May 31 Time For Yourself

There are 24 hours in a day. Let's be honest, if you can do something you enjoy for 3 to 4 hours of that day, it's gonna be a good day. Today was a good day. My dogs & I met Jimmy & Debbie with their three boys at Chellberg Farm at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. We spent about three hours hiking the trails and checking out the farm and the Bailly Homestead. It was a picture perfect day. The trails take you deep into the woods and through a prairie that makes it very easy to forget you are near a major metropolitan area. The boys posed as gargoyles at the Bailly House. Fluffy enjoyed cooling off in the Little Calumet River. We had deer running across the trails and saw a hawk flying above the trees. The day before I was on the trails with my dogs and saw an owl in a tree just off the trail. They say modern living has made life easier but I seem to enjoy life when I'm far from modern living. Sometimes you just have to spend a few hours doing nothing but walking through the woods to really enjoy life. I ended my day by biking the single track trails in Sweet Woods. Again just enjoying some time in the woods.

May 30 Lincoln Park's Green City Market

I got up at 6 AM to check out the Green City Market in Lincoln Park. If you've been reading these blogs you know by now that I believe in supporting small businesses over big corporations. There are plenty of places on the web to read about the dangers of big corporations being the only suppliers of our food. This isn't about that. It is about meeting people that are passionate about the quality of their products and supporting local food suppliers. I had an enjoyable conversation with Jessica Volpe, the Pasta Puttana, about adding mint to pasta sauce and Italian slang. I had my first pickled mushroom after being teased about never having eaten one before today. It was very tasty. I had the most amazing maple syrup sample and bought a bottle. Then talked about mountain biking in southern Indiana with the couple that make the syrup. Most of the food is organically grown or a specialty product like hand made pasta, so it may cost a little more than mass produced or chemically enhanced food products. It seems worth it to me. There are farmer's markets in most of the towns around Chicago this summer. Please support these markets and try something a little different for dinner tonight, good food.

May 29 The Graduate & The Gimp

Good news today. My nephew, Kyle graduated high school. I guess it was touch and go the last month but he did get his diploma. He looked good all dressed up. While taking a picture with his parents, an unknown lady drove by and yelled "That's what I'm talking about!" It made me laugh but also reminded me what a big day graduating high school is in a young person's life. Congratulations, kid. Chrissy got good news from a follow up visit with the surgeon. I think he sang "Turning Japanese" to her. Actually, he removed the staples and said the knee is progressing well. I ended the day by skating with the Sudden Death hockey club. It felt good to get back on the ice after a three week layoff.

May 28 Turning Japanese

Last week after Chrissy's knee reconstruction surgery, I met with the surgeon to get an update on the surgery. He told me everything went well and there was no cartilage damage, so it was good news all the way around. Then he showed me pictures of the inside of Chrissy's knee taken during the surgery. Just so you know, they didn't cut her open, the made small incisions and replaced the ACL using a camera that was inserted into her knee. The doctor was all professional and serious describing the pictures to me but I was mesmerized by the pictures. Not because of the images. But due to my very immature and abnormal brain. It was not paying attention to the doctor. My brain was playing the 1980's song by The Vapors, "Turning Japanese". Why you might ask? Because of a line in the song that came to me as soon as the surgeon showed me the pictures. So guess which line.

I've got your picture of me and you

You wrote "I love you" I wrote "me too"
I sit there staring and there's nothing else to do
Oh it's in color Your hair is brown
Your eyes are hazel And soft as clouds
I often kiss you when there's no one else around
I've got your picture, I've got your picture

I'd like a million of you all round my cell
I want a doctor to take your picture
So I can look at you from inside as well
You've got me turning up and turning down
And turning in and turning 'roundI'm turning Japanese
I think I'm turning Japanese
I really think so
Turning Japanese
I think I'm turning Japanese
I really think so
I'm turning Japanese
I think I'm turning Japanese
I really think so
Turning Japanese
I think I'm turning Japanese
I really think so

