10.31.2005
Happy Halloween!
I got this from my buddy T-money (who, by the way, is having a birthday today!) and thought it was too good not to post ...
The Grey's train
Was anyone else left speechless by last night's 'Grey's Anatomy'!?! The message boards and fan sites, of course, are lighting up.
Meredith getting drunk on Tequila and then bumbling around the hospital was pretty funny ...
... the search for a patient's severed leg ...
... Alex losing a life that showed no signs of stopping moments earlier ...
... and finally, Shepherd breaking down in the elevator ...
All the stories surrounding the train wreck were unbelievably captivating, and that's almost an understatement when you consider the story of the man and woman being held together by a pole and the staffers agony in trying to save them ...
Great writing. Great acting. And as always, awesome music.
wow. wow. wow.
More about Grey's ...
10.30.2005
From my Sunday morning newspaper
I’ve only been paying moderate attention to the Harriet Miers saga, but by all accounts I’ve heard or read: from beginning to end it was an utter disaster. So I laughed when I heard the news on the radio Thursday morning of her conceding the Supreme Court nomination …… and then the indictment and resignation on Friday of Cheney’s chief of staff amid the ongoing investigation of the infamous CIA leak …
…And some people wonder why this era and administration is repeatedly being compared to Vietnam?? Watergate?? Nixon??
[I digress ... Speaking of Watergate, I, like just about anyone involved in the media, was fascinated when Mark Felt came out last spring as the infamous 'Deep Throat.' It's too bad The Washington Post didn't get the story, but they sure followed it up with some great stuff ...]
… All this of course made it more fun than usual to watch ‘SNL’ last night. Perhaps the best episode of the season thus far (not bad for only finding out on Saturday morning that Lance Armstrong and Sheryl Crow were hosting …), Amy Poehler and Rachel Dratch as the Indigo Girls was HA-larious. And it only got better when Dratch impersonated Harriet Miers on Weekend Update and called out just about everyone on Bush’s staff aside from the cook and his dog!!
* * *
More of my favorite cartoons from Cagle this week …
10.29.2005
Curing internet boredom
A collection of fun, creative and crazy Web sites I've found or picked up from friends. In other words, some good time-wasters ...
06.18.07
... A baseball joke.
03.16.07
... CareerBuilder's Age-o-matic ... upload a picture, answer some questions and see what your job is doing to you ...
... And here's a very cool site dedicated to the '60s ...
01.23.07: Julian Beever
... A friend sent me a collection of photos and drawings from an artist by the name of Julian Beever. Just marvel at his stuff on his official site ...
01.20.07: Birthday calendar
... This is pretty sweet. Type in your birth date and the Web Site will come back with the hours and seconds you've been alive, even when you were probably conceived. After you've finished reading the information, click again, and see what the moon looked like the night you were born. Who says our time clocks aren't ticking...
08.29.06: Some notable reference and cultural sites I've stumbled across reccently ...
... Chicago Uncommon ... some great, inspiring photos of Chicago's neighborhoods ...
... Cityscape ... Chicago architecture brought to you by the Chicago Tribune ...
... Reason to Rock ... a Web-based book about music as an art form. Excellent stuff!!
... and while we're on the subject of music, here's Rolling Stone's '500 Greatest Albums of All-Time' ... here's the 500 Greatest Songs of All-Time.
07.21.06: Cleaning off my desktop of pages I've saved ...
... every dumb, goofy, crazy holiday you never knew existed is here.
... addictinggames.com ... that says it all right there.
... send your friends a Monk e-mail from CareerBuilder. ... I just sent my friend (who could be mistaken for a monkee) an e-mail with a monkee on an island, dressed in a pink shirt, wearing big sunglasses, holding the 'Hi Mom' sign and singing the song about wearing to much cologne in the office (which he does) ... HA-larious.
03.5.06: More additions ...
... test your reaction time: how fast can you shoot the sheep.
... you might not want to watch this one with the kids around.
... How smart are you ... (apparently I'm not. I scored a 4.)
... some kids' 'Golddigger' parody ... nice.
03.4.06: Sent to me by my aunt ...
Another fun one to keep you busy for at least several minutes. Cheney and quail is all you need to know. Then go here.
02.26.06: Some new links I've collected over the last couple months ...
This is a good site for those of you working on building your own time machines ...
Here's everything you ever wanted to know about squirrels ...
I haven't got around to making my own movie yet, but it looks like it could be A LOT of fun ...
This 'Sportscenter' site has a complete archive of ESPN's greatest commercials ... sweeeeeeeeet!
12.1.05: Now here's a game you can play for hours.
11.02.05: A perfect man and a perfect woman
10.29.05: Japanese Backstreet wannabes
These sites, sent to yours truly by T-money, created so much buzz this week they were featured on VH1's Best Week Ever this morning. To do it some justice, I give you T-money's e-mail to me ...
11.02.05: A perfect man and a perfect woman
10.29.05: Japanese Backstreet wannabes
These sites, sent to yours truly by T-money, created so much buzz this week they were featured on VH1's Best Week Ever this morning. To do it some justice, I give you T-money's e-mail to me ...
"Horns,
you must watch this, and have your speakers on!
(it's clean, except you may wet yourself laughing)PLUS -
There's more of the Asian kids! There's a bunch of new links that have been passed around since the original one yesterday, apparently... check 'em out!more of their stuff:Part 2 - as long as you love meand here are some others but they are no match for the Chinese
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2751653547066691065&q=bsbgoogle video is a little addicting then there is this guy
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=camkaraoke&page=2&lv=0
From my Internet favorites ...
The Age Guage -- type in your birthdate and find out everything you ever wanted to know about the day you were born
The Bin Laden song -- came out soon after 9/11. An Internet classic in my mind. ... and it's brought to you by http://www.gotlaughs.com/
Bored.com -- discovered with my newspaper-mates during some of those crazy nights in the journalism building in college. The ultimate web site for bored people.
Flo & Betty with thongs -- It sounds worse than it is. Just a simple cartoon joke.
Bush Aerobics -- Now you get to push his buttons! Make George Bush exercise! -- Brought to you by MiniClip.com
Dolphin stress test -- it's self explanatory.
