Random Memorial for Monday 1/31/11

Gone but not forgotten: my super-market loyalty.

Maybe this is better placed on one of those websites where you share your deep dark secrets anonymously, but I cheated last week. Instead of the twice a month trips to Jewel, it was Dominick's that took my grocery money. [What can I say -- they sent me some really good coupons.] Ultimately, I wasn't satisfied enough to make a shop-swap, so I'll be back to Jewel soon enough. But I still have to deal with the fact that I let some cheap food store hussy take me away from the place where my bread normally gets buttered (or margarined nowadays). And while I'm sharing Chicago based grocery infidelities, I have rationalized the occasional afternoon delights with Strack and VanTil a few times a year because she gives me something no else will -- Lebanon Bologna.

After seeing an hour long special on CNBC currently in rotation, it made me think about my past behavior too. Funny how you become aligned with certain establishments -- Karnes for the few years I lived in Harrisburg, Giant Eagle for the time I spent in Uniontown, Giant (without the eagle) back in my hometown ... and now Walgreens is set to get into the grocery business to address blighted areas in urban locations experiencing a dearth of fresh food. High up on their priority list as announced just this week -- Big Flats beer, the Walgreens brand selling for less than 50cents a can. Taking bets now -- how soon until the homeless vendors start accepting two cans in exchange for this week's Streetwise?

Shopping trips done guilt-free without reminders of my infidelities, you are missed.

THEY ARE WATCHING YOU SHOP!:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/40887785/

BUY BIG FLATS AT YOUR OWN RISK (WALGREEN'S WINE COMING SOON):
http://consumerist.com/2011/01/walgreens-to-sell-their-own-brand-of-beer-for-50can.html

I'M GOING TO HELL FOR MOCKING STEETWISE, SO PLEASE DONATE IN MY NAME:
http://www.streetwise.org/

Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 1/30/11

What Chicago is talking about this week:

Electioneering season is in full swing!

This week, the situation lends itself to a song ... "You put a Rahm in ... you put a Rahm out ... you put a Rahm in and you shake the ballot about ... you do the 'lection-pokey and throw lots of money around ... and that's what it's all about!"

Early voting starts tomorrow! Admittedly, I would be surprised if this doesn't go to the run-off in April ... but let's see how this plays out. [PS ... Take another look at Chico ... he's getting my vote.]

THE SUPREMES HAVE DECIDED!:
http://www.npr.org/2011/01/29/133327949/Rahms-Back-In-The-Running-For-Chicago-Mayor

VOTING STARTS TOMORROW!:
http://www.chicagoelections.com/page.php?id=9

SO I GUESS THIS IS LIKE ME MAKING AN ENDORSEMENT?:
http://www.chicagoelections.com/page.php?id=9

Random Soapbox for Saturday 1/29/11

I don't mean to go off on a rant here, but ...

... I should probably start by saying that it pains me to type this post today. I embrace creativity. I'm down with eccentricity. I'm all for uniqueness.

But I think I found the straw that broke the camel known as "tolerance for crazy names"' back. [Grammarians, that's a double quotation mark followed by a possessive apostrophe and not a triple punctuation mark typo.] Earlier today, I interrupted the Jewel employee cashier standing at the end of her open lane talking to a coworker and I caught his name tag of "A-L-P-A-C-I-N-O" as he walked away. I summoned up my best "street" voice to say to her, "Did that boy's momma really name him Alpacino?" She affirmed it was not a joke and that it was not pronounced in some special manner (a la Hyacinth "bouquet" and not "bucket") ... and that his first name was Alpacino.

That's it. I've had enough. I'm ready for the future. From now on, everyone's a number. I'm OK with that. That may be a Prisoner-ish world (can I be "Number Six"?) but I'm ready to live in it.

BABY NAMES IS A WHOLE INDUSTRY UNTO ITSELF:
http://www.nancy.cc/2010/08/19/crazy-baby-names-seven-zee-genghis-zaugg/

SCENT OF A WOMAN IS WHERE I MET AL FIRST:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105323/quotes

KEEPING UP APPEARANCES IS A GEM:
http://kuacentral.com/

Random Flashback for Friday 1/28/11

It was the spring semester of my sophomore year at LVC ... and this time of year (twenty years ago) meant that preparation for the Winter Play was afoot. [And a footnote to LVC's theatre history, that winter saw two plays -- an "all-star" production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf also happened that December. Although I was in Germany and didn't see the full staged effect, I did get to sample some scenes at my birthday party that year!] For the next few weeks, expect shots of the Michele Klinsky directed Philadelphia Story (that's her posing on the set in this shot -- almost certainly taken during an all-nighter in the days immediately before opening night).

Random Thought for Thursday 1/27/11

I like my local Chinese restaurant because they deliver hot food super fast (sorry Jimmy Johns). Just the other night, I had my food in hand within twelve minutes from calling in my order. Which at first made me really happy. And then I started to think it through. The restaurant is at least five city blocks away. Counting in travel time, they either had to know in advance what I wanted or they had to make it in the back of the delivery vehicle. Either way, I'm concerned. [And on that note, my theme week of Oriental Inspiration is summed up.]

HOT FOOD SUPER FAST -- BUT HOW?
http://www.newjeannys.com/

THIS PLACE IN FLORIDA EMBRACES THE NOTION OF BEING QUICK:
http://jacksonville.citysearch.com/profile/2269732/jacksonville_fl/quick_chinese_restaurant.html

MAYBE I'M BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE -- IT TAKES 12 MIN FOR THIS DISH:
http://chinesefood.about.com/od/chowmein/r/tofuchowmein.htm

Random Wordplay for Wednesday 1/26/11

Mrs. Japp's Chips.