I've got your picture, I've got your picture
I'd like a million of them all round my cell
I want the doctor to take a picture
So I can look at you from inside as well
You've got me turning up and turning down and turning in and turning 'round
I'm turning Japanese
I think I'm turning Japanese
I really think so
Turning Japanese
I think I'm turning Japanese
I really think so
I'm turning Japanese
I think I'm turning Japanese
I really think so
Turning Japanese
I think I'm turning Japanese
I really think so
No sex, no drugs, no wine, no women
No fun, no sin, no you, no wonder it's dark
Everyone around me is a total stranger
Everyone avoids me like a cyclone ranger
That's why I'm turning Japanese
I think I'm turning Japanese
I really think so
Turning Japanese
I think I'm turning Japanese
I really think so
I'm turning Japanese
I think I'm turning Japanese
I really think so
Turning Japanese
I think I'm turning Japanese
I really think so

Some may think I'm kidding about this but I'm not. This is the shit that goes on in my head. At least I have a song for those crucial moments in life. My wife has knee surgery and I'm singing a song about a masturbating stalker...what's so wrong about that.

May 27 RIP Lord Stanley

Trust me Lord Stanley has been dead for a long time, but now the Blackhawks dream of drinking from Lord Stanley's Cup this year is dead. It pains me to admit that the better team won because I hate the Red Wings. But here's hoping the Penguins trounce the Wings in the finals. The Hawks had their chances throughout this series but never seemed to play as well as they did in the first two rounds. They played liked they thought they couldn't beat Detroit. It was an exciting playoff run and here's hoping for many more in the near future.

May 26 RIP Jay Bennett

You may not know Jay Bennett. He was a member of Wilco. Not the most famous member, that would be Jeff Tweedy who Jay had a feud with years ago and left the band. You can see all the details on Wilco's DVD, "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart". There are a few good links and the story of Jay's passing in his sleep here. If you are not familiar with Wilco, watch the video for "Misunderstood" on that link. It is one of their best songs. Here's another good tribute to Jay.
Check out his music with Wilco and his solo stuff. This is a tough loss to take for all fans of great music.

May 25 Memorial Day

This is why we celebrate Memorial Day. It's not another day off from work. It's not just to grill some hot dogs. It is to remember, reflect and thank those who have fought for our freedoms. Please take a moment to do so today. Click on picture to read captions.

May 24 The Indianapolis 500

Jimmy & I have gone to the Indy 500 every year since 1985, there was a year here & there that I missed for various reasons. Our seats are near the finish line on the inside of the track, so we have the pits in front of us. Sara Fisher's Dollar General crew was there this year. The race was won by Dancing With The Stars champion Helio Castroneves. I'm only mad at him because once again Jimmy won our bet. Every year we pick 3 or 4 drivers and if one of your guys wins you get $10 and if your guy finishes dead last you get $5. Jimmy won both bets this year even though I had the top 3 guys (Kanaan, Dixon & Franchitti) for most of the race. You'd think Jim could at least smile for the picture. The headphones are for listening to the pit crews talk to the drivers during the race. It seems like a race geek thing to do, but sometimes you hear some good stuff especially when a driver is pissed at another driver. One of my drivers, Graham Rahal was nice enough to crash into the wall right in front of us. That's his 02 car being towed away while Sara Fisher's crew gets ready for a pit stop. Overall it was a good day spent with an old friend and because I was at the race I missed the Blackhawks getting their asses kicked by Detroit which would have ruined my day if I had watched that game. It all makes me want to have some turkey. That's only funny to me, ask Jimmy for the reason why.