The original -- http://hampsterdance.com/
Insanityplanet.com -- a collection of everything crazy and wierd on the Internet.
Kewlbox.com -- tons of games! ... and in the same spirit -- candystand.com
Look and Feel -- just a plain cool graphic design Web site to surf around on. ... and have your sound turned on.
Mindless Crap -- pretty much. But it's interesting.
The moving clock -- Just like it says: Amazing ... and addicting.
Mullet.com -- Another classic ...
Soap box on forwards -- a guy literally stands on a soap box to share his disgust for junk email... brought to you by SmilePop
Cutestuf.com -- more hilarious parody videos and jokes
Snopes -- a sweet site that's out to dispel everything you ever learned on the Internet. ... and along the same lines, Truth or Fiction.
Talk Like A Pirate -- just in case you had an urge.
TerraServer-USA -- Type in the address for any location and get an aerial photo! Pretty sweet for looking up former homes and for others, old pictures of buildings that no longer exist or have been heavily altered.
What's wrong with this picture? -- have the sound turned up and then look -- closely. ... and then laugh at yourself.
10.28.2005
Toby Lightman, Sox & baseball
Another reason to think of music as the greatest discovery/invention/revolution/evolution/solution …
…of our world:
I came home from work today in a sour mood and slipped in a promotional copy of Toby Lightman’s “Little Things” because I wanted to hear some of her music before she comes here early next month. I lied down on the couch with a page of Sudoku puzzles and noticed my mind start to wander a couple songs into this album …
Why when Lightman’s “Devils And Angels” broke onto the radio earlier this year did she not get more play!? Or why did I not pay closer attention!?
Barely a couple songs into the album, my propped-up feet were swaying to the beat and my head was nodding. I was suddenly blown away by this album. …Her fluent guitar strumming hints of Sheryl Crow or even Joni Mitchell, while the beats and passionate, soul-like vocals might draw comparisons to Joss Stone …
There’s a nice mix of danceable upbeats and relaxing ballads, all with luscious harmonies and melodies that beg you to sing along. All the things that can make me love an album …
You go Toby … Count me counting the days down to a chance to see her up close in a couple weeks!
* * *
The images of today’s ticker-tape parade are in and they’ll go down in Chicago lore. They’re unforgettable and, yeah it was the White Sox but, I’m so glad I got to experience some of it …
I was hardly old enough to remember the Brewers winning the American League Championship in ‘82 (but I still have a couple of the commemorative placemats from McDonald’s!), and the Royals’ World Championship in ‘85 (although still too young to remember that too) came six years before I set foot in Kansas City.
I’m glad I’m old enough to remember this one. Curses or not, no one knows how long it might be before something like this comes again …
The ratings for this year’s World Series might have been low across the rest of the United States, but they sure as heck weren’t in Chicago (I’d quote the numbers they gave on the radio this morning if I could remember them. And I can’t find a story to link to … let’s just say they were super high…). When the Sox won it, every Chicago television station (NBC5 arguably provided the best coverage ... ) was breaking in with live shots of people pouring into the streets and flooding the areas around Comiskey. And most of the stations stayed on, while Chicago stayed up, through the early morning hours switching from live interviews and footage with the team in Houston to talking with fans in Chicago …
In the same spectrum, I won’t forget driving to work on the morning after, listening to The Mix and hearing them play Joe Buck’s final call over and over and over and over again. Eric & Kathy had their Harry Caray impersonator pretending to do live interviews from the lockerroom and they played the 1959 Go-Go Sox theme wherever they could fit it. Pandemonium is one word to describe it …
…Granted, I wasn’t cheering for the White Sox in the World Series. And this doesn’t mean I’m going to cheer for them any harder in the future … but the Sox had a heckuva season from beginning to end and it was pretty awesome to watch and read all the news coverage. Chicago went crazy the last few days and deservedly so …
Some good World Series-related readin' ...
a White Sox Relish First Title in 88 Years
a Kansas City Star: WORLD SERIES NOTES: Living the dream
a This year's Series is not in my world
a The Cubs are now on the clock
a Mark Starr/Newsweek: Baseball’s Superior League
a With White Sox win, Cubs fans in more misery
a National League proves inferior again
a NY Times: A Year After Cursed Red Sox End Drought, Unsung White Sox Do the Same
a Houston `Just Didn't Do It': Blown Chances Doom Astros
And just for fun... World Series TV ad rewrites sports history
* * *
They’re already making predications for next year … so here I am, too, picking from my stream of consciousness now that yet another baseball season has passed and another World Champion has been crowned …
… I can barely wait to see Jim Leyland back in action again, and doing it with the Detroit Tigers, no less. I’m not ready yet to call it the strongest division in baseball, but if the White Sox are as dominant next year as they were this year -- and then you add to that some darn competitive teams in Minnesota, Cleveland and Detroit -- the AL Central should be fun to watch next year …
… It sure made me feel good this morning to be watching ‘Sportscenter’ and hear the ‘Baseball Tonight’ crew call the Milwaukee Brewers ‘the top NL team to watch next year.’ …The baseball insiders have been telling us the last couple years that Milwaukee was building a farm system to reckon with and we finally saw them coming of age this past season. There will always be a special place in my heart for the Brew Crew, but going to games this year and watching them on TV, I actually found myself having hope in them pulling out a close game or beating the good teams. I love it …
… As much I have enjoyed watching them and would hate to see them go -- Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro all should save themselves some dignity and retire. Sure, Clemens is still at the top of his game, but he’s 43, he accomplished his mission by helping the Astros to the World Series (unless they get some more consistent hitting and stay healthy, they’re not going to do any better next year …) and his body seemed to be falling apart at the end of the season. And saying all that, Curt Schilling should probably be included in this category too. … The cases on Bonds, Sosa and Palmeiro are much simpler: Sosa’s numbers have been declined year after year and they were downright awful last season. The Orioles pretty much kicked Palmeiro off the team after his steroids debacle and there’s so much skepticism (and evidence of steroids) clouding Bonds and his homerun pursuit on Hank Aaron that he would be doing more honor to the record and the game by simply retiring …
… Manny Ramirez wants out of Boston? It would suck for the Red Sox, but he really wants to go to Anaheim, and THAT would be pretty awesome … Johnny Damon may be out of Boston too and has hinted at going to the Yankees for the right price. That would be pretty sad …
Back to predictions ... or more like wishes and long shots. Teams I'd love to see in the postseason next year: The Angels (and Tony DeMarco adds proof... ), Dodgers ( ... as long as they focus on their stadium AND the team), Tigers, Orioles (Hey, they just got Leo Mazzone!), Indians, Nationals, and of course, the Royals, Brewers or Cubs.
