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This is an archive collection of entries from  my main personal blog, My Mundane Mid-Life.

This collection of entries is from September 2004.

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Thursday, September 30, 2004

Just couldn't do it

The first of the Presidential Debates
Sorry, I just couldn't do it tonight. I couldn't get myself (or Carol for that matter) to watch the debates.

This entire presidential campaign is making me angry. ANGRY! It's just pushing all my buttons and my blood pressure goes up (which is bad because I have not been taking my medication regularly) and I get overwhelmed by the need to throw something at the TV set.

Best to avoid this crap and vote the way I intend.

posted at 09:36 PM | Link | Current Events § |

Wednesday, September 29, 2004

X Prize - Part 1 - complete

It looks like SpaceShipOne may have passed its first qualifying flight to win the Ansari X Prize . They had a demonstration flight back in June that showed that the whole system worked. Today was the first official flight for qualification. It was pretty scary to watch this time, though. They had a live video feed from the back of the craft, so you can see the engine exhaust, wings, earth and space. Well, during the powered ascent, the spacecraft started to roll and just kept spinning-up. The pilot (Michael Melvill, again) was instructed to shut down the engine, but he intentionally kept it burning long enough to get the minimum altitude (320,000 feet). It still had 11 seconds left to burn. Unofficially, even without the 11 seconds, radar on the ground measured the height at 358,000 feet. (Update: 337, 569 feet (64 miles)) If SpaceShipOne's altitude is confirmed, it will also have beaten the X-15's top altitude of 354,200 feet (67 miles) set on August 22, 1963. Wonder how far it can go?

Now, to actually win the Ansari X Prize, the team has to fly a second flight with 14 days of the time of touchdown of the first successful flight. The team has scheduled that next flight for Sunday Monday, October 4.

Richard Branson also announced that he is forming Virgin Galactic, using the Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites technologies (the SpaceShipOne technologies), to create the first commercial space tourist flights by the end of the decade.

posted at 11:43 AM | Link | Space § |

Tuesday, September 28, 2004

I'm mentioned in a book!?!

The Golden Age of Chicago Children's Television
This past weekend, my sister bought me a book that I've read about and, well, was curious about - The Golden Age of Chicago Children's Television by Ted Okuda, Jack Mulqueen. I mean, I've always thought that I was part of the whole Chicago Children's Television movement by working for one of the major people in the business at that time.

So, I needed to see what it said about my boss.

And there it was. Page 151. Bill actually mentioned me in an interview and there it is in print. Not only that, I'm referenced in the index of the book.

Do you have any idea how much this means to me? This was the best times of my life, something that I don't think I realized at that time. No, I'm sure I didn't fully realized it back then.

And here's Bill Jackson immortalized along with Ray Rayner, Bozo, Garfield Goose... and I get mentioned along the way.

Wow.

posted at 08:20 AM | Link | Puppeteering | 1 comment § |

Monday, September 27, 2004

Jay's run is over

This past week seems to be just an endless list of things that have come to an end. It's weird.

The latest - Jay Leno will step down from The Tonight Show and hand it over to Conan O'Brien. (OK, not for a while, but the end comes in 2009)

read more of this entry »


posted at 08:07 PM | Link | TV § |

Sunday, September 26, 2004

White Sox 5 - Royals 1 - Final Home Game

Chicago White Sox Kansas City Royals

read more of this entry »


posted at 05:51 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Saturday, September 25, 2004

White Sox 5 - Royals 1

Chicago White Sox Kansas City Royals

read more of this entry »


posted at 09:47 PM | Link | White Sox § |
Warm weather over

There seems to be so many things that have come to an end over the past week. Today, it's the warm weather. The temperatures have been in the 80's for the past week or so, which is 10 degrees above the average. Well, Mother Nature likes to average things out, so it's 61° right now. The high is going to be 70° today.