Used at the very end of a series of sentences: "Stay with me. No snap judgments. I'm throwing down a little history here (during this dangerous foray into Oriental Inspiration Theme Week). For those of you fond of Jay's Potato Chips (are they just a midwest snack or are they across the country?), were you aware that Leonard Japp founded the company in 1927 and sold them as Mrs. Japp's Chips?"

Anyone really surprised that they renamed themselves in the 1940's -- had that Pearl Harbor thing not happened, they could have stuck with the name and rebranded for the Jewish American Princess market!

WHAT IT IS:
http://jaysfoods.com/

WHAT IT WAS:
http://www.thecitizen.com/archive/main/archive-030115/dining%20guide/dg-05.html

WHAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN:
http://www.perksofbeingajap.com/

Random Tune for Tuesday 1/25/11

It's a clash of concepts tonight as I look for the right amount of randomness to represent my occasional series AtoZ Musical Eccentricities (the cassette years) and my theme week of Oriental Inspiration at the same time. So ... I present this clash of cultures as well ... enjoy these Asian boys trying hard to hit the high notes of the Bangles "Eternal Flame" (yep, B is for Bangles and I have their greatest hits on cassette). [I could have put a clip of a more beautifully sung version of this song from Outsourced this past week, but that would have stretched the concept of the Orient and Kabletown might have sued.]

IT's THE FIRST THING THAT POPPED UP WHEN I TYPED IN ETERNAL FLAME ASIAN!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0vwSh2feGU

Random Memorial for Monday 1/24/11

Gone but not forgotten: Japan's place as #2 in the world economy.

Growing up as I did in the 80's, it was frequently said that Japan was going to overtake America in the overall scheme of the world's finances. And when Japan bought Rockefeller Center, our days were numbered. If you bought into the historical concept of countries and their centuries of influence -- back then, the clock was ticking and it was forecast to be a Hello Kitty Karaoke kind of 21oo's. [I just might have lost my challenge to not be offensive during Oriental Inspiration theme week.] My how 'jikan' has changed.

The financial devil you know really is better than the financial devil you don't ... and so, Japan's long time #2 status, you are missed.

CHINA KNOCKED JAPAN OFF THE #2 PEDESTAL:
http://www.seedol.com/20116526-china-surpasses-japan-as-second-biggest-economy-globally.html

BUT JAPAN IS STILL LOOKING FOR AMERICAN REALTY:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/26/business/26prop.html

SO I HOPE JIKAN IS JAPANESE FOR TIME:
http://japanese.about.com/blcounter_jikan.htm

Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 1/23/11

What Chicago is talking about this week:

[No ... not that. That dream ended earlier today, sparing me some tortured non-offensive connection between assistant coach Lloyd Lee (fired in 2009, and he worked the defense, and not the offense, but I digress...) and my theme week of Oriental Inspiration. Hey -- I can always cheer on the Steelers (maybe).]

Who came to town? Scratch that -- Hu came to town. [And that's all the Abbott and Costello I have in me today.] Of course, Hu Jintao's visit to Chicago did mean that protests were organized for outside the Hilton hotel where he stayed. Ultimately, and especially in these recessionary times, the business opportunities (and potential jobs that spring therefrom) played a little louder in the media than the message from those looking for freedom for Tibet (not that there's anything wrong with that -- standing up for that message, that is).

Maybe in wealthier times, we can re-focus on human rights?

SURPRISE! COME VISIT ME IN CHINA, YOU CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS:
http://www.wgntv.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-china-visit-0121-20110120,0,1898112.story?track=rssW

WE STILL HAVE THE PRO-BOWL SHUFFLE:
http://beargoggleson.com/2011/01/09/jimmy-fallon-spoofs-super-bowl-shuffle-with-pro-bowl-shuffle/

WE'VE BEEN WARNED -- STAY AWAY FROM TIBET AND TAIWAN:
http://www.chinanews.net/story/734323/ht/China-warns-US-to-keep-off-Tibet-and-Taiwan

Random Soapbox for Saturday 1/22/11

I don't mean to go off on a [new theme-week launching] rant here, but ...

... I am worried about how political correctness has permeated every cranny of our lexiconical culture. I tossed and turned about what to name this new theme week, as I was chastised for using the word Oriental incorrectly a few years ago. "Oriental describes a thing -- Asians describe people!", I was informed. But since theme week is a thing, I feel I can use the word Oriental to describe it without incurring the wrath of the PC police.

And -- as someone who feels most comfortable riding the middle, seeking consensus as I think it translates to progress, happily swinging on the pendulum so long as it doesn't sway too far to either extreme -- I can see how a people might be offended by having an identifying word chosen by others. [My favorite Batman (and I have a lot from which to choose) is the serialized black and white version from WWII where he and Robin fought the "shifty slant-eyes". It's not my favorite because I have a thing against Pacific-Rim-folk, but because it illustrates the power of propaganda to reach every corner of of our culture.]

I'm sure I would have a much stronger opinion if I had a deep personal connection to someone who was "fill-in-the-blank"-challenged, but it's hard to be personally hurt when I'm such a mixed up mongrel as it relates to cultural identity. No one's really picking on the Prussians in modern times, if you know what I mean.

Bottom line -- let's see if I can get through a series of six posts without offending. Challenge accepted.

