the other night, and I forgot to turn the channel.
I'm much more comfortable just handling my own local boycott -- the Subway on Clark in the Kinko's/Caribou strip mall. Mind you, they don't know that I'm never buying from them again (there are other choices within walking distance), but the day the person behind the counter snapped at me because I took too long to decide which kind of cheese I wanted on my sub was the day I vowed to never return to them!
BOYCOTT TRICKLES DOWN TO HURT THE WRONG PEOPLE:
http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/media/boycott-bp-that-hurts-station-owners-not-the-company/19499350/
"CHAT" ABOUT BOYCOTTING ALL THINGS ARIZONA (including Nic Cage movies):
http://gawker.com/5526107/your-guide-to-the-arizona-boycott-porn-sky-mall-and-pf-changs
DON'T GO TO THIS SUBWAY and SUPPORT MY (secret) BOYCOTT:
http://www.centerstagechicago.com/restaurants/subway/3021clark.html
ONE WEEK OLD BABY BOY IN COT(T) or YOU CAN FIND ANYTHING ON THE INTERNET:
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/6943392/2/istockphoto_6943392-one-week-old-baby-boy-in-cot.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-6943392-one-week-old-baby-boy-in-cot.php&usg=__jLjPcfifBHmjztP6dCUbshqsS7I=&h=380&w=253&sz=53&hl=en&start=2&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=BE2E063vgt6urM:&tbnh=123&tbnw=82&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dboy%2Bin%2Bcot%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1T4DKUS_enUS263US263%26tbs%3Disch:1
... it's getting harder and harder for me to keep track of all my boycotts.
It's been suggested that I should boycott BP because of their Gulf Gusher ineptitude, but then a little research turns up that, due to industry consolidation, BP actually is responsible for brands like Castrol, Arco, Aral, am/pm, Amoco, and Wild Bean Cafe (petroleum flavored coffee drinks?). Even more research calls into doubt whom a boycott would actually hurt -- since so many stations are independently owned and/or local-family-run. [And can I just say that when we're beyond this situation and evaluating it for how not to manage a crisis, the BP employee who thought it would be a good idea to have a live video feed of ecological destruction in progress surely would be encouraged to rethink that plan.]
Then, there's Arizona. Because of their "show me your papers" policy, we're encouraged to bypass this state, its people and its products. But that means no more TGIFridays, no more U-haul rentals, no more SkyMall, no more Greyhound ... and that just all seems like too much work. After all, I think I'm still supposed to boycotting Jay Leno for what he did to Conan, but I saw him on the Marriage Ref the other night, and I forgot to turn the channel.
I'm much more comfortable just handling my own local boycott -- the Subway on Clark in the Kinko's/Caribou strip mall. Mind you, they don't know that I'm never buying from them again (there are other choices within walking distance), but the day the person behind the counter snapped at me because I took too long to decide which kind of cheese I wanted on my sub was the day I vowed to never return to them!
BOYCOTT TRICKLES DOWN TO HURT THE WRONG PEOPLE:
http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/media/boycott-bp-that-hurts-station-owners-not-the-company/19499350/
"CHAT" ABOUT BOYCOTTING ALL THINGS ARIZONA (including Nic Cage movies):
http://gawker.com/5526107/your-guide-to-the-arizona-boycott-porn-sky-mall-and-pf-changs
DON'T GO TO THIS SUBWAY and SUPPORT MY (secret) BOYCOTT:
http://www.centerstagechicago.com/restaurants/subway/3021clark.html
ONE WEEK OLD BABY BOY IN COT(T) or YOU CAN FIND ANYTHING ON THE INTERNET:
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/6943392/2/istockphoto_6943392-one-week-old-baby-boy-in-cot.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-6943392-one-week-old-baby-boy-in-cot.php&usg=__jLjPcfifBHmjztP6dCUbshqsS7I=&h=380&w=253&sz=53&hl=en&start=2&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=BE2E063vgt6urM:&tbnh=123&tbnw=82&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dboy%2Bin%2Bcot%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1T4DKUS_enUS263US263%26tbs%3Disch:1
June 4, 2010
Random Flashback for Friday 6/4/10
School's out for summer! In 1990, that meant leaving the dorms of LVC to go home -- and home was where I had been since running away in March of my senior year of high school -- with the Woodwards. This being summer, it means I was working at the local McDonalds, riding my bike with my friends (mine a 10 speed, theirs BMX racing bikes) to the Plaza and about town, and learning how to take naps from Tuppy, the family cat (RIP).
June 3, 2010
Random Thought for Thursday 6/3/10
So ... new neighbors moved in to the first floor apartment (it's sat empty for over a year while the landlord decided against renting to college kids who treat it like a dorm, but he finally acquiesced when he realized that that's the only way he could get folks to pay that price next to Wrigley for a three BR duplex) and I have to say that the common foyer area now smells like some mix of weed, curry and dog feces. I'm not trying to say that my stool isn't odoriferous (trying to class up a colloquialism a touch and give a shout-out to the Scripps spelling bee today at the same time), but there is a reason that air fresheners don't come in a weed/curry/dog feces flavor!