May 23 Trail Ride and RoboChrissy

I finally got a chance to take my bike out for some single track trail riding. I took it easy because I'm old and fat. After riding the main horse trail for a couple of miles, I felt like I was getting my legs back so I rode some single track loops. It felt great to be riding again. Due to the rainy spring the trails were mud for the past two months. I noticed that several of the bridges were recently built. The forest preserve employees removed some of the bridges last year. I think the trails are actually illegal bike trails that the local kids keep maintained by adding bridges across small ravines so you can keep riding instead of dismounting and walking your bike. While riding I saw a heron in the creek and several deer but it was the amazing green color that really struck me. The leaves and the ground cover had a emerald green color that was almost unnatural looking. Hopefully it shows in the picture. The other picture is of Chrissy's repaired leg. "We can rebuild her". RoboChrissy spent the sunny day in the hammock. She says she feels good and is getting used to the brace. She did remove the pain pump and the tubing that went about 6" into her knee. She then had bloody liquid dripping out of her knee across the floors of three rooms before she realized it. Once that stopped she was able to take a shower for the first time in three days.

May 22 Reg's Home For Wayward Boys

Game Three of the Conference Finals. Blackhawks vs. Red Wings. Hawks down two games to none. A must win. Where is the best place to watch the game. You might think at the United Center, but the best place to be is at Reg Dunlop's house. Why? Because of the food, drinks and friends. It wouldn't be a party without Reg grilling about 30 pounds of meat for the guys. The white cooler has soda, the blue cooler has beer and the Jack Daniels is on the counter. Everyone brings some kind of drink or food, so the kitchen counters and table are loaded with food. The TV in the living room has HDTV, the TV in the kitchen doesn't. This causes a little problem. It turns out that the HDTV feed is 5-10 seconds behind the standard feed. So the guys in the kitchen would be cheering a Hawks goal, ten seconds later the living room would see the goal and cheer. The group in the living room were complaining that the kitchen group were taking away all the suspense. The house was electric as the Hawks went up 3-0. It was incredibly tense as the Red Wings came back to tie the game. Then Patrick Sharp's game winning goal in OT had the kitchen going crazy. Ten seconds later, the living room went nuts. All of us hockey players are familiar with the Reg Dunlop Hockey Training Camps. As I looked around the room and saw 25 guys and only 3 women, I thought Reg might want to add "Home For Wayward Boys" to the sign out front. Just so you don't start thinking that Reg's place is like Neverland Ranch, I added a picture of Reg with his lady friend. That's Eric with Reg at the grill. The rest are the wayward boys and one brave girl.

May 21 "Bring Out The Gimp"

Chrissy had reconstructive knee surgery today. She tore her ACL a few months back at work. I dropped her off at the hospital and went to Brookfield Zoo. Hell, it was 85 & sunny today and I hate hospitals anyway. It was a long day and now Oslo & I are Chrissy's nursemaids. I'll have more on this in the next few days. The surgeon gave me cool pictures of her knee from the microscopic camera used for the surgery. He said she did great and has no cartilage damage. As you can see it was too hot for the bears today. Then there's Chrissy being wheeled out of the hospital while I am yelling "bring out the gimp". The nurse didn't laugh, I guess she isn't a Pulp Fiction fan. Take a guess which of these four it is safer for me to be with right now.

May 20 It's A New World Out There

This is what I did for 14 hours today. Impressed? I know this is only interesting to me but I'm suppose to write about what I know. I spent all day upgrading the credit card readers at this Shell station with the new PCI (Payment Card Industry) compliant keypads. Big fucking deal you might be saying to yourself right about now. Well it actually is a big deal. All the merchants that want to take debit cards must be PCI compliant by July 2010. What this means is simple. Every store that accepts debit cards must buy new equipment that will accept TDES (Triple Data Encryption Standard). Are you still reading this blog. God damn it, get a fucking life. Do something productive with your valuable time. Still here. I'll continue. Currently there is only Single Data Encryption. I have no idea why they are skipping Double Data Encryption. This is a security feature that will protect your card & PIN information from criminals. You wouldn't believe how easy it was to get that info only 7 years ago. It was possible for me to print out a log of all credit card numbers with expiration dates on most gas station computers. Now they mask those numbers. Of course the expense of these upgrades will be passed on to the consumers. If you're still reading this you probably need me to explain that a consumer would be you. Now get out there and start consuming, this economy needs a boost.