Figures. We've got our last Sox games today and tomorrow.

posted at 07:39 AM | Link | Mundane § |

Friday, September 24, 2004

Bunnies update

Indy & Chip touch noses Chip eating carrots out of the bag
Just a quick bunny update.

read more of this entry »


posted at 08:23 PM | Link | Bunnies § |

Thursday, September 23, 2004

Another Matinée

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
I took off and spent the afternoon at the AMC South Barrington 30 to catch a matinée (1:30pm) of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. OK, there is hardly any resemblance of a plotline. Hell, this movie would fit well on Mystery Science Theater 3000. Everything is played pretty broadly, like a SciFi movie of the 30's.

BUT... This movie looks great. Why? Other than the actors, the entire movie is computer generated. The actors worked on blue screen/green screen sets. Watching this movie, it's hard to believe that there were no sets - no cars, no aircraft, no walls, no water... NOTHING. It was all generated. If you are interested in that type of cinematic technology, go see this movie on a big screen and see how far the technology has come.

Just don't go looking for a well written script.

posted at 03:35 PM | Link | Movies § |
Hmmm... that doesn't look good

Our maple tree in front of the house
About a year and a half ago, the village came by and "trimmed" our maple tree. Well, judging by that shape the bark is in as well as the obvious changing of colors on half of the tree, I'm thinking the tree is in trouble and we're never going to get a decent tree in front of our house. This is the second maple tree in the 20 years we've been here.

posted at 12:35 PM | Link | Mundane § |
NOOOO!!!! Don't take my Twinkies away from me!!!!!

The pile of Hostess goodies at our Dominick's
No! NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! Interstate Baking is Filing Chapter 11!!!! That's Hostess!!!! That's Twinkies! That's Ho-Ho's! Even my favorite cupcakes and little chocolate donettes!

I had to go to Dominick's to pay my last respects! They better come out of bankruptcy and keep making these sweets!

posted at 08:37 AM | Link | Mundane § |

Wednesday, September 22, 2004

Oh, *gack*

The Amazing Race 5 THEME
I'm watching The Early Show on CBS and Phil is presenting the $1 Million check to Chip & Kim. But the more upsetting thing is that Colin proposed to Christie and she said yes...

posted at 08:49 AM | Link | Amazing Race | 1 comment § |
What do you mean it's over?

The sun coming up over the neighborhood
How could summer be "over" already? It's the first day of autumn?

You can tell, though. The school buses are buzzing around the neighborhood. The nights are so much cooler and obviously longer. I went outside this morning to take out the garbage and recyclables, The sun was low on the horizon - the time of year when it's a bitch driving into the sun on the way to work... if you were employed. I noticed, too, that the air smells different. It's not spring, it's not summer... it's the smell of leaves on the ground, so that must be the smell of fall.

posted at 08:32 AM | Link | Mundane | 1 comment § |

Tuesday, September 21, 2004

The summer's Guilty Pleasures are over...

Big Brother 5 THEME
The Amazing Race 5 THEME

read more of this entry »


posted at 10:41 PM | Link | Reality TV § |

Sunday, September 19, 2004

White Sox 6 - Tigers 1

Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers

read more of this entry »


posted at 10:20 PM | Link | White Sox § |
Polish Drinking Sausage Water

I can't help it... it looks like it says Polish Drinking Sausage Water to me...
I pass by this Polish delicatessen at Addison and Laramie a few times a month, and every time I see that sign in the window I just can't seem to read it correctly. I know what it's supposed to say, but the two signs seem too close together, so, to me, the signs say "Polish Drinking Sausage Water".

posted at 05:52 PM | Link | Mundane | 1 comment § |
90,000

The Infiniti turns-over 90K while on the Northwest Tollway
While screaming down the Northwest Tollway on the way to the Sox game today, my Infiniti turned-over 90,000 miles.The car's remarkable. It's wearing well, too so it sounds good and looks good.

posted at 11:47 AM | Link | Mundane § |

Saturday, September 18, 2004

White Sox 9 - Tigers 8 - 12 innings

Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers

read more of this entry »


posted at 11:28 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Wednesday, September 15, 2004

Michael and Carol - 25 Years

Carol & Michael - September 15, 1979
25 years ago this afternoon, Carol and I got married.

