This collection of entries is from December 2005.
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Saving my energy for the endAnother easy, snoozy Saturday... have to save-up my energy for the annual party at B&B's. Will blog about it when we get home... tomorrow.
posted at 04:40 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Friday, December 30, 2005
Wolves 11 - Rivermen 5
read more of this entry »
We looked bad at the beginning of the game - Peoria was fast and aggressive, passed the puck and handled the puck very well. By 4:09 in the first, we were already down 2-0.
Then, the most remarkable thing happened.
We started scoring.
And never stopped.
We set a franchise record for goals in a game (11) and goals in a period (7 in the 2nd Period).
Strange coincidences permeated the game - like our 7th goal was by #7 Mark Popovic, the 8th goal was by #8 Pat Dwyer and our 10th goal was by #10 Ramzi Abid. Weird!
Now how about this - 11 goals on 22 shots?!?!? Both teams went through two goaltenders (I think we did just to give them some rest, since we so far in the lead)
And we got called for Too Many Men on the Ice THREE TIMES!
Now, it didn't hurt that in the 2nd at 14:58 Rocky Thompson went after Billy Tibbetts and gave us a power play for some time after getting 2 minutes for Roughing, 2 minutes for Instigating, 5 minutes for Fighting, a 10 minutes Misconduct - Instigating and a Game misconduct - Aggressor (56(a)). We only got one Power Play goal during that time - our major downfall of the past season(s).
This was one for the record books, one to experience.
(Boxscore - Gamesheet) « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 10:46 PM | Link | Wolves § |
RememberingTime passes and even the best memories aren't as crystal clear as they were and that you want them to be that way forever. I am still remembering you. I'm starting to wonder, however, how life would be different if you were still around.
posted at 06:54 AM | Link | Family § |
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Cash Cab
I happened to stumble on to what I think is a cool, entertaining, fun game show on - of all channels - The Discovery Channel.
read more of this entry »
The show is called Cash Cab.
Imagine this - you're in New York City (probably just Manhattan). You're looking for a cab to take you somewhere. A van-style cab pulls up. You get in and tell the driver your destination.
Suddenly, you hear a musical "sting" over the speakers in the cab and the ceiling of the cab lights-up (it looks like the dance floor from Saturday Night Fever, only upside down and on the ceiling). The driver (the host, Ben Bailey) turns to you and welcomes you to The Cash Cab which is a rolling television game show inside the cab. And asks you if you want to play. The cab itself has at least 4 cameras hidden in the interior of the cab and up to two others buried in the advertising sign on the roof. The cab does have a medallion on the hood and it does have a fare meter. In fact, there's no way you'd know it wasn't just a normal cab. However, it appears that the people that show-up in the cab do not have to pay a fare.
Basically, the show is just a question and answer show. If the passengers want to play, Ben will ask them a series of questions while on the way to their destination. A graphical map pops up that shows you the route Ben is going to take and how many blocks away they are from their destination. the longer the drive, the more opportunities the passenger(s) have to win more money. Or, they have to pray for a traffic jam.
The first 4 questions - on the easy side - are worth $25 each. Each round the difficulty goes up, along with the cash - $50 for the next 4, or $100 for the rest. Answer the questions - you get the cash. If you miss the question, you are awarded a strike. If you get three strikes, Ben pulls the cab over, and kicks you out - without winning any cash, no matter where you are (you'll have to catch another cab to get to your destination!) There are sound effects and the ceiling lights with each answer.
Now, if the passengers get stumped, they have 2 one-time "options" (think "Life Lines" from Who wants to be a Millionaire): One is a "Mobile Shout-Out" where you use Ben's Motorola Razr phone to call one person to get the answer, or the "Street Shout-Out", where Ben pulls the cab over to the curb and you find someone (and only one person) walking by on the street to answer your question (could you imagine a cab pulling over to the curb as you're walking by and the passengers ask you to answer a question for them?)
If the "contestants" get up to $200 and Ben has to stop at a red light, they qualify for a "Red Light Challenge". The get 30 seconds to answer a question that will have multiple answers ("other than Rudolph, name all of the reindeer"). If they get the question right in 30 seconds, they get $250 - if not, there's no penalty (no strikes), they just don't win any additional money.
If the passengers make it to their destination without getting kicked-out, they win their money in cash on the spot, doled-out by Ben. HOWEVER, Ben offers them a Double-or-Nothing chance on a "Video Bonus Question". Ben flips-up a little LCD monitor for the passengers, they watch the clip and try to answer the question (it's always the hardest question of the trip). If they win, they double their winnings; if they lose, the get nothing but a free ride and the experience of playing in the Cash Cab.
It's simple and fun. The contestants are just everyday people off the street, not people applying for a gameshow, so that right there adds a nice flavor to the show. It's amazing how many people that get into the cab that you can tell within 30 seconds if they're going to get to their destination or not!
Entertaining! Weekdays, right now at 6PM EST on The Discovery Channel. « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 06:25 PM | Link | TV § |
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Too many changes in the cityI'm getting upset again.
First, there's the disregard for name recognition of not only a landmark of a store, but of the quality that it invokes of the chain - Marshall Field's. Thank you so much, Federated, for shoving the Macy's name down our civic throats. Macy's is New York name - get it the hell away from here. Field's is what belongs. And you idiots just don't have a clue.