10.27.2005
Congratulations Sox.
... Ok, ok ... there was a little smile wiped over my face last night when the Sox won. I mean, 88 years is a long time to wait. And it's good to see the Second City so happy ...
MSNBC: White Sox win first World Series since 1917
Chicago Tribune: Sox on top of the world
Chicago Tribune: Across Chicagoland, fans celebrate
10.26.2005
Hangin' on ...
…Yes, I stayed up until 1:45 a.m. Wednesday morning, watching all 14 innings of Game 3 … but what a sad, sad ending. The Astros had PLENTY of chances and should have won that game. No 1 mistake was Phil Garner leaving Roy Oswalt in for the entire fifth inning. C’mon Phil, even my wife was screaming at the TV for you to take Roy Boy out … I mean, I know he’s arguably the greatest pitcher in the league right now, but even a monkey could’ve seen he didn’t have his best stuff. Phil, when Joe Crede hit a homerun to lead off the fifth inning and it became obvious the White Sox were building a big inning, you get the bullpen going and yank Oswalt in hopes of preserving the lead -- not let him give up a four-run lead and THEN call out to the bullpen.
Need more brush for the fire? Here’s what Tom Verducci wrote in the SI Extra newsletter this morning:
At 2:20 AM EST it finally ended, thanks to the unlikeliest of heroes: Geoff Blum. His solo home run in the top of the 14th inning proved to be the difference in the White Sox' 7-5 win over the Astros in Game 3. It was the longest Series game by time (5:41), and gives the White Sox a commanding 3-0 lead. SI's Tom Verducci was at Minute Maid Park and offers these impressions: The Astros played their first home World Series game in their existence, grinded through the most time-consuming game in Series history, exhausted their bullpen, tied the game in the eighth inning when they trailed by a run with nobody on base and were down to their final four outs, used everybody on the bench except their backup catcher, and had their starting pitcher for tonight's game throwing hard in the bullpen at a quarter after one in the morning. And what does their manager, Phil Garner, do in the first moments after the White Sox punched them in the gut by beating them in the 14th inning of Game 3, 7-5? He rips his team. Beautiful. Mind you, the guy says nothing to his team after the game. But he does march into the official interview room and drop these bombs for the media: “Absolute rotten hitting.” “We might have played 40 innings and it didn't look like we were going to get a runner across the bag.” “It’s embarrassing to play like this in front of our hometown.” “I’m really ticked off!” Way to bail on your team, Mr. Manager."
Need more brush for the fire? Here’s what Tom Verducci wrote in the SI Extra newsletter this morning:
At 2:20 AM EST it finally ended, thanks to the unlikeliest of heroes: Geoff Blum. His solo home run in the top of the 14th inning proved to be the difference in the White Sox' 7-5 win over the Astros in Game 3. It was the longest Series game by time (5:41), and gives the White Sox a commanding 3-0 lead. SI's Tom Verducci was at Minute Maid Park and offers these impressions: The Astros played their first home World Series game in their existence, grinded through the most time-consuming game in Series history, exhausted their bullpen, tied the game in the eighth inning when they trailed by a run with nobody on base and were down to their final four outs, used everybody on the bench except their backup catcher, and had their starting pitcher for tonight's game throwing hard in the bullpen at a quarter after one in the morning. And what does their manager, Phil Garner, do in the first moments after the White Sox punched them in the gut by beating them in the 14th inning of Game 3, 7-5? He rips his team. Beautiful. Mind you, the guy says nothing to his team after the game. But he does march into the official interview room and drop these bombs for the media: “Absolute rotten hitting.” “We might have played 40 innings and it didn't look like we were going to get a runner across the bag.” “It’s embarrassing to play like this in front of our hometown.” “I’m really ticked off!” Way to bail on your team, Mr. Manager."
More stuff ...
a Chisox up 3-0 in Series, but need 14 innings to edge Astros
a Guillen 'feels' his way to 14-inning victory
a Blum delivers against former team
* * *
So my guilty pleasure of the week is ‘I Love the ‘80s: 3D ’ … Mo Rocca (wearing his K-State shirt for bonus points), Michael Ian Black, Rachel Harris and the rest of the cast, if you will, are insightful and hilarious. And the nostalgia that triggers their musings never ends -- TV-sized laptops, wood-grained VCRs … it all makes me smile and I LOVE it.
* * *
For all you ‘American Dreams’ lovers (don’t get me started on this and other shows NBC carelessly wasted … ahem, ‘Ed’ …), I caught this news on TV Guide Online’s ‘Ask Ausiello’ today. Apparently, somewhere there’s an alt-ending for ’American Dreams’ because, well, NBC‘s stupid and dropped the show, despite pleas from critics and fans, faster then Patty could spill a secret. So the last image any of us have is of Meg riding off to California on the back of Chris’s moped …
Anyway here’s the low down from TV guide’s Michael Ausiello. It sounds pretty cool, if you don’t mind a little spoiler or two …
“ … Chris is definitely out of Meg's life. And I know this because - brace yourselves, Dreamers, - I've seen the elusive epilogue! Jonathan Prince sent a DVD copy to me via armored vehicle late last week and all I can say is it more than lived up to the hype. Now, before I present you with the highlights, let me assure you that, come hell or high water, you will see the ending, too. Worse case scenario: You’ll have to wait for the Season 2 and 3 boxed DVD set, which will hopefully street sometime in ‘06. “We’re in negotiations now,” Prince says of the DVD. “And the epilogue would absolutely be included.” But there’s a slight chance you won’t have to wait until then. … In the meantime, here are some interesting facts/tidbits/spoilers about the climax to whet your appetite. Stop reading now if you prefer to wait for the real deal.