25 years later, we're still together.

25 Years, people. 25 Years.

I can't tell you how much I want to do something to celebrate this wondrous event. Unfortunately, my extended bouts of unemployment are not allowing us to do that. I wanted to buy her stuff, I wanted to take her somewhere. I wanted this day to be special.

Instead, we'll probably celebrate quietly and enjoy each others company, like we have done for the last 25 years. It's great being married to a best friend. It's great being married to someone that understands you. It's great to be married to someone that you can share with everything that you can.

I just want to do so much more for her. I hope that after all of this time, she understands. I still have something up my sleeve...

Update: 12:05 pm Went to the bank to get some money for a few items today - Checking Balance: $0.00. Not the way I wanted the day to go...

A flower arrangement from Mom, Diane and Melinda
Update: 4:05pm Doorbell rang. Received what appears to be a HUGE - gi-normous - flower arrangement from Mom, Diane, and Melinda (Thank you, Guys!!!!) I'm not going to open it until Carol gets home...

Fillet Trio - Blue Cheese, Peppercorn and Horseradish
Update: 7:05 pm Just got back from dinner. Carol and I had our anniversary dinner tonight at Wildfire in Schaumburg. Recognizing a major mistake last year, we steered clear of alcohol this year. We ate ourselves silly - Carol at the fillet I had a Trio Of Fillets - each 3 oz, but with different coatings (I chose blue cheese, peppercorn, and horseradish). Then we topped it off with dessert - I had cheese cake, Carol had a Chocolate Malt Creme Brulet.

That's how we celebrated our 25th - quietly. If it weren't for the flowers we received earlier and the cards that we exchanged, you never would have known it was our 25th Wedding Anniversary. Life continues...

posted at 06:38 AM | Link | Family | 1 comment § |

Tuesday, September 14, 2004

Marlins 8 - Expos 6

Florida Marlins Montreal Expos

read more of this entry »


posted at 05:33 PM | Link | Baseball § |

Monday, September 13, 2004

Marlins 6 - Expos 3

Florida Marlins Montreal Expos

read more of this entry »


posted at 06:35 PM | Link | Baseball § |

Sunday, September 12, 2004

Not ready

Chicago BearsDetroit Lions
Sorry folks, It's baseball season. I don't care if my team is 9 games out and not in the Wild Card.

It's baseball season - even though football started today. I can't wrap my head around having a new coach and a team that almost doesn't look familiar.

posted at 01:02 PM | Link | Bears § |

Saturday, September 11, 2004

Anniversaries

B & B's anniversary is on the 23rd.

Ours is on the 15th - and it's a BIG ONE this year (Silver, my friends).

So, we took today (a different kind of anniversary) to celebrate our anniversaries.

The four of us went out to Mon Amí Gabi to celebrate our anniversaries tonight. We keep forgetting how much we love the food there.

We really do enjoy these people - they really are our best friends, and it's just great being able to be together, drink, eat, and celebrate our anniversaries.

Afterward, we just drove around downtown. It was such a gorgeous night, I didn't want to go home. I just wanted to drive and see the beautiful city we live in. We've got one of the best skylines around, and that view from the Adler Planetarium is indeed the "Money Shot" of the city.

What a nice night. I miss going out to dinner with them. We need to do this more often... of course, we'd need some money to do that...

posted at 09:26 PM | Link | Friends § |
3 Years


We must never forget.

Nothing much else to say. Just that.

posted at 07:46 AM | Link | Current Events § |

Wednesday, September 08, 2004

Genesis

Glued to NASA TV watching the the failure of the return of Genesis.

read more of this entry »


posted at 11:38 AM | Link | Space § |

Tuesday, September 07, 2004

Frances at Kennedy

The Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), shows about 820 panels were torn off during the storm. The Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), shows about 820 panels were torn off during the storm. The VIP Viewing stand no longer has a roof. Damage to the VAB can be seen in the distance. The Thermal Protection System Facility, where Space Shuttle tile and blankets are manufactured, suffered significant damage.
Looks like the Kennedy Space Center didn't get by unscathed from Hurricane Frances. It could impact the Shuttle Return To Flight tasks.

read more of this entry »


posted at 09:09 PM | Link | Space § |

Monday, September 06, 2004

Labor Day

No laboring today. Just another day for me, but Carol is off today and there's no way she should be doing anything today.

Just watching TV (catching-up on TiVo) and playing with the bunnies.

posted at 03:09 PM | Link | Mundane § |

Sunday, September 05, 2004

White Sox 6 - Mariners 2

Chicago White Sox Seattle Mariners

read more of this entry »


posted at 10:13 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Saturday, September 04, 2004

White Sox 8 - Mariners 7

Chicago White Sox Seattle Mariners

read more of this entry »


posted at 10:07 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Friday, September 03, 2004

Japanese advertising

Shingo Takatsu pitches to Ichiro Suzuki in the 9th
I'm watching the white Sox-Seattle game on Fox Sports Net from U.S. Cellular Field and I just noticed that the rolling advertizing sign behind the plate has Japanese advertising in it!

I'd like to think it's because of Shingo Takatsu, but I'm sure it's because of Ichiro Suzuki. Or perhaps, both.

I've NEVER seen that before in the park.

On a side note, I read today that there a rumor that the Cubs will apply to the Historical Commission to be able to put a rolling advertizing sign on the brick behind the plate at Wrigley Field. Ha! Join the ranks of ugly advertising inside the park, dear Cub fans...

posted at 09:46 PM | Link | White Sox § |
Kobe

On Friday nights, Carol and I usually go out for dinner.

Nothing fancy at all. mind you. It's just a once-a-week thing to get out of the house and not have Carol feel like she needs to cook. The idea is just to grab something that will cost less than $20 for the two of us. We have our regular haunts, all of which are not flashy at all - the local China Buffet, Gulliver's Barnaby's (for a Pub Burger, not a pizza), Steak n Shake, or Rosati's (for the buffet).

Tonight we went to another standby - Fuddruckers. I was floored by the sign that I saw at the entrance:

KOBE BEEF BURGER

Fuddruckers has Kobe beef? WTF? It's a half pound American-Style Kobe Beef Burger for $9.99

I've always wanted to try Kobe beef... but not as a burger at Fuddruckers...

posted at 06:15 PM | Link | Mundane § |

Thursday, September 02, 2004

'Skeeters

The village just went through the neighborhood with the Mosquito Abatement Trucks, throwing chemicals into the air trying to kill mosquito larvae. Illinois had their first fatality from the West Nile Virus today.

posted at 10:50 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Matinée

Collateral
I went over to the AMC South Barrington 30 to catch a matinée (1:50pm) of Collateral. I didn't know what to expect, I had heard a few good things about the movie so I thought I'd check it out.

WOW. I was blown away - much better than I had thought. First, acting - Jamie Foxx was great and Tom Cruise was OK. The thing that got me was the look of the movie. It takes place all in one night. To get the look right, it was shot in HDTV. That's right - digital video instead of film. This allowed the crew the freedom of shooting in very low light levels with richness of color and not having to wash a set in high intensity lighting. In fact, it's hard to see any lighting in the film. It was wonderful and magical - I don't know how to explain it - you felt the night. I would highly recommend the film.

posted at 04:27 PM | Link | Movies § |

Wednesday, September 01, 2004

*nose wiggle* *nose wiggle*

"Rabbit, Rabbit!"

(Had to give two wiggles - we've got two bunnies in the house now!

posted at 07:58 AM | Link | Memes § |

 

That's it for the entries in this particular Archive of my blog. If you want, you can look through other entries by selecting the links in the right-hand column of this page under either Archives by Month or Archives by Category, or you can search the site for specific keywords by using the Search page.

This Blog was last updated Friday December 18, 2009 13:03:12 CDT (-06:00 GMT)
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