SPOILER ALERT -- YOU'LL LIKELY FIND THIS RACIST:
http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Complete-Movie-Serial-Collection/product-reviews/B000AQOHNA

IN WASHINGTON STATE, THE 'O' WORD IS ILLEGAL:
http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=143

PERHAPS I SPOKE TOO SOON ABOUT THOSE PRUSSIANS IN MY PAST:
http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=1231684&page=1

Random Flashback for Friday 1/21/11

You can check out last Friday's pic for the context ... but this 20 year old photo from 1991 all boils down to one word ...

WADDELY-ATCHA.

If you don't understand, then you just don't doodely-do enough.

Random Thought for Thursday 1/20/11

[I haven't done this in awhile, and I promised a re-telling of my dream from the other weekend ... so here is another super short sTROYie (and length is a relevant concept of course). In the spirit of Freytag's Pyramid ...]

A MID-WINTER NIGHT's DREAM

I. Exposition

I awoke in the cell with my head pressed flat against my pillow. Lying still, I advanced though stages of grogginess as shadows became clearer, surroundings became familiar, items came into view. My eye, now drawn to the unkempt pile of duotangs and trapper keepers and loose papers piled in the corner as if prepared for a bonfire, drank in the scene -- my brain processed the images one at a time as my memories slowly returned. Then, clarity as my grogginess lifted and as I fully accepted my awake-dream state. I was in jail for not having finished my homework. Task at hand now decided upon, I tried to begin my penance -- but instead I began to panic as my head refused to be lifted off of my prison issued pillow.

II. Rising Action

With all of the strength I could muster, I pried my noggin off of its resting place and quickly realized that in my deep sleep, wax had drained out of my ear throughout the time I had been sleeping (was it days? weeks?) and hardened into a glue like puddle as if a candy had melted and re-formed as it cooled. I yelled for help ... I clawed at the protrusion ... and eventually I pried it loose. It broke free from my skin -- tearing at my scalp and coming apart in my hands. I looked in the mirror and saw large areas of oozing raw bloody mush and skull pieces and knew something must be done. My jailer appeared and informed me that I must go to Walmart to get the cream that would heal me. He released me from the cell and sent me out to the parking lot, where work colleagues Beth W and Adam M were waiting. I crawled into the back seat, hiding my wounds from them and we drove off in silence -- on our way to the Walmart.

III. Climax

Silence. Darkness. Even the street lights were dim at best. I was unaware of the time, but sensed it was just before dawn (not that time mattered at Walmart). There was no traffic ... there were no passersby ... just us on an early morning mission to restore my head to its usual state. We stopped at a red light for what seemed like too long of a time, and the darkness seemed to double in strength or size or effect. In its totality, my other senses were heightened. I could hear someone coming .. someone walking around to the side of the car ... someone dragging his fingertips on paint as he neared the front. "Lock your doors! Run the light! This is the bad part of town!!" I startled Beth into action, and we sped through the intersection -- hearts pounding until we found a well lit gas station ahead. I knew I had to get out of the car. As they filled up with gas, I snuck away into the breaking dawn, comforted by the growing light and the knowledge that I had escaped certain misfortune.

IV. Falling Action

One obstacle remained before the Walmart. I turned down the alley and walked into a college dorm. I knew my travel would be fastest if I could get through the building, but there was a line of women blocking my path. I quickly realized that security was too tight, and I left the front desk area to find another way to my destination. Then, in the quad, a lagoon with a festival set up on its shores. Booths, huts, circus atmosphere -- all beckoned to me. Out of the lagoon mist -- high school classmate Fred F walked up to me and asked me if I was going to participate in the festivities. I declined ... and immediately set out for the far side of the lagoon as I could see the Walmart through the copse of trees. Suddenly, Rachel R nee M appeared, armed with a clipboard, ready to answer any question I had. I pointed to the Walmart and she stepped aside to show me a path through a wintry marshy boggy woods. I set out on my path, so close to my goal.

V. Dénouement

Feet soaked and frozen, I crawled up to the side of the road, just in time to see Chris L pulling over in his new hovercraft. I paused to wonder if it was a new hovercraft because he never had a hovercraft before or if it was simply a new hovercraft because he traded the old one in. The back was laden with bags of Walmart goodies ... and he misjudged the side of the road as the back end slid off into the woods from whence I had just come. I tried to push it back on the road ... scanning the items inside to see if he had picked up my cream. I pushed ... and pushed ... and pushed ... and pushed ... and I felt a pain in my depths. A pain that was driving me out of my dreamworld ...

[... a pain discussed in my post on 1/8/10 that was enough to jolt me from my sleep, leaving these story lines unfinished... and open to interpretation!]

FREYTAG's DRAMATIC STRUCTURE:
http://www.stageandscreenwriters.com/Freytag_s_Dramatic_Structur.html

DREAM DICTIONARY (AND IT INCLUDES EARWAX):
http://www.thecuriousdreamer.com/dreamdictionary/

ANOTHER STORY THAT BEGINS WITH WAKING UP IN JAIL:
http://hubpages.com/hub/beataddiction

Random Wordplay for Wednesday 1/19/11

Obsoledge.

Used in a sentence: "After fearing that I was adrift and unable to see my future or develop a personal five year plan, I now know that real possibilities await me as an obsoledge wrangler in the world ahead."

[First, how is it that I am only learning what a portmanteau word is today, after doing it so frequently since posting so regularly ("adjectify", anyone?).]

According to famous futurist (and there's another job to which I can aspire) Alvin Toffler (whose Future Shock turned 40 last year), all knowledge is on its way to obsolescence -- and the rate is accelerated in the post-modern world. I'm already an ace at useless trivia, and my capricious cognition collection is just an attempt to capture obsoledge at its base. Thank you, Alvin -- for I now have new long term goals!