* The flashback-heavy capper is 10 minutes long, edited down from 20 minutes of raw footage.
* The only Dreams principals appearing in new scenes are Brittany Snow, Gail O'Grady and Tom Verica. * Most of the epilogue takes place on a bus, with Meg - now a junior at Berkeley - heading to New York to visit Sam at Columbia. “This would have been the first time she’s seen Sam in three years,” says Prince.
* Meg meets a friend on the bus, and it’s during their conversation that we learn that Patty went to Radcliffe and Roxanne married Luke and had a son named Woody Allen.
* At the last minute, Meg decides to get off the bus in Philadelphia, where she returns home and reunites with her mom and dad for the first time in three years.
Next week, Jonathan reveals what would have happened had Dreams gone a fourth season. (Hint: It's splitsville for Helen and Jack!)”
10.25.2005
Winter's here
I could barely get out of bed today and was yawning almost non-stop at work this morning. It was cold and rainy outside ... yep, winter HAS arrived.* * *
The talk of the town today, in case you haven't heard already, was whether the Astros should be forced to close the roof at Minutemaid Park for tonight's game. What a crock. All of a sudden Major League Baseball has a rule that says it can determine the playing conditions for the World Series!? You've GOT to be kidding me. The Metrodome's screamin' fans helped the Twins win the Series in '87 and '91, and any team that goes to Chicago, especially last Sunday night, has to play in the cold and rain there. Now the Astros can't play to their loud fans with the roof closed at their own park ...
Call it another break for the stinkin' Sox ... sucks.
Being a Cubs fans and after seeing everything that's gone for the Sox in the postseason so far, I think this woman had the right idea ... she just died.
* * *
So here's my quandry with the television tonight: I have four shows I'd like to see -- Obviously the World Series is on. Then, all at 8 p.m., mind you, 'Commander in Chief,' 'I Love the '80s' (which, by the way, was darn good in its first two episodes last night and, I might add, was also the talk of my cubicle this morning) and a little thing on ESPN Classic about five reasons you can't blame Mitch Williams for the Phillies losing the 1993 World Series. ... It might have been five things had I not forgotten about 'The Office' and then realized it's not on tonight ...
So, guess I'll be running around the house at 8 p.m. pressing the record button on all of our three VCRs and then sitting back to watch the World Series. I really need to get on the cable company about that Tivo ...
10.24.2005
Sunday night tubin'
Don’t mind me. Just babbling about Sunday night TV …
‘West Wing’ … let the demise (and changeover) of the Bartlett administration begin. I never saw it coming that Toby was the leaker. And, geez, I figured the President would’ve had A COUPLE good words to say about Toby’s service. Guess not… Here's more.
‘Desperate Housewives’ … I tend to agree with most fans dissatisfaction about the beginning to the sophomore season thus far. But that aside, Felicity Huffman has been more fun to watch than ever. Call it her Emmy win opening my eyes or the writers just giving her scenes to shine. Either way she’s been pretty darn good … Oh yeah, and we know now who's in the basement.
‘Grey’s Anatomy’ … Yep. Still the best show on TV right now … and Go George!
Astros-White Sox, Game 2 … Just when you think a White Sox opponent might finally overtake the boys in black, Chicago catches another break and wins it. Ah, but if there’s any player on the Sox I’ll cheer for, it’s Scotty Po. Give him some credit: He got a good pitch from Brad Lidge and slapped it over the wall. You go, Scotty Po. …
‘West Wing’ … let the demise (and changeover) of the Bartlett administration begin. I never saw it coming that Toby was the leaker. And, geez, I figured the President would’ve had A COUPLE good words to say about Toby’s service. Guess not… Here's more.
‘Desperate Housewives’ … I tend to agree with most fans dissatisfaction about the beginning to the sophomore season thus far. But that aside, Felicity Huffman has been more fun to watch than ever. Call it her Emmy win opening my eyes or the writers just giving her scenes to shine. Either way she’s been pretty darn good … Oh yeah, and we know now who's in the basement.
‘Grey’s Anatomy’ … Yep. Still the best show on TV right now … and Go George!
Astros-White Sox, Game 2 … Just when you think a White Sox opponent might finally overtake the boys in black, Chicago catches another break and wins it. Ah, but if there’s any player on the Sox I’ll cheer for, it’s Scotty Po. Give him some credit: He got a good pitch from Brad Lidge and slapped it over the wall. You go, Scotty Po. …
10.23.2005
The weekend in pictures
It was cold, rainy and gloomy, but glorious. My return 'home' to NWMSU for the Homecoming weekend and centennial celebration. Got to see a few people I had missed and thought about often since I left there. Got to relive a lot of golden memories. Got to spend a lot of money ...
The craziest thing was knowing how many years I'd been away, but feeling like I hadn't left. Through the Saturday morning parade, a stroll through Wells Hall, watching a Bearcat win with good friends, a filling dinner at A&Gs and a small gathering with friends and alcohol afterward, it seemed like just another weekend at Northwest ...
Guess the old saying really is true: 'Once a Bearcat, always a Bearcat!' ...
Here's a sample of the weekend in pictures, starting with the Administration Building. The most picturesque and one of my favorite points of the campus ...
A float to mark the centennial celebration ...
The craziest thing was knowing how many years I'd been away, but feeling like I hadn't left. Through the Saturday morning parade, a stroll through Wells Hall, watching a Bearcat win with good friends, a filling dinner at A&Gs and a small gathering with friends and alcohol afterward, it seemed like just another weekend at Northwest ...
Guess the old saying really is true: 'Once a Bearcat, always a Bearcat!' ...
Here's a sample of the weekend in pictures, starting with the Administration Building. The most picturesque and one of my favorite points of the campus ...
A float to mark the centennial celebration ... 
Another float ...
The new centennial statue ... It shows a college student of today on the left and a student from 100 years ago on the right ...
The start to a raucous Bearcat football game ...
And a new stadium to boot. See the memories. 1998 and 1999. Yep, those were good years ...
10.20.2005
The day I die ...