May 19 My White Sox Buddy

I haven't paid any attention to the White Sox this season because of the Blackhawks exciting return to the playoffs. So I was conflicted about going to the Sox game tonight (I already had tix) because the Hawks were also playing in Detroit. Then my White Sox buddy, Patty came through for me. She said she had a walkman with a radio so I could listen to the Blackhawks and watch the Sox. Patty is my ex-sister-in-law but we've remained friends even though she is no longer family. Actually she is more like family now than when she was married to Chrissy's brother. She is a life long Sox and Hawks fan, so going to games with her is always fun. It turns out that the walkman is from the 1980's. It has a cassette tape player and an AM/FM radio. It also it the size of a small car battery. I had to buy another ticket just so I could use the seat next to me for the radio. It took about half way through the first period to figure out the switch settings for the volume but eventually I could hear the Hawks game loud and clear. Unfortunately the Hawks lost in OT but the Sox did win. The night would have been better the other way around. I know a picture of the walkman should also be posted but at the time I didn't know I was going to be writing about it. Also I didn't have a wide angle lens to get the whole thing in one shot.

May 18 Nice Message

There isn't much I can add to this message except to say it is my favorite one so far this year that I found on a church sign. I can only hope that the idiot sheep that follow Fred Phelps (see April 21st blog) are who the Christian Life Center is referring to with this message.

May 17 Commit To The Indian

"Commit to the Indian" was Denis Savard's phrase to his players after a poor performance during a Blackhawks game. Savard was fired not long after that comment. I have fully committed to the Indian. Sure I was like most fans and gave up on my hockey team ever contending for the Cup. But then a wonderful thing happened, Bill Wirtz died. He was the team owner who did everything in his power to destroy his own team and alienate his fans. His son, Rocky changed all that before the old man's body got cold. He put all the games on TV, he hired as team president John McDonough and Scotty Bowman as an advisor. The Hawks were back on the sports map and great promotions brought some fans back. Then the team started playing great hockey. The Hawks are the youngest team in the league and exciting to watch. So on a beautiful spring Sunday, I spent the afternoon on my couch watching game one of the Conference finals. I'm committed to the Indian. The defending Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings against the upstart Blackhawks. The Red Wings won 5-2 and it could have been worse except for Nikolai Khabibulin in goal. He was incredible. I'm still committed. I am also realistic, the Hawks looked overmatched. But I'm not giving up. Like all good Hawks fans, I hate the Red Wings and would love to see the Blackhawks beat them.

May 16 Fifty Years

50 years. Think about it. Fifty years is a long time. A really long time. I DJ'd the 50th Wedding Anniversary of my friend Todd's parents Bob & Sharon last night. There were tables set up with a bunch of great pictures. I enjoyed the ones of Bob & Sharon when they were young and their wedding pictures. I laughed at the ones of Todd & Kevin when they were young. The party was a celebration of the past fifty years and I had a blast playing all those great tunes from the early days of rock and roll. There was a table of party people that had not slowed down one bit over the years, they had a great time dancing and singing along to the old favorites. There is nothing I enjoy more than listening to good storytellers telling stories. This crowd had several who are masters of the trade. I heard stories about Sharon ditching school to go to Chicago's version of American Bandstand to dance while younger family members would watch her on the television but never mention it to the parents. I heard first hand accounts of the Korean & Vietnam wars. Then there was friends of Todd's brother Kevin that would get dressed for church every Sunday and go to the Livesay house where Sharon would make them breakfast then hurry them home at 11am because church was over. Todd gave a great speech about his parents. He told the story about their honeymoon. They planned a trip to Florida and a young Bob was expecting warm sun, tropical drinks and Sharon in a bikini but after driving south for several hours Sharon began to cry. She missed home and family. Bob turned the car around and according to Todd that began a lifetime of Sharon being the boss. There were conflicting stories about the size of Sharon's boyfriend that Bob informed he was taking his girlfriend. Bob says he was huge, Sharon says he was small. As you can imagine fifty years of marriage can produce a million stories and lots were told throughout the night, especially as the champagne bottles were emptied. But one thing was repeated several times, Sharon loved her boys and you had better not mess with any of them. The pictures are Bob & Sharon dancing to 'Only You' by The Platters, Todd giving his speech and it wouldn't be a party without Todd turning on his 'white mans overbite' and show the youngsters how it is done on the dancefloor.