THE TOFFLERS (AS THEY PREDICT THE FUTURE):
http://www.alvintoffler.net/

WE'RE DROWNING IN OBSOLEDGE:
http://passiontask.com/entry/obsoledge/

CHORTLE AND GALUMPH ALL YOU WANT AT MY PORTMANTEAU ATTEMPT:
http://users.tinyonline.co.uk/gswithenbank/portmant.htm

Random Tune for Tuesday 1/18/11

With this post, I'm two dead celebrities into this year's tune trilogy honoring those who have passed on. I commented when she left us this spring very respectfully (see Memorial Monday on 4/12/10), and so I'll attempt to balance the snarkiness of today's introduction by choosing a little more reverent clip. Below, find the amazing Dixie Carter performing a soaring How Great Thou Art. [And now I'm two for two in this series with clips from classic TV shows around four strong women!]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLImJDf2PII

Random Memorial for Monday 1/17/11

Gone but not forgotten: my time with the youngsters I met in Detroit.

It's been two years now since I traveled to Motor City on a work trip to help provide testing to the Detroit Public Schoolers ... and I think of them this MLK Day as education is such a key part of getting us all closer to "[his] dream" (and no, just because Obama is prez., the importance of driving toward that dream hasn't abated). After being with the group of students all morning as they struggled through the standardized test, several of them came up afterwards to invite me to their school's bball game that evening. The subtext was as if they wanted me to see something at which they excelled. I was sad that I couldn't stay (I had a more important appointment with a scantron machine that afternoon) ... and I only hope that many of them stayed on with their schooling.

Demand leadership in education, support organizations that provide opportunities for inner city kids and help make a difference so that these futures won't be at-risk and that these individuals won't themselves end up ... missed.

DETROIT's GRADUATION RATE OF 32%!!:
http://www.bridges4kids.org/articles/3-08/DetroitNews2-25-08.html

PROJECT ZERO:
http://www.pz.harvard.edu/index.cfm

PRIVATE FUNDING FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS, ONLY FOR THE AFFLUENT?:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704875604575280422614633564.html

Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 1/16/11

What Chicago is NOT talking about this week:

Oddly enough, the Bears game (that is wrapping up as I type this) was not so much a topic of conversation. It's not that we're not excited about the post-season, it's just that today's game was pretty much already written off as a win. [And, to be fair, there was a random frat boy who yelled "Bear Down" in my direction when I left the apartment earlier on my way to Jewel. So ... there is at least one person keyed in to the game (or already drunk at 11:30 AM, which is just as likely a scenario in my 'hood.)]. I fully expect enthusiasm levels to soar as we look toward our destiny to join the Steelers in the Super Bowl this February (and we're not quite there yet).

RANDOM BODY-BUILDERS AGREE WITH THIS SUPER BOWL PREDICTION:
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=130607203

EXCITMENT DOES NOT EQUAL TICKET SALES:
http://www.cltv.com/videobeta/28913091-373c-45aa-bdab-9e44531c9100/News/Bears-fans-preparing-for-big-game-on-Sunday

THREE WEEKS TO GO ...:
http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/45

Random Soapbox for Satuday 1/15/11

I don't mean to go off on a rant here, but ...

... when I said I would wait a week until I diatribed about the Tucson Tragedy, I can now say that I am most certainly glad I did. That dastardly 24 hour news cycle was interrupted earlier today to inform me that a Walgreens photo processor had found the shooter's film from before he went after Giffords and that it included a pic of him in a G-string dancing around with his weapon covering his privates, and my mind immediately went to the instability that was on display in "Silence of the Lambs". (Buffalo Bill dancing in the mirror with his tailored woman suit, anyone?) And not to start a new conspiracy theory, but was that other photo of him now well distributed -- the one after he shaved his head in jail -- was it photo-shopped so that he looked just a touch more ... well ... touched?

Even though we now understand that this was all a product of extreme mental instability of an individual committing an unpredictable act of personal terror, I still do think that there are valid lessons to be learned. Since this whole ranting concept is an homage to Dennis Miller's routines of the past, I guess I'll double up on my homaging, and include the following Foxworthy style commentary (and I don't want to push any grammarians over the edge, but be forewarned that I'm going to overuse ellipsis):

YOU MIGHT BE PART OF THE PROBLEM & NOT THE SOLUTION IF ...

**you insist on using labels instead of researching, encouraging and respecting individuality

if your day begins by inciting the "us against them" attitude, then you have culpability in the bitter partisanship that deadlocks our government ... everyone who owns a gun isn't a right wing nut, and everyone who lives in a big city is not an Obamafied liberal ... take some time to talk to those whose views appear to be different than yours and to find some consensus ... keep an open mind and develop a thirst to understand others ... and above all else, make sure that any use of "bleeding heart liberal" is meant as only an insult and not a call to action for any ears connected to unstable minds within your audience ...

**you know that the vitriolic shoes fit and you can't bear to throw them out

a small part of me was unhappy that America overdosed on the word vitriol this past week ... [I liked to keep that word in my quiver with "whilst" and "fortnight" to use every now and then when I want to remind people that I have a lot of student debt] ... but having a discussion about incendiary language and hate speech couldn't be a more welcome outcome of this unfortunate event ... and it's easy to spew venom and vitriol when you group folks into labels instead of valuing their individuality ...