There was an article in our newspaper yesterday of a couple who had been together for nearly 70 years …
Earlier this month, the 90-year-old man learned from their son that his 86-year-old wife was dying. The next morning, the story goes, the man, who had been healthy, “had sunk within himself.” His decline continued through the days until 7:30 p.m. Oct. 12, when, after hours of reaching for an invisible hand, he died.
… and his wife, who didn’t know of her husband’s sudden deterioration, died about six hours and 40 minutes later.
“He made the decision: 'If she’s going, I’m going,’” their son-in-law said.
I’ve covered enough fatal car crashes in my short career and I’ve said it over and over: one of my biggest fears is having a loved one or myself dying in a car crash …
… but if I could pick the way I go, it would be the one depicted in this story: Live a long, happy, productive life and then die within hours of the Kates -- that's assuming we both live to be like 90 years old, and our parents and other loved ones have passed before us.
Earlier this month, the 90-year-old man learned from their son that his 86-year-old wife was dying. The next morning, the story goes, the man, who had been healthy, “had sunk within himself.” His decline continued through the days until 7:30 p.m. Oct. 12, when, after hours of reaching for an invisible hand, he died.
… and his wife, who didn’t know of her husband’s sudden deterioration, died about six hours and 40 minutes later.
“He made the decision: 'If she’s going, I’m going,’” their son-in-law said.
I’ve covered enough fatal car crashes in my short career and I’ve said it over and over: one of my biggest fears is having a loved one or myself dying in a car crash …
… but if I could pick the way I go, it would be the one depicted in this story: Live a long, happy, productive life and then die within hours of the Kates -- that's assuming we both live to be like 90 years old, and our parents and other loved ones have passed before us.
10.19.2005
CRAZE-i-ness
So a couple weeks ago our newspaper ran this little box of a puzzle, called Sudoku, I found out. I flipped past it during my morning read but went back to it after overhearing some of the buzz about it in our newsroom …I’m glad I did. I’m notorious for not being able to walk past a jigsaw puzzle without at least putting in a few pieces (I once spent an extra four hours at my college newspaper office, working into the wee hours of the morning to finish a jigsaw puzzle), and I’m afraid now I will no longer be able to come across a Sudoku puzzle without solving it …
Here’s the deal: You’re presented with a box with nine squares down and nine squares across. And each of those squares are further divided into 3-by-3 regions. Your job is to figure out how each row, column and region intersects to contain each of the numbers one through nine just once.
Math is thrown out the window. There’s no adding, subtracting, multiplying or dividing. This is purely, as I have begun calling it, a huge process of elimination that requires you only to know how to count.
It was invented in America about 30 years ago, but became huge in Japan, and then Europe. Now the craze is taking over the U.S. and several newspapers have begun running syndicated forms of Sudoku in various levels of difficulty. Web sites are springing up all over the Internet.
And here’s the sign you really know it’s become a craze: people are having Sudoku classes. I just returned from one tonight at the Logic Puzzle Museum. It was classic. Imagine me, six other people (a high school freshman girl, four women past their 50s and a man about the same age) and the director sitting around a circular table in this cramped, storefront museum.I've done nearly a dozen Sudokus since discovering them two weeks ago, and, like me, the beginners I was hanging with tonight quickly figured out how motivating the puzzles can be. And that when you get on a roll and your strategies are working, solving the puzzle seems lyrical and poetic. But when nothing seems to work, the puzzles can drive you down right nuts.
From the Chicago Tribune, here’s more of what I’m trying to say: Are Sudoku support groups on the horizon?
* * *
If you live in the Chicago area and you’re not watching the World Series on Sunday night, you might want to check out the world premiere of ‘Resurrection Mary’ in Park Ridge’s Pickwick Theater …
Stories abound of the ghostly young girl in white walking alone on Archer Avenue in Chicago’s south suburbs, the movie is an original that pits Shawn six months away from his wedding date. But before he knows it, casual glances toward the pretty woman in white are turning serious and his fiancee, Amy, figures out things aren’t right.
When Shawn refuses to divulge his thoughts, an argument ensues and the girl appears in front of their car. Shawn swerves and rolls the car, sending Amy into a coma and him on a mad dash to figure out the decades-old secret of Resurrection Mary.
The movie also features Joe Estevez -- Martin Sheen's brother, Emilio Estevez's and Charlie Sheen's uncle.
It sounds like a great movie and I had an awesome time interviewing the producer a couple weeks ago and a local band, Ded Red, which has songs appearing in the film …watch for it in theaters and on DVD sometime next year.
Speaking of Ded Red, you might want to watch for them too. Watching them jam out their song 'Empty Box' was like being transported back to the hey day of ‘90s grunge from Nirvana, Candlebox and Soundgarden … These guys play original songs laced with tight guitar licks and serious lyrics. I’ve watched quite a few local acts die out, but I think it’s safe to say these guys are the right thing. Hopefully the movie deal gets ‘em going …
* * *
Talk about crazes …I’m having so much fun lately with blogging, and surfing the Internet and sharing good writing, it’s really kinda sad.
Here’s more of the craziness that is enveloping baseball, Chicago and the White Sox this week …
a Loss could haunt Astros
a Dramatic finishes … I remember watching and agree with just about every one of these, although I think the media has jumped the gun a little bit on Pujols game-winning homer the other night. Astonishing and incredible as it was -- I don’t think it’s one of the greatest moments in postseason history … yet.
a America should rally around the White Sox
Ah, the battle for those prized tickets … Granted the White Sox system sounded a little better than the Cubs’ we’ll-pick-you-at-random-and-if-you’re-lucky-after-13-hours-of waiting-patiently-by-your-computer-maybe-there’ll-be-a-ticket-for-you system …
For all the baseball players and owners preaching about trying to give back to the fans, they’ve missed the boat on dedicating tickets to devoted fans and instead pay more attention to up-scale, front office people usually more deserving of tickets to drinking competitions…
During my train ride yesterday, I dispersed text messages to a few buddies calling for at least one of them to reserve some tickets for Game 6 or 7 of the World Series at Comiskey. There were no takers.
(… I WILL NOT call Comiskey U.S. Cellular Field. … Talk about a stupid name for a stadium … dang corporate people … Seriously. How the HECK can they possibly think they’re selling more products by having their name attached to a stadium. You’re not convincing me to jump off my seat and go by a U.S. Cellular phone … About as big a waste of money as I’ve ever known …).