EVERYONE HAS AN OPINION ON RENTING IN WRIGLEYVILLE:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/chicago/85252-wrigleyville.html
GLADE SEARCH A SCENT COLLECTION WEBSITE (find Dewberry Dreams!):
http://www.glade.com/collections.aspx?collectionId=8
TOP 10 SPELLING BEE FREAK-OUTS:
http://techland.com/sar·doo·dle·dom-noun/
EVERYONE HAS AN OPINION ON RENTING IN WRIGLEYVILLE:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/chicago/85252-wrigleyville.html
GLADE SEARCH A SCENT COLLECTION WEBSITE (find Dewberry Dreams!):
http://www.glade.com/collections.aspx?collectionId=8
TOP 10 SPELLING BEE FREAK-OUTS:
http://techland.com/sar·doo·dle·dom-noun/
June 2, 2010
Random Wordplay for Wednesday 6/2/10
Tongan Togetherness.
Used in a sentence: We now have back-to-back years where The Biggest Loser has featured teams with relatives from Tonga on the show, and both instances made me wish that we all could have a little more Tongan Togetherness.
I don't know what it is about these mostly Polynesian folks, but, at least as they are edited on the show, family comes first -- and family seems to encompass the entire Tongan population. Both sets of cousins (cousins! who acted like brothers (of partners, but that takes the show a different way entirely)) seemed ready to sacrifice for each other, and both referenced a commitment to returning to their population to specifically improve the lives of the others in their "tribe". Mind you, toward the end, their confidence came off a little cocky, but the knowledge that a whole people has your back seemed very comforting and inspiring.
By the way -- bring on the Tongae next time (if the plural female of Tonga is like alumnae, that is), as 70% of Tongan women aged 15–85 are obese!
LOOKIE HERE! WIKIPEDIA CITES SOME OF ITS SOURCES:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article3386817.ece
TONGAN COUSINS ACTIVATE! FORM OF ... A BIGGEST LOSER! SHAPE OF ... SOMETHING SMALLER:
http://www.tongancousins.com/
BIGGEST LOSER SEASON 10 OPENER TO FEATURE DETROIT (no tongans in sight):
http://www.detnews.com/article/20100516/LIFESTYLE03/5160335/Biggest-Loser-Season-10-opener-to-feature-Detroit
Used in a sentence: We now have back-to-back years where The Biggest Loser has featured teams with relatives from Tonga on the show, and both instances made me wish that we all could have a little more Tongan Togetherness.
I don't know what it is about these mostly Polynesian folks, but, at least as they are edited on the show, family comes first -- and family seems to encompass the entire Tongan population. Both sets of cousins (cousins! who acted like brothers (of partners, but that takes the show a different way entirely)) seemed ready to sacrifice for each other, and both referenced a commitment to returning to their population to specifically improve the lives of the others in their "tribe". Mind you, toward the end, their confidence came off a little cocky, but the knowledge that a whole people has your back seemed very comforting and inspiring.
By the way -- bring on the Tongae next time (if the plural female of Tonga is like alumnae, that is), as 70% of Tongan women aged 15–85 are obese!
LOOKIE HERE! WIKIPEDIA CITES SOME OF ITS SOURCES:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article3386817.ece
TONGAN COUSINS ACTIVATE! FORM OF ... A BIGGEST LOSER! SHAPE OF ... SOMETHING SMALLER:
http://www.tongancousins.com/
BIGGEST LOSER SEASON 10 OPENER TO FEATURE DETROIT (no tongans in sight):
http://www.detnews.com/article/20100516/LIFESTYLE03/5160335/Biggest-Loser-Season-10-opener-to-feature-Detroit
June 1, 2010
Random Tune for Tuesday 6/1/10
What with IDOL over for the season, I offer up another in my occasional series of "country music has the best ... lyrics ...ever". In particular, use the link below to see the official video of Jaron's song "Pray for You". Short story -- boy goes to church in the verse and learns how it is important to pray for those who have done you wrong, and gets into the spirit of it all by the chorus: "I pray your brakes go out running down a hill, I pray a flower pot falls from a window sill and knocks you in the head like I’d like to. I pray your birthday comes and nobody calls, I pray you're flying high when your engine stalls. I pray all your dreams never come true. Just know wherever you are, honey, I pray for you."
JARON's "PRAY FOR YOU" VIDEO ON YOU-TUBE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atBg9zLI2bA&a=fyVUuT_H3Lc&playnext_from=ML
JARON's "PRAY FOR YOU" VIDEO ON YOU-TUBE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atBg9zLI2bA&a=fyVUuT_H3Lc&playnext_from=ML
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)