**you can't speak two sentences without focusing on "you" in its plural sense

check yourself ... are your conversations (in whatever medium) full of commentary about you people, you guys, you'ns, y'all, youse ... I can only express this concept a certain number of ways, but if you people are all worried about what the other you-plural group has done to you, you need to kick the paranoia habit and embrace some good old fashioned American individuality ...

**your instability causes you to embellish common phrases

the phrase is "contact" your representative ... it is not "shoot your representative at close contact" ... there's a difference ... and while I'm inappropriately referencing mental illness, let's be clear that we all do have an obligation to our neighbors, but there's an unpredictability to that disease and I'd rather have resources spent on beefing up the support we provide those who are mentally ill than task each citizen with performing psychiatric checks on each of their neighbors ... [and hey, I'm self aware enough to know that they may just a bit of self-preservation, since I fully embrace my own kind of crazy] ...

**you've conveniently forgotten that section of 1st Corinthians

"and the greatest of these is love" ... can't really improve on that sentiment, eh? ... when it comes to religious intolerance, let's keep those words front and center ... please?!? ...

**you make bad choices when it comes to graphics (even if only re-posting)

I actually have grown to like Sarah Palin, with qualification ... I like her as a tour guide of Alaska on TLC's "reality" travel show ... I like her as a mother to her family that fully embraces her ideals and values ... I like her this way so much that I hope TLC gives her a five season renewal so that she continues to focus her energies on these tasks ... I don't like her interfering in national politics, I don't like her playing the victim card, and I don't like her refusing to have accountability for "endorsing" the graphics that have been called into question ... there is an approval implied when you make visible to the masses a series of crosshairs on targets that are too obviously translated to real live people ...

**you prefer placing blame and pointing fingers to progress

It's the last midnight (Into the Woods reference) ... and in this period of crisis, there's still more being said about who must be at fault than about how we move toward progress ... "No of course what really matters is the blame, somebody to blame ... Fine, if that's the thing you enjoy ... placing the blame ... If that's the aim ... Give [out] the blame"... You may never have seen that musical, but rest assured that placing the blame is not the way out of the woods ...

**you don't vote

I was tempted to end with the thought that if you don't participate in the democratic process, then you should "get off my post" ... but then I wouldn't be heeding my own advice ... so, if you've felt the need to complain and bitch and moan and chastise and blame BUT you haven't actually performed your duty and fulfilled your election obligation, then make plans now to register to vote (it's hella easy these days) and to actually go to the polls on the next election day (or before -- that's hella easy too nowadays) to have your voice heard in the way that matters most ...

... BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION.

BAD OFFICIALS ARE ELECTED BY GOOD CITIZENS WHO DO NOT VOTE:
http://www.register-vote.com/

THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+13&version=NIV

ALASKA IS BEAUTIFUL AND PALIN IS A PERSON:
http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/sarah-palin-alaska/

Random Flashback for Friday 1/14/11

Winter Retreat! As Hebron Church played such a key role in my formative years (and, as you may recall, my formative years were just a smidge delayed), I was pleased to be able to "pay it forward" years before the little boy from Sixth Sense told me to ... by returning to church camp twenty years ago. If you look closely, you'll notice yellow and blue bandannas in the shot -- I'm assuming that was part of some team building activity and not Methodist gang-banger training (I mean proselytizer preparation). I said this last year when I posted Retreat pics in the 1990 album -- but most of these kids probably have kids of their own!! Time marches on ...

Random Thought for Thursday 1/13/11

I know I said I'd post a retelling of my dream from the weekend ... but then Facebook went and threw me a curve ball today and forced me into the new profile (dream-telling will occur next Thursday!). After taking its tour, I have to say it doesn't seem too too different, but it has caused some concern for me. One of the new features is to list your family members (or those that agree to publicly admit such a connection) -- and I just hope that it's prepared to handle my situation.

Over the years, I've been blessed to have not been limited by any legal definition of family and to have not been restricted by only considering those of blood relations to be in that category. [Here's hoping I worked those negatives right.] Zuckerberg, I don't know your "family" background (I'll get to the Social Network before the Oscars), but I hope you are ready for a boy with multiple "mothers", all kinds of "brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces", etc., etc."!

SUPPORT THE GENIUS THAT IS AARON SORKIN:
http://www.amazon.com/Social-Network-Two-Disc-Collectors/dp/B0034G4P7G

THE SPIN IS NOW I'LL HAVE MORE AMAZING CONNECTIONS:
http://articles.cnn.com/2010-12-06/tech/facebook.profile.update_1_profile-photo-facebook-friends-facebook-page?_s=PM:TECH

NOT EVERYONE's HAPPY ABOUT THE CHANGES (NOR ARE THEY SUPER WORDY):
http://www.jplaforge.com/blog/facebooks-frequent-changes-are-irritating

Random Wordplay for Wednesday 1/12/11

Quest.

Used in a sentence: "This has nothing to do with the telecommunications company that was all tied up with the Baby Bell mess, and is much more akin to Don Quixote chasing his windmills: in this season of resolutions, it's time for me to create some action steps around my stated Quests."

Resolutions get broken. Quests are lifelong journeys. So let me state it publicly ... I will move forward in 2011 with progress on the following commitments (don't get it twisted -- I'm not giving up my day job and jumping in an RV to complete these missions tomorrow or anything) ...

• sticking my feet in every Great Lake (Erie ... check ... Michigan ... check)
• purchasing shot glasses and a t-shirt from every HardRock Cafe (10 down out of 45!)
• touring the United States alphabetically, one year at a time [(c)1998-present] (to continue once economy recovers)
• viewing every modern day Presidential Library (new for 2011!)