Then I saw the magic number this morning -- 18 minutes. A couple people at our office mentioned getting online at noon yesterday to try grabbing Sox tickets and had no luck. But a former co-worker, I found out, did manage to get two tickets to Game 2 on Sunday … he’s a lucky man.
(…and if that wasn’t enough to depress me, I got a call early this afternoon from my college roommate who had acquired two tickets to tonight’s NLCS and was on his way to St. Louis. When I hung up the phone, a co-worker observed later, I was turning a little green … or blue. Think about this: not only is he attending a baseball playoff game, he's possibly witnessing the Astros clinch their first-ever trip to the World Series and the last-ever game at Busch Stadium. Yep, lucky man.)
a No ticket? Join the crowd
a The Golden Tickets
a Chairman of the Adored … I’ve never admired Jerry Reinsdorf for all the misconceptions mentioned in this story. A good read that just might make you begin to appreciate the man…
Hey, I heard a good joke on the radio the other day: What do you call a Cubs fan who roots for the White Sox? … a Bi-Sox-ual …
These stories couldn’t have put it better …
a Can Cub fans suck it up?
a Difference between North and South Sides
a Don't expect to see Gov. wearing Sox gear
10.18.2005
Going, going, gone
Wanna know what it’s like to do a whirlwind trip of Chicago museums in a span of a few hours? I’ll tell ya …
The assignment was for me and a photographer to attend today’s media preview of the new ‘Pompeii: Stories From an Eruption’ exhibit at the Field Museum for our entertainment section and then, while we’re down there -- and to save as much company time and money -- hit as many of the other hot exhibits as we could.
So I awoke this morning to the sound of my ‘Fuer Elise’ alarm clock at 5 a.m. and left the house an hour later, exiting our house under the early morning pallet of stars and full moon beginning to set over our garage. I met my photographer in the news office parking lot, we drove to the train station, boarded the train and then rode it to Chicago, tracing a perfectly still Lake Michigan as an orange sun rose over it …
Pompeii -- it’s a remarkable exhibit, full of valuable artifacts, jewelry and furniture buried when Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D., but unearthed only within the last century. The artifacts, illustrations and restored frescoes provide a glimpse into how established and wealthy the people of Popeii were. But what puts this exhibit over the top are the dramatic casts -- made by shooting plaster into the holes left behind when the volcanic ash and rock hardened and the corpses decomposed -- showing entire families crouched together in an attempt to shelter themselves from the storm of ash, or frozen in time as they tried to flee the devastation. Most of them, the exhibit told, died when ash filled their airways and prevented them from breathing …the exhibit is $19 and runs through March 26, 2006.
We left the Field onto a sunny pavilion that overlooks Lake Michigan and provides striking views of the colorful Chicago skyline and Millennium Park. The sight left us breathless for several seconds as we gazed at the view and then laughed in unison and remarked on the beauty of it all …
Moving on. To the Shedd and the ‘Crabs!’ exhibit -- which I took interest in mostly because of our hermit crab pets at home. At the Shedd, however, we’re talking more than 30 different species of crabs ranging from the size of your fingertip to the giant Japanese crabs that weigh about 40 pounds, look the size of tire and move with their 3-foot long legs. Amazing creatures …
A short cab ride later, we were at the Museum of Science & Industry to review the rebuilt and restored U-505 Submarine. Beginning in 2004, after years of being exposed outdoors to the harsh Chicago weather, the museum dug an underground a new, climate-controlled exhibit hall, lowered the giant sub into it and covered it with a roof. … The result is an astonishing new exhibit that transports patrons through a long, winding hallway of artifacts, archived newspapers, photos, films and finally, a balcony that provides a breathtaking view of the 33-foot high, 250-foot long, 750-ton ship… And for $5 more you can walk through the ship, ducking and dodging through every nook and cranny from the diesel engine room to the cramped sleeping quarters. …After the tour, walk the ground floor underneath the ship, take in more displays of artifacts taken from the captured German sub and several short films, including a fascinating account of how a Naval crew towed the sinking ship back to the U.S., conducting the highly classified operation without any protection in U-Boat infested waters …
Before we left the museum we also wanted to check out the Robots exhibit. But I say, unless you’re REALLY into robots, don’t bother. It was a bust … it’s two small rooms of glass-enclosed robot toys made during the ‘50s and ‘60s. The first few are pretty intriguing to look at, but they get pretty old pretty quick.
A train ride back and our assignment was complete …three museums, four exhibits, in four hours and a reminder of the unique experiences and people that make me want to continue practicing journalism. Not bad.
But my day wasn’t done …
70s degrees and sunny. A crisp, colorful, fall day made for the movies. The kind of day that begs you to cruise around in your car, listening to some eclectic music and holding your open palm outside the car window for the air to rush over it. … So that’s exactly what I did.
For the third night in a row I went down to the harbor and sat silently watching the orange moon rise beyond the lake. Trying to capture the scene as closely as I could with my camera, sucking in every bit of the fish-smelling water, crashing waves and cool breeze …
* * *
Just another reason to love baseball …
Last night, lying with Kates as the two of us count down the innings and watch the Astros come within two outs of their first-ever World Series, ironically 45 years to the day MLB officials met in Chicago and designated them as a franchise …
The crowd was so loud I wondered out loud how any of the Cardinals players could concentrate …
Then, one of my all-time favorite gamers, David Eckstein pokes a single through the left side …
Jimmy Edmonds walks …
And Albert Pujols absolutely crushes a pitch to left field. ‘Oh my goodness,’ was all I said when the ball hit the bat. You knew it was gone … Make that long gone, as it sailed over the Crawford boxes in left field to the part of the stadium where the retractable roof’s track meets the stadium supports. It was a shot that would have landed in the upper deck of most ballparks.
It was unblievable. And memorable.