May 15 Ruminating In The Rain

I do not care where you live, the traffic is not as bad as Chicago's fucking disaster of a highway system. When you add miserable weather to the traffic, it boggles the mind how slow one can travel in the Chicagoland area. It once took me 7.5 hours to travel 67 miles during a snowstorm that produced 5 inches of snow. Today it was raining on and off like a monsoon. It took me over 2 hours to drive 16 miles on the Kennedy to the Dan Ryan. But this blog is not about the traffic, it's about what went through my mind while stuck in traffic. Earlier in the day I drove across Lawrence Ave from Jefferson Park to Albany Park to get to a job. I took a few pictures along the way. I noticed at least seven different languages on storefront signs along the way. English, Korean, Spanish, Serbian, Polish, Chinese and Arabic though I'm not sure if that is the correct name for that language. I also thought it was strange for Ralph's Marine to be located in the middle of a block nowhere near any water but the business looked busy. So while stuck in traffic I began thinking about all the different businesses on Lawrence Ave. The fact that a Chinese business can be next door to a Mexican business is what makes America great. We always hear that America is the greatest country in the world. It's true we often hear it from other Americans so I spent the afternoon wondering what makes America the greatest country on Earth. My conclusion is that diversity makes this the best country in the world. We are the best and maybe the worst of every other nation rolled into one country. Whether you can admit it or not, we are influenced by the many different cultures that Americans are exposed to on a daily basis. This changes the way we think about the world, the food we eat, the way we see ourselves. Back in 2003 I had to laugh at myself on my first flight to a foreign country. I had to fill out a landing card that asked for my nationality. I always answered this by saying Irish, Italian and German but that would be incorrect. For the first time in my life I answered American. It seemed strange because I had never called myself an American before that moment. When you add Chrissy's bloodline of Polish, Romainian, Lithuanian and German you can see how diverse our two families have gotten. This really is America's greatest strength. Obviously my trip down Lawrence Avenue got me started on this line of thinking but after 2 hours in traffic I still believe our greatest asset as a country is our diversity.

May 14 Ben Harper

This is the new album from Ben Harper. He usually records with his band the Innocent Criminals but he has a new band with him on this release, the Relentless 7. It doesn't matter who else plays with him, Ben is an incredible artist who deserves your attention. He can go from an amazing blues riff on slide guitar to gospel to funk to amazingly soulful ballads on any of his albums and does every genre perfectly. He has an emotion in his voice that is unmatched in rock 'n' roll today. It doesn't matter if he is pleading with a lover at the end of the relationship (Please Me Like You Want To) or railing against an injustice (Excuse Me Mister) the raw power in his voice and lyrics just pulls me in. He also has songs about standing up for yourself and your beliefs (Fight Outta You) and (Burn One Down). And just in case you think he is serious all the time check out Steal My Kisses or Mama's Got A Girlfriend Now. I first heard of Ben Harper as the opening act at a PJ Harvey concert about 15 years ago. I was so blown away by his performance that I completely forgot about PJ Harvey that night. I finally saw him again last year at the Chicago Theater. Once again I was transformed by the performance. It was the most radically diverse audience I've ever seen. Everyone was singing, dancing or just following the incredible groove of the show. After the concert, Ben came back on stage and thanked his fans for allowing him to play such a wide variety of music. Then he stood on the edge of the stage without a microphone and sang an a capella version of Steal My Kisses, if I remember correctly. One last video, Ben covering "Under Pressure".

May 13 The Wire

As you can see, it was a shit day weather wise today. I didn't get any sleep the past two nights due to hockey and work. So when I got home I watched the HBO show 'The Wire'. I know I'm late to this show but I only recently started watching it on demand. I'm in the middle of season three now. It is one of the best shows I've ever seen. It's up there with 6 Feet Under, The Sopranos, Hill Street Blues and Rescue Me for my all time favorite shows. I just thought you should know about it. I'm off to bed. Good night.

May 12 Tools

We had dinner at Aunt Ann's house tonight. I replaced the hydraulic lifts on her car trunk and she made us shrimp scampi & pasta. That is a fine trade off for me. I also began to organize all of the tools left behind by her husband and her son. She is trying to clean up the garage and wants to sell off the tools. While looking through all the tool boxes and trying to determine what some of the tools are used for, I began to think about who will go through all my stuff when I die. This wasn't some morbid "oh woes me" thoughts, just wondering on my part. I concluded that I hoped someone who could use the tools would get them. Ann kept insisting I take what I wanted or needed and I will. I really enjoyed seeing the old Craftsman tools & boxes. Her husband Mike spent a lifetime putting this collection together and then one day, he no longer needs them. Ann has no use for them. So they will get passed to people who will add them to their toolboxes, then their day will come and the cycle repeats itself. These are the thoughts I had while organizing the tools.

May 11 HAWKS WIN, HAWKS WIN

It was a day for youngsters. The whole family decided to pitch in and buy my nephew, Kennedy, a good mountain bike for his 12th birthday. So I took him to get the bike to be sure it was a good one. Now he has a better bike than I do but hopefully I have a riding partner. After that I watched the Blackhawks win an exciting 7-5 playoff game in front of the home crowd. The Hawks young stars got six of their seven goals, Patrick Kane (20) had a hat trick, Jonathan Toews (21) had two goals and an assist and Kris Versteeg (22) had a goal. One old guy (44) spent the night screaming at his TV and going crazy as the Hawks blew a two goal lead but came back strong to advance to the conference finals against either the despised Detroit Red Wings or the Anaheim Ducks. The Blackhawks picture was taken from the Chicago Tribune website.

May 10 Mother's Day

It's Mother's Day so here is my tribute my mom pictured above with her boys. BTW, would it kill Jeff to smile. I know I can speak for my brothers in saying that we got extremely lucky in the mom lottery. She has always been there for the three of us, even after we got big enough to take the wooden spoon from her during a beating. She didn't raise any idiots, when she yelled give me back that spoon so I could beat you some more we always said no. Since I'm the only son that doesn't live near her, I'm the forgotten one. It's OK, I know deep down she stills loves me. And even though I tease and torture her, I thank God that she is my mom. I'm glad I have her sense of humor as proven in the picture below as she thanked me for a Christmas gift.














That's an Italian for you, always talking with her hands. I love you too Mom.






















I have other moms to thank on this day. They are moms to me because they have treated me like their son and I'm forever grateful. This is Mrs. Drescher who has looked after me for as long as I can remember. I carried her groceries out on a cold day without a hat back when I was a kid.
The next time I walked out into the parking lot she was standing there with a hat for me that she had just bought at the drug store. And for over 25 years now, my invitation to all the Drescher family gatherings has been implicit. So for that I say Happy Mothers Day, Mrs. Drescher.














Here I am with my Italian and Puerto Rican Aunts, Maryann & Nora. I have invited myself into their homes and have always been treated like a son. In Maryann's case, this has happened at least once a year sometimes as much as 5 times a year. I can't say how much I've enjoyed staying up with Maryann or Nora until late into the night talking about family and life. My mom taught me about the importance of family throughout my life. Maryann & Nora have also shown me that family bonds should never be broken and for that I wish them both a Happy Mother's Day. My Aunt Pat and Mother-In-Law Marsha (I have to make dinner and couldn't find a good picture of them right away) have also treated me like a son and I wish them a Happy Mother's day also.













That brings me to Mrs. D. , Phyllis Delgado. Besides my mom, she has had the biggest influence on me of all my 'moms'. And nothing that I write here could express my gratitude properly. She really has taught me a lot about how to live my life by allowing me to be in her life and witness firsthand the right way to live. For that I say, Happy Mother's Day, Mrs. D.