MUST WAIT UNTIL WARMER WEATHER TO GET UP NORTH:
http://www.great-lakes.net/tourism/circletour/

CURRENT AtoZ LIST FOR HARD ROCK CAFE (MY QUEST IS DOMESTIC!):
http://www.hardrock.com/locations/cafes3/locator.aspx

THIRTEEN (14 IF YOU COUNT NIXON TWICE) REPOSITORIES OF PRESIDENTIALNESS:
http://www.suite101.com/content/united-states-presidential-libraries-museums-a117188

Random Tune for Tuesday 1/11/11

First ... that's even more ones than a few days ago!

Second ... something new for the new year. A new occasional series to last all of 2011 -- "AtoZ Musical Eccentricities (the cassette years)". Eccentric, eclectic, expressive -- adjectify as you wish, but my musical collection is all over the map. As I relocate my 600 or so cassettes to a new storage device, I thought I'd take an alphabetical trip down music memory lane in the months ahead.

Without further explanation, and to represent the letter 'A', and, yes, on a cassette I still own, here's why I sometimes just yell out "horse-shoes" for no apparent reason!

A is for ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cltwERxX7Ss

Random Memorial for Monday 1/10/11

Gone but not forgotten:

John Roll
Gabe Zimmerman
Dorwin Stoddard
Christina Greene
Dorthy Murray
Phyllis Scheck

I've nothing else to add today, as these moments of silence speak for their lives senselessly lost and about the families they left behind.

Surely, you will be missed.

SIGN A GUESTBOOK IN THEIR MEMORY:
http://www.legacy.com/guestbook/azcentral/guestbook.aspx?n=victims-of-tucson-shooting&pid=147664429&cid=view

Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 1/9/11

What Chicago is talking about this week:

It's electioneering season again (isn't it always?) in Chicago as the mayor's election is just a few weeks away. And, as predicted, the race for the next mayor is quickly becoming more and more about the race of the next mayor. Unity behind one African American candidate was achieved as individuals were pressured out ... and now that same pressure is on for the two main Hispanic candidates to "voluntarily" opt for just one to stay in the race ... all to promote unity (at least within one's own race) and to defeat the chosen one in Rahm.

Let's run the numbers, though, as the winner must get over 50% on Feb 22 to avoid a runoff in April, and with a racial make-up in the metropolis of 36.8% black, 32.8% non-asian white and 26.0% hispanic/latino -- somebody's got to rise to the challenge and start building color blind coalitions to run this city.

Irrespective of race, let's just keep it noncontroversial and list them all alphabetically -- Braun, Chico, DelValle and Emmanuel. And now that I see it that way, do we have the makings of an LSAT logic game? Maybe we can skip the voting and solve a logic puzzle to choose our next leader?

BRAUN SAYS BRING BLACK, WHITE, BROWN - ONE SIDE OF TOWN TO ANOTHER:
http://www.blackamericaweb.com/?q=articles/news/moving_america_news/24737

CENSUS BUREAU DATA FOR CHICAGO AS OF 2000:
http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFFacts?_event=&geo_id=16000US1714000&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US17%7C16000US1714000&_street=&_county=chicago&_cityTown=chicago&_state=&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=160&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=ACS_2006_SAFF&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=&_keyword=&_industry=

CLICK ON THE LINK AT THIS LINK TO WATCH KENNY G TEACH LOGIC GAMES:
http://www.kaptest.com/LSAT/Learn-and-Discuss/Everything-LSAT/lsat-logic-games.html

Random Soapbox for Saturday 1/8/11

I don't mean to go off on a rant here, but ...

... as much as I want to comment on today's tragedy in Tucson, I'm going to bite my blog-tongue and wait a week until more details are gathered (and to focus on good thoughts for those that might still recover, as is my true wish). There is a downside to the 24 hour news cycle in that assumptions get made while facts are still being gathered. [Rest assured, I am 100% confident that in a week I'll be bemoaning the loss of civility and discourse and chastising those who foment anger that gets channeled into pure evil -- but if all this ends up as the work of an unsettled grammarian, I want to make sure I rant properly.]

So, to distract us all from that violence, I'll discuss how frustrated I am by my own gas, in an attempt to comment in diatribe style on those who now so quickly share the most intimate health news. [Consider that a fair warning, if you're still reading this, then I'm not accountable for your reaction.] Maybe to blame is the proliferation of physicians on TV, both fictional and "reality" (that's in quotes as those words are no longer opposites), so Dr. House and Dr. Oz and Sanjay Gupta and Cuddy (I remember you fondly when you were a high class prostitute for Rob Lowe in DC during West Wing) and McDreamy and those doctors that include some guy who was a bachelor ... here's my dilemma. [Last warning -- look away. You might think this conversation to be déclassé, but now that I'm closer and closer to that age where discussions of bowel movements are de rigueur, I think I'm allowed to continue.]

I was awakened from my dream in the middle of the night (look for its description this Thursday) with a painful gas bubble. While waiting for it to be completely eliminated, I was struck with the thought that my bathroom kind of smelled like Lucky Charms. And not the marshmallow delights, but the toasted oat pieces leftover in the bag once you pick out the horseshoes and clovers and rainbows and etc etc. And I used to like Lucky Charms. So -- doctors -- why is that? Can you diagnose anything about my digestive issue? How am I ever to experience a magically delicious morning ever again?