Now, it's a restaurant - Berghoff's. The owners - the third generation owners - are retiring. Can't blame them. they're leasing the building to their daughter, who's in the catering business. OK, not so bad. She's going to reopen the bar in spring - changing the name to 17 West at The Berghoff. Hmmm... OK. But she's taking the restaurant, closing it, and reserving it for private catered events (she's the owner of Artistic Events by Carlyn Berghoff Catering Inc.)
read more of this entry »
Now, that's the part I don't like. The bar opened in 1898. The original owner - Herman Joseph Berghoff' - wanted to showcase his Dortmunder-style beer in his bar for a nickle a mug and free sandwiches. It got Liquor License No. 1 after Prohibition ended in 1933. The place expanded to add a full restaurant in 1936. You know - they had an actual Men-Only bar until 1969? In the restaurant, the waiters (and there are only male waiters) wear black jackets and white aprons. And what a great German restaurant it is with what I think are reasonable prices.
This place was around for generations. The daughter is in the "food" business - find a way to keep the restaurant open!
The Tribune is running a poll for Which Berghoff item will you miss the most?
Sauerbraten
Wiener Schnitzel
Schweins Filet
Geshnetzeltes
Bratwurst & Knockwurst
Creamed Herring
Creamed spinach
Berghoff Beer
Schlact-Platte
Sauerkraut
What's not on there is their great Root Beer.
Hey, all you people out there! Quit screwin' with city landmarks!
Think I'm nuts? Here are businesses that have disappeared from Chicago that may not have been headquartered here at all, but they were all well known by the people here. (A lot just folded-up or disappeared in a merger somewhere, and quite frankly, most were no where close to being "landmarks") They all had a spot in our lives, though not as deeply rooted as Berghoff's and Field's, which we feel were ours. (BTW, a lot of these names are from Eric Zorn's blog at the Tribune)
Polk Bros.
Montgomery Ward
Kroch's and Brentano's
Goldblatt's
Wieboldt's.
McDade's
Handy Andy
Builder's Square
Morrie Mages
Kohl's Food stores
Rose Records
Playback-back-back-back (the electronic playground!)
Flip Side
Musicraft
Stereo Studio
Venture (they replaced Turn-Style)
Bonwit Teller
E.J. Korvette
Phar-Mor
Zayre (bought by Ames Dept. Stores)
Crown Books
I. Magnin
Woolworth's
Kresge's
Ben Franklin
Sportmart
Baskins
Madigans
Bigsby & Kruthers
Bargain Town (Bargain Town! Bargain Town! Bargain Town!)
Chas. A. Stevens
Elek-Tek
Community Discount Stores
Musicland
Just Pants
Pepper's Waterbeds
Golden Bear Restaurants
Wag's Restaurants (missing Golden Bear - Wag's, not so much)
F&M
Plywood Minnesota (I did 10 commercials for them!)
Minnesota Fabrics
Service Merchandise
Egghead Software
Bonanza Steakhouse
Sizzler Steakhouse
Cattle Company
FAO Schwarz
Galyan's (Gee, they were hardly here in Chicago before Dick's bought them out)
John M. Smyth's Homemakers
Fotomat
Robert Hall
Magikist
Boushelle (HUdson 3-2700!)
Wimpy's Hamburgers (another not missed so much)
Ground Round
Chicken Unlimited
Cock Robin
Arthur Treacher Fish 'n Chips
Lockwood Castle
Zum Deutchen Eck (Now, there's great German food... or was...)
Come Back Inn (great burgers and you had to sit by the fireplace with the back-end of the moose!)
Slicker Sam's
Lumm's (Hotdogs - especially in Old Town)
Shakey's Pizza (not around here)
Victoria Station
Stop & Shop
Hillman's grocery store
Rusty Scupper
Fritz That's It!
Lawrence of Oregano
Sally's Stage
Chicago Claim Company
Swiss Colony
Nelson Brothers ("Nelson Brothers loves me ... and they'll love you too!")
Karoll's Red Hanger Shops ("When you think of Christmas, think of Karoll's!")
County Seat
Puppy Palace
Jack in the Box (I still miss the place - I visit them in any town that still has them - gotta get me some tacos!)
Olson Electronics
Shutan Camera
Biasco Music
5-7-9
United Audio (now Tweeter's - liked them better before)
The Axle Roller Rink
Frank's Nursery and Crafts. ("Beautiful things begin at Frank's")
The Thirsty Whale
Poplar Creek Music Theater
The Buffalo (NOT the same since it moved from Irving & Pulaski to Buffalo Grove)
Waccamaw
Siebens Brewery
Hippos in Schaumburg
Is Par King still around?
Old Chicago Amusement Park
The Playboy Club
The Millionaires' Club - Golf Mill
Andy Frain ushers
JoJo's restaurants (big fishtank up front?)
Saxon Paint
Wanzer Dairies, "Wanzer on Milk is like Sterling on Silver."
Farrells Ice cream parlour
Skrudland (photo/camera store on Diversey and in Palatine)
Shoppers World on Fullerton and Narragansett.
Lechter's kitchen store.
Candlelight Dinner Playhouse / In-The-Round Dinner Playhouse
Wait... is Kiddieland still alive?