The Astros fans were suddenly, and humorously, quiet. St. Louis wins the game 5-4 and lives to see another game, not to mention Busch Stadium, which is set to be demolished as soon as their season ends …
Talking baseball, the Cardinals win was huge. It puts them back in the exact situation they found themselves in last year when they came from being down three games to two, and sent Houston back home before losing to the Red Sox in the World Series. So I wouldn’t be surprised, as much as I found myself rooting for the Astros last night, if the Cardinals do it all over again …
Want more?
a So quiet, you could hear a pennant drop
a With one magical swing, Albert Pujols brought the dead back to life.
a Pujols's Homer Soars To Legendary Heights
* * *
Cleaning up ...
...Back and forth on the train today, I read my newest copy of Paste and was fascinated by the cover story about Cameron Crowe. ... I adore every one of his movies, the way music fuels his imagination and, at this point, can only dream and aspire to the type of artistry he exemplifies ... And I'm totally pumped to see 'Elizabethtown' now.
...I got this link emailed to me from a friend. You could spend hours playing this -- and make sure you have the volume on your computer turned up ...
10.17.2005
Reminders ...
After work tonight I got my ears lowered and then cruised down by the harbor to gaze at the full moon rising ...
On the radio, Crosby Stills Nash & Young's 'Judy Blue Eyes' reminded me of everything I love about music. And the scene reminded me of everything I love about Lake Michigan and everyday life ...
10.16.2005
The mourning after
And so it is. Let the mourning begin …
The Angels couldn’t hit, the White Sox pitching dominated and the Sox are heading to the World Series.
And the Sox got too many breaks to count. The botched strike 3 call in Game 2. A whole slew of bad calls in Game 4 …
I’m about as passionate a baseball fan as they come -- that much most people know about me. But that passion is, well, like a fire when it comes to the postseason. And every year when the postseason arrives, sometimes starting with the September pennant races, one way or another I end up falling head over heals for some feisty, fun-to-watch team that I paid only mild attention to during the regular season.
It’s happened year after year. The 1988 Dodgers, the 1990 Reds, the 1993 Phillies, the 1997 Indians, the 2001 Diamondbacks, the 2002 Angels, the 2004 Red Sox …
When they win, I‘m so ecstatic, you can‘t rip the smile off my face for days. When they lose, I’m dropped nearly to the point of tears and devastation …
The 2005 Angels were my team.
a Angels beaten in every way by White Sox
a Chicago wins AL pennant
Cleaning off my desktop of some links I've saved ...
... Here's two fun reads from Mark Patinkin, a good humor columnist I've recently been turned onto:
a I won't be pedaling up the Alps any time soon
a Dad's lament: Is it me or my wallet?
... I have a couple friends and acquaintances who could benefit from this article (Ignore that ringing cell phone) about cell phone etiquette. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my cell phone. But when I haven't seen you for several months, we have barely a dinner to see each other and you're spending more time on your cell phone with your buddy who lives across the street than you're paying attention to me, I'm going to be a little peeved ... and you'd better study up on why they created voicemail, or better yet, the 'off' button ...
... While researching the legend of Resurrection Mary for a recent story, I came across ghosttraveler.com, a listing of supposedly haunted locations throughout the United States. Fun site. Turns out I've been to quite a few of the spots mentioned in Illinois... Yahoo!
... Anybody remember those little peach figurines from the '80s called M.U.S.C.L.E.S.? Apparently, they were quite popular. I didn't know that then ... If I was so lucky during our family trips to Shopko, I sometimes convinced my parents to buy me a pack of these little creatures. Then I'd come home and set up my own WWF mat on a cardboard box flipped with its bottom up. I accumulated almost two dozen of the figurines ... the memories came rushing back recently when I found the little shoebox deep in a larger box of childhood items. And I found this site ( and this site) as I tried to figure out what the heck the things were so I could put them on eBay ... (...by the way, a new edition of 'I Love the '80s' starts on VH1 next Monday! Woo Hoo!)
... Here's two fun reads from Mark Patinkin, a good humor columnist I've recently been turned onto:
a I won't be pedaling up the Alps any time soon
a Dad's lament: Is it me or my wallet?
... I have a couple friends and acquaintances who could benefit from this article (Ignore that ringing cell phone) about cell phone etiquette. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my cell phone. But when I haven't seen you for several months, we have barely a dinner to see each other and you're spending more time on your cell phone with your buddy who lives across the street than you're paying attention to me, I'm going to be a little peeved ... and you'd better study up on why they created voicemail, or better yet, the 'off' button ...
... While researching the legend of Resurrection Mary for a recent story, I came across ghosttraveler.com, a listing of supposedly haunted locations throughout the United States. Fun site. Turns out I've been to quite a few of the spots mentioned in Illinois... Yahoo!
... Anybody remember those little peach figurines from the '80s called M.U.S.C.L.E.S.? Apparently, they were quite popular. I didn't know that then ... If I was so lucky during our family trips to Shopko, I sometimes convinced my parents to buy me a pack of these little creatures. Then I'd come home and set up my own WWF mat on a cardboard box flipped with its bottom up. I accumulated almost two dozen of the figurines ... the memories came rushing back recently when I found the little shoebox deep in a larger box of childhood items. And I found this site ( and this site) as I tried to figure out what the heck the things were so I could put them on eBay ... (...by the way, a new edition of 'I Love the '80s' starts on VH1 next Monday! Woo Hoo!)
10.13.2005
In retrospect ...
It's everywhere ...
No matter where you went today. No matter what water cooler you drank from. No matter what newspaper you read. No matter what TV station you watched. It was there ...
NBC's Brian Williams tonight called it 'The call heard 'round the world.' Already going down as a play in postseason lore, it will become even more notorious if the Angels lose this series.
Almost 24 hours later I'm still having trouble getting over it. And even after debating the play with a cohort at work today -- who I might add is a pretty hard Sox fan who seems to thinks he's always right -- I'm still convinced the ump, Doug Eddings, made the wrong call. And I was reassured that I (let's emphasize the capital I...) was right when they showed the replay for the one zillionth time on local news tonight in super slow motion and it shows Angels catcher Josh Paul's mitt clearly between the ground and the ball. The way I saw it, the ball dropped into the outer webbing of Paul's outstretched mitt and then bounced into the palm of the glove. On top of that, how Eddings, standing behind Paul, had a clear view of the ball's direction is beyond me...