FUN FACTS ABOUT LUCKY CHARMS (INCLUDING A LINE UP OF MARSHMALLOWS):
http://www.retroist.com/2009/03/17/lucky-charms-fun-facts-and-commercials/

I'LL BE DAMNED, THAT TOASTED OAT SMELL IS EXPECTED WITH INTESTINAL GAS:
http://www.aboutincontinence.org/site/about-incontinence/treatment/gas

YOU GIVE GRAMMAR A BAD NAME (BAD NAME):
http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/01/08/arizona.shootings.suspect.social/index.html

Random Flashback for Friday 1/7/11

OK ... one last holiday picture (after all, I'm not taking down my tree until this weekend). And I guess it is Greek Orthodox Christmas/Ukrainian Christmas/Epiphany/the 12th day of Christmas -- you get the idea -- so it's not completely out of sorts. With that disclaimer, let's get right to the point: here is my niece Casey Jo enjoying her first holiday and what I can only guess is her first lil caboose. [Eagle eyes will recognize the chair in the background from the Flashback on 2/26/10 (her actual birthday)]. And be forewarned, you'll see how quickly a child grows by the end of this year's flashbacks.

Random Thought for Thursday 1/6/11

So I was a late bloomer and a year behind my classmates, which means I have another 365 and a quarter days to make the most of my thirties ... but I did have an unexpected gut check about my advancing age when I watched Lenny Kravitz perform his extended commercial on TNT for the NBA. Why? Because the first thing I thought of as my brain synapses fired was "The Jeffersons". If you don't get it, continue to enjoy your youth!

FOR YOU YOUNG'UNS, HERE's THE CONNECTION:
http://www.amusingfacts.com/facts/Detail/lenny-kravitz.html

ARE YOU GONNA GO HIS WAY AND WATCH THE NBA IN ACTION?:
http://news.turner.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=5401

THE DIRTY THIRTIES (NOT MINE, THE COUNTRY's):
http://news.turner.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=5401

Random Wordplay for Wednesday 1/5/11

Arch(e)type.

Used in a sentence: "As drugstore pharmacies continue to expand the doo-dads and gadgets surrounding the counter for those who are waiting, I stumbled on Dr. Scholl's foot-mapping kiosk that promises it will tell you your arch type so that you can purchase the right product -- is it wrong that I wanted to take it a step further and have it provide me my predominant Jungian archetype as well?"

[Hey -- I have to do something with all that schooling I had. Why not come up with a plan to enhance the foot-mapping to include some psyche-mapping.]

"You have flat feet AND you are consumed by the Shadow within."

Anyone sitting on some extra investment money?

CAUSE A MACHINE IS BETTER THAN A DOCTOR ANY DAY, RIGHT?:
http://hubpages.com/hub/Dr-Scholls-Custom-Fit-Orthotics-Footmapping-Macine-In-Local-Stores

THE SHADOW TAKES OVER WHEN YOU ARE CONFUSED, DAZED or DRUGGED:
http://changingminds.org/explanations/identity/jung_archetypes.htm

THIS GUY SAYS ... "OUR GENES WANT US TO BE BAREFOOT":
http://changingminds.org/explanations/identity/jung_archetypes.htm

Random Tune for Tuesday 1/4/11

"After my boom comes your boom".

And it's time for the annual tribute in trilogy to those celebrities that passed in 2010. With Bea gone last year and Rue passing this year (not to mention Leslie too), I am most worried for Betty. Perhaps she can strike a deal with the Grim Golden Girls Reaper for extra longevity. But enough about the living ... it's just comforting to know that although we may never get to see the musical version of her autobiography My First Five Husbands (on which she was working when she died), we can catch her on Maude and Mama's Family and Golden Palace and Sordid Lives on occasion, and in the show that brings us this clip which is seemingly on multiple times a day!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diXtiuVCcr0&feature=related

Random Memorial for Monday 1/3/11

Gone but not forgotten: my time in a small town.

Not to go all John Mellancamp on you, but I've only been in Chicago for a quarter of my life.

When I got to see 43565, a documentary in rotation on PBS this month that brilliantly captures vignettes of small town life, I was able to fondly remember moments from my youth. Kids driving around town with nothing else to do but see who else is on the same route (ah, crusin' the loop) ... the annual fair (for me, the Bologna and St Gertie Fests were more on point) ... knowing more than you should about everybody's business ... all beautiful things about growing up as I did. Lebanon PA was a little more metropolitan than Sidney, Ohio (the zip code referenced in this piece) -- after all, we ended up with two zip codes before I moved on -- but it was/is Americana.

Just like in this movie, being in a town where the train whistle could be blowing at any time from traffic on the tracks that split the town in two ... you are missed.

IT SURE AS HELL AIN't 90210:
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/45365/

IN SIDNEY, THE BICYCLE MUSEUM OF AMERICA:
http://www.citytowninfo.com/places/ohio/sidney

CHECK THINGS TO DO IN LEBANON (AS NONE OF THEM ARE IN THE CITY):
http://www.citytowninfo.com/places/pennsylvania/lebanon

Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 1/2/11

What Chicago is talking about this week:

Regardless of how you feel about the creepy coincidence (21 firefighters died on Dec 22, 1910 and 2 died + 19 wounded on Dec 22, 2010), the fallen firefighter heroes have been laid to rest. Chicago mourns their passing and honors their commitment to their profession.

[And, a prognosticatory proposition -- if anything is burning on Dec 22, 2110, just let the thing burn out.]