(Here's something that's gone now that I'm still pissed about - Meigs Field!) « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 08:09 PM | Link | Current Events | 2 comments § |
It’s just a goddamned piece of paper!I don't know how I stumbled over to Capitol Hill Blue, but I can't tell you how pissed-off I got reading this article. Here's a little excerpt:
GOP leaders told Bush that his hardcore push to renew the more onerous provisions of the [Patriot] act could further alienate conservatives still mad at the President from his botched attempt to nominate White House Counsel Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court.
“I don’t give a goddamn,” Bush retorted. “I’m the President and the Commander-in-Chief. Do it my way.”
“Mr. President,” one aide in the meeting said. “There is a valid case that the provisions in this law undermine the Constitution.”
“Stop throwing the Constitution in my face,” Bush screamed back. “It’s just a goddamned piece of paper!”
posted at 11:34 AM | Link | Current Events | 2 comments § |
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
The look backYou know how you can tell that Christmas is over? Every friggin' broadcast television network has started airing their year-end retrospectives. Other than the White Sox winning the World Series, there's nothing that I want to look back on. The tsunami aftermath. Katina. The war. Political scandals.
I'd rather forget it.
Update: Ooops. My nephew Jackson was born in September. Can't overlook that. Ok, So Jackson, the White Sox, and that's it.
posted at 06:52 AM | Link | Mundane § |
Monday, December 26, 2005
Wasted DayWhat a crappy day. It's kind of dark out all day. No motivation to do anything at all today - just recovering from the last 2 days.
I seem cheated somehow - not about what presents I got for Christmas, it's about time. I mean, you get all set for a weekend, but both days of a weekend are a holiday, so your weekend was actually really active and it was a holiday, so you at least get an extra weekday that you don't have to work, but the one day doesn't offset the two days. Do you get it? Where's my weekend!
I got one trip out to CompUSA today - we almost lost our TiVo today. While I was copying something to DVD, the TiVo all of a sudden shutdown and through a Blue-Screen error saying it shutdown because of a thermal problem. I went out and bought some compressed air (I was out) and blew-out the fan on the TiVo as best as I could and opened the door on that side of the cabinet for the rest of the day. I can't really tell if the fan is turning or not - I DON'T need to fry my TiVo....
posted at 08:27 PM | Link | Mundane | 1 comment § |
Sunday, December 25, 2005
Merry Christmas!
Christmas at my mom's house.
Started later than normal - about an hour - but was pretty much like all of our other Christmas's - with the exception of Jack being there.
I have ALWAYS videotaped every single friggin' year of Christmas. What happens this year? I forget the camcorder - for Jack's First Christmas!
Well, Jack - being only 3 months old - has no grasp of the situation, so in retrospect, I don't feel too bad.
Christmas and Christmas eve was actually small, intimate and nice. I enjoyed it all. Got a few presents - not many - and it was all stuff I needed - Not wanted, but needed.
Somehow, you just never grow up and you still hope for the toys, you know?
posted at 09:20 PM | Link | Family § |
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Christmas Eve
For the first time, we've had a little shake-up in our family traditions at Christmas Eve. Tonight, it's a very small dinner - just Gil & Cathy, my Mom, and Carol and I. that's it. No Dane, no extended family.
The weather is weird - it feels like its in the 40's. Dinner is late because Gil has to work at WGN until 6, so I drove into the city to bring mom out to our house. The traffic stinks on the Northwest Tollway at the toll booths because of the construction t redo the area for "Open Tolling".
Dinner was great - Carol got a really nice beef tenderloin from a butcher this morning that she found in Northbrook. Sounds like she was really satisfied with the place, so she will probably go back.
I drove mom back into town at the end of the evening and had a little bit of a panic, trying to find an open gas station on the way home. The Des Plaines Oasis - after I fought my way trough the traffic at the toll both - was may savior.
Really dense, patchy fog tonight - probably from all of the melting snow.
posted at 11:16 PM | Link | Family § |
Friday, December 23, 2005
Wolves 3 - Bears 4 (Overtime)
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Outshot 40-30.
Referee Bob Langdon called a very uneven game. We were up 3-1 in the 3rd (Tuomas Tarkki actually looked great), and then all of a sudden were called for some cheap penalties and the Bears got back into the game and tied it 3-3.
In overtime, Langdon calls Kip Miller for Holding the Stick (which we're now dubbing the Brokeback Mountain penalty) in Kip Miller at 3:19 into overtime, and the Bears score 4:32 into overtime. The Wolves went nuts, pitching and hollering at Langdon. According the the scoresheet, the Bench got a 10-minute Gross misconduct at the end of the game.
REALLY SCARY part of the game - sometime during the 3rd, one of the Bears got hit in the throat. He went don in front of his net, struggled to get to his feet, coasted back to the bench and collapsed in the bench. Everything else happened pretty quickly. A doctor cam onto the ice and was escorted to the bench. Paramedics and police brought out a gurney. Players and coaches stood in front of the bench door, making "snow" with their skates on the ice. (I think they were applying it to the guy's throat). He eventually stood-up and you could see that his throat was really red and wet.
(Boxscore - Gamesheet) « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 10:37 PM | Link | Wolves § |
Faux Santa
There is NOBODY at work today. My SameTime list is showing just about everyone I know is not in the office or even logged-in from home.
Very quiet.
Today, just to play with the season and since I already had the beard and gut, I wore a Santa hat to work. Nearly every single person addressed me as Santa today - and I don't know any of these people. But they were all smiling.
Even the hottest woman in the place, whom I've only seen once, stopped by my cube and wanted to know if she could add some last minute wishes to her list. Oh. My. God.
Gotta love the hat.
posted at 01:26 PM | Link | Work § |
Thursday, December 22, 2005
A EULA-tide GreetingI saw this at lotusinthemud. I wish I could find out where the original was. It's a typical End User License Agreement for the holiday season
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Please accept -- with no obligation, implied or implicit, on behalf of the wisher or wishee -- my best wishes for an environmentally-conscious, socially-responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice, practiced within the traditions and/or religious or secular belief(s) of your choice and with respect for the traditions and/or religious or secular beliefs of others or for their choice to not practice traditions and/or religious or secular beliefs at all; and for a fiscally-successful, personally-fulfilling, medically-uncomplicated recognition of the onset of what is generally accepted as the new Gregorian calendar year, but with due respect for calendars of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make Britain great (which is not to imply that Britain is necessarily greater than any other country, nor that it is the only 'Britain' in the Northern hemisphere), and without regard to the race, creed, colour, age, physical ability, sexual orientation, political affiliation, or choice of computer operating system of the wisher.
DISCLAIMER
By accepting this greeting you are accepting the terms of the greeting and all responsibility associated with it. This greeting is subject to clarification and/or revocation at any time at the discretion of the wisher. This greeting is non-transferable without the express written consent of the wisher. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for him/herself or for others.
This greeting is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one Gregorian calendar year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first. Warranty is limited to replacement of this greeting or issuance of a new greeting at the sole discretion of the wisher, who assumes no responsibility for any unintended emotional stress this greeting may bring to those not caught up in the holiday spirit. Reading of this disclaimer constitutes your acceptance of the greeting. « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 03:04 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Winter Solstace!Yes! The days get LONGER from here!!! WOOT!!!
posted at 12:35 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Dead Spot!CRAP!
I have a cell phone dead spot right at my desk!
That's not good!!!!
I swear I was OK yesterday...
posted at 12:03 PM | Link | Work § |
Monday, December 19, 2005
New digsAll of my boxes were waiting for me in my new cube in the new building. It took me all day to actually unpack, though and somehow everything that was packed actually fit somewhere in the cube.
The chair is just OK, not good. the new Cisco VoIP phone is... odd. The receiver is extraordinarily heavy. i think everyone thinks that logging-out of the phone at night is just ridiculous, so we're all logging-in today and just staying logged in. It's just feels odd having to login to a phone. The lighting is good and the workspace is a lot bigger than what I had before.
I feel really isolated - I'm actually in a separate room from everybody else I knew. I have no idea who some of these people are "back here". Didn't even try the deli today - there was a catered welcome luncheon one floor up today. We'll have to check it out tomorrow.
Update: I forgot a major thing - two words: Parking Garage. In my whole career, this is only the second job I've had with an attached parking garage, with an underground entry into the building. Gotta love it.
posted at 03:05 PM | Link | Work § |
Sunday, December 18, 2005
FOUR YEARS4 Year Blogiversary!
I started "My Mundane Mid-Life" four years ago today.
I've written about my life - my mundane, "every day", routine, unremarkable, boring life - and I've written it for me as the audience. If you come to this site regularly, irregularly or even not at all but read through RSS, I want to sincerely thank you for stopping by and reading. To have ANYBODY read this blog makes be feel wonderful, especially if you're not a family member or don't even know me!
I've written about people that I have lost forever, I have written about people that have come into my life. I just write about the things I do, the things that interest me, the people that interest me. As I wrote two years ago: I don't get a lot of traffic here because of that. I'm not a popular guy - I just write about the things I do in my life along with a few pieces about things I like/dislike or just catch my eye. I don't try for anything deep, anything philosophical, political or edgy. It's just me. I don't have a lot of friends out there who read this blog, and certainly not a lot of family members either. I'm OK with that. I guess if I write for an audience of one (me), I won't be all that disappointed in my traffic or my lack of comments or even the frequency of what I write.
So, if I'm just writing for me, hopefully I won't disappoint me by trying to keep writing almost every day. I feel the need to do that - don't know why. Perhaps it's this feeling that may, just maybe, if people stop-by regularly and actually read this thing, then I should keep it going for as long as I can. Maybe I can get one or two more readers that way.
Here's a question for all of you out there - after 4 years, do you know me yet?
So - what in the world am I going to try to do to add to the Mundane experience here? I have one word:
Podcast
Everybody is listening, and it seems like everybody is creating one, whether they have something to say or not. Most of the podcasts are really excellent.
How about mine?
Well, I don't have high hopes, but I want to give it a try. It'll be an off-shoot of what you see here, except you'll be hearing it instead. Some things may only be in the podcast, some things may only be here in the blog. We'll sort it out as we make the journey.
I realize I've had some big issues posting regularly. I'm not setting a schedule for the podcast. We'll just see how it plays out. I'm just an average guy in his late 40's with an itch to share his mundane, "every day", routine, unremarkable, boring life.
It may mean nothing to you, but it means something to me.
Thank you all for visiting. I truly appreciate you taking your time to do that. Make yourselves known every once in a while be leaving a comment or two and signing the appropriate GuestMap. Please stop-by again and see how this podcast-thing turns out!
posted at 06:59 AM | Link | Blogging | 2 comments § |
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Wolves 3 - Admirals 4
read more of this entry »
9-11-1-3, 22pts, in 6th place in the division, 20 points behind the first place Aeros, only 1 point ahead of the last place Rampage. 6 different goaltenders, Goals Against averages between 1.47 and .4.41
WE SUCK
Nice to see our Power Play is still missing after many years - 1 / 8.
Lackluster. Unmotivated.
The Big Deal for this game was supposed to be Bobby Hull. Let's just say expectations weren't managed well. Did he skate in the warmups? No. He dropped the Ceremonial First Puck, then retired to the Budweiser bar, where he stayed for the rest of the game yo sign autographs. There was a lot of Hull memorabilia that was Silent Auctioned to raise money for Wolves' charities.
Somehow, we expected more. Just like our team.
Update: WOW. Holy Crap. I've heard stories about Bobbie Hull signing autographs for his fans, that he wouldn't stop until everybody was satisfied. Say what you want about the guy, but he finished signing everything at 1:30 A.M.!
(Boxscore - Gamesheet) « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 10:21 PM | Link | Wolves § |
How can Matt Santos win the presidency without Leo McGarry?West Wing's John Spencer died of a heart attack just days before his 59th birthday.
posted at 06:41 AM | Link | Mundane § |
Friday, December 16, 2005
EmptyThe floor of my office is ghostly quiet. The only one here is a network guy in the next cube, who wants to shut down all of the switches since everyone has packed-up their offices into the moving boxes and have taken their personal items and have left the building for good. We're all moving to a brand new office complex down the road with brand new cubicles - not to mention a brand new deli to check out on the first floor.
I won't miss this place - my cubicle was built of metal walls - very similar to the cubes I had when I I was with my first company almost 30 years ago. They're just outdated. So was the furniture.
And... it's just time for a new beginning. I have no idea who I will be sitting near. All the people that used to sit around me have been scattered around the floor, sometimes in groupings that don't make any sense.
Well, I've changed all of my many voicemail greetings, shutoff accepting messaging in the old voicemail system, and I'm just shutting-down my laptop.
I'm outta here.
posted at 03:32 PM | Link | Work § |
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Whipsaw weatherI'm at home, cleaning out the "trays" in Indy & Chip's cage, when Carol calls from work to let me know she's on her way home.
We have to keep the patio door curtain open when the "kidlettes" are out (Indy & Chip) because a certain elder rabbit (Indy) won't stop chewing on the brand new drape. She's chewed-off a strip of fabric about 3 inches long vertically in a pleat. Not visible at night, but sure is visible during the day since it's a solid dark cranberry color.
The weather outside today is a little odd.It feels balmy, even though it just got into the 30's for the first time in what seems weeks. The snow was actually melting.
Anyway, As I got up to answer the phone, my jaw hit the hardwood (floor) when I looked out the patio door. The snow was coming down. Thick. Big flakes. Can barely see out the door. (I would have used other adjectives, but "coming down hard" only applies to rain and not snow). It was bad out there.
So, I told Carol about it and then we started to discuss what we wanted for dinner and if she was willing to pick it up.
By the end of the phone call, Carol asks if it's still snowing.
I look out the door again and... no snow. It stopped.
I hate when Mother Nature messes with you.
posted at 05:37 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Blood on my papersI'm still packing up my office. I'll be packing up tomorrow, too, because I have more stuff than I thought I did.
If you think a paper cut hurts, try a manila folder cut.
Yeah. Real pleasant.
posted at 03:19 PM | Link | Work § |
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Better sleep though medicineHave been having some issue with the quality of my sleep the last few nights. I just can't get the mind to shutdown and relax and get some good rest.
I whole heartedly recommend Tylenol PM. Does the trick and doesn't leave too much crap in your system the next day so you can at least act like a normal human being.
posted at 08:37 AM | Link | Mundane § |
Monday, December 12, 2005
Boxing-upStarting to go through all the drawers/cabinets/overheads in my office and separating, organizing and boxing-up stuff.
A week from today I'll be in a brand spanking-new office with slightly less storage.
But it's a MUCH better facility. I'll even have a VoIP phone and a Unified Messaging center (I can get my voicemails in my email... If I wanted)
Oh! And a great looking deli that I'm hoping will be as great as it looks!
posted at 10:38 AM | Link | Mundane § |
Sunday, December 11, 2005
CrampedWhere the hell was my soap!!!!
I rolled over in bed this morning and get a HELLACIOUS cramp in my right calf.
I'm rolling around in bed, yelling and swearing at the top of my lungs. Carol was downstairs and she came upstairs once she heard me swearing. I just couldn't even point my toes to try to stretch the muscle. Carol grabbed my foot and started pivoting it and rubbed my calf, but it had to be at least 5 minutes of excruciating pain before I just decided to stand on it and walk around to warm it up and stretch it.
DAY-AMN that hurt...
Haven't walked the same since...
posted at 09:41 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Saturday, December 10, 2005
Family Feud - Party-style
My cousin's (Jimmy) wife (Myrina) threw a party for family and friends for her 40th birthday. It had been snowing all afternoon and evening and it was somewhere in... Buffalo Grove? Arlington Heights? at a development's clubhouse that they rented. They catered dinner and had stocked-up drinks and appetizers.
The main room with couches and tables and chairs was a bit... uncomfortable. Don't get me wrong, it was a nice room. It just reminded me of... a funeral parlor. I mentioned that to some of the relatives and we all went scampering around to change the lighting to make it feel "different". It was the fluorescent indirect lighting around the top of the walls that was the issue.
The "highlight" of the evening - if you can call it that. - was a live Family Feud game. We formed two groups of 5 people each - one was Myrina's Family and the other was Myrina's Friends. Prior to tonight, Jimmy had emailed a survey to everyone that was attending loaded with questions that would be asked during the game.
Jimmy had a laptop and LCD projector and a flash piece of software that was a self-contained complete Family Feud game, with all music and sound effects, ability to build all of the Survey Answers on a replica board and a complete lightning round at the end of the game for the winning group.
It actually turned out REALLY well and was a great time!
posted at 11:31 PM | Link | Family § |
Silence is... scaryThe last thing I remember as I was sitting on the couch last night was seeing about 5-7 seconds of the Scottie Pippen number retirement during the Bulls Game. Next thing I know, it's 3 in the morning, the TV is still on, and I'm alone sitting on the couch. I had fallen asleep while watching TV, sitting up, resting my head on my right hand, while my right elbow was on the armrest of the couch. I hadn't moved in hours. I sat up, taking my hand away from the side of my head and realized I had a problem.
I couldn't hear anything with my right ear. ANYTHING.
the whole side of my head felt weird as I must have stop proper blood flow to the skin on my scalp, and my earlobe was tingling. And there was this slight ringing in my ear.
But if I put my finger in my left ear, I can't hear a dam thing.
As the house started to wake-up, I could "work" on my ear and if I tug on it a certain way, I can get some partial hearing back. But it would go silent again.
I made it through lunch, thinking maybe eating something will get the jaw movement to move something around somewhere to get my hearing back. I just couldn't clear my ear.
It's not getting any better, so it's time to have it looked at. There's no Immediate Care places around us, so we decide to go to the Emergency Room of our local hospital.
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The hospital has been in a steady state of construction for a few years now. The new emergency facilities were great. There was hardly anybody there in the waiting room. Just jackets and baby blankets... why do people just leave their stuff there, thinking it will still be there when they eventually leave.
The triage area was nice and the tech there did an efficient job and worried me enough about my high blood pressure to maybe get me back on my medication. The insurance person was efficient as well.
When I finally got called-in - about 90 minutes after first arrival - we went to an ER room with a tech - who had me strip, get in a gown, and promptly hooked me up to a 5 lead EKG. Great. I HATE those friggin' patches because they stick to my fur and hurt like hell when I attempt to get them off of me!
A doctor came in and took a look in the ear and new IMMEDIATELY what was wrong - my ear canal was impacted with wax. The other ear - pristine. He also was a bit concerned about my heart rate (not blood pressure) and wanted to see me after the nurse has her way with me.
The doctor leaves, a nurse comes in and starts to work on irrigating the ear with hopes of flushing out the gunk in the ear. Nada. Nothing happens. Another nurse comes in and is upset the first nurse was already working on me. Seems like the both of them like doing this kind of stuff - getting stuff out of people's orifices. the second nurse leaves as the first nurse really gets into her work. Then she has to go leave to get a different catheter. She comes back, and still another nurse comes in saying that the nurses are fighting over me to get this thing out of my ear. The first nurse if irrigating the hell out of my ear canal and all i can say is two words - wet and pressure. Nothing is changing and nothing is coming out. The nurse sends the third nurse to get some q-tips! We had this nice conversation about how she was a professional and can use q-tips in ears, while us civilians are amateurs and should never put objects in our ear canals.
The q-tips show up and she starts to dig. I feel a pressure change and clear sound as she pulls out this grotesque amalgam of ear wax and God knows what about the size of a very large raisin that was the diameter of my ear canal.
I've never had a wax issue before... and now I'm feeling significantly older, because this is just like what had happened to my dad and even my mom has had wax issues. Hell, hell my sister who is younger than me has had this before... does wax run in the family? « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 03:30 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Friday, December 09, 2005
Burning another ticketLast Friday Carol wasn't feeling well with this rash spreading around her body. We figured out the next day when looking at a calendar hung on our fridge that we had tickets to the Chicago Wolves game the night before and obviously missed the game.
Tonight, we have tickets to tonight's game.
Only that we're tired and not really interested. So, we're not going.
I don't know - w just have the interest in Hockey - we can't shake the whole baseball thing. And the Wolves have been playing so crappy this year. Last week's game was a loss, so no it wasn't lost time being there.
I don't know - it's just I feel bad about burning a ticket.
Update: Figures - the Wolves scrored 4 goals in the 3rd to beat Peoria 6-5.
posted at 06:09 PM | Link | Work § |
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Sliding on the South Side
I'm riveted to the live coverage of a plane crash on the south side. It's been snowing for quite a while. There were reports of the snowfall being 8.3". Southwest Flight 1248 from Baltimore "landed" around 7:15pm on runway 31C at Midway (6, 522 feet long, but only 5, 826 usable for landing). Don't know what happened, but the plane never stopped. It just rolled off the end of the runway, went through the fence, and landed in the intersection of 55th Street and Central Avenue. The front nose gear collapsed, and the plane pinned at least one car, maybe two, underneath it.There was a family in one of them - just heard an 6 year old boy died from being in one of those cars. 98 people were on the plane. And the snow just keeps coming down. Midway is closed until 6am tomorrow.
Would you believe there was a crash at Midway 33 years ago today? The story of United 533 is below.
Still snowing outside my window, though it doesn't look as bad. We got hit hard - the rush hour was bad. I heard a story of travel times at 4 hours from Lake Cook to downtown on the Edens.
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Flight 533 left Washington D.C. for Omaha, Nebraska stopping in Chicago. Approaching Midway the pilot was instructed by the control tower to execute a "missed approach" pattern. The pilot applied full power to go around for another landing attempt. At 2:27 p.m., 1.5 miles from the airport, Flight 533 hit the branches of trees on the south side of 71st Street. It then hit the roofs of a number of neighborhood bungalows before plowing into the home of Mrs. Veronica Kuculich at 3722 70th Place, demolishing the home and killing her and a daughter, Theresa. The plane burst into flames killing a total of 45 persons, 43 of them on the plane, including the pilot and first and second officers. Eighteen passengers survived.
Among the passengers killed were U.S. Representative George Collins (7th), a former 24th Ward Alderman, and Mrs. Dorothy Hunt. Her husband, E. Howard Hunt, had been indicted on charges of conspiring to break into the Democratic National Committee Headquarters in the Watergate Hotel. Found in the debris was a purse belonging to Mrs. Hunt containing $10,585 in cash. There was immediate concern that the money might be linked to the financial dealings surrounding the Nixon "slush fund" to which defendants in the Watergate case had access and that the crash therefore might be linked to sabotage. In the end sabotage was ruled out, but the mystery surrounding the money and the deaths of such prominent, politically connected individuals insured a very thorough investigation.
The NTSB issued its report after recreating the last minutes of the flight based on the flight and voice recording instruments, interviews with survivors and eyewitnesses on the ground, and physical evidence. According to the report, when Midway's control tower directed the crew to abort the landing and try again, they became distracted and failed to prepare a proper landing. As they attempted to pull the jet from the landing descent, the crew forgot to deactivate the wing spoilers. The plane stalled. And then it crashed. « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 10:03 PM | Link | Current Events § |
Weather swingsAlright! it's 15 degrees warmer today than yesterday! Still below freezing, though. So, since it's warmer, let's mix it all up and get some snow, too. A STORM SYSTEM DEVELOPING OVER S. MO WILL STRENGTHEN AS IT MOVES ACROSS S. IL & S. IN TODAY.REACHING NW OH BY LATE THIS EVENING. ON THIS TRACK.THIS SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO BRING SNOW TO N. AND CNTL IL & NORTHWESTERN IN TODAY & EARLY TONIGHT.
ILZ006-010>014-020-INZ001-002-081600-/O.EXB.KLOT.SN.Y.0002.051208T1200Z-051209T0600Z/
LAKE IL-LEE-DE KALB-KANE-DUPAGE-COOK-KENDALL-LAKE IN-PORTER-INCLUDING THE CITIES OF.WAUKEGAN.DIXON.DEKALB.AURORA.
CHICAGO.OSWEGO.GARY.VALPARAISO
400 AM CST THU DEC 8 2005
SNOW ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST TONIGHT.
SNOW HAS BEGUN TO DEVELOP & SPREAD NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS CNTL AND NW IL. THE SNOW WILL INCREASE IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY LATER THIS MORNING.& WILL OVERSPREAD MUCH OF NORTHERN IL & NW IN BY AFTERNOON. SNOW SHOULD REACH THE CHICAGO METRO AREA AFTER 900 AM.MAINLY AFTER THE MORNING COMMUTE. THE PERIOD OF HEAVIEST SNOW WILL BE FROM MID AFTERNOON UNTIL EARLY THIS EVENING.WHEN SNOWFALL RATES MAY REACH 1 INCH PER HOUR. TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES ARE EXPECTED BEFORE THE SNOW TAPERS OFF TO FLURRIES BETWEEN 6 & 8 PM THIS EVENING.
HEAVIEST SNOWFALL IS FORECAST TO OCCUR DURING THE EVENING RUSH HOUR & MOTORISTS SHOULD PLAN FOR EXTENDED COMMUTING TIMES.
A SNOW ADVISORY MEANS THAT SNOW WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SNOW COVERED ROADS & LIMITED VISIBILITIES. USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.
THE NEXT SCHEDULED UPDATE TO THIS ADVISORY IS AT 1000 AM CST.
$$
MERZLOCK/SEELEY
posted at 09:24 AM | Link | Mundane § |
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
The walls fall down around meOdd day at the office.
Next Friday we're moving to a different building, fortunately just down the street.
In the meantime, we have a crew on the floor tearing down cubicles. They actually had to put signs on our cubicles that say we're moving next week. We're assuming that the sign translates into DO NOT TOUCH because people are walking the floor with tools in their hands looking for things to dismantle. Noisy. Very noisy. There are piles and piles of chairs strewn across different parts of the floor - piles of cabinets in other areas.
Very disconcerting seeing walls going down around you. The building is getting emptier and emptier.
At the same time the length of my current contract gets shorter and shorter without a word about an extension or a re-sign. Or not..
posted at 02:39 PM | Link | Work § |
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Living the seasonTonight, on Comcast Sportsnet Chicago, they ran the 2005 White Sox season show that goes on sale tomorrow. It's narrated by Hawk Harrelson and spans 2005 from Opening Day through the parade and rally after the World Series. Well produced, but I'm upset that one particular play wasn't anywhere to be found. It was short, quick and could have been stuck in any montage during the show. It was Paul Konerko and Aaron Rowand turning third and running home and Rowand almost runs past Paulie.
Carol and I both agree that it was great watching the show and it felt like it just lengthened the season just a little bit, like it just ended yesterday. OK, maybe last week. Still feels good, though. It just makes it harder to get behind hockey and the Chicago Wolves with the crappy season they're having.
posted at 09:35 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Monday, December 05, 2005
Coldest DecemberFrom WGN's Weather Blog:
Chicago’s 18.3° Dec. average is more than 15° below the long term average temperature and has moved from 9th to 6th coldest on record since 1871. This week is supposed to be hell, with lows near zero and the highs in the teens. Sucks. This doesn't happen around here until January/February, and it just sucks the life out of you. I'm not ready for this... baseball season is lingering in me and - even though the last game we were at was Game 2 of the World Series when it was raining and in the upper 30's and was really hell, but Damn! It was the World Series! so it didn't matter. Now - it matters.
Maybe that's the reason I've been thinking about Las Vegas lately...
posted at 09:35 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Sunday, December 04, 2005
Thanksgiving 2
Every year - thereabouts - our friends Chelby & Damian throw a Thanksgiving dinner for friends. I think it stemmed from Chelby's family always being out of town at this time of year, so what better way to celebrate Thanksgiving than to share it with friends?
This year was a bit small - just Chelby/Damian/Conner, Carol & I, and Pam & Tony - friends of their's from the Renn Faire. First thing you notice when walking in the house is the extreme humidity as our glasses fogged severely immediately, since Chelby has been working all morning in the kitchen.
Tony had brought with a few (a couple... hell, it had to have been a case or two) of mostly empty wine bottles left over from a wine tasting yesterday at his store. What a WONDERFUL time!!! Carol & i just had a great time tasting a whole bunch of very nice wines.
Dinner was absolutely great - so much so that I had to take a picture of Chelby... sucking-up gravy from a gravy boat with a crazy straw. Yes, things were that good.
posted at 07:55 PM | Link | Friends § |
Saturday, December 03, 2005
Start with the wardrobeCarol is feeling a bit better today, having woke up early to go to the store to buy new detergent and spending the rest of the day re-washing her clothes.
Because we're busy tomorrow, we all went to mom's house today for dinner. I had purchased something for Jack that - unfortunately - arrived the day after Thanksgiving, so I couldn't give it to him when he was at our house for the first time.
It was an infant knit hat that had two knots in the corners. Oh, and White Sox logos all over. Yes, have to get to him early. Have to get him to formulate an opinion about the team early. A positive one. So, this is the beginning of the subtle subterfuge. Wardrobe. Get him familiar with the shapes and colors.
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posted at 10:24 PM | Link | Uncle Michael § |
Friday, December 02, 2005
Rash? Hives? Allergic Reaction?Carol broke out this afternoon. She felt itchy last night/overnight and now she's got this red stuff on her skin like a rash or allergic reaction on the inside of her wrists, around her waist, on the inside of her upper arms. She said she changed laundry detergent recently so it might be that. I went out to Walgreen's to get some Benedryl lotion and pills. She's been asleep all evening due to those.
posted at 10:39 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Spouse's ChristmasTonight was Carol's company's Christmas Party. We were trying to figure out why we weren't at last year's party. It turns out that last year's party was sometime during when Indy got sick and we didn't go because we needed to shuttle her around the doctors. This year's party is at the same place as last year's, which we frequented for out friends holiday party - Magnum's in Rolling Meadows. I feel almost uncomfortable going to these things because you really don't know anybody. And then there's the slight apprehension of not knowing exactly what your spouse may have said about you around the office. So, you spend your time socializing but not saying too much (depending on the topic). We had filet's for dinner - unfortunately they killed the meat. I guess - on the average - people don't want their meat red or pink. I think it just ruins the meat and you run into the possibility of the meat going dry - which it did. Damn, they had good food there.
After dinner was a raffle and Carol won a Magnavox DVD/CD player. Great. Another DVD player. Still, it was a nice raffle gift. By the time we got out of there and got home it was too late - somehow, I over-ate and now I'm just really uncomfortable. Hopefully I can sleep on with the bloated stomach...
posted at 10:11 PM | Link | Mundane § |
*nose wiggle* x 2"Rabbit, Rabbit!"
(It's Times 2 because of the two because of our two resident rabbits!) Could it be "White Rabbit" or Rabbit! Rabbit! Rabbit!?
December 1st: First day of the Snow Route Parking Ban in the city of Chicago. Also, official "end" to hurricane season - as Tropical Storm EPSILON is still out in the Atlantic...
UPDATE: A day later on 12/2, Tropical Storm EPSILON becomes Hurricane Epsilon, the 14th Hurricane of the "season"
posted at 07:10 AM | Link | Memes § |
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