It seems a majority of the talking heads and polls tonight, I might add, are also showing that most people believe the ump made the wrong call. You'd never know by listening to A.J. Pierzynski though. Every new interview I see of him, starting with the postgame last night to standing at his locker this afternoon, shows him stretching the truth further. Last night he said he ran on pure instinct. Today's he's saying her heard two clear noises as if the ball hit the dirt and then skipped into Paul's glove...
Ah, who am I kidding... Mike Scioscia said it best after the game. If the Angels had played better, we wouldn't even be talking about this. ... Let's hope the Angels play well enough to keep us from lumping the play with Don Deckinger, Bill Buckner and Steve Bartman.
Here's what others are saying:
a Chicago Tribune, Mike Downey: An ending too unbelievable for words
a Associated Press: The morning after -- Angels and White Sox head West, fans head for water coolers
a LA Times: Angels Lose Game in Bizarre Ending
a USA Today: White Sox pull out controversial win in ninth
a Tim Dahlberg: Controversy makes series worth watching
a Jim Caple: Mr. Eddings ... you're guilty
a Umpire's Call Is Defended By MLB
a NY Times: Umpire Giveth, and White Sox Taketh Away
and pllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaassssse!!!
Pierzynski is NOT a hero...
* * *
'Lost' last night was pretty good. Maybe even the best of the season thus far ...
Yes, Hurley's dream during the opening sequence was a trip, but it didn't trick me. I had it pegged for a dream the moment Jin started speaking English. Yet, I found Hurley's backstory and his reasonable resistance to change to be one of the most endearing of any on the island. ... The best part of the episode were the scenes of everyone, thanks to Hurley, laughing and feasting on the beach. And then we got that topped with the revelation that Rose's significant other really is ok!
But please. Finally, we were treated to an episode during which Jack wasn't Mr. Attitude. (The scene of him walking in on Kate in the shower was pretty comical) Thank you ... now we have to deal with Miss Attitude leading 'the others' clan. I agree, Sawyer SHOULD kill her ...
... I didn't get around to watching 'Invasion' (...which by the way has a cool web site!) until my lunch break this morning. And, thankfully, last night's episode finally kept my attention for almost all 60 minutes. ... Now if only the writers could give us one of those 'Lost'-like flashbacks to show us what the heck is Tom's (aka Sheriff Creepy's) backstory.
* * *
It hasn't taken a lot of news-watching lately to make me awestuck at what kind of crazy year this has been ... a tsunami, the unending war in Iraq, Katrina, the Pakistan earthquake and now flooding in the northeast ...
Makes you really thankful for what you've got and reminds you NEVER to take anything for granted ...
10.12.2005
Kill the umpire!?
Are you kidding me!? Are you kidding me!? Are YOU kidding me!? ... I think we all know who deserved to win Game 2 of the ALCS.
My iPod obsession
What will they think of next …
I returned from my lunch break today, made a quick check of the entertainment wire and spotted the news of the new iPod.
My jaw dropped. It’s thinner, has longer battery life, holds more songs and plays videos. VIDEOS! Amazing.
Within a couple hours one my cohorts was at my desk talking about buying his photo iPod last week and complaining that the salespeople didn’t suggest he wait to purchase the new iPod released today …
Now tonight, as I catch up on the news, it’s all over the place and Letterman even included a gig with it on his show.
The little bugger was only announced late this morning and already it seems EVERybody’s talking about it …
Yep, the obsession continues.
I returned from my lunch break today, made a quick check of the entertainment wire and spotted the news of the new iPod.
My jaw dropped. It’s thinner, has longer battery life, holds more songs and plays videos. VIDEOS! Amazing.
Within a couple hours one my cohorts was at my desk talking about buying his photo iPod last week and complaining that the salespeople didn’t suggest he wait to purchase the new iPod released today …
Now tonight, as I catch up on the news, it’s all over the place and Letterman even included a gig with it on his show.
The little bugger was only announced late this morning and already it seems EVERybody’s talking about it …
Yep, the obsession continues.
Movin' Out!
Kates and I enjoyed one of the perks of being in the media last night – complimentary tickets to opening night of ‘Movin’ Out’ at the Marcus Center in Milwaukee.
Awesome – whether you’re a fan of Billy Joel music or just plain good dancing. Essentially this musical is a ballet and interpretive dance set to a collection of Billy Joel’s greatest hits. It’s a Billy Joel concert without Billy Joel.
Forget trying to follow the plot. For one, it’s kind of flimsy – it’s set in Long Island during the ‘60s with a high school friends. Brenda and Eddie are finished, while James and Judy are set to marry, and Tony is looking for love. … As the first act moves on, all three men go to combat and James is killed, leaving Eddie and Tony to return home as Judy mourns. …
Act II takes the characters through the decade of the '70s as they deal with loneliness, drugs and self-loathing. But just as they always seem to do on Broadway, everybody reconnects in the end and yada, yada, yada.
Without knowing the story going in, I found ‘Movin’ Out’ harder to follow than other rock operas I’ve seen – ‘Tommy,’ ‘Rent’ – obviously because the music wasn’t written specifically for the show. Rather, the musical was choreographed to Billy Joel’s songs. The audience must rely on dancing, not lyrics, to understand the story.
Nonetheless, much of the dancing was amazing and incredible to watch – especially Julieta Gros, who played the part of Judy (look at those eyes!), although I could’ve done without a lot of the male dancing scenes that seemed to repetitively alter between fun-loving, playful boys and pushing and shoving …And the band!? That, of course for me, was the best part. The band was set up on a giant catwalk above the stage putting them in perfect view of the audience for the entire show (I often caught myself watching them jam and paying little attention to the dancing ...) Stinging guitar, blaring brass and searing harmonies all combined with Darren Holden’s incredible voice and piano pounding.
I knew the band was gonna be good before the curtain even rose – we could hear them warming up backstage with a jam of Toto’s ‘Rosanna’ (minus the vocals). Yeah. ... and then they brought down whetever was left of the house at the end with an encore jam of Billy Joel's "Scenes From An Italian Restuarant."
So with my interest about the show piqued, I did some internet searching today, and found this review from the KC Star. Turns out the same ‘Movin’ Out’ we saw last night played in my beloved Kansas City last week.
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