TO CITE MY SOURCE, JESSICA H. POINTED OUT THE "COINCIDENCE":
http://www.wgntv.com/wgntv-firefighters-trapped-after-building-collapse-dec22,0,3469227.story

THE STOCKYARDS FIRE (NOT CAUSED BY MRS. O'LEARY's COW:
http://www3.gendisasters.com/illinois/6897/chicago-il-terrible-stockyard-plant-fire-dec-1910

NATIONAL FALLEN FIREFIGHTERs FOUNDATION:
http://www.firehero.org/

Random Posting for Penn State 1/1/11

First, let me just say -- that's a lot of ones!

Second, please note that this message is coming to you unadorned with marketing messages and unadulterated of corporate influence. [And it's not because I don't need the cash, it's just because I haven't figured out how to monetize this creative output.]

Third, as this game progresses, can I offer up a branding opportunity menu-add for Outback Steakhouse (as sponsors of today's Outback Bowl during Capital One Bowl Week on Disney's ABC channel presented by ESPN, etc., etc.)? Can they make bloomin' onions as a turnover?

FLAKY TURNOVER ONION PASTRY:
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/flaky-turnover-pastry

SO MUCH FOR UNADORNED WITH MARKETING MESSAGES:
http://www.outback.com/

A TURNOVER MEASURES OFFENSIVE CARELESSNESS OR DEFENSIVE EXCELLENCE:
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-turnover.htm

Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 1/1/11

I don't mean to go off on a rant here ...

... so I won't.

Look - I promise to get back to my crotchety grumbly self next week (and one day, my transformation into Ed Asner will be complete), but it's the New Year. The world isn't going to end if I decide to rave instead of rant today (instead, it will end when the magnetic poles swap places a few days before Christmas, 2012 in a Y2K reprise, right?). In the spirit of 2011, here are my 11 Raves (in alphabetical order) from the past year ...

1.) BONNIE HUNT may have ended her talk show, but she did it with class. What a tribute to take those five hours that we once spent with her weekly to embrace and promote the "humanity" that she highlighted on her mission.

2.) CHER was locked up in Vegas in an eternal cycle of saying farewell, but promises new artistic output in the years ahead (and it's already passe to pick on Burlesque in your critical 2010 lists, so move on). In the meantime, she continues to put her support behind essential movements like Operation Helmet for our IED exposed troops overseas.

3.) CHRIS L had the good sense to wait for his artery to collapse until he was on the table with the doctor conducting an angiogram. Now that's a sense of timing worth raving about (p.s. thanks for not dying)!

4.) CHRIS W was my boss and guided me through a major transition at work that upheld his stated goal of being someone who took great pride in developing his employees as people. And although it's currently review season, he is not a FB friend (so I'm not brown-nosing here) as he has strong opinions about the separation of work and non-work (and he embraces that LinkedIn phenomenon that I backed out of). Apparently, I have a bit of an anti-authoritarian streak, so his support was even more valued in a year where "trust us, we have your best interests in mind" was the mantra.

5.) HOLLY A, a high school classmate of mine who now lives in Orlando, is involved in an organization that fulfills the final wishes of people from all walks of life. She takes on their issues, their illnesses, their dreams and spins it all into happiness and pleasant memories, all the more essential because those memories won't be lasting a lifetime. Selfless and a hero ... she's a shining example for us all.

6.) My LINCOLN PARK TEAM at the Kaplan center where I worked for most of this year (and the last few years of this decade) rallied around our goals in this same year of work transformation I referenced earlier and made our center the best place to be. I might be biased, but I am not naive -- and I know that our successes in 2010 were because so many people rallied to our cause. For that, I am most grateful.

7.) MAYOR DALEY was the only mayor of Chicago I've known since I've lived here (which makes sense as he's just surpassed his father in longevity), and it's hard to imagine the next chapter ahead. I can only hope that his successor will have the ability to keep this city of competing interests, backgrounds and responsibilities together for all of its citizens.

8.) MYSTERY is truly gone but not forgotten, to quote my Monday shtick, having been euthanized this past March (two years to the day after my pit bill Demon was put down). She would bolt at the first sign of unknown noise and she would hide for hours on end until she was convinced the vacuum would not come back to life. But she was also right there over my shoulder on the couch in the evenings, she was a welcome pillow to the other cats in the apartment that wanted to snuggle with her and she most definitely left us too soon.

9.) RALPH N is my father, and he's now confined to a nursing home. Mind you, I've always said that there's a generation canyon that separates us (he was born in 1923 and I came along in 1972) and I don't have any type of typical relationship with him. But now that I'm responsible for his affairs, I've been forced to reconnect with him in a very unique way. I already know that I will never have all of the answers that I seek -- but I'm learning things each month of his final years and gaining perspective that I never thought I'd have. I thank him for teaching me that there is an infinite world of greys in this life I thought was black and white.

10.) WALTER and DOLLY L are the heroes of the year for my "family". Welcoming to me since 1998, I've been privileged to watch them devote their post-retirement years to their children and grandchildren in ways they never could have imagined. Project after project, they tirelessly contribute to keeping their brood taken care of, and, as they age, even at the risk of their own health. It's an honor to know such helpful folks.

11.) YOU -- if you've made it to the end of this post, that means you are a regular reader of mine. And I can't thank you enough for your support during this experiment in getting back into swimming in the creative pool. I don't know where this journey is taking me, but I look forward to continuing it and sharing it one bit of randomness at a time.

May 2011 bring you and yours the type of blessings that I've recently experienced!

OPERATION HELMET SAVES OUR SOLDIERS' LIVES:
http://www.operation-helmet.org/contribute.html

THE DREAM FOUNDATION:
http://www.dreamfoundation.org/

PAYING IT FORWARD:
http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2009/04/17/lifestyle/features/teaming-bonnie-